Media Advisory, February 26, 2018
Contact: Candice Kim, (213) 220-0591, ckim@biologicaldiversity.org
Vera Pardee, (858) 717-1488, vpardee@biologicaldiversity.org
San Francisco Polar Bear Funeral to Oppose Clean Power Plan Repeal
SAN FRANCISCO Public-health, environmental and youth activists will hold a symbolic polar bear funeral and rally Wednesday to oppose the Trump administrations proposed Clean Power Plan repeal. The event will take place in front of the San Francisco Main Public Library, where the Environmental Protection Agency will hold a listening session on the proposed repeal later that morning.
Implementing the Clean Power Plan would finally cut the dirty power-plant pollution that drives climate change and makes people sick, said Vera Pardee, senior counsel at the Center for Biological Diversitys Climate Law Institute. Killing this crucial protection would be the Trump EPAs most destructive environmental assault yet.
What: Funeral service for Frostpaw the polar bear (a person in a realistic polar bear costume) and rally against the EPAs proposed repeal of the Clean Power Plan
When: Wednesday, Feb. 28. Funeral begins at 8 a.m., EPAs listening session scheduled from 8:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.
Where: Steps of San Francisco Main Public Library, 100 Larkin Street, San Francisco, CA 94102
Who: Participants available for media interviews include young climate leaders, public-health advocates and representatives from the Center for Biological Diversity.
Background
The nations fleet of fossil-fuel power plants is the largest stationary source of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions. The Clean Power Plan imposed the first-ever nationwide limits on carbon pollution from power plants.
Power plants also emit pollutants that cause asthma and other health problems. According to the Trump EPAs own analysis, the Clean Power Plan would prevent up to 4,500 premature deaths per year by 2030 due to reductions in these pollutants. This is particularly important for low-income communities and communities of color who are disproportionately saddled with power-plant emissions.
The Clean Power Plan was finalized by the Obama administration in 2015. In October 2017 EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt announced a proposal to repeal the rule without committing to any replacement.
The EPAs listening session is a sham. Scott Pruitt is hell-bent on scrapping the Clean Power Plan for his friends in the fossil fuel industry, Pardee said. Its a stunning abdication of the EPAs central duty to protect our health and environment, and we must fight it.
For Immediate Release, February 26, 2018 Contact: Lori Ann Burd, (971) 717-6405, laburd@biologicaldiversity.org New Global Study: Wildlife-harming Neonicotinoid Pesticides Generally Fail to Increase Crop Yields Sustainable Pest-control Strategies Are Cheaper, More Effective PORTLAND, Ore. The widespread use of wildlife-harming neonicotinoid pesticides is failing to deliver promised benefits to agricultural production, according to a study published today in the academic journal Environmental Science and Pollution Research. The global assessment of 200 scientific studies by the International Task Force on Systemic Pesticides found that use of neonicotinoids over the past two decades has inflicted serious damage to birds, pollinators and other insects without generally increasing yields. This study should be the final nail in the coffin for these dangerous pesticides here in the U.S., said Lori Ann Burd, director of the Center for Biological Diversitys environmental health program. Its mindboggling that while much of Europe and Canada are limiting the use of these poisons, the U.S. EPA is considering expanding their use across millions of acres. The study shows neonicotinoids can be phased out to protect pollinators and aquatic invertebrates without harming agricultural productivity; research also shows that farmers benefit from integrated pest management practices such as crop rotation and biological controls. Moving forward, the studys authors conclude that the documented harms of neonicotinoids must be weighed against evidence that use of the dangerous pesticides does not generally result in higher yields or profits. The International Task Force on Systemic Pesticides is made up of the worlds leading experts on neonicotinoids and other systemic pesticides. Todays study is the response of the scientific community to escalating worldwide concerns about the harm of these pesticides on biodiversity and ecosystems. Here in the U.S., its time the EPA started listening to the worlds leading scientists instead of pandering to companies hoping to squeeze more profits out of selling these dangerous pesticides, said Burd. This eye-opening study confirms that the EPA must move quickly to eliminate the unacceptable risk posed by neonics. The sooner the better. Background
Neonicotinoids are a class of pesticides known to have both acute and chronic effects on aquatic invertebrates, honeybees, birds, butterflies and other pollinator species; they are a major factor in overall pollinator declines. These systemic insecticides cause entire plants, including their pollen and nectar, to become toxic to pollinators. They are also slow to break down, and they build up in the environment. A large and growing body of independent science has found overwhelming evidence linking neonicotinoids to declines in populations of bees, birds, earthworms, butterflies and other wildlife. Neonicotinoids have long been known to pose serious harm to bee populations. EPA assessments released in December 2017 found the commonly used pesticides can also kill and harm birds of all sizes and pose significant dangers to aquatic invertebrates. The EPAs aquatic and non-pollinator risk assessment found that the majority of uses of neonicotinoids on currently registered crops resulted in risks to freshwater invertebrates that exceeded levels of concern the threshold at which harm is known to occur. Yet the same week the EPA released these risk assessments, the agency announced that it was considering allowing the highly toxic neonicotinoid pesticide, thiamethoxam, to be sprayed directly on 165 million acres of wheat, barley, corn, sorghum, alfalfa, rice and potatoes.
For Immediate Release, February 26, 2018 Contact: Kieran Suckling, (520) 275-5960 Ryan Zinke Wins 2017 Rubber Dodo Award TUCSON, Ariz. Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke is the winner of the Center for Biological Diversitys 2017 Rubber Dodo award. The statue is awarded each year to the person or group who has most aggressively sought to destroy America's natural heritage or drive endangered species extinct. Ryan Zinke seems to wake up every day wondering how he can tear apart Americas public lands, ramp up oil and gas development and put endangered species on a fast track to extinction, said Kieran Suckling, the Centers executive director. Zinke and President Trump announced massive cuts to Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante national monuments in Utah. Days later his Interior Department opened bids for the largest oil lease-sale ever offered in Alaskas National Petroleum Reserve potentially turning over more than 10 million acres of prime wilderness and wildlife habitat to oil development. Zinkes Interior Department also proposed vastly ramping up offshore drilling in the Arctic, the Gulf of Mexico and along the West Coast and East Coast. If the plan is enacted, it could lead to more than 5,000 oil spills and contribute 49.5 gigatons of carbon dioxide pollution, the equivalent of the emissions from 10.6 billion cars driven for a year. He overturned President Obamas moratorium on federal coal leasing and wants to open three marine monuments to industrial commercial fishing: Northeast Canyons and Seamounts in the Atlantic; Pacific Remote Islands; and Rose Atoll in the South Pacific. Zinkes U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service this fall tried to roll back an Obama-era ban on trophy elephant imports from Zimbabwe; he has denied protections to species like the Pacific walrus. Zinkes an extension of Trumps greed, callousness and corporate cronyism, Suckling said. Its hard to imagine anyone else who has done more this year to drive our environment straight into the ditch, along with the future of Americas wildlife and public lands. Zinke won the Rubber Dodo award after an online contest where tens of thousands of people were asked to choose between him, EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt, Rep. Rob Bishop (R-Utah) and Sonny Perdue, head of the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Previous Rubber Dodo award winners include Rep. Rob Bishop (2016), Monsanto (2015), the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Wildlife Services (2014), the Koch brothers (2013), climate denier Senator James Inhofe (2012), the U.S. Chamber of Commerce (2011), former BP CEO Tony Hayward (2010), massive land speculator Michael Winer (2009), Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin (2008) and Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne (2007). Background on the Dodo
In 1598 Dutch sailors landing on the Indian Ocean island of Mauritius discovered a flightless, 3-foot-tall, extraordinarily friendly bird. Its original scientific name was Didus ineptus. (Contemporary scientists use the less defamatory Raphus cucullatus.) To the rest of the world, it's the dodo possibly the most famous extinct species on Earth after the dinosaurs. It evolved over millions of years with no natural predators and eventually lost the ability to fly, becoming a land-based consumer of fruits, nuts and berries. Having never known predators, it showed no fear of humans or the menagerie of animals accompanying them to Mauritius. Its trusting nature led to its rapid extinction. By 1681 the dodo had vanished, hunted and outcompeted by humans, dogs, cats, rats, macaques and pigs. Humans logged its forest cover while pigs uprooted and ate much of the understory vegetation. The origin of the name dodo is unclear. It likely came from the Dutch word dodoor, meaning sluggard, the Portuguese word doudo, meaning fool or crazy, or the Dutch word dodaars meaning plump-arse (that nation's name for the little grebe). The dodo's reputation as a foolish, ungainly bird derives in part from its friendly naivete and the very plump captives that were taken on tour across Europe. The animal's reputation was cemented with the 1865 publication of Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. Based on skeleton reconstructions and the discovery of early drawings, scientists now believe that the dodo was a much sleeker animal than commonly portrayed. The rotund European exhibitions were likely produced by overfeeding captive birds.
26 February 2018
Appeared in BioNews 939
A court in Thailand has awarded a Japanese man paternity rights over 13 children born through surrogacy, meaning that can now apply for custody of them.
The man, not named in court documents, is reported to be Mitsutoki Shigeta. The son of a wealthy IT entrepreneur, Shigeta attracted controversy in 2014 after Thai officials raided his flat in Bangkok on the of suspicion of human trafficking and found at least nine babies, nannies and a pregnant woman (reported in BioNews 768).
The Japanese businessman, who was shown to be the biological father of the children, maintained that he simply wanted a large family who could inherit his wealth. The Central Juvenile Court in Bangkok, which heard Shigeta's application, said that it did not find any evidence of human trafficking and believed that he has the means to care for the children.
'For the happiness and opportunities which the 13 children will receive from their biological father, who does not have a history of bad behaviour, the court rules that all 13 born from surrogacy to be legal children of the plaintiff,' the Court said in a statement.
The Thai women who acted as surrogates, sought custody over the children themselves in 2015 (reported in BioNews 786). However, BBC News citing the recent decision said that the women had now forfeited any rights to the children.
The case, which became known as the 'baby factory' scandal in the press, cast a spotlight on Thailand's surrogacy industry and the Thai government shortly afterwards introduced a ban on foreigners from paying for surrogacy in the country. It is claimed that Shigeta paid the surrogates between $9,300 and $12,500 each.
Commenting on the case, Sam Everingham, founder of the Australian consultancy organisation, Families Through Surrogacy, said: 'The case of Mitsutoki Shigeta is way outside the norm for cross-border surrogacy. Fathering 13 children via surrogacy highlights the need for regulation of surrogacy at a domestic level.'
A total of 17 babies have so far been identified in Thailand as having been fathered by Shigeta, who already has custody of four of the children. CNN reports he also has two further children born to surrogates in India.
26 February 2018
Anna Mallach By
Appeared in BioNews 939
Genome editing has been used to correct the mutation causing sickle cell disease in stem cells from the blood of patients.
In up to 40 percent of the blood cells, the disease-causing mutation was reversed using the CRISPR/Cas9 approach. 'The idea is to correct that particular mutation, and then stem cells that have the correction would differentiate into normal blood cells, including red blood cells,' said Professor Gang Bao at Rice University in Houston, Texas, and lead author of the study. 'Those will then be healthy blood cells.'
The team then implanted the edited human cells into the bone marrow of mice. Even 19 weeks after this transfer, the cells retained their induced correction, indicating that this is a stable change within the cells.
This raises the hope that genome edited cells could be a potential treatment for patients. However, this will need to be confirmed in future clinical trial, as Professor Bao remarked: 'We still don't know whether repairing as much as 40 percent of the cells is enough to cure a patient.'
The study, presented at the American Association for the Advancement of Science's annual conference in Austin, Texas, also found unintended changes in the genome of the corrected cells. Professor Waseem Qasim at the University College London, who was not involved in the study, told iNews that 'the question is how many cells may have other parts of their DNA change'.
Sickle cell disease affects 14,000 people in the UK and causes anaemia, infections and strokes. A single mutation in the beta-globin gene causes red blood cells to adopt an abnormal sickle shape, leading to blockages of the blood vessels, pain and potential organ damage. According to NHS Choices, current treatments for sickle cell disease involve treating the symptoms, rather than the underlying cause of the disease.
26 February 2018
Kathryn Ashe By
Appeared in BioNews 939
Scientists have successfully grown sheep embryos containing human cells, taking a step towards a method for growing human organs in animals for transplantation.
The research team introduced human stem cells into early sheep embryos, creating hybrids which were allowed to develop for 28 days. The team are already working on genetically modifying animal embryos so they can't develop certain organs for themselves. If human stems cells are introduced into such embryos, the hope is that they will develop to replace the missing organ, for example producing a human pancreas inside a host sheep.
This latest research, reported at last week's meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science in Austin, Texas, is part of a wider ongoing investigation into the possibility of animal-grown human organs.
'We have already generated a mouse pancreas in rats and then transplanted those into a diabetic mouse and were able to show almost a complete cure without any immunosuppressants,' said Dr Hiro Nakauchi of Stanford University, California, one of the lead authors of the new study.
These embryos are not the first human-animal hybrids: human-pig hybrids have already also been created (see BioNews 855 and 886), producing embryos with one human cell in every 100,000. This most recent advance has achieved a higher ratio of human to animal cells.
'About one in 10,000 cells in these sheep embryos are human, [but] we think that that's still not probably enough to generate an organ,' said Dr Pablo Ross from the University of California, Davis, who is working with Dr Nakauchi on the project. The Guardian reports that around 1 percent of the embryo's cells may have to be human for an organ to grow successfully.
Sheep and pigs are suited to hosting developing human organs because their own are a similar size and function in a similar way, according to Dr Nakauchi. There are several advantages to using sheep embryos in particular. 'For a pig we typically transfer 50 embryos to one recipient [but] with the sheep we transfer four embryos to one recipient,' said Dr Ross. This means fewer embryos are needed for one experiment.
Using animals as hosts for developing human organs for transplantation could reduce both organ waiting lists nearly 500 people died last year in the UK while waiting for a transplant, according to NHS figures and organ rejection rates, as the patient's own cells could be used in the procedure, meaning the organs will be genetically compatible with the patient receiving them.
'Even today the best matched organs, except if they come from identical twins, don't last very long because with time the immune system continuously is attacking them,' said Dr Ross. 'We need to explore all possible alternatives to provide organs to ailing people.'
In July, the United Nations sounded alarms with its 2020 hunger report , which documented a 25% increase from 2019 to 2020 in the number of severely undernourished people in the world. Sub-Saharan Africa saw a similar spike with an estimated 44 million more people suffering severe hunger. Covid-19 and climate change were the proximate causes, but lagging productivity growth in agriculture contributed as well.
It is time for people in Africa to solve their own "lion sized problems" and not wait for someone from the West to do it. This is the view of Kenya's Mark Kamau, a human centred designer whose mission is to connect the unconnected in Africa. His company is already disrupting education around the world.
Mark Kamau, user experience design director, BRCK.
Digital classrooms
Kio Kit by BRCK.
BRCK is named as one of the top 10 most innovative companies in Africa 2018: https://t.co/TutIfthEIN BRCK (@brcknet) February 20, 2018
Afrofuturism
Kamau, user experience design director with Kenyan startup BRCK, told Bizcommunity.com on Friday, day three of Design Indaba, that BRCK , has a model to reach the unreached, connect the unconnected. They are installing internet connectivity in taxis all over Kenya, in shops, restaurants, to villages in Rwanda, free of charge.The Moja network created by his company means that anyone within range can connect to the internet for free, or watch shows, listen to music or read books from the stored content on the network. Facebook is one of their biggest clients.In the world of six billion people, only half of that, about three billion, are connected to the internet, Kamau said. In Africa, 800 million people are not connected to the internet in fact, he said, only about 24% of Africans have reliable internet connectivity.He wants to change all of that, disrupting the internet and reimagining it for Africa.A lot of time people wait for people from the West to solve what we call, lion sized problems, of education and of connectivity, so people wait for Google or Facebook to come along and do that for them. But as an African company, we have taken on that challenge and that is why I like this optimism. We will be the ones to connect Africa.That is our mission as a company. We have a model where there are those who try reach the unreached with content, with messages, so when you use our connectivity for a certain amount of time, you get an advertising message. So you pay with your eyes, you dont pay me."Kamau added: The internet is organised for the West. So we are also disrupting the internet and organising it best for Africa, because now the servers are in the village, and the information is next to you. So we are also reimagining the internet for Africa.As well as creating a content delivery network and free Wi-Fi connectivity through his Moja network, Kamau has also developed a way to turn any classroom into a digital classroom with a Kio Kit . The Kio Kit is a simple and hardy solution that can turn any classroom into a digital classroom in minutes. It is designed for rural schools and schools with poor infrastructure.The Kio Kit consists of 40 ruggedised Kio tablets, headphones and a BRCK containing both world class local and international content. There is a single plug to charge the Kit and one button to power on the entire system. The Kio tablets and BRCK tech within it have enough battery to manage intermittent power in rural areas. It is portable, easy to secure, has expandable storage, remote content sync and a rugged, hardy, carry case to fit it all in.Kamau said the inspiration for the Kio Kit was to level the playing field for children in the rural areas which had no access to computer labs at school, yet have to compete with better-equipped learners in urban areas with more resources when national examinations came round.They built this tech for Kenya, but it has also been bought by countries all over the world, such as Mexico and the Solomon Islands. BRCK has been named by Fast Company as one of the top 10 most innovative companies in Africa for 2018, as a result.Kamau defines Afrofuturism, a thread running through the Design Indaba conference this year, as the energy and hope that you find on the continent, the incredible innovation happening in the tech scene in particular.People outside of Africa look at Africa and see a mess. Whereas we see immense progress that comes from survival and fighting for a better Africa. In a country like Kenya, there is this optimism. The creative sector and the tech scene in Kenya are booming - 45% of our GDP in Kenya is traded in mobile money.Kamau said Afrofuturism is young people rising up to sort out their own problems: Its a can do attitude that I see across Africa. I travel to Rwanda, I come here [to South Africa], and I see people who choose the future, they choose hope - where others would see despair. That is the beauty of Africa, the energy and hope I find here, is amazing.Providing access to information in Africa is a critical element of Afrofuturism, Kamau reiterated.It is good to see African built technology being exported and that idea that it is time for Africa to claim thought leadership in solving problems for the world that is Afrofuturism in my opinion. The Africa of the future does not sit back and take these messages about hunger, about poverty... So we have our challenges, but we are vast and complex people, we can tackle our own challenges and still think about solutions for the world.That is our attitude. That is what we try to do and demonstrate. So, the three billion people in the world not connected to the internet - we are going to be the ones connecting them!
#DesignIndaba2018: Be inspired by problems in Africa
Leroy Mawasaru was only 16 and still at school when he founded Greenpact, a social enterprise to provide alternative renewable energy to local communities and institutions in Kenya.
Leroy Mawasaru, founder of Greenpact. What started out as a high school project, has been featured by CNN,
The Greenpact model involves using human waste to provide electricity for homes in rural villages. It describes itself as a clean energy startup which hopes to solve the problem of lack of access to clean energy and proper sanitation that six million Kenyans face.
After being exposed to design thinking, Mawasaru also founded CampBuni, a social enterprise teaching design thinking to high school students, because he wanted to expose them to the learnings he has had and hopefully encourage others to take their ideas and innovations further.
Then there is CommCycle, a trade platform to facilitate peer-to-peer trading that he founded. He is currently saving for college.
After wowing the Design Indaba audience with his ingenuity on the third and last day of the Design Indaba conference, Mawasaru sat down with Bizcommunity.com to talk about his journey.
What started you on your journey? What started you on your journey? What started out as a high school project, has been featured by CNN, The HuffPost , Forbes, UpWorthy, Grist and local media in Kenya. And among his many accolades, this 19-year-old is a One Young World Ambassador, a Harvard Social Innovation Collaborative Fellow, a Resolution Fellow, the youngest 2016 Tony Elumelu Entrepreneurship Programme fellow and Royal Commonwealth Society Fellow.The Greenpact model involves using human waste to provide electricity for homes in rural villages. It describes itself as a clean energy startup which hopes to solve the problem of lack of access to clean energy and proper sanitation that six million Kenyans face.After being exposed to design thinking, Mawasaru also founded CampBuni, a social enterprise teaching design thinking to high school students, because he wanted to expose them to the learnings he has had and hopefully encourage others to take their ideas and innovations further.Then there is CommCycle, a trade platform to facilitate peer-to-peer trading that he founded. He is currently saving for college.After wowing the Design Indaba audience with his ingenuity on the third and last day of the Design Indaba conference, Mawasaru sat down with Bizcommunity.com to talk about his journey.
The most important person in your life? The most important person in your life?
What were your main challenges in starting out? What were your main challenges in starting out?
Why go into the renewable energy sector? Why go into the renewable energy sector?
What personality trait do you need to succeed? What personality trait do you need to succeed?
Why teach design thinking skills? Why teach design thinking skills?
So whats next for you? So whats next for you?
What is your advice for other entrepreneurs? What is your advice for other entrepreneurs?
Louise Burgers' articles About Louise Marsland Louise Burgers (previously Marsland) is Founder/Content Director: SOURCE Content Marketing Agency. Louise is a Writer, Publisher, Editor, Content Strategist, Content/Media Trainer. She has written about consumer trends, brands, branding, media, marketing and the advertising communications industry in SA and across Africa, for over 20 years, notably, as previous Africa Editor: Bizcommunity.com; Editor: Bizcommunity Media/Marketing SA; Editor-in-Chief: AdVantage magazine; Editor: Marketing Mix magazine; Editor: Progressive Retailing magazine; Editor: BusinessBrief magazine; Editor: FMCG Files newsletter. Web: www.sourceagency.co.za. Louise Burgers (previously Marsland) is Founder/Content Director: SOURCE Content Marketing Agency. Louise is a Writer, Publisher, Editor, Content Strategist, Content/Media Trainer. She has written about consumer trends, brands, branding, media, marketing and the advertising communications industry in SA and across Africa, for over 20 years, notably, as previous Africa Editor: Bizcommunity.com; Editor: Bizcommunity Media/Marketing SA; Editor-in-Chief: AdVantage magazine; Editor: Marketing Mix magazine; Editor: Progressive Retailing magazine; Editor: BusinessBrief magazine; Editor: FMCG Files newsletter. Web: www.sourceagency.co.za.
It began with family values I observed back at home. It made me into this responsible kid. It instilled a discipline in me. Apart from this, the attitude of taking hard parts and taking the parts no one wants to take. Magic happens when you step out of your comfort zone. Any youth who is outside Africa could do and achieve lots more.My parents, my mum for always being there for me, my dad for showing me that everything didnt come on a silver platter.Getting people to take me seriously was a very big challenge. I would walk into a meeting, and people would want to know what a teenager has to do in a meeting. It was experiencing those blockages and defying convention. Nothing can stop me. I am here.Then there are values that I uphold, but Ive had to break some school rules because I wanted to do something, nothing is ever a smooth path. If you follow the system blindly, not everything will be in your favour. You need to defy some conventions and break some rules, it's never a straight path. Of course Im not suggesting that school rules should be broken!I was mainly inspired by a problem. I identified this problem. I started solving it and then learnt as much as I could about the solution. I barely knew it. I looked at the concept behind the problem. I tried to get all these resources. I learned things very fast and learned as much as possible, so I could learn about the solution. I am still continuing to learn. I am inspired by a problem.What I believe is a successful trait is discipline; and an ear to always be open and listen to feedback you get from people on the ground and people you work with. That is what leadership is about. You cant just be deaf about what is happening. I take in all this and act.I never knew what design thinking was. I applied to an innovation competition in Kenya and was introduced to design thinking tools. I was fortunate and decided to teach other Kenyan youth these skills. I want to make sure these tools are available to Kenyan youth. It is more of a self-taught process. I practice design thinking. It is not something you learn in class, it is something you go into the field and do it.I am trying to save for college, but it is not the end of it. Maybe a platform to further impact my work. My vision is always to do better things. I am fascinated by behavioural economics and applied econometrix. That is what I would study.Two words: Always stand. Its more of an analogy. As we grow up we are taught how to walk, keep quiet, sit down, dont stand. No one tells us how to move beyond 'sitting and keeping quiet'. We have to learn that ourselves.
The 2018 Warc 100, an annual global index of the world's top marketing campaigns and companies based on their business impact, has been released by Warc.
Andrew Robertson, president and chief executive, BBDO Worldwide.
Purpose is effective when brands have a credible role. Three purpose-driven campaigns appear in the top 10. 'Dads #ShareTheLoad' for Ariel, Whirlpool's 'Care Counts' and 'Imagine the Possibilities' for Barbie are all examples of the commercial success that can be driven when a brand's purpose is intrinsically linked to its product.
Strategies with PR baked in are becoming the norm. Three campaigns in the top ten used a PR-led strategy to drive brand awareness and increase sales: 'Meet Graham' for Australia's Transport Accident Commission, Burger King's 'The McWhopper Proposal' and 'Van Gogh BnB' for the Art Institute of Chicago.
New takes on long-term ideas. Several of the highly effective initiatives ranked, such as 'Dads #ShareTheLoad', 'Hungerithm' for Snickers, the John Lewis Christmas campaigns and Always' 'Girl Emojis', show how blockbuster ideas can be intelligently followed up with brands investing in long-term strategies rather than quick wins for immediate gain.
Smarter thinking unleashes the power of creativity
Producing great work
Campaigns with purpose
Top 10 world's top effectiveness campaigns
Rank Campaign title Brand Agency Points 1 Dads #ShareTheLoad Ariel BBDO Mumbai 127.1 2 The Swedish Number Swedish Tourist Association INGO Stockholm 95.4 3 Care Counts Whirlpool Ketchum Chicago 84.6 4 Meet Graham Transport Accident Commission Clemenger BBDO 82.5 5= The McWhopper Proposal Burger King Melbourne 80.7 5= Van Gogh BnB Art Institute of Chicago Y&R Auckland 80.7 7 Hungerithm Snickers Leo Burnett Chicago 78.9 8 John Lewis Christmas Campaigns John Lewis Clemenger BBDO Melbourne 78.4 9 Reword Headspace National Youth Mental Health Foundation adam&eveDDB 72.2 10 Imagine the Possibilities Barbie London 70.0
Top 5 creative agencies for effectiveness
Rank Agency Location Points 1 Clemenger BBDO Melbourne Melbourne, Australia 186.6 2 Colenso BBDO Auckland, New Zealand 174.2 3 BBDO New York New York, USA 139.8 4 BBDO India Mumbai, India 124.9 5 Droga5 New York, USA 114.9
Top 5 media agencies for effectiveness
Rank Agency Location Points 1 Starcom Chicago, USA 269.6 2 Mindshare Istanbul, Turkey 86.3 3 Spark Foundry Chicago, USA 77.9 4 PHD Shanghai, China 76.4 5 Manning Gottlieb OMD London, UK 65.5
Top 5 digital/specialist agencies for effectiveness
Rank Agency Location Points 1 DigitasLBi Chicago, USA 90.7 2 Ketchum Chicago, USA 84.6 3 Leo Burnett/Arc Worldwide Chicago, USA 79.9 4 Weber Shandwick New York, USA 54.4 5 Team Unilever Shopper New York, USA 51.1
Top 5 agency networks for effectiveness
Rank Network Points 1 BBDO Worldwide 1454.9 2 Ogilvy & Mather Advertising 738 3 McCann Worldgroup 699.1 4 DDB Worldwide 553.4 5 OMD Worldwide 536.4
Top 5 holding companies for effectiveness
Rank Holding company Points 1 Omnicom Group 3472.7 2 WPP 3220.6 3 Interpublic Group 2157.2 4 Publicis Groupe 1944.1 5 Dentsu 425.5
Top 5 brands for effectiveness
Rank Brand Points 1 Burger King 153.3 2 Ariel 127.1 3 Mastercard 120.8 4 IBM 103.6 5 Vodafone 101.1
Top 5 advertisers for effectiveness
Rank Advertiser Points 1 Unilever 505 2 PepsiCo 398.6 3 Mars 339 4 Procter & Gamble 327.9 5 Heineken 265.3
Top 5 countries for effectiveness
Rank Country Points 1 USA 3360.1 2 UK 1478.3 3 Australia 949.9 4 India 630.8 5 New Zealand 531.8
Creative approaches translate to marketplace success
Warc 100 tracks the performance of campaigns, brands and agencies in more than 70 of the most important global, regional and national marketing effectiveness and strategy competitions around the world. Now in its fifth year, the Warc 100 is based on a rigorous methodology developed in consultation with Douglas West, professor of marketing at Kings College London.The top-ranked campaign, 'Dads #ShareTheLoad' by BBDO India for Ariel Matic, Procter & Gamble's premium laundry detergent brand, built on its previous 'Share the Load' campaign by persuading dads to do more laundry in order to promote gender equality. Ariel Matic generated a 42% increase in unaided brand awareness, $12.3m in earned media coverage, and conversations on social media and sales growth exceeding previous campaigns.In second place is 'The Swedish Number' by INGO Stockholm for The Swedish Tourist Association, which manages hotels and hostels across Sweden. The purely PR-driven approach saw more than 32,000 Swedes sign up to take more than 200,000 calls from abroad helping STF boost its renewal figures and attract new members.Ranked third is the 'Care Counts' campaign for Whirlpool by DigitasLBi Chicago. The appliances manufacturer installed washers and dryers in schools to give disadvantaged students access to laundry facilities, resulting in 90% of the participants increasing their school attendance rate. The programme has been expanded to nearly 60 schools across the US.Three themes have emerged from the world's top effectiveness campaigns:Australia's Clemenger BBDO Melbourne tops the creative agencies for effectiveness table for the first time having produced two top 10 campaigns: 'Meet Graham' and 'Hungerithm'. New Zealand's Colenso BBDO follows in second place with work for Burger King and DB Export contributing to their score.Starcom Chicago has returned to the top of the media agencies for effectiveness ranking with almost triple the points of the second-placed agency.Eight of the top digital/specialist agencies for effectiveness are from the US, with Chicago-based agencies making up the top three. DigitasLBi Chicago takes poll position.BBDO Worldwide remains the most awarded network for the fifth year in a row, having retained this rank since Warc 100 began in 2014. Its agencies contributed to four of the top 10 campaigns and 19 of the top 100.Andrew Robertson, president and chief executive, BBDO Worldwide, says: "Smarter thinking unleashes the power of creativity to make greater impact. That's why leading the Warc 100 is so meaningful."For the second time, Omnicom Group is the most awarded holding company, having previously held top position in 2014. Omnicom Group owns four of the top 10 agency networks.John Wren, president and CEO, Omnicom Group, says: "Producing great work that drives results for our clients is why we come to work every day. It is especially gratifying to see Omnicom recognised by Warc as having five of the top ten individually ranked agencies, three of the top five networks, and being the top-ranked holding company. I could not be prouder of our teams."Burger King improved its ranking by 30 places to reach the top brand for effectiveness, with the 'McWhopper Proposal' campaign in the top 10 and 'Backyard Burger King' in the top 100. The continuing performance of Ariel's 'Share the Load' campaign has contributed to the brand retaining its second place.Unilever was the most effective advertiser for the third time, having previously held this top position in 2015 and 2014. Unilever has four campaigns in the top 100 - Lifebuoy's '#HelpAChildReach5', Knorr's 'Love At First Taste', 'The Vaseline Healing Project' and 'The radicalisation of Persil' - with a further 50 campaigns across all competitions contributing to its tally.Keith Weed, chief marketing and communications officer, Unilever, says: "It's a great honour to be recognised by Warc as Most Effective Advertiser again. I'm hugely proud of our marketers, working hard to drive campaigns with purpose that cut through to consumers and make a real impact."USA retains its place as the top country in the world with 36 of the top 100 campaigns, compared to 12 from the UK and 12 from Australia.The most highly ranked campaigns and companies in Warc 100 are:The Warc 100 is now part of Gunn Report, which recently published Gunn 100, a ranking of campaigns and companies based on creativity.Commenting on Warc 100, Emma Wilkie, managing director, Gunn Report, says: "This year's Warc 100 once again confirms that creative approaches to marketing translates into marketplace success, with nearly all the top 10 campaigns also recognised in Gunn 100. Long-term strategies continue to be an important element to long-term success but we're also seeing a significant number of purpose-led and PR-led campaigns doing particularly well in achieving commercial objectives."The full Warc 100 rankings including the world's top 100 campaigns for effectiveness, top 50 creative, media and digital/specialist agencies for effectiveness, agency networks, brands, advertisers, countries and top holding companies as well as commentaries, the work and credits - is available by subscription on www.warc.com/gunnreport.The Gunn media rankings will be released in March.
Albeit a lifesaving procedure, heart valve replacement is fraught with problems ranging from blood clotting to tissue degeneration. The field is long overdue for innovation.
Professor Jacques Janson. Photo: Luigi Bennett
Human regenerative tissue the ideal
What next?
There are no 'off-the-shelf ' heart valves (as is the case with replacement lenses in cataract surgery, for example) and those that are available, aren't ideal. The technology has advanced in so many surgical fields, but with heart valves it's like we're stuck in the 1970s. The best mechanical valve in use now has essentially been unchanged since 40 years ago," says Professor Jacques Janson, a senior specialist in the Cardiothoracic Surgery Division in the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Stellenbosch University.He is exploring a new method that uses the body's own venous tissue to recreate damaged mitral valves. Recently, using a sheep model, he took tissue from the jugular vein to fashion anterior mitral valve leaflets. Janson was partly inspired to do the research, which led to his PhD dissertation, due to frustration with the slow pace of development in this field.There are problems with both the mechanical prosthetic and bio-prosthetic valves being used. With prosthetic valves clots can form, raising stroke risk, therefore patients need to take anti-coagulants. These, in turn, increase risk for bleeding.You risk just exchanging one disease for another when you replace someone's heart valve," Janson explains.Biological materials like human pericardium and porcine valves are used in bio-prosthetic valves. These materials have to be processed and fixed with glutaraldehyde to strengthen the tissue and remove antigens. This non-living tissue deteriorates with time, requiring replacement after 10-15 years. The patient's own pericardium can sometimes be used, but it calcifies as well and shrinks after a while unless it is also fixed and rendered non-living.Tissue valves are usually the choice for patients over 65, because despite degeneration the valve will likely last for the rest of their lives. A mechanical valve lasts longer in younger patients, but requires the lifelong use of Warfarin. Many young patients prefer a tissue valve and to then undergo another operation after ten years. Warfarin is also contraindicated in women who wish to become pregnant: In such cases tissue valves are used with the understanding that another operation will be required later.Repairing a valve rather than replacing it is always first prize, because you don't get the complications from the prostheses," Janson says.There is a lot of stress on a working valve and it should be able to repair itself. Ideally, you want a method that uses the patient's own regenerative tissue. My idea was to try using a vein, as we've been doing for coronary bypasses. However, using a vein graft as a conduit, which is what it's designed for, differs quite a bit from fashioning it into a valve leaflet."I don't relish using animals, but it was very useful in terms of getting the technique done. We used the sheep's jugular vein, which is long and wide. The sheep's heart itself is similar to a human's, especially the mitral valves, which also made it suitable."To fashion the leaflet, Janson used a 12cm section of vein. It was cut open lengthwise and then folded double with the inner endothelial layer on the outside, and the vein branches sutured. Gore-Tex sutures were implanted on the edge of the leaflet, acting as chords attaching to the papillary muscles to provide support for the leaflet.Once we'd got the sheep through the operation and did the echocardiograms, the valve looked quite good initially, but there were some technical issues.When we do valve repairs in humans, we insert a ring to stabilise the valve annulus to prevent enlargement. The ring basically comprises wire wrapped around a piece of Dacron, and I didn't want to use foreign tissue in the sheep I wanted the healing process to be natural. Because of this, in the sheep the valve kept growing and the leaflet shrunk in relation. The result was that over 6-10 months regression of mitral regurgitation occurred. A few of the Gore-Tex sutures tore out, again because there was so much pressure on the leaflet.Therefore, if we did another study we'd probably look into improving the valve's durability by supporting the annulus, as well as supporting the leaflet with secondary chords.It was encouraging that the histology indicated that the vein leaflet itself was viable: The tissue survived, could take the strain of a working valve and showed the ability to heal and adapt to its new environment in the heart. So, it has the potential to be used as a leaflet substitute."The next step would be to investigate if it would be clinically possible to replace a whole valve, but obviously we'd have to do that as a study protocol. In humans, instead of the jugular we'd use the saphenous vein in the leg (which is too small to use in sheep). We already use it for coronary bypasses and there is enough vein to create a whole leaflet from it.A safe way to proceed might be to try the procedure in just one or two patients and monitor them closely for a year, checking to see if the valve needs replacement. Patients with a high risk for Warfarin usage might benefit from such a procedure.Another possible application of this method might be to use the vein in cases where you need to replace a piece of leaflet which is missing due to infection. A vein might be a good option for the patch instead of pericardium, which would degenerate. Sometimes the leaflets retract and need to be lengthened. A vein patch might also work in these cases.I've done that in one patient where the whole anterior leaflet was infected and needed to be cut away together with the chords. I used a saphenous vein and also inserted chords. We have monitored this patient for almost 10 months now and he's doing really well. That was the first case in which a human saphenous vein was used in valve surgery. However, that was a repair situation and not a full replacement.There might be applications for other valves too. The aortic valve, for example, is smaller and requires smaller leaflets, therefore you'd need less vein to replace it. The pressure the valve experiences is also less. In developed world populations the valve that tends to get diseased is the older aortic valve, which suffers stenosis. A calcified, thickened valve often can't be repaired and needs replacement. But with those patients you can often get away with a tissue valve, which will last them their lifespan."The ultimate prize, Janson asserts, would be a living tissue valve that can last for 20 years in a young person without needing to use Warfarin. This would be particularly useful in the South African context, where resource limitations often make repeated surgeries unfeasible.
As debate swirls on whether artificial intelligence will be a boon or a curse for humanity, two Indian-American entrepreneur brothers are out to ensure the emerging technologies don't just benefit the richest in society.
Romesh and Sunil Wadhwani this week launched what is billed as the world's first non-profit institute dedicated to putting AI to work improving lives of poor farmers, rural healthcare workers or teachers in communities with scant resources."AI will go where AI will go; it is difficult to predict where," Sunil Wadhwani said of the conflicting views on the emergence of computers more brilliant than their human creators."Our focus is how many tens of millions of lives can we improve in the next five or 10 years. Where AI goes in 100 years, it will go."The entrepreneur brothers, who have a series of lucrative startups to their name, have committed $30m over 10 years to the Wadhwani AI institute , established in Mumbai with the Indian government as a partner. Areas targeted at the outset will include healthcare, education, agriculture and urban infrastructure. The project's founders hope AI could help nurses in rural areas with diagnoses, advise how to optimise crops, translate text books into various languages as needed or even spot signs students might be on paths to dropping out."AI is a game-changing technology," said Sunil Wadhwani, who is based in Pittsburgh as a trustee for Carnegie Mellon University."A lot of developing countries are getting left behind; US and China are leapfrogging ahead."Students from New York University and the University of Southern California will travel to Mumbai to collaborate, while the brothers also plan to partner with players in Silicon Valley, where Romesh Wadhwani is based.The ethical issues raised by AI - from its potential to destroy jobs to the power it could exert over people's lives - will be front of mind, according to institute chief P. Anandan, a former Microsoft Research director."It has the potential to be used badly, or run away on its own," Anandan said of AI."At the end of the day, you are going to manage that by being aware of it from the start and applying it where intentions are good."Internet giants have been investing heavily in creating software to help machines think more like people, boosted by super-fast computer processing power and access to mountains of data to analyse. AI has been put to work in the form of virtual aides, for recognising people's friends in photos, fighting "fake news," stymying the online spread of violent extremist messages and more.But the rise of artificial intelligence brings mighty new challenges too, and the new initiative coincides with the release of a report by AI scholars warning the technology has the potential to be exploited for nefarious purposes."These technologies have many widely beneficial applications," said the study produced by the Future of Humanity Institute, the non-profit group OpenAI and others."Less attention has historically been paid to the ways in which artificial intelligence can be used maliciously."The Electronic Frontier Foundation, which took part in the study, expressed concern that "increasingly sophisticated AI will usher in a world that is strange and different from the one we're used to, and there are serious risks if this technology is used for the wrong ends".High-profile figures who have expressed fears about the potential dangers of AI include tech visionary and innovator Elon Musk. SpaceX founder and Tesla chief executive Musk in 2015 took part in creating the research organisation OpenAI, which aims to develop artificial intelligence that helps rather than hurts people.Microsoft, Amazon, Apple, Google, Facebook, IBM, and Google-owned British AI firm DeepMind are also members of a non-profit "Partnership on AI" which seeks to promote the technology's use "to benefit people and society".Sunil Wadhwani has meanwhile promised an "aggressive" timeline at the brothers' eponymous institute, with testing of potential AI tools starting by the end of this year.
The growing popularity of brandy and gin helped Distell increase its overall volume of liquor sold by 3.7% during the six months to end-December.
Brent Hofacker via 123RF
"Exceptional brandy volume growth continues at 13.7% alongside growth of 21.3% from gin," Distell said in its interim results released on Friday morning.The group warned that its full-year results were likely to suffer from the Western Cape's drought driving up grape prices and a stronger rand hurting exports."While competition has increased in the local cider market, Distell will increase investment in the renovation of its Hunter's brand, which remains the world's second largest cider brand by volume."Besides Hunter's, Distell also producers Savanna cider."Savanna continues to enjoy global growth and, in the last six months, recorded double-digit volume and revenue growth. Savanna is now available in more than 60 countries," the results statement said.Distell grew its interim revenue by 9.3% to R13.4bn, and its after-tax profit by 8.6% to R1.2bn. It maintained its interim dividend at R1.65.
Menswear is a slightly smaller category than womenswear, with population demographics being one of the reasons for this as well as the fact that women tend to buy clothing more frequently than men. But the segment has gained ground over the last decade.
SAMW Fashion Talks. From left: Seth Shezi, Mxolisi Mkhize, Gilmore Moyo, Anuell Ahmar and Jason Storey.
Celebrating African heritage
House of St Luke. Credit: Simon Deiner / SDR Photo
Breaking gender stereotypes
Becoming globally competitive
A post shared by BlackBrain Pictures (@blackbrain_sa) on Jan 9, 2018 at 3:15am PST
The South African market alone has been forecast to reach R41 billion in value in 2021, driven by a growing interest among men in their appearance and personal grooming. African fashion is seeing growing recognition abroad, and menswear, in particular, has become bolder, more expressive and less restricted by social norms.A handful of industry mavens unpacked the trends driving the business of mens fashion during a panel discussion hosted by fashion blogat the South African Menswear Week (SAMW) held in Cape Town earlier this month. The Fashion Talks segment looked at the current state of menswear in SA and the greater African continent, and the opportunities and challenges impacting its growth.Jason Storey, founder and CEO of clothing brand Unknown Union, proclaimed that fashion in Africa is verging on revolutionary.The African renaissance is upon is. Right now, I think the world is turning its energy and its gaze towards this continent. Walking through the streets, seeing the way people are styling themselves and viewing the designers' work I see limitless creativity, I see fresh interpretations of things, and I see a daring approach to fashion with an audacity and boldness that is particular to this space.Another panellist, creative director and designer of House of St Luke, Mxolisi Mkhize, noted the shift away from the idolising of European fashion to an embracing of local heritage. He spoke of a time growing up when Italian fashion was coveted and considered superior to locally-made apparel. But this mindset is changing.People are embracing their African cultures and traditions. Being different has become exciting and I believe that in terms of design were competing on a global level, Mkhize said.Gilmore Moyo, a Zimbabwean social entrepreneur and PR consultant, echoed these sentiments. In Africa, I think we're beginning to find ourselves more, but I think we need to find even more inspiration from each other and not look to Europe or Asia. We're seeing more fashion inspired by African roots and backgrounds and were beginning to realise that we need to take our expression to the world.While African fashion may be enjoying growing exposure globally, one could argue that the talent and ingenuity has always existed here. Look at how our ancestors covered themselves in jewellery and beadwork. African fashion has always been on the cutting edge; it was just never celebrated, said Seth Shezi, a local PR consultant, writer and lifestyle brand strategist.He believes that whats changed is that people have gained confidence. People are realising that who they are and how they feel they want to express themselves is enough. It doesn't need verification. And that confidence is highlighting creativity thats always been there.Less bound to the rigid gender roles of the past, fashion too is moving into a more gender fluid space. There are fewer stores now that have separate men's and women's fitting rooms, and many are mixing men's and women's clothing in the same department, said Anuell Ahmar, editor-in-chief and executive director at online magazineI visit a store and I find myself purchasing items from the ladies section because there are specific garments that Im drawn to.As a South African market we are pushing boundaries and moving towards a genderless state where men and women are realising that they dont have to conform to a style that has been imposed on them by societal norms years prior. We are starting to find our individuality and identity as individuals," Ahmar said.Similarly, Moyo said that current mens fashion is reflecting a time in history when women controlled the motherland. I'm seeing softer fabrics used in menswear and skirts for men are appearing on the runway. When we go back to the origin of our continent women ran households are theyre the ones inspiring fashion.While the panels attitude towards the state of local fashion from a design perspective was a positive one, the discussion around the effects of cheap Chinese imports on the local production sector was less optimistic.Deliberating on whether SAs manufacturing sector stands a competitive chance in producing clothing not just for the local market but for the rest of the globe, many felt that the bulk of responsibility lies at government level.But Storey urged local designers to tap into the technical expertise that is lying dormant since the thriving days of SAs clothing production sector, a time when Cape Town specifically served as a manufacturing hub for a number of global fashion houses.The individuals who trained and worked under those experts are still here. They're still alive today. And my experience here has been that when you find somebody who can do really amazing work, they tend to be 50 years-old and over.He cautioned: We need to act quickly, whether in the public or private space. The window of opportunity is closing quickly. Once those individuals are gone that expertise is no longer here.Shezi, meanwhile, highlighted the power of social media in influencing perception around the style and design that exists within the African continent, especially among Millennials and Gen Xers.In terms of access, social media manages to catapult or be a catchment for what magazines cant do. While the print magazine industry is busy dying, social media is there to amplify whatever the young generation is doing, he said.Referencing the Afropunk festival in Joburg, which gathered a crowd of bold, fashion-forward attendees visibly inspired by their African roots, Shezi noted that social media coverage of the event helped showcase their creative expression.For kids at that age to be able to feel confident and express themselves to that level is relatively new for us, and it's adding to this pot that is very fertile at the moment for African fashion. It's a good space to be in and I just hope that everyone sees that and harnesses it.
Former public protector, Thuli Madonsela, says she has neither the skills nor inclination for political office, but is committed in her role as chair of social justice at the University of Stellenbosch to help "create the South Africa of our dreams".
Thuli Madonsela, chair of social justice, Stellenbosch University
Pedestal of hope
Epic leadership
E thical: doing whats right the right way
thical: doing whats right the right way P urpose driven: staying focused on your goals
urpose driven: staying focused on your goals I mpact conscious: be conscious of the consequences of your actions
mpact conscious: be conscious of the consequences of your actions Comitted to service: Let service lead
Loyalty
Social justice
White monopoly capital
President Cyril Ramaphosas election has once again placed the country on a pedestal of hope, she told the audience at Old Mutuals Investment Insights seminar in Cape Town. This concept comes from Thabo Mbekis salute to Nelson Mandelas generation that pulled the country out of the abyss and placed it on the pedestal of hope on which it rests today.Yet Madonsela remains cautious. Things are looking good. Partly due to Cyril Ramaphosas speech, the rand is looking good. But things can change.In his State of the Nation Address (Sona) Ramaphosa provided policy certainty, but the question remains whether he has provided policy resonance."Yes, some policies are providing hope, but the process of engagement with government will determine their success. Sometimes this might even involve trying to reconcile what appears to be irreconcilable. No one wants to go back to the 'winter of despair' we had last year."She explained there is a difference between policy certainty and policy resonance by using education as an example."If our education system currently faces challenges regarding quality and the ability to meet the demands of the day, one needs to relook the system and not just have more of the same approaches," Madonsela said."President Ramaphosa said a whole lot of discussions will take place on the topic of education - including science and technology. That is an opportunity for us to interface with government to ensure a match between what the industry and social needs are, and what they will be in 10 to 15 years' time."South Africa is at a crossroads, Madonsela said, and we can transcend the challenges through epic leadership. She explained that the epic part of the term is an acronym for:Madonsela points out even great leadership can be misplaced to the sidelines, citing Hitler as an example. What kind of leadership will ensure the dream and vision is kept alive?She explains there are two kinds of loyalty. The unquestioning loyalty to government resulting to the turbulence and maladministration of the past few years, and the unquestionable loyalty to the people of South Africa."In state-owned enterprises we now see that some of the people who will be prosecuted are good people and just wanted to keep their jobs. Somebody at the top, however, wanted them to have unquestioned loyalty, so the service fell apart," she said.Madonsela says she has paid the price for refusing to accept unquestioning loyalty, which includes ludicrous accusations that she was a spy acting for the CIA, MI6 and even Mossad. Although she tells these stories with wry humour, they no doubt still cut deep.Madonsela explains that we are not just spectators and all our actions have an impact on the world around us. Using the concept of ubuntu a human being is a human being because we are all people she says we must all work together to ensure social justice. The South Africa we want and the world we yearn for lies in our collective effort."You and I will have to ensure we continuously define success not as a zero-sum game where one will win and one will lose.This should also be the approach of the business sector. Play your part in social justice. Instead of only investing in opportunities, you can see how you can invest to actually create opportunities."Last years buzz phrase white monopoly capital only got so much airtime and support was because it spoke to peoples real pain, Madonsela said."It was a classic case of diverting people away from state capture by giving them a dead cat - but that cat is not dead. If we don't all join hands, then someday someone might pull that scapegoat out again to bring division," she said.She said she is encouraged by what is currently being done by law-enforcement agencies investigating state capture and she expects some arrests and jail sentences as a result."The swamp will be drained in terms of state capture and this will give a serious blow to corruption. At the same time, I believe we must look back to find out why it took so long for the state-capture investigation to start. A lot of evidence might have gone lost by now," she said.She would like to see the Hawks pounce on anyone who was out of line, regardless whether they supported Ramaphosa or Dr Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma."My greatest fear is that some evidence on state capture would have been destroyed by now so that some guilty people might not get brought to task. The Gupta leaks were great, but the inquiry must now authenticate those emails. I am not sure whether some evidence has not been destroyed by now," said Madonsela.On the other hand, the fact that the head of the inquiry, and the second most senior judge in the land, Raymond Zondo, has the authority to source his own staff for the inquiry, something that is unprecedented, but ensures the integrity and autonomy of the proceedings."To create a functional state, you must focus on ethical government even before you deal with state capture. We need a lot of emphasis on building civil society so that we never find ourselves again on the brink of catastrophe like last year."
Intu Properties said it had recorded a "solid" performance last year, positioning itself for a takeover by Hammerson, which will create the largest property stock on the JSE.
"The underlying strengths of the Intu business were much in evidence in 2017 as we recorded a robust overall performance, confounding the external gloom and negativity in pre-Brexit UK about retail and retail property," said CEO David Fischel.Intu recorded a strong year of leasing activity, signing 217 long-term leases in the UK and Spain, at rents in aggregate 7% ahead of previous rents, as retailers continued to focus on increasing their space in prime retail centres. This successful leasing performance meant that Intu achieved a third successive year of like-for-like net rental income growth. Following increases of 1.8% in 2015 and 3.6% in 2016, Intu delivered a 0.5% increase for the year overall, with a strong second half recovery with growth of 2.4%."This enabled us to reiterate our medium-term guidance, over the next three to five years, of 2% to 3% like-for-like net rental income growth per annum and now we expect to be in the range of 1.5% to 2.5% like-for-like net rental income growth in 2018," he said.Fischel said Intu was well-positioned for the expected takeover by European shopping giant Hammerson who made a successful bid for Intu in December 2017.Hammerson would nearly double in size and become a real estate group worth close to R110bn. This would position it as the largest property stock on the JSE. The deal was expected to be completed in the middle of 2018 after Intu releases results for the six months to June.Fischel said Intu's asset performance in the UK had met expectations, while the Spanish portfolio had surprised on the upside. This had resulted in a revaluation surplus of 47m, which in turn drove an increased profit for the year of 203m. This was up 18% from 172m during the 2016 financial year. Intus net asset value per share rose 1.73% from 404p per share to 411p per share.Other key performance indicators, such as 96% occupancy and increased footfall, also demonstrated that Intu is in good shape, said Fischel.Garreth Elston of Golden Section Capital said Intus results were in line with his low expectations of UK major retail. While the company has some very good retail properties, we remain negative on UK retail, and the only part of Intus operations that we are excited by are their continental operations. We also believe that the companys debt levels are getting too high.
Factories in flat-packs and homes built in factories - modular construction will build new momentum in 2018. However the industry is battling with significant skills shortages and must manage increasing globalisation.
Skills shortages will force the industry to adopt new technology and business models
With construction-integrated manufacturing, 10% of traditional contractors could disappear over the next five years
Globalisation will increase the foreign content of construction projects by 20% within five years
A shortage of one crucial resource threatens the rate of growth worldwide. Can you guess what it is? Energy? Water, maybe? Capital? Actually, its manpower. On every continent, skills and labour shortages are hitting hard. In 2018 it could force permanent, decisive changes in how construction does business and meets demands.The recent global Turner & Townsend international construction survey shows that 23 of the 43 markets surveyed suffers from skills shortage, up from 20 the previous year. Only four regions reported a surplus: Muscat, Perth, Santiago and Sao Paulo, according to the survey. Another source pointing in this direction is the World Economic Forum report, Shaping the Future of Construction which shows that the US construction industrys productivity has fallen 19% since 1964. In the same period, non-agricultural industries improved by 153%. This was also brought up in a recent UK government-commissioned report, the Farmer Review and has been ringing alarm bells in the construction industry. Subtitled "Modernize or die, time to decide on the industrys future", it details how skills shortages drive costs up, quality down, and lead to poor productivity.However, there is hope too. The review details many innovative high-quality cases where the merger of manufacturing and construction has opened up new markets and revenue streams with creative construction solutions.One such modular construction is GSKs factory in a box, designed by modular and BIM construction studio Bryden Wood . The solution is a colour-coded, easy-to-assemble pharma factory that can be shipped in a crate and put together in emerging markets with demanding local compliance standards, high potential, but limited money available for large specialist onsite teams. Designed with building information modelling (BIM), the factory in a box is a great example of how design-led innovation in construction can produce more assets with fewer resources. In 2018, I believe we will see a perfect storm of factors an aging global workforce, a lack of new entrants and growing restrictions on free movement of labour begin to decisively accelerate the uptake of construction-integrated manufacturing such as this. Governments, regulatory bodies and the industry alike will start to realise that getting more people into the industry is important, as well as trying to increase the number of people onsite. The most strategic solution would be to fundamentally change the way we build in the first place.It is beyond doubt that modular construction and construction-integrated manufacturing are playing an increasingly important role all over the world. Modular is expected to rise 6% globally by 2022 , with some countries already leading the pre-fab charge. Sweden is a model for modular home building. Around 84% of detached homes built in the Scandinavian nation use pre-fabricated timber elements. Compared to the US, Australia and the UK, where the figure is just 5%, Sweden is practically a modular world leader. Meanwhile, third world countries are also considering how pre-fab can meet their housing shortages and cost constraints. Nigeria is one example that is taking a long look at modular housing to meet its crippling housing shortage close to 20-million units at the last count.In Japan, around a quarter of all new houses are prefabricated. Japans success shows in the quality of assets manufactured in controlled conditions, and how many new entrants they attract. Japan prizes prefab construction for its quality and efficiency. Offsite modular construction removes the last-minute changes that can plague onsite construction and reduce the quality of the finished asset. Small wonder from 1963 to 2014, manufacturers built 9-million prefab homes in Japan.With growing skills shortages and a need to build faster and more cost-effectively, it will become a crucial competitive advantage to be able to invest in the right technologies and people and find the right business partners to leverage construction-integrated manufacturing.Offsite, logistics-centric construction will be a catalyst for increased globalisation too. Currently, 95% of construction projects are carried out by local firms sourcing local materials. But we notice this is changing. Customised, large-scale components and elements will increasingly be sourced globally, meaning increased competition, and, potentially, margins. Its a big shift for an industry that has traditionally been highly country-specific. But for operators agile and disciplined enough to start planning and handling logistics, and invest in new joint ventures, the gains could be huge.Take Spain. With a significantly smaller GDP than, for example, the US or the UK, seven of the worlds top 100 construction companies are Spanish. Yet while the countrys recent economic difficulties crippled many companies, Spains construction sector fared remarkably well . One of the main reasons is that Spanish construction companies often partner globally and thereby reduce the risks of exposing the business to domestic economic challenges. Here, the Spanish construction industrys strong tradition of joint ventures and global partnerships is a powerful competitive advantage.New technology is making it easier to work profitably on a global level as well. With 3D printing, for example, costs for both materials and long-haul transports are decreasing substantially. Partnerships using these technologies focus more on global competence exchange than transport costs.All three of these trends are woven tight together. Contractors need to work hard to ensure that the right competencies are secured while considering how to implement new business models for modular buildings and construction-integrated manufacturing all this in a construction industry that is becoming more global and offers new forms of partnerships. The players who master this balance act will be the winners in 2018.
President Cyril Ramaphosa has withdrawn the appeal at the Constitutional Court against the court ruling that NPA head, Shaun Abrahams, should vacate his position.
President Cyril Ramaphosa has indicated to the Constitutional Court that he will withdraw the appeal filed in the matter of Corruption Watch and Others v The President of the Republic of South Africa, which concerns the appointment of the National Director of Public Prosecutions (NDPP), the Presidency said in a statement on Friday evening.Former president Jacob Zuma had appealed the High Court in Pretoria's ruling last year that Abrahams leave the top post at the NPA.The court ruled that then President Zuma was conflicted in the matter of appointing an NPA head because he faced possible prosecution on corruption charges. Abrahams is still appealing the matter - which goes to court on Wednesday next week.According to the Presidency, the only issue that had been appealed by the President of the Republic was whether or not the former President or his then Deputy should appoint the NDPP.That matter is now moot.At its hearing on Wednesday, 28 February 2018, the Constitutional Court will also be considering whether or not to confirm the High Courts decision that some sections of the National Prosecuting Authority Act those dealing with suspension of the NDPP - are unconstitutional, the Presidency said.President Ramaphosa has indicated that he will no longer prosecute the appeal in this matter and will therefore not be present in court to argue the matter on 28 February.
An agreement between Eskom and the Technology Research Activity Centre South Africa (TRAC SA) will see more Eastern Cape students assisted in their science and mathematics studies.
Wavebreak Media Ltd 123RF.com
Eskom has today signed an agreement with TRAC SA to extend the coverage of the Eskom Science Enhancement Initiative support programme, which aims to assist with science, mathematics and technology education in Eastern Cape Schools, said the power utility of the agreement signed on Saturday, 24 February 2018.This agreement follows an earlier accord that was signed in partnership by the Eastern Cape Department of Education with TRAC SA in March 2016. The agreement was signed with five schools in the Kouga Local Municipality.TRAC 2 is now being implemented in an additional 25 selected schools (for Grade 10 12) in the districts of Libode, Qumbu, Cofimvaba, East London and Uitenhage, bringing the total number to 30 schools. This is part of Eskoms drive to invest in communities where Eskom has infrastructure, the power parastal said.The utilitys acting Group Executive for Group Capital, Kobus Steyn, said the partnership with TRAC SA demonstrates a shared social responsibility that is in line with supporting governments initiative of skills development and improving access to quality education.One of the countrys many challenges remains making Mathematics, Physical Science and related fields exciting and popular among learners. However, TRAC has the potential to fuel enthusiasm in our children through using exciting and engaging methods in teaching and learning, said Steyn.The TRAC programme has shown remarkable results within the first year of inception. Over 2 000 leaners and 30 educators from 30 schools have benefitted from the programme.Eskoms acting General Manager for nuclear new build, Loyiso Tyabashe, said the entity is of the belief that improving the pass rate in maths and science will benefit the province.While the primary aim supports Eskoms plans to increase intake into Science and Engineering for future skills needs, we believe that the impact of improving the pass rate in Maths and Science will benefit the Eastern Cape and the country as a whole.We are confident that the extension of the programme to the wider Eastern Cape province will open up doors for learners to pursue various careers, thus instilling a sense of hope for a brighter future, said Tyabashe.
SAN FRANCISCO, US - Google says its digital assistant software would be available in more than 30 languages by the end of the years as it steps up its artificial intelligence efforts against Amazon and others.
Google Assistant, the artificial intelligence software which is available on its connected speakers, Android smartphones and other devices, will also include multilingual capacity "so families or individuals that speak more than one language can speak naturally" to the program, according to a Google blog post.The move aims to help Google, which has been lagging in the market for connected devices against Amazon's Alexa-powered hardware, ramp up competition in new markets.While Alexa currently operates only in English, Google Assistant works in eight languages and the new initiative expands that."By the end of the year (Google Assistant) will be available in more than 30 languages, reaching 95%t of all eligible Android phones worldwide," Google vice president Nick Fox said in the blog post."In the next few months, we'll bring the Assistant to Danish, Dutch, Hindi, Indonesian, Norwegian, Swedish and Thai on Android phones and iPhones, and we'll add more languages on more devices throughout the year."The multilingual option will first be available in English, French and German, with support for more languages coming "over time," Fox wrote.The move comes amid intense competition for artificial intelligence software on smartphones and other devices by Amazon, Microsoft, Apple, Samsung and others.Amazon took the early lead with its Alexa-powered speakers and is believed to hold the lion's share of that market, with Google Home devices a distant second.Apple got a late start in the speaker segment with its HomePod, which went on sale this month in the US, Britain and Australia.
Product of the Year - South Africa's largest independent consumer-voted survey - celebrated 10 years of rewarding innovation and excellence in the country at its annual awards gala ceremony, held this year at The Maslow Hotel in Johannesburg on 22 February.
Winners list
Innovation of the Year Masterclass
Established 30 years ago in France, Product of the Year currently operates in 39 countries. This third-party endorsement programme aims to help clear the clutter for consumers, to guide them and help them find the best new products and services in their market, while also rewarding manufacturers for quality and innovation.This year's awards ceremony was a more formal affair as CEOs and other executives across various industry verticals, including the FMCG sector and other important consumer-facing markets such as technology, petrochemicals and health products, attended the formal black-tie gala dinner.In a celebration of its own heritage, local comedian John Vlismas once again fulfilled the role of emcee on the evening, having 10 years prior officiated the inaugural event. During the event Vlismas lent his unique blend of humour to proceedings as the last decade of work done by Product of the Year South Africa was showcased and celebrated, before plans for the next 10 years were shared with attendees.Vlismas then announced the category winners for 2018. The results were based on the endorsements of 4,000 consumer households who, after trying and testing the products or services, were surveyed by leading global information and measurement company, Nielsen.The 2018 awards were characterised by diversity, as we had a broad spectrum of winners from varied companies, with both local and international brands recognised on the night, says Preetesh Sewraj, CEO and chief innovation analyst at Product of the Year South Africa.Global icons such as Samsung and LG won awards, with international companies that are headquartered in France, the US and Britain acknowledged alongside home-grown brands like Hug in a Mug and the innovative Seatbelt Medic emergency device, which won the new safety category. Cookware was also added to the list of categories in 2018, which was won by Tefal Expertise.The full list of category winners includes:Sewraj adds that 2018 also saw the introduction of another Product of the Year innovation, with the inclusion of the Innovation of the Year Masterclass. This took the form of a conference held at The Maslow before the awards ceremony, aimed at helping executives and marketing professionals drive the innovation agenda within their organisations.Sewraj believes that this has become a strategic imperative for brands locally as the marketplace becomes more cluttered and a growing number of nimble startups disrupt existing lines of business.South Africa has bred a number of industry pioneers who have contributed greatly to global innovation, but those driving the most prolific developments in this regard are generally doing so outside of our country. We therefore want to foster a culture of innovation among our business professionals, entrepreneurs and non-governmental organisations to help them improve the lives of South Africans across the board.The inaugural masterclass took the form of an idea-sharing platform. Guest speakers from Nielsens Innovation Division and Popimedia, the only local Facebook-approved marketing partner, engaged with invited attendees on the topic of cultivating an innovation mindset within organisations and how to leverage it to succeed in the modern marketplace.Visit www.poysa.co.za for more information on the Product of the Year category winners, or to register for future Innovation of the Year masterclasses.
#DesignIndaba2018: 'Advice for the African girl child' - Lebo Mashile
Lebo Mashile on African females as the future of humanity, the importance of having a mentor in the industry and honouring the legacy of Hugh Masekela.
#DesignIndaba2018: Lebo Mashile on why she keeps coming back to gender and race in her poetry
Watch the full video embedded below for Mashiles thoughtful, impassioned responses in full, or skip to the summarised Q&A below:
Share how your personal exile story has shaped who you are and the stories you tell. Share how your personal exile story has shaped who you are and the stories you tell. When an interview starts with your interviewee telling you shes a hair junkie and she loves yours, youre off to a good start. Thats just what happened when I was one of the lucky few to spend a solo 10 minutes in conversation with Lebo Mashile at last weeks Design Indaba conference. Cue purple-hair swish!Watch the full video embedded below for Mashiles thoughtful, impassioned responses in full, or skip to the summarised Q&A below:
Explain the importance of making design accessible for everyone. Explain the importance of making design accessible for everyone.
But for the bulk of our people, who are black, poor, marginalised and disenfranchised, who cant access services that were promised to them, accessing art is like trying to reach for a cloud. Why do you need art when you dont have water or education? You need art precisely because you dont have those things. You need art because we need to heal as a society.
Talk us through the importance of mindfulness and meditation in your personal creative process. Talk us through the importance of mindfulness and meditation in your personal creative process.
Talk to us about the importance of having a mentor in this industry and your personal creative process. Talk to us about the importance of having a mentor in this industry and your personal creative process.
You shared in your Design Indaba presentation that you only felt brave enough to go into this field at the age of 21. How would you encourage the youth to stand up for what they believe in, whats inside of them and get that spark lit? You shared in your Design Indaba presentation that you only felt brave enough to go into this field at the age of 21. How would you encourage the youth to stand up for what they believe in, whats inside of them and get that spark lit?
Its an extraordinary time to be a young person in Africa. The narrative is shifting, Africa is asserting itself in bold and powerful ways.
The solutions that the continent needs are in the minds and hearts and spirits of young people now, so youre tremendously important.
Theres no other generation on the continent thats been able to tweet and Facebook and share their ideologies with the world. You have tremendous power. Dont allow other people to decide that the narrative should be important for you, you are the centre of it, everybody wants to be you Kim Kardashian wants to look like you, people want to dance like you, dress like you, sound like you. People want your story. You are global currency.
Design Indabas latest legacy project for Hugh Masekela
Hugh Masekela Gallery opening at the Zeitz Mocaa.
Public art, being able to work as an artist on commissioned work that ordinary people are going to walk past on the way to the taxi rank or the office sometimes thats the only fine art that people will ever see.
Hugh Masekela's sister Barbara addressing Design Indaba 2018 delegates.
Masekela has been such a personal inspiration over the years. One thing I learned from him was generosity, he was probably one of the most connected South Africans I know... If he missed your call, he would return it within 24 hours, without fail.
Leigh Andrews' articles About Leigh Andrews Leigh Andrews AKA the
Leigh Andrews AKA the #MilkshakeQueen , is former Editor-in-Chief: Marketing & Media at Bizcommunity.com, with a passion for issues of diversity, inclusion and equality, and of course, gourmet food and drinks! She can be reached on Twitter at @Leigh_Andrews
: Demographically, Rhode Island has a very small population one of the highest percentages of immigrants, a melting pot of cultures in the time of hip-hop and Nike and Bart Simpson; and we all met at the level of being American. That shaped my consciousness as a black person, as a feminist, and was good preparation for my return to South Africa as South Africa has a lot of the same demons as America.: We live in one of the most unequal societies on earth. For this strata of society, with access to theatre, literature, the arts and design, festivals and conferences, were exposed to the same kind of art as people are exposed to in the Western world.So when a kid who is growing up in Gugulethu or Khayelitsha says, I want to be a sculptor, their mom has a reference. They can say: That beautiful thing that matters to me, that matters to so many people my child does that.: I deal with a lot of different people and a lot of different energies. Im 39 now and at different points in my life, that became incredibly overwhelming, taking on all of this energy from so many human beings.Meditation and my spiritual life help to anchor me. Mindfulness, being able to tap into that and tune into the world and tune into myself, and also realising that in the greater scheme of things, Im actually really small, and its a gift especially as the world I work in is all smoke and mirrors.: Well, Pamela Nomvete who directed mywork is the reason I got into acting. She was acting onwhen I first came back to SA as a kid and seeing this plus-size, curvaceous black woman who was crazy and fearless and relentless, with dreadlocks, on TV was amazing.I went from watching her on TV and idolising her to seven years later, getting an acting gig where she was the first person to direct me. That led me toand all kinds of theatre work and me being an actress and shes come back into my life many times and weve collaborated many times.She loves process as much as I do, for the performer, for the artist, for the creative, process is really where the work happens and gets cooked, in its rawest form. You often hate it then love it, because letting people in when the work is still cooking, you see what works and what doesnt, and its an extremely intimate, rare gift to let people share that humanness as were so used to giving people perfect, polished products.: Wow. Africa is the future of the entire world. There are a billion people on this continent, the overwhelming majority of which are under the age of 30, while the West is ageing, getting older. So the future of the planet, the future of humanity is here.You see this with phenomena like, with the success of Design Indaba that draws all these talents from all over the world come to Africa, to Cape Town and saying that We have an important narrative to share with you, to contribute to the world. Were going to see more and more of this with African fashion trending globally, stars like Rihanna referencing Africa at the Grammys, doing theWe are there, but weve always been there. We just havent been able to claim what is ours. Now for the first time, we can, so its an extraordinary moment to be alive, to be creative at this time when were doing the work of dismantling white supremacy, capitalist patriarchy and African women are essential to that narrative.Everybody will try to tell you that youre not, that you matter in so much as the price on your jeans matters or your weave matters or the car you drive matters. Thats crap. People are marketing at you because they want to control your mind because you are that powerful.So if a marketer can decide what you are going to value they can actually decide what the world is going to value. Thats how important you are.Never lose sight of that, even if youre poor or disenfranchised. You are important. You matter.Mashile says as much as its important to attend and participate in events like Design Indaba, we also need to make the language accessible and spread the overall message. Last years Arch for Arch installation is an example of this.Music has a similar healing role to play, and this years conference finale announcement that the newly named Hugh Masekela Gallery' at the Zeitz Mocaa is now open to the public ties in with this sentiment. Mashile said in the Design Indaba conference closing, We started the year off with some colossal losses the first national poet laureate of South Africa Prof Keorapetse Kgositsile, followed shortly by musical icon, Hugh Masekela, lauded as the father of SA jazz, who was also a massive friend of Design Indaba.The Zeitz Mocaa initially approached Ravi Naidoo with the idea of naming a wing of the gallery after the Design Indaba, as a thank you to the Design Indaba for the vital role it has played. Instead, Naidoo asked if the honour could rather be bestowed on Masekela.Naidoo explained, I believe it is fitting that a cultural icon such as Hugh Masekela is honoured by yet another cultural icon such as Zeitz Mocaa, which has rapidly garnered global renown and several awards for architecture since its launch.In closing out the conference, Naidoo added:How many of us less-busy individuals can claim the same respect for others time? Mashile points to the power of Africans first contemporary art gallery honouring the legacy of activist and artist Masekela as a positive pondering point for the next generation.
Neri Oxman, architect, inventor, engineer, designer, scientist and founding director of the Mediated Matter Group at MIT Media Lab , who spoke on Day 3, thanked Design Indaba's founder, Ravi Nadoo for letting her be "suntanned by the Mother City's spirit." And after hearing her speak, we can only but thank him too for unleashing this ingenious and spirituous creature into our midst... albeit for only 30 minutes.
Neri Oxman, architect, inventor, engineer, designer, scientist and founding director of the Mediated Matter Group at MIT Media Lab. Design Indaba.
Nature doesn't assemble, nature grows and we're now at a point in time, and this is partly why the water crisis is here, there was a clash between the world of nature and the world of culture, the world of biology and technology, and the world of design and the role of nature. And how they connect is a very, very slow process because its a passionate one. So, with 300,000,000 tons of plastic being wasted annually, this is a good time to ask, can we create manmade objects that are natural, but also can we create natural objects are manmade?
Oxman and her team think on a daily basis about what it means for today's designers to computationally grow forms instead of bottling them up as preconceived shaven forms and to connect the form generation process, both with the material properties that one is working with whether it's concrete or polymer etc. They also take into account the fabrication process; be it knitting, laser cutting, etc. And its this connection, between the material and technique that they care very much about, as its relevant when you think about growing as opposed to assembling.To put it simply, they continuously ask themselves how we shape the things around us, or the physical reality, to match nature. They then find ways to invent natural materials that will help us live on this planet well into the future she calls this type of design Naturing - the verb, not the noun.A good illustration of this is Mushtari a wearable digestive system that was designed as a continuous channel that one wears to expose the body to the sun. This then initiates photosynthesis for energy or bio food, or whatever form of energy is needed.
MUSHTARI from Mediated Matter Group on Vimeo.
In August 2015, she and her team released the first functional optically transparent glass printer. Now, what is special about this is that when printing glass you can control the interior and the exterior features of the form, which you cannot do through normal means of blowing, pressing or forming. And with printing, depending on the distance between your end creation and the size of the printer, you start getting those, wobbly meandering patterns, like when you have honey and toast in the mornings.
GLASS from Mediated Matter Group on Vimeo.
This is a big deal when you think about the fact that we have 450,000,000,000 square feet of glass per annum in building facades. That's a very, very big number. If we could take that number and shift it to harness solar energy through glass
This project created a path to a next generation and more functional printer that can process more than 30 kg of glass. So, what started as a little experiment, a piece of glass on the floor, ended with enabling a new technology that can print glass on an architectural scale! They demonstrated this at Milan Design Week debuting at the Milan Triennale in April 2017, where they printed and installed 3 x 3m columns, made of 15 components, inspired by Gaudis Sagrada Familia. The idea being, the surface area of the lobes would increase as a function of a mechanical structural load on the column so they would have more load on the bottom. It's a kind of morphing continuity of curvature that allows one to control the light that is reflected and refracted inside the columns it is called caustics. This process has allowed them to create pockets and channels inside the glass. The glass can contain liquids and potentially biological heat inside, which means we can potentially harness solar energy.
GLASS II from Mediated Matter Group on Vimeo.
Series 1: 1. Y. Reshef. Series 2: 3. Y. Reshef. Series 3: 4. Y. Reshef.
Vespers installation National Gallery of Victoria. Tom Ross.
Another work she showed was that of a 3-part series calledthat comprises of 15 death masks designed as life masks which are devised to contain a single breath, and to take you from the physical world to the digital world to the biological world. Its a kind of mediation between the past, the present and the future. And then the future goes back to the past, it's the cycle of life.Traditionally made of wax or plaster, the death mask was a means of keeping the dead alive through memory. These death masks were designed to reveal cultural heritage and speculate about the perpetuation of life, both cultural and biological.In the first series , utilises five material combinations to emulate colours commonly found in cultural artefacts across regions and eras., the second series, they generate the same five objects, but the patterns are inside and so they propose or suggest the generation or the emergence of pockets or channels that can contain life. Rebirth is embodied in, the final part of the series, where digital becomes biological by engaging with synthetic biology to explore whether the death mask can drive the formation of new life, repositioning the objects as habitats capable of interfacing with living microorganisms. Devoid of cultural expressions and nearly colourless, the final five masks re-engineer life by guiding living microorganisms through minute spatial features of the artefacts.Crazy and/or inspired the fact remains that Oxmans work has resulted in over 100 scientific papers and patents and her innovations have received recognition at the World Economic Forum where she is part of the Expert Network, and the White House we cannot wait to see whats next!PS, Should you be in Melbourne, Australia before the 15 April 2018, you can catch the full series ofat The National Gallery of Victoria . Other work can be seen in permanent collections at MoMA, SFMOMA, Centre Pompidou, MFA, The Smithsonian Institution, and more.
Mick Jagger and David Bowie made the lyric from Marvin Gaye's Dancing in the Street "it doesn't matter what you wear just as long as you are there," a 1980's anthem.
#Cairopunk
The power of the suit
The body politics
Bizcommunity M&M editor-in-chief, Leigh Andrews with Lebo Mashile Terry Levin
Believe in yourself as heroes
An icon for an icon
Hugh Masekela's sister, Barbara takes to the stage at Design Indaba. Terry Levin
Who is this man with the name of an Aztec god and the mouth of a preacher that comes from the Mother City? Professor Neri Oxman, MIT Labs.
The butterfly nation
Cut to 2018 and the collective Zeitgeist at Cape Towns Design Indaba Festival, may be said to paint a different picture, one in which what you wear and how that communicates identity, culture and self-expression has never mattered more.This was demonstrated by the Emerging Creatives exhibit showing authentic cultures such as Shweshwe swimwear and new labels such as I Run JHB, Gugu and others street-smart attire.First speaker honours at Design Indaba is always awarded to a local design practitioner. This year was bookended by Africa, opening with commercials director Sunu Gonera and closing with a tribute to recently fallen warrior Hugh Masekela.In the Molotov cocktail shot hurled in the second frame of Goneras One Source video and every shot thereafter, unashamed African energy and decorative styling offer a glimpse into a vision of a splendid post-apocalyptic Afrofuturism where, in Goneras words, aspiration is an attitude.Coinciding with the recent launch of the spectacular costumery seen in the Black Panther blockbuster, Goneras ovation-worthy presentation, showed his own pantheon of African mythological figures from the Absolut Superheroes short film Africa is on Fire, featuring SA DJs in the guises of The Dragon, The Rain Queen, The Iron Warrior and The Eye, which will be seen at the forthcoming One Source Live event, as evidence of a creative revolution in music, fashion, and art that is happening all around us right now.Gonera explains, in Africa, we create on the go, from whatever we have, the process which will continue to breathe fire into the fact that our stories matter and that as Africans we can bring something to the table, without any longer having ask for permission.This vision is giving rise to the uncovering of our stories of ancient kings and future heroes a fusion of fantasy, culture and future-shaping identity.Egyptian-born Amna Elshandaweely examines the issues around what to wear, through the lens of her Egyptian upbringing.At the age of only 22, Amna has become one of the most successful entrepreneurs in her country, using her fashion ethos to open conversations about the fact that Egyptians consider themselves non-African, the prejudice that exists against darker skin, gender and the discrimination experienced by Sudanese refugees to Egypt.Unable to find any clothes she liked that matched her own culture, experience and struggles, the intrepid Elshandaweely started making her own, embarking on a series of fashion safaris to Kenya, Ghana and Siwa on the Libyan border, to find the real Africa, fusing the cultural confidence she discovered there into her own fashion identity.Collections entitled Road to Nairobi featuring a fashion shoot using dark-skinned models went viral and other collections such as the most recent #cairopunk herald a fashion empire in the making.Elshandaweely says the 2011 Arab Spring revolution pushed her forward and made her feel like proper change was happening around her.A fashion show that accompanied her Design Indaba talk saw models wearing t-shirts showing one of the forgotten superheroes of Africa - Nefertitis iconic image sporting some sort of wearable transforming it into a new version of African identity.Not only Africans were getting their superheroes on. Copenhagen-based designer Johannes Torpe was dramatically lowered onto the Design Indaba stage from the theatres heights by a rope, in dialogue with the AI voice of HAL 9000 from 2001: A Space Odyssey.Johannes (aka your highness) some people cant pronounce my name, but I dont mind, he says laughing, went on to reveal to the audience that the golden space suits and furniture design, seen in the Stanley Kubricks 1968 classic, have been key career inspirations that have seen him transform audio into fashion as carriables, as wearables and as the ultimate living room accessories during his tenure as creative director for the mothership Bang & Olufsen.Like the heights of hi-fi sound, Torpes work demonstrates with crystalline clarity that the business of design is that of creating universes around things whether these are for individuals as costume, products as packaging or as interior design worlds, sharing that every career challenge has been launched by asking himself Where is my golden space suit?You could have heard a pin drop in the Artscape auditorium as Design Indaba speaker and MC Lebo Mashile delivered an account of her life and work and it is unlikely that there was ever a more rapt or attentive audience for a poetry reading anywhere.Mashile claims that poetry is the crown jewel of literature and it is plain to see that she is the one to wear it, with the uncanny ability to give voice to issues of patriarchy, gender, colonialism, identity or race and allow them to somehow be exorcised like squeezing a volcanic pimple.With 120,000 Twitter followers and mass media reach via her former TV personality status, Mashile offers just the right note non-judgmental, masterful and profound a riveting Rumi for Africa.The performance of Saartjie vs Venus about the life of Saartjie Baartman, whom she calls the grand ancestor of body politics right now, which was performed this week as part of the Design Indaba Festival with Ann Masina, reiterates the themes of identity, self-expression and self-ownership in a world reimagined.Of US, Nigerian parentage, Swiss-based product and furniture designer Ini Archibong uses fantasy, spirituality and mythology such as The Chronicles of Narnia, the Bible and Greek and Roman demigods to add meaning to his highly refined marble and glass furniture and lighting designs, adding that myths are clues to our hidden potential.In his work, the physical takes on the spiritual as seen in the Om table designed to convey the serenity and peace that comes from still water, the gradated glass of his sunset lamp series and Totem, a 1,4 metre sculpture that allows you to take out a stone and carry it around with you each day, as a reminder of what you meditated on, in the morning, all of the above acting as physical mantras inspired perhaps by powers greater than ourselves.With ovations, laughter, networking, tears of catharsis and joy, of the overwhelming emotions of struggles faced and overcome, it was time for the finale, which in recent years has become a format for ending with some sort of collective highpoint. This year the opportunity was met by the need to honour the passing of icon and jazz legend, Hugh Masekela.It was none other than publicity-shy Design Indaba founder Ravi Naidoo, who took to the stage for the first time in 23 years, not only to pay tribute to his personal friend and Design Indaba alumnus Bra Hugh Masekela, but also to reveal that in honour of the South African music legend the main hall within Thomas Heatherwicks multi-award winning Zeitz Mocaa architectural masterpiece has been unveiled as the Hugh Masekela Gallery, complete with metallic lettering in the signature font designed for the complex by M&C Saatchi Abel.Members of Masekelas family, including his sister Barbara, were present on stage with poems and tributes and with the final surprise for an already emotionally drained audience being an appearance by Hugh Masekelas own band, who performed the song Thuma Mina, send me, I want to be there, I want to lend a hand, which recently came to broader public attention as it was quoted by SAs new president, Cyril Ramaphosa in his inaugural address last week.There are shots in Sunu Goneras One Source video of Khuli Chanas music, in which people dance in front of a graffiti butterfly.Trend forecaster, Li Edelkoorts presentation this year was about the guise of goddesses, which set me to pondering whether the title Rainbow Nation, the term attributed to us by Archbishop Desmond Tutu to describe South Africas diverse peoples in harmony with one another, is still valid.Rainbows are elusive, subject to evaporation. Inspired by the Zeitgeist of this years Design Indaba could we take on a new identity of a butterfly nation dynamic and evolving, like Eros and Psyche of love and the soul respectively. Perhaps we will wear regenerating wings grown from organic compounds as shown by Aleksandra Gosiewski or Neri Oxman. Perhaps it wont matter, just as long as we are there, next year at Design Indaba 2019.
Shall we discuss the giant black panther currently in the room? I have been keeping track of the production of Marvel's Black Panther for the last two years and the end result is beyond anything I could have imagined.
A note on representation and gatekeeping
I honestly thought thatwould be on the same level asand; that it would be solid but serve more as just another introduction of a new character to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. You know, setting up all the pieces for. I should have known better, I really should. I should have know when the legendary South African actor, John Kani appeared as King TChaka inand greeted his son, TChalla, in Xhosa that it was a foreshadow to something that would turn the world on its head.is a great Marvel movie but it has also managed to give black people a sense of pride at a time when we need it most. When I went to seelast year I walked out of the cinema grinning from ear to ear because it came at a time women needed a heroine.I walked out of the cinema after watchingand I was stunned at how good it felt to see a comic movie and relate to it with your heart and soul. As a black, Xhosa-speaking South African Id venture to say that I got more from the film than a black American did. But, hey, there is more than enough meaning in the movie to go around for everyone. I dont know if what I am writing next is going to be a review or a verbal rain dance giving thanks to Marvel Studios and Ryan Coogler for telling a story that gives voice to a people.I do not dare to give away too much of the plot because you really have to experience it for yourself but, in a nutshell:kicks off right after Civil War and TChalla arrives back in Wakanda to take up his deceased fathers mantle as king. Chadwick Boseman plays the character of a son who has to step up and be king in a quiet and thoughtful manner. His rule is challenged from within Wakanda and also from without. There is also conflict within himself about what sort of king he wishes to be and in what direction he will lead his people. Andy Serkiss Ulysses Klaue is cruel and has this crazy sense of humour that you cant help but like. They have Andy Serkis really lay that South African accent on you and it works. Klaue quickly gives way to Erik Killmonger as the main villain of the piece. Michael B. Jordan steals the show and his Killmonger sends chills down your spine whilst simultaneously breaking your heart. Killmonger is the MCUs most tragic villain and while you know that he has to be stopped the reasons he does what he does, make sense. He is the Hamlet of Wakanda.The female characters are my favourite. The women of Wakanda are intelligent, resourceful, and will definitely kick your ass! TChallas love interest is Nakia played by the gorgeous Lupita Nyongo. She is an undercover spy and can more than hold her own in any situation. Letitia Wright plays TChallas sister, Shuri. At age 16 she is Wakandas genius inventor who takes every opportunity to make fun of her older brother. Danai Guriras Okoye is Wakandas greatest warrior. She is head of the Dora Milaje, the elite, all-female unit that guards the king. She is no-nonsense and loyal to the throne.Other characters that stand out are Martin Freeman as Everett K. Ross, Daniel Kaluuya fromas WKabi, Winston Duke as MBaku, Forest Whitaker as Zuri, and the graceful Angela Basset as Romanda, TChallas mother. John Kani returns fromto portray TChaka and his son, Atandwa Kani portrays a young TChaka. Another South African television and film veteran, Connie Chiume appears as the elder of the Mining Tribe.The Wakanda that director Ryan Coogler and his team have brought to life is a visual miracle. In the trailer, you hear Everett Rosss character say: I have seen gods fly. I have seen men build weapons that I couldn't even imagine. I've seen aliens drop from the sky. But I have never seen anything like this. We have seen places like Asgard and Xandar but we have not seen anything like Wakanda. The research that Cooglers team did was clearly extensive. They took inspiration from South Africa, Zimbabwe, Namibia, Ethiopia, Kenya, Nigeria, Uganda, Ghana, and many other African countries to create the aesthetics of Wakanda. Throw in some advanced tech and you have an Afro-tech society like no other. We have long known that black culture inspires many fashion trends so it comes as no surprise that everything in Wakanda drips style. Black culture has also always been at the forefront of music so it makes sense that the music in Black Panther, like in Luke Cage, can almost be seen as a character in its own right. The soundtrack, spearheaded by the urban poet (as Malusi Gigaba referred to him in the Budget Speech) Kendrick Lamar is worth listening to on its own. If youre a fan of thecomic books, youre also covered. The movie digs quite deep into the lore with many of its Easter eggs.is not merely a comic book film but a celebration that I think anyone can enjoy. You dont have to be black or into comic books to enjoy this movie. It is not perfect but where it falters you can easily forgive those missteps. At some points, the actors butcher the Xhosa language but you can see that they gave it their best and you appreciate the effort. If you have not seenyet, go out and do so. #WakandaForeverI have been involved in nerd, geek, and pop culture ever since I picked up a copy ofin my first year of school and I love the community with my heart and soul but there is a large part of our culture that is toxic. The culture still has too many fragile male egos that rail against making room for women or people of colour. There is also still a hipster-like gatekeeping culture that bars anyone with only a casual or mainstream interest in the culture. If you dont know what happened in#141-142, youre not one of us. If you dont know who the wizard, Radagast the Brown inis, do you even really nerd, bro? Seeing projects likeand the newfilms become more inclusive gives us hope that our culture will get to a point where we can tell the stories that make room for all of us as human beings. I always go back to Grant Morrisonsas the high-water mark for the grand scale in which comic books can tell stories and a quote by one of the celestial beings (I always forget if it was Zillo Valla or Weeja Dell) monitoring the multiverse is what I think inclusive stories should be: We all now have names and stories; there are heroes and villains, secrets and lovers. That is what we all want, to have names and stories in the media. Films likebring us closer to that.
German auto giant BMW said on Friday it plans to build an electric version of its compact Mini in China, in a possible joint venture with local partner Great Wall.
Yet to agree on details
The Munich-based group is in "advanced discussions" aimed at "a new joint venture in China", it said in a statement, adding that the two firms had signed a so-called letter of intent about the project.If plans to build the Mini in China go ahead, it would be the first time the unmistakeable cars - originally created by a British company - have been built outside Europe.But BMW and Great Wall have yet to agree on important details like where to build a factory and how much to invest.China is the fourth-largest market for the Mini after Britain, the United States and Germany.Some 35,000 were sold there in 2017, or around one in ten sales worldwide.BMW follows a maxim that "production follows the market", making China ripe for investment in local manufacturing.Reaching 560,000 units in 2017, Chinese sales of BMW-brand cars - produced locally under a joint venture with carmaker Brilliance - outweighed shipments in other major markets the United States and Germany combined."A similar growth strategy could accelerate development of the Mini brand significantly," BMW said.It added that it would continue talks with Great Wall "without questioning BMW Group's commitment in the UK," where production of electric Minis is slated to begin at an Oxford plant next year.The firm added that it would "further expand" its joint venture with Brilliance, but did not offer further details.
An operation by the Hawks and the South African Revenue Service (SARS) has led to the seizure of 1.6 tonnes of abalone valued at R2.37 million.
In a statement on Friday, the revenue service said the sting operation at the port of Durban was initiated after the Hawks had seized illegally harvested abalone from a container in Port Elizabeth in the Eastern Cape earlier this month.Based on the intelligence from the Port Elizabeth bust, a ship travelling to Sri Lanka was ordered to return to South Africa and arrived in Durban earlier this week. A suspicious container was removed from the ship and inspected after two Sars Customs sniffer dogs indicated the possible concealment of endangered species products in the container.The container was found to have 156 boxes of frozen abalone hidden amongst other items.The frozen boxes of abalone were handed over to the Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (DAFF) and the Hawks for further investigation.
The Department of Health is seeking a ban on alcohol advertising in the controversial Liquor Amendment Bill now with the Cabinet.
If Parliament passes the bill, alcohol advertising on radio and television will be banned from 6am to 10pm and the age limit for drinking will be raised from 18 to 21 years.Department of Trade and Industry director-general Lionel October confirmed on Friday that the bill had entered the cabinet process, but said it would take two-three weeks to finalise because the Department of Health was pushing for a total ban on all alcohol advertising.After finalisation by the cabinet subcommittee the bill will be submitted to the full Cabinet for approval.Alcohol-related health and crime incidents are understood to cost the government billions of rand every year with health costs alone estimated at 5% of total public-health spending.According to a report on a study for the National Economic Development and Labour Council (Nedlac) by research consultants Genesis Analytics, restricting alcohol advertising from 10pm and 6am would result in a loss of revenue amounting to R400m for advertising agencies and R800m for the media, particularly television.In the report, the researchers proposed a more targeted restriction on alcohol advertising on programmes and channels with an adult audience.They did, however, find strong evidence that young people exposed to alcohol advertising were more likely to start drinking earlier, drink more and binge drink.There was evidence that exposure to alcohol advertising resulted in increased drinking by young people who were already heavy drinkers.The researchers estimated that the combination of a raising of the legal drinking age and a restriction on alcohol advertising would reduce alcohol consumption 3.2%-7.4% among those aged 15 years and older.Industry sources said the revised bill submitted to the cabinet subcommittee was largely unchanged from the draft published for public comment.They said they believed few changes were made to the bill to take account of the findings of the Genesis study presented to Nedlac in November last year.Still in the revised bill is the age limit and the ban on alcohol advertising from 6am to 10pm, although it is understood that the final version omits the prohibition on the location of liquor outlets within a certain distance from churches, schools etc.But the provision to limit the number of licences for the retailing of liquor is understood to have been retained.If passed, the legislation will hold liquor makers legally liable for branded products found in unlicensed outlets and for damages caused by any individual consumer while under the influence of liquor.SA Liquor Brand-owners Association chairman Sibani Mngadi said the association was not aware of any changes in the provisions of the bill as a result of the "credible, scientific study" commissioned by Nedlac. "Continuing with the bill in its current form runs contrary to the call by President Cyril Ramaphosa to all sectors to ignite the economy and create jobs," Mngadi said. "The Nedlac study recommends better ways of dealing with alcohol abuse in society without wiping out 1500 jobs."
An internet imagery.
New Delhi (PTI): India will host navies from at least 16 countries for an eight-day mega naval exercise from March 6 with an aim to expand regional cooperation and combat unlawful activities in critical sea lanes.
The biennial exercise 'Milan' is being organised at the Andaman and Nicobar Islands in the backdrop of China's growing military posturing in the Indo-Pacific region and officials said the issue is likely to figure during deliberations among navy chiefs of the participating countries at the event.
"The interactions during Milan encompass sharing of views and ideas on maritime good order and enhancing regional cooperation for combating unlawful activities at sea," Spokesperson of Indian Navy Capt D K Sharma said.
He said the countries which are participating in the exercise include Australia, Malaysia, Maldives, Mauritius, Myanmar, New Zealand, Oman, Vietnam, Thailand, Tanzania, Sri Lanka, Singapore, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Kenya and Cambodia.
Besides fostering cooperation through naval exercises and professional interactions, Capt Sharma said 'Milan' will also provide an opportunity to the participating navies to nurture stronger ties in dealing with various security challenges.
India, the US and several other nations have been pressing for freedom of navigation in the disputed South China Sea.
Officials said China's military manoeuvres in the South China Sea may figure during discussions among navy chiefs of the participating countries at the event.
In November, India, the US, Australia and Japan gave shape to the long-pending quadrilateral coalition to develop a new strategy to keep the critical sea routes in the Indo-Pacific free of Chinese influence.
"From an event of sub-regional context, Milan has now grown into a prestigious international event and encompasses participation by maritime forces from not just the Bay of Bengal and South East Asia but the larger Indian Ocean Region (lOR)," Sharma said.
'Milan' was first held in 1995 with the participation of just five navies. The aim of the initiative was to have an effective forum to discuss common concerns in the Indian Ocean Region and forge deeper cooperation among friendly navies.
The exercise is being hosted by the Indian Navy under the aegis of the Andaman and Nicobar Command.
Dulux Decorator Centre has introduced a range of new features and functionality to its website to offer greater convenience, support and flexibility to trade customers when managing their accounts.
The new features offer Dulux Decorator Centre account customers greater control over their billing preferences, enabling them to access account history, pay and download invoices online, sign up for paperless billing, download agreed price lists and call off from existing pallet arrangements at any time. Online customers also benefit from a wider range of products to choose from, which can be added to a favourites list to save time on repeat orders.
John Henderson, Managing Director at Dulux Decorator Centre said: Our new online self-service functionality gives painters, decorators and DIY enthusiasts greater control over their Dulux Decorator Centre accounts and invoices; which can now be accessed 24/7.
The customer is at the heart of everything we do, and were confident that these new features will make their lives easier by saving them time, helping them to build stronger relationships with their customers and giving them greater flexibility over how they manage their accounts.
Dulux Decorator Centre has also launched a new Visualizer app for Android and iOS to support businesses helping customers to choose the right colours for their decorating project. Using augmented technology, the Visualizer app enables users to test any colour in any room, ensuring that customers can be colour confident before ordering tester pots online.
Dulux Decorator Centre account holders can also enjoy free delivery and nectar points on all purchases; with a Click & Collect service available for customers to order online and pick up their goods from one of over 190 Dulux Decorator Centres across the UK.
NBG has signed a new deal for cement with Quinn Building Products. As part of the deal the Irish manufacturer has offered NBG Partners exclusivity on its new Master Grade cement range as well as access its new range of weatherproof packaged products.
The deal, which was signed during an NBG visit to Quinns facilities in Fermanagh and Cavan, will allow NBG merchant Partners to sell new Quinn General Purpose Cement, Master Grade Cement, and Premium Grade Cement. Quinn is also offering the group its bagged products range in new yard proof plastic packaging.
NBGs Keith Olver of Palladium Building Supplies said: This new cement deal is testimony to the excellent partnership we already have with Quinn. Their service is excellent, and they always bend over backwards to help NBG partners. These new products will really help NBG Partners to remain competitive and offer their customers the products they want at a price that suits everyone.
Lee Gillman, Quinn Building Products GB Sales and Marketing Director believes that the new products will suit NBG merchants well. She said: It is important for us as a business to be able to react to the changing customer needs, and to ensure UK merchants have the right products to offer their customers. Were delighted to offer NBG an extended bagged cement range and we expect the new line to perform very well in 2018 with the support of the NBG.
After a 150,000 investment, as part of a wider programme of renovation and expansion at the branch, Ridgeons has opened a new showroom in Cambridge.
The showroom, Ridgeons largest in Cambridge, comprises 10 kitchens and 23 bathrooms by Symphony and Masterclass Kitchens. Features include a bespoke display wall from sanitary ware and shower supplier, Grohe it is the brands only display wall in the UK.
Branch Manager, Mark Johnson, said: We are delighted with the showroom, which is already attracting positive customer feedback. We are confident that tradespeople will bring their own customers in, knowing that they will be fully supported by our trained showroom staff. For instance, our team uses 3D design software to help people plan bathrooms and kitchens. Its such expertise and our bespoke approach to customer service that sets us apart from high street retailers.
The branch has also recently added dedicated Anglia Tool Centre and PlumbStock trade counters and, Ridgeons tool hire partner, GR8, has also opened onsite. Cambridge North has also extended its range of building materials, added a new decorating centre and expanded warehouse space.
When Cromwell Road closes in late March, the branch will be Ridgeons largest in the city and the Cambridge delivery service will be centralised at the site. Ridgeons new Cambridge flagship branch in Norman Way will open on 3 April.
Mark added: The branchs 400,000 revamp is part of the changes to Ridgeons in Cambridge, which aim to modernise the business offering, and provide a more efficient and easier customer journey.
Read more about the Cambridge branch opening in the March issue of BMN. Click here to subscribe.
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State-owned telecom firm BSNL on Monday signed a pact with Finnish telecom gear maker Nokia to roll out 4G services in 10 telecom circles covering western and southern regions in India.
"We are really proud to have technology partner like Nokia with whom we are working in South and West Zone of the country, rolling out the latest single RAN Technology, and further moving towards 5G...," BSNL CMD Anupam Shrivastava said in a statement.
Nokia will deploy the technology in 10 telecom circles in India - Maharashtra, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Chattisgarh, Goa, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala and Telangana - serving large cities, businesses, technology and tourist hubs and nearly 38 million BSNL subscribers.
The network technology that will be deployed by Nokia will help BSNL to save operational costs while supporting 2G, 3G and 4G subscribers in a single radio unit, the statement said.
"New VoLTE services will allow BSNLs 4G subscribers to experience HD-quality voice and faster call connections," it added.
As per Nokia MBiT Index 2018, released last week, 4G contributed to 82 per cent of data traffic in 2017 and the monthly 4G data usage per user was nearly 11 GB per user per month in India.
In 2017, Nokia and BSNL signed an agreement to explore and develop the applications of 5G for the India market.
"We are pleased to continue our longstanding relationship with BSNL on this important project in India. The deployment of our technologies will enable BSNL to launch exciting new voice and data services, satisfying growing demand in India," Sanjay Malik, head of India Market at Nokia, said.
The Delhi High Court today ordered the attachment of all unencumbered assets of two holding of former promoters of India's Ranbaxy Laboratories Ltd to execute the Rs 35 billion arbitral award won by Japanese pharma major Daiichi Sankyo.
Justice Jayant Nath issued the warrants for attaching the unencumbered assets of RHC Holdings Pvt Ltd and Oscar Investments Pvt Ltd and directed former Ranbaxy promoters and brothers, Malvinder Singh and Shivinder Singh, and 10 others to file within 10 days a list of their unencumbered assets.
"Let warrants of attachment of all unencumbered assets (of the two companies) be issued," the judge said.
The court also restrained RHC Holdings from operating its bank accounts except for payment of salaries and statutory dues till March 23, the next date of hearing. It directed the Singh brothers and others to maintain status quo on all the assets where they have any interest, as it also issued a garnishee order relating to the two
A garnishee order is passed by an executing court directing or ordering a garnishee not to pay money to judgment debtor since the latter is indebted to the garnisher (decree holder). It is an order of the court to attach money or goods belonging to the judgment debtor in the hands of a third person.
During the hearing, senior advocates P V Kapur and Arvind Nigam, appearing for Daiichi, pointed out two affidavits filed by the two in 2016 and 2017 giving the list of their unencumbered assets and urged the court to attach the assets.
Senior advocate Rajiv Nayyar, appearing for the Singh brothers, companies and others, said the court should appoint a chartered accountant to set the process in motion.
The court had earlier restrained the Singhs and others from selling or transferring their shares or any movable or immovable property. The brothers had disclosed their assets to the court in sealed covers in December 2016 and March 2017 during the pendency of Daiichi's plea seeking enforcement of the 2016 arbitral award passed by a Singapore tribunal against them.
A tribunal in Singapore had passed the award in favour of Daiichi holding that the Singh brothers had concealed information that the Indian company was facing probe by the US Food and Drug Administration and the Department of Justice, while selling its shares.
The high court on January 31 had upheld the international arbitral award passed in the favour of Daiichi and paved the way for enforcement of the 2016 tribunal award against the brothers who had sold their shares in Ranbaxy to Daiichi in 2008 for Rs 9,576.1 crore. Sun Pharmaceuticals Ltd had later acquired the company from Daiichi.
It had however said that the award was not enforceable against five minors, who were also shareholders in Ranbaxy, saying they cannot be held guilty of having perpetuated a fraud either themselves or through any agent.
Daiichi had moved the high court seeking direction to the brothers to take steps towards paying its Rs 3,500 crore arbitration award, including depositing the amount. It had also urged the court to attach their assets, which may be used to recover the award.
On February 16, the Supreme Court had dismissed Singh brothers' appeal against the high court verdict upholding the international arbitral award, saying it was not inclined to interfere with it.
Daiichi had approached the high court in 2016 to seek the enforcement of a Rs 2,562 crore Singapore arbitral award passed in April 2016, along with an additional claim of interest and lawyers' fees incurred in connection with the proceedings.
The tribunal's award had come after the Japanese company invoked arbitration clause against Singhs alleging that they concealed important information while selling Ranbaxy in 2008.
Daiichi had entered into a settlement agreement with the US Department of Justice, agreeing to pay $500 million penalty to resolve potential, civil and criminal liability. The company had then sold its stake in Ranbaxy to Sun Pharmaceuticals for Rs 226.79 billion in 2015.
Singhs' counsel had argued the award granted consequential damages which were beyond the jurisdiction of the arbitral tribunal and the award cannot be enforced under the provision of the Arbitration Act. They had alleged that Daiichi was fully aware of all facts and still chose to retain the Ranbaxy shares, instead of terminating the agreement and returning them.
Following Delhi Chief Secretary Anshu Prakash's allegations of an assault during a meet at chief minister Arvind Kejriwal's residence, the Delhi Government is mulling live streaming of all official meetings.
A senior government official said that as per the plan, a live feed of meetings with audio output will be available on a website. The government will allocate funds for the project in the upcoming budget if the plan is passed, the official told PTI. "Through live streaming of official meetings, people will be able to know who spoke what in the meeting, be it the ...
In a new twist to the sudden death of legendary actress Sridevi, it has been revealed she died due to accidental drowning in her hotel room and that there were traces of alcohol in her blood, according to the reports published in Gulf media.
The revelation came a day after the media reported that the Bollywood icon died following a cardiac arrest on Saturday night and also led to delay in the repatriation of her mortal remains back home in India. Her body will soon be moved to the Al Muhaisana embalming unit and will be repatriated to Mumbai -- ...
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was in India for a week and his visit became a talking point for the wrong reasons. While his choice of attire became a subject of social media derision, there were controversies about his government's dalliance with Canadian NRI groups that are antithetical to India's territorial integrity.
In this Business Standard Special the writer looks at the controversies surrounding Trudeau's visit and tries to find whether there are any merits to the criticism in India. By all accounts, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeaus ...
Disclaimer: Views expressed are personal. They do not reflect the view/s of Business Standard.
Come April 1, all eyes will be on the rollout of electronic-way bill for inter-state movement of goods worth Rs 50,000 or more, especially so because the first introduction of the system on February 1 had failed as the technology backbone crumbled under heavy load. Some 480,000 bills had been generated on Day-1, causing the system to crash.
Now, after two rounds of testing, the group of ministers to fix the issues with the GST portal, under Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Modi, is hopeful that the system is ready to take a load of up to 7.5 million e-way bills in a day. The GoM ...
In the backdrop of the Rs 114-billion fraud at Punjab National Bank (PNB), the government is revisiting plans of a bank-holding company.
Such a company will hold all of the Centres shares in state-owned banks and raise capital for them.
The holding company was first proposed by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley in his 2015-16 Budget. The Vinod Rai-led Banks Board Bureau (BBB) was set up in February 2016 as a precursor to a bank-holding company.
ALSO READ: PNB fraud: ED to trace assets of Nirav, Choksi from over dozen countries
Business Standard has learnt that with the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party and its allies (including Nitish Kumars Janata Dal-United) expected to be close to 100 seats in the Rajya Sabha in April though still short of the halfway mark of 123 policymakers in the government say there will be greater room for passing relevant amendments to the Bank Nationalisation Act (BNA), which will be required to set up a bank-holding company.
ALSO READ: PNB fraud: Banks for raising insurance cover against fraud by staff
The intention in the past few years has been to work on setting up a holding company. However, due to lack of a majority in the Rajya Sabha, there were other important Bills and amendments that had to be pushed through first, including the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code, constitutional amendments to the goods and services tax (GST), and the GST Bill itself, said a government official.
ALSO READ: Rs 114-bn PNB scam: CII for privatisation of public sector banks
After April, there could be a better chance to push the relevant amendments to the BNA, which will enable setting up a holding company, the official said. Though the person did not provide details on a timeline or the structure of a holding company, the sense in the government is of the need for a professionally-run, quasi-independent holding company in which the Centre will have a majority stake but which will operate at arms length.
It will hold the Centres entire stake in listed public sector banks (PSBs), from 87 per cent in United Bank of India to 55.5 per cent in Union Bank.
Among the big state-owned lenders, the Centre owns 57 per cent in State Bank of India and PNB, and 59 per cent in Bank of Baroda.
ALSO READ: Another PNB scam: After Nirav Modi, Rs 6.2 mn Mudra loan fraud reported
Such a company will divest stakes in PSBs as and when required, and will also recapitalise them, based on their provisioning and growth needs. Had such a holding company been in existence now, it would be issuing Rs 1.35 billion worth of recapitalisation bonds instead of the government doing so.
The bank-holding company should be run professionally and efficiently by bankers, including from the private sector, without interference from the bureaucracy or the political leadership, said the official quoted above.
The letters of undertaking scam, which hit PNB, and the case of the owners of Rotomac Pens owing Rs 37 billion to various PSBs, the calls for privatising state-owned banks have increased and the Narendra Modi government has come under criticism for not moving ahead with consolidation and privatisation of banks fast enough.
ALSO READ: PNB scam: Won't tolerate irregularities in financial sector, says PM Modi
Jaitley had said at an event on Tuesday that privatising PSBs was a challenging decision and would involve a very large bipartisan political consensus. While the formation of a holding company will not outright privatise state-owned banks, officials believe it will help the Centre deflect criticism arising out of the latest banking scams.
As reported in Business Standard earlier, the BBB could be wound up in March. So far, the government has placed the onus on banks, auditors, and the RBI to tighten vigilance and internal and external checks and balances.
SBI Chairman Rajnish Kumar today said he expects PNB to clear the bank's $212 million (Rs 13 billion) dues in the case.
"I am very much confident that things will get sorted out between PNB and other banks," Kumar said in an interview to CNBC TV18.
"As far as our exposure is concerned on PNB, that number is very much confirmed, calculated and advised to PNB," Kumar said.
He said the exposure of SBI to Gitanjali Gems - one of the companies involved in the scam - has also been crystallised and there was no issue on that.
"So our numbers, our claim is clear because there are some secondary market purchases, so double counting has to be avoided," the SBI Chairman and MD told the channel.
When asked if banking sector would see more skeletons tumbling out of the closet, Kumar said it looks like the case is confined to a particular branch of PNB.
"At least for SBI, I can confirm that there is no such issue, no such problem. And I am sure that by now all other banks also would have reviewed their portfolios and would have arrived at the similar conclusion because if something was wrong somewhere, by now, I presume, it could have come out,"Kumar said.
When asked if regulator RBI has issued any other instruction to banks other than integrating the core banking solution with the SWIFT system, Kumar said he has no further knowledge on the issue.
He said RBI has instructed the banks to put in place the safety mechanism with respect to global money transfer software SWIFT and the banks are in a position to comply with that by April.
Kumar also said the PNB case is more of operational risk and not related to credit risk.
"Whatever has gone wrong, it is about the operational weakness and we have to keep that segregated from the credit risk."
Other than SBI, lenders like Union Bank of India(UBI) and Allahabad Bank also have exposure to PNB to grant loans on the basis of LoUs that were issued fraudulently to Modi and his uncle Mehul Choksi.
Allahabad Bank has an exposure of about USD 366.87 million in the case to PNB through its overseas branch in Hong Kong. UBI has exposure of nearly USD 300 million through its foreign branches.
On February 14, PNB had informed the stock exchanges that the bank was defrauded to the tune of USD 1.77 billion (nearly Rs 11,400 crore) by Modi and his associate companies by getting loans through illegal LoUs for over seven years.
Indian state-run lender Punjab National Bank, hit by a $1.77 billion fraud, promised investors on Friday it was putting in place "better checks and balances", as investigators widened the probe into the country's biggest-ever bank scam. The country's financial crime agency, the Enforcement Directorate, said it had searched dozens of locations linked to Nirav Modi, the diamond billionaire at the centre of the investigation, over the last 48 hours, seizing diamonds, gold and jewellery worth 56.49 billion rupees ($880 million). Raids were also carried out on Friday ...
The CBI has sought from the Chief Vigilance Officers of five the details of financial transactions in the Nostro accounts of Punjab National Bank on the basis of 293 fraudulent Letters of Undertaking issued by it to jewellers and Mehul Choksi, officials said.
The overseas branches Canara Bank, Bank of India, State Bank of India, Allahabad Bank and Axis Bank had credited over Rs 114 billion into the Nostro account of Punjab National Bank on the basis of the guarantees (LoUs) given by to Modi and Choksi, they said.
The Nostro account refers to an account that a bank holds in a foreign currency in another bank overseas to enable foreign trade by its clients.
The CBI has now written to these five banks, having branches in Antwerp, Frankfurt, Mauritius, Hong Kong and Bahrain - to provide details of all such transactions to dig out a clear money trail of Rs 114 billion.
Their houses are often made of plastic sheets. Much of their food comes from aid agencies. Jobs are few, and there is painfully little to do. The nightmares are relentless.
But six months after their horrors began, the Rohingya Muslims who fled army attacks in Myanmar for refuge in Bangladesh feel immense consolation. "Nobody is coming to kill us, that's for sure," said Mohammed Amanullah, whose village was destroyed last year just before he left for Bangladesh with his wife and three children.
They now live in the Kutupalong refugee camp outside the coastal city of Cox's Bazar. "We have peace here," Amanullah said. On August 25, Rohingya insurgents attacked several security posts in Myanmar, killing at least 14 people.
Within hours, waves of revenge attacks broke out, with the military and Buddhist mobs marauding through Rohingya villages in bloody pogroms, killing thousands, raping women and girls, and burning houses and whole villages.
The aid group Doctors Without Borders has estimated that at least 6,700 Rohingya were killed in Myanmar in the first month of the violence, including at least 730 children younger than 5. The survivors flooded into Bangladesh.
Six months later, there are few signs Rohingya are going home anytime soon. Myanmar and Bangladesh have signed an agreement to gradually repatriate Rohingya in "safety, security and dignity," but the process has been opaque and the dangers remain.
New satellite images have shown empty villages and hamlets levelled, erasing evidence of the Rohingya's former lives. And with 700,000 having fled Myanmar since August, more Rohingya continue to flee. So for now, the refugees wait. "If they agree to send us back, that's fine, but is it that easy?" asked Amanullah.
"Myanmar must give us citizenship. That is our home. Without citizenship, they will torture us again. They will kill us again." He said he would only return under the protection of UN peacekeepers: "They must take care of us there. Otherwise, it will not work. "
Buddhist-majority Myanmar doesn't recognize the Rohingya as an official ethnic group, and they face intense discrimination and persecution. On Sunday, two female Nobel Peace laureates visited refugee camps in Cox's Bazar and talked to rape victims.
Human Rights Watch has said in a report that Myanmar security forces raped and sexually assaulted women and girls before and during major attacks on Rohingya villages. Katia Gianneschi, a spokeswoman for the Nobel Women's Initiative who accompanied Yemen's Tawakkol Karman and Northern Ireland's Mairead Maguire to the camp, said in an email that the women talked to the victims and heard their stories.
Another laureate, Iran's Shirin Ebadi, will join her colleagues on Monday. The Nobel Women's Initiative, established in 2006, is a platform of six female Nobel Peace laureates. The three laureates, who are on a weeklong visit to Bangladesh to meet the refugees, especially Rohingya women, accused Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi and her country's military of unleashing atrocities and said the community should bring those responsible to justice.
Minara Begum, 25, who was raped and tortured by soldiers, told reporters after the laureates' visit that they hugged her and held her tightly and cried as they heard the stories of brutality and repression. "They were overwhelmed, they cried with us, they could not hold their tears," Begum said. "I was also touched by their eagerness to know our sad stories."
Karman said in an email Saturday that she and her colleagues were standing "in solidarity with displaced Rohingya women and calling for Rohingya women's voices to be heard." She said Rohingya women are twice victimised for being Rohingya and for being women and "are affected by the ethnic cleansing and are also subject to high levels of sexual and gender-based violence.""Rohingya women's unique needs are largely unmet in refugee camps in Bangladesh," she said. "Less than 20 percent of displaced Rohingya women who have survived sexual violence have access to post-rape care." Meanwhile, the children in the camps face a particularly difficult time.
The UN estimates children are the heads of 5,600 refugee families. A survey of children's lives inside the camps showed they faced an array of terrors, from girls reporting concerns of harassments near the camp toilets to fears that elephants and snakes could attack them as they collect firewood.
"We cannot expect Rohingya children to overcome the traumatic experiences they've suffered when exposed to further insecurity and fears of violence in the camps," Mark Pierce, country director for Save the Children in Bangladesh, said in a statement. The study was prepared jointly by Save the Children, World Vision and Plan
"The overwhelming message from these children is that they are afraid," Pierce said. "This is no way for a child to live." The situation will worsen soon. Seasonal monsoon rains will begin pounding the refugees' plastic-and-bamboo city in April.
Saudi Arabia has long been the dominant force in oil, leaving the world at the mercy of its ambitions and its interests. Now the kingdom must refresh its strategy to reflect a weaker hand and in many ways, a different game. The changing nature of the energy industry the oil production boom in American shale fields, the persistence of lower crude prices, and the rise of natural gas has transformed the geopolitical equation. While Saudi Arabia is still a major energy producer, it must compensate for its lost revenue. And the United States, China and ...
US President has said that he is hopeful that a grand military parade can be staged in Washington on Americas Independence Day in July or on Veterans Day in November.
Earlier this month, Trump ordered the Pentagon to plan a grand parade to show "appreciation" for the armed forces, an unusual move aimed at showcasing the might of the world's most powerful military.
Trump last night said he is hopeful that a military parade with a lot of plane flypast can be staged in Washington on Veterans Day but acknowledged that the expense could be a concern.
We are talking about probably Veterans Day, it's preliminarily, you know, being discussed. But we're talking about probably Veterans Day. I like July 4 because July 4 in Washington DC would be beautiful, Trump was quoted as saying by the Fox News.
Trump got the idea of a military parade when he attended the Bastille Day Parade in France last year. The proposed parade, he said, would be up and down Pennsylvania Avenue.
A lot of it would be flypasts. I was at the Bastille Day Parade in France with the president of France, very good guy. It would just be a great representative parade. It would have a lot of plane flypast, I think it would be great for the spirit of the country, he said.
We have a great country and we should be celebrating our country. So, we'll see if we can do it at a reasonable cost. And if we can't, we won't do it. But the generals would love to do it, I can tell you, and so would I. I think it's great for our country in terms of being a cheerleader and the spirit, Trump said.
The parade Trump envisions would cost between $10 million and $30 million, White House budget director Mick Mulvaney was quoted as saying by The Washington Post earlier this month.
Trump's interest in having a large-scale military parade now is likely to receive a mixed reception, especially among those who are concerned about nationalism, militarism or the president's past praise for authoritarian leaders.
The tradition stretches back centuries, but has been typically been tied to the conclusion of wars, the daily said. The last such parade was held in Washington DC in June 1991 at the end of the Gulf War.
The parade was then held on the Constitution Avenue. Trump now wants this to be an annual feature.
Banking stocks to be under pressure Despite shedding more than nine per cent in the January series, the outlook for Bank Nifty remains bleak. Downside support for the index has moved to 24,750 with the upside capped at 25,500.
There has been a significant build-up of long positions in private sector banks, which are expected to do well, even as public sector banks' woes would continue. With the exception of State Bank of India which has seen some stability, other counters have seen a build-up of short positions, said analysts. In the past five trading sessions, shares of Punjab ...
Four Naxals including two women were killed in an encounter between security forces and Maoists in Jharkhand's Palamu district on Monday.
The encounter broke out during a special search operation by troops of 134 Battalion of CRPF and State police in Palamu's Naudiha.
As of now, the search operation in the area is underway.
On February 18, more than 20 Naxals were killed in an encounter in Chhattisgarh's Sukma district.
Further details are awaited.
(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Delhi police rescued a kidnapped child within 48 hours and arrested three people in connection with the same on Monday.
A two-and-half-year-old boy was kidnapped from Bawana area of Delhi.
The CCTV footage revealed that a woman was involved in the kidnapping. After the investigation, the police found that Sonia (name changed) was behind the incident as she was found missing from her house at Ishwar Colony in Bawana.
She was arrested from Anand Vihar, ISBT. During interrogation, she disclosed that she had stolen the boy Abhishek (name changed) and sold him to another lady namely Rajni for Rs 45,000. The police recovered Rs 42,000 from Sonia.
Accused Rajni and her nephew Saurabh were also arrested and the kidnapped boy was rescued from their possession. Later, Rajni disclosed that she had bought the boy for her sister Santosh, whose son had died in a fire incident in 2015.
Both Rajni and her nephew Saurabh hatched the conspiracy to buy the child for their relative Santosh without revealing the facts to her, the police said.
(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A court in Bangladesh on Sunday ordered police to execute by April 24 the arrest warrant for former
Prime Minister Khaleda Zia and 48 other Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) leaders in a case involving an arson attack on a bus that left eight persons dead in 2015.
Comilla court Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate Joynab Begum passed the order and fixed April 24 as the next date for hearing, Dhaka
Tribune quoted police inspector Subrata Banerjee as saying.
The court on January 2 accepted chargesheet against 69 people and issued the warrant for the BNP chairperson and others for failing to appear before it.
At least eight people were killed and 20 injured when miscreants hurled a petrol bomb at a bus at Chouddagram's Jogmohanpur during the
BNP-led alliance's movement and nationwide blockade on February 3, 2015.
Two separate cases - one under the Explosive Substances Act and another for murder - were filed over the incident.
Chouddagram police Sub-Inspector Nururzzaman had filed the murder case against 77 people, including Khaleda Zia.
Another Comilla court had on October 9 last year ordered the arrest of Khaleda and 45 others in the explosives case.
Khaleda is a two-time Bangladesh Prime Minister, having ruled from 1991-96 and again from 2001-06.
In a political career spanning almost four decades, Khaleda went to the jail several times but was never convicted. She was detained several times during the anti-Ershad movement between the 1980s and 1990s.
In March 1983, she was made vice-chairperson of BNP after her husband and former Bangladesh president Ziaur was assassinated. She went on to become the party's chairperson in 1984, a position which she holds today.
Since the last three decades, Bangladeshi politics have been dominated by Zia and current Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.
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Maple Assist Inc. has launched the Maple Assist App, a groundbreaking mobile application designed to be a one-stop shop for all you need to know about studying in Canada.
Developed in India, the Maple Assist App is supported by four leading colleges from Ontario, Durham College, Fanshawe College, Georgian College and St. Clair College.
It is expected to reach out to over 100,000 international students desirous of studying in Canada, hailing from countries like India, China, Philippines, Japan, Brazil and Mexico.
The Maple Assist App was launched by Navdeep Bains, Canada's Minister for Innovation, Science and Economic Development. The new venture is also supported by Scotia Bank, Air Canada, HDFC Credila, and the Indo-Canadian Chamber (ICBC).
The launch began with a presentation on how the app works, how it was created and the gap that it fills in the Canadian market by directly connecting potential students with Canadian colleges and universities. Saurabh Malhotra (Manager, International Recruitment and Market Development) from Fanshawe College, the first adopter of the app, provided a detailed review of the app's features.
Keynote speeches at the launch were given by Kevin Weaver the Vice-President of International, Workforce Development and Partnerships at Georgian College, and Mark Herringer, Dean of International at Durham College. They were both enthusiastic about joining this pioneering service.
As Weaver remarked, the App would help connect the right students to the right programmes at the right colleges in Canada.
Those present included Arun Pandeya, Country Head, Air Canada, Nadira Hamid, CEO of ICBC, and Hitesh Parashar, Country Sales Manager for HDFC Credila. The High Commission of Canada in India was represented by Anuj Bhasin, Trade Commissioner for Education, and Terrie Romano, Counsellor (Economic Affairs-Ontario).
Vinay Chaudhry, Founder, CEO and the driving force behind Maple Assist shared that as an international student himself in Canada, he had experienced the stress of studying abroad and trying to settle into college life.
He said that the Maple Assist app would provide all the information necessary for a stress-free, enjoyable journey for prospective Canadian students worldwide, right at their fingertips. The Maple Assist app is expected to partner with many more Canadian colleges and universities in coming years.
This hold true for the students who have used the beta release of the App. Ananta Bhatt from Mumbai, pursuing Software and Information System Testing, has said that "all information is provided" on the Maple Assist App.
Similarly, Karthick Seshadri of Chennai pursuing Practical elements of mechanical engineering stated, "Everything is perfect and it will be a great boom to the student community.
(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Union Ministry of Home Affairs on Monday said that it will reimburse the Jammu and Kashmir Government the expenditure it incurred in providing relief to people affected due to cross-border firing and ceasefire violations.
Dr Jitendra Singh, Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) of the Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER), MoS PMO, Personnel, Public Grievances & Pensions, Atomic Energy and Space, said that the decision was taken following a request made to the MHA.
He also thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh for being extremely sensitive in promptly responding to demands from the border areas.
As per the order issued by the Ministry of Home Affairs, the Centre would reimburse the fund paid as compensation by the J&K state government through SRE (Security Related Expenditure).
The order further noted that the state government might consider paying relief and compensation for housing damages/losses, crop losses or livestock losses, relief for stay at relief camps, displacement, etc. to those affected by cross-border firing, at the rates equal to the NDRF recommendations fixed from time to time.
Pakistan has repeatedly violated the formal ceasefire, agreed between India and Pakistan in January 2003 along the International Border, the Line of Control and the Actual Ground Position Line in Jammu and Kashmir.
Unprovoked attacks along the border on military outposts and civilian population have claimed numerous lives and have forced the army to temporarily resettle thousands of people in a safer place.
(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Three security personnel were injured in an encounter with Naxals in Dantewada district on Monday.
The encounter, which took place in Dantewada's in Barsur area, was part of a joint operation between Special Task Force (STF), locally raised District Reserve Group (DRG) and Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF).
"DRG & STF troops raided a Naxal hideout on a hillock between Dular Gufha and Mungari. There was a heavy exchange of fire. Three of our jawans sustained bullet injuries," said CRPF, DIG (Deputy Inspector General), South Bastar, Sundarraj P.
The injured soldiers - Samadu Aarakshak (DRG), Sunil Nag (DRG) and Ravindra Yadav (STF) - are being taken to Karli.
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China's Ambassador to Bangladesh, Ma Mingqiang, who is known for boosting his country's ties with Dhaka, left without paying farewell calls on President Abdul Hamid and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.
The Dhaka Tribune quoted a government official as saying that a Chinese envoy always pays farewell calls on the president, prime minister and foreign minister before leaving Bangladesh, but Ambassador Mingqiang did not do that.
During Ambassador Mingqiang's tenure, Chinese President Xi Jinping visited Bangladesh and several Chinese companies were granted mega projects.
However, according to the Chinese Embassy's website, Ambassador Mingqiang paid a farewell call on State Minister for ICT Zunaid Ahmed Palak on December 14 and on State Minister for Power Nasrul Hamid on December 21.
In December, the Chinese embassy had said that Ambassador Mingqiang would leave for Beijing to attend a conference of envoys andthat he would like to pay courtesy calls on the Bangladesh president, prime minister and foreign minister since he had been given anew posting.
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Continuing his tirade against the Congress government in the state, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) President Amit Shah on Monday said the present Karnataka government has failed in all fronts.
Addressing the media here, Shah stated that corruption and Karanataka Chief Minsiter Siddaramaiah government have become synonymous.
"Karnataka government has failed in all fronts, be it law and order or development, it has failed. Corruption cases are on a rise. Corruption and Siddaramaiah government have become synonymous," Shah added.
The BJP president also alleged the Siddaramaiah government for showing insensitive attitude towards families of the farmers who committed suicide.
"The insensitive attitude of the Siddaramaiah government towards families of the farmers who committed suicide is deplorable," he said.
Shah also said that withdrawing all the cases against the Popular Front of India (PFI) and Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI) has showed the unidirectional action by Siddaramaiah.
"The manner in which all cases against the Popular Front of India (PFI) and Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI) have been withdrawn, shows the unidirectional action by Siddaramaiah government," he added.
Shah also targeted Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge for the poor governance in his own constituency.
"If anyone wants to see the governance of the Congress, then, go to the constituency of Kharge sahab. I received feedbacks from the party workers that there is too much backwardness. There no such backwardness in any palce of Karnataka but in Kharge sahab's own constituency," he added.
Karnataka is one of the few states where the Congress is in power.
The Karnataka Legislative Assembly election is scheduled to be held in April-May this year to elect members of the 224 constituencies in Karnataka.
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Delhi Police on Monday said the CCTV footage in the alleged assault on Chief Secretary Anshu Prakash was tampered with and the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) would examine it soon.
"The meeting was not held in the camp office but in drawing room of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's residence. The CCTV timings are different and that it's tampered," Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Harendra Singh told the media here.
On February 24, Lieutenant Governor of Delhi Anil Baijalon met Home Minister Rajnath Singh in connection with the same case.
The meeting took place at the residence of Home Minister Rajnath Singh.
Meanwhile, Delhi Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) President Manoj Tiwari met Rajnath Singh to discuss the matter on the same.
On February 20, the Chief Secretary had alleged that he was beaten up by two AAP MLAs Amanatullah Khan and Prakash Jarwal on Monday night at the Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's residence, where he had been called for an emergency meeting.
Following this incident, Secretary of Indian Civil and Administration services (IAS) Manisha Saxena conducted a meeting on Friday with the Minister of State Home Affairs Hans Raj Ahir and Union Minister Jitendra Singh. She had also demanded the Delhi government to provide security to the officers and guarantee them protection from any further instances of violence or misconduct.
As of now, the AAP MLAs have been sent to 16-day judicial custody by a Delhi Court.
Earlier the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) had sought a report from Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal regarding the matter.
(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Ed-Tech company, Avishkaar Box, on Monday announced that it has raised Rs 5 crores in pre-series A funding from Auxano Deals. The company intends to use these funds to strengthen its presence pan-India and for a rapid expansion in Asia.
Avishkaar Box was introduced to Auxano by Rahul Gupta of Radar Capital on this transaction. The deal values Avishkaar at around USD 4 million.
With this investment, founder and CEO, Tarun Bhalla, plans to propel Avishkaar Box to bring about a revolution in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) learning, not only in India but also in the Asian and middle-eastern markets, with an expansion.
"We are experiencing exponential growth, and we need to hire energetic and focused people who can drive it. Along with this, our product team is all set to launch a fabulous product range with more focus on the entry level of this market," said Bhalla.
"The company is also looking to strengthen its channel partner network especially in Karnataka, West Bengal, Odisha and other parts of east and south India. We are confident that we will double company's turnover to USD 3 million within two years from USD 1.5 million in the current year," he added.
Avishkaar Box is one of the foremost players to set up Atal Tinkering Labs (ATL), a project of the government of India which includes supplies of education tinkering and robotic kits to over 2,400 schools across India.
The company has also been conducting the IRC League, a league that aims to challenge young and creative minds by giving them problems to solve and build a better world for tomorrow using tools of science and technology, since 2009.
At present, Avishkaar Box has a presence in more than 400 schools pan-India in addition to 125 Tinkering Labs set up across the country.
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Leading consultancy firm catering to students wishing to study abroad, ESS Global, on Monday signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Rising Phoenix International, a Canada based one-stop platform dedicated to improving the quality of educational experiences for students and institutions.
Earlier last week, when Canada Prime Minister Justin Trudeau had visited India, he had said that Canada should become the number one destination for Indian students wanting to study abroad. With this deal, ESS Global will become one of Rising Phoenix International's premier partners to help launch their operations in India.
The MoU between the parties was signed at the Indian Forum on February 20 2018, organised by the Indo-Canadian Chambers.
"We are excited about working with ESS Global. Their extensive reach in India and in other markets and their operating philosophy are a perfect complement to our student-centered focus. Our Canadian institutional partners are looking forward to welcoming students from India. Quebec and Canada are the ideal places to study. Canada consistently ranking in the top five systems in the world and it is our mission to share that excellence with the world," said president and CEO, Rising Phoenix International, Caroline Mastantuono.
"Montreal and Quebec are fantastic destinations for higher education, especially for Indian students. The academic excellence of Quebecois higher education, the diverse and welcoming environment of the beautiful city of Montreal, and the relative accessibility of these educational opportunities mean that Indians should be availing them more freely. We are extremely excited to be partnering with Rising Phoenix International to spread the good word amongst Indian students about in Quebec," said chairman and MD, ESSGlobal, Gurinder Bhatti.
Rising Phoenix International, which represents various higher education, professional training and secondary and primary institutions in Canada for international students, is looking to increase their presence in India through partnerships, to spread awareness about the exciting opportunities that can be found throughout Canada with major focus on the province of Quebec.
Quebec is one of the largest provinces in Canada and home to the city of Montreal, selected by QS international as 2017's best city in the world for international students.
Its multicultural and welcoming atmosphere makes for an inclusive, friendly, diverse, and affordable place to live.
Further, the Montreal is home to several of Canada's top-ranking institutions, including McGill University and the Universite de Montreal.
ESS Global, through its partnership with Rising Phoenix International, will be promoting programs in the fields of health and social services, Information Technology, and financial services, engineering and environment, beauty care and well-being, arts and design, hospitality and services alongside vocational training programs designed to help students enter the labour market.
Qualified students can apply to various prestigious institutions across Canada and Quebec such as McGill University, College Superior of Montreal and many more.
(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Former Maldivian President Mohamed Nasheed on Monday welcomed the case for "targeted sanctions" prepared by an American human rights activist, urging the European Union to impose restrictive measures on "serious human rights abusers in the Maldives".
Taking to twitter, the founder of the Maldivian Democratic Party Nasheed wrote, "Welcome case for targeted sanctions prepared by Jared Genser urging the EU to move from condemnation to action by imposing restrictive measures against serious human rights abusers in response to the crisis in the Maldives."
Jared Genser, a human rights activist also serves as international counsel to former Maldives President Mohamed Nasheed.
In a detailed report, Genser has focused on the human rights violation committed under President Abdulla Yameen and "his repressive regime".
"This report recommends the Council of the European Union adopt a Council decision and regulation imposing human rights-based sanctions in response to the crisis in the Maldives, including targeted asset freezes and travel bans, for those implicated in major human rights abuses in the Maldives," said part of the report.
The Maldives is facing political unrest since President Abdulla Yameen imposed emergency after refusing to implement a Supreme Court order of freeing imprisoned opposition leaders.
On February 2, the Maldivian Supreme Court acquitted former Maldivian President Mohamed Nasheed, former Maldivian Vice President Ahmed Adeeb and ordered the reinstatement of 12 other parliamentary members.
However, on February 20, Maldives Parliament approved the extension of the State of Emergency by 30 days; a day after President Abdulla Yameen sought the extension citing threat to national security and the constitutional crisis in the country.
The opposition leaders boycotted the session and called the extension illegal and unconstitutional.
The political unrest in the country deepened further when the police used force to crack down on the Maldivian opposition leaders, who continued to hold anti-government protests.
(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
TSR Subramanian, former Cabinet Secretary of the Union government passed away due to prolonged illness on Monday.
Confirming the news, the Indian Administrative Service (IAS) Association took to Twitter and said, " Extremely shocked to hear the sad news of the demise of T S R Subramanian. He was the tallest amongst all and is a big loss for the IAS fraternity and the nation. Deepest Condolences to all family members. We hope and pray that your ideas and thoughts will continue to guide us."
The cremation ceremony of Subramanian will take place at Delhi's Lodhi Road crematorium at 5.30 pm on Monday.
Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman also expressed condolence over the demise of Subramanian.
"Former Cabinet Secretary TSR Subramanyam is no more. Saddened by the news. He was affable, full of ideas and energy.
In many a debate on TV channels, shared thoughts with him. Condolences to his family and his fraternity," Sitharaman tweeted.
Union Cabinet Minister of Textiles and Information and Broadcasting Smriti Irani also mourned his death. This is what she tweeted:
At least six persons were injured, of which four are battling for life, after a suspected explosion in Leicester City of the United Kingdom (UK) on Sunday night.
All four critically injured were taken to Leicester Royal Infirmary, tweeted East Midlands Ambulance Service, after police declared a major incident following the blast that destroyed a shop in a street in the city.
Leicestershire Fire and Rescue said it received a call around 7.03 p.m. from the public who heard the blast on Hinckley Road.
Video taken at the scene shows flames billowing into the night sky.
Emergency services were rushed to help someone close to a convenience store engulfed in flames.
A hazardous area response team and ambulance crews remain at the scene in Hinckley Road, it said.
Leicestershire Police said people had been evacuated from businesses and homes in the immediate vicinity and taken to a nearby police station as a temporary measure.
A police spokesman said that "at this stage, there is no indication this is terrorist-related" incident.
A resident, who lives on the same road as the fire, said: "We are down the same street - about 500 meters from where the blast has taken place and our whole house shook.
"We checked on our children first and foremost and then we went outside," she told Sky News.
"There is just an awful lot of smoke here at the moment and the whole area is cordoned off."
Leicester Royal Infirmary tweeted: "We can confirm that four patients from the scene have been taken to Leicester Royal Infirmary via @EMASNHSTrust in a critical condition."
A spokeswoman said six fire engines had been requested and the incident was currently being treated as a search and rescue operation.
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Turns out, reports of toxicology tests done on the body of veteran actor Sridevi, can lead to further delay in sending back her mortal remains to India from Dubai, where the 54-year-old actress died on Saturday.
"The toxicology reports of tests done on blood and organs of Sridevi are expected to reveal the exact cause of her death. If the reports do not conclusively confirm a natural cause such as the reported heart attack, there will be further investigations, which would mean even more delays for sending her body home", sources told Gulf News, a leading English daily published in Dubai.
There have been reports that the cause of actor's death is a sudden cardiac arrest. However, no official authority has confirmed the news.
The forensic report is expected to reveal the exact cause of her death.
Earlier, an Indian Consulate official had shared that her mortal remains will be ready for repatriation between 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. (Dubai time) on Monday.
She reportedly had a fainting spell in her bathroom and was immediately rushed to Rashid Hospital in Dubai. The hotel, however, refused to comment on the matter.
Sources in the Indian Consulate had said that she was brought dead to the hospital.
Meanwhile, celebrities and fans have been flocking the Mumbai residence of Anil Kapoor, brother-in-law to the actress.
Director Karan Johar and designer Manish Malhotra were amongst the bevy of celebrities to reach Kapoor's residence on Monday.
Actress Tabu, filmmaker Farah Khan, choreographer Saroj Khan, actor Farhan Akhtar, along with mother Honey Irani, also visited the Kapoor family to offer their condolences.
(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Hungary's ruling party lost in a local byelection, with expected challenges ahead for Prime Minister Viktor Orban.
With only weeks to go before a general election, Orban, known for his fierce anti-migrant, populist rhetoric, will seek a third consecutive term in an election on 8 April.
Marki-Zay, who ran as an independent but was backed by the full spectrum of the opposition, won 57.5 percent of the votes, against 41.5 percent for ruling party Fidesz candidate Zoltan Hegedus, with 92 percent of the votes counted, reported The Guardian.
The result was a shock for Fidesz's supporters, particularly because Hodmezovasarhely is home to key Orban ally Janos Lazar, who heads the prime minister's office. In the last local election in 2014, Fidesz won with 61 percent of votes.
The Fidesz party has been polling around 50 percent although a corruption scandal involving Orban's son-in-law, and a row over an alleged government cover-up of refugee intake numbers have provided unexpected hurdles for the government in recent weeks.
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As part of lndo-US Bilateral Defence Cooperation, the 8th Defence Technology and Trade Initiative (DTTI) Inter-Agency Task Force Meeting was held here on Monday.
The Ministry of Defence (MoD) in a statement said, the meeting was co-chaired by Deputy Chief of Integrated Defence Staff Vice Admiral A.K. Jain and Acting Director, International Cooperation Matthew Warren.
The DTTI was initiated as an idea by former U.S. Secretary of Defence Dr. Ashton Carter in 2012.
"The aim of DTTI is to bring sustained leadership focus to the bilateral defence trade relationship and create opportunities for co-production and co-development of defence equipment," the statement said.
"A number of joint working groups spanning varied projects have been established under DTTI on both sides, which have identified various projects for the armed forces," it added.
The MoD further said the working groups meet regularly to discuss and take forward the projects.
"The U.S. has declared India as a major defence partner under the National Defence Authorisation Act in 2017 has given an impetus to the DTTI," the MoD said.
Speaking on the occasion, Vice Admiral A.K. Jain brought out that India's defence industry was in a growing stage and looking to acquire niche technology in manufacturing defence weapons and equipment. This will also give a boost to India's flagship 'Make in India' initiative.
The US Co-chair, Matthew Warren highlighted that defence cooperation between the two countries is continuing to make progress.
"Both sides understand the importance of DTTI in this respect and it is a good forum for mutual cooperation to take ahead the defence ties between the two sides," the statement said.
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Jordan's King Abdullah II will be delivering a special address on "Islamic Heritage & promoting understanding" at Vigyan Bhawan during his visit to India.
King Abdullah II, who will be visiting India for the second time from February 27 to March 1, will lead a large business delegation.
He will also hold a meeting with External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj.
India is Jordan's fourth largest trade partner after Iraq, Saudi Arabia and China.
Earlier this month, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, during his visit to Jordan, invited the King to make a state visit to India in late February for three days.
India and Jordan enjoy friendly ties since diplomatic relations were established in 1950.
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The Congress party workers on Monday staged a protest outside the Kerala Secretariat, demanding a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into a party worker's murder, which took place in Kannur.
They were protesting against the alleged delay in the police action against the accused in the murder of 30-year-old Shuhaib from Kannur.
Youth Congress state general secretary Leena, along with activists Biju Antony and Sajith, attempted to enter the CM's office on the third floor of the Secretariat's North Block, but was stopped by security personnel at the ground floor entrance.
They shouted slogans against Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and demanded his resignation. Soon, the police reached the spot and removed the protesters.
When the protest turned violent, the police used a water cannons and tear gas to disperse the protesters.
(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
KisanKraft Ltd, manufacturer and wholesale distributor of high quality agricultural equipment for small and marginal farmers on Monday signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the government of Andhra Pradesh for a Rs. 75 crore multi-faceted project focused on agriculture technology.
The MoU was signed in the presence of chief minister, Andhra Pradesh, N. Chandrababu Naidu, and minister of agriculture, Somireddy Chandramohan Reddy.
With this MoU, KisanKraft will set up a facility in Andhra Pradesh to manufacture various machinery for small and marginal farmers, such as inter-cultivators, BIS:ISI approved engines, water-pumps, and expand it to add more products.
This project will also have R&D and testing facilities for development of new machinery, draught resistant seeds and related technology.
Additionally, KisanKraft will setup a training and demonstration center for farmers, technicians and rural youth.
This facility is expected to be spread across 20 hectares of land, and will help bring advancements in the agricultural sector and aide in improving farmers' income.
"After bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, very few industries are left with Andhra Pradesh. This government is making all efforts to bring back the growth and development to the sunrise state Andhra Pradesh. We would welcome and give necessary support to the industries with credible background in the field of agriculture and biotechnology and who can contribute to the development and welfare of the farmers in Andhra Pradesh," said minister of agriculture, Somireddy Chandramohan Reddy.
"We have witnessed a huge drop in number of farm laborers in the last two to three decades. Migration from rural to urban areas due to reduced incomes in agriculture is the major reasons for this acute shortage of labor. With the establishment of such a facility, we will focus on mechanization of small and marginal farmers to increase farmer's profits and further advance the development of this sector. This project will also facilitate the creation of hundreds of direct jobs across the board for skilled, semi-skilled and unskilled workers and thousands of indirect jobs by creating village level entrepreneurs," said managing director, KisanKraft Ltd, Ravindra K Agrawal.
Welcoming KisanKraft Ltd's project, Dr. P Krishnaiah, Chairman of Andhra Pradesh Industrial Infrastructure Corporation Ltd (APIIC) said "Agriculture can become sustainable only when it is profitable. Profitability is possible only by adopting modern tools and knowledge relevant to small and marginal farmers".
KisanKraft will begin operations in the new facility with the manufacturing of inter-cultivators and BIS:ISI approved engines, water pumps.
The second phase of operations will be conducting R&D for machine and seed development. The company will also conduct demonstrations and training for farmers to create awareness of available machines, their suitability and cost economics.
A full-fledged service center will also be setup to service and repair machinery of nearby farmers.
(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Seth Rance, who is also a station officer with the Greytown Fire Brigade besides being a New Zealand fast bowler, recently took his black cap off to don a fire helmet when a pub's roof in the town caught fire.
Better known for putting heat on his deliveries on-field, Rance helped dousing the flame that threatened to engulf Wairarapa's landmark pub, The White Swan, in New Zealand.
It was learnt that crews from across Wairarapa arrived at the blaze on main station after the fire broke out near a chimney at the back corner of the building.
Reflecting on the same, Rance said that it was quite fortunate that they received the call early, adding that there is a little bit of structural and water damage and nothing else.
"The origin of the fire was in the southern end of the building. There's a little bit of structural and water damage but it appears to have been caught in time. It's fortunate we got the call nice and early,"ESPNcricinfo quoted Rance, as saying.
Rance has appeared in two ODIs and four T20I since making his international debut for New Zealand last year.
He, however, is not the only New Zealand player who is engaged in a day job in the uniformed services.
Earlier, former New Zealand speedster Shane Bond also had a parallel career as a policeman.
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The Board of Directors of Switzerland Tourism on Monday announced hiring Martin Nydegger as the new CEO in January 2018.
The Federal Council approved this decision at a meeting held in September 2017. The selection committee of the ST Board of Directors made their decision after a multiple-step selection procedure that featured a number of highly qualified candidates.
Nydegger proved to be the candidate who best met the criteria defined for the position. His breadth of tourism experience and profound knowledge of Switzerland Tourism will in addition ensure a seamless transition and continuity in the preliminary phase.
Martin Nydegger has been a member of the Executive Board of Switzerland Tourism since 2008 and is in charge of Development. He had previously managed the ST branch office in Amsterdam for three years.
Prior to joining ST, he already held a number of positions in the tourism sector, including six years as Director of the Engadin/Scuol Tourism Board. A native of Bern, Nydegger holds an Executive MBA in Strategic Corporate Management and has repeatedly undergone further training in the field of marketing management.
"I am excited about my new role at Switzerland Tourism and build on the legacy by taking it to new heights. My journey with Switzerland Tourism has been remarkable and I look forward to further building and establishing this alluring travel destination," said Martin.
On his recent visit to India, Martin said, "India is an extremely relevant market for Switzerland Tourism and would rank 7th in terms of importance of all the countries, globally.
He added that in terms of development, Switzerland Tourism has seen an enormous growth over the years. In the last three years, it witnessed a growth of roughly 53 percent and in 2017 alone the growth rate was a good 25 percent from India and is predicted to grow further by 33 percent in the next three to four years. India and Switzerland have strong ties and we certainly intend to continue and grow strong in the future.
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Maharashtra Governor C. Vidyasagar Rao on Monday expressed his displeasure over the nonavailability of a Marathi translation facility during his address to the joint session of the State Legislature at Vidhan Bhavan, in Mumbai.
In a letter to Chairman of Maharashtra Legislative Council Ramraje Naik Nimbalkar and Speaker of Legislative Assembly Haribhau Bagade, Governor Rao expressed his sentiments.
"During my address to the Joint Session of the Legislature in the morning today, it was observed that the Marathi translation of my speech was not taking place. I am of the view that it needs to be considered with utmost seriousness, and a strong action needs to be taken against those responsible for this serious lapse," he wrote.
Rao also requested them to inform him regarding the action taken against those responsible.
(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
More than 100 girls are missing after suspected Boko Haram militants attacked their school in northeastern Nigeria.
The country's Ministry for Information on Sunday informed that 110 girls have been missing after the raid on the Government Girls Science Technical College in Dapchi, Yobe State.
As many as 110 girls have been missing since Monday when armed militants stormed the school.
However, the Nigerian government is yet to release an official list of those missing.
The ministry is basing the latest number on briefings with the school principal and the Commissioner for Education, reported CNN.
On February 22, the Yobe State governor's office said that about 46 students remained missing following an attack by the Boko Haram insurgents the all-girls college.
Boko Haram militants kidnapped nearly 300 girls from a school in Chibok in April 2014, setting off global outrage. Many of the Chibok girls were freed after negotiations, but more than 100 remain in captivity, their whereabouts unknown.
The Boko Haram insurgency began in 2009 when the militants staged an armed rebellion against the government of Nigeria.
Suicide attacks carried out by the dreaded insurgent group have claimed more than 20,000 lives and displaced at least two million people, according to Nigerian vice-president Yemi Osinbajo.
The group is also active in the neighbouring countries of Cameroon, Chad, and Niger.
(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Monday declared that the family of each soldier from the state killed in action would be given an ex gratia of Rs one crore along with other benefits.
"If a son of Madhya Pradesh sacrifices his life while protecting the Indian borders, Madhya Pradesh government would give an ex gratia of Rs 1 crore to his family.We have also decided to give a monthly pension of Rs 5,000 to the parents of the martyred soldier, and a job to one member of the family," Chouhan said in his address at the inauguration ceremony of the 'Shaheed Smarak' at Morena.
Chouhan also lauded members of the army personnel who belong to Madhya Pradesh, "The youth of Morena and the adjoining areas have always been determined to protect 'Bharat Mata' at the borders."
The ceremony was also attended by Defence Minister N. Sitharaman and Union Minister Narendra Singh Tomar.
At the occasion, the Chief Minister inaugurated the 'Shaheed Smarak' and laid a wreath to pay tribute to the war casualties.
Chouhan also said that Madhya Pradesh was "determinedly moving on the path of progress," and owed it to the soldiers who laid their lives to ensure security.
"After becoming the Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh, I called a meeting of police officers in Gwalior and said it clearly, that in this state, either dacoit will live or Shivraj Singh Chouhan will leave. Both cannot live together," he added.
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The Bihar Police on Monday said that the accused has been identified in connection with the Muzaffarpur accident.
Talking to the media, Bihar DGP PK Thakur said, "The culprit has been identified, we have seized a mobile phone also from inside the car. That(if car belonged to BJP leader) I don't know yet."
Meanwhile, an FIR against the accused has been registered under relevant sections of Indian Penal Code (IPC) including culpable homicide on the complaint of family members.
The Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Tejashwi Yadav had said the vehicle involved in the Muzaffarpur accident belonged to the Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) General Secretary.
Talking to ANI, Yadav said, "It's unfortunate. We are being told the vehicle belongs to a BJP General Secretary and the driver is absconding and the administration has not been able to arrest him so far. Relatives of the deceased are saying that the vehicle has a BJP board attached to it and people in it were intoxicated."
On February 24, nine children were killed and 24 others, majority of the students, were injured when a car rammed into a government school building at Ahiyapur in Muzaffarpur.
(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on suspended Manoj Baitha from party's membership for six years for his involvement in Muzaffarpur accident in which nine students were killed.
Baitha is owner of the SUV that ran over nine children and injured around 20 outside their government school at Dharampur village in Bihar's Muzaffarpur district on Saturday.
Earlier in the day, Bihar's Deputy Chief Minister and senior BJP leader Sushil Modi had said strict action against will be taken against the main accused in the Muzaffarpur accident.
Speaking to ANI, Modi said that the government will adopt no leniency, irrespective of the affiliation of the accused.
Soon after the accident, the Opposition started cornering Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and the BJP.
Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Tejashwi Yadav was the first to allege that the vehicle involved in the Muzaffarpur accident belonged to a BJP General Secretary and the driver was intoxicated.
"We are being told the vehicle belongs to a BJP General Secretary and the driver is absconding and administration has not been able to arrest him so far. Relatives of the deceased are saying that the vehicle has a BJP board attached to it and people in it were intoxicated," Tejashwi told ANI on Saturday.
The RJD leader said Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Modi were trying to shield the culprit.
He also questioned: Where did the driver get the liquor from when there is a ban on liquor in the state?
Congress President Rahul Gandhi on Monday also accused Nitish Kumar of shielding the accused.
Rahul tweeted: "A drunken BJP leader killed nine innocent children in Bihar where liquor is banned! Nitish ji, is it realty of your liquor ban? Your conscience is shielding whom- accused BJP leader, or reality of Bihar's liquor ban?"
On 26 November 2015, Nitish Kumar announced that alcohol would be banned in the state from April 1, 2016. Kumar officially declared the total liquor ban on April 5, 2016.
(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Deputy Chief Minister of Bihar, Sushil Modi, on Monday assured strict action against the main accused in the Muzaffarpur hit-and-run case, in which nine children lost their lives.
Speaking to ANI, Modi said that the government will adopt no leniency, irrespective of the affiliation of the accused.
"No question of saving the person because of relations with Bharatiya Janata Party or Rashtriya Janata Dal. I called Muzaffarpur Superintendent of Police yesterday and said strictest action should be taken," Sushil Modi told ANI.
Nine children were killed and 24 others were injured on Saturday when a car rammed into a government school building at Ahiyapur in Muzaffarpur.
"Innocent children were killed & there is no bigger crime than this," added Sushil Modi.
Earlier on Monday, Bihar police confirmed that the accused driver had been identified. However, they have not yet confirmed if the car belonged to a BJP leader as alleged by the state opposition leader, RJD's Tejashwi Yadav
Meanwhile, acting on the complaint filed by the victims' family members, an FIR against the accused has been registered under relevant sections of Indian Penal Code (IPC).
(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Fatima Nafees, mother of missing Jawahar Lal University (JNU) student Najeeb Ahmed, and other students on Monday staged a protest outside the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) headquarters against the lack of progress in the case.
"I have complete hope that Najeeb will come back one day but I will continue my protest and next time you will see ten times more people with me," Nafeesa told ANI.
It's been more than a year since Najeeb Ahmed, a first-year student of M.Sc Biotechnology at JNU, went missing after a brawl with members of the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad(ABVP) at Mahi-Mandvi Hostel on 15 October 2016.
An FIR was registered on 16 October 2016 for kidnapping and wrongful confinement of Najeeb at the Vasant Kunj police station based on the complaint of Najeeb's parents.
Extensive searches by the Delhi police turned up nothing. They also issued a reward of Rs1,00,000 for information about Najeeb.
The case was later handed over to a Special Investigating Team (SIT) of Delhi police and finally to the Crime Branch on 11 November 2016.
The Delhi police also raised the reward amount to Rs 5,00,000.
Finally, on March 16, 2017, the Delhi High Court transferred the case to the CBI.
(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Pakistan's Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) has contacted Interpol to issue a arrest warrant against the former ambassador to the United States Hussain Haqqani after he failed to appear in a court in connection with the Memogate case.
According to the Pakistan Today, the FIA contacted the Interpol after the Ministry of Interior's approval.
On February 15, Pakistan Supreme Court had issued an arrest warrant against Haqqani.
However, Haqqani said Pakistani authorities have been writing such letters to garner news.
"I have not been charged with any crime, am the target of political persecution because of views I have expressed in my books and other writings, and do not expect any action by Interpol or any other international institution," said Haqqani in a statement.
"The fate of this latest exercise will be the same as that of letters written to Interpol in the past with regard to other political cases," he added.
In 2011, a Pakistani-American businessman Mansoor Ijaz had claimed that he received an 'anti-army' memo from Haqqani for the then-United States joint chiefs chairman Admiral Mike Mullen.
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P100, Panasonic's latest smartphone launched in India, is now available on Snapdeal at a discounted price of Rs. 4999.
The phone runs on Android 7.0 Nougat for easy multi-tasking while the Duraspeed technology with 2200mAh battery allows for longer battery life.
It has 5" HD 2.5D curved display and Corning Gorilla Glass which provides durability and a high-quality finish. The inbuilt fingerprint sensor lets you unlock your phone with just one touch.
Equipped with 1.25GHz Quad - core processor and 16 GB ROM, the dual SIM phone's memory can be expanded up to 128GB.
Some of its smart features include 'Pocket Mode' which increases the ringtone of the phone if it rings while in the pocket and 'Flip to mute Mode' which can turn the phone silent with just a flip besides the smart answer, smart dial and smart wake up abilities.
Sensors on the phone include Finger Print Sensor, Proximity sensor, Accelerometer and Ambient light sensor.
Users get 8-megapixel rear camera and 5-megapixel front shooter for selfies. It has multi-modes for editing images and zero shutter feature for clicking pictures without a delay.
The phone has OTG support to allow access to external data on phone and to connect an external mouse or keyboard.
Priced at Rs 4999, Snapdeal also offers an additional cashback of Rs 2000 on Vodafone m-pesa and Rs 2200 on Jio Money.
Axis Bank users can avail 10 percent instant discount.
Lucky P100 buyers also get a chance to win special gifts of up to 10 gram gold.
(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A controversy has erupted after a question in the Jammu and Kashmir Service Selection Recruitment Board (SSRB) exams regraded Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK) as 'Azad Kashmir'.
The question read, "Jammu and Kashmir has an international border with China in the north and east, and the Line of Control separates it from the Pakistan-controlled territories of Azad Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan in:
a) north and north-east respectively
b) south and south-east respectively
c) east and north-east respectively
d) west and north-west respectively"
Chairman of Services Selection Board Jammu and Kashmir Simrandeep Singh told ANI that the expert, who framed the question, was black-listed and the matter would be investigated.
"I was told after the exam that the term 'Azad Kashmir' has been used in some context which is inappropriate. We have subject matter experts who frame the questions. We have identified the expert and have sorted an explanation from him that how he was so casual while framing the question where he used an incorrect term in the geography section," he revealed.
"The question has been nullified from the exam. The Board has a procedure that whenever there is a question which is wrongly framed or the answers are incorrect, we expunge that question and everyone gets equal distribution of marks in that question," he added.
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The Colosseum, Rome's most famous landmark, was on Saturday lit up in red to mark solidarity with people persecuted in foreign countries, particularly Pakistan, for their faith.
The event at 6 p.m. (local time) was the initiative of Aid to the Church in Need, the Pontifical Foundation that supports suffering Christians in over 140 countries around the world, the Catholic Herald reported.
The Maronite Cathedral of St Elijah in Syria's Aleppo and St Paul's church in the Iraqi city of Mosul were also illuminated in red to symbolise the blood of Christian martyrs in the war-torn countries.
The ceremony included testimonies of two families targeted for their Christian faith -- the husband and youngest daughter of Asia Bibi from Pakistan, who received a death sentence in 2010, and Nigerian Rebecca Bitrus, who spent two years as a hostage to the extremist group Boko Haram.
Asia Bibi's daughter Eisham Ashiq said her family believed she would be released from jail soon, though they will have to leave Pakistan immediately, as her safety cannot be guaranteed.
The family has appealed to Pakistan President Mamnoon Hussain for a pardon and met Pope Francis on Saturday to ask him to pray for her freedom.
Rebecca Bitrus, however, said that despite her ordeal at the hands of the extremist group, she never lost her trust in God.
Not even when her one-year-old son was killed or when she was tortured and raped, resulting in the birth of another child.
When she finally managed to escape, many people urged her to get rid of the child, but with the help of local Church leaders, she has learned to accept and love the son of her captors.
2000 years ago, Christians were tortured and killed in the Colosseum for refusing to renounce their faith.
(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
West Bengal's (SMC) has introduced the use of drones to check the mosquito-infested areas of the city.
The drone, made by a school student, can take pictures of stagnant water on a terrace of high rise buildings.
"We are conducting a trial run for a month. We will see how fruitful it is...After this many states are asking me about the project over dengue plan," Asoke Bhattacharjee, Mayor of
Rajiv Ghosh, the student, who invented the drone, said "Last year, there was a major dengue problem in Siliguri. It is very difficult to inspect the presence of stagnant water or dengue larvae in high rise buildings".
"Drone can help gather aerial footage to keep a check on areas that might be possible breeding spots," student added.
According to Health Department report of 2017 around 1,287 people have been infected with dengue and four lost their lives.
Many had also been admitted in Siliguri's district hospital and North Bengal Medical College and Hospital (NBMCH) with dengue symptoms.
As the nation remains gloom following the death of veteran actor Sridevi, the 'sensational' reporting by the media post recent developments on the cause of her death has sparked a wave of criticism on social media.
On Monday, the forensic report of the 54-year-old Indian actress revealed that she had died of accidental drowning in her hotel room's bathtub, after suffering a dizzying spell. Traces of alcohol were also reportedly found in the actor's body.
Following this, several media outlets took to their channels to ponder over the reports, some even going to the extent of character-shaming the actor for allegedly indulging in alcohol.
In retaliation, twitterers expressed their dissent over the sensational twist that has been given to the actor's untimely demise, evident from the hashtag 'News Ki Maut' (death of news) on Twitter.
"#NewsKiMaut let us respect Late Mrs. Sridevi ji and not do dramatic representations and raise questions about her character," a user wrote.
Another tweet read, "It's not just #NewsKiMaut but #HumanityKiMaut. Compassion is totally missing these days."
An Indian media outlet even ran a special episode titled 'Maut Ka Bathtub' or 'the bathtub causing death' after reports surfaced of her "accidental drowning."
For the unversed, Sridevi passed away on late Saturday night in Dubai, where she was attending a family wedding.
(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Shakti Kapoor on Monday joined the chorus of voices expressing condolences for late Sridevi, who died in a Dubai hotel on February 24.
"It is saddening that she could not see her daughter's debut film. My heart goes out to the entire family," Kapoor told ANI.
Jhanvi Kapoor will be making her debut in the cinema industry on July 20, with Karan Johar's movie 'Dhadak'. She stars alongside Ishaan Khatter in the movie.
The 65-year-old actor said that he had worked together with the late actress for over 10 years.
It may be noted that both the actors had shared screen space in several movies of the 80's and the 90's.
Sridevi passed away on late Saturday night in Dubai, where she was attending a family wedding.
Earlier in the day, the completion of post-mortem analysis revealed that the 54-year-old Indian actress died of accidental drowning in her hotel room's bathtub, after suffering a dizzying spell.
The body was reportedly sent for embalming and her mortal remains will depart for India after the completion of necessary paperwork.
Meanwhile, celebrities and fans have been visiting the Mumbai residence of Anil Kapoor, brother-in-law to the actress, awaiting the arrival of her mortal remains.
(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
In the aftermath of the demise of veteran actor Sridevi, the police recorded the statement of her husband and noted producer Boney Kapoor, the Gulf News reported on late Monday night.
As per media sources, Boney Kapoor was summoned by the Dubai Police to Bur Dubai police station for investigation. The police recorded his statement, after which he was allowed to go back to his hotel room.
Meanwhile, Indian Envoy to UAE Navdeep Suri on Monday assured that the Indian embassy is trying hard to send mortal remains of Sridevi to India at earliest.
Talking to ANI, Suri said, "Our embassy and consulate are working closely with local authorities to expedite the return of mortal remains of Sridevi and also keeping Kapoor family apprised. It is our endeavor to send mortal remains of Sridevi to India at earliest."
Following the release of the forensic report of Sridevi, who died in a hotel here on February 24, the Dubai Police transferred the case to the Dubai Public Prosecution, which will carry out the regular legal procedures which are normally followed in such circumstances.
Earlier, the completion of post-mortem analysis revealed that the 54-year-old Indian actress died of accidental drowning in her hotel room's bathtub, after suffering a dizzying spell.
Traces of alcohol were also found in the actor's body, the report added.
(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
It has come to light that veteran actor Sridevi died of accidental drowning after losing balance and falling into a bathtub full of water.
According to the forensic report, traces of alcohol were also found in the actor's body, reported the Gulf News.
The mortal remains of the India actor will impart for India after completion of necessary paperwork.
She reportedly had a fainting spell in her bathroom and was immediately rushed to Rashid Hospital in Dubai. The hotel, however, refused to comment on the matter.
Sources in the Indian Consulate had said that she was brought dead to the hospital.
Meanwhile, celebrities and fans have been flocking to the Mumbai residence of Anil Kapoor, brother-in-law to the actress.
Actress Madhuri Dixit, director Karan Johar, designer Manish Malhotra, actress Tabu, filmmaker Farah Khan, choreographer Saroj Khan, actor Farhan Akhtar, along with mother Honey Irani, were seen visiting the family earlier in the day.
(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
An Indian Consulate official has confirmed that veteran actress Sridevi's mortal remains will be ready for repatriation between 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. (Dubai time) on Monday.
Notably, the time difference between India and Dubai is 1 hour 30 minutes; hence the mortal remains will leave from Dubai by 3.30 p.m. Indian Standard Time.
The 'Mom' actress passed away in her hotel room in the Jumeirah Emirates Towers at 11 p.m. on Saturday, a source in the Indian Consulate in Dubai said.
She reportedly had a fainting spell in her bathroom and was immediately rushed to Rashid Hospital in Dubai. The hotel, however, refused to comment on the matter.
Sources in the Indian Consulate said that she was brought dead to the hospital.
Meanwhile, celebrities and fans have been flocking to the bungalow of Anil Kapoor, brother-in-law to the actress, to pour in their condolences.
Actress Tabu, director Farah Khan, choreographer Saroj Khan, actor Farhan Akhtar along with mother Honey Irani are among the celebrities who have already arrived at the Kapoor's residence to be a part of the ritual meeting.
Appropriate preparations at Pawan Hans crematorium, where the actress will be cremated, are underway.
(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Congress President Rahul Gandhi on Monday said terrorism has increased under Prime Minister Narendra Modi's rule.
Addressing a rally here, the Congress President said the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) had curbed terrorism by 2012 but it resurfaced after the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) came to power in 2014.
"See the figures of 2012-13; not a single soldier was martyred. When the BJP government departed in 2004 then there was terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir. The Congress united people and curbed terrorism by 2012. But, the BJP came to power in 2014 and people start getting killed," Rahul said.
The Gandhi scion also launched attack on Prime Minister Modi over the bank frauds.
"Nirav Modi flees with Rs. 22000 crore and Modi ji did not say a single word. Lalit Modi and Vijay Mallya fled to London. Modi ji, corruption is happening around you, do something," Gandhi said.
He also asked Prime Minister Modi to solve Mahadayi River water dispute.
"In the Mahadayi issue, I request PM Modi to invite the Chief Ministers of all the three states for a meeting to discuss and arrive at a solution. It's a drinking water problem, so PM Modi must stop making excuses and solve the issue," the Congress President said.
The Mahadayi river is essentially a rain-fed river shared between Karnataka and Goa. About 76 km of Mahadayi's 111-km length runs through Goa and the rest is in Karnataka. It passes through Maharashtra briefly before emptying into the Arabian Sea.
The dispute over sharing of Mahadayi waters began in the 1980s.
Earlier, Rahul paid his respects at the Murugha Math, Dharwad, Karnataka.
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A terrorist was killed on Monday in a grenade attack on a police station in Jammu and Kashmir's Pulwama district while trying to escape from police custody.
The terrorist identified as Mushtaq Ahmad Chopan had dressed up as a woman while attempting to flee.
One policeman, Mehrajuddin, was injured in the grenade explosion when the terrorist was challenged by the guard while trying to escape from the police station in Tral in Pulwama.
Meanwhile, Lieutenant General A.K. Bhatt, GOC of army's Srinagar-based 15 Corps said that terrorists have been scattered in the Valley.
"They're in groups of 30-40 in areas like Leepa valley, Mandal, Rampur and others.Whenever there's firing by Pakistan, it's certain that it's an attempt of infiltration.Whatever has happened in Kupwara and Tangdhar was an attempt of the same," he added.
The investigation is underway. More details are awaited.
Earlier there had been separate instances of firing and the use of grenades in two districts of Pulwama including Awantipora and Kakapora respectively.
A series of incidents have been reported from the Kashmir Valley in the past 48 hours. A policeman was killed after militants attacked a security guard post near Charar-e-Sharief shrine in Jammu and Kashmir's Budgam district on Sunday.
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A top Democrat, who released a new memo on investigations into Russian meddling in the 2016 US election, which led to President Donald Trump fume over it, on Sunday defended his work, saying he is "proud to be one of the bad hombres, I guess."
Trump in a tweet on Saturday said the memo was "a total political and legal BUST".
The President also abused California Congressman Adam Schiff, the ranking Democrat on the House intelligence committee, who Trump said was "a bad guy" responsible for leaks that were "probably illegal", the Guardian reported.
Referring to Trump's infamous remark about Mexican immigrants, Schiff said he was "proud to be one of the bad hombres" and added that the President's anger about leaks was likely based on his discussion of Donald Trump Jr's appearance before the House intelligence committee in December.
The President's son claimed attorney-client privilege to avoid discussing the drafting of a misleading statement about a meeting with Russians offering "dirt" on the last year election's Democratic contestant Hillary Clinton at Trump Tower in June 2016.
Schiff said his discussion of Trump Jr's appearance was "not a leak, it's a fact".
The Democratic memo was published in redactions two weeks after Trump blocked its full release.
The document aims to counter a Republican narrative that the FBI and justice department conspired against Trump as they investigated his ties to Russia.
A Republican memo was made public earlier this month, with no objection from the White House. In that document, Republicans on the House intelligence panel attacked the FBI and justice department over the use of information compiled by a former British spy Christopher Steele to obtain a secret warrant to monitor the communications of a Trump foreign policy adviser Carter Page.
"I'm not surprised the White House tried to bury [the Democratic] memo response as long as they could," CNN quoted Schiff as saying. "But it's important for the public to see the facts that the FBI acted appropriately in seeking a warrant on Carter Page, and that they are not part of some deep state as the President would like the public to believe."
The GOP memo included the assertion that the FBI obtained a surveillance warrant under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) without disclosing that Steele's research was paid for by the Clinton campaign and the Democratic National Committee.
The Democratic memo says the justice department disclosed "the assessed political motivation of those who hired" Steele, who it said was likely hired by someone "looking for information that could be used to discredit" Trump.
Trump seized on this point in a tweet and the Republican National Committee said in a statement: "Again, the fact the minority cannot outright deny that a DNC/Clinton funded document was used to wiretap an American is extremely concerning."
Schiff told CNN: "It's ironic that Republicans would attack the FBI for following procedures which require that they minimise names of Americans and American entities which are not the subject of a warrant. Even Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump are referred to as candidate one and candidate two. They're supposed to mask the identities of people."
The Democratic memo asserts that FBI concerns about Page long predated Steele's work, now known as the Trump-Russia "dossier", and that the government's application to monitor Page's communications detailed suspicious activities he undertook during the 2016 presidential campaign, including a July 2016 trip to Moscow in which he gave a university commencement address.
The memo contends that the justice department provided "additional information from multiple independent sources that corroborated Steele's reporting". Most of the details of the corroborated information are blacked out, but they do appear to reference Page's meeting with Russian officials.
The memo says the justice department did not include any "salacious allegations" about Trump contained in the Steele dossier in the FISA application.
The memo also details Russian attempts to cultivate Page as a spy. It cites a federal indictment of two Russian spies suspected of targeting Page and notes that the FBI interviewed him in March 2016.
Schiff said: "The issue is, what did Christopher Steele know? What might have influenced him that might bias him? Christopher Steele did not know who was paying him, who the client was, and so the FBI properly reported what they suspected, what Christopher Steele may have suspected, and they masked it appropriately."
He added: "I've been on the [House intelligence] committee for 10 years now and this is the first time Republicans have taken issue with any FISA application. I don't think it's a coincidence that it serves the president's interests to do so here. The FBI has acted appropriately."
Four former Trump aides have been indicted by Robert Mueller, the special counsel appointed by the justice department to investigate Russian election meddling after Trump fired FBI director James Comey in May.
Three of those former aides have agreed on plea deals, exchanging lighter sentences for cooperation: former national security adviser Michael Flynn, former campaign deputy chairman Rick Gates and former foreign policy adviser George Papadopoulos.
Former campaign manager Paul Manafort maintains his innocence on charges including money laundering and tax and bank fraud.
Trump has said the Republican memo "vindicates" him. Democrats and Republicans, including Trey Gowdy of South Carolina, who helped draft the GOP memo, have said it should not be used to undermine Mueller.
There are some points of agreement between the Republican and Democratic memos, including that the FBI did not open its investigation into links between Russian election interference and the Trump campaign because of Steele's dossier.
(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The United States Supreme Court on Monday declined to hear the Trump administration's appeal of a federal judge's ruling that requires the government to keep the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) programme going.
Under a lower court order that remains in effect, the Department of Homeland Security must continue to accept renewal applications from the roughly 700,000 young people, who are currently enrolled in DACA programme.
The administration had intended to shut the programme down by March 5, the deadline largely meaningless, NBC News reported.
The court said, "It is assumed the court of appeals will act expeditiously to decide this case."
The denial gives Congress more time to come up with a legislative solution, though repeated bipartisan efforts have failed so far.
At a White House meeting with the US governors, President Donald Trump had said that after the court's decision, "We'd like to help DACA". The President had also criticised the lower court.
House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, Democrat Senator California, said, "Today's Supreme Court action shows that rescinding DACA was not only legally questionable but also unjust and cruel. The court's action is welcome news, but only Congress can provide the permanent protection our 'Dreamers' need and deserve."
The denial was largely expected as the apex court rarely accepts appeals asking them to bypass the lower courts.
According to NBC News, the programme allows children of illegal immigrants to remain here if they were under 16 when their parents brought them to the United States and if they arrived by 2007. Those who are given DACA status must renew it every two years.
A federal judge in San Francisco on January 9 ruled in favour of the University of California and its President and former Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano after they sued to keep the programme going.
The January ruling followed Trump administration saying last year that it would end the programme within six months. The judge had said Attorney General Jeff Sessions had wrongly concluded that DACA was put in place without proper legal authority.
"The DACA programme - which provides work permits and myriad government benefits to illegal immigrants en masse - is clearly unlawful. The district judge's decision to unilaterally re-impose a programme that Congress had explicitly and repeatedly rejected is a usurpation of legislative authority...We look forward to having this case expeditiously heard by the appeals court and, if necessary, the Supreme Court, where we fully expect to prevail," the White House said on Monday.
The Supreme Court has agreed only about a dozen times in the past century to immediately take a case and bypass the federal appeals courts, and those case usually involve a national emergency such as nationwide strikes in the steel and coal industries.
The apex court's action leaves the DACA challenge pending before the California appeals court, where it is in the early stages. The Justice Department said it would take at least another year to get back to the Supreme Court for a decision on DACA's future.
If Congress acts in the meantime to extend the programme or provide an alternative path to citizenship for its recipients, the legal case would probably be dismissed.
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Vice President Venkaiah Naidu hailed India as the "economic hope of the globe."
Naidu, while presenting the Prime Minister's Shram Awards here on Monday, said the awards were an embodiment of the efforts put in by those working round the clock to "keep the wheels of the economy running."
"India is the economic hope of the globe and that picture is both fascinating and complex as our economy is fast expanding. Millions of workforces are working round the clock to keep the wheels of the economy running. This is the 'real GDP' festival. By this I mean, the 'Growth Driving Power' from among whom the 'Great Dedicated Persons' are being honoured today. These two GDPs are critical for the 'Gross Domestic Product', the GDP that we are all ultimately concerned with," he added.
338 workers were honoured with the Prime Minister's Shram Awards, whereby 194 prestigious awards for the years 2011-16 were presented away by the Vice President at Vigyan Bhawan here. These awards are given in recognition to those who have distinguished record of performance, demonstrated devotion towards duty of a high order, specific contribution in the field of productivity, safety, quality, proven innovative abilities, conservation of resources, presence of mind and exceptional courage. The awards are also given to those workmen, who have risked their lives or made supreme sacrifice of laying down their lives in the conscientious discharge of their duties.
Public Sector workers bagged 232 awards while 106 awards were bagged by the private sector. Awards were also bagged by a group of workmen together. Out of 338 awardees, 20 were women, while two were posthumously awarded.
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Dr Reddy's Laboratories said that United States Food & Drug Administration (USFDA) has maintained official action indicated (OAI) status of company's active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) manufacturing plant at Srikakulam, Andhra Pradesh after the audit. The company has received the establishment inspection report to that effect. The USFDA has asked the company for more details. The company is providing those details and continuing to engage with USFDA for resolution of pending issues. The announcement was made on Sunday, 25 February 2018.
Aster DM Healthcare is set to list on the bourses today, 26 February 2018. The issue price has been fixed at Rs 190 per share. The initial public offer (IPO) of the company was subscribed 1.31 times. Aster DM Healthcare is a Kochi-based (Kerala) healthcare service provider, with operations in Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states of the United Arab Emirates, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait and Bahrain, India and Philippines.
Axis Bank will be in spotlight. With regard to media report titled "Axis Bank asks CIO Amit Sethi to Resign", the bank issued a clarification on Friday, 23 February 2018. Axis Bank said that in terms of its code of conduct and ethics, certain related matters are being subjected to internal investigation and in view of the same, it is unable to offer any comments in the matter.
Further, the said internal investigation is being conducted in the ordinary course of the business of the bank and is not material to the operations of the bank, Axis Bank said. The clarification was issued after market hours on Friday, 23 February 2018.
Idea Cellular announced the successful closure of its qualified institutions placement (QIP). The company has allotted 42.42 crore equity shares to qualified institutional buyers (QIBs), at an issue price of Rs 82.50 per share, aggregating to Rs 3500 crore. The announcement was made after market hours on Friday, 23 February 2018.
Nitin Spinners said that its board of directors approved issue of 6.68 lakh shares to one of the company's promoters, namely, Redial Trading & Investment at an issue price of Rs 120.50 per share on preferential basis aggregating Rs 8.05 crore. The announcement was made on Saturday, 24 February 2018.
Dena Bank said that the issue committee of the board fixed the issue price of Rs 26.89 per equity share for issue of equity share to Government of India on preferential basis. The announcement was made after market hours on Friday, 23 February 2018.
Bharti Airtel and Motorola Mobility India announced a partnership to offer a range of budget friendly 4G smartphones under Airtel's 'Mera Pehla Smartphone' initiative. The announcement was made after market hours on Friday, 23 February 2018.
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The stock is quoting at Rs 4981.75, up 0.4% on the day as on 12:49 IST on the NSE. Britannia Industries Ltd is up 52.86% in last one year as compared to a 18.72% spurt in NIFTY and a 19.25% spurt in the Nifty FMCG.
Britannia Industries Ltd gained for a fifth straight session today. The stock is quoting at Rs 4981.75, up 0.4% on the day as on 12:49 IST on the NSE. The benchmark NIFTY is up around 0.68% on the day, quoting at 10562.5. The Sensex is at 34370.61, up 0.67%. Britannia Industries Ltd has risen around 6.17% in last one month.
Meanwhile, Nifty FMCG index of which Britannia Industries Ltd is a constituent, has risen around 2.99% in last one month and is currently quoting at 26669.9, up 0.24% on the day. The volume in the stock stood at 70922 shares today, compared to the daily average of 1.42 lakh shares in last one month.
The benchmark March futures contract for the stock is quoting at Rs 5005, up 0.35% on the day. Britannia Industries Ltd is up 52.86% in last one year as compared to a 18.72% spurt in NIFTY and a 19.25% spurt in the Nifty FMCG index.
The PE of the stock is 66.22 based on TTM earnings ending December 17.
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Heavy Water Board, a constituent industrial unit of DAE, signed a collaborative agreement with M/s Clearsynth for sale of 20 tonnes of Heavy Water in a year for development of deuterium labeled compounds, NMR Solvents, d-labeled Active Pharma Ingredients (APIs). This marks the beginning of an important era in the annals of Indian Nuclear industry leading to societal benefits for the masses. It is worth noting that during the previous years Indian industries have imported deuterated compounds and Heavy Water to the tune of 9 Million USD.
This Agreement will initiate import substitution for the deuterated compounds and Heavy Water.
Dr Sekhar Basu, Chairman, AEC emphasized the need of supporting Indian industries towards manufacturing of deuterated compounds to fulfill the mission of 'Make in India' campaign. The advantage of Indian expertise in this field will reach masses through end products developed by Indian Pharmaceutical and other Industries. This is expected to lead towards lots of R&D in the field of development of new deuterated compounds and Active Pharma Ingredients. Dr Basu also advised that the technology development in this field can be taken up by the Indian companies through Technology Transfer & Collaboration Division of BARC by entering into collaborative arrangements on various science and technology products.
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ASSOCHAM cautioned against allowing the alleged fraud in the Punjab National Bank (PNB) to halt the entire system of corporate lending as demoralisation would set in among the top functionaries and employees of the state-owned banks, something the country can ill-afford at a time when the credit growth was about to recover and economy was set to grow at a higher pace.
While we may seek long-term solutions like privatisation of the banks, the need of this hour is to rally around honest bank officers and the honest business entities which have built trust on each other. Let one or a few black sheep not derail our financial system, which is resilient enough to withstand this kind of shocks, though ideally such jolts are better avoided and averted through systemic reforms, ASSOCHAM Secretary General Mr D. S. Rawat said.
ASSOCHAM noted that there are disturbing reports about banks clamping down certain impractical rules and procedures for trade finance, affecting both importers and exporters. The letters of credit or letters of undertaking are an internationally accepted system of global trade. While we need to ensure safe and sound functioning of the system and not allow loopholes like those in the PNB system of money or guarantee transfer, let banks not over-react and hit the trade and industry.
The January export data shows a deceleration in growth even when the global economy is on the uptick.
The prick up in the domestic economy would require higher imports. Thus, both imports and exports are key to our economy and we have come a long way in scaling up the inter-face between the government agencies and the trade over the years. It is time to correct the systems which had allowed the misuse and move on with the task of achieving higher economic growth.
How else we encourage investment and jobs if we do not infuse confidence and trust in our financial system.
The ASSOCHAM urged the Finance Ministry (FinMin) and the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) to send strong messages across different stakeholders about the robustness of the Indian financial sector, giving, though a tough warning against offenders.
By all means, punish the offenders at a fast speed and set examples; but the business should not be allowed to halt. There is a need for vigilance among all the lenders, even in the private sector. After all, in an ever-connected world there are several common technology pathways, which can be subverted. It is about time to restore confidence and move on.
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Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA ) will reimburse all the funds spent by the Jammu & Kashmir State Government to pay compensation for damages and losses to the victims of cross-border firing. Disclosing this Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) of the Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER), MoS PMO, Personnel, Public Grievances & Pensions, Atomic Energy and Space, Dr.
Jitendra Singh said that the decision was taken following a request made to the MHA.
The Minister said that State Government should expedite the mechanism and seek prompt reimbursement of funds from the Centre. This will curb the delay and resolve the demand of the State Government about non-payment or inadequate payment of compensation to the border victims.
As per the order issued by the Ministry of Home Affairs, the fund paid as compensation by the J&K State Government will be reimbursed to the State Government from the Centre through SRE (Security Related Expenditure). The order further says that the State Government may consider to pay relief and compensation for housing damages / losses, crop losses or livestock losses, relief for stay at relief camps, displacement, etc. to those affected by cross-border firing, at the rates equal to NDRF recommendations fixed from time to time.
The communique also advises the State Government that item-wise claims and compensations paid by the State Government to the victims of cross-border firing may be submitted along with details, from time to time, in order to seek timely reimbursement from the Centre.
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For development of Economic City that provides affordable housing
PVV Infra has entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Government of Andhra Pradesh on 25 February 2018 for development of self-sustaining Eco-city with a walk -to -work environment that provide affordable housing to EWS (Economically Weaker Sections) and LIG (Lower Income Group), create jobs under both direct and indirect employment with specified MSME activities, caters to social, educational, medical and recreational and other needs resulting in ultimate overall economic growth.
Accordingly PVV Infra will get AP State Govt. support by way of number of fiscal, tax and quantitative incentives like exemption from building license fee, Infrastructure deposit, Land Use Conversion Charges, NALA charges for land use modification, City Level Impact Fee and certain infrastructure facilities. The EWS and LIG beneficiaries will benefit from affordable housing with excellent eco-friendly infrastructure facilities and fiscal incentive by way of Exemptions of Stamp Duty, Registration Charges, and additional subsidy from AP state government in addition to existing benefits of PMAY scheme.
PVV Infra is proposing to develop Economic City on 26 acres of land located in CRDA area, in Kanchikacharla (near Vijayawada City) in Krishna Dist, AP which includes construction of 3,840 affordable houses in 28 numbers of towers with a built-up area consisting of 15,42,265 SFT over a period of 3 years with a revenue generation of Rs.387 crore and income arising from this scheme is exempted from Income tax as per PMAY scheme.
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Reliance Infrastructure gained 3.04% to Rs 468.70 at 14:38 IST on BSE after the company said that it has won an arbitration award of Rs 292 crore against Government of Goa.
The announcement was made during market hours today, 26 February 2018.
Meanwhile, the S&P BSE Sensex was up 318.46 points, or 0.93% to 34,460.61.
On the BSE, 2.29 lakh shares were traded in the counter so far compared with average daily volumes of 4.24 lakh shares in the past one quarter. The stock had hit a high of Rs 470.75 and low of Rs 454 so far during the day. The stock had hit a 52-week high of Rs 630 on 12 May 2017. The stock had hit a 52-week low of Rs 390.60 on 15 November 2017.
The stock had underperformed the market over the past one month till 23 February 2018, falling 12.04% compared with the Sensex's 5.53% fall. The scrip had also underperformed the market over the past one quarter gaining 1.38% as against the Sensex's 1.65% rise. The scrip had also underperformed the market over the past one year dropping 18.43% as against the Sensex's 18.17% rise.
The large-cap company has equity capital of Rs 262.99 crore. Face value per share is Rs 10.
The arbitration tribunal, in its award on 16 February 2018, has ordered Government of Goa to pay Rs 292 crore to Reliance Infrastructure by 15 April 2018. The tribunal has also ordered payment of interest at 15% per annum on the total award amount if Government of Goa fails to pay the entire award amount by the deadline.
Joint Electricity Regulatory Commission had constituted the tribunal under the new rules laid down in 2015. Starting in January 2016, the proceedings of the tribunal were held for about two years and all pleadings and arguments by both the parties were completed in 12 sittings.
The need for arbitration arose due to prolonged non-payment of dues by the Goa Government towards supply of electricity by Reliance Infrastructure from its 48 megawatts (MW) Goa Power Plant in Sancoale.
The total outstanding dues along with interest as on 31 October 2017 amount to Rs 278 crore. The tribunal has also awarded Reliance Infrastructure interest from October 2017 till the date of the award, which amounts to Rs 14 crore.
The contention of Reliance Infrastructure that the rate of energy for the period from June 2013 to August 2014 was based on the varying prices of fuel and dollar exchange rate as was agreed to by the Goa Government, was upheld by the Tribunal.
The contention of Goa Government that the rated capacity of the plant was to be downrated, right from the second year of operation, for calculation of fixed charges since the parties had already agreed against downrating in 2007, was rejected by the tribunal.
On a consolidated basis, net profit of Reliance Infrastructure declined 19.6% to Rs 301.38 crore on 1.7% rise in net sales to Rs 5659.34 crore in Q3 December 2017 over Q3 December 2016.
Reliance Infrastructure (RInfra) is one of the largest infrastructure companies, developing projects through various special purpose vehicles (SPVs) in several high growth sectors such as power, roads and metro rail in the infrastructure space and the defence sector.
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Indian Railway Stations Development Corporation Limited (IRSDC) is taking up redevelopment of around 600 major Railway stations across the country. In this mega exercise, assistance and involvement of all stakeholders i.e. railway passengers, urban planners, architects, engineers is important. Towards this objective of stakeholders' consultation, an idea competition for development of 635 stations on Indian Railways, 'SRIJAN' (Station Rejuvenation Initiative through Joint ActioN) has been launched at MyGov portal since 26.01.2018. The last date for submission of entries in this competition is 26.03.2018. The winners will get certificates and worthy ideas will be incorporated in the designs.
IRSDC has also launched competition through Mygov portal for IRSDC logo and tagline. The winner for logo competition will get cash prize of Rs 75,000/-and for tagline also will get Rs 75,000/-. The last date of submission of entries is 26.3.18.
IRSDC has carried out one round of empanelment and 11 firms have been empanelled in A, B and C category. However, for more number of architectural firms required to simultaneously work on all stations, hence second round of Request for Empanelment (RFE) is already called which will be a continuous exercise henceforth.
Further, for all professionals, an open invitation for developing concept and master plans for redevelopment of stations has been given at the website https://www.irsdc.com/images/Invitation%20Concept%20Plan%20120218.pdf .
The last date for submission for their interests for stations is now 09.03.18. An 'Architect-Samvad' has been planned to be held shortly in March'18 in which Minister of Railways shall also interact with architects to discuss strategy to take the program forward.
First round of International Design Competition for three stations i.e. Gwalior, Nagpur and Bayappanhalli has been completed and the second stage will be completed by 31.03.2018. After the same, Engineering Procurement Contract (EPC) tenders for these stations will be called. For five stations, i.e. Chandigarh, Anand Vihar (Delhi), Secundrabad, Bangalore and Pune, tenders for Integrated Station Management through private parties has been called. Through these contracts, integrated management of stations will be done through private parties. Tenders for redevelopment of Chandigarh, Anand Vihar, Bijwasan and Surat stations are expected in March'18.
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Sterlite Technologies has been awarded a Rs 3500-crore Advance Purchase Order to design, build and manage the Indian Navy's communications network. This will give the Indian Navy digital defence supremacy at par with the best naval forces globally.
This is the first time that an integrated naval communications network at such a scale is being built in India.
The Navy's communications network has been envisioned as a smarter network infrastructure with enhanced throughput, high-quality secure services and ease of network management. The scope requires Sterlite Tech to design, build and manage the communications network for over a decade through its system integration capabilities.
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Strides Shasun announced that it will launch Ranitidine Tablets USP, 150 mg (OTC) in the US markets. Strides is already a key player in the US Ranitidine Rx market with 32% market share through its approval for Ranitidine Tablets USP, 150 mg and 300 mg. The new launch will further strengthen company's Ranitidine franchise.
According to IRI data, the US OTC market for Ranitidine Tablets, which is the generic form of the popular brand Zantac, is approximately USD 200 Million.
This is the first product approval from company's 50:50 JV with Vivimed Labs. The product will be backward integrated and will be manufactured at the JV's Oral dosage facility in Chennai. Strides will have exclusive marketing rights for the product in the US. The product will be launched immediately.
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Thomas Cook (India) gained 1.63% to Rs 240 at 12:27 IST on BSE after the company said that it has entered into a three year strategic agreement with Wildlife Reserves Singapore.
The announcement was made during market hours today, 26 February 2018.
Meanwhile, the S&P BSE Sensex was up 241.79 points, or 0.71% to 34,383.94. The S&P BSE Mid-Cap index was up 144.40 points, or 0.87% to 16,706.43, outperforming the Sensex.
A spurt in volume was witnessed on the counter. On the BSE, 8.78 lakh shares were traded in the counter so far, compared with average daily volumes of 33,893 shares in the past one quarter. The stock had hit a high of Rs 244.90 and a low of Rs 235.20 so far during the day. The stock had hit a record high of Rs 274.15 on 15 January 2018. The stock had hit a 52-week low of Rs 185.85 on 28 February 2017.
The stock had underperformed the market over the past one month till 23 February 2018, falling 6.07% compared with the Sensex's 5.53% fall. The scrip had, however, outperformed the market over the past one quarter gaining 2.43% as against the Sensex's 1.65% rise. The scrip had also outperformed the market over the past one year rising 22.9% as against the Sensex's 18.17% rise.
The mid-cap company has equity capital of Rs 36.71 crore. Face value per share is Re 1.
Thomas Cook (India) has entered into a 3 year strategic agreement with Wildlife Reserves Singapore (WRS) an organization dedicated to the management of world-leading zoological institutions - Jurong Bird Park, Night Safari, River Safari and Singapore Zoo.
Thomas Cook India's internal data has revealed a strong and significant growth of Indians travelling to Singapore with a 20% yearly growth. Additionally, WRS reveals that India is one of the top five countries in terms of visitors across its four parks.
Hence, in a focussed initiative to leverage this high potential growth segment, Thomas Cook India and WRS have entered into a strategic agreement and via this three year plan, both companies will focus on a multipronged engagement that includes product development, joint consumer promotions and MarCom to showcase Wildlife Reserves Singapore.
Thomas Cook's consolidated net profit spurted 1188.4% to Rs 59.78 crore on 51.2% rise in net sales to Rs 3005.45 crore in Q3 December 2017 over Q3 December 2016.
Thomas Cook (India) is the leading integrated travel and travel related financial services company in the country offering a broad spectrum of services that include foreign exchange, corporate travel, MICE, leisure travel, insurance, visa & passport services and e-business.
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Thomas Cook (India) has entered into a 3 year strategic agreement with Wildlife Reserves Singapore (WRS) an organization dedicated to the management of world-leading zoological institutions - Jurong Bird Park, Night Safari, River Safari and Singapore Zoo.
Thomas Cook India's internal data has revealed a strong and significant growth of Indians travelling to Singapore with a 20% YoY growth.
Additionally, WRS reveals that India is one of the top five countries in terms of visitors across its four parks. Hence, in a focussed initiative to leverage this high potential growth segment, Thomas Cook India and WRS have entered into a strategic agreement and via this three year plan, both companies will focus on a multipronged engagement that includes product development, joint consumer promotions and MarCom to showcase Wildlife Reserves Singapore.
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UPL gained 2.22% to Rs 715.65 at 13:45 IST on BSE after the company said that its wholly-owned subsidiary, UPL Corporation approved the proposal to launch an offering of US dollar denominated senior unsecured notes.
The announcement was made during market hours today, 26 February 2018.
The notes are proposed to be listed on the Singapore Stock Exchange.
Meanwhile, the BSE Sensex was up 290.18 points, or 0.85% to 34,432.33.
On the BSE, 82,103 shares were traded in the counter so far compared with an average volume of 1.56 lakh shares in the past one quarter. The stock had hit a high of Rs 716.10 and a low of Rs 706.50 so far during the day. The stock had hit a record high of Rs 902 on 1 August 2017. The stock had hit a 52-week low of Rs 675.10 on 22 February 2018.
The stock had underperformed the market over the past one month till 23 February 2018, falling 13.22% compared with the Sensex's 5.53% fall. The scrip had also underperformed the market over the past one quarter declining 6.58% as against the Sensex's 1.65% rise. The scrip had also underperformed the market over the past one year dropping 2.55% as against the Sensex's 18.17% rise.
The large-cap company has an equity capital of Rs 101.67 crore. Face value per share is Rs 2.
UPL's consolidated net profit rose 25.3% to Rs 579 crore on 7% rise in net sales to Rs 4194 crore in Q3 December 2017 over Q3 December 2016.
UPL is the largest Indian multinational agrochemical company and is engaged in research, manufacturing, marketing, sales and distribution of agrochemicals and specialty chemicals across the globe.
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The stock is quoting at Rs 344.25, up 1.88% on the day as on 12:54 IST on the NSE. Vedanta Ltd is up 34.71% in last one year as compared to a 18.74% jump in NIFTY and a 30.91% jump in the Nifty Metal index.
Vedanta Ltd is up for a third straight session today. The stock is quoting at Rs 344.25, up 1.88% on the day as on 12:54 IST on the NSE. The benchmark NIFTY is up around 0.7% on the day, quoting at 10564.2. The Sensex is at 34370.29, up 0.67%. Vedanta Ltd has slipped around 0.22% in last one month.
Meanwhile, Nifty Metal index of which Vedanta Ltd is a constituent, has slipped around 1.65% in last one month and is currently quoting at 4028.8, up 1.08% on the day. The volume in the stock stood at 59.35 lakh shares today, compared to the daily average of 116.41 lakh shares in last one month.
The benchmark March futures contract for the stock is quoting at Rs 336.05, up 0.39% on the day. Vedanta Ltd is up 34.71% in last one year as compared to a 18.74% jump in NIFTY and a 30.91% jump in the Nifty Metal index.
The PE of the stock is 14.06 based on TTM earnings ending December 17.
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The seventh round of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) negotiations began in Mexico City with hopes of finalising more sections.
Negotiators from Canada, the US and Mexico held a closed door meeting on Sunday at a hotel in the city's upscale Polanco neighbourhood, reports Xinhua news agency.
Mexico said the first day of talks will see 27 different working groups hold discussions on agriculture, good regulatory practices and rules of origin, among others.
Mexican Economy Minister and head negotiator Ildefonso Guajardo said this round will conclude on March 5 and could see up to seven sections or chapters finalised.
"It is a matter of making the necessary decisions, of which there are not too many, to close topics that have not been updated in 22 years," Guajardo said.
Also on the table are labour issues, pharmaceutical transparency, financial services and intellectual property rights.
Among the issues, the three NAFTA partners have been unable to agree on is rules of origin in the automotive sector, which stipulates what percentage of a vehicle should be regionally manufactured.
The US has proposed raising it to a minimum of 85 per cent within the NAFTA region, and at least 50 per cent from the US. However, Mexico and Canada want the rate to remain at 62.5 per cent.
--IANS
ksk
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A week after Chief Secretary Anshu Prakash was allegedly attacked by two ruling AAP MLAs, the Delhi government is planning to live stream all official meetings, an official said on Monday.
The official told IANS that the government was planning to make available live feed of meetings on a website, which can be viewed by everyone.
"People will know who spoke what in the meeting, be it the elected representative or officials," the official said.
If the plan is approved, the upcoming budget will have allocation for its implementation.
Last week, Chief Secretary Prakash alleged that he was beaten up by AAP MLA Amanatullah Khan and another AAP MLA on February 19 night in the presence of Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal at the CM's residence here, where he had been called for a meeting.
--IANS
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Former Union Minister P. Chidambaram on Monday said the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act in force in Jammu and Kashmir should be amended.
"There is a need to amend the AFSPA if you cannot repeal it. The law and order duties should be entrusted to the Jammu and Kashmir Police and not paramilitary forces," the Rajya Sabha member said here.
Congress leader Chidambaram, Chairman of a parliamentary panel on home affairs, said deployment of paramilitary forces in the state should be curtailed, which would lower violence in the militancy-hit state.
--IANS
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An AirAsia flight made an emergency landing on Monday in Japan's Okinawa prefecture due to problems in the engine, the Transport Ministry said here.
According to the ministry, none of the 379 passengers and crew members aboard the flight bound for Kuala Lumpur were injured, reports Xinhua news agency.
The plane's right engine indicated problems, forcing the captain to shut the troubled engine down and declare an emergency landing.
The plane touched down at Naha airport. The plane had initially departed from Tokyo's Haneda airport, the ministry added.
--IANS
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The Andhra Pradesh government signed MoUs worth Rs 4,39,765 crore at the CII Partnership Summit 2018 which concluded here on Monday.
Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu announced that the government signed 734 MoUs with various companies. The investment is expected to create 11,02,125 jobs.
During the first two days, agreements worth nearly Rs 3 lakh crore investment were signed while on the last day, more companies came forward to sign the documents expressing their willingness to invest over Rs 1 lakh crore.
The MoUs signed in the energy sector alone expected to realize in investment of over Rs 1.11 lakh crore.
Addressing the valedictory function of the three-day event, he said the state received investment commitments from several major companies including Reliance, Adani Group, Lulu Group and Google.
Reliance Industries Ltd (RIL) and its partners had on Saturday announced Rs 55,000 crore investment in energy, electronics and other sectors in the state.
Naidu said RIL signed MoUs for three projects. These include a unit at Tirupati to manufacture one million mobile phones. He said the company will also create best ecosystem for innovation incubation, and startups with venture capital.
United Arab Emirates-based Lulu Group signed a MoU to build a convention centre, hotel and shopping mall in Visakhapatnam.
India Gas Solutions Private Ltd, a 50:50 joint venture company of RIL and BP International Ltd (BP) in the business of marketing gas and LNG in India, signed a MoU to develop offshore gas discoveries in Block KGD6 in the Krishna Godavari basin, through three projects with investments up to Rs 40,000 crore.
The Adani Group has announced investment of Rs 9,000 crore including the development of a port at Bhavanapadu.
Naidu said Anantapur will emerge as the automobile hub. He said the first car from Kia Motors's unit will roll out next years. The company will also export cars manufactured in this facility.
The Chief Minister also said he would personally monitor the progress of the projects and assured the investors that all clearances will be granted within 21 days.
"If you have any problem you can bring it to my notice. I am only a call away," he said.
Naidu expressed satisfaction over the successful conduct of the third consecutive Partnership Summit here. This year's event saw the highest ever participation. As many as 4,253 delegates including 280 delegates from 50 countries participated in the summit.
In the industries sector, the state signed 129 MoUs, which is expected to bring Rs 58,337 crore investment and generate 1,31,682 jobs. In mining sector, 31 MoUs worth Rs 12,227 crore were signed.
The MoUs inked in Information Technology, Electronics and Communication sectors will fetch Rs 30,050 crore investment to the state.
Andhra Pradesh Economic Development Board signed 144 MoUs with investment commitment of Rs 1,51,400 crore.
The investment expected in food processing sector is Rs 3,100 crore.
Capital Region Development Authority (CRDA), which is developing new state capital Amaravati, entered into 37 MoUs with various firms to attract investment of Rs 4,964 crore.
--IANS
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Actress Adah Sharma says that actors are judged constantly by everyone and in the world where social media is so popular, it is necessary to get used to the judgment as well.
Adah, who recently shot a select edit from KOOVS SS'18, titled California Grunge, told IANS: "As an actor you are judged constantly by everyone. I think with social media... you have to be okay with people saying good and very ugly things too."
Speaking on actors being influential when it comes to fashion, Adah, who would "love to launch her own clothing line" sometime says that with fashion what is in today is out tomorrow and "what is a disaster today is a fashion statement in a week.
"I think it's very important how one carries themselves despite and in spite of the clothes they wear," she said.
"Actors do have an influence... I know people who have had their hair coloured like mine the red ombre when I did it first for the song in 'Commando 2'".
"The cons for an actor are that when you are stepping from the car onto a red carpet back to the car or shooting for a movie, with people on set looking out for you... in real life sometimes it wouldn't be wise to wear the same stuff...but then why live wisely? Have fun with fashion," she added.
Vouching for the colour yellow to be the hue this summer season, the "Hasee Toh Phasee" actress said: " From mustard yellow to lemon yellow... yellow it is".
"Fashion statements will be quirky, floral, fun and fresh stuff, sexy swimwear with shorts will be the next fad. My favourite pieces would be jumpsuit dress. It's a cute look that can be styled in so many ways," she said.
--IANS
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An Australia TV interview with New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern in which she was called "attractive" has been widely criticised as "creepy" and inappropriate, a report said on Monday.
In an interview on current affairs show 60 Minutes, veteran reporter Charles Wooley said he was "smitten" by Ardern, reports the BBC.
The interview was a profile of Ardern, who at 37 became New Zealand's youngest Prime Minister in over a century in October 2017.
"I've met a lot of prime ministers in my time, but none so young and not so many so smart, and never one so attractive," said Wooley in his opening.
He also focused much of the interview on Ardern's pregnancy.
"One really important political question that I want to ask you, and that is what exactly is the date that the baby's due?" he asked Ardern and her partner, Clarke Gayford.
"It's interesting how much people have been counting back to the conception date," he then added.
Ardern responded by saying the baby was conceived when the "election was over", but that they did not "need to get into those details".
Ardern announced her pregnancy in January It will make her the second elected world leader to give birth while in office. She will be taking six weeks of maternity leave before going back to work.
The interview was slammed by many on social media, with some calling it "creepy", reports the BBC.
"The 60 Minutes Jacinda Adern puff piece is just ick. Charles Wooley has already called her the most attractive PM he's ever met and asked about when she had sex to fall pregnant," a Twitter user posted.
Another user said: "Why did 60 Minutes send its creepiest interviewer to do its segment on Jacinda Ardern? Eww!"
--IANS
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A 60-year-old man died and his wife was critically injured when a swarm of honey bees attacked them in Kanpur district of Uttar Pradesh on Monday, police said.
The deceased, Satnam Munjwani, was standing outside his house along with his wife when bees attacked them in Ratanlal Nagar area.
Their relative Prakash was also injured.
By the time the neighbours rushed to help, Munjwani had collapsed. He was declared brought dead at the hospital.
His wife, Gauri, has been admitted to a hospital in Saket Nagar where her condition is critical.
--IANS
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Bollywood personalities like Karan Johar, Tabu, Saroj Khan and Madhuri Dixit-Nene gathered at actor-producer Anil Kapoor's residence here on Monday to offer condolences to the family of actress Sridevi, who breathed her last on Saturday.
Amidst tight security, paparazzi and fans, veteran actress Sarika was among the ones to arrive early with her daughters Shruti and Akshara Haasan. Their father and actor-turned-politician Kamal Haasan is expected to meet the Kapoors soon.
Right after the news of her sudden demise got viral on Sunday, Kamal, her co-star from "Sadma", tweeted: "Have witnessed Sridevi's life from an adolescent teenager to the magnificent lady she became. Her stardom was well deserved. Many happy moments with her flash through my mind including the last time I met her. Sadma's lullaby haunts me now. We'll miss her."
While Sarika and her daughters, actress Jaya Prada and director-writer Shashank Khaitan chose white outfits, some donned black to express grief.
Karan turned up in a grey sweatshirt and black ripped jeans with white sneakers. Choreographer Saroj Khan who had worked with Sridevi in films like "Judaai", "Roop Ki Rani Choron Ka Raja" and "Lamhe", walked in in a black and white suit.
Madhuri also arrived at the venue in a black, white and blue outfit surrounded by guards who made way for her.
Ace designer Manish Malhotra was also one of the celebrities who seemed to be greatly affected by Sridevi's death.
"Sridevi and I first met in 1990 when she was already a superstar and I was beginning my career. Working with an icon I always called 'Ma'am' was a turning point in my career, as it was the beginning of many associations and a longstanding friendship beyond work," Manish said in a statement.
Manish dressed the actress a number of times in his creations.
He added: "We have seen each other grow professionally and personally -- it was amazing to see the roles she blossomed into, her passion for painting, and the doting wife and mother she was. I met Sridevi very recently in Dubai and we just had so much to share."
Actress Ameesha Patel, choreographer-filmmaker Farah Khan, producer Ritesh Sidhwani, actor Venkatesh Daggubati wore black tops and blue jeans. Actress Tabu had her hair tied in a bun and sported a black and beige suit.
Actor-filmmaker Farhan Akhtar also showed up in black fitted T-shirt, shades, head band and bottoms.
Veteran actor M. Nassar was also seen entering Anil's residence to pay tribute to the late actress, where even politician Amar Singh was spotted.
A Dubai Police forensic report stated that the 54-year-old had passed away due to accidental drowning in the bathtub in her hotel room in Dubai.
According to reports, her body will be flown to Mumbai later on Monday.
--IANS
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At least one passenger was killed and 32 others injured on Monday when a bus rolled down the hill in Mandi in Himachal Pradesh, police said.
Most of the victims were from the area and enroute to Sundernagar town when the bus skidded off the road near Galuhar.
The injured were admitted to a government hospital in Sundernagar.
Eyewitnesses said the administration had a tough time recuing the victims from the badly-mangled bus.
The accident seems to have occurred due to negligent driving, a police official told IANS.
People in the area began rescue operations even before the authorities reached the spot.
--IANS
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Actress Charlize Theron is happy that she got a chance to work with Australian director Nash Edgerton with "Gringo", and says she has been a fan of his work since long.
Theron discovered Edgerton's dark humour through his 2007 short film "Spider".
"I was so impressed when I saw it I asked to meet him, just as a fan," Theron said in a statement.
"We hit it off straight away and became friends. For a while now, we've been looking for something we could do together," she added.
"Gringo" revolves around mild-mannered businessman Harold (David Oyelowo) who is assigned the task of delivering the formula of a new weed pill to a lab in Mexico and all the obstacles he faces.
The film, also starring Amanda Seyfried and Joel Edgerton, combines dark humour with dramatic intrigue. Theron will be seen essaying role of a shrewd businesswoman Elaine Markinson.
It is being brought to India by PVR Pictures, and will release on March 9.
--IANS
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Southeast Asia today presents an anomalous situation with widespread economic progress but also widening disparity, apparent stability in all its countries which, however, face a range of challenges from ethnic insurgencies to terrorism, and most worryingly, democracy losing ground, says a leading regional specialist.
And India, which is increasing linkages with the region, must play a greater role to shore up democracy in Southeast Asia, citing its own role in managing diversity democratically, American journalist, writer and "private diplomat" Michael Vatikiotis, who has been working in and studying the region for over three decades, told IANS in an interview.
"There is incredible economic growth in Southeast Asia but also wealth disparity is increasing, so is the inequality in social and economic access for its people.
"Then, despite the apparent stability, the region is beset by protracted conflicts -- between Buddhists and Muslims, Shias and Sunnis. Thailand and the Philippines are facing insurgencies that have been going on as long as they have been independent countries," he said.
Referring to the case of the Philippines' Marawi city that was overrun by an Islamic State (IS)-affiliated group, which held it for nearly five months in mid-2017, before the army won it back, he says it looks like it is somewhere in war-ravaged Syria.
"There are now rising levels of intolerance between religions. Islam here was a 'tropical' form accommodating minorities but has become more conservative and orthodox. It is a particular problem in Indonesia," he said.
Buddhism, especially in Myanmar, was no less, with the Rohingya issue making for the largest humanitarian crisis Asia has faced since the Vietnamese boat people, he added.
But Vatikiotis, a former editor of the Far Eastern Economic Review and now Asia Regional Director of the Geneva-based Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue, said that the most worrying fact was that after three decades of political reforms in the region, democracy was in retreat.
There is a military junta in Thailand and no announcement about when elections will be held, Cambodia's ruler is increasingly autocratic and so is the leader of the Philippines, while the army plays a big role in Myanmar due to its serious security situation, he said.
"I tried to understand why this is happening by talking to diplomats, politicians, rebels... it's most perplexing why Southeast Asia which is graceful and pleasant, is economically prospering, sees so much violence and suffering every year.
"It is different from the other places where democracy is in retreat... the region had all the advantages... its countries had functioning institutions, well-run economies, no debt, community spirit among the people. But all these have been squandered," said the expert, who focuses on this aspect in his recent book "Blood and Silk: Power and Conflict in Modern Southeast Asia" (2017).
Vatikiotis, who was in the country for a literary event, contends that it seems this trend is fostered by a section of the people's desire for "tradeoffs" for a comfortable and secure life where democracy is less of a priority. "They only want their children to be safe, the neighbourhood to be secure... while the ruling elites are undermining democracy."
Vietnam, he said, was an outlier, since it was more influenced by China, and though it was a one-party state, its recent anti-corruption drive was popular and showed that the system can continue.
Malaysia was most analogous to India, in so far as it was multi-racial and had strong institutions of governance bequeathed to it -- but these institutions were now "deteriorating" and thus its ruling party leaders were now playing the "race card", he said.
Vatikiotis, noting that the region was surrounded by rising giants China and India -- which are contesting for influence --, however expressed his "deep disappointment" that India has not played more of a role in Myanmar and the region in support of democracy and rights.
"India is successful in managing diversity, including ethnic, in economic inclusivity, in governance... I can't understand its reluctance. Perhaps it is following its traditional policy of focusing on the immediate neigbourhood. It's a missed opportunity," he said.
(Vikas Datta can be contacted at vikas.d@ians.in)
--IANS
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Michael McCormack, a former regional newspaper editor, was elected as Australia's new Deputy Prime Minister on Monday.
He replaces Barnaby Joyce as leader of the Nationals, the governing coalition's junior partner, reports the BBC.
Joyce stepped down on Friday following questions over his relationship with media adviser Vikki Campion, and an allegation sexual harassment by another woman. He called the latter complaint "spurious and defamatory".
As leader of the Nationals, he automatically becomes deputy to Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull - who heads the Liberal Party.
McCormack said Joyce had been an "outstanding leader", the BBC reported.
"His service to our party and to our nation will never be diminished. His legacy will endure," he told the media.
McCormack had attracted criticism over a controversial editorial he wrote 25 years ago as editor of the Daily Advertiser, a small newspaper based in the town of Wagga Wagga, in which he described homosexuality as "sordid".
"Unfortunately gays are here and, if the disease their unnatural acts helped spread doesn't wipe out humanity, they're here to stay," he wrote in 1993.
McCormack has since apologised for the piece and said his views have changed.
Although long opposed to same-sex marriage, he voted in line with the majority of his constituents to support its legalisation in Australia last year.
--IANS
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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Global travel gear and luggage maker Samsonite expects its sales to grow 18-20 per cent in India to touch Rs 1,600 crore by the end of 2018.
"For the year 2017, we did around Rs 1,250 crore in sales. Our goal is that we want to grow around 18-20 per cent in 2018, and we should be touching around Rs 1,600 crore," Anushree Tainwala, Executive Director, Marketing, Samsonite South Asia told IANS over a telephonic interaction.
The Samsonite official said the company comprises around 38-40 per cent market share of the Indian market, adding that: "In the next two years we want to achieve 45 per cent of market share here."
Leading with enhancing the capacity of its Nagpur facility, the company would invest significantly in design and development in the country, she added.
"Currently, we manufacture around 80,000 pieces (per month) in that facility, our goal is that by June we enhance it upto around 1 lakh pieces and by the end of the year we want to touch 2 lakh pieces," Tainwala said.
For the year 2018, the company's highest focus would be on the Kamilant brand (low cost suitcase), which was launched in late 2016, according to the executive director.
"In its first year itself we have crossed a Rs 100 crore in sales and we want to double its (Kamilant) sales every year, for the next few years," she said.
Talking about investments in India, Tainwala said: " Kamilant is a small value segment brand competing at a similar price point as a Skybag, a VIP or a Safari. That honestly is the bulk of the Indian market... So, Kamilant is where we are going to put in a lot of our investments, as well as American Tourister."
"For American Tourister specifically we got Virat Kohli on board last year as a brand ambassador. In 2018 we have also got Christiano Ronaldo on board," she said.
On the region-wise sales in India, Tainwala said: "The biggest region is south...with around 28 per cent of our sales coming from the south, 24 per cent coming from north, 15 per cent from west, around 11 per cent from east and 14 per cent fom e-commerce sale."
Although with the introduction of e-commerce, sales in the brick-and-mortar shops have not seen a dip, but "of course, the growth rate we see in e-commerce surpasses the growth rate we see in other channels today," she said.
"So, a lot of market shares may be e-commerce is taking from other shares," she added.
(Rituraj Baruah can be reached at rituraj.b@ians.in)
--IANS
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Spelling huge embarrassment for the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party-Shiv Sena combine, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis tendered an unconditional apology in the legislature after a Gujarati translation audio of Governor C. V. Rao's speech was played in the House, here on Monday.
As the matter came to light, Fadnavis got up and tendered an unconditional apology to the House and the members for the gaffe which he termed as "a very serious issue."
The incident, ironically, occurred a day before the Marathi Language Day (February 27) and on the opening day of the Maharashtra Legislature's Budget Session on Monday when Governor Rao got up to make his customary address before a joint sitting of the members of the assembly and council.
Barely a few minutes into the speech in English which was delivered by Rao, most members were startled to hear a Gujarati translation on their headphones instead of Marathi.
Irate Opposition Congress and Nationalist Congress Party members created a ruckus, flaying the government for the Gujarati audio and vociferously demanded a Marathi translation audio.
"This is a very serious issue.. it cannot be taken lightly," said Congress Leader of Opposition in the assembly Radhakrishna Vikhe-Patil.
His counterpart in the Council, NCP's Dhananjay Munde said "the government has failed the 12 crore citizens of Maharashtra.. We did not hear the speech in Marathi, but in Gujarati language."
Led by the two leaders, the main opposition members boycotted the Governor's remaining speech and staged a noisy walkout.
Education Minister Vinod Tawde said when he heard the Gujarati translation audio, he rushed to the Legislature Control Room to personally check and later read out the Marathi translation of the Governor's speech, but it was not clear if it was a technical glitch or something else.
On his part, Fadnavis got up and tendered an apology to the House, and requested the Speaker Haribhau Bagade to initiate stringent action against the people responsible and punish them by Monday evening if possible.
"It is indeed a very grave mistake. This is indeed a serious matter. I am requesting the Honourable Speaker to look into this immediately and take stringent action against those responsible. In fact, if possible by this evening, they should be shunted home. I also hereby unconditionally apologise for this," Fadnavis said.
This is described as an 'unprecedented' incident in the state's history and happened on the eve of the Marathi Language Day -- to commemorate the birth anniversary of litterateur and Padma Bhushan awardee, V. V. Shirwadkar when the government organises a series of programmes in the state to popularise the state's official language.
--IANS
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Four Maoist guerrillas were killed in a gun battle with security forces in Jharkhand's Palamau district on Monday.
According to the police, based on intelligence inputs on the presence of members of Maoist organisation Tritiya Prastuti Committee (TPC) at Kala Pahad, a police team along with Central Reserve Police Force personnel headed to the area.
The TPC members started firing at the security forces resulting in the gun battle. A search operation is on in the area following the gunfight.
The Maoists are active in 18 of the 24 districts in Jharkhand.
--IANS
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The head of the UN on Monday demanded that a 30-day ceasefire in Syria drafted by the Security Council should come into effect and called for an end to the "hell on earth" in Eastern Ghouta, a rebel-held Damascus suburb that has been the target of an intense bombing campaign in recent days.
Opening a Human Rights Council at the UN's Geneva office, Antonio Guterres commended the adoption of the resolution but warned that it would only serve its purpose if it was properly implemented, particularly with regard to Eastern Ghouta, Efe news reported.
Last week, over 500 people were killed by airstrikes and shelling conducted by forces loyal to the Syrian regime of Bashar al-Assad.
"Eastern Ghouta cannot wait, it is high time to stop this hell on earth," Guterres told the Council, pleading for a facilitation of humanitarian aid deliveries and evacuations of sick and wounded from the besieged network of small towns and satellite cities mere kilometres from Damascus, where roughly 400,000 people are estimated to live.
The UN's Security Council adopted the ceasefire resolution late Saturday evening, but intense hostilities in Eastern Ghouta continued unabated.
--IANS
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South Korean prosecutors on Monday raided the home and office of former President Lee Myung-bak's son-in-law for alleged bribery charges.
Investigators from the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office stormed the home and office of Lee Sang-joo, who is married to Lee Myung-bak's eldest daughter and works as a senior executive for Samsung Electronics, reports Xinhua news agency.
Lee Sang-joo was suspected of receiving bribes from an unidentified third party on behalf of the former president.
The prosecution's investigation into Lee Myung-bak has been underway over corruption allegations involving DAS, a domestic auto parts manufacturer.
Lee Si-hyung, the son of the former leader and a DAS executive, was summoned and grilled on Sunday by prosecutors as part of the prosecution's probe into the corruption allegations.
Prosecutors have planned planned to summon the former president early next month.
--IANS
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Iran on Monday asked the US to drop "psychological and propaganda war" against Tehran.
The US pursues this policy to prevent the global community and the Europeans from forging closer relations with Tehran, Iran's Foreign Ministry Spokesman Bahram Qasemi said.
However, "the Americans policy vis-a-vis Iran has been exposed to everybody and the global community decides based on their own interests," Qasemi said in his weekly press conference, Xinhua reported.
The US reiteration of their anti-Iran rhetoric is a sign of defeat in its policies, said Qasemi.
"We are in negotiations with a number of countries for the expansion of economic ties," he said, adding that in the meantime "we advise the Americans to drop such (hostile) policies and incorporate wisdom in their policy-making."
Trump has constantly criticized the nuclear pact inked between Iran and Russia, Britain, France, China, the US and Germany in 2015, which promised to relieve sanctions on Tehran in exchange for a halt in Iran's efforts to develop nuclear programme.
US President Donald Trump has laid out areas where he wants cooperation with the Europeans to put together a united front on demanding what he has called "the change of behaviour of the Iranians".
The areas include alleged human rights violations, cyber threats and financial activities of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps.
Trump had earlier demanded the nuclear deal be altered to eliminate sunset clauses for some of the restrictions it places on Iran, and harden the inspection rules and to limit development of Iran's long-range missiles.
On Sunday, Iranian foreign minister rejected as "improper" the conditions set by the United States for upholding Iran's international nuclear agreement.
The US as a party to the multilateral 2015 agreement cannot reset conditions for the deal, Mohammad Javad Zarif said.
"They have previously set some conditions that were improper. Their new conditions are improper as well," Zarif said.
The US is attempting to elude its commitments through making such demands, Zarif said.
Iran said it would not take any measures beyond its commitment to the JCPOA (or the nuclear deal), nor will it accept changes to this agreement.
Iran has threatened to likely withdraw from the nuclear deal if it cannot receive economic benefits.
--IANS
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An aggrieved Reliance Jio on Monday said the press statement issued by Cellular Operators' Association of India (COAI) has failed to furnish the public apology that was demanded by Jio earlier in the ongoing war of words agitating the telecom sector.
In a letter to COAI Director General Rajan S. Mathews, Jio asserted that "Rather than take the requisite remedial action, the media statement not only fails to include a public apology for the injury to Reliance Jio's reputation occasioned by the Press Release, but extends the campaign of falsehood and defamation that COAI and you have maintained against Reliance Jio".
"By way of its legal notice, Reliance Jio had demanded that COAI and yourself issue a public apology and appropriate clarification in regard to false and defamatory statements contained in the Press Release," Jio said in the letter dated February 26.
A copy of the letter is available with IANS.
The COAI had on Saturday asserted that its differences were with the telecom regulator and not with any operator in particular.
Responding to Reliance Jio's 48-hour ultimatum for a public apology for its "defamatory statements" wherein COAI had said it is likely to drag the telecom regulator to the court following its recent Telecom Tariff Order (TTO), COAI maintained that "Our differences are with the orders of the Regulator and not with any specific operator. Our intention is not to aggrieve any particular operator".
Reliance had earlier termed COAI's comments "defamatory" and in a letter to COAI on February 22 said: "COAI and Rajan Mathews (Director General, COAI) are hereby called upon to issue a public apology and issue appropriate clarification expressly regretting their callous and defamatory statements through a separate press release issued no later than 48 hours from receipt of this notice."
(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) National President Amit Shah on Monday vowed to get Mahadayi river water to drought-prone districts of Karnataka if his party wins the state assembly election, due in April-May.
"I guarantee the people of Karnataka that we will resolve the Mahadayi water issue with Goa if we win the ensuing assembly election. We will find a solution soon after coming to power in the state," claimed Shah at a presser here, about 630km north of Bengaluru.
Shah, who is on a two-day visit to the erstwhile Hyderabad-Karnataka region since Sunday, asserted that his party would rule the state after the upcoming assembly election.
"The Mahadayi issue would have been resolved if the Siddaramaiah-led Congress government had a pro-active approach to the decade-old inter-state river water dispute with neighbouring Goa and Maharashtra," he asserted.
The Siddaramaiah-led Congress government in the state has "completely failed" in the past five years with respect to law and order and situation, Shah alleged.
"Siddaramaiah has become synonymous with corruption," he reiterated.
Pending the Mahadayi Water Dispute Tribunal ruling, Karnataka has sought 7.6 tmcft (thousand cubic feet) of the river water from Goa to meet the drinking water needs in its four drought-prone districts of Bagalkot, Belagavi, Dharwad and Gadag in the north-west region, about 400-550km from Bengaluru.
The 77-km-long Mahadayi originates at Bhimgad in the Western Ghats in Belagavi district and flows into Goa and joins the Arabian Sea off the west coast.
Though the river flows 29km in Karnataka and 52km in Goa, its catchment area is spread over 2,032 km in the southern state as against 1,580 km in the western state (Goa).
Karnataka plans to build two canals across Kalasa and Banduri tributaries of the river in the state, to divert and supply water to the four districts.
The Tribunal, headed by J.N. Panchal, on July 28, 2016 rejected the state's petition for releasing the water, citing various grounds, including ecological damage the twin canal projects may cause.
--IANS
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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Two days after the Kerala government said it was open to any probe, even one by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), into the murder of a Youth Congress worker in Kannur, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Monday said there was no need for an investigation by the central agency.
Unhappy with Vijayan's statement in the assembly on the murder of 30-year-old Shoaib in Kannur on February 12, the entire opposition went into protest mode, forcing the Speaker to adjourn the House for the day.
As the Kerala Assembly began its session on Monday at 8.30 a.m., the Congress-led opposition walked into the House wearing black badges.
When question hour began, the party demanded suspension of House proceedings and a debate into Shoaib's murder that took place at an eatery near Mattanoor -- four persons in a car hurled bombs and then fatally injured Shoaib, slashing at him with a sword.
But Speaker P. Sreeramakrishnan was in no mood to relent, worsening the situation as angry opposition members trooped near the Chair's podium and shouted slogans.
Sreeramakrishnan was then forced to adjourn the House.
When the House resumed at 9.30 a.m., Sunny Joseph, senior Congress legislator from Kannur district, moved an adjournment motion and said that the CPI-M has delivered "the unkindest of all cuts" on Shoaib -- an active Congress worker.
"It took six days for you (Vijayan) to react on it. The Director General of Police has already gone on record to say that the accused are CPI-M workers.
"The first and second accused in this murder case are already accused in another murder case, but you (Vijayan) were silent on it.
"Instead, you pointed out Sohaib was arrested in a street fight case. The pictures of Shoaib that have come out now show how brutally he was butchered," said Joseph.
Vijayan, replying to Joseph, pointed out that no murder can be justified and said that the overall situation in the state has improved compared to the previous years.
"The police have been doing a smart job and have arrested five people, and the probe is going in the right direction. So, at the moment there is no need for a CBI probe," said Vijayan.
Soon, Leader of Opposition Ramesh Chennithala also stepped in and said that it was just two days back that, at an all-party meeting in Kannur, Minister for SC/ST and Culture A.K. Balan had categorically said that the state government was open to any probe, even a CBI probe.
"Now, you (Vijayan) say the CBI probe is not needed. The smell of blood on the hands of the Communist Party of India-Marxist in this murder will not be washed away even if you use all the perfume in the world.
"The very fact that you have gone back on your assurance of any probe clearly indicates that you have things to hide. This is not acceptable and we will protest till you announce a CBI probe into this murder," said Chennithala.
Following the speech, angry opposition members stepped up their protest, forcing the Speaker to adjourn the House for the day.
In Kannur, Shoaib's father told the media that it's imperative to know why his son was killed.
"He (Shoaib) did not know any of the five accused who have been arrested and hence it is very clear that this was a planned one. We want to know the reason why my son was killed," said Shoaib's father.
Senior Congress leader K. Sudhakaran, whose fast in Kannur demanding a CBI probe entered the eighth day, said that the "cat is now out of the bag and Vijayan knows that if the CBI is entrusted with the job of probing the case, then the law will catch up with the Kannur district leadership of the CPI-M, which is alleged to have masterminded this murder".
--IANS
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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
King of Jordan Abdullah II bin Al-Hussein, accompanied by a business delegation, will come on a three-day visit to India starting on Tuesday, the External Affairs Ministry announced on Monday.
This will be his second visit to India after his visit along with Queen Rania in 2006.
According to an External Affairs Ministry statement, King Abdullah will hold talks with Prime Minister Narendra during the course of which the two sides will discuss the entire gamut of bilateral relations as well as regional and international issues of mutual interest.
The two sides are expected to sign a number of memorandums of understanding (MoUs) and agreements in diverse areas of bilateral cooperation.
President Ram Nath Kovind will host a banquet in honour of King Abdullah while Vice President M. Venkaiah Naidu and External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj will call on the visiting dignitary.
On Wednesday, the King will visit IIT Delhi to explore collaboration with Jordan technical institutes.
During the day, the King will also participate in a CEO Round-table followed by India-Jordan Business Forum jointly organised by Industry bodies Ficci, CII and Assocham.
India-Jordan trade stood at $1.35 billion in 2016-17, according to figures provided by the External Affairs Ministry.
On Thursday, the King will deliver a special address on "Promoting Understanding and Moderation", organised by the India Islamic Centre at Vigyan Bhawan.
Earlier this month, King Abdullah hosted Modi at his residence in Amman. Jordan had facilitated Modi's transit to Palestine in what was the first ever prime ministerial visit from India to that West Asian nation.
--IANS
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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Delhi Police on Monday rescued a two and a half-year-old boy who was kidnapped in North West Delhi last week and arrested three persons involved in the crime.
The minor was missing since February 23 and was kidnapped by a woman from Bawana town in Delhi's North West district.
According to the police, the 28-year-old woman, who was arrested from Anand Vihar, confessed to having kidnapped the boy and selling him to another woman for Rs 45,000.
The police have recovered a sum of Rs 42,000 from the procession of the accused.
"The lady's nephew Saurabh (27) was also involved in the case," police said.
All the three accused are from Delhi's Bawana town.
--IANS
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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has thanked US President Donald Trump for deciding to move the US embassy to Jerusalem on May 14, Israel's Independence Day.
Netanyahu on Sunday said this will be "a great moment for the citizens of Israel, and this is a historic moment for the state of Israel", Xinhua news agency reported.
"On behalf of the entire government and people, I would like to thank President Trump for both his leadership and his friendship," he said.
The US announcement on Friday (February 23) followed Trump's declaration on December 6, 2017, to recognise Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and order to move the US embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, breaking away from a long-held US policy that considered the Israeli-annexed East Jerusalem an occupied territory.
"This will have significant and historic long-range implications," Netanyahu said. "We will celebrate it together, all citizens of Israel."
Israel annexed East Jerusalem along with the rest of the West Bank and Gaza Strip in the 1967 Middle East war.
Israel has claimed East Jerusalem, which the Palestinians regard as the capital of its future independent state, as part of its "indivisible capital," in a move never recognized internationally.
--IANS
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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
After visiting refugee camps in Bangladesh, three Nobel Peace laureates on Monday denounced the international community's silence regarding the persecution of Muslim minority Rohingyas in Myanmar.
Shirin Ebadi, Tawakkol Karman and Mairead Maguire, members of the Nobel Women's Initiative, on Sunday began a visit to refugee camps in southeastern Bangladesh, to where some 688,000 Rohingyas have fled since violence broke out against them in Myanmar last year.
"The international community disappeared and its shame on all of us and on the international community that they are silent against all this genocide," Yemen's Karman, who founded the group "Women Journalists Without Chains" and was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2011, said Efe reported.
Northern Irish activist Maguire said she heard accounts of women who had been raped and their families murdered, and blamed the Myanmar government of an "orchestrated attempt" to remove the Rohingyas and their history from Myanmar.
"We demand the international community, the United Nations and every single body to take this matter now," said Maguire, who received the Nobel prize in 1976 for her efforts to end violence in Northern Ireland.
"And as members of the international community we have to do our utmost to make sure this is taken to the international court. And we are paving the way for that," said Iranian lawyer Ebadi, who in 2003 became the first Muslim woman to win the Nobel Peace Prize.
The mass exodus started after the military carried out a campaign in retaliation against an attack by a Rohingya rebel group on August 25, 2017, in a province inhabited by around one million members of the minority.
The United Nations and human rights organisations have repeatedly said that there is clear evidence of rights violations in Rakhine, and the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights has called the violence an example of "ethnic cleansing."
--IANS
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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Nepalese Prime Minister K.P. Sharma Oli on Monday expanded his cabinet inducting four new ministers including the Minister for Finance and Home Affairs, taking the number of ministers to seven.
Nepali President Bidhya Devi Bhandari administered the oath of office and secrecy to the newly-appointed ministers at a ceremony held at the Presidential Palace -- Sheetal Niwas in the capital, amidst the presence of top government officials and leaders from different political parties, Xinhua reported.
The new ministers sworn in include Ram Bahadur Thapa, Minister for Home Affairs; Yubaraj Khatiwada, Minister for Foreign Finance; Matrika Yadav, Minister for Industry; and Ishwar Pokharel, Minister for Defence.
Of the newly appointed ministers, Thapa and Yadav belong to the CPN (Maoist Center), a partner under the Oli-led coalition government. Newly-appointed Defence Minister Pokharel is a leader of the Communist Party of Nepal (United Marxist-Leninist - UML).
The new Finance Minister is a veteran economist of Nepal, who had served as the Governor of the central bank and the vice-chairman of National Planning Commission in the past.
The Prime Minister had formed a small cabinet on the day of his election on February 15 inducting Lal Babu Pandit as the Minister for Environment and Tham Maya Thapa as the Minister for Women and Social Welfare. Pandit and Thapa both belong to the CPN (UML) party.
Nepali President Bhandari appointed Oli, the chairman of the CPN (UML) party, as the 41st Prime Minister of the Himalayan nation, on February 15. Oli succeeded Sher Bahadur Deuba of Nepali Congress Party, who had been in power since June 7, 2017.
This is the first government elected in Nepal after the CPN (UML) emerged as the largest political party in the landmark elections held in November and December last year, which were billed as a turning point for the country.
An electoral alliance of the Oli-led CPN (UML) and the CPN (Maoist Centre) had trounced Deuba-led Nepali Congress party in last year's polls, the first under the country's new constitution promulgated in 2015.
--IANS
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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Over 85 per cent of electors cast their votes at the six polling stations where re-polling was held on Monday after the Election Commission (EC) declared void the polling at these centres on February 18, a senior EC official said.
"Out of the 5,582 voters in six polling stations, over 85 per cent cast their votes today (Monday) in the re-polling at these polling stations," Tripura Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Sriram Taranikanti told IANS.
According to him, no untoward incident was reported from anywhere in the six polling station areas spread across six assembly constituencies.
One such polling station falls in Dhanpur segment (in western Tripura's Sepahijala district), from where Chief Minister and Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) politburo member Manik Sarkar is contesting.
The CEO said the Commission has also issued order that during the counting of votes on March 3, the slips of VVPATs (Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trails) of seven polling stations in seven Assembly constituencies also be counted, since their Presiding Officers did not get clearance from EVM (Electronic Voting Machines) control units for the votes cast during the mandatory mock poll before the start of actual polling on February 18.
The EC has also told the Tripura CEO that in four other polling stations in four Assembly seats, the total number of electorate did not match with the total number of votes recorded.
"The Election Commission has also asked the Returning Officers of these four Assembly constituencies not to declare results without prior permission, if the winning margin is one vote," Taranikanti added.
CPI-M Tripura State Secretary Bijan Dhar earlier criticised the Election Department for what he called "criminal negligence" regarding polling on February 18 in 59 of the 60 Assembly seats.
"Due to technical problems in EVMs-VVPATs, the voters suffered inordinate delays in casting their ballots...(in some cases) till February 18 midnight. This happened because of the incompetence and apathy of election officials," Dhar said.
Dhar said he came to know of technical glitches in EVMs-VVPATs at around 520 polling stations through his party's polling agents, and demanded a probe.
The CEO earlier said that 191 (6 per cent) VVPATs and 89 (5 per cent) EVMs malfunctioned across the state during the polling on February 18.
Tripura Pradesh Congress Vice President Tapas Dey, without naming the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), said that the officials of Election Commission and the state Election Department were biased in favour of a particular party.
Over 92 per cent of Tripura's 2,536,589 voters cast their votes in Sunday's peaceful elections in 59 of the 60 Assembly seats, setting a new record in the electoral history of India.
In the 2013 and 2008 assembly polls, Tripura registered 92 per cent and 91 per cent voting, respectively.
--IANS
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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Over 90 per cent of electors cast their votes at the six polling stations where re-polling was held on Monday after the Election Commission (EC) declared void the polling at these centres on February 18, a senior EC official said.
"Out of the 5,582 voters in six polling stations, over 95 per cent voters cast their votes today (Monday) in the re-polling at these polling stations," Tripura Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Sriram Taranikanti told IANS.
According to him, no untoward incident was reported from anywhere in the six polling station areas spread across six assembly constituencies.
One such polling station falls in Dhanpur segment (in western Tripura's Sepahijala district), from where Chief Minister and Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) politburo member Manik Sarkar is contesting.
The CEO said the Commission has also issued order that during the counting of votes on March 3, the slips of VVPATs (Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trails) of seven polling stations in seven Assembly constituencies also be counted, since their Presiding Officers did not get clearance from EVM (Electronic Voting Machines) control units for the votes cast during the mandatory mock poll before the start of actual polling on February 18.
The EC has also told the Tripura CEO that in four other polling stations in four Assembly seats, the total number of electorate did not match with the total number of votes recorded.
"The Election Commission has also asked the Returning Officers of these four Assembly constituencies not to declare results without prior permission, if the winning margin is one vote," Taranikanti added.
CPI-M Tripura State Secretary Bijan Dhar earlier criticised the Election Department for what he called "criminal negligence" regarding polling on February 18 in 59 of the 60 Assembly seats.
"Due to technical problems in EVMs-VVPATs, the voters suffered inordinate delays in casting their ballots...(in some cases) till February 18 midnight. This happened because of the incompetence and apathy of election officials," Dhar said.
Dhar said he came to know of technical glitches in EVMs-VVPATs at around 520 polling stations through his party's polling agents, and demanded a probe.
The CEO earlier said that 191 (6 per cent) VVPATs and 89 (5 per cent) EVMs malfunctioned across the state during the polling on February 18.
Tripura Pradesh Congress Vice President Tapas Dey, without naming the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), said that the officials of Election Commission and the state Election Department were biased in favour of a particular party.
Over 92 per cent of Tripura's 2,536,589 voters cast their votes in Sunday's peaceful elections in 59 of the 60 Assembly seats, setting a new record in the electoral history of India.
In the 2013 and 2008 assembly polls, Tripura registered 92 per cent and 91 per cent voting, respectively.
--IANS
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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
In wake of an alleged Rs 11,300 crore fraud on state-run Punjab National Bank (PNB), Vice President M. Venkaiah Naidu on Monday said there was no use of blame game as the banking system in the country was going through a systemic falure.
"There have to be some regulations and those regulations must work effectively. If there is a systemic failure, we have seen what will happen like in the banks. Systems have to be rectified. There is no meaning and no use of blame game," Naidu said after giving away the Prime Minister's Shram Awards to over 300 workers here.
"The solution can be found only by understanding the reason behind the systemic failure and trying to correct it... would go on," he said.
The Vice President said that India was the economic hope of the world and that the picture was both "fascinating and complex as our economy is fast expanding".
He also called for improving the education level of labour force and improving their access to quality training.
"A small difference in annual productivity growth can add up to a bid difference in standards of living of a generation. It was pointed out that a productivity growth of 2 per cent per year can double the living standards in about 35 years," he said.
"But if productivity growth is slower, say at 1 per cent every year, it means doubling of average standards of life only every 70 years.
"So, it is essential that all necessary initiatives and interventions are undertaken to improve the productivity of our workforce by ensuring an enabling environment both at workplace and home," Naidu added.
The Vice President also called for evolving a political consensus on reforms in labour laws.
"We can not live with rules which come in the way of creating more job opportunities. Rules that make running of an enterprise difficult need to be relooked at.
"There is widespread acknowledgement that present labour laws are coming in the way of increased investment flows. If that is the case, should they not be examined to find solutions?" he asked.
Naidu asked the government and private sector to address the concerns, needs and aspirations of the work force by ensuring an appropriate ecosystem.
"At the same time, we need to create enough opportunities for those aspiring to join the ranks of workforce," he said.
--IANS
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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
An upbeat Congress President Rahul Gandhi on Monday asserted that the ruling party would win the Karnataka assembly poll and return to power again.
"The Congress will win the assembly election in Karnataka again and return to power as our government fulfilled all the promises it made and lived up to the people's expectations," said an elated Gandhi at a public rally near Ramdurg in the state's northwest border district.
Resuming his tirade against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP, Gandhi said though they both have money and media with them, the Congress had the people with it because of its good governance in the state.
The Congress returned to power in the southern state in the May 2013 assembly election a decade after it lost power in 2004 state poll.
Gandhi was on a three-day visit to the state since Saturday to seek the people's blessings in the assembly poll, due in April-May, through the Jan Aashirwada Yatra, organised by the party's state unit.
Exuding confidence of the Congress being re-elected, Gandhi hinted that Chief Minister Siddaramaiah would lead the poll campaign with the party's state leaders to develop Karnataka into a model state for others to follow.
"Siddaramaiah and I will take the state forward after winning the upcoming election," reiterated Gandhi though the party had not projected its next chief minister in the event of winning the assembly poll.
Urging Modi to learn from Siddaramaiah how to deliver promises and govern the state, the party chief decried the former for dubbing the Congress government being corrupt and taking 10 per cent cut in its projects.
"Modi talks of fighting against corruption but records show that he did not bother to set up the anti-graft body (Lokayukta) even when he was the Gujarat Chief Minister for lover 12 years or Lokpal in New Delhi since he became the Prime Minister in May 2014," recalled Gandhi.
Accusing Modi of failing to keep promises made in the 2014 general elections, Gandhi said Siddaramaiah, however, walked the talk and delivered what the party promised the people in its poll manifesto five years ago.
"Whatever Modi does benefits only the people like diamond trader Nirav Modi who fled the country after siphoning Rs11,000 crore from the Punjab National Bank's Mumbai branch over a period since 2011," added Gandhi.
Terming Modi a self-proclaimed "chowkidar" (watchman) of the country, the party chief expressed dismay over his failure to check a smart trader duping a state-run bank of crores of rupees and went away scot free.
The self-proclaimed "chowkidar" of the nation is shockingly silently while crores of public money is looted right under his watch.
"Will Modi speak up and inform the nation how fraudsters manage to get away while the 'chowkidar' silently watches," thundered Gandhi.
Winding up the second leg of his visit to the state a fortnight after the four-day tour of the erstwhile Hyderabad-Karnataka region, the party chief interacted with the rural people, farmers and women from self-help group.
Besides Siddaramaiah, party's state unit president G. Parameshwara, party's state in-charge K.C. Venugopal, party's opposition leader Mallikarjun Kharge and other leaders accompanied Gandhi on the tour.
He also visited Hindu temple Saundatti, Renuka Yellamma temple in the district, about 500 km from Bengaluru.
--IANS
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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
France and Germany have said they are ready to work with Russia and their European partners to realise the cessation of hostilities in Syria.
This was said in a joint statement on Sunday, issued by French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Angel Merkel following their telephonic conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Xinhua reported.
In this context, French Minister of Europe and Foreign Affairs, Jean-Yves Le Drian, will visit Moscow on February 27, according to the statement issued by the French presidency.
Macron and Merkel called during the talks to Russia "to exert maximum pressure" on the Syrian government to stop immediately bombing and to implement without delay the UN resolution adopted on Saturday with the implementation of a robust surveillance mechanism, the French presidency said.
It added that all those with influence on the ground should contribute to this implementation, especially the countries of the "Astana" format, Russia, Iran and Turkey.
Macron stressed that France "will be extremely vigilant" so that the resolution adopted Saturday at the UN "does not remain a dead letter", according to the French presidency statement.
Macron and Merkel welcomed the adoption by the UN Security Council of the resolution calling for a 30-day cessation of hostilities in Syria to deliver humanitarian aid and evacuate the wounded and sick, the statement said, adding that this is a first step that responds to a major humanitarian emergency, especially in Eastern Ghouta.
--IANS
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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Income Tax Department on Monday said it has filed six cases for the prosecution of Rotomac owner Vikram Kothari in connection with the Rs 3,695 crore bank loan default case involving Bank of Baroda.
A senior I-T official told IANS: "We have filed six prosecution cases against Vikram Kothari, owner of the Rotomac group, on Saturday under the Income Tax Act, 1961."
The action comes in the wake of the registration of a case against Kothari, his son Rahul and wife Sadhna by the Central Bureau of Investigation following a Bank of Baroda complaint.
Kothari is Chairman and Managing Director of Rotomac while his wife and son are Directors.
Kothari had obtained loans from Bank of India, Bank of Baroda, Indian Overseas Bank, Union Bank of India, Allahabad Bank, Bank of Maharashtra and Oriental Bank of Commerce, the FIR said.
On Thursday, Kothari and his son were arrested for alleged loan default after four days of questioning.
On Saturday, a CBI court in Uttar Pradesh's Lucknow handed over their custody to the agency for 11 days.
A CBI official told IANS that both had since been brought to Delhi for further questioning.
--IANS
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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A high level committee on Monday approved a central assistance of around Rs 6,000 crore for nine states which suffered from natural calamities last year, an official said.
In a meeting chaired by Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh, the committee approved assistance of Rs 1,711.66 crore for Bihar, which was affected by floods during 2017-18, an official statement said.
The committee also approved assistance from the National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF) amounting to Rs 1,055.05 crore for Gujarat, Rs 420.57 crore for Rajasthan, Rs 420.69 crore for Uttar Pradesh and Rs 838.85 crore for West Bengal, all of which were affected by floods.
It also approved central assistance of Rs 169.63 crore for Kerala (affected by cyclone Ockhi), Rs 133.05 crore for Tamil Nadu (affected by cyclone Ockhi and North East Monsoon), Rs 395.91 crore for Chhattisgarh (affected by kharif drought) and Rs 836.09 crore for the state of Madhya Pradesh (affected by kharif drought).
Finance Minister Arun Jaitley and Union Home Secretary Rajiv Gauba also attended the meeting.
--IANS
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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
In a follow-up to the recently held "Advantage Assam" Global Investment Summit, Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal on Monday held a meeting with Air Asia officials and discussed the detailed modalities of starting direct flights between Guwahati and Asean countries.
In a meeting held here with Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Air Asia Amar Abrol, the Chief Minister discussed Air Asia's plan of making Guwahati its principal hub for the company's South East Asia operations.
The CEO submitted a proposal to Sonowal on Air Asia's expansion plan in Guwahati and to connect the city through frequent direct flights with Chennai, Hyderabad, Vizag, Bagdogra etc., besides the Asean countries.
Sonowal said the state government is working very seriously to make Guwahati the nerve centre of the central government's Act East Policy and therefore wants to start direct flights with Asean and other countries.
He also informed the Air Asia CEO that his government, in association with the Ministry of External Affairs, is in constant touch with Asean countries to persuade them to set up their consulate offices in Guwahati.
He also said that the construction work of the new terminal building of Loka Priya Gopinath Bordoloi International Airport is going on in full swing and very shortly the airport will be transformed into an integrated airport with state-of-the-art facilities for the passengers.
Sonowal assured to provide all government help to Air Asia and requested the company to materialise international flight services before the festive occasion of Rongali Bihu this year.
--IANS
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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Veteran actress Sridevi, 54, was getting ready at a hotel room in Dubai for a dinner date with her producer-husband Boney Kapoor before she suffered a cardiac arrest which led to her sudden demise, a media report said on Monday.
Boney flew back from Mumbai and went to her room at the Jumeirah Emirates Towers Hotel at around 5.30 p.m., on Saturday to "surprise" her with the dinner, a source close to the family told the Khaleej Times.
He woke her up and the couple chatted for about 15 minutes before he invited her for dinner.
The "Mom" star then went to the washroom. After 15 minutes had passed and Sridevi did not come out, Boney knocked on the door to check on her.
When he got no response, he forced open the door to find the legendary actor lying motionless in the bathtub full of water, the source said.
"He tried to revive her and when he could not, he called a friend of his. After that, he informed the police at 9 p.m.," he added.
The police and paramedics rushed to the site, but she was pronounced dead.
Her body was taken to the General Department of Forensic Medicine for an autopsy.
Sridevi, Boney, and their younger daughter Khushi Kapoor were in Ras Al Khaimah last week to celebrate the wedding of her actor-nephew Mohit Marwah.
Boney had returned to Mumbai after the wedding, but decided to return to Dubai to "surprise" his wife.
The autopsy was completed on Sunday evening and the body is expected to be flown back via a private plane to Mumbai on Monday.
--IANS
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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Kerala High Court on Monday rapped the counsel of Syro-Malabar Catholic Church Cardinal Mar George Alencherry for pointing out to the court that as far as the Cardinal is concerned, the appellate authority is the Pope.
Taking a strong view of the Cardinal's counsel's contention, the court told him that it is strange to hear that the law of the land is not applicable to the Cardinal and said the court is looking if there was a breach of trust in the land deal.
The court made this observation when a petitioner sought a probe into the land deal done by the Cardinal which came under severe attack from the laity and even from a section of priests attached to the dioceses headed by the Cardinal.
The Ernakulam archdiocese in 2016 sold a three-acre piece of land in Kochi to repay a Rs 60 crore bank loan it had earlier taken to construct a medical college. The agent appointed by the church to facilitate the deal had estimated the value of the land at Rs 27.30 crore, but priests and local people claimed that the property's real value was at least Rs 80 crore.
The Cardinal's counsel told the court that as per the Canon Law, the Pope is the appellate authority to take action against a Cardinal.
The counsel also told the court that despite a few petitions against this land deal and the demand for a detailed probe into it being raised with the Vatican, no action has been initiated by the Pope against the Cardinal.
The petitioner urged the court to order a probe to find out if there was any wrong-doing in the sale of land by the Cardinal, which has caused a loss to the Church.
--IANS
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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Thousands of students and parents poured into the school in Florida where a mass shooting nearly two weeks ago claimed 17 lives.
The students accompanied by their parents on Sunday returned to the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, where the February 14 massacre took place.
The students walked past police cruisers and memorial flowers to gather the backpacks and books they had left behind as they fled, the New York Times reported.
They hugged their classmates, teachers and friends they hadn't seen since the massacre.
"It actually felt good to be in the building," said 17-year-old student Briana Valli. "We're all going through this together."
Another student, Ryan Senatore, said: "It makes you feel kind of empty inside."
"Walking back in where 17 lives passed -- it's a disgusting feeling. It's never going to be the same. Never," said the 15-year-old.
Teachers and the rest of the staff were expected to return to work on Monday and Tuesday. The students will be back for classes from Wednesday.
Some students said that they dreaded returning and that wandering around the school again felt "surreal". The school was now a place filled with grief counsellors, comfort dogs and posters of solidarity.
The three-storey building, where most of the shooting occurred, remained fenced off and closed. It will not reopen for classes, said the daily.
School officials, parents and students have called for it to be demolished, with a memorial built in its place.
Meanwhile, new details emerged about the 19-year-old school shooter Nikolas Cruz that revealed a disturbing photo about his home life.
Cruz watched his adoptive father die of a heart attack in 2004 when he was just five years old. Years later, the teen reportedly tried to kill himself by guzzling gasoline just days before turning 18, according to Sun-Sentinel daily.
He was bullied relentlessly by his younger brother through his teens, reports said.
Cruz was diagnosed with developmental disorders when he was three years old and was described as "lost", "lonely" and "violent" by people who knew him.
He was also reported to the state for posting a video of himself cutting his arms on the mobile app Snapchat.
While he was a student at the Stoneman Douglas school, he was once seen in 2017 clutching a dead bird to his crotch during reading class, Cruz's former classmate told the Sun Sentinel.
He is currently booked into Broward County jail after confessing to the shooting.
--IANS
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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Three Maoist guerrillas were arrested in Jharkhand's Hazaribagh district on Friday, police said.
The three owing allegiance to Jharkhand Prastuti Committee (JPC) were arrested during a raid in Bendi forest on a tip-off.
One AK-56 assault rifle, a pistol, magazines of AK-56 rifle and pistol ammunition, eight mobile phones, and a walkie-talkie were among the items seized from them.
Police said more than 400 cartridges were seized in Gumla district in an unrelated case.
Maoists are active in 18 of the 24 districts in the state.
--IANS
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(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The US Supreme Court on Monday said it will not hear a case on the DACA programme, which protects about 690,000 young people brought into the country illegally by their parents from deportation.
In a brief order, the high court announced its decision not to try the case and so rejected the request of the US Justice Department and thwarted President Donald Trump's wish to have the future of DACA decided by March 5, Efe reported.
In practice, the decision means that the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) programme remains in force and that the Department of Homeland Security must continue to accept applications for renewal of this immigration document that blocks deportation of undocumented youths and serves as a work permit.
The issue was the ruling of a federal court judge in California, who in January determined that Trump cannot completely revoke DACA while there are cases pending on the matter in courts around the country, because its beneficiaries could suffer irreparable harm.
In response to that ruling, the US Justice Department filed an appeal directly with the high court, without waiting for a ruling by the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco.
An unusual move, because the courts of appeals generally judge cases before they are sent to the Supreme Court.
Monday's decision represents a small victory for defenders of immigrants, because until the California appeals court reaches a verdict on the case - which could take a year - the ruling of the San Francisco judge plus a similar one by a New York judge to block the demise of DACA will remain the law of the land.
The White House and Congress have not been able to agree on the future of DACA, so now the hopes of Dreamers depend on the courts.
--IANS
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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Airstrikes by the US-led anti-terror coalition on an area in Syria's eastern province of Deir al-Zour have killed 25 civilians, a monitor group reported on Monday.
The airstrikes targeted the last Islamic State (IS) pocket on the eastern bank of the Euphrates River on Sunday, said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR).
The London-based watchdog group said half of those killed were children.
Meanwhile, Syria's state news agency SANA said 29 people were killed and many were injured in the US-led airstrikes on the towns of Shufeh and Zahrat Aloni in the eastern countryside of Deir al-Zour.
Last week, SANA said 15 civilians were killed by US-led airstrikes on Deir al-Zour.
The US-led coalition has been backing the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in their push to dislodge the IS from the eastern bank of the Euphrates, where major oil and gas fields are located.
In the process, dozens of civilians have been killed by the US-led coalition airstrikes in northern and eastern Syria.
--IANS
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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Is it incumbent on an American company to turn over data to law enforcement agencies when demanded even if such data are stored overseas? This issue is at the core of a case involving Microsoft that the the US Supreme Court is set to hear on Tuesday.
The case could have far reaching implications with regard to privacy concerns of international customers of American technology companies on the one hand and law enforcement access to digital data on the other.
The litigation turns on a 1986 law, the Stored Communications Act, passed long before American companies began storing massive amounts of data outside US borders, The Washington Post reported on Sunday.
The case began in 2013 when federal agents conducting a drug investigation obtained a warrant for a suspect's emails.
But the emails that they were stored in Dublin, Ireland, and Microsoft argued that the warrant could not reach beyond US borders.
Microsoft says it stores emails close to their owner in order to make retrieval faster and, according to the tech giant, the Government did not suggested that the concerned individual resided in the US.
Microsoft has framed the case as one of digital privacy.
E. Joshua Rosenkranz, who will argue Microsoft's case, called the government's position "a recipe for global chaos," the Post reported.
"If ever there were a step that is sure to stoke international tension, it is sidestepping the treaties that were negotiated by countries precisely to protect their sovereignty, and instead unilaterally obtaining reams of personal letters....If another country did this to us, we would be outraged at the most basic level," Rosenkranz was quoted as saying.
Microsoft reportedly has the backing of major US technology giants including Google and IBM.
The case centres on the Stored Communications Act's (SCA) territorial reach, and the government argues that the SCA focuses on the emails' "disclosure" and that Microsoft employees could retrieve them "without leaving their desks in the United States," the Post reported.
--IANS
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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Having done films as different as chalk and cheese like "London, Paris, New York", "Bhoomi" and "Padmaavat", actress Aditi Rao Hydari says versatility is very important for her.
Asked why she's majorly done multi-starrer projects, Aditi told IANS in a recorded response: "I have done a mix of different kinds of cinema. I have done films like 'London, Paris, New York' or 'Murder 3' where it's just about one person or two people or 'Bhoomi' for that matter... I have done lots of those and I have also not shied away from films which are multi-starrers because for me a film is all about the director and the team that makes a film and about the script and character I am playing."
Aditi says she is inspired by the way international artists work.
"Like people in the West, such as Jennifer Lawrence, Natalie Portman or Brad Pitt and all the amazing actors... they also do a mix of different kinds of cinema. So, here even I am inspired with that way of working and I also do a sort of mix of different kinds of films.
"I think versatility for me is very important," she added.
The "Wazir" actress stresses that cinema is a director's vision.
"And I completely surrender to the director's vision and I am like putty in their hands and they mould me. So, that's the way I work and I like to be challenged," she added.
Aditi has also worked in the south Indian film industry. She was seen in "Prajapathi", "Sringaram" and "Kaatru Veliyidai".
Talking about working in the south Indian film industry, she said: "Films are about feelings... Feelings don't have a language... they are universal. So, I consider myself blessed that pan-Indian audiences are watching my films and I am being given these opportunities to work with some of the greatest directors of our country."
The "Murder 3" actress considers herself blessed for getting all the opportunities as an "actor who does not have any backing and who has come into the industry just because I love being in front of the camera".
Aditi, who was in Chennai last week to unveil the Summer-Spring 2018 collection of the watch brand Swatch, says it is not about the region, boundaries or language.
"It is about the director and the team that makes the film. It's their vision and I give myself completely to that vision. So I don't want language to ever come in my way. Whether it is in India or abroad... If there is a director I am dying to work with I will work extra hard and do that film," she added.
After the success of her latest release "Padmaavat", Aditi is now gearing up for her next film with filmmaker Mani Ratnam.
The actress considers herself lucky to work with the filmmaker for the second time.
"I can't tell you anything about the film. But I consider myself very blessed to be working with Mani sir again. Mani sir and the Madras Talkies team is like family... and to be picked the second time to work with him is really more than what I ever imagined," she said.
Aditi says she really loves working with Mani Ratnam as he challenges her.
"I am always up for the challenges and I look forward to beginning work. It is a multi-starrer and there are some amazing actors in it. I am a little nervous but also looking forward to working with them. I think with amazing people on set, hopefully my performance will also be better. It's going to be tough but I am looking forward," she added.
(Durga Chakravarty can be contacted at durga.c@ians.in)
--IANS
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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Central government is working on different new technologies, including fuel, for maritime transport to cut costs, said Union Shipping and Water Resources Minister Nitin Gadkari here on Monday.
"We are working with lot of new technologies nowadays. We are planning to use methanol as a fuel for all our maritime transport, which is highly cost effective and less polluting in comparison to diesel," he said after laying the foundation stone for the National Technology Centre for Ports, Waterways and Coasts (NTCPWC), at Indian Institute of Technology-Madras (IITM).
The NTCPWC will work towards modernising India's ports and fast track waterways, said Gadkari.
The Centre will be a strategic and innovation-oriented initiative tasked with bringing cutting edge technology to India's ports, waterways and maritime sector, he said, adding that the Central government is extending a financial support of around Rs 70 crore initially and later the centre will become self-sustaining.
However the event had its share of controversy over charges that the Central government trying to impose Sanskrit after the students sang the invocation song in the classical language without playing the "Tamizh Thai Vazhthu (Invocation for Mother Tamil)".
In a statement issued here, PMK founder S. Ramadoss condemened the act of not singing "Tamizh Thai Vazthu" while singing an invocation in Sanskrit.
However IITM Director Bhakar Ramamurthi clarified that it was the students who came forward on their own to sing the invocation song in Sanskrit.
He said IITM does not have the practice of playing a recorded song and added that there is nothing wrong in singing "Tamizh Thai Vazhthu" and it could be sung in the future.
--IANS
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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The crisis in public sector banks is the result of many factors. The finance minister has rightly stressed the role of auditors, regulators, bank managements themselves, and, of course, businessmen.
What is missing in this list is the government itself, which is the primary shareholder in these banks, as well as the authority that appoints and dismisses bank managements. Public sector banks therefore have a dual regulatory structure, coming as they do under the supervision of the government (specifically the department of financial services in the finance ministry) and the Reserve Bank in ...
Let me begin with an admission: Im not sure what to make of the facts I intend to draw to your attention but I find them disturbing. But then Im not a police officer or politician whose role is to prosecute or pin responsibility. Im a journalist whose aim is to raise questions.
If that raises doubts in your mind Ive achieved my purpose. Because such doubts are the cause of my concern. The UP police has revealed that since March 2017, when the Yogi Adityanath government took charge, it has engaged in 1,142 encounters resulting in 34 deaths and 265 injuries. ...
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) President Amit Shah on Sunday said the government of Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah is going to sink after state assembly elections result.
"In upcoming elections result, the boat of Chief Minister Siddaramaiah government is going to sink. By 2022, not only poor of Karnataka but every poor of India will have a 'pucca' house. This is a promise by Narendra Modi government," Shah said while addressing a public gathering here.
Shah claimed that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has always been concerned about the sugarcane farmers
"Prime Minister Modi has always been concerned about the sugarcane farmers and the first thing he did after coming to power was to stop the import of raw sugar. Also, whatever raw sugar was imported for industrial purposes, an import duty of 40 percent was levied on it," he said.
He also said the BJP will restart the local sugar mills which are closed at the moment after winning the Karnataka assembly elections.
"The very first thing that the BJP government would do after winning Karnataka assembly elections is that it will restart the local sugar mills which are closed at the moment," he said.
He also offered prayers at Sri Manikeshwari Matha in Kalaburagi's Sedam Taluka.
Shah also interacted with sugarcane farmers in Humnabad and said, "I assure our farmer brothers that the next government in Karnataka will be of the BJP which will be fully committed to the welfare of farmers."
Shah and BJP state Chief Minister candidate BS Yeddyurappa visited Sharana Basaveshwara Temple in Kalaburagi.
Karnataka is one of the few states where the Congress is in power.
Senior Nationalist Party on Sunday claimed that the Prime Minister has been selling the dreams of 2022 forgetting that he has to face the general election in 2019.
The Narendra government has projected a vision for a 'New India' that would be free of poverty, corruption, communalism, casteism and terrorism by 2022, three years beyond the NDA government's tenure.
"The PM is showing the dream of 2022 to the people, but he must understand that there will be a new mandate in 2019 itself," Anwar told reporters.
Both the central and state governments have lost popularity and support base among the people, the NCP general secretary claimed.
Anwar also claimed that by-elections for three seats in the state next month will follow the pattern.
The had won all three by-polls in and snatched Ajmer and Alwar seats and Mandalgarh Assembly seat from the BJP by huge margins earlier this month.
Similarly, the ruling JD(U)-BJP coalition would lose the by-elections for Bhabhua and Jahanabad Assembly seats, and Araria constituency to be held on March 11.
Anwar demanded that Joint Parliament Committee be set up to investigate the bank scam.
Two lions rescued from neglected zoos in war zones in Iraq and Syria have been transported to South Africa to recover from physical and psychological trauma at a big cat sanctuary.
Fiona Miles with animal welfare group Four Paws says the male lions have arrived in Johannesburg on a Qatar Airways flight after leaving an animal refuge in Jordan yesterday.
The lions arrived emaciated, dehydrated and psychologically scarred in Jordan last year.
Now 4-year-old Simba and 2-year-old Saeed are headed to the Lionsrock facility near the town of Bethlehem.
Some of the 80 lions at the facility came from a German circus and zoos in France, Romania and Congo. Others are from South African captive-bred lion operations that often earmark the predators for "trophy" killings by customers.
(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Delhi Congress today accused the AAP government of cutting down the number of beneficiaries of welfare schemes for the poor and marginalised sections.
The Delhi government is anti-minorities and against the marginalised sections, alleged senior Delhi Congress leader and former minister Haroon Yusuf.
"The AAP government has drastically cut down the number of beneficiaries under schemes meant for the welfare of the poor and the marginalized sections of society," he claimed.
He also charged that AAP government of putting in "cold storage" several schemes launched by previous Congress government in the city.
Ever since the AAP came to power in Delhi three years ago, all welfare schemes for the poor and the marginalised, initiated by the previous Congress government have been put in cold storage, he alleged.
During the 15-year Congress rule in Delhi, many welfare schemes were initiated, particularly in the education sector, to help the poor and the marginalised section, claimed chief spokesperson of Delhi Congress Sharmistha Mukherjee.
(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Delhi police today said it had rescued a two-year-old boy, who had been abducted by a woman and sold to another, who apparently wanted the child for her sister whose son had been killed in a fire.
The police said three people, including the abductor and the buyer, had been arrested.
The police found the boy yesterday, deputy commissioner of police (DCP), Rohini, Rajneesh Gupta, said.
After a case of kidnapping was registered at the Bawana Police Station on Friday, the police formed teams and inspected CCTV footage from the area around the child's house.
They spotted a woman picking up the boy. Further investigations revealed the woman, Sonia, was a resident of Indraj colony here, Gupta said.
Though she was not found in her house and kept changing her location, the police managed to trace the woman with the help of electronic surveillance.
Raids were conducted and Sonia (28) was arrested from the Anand Vihar inter-state bus terminus (ISBT), the DCP said.
During interrogation, Sonia confessed to picking up the boy and selling him to a woman identified as Rajni, 37, a resident of Ishwar colony in Bawana. Rajni apparently paid her Rs 45,000 for the child, the police said.
The police said it had recovered Rs 42,000 from Sonia. Rajni and her nephew, Saurabh (27) were arrested and the boy was recovered, it said.
Rajni told the police she wanted the boy for her sister, Santosh, whose son had died in a fire in 2015. Santosh was not aware of the plot, the police said.
(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Terming the non-availability of Marathi translation of his address to Maharashtra legislature today as a serious lapse, Governor Ch Vidyasagar Rao has sought action against those responsible for it.
Opposition parties boycotted the governor's address to the joint sitting of the two houses of the state legislature on the opening day of the Budget Session, as they could not listen to the Marathi translation of his speech.
In a letter to Legislative Council chairman Ramraje Naik Nimbalkar and Legislative Assembly Speaker Haribhau Bagade, the governor asked them to view the matter with "utmost seriousness" and take appropriate action.
"During my address to the Joint Session of the Legislature in the morning today, it was observed that the Marathi translation of my speech was not taking place. I am of the view that it needs to be considered with utmost seriousness and a strong action needs to be taken against those responsible for this serious lapse," the Governor wrote.
"I request you to kindly take appropriate action and inform me about the same," the letter said.
Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis apologised over the incident and demanded strict action against those responsible for the lapse.
(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman today said that army recruitment rallies, which were discontinued in the state's Chambal region six years ago due to law and order problems, could be restarted provided order was maintained.
She said that the Chambal region had given a large number of soldiers to the defence forces of the country including 15,000 serving personnel.
While addressing a function to inaugurate the 'Shaheed Smarak' at Morena, Sitharaman said "Army recruitment rallies were discontinued in the Chambal area after a law and order situation cropped up during one such rally about six years ago."
She added that if the local government maintained law and order, the rallies could be restarted.
Earlier, Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan asked the defence minister to restart the recruitment rallies and assured that law and order would maintained.
Sitharaman said that employement opportunities for local youth would increase as a defence research centre was being opened at Sabalgarh tehsil in Morena district.
Sitharaman informed that an army school would also be opened here from the 2018-19 academic session. She said that the defence ministry would initiate action to convert the cantonment area in Gwalior into a civil one.
Chouhan said that the state government was preparing a pension scheme for widows of martyrs.
Addressing the gathering, Union minister Narendra Singh Tomar said that Chambal, which was portrayed in films as a dacoit-infested area, was actually one of brave soldiers and martyrs.
(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Even as the Budget session of the Maharashtra legislature got off to a stormy off today, the assembly witnessed banter between the opposition and treasury benches.
The BJP-led government appeared to be on back-foot over a goof-up in translation during Governor Vidyasagar Rao's address.
During the governor's customary address to the joint sitting of the two houses on the opening day of the session, Marathi translation was not available, triggering protest by the opposition members.
Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavisapologised over the episode.
However, the incident did not stop members from both sides from indulging in some light-hearted exchange of words.
Jayant Patil (NCP) said the government had "murdered" the Marathi language.
Even before Patil could complete his sentence,Finance Minister Sudhir Mungantiwar countered him, saying the language is not so small to be "murdered" by a "small" incident.
After this, Patil quietly sat down but before that he asked Mungantiwar to take care of his throat since he has to present the budget next week.
Ajit Pawar (NCP) stood up and looking in the direction of Fadnavis, remarked, "Mungantiwar was unable to attend the winter session in December due to a surgery of his vocal cords. He was speaking so loudly now.
"What will happen to the budget if something happens to his voice. Is there a conspiracy to cut him down to size."
Pawar's witty retort evoked laughter from Fadnavis and Mungantiwar.
Mungantiwar underwent a surgery reportedly for removal of tumour in his vocal cords and was advised to speak softly.
(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Culling of chicken has begun and sale of poultry banned in this port town following the detection of H5NI avaian influenza, official sources said today.
Poultry farms were also shut as a precautionary measure after samples were collected from different farms and dead crows in and around the town tested positive for H5N1 virus, collector in-charge of Jagatsinghpur district, Sachinanda Sahu said.
More than 500 chicken have been culled since the decision was taken yesterday, said Paradip municipality health officer Rajendra Nayak.
Nayak, who is monitoring the situation along with Jagatsinghpur chief district veterinary officer Ramesh Behera said that the culled birds are being buried in deep pits after adopting all required safeguards.
Blood samples of chicken were sent to the National Institute of High Security Animal Diseases in Bhopal for examination, were tested positive positive for H5N1, Behera said.
Ten rapid response teams were formed and sent to the affected area by the administration.
The teams comprising 40 members have been constituted to sanitise the area, Behera said adding the culling operation would continue.
As a precautionary measure, all poultry firms and outlets have been shut in and around the port town and sale of chicken and eggs was banned. Necessary steps have been taken to prevent transportation of the poultry products out of the district, Sahu said.
He said over 20 crows were found dead in Naugaon and Biridi areas of the district today.
Sahu, who visited Paradip to review the situation, said restrictions on sale of poultry and farming would remain in force for for three months.
(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A court in Bangladesh today extended the bail of imprisoned ex-prime minister and main opposition BNP chief Khaleda Zia until March 13 in a graft case, a day after the High Court deferred the judgement on a separate bail plea in a corruption case, media reports said.
The 72-year-old three-time former prime minister was jailed for five years on February 8 in connection with the embezzlement of 21 million taka (about USD 250,000) in foreign donations meant for the Zia Orphanage Trust, named after her late husband Ziaur Rahman, a military ruler-turned-politician.
The Dhaka Special Judge's Court-5 set March 13 as the date for the next hearing of arguments in the Zia Charitable Trust graft case and extended the bail of Zia, the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) chief, until then, bdnews24 reported.
"The court has set March 13 and March 14 for the next two days of arguments. Zia's bail has been extended until March 13," her lawyer Nuruzzaman Tapan was quoted as saying in the report.
Yesterday, the High Court deferred the judgement on her bail petition, saying it would decide after receiving necessary papers from the lower court which sentenced her to five years in jail this month.
The Zia Charitable Trust graft case, filed in August 2011, accuses four persons including Zia of abusing power to raise funds for the trust from unknown sources.
The three others are: Harris Chowdhury, political secretary of then prime minister Zia between 2001 and 2006; Ziaul Islam Munna, Assistant Private Secretary (APS) to Harris; and Monirul Islam Khan, APS of former Dhaka city mayor Sadeque Hossain Khoka.
The corruption case is one of dozens pending against Zia, who has been a rival to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina for decades.
The charges against Zia had led to her boycotting polls in 2014, which triggered widespread protests at the time.
Currently, 34 cases are pending against Zia in various courts across the country, including the Zia Orphanage Trust and Zia Charitable Trust graft cases, the report said.
The BNP has claimed that the cases are politically-motivated to keep its party chief out of the national elections, set for December.
(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Bihar Governor Satya Pal Malik today said the state government has been able to achieve sustained growth and significant improvement in law and order despite various constraints.
Provision of civic amenities and basic infrastructure had also improved considerably, the governor said on the opening day of the budget session.
Addressing a joint session of the state legislature, the governor said the growth rate in 2016-17 was 14.8 per cent.
The per capita GDP and per capita income during the year were Rs 38,586 and Rs 35,590 respectively which is 13 per cent higher than in the previous year, he said.
The planned expenditure during the year increased by 11 per cent to about Rs 87,000 crore, he said adding that the state was expected to net a tax revenue of Rs 32,000 crore during 2017-18 compared with Rs 23,000 crore in the previous year.
With good financial management, the fiscal deficit was expected to be 2.87 per cent of the GDP, he said.
The governor also said the top priority of the state government had been to establish rule of law and to create a fearless society.
He said after the implementation of prohibition, crimes like murder, dacoity, loot, riots and kidnapping for ransom had registered an appreciable decline.
The number of cognizable crimes in Bihar during the year was 157.4 per lakh of population as against the national average of 233.6, Mallik said.
He said after the implementation of prohibition, crimes like murder, dacoity, loot, riots and kidnapping for ransom had registered an appreciable decline.
The state government has now launched another campaign against evil practices like dowry and child marriage, the governor said.
The government was committed to empowerment of women and had provided 50 per cent reservation to them in elections to village panchayats and urban local bodies as also in appointment of primary teachers, he said.
Besides, 35 per cent reservation had been provided to women in all government jobs, including in the appointment of sub-inspectors and constables, the governor said.
Under the 'Jeevika' scheme for women of poor and deprived sections, 7.47 lakh self help groups have been formed across the state, Mallik said.
He said the state had achieved the target of connecting even the remotest parts to the state capital in six hours and is making endeavours to further reduce it to five hours.
Under the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana, 2,300 kilometre of roads had been built and under the Mukhyamantri Gram Sadak Yojana 1,195 km of roads and 41 bridges had been constructed.
The state government was making all possible efforts to link even outlying localities of villages with
As regards power availability, the governor said 4,535 MW of electricity had become available by October, 2017 and efforts are being made to increase it to 4,800 MW.
The governor said under the government's policy of zero tolerance for corruption, cases have been filed by its different units against those guilty of bribery, possession of disproportionate assets and money laundering.
Properties of seven public servants have been seized while proposals have been sent to the Enforcement Directorate for seizure of property worth Rs 242 crore under Prevention of Money Laundering Act.
(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The BJP today suspended party worker Manoj Baitha, who has been accused of mowing down nine children while driving an SUV in an inebriated state in Muzaffarpur district of Bihar on Saturday.
At least nine children were killed and about 20 injured when the speeding vehicle lost control and ploughed through them outside a government school building on the outskirts of Muzaffarpur on Saturday.
"Manoj Baitha, a district level worker of Sitamarhi, has been suspended from the primary membership of the party for a period of six years," BJP's Bihar unit vice-president Devesh Kumar said.
Muzaffarpur district president Subodh Singh has sent a communication to this effect to the party's state headquarters here, Kumar told PTI.
About reports that a banner fixed on that vehicle described Baitha's designation in the party as state secretary general of Mahadalit Prakoshth, Kumar said, "No such post exists in the organisation. The worker appears to have fabricated it."
The police have registered an FIR against Baitha on the complaint of a local who lost his granddaughter in the incident.
Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Kumar Modi has said the police were directed to take "sternest possible action" against Baitha irrespective of his political affiliations.
The opposition RJD has accused the Nitish Kumar government of trying to shield Baitha and alleged that the BJP worker was "drunk" while behind the steering wheel even though sale and consumption of alcohol is banned in the state.
(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
BJP President Amit Shah today said the party would solve the Mahadayi river water sharing dispute with neighbouring Goa if it is voted to power in the upcoming assembly polls.
"I assure the people of the state that if BJP is voted topower, it will solve the Mahadayi river water dispute betweenKarnataka and Goa," he told reporters here.
Shah blamed the Siddaramaiah government for the delay in finding a solution and added that it would have been settled if the chief minister had cooperated with the central govermment.
"The issue would have been solved if Siddaramaiah had cooperated with us earlier. There are some people, even now, trying to create obstacles. Hence there has been a delay," he said.
Replying to a query on whether former Deputy Chief Minister K S Eshwarappa would get a ticket to contest the polls, Shah said the central parliamentary party will decide.
"Why are you worried about whether Eshwarappa will get the ticket or not? Eshwarappaji is the most respected leader our party. Taking care of interests of party leaders is my job. The central parliamentary party will announce the list of candidates," he said.
Eshwarappa and state BJP chief B S Yeddyurappa were at loggerheads before the central leadership stepped in to end it.
Eshwarappa has recently expressed apprehensions about attempts to deny him the ticket to contest the polls.
Replying to another query, Shah said the party would certainly field a Dalit chief ministerial candidate if somebody of that stature comes up in future.
"Even an ordinary party worker in BJP can become chief minister. Even a Dalit can be a chief minister if the partycomes to notice such a dalit chief ministerial candidate,"he said.
On Union Minister Anant Kumar Hegde's statement on changing the Constitition, Shah said, "It is a dead issue. Hegde has already apologised.
(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Dubai police today recorded the statement of Boney Kapoor, husband of Bollywood actor Sridevi who died of accidental drowning in her hotel bathtub after losing consciousness, according to a media report.
Kapoor reportedly discovered Sridevi unconscious in the bathtub filled with water. She was taken to a hospital where she was declared dead on arrival.
Dubai Police called in Kapoor today to Bur Dubai police station for investigation. Police took his statement after which he was allowed to go back to his hotel room, sources were quoted as saying by the Gulf
The Dubai government said in a tweet the police had transferred the case to the "Dubai Public Prosecution" which will carry out regular legal procedures followed in such cases.
"Dubai police headquarters today stated that the death of the Indian actress Sridevi occurred due to drowning in her hotel apartment's bathtub following loss of consciousness," the Dubai government's media office said on Twitter.
There could be a further delay in Sridevi's body being brought back to India, with the Dubai police informing the Indian Embassy that another "clearance" was awaited before the body could be released.
Sridevi was in Dubai for a family wedding and had stayed back after the ceremonies. Her husband had flown back to Mumbai with their younger daughter Khushi, but returned to Dubai to surprise her.
The of her death, first reported at around 3 a.m. IST on Sunday, sent shock waves across the country with those who knew her at a loss to explain how the star, who was present at several wedding functions in Dubai last week, could suddenly breathe her last.
Her family has not commented beyond their initial statement yesterday to announce the death, and has requested the media not to contact them as they grapple with the tragedy.
(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Election Commission today told the Delhi High Court that a complaint case against Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal was pending before a Goa court for his alleged bribery remarks during the January 2017 assembly polls there.
The submission came in pursuance to the court's earlier direction on whether any FIR has been lodged, as the EC had previously stated that such an action has been taken.
Justice Rekha Palli was informed by the counsel for EC that a complaint case was filed in pursuance to the poll panel's letter of January 29 last year directing the Chief Electoral Officer of Goa to take legal action or lodge an FIR against Kejriwal for his bribery remark at poll rallies in the state on January 7-8 last year.
Addressing a series of rallies in Goa, Kejriwal had reportedly asked voters to "accept money from the Congress and BJP candidates but vote for the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP)."
EC's counsel P R Chopra said no FIR has been lodged against the AAP leader and the complaint case has been listed before the Goa court for March 1 and the complainant has been asked to appear.
Kejriwal's lawyer had earlier told the court that according to information received under the RTI Act, no FIR has been lodged against him anywhere in Goa in connection with the remarks.
During the day's hearing, advocate Manish Vashisht, appearing for Kejriwal, contended that the actions of EC were in violation of his right to freedom and free speech.
This was opposed by Chopra who sought time to file counter affidavit. He also argued that the AAP leader's petition was not maintainable and said such statements went against the model code of conduct.
The court noted that despite opportunity, the EC has not filed its response, but granted it time while listing the matter for further hearing on May 25. The bench also said it has not expressed any view on the maintainability of the petition.
Kejriwal's lawyer contended that such statements did not fall in the category of instigating somebody and referred to an order of a Delhi trial court which had dismissed a petition making similar allegations. Kejriwal, in his plea, has alleged that the poll panel's January 29, 2017 order had curtailed his right to free speech.
The BJP had filed two complaints against Kejriwal seeking his prosecution under various sections of Indian Penal Code for asking voters to accept money. Congress too had condemned his statement.
The poll panel had, thereafter, directed that a complaint be lodged against the AAP leader under the provisions of the Representation of the People Act dealing with bribing voters and relevant sections of the IPC.
(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Lawyers associations at the Calcutta High Court today extended till March 5 their ceasework to press for immediate appointment of judges to fill up vacant posts, leaving litigants in the lurch.
Claiming that the Centre is yet to respond to their demand for filling up the vacancies for judges in the high court, three lawyers bodies took separate resolutions to extend the ceasework which they had launched on February 20.
"The Supreme Court collegium has cleared five names for appointment as judges, but the Union law ministry is yet to clear these," Bar Association president Uttam Majumdar said.
"We also want appointment of a permanent chief justice to the high court, which has been headed by acting chief justices for the last three years except for just three months when Justice Girish Gupta was elevated to the post," he said.
Justice Gupta, a judge of Calcutta high court, was the acting chief justice when he was made a permanent chief justice three months before his retirement, Majumdar said.
"We are astonished that there has been no reaction or response from the Union law ministry despite a five-day ceasework at one of the premier high courts in the country for the legitimate demand of appointment of judges," High Court Bar Library Club president Jayanta Mitra told PTI here.
He said that the lawyers bodies had sent representations for a meeting with Union Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad but are yet to receive any communication.
"As such we have decided to extend the ceasework till March five, on which date we will meet again to decide on the future course of action," Mitra, a former advocate general at the high court, said.
Incorporated Law Society, another lawyers' forum at the high court, also took a separate resolution to extend the ceasework along with the other two bodies.
"We hope that the Union law ministry will respond to our demand soon given the huge shortage in the number of judges at the high court, which is delaying dispensation of justice to the litigants," its secretary Paritosh Sinha said.
The high court at present has 30 sitting judges out of a sanctioned strength of 72.
Out of the 30, two judges are permanently on rotation at the Andaman and Nicobar Circuit bench of the high court.
Over 2.22 lakh cases were pending before the high court as on December 31, 2017, as per official data.
Hundreds of litigants, who had come to the court hoping that the ceasework would be lifted today, were left disappointed due to the uncertainty over when their petitions would be taken up for hearing.
''While the vacancies in the judiciary are delaying hearing of our cases, the ceasework is also leading to piling up of pending cases,'' said one of the many petitioners who had turned up at the court from across the state hoping that their cases would be heard.
Judges sat in the court rooms in the morning as usual. But as no lawyer appeared to argue the petitions which were called for hearing they retired to their respective chambers.
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Funds spent by the Jammu and Kashmir government in paying compensation to victims of cross-border firing will be reimbursed by the Centre, Union minister Jitendra Singh said today.
The minister said the J&K government should expedite the mechanism and seek prompt reimbursement of funds from the Centre.
This would prevent delays and address concerns of the state government "about non-payment or inadequate payment of compensation to border victims", the Minister of State in the Prime Minister's Office said in a statement.
He thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh for being extremely sensitive in promptly responding to the demands from the border areas.
According to a home ministry order, the funds paid as compensation by the Jammu and Kashmir government will be reimbursed by the Centre through security related expenditure (SRE).
The J&K government may consider paying "relief and compensation for housing damages/losses, crop or livestock losses, relief for stay at relief camps, displacement, etc." to those affected by cross-border firing at rates equal to NDRF recommendations fixed from time to time, the order read.
Item-wise claims and compensations paid by the state government to victims of cross-border firing may be submitted along with details, from time to time, to seek timely reimbursement from the Centre, it read.
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China today sought to dismiss the worldwide concerns over the prospect of President becoming the "emperor for life", saying a strong and consistent leadership is needed for the country at this crucial stage of the country's modernisation.
The Communist Party of China, (CPC), which is in power since 1949, yesterday proposed to amend the country's Constitution to remove the two term limits for the President and Vice President, potentially allowing Xi to rule for life.
The CPC move triggered concerns as 64-year-old Xi would remain a single leader doing away with collective leadership system followed by the party to prevent a dictatorship of an individual emerging from the ranks.
The party opted for two term rule of the leadership after extensive deliberations over some of the disastrous policies pursued by party founder Mao Zedong like the infamous decade-long Cultural Revolution in 1966 in which millions of people were killed.
Asked about the global concerns over the spectre of authoritarian rule returning to haunt China with the elimination of the two-term rule for the top leader, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang said the media should stop guessing and speculating and put the constitutional amendment in proper perspective.
He said China's Constitution evolved "little by little" since it came into force in 1954.
"We hope that you can put the revision of the Constitution in perspective in the context of development of China," he said.
The global concerns also arise from Xi's ambitious modernisation of military, expansion of Chinese naval power into the disputed South China Sea, acquisition of naval logistic bases including in Sri Lanka, Djibouti and Gwadar in Pakistan under his first term.
Last October, Xi started his second five-year-term with a focus on transforming China, now the world's second largest economy, into "a mighty force" that could lead the world on political, economic, military and environmental issues.
Since he took over in 2013, Xi launched the multi-billion dollar Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) which also included the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) which traverses through Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir (PoK) to expand China's influence worldwide.
In China too, the removal of the two-term rule is seen as perpetuation of Xi's rule.
Deng Yuwen, former editor of the Study Times newspaper affiliated with the Central Party School of the CPC, said the proposed change was a strong signal that Xi planned to stay on.
"This is a very clear sign that the president will remain in office beyond the existing term limit. We dont know if it could be life tenure at this stage," Deng told Hong Kong-based South China Morning Post.
Willy Lam, an adjunct professor at the Chinese University of Hong Kong who is the author of a 2015 biography of Xi, said that Xi is susceptible to making big mistakes because there are now almost no checks or balances.
"Essentially, he has become emperor for life," Lam was quoted as saying by the New York Times.
While the official media harped on the need for strong leadership for China's rise as global power, the party's theoreticians defended the move to transform the one-party rule into one leader rule by saying that such a move is the need for CPC's rule.
Party theoreticians say as the CPC set to celebrate its seven decades in power next year, the fall of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union and disintegration of the powerful Soviet socialist empire weighs in heavily in the minds of party leadership.
Removing the constitutional restriction to two terms is a significant decision made by the CPC to serve its historic mission in the new era of Socialism with Chinese Characteristics, Su Wei, a professor at the Party School of the CPC, told the Global Times yesterday.
"Especially in the period from 2020 to 2035, which is a crucial stage for China to basically realise socialist modernisation, China and the CPC need a stable, strong and consistent leadership. So removal of the section of the clause about the presidency in the Constitution is serving the most important and fundamental national interest and the Party's historic mission," Su said.
"The decision has been made after careful consideration, and this is an adjustment to serve China's current situation and future development, which is consistent with Chinese political characteristics and goals," an unnamed Chinese scholar told the Global Times.
The trinity of Xi being the general secretary of the CPC Central Committee, the president and chairman of the Central Military Commission has positive meaning, he said.
"In order to achieve the great goal from 2020 to the middle of the 21st century, China needs a centralised and unified leadership; otherwise the decentralisation of authority will impact realisation of the great goal,"CPC's official newspaper the People's Daily said in its editorial.
The choice of when to leave for Xi to make. "He will be judged not by how long he stays but by how well China does while he is at the top," a commentary in the Post said.
China today criticised Interpol's decision to lift a red notice against Dolkun Isa, a rights activist of Uyghur Muslim community in Xinjiang, whom Beijing accuses of being a terrorist.
China's reaction came after London-based rights group Fair Trials said Interpol had deleted a wanted alert, known as a red notice for Isa, who is the President of the Munich-based World Uyghur Congress.
A red notice is a request to locate and provisionally arrest an individual pending extradition. China has been pressing countries visited by Isa to extradite him based on the Interpol's red notice.
"We said that the person mentioned by you is suspected of committing crimes," Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang told a media briefing today when asked about Interpol's move to drop the notice against Isa.
The lookout notice was issued by Interpol following a request from China.
"As for the decision by Interpol we are dissatisfied with it. We hope the international community can follow the principle of mutual respect to enhance international cooperation. We will stay in close communication with the Interpol on this issue," Lu said.
Xinjiang has been restive for several years over protests from Turkic-origin Uygur Muslims over the massive influx of Han Chinese from other areas into the resource-rich province.
China blames East Turkistan Islamic Movement, an al-Qaeda linked militant group, for the large scale violence in the province and other parts of the country.
Reacting to China's comments, the World Uyghur Congress spokesman Dilxat Raxit said the accusations against Isa were purely political.
"China is unable to produce any actual evidence of its accusations against him, he said in a statement.
(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Jerusalem church built at what many consider the holiest site in Christianity remained closed for a second day today to protest Israeli tax measures and a proposed property law, leaving disappointed pilgrims locked outside.
Christian leaders took the rare step of closing the Church of the Holy Sepulchre on Sunday at noon in a bid to pressure Israeli authorities into abandoning the measures.
They said the church, a major pilgrimage site, would be closed until further notice.
Church officials said Monday it was not clear when it would reopen, depending on discussions with Christian leaders and Israeli authorities.
"We closed the church for specific reasons and for an unlimited period of time," one church official said on condition of anonymity.
"It is a move supported by all the churches."
The church is built where Christians believe Jesus was crucified, buried and resurrected.
Disappointed tourists gathered Monday in front of its large wooden doors hoping they would have the chance to visit the site.
"We were told it's political. It is disheartening -- it is such a holy place," said Aleana Doughty, a 35-year-old dental hygienist visiting with a group from the United States.
She said they were only scheduled to stay for one more day, so they were not hopeful they would be able to see the church.
Christian leaders are angry over attempts by Israeli authorities in Jerusalem to enforce tax collection on church property they consider commercial, saying exemptions only apply to places of worship or religious teaching.
They also say legislation being considered by Israel's government would allow church property to be expropriated.
Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat says the city is due 650 million shekels (USD 186 million, 152 million euros) in uncollected taxes on church properties.
He stresses the Church of the Holy Sepulchre and all other churches are exempt from the taxes, with the changes only affecting establishments like "hotels, halls and businesses" owned by the churches.
Christian leaders say the measure jeopardises their ability to conduct their work, which includes not only religious but also social services to those in need.
A separate bill seeks to allay the fears of Israelis who live in homes on lands previously held by the Greek Orthodox Church and which were sold to private developers, according to the lawmaker proposing the legislation.
Recent land sales by the Greek Orthodox Church -- a major landowner in Jerusalem -- to unknown buyers have drawn fire from both Israelis and Palestinians.
Palestinians fear the sales will favour Israeli settlement construction in east Jerusalem, while Israelis are concerned over private developers' intentions for the land.
The bill would allow certain lands sold by the Greek Orthodox Church to be handed over to the state, which would then compensate those who bought it from the church.
"This reminds us all of laws of a similar nature which were enacted against the Jews during a dark period in Europe," Christian leaders said in a statement on Sunday.
They also said recent Israeli measures seemed to be "an attempt to weaken the Christian presence in Jerusalem".
The Greek Orthodox, Armenian and Roman Catholic denominations share custody of the Holy Sepulchre.
(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Chief Minister Raman Singh today lashed out at the Congress accusing it of practising "shortcut" by spreading lies to regain power in Chhattisgarh.
Answering the debate on the Appropriation Bill worth Rs 87,463 crore, which was passed by a voice vote in the Assembly, Singh said the Congress was practising "shortcut politics" by spreading lies among the people.
He claimed that in the state was tarnished first when the Congress tried to lure 15 BJP legislators and then when it circulated a fake sex CD of a minister.
He added that the first incident ensured that the Congress was out of power in Chhattisgarh for 15 years and the CD case would do the same for another 15 years.
Singh said that the amendment to the Land Revenue Code was done to benefit people but the misleading environment created around it by the Congress had made the government repeal the Amendment Bill.
He claimed that development and peace came to the state after the BJP came to power in 2003.
He said that the Congress was now limited to just seven per cent of the country and it was seeking alliances with other parties to fight the BJP.
Singh, who was presenting his 12th consecutive budget, called it a historic opportunity and said that the budget was aimed at every section of society.
In the last 14 years, the Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP) had increased by seven times and reached Rs 2,91,681 crore and the states budget had grown by nine times, he said.
Earlier, speaking on the debate, the Leader of Opposition TS Singhdeo said that the country was undergoing an Emergency-like situation worse than the one in 1975.
He alleged that the state government had failed to provide drinking water to the 168 municipalities in Chhattisgarh.
After the discussion, the Assembly passed the Appropriation Bill worth Rs 87,463 crore by a voice vote.
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A five-judge constitution bench of the Supreme Court would hear on March 6 a contentious issue that had cropped up after a three-judge bench had raised concern over "judicial discipline" and propriety arising due to conflicting views of different benches of the apex court in matters relating to land acquisition.
The issue had came to fore on February 21 when a three-judge bench had virtually stayed the operation of a verdict delivered on February 8 by another three-judge bench of the top court, which had held that compensation not availed within a stipulated five year period would not be a ground for cancellation of land acquisition.
On February 21, the three-judge bench had observed that perhaps there had been a tinkering with judicial discipline in arriving at a conclusion as the issue should have been to referred to a larger bench in case of difference of opinion, as a 2014 verdict passed by another three-judge bench had held that non-payment of compensation would be a ground to cancel the land acquisition.
The very next day when another matter on the land acquisition issue came up for hearing before a two-judge bench, it had referred the case to the Chief Justice of India (CJI) for constituting an "appropriate bench" to deal with the "piquant" situation that had arisen after the February 21 order.
Now, a five-judge constitution bench has been set up by Chief Justice of India (CJI) Dipak Misra to deal with the issue.
Besides the CJI, Justices A K Sikri, A M Khanwilkar, D Y Chandrachud and Ashok Bhushan are part of the bench, which would hear the matter on March 6.
A three-judge bench headed by Justice Madan B Lokur had on February 21 referred to the February 8 judgement and observed that if "judicial discipline" and propriety were not maintained, the institution will "go forever".
"Taking all this into consideration, we are of the opinion that it would be appropriate if in the interim and pending a final decision on making a reference (if at all) to a larger bench, the High Courts be requested not to deal with any cases relating to the interpretation of or concerning Section 24 of the Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act, 2013," the bench had said and posted the matter for hearing on March 7.
In its February 8 judgement, the apex court with a 2:1 majority view, had held the 2014 verdict of another three-judge bench in Pune Municipal Corporation case was passed without due regard to the law (as per incuriam), saying that the land acquired could not be quashed due to a delay on part of land owners in accepting compensation within five years due to litigation or other reasons.
The court had held that once the compensation amount for land acquired by a government agency has been unconditionally tendered but the land owner refuses to accept it, this would amount to payment and discharge of obligation on part of the agency and it would not be open to the person, who has refused compensation, to raise the point that since the amount has not been deposited in court or paid to him, the acquisition has lapsed.
The 2014 verdict was rendered unanimously by a three-judge bench which had held that "the deposit of compensation amount in the government treasury is of no avail and cannot be held to be equivalent to compensation paid to the landowners/persons interested".
(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Many senior officers of the city administration today abstained from a meeting chaired by Transport Minister Kailash Gahlot.
The minister had called a meeting of State Road Safety Council for a discussion on proposed road safety policy at the Delhi Secretariat today, but most of bureaucrats, including Transport Commissioner Varsha Joshi and PWD Principal Secretary Renu Sharma, who are members of the Council, skipped it.
IAS and DANICS (Delhi, Andaman and Nicobar Islands Civil Service) have been boycotting meetings with AAP ministers including Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal since the alleged assault on Chief Secretary Anshu Prakash by ruling AAP MLA at the CM's residence last week.
The officers are only maintaining written communication and even not attending calls made by any of the Delhi ministers in solidarity with the chief secretary.
"In view of the decision of joint forum of Delhi government employees, I did not attend the meeting of Delhi Road Safety Council today. Other bureaucrats abstained from the meet," a senior official, who did not wish to be named said.
According to a notification of the Transport department dated July 7, 2017, DTC's chairman, PWD principal secretary, transport commissioner, secretary (health & family welfare), chairman (NDMC), commissioners of all three MCDs are among the members of the 'State Road Safety Council'. All these posts are held by IAS officers.
Representatives of other organisations such as Central Road Research Institute (CRRI) and Institute of Road Traffic Education are also members of the Council, the notification stated.
According to the Delhi government, there was "wide-ranging" discussions on the draft road safety policy for the national capital in today's meeting.
The discussion was part of the second meeting of the reconstituted Delhi Road Safety Council, and was attended by officials, academicians and experts from organisations, the Delhi government said in a statement.
It stated that Delhi figures as among the most unsafe cities in India for road users. In 2016, 7,375 fatal road crashes occurred in Delhi in which 7,154 people were injured and 1,591 people lost their lives.
(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The row over the alleged attack on Delhi chief secretary by AAP MLAs today intensified with government employees demanding action "as per law" against Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and his deputy Manish Sisodia in the case, even as the AAP dispensation mulled live streaming of all meetings of its ministers.
Digging their heels in, the officers, including those from IAS and DANICS, said they will continue to communicate with ministers only in writing until Kejriwal and Sisodia give a public apology over the alleged incident at the chief minister's residence on the intervening night of February 19 and 20.
In a resolution, the Joint Forum of Delhi Government Employees also rejected mediation by Delhi minister Rajender Pal Gautam, the peacemaker" appointed by the AAP government, who said the attitude of officers "is not correct" and "they should show a positive response to government efforts to end the current crisis".
Meanwhile, the AAP, which has alleged that its minister Imran Hussain and Delhi Dialogue Commission's Vice Chairman Ashish Khetan were assaulted, sent a delegation to Delhi Police Commissioner Amulya Patnaik to demand "justice" for its leaders and action in the cases.
The delegation, which included AAP leader Ashutosh and party MP Sanjay Singh, told reporters that they gave Patnaik "video evidence" of the "assaults" that took place on February 20 at the Delhi Secretariat.
Ashutosh claimed that police were prompt in taking action against AAP MLAs Prakash Jarwal and Amanatullah Khan -- for allegedly assaulting chief secretary Anshu Prakash - though there was no evidence against them.
"The AAP MLAs were arrested though he (Prakash) produced no evidence. What about the life threatening attacks on Delhi minister Imran Hussain and DDA vice-chairman Ashish Khetan, who enjoys the rank of cabinet minister," Ashutosh asked.
Amid the standoff with the bureaucracy, the Delhi government today said it is now mulling live streaming of all meetings of its ministers.
A senior government official said that as per the plan, live feed of meetings with audio output will be available on a web site, and if the proposal is passed, funds will be allocated for it in the upcoming budget.
"Through live streaming of official meetings, people will be able to know who spoke what in the meeting, be it the elected representative or officials," the official said.
With no end to the stalemate in sight, Gautam, who is the social welfare minister, said that trust building is not the work of political executive only.
"Government is taking an initiative to end this problem and now the (agitating) officers should come forward in a bid to build trust and have a dialogue so that governance does not affect," he told reporters here, while asserting that there is also a plan to put all file movement and notings online.
However, the employees forum appealed to Lt Governor Anil Baijal and Police Comissioner Amulya Patnaik to take action against Arvind Kejriwal and Manish Sisoida in the chief secretary assault case.
Its resolution claimed that instead of apologising and admitting their mistake, the chief minister and and the deputy chief minister are in a "denial mode" which shows that they were a "part of the conspiracy".
"This shows that they were a part of the conspiracy and since they are specifically identified in the FIR, we appeal to LG and the Commissioner of Police to take action as per law against CM & Dy CM," the resolution said.
In such a situation, communication between the political and permanent executive can only continue through formal written means and no talks are possible, it said.
"Therefore, the Joint Forum resolves that all Delhi Government employees will continue to work through formal written means of communication," the resolution said.
"The Joint Forum of Delhi Government Employees demands that the prerequisite to any dialogue with the political executive is a specific written and public apology from Honble Chief Minister & Honble Dy. Chief Minister regarding the criminal act of physical assault on the Chief Secretary," the resolution stated.
Bureaucrats of the Delhi government have earlier decided to boycott all meetings.
(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Delhi government today said the attitude of its officials was not "correct" and they should show a positive response to its "efforts" in ending the crisis arising out of the alleged assault on Chief Secretary Anshu Prakash by some AAP MLAs.
Prakash was allegedly assaulted by some AAP MLAs in front of Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and his deputy Manish Sisodia at the CM's residence on the intervening night of February 19-20.
To show solidarity with Prakash, all employees of the Delhi government has been boycotting meetings with ministers, including Kejriwal, and have been observing five-minute silence at 1.30 pm outside their respective offices every day.
Delhi Social Welfare Minister Rajendra Pal Gautam said the government has not received any communication from the agitating employees regarding their demand.
Earlier in the day, a joint forum of Delhi government employees appealed to Lt Governor Anil Baijal and Police Commissioner Amulya Patnaik to take action as per law against Kejriwal and his deputy Manish Sisodia in the case of alleged assault on the top bureaucrat of the city administration.
The forum said all officers would continue to boycott meetings with AAP ministers till the chief minister tenders a written public apology.
The social welfare minister said, "All of us need to understand that it would not work like this and hence, they (officers) should show a positive response to government's efforts to end the current crisis."
"The government has been rejecting wrong things, I think such attitude (of officials) is not correct," Gautam said here.
Asserting that public work should not be affected, he said, "If there is some issue in our house, we try to resolve it through discussion. We all are like a family. We should work together. Trust building is not the work of political executive only, it should be from both sides."
The forum of government's employees today passed a resolution in its meeting, stating that until Kejriwal and Sisodia give "a specific written and public apology", and steps are taken to ensure the personal safety and dignity of officers, they will continue to work with AAP ministers through written communication only.
The resolution claimed that instead of apologising and admitting their mistake, the chief minister and and the deputy chief minister are in a "denial mode" which shows that they were a "part of the conspiracy".
(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) has signed an MoU with the Indian Ocean Rim Association's Regional Center for Science and Technology Transfer for designating Central Institute of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants in Lucknow as the coordinating centre on medicinal plants.
The MoU was signed by Director CSIR-CIMAP Anil Kumar Tripathi and Director IORA-RCSTT A Sedrpousan, in the office of Vice Minister of Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Islamic Republic of Iran Morteza Sarmadi in Tehran in the presence IORA Secretary General Nomvuyo Nokwe.
CSIR director general and CSIR Secretary Girish Sahni, who led the Indian delegation, invited scientists and business houses to visit CSIR labs in India to explore possibilities of partnerships between them and the Iranian industry.
The IORA Center at CSIR-CIMAP will establish a database on the important medicinal plants, their value added products, related experts and industries of the IORA member states and organise meetings and training programmes to promote trade, commerce and scientific exchanges to complement the strength and limitation of the member states.
The IORA is an association of 21 countries and 7 dialogue partners which have identified 6 areas of cooperation including medicinal plants.
(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Delhi government is mulling live streaming of all official meetings following the alleged assault on Chief Secretary Anshu Prakash at the chief minister's residence last week.
Prakash was allegedly assaulted by AAP MLAs and others during a meeting at Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's residence on February 19.
A senior government official said that as per a plan, live feed of meetings with audio output will be available on a website.
If the plan is passed, funds will be allocated for it in the upcoming budget, he said.
"Through live streaming of official meetings, people will be able to know who spoke what in the meeting, be it the elected representative or officials," the official said.
There is also a plan to put all file movement and notings online, he said.
"Plan is also to put all file movement and file notings online for people to see who was working on a file for how long, who cleared it and who wrote what on a particular file, be it the elected government or officers," the official said.
In the past, the AAP government had alleged that some officers created hurdles in the works of city administrations.
Since the alleged attack on the chief secretary, officers have not been attending meetings of the chief minister and his cabinet colleagues, demanding that Kejriwal apologise for the incident.
(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Delhi High Court today exempted the Greater Noida Industrial Development Authority (GNIDA) from paying Income Tax, saying it was not carrying out any commercial activity with any profit motive.
A bench of Justices Sanjiv Khanna and Pratibha M Singh allowed the plea of the GNIDA seeking to set aside a 2015 order of the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) rejecting its application for grant of exemption under Section 10 (46) of the Income Tax Act 1961.
Section 10(46) of the IT Act deals with the exemption of 'specified income' of certain bodies or authorities. It says that any specified income arising to a body or authority, constituted by or under a central or state Act with the object of regulating or administering an activity for the benefit of general public and which is not engaged in any commercial activity, shall be exempted.
The authority had contended before the high court that the CBDT had on June 8, 2015, arbitrarily rejected its plea to declare the income of GNIDA under 'specified income' on the ground that it was making huge profits out of its activities, which are commercial in nature.
The GNIDA had said that it was established for the development of certain areas in the state of Uttar Pradesh as an industrial and urban township, and thus discharged sovereign functions as an arm of the government.
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Healthcare services in Odisha's premier SCB Medical College and Hospital continued to be affected, as more doctors joined the ongoing ceasework against a senior professor.
Senior Residents and House Surgeons of the hospital joined the strike today, boycotting their duties.
The 450-strong Junior Doctors Association has been agitating since February 19, demanding immediate transfer of the professor.
The junior doctors have alleged that the professor was "forcing them to work in his private hospital and take care of his personal work".
Hospital Superintendent Shyama Kanungo said the situation inside the hospital was "grim" but "under control".
(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
In a fresh twist to the hearing on 20 AAP MLAs' pleas against their disqualification in an office-of-profit case, the Election Commission of India (ECI) today produced before the Delhi High Court some confidential documents, saying these cannot be shared with the legislators.
A bench of Justices Sanjiv Khanna and Chander Shekhar was informed by the ECI counsel that they were handing certain documents including "personal notings" related to proceedings held in the poll panel.
"We are claiming privilege over these confidential documents, so we cannot supply them to the petitioners (20 AAP MLAs)," poll panel's counsel Amit Sharma said, while producing the papers in a sealed cover before the bench.
The bench asked the ECI counsel to take instruction whether the documents can be supplied to the legislators after concealing the privileged portions.
The documents were produced by the poll panel during the hearing on the pleas of the disqualified MLAs, found guilty of holding office-of-profit as parliamentary secretaries to ministers in the AAP government after it came to power in 2015.
The MLAs had approached the high court challenging their disqualification after President Ram Nath Kovind gave his nod to the ECI recommendation.
Backing their recommendations to the President for AAP MLAs' disqualification, the poll panel today also submitted that the legislators cannot claim that they were not holding office-of-profit.
"They were involved in the day-to-day administrative functions of the ministers, with whom they were attached. They were not entitled to look into the executive works of the ministers," the ECI's counsel claimed.
The arguments on behalf of the ECI and other parties, which remained inconclusive, will resume tomorrow.
The high court had on January 24 refused to stay the Centre's notification disqualifying them, but had restrained the poll panel from taking any "precipitate measures" such as announcing dates for by polls to fill the vacancies. The ECI had recommended the disqualification of 20 AAP MLAs on January 19. The President had accepted the ECI's opinion the very next day.
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The Enforcement Directorate has summoned Punjab National Bank's Managing Director and CEO Sunil Mehta in connection with with the Rs 11,400 crore PNB scam allegedly involving diamantaire Nirav Modi and owner of Gitanjali Gems Mehul Choksi, officials said today.
The ED today also examined the state-owned bank's Executive Director K V Brahmaji Rao to understanding how the alleged fraud was detected and other banking procedures.
Mehta, officials said, will be asked similar questions when he meets ED officials this week. They said the two officials are not being examined as an accused.
The CBI had examined the two senior PNB officials last week in the same case.
Meanwhile, beleaguered diamond merchant Modi, his wife Ami and his uncle Choksi today skipped their scheduled appearance before the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in Mumbai.
It was not immediately known if the agency will issue fresh dates to them.
If it does not issue them fresh summons, it is understood, the ED is expected to move a special court in Mumbai seeking non-bailable arrest warrants against them.
The agency today also obtained the court's nod to issue six Letters Rogatories (LRs), judicial requests for obtaining information from overseas locations, pertaining to its probe against Modi.
The agency is expected to obtain more such LRs in this case.
The LRs issued today will be sent, through the Union home ministry, to Hong Kong, the US, the UK, the UAE, South Africa and Singapore.
The attempt of sending these judicial requests for exchange of information is aimed at obtaining the details of the overseas financial holdings of Modi and Choksi and also their bank accounts, assets, partnerships, showrooms, trusts and other assets, the officials said.
These assets and their sources of income will be investigated and if necessary would be attached under the criminal sections of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) if it is found that they have been created using tainted funds or the proceeds of crime of the alleged bank fraud, the sources had said.
The total assets seized by the ED in this case is now over Rs 6,393 crore, officials had said, adding that this was being independently valued.
Modi, Choksi and others are being investigated by the ED and other probe agencies after the fraud recently came to light, following a complaint by the PNB that they allegedly cheated the nationalised bank to the tune of Rs 11,400 crore, with the purported involvement of a few employees of the bank.
The CBI and the ED have registered two FIRs each to probe the case. Both Modi and Choski are said to have left the country before criminal cases were lodged against them.
The ED, a central probe agency under the Union finance ministry, is investigating if the allegedly defrauded bank funds were laundered and proceeds of crime were subsequently used by the accused to create illegal assets and black money.
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Eight people were killed and over a score injured today after their jeep was hit by a speeding truck near Kundla village in Vijaynagar taluka in Sabarkantha district, police said.
An official from Vijaynagar police station said that the jeep, carrying 31 farm labourers on their way to work at a potato farm, was going from Khedbrahma to Idar.
A speeding truck, coming from the opposite direction, rammed into the jeep killing three people instantly, the official said.
Five others died while undergoing treatment at hospitals in Khedbrahma and Himmatnagar, he informed.
All the eight who died are from Navabhaga village, the official said. He added that the truck driver had fled the scene and a search was on for him.
(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A joint forum of Delhi government employees today appealed to Lt Governor Anil Baijal and Police Comissioner Amulya Patnaik to take action against Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and his deputy Manish Sisoida in the case of alleged assault on Chief Secretary Anshu Prakash.
The forum passed a resolution in its meeting today, stating that until Kejriwal and Sisodia give "a specific written and public apology" and steps are taken to ensure the personal safety and dignity of officers, they will continue to work with AAP ministers through written communication only.
The resolution claimed that instead of apologising and admitting their mistake, the chief minister and and the deputy chief minister are in a "denial mode" which shows that they were a "part of the conspiracy".
The forum also rejected the mediation of Social Welfare Minister Rajender Pal Gautam to find out a solution to the current crisis between the AAP dispensation and the bureaucracy.
"The Joint Forum of Delhi Government Employees demands that the prerequisite to any dialogue with the political executive is a specific written and public apology from Honble Chief Minister & Honble Dy. Chief Minister regarding the criminal act of physical assault on the Chief Secretary," the resolution stated.
Reading out the resolution at a press conference here, Pooja Joshi, member of the forum, said, "Instead of apologising and admitting their mistake of assault on the Chief Secretary at midnight, CM and Dy CM are in denial mode.
"This shows that they were a part of the conspiracy and since they are specifically identified in the FIR, we appeal to LG and the Commissioner of Police to take action as per law against CM & Dy CM," the resolution said.
It expressed "deep concern" that not only has the political executive "failed" to condemn or regret the above incident, but also more incidents of public representatives misbehaving with and threatening government servants have taken place in the intervening period
The resolution alleged that an open "threat" by an MLA was given in the presence of Arvind Kejriwal who has made no statement condemning the same.
In such a situation, communication between the political and permanent executive can only continue through formal written means and no talks are possible.
"Therefore, the Joint Forum resolves that all Delhi Government employees will continue to work through formal written means of communication," the resolution said.
The employees said that they will continue their protest "in the form of five-minutes silence at 1.30 pm (lunch time) in all government offices till such time a specific written and public apology is tendered by CM and deputy CM and steps are taken to ensure the personal safety and dignity of officers while they discharge their official duties," resolution stated.
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The EU has warned that it will consider targeted measures on Maldivian officials if the situation does not improve, prompting Maldives to reassure the 28-member bloc of its commitment to resolve the political crisis as it invited all political parties for dialogue.
The Council of the EU adopted a number of conclusions on the Maldives situation today, and called on the authorities to immediately lift the state of emergency, and restore all constitutionally guaranteed rights.
The EU said it will consider 'targeted measures' on Maldives officials, 'if situation does not improve'
Maldives, in response, reassured the EU of its commitment to resolve the current situation and has invited all Political Parties for dialogue.
"Maldives appreciates the European Union for standing with the Maldives during this difficult period and calls to help facilitate the ongoing efforts to resolve the current Constitutional Crisis, and to return to normalcy," the Maldives government said in a statement.
"Maldives will continue to work with the European Union and its member countries and appreciates the continued support and cooperation that the European Union is continuing to extend in strengthening the electoral, governance and democratic structures and framework.
The EU had also expressed concern over the security of "foreign residents and visitors, including tourists" to which the Maldives reiterated its unwavering commitment to ensuring the safety and security of foreign nationals residing in the country, as well as tourists visiting the Maldives on vacation.
There has been international condemnation of the Maldivian governments moves, including the imposition of the emergency.
Male, which has seen several political crises since the ouster of its first democratically-elected president Mohamed Nasheed in 2012, plunged into chaos last Thursday when the Supreme Court ordered the release of nine imprisoned Opposition politicians, maintaining that their trials were "politically motivated and flawed".
Maldivian President Abdulla Yameen has refused to obey the court orders and declared a state of emergency in the country.
(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
An organisation of ex-servicemen staged a rally here today demanding withdrawal of an FIR registered against Army personnel in Shopian recently and deportation of Rohingya and Bangladeshi nationals from Jammu and Kashmir.
They also demanded stern action against stone-pelters and a provision to allow Army and paramilitary personnel to settle in the state by amending Article 370 of the Constitution.
Dozens of members from different parts of the country assembled under the banner of Voice of Ex-servicemen Society and took out a rally from Kachhi Chawani to Civil Secretariat, the seat of Jammu and Kashmir government in the heart of the city.
However, they were stopped by police near the secretariat and dispersed off peacefully after the submission of a memorandum to a senior police officer.
The memorandum highlighted the sacrifices being rendered by the security forces in the service of the nation in the state and raised various important issues that need immediate attention, national co-ordinator of the society, Bir Bahadur Singh, a former para trooper from Uttar Pradesh, told PTI.
He said the rally was staged to press for unconditional withdrawal of an FIR against an Army unit in Shopian district of south Kashmir.The FIR was lodged against the Army after three youth were killed when the troops opened fire after their convoy came under stone-pelting last month.
Singh, who retired from service in 2015, said the participants of the rally had come from various states and demanded amendment in the Article 370 of the Constitution, giving special status to Jammu and Kashmir, to allow soldiers to settle in the state.
Terming the presence of Rohingya and Bangladeshis in Jammu as a threat to the national security, he demanded their immediate deportation.They are illegal refugees and have settled near security camps. They should be immediately evicted and deported to their countries, he said.
Singh demanded stern action against the youth indulging in stone-pelting on security forces during counter-insurgency operations in the valley.If the government failed to act on their demands, over one lakh members of the society will fill the streets in Srinagar to carry forward their campaign, he said.
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Water was today released to Kerala from the Aliyar Dam in the district, triggering opposition by farmers in Pollachi who claimed it would affect their irrigation requirements.
Officials here said 450 cusecs of water was being released to Kerala from the dam to meet the immediate irrigation requirements of farmers in the neighbouring state.
The decision to release water was taken after talks between officials of the two states held in the wake of protests by farmers in Kerala in the past few days.
There was tension in the areas bordering the two states in and around Pollachi as vehicles from Tamil Nadu were either stopped or allegedly stoned in the last couple of days by Kerala farmers seeking water from Aliyar dam, which is part of the Parambikulam Aliyar Project.
Later, Kerala allegedly resorted to drawing 'excess' water from Siruvani dam, the main drinking water source of Coimbatore, officials said. Siruvani dam is located in Palakkad district of Kerala.
Protesting the release of water to Kerala from Aliyar dam, farmers and political parties in Pollachi today submitted a memorandum to the sub-collector seeking to stop release of water.
Stating that the storage in the dam was already low, they said if water was released to Kerala it would affect their irrigation needs.
Meanwhile, DMK MLA N Kathik, representing Singanallur constituency in the city, today said a team of officials along with leaders of political parties from Tamil Nadu should be deputed to inspect Siruvani dam to ensure that Kerala was not drawing excess.
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Election in Meghalaya is quite a family affair. The political heavyweights, along with their spouses and scions, are fighting it out to retain power in tomorrow's Assembly elections in the hill state.
Meghalaya Chief Minister Mukul Sangma, who is contesting from Ampati and Songsak seats, has three family members in the fray from the Garo Hills region.
NPP candidates and relatives of former Lok Sabha speaker Purno A Sangma are also fighting the polls from four seats in the region.
"For a very long time, former Lok Sabha Speaker (L) Purno A Sangma dominated the election scenario in the state. He was once a mentor for many tribal political leaders, including chief minister Mukul Sangma," political analyst Sumar Sing Sawian told PTI.
P A Sangma's exit from the Congress in 1999 and the subsequent political moves on the national and regional fronts led to the emergence of Mukul Sangma as his successor in the grand old party, he said.
In 2013, along with Mukul Sangma, his wife DD Shira and his brother Zenith Sangma won the election, bagging Mahendraganj and Rangsakona seats.
Both Shira and Zenith Sangma are seeking a re-election from their respective seats.
This year, Zenith's wife Sadhiarani M Sangma is also making her electoral debut from Gambegre seat.
A source close to Mukul Sangma, however, said the CM does not consider election to be a family affair.
"It is not a family affair in here. Each one of us has dedicated time and efforts for uplifting the society," he quoted the CM as saying.
As for Mukul's rivals, the National People's Party (NPP) president Conrad K Sangma, his brother James and their sister Agatha K Sangma, a former Union Minister in the UPA-II government, are also force to reckon with.
Conrad K Sangma, son of P A Sangma, had won the 2016 by-elections from Tura parliamentary seat with a thumping majority after his father's demise. He is currently a sitting MP in Lok Sabha.
His sister is contesting from South Tura constituency while his brother is seeking re-election from Dadenggre seat.
Boston Marak, a cousin of Conrad K Sangma, is also contesting the election on a Garo National Council ticket from Salmanpara seat.
Sanjay A Sangma, Conrad's brother-in-law, is taking on the CM's wife from Mahendraganj.
Dynastic has also made its way to Khasi Jaintia Hills region as several families have entered the fray for the February 27 elections.
The Dhar brothers - whose combine wealth is over Rs 350 crore - are contesting on NPP tickets in the region.
While Ngaitlang Dhar is seeking a re-election from Umroi, his brother, Sniawbhalang, is trying his best to retain Nartiang seat.
Ngaitlang Dhar's 25-year-old son, Dasakhiatbha Lamare, is in the fray from Mawhati seat and Sniawbhalang's brother-in-law, Wailadmiki Shylla, from Jowai constituency in Jaintia Hills region.
The Assembly election will also witness a father and his daughter vying for two seats. Former MLA P M Syiem and his daughter Teilinia Thangkhiew are contesting on Hills State Peoples Democratic Party (HSPDP) ticket from Mawphlang and Mylliem constituencies respectively.
Veteran legislator Rowell Lyngdoh and his son-in-law Sounder Cajee are contesting the fray on NPP tickets from Mawkyrwat and South Shillong constituencies.
Adding to the legacy of family politics, former MLA Donkupar Massar and his wife Grace Mary Kharpuri are also fighting the polls on Peoples Democratic Front(PDF) tickets from Ranikor and Pynursla constituencies respectively.
The counting of votes for the Assembly elections has been scheduled for March 3.
(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Following are the top foreign stories at 1700 hours:
FGN11 SRIDEVI-REPORTS
Necessary reports awaited to start process of repatriating Sridevi's mortal remains: OfficialsDubai: Indian officials and family members of Bollywoood star Sridevi are still waiting the necessary certificates from the Dubai authorities to start the process of repatriating her mortal remains, at least two officials confirm.
FGN4 SRIDEVI-LD BODY
Sridevi's body to reach India by afternoon
Dubai: Veteran actor Sridevis mortal remains will be flown back to India from Dubai today, her family says in a statement.
FGN7 UK-4THLD EXPLOSION
Four dead in UK building blast; Police rules out terror angle
London: A powerful explosion and subsequent fire at a three-storey building killed four people in the English city of Leicester, police say but rule out a terror link to the blast. By Aditi Khanna
FGN8 SAFRICA-INDIAN-LD ARREST
ISIS-linked Indian-origin woman, partner held in SA for abducting UK couple
Johannesburg: A 27-year-old Indian-origin woman and her partner, both allegedly linked to the ISIS terror group, have been arrested and charged with abducting a British couple, according to South African special police unit Hawks. By Fakir Hassen
FGN9 BANGLA-ZIA
Bangladesh court extends bail for Zia until March 13
Dhaka: A court in Bangladesh extends the bail of imprisoned ex-prime minister and main opposition BNP chief Khaleda Zia until March 13 in a graft case, a day after the High Court deferred the judgement on a separate bail plea in a corruption case, media reports say.
FGN10 UN-SYRIA
UN chief calls for Syria ceasefire to be 'immediately implemented'
Geneva: The United Nations secretary-general demands the immediate implementation of 30-day ceasefire in Syria as the Damascus regime continued its deadly bombardment of the rebel-held Eastern Ghouta. (AFP)
FGN12 SYRIA-LD ISIS
Strikes on east Syria's last IS pocket kill 25 civilians
BEIRUT: Air strikes on the last pocket of Islamic State jihadists in eastern Syria have killed at least 25 civilians, including seven children, a monitor says.
(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Reliance Infrastructure Ltd (RInfra) today said it has won an arbitration award of Rs 2.92 billion against the Goa government for non-payment of electricity dues.
It said the need for arbitration arose due to prolonged non-payment of dues by the state government towards supply of electricity by RInfra from its 48 MW Goa Power Plant in Sancoale.
"RInfra has won an arbitration award of Rs 2.92 billion against Government of Goa. The Arbitration Tribunal, in its award on February 16, 2018, has ordered Government of Goa to pay Rs 2.92 billion to Reliance Infrastructure Limited by April 15, 2018," the company said in a statement.
The Tribunal has also ordered payment of interest at 15 per cent per annum on the total award amount if the government fails to pay the entire award amount by the deadline, it said.
The Joint Electricity Regulatory Commission had constituted the Tribunal under the new rules laid down in 2015.
"Starting in January 2016, the proceedings of the tribunal were held for about two years and all pleadings and arguments by both the parties were completed in 12 sittings," it said.
RInfra said the total outstanding, along with interest as on October 31, 2017, amount to Rs 2.78 billion The Tribunal has also awarded interest from October 2017 till the date of the award, which amounts to Rs 140 million
"The contention of RInfra that the rate of energy for the period from June 2013 to August 2014 was based on the varying prices of fuel and dollar exchange rate as was agreed to by the Goa Government, was upheld by the Tribunal," the company said.
A government doctor allegedly committed suicide today by shooting himself with his licenced gun at his residence here, a police official said.
The doctor, K K Uniya, was suffering from throat cancer and posted in Narsinghgarh town of Rajgarh district in Madhya Pradesh, said Koh-e-Fiza police station in-chagre Anil Vajpayee.
The 62-year-old used his licenced gun to kill himself, he said.
Initial investigations revealed the physician had lost his 23-year-old son around four years back. Since then he had been upset and probably took the extreme step because of this reason, Vajpayee said.
Police did not find any suicide note from the spot, he added.
(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Will your vote be safe this year from foreign adversaries working to undermine US democracy? Some of the nation's governors aren't so sure.
State leaders of both parties worried aloud yesterday about the security of America's election systems against possible cyberattacks ahead of this fall's midterm elections, aware that Russian agents targeted more than 20 states little more a year ago, and the Trump administration has taken a mostly hands-off approach to the continued interference.
US intelligence leaders report Russian hackers are already working to undermine this November's elections, which will decide the balance of power in Congress and in statehouses across the nation.
"In my lifetime, I've never seen anything like this. It's scary," Rhode Island Gov. Gina Raimondo, a Democrat, said.
"The biggest concern is when you have a president and an administration that denies the problem and doesn't acknowledge the existence of the problem, it's hard to believe that they're going to be offering any real solutions or funding to make our system more secure."
Election security has been overshadowed by a near-constant string of chaos and controversy out of the White House over the last year. As most of the nation's governors gathered in Washington for a weekend conference, issues like gun violence, Trump's leadership and the economy dominated most hallway conversations.
Yet non-partisan experts and both Democratic and Republican elected officials suggest there is no issue more critical to American democracy than the integrity of the nation's elections, which are facing unprecedented cyberattacks.
The Trump administration has so far done little to help secure the mishmash of 10,000 local voting jurisdictions across the nation that mostly run on obsolete and imperfectly secured technology.
Russian agents targeted election systems in 21 statesim ahead of the 2016 general election, the Department of Homeland Security says, and separately launched a social media blitz aimed at inflaming social tensions and sowing confusion. The search for a solution has been shaped by partisan
While Democratic governors lashed out at the Trump administration for ignoring the threat, some Republicans, such as Kentucky Gov. Matt Bevin insisted the media are overstating the problem. Several other Republicans, however, were openly concerned about outside interference but declined to criticize the Trump administration's inaction.
"There's obviously nothing more important than protecting the mechanism of democracy, and they've shown that they can at least meddle if not directly influence," Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam, who leads the Republican Governors Association, said of Russian hackers.
(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Gujarat Assembly was adjourned for one hour after Independent MLA Jignesh Mevani was prevented from speaking on the death of Dalit activist Bhanubhai Vankar.
Vankar had set himself ablaze outside the Patan collector's office while protesting against the delay in allotting land to a Dalit family. He died of burn injuries on February 16.
Speaker Rajendra Trivedi adjourned the House for an hour when Congress MLAs started shouting slogans against the BJP government after Mevani was prevented from speaking on the issue by Trivedi.
Congress MLA from Patan, Kirit Patel, along with senior party MLA Shailesh Parmar and Mevani, today sought the state government's response on Vankar's death under Rule 116 of the Assembly, which deals with 'matter of urgent public importance'.
In his opening remark, Kirit Patel asked the government to explain the reasons behind a non-functional fire tender deployed outside the Patan Collector's office, which according to Patel, led to the death of Vankar.
In his reply, Minister of State for Home, Pradeepsinh Jadeja, put the onus on the opposition party, as he claimed that the fire tender belonged to Patan municipality, which is ruled by the Congress.
"Since Patan municipality is under the Congress rule, only they can tell us why it failed to work" said Jadeja.
Hitting back, Parmar said the fire tender belonged to the BJP-ruled Mehsana municipality.
Jadeja responded by stating that adequate police personnel as well as fire extinguishers and an ambulance had been deployed outside the Patan collector's office to prevent any incident.
"On duty policemen doused the flames in just 41 seconds. Even two of the policemen received injuries while trying to save Vankar. We have not only registered an FIR as demanded by Dalit activists, we have also suspended two police constables" Jadeja said.
Speaking on the issue, Mevani slammed Chief Minister Vijay Rupani's government, following which, the Speaker ordered that Mevani's mike be turned off.
"We need to go deeper into the issue, as to what forced Vankar to take such an extreme step. After this incident, 50 lakh Dalits in the state have lost faith in the Rupani government" said Mevani.
Before he could make any further comments, the Speaker interrupted Mevani and asked him to stop. When Mevani continued speaking, Trivedi orderd that the mike be turned off.
This led to sloganeering from Congress members and the Speaker adjourned the House for one hour.
When the House met after recess, Mevani raised the issue of compensation to Vankar's family, claiming that no compensation had been given so far.
Responding to Mevani, Deputy Chief Minister Nitin Patel informed the House that a cheque of Rs 4.12 lakh had been handed over to Vankar's wife on February 19. He alleged that Mevani was trying to project himself as a Dalit leader by using this issue.
(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A traders' association led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi's brother has threatened an indefinite strike from March 1 to press for various demands, including higher commission from foodgrain sales.
Prahlad Modi, president of the Gujarat Fair Price Shop Owners' Association, said today that the association had submitted a list of demands to the Gujarat government including a rise in commission from foodgrain sales to bring it at par with states like Rajasthan, Delhi, Maharashtra, Kerala and Goa.
"While the commission given to fair price shop owners in Gujarat is Rs 85 per quintal, it is Rs 200 in Rajasthan and Delhi, Rs 220 in Kerala, Rs 150 in Maharashtra and Rs 230 in Goa. We want parity in commission rates," he said.
"We will go on an indefinite strike from March 1 if the government does not meet our demands by tomorrow. We have given them an ultimatum as the government has failed to meet our demands, several of which we had raised in May last year," he added.
He said that the association wanted the software currently being used to operate the Annapurna Yojana at fair price shops to be replaced as it had glitches.
"The software sometimes fails to read the fingerprint and Aadhaar card details of the beneficiaries, forcing them to return without their monthly quota of subsidised food grains," Modi said.
The association also wants fair price shops to be allowed to sell gas cylinders under the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana, which aims to provide free LPG connections to women from BPL households, he said.
Modi said that shop owners had been deprived of income due to the policy of the Central and state governments to reduce the use of kerosene, and instead supply gas under the Ujjwala Yojana.
Fairprice shop owners also want the government to provide financial assistance for the education of their children, Modi said.
(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Madras High Court today closed an anticipatory bail plea filed by self-styled godman Nithyananda following a complaint after prosecution informed it that no FIR had been registered against him.
Nithyananda, founder of Nithyananda Dhyanapeetam at Bidadi in Bengaluru, apprehended arrest by Salem cyber cell crime police and moved the court.
When the matter came up, the prosecution informed Justice AD Jagadish Chandira that no FIR has been registered against him.
Recording the submission, the judge closed the plea and said if required, the petitioner may appear before the police whenever the necessity arises.
According to Nithyananda, he received a notice from the Cyber Crime cell at Salem asking him to appear before it on February 22 following a complaint from Piyush Sethia alias Manush.
The complaint refers to certain abusive remarks posted on Facebook sent through a mobile phone.
Stating that the names mentioned in the complaint or the mobile number therein were not his or any official numbers that were allocated to any resident of his ashram, Nithyananda submitted that a number of persons came to his ashram daily.
He submitted that it would not be possible to exercise control over "use or abuse" of mobiles of visitors to the ashram.
The petitioner feared that he may be arrested as one of the alleged offences had been registered under Sec. 67 of the Information Technology Act, which was non-bailable.
He claimed that he was innocent and that a case had been foisted against him.
If arrested and sent to jail, he would suffer great humiliation and dishonour in the eyes of the general public, more particularly his followers, for no fault of his, he contended.
(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Vice President Venkaiah Naidu said today that India is the economic hope of the world and the picture is both fascinating and complex.
He said millions of people are working round the clock to keep the wheels of economy running.
"India is the economic hope of the globe and that the picture is both fascinating and complex as our economy is fast expanding," Naidu said.
He was speaking at a function to give away Prime Ministers Shram Awards to 338 workers, according to a statement issued by the Labour Ministry.
"This is the real GDP festival. By this I mean, the Growth Driving Power from among whom the Great Dedicated Persons are being honoured today and these two GDPs are critical for the Gross Domestic Product, the GDP that we are all ultimately concerned with," he said.
On this occasion, Labour and Employment Minister Santosh Kumar Gangwar reiterated that the commitment of the government to protect workers rights and their welfare.
He said the initiatives of Ministry of Labour and Employment directly affect more than 50 per cent of the Indian population whereas indirectly it caters to almost the entire population.
He listed the labour reform initiatives undertaken by his ministry, particularly the Code on Social Security, which proposes to universalise social security cover for all workers.
Minimum Government and Maximum governance was the guiding principle of his ministry in its policy discourse, Gangwar said.
Public Sector workers bagged 232 Awards while 106 Awards were bagged by Private Sector (PRS). Awards were also bagged by group of workmen together. Out of 338 Awardees twenty were Women and two were posthumously awarded.
(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Indonesian Ambassador to India Sidharto Reza Suriyodipuro today called on Governor Banwarilal Purohit and Chief Minister K Palaniswami and discussed strengthening of ties between Tamil Nadu and Indonesia.
According to the official Twitter account of the Indonesian Embassy, the Ambassador accompanied by his wife Dewi R Suryodipuro met Purohit at the Raj Bhavan.
During the meeting, the envoy spoke about the need to work on discovering the closed historical and cultural links between Indonesia and Tamil Nadu through a series of cultural activities in Chennai.
Later, the Ambassador along with his wife and embassy officials called on Chief Minister K Palaniswami at the Secretariat.
During his brief interaction with Palaniswami, the Ambassador explored the opportunities to enhance trade and investments, particularly on coal, palm oil, connectivity and education.
(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Maharashtra Forest Minister Sudhir Mungantiwar has ordered an inquiry into the death of a tiger which apparently succumbed to injuries and starvation.
On February 21, a team of forest officials spotted the tiger near a pond adjacent to village Bhansuli in the district. The next day, they found the tiger was wounded, said Chief Conservator of Forests (Chandrapur Division) Vijay Shelke.
According to Shelke, the feline needed to be tranquillised for treatment for which permission was sought from the Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (Wildlife Warden).
"A proposal was sent to the officials concerned, but the tiger died yesterday," Shelke said, adding, the animal appears to have died due to starvation.
According to a release from the district information office here, Mungantiwar has ordered an inquiry into the big cat's death.
As per the release, Special Executive Officer (Revenue and Forests) Swapnil Deshbhratar has written a letter over the tiger's death.
In the letter addressed to the Principal Chief Conservator of Forests, Nagpur, Deshbhratar has demanded an explanation for laxity on part of the forest officials that resulted in delay in providing treatment to the injured tiger.
The minister, expressing his displeasure over the incident, has demanded an explanation as to why there was a delay in providing treatment to the injured tiger and the exact reason for its death, the release said.
The Principal Chief Conservator has been directed to submit a report to the forest ministry by February 28, it added.
Chandrapur distrct in Vidarbha houses the Tadoba Andhari Tiger Reserve.
(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Leading leather companies from Japan and Italy joined over 70 Indian companies to showcase quality products at three-day International leather fair starting today to give a fillip to potential leather markets of West Bengal and North-Eastern states.
The objective of the fair is to promote leather markets of West Bengal and North-East as part of the Union government's key "Act East Policy".
The International Leather fair and its concurrent event 2nd Tex-Styles India, 2018 is organised by India Trade Promotion Organisation (ITPO), with its headquarter at Pragati Maidan in the New Delhi with support of Indian Leather Products Association (ILPA).
West Bengal minister for Finance, Industry and Commerce Amit Mitra inaugurated the fair at Biswa Bangla Convention Centre, Kolkata, the venue where Bengal Global Business Summit 2018 was held on 16th & 17th January this year.
Counsel General of of Italy Damiano Francovigh and his German counterpart Michael Feiner graced the occasion.
ITPO Executive Director Deepak Kumar, Mukhtarul Amin, Chairman Council for Leather Exports, Adhar Sahni, President Indian Leather Products Association (IIPA) and Ramesh Kumar Juneja, Chairman CLE (Eastern Region) were present in the function.
The aim of the fair is to make the region of West Bengal and North-East a trade and business hub of South-East Asia, a ITPO statement said.
Speaking on the occasion, Amit Mitra said they have already submitted a Rs 350 crore project for Bantala leather cluster that aims to strengthen, modernise and expand the existing Calcutta leather Complex located in eastern fringes of the city.
"We have already sent a proposal to centre with DIPP for co-funding in the Rs 350 crore project. Meanwhile, we are also not waiting but going ahead with some of the components of the project," Mitra said.
He, however, did not reveal about the amount of co-funding the project.
In the past several years, tanners in the Bantala Leather Complex had complained about inadequate infrastructure which was earlier entrusted on the city based Dalmia group.
However, now the state government has the come forward to support the complex and intends to modernise and expand it further as leather sector is one of the key job providers in the state.
"Already, five lakh people are associated with the sector and I hope additional two lakh more employment would be generated once the project is complete," Mitra claimed.
Among the other components in the project include renovating four effluent treatment plants and building another new four such units.
Desilting of a canal, developing 60 acres for new footwear park in the same location.
Mitra said about 300 fresh applications from Kanpur, Chennai and Kolkata expressing interest in setting up new units here.
Currently, Bengal leather and leather products exports account for about USD one billion out of aggregate exports of 8.5 billion in 2016-17, Mitra said.
He expected the export figure to double over the next few years.
IILF and Tex-Styles India would end on February 28.
(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Rendering a Sanskrit invocation song at an event attended by two union ministers in IIT Madras, has generated a controversy as a Tamil one is traditionally sung at state government functions.
The students sung 'Maha Ganapathim Manasa Smarami',penned by late poet Muthuswami Dikshithar as the invocation song soon after arrival of dignitaries for the foundation stone laying ceremony of National Technology Centre for Ports, Waterways and Coasts, to be set up along with IIT Madras.
At government functions in the state, only "Tamil Thaai Vazhthu" (invocation song of mother Tamil), penned by Manomaniam Sundaram Pillai, is played in the beginning and the national anthem towards the end of the events.
Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways, Shipping and Water Resources Nitin Gadkari and Union Minister of State for Finance Pon Radhakrishnan participated at the function.
Director of IIT-M Bhaskar Ramamoorthy, who was also present at the event, said the institution does not issue any directions to students for a particular song to be sung.
"We do not issue any directions to the students. It is they who choose the invocation song and render it on such occasions", he said.
Meanwhile, MDMK Chief Vaiko condemned rendering of the Sanskrit song and said it was not acceptable to 'impose' it at the function. He demanded that stringent action be taken against those responsible for the incident."
"Both Nitin Gadkari and Pon Radhakrishnan, who were at the function, should publicly tender an apology for the incident, as singing of the Tamil invocation song is the usual practice in any government function," he told reporters at Coimbatore.
He alleged that the Centre was trying to impose Sanskrit and Hindi by various means.
(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A 27-year-old Indian-origin woman and her partner, both allegedly linked to the ISIS terror group, have been arrested and charged with abducting a British couple, according to South African special police unit Hawks.
The missing Cape Town couple, whose names have been withheld by authorities, are understood to have been kidnapped while on holiday in near the Bivane Dam in Vryheid, KwaZulu-Natal, on February 12.
Fatima Patel and Safydeen Aslam Del Vecchio also face charges of robbery and theft after they went on a spending spree using the couples credit cards, building up a stash of jewellery, camping equipment and electronic devices which were found at a remote location where an ISIS flag was being flown.
Hawks spokesman Brigadier Hangwani Mulaudzi said that during surveillance of Patel and her partner, operatives had gathered information allegedly linking them to the British couple from Cape Town.
But police declined to provide any further information due to the sensitive nature of the case as the search continues for the couple whose vehicle was found abandoned over 300 kms away from where they were last seen on February 9.
The incident had prompted the British government to issue a travel advisory about possible terrorist attacks on foreign nationals in South Africa.
The weekly Sunday Times, quoting a charge sheet after their court appearance on February 19, reported that Patel and Del Vecchio, 38, also stand accused of hoisting an ISIS flag at a modest homestead in a rural area.
Del Vecchio also faces another terrorism-related charge for allegedly participating in extremist web forums that support ISIS and offering to supply phone numbers and SIM cards that are not traceable.
Yousha Tayob, the lawyer representing Patel and Del Vecchio, confirmed that the pair had appeared in the court and were remanded in custody at Westville Prison in KwaZulu-Natal province.
Patel and her brother Ebrahim Patel were previously arrested at their home in Azaadville in 2016 during police raids that also led to the arrest of Brandon-Lee and Tony-Lee Thulsie, twins accused of planning terrorist attacks at the behest of the Islamic State.
The Patel siblings appeared in court at the time on charges of possession of unlicensed ammunition and explosives. They were released on bail, news24.com reported.
Meanwhile, reacting to the UK government's travel advisory, local Muslim organisations have dismissed this as an "overreaction".
Ebrahim Deen of the Afro-Middle East Centre told the weekly that South African Muslims posed no threat to travellers and that the incident was more related to crime than an ISIS attack.
"Muslims are largely integrated in (South African) society, are not disillusioned and they face little discrimination like in Europe and elsewhere," he said.
Martin Ewi of the Institute for Security Studies said South Africa was regarded as a "logistics base" for terror cells in transit, and is not traditionally a target for attacks, although the arrests of Patel and Del Vecchio confirmed the presence of an active terror cell in South Africa.
"We in the counter-terror fraternity suspected that they were working as members of an active cell, and the kidnapping will confirm the presence of an active IS cell," Ewi said.
Italian luxury kidswear brand Monnalisa is set to enter India later this year with its first outlet in Delhi.
The brand, which is entering India through a franchise route, plans to open its first store by September this year.
"Monnalisa plans to open seven stores in India in top metro cities in the next five years. Monnalisa has inked a pan-India contract with expansion plans in Delhi-NCR, Mumbai, Bangalore, and Kolkata with FranGlobal with total deal size of more than Euro 4 million," FranGlobal CEO Venus Barak told PTI.
FranGlobal is representing the brand and has appointed PING Global Services as the master franchisee for Monnalisa in India. The products will be fully imported and sold in India
"We plan to open first Monnalisa store in Delhi by September this year. Euro 4 million investment will go in setting up stores, inventory and marketing of the brand," PING Global services Director Chitresh Lather said. Lather is also the CEO of PDM University.
Lather said the brand will also tap in the fast growing e-commerce channel to push sales in India.
"We will use both -- our site as well as third party e-commerce sites -- to grow sales," he added.
This is the second attempt of Monnalisa to make inroads in the Indian market. In 2006, it had signed a licence agreement with an Indian company, but the deal did not go through.
Monnalisa is spread across 65 countries and is a leader company in the childrenwear high market segment. It competes with Armani Jr., Burberry etc. They have products that caters infants to teenagers for both boys and girls with average ticket size of Rs 8000-10,000.
(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
In Italy, the fight against measles has moved from the doctor's office to the political battleground. The nation is facing one of its worst epidemics of measles in recent years, reporting a six-fold increase in cases last year that accounted for a quarter of all the cases in Europe. And yet the government's response a new law requiring parents to vaccinate their kids against measles and nine other childhood diseases has become one of the most divisive issues going into March 4 general elections. Public health authorities are incredulous that the small but loud anti-vax movement has gained traction during an entirely preventable measles outbreak, thanks to an election campaign where prominent politicians have questioned the safety of shots and denounced obligatory inoculations. It's just one example of how anti-establishment politics has upended even the most basic facts of life and death in Italy, and how a now-discredited Lancet article that linked autism to the MMR vaccine published 20 years ago this week but subsequently retracted has had lasting impact. "Politics shouldn't enter into questions about health, otherwise we'll start debating using antibiotics for infections," Dr Roberto Ieraci, vaccine coordinator for Rome's district No 1, said between administering shots to his squirmy, tiny patients. "Let's be clear: Vaccines save lives," he said. "They improve quality of life. They diminish health costs, both for the individual and collective." But Italy's mainstream medical community is up against a rising tide of populist, anti-establishment politicians, who have jumped on the vaccine-skepticism bandwagon. Many have criticized the new law spearheaded by the Democratic Party requiring parents to inoculate their children against 10 diseases before they can enroll them in school. "Vaccine yes, obligation no," has become the mantra of Matteo Salvini, leader of the right-wing, euroskeptic League party who is running alongside Silvio Berlusconi's Forza Italia party on the center-right coalition that leads the polls. Salvini has vowed to scrap the law if the center-right wins next week. At an anti-vax rally Saturday in Rome, more than 1,000 people turned out in the rain to denounce the new law and demand "freedom of choice" for their children. They carried banners reading "Science: Doubt it to improve it," and "The risks connected to vaccines are negligible until it happens to your child." "We want to be free to choose ourselves what to do with our children who were born healthy," said Milena Muccioli, a mother of a 1-year-old from the seaside city of Rimini. "We don't want to introduce in their bodies medicines or other things that could damage their body." The law goes into effect next month and noncompliance can result in fines of up to 500 euros (USD615). The law was passed over the objections of both the League and the populist 5-Star Movement, whose founder Beppe Grillo has cast doubt about vaccines, mammograms and parents' obligations to vaccinate, part of his overall distrust of pharmaceutical companies and the health industry. The 5-Stars insist they're not anti-vaccination, just against obliging parents to inoculate. But until recently, their official programme "Vaccinate yes, vaccinate no, Let's have clarity" posed the question of whether to vaccinate. It highlighted possible side effects, said parents had lost faith in science, doctors, pharmaceutical companies and politicians, and called for a reduction in the number of obligatory inoculations. One 5-Star candidate for the northern Veneto region, Sara Cunial, once called vaccines "genocide." So Health Minister Beatrice Lorenzin, architect of the law and leader of a small party in the center-left coalition, has spent most of her campaign time defending it. "Too many vaccines? And who decides, Salvini?" Lorenzin said in Rome, denouncing the anti-vax campaigners and noting that France requires 11 vaccinations. "Let's let mothers and fathers do their jobs, doctors do theirs, and politicians step aside and stop talking about things they don't know." Prior to the new law, parents in Italy were only obliged to vaccinate children against four diseases: diphtheria, tetanus, polio and hepatitis B. But enforcement was uneven and a certain vaccine-skepticism grew, thanks in part to the doubts cast by the Lancet article, since retracted, linking autism to the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine. By 2015, Italy's overall vaccination rate among 2-year-olds fell to 93.4 per cent, well below the 95 per cent threshold set by the World Health Organisation as the minimum benchmark to prevent epidemics. For some individual vaccines like MMR, Italy's inoculation rate in 2015 fell to 85.3 per cent, creating ripe conditions for the epidemic that last year led to 5,006 cases and four deaths. "85.3 per cent is simply not good enough," said Robb Butler, European program manager for WHO's division of vaccine-preventable diseases. "That places Italy in the bottom handful of countries of the 53 in our region." Italy's measles cases were second only to Romania's 5,562 cases, and the two together accounted for half the measles cases in Europe last year. Romania, however, has a large population of Roma, also known as Gypsies, who face discrimination and often can't access health services, which is not the case in Italy, where health care is universal and free, Butler said.
(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti today condemned the killing of two policemen in an attack on police posts in the state.
Two policemen were shot dead by militants yesterday in two separate attacks on police posts, one near the revered Chrar-e-Shareef shrine and another outside the residence of a Hurriyat leader, in the Kashmir Valley, officials said.
The chief minister conveyed her heartfelt sympathies with the bereaved families of the slain constables and prayed for their eternal solace.
A group of militants yesterday fired upon a police post near the shrine of Sufi saint Sheikh Noor-ud-Din Noorani in the Chrar-e-Shareef area in Budgam district, killing a policeman, Kultar Singh.
In the second incident, another policeman, Farooq Ahmed, was killed when militants attacked a police post set up to protect the residence of Hurriyat leader Fazal Haq Qureshi, in Soura area of the summer capital of the state, a police official said.
(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Jammu and Kashmir Governor N N Vohra today reviewed the security situation along the LoC and held discussions with the chiefs of central intelligence agencies here, an official said.
"In the context of recent developments and certain reports received by him, Governor Vohra spent almost whole day with senior echelons in the security apparatus," an official spokesman said here.
The governor received an extensive briefing from General officer Commanding of 15 Corps Lt Gen A K Bhat about the situation along the entire LoC and activities of the various terrorist groups in the hinterland.
"Vohra received similar briefings fromIGP Kashmir S P Pani and IG CRPF Ravideep Singh Sahi," the spokesman said, adding Vohraalso held discussions with the chiefs of central intelligence agencies.
(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Jain Irrigation Systems today said its subsidiary has acquired Belgium-based Innovafood N V and its affiliated firms.
The company, however, did not disclose the deal amount but said no government regulatory approvals are required to complete the transaction.
Jain Farm Fresh Foods Ltd (JFFFL) has acquired 100 per cent stake in Innovafood through its Belgium-based subsidiary, , it said in a regulatory filing.
"We are delighted to be able to make this investment in a very dynamic, growth-oriented company. Innovafood and Jain have enjoyed a very close relationship in the past. We are looking forward to see Innovafood become much larger entity under Jain umbrella," JFFFL Chairman Anil Jain said.
For last 15 years, Jain has been one of our key supplier from India, Innovafoods Founder and CEO Michel Driessens said and added, "Now this relationship has been further strengthened."
Jain Irrigation said that the acquisition aligns with another similar strategic investment in the UK by JFFFL into a similar business covering British Isles seven years with very impressive performance till date.
Innovafood has been exclusive distributor of JFFFL for last 15 years in Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxemburg as well as France markets for some of the key food ingredients supplied.
(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A special address on Islamic heritage and promoting moderation will be a major highlight of Jordanian King's three-day visit here beginning tomorrow during which both sides will look to expand ties in a range of key areas including defence and security.
King Abdullah II bin Al-Hussein, a 41st generation direct descendant of Prophet Muhammad, is known for his global initiative to fight radicalisation and terrorism. He is also the custodian of the Al-Aqsa mosque, the third holiest site in Islam, located in the Old City of Jerusalem.
India considers Jordan an "oasis of stability and harmony" in conflict-ridden West Asia and New Delhi would like to deepen bilateral ties with the country during the King's visit, official sources said, adding both sides will also look to finalise a framework for defence cooperation.
They said the King is particularly appreciative of India's plurality, diversity and the way it has tackled radicalization and extremism, and he is likely delve on this facet.
In a statement, the external affairs ministry said the two sides will discuss the entire gamut of bilateral relations as well as regional and international issues of mutual interest.
The Palestinian issue and ways to deal with terrorism, radicalisation and extremism are likely to figure, apart from key bilateral and regional matters, in talks between the King and Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday, the sources said.
They said PM Modi, diplomats, representatives from Islamic institutions of all denominations, academicians, think-tanks and representatives from across the country are expected to attend the special address by the Jordanian king at Vigyan Bhavan on Thursday.
The topic -- 'Islamic heritage; Promoting Understanding and Moderation' -- has been selected by the king himself, the sources said.
A number of representatives from a number of Arab countries may also attend the lecture.
A translation of a book "A Thinking Person's Guide to Islam -- the Essence of Islam in 12 versus from the Quran" will also be released at the event, being organised by the India Islamic Cultural Centre.
The influential leader's India visit comes nearly three weeks after the prime minister visited Jordan as part of his recent trip to West Asia, including to Palestine. Modi's visit to Jordan was the first bilateral trip by an Indian prime minister in three decades.
"We attach great importance to our ties with Jordan as it is an oasis of stability and harmony in an area of conflict," said a source, reflecting on the significance of the Jordan king's visit.
The sources said both sides are expected to ink a number of agreements to expand cooperation in several key sectors including health care, IT, customs and will look to firm up a framework pact for defence and security cooperation.
They said the King, who had served the Jordanian armed forces, was particularly keen on having defence and security cooperation with India.
In their talks, Modi and the king are also likely to explore ways of deepening trade ties. Twenty textile industries from India have invested around USD 300 million in Jordan.
On Wednesday, the King will visit IIT Delhi to explore collaboration with Jordan technical institutes. During the day, the King will also participate in a CEO Round-table followed by India-Jordan Business Forum being jointly organised by FICCI, CII and ASSOCHAM.
Giving an example of the warmth in ties between the two countries, the sources said the King was travelling abroad and came back to Amman to receive Modi. He received Modi at his residence despite it being a holiday in Jordan.
He had appreciated Modi for undertaking a "stand alone" visit to Palestine through Amman and also for India's strong support to the Palestinian cause.
Asked whether India would like to be part of the negotiation process on the Palestinian issue, the sources said there was "no thinking" to get involved in it.
Jordan's royal helicopters had flown Modi and his delegation from Amman to Ramallah and back during the visit.
The Jordanian King, who will be accompanied by a high-level business delegation, will also call on President Ram Nath Kovind on Thursday and he will host a banquet for the visiting leader.
On whether the issue of 39 missing Indians will be discussed during talks between Modi and the King, sources said it had figured during the prime minister's parleys with Palestinian leadership in his recent trip to Palestine.
About the Kashmir issue, the sources said Jordan has a very neutral position over it since 1970s.
(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A special address on Islamic heritage and promoting moderation will be a major highlight of Jordanian King's three-day visit here beginning tomorrow during which both sides will look to expand ties in a range of key areas including defence and security.
King Abdullah II, a 41st generation direct descendant of Prophet Muhammad, is known for his global initiative to fight radicalisation and terrorism and is also the custodian of the Al-Aqsa mosque, the third holiest site in Islam, located in the Old City of Jerusalem.
India considers Jordan an "oasis of stability and harmony" in conflict-ridden West Asia and New Delhi would like to deepen bilateral ties in diverse areas during the King's visit, officials said, adding both sides will also look to finalise a framework for defence cooperation.
The Palestinian issue, ways to deal with terrorism, radicalisation and extremism are likely to figure, apart from key bilateral and regional matters, in talks between the king and Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday, they said.
The officials said PM Modi, diplomats, representatives from Islamic institutions of all denominations, academicians, think-tanks and representatives from across the country are expected to attend the special address by the Jordanian king at Vigyan Bhavan on Thursday.
The topic -- 'Islamic heritage; Promoting Understanding and Moderation' -- has been selected by the king himself, the sources said.
A number of representatives from a number of Arab countries may also attend the lecture.
A translation of a book "A Thinking Person's Guide to Islam -- the Essence of Islam in 12 versus from the Quran" will also be released at the event, being organised by the India Islamic Cultural Centre.
The influential leader's India visit comes nearly three weeks after the prime minister visited Jordan as part of his recent trip to West Asia, including to Palestine. Modi's visit to Jordan was the first bilateral trip by an Indian prime minister in three decades.
"We attach great importance to our ties with Jordan as it is an oasis of stability and harmony in an area of conflict," said a source, reflecting on the significance of the Jordan king's visit.
The sources said both sides are expected to ink a number of agreements to expand cooperation in several key sectors including health care, IT, customs and will look to firm up a framework pact for defence and security cooperation.
They said the king, who had served the Jordanian armed forces, was particularly keen on having defence and security cooperation with India.
In their talks, Modi and the king are also likely to explore ways of deepening trade ties. Twenty textile industries from India have invested around USD 300 million in Jordan.
Giving an example of the warmth in ties between the two countries, the sources said the king was travelling abroad and came back to Amman to receive Modi. He received Modi at his residence despite it being a holiday in Jordan.
He had appreciated Modi for undertaking a "stand alone" visit to Palestine through Amman and also for India's strong support to the Palestinian cause.
Asked whether India would like to be part of the negotiation process on the Palestinian issue, the sources said there was "no thinking" to get involved in it.
Jordan's royal helicopters had flown Modi and his delegation from Amman to Ramallah and back during the visit.
The Jordanian king, who will be accompanied by a high-level business delegation, will also call on President Ram Nath Kovind on Thursday and he will host a banquet for the visiting leader.
During his stay here, the king will also visit the Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi, to explore collaboration in areas of science and technology, and will address a congregation of industry tycoons.
On whether the issue of 39 missing Indians will be discussed during talks between Modi and the King, sources said it had figured during the prime minister's parleys with Palestinian leadership in his recent trip to Palestine.
About the Kashmir issue, the sources said Jordan has a very neutral position over it since 1970s.
(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A special address on Islamic heritage and promoting moderation will be a highlight of Jordanian King Abdullah II's three-day visit beginning tomorrow.
The king, a 41st generation direct descendant of Prophet Muhammad, is known for his global initiative to fight deradicalisation and terrorism and is also custodian of the Al-Aqsa mosque, the third holiest site in Islam, located in the Old City of Jerusalem.
India considers Jordan an "oasis of stability and harmony" in conflict-ridden West Asia, official sources said.
During the King's visit, both sides will aim to further boost ties in several key areas and look to finalise a framework for defence and security cooperation, they said.
The Palestinian issue, ways to deal with terrorism radicalisation and extremism are likely to figure, apart from key bilateral and regional matters, in talks between the king and Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday, the sources said.
Modi, several senior dignitaries and representatives from leading Islamic institutions from across the country are expected to attend the special address by the Jordanian king at Vigyan Bhavan on Thursday.
The topic -- 'Islamic heritage; Promoting Understanding and Moderation' -- has been selected by the king himself, the sources said.
A translation of a book "A Thinking Person's Guide to Islam -- the Essence of Islam in 12 versus from the Quran" will also be released at the event, being organised by the India Islamic Cultural Centre.
The influential leader's India visit comes nearly three weeks after the prime minister visited Jordan as part of his recent trip to West Asia, including to Palestine. Modi's visit to Jordan was the first bilateral trip by an Indian prime minister in three decades.
"We attach great importance to our ties with Jordan as it is an oasis of stability and harmony in an area of conflict," said a source, reflecting on the significance of the Jordan king's visit.
The sources said both sides are expected to ink a number of agreements to expand cooperation in several key sectors including health care, IT and will look to firm a framework pact for defence and security cooperation.
In their talks, Modi and the king are also likely to explore ways of deepening trade ties. Twenty textile industries from India have invested around USD 300 million in Jordan.
Giving an example of the warmth in ties between the two countries, the sources said the king was travelling abroad and came back to Amman to receive Modi. He received Modi at his residence despite it being a holiday in Jordan.
He had appreciated Modi for undertaking a "stand alone" visit to Palestine through Amman and also for India's strong support to the Palestinian cause.
Jordan's royal helicopters had flown Modi and his delegation from Amman to Ramallah and back during the visit.
The Jordanian king, who will be accompanied by a high-level business delegation, will also call on President Ram Nath Kovind on Thursday and he will host a banquet for the visiting leader.
During his stay here, the king will also visit the Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi, to explore collaboration in areas of science and technology and will address a congregation of industry tycoons.
(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A Delhi court today sent Karti Chidambaram's chartered accountant S Bhaskararaman, arrested in the INX Media money laundering case, to 14-day judicial custody.
Special judge N K Malhotra sent the chartered accountant (CA) to Tihar Jail after he was produced from the custody of the Enforcement Directorate (ED), whose special public prosecutor Nitesh Rana had sought three more days of custodial interrogation.
Bhaskararaman was arrested from a five-star hotel in the heart of the capital on February 16.
Karti's name had cropped up in the case which relates to Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB) approval granted in 2007 for receipt of funds by INX Media when his father and senior Congress leader P Chidambaram was the Union finance minister during the previous UPA regime.
The ED had earlier claimed that during the course of investigation, it was revealed that Bhaskararaman, a qualified CA, had been assisting Karti to manage his "ill-gotten wealth" in India and abroad.
The agency had said the investigation required the presence of Bhaskararaman for collecting vital evidence and other information which was within his special knowledge and exclusive domain.
It had alleged that INX Media had deliberately and in violation of the conditions of the approval made a downstream investment of 26 per cent in the capital of INX News Pvt Ltd without specific approval of FIPB, which included indirect foreign investment by some foreign investors, and generated Rs 305 crore foreign direct investment in INX Media Pvt Ltd against the approved foreign inflow of Rs 4.62 crore.
To wriggle out of the situation without any punitive action, INX Media entered into a criminal conspiracy with Karti, the ED has alleged.
The FIPB unit of the finance ministry had not only granted illegal approval but also misinformed the investigation wing of Income Tax Department, it had alleged.
Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao said today the NDA government's decision of interlinking the Godavari and Cauvery rivers was taken with an eye on the ensuing Karnataka Assembly polls.
He also criticised the Modi government for "neglecting" farmers.
Union Water Resources Minister Nitin Gadkari recently said his ministry has decided to transfer surplus water from the Godavari river to Krishna, to Pennar river (Karnataka) and finally to Cauvery.
Addressing a conference of the mandal level Farmers Coordination Committee here, Rao said his government is all set implement a scheme under which cultivators would get Rs 4,000 per acre as farm input from April.
"They (the Centre) could not clearly spell out our share in the Godavari river. They appoint tribunals for that (for river water sharing). See neighbouring China. They are taking water from the Yangtze river up to Mongolia and North China, about 1,400 km away," he said.
"Have they (the Centre) got tired doing such things? No. Now have they started Godavari-Cauvery interlinking. What is the drama and conspiracy behind that move?
"Karnataka is going for elections. So, drama began. Why the BJP didn't attempt this (Godavari-Cauvery interlinking) soon after they came to power (in 2014)?," the chief minister asked.
The CM questioned why the Union Budget, which was pegged at Rs 24 lakh crore, failed to provide Rs 2 lakh crore exclusively for farmers.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi did not announce additional Rs 2,000 towards minimum support price (MSP) for farmers, he said.
"The way salaries of employees are rising and rates of all goods are increasing, in the same way paddy rates (selling prices from farmers), too, should increase.
"The Centre is completely neglecting farmers. They should not be allowed to rest peacefully," he said, lashing out at the BJP-led government.
He said farmers of the country will benefit only when they unite and fight for their rights. The Telangana farmers would lead such a movement if necessary.
Meanwhile, Rao said his government was mulling to establish food processing units at the mandal level.
He said the Farmers Coordination Committees would see that agriculturists get MSP for their agricultural produce.
"The main motto of these committees is to provide quality seeds and ensure MSP for farm produce. The Telangana government is ready to (financially) help the committees at the state level to ensure their smooth running," he added.
(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The recent killing of a Youth Congress (YC) activist, allegedly by the ruling CPI(M) workers, rocked the Kerala Assembly today, with the opposition UDF members disrupting the proceedings after Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan rejected their demand for a CBI probe into it.
The Congress-led opposition members, who had come to the House wearing black badges to protest the killing of Shuhaib by a gang at Mattannur in Kannur district on February 12, started raising slogans, demanding a CBI probe into the incident, as the proceedings began.
Holding placards, with photos of the mutilated body of the YC activist, they trooped to the Well of the House and placed a banner in front of Speaker P Sreeramakrishnan's podium, forcing an early adjournment of the House.
Earlier, the Question Hour was also suspended following the opposition's protest.
During the Zero Hour, the opposition took up the issue as an adjournment motion and said the family of the slain YC worker had no trust in the ongoing investigation by the state police.
Replying to the notice of the motion, moved by Sunny Joseph (Congress) on the issue, Vijayan rejected the demand for a CBI probe and said the state police was conducting an efficient, impartial and scientific inquiry.
Five persons were already arrested and if any more were involved, they would also be brought to book, the chief minister said, adding that the conspiracy angle would also be probed by invoking section 120(b), IPC (criminal conspiracy).
"The investigation by the state police is going on in the right direction. So, there is no need for a CBI probe," he said.
Stating that Shuhaib's killing was "highly condemnable", the chief minister said it could not be justified in any manner.
He added that the state government was of the view that individual and ideological differences should not lead to violence.
Vijayan also made it clear that the CPI(M)-led LDF government would initiate stringent action against the perpetrators of political violence, whoever they might be.
He also rejected the opposition's allegation that political violence had increased in the state after the LDF government came to power in May, 2016.
Taking a dig at the Congress for claiming that they never indulged in violence, Vijayan listed out various incidents of political violence and killings in Kannur, in which Congress workers were allegedly involved.
Turning the table at senior Congress leader K Sudhakaran, who is staging a hunger strike in Kannur demanding a CBI probe into Shuhaib's killing, Vijayan said he (Sudhakaran) himself was an "instigator of violence" when he was the president of the Congress' Kannur district unit.
However, Leader of Opposition Ramesh Chennithala maintained that the government and police were not sincere in arresting the "real" culprits behind the crime.
Alleging that local CPI(M) leaders in Kannur had a role in Shuhaib's killing, he said not only those directly involved in the crime, but the conspirators should also be brought to book.
The Congress leader wanted to know why the government was shying away from ordering a CBI probe into the case and charged that efforts were on to mislead the police investigation.
The opposition would pursue the legal options if the government did not concede to the demand, he added.
Meanwhile, the fast by senior Congress leader and former MP K Sudhakaran and Youth Congress leader Dean Kuriakose, in Kannur and in front of the Secretariat here respectively, entered the eighth day today.
(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Anirban Lahiri dropped a double bogey on either side of the turn for a three-over 74 card, finishing in Tied-59th place at the Honda Classic, here.
It was his highest score of the week as he finished at nine-over 289, dropping 13 places from his overnight position.
As Justin Thomas won a play-off over Luke List, Tiger Woods was 12th showing that he is slowly but steadily getting into shape to contend.
Lahiri had three birdies, the first of which came on the third. He dropped a double on fifth followed by a bogey on sixth and another on ninth and turned in three over. On the back nine, he birdied 12th, but once again had a bogey and double bogey on back-to-back holes 14th and 15th and not even a birdie on the tough 17th could better his day.
At the top, Thomas beat List on the first extra hole Sunday to win event. Thomas, who rises to No. 3 with this win, nearly holed a wedge that got him into a playoff. In the play off he hit a 3-wood over the water and onto the 18th green for a two-putt birdie for the win.
Thomas and List finished at 8-under 272. It was the seventh playoff in 15 PGA TOUR events this season. Thomas closed with a 2-under 68 and won for the second time this season. He also won in a playoff at the CJ Cup in South Korea last fall.
Thomas and List matched birdies and tough pars over the final eight holes, and List appeared to have a big advantage on the par-5 18th when he hit a big drive that left him a 4-iron he hit onto the back of the green. Thomas was in the left rough and had to lay up instead of taking on the water.
He hit a wedge from 117 yards that landed a few feet in front of the hole and rolled some 6 inches to the side of the cup, settling 2 feet away.
List, going for his first PGA TOUR victory, erred first in the playoff by missing his drive well to the right amid palm trees. He blasted that out left and against the grandstand, and then watched Thomas take on the water and hit the green in two.
Thomas tapped in a 4-footer for is birdie and the eighth win of his career. He is now No. 1 in the FedExCup standings.
Alex Noren was tied for the lead playing the 18th and caught an awkward lie from the side of a bunker. He made par for a 67 and finished one shot behind.
Thomas five bogeys were second-fewest in the field and he also made one double-bogey.
Three years ago, Thomas had something like nine penalty drops in 36 holes while missing the cut. He finished third here in 2016, but missed the cut again last year.
(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A large number of terrorists are waiting at launching pads across the Line of Control (LoC) to crossover into Indian territory in Kashmir and ceasefire violations by Pakistan are also an attempt to push infiltrators according to inputs received by security forces, a top Army commander said here today.
"We have inputs of many infiltrators waiting at the launching pads and we think infiltration will start sooner this year because of less snow. But we are taking counter measures. One reason for the firing can be this (to push infiltrators). Whenever there is firing by Pakistan, it is certain there is an attempt to push infiltrators. The same thing happened in Kupwara and Tangdhar," general officer commanding of the Srinagar-based Chinar Corps, Lt Gen A K Bhatt, told reporters on the sidelines of a passing out parade at the Jammu and Kashmir Light Infantry Centre here.
The militants waiting across the LoC were in groups of 30-40 at many places from Lepa valley to Mandal area, near 161 brigade, Rampur, and other areas, he said.
Asked about reports of announcements made by Pakistan asking villagers to evacuate, Lt Gen Bhatt said they were not for the villagers on this side of the LoC. They advised a few of the villages there to vacate for safety reasons and my input is that those villages have also not vacated completely, he said.
"The cease fire violations, initiated by Pakistan, have been appropriately responded to. But I would also like to tell you it is more of a local affair where due to their actions we have reacted at specific places. We do not intend to open the entire front. Our only thing is that we will retaliate if Pakistan indulges in any aggressive action or pushes infiltrators across," he said.
An attempt by a Border Action Team (BAT) of Pakistan to sneak in Kupwara was foiled and such attempts will always be dealt in the same manner, he emphasised.
On the use of heavy artillery along the LoC in Uri sector, the Army commander said specific situations determine the kind of artillery used.
Referring to the killing of two policemen in separate attacks yesterday, Lt Gen Bhatt said militants were looking for easy targets.
"Firstly, my condolences to the two brave policemen we lost yesterday. Any loss of life is a loss to us. You know, they would look at the easiest target they can find and these are small posts where security personnel are less in number. But, we will take all actions to ensure that they are appropriately taken care of," he said.
He said the security forces would continue to target the militant leadership and there is complete synergy and coordination between all the agencies.
On the Shopian firing incident, the Army commander said forces do not fire until extreme provocations.
"The matter is sub judice and I will not go into details. But, the basic thing I want to tell you is that our jawans will not fire till extreme provocation and till there is no danger to life and property. If our jawans fired that day, it was because the situation was such. There were apprehensions of lynching and loss of life and property. I want to tell you that we have never opened fire on civilians and we will never do so," he said.
On local youth joining militancy, Lt Gen Bhatt said the youth should join armed forces and other jobs to strengthen the country. My primary aim is to ensure that there is peace and prosperity in Kashmir. My primary focus will be to carry out people friendly operations so that Kashmir, which is moving towards mainstream, continues doing so, he said.
(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya today expressed confidence that the BJP would sweep the March 11 bypolls to the Gorakhpur and Phulpur Lok Sabha seats.
The bypolls were necessitated after Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and Maurya vacated the Gorakhpur and Phulpur seats respectively, following their election to the Uttar Pradesh Legislative Council.
"The lotus (BJP's poll symbol) will bloom in both the seats. I have no doubt about this. The very fact that people are talking mostly about the BJP's winning margin is itself an indicator that the party is going to win.
"You can be rest assured that we are going to improve our margin in both the seats," Maurya told PTI in an interview here today.
Taking a jibe at the opposition, he said, "As soon as the bye-elections were announced, the opposition parties started discussing the victory margin. This is a clear indication that the lotus will bloom in Gorakhpur and Phulpur."
The deputy chief minister, a former president of the state BJP, said as far as the vote-share was concerned, "60 per cent is ours and the rest is for the others to share".
On whether he wanted one of his family members to contest from Phulpur, Maurya said, "Party workers, owing to their affection towards me, floated the idea that someone from my family should contest the bypolls.
"However, I am a kaaryakarta-waadi (workers-centric) person, and not a parivaar-waadi (believer in dynastic politics). I am a member of the BJP's big family."
Referring to the BJP's winning show in the 2014 general election and 2017 Uttar Pradesh Assembly polls, he expressed confidence that the "lotus will bloom in 2018 (bypolls) and it will lay a strong foundation for the 2019 Lok Sabha election".
The bye-elections are expected to witness a triangular contest between the ruling BJP, the Samajwadi Party (SP) and the Congress.
The saffron party has fielded Kaushalendra Singh Patel from Phulpur and Upendra Dutt Shukla from Gorakhpur against the SP's Pravin Nishad and Nagendra Pratap Singh Patel respectively.
Sureetha Kareem is the Congress candidate from Gorakhpur. The party has fielded Manish Mishra from Phulpur.
"Voters are very clear as regards which party can usher in development, provide jobs, ensure safety and a robust law-and-order situation in the state. They know that it is the BJP, which is a pro-poor political party, is working to ensure that the benefits of development reach the last person, and also that it can take a tough stand against corruption," Maurya said.
For the BJP, Gorakhpur is significant as it is the bastion of the chief minister, who has represented the seat in the Lok Sabha five times. Prior to Adityanath, the seat was thrice represented in Parliament by his mentor Avaidyanath.
Phulpur, on the other hand, was once the bastion of the Congress and represented by India's first prime minister, Jawaharlal Nehru. It had, for the first time, witnessed a saffron surge in the 2014 Lok Sabha election, when Maurya won the seat.
Voting for the bypolls will be held on March 11 and the results will be declared on March 14.
(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Madras High Court today dismissed a PIL petition seeking to restrain a section of government teachers from resorting to protest in the city, pressing for their demands, without obtaining permission from the competent authority.
The First Bench comprising Chief Justice Indira Banerjee and Justice Abdul Quddhose dismissed the petition by S Sirgeth Naina Mohamed.
It observed that the teachers should be role models for students and should also realise their responsibilities and act accordingly.
Noting that the Court cannot interfere if the agitation was held in their office premises or in private places, the bench hoped that the Joint Action Council of Teachers Organisations and Government Employees Organisations (JACTO-GEO) will not hold any protest causing inconvenience to the public.
Referring to their February 21 protest, the petitioner submitted that normal life was affected in Chennai.
Alleging that the common man was put to hardship due to the stir, the petitioner prayed for a direction to forebear JACTO-GEO from resorting to illegal strike without getting permission from the Commissioner of Police, Chennai.
JACTO-GEO members went on an indefinite strike in September last year to press for their demands, including restoration of the old pension scheme.
(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Supreme Court has termed as "unfortunate" that in a number of cases, magistrates across India are not guided by concrete precedents set by it in exercising caution while applying their judicious mind.
Talking about the maxim that justice should not only be done, but should manifestly and undoubtedly be seen to be done, the top court said the magistrates are expected to apply their independent mind while taking cognisance of a matter and such a view, should be reflected in the order.
A bench of Justices N V Ramana and S Abdul Nazeer termed it as "unfortunate" that a number of cases which are brought before the top court, reflect otherwise.
"We may note that the magistrates across India have been guided on a number of occasions by concrete precedents of this Court to exercise utmost caution while applying their judicious mind in this regard. Unfortunately, we may note that number of cases which are brought before us reflect otherwise," it said.
"It is wrought in our constitutional tradition that we imbibe both substantive fairness as well as procedural fairness under our criminal justice system, ... in the making of decisions which affect rights, interests and legitimate expectations, subject only to the clear manifestation of a contrary statutory intention," the bench said.
The bench set aside the order of Madhya Pradesh high court on a land dispute by which it had set aside the order of a magistrate saying that cognisance should not have been taken of the complaint in violation of law.
After setting aside the order of high court, the top court remanded the matter back to the lower court for adjudicating the issue afresh.
The case related to a fraud and forgery complaint filed by a man under various provisions of IPC and SC/ST Act with a first class judicial magistrate at Gwalior in Madhya Pradesh alleging that a piece of land was falsely mutated and threats were extended to belittle his caste.
The magistrate on April 21, 2012 dismissed the criminal complaint on the ground that there was no sufficient evidence on record to prove that the complainant belonged to Scheduled Caste or Scheduled Tribe and the dispute between the parties was of civil nature.
The magistrate's order was challenged in the Sessions Court which on December 7, 2012, set aside the magisterial order and held that the man belonged to the scheduled caste community and the facts indicated that the land was transferred in an illegal manner. The sessions court had then remanded the matter back to trial court for further enquiry.
When the matter was remanded back, the magistrate on January 23, 2013, took cognisance and lodged the complaint.
However, the high court on July 8, 2014, quashed the order of cognisance passed by the magistrate and the Sessions Court order of remanding back the matter to trial court.
After perusing the order, the top court said "the observations made by the Sessions Court were only a justification for a remand and the same did not amount to taking cognisance. In view of the above, the High Court clearly misconstrued the Sessions Court order and proceeded on an erroneous footing," it said.
(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The upcoming budget of Maharashtra will indicate whether the ruling BJP wants to hold the state assembly polls along with the Lok Sabha elections, a senior Congress leader has said.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP have been pressing for holding simultaneous polls to Lok Sabha and state assemblies to help save time and the country's resources.
Several opposition parties are against the idea saying holding the polls simultaneously was not realistic in the present situation.
Leader of Opposition in the Maharashtra assembly, Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil, today said the Congress would closely monitor the state budget, to be presented next week, to ascertain the BJP's intentions about simultaneous polls.
"This (Maharashtra) budget will indicate the intentions of the BJP on whether the general and the assembly polls will be held jointly or separately. We are closely watching what's going to be in the budget," he told PTI.
Another Congress leader said if the state budget offers a lot of sops and concessions, it would naturally mean that the BJP is keen on contesting the elections to the Maharashtra assembly along with the Lok Sabha polls.
A leader of the opposition NCP said technically, the Lok Sabha and the assembly polls can be advanced or postponed by six months.
"The BJP is trying to use it to hold the Maharashtra elections along with the general polls to gain maximum out of it," he claimed.
If voters have a soft corner for the BJP in the Lok Sabha elections, a similar sentiment can be helpful in the assembly polls as well, if both are held together, he noted.
The BJP may be pointing at the expenses and waste of time in holding separate elections, but in reality, it is a political decision, the NCP leader added.
The country's general elections are due in the first half of 2019, while the term of the present Maharashtra assembly will end in the second half of next year.
Maharashtra has 48 Lok Sabha and 288 assembly seats.
(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A 24-year-old man was arrested for allegedly siphoning off money from bank accounts through e-wallets by getting credit and debit card details from unsuspecting victims, Delhi police said today.
Gaurav Sharma was arrested by police on the complaint of a woman, from Noida, said Chinmoy Biswal, DCP (south).
In her complaint, the Lajpat Nagar resident alleged that Rs 19,576 were transferred in two unauthorised transactions from her ICICI bank account to two e-wallets, on January 11.
She stated that the transactions were made after she received a call from her bank's corporate office in Mumbai.
An FIR was registered in Lajpat Nagar on her complaint.
A police team probing the case zeroed down on the suspect's IP address used for the unauthorised transfer of the amount into the e-wallets.
Further, identity of the suspect was confirmed from his digital profiling and intelligence gathering, he said.
A raid was conducted at the residence of the accused in Sadarpur Colony, Sector-45 of Noida on February 21. He was found at his home. He admitted his guilt when confronted by the police.
In a search of the premises of the accused, 55 mobile phone SIM cards, 22 empty packets of mobile SIM cards, five mobile phones, two WiFi routers, eight credit/debit cards, six passbooks and eleven chequebooks and other incriminating material were seized, Biswal said.
"Details collected from concerned bank accounts so far has revealed the credit entries of suspected transaction aggregating more than Rs 75 lakhs. More information are being collected from various agencies and banks," he said.
The accused named his younger brother Saurav Sharma as a co-accused in the offence.
"The duo had developed the skill to call the targeted victims by posing as bank executives and in getting the one time password (OTP) from them which used to be generated by them by initiating the transfer to e-wallets created on different mobile phones.
"In many cases Gaurav Sharma admitted they even successful in replacing the registered mobile number of the customer in the bank database with their own mobile number and generate OTP to e-wallet and do the transaction," the officer said.
Search for co-accused Saurav and their associates is on. Efforts are underway to determine the number of victims, he added.
(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A 25-year-old man was stabbed to death while his wife was injured when the couple tried to catch pickpockets near Pragati Maidan here, police said today.
The incident occurred on Sunday evening and three accused have been arrested, a senior police officer said.
The deceased, identified as Amarjeet, was returning back to his home in outer Delhi's Nilothi along with his family including wife Manju.
They boarded a bus and the mobile phone of the deceased was taken out by a pick pocket as it reached near Pragati Maidan.
Police said Amarjeet and his wife Manju followed the pickpocket. They managed to catch two of the four pickpockets who had boarded the bus.
The pickpockets tried to escape by knifing the couple who had caught hold of them. Amarjeet was stabbed in the chest while his wife was slashed in the arm, police said.
A crowd gathered as people saw the couple struggling with the pickpockets. Police also reached there and two pickpockets were caught, said the officer.
Injured Amarjeet and his wife were rushed to RML hospital where he succumbed to his wounds early this morning, the officer said. Manju was said to be out of danger.
The duo arrested were identified as Suraj, 20, and Sumit, 25, while their associate Ajit , 24, was later caught from Shahdara. Efforts were being made to nab the fourth accused.
(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A terrorist was today killed after his accomplices lobbed a hand grenade at a police station in Jammu and Kashmir's Pulwama district in a bid to free him, police said.
Hizbul Mujahideen militant Mushtaq Ahmad Chopan, who was killed in the attack, tried to escape from Tral police station wearing a burqa. In the incident constable Mehraj Din was also injured, a police spokesman said.
The incident took place at 12:30 pm. The terrorist hurled the grenade when Chopan was near the main gate of the police station, he said.
"At 12:30 pm, Hizbul Mujahideen militant Mushtaq Chopan tried to escape from the police station wearing a burqa.
"When he was near the main gate, someone from outside lobbed a grenade as a part of the planned conspiracy to divert the attention (of police personnel) so that he could escape conveniently," the spokesman said.
The grenade exploded inside the police station, near Chopan, resulting in his death, he said.
The spokesman said that a magisterial enquiry has been initiated under Sec 176 CrPC. "The circumstances under which he was escaping are being looked into," he said.
Chopan was arrested from Baramulla district's Sopore area, but his custody was transferred recently to the police station in connection with a militancy-related case, he said.
"A terrorist Mushtaq Ahmad Chopan died in grenade explosion when challenged by sentry while trying to escape from Police Station Tral," Director General of Police SP Vaid said in a tweet.
This is the third attack on the police in the past 24 hours.
Two policemen were killed in separate attacks by militants in the Chrar-e-Sharief area of Budgam district and the Soura area of the city yesterday.
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Creating independent telecom network or 'netcos' would be key to connecting the unconnected, GSMA Chairman said on Monday, but admitted to "levels of resistance" among those who see owning networks as their competitive edge.
He also cautioned against wasting billions of dollars on building parallel, subscale networks and said India's experiment with having a dozen telecom operators had gone "completely wrong" and the market is consolidating to four players.
"...if you can bring an independent 'netco', which is again like a tower or a submarine cable consortium where no one person has influence, I think you will be able to cover the last billion, which is struggling to be covered," Mittal said addressing the keynote at Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2018.
He was responding to a question on whether or not his concept of 'netcos' which could be run by a third parties, independent of the telecom companies, was gaining any ground.
Mittal said that while "progress" had been made in terms of the industry coming together for submarine cable and tower infrastructure consortiums, telecom networks are still perceived as a competitive advantage.
"Yesterday, a very significant player in the industry... a CEO of a large company... said I still want my network advantage and if I have a common network, where is my advantage? I still feel that there are levels of resistance...," he said.
Mittal, who also heads India's largest telecom company Bharti Airtel, noted however that the concept is now being "discussed" and he will continue to push the agenda in his role as GSMA (GSM Association) Chairman.
"People have to come together and form common networks and out of that you bring bells and whistles to serve customers. I would still like to push that as one of the agendas as the chairman... I mentioned it last year. I won't say we have made great progress but the topic is being discussed now," he added.
Mittal also emphasised the importance of consolidation saying billions of dollars could not be "wasted" on building parallel and subscale networks.
"In India, where we have experimented with a dozen operators... I think we had gone, completely gone wrong... has now finally come down to four operators or will do so in the next few months," he said.
Mittal added: "Consolidation in this industry is important. You cannot waste billions of dollars...we are spending far too much money building parallel, subscale networks".
The combination of 5G and new-age technologies like Artificial Intelligence and Internet of Things (IoT) will pave the way for applications that are currently only in the realm of science fiction, he noted.
Mittal further said the advent of 5G had marked a fundamental shift and that coming generations will be "amazed" and how societies lived or even thrived before technologies such as Artificial Intelligence (AI), Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR), came up.
"Coming in of 5G makes that generational, transformational and fundamental shift in how societies have lived prior and post 5G. Future generations, to my mind, when they look back, will be amazed at how societies lived much less thrived with not having networks and associated technologies like AI, AR, VR and Internet of Things (IoT)," said Mittal.
Highlighting the use of big data in healthcare reforms, climate change, environment and other areas, he said Big Data and technology interventions are being harnessed to solve "critical world problems".
"I am optimistic, the human mind is such that they will keep finding solutions to problems that are thrown at us," he said.
Madhya Pradesh Governor Anandiben Patel said today the state has been at the forefront in implementing the flagship schemes of the Modi government and is committed to establishing social harmony.
In her address to the assembly on the opening day of the budget session, she said the state has been recognised by the Centre for its achievements in the agriculture sector.
The Governor, whose address was marred by slogan shouting and remarks by the opposition Congress MLAs, listed the various achievements of the BJP government.
This would be the last budget session of the assembly in Madhya Pradesh, where polls are due by the year-end.
"My government undertook 'Ekatm Yatra' in all the districts of state to strengthen social harmony and cultural unity of the country," Patel said.
The yatra was part of the government's plan to install a 108-feel tall statue of Adi Shankaracharya, a renowned philosopher and theologian, at Omkareshwar in Khandwa district, the Governor said.
"The state has been leading in implementing the flagship schemes launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi," she said.
She said the state created awareness about sanitation, environment and river conservation during its 144-day long Namami Devi Narmade Yatra.
The government has signed MoUs with organisations like the Art of Living (Bengaluru), Initiatives of Change (Pune) and Isha Foundation (Coimbatore) for holding "Anand Shivir" (happiness camps) in the state, Patel said.
Patel said the government has reduced the value added tax (VAT) on diesel from 27 per cent to 22 per and on petrol from 31 per cent to 28 per cent.
Highlighting the government's agriculture schemes, including the newly launched 'Bhavantar' and increase in irrigation capacity, Patel said Madhya Pradesh received 'Krishi Karman Award' from the Centre for five successive times for agri production.
Under the Prime Minister's Awas Yojana, the state has set a target to construct 10 lakh houses by 2022, she said, adding all the urban areas in the state have been declared open defecation free.
Patel said the government is in the process of setting up seven new medical colleges - at Ratlam, Khandwa, Vidisha, Shahdol, Datia, Shivpuri and Chhindwara.
The Congress members made repeated remarks during her speech and shouted slogans when the Governor mentioned about issues related to farmers and no new liquor shop opening in the state in the last seven years.
The main opposition demanded a farm loan waiver and said the VAT on petrol was still high.
"Despite the reduction, the VAT on petrol and diesel is the highest in Madhya Pradesh in the country," said Bala Bachchan, Deputy Leader of Opposition.
The government has also imposed a cess of Re 1 per litre on petroleum products, he said.
Bachchan said the Congress wants these products to be brought under the ambit of the Goods and Services Tax (GST).
The opposition members displayed a placard in the House demanding loan waiver for farmers.
Earlier, Speaker Sitasharan Sharma said the Governor would read out select parts of her speech and not the full text.
Leader of Opposition Ajay Singh said the government's achievements were "a bundle of lies" and criticised the Governor's "lacklustre" speech.
(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Madhya Pradesh assembly's budget session began today with Governor Anandiben Patel's address, even as the opposition Congress demanded waiver of farmers' loans and criticised the high VAT on petrol.
Patel mentioned in her address that the state government has reduced the value added tax (VAT) on diesel from 27 per cent to 22 per and that on petrol from 31 per cent to 28 per cent.
However, the Congress members, including Mukesh Nayak, Sunderlal Tiwari, Dr Govind Singh, Bala Bachchan and Jitu Patwari, protested over it.
"Despite the reduction, the VAT on petrol and diesel is the highest in Madhya Pradesh across the country," said Bachchan, who is the Deputy Leader of Opposition in the state assembly.
The government has also imposed a cess of Re one per litre on petroleum products, he pointed out.
He said the Congress wants these products to be brought under the ambit of the Goods and Services Tax (GST).
When Patel highlighted the government's achievements in the agriculture sector, specially getting the 'Krishi Karman Award' for maximum agriculture production in the country, the opposition members raised the farmers' concerns and demanded that their crop loans be waived off.
They also displayed a placard in the House demanding loan waiver for farmers.
When the governor said that the government has not opened any new liquor shop in the state, the Congress members again raised their concerns over the issue but their words were inaudible amid the noise.
Earlier, assembly Speaker Dr Sitasharan Sharma mentioned in the House that Governor Patel would only read out some select parts of her speech and not the full text.
In her address, Patel highlighted the state government's various welfare schemes, including for crop insurance, the 'Bhavantar' scheme for farmers, encouragement given to cashless transactions in various sectors and the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan.
Leader of Opposition in the assembly, Ajay Singh, alleged that the government's achievements were "a bundle of lies" and criticised the governor's "lacklustre" speech.
On the governor not reading out her complete address, Singh said, "It is not a good tradition."
"Even the ruling party members are not happy with it, leave alone the opposition," he claimed.
Earlier Singh, state Congress president Arun Yadav and party MLA Jitu Patwari led a cycle march from Peer Gate to Vidhan Sabha in support of various farmers' demands and the government's alleged apathy towards them.
Patwari had yesterday launched the cycle march from Indore and arrived in the state capital last evening.
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A special tribunal in Pakistan will resume on March 8 the hearing of treason case against former military dictator Pervez Musharraf for imposing emergency rule in the country in 2007.
Musharraf, 74, who left the country for Dubai in March 2016 , was declared a proclaimed absconder by the court in May 2016. The court also asked the government to confiscate his properties, including a farm house in suburbs of capital Islamabad.
The former president was indicted in March, 2014 on treason charges for imposing emergency in the country which led to the confinement of a number of superior court judges in their houses and sacking of over 100 judges.
A three-member bench headed by Peshawar High Court Chief Justice Yahyah Afridi will now resume the hearing in the case.
During the last hearing in the case, the court ordered the Interior Ministry to reverify Musharrafs properties and provide details of his current assets and bank transactions.
The court, during the proceedings, had also expressed dissatisfaction over the details of the former dictator's properties, saying that the details are only up till 2008.
A conviction for high treason carries the death penalty or life imprisonment.
An official said that the decision to resume the hearing was taken after Musharrafs wife and daughter approached the court about the attachment of his properties.
His family members asked the court to release their share in the property which is not entirely owned by Musharraf.
The court while fixing the date for hearing also asked Musharraf to appear before it and ordered authorities to provide fool proof security to him.
Musharraf ruled Pakistan from 1999 to 2008. He is wanted in Pakistan in several criminal cases including in the killing of former prime minister Benazir Bhutto.
It is not sure if he would return to face the case on March 8. In May 2017, he conveyed to the court that he was ready to come back and face the high treason case if he was provided armys protection and allowed to return to Dubai after hearing.
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The House of the BJP-led North Delhi Municipal Corporation (NDMC) today passed a resolution condemning the alleged assault on Chief Secretary Anshu Prakash by some AAP MLAs and sought Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's resignation.
Prakash was allegedly assaulted by a few AAP lawmakers during a meeting at Kejriwal's residence recently.
"This House of the NDMC strongly condemns the assault on Chief Secretary Anshu Prakash on the night of February 19, by AAP MLAs," Leader of House in NDMC, Jayender Dabas said.
The resolution passed by the House, also read, it demands Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and his deputy Manish Sisodia resign from their posts and tender public apology for the incident.
Since the alleged attack on the chief secretary, officers have not been attending meetings of the chief minister and his cabinet colleagues, and also demanded that Kejriwal apologise for the incident.
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Indian officials and family members of Bollywoood star Sridevi are still waiting the necessary certificates from the Dubai authorities to start the process of repatriating her mortal remains, at least two officials today confirmed.
Sridevi, 54, died late Saturday night reportedly due to a cardiac arrest in Dubai, where she had gone to attend the wedding of her nephew Mohit Marwah.
"We need forensic certificate, death certificate and embalming certificate before the process of embalming the body begins. Unless these processes are completed, we will not be in a position to give a firm time for the repatriation of the body," an official from the Consulate General of India told PTI here.
According to him, things cannot proceed further until the Dubai authorities hand over all the reports.
"We have been transparent since yesterday that we are waiting for the aforesaid clearances and things cannot proceed further until that happens," the official said.
Meanwhile, the Gulf quoted sources as saying that the Dubai Police have released the forensic report on Sridevi's death to her family and the Indian Consulate representative.
Uncertainty over when the body would arrive in Mumbai and the many questions surrounding her sudden death in Dubai intensified as the day progressed.
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Senior Congress leader P Chidambaram today said it is time to amend the Armed Forces Special (Powers) Act now in force in Jammu and Kashmir and other places.
"There is a need to amend the AFSPA if you cannot repeal it. The law and order should be entrusted to the Jammu and Kashmir police and not on the paramilitary forces," Chidambaram, former union minister, said at a programme here.
The act gives the security forces special rights and immunity in carrying out various operations in disturbed areas. There has been a long-standing demand from various quarters in J&K and the Northeast to withdraw it.
Chidambaram, also chairman of the panel on home affairs in the RS, said the presence of paramilitary forces in the northern state should be stepped down drastically and this would lower the graph of violence there.
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Bollywood actor Sridevi died of accidental drowning in her hotel bathtub after losing consciousness, the Dubai government said today, giving a dramatic twist to her sudden death that has stunned legions of fans and industry colleagues.
There could be a further delay in Sridevi's body being brought back to India, with the Dubai police informing the Indian Embassy that another "clearance" was awaited before the body could be released.
Indian envoy to the UAE Navdeep Suri told PTI the embassy had been informed that the Dubai police could only release the body after another "clearance". He, however, did not say what type of a clearance was awaited.
"It is their internal process. We do not know," he said.
The Dubai government said in a tweet the police had transferred the case to the "Dubai Public Prosecution" which will carry out regular legal procedures followed in such cases.
"Following the completion of post mortem analysis, Dubai police headquarters today stated that the death of the Indian actress Sridevi occurred due to drowning in her hotel apartment's bathtub following loss of consciousness," the Dubai government's media office said on Twitter.
The body was likely to be embalmed tomorrow at noon (Dubai time), Dubai-based newspaper Khaleej Times reported.
The delay in the release of the body and the latest report of the accidental drowning have added new layers to the mystery surrounding Sridevi's death at the age of 54.
It is not clear what caused the actor to lose consciousness, and whether the initial report of her death due to cardiac arrest still holds.
The of her death, first reported at around 3 a.m. IST on Sunday, sent shock waves across the country with those who knew her at a loss to explain how the star, who was present at several wedding functions in Dubai last week, could suddenly breathe her last.
Her family has not commented beyond their initial statement yesterday to announce the death, and has requested the media not to contact them as they grapple with the tragedy.
Sridevi is survived by her husband, film-maker Boney Kapoor, and two daughters, Jhanvi and Khushi.
Dubai-based Gulf said in a report the actor was under the influence of alcohol. She fell into the bathtub and drowned, it added.
However, this could not be independently confirmed.
Gulf also attached a copy of the UAE government's forensic report on its Twitter handle. The report, citing accidental drowning as the cause of death, has a stamp of the "Ministry of Health UAE" and the director of preventive medicine, Dubai, Dr Sami Wadie.
The report mentioned the actor's full name, Sreedevi Boney Kapoor Ayyappan, her passport number, date of the incident (February 24, 2018) and the cause of death.
"The investigation is still going on to determine the circumstances surrounding the accident as the forensic report only says that she drowned, Gulf News quoted an official as saying.
Sridevi was in Dubai for a family wedding and had stayed back after the ceremonies.
Her husband had flown back to Mumbai with their younger daughter Khushi, but returned to Dubai to surprise her, according to Khaleej Times.
He was reportedly in the room when Sridevi went to the bathroom before getting ready for dinner, according to daily. It said Kapoor discovered her unconscious in the bathtub filled with water. She was taken to a hospital where she was declared dead on arrival.
Sridevi, who started acting at the age of four, ruled Bollywood in the 1980s and 1990s with her electrifying presence, expressive eyes, comic timing and dance moves.
The mystique around her, heightened by her guarded nature, continued to persist even after she took a 15-year-long break from films.
She was a fashion icon for many, who closely followed her sartorial choices on social media, a platform she was active on.
Just two days before her death, Sridevi's Instagram pages were full of pictures from the wedding celebrations where she was seen in a green Manish Malhotra lehnga, happily posing with daughter Khushi and the newlyweds, nephew Mohit and Antara Marwah.
In a video from the wedding, which has since gone viral and is thought to be her last appearance at a party, Sridevi is seen dancing to the Bollywood song 'Kaala Chashma'. When Boney Kapoor joins her on the dance floor, the two hug each other.
In Mumbai today, many Bollywood celebrities visited the home of actor Anil Kapoor, Boney Kapoor's brother. Sridevi's two daughters are staying at the house.
Among those who visited to condole Sridevi's death were Farah Khan, Farhan Akhtar, Tabu, Saroj Khan, Rekha, Rani Mukerji, Karan Johar, Manish Malhotra, Aumpam Kher, Shekhar Kapur, Ranveer Singh and Deepika Padukone.
Sridevi, who acted in scores of Tamil, Telugu and Malayalam films before striking it big in Bollywood, made her debut appearance as a heroine in Solva Sawan in 1979. But it was Himmatwala in 1983 that catapulted her to stardom.
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Three NGOs working for the welfare of Dalit women in the country have recommended training sessions for police and pubic officials for a better understanding of the Scheduled Castes and Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.
The NGOs -- Sisters For Chnage, National Dalit Movement for Justice and Dalit Shree Sakthi -- have prepared a report on crimes against Dalit women in India.
The report was released by Delhi's Social Welfare Minister Rajendra Pal Gautam at the "National Convention on Violence Against Dalit Women" today.
"Violence against Dalit women is a social mechanism aimed at maintaining their subordination to reduce their capacity to participate in society and restrict their rights," the report read.
The NGOs called for dedicated training on the the Scheduled Castes and Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act to "ensure that all police and public officials understand the scope of the Act and their duties under it in terms of timely probe, prosecution and payment of compensation".
Director generals of police and district magistrates should work together to increase the number of convictions for crimes of sexual violence against Dalit women and girl children, the NGOs suggested in the report.
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A plea alleging encroachments on the Sikanderpur natural drain in Gurgaon has prompted the National Green tribunal to seek responses from the state government and others.
bench headed by Justice Raghuvendra S Rathore issued notices to Haryana government, Municipal Corporation of Gurugram (MCG) and the Haryana Urban Development Authority (HUDA) and sought their replies in three weeks.
Issue Notice to the respondents. Notice made returnable within three weeks," the plea said.
The tribunal was hearing a plea filed by filed by RTI activist Harinder Dhingra who has claimed that there were large-scale encroachments around the natural drain which starts from Sikanderpur Ghosi to the metro Line in Sikanderpur resulting in water-logging during every monsoon.
The petitioner said that Haryana government has permitted transfer stations, processing facility and landfill site on the said drain.
"Permitting such a facility at the said land would further deteriorate and destroy the said drain. The said processing facility and landfill site which is proposed to be built on Khasra number 482 does not have mandatory No Objection Certificate from Haryana State Pollution Control Board," the plea said.
The plea, filed through advocate Ayush Arora, has sought appointment of a committee of expert members to investigate the role of respondent organisations' officers behind the alleged illegal encroachments on Sikanderpur Ghosi natural rainwater drain.
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The programme has not undergone any fundamental change, a senior US diplomat said today, seeking to allay the apprehension among Indians that amendments to it would harm their interest.
There is no change in the processing of H-1B visas from the (US) Consulate (in Mumbai), USA' Mumbai-based Consul General Edgard D Kagan told reporters.
"There is a sense in India that the changes in H-1B can have a big impact in India. We understand that and we have heard that message from the Indian government and recognized that it is important here," he said.
"We would ask Indians to recognize that this is not about India and it is not about US-India relationship. This is about a broader policy that affects countries around the world from American perspective and therefore it is very important to get it right," he added.
The H1-B visa is a non-immigrant visa that allows US companies to employ foreign workers in speciality occupations that require theoretical or technical expertise.
The Trump administration last week announced a new policy that makes very tough the procedure of issuing H-1B visas to those to be employed at one or more third-party work sites, a move that will hugely impact Indian IT companies and their employees.
Under the new policy, a company would have to go the extra mile to prove that its H-1B employee at a third-party worksite has specific and non-qualifying speculative assignments in a speciality occupation.
"Clearly, India is the largest single beneficiary of the programme. But I think when Indians look at H-1B and look at the changes of the programme they believe this is about US- India relationship. But I can assure you from an American perspective that is not the case," Kagan said.
The American Consul General was responding to a query regarding concerns over changes in the programme.
"There is a misconception about H-1B programme. People in India believe that H1B programme is about India. For America, it is a global programme. So H-1Bs are not just for Indians, it is a programme accessible and open to people from around the world," the diplomat said.
He said the H-1B programme in the US is viewed as a global programme and the concerns are about making it sure that the companies do not abuse people who receive H-1B visas.
"So tightening of some of the procedures to make sure the people who receive the H-1B visas are being treated as they are supposed to by the companies. And also making it sure the programme is working as it was intended to work," Kagan said.
"To be fair, we have always looked very closely and made sure that there is no fraud and that the people meet the right qualification for the H-1B.
"There have been adjustments on how the programme is implemented and designed to ensure that there is no fraud and abuse in US. But what media has focused is on changes having to do with how the petitioning process has been handled in the US.
"However,we are not having details about it as we do not handle it at the consulate. But the continuing goal of the programme is that it works as it was designed to address the real needs in the US," the Consul General said.
Not giving reasonable opportunity to the authorities to discharge their function would amount to judicial overreach, the Delhi High Court said today.
In an emergent situation, it was open to a socially committed citizen to approach the court in public interest without waiting for the executive to act, but in other cases, reasonable time should be granted to the executive to act on the grievance of a person before he knocks the doors of the court, a high court bench said.
"Assumption, by a writ court, of a function which statutorily vests in the executive, without allowing the executive a reasonable opportunity to discharge the same, would result in judicial overreach, which can be perilously counter-productive in the long run, bound, as it is, to instill in the authorities concerned, a sense of complacency," the bench of Acting Chief Justice Gita Mittal and Justice C Hari Shankar said.
The order came as the court disposed of a public interest litigation (PIL) by Delhi resident Ajay Gautam, seeking a ban on the use of photos of persons holding constitutional posts, including the President and the Prime Minister, in private advertisements.
The bench, however, said the cause espoused by him merited consideration but did not have such urgency as would justify cognisance by the court when the Press Council of India (PCI) is already seized of the matter.
The petitioner had arrayed a national daily as a party to the petition and alleged that newspapers or broadcast agencies had offended the standards of journalistic ethics.
The bench, however, said it was not inclined to pass any directions on the grievances against the newspaper as the matter was pending before the PCI.
"We hope and trust, however, that the PCI would dispose of the said proceedings as expeditiously as possible, keeping in view the grievances urged by the petitioner and bearing in mind the purpose and import of the Press Council of India Act and the Emblems and Names (Prevention of Improper Use) Act, 1950," it said.
Regarding the petitioner's grievance against Reliance Industries Ltd (RIL) which had issued an advertisement of its product 'JIO' by using the name and photograph of the Prime Minister, the court said it would not be proper to pass any direction as he had not approached any competent authority and the RIL was not made a party.
Central government standing counsel Anil Soni had told the court that as a matter of policy, the government does not prefer to interfere with the working of the media and Norms of Journalists Conduct have been issued by the PCI which empower it to take cognisance of any infraction of these norms by the media.
Citing various newspaper advertisements of private companies, Gautam in his plea had said the use of pictures of the President, the Prime Minister, Governors and Chief Ministers in classified advertisements misguided the public at large.
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The lawyers of Orissa High Court today decided to continue their ongoing cease-work and relay hunger strike till March 5.
The high court's Chief Justice Vineet Saran, who is on leave now, is likely to join on March 5.
"The general body of the High Court Bar Association met here and unanimously resolved to continue the agitation till March 5. We will decide on further action after meeting the chief justice," Association secretary Satyabrata Mohanty said.
The lawyers are boycotting courts since February 12 and are on relay hunger strike from February 19 demanding filling up of judges' positions lying vacant in the High Court.
More than 40 percent of the posts are now vacant and there have been no appointments here since May 2015.
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The opposition parties today boycotted Governor C Vidyasagar Rao's joint address to the Maharashtra legislature on the opening day of its budget session, as they could not listen to the Marathi translation of his speech.
The angry opposition members then walked out of the Central Hall in protest.
Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis later apologised over the incident and demanded strict action against those responsible for the lapse.
As soon as the governor started his address in English, the members put on their headphones but could not listen to the Marathi translation due to technical glitches.
The opposition members were seen complaining that they were unable to hear the Marathi translation of the governor's speech.
They then shouted slogans, charging the government with insulting the Marathi language.
Even BJP members Ashish Shelar and Raj Purohit were seen objecting to the absence of the Marathi translation of the governor's address. They were joined by the Shiv Sena legislators as well.
State Education Minister Vinod Tawde, who is also in-charge of the Marathi language department, then went to the translation room and read out the Marathi translation of the governor's address.
As the opposition members were still shouting slogans, Fadnavis and Purohit told them that the translation of the speech could now be heard.
But the opposition members were in no mood to listen and staged a walkout.
Later, when the Assembly convened for the month-long budget session, Leader of Opposition Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil condemned the "insult" to the Marathi language.
He demanded that the responsibility be fixed and action taken against those responsible for the glaring lapse.
Taking a dig at the Shiv Sena, he said the members of the party quietly sat through, despite the insult to the Marathi language.
"The Centre has already declined to grant 'abhijat' (classical) language status to Marathi and now the language is being insulted in such a manner," he alleged.
Fadnavis condemned the incident as well.
"This is serious and condemnable. I demand strict action against those responsible for this lapse. Even though this is in the legislature's domain, on behalf of the government, I apologise," he said.
Speaker Haribhau Bagde said the matter would be investigated and action would be taken accordingly.
Congress leader Prithviraj Chavan said the chief minister could not wash his hands off the incident saying the matter was in the legislature's domain.
"The parliamentary affairs minister should take the responsibility," he said.
In his 40-minute speech, Rao said the government had a vision to catapult the state into a one trillion dollar economy by 2025.
This will be achieved by accelerating the growth in sectors such as agriculture, textile and tourism, he added.
Later, senior NCP MLA Ajit Pawar told reporters outside the House that when the governor started his address, he had put on his headphones to listen to the Marathi translation.
"I waited for 10-15 minutes but all I could hear was the speech in English. There was no one to translate it.
"We walked out of the House in protest. This is unacceptable that the Maharashtra government is insulting the 12 crore Marathi people," he said.
Pawar wondered why the Shiv Sena members remained silent and did not protest the insult to the Marathi language.
"I saw some Shiv Sena legislators standing in protest but they later sat down. The party always talks about Shivaji Maharaj and 'Marathi manoos' (Marathi people), but today they kept silent on the insult of Marathi language," he said.
Leader of Opposition in the state legislative council, Dhananjay Munde claimed that the governor's speech was heard in Gujarati, instead of Marathi.
"The speech was heard in Gujarati and not in Marathi. The government's approach towards the Marathi language is disappointing," he said.
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The Gujarat government today admitted in the Assembly that over 5.37 lakh youth were registered with employment offices across the state, while just over 12,000 got government jobs in the last two years.
Responding to queries during the Question Hour on employment, Labour and Employment minister, Dilip Thakor, said that data made available by district employment offices showed that 5.37 lakh unemployed persons were registered with it as on December 31, 2017.
He also informed the House that over 7.43 lakh persons got jobs, private as well as government ones, in 2016 and 2017. Of these, 12,869 managed to land government jobs while over 7.30 lakh were placed in the private sector, he said.
District-wise data tabled in the House showed that Ahmedabad topped in the number of unemployed youth as well as those who got jobs.
While over 62,000 unemployed persons were registered in Ahmedabad as on December 2017, over 99,000 also got employment in the last two years.
The data revealed that no one from Navsari, Panchmahal and Kheda districts landed a government job. On the other hand, Narmada, Banaskantha and Gandhinagar districts provided 2,576, 1,611 and 1,460 government jobs respectively in the last two years, it stated.
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The Hindu community in Pakistan's Khyber Pakthunkhwa is protesting against the planned oath taking ceremony of a member of the provincial assembly accused of murdering a Sikh lawmaker.
Baldev Kumar, who is in jail in the murder case of Sikh lawmaker Sardar Soran Singh, was to be produced in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly today.
Speaker Khyber Pakthunkhwa (KP) Assembly Asad Qaisar today withdrew the Assembly Secretariat letter dated February 23 regarding production order of Kumar in the assembly today. Now he will take oath tomorrow.
Coordinator KP chif minister on Minorities Ravi Kumar described the oath taking of Kumar as a sad day for the minorities of the province.
Haroon Sarab Diyal, the leader of Hindu community in the province, said that the Hindus would protest if he was administered oath.
Singh, a lawmaker from Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party, was shot dead in April 2016 in Buner district of the province. Singh was elected to the provincial assembly on a minority seat.
His son Ajay yesterday appealed the provincial government not to bring the killer of his father in the provincial assembly for obtaining his vote for PTI Senate candidate in the upcoming Senate elections due for March 3.
Kumar, the second in the list of Tehreek-e-Insaf party's candidates for a reserved seat for minorities, has been facing a trial in the case.
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Pakistan will develop a strategy to avoid being put on a global terror financing watchlist, the finance minister said today, after China and Saudi Arabia deserted Islamabad over the issue at a recent meeting in Paris.
Members of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), an anti money-laundering watchdog based in the French capital, voted last week to place Pakistan on its grey list of nations which are not doing enough to combat terror financing in June, a diplomatic source told AFP.
That gives Pakistan three months to make enough changes to avoid being listed, which could hamper some foreign investment and further strain relations with Washington, where officials have put increasing pressure on Pakistan over its alleged support for militant safe havens.
"We will start meeting on the issue of FATF after March 1 to see what can we do on this and what strategy we can devise," finance minister Rana Afzal Khan told AFP, adding that Pakistan has not yet received a list of actions it needs to implement.
Observers are doubtful that Pakistan can meet the requirements in time, however.
The move, which was not announced in FATF's statement at the close of the six-day meeting, came after members had initially been unable to reach a consensus, with Turkey, China and Saudi Arabia holding out, the diplomatic source said.
That saw Pakistani foreign minister Khawaja Asif confidently tweet last week that Pakistan had avoided being grey-listed.
But amid a flurry of diplomatic activity a second vote was held, with the US convincing Riyadh to change its vote and Beijing staying silent, the source said.
The decision is a diplomatic blow to Islamabad's relationship with its "all-weather" friend China, which has invested billions in the country's infrastructure, and Saudi Arabia, to which Pakistan sent some 1,000 troops earlier this month.
"It shows that the people who are concerned about terror financing are pretty broad," the diplomatic source told AFP.
Pakistan was previously on the list from 2012 until 2015.
Two diplomatic sources in Islamabad told AFP it was targeted again this year over its lack of action against Hafiz Saeed, the alleged mastermind of the 2008 Mumbai attacks, and his charity Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD).
JuD is believed to be a front for Lashkar-e-Taiba, the militant group blamed for the Mumbai attacks, which killed 166 people and brought Islamabad and Delhi to the brink of nuclear war.
Saeed, who operates freely in Pakistan, has denied involvement.
This month Pakistan began seizing JuD assets and quietly amended its anti-terror laws to bring them in line with the UN, a move observers said was in anticipation of the FATF decision.
Rumours of the move have rattled officials and businesses across Pakistan.
But there should be "no major impact" to the economy, said Yaseen Anwar, the former central bank governor who help get the country off the list three years ago.
FATF is an inter-governmental body established in 1989 to help combat money-laundering and financing for extremists.
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A group of people today assaulted a pastor and those accompanying him in Bihar's West Champaran district after alleging that he was indulging in religious conversion, the police said.
The pastor and his companions had left for Bettiah from Bagaha in the district in a bus to participate in a special prayer meeting at the Protestant church James Saint Paul's here, Superintendent of Police Jayant Kant said.
After it reached the bus stand here, a person in the vehicle attacked the pastor claiming he converts people. The accused also rang up others asking them to reach the bus stand, the police said.
These people too assaulted the pastor and his men, Kant said adding the police reached the spot and brought the situation under control.
However, the attackers managed to flee.
An FIR has been registered and further action would be initiated if the pastor or anyone of his group registers a complaint, the police officer said, adding those involved in the attack would not be spared.
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Eminent Australian cinematographer Tom Cowan says India and Canada are some of the countries where watching films is not a mere pastime, but it is a passion.
The 75-year-old filmmaker recalled the time when he had come to India to shoot for 1970 Kannada film, "Samskara".
He said he was thrilled to see people waiting eagerly to watch the next movie, especially because film industry was largely non-existent in his home country.
"India was a much more developed industry when it comes to films in that time. Such intensive production. It was interesting for me to be in a country where people were dying to see the next film. That wasn't the case with Australia. We weren't making anything.
"I was enthralled with Canada, where people were just waiting for another film. They might have made good films at the time. They were pretty terrible but they were entertaining the people," Cowan said at a Q&A session today at the ongoing Bengaluru International Film Festival.
Cowan was here to deliver Dadasaheb Phalke Award Winner - V K Murthy Memorial Lecture.
This year marks the 50th year of the making of "Samskara", directed by Pattabhirama Reddy on which Cowan worked as the principal cinematographer.
The film was based on UA Ananthamurthy's novel of the same name.
"Samskara" was a path-breaking movie, which is said to have kick-started the parallel cinema movement in Kannada film industry.
The movie, which won the National Film Award for best feature film in 1970, was initially banned by the Madras Censor Board as its strong anti-caste undertones were feared to spark tensions among the masses.
Cowan said one needs to tell a story that comes from the heart and not worry about the genre.
"We never get tired of a good story," he added.
The DOP said his expertise in the craft was an added advantage for him when he went back home to work in Australian cinema.
"I have been very lucky. Whatever money I had earned back home, it was due to the work I had done overseas. And when the industry started in Australia, I had an advantage of having worked in films in England, India, America, Canada, etc. I was in demand. I got a lot of work," he said.
Cowan said the best method to avoid ego on the sets of a film is to first control one's own.
He said it is important for the DOP to be calm as he/she is the "leader of the technical crew"
"Cinematographers should not forget that they are employed to serve the interests of the director, not their own," Cowan said.
"Best way to control the egos on the sets of a film is to try and control your own. Because if you get upset and start arguing, it shows inexperience and lack of confidence. You are, to some extent, a leader... A leader of the technical crew. So you have to show by example," he added
Cowan has also worked as a director on seven films. His 1972 film "The Office Picnic" was screened at the 8th Moscow International Film Festival.
Borrowing from his experience as a director, he added, "Communication is only other thing that you can do. A lot of the ego (hassles) are also because people are worried about their next job.
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Prime Minister Narendra Modi will launch the National Nutrition Mission (NNM) in Jhunjhunu in Rajasthan on March 8, the International Women's Day, according to a government official.
In December last year, the Cabinet approved the NNM with a budget of Rs 9,046.17 till 2020, and the government aims make the benefit of this mission reach 10 crore people.
The mission has a target to reduce under-nutrition and low birth weight by 2 per cent each per annum.
It also aims to bring down anaemia among young children, women and adolescent girls by 3 per cent per year until 2020 as well as strive to reduce the prevalence of stunting from the current level of 38.4 per cent (according to the National Family Health Survey 4) to 25 per cent by 2022.
The International Bank of Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) or another multilateral development bank will contribute 50 per cent of the total budgetary allocation. The rest will be shared between the states and the Centre in 60:40 ratio.
The total contribution of the Centre will be Rs 2,849.54 crore and nearly Rs 1,700 crore will be contributed by the state governments.
Fund allocation for National Nutrition Mission in the Union Budget for the next fiscal has seen a threefold increase from Rs 950 crore last year to Rs 3,000 crore.
The prime minister will also be inaugurating the pan-India expansion of Beti Bachao Beti Padhao programme, up from the existing 161 districts to 640 districts in the country.
Last year, the cabinet had okayed focused multi-sectoral action under the BBBP programme in 405 districts and advocacy and media campaign in all 640 districts.
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Nepal's newly-elected Prime Minister K P Sharma Oli today inducted four new ministers, increasing the strength of his cabinet to seven.
President Bidya Devi Bhandari administered the oath of office and secrecy to the newly appointed ministers at Sheetal Niwas in Kathmandu.
Oli appointed Ishwar Pokharel (CPN-UML) as Defense Minister, Dr Yubaraj Khatiwada (CPN-UML) as Finance Minister, Ram Bahadur Thapa (CPN-Maoist Centre) as Home Minister and Matrika Yadav (CPN-Maoist Centre) as Minister for Industry, Commerce and Supplies.
Khatiwada, a former governor of Nepal's Central Bank, should be the federal parliament member within six months after being appointed as the minister.
After his appointment as Prime Minister early this month, Oli had formed a small Cabinet by appointing Lal Babu Pandit as Minister for Population and Environment and Tham Maya Thapa as Minister for Women Children and Social Welfare.
This time, no one has been made Deputy Prime Minister.
Earlier, there were speculation that Pokharel from UML and Thapa from Maoist Centre would get the portfolio of deputy Prime Minister.
In the next round of expansion, ministers from other parties such as Federal Socialist Party are expected to include in the cabinet.
The Left alliance of the CPN-UML, led by Oli, and CPN-Maoist Centre, led by Prachanda, had in December secured 174 seats in the 275-member Parliament in the historic provincial and parliamentary polls that many hope will bring much-needed political stability to the Himalayan nation.
It had also secured an overwhelming majority in the upper house of Parliament with 39 out of the 59 seats.
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Prime Minister Narendra Modi feels that the just concluded UP Investors Summit was "better" than the first such event organised by the Gujarat government in 2003, according to UP Governor Ram Naik.
"I asked the prime minister to share his thoughts on the UP Investors Summit after the inaugural ceremony. He said - To be honest, this summit has become better than Gujarat's (Vibrant Gujarat 2003) and Uttar Pradesh's fortunes will change," Naik said at an interaction here last night.
"Prime Minster Narendra Modi acknowledged that the Uttar Pradesh Investors Summit was better than the first such event organised by the Gujarat government in 2003," he added.
The UP Investors Summit got a very good response. For several years, not much was done as far as development of industries in the state is concerned, but things have started changing under the BJP governments at the Centre and in the state, Naik said.
"Business tycoons including Mukesh Ambani, Kumar Mangalam Birla and Gautam Adani attended the UP summit and signed 1,085 MoUs with the promise of bringing investment of over Rs 4.28 lakh crore in the state," Naik said.
If these projects are implemented successfully, it will lead to creation of 40 lakh new jobs, he said.
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Gitanjali Gems, embroiled in the Rs 11,400 crore PNB loan scam, today said Independent Director Anil Umesh Haldipur has resigned from its board citing personal reasons.
He is the second independent director to quit the company's board after the alleged fraud surfaced this month.
Already, two top level executives -- compliance officer Pankhuri Warange and Chief Financial Officer (CFO) Chandrakant Karkare -- have resigned.
In a regulatory filing, Gitanjali Gems submitted Haldipur's resignation letter dated February 14, 2018.
In the letter, Haldipur said: "Last month, my wife has undergone a major spine operation at Pune. The post operation recovery is not up to the expected level. This has resulted in restrictions on my movement. Hence travelling for board meetings at Mumbai will be very difficult for me in future.
"Taking this factor into consideration I would like to step down as an independent director with immediate effect from the board and other companies," he said.
During his tenure as an independent director, Haldipur said he received some legal notices from lawyers as well as a senior civil judge in connection with the dues from the company.
"You are aware as an independent director, I don't have a role to play in the internal working of the company and the company will take proper steps to resolve these matter," he added.
On February 14, Punjab National Bank (PNB) disclosed that it detected some fraudulent transactions with financial implication of about Rs 11,400 crore and the matter has been referred to law enforcement agencies for recovery.
While billionaire jewellery designer Nirav Modi, the alleged perpetrator of this fraud, is not directly linked to any listed company, his relative and business associate Mehul Choksi's Gitanjali Gems is a listed firm.
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The CBI has sought from the Chief Vigilance Officers of five the details of financial transactions in the nostro accounts of Punjab National Bank on the basis of 293 fraudulent Letters of Undertaking (LoUs) issued by it to jewellers Nirav Modi and Mehul Choksi, officials said on Tuesday.
The agency has also collected documents related to Nirav Modi from Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas, a leading law firm, at the start of the investigation, they said.
During the course of the searches after registering the FIR against Nirav Modi, the CBI felt that some files could be with the law firm, officials said, adding a team went to the office of the firm early this month and collected those documents.
The agency on Tuesday questioned three General Managers of the Punjab National Bank(PNB) who have handled the -International Banking Division and Treasury department of the bank, officials said without revealing their identity.
The General Managers handling these departments get daily reports of the transactions taking place in the nostro accounts of the bank, they said.
The CBI has written to Canara Bank, Bank of India, State Bank of India, Allahabad Bank and Axis Bank seeking financial transactions into the nostro accounts of the Punjab National Bank on the basis of the LoUs, they said.
The overseas branches of these in Antwerp, Frankfurt, Mauritius, Hong Kong and Bahrain had credited over Rs 114 billion into the nostro account of Punjab National Bank on the basis of the guarantees (LoUs) given by to Modi and Choksi, they said.
The agency has now written to the vigilance officers seeking details of these transactions to unearth the money trail of Rs 114 billion.
A nostro account refers to an account that a bank holds in a foreign currency in another bank overseas to enable foreign trade by its clients.
The agency is trying to figure out the circumstances in which transactions to the tune of Rs 114 billion, almost nine times the profit of the PNB reported in 2016-17, went unnoticed by the chain of officials in the public sector bank, they said.
The CBI also continued questioning of Executive Director of the bank K V Brahmaji Rao for the third day on Tuesday.
Rao, who started his career in banking 35 years ago as a probationary officer in Vijaya Bank, handled among other assignments the Mumbai zone of the bank where the crime was allegedly detected, they said.
Meanwhile, the agency has so far issued over 10 Look Out Circulars against senior executives of the companies of Nirav Modi and Mehul Choksi to restrict their movement, they said.
The circular alerts all ports of entry to restrict the movement of the person against whom the notice has been issued and report any such attempt to the issuing agency. The circular may seek detention of the accused at the port of entry too.
The top brass of the agency has now issued clear instructions to the investigation teams to complete the probe in the cases of bank fraud in timely manner.
The instructions have been issued after reports that in some cases the agency waited too long before filing the FIRs.
"CBI Director Alok Kumar Verma has directed the officers in-charge of these investigations to take all necessary steps to ensure that the bank fraud cases are concluded with a given time frame. He asked the officers not to spare anyone found involved in these scams," CBI Spokesperson Abhishek Dayal said.
One of the biggest financial scams of the country surfaced when company officials of billionaire jewellers Nirav Modi and Mehul Choksi approached the PNBs Brady House branch, Mumbai, in January this year seeking LoUs in favour of their companies for payments to their suppliers.
The official handling the case sought 100% cash guarantee before it could be issued to which the company officials said no such guarantee was sought in the past.
The official checked the records which did not show past LoUs to their companies which led to suspicion.
It is alleged that an official of the bank Gokulnath Shetty (now retired), for the last seven years, was bypassing core banking system of the bank and issuing LoUs fraudulently.
The LoU is a guarantee which is given by an issuing bank to Indian having branches abroad to grant a short-term credit to the applicant.
In case of default, the bank issuing the LoU has to pay the liability to credit giving bank along with accruing interest.
Shetty and another bank employee Manoj Kharat allegedly sent messages of these LoUs using an international messaging system for banking systems called SWIFT (Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication) which is used to pass instructions among banks globally to transfer funds but the messages were not updated in bank's internal software thus evading scrutiny, CBI has alleged.
Six officials of the bank including Shetty (now retired) and Kharat and a GM-ranked officer are in CBI custody for allowing fraudulent issuance of the LoUs to the companies of Modi and Choksi, they said.
(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A 26-year-old woman, wife of a police officer posted in the chief minister's security, today died allegedly after receiving a bullet injury at her residence here, police said.
Inquest proceedings have been initiated into the death of Neha Basson, who succumbed to bullet injuries at Government Medical College hospital, a police officer told PTI.
It appeared the woman had received the bullet injury from her husband's service revolver, he said. The woman's husband, Inspector Vivek Basson, who is posted in CM security, he added.
Information was received that a young woman was hit by a bullet at her residence near Ustad Mohalla in the heart of the city this afternoon and was rushed to GMC hospital by her relatives, a police officer said.
It was not immediately clear how the woman received the bullet injury, he said. The autopsy of the deceased is being conducted at the hospital and the body would be handed over to legal heirs later, the officer said.
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The body of a policewoman was found on rail tracks here today, a senior GRP official said.
The woman, Pratiksha Shinde (26), was a constable attached to the Local Arms Unit of the Mumbai police and originally hailed from Solapur, he said.
Her body was found on the tracks between Sion and Kurla stations on the Central Railway line at around 1.20 pm, the official said.
Prima-facie, it appears Shinde was knocked down by an express train while crossing the tracks, he said.
However, police are probing her death from all angles and not ruling out suicide, the official said.
The Kurla GRP has registered an accidental death case, he added.
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The Supreme Court has asked the National Legal Services Authority (NALSA) to look into the issue of overcrowding of prisons and furnish figures before it regarding the population in the jails where occupancy was over 150 per cent as on December 31 last year.
A three-judge bench headed by Justice Madan B Lokur also asked an advocate, who is assisting the court as an amicus curiae in the matter, to look into the issue of rehabilitation and welfare of women prisoners as well as their children, including the aspect of education of such kids.
The bench, which also comprised Justices Kurian Joseph and Deepak Gupta, asked NALSA Director Surinder S Rathi to ascertain through the member secretaries of the state legal services authorities, the number of vacant posts lying in major prisons in all states and union territories.
"For the time being, we request Surinder Rathi, Director, NALSA to look into the issue of overcrowding as highlighted by the amicus and furnish figures of the population in the jails where occupancy is more than 150 per cent as on December 31, 2017," the bench said.
The apex court said the issues related to standard operating procedure for Under Trial Review Committees (UTRCs) and responses received from states and union territories on open jails would be dealt by it on the next date of hearing on March 27.
A UTRC, set up in every district, deliberates and recommends the release of undertrial prisoners and convicts who have undergone their sentences or are entitled to be released from jail due to bail or remission granted to them.
Semi-open prisons or open prisons allow convicts to work outside the jail premises and earn a livelihood and return in the evening. The concept was brought in to assimilate the convicts with the society and reduce their psychological pressure as they faced lack of confidence in leading normal lives outside.
The top court is hearing a matter relating to inhuman conditions prevailing in 1,382 prisons across the country.
It had earlier expressed shock at the large number of people languishing in jails in "complete violation" of their rights despite recommendations for their release by the legal services authority and had termed the situation as unacceptable.
In September last year, the apex court had also passed an order on the issue of custodial deaths and said this was a crime and such incidents indicated the "apparent disdain" of the state to the life and liberty of prisoners.
It had also passed a slew of directions over unnatural deaths and on prison reforms across India.
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Ahead of Season 6 of the Pro Kabaddi League (PKL), the popular leagues organisers and the All India Kabaddi Federation have decided to conduct a pan-India talent hunt covering 18 cities to unearth new players ahead of the auctions.
The joint initiative of PKL organisers, Mashal Sports, and AKF commenced here today. This would be followed by the scouting for talent in the cities of Chennai, Coimbatore, Nagpur, Thrissur, Chandigarh, Bengaluru, New Delhi, Lucknow, Vishakhapatnam, Patna, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Indore, Imphal, Jaipur, Bhubaneshwar and Ahmedabad, said a media release here.
The cities have been chosen based on expert assessment of kabaddi talent spotted in local tournaments held there in the past, the release said.
The phase one of the "Future Kabaddi Heroes" programme would be conducted over 2-3 days per city.
Last year a similar programme received a response from over 4,600 participants and post a three-stage selection process, 133 players finally made it to the players auction pool, the release stated.
This year five new cities - Imphal, Thrissur, Bhubaneshwar, Ahmedabad and Patna have been included in consultation with the AKFI and state kabaddi associations, the release added.
Former India skipper Anup Kumar welcomed the initiative, wishing such a programme had existed during his younger days.
"I personally see the Future Kabaddi Heroes programme as an ideal platform that will take young aspirants much closer to their dream of playing professional kabaddi.
"It is an ideal opportunity for deserving candidates, who lack access and the support system, to demonstrate their potential and eventually have the chance to be recognised in the VIVO Pro Kabaddi League," Kumar said.
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Profits from 12 major ports in the country was expected to touch Rs 70 billion this year, up from Rs 30 billion in 2014, Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways and Shipping Nitin Gadkari said here today.
"The first year, when I took charge as Minister (in 2014) profits from these ports was Rs 30 billion. Next year, it was Rs 40 billion. Third year, it was Rs 50 billion. This year, we are expecting profits upto Rs 70 billion".
He noted that the role of all ports was very important as it creates a lot of jobs and boosts the economy.
He made the comments after unveiling a plaque commemerating the foundation stone laying ceremony of National Technology Centre for Ports, Waterways and Coasts in collaboration with IIT Madras.
Gadkari said the ministry expects Rs 15 trillion investments under the ambitious 'Sagarmala' infrastructure development programme.
"Abour Rs four lakh crore investment we are expecting to be made in road connectivity, port-rail connectivity, modernisation and mechanisation of ports. Already, work worth Rs 2.80 trillion" has commenced, he said.
Under this progarmme, the ministry planned to develop Special Economic Zones, coastal development zones, industrial, petroleum and automobile clusters.
"In Mumbai, we plan on having an SEZ where we expect investments of Rs 400 billion. It will create about 125,000 jobs", he said.
Congress President Rahul Gandhi today asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi to call a meeting of Chief Ministers of three riparian states to solve the state's Mahadayi river water sharing row with neighbouring Goa.
"I request Modiji, you call the three chief ministers, make them sit together and find some solution," Gandhi said.
Addressing a Congress rally here, he said, "Stop giving excuses, it is the issue of drinking water, try and solve it at the earliest. Call the three Chief Ministers, stop giving excuses, do the work and show."
Karnataka has for long been demanding the Prime Minister's intervention in resolving the inter-state Mahadayi river water sharing dispute by calling a meeting of Chief Ministers of riparian states that includes Goa and Maharashtra.
Recently, 'Kannada Okkuta', an umbrella organisation of various pro-Kannada organizations along with farmers groups, had called for dawn-to-dusk Karnataka bandh on January 25, demanding the Prime Minister's intervention.
Karnataka, which has locked horns with neighbouring Goa on sharing Mahadayi River water, is seeking release of 7.56 tmcft water for the Kalasa-Banduri Nala project.
The project is being undertaken to improve drinking water supply to the twin cities of Hubballi-Dharwad and districts of Belagavi and Gadag.
It involves building barrages across Kalasa and Banduri, tributaries of Mahadayi River, to divert 7.56 tmc ft to Malaprabha which meets drinking water needs of the region.
The issue is also pending before the Mahadayi Water Disputes Tribunal.
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In a significant judgement, the Delhi High Court today directed the Insurance Regulatory Development Authority of India (IRDA) to have a re-look at the exclusion clauses in the insurance contracts to ensure that claims were not rejected on the basis of exclusions relating to "genetic disorders" like cardiac conditions, high blood pressure and diabetes.
Observing that the availing of health insurance was an integral part of the 'Right to Health and healthcare' under the Constitution, Justice Pratibha Maninder Singh held that the clause in the insurance policy excluding a person with "genetic disorder" from availing its benefit was "discriminatory" and contrary to public policy.
The judge also left it to the lawmakers to take necessary steps in this regard, saying there was an urgent need for a proper framework against genetic discrimination.
"The IRDA is directed to re-look at the Exclusionary clauses in insurance contracts and ensure that insurance companies do not reject claims on the basis of exclusions relating to genetic disorders," the 47-page verdict said.
"The exclusion of genetic disorders in all forms would be contrary to public policy. Several of the prevalent medical conditions which affect a large mass of population, including cardiac conditions, high blood pressure, diabetes in all forms, could be classified as genetic disorders.
"The entire purpose of taking medical insurance would be defeated if all genetic disorders are excluded," the High Court said in the judgement, holding that the law and norms of 'genetic disorders' in the insurance policies in India were "too broad, ambiguous and discriminatory" and hence violated the constitutional provisions.
It said the insurance companies were free to structure their contracts based on reasonable and intelligible factors which should not be arbitrary and "in any case cannot be exclusionary".
The judge said discrimination in health insurance against individuals based on their genetic disposition or genetic heritage, in the absence of appropriate genetic testing and laying down of intelligible differentia, was unconstitutional.
"The broad exclusion of genetic disorders is thus not merely a contractual issue between the insurance company and the insured but spills into the broader canvas of Right to Health. There appears to be an urgent need to frame a proper framework to prevent against genetic discrimination as also to protect collection, preservation and confidentiality of genetic data.
"Insurance companies are free to structure their contracts based on reasonable and intelligible factors which should not be arbitrary and in any case cannot be exclusionary. Such contracts have to be based on empirical testing and data and cannot be simply on the basis of subjective or vague factors. It is for lawmakers to take the necessary steps in this regard," Justice Singh said in the order.
The high court considered at length the scope of genetic disorders, laws and norms in various foreign jurisdictions and the Indian position and concluded that "the exclusionary clause of 'genetic disorders' in the insurance policy, is too broad, ambiguous and discriminatory - hence violative of Article 14 of the Constitution".
The verdict was rendered in an insurance claim by one Jai Prakash Tayal against United India Insurance Company Limited.
Tayal, who was suffering from Hypertrophic Obstructive Cardiomyopathy, was denied his insurance claim on the ground that the said condition was genetic, and genetic diseases were not payable as per the policy.
The trial court had ruled in favour of Tayal, holding that there cannot be a discriminatory clause against persons who suffered from genetic disorders and they were entitled to medical insurance. The insurance company had appealed against the trial court's in August 2017 order.
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Environmentalist and Grammy winner Ricky Kej performed 'Music for the planet', accompanied by five Grammy award musicians and a host of other stars at an event over the weekend.
"Through these concerts it's encouraging to see more and more people understand the cause better.And it's fulfilling to know that my music will be on the right side of the history," he said in a statement here today.
Grammy winners, Pandit Vishwa Mohan Bhatt, Wouter Kellerman, Rocky Dawuni, Lonnie Park and many more artists performed at the concert, he said
Ricky performed music from his latest album 'Shanti Samsara World Music for Environmental Consciousness. These concerts, he said, were uniquely designed and curated with 'Music for the Planet'.
Over 2,000 people, including politial leaders, senior bureaucrats, businessmen, artists, environmentalists, forest officials and conservationists attended the event, he said.
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The Income Tax Department today said it has filed six charge sheets against Rotomac owner Vikram Kothari for alleged tax evasion.
The prosecution complaints were filed in a special court in Lucknow under various sections of the Income Tax Act, they said.
The taxman had earlier attached four immovable assets of the Rotomac group and its promoters in this case.
It had attached 14 accounts of the group in various bank branches in Uttar Pradesh.
These assets were attached to "recover outstanding tax demands" of about Rs 106 crore from the group, they said.
The Kanpur-based group is being probed by the CBI and the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in connection with the alleged swindling of Rs 3,695 crore of loan funds advanced by a consortium of seven banks.
The CBI had filed a criminal case against Rotomac Global Pvt Limited, its director Vikram Kothari, his wife Sadhana Kothari, son Rahul Kothari and unidentified bank officials based on a complaint from Bank of Baroda and conducted raids against them.
The ED also registered a money laundering case against them.
It will probe if the allegedly defrauded bank funds were laundered and the proceeds of crime subsequently used by the accused to create illegal assets and black money.
This is the second major financial scam to break out after the sensational Rs 11,400-crore fraud allegedly committed by billionaire jewellery designer Nirav Modi and his uncle Mehul Choksi, who is a promoter of Gitanjali group of companies.
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The Motor Accident Claims Tribunal (MACT) here has awarded a compensation of Rs 20 lakh to the family of an engineer killed in an accident in January, 2002.
The member of the MACT at Kalyan, S P Gogarkar, ordered the respondents -- the erring lorry's owner and The New India Assurance Company Limited -- to jointly and severally make the payment, along with an 8 per cent interest per annum, from the date of the filing of the claim.
The order was passed earlier this month.
The claimants, residing in the Ulhasnagar township of Thane district, informed the tribunal that the deceased, Vinod Ramashankar Pandey (32), was a self-employed civil engineer earning Rs 72,851 per annum.
On January 13, 2002, Pandey and a friend were going towards Hazira from Thane in a car. Near Andhel village at Duwada in Gujarat, where the highway was single-tracked due to some ongoing road work, a lorry came from the opposite direction and to avoid potholes, its driver suddenly swerved right and collided head-on with the car.
Pandey and his friend died on the spot in the accident, the claimants told the tribunal.
Pandey's family, including his 31-year-old wife, aged parents and three minor children, had initially lodged a claim forRs 12.5 lakh, but later sought an enhanced compensation of Rs 31.75 lakh.
They submitted that Pandey earned sufficiently, enjoyed an active life and would have continued to earn to support his family for years.
The owner of the lorry did not appear before the tribunal and hence, the matter was decided ex-parte against her.
But the insurance company contested the claim, saying the deceased was negligent and that it was a case of contributory negligence. It also said the claim was exorbitant.
After hearing the arguments, MACT member Gogarkar said the evidence adduced about the deceased's earning capacity appeared to be genuine and acceptable.
Considering the evidence on record, supported with the police papers, the claimants had proved that the alleged incident took place due to the rash and negligent driving of the lorry driver, he added.
The defence of contributory negligence was not sustainable as the opponent insurance company had failed to adduce a convincing evidence on that point, Gogarkar observed.
Taking into account the claimants' future loss, mental shock and pain, loss of estate, funeral expenses, transportation charges and the compensation for love and affection, the MACT ordered the lorry owner and the vehicle's insurer to pay Rs 20 lakh to the claimant.
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Russia vetoed today a UN draft resolution presented by Britain that would have pressured Iran over its failure to block supplies of missiles to Yemen's Huthi rebels.
The text, strongly supported by the United States, won 11 favorable votes at the 15-member Security Council but was blocked by Russia's veto.
China and Kazakhstan abstained, while Bolivia also voted against the measure. Nine votes and no vetoes from the five permanent council members -- Britain, France, China, Russia and the United States -- are required to adopt resolutions at the Security Council.
After the veto, the council unanimously adopted a Russian-drafted measure that extended for one year the sanctions regime against Yemen, but that text made no mention of Iran.
Britain had sought to include in its measure an expression of "particular concern" from the council over a UN report that found Iran had violated the 2015 arms embargo on Yemen.
The report by a UN panel of experts in January concluded that Iran was in violation after determining that missiles fired by the Huthis at Saudi Arabia last year were made in Iran.
After hours of negotiations to try to reach a compromise, Russia made clear it had strong reservations about the findings of the report and would not support a draft resolution that mentioned them.
"We cannot concur with uncorroborated conclusions and evidence which requires verification and discussions within the sanctions committee," Russian Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia told the council.
Iran has repeatedly denied arming the Huthis in Yemen, despite claims by the United States and Saudi Arabia that the evidence of an arms connection is irrefutable.
After the Russian veto, US Ambassador Nikki Haley released a statement accusing Russia of protecting "the terrorist-sponsoring regime in Iran" and warned of further action targeting Iran.
"If Russia is going to use its veto to block action against Iran's dangerous and destabilizing conduct, then the United States and our partners will need to take actions against Iran that the Russians cannot block," said Haley, who was traveling to Honduras.
A Saudi-led coalition supporting Yemen's government has been fighting the Huthis since 2015 in a war that has led to what the United Nations describes as the world's worst humanitarian crisis.
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An SAD-BJP delegation today met Punjab Governor V P Singh Badnore and urged him to direct the state government to scrap the Ludhiana municipal corporation poll process and hold elections afresh.
The delegation was led by senior SAD leaders Bikram Singh Majithia, Maheshinder Singh Grewal, Dinesh Kumar and Rajinder Bhandari.
They accused the Congress of resorting to "unprecedented violence" along with "booth capturing and rigging" and alleged that democracy had been "murdered".
Polling to 95 wards of Ludhiana Municipal Corporation took place on February 24 with stray incidents of violence including vandalism and firing incident marring the elections.
The SAD-BJP delegation demanded that polling be held again.
They alleged that Congress leaders "misused" police personnel deployed there, indulged in "booth capturing and bogus voting", as well as intimidating SAD-BJP workers.
The delegation urged the governor to direct the Ludhiana administration to register cases against Congress' Ludhiana MP Ranveet Singh Bittu and MLA Bharat Bhushan Ashu.
It is also requested that the governor directs the administration to withdraw all false cases registered against SAD-BJP workers immediately.
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The National Green Tribunal today appointed court commissioners to verify allegations made in a plea regarding illegal sand mining in the Jodhpur district of Rajasthan.
A bench headed by Justice Jawad Rahim appointed advocates Gaurav Bansal and Rahul Khurana as court commissioners in the case and directed them to submit the inspection report by March 30.
"The report shall state the extent of illegal mining, if any, and it should also ascertain whether the area is supplied electricity for domestic purposes only or commercial use," the bench said.
The tribunal directed the District Magistrate of Jodhpur and the police commissioner to provide assistance to the court commissioners during the visit to village Mandore in Jodhpur district.
It fixed Rs 25,000 as remuneration to the advocates which would be paid by the state government. The matter is listed for next hearing on April 6.
The tribunal was hearing a plea filed by local resident Ram Ji Vyas, alleging illegal mining going in Beri Ganga Forest Block at Khasra No. 1405, 1259, 1262, 1294, 1298 and 1307 of village Mandore in Jodhpur.
The plea had alleged that large scale mining was being carried out with the help of mechanical excavators in connivance with the authorities without obtaining requisite permission.
The Rajasthan government had however refuted the allegation and said there was no illegal mining and the authorities were taking requisite action to stop such activity.
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Rendering of a Sanskrit invocation song at an event attended by two union ministers at the IIT Madras today triggered a controversy with some opposition parties questioning why the Tamil anthem was not sung.
'Maha Ganapathim Manasa Smarami', penned by late composer Muthuswami Dikshithar was sung at the start of the foundation stone laying ceremony of National Technology Centre for Ports, Waterways and Coasts, to be set up along with IIT Madras.
Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways, Shipping and Water Resources Nitin Gadkari and Union Minister of State for Shipping Pon Radhakrishnan participated at IIT-M function.
Vaiko claimed it was the usual practice at the start of any government function in Tamil Nadu to sing the Tamil anthem and alleged that the Centre was trying to impose Hindi and Sanskrit by various means.
As the controversy surfaced, IIT-Madras Director Bhaskar Ramamoorthy, who was present at the event, clarified the institution does not issue any directions to students for a particular song to be sung.
"We do not issue any directions to the students. It is they who choose the invocation song and render it on such occasions," he said.
He was reacting to questions from reporters on the rendering of the Sanskrit song instead of the Tamil anthem penned by Manomaniam Sundaram Pillai, sung during functions in the state.
Normally, the Tamil anthem "Tamil Thaai Vazhthu" (invocation song of mother Tamil) is played at the start and the national anthem towards the end of state government events.
Vaiko condemned rendering of the Sanskrit song and said it was not acceptable to 'impose' it at the function.
He demanded stringent action be taken against those responsible for it.
"Both Nitin Gadkari and Pon Radhakrishnan, who were at the function, should publicly tender an apology as singing of the Tamil invocation song is the usual practice in any government function," he told reporters in Coimbatore.
He alleged that the Centre was trying to impose Sanskrit and Hindi by various means.
CPI-M and PMK also condemned overlooking of the Tamil invocation song.
CPI(M) State Secretary K Balakrishnan charged that it was another form of 'imposing' Hindi and Sanskrit.
PMK Leader S Ramadoss said the state government should take steps for making singing of Tamil anthem mandatory in all the functions of IIT, Madras.
"The Government of Tamil Nadu should take steps to ensure that IIT Madras tenders an apology. It should also be made mandatory that only Tamil Thaai Vaazhthu is played in functions held within its premises", he said in a statement.
(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Saudi-led air strikes killed at least six allied Yemeni soldiers today in friendly fire attacks on their base 50 kilometres east of Sanaa, a military source said.
"Erroneous strikes by coalition warplanes killed six troops -- one officer and five soldiers," a government military source told AFP on condition of anonymity.
Saudi Arabia in 2015 launched a military coalition in Yemen aimed at supporting the government of President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi and rolling back Huthi rebels from the capital Sanaa.
(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A court here today remanded to police custody Peace International school Director M M Akbar, arrested in connection with a case of allegedly spreading animosity among religious communities.
Akbar was detained by intelligence bureau officials when he arrived at Hyderabad airport yesterday for onward journeyabroad and was handed over to Kerala police, sources said, adding, there was a lookout notice issued against him.
He was brought to Kochi last night and was today produced before the First Class Judicial Magistrate court which remanded him to police custody till March 3.
The case against him was that the school run by the organisation used textbooks with contents that went against the country's secular fabric.
The state government had in January ordered the closure of the school at Kochi.
The government order for the school's closure under the Right to Act, had said it was highly necessary to stop the operation of such institutions "to prevent the Muslims from joining IS (Islamic State) activities."
The order said enquiries revealed that the textbooks at the Peace International school were aimed at propagation of ideas contradicting the country's secular policy besides trying to spread propaganda against its policies.
The school at Thammanam in Ernakulam came under the scanner in October 2016 after the district educational officer filed a complaint against it on the contents of the textbooks.
Akbar was made an accused in the 'controversial textbook case' in 2016 and has been abroad since then, police said.
(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Centre has recommended amendments to Delhi's Master Plan 2021, including shifting of pubs, clubs and restaurants from residential areas, Union Urban Development Minister H S Puri said today amid a huge furore in the national capital over the sealing issue.
The recommendations include uniform Floor Area Ration (FAR), shifting of pubs, clubs and restaurants from residential areas and augmentation of infrastructure services such as water and sewage by concerned service providing agencies.
"Outdoor unit of air-conditioning shall in no case extrude from the plot line/or to be placed on the rooftop. Exhaust duct shall not open directly towards the public lane or face the other residential plot. Restaurants, clubs, pubs shall not be allowed in the residential premises as part of mixed use," Puri said.
The recommendations finalised after deliberations with the traders, Resident Welfare Associations (RWAs) and other stake holders will come for discussion in a crucial Delhi Development Authority (DDA) meeting tomorrow, following which the Lt Governor will approve the same, Puri said.
The approved amendments to the Master Plan of Delhi 2021 (MPD-2021) will be then presented before the Supreme Court.
The move aims to bring relief to the traders from a sealing drive, which was initiated late December from the Defence Colony market in south Delhi, at the instance of a Supreme Court-appointed monitoring committee.
The AAP and the Congress have also been attacking the BJP-led Centre for not finding a solution to the problem.
We are very serious about finding solution to the problem. The disruption caused to the citizens of Delhi will be minimised, Puri told reporters with DDA vice-chairman Udai Pratap Singh, BJP MLA and DDA member O P Sharma and officials of the Urban Development Ministry by his side.
Later speaking to reporters, Sharma said it is likely that DDA will give its approval tomorrow so that it could be sent back to the Urban Development Ministry, which can then file an affidavit before the apex court. This is likely to give relief to the people from the sealing drive.
Elaborating on the recommendations, Puri said uniform FAR on shop-cum-residence plot/complex of pre-1962 and post 1962 shall be permitted.
The FAR is the ratio of a building's total floor area (gross floor area) to the size of the piece of land on which it is built. This means the FAR for 100 sq mtr was earlier variable, ranging from 180 to 225, but now it is recommended to be a uniform 350 for 100 sq mtr.
There will also be uniform norms for utilisation of basement in all the shop-cum residential plots/complexes.
(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Experts from a host of countries hope to capture strains of classical music being practised in India and other parts of the world at an international conference that opens here tomorrow.
The two-day seminar on 'Indian Classical Music: Teaching and Performing Abroad' will see an exchange of ideas between propagators of Hindustani and Carnatic classical music forms in India and other countries.
The sessions, which include talks on teaching of Hindustani classical instrumental music and Carnatic classical music abroad, will conclude on both days with evening concerts by well-known artistes.
"Here in India, the teaching of Indian classical music follows a conservative pattern. However, in foreign countries the teaching style is totally different. We would like to discuss different styles followed in different countries," said TV Manikandan, associate professor at the Department of Music, University of Delhi.
Among those attending the conference will be experts from countries such as the USA, Mauritius, Bangladesh and Nepal.
Organised by the Music Department, Faculty of Music and Fine Arts (Delhi University) in collaboration with the Indian Council for Cultural Relations, the seminar at the University's Conference Centre ends on February 28.
(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Sabujkali Sen is discharging the responsibility as vice-chancellor of Visva-Bharati as the ministry of human resources development is yet to appoint a full-term VC of the institution.
Sen told PTI today that she was still discharging responsibility and had no intimation about who will be the next VC of the central university.
"I am discharging my responsibility as of now till a new VC is appointed."
As per the University Act and Statute, the seniormost principal of a Visva-Bharati institution will automatically take charge as officiating VC.
But the HRD ministry's letter of February 3 had assigned Sen the charge of VC and stated that she would be at the helm till the appointment of a new VC.
Sen's term as the director of 'Studies Educational Innovations and Rural Reconstruction' of Visva-Bharati had expired on February 24.
To a question whether there would be any technical hurdle due to the expiry of her term as the director of a department of Visva-Bharati two days ago, Sen declined to comment.
A senior Visva-Bharati official said the institution is yet to nominate two members to a Search Committee for selecting a new vice-chancellor for the varsity as asked by the HRD ministry on February 23. The HRD ministry sent the mail after the President of India disbanded the previous Search Committee for appointing the VC.
The Executive Council and Court (another university body) will nominate one name each in their respective meetings to the Search Committee, which will forward the same to MHRD for selecting one name, the official said adding the meetings were yet to take place.
The central university has been functioning without a fulltime VC for the last two years after the then Vice-chancellor Sushanta Dattagupta was dismissed from the central university in February 2016.
(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Shiv Sena has geared up to strengthen the party for the general elections next year and will contest the two Lok Sabha seats in Goa in alliance with the Goa Suraksha Manch (GSM), a senior leader said today.
The Sena had earlier also aligned with the GSM, led by former RSS leader Subhash Velingkar, for the Goa assembly polls last year but failed to win a single seat.
Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray has given his nod for the party's alliance with the GSM for polls to the two Lok Sabha seats in the state, Sena spokesman Sanjay Raut said.
"The Shiv Sena has decided to contest both the Lok Sabha seats in Goa in alliance with the GSM. The approval for the same has been given by the Sena chief," Raut said here at a press conference.
Thackeray will visit Goa next month to strengthen the party base, the Rajya Sabha member said.
He claimed that the Sena has emerged as one of the key political opponents in the coastal state.
"People from all sections are joining hands with the Sena," he said.
The North Goa and the South Goa Lok Sabha seats are presently held by the BJP.
Meanwhile, Raut wished a speedy recovery to Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar, who is admitted in a hospital.
"Parrikar should take rest for some time and then return to active political life," he said.
Many a times, political leaders ignore their health while working overtime during their career, Raut said.
Parrikar was yesterday admitted to the Goa Medical College and Hospital following complaints of uneasiness.
He was earlier discharged from Mumbai's Lilavati Hospital on February 22, a week after he was admitted there and treated for a pancreatic ailment.
(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
South Korea's president today said that the United States should lower the threshold for talks with North Korea and that the two countries should start a dialogue soon. President Moon Jae-in made the remarks in a meeting with Chinese Vice Premier Liu Yandong one day after a senior North Korean official told Moon that his country is willing to open talks with the US. The officials were in South Korea for the closing ceremony of the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics yesterday. According to his office, Moon asked for China's support for US-North Korea talks, and Liu responded that China would help facilitate them. Moon also said that North Korea should show a commitment to denuclearisation, something it has refused to do. Earlier, the US said the international community needs to maintain maximum pressure on North Korea until it gives up its nuclear weapons development. "We will see if Pyongyang's message today, that it is willing to hold talks, represents the first steps along the path to denuclearization," the White House said in a statement. Moon yesterday met with a North Korean delegation led by Kim Yong Chol, a former general whom South Korea has accused of being behind two attacks on the South that killed 50 people in 2010. Kim told Moon that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un wanted to improve ties with Washington and had "ample intentions of holding talks," according to the South Korean president's office. The North Korean delegation met with Moon's national security chief today. Moon's office said the two sides agreed that the Olympics had been a meaningful stepping stone toward restoring inter-Korean ties, and to continue to collaborate to seek a permanent peace on the Korean Peninsula. South Korean protesters burned a North Korean flag and used a knife to slash a portrait of Kim Jong Un near a hotel where the North Korean delegation was staying.
(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
BJP chief Amit Shah today hit out at the Congress over an alleged bank fraud case in which Amarinder Singh's son-in-law has been booked, saying it is shameful that the Punjab chief minister's relative pocketed the money meant for hardworking farmers.
Shah questioned why the Congress deleted a tweet about a news report on the alleged bank fraud.
"Punjab CMs son-in-law pockets money meant for Indias hardworking farmers. What can be more shameful than this ! #CongressLootsFarmers," he tweeted.
"Why delete this tweet highlighting the loot of @capt_amarinders son-in-law. Congress has always been at the forefront of highlighting their own robberies such as the NPA mess, bad loans, the free hand they gave to Vijay Mallya and Nirav Modi," Shah wrote on Twitter.
The BJP chief shared the news story about the alleged bank fraud at Oriental Bank of Commerce (OBC) on the microblogging website.
The CBI had on February 22 registered a case against Simbhaoli Sugars Limited, its Chairman Gurmit Singh Mann, Deputy Managing Director Gurpal Singh and others in connection with an alleged bank loan fraud of Rs 97.85 crore at the bank.
Simbhaoli Sugars Limited is one of the largest sugar mills in the country. Gurpal Singh is the son-in-law of the Punjab chief minister.
Searches were carried out at eight premises including the residences of directors, factory, corporate office and registered office of the company in Delhi, Hapur and Noida in connection with the case yesterday.
BJP president Amit Shah hit out at Karnataka's Congress government today for celebrating the birth anniversary of 18th century Mysore ruler Tipu Sultan instead of focusing on developing backward regions.
Shah also asked the other backward classes (OBCs) to vote out the Siddaramaiah government in the upcoming elections.
"Hyderabad-Karnataka region lies between Hyderabad and Mumbai. It is so located that if an industrial corridor is made, it will provide jobs to lakhs of youths from the region. But they (Congress leaders) won't do it," the BJP chief said.
The BJP leader claimed the previous B S Yeddyurappa government of the BJP worked for the development of the region.
"...They (Congress) don't do anything, but just Tipu Sultan, Tipu Sultan, Tipu Sultan....now they are even talking about celebrating Bahmani Samrajya (Bahmani Sultanate)..I don't know what has happened to them. They don't see anything else,"
Shah said as he attacked Congress leaders from the area including Mallikarjuna Kharge and Dharm Singh.
He said the two leaders did little for the welfare of the region despite getting elected several times. "They did nothing other than supporting their sons (in politics)," he alleged.
The state government's reported plans to celebrate the Bahmani Sultanate era art and culture has come under attack from the BJP, whose leaders dubbed the Bahmani rulers as "killers of Hindus" and "destroyers of temples".
While Kalaburagi district in-charge minister Sharan PrakashPatil has maintained it will be a one-day celebration, chief minister Siddaramaiah said he was notaware of any proposed celebrations.
Bahmani Sultanate was a Muslim kingdom that ruled parts of the Deccan region in 1347-1527, with what is now known as Kalaburagi and Bidar as its capital. Its rulers constantly fought with those of the Vijayanagara empire for supremacy.
Shah, who is on a three-day visit to north Karnataka region, was interacting with leaders of OBC communities.
The state assembly polls are expected in April-May this year.
Noting that the OBCs constituted a large part of the state's population, the BJP chief urged their leaders to usher in "parivartan" (change) by uprooting the Congress government.
"The OBC community is the largest group in Karnataka...hope you understand me...So, the bigger responsibility for bringing in the change rests on whom? Please tell me.
"Once the OBC, the backward community decides, no one can save this Congress government. OBC community will have to root out the Congress government," he said.
Terming the Narendra Modi government a "huge factory" that generates electricity called development, Shah said the new dispensation in Karnataka should act like a transformer to access that electricity efficiently.
"Here that transformer is burnt and that is the reason development is not reaching the masses and villages," he said.
"Now, tell me what will you do if the transformer is burnt....don't just change it? root it out? Root out this government, and bring in a government in its place with lotus flower, the BJP government that will make Karnataka the best within five years," he said.
Shah said constitutional status to the OBC Commission has been a long-standing demand of the community but the Congress opposed the bill to confer that status on the panel.
"In Rajya Sabha, Congress showed its true face and did not allow the bill to get passed."
"Siddaramaiah speaks about AHINDA (Kannada acronym for minorities, backward classes and Dalits). Rahul Gandhi and Siddaramaiah have to be questioned on what they have to say about Congress party stalling the bill," he said.
He accused the Congress of having double standards on the issue.
On the one hand, the Congress speaks about the uplift of the backward communities, but when it comes to providing constitutional status to the Commission, they stall the bill in Rajya Sabha, Shah said.
Targeting chief minister Siddaramaiah, the BJP chief said he spoke about the backward classes, but when it came to doing things for them, he catered to only the minorities.
He also accused the Congress government of creating hurdles in the way of the benefits of the Centre's initiatives for OBCs from reaching them.
"It is not reaching people on ground in the state because there is no BJP government here. Those in power here are always in the confrontation with Narendra Modi, sitting on the shoulders of Rahul baba (Rahul Gandhi)," Shah said.
Bring a chief minister who works shoulder-to-shoulder with Narendra Modi to solve all issues faced by the OBCs in Karnataka, Shah said.
(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Shahbaz Sharif, Punjab province chief minister and brother of ousted prime minister Nawaz Sharif, is set to become the new chief of Pakistan's ruling party, with a senior minister indicating that he was the "most competent" person to hold the post.
The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) has been forced to announce a new head after the Supreme Court last week also disqualified Nawaz Sharif as the president of the party.
Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting Marriyum Aurangzeb said the will announce the name of its new party president tomorrow, state-run Radio Pakistan quoted her as saying.
"Shahbaz Sharif is the most competent and appropriate person for the slot", she told reporters.
Shahbaz Sharif, 66, is the Chief Minister of Punjab province since June, 2013. He is the younger brother of Nawaz Sharif, who had to resign as prime minister in July last year in the high-profile Panama Papers scandal.
If appointed, Shahbaz will lead the in the 2018 parliamentary polls.
She said the Central Executive Committee and Central Working Committee of PML-N will meet tomorrow to deliberate on electing the next party president following the disqualification of Nawaz Sharif.
Last week, the Supreme Court had ruled that an individual disqualified under Articles 62 and 63 of the Constitution cannot serve as head of a political party.
The apex court's verdict was in response to 17 petitions challenging the controversial Elections Act 2017, which had been bulldozed through parliament last year to pave the way for Nawaz Sharif's return to the PML-N's helm as party president.
The minister said, "Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif is the most competent and appropriate person for the slot [of party president] given his political acumen and performance in Punjab province."
Nawaz Sharif had earlier been declared unfit to hold public office in the landmark Panama Papers judgement, in which a five-member bench of the Supreme Court had unanimously ruled that the former prime minister had not been 'honest' and 'truthful' in discharging his obligations as a lawmaker.
Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh today flayed "attempts to politicise" the Oriental Bank of Commerce (OBC) case with "unsubstantiated" charges against his son-in-law, who he claimed was being unnecessarily dragged into the controversy.
Gurpal Singh was a only a minority shareholder with a mere 12.5 per cent share in Simbhaoli Sugars, the chief minister said.
In a statement issued here, Amarinder Singh said that as per information available with him, the alleged fraud, which was at the centre of the case, was the subject matter of court proceedings before the DRT in a recovery suit filed by the bank, which was settled between the company and OBC, and was recorded by DRT Lucknow by way of a consent order dated March 16, 2015.
The chief minister said his son-in-law was a law-abiding citizen, and according to his information had even refused to sign any documents to give any personal guarantee against the loan in question, forcing the OBC to amend the loan document on February 12, 2015, thus waiving the requirement of Gurpal Singh's signature on any guarantee documents.
Political parties, including the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), were targeting Gurpal Singh only because of the OBC director's personal relationship with him, claimed Amarinder Singh.
He claimed baseless allegations were made just to secure political mileage.
Gurpal Singh had actually been litigating against Simbhaoli Sugars, for his rights as director and shareholder, before the National Company Law Tribunal, as he was kept out of all major decisions and the working of the company, which was reportedly a matter of court record, said the chief minister.
Given these facts, the political attack on his son-in-law was ludicrous, the chief minister claimed, adding that even a cursory check of the case background would have revealed that Gurpal Singh had no role in the entire affair.
It was evident that the issue was being deliberately sought to be politicised, with the farming community also being unnecessarily dragged into the whole affair, he said.
All the vital facts would emerge before the courts when the CBI case is taken up by them, said the chief minister, urging the political parties and the media to stop indulging in baseless statements and reporting.
Yesterday, the Central Bureau of Investigation registered a case against Simbhaoli Sugars Limited, its chairman Gurmit Singh Mann, deputy managing director Gurpal Singh and others in connection with an alleged bank loan fraud of Rs 97.85 crore.
Gurpal Singh is the son-in-law of Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh.
Simbhaoli Sugars Limited is one of the largest sugar mills in the country. The company's chief executive officer, GSC Rao, CFO Sanjay Tapriya, Executive Director Gursimran Kaur Mann and five non-executive directors were also booked.
(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Puducherry, a former French colony, and Dali city in China are keen on joining hands to establish cooperation in the fields of art, culture, education and trade, Chief Minister V Narayanswamy today said.
He said, the two cities "have similarities" and the Puducherry government would soon approach the Ministry of External Affairs, for signing of an agreement, to cement the ties.
"Both the sides (Puducherry and Dali Prefecture) have had talks in this regard for the past several months. In fact, a top official from Puducherry government had also visited the city. We want to sign an MoU as sister cities, that will enhance exchange in cooperation in various sectors," Narayanswamy told reporters on the sidelines of an event.
Dali is a city in China's southwestern Yunnan province, on the shores of Erhai Lake. Its history stretches back to the kingdom of Nanzhao in the eighth century.
The city is one of Yunnan's most popular tourist destinations and is home to some of the most ancient temples and landmarks, and Dali University.
Chen Jian, Secretary of the CPC Dali Bai Prefectural Committee said, "We are also very keen to sign an MoU with Puducherry to facilitate cooperation in the fields of art, architecture, education and trade."
"We also feel the two cities have similarities. Education is one area where, we think, the sides can cooperate the most. Both are historic places with beautiful architecture. Tourism will also be boosted on both sides," he said.
A delegation, comprising members from both the Dali administration and the business sector, is currently visiting India. They held a business to business conference today which was attended by the Puducherry chief minister.
A senior official accompanying the delegation, said, "About 1,000 Indian students are currently in Dali for pursuing different courses or as part of exchange programmes."
"About 10 people are from the government and 30 from different companies are in the delegation. We arrived in India on February 20. We visited Kolkata, Mumbai and Delhi," she said.
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In a case of possible mistaken identity, an assistant professor of a private engineering college was hacked to death by a gang, which was targetting his realtor father-in-law, at his home at a nearby town today.
The father in-law had allegedly encroached on some land.
Police said the elderly man suffered minor injuries and was discharged from hospital after first aid.
They said the gang entered the home at Palyamkottai this morning,hurled country bombs and sprinkled chilli powder and attacked Senthilkumar and his father-in-law with sickles.
While the father-in-law escaped with minor injuries, Senthil Kumar suffered serious cut injuries and died at Palayamkottai government hospital without responding to treatment, police said.
They said a special team had been formed to nab the gang.
(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Spiritual leader Prince Karim Aga Khan,currently on a 10-day visit to India, reached here this afternoon and will address his community people tomorrow, a senior official of the Telangana government said.
Aga Khan visitedQutub Shahi Tombs after reaching the city, the officialsaid.
Aga Khan, who arrived here by a special plane, is expected to meet Governor E S L Narasimhan and Deputy Chief Minister Mohammed Mahmood Ali tomorrow, the official said.
"Aga Khan will be meeting his community people tomorrow and leave the city on February 28. He will hold meetings with his community people and followers tomorrow and the day after at Nizam College grounds," the official said.
Aga Khan's India tour is part of a series of visits globally in commemoration of his diamond jubilee, marking 60 years of his leadership of the Shia Ismaili Muslim community," the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN)hadsaid in a statement.
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Bollywood actor Sridevi died of accidental drowning in her hotel bath tub after losing consciousness, the Dubai government said today, giving a dramatic twist to her sudden death that has stunned legions of fans and industry colleagues.
The Dubai government said in a tweet that the police have transferred the case to the "Dubai Public Prosecution" which will carry out regular legal procedures followed in such cases.
"Following the completion of post mortem analysis, Dubai police headquarters today stated that the death of the Indian actress Sridevi occurred due to drowning in her hotel apartment's bath tub following loss of consciousness," the Dubai government's media office said on Twitter.
It is not clear what caused Sridevi, 54, to lose consciousness, and whether the initial report of her death due to cardiac arrest still holds. Her death, which was first reported at around 3 a.m. on Sunday in India, sent shock waves across the country with those who knew her at a loss to explain how she could have suffered cardiac arrest at such a young age.
The latest report of accidental drowning only deepens the mystery surrounding her death. Her family has not commented beyond their initial statement yesterday to announce the death, and has requested the media to not contact them as they deal with the tragedy.
Sridevi is survived by her husband, film-maker Boney Kapoor and two daughters.
The Dubai-based Gulf said in a report that the actor was under the influence of alcohol. She fell into the bathtub and drowned, it added. However, this could not be independently confirmed.
Gulf also attached a copy of the UAE government's forensic report on its Twitter handle. The report, citing accidental drowning as the cause of death, has a stamp of the "Ministry of Health UAE" and the director of preventive medicine, Dubai, Dr Sami Wadie.
The report mentions the actor's full name, "Sreedevi Boney Kapoor Ayyappan", her passport number, date of the incident (February 24, 2018) and cause of death.
"The investigation is still going on to determine the circumstances surrounding the accident as the forensic report only says that she drowned, Gulf quoted an official as saying.
Her body has been sent for embalming, the newspaper said. It is not clear when the body will be brought back to India.
Sridevi was in Dubai for a family wedding, and had stayed back after the ceremonies. Her husband had flown back to Mumbai with their younger daughter Khushi, but he had returned to Dubai to surprise her, according to Khaleej Times.
He was reportedly in the room when Sridevi went to the bathroom to get ready for a dinner, according to Khaleej Times. It said Kapoor discovered her unconscious in the bathtub filled with water. She was rushed to the hospital where she was declared dead on arrival.
In Mumbai today, many Bollywood celebrities visited the home of actor Anil Kapoor, the brother of Boney Kapoor. Sridevi's two daughters, Khushi and upcoming actor Jahnvi are staying at the house.
Among those who visited to condole Sridevi's death were Farah Khan, Farhan Akhtar, Tabu, Saroj Khan, Rekha, Rani Mukherji, Karan Johar, Manish Malhotra and Aumpam Kher.
Police officials at Anil Kapoor's house said as many as 150 people from Karnataka came to pay homage to Sridevi, while another group from Telangana gathered outside the actor's Lokhandwala residence. Fans from Rajasthan and other parts of India had also arrived.
Before making it big in Bollywood in late 1970s, she was already an established star in South India with many hits in Tamil, Telugu and Malayalam movies.
At Kapoor's house, police have increased security and cordoned off the area to keep fans at a distance.
(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
As anxious crowds milled around her Mumbai home and stars visited the family to pay their condolences, a Dubai paper today reported that Bollywood superstar Sridevi was getting ready for dinner with husband Boney Kapoor when she suffered a cardiac arrest.
Uncertainty over when the body would arrive and the many questions surrounding her sudden death in Dubai late Saturday intensified as the day progressed.
Boney and Sridevi, 54, were in Dubai to attend nephew Mohit Marwah's wedding.
While most of the extended family as well as Boney and younger daughter Khushi had returned, Sridevi decided to stay back. The elder daughter, Jahnvi, was in Mumbai to complete a shooting schedule.
Some details of what may have happened were pieced together by the Khaleej Times newspaper, which quoted sources as saying that the matter was under police investigation.
According to the newspaper, an Indian Consulate official and a family member were called inside the morgue today afternoon.
On Saturday, Boney, who produced "Mr India", which gave Sridevi one of her most remembered roles, flew back to Dubai to surprise his wife with a dinner, the paper reported.
He reached the Jumeirah Emirates Towers Hotel around 5.30pm (Dubai time) and woke her up and they chatted for about 15 minutes, the report said.
Sridevi then went to the bathroom to get ready. When she didn't come out for 15 minutes, Boney knocked on the door. He did not get any response and forced open the door, to find her lying motionless in the bathtub that was full of water.
"He tried to revive her and when he could not, he called a friend of his. After that, he informed the police at 9 pm," Khaleej Times quoted a source as saying.
The police and paramedics rushed to the site, but she was pronounced dead. Her body was taken to the General Department of Forensic Medicine for an autopsy.
The body of the late actor, who embodied superstardom in the 1980s and 1990s in what was a hugely male dominated industry, is expected to reach Mumbai late today after authorities in Dubai conclude all the formalities.
Back home, fans, family and friends were still trying to come to grips with what had happened.
While crowds hung around Boney and Sridevi's empty Lokhandwala home, many celebrities visited Boney's brother, Anil Kapoor's residence, to offer their condolences.
The couple's daughters, Khushi and Jhanvi, are at Anil Kapoor's home, waiting for some
Amongst those who visited Anil Kapoor's bungalow were Farah Khan, Farhan Akhtar, Tabu, Saroj Khan, Ritesh Sidhwani and Honey Irani.
Sridevi's stepson Arjun Kapoor as well as Rekha, Rani Mukerji, Karan Johar, Manish Malhotra, Shilpa Shetty, Nikhil Dwivedi, Anupam Kher and Ishaan Khatter, co-star of Sridevi's daughter Jhanvi's debut film "Dhadak", also called on the Kapoors last night.
(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Veteran actor Sridevis mortal remains will be flown back to India from Dubai today, her family said in a statement.
Sridevi's body could not be repatriated yesterday as the final investigation reports from Dubai Police were not ready last evening.
Reliance Communications (RCom) chairman Anil Ambani has reportedly offered to fly her remains back home in his private jet.
Sridevi, 54, wife of producer Boney Kapoor, died late Saturday night reportedly due to a cardiac arrest in Dubai's Jumeirah Emirates Towers.
The actress and family were in town after attending the wedding of her nephew and actor Mohit Marwah which took place in Ras Al Khaimah.
Indian Ambassador to the UAE Navdeep Singh Suri and Consul General of India in Dubai Vipul, Indian Consulate representatives were coordinating with Dubai Police and other authorities concerned. However, the procedures to sent her body to India could not be completed yesterday before office hours in local departments here.
The Kapoor family in a statement
issued last night said that her body will arrive in India today.
(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Veteran actor Sridevis mortal remains will be flown back to India from Dubai today, her family said in a statement.
Sridevi's body could not be repatriated yesterday as the final investigation reports from Dubai Police were not ready last evening.
Reliance Communications (RCom) chairman Anil Ambani has reportedly offered to fly her remains back home in his private jet.
Sridevi, 54, wife of producer Boney Kapoor, died late Saturday night reportedly due to a cardiac arrest in Dubai's Jumeirah Emirates Towers.
The body will be ready for repatriation by 1 to 2pm, Dubai time, Khaleej Times reported.
Indian Consulate officials reveal that that after receiving the Police Clearance and forensic report, the other procedures including, immigration and embalming would be completed in the next 3 to 4 hours, a source told the publication.
The actor and family were in town after attending the wedding of her nephew Mohit Marwah which took place in Ras Al Khaimah.
Indian Ambassador to the UAE Navdeep Singh Suri and Consul General of India in Dubai Vipul, Indian Consulate representatives were coordinating with Dubai Police and other authorities concerned. However, the procedures to sent her body to India could not be completed yesterday before office hours in local departments here.
The Kapoor family in a statement
issued last night said that her body will arrive in India today.
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The stage is set for tomorrow's crucial Assembly elections in the two north-eastern states of Meghalaya and Nagaland.
Polling will be held between 7 am and 4 pm, except in some polling stations of the interior districts of Nagaland, where the process is scheduled to conclude at 3 pm.
The two states have a 60-member House each, but voting will be held for 59 constituencies in both.
In Meghalaya, the election has been countermanded in Williamnagar in the wake of the killing of NCP candidate Jonathone N Sangma in an IED blast in East Garo Hills district on February 18.
In Nagaland, NDPP chief Neiphiu Rio has been declared elected unopposed from the Northern Angami-II constituency.
The results of the polls in the two states, along with that of Tripura, will be declared on March 3.
A high-decibel campaign for the polls in the two states came to an end last evening.
Buoyed by the formation of governments in Assam, Manipur and Arunachal Pradesh, the BJP is making a determined bid to expand its footprint in the north-east.
For the Congress, the poll outcome in Meghalaya is particularly significant as it has been ruling the state for the last 10 years.
But this time, the BJP is leaving no stone unturned to throw the Congress out of power and add Meghalaya into its kitty.
Political observers are keenly watching the BJP's push in the north-east, a Congress stronghold, where the saffron party has traditionally been a marginal player.
In Meghalaya, the Congress and the BJP are pitted against each other. While the former has fielded 59 candidates, the latter has put up nominees in 47 constituencies.
Though they are contesting the polls separately, in Meghalaya, the National People's Party (NPP) of Conrad Sangma, son of former Lok Sabha speaker P A Sangma, is the BJP's partner in the North East Democratic Alliance (NEDA).
In Nagaland, BJP's hope hinges on its alliance partner NDPP (the Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party) of Neiphiu Rio, which is contesting from 40 seats. The saffron party has fielded candidates from the remaining 20 seats.
The Congress, which has given three chief ministers to Nagaland since the state's inception in 1963, is contesting from only 18 seats, two less than the BJP, an emerging entity in the north-east.
There are 370 candidates in the fray in Meghalaya. A total of 18.4 lakh voters are eligible to exercise their franchise in 3,083 polling stations in the state.
Meghalaya's Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) F R Kharkongor said for the first time, 67 all-women polling stations and 61 model polling stations were set up in the state.
He added that 32 women candidates were in the fray, the highest ever in the state.
In Nagaland, a total of 11,91,513 voters -- 6,01,707 (50.50 per cent) men and 5,89,806 (49.50 per cent) women -- will exercise their franchise tomorrow. There are also 5,925 service voters.
Voting will be conducted in 2,156 polling stations as 40 polling stations fall under the Northern Angami-II seat, from where Rio has been declared elected unopposed.
Over 15,000 government employees will be on poll duty and there will be 177 all-women polling stations across 25 constituencies in the state.
The election process in Nagaland had started on a difficult note.
Following a no-election diktat from the Core Committee of Nagaland Tribal Hohos and Civil Organisations (CCNTHCO), advocating "solution (to the Naga political issue) before election", the political parties had initially kept away from the poll process.
Though the process of nomination-filing had started on January 31, the first batch of 22 contestants filed their candidature only on the penultimate day on February 5. There was a heavy rush of nominees filing their papers on the last day.
After the scrutiny and withdrawal, a total of 227 nominees are left in the field in Nagaland.
As many as 281 companies of the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF), beside the state police force, are deployed throughout Nagaland to ensure a peaceful election.
Nagaland's CEO Abhijit Sinha said all the polling stations would be manned by the CAPF personnel, while the state police would also be assisting them.
Of the 2,156 polling stations in Nagaland, 1,100 were declared critical, 530 vulnerable and 526 normal, he added.
The Meghalaya CEO told PTI that six of the 10 additional companies of CAPF were deployed in the troubled East and South Garo Hills districts.
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Drug firm Strides Shasun today announced that it will launch Ranitidine Tablets USP, 150 mg, used to treat peptic ulcers of the stomach and intestines, in the US markets.
Strides is already a key player in the US Ranitidine Rx market with 32 per cent market share through its approval for Ranitidine Tablets USP, 150 mg and 300 mg. The new launch will further strengthen companys Ranitidine franchise, the company said in a statement.
The company said, "the US OTC market for Ranitidine Tablets, which is the generic form of the popular brand Zantac, is approximately USD 200 million."
This is the first product approval from companys 50:50 JV with Vivimed Labs. The product will be backward integrated and will be manufactured at the JVs oral dosage facility in Chennai, it said.
Strides will have exclusive marketing rights for the product in the US. The product will be launched immediately.
The company has 82 cumulative ANDA filings with USFDA (including its JV with Vivimed), of which 50 ANDAs have been approved as of date and 32 are pending approval.
Shares of Strides Shasun were trading 2.52 per cent higher at Rs 710.35 apiece on BSE.
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A Pakistani court today ruled that suspension of mobile phone service for security purposes was against the law.
Justice Athar Minallah of Islamabad High Court after hearing multiple applications by mobile phone companies and others had reserved the judgment on September 21, 2017.
He issued the verdict and decided against the practice of suspension of mobile service on religious occasion like 'Ashura' or mass protests by opposition group by declaring it against the legal rights of the citizen.
The applicants had contended that the service suspension was a violation of citizens' basic right as well as the provisions of Pakistan Telecommunication Act 1996.
Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) on behalf of the government tried to justify the practice in the name of security but the court rejected the plea.
The mobile companies had been pressing the government to stop the practice of suspending the mobile service, as it caused financial loss but authorities always rejected it.
According to government, militants used the mobile to detonate bombs and other militant activities during big religious or political gatherings.
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Air strikes on the last pocket of Islamic State jihadists in eastern Syria have killed at least 25 civilians, including seven children, a monitor said today.
The strikes were conducted on Sunday on and around the village of Al-Shaafah, north of the former IS bastion of Albu Kamal near the border with Iraq, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.
The head of the Britain-based Observatory, Rami Abdel Rahman, said the air strikes were carried out by the US-led coalition.
"Twenty-five civilians, including seven children, were killed in the village of Al-Shaafah and in surrounding desert areas in coalition strikes all through Sunday," he said.
"This village is in the last pocket controlled by IS in the east of Syria," he said of Al-Shaafah, which lies on the eastern bank of the Euphrates River.
Air strikes against jihadists forces holding out in remote areas of Deir Ezzor province have killed dozens of civilians in recent weeks, many of them relatives of the fighters.
Coalition-backed Kurdish-led forces have been trying to flush out IS from the east bank of the Euphrates, while Russian-backed regime and allied forces are stationed west of the river.
Abdel Rahman could not say how many IS combatants were taken out by the latest wave of air strikes.
"IS now holds less than three percent of Syrian territory," he said.
The self-styled "caliphate" IS proclaimed over swathes of Syria and Iraq in 2014 effectively died when anti-jihadist forces retook its de facto capital Raqa and other strongholds such as Albu Kamal late last year.
However the US-led coalition has continued to carry out strikes against small pockets of IS fighters hunkering down in and around small villages in Deir Ezzor province.
Small groups of IS-affiliated fighters are also still active in other parts of Syria.
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BJP Rajya Sabha MP Vinay Katiyar has said the Ram temple in Ayodhya will be constructed on the spot where "Ram Lala" is resting.
"I will not comment on how long will it take for it to be decided as the issue is now being heard by the Supreme Court," Katiyar, who was on a private visit to the district, told reporters, while replying to a query last night.
"We are waiting for the court verdict, but I will like to say that our Ram temple, for sure, will come up at the place where Ram Lala is resting...he (Ram idol) will continue (to remain) on the spot," he said, adding, "That land belongs to Lord Ram."
To a question, Katiyar said Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath were together working dedicatedly for the country and the state.
"Criminals are surrendering before the police on their own under the Yogi government," he added.
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Tension grips Sataun village in Sirmaur district here following a clash between Tibetans and locals, leaving seven people injured, police said today. The problem started brewing late last night after some Tibetan youths allegedly thrashed two local boys and damaged their motorcycle after some altercations at a local dhaba here, DSP Paonta, Pramod Chauhan, said. Enraged by the incidents, some local youth entered the Tibetan settlement in the vicinity of the village and thrashed one youth. Later, some more villagers armed with lathis joined them, the DSP said.
The injured were admitted in a hospital here, he said. Police have been deployed in strength to prevent any further clashes and the situation was under control, he said, adding cross FIRs have been registered by the rival groups and investigations are in progress. A local resident Mohan Lal told PTI that tension between the locals and the Tibetans was already brewing for the past few weeks after a spat. Paonta MLA Sukh Ram Chaudhary visited the injured people in the hospital and appealed to people to maintain peace and harmony.
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Dissident BJP MP Shatrughan Sinha today mocked the Narendra Modi government for blaming auditors and regulators for the multi-crore PNB fraud saying, "Thank God they spared the peon".
Sinha's remark was an obvious reference to a recent statement by Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley blaming the multiple layers of auditing system which "chose to either look the other way or do a casual job" for the fraud.
The actor-turned-politician, who has been critical of his party and its government, said, "Taali kaptaan ko to gaali bhi kaptaan ko (the captain has to receive both bouquets as well as brickbats)"
"Our learned people, after blaming everyone from Nehru regime to Congress misrule, said that auditors are to blame for PNB scam. Thank God they spared the peon,'' he tweeted.
''The moot question is, as actual owners of PNB, what was the government doing for at least four of those six years,'' Sinha said referring to the irregularities that began in 2011 when the Congress-led UPA was in power at the Centre.
"Do we have any answers Sir. With due respect, as they say taali kaptaan ko to gaali bhi kaptaan ko," he tweeted.
Sinha, who is known for his colourful oratory and wit, wrote an Urdu couplet to underscore his point.
"Tu idhar udhar ki na baat kar ye bata ki qafila kyun luta mujhe rahzanon se gila nahin teri rahbari ka saval hai (Do not beat about the bush, tell me why the robbery took place. I have do not have much a of complaint against the robbers, but the credibility of your leadership is at stake)," he wrote on the microblogging site.
Sinha, who is also a member of the BJP national executive, had recently questioned the presence of Nirav Modi, the prime accused in the fraud, among the delegates who met Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the World Economic Summit in Davos.
He has also been sharply critical of the prime minister for blaming Jawaharlal Nehru for the partition and previous Congress governments for various problems currently being faced by the country.
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Three security personnel were injured today in an encounter with Naxals in Chhattisgarh's Dantewada district, a senior police official said.
The gun-battle took place this afternoon on a hillock between Mungari and Dulargufa under Barsoor police station limits of Dantewada, Deputy Inspector General of Police (South Bastar Range) Sundarraj P told PTI.
Acting on a tip-off, a joint team of the Special Task Force (STF) and the District Reserve Guard (DRG) raided a Naxal hideout on the hillock, about 18km from Barsoor, he said.
Barsoor is around 450km from here.
"During the raid, there was a heavy exchange of fire. The troops fought back bravely and destroyed the hideout," the DIG said.
"Three jawans sustained bullet injuries in the gunfight," the IPS officer said.
After getting information about the encoutner, reinforcement was rushed to the spot and the injured jawans were evacuated, Sundarraj said.
Details about any loss to Maoists in the gunfight would be known only after the completion of the ongoing search operation, he said.
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Three Venezuelans were shot dead in northeastern Colombia today in an attack blamed on the National Liberation Army (ELN) guerilla group, official sources said.
The three were killed by suspected rebels traveling by motorcycle in Tibu, near the Venezuelan border, police said in a statement.
The suspects had earlier attacked a police station in the same area, but nobody was wounded, the statement added.
The Norte de Santander department, where Tibu is located, is one of Colombia's biggest areas for coca growing, and several drug-trafficking factions operate in the area.
The ELN began peace talks with President Juan Manuel Santos's government a year ago in the Ecuadoran capital Quito, but he suspended negotiations at the end of January and ordered a stepped-up military response after bomb attacks blamed on the guerrillas.
Santos, who will leave power in August after two four-year terms, is looking to reach a deal with the ELN similar to that agreed with FARC rebels, who have since disarmed and transformed into a political party.
Relations between Colombia and Venezuela, which share a 2,200 kilometer border, are tense as Colombia deals with the arrival of thousands of Venezuelans fleeing the country's economic and humanitarian crisis.
According to Colombian immigration authorities, around 550,000 Venezuelans are in the country -- a figure it said could rise to one million by mid-2018.
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A 24-year old post graduate medical student hailing from Tamil Nadu allegedly committed suicide in Chandigarh today.
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister K Palaniswami condoled his death and directed officials to make swift arrangements to bring his body to his hometown Rameswaram. He also announced a solatium of Rs three lakh to his family.
Dr Krishna Prasath R, who doing his PG course at the Post-Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research in Chandigarh, allegedly committed suicide by hanging himself from the ceiling of his hostel room, police said.
He was a junior resident in the Department of Radio diagnosis and Imaging, at PGIMER, and hailed from Rameswaram in Ramanathapuram district of Tamil Nadu.
A report from Rameswaram said, Krishna Prasath was the son of a priest of a Lord Hanuman sub-temple in the famous Lord Ramanathaswamy temple complex in the island town.
Quoting temple officials, the report said the family members of Krishna Prasath were informed about his death over phone and they have immediately left for Chandigarh.
"Considering the family situation of the student, I have ordered a solatium of the Rs three lakh to the family of Krishna Prasath from the Chief Minister's Relief Fund," Palaniswami said in a statement in Chennai.
"Prasath was found hanging from the ceiling of his room. He used a rope to commit suicide," Station House Officer at Sector 11 Police Station, Inspector Lakhbir Singh, said, adding the reason behind the extreme step was not known.
A case had been registered, Singh said, adding further investigations were under progress.
This is the second death of a PG medical student from Tamil Nadu since last month.
28-year-old Sharath Prabhu, hailing from Coimbatore, was found dead at his rented flat in northeast Delhi's Shahdara area on January 17.
Prabhu was a first-year post graduate medicine student at the University College of Medical Sciences, affiliated to the Delhi University.
Police had then said they were probing whether he died due to drug overdose.
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Top security officials today reviewed the security situation including intelligence gathering and operations in north Kashmir, an Army official said.
A high-level joint meeting of the Army, the Jammu and Kashmir Police, and the CRPF was held at Kilo Force Headquarters at Sharifabad.
Senior officers of the respective services interacted with the functional level officers and reviewed the security situation in north Kashmir," the official said here.
The meeting was co-chaired by Kilo Force Commander Major General A K Singh and IGP Kashmir S P Pani and attended by various sector commanders, commanding officers, and SSPs of all the districts of north Kashmir.
Besides sharing ideas, the IGP Kashmir assured everyone of total support and continued synergy among the security forces, he said.
The IG CRPF also gave valuable insights and assured full support during all operations, he added.
Maj Gen Singh emphasised that the entire north Kashmir is well geared to fight against the militants and exhorted everyone to continue working towards bringing peace and harmony in the region, the official said.
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Top stories from the south at 2130 hrs.
MDS4 'KA-SHAH-OBC'
Kalaburagi: BJP president Amit Shah hits out at Karnataka's Congress government for celebrating the birth anniversary of 18th century Mysore ruler Tipu Sultan instead of focusing on developing backward regions.
MDS3 KA-SHAH
BJP president Amit Shah takes on Congress chief Rahul Gandhi for his attacks on the prime minister over the PNB scam, saying no other government had acted as promptly and taken stringent action against frauds as the Narendra Modi government.
MDS7 TN-2ND LD SONG
Chennai: Rendering of a Sanskrit invocation at an event attended by two union ministers at the IIT Madras triggers a controversy with several opposition parties led by DMK questioning why the Tamil anthem was not sung.
BES10 TL-RATION-AADHAAR (CORRECTED)
Hyderabad: Nearly three crore fake and duplicate ration cards have been cancelled during the three years of the NDA government, says CR Chaudhary, Union Minister of State for Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution.
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The Trump Administration today announced a $40 million initiative to counter propaganda and initiatives from foreign countries.
To be led by the Department of State, the announcement of such an initiative comes in the wake of the massive anti-US campaign on various social media platforms and other platforms by countries like North Korea, Russia and China.
The Pentagon, which under the Trump Administration has seen substantial increase in its budgetary allocation, has transferred $40 million to the Department of State to bolster operations to expose and counter foreign propaganda.
"This funding is critical to ensuring that we continue an aggressive response to malign influence and disinformation and that we can leverage deeper partnerships with our allies, Silicon Valley, and other partners in this fight," Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs Steve Goldstein said.
"It is not merely a defensive posture that we should take, we also need to be on the offensive," Goldstein said, adding that the transfer of funds reiterates the US' commitment to the fight.
One of those initiatives is the creation of an Information Access Fund to support public and private partners working to expose and counter propaganda and disinformation from foreign nations, the State Department said.
Under the Information Access Fund, civil society groups, media content providers, non-governmental organisations, federally funded research and development centers, private companies, and academic institutions will be eligible to compete for grants from the Global Engagement Center (GEC) to advance their important work to counter propaganda and disinformation.
The State Department said it plans to award an initial $5 million in grants from the Information Access Fund.
In consultation with Congress, this funding will include $one million in initial seed money from the Department of State's public diplomacy account in order to kick-start the initiative quickly.
The fund will be a key part of the GEC's partnerships with local civil society organizations, NGOs, media providers, and content creators to counter propaganda and disinformation. The fund will also drive the use of innovative messaging and data science techniques, it said.
Separately, the GEC will initiate a series of pilot projects developed with the Department of Defense that are designed to counter propaganda and disinformation. Those projects will be supported by Department of Defense funding, the State Department said.
(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
President Donald Trump says the deadly mass shooting at a Florida high school is the top issue he wants to discuss with the nation's governors.
Under pressure to act to stem gun violence on school grounds, Trump planned to solicit input from the state chief executives during meetings Monday at the White House.The governors are in Washington for their annual winter meeting.
But socializing was the focus Sunday night as Trump and first lady Melania Trump hosted the governors for an annual black-tie ball.
In brief remarks before dinner beneath dimmed lights in the State Dining Room, Trump said the governors are "very, very special people." "The job you do is really incredible. It's not easy, but we're very proud of you and we're very proud to have you here," he said as tall candles flickered and bouquets of hydrangeas adorned an assortment of round and oblong dinner tables.
Previewing today's talks, Trump said they would also discuss the economy "and many other things." Seventeen students and teachers were killed in a Valentine's Day shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, sparking a public outcry for new gun-control measures as well as action to improve school safety.
"We'll be talking about Parkland and the horrible event that took place last week," Trump said. "That will be one of the subjects. We'll make it first on our list." Trump thanked Florida Gov. Rick Scott, a close political ally who attended the ball, and told everyone he's "doing a great job."
The president also boasted about the economy, saying numbers that weren't so good under his predecessor are improving under his leadership.
"You're going to see some numbers coming up over the next year, the likes of which we haven't seen in our country for many, many years," Trump said. He briefly mentioned his efforts to eliminate regulations, saying that because of his administration "people are building and farming and doing lot of things that they were having a very hard time doing."
Trump's session with the governors will be the latest in which he solicits ideas for stopping gun violence at schools as the White House works to finalize an expected legislative proposal.
Trump spent several days last week hearing emotional pleas from parents and students, including some who survived the Parkland shooting, and others who suffered through school shootings in Connecticut and Colorado. He also solicited input from state and local officials.
Trump has floated numerous ideas since the shooting, including raising the minimum age for the purchase of assault-style weapons, improving background checks for gun purchases, arming educators and paying them bonuses, and re-opening mental institutions.
Trump's daughter and senior adviser, Ivanka Trump, expressed uncertainty when asked whether arming teachers would make children safer.
"To be honest, I don't know," the mother of three said in an interview with NBC from South Korea, where she attended the closing ceremonies of the Winter Olympics.
"Obviously, there would have to be an incredibly high standard for who would be able to bear arms in our school. But I think there is no one solution for creating safety." The National Rifle Association, which backed Trump for president, opposes increasing the minimum age for assault-style weapons purchases but favors arming teachers.
"I think we're going to have a great bill put forward very soon having to do with background checks, having to do with getting rid of certain things and keeping other things, and perhaps we'll do something on age, because it doesn't seem to make sense that you have to wait until you are 21 years old to get a pistol, but to get a gun like this maniac used in the school, you get that at 18," Trump said during a late Saturday telephone interview with Fox Channel. "That doesn't make sense.
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President Donald Trump today responded to an overture from North Korea for talks with the US, saying that will happen only "under the right conditions."
Trump raised North Korea at an annual White House meeting with the nation's governors after a North Korean envoy sent a message through South Korea on Sunday. The envoy said the North has "ample intentions" of holding talks with the US. The White House said in response that it would take a wait-and-see approach. Trump followed up Monday. "We want to talk only under the right conditions," Trump said. The administration's position is that North Korea must get rid of its nuclear and missile programs before any talks can take place. The U.S. has applied a series of sanctions, including a fresh round on Friday, in what it says is a "maximum pressure campaign" to force North Korea to disarm. The Trump administration says it's open to talks with North Korea, primarily to explain how America will maintain its pressure on the country until it takes steps toward eliminating its nuclear weapons. U.S. officials differentiate talks from negotiations. For those to occur, they first want Pyongyang to accept that its nuclear program will be on the table. Speaking to the governors, Trump praised Chinese President Xi Jinping for bolstering his country's sanctions against the North and warned that Russia is "behaving badly" on the issue of sanctions. "Russia is sending in what China is taking out," Trump said. During Sunday's closing ceremony for the Olympics Games, the office of South Korean President Moon Jae-in announced that a North Korean delegate to the Olympics said his country is willing to hold talks with the US. The move comes after decades of tensions between the two countries, which have no formal diplomatic relations, and a year of escalating rhetoric, including threats of war, between Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. The North has "ample intentions of holding talks with the United States," Moon's office said. The North's delegation also agreed that "South-North relations and U.S.-North Korean relations should be improved together," the statement said. White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said Sunday that the U.S., South Korea and the international community "broadly agree" that denuclearization must be the outcome of any dialogue with North Korea. She said North Korea has a bright path ahead of it if it chooses denuclearization. "We will see if Pyongyang's message today, that it is willing to hold talks, represents the first steps along the path to denuclearization," she said in a written statement. "In the meantime, the United States and the world must continue to make clear that North Korea's nuclear and missile programs are a dead end." Trump once scolded Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, who favours diplomacy with North Korea over military confrontation, for "wasting his time trying to negotiate with Little Rocket Man," which is Trump's derisive nickname for North Korea's leader. At the Olympics opening ceremony earlier this month, the North Korean leader's sister, Kim Yo Jong, shared a VIP box with Moon and Vice President Mike Pence, who led a separate US delegation, creating some awkward moments.
Though Pence stood to cheer the entrance of the US team, he remained seated when athletes from North and South Korea marched together behind a "unification" flag, leaving Moon to instinctively turn around and shake Kim's sister's hand.
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Turkey has submitted documents to the Czech authorities formally requesting the extradition of the former leader of a Syrian Kurdish party, Deputy Prime Minister Bekir Bozdag said today. Salih Muslim, former co-chair of the Democratic Union Party, or PYD, was detained in the Czech capital of Prague on Saturday under an Interpol red notice based on a Turkish request for his arrest. Turkey considers the PYD a "terrorist group" linked to outlawed Kurdish insurgents fighting within Turkey's own borders. Muslim was put on Turkey's most-wanted list earlier in February with a USD1 million reward. Today, Turkish prosecutors issued a new warrant for his detention, accusing Muslim and about 30 other people of being behind a bomb attack on a tax office in Ankara earlier this month. Nine people suspected Kurdish militants were detained in connection with the attack, which caused damage to the tax office but no casualties. Bozdag said during a live television interview today that Turkey's Justice Ministry had sent a "file" formally requesting his extradition. Muslim was expected to appear before a Prague court tomorrow, which would then decide if he will remain in detention, Turkish Ambassador in Prague Ahmet Necati Bigali told Turkey's state-run Anadolu Agency. The PYD is the leading political Kurdish force in northern Syria, and Muslim remains highly influential in the party, even after stepping down as co-chair last year. On January 20, Turkey launched an incursion into northern Syria, seeking to rout the US-backed Syrian Kurdish militia, known as the People's Protection Units or YPG, from the enclave of Afrin. The YPG is the armed wing of the PYD.
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Britains Opposition Labour Party today set out its Brexit strategy in an attempt to pile pressure on the Theresa May-led government to soften its stance on certain issues linked with the UK's exit from the EU.
In a major policy speech in Coventry, Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn said leaving the EU "does not inevitably spell doom for our country" as he backed staying within a customs union with the EU and pledged to allow the EU to continue to negotiate trade deals on behalf of the UK after Brexit.
He said this would avoid the need for a "hard border" in Northern Ireland and ensure free-flowing trade for business.
He committed to negotiating a "new and strong relationship with the single market that includes full tariff-free access".
Labour would negotiate a new and strong relationship with the single market that includes full tariff-free access and a floor under existing rights, standards and protections," he said.
The speech came days before British Prime Minister Theresa May is set to lay out her plans for Britains future relationship with the EU as a non-member state in a much-anticipated speech on Friday.
The prime minister has insisted that the UK would leave both the single market and the customs union, allowing it to negotiate its own post-Brexit trade deals.
"The government will not be joining a customs union. We want to have the freedom to sign our own trade deals and to reach out into the world," May's spokesperson said.
Corbyn sought to set the Labour party apart from the Tory stance.
"We will also seek to negotiate protections, clarifications or exemptions, where necessary, in relation to the privatisation and public service competition directives, state aid and procurement rules and the posted workers directive," Corbyn said.
"Every country that is geographically close to the EU without being an EU member state, whether it's Turkey, Switzerland, or Norway, has some sort of close relationship to the EU, some more advantageous than others," he said, adding that Britain will need a bespoke relationship of its own.
He said the "new relationship" he would negotiate with the EU would ensure Labour could deliver on its plans to nationalise public utilities, invest in industry and curb the outsourcing of public services, which some fear would have been incompatible with EU membership.
Labour has previously said it wants to retain the "benefits" of the single market and customs union after Brexit without saying how that would be achieved.
UK Shadow Brexit secretary Sir Keir Starmer said on Sunday that while Britain may leave the customs union in March 2019 Labour would seek to negotiate a new treaty that will "do the work of the customs union".
Labour MP Frank Field, who backed Leave and said Corbyn was once more Eurosceptic than him, warned the Labour leader not to "rat" on the millions of Labour voters who backed Brexit in the referendum.
(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
UN chief Antonio Guterres today called on world leaders to step up humanitarian efforts and show solidarity with millions of people in strife-torn countries like Syria to bring global peace and stability.
Addressing the first Riyadh International Humanitarian Forum (RIHF) , the UN Secretary General said conflicts in Syria and Libya had led to horrendous crises.
"Humanitarian efforts work and I call on global leaders to show solidarity and bring stability in these countries, Guterres said in a video message.
His remarks came as more than 500 people were killed since February 18 in heavy shelling by Syrian army in eastern Ghouta., which is controlled by Islamist and jihadist fighters.
Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud inaugurated the two-day Riyadh conference.
A galaxy of global heads and professionals from 65 organisations, including the UN, are particiapating in conference that seeks to formulate new practical and efficient responses to changing humanitarian needs.
Sponsored by the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center (KSRelief), the event will help build on the conclusions of previous international forums and generate commitments to reduce suffering and deliver assistance more efficiently to those in need, a statement said.
King Salman participated in the event and felicitated the organisers of the KSRelief, but did not address the gathering at the sprawling conference hall at the intercontinental complex.
He launched the electronic edition of KSReliefs international humanitarian journal during the forum. The journal highlights the humanitarian work of the Saudi Kingdom.
The conference would have some 25 sessions and will be attended by several heads of UN agencies including the UN and the WHO.
Earlier, Abdullah Al Rabeeah, Supervisor General of KSRelief said that the organisation had implemented 328 humanitarian projects in 38 countries.
The majority of our programs have focused on Yemen, Syria, Iraq and Somalia. KSreliefs 119 humanitarian partners include UN member agencies as well as many other international and national NGOs, he said.
(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Samina Baig, Pakistan's first woman to climb Mount Everest, was today appointed as the goodwill ambassador of the UN Development Programme, the UN agency said.
Baig, 27, will lead efforts to build national awareness and partnerships around the Global Goals for Sustainable Development.
"Welcoming Pakistani Mountaineer Samina Baig as the United Nations Development Programme - UNDP in Pakistan's National Goodwill Ambassador," the UNDP said on its Facebook page.
She is the first Pakistani woman to have climbed Mount Everest and will lead efforts to build national awareness and partnerships around the Global Goals for Sustainable Development, it said.
Baig, on her Facebook page, thanked the UNDP and promised to try her best to raise awareness on climate change, protection of environment,Youth and women empowerment,
"There is no mountain too high...nor too easy. I believe we all can achieve the highest in our field of work and contribute in the development of our country," she said.
Baig, at the age of 22, became the first Pakistani woman to climb Mount Everest in 2013. By the time she turned 23, Baig had climbed the highest mountain on each of the world's seven continents.
Awarded the 'Pride of Performance' by Pakistan, she presides over the Pakistan Youth Outreach Foundation to encourage youth, especially women, to participate in outdoor activities.
As a mountaineer, she bears witness to the critical importance of preserving Pakistan's fragile ecosystems and preparing for the effects of climate change.
"Scaling Peak in Antarctica and the seven highest peaks of the seven continents, in some of the most harsh conditions, my entire climbing purpose was to empower women through these adventures and encourage gender equality," she was quoted as saying by the Pakistani local media.
(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Uttar Pradesh Assembly was today adjourned till March 5 after paying tributes to BJP MLA from Noorpur Lokdendra Singh, who died in a road accident last week.
Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath informed the House about Singh's death in a road accident in Sitpaur on February 21.
Condoling his death, the chief minister termed it a loss not only for the government and the party but also of the people.
Leader of Opposition Ram Govind Chowdhury, BSP and Congress legislative party leaders Lalji Verma and Ajay Kumar Lallu respectively, and others also condoled the untimely death of the legislator.
Later, Speaker Hriday Narain Dixit adjourned the House till March 5.
Singh and four others were killed in an accident in Sitapur when he was coming to Lucknow to attend a summit.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi had condoled Singh's death by tweeting, "Anguished by the demise of BJP MLA from Noorpur, Shri Lokendra Singh Ji due to an accident. His service towards society and role in building the BJP in UP will always be remembered. My thoughts are with his family and supporters in this hour of grief."
The chief minister had also visited Alampur village in Bijnor and had met Singh's family and offered his condolences.
(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Young leaders from Nepal, Bangladesh and eastern India took part in a three-day workshop aimed at promoting peace and stability in the region.
In the workshop, the participants were told how to use cultural and digital tools to counter violence and extremism.
The workshop was held from Wednesday to Friday, an American Center press release said.
The workshop preceded the Peaceniks Music Festival organised by the US Consulate General here and an NGO Banglanatak.com, a social organisation working in the spheres of art and culture, the release said.
Music bands from Nepal and folk groups from Bengal performed at the music festival which was held on Saturday.
In August, the Peacenik participants will reconvene at the American Center here to report on how they have implemented their newly acquired tools, the release said.
The Deputy Director of American Center Jay Treloar said in the press release, "The American Center will continue our partnership with the 'Peaceniks' and work with them to create an online regional youth alliance for peace."
Treloar said, the US government is committed to promote regional peace and stability in this region to ensure prosperity, cross border trade and regional connectivity.
(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Police lobbed teargas shells and used lathies to disperse a violent crowd of Youth Congress workers in front of the state secretariat, who were demanding a CBI probe into the murder of a YC worker, even as the government rejected the plea in the state assembly today.
Violence erupted as Youth Congress workers were stopped by police near the Secretariat and they hurled stones at them.
Police used tear gas shells and lathies to disperse them.
Shuhaib, a Youth Congress worker, was hacked to death on the night of February 12, allegedly by some CPI(M) workers.
Five CPI(M) workers have so far been arrested in connection with the murder.
Meanwhile,the fast by senior Congress leader K Sudhakaran and Youth Congress President Deen Kuriakose in front of the Kannur Collectorate and state secretariat here respectively, entered the eighth day today.
They are demanding the arrest of all accused and a CBI probe.
The issue rocked the state assembly also today, with the opposition Congress led UDF disrupting proceedings after Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan rejected their demand for a CBI probe.
The Chief Minister said the state police was conducting an efficient, impartial and scientific enquiry.
Five persons have so far been arrested in the case and more accused, if any, would also be brought to book, he said condemning the killing.
"The investigation by the state police is going on in the right direction. So there is no need for a CBI probe,"Vijayan said.
The Chief Minister also said the state government was of the view that individual and ideological differences should not end in violence.
Vijayan also rejected the opposition charge that the political violence in the state had increased after the LDF government came to power in May, 2016.
The Chief Minister also listed out various incidents of political violence and killings in Kannur in which Congress workers were allegedly involved.
Opposition leader Ramesh Chennithala demanded to know why the government was hesitating to order a CBI probe and said they were also looking into legal options in this regard.
(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
By Michael Nienaber, Edward Taylor and Arno SchuetzeBERLIN/FRANKFURT (Reuters) - Automaker Geely's purchase of a $9 billion stake in Mercedes maker Daimler rekindled fears in Germany on Monday of its highly-prized expertise falling into Chinese hands.Economy minister Brigitte Zypries stuck to Berlin's position that Geely's swoop was a business matter, but said Germany's openness must not be not exploited by other countries.Geely, which owns rival Swedish carmaker Volvo, is pushing Daimler for access to know-how in electric and autonomous cars.On Wednesday, a German parliamentary committee ...
SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Singapore's industrial production grew more than expected in January helped by a jump in electronics output, data showed on Monday. Manufacturing output in January rose 17.9 percent from a year earlier, data from the Singapore Economic Development Board showed. The surge in output comes after its biggest decline in two years the previous month.The median forecast in a Reuters survey predicted an 8.2 percent expansion.On a month-on-month and seasonally adjusted basis, industrial production rose 6.7 percent in January. The median forecast was for an expansion of 4.7 ...
By Paul Sandle and Douglas BusvineBARCELONA (Reuters) - Vodafone's CEO Vittorio Colao said Deutsche Telekom's opposition to its plan to buy some assets from Liberty Global was surprising, and he contested its assertion that Vodafone wanted to shut down competition.Vodafone said this month it was in early-stage talks about buying Liberty Global's cable assets in some continental markets where they both operate, the main one being Germany.Colao said Britain, where Liberty's Virgin Media is the leading cable operator, was excluded from the talks because Vodafone was not as advanced in combining ...
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) Thousands of people from all walks of life including a former president filed slowly past the casket of the Rev. Billy Graham on Monday to pay their final respects to a man who reached millions with his message of salvation through Jesus Christ.
A light drizzle greeted mourners on hand at 8 a.m. when the doors opened to Grahams boyhood home, but it had tapered by the late afternoon when former President George W. Bush arrived with his wife, Laura. The viewing was expected to last late into the night for the famed evangelist, who died Wednesday at age 99.
Mourners of all races, young and old, some in suits and some in T-shirts and flip-flops, walked through the parlor where Grahams closed casket lay on a black pedestal. They walked past family photos and a cross made of white lilies to see the simple plywood container made by prison inmates. At the door for the first few hours was Grahams grandson, Roy, shaking the hand of every person who came to see his grandfather.
I just wanted to tell them how much I appreciated the love for my family, Roy Graham said.
And they responded with stories. Roy Graham said what moved him the most Monday were the dozens who paused and told him the exact moment and place Billy Graham came into their lives through his hundreds of crusades around the world.
Cecily Turner is one of them. Her mother was at Billy Grahams 1957 New York crusade and she said he led her mother to salvation that day.
I know she is in heaven thanking him right now, she said.
Mother passed her faith on to daughter, and Turner said she passed it down to five children and four great-grandchildren.
Thats an amazing thing, she said.
Grahams funeral is Friday, and President Donald Trump said he will attend. Invitations were sent to all ex-presidents of the U.S.
Bush has said he chose Monday because he had a scheduling conflict with the funeral. He was greeted by Grahams son Franklin and spent about 30 minutes with the family during a private viewing.
Laura and I are honored to be able to come and pay our respects to the Graham family and, more importantly, to be able to say goodbye to a person who was influential in our lives and influential in the lives of millions, Bush told reporters afterward.
He also brought condolences from his father, George H.W. Bush, whom he described as a great friend of Grahams.
I know he wished he could come too, but hes not moving around much these days, Bush said.
Former President Barack Obama is not planning to attend memorial services for Graham this week, his office said. Obama tweeted last week after that Graham was was a humble servant who prayed for so many and who, with wisdom and grace, gave hope and guidance to generations of Americans.
Public viewing was to continue Monday and Tuesday until 10 p.m. at Grahams Charlotte library on the campus of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association. His body will then be taken to the U.S. Capitol, where Wednesday and Thursday he will be the first private citizen to lie in honor there since civil rights hero Rosa Parks in 2005.
The funeral will be held in a giant tent as a nod to Grahams 1949 Los Angeles crusade. That revival, which Graham said propelled him to worldwide fame, was held in a circus tent dubbed the Canvas Cathedral. The man called Americas Pastor would eventually preach to an estimated 210 million people in person and many more through his pioneering use of prime-time telecasts, network radio, daily newspaper columns, evangelistic films and satellite TV hookups.
Billy Wayne Arrington was a boy when he first encountered Graham on a TV screen in Kingsport, Tennessee. He now does Christian theater. Arrington wiped tears from his eyes as he exited after saying a prayer for Graham and for the world he leaves behind.
Im just overwhelmed, not by sadness just overwhelmed to see so many lives touched, Arrington said.
Graham will be buried beside his wife, Ruth, who died in 2007, at the foot of a cross-shaped walkway at Grahams library in Charlotte.
Online: Billy Graham Evangelistic Association: http://www.billygraham.org
Billy Graham Center archives: http://www.wheaton.edu/bgc/archives/archhp1.html
Follow Jeffrey Collins on Twitter and see his work on apnews.com
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) A committee of lawmakers in Utahs House of Representatives voted Monday to ban reporters from the House floor five minutes before lawmakers meets there for floor sessions.
Rep. Jim Dunnigan, who pushed for the change, said some of his colleagues need a few minutes to prepare for the day without journalists approaching them at their desks for interviews.
The Taylorsville Republican originally sought to ban reporters from the floor 45 minutes before floor sessions start but dropped it to five minutes after objections from news organizations and some lawmakers. His change would still allow journalists to access the area after floor sessions.
The change, which must still be approved by the full House, has a broader effect of cutting the public out of the Democratic process, flying in the face of transparency and accountability, according to the Utah chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists.
Journalists and lawmakers here are working toward the same purpose and that is serving the public, the chapter president, McKenzie Romero, said. When access is restricted to lawmakers that is essentially restricting the public from having access to the people whove been elected to represent them.
Reporters are currently allowed to enter the floor of the House chamber and interview lawmakers before and after the hours-long sessions when lawmakers conduct business on the floor.
During the floor sessions, reporters can interview House representatives in hallways outside the chamber or watch proceedings from an upstairs gallery.
Utahs Senate has similar rules and reporters sometimes conduct interviews on the Senate floor, but Dunnigan said Monday that the Senate rules are actually more restrictive and do not permit any interviews near the lawmakers desks on the floor.
Senate officials did not immediately respond to an email seeking clarification Monday.
Rep. Carol Spackman Moss, D-Salt Lake City, was one of two House lawmakers to vote against the proposal Monday. She said there are all sorts of people on the floor at that time, including lawmakers family members and school children touring the building, but reporters are unobtrusive.
We need to be accessible to them and the public has a right to know, she said.
JUBA, South Sudan (AP) One year after South Sudan briefly declared a famine, more than half of the people in the worlds youngest nation face extreme hunger amid civil war and famine could return, a new report says.
More than six million people, up about 40 percent from a year ago, are at threat without aid, according to the report released Monday by the United Nations and South Sudans government. It says 150,000 people in 11 counties in Jonglei, Upper Nile, Unity and Western Bahr el Ghazal states could slip into famine this year.
These are unprecedented levels of food insecurity, Ross Smith, senior program officer for the U.Ns World Food Program, told The Associated Press. He said a political solution in South Sudan is needed so that its people can rebuild their lives.
Five years of fighting have devastated the East African nation. Tens of thousands of people have been killed and more than two million have fled the country.
A year ago South Sudan declared famine in two counties where 100,000 people faced starvation. After a rapid aid response, further crisis was averted and the famine declaration was lifted in June.
The situation is extremely fragile, and we are close to seeing another famine, said Serge Tissot, representative of the U.N.s Food and Agriculture Organization in South Sudan. The projections are stark. If we ignore them, well be faced with a growing tragedy.
One in three people in South Sudan have been forced from their homes by the civil war, resulting in the worst production of the countrys staple grains since the conflict began in late 2013, the FAO said.
While supportive of the aid response, South Sudans government worries that it is crippling the nation.
If a country relies on aid itll develop a dependency syndrome, said Hussein Mar Nyot, minister of humanitarian affairs and disaster management. People will forget their skills the longer they arent able to cultivate the land, he said.
I just move from one place to another looking for food, one resident, Chol Makuey, told the AP in one of the worst-affected areas, Ayod County, in December.
Cradling her severely malnourished 1-year-old daughter, Makuey said the fighting has prevented her from farming, instead forcing her to wander through villages begging friends and family to share their rations.
Aid workers warn that if the situation persists, even with food aid, more than 30 counties in South Sudan could face severe hunger by May, requiring large-scale assistance.
The U.N. humanitarian response plan for South Sudan has received less than 4 percent of its funding for 2018, with a gap of more than $1.7 billion.
Last year President Salva Kiir ordered unrestricted access for aid groups, but aid workers say the situation hasnt changed and the current dry season could make it worse.
Continued human rights violations, including blocking of civilian access to food by both the government and opposition forces, have led to severe food insecurity, said Alicia Luedke, South Sudan researcher for rights group Amnesty International.
PARKLAND, Fla. (AP) The Latest on the law enforcement response after a deadly school shooting in Florida (all times local):
6:45 p.m.
The Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School ice hockey team won the Florida championship, 11 days after a gunman killed 17 of their classmates and staff members.
The fourth-seeded Eagles upset top-ranked East Lake 3-1 in the Sunday morning semifinals at a minor-league rink near Fort Myers, then routed Tampa Jesuit 7-4 in the afternoon finals.
Ice hockey in Florida is a club sport sponsored by Statewide Amateur Hockey of Florida.
4:45 p.m.
Students at a Florida high school where 17 of their classmates and staff members were fatally gunned down have gotten their first chance to return to the school.
Thousands of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School students and their parents were able to pick up book bags and other belonging left behind after the Feb. 14 shooting. They were able to see their friends again Sunday as they continue to seek recovery from the shooting.
The students had to walk past the three-story building where the massacre took place. It is now cordoned off by a chain link fence that is covered with banners from other schools showing their support.
Freshman Francesca Lozano says seeing the building where the shooting happened was scary, but seeing her friends made her feel better.
The school is scheduled to reopen to students on Wednesday.
4:10 p.m.
Florida Gov. Rick Scott says he has spoken to House Speaker Richard Corcoran regarding his request to suspend Broward County Sheriff Scott Israel over his response to the Parkland school shooting.
Scott said in a statement Sunday that he understands Corcorans concerns, but clarified there must be an independent investigation.
Like me, he wants the families to have answers and for there to be full accountability. Thats what the victims and their families deserve, Scott said.
Corcoran and 73 other Republican lawmakers are asking the governor to suspend Israel for his actions leading up to and in response to the Feb. 14 shooting that killed 17 people at Marjory Stone Douglas High School.
The sheriffs office is under scrutiny for assigning a deputy who did not go in to confront suspected shooter Nikolas Cruz and failing to file reports after tipster calls before the attack.
3:40 p.m.
Thousands of students and their parents are returning to a Florida high school to find out what will happen when they return to school on Wednesday.
The meeting Sunday with teachers and administrators at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School is expected to last a couple of hours.
Junior Sebastian Pena said before going in that he was looking forward to seeing his friends and teachers again.
The school has been closed since Feb. 14, when authorities say former student Nikolas Cruz killed 14 students and three staff members.
Parent Joel Fuller, whose daughter is a junior at the school, expects students will be given plenty of time to talk about what happened and embrace each other.
3 p.m.
Florida House Speaker Richard Corcoran and 73 other state lawmakers have asked Gov. Rick Scott to suspend a sheriff for incompetence and neglect of duty in the aftermath of this months high school massacre.
In a letter sent Sunday, Corcoran wrote that Broward County Sheriff Scott Israel failed to maintain a culture of alertness, vigilance, and thoroughness among his deputies.
Corcoran says that a result of Sheriff Israels failures, students and teachers died.
Israel is being scrutinized for his offices actions leading up to and during the Feb. 14 shooting that resulted in 17 deaths in Parkland, Florida. Israel has said he will not resign.
Corcoran says the sheriffs office ignored signs about the shooting suspect Nikolas Cruz reported in more than a dozen tipster calls. He also said he did not properly train Scot Peterson, an armed sheriff deputy who was assigned to Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School at the time of the shooting. Peterson stayed outside the school instead of confronting the shooter.
2 p.m.
Florida Gov. Rick Scott says that he ordered the Florida Department of Law Enforcement Commissioner Rick Swearingen to investigate the law enforcement response to the shooting.
Scotts office confirmed on Sunday the commissioner will immediately launch a probe.
Israel is facing backlash because of the missed red flags leading up to the Valentines Day attack that left 17 people dead. He has vowed not to resign, saying he has shown amazing leadership.
Israel said on Sunday that a deputy who responded to a Nov. 30 call referring to Cruz as a school shooter in the making was being investigated by internal affairs for not filing a report. The employee was placed on restrictive duty.
11:30 a.m.
NRA spokeswoman Dana Loesch has told ABCs This Week with George Stephanopoulos that critics shouldnt blame her organization, gun owners or semi-automatic weapons for the shooting. She says the blame is on the shooting suspect for his own actions and the Broward Sheriffs Office and the FBI for failing to stop him despite warnings that he was a potential school shooter.
Loesch told Stephanopoulos on Sunday that the firearm did not walk itself into the school. The Broward County Sheriffs Office allowed that firearm to go into that school.
The FBI has acknowledged that it failed to investigate the tip about suspect Nikolas Cruz that the agency received on Jan. 5. Sheriff Israel says his office is investigating why a deputy did not file a report after a November call that referred to Cruz as a school shooter in the making.
10 a.m.
A Florida sheriff has defended his leadership in the aftermath of a school shooting while insisting that only one of his deputies was on the scene as the gunman killed 14 students and three staff members.
Broward County Sheriff Scott Israel has told CNN that investigators are looking into claims that three other deputies were on the scene but failed to enter the school when the chance to save lives still existed. He said Sunday that so far the investigation has pointed to only one deputy being on campus while the killer was present.
Israel labels as absolutely untrue reports that the deputies waited outside even though children were inside the building needing urgent medical treatment.
Israel and the sheriffs office have come under scrutiny after last weeks revelation that deputy Scot Peterson did not go in to confront suspected shooter Nikolas Cruz during the Valentines Day attack. It is also facing backlash for apparently mishandling some of the 18 tipster calls related to the suspected shooter.
HOUSTON (AP) The American Civil Liberties Union accused the U.S. government on Monday of unlawfully separating a Congolese woman and her 7-year-old daughter by holding them in different immigration facilities, two time zones apart, after they sought asylum four months ago.
The ACLU said the familys case is one example of the practice of President Donald Trumps administration to target immigrant families who are seeking asylum through processes established under U.S. law.
Trump has not announced a formal policy to hold adult asylum seekers separately from their children, but top administration officials have said they believe the asylum process is overwhelmed and challenged by people making frivolous claims.
The woman is being held at a detention center in San Diego, while her daughter is being held in a facility for unaccompanied minor children in Chicago, about 2,000 miles (3,200 kilometers) away.
The mother and daughter entered the U.S. together in California in November and turned themselves into U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents. Initially, the two were kept together. But about five days after they entered the U.S., the child was taken away screaming and crying, pleading with guards not to take her away from her mother, according to a lawsuit filed in federal court in San Diego.
The woman and her daughter have spoken around six times by phone since their separation.
The ACLU is asking that the woman and her daughter be released to a shelter that serves asylum seekers from African countries or be placed in a family detention center run by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security declined to comment on the lawsuit.
The U.S. government is bound to release immigrant children from custody if possible and otherwise hold children in the least restrictive setting available, according to the 1997 Flores settlement, which ended a long-running lawsuit over the treatment of immigrant children, and later court rulings. The Trump administration has called for ending the Flores settlement as part of its demands for changes to immigration laws.
Lee Gelernt, deputy director of the ACLUs Immigrants Rights Project, said Monday that the woman is from a village in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and speaks little English.
The woman passed the initial screening to determine if she had a credible fear of returning to the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the lawsuit said. Gelernt declined to name her or discuss her case in detail, saying she could be in danger if shes ultimately denied asylum and has to return to Congo.
For now, Gelernt said, she is worried sick about her daughter, whether shes ever going to see her again.
Under previous administrations, immigration authorities charged thousands of people with illegally entering or re-entering the U.S., holding them in jail and at times separating them from their children. But Gelernt and other immigrant advocates say the Trump administration is detaining more adults seeking asylum and separating them from their children than in previous years.
Advocates have also accused border agents of unlawfully turning away people who are seeking asylum at the U.S.-Mexico border.
The Trump administration has broadly cracked down on people who cross the U.S.-Mexico border without legal permission. In a January interview with The Associated Press, Tom Homan, acting director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, said there have been some separations done, particularly in cases where parents have been accused of paying smugglers to bring their children across the border.
Homan said he believed many families that seek asylum are making weak claims that are ultimately rejected by immigration judges.
Id be a fool to say that none of them have a case of credible fear. Theyre really escaping danger, Homan said. But I can tell you many of them are taking advantage of a low threshold.
Follow Merchant on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/nomaanmerchant
BRUSSELS (AP) The European Union is weighing whether to impose sanctions on senior officials in Cambodia over the erosion of democracy and a crackdown on the opposition and media there.
EU foreign ministers on Monday urged Cambodia to restore democracy and the government to engage in a constructive dialogue with the elected opposition.
They said they may consider specific targeted measures if the situation does not improve.
The ruling party of Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen, who has been in power for three decades, claimed a sweeping victory in Senate elections on Sunday. It assured the win by eliminating any serious opposition from the contest.
The poll was seen as a foretaste of a scheduled July general election for the National Assembly that is expected to affirm Hun Sens rule.
LAGOS, Nigeria (AP) Frightened students on Monday stayed away from the school in northern Nigeria where Boko Haram extremists seized 110 girls in a raid a week ago, while the military said it had handed over the towns security to police ahead of the attack because it was relatively calm.
The mass abduction from the Government Girls Science and Technical College in Dapchi has reminded many of Boko Harams kidnapping of 276 girls from a boarding school in Chibok in 2014.
Anger has been growing as the government struggles to respond to the latest attack. Teachers resumed classes a day after Nigerias government for the first time acknowledged the number of girls missing, but students were absent.
They are too frightened to go there. We parents are equally frightened to see our daughters go there, said Mohammed Mele, who has two children in the school. Many other parents are not likely to send their children back, another parent, Mohammed Ibrahim, told The Associated Press.
The school will reopen when frayed nerves cool down, Yobe state education commissioner Mohammed Lamin said.
The fate of the 110 girls is not known, but witnesses have said the Islamic extremists specifically asked where the girls school was located. Some witnesses reported seeing young women taken away at gunpoint. Information Minister Lai Mohammed said 906 students were in the school at the time.
The military rejected reports that its recent withdrawal from Dapchi caused the Boko Haram attack, but in a statement it confirmed having handed over security of the town to local police on the premise that Dapchi has been relatively calm and peaceful. The military has not said when that handover occurred.
The Bring Back Our Girls movement that brought the Chibok mass abduction to world attention has embraced the cause of the Dapchi families, though with some astonishment that the tragedy has happened again. As the fourth anniversary of the Chibok kidnappings approaches, the movement says 112 of those schoolgirls are yet to be found.
It is terribly EXHAUSTING but WE SHALL STAND. WE SHALL, one of the movements organizers, Oby Ezekewsili, said on Twitter of the Dapchi attack.
The latest mass abduction is a major challenge for President Muhammadu Buhari, who has called the Dapchi kidnappings a national disaster and vowed that no effort will be spared to locate the girls.
Buhari won elections in 2015 while making the fight against Boko Haram a priority. His government has repeatedly claimed that the extremist group has been defeated, but it continues to carry out deadly suicide bombings in the north, often using women and children who have been kidnapped and indoctrinated.
In a reminder that some of those kidnapped have been freed, Buhari on Monday met with three University of Maiduguri lecturers and 10 police officers who were seized in June by Boko Haram extremists and recently released.
The government remains unrelenting towards rescuing all those abducted, the president said, adding that he has ordered all security agencies to immediately ensure that every effort is directed to ensure the safety of our schools and students.
Many fear the girls seized last week were abducted to become brides for Boko Haram extremists. Some of the schoolgirls taken in the Chibok mass abduction were forced to marry their captors. About 100 of the Chibok girls have never returned to their families.
Nigeria faces another presidential election next year.
Associated Press writer Ibrahim AbdulAziz in Yola, Nigeria contributed.
Follow Africa news at https://twitter.com/APAfrica
BELGRADE, Serbia (AP) European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker said Monday that Serbia must solve its dispute with Kosovo and implement a series of reforms before it can join the European Union.
Juncker said following talks with Serbias President Aleksandar Vucic that the Balkan country is on the right path, but that the EU cannot accept any new members with unresolved territorial issues.
Serbia has already covered an impressive part of the (EU) path, Juncker said, before adding that a number of problems still have to be solved.
He singled out the need for judicial reforms and improvements in the rule of law before Serbia and others can join the EU.
Juncker is visiting Serbia as part of a tour of the Western Balkans nations aspiring to join the bloc at a time Russia is looking to bolster its influence in the region, particularly in Serbia.
The visit comes after the EU drafted a new expansion strategy that envisages Serbia and Montenegro could be the next to join the bloc in 2025.
Vucic said hes urging compromise with predominantly-ethnic Albanian Kosovo, whose 2008 declaration of independence following a 1998-99 war Belgrade does not recognize.
We need a compromise or we will continue to live in the past, Vucic said.
Juncker said the EU is seeking a legally-binding agreement between Serbia and Kosovo, but that the scope of the deal is up to the two nations. The EU is helping out in the talks on normalizing ties between the two.
Juncker has already visited Macedonia and Albania. He will travel to Montenegro before proceeding to Kosovo and Bosnia. His trip ends with an EU summit with regional leaders in Sofia, Bulgaria, on March 1.
BEIRUT (AP) The Latest on the war in Syria (all times local):
11:25 p.m.
The White House is renewing its call for an immediate end to offensive operations in Syria.
White House spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders says Syria is terrorizing hundreds of thousands of civilians with air strikes, artillery, rockets and a looming ground attack.
She adds that, The regimes use of chlorine gas as a weapon only intensifies this.
More than 500 people have been killed since last week in the eastern Ghouta region, where activists on Sunday reported a suspected poison gas attack.
A U.N. Security Council resolution for a 30-day cease-fire across Syria has failed to stop the carnage.
The U.S. last year bombed a Syrian air base in retaliation for a chemical weapons attack against civilians.
Sanders said that Trump put the Assad regime on notice some time ago.
9:35 p.m.
The Russian military says the Syrian government has arranged a safe exit route for residents of the besieged rebel-held suburb of Damascus.
Maj. Gen. Yuri Yevtushenko, the head of the Russian militarys Center for Reconciliation in Syria, said Monday that Syrian government forces will maintain daily cease-fires in eastern Ghouta from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. He said the Syrian authorities set up a humanitarian corridor for civilians exit and would distribute leaflets with specifics about the evacuation.
Yevtushenko said the al-Qaida-linked militants and some rebel groups in eastern Ghouta are preventing civilians from leaving and using civilians there as shields while continuing to shell Damascus.
The announcement of the cease-fires comes two days after the U.N. Security Council unanimously approved of a resolution demanding a 30-day cease-fire across Syria.
6:20 a.m.
Britains deputy U.N. ambassador says Russias order of daily five-hour humanitarian pauses in a rebel-held Damascus suburb is not compliance or implementation of the Security Council resolution which Russia voted for on Saturday.
Jonathan Allen told reporters at U.N. headquarters in New York on Monday that Russia and all other council members are obliged to do everything possible to implement the resolution, which demands a 30-day cease-fire throughout Syria without delay.
Responding to the Russian announcement of five-hour daily pauses in eastern Ghouta, Allen says: that is not compliance, that is not implementation of the resolution passed on Saturday, but it does show that it can be implemented.
5:40 p.m.
Irans foreign minister has welcomed the U.N. Security Council resolution demanding a 30-day cease-fire across Syria.
Mohammad Javad Zarif said in Serbia on Monday the resolution will bring about the reduction of hostilities and an end to activities by terrorist organizations as well as reduction of hostilities both in Damascus and in other parts of Syria.
He says Iran along with Russia and Turkey have tried and succeeded in bringing down the level of hostilities in Syria over the past year. We continue to believe that Syria requires a political solution and there is no military solution in Syria.
On Saturday, the UN Security Council adopted the resolution to ensure the delivery of humanitarian aid to the affected people in Eastern Ghouta and other hotspots across the country.
4:10 p.m.
Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu says President Vladimir Putin has ordered daily humanitarian pauses in the besieged rebel-held eastern Ghouta in Syria.
Shoigu said in a statement on Monday that the cease-fire will be arranged for the suburb of the capital Damascus between 9 a.m. and 2 p.m. every day starting Tuesday. He also said Russia will help set an evacuation route for civilians in the area.
The announcement comes two days after the U.N. Security Council unanimously approved of a resolution demanding a 30-day cease-fire across Syria.
Eastern Ghouta has been under intensive bombing by government forces for weeks. At least 10 people have been killed on Monday as airstrikes and bombing resumed, according to local activists.
3:40 p.m.
French President Emmanuel Macron has expressed his strong concerns over ongoing airstrikes by the Syrian regime targeting civilians and hospitals in the rebel-held area of eastern Ghouta.
In a phone call Monday with Turkey President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Macron stressed the absolute need to fully and immediately respect the U.N. cease-fire resolution.
Macron said the humanitarian truce must apply to the whole Syrian territory, including the city of Afrin, a Kurdish-held enclave where Turkish police and paramilitary special forces have shown signs of preparation for a possible offensive.
Macron also said Russia, as a permanent member of the U.N. security council, must take all its responsibilities toward the Syrian regime.
Frances foreign affairs minister Jean-Yves Le Drian will travel to Moscow on Tuesday.
3:35 p.m.
The European Union has hit Syrias industry and information ministers with sanctions, freezing their assets and preventing them from traveling in the 28-nation bloc.
EU foreign ministers made the move Monday. The Syrian ministers were only appointed last month.
It means 257 people are now under EU sanctions for being responsible for the violent repression against the civilian population in Syria, benefiting from or supporting the regime, and/or being associated with such persons.
A further 67 entities mostly companies and organizations have had their assets frozen.
The EU has an oil embargo in place too and restricts certain investments. It also bans the export of equipment or technology that might be used to crack down on civilians or to intercept online or telephone communications.
3:20 p.m.
Syrias state news agency and an opposition monitoring group are reporting that a Turkish airstrike in northern Syria has killed five people.
The SANA agency and the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights say the airstrikes occurred early on Monday in the northern Kurdish enclave of Afrin.
The Observatory says the five were killed in the village of Yalan Quz, adding that the dead include two children. It says the death toll could still rise since some of the wounded are in critical conditions.
Turkey launched an incursion into Afrin on Jan. 20 to drive out a U.S.-backed Syrian Kurdish militia it considers to be a terrorist group, allied with its own Kurdish insurgents fighting within Turkeys borders.
3:15 p.m.
Syrian state media and a monitoring group say an airstrike by the U.S.-led coalition on an area held by the Islamic State group in the countrys east has killed more than two dozen people.
The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said on Monday that 25 people, including seven children and six women, were killed in the area of Dahra Allouni in the province of Deir el-Zour that borders Iraq.
Syrian state news agency SANA said 29 people were killed and dozens wounded in Sundays airstrike.
The U.S.-led coalition has been targeting IS in Syria since 2014 and there have been reports that those airstrikes have killed hundreds of civilians.
There was no immediate comment from the coalition.
12:40 p.m.
Turkish officials and media say Turkish police and paramilitary special forces have crossed the border into a Syrian Kurdish-held enclave, signaling preparations for a possible offensive to capture the enclaves main city, Afrin.
The state-run Anadolu Agency reported the special forces crossed from the Turkish border provinces of Kilis and Hatay on Monday.
Deputy Prime Minister Bekir Bozdag said the deployment comes as the operation moves from rural regions of the enclave toward residential areas.
He said its in preparation of a new combat.
Turkey launched an incursion into Afrin on Jan. 20 to drive out a U.S.-backed Syrian Kurdish militia it considers to be a terrorist group, allied with its own Kurdish insurgents fighting within Turkeys borders.
A U.N. Security Council resolution adopted over the weekend calls for a cease-fire across all of Syria but Turkey maintains that since fighting terrorists such as Islamic State militants and al-Qaida is exempt from the resolution, Ankara is free to pursue its offensive against the Kurdish terrorists.
Noon
The U.N. human rights chief has expressed caution about whether a cease-fire across Syria that was sought by the Security Council will hold, noting that airstrikes continue over Damascus rebel-held suburbs.
Zeid Raad al-Hussein spoke on Monday at the Human Rights Council in Geneva, echoing calls for a full implementation of the truce sought in a U.N. resolution that passed unanimously over the weekend.
Zeid says that however, we have every reason to remain cautious and decried seven years of failure to stop the violence, seven years of unremitting and frightful mass killing in Syria.
The Jordanian prince is not seeking a new five-year term when his current one ends in August.
11:15 a.m.
U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres says its high time to stop this hell on Earth in Syrias embattled eastern Ghouta region.
Guterres also appealed on the warring sides to abide by a 30-day cease-fire called for by the U.N. Security Council. He spoke at the start of a session Monday of the U.N.-backed Human Rights Council.
The remarks were Guterres first to a U.N. body since the 15-member council unanimously adopted a resolution demanding a 30-day truce across Syria over the weekend.
Guterres says he welcomes the resolution but added that council resolutions are only meaningful if they are effectively implemented.
He says he expects the resolution to be immediately implemented and sustained. Guterres also called for safe, unimpeded and sustained delivery of humanitarian aid and services, and evacuations of the sick and wounded.
11 a.m.
A Syrian monitoring group and paramedics say that despite the U.N. cease-fire resolution, new bombardment of the rebel-held suburbs east of Damascus killed 10 people as airstrikes and bombing resumed.
Syrian state TV broadcast live footage showing the Harasta suburb being pounded by airstrikes and artillery.
The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights and the oppositions Syrian Civil Defense, also known as White Helmets, said nine died in an airstrike shortly after midnight on the suburb of Douma and one person was killed in Harasta on Monday morning.
The new deaths bring to 24 the two-day death toll in eastern Ghouta, on the edge of Damascus, despite U.N. Security Councils unanimous approval on Saturday of a resolution demanding a 30-day cease-fire across Syria. On Sunday, 14 people were killed.
BEIRUT (AP) The office of Lebanons Prime Minister says he has received an invitation to visit Saudi Arabia from an envoy of the Gulf monarch.
Its the first such gesture following tension between the two countries in the wake of the now-reversed resignation of Saad Hariri.
Hariris office said the Saudi envoy visited the prime minister at government offices Monday where he extended the invitation. In a statement, Hariri said he will visit the kingdom as soon as possible and described the talks with Nizar al-Aloula as excellent.
Relations between Hariri and his Saudi backers appeared to have been strained since late last year. Hariri resigned in a televised speech from the Saudi capital Riyadh, only to reverse it when he returned home following intense diplomatic mediation to prevent a political vacuum in Lebanon.
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) South Koreas president said Monday that the United States should lower the threshold for talks with North Korea and that the two countries should start a dialogue soon.
President Moon Jae-in made the remarks in a meeting with Chinese Vice Premier Liu Yandong one day after a senior North Korean official told Moon that his country is willing to open talks with the United States.
The officials were in South Korea for the closing ceremony of the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics on Sunday.
According to his office, Moon asked for Chinas support for U.S.-North Korea talks, and Liu responded that China would help facilitate them. Moon also said that North Korea should show a commitment to denuclearization, something it has refused to do.
Earlier, the U.S. said the international community needs to maintain maximum pressure on North Korea until it gives up its nuclear weapons development.
We will see if Pyongyangs message today, that it is willing to hold talks, represents the first steps along the path to denuclearization, the White House said in a statement.
Moon met Sunday with a North Korean delegation led by Kim Yong Chol, a former general whom South Korea has accused of being behind two attacks on the South that killed 50 people in 2010. Kim told Moon that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un wanted to improve ties with Washington and had ample intentions of holding talks, according to the South Korean presidents office.
The North Korean delegation met with Moons national security chief on Monday. Moons office said the two sides agreed that the Olympics had been a meaningful stepping stone toward restoring inter-Korean ties, and to continue to collaborate to seek a permanent peace on the Korean Peninsula.
South Korean protesters burned a North Korean flag and used a knife to slash a portrait of Kim Jong Un near a hotel where the North Korean delegation was staying.
GENEVA (AP) The Latest on the meeting of the U.N. Human Rights Council (all times local):
7:35 p.m.
Japans top envoy to the U.N. in Geneva says it was totally unacceptable for South Koreas foreign minister to bring up the issue of wartime comfort women at the Human Rights Council.
Before and during World War II, Japan forced many Korean and other women in Asia to work in brothels for the Japanese military in what was known as the comfort women system.
Ambassador Junichi Ihara says he took up the matter with his South Korean counterpart after the South Korean minister, Kang Kyung-wha, spoke of recent concerns about sexual violence, particularly in wartime, and said: We must remember and learn from the past, including the comfort women issue.
Ihara, speaking at a quickly convened news conference, said terms of a 2015 accord between Japan and South Korea that involved a settlement for comfort women included not bringing up the issue at U.N. bodies.
He said South Korea had not done so in the past two years at the council.
1:15 p.m.
Hungarys foreign minister has called for the resignation of the United Nations human rights chief for referring to Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban as one of the xenophobes and racists seeking ethnic, national or racial purity.
Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto said Monday in Geneva that United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Raad al-Hussein was unworthy of his position.
Orban, a staunch opponent of immigration, especially by Muslims, has often said he wants to prevent Hungary from becoming a mixed society.
Speaking at a meeting of the U.N.s Human Rights Council in Geneva, Szijjarto said it was wrong for Zeid to compare Hungary to the worst dictatorships of the last century.
Zeid, a Jordanian prince, has said he wont seek another four-year term when his current one expires in August.
12:45 p.m.
The U.N. human rights chief has accused the veto-wielding members of the U.N. Security Council of being second only to criminals who kill and maim when it comes to responsibility for some of the worlds most egregious rights violations.
Zeid Raad al-Hussein delivered one of the strongest denunciations yet from a top U.N. official about improper use of the Security Council veto, which gives extraordinary powers to the five countries that wield it: Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States.
Speaking to the U.N. Human Rights Council, he didnt specify cases when it was used improperly.
Zeid instead spoke more broadly and decried some of the most prolific slaughterhouses of humans in recent times in Syria, Congo, Yemen, Burundi and Myanmar.
Zeid, a Jordanian prince, leaves office in August.
SANAA, Yemen (AP) A Yemeni minister accused the United Arab Emirates of trying to fragment his country by creating separate regional and tribal armies in the south and called upon the government to take action.
Yemen has been engulfed in a civil war since 2015, with a Saudi-led coalition that includes the UAE fighting Shiite rebels known as Houthis to restore the internationally recognized government to power.
But the government, now based in the southern port city of Aden, is at odds with the UAE forces based there, their official allies against the Houthis.
The UAE has trained and financed Yemeni troops who only answer to the Emiratis and has also backed a newly formed pro-secessionist Southern Transitional Council. Supporters of the council battled in the streets of Aden last month, calling for the Yemeni governments resignation.
Yemeni transportation minister Saleh al-Gabwani, said the UAE-backed troops cut off his convoy on Sunday while he was en route to inaugurate a new port in Balhaf, a town that hosts the largest natural gas plant in Yemen and a major terminal, now occupied by the UAE forces.
He said the so-called Shabwa Elite Force, one of several units that only answer to the UAE forces, told him that the Emiratis ordered that he be stopped from reaching the port.
There are tribal and regional armies set up by the Emiratis, al-Gabwani later told a gathering of local and government officials. We as a state cant accept continuation of this situation.
Meanwhile, an airstrike suspected to have been launched by the Saudi-led coalition killed at least seven troops, including high-ranking officers loyal to the internationally recognized government, and wounded 16 others, military officials said Monday.
The strike targeted a military post by mistake in the district of Naham, on the fringes of Sanaa province where fierce fighting is ongoing between government forces backed by the Saudi-led coalition and the rebels.
The military officials spoke on condition of anonymity as they were not authorized to speak to the media.
Yemens war has also triggered the worlds worst humanitarian crisis, with over 2 million people displaced and millions living on humanitarian assistance.
This story has been corrected to show that the transportation minister was en route to the port in Balhaf, not Aden when he was stopped.
CAMEROUN :: Cameroon: Bar owner arrested for wildlife trafficking
A wildlife trafficker has been arrested in Betare-Oya by the officials of the East Regional Delegation of Forestry and Wildlife during a crackdown operation carried out in the town.
The 42-year-old man was found in front a bar witha bag containing 40kg of pangolin scales, 6 hippopotamus teeth and 2 boa skins during the operation that was carried with the collaboration of the gendarmerie legion and with technical assistance from wildlife law enforcement support body LAGA (EAGLE Cameroon).
On arrival at the scene, law enforcement officers quickly recognized the man who is alleged to be a notorious trafficker in the area, dealing in several illegal products including gold. Shortly before his arrest, he is suspected of having sold two leopards skins. His links include international clients and had a suspicious contact with a Chinese national who was equally based in the town and had since left the country.
After the operation that took place in front of the bar where the bag of scales and other contraband had been parked visibly for transportation, the suspect was immediately taken to the East Regional Delegation of Forestry and Wildlife were legal proceedings against him were initiated. Eyewitnesses say he owns the bar. He had been using it for cover to carry out several illegal activities including trafficking in minerals and wildlife products. The combination of boa skins, hippopotamus teeth and pangolin scales is indicative of his profile that seemed very broad based. According to sources involved in the operation who accepted to speak on condition of anonymity, he is alleged to be heavily involved in ivory trafficking.
The same sources said that he works in close collaboration with a junior brother who was tracked last year with pangolin scales in Yaounde shortly before he disappeared. He was being targeted for pangolin scales trafficking and an operation team was just about to move in for his arrest. The suspect is presently behind bars waiting for the trial whose first hearing has been scheduledfor March 2 atBertoua court of first instance.
The arrest happened shortly before February 17, 2018 whenthe country celebrated the 7th edition of the World Pangolin Day. The pangolin has been the object of incessant capture to supplyushmeat and most dangerously the illegal trade in scales that is mostly destined for Asian countries. According to statistics for the last two years from thewildlife law enforcement support body LAGA, over 7000kg of pangolins scales have been seized during crackdown operations carried out by the Ministry of Forestry and Wildlife within the framework of its wildlife law enforcement programme started in 2003 with the support of LAGA.
The present state of the pangolin is not flattering and in view to tackling such a calamitous situation, some conservation organisations (WWF, TRAFFIC, ZSL and LAGA) met in Yaounderecently and carried out activities aimed at celebrating the 2018 World Pangolin Day. They worked under the theme Save the Pangolin. The pangolin indeed needs to be saved in earnest because of all the species threatened with extinction, none has faced indescribable neglect and abandonment like the pangolin. The tide may soon be turning as conservationists mount an attack on some of these threats. They say it starts with sensitization of the public whose knowledge about the pangolin is severely limited to just bushmeat.
| BY Ricki Green |
Conga Foods has today announced the launch of Moros new Those who know use Moro campaign via Publicis Melbourne.
The campaign communicates Moros rich heritage, passion and expertise, and celebrates why Those who know great olive oil, use Moro.
The campaign will be fronted by a TVC that offers an insight into the Spanish origins of the brand. It tells a story of premium olive oil creation in Spain, the home of olive oil, to meal creation and enjoyment in Australian homes. It expresses Moros dedication to quality and taste and shares with viewers an idea of what is behind Australias most consumed olive oil brand. The TVC forms part of a wider integrated campaign and reinforces Moros leadership position with the headline Australia pours more Moro than any other olive oil.
As part of a multi-million dollar media investment, the campaign spans TV, online catch-up TV, Magazine, OOH and digital. Displayed prominently across screens nationally, the TVC will air during primetime programs across Seven, Nine and Ten networks, as well as an SBS food network sponsorship.
Also included within the marketing campaign is a multi-faceted, influencer and social media program which sees the launch of Moro-driven, consumer facing events; all designed to provide product education and usage inspiration to assist consumers in navigating the category.
Says Nicolett Butchard, marketing and innovation manager at Moro: With a string of successful new product developments (NPD) in market, now is the right time for Moro to launch a full media calendar. Our campaign is leveraging the strengths of the Moro brand and focusing on what quality means to consumers.
To gain a solid understanding of what consumers need from their olive oil, we commissioned a segmentation study which provided us with compelling insights to create a campaign that would best communicate our story.
What we want to demonstrate with this campaign is our passion is the driving force behind delivering exceptional quality Moro is known for and is the why behind everything that we do.
Once people know our story, once they know the passion, quality and authentic flavour in every bottle of Moro, they know Moro is the only way to go.
Creative Agency Publicis Melbourne
Research Agency IPSOS Connect
Media Agency Wave Maker
Social Media Communicado
| BY Ricki Green |
Adobe and Econsultancy have today released their annual Digital Intelligence Briefing: 2018 Digital Trends report, which provides insights into the state of digital marketing and the trends shaping the industry. This years report uncovered that Asia Pacific (APAC) marketers are leading the way in regard to the adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) and the level of investment in digital skills training when compared to their North American and European counterparts.
Investment and integration of technology is key to business success
Adobes 2018 Digital Trends report found that globally, top-performing companies are more than twice as likely to be using AI for marketing (28% vs. 12%). This aligns with Adobes Future of Work: APAC Study which found that organisations investing in workplace technology are more likely to be successful. Despite this, the Digital Trends report found that less than one in five global respondents (15%) said their companies are pushing forward with AI and nearly half of global respondents (48%) said their organisation has inconsistent integration between technologies.
While half (51%) of North American marketers see no perceived need for AI, only a third (38%) of APAC marketers share this sentiment. Furthermore, APAC respondents (16%) were more likely to have an integrated, cloud-based technology stack, compared to their North American (10%) and European (9%) counterparts. This indicates that APAC marketers are ahead of their global counterparts when it comes to leveraging the power of new technologies to automate the delivery of personalised content, empowering them to work smarter and faster.
Says Paula Parkes, senior director, APAC Enterprise Marketing: Rapid economic development and unprecedented growth have positioned APAC at centerstage of the disruption being created by new, digital technologies. In the current Experience Business era, smart organisations are investing in disruptive technologies to drive productivity and deliver compelling experiences for customers.
Personalised experiences continue to drive quantifiable uplift for companies
Optimisation of the customer experience is the top priority for marketers in 2018 according to Adobes 2018 Digital Trends report, with a fifth (19%) of global respondents saying it is the most exciting opportunity currently. APAC marketers are focusing on making the experience as personalised and relevant as possible, whereas North American and European respondents said their main focus is on making the experience as valuable as possible.
Organisations with well-designed user journeys that facilitate clear communication and a seamless transaction are 57% more likely to be exceeding their business goals. Meanwhile, organisations with a cross team approach with the customer at the heart of all initiatives were nearly twice as likely to exceed their top 2017 business goal. Yet, over a third (38%) of global respondents still do not have a cohesive plan, long-term view and executive support for the future of their customer.
Says Parkes: Our research reveals a clear opportunity gap for businesses looking to set themselves apart from their competitors. Producing engaging and personalised content at an ever-increasing velocity has now become a business mandate. To help businesses adapt to the evolving expectations of their customers, Adobe supports seamless workflows between creatives, marketers and data analysts in Adobe Experience Manager, empowering brands to consistently deliver outstanding digital experiences.
Investment in digital skills and education pays dividends
Adobes 2018 Digital Trends report revealed companies that are combining digital marketing skills with technology, are nearly twice as likely to have surpassed their 2017 business goals by a significant margin (20% vs. 11%). However, the intended level of investment in digital training for 2018 differs greatly by region. APAC marketers are more than twice as likely than their North American counterparts to invest in digital skills and education (34% vs. 16%), while those in Europe fall in the middle (25%).
Adds Parkes: Significant investment in digital skills and training is directly linked with high business performance. While investment in technology is crucial, organisations must also invest in the skills and education to ensure their employees are capable of using these new tools to create outstanding customer experiences.
| BY Ricki Green |
Southern Cross Austereo has announced that Chris Derrick, head of digital strategy will be leaving the business.
Derrick joined SCA in 2015 and was instrumental in SCAs successful on-boarding and management of the Vevo relationship in 2016 through to Vevos recent decision not to renew any international sales partnerships.
Says John Kelly, chief operating officer, SCA: Chris has made an enormous contribution to the future strategy of SCAs digital business.
Most recently, Derrick negotiated commercial agreements with Google, Amazon and other companies with home connected devices, to see SCA be the first commercial radio company in Australia to launch services on smart speakers.
He also represented SCA as co-chair on the IABs audio council and on the CRAs app committee.
However with the Vevo relationship ending, both parties have agreed now is the appropriate time for Derrick to pursue new opportunities.
| BY Ricki Green |
Clemenger BBDO, Melbourne has ranked #1 most effective agency in the world in WARCs results of the 2018 WARC 100, an annual global index of the worlds top marketing campaigns and companies based on their business impact.
Clemenger BBDOs Meet Graham campaign for Transport Accident Commission has ranked in at #4 in the worlds top 10 effectiveness campaigns and its Hungerithm work for Snickers has nabbed the #5 slot and Leo Burnett Melbournes Reword campaign for Headspace has ranked #9.
Australia has ranked #3 top country for effectiveness behind the USA and UK.
BBDO Worldwide has ranked as the #1 agency network for effectiveness.
Says Paul Rees-Jones, executive planning director, Clemenger BBDO Melbourne: Many things go into making work the gets noticed for the right reasons, and achieving this result in this years WARC 100 is real testament to great, accountable thinking working with our clients, all focused on getting results that matter.
WARC 100 tracks the performance of campaigns, brands and agencies in more than 70 of the most important global, regional and national marketing effectiveness and strategy competitions around the world. Now in its fifth year, the WARC 100 is based on a rigorous methodology developed in consultation with Douglas West, professor of marketing at Kings College London.
The top-ranked campaign, Dads #ShareTheLoad by BBDO India for Ariel Matic, Procter & Gambles premium laundry detergent brand, built on its previous Share the Load campaign by persuading dads to do more laundry in order to promote gender equality. Ariel Matic generated a 42% increase in unaided brand awareness, $12.3 million in earned media coverage, and conversations on social media and sales growth exceeding previous campaigns.
In second place is The Swedish Number by INGO Stockholm for The Swedish Tourist Association, which manages hotels and hostels across Sweden. The purely PR-driven approach saw more than 32,000 Swedes sign up to take more than 200,000 calls from abroad helping STF boost its renewal figures and attract new members.
Ranked third is the Care Counts campaign for Whirlpool by DigitasLBi Chicago. The appliances manufacturer installed washers and dryers in schools to give disadvantaged students access to laundry facilities, resulting in 90% of the participants increasing their school attendance rate. The programme has been expanded to nearly 60 schools across the US.
Three themes have emerged from the worlds top effectiveness campaigns:
Purpose is effective when brands have a credible role. Three purpose-driven campaigns appear in the top 10. Dads #ShareTheLoad for Ariel, Whirlpools Care Counts and Imagine the Possibilities for Barbie are all examples of the commercial success that can be driven when a brands purpose is intrinsically linked to its product.
Three purpose-driven campaigns appear in the top 10. Dads #ShareTheLoad for Ariel, Whirlpools Care Counts and Imagine the Possibilities for Barbie are all examples of the commercial success that can be driven when a brands purpose is intrinsically linked to its product. Strategies with PR baked in are becoming the norm. Three campaigns in the top ten used a PR-led strategy to drive brand awareness and increase sales: Meet Graham for Australias Transport Accident Commission, Burger Kings The McWhopper Proposal and Van Gogh BnB for the Art Institute of Chicago.
Three campaigns in the top ten used a PR-led strategy to drive brand awareness and increase sales: Meet Graham for Australias Transport Accident Commission, Burger Kings The McWhopper Proposal and Van Gogh BnB for the Art Institute of Chicago. New takes on long-term ideas. Several of the highly effective initiatives ranked, such as Dads #ShareTheLoad, Hungerithm for Snickers, the John Lewis Christmas campaigns and Always Girl Emojis, show how blockbuster ideas can be intelligently followed up with brands investing in long-term strategies rather than quick wins for immediate gain.
Australias Clemenger BBDO Melbourne tops the creative agencies for effectiveness table for the first time having produced two top 10 campaigns: Meet Graham and Hungerithm. New Zealands Colenso BBDO follows in second place with work for DB Export contributing to their score.
Starcom Chicago has returned to the top of the media agencies for effectiveness ranking with almost triple the points of the second-placed agency.
Eight of the top digital/specialist agencies for effectiveness are from the US, with Chicago-based agencies making up the top three. DigitasLBi Chicago takes poll position.
BBDO Worldwide remains the most awarded network for the fifth year in a row, having retained this rank since WARC 100 began in 2014. Its agencies contributed to four of the top 10 campaigns and 19 of the top 100.
Says Andrew Robertson, president and chief executive, BBDO Worldwide: Smarter thinking unleashes the power of creativity to make greater impact. Thats why leading the WARC 100 is so meaningful.
For the second time Omnicom Group is the most awarded holding company, having previously held top position in 2014. Omnicom Group owns four of the top 10 agency networks.
Says John Wren, president and CEO, Omnicom Group: Producing great work that drives results for our clients is why we come to work every day. It is especially gratifying to see Omnicom recognized by WARC as having five of the top ten individually ranked agencies, three of the top five networks, and being the top-ranked holding company. I could not be prouder of our teams.
Burger King improved its ranking by 30 places to reach the top brand for effectiveness, with the McWhopper Proposal campaign in the top 10 and Backyard Burger King in the top 100. The continuing performance of Ariels Share the Load campaign has contributed to the brand retaining its second place.
Unilever was the most effective advertiser for the third time, having previously held this top position in 2015 and 2014. Unilever has four campaigns in the top 100 Lifebuoys #HelpAChildReach5, Knorrs Love At First Taste, The Vaseline Healing Project and The radicalisation of Persil with a further 50 campaigns across all competitions contributing to its tally.
Says Keith Weed, chief marketing and communications officer, Unilever: Its a great honour to be recognised by WARC as Most Effective Advertiser again. Im hugely proud of our marketers, working hard to drive campaigns with purpose that cut through to consumers and make a real impact.
USA retains its place as the top country in the world with 36 of the top 100 campaigns, compared to 12 from the UK and 12 from Australia.
The most highly ranked campaigns and companies in WARC 100 are:
The WARC 100 is now part of Gunn Report, which recently published Gunn 100, a
ranking of campaigns and companies based on creativity.
Commenting on WARC 100, Emma Wilkie, Managing Director, Gunn Report, says: This years WARC 100 once again confirms that creative approaches to marketing translates into marketplace success, with nearly all the top 10 campaigns also recognised in Gunn 100. Long-term strategies continue to be an important element to long-term success but were also seeing a significant number of purpose-led and PR-led campaigns doing particularly well in achieving commercial objectives.
The full WARC 100 rankings including the worlds top 100 campaigns for effectiveness, top 50 creative, media and digital/specialist agencies for effectiveness, agency networks, brands, advertisers, countries and top holding companies as well as commentaries, the work and credits is available by subscription on www.warc.com/gunnreport.
Chorney-Booth: Jolene's Tea House carries on Rocky Mountain tea traditions
Tea drinking, like many food and drink rituals, is often misunderstood by those who dont partake. Talk about a proper cup of tea often involves jokes about dainty bone china and upturned pinkies when, in actuality, tea has long been the drink of people from all walks of life around the world. Prized for its effects on both mental and physical well-being, a nice cup of tea tastes just as good out of a rugged thermos as it does from a Royal Doulton teacup.
Sunday, February 25, 2018 at 9:47PM
Following reports that the February security update for the Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL seems to be causing battery drain issues for the two Google phones, the company decided to address the issue saying the patch isnt the cause of the issue. But it is hard to pinpoint whats been causing the problems. There have been varying degrees of the issue affecting users differently. And it isnt even limited to battery drain, some report that the phones are heating up, while others claim it takes them longer to charge. Some even report random Wi-Fi disconnections. These problems have been complained about enough that it gets a dedicated thread on Googles Issue Tracking website. The company has confirmed it will privately reach out to users affected by these issues.
Source: Android Authority
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Sangay Yeser was working on his assignment when his housemate rushed into his room alerting him to their flooded apartment block. Mr Yeser, an international student from Bhutan, was one of hundreds cleaning up on Monday after more than a month's worth of rain brought the city to a standstill on the weekend. "I didn't know there was a flood until my housemate came in and by then all my apartment was underwater," Mr Yeser said. "My brain - it was blank, there was nothing there, I was trying to focus on my assignment but after a few minutes I composed myself." As of midday on Monday, the ACT Emergency Service Agency responded to 299 requests for assistance, with the main area affected between Belconnen and the Inner North suburbs. The top five suburbs affected by storm activity over the weekend were: Mr Yeser said the water in his ground-level apartment in O'Connor had risen to knee height. He said the water lifted the refrigerators off the ground and ruined the food in the pantry. Outside, he said the water in the carpark was waist high and the cars submerged. Mr Yeser said the brand-new car he bought on Saturday was filled with water and now had a flat battery. The unit on David Street is near Sullivans Creek which the Bureau of Meteorology said received the most rain. Duty forecaster Rob Taggart said in the 48 hours from 10am Saturday, the Sullivans Creek weather station recorded 164.8mm, while Woolshed Creek had 95.4mm, the boat harbour on Lake Burley Griffin 74.8mm and Oaks Estate crossing 77mm. He said most of that rain fell within a couple of hours. "The Sullivan creek catchment copped the most rainfall and all of the rain was channelled to O'Connor and the ANU area because of the way the creek catchment runs," Mr Taggart said. He said the northern suburbs of Canberra were hit hardest with heavy rainfall due to thunderstorms over the region. The Australian National University was forced to close on Monday after Sullivans Creek burst its banks. "Down in Tuggeranong there weren't thunderstorms at the time when the front went through. That really intensified the rainfall rate substantially [in the north]." Canberra Metro is assessing areas of the light rail project to identify any damage and/or potential safety hazards. A spokeswoman said the rain impacted different areas of the light rail project to "varying degrees". "There has been little impact on the northern section of the light rail corridor, from Sandford Street to Gungahlin, and work has already recommenced in those areas," the spokeswoman said. The southern sections, from Flemington Road towards the city, were flooded and require an assessment before safe works can resume, she said. No significant construction delays are expected as a result of the heavy rain. Deputy Chief Minister and Minster for Housing Yvette Berry said the government was assessing any damage to government assets, including housing ACT buildings. "The government is making sure that people who are living in housing ACT properties are well supported and are in accommodation if needed, while the clean up is done in their residence," Ms Berry said. Seven public housing tenants were significantly affected with three requiring temporary relocations as a result of the flooding. Following the rain, the Canberra Liberals requested an urgent briefing from the government, claiming damage from the storm could have been exacerbated by a "neglect of Canberra's essential stormwater assets". An Auditor-General's report into the systems released late last month found many established areas had not been reassessed for flood risk mitigation, despite there being known risks in some areas. Some of those areas were also unable to cope with major rain events, according to advice from Transport Canberra and City Services. "[Infill] developments such as multi-unit high rise developments...reduce the amount of open space to help absorb stormwater so leading to more concentrated flows," the report said. A spokesperson for Minister Meegan Fitzharris said the events on Sunday were extreme and the kind of rainfall experienced would "place pressure on any stormwater network no matter how much infrastructure is in place." "Some parts of Canberra received their February monthly average rainfall in one morning, with a huge amount of freak rain falling in a very short period of time," the spokesperson said. "The Canberra Liberals are simply overreaching here." The spokesperson said the report made a number of recommendations which the government was considering. Mr Yeser, whose assignment was due next week said he was thankful his laptop was not damaged during the flood and managed to retrieve most valuables. Friends of Mr Yeser and his wife have offered them alternate accommodation. "This is a very unforgettable experience for us," Mr Yeser said. - With Sherryn Groch.
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Good morning, Canberra. Welcome to Tuesday. We're in for a partly cloudy day with light winds and a top of 26 degrees. Grab your coffee - here's what's making news. ACT MP Gai Brodtmann has called for one of the first decisions by new Nationals leader and Deputy Prime Minister Michael McCormack to be to scrap the APVMA move to Armidale. The decision to move the Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority to the regional NSW city was made by former Nationals leader Barnaby Joyce. Another article from Sally Whyte here. Yep - you read right. Workers in the ACT earn more than any other state or territory, with women in the capital outstripping their counterparts around the country by a significant margin. New figures from the Australian Bureau of Statistics show that the median weekly pay in Australia was at $1019, but in the ACT it's at $1281 per week. Read more of Sally Whyte's story here. The University of Canberra has accidentally sent some staff the personal details of every employee, including their birth date, classification, average hours and salary. Vice-chancellor Deep Saini said an "administrative error" led to 24 employees receiving the email with searchable data on all their colleagues attached. The first batch of emails was sent Thursday but the university was unaware of the data breach until Friday afternoon. Emily Baker has the story. ACT Labor senator Katy Gallagher failed to take reasonable steps to renounce her British citizenship and is not protected by findings that kept Queensland Liberal National Party senator Matt Canavan in Parliament. At least that's what the federal government has told the High Court. The Attorney-General has argued Senator Gallagher should vacate her seat. Read Doug Dingwall's story here. The ACT government may not be able to terminate its contract to sell a block of land in Dickson to the Tradies Club, even if a proposed Coles development and second carpark is not built by December. Changes to the original request for tender were detailed in a scathing report last week from the ACT's Auditor-General, which revealed the government had negotiated away up to $2.6 million in potential revenue for taxpayers. Read Daniel Burdon's story here. Architect, prankster, artist and long-term owner of design studio Quantum Ideas, Frank Arnold is hands down one of Canberra's favourite characters. But, where has he been? Bree Winchester caught up with Frank on his favourite prank from the 1980s, the work he's most proud of in the capital and how he'll swap life in quiet Forrest for a small Greek island this year. Read the interview here.
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Marist College Canberra continued to display the picture of former headmaster Brother Christopher Wade, a convicted paedophile, up until this week. Wade, also known as William Henry Wade, was the Canberra headmaster between 1993 and 2000. Damian De Marco and Mike Desmond, both former students, criticised the Canberra college for keeping up the picture since Wade first faced court in 2016. "It's an honour wall, they're honouring a guy who had been given the ultimate level of trust and has breached it completely," Mr De Marco said. Wade was jailed by a Sydney court for a minimum of 9 months in November last year for sexually abusing young boys at Marist schools in NSW. Wade was released on bail that month after he lodged an appeal against his conviction, which has yet to be heard. He was found to have performed sex acts on young boys who reported ill to his office in Newcastle in 1976, and in Sydney in 1980. His picture was on display at Marist College Canberra with other former headmasters until Thursday this week after inquiries by the Sunday Canberra Times. Do you know more? Contact finbar.omallon@fairfaxmedia.com.au. Mr De Marco said it showed the Catholic church had learned nothing from The Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse. "I mean how many thousands of people have walked past that photo since [Wade] was found guilty of abusing children [in June last year]," he said. Mr Desmond said many of the college's old boys were "furious" the picture had remained. "Anytime there's a name or a photograph of someone who's abused children, it's got to be taken down," he said. Mr Desmond said Marist heads needed to go through their schools across Australia to see if anything else remained that honoured Wade. Marist College Canberra was contacted on Wednesday and admitted Wade's photograph was still on display but would not be removed until a review process on Thursday. The college's headmaster Matthew Hutchison, who began his job a fortnight ago, since confirmed the picture was removed following Thursday's review. "Discussions commenced at the end of last year [to remove the photo], but it became a priority in my first week at the college," he said. "To suggest that the school has been dismissive of the [royal commission's] findings could not be further from the truth." Marist College Canberra was the worst Catholic school in the nation when it came to child sex abuse, with 63 claims of sexual abuse made at during the royal commission. "[The college] reiterates our enduring and unreserved apology, to former students and their families, whose trust was so betrayed. We will continue to do what we can to help repair the damage of the past and openly accept and live with such a shameful part of our story," Mr Hutchison said. Hetty Johnston, the founder of child advocacy group Bravehearts, said the college should have its funding cut. "It feels like a slight against every child in the country," Ms Johnston said. "There's so much hope that finally these institutions would get it, they would finally take their place as a moral guiding post. They're failing again and again and again." When Wade first faced the abuse charges in 2016, former Marist College Canberra pupils were frustrated the college had failed to even inform the current school community. Wade is not known to have committed any child sex abuse when he was Canberra headmaster. The college has previously acted on similar concerns regarding the then-Othman House, named after senior Marist Brother Othman Weldon, who helped move and protect child sex abuser John William Chute, also known as Brother Kostka.
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It was a Christmas the Chittick family would never forget. In 1993, Narrandera resident David Chittick arrived home to find someone had broken into his house. It didn't take long for him to realise an old tobacco box passed on by his mother, Shirley, and filled with jewellery and war medals awarded to his great uncle and father, had been stolen. But memories of the stolen war medals faded over the years until now. About 25 years later and 345km away, leading senior Constable Matthew Johansen was on duty on the Federal Highway near Yarra. It was about lunchtime on February 8 when Constable Johansen, along with a member of highway patrol, searched the vehicle of a male driver who triggered the police's automated number plate recognition system. The pair found a bag behind the driver's seat. In it were war medals. The driver admitted none of his family served in the war. After a quick Google search, Constable Johansen discovered the engraving "T C Harward" stood for Thomas Charles Harward. Hours on multiple archive sites taught Constable Johansen that Thomas Charles Harward (1884-1964) was issued a British War Medal and United Kingdom Victory Medal for his services in World War 1. His nephew, James Ernest Chittick (1928-1984), was also awarded the 1945-1975 Australian Service Medal for his services in World War 2. It took two days for the constable to join the dots, with the help of Lieutenant-Colonel Glyn Llanwarne who reunites lost medals to families. On February 19, David Chittick, who now lives in Canberra, collected the four orphaned medals and coin from the Goulburn Police station. He was 10 when his great uncle died. "When we received the phone call we thought it was some sort of hoax. Mum was just so surprised it showed up ... it was gone for so long, no one knew where they'd been," Mr Chittick said. "I'm gobsmacked I've got to say, it's quite unusual the medals showing up 25 years later. [Constable Johansen] went above the call of duty. I'm extremely impressed." Constable Johansen played down his effort in finding Mr Chittick. "What those guys went through to be awarded those medals I can't even begin to imagine. I had a chance to repay their services by getting the medals back to the family," he said. "What we did was nothing compared to what those guys did." Hume Police District officer in charge John Sheehan described Constable Johansen's work as "exceptional". Now the family medals are housed in a safe with Mr Chittick. "To have them back, now they have a lot more significance," he said. "I'd love to know where they've been if only the medals could talk." Goulburn Post
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There is a split in opinion over whether the boardwalk at the Kingston Foreshore should be fenced following the dramatic rescue of an eight-year-old girl who fell into the waters of Lake Burley Griffin last weekend. The ACT Government says safety reviews of the boardwalk have found a fence is "not warranted". Basil the rottweiler was praised as a hero for hearing the girl splash into the lake and then insisting his owner, Jarrad Houghton, go down to the water's edge to investigate. The girl slipped off the boardwalk into the water last Friday evening and no one had noticed her go in - only Basil. Mr Houghton grabbed her out as the girl was scrambling to hold on to something and keep afloat. Her parents were at a nearby restaurant. Also last Sunday, as The Canberra Times was taking photographs of Basil and Mr Houghton, a dog being walked by its owner became startled and dove into the water at the same spot. Mr Houghton said a fence could be a solution. "Even just a hand rail closer to the water surface would be a good compromise," he said. Anne O'Donoghue, of Macgregor, was meeting friends for lunch at the Kingston Foreshore on Friday with her two-year-old son Liam. She would usually let Liam walk but at the foreshore he was always in a pram, due to the proximity of the water. "I do think a fence would be a good idea or some sort of barrier to stop kids jumping in," she said. "You can do all kinds of cool things [architecturally] with fences these days. "If the intent is to make this area family-friendly, then I think they do need a fence. If that's not the intent, well, maybe not." But Sid Mahabal, who owns the Movenpick ice cream store at the Kingston Foreshore, said a fence would never be as good as parents watching their own children. "I think it's more a case that parents have to be responsible for their children," he said. "Parents have to stop being complacent and keep policing their children. "If you have a fence all the way around, what is the point of being near the water? "If you have a fence, kids will just climb the fence." Mr Mahabal said his five-year-old son was often in the shop and was not allowed near the water. "I think if I can run my business and look after my son, other parents can look after their children," he said. A decision about a fence is down to the ACT Government. A spokesman for the Suburban Land Agency said safety design reports formed part of what was then Territory and Municipal Services' approval of the design for the promenade. "Further risk assessments have been undertaken. The reports recommended controls as a substitute for fencing," he said. "It was considered that with the following controls in place, a fence around the Kingston Boardwalk was not warranted." Those controls included: Provision of throwable lifebuoys Barriers between the promenade and boardwalk (stairs, ramps and handrails) Provision of grab rail and ladders to aid water rescue Information signage Toe boards fixed along the length of the wooden boardwalk at the waters edge "Fencing has been provided in those locations which were identified in the reports to be high risk areas to the public falling into the harbour. These areas are at the bottom of the stairs which lead from the promenade to the boardwalk and along bridges," the spokesman said.
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Revelations about the Tradies Club's Dickson land swap deal with the territory government are 'prime candidates' for referral to the ACT's proposed anti-corruption commission, the ACT Greens leader says. An audit into the tender processes surrounding the controversial deal was tabled in the Legislative Assembly on Thursday, revealing the club was given "significant concessions" by the government worth up to $2.6 million. The Assembly's public accounts committee also held what some described as an 'emergency meeting' on Thursday night to discuss establishing an inquiry into the issues raised, which is expected to be announced next week. The audit detailed a series of weaknesses and failures in the tender process to sell a block of land to the club as part of the deal, failures in record-keeping and significant concessions given to the club that meant the government failed to complete an open, transparent and contestable sale. It also comes as the Legislative Assembly awaits the government's response to a tripartite committee report urging an ACT anti-corruption commission be set up and operating by the end of this year. Greens leader and former chairman of that committee Shane Rattenbury said on Friday that he believed that some of the matters exposed in the auditor's report "would be prime candidates for that sort of consideration". While he said the minor party would consider taking such action, he expected he would be "beaten to the punch" by the Opposition, in officially referring the report to the proposed commission. Opposition leader Alistair Coe also said he believed it could be worthy of such a referral, while the only Labor MLA to front any questions on the issue, planning minister Mick Gentleman, instead said it "puts the matter to bed". The audit also highlighted a government solicitor's office warning to two senior public servants involved that going ahead with the concessions risked being "so divergent from the request for tender that it was a direct sale". The government solicitor, the audit showed, told those public servants that going ahead created a risk the transaction may breach the ACT's planning laws requiring executive approval for such direct sales. The audit also showed the CFMEU-linked Tradies had applied in January 2010 and August 2010 to buy the block housing the Dickson carpark at the centre of the deal, Block 30, Section 34, Dickson, both applications rejected by the department. A third application in November 2010 gained the department's support, as the club offered to swap another block it owned [Block 25, Section 72 Dickson], which could have helped the government build more affordable housing. But the then-Chief Minister Katy Gallagher's Cabinet, in October 2011, also rejected that in favour of the tender process roundly criticised in the audit. Mr Rattenbury said that the audit had found serious failings in the LDA and changes in the past year including abolishing the agency had helped to address those failings, though it was an "ongoing cultural change". He said the report, had not found "hard evidence" of political involvement, and absent such evidence, he was not prepared to support a no confidence motion against the government, should one arise. But he said that the Greens, with the Liberals, had the numbers to ensure the proposed integrity commission would not be "half-baked", should Labor not back the committee's recommendations. A key such recommendation, Mr Rattenbury said, was that it should be able to investigate some 'retrospective' issues, such as the Dickson land swap, if the commission saw the need. "This report also highlights the fact that as we develop the integrity commission we need to think quite carefully on what are the pathways [for referral] from the Auditor-General to the commission," he said. While planning minister Mick Gentleman has said the report found no evidence of wrong-doing by politicians or public servants, that is not the role of the audit office, a point both Mr Coe and Mr Rattenbury made on Friday. Mr Coe also cited former NSW Auditor-General Tony Harris' on ABC Radio on Friday saying that the issues exposed by Dr Cooper's report were the sort of thing that in NSW would warrant a referral to the NSW Independent Commission Against Corruption. While Mr Harris was also aligned with the Canberra Community Voters party, Mr Coe said irrespective of that fact, his experience in such issues should be taken into account. Mr Coe also said he believed the "Dickson scandal" needed further investigation, particularly into any potential political involvement in the deal. He said while he had hoped the public accounts committee would hold an inquiry into the issues, the Canberra Liberals were also separately examining the "legal issues" the audit raised. But he did not rule out a further no confidence motion against Chief Minister Andrew Barr, despite a similar motion he brought on last year failed on the floor of the Assembly.
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APS Commissioner John Lloyd has defended an email to his former IPA colleagues about Labor Senator Penny Wong, saying it was a "natural" reaction to do so. In a heated Senate estimates hearing on Monday, the public service boss said that as the comments were not about policy or made publicly, they were appropriate. In the email in question, between Mr Lloyd and an un-named staff member at the IPA in February 2015, Mr Lloyd said Senator Wong "takes a swipe" at two former IPA directors in an earlier press conference. "When someone goes publicly and casts critical comment about your appointment it's normal to share it with family and friends, you know, you don't go 'Gosh the senator has said it and I can't talk about it with anybody'," Mr Lloyd said. Pushed by Senator Jenny McAllister on whether the comment in the email was standard for other public servants, Mr Lloyd said he expected it would be. "It's not traversing policy, this has been a public comment made which cast aspersions on the circumstances of my appointment and I naturally share my reaction to that, sometimes with family and friends," he said. "I don't think there's anything unusual about that and I would expect other public servants would do the same thing, I anticipate." Ms McAllister quoted the APS social media policy published last year, asking Mr Lloyd if the comment was consistent with the need for public servants to "ensure their actions don't provide grounds for a reasonable person to conclude that they can't serve the government of the day impartially". Mr Lloyd replied "yes". The Institute of Public Affairs is a free market think tank based in Melbourne, where Mr Lloyd previously was director of the work reform and productivity unit, before being appointed to his current role by then prime minister Tony Abbott. Also in Senate estimates on Monday, Mr Lloyd was asked why he had previously told the committee that it was an unreasonable diversion of the APSC's time to provide contact between himself and the IPA and the HR Nicholls Society. Mr Lloyd and the group manager of the corporate division, Clare Page, told the hearing it was not possible to simply search Mr Lloyd's inbox for the word "IPA" because of IT issues preventing them from accessing archived emails. Mr Lloyd said his contact with staff at the IPA was infrequent, and he mainly kept in contact with John Roskam, although he did not confirm if it was Mr Roskam who received the email about Senator Wong.
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Photo: Contributed
Last week, I shared some of my favourite programs and asked what you liked. I got plenty of feedback. You folks rock!
Heres some of the best stuff.
Malwarebytes
Mentioned by several readers, Malwarebytes is also one program Id have a hard time doing without. Long-time reader Rudy wrote:
My favourite program is Malwarebytes. With the new version 3, it has an anti-virus and malware all in one. I was able to get rid of my anti-virus program and just use it. It is wonderful now just having the one program to look after all my security.
Ron, also a long-time reader, mentioned:
FYI , for some strange reason the " web protection " on my Malwarebytes Premium wouldn't turn on ( just out of the blue this morning ) in desperation I re-installed the program and all is well. Just a note to your readers if this happens to them.
Yes. There was a glitch with a Malwarebytes update that caused problems with Web Protection. Then, there was a glitch with the patch for that problem. It took several updates to get that sorted out.
If you have the paid version of Malwarebytes, open the program to the Dashboard and make sure your Web Protection is turned on. If not, click on Update get the newest version.
If that doesnt work, click on Settings | My Account and make a note of your licence. Then, uninstall and re-install Malwarebytes. If it doesnt already know your licence, put that in and you should be good to go.
Notepad ++
Austin recommends this utility to replace/supplement built-in Windows program Notepad:
Its just 1 program, but can do it all. From scripting to editing program ini or mostly any type of text files, but would preserve the layout of the file.
It's notepad++ portable. I have it with me and make and edit files with it.
Learn more about the program here, and use the safe download link here if you want to try it. Ive never used it, but it comes highly recommended by many colleagues. I guess I need to give this a try.
Image Resizer for Windows
Yet another wonderful utility I use often. Keith wrote about it:
I take hundreds of photos at high res. I use them at this resolution, but like to keep a copy in my archive.
I use image resizer for windows Reduces a 3500 kb photo to 100 kb in a flash. FREE
This is the safe download link.
Want to do something good for someone?
Many of you have sponsored me on charity bike rides in past years. This year, Im going to do the 50K Ride Dont Hide to raise money for the Canadian Mental Health Association.
The Kelowna ride, on June 24, is one of many rides that day all over Canada. The goal is to raise $1.7 million for essential programs and services in communities, workplaces and schools, and to end the stigma of mental illness.
Im excited to be part of Ride Dont Hide 2018, and I hope that youll join me as a rider, fundraise as a virtual rider, volunteer at the event, or sponsor my ride.
If youd like to sponsor me, please use this link to make your secure online donation. To learn more about the event, visit http://ridedonthide.com/.
Thank you all for your feedback on programs you like, and please keep it coming. Email me at [email protected] if you have something youd like to share with other readers.
Photo: BC Gov't
The B.C. government says it's giving a financial break to young adults who have spent time in government care.
Those young adults will now get more support for rent, child care and health care, while they go back to school or attend a rehabilitation, vocational or approved life skills program.
The changes come as part of a $7.7-million expansion of the Agreements with Young Adults program and they take effect April 1.
As part of the expansion, the upper age limit for young adults who want to apply for the provincial tuition waiver program has been raised to 27 years old.
The needs-based monthly support rate has also been raised by up to $250 to a new maximum of $1,250.
The provincial government says financial support is now available year round, instead of the previous eight-month limit, so young people can continue to receive supports while on summer holiday or other program breaks.
Photo: Contributed
He's active, happy and loves life and he's also struggling with an aggressive kidney cancer at just seven years of age.
Penticton local Wills felt poorly in the days leading up to Jan. 24, when his family took him to Penticton Regional Hospital. There, they learned he has a Wilms Tumour, a rare kind of kidney cancer that mostly affects children.
Wills was transported to Vancouver Children's Hospital, where he remains in treatment, undergoing chemotherapy following a surgery at the beginning of February.
His family started a GoFundMe page to support Wills' parents and 2-year-old sister during treatment, which has raised $4,725 of their goal of $30,000 to date.
Wills is described on the page as being "active, fun" and "loving," as well as being a big fan of watching Chelsea FC and Connor McDavid of the Edmonton Oilers.
Those wishing to help Wills' family while he fights cancer can visit the GoFundMe page here.
Chelsea Powrie
Critteraid is looking for friends to help socialize their shy resident cow.
China is the only cow at the Summerland sanctuary, and according to animal director Jess Byer, she relies on human interaction to feed her social needs.
"She got here in October, she had a best friend who passed away so there's been a lot of change in her life," Byer said. "It's hard on cows to be alone. That's why we're really looking for friends for her."
Byer said helping China is as simple as coming to the fence and just talking to her, and maybe bringing her some of her favourite treats like apples.
"Young volunteers who are interested in learning about cows, older volunteers, anybody who's got time," Byer said.
China takes a little while to warm up to new people, but Byer said she'd make sure to help any volunteers who wanted to get to know her.
"She's one of the most loving angels you'll ever meet," Byer said. "She just needs to know that you're not here for scary purposes."
For more information on how to visit China, contact Critteraid here.
Photo: Penticton Vees
The Penticton Vees took it all the way to double overtime in the last game of their regular season, but couldn't hang on to a win.
The 2 p.m. game against the Salmon Arm Silverbacks at home in Penticton was close the whole time, with the Silverbacks just managing to tie up the score 4-4 with five minutes remaining in the third period.
After one full overtime period, Vees forward Jackson Keane got called for tripping, leading to a power play goal by the Backs' Tanner Campbell to take the win 5-4.
The loss doesn't affect the Vees' standing for their season, however. The team already clinched a first place finish in the BCHL their seventh straight Interior Division title after a 5-1 win over Wenatchee Saturday night.
That means the Vees will have home ice advantage in game one of the playoffs, Friday night at the South Okanagan Events Centre.
The Photographic Society of Chattanooga will present the Youth Photography Showcase Awards Program on Tuesday, March 20. The Showcase is a culmination of the Youth Photography contest for local high school students.
A slide show of the entries will be presented, and the winners will be recognized and receive awards.
The presentation will begin at 7 p.m. in the sanctuary at the St. John United Methodist Church, 3921 Murray Hills Dr.
The Youth Photography Showcase is an exhibition recognized by the Photographic Society of America, and local winners will go on to compete in the PSA contest.
For more information call 344-5643 or e-mail Ed Laughlin at president@chattanoogaphoto.org. For more information about the Photographic Society of Chattanooga, visit http://chattanoogaphoto.org.
Advance Financial continues its expansion in the Southeastern Tennessee market Monday with the opening of a store in Ooltewah. The opening marks the 85th location for the company.The Ooltewah store opens today at 9232 Lee Hwy. As with all other Advance Financial stores, this location will remain open to customers 24/7 thereafter. This is the companys ninth location in the Chattanooga region.At Advance Financial, we are committed to serving more residents in Southeast Tennessee, said Tina Hodges, the companys chief executive and chief experience officer.Thats why we decided to open our first store in Ooltewah, and why we are looking forward to becoming a part of the community here. Were excited and ready to start assisting local residents in securing their financial futures."Advance Financial offers a range of financial services including prepaid cards, electronic wire services to anywhere in the world, check cashing, free bill-payment services and free money orders. The companys loan product is not just a small dollar loan, but a flexible line of credit called a FLEX Loan that offers customers the freedom of access to funds on their schedule with no late fees or early payoff penalties."Founded more than 20 years ago, Advance Financial is a family-owned company based in Nashville that has expanded its footprint throughout Tennessee in recent years. Its first locations outside of Middle Tennessee were in and around Chattanooga and Knoxville. The company recently entered the West Tennessee market with a new location in Jackson," officials said.
Recurrence can be demonstrated by balls in a box: when they start out in an ordered state, they will become more disordered. But at some point, they will return to the initial state - it just might take a while.
At some point, complex systems return almost exactly to their initial state. For the first time, this recurrence theorem has now been demonstrated with complex quantum many-body systems at TU Wien (Vienna).
It is one of the most astonishing results of physics: when a complex system is left alone, it will return to its initial state with almost perfect precision. Gas particles, for example, chaotically swirling around in a container, will return almost exactly to their starting positions after some time. This Poincare Recurrence Theorem is the foundation of modern chaos theory. For decades, scientists have investigated how this theorem can be applied to the world of quantum physics. Now, researchers at TU Wien (Vienna) have successfully demonstrated a kind of Poincare recurrence in a multi-particle quantum system.
An Old Question, Revisited
At the end of the 19th century, the French scientist Henri Poincare studied systems which cannot be fully analysed with perfect precision for example solar systems consisting of many planets and asteroids, or gas particles, which keep bumping into each other. His surprising result: every state which is physically possible will be occupied by the system at some point at least to a very good degree of approximation. If we just wait long enough, at some point all planets will form a straight line, just by coincidence. The gas particles in a box will create interesting patterns, or go back to the state in which they were when the experiment started.
A similar theorem can be proved for quantum systems. There, however, completely different rules apply: In quantum physics, we have to come up with a completely new way of addressing this problem, says Professor Jorg Schmiedmayer from the Institute for Atomic and Subatomic Physics at TU Wien. For very fundamental reasons, the state of a large quantum system, consisting of many particles, can never be perfectly measured. Apart from that, the particles cannot be seen as independent objects, we have to take into account that they are quantum mechanically entangled.
There have been attempts to demonstrate the effect of Poincare recurrence in quantum systems, but until now this has only been possible with a very small number of particles, whose state was measured as precisely as possible. This is extremely complicated and the time it takes the system to return to its original state increases dramatically with the number of particles. Jorg Schmiedmayers team at TU Wien, however, chose a different approach: We are not so much interested in the complete inner state of the system, which cannot be measured anyway, says Bernhard Rauer, first author of the publication. Instead we want to ask: which quantities can we observe, that tell us something interesting about the system as a whole? And are there times at which these collective quantities return to their initial value?
The team studied the behaviour of an ultracold gas, consisting of thousands of atoms, which is kept in place by electromagnetic fields on a chip. There are several different quantities describing the characteristics of such a quantum gas for example coherence lengths in the gas and correlation functions between different points in space. These parameters tell us, how closely the particles are linked by quantum mechanical effects, says Sebastian Erne, who was responsible for the theoretical calculations necessary for the project. Our everyday intuition is not used to dealing with these quantities, but for a quantum systems, they are crucial.
Recurrence Discovered in Collective Quantities
By measuring such quantities, which do not refer to single particles, but characterize the system as a whole, it was indeed possible to observe the long-sought quantum recurrence. And not only that: With our atom chip, we can even influence the time it takes the system to return to one particular state, says Jorg Schmiedmayer. By measuring this kind of recurrence, we learn a lot about the collective dynamics of the atoms for example about the speed of sound in the gas or about scattering phenomena of density waves.
The old question, whether quantum systems show recurrences, can finally be answered: Yes, they do but the concept of recurrence has to be slightly redefined. Instead of trying to map out the complete inner quantum state of a system, which cannot be measured anyway, it makes more sense to concentrate on quantities which can be measured in quantum experiments. These quantities can be observed to drift away from their initial value and to return to their initial state eventually.
Guest Commentary Fair maps for our children, for our Hispanic communities, for our futures My son will vote for the first time next year. And for his first time, the state of Indiana will have brand new legislative and congressional districts. It should feel like a clean...
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Not everyone favors this aggressive tack. On Monday, billionaire investor Warren Buffett suggested companies should tread lightly with controversial political stances because they alienate too many paying customers. It would be ridiculous for a conglomerate, like his Berkshire Hathaway, not to do business with gun-makers, he said during a CNBC interview.
About three-quarters of Illinois hospitals are nonprofits like Loyola, and by state law they are exempt from having to pay hundreds of millions of dollars in property taxes so long as the value of their charitable services is equal to or greater than their estimated tax liabilities. Thats a controversial policy, as many nonprofit hospitals are run like businesses and make handsome profits. The Illinois Supreme Court is set to begin oral arguments soon in a case over whether nonprofit hospitals should have to pay property taxes.
The egg foo young origin story is said to go back to the southern Chinese coastal province of Guangdong, formerly known as Canton. The dish can now be found as a Cantonese hybrid not only in this country, but across Asia too.
I think their part 2 is kind of focusing on more of an update of whats happened since. I dont think theyre going to retread the original case against Steven Avery, which I think ours is going to get more detail-oriented about the underlying crime and more of the facts, he said.
While tinkering in the studio on other peoples projects comes secondary to his own material, Wilson concedes he wasnt in a rush to follow up Fanfare after a globetrotting fantasy tour left him in debt. I was waiting for the right songs and the right vibe. Its a do-or-die thing for me at this point, he says. The only way you can do it is if you have the right songs that are coming from my for lack of a better word my soul, my essence, my true expression to the world. Otherwise its just a vanity project that costs you hundreds of thousands of dollars.
So what exactly are we being mindful of -- carpal tunnel syndrome, tendon inflammation, joint impingement? It is more likely to be inflammation or an impingement in the wrist joint, Dacus says. Carpal tunnel syndrome is less likely if the pain is felt on the back of the wrist, he says, as the condition usually expresses itself with pain in the palm side of the hand and wrist.
"Those are very worrisome signs because they indicate you've developed a tolerance and you're investing a lot of time and effort overcoming that tolerance," Lembke said. "Essentially, you're taking it not to help with your sleep or anxiety but to treat the withdrawal from the last pill that you took."
Rolling Stone drew on expertise from 250 artists, writers, and industry figures to make its list of the 500 best songs ever. Of the top 100, 23 were written or performed by women, including the song in the No. 1 spot.
The Freedom Riders who went to Mississippi during the civil rights movement to register blacks to vote included lots of white students from the North whose rights never had been violated. But they fought on behalf of African-Americans in the South anyway, because they understood that our country could not thrive with one set of protections for one race and another set of rules for another.
According to IPRAs report of its investigation, Gaeta and Matheos said Golatte drove toward them before the two fired their service weapons at him. Gaeta, an 18-year department veteran, fired three times, and Matheos, on the force for 22 years, fired twice. IPRAs analysis of the bullet trajectories from the officers' guns showed both opened fire while standing next to Golattes vehicle instead of in front of it, according to the report. That proved to be crucial evidence in IPRAs determination that the two violated departmental policy that prohibits officers from shooting at moving vehicles if the vehicle is the only weapon being used in the confrontation.
The U.S. surgeon general, the CDC, the American Academy of Pediatrics, and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists have long said no amount of alcohol is safe during pregnancy and advise pregnant women to abstain from drinking. Two years ago, the CDC went a step further and issued a controversial recommendation that all women who could get pregnant and are not using birth control also avoid alcohol because of the frequency of unintended pregnancies, and because some women do not realize they are pregnant in the early weeks that are crucial for a developing fetus.
The two got into a struggle, police said. Kimbrough ran away, but was shot at least three times near the front of his home, prosecutors said. Boyd shot him once inside the home, and multiple times outside, then fled, Mobley said. An autopsy later showed that Kimbrough died from multiple gunshot wounds, according the medical examiners office.
In the homicide, a man was shot in the neck, abdomen and back in the Chatham neighborhood on the South Side late Sunday, police said. The man, 58, was walking in the 8000 block of South Michigan Avenue when someone started shooting about 10:50 p.m., police said. He was taken to Stroger Hospital, where he was pronounced dead. He was identified as Hubert Eddings, who was killed in the block where he lived, according to the Cook County medical examiners office.
When the officers directed the occupants to get out of the vehicle, one man pushed an officer and started running toward an area where several tractor-trailers were parked. The officers followed and one of them fired a weapon, striking the man, police said.
The latest gun violence brings the number of people shot in the city this year to at least 348, according to data kept by the Tribune. There have been at least 76 homicides. The numbers continue a trend of fewer shootings and fewer homicides this year than in the last two years, when violence hit record levels in the city. Shootings are still substantially higher than other recent years.
The robber is said to have taken keys from the woman, 24, officials said. He did not take her vehicle, according to a statement from police.
The governor arrived in Washington on Sunday and marked what he called his first meeting with President Donald Trump at the White House Governors Ball hosted by the president. Rauner has kept Trump at arms length in the past and at times has declined to use the presidents name. He said his talks with the president at the White House were not extensive, calling them more a social opportunity.
This to me seems to open us up to any type of action that somebody says, Well, you all didnt discipline this person here because he did x, and now all of the taxpayers are liable for his private actions, said Ald. Jason Ervin, 28th. Thats, I cant go for that. Thats a huge leap youre asking us to take here.
"I don't think we should just put an abstract, theoretical referendum on the ballot. I think we ought to give people a real choice," Biss said said Sunday on WGN AM-720.
"I think we ought to pass a law that says here's what the tax rates should be if the constitution were to be changed. Here's what the budget would look like if the constitution were to be changed. Here's how our property tax system would get fixed if the constitution were to be changed," he said.
The top Democratic candidates for governor support a graduated income tax. Biss hasn't come out with proposed tax rates under the graduated income tax proposal because it should be based on an overall budget plan for the state, he said.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Jan. 22, 2018. A rising official in the agency disappeared Feb. 12 and hasn't been seen since. (David Goldman / AP)
Donald Trump, right, at a joint news conference with Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto after their Aug. 31, 2016, meeting in Mexico City. A scheduled meeting between the two leaders ultimately was canceled after a tense phone conversation between them. (Xinhua / Tribune News Service)
Policemen stand guard at the crime scene where Slovak investigative journalist Jan Kuciak and his girlfriend Marina Kusnirova were murdered in Velka Maca on Feb. 26, 2018. (Vladimir Simicek / AFP/Getty Images)
But in recent weeks, federal judges in San Francisco and New York have made Trump's deadline temporarily moot for people who have sought and been granted renewals; the rulings do not extend to people who are applying for the first time. Judges issued injunctions ordering the administration to keep DACA in place while courts consider legal challenges to Trump's termination. As a result, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services resumed accepting and processing DACA renewals in January, just as it had before Trump's September announcement.
Wallenberg was a Swedish architect and businessman who served as Swedens special envoy in Budapest. The then-32-year-old Wallenberg issued Swedish passports to thousands of Hungarian Jews, protecting them from the Nazis. In the days before Budapest was liberated, Wallenberg persuaded the Nazis to cancel plans to kill 70,000 Jews living in the citys ghetto. Wallenberg was taken into Soviet custody near the end of the war and his fate has never been firmly established, although evidence suggests he died in the late 1940s.
I spoke with Dr. Abdallah Alzeir, the director of one of the few remaining hospitals in the region. He has nine family members who disappeared in the regimes prisons including his 79-year-old mother and two sisters. His hospital treated hundreds of the victims of sarin gas attack in August 2013. He lost two doctors due to exposure to the nerve gas from their patients in addition to the 861 patients who died that night. He told me horror stories about the current ordeal. The operating rooms in his hospital dug underground for protection and worked nonstop to save the lives of the human flood of children, women and men injured during the airstrikes. He did not sleep for three days. Two doctors had just been killed.
This is disappointing, because there are concrete steps we can take to try to tackle gun violence and perhaps even some that could be accepted on both sides of the aisle. At National Review, for instance, David French has offered a substantial proposal for gun-violence restraining orders, which would stop people like Cruz from getting weapons in the first place. Could we discuss it without yelling or booing or heckling or immediately dismissing it out of hand, in the grand style of Twitter dot com?
The good news is that OHare is getting the attention it requires. Runway modernization is happening, which should help with congestion, especially during bad weather. Now, according to exclusive reporting by the Tribunes Bill Ruthhart, Emanuel and Aviation Commissioner Ginger Evans are in final negotiations with the two major carriers on an eight-year plan to shine up the shabby flying experience. Terminal 2 will be torn down and replaced with a Global Terminal for United, American and their international partners. Terminals 1, 3 and 5 will get renovated, and there will be additional concourses and several dozen more gates.
Now youd think the NRA would be mad about this plan, but the organizations power stems wholly from its ability to keep gun owners in a constant state of paranoia, fearful that at any moment the government will come and take away their guns. If the government actually does come and take away their guns, donations to the NRA will skyrocket and the group will have enough fear-inducing material to keep it busy for generations.
It's clear to me that much of the current negativity is essentially a knee-jerk reaction to the the unwelcome fact that the source of the proposal is President Donald Trump, with no evidence that careful thought is being otherwise given to it. Let me make clear that I did not vote for the president in 2016, but like it or not he sits in the Oval Office and deserves to have his proposals given fair consideration rather than unthinking rejection. Especially when, as in this instance, they could be a possible useful option to weigh as we seek how to cope with this issue.
You can leave your best table manners at home, and dig in literally with your hands during the utensil-free movie night (doors open at 7 p.m., screening starts at 7:30 p.m.). The dinner tray includes a smoked turkey leg, an Elven Lembas bread baguette, potato soup and Hopewells Prancing Pony ale, which youll enjoy right in your theater seat.
Batavia police said Hunter, 27, allegedly shot at the teen and at least two others in the same car during a conflict stemming from how long the teen had been parked in the drive-thru lane. People inside the teen's car said it had been parked for less than a minute before police believe the shooter's car entered the drive-thru lane behind it to place a food order.
Kennedy looked to Pritzker in the audience and demanded that he address the Berrios tax assessment issue. Berrios is seen as vulnerable in the wake of "The Tax Divide" series published by the Chicago Tribune and ProPublica Illinois. That series concluded that his office's assessments, which are used to calculate property tax bills, favor wealthier owners of residential and commercial properties at the expense of poorer owners, who end up picking up more of the overall tax tab as a result.
"I just appreciate our local authorities that we work with and the patience of our parents as they're home wondering what's going on," Leden said. "(We) just want to try to do our best to reassure that we're doing everything we can to keep our students safe and communicate as much as we can while these events are occurring."
White had a contract for an additional two years. However, he and the District 181 Board signed a separation/settlement agreement in October 2017 for his early departure. That came on the heels of White being blamed by some board members for mistakes related to delays in building a new Hinsdale Middle School, not disclosing the mistakes to the board and not accepting responsibility for the error.
The driver reports that the truck is a silver grain hauler with Mack-brand mud flaps. She estimates that the driver is speeding at roughly 70 miles per hour in the left lane. She later calls back to give the name on the side of the trailer as Smith Trucking.
"This is an opportunity to reach new audiences Sometimes it is not super accessible to get folks downtown," said Milkert of the display she hopes will be viewed by both adults and schoolchildren throughout the neighborhood.
The stars of the show were Bubba the trained alligator, which posed for photos while kids waited in line to sit on his back, and Stitch, a seven-month-old joey that proved to be irresistible while it napped and snuggled in the fur of a simulated kangaroo pouch. Creatures great and small offered a rare opportunity to get up close and personal and learn a bit about them.
The Highland Park ordinance, which is based on the Cook County ordinance, prohibits the sale, purchase or possession of semi-automatic weapons that can hold more than 10 rounds in a magazine. It also bans semi-automatics equipped with a folding, telescoping or thumbhole stock; a shroud attached to the barrel; a muzzle brake or muzzle compensator; a protruding pistol grip; or a pistol grip with a stock attached. It also prohibits the sale and possession of magazines that fire more than 10 rounds.
The play is about the relationship between an adult grandson and his four grandparents, according to director Catherine Davis. She said the story is also about love and family with a lot of laughter and a few tears sprinkled in between.
Camacho, who is studying to be an ultrasound technician, is working to master Blackboard App, a basic tool that allows students to download course files and keep connected even when offline. She stopped in with her niece, Kaelyn, a fourth-grader at the school, for a "Tech Check" demonstration to get a look at the Chromebooks coming the students' way.
Korus said the main fundraiser to help send students to these programs will be held May 12 at the American Legion in Franklin Park. Those interested in applying for Girls State should contact Zito at 847-560-0459. Those interested in Boys State should contact Korus at 630-327-1224.
Other comedic moments were supplied in tying in scenes from the famous "If you build it, they will come" line from the 1989 movie "Field of Dreams" and then placing in pictures of the newly renovated Melvin Berlin Park. In another spoof, there were scenes from "Baywatch" mixed in with pictures of Glencoe's beach.
Courtesy University of New England(BOSTON) -- A first-year medical student stabbed to death at a Massachusetts library this weekend was a domestic violence and mental health awareness advocate who "showed great promise as a student doctor," the University of New England president said.
Deane Kenny Stryker, 22 was sitting at a table at the Winchester Public Library Saturday morning when she was attacked by a man with a 10-inch hunting knife, the Middlesex District Attorney's Office said.
Jeffrey Yao is accused of coming up behind her and stabbing her unprovoked, prosecutors said. Stryker managed to get up and try to run away, but the attack continued, prosecutors said.
A man who tried to intervene was stabbed in the arm and survived, prosecutors said.
Stryker suffered about 20 wounds, prosecutors said in court today.
Stryker, a first-year student at the University of New England's College of Osteopathic Medicine, "was just beginning her journey toward becoming a physician and showed great promise as a student doctor who was passionate about medicine and helping others," university President James Herbert said in a statement.
"She was an advocate for domestic violence and mental health awareness, and an active member of her college community," Herbert said. "She served as an orientation leader and was part of a student organization that provides confidential peer support to other students who need a place to turn when they are struggling."
Cantor Beth Levin of Temple Shir Tikvah, who knew Stryker for about 10 years, told reporters she was heartbroken and soul-sick, the Boston Globe reported.
Deane was full of love and gentleness, and she was part of our community as a babysitter and as a spirit that just made everyone feel good wherever she went, Levin said, according to the Globe. She just represented all that is good in each of us. Kids felt it; adults felt it. She was trusted; she was responsible.
Herbert said, "We send our deepest condolences to Deanes family and friends, who are facing an unthinkable tragedy,"
Counseling will be available at the university, Herbert added.
Yao, 23, who was known to police, was arrested and charged with murder and armed assault with intent to murder, prosecutors said.
Yao appeared in court Monday morning and was ordered held without bail. A not guilty plea was entered on his behalf.
Yao's defense attorney told reporters today that his client has a long history of mental illness including hospitalizations, adding that Yao's parents are devastated for the victims family, ABC affiliate WCVB-TV reported.
The motive remains under investigation, prosecutors said.
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Florip said that all four of the stabbing victims were men in their 20s, and that all were transported to area hospitals by Waukegan Fire Department rescue personnel. Castaneda died during emergency surgery, authorities said.
Speaking of his previous work and record, Pritzker told the audience, "There are thousands of children that have quality preschool and child care because of the work that I've done for more than 20 years to expand those programs and make preschool universal."
But the training only works if police are ready to take down the shooter, which apparently didn't cross the minds of the Florida deputies. The school's resource officer resigned after officials in Broward County, known for its posh resorts, began looking into his response to the crisis. Florida's governor has called for an investigation into the Sheriff's Office actions.
Both individuals have been cooperative during the course of the investigation and indicated there was never any intent of harm meant towards anyone and that this was a matter of poor decision making on their parts, police said in a statement Monday afternoon.
Kim said a new program could draw districts more fairly by grouping demographics evenly, however, he said that would violate Section II of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, which prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color or language. He said the law would need to be revised to allow for positive use of demographic information.
"The recent tragedies perpetrated by a few unstable individuals should not reflect negatively or detract from the rights of millions of law abiding citizens. We support common sense gun laws that keep those that may harm someone from owning or accessing a firearm," the statement goes on to say.
Less than one year after the memorial was installed, an illuminated glass section shattered. In the school's outdoor courtyard, the memorial's dark base is still in place with inscribed names visible of three deceased Ridgewood High School students. The memorial was created in honor of Donald Warren Bollman (Class of 1964), Neil Joseph Cacciottolo (Class of 1965) and James Chris Shukas (Class of 1966), who were killed in action during the Vietnam War.
Hosting weekly storytimes, organizing book fairs and bringing books to area residents via book bike are just some of the library staff's outreach efforts, and there is still plenty more to do, she said. More than that, Wittmann wanted to tap into her community's "tradition" of offering compassion and service to those in need and acknowledged the many established local groups, including the rotary club. She said the addition of the Kiwanis of Norridge/Harwood Heights would be another opportunity to "do good in the community."
"I wish we could do more," she said. "And that's what we talked to the students about: Being involved in the future. But this is just one thing we can do [now] to let them know the country's behind them."
In addition to safety, monitoring weather can also help with the "financial stability of these events," Chambers said. By tracking what was approaching the area, organizers for Leon's Triathlon in Hammond were able to adjust their schedule events in the past, keeping the triathlon going so people would return in the future, according to Chambers.
Trump speaking on the Parkland shooting:"I really believe I'd run in there, even if I didn't have a weapon. And I think most of the people in this room would've done that, too." Just like he went to Vietnam, right?
"This is about celebrating the contributions of African Americans to this country and to our world," said Niles West High School Gospel Choir Director Matthew Hunter. "It's not about rivals. It's not about West versus North, but it's about us coming together as one district to lift our voice and sing and celebrate the contributions to this country."
The woman was hit in the crosswalk at the northwest corner of the intersection as she attempted to cross Green Bay Road going east. Interim Police Chief Marc Hornstein said that the vehicle proceeded north as the traffic signal changed.
Judge calls mistrial after jury split on alleged child sex assault
A hung jury forced a mistrial Wednesday in the case of a 44-year-old former youth church group leader accused of sexually assaulting a child.
A farmers' art festival was held in Beijing's remote Pinggu district on Sunday, with hundreds of farmers performing folk dances.
The event, including a farmers' art festival and a folk dance contest, was held at the Tai Chi Square at the foot of Yaji Mountain of Liujiadian town. Thousands of local residents, tourists and guests thronged the site, applauding the various events and performers.
Liu Xiaodong, the town chief, said the event marked the 21st celebration of the festival, designed to promote folk arts and create a festive atmosphere for the coming Lantern Festival, which is the last day of the annual Chinese Spring Festival.
Liu said the event also launched a "folk art year" for local residents, who will enjoy more cultural activities and cultural life in the coming months.
Twenty-three teams from 14 villages took part in the folk-dance contest. Some of the performers were from folk art groups that have existed for more than 100 years and are treated by the Beijing city government as an intangible cultural heritage.
Liujiadian town has rich culture of folk arts and has been holding a traditional cultural temple fair at the Spring Festival for more than 400 years. Currently, the town has 46 art groups, 13 Yangge dance teams, one township-level art troupe, seven village-level troupes and five municipal-recognized intangible cultural heritage entities. More than 2,000 farmers in the area can go on stage and perform as a relaxation from their regular rural jobs.
"Shaolin" is the most popular Chinese words for people from eight English-speaking countries, according to a survey released by China International Publishing Group (CIPG).
According to the report at cankaoxiaoxi.com, among the top 100 Chinese words, over 40 percent relate to traditional Chinese culture, such as Wushu, a type of martial arts, Qigong, and Yin-Yang.
"Dumpling" is the most well-known Chinese food for people from the English speaking countries surveyed, with "jiaozi" even appearing in the latest edition of the Oxford English Dictionary.
Chunjie, the Chinese word for Spring Festival, was the number one Chinese word searched online by people outside China. Other words related to Spring Festival also caught the attention of foreign netizens. These words include Hongbao, the red envelopes stuffed with cash given as gifts during the holiday, Chunyun, the Spring Festival holiday travel rush, and Chunwan, the Spring Festival gala.
You are here: China
A law league in the eastern Chinese city of Nanjing plans to file a public interest lawsuit against two men for posing in front of war ruins in Japanese army uniforms.
The law league said Sunday that the move aims to speed up local legislation against behaviors that deny the Nanjing Massacre and profane the war martyrs and sites.
The league was established earlier this year to "safeguard the truth of the Nanjing Massacre."
On Tuesday, a user on microblogging site Sina Weibo posted a picture of the men, surnamed Tang and Zong, at the site of a fort used during the War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression (1931-1945).
They both wore the war-era uniforms of the Japanese army, and their actions stoked anger and caused strong public backlash.
Police soon launched an investigation, detainig Tang and Zong in the provinces of Sichuan and Jiangsu, respectively. Police said the men's behavior was "severely profane," hurt the feelings of the Chinese people and caused a "very bad influence."
The two would be held in detention for 15 days.
On February 4, 2018, China releases a package of policies in the "No. 1 Central Document."
On February 4, 2018, China released a package of policies in the "No. 1 Central Document," which calls for greater-than-ever attention to rural vitalization, put forward by President Xi Jinping at the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China in October last year.
Without doubt it can be said that focusing on modernizing China's rural and agricultural sectors is quite forward thinking for rural well-being in order to reduce China's growing inequality between rural and urban areas. It is also expected that the No.1 Central Document will encourage people to live in rural areas rather than migrate to big cities, which will boost the livelihoods of rural farmers who produce sustenance for their urban counterparts.
Seen as an indicator of policy priorities, the No. 1 Central Document is the name traditionally given to the first policy statement that the CPC Central Committee and China's State Council release each year. This has been the 15th consecutive year that the No 1 Central Document has been devoted to agriculture, farmers and rural areas. Undoubtedly, the 2018 document will play an important role in modernizing and rejuvenating the whole of China.
Han Jun, director of the Office of the Central Rural Work Leading Group, said that the 2018 document was "problem-oriented" and a "top-level design" for the country to achieve prosperity in rural areas. It's a fact that China's vast rural population has not fully enjoyed adequate development opportunities in comparison to urban China. The Chinese Dream cannot be realized without realizing the dreams of the Chinese farmers. There is a lot to be accomplished in rural areas where opportunities for development have arisen as the country enters a new era, according to the document.
Chinese leaders are pragmatic enough to set reasonable goals, which make sure that the rural poor will at least have food to eat, clothes to wear, and places to live in by 2020. The 2018 document has provided a comprehensive roadmap for the reform and development of China's agriculture involving hundreds of millions of farmers.
Notably, the importance of timetabling is stressed in the latest document aiming at a strong agricultural sector, a beautiful countryside and well-off farmers. The document states that by 2020, there will be an institutional framework established for rural policy. By this time, poverty will be eliminated, and rural productivity as well as agricultural supply will be enhanced. By 2035, China will have embarked upon modernization of the agricultural and rural areas, and that both urban and rural residents will have access to basic public services. By 2050, farmers will be well off and rural areas will enjoy a strong agricultural sector.
According to the rural vitalization strategy, more capital will be channeled into rural areas through steadily rising public finance inputs, broadened financing, and providing better financial services. The package of policies also includes better education and medical services, green development, improved infrastructure and facilities such as toilets, and more training and incentives to build a workforce to support rural development.
Victor Gao, chairman of China Energy Security Institute and vice president of Center for China and Globalization rightly pointed out: "Chinese farmers will become new farmers, with greater empowerment and incentives; better training and education; higher income and more benefits; greater protection of their legitimate rights. Their voices will be better heard, and their dreams become more and more within reach."
It is planned that villages will be clean and tidy with better garbage sorting, sanitation facilities, residential sewage treatments and village management that will ensure farmers' basic quality of life. It is anticipated that the rural vitalization program and the ongoing land reform will contribute mightily to raising the standard of living in rural China.
Rabi Sankar Bosu, secretary of New Horizon Radio Listeners' Club, West Bengal, India
Opinion articles reflect the views of their authors only, not necessarily those of China.org.cn.
Putuo Mountain, sitting on a small island of Zhoushan Archipelago, is one of the greatest Buddhist mountains in China. As it is a sacred place of Avalokitesvara, or Bodhisattva Guanyin, travelers can easily absorb the unique culture through the sculpture, books, drawings, stone carvings and architecture style which can be found there. There are more than 200 temples on the mountain, with Puji, Fayu and Huiji being the largest and most famous. Every year on the 19th day of the second, sixth and ninth months (believed to be the Birthday, Bodhi Day and Leaving Home Day of Guanyin) in the traditional Chinese calendar, thousands of believers and visitors go to Putuo to celebrate and pray.[China.org.cn/vcg]
Flash
A new tourist route on a Spanish-administered archipelago off the west coast of Morocco in the Atlantic Ocean will soon be opened for Chinese travelers in commemoration of the late writer Sanmao, according to local tourism authorities.
The route, located on the Canary Islands and available from March, is dedicated to Sanmao, a female writer from Taiwan who lived there during the latter half of the 20th century.
The announcement was made recently by Alicia Vanoostende, tourism adviser to La Palma, one of the seven main islands of the archipelago.
Born as Chen Maoping and also known as Echo Chan in the English-speaking world, the writer adopted her pseudonym "Sanmao" from the name of the protagonist of a famous Chinese comic series created by caricaturist Zhang Leping in the 1930s.
Sanmao married a Spaniard named Jose Maria Quero Y Ruiz in 1974 and the couple lived on the La Palma and Gran Canaria islands between 1976 and 1979.
The newly opened tourist route is also aimed at promoting the places in which the couple had lived.
One of Sanmao's most celebrated works is about her love story and adventures with her husband, who died in a diving accident in 1979 in La Palma, where he was later buried.
In 1991, Sanmao hanged herself at a hospital in Taipei after a cancer scare and the shock of losing a Hong Kong movie award for her script for the film Red Dust.
Quero Ruiz's grave as well as the couple's residences on both islands are preserved and are open to the public.
The sites have attracted a growing number of Chinese tourists in recent years, which is why local authorities have decided to design the route.
"At first I was curious because I always saw a lot of Chinese travelers visiting a normal house on our island, (and) many of them left letters in front of the house," Vanoostende says.
"I asked them why and they told me that is where Sanmao had lived, a writer," she says.
Ines Jimenez Martin, the counselor of tourism of Gran Canaria, says that since "millions of Chinese people know the Canary Islands through Sanmao's work, we want them to be able to relive and experience the life of Sanmao in Gran Canaria".
Flash
The Nigerian government on Sunday said that 110 schoolgirls are unaccounted for following an attack by terror group Boko Haram on an all-girl college in the northeastern state of Yobe.
The figure was confirmed by Minister of Information and Culture Lai Mohammed after a meeting with parents, security agencies and local government representatives, who gathered in the Yobe State capital Damaturu to discuss last Monday's incident at the Government Girls Technical College, in the state's Dapchi area.
"Out of the total register of 906 students in the school that day, 110 students are unaccounted," Mohammed said.
The official said no stone will be left unturned as the government is determined to rescue every missing student.
In a statement on Friday, Nigerian leader Muhammadu Buhari described the incident as a "national disaster," saying "the entire country stands as one with the girls' families."
The tragedy of the missing girls has brought back memories of a similar occurrence four years ago in Africa's most populous country when more than 200 schoolgirls, also from an all-girl college, were abducted by Boko Haram in the northeastern town of Chibok.
The outlawed Boko Haram group has been trying since 2009 to establish an Islamic state in northeastern Nigeria. They have killed some 20,000 people and displaced millions of others.
Flash
The campaigning for Egypt's 2018 presidential election continued Sunday for the second day, as incumbent President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi is expected to score an easy win in the polls late March.
The campaigning officially started Saturday for the two-candidate election, which will be held on March 26-28. The result will be announced on April 2, according to the National Election Authority.
Since the start of the campaigning, main streets and squares in Cairo, the Egyptian capital, have been decorated with signs, banners, posters and placards supporting Sisi's re-election.
Sisi's sole rival in the race is little known politician Moussa Mostafa Moussa, chairman of liberal Ghad Party, after a couple of possible strong challengers have either withdrawn or disqualified for violations.
In downtown Cairo, Sisi's posters and banners of different sizes could be seen everywhere on the streets, squares, buildings, store fronts, main bridges and bus stations.
They are all accompanied by slogans in support of the incumbent president, such as "Think it right, Sisi is right," "With all love, we support Sisi's reelection," and "Egypt's workers support Sisi to continue development projects."
However, posters and signs in support of Moussa, if any, could hardly be seen anywhere.
Sisi came to office in mid-2014, a year after he, then army chief, led the ouster of former Islamist President Mohamed Morsi in response to mass protests against Morsi's one-year rule and his currently outlawed Muslim Brotherhood group.
Last December, a pro-Sisi non-official campaign called "So That You Can Build It (Egypt)," launched by some politicians and lawmakers, said it collected over 12 million signatures from Egyptians who support Sisi's reelection for a second term.
Later in January, the majority of Egyptian parliament members signed a recommendation form urging Sisi to run again for a four-year term, the last one for him according to the Egyptian constitution.
Flash
The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) Sunday urged Japan to prevent assault on a pro-Pyongyang Korean residents association's headquarters in Tokyo from taking place again.
A spokesman for the Korea Asia-Pacific Peace Committee (KAPPC) Sunday issued a statement on the attack on Friday by two Japanese right-wingers on the headquarters of the General Association of Korean Residents in Japan (Chongryon).
The attackers fired several bullets at the hall of the Chongryon headquarters in the Japanese capital, the first time for such an assault to have taken place, according to media reports.
"The Chongryon Central Standing Committee speaks for the dignity, right and interests of Chongryon organizations and Koreans in Japan and is playing the role as a diplomatic mission of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea under the present situation that the diplomatic ties have not been established between the DPRK and Japan," said the spokesman.
This is the first time for the right-wingers to fire gunshots at the Chongryon headquarters, said the spokesman.
Flash
The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) Sunday warned the United States of its "own way of counteraction" if a maritime blockade and more sanctions are imposed as threatened by U.S. President Donald Trump on Friday.
A spokesman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the DPRK issued a statement saying that the PyeongChang Winter Olympics are successfully coming to an end due to efforts by DPRK and collaboration by South Korea, while the process of an inter-Korean detente has been launched since the beginning of the year.
"However, on the eve of closing of the PyeongChang Winter Olympics, the United States is running amok to bring another dark cloud of confrontation and war over the Korean peninsula by announcing enormous sanctions against the DPRK," said the spokesman.
Trump on Friday announced what he called the "heaviest sanctions" on the DPRK. The new sanctions, the "largest-ever" package on the DPRK, will target 56 vessels, shipping companies, and trade businesses.
"Trump has announced new sanctions, the core of which is to completely block the DPRK's maritime trade with other countries," said the spokesman.
The spokesman said the DPRK has stated on numerous occasions that it will consider any type of blockade an act of war.
"If the U.S. ignores all of our sincere efforts for improving inter-Korean relations and for preserving peace and stability on the Korean peninsula, as desired by the nation, and doggedly persists instead in provocation against us, we will have a tight grip on the U.S. and deal with it with our own way of counteraction," said the spokesman.
He also warned that if tension on the Korean peninsula again escalates into a brink of war, "all the catastrophic consequences resulting therefrom will be borne by the United States."
Flash
Thousands marched in Moscow on Sunday to commemorate slain opposition leader Boris Nemtsov, who was shot dead near the Kremlin three years ago.
Authorities gave permission for the memorial rally, but for many it was also a protest against the ruling party, just weeks before presidential elections.
More than 7,000 people filled the streets, commemorating one person.
The outspoken critic of President Vladimir Putin was murdered late at night in central Moscow in 2015.
"He was an icon of democracy," march co-organizer Sergei Kusmin said. "He was our teacher, and an example of how we should proceed."
Nemtsov supporters march every year in his honor, carrying flowers to lay at the spot where he died.
The procession is much more than a memorial march, however. Attendees believe Nemtsov was killed because he was too critical of those in power. This year, with presidential elections just weeks away, they say they are standing up for democracy itself.
Putin is widely expected to win next month's vote easily, but with his main challenger barred from running for office, some feel these protests are their only platform.
"I wanted to protest our government and its policies," one marcher said. "I think they are leading our country in a totally wrong direction."
"Nobody cares but us," according to another. "It is very important for our political life, our political future, and our civil future."
Five men were convicted last year of killing Nemtsov, though the question of who ordered the killing remains.
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SKOPJE, Macedonia - Authorities on Saturday began altering signs at an airport and a highway after a dispute with Greece.
Macedonia decided this month to rename the country's national highway from "Alexandros the Macedon" to "Friendship Motorway" while Skopje's airport will be changed from "Alexander the Great International Airport" to "Skopje International Airport" as part of government plans.
Skopje Airport was named Alexander the Great Airport in 2006 under the administration of Nikola Gruevski but the move has been contested by Greece, which considered the placement of this name as a sign of Macedonia's plan to reclaim lost territory.
The Greek authorities also considered the placement of Alexander the Great monument and Philip II in Skopje as inappropriate.
The name issue between the two countries started in 1992, a year after the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia declared independence from Yugoslavia and chose the name Macedonia, which is also the name of a northern Greek province.
Greece worries the use of the same name by the neighboring state could lead to territorial claims.
To Macedonia, solving the name issue with Greece is important as it is considered the main obstacle to starting talks for European Union and NATO accession.
Macedonian Prime Minister Zaev said after a meeting with his Greek counterpart Alexis Tsipras in Switzerland that his government would alter the signs to show its neighbor that Skopje had no such territorial ambitions.
Both countries consider Alexander the Great as their hero. Greece has a northern province called Macedonia, also the cradle of ancient Macedonia and its most famous leader, Alexander the Great.
Macedonia considers Alexander as part of its local identity.
The Macedonian government also decided to remove Alexander's monument from the capital's main square, saying that the monuments have caused great damage to the country and the citizens in terms of relations with neighboring countries.
But the opposition VMRODPMNE party has condemned the removal of the monuments, including that of the Macedonian revolutionary, Andon Qose, placed in front of the Supreme Court in Skopje.
Xinhua
(China Daily 02/26/2018 page11)
MADRID - A new tourist route on a Spanish-administered archipelago off the west coast of Morocco in the Atlantic Ocean will soon be opened for Chinese travelers in commemoration of the late writer Sanmao, according to local tourism authorities.
The route, located on the Canary Islands and available from March, is dedicated to Sanmao, a female writer from Taiwan who lived there during the latter half of the 20th century.
The announcement was made recently by Alicia Vanoostende, tourism adviser to La Palma, one of the seven main islands of the archipelago.
Money, money, money, money! Kylie Jenner is definitely rolling in it. The lip kit maven from Los Angeles launched a cosmetics empire (you can check out what she made off it here) and is reaping the rewards for this with her life steeped in luxury.
She cant even legally drink, but she can spend her money! So what exactly does she blow all her dough on? Lets take a look below!
Over $50,000 In Puppies
@kyliejenner
Its no secret purebred puppies are expensive, and Kylie has four. Three of her dogs (Bambi, Sofia, and Norman) are Italian Greyhounds and probably cost her at least $1,000. Thats a lot of money to spend on dogs, especially when you can adopt for such a small fee.
The real kicker though is that he recent four legged addition Rolly, a merle tri-colored English Bulldog, reportedly cost $50,000 alone. Can you believe that?! Dont get me wrong, Rolly is absolutely adorable, but you could buy a luxury car for that price!
A Pennsylvania church will host an assault rifle blessing on Wednesday, Feb. 28, and has invited worshippers to bring their AR-15s to the service or purchase the gun if they still do not own one. The planned rites have raised concerns from parents whose children attend the Wallenpaupack South Elementary School, which is just half a mile away from the World Peace and Unification Sanctuary, also known as the Sanctuary Church.
The Sanctuary Church officially posted the details of the assault rifle blessing on its site. The invitation extended to heterosexual couples only, who must present a $700 gift certificate if they cannot purchase or transport the rifle on the day of the ceremony.
Church director of world missions Tim Elder told the press that the AR-15 rifle was symbolic of the "rod of iron" that was spoken of in the Bible. He explained that they had scheduled the ceremony months before the tragic Florida school shooting, thus they will not be cancelling the blessing.
A gunman used an AR-15 rifle to attack the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, last Wednesday, Feb. 14, which killed 17 people.
However, Richard A. Panzer, the Sanctuary Church president, stated in an email that there was no ill intent behind the event after parents of children who went to a nearby school expressed their concerns. Some have considered letting their children skip school on the day of the assault rifle blessing, which will take place at 10:00 a.m.
"All of the weapons in the ceremony will be checked to make sure they are unloaded, with a zip tie so that no bullets can be inserted," Panzer stated. "We are inviting local and state police to be on the premises, so that everything goes safely."
The Moon family from South Korea, led by Rev. Hyung Jin Moon, runs the Sanctuary Church. Moon is the son of Sun Myung Moon, the Unification Church's founder.
The National Library of Israel has given the public online access to a George Washington "thumb Bible." The rare 200-year-old sacred writ contains paraphrased texts from the Old and New Testaments.
The Bible measures 2 by 1.375 inches, and on its pages are woodcut illustrations of key scenes and figures from the Scriptures. Only a dozen copies or less of this miniature book exist today since its printing in 1813 to 1815.
John Taylor, an English poet from the 16th-17th century, created the miniature Bible which also had a dedication to Washington. The inscription on the first page reads: "To his Excellency G. Washington, President of the United States of America. Most hopeful George, into thy hands we give, The sum of that which makes us ever live. And tho' the volume and the work be small, Yet it contains the sum of all in all."
Thumb Bibles were popular in the early 19th century as way to teach children to read and appreciate literature. The George Washington thumb Bible is part of the Valmadonna Trust Library that consists of over 13,000 Hebrew books and manuscripts.
The National Library of Israel acquired the collection in 2017 with the help of avid collectors David and Jemima Jeselsohn, as well as the Haim and Hana Solomon Fund. The library will eventually showcase the whole collection once its new building opens its doors to the public in Knesset, Jerusalem, in 2021.
Other notable items from the Valmadonna collection include a Pentateuch scroll from the 12th century, which has been written in Samaritan alphabet; a Hebrew Bible from 1189; a Pentateuch from Constantinople that dates back to 1547; a prayer book from Fez in Morocco that dates back to 1516; and a newspaper article from 1666 about Sabbatai Zevi, who was believed to be the Messaiah.
Meanwhile, the online version of the George Washington thumb Bible can be read online at the library's website.
Administrators of Harvard sanctioned a Christian club for urging a female member to resign as a student leader after she began dating a woman.
The group Harvard College Faith and Action, which was apparently the largest Christian club at the university, has been placed under a year-long "administrative probation." University heads informed the HCFA of its decision in an email last Wednesday, Feb. 21.
"After a thorough review and finding that HCFA had conducted itself in a manner grossly inconsistent with the expectations clearly outlined in [the Office of Student Life's] Student Organization Resource and Policy Guide, OSL has placed HCFA on a one year administrative probation," university spokesperson Aaron M. Goldman confirmed.
Goldman additionally stated that the Office of Student Life "will require updated materials demonstrating that they are in compliance with the University's nondiscrimination," should the HCFA re-apply for recognition as a student organization in the spring.
Last fall, a bisexual member of the HCFA, who was its Bible course leader who mentored other members, had to forcibly resign. Email and text correspondents between her and the HCFA leadership implied that she revealed she had been dating a woman who was also an HCFA member.
Text messages between the female student and ministry fellows from the Christian Union, which is aligned with the HCFA, indicated that they met to discuss the nature of her relationship. The ministry fellows then asked her to resign from her role as Bible course leader. Several students, including friends of the person at the center of the controversy, corroborated that the meetings took place.
The Christian club leaders, however, expressed surprise over the school's sanction. A spokesperson for the HCFA, Molly Richmond, stated that the club does not "discriminate on the basis of sexual orientation."
The spokesperson, however, did not clarify whether the female member was asked to resign. Instead, Richmond cited that they had a theological disagreement.
The HCFA has been active on the campus for over 10 years.
The Catholic Church has officially declared a French nun, who experienced the healing of her severe back problems that had disabled her for decades, the 70th Lourdes miracle.
Sister Bernadette Moriau's nerve pain on her back resulted in her confinement to a wheelchair for the last 40 years. Following a trip to the Marian shrine at the Lourdes site in the Pyrenees mountain ranges last July 2008, however, the nun attested that she has been cured. She is now 79 years old.
Doctors in France, along with the International Medical Committee of Lourdes, examined the nun and confirmed that they could not explain how Moriau's chronic sciatica, also known as pinched spinal nerve, disappeared.
After a diagnosis at the age of 27, Moriau actually went through four spinal operations that did not alleviate her condition. She was diagnosed as fully disabled by 1980 and relied on morphine for her constant pain.
Moriau, like millions of devotees, sought for a cure from the holy spring at the Lourdes site. Upon her return home, she said she experienced a miracle while praying at her convent.
"She experienced an unusual feeling of relaxation and heat in the whole of her body (and) heard a voice telling her to take off her equipment, the corset and the leg brace," the Catholic parish spokesperson in Beauvais in France stated. Nicolas Brouwet, the Bishop of Lourdes, officially declared the miracle during a mass held at the basilica at the shrine.
Over 150 years ago, a peasant girl named Bernadette Soubirou witnessed the appearance of the Virgin Mary in the mountains. Over decades, the site has since received 200 million pilgrims and at least 7,000 visitors claimed they experienced healing following their visits, reports stated. Not every claim, however, go through a thorough investigation to be officially declared as a miracle.
The last officially declared Lourdes miracle was in 2013. Danila Castelli, then 34, suffered from high blood pressure after undergoing hysterectomy and annexectomy. Doctors also discovered she had a tumor in her bladder and underwent further surgeries but her condition did not improve.
Instead of going to the Mayo Clinic in 1988, Castelli and her husband visited the Lourdes site and Castelli felt "an extraordinary feeling of wellbeing" after emerging from the hot spring. Investigations into her healing, which took place from 1989 to 2010, cited her case as "prodigious-miraculous."
An upcoming Netflix show is gaining controversy and leaving viewers enraged. "The Push" is a reality TV program that has an unusual premise, as it is a social experiment on pressuring people to commit murder.
The series features Derren Brown, a mentalist and a psychological illusionist from England, as he aims to answer how easy or hard it is to manipulate a person to take someone else's life.
"Brown exposes the psychological secrets of obedience and social compliance," the Netflix press release underscored. "He expertly lifts the lid on the terrifying truth that, when confronted with authority, our natural instinct is to unflinchingly obey without questionato such an extent that even the most moral people can be made to commit the most horrendous acts, simply because they are told to do so."
No person actually kills in the series, which will launch on the streaming platform on Feb. 27. Brown and the production staff composed of at least 70 actors and crew, however, follow an unsuspecting person, who becomes the show's actual victim. He or she will be subjected to scenarios where they are manipulated to feel that the only way out is to commit murder.
Brown explained the show's concept in the trailer for "The Push." The short preview, however, has gained negative responses among netizens. Some were appalled that the series did not seem to value human life. Others threatened to drop their Netflix subscription.
The illusionist's experiment followed a similar concept from the 1960s, where a Yale psychologist, Stanley Milgram, manipulated people into torturing someone via electric shock. The victims were actually actors pretending to scream in pain but the experiment saw two thirds of the participants giving in to Milgram's cues.
Milgram wanted to see and understand how far people would obey an authority figure, as in the case of German soldiers during World War II. Psychologists, however, frowned upon the experiment for its deception and psychological harm to the participants.
Update (Feb. 27): Israel has suspended Jerusalems tax collection effort, so the famous church will reopen.
In an action not seen in more than a century, the leaders of Jerusalems churches closed the doors of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre on Sunday in a show of united protest. The dramatic decision comes in response to moves by Jerusalem authorities to begin collecting tens of millions of dollars in taxes from churches, as well as proposed legislation to confiscate church-owned land.
The Church of the Holy Sepulchreconsidered by many Christians to be the site of Jesus crucifixion, tomb and resurrectionis jointly managed by a cadre of Orthodox and Catholic churches. It is one of the most-visited sites in Israel, and its closure came as a sudden shock, especially with Easter celebrations approaching.
In a defiant statement released at the time of the closure, church leaders called the municipalitys new policy a systematic campaign against the churches and the Christian community in the Holy Land, according to The Jerusalem Post.
Recently, this systematic and offensive campaign has reached an unprecedented level as the Jerusalem Municipality issued scandalous collection notices and orders of seizure of church assets, properties and bank accounts for alleged debts of punitive municipal taxesa step that is contrary to the historic position of the churches within the Holy City of Jerusalem and their relationship with the civil authorities, the church leaders stated. These actions breach existing agreements and international obligations which guarantee the rights and the privileges of the churches, in what seems as an attempt to weaken the Christian presence in Jerusalem.
In a dramatic about-face earlier this month, the municipal authorities of Jerusalem announced their intention to collect back taxes on property owned by churches in the city, totaling 650 million shekels (US$186 million).
The city property tax, called arnona, targets businesses and offices belonging to the historic churches in Jerusalem. Houses of worship will be exempt from taxation, but all other church properties will be fair game.
The unexpected proclamation came at a time when the city of Jerusalem faces budget shortfalls and mounting debt.
The Jerusalem Municipality has excellent and respectful connections with every church in the city, and it will continue protecting their freedom of religion, stated city leaders, according to the Post. However, it cannot accept the situation in which hotels and business are exempted from paying property tax only because the property is owned by a church.
The announcement, made the first weekend of February, blindsided ecclesial leadership in the Holy Land, who accuse Nir BarkatJerusalems mayor and a primary force behind the changeof betraying international treaties and centuries of precedent. Neither traditional legal interpretations nor historic precedent has quelled the movement of Barkat and his administration to force the churches to pay.
Authorities in Jerusalem already seized hundreds of thousands of dollars from the largest churches in the city, including the Greek Orthodox, the Catholics, the Anglicans, and the Armenian Orthodox Church. More seizures are on the way.
According to Haaretz, the Anglican Church in Jerusalem confirmed its bank accounts had been frozen by the city, which claimed to freeze the accounts of other major churches as well.
Jerusalem to Churches: No More Free Lunch
In its initial statement, the municipality rebuked the idea that commercial landsuch as hotels, banquet halls, and other businessesshould be free from taxation when owned by religious institutions. These are not houses of worship, which are exempt by law from paying arnona, but properties that are used for commercial activities, stated city leaders, according to Haaretz.
But the new collection strategy marks a serious shift. Never before have church properties, commercial or not, come under the arnona tax.
That changed after Gabriel Hallevy, a law professor at Israels Ono Academic College, provided his legal opinion asserting religious tax exemptions are exclusive to assets intended for worship or religious education. Citing Hallevys opinion, Barkats administration started its campaign to collect back taxes on 887 properties owned primarily by churches and the United Nations.
Previously, the state of Israel disallowed Jerusalem from collecting such taxes. But equipped with Hallevys new legal pronouncement, and facing massive debt, which Barkat blames in large part on inadequate state funding, the municipality has vowed to end what it sees as a free lunch.
We will no longer agree to have residents of Jerusalem fund these enormous sums, said Barkat, according to The Times of Israel. The state needs to face the consequences of its decisions. Either the state will compensate us and return the money that is meant to develop the city, or we will collect it as required by law. We intend to conduct administrative and legal enforcement, and if need be, we wont hesitate to take the matter to the High Court of Justice.
Especially since President Donald Trump announced his administrations game-changing public recognition of Jerusalem as Israels capital last Decembermanifested in plans to move the US embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, now by MayIsraeli authorities have taken increasingly forceful action to tighten control over the city at the center of global religious and regional ethnic disputes.
Christian Unity Comes to the Holy City
Jerusalems churches have never had to pay municipal property taxesnot under Ottoman, British, or Jordanian rule stretching back hundreds of years. Despite the new measures, the churches intend to keep it that way.
In a united front, the patriarchs and heads of churches in Jerusalema group of 13 of the holy citys top ecclesial leaderspenned a letter in opposition to the municipality's announcement.
We, the heads of churches in Jerusalem, declare that such a statement is contrary to the historic position between the churches within the Holy City of Jerusalem and the civil authorities across the centuries, reads the February 14 letter. The civil authorities have always recognized and respected the great contribution of the Christian churches, which invest billions in building schools, hospitals, and homes, many for the elderly and disadvantaged, in the Holy Land.
Some church representatives assert the matter is rooted not in new legal revelations, but in the feud between Jerusalems mayor and Israels Finance Ministry. Barkat accuses the ministry of withholding promised funding as part of a scheme of the finance minister, Moshe Kahlon, to target Barkats administration.
Barkat has argued for greater funding, pointing to the unique financial challenges facing Jerusalem. To make budgetary ends meet, Barkat has conducted a campaign that has included threatening to fire thousands of municipal workers and pressuring the Finance Ministry for larger grants via billboards and newspaper ads.
The state played a game at the expense of the residents of Jerusalem and illegally exempted the churches and the UN from paying property taxes in parts that are not places of worship without legal basis, reads a statement from the municipality, according to the Times. The financial damage caused over the years to Jerusalem due to the states stance is almost NIS 1 billion [shekels].
But without a deal from the state, it will be churches and international organizations like the United Nations that foot the bill.
Wadie Abunassar, a spokesperson for the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, was quoted by Haaretz as calling Israeli authorities to do what is necessary for guaranteeing respect of old understandings between civil authorities on one hand, and church and international bodies on the other hand.
The Anglican Episcopal Diocese of Jerusalem said the new tax threatened its ability to maintain its many social care initiatives in the city, along with its numerous schools, training centers, and health care facilities. Likewise, the Vaticans Notre Dame of Jerusalem hotel, restaurant, and conference center (among many other such enterprises) are set to face fines, stretching the Roman Catholic Churchs resources in the ancient city.
Representatives of the Greek Orthodox Church, which owns approximately 30 percent of the Old City of Jerusalem and claims the largest stake of any denomination in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, condemned the new tax standard, as did key stakeholders across Jerusalems Christian denominations.
Liens placed on church accounts have already stunted their daily operations in Jerusalem.
All of our assets are frozen, a representative of the Greek Orthodox patriarchate told the Times. We cant pay for food, salaries, administration, nothing.
The church leaders boycotted their annual meeting with the mayor that was supposed to happen last week in protest of the tax.
In their ecumenical letter, the churches say with one voice that the new status quo cannot stand. Such a measure both undermines the sacred character of Jerusalem, and jeopardizes the Churchs ability to conduct its ministry in this land on behalf of its communities and the world-wide church.
The churches request Jerusalem retract its decision.
Echoing the February 14 letter, the letter issued by the churches today concludes, as a measure of protest, we decided to take this unprecedented step of closure of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. Together with all Heads of Churches in the Holy Land, we stand united, firm and resolute in protecting our rights and our properties.
Our firstborn got married this past July, and we are overjoyed for him and his wife. Theyd dated long-distance for two years. After hours-long Skype conversations and scads of money spent on air travel, they were more than ready to tie the knot and start their life together.
All four of us newly minted in-laws are in full support of this marriage. We have watched our children bloom within this relationship. We see them bring out the best in the other. We know they are earnestly following Christ.
And they are very young: He is 20, and she is 21.
These details have garnered more than a few raised eyebrows. Surely they would have been best served by his finishing his undergraduate degree before they married. He may want to attend graduate school. Isnt it a bit early for marriage?
Weighing the Risks
We live in a highly educated area with several universities just down the road. My husband and I both have graduate degrees. The truth is, we dont come from a demographic that generally supports marriage at this point in a persons life.
Marrying this young isnt just odd for our demographicits countercultural across the board. Men have typically waited until their mid-to-late-20s for marriage, and the common marrying age for women has been on the rise for a century. According to The New York Times, the median age for marriage in 1890 was 26 for men and 22 for women. By the 1950s, it had dropped to 23 for men and 20 for women. In 2004, it climbed to 27 for men and 26 for women.
Then in 2013, the Knot Yet Report revealed that those averages are higher still: Couples now are postponing marriage to age 29 for men and 27 for women. The delayed marriage trend appears to come with some excellent effects, including decreased divorce rates and increased incomes for college-educated women.
Why, in light of this, would we not merely acquiesce to this very young marriage, but wholeheartedly encourage it? What of the risks? The potential for divorce? The unavoidable struggles of navigating early adulthood compounded by this life-changing decision? As parents, we are hard-wired against risk. For two decades, we have tallied the potential perils in schools, sports, and organic milk. We want the very best for our children, so why would we support this countercultural choice?
The prevalent message in our culture is that young adulthood is the time to build a foundation for a healthy life. Those in their early 20s are encouraged to pursue education, travel, and gain life experience, all unhindered by wedlock. Marriage is viewed by many as something that comes only after adequate time to develop personal identity and establish a strong financial footing.
But inherent in this delay is a reality we as parents are very cognizant of: Young adults, like all of us, are sexual beings. When marriage is delayed, so is the opportunity to experience sexual intimacy within Gods parameters of a marriage covenant.
Our son and his wife found each other early in life. They desired true intimacy, with all of its difficulties and privileges, including sexual expression. Obedience to God, then, for them meant marriageand trusting that God will be faithful to them in the risks and challenges they may face as a young married couple. As parents, we believe that, in the case of our son and his wife, early marriage was their best, healthiest, and only faithful optionone that stands in stark contrast with the prevalent trends of sexual expression among young people today.
Playing the Field
While there are certainly young adults, Christian and non-Christian, who choose sexual abstinence, many today are sexually active long before marriage looms. A 2015 report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that approximately 41 percent of high school students report having had sexual intercourse. This is actually a downward trend from recent decades; in 2009, nearly 50 percent of all high school students were sexually active and almost 70 percent would be by the time they were 18. While a smaller percentage of teens are sexually active today, the number that are is still significant. One can expect that a sexually active teenager will continue this activity into young adulthood, married or not, while many others who were not sexually active as teenagers will become soagain, married or not. This gives rise to a variety of sexual experiences among young adults, one of which is the casual sexual encounters within hookup culture.
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A hookup is a conflicted concept from the start. Perhaps best defined by author Donna Freitas as unattached intimacy, it doent necessarily assume intercourse, but the interaction between partners is sexual and is, by definition, free and unassociated. In The End of Sex, Freitas clarifies that a hookup requires unattachment and the active suppression of emotion. Partners must drain themselves of feeling.
At best, the concept of unattached intimacy seems an oxymoronand yet, according to both Freitas and Lisa Wade, author of American Hookup: The New Culture of Sex on Campus, this is the social currency on most college campuses today. Further, in her Atlantic article Boys on the Side, Hanna Rosin lauds hookups as empowerment for young adult women, who through them can enjoy sexual adventure ... and temporary relationships that dont get in the way of future success. While I wholeheartedly endorse the future success of women, a hookups potential emotional tollfor both women and menis more than concerning.
But hooking up is not the only option available to young un-marrieds; others pursue sustained, quasi-committed dating relationships that may flounder, eventually lead to marriage, or that may continue in limbo indefinitely.
Not long before our sons wedding, a 20something colleague of my husband asked if it was wise for our son to marry when still a virgin. How could he decide whom to marry before hes had sex with heror anyone else? Before making that commitment, before permanently hitching their wagons to one anothers stars, shouldnt they at least try living together?
Closer to Home
Cohabitation has increased by more than 900 percent in the past 50 years, according to the Council on Contemporary Families. In April 2017, the Pew Research Center reported that 8.9 million adults ages 18 to 34 lived together in 2016, an increase of 29 percent over 2007, when 7.2 million adults in this age range lived together.
Doing so can be seen as both convenient and practical: shared rent and living expenses enable both partners to save money at a time when, as young adults, those expenses loom large. Yet in a 2016 survey from Barna Group, the most common reason given for cohabitingat 84 percentwas its power to foretell partner compatibility.
An accurate prediction here has great appeal. Despite some counterarguments, many people still believeand the American Psychological Association still statesthat 40 to 50 percent of all marriages end in divorcea deeply painful experience, full of complex and hurtful realities that can last a lifetime. Roxanne Stone, editor in chief of Barna Group, explains that many young people today recognize marriage as risk: They want to make sure they get it right and to avoid the heartbreak they witnessed in the lives of their parents or their friends parents.
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So, rather than making a firm commitment, couples simply live together. In May 2016, the Huffington Post sifted new research that claims living together provides as much emotional contentment as marriage. Problems arise, according to Happily Unmarried author John Curtis, when couples fail to discuss their expectations for living together, as partners often have different visions for the relationships future.
But the same article also notes some of the risks. Author Terry Gaspard cites more research from the Rand Corporation, which finds that cohabiting partners report lower levels of complete commitment than those who are married ... especially if they are males. Moreover, she says that cohabiting relationships are associated with lower levels of reported closeness, love, and satisfaction in the intimacy dimension.
Perhaps this is due to that lack of commitment. Is it possible to be fully emotionally intimate with someone who leaves the proverbial door propped open, maintaining their means to leave? As Claire Cain Miller observed in The New York Times in September, American couples who live together but dont marry are generally less likely to stay committed.
Abiding Ties
Christs words in Matthew 19:56 are striking. He quotes that famous sentence about marriage from Genesis 2 and goes on to amplify it: For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh. So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore, what God has joined together, let no one separate.
I believe that Jesus is not merely commenting here on marriage but on the emotional bond that comes with sexual intimacy. Separating two after they have become one is nothing short of a rending, with pain and loss that extend far beyond the tangible. Promoting sexual satisfaction absent commitment or encouraging personal and practical achievement above emotional well-being means that many experience that rending repeatedly and with multiple partners throughout their young-adult and adult lives.
By contrast, early marriage (should one find the right partner) can provide the emotional nexus foundational to a healthy adulthood. My husband and I know this from experience. He was 23 and I was 20 when we married; I still had another year of college ahead of me. We traveled, went to graduate school, lived on little money, learned how to fight and resolve arguments. And when financial disaster hit in our 30s and early 40s, we already had a decade of life and experience together.
We could have asked our children to wait in the interest of gaining life experience and hoped-for security. But none of us can safeguard our lives from disaster. And our greatest safety will come in obedience to our loving heavenly Father, whose law takes into compass every aspect of our selves, from our sex drive to our bank accounts to our emotional health.
We blessed and encouraged our son and daughter-in-laws young marriage because we believed it was best for them. Sociologist Bradford Wilcox said it well here in Christianity Today: We are more likely to flourish when we live lives marked by generosity and by deep and abiding ties to other people. And of course these two things are more likely to happen in the married context as compared to other contexts.
In July 2017, we watched our children form an abiding tie between themselves and God. We know the road ahead of them will be good. We also know it will be difficult. And we couldnt be happier for them.
Rebecca Brewster Stevenson writes in Durham, North Carolina, where she lives with her husband and children. She is author of the novel Healing Maddie Brees.
Pope Francis has called for a day of prayer and fasting for South Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo on 23 February in response to the ongoing social-political tension and violence in the two nations.
According to World Council of Churches (WCC), which welcomed pope's call, 4.3 million people are displaced the DRC and 13.1 million people will be in need of humanitarian aid this year.
In South Sudan, 2 million people have fled the young nation as refugees during the last four years of war, and about 1.9 million people are internally displaced. Of the remaining population of the country, 7 million people need humanitarian assistance.
Following pope's call for a day of prayer and fasting, WCC has urged the churches to observe the day.
In a letter, WCC general secretary Rev. Dr Olav Fykse Tveit said that children, young men, and women have been among the most affected.
"Millions of women and girls are exposed to gender-based violence in these crisis-affected areas," he wrote.
"We acknowledge the courageous and hopeful work that carries on each day to serve the people in need," he added.
Christians, together with those belonging to other faiths, may join this initiative in the forms they deem to be appropriate, said Cardinal Kurt Koch, president of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity, in a letter to Tveit.
"The prayer of all Christians on that day for the gift of peace would be an authentic sign of solidarity and closeness to those suffering in these nations and above all to the many Christians from different churches who live there, and moreover would be a tangible step in the shared witness to the Gospel of peace, of which the world is in such need," he added.
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CLEVELAND, Ohio - The goal of a newly formed Great Lakes Hyperloop consortium is to get a Cleveland-Chicago route up and running in three to five years.
"In three to five years, we might have a Hyperloop here; that's the goal," said Andrea La Mendola, chief global operating officer for Hyperloop Transportation Technologies, also known by its initials, HTT.
La Mendola set a timeframe for the Hyperloop project as one of a dozen speakers Monday during a press event at the Great Lakes Science Center organized by HTT and the Northeast Ohio Areawide Coordinating Agency.
HTT and NOACA used the occasion to formally launch a $1.2 million public private partnership exploring the feasibility of a Cleveland-Chicago route.
First envisioned by inventor and business magnate Elon Musk, Hyperloop is a technology that could speed passengers or cargo at nearly the speed of sound in specially designed capsules or "pods" through a steel tube maintained at a partial vacuum.
The capsules would employ passive magnetic levitation technology licensed from Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in Livermore, California, HTT CEO Dirk Ahlborn said in an interview during Monday's event.
A promotional video produced for Monday's event said that a Cleveland-to-Chicago run would take 28 minutes and could carry 54,720 passengers a day. Such a line could make 525,600 trips a year.
Foundation grant
NOACA's Executive Director, Grace Gallucci, announced that the Cleveland Foundation had contributed $200,000 toward the $600,000 the transportation planning agency has pledged to contribute toward the feasibility study.
At Monday's event, HTT and NOACA announced the names of 18 businesses and nonprofit or academic organizations that have joined their partnership to explore a potential Great Lakes Hyperloop link between Cleveland and Chicago.
The list includes: Meggitt Aircraft Braking Systems, Corp., Ohio State University, ZIN Technologies, Ohio Aerospace Institute, Jobs Ohio, America Makes, Oak Ridge National Labs, Ohio Aerospace and Aviation Council, Ohio Aerospace and Aviation Technology Committee, Wright State Research Institute, The Gateway Group, Additive Engineering Solutions, Eureka Ranch, The University of Akron, The University of Akron Research Foundation, University of Cincinnati SpaceX Hyperloop Competition Team, The Greater Akron Chamber, and the City of Akron.
Possible network
HTT and NOACA also unveiled a map of a proposed Hyperloop network that would link nearly two dozen American and Canadian cities including Toronto and Windsor.
The green-colored "Phase 1" illustrated on the map showed a Cleveland-Chicago route with stops in Sandusky and Toledo.
HTT officials said they expect the feasibility analysis to be completed in six to nine months after an engineering team is chosen through a request-for-proposals process to undertake the study.
Speakers at the gathering included U.S. Reps. Marcy Kaptur of Toledo and Tim Ryan of Youngstown, along with Gallucci, Ahlborn and others. Cleveland Mayor Frank Jackson welcomed the audience of about 75 attendees.
The HTT Hyperloop project is not to be confused with a different route being explored by Virgin Hyperloop One, based in Los Angeles.
Monday's event was the latest in a series of tit-for-tat announcements in which HTT, based in Playa Vista California, is vying for attention along with the Hyperloop One proposal, which calls for a Columbus-Chicago route that would exclude Cleveland.
Columbus proposal
Last week, the Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission (MORPC) said it was launching a $2.5 million Rapid-Speed Transportation Initiative to explore routes that could use either traditional passenger rail and/or Hyperloop technology to link Chicago, Columbus, and Pittsburgh.
The MORPC announcement said it would conduct a feasibility study of Hyperloop technology for the corridor, followed by an environmental study.
The map of the network unveiled in Cleveland showed a Columbus-Chicago route that would swing through Cincinnati and Indianapolis, and not go directly to from Columbus to Chicago. The Hyperloop One proposal would skip Indy and Cincinnati.
"I don't think it's a competition," HTT's Ahlborn said in an interview when asked about the Hyperloop One Columbus-Chicago project.
Creating a movement
"When we started out we realized that we had to create this movement. They [Hyperloop One] are part of the movement," Ahlborn said. "It's important to move the technology forward. Ideally everybody would work together. That's not always possible, but that would be the ideal case."
When asked whether Hyperloop One would be using the same technology as HTT, Ahlborn said he didn't know.
"I don't know their technology," he said. "Unfortunately, we've seen very little. From what we can see there's not too much information out there."
Asked whether one company would have an advantage over the other if it got a Hyperloop connection finished first, Ahlborn said: "I think the world is big enough to have many different companies."
Hyperloop One did not respond to an email seeking comment on Monday's event in Cleveland.
Keeping Cleveland in the game
Gallucci said she believes Hyperloop will become a reality, and she wants Northeast Ohio to participate not just through supply chain industries and jobs, but with an actual route.
And she said she believes a Cleveland Chicago route that would parallel interstate highways on public rights-of-way makes sense as part of what could become a national network.
"There was no doubt in my mind that the connection should be through Chicago and Cleveland," she said, "because when you look at [Interstates] 80 and 90 from the West Coast to the East Coast, they both intersect at those two points."
BROOK PARK, Ohio -- Reduced operating hours for the United States Postal Service's Cleveland Airport Mail Center has become the catalyst for Brook Park Mayor Mike Gammella to push for a post office for his city.
Gammella opposed recently announced limited airport post office hours through a City Council resolution discussed at the Feb. 20 caucus. The legislation passed unanimously at the regular council meeting that followed. It urges the USPS to reinstate its prior operating hours.
The airport facility, located at 5801 Postal Road, is now open to the public from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. It had been open until 11 p.m. before the Feb. 17 change. Previous weekend operations have been reduced to just 9 a.m. to noon on Saturdays.
Brook Park has more than 18,000 residents.
"A lot of our businesses and residents really don't care for that (change)," Gammella said. "They use it from the period of 4 to 11 p.m. We need to keep it open when it is convenient for our residents."
He went on to say his "end game is to bring a post office back to Brook Park."
"We need one, and we deserve one, and our residents do, as well," Gammella said.
Councilman Jim Mencini said he spoke recently to a postal service employee who said there needs to be increased resident "foot traffic ... to keep it a productive facility."
That basically reflected what USPS corporate communications spokesman David Van Allen told cleveland.com on Feb. 23.
"Retail hours at post offices are periodically reviewed and adjusted based on customer usage," Van Allen explained. "We generally consider establishment of an independent or new post office when present postal facilities fail to meet the needs of the community. Post offices are not really established for the primary purpose of providing community identity."
He added that the City Council resolution "will be responded to" by USPS officials.
CLEVELAND, Ohio - Kevin Smith, the director behind films like "Clerks," "Chasing Amy" and "Dogma," nearly lost his life last night.
Smith took to Twitter early Monday morning to post a picture of himself in the hospital connected to tubes after suffering a "massive heart attack."
After the first show this evening, I had a massive heart attack. The Doctor who saved my life told me I had 100% blockage of my LAD artery (aka the Widow-Maker). If I hadnt canceled show 2 to go to the hospital, I wouldve died tonight. But for now, Im still above ground! pic.twitter.com/M5gSnW9E5h KevinSmith (@ThatKevinSmith) February 26, 2018
Smith, 47, was scheduled to perform two shows in California Sunday as part of his latest comedy tour, which is set to stop in Cleveland in April.
CLEVELAND, Ohio - Are you Team "Three Billboards" or Team "The Shape Of Water"? Team Frances McDormand or Team Sally Hawkins? You've made your predictions, and now it's time to see which of your cinematic favorites take home the ultimate prize.
No matter where your loyalties lie - or how much money you've placed your bets on - it all comes down to one night. The Academy Awards return 8 p.m., Sunday, March 4, on ABC with host Jimmy Kimmel.
So, the big question is where are you going to watch it all unfold? We've rounded up five watch parties around town where you can follow all the action.
Edwins, 13101 Shaker Sq., Cleveland
7 p.m.-Midnight
At Edwins in Shaker Square, the French restaurant is celebrating a victory of its own. This year, "Knife Skills," a film about the Edwins culinary training program that employs people who were formerly incarcerated, is nominated in the documentary shorts category. They'll be partying in style at their home base as guests are served hors d'oeuvres and enjoy an open bar. If you're feeling lucky, try your hand at the Oscar ballot competition.
Greater Cleveland Urban Film Festival at re:bar, 2130 E. 9th St., Cleveland
6:30-10 p.m.
Staff, volunteers and fans of the Greater Cleveland Urban Film Festival, which returns Sept. 20-28, will gather for this watch party at re:bar, where the red carpet show kicks off at 6:30 p.m. Light refreshments will be served as the DJ, Mark Mathews of The WhatKnot Bowtie Co. and the monthly Sanctuary dance night, spins tunes.
Jukebox, 1404 W. 29th St., Cleveland
7-10 p.m.
The cozy Hingetown bar, Jukebox, is typically all about the music. It even has an old-school jukebox filled with local music and touring acts that are traveling through Cleveland. But this Sunday is a cinema take-over. They'll have a red carpet happy house from 7-9 p.m. and serve up $6 Prosecco all night. Place your bets on the winners for a chance to win prizes after the show. Jukebox is at 1404 W. 29th St, Cleveland.
The Side Quest, 17900 Detroit Road, Lakewood
6:30 p.m.-Midnight
Are you the type that feels like they should be in bed fast asleep before the Oscars come to a close? You're in luck. Turn in your red carpet looks for PJs at Lakewood geek bar, The Side Quest. They'll serve specialty themed cocktails as you watch the event on the big screen, and the kitchen will be open 4-11 p.m.
McCarthy's Downtown, 1231 Main Ave., Cleveland
6 p.m.
Cleveland-based actor and Screen Actors Guild member Christopher Butler will host this bash at McCarthy's. It will be co-hosted by Shuyler White of Ohio Burn Unit, the 13-time Guinness Book of World Records breaker for fire-related feats who recently starred in the Netflix original movie, "Little Evil." Ohio Burn Unit will also have apprentice try-outs. To celebrate the occasion, McCarthy's will have champagne specials throughout the night. They'll also have an Oscar ballot contest with prizes.
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Who is interested in mobile jammers?There are a lot of people interested in potential mobile jammers. Aren't welcome no matter where in the use of mobile phones, will be in the absence of a ban on rapidly build such jammer: school, church, cinemas and theatres, but there are some companies and employers want back cell phone jammers. Companies may prevent customers from making online price comparisons in their stores.
Cell phone jammer is a crime service.
Mobile phone jammers related to crime are also popular. The jammer not only interrupts the connection to the mobile network, thereby preventing the interruption of emergency calls, but also interferes with the wireless connection and the wireless alarm system. Criminals can take advantage of this, for example, by making it easier to attack cash carriers or buildings that are protected by alerts.
Great. Do you want something like that? It's not easy. Cell phone jammers are banned in the country's private and many other countries, as well as in other countries across the European Union. Part of the reason is that cell phone jammers not only prevent private radio communications, but also prevent the radios of police, fire brigades and other important institutions. In addition, emergency calls cannot be sent again.
It is widely reported that in December 2016, cell phone jammers thwarted attempts to assassinate Pakistani President pervez musharraf. When President bush visited London in November 2004, it was reported that British police had seen the protection of the President of London with the help of a purr. In the hostage situation, the police can control when and where the prisoner dialed.
The company uses purrs to block voice transmission and take photos from the camera phone to stop corporate espionage. At one end of the spectrum of legitimacy, rumour has it that hotel chains are installing jamming devices to stop the use of mobile phones and force them to work at high prices on their cell phones. Such an excellent mobile jammer application.
If you want to buy a GPS jammer, you may be aware of its function, which is to interfere with GPS signals that might interfere with GPS tracking. We'll explain it in detail here.The uav needs GPS to provide accurate positioning for it, so it is very simple to target the uav, and the use of the drone jammer can cause it to lose its direction.
Before I explain my convenience, it's best to explain how GPS works. GPS represents the system used by GPS, individuals, commercial entities and armies, especially for navigation purposes.
GPS global positioning system uses a series of earth-orbiting satellites that emit radio signals. The signal reaches the GPS receiver to determine the location by triangulation. GPS can be found in personal handheld devices and mobile phones, vehicle navigation and positioning systems, and small GPS tracking devices.
By triangulation, three separate points can be found to calculate the position. In the vehicle's navigation system, the position of the vehicle is measured by three satellites. By triangulation, GPS can transmit the position to the receiver with only a few inches of precision.
A GPS signal is a radio signal with a certain frequency. GPS actually has two main frequencies, one for public, non-military (1575.42 MHz), and the other for the U.S. military (1227.6mhz). Since GPS is only a faint radio wave, these waves can be interfered or distorted by using a GPS jammer.
Car GPS jammer were originally created by governments, military organizations and spy agencies. Its application involves the confusion of where the enemy is located or where the enemy's GPS missile or bomb falls.
Now, civilians have been looking for these devices to protect their privacy in the growing GPS tracking world. There are several civilian ways to prevent the major privacy related GPS signals, including the ability to hide themselves or vehicles under the GPS receiver. A convenient application is the sales staff or drivers, they may want to eat lunch at outside their territory, or go home to get a project, without much explanation for vehicle GPS tracking. Most civil GPS jammers are enough to cover even the largest vehicles that can protect users' privacy.
https://www.jammer-buy.com/GPS-for-defense-vehicles.html
https://www.jammer-buy.com/will-wifi-be-replaced.html
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Market Outline: Latin America Capnography Devices Market
Capnography is the process of monitoring partial pressure or concentration of carbon dioxide in respiratory gases by using capnogram. It is majorly used as a monitoring tool during intensive care and anesthesia. Capnography helps to anesthesiologists to prevent the hypoxia and help to determine the situations that can lead to hypoxia and may cause irreversible brain damage. Due to these advantages, capnography is widely used in endoscopic suites, emergency rooms, x-ray rooms, and on-site emergency and trauma centers. In healthy individuals, difference between the arterial blood and expired CO 2 partial pressure is very small however, in presence of lung disease, and some congenital heart disease the difference is increased and can exceed 1 kPa.
Market Dynamics: Latin America Capnography Devices Market
Increase in the prevalence of respiratory diseases such as COPD in Latin American Countries such as Uruguay, Brazil, Argentina, and Venezuela, technological advancements in the capnography devices, advances in economic growth, and expansion of businesses by the market players are anticipated to fuel the capnography devices market. Moreover, wide range of applications of capnography devices such as hypoventilation, esophageal intubation, and endotracheal tube placement along with its minimally invasive nature, ease of usage are expected to propel the capnography devices market over forecast period. However, alternative devices availability for capnography such as pulse oximeter, new clinical studies restraining the usage in non-intubated individuals, and issues associated with capnography usage are anticipated to impede the growth of capnography devices market.
A sample of this report is available upon request @
https://www.precisionbusinessinsights.com/market-reports/latin-america-capnography-devices-market/#ulp-4H8Z4LpNMLEuOnnx
Market Scope: Latin America Capnography Devices Market
Capnography devices market is segmented on the basis of product type, technology, application, and end user
Based on product type, the market is segmented into the following:
Capnographs
o Micro-Stream Capnographs
o Side-Stream Capnographs
o Main Stream Capnographs
Disposables
Based on technology, the market is segmented into the following:
Hand-Held Monitors
Stand-Alone Monitors
Others
Based on application, the market is segmented into the following:
Anesthesia
Procedural Sedation
Intensive Care
Pain Management
Emergency Medicine
Others
Based on end user, the market is segmented into the following:
Hospitals
Clinics
Ambulatory Surgical Centers
To view TOC of this report is available upon request @
https://www.precisionbusinessinsights.com/market-reports/latin-america-capnography-devices-market/#ulp-c654SbFYO64MsOhu
Country Analysis: Latin America Capnography Devices Market
Geographically, Latin America capnography devices market is segmented into Brazil, Argentina, Venezuela, Mexico, and Rest of Latin America. Brazil capnography devices market expected to witness significant growth due to increase in the prevalence of COPD and other respiratory disorders (approximately 4,241 COPD cases observed per 100,000 people in Brazil), increase in number of plastic surgeries, and rise in medical tourism in the region. Uruguay capnography devices market is projected to grow at a significant rate attributed to recommendations by The Uruguayan Society of Anesthesiologists and American Society of Anesthesiologists for capnography devices usage during anesthetics & sedation, and high prevalence of COPD disease in Uruguay (approximately 5,031 COPD cases observed per 100,000 people) are expected to bolster the market over the forecast period.
Competition Assessment: Latin America Capnography Devices Market
Some of the players in the Latin America capnography devices market include:
Covidien plc (Medtronic, plc. (Ireland))
Masimo Corporation (U.S.)
Nihon Kohden Corporation (Japan)
Smiths Medical, Inc. (U.S.)
Nonin Medical, Inc. (U.S.)
Welch Allyn Inc. (U.S.)
Dragerwerk AG & Co. KGaA (Germany)
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Key Features of the Report:
The report provides granular level information about the market size, regional market share, and forecast from 2017-2023
The report covers in-detail insights about the competitors overview, key findings, and their key strategies
The report outlines drivers, restraints, challenges, and trends that are currently faced by the industry
The report tracks recent innovations, key developments and start-ups details that are working in the industry
The report provides plethora of information about market entry strategies, regulatory framework and reimbursement scenario
Get access to full summary @
https://www.precisionbusinessinsights.com/market-reports/latin-america-capnography-devices-market/
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Middle East and Africa Capnography Devices Market: Market Estimation, Dynamics, Country Share, Trends, Competitor Analysis 2012 to 2016 and Forecast 2017 to 2023
Middle East and Africa Capnography Devices Market: By Product Type (Capnographs, disposables), By Technology (Hand-Held Monitors, Stand-Alone Monitors, Others), By Application (Anesthesia, Procedural Sedation, Intensive Care, Pain Management, Emergency Medicine, Others), By End-User (Hospitals, Clinics, and Ambulatory Surgical Centres), and Geography Market Estimation, Dynamics, Regional Share, Trends, Competitor Analysis 2012-2016 and Forecast 2017-2023
Market Outline: Middle East and Africa Capnography Devices Market
Capnography is the process of monitoring partial pressure or concentration of carbon dioxide in respiratory gases by using capnogram. It is majorly used as a monitoring tool during intensive care and anesthesia. Capnography helps to anesthesiologists to prevent the hypoxia and help to determine the situations that can lead to hypoxia and may cause irreversible brain damage. Due to these advantages, capnography is widely used in endoscopic suites, emergency rooms, x-ray rooms, and on-site emergency and trauma centers. In healthy individuals, difference between the arterial blood and expired CO 2 partial pressure is very small however, in presence of lung disease, and some congenital heart disease the difference is increased and can exceed 1 kPa.
A sample of this report is available upon request @
https://www.precisionbusinessinsights.com/market-reports/middle-east-and-africa-capnography-devices-market/#ulp-4H8Z4LpNMLEuOnnx
Market Dynamics: Middle East and Africa Capnography Devices Market
Increase in the prevalence of respiratory diseases such as COPD and asthma in Middle East and Africa region majorly in Israel, South Africa, and GCC countries and adoption of newer technologies are anticipated to fuel the capnography devices market. Moreover, wide range of applications of capnography such as hypoventilation, esophageal intubation, and endotracheal tube placement, growing geriatric population coupled with minimally invasive nature and ease of usage are expected to propel the capnography devices market over forecast period. However, alternative devices availability for capnography such as pulse oximeter, new clinical studies restraining the usage in non-intubated individuals, and issues associated with capnography usage are expected to impede the growth of capnography devices market.
Market Scope: Middle East and Africa Capnography Devices Market
Capnography devices market is segmented on the basis of product type, technology, application, and end user
Based on product type, the market is segmented into the following:
Capnographs
Micro-Stream Capnographs
Side-Stream Capnographs
Main Stream Capnographs
Disposables
Based on technology, the market is segmented into the following:
Hand-Held Monitors
Stand-Alone Monitors
Others
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Based on application, the market is segmented into the following:
Anesthesia
Procedural Sedation
Intensive Care
Pain Management
Emergency Medicine
Others
Based on end user, the market is segmented into the following:
Hospitals
Clinics
Ambulatory Surgical Centers
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Country Analysis: Middle East and Africa Capnography Devices Market
Geographically, Middle East and Africa capnography devices market is segmented into South Africa, Israel, Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries, and Rest of Middle East and Africa. Israel capnography devices market is rising due to increase in the prevalence of COPD (approximately 3,195 COPD cases observed per 100,000 people), expansion of business by the market players, and rise in awareness about usage of capnography devices among healthcare professionals are expected to propel the market. Moreover, launching of newer products into Middle East region also anticipated to upsurge the revenue of capnography devices market. For instance, in January 2015, Viamed launched new capnograph monitor technology VersaStream to Middle East regions at Arab Health 2015.
Competition Assessment: Middle East and Africa Capnography Devices Market
Some of the players in the Middle East and Africa capnography devices market include:
Medtronic, plc. (Ireland)
Masimo Corporation (U.S.)
Nihon Kohden Corporation (Japan)
Smiths Medical, Inc. (U.S.)
Welch Allyn Inc. (U.S.)
Koninklijke Philips N.V. (Netherlands)
Dragerwerk AG & Co. KGaA (Germany)
Viamed Limited (England)
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As J-beauty and K-beauty square off in beauty aisles around the world, a recent Mintel blog post took a closer look at what exactly is driving beauty products from Japan to rival those of its South Korean neighbor.
The answer? An emphasis on hydration.
The blog post stated that...
In Japan, essences and harsh toners are replaced with lotions that focus on hydration, an example Mintel gave was Hada Labo Gokujyun Lotion;
When it comes to UV protection, products such as Kao Biore Sarasara UV Aqua Rich Watery Essence SPF 50+/PA++++, not only protect against UV rays but also leave skin moist while hyaluronic acid to boosts hydration; and
Acne is often battled with gentle, natural ingredients such as vitamin C, tea extracts and essential oils.
For the full blog post, please visit: www.mintel.com
The International Cooperation on Cosmetics Regulation (ICCR) and the International Associations Collaboration (IAC) initiated a preservative defense project to address the continued reductions in the number of preservatives and preservative systems used in cosmetics.1 For instance, numerous manufacturers have used methylisothiazolinone (MIT) at its upper limit, which likely caused rapid increases in the number of contact allergies, prompting the European Union to prohibit its use in leave-on products.24 Experts within the Japanese Cosmetic Industry Association (JCIA) have also been discussing the challenges of cosmetic preservation.
As such, it is vital to design formulations with maximum microbe protection using minimum preservative quantities. By actively pursuing minimum preservative use, the industry will defend todays available preservative solutions against more stringent restrictions and worsening reputations. This strategy is thus referred to as an offensive defense. In relation, it is important for manufacturers to understand strategies to establish appropriate preservative systems, as well as their aggressive use, and to be knowledgeable about the overarching preservative defense project.
The general properties of preservatives and their uses have been reported.5, 6 However, this paper aims to describe the basic theory and essence of preservative systems, as well as methods for determining appropriate preservative levels in formulations as a primer for the larger offensive defense strategy.
Microbial Control in Cosmetics
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Since the middle of the 20th century, cosmetics have been known to be susceptible to contamination by organisms such as Gram-negative bacteria. At that time, eye-area products contaminated by Pseudomonas aeruginosa caused eyesight loss,710 which highlighted the necessity to initiate urgent action, and various efforts were subsequently undertaken.
As one major response, the International Organization for Standardization/Technical Committees 217 (ISO/TC217) was initiated in 1997, and discussions on microbial issues began in 2001 with working group 1 (WG1) in a review titled, Microbiological Standards and Limits. Eleven total ISO documents have since been published, and experts from various countries have continued the discussion for more than 10 years. Furthermore, since test methods, microbiological limit standards, preservative efficacy standards and risk evaluations have been completed, test methods and standards for microbial control have been established.11
The Need for Preservatives and Oversight
Cosmetics are repeatedly used over long periods and therefore differ from food, which is typically consumed before it decays. For this reason, preservatives are added to cosmetics to prevent microbial growth and ensure product quality and consumer safety; except for cosmetics that are inherently microbiocidal or microbiostatic.
However, since preservatives kill microorganisms or prevent their growth, they can also affect the human skin. As such, many countries regulate preservative types and limit their quantities to avoid safety issues caused by their excessive use. For instance, Europe has Cosmetics Regulation 1223/2009 Annex V,12 the United States has a positive Cosmetic Ingredient Review (CIR) list13 and Japan has a positive list for preservatives in Standards for Cosmetics (see Table 1).14
Effective Preservation
As stated, countries regulate preservative types and upper limits. However, these regulations do not necessarily ensure their safe use. The rapid increase in cases associated with MIT sensitization provides an example.3
EU cosmetic regulations had permitted MIT at 0.01% in leave-on and rinse-off products, and 100-ppm MIT formulations were easy and affordable in many countries. Increasing numbers of manufacturers used it at this upper limit, which is probably what caused the increase in contact allergies. Subsequently, the EU was prompted to prohibit the use of MIT in leave-on products and limit its use in rinse-off products to 0.0015%.
As Figure 1 illustrates, no ideal, safe and effective preservative suitable for cosmetics or effective against all microorganisms has yet been developed. Therefore, to control microorganisms that deteriorate the quality of cosmetics, it is important to understand preservative characteristics in given formulations, and to give an indication of appropriate types and formulation volumes, rather than establishing upper limits for one preservative.
In addition, recently, preservative alternatives such as caprylyl glycol, ethylhexylglycerin and hexylene glycol have demonstrated efficacy at low concentrations and are being used more frequently. Preservative boosters such as alcohol and dihydric glycol are also used with preservatives. As such, safer preservative systems can be developed since combining these materials reduces the amount of actual preservatives required.
Since preservatives kill microorganisms or prevent their growth, they can also affect human skin. As such, many have usage limits.
Preservation in Practice
Not all cosmetic products require preservatives with similar efficacies, and the choice will depend on factors such as product category, use, container, volume and sales region. In addition, the effect of preservatives or antimicrobial compounds can vary in different formulations; e.g., some raw materials such as ester oils can reduce their effectiveness. As described, the safety of preservative systems should also be critically considered.
In addition, note that since preservative systems differ among companies, it is difficult to draw general conclusions. However, knowledge of the basic properties of preservatives and antimicrobial compounds, and their usage requirements, must be shared among cosmetic chemists. Reference information on frequently used cosmetic preservatives is thus provided here.
Preservatives
Parabens
Attributes include:
Effective at pH 3-8; hydrolyzed at pH 8;
Longer chain parabens are more effective: methyl < ethyl < propyl < butyl. However, they have lower water solubility;
It is necessary to consider their precipitation;
Short-chain parabens may be more effective in combination than when used individually; and
There are restrictions on branched, aromatic and long-chain parabens due to potential endocrine disruption concerns.
Phenoxyethanol
Attributes include:
Useful in various products due to its water solubility;
Effective at wide pH ranges;
Less effective than parabens, especially for mold;
Volatile material, exercise caution; and
Carries some odor.
Acid-based Preservatives
Attributes include:
Effective under acidic conditions but weakened at neutral pH ranges since the undissociated form is active (see Figure 2 ); and
); and Effective pH range differs according to product type.
Benzoic Acid and its Sodium Salt
Attributes include:
Effective under acidic conditions and loses effectiveness at neutral pH;
Effects are reduced by complex formation with cationic components;
Often used for relatively acidic shampoos.
Dehydroacetic Acid and its Sodium Salt
Attributes include:
Effective under acidic conditions and at neutral pH;
Often used for mascara and eyeliners due to low adsorption to film-forming materials and brushes;
Effects are reduced by complex formation with cationic components; and
May cause discoloration due to reaction with metal salts.
Salicylic Acid and its Sodium Salt
Attributes include:
Effective under acid conditions and less effective than benzoic acid at neutral pH;
Effects are reduced by complex formation with cationic components;
Used as a stratum corneum softener and for acne control; and
Legally permitted upper limits of acids and salts differ in some countries.
Quaternary Ammonium Salts
Attributes include:
Effective at wide pH ranges;
Strong effects at low concentrations; benzalkonium chloride is effective at < 100 ppm;
Effects are reduced when combined with anions due to cationic properties; and
Must be combined with other preservatives since some microorganisms can adapt to it and develop resistance.
Chlorphenesin
Attributes include:
Used for water-based products, powders and solid productse.g., makeup powders and eye shadowsdue to broad-spectrum antibacterial activity, similar to paraben; and
Adsorption to nylon and other fabrics is less than paraben.
MIT/Methylchloroisothiazolinone Mixture
Attributes include:
Highly effective at low concentrations (on the order of just a few ppm);
Mainly utilized for in-bath formulations having the potential for water immersion during use;
Unstable in alkaline pH and degrades at high temperatures; and
Avoid its isolated use in formulations as microorganisms easily adapt to and resist it.
Alcohol Compounds
Ethanol, Isopropyl Alcohol
Attributes include:
Considered low risk (ISO 29621) 16 at 20%;
at 20%; Surfactants increase its effects;
Bacterial resistance does not readily develop; and
Volatile in nature; exercise caution with temperature and packaging.
Benzyl Alcohol
Attributes include:
High versatility with aqueous products due to its relatively high water solubility;
Effective against various microorganisms at a wide pH range;
Peculiar smell can be unpleasant; and
Categorized as a preservative in the EU.
Diol Compounds
1,2-Pentanediol, 1,2-Hexanediol, Caprylyl Glycol(1,2-Octanediol)
Attributes include:
Act as moisturizers with antimicrobial effects;
Often used for paraben-free and preservative-free product claims since legally, they are not preservatives;
Longer chain diols have stronger effects than shorter chains; e.g., caprylyl glycol is effective at < 1% and 1,2-pentanediol is generally used at 15%; and
Esther oils reduce the effects of caprylyl glycol due to its low aqueous solubility.
1,3-Butylene Glycol, 1,3-Propanediol, Dipropylene Glycol
Attributes include:
Combinations of preservatives with high percentages of these glycols have synergistic effects and can reduce the amount of preservatives required (see Figure 3 ); 15 and
); and Can prevent the development of resistant bacteria.
Added Defenses
Ethylhexylglycerin
Attributes include:
Invented as an antimicrobial agent that prevents osmidrosis; and
Effective at < 1% depending on the formulation; e.g., ester oils reduce its effectiveness.
Chelating Agents
For example, ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA); attributes include:
When used individually, effective against Gram-negative bacteria, as they chelate metal ions from microbe membranes;
May inhibit microbial resistance, adaptation or both to preservatives when combined with preservatives and/or other antimicrobial compounds; and
Effective concentration range depends on the formulation.
Factors Affecting Preservative Efficacy
While some products have properties that enable their use without the addition of antimicrobial compounds, as described in ISO 29621,16 many do not. Therefore, to ensure the success of the offensive defense strategy, it is important to consider several additional factors and interactions that can impact preservation in given formulations.
pH: The approximately optimal pH levels for microbe growth are as follows: for bacteria, pH 68; for mold, pH 46; and for yeast, pH 57. Preservative requirements will be lower in pH ranges other than these, which are not optimal for microbe growth. To ensure low risk for pH effects, ISO 29621 would be helpful (see 5-4).16
Water activity (Aw): Water activity refers to the amount of water used by microorganisms, not the water content. If the Aw is low, < 0.75, the risk of microbial growth is low (see ISO 29621).16 However, a low Aw does not actively kill microorganisms. Therefore, preventing microbial contamination during manufacturing and optimizing preservative formulation designs are important. Note that it is also necessary to prevent increased Aw for water-absorbent products.
Extracts: Some extracts have added antimicrobial effects. However, other extract components (e.g., amino acids, disaccharides and minerals) may increase microbial tolerance. In the latter case, it is necessary to establish stronger preservation efficacy by combining preservatives, preservative alternatives, preservative boosters or any combination of these.
Fragrances: Consider that many fragrances also have antimicrobial effects.
Powdered materials: Some powders, such as zinc oxide and flowers of zinc, also have antimicrobial effects. In contrast, some powdered materials, such as nylon, tend to adsorb preservatives and inhibit their effectiveness. When the latter materials are used, preservatives that are not adsorbed should be used, or preservative system levels should be increased to compensate for the expected adsorption.
Oil/water distribution: Also be sure to consider oil/water distribution, to ensure effective preservative use. For example, long-chain parabens are difficult to dissolve in a water phase and lose their efficacy when considerable amounts of ester oils, UV absorbers or both are used.
Package, Applicator and Use Considerations
Also crucial to the offensive defense strategy is choosing packaging that can prevent and reduce contamination. Dispensers, pumps and one-way discharge tubes can prevent contamination during use. In addition, single use packaging is effective for preventing contamination. When using such applicators and packaging, it is possible to reduce the need for preservatives.
In contrast, preservative efficacy is reduced by paraben adsorption on nylon brushes and nitrile rubber. Preservative deactivation or decomposition also may occur due to UV exposure, depending on the transparency of the container material. Thus, the packaging and applicator should be composed of material that does not bind, deactivate or decompose preservatives.
For an offensive defense strategy, the cooperation of formulators and microbiologists is essential.
Refillable products also pose a higher risk of microbial contamination than those intended for one-time use. If products are to be refilled, it is important to provide consumers with clear instructions; for example, washed containers should be dried well.
Finally, the mode of use is an important variable. For instance, products used in-bath are easily contaminated by water, which may reduce preservative efficacy. This risk must be considered.
Furthermore, the use environment can impact preservative efficacy. Caution must be exercised, for example, with sheet and tube products due to the volatility of preservative components such as alcohol and phenoxyethanol in hot and humid environmental conditions. Once again, close attention should be paid to potential microbial growth caused by moisture uptake by low-Aw products.
Summary
Preservative systems depend on the formulation design; therefore, the efficacies of individual formulations differ. The various points described here must be considered, or the formulation efficacy will not meet expectations. Failure to apply this knowledge will cause the excessive use of preservatives, leading to the utilization of maximum quantities; which as described, is an undesired scenario.
It is critical for researchers to acquire this fundamental knowledge and these technical skills. Applying this knowledge will enhance the efficacy of the accumulated data and the proficiency of each manufacturer, and thereby ensure safe and effective formulas. Therefore, the cooperation of formulators and microbiologists is essential. This will elevate the level of preservative system design and maintain the diversity of the preservative palette.
This activity by researchers may appear defensive in nature, but it will work offensively and proactively toward a more successful future. How? This offensive defense strategy will help to maintain the preservative and preservative booster palette.
References
https://ec.europa.eu/docsroom/documents/17203/attachments/1/translations/en/renditions/native (Accessed Feb 2, 2018) R Urwin, K Warburton, M Carder, S Turner, R Agius and SM Wilkinson, Methylchloroisothiazolinone and methylisothiazolinone contact allergy: An occupational perspective, Contact Dermatitis 72(6) 381-386 (2015) doi: 10.1111/cod.12379 MD Lundov, C Zachariae and JD Johansen, Methylisothiazolinone contact allergy and dose-response relationships, Contact Dermatitis 64(6) 330-336 (2011) doi: 10.1111/j.1600-0536.2011.01901.x http://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=uriserv:OJ.L_.2016.198.01.0010.01.ENG&toc=OJ:L:2016:198:TOC (Accessed Aug 1, 2017) ES Abrutyn, Optimizing formula preservation, Cosm & Toil 125(3) 22-28 (2010) SP Denyer and RM Baird, Antimicrobial preservatives and their properties, Guide to Microbiological Control in Pharmaceuticals and Medical Devices, second edition, CRC Press, Boca Raton, FL USA 324-344 (2006) C Ishizeki and H Kurata, Problem on the microbiological control for cosmetics, Frag J 41 12-18 (1980) WH Spencer, Pseudomonas aeruginosa infections of the eye, Calif Med 79(6) 438-443 (1953) FR Reid and TO Wood, Pseudomonas corneal ulcer. The causative role of contaminated eye cosmetics, Arch Ophthalmol 97(9) 1640-1641 (1979) doi:10.1001/archopht.1979.01020020208002 LA Wilson, JW Kuehne, SW Hall and DG Ahearn, Microbial contamination in ocular cosmetics, Am J Ophthalmol 71(6) 1298-1302 (1971) https://www.iso.org/standards.html (Accessed Jul 1, 2017) https://data.europa.eu/euodp/en/data/dataset/cosmetic-ingredient-database-list-of-preservatives-allowed-in-cosmetic-products (Accessed Nov 1, 2016) http://www.cir-safety.org/ingredients (Accessed Nov 1, 2016) http://www.mhlw.go.jp/file/06-Seisakujouhou-11120000-Iyakushokuhinkyoku/0000032704.pdf (Accessed Nov 1, 2016) M Ookawa, et al., in progress ISO 29621:2010, CosmeticsMicrobiologyGuidelines for the risk assessment and identification of microbiologically low-risk products, available at iso.org/standard/45592.html (Accessed Jan 29, 2018)
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Pistorius suffered from locked-in syndrome. His body was paralyzed, but his mind was still active and unable to communicate with the outside world. He was trapped like this for eight mothergoddamning years. So how do you stay sane when the rest of the world thinks you're comatose? Well, you eavesdrop on conversations and watch a crapload of TV. 9/11, Princess Diana's funeral, the dancing baby meme -- you name the historic event, Pistorius witnessed it from his hospital bed. That is, when he wasn't stuck watching hours upon hours upon hours of Barney And Friends. It was like this, but like, forever:
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Oh, and to make matters worse, Pistorius was trapped with a brain determined to remind him not of how badly he was going to kick ass at trivia competitions when he recovered, but of the thought that he was never going to recover, and that he was nothing more than a drain on his parents. This feeling certainly didn't pass when his mother stared him in the eyes and, not knowing what we know, wished that he'd died. That alone would have been enough to drive us insane and despondent. But we aren't Martin MindMaster Pistorius.
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Realizing that his best hope of survival lay in keeping his mind active, he fell into a regular routine of activities, such as telling the time by tracking the movement of sunlight in his room and, of course, wishing that Barney would get headshotted by a meteor. We're not joking. When Pistorius eventually recovered, he credited, in absence of any medical explanation, watching that clappy-happy junk all day with fortifying his mind until it was strong enough to punch through his paralysis and escape. See? In a way, he does love you, Martin.
The shocking revelations of sexual misconduct by key figures in the charity industry has led to concern about the close links between organisations such as Save The Children and the political establishment.
Justin Forsyth quit UNICEF after complaints of inappropriate behaviour towards female staff while in his previous job as head of Save The Children. Prior to that, hed been at Oxfam, now embroiled in controversy in Haiti. He is one of many people in the charity sector who worked closely with the Blair and Brown governments.
Then theres Sir Alan Parker, the public relations guru whos president of the international wing of Save The Children. Hes a chum of David Cameron, who, after being forced to leave No 10 in a hurry, stayed at Parkers 3.8 million home for a time.
Andrew Pierce asks why do so many of David Cameron's (pictured in 2016) friends have charity jobs?
Also, until recently, the charitys vice chairman was Camerons fellow Old Etonian, Mark Esiri.
Black belt sees red If Iain McNicol whos just quit his job as Labours general secretary following claims that Momentum wanted to oust him decides to fight back, things could get messy. Hes a karate black belt. Advertisement
The financier invested in upmarket stationers Smythson in a deal that led to Camerons wife, who was creative director of the firm, getting just over 437,000. Esiri is also an investor in her fashion label.
Another Cameron crony on the charitys board is Sebastian James an Old Etonian who featured in that notorious Bullingdon Club photo with the young PM. James is the outgoing chief executive of Dixons Carphone whose founder, Lord Kalms, is a long-time Tory donor.
Meanwhile, Fiona McBain, vice chairman of Save The Childrens trustees, is a non-executive director of Dixons Carphone.
Another trustee is Princess Dora Loewenstein, who chaired the organising committee of the Cameron Tories controversial Black and White parties, where lobbyists and oligarchs paid to dine with government ministers.
A charity with Princess Anne as its patron deserves better than this chintzy carousel of Cameron chums.
The performance of Thames Valley Police has been officially rated as inadequate. Labour MP Matt Rodda, whose Reading constituency is covered by the force, complains that there are 357 fewer officers than eight years ago.
Another Thames Valley MP hasnt been so vociferous about this staffing shortfall ... Maidenheads Theresa May, who was Home Secretary (and thus responsible for policing) for most of that time.
Tory MP Nadine Dorries, the author of several novels (such as The Angels Of Lovely Lane, about a group of trainee nurses in Liverpool in the 1950s) has received a 50,000 advance for her next book. Out-selling fellow Liverpudlian scribbler Edwina Currie, Dorries is the most successful Tory author since Jeffrey Archer.
Alastair Campbell, pictured, has taken a DNA test which shows he's a Celt ahead of Anglo-Saxon
Tony Blairs gobby former spin doctor Alastair Campbell has taken a DNA test which, he says, shows hes a Celt ahead of Anglo-Saxon.
Having once said hed rather live in Nicola Sturgeons Scotland than the England of Boris Johnson, and advised the Albanian government, hes now pondering whether, post-Brexit, he should try to get an Irish passport. How very patriotic!
Having seen off a petty attempt to stop her becoming the new head of the Charity Commission, Tory Baroness (Tina) Stowell says shell place a life-size cardboard cut-out of George Clooney in her office. The never-married Stowell says shes had a soft spot for the actor ever since seeing him in the TV hospital series ER.
Oh my lord, not another vote!
Euro-fanatic ex-Labour minister Lord Adonis not only wants a second referendum on the Brexit deal, but is now urging Labour members to have their own, separate referendum to help clarify party policy.
Saying that Labours membership is overwhelmingly pro-European, including Jeremys Praetorian Guard of young, adoring Momentum activists, he says such a vote would be a further dose of democracy. This is pretty rich coming from an unelected peer whose last personal exposure to democracy was more than 25 years ago as an Oxford councillor.
Until I read the front page of Saturdays Mail, I had no idea that Geoffrey Robinson (pictured) was still one of the nations legislators
Until I read the front page of Saturdays Mail, I had no idea that Geoffrey Robinson was still one of the nations legislators.
This is the multi-millionaire businessman who gave Tony Blair and family free holidays in his Tuscan palazzo, was more than once reprimanded by the Commons Standards and Privileges Committee, and finally quit as Paymaster General (what an appropriate title) when it emerged that hed given a secret loan of 373,000 to his fellow cabinet minister Peter Mandelson who also had to resign.
That was 20 years ago and most of us will not have thought about Mr Robinson since until he popped up again on the front page of Saturdays Mail.
This time there is no taint of scandal, at least in the financial sense. The 79-year-old Labour member for Coventry North West has tabled a Private Members Bill which will overturn the entire basis of organ donation in England.
Under Robinsons proposal, every adult in the country would be presumed to have offered his or her organs for transplant, unless they had specifically opted out.
Remarkably or, at least, I think it is remarkable on Friday, his bill was given an unopposed Second Reading by MPs. It seems most likely to become the law of the land.
Emotional
A succession of MPs made emotional speeches in favour of Robinsons Bill and Mrs May had earlier named it Maxs Law, after a ten-year-old heart transplant recipient whose mother, Emma Johnson, had campaigned for an opt-out system.
Useless to point out, I suppose, that Max got his new heart in August last year under the existing system.
And no MP made the case put eloquently by the then Health Secretary John Reid when a similar measure came before the Commons in 2004: This decision over ones own body is for the conscience the conscience of individual citizens in this country.
It is not for Parliament to impose on individuals a requisition of their bodies after death for the use of the State.
Astonishingly, the Conservative Party leadership is now more in favour of an effective nationalisation of our bodies than the former communist Reid had been when Labour was in charge.
Doubtless Mrs May and her colleagues think this is the way the publics mood is going and they may be right.
It is a simple argument to put. Hundreds of people die each year through lack of a suitable organ donor. So lets boost the number of available hearts, lungs, kidneys and livers by presuming the right to remove them from those whose brain-dead forms are themselves kept breathing only through machines. After all, what use are the organs to them?
Doubtless Mrs May and her colleagues think this is the way the publics mood is going and they may be right
Yet this purely utilitarian approach entirely misses the moral power and point of the existing system.
A donation is just that: a gift. And this is the most beautiful one it is possible to provide a point that was made with breathtaking emotional power yesterday by Nadine Marshall.
Appearing on BBC1s The Big Questions, Nadine told how organs from her 18-year-old son, Conner, had been used to save the lives of three people.
Conner had been the victim of a murderous assault; but, unusually, for one so young, he had taken out an Organ Donor card and told his mother that he was serious about it.
With tears in her eyes, but smiling, Nadine told the presenter Nicky Campbell: I am immensely proud that Conner made that decision.
And this is the point: it was a gift that he volunteered. Indeed, what is not volunteered is not a gift.
Two other women intimately affected by this issue also told Campbell that they did not approve of presumed consent.
Cookery writer Sally Bee, who has been diagnosed with a rare condition and will require a new heart
One was the 44-year-old cookery writer Sally Bee, who has been diagnosed with a rare condition and will require a new heart. Another was Ellie Lacey, 31, who last year received a liver transplant. She had been 48 hours from death and had, as she related, resigned herself to it.
Also tearful, she looked across to Nadine and declared that she was completely unable to express the extent of her gratitude to the person who, like Conner, had given her the gift of life. (There are no words that can describe it.)
Opposed
But, she emphasised, it had to be a gift. The donor had to want to give, just as much as she wanted to receive.
Dont assume the medical profession is united behind presumed consent: it is deeply divided. When the PM indicated her support for such a radical change last October, the NHS National Clinical Director for Transplantation from 2008 to 2011, Professor Chris Rudge, declared that he would opt out if that happened.
No one knows better than me the problems of thousands of people waiting for a transplant, he said. [But] I am horribly opposed to a change in the law. Changing the system may take away peoples faith and trust in organ donation.
And his wife, Mary, a former nurse, said that under a rule of presumed consent, she would refuse to give permission for her husbands organs to be donated. That, for a family that has been rooted in transplantation for 40 years, is just terrible, she said.
What Professor and Mrs Rudge know is that there is no clear evidence that presumed consent would even improve chances for those awaiting organs.
In Wales, where health policy is a devolved matter, the law was changed to presumed consent in 2015. But a study published in December showed that Wales had not increased its numbers of donations since the legislation was implemented.
Indeed, there was a drop in organ transplants from 214 to 187. And in Brazil, a new policy of presumed consent had to be scrapped after public revulsion caused a drop in organs being made available.
If this problem is to be addressed (though the transplant waiting list has been steadily declining in recent years), it should be at the point where life-and-death decisions are made: when someones life has ended tragically young.
Bedrock
In other words, hospitals should devote more to counselling the bereaved relatives when asked to assent to the ultimate gift at a time of extreme grief. Currently, relatives block one in seven transplants in cases where the dead family member was on the national organ donor register.
But I fear we are inexorably moving towards a state which arrogantly overrides family and increasingly intrudes on territory which it never did before and didnt for good reason.
For example, in the wake of a proposal in the Icelandic parliament to ban infant male circumcision, a similar measure is being mooted here. It purports to be on human rights grounds but is motivated by an aggressive secularism (as Jewish and Muslim families circumcise their male children as part of a religious rite).
When the PM indicated her support for such a radical change last October, the NHS National Clinical Director for Transplantation from 2008 to 2011, Professor Chris Rudge (pictured), declared that he would opt out if that happened
The fact that three-quarters of all male babies are circumcised on hygiene grounds in the U.S., the most litigious and health-conscious country on Earth, strongly suggests that this is the opposite of a public health problem (uncircumcised men are 22 times more likely to be afflicted with penile cancer than those circumcised).
But imagine if this were to be banned. As the barrister Matthew Scott warns: Loving parents would be forced either to abandon a sacred part of their religion or to emigrate. Traditional Jewish life would become impossible. It would be a civilised, well-meaning and quite possibly a human-rights-compliant pogrom.
This illustrates just why the State should tread with immense care in matters best left to families which, after all, are the bedrock of society.
To enforce Whitehall-directed compulsion in areas of the greatest sensitivity to families is a recipe for discontent and dislocation between society and the State. That can only be dangerous and destructive.
So I hope when Geoffrey Robinsons bill to enforce presumed consent for organ donation returns to the Commons for its third reading, there will be enough MPs with the moral courage to reject it.
A second grade teacher went above and beyond to ensure that her students had a unique outlet for their creativity.
Haley Curfman, 25, of Blackwell, Oklahoma, is a teacher at Blackwell Public School and last year she bought a plain white dress, which she set up at a station in her classroom for her students to decorate, encouraging them to go and draw on the dress whenever they had free time, or had finished an assignment.
She said she uses the dress as an incentive for the children to behave well, while giving them a chance to exercise some of their creativity without fear of getting it right or perfect.
Best teacher: Oklahoma teacher, Haley Curfman, bought a white dress for her students do draw on during their free time
Blue ribbon: This is the second year in a row she has done this and last year, her class won the blue ribbon for their masterpiece (pictured above)
Hayley set up a station at a table with the dress and some colored markers so that her students can draw on it whenever they have free time or finish their work, having first seen the idea on Pinterest.
After the kids had finished the design, she then surprised them all by wearing the dress to class, sharing images of herself in it on Facebook in a post that has since gone viral, with over 200,000 shares.
The post read: 'It's the second year in a row I've brought a white dress to school and my students have filled it with their artwork. This is one of my favorite things to do in my class!'
She added: 'This is something I'd seen on Pinterest a few years ago and I fell in love with the idea. I think every teacher should do this! It's a great project and an even better keepsake.'
For teachers looking to do something similar for their own students, Hayley revealed that she bought the cotton/spandex dress off Amazon for less than $20 about six months ago and pre-washed the dress before she started the project.
She used fabric markers from Walmart and usually only wears the dress for a class and then puts it on display afterward.
Happy artwork: Haley said she tells her students to draw things that make them happy
Creative release: Haley wanted her students to have a creative release because there isn't an art program where she teaches
She said: 'To do the project, I set up a station at a table with the dress, markers and piece of cardboard to put between the fabric. It takes anywhere from two weeks to a month to complete as we just work on it here and there when time allows.'
'Teachers have been sharing their dresses, aprons, quilts, T-shirts, etc. with me that they've been creating since the 1950's with the same concept. Which is awesome, and I love that you are sharing them with me! Thank you all so much for your kindness and support,' she wrote on Facebook.
Haley wanted her students to have a creative release because the school where she teaches doesn't have a an art program.
She told Scary Mommy: 'We don't have art in our school, so, I always try to do little creative projects when possible.'
She added: 'When the dress is finished, I surprise my students and wear it to a party.'
Last year, she showed her students their finished masterpiece at the class Christmas party and this year she showcased her student's work at the Valentine's Day party.
She also entered last year's dress in the county fair and got a blue ribbon.
Dressed to impress: Haley donned a Founding Father costume for Constitution Day in September
Cat in the Hat: She also dressed as Cat in the Hat for Dr Seuss week
She said: 'I think I will do that again this year, so all the students can see it proudly hanging at the fair.'
Haley said she tells her students to 'draw things that make them happy and to not X things out'.
'I teach second grade and they like to mark things out and start over,' she told Scary Mommy.
'Having that rule is also why last year's dress has a Stay Puft Marshmallow Man that takes up the whole back. That's what makes them great.'
Haley has dressed up for her students before and shared adorable images of her costume to her Instagram account.
Last September, she celebrated Constitution Day and dressed as a Founding Father and months before that wore a Cat in the Hat ensemble to celebrate Dr Seuss Week at her school.
There are few women who haven't suffered the indignity of a sudden gust of wind blowing their skirt up into the air.
But an ingenious device, which is now available in the UK for the first time, promises to save women from flashing more than they intended.
Billed as the 'first reusable dress weight', Dress Downs weigh down the wearer's skirt, dress or even blouse to help avoid any sudden underwear-flashing.
The $12 (8.60) adhesive strips work by sticking to the inside of your hemline and are designed to put an end to 'unfair and embarrassing' wardrobe malfunctions for good.
The inventor, Simone Magee, from Chicago, Illinois, said she was inspired by 'Marilyn moments' suffered by the likes of the Duchess of Cambridge as well as her own personal experiences, and has seen her business go global over the past three years.
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The Duchess of Cambridge suffered a wardrobe malfunction when a sudden gust of wind blew up the skirt of her dress during a visit to Yellowknife, Canada in 2011
The end of knicker flashing? Billed as the 'first reusable dress weight', Dress Downs weigh down the wearer's skirt or dress to help avoid any sudden wardrobe malfunctions.
She hopes the weights will 'allow for women to feel more confident and assured that at any given time they won't be left feeling exposed'.
Kate has suffered more than her fair share of Marilyn moments in the past - including a 2011 tour of Canada and a 2014 visit to New Zealand.
Stars including Elizabeth Olsen and Chrissy Teigen have also flashed a little more than intended thanks to perilous gusts of wind on the red carpet.
Speaking about the inspiration behind the strips, Magee explained: 'About three years ago, after work, I was crossing a major intersection downtown to reach my bus stop.
The inventor, Simone Magee, from Chicago, Illinois, said she was inspired by 'Marilyn moments' suffered by the likes of the Duchess of Cambridge (pictured in New Zealand in 2014)
'My hands were full and the dress I was wearing (one of my favorites, too!) could fly up with the slightest bit of wind. Typically when wearing this dress outside, my hands are always by my side holding it down, or grabbing the edges.
'I thought, Its fine, Ill walk fast and pray mother nature will just wait 20 seconds for me to cross the street.
'Of course, she didnt, and before I could even react my dress was up over my waist and every human on earth got a full view or at least it felt like it!'
Magee added: 'Windy wardrobe malfunctions are so common that I now ship globally and even expanded into Australia creating a dedicated website for women there.'
For some, the idea of living in a high glamour mansion like Kris Jenner's is simply a pipe dream.
But one Kardashian-loving couple have transformed this dream into a reality after forking out $200,000 to have their living room fitted out to look just like the reality star's.
Aaron Wong, the winning designer of Best of Houzz 2018 and the principal interior designer for decorating firm, Alexander Pollock Interiors, was given the challenge by the middle-aged couple and their two teenage children from Eaglemont, Victoria.
A Kardashian-loving couple have transformed their dream into a reality after forking out $200,000 to have their living room fitted out to look just like the reality star's (pictured is the end result)
The client was a big Keeping Up With The Kardashians fan, adored Kris Jenner's home, and wanted their 50 square metre living room decorated to look 'lush, smart and trending' like Jenner's
Pictured is the entrance to Kris Jenner's home - the decor and palette both heavily influencing the interiors of the new living room
How did he do it? Colour palette: Black and white with accents of red and cool and warm metals - inspired by a man's tuxedo Materials: European oak floors, mohair, velvet, wool, cerused-oak funiture, black marble, brass, perspec and crystals Key pieces: Large pieces imported from Europe and the US Advertisement
The client was a big Keeping Up With The Kardashians fan, adored Kris Jenner's home, and wanted their 50 square metre living room decorated to look 'lush, smart and trending' like Jenner's.
'Get rid of everything except for my portrait above the fireplace,' Mr Wong recalled the client as saying.
Wong began by picking out the perfect colour palette.
'Black and white with accents of red with cool and warm metals. I think of it like a man's tuxedo,' he said.
'Get rid of everything except for my portrait above the fireplace,' Mr Wong recalled the client as saying
'Black and white with accents of red with cool and warm metals. I think of it like a man's tuxedo,' he said
'The materials palette included European oak floors, mohair, velvet, wool, cerused-oak furniture, black marble, brass, perspex and crystals,' he said
'The materials palette included European oak floors, mohair, velvet, wool, cerused-oak furniture, black marble, brass, perspex and crystals.'
When it came to the furniture, Mr Wong imported pieces from Europe and the US.
'There is a general symmetry with the large pieces of furniture but the accessorising was deliberately more haphazard to create an organic feel,' he said.
Pictured is decor from Kris' living room and kitchen space
The colours in the Melbourne home are strongly-inspired by many of Kris' famous rooms like above
'The incredibly high ceilings did not allow me to use a specific sheer curtain that I wanted to use so I had to settle for a sheer drape within the limited options available,' he added.
In 2017, Mr Wong's work was the most popular among more than 40 million monthly users on Houzz.
You can check out the rest of his work and hire him to transform your home here.
Most of us lead busy lives so it's often the simple things, like getting your hair done, that can make you feel most relaxed.
Now Sydney salon, Christopher Hanna, wants to take the luxury and relaxation a step further with their bar and salon hybrid.
The concept of having a drink while you get a blow-dry certainly isn't new, but they have taken it to a whole other level with caviar, oysters and cocktails also on offer.
'This idea has been done before but I thought we could re-imagine it and make it even more opulent,' the salon's Managing Director, Sam Badawi, told FEMAIL.
Sydney salon, Christopher Hanna, wants to take the luxury a step further with their bar and salon hybrid
Although the salon has been open since 2006, a new premises in a heritage building in Sydney's CBD was launched recently.
'We wanted it to stand out from the rest so aimed to make it an entirely blown up bar and make it a full experience,' he said.
'You can get the pamper package, which is where you have your hair done and have a high end bar service where you have access to a full list of wine, cocktails, champagne and canapes.'
Hair cuts cost up to $140 but with $100 dollar bottles of champagne and $5,000 bottles of whisky on offer, clients who splash out are sure to enjoy their experience.
The concept of having a drink while you get a blow-dry certainly isn't new, but this hair salon has taken it to a whole other level
Sam said you can get the pamper package, which is where you have your hair done and have a high end bar service with access to a full list of wine, cocktails, champagne and canapes
Although the salon has been open since 2006, a new premises in a heritage building in Sydney's CBD was launched recently
You can also order an espresso martini with a side of caviar, which costs between $145 and $250.
If this is a tad out of your price range, they also offer a selection of Australian, New Zealand and French bottles that cater to most budgets.
There is a hand-selected menu that provides nibbles including a selection of cheeses, charcuterie and chicken liver parfait.
Owners Guy Binder and Sam Badawi enlisted the guidance of hospitality consultant Mikee Collins and Sydney designer Melissa Collison to create the bar.
'You're set in a really grand heritage building with heritage floors, marble walls, an installation from 1969 and a big marble staircase,' Sam said
Owners Guy Binder and Sam Badawi enlisted the guidance of hospitality consultant Mikee Collins and Sydney designer Melissa Collison to create the bar
'We've been thinking about it for 10 years now. We started working on the idea three years ago and we found the place two years ago,' Sam said.
'We also own a design and construction company which was a great advantage.'
Sam explained that it isn't only their hairdressing experience that makes them stand out from the crowd as he thinks the location adds something extra.
They have certainly gone all out, with plush velvet seating lining the walls and the curved bar, which took six months to build, featuring copper and black marble.
Sam explained that it isn't only their hairdressing experience that makes them stand out from the crowd as he thinks the location adds something extra
They offer caviar and oysters to nibble on and $100 dollar bottles of champagne and $5,000 bottles of whisky
Above, there's tiered shelving displaying a vast spirit selection and magnums of Champagne.
'You're set in a really grand heritage building with heritage floors, marble walls and an installation from 1969 and a big marble staircase,' Sam said.
'The wallpaper is from England, there are handmade black steel mirrors, heritage timber walls and exposed cement beams.
'We wanted to create a space where people could relax and treat themselves when they needed it.'
A Utah university has issued a statement after a flyer distributed on campus advertising a 'Women in Math' panel with only male speakers sparked an online backlash.
Brigham Young University became the target of online anger this week after a student, Stephanie Driggs, shared an image of the flyer on Twitter.
The blue-colored page appeared to be thumb-tacked to a board in the school, and bore the words in bold, bright white: 'Women In Math.' Pictured above that were the photos of four male professors.
Can't be: Brigham Young University student Stephanie Driggs went viral after sharing this poster spotted on campus
Not hitting the mark: The poster advertised an event for 'Women In Math' that only featured male speakers
The rest of the advertisement encouraged 'all women who love math' to 'come learn about research done in data science, topology, number theory, and dynamical systems from four BYU math professors.'
The student, flabbergasted by the tone deaf flyer, shared the image of it online and captioned it with: 'Is this satire?'
The tweet, which has since been deleted, quickly went viral. It in turn sparked a massive backlash against the school.
It turns out that the event was being staged by a student-led organization rather than the university itself. It was this club that put up the posters around campus.
On Wednesday, the BYU math department responded to the controversy on Facebook, saying that 'poor judgement' led to the flyer.
'The poster featured the pictures of four of our department faculty. It was done with good intentions but with poor judgment and was not meant to be satire, though we did all get a good laugh here at the department,' the department said.
'The posters have been replaced with a more appropriate message. We very much value the Women in Math organization.'
Coming back: The BYU math department responded to the controversy, saying that the flyer was done with good intentions
Jumping in: The student claiming to have made the poster also apologized for the offense it had caused
The student who originally posted the tweet wasn't impressed by the statement, writing: 'Im confused. Do they really think that the poster was the main issue here?'
Speaking to Fox 13 Salt Lake City, adviser for the club behind the flyers, Martha Kilpack, explained that the outcry was a surprise to the group, and was the result of an unfortunate placement of words and pictures.
'It was an honest mistake kind of poster,' she explained. 'It wasn't meant to be a political statement. It wasn't meant to be anything other than encourage female students to come to an activity.'
The event being advertised was organized by female undergrads, who chose the speakers themselves. Martha stressed that the all-male panel wasn't representative of all the group's activities and events.
'Its a chance to see different research that they do, and we let the students pick the presenters,' she said. 'This time, they happened to pick four male presenters.'
The student who claims to have made the poster, Bryn Balls-Barker, also apologized for the offense caused, writing on Facebook: 'I chose to ask professors that weren't already affiliated directly with the club so that members of the club would have more opportunity to meet other faculty members.'
As soon as they were alerted to the uproar caused by the posters, Martha and the other members of the group made sure they were removed from campus.
In many families, children will forget to do their chores and homework on a daily or weekly basis.
This usually leads to yelling and nagging from parents but according to new research, setting reminders and visual cues for forgetful children could be a better solution.
Researchers from The University of Queensland's School of Psychology found children were unlikely to set themselves reminders to compensate for their anticipated memory failures until around nine years of age or older.
According to new research, setting reminders and visual cues for forgetful children could be a better solution than nagging (stock image)
A computer game was used to ask children aged between seven and 13 to remember to perform a number of simple actions.
The children were then given the option to set reminders if they wanted to.
UQ PhD student Adam Bulley said when asked, children of all ages realised that their performance would be worse when there was more to remember.
'However, only older children around nine and above set more reminders when they thought their memory would be worse,' Mr Bulley said.
UQ PhD student Adam Bulley said encouraging and helping children to set reminders to improve their memory performance could prevent chores and homework falling by the wayside
'That suggests simply telling young children "not to forget" is unlikely to make any difference to memory performance.'
Mr Bulley said encouraging and helping children to set reminders to improve their memory performance could prevent chores and homework falling by the wayside.
'For example, placing a timetable of weekly household chores on a child's bedroom door would alleviate their need to remember these actions by themselves,' Mr Bulley said.
'Leaving key items by the front door can also activate the memory to pack their school bag with the things they need for the day ahead.
Children were unlikely to set themselves reminders to compensate for their anticipated memory failures until around nine years of age or older, the research found
'Young children, who are forgetful at the best of times, may be among the most likely to benefit from these strategies.'
But what happens if children do forget to make their bed or practice their timetables?
Leading Australian parenting expert and father of six girls, Justin Coulson, said it pays to be patient and avoid criticising your child.
Australian parenting expert Justin Coulson, (pictured) said it pays to be patient and avoid criticising your child
'I love the story in Between Parent and Child. Haim Ginott offers a simple comparison. A friend comes to your home and it is raining. When they leave, the rain has stopped and they inadvertently forget their umbrella,' he said on his website.
'Do you chase them outside, shouting about how forgetful they are, and shove the umbrella into their hands, annoyed at the ten seconds of inconvenience they've caused? Not usually. We are far more polite to our friends.
'By avoiding criticism and contempt, showing humility, kindness, and unconditional positive regard, we make our relationships with our children healthy and positive, and we make our families happy.'
The study was published in Child Development.
Most women all yearn for beautiful, radiant skin and perfect complexions.
And the Australian beauty industry has always shone a light on all skin woes and the different treatments on the market to fix, plump, rejuvenate, repair and clear skin.
From laser peels to LED light therapy, the non-invasive treatments promises anti-aging, anti-acne and everything else in-between.
So how does it work and is it really safe for our skin?
Here, FEMAIL rounds up of beauty's most illuminating skin treatments - needles not included!
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The beauty industry has always shone a light on all skin woes and the different treatments on the market to fix, plump, rejuvenate, repair and clear skin (stock image)
LED Light Therapy (pictured) is a non-invasive skin treatment designed to target deep into the skin cells to amplify their natural functions, simply healing from the inside out
LED LIGHT THERAPY
LED Light Therapy is a non-invasive skin treatment designed to target deep into the skin cells to amplify their natural functions, simply healing from the inside out.
Australian Skin Clinics' national training manager Darlene O'Gara said the treatment helps people light their way to great skin in just than 20 minutes.
'The beauty of this treatment is that it is so time-efficient, it can be done on your lunch break,' she said.
'The therapy can take just 10 to 20 minutes depending on your individual treatment plan.
'This treatment is based on your personal skincare goals, but several treatments spread across a select period of time delivers long lasting results.
'However, you do see immediate results after the very first treatment.'
From laser peels to LED light therapy, the facial treatments are said to be anti-aging, anti-acne and everything else in-between (stock image)
The treatment costs $89 per session.
She explained there are two types of benefits to the treatment - depending on the colour of the LED light you choose - blue or yellow.
'Yellow light is an excellent treatment to increase the overall health of the skin. It targets skin rejuvenation, wound healing (think acne scarring) and decreases signs of fine lines,' she said.
'Blue light works to eliminate acne-producing bacteria on the skin, improving inflammatory or hormonal acne and targets active acne.'
So is there any downtime?
'None at all,' Ms O'Gara said.
'If you choose to have an LED Light Therapy as a standalone treatment, there is no downtime and no redness.'
HOLLYWOOD LASER PEEL
If you're looking for that 'Hollywood' glow, then the carbon spectra peel is for you.
Dr Natasha Cook's Darlinghurst Dermatology clinic offers the 'Hollywood Laser Peel' - an anti-ageing treatment that has instant results, zero post-treatment downtime and celebrity fan base.
PR queen Roxy Jacenko (pictured) is one of the biggest fans of the Hollywood laser peel
Dr Natasha Cook (pictured) said the carbon spectra peel promises a 'Hollywood glow'
Loved by stars such as Kim Kardashian, Jennifer Aniston and Angelina Jolie, the treatment, stimulates collagen production, combats acne and even out skin tone.
The facial treatment, which costs $250 per session, builds collagen, refines pores and improves skin elasticity.
The carbon is applied to the skin to increase absorption to the deeper layers and work on the collagen.
Perfect for Red Carpet events, the second pass instantly lightly 'peels' or exfoliates off the outer epidermis leaving an instant painless glow.
It tightens pores, reduces scars and pigmentation and significantly reduces wrinkles, leaving your face plumped and glowing.
Dr Cook told Daily Mail Australia the 30-minute procedure was not painful but there's a slight relaxing heat sensation as the laser pulse over the skin'.
'It is a true laser not light therapy,' she explained.
Results? Smoother plumper clear and even toned skin, fades marks and mild acne scars. There is an immediate glow with long term improvement in collagen, elasticity and pores.
Patients can get more improvement with more treatments weekly, monthly, fortnightly or a one off session.
If you're looking for that 'Hollywood' glow, then the carbon spectra peel is for you (stock image)
THE PELLEVE
Sydney's cosmetic surgeon Naomi McCullum offers 'The Pelleve' treatment - an effective treatment to smooth and tighten the skin with minimal pain and no downtime.
The hand piece safely delivers radio frequency energy to the skin. It gradually delivers energy throughout the epidermis to the dermis.
The dermal layer is heated initiating growth of new collagen. At one to three days after the procedure you will notice a 'post treatment glow'.
At four to 15 days after treatment your body's healing reaction begins, the fibroblasts arrive and the rebuilding of collagen starts.
Sydney's cosmetic surgeon Naomi McCullum offers 'The Pelleve' treatment - an effective treatment to smooth and tighten the skin with minimal pain and no downtime
SCITON BBL
Dr McCullum uses Sciton BBL, which is the best Intense Pulsed Light on the market.
The device targets the ageing caused by sun damage, including redness and pigmentation.
There is minimal downtime, although there is some swelling and redness and the pigmented areas may go darker and flake off.
After healing, which takes about seven days, the skin is clear and glowing.
Sciton BBL targets the ageing caused by sun damage, including redness and pigmentation
QSWITCH LASER
At Dr McCullum's clinic, clients can also pick the Qswitch laser - a treatment that refreshes the skin without downtime.
The laser does not affect the outermost layers of skin and instead passes through the upper layers of skin to stimulate collagen deep below.
The treatment promises to improve pores, reduces fine lines and wrinkles, evens out skin tone, removes skin pigmentation and firms skin.
GENESIS SKIN REJUVENATION
Sydney's Face Plus MediSpa offers a genesis skin rejuvenation procedure , which is the go-to-complexion laser for treating fine lines and the signs of ageing.
This ground breaking laser is the only 'complexion laser' that is guaranteed to stimulate and increase dermal collagen production for refreshing your entire face, neck and decolletage.
It's perfect for women with the first signs of sagging skin around the jaw line in particular that want it looking a little tighter. No needles, just laser.
Thrifty mothers with an eye for a bargain have once again turned to Kmart for a quirky way to create a crafty gift.
The unique 'hack' uses an ice-tray, retailed at $1.50, and a box of Crayola crayons - $10 for a pack of 96 - and both are readily available from the discount giant.
By placing small pieces of broken crayon into the silicon moulds, you will have unicorn-shaped crayons after they are baked in an oven for 10 minutes.
Sharing the creation on social media, the mothers have been praised for their one-in-a-kind crayons that will sure make art is more enjoyable at home for the kids.
Colourful crayons like these were made using broken crayons that were placed into silicon molds then baked
Kmart are selling a box of 96 crayons for $10 which would give you an ample supply for the colourful creations - should you need it
The crayons are a simple formula. First pieces are broken up and added to the moulds, then baked in a fan-forced oven set to 100 degrees. The crayons can be popped out from the trays once they are completely cooled.
A couple of creative mothers who have tried out the inexpensive crayon craft-hack have posted their results on the popular Facebook group Kmart Mums Australia.
One woman, Susan shared how her daughters and made the crayons as unique gifts to put in party bags.
Mum-of-two Susan Shepherd revealed she and her daughters made the one crayons as unique gifts for party bags
Kmart's silicon ice-cube molds come in a range of shapes including unicorn, cactus and pineapple
How to make your own crayons: Break up a box of crayons into small pieces or use old crayons lying around - make sure you take off the paper covering first Put coloured sections into silicon ice cube moulds Fan bake in an oven heated to 100 degrees for 10 minutes Leave to cool, then press out of the mould Advertisement
While the ice cube moulds come in a variety of shapes including pineapple and cactus, Susan used the unicorn mould for her crayon creations and said how easy they were to make.
In response to Susan's post, many commented how excited they were by the possibility of trying out the crayon-craft hack themselves.
'I've got crayons going back to when my kids where at school and that was years n (sic) years ago. This will be my next project with the grandkids,' wrote Gail.
Another member of the Facebook group, Heidi also shared her crayon creations.
As well as using the unicorn mould, Heidi branched out and created quirky crayons with the cactus and pineapple shapes.
One mum branched out with crafty creations and made crayons using the entire silicon ice-cube tray range
Her post was also met with an outpouring of enthusiasm, with some going as far as to say how well the $1.50 ice cube trays stood up to being used in a hot oven.
'The silicone moulds work really well for these. We do it pretty frequently (homeschooling with a toddler means lots of broken crayons) so we re-purpose them too. Need some more ice molds though. Getting sick of all the fish,' Rebecca wrote.
'Pretty impressed though for the cheap Kmart silicone ice trays to hold up that well. We do it on 100 degrees too and it only takes about 10 or so minutes per batch.'
A woman is set to marry her childhood friend - more than 30 years after they first met as babies.
Andy Ducrow, 33, from Epsom, Surrey, has known Laura Nice since she was born and even went to her christening - and the pair recently welcomed a child of their own.
The couple fell in love after reconnecting in their twenties, after drifting apart in their late teens, thanks to their fathers' lifelong friendship.
Laura, 31, a pattern designer who lives with lorry driver Andy, said of their relationship: 'It's a real generational love story. I can't remember a time when Andy wasn't in my life.
Andy Ducrow and Laura Nice as children. Andy, now 33, has known Laura since she was born and even went to her christening - and the pair recently welcomed a child of their own
Reunited: The couple fell in love after reconnecting in their twenties, after drifting apart in their late teens, thanks to their fathers' lifelong friendship
She added: 'Our dads fight over our son, Chase, like they might have scrapped in the playground when they met 55 years ago.'
Their fathers, Gary Nice and Dave Ducrow, both 60, became friends when they met as schoolboys in Birmingham, West Midlands, in 1963.
Gary moved to Cambridge a few years later, with his parents, but they stayed in touch and, over the years, became best friends.
Then, after Gary married Laura's mum Jane, now 57, in 1984, and Dave married Andy's mum Jackie, they often spent time together as couples.
The granddads, who are still best friends, now cannot wait to become father-in-laws when Laura and Andy tie-the-knot.
Hopefully, their forthcoming nuptials will be more straightforward than they were for Laura's parents.
The couple with their son, Chase, who was born in 2017. Laura said of their relationship: 'It's a real generational love story. I can't remember a time when Andy wasn't in my life'
Laura explained: 'They were going to marry in June 1984, but Andy's mum would have been heavily pregnant with him by then.
'Dave was my dad's best man, so they moved the wedding in Ashbourne, Derbyshire, forward, to ensure they could safely attend.'
Luckily, Andy stayed happily in his mum's tummy for long enough not to upstage the bride.
Instead, he arrived safe and sound at hospital in Birmingham at the end of June, 1984 - meaning he was nearly two when Laura was born at Hinchinbrook Hospital in August 1986.
'I think I was a matter of weeks old when I met him for the first time,' said Laura. 'Of course, I can't remember. I do know when I was Christened in Ashbourne at just a few weeks old, he attended.'
Lifelong friends: The couple's fathers, Gary Nice and Dave Ducrow, both 60, became friends when they met as schoolboys in Birmingham, West Midlands, in 1963
Meant to be: The couple briefly lost touch when Gary moved to Cambridge with his parents, but they stayed in touch and, over the years, became best friends
The pair then spent every summer holiday and Christmas together throughout their childhood.
'I was living in Cambridge and Andy was in Birmingham, so we would go to each other's homes,' said Laura. 'I can remember us spending endless Christmases together. It was brilliant.'
But, as they got older and started secondary school, they drifted apart - although their parents were still best friends.
'Andy left school at 16 to become a lorry driver, while I stayed on, doing my A-levels,' said Laura, who heard through her parents that Andy, by then in his late teens, had married.
'Aged 18, I travelled around Greece and lost touch with him, except on social media,' she explained.
Then, when she was around 22 and he was 24, she received a message from him on Facebook.
Love story: The pair (pictured here after getting engaged) spent every summer holiday and Christmas together throughout their childhood
When hen Laura was around 22 and Andy was 24, she received a message from him on Facebook (pictured here during Laura's pregnancy)
'He just said hello,' Laura recalled. 'Then the messages flew back and forth. We had a lot to catch up on.'
Still living in Birmingham, Andy - who broke up with his wife after a few months, long before he reunited with Laura - offered to drop in on her in Cambridge, en route to London.
Soon, catching up on childhood memories, they realised their friendship had blossomed into something more.
Visiting each other more regularly over the coming months - using a National Rail railcard to get a third off their trains between Cambridge and Birmingham - they fell in love.
Laura recalled: 'One day, I got a call from my dad. He said, "Where are you?" Flummoxed, I told him I was with Andy.
'I had to confess we were an item and he was over-the-moon. He'd always treated Andy like a son.'
The couple together at Laura's graduation. Last December the couple moved in together in Epsom, and in November 2015 Andy proposed
Speaking about their love story, Laura said: 'Now it's come full circle. We're set to get married next year. Our dads are delighted!'
Immediately, her dad invited his daughter's new boyfriend over for Sunday dinner.
'Andy was so nervous,' laughed Laura, who is currently on maternity leave. 'Even though he'd met Dad hundreds of times, he suddenly became all shy.'
Last December the couple moved in together in Epsom, and in November 2015 Andy proposed.
'I couldn't believe it,' said Laura. 'To think that those little boys, who met at school in 1963, led to us getting together all those years later.'
And, four months ago on October 17, 2017, at Epson General Hospital, 8lb 6oz Chase was born.
'Now it's come full circle,' said Laura. 'We're set to get married next year. Our dads are delighted!'
For more information about Railcard or to read more rail related love stories visit railcard.co.uk/lovestories
A happily married dominatrix has revealed how she charges clients 200 an hour to fulfill their most off the wall fantasies - from being treated like a dog to being used as a human ashtray.
Bliss Theadora, 31, who operates professionally under the name Mistress Bliss, works from dungeons she rents out across London, where she caters to clients seeking BDSM, erotic domination, and 'toilet games'.
Former fetish model Bliss, who moved to the UK from Melbourne in Australia two years ago, explained that she does not provide a 'sexual service', and that she draws the line at anything illegal.
Aside from that, she's 'happy to discuss anything' with her clients, many of whom will pay up to 1,500 for an overnight session.
Former fetish model Bliss Theadora, who moved to London from the UK two years ago, is a professional dominatrix operating under the name Mistress Bliss
Bliss, who is happily married, says she is 'happy to discuss anything' with her clients
She said: 'I don't provide a sexual service, or intimate body worship and I won't do anything illegal for obvious reasons.
'I do not switch or provide a space which will harm a client mentally or physically. I'm happy to hurt but not to harm, because at the end of the day, the industry is all about consensually reliving a fantasy, that both my client and I can entertain.
'I get many requests for erotic domination and toilet games but I do a range of things and I'm happy to discuss anything with my clients.'
Charging anything from 200 for one hour to 1,500 for an overnight session, Bliss says she is constantly busy working with clients, either in person or online.
She continued: 'Every day is different. In the domme industry it all depends on whether you have clients, personal errands, personal projects or are simply taking self-care days to rest which in this industry, is incredibly important. I can spend a full day in a dungeon or a full day in bed.
'Nothing is ever the same.
No two days are ever the same in the 'domme' industry, says the married 31-year-old
Bliss, who charges from 200 an hour, says she will continue in her line of work for another decade
'I intend on enjoying a career as a professional dominatrix for probably the next 10 years.
'But, since settling in London, I now have the time to dedicate to working on projects such as vastly improving sex education in schools, creating safer and realistic environments and rights for sex workers and ensuring a safer reproductive freedom-based system for women. Hopefully, this will in-turn create an example for countries which are suffering in this area.'
With a dramatic appearance and a tiny 24-inch waist, Bliss first launched her career as a lingerie model in her 20s, in time, becoming increasingly involved in the sex industry - stripping, escorting, web-camming and doing porn work.
While her dominatrix work interested her most, she says it was working in a restaurant where the servers wore lingerie that first exposed her to a world of 'hustler' men.
She explained: 'It exposed me to wealthy men and the hustler mentality.
'I began non-sexual escorting with a patron and, shortly after that, ended I attended my first topless bartending/waitressing event with a girl I worked with from the restaurant. That was where it all began and I stayed in the topless bartending/waitressing industry for about 5 years thereafter, working across Victoria, Australia.
While Bliss says she enjoyed exploring different kinds of work, she found her calling in BDSM - or erotic practices involving bondage, discipline, dominance and submission, sadism and masochism.
Bliss works from her domestic space in London's East End, or at dungeons she rents out across the capital
Mistress Bliss, 31, is seen preparing for one of her sessions with clients at a dungeon
The former fetish model went from non-sexual escorting to discovering her true passion lay in BDSM
She said: 'I discovered that BDSM was where my true passion lay.
'My time in the kink scene spanned over 10 years before I began holding professional Dominatrix sessions - which began half a year into my life in London. My business has been soaring ever since.'
Away from work, Bliss - who lives with her husband, who she does not want to name - enjoys travelling and modelling.
It is very different to her work agenda, where she offers to fulfil a range of fetishes, from enforced exercise to treating the client like a dog during 'puppy play,' financial domination, where clients fantasise about spending money on her, to treating them as a human ashtray. But she is very clear about she will not do - including having sex with clients.
'I enjoy taking my clients on a journey beyond the realms of day-to-day reality, diving into and exploring their fantasies and desires,' she said.
'I allow people to let go of their "normal" selves and indulge in their "true" selves - playing with aspects of what would be considered "dirty, perverse, naughty," which is hard to do in our 'vanilla' world.
'BDSM is founded on principles of communication, consent and care, which people rarely get to experience and this is profoundly positive and mentally nourishing.'
Bliss issues clients with a list of gifts they can buy her, and sells her own items - from her shoes to her used stockings
Bliss is an advocate of better conditions and more relaxed laws to help protect sex workers
Many women in her field work from home, which heightens risk, Mistress Bliss says
As well as frequent sessions with clients, Bliss also has a wish list of gifts that clients can buy her and sells intimate items like used shoes, heels, socks, stockings and sex toys, to help fulfil her clients' fantasies.
But for Bliss, life in the sex industry isn't always easy.
She explained: 'Running your own business, of any kind, is at times difficult, time consuming and stressful. There are no guarantees, paid sick days, insurance policies, or set work hours. It takes a specific type of person to manage all these aspects, not to mention that it is within the sex industry.
'Safety should always be somewhere in your mind - safety for yourself and your client.
'Whether it's security, safety during a session, nurturing personal relationships, managing mental health, or even giving a helping hand.
'I have methods for vetting and screening clients in place but - like in any job - if someone is to act out, you just have to be prepared, as you can never control what everyone is going to do regardless of the context, situation or state of mind.'
Even with her strict approach to business and safety at work, Bliss admits she has had some hairy moments.
Bliss is adamant that there should be better conditions and more relaxed laws for sex workers, in order to afford them greater protection.
She continued: 'Current prostitution laws state that owning and operating a brothel is a criminal act.
'This leaves sex workers vulnerable, due to the lack of security and continued isolation caused by the lack of community protection.
'Because of the legalities, I cannot own or operate a dungeon in which various women can work at once, whereas in Switzerland, for example, this is perfectly legal - dramatically reducing the risk of assault, rape and murder.
'Women in my field are known to work from their homes, which also heightens risk.
'This is the reality and the unglamorous side of the job. Creating laws to protect sex workers, instead of isolating them, is the way forward. While prostitution is in itself legal, a string of laws criminalise activities around it.'
Despite the restrictions, Bliss loves her work and remains an outspoken and positive voice in favour of greater tolerance.
She added: 'I like to challenge people's perceptions that society has spoon-fed them in hopes of invoking even a little bit of change in people's thought processes. And when this is met with anger and aggression, it only pushes me further.'
Bright lights from the worlds of art and fashion descended on Oaxaca in Mexico to see Danish collector Nicolai Frahm marry model Mariana Herrera in a jaw-droppingly extravagant celebration.
The couple exchanged vows in the awe-inspiring surroundings of the Church of Santo Domingo de Guzman, watched by guests including the hotel heiress Lydia Forte, Chinese contemporary artist Ai Weiwei, British entrepreneur and collector Frank Cohen, and a former Miss Mexico, Ana Girault.
The bride wore a dramatic, tiered gown with a voluminous train that filled the aisle of the picturesque Mexican building, which she later swapped for a fitted gown to dance into the small hours.
The groom, who is the co-founder of Frahm & Frahm and the Dairy Art Centre, a non-profit contemporary gallery in London, switched between a classic tux and a traditional charro style suit for the festivities, which lasted three days.
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Nicolai Frahm, a Danish art collector based in London, exchanged vows with Mariana Herrera in Oaxaca, Mexico
The party lasted several days, with the bride swapping the chic white mini dress by the Mexican designer Kris Goyri at a pre-party, for a dramatic bridal gown for the ceremony
The bride and groom also hosted a colourful party in an agave fields for their guests
The couple's love of art appeared to inspire much of the lavish festivities, which featured a colourful party in an agave field, stilt walkers and balloons to greet the wedding party as they exited the cathedral, and an alfresco meal complete with life-sized sculptures of the bride and groom that floated over guests' heads as they ate.
Photographs and video footage shared on social media by those at the wedding, which took place last week, offer glimpses of personalised bottles of tequila, dancing against the striking backdrop of rows of agave plants, a traditional mariachi band and jaw-dropping firework displays.
Bride and groom sculptures floated over the heads of guests at an al fresco party in an agave field during the festivities
After the ceremony, dancers in traditional dress and stilt walkers greeted the wedding party as they spilled out of the elaborate church
Millionaires and models looked on as Nicolai and Mariana exchanged vows in the beautiful Church of Santo Domingo de Guzman in Oaxaca
The ceremony was held in the awe-inspiring surroundings of the Mexican church and former monastery
The bride's dramatic gown featured voluminous layers of lace and she wore a cathedral veil
Happy couple: A moment of celebration as the newlyweds left the building as man and wife
The bride swapped her dramatic gown for a form-fitting dress to take to the dance floor with her new husband after the ceremony
The spectacular setting for the reception, where guests ate alfresco under hanging lanterns
Many of the guests were as visually appealing as the surroundings, with the model Ana Girault, a former Miss Mexico, and Mexican actor Erick Elias among those in Oaxaca for the festivities.
Also upping the glamour quotient was Lydia Forte, daughter of Sir Rocco Forte and heiress to the Rocco Forte hotel group, which includes Browns Hotel in London and the Hotel Savoy in Florence.
Hotel heiress Lydia Forte, daughter of Sir Rocco Forte, was among the guests in Oaxaca
Hundreds of guests were invited to join the couple's lavish celebrations in Mexico
Guests were entertained by a traditional Mexican mariachi band at the reception
High profile guests included the Chinese contemporary artist Ai Weiwei, seen left at the party in an agave field
Glamorous guests congregated outside the church in the Mexican sunshine last week
Businesswoman Sara Galindo poses with fellow guests outside the Oaxaca wedding venue
Contemporary art collector Nicolai Frahm, who was born in Copenhagen, owns pieces by acclaimed artists including Cindy Sherman, Ai Weiwei, Julian Schnabel and Richard Prince.
He founded the art exhibition production company Frahm & Frahm with his brother, Michael, and later the Dairy Art Collective with his fellow influential collector Frank Cohen, who was also in Mexico for the celebrations last week.
He is a patron of the Arken Museum of Modern Art in his native Denmark, and a trustee of Blenheim Art Foundation at Blenheim Palace.
Guests partied among the agave plants in the Mexican desert ahead of the ceremony
A team of fashion experts have identified the five key pieces of clothing every woman should have in their wardrobe.
Designers at Winser London - who have dressed the likes of Yasmin Le Bon and Emma Watson - spent months examining trends from the last nine decades to reveal the five items.
The essentials consist of a smart white shirt, a confidence-boosting dress, a 'boyfriend' jumper, a sophisticated pencil skirt and a pair of wide-leg trousers.
The ultimate list of wardrobe essentials was put together by the fashion house (winserlondon.com) who famously created the 'Miracle' dress, inspired by Grace Kelly.
So how many do you own?
1. The dress
Do you own a classic fitted dress? Designers at Winser London spent months examining trends from the last nine decades to reveal the five items every woman must own in 2018
Winser London's design director, Jayne Cady, said: 'A dress is an outfit in its own right - the easiest and quickest way to get dressed and look on point.'
Since the 1800s, black was seen as a colour only worn for mourning, but in the 1920s, the 'little black dress' was born - and perfected by Coco Chanel.
Her 1926 version of the dress, often worn with a string of pearls, was described by Vogue as 'the frock that all the world will wear.'
2. The white shirt
Fashion staples: The essentials consist of a smart white shirt (pictured), a confidence-boosting dress, a 'boyfriend' jumper, a sophisticated pencil skirt and a pair of wide-leg trousers
Also inspired by the classic cuts of Chanel and Yves Saint Laurent, a plain white shirt is a staple for both the office and evening-wear.
And when paired with a neat pencil skirt, it creates an outfit guaranteed to get results, according to Jayne.
3. The pencil skirt
Do you own a classic pencil skirt? This Morning presenter Holly Willoughby is a fan of the tried-and-tested pencil skirt and white shirt combination when presenting in front of the camera
The pencil skirt was first introduced by Christian Dior in 1954, and is as relevant today as when it was first revealed to stunned fashion experts.
This one, from Winser London, was based on the silhouette of Marilyn Monroe, and is one of the first building blocks women will use to create a simple, smart wardrobe, according to design director Jayne.
This Morning presenter Holly Willoughby is a fan of the tried-and-tested pencil skirt and white shirt combination when presenting in front of the camera.
4. The boyfriend jumper
A cosy 'boyfriend' jumper also appears on the list, which was was put together by the fashion house who famously created the 'Miracle' dress, inspired by Grace Kelly
Coco Chanel's influence can also be felt in the classic boyfriend jumper.
Prior to the 1920s, knitwear and jersey was seen as strictly for military or agricultural use.
But the visionary designer once again bucked trends, and reworked the material into dresses, twinsets and jumpers.
And in ready-to-wear lines, the 'boyfriend' term is affixed to any item of women's clothing which has been adapted from a corresponding men's garment.
5. The wide-leg trousers
A pair of wide leg trousers is a wardrobe essential according to Jayne Cady - who insists the right cut can make you feel 'relaxed, confident and sexy'
The fifth and final item every woman needs in her wardrobe is a pair of wide-leg trousers.
Jayne Cady said: 'Wearing a glamorous pair of trousers allows you to feel relaxed, confident and sexy.
'For those women who are not body confident, this cut is much easier to wear than a skinny design.'
'With these five staple items, women will be able to mix and match to create dozens of stunning outfits, each one with its own chic elegance.'
Bitterly cold temperatures have hit the UK, but the Dutch royals also looked to be feeling the chill as they hit the slopes on their annual ski holiday in Austria.
Queen Maxima and King Willem-Alexander are enjoying their traditional break with their three daughters Catharina-Amalia, Princess of Orange, 14, - who goes by Amalia, Princess Alexia of Orange-Nassau, 12, and Princess Ariane of Orange-Nassau, 10.
The family huddled together for warmth as they posed for photographers on the sloes in Lech where it's currently a frosty -13C.
Queen Maxima, 46, was her usual impeccably co-ordinated self even in sportswear, rocking a purple padded ski jacket and matching trousers with an indigo patterned scarf.
Princess Catharina-Amalia, Princess Alexia, Queen Maxima, Princess Ariane and King Willem-Alexander of The Netherland are enjoying their annual winter break in Lech, Austria
Queen Maxima cut a glamorous figutre in a purple patterned scarf and tortoiseshell shades
King Willem-Alexander, 50, looked every inch the proud father as he posed with his wife and three girls
A smiling Queen Maxima, 46, looked typically flamboyant in a purple ski outfit
She completed her cosy but stylish look with a pair of tortoiseshell glasses.
At one point the Queen could be seen throwing her arms around a chilly Princess Alexia, who seemed to be particularly feeling the cold.
King Willem-Alexander, 50, looked every inch the doting father as he posed proudly with his four girls on the slopes.
The monarch matched his eldest daughter, who will one day be Queen of The Netherlands in cheerful red ski jackets.
Queen Maxima was seen throwing her arms around Princess Alexia, 12, who seemed to be really feeling the cold
The Quene proudly posed with her three lookalike daughters ahead of hitting the slopes
The King proudly posed with his eldest daughter who will one day be Queen of The Netherlands
The royal family has holidayed in Lech every year since the end of the Second World War.
It was a favourite with Princess Diana, while King Abdullah and Queen Rania of Jordan are also regulars on the slopes.
Princess Caroline of Monaco has a chalet in Zurs and visits every February with her daughter Princess Alexandra of Hanover.
The king and his eldest daughter Catharina-Amalia were matching in bright red ski jackets
The family is holidaying in Lech, which was a favourite spot for the late Princess Diana
Princesses Ariane, Catharina-Amalia and Alexia are growing up fast
You probably to pick up a take on the latest catwalk trends alongside your bread and milk at the supermarket, but Heidi Klum's latest clothing collaboration with Lidl contains some very convincing designer duplicates.
The third esmara by Heidi Klum collection, will arrive in stores on 4th March and the #LETSDENIM range, inspired by Southern Californian style, and is packed full of designer replicas.
The rainbow trend shows no sign of dying down after dominating the Burberry catwalk at London Fashion Week, and Heidi's range boasts a 9.99 striped jumper that could be mistaken for a much pricier version costing 215.
After Burberry and Chanel both championed the designer plastic mac, Heidi's collection has one for just 14.99 - but can you tell the supermarket buy from the designer version that costs?
The third esmara by Heidi Klum collection, will arrive in stores on 4th March and features a surprising number of designer dupes
Return of the mac! If the plastic coat trend is one you're unsure of then it's probably wise to try Lidl's 14.99 version (left), rather than investing in Burberry's 1,495 version
Lidl's 9.99 jumper is a budget-friendly way to invest in the rainbow trend (left). Or you could invest in this cashmere jumper number by Orwell + Austen (right)
Alberta Feretti's day of the week jumpers, 405, are hugely popular with celebrities from Gigi Hadid to Amal Clooney (left). Now, you can snap up a version from Lidl for just 9.99 (right)
Can you tell the difference between a 79 denim hoodie from Hollister (left) and an 11.99 jacket from Heidi's Lidl range (right)?
Royal fans are eagerly awaiting the birth of the Duchess of Cambridge's third child, but there's already a new tiny royal on the scene in the form of Prince Ernst August Jr. of Hanover's newborn daughter.
The stepson of Princess Caroline of Monaco and his Russian fashion designer wife Ekaterina Malysheva welcomed their first child, a baby daughter Elisabeth, at the Henriettenstifts hospital in Hanover on 22nd February.
'With my whole family I am very happy and grateful for the birth,' he told Hannoversche Allgemeine. 'My wife and I would like to thank the Henriettenstifts team for the friendly and competent care.'
The couple who have relocated to Hanover after a long stint in London were married in a lavish ceremony at Hanover Market Church in July 2017.
Prince Ernst Jr's father, Prince Ernst August of Hanover, 64, married Princess Caroline of Monaco in 1999, while she was pregnant with their daughter Alexandra, and she became stepmother to his two sons from his first marriage Ernst Jr and Christian.
Prince Ernst August Jr of Hanover, 34, welcomed their first child - a daughter, Elisabeth - last week at the Henriettenstifts hospital in Hanover
The couple were wed in a lavish ceremony at the Hanover Market Church in July 2017
After 10 years, press reports emerged that the couple were living separately and Prince Ernst went on to strike up a relationship with a beauty queen, 27, from Romania, which has since ended.
He and Princess Caroline remain legally married to each other.
Banker Prince Ernst Jr, 34, and his 32-year-old bride Ekaterina, have been together for seven years and lived together in London before relocating to Hanover
Ekaterina also runs her own clothing line, EKAT, which counts stars including Sienna Miller and Rita Ora among its fans.
Princess Caroline with her brother Prince Albert and estranged husband Prince Ernst August of Hanover (right) at Monaco's Roes Ball in 2007
The Princes and his pregnant wife Ekaterina Malysheva attending a wedding in September 2017
The talented creative was born in Russia but grew up in Prague.
She moved to the UK at the age of 19 to study at the London College of Fashion before going on to start her own business.
Prince Ernst-August V reportedly refused to give the union his blessing after Prince Ernst proposed to Ekaterina during a family holiday in Greece.
The older Prince was said to want properties and titles he gifted to his son signed back over into his possession, including the iconic Marienburg castle, where the wedding dinner was held.
The Prince heads up the royal House of Hanover, which provided monarchs to Great Britain from 1714 to 1901. His mother-in-law was the famed Hollywood icon Grace Kelly.
However the Prince also has a chequered past. In 1999 he allegedly assaulted a journalist as he returned from a charity gala. And in 2000 he caused a public row by urinating on the Turkish Pavilion at the Expo 2000 event in Hanover.
A young couple have revealed their plans to circumnavigate the world in a boat - despite having almost zero experience.
Laura Fuller, from Colchester and her boyfriend Robert, from Riga, Latvia, say they'll sail around the world in a 30ft vessel despite their hours in a boat being limited to teaching themselves to sail on a lake in New Zealand - and a short adventure off the country's coast.
The couple, who've already been left seasick and stranded after their first recce trip, say they realise some may consider their worldwide journey dangerous but that they love sailing and are willing to take the risk.
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Laura Fuller, from Colchester, and her boyfriend Robert, from Riga, Latvia, plan to sail around the globe in June, despite neither of them having significant experience at sea
The plucky amateur only took up sailing after buying a 22ft boat, 'Nauti Lass', on a whim and spent three days with her boyfriend Robert self-learning to sail on New Zealand's Lake Taupo
Laura, who gave up a job in a shop in Clacton-on-Sea to move to New Zealand in 2017, started learning to sail on a 22ft sailboat named 'Nauti Lass' that she bought with the proceeds of two-months' work in retail.
Along with her 23-year-old boyfriend, Laura embarked upon a self-teaching session on Lake Taupo.
The pair now have a YouTube channel documenting their journey, which they hope will inspire others to do something extraordinary.
A clip of the 22-year-old navigating one of the most dangerous stretches of water in New Zealand, the French Pass, sees a green-looking Laura emerging from below deck.
Admitting the sea was a little unrulier than she'd hoped it would be, she says: 'I had to lie down to compose myself. I've only been on the sea a few times before.'
Brave or foolish? The 22-year-old gave up a job in a shop in Clacton-on-Sea to live in New Zealand and now plans to make the ambitious journey around the globe in a 30ft boat
Early adventures have seen Laura blighted by sea sickness as she's got used to life on the ocean
Laura and Robert plan to sell Nauti Lass, their first boat and upgrade to a bigger vessel ahead of their planned adventure in June
Later, despite hoping to reach Wellington with a tow from friends, the couple saw their plans changed after a storm, the first they'd experienced, saw them stranded in the port of Picton instead.
Our first trip involved crossing one of the most dangerous pieces of water in the world and being towed by a bigger boat through the French Pass...twice! Laura Fuller
However, their early adventure - some 800km covered in less than four weeks - haven't seen the plucky amateur deterred.
She explains: 'I bought a 22ft sailboat with the money that I had saved from two months of full-time work.
'I had absolutely no idea how to even put up a sail, let alone anything more to do with sailing or boats in general.'
She continues: 'We taught ourselves how to sail in three days on the biggest lake in New Zealand, Lake Taupo.
'One month later, in February, 2018 we decided to go on our first trip out at sea (after having only three days of sailing experience).
Try and stop us! The couple say they've had mixed reactions to their forthcoming trip, with some calling them crazy
Ready to go! The young couple appear unfazed by a potentially dangerous journey
The tiny boat has so far given the couple their only sailing experience: How will they fare on a bigger vessel?
'Our first trip involved crossing one of the most dangerous pieces of water in the world and being towed by a bigger boat through the French Pass...twice.'
The couple are now in the process of buying a 30ft boat and say they'll be ready to go around the world by June, with around just four weeks' worth of sailing experience under their belts.
The couple, now based in Wellington, are appealing to fans of sailing to help support them through the trip, including financially.
To read more on Laura and Robert's sailing expedition, visit World's Corner Sailing on YouTube.
From a racy policewoman to a topless shop worker, these vintage sketches reveal the risque costumes worn by hostesses at London's most exclusive cabaret club.
Murray's Cabaret Club, in Soho, was a venue where senior Establishment figures like Sir Winston Churchill sipped Champagne with Hollywood actors and the infamous Kray twins, while scantily-clad showgirls entertained them from the floor.
Among the club's most famous performers was teenage dancer Christine Keeler, who was thrust into the spotlight following her infamous affair with then Secretary of State for War John Profumo in 1961.
It was at Murray's that she met Dr Stephen Ward, a high-flying London osteopath and fixer who procured women for leading members of the Establishment and later introduced Christine, then 19, to Profumo at a party.
The costume sketches, which will go on public display for the first time next month, help conjure an image of what took place inside the members-only establishment during its heyday in the Fifties and Sixties.
Double trouble: The artist imagines two showgirls in stockings, black silk - and very little else
Exotic entertainment: This carnival-inspired creation includes the note 'South American'
Favourite number: This showgirl would only have a miniature violin to cover her modesty
The majority of the illustrations are by costume designer Ronald Cobb who worked for the club's owners, the Murray family, for 15 years immediately following the Second World War.
Vintage poster dealer Charlie Jeffreys, 58, of south London, purchased the entire collection of over 300 costume drawings five years ago from the family of the late Elsie Birchmore, who was the head seamstress at Murray's.
They offer a unique insight into what it was like inside the club.
Star of the show: Christine Keeler, pictured in a Murray's costume in 1962, was among the showgirls at the club. There she met the man who introduced her to politician John Profumo
Infamous: Keeler, then 19, had an affair with Secretary of State for War John Profumo, who was 27 years her senior, in 1961. Pictured, Profumo with wife Valerie Hobson in 1959
Tucked away: The entrance to Murray's Cabaret Club in Beak Street, Soho
Cabaret girls: Edith King, of Liverpool, and Sheila Shaw of Blackpool, left. Right, Doretta Moore, 18, of Manchester, were all members of the cast of Murray's Cabaret Club
Historic: The former entrance to the club, which closed its doors for the final time in the 70s
Exclusive: A poster advertising the club and featuring images of two of its '30 lovely showgirls'
Mr Jeffreys said: 'In the 50s [Murray's Club] was where you went whether you were a bishop, a judge, an aristocrat or a gangster - everyone rubbed shoulders.
'The girls who worked there like Christine Keeler were very young and often came down from the Midlands or Manchester.
'Many of them went on to dance with the Royal Ballet after their time at the club and some married the well to do men who frequented the establishment. Theses costumes injected a rare sparkle into a West End blighted by austerity in the 50s.'
Sumptuous: The costume notes detail a brocade-effect for the fabric of this regal costume
Blooming beautiful! These old-fashioned get-ups were created by a performer named 'Virginia'
Quick spritz? A perfume shop girl is given a very racy makeover with this green bow look
Among the most eye-catching costumes is a topless creation that shows a woman clad in fishnet tights and an elaborate flower headdress.
Another shows a woman wearing a feathered turban and carefully-placed pasties.
Murray's was originally opened as a jazz and cabaret club in Beak Street, Soho, in 1913 by American entrepreneur Jack Mays and his English business partner Ernest Cordell.
Kiss me! Suggestive red lips adorn the performer in this costume sketch, titled 'Pandora's Box'
Baring all: Two ideas for costumes include a string of pearls, left, and a pair of fishnet tights
Sheer magic: This entirely sheer brassiere and skirt leaves little to the imagination
Touch of the tropics: This intricate sketch provides details of the fabrics of the vibrant designs
In its 1950s and 1960s heyday, the club had a well-heeled membership of thousands who sipped vintage champagne and enjoyed burlesque performances.
Keeler began working at Murray's Cabaret Club in 1958 where she was spotted by osteopath Stephen Ward, becoming one of 'Ward's girls'.
She was introduced by Ward to Profumo and they embarked on a brief affair in 1961.
A bit of all white! This relatively modest costume accentuates her figure with ruching
Women in uniform! These plunging necklines allow the performers to show off their assets
Sinister: A woman clad all in black is sent out to seduce the members at Murray's Cabaret
Attention to detail: Fringing, flowers and fans bring a flirty feel to these cut-out creations
Spring shower: This nude outfit uses clouds to preserve the performer's modesty on stage
When the affair was first revealed two years later, public interest was heightened by reports she may have been simultaneously involved with Captain Yevgeny Ivanov, a Soviet spy, creating a security risk.
Profumo initally denied the affair but admitted it weeks later and resigned from his position.
The scandal contributed to the Conservatives' defeat by the Labour Party in the 1964 general election.
Cabaret queens: Crowns and puffed sleeves bring a regal feel to these two glamorous looks
Bustier Bo Peep! A corset and short skirt offer a very adult take on a children's book character
Extravagant: A nymph, left, and a graphic black, white and red costume worn without a bra
The sketches will go on display at the Century Club in Soho, London from March 22.
Aubrey Plaza has called out the Academy for never awarding the Best Actress Oscar to a Latina performerand pledged to take matters in her own hands by becoming the first one to earn the gong.
The actress, 33, was an honoree at the National Hispanic Media Coalition gala on Friday in Los Angeles. Alex Nogales, the coalition's CEO, has planned a protest before the Oscars to denounce the lack of representation of Latino actors in speaking and lead roles.
Aubrey took home an award for outstanding performance in a motion picture for her performance in Ingrid Goes West, a black comedy in which she plays a mentally unstable young woman obsessed with social media.
Speaking out: Aubrey Plaza, 33, was an honoree at the National Hispanic Media Coalition gala on Friday in LA (pictured) and called out the lack of representation of Latinx performers
Role: Aubrey took home an award for outstanding performance in a motion picture for her performance in Ingrid Goes West (pictured)
While accepting her award, Aubrey, whose father David Plaza is Puerto Rican, addressed the under-representation of Latinx actors and actresses in Hollywood, using her trademark sarcasm.
'I'm going to accept the leading best actress award on behalf of the Oscars ceremony because I heard a fun fact tonight that I never knew before, which is that no Latina actress has ever won best actress at the Oscars. Ever.' she said, according to Variety.
'So I'm going to accept that tonight to manifest that energy.'
Aubrey, who rose to fame playing April Ludgate in Parks And Recreation, joked that her part in Ingrid Goes West might not get her that Oscar just yet, but she didn't seem discouraged.
'I'll play some kind of psychotic character, some kind of criminal lunatic, those complicated characters I'm good at, and I'll do that for you. And I'm going to win that award,' she added.
Making a point: The actress pointed out that a Latina actress has never won the Best Actress Oscar, and pledged to become the first one to earn the distinction
Family: Aubrey attended the gala with her father David Plaza (pictured with her), who is Puerto Rican. Her mother, meanwhile, is of English and Irish descent
Since the first Academy Awards ceremony 89 years ago, only three Latina actresses have ever been nominated for the Best Actress in a leading role category.
The last time was in 2005, when Catalina Sandino Moreno earned the nomination for her part in Maria Full Of Grace. Hilary Swank ended up winning the award for her role in Million Dollar Baby.
Prior to that, Salma Hayek was nominated during the 2003 ceremony for her part in Frida, but lost to Nicole Kidman, who won the gong thanks to her performance in The Hours.
Fernanda Montenegro became the first Latin-American actress to ever be nominated in the Best Actress category during the 1999 Oscars, thanks to her role in Central Station.
Six Latina actresses have been nominated for the Best Actress in a supporting role distinction, and two have won the award.
Reunited: On the day before Valentine's Day, Aubrey posted a photo of herself with her Parks And Recreation co-stars Kathryn Hahn, Rashida Jones, and Amy Poehler
Lupita Nyong'o, who was born in Mexico City to Kenyan parents and once called herself a 'Mexi-Kenyan' during an interview, took home the gong during the 2014 Academy Awards for her performance in 12 Years A Slave, while Rita Moreno earned it in 1962 for her part in West Side Story.
Aubrey, a native of Wilmington, Delaware, has opened up in the past about growing up as the child of a Puerto Rican father and a mother of English and Irish descent.
'I was like the only diverse kid in my high school, and I'm half-Puerto Rican.
'But yeah, I have a huge family and tons of cousins in Puerto Rico,' she told Latina in a previous interview.
'We actually hung out with them last summer, and it was awesome. But I wish my grandfather had taught my Dad Spanish when he was younger so he could've taught me when I was younger, and sometimes he does, too. It's a shame.'
Before sleepless nights and nappy changes take over, pregnant former jailbird Michaella McCollum is determined to make the most of her freedom.
The 24-year-old, from Northern Ireland was spotted enjoying a day at the beach in Alicante and took time out to catch up on some reading as she soaked up the sun.
Michaella was seen enjoying Rhonda Byrne's famed self-help book The Secret, which details how the 'law of attraction' can help you fulfill your dreams, simply by putting positive thoughts into the universe.
After taking in some sage life advice, Michaella enjoyed a relaxing stroll on the beach, showing off her blossoming figure to full effect in a skimpy red bikini.
The expectant mother left her blonde locks fall loosely around her shoulders as she
Pregnant Michaella McCollum, 24, of Peru Two fame from Northen Ireland showed off her blossoming figure in a red bikini on the beach in Alicante
The mother-to-be covered up in a black sun dress and long duster coat ahead of her day at the beach
Michaella was spotted reading Rhonda Byrne's famous self help manual, The Secret
The mother-to-be confirmed her pregnancy last month by posting an image of her stomach on Instagram.
McCollum shot to notoriety in 2013 when she and her friend Melissa Reid were arrested in Lima for smuggling drugs and were dubbed the Peru Two by the Press.
She has since become something of a public figure, attending events and escaping the chilly British weather on holiday.
It is not yet known who the father is but a mystery man appeared in the Instagram post announcing the pregnancy last month.
Bumping along nicely! Michaella announced her pregnancy on Instagram last month, but is yet to reveal who the father is
Making plans! The expectant mother looked deep in thought as she took a stroll along the sand
Brushing up on the law of attraction! Michaella looked fascinated by the book, which reveals how to achieve anything you want by using the power of positive thinking
Michaella let her blonde locks fally loosely around her shoulders as she went for a paddle
The mother-to-be is looking forward to the birth of her first child and bringing out a book about her experiences as a drugs mule
Wearing black and white Calvin Klein underwear, McCollum was pictured nestling between the legs of an unseen man, who was resting one hand on her bump.
Captioning the post, Michaella wrote: 'Wow had some crazy dreams... guess that's what happens when your dreaming for more than one.'
McCollum's agent later confirmed the pregnancy revealing that she was looking forward to motherhood.
Speaking to the MailOnline they said: 'Michaella is pleased to announce her pregnancy, her journey since being back home has been life changing experience.
Making the most of her free time! Michaella made sure to soak up the sun as she enjoyed a 'babymoon' ahead of the birth of her first child
While the UK is braced for freezing temperatures, Michaella was enjoying much sunnier weather
Preparing for a big change: Michaella is set to welcome her first child and bring out her debut book this year
'Michaella is looking forward to her journey into motherhood. Couple this with the excitement of her book release and 2018 is set to be an amazing year for Michaella.'
Last month McCollum was spotted shopping for baby clothes and was also seen leaving ultrasound specialist, babybond in Belfast.
McCollum, from County Tyrone, Northern Ireland, was photographed leaving the clinic alongside a male companion whom sources have confirmed to be Patrick Mone.
Mone, who is reported to own a hair salon Monet Hair in Belfast, has been spotted with McCollum on several occasions recently - though the pair are not thought to be romantically connected.
Michaella is keeping mum about the father of her unborn child thus far
The pregnant 24-year-old has become something of a public figure since her release from prison
The former model has been spotted on several shopping trips since her agent confirmed that she is currently working on a documentary about life in prison.
She is also due to publish her first book, which is set to hit shelves this summer.
It was previously reported that she had been offered a 250,000 deal for the book, detailing her criminal exploits and time behind bars in Lima.
Since returning to the UK, Michaella's lifestyle has been a stark contrast to former accomplice Melissa Reid, who has landed a charity job at Citizens Advice.
Melissa applied for a job at the charity after she was released from the South American jail last June.
A 27-year-old woman has become the first American TV reporter to work in front of the camera while wearing a hijab full-time.
Tahera Rahman, now works as a reporter for WHBF-TV, a CBS affiliate based in Rock Island, Illinois, which serves the Quad cities. The journalist, from Naperville, Illinois, has worked at the station as a producer for two years and never lost sight of her 'dream' of stepping in front of the camera one day.
When another reporter position opened last year, Tahera, who was once told by a colleague that America wasn't 'ready' for a hijabi TV reporter, applied. Her reel proved to be the best out of the pool of applicants, and Tahera started her new full-time position earlier this month.
Making history: Tahera Rahman, 27, has become the first American TV reporter to work in front of the camera while wearing a hijab full-time
Position: The journalist, from Naperville, Illinois, now works as a reporter for WHBF-TV, a CBS affiliate based in Rock Island, Illinois, which serves the Quad cities
Tahera, who told The Des Moines Register she is 'living her dream', is the first female reporter to wear a hijab while working full-time for a mainstream TV station in the US, the Muslim American Women In Media group said.
The reporter decided to start wearing a hijab full-time when she was in the fifth grade, and initially faced resistance from her mother, who thought Tahera was too young to make such a choice.
'I remember the first day I decided to wear it full-time, because I wouldn't wear it outside of school or anything,' Rahman told the newspaper. 'I walked out of the house and I was like, "Oh my God, no, I'm starting to wear it now," and I ran back in and put it on.'
By wearing the hijab, Muslim women can manifest their faith and abide by the principle of modesty.
Putting in the work: Tahera has worked at the station as a producer for two years and never lost sight of her 'dream' of stepping in front of the camera one day
Choices: The reporter decided to start wearing a hijab full-time when she was in the fifth grade, and initially faced resistance from her mother, who thought Tahera was too young
Statements: After graduating college, Tahera sent her reel around, looking for their feedback. This is when one person told her the country 'wasn't ready' to have a hijabi reporter on TV
Tahera went on to attend Loyola University Chicago, a Catholic college, where she joined a sorority.
'I knew there was no one who looked like me who rushed Greek life, but I did because I wanted to,' she said. 'I would show up to formals and Panhellenic events and I would be the only one who wore a headscarf, but it never stopped me, and I still had fun and I still studied abroad and I still traveled with my sorority sisters to Spring Break.'
After graduating college, Tahera, who already had her eyes set on journalism, sent her reel to managers and professors, looking for their feedback. This is when one person told her the country 'wasn't ready' to have a hijabi reporter on television.
'It's those subtle statements that actually have a big impact,' Tahera said. 'It's those little things, those little pebbles that keep pelting you and saying, "Hey, it's not going to work."'
Inspiration: After her colleague's remark, Tahera saw a news story about a fellow hijabi, the first Somali-American legislator to be elected, which gave her hope
Reaching out: Tahera's pioneering career has earned her international support, with people sending her touching messages from Eastern Europe and Sweden
Tahera grew up noticing there was a lack a lot of people looking like her on TV and came of age in the post-9/11 era, when she noticed a shift in the public discourse about Muslim people.
The narrative, she recalled, came to revolve around 'who (Muslims) really are and what they really believe in and whose side they are on?
'That's when I realized they are talking about us, but there is no one who looked like us who can speak to it truthfully,' she said.
Tell me again about how America is not ready for this
After her colleague's remark, Tahera saw a news story about a fellow hijabi, the first Somali-American legislator to be elected.
Ilhan Omar, a former refugee and mother of three, became a DemocraticFarmerLabor Party member of the Minnesota House Of Representatives in November 2016, and Tahera read everything she could about her, thinking: 'Tell me again about how America is not ready for this.'
Tahera's pioneering career has earned her international support, with people sending her touching messages from Eastern Europe and Sweden.
However, she has also faced hateful backlash, which came just a few days after she made her debut on air.
Precaustions: The reporter has also faced hateful backlash, which came just a few days after she made her debut on air. Her station has taken measures to ensure her safety
On the job: Tahera now intends to keep reporting while wearing her hijab, and hope her work and talent, rather than her headscarf, will soon become the story
An anti-Islam website wrote a post about her new job at the station, prompting people to share vicious comments such as 'Just take the rag off your head and be a good American and enjoy your job.'
Others declared their intention to write letters asking WHBF-TV to take Tahera off the air.
The station has taken measures to ensure the reporter's safety.
Her colleagues have given her a warm welcome with a special segment introducing her to viewers and retracing her journey so far, also commending her for her 'great' work as a producer.
Meanwhile, Tahera has received supportive notes, including from viewers in Raleigh, North Carolina, who sent her their 'encouragement' and hoping she would continue her 'successful journey'.
'We know it is hard sometimes to be different from what other people consider "the norm" but we have found that being different is a strength,' the couple added.
Tahera now intends to keep reporting while wearing her hijab, and hope her work and talent, rather than her headscarf, will soon become the story.
'I want to be like I was born and raised here and I wear it, so I am where I belong,' she added. 'And you have to deal with it because this is my America, too.'
For most workers, stress is just a hazard of the job.
But a psychologist is now shedding light on the difference between manageable job related stress and career burnout, likening the latter to a form of mental illness.
Speaking to Popsugar, psychologist Dr Sherry Benton who is also the founder of online therapy service TAO Connect, shared that while depression is a diagnosable disorder, managed by medication and treatment, career burnout can contribute to low mental health that often goes undiagnosed.
According to research conducted by Career Builder in 2017, 61 per cent of American workers reportedly feeling burnt out by their current job, and over a third have admitted to high or extremely high levels of work related stress and anxiety.
'Too often we think about mental health and mental illness as a single dimension, but the two are separate constructs,' she suggested.
'You can have a high level of mental health or a low level of mental health, and you can have more severe symptoms of mental illness or no symptoms.'
Insight: Psychologist Dr Sherry Benton has detailed how career burnout can contribute to low mental health that often goes undiagnosed
1. Insomnia and exhaustion
Disrupted sleep patterns are a clear sign of career burnout according to Dr Benton. She suggests that working should leave a person feeling energized and that getting a job done should feel rewarding at the end of the day.
2. No support
Bad management or not having enough support staff can also contribute to burnout in the workplace. And although working long hours may be inevitable in some jobs, 'professional workaholics' are doing more damage than good in the long run.
3. No sense of pride
While overworking if often the most influential factor when dealing with career burnout, Dr Benton explained that often people can experience burnout when they work in a job that isnt meaningful or doesnt give a person a sense of pride - a 'lifestyle mismatch'.
4. Trying to be perfect
Dr Benton also revealed that striving for perfection and feeling frustrated when this cannot be achieved can quickly lead to burnout.
Expert opinion: Dr Sherry Benton detailed the five different signs to look out for when trying to diagnose career burn out
'When that's your mindset, you arrive to the point of diminishing return,' she explained.
'Your concentration falls apart, it's hard to focus, and every task you do becomes more difficult and more complicated. It affects your entire brain's memory system to try to work in a burnout state in a long period of time.
'You actually become far less effective, and you're making yourself less competent by not having that balance in your life.'
5. No downtime
Having time for friends and family or a creative outlet not associated with work is the key to achieving work life balance according to Dr Benton, citing 'multiple sources of well-being' as essential to avoid career burnout.
She is known for her signature sunglasses and frosty demeanour, but Anna Wintour let both slip as she attended a Vatican event on Monday.
The American Vogue editor offered a rare glimpse of her eyes as she joined designer Donatella Versace at the launch of an exhibition celebrating religious fashion, hosted by the Vatican's culture minister at a formal Papal residence in Rome.
The magazine chief, 68, showed her respect by removing her dark shades, which she wears everywhere from the Vogue offices to the catwalk.
Last week she drew criticism over her decision to keep her sunglasses in place as she sat front row with the Queen at London Fashion Week.
Rare glimpse: American Vogue editor Anna Wintour, who is renowned for her frosty demeanour, removed her signature sunglasses and flashed a rare smile as she attended the launch of an exhibition on religious fashion at a formal Papal residence in Rome on Monday
Fashion heavyweights: Donatella Versace, left, and Anna Wintour with Vatican culture minister Cardinal Gianfranco Ravasi, right, at the event at the grand palace on Monday
Controversial: Last week Wintour drew criticism over her decision to keep her sunglasses in place as she sat front row with the Queen at London Fashion Week, pictured
Wintour and Donatella, 62, were invited to a sneak preview of the Metropolitan Museum of Art's spring exhibit of the Costume Institute, Heavenly Bodies: Fashion and the Catholic Imagination, which will feature 40 vestments and liturgical accessories from the Vatican.
The fashion heavyweights were able to view some of the treasures, including bejwelled miters, Papal tiaras and a golden-threaded papal cape, before they are carefully packaged and transported to New York.
The pieces will sit alongside masterworks of medieval art in The Met collection and garments from desingers including Simone Rocha, Yves Saint Laurent, Christian Lacroix and Karl Lagerfeld. The exhibition will be on view from May 10 to October 8.
It is preceded by the annual Costume Institute Benefit, also known as the Met Gala, on May 7, which will be co-chaired by Wintour, Versace Amal Clooney and Rihanna.
Wintour and Donatella were invited to a sneak preview of the Metropolitan Museum of Art's spring exhibit of the Costume Institute, which will feature vestments and liturgical accessories
Cardinal Gianfranco Ravasi addresses the audience, including Wintour (left) and Versace
Dame Anna, who was given the title in last year's New Year's honours list, appeared to draw on the red and black of a Cardinal's robes for her own look today, opting for a sumptuous velvet dress in similar shades.
Meanwhile Versace donned a piece from her own label featuring graphic colour blocks and text.
Commenting on the exhibition, Wintour said: 'Part of the power of the church has been how they look, and how they dress. They have this extraordinary presence.'
Tiara of Pius IX on display, boasting lavish gold work and glittering precious stones
Mitre of Pius XI on display at The Met's Heavenly Bodies preview event in Rome
Last week Dame Anna joined the Queen as the monarch made her Fashion Week debut at the Richard Quinn show in London.
The monarch sat next to the uncharacteristically nervous US Vogue boss, along with British Fashion Council chief Caroline Rush, before the pair eventually relaxed in her presence.
Grant Harrold, an etiquette expert who worked in Prince Charles' household, said Anna's actions had broken royal protocol.
Ornate: Donatella Versace poses next to one of the Tiara (1877) of Pope Pius IX in Rome
Anna dello Russo is cleaning out her closet.
For the 55-year-old fashion editor a street style favorite who has been sitting front row at Fashion Week for decades this is no ordinary task. Currently an editor-at-large for Vogue Japan, Anna's wardrobe is more extensive and expensive than most, and can't exactly be dropped off at the local Goodwill store.
So this weekend, Anna auctioned off 32 amazing lots from her archive to a room full of celebrities and fashion elite and then put an additional 124 pieces on Net-a-Porter for everyone else to snatch up.
Pictured: Anna dello Russo walks in a fashion show kicking off an auction of items from her own closet this weekend
Walk, walk: The 55-year-old fashion editor held the star-studded event during Milan Fashion Week
Hot outfit: Christie's auctioned off 32 lots, mostly of multiple items like coats and bags or dresses and hats
Over it: Anna selected many items from her wardrobe to auction off at the end
Editing: This isn't the first time she has donated or given away clothing, but it was the biggest event she hosted to do so
There were plenty of pieces to choose from. Speaking to the New York Times, she admitted she has spent 'crazy amounts of money' on designer clothing over the course of her career, and once paid for an entire second apartment to put her clothes in.
'Everyone says I'm mad, but if you're a librarian, what do you spend your money on?' she asked. 'Books. My clothes were my books, my alphabet.'
Of course, this isn't the first time she's given away or donated pieces, but it was the biggest event she's held for such a giveaway.
The kickoff was held this weekend during Milan Fashion Week, in conjunction with the release of her book AdR: Beyond Fashion.
She partnered with Nadja Swarovski for the Chrstie's auction, which included 32 lots (with some lots containing multiple pieces) from her own fashion vault.
A-list: Hailey Baldwin was one of several models to show off the pieces up for grabs
Raised: All in all, the auction brought in a whopping 147,000 ($181,019)
Cause: Earnings are being donated to the Swarovski Foundation scholarship program
Intense: Anna admitted prior to the event that she once rented a second apartment for her wardrobe
Away: She decided it was time 'to organize something to mark the end of an important phase of my life'
'I've always been extremely jealous of my clothes, which I collected as vestiges actually I still love them, they are still so interesting to me, they will always be, fashion will always fascinate me.
'But this is the moment for me to open my collection and donate to other people, from the young fashion assistant to the most important photographer,' she said, according to WWD. 'It's just the right time to donate.
'Last year, I lost two people who were so important for me and I realized it was time for a change. I wanted to organize something to mark the end of an important phase of my lifeIts a karmic moment for me.'
The swanky party included a fashion show, in which A-list models including Izabel Goulart, Caroline Vreeland, Maria Borges, and Hailey Baldwin walked the runway in the pieces that were up for grabs.
Wow: Anna is pictured at a Vogue party in 2010 wearing a feather Gareth Pugh mask which, along with a Prada black astrakhan ensemble, sold for a total of 12,000 ($14,782)
Glitzy and glam: She went on to sell an additional 124 pieces on Net-a-Porter, including this Moschino jacket for 500
Shelling out: This Prada suit is one of many items to sell out quickly. A buyer paid 550
While the pieces were pricey, the editor probably only wore each one a couple of times, tops (pictured left: 450 Manish Arora outfit; right: 700 Celine wool cape)
Snatched: This Lanvin dress, which she likely only wore this once, sold for 350
Once was hers... Anna modeled several pieces for the site, including a 550 Gareth Pugh dress (left) and a 650 Dolce & Gabbana kimono (right)
Donated: All proceeds, including the 500 paid for this Junya Watanabe faux leather and suede-paneled tulle top and skirt, went to the British Fashion Council Education Foundation
Then the bidding began all in all fetching 147,000 ($181,019), which Anna is donating to the Swarovski Foundation scholarship program.
According to Vogue, bidding started at just 50 ($62) a piece but quickly skyrocketed above that. The highest bid went to Burberry by Christopher Bailey trenchcoat and Hermes Birkin bag 13,000 ($1,6014).
Also sold off were a feather Gareth Pugh mask with a Prada black astrakhan ensemble, which sold for a total of 12,000 ($14,782).
Among the buyers were Swiss heir Carl Hirschmann and designer Neil Barrett, while also in attendance were Olivia Palermo, designer Fausto Puglisi, former Cavalli and Pucci creative director Peter Dundas, and Natasha Poly.
But the spending didn't end there. At the close of the auction, Net-a-Porter opened up sale on an additional 124 pieces from Anna's collection, as well as her book.
Each had a set price, ranging from 50 ($70) to 850 ($1,187) with all proceeds being donated to the British Fashion Council Education Foundation.
Gone: Up for grabs were a 550 Balenciaga jacket and a 450 dress by the same designer
Must: One buyer shelled out 350 for this Prada dress, which Anna wore in 2014
Not only did she sell these coats (left, by Sonia Rykiel, and right, by Comme des Garcons) with accessories she also sold
Wanted: This Miu Miu suit sold for 500 and was one of two printed suits by the designer up for grabs
This Givenchy bomber went for 550 pricey, but a bargain compared to retail
Sure: These hats (left: Elstinko and right: Disney) went for 50 each
Pieces included dresses and coats by Moschino, Givenchy, Alexandra McQueen, Prada, Giambattista Valli, Miu Miu, Balenciaga, Celine, Alaia, Comme des Garcons, Dolce & Gabbana, and Saint Laurent.
There were more classic items, like a leopard Saint Laurent skirt suit and a Louis Vuitton trench.
But there were also several that represent the editor's more envelope-pushing style, like a Junya Watanabe faux leather and suede-paneled tulle top and skirt and a Manish Arora patent leather-trimmed crepe jacket and mini dress set.
This treasure trove went quickly, too, and is nearly entirely sold out, with $60,812.78 worth of merchandise sold so far.
Once all of the pieces have been sold, the total collection will have raised about $245,750.
Kitchen appliances traditionally aren't the most stylish of accessories - but that's all about to change as Dolce and Gabbana's debut collaboration with high-end appliance brand Smeg is finally available to order online.
Featuring vivid floral motifs and bright patterns, the range of funky designs was announced last year but until now, foodie fashionistas have been unable to get their hands on the colourful gadgets.
They're now available to pre-order online - but make sure you have deep pockets before you do, as even a toaster will set you back $600.
For now, only three Dolce & Gabbana Smeg appliances are available to pre-order online, including this kettle, which will set customers back $600
The Italian luxury brand began its partnership with Italian appliance manufacturer Smeg in April last year and together they created a line of small kitchen appliances called Sicily Is My Love.
But now a few of the items are finally available to pre-order online via Neiman Marcus's website for US customers only, as the site does not allow for UK shipping at this time.
However in the UK you can pick up the items at Harrods, Selfridges and at Smeg's flagship London store in person - though none of the items are available online in the UK as yet.
The other two items available to pre-order are the juicer, and the toaster, both of which cost $600. The toaster, like the other products in the range, features a bright hand-painted design
They are only for die-hard Dolce fans as the only three items currently available to order, a kettle, toaster and juicer, cost $600 each in the range.
Harrods put the gadgets - which all feature colourful, flowing designs - on display over Christmas and now sells them in store.
Smeg states on its website that the range will be available online 'soon'.
Both Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana have strong ties to Sicily. In addition to the fact that Dolce was born and raised in the area, both designers continue to frequent the famous island and reference it in their collections.
The brand describes the collaboration as being 'intrinsically tied to Sicily and the important aspects of the aesthetic of [the designers].'
Sicilian fruits, flowers, beaches, and animals are all present in the collection.
There are other products in the range which aren't yet available to pre-order including Smeg's iconic retro food mixer and a blender, both in the new Dolce & Gabbana designs
Soon, your counter tops sing with joy as they become home to the Dolce & Gabbana x Smeg toaster, juicer, blender, espresso machine, kettle, or stand mixer.
This is not the first time the strange bedfellows have collaborated on designer appliances. Last year, Dolce & Gabbana x Smeg produced a highly-exclusive line of hand-painted refrigerators.
Each of the 100 custom refrigerator reportedly retailed for $34,000 - though Neiman Marcus sells a handful for a whopping $50,000.
A normal Smeg refrigerator sells for approximately $2,000, making the D&G versions a whopping 17 times the normal amount at least.
Almost all known cases of female genital mutilation carried out in the UK are legal piercings, official figures show.
The Department of Health controversially decided all intimate piercings should be included in new statistics collected by the NHS to record cases of FGM.
But out of 5,391 newly recorded cases of FGM found by GPs and NHS trusts in the year to March 2017, only 57 were performed in the UK of which 50, or 87 per cent, were in the category for piercings, and all the women whose ages were known were over 18.
The figures suggest almost all girls who undergo the shocking FGM procedure, which has been illegal for more than 30 years, are taken abroad.
But out of 5,391 newly recorded cases of FGM found by GPs and NHS trusts in the year to March 2017, only 57 were performed in the UK of which 50, or 87 per cent, were in the category for piercings
But campaigners argue the true picture is hidden as the practice and scale of the child abuse remains out of sight from health professionals in the UK.
A spokesman for childrens charity the NSPCC said: We know from calls to our dedicated helpline that female genital mutilation is still affecting hundreds of girls in the UK. For far too long female genital cutting has been cloaked in secrecy so the true picture of how many girls are affected is unknown.
We need more people in communities to join forces to ensure this dangerous and illegal practice is ended and urge young people and any adults worried about them, to speak out and get help.
Police chief knew key witness in court case that fell apart DCI Leanne Pook is a trustee of Integrate UK, it has emerged For the past six years DCI Leanne Pook has fronted Avon and Somerset Polices efforts to combat FGM. She led the investigation that ended with a taxi driver being prosecuted for child cruelty to his daughter and took key witness Sami Ullahs statement. However, it has emerged that DCI Pook, 46, is a trustee of Integrate UK, the anti-FGM charity Mr Ullah was working for, and has known him personally for several years. She has described him online as a lovely fella, the greatest and a champion. Two weeks after the unidentified Somali taxi driver was charged in June last year, Mr Ullahs charity is said to have sent DCI Pook a large chocolate cake to say thank you. She posted a photo on Twitter with the caption: From our gorgeous friends @_IntegrateUK who want to say thanks to the cops. Avon and Somerset Police confirmed DCI Pook took Mr Ullahs initial statement and was the senior investigating officer. Tory MP Ian Liddell-Grainger told The Mail on Sunday that letting the detective head the case involving a friend was a total conflict of interest. Advertisement
Last week the latest attempt to secure the first court conviction for FGM collapsed at Bristol Crown Court and questions are now being asked about the role of the senior police officer involved in the case.
The inquiry began when a 29-year-old Uber driver was said to have told a passenger and anti-FGM campaigner that his daughter had undergone the procedure. The conversation was reported to police and experts were sent to examine the drivers daughters at their Bristol home.
Doctors found a small mark on the youngest girl but noted the seven-year-old who denied being harmed appeared happy and well looked after.
A decision was made to prosecute after an investigation led by Detective Chief Inspector Leanne Pook, the Avon and Somerset Police lead officer investigating cases of FGM.
Passenger Sami Ullahs account of the taxi chat in March 2016 was branded inconsistent by the judge when the case came to court after two years.
Directing the jury to find the father not guilty of child cruelty, Judge Julian Lambert said: There is no evidence put by the prosecution as to when or how any alleged mutilation is said to have taken place. The evidence in this case is deeply troubling.
And now personal links between DCI Pook and Mr Ullah and his charity have added to concerns over the way the case was handled.
Campaigners have also accused prosecutors of wasting public money and have questioned why Avon and Somerset Police trusted Mr Ullahs inconsistent evidence.
The Government has pledged 35million to eradicate FGM and in 2015 it was made a requirement for medical staff, teachers and social workers to report cases.
Last year, Eurostar passengers at Londons St Pancras were grilled by officials about where they had been in a bid to root out FGM offenders.
But the first attempt to bring charges against London doctor Dhanuson Dharmasena ended in farce as he was acquitted in only 25 minutes.
Nearly 30 percent of teenagers under 18 have received a sext, new research has revealed.
The new study of more than 100,000 teenagers around the world also found that one in seven teens have sent sext messages themselves, while 12 percent said they have forwarded a sext without consent.
Sexting is becoming more prevalent among teens, and previous studies have found underage teens who share sexually explicit images are more likely to have underage sex.
The recent study, conducted by researchers at the University of Calgary, highlights the importance of including the issue as part of children's sex education.
One in eight teens forwarded a sexual image or message without the sender's consent, a new study revealed
'We weren't surprised by the findings because the exploration of sexuality is a normal part of adolescence,' Dr Sheri Madigan, assistant professor in the department of psychology at the University of Calgary, told Daily Mail Online.
'What was most surprising, is that we found that approximately one in 10 teens are reporting that they have forwarded sexts without the consent of the sender,' she added.
Dr Madigan and her colleagues conducted a literature review of 39 studies involving 110,380 children between the ages of 12 and 17 years old.
She said the prevalence of sexting in the 39 studies analyzed varied dramatically - from three percent to 65 percent.
'By synthesizing this body of research, we can more accurately estimate that one in seven teens are sending sexts, and 27 percent are receiving sexts,' Dr Madigan said.
In addition to finding that 12 percent of teens have distributed sexts or messages without consent, researchers also found that 8.4 percent of teens have had their naked selfies or sexual messages circulated without permission.
Researchers said relationships between tweens are often short-lived, which make them more vulnerable to having sexts forwarded without their consent.
They said that given tweens' 'naivete,' they are also vulnerable to having their sexts used as blackmail.
'An important area of future inquiry will be the identification of variables associated with non-consensual sexting, as well as the evaluation of the effectiveness of educational campaigns and legal policies striving to mitigate non-consensual sexting in youth,' researchers wrote.
The study also revealed more sexting occurs on smartphones than computers.
'Smartphone ownership among teens is near universal,' Dr Madigan told Daily Mail Online. 'So the fact that [sex and smartphones] are colliding did not surprise us.'
Previous studies have linked sexting among teens to an increased likelihood of participating in risky behaviors.
A 2014 study published in Pediatrics found teens who admitted to sharing nude pictures of themselves were 32 percent more likely to report that they've had sexual intercourse a year later when compared to those who haven't sexted.
Furthermore, a 2012 study published in Pediatrics found teens who sexted were seven times more likely to be sexually active, and nearly two times more likely to have unprotected sex.
'From a public health perspective, we wanted to study this topic because teen's on and offline behaviors are completely intertwined,' Dr Madigan said.
'So this is a pressing issue for most parents who are wondering what teens are doing on their phones,' she added.
Dr Madigan urged parents to 'be proactive, not reactive' about sexting, and to talk to their kids often about sexuality, sexting, peer pressure, and online versus offline relationships.
'These are not "one and done" conversations, they should be ongoing throughout the tween and teen years,' she said.
Psychologist Dr Elizabeth Englander, of Bridgewater State University in Massachusetts, reviewed the findings for the journal and said they were an important step forward in understanding the prevalence of sexting - including the unauthorized distribution of sexual images.
'Sexting is a new behavior that is evolving rapidly, as technology changes and awareness increases,' she said. 'The accuracy of our understanding about it defines our prevention and intervention efforts.'
Victims of so-called Aussie flu this winter may be at risk of Alzheimer's disease, a new study suggests.
Trials on mice revealed the H3N2 virus can trigger memory damage that may raise their risk of the neurological disorder.
It is the same strain that wreaked havoc in Australia, UK and the US this winter, and was partly to blame for the worst outbreak in recent years.
In the first experiment of its kind, German scientists also discovered that a form of bird flu, H7N7, caused the same problems to the mice.
They can enter the central nervous system, changing the structure and function of the hippocampus - a brain region involved in learning and memory.
However, charities have dismissed the findings and warned those who suffered from the flu should not be concerned by the results.
Both H3N2 and H7N7 were also found to alter genes that are thought to boost the risk of depression, autism and schizophrenia.
However, swine flu, or H1N1, had no effects on the brain, found the researchers from Braunschweig University of Technology.
Trials on mice revealed the H3N2 virus can trigger memory damage that may raise their risk of the neurological disorder
Professor Martin Korte, who led the study, said all the evidence shows that flu can cause neurological complications in humans - who are similar to mice.
He said: 'A comparison revealed that infection with H1N1 did not lead to any long-term alterations in spatial memory formation and neuron morphology.
'The infection with the non-neurotropic H3N2 subtype and neurotropic H7N7 caused long-lasting cognitive deficits in infected animals.'
Professor Korte added 'evidence now accumulates' that chronic neuroinflammation - as seen in the mice - may be a 'central mechanism' to Alzheimer's disease.
He warned that flu in humans 'may also trigger neuroinflammation and associated chronic alterations in the CNS'.
But Dr David Reynolds, chief scientific officer at Alzheimer's Research UK, dismissed the study and said 'it does not tell us anything about the risk of Alzheimer's'.
WHAT FLU STRAINS ARE IN THE UK IN 2018? There are many different types of flu circulating around the world, but four main types are being seen in Britain this winter. H3N2 - Dubbed Aussie flu after it struck Australia hard last winter, this strain is more likely to affect the elderly, who do not respond well to the current vaccine. This is one of the most common strains seen so far this winter, with at least 63 confirmed cases seen in official laboratories. H1N1 - This strain known as swine flu - is generally more likely to hit children, who respond well to vaccination. This has been seen nearly as often as H3N2 so far this year, with at least 50 cases confirmed in labs. In the past it was commonly caught from pigs, but that changed in 2009 when it started spreading rapidly among humans in a major global pandemic. B / Yamagata - This is known as 'Japanese flu'. Only people who received the four strain vaccine - which is being slowly rolled out after it was introduced for the first time last winter - are protected against the Yamagata strain. Those who received the normal three strain vaccine are not protected. This strain has been seen in at least 63 lab cases so far this winter. B / Victoria - This strain is vaccinated against in the normal three strain vaccine, but has hardly appeared so far this winter, with just around four confirmed cases. Advertisement
He added: 'There is no reason to think that a bout of the flu increases a person's risk of dementia.'
The study, published in the Journal of Neuroscience, involved infecting female mice with three different flu strains H1N1, H3N2, H7N7.
H1N1 was the virus that caused the swine flu outbreak in 2009 and was also behind the 1918 Spanish flu pandemic, which killed 50 million.
Scientists feared H3N2 would also pose a threat to humanity, with some warning it could claim more than one millions live across the world.
The killer strain has rocked the US, UK and large parts of Europe this winter, after gripping Australia and triggering an unusually large outbreak.
And H7N7 is a strain of bird flu that can be deadly if it passed from birds to humans, and is believed to have last been seen in humans 15 years ago.
The study found H3N2 and H7N7 caused memory impairments that were associated with structural changes to neurons in the hippocampus.
The infections also activated the brain's immune cells in this region for an extended period.
And they altered the expression of several genes implicated in disorders including depression, autism and schizophrenia.
It took the mice 120 days - the equivalent of 26 human years - to fully recover from the neurological side effects.
Dr Reynolds said: 'While this study in mice suggests that flu may be associated with changes to areas of the brain involved in memory, it does not tell us anything about the risk of diseases like Alzheimer's.
'There is increasing evidence that the immune system plays a key role in Alzheimer's but, while researchers are exploring how long-term inflammation might affect this, there is no reason to think that a bout of the flu increases a person's risk of dementia.
'Only by continuing to unravel these complex molecular processes will we understand how inflammation could contribute to Alzheimer's and how this damage may be stopped.
'We need to see long-term commitment to ensure that all areas of dementia research get the investment they need and take us closer to finding answers for people affected by these diseases.'
Im in my mid 70s and have suffered from dry coughs for years, which now occur regularly every day.
I have visited my GP several times over the years and each time hes examined my throat hes said there was no infection, and it was nothing to worry about.
However, it does affect my quality of life. Over-the-counter cough remedies have little or no effect. Please can you advise?
P. Hudson, Wolverhampton.
At any one time 10 per cent of the population has a persistent cough we call it chronic if it lasts for more than eight weeks. I am not surprised your doctor has ruled out an infection, given that the cough has lasted for many years.
The first diagnosis to consider and exclude is so-called upper airways cough syndrome, or what we used to call a post-nasal drip. Here the cough is caused by abnormalities in the nose and sinuses, typically as a result of an allergy. The standard treatment is with a steroid nasal spray: this should be tried for at least two weeks, and if effective, treatment can continue for three months.
At any one time 10 per cent of the population has a persistent cough we call it chronic if it lasts for more than eight weeks (file photo)
If the cough does not improve on this regimen, another possibility is that its a problem in the lower respiratory tract in other words, asthma. The proof of this diagnosis also lies in trialling a treatment in this case, a steroid preventer inhaler, or a short course of oral steroids (lasting one or two weeks).
The third common possibility is gastro-oesophageal reflux, when acid produced by the stomach is refluxed up the oesophagus: sometimes this doesnt cause any other recognisable symptoms apart from a cough (caused by the acid irritating the throat). Diagnosis is confirmed by trialling a treatment typically a months course of an acid suppressant medication (omeprazole, 40mg once daily).
If this doesnt help but its still thought that the cough is due to acid reflux then further investigations may include pH monitoring (using a flexible probe placed in the oesophagus for 24 hours to detect acid reflux).
Where there is no obvious cause the cough is put down to hypersensitivity syndrome: essentially the throat has, for some reason, become super sensitive.
There are treatments for this, essentially drugs that act on whats known as the central cough centre in the brain: these include dextromethorphan (a type of sedative) for which there is evidence of modest effectiveness; codeine has also been shown to work in some patients. However both are forms of opioids and potentially addictive.
You mention in your longer letter research showing that theobromine, a constituent of chocolate, had a small but positive effect on reducing cough severity, by inhibiting the vagus nerve (that runs from the skull to various organs in the abdomen).
The thinking is that this sends faulty messages to the cough centre. In a study published last year in the Journal of Thoracic Disease, patients were given either 300mg theobromine twice daily (equivalent to about two ounces of unsweetened dark chocolate) or a placebo.
It might be worth trialling an ounce or two twice daily of dark chocolate for two to four weeks (the only potential side-effect being minimal weight gain).
One final thought. Researchers have discovered a receptor in the cells of the airways thats important in the cough reflex.
It also seems to be involved somehow in cough hyper-sensitivity syndrome.
Be reassured that science has not abandoned you and those with this life-disrupting complaint; there is more yet to learn, it is an area of interest and valid research.
Last year I was taken to hospital after an accident when I fractured my skull. I was given a blood transfusion. Later I needed another transfusion but the doctor said I couldnt have one as I had antibodies in my blood, so I was given iron intravenously instead. What are antibodies?
D Hartwell, Telford.
I hope that you have now recovered fully from such a significant injury. A blood transfusion is effectively a transplant and for this reason, the decision to give one is only recommended when there is some danger to life.
The possible complications include acute reactions when the immune system in the recipient attacks the donated cells. This seems to have happened in your case.
Antibodies are proteins produced by the immune system to fight off infection.
Antibodies are proteins produced by the immune system to fight off infection, one patient was told he was unable to have a second blood transfusion due to their presence in his blood stream
In general they protect us from any infective illness. However, following a blood transfusion your body can create antibodies to certain factors, such as proteins or fats, in the donor blood, which the immune system identifies as foreign.
Before your transfusion you would have had a blood test called type and crossmatch to determine your blood group and the presence of various factors in your blood, including antibodies.
You were then given donated blood that matched your blood profile. The problem is that the type and crossmatch test only checks the main blood groups, ABO and Rhesus, but there are many, many others.
That means in practice there may be a small degree of incompatibility with donor blood, which can lead to the recipients immune system making antibodies to the donated blood.
This means that should you need another transfusion, finding a future blood match for you will be more difficult.
Thats because the antibodies are likely to target a number of factors in any new blood.
This is why instead of a second transfusion they decided to boost your iron levels. Iron is needed to make red blood cells and the thinking here is to allow your own bone marrow to make them rather than engage in a search for suitable blood.
If there was another emergency in the future, it would not be impossible to give you a transfusion, though it may be more complex to find compatible blood. But do not fear that this imperils you.
Iron supplementation is safe and effective, albeit a slow process. And if need be, there are options for transfusion.
IN MY OPINION: GOOD NEWS ABOUT MIGRANES
As a migraineur since the age of three, long having given up hope of being one of the lucky ones who eventually grow out of regular attacks, I keep a close eye on all migraine research.
So it was with a little concern that I read the latest study, published this month, which found that migraine is associated with an increased risk of heart attack and stroke.
A recent study has suggested that migraines are associated with an increased risk of heart attack and stroke
The Danish researchers had looked at data from 50,000 patients with migraine over 19 years, comparing their health outcomes with half a million people who didnt suffer migraine.
The message to be drawn from this is not to worry, but those with migraine around 15 per cent of the population do need to be meticulous in their attention to the risk factors for cardiovascular disease.
These include a family history, high blood pressure, smoking, obesity, a sedentary lifestyle, and high cholesterol levels.
As well as modifying these risk factors, you need to stick to the lifestyle advice that everyone with migraines is given anyway: get enough sleep (seven to eight hours) but not sleeping in excessively, take regular daily exercise, drink enough water and take care not to miss meals.
The good news is that if you are assiduous about the migraine triggers, youll be fitter and less at risk of heart attack and stroke than people who dont have that ever present incentive to modify their behaviour a really bad migraine.
Every cloud can have a silver lining.
CHOC HORRORS
Cadburyss chocolate bars have been banned from hospitals across the country. Quite right you might think chocolate can hardly be labelled a health food.
Yet managers have taken this move not to preserve patients health, it seems, but to preserve profit.
The supplier was trying to charge more: the NHS makes money from each chocolate bar sold, so either the NHS takes a profit cut, or charges the customer more.
This comes in the same week we learn that millennials are set to be the fattest generation ever little wonder when chocolate bars have been sold so enthusiastically even by institutions that are supposed to preserve our health.
WHY I'M WORRIED ABOUT...
This week we learn that just a single unit of alcohol a day can put you at significant risk of dementia, according to Oxford and Cardiff university researchers.
This may come as a surprise to those of us who last week read about super-agers and how many of them enjoy a daily tipple.
Exasperated by such contradictions in health news, many take the attitude: I dont know what to believe so I shall just do as please, yet common sense must always prevail and that means moderation in all things.
Rachel Hardy, 38 was given a long list of food allergies she had developed despite being free of them throughout her childhood
Offer Rachel Hardy a fruit salad and she will have to decline. Its not that she doesnt like fruit for years they were among her favourite foods but these days a bite of a juicy peach or nectarine could make her seriously ill; even kill her.
After experiencing numerous frightening reactions, at the age of 38 Rachel has recently been told there is a list of foods to which she is so highly allergic that they could trigger a potentially fatal anaphylactic attack: as well as peaches and nectarines nuts and figs are off limits for her.
For years she had eaten these without a problem but that changed during Christmas ten years ago when she helped herself to a handful of nuts.
Id only eaten a couple when suddenly my mouth felt strange, recalls Rachel. My throat started itching madly and my mouth felt as if it was swelling. I can only describe it as if I had an entire boiled egg in my throat and couldnt shift it.
Rachel ran to the kitchen to drink some milk. I then ran upstairs and brushed my teeth frantically. As I did, the swelling seemed to subside. I was so relieved, but it was very scary.
A few weeks later, Rachel, who runs her own cleaning business in Southwell, Nottinghamshire, had another reaction after eating a nut.
I didnt understand it, says the mother of three aged 17, 14 and eight. Id never been allergic to nuts in my life. Id been asthmatic as a child and still had an inhaler. Id also had hay fever.
But food had never caused me any problems. So why was it happening to me as an adult?
Her GP gave her antihistamines and told her to avoid nuts. Then she reacted after eating a peach and, a few weeks later, after shed given birth to her third child, Rachel was eating a fig when she felt her throat tighten and itch.
For years she had eaten all sorts of foods without a problem but that changed during Christmas ten years ago when she helped herself to a handful of nuts (file photo)
This was worse than any other reaction, she says. I felt my airways close, as if I couldnt breathe. I felt dizzy and had to lie down. I felt my blood pressure plummet.
Rachel is one of an increasing number of people who develop a food allergy as an adult, not as a child, as people tend to think happens.
New research by the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology found that almost half of the 40,000 adults with a food allergy surveyed said one or more of their allergies started in adulthood.
Holly Shaw, nurse adviser at the charity Allergy UK, says that it has had an increase in the number of adults ringing its helpline with adult-onset allergy symptoms and concerns.
An allergy occurs when the body mistakes something harmless such as a nut protein as harmful, prompting the immune system to produce antibodies and other chemicals such as histamine that tries to rid the body of the perceived invader by, for example, prompting the production of mucus, triggering symptoms such as sneezing, or by increasing blood flow to the affected area, leading to a rash or the urge to itch, depending on the area affected.
However, food allergies have the potential to cause anaphylaxis which rather than affecting just one area, affects the whole body, and can lead to a dramatic drop in blood pressure as blood vessels swell. It can be fatal.
Some allergies start in childhood and are often outgrown, typically with egg and milk allergy, says Dr Zoe Adhya, a consultant in immunology and allergy at Kings College Hospital, London.
It may be that a higher level of exposure to these foods leads to a tolerance. Reactions such as peanut allergy normally start in childhood and persist into adulthood in about 80 per cent of people
But there are other allergies such as seafood that are more likely to develop in adulthood.
In fact, about two per cent of adults or one in 50 have a food allergy, (although some will have had these from childhood).
Quite why more adults should be developing food allergies is unclear. Having asthma or hay fever, as Rachel did, puts you at increased risk of developing a food allergy at any stage in life, as does having eczema.
One theory why adults specifically develop food allergies is that in our clean environment the immune system that once would have been fighting off frequent infections switches to causing allergy, says Dr Adhya the immune system needs ongoing exposure to parasites and other bugs in order to work properly.
Another theory is that its due to a lack of vitamin D because we spend so much time inside or slather ourselves in sunscreen when outside. The vitamin is known to have a role in regulating the immune system and a lack of it could trigger an allergy.
Exposure to new foods and air pollution such as diesel fumes may also be implicated.
In most cases it is unknown why a previously healthy adult will suddenly start making allergic antibodies against a particular allergen, says Dr Adhya.
Rachel is one of an increasing number of people who develop a food allergy as an adult, not as a child, as people tend to think happens (file photo)
However, there are rare cases that can illustrate how the immune system gets primed.
One example, says Dr Adhya, is where a tick bite can cause a meat allergy. The tick bite primes the immune system to make antibodies against alphagal, a carbohydrate found in the cells of mammals we eat, such as cows and pigs, which is also present in the tick from feeding on mammals blood. The person then has an allergic reaction the next time they eat red meat.
After Rachel reacted to the nuts and peach, her doctor gave her a list of foods to avoid and prescribed her an EpiPen an adrenaline injection to use if she ever got a reaction. I felt at last he was taking me seriously. But there was still no official reason why I was suddenly allergic to foods Id eaten all my life, says Rachel.
EpiPens cause the blood vessels to constrict, which helps to raise blood pressure during a severe reaction. Yet Rachel was still finding more and more things she was allergic to.
One day, in 2015, I took my youngest child and her friend on a picnic. We sat outside and ate cherries. I love cherries and had eaten them all my life. I suddenly felt my throat tighten and my blood pressure plummet. I hurried the kids into the car, raced home and took some antihistamine. It was terrifying.
Nine years after Rachel first had food allergy symptoms, this latest attack prompted her GP to send her for skin prick tests at the local hospital. There, tiny amounts of typical allergenic substances are tested on the skin, the gold standard for diagnosing food allergies.
Testing can be done by scratching the surface of the skin with a tiny amount of the food and looking for a skin reaction such as hives or rashes, says Dr Adhya.
When we think someone has outgrown their allergy we may introduce them to that food by giving them a small amount to eat.
Rachels tests showed she was highly allergic to fruits, including peaches, figs, cherries, nectarines apples, cherries, honeydew melon, kiwi and also nuts.
It was a relief to have a diagnosis, but also terrifying. I was at risk of anaphylaxis from so many everyday foods.
Even with a diagnosis and an EpiPen, Rachel still encountered difficulties. I cant eat anything thats even been near fresh fruit as it can still affect me.
Ive had to tell my eight-year-old that if I give her a sign, it means Im having an anaphylactic shock and she should call an ambulance. Its a huge responsibility for a young child.
And when her children eat fruit, she makes sure she goes to a different room.
The good news, says Dr Adhya, is that, just as children can outgrow allergies, so can some adults.And, she says, that the type of allergy Rachel has Oral Allergy Syndrome is one of the types of allergy that can be outgrown.
She says: Pollen allergy, which causes hayfever, and oral allergy syndrome an allergy to fresh fruit and vegetables linked to the pollen allergy often peak when adults are in their 20s and declines when patients reach their 40s and 50s.
Meanwhile, Rachel lives in fear of having a potentially deadly anaphylactic reaction. If its something I can outgrow, I hope it happens soon, she says. Because at the moment it rules my life.
FLY IN THE OINTMENT
The amazing discoveries found using fruit flies. This week: body clock rhythms.
The discovery of the gene in fruit flies that regulates the biological clock in all living things won the Nobel prize in Physiology or Medicine last October for three U.S. scientists; Jeffrey Hall, Michael Rosbash and Michael Young.
The gene, called period, has proved crucial to our understanding about how the light from computer screens can damage our health increasing the risk of illnesses such as diabetes and cancer. This is because the light knocks our body clock out of synch.
Research on fruit flies found that light entering their eyes sets the body clocks rhythm so that it accords with night and day but tests have shown that even brief pulses of light during the night can wrongly reset the clock.
Nearly 14 percent of America's youngest children those between two and five years old are now obese, according to newly-released data.
Researchers at Duke University analyzed data from the CDC's National health and Nutrition Examination Survey and found that, contrary to prior claims, childhood obesity is not subsiding in the US, and there are worrying increases in its prevalence in some age groups.
The findings come months after the Trump administration introduced new school lunch guidelines, relaxing Obama-era nutritional requirements.
Obesity continues to plague more than one third of adults in the US, and the new study suggests that that proportion will only grow as younger generations do.
Nearly 14 percent of children in the US are obese, and the sharpest increases are among the youngest and most severely overweight children, a new national study found
Over the last two decades, the US has implemented countless awareness programs to try to combat the obesity epidemic.
Former First Lady Michelle Obama became a mascot for healthier children while her husband was in office, spearheading the 'Let's Move' campaign, designed to motivate children to eat healthier and stay active in an effort to promote overall health.
But in December of last year, the United States Department of Agriculture announced that it would relax the school lunch guidelines she championed requiring more fresh fruits and vegetables and low-sugar dining options in favor of new rules that would allow sweetened milk and sodium rich entrees.
Some optimistic studies have suggested that, at least among children, the epidemic may have stabilized in recent years.
But it seems the larger the data set examined, the more evidence there is that the problem remains pervasive, according to the new research, published in the journal Pediatrics.
Led by Dr Asheley Skinner of Duke University, the researchers analyzed data on a large, nationally representative sample from between 1999 and 2016.
They looked specifically at data filled out for people between two and 19 years old, and found that as children got older, more and more were overweight or obese, with 41.5 percent of 16- to 19-year-olds falling into one of the two categories.
Overall, 18.5 percent of children between two and 19 were found to be obese by 2016, up significantly from the 14 percent who were in 1999.
The Duke report comes at the same time that a UK study deemed millennials the 'fattest' generation. Taken together, the two reports describe an international epidemic far from subsiding among younger generations.
THE WESTERN DIET EXPLAINED The Western diet is loosely defined as one full of fatty and sugary foods, such as burgers, fries and soda. People often eat foods that are high in Saturated fats
Red meats
'Empty' carbohydrates
Junk Food And low in Fresh fruits and vegetables
Whole Grains
Seafood
Poultry Health effects have been linked to things such as hypertension, heart disease, diabetes, obesity, colorectal cancer and dementia. Advertisement
But the starkest increase was among two- to five-year-olds. That group went from being nine percent obese in 1999 to 14 percent by 2016 nearly double the rate reported 18 years prior.
Obesity during childhood significantly increases the risks that these individuals might suffer lifelong from high blood pressure and cholesterol, diabetes, breathing and joint problems, and will be more likely to develop heart disease and fatty liver disease in adulthood, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
The new report did not find major changes in overall obesity in the most recent data sets including those gathered since 2013 but Dr Skinner and her team found more substantial changes in subsets of children.
They divided the condition into three groups, or classes I, II, and III, with class III consisting of the most severely obese children.
Worryingly, the study found 'a significant increase in severe obesity among children aged 2 to 5 years since the 20132014 cycle, a trend that continued upward for many subgroups,' the authors wrote.
'Most kids that are overweight are still going to be healthy kids,' Dr Skinner told Daily Mail Online.
'They might have long-term effects, but these kids that have severe obesity are the ones I worry about today.
'Diabetes is rare, but not as rare things like sleep apnea, asthma, and pain in their joints' are likely from a young age, plus 'if they have already developed obesity in pre-school, their obesity is going to be worse and worse the older they get,' Dr Skinner says.
African American and Hispanic children are still at the greatest risk of obesity, with consistently higher rates across all obesity classifications, age and sex groups.
'Despite intense clinical and public health focus on obesity and weight-related behaviors during the past decade, obesity prevalence remains high,' the researchers wrote.
Dr Skinner says that these have been 'large efforts, but sort of narrow ones.'
She says that changing approaches to school lunches, the produce covered by food stamps or 'are not going to address all the issues.
'We have to address everything.'
They added that there is 'scant evidence that these efforts are counteracting the personal and environmental forces that contribute to excess weight gain in children, at least on a national scope.'
Instead, she suggests that efforts like putting sidewalks in more neighborhoods help to fill in a larger picture.
These are things that 'we don't do because we want to reduce obesity, or just because it's good for health.
'It looks inviting, property values go up...when we think about it from a global perspective, addressing a lot of these factors does seem feasible more so than when it is something just in the context of obesity' Dr Skinner says.
We round up the Sunday newspaper share tips. This week, Midas considers events company Arena, the Sunday Times looks at Saga, and the Sunday Telegraph assesses G4S.
MAIL ON SUNDAY
Arena is one of very few companies to offer a comprehensive events service, says Midas in the Mail on Sunday.
In the past it primarily provided large marquees and similar structures, but has recently branched out.
At Cheltenham, it erects a permanent-looking 400ft triple-decker marquee, complete with lifts, a glass hand-railed staircase, attractive interiors, as well as tables, chairs, soft furnishings and even cutlery.
It means event planners just need to organise food, drink and guests.
Arena hopes to expand its presence in different areas around the globe to ensure its busy all year round, including regions where it is warm in the winter such as Dubai and Kuala Lumpur and expanding its presence in music festivals and cold-weather activities such as skating.
Results for 2017 will be announced in April and analysts expect revenues of 100 million, profits of 4.5 million and a 1.4p dividend, says Midas. This year, sales are set to rise to 107 million, with profits up 31 per cent to almost 6 million and a hike in the dividend to 1.8p.
Chief executive Greg Lawless is highly ambitious and has a well though-through expansion plan. He owns more than five per cent of the company, and a further 32 senior executives are tied in with shares and options.
At 60p the shares are a buy, says Midas.
>>>Read the full Midas column here
THE SUNDAY TELEGRAPH
G4S is a contentious investment for some and rarely out of the headlines, says James Ashton in the Sunday Telegraphs Questor column.
However, judging it on a purely financial basis it is well worth buying, he says.
The outsourcing company has developed a system called Cash360, which lets retailers outsource their after-hours cashing up process.
Installation of machines in Walmarts American stores should be complete by July this year, and analysts at Deutsche believe the market under values the margin benefit of that contract.
Jefferies has also pencilled in a five per cent increase in the final dividend, he says.
G4S still has its issues. Shares are down 22 per cent since August, and it pulled down its annual revenue target in November after slow trading in the Middle East and India.
THE SUNDAY TIMES
Sagas move to a more profitable future will require patience, says John Collingridge in The Sunday Times column Inside the City.
On the plus side, Saga has managed to cut its debt pile from 700million to 460million since it listed.
However, boss Lance Batchelor stunned investors with a profit warning late last year and shares are yet to recover after crashing 25 per cent.
It has a long way to go to modernise and move to capital-light broking for its motor insurance customers.
Its realised on the late side that it must advertise heavily, while its new cruise ship will not enter service until summer next year.
It remains to be seen whether its new membership scheme will be enough to lure more customers and encourage existing ones to spend more.
Avoid, says Inside the City.
The owner of budget fashion chain Primark has said it expects sales of clothing will be down in its full results after taking a hefty hit from unseasonably warm October weather last year.
Like for like sales are expected to drop 1 per cent in the last six month period up to March 3 said the owner, Associated British Foods, but it added it was expecting better margins in the second half of the year.
However, Primark sales lifted 7 per cent for the 24 weeks to March 3 as it reaped the rewards of more retail selling space.
Primark owner Associated British Foods said it was expecting better margins in the second half of the year
Despite the autumn slump, Primark sales should push 1 per cent higher for the 16 weeks to March 3, bolstered by record sales in the week before Christmas and 'encouraging' trading for its new spring and summer range.
Updating the market, AB Foods said: 'Primark is performing very well in the UK with sales 8 per cent ahead of last year and a strong increase in our share of the total clothing market.
'This was driven by a 4 per cent growth in like-for-like sales, an increase in selling space and the breadth of our consumer offering. Our business in the US continues to make progress.
'We expect an acceleration in Primark profit growth in the second half as a result of an improvement in margin over the same period last year.
'This will be driven by better buying and some benefit of the recent weakness of the US dollar on purchases which will more than offset an expected return to a more normal level of markdowns, compared to the very low level achieved last year.'
It added profit growth would accelerate thanks to a boost from the weak US dollar and a better buying performance.
The wider group is said to be performing well, but the FTSE 100 group said it is pencilling in a drop in revenue and profits at its sugar arm, as it grapples with a hit to its UK and Spanish business caused by 'significantly lower' EU sugar prices.
Operating profit in its grocery business is expected to be 'well ahead' of last year for the 24-week period, despite UK sales at Twinings tea taking a hit from 'strong competition in green teas and infusions'.
Despite suffering on home soil, Twinings is set to improve its performance across the US and Italy, while Ovaltine chalks up strong growth in Switzerland, Germany, South Asia, Nigeria and Brazil.
Shares were up more than 1.55 per cent in morning trading at 2,686.
La Perla has been bought by the investment house owned by entrepreneur Lars Windhorst
La Perla has been bought by the investment house owned by entrepreneur Lars Windhorst as losses at the luxury lingerie retailer continue to mount.
Windhorst's firm, Sapinda Holdings, did not disclose how much it paid Italian entrepreneur Silvio Scaglia for La Perla.
According to its accounts, La Perla's losses rose by 35 per cent to 103million in 2016.
The deal comes after talks between La Perla and Chinese conglomerate Fosun broke down over plans to move manufacturing to China.
Sapinda has pledged to keep La Perla's manufacturing in Italy and Portugal. Windhorst, 41, said: 'We are prepared to further invest, to improve the performance of the company and to continue implementing Silvio's vision for La Perla.'
La Perla is best known for its lacy and silk underwear, with bras selling for up to 500.
More recently it launched womenswear and menswear ranges.
DIAMOND BOSS The chief executive of Lucara Diamond Corp, William Lamb, is retiring and will be replaced by co-founder and director Eira Thomas.
MINING DEATH Following an accident during the night shift on February 23, Caledonia Mining has announced the death of a worker at its Blanket Mine in Zimbabwe.
SALES RECORD Engineering firm Senior has announced a 12 per cent boost in revenue to more than 1billion, an all-time high. But profits fell 13 per cent to 52.2million.
OIL LOSS Texas-based oil firm Kosmos Energy made an 87million loss during the final quarter of 2017. But chief executive Andrew Inglis said the firm is stronger than ever.
TAKEOVER BOOM Private equity firms are snapping up businesses at the fastest rate since the financial crisis, with 128billion of deals in 2017 nearly double the level a year earlier.
FRANKFURT FLOAT Struggling German lender Deutsche Bank is forging ahead with a 1.8billion float of its asset management arm DWS next month on the Frankfurt exchange.
BANK BILL The big banks were last year forced to set aside an extra 3billion to compensate victims of payment protection insurance mis-selling, a study by think-tank New City agenda has revealed.
FINANCE FIRST Online finance firm Revolut broke even for the first time in December thanks to growing customer numbers, bosses said.
TECH BOOST Reforms which help customers share their bank details with tech firms could boost the UK economy by 1billion, according to a study by the Centre for Economics and Business Research and Trustpilot.
ACCOUNTS PROBE South Africas accounting watchdog is launching an in-depth inquiry into Deloittes work for scandal-hit retailer Steinhoff.
EXPANSION DRIVE Shared office provider Mixer has won an extra 28.6million of funding, which the Israel-based firm will use to help expand in Europe and the US.
AIRPORT VOTE The Government has been urged to kick off expansion of Heathrow Airport by scheduling a Parliamentary vote before the summer. The airport said the expansion is vital in establishing key trading routes after Brexit.
Karon Council, 18, was arrested Sunday night in Pompano Beach after he fatally shot a 10-year-old boy and injured his mother at their home in Asbury Park, New Jersey on Wednesday
An 18-year-old boy was arrested Sunday night in Pompano Beach after he fatally shot a 10-year-old boy and injured his mother at their home in Asbury Park, New Jersey on Wednesday.
Authorities say Karon Council, 18, was trying to hit someone else when he opened fire on Yovanni Banos-Merino, 10, and his mother, Lilia Merino, 38.
Council is currently being held in Broward County jail pending extradition to New Jersey to face charges of murder, conspiracy to commit murder and unlawful possession of a weapon, according to The Miami Herald.
Monmouth County prosecutors say the shooter's intended target was a man who lived in the same home as the victims.
Yovanni died shortly after the shooting, while Merino was treated at a hospital for undisclosed injuries.
Authorities say Karon Council, 18, was trying to hit someone else when he opened fire on Yovanni Banos-Merino, 10, and his mother, Lilia Merino, 38
US Marshals Assistant Chief Manny Puri said in a statement: 'Council was a very dangerous fugitive with no sense of value for life and could have easily continued his violent behavior in South Florida,' the New York Post reported.
Council is currently being held in Broward County jail pending extradition to New Jersey to face charges of murder, conspiracy to commit murder and unlawful possession of a weapon
Police believe that Council was an accomplice to someone else. They previously arrested 16-year-old Neptune High School student Jah-Del Birch in connection with the shooting.
The boy was held at the Middlesex County Youth Detention Center. He was charged with murder, conspiracy to commit murder, aggravated assault, unlawful possession of a weapon, and possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose.
The Monmouth County Prosecutor's Office wrote on their official Facebook page: 'BREAKING NEWS: 18-year old Karon Council, the alleged killer of a 10-year old Asbury Park boy, has been apprehended in Pompano Beach, Florida.'
'Council will be housed at Broward Sheriff's Office County Jail, then extradited to New Jersey to face charges.'
'A very special thanks to all who made this apprehension possible including the US Marshals of Florida, Regional Fugitive Task Force, West Palm Division with the assistance of US Marshals NY/NJ Regional Fugitive Task Force, Trenton Division.'
Meanwhile, a GoFundMe page has been set up for Yovannis funeral and his bodys flight to Mexico has raised more than $15,000 of a $30,000 goal.
Yovanni Banos-Merino, 10, died shortly after the shooting, while Merino was treated at a hospital for undisclosed injuries, pictured here
Garrison Keillor said several sexually suggestive emails exchanged with a former researcher on his A Prairie Home Companion radio show were 'romantic writing' that never led to a physical relationship.
In one of his first extended interviews since Minnesota Public Radio cut ties with him over the woman's sexual harassment claims, Keillor told the Associated Press that he rejected the idea that his status as the woman's boss meant he could have committed sexual harassment.
MPR terminated Keillor's contracts on November 29, after receiving allegations of 'inappropriate behavior' against him in October.
Garrison Keillor (pictured February 23) said that several sexually suggestive emails exchanged with a former researcher on his A Prairie Home Companion radio show were 'romantic writing'
Minnesota Public Radio terminated Keillor's (pictured in 2016) contracts in November 2017 after investigation allegations of 'inappropriate behavior' made against him in October
Keillor said he wasn't really the boss around the radio show and had no control over the woman.
The woman, however, said in an emailed response via her attorney that Keillor had power over her job assignments and opportunities, and she feared saying no to him would hurt her future.
The woman's claims referred to actions which allegedly occurred while Keillor, 75, was hosting the popular radio program, A Prairie Home Companion, which he created in 1974.
After he retired as host in 2016, the show was renamed Live From Here, with Keillor staying on as an executive producer until MPR ended his contracts in November 2017.
After an investigation of 'excerpts of e-mails and written messages, requests for sexual contact and explicit descriptions of sexual communications and touching,' MPR decided that Keillor's alleged actions constituted improper behavior towards the woman who filed the claims.
Keillor's attorney, Eric Nilsson told The Star Tribune that the woman, who has not been named, is asking for a financial settlement in the 'high six figures' from both Keillor and his production company.
Keillor gave The Star Tribune access to hundred of emails between himself and the female employee, who is said to have been a freelance researcher on A Prairie Home Companion for more than 10 years.
He noted that some of the emails exchanged between them were so personal, that it would be easy to 'assume that these two were sleeping together,' although he noted that 'We were not, and never even came close.'
In 2005, the woman wrote Keillor calling him 'the smartest man I've ever met' and said that she loved working with him.
Over the years, the two wrote to each other about their hopes and fears, medical issues and familial difficulties.
They also comforted each other during stressful periods and gave each other advice.
Their emails frequently ended with the words, 'I love you.'
The woman who reported Keillor for harassment is said to have been a freelance researcher who worked with him for more than a decade on A Prairie Home Companion
In one 2014 email, Keillor wrote, 'I wish we would lie down on the sand and listen to the waves and the gulls and if we did, I would kiss you. As many times as I could.'
At one point, the woman wrote in response, 'If we were on the beach, I would want you to tell me a story about summer when you were young, and I would tell you one, and I would kiss you back.'
In 2015, Keillor wrote to tell her that he was imagining them in his hotel room, naked in bed together.
She wrote back that 'the image of us lying together is sweet. I wish I were there, too.'
Other emails between them included sexual banter using 'language that your newspaper cannot print,' he told the Star Tribune reporter.
The most explicit of their exchanges were via iPhone text messages, though, which Keillor said are unrecoverable despite the efforts of a forensic team.
'It was utterly embarrassing, adolescent, utterly bad taste, and it was utterly mutual,' he admitted.
However, Keillor insisted that despite the intimate nature of their communications, he was not attempting to seduce the woman. In fact, he said, he 'leapt backward about 15 feet' after she complained about his behavior in 2015.
'She wrote to me and said, "I cherish your friendship but I think we need to draw boundaries." And boy, I couldn't establish boundaries fast enough,' Keillor said.
'I leapt backward about 15 feet. You know, I am from Minnesota, and you don't have to tell me twice. When you say, "Take your romantic writing and send it to somebody else," I hear you.'
The woman's attorney, Frances Baillon, didn't argue that the emails were accurate, but did say that Keillor's assertion that he backed off was untrue.
Keillor (pictured in 1986) said that he and the woman exchanged hundreds of emails while working together, some of which included sexual banter.
The woman has accused Keillor (in 2017) of touching her inappropriately on three occasions.
Baillon told The Star Tribune that her client had told both Keillor and her Prairie Home Companion managers that his overtures were unwanted back in 2011.
She made four additional reports by October 2015.
In a 2011 email, the woman wrote a coworker to say, 'I have sent an e-mail to GK just now.
He will understand, upon reading it, that I want nothing to do with him apart from a working friendship. I feel sad and nervous.'
And in 2014, she wrote a coworker saying, 'No intervention needed at this time.'
She went on to say that she didn't 'want to have sex with him or blackmail him or entice him. None of that. I love when we can have good writerly conversations and I think I help him and he helps me.'
In that email, she identified her feelings for Keillor as being akin to those for an 'older brother.'
Once, Baillon said that the woman claimed that Keillor 'seemed upset' when she told him not to come over and that she didn't want to have a sexual relationship with him.
In addition to the improper communication between them, the woman complained that he had touched her inappropriately on three occasions.
She said that in 2011, during a visit to the Prairie Home Companion's production office, Keillor had 'trailed his fingers up and down her left thigh' and that during a car ride in 2015, he had 'put his hand on her leg.'
Keillor said that he doesn't 'remember every knee I have touched, or every hand I have shaken.'
But, he did confirm her third touching complaint.
Keillor said that he and the woman rarely met in person because she frequently worked from home, although he recalled meeting her for lunch twice and it was during a 2015 lunch that he said he his hand 'slipped under the leading edge of her blouse' when he put his hand on her bare shoulder while he tried to console her.
'She winced ... and I said I was sorry,' Keillor said.
In one of their final email exchanges, in July 2016, following Keillor's farewell Prairie Home Companion broadcast, he wrote, 'I am very very sorry about the time I impulsively put my hand under your shirt. I have felt bad about it. I wish I could take it back. It was done out of honest impulse, but still. I am sorry.'
'I forgive you,' she responded. 'I forgave you. You can let it go. I'm glad you wrote me. I thought I might never hear from you again. Thank you.'
MPR said it stands by its handling of Keillor's case 'based on facts confirming unacceptable behavior in the workplace.'
Keillor and MPR had been in negotiations since January over payment of unfilled contractual obligations regarding his broadcasts, in addition to financial damages related to the negative publicity surrounding MPR's decision to end his contracts.
The negotiations stalled out on February 20, following 'completely unreasonable' terms, according to Nilsson, Keillor's attorney.
The Star Tribune has identified several other woman who claim that Keillor sent them inappropriate messages over the years.
One of the woman was a longtime staffer who had an affair with Keiller from 2007-2008, following their exchange of emails that that had sexual overtones.
Keillor admitted to the affair and said that: 'It was one of those interesting friendships that is not exploitative. It's mutual, and it comes to an end. But you are still friends.'
Students at a Florida high school where 17 of their classmates and teachers were killed returned on Sunday to gather the belongings they threw down in panic during the shooting nearly two weeks ago.
Thousands of students joined their parents in walking past the three-story building at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School where the February 14 massacre took place.
It is now cordoned off by a chain link fence that was covered with banners from other schools showing their support.
'Just seeing the building was scary,' freshman Francesca Lozano said as she exited the school with her mom. Still, she was happy to see her friends. 'That made it a lot better.'
Students and their parents are pictured on Sunday as they went back to Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School nearly two weeks after a gunman killed 17 students and teachers
A man signs a banner as people pay tribute at a memorial for the victims of the shooting
Seventeen people dressed in white costumes as angels stood by a makeshift memorial outside the school before moving near the entrance
Seventeen people dressed in white costumes as angels stood by a makeshift memorial outside the school before moving near the entrance. Organizer Terry Decarlo said the costumes are sent to mass shootings and disasters so the survivors 'know angels are looking over them and protecting them.'
Many of Sunday's angels were survivors of the 2016 Pulse nightclub shooting in Orlando where 49 people died, Decarlo said.
The school reopens Wednesday and administrators said families would get phone calls about details later. Sunday was a day to ease into the return.
'Two of my best friends aren't here anymore,' said freshman Sammy Cooper, who picked up the book bag he had dropped as he saw the accused gunman, 19-year-old Nikolas Cruz, begin shooting. 'But I'm definitely going to school Wednesday. I will handle it.'
Junior Sebastian Pena said the gathering was a chance to see friends and his teachers, and to 'come together as a family.'
Survivor David Hogg appeared on ABC television's This Week, comparing returning to school to a plane crash.
He said: 'Imagine (being) in a plane crash and then having to get on the same plane every day and fly somewhere else - it's never going to be the same.'
Earlier Sunday, Florida Governor Rick Scott's office said he had asked Florida Department of Law Enforcement Commissioner Rick Swearingen to investigate the law enforcement response to the shooting. The agency confirmed it would start the investigation immediately.
Broward County Sheriff Scott Israel has come under withering scrutiny after the revelation last week that deputy Scot Peterson who was on the scene did not go in to confront Cruz during the attack.
Many of Sunday's angels were survivors of the 2016 Pulse nightclub shooting in Orlando where 49 people died
Organizer Terry Decarlo said the costumes are sent to mass shootings so the survivors 'know angels are looking over them'. Pulse survivor India Godmanis, left, hugs Wendy Garrity
The school reopens Wednesday and administrators said families would get phone calls about details later. Sunday was a day to ease into the return
The gathering comes as the state's law enforcement agencies face scrutiny over the mishandling of tips about shooter Nikolas Cruz
His office is also facing backlash for apparently mishandling some of the 18 tipster calls related to the suspected shooter. The tips were among a series of what authorities now describe as the clearest missed warning signs that Cruz, who had a history of disturbing behavior, posed a serious threat.
Israel defended his leadership on Sunday and said investigators were looking into claims that three other deputies were on the scene but failed to enter the school when the chance to save lives still existed. To date, the investigation has pointed to only one deputy being on the grounds while the killer was present, he told CNN.
Israel also labeled as 'absolutely untrue' reports that the deputies waited outside even though children were inside the building needing urgent medical treatment.
State Rep. Bill Hager, a Republican from Boca Raton, has called on Scott to remove Israel from office because of the missed red flags.
'Two of my best friends aren't here anymore,' said freshman Sammy Cooper, who picked up the book bag he had dropped as he saw the accused gunman begin shooting
'Junior Sebastian Pena said the gathering was a chance to see friends and his teachers, and to 'come together as a family' Mourners are pictured paying tribute to the victims
Israel vowed not to resign, saying Hager's letter 'was full of misinformation' and 'shameful, politically motivated.'
House Speaker Richard Corcoran stepped up the pressure Sunday, calling on Scott to suspend the sheriff.
'In the years leading up to this unspeakable tragedy, Sheriff Israel, his deputies, and staff ignored repeated warning signs about the violent, erratic, threatening and antisocial behavior of Nikolas Jacob Cruz,' Corcoran said in a letter signed by more than 70 lawmakers.
Israel insisted that lapses were being investigated. He told CNN that a deputy who responded to a November 30 call referring to Cruz as a 'school shooter in the making' was being investigated by internal affairs for not filing a report and had been placed on restrictive duty.
Earlier Sunday, Florida Governor Rick Scott's office said he had asked Florida Department of Law Enforcement Commissioner Rick Swearingen to investigate the law enforcement response to the shooting
'There needed to be report. And that's what we are looking into - that a report needed to be completed, it needed to be forwarded to either Homeland Security or a violent crimes unit,' Israel said.
The FBI has acknowledged that it failed to investigate the tip about Cruz that the agency received on January 5.
The Associated Press obtained a transcript of the more than 13-minute phone call. During the call, the woman described a teenager prone to anger with the 'mental capacity of a 12 to 14 year old' that deteriorated after his mother died last year.
She pointed the FBI to several Instagram accounts where Cruz had posted photos of sliced-up animals and rifles and ammunition he apparently purchased with money from his mother's life insurance policy.
'It's alarming to see these pictures and know what he is capable of doing and what could happen,' the caller said. 'He's thrown out of all these schools because he would pick up a chair and just throw it at somebody, a teacher or a student, because he didn't like the way they were talking to him.'
Speaking out: On Sunday, survivor David Hogg addressed a community rally for common sense gun legislation at held at a synagogue in Livingston, New Jersey
Thousands of people were left stranded in freezing temperatures and police had to be called after trains were cancelled and an inadequate number of buses were sent to carry the passengers.
Engineering works yesterday meant trains from Redhill Station to Gatwick were cancelled, leading some passengers to miss flights.
Melany Dominguez was among those who missed their flights and blamed poor planning and crowd management by the rail service.
Southern Rail users say they have missed flights as an overcrowded rail replacement service caused crowds to bottleneck at Redhill station
An overcrowded rail replacement service caused crowds to bottleneck at the station in Surrey
She said she saw three police officers trying to manage the crowd which she estimated numbered in the thousands: 'People were getting agitated.'
By the time she managed to get onto a bus it took her to the wrong terminal, she said.
'I and a few young guys were running all the way to the airport to the terminal I think they just made it. I was on the 5pm to Madrid so I just missed it.'
She checked the next mornings flight on the bus, and it was 80, but by the time she missed her flight and went to rebook it was 95.
Police were called to the scene where frustrated people trampled on children and old people according to a witness
Passengers trapped in freeing conditions at Redhill reportedly broke down in tears when they realised they had missed their flights from Gatwick
Ms Dominguez said she would be sleeping in the airport overnight, as the cost of the new flights left her unable to afford a hotel.
She hoped travellers who missed their flights would be compensated by the rail company.
'That would be ideal Im not really optimistic but Im going to try. But if maybe all those people in there stick together we could say you need to sort this situation out".'
Cory Acasio told of witnessing chaotic scenes of frustrated commuters tripping over and pushing one another as the crowds grew.
'I stopped at the very front entrance to try and let an elderly person on, but no sooner did I make the gap that someone just barged right through, literally pushing me against the entrance.'
He also saw passengers nearly trampling one another.
'Not sure if there were injuries as I was focused on moving forward, but I did look back and saw the people who tripped get up and some people did help, but most were just aggravated and focused on getting in the bus.'
The crowds were a 'nightmare' for passengers travelling with children, he said.
'I also saw a child screaming because she lost her mom, but luckily a stranger grabbed her and alerted her mom who was battling with getting through with a pram.'
Passengers were pictured crammed outside the station as they struggle to secure places on inadequate replacement buses
Disgruntled passengers took to twitter at the Surrey station to complain and post photos of the chaos.
One Twitter user said that only three members of staff from Southern Rail were present and also tweeted: 'trying to manage thousands of passengers, including children, disabled and elderly, on tight stairways and lifts. Sort it - or someone going to get hurt.'
The chaos comes as Southern Rail shut the line between Redhill and Gatwick for planned engineering works, but later stated they had received a higher than expected number of passengers.
A spokesman for Southern Rail said: 'Very sorry about this, there has been a higher than expected footfall resulting in the bus replacement services being very busy.'
Police were drafted to help control the scrums, and extra buses were also sourced, another tweet said: 'Questions should be asked about why police have to get involved, they are over stretched and have better things to do than crowd control for a commercial business.'
One woman said when she finally got on the bus it took all the way to Gatwick - only to drop her off at the wrong terminal
One traveler tweeted: 'Questions should be asked about why police have to get involved, they are over stretched and have better things to do than crowd control for a commercial business.'
Another wrote: 'We've lost our Easy Jet flight from Gatwick Airport after waiting 2h in Redhill and now we have to pay for our new flights. NOBODY warned us in Victoria Station that 3 HOURS from London to Gatwick wouldn't be enough??'
A spokesman for Southern Rail said: 'Due to overcrowding between London Victoria and #Redhill services are subject to disruption. We have sourced additional bus replacement services to help ease the volume of passengers.'
Frustrated crowds continued to swell into the evening as they waited for buses.
Southern Rail had advised during the week that it would be operating a bus replacement service for the Gatwick Express between Redhill and Gatwick Airport while 'essential maintenance work' was carried out.
The rail services Twitter account responded to some customers, saying they could apply for a refund for their Gatwick Express tickets.
National Rail and British Transport Police have been approached for comment.
The travel chaos marks the first of three Sundays where the track modernisation work on the Brighton Main Line will halt all Gatwick Airportand South Coast-bound passengers.
The Reigate, Redhill and District Rail Users Association chairman Stephen Trigg said the group had written to Southern weeks ago warning themto book enough replacement buses for the planned works.
He said a poorly-designed new platform access point had contributed to the bottleneck, and added: 'I believe they should suspend the works until they work how to do it properly.'
A British Transport police spokesperson said four officers were sent in before 2pm to manage overcrowding and queuing at the station. By 8pm, officers were still on scene.
RMT General Secretary Mick Cash said: 'RMT has been warning for years that SouthernGTR arent fit to run a bath let alone a railway and the terrifying pictures from Redhill today show why it is such a scandal that the union has been ignored.
'This is a company that has shown repeatedly that public safety is of little or no concern to them, and that is why our members on Southern have been engaged in a fight with GTR for nearly two years now.
'GTR should be stripped of this franchise and the public sector brought in before theres a major tragedy.'
NHS worker Laura Knight said it was evident little planning had gone into the day, despite the works being planned. The rail operator had not prepared queuing gates, and staff seemed to be relying on police to control the crowds, with some people pushing to get onto the few buses available.
'People were missing their flights,' she said. 'I saw blokes crying because they had missed their flights, saw really little old people, children, families getting stomped on.'
This is the heart-stopping moment a driver allegedly high on drugs is sent skidding across a country highway after pulling out directly in front of a truck.
The driver, a 27-year-old man, had called NRMA roadside assistance after running out of petrol on the M1 motorway near Minmi, north of Sydney.
But when the NRMA technician arrived and filled his car with fuel, allegedly advising him he was in no state to be driving, he lurched suddenly onto the road.
Dashcam footage shows the Kia four-wheel-drive, with a female passenger and dog inside, flying across the two-lane highway as the truck screeches to a halt.
A truckie's dashcam footage showed the moment a Kia (pictured) lurched suddenly into the path of an oncoming truck on a country New South Wales motorway
The NRMA technician claimed the Kia driver had been acting 'erratically'.
Remarkably, police say neither of the occupants of the Kia nor the dog were seriously hurt.
The driver was taken to hospital and submitted to a blood test to check for illegal drugs and police say they are anticipating further action.
Both vehicles were towed away and the road was closed.
The driver was taken to the John Hunter Hospital and suffered impact injuries and damage caused by his seat belt, police from Lake Macquarie Highway Patrol said.
The truck driver remained in hospital.
His mother has said the driver 'remains in hospital unable to move,' on a Facebook post shared by Traffic and Highway Patrol Command.
Police said the driver appeared to be under the influence of drugs, but the results of blood tests won't be available for 'weeks'.
President Donald Trump curiously retweeted a four-year-old tweet from a radio show host who believed the Sandy Hook shooting was a 'hoax' and insinuated that some of the Parkland, Florida shooting activists were gay.
On Saturday, Trump wrote, 'So true Wayne, and Lowest black unemployment in history!' calling attention to right-wing host Wayne Dupree who had tweeted back in November 2014, 'This is what it's all about! It's ok 2 b black, conservative and love America and not vote Democrat! Freedom exists!'
While the president has often touted the black unemployment numbers, the left-leaning ThinkProgress pointed out a number of objectionable things Dupree had said this week, and in the aftermath of the Sandy Hook shooting, that would give any normal politician pause before spreading an individual's message.
President Trump, seen Sunday during the Governors' Ball at the White House, has once again retweeted a conspiracy theorist, this time a radio show host who labeled Sandy Hook parents 'crisis actors' and suggested teen activists were gay
President Trump retweeted an almost four year old tweet from radio host Wayne Dupree on the heels of Dupree criticizing some of the student activists calling for stricter gun control laws in the aftermath of the Parkland, Florida shooting
Wayne Dupree had tweeted about being a black conservative back in November 7, 2014. Trump used his tweet to make a boast about black unemployment numbers, which the president has taken credit for
For one, Dupree called the parents mourning the deaths of their children at Sandy Hook Elementary School 'crisis actors' back in January of 2013, long before that term was applied to the children of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School this month.
President Trump retweeted radio host Wayne Dupree (pictured) on Saturday
More recently, on February 19, Dupree shared photos of some of the kids speaking out from Marjory Stoneman Douglas suggesting they were shedding crocodile tears when the news cameras were on, but smiling and posing for photos with journalists when the cameras are off.
'Silence on the set......3......2......1..... Action!' he wrote, insinuating the kids were actors.
The Washington Post found that Dupree had gotten increasingly angry at the Florida kids' political activism in the wake of the Valentine's Day shooting that rattled their Parkland, Florida community, and left 17 dead.
'Listen, I am really trying to give these students spokespeople a chance,' he wrote last Sunday on Facebook, four days after the massacre. 'I know they are still grieving & emotions are still high but this misinformation on gun control and blaming Trump is making my mercury rise.'
Radio host Wayne Dupree labeled parents mourning in the aftermath of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting 'crisis actors' amid a shooting 'hoax' and blasted victims of the Florida massacre as actors
On Monday, he wrote his post suggesting the kids were just acting.
Then, on Tuesday, Dupree suggested that two of the most vocal students, Emma Gonzalez and David Hogg, were gay.
'Unfortunately, you can already tell these kids are going to be card-carrying leftists,' Dupree wrote beneath an image of Gonzalez and Hogg on CNN. 'I hate to be blunt despite what tragedy they went through, but both those kids look like they are going to be future members of the LGBTQXYZ movement.'
On Friday, the Post noted, Dupree attended the Conservative Political Action Conference being held just outside of Washington, D.C.
President Trump was the main speaker at the conference that day,
During his speech, the president spoke of his support for the Second Amendment and floated the idea of arming teachers to prevent a school shooting, like the one in Parkland, from happening again.
Australian home buyers are spending less than an hour inspecting potential properties according to new research, less than the time they spend inspecting a new car.
National President of the Builders Collective of Australia Phil Dwyer spoke with 3AW News Talk and said he would certainly do the due diligence twice over before deciding to buy a house.
'It's the biggest investment of a lifetime, why on earth wouldn't you check it out,' he said.
Research has shown that new home buyers are spending less time inspecting potential properties than they would inspecting a new car despite the huge difference in the cost of each
'People seem to spend more time on checking out a car than a house, ones a million (dollars), ones 50 grand.
'You certainly need to run the tape over and find out whether it's stable, a good property or a bad property.'
Some people may not even check the stability of the home's foundations which is a huge oversight on their part.
Mr Dwyer said modern houses were not built to last like they may have been in past generations.
Expert builder Phil Dwyer said he would do the due diligence twice over and recommends that other potential buyers do the same, and if the house has stood for 100 years it's 'probably a good property'
'These days we dont build a house that stays there 100 years,' he said.
'Were lucky if we build a house that is there for 10 years because of the monetary pressures and such put on builders these days.'
When it comes to knowing what to look for when inspecting a home Mr Dwyer said a common sense approach was the safest way to go.
Real Estate groups provide checklists that buyers can use to ensure they are inspecting a property correctly, looking at the right things and not missing out on small but important details before purchase
Tips for inspecting a home before buying 1. Check the ceilings are not sagging. Look at the ceilings to see if they are fixed firmly. 2. Check for any water stains or corrosion to the walls against showers or baths. 3. Also check inside all cabinets near wet areas such as showers, baths and sinks to detect any smells, mold or mildew. 4. Check the walls for cracks, any over 2mm should be cause for concern. 5. Also check the internal wall plastering for cracks, if they are in one spot they will tend to be in others throughout the property. 6. Check the external roof lines to make sure they are straight. 7. Plumbing, check taps and sinks for leaks and drainage. And toilets for flushing. 8. Ensure doors and windows are all fitted well and seal properly. Source: www.realestate.com.au. Advertisement
'There are pitfalls everywhere, how you can cover the whole lot is always difficult,' he said.
'A house that has stood the test of time is probably safe to buy, the worst that may have happened is with the internal foundation, stumps and such.
'But if the walls have stood for 100 years it's probably a good property.'
The body of a man was found in his inner Sydney housing commission apartment on Sunday after a 'loud night of drinking and yelling', neighbours claim.
Mark Russell, 53, was discovered at 11.30am on Sunday in his flat on Clisdell Street, Surry Hills.
Mr Russell, known on the streets as 'Sharky Mark', had been living inside the grungy housing block for less than two years.
Homicide police were seen searching a nearby light rail construction site and neighbouring letterboxes for a possible murder weapon on Monday morning.
The body of Mark Russell, 53, was found in his inner apartment on Clisdell Street, Surry Hills
The Daily Telegraph interviewed Mr Russell for a profile in a collection of stories on Sydney's 'forgotten' people in 2016.
Mark was born in Goulburn and grew up in a broken family. He was abandoned by his dad and his mum was hospitalised after a nervous breakdown when he was very young.
He and his sister lived between orphanages and he was later sent to a foster family.
Mark ran away from home at 16 and resorted to smoking marijuana and drinking, according to the publication.
Neighbour Mike told the Daily Telegraph there was often 'yelling, screaming and drunken parties' at Mark's flat.
'He had a drinking problem and was quite loud,' he added.
The Surry Hills apartment block has been cordoned off and homicide police are investigating at the scene.
Two men have been arrested after the shocking alleged assault on a man which left him fighting for his life on the side of the road.
Police charged a 26-year-old man and a 27-year-old man with grievous bodily harm, and they are expected to appear in Beenleigh Magistrates Court Monday morning.
Gold Coast concreter Brock Prime, 29, was left for dead on the side of M1 between Pimpama and Yatala on Saturday following a road rage attack on a motorway and could be in a coma for weeks.
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Brock Prime is 'in a bad way' at Gold Coast University Hospital following a shocking road rage attack on the M1. He will require a second operation on Monday
He had recently survived a stabbing, and he could be in a coma for weeks following the attack
Mr Prime was rushed to hospital in a critical condition after he was allegedly bashed with an unknown weapon on Saturday night
Police are yet to provide a description of Brock's attackers and have appealed with anyone in the vicinity of the M1 between Pimpama and Yatala between 9.30pm and 9.45pm on Saturday night to come forward
Lawyer Campbell MacCallum told Daily Mail Australia he 'felt sick' when he received the news about his long standing client and friend on Sunday morning.
'He's in a bad way,' Mr MacCallum told Daily Mail Australia.
'From the information his mum has told me, he was attacked from behind with a tyre iron. He has lost 20 per cent of his brain function and will be operated on again on Monday. He is expected to be in a coma for a number of weeks and is at risk of suffering a significant brain infection.'
Mr Prime's mother Donna said his left side will be like a stroke victim and will be in coma from anywhere between four days to three weeks, The Gold Coast Bulletin reported.
'His left side will be like a stroke victim because he'd already had to take a quarter of his brain,' Ms Prime said.
'Five centimetres of his skull was crushed into his brain with dirt and concrete so they removed all of that to clean it out so they know it's already damaged.
'The quicker he gets out of a coma, which depends on the infection and swelling, gives him more of a chance of surviving.'
Brock's mother says the quicker he gets out of a coma gives him more of a chance of surviving
Five centimetres of Brock's skull (right) was crushed into his brain with dirt and concrete
Brock's family (pictured) made a desperate plea for information from the public to find the alleged attackers
Police were called to the M1 near the Gold Coast about 9.45pm after reports of an altercation between a man and the occupants of a white van or mini bus on the side of the motorway between Pimpama and Yatala on the Gold Coast.
Investigations suggest the van may have had up to 13 occupants.
Detective Inspector Mark Thompson told reporters on Sunday that a deadly game of cat and mouse began in the northbound lanes of the M1 at Yatala.
He said the chase came to an end near the 'Frosty Boy' warehouse at Yatala and witnesses reported the men who got out of the white van appeared to be aged in their 20s.
Mr MacCallum believed it was a random attack, and said it followed the recent death of Mr Prime's father Darren.
He said in the past 12 months Mr Prime had also been the victim of a stabbing.
'Since then he has certainly shied away from any violence,' he told the ABC.
Brock Prime (pictured left) had been working 60 hours a week to support his younger siblings and mother following the recent death of his father Darren
Family and friends took to social media on Sunday to appeal for help so police can track down his attackers
Brock's family made a desperate plea for information from the public on Sunday.
'Our family is asking that anybody that has any information about the incident comes forward to help us get some answers and justice for this cowardly act,' they said.
'What was done last night could have only been done by a psychopath and a gang of disgusting people.
'Our boy was left for dead on the side of the road and is now fighting for his life and will be permanently injured as a result of this attack.'
Brock's sister also made a teary appeal for information, saying the attack came at a terrible time for the family.
'My family needs all the help we can get as my family passed away 5 weeks ago, and my brother Brock was working 10 hour days 6 days a week just to put a roof over our head and dinner on the table,' she said.
'So we'd really appreciate any information that we can get.'
Mr MacCallum described Brock as outgoing, adventurous and someone who loved to smile.
'The family are very distressed as they tragically lost her father six weeks ago,' Mr MacCallum told Daily Mail Australia.
'It's been a difficult time for everyone. Brock was working 60 hours a week to help support the household. He has two younger siblings going through university and had taken on the responsibility of supporting them.'
Family friends have set up an online crowd-funding page, which raised $11,285 within 21 hours.
'The back of his skull was caved in and significant brain damage has been done. His femur has a compound fracture and needs massive surgery,' the page states.
'Donna (Brock's mum) is currently out of work trying to deal with the loss of her life partner and father of her children and now will be facing extreme costs, medical bills and the general expenses of life.
'Donna herself has refused to ask for help but this family needs and deserves all the support they can get and the gratitude can't even be explained with words.'
Brock Prime was left for dead on the side of the M1 freeway between Pimpama and Yatala on Saturday night
Family and friends took to social media on Sunday to appeal for help so police can track down his attackers.
'Please share this around so we can find the cowards that did this to my brother,' Jonty Prime posted on Facebook on Sunday.
Jonty told the Courier Mail: 'I'd like everyone to know his character as well as he is a very loving hard working man who gives up everything to take care of my sister, mum and I as my dad recently passed just last month, Brock has done his best to take up his role.'
Queensland Police spoke to Daily Mail Australia and have confirmed no new arrests have been made since Sunday but are investigating a number of leads.
Detectives have appealed to anyone who may have witnessed the incident or have dash cam footage taken in the vicinity of the M1 between Pimpama and Yatala between 9.30pm and 9.45pm to contact them.
The birthday girl who was stretchered of her own party boat after being pushed down the stairs during a drunken brawl has broken her silence about the 'unforgettable' night.
Lana Marie Bettaglia was celebrating her 21st birthday on Saturday night when a fight broke out on the boat - leading to four women and two men being arrested.
'Thankyou to everyone who made my night memorable,' she said in a post on Instagram.
'I definitely will never forget my 21st for the good and unfortunately for the not so good.'
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The birthday girl who was stretchered off her own party boat after being pushed down the stairs in a wild drunken brawl has been named as Lana Marie Battaglia (pictured)
This is the moment the birthday girl was stretched off the boat with hip injuries after being 'pushed down some stairs'
The young woman posted this photo of her stay in hospital online
The young woman also posted a picture from the hospital on her Instagram story showing her hooked into what appeared to be a drip.
'Now that's a story.. on a positive note I was drugged up for free. Endless endones and morphine,' she wrote on the photo.
She told Daily Mail Australia the 'people who started the fight were in a different group on the boat.
'They weren't my friends, I don't know who they were,' she said.
On Sunday, family friend Rose Carambano, 57, said Ms Battaglia was out of hospital but 'still in a lot of pain' after the punch up at the party attended by 50 people.
'It was terrible. When I heard last night, I thought 'she's never going to forget this birthday'. It was just awful,' Ms Carambano told the Daily Telegraph.
She said a group of boys who had been drinking 'ruined the night for everyone.'
The fight broke out at about 11pm as the boat docked at the wharf to let some 'sick' passengers off.
There was a fight happening on the dock which appeared to have lead to a woman jumping into the water. She was rescued and taken to hospital for assessment.
The party turned into a chaos when police were forced to break up the fight between a large group of revellers on the boat
The brawl erupted during a 21st birthday party on a boat in Sydney's popular Darling Harbour
Police were seen pinning a man to the ground in the ugly brawl at Sydney's Darling Harbour
Seven people were injured in the brawl, six were arrested and charged.
A 25-year-old woman was charged with assaulting police and resisting arrest, while another 25-year-old was charged with hindering police.
A 23-year-old woman, 24-year-old man and 26-year-old man were charged with affray and a 23-year-old woman was charged with assault.
The revellers had been cruising on the Constellation Party boat since 5.30pm.
Lana Marie Battaglia (left and right) was celebrating her 21st birthday in Sydney's popular Darling Harbour on Saturday night when police were forced to board the boat to break up a fight in which her friends were 'punched in the face'
A Constellation Cruises spokeswoman called the fight 'absolutely disgusting'.
'Two girls were not feeling the best and so they got off the boat with their friends... one of them didn't want to get off and her partner was telling her she had to,' she said.
'Because she was screaming she didn't want to get off... it looked like she was chucking a tantrum. We were trying to leave and a big brawl happened and there were people everywhere.'
She added: 'It's the first time we've ever been involved with anything like this so it's really upsetting.'
A Facebook account appearing to belong to the brother of Florida high school shooter Nikolas Cruz has posted a thank you message.
The post made by the account under the name of 'Zachary Cruz,' has led to speculation that the 18-year-old has broken his silence, following his 19-year-old brother's admission to shooting and killing 17 people.
'Appreciate all the positive messages [heart emoji],' the post read, which was published on Saturday at 11.06pm Eastern.
The profile photo for the account was posted on Sunday at 4.24am ET, and appears to show a young Zachary Cruz with his half-brother.
The features of the two children in the photo appear very similar to a picture taken between November last year and January which shows them holding the ashes of their adoptive mother, Lynda Cruz.
There's no way to tell through public access when the Facebook account was created. DailyMail.com messaged the account, but did not receive a reply.
A social media account listed as belonging to 'Zachary Cruz,' which is the name of the brother of Florida high school shooter Nikolas Cruz, 19, has published a post on Saturday; This is the profile picture used by the account, published early on Sunday morning
The features of the two children in the profile's default photo appear very similar to the features of this verified photo of the real Zachary Cruz and his half-brother, taken some time between November and January, as they are holding the ashes of their deceased adoptive mother, Lynda Cruz
Zachary Cruz was previously reported as having been held for psychiatric evaluation in Palm Beach, Florida since February 16.
If this account does, in fact, belong to him, the post may mean he has been released from the mental health facility.
The post was made viewable to the public, and has been collecting all sorts of comments from other Facebook users.
One user recommended that the owner of the account, which apparently the user assumed to be the real Zachary Cruz, should write a letter to the Florida high school shooter.
Florida high school shooter Nikolas Cruz, 19, faced court briefly on February 15 as he was officially charged with 17 counts of premeditated murder over the massacre
'Appreciate all the positive messages [heart emoji],' the post read, which was published by a Facebook account purported to belong to a 'Zachary Cruz' on Saturday at 11.06 pm Eastern
Another user, listed as 'Amber Morris' wrote: 'Praying for you, your brother, and your community. Love and support from SC.'
That particular comment prompted two replies, seemingly taking issue with the user's inclusion of prayers for the shooter.
'Gil Anderson' wrote: 'How about praying for the 17 victims and their grieving families? Wow!!!'
'Rebecca Alexa' made that point more clear, writing: 'Pray for HIM [apparently, Zachary] and pray for the dead. No one else deserves prayers.'
A user listed as 'Amber Morris' wrote: 'Praying for you, your brother, and your community. Love and support from SC,' to which 'Rebecca Alexa' replied: 'Pray for HIM [apparently, Zachary] and pray for the dead. No one else deserves prayers'
Several users made comments to the effect that they were praying for the real Zachary Cruz, who this account may or may not belong to, and his shooter brother
One user recommended that the owner of this account, which apparently the user assumed to be the real Zachary Cruz, should write a letter to the Florida high school shooter
To these comments, 'Amber Morris' replied: 'Gil Rodriguez when I say community, I'm referring to the families, friends, and the community as a whole, everyone effected. I'm praying for all involved. If you came to hate thee are plenty of pages and posts for that.'
Other shared sentiments of support for the poster, as well.
'Benajmin Scot Arnesty' wrote: 'You have so many allies out here! The truth never dies! Stay strong.'
This was confusing for some, like user 'Rebecca Alexa', who replied to this comment, as well. She posted: 'What truth exactly? We know the truth....16 kids and a teacher were murdered.'
Commenters were outraged at messages of support that referenced Zachary's shooter brother, like this one from 'Miley Rees,' which said: 'Sending love and best wishes to you and your brother from the UK. Theres a lot of people rooting for you both.'
The users mentioned above, both 'Gil' and 'Rebecca,' called this 'Miley Rees' a 'sick young lady' and 'mentally ill.'
Under recently added friends, the account listed as belonging to a 'Zachary Cruz' shows an account that listed as belonging to 'Rocxanne Deschamps.'
Deschamps is the woman who took in Zachary and his half-brother, following their adoptive mother's death from issues related to pneumonia in November. She was also a former neighbor of the family, prior to the death of Lynda Cruz, age 68.
Zachary has been living with Deschamps this entire time, but his shooter brother moved out in January, reportedly over a dispute over his gun collection.
Facebook users called this 'Miley Rees' a 'sick young lady' and 'mentally ill'
'Benajmin Scot Arnesty' wrote: 'You have so many allies out here! The truth never dies! Stay strong,' in a post that confused some users on social media
It's also been reported that Deschamps, 42, is the person who caused Zachary to be held for mental evaluation.
Chad Bennett, 37, a friend of Deschamps, told DailyMail.com that police were told, wrongly, that the teen would 'finish what his older brother started,' but did not say who said it.
On February 15, which is the day before Zachary was involuntarily committed, and one day after his half-brother admitted to the tragic Florida high school shooting and massacre, Deschamps filed to be named administrator of Lynda Cruz's estate.
She filed on the grounds that she was 'in charge of a 50 percent minor beneficiary' to the estate, at the time. The estate is estimated to be valued at around $800,000, after the payment of outstanding liabilities.
If appointed, Deschamps will not have access to the assets of the estate for her personal use, but may be paid an administration fee out of those assets, to be determined by the court.
Zachary turned 18 on Wednesday.
The shooter, who remains locked up at the Broward County Jail, was charged with 17 counts of premeditated murder the following day.
Even if convicted, the shooter may still receive his inheritance, which was reported as coming due to him at the age of 22.
Experts have said that if he does inherit money from the estate, he will likely never see any of it, due to potential civial lawsuits related to the shooting.
Nikolas Cruz also injured 15 others when he opened fire with an AR-15 at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida on February 14.
Demand for sourdough bread is rapidly on the rise as increasing numbers of young Britons get a taste for making brunch at home, according to a new report yesterday.
For the latest research shows the sales of sourdough loaves have soared by a third in the past year at Waitrose supermarkets.
The big boost in popularity of sourdough is being attributed to the growing appetite for brunch as more Britons enjoy preparing the meal at home as well as tucking into it in High Street restaurants and cafes.
And one artisan bakery now sells 4,000 take-home sourdough loaves a week - a massive rise from just 200 a week six years ago.
Demand for sourdough bread is rapidly on the rise as increasing numbers of young Britons get a taste for making brunch at home, according to a new report yesterday
Data from bakery firm Kara shows that the UK's brunch market is now worth 13 billion making it one of the fastest-growing food trends. In addition, a report by food brand Lamb Weston found that young adults are most enthusiastic about the meal with almost half of 18-24 year-olds eating breakfast or brunch out once or twice a month.
Baker Aidan Monks told Waitrose Weekend magazine: 'The phenomenal success of sourdough is undoubtedly tied to the expansion of the brunch market which has grown considerably. More people are treating themselves to brunch and this is inspiring them to recreate their favourite dishes back at home. '
Mr Monks, who runs the Lovingly Artisan bakery in Kendal, Cumbria, said that the trend which started in London has now spread across almost every part of the country.
'We sell 4,000 take-home loaves a week - up from just 200 six years ago,' he said.
The latest research shows the sales of sourdough loaves have soared by a third in the past year at Waitrose supermarkets
Sourdough is the best bread for brunch, according to Mr Monks. 'It is flavoursome, has a nicer texture and retains its structure perfectly when served with classic brunch foods like poached eggs, mashed avocado or roast tomatoes ' he said.
Waitrose, which offers a range of 11 sourdough loaves on its shelves, said that sourdough is slowly leavened with a 'starter' made by fermenting only flour and water - a process that gives the bread its trademark tang..
The supermarket's bread buyer Jade Symonds said: 'All of Waitrose sourdough loaves are slowly fermented using yeast derived from both the environment and what is found in the starter culture. While a conventional loaf might take 40 minutes to leaven, our sourdough-making process can take 48 hours or longer, resulting in a waxy texture and delicate sour flavour.'
Secret plans were made to destroy the Sydney Harbour Bridge if Japanese troops invaded the city in World War II.
Explosives placed at the northern approach and towards the southern end of the bridge's deck would have brought the structure down.
The plans were drawn up at the direction of General Douglas MacArthur, Supreme Commander of Allied forces in the South-West Pacific, in 1942.
The bridge, opened in 1932 after nine years of construction, would have been sacrificed to thwart an easy harbour crossing for advancing Japanese forces.
The New South Wales government sought to ensure the Sydney Harbour Bridge was safe from attack after terrorists brought down New York's World Trade Centre on September 11, 2001
General Douglas MacArthur, Supreme Commander of Allied forces in the South-West Pacific in 1942, asked engineers to draw up plans to destroy the Sydney Harbour Bridge with explosives
Secret plans were made to blow up the Sydney Harbour Bridge, pictured above during construction in 1926, if the Imperial Japanese Army invaded Australia in World War II
For almost 60 years the plans were largely forgotten until being unearthed in the wake of the terrorist attacks on New York's World Trade Centre on September 11, 2001.
At that time, the New South Wales Government wanted to ensure the state's landmarks, including the bridge, were as secure as possible, according to The Australian.
A document titled 'Sydney Harbour Bridge Demolition Plan' held securely in the state archives includes diagrams of the bridge and how it could be blown up.
Former army engineer Brian Nicholson told The Daily Mail in April 1957 he had been ordered to plan a way to destroy the bridge during World War II.
'We were given the broad outlines for a master plan to destroy communications and supply lines throughout NSW if needed to stem Japanese drives on Sydney and Newcastle,' Nicholson told the newspaper.
'I was told under which circumstances the Harbour Bridge would be destroyed, I'm glad the decision was not mine to make.
Construction of the Sydney Harbour Bridge began in 1923 and the structure was opened in 1932; just 10 years later plans were made to destroy it if the Japanese invaded Australia
The NSW Government looked at how vulnerable iconic structures such as the Sydney Harbour Bridge would be to terrorist attack following the destruction of the World Trade Centre
United States troops move through jungle near Buna in New Guinea during World War II
'I spent a day crawling around the bridge... over the arch picking the spots in which to place the cutting charges.
'I estimated that six men could plant explosive charges at eight points on the great arch in less than a day.
'The charge could be swiftly wired to an electric detonator near Millers Point.
'Firing of the eight charges would have cut free a fairly large section of the arch in the southern half of the bridge.
'With this section cut away from the rest, both remaining sections would have collapsed into the harbour.
'Probably the pylons would have remained intact because the bridge is hinged at each end on massive bolts. The sections would have swung downwards into the water'
Former army engineer Brian Nicholson told the Daily Mail in 1957 he had I spent a day crawling around the bridge during World War II picking spots in which to place the explosive charges
Australian troops launch an attack at Balikpapan on the south-east coast of Borneo in 1945
An early morning view of the Sydney Harbour Bridge which carries rail, car, bicycle and pedestrian traffic between the city's central business district and the North Shore.
Former NSW Roads Minister Carl Scully became aware while writing his memoir Setting the Record Straight that one of his bureaucrats had seen the MacArthur plan after the September 11 attacks.
The bureaucrat told Mr Scully that one of the bridge design faults identified following September 11, 2001 had been spotted by engineers reporting to General MacArthur in 1942.
MacArthur had arrived in Australia in March that year after United States president Franklin D Roosevelt ordered him out of the The Philippines.
The American fleet in Pearl Harbour had been bombed on December 7 the previous year and 242 Japanese planes attacked Darwin on February 19, 1942.
Japanese submarines shelled Sydney and Newcastle in late May and early June 1942. One of their targets was the Harbour Bridge, which was not hit.
The Sydney Harbour Bridge, pictured under construction, is the sixth longest spanning-arch bridge in the world and the tallest steel arch bridge, measuring 134m from top to water level
American soldiers wade ashore through swirling waters at Toem, New Guinea, in World War II
General Douglas MacArthur (seated) signs the Instrument of Surrender on behalf of the Allied Powers on board the USS Missouri at the conclusion of war with Japan on September 2, 1945
MacArthur, who ran the Allied war in the Pacific from Brisbane, had good reason to prepare for the Japanese heading south to Sydney.
'It's quite fascinating,' Mr Scully told The Australian.
'We were basically doing what we needed to do to protect the bridge from being brought down and MacArthur had been doing the same thing in reverse.
'He sought advice on how to destroy the bridge; we sought advice on how to protect it.
'There were two points on the bridge that needed to be dealt with to ensure that a truck bomb didn't bring the bridge down.'
Mr Scully said Sydneysiders would not have noticed the reinforcement work done on the bridge, the exact location of which he would not reveal.
Likewise, the MacArthur plans were not available for public viewing.
'The MacArthur drawings and all plans for the Harbour Bridge were put under lock and key,' Mr Scully said.
'You don't want the wrong people coming into possession of them. They have been secure ever since.'
Sydney Harbour Bridge as seen from McMahons Point with the Opera House in background
Police were reportedly called after students at a Louisiana high school mistook the square root symbol for a gun drawing.
On Tuesday, at Oberlin High School, a student had been completing a math problem that required drawing the square-root sign.
Deputies say another student made a comment that the symbol looked like a gun and several other students made similar comments.
Police were reportedly called after students at a Louisiana high school mistook the square root symbol for a gun drawing
On Tuesday, at Oberlin High School, a student had been completing a math problem that required drawing the square-root sign. Deputies say another student made a comment that the symbol looked like a gun
Police searched the student's home, where they found no guns or any evidence that he had any access to guns.
Authorities added that there was no evidence the high-schooler had any intent to commit harm to other students or faculty.
'The student used extremely poor judgment in making the comment, but in light of the actual circumstances, there was clearly no evidence to support criminal charges,' the department wrote.
Disciplinary action has not yet been take against the student that made the comment, but will be determined by the Allen Parish School Board.
According to new polices set by the school board, any student accused of talking about guns or school shootings will be investigated by three entities: the school board, the sheriff's department, and the district attorney's office.
Police searched the student's home and concluded the high-schooler had any intent to cause harm to students or faculty. Many social media users commented that the situation was blown out of proportion (above)
This came a week after a gunman opened fire at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, on Valentine's Day, killing 17 people and wounding 14 more.
The mass shooting sparked a wave of reported threats against other schools across the country - threats that are still coming in by the day and have set local parents, students and emergency officials on high alert.
Still, many on social media thought the reaction to the 'threat' in Oberlin was more than a little overblown.
'Is this what things have come to??' one user tweeted.
'Really? Someone thought about pursuing terrorist threat criminal charges because he said a radical (square root sign LOOKED LIKE a gun? [M]eanwhile your next school school is now thought of as a law-abiding gun owner right now,' another user wrote exasperatedly.
One Twitter user joke: 'Police investigate student for drawing...a square root sign. Doing his math problems. Because it looked scary,'
Jamie Oliver has risked the wrath of Britains farmers by saying he would not feed his children chicken which had been produced to the Red Tractor standard.
The celebrity chef made the statement during his weekly cookery programme on Channel 4.
The label is used by 78,000 farmers in the UK and the farming industry says it means chicken has met robust and responsible production standards and is traceable back to its source.
But on a recent episode of Jamie and Jimmys Friday Night Feast, the celebrity chef and his friend Jimmy Doherty, a farmer and TV presenter, raised questions over the bottom standard.
Jamie Oliver has attacked Red Tractor British chickens and says he wouldn't cook the birds at home
While footage played of chickens in a large shed, Doherty said: Most of these birds never go outside and have little space to move about. Although some barns have natural light, perches and pecking objects, this isnt a requirement. Oliver, who owns dozens of restaurants, added: Chickens are bred to grow fast with a high ratio of meat to bone, but this makes them heavy so they can struggle to walk... I think people would be shocked by the reality of what we are buying.
Doherty then asked him: You wouldnt eat Red Tractor chicken? and Oliver responded: I personally wouldnt feed it to my kids.
Doherty then said: The Red Tractor label does guarantee a consistent basic standard for welfare and hygiene so we know our food comes from a trustworthy and safe source.
But is that minimum standard high enough? If you look at Red Tractor, they deal with welfare but they deal with everything from pesticide use to conservation to health and safety to traceability so having a bottom standard that covers all of British farming for me is really important.
The label is used by 78,000 farmers in the UK and the farming industry says it means chicken has met robust and responsible production standards and is traceable back to its source
The pair then said that they would rather British chicken was produced to a higher welfare standard with labels such as RSPCA-assured.
RSPCA welfare standards for chicken means the birds must be given sufficient space and require the use of slower growing birds, to help prevent problems like lameness.
Minette Batters, who last week became the first every woman to run the National Farmers Union, argued that the Red Tractor standard means that we have the highest standards of food safety of environmental protection. The Red Tractor is a mark of food safety.
She pointed out that the scheme helped families on lower incomes buy food confident that it had been created to a high standard.
She told the Sunday Telegraph: There are a lot of people on tight budgets and they must not be disadvantaged in all of this. It is about making sure we can provide quality affordable, safe, traceable food to everybody regardless of budgets, regardless of background.
Olivers opinion came after Michael Gove, the Environment Secretary, told the NFU conference last week that food standards would not fall after Britain leaves the European Union.
There are fears that after Brexit the UK will sign a trade deal with America to allow cheaper, chlorine-washed chicken to be sold in British supermarkets.
Assured Food Standards, which licences the Red Tractor mark, did not respond to a request to comment yesterday.
Kaylee Muthart (Pictured), 20, had been using meth for about six months when she freaked out on February 6 in front of a Anderson, South Carolina church
The mother of a young woman who gouged out her own eyes while high on methamphetamine is speaking out against the dangers of drug abuse.
Kaylee Muthart, 20, had been using meth for about six months when she freaked out on February 6 in front of a Anderson, South Carolina church after hearing 'voices that told her to sacrifice her eyes in order to make it to heaven.'
'This is something you never think is going to happen to you, but it did,' Katy Tompkins, mother to Kaylee and six other children, told People Magazine on Friday.
'A lot of the mothers I talked to have kids that have been addicted to heroin for 10, 15 years and I'm like, "How did you get through it?" My daughter was doing it for six months and it literally tore me up.'
Despite the trauma and suffering experienced by her daughter, Tompkins said that she hopeful the incident can serve as an example to act and get help for a loved one before its too late.
'I don't know how I'm getting through it, but she has given me strength. It's weird to say, but she uplifts me right now and she's the one that can't see. That's just the kind of person she is,' Tompkins said. 'I'm thankful. It's a horrible thing, but I'm still thankful because God spared her life.'
Despite the trauma and suffering experienced by her daughter, Katy Tompkins hopes the incident can serve as an example for others
Sheriff Chad McBride (Pictured) had to subdue Kaylee enough so she could start receiving medical assistance when they arrived at the South Main Chapel and Mercy Center (R)
Doctors believe that the meth she smoked earlier this month was laced with a chemical that caused her to hallucinate.
Just days before the incident, Kaylee had told her mother that she was ready to go into drug rehab.
Parishioners at the South Main Chapel and Mercy Center heard Kaylee's screams and ran outside to find her holding an eyeball in her hand.
She fought them off as they tried to help, and by the time paramedics arrived she had gouged out the other eye, according to Sheriff Chad McBride of the Anderson County Sheriffs Office.
Tompkins (L) said that after Kaylee (R) gets out of the hospital and learns how to live without sight, she wants to share her story with others
When medical emergency units arrived to help the 20-year-old, officials reportedly had 'to subdue her enough so she could start receiving medical assistance,' according to broadcast affiliate FOX Carolina.
A team of deputies finally managed to control Kaylee and she was airlifted to the trauma unit at Greenville Memorial Hospital.
'I can't even explain that feeling when I found out, it was horrifying. Complete terror,' Tompkins said of first hearing what her daughter had done. 'I was thankful she was alive, but I knew something was wrong with her.'
Doctors later told Tompkins that the incident left her daughter permanently blind.
Tompkins said she thinks Kaylee first started used meth unintentionally last year, which eventually led her to leaving her mother's home.
'The day before it happened, which was my birthday, I was getting ready to have her committed, just to get her off the streets and away from it,' Tompkins said. 'But I was too late.'
Since the terrifying episode, Tompkins says her daughter is recovering well but still has a long and difficult road ahead of her.
'She's been doing wonderfully. Each day at a time, she just gets a little better and better,' she said. 'She's getting all different kinds of treatment, but she's going to have to re-learn everything. It's like she's almost starting life over again.'
Kaylee remains hospitalized and doctors have cleaned and treated her orbital sockets to prevent infection.
Doctors recommend that she get prosthetic eyes to preserve her facial structure and keep bacteria out of the sockets.
Kaylee insists that she get aqua green prosthetics to match her natural eye color, her mother said.
Tompkins said that after Kaylee gets out of the hospital and learns how to live without sight, she wants to share her story with others and warn young people of the dangers of drug use.
The family has created a GoFundMe campaign to raise money for a seeing eye dog for Kaylee.
A Comanchero associate boasted of 'looking lean' and 'feeling fit' in a series of social media updates posted on his account while he was doing hard time in jail.
Police shot dead bikie ally Liam Scorsese, 31, on Sunday afternoon after allegedly lunging at cops near an ex-girlfriend's home in Brisbane.
Scorsese had only walked free from a south Queensland prison on November 1 last year after serving three months for the brutal bashing of a bus driver.
He announced he was back on the streets on Instagram with a photo of himself with a shining Rolex on his wrist, standing by a Range Rover and showing off his abs.
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'#JAILFIT': Liam Scorsese walks free from a south Queensland jail late last year - instantly posting to a social media account which was constantly updated while he was behind bars
Scorsese, left, with his apparent lover Chireez Beytel in the months after he was released from prison
Two of many posts (left, right) uploaded to an account in Scorsese's name while he was behind bars at Queensland's Gatton jail
The same account, 'publicenemynumbr1' had uploaded a series of messages, many written in first person, while he was supposed to be serving time at Gatton prison.
'3 weeks and I'm a free man and coming home ...' one post said.
'Can't wait too see all my brothers and loved ones and family use all know who you are ... #feelingfit #lookinglean #clearminded #cantwaittoseeyouall #fts'
He also posted throwback photos with his friend Harley Barbaro, the brother of slain gangster Pasquale: 'Flash back to my (quiet) night with my brother'.
Within moments of walking free Scorsese jumped on his Instagram account to describe himself as '#jailfit' and marking the beginning of a 'new chapter.'
It's unclear whether Scorsese had any in the posts while behind bars.
When Daily Mail Australia alerted prison authorities to the posts in October, a Queensland Corrective Services spokeswoman said there was 'no evidence the posts to Instagram referred to in this enquiry were made by the prisoner in question while incarcerated'.
Scorsese died after being tasered and shot by police following an urgent triple-0 call about a 'man with a knife trying to break into a house'
The former bikie associate was taken to Princess Alexandra Hospital in a critical condition but later died. Forensics and investigating police pictured yesterday
It is an offence to have a mobile phone in prison and allegations of any offences are referred to the Queensland Correctives Investigative Service, the spokeswoman said.
'In some circumstances prisoners have been known to provide access to their social media accounts or have accounts created on their behalf while incarcerated.'
It's understood life after jail had seen Scorsese get together with cosmetic tattoo artist Chireez Beytell and work with his father.
Lovers: Scorsese and his partner Chireez Beytell, left and right
A Versace watch, a packet of high-end chocolates and a bunch of roses - Ms Beytell shared her Valentine's Day gift from Scorsese
She posted a picture of a Versace watch, teddy bear and roses from Scorsese on Valentines Day.
'The pain is unbearable, the suffering unimaginable,' she said yesterday.
Detective Chief Superintendent Mick Niland told reporters officers present were 'in fear of their lives' when the shots were fired.
Scorsese was Tasered, but the weapon apparently had no impact.
The officers retreated before one of the two officers shot at him.
Police have discovered 300kg of a drug used to make ice hidden in highlighters in Sydney.
Ephedrine was allegedly smuggled into Sydney from China and discovered by police hidden inside 21,000 of the pens.
Three men aged 26, 27 and 24 were arrested and the 27-year-old was formally charged with importing commercial quantities of border controlled precursors.
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Police have discovered 300kg of a drug smuggled into Sydney. A 27-year-old man was charged with drug smuggling
The drug was discovered by police hidden inside 21,000 highlight pens in a container carrying stationary supplies.
The other two men have been released while police continue to investigate.
Australian Border Force, working jointly with New South Wales Police, noticed abnomalies in a stationary shipment that arrived at Port Botany earlier this month.
The pens were pulled apart and tests confirmed they had been filled with ephedrine, which is used to make methamphetamine.
Some of the shipment was allowed to be delivered to premises in Sydney's inner west under the watchful eyes of border force officers and NSW Police detectives.
Investigators executed a search warrant at a home at Glebe, where they seized items relevant to the investigation.
ABF Investigations Superintendent Garry Low described the highlighters as a 'unique concealment method' but said they can find drugs and precursors in almost anything.
Three men aged 26, 27 and 24 were arrested and a 27-year-old man was formally charged
Some of the shipment was allowed to be delivered to premises in Sydney's inner west under the watchful eyes of border force officers and NSW Police detectives
'(We) have made a significant dent in the availability of ice over the past 12 months, with the seizure of more than 2 tonnes of ephedrine at the border in NSW alone,' he said.
'We've recently invested heavily in upgrades to x-ray technology at our container examination facilities, including here in Sydney, allowing our officers to see further in to each container and detect even more sophisticated concealments.'
The 27-year-old man who was charged was refused bail and will appear at the Central Local Court on Wednesday.
Investigators executed a search warrant at a home at Glebe, where they seized items relevant to the investigation
Patients are being put at risk by controversial schemes to slash hospital treatment, doctors' leaders warn.
Up to four in ten health trusts have set up 'referral management centres' where staff sift through GP letters.
These include requests for cancer scans, hip and knee replacements and as well as any appointments with a hospital specialist.
A report by the Royal College of GPs today warns that the schemes are unsafe, delaying care and undermining patients' trust.
Up to four in ten health trusts have set up 'referral management centres' where staff sift through GP letters (stock image)
The centres are normally manned by teams of admin workers who are supervised by a handful of nurses, GPs and hospital doctors to offer expertise.
But the College claims that these staff are rejecting patients' treatment without having a proper understanding of their circumstances or medical history.
And if a GPs' referral is rejected, they will have to go through the process of writing a new, stronger letter to be reassessed by the centre.
This delay could harm the patient - the College points out - particularly if they are awaiting a scan to check for cancer.
The centres have become increasingly popular amongst cost-cutting local health trusts, Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs).
But the College claims that they may actually be costing the NHS more to run than it would otherwise be spending on hospital scans and treatment.
Professor Helen Stokes-Lampard, chair of the Royal College of GPs, said: 'We can't simply sit back and say nothing about some ethically-questionable initiatives that prioritise cost-savings over patient care.
She warned that the schemes were 'undermining GPs' professionalism and the decisions we make in the best interests of our patients, and in doing so erode the important trust our patients have in us.
Professor Helen Stokes-Lampard (pictured), chair of the Royal College of GPs, said: 'We can't simply sit back and say nothing about some ethically-questionable initiatives that prioritise cost-savings over patient care'
'Reviewing referrals is an important part of general practice, and a constructive part of professional development for GPs, but it must be proportionate, safe, and in the best interests of individual patient's health outcomes.'
The report states: 'There is no evidence that referral management, as defined here, is cost-effective or safe.
'Moreover, there are significant ethical and professional concerns with these initiatives as they can undermine GP professionalism and patient choice.'
An investigation by the British Medical Journal last year found that 39 per cent of CCGs had set up a referral management centres.
Previous studies have found that in some areas including the Vale of York the centres were rejecting one in three GP referrals.
Many GPs were told their patients were ineligible for treatment or there was too little information to make a decision.
Dr Robina Shah, chair of the RCGP's patient and carer partnership group, said the schemes were undermining patients' trust in their doctor.
She said: 'The relationship between a patient and their GP is unique in healthcare and built over time and we must approach any initiatives that threaten this with great caution.
'I trust my GP to make the right decision about my referral - I don't want bureaucracy getting in the way.'
Trendy soya-based bacon and sausages are often promoted as a healthy alternative to meat.
But you may be better off tucking into a full English after all - as many vegetarian foods are fattier and more calorific than the meat options they seek to emulate.
Sainsburys vegetarian smoky bacon, made from soya, contains 309 calories per 100g and nearly 22g of fat.
However, the supermarket chains unsmoked back bacon contains just 233 calories per 100g and 13.8g of fat, the Sunday Times found.
Many vegetarian foods are fattier and more calorific than the meat options (pictured) they seek to emulate, according to new research
At Tesco, meanwhile, meat-free bacon-style rashers contain 341 calories per 100g and nearly 23g of fat. In comparison Tesco finest smoked bacon has 191 calories and about 12g of fat.
It is a similar story with dairy-free alternatives which can also leave your waistline worse off, with many containing coconut oil which is higher in saturated fat than butter or lard.
Sainsburys Deliciously FreeFrom alternative to soft cheese contains 285 calories per 100g and 22.3g of saturated fat. In contrast, Philadelphia full-fat soft cream cheese contains 235 calories per 100g and 14.5g saturated fat.
Nutritionist Amanda Ursell told the Sunday Times: Veganism and vegetarianism can be a very positive thing, but its not necessarily a free pass to great health.
At Tesco, meanwhile, meat-free bacon-style rashers contain 341 calories per 100g and nearly 23g of fat. In comparison Tesco finest smoked bacon has 191 calories and about 12g of fat
Any processed food can be high in fat, salt and sugar. It is always a case of buyer beware when buying processed foods and reading the labels. Many Britons, particularly young adults, have been moving away from red meat for animal welfare and environmental reasons.
A report last year found one in five people under the age of 25 say they do not eat red meat or poultry, with many unhappy about intensive farming, animal living conditions and slaughter. Livestock farming also produces large amounts of the greenhouse gases linked with climate change.
A Florida school shooting survivor turned activist has sharply criticized the NRA's reaction to the massacre as 'disgusting'.
David Hogg, the senior at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School who has been at the head of the fight for tighter gun laws in the wake of the tragedy, blasted the NRA's continued opposition to stricter gun control.
He also lambasted the spokeswoman Dana Loesch for misrepresenting 99 percent of the people who belong to the agency during an interview with George Stephanopolous on ABC's This Week.
The 17-year-old has been the target of a baseless social media conspiracy that suggests he is a 'crisis actor' and not an actual high school student.
He and some of his fellow Stoneman Douglas shooting survivors have received countless death threats since starting to demand stricter gun laws in the wake of the tragedy they experienced on February 14.
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David Hogg, the senior at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School who has been at the head of the fight for tighter gun laws in the wake of the tragedy has sharply criticized the NRA's reaction to the massacre as 'disgusting'
He also lambasted the spokeswoman Dana Loesch for misrepresenting 99 percent of the people who belong to the agency during an interview with George Stephanopolous on ABC's This Week. He is pictured one day after the massacr
But Hogg hasn't let that stop him, and has continued to fight for tighter gun laws and attack the NRA both in interviews and on social media.
'Honestly, it's disgusting,' the 17-year-old said Sunday.
'[The NRA acts] like they don't own these politicians, but they do. They've gotten gun legislation passed before in their favor, in favor of gun manufacturers.'
Hogg also responded to comments made earlier by NRA spokeswoman Dana Loesch, who insisted the agency has been working to make people safer.
'We have been supporting proposals to make sure that the system works,' Loesch told the show's host, George Stephanopolous.
'We've been calling for politicians to work with us and make sure that dangerous people who have received due process can't access firearms.'
But Hogg said he thinks the NRA as an organization is 'completely broken,' because people like Loesch are serving the gun manufacturers instead of the members.
'She's not serving the people of the NRA, because the people that are joining the NRA, 99.9 percent of them are amazing people that just want to be safe, responsible gun owners,' Hogg said.
'And I can fully support that.'
'Honestly, it's disgusting,' the 17-year-old said Sunday. '[The NRA acts] like they don't own these politicians, but they do. They've gotten gun legislation passed before in their favor, in favor of gun manufacturers'
Hogg also responded to comments made earlier by NRA spokeswoman Dana Loesch, who insisted the agency has been working to make people safer
'We have been supporting proposals to make sure that the system works,' Loesch told the show's host, George Stephanopolous on Sunday. She is pictured at the CNN Town Hall
Hogg also expressed his optimism that he and his classmates will be able to keep the political momentum going that was spurred by the tragedy.
The teen cited his generation's growing electoral influence and said they are ready to get out and vote to make a change.
'Columbine was about 19 years ago,' Hogg said.
'Now that you've had an entire generation of kids growing up around mass shootings, and the fact that they're starting to be able to vote, explains how we're going to have this change. Kids are not going to accept this.'
Also with Hogg speaking to Stephanopoulos was one of his teachers Ashley Kurth, who shielded Hogg and a group of students from Cruz in her classroom during the February 14 shooting.
Hogg also expressed his optimism that he and his classmates will be able to keep the political momentum going that was spurred by the tragedy
Also with Hogg speaking to Stephanopoulos was one of his teachers Ashley Kurth, who shielded Hogg and a group of students from Cruz in her classroom during the February 14 shooting
Speaking out: On Sunday, David Hogg addressed a community rally for common sense gun legislation at held at a synagogue in Livingston, New Jersey
Hogg was joined by Matthew and Ryan Deitsch and and his sister Lauren Hogg
Kurth agreed with many of Hogg's points, and spoke out about what is concerning her most in the wake of the massacre.
She said she doesn't agree with President Donald Trump's proposal to arm and train teachers around the country.
'These are kids that have passions, very raging passions ,and when they get into fights having something like this in their vicinity is not a good idea,' Kurth said.
During the interview Hogg also thought ahead to his upcoming return to classes at Stoneman Douglas this coming week.
'It's never going to be the same, and never will be the same,' he said.
'I can't even imagine emotionally what me and my fellow students are going to go through that day.'
Former top Donald Trump campaign official Rick Gates's guilty plea deal may save him from jail, and could mean prosecutors have placed the bulk of blame for criminal conduct on Paul Manafort, experts say.
While former Trump campaign chairman Manafort continues to maintain his innocence on all charges, Gates admitted to conspiracy against the United States and lying to investigators on Friday.
The plea agreement means 45-year-old Gates will be spared - at least for now - of other more serious offenses the government has accused him of committing such as money laundering and bank fraud.
Former top Trump aide Rick Gates cut a deal with investigators on Friday, pleading guilty to conspiracy against the U.S. and lying to investigators
Criminal defense lawyer Robert Bennett called the deal 'very favorable', adding it puts Manafort, Gates' co-defendant, in a 'very difficult position'
Criminal defense lawyer Robert Bennett called the deal 'very favorable' in an interview with ABC, adding it puts Manafort, Gates' co-defendant, in a 'very difficult position'.
The guilty plea signals Gates is ready to cooperate with special counsel Robert Mueller's Russia investigation which could in turn put more pressure on his longtime associate Manafort.
The conspiracy charge states that Gates 'knowingly and intentionally conspired to defraud the United States by impeding, impairing, obstructing, and defeating the lawful governmental functions of [the Departments of Justice and Treasury] and to commit offenses against the United States.'
The lying charge says Gates 'falsely stated and represented to the Special Counsels Office,' including the FBI, that the March 2013 meeting didn't involve Ukraine.
Gate's plea agreement repeatedly mentions his actions coming 'at Manafort's instruction' and says he 'helped Manafort' move his funds so he could evade U.S. taxes.
Gates's guilty plea deal, which may save him from jail, could mean prosecutors have placed the bulk of blame for criminal conduct on Paul Manafort (pictured), experts say
Former Trump campaign chairman Manafort continues to maintain his innocence
It says 'Gates, with Manafort's knowledge and agreement, repeatedly misled Manafort's accountants,' and that 'Gates, acting at Manafort's instructions, did not report the accounts' existence to Manafort's tax accountants.'
In the plea agreement, prosecutors made sure to reference a special provision in sentencing guidelines that offers probation for those who choose to cooperate with investigators.
'A defendant who has provided substantial assistance in the investigation or prosecution of another person who has committed an offense may be sentenced to a term of supervised release that is less than any minimum required by statute or the guidelines,' the provision states.
Gate's plea agreement also says if the former aide fully cooperates he will 'then be free to argue for any sentence below the advisory sentencing guideline range'.
Prosecutors even specified in the plea agreement that they 'may not oppose the defendant's application' for a lesser sentence if his help proves valuable.
However, if Gates is found to be uncooperative, the government could charge him with the other crimes again, and, as agreed to in the plea deal, he will have no opportunity to appeal.
Gates is now the third Trump associate known to be working with Mueller's investigation
But as former U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara said on ABC's 'This Week' on Sunday, it's likely Mueller's team heard the information Gates had to give before offering him a plea deal.
Gates is now the third Trump associate known to be working with Mueller's investigation -Former national security adviser Michael Flynn and Trump campaign adviser George Papadopoulos are also cooperating with authorities.
Manafort, on his part, maintained his innocence in a statement soon after Gates entered his plea.
'Notwithstanding that Rick Gates pled today, I continue to maintain my innocence. I had hoped and expected my business colleague would have had the strength to continue to battle to prove our innocence,' Manafort said in a statement.
'For reasons not yet to surface he chose to do otherwise. This does not alter my commitment to defend myself against the untrue piled up charges contained in the indictments against me.'
Gates and Manafort were both indicted last October for money laundering, failing to properly register as foreign agents, and lying to federal officials about lobbying and other activities.
Prosecutors added more charges last week including conspiracy against the United States, conspiracy to launder money, unregistered agent of a foreign principal and false statements.
The summer of 1951 was a wretched time for the Foreign Office and British Intelligence. In May, diplomats Guy Burgess and Donald Maclean had sensationally fled to Moscow after being told that their pro-Soviet treachery was about to be exposed.
The man who had tipped them off was Kim Philby, a high-ranking MI6 officer who lost his own job soon afterwards when he, too, was suspected of being a Soviet mole.
Understandably, the Americans who shared huge amounts of highly classified material with the British were incensed. The CIA and the State Department declared that they were highly disturbed the Foreign Office could employ such men.
They pointed out that in the State Department, repeated drunkenness, recurrent nervous breakdowns, sexual deviations and other human frailties are considered security hazards, and persons showing any one or more of them are dismissed summarily, the British Embassy sheepishly reported.
David Floyd, pictured, passed material to the Soviets during the Forties while employed in the Russian secretariat of the British Embassy in Moscow
When the Burgess and Maclean story went public in June, it was one of Britains worst spy scandals. As both men had been educated at public schools and at Cambridge, it seemed something was very rotten at the heart of the British Establishment.
Until now, however, it was not generally known that the Foreign Office and MI5 had discovered yet another Soviet agent in their midst, whose treachery was kept secret.
Yesterday, The Sunday Times reported that a Foreign Office official called David Floyd had passed material to the Soviets during the Forties while employed in the Russian secretariat of the British Embassy in Moscow. He was also strongly suspected of having done the same while working in our embassies in Belgrade and Prague.
The revelation comes from top-secret Foreign Office files released after a Freedom of Information application. Papers obtained by a biographer of Burgess show the Director of Public Prosecutions decided not to prosecute Floyd.
But how on earth could such a man have been hired in the first place?
Floyd had been secretary of the Oxford University branch of the Communist Party and was married to a communist. He had two criminal convictions and had been in prison.
Even so, he was appointed to sensitive posts by the Foreign Office.
Worse still, after Floyds treachery was exposed and then the truth was covered up, he found respectable employment as communist affairs correspondent at the Daily Telegraph and then at The Times.
Floyd took his secret to his grave when he died in 1997 at the age of 83. At the time, The Guardian described him blithely as one of Fleet Streets most knowledgeable Kremlinologists. The Telegraphs own obituary said he was a valued member of staff.
His son Sir Christopher Floyd, now a Lord Justice of Appeal, appears to have known nothing about his fathers secret past. Its very shocking for me to hear this, Sir Christopher told The Sunday Times.
Born in 1914 in Swindon, the son of a railwayman, Floyd was drawn to communism at Oxford. With the rise of fascism in Europe and an economic slump, many well-educated youngsters saw communism as the ideal social system.
But while for many this was a peaceful interest, Floyds leftism was unabashedly militant and proudly unpatriotic.
His son Sir Christopher Floyd (pictured), now a Lord Justice of Appeal, appears to have known nothing about his fathers secret past
He had already joined the Anti-War Movement, a group banned by the Labour Party for being a communist satellite.
One evening, Floyd and two comrades went to a cinema in Swindon to see a documentary film called Our Fighting Navy. Taking exception to stirring scenes of the Royal Navy carrying out a mock battle, they stood up and shouted: Take it off! We wont fight for King and Country! The trio were duly arrested and sentenced to a month in prison, although they were released after two days.
One of the three, Albert Hanson, later became Professor of Politics at Leeds University and was succeeded in that post by the Marxist sociologist Ralph Miliband (father of Ed and David).
Floyd was arrested again and charged with four offences relating to a strike by workers at a steel factory in Oxford. He was charged with obstructing a police constable, blocking a bus with his motorcycle and assaulting a man.
Lest we forget, Fleet Street's other red mole The Guardian's Richard Gott, pictured, was one of the most notorious KGB agents to work in Fleet Street One of the most notorious KGB agents to work in Fleet Street was The Guardians Richard Gott. He resigned from the Left-wing paper in 1994 after being revealed as an agent of influence, a tag he denied, having been recruited by the KGB. Gott did, though, admit culpable stupidity. He had joined the paper as a leader writer and held numerous other influential positions such as features editor and foreign news editor. Winchester and Oxford-educated Gott admitted meeting the KGB and accepting what he called red gold. Chillingly, he seemed to treat such traitorous work as a joke. He said: I rather enjoyed the cloak-and-dagger atmosphere which will be familiar to anyone who has read the spy stories of the Cold War. His contacts with the Kremlin dated back to 1964 and it wasnt until 1994 that he was exposed to the horror of the papers then editor, the genuinely incorruptible Peter Preston. Gott explained that he had first been contacted by the Soviet embassy while working at the Royal Institute of International Affairs. He was taken for lunches in distant suburbs. Gotts cover was blown when the Spectator magazine accused him of holding secret meetings with the KGB and gave precise details of how he was remunerated by his KGB case officers (including a welcome back payment after a period of inactivity). Gott confessed only to having taken expenses-paid trips to Athens, Nicosia and Vienna to meet a Soviet intelligence operative. Pathetically, he described the Spectators allegations as tactical slime from the archives. In fact he was a lifelong supporter of the hard Left, once writing of his simple belief that Che Guevara and Ho Chi Minh and Mao Tse-tung were admirable men who had been doing interesting things. While a reporter in South America, in 1967 he had been at the scene of the death of fellow Marxist Che Guevara and broke the story. According to Oleg Gordievsky, a KGB colonel formerly based in London who defected from the Soviet Union, Gott was one of fewer than ten so-called agents of influence recruited in Britain by the KGB. According to Gordievsky, Gott received at least 10,000 in cash, not just the lunches and free travel that he admitted. No wonder Guardian colleagues called him Gott the Trot and Pol Gott. In a delicious irony, Jeremy Corbyn, who in recent days has been at the centre of stories about meeting a Soviet spy in the Eighties, employs Seumas Milne as Labours director of communications. Like Gott, Milne went to Winchester College and the University of Oxford, and was for many years a senior figure at The Guardian. A communist sympathiser from his schooldays, Milne began at The Guardian in 1984 and later defended Gott after he confessed to meeting KGB officials and taking money from a Soviet spy, saying that the allegations seemed absurd. Advertisement
With his bail stood by his father and the vice-principal of his Oxford college, St Edmund Hall, Floyd was fined 2 (about 140 today).
His brush with the law may even have strengthened his commitment to communism, as he became secretary of the universitys branch of the Communist Party.
During this time he was spotted by Arthur Wynn, a postgraduate who recruited spies for the KGB.
Although millions of words have been written about the notorious Cambridge Spies including Burgess, Maclean and Anthony Blunt (who was allowed to pursue a career as an art historian and as Surveyor of the Queens Pictures in exchange for a detailed confession), much less has been told about how Wynn assembled a similar spy ring in Oxford.
Members included a Labour MP called Bernard Floud and his brother Peter, who worked for the Victoria and Albert Museum.
Along with Wynn, Floyd met another student communist, Joan Dabbs, whom he married in 1939.
Apparently because of his poor eyesight, he was unable to fight in the war but his ability to speak Russian got him a job at the UK Military Mission in Moscow in 1944. After the war he stayed in the Russian capital, where he was employed by the British embassy.
Although his position was relatively lowly, according to Roger Allen, then the embassys First Secretary, Floyd would have been able to get hold of almost any file, with a few exceptions, on legitimate grounds.
Like the Cambridge spies, it seems that in public, Floyd carefully downplayed his adherence to communism. Indeed, Allen recalled him as cheerful and on the whole sensible and found it almost impossible to believe that he was an ideologically orthodox communist.
That said, Floyds private life had become unorthodox.
He began an affair in Moscow with a Russian actress and his marriage collapsed.
After being posted to Prague, he then had a relationship with a woman called Hajka Goldmannova, whom he married in 1948 and who was the mother of their son Christopher.
With this raggedy private life, not to mention his communist student past, it seems astonishing that he did not trigger security concerns.
It was not until an Oxford-educated employee at the Ministry of Defence met Floyd in early 1950 and recalled Floyds communist activities at university that the alarm was raised.
A security check was carried out to look for any early record of tendencies towards communism. Most worryingly, even though such tendencies were discovered, they were dismissed by the authorities as youthful indiscretion.
One diplomat even commented that it would have been impossible to conceal a double loyalty during all this time.
It looked as if Floyd had got away with his treachery. But then it seems he had an attack of conscience and confessed to being a Soviet agent although he admitted only to having passed over very low-grade documents. Why did he confess? He told the Foreign Office it was the honest thing to do. More revealingly, he also said he feared the Russians might kidnap him.
Floyd, perhaps motivated by the fact that his second wife was pregnant, claimed he wanted to begin life anew with a clear conscience.
After MI5 investigated, a file was passed to the Director of Public Prosecutions. Extraordinarily, even then it was considered there was not enough evidence to charge Floyd with any crimes.
At the end of summer 1951, British government officials admitted to their American counterparts that another Soviet spy had been unearthed, but played down his significance.
MI5 officers met agents from a section of the CIA called the Office of Special Operations and told them there was no basis for legal action against David Floyd [...] who voluntarily disclosed Soviet Intelligence associations but disclaimed any transmission of confidential information.
The Americans accepted the British assurances. At the same meeting, MI5 revealed to the Americans that Floyd had implicated Arthur Wynn, the man who had recruited him as a spy in Oxford and who was working at the Ministry of Fuel and Power.
Despite being investigated by intelligence officer Peter Wright who later wrote the book Spycatcher, which sensationally alleged that Harold Wilson was the target of an MI5 conspiracy and that former MI5 chief Roger Hollis was a Soviet mole Wynn was left to pursue his Whitehall career until his retirement in 1971.
But what was to be done about Floyd, who, according to a memo, the Foreign Office believed to be sincerely repentant?
How typical that the Establishment came to his rescue.
The papers deputy editor was Malcolm Muggeridge (pictured), who had worked for MI6 during the war. It is not known if Muggeridge was aware of Floyds treachery, although it is likely he would have known of his past
In 1952 he was given a job by the Daily Telegraph as its communist affairs correspondent. The papers deputy editor was Malcolm Muggeridge, who had worked for MI6 during the war.
It is not known if Muggeridge later known as a broadcaster and Catholic convert nicknamed St Mugg was aware of Floyds treachery, although it is likely he would have known of his past.
Floyd worked, without suspicion, at the Daily Telegraph for almost 30 years. Inevitably, considering his area of reporting, he was known as Pink Floyd.
In the late Seventies he moved to The Times, where he was also communist affairs correspondent.
Although the treachery of many other spies is known to have led to the deaths of compatriots whose secret work they exposed to their enemies, it is hard to be precise about the damage Floyd did. Yet how can we accept the assurances of a man willing to betray his country that he had only passed on low-grade material?
Of course, British Intelligence may have found a use for him as a double or triple agent.
It seems outrageous that David Floyd should be known as the spy who got away with it, though and another big question remains: how many others also got away with it?
Could Albert Hanson, for example, his communist comrade who became a Leeds University professor, also have been a spy? It is certainly possible, as we now know that Floyds Oxford recruiter on behalf of the Kremlin, Arthur Wynn, was offered immunity from prosecution (although the deal collapsed) and allowed to work in a taxpayer-funded government post until retirement.
Until the next tranche of secret documents is belatedly released, we can only speculate.
The final part of our serialisation of Charlotte Binghams memoirs, MI5 And Me, will appear in tomorrows paper.
New Zealand skier Byron Wells missed his second Winter Olympics in a row after shattering his kneecap during a routine practice run 15 minutes before his heat.
The 25-year-old freestyle skier held back tears as he was stretchered from the halfpipe in PyeongChang last Thursday - a cruel end to eight years of preparation.
'I am absolutely devastated about getting injured fifteen minutes from the start of the finals,' Wells told the NZ Herald.
Adding insult to injury, the young athlete was forced to withdraw from the Sochi 2014 Games after suffering an injury the day before his event.
Deja vu: New Zealand skier Byron Wells, 25, was devastated to be withdrawn from the Olympics after suffering from a leg injury while training for the ski halfpipe final. Just four years ago he suffered an injury the day before his competition at the Sochi Winter Olympics in 2014
'I fell on a trick I have done countless times before and unfortunately I landed awkwardly and it caused me to fracture my right patella,' Wells said
Byron Wells and his partner Ashleigh McLean were both heartbroken that he was no longer able to compete in the freeski halfpipe Olympics final. Ashleigh said: 'Today was supposed to be the day this legend fought for the medal he so deserves, to have that opportunity taken away right before the competition is beyond cruel'
The Wanaka skier fell while doing a trick just before the men's freeski halfpipe finals and fractured his right kneecap.
Wells took to social to share his hospital updates and X-rays.
'I fell on a trick I have done countless times before and unfortunately I landed awkwardly and it caused me to fracture my right patella. I had to undergo surgery the following day to wire the bone back together,' Wells said.
Wells received medical treatment before being taken to a hospital in Korea for surgery.
The New Zealander's partner Ashleigh McLean shared her support for her injured boyfriend on Instagram.
'Always my hero. Today was supposed to be the day this legend fought for the medal he so deserves, to have that opportunity taken away right before the competition is beyond cruel.
'I am so inspired by you Byron, we will get through this rehab together and you will be back stronger than ever. I love you always,' Ms McLean said.
Wells was supposed to compete with brother Beau-James and fellow New Zealander Nico Porteous who ended up winning Bronze in the same final.
Brian Wells was training last Thursday before fracturing his right knee cap 15 minutes before his ski final
Brian took to social to share his hospital updates accompanied with his x-rays. 'I had to undergo surgery the following day to wire the bone back together,' Wells said
A Labor senator is continuing to employ his wife at taxpayers' expense despite the public outcry over politicians having sexual relationships with their staff.
Glenn Sterle's wife Fiona is paid a $75,000 salary before overtime to manage his diary in his Perth electorate office.
This is despite the Abbott government introducing new rules in January 2014, stopping federal MPs from recruiting at taxpayers' expense ' immediate family members or partners in their personal staff'.
It also follows the introduction of a so-called ''bonk ban'' by Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull on ministers having sexual relationships with their staff in the wake of the Barnaby Joyce pregnant-lover scandal.
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Labor senator Glenn Sterle continues to employ his wife Fiona (pictured with their their daughter Kirsty Bellombra and her husband Michael Bellombra) to manage his diary
This means Senator Sterle would have to abstain from sleeping with his wife were he to become a minister, with Labor leader Bill Shorten promising to uphold the sex prohibition code.
Daily Mail Australia is not suggesting Senator Sterle has broken any rules, as they were not retrospective, by employing his wife as an electorate officer class B.
Politicians were banned from employing new staff who were related to them, after January 1, 2014, but spouses or family members already on their payroll could be kept on.
Senator Sterle's employment of his wife does raise some political issues, considering other federal MPs stopped employing their spouses and family members after the rule change four years ago.
Former deputy prime minister Barnaby Joyce's former media adviser Vikki Campion moved out of his office in April 2017
FAMILY MATTERS Since January 1, 2014, federal politicians have been banned from adding family members to their staff. The Members of Parliament (Staff) Act defines this as a spouse, de facto partner, child, parent or sibling. It also covers a child of the spouse or de facto partner of a politician; a spouse or de facto partner of a child of the MP; or the spouse or de facto partner of a sibling of the federal member. Source: Department of Finance Advertisement
If he were to become a minister, Senator Sterle would be required to either sack his wife or abstain from getting intimate with her to avoid flouting the new ministerial sex ban.
This code was instigated a fortnight ago following former deputy prime minister Barnaby Joyce's affair with his former media adviser Vikki Campion.
A spokesman for Senator Sterle, 58, confirmed his wife Fiona had been employed since 2007 at his Perth electorate office to manage his diary.
However, the former truck driver's office pointed out the 2014 rules did not apply to existing staff who were related to the politicians who employed them.
Queensland Liberal senator Ian Macdonald's wife Lesley is now a volunteer in her husband's Townsville electorate office after being a paid staff member
The senator's wife appears as an electorate officer on his staff directory but she is not paid
'Fiona was an experienced electorate officer prior to her commencement in Glenn's office and as she was employed pre-1 January 2014, this determination does not apply to her,' he told Daily Mail Australia on Monday.
In November 2013, then special minister of state Michael Ronaldson issued a media release saying federal MPs would be required to stop putting their family members on their taxpayer-funded payroll from the following year.
'Employment of family members may not be consistent with good, merit-based employment practices,' he said.
'For that reason, reforms to limit this practice have been enacted in many overseas jurisdictions.'
Queensland Liberal senator Ian Macdonald, who railed against this rule in 2016, had employed his wife Lesley in his Townsville electorate office.
She continues to be listed in his staff directory but a spokeswoman for Senator Macdonald insisted she was a volunteer.
'As discussed, Lesley Macdonald is not a paid employee in the Senator's office,' she told Daily Mail Australia on Monday.
However, on the parliamentary database, Lesley Macdonald is listed as an 'electorate officer' and not a 'volunteer'.
Former deputy prime minister Barnaby Joyce's media adviser Vikki Campion was moved out of his office in April 2017, to possibly avoid employing a partner in his office.
Nationals minister Matt Canavan has maintained he was unaware Ms Campion, 33, was in a relationship with Mr Joyce when he employed her.
Students and academics face being branded scabs if they turn up for classes today as hardliners picket universities in an increasingly bitter lecturers strike.
Walkouts will be held at 65 institutions over the next three days, with 45,000 staff refusing to hold lectures in a row over pensions.
Many of the picket lines originally set up by tutors have now been hijacked by rabble-rousing hard-Left student groups. Undergraduates desperate to access libraries and carry on working are being ordered by their peers to stay away to show solidarity with the strikers.
Activists have been running online campaigns telling peers dont be a scab, while posters on campuses tell students to stay at home even if classes are not cancelled.
Students and academics face being branded scabs if they turn up for classes today as hardliners picket universities in an increasingly bitter lecturers strike. Pictured: A picket line at SOAS in London
One undergraduate at Exeter was even spat at as he tried to hand in work last week. The University and College Union (UCU) will hold 12 strike days over the next three weeks over changes to pensions which will see academics losing up to 10,000 a year of retirement income.
As a result, up to a million students face cancelled lectures. As the strike enters its third day, universities minister Sam Gyimah demanded universities divert lecturers pay to compensate students for cancelled classes.
The three firebrands stoking the disruption Left to right: Edward Bailey, Matt Waddup and Sally Hunt They are the key agitators behind the university strikes who are accused of making students suffer. Sally Hunt As general secretary of the University and College Union she has been at the forefront of those criticising the large salaries for Vice Chancellors. But Sally Hunt, 53, is not so keen to talk about her own remuneration and benefits, currently amounting to 138,682 a year. That includes a 3,557 a year car allowance, which has almost doubled in the last six years. It is all paid for by the union, whose 153 staff are paid an average of more than 50,000. The lecturers who fund Ms Hunts salary, meanwhile, start on just 34,000, typically rising to 55,000 for those in more senior roles. She was born in Germany while her father was teaching in an armed forces school, and studied at a comprehensive before achieving a 2:2 degree in international relations from the University of Sussex. She still lives in a Brighton, now in a 650,000 house. And it may come as a surprise that she has never been an academic, instead working as a nightclub bouncer and in a bookshop before starting at the union. Miss Hunt told the Guardian in 2005: I dont pretend to be an academic. I wouldnt expect them to have to go and do a negotiation. Equally, I think they dont need me to be running their seminars. Newcastle university student Kelly Mashiter, 22, studying politics and Spanish, said of the union chiefs pay: It seems hypocritical that UCU leaders are enjoying a substantial salary and benefits and yet they are critical of university vice chancellors for their pay. A spokesman for UCU defended Ms Hunts pay and benefits, saying she needed a car, and that her pay had only gone up by around 5 per cent in recent years, a third of the hike enjoyed by already better-paid vice chancellors. Ed Bailey He works as the deputy campaign chief of the University and College Union and has talked with relish of dancing on the grave of Margaret Thatcher. Mr Bailey, 44, made the bad-taste reference in 2008 on Facebook, when he wrote in reference to the former Tory leader: Party in Trafalgar Square the Saturday after Thatcher dies remember. A generation will dance on Maggies grave. In keeping with that, he also has shown his approval on social media for left-wing groups including the Young Communist League of Britain. And his Facebook page has featured a picture from a demonstration in Gaza in 2009 decrying Israeli terrorists, as well as likes for the Jeremy Corbyn-supporting organisation Momentum. Mr Bailey, who lives in an 850,000 house in St Albans, Hertfordshire, also campaigns against the badger cull which the Government launched to stop TB spreading to cattle. Matt Waddup The national head of policy and campaigns at the University and College Union certainly seems to have made trade unionism his life. Mr Waddup, 50, returns home at night to a house in Brighton he shares with his partner Justine Stephens who is the UCU head of campaigns. His union activism began in the 1990s when he was a spokesman for the RMT, and worked on a four-day strike by 12,000 rail workers. He moved on to university unionism, and in 2004 and 2005 helped supervise strikes at Bath, Brunel and Nottingham universities. Mr Waddup has used a tactic known as greylisting, involving encouraging academics to turn against institutions in disputes with the union, and talked of making Brunel a pariah university after it issued redundancies. Advertisement
The strike, which began on Thursday, is the largest walk-out for at least a decade. Union leaders warn more strike days could be scheduled to coincide with final year exams.
Many academics are not saying whether their lectures are cancelled until their students turn up on the day to cause maximum disruption. Today, staff are due to walk out at a string of top universities including Cambridge, Oxford, UCL, Bristol, Durham, Exeter, Imperial, Warwick and York.
Witnesses on the ground said that while most protesting lecturers were behaving in a professional manner, many pickets were being hijacked by rowdy students. Jack Morewood, 19, a second-year maths student at Exeter, said he was spat at by a young protester as he crossed a picket to hand in coursework on Thursday.
Walkouts will be held at 65 institutions over the next three days, with 45,000 staff refusing to hold lectures in a row over pensions. Pictured: a picket line at SOAS in London
What the dispute is about Todays strike has been caused by proposed changes to pensions covered by the Universities Superannuation Scheme. Universities UK, which represents vice chancellors, says the scheme has a deficit of more than 6billion. It said in November it would stop offering staff defined benefit pensions, which offer a guaranteed income in retirement. Instead, it wants to shift them into a less generous defined contribution plan, which offers no assured pension. The University and College Union, which represents ordinary academics, says the changes will leave members 10,000 a year worse off. Advertisement
He said: There were 100 people on the picket, including a lot of students from the campus socialist group. I actually chatted to some lecturer protesters who were quite jovial and offered me coffee and food. But when I had passed the picket, I walked 30 metres to the toilet and then looked down to discover spit on my leg. The students union at Warwick has allegedly been censoring online comments that are critical of the strike.
Durham politics student Tom Harwood, 21, said he had seen online abuse from activists trying to stop peers attending lectures. He said: Students are just trying to get on with their lives.
Birkbeck University lecturer Ashok Kumar shared a poster on Twitter that joked about drowning a kitten every time someone crosses the picket line. Posters at Cambridge urged students: Unite! Dont go to lectures. Sheffield literature student Rachel Atkin posted on Twitter: Support the lecturers that support you and dont be a scab. However, Andrew Buck, a history tutor at Queen Mary University of London, said he felt made to feel like a traitor/scab for not taking part.
Yesterday, Mr Gyimah called for lecturers pay to be used to compensate students for lost teaching hours. He said: I expect all universities affected to make clear that any money not paid to lecturers will go towards student benefit including compensation.
After visiting a picket line in Manchester on Friday, he called on Universities UK (UUK) and the UCU to get back to the negotiating table to avoid further disruption. A UUK spokesman said: This industrial action is targeted at students. It will be young people and the next generation of students who will also suffer if their education deteriorates because employers are forced to make cuts to pay more into pensions.
The UCU said any bad behaviour on picket lines was not representative of its members. General secretary Sally Hunt said: The best thing universities can do for students now is to apply pressure of their own to get UUK back to the table with us for talks without pre-conditions.
Furious trainers have blasted organisers after jockeys were made to race their horses through torrential downpour, thick fog and 'no visibility'.
The conditions at Mudgee, in NSW's central-west, were so bad that the commentator was unable to call the majority of the race because he couldn't even see the horses.
'Months of training and planning went into today and they allow horses to go around with no visibility and flood like conditions. Disgraceful,' tweeted Peter Elder, the owner of a horse that finished in seventh place.
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Cosmologist, the Dean Mirfin-trained gelding, made an unexpected addition to Randwick's Country Championship after winning it's qualifying heat on a track shrouded in fog in Mudgee (pictured)
Despite the miserable racing conditions, rank outsider Cosmologist went straight to the front while his jockey Eleanor Webster-Hawes was unable to see the other runners because of driving rain.
'I couldn't see anything,' Webster-Hawes told Sky Thoroughbred Racing.
Cosmologist's trainer Dean Mirfin could hardly contain his excitement.
'It's unbelievable,' he said.
'When Cosmologist emerged from the gloom I thought it can't be, but it is.
'This is by miles my biggest win.'
Despite the miserable racing conditions, Cosmologist went straight to the front while his jockey Eleanor Webster-Hawes was unable to see the other runners because of driving rain
Mirfin took the gamble to start Cosmologist, who was an emergency in the $150,000 race, when there were four scratchings.
The weather was so bad that Grant Buckley, a jockey riding Noel's Gift, said he had to take off his goggles and stick to the fence, using the rail as a guide.
'All I could see was the fence to guide me around,' Buckley said.
'I've never ridden in conditions that bad.'
The weather was so bad that Grant Buckley, a jockey riding Noel's Gift, said he had to take off his goggles and stick to the fence, using the rail as a guide
Race caller Col Hodges couldn't see the horses until the final 250 metres and the last horse home finished almost 50 lengths from the winner.
'I can't give you any idea, I can't even pick the horses up where they are on the track now,' Hodges said.
'I'll try and pick them up in the home straight again. Nothing is in view whatsoever because the course is completely enveloped in white.'
Cosmologist had also been entered for another race on the program.
On Saturday, Danny Williams trained the trifecta in the heat at Goulburn with the first two, Kopi Luwak and Pumpkin Pie, automatically in the final.
The family of a Gold Coast boy has raised $185,000 so he can undergo radical limb reconstruction surgery for an ultra-rare bone disease attacking his right leg.
William Dickinson was diagnosed with the condition when he was just seven months old after he fractured his tibia rolling from his stomach to his back.
The three-year-old was diagnosed with Congenital Pseudarthrosis of the Tibia, a condition that affects just one in 250,000 people.
The diagnosis meant that the fracture would never heal on its own and affected development in his right leg.
William Dickinson was diagnosed with Congenital Pseudarthrosis of the Tibia at seven months old
William fractured his tibia when he flipped from his stomach to his back
Doctors told his family they would likely need to amputate his leg.
However in the U.S. there is a doctor in Florida who believes he can save William's leg through limb reconstruction.
His mother, Aimee Dickinson, said William was at an ideal age for surgery and that leaving it any longer would 'result in more invasive lengthening procedures'.
Now that dream is possible.
'We did it. I cant believe it,' Ms Dickinson told the Gold Coast Bulletin.
His family and the Gold Coast community rallied around him, raising the $185,000 needed to pay for the surgery in just eight months
William's mother, Aimee Dickinson, took to Facebook to share her thanks: 'We thank and appreciate you with all our hearts and look forward to sharing with you the success of one little boy with big dreams Mr William'
WHAT IS CPT? Congenital pseudarthrosis of the tibia (CPT) is where a fracture of the tibia, a bone in a person's calf, develops spontaneously or after a minor trauma and does not heal. A pseudarthrosis is defined as a false joint and is a break in the bone that fails to heal on its own. The condition usually develops in a person's first two years of life, but can occur before birth, and later in life. Only one in 250,000 children are born with the condition. Source: The Paley Institute Advertisement
'It got scary toward the end when wed got to January and we had flights books for March but all of a sudden everything came together.'
Ms Dickinson credits the help of Southport Lions Club, the Gold Coast Community Fund, the I Can I Will children's charity and media reports for being able to raise the money for the surgery.
She took to Facebook, writing: 'We thank and appreciate you with all our hearts and look forward to sharing with you the success of one little boy with big dreams Mr William.'
Before this William had received two surgeries, according to the A Way For William Facebook page.
It said: 'One at 17 months to stabilize his leg. 9 months later X-rays showed he had an infection and the rod had to be removed.'
Dr Dror Paley has performed this surgery on 150 children since 2007 with a 100 per cent union of the bones, according to the Paley Institute.
A dying Robin Hood is said to have been buried, at his own request, at the spot where he fired his final arrow.
But the grave of the legendary outlaw could be engulfed by concrete under plans to build an industrial estate over the meadow in West Yorkshire.
Legend suggests that Robin Hood died at Kirklees Priory. His final resting place became shrouded in mystery after the owners of the nearby Kirklees Estate closed it off to the public.
Robin Hood is believed to have been buried at Kirklees Priory in West Yorkshire (pictured) after he fired his final arrow there
But now council bosses have sunk all hope of finding the true grave by earmarking the unspoiled Green Belt land as an industrial estate.
The plans have angered local experts and historians, who say the land could disappear under a sea of steel warehouses.
Robert Bamforth, from the Campaign to Protect Rural England, said the bureaucrats were sacrificing the areas tourism potential.
He said: Everyone locally believes that is where Robin Hood died and no one has ever challenged that legend - not even Nottingham.
The tragedy is this land has not been disturbed for hundreds of years and looks just as it did centuries ago so who knows what has been preserved.
If you have a Japanese tourist and you say to them "Robin Hood died here and he shot his arrow over that warehouse it doesnt quite have the same ring to it".
Max Rathwell, Chairman of Spen Valley Civic Society, said: The whole plan is tragic and stunningly stupid. People are enraged. The whole idea is bonkers.
We know how well preserved the land is because it is still exactly as Charlotte Bronte described it in Chapter 12 of Shirley.
It is a treasure island in an industrial landscape and Robin Hoods grave would be a focal point.
If this crazy idea goes ahead it will devastate the area. Instead of woodland and meadows and fields of wheat and barley it will just be a sea of monstrous sheds.
Kirklees Council (pictured) has earmarked the priory land for an industrial estate, angering local experts and historians
Barbara Green, 72, founder of the Yorkshire Robin Hood Society, said: It really annoys me that the council has never shown the slightest interest in Robins grave.
The Society has tried since the 1980s to get the folly restored and open to the public and every effort has failed.
We are not trying to pinch Robin Hood from Nottingham but for the sake of local history the council should have listened.
A public inquiry is currently underway into the Kirklees Council Local Plan. The authority has refused to comment.
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Warnings that Britain would be thrown into travel chaos by the 'Beast from the East' cold snap this evening have been mocked by commuters on social media insisting train firms and authorities overreacted to forecasts.
A yellow warning has been put in place for vast swathes of the UK as meteorologists said the country could be hit by the worst cold weather since 1991.
Up to 6in of snow is expected to blanket the South East, Midlands and North East tomorrow morning, while 8in could fall on Wednesday.
Earlier today, hundreds of thousands of commuters in the South East travelling home from London were told to complete their journeys by 6pm to ensure they get home, while Kent County Council said a snow emergency has been declared.
But despite hundreds of trains being cancelled - alongside dozens of flights - many people took to social media to ask what all the fuss was about.
One woman wrote: 'Pleased to report the predicted Armageddon if you dared travel after 6pm didn't happen #Southeastern #gotmyusualtrain.'
Photographs taken in London's busiest stations also appeared to show a normal number of commuters waiting for trains.
Another commuter, writing from Manchester, wrote: 'I walked to work in a t-shirt and jacket today, so much for #TheBeastFromTheEast'.
A woman writing earlier this evening said the reaction to the cold was 'so ridiculous', adding: 'Normal winter weather. Not such a dramarama.'
A man on Twitter also attacked Kent County Council for spreading 'hype and panic', explaining: 'Havent seen the severe weather anywhere today traveling around'.
South Eastern chose 6pm as the cut-off time based on the forecast it has been given by meteorologists, and it is asking passengers to travel earlier 'to avoid being disrupted too much' before the snow becomes heavier. Pictured: Commuters in Victoria before the 6pm cut-off
Passengers at Charring Cross station in central London await their trains after earlier being warned to travel before 6pm because of severe weather
The Met Office has imposed yellow and amber weather warnings for today (left), tomorrow (centre) and Wednesday (right)
Brave people go punting on the River Cam in Cambridge in a blizzard this afternoon as the 'Beast from the East' arrives
The Ministry of Defence has three battalions on standby to respond to weather-related emergencies. A spokesman said: 'We have the right people, with the right training and the right equipment to help deal with any contingency.' Pictured: A warning at Victoria Station
One woman wrote: 'Pleased to report the predicted Armageddon if you dared travel after 6pm didn't happen #Southeastern #gotmyusualtrain'
Another commuter, writing from Manchester, wrote: 'I walked to work in a t-shirt and jacket today, so much for #TheBeastFromTheEast'
A woman writing earlier this evening said the reaction to the cold was 'so ridiculous', adding: 'Normal winter weather. Not such a dramarama'
Despite hundreds of trains being cancelled - alongside dozens of flights - many people took to social media to ask what all the fuss was about
Up to 6in of snow is expected to blanket the South East, Midlands and North East tomorrow morning, while 8in could fall on Wednesday. But many people on social media mocked the weather warnings
One man took to Twitter to blast the mentality of 'non-stop warnings' compared with the 'pre-social media' attitude of using a shovel to clear snow
A man on Twitter also attacked Kent County Council for spreading 'hype and panic', explaining: 'Havent seen the severe weather anywhere today traveling around'
Earlier today, British Airways cancelled over 60 short haul flights either departing or arriving from London Heathrow because of the severe weather.
Supermarket shoppers, meanwhile, were reporting huge queues amid claims of panic buying over fears of widespread travel chaos in the UK as forecasters warn the country could see its coldest weather in 27 years.
Bitterly cold temperatures of as low as -12C (10F) are expected to cause power cuts and hit mobile phone networks while parts of the country are set to be buried in snow.
Met Office forecaster Frank Saunders said: 'Parts of England and Wales are likely to see their coldest spell of weather since at least 2013, and possibly since 1991. This could lead to dangerous conditions on roads and pavements and have an impact on people's health.'
Up to eight inches of snow will hit eastern England by Wednesday, forecasters say, as the 'Beast from the East' sweeps in from Russia and health officials warn the elderly and children to ensure they stay warm.
South Eastern chose 6pm as the cut-off time based on the forecast it has been given by meteorologists, and it is asking passengers to travel earlier 'to avoid being disrupted too much' before the snow becomes heavier.
And the weather could become even more extreme later this week as Storm Emma, which is forecast to hit Portugal on Wednesday, could potentially bring strong winds and further heavy snow to the UK on Thursday and Friday.
Whiteout on Newcastle's Quayside last night as snow falls heavily to mark the arrival of the Beast from the East cold snap from Russia
Bitterly cold temperatures of as low as -12C (10F) are expected to cause power cuts and hit mobile phone networks while parts of the country are set to be buried in snow. Pictured: Traffic in North London tonight
Kent County Council Highways said a snow emergency has been declared due to the severe weather conditions. In London, meanwhile, commuters are hoping to get home before the severe weather causes further disruption. Pictured: London Liverpool Street tonight
The weather could become even more extreme later this week as Storm Emma, named by the Portuguese meteorological service, could bring strong winds and further heavy snow to parts of the UK on Thursday and Friday
Hundreds of thousands commuters in the South East travelling home from London to Kent and Sussex were told to complete their journeys by 6pm tonight, before the worst of the snow hits and potentially disrupts trains. Pictured: Passengers at London Liverpool Street attempting to get home tonight
Commuters walking in the snow on London Bridge today, as some parts of the UK are set to feel colder than the Arctic Circle
Commuters inside Waterloo Railway Station in London, as they make their way home during the evening rush hour, ahead of warnings they should travel before 6pm
A frozen waterfall in the Peak District, Derbyshire, after cold temperatures hit the country with the arrival of the 'Beast from the East'
Commuters face a miserable journey to and from work as the snow falls in freezing temperatures in Pimlico, Central London
A flurry of snow falls over trains passing through Clapham Junction railway station in South West London this morning
Shoppers at a rammed Tesco store in Gillingham, Kent, this morning, as customers claim panic buying is setting in
Queues are building at the supermarket in Gillingham as customers start to bulk buy amid fears over the 'Beast from the East'
Commuters walk across London Bridge in the snow this morning as the capital is hit by severe weather
Traffic is seen as snow flurries begin to settle today in Oxshott, Surrey, ahead of up to eight inches falling in areas this week
Commuters cross Millennium Bridge in London in the snow this morning as much of the UK faces flurries this week
This graphic shows how the 'Beast from the East' is sweeping in from Russia, with cold air being drawn in from the Eurasian landmass that is bringing sub-zero temperatures and snow to Britain and many other countries in mainland Europe
Earlier this afternoon, commuters were complaining of South Eastern's website being down - with one traveller complaining to the firm: 'Your website can't cope with demand, just like the rest of your service.'
BA is offering passengers booked on short haul flights between Monday and Friday the chance to re-book for travel on a later date up to March 21 free of charge.
Freak WARMING in the Arctic is to blame for the big chill in Europe The 'Beast from the East' is a nickname given to cold and wintry conditions in Britain that are brought by easterly winds from the near continent. The UK normally experiences a polar continental air mass when pressure is high over Scandinavia. In winter cold air is drawn in from the Eurasian landmass, bringing the cold weather from the 'Beast from the East'. The length of sea track during the airs passage from Europe to Britain will determine its characteristics. A short sea track over the English Channel will bring clear skies and severe frost, plus the cold and dry air. But a longer track over the North Sea makes the air unstable and moisture is added - maybe bringing rain and snow. The lowest temperatures in Britain normally happen in this air mass, falling to below -10C (14F) at night and sometimes remaining sub-zero all day. Surface temperatures below freezing will make any snow drier because it contains less water. But wet snow comes from slightly warmer and moist air, which joins snowflakes together. Over winter, a blob of cold air spins over the Arctic high in the stratosphere. If this spins slower, the air rushes back inwards and often sinks through the atmosphere - becoming warmer and even spinning in the opposite way. This can reverse our jet stream - and, in time, mild westerly winds become cold easterlies from Siberia - increasing the chance of snow in Britain. The Arctic is experiencing one of its hottest winters on record, with temperatures at the North Pole surging. These unusual conditions, which scientists say have 'never been this extreme', are causing a disruption to the Arctic polar jet stream. The jet stream carries winds east to west across the planet, at speeds of up to 200mph in the upper atmosphere. Warmer air in the Arctic has sent them off their usual course, blasting cold air over Europe - something likely to happen more often thanks to man-made global warming, researchers say. On the northern tip of Greenland, the Cape Morris Jesup meteorological site has had a record-smashing 61 hours of temperatures above freezing in 2018. This is linked to a rare retreat of sea ice in the Arctic winter darkness. Warmth was coming into the Arctic both up from the Atlantic and through the Bering Strait, driving cold air south. Around the entire Arctic region, temperatures are now about 20C (36F) above normal, at -8C (17.6F). Advertisement
A spokesman for the carrier said: 'We are sorry that the weather this week is likely to lead to some delays and disruption to our schedules. It is likely at times we will have to proactively cancel some services and re-book customers on to alternative flights.
'Customers on cancelled services can also claim a full refund if they no longer wish to travel.'
Airports in Rome, Stockholm and Bergen were among those to suffer significant disruption to departures as Europe is hit by a blast of Siberian weather.
Ryanair cancelled almost 50 flights departing or arriving from the Italian capital, including some serving the UK.
But EasyJet said its UK flight schedule was unaffected by the weather.
More than 70 flights travelling to or from the Canary Islands were disrupted when the region was hit by strong winds and rain on Sunday.
Passengers were forced to spend the night at the airport waiting for flights.
At a Tesco Extra branch in Gillingham, Kent, meanwhile, one customer took pictures of a 35-minute-long queue in the shop as she tried to pay for a box of porridge and told how shelves had been cleared of bread and other essentials.
Healthcare assistant Charlotte Day, 24, of Medway, Kent, popped in with her 11-month-old son Mayce to the packed store and claimed customers were barging past each other to fill their trolleys up with the essentials.
Ms Day said: 'The snow started to come down a bit heavier and then all these people piled in. Shoppers were walking around with a panicked look on their faces. Some people had six or seven loaves in their basket.
'People were pushing around, they weren't being polite about it. I went to grab the last loaf and someone who already had six in their trolley took it, the shelves were empty. I just couldn't believe how busy it was.'
Kent County Council Highways said a snow emergency has been declared due to the severe weather conditions.
'All of our resources will be focused on keeping the highways salted, clear and safe,' a spokeswoman said.
'We will be treating all primary routes throughout each day but we do not clear footpaths or side roads.
'Salt bins are provided at key locations for you to use to clear the roads where it is safe to do so.
'We would ask that you only call us in an emergency and report non-urgent issues on our reporting tool. Please be aware that it may take us longer than usual to deal with non-emergency issues'.
Some Londoners, however, were disappointed today as they posted pictures of snow-free street, with one saying: 'This is the most disappointing snow-apocalypse ever. The dusting we got melted in an hour.'
Severe weather warnings have been in place since 4pm today and for the rest of the week, with a yellow alert meaning 'be aware' predicting widespread snow showers across nearly the whole country tomorrow and on Wednesday.
The Met Office has also issued an amber warning meaning 'be prepared', and one below the highest red alert for some regions, including London, the South East and the Midlands, for the next two days.
The Ministry of Defence has three battalions on standby to respond to weather-related emergencies. A spokesman said: 'We have the right people, with the right training and the right equipment to help deal with any contingency.'
The Met Office website appeared to have been creaking under the strain of internet users rushing to it for updates this morning, with a section usually reserved for forecast maps simply stating: 'Error accessing map data.'
The AA said calls to its breakdown lines are up 50 per cent today compared to usual levels, and workers are preparing for an increase at peak times in the North East and East of England.
It comes as:
Some parts of the country are set to feel colder than the Arctic Circle as freezing temperatures continue;
Doctors have warned that the NHS could struggle to cope with the extra strain caused by the weather;
By the middle of the week, the majority of Britain is being warned of delays on the roads, trains and in the air;
Lows recorded over the weekend marked the lowest temperature in the week leading up to spring since 1986.
Tomorrow will bring persistent snow as the weather worsens, turning into the coldest start to March for more than 30 years, after temperatures of just -9.2C (15F) were recorded in Scotland over the weekend.
Social media users have posted claims about panic buying at stores across Britain today following news of the bad weather
A blizzard of snow has hit Leicester, as the country is blasted by air from Siberia nicknamed the 'Beast from the East'
Commuters on the Strand in London (left), and a woman braves the very chilly water of the Serpentine in Hyde Park (right)
Extreme cold weather freezes a waterfall in the Brecon Beacons as 'Beast from the East' is unleashed in Britain The cold weather has been so severe in the Brecon Beacons that an entire waterfall has been frozen solid today. Walkers in the Welsh national park looked on in fascination as the waterfall near Pen Y Fan mountain was turned into ice amid the cold snap. Temperatures of minus 5C (23F) in parts of Britain over the weekend were the lowest recorded in the week leading up to March 1 - the first day of spring - since 1986. The wind chill, which could see parts of the UK feeling as cold as minus 15C (5F), rivals the temperatures forecast for parts of northern Norway and Iceland. Icicles formed on a frozen waterfall near Pen y Fan mountain on Brecon Beacon National Park, Wales, amid the severe cold weather The entire waterfall was frozen after the cold snap - called the 'Beast from the East' - hit the UK and sent temperatures plummeting A close-up showing the ice at the waterfall near Pen Y Fan mountain in the Brecon Beacons National Park today Walkers look on at the static waterfall and take photographs after cold weather froze the water overnight and created the odd sight Temperatures of minus 5C (23F) in parts of Britain over the weekend were the lowest recorded in the week leading up to March 1 - the first day of spring - since 1986. Pictured: Icicles form from dripping water on moorland near the Beacons Reservoir on Brecon Beacon National Park The wind chill, which could see parts of the UK feeling as cold as minus 15C (5F), rivals the temperatures forecast for parts of northern Norway and Iceland. Pictured: A walker stands by the frozen waterfall near Pen Y Fan Advertisement
Signs on the M25 warn of severe weather as snow falls on the motorway in Essex today with more disruption possible
Commuters head to work in the snow and freezing temperatures on the Strand in Central London this morning
Forecasters said there could be blizzards with winds of up to 45mph on Wednesday, with the prospect of rail, road and air disruption as well as the risk of power cuts as snow and ice bring down electricity lines. Mobile phone masts could also be put out of operation and some rural communities could be left cut off. Emergency services and transport authorities are already making preparations to minimise the consequences of the freezing weather, with councils sending out gritting teams to treat thousands of miles of roads. Charlie Powell from the Met Office said: 'The UK is on track for some really cold weather. It's not going to be record breaking, but it'll be pretty exceptional - winds are going to make it feel -10C (14F) to -15C (5F) during the day. 'Winds are going to strengthen and we could see some easterly gales through the eastern Channel and East Anglia by the middle of the week. That's going to make it feel really cold.
'Daytime temperatures on Wednesday and Thursday will be struggling to get above freezing. By Thursday evening, there are growing signs there could be some significant snowfall across southern England.
'Unusually for Britain, the snow is going to be quite dry, so it will blow around and gather in drifts and we could see some blizzard conditions. We don't want to scare people, but people should make sure they are prepared.'
All Greater Anglia trains will stop by 10pm tonight with a reduced service running on its routes during the day between tomorrow and Thursday. The operator said it was limiting its services in anticipation of the snowy blast.
A woman walks dogs in the snow at Beckenham Place park in South London today in the wintry conditions
Commuters walk in the snow on London Bridge today as some parts of the UK are set to feel colder than the Arctic Circle
Blakeney Quay on the North Norfolk coast is covered in snow today as the Met Office issues a series of weather warnings
Members of the 1st Battalion Irish Guards are almost hidden in a snow shower at Buckingham Palace in London today
A woman walks through the snow in South London today as cold weather bears down on the capital
A double-decker bus from Woolwich to Elmers End works its way through the snowy streets of South East London
A police officer gets caught in a snow shower at Buckingham Palace in London today as the severe weather sweeps in
A woman walks through the snow flurries around London Bridge train station today
c2c services will operate normally until 9pm tonight and passengers have been warned to expect alterations and cancellations.
South Eastern urged passengers to finish their journeys before 6pm to avoid potential disruption.
One Twitter user joked that Greater Anglia was already cancelling trains 'in the hope that there will be some snow', while another told the South Eastern customer services team: 'Bet you can't wait to start cancelling trains.'
Transport for London warned passengers in the capital to check ahead of their journeys as disruptions were possible on Underground and Overground services due to the low temperatures forecast.
By the end of Wednesday, more than 8in (20cm) of snow may have accumulated in parts of eastern England, Scotland and Northern Ireland. The Met Office also warned power cuts may occur in some areas.
The unusually bitter weather is the result of a cold front, dubbed the 'Beast from the East', sweeping in from the Eurasian Arctic.
Health officials and the NHS have warned of the risks as temperatures plummet.
Dr Thomas Waite, of Public Health England, said: 'Cold temperatures, indoors and out, pose real health risks to many and every winter we know that thousands of people get ill and even die following exposure to cold conditions.
Stock up on food and check on neighbours, health officials say Public Health England has issued a series of top tips for preparing for the cold weather as follows, including advice on stocking up on food and medicine before the blizzards blow in: Look out for friends and family who may be vulnerable to the cold and ensure they have access to warm food and drinks and are managing to heat their homes adequately
Try to maintain indoor temperatures to at least 18C (64F), particularly if you are not mobile, have long term illness or are 65 or over
Stay tuned for weather forecasts, ensure you are stocked with food and medications in advance, have deliveries or ask a friend to help
Take weather into account when planning your activity over the following days
Seek entitlements and benefits such as Winter Fuel Payments and Cold Weather Payments, which are available to some
Avoid exposing yourself to cold or icy outdoor conditions if you are at a higher risk of cold related illness or falls.
Discuss with friends and neighbours about clearing snow and ice from in front of your house and public walkways nearby Advertisement
'It's critical that if you know anyone over 65, with young children or who has heart or lung conditions, that you keep an eye on them and think what help they may need.'
He said that staying warm by heating homes to at least 18C (65F) can be 'crucial to staying well'. Senior medics have also warned the 'Beast from the East' may put additional strain on an already 'grave' situation in the NHS.
The Society for Acute Medicine, which represents hospital specialists in acute medicine, said it had 'great concern' for the NHS in the week ahead as snowy conditions grip the country.
Dr Nick Scriven, president of the society, said: 'The onset of a spell of extremely cold weather is of great concern for acute medical units who are already struggling with the widely reported stresses of this winter.
'Daily temperatures below the normal ambient level increase illness and hospital admission rates for cardiovascular and respiratory illnesses, particularly among those aged 65 and over.'
The NHS may also have to cancel thousands more non-urgent operations to cope with the severe cold weather, senior medics have warned.
With the number of occupied beds close to full capacity the NHS faces a grave situation, the Society for Acute Medicine said yesterday.
The organisation said it had great concern for the health service in the week ahead.
Dr Nick Scriven, president of the society which represents hospital doctors and nurses in acute medicine, said the ban on elective surgery at NHS trusts in January could return.
It takes the pressure off local trusts. The onset of a spell of extremely cold weather is of great concern for acute medical units who are already struggling with the widely reported stresses of this winter, he said. Daily temperatures below the normal ambient level increase illness and hospital admission rates for cardiovascular and respiratory illnesses, particularly among those aged 65 and over.
Dr Scriven added that the NHS was suffering from dangerously high bed occupancy rates 95 per cent according to figures last week so the situation is grave it could bring staffing of the NHS to its knees.
Jeremy Hunt has admitted this year is the worst ever winter crisis for the NHS.
Public Health England urged people to help others and remember that staying warm helps keep you healthy. Critics likened the advice to saying dont wear flip flops in the snow.
The government watchdog, funded to the tune of 3.4billion, said the comments help people think about what activities are appropriate.
The warning states: With many places facing severe weather its really important people do what they need to, to stay warm. Heating homes to at least 18C will help keep you healthy.
Also, make sure you eat warm food, move about at home and wear several thin layers instead of fewer thicker ones. If you know anyone over 65, or with young children or with heart or lung conditions, check to see if theyre OK.
Chris Snowdon, of the Institute of Economic Affairs, said: Public Health Englands winter advice to turn on the heating and eat hot dinners is of a piece with its summer advice to open a window and drink water.
It is a miracle this hectoring quango has made it through the austerity era unscathed it badly needs cutting down to size.
Chloe Westley, of the TaxPayers Alliance, said: Thank goodness for bureaucrats at Public Health England, otherwise wed all be eating ice cream and walking around in flip flops in the snow.
She added that money spent on such information campaigns could be better use on frontline healthcare.
PHEs Dr Thomas Waite admitted the advice was largely common sense, but added: Its always worth making the point as there are many people who will feel the effects of cold weather very much more acutely than others.
Now even the SEA is freezing! Temperatures have dropped so far that water is turning to ice in Somerset These stunning pictures show how Britain's plunging temperatures have caused a part of the sea to freeze today. Photographs show the shoreline waters of the Bristol Channel at Weston-super-Mare in Somerset freezing over as the Beast from the East moved in. Ian Heard, 48, who took the images, said: 'I was out walking along the seafront with my partner Calin and we could see a long white line at the high water line. Sea water is turned to ice in the low temperatures at Weston-Super-Mare in Somerset today Ian Heard, 48, who took the images, said he was out walking with his partner when they saw a long white line at the high water line Ocean water freezes just like fresh water would at 0C, but the temperature must drop to -2C before it starts to happen due to the salt in it 'We were amazed to discover that there was a long swathe of ice crystals built up on the sand where the tide had come in overnight and frozen. Now we are just waiting for the snow.' Ocean water freezes just like fresh water would at 0C (32F), but the temperature must drop to -2C (28F) before it starts to happen due to the salt in it. Sea water becomes progressively more dense as it becomes colder, right down to its freezing point, while the ice in frozen seawater contains very little salt because only the water section of it freezes. It is unusual for parts of the sea to freeze on the English coast even in the depths of winter, although it did happen in 2009 when sub-zero temperatures froze a half-mile stretch of sea off Sandbanks in Dorset. The sea also froze over at Herne Bay, Kent, in December 1962, during one of the coldest winters on record in Britain. It is unusual for parts of the sea to freeze on the English coast even in the depths of winter, but it happened today in Somerset A dog plays in the sea water at Weston-super-Mare today which has been turned to ice by the low temperatures The cold weather appears to have frozen the sea on the beach at the Somerset resort of Weston Super Mare today Advertisement
Workers wait for a bus in the snow outside Turnpike Lane Underground station in North London this morning
A woman makes her way to work as the snow falls in Woodford, North East London, this morning
People walk through the snow this morning as 'The Beast From The East' hits the capital
Snow covered sheep stand in a field near Pickering in the North Yorkshire Moors as the 'Beast from the East' arrives today
Isaac, five, and Yasmin Attwood, seven, walk in the snow on their way to school in North East London this morning
A woman braves the cold weather this morning as she walks over Millennium Bridge in London in the snow (left)
'Last week's performance figures showed an 11 per cent rise on the previous week in influenza admissions, along with sustained dangerously high bed occupancy rates, so the situation is grave.'
Drawing on figures from NHS Improvement, which showed a large deficit and high job vacancy rates in the health service, he added: 'There is little on the horizon in the way of optimism for the future state of the acute services given the massive staffing issues and strain on resources made evident this last week.
'So far this winter we have seen the NHS survive on the goodwill and effort of hard-pressed staff of all levels who have gone the extra mile to ensure safe and high-quality treatment in the most difficult of circumstances.
'However, the challenges keep increasing and this week is another example of how the authorities simply cannot gamble on hard-working staff saving the day - it is not sustainable or fair and will be the downfall of our health service.'
The W4 bus from Wood Green to Tottenham Hale in North London is driven along a snowy street this morning
A woman walks to work in Woodford, North East London, today as the snow falls across the capital
Snow settles on the rooftops of Lincoln with the city's cathedral pictured in the background this morning
An armed police officer wraps up warm against the elements as snow falls at Downing Street in Westminster this morning
Clouds over Cobham in Surrey could be seen to resemble a 'Beast from the East' approaching as the sun rises this morning
South Eastern has urged train passengers to finish their journeys home before 6pm to avoid potential disruption
Ella Colley, winter expert at Halfords, said: 'With sub-zero temperatures expected for the start of the week, and snow and ice forecast for most areas, we're advising drivers to check their car batteries.
'Using your car's heater, and lights will place greater demand on your battery, and this combined with sub-zero temperatures could result in a less than positive start to Monday morning.
'It's also worth preparing your car with a quick health check by checking screen wash, tyre pressure and keeping extra clothes, warm drinks and your mobile phone handy.'
Some experts predict that the freezing temperatures could last well into March. Meteorological spring begins on Thursday.
How the 'Beast from the East' has left four dead across Europe and even Russia is 'abnormally cold' this week The wintry blast of freezing temperatures has already claimed four lives across Europe and is endangering the homeless. In France, where temperatures were forecast to drop to -10C (14F), fears ran high for people living on the streets. A homeless man in Valence was found dead yesterday, and another man was found dead in his cabin in Paris on Friday. Russia itself was not spared, with its meteorological service warning of 'abnormally cold' temperatures until Wednesday and temperatures in the Moscow region expected to fall to -24C (-11F), and -35C (-31F) in the centre of the country. Piazza del Popolo (The People's Square) in Rome, Italy, is seen covered in snow this morning as Europe is hit by bad weather A young priest throws a snow ball during a heavy snowfall at Saint Peter's Square at the Vatican this morning Two people died of the cold in Poland on Friday night, and frigid temperatures are also forecast throughout Germany, with a low of -22C (-8F) in some Alpine valleys in Bavaria today. Heavy snow in the north Italian city of Turin caused a Serie A football game between Juventus and Atalanta to be postponed yesterday. Schools will be closed today due to the snow in Rome, with -6C (21F) forecast last night. In Austria, temperatures will drop below -20C (4F) at night and feel even colder. 'It will feel like -30,' Stefan Kiesenhofer of the Austrian meteorological service ZAMG said. A cold snap like this 'comes every seven to 10 years,' he added. Hungary has been on alert since Saturday, while heavy snow closed some schools in Croatia on Saturday.Schools were also closed in Romania's capital Bucharest, as well as three areas in the country's south, amid lows of -20C (-4F). Heavy snow in the north Italian city of Turin caused a Serie A football game between Juventus and Atalanta to be postponed yesterday Cross country skiers are pictured yesterday on their way on a snow-covered meadow in Winterberg, Germany Spain's weather agency warned of 'significant snowfall' on the Iberian Peninsula and the Balearic Islands. But a brave few did take advantage of the Siberian chill, with some adventurous Dutch ice skaters taking to the country's canals and lakes. Dutch authorities have strongly discouraged skating on natural bodies of water, but said conditions may be more favourable after a few chilly days in the north of the country for those keen to emulate their Winter Olympians. The freezing temperature also did not prevent a few hundred swimmers jumping into the Meuse river, which was 3C (37F) while it was -2C (28F) outside, in Huy, Belgium, yesterday. But below average temperatures are not forecast everywhere. Many areas across Europe could be colder than the North Pole this week, with the temperature at Cape Morris Jesup weather station at the top of Greenland having risen above freezing several times since mid-February. Advertisement
'Casually waiting for the #BeastfromtheEast to arrive': Britain battens down the hatches as the UK is braced for snow chaos to hit TODAY
Snow has hit Britain along with sub-zero temperatures today, leaving many workers shivering on their way to work and in the office.
Some parts of the UK are set to feel colder than the Arctic Circle as freezing temperatures brought by the 'Beast from the East' continue into the week ahead.
Train services are expected to be delayed, and the Met Office has issued amber weather warnings for much of the country tomorrow and on Wednesday.
But Twitter users have poked fun at the cold weather, referencing films including Frozen and Groundhog Day and TV series such as Friends and The Simpsons.
Others posted videos of cold-looking cats while people did their best to make light of the temperatures which could feel as cold as -15C (5F) in some parts of Britain.
Some internet jokers also told of how it reminded them of the American wrestler Bam Bam Bigelow, who was once billed as the 'Beast of the East'.
Others decided to mock the reaction in the country to the cold weather, with jokes including a photograph of a man hoarding supplies titled 'Just seen a snowflake'.
Two high-profile bikies have been involved in an expletive-laden social media stoush, going into battle online amid widespread fears of a bikie war erupting in Australia.
Benjamin 'Notorious' Geppert, a former Hells Angels enforcer, slammed ex-Bandidos West End president, Brett 'Kaos' Pechey, in a vile social media post on Friday night.
Geppert - who made headlines after being booted off Hamilton Island by police on a recent holiday - used a lengthy Instagram post to attack the heavily-tattooed Pechey.
The 26-year-old bikie called his older counterpart a 'dog' and accused Pechey, 31, of 'talking to the task force', just weeks after meeting through their Instagram-famous girlfriends.
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Brett 'Kaos' Pechey, the former president of a Queensland Bandidos chapter, has been abused in an expletive-laden rant by an ex-Hells Angels member
Ben 'Notorious' Geppert (left) launched the abusive rant at his one-time friend on Friday night,
Geppert called the heavily-tattooed bikie a 'weak dog' and accused him of 'speaking to the task force'
In his since deleted post to his online story, Geppert showed an image of Pechey's Instagram account with the words 'weak dog' written across it.
'Kaos you weak boneyard dog... don't hide behind me for protection. Ya know where I live so come be a man,' he also wrote in a subsequent post.
The pair, who are both based in Queensland, had just weeks earlier shared pictures together and regularly commented as mates on one another's posts.
At one stage Pechey wrote to Geppert: 'Nothing but love for u [sic] always brother'.
But more than 8,000 social media users had a front row seat to the weekend's falling out.
Both bikies have amassed large Instagram followings in recent years, but their social followings pale in comparison to their partners.
Geppert's girlfriend Allaina Vader boasts 158,000 followers, while Pechey's amateur model partner Rikki Jones has more than 30,000. They no longer follow each other.
Once the most wanted bikie in Queensland, Pechey fled to Thailand following a wild fight in 2013 that became known as the 'Broadbeach bikie brawl'.
Geppert (left) and Pechey (right), who are both based in Queensland, had just weeks earlier shared pictures together and regularly commented as mates on one another's posts
Pechey (pictured) had been introduced to Geppert through his girlfriend Rikki Jones (right)
Geppert's girlfriend Allaina Vader (right) boasts a total of 158,000 followers
Both bikies have amassed large Instagram followings in recent years, but their social followings pale in comparison to their partners Ms Vader (left) and Ms Jones (right)
Ms Vader and Ms Jones have regularly been pictured together on Instagram
That incident saw dozens of bikies surround police officers before attacking, hitting a number with punches.
Pechey, who was among 18 charged over the attack, fled to Asia in the aftermath but was forced to return to face court a year later after running out of money.
He was also charged with being involved in an extortion ring where he use standover tactics to extort money from gym goers on the Gold Coast.
At the time of the extortion racket he was sergeant-at-arms of the Bandidos chapter.
It is believed Pechey has since patched up with Sydney-based gang Brothers 4 Life, posting a number of photos of himself in the group's colours to Instagram.
Geppert has himself jumped between MCs over the years, moving on to the Finks in 2015 after his stint with the Hells Angels.
Geppert and his partner made headlines earlier this month after being kicked off Hamilton Island by police while on holiday (pictured)
In 2016, Pechey told a Queensland courtroom he was going to pay more than $10,000 to have a number of his tattoos removed
Ms Jones and Ms Vader have unfollowed each other on Instagram in recent days, seemingly in the wake of their partner's fight
Aside from steamy pictures alongside his girlfriend, Geppert regularly shares images of a lifestyle he aims to portray as idyllic.
Geppert and Pechey's online fight came less than 24 hours before a Commancheros bikie was shot dead by police on the Gold Coast.
It followed the recent but unrelated shooting death of ex-Commancheros national president 'Mick' Hawi and the fatal drive-by shooting of a tattoo shop owned by another ex-president, Mick Murray.
The Syrian producer of Oscar-nominated 'Last Men in Aleppo' has been denied a visa to enter the US to attend the 90th Annual Academy Awards, being held in Los Angeles on March 4.
The film, which has made history as the first Documentary Feature Oscar nominee from a Syrian directing-producing team, was directed by director Feras Fayyad and producer Kareem Abeed.
Abeed's denial was reportedly made under under Section 212(f) of the Immigration and Nationality Act, according to the International Documentary Association.
That provision was cited by President Donald Trump as the basis for his first travel ban.
Trump's latest version of the travel ban, which the US Supreme Court ruled could take effect in December, includes varied restrictions on foreign nationals entering the US from each of Chad, Iran, Libya, North Korea, Syria, Venezuela, Somalia and Yemen.
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Kareem Abeed, the Syrian producer of Oscar-nominated 'Last Men in Aleppo,' has been denied a visa to enter the US to attend the 90th Annual Academy Awards, being held in Los Angeles on March 4
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has released a statement in solidarity with the Syrian producer and the rest of the film's team.
'For 90 years, the Oscars have celebrated achievement in the art of filmmaking, which seeks to transcend borders and speak to audiences around the world, regardless of national, ethnic, or religious differences,' the statement read.
'As supporters of filmmakers, and the human rights of all people, around the globe, we stand in solidarity with Fayyad as well as the films producer Kareem Abeed, who was denied a visa to the United States to attend the Academy Awards on March 4.'
The Syrian team's documentary tells the story of a group called the White Helmets. This volunteer organization carries out search and rescue missions, in an attempt to save lives amid bombing attacks in the war-torn region.
President Donald Trump's latest version of his travel ban, which the US Supreme Court ruled could take effect in December, includes varied restrictions on foreign nationals entering the US from each of Chad, Iran, Libya, North Korea, Syria, Venezuela, Somalia and Yemen; Trump is seen here spekaing during the Governors Ball for US governors attending the National Governors Association (NGA) winter meeting in the State Dining Room of the White House in Washington, DC on Sunday
'Last Men in Aleppo' tells the story of a group called the White Helmets, made up of volunteers who carry out search and rescue missions, in an attempt to save lives amid bombing attacks in the war-torn region; A still from the film is seen here
A short documentary on the same topic and produced by Netflix, titled 'The White Helmets,' won an Oscar in 2017.
Regarding Syria, from which the producer of 'The Last Men in Aleppo' hails, Trump's latest proclamation banning travel from mostly Muslim countries, issued on September 24, reads as follows:
'The government in Syria regularly fails to cooperate with the U.S. Government in identifying security risks; is the source of significant terrorist threats; has been designated as a state sponsor of terrorism; has significant inadequacies in identity-management protocols; and fails to share public-safety and terrorism information. Accordingly, the entry into the United States of nationals of Syria as immigrants and nonimmigrants is suspended.'
The first version of Trump's travel ban was issued on January 27, 2017, and almost immediately faced court challenges across the US.
The first order included Iraq, Syria, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen, which are all predominantly Muslim countries.
Shortly after the first travel ban was issued, foreign-language film Oscar winner Asghar Farhadi, who was born in Khomeyni Shahr, Iran, protested the 89th Annual Academy Awards by not attending due to Trumps policy.
His winning film, 'The Salesman,' is set against the backdrop of a Tehran, Iran production of Arthur Miller's Death of a Salesman, and shows how violence has touched the lives of an innocent married couple of performers who have moved to the wrong place, at the wrong time.
Shortly after the first travel ban was issued, foreign-language film Oscar winner Asghar Farhadi, who was born in Khomeyni Shahr, Iran, protested the 89th Annual Academy Awards by not attending due to Trumps policy; Farhadi is seen here at the Opening Gala dinner during the 70th annual Cannes Film Festival at Palais des Festivals on May 17, 2017 in Cannes, France
Iranian-American engineer/astronaut Anousheh Ansari accepts Best Foreign Language Film for 'The Salesman' on behalf of director Asghar Farhadi onstage during the 89th Annual Academy Awards at Hollywood & Highland Center on February 26, 2017 in Hollywood
Farhadi prepared a statement to be read when his film won, which was delivered by Iranian-American engineer Anousheh Ansari.
In addition to thanking the Academy for the award, Farhadi's statement read as follows:
'Im sorry Im not with you tonight. My absence is out of respect for the people in my country and those of other six nations whom have been disrespected by the inhumane law that bans entry of immigrants to the US. Dividing the world into the "us" and "our enemies" categories creates fear, a deceitful justification for aggression and war. These wars prevent democracy and human rights in countries which have themselves been victims of aggression.'
Farhadi then called on his colleagues to raise awareness about the things that make us more similar than we are different.
He added: 'Filmmakers can turn their cameras to capture shared human qualities and break stereotypes of various nationalities and religions. They create empathy between "us" and "others," an empathy which we need today more than ever.'
The official White House twitter account shared the following message on Sunday night:
'Merit-based immigration reform will benefit American workers and relieve the strain imposed by our current system on Federal resources.'
Trump retweeted the statement, which included a video of him speaking about immigration reform at the Conservative Political Action Committee (CPAC) meeting, held over the weekend at the Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center in National Harbor, Maryland.
Trump recently came under fire in January for claiming to advocate for merit-based immigration, but reportedly calling distraught nations, like Haiti and those in parts of Africa, 's***hole countries' and saying the US should strive for more immigration from Norway, a country characterized by pale-skinned, Germanic inhabitants.
Trump has not directly responded to the statement by the Academy in support of Abeed, or commented on his denial of a visa to attend the Oscars.
'Last Men in Aleppo' will compete for the award of Best Documentary Feature against 'Abacus: Small Enough to Jail,' 'Faces Places,' 'Icarus' and 'Strong Island.'
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President Donald Trump and Melania hosted the 2018 Governors' Ball at the White House on Sunday night.
And while the event was hosted for the governors and their spouses from around the country, the first lady stole the show in a floor-length black length dress.
Photos from the event show Melania beaming and sparkling as she met and conversed with lawmakers from all 50 states.
The president used the event as an opportunity to bring up school safety in the wake of the Florida shooting. Trump said ahead of time he would bring the subject of the school shooting to the attention of the governors.
'I think we'll make that first on our list because we have to end our country of what's happening with respect to that subject,' he said in a brief address to his guests, according to The Hill.
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President Donald trump and First Lady Melania Trump are pictured entering the East Room of the White House to a standing ovation
Melania stunned at the event in a floor-length all black lace gown as she mingled with the different Republican and Democrat lawmakers from all around the country
Melania looks charmed as she beams from ear to ear during a conversation with one of the attendees at the 2018 Governors' Ball
President Donald Trump used Sunday night's annual Governors' ball as an opportunity to bring up school safety in the wake of the Florida shooting
The president said ahead of the night's event he would bring the subject of the school shooting to the attention of the governors. He is pictured giving the night's opening remarks
One of those in attendance was Florida governor Rick Scott, who Trump took a moment to thank personally in light of the tragic massacre. He told the governor he's doing a 'great job.'
Trump also took the time to tout his administration's achievements - particularly the rolling back of regulations and the tax overhaul. He said he's proud of all of the country's governors, calling them 'special people' who do an 'incredible job.'
But ultimately, the night was about giving Democrat and Republican lawmakers and their spouses from around the country the opportunity to meet and socialize.
Photos from the black tie dinner, which was held in the East Room of the White house, show Trump in his go-to Tuxedo next to a beaming Melania in a floor-length black lace gown
Melania stole the show at the bureaucratic evening's event with her signature hairdo and stunning snug fitting dress
One of those in attendance was Florida governor Rick Scott, who Trump took a moment to thank personally in light of the tragic massacre. He told the governor he's doing a 'great job'
Trump is pictured raising his water glass during a toast at Sunday night's Governors' ball. He is flanked by lawmakers from around the country who he will host a meeting with on Monday
The dinner is generally open to all press, but was changed this year to only be open to certain journalists.
According to a pool report which was posted late Saturday night, the press schedule listed several publications and news network for an 11am call time, reported Inquisitr.
But on the same report, under the 6.45pm event time was a note that said the evening will be closed to the press.
The report was later followed up by a new draft, which read: 'Updated Daily Guidance and Press Schedule for Sunday, February 25.' The updated draft included news about an 'in-house pool spray' that would take place at the event.
The publications listed in the updated report included the Associated Press, Reuters, Bloomberg, Agence France-Presse, the New York Times, USA Today, CNN and the 'Voice of America' radio show. All of the networks were allowed to chronicle the event.
Trump will host the governors for a 'business session' at the White House at some point on Monday.
Ultimately the night was about giving Democrat and Republican lawmakers and their spouses from around the country the opportunity to meet and socialize
Trump also took the time to tout his administration's achievements - particularly the rolling back of regulations and the tax overhaul. He said he's proud of all of the country's governors, calling them 'special people' who do an 'incredible job'
President Donald Trump is pictured with Nevada Governor and Chair of the National Governor's Association Brian Sandoval as they take their seats for the event's dinner
An Iranian refugee couple appeared to be living the Australian dream before they were allegedly caught running a sophisticated drug trafficking ring which flooded the streets of Sydney with crystal meth.
Ali Maleki and Yosra Rabieh were granted temporary protection visas after arriving to Australia by boat in 2013 - and have since built a luxury life in Sydney's north-west with their two daughters, aged one and three.
The glamorous pair were arrested last week after police allegedly seized more than 36kg of ice, over $260,000 in cash, three luxury cars and more than 100 ampules of steroids after raiding homes in Hornsby and Asquith.
Social media accounts reveal the young family enjoyed hiking trips to the Blue Mountains, lavish dinners at Darling Harbour, while they were also seen sipping on bottled beer in front of the Sydney Opera House.
Iranian refugee couple Ali Maleki and Yosra Rabieh appeared to be living the Australian dream before they were allegedly caught running a sophisticated drug trafficking ring
The glamorous pair were arrested last week after police allegedly seized more than 36kg of ice
Maleki and Rabieh's social media accounts reveal the pair married in a lavish 2014 ceremony
Other posts, which are mostly written in Arabic, reveal the couple married in a lavish 2014 ceremony and spent several weekends with their children at beaches along the New South Wales coast.
Maleki shared numerous inspiration quotes and poems, and also posted translations of Australian slang, including 'dunny', 'ankle biter' and 'dole bludger'.
His wife's Facebook account heavily features her husband and their children, while it also includes a post promoting 'Freedom in Iran.'
The pair are among several Iranians on temporary protection visas recently arrested over alleged meth trafficking.
The pair have built a luxury life in Sydney's north-west with their two daughters, aged one and three
The couple were seen sipping on bottled beer with a friend at Sydney's Opera Bar prior to their arrest
Maleki (pictured) shared numerous inspiration quotes and poems, and also posted translations of Australian slang
Maleki and Rabieh have each been charged with supply large commercial quantity of prohibited drugs and participate in a criminal enterprise.
A third Iranian, identified by The Daily Telegraph as the couple's housemate Hassan Mohkamkar, has been charged with being an accessory after the fact of supplying drugs.
The trio were refused bail and will appear at Central Local Court later this week.
In a separate and unrelated bust, two Iranian nationals were arrested in Sydney last week, allegedly trying to import almost 10 kilograms of ice hidden in honey jars on a cargo flight to Australia.
Maleki is pictured left in front of the Harbour Bridge and right outside the Sydney Opera House
Ali Maleki and Yosra Rabieh, from Sydney's north-west, are two of several Iranians in Australia on temporary protection visas recently arrested over alleged meth trafficking
The arrested husband and wife previously enjoyed hiking trips to Sydney's Blue Mountains
Other posts reveal the couple spent several weekends with their children at beaches along the New South Wales coast
Two men, aged 28 and 31, were arrested by Australian Federal Police officers on Wednesday following an operation that was sparked by a drug seizure in Turkey last October.
The AFP said 1.8kg of methamphetamine, bound for an address in Granville, was seized by authorities in Turkey in 2017, prompting the Australian operation.
The men, who have been charged with importing a commercial quantity of methamphetamine, appeared before Sydney Central Local Court on Thursday, where they did not apply for bail and it was formally refused.
The couple, who share two young daughters, were arrested last week after police raided homes in Hornsby and Asquith
Police allegedly seized more than 36kg of ice, over $260,000 in cash and three luxury cars
A third Iranian has been charged with being an accessory after the fact of supplying drugs
Still missing: William Tyrrell vanished from his foster grandmother's home five years ago
2014
September 12 - Dressed in a Spiderman outfit, three-year-old William Tyrrell goes missing from the garden while visiting members of his foster family on the NSW north coast.
September 21 - Police stop searching for the missing boy after scouring surrounding bushland and neighbouring houses.
2015
January 20 - Police search the home and business of washing machine repairman Bill Spedding, who had been due to carry out repairs at the house at the time the three-year-old went missing.
Detectives take items for testing including a mattress, computer and vehicles. They drain his septic tank.
January 23 - The washing machine repairman publicly denies any involvement in William's disappearance and says he and his wife are on the verge of a breakdown due to the public attention.
February 19 - Homicide detectives take over the case and say it's likely William was abducted.
March 2 - Police fruitlessly search an area of bushland near Bonny Hills for three days after a tip-off.
April 17 - William's foster parents speak publicly for the first time in an emotional video released through police which does not identify them.
April 17 - Police say the boy may have been a victim of a paedophile ring.
September 6 - The Nine Network's 60 Minutes reveal two suspicious cars were parked on the street the morning William went missing.
September 12 - 'Where's William' week is launched one year after he disappeared.
2016
September 12 - A $1million reward is offered for information leading to William's return.
2017
August 24 - William's foster child status is revealed after a landmark court ruling.
2018
June 12 - NSW Police announce the start of a four-week forensic search of bushland conducted by Strike Force Rosann.
June 14 - William's grandmother scolds police who have failed to find the young boy after four years, and claims their latest search is 'just for show'.
June 26 - The forensic search continues on what would have been William's seventh birthday.
June 27 - Strike Force Rosann announces it will move the search to an 800sqm block of bushland just 4km from where William was last seen alive.
June 5 - The latest search ends with Detective Chief Inspector Gary Jubelin saying the case could soon go to a coroner.
August - Investigation leader Detective Chief Inspector Gary Jubelin and a sergeant get into a disagreement during a briefing.
September 13 - Police reveal they found a burned out car wreck belonging to a former person of interest.
December 19 - Coroners say William could still be alive and the inquest will determine if he died or not.
2019
February - DCI Jubelin is removed from the investigation amid a misconduct probe.
March 25 - The inquest into William Tyrrell's disappearance begins, with William's biological and foster parents appearing over the course of a week.
The inquest's first batch of hearings focused on William's family situation and the events leading up to his disappearance.
Both his foster and biological parents were quizzed, as were neighbours who helped in the search.
It was disclosed that William's biological parents absconded with him for six weeks in 2012, following a children's court order.
William's biological father slammed authorities for letting them down.
'Authorities f***ed up ... The minister had a duty of care to keep William safe until he was 18. That was not the case at all.'
May: DCI Jubelin quits the Police Force.
June: Four charges of breaching the Surveillance Devices Act are laid against DCI Jubelin. He denies any wrongdoing whatsover
August: The second tranche of inquest hearings began on Wednesday August 7
Inquest hears Bill Spedding, a NSW mid-north coast repairman and one-time person of interest in the disappearance of William Tyrrell, met his wife for coffee about 9.30am in Laurieton, a 15-minute drive from Kendall, on the day William went missing.
They then attended a school assembly across the road to see a child in their care receive an award.
The inquest heard how a man who claims he saw William Tyrrell unrestrained in the back of a speeding car on the day the child went missing was waiting for police to interview him to tell them what he saw.
He told the inquest he contacted police but did not hear back about an interview.
It took it took almost 1000 days before he was able to reveal what he saw to police.
The coroner orders an urgent probe into the final image that was taken on the day William vanished as metadata suggests the picture may have been taken 118 minutes earlier than originally thought.
The image has a 'created time' of 7.39am and a 'corrected time' of 9.37am, a new document from the 2000-page evidence brief.
The coronial inquest has been delayed for another eight months with the next round of hearings happening in March 2020.
November 11: The deputy state coroner releases footage of William Tyrrell and family at Heatherbrae McDonalds, on September 11, 2014
Feb - March 2020: Gary Jubelin defends four charges of illegally recording person of interest Paul Savage in court hearing
February 21: Daily Mail Australia reveals Frank Abbott was arrested in custody for the purposes of a police interview about William's disappearance
March 2020: The coronial inquest into William's disappearance resumes but stops with two days to go due to the coronavirus outbreak
April 6, 2020: Magistrate Ross Hudson delivers his verdict in Gary Jubelin case
April 8, 2020: Jubelin is convicted of all four charges and fined $10,000. Ex-cop says he will appeal
June 22, 2020: Police and SES launch new search for William Tyrell near Herons Creek, where Abbott once lived
June 26, 2021: Police acknowledge William Tyrrell's 10th birthday
Ivanka Trump said on Sunday that her father's proposal of placing firearms in the hands of highly trained teachers is an option worth debating.
During an interview with NBC News in Pyeongchang, South Korea, Trump was asked if she would be comfortable knowing that a teacher educating one of her three children was in possession of a gun in the classroom.
'To be honest, I don't know,' Trump said. 'Obviously, there would have to be an incredibly high standard for who would be able to bear arms in our school. But I think there is no one solution to creating safety.'
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The President's eldest daughter was asked if she would be advising the commander-in-chief on highly charged gun issues
'To be honest, I don't know,' Trump said. 'Obviously, there would have to be an incredibly high standard for who would be able to bear arms in our school'
'I think that having a teacher who is armed... and qualified to bear arms is not a bad idea, but it is an idea that needs to be discussed,' Trump added
The President's eldest daughter was then asked if she would be advising the commander-in-chief on the issue, which he proposed earlier this week via Twitter.
'I think that having a teacher who is armed who cares deeply about her students or his students and who is capable and qualified to bear arms is not a bad idea, but it is an idea that needs to be discussed,' Trump added.
The 36-year-old While House senior advisor is currently overseas leading the U.S. presidential delegation to the closing ceremony of the Olympic Winter Games.
Ivanka Trump (C) daughter of U.S. President Donald Trump, stands at the beginning of the closing ceremony of the 2018 Winter Olympics
Ivanka Trump sits alongside South Korean President Moon Jae-in, from left, first lady Kim Jung-sook and Chinese Vice Premier Liu Yandong during the closing ceremony of the 2018 Winter Olympics
Ivanka Trump, U.S. President Donald Trump's daughter and senior White House adviser, and Kim Yong Chol of the North Korea delegation attend the closing ceremony Feb 25
President Trump made the suggestion in the wake of a deadly school shooting earlier this month in Parkland, Florida, where 19-year-old Nikolas Cruz stormed his former high school and killed 17 people with an AR-15 semiautomatic rifle.
The 36-year-old White House is currently overseas leading the U.S. presidential delegation to the closing ceremony of the Olympic Winter Games Feb. 25, 2018
The president proposed a controversial bill on Wednesday to provide as many as 20 percent of teachers with concealed and carry permits after meeting with students from Marjory Stoneman High School.
He beefed up his proposal saying educators who chose to have weapons in their classroom would receive a 'yearly bonus'.
Neither Trump nor the White House has said who would pay to train them, but the decision would be 'up to states'.
He doubled down on the proposal on Saturday, stating in a tweet: 'Armed Educators (and trusted people who work within a school) lover our students and will protect them.
'Very smart people. Must be firearms adept & have annual training. Should get yearly bonus. Shootings will not happen again - a big & very inexpensive deterrent. Up to States.'
Mourners bring flowers as they pay tribute at a memorial for the victims of the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School on Sunday Feb 25, 2018
Trump explained in his tweet the use of teachers would be a 'very inexpensive deterrent' compared to the cost of extra security guards.
But only the most 'adept' teachers would be allowed to wield weapons. He insisted every educator would be required to have annual training.
Trump's initial proposal on Wednesday to arm 20 percent of teachers was criticized as excessive that's roughly 650,000 of the nation's educators but the president insisted in a tweet that it would be a 'GREAT DETERRENT' to potential shooters.
Ivanka also spoke to NBC about the America's relationship with North Korea, which has deteriorated even further from an already low standing since Donald Trump took office in January 2017.
'We are 50 miles away from North Korea, so affirming the U.S. position and our joint position of maximum pressure with our South Korean partners is very important,' she said.
Ivanka arrived in Pyeongchang on Friday just days before the closing ceremony for the 2018 Winter Games.
Upon her arrival in South Korea, Ivanka told reporters: 'It is a great honor to be here in South Korea with the U.S. delegation. We are very, very excited to... cheer for Team USA and to reaffirm our strong and enduring commitment with the people of the Republic of Korea.'
Six-month-old Chayse Dearing suffered severe traumatic brain and spinal cord injuriesin June 2016
A Melbourne man charged with killing his girlfriend's baby while she was shopping had proposed marriage to the mother only nights before, a court has been told.
Dwayne Lindsey is on trial in the Supreme Court of Victoria, charged with killing six-month-old Chayse Dearing in June 2016.
Chayse suffered severe traumatic brain and spinal cord injuries, marks on his neck, bruising and abrasions on his groin and retinal bleeding.
Chayse's mother Michelle Dearing told the court today that she and Lindsey, then 34, were planning to get married before the fateful night.
Lindsey claimed he fell asleep with the child on his chest, then woke and jumped when he thought a spider was crawling on him.
He claimed the baby rolled off his chest and hit his head against a wall heater.
Lindsey (right) is on trial in the Supreme Court of Victoria for the murder of Michelle Dearing's (left) baby. Lindsey denied he intended to kill the six-month-old boy, saying he fell asleep with the baby on his chest, then woke and jumped when he thought a spider was crawling on him
Prosecutor Nicholas Papas QC said Lindsey's explanation was incongruent with medical reports, which showed Chayse's death from a head injury was unlikely to have been accidental.
Ms Dearing and two of her friends had gone to Kmart after 4am.
At 8.21am, she received a call from Lindsey saying something was wrong with Chayse, that he wasn't breathing and that he had blood coming from his nose.
Michelle Dearing had left her baby Chayse alone with her new boyfriend Dwayne Lindsey in June 2016. She told the court today that she and Lindsey were planning to get married
Melissa Jones told the court how she'd been at Kmart with Ms Dearing when Lindsey called them, saying 'Chayse wasn't breathing'.
'I heard Michelle screaming my name and I knew something was wrong,' she said.
Ms Jones said she called triple zero, and she returned home with Ms Dearing and another woman to find 'medics working on Chayse'.
'Michelle collapsed in the doorway of my bedroom. She was in shock basically.'
'It was an emotional, chaotic scene when Ms Deary and the others got back,' Mr Papas told the court.
'She (Ms Deary) was overcome with emotion and collapsed.
'Ms Deary noted Chayse had been changed from his blue Ralph Lauren onesie into a white fluffy onesie with bear ears on the hood,' the prosecutor said.
It is also alleged Lindsey later told a witness he had, in fact, struck and kicked the baby.
Defence barrister Scott Johns said Lindsey did not intend to kill the child.
'Whatever you think of Dwayne Lindsey, he's not a murderer.
'None of his actions came from an intention to cause any harm at all,' Mr Johns said.
Lindsey's trial continues and is expected to run for a week.
A southern California man was arrested for riding a horse down a busy freeway while intoxicated, according to state authorities.
Luis Perez, from Placentia, was spotted riding the horse eastbound on the 91 Freeway in Long Beach before police stopped him on Saturday, California Highway Patrol said.
The 29-year-old was arrested after registering more than twice over the legal bloodalcohol level on a sobriety test.
Horsin' around: Luis Perez was arrested for drunk-riding his horse on a California highway
The 29-year-old allegedly had a blood alcohol level of twice the legal limit
Thankfully, no one was hurt in the bizarre incident and the horse was released to Perez' mother who showed up quickly at the scene.
Perez is being held on more than $50,000 bail, CBS News reported.
The California Highway Patrol shared photos of the white horse looking on as police assessed Perez' level of intoxication and arrested him.
'We get a chuckle out of the interesting situations we encounter from time to time, but one thing the CHP does not do is 'horse' around with DUI,' the California Highway Patrol Twitter account said on Sunday.
Costly joy ride: Perez, from Placentia, is being held on more than $50,000 bail
What are ya looking at? The horse was released to Perez' mother at the scene
While police found the incident comical, they also took to Twitter to remind Californians that they can't ride their horses in traffic.
'No, you may not ride your horse on the freeway, and certainly not while intoxicated,' officials tweeted.
'Don't put yourself, your beautiful animal, or others in danger of being killed in traffic.
The California Highway Patrol got a laugh out of the arrest, and shared photos of the white horse looking on as police assessed Perez' level of intoxication
A former real estate agent who misappropriated more than $6 million from clients to fund his lavish lifestyle has asked a Melbourne judge to spare him from prison.
Tri Duc Ngo, also known as Joseph Ngo, has pleaded guilty to misusing $6.49 million from trust accounts linked to six LJ Hooker branches, spending some of the money on jewellery or drugs such as ice.
The court heard Mr Ngo, a father of four, expressed 'genuine remorse' for his crimes which occurred in six former LJ Hooker offices Melbourne's east in 2015 and 2016.
A former real estate agent who stole more than $6 million from clients to fund for his lavish style has asked the judge to spare him from prison
Mr Ngos wife (right) and co-accused Judy Nguyen, or Truc Thanh Le Nguyen, was director of the LJ Hooker offices and will stand trial in 2019
Mr Ngo also has ambitions to become a priest and social worker, the Herald Sun reported.
Mr Ngos wife and co-accused Judy Nguyen, or Truc Thanh Le Nguyen, was director of the LJ Hooker offices and will stand trial in 2019.
She has pleaded not guilty to 345 charges.
Mr Ngo's lawyer, Erol Cinar, argued that the he should be spared jail because his four-year-old had not made lasting memories of his father yet.
Mr Cinar also argued that Mr Ngo suffers from psychosis, which is worsened by drug use causing him to suffer with auditory and visual hallucinations.
He also argued that Mr Ngo had no intention to return to real estate, and is remorseful of his actions and was of otherwise good character.
'Mr Ngo suffers extreme and recurrent mood swings,' Mr Cinar said.
'He has attempted suicide ... fuelled by his desire to escape the hallucinations.'
Tri Duc Ngo, also known as Joseph Ngo, has pleaded guilty to misusing $6.49 million from trust accounts linked to six LJ Hooker branches
Mr Ngo's charges risk him facing a maximum penalty of 10 years' imprisonment and his seven summary offences, two years' imprisonment
Crown prosecutor Robyn Harper, said that immediate imprisonment was appropriate since he had stolen and misused more than $6 million.
'There has been no evidence he's repaid the money,' Ms Harper said.
Judge Michael Bourke agreed Ngo should serve some time in jail for his crime but claimed it would be difficult for someone with a mental disorder.
'It would be a disproportionate sentence if Mr Ngo didn't receive a sentence of imprisonment however it is more difficult for someone with a mental disorder,' Mr Bourke said.
Mr Ngo's charges risk him facing a maximum penalty of 10 years' imprisonment and his seven summary offences, two years' imprisonment, the court heard.
He was bailed for one day to collect his medication and will be remanded in custody on Tuesday before sentencing at a later date.
A non-profit organization created to provide support for victims of the Las Vegas shooting has issued its first checks to survivors on Sunday.
Colie Knoke, a single mother with a second child on the way, was the first beneficiary to receive a check from Route91Strong, totaling nearly $2,000.
'Were trying to help people who have fallen through the cracks,' co-found Brian Claypool told the Las Vegas Review-Journal.
Two other women, Mindy Foster and Stacie Armentrout, each received checks for $1,000 on Sunday.
Claypool, himself a survivor of shooter Stephen Paddock's massacre of 58 people attending the Vegas Route 91 Harvest Country Music Festival in Las Vegas on October 1, created the organization with fellow survivor and California resident Lisa Fine.
Colie Knoke (left), a single mother with a second child on the way, was the first beneficiary to receive a check from Route91Strong, which is a non-profit organization co-created by friend and fellow surivor Lisa Fine (right) to provide support for victims of the Las Vegas shooting; The two women are seen here before Stephen Paddock opened fired on the Route 91 Harvest Country Music Festival
Video courtesy KSVN:
Knoke has completely depleted all of her savings, after being out of work for the entire month of October, following the tragedy.
'My plans to make money all of October went away,' Knoke said, who works as a bartender and promotional model in Vegas.
'Instead [of working,] I was trying to put together the pieces and just trying to process things,' she said.
While dealing with the emotional stress related to experiencing the trauma of a mass shooting, her ability to work had become so limited that she has only worked once each month since October, and has racked up $7,000 in credit card debt.
'Right now I have nothing,' she told the Las Vegas Review-Journal.
'My bank account is at zero,' she said. 'Im really glad I saw this support group on Facebook.'
To top it off, the mother of a two-year-old is also currently eight months pregnant with baby number two.
To lighten her load, Route91Strong held a baby shower for the expectant mother on Saturday, according to NBC News. And on Sunday, Knoke received a check from the organization for $1,924.
To lighten her load, Route91Strong held a baby shower for Knoke on Saturday
Knoke, already mother to a two-year-old, is currently eight months pregnancy with baby #2
The day after the baby shower, Route91Strong presented Knoke with a check for $1,924
Knoke, who was friends with Fine prior to the tragic events of October 1, was joined by Mindy Foster, who was also working as a bartender at the concert that night, and shared a similar story.
'I didnt work for two months after the shooting due to (post-traumatic stress disorder), and I was injured as well,' Foster said. 'In January I had to take out two small personal loans just to pay my rent, and paying those back are absolutely killing me.'
Foster experienced a neck injury as a result of the attack, but because she didn't go to the hospital before October 10, that rendered her ineligible for compensation from the Las Vegas Victims' Fund.
'I love you guys. Thank you,' Foster told the Route91Strong representatives who handed her a check for $1,000. 'You guys are dealing with the same stuff we are; you are amazing.'
The third check, also for $1,000, went to Stacie Armentrout of Las Vegas She was at the concert with her husband and two teenage daughters.
Armentrout also said she has not been able to work as frequently since October 1 because of post-traumatic stress. Her husband has not been able to work, either, due to recovery from an injury to his ribs that he sustained while feeling from the carnage.
Fine and Claypool didn't set out, at first, to create their own non-profit organization.
'Our intention was to raise money to give to the Las Vegas Victims Fund, who had a system and a process to vet people and distribute money,' Fine said.
The fund has raised more than $20 million, and will provide assistance to 'the estates of deceased victims killed as a result of the October 1 attack,' 'those who were physically injured and hospitalized for one or more nights between October 1, 2017 and December 15, 2017, due to physical injuries resulting from the 1 October attack' and 'those who were physically injured as a result of the attack, and who were treated on an emergency out-patient basis or by health care providers for such physical injuries on or before October 11, 2017, and who did not have an overnight hospital stay as an in-patient.'
Once she and Claypool realized the people eligible to receive funds from the Las Vegas Victims' Fund were somewhat limited, they decided to take matters into their own hands.
At this time, Route91Strong has about $41,000 additional funds available that it expects to disperse to more than a dozen other people
Other groups that exist to provide assistance to those affected by the Vegas shooting including the Vegas Strong Fund and the Nevada Victims of Crime Program.
The Vegas Strong Fund was established in direct response to the October 1 tragedy and is made up of donations from the Nevada gaming and resort industry. Half the funds collected is to be distributed to individuals, with the other half to go to as yet unspecified long-term community needs.
The Nevada Victims of Crime Program is a state-run general fund, made up of money paid as fines by convicted offenders. It exists for the benefit of all victims of violent crimes in the state, and offers payment for certain reimbursable expenses.
At this time, Route91Strong has about $41,000 in additional funds that it expects to disperse to more than a dozen other people.
Those who would like to apply for funding, donate or otherwise get involved with Route91Strong can visit the organization's website, or connect with the group on social media, or call 916-759-5700 for more information.
A shocking incident of road rage was captured on film recently, after an angry motorist chased down a bus and proceeded to attack the driver.
The violent encounter took place on the busy suburban streets of South Auckland, New Zealand.
The footage, taken from inside the bus by one of the passengers, was uploaded to Facebook on Friday.
The white sedan can be seen aggressively pursuing the bus, speeding past the window in a wild chase.
'Oh s**t,' passengers exclaim as the bus pulls over at an intersection and the car slides to a stop alongside. 'He's got you bro.'
A series of bangs and crashes ring out and the driver can be heard asking for someone to call the police.
Meanwhile the driver of the car, clad in a bright yellow high-vis jacket, curses and attacks the bus driver, reaching through the window to grab him.
The violent encounter took place on the busy suburban streets of South Auckland, New Zealand
The white sedan can be seen aggressively pursuing the bus, speeding past the window in a wild chase
The bus company that the driver works for is currently looking in to the incident, according to a spokesperson for Auckland Transport.
'The company is investigating the incident and will talk to the driver, there is CCTV footage from the cameras in the bus and that is being reviewed.
'We don't believe the bus driver was assaulted.'
The Florida Gun Show had never seen a crowd as big as the one it saw this weekend, according to organizers.
Almost 7,000 people showed up to The Florida Gun Show in Tampa this weekend, nearly two weeks after a gunman killed 17 teachers and students at a high school in the state.
'Some of the people attending are afraid that future legislation will impact their gun ownership rights,' manager George Fernandez told WTSP.
Indeed, the gun business becomes more profitable after mass shootings, as gun owners become afraid of public backlash causing restrictions to their Second Amendment rights.
Almost 7,000 people showed up to the Florida Gun Show this weekend, organizers claim
'Some of the people attending are afraid that future legislation will impact their gun ownership rights,' manager George Fernandez told WTSP
For example, the share price of gun makers tends to spike immediately after mass shootings. That is because of speculation that consumers would be more eager to buy up guns in the short term before the government would introduce legislation restricting gun sales, according to Business Insider.
Legislators including Florida senator Bill Nelson have called for stricter laws on the 'gun show loophole', which allows people to buy guns without any background checks.
But Fernandez took issue with the notion that people can more easily get their hands on weapons at gun shows, claiming 95 per cent of the vendors at this weekend's show were required by law to run background checks because they are licensed dealers.
As the other five per cent of vendors at the show are private citizens, they are not required to run a background check before handing a gun to a costumer.
Fernandez said 95 per cent of the vendors at this weekend's show were required by law to run background checks because they are licensed dealers
Fernandez, however, denies the gun show loophole had anything to do with last week's school massacre.
'This was a mental health issue. This is someone who should have been identified from the beginning by law enforcement,' he said.
The Fort Lauderdale gun show next month was canceled after Mayor Jack Seiler asked organizers to show respect for the Parkland victims.
Sergio Gonzalez and his son protested the event at the Florida Fair Grounds, asking for assault weapons to be banned and the gun show loophole to be fixed
'It doesn't have to be my child, I'd grieve for any child killed in a mass shooting that's senseless,' said Gonzales, who was protesting with his son (pictured)
As Parkland survivors turned activists demand the government do something to prevent mass shootings, a dad stood outside the Gun Show with a sign that read: 'STOP NRA BLOOD MONEY' on one side and 'MASS MURDER IS NOT A RIGHT' on the other.
Sergio Gonzalez and his son protested the event at the Florida Fair Grounds, asking for assault weapons to be banned, and the gun show loophole to be fixed.
'It doesn't have to be my child, I'd grieve for any child killed in a mass shooting that's senseless. If you want to protect yourself, get yourself a revolver or how about learning how to fight,' said Gonzalez,
His son's sign read: 'HOW MANY MUST DIE FOR YOUR HOBBY?'
The execution was scheduled for convicted murderer and cancer survivor Doyle Lee Hamm, who killed motel clerk Patrick Cunningham in 1987
An execution team in Alabama left a death-row inmate with more than a dozen puncture wounds in his legs and groin in a failed lethal injection attempt late Thursday night.
The execution was scheduled for convicted murderer and cancer survivor Doyle Lee Hamm, who killed motel clerk Patrick Cunningham in 1987. Hamm has been on death row since December 1987 when he was convicted of Cunningham's murder.
The victim, an employee of Anderson's Motel in Cullman, was shot in the head during a robbery that apparently netted about $410.
Hamm's execution started late on Thursday after several last-minute appeals failed, according to NBC News. But after several minutes of attempts it had to be aborted because the team could not find a viable vein to administer the injection.
The effort resulted in what Hamm's attorney Bernard Harcourt classified as torture, explaining that the inmate was left with more than 12 puncture marks in his legs and groin, some of which may have penetrated his bladder or femoral artery.
When the execution eventually started it resulted in what Hamm's attorney Bernard Harcourt classified as 'torture'
Harcourt said Hamm was left with more than 12 puncture marks in his legs and groin, some of which may have penetrated his bladder or femoral artery
'This was clearly a botched execution that can only accurately be described as torture,' Harcourt said in a statement after a doctor examined his client.
After the execution was postponed for several hours on Thursday, Harcourt convinced a federal judge to allow him to pick a doctor to examine Hamm.
While Hamm was strapped into the gurney and preparing to be administered the lethal injection, the IV team 'simultaneously worked on both legs at the same time, probing his flesh and inserting needles.'
Harcourt claims the IV punctured Hamm's bladder because he was urinating blood on Friday.
'They may have hit his femoral artery as well,' he continued.
'Because suddenly there was a lot of blood gushing out. There were multiple puncture wounds on the ankles, calf, and right groin area, around a dozen.'
He said that throughout the botched attempt his client was 'laying there praying and hoping that they would succeed because of the pain.' He said Hamm collapsed when they finally gave up and took him off of the gurney.
Hamm has been on death row since December 1987 when he was convicted of Cunningham's murder. Picutred left is Hamm just after he was arrested, and pictured right is the victim Patrick Cunningham in 1987
Hamm now has several puncture marks as well as bruising and swelling in his groin and pain from his abdomen to his upper thigh, Harcourt said. On Sunday he was still unable to walk without limping from the pain.
Prisoners have a constitutional protection against cruel and unusual punishment, and courts can decide if certain execution techniques violate that right.
Hamms lawyer previously said the inmate has been battling cranial and lymphatic cancer for over three years. Treatment has compromised his veins, and lethal injection would likely cause 'cruel and needless pain,' according to papers filed last December by Harcourt, who has represented Hamm since 1990.
The Alabama Attorney General's Office argued Hamm's cancer is in remission, and a judge ruled it could proceed if the IV wasn't inserted into Hamm's arms. The US Supreme court then declined to stop the lethal injection, with three of the judges consenting.
Attorney General Steve Marshall argued that the circumstances of the crime and consequences to the victim and victim's family was too 'heinous' to allow a stay. In a statement posted to his Facebook, Marshall said that going on with the execution would be 'serving justice.'
Prison officials have not given many details about what happened in the death chamber before he was given a reprieve.
Corrections commissioner Jeff Dunn said at the time that it was 'more of a time issue' that postponed Thursday night's execution.
The judge has now ordered the Department of Corrections to preserve any notes or other material from the first execution try - including the clothing Hamm was wearing.
It is not clear when the lethal injection will be rescheduled for.
This botched execution is the latest in a string which have gained controversy for the type of drugs used and the effect they had on the subject.
Clayton Lockett spent 40 minutes writhing in agony before dying of a heart attack after he was given a lethal injection in 2014.
It was the first time Oklahoma used the drug midazolam as the first element in its execution drug combination.
The following year convicted rapist and murderer Charles Warner was given the wrong drug during his execution in the state.
Oklahoma used potassium acetate - not potassium chloride, as required under state protocol - and Warner said his body felt like it was 'on fire'.
Texas was the first US state to use lethal injection in 1982, while Ohio was the first to use the one-drug method in 2009.
Until then, most states used a three-drug combination for lethal injections: an anesthetic, a paralytic and a drug to stop the heart.
A man who was shot dead by police in Brisbane on Sunday was responsible for a vicious attack on paramedics in a separate incident a year before his death.
Liam Scorsese, 31, was shot dead by two officers after allegedly lunging at police with a knife outside a Wakerley home on Brisbane's bayside on Sunday morning.
Scorsese, who police say was a known associate of the Comanchero bikie club, allegedly tried to break into his ex-girlfriend's home about 10am, prompting the occupants to phone the police.
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Liam Scorsese (left) reportedly told police to 'shoot me' as he lunged at them with a knife on Sunday
Scorsese died after being tasered and shot by police - following an urgent triple-0 call about a 'man with a knife trying to break into a house'
Officers first tasered Scorsese in an attempt to subdue him, but it only enraged him further.
Officers shot him twice when he did not respond to the shock.
Detective Chief Superintendent Mick Niland told reporters officers present were 'in fear of their lives' when the shots were fired.
In a separate incident about a year before his death, Scorsese was captured on film violently lashing out at paramedics.
An ambulance crew were attempting to treat him for stab wounds, when he appeared to flip out and push the paramedics off him.
He ripped medical equipment from his body and started to throw punches at paramedics and police officers.
In the footage he is seen ripping medical equipment from his body and throwing punches at paramedics and police officers
The footage shows Scorsese only complying with paramedics once he was handcuffed and tied to the stretcher
Chireez Beytell (pictured right in both images) said her pain was 'unbearable' and suffering 'unimaginable' upon hearing the news of Scorsese's death
The police were forced to tackle him to the ground and cuff him when he grew increasingly violent towards the paramedics.
The footage, obtained by Nine News, shows Scorsese only complying with paramedics once he was handcuffed.
Scorsese pleaded guilty to resisting arrest and obstructing emergency services officers after the December 2016 incident.
Scorsese's friend, Chireez Beytell, said her pain was 'unbearable' and suffering 'unimaginable' when news of his death broke.
'Four years wasn't enough, it wasn't the lifetime you promised me or yourself, now you're gone. May you fly with the angels, I will never let go bub I will never let go,' she wrote.
The pair appear to have been in a relationship, with Ms Beytell often thanking him for gifts and sharing messages between the pair on her social media account.
Scorsese was remembered fondly by friends as respectful and gentlemanly, and one woman noted the man had a 'sad mind'
His lawyer, Ashkan Tai (left) said he would be seeking to find out exactly how his friend's death had come about for the sake of his family
Scorsese (left), who has been linked to Comanchero gang members, was clearly well loved, with many friends grieving his death
One old friend fondly recalled starting high school with Scorsese, and being kicked out of the school together, and said he was 'angry and devastated' to hear of the man's death.
'Too many memories to think of, from starting high school together, sleeping at mine every weekend, turning the back yard or living room into a hotel so everyone could sleep over or putting up tents in the back yard for everyone to sleep in,' he wrote.
'Both being the first to be kicked out of the school to both of us living up on the Gold Coast living together making the Q1 go crazy every day.
'We went through the good and the bad together up there, but no matter what it was we did, we did it the way we wanted to do it and made the most out of it.
'Hearing about how you passed makes me angry and devastated at the same time. As much as I hate that place I'm coming to say a final goodbye.'
Another shared a photo of himself, simply writing 'R.I.P Liam', and the photo was used by a female friend an hour later, who described herself as 'shattered' and claimed he had always been a gentleman to her.
'[At] least your sad mind will be at rest my friend,' she wrote.
'Not cool,' commented one man.
'I really thought he'd make it after prison. R.I.P my friend.'
Police earlier closed off the street in Wakerley, Brisbane to conduct an investigation
Police had tasered Scorsese, 31, before retreating and were reportedly 'in fear of their lives'
The man was taken to Princess Alexandra Hospital in a critical condition - but later died
Defence lawyer Ashkan Tai shared a photo of himself with the 31-year-old and remembered him as respectful and gentlemanly.
'RIP Liam Scorsese. A life taken far too early,' he wrote.
'I am not sure what happened this morning when the police killed you, but I promise I will make sure your family knows the truth no matter what that might be.
'In all my professional dealings with you, you were a gentleman and always respectful. What an absolute tragedy regardless of the circumstances.'
Scorsese was convicted of assault on a Surfer's Paradise bus driver after pleading guilty in August, The Gold Coast Bulletin reported.
Police said earlier reports an officer was stabbed during the incident were incorrect
Detective Chief Superintendent Mick Niland fronted reporters after the incident on Sunday to explain the context of the situation
Queensland Police were called to an incident in Brisbane 's bayside suburb Wakerley on Sunday morning
One 'junior' police officer shot at the 31-year-old man twice
Scorsese was taken to Princess Alexandra Hospital in a critical condition after he was shot- but later died. Police say reports an officer was stabbed during the incident are incorrect.
Residents of the small well-kept street told Daily Mail Australia they have 'no idea what is going on.'
'I heard it on the news and poked my head out and found the whole street blocked off,' one woman said.
'I didn't hear the gunshots or anything - it is very concerning.'
Police said the man was 'armed and enraged' and 'trying to break into the house' before officers were called to the premises.
Scorsese is known to police and has been linked to members of the Comanchero gang.
The man was known to police as well as the people in the home, who called Triple Zero
Police said the man was 'armed and enraged' 'trying to break into the house' before emergency services were called
Vladimir Putin's election supporters are using provocative pictures of female models in underwear in the latest bizarre tactic to fend off apathy in next month's Russian presidential poll.
With the contest offering no real choice, and the expected result of six more years of the strongman ruling the Kremlin hardly in doubt, young men are being enticed to vote with a series of sexually suggestive web adverts.
This part of the campaign has been put together by the Russian edition of Maxim magazine - which refuses to say who ordered it, but it is widely seen as part of a covert strategy to ensure voters go to the polls and back Putin.
Maxim editor in chief Alexander Malenkov confirmed the magazine was promoting the presidential election as part of a 'special business project' for an unknown client with financial remuneration that has not been revealed.
Vladimir Putin's election supporters are using provocative pictures of female models in the latest bizarre tactic to fend off apathy in next month's Russian presidential poll
He admitted it looked 'a bit absurd' but said it was 'one of numerous compromises' he had to make.
While no candidate is mentioned by name, this campaign chimes with a Kremlin strategy to maximise the numbers of people voting under the theory that this will help Putin with the election on the first ballot - a scenario that requires him to get more than 50 per cent of the vote.
The latest pro-Putin social media blast shows blonde and brunette models in underwear posing at polling stations, evidently aiming to entice young males to cast their ballots.
This part of the campaign has been put together by the Russian edition of Maxim magazine
The pictures show blonde and brunette models in underwear posing at polling stations, evidently aiming to entice young males to cast their ballots
The pictures are captioned: 'Welcome to the world of adults!', 'It's a bit scary at the beginning but soon you'll want to make it one more time', 'Are you sure you're already 18?', and 'All that happens at the polling station will remain at the polling station'
A raunchy backstage video accompanies the pictures, with 18+ stickers called 'Election Girls' sent to those who joined the online group.
Slogans read 'Waiting for you in the booth!' (a young woman disappears into an election booth), 'I want your vote' (with a naked woman in bed), and 'help me to undo my ballot paper' (a model has her hands behind her back as if she is undoing her bra).
The pictures include captions including 'Welcome to the world of adults!' and 'It's a bit scary at the beginning but soon you'll want to make it one more time'
Earlier, a homophobic video on social media warned people that if Putin was not re-elected, then under a new president families could be forced to take in gays who are can't find partners.
A man is showing having a 'nightmare' at such a scenario, imagining he wakes up in bed with his gay lodger.
The same scare-tactic video - watched more than four million times - implied black immigrants would join the Russian army if 65 year old Putin was no longer commander in chief.
A video posted earlier this month shows a young woman refusing to have sex with man because he had not voted.
She is shown passionately kissing him but then asks: 'Wait a minute, are you 18 yet?' He replies: 'Yes, I'm adult' She asks: 'Have you voted today?'
He says: 'No, what for?' She hits back: 'Well, you are not adult then' - and walks away.
Another video showed a pregnant young woman rush into a taxi as it appears she is in labour
But the woman is seen hurrying to the polling station rather than the maternity hospital
Another video showed a pregnant young woman rush to the polling station rather than the maternity hospital.
Putin has chosen to do almost no campaigning although he remains the overwhelming favourite to win.
A series of television debates starts on Monday with election candidates but Putin has opted not to take part in these.
Opposition leader Alexei Navally has been banned by the authorities from contesting the 18 March Election.
He has called for a boycott of the election.
The social media campaign is seen as countering this demand.
A video posted earlier this month shows a young woman refusing to have sex with man because he had not voted
She is shown passionately kissing him but then asks: 'Wait a minute, are you 18 yet?'
He says: 'No, what for?' She hits back: 'Well, you are not adult then' - and walks away
It also uses pro-gay and anti-racism calls made by pro-Western candidate Ksenia Sobchak, 36, to crudely exploit fears of homosexuality and immigrants, say critics.
Sobchak - who has posed semi-naked for Maxim in the past - has known Putin since she was a child.
She was the daughter of his mentor Anatoly Sobchak, former mayor of St Petersburg, who gave Putin his first job in politics.
But now she has called on him to retire from politics, while admitting neither she nor the other candidates has any hope of winning - implying the system is rigged.
Those taking part in TV debates are: Sergey Baburin (the All-Russia National Union party), Pavel Grudinin (nominated by the Communist Party of the Russian Federation), Vladimir Zhirinovsky from Russia's Liberal Democratic Party (LDPR), Ksenia Sobchak (the Civil Initiative party), Maxim Suraikin (the Communists of Russia), Boris Titov (the Party of Growth) and Grigory Yavlinsky (the Yabloko party).
This is the moment a female 'sex expert' attacked police officers after they were called in to investigate an 'advanced love-making' course in Thailand.
A group of 33 Russians had paid the equivalent of 450 each for a place on the course, in which participants were being taught how to spice up bedroom antics.
But police raided the class, held in a hotel conference room in the holiday resort of Pattaya, after staff heard 'odd noises'. Ten Russian instructors - three women and seven men - were arrested.
Footage shows a woman in a striped dress - believed to be one of the female instructors - lashing out at an officer. Another woman in a white t-shirt can be seen trying to calm the situation.
A female 'sex expert' attacked police officers after they were called in to investigate an 'advanced love-making' course in Thailand
Footage shows a woman in a striped dress - believed to be a female instructors - lashing out at an officer after a raid on an 'advanced love-making' course in the holiday resort of Pattaya
Another woman in a white t-shirt can be seen trying to calm the situation after an 'instructor' lashed out at an officer
Police Lieutenant Colonel Piyapong Ensarn said: 'One of the women running the class was angry when police arrived. They thought we shouldn't be there.
'It's the strangest class I've ever heard about but it is illegal and the offenders will be processed according to the law.'
In the course, tourists were taught how to make their partner climax while attendees eagerly took notes and viewed diagrams on a flip-board.
They were due to receive certificates declaring themselves sex experts after the class but staff at the up-market hotel became suspicious when they heard noises coming from the room and called officers.
Police arrived at 11pm last night and cut short the course with the visitors being dismissed.
Police arrived at 11pm last night and cut short the course with the visitors being dismissed. Pictures show a group of men and women, believed to be instructors, sitting at a police station
The ten 'instructors' - some wearing matching 'sex animator' t-shirts and others in tiny pink shorts - were led to a local station
In a video, the apparent instructors can be seen sitting sheepishly on a bench while in custody
Police said that the people attending the class paid 20,000 baht and some received free t-shirts. They were also to be given a certificate in love-making after the event, showing that they were able to satisfy their partner
The ten 'instructors' - some wearing matching 'sex animator' t-shirts and others in tiny pink shorts - were led to a local station. In a video, they can be seen sitting sheepishly on a bench while in custody.
Police Colonel Apichai Krobpetch, head of Pattaya Police, said: 'Officers arrived at the hotel at 11pm and found Russian gangs had rented a room to set up a training course for sex. This is an illegal sex education course.
'Forty three people were in attendance including ten instructors who were demonstrating sex. The participants are not guilty of any offense and they were then released. The ten instructors were taken to the station for processing.'
Police said that the people attending the class paid 20,000 baht and some received free t-shirts. They were also to be given a certificate in love-making after the event, showing that they were able to satisfy their partner.
Officers charged one suspect with overstaying in Thailand, three with unlawful entry into the kingdom and the rest for working without work permits.
The parents of Matilda star Lilian Hardy (pictured) are 'prepared to go to jail' as they wage war with their local council over their daughter's home schooling
The parents of Matilda star Lilian Hardy are 'prepared to go to jail' as they wage war with their local council over their daughter's home schooling.
Eileen Tracy claimed Westminster City Council ordered her and husband Edward Hardy to send their 12-year-old daughter to school by March 7 or face being prosecuted, convicted or fined.
The youngster, who was one of four girls to play the lead role in hit musical Matilda, at the Cambridge Theatre in Londons West End, for six months last year, has always been educated at home.
Writing in the Daily Telegraph, Ms Tracy said she and her husband had 'no intention whatsoever of complying with the authority's order', and said they planned to ask the council to rescind it or appeal to the Secretary of State if it refused.
She added: 'If that fails, we would oppose the council in court - and if necessary, though it doesn't bear thinking about, we would go to jail.
'The European Convention on Human Rights gives us a right to privacy. People have endured far worse than us for that principle.'
Ms Tracy said the couple had decided to home school their daughter as they believed she would learn best from 'a secure base of wellbeing'.
She added: 'Lilian's success seems not to be enough for our local authority, Westminster City Council.'
Lilian Hardy was one of four girls to play the lead role in hit musical Matilda, at the Cambridge Theatre (pictured) in Londons West End, for six months last year
She added that she and Mr Hardy had declined an 'unwarranted inspection' from the authority, as well as a request to provide some endorsement by an educator who knows their daughter, instead submitting examples of her work.
Westminster City Council told the Telegraph that it remained keen to 'resolve this matter amicably' but that 'unfortunately' Ms Hardy's parents had declined its requests for meetings.
A spokesman added that local authorities had a 'statutory obligation' to ensure children were receiving a suitable education, and that the council could not solely rely on examples of a child's work to form a view about the suitability of their educator.
However, Ms Tracy later said both her and her husband had not declined to meet with council officers, they had refused a meeting between their daughter and a home education adviser.
A film about intimacy and sex with graphic scenes that some have found shocking has won the Golden Bear prize for best film at the Berlin International Film Festival.
Romanian director Adina Pintilie said she had not expected to win the award for 'Touch Me Not', a film which critics say blurs reality and fiction as it follows characters who seek intimacy yet also fear it.
Speaking at a news conference after collecting her Golden Bear trophy, Pintilie said the film invited viewers to feel empathy, embrace otherness and reconsider their ideas about everything. It holds a mirror up to the audience, she said.
'Touch Me Not' has ben described as a film about intimacy and sex with graphic scenes
One critic said that 'Touch me Not' was a 'silly' film and its award at the Berlin Film Festival was 'a calamity'
People going to see 'Touch Me Not' are advised to approach it with an open mind
Director Adina Pintilie holds the golden bear for 'Touch me not' during the awarding ceremony of the 68th edition of the International Film Festival in Berlin on Saturday
The jury, from left, Ryuichi Sakamoto, Adele Romansk, Cecile de France, Chema Prado, Stephanie Zacharek, and jury president Tom Tykwer, pose on the red carpet for the awarding ceremony of the 68th edition of the International Film Festival Berlin, Berlinale, in Berlin, Germany on Saturday
'This is why I think for many people this film might not be comfortable but at the same time we challenge you, the viewer, to dialogue and to look at yourself,' Pintilie said.
The film has received mixed reviews from the critics - Thefilmstage.com described it as 'a studious, intelligent, if flawed and scattershot, work with an open mind about modern sexuality and intimacy. That open mind will need to be replicated in the audience too'.
It points out that one of the more remarkable parts of the film is a 'hospital touch-therapy session, shot with laboratory-like sharpness with more direct reflections about notions of intimacy'.
In the session, Tomas Lemarquis, bald since his teenage years, is paired with severely disabled Christian Bayerlein, 'with both exploring their own failings of their bodies and faults with intimacy... Christian later argues that his sexual organs are a part of his body that does work, and an important part of his arsenal of self-expression. He implores society to stop saying people suffer with a disability. [The film] should be praised as a movie that explores disabled sex by not hiding behind visual euphemisms,' it said.
The Guardian's Peter Bradshaw said that while 'Touch Me Not' may have its admirers, to him the film is ''silly' and 'a calamity' for the Berlin International Film Festival.
'It deluged me in a tidal wave of depression at how embarrassingly awful it was, at its mediocrity, its humourless self-regard, its fatuous and shallow approach to its ostensible theme of intimacy, and the clumsy way all this was sneakily elided with Euro-hardcore cliches about BDSM, alternative sexualities, fetishism and exhibitionism,' he wrote.
Adina Pintilie, center, Bianca Oana, left, and Philippe Avril pose with the Golden Bear award for Best Film 'Touch Me Not' during the awards ceremony at the 68th Berlinale International Film Festival in Berlin, Germany on Saturday
US actor Bill Murry smiles during the awarding ceremony of the 68th edition of the International Film Festival Berlin, Berlinale, in Berlin on Saturday
Manuel Alcala, left, and Alonso Ruizpalacios celebrate after winning a silver bear for the best screen play for the film 'Museo / Museum' during the awarding ceremony of the 68th edition of the International Film Festival Berlin, Berlinale, in Berlin on Saturday
Anthony Bajon speaks after receiving a silver bear as best actor during the awarding ceremony of the 68th edition of the International Film Festival Berlin, Berlinale, in Berlin on Saturday
Elena Okopnaya holds her silver bear for outstanding artistic contribution in the film 'Dovlatov' during the awarding ceremony of the 68th edition of the International Film Festival Berlin, Berlinale, in Berlin on Saturday
The Silver Bear award for best director was given to U.S. director Wes Anderson for 'Isle of Dogs' - an animated movie about a Japanese city that deports its dogs to a garbage dump island during an outbreak of canine flu.
Bill Murray, who was the voice of one of the dogs, collected the award at the gala ceremony on Anderson's behalf.
'I never thought that I would go to work as a dog and come home with a bear,' he joked as he held the Silver Bear trophy.
Anthony Bajon received the award for best actor for his role as a drug addict who tries to kick his habit with the help of religion in Cedric Kahn's 'La priere' (The Prayer).
'I prayed a lot to receive a bear,' Bajon told a news conference after the awards ceremony, adding: 'It's very important to show drug addicts that there is a way out of their addiction - in this movie it is the monastery, it is religion that helps this person.'
And Ana Brun received the best actress award for her role as a reclusive woman who ends up taxiing older ladies around when her partner gets sent to prison in Marcelo Martinessi's 'Las herederas' (The Heiresses). That film also won the Silver Bear Alfred Bauer prize for a feature that opens new perspectives.
The best screenplay award was given to Manuel Alcala and Alonso Ruizpalacios for 'Museo' (Museum), about students stealing artefacts from Mexico City's National Museum of Anthropology in a 1985 heist that shocked the nation.
Polish director Malgorzata Szumowska's 'Twarz' (Mug) - about a man who has a face transplant after an accident - took the Silver Bear grand jury prize.
Elena Okopnaya won an award for outstanding artistic contribution for costume and production design in Russian director Alexey German Jr.'s biopic 'Dovlatov' about the 20th century writer Sergei Dovlatov.
The awards were decided by a six-person jury headed by German director Tom Tykwer. At the festival, which runs from Feb. 15 to Feb. 25, around 400 films are being screened. Of those, 19 were competing for the top Golden Bear prize.
The 'Berlinale' is one of the oldest and most prestigious film festivals in the world. While there was no overarching theme this year, there were many films about migration and portraits of artists. (Reporting by Michelle Martin, Editing by William Maclean)
Boris Johnson today launched a blistering attack on Jeremy Corbyn's Brexit plans - warning it will leave Britain a 'colony of the EU'.
The Labour leader today announced a dramatic change in Labour's policy to keep the UK in a customs union with the bloc.
The move could mean Britain will have from being able to strike trade deals around the world after Brexit.
And it could mean the UK has to swallow decisions on what tariffs to impose without having a formal seat at the table - although Labour say they want a 'say' in the decisions.
But the Foreign Secretary - a leading Brexiteer - blasted the policy tweeting: 'Corbyn's Brexit plan would leave UK a colony of the EU - unable to take back control of our borders or our trade policy.
'White flag from Labour before talks even begin.'
Mr Corbyn posed for selfies with activists after delivering his speech in Coventry today
In his biggest speech on Brexit since the referendum, the Labour leader (pictured in Coventry today) made clear he is ready to sacrifice the UK's ability to strike trade deals outside the EU
Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson hit back by warning that the Labour plan would mean the UK becoming a 'colony' of the EU
Mr Corbyn announced the policy in a major speech today which sets the stage for a titanic Commons showdown with Theresa May on Brexit in the coming months.
Laying down the gauntlet to the PM ahead of her own major speech on Friday, Mr Corbyn also warned failure to accept a customs deal could put the Good Friday Agreement at risk in Northern Ireland.
Senior Tories branded the shift by Labour a cynical ploy to derail the Brexit process that would mean the UK being a 'colony' of the EU.
Meanwhile, Leave supporters in the party's own ranks said he was betraying millions of voters.
Mr Corbyn urged Remainer Tory rebels to join him in the parliamentary voting lobbies when the question of a customs union comes up - amid fears that defeat for Mrs May would bring down the government.
'I appeal to MPs of all parties, prepared to put the people's interests before ideological fantasies, to join us in supporting the option of a new UK customs union with the EU, that would give us a say in future trade deals,' he said.
Up to a dozen Conservative MPs have indicated they are ready to back an amendment to the Trade Bill tabled by former minister Anna Soubry, which orders the PM to take 'all necessary steps' to forge 'a customs union' with the EU.
The government has delayed the vote until after Easter as it scrambles to shore up Mrs May's wafer-thin majority.
But Downing Street has flatly rejected the idea of climbing down on the issue, with Mrs May's spokesman saying: 'The Government will not be joining a customs union.'
There were also signs this afternoon that rebels might be backing off a confrontation with the PM. Ex-minister Stephen Hammond suggested it would not come to a confidence vote, and insisted he did not favour customs arrangements that would prevent the UK doing trade deals beyond the EU.
As he rolled the political dice in his speech in Coventry today, Mr Corbyn:
Insisted every country that was geographically close to the EU had a close customs relationship with the bloc.
Refused to say what his 'Plan B' would be if Brussels simply rejected Labour's idea on a customs union, saying he would just 'continue talking to them'.
Warned that nothing could be allowed to undermine the Good Friday Agreement which had brought '20 years of relative peace, development and respect for diversity in Northern Ireland'.
Said he did not believe that Brexit would be a 'disaster' or a 'land of milk and honey' but cautioned that it could cause serious damage if the UK broke decisively from Brussels.
Dismissed 'bogus' targets for reducing immigration and said Labour would prioritise the economy over curbing free movement rules.
Set out a vision for a left-wing Brexit that would allow the government to nationalise and subsidise industries.
Mr Corbyn paid lip service to the Brexit vote saying he 'respects the result of the referendum'.
But he said: 'We are leaving the European Union but we will still be working with European partners in the economic interests of this country.
'When 44 per cent of our exports are to EU countries and 50 per cent of our imports come from the EU, then it is in both our interests for that trade to remain tariff-free.
'It would damage businesses that export to Europe and the jobs that depend on those exports for there to be the additional costs of tariffs and it would damage consumers here, already failed by stagnant wages and rising housing costs.'
UK won't be able to strike free trade deal with Australia if it stays in an EU custom union, top diplomat says Britain would not be able to strike a free trade deal with Australia if it stays in a customs union with the EU, the country's high commissioner has said. Alexander Downer said his country would never 'contract out' its decision making to a body it was not a member of. His warning come as he was quizzed about Brexit on the BBC's Westminster Hour. He said: 'If they remain in a customs union and single market but leave the Eu there wont be much point in that advocacy because we will have to focus on France and Germany and so on. And we wont be able to make trade agreements with the UK, we will only be able to make trade agreements with the EU. The EU will decide what those trade agreements are going to be, including cooperation with us. The UK wont be part of the decision making process. 'It's up to you I wont tell you hat to do. But ill tell you this Australia would never contract out its trade policy or the regulations of the management of our internal economy to a group of other countries.' Advertisement
He added: 'Every country that is geographically close to the EU without being an EU member state, whether it's Turkey, Switzerland, or Norway, has some sort of close relationship to the EU, some more advantageous than others.
'Britain will need a bespoke relationship of its own.
'Labour would negotiate a new and strong relationship with the single market that includes full tariff-free access and a floor under existing rights, standards and protections.'
Mr Corbyn said Labour would 'seek to negotiate a new comprehensive UK-EU customs union to ensure that there are no tariffs with Europe and to help avoid any need for a hard border in Northern Ireland'.
But he said there would need to be a mechanism to 'ensure the UK has a say in future trade deals'.
'A new customs arrangement would depend on Britain being able to negotiate agreement of new trade deals in our national interest,' he said.
Labour would not countenance a deal that left Britain as a passive recipient of rules decided elsewhere by others. That would mean ending up as mere rule takers.'
Despite the EU insisting it will not accept 'cherry picking' of single market rules, the Labour leader demanded the right for the UK to tear up the EU's state aid rules.
He told the audience in Coventry this would 'ensure we can deliver our ambitious economic programme'.
Mr Corbyn said the government had 'dithered' about the Brexit talks complaining that there was not enough clarity about where 'they are actually heading in these talks'.
He insisted the outcome of the negotiations with the EU could not be allowed to leave the country 'worse off'.
Mr Corbyn was speaking at the National Transport Design Centre in Coventry - which voted 56 per cent to leave the EU
Mr Corbyn (pictured ahead of his speech in Coventry today) said there should be no chance that the Brexit negotiations would undermine the Good Friday Agreement
Mr Corbyn was standing in front of a driverless car as he delivered his speech in Coventry today
'We do not believe that deals with the US or China, would be likely to compensate for a significant loss of trade with our trading neighbours in the EU, and the government's own leaked assessments show that,' he said.
'Both the US and China have weaker standards and regulations that would risk dragging Britain into a race to the bottom on vital protections and rights at work.'
What could happen with Anna Soubry's customs union amendment? Theresa May faces a major political battle over a bid by Tory rebels to try to force her to change policy on Brexit. Anna Soubry has tabled an amendment to a Trade Bill to keep the UK in a customs union with the EU after Brexit. Others Tory Remainers have said they will back it and Labour is considering uniting with them in the division lobbies. Mrs May has a wafer thin working majority of just 13 votes - with the backing of the DUP. This means that if over a dozen backbenchers rebel she could face a humiliating Commons defeat. Although a few Labour Brexiteers, like Frank Field and Kate Hoey, would probably vote with the Government. Some commentators have warned this could plunge the Tories into such turmoil it could bring down the Government. Technically Parliament cannot bind the Government's hand in a two-way negotiation, but the vote is very important symbolically. And a defeat would be a major blow for the PM, whose time in No10 has been dogged by accusations of political weakness and talk of leadership challenges. Around a dozen Tory MPs could back the the Bill, according to reports. No10 has delayed the vote until May amid fears of defeat. But Ms Soubry yesterday hinted she may not push it to a vote if the PM makes a concession in her Brexit speech on Friday. No10 is also reportedly considering making any vote a confidence vote - meaning it could trigger another General Election if they lost. The tactic is risky but may convince Tory backbenchers not to rebel. Advertisement
The Labour leader also played down the prospect of a crackdown on free movement rules after the UK leaves the EU, saying there would be no 'bogus' targets for reducing numbers.
'Most people in our country, regardless of whether they voted leave of remain want better jobs, more investment, stronger rights and greater equality,' he said.
'So we will not let those who want to sow divisions drive this process.
'No scapegoating of migrants, no setting one generation against another and no playing off the nations of the UK.'
Mr Corbyn went on: 'Our immigration system will change and freedom of movement will as a statement of fact end when we leave the European Union.
'But we have also said that in trade negotiations our priorities are growth, jobs and people's living standards.
'We make no apologies for putting those aims before bogus immigration targets.
'Labour would design our immigration policy around the needs of the economy based on fair rules and the reasonable management of migration.
'We would not do what this government is doing, start from rigid red lines on immigration and then work out what that means for the economy afterwards.'
Claiming that government plans for loosening trade ties with the EU could undermine peace in Northern Ireland, he said: 'No one should be willing to sacrifice the Good Friday Agreement, the basis for 20 years of relative peace, development and respect for diversity in Northern Ireland.'
But Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson hit back, tweeting: 'Corbyn's Brexit plan would leave UK a colony of the EU - unable to take back control of our borders or our trade policy.
'White flag from Labour before talks even begin.'
Trade Secretary Liam Fox accused Mr Corbyn of a 'cynical attempt to frustrate the Brexit process and play politics with our country's future all the while, betraying millions of Labour voters'.
'Labour's confused policy would be bad for jobs and wages, it would leave us unable to sign up to comprehensive free trade deals, and it doesn't respect the result of the referendum,' he said.
Double-talk meant to get him into No 10 By Jack Boyle for the Daily Mail BREXIT CONFUSION What he said: 'Our message has been consistent since the vote to leave. We respect the result of the referendum.' What he meant: 'After months of confusion we've made up our minds, sort of.' Since the referendum in June 2016, Labour's Brexit policy has been all over the place. By one estimate they've changed positions nearly 20 times. He's tried to appeal to Remainers in London and Leavers in the Midlands and the North. He points to Tory divisions and claims Labour is united. But it is split between hard-core Remainers like Chuka Umunna and the Eurosceptic hard Left. CUSTOMS UNION U-TURN What he said: 'We have long argued that a customs union is... viable for the final deal.' What he meant: 'We're performing a screeching U-turn, but pretending otherwise.' Six months ago international trade spokesman Barry Gardiner said it would be a 'disaster' to agree a post-Brexit customs union with the EU. Mr Corbyn a lifelong Eurosceptic has changed his spots for cynical political reasons. TRADE DEALS What he said: 'A new customs arrangement would depend on Britain being able to negotiate agreement of new trade deals in our national interest.' What he meant: 'We want to have our cake and eat it.' Any customs union between the UK and the EU would force the UK to accept EU tariffs on imports from outside the EU. It would be the end of any independent trade policy, with deals negotiated by Brussels. Boris Johnson says Britain would become an EU 'colony'. NHS PRIVATISATION What he said: 'Labour is implacably opposed to our NHS or other public services being part of any trade deal with Trump's America or a revived Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership-style deal with the EU, which would open the door to a flood of further privatisations. What he meant: 'We love the NHS.' But Mr Corbyn's customs deal would cut ministers' power to set trade policy, making it more likely that the NHS would be part of a trade deal with the US or other nations. SUBSIDIES What he said: 'In our transport networks, energy markets and digital infrastructure, too often Britain lags behind. We would seek to negotiate protections, clarifications or exemptions... in relation to privatisation and public-service competition directives, state aid and procurement rules and the posted workers directive.' What he meant: 'We want to hurl vast subsidies at nationalised industries.' To do so, he needs an exemption from EU rules that prevent 'state aid'. Labour intends to borrow around 500billion to 'invest' code for huge bungs to favoured industries, IMMIGRATION What he said: 'Labour would design our immigration policy around the needs of the economy based on fair rules and the reasonable management of migration. We would not do what this Government is doing, start from rigid red lines on immigration and then work out what that means for the economy afterwards.' What he meant: 'I have no intention of reducing immigration.' He said the Government's immigration target to cut net numbers to the tens of thousands was 'bogus'. The new line saying Labour has 'no red lines' on immigration suggests he might trade away immigration controls, even though that's why millions of Labour voters backed Brexit. UNION POWER What he said: 'It is not migrants that drive down wages, it is bad employers that cut pay and bad governments that allow workers to be divided and undermined, and want unions to be weak. To stop employers being able to import cheap labour to undercut pay and conditions, collective agreements and sectoral bargaining must be the norm.' What he meant: All power to the unions. He refuses to restrict numbers but government economists point to evidence that mass migration has suppressed wages, particularly among the low-skilled. Instead, he will hand huge power to unions barons to negotiate pay rates across industries. FORCING AN ELECTION What he said: 'I appeal to MPs of all parties prepared to put the people's interests before ideological fantasies, to join us in supporting... a new UK customs union with the EU that would give us a say in future trade deals. Labour respects the result of the referendum and Britain is leaving the EU. But we will not support any Tory deal that would do lasting damage to jobs, rights and living standards.' What he meant: I will do and say anything to bring down the Government and get into power. This sentence reveals the real reason for his speech: A cynical bid to win support from Tory Remainers and force a General Election. By backing a customs union, Labour opens up a potential alliance with rebel Tories. So despite a lifetime of Euroscepticism, Mr Corbyn is softening his position because it could take him a step closer to No10. Advertisement
Jeremy Corbyn set up a titanic Commons showdown by using a speech in Coventry today to commit Labour to staying in a customs union with the EU
The Labour leader was mobbed by Corbynistas invited to the crucial Brexit speech today
'This is another broken promise by Labour. Only the Conservatives are getting on with delivering what British people voted for, taking back control of our laws, borders and money.'
Brexit Secretary David Davis said Mr Corbyn was breaking the commitments he made to Labour voters at the last election'.
Who are the potential Tory rebels in the Anna Soubry amendment vote? Anna Soubry (tabled amendment) Nicky Morgan (Treasury select committee chairwoman) Sarah Wollaston (Health select committee chairwoman) Jonathan Djanogly (Huntingdon MP) Stephen Hammond (Wimbledon MP) Heidi Allen (South Cambridgeshire) Bob Neill (Justice select committee chairman) Antoinette Sandbach (Edisbury MP) Dominic Grieve (ex attorney general) Ken Clark (Rushcliffe MP) Jeremy Lefroy (Stafford MP) Vicky Ford (Chelmsford MP) Ex Vaizey (Wantage MP) Advertisement
'If it looks like snake oil, and it smells like snake oil, don't expect it to make you feel better,' he wrote in the Daily Telegraph.
'The customs plan would surrender control over our trade defences.
'Membership of a customs union, with a common commercial policy, gives the EU the exclusive right to put in place remedies to tackle anticompetitive practices. This means that inside a customs union the UK would not be able to take action on the trade challenges we face.'
Former Ukip leader Nigel Farage said: 'It's the first step of a quite easy to see a complete Labour sellout on the issue.
'Labour voters are going to start to ask: Are we really leaving?'
Pro-Brexit Labour MPs warned their leader he risked betraying millions of party supporters who voted to take Britain out of the EU.
Former minister Frank Field has said keeping the country shackled to the customs union would mean 'ratting on the people's decision to leave'.
But today he insisted Mr Corbyn's speech was not that significant - because the Labour leader was asking for a deal that the EU would never sign up to.
Kate Hoey, another former Labour minister, said: 'I hope Jeremy realises that to divert from the recent manifesto would be a hammer blow to those Labour supporters all across the country who came back and voted for us precisely because of our unequivocal position on leaving the EU.'
Labour Eurosceptic Graham Stringer said it was vital to keep the party's pledge to make a clean break with the EU, adding: 'Anything less would be a betrayal.'
But pro-EU Labour MP Chuka Umunna welcomed what he called 'a clear change of position'.
The Labour leader (pictured arriving in Coventry today) is expected to say he will sacrifice the ability to strike new trade deals in order to keep Britain locked in an EU customs union and allow free movement to continue
Brexit Secretary David Davis, pictured left last week, accused Mr Corbyn of 'selling snake oil'. Theresa May (pictured arriving at Downing Street today) has ruled out staying in any form of customs union with the EU
In today's speech in the West Midlands, Mr Corbyn is expected to confirm that Labour would keep Britain in the customs union after Brexit, closing the door on the dream of taking back control of Britain's trade policy.
He will demand a 'bespoke' deal that would keep Britain in the single market in all but name, while demanding the right for a future Labour government to tear up EU competition rules to subsidise failing nationalised industries.
Mr Corbyn will signal that Labour is ready to join forces with Tory Remainers over the customs union in the hope of forcing a Commons defeat that could topple Theresa May.
Brussels draws up plan to put the post Brexit customs border in the Irish sea Brussels has drawn up a plan to put the post-Brexit customs border in the Irish Sea in a move which sets it on a collision course with Theresa May. The Prime Minister struck a deal with the EU in December which committed to keeping a soft border in Ireland as part of the divorce agreement. They also drew up a 'DUP clause' which promised there would be 'no new regulatory barriers' - effectively no hard border - between Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK. But the European Commission has deleted this wording in the legal document putting the divorce deal down in writing, according to reports. They have also drawn up a last resort option which would see Northern Ireland stay under EU rules and regulations if no free trade deal is done. This would mean Northern Ireland could accept the rules of the customs union, single market and continue to be bound by EU courts after Brexit - even while the rest of the UK is not. One senior EU diplomat who had seen the draft told the Financial Times it amounts to 'a long way of explaining what a border looks like along the Irish Sea'. Advertisement
He will also leave the door open to a second referendum on the final Brexit deal that could cause fresh chaos, and accept that they should only be minor curbs to free movement rules.
The move comes barely six months after Mr Corbyn's shadow international trade secretary Barry Gardiner warned that staying in a customs union after Brexit would be 'a disaster'.
Mt Gardiner said today: 'We have said that we recognise the benefits of the customs union as it stands and we are now saying that a customs union between the EU and the UK, where we together decide those third-party countries where we will have common tariffs and common quotas, is of benefit.'
Mr Gardiner insisted Labour's plans avoided some of the drawbacks of that approach by giving the UK a say over third countries' access and the rules governing the arrangement.
'What we are talking about is a customs union in which we, as the UK, would be negotiating with the EU about those third parties, we would not be in the situation of being a rule taker,' he said.
Solicitor general Robert Buckland accused Mr Corbyn of changing tack in search of 'short term advantage'.
'I was a massive Remainer. But if you vote to leave, you vote to leave the whole shebang,' he told BBC Radio 4's Westminster Hour.
'This is about Jeremy Corbyn and the Labour leadership seeing a short-term advantage by potentially winning a vote in the House of Commons, and therefore jumping on a bandwagon It's politics, that's what this is about.'
Mr Corbyn and shadow chancellor John McDonnell are lifelong Eurosceptics who have railed against the EU and its customs union for years.
In 2005, Mr Corbyn said EU tariffs were destroying agriculture in the developing world, adding: 'The practice is simply crazy and must be stopped.'
You won't get a penny! Mogg threat to Brussels Brussels 'needs to be reminded' it will not get a penny of the 40billion Brexit divorce bill if it blocks a good trade deal with the UK, Jacob Rees-Mogg has said. The Eurosceptic Tory MP told the Daily Mail it was time for Theresa May to get tough with Brussels, which rejected the Cabinet's trade demands last week before they have even been published. He called on ministers to ensure Britain feels 'different' on the day after we leave the EU in March next year, suggesting immediate curbs to free movement and the slashing of EU tariffs on things the UK does not produce. He denied holding the Government to 'ransom', and accused some pro-EU campaigners of 'colonial' attitudes by suggesting other countries' standards could never match those of Brussels. Advertisement
But he has come under intense pressure from Labour members and the unions to soften the party's line on Brexit. Labour strategists also believe the shift could wreck Mrs May's hopes of keeping the fragile Tory coalition on Brexit together.
Mr McDonnell is said to have told Labour's top team that inflicting a Commons defeat on Mrs May over the customs union is the 'best chance' of an early election.
Sir Keir said: 'The crunch time is now coming for the Prime Minister because the majority in Parliament does not back her approach to a customs union.'
Tory MP Nadine Dorries warned Remainers in her own party not to fall into Mr Corbyn's cynical trap. She said: 'Millions of Labour voters took Corbyn at his word when he promised to respect the referendum result and help deliver Brexit.
'Those same voters will punish him and any Tory Europhile rebels who are considering backing him.'
First Secretary of State David Lidington will today warn devolved governments not to use Brexit as an excuse to break up the UK. He will pledge to ensure most EU powers relating to devolved areas will be transferred to Edinburgh, Cardiff and Belfast, rather than being hoarded by Westminster.
But Mr Lidington will warn the new powers must not be used to sever ties holding the UK together, warning this would make the whole country 'weaker and poorer'.
WHY DO THE CUSTOMS UNION AND SINGLE MARKET MATTER AND WHAT COULD HAPPEN AFTER BREXIT? When Britain stays in a custom union with Brussels (the European Commissions headquarters is pictured) is one of the main points of Brexit contention The customs union and single market have emerged as crucial battlegrounds in the struggle over Brexit. The customs arrangements could decide the fate of the overall deal - as the UK has already said it will ensure there is no hard border between Northern Ireland and the Republic. Here are the main options for what could happen after Britain leaves the bloc. Staying in the EU single market A Norway-style arrangement would be the deepest possible without formally staying in the EU. The single market rules out tariffs, quotas or taxes on trade, and guarantees free movement of goods, services, capital and - controversially - people. It also seeks to harmonise rules on packaging, safety and standards. Staying in the EU customs union The customs union allows EU states to exchange goods without tariffs, and impose common tariffs on imports from outside the bloc. But they also prevent countries from striking deals outside the union. Theresa May has repeatedly made clear that the UK will be leaving the customs union. Forging a new customs union Some MPs and the Labour leadership have raised the idea of creating a new customs union with the EU. This could be looser than the existing arrangements, but still allow tariff free trade with the bloc. However, many Eurosceptics believe it is impossible to be in a union without hampering the UK's ability to strike trade deals elsewhere. They also complain that it would mean accepting the EU's 'protectionist' tariffs against other parts of the world in areas like agriculture. The PM has also ruled out this option. A customs partnership Less formal than a union, this proposal would seek to cherry pick the elements that facilitate tariff-free trade - without binding the UK's hands when it comes to deals with other countries. One possibility could be keeping the UK and EU connected for trade in goods, but allowing divergence for the services sector. The partnership option was floated by the government in a position paper last year. 'Highly streamlined' customs This scenario would be a 'bare minimum' customs arrangement between the EU and UK. New technology would be deployed alongside a simple agreement to minimise friction. But there are fears that this could hit trade, and it is unclear how the system would work with a 'soft' Irish border. Advertisement
How has Jeremy Corbyn's position on the EU shifted over time? Jeremy Corbyn, pictured on a march in 2000, is a lifelong Eurosceptic Jeremy Corbyn's own words show how his attitude to the EU has shifted dramatically. January 1993: The European Central Bank will undermine any social objective that any Government would wish to carry out. March 1993: What powers do we have to do anything about the fraud in EC institutions on... the Common Agricultural Policy...? 'People... pay taxes and much of that money seems to find its way into the hands of the Mafia or into grandiose, unwanted and often badly built construction projects... May 1993: The Maastricht treaty takes away from national parliaments the power to set economic policy and hands it over to an unelected set of bankers who will impose the economic policies of price stability, deflation and high unemployment... May 2005: It is morally wrong that the US ... and the EU Commission pay farmers to overproduce. 'They then use taxpayers money to buy the overproduction ...it is then shipped at enormous public cost across the seas to be dumped as maize on African societies. Its simply crazy... 2008: The project has always been to create a huge freemarket Europe, with everlimiting powers for national parliaments and an increasingly powerful common foreign and security policy. June 2015: There is a real risk that Greece leaves both the eurozone and the EU. Its future would be uncertain, but at least it could be its own. June 24, 2016, day of the Brexit result: The British people have made their decision. We must respect that result and Article 50 has to be invoked now so that we negotiate an exit from European Union. 'Obviously there has to be strategy but the whole point of the referendum was that the public would be asked their opinion. Theyve given their opinion. It is up for Parliament to now act on that opinion. Advertisement
Brexiteers get close to the PM at the Chequers Summit
The sister of Vicar of Dibley star Emma Chambers has told of her 'deep shock' after she died of a suspected heart attack aged 53.
Sarah Doukas, a model agent who scouted Kate Moss, told MailOnline from her family farm in the New Forest: 'I have just got back from Australia and I'm in deep shock.'
Chambers, who died aged 53 on Wednesday, had battled asthma attacks and chronic allergies to animals for several years, the star revealed in a 2002 interview.
Sarah Doukas, a model agent who scouted Kate Moss,(seen right at a London fashion exhibition in 2013) said she was in 'deep shock' after the death of her sister (pictured left at a London film premiere in November 1999)
Best known for playing Alice Tinker in the BBC sitcom which starred Dawn French (right), the Doncaster-born star also featured in Notting Hill alongside Julia Roberts. They are pictured together in a 2013 file photo
Speaking to The Telegraph, Chambers revealed that her allergy to animals was so severe that she risked ending up in hospital if she touched one.
After one encounter with a cat in a changing room at the Albery Theatre, she was left 'itchy and wheezy' and struggled to speak properly the following day.
Despite her allergies, Chambers loved animals and lived on a farm, where some of her family are gathered today.
Chambers also suffered from eczema, and had acupuncture every ten days to deal with the condition.
Poignantly, it today emerged that Chambers once imagined what it would be like to be an old woman, the Times reported.
'The older I get, the more I seem to regress,' she said. 'I'm terrified that I'm still going to be smutty and crude and laugh at things like the word 'poo' when I'm 70.'
Vicar or Dibley and Notting Hill writer Richard Curtis (pictured in an undated photo in London) called Chambers 'the best comic actress I have ever met'
Her tragic death resulted in an outpouring of grief from fans and the wider acting community.
Vicar or Dibley and Notting Hill writer Richard Curtis called her 'the best comic actress I have ever met'.
Remembering her star performance as Alice Tinker in The Vicar of Dibley, Curtis told The Times: 'She was particularly extraordinary in the jokes with Dawn at the end of the episodes - these were always left till the very last minute, recorded at 10pm, the last thing we filmed at the end of a long day - and were a real feat of remembering, with about one take to get it right.
'Her timing and delivery were utterly perfect. She was definitely the best comic actress I ever met, and the very qualities of openness and vulnerability she could portray were there in her dealings with everyone she met.'
Chambers was born in Doncaster and married fellow actor Ian Dunn after they met when appearing in a play together.
Her father did not attend the wedding so Ian McKellen, with whom she was lodging and who she called 'a sort of father figure', stood in for him.
Her agent said Chambers, who died from natural causes on Wednesday evening, would be 'greatly missed'. A statement said: 'Emma created a wealth of characters and an immense body of work. She brought laughter and joy to many'
Hugh Grant, pictured with Julia Roberts and Emma Chambers in romantic comedy Notting Hill, mourned the loss of a 'brilliant actress' this evening
Chambers played alongside Dawn French from 1994 to 2007 in the much loved sitcom and won the British Comedy Award for Best Actress for her performance in 1998
Social media was awash with tributes from former colleagues and fans. Hugh Grant who starred opposite Miss Chambers in Notting Hill wrote on Twitter: 'Emma was a hilarious and very warm person and of course a brilliant actress. Very sad news.'
MR Plowman, who produced the Vicar of Dibley, added: 'Emma was a gifted comic actress who made any part she played look easy. She was adored by the cast and crew.'
Dawn French paid tribute to her former comedy co-star, saying: 'Emma was a very bright spark and the most loyal and loving friend anyone could wish for. I will miss her very much.'
Emma Freud, the partner of Curtis, described her as a 'sweet, funny, unusual and loving' human being'. She added: 'How could you not love this girl?'
Miss Chambers won warm reviews for her portrayal of Charity Pecksniff in the 1994 TV adaptation of Charles Dickens's Martin Chuzzlewit.
But it was her starring role alongside Dawn French in the hit BBC sitcom The Vicar Of Dibley which earned her national recognition. Miss Chambers played the dimwitted but lovable Alice Tinker, who was an unlikely confidante of the Rev Geraldine Granger.
Chambers as Alice pictured with James Fleet as Hugo (centre) and Gary Waldhorn as David in a scene from the Vicar of Dibley
Chambers is pictured during her appearance in the 1999 romantic comedy Notting Hill, in which she portrayed Hugh Grant's younger sister
One of the show's most successful running gags was Tinker's inability to understand any of Granger's jokes which typically closed each episode.
Chambers proved an instant hit with viewers and in 1998 she won a British Comedy Award for Best Actress.
Paying tribute to the star, producer Plowman added: 'I think the thing I'll miss most was her laugh.
'She was a very, very good comic actress and she was very bright. Alice appears to be potentially a bit stupid, but she wasn't stupid. Alice just lived in another world and Emma was wonderfully capable of taking us to that other world and playing it very sincerely.
'She was a very good and gifted comic actress.'
Fans of the show last night paid tribute. One wrote: 'Thanks for all the giggles', and another added: 'This is so shocking and sad. Ah God she was so marvellous.'
Yesterday BBC executive Producer Jon Plowman claimed the specific cause of her death was a heart attack.
He told Radio 4: 'It's no age to have a heart attack, as I understand it.'
A London motorist had his congestion charge for driving within central London quashed after TfL did not confirm if their cameras were timed properly, which could lead to thousands of drivers questioning their fines.
Raymond Bryce was ordered to pay an 130 fine after not paying the congestion charge, but said he was was out of the charging area by 7am.
The charge for driving a vehicle in London's congestion zone is 11.50 per day, if you drive between the hours of 7am and 6pm.
London's congestion charge cameras. The charging zone operates Monday to Friday from 7am to 6pm, and costs motorists 11.50 a day if they drive in
Mr Bryce was told he was caught on camera leaving the zone's boundaries at 7.02am.
TfL did not confirm that the camera - which supposedly snapped Mr Bryce driving in the congestion zone during charging hours - was linked to the atomic clock, as maintained by an appeal body.
TfL matches their cameras to the atomic clock as it is the most accurate timekeeping method there is.
This meant that the time that Mr Bryce, from Staffordshire, was driving could not be confirmed.
Questions have been raised over Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) cameras which are used in the congestion zone. The cameras are also used in car parks and on tolls
The 32-year-old's story has led to questions over the viability of other Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) cameras which supposedly prove when a vehicle was in a certain place at a specific time.
The cameras are used all over the country, in car parks and on bridge tolls.
The AA said that there needed to be systems put in place to give motorists a few minutes leeway either side of the charging timetable.
Edmund King, president of the AA, said there needed to be 'a degree of flexibility' with the cameras, like there are with speed cameras.
He said: 'Clocks aren't one hundred per cent accurate, you might be going by the clock in your car or your watch.'
He said the leeway with speeding cameras, which can allow 10 per cent of the speed limit plus 2mph, 'should apply to other number plate systems'.
Victorious Mr Bryce has encouraged other drivers to question their fines if they were on the edge of a zone.
TfL say that the fine was quashed not because the cameras were incorrectly linked to atomic time, but rather because they provided evidence incorrectly. They also said the cameras are checked every four hours to ensure their timings are correct.
A disgraced relative of the last Kaiser of Imperial Germany has killed himself in a suicide plunge from the roof of a luxury hotel.
Carlos Patrick Godehard, Prince of Hohenzollern, 39, fell from the 21st floor roof terrace of the Intercontinental Hotel in Frankfurt.
He had been allowed out of the jail where he was serving a four year sentence for swindling at the weekend when he apparently took his own life.
Police have ruled out an accident and no other suspects are being sought.
Carlos Patrick Godehard, Prince of Hohenzollern, is believed to have committed suicide
Carlos Patrick Godehard, Prince of Hohenzollern, fell off the 21st floor of the Intercontinental Hotel in Frankfurt
The Hohenzollern line came to an end in 1918 with the exile of Kaiser Wilhelm II (above) after Germany's defeat in World War One
The prince was serving his sentence at Euskirchen and was due to be released in July. He was allowed out of jail as part of the preparations for freedom and drove the 200 miles to Frankfurt on Friday morning.
His body was found on the same day at 2.40pm. He died instantly.
His father was the famous art collector, Godehard Prince of Hohenzollern. Prince Carlos, born in Munich, later grew up in the castle 'Burg Namedy' in Andernach and inherited a multi-million pound fortune.
When he was 28 he went into partnership with a businessman to set up Hohenzollern Communications in Hamburg.
The company aimed to promote luxury brands in Germany. At that time the Prince explained: 'To indulge in a certain luxury irrespective of the level of income is an opposite to the daily worries.'
But the fortune was frittered away and the prince fell into criminality. In 2011 he was sentenced to four months probation for not paying an outstanding bill to as creditor and in 2014 to four years for dealing in multi-million pound investment funds which did not exist.
The Hohenzollerns rule of Germany officially came to an end at the end of World War One.
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Horrifying pictures have emerged showing young victims of an alleged chemical attack on a rebel-held village in Syria.
A rescuer is shown cradling a little boy in his arms after the child was killed during airstrikes on al-Shifuniyah in Syria's Eastern Ghouta.
Medics say the youngster was poisoned to death in a gas attack as dictator Bashar al-Assad's forces continue their deadly assault on the region.
Shocking photos also show children and babies gasping for air and using breathing apparatus at a make-shift hospital.
It comes as the UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said it was 'high time to stop this hell on earth', calling for implementation of a 30-day ceasefire.
Horrifying pictures have emerged showing a young victim of an alleged chemical attack on a rebel-held village in Syria
The harrowing images also show a White Helmet volunteer spraying water on a dead child to get rid of the smell of toxic gases
Harrowing images show babies gasping for air and using breathing apparatus in a make-shift hospital following the apparent chemical attack
A Syrian medic holds the body of a child at a makeshift clinic following a suspected chemical attack on the rebel-held village of al-Shifuniyah
A rescuer is shown cradling a young boy in his arms after the child was killed during airstrikes on the rebel-held village of al-Shifuniyah in Syria's Eastern Ghouta region. Medics say the youngster was poisoned to death in a gas attack
At least 13 people showed symptoms following intense regime bombardment, said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights and a medic who treated those affected.
The Syrian American Medical Society, which supports a hospital in the besieged area, posted pictures on Twitter of small children using breathing apparatus.
'We confirm that 16 patients, including 6 children and 4 women, suffering from symptoms indicative to exposure to chemical compounds were treated' at the facility, it said.
Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu says President Vladimir Putin has ordered daily 'humanitarian pauses' in the rebel-held area.
Shoigu said in a statement on Monday that the cease-fire will be arranged for the suburb of the capital Damascus between 9am and 2pm every day starting Tuesday.
He also said Russia will help set an evacuation route for civilians in the area.
The announcement comes two days after the UN Security Council unanimously approved of a resolution demanding a 30-day cease-fire across Syria.
Eastern Ghouta has been under intensive bombing by government forces for weeks and at least 10 people have been killed on Monday as airstrikes and bombing resumed, according to local activists.
The Syrian government has consistently denied using chemical weapons in the war, which will soon enter its eighth year having killed hundreds of thousands of people and forced half of Syria's pre-war population of about 23 million from their homes
Russia, which has backed Assad since 2015, said on Sunday that militants in the area were preparing a 'provocation' involving the use of chemical agents. According to Tass, the militants were planning to blame the attack on the regime.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Monday the situation in Syria's Eastern Ghouta was highly alarming and militants there were using local civilians as hostages.
'The terrorists are not laying down their weapons, they are holding the local population as hostages, this is the main cause of a very tense situation,' he told a conference call with reporters.
Shocking photos also show children and babies gasping for air and using breathing apparatus at a make-shift hospital in the bomb-ravaged region
At least 13 people showed symptoms following intense regime bombardment, said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights and a medic who treated those affected
The Syrian American Medical Society, which supports a hospital in the besieged area, posted pictures on Twitter of small children using breathing apparatus
Medics said that 16 patients, including 6 children and 4 women, were suffering from 'symptoms indicative to exposure to chemical compounds'
Desperate civilians trapped in one of the most ferocious assaults of Syria's civil war awaited aid and medical help toda yafter regime air strikes pounded rebel-held areas despite UN ceasefire demands
Health authorities in eastern Ghouta said several people had suffered symptoms consistent with chlorine gas exposure, killing one child
Russia has claimed that allegations the Syrian government was responsible for any chemical attack were aimed at sabotaging the truce
The Syrian government has consistently denied using chemical weapons in the war, which will soon enter its eighth year having killed hundreds of thousands of people and forced half of Syria's pre-war population of about 23 million from their homes
Desperate civilians trapped in one of the most ferocious assaults of Syria's civil war awaited aid and medical help toda yafter regime air strikes pounded rebel-held areas despite UN ceasefire demands.
More than 500 people have been killed in a major bombing campaign by President Bashar al-Assad's forces that has hammered the enclave on the edge of Damascus for over a week.
After days of diplomatic wrangling, the United Nations Security Council on Saturday adopted a resolution calling for a 30-day ceasefire in Syria 'without delay' to allow for aid deliveries and medical evacuations.
The resolution raised hopes of stemming the bloodshed, but after clashes continued on Sunday it was unclear when or how broadly the ceasefire would be implemented.
Russia is a key ally of Assad's regime. In a phone call on Sunday, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Emmanuel Macron urged President Vladimir Putin to use his influence to reach a truce.
They called on Russia 'to exercise maximum pressure on the Syrian regime to achieve an immediate suspension of air raids and fighting,' Merkel's office said.
Children receive treatment following the suspected gas attack on al-Shifunieh village, in Eastern Ghouta on Sunday
Hundreds have been killed in a wave of airstrikes on rebel-held positions in Eastern Ghouta. Body bags are shown in a make-shift morgue in Douma
UN chief Antonio Guterres, who has described Eastern Ghouta under the bombardment as 'hell on Earth,' said the ceasefire must be 'immediately' implemented
A man is given treatment after being caught up in a suspected chemical attack in the besieged town of Douma, Eastern Ghouta
In Douma, the main town in Eastern Ghouta, fresh air raids and artillery strikes could be heard Sunday, an AFP correspondent said.
At least 14 civilians including three children were killed in strikes on Sunday, said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitor, bringing the total number of dead in the week to 530, among them over 130 children.
An aid worker in Douma, quoted by British charity Save the Children, said a brief pause in bombing had prompted people to emerge after a week sheltering in basements.
'Some people had no food to eat for two or three days,' the unnamed aid worker said.
Observatory chief Rami Abdel Rahman said there appeared be fewer air strikes but that fighting had intensified on the ground.
Heavy clashes erupted in southern areas of Eastern Ghouta, killing at least 13 members of pro-regime forces and six fighters from the Jaish al-Islam rebel group, he said.
The Britain-based group uses a network of sources across Syria to monitor the country's conflict.
Mohamed Alloush, a key figure in Jaish al-Islam, tweeted that the rebels were 'resisting' bids by regime forces to enter the region.
Eastern Ghouta, home to some 400,000 people, is surrounded by government-controlled territory and its residents are unwilling or unable to flee.
A total of more than 340,000 people have been killed and millions driven from the homes in Syria's war, which next month enters its eighth year with no diplomatic solution in sight
Russia accused rebels of preparing to use toxic agents in eastern Ghouta so they could later accuse Damascus of employing chemical weapons
In recent weeks, the United States has accused Syria of repeatedly using chlorine gas as a weapon. Rebel-held areas of the Ghouta region were hit in a major chemical attack in 2013
Last year, a joint inquiry by the United Nations and the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) found the Syrian government was responsible for an April 4, 2017, attack using the banned nerve agent sarin in the opposition-held town of Khan Sheikhoun, killing dozens
An inquiry had previously found that Syrian government forces were responsible for three chlorine gas attacks in 2014 and 2015 and that ISIS militants had used mustard gas
The two main rebel groups controlling the enclave - Jaish al-Islam and Faylaq al-Rahman - welcomed the Security Council demand, but vowed to fight back if there were renewed attacks.
UN diplomats say the resolution was watered down to ensure it was not vetoed by Russia, which has provided diplomatic and military support to Assad's regime.
Language specifying that the ceasefire would start 72 hours after adoption was scrapped and the term 'immediate' was dropped in reference to aid deliveries and evacuations.
In another concession, the ceasefire would not apply to operations against the Islamic State group or Al-Qaeda, along with 'individuals, groups, undertakings and entities' associated with the groups.
Syria's former Al-Qaeda affiliate is present in Eastern Ghouta.
The head of the army in Iran, another key Assad ally, said the Syrian military would continue to target 'terrorist groups' in Eastern Ghouta.
Assad's regime and its allies routinely describe all opposition forces as 'terrorists'.
'The zones on the periphery of Damascus... are not covered by the ceasefire and the offensives and clearing operations by the Syrian army will continue,' said Mohammad Bagheri, according to the official IRNA news agency.
A war plane belonging to Bashar al-Assad's forces is seen flying overhead after airstrikes over Eastern Ghouta on Sunday
Fighting has continued in Syria since Saturday's Security Council resolution calling for a 30-day ceasefire. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said it would not apply to the army's battle with 'terrorists' in eastern Ghouta
A rocket is seen wedged into the a street after it was dropped on Douma on Sunday. Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, backed by Russia and Iran, has steadily clawed back control of areas where his opponents rose up against his rule in 2011
The bombardment of eastern Ghouta over the past week has been one of the heaviest of Syria's seven-year war, killing at least 556 people in eight days, according to a toll compiled by the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a UK-based war monitor
UN chief Antonio Guterres, who has described Eastern Ghouta under the bombardment as 'hell on Earth,' said the ceasefire must be 'immediately' implemented.
In the enclave, news of the UN vote made little impact.
'I don't think this decision will be implemented. It will be respected neither by the regime nor Russia,' said Douma resident Abu Mazen.
'We can't trust Russia or the regime. We are used to their betrayals.'
Rebels in Eastern Ghouta have also been firing into Damascus.
Around 20 people have been killed in eastern districts of the capital since February 18, according to state media.
A total of more than 340,000 people have been killed and millions driven from the homes in Syria's war, which next month enters its eighth year with no diplomatic solution in sight.
Severe thunderstorms were predicted by forecasters for the south east coast
Storms have arrived and are battering parts of Queensland as the state's storm season takes hold.
Hundreds of passengers have been affected by delays at Gold Coast Airport with flights delayed and diverted.
The Australian Bureau of Meterology warned the 'primary threat' is the possibility of between 60mm and 70mm of rain in an hour leading to 'local flash flooding' as the rains head towards Brisbane.
Storms brewing over the Gold Coast and Queensland on Monday night as the area was plunged into darkness
Hundreds of passengers were delayed when their flights were affected at Gold Coast Airport
Flights were diverted to Brisbane or delayed by up to three hours as storms hit Queensland
Virgin Australia reported its three flights from the Gold Coast to Melbourne and Sydney have been delayed by up to three hours.
Jetstar also said its 6.45pm flight to Melbourne was delayed by around two-and-a-half hours and was due to depart at 9.15pm.
Meanwhile one of its flights from Melbourne had to be diverted to Brisbane.
Severe thunderstorms were predicted by forecasters for the south east coast on Monday evening with rain expected to lash down.
Dramatic pictures have been posted on social media of the storm arriving across the region earlier in the afternoon around the Gold Coast.
Heavy flooding is predicted with some areas possibly getting up to 50mm of rainfall throughout the night.
Sydney suffered its wettest day in 12 months on Sunday with rainfall of up to 70mm in western suburbs while there was between 50-80mm of rain in areas between Newcastle and Canberra.
A well-timed landing as pilot Joseph Corrigan made his descent into Gold Coast airport before the storm rolled in
Gloomy clouds gathered over the south east coast of Queensland and is expected to reach Brisbane tonight
Queensland Fire and Emergency Services advised drivers to never drive or ride through floods
The storms roll in over Gold Coast at Mermaid Waters
The town of Gatton, 100km east of Brisbane. had 51.2mm of rain since 9am on Monday, according to the Bureau of Meteorology.
Queensland Fire and Emergency Services advised drivers to never drive or ride through flood waters.
'If it's flooded, forget it,' they said. 'Seek shelter preferably indoors and never under trees. Avoid using the telephone during a thunderstorm. Beware of fallen trees and powerlines.'
Gatton, 100km east of Brisbane. had 51.2mm of rain since 9am with many areas also set to face a deluge on Monday night
Radar pictured the rainfall over the east coast of Australia on Monday evening as storms lashed Queensland
A statement from the BoM said: 'Heavy rainfall that may lead to flash flooding is likely.
'At 6.35pm, severe thunderstorms were detected on the weather radar near Coolangatta and Jimboomba.
'These thunderstorms are moving towards the northeast. They are forecast to affect Logan Village, Bundamba Lagoon and Greenbank by 7.05pm and Beenleigh, Logan City and Wacol by 7.35pm.
'At 7.45pm, severe thunderstorms were detected on the weather radar near Ipswich, Beenleigh and Logan City.
'They are forecast to affect Brisbane CBD, Cleveland and Esk by 8.15pm and Strathpine, the area northwest of Esk and Toogoolawah by 8.45pm.'
For assistance in an emergency contact the State Emergency Service on 132 500.
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Incredible images show a huge murmuration of starlings making their way into the UK from eastern Europe as hundreds of thousands of birds migrate west in search of food for the winter.
Every year between October and February flocks of starlings come to the UK, most have flown across the North Sea from Belgium or the Netherlands.
Ornithologists rushed to a Somerset nature reserve on Saturday to see hundreds of thousands of the starlings flying in to roost.
The birdwatchers witnessed first hand as the starlings formed eerie images in the sky.
The birds then settled down in the long reeds at Westhay Moor national nature reserve in Somerset.
Starlings fly to the UK for winter, when the population of the bird swells as they move away from harsh weather in eastern Europe.
Birds fly from Scandinavia, the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, the Baltic states, Poland and Russia and the numbers arriving vary from one winter to the next depending on the weather conditions in the continent.
The striking images made it appeared as if black clouds had formed spectacular shapes in the sky.
There are about 1.8million starlings breeding in the UK, but the population has dropped significantly and 40 million have disappeared from Europe since 1980.
Incredible images show a huge murmuration of starlings making their way into the UK from Eastern Europe as hundreds of thousands of birds migrate west in search of food for the winter
Every year between October and February flocks of starlings come to the UK, most have flown across the North Sea from Belgium or the Netherlands
This amazing site caused birdwatchers to rush to a Somerset nature reserve to see hundreds of thousands of starlings flying in to roost
Brussels has drawn up a plan to put the post-Brexit customs border in the Irish Sea in a move which sets it on a collision course with Theresa May.
The Prime Minister struck a deal with the EU in December which committed to keeping a soft border in Ireland as part of the divorce agreement.
They also drew up a 'DUP clause' which promised there would be 'no new regulatory barriers' - effectively no hard border - between Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK.
But the European Commission has deleted this wording in the legal document putting the divorce deal down in writing, according to reports.
They have also drawn up a last resort option which would see Northern Ireland stay under EU rules and regulations if no free trade deal is done.
This would mean Northern Ireland could accept the rules of the customs union, single market and continue to be bound by EU courts after Brexit - even while the rest of the UK is not.
Brussels has drawn up a plan to put the post-Brexit customs border in the Irish Sea in a move which sets it on a collision course with Theresa May (pictured yesterday attending church in Maidenhead with her husband Philip)
One senior EU diplomat who had seen the draft told the Financial Times it amounts to 'a long way of explaining what a border looks like along the Irish Sea'.
The move will enrage the Prime Minister who has vowed there will be no barriers within the UK as a result of Brexit.
And it will face stiff opposition from the DUP - the Northern Ireland unionist party which is propping the Tories up in Government.
The Irish border is one of the trickiest questions abound up in the Brexit negotiations.
Currently the UK and Ireland are both in the EU so there is freedom of movement and goods and no hard border there - which help to underpin the Good Friday Agreement which brokered peace.
There are fears that new customs checks and border guards would reignite sectarian divisions and could spark fresh violence.
Under the divorce bill, Britain promised to maintain a soft border in Northern Ireland to avoid the peace being imperiled.
She promised Northern Ireland would maintain enough alignment with EU rules and regulations so that a hard border can be avoided.
British officials accused the EU of picking and choosing the bits they liked from the divorce deal to put into the treaty.
Sammy Wilson (file pic) a DUP MP, said the EU 'chancing its arm' over alignment would break the terms of the December agreement with the UK
A UK government official told the paper: 'It is no surprise that the EU will continue to produce documents that push their negotiating position.
'However it is important they accurately reflect the [December divorce deal] and include the full scope of the agreement, rather than simply the bits which best suit one side.'
British officials, in turn, see the commission as having a 'tin-ear' when it comes to Belfast politics.
Sammy Wilson, a DUP MP, said the EU 'chancing its arm' over alignment would break the terms of the December agreement with the UK.
He told the BBC: 'It will not be simply the DUP who will be opposing, I think the government will have difficulties with this.'
A video captured the horrific moment an angry elephant trampled a man to death in India.
The man, called Krishnappa, 56, had gone to a lake in in Belkonglu where a herd of wild elephants had gathered.
On Saturday, villagers went there to drive away the elephants after they strayed into the area and began raiding crop fields.
Villagers had submitted a memorandum to authorities, urging them to drive the herd away.
A video captured the horrific moment an angry elephant trampled a man to death in India
But when officials failed to act, they decided to take matters into their own hands - and around 200 people, including children, headed to the lake.
Video footage filmed at the scene showed the mob shouting at the elephants, as well as pelting stones and hurling firecrackers at them.
Then, one of the elephants is seen coming out of the water and charging at the crowd.
Krishnappa, a farmer from Kurubur in Bangarapet in the south Indian state of Karnataka, is seen collapsing to the ground as the elephant crushes him.
The man, called Krishnappa, 56, had gone to a lake in in Belkonglu where a herd of wild elephants had gathered when one of the elephants charged at the crowd
Krishnappa, a farmer from Kurubur in Bangarapet in the south Indian state of Karnataka, is seen collapsing to the ground as the elephant crushes him
His funeral was attended by hundreds of villagers on Sunday.
The Andhra Pradesh Forest Department has agreed to pay compensation equivalent to 5,520 to his family.
On Sunday, forest officials from both Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka states drove the herd of elephants into the forest.
Villagers went to the lake to drive away the elephants after they strayed into the area and began raiding crop fields
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A giraffe who was orphaned when his parents were killed by poachers has formed a unique friendship with staff at a nearby hotel.
Lonely Eric wandered into the grounds of Elsamere Lodge in Naivasha, Kenya looking for love following the brutal murder of his mum and dad.
The affectionate giraffe soon won the hearts of staff at the hotel and has returned on a regular basis delighting guests ever since.
Eric can often be found watching over staff during their day-to-day cleaning duties and posing for pictures with astounded visitors.
He also enjoys joining the locals at a nearby lake to collect water and wash clothes and will happily take leaves and food handed to him by star-struck tourists.
Despite being harmless, the loveable giraffe has been known to get a bit too close for comfort for some, after eating a straw hat straight from the head of a visitor at the lodge.
Friendly Eric has won the hearts of staff and tourists at the Elsamere Lodge in Naivasha, Kenya
Eric is fond of eating straw hats - but they have to be the right kind of straw
Eric can often be found watching over staff during their day-to-day cleaning duties
The gregarious giraffe does not like to miss out on any of the hotel's activities
Eric is often to be found at the hotel's reception to welcome selfie-seeking tourists
Photographer Mark Boulton has been asked to pack a straw hat as a present for Eric and the snapper captured him investigating his new gift as well as roaming around the hotel grounds and mingling with staff, guests and locals.
Mark, 80, from Mickleton near Evesham, said: 'It was my last day and I was at breakfast when a head just appeared at the window.
'I didn't have my camera so I ran up to get it and grabbed the hat too.
'I asked if anyone would be willing to wear it and everyone was kind of hesitant and perplexed until one guest volunteered.
'He didn't actually eat this one, I don't think it was made entirely from straw. He did seem very intrigued though.
'He's just a real people giraffe. He seems to prefer people to his own kind.'
Eric likes nothing better than a photo opportunity and often poses for pictures with astounded visitors
Hotel staff are helping Eric get over the trauma of the murder of his parents by poachers
The giraffe enjoys joining the locals at a nearby lake to collect water and wash clothes
Tourists who get to know Eric are able to return home with tall stories
Eric especially enjoys wandering around the hotel grounds
'What's going on here then?' There is nothing Eric likes more than taking part in a spot of hotel activities
Eric likes helping out at the hotel's reception - but sadly is a little too tall for a desk job
The giraffe has a commanding presence by the side of the river
The loveable giraffe has been known to get a bit too close for comfort for some, after eating a straw hat straight from the head of a visitor at the lodge
Eric is beloved by guests and hotel workers - and is happy to spend his time with both
The giraffe now feels perfectly at home wandering around the hotel's grounds
'He likes wandering around but really does seem to like Elsamere the best,' said Mark.
'He does mini safaris up and down the road and as you can imagine he's started to get a bit of a reputation.
'Everyone wants their selfie taken with Eric.'
Fears are growing for two teenage girls who are thought to be travelling towards regional Queensland with two older men.
Imogen Steer and Samara Hadley are missing after they didn't return to their southern Queensland home at 5.30pm on Sunday.
The 14-year-old girls are believed to be travelling towards Gympie - more than an hour drive from their home in Port Vernon.
Samara Hadley (left) and Imogen Steer, both 14, have been missing from their Queensland home since 3pm on Sunday
Peta Steer said her daughter and Samara met up with friends at the Marina in Harvey Bay without their phone or money and didn't return home.
'This is way out of Imogen's league,' Mrs Steer told the Sunshine Coast Daily.
The girls didn't return back overnight and were seen at 3pm in a white Commodore with two older men believed to be from Gympie.
Anyone with information about the two teenagers are urged to contact Queensland Police.
A heavily pregnant mother has been caught with a drug stash in the home she shares with her six-year-old son.
Emma Liedeway Cummins, 28, was just five weeks away from giving birth when police executed a search warrant at her Mountain Creek home, in the Sunshine Coast region on February 15.
Police prosecutor Sergeant Phil Stephens told the court Cummins was found in an 'embarrassing' state in bed when her six-year-old son let them inside the house.
Heavily pregnant mother Emma Liedeway Cummins (pictured) has been caught with a drug stash in the home she shares with her six-year-old son
Emma Liedeway Cummins, 28, was just five weeks away from giving birth when police searched her home - where she lives with her six-year-old son (pictured together)
Inside the Sunshine Coast home, police found a bowl with 1.3 grams of cannabis, a pipe, scissors and a grinder.
Cummins pleaded guilty to drug possession when she appeared in a Sunshine Coast court on Monday, the Sunshine Coast Daily reported.
Monday's appearance was her eight time in court on drugs charges.
Magistrate Matthew McLaughlin said he was disgusted to hear Cummins put her drug addiction before her unborn child.
Police prosecutor Sergeant Phil Stephens said Cummins was found in an 'embarrassing' state in bed when her six-year-old son let them inside the house
Cummins pleaded guilty to drug possession when she appeared in a Sunshine Coast court on Monday
'If you can't stop smoking, child safety might be on your case. They could take your unborn child off you,' he said according to the Sunshine Coast Daily.
'Twice you have received probation orders, drug diversions, fines, suspended sentence, everything bar jail. A lot of magistrates would sentence you.
'You are getting close (to recovery) but are playing with fire. It damages the baby's health and is very selfish. Take a look at yourself.'
Magistrate McLaughlin said he would not sentence Cummins to jail due to the small amount of cannabis, but ordered her to pay a $400 fine.
He cautioned her the outcome would be different if she found herself back in court on drugs charges.
Magistrate Matthew McLaughlin said he was disgusted to hear Cummins put her drug addiction before her unborn child
Jamie Luner has been accused of performing a sex act on a teenage boy according to TMZ.
The alleged victim, who claims he was 16 at the time of the offense, filed a report with the Los Angeles Police Department over the weekend claiming that the Melrose Place star performed oral sex on him back in 1998.
Luner, who would have been 26 at the time of the alleged incident, is now being investigated and could be facing a charge of oral copulation with a minor child.
The actress, 46, has yet to respond to these allegations. A rep for Luner and the Los Angeles Police Department also did not respond to a request for comment.
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Allegation: Jamie Luner (left in 2009, right in 2001) has been accused of performing oral sex on a 16-year-old boy back in 1998 reports TMZ
Soap stardom: Luner was already one of television's biggest stars when she nabbed the role of Lexi Sterling in the final two season of Melrose Place (clockwise from top left: Luner, Rob Estes, Heather Locklear, Jack Wagner, John Haymes Newton, Kelly Rutherford, Thomas Calabro, and Josie Bisset)
Luner first rose to fame with her role on the Growing Pains spin-off Just the Ten of Us (Top row, left: Brooke Theiss, Matt Shakman, Bill Kirchenbauer, Luner, JoAnn Willette; on steps, left: Deborah Harmon holding Riquel Kyle Shane, Heidi Zeigler (holding Jason/Jeremy Korstjens (Harvey), Heather Langenkamp)
Luner was at the height of her Melrose Place fame when the alleged incident occurred between herself and teenager.
Even if Luner is found guilty, she may only be charged with a misdemeanor if the sex act was consensual due to the fact that the victim was over the age of 16 at the time of the incident.
Oral copulation with a minor child can be charged as a felony or a misdemeanor under California state law, with the former largely reserved for instances in which the victim is under 16.
It can also be charged as a felony, however, if the victim is over 16 but was incapacitated or forced into the act at the time of the incident.
The misdemeanor charge carries a maximum prison sentence of one year, while the felony charge can carry up to 10 years behind bars.
There is also a chance the statute of limitations has run out on this case - with California law requiring that a report be filed within one year of the offense if the act was consensual.
It is also stipulated that the offense must be reported before the victim turns 28, which could be a problem for the 36-year-old man who has reported Luner to police.
In some non-consensual cases however, criminal charges can be filed within one year of a victim making a report to police.
Ex-files: She would have been dating personal trainer John Braz (couple above circa 1998) at the time of the alleged incident, who she split with in 1999 after four years together
Kids incorporated: Luner was already a household name before her Melrose days thanks to roles in such shows as Just the Ten of Us and Growing Pains (above with Pains co-star Jeremy Miller)
Enlightened: In 2015 she received a degree in Spiritual Psychology from the University of Santa Monica (above at commencement with her parents)
Luner would have been in a relationship with John Braz at the time of the alleged offense.
She and the personal trainer began dating in 1995 but went their separate ways four years later around the time Melrose Place ended its run.
That is Luner's only known relationship, with the actress having always been incredibly private about the details of her love life.
This despite getting her start in commercials while still a child and attending the famed Beverly Hills High before landing her first big role in 1988 on the popular television series Just the Ten of Us.
She then made memorable guest appearances on Growing Pains and Married With Children before snagging her next big part in 1996 on Savannah.
It was while auditioning for Savannah that Luner first met Aaron Spelling, would would give her the role on Melrose that made her an A-list television star.
Bagging a Baldwin: Luner and Stephen Baldwin at the premiere of their film Friends & Lovers in 2000 (above)
Chameleon: Luner on All My Children in 2009 (left) and in a recent Instagram post (left)
Marcia, Marcia, Marcia: Luner with Marcia Gay Harden (above) while filming a guest spot on the series Code Black
Luner was one of television's biggest stars in the late 1990s thanks to her role as Lexi Sterling in Melrose Place, joining the cast in the sixth season and staying on until the show ended its run.
She immediately picked up an even bigger role as she took over for Ally Walker in the fourth season of Profiler, starring on 20 episodes of the NBC series before it was cancelled by the network.
Luner has made a number of guests appearances on television shows over the past 20 years and been featured in numerous Lifetime movies.
She also appeared in over 300 episodes of the popular soap opera All My Children from 2009 to 2011 in the role of Liza Colby, becoming the third actress to play the character.
Her recent work includes a ten-episode run on the TNT series Murder in the First back in 2016 and the lead role in the 2017 Lifetime film A Lover Betrayed.
She also recently wrapped work on two films slated fort release later this year, Tell Me I Love You and Deadly Runaway.
In 2015 she also received her degree in Spiritual Psychology from the University of Santa Monica.
Federal prosecutors who have already indicted President Donald Trump's former campaign chairman Paul Manafort on charges of money laundering, bank fraud and covertly lobbying for pro-Russian interests may have additional leverage arising from a loan he received while engaged in the bankruptcies of properties in California, several former law enforcement officials say.
Reuters has found new information about Manafort's handling of the loan and its potential link to the bankruptcies as Special Counsel Robert Mueller seeks to pressure Manafort to cooperate with his investigation into Trumps campaign team and possible collusion with Russian efforts to interfere in the 2016 election.
At issue is whether the failure to disclose a loan from a lender that was also the main creditor in the California bankruptcy cases represented an illegal concealment of material information.
Reuters has also learned that over the past several months Mueller has begun focusing on Jeffrey Yohai, Manafort's former son-in-law and his partner in four California property deals that failed and were placed in bankruptcy, as a potentially valuable witness in his probe.
Last week Mueller filed new criminal charges against Manafort and Rick Gates, a former business partner who served as Trumps deputy campaign manager. The California bankruptcies might be yet another avenue of inquiry for Mueller's team, said Frank Figliuzzi, who was assistant director of counterintelligence for the Federal Bureau of Investigation under Mueller until 2012.
'It's all about increasing pressure on Manafort to cooperate,' he said.
Complex deals: Paul Manafort is a 50 per cent stakeholder in his son-in-law's property company which had four of its properties go into bankruptcy. But a lender involved in the proceedings gave Manafort a loan on a property in Brooklyn. There could be illegal concealment of a material fact by Manafort
In the crosshairs: Paul Manafort, with his wife Kathleen, is being focused on by special counsel Robert Mueller
Property dealer: Manafort was in business with his son-in-law Jeffrey Yoahi who was seen at a party in New York in 2007 with stylist Ally Fusco
A Reuters review of property records and California bankruptcy court filings shows that a Manafort-controlled company secured in early 2017 a loan against a Brooklyn home from Genesis Capital LLC, now owned by Goldman Sachs, which was the top secured creditor in the bankruptcies of the four high-priced properties in the Los Angeles area.
Genesis signed off on the $303,750 loan two days after a judge overseeing the bankruptcies agreed to release from creditor protection one of the properties - a Spanish colonial-style home.
The move, pushed by Manaforts lawyers and requested in court by a lawyer representing the bankrupt properties, allowed Genesis to put the property up for sale, while the loan helped Manafort finalize a $6.8 million refinancing of the Brooklyn home with another lender.
Neither Manafort, Genesis, nor the lawyer representing the bankrupt properties disclosed the Brooklyn loan to the bankruptcy court - and all told Reuters they had no obligation to do so. Yohai was also kept in the dark, his lawyer said.
Under federal law, the knowing concealment of an asset or financial transaction that materially impacts a bankruptcy proceeding constitutes bankruptcy fraud.
Four former federal prosecutors who reviewed Reuters' findings said not disclosing the Brooklyn loan could amount to fraud if the loan and the Spanish colonial home's release were connected to each other and deliberately concealed.
'You can't just do things on the side and not tell,' said Patrick Cotter, a criminal defense lawyer in Chicago and former assistant U.S. attorney in New York.
Dan Guthrie, a Dallas white collar defense lawyer and former federal prosecutor, said it would be unlikely that a prosecutor would pursue an indictment without firm evidence of a 'quid pro quo'.
'As a prosecutor you are not going to want to go forward with an indictment without solid proof of that connection,' he said.
Catherine Bauer, the judge overseeing the bankruptcy cases in California, and Michael Hauser, the U.S. trustee assigned to the cases, both declined to comment.
Matthew Browndorf, a partner at the law firm that represented Manafort, said all of its court filings 'followed the required process and disclosures of the California Bankruptcy Court.' He declined further comment.
Jeffrey Dulberg, a lawyer for Genesis, said his client was unaware of what was behind the decision to release the Spanish colonial home from bankruptcy. Of the other three properties, Genesis foreclosed on one and two remain in bankruptcy proceedings.
Manafort referred questions to his spokesman, who declined to comment, citing a gag order in the criminal case.
Marc Forsythe, who represented the four limited liability companies that filed for bankruptcy, said he was not required to disclose the loan because he was never told that MC Brooklyn Holdings, LLC, the Manafort company that received the loan from Genesis, was a party to or had any interest in the bankruptcies.
On Thursday, Mueller filed new criminal charges against Manafort and Gates, supplementing indictments in October. The two men stand accused of laundering more than $30 million, using secret offshore accounts, duping banks to get loans, and failing to register as foreign agents for the lobbying they did for a pro-Russian Ukranian political party.
Loan: Manafort had $6.8 million borrowed to finance this property in Brooklyn, New York, including a loan from Genesis Capital, which was involved in the bankruptcy litigation
Los Angeles property: Yoahi's company bought this Bel Air property for $8.5 million but it went into bankruptcy
Part of the deal: This Los Feliz Spanish colonial-style property was brought out of bankruptcy by Genesis and sold, in line with what Manafort's lawyers urged. Genesis then loaned him money for his Brooklyn property. Yohai had bought it for $3.2 million
Discreet: The property on Blue Jay Wai in the Bird Streets is close to Laurel Canyon and was bought for $7.5 million by Yohai's LLC, which was 50 per cent owned by Manafort
Flipped: Manafort's ex-deputy Rick Gates pleaded guilty last Friday in a plea deal which is expected to turn him in to a co-operating witness
On Friday, Gates pleaded guilty to conspiracy against the United States and lying to investigators, and he is cooperating with the probe, but Manafort maintains his innocence and has vowed to take his case to trial.
As a close business partner Yohai was privy to many of Manafort's financial dealings. They were 50-50 partners in parent company of the four bankrupt LLCs and were working together on refinancing strategies before they had a falling out last September over a plan to buy two of the four properties out of bankruptcy, court filings and emails show.
Mueller's prosecutors interviewed Yohai in June, asking him about Manaforts relationship with Trump, his ties to Russian oligarchs, and his recent mortgaging of various properties in New York, two people familiar with the matter said.
A Los Angeles federal prosecutor overseeing a separate probe into alleged financial wrongdoing by Yohai has recently pressured him to sign a plea deal that includes a cooperation component, they said. Reuters was unable to determine what sort of cooperation that deal sought.
Yohai's lawyers did not respond to questions about the interview or the Los Angeles investigation.
A spokesman for Mueller declined to comment.
The key events related to the loan for Manafort's Brooklyn brownstone played out in early 2017. On Jan. 13, two days after bankruptcy judge Bauer agreed at a hearing to release the Spanish colonial home, Genesis gave MC Brooklyn Holdings the $303,750 loan.
The loan was critical for Manafort to bridge the gap between $6.8 million needed to refinance the brownstone and $6.5 million that Federal Savings Bank agreed to lend him, two people familiar with the matter said.
Yohai was in an Arizona facility being treated for anxiety and was unaware of the loan at the time, according to those familiar with the matter.
When he left the facility in mid-January the decision to release the Spanish colonial-style home was not yet binding and Yohai had Forsythe draft a motion arguing the initial request did not reflect his views and seeking its reversal. But Yohai did not submit the motion and eventually agreed to let the move go forward in February.
A man has sparked fury after filming himself releasing a herd of cows from their shed into a country lane.
After opening the gate to free them, Sam Walker says to the camera 'I didnt like the conditions these cows were living in so Ive had to set them all free - a little bit of exercise for them.'
He later added: If an animal is going to be killed for food then it should at least have a good quality of life before its sent to slaughter!
A man who recklessly opened a gate to a cows pen and filmed the animals being released has been heavily criticised for his dangerous actions. In the footage, Sam Walker (left), of Liverpool, shows the cows milling around outside of their enclosure (right)
A panicked man and woman run to herd the cows and as they do they criticise Walker for his action and tell him to get off the private property. He refuses.
Walker, from Liverpool, has been condemned for endangering the animals.
The dairy cows were being kept in the cow shed to protect them from the harsh winter and to stop them turning their fields into mud.
If they had not been caught quickly, they would also have suffered serious pain because they need milking twice a day. He also put them at risk of being hit by a car.
Walker has recently been released from prison after being sentenced to 20 months for dangerous driving. He claims to have committed 100 offences in his lifetime.
In the clip as the cows wander into the lane, Walker says that there is mayhem here and laughs.
He quickly jumps back when the cows get close to him.
When told by a man (left), who was trying to herd the animals (right) back to safety, that he should move along, Walker replied: Move along? Its a public path. Yet the man instructs Walker that it is in fact a private lane
The man, who tries to herd the animals back to safety, tells Walker that he should move along, but Walker replied: Move along? Its a public path.
He informs Walker that it is in fact a private lane.
Trying to justify his actions in the clip, Walker adds: I didnt like the conditions these cows were living in so Ive had to set them all free - a little bit of exercise for them.
The clip finishes with Walker asking: Was that wrong?
Walker posted the footage on Twitter with the caption: Driving down a country lane. Seen some cows living in filthy cramped conditions so thought it was only right they got a little bit of exercise!
If an animal is going to be killed for food then it should at least have a good quality of life before its sent to slaughter!
However, he was condemned by social media users.
Social media users were quick to point out that the animals were in fact dairy cows and explained why Walker's actions were so dangerous
One wrote: If a car hit them it would be a disaster. This guy hasnt a clue. They were let loose, could have ended up anywhere, the cows were in a holding pen waiting to be milked. Visit a farm you may learn something.'
Another said: Those are milking cows, they suffer if they are not milked twice a day. They come in for milking mostly of their own accord.
The reason they were in there is to keep them warm and dry and also not to damage the grass that they feed on in the summer.'
One added: I can understand why you felt concern for these animals if you are not used to seeing livestock but you have put their lives in danger and frightened them. If you really want to help, learn about livestock farming.
And another wrote: Your first trip to the countryside you absolute k***? Make it your last as you clearly have no clue about animals or their welfare.
The film was posted on February 23. It is unclear where the clip was taken.
Andrew Murray has been enlisted by the Labour leader as a part time consultant as the party hones its Brexit strategy (file pic)
Jeremy Corbyn has drafted in a controversial former Communist to help run his office.
Andrew Murray has been enlisted by the Labour leader as a part time consultant as the party hones its Brexit strategy.
But his appointment has sparked anger among party moderates who have concerns about his political beliefs.
Mr Murray was a member of the British Communist party for 40 years before he quit to join Labour under Mr Corbyn's left-wing leadership.
He has defended the Russian tyrant Stalin, suggesting his regime was better than living in the West.
And he has written an article expressing 'solidarity' with North Korea - which is ruled under the tyrant Kim Jong Un.
Mr Murray is also chief of staff to Len McCluskey at the Unite union, but will work a day and a half a week in Mr Corbyn's office, The Guardian reports.
One shadow cabinet minister told the newspaper: 'I see him around in the leader's office and it's a puzzle what he's doing there.'
Unite, which is Labour's biggest donor, will continue to pay Mr Murray's salary and the arrangement has been reported to the Electoral Commission, the party said.
In his new role the left-winger will sit in on senior job interviews and discuss and help shape party strategy.
Mr Murray used to be a chairman of the Stop the War Coalition - the left-wing group set up to oppose the Iraq war which had ties to socialist parties in the UK.
He is an old friend of Seamus Milne, Mr Corbyn's far-left chief spokesman.
Stalin's tyrannical regime saw millions killed through purges and the forced collectivisation of farms.
And he imposed a police state in which Russians bullied and manipulated into informing on their friends, families and neighbours.
Mr Murray has also voiced his support for North Korea - saying that he has 'solidarity with Peoples Korea'.
Jeremy Corbyn (pictured delivering his Brexit speech in Coventry today) has drafted in the controversial former Communist to help run his office
News of the appointment came as Mr Corbyn announced a radical change in the party's Brexit policy.
He announced Labour would keep the UK in a customs union with the EU after the country quits Brussels.
In his biggest speech on Brexit since the referendum, the Labour leader made clear he is ready to sacrifice the UK's ability to strike new trade deals in return for staying in a customs union with the EU.
Laying down the gauntlet to Theresa May ahead of her own keynote intervention on Friday, Mr Corbyn warned that nothing could be allowed to put the Good Friday Agreement at risk in Northern Ireland.
But the shift by Labour has already caused fury among the party's Brexiteers, and was branded nakedly political by Tories, as it paves the way for a titanic Commons showdown.
President Donald Trump has used a picture of a Parkland high school massacre survivor in an email asking for cash towards his re-election campaign.
The President and First Lady Melania Trump visited Madeleine Wilford, 17, in hospital two days after the school shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida.
The email, sent out on Saturday, led with a photo of the visit and stated that Trump, who has proposed arming teachers as a way to tackle school shootings, would make children's safety his top priority.
Come begging: A black-and-white version of this photograph was used to illustrate an email asking for donations to the Trump re-election campaign
'The nation has turned its attention to the senseless school shooting in Parkland, Florida,' the email seen by CNN reads.
'Trump is taking steps toward banning gun bump stocks and strengthening background checks for gun purchasers.
'The President has made his intent very clear: 'making our schools and our children safer will be our top priority.''
The email was finished off with a link to the Trump re-election campaign's donations website.
It is not known if Miss Wilford or her family are Trump supporters, nor if she gave permission for the photograph to be used in his campaign.
The President and First Lady Melania Trump visited Madeleine Wilford, 17, in hospital two days after the school shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida
Students and their parents are pictured on Sunday as they went back to Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School nearly two weeks after a gunman killed 17 students and teachers
During their visit to her sickbed, the President and the First Lady promised to give Miss Wilford a letter of recommendation for the college she hopes to attend, Brigham Young University.
Miss Wilford survived the school shooting on Valentines Day which saw former student Nikolas Cruz, 19, murder 14 students and three members of staff.
She suffered a collapsed lung and had to have three tendons in her right arm re-attached and and titanium plates fused to her broken ribs.
After a week in hospital, Miss Wilford made was able to return home last Wednesday.
In an interview from her hospital bed, Miss Wilford described how Cruz had begun shooting through windows a few classrooms down as he made his way down the hall.
She recalled how students dove to the floor in an attempt to get out of the line of sight of the door window as she wedged herself between the teacher's podium and a desk. As students hid, she was pushed towards the middle of the room.
'All of a sudden I felt a shot hit me,' Miss Wilford,, a devout Mormon Christian, told Deseret News, adding that she could not recall feeling the other three bullets.
'I realized I was shot and an immense amount of pain went over me. The first thing I thought was that I was going to die. I was screaming, "Help me! Help me!" I was frantic. I didn't know what to do.'
The Turkish president has appeared in a bizarre video in which he assures a sobbing child in military uniform that she would get state honours if killed while fighting.
Recep Tayyip Erdogan was heard commenting: 'If she's martyred, they'll lay a flag on her,' at a televised congress of his AK party.
He made the comment - on live television - in front of cheering supporters who urged him to carry on with the military offensive against Kurdish fighters in Syria's northern Afrin region.
The president made the comments to a sobbing young girl dressed as a Turkish solider on a public stage during a live TV appeareance
The president was cheered by adoring supporters as he told the girl she will be honoured if she is martyred
Mr Erogan urged the child to be 'ready for anything'
Critics have condemned his action as the same sort of child abuse for propaganda purposes as carried out by Islamic State fighters.
In the event the young girl - estimated to be about five years old - dressed as a soldier seems to catch the attention of Mr Erdogan, who then invites her to the stage, the BBC reported.
'Look what you see here! Girl, what are you doing here? We have our maroon berets here, but maroon berets never cry,' he told her, referring to the beret worn by the Turkish Special Operations Forces.
Turkish troops are currently engaged in an offensive in the northern Syrian region of Afrin
The Syrian region of Afrin, which borders Turkey, is held by the Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) and has faced a month-old assault by Ankara and allied Syrian rebels
Turkey says that it needs to protest its southern border areas from 'terrorist' forces based in Syria
Ankara sees both the YPG and PKK Kurdish groups as terrorist organisations - here a Turkish strike can be seen on a suspected PKK headquarters earlier this month
'She has a Turkish flag in her pocket too... If she's martyred, they'll lay a flag on her, God willing,' he said during the congress in the southern town of Kahramanmaras on Saturday.
'She is ready for everything, isn't she?' The girl replied: 'Yes.'
Mr Erdogan then kissed her face and let her go.
The president's comments were immediately condemned on twitter - one person likened them to child abuse while another sad the president was wrong to says 'God willing' to the death of a child.
The president's actions were also criticised by the pro-Kurdish Peoples Democratic Party (HDP) that opposes Ankaras operation in the Afrin region.
'The mindset that abuses children by promising them death will lose,' the party said in a tweet.
The president's latest comments however do not appear to have dampened the enthusiasm of his supporters of him or of his Syria offensive - they do not appear concerned that Erdogan's own sons have evaded military service while he routinely emphasises the importance of martydom as a means of securing Turkey's future.
Turkey on 20 January launched a major operation aimed at ousting YPG Kurdish forces from their enclave of the northwestern town of Afrin.
Mr Erdogan earlier this month said troops would also move east to Manbij - where unlike Afrin there is a US military presence. Commentators say such a move would mark a major escalation in the conflict.
Children who are still in primary school are becoming addicted to ice in a small South Australian town.
Murray Bridge, located about an hour south-east of Adelaide, has been destroyed by a scourge of methamphetamines, and Superintendent James Blandford says it's affecting residents of all ages.
'Murray Bridge has a significant issue with drugs, particularly methamphetamine,' he told Nine News.
'People who aren't even in their teenage years, 11, 12 years old, right through to grandparents [are becoming addicted].'
In a town just an hour from Adelaide, children as young as 11 are addicted to ice
The problem came to light after the brutal and fatal bashing of Sally Rothe, 54, in her Murray Bridge home.
When Major Crime detectives raided more than 100 properties in the area as they searched for suspect Travis Kirchner, they were left stunned at the conditions they found people living in.
But the community has been battling its drug problem for years - during a community forum in 2015, Sergeant David Hunt of SAPOL's Serious and Organised Crime Branch said there was 'no doubt' Murray Bridge had a problem with drugs.
Superintendent James Blandford says young children and grandparents have become hooked on the drug
Sergeant Hunt also recognised the rising use of methamphetamine in the area, Power FM reported at the time.
Supt Blandford told Nine News all of Australia needed to begin talking about what drove the demand for the drugs in order for any police action to be effective.
'It breaks your heart when you see these families and you see these kids believe that's normal.
'I'm not quite sure what normal is anymore, but that's not normal.'
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These pictures show the final preparations ahead of the deployment of U.S. soldiers during World War II, taken by one photographer sent across the country to make sure the image of a strong and powerful army was broadcast to American homes.
Alfred T. Palmer was the official head photographer for the Office of War Information, set up by President Roosevelt in the wake of the attack on Pearl Harbor in December, 1941.
He had the responsibility of ensuring that the images of the war effort that ended up in the newspapers would inject courage and national pride in the public.
The war effort at home: An M-4 tank crew is seen smiling for the camera of Alfred T Palmer at Fort Knox, June, 1942
Propaganda: Lieutenant 'Mike' Hunter, Army pilot assigned to Douglas Aircraft Company, Long Beach, California
National pride: This M3 tank crewman was one of hundreds of troops photographer by Palmer during his time as official head photographer for the Office of War Information
This collection of images were taken in the lead up to the deployment of American troops, with Palmer traveling all over the United States to capture soldiers, airmen and marines training for the war.
It shows show M-3 tanks and their crews being put through their paces during basic training at Fort Knox in Kentucky, with another capturing a P-51 Mustang fighter jet soaring through the skies above Inglewood, California.
Further pictures from the collection show a group of airmen being given their final set of instructions before taking off from an airfield at Langley Field, Virginia.
Moving along: Palmer traveled across the country to capture the training and preparations being carried out ahead of the deployment of U.S. troops during World War II
The man behind the lens: American wartime photographer Alfred T. Palmer, left, and one of his subjects, right
Ready for lift-off: A marine Lieutenant, glider pilot in training at Page Field, Parris Island, South Carolina
In training: A Browning machine gunner is photographed during training at Fort Knox, Kentucky, in June, 1942
Here's our mission: A combat crew receives final instructions just before taking off in a mighty YB-17 bomber from a bombardment squadron base at the field, Langley Field, Virginia, May, 1942
A soldier stands next to a 16-inch coast artillery gun in Fort. Story, Virginia, March, 1942
One photo shows a single marine as he parachutes down from the skies above Parris Island, North Carolina
A young soldier of the U.S. armored forces holds and sights his garand rifle, at Fort Knox, Kentucky
One photo shows a single marine as he parachutes down from the skies above Parris Island, North Carolina.
Tasked with illustrating all aspects of the war effort through his photography, he also photographed industrial workers, citizen participation, and - in particular - women joining the industries to support the military.
His 'Rosie the Riveter'-style photographs would show women in factories, working on Vengeance dive bombers, building fighter planes and publicising the Salvage for Victory campaign.
After the war, Palmer became a photographer for National Geographic, producing motion pictures for the Maritime Commission, US State Department and various humanitarian organizations, before passing away peacefully in 1993.
Working on it: A crew is seen servicing an A-20 bomber in Langley Field, Virginia, in July, 1942
The collection of Palmer's photographs is a revealing insight into some of the people who helped to make the allied war effort a successful one.
A U.S. Marine Band drummer, probably at the Marine Barracks, Washington, D.C., left, and right, a man of the Fort Story, Virginia coastal defense
Parade of M-4 (General Sherman) and M-3 (General Grant) tanks in training maneuvers, Ft. Knox, Kentucky, in June, 1942
Fight in flight: A P-51 'Mustang' fighter is seen flying over Inglewood, California during a training session
Men of Fort Story operate an azimuth instrument, to measure the angle of splash in sea-target practice, Fort Story, Virginia,
A British Airways flight from London Gatwick to Edinburgh Airport has landed safely following reports of a mid-air emergency.
The plane departed London Gatwick this morning and arrived in the Scottish capital at 12.45pm.
A British Airways flight from London Gatwick to Edinburgh Airport has declared a mid-air emergency
Flight tracker AirLive tweeted: 'British Airways #BA2938 inbound Edinburgh is declaring an emergency.'
However a spokesman for British Airways said that was an 'anomaly' and the aircraft had landed with no problems.
When Molly the pot-bellied pig was was adopted from an animal sanctuary in British Columbia, it was hoped she would live a happy and healthy life.
Instead, she was eaten by her new owner a month later.
Animal rights activists are furious after learning that Molly, who was one of 57 pigs Vietnamese pot-bellied pigs taking refuge at the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) in Duncan, BC. was slaughtered for meat.
'Normally you are getting pictures about how great they are doing because its a pretty exhaustive application process to make sure that we find a good home,' said Lorie Chortyk, long time employee of SPCA in BC.
'Sadly, what you cant guarantee against is that someone is going to be untruthful to you,' she said, speaking to Chek News.
Molly, pictured, was one of 57 pigs Vietnamese pot-bellied pigs taking refugee at the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) in Duncan, BC. She was eaten
Molly's new owners, a couple from Vancouver Island, took her home on 19 January of this year. They had, like all prospective owners, been well-vetted.
They are said to have encountered problems training the pig. On 16 February they informed SPCA that they had used Molly for food.
SPCA worker, who remembers caring for Molly, told CBC: 'First reaction I'd say was shock. Heartbreak. You know, all the animals that come through our care or branches we get attached to.
'To hear that somebody did this to an animal that we worked so hard to make sure was healthy, and tried to get into a good home, is absolutely heartbreaking.'
It is not clear whether the new owners signed anything that would prevent them from eating Molly as food but it is not a criminal offense to breach an SPCA contract.
Expressing outrage on Facebook, animal rights group and sanctuary RASTA, also based in BC, said: 'It takes a special type of person to adopt an animal from a rescue organization simply to take them home to kill them, and eat them.
'Rest in peace beautiful Molly.'
RASTA had adopted two pigs from Molly's litter, who are said to have been saved from a 'hoarding situation' sometime in 2017.
Molly's new owner is not being charged with animal cruelty but SPCA has banned them from adopting any pets in the future, at least from the province of BC.
Police, who spoke to the pig's owners, were told that Molly was killed humanely. Animal cruelty laws could have been applied otherwise.
Vietnamese Pot-bellied pigs typically live up to 15 years. Owning a pet pig, as with any pet, requires time and dedication, according to SPCA.
An 'extraordinary' young head teacher known for his no nonsense approach to discipline was found hanging at his home following a marriage breakdown, an inquest heard today.
Gary Vyse hit headlines in 2016 when he banned false eyelashes, fake tan, heavy foundation and lipstick at the school where he was head.
Since the 37-year-old had a meteoric rise through the ranks and in just three years he became chief executive of six schools across Kent. He was considered one of the most influential educational leaders in the area.
Mr Vyse, a father of two young children, died at home and was found by 'a friend'.
Gary Vyse, 37, a super-strict headmaster known for banning false eyelashes and fake tan who was found dead at his home had suffered a breakdown of his marriage, MailOnline can reveal
Mr Vyse, who was chief executive of the Williamson Trust and head of the Hundred of Hoo Academy, was found at his 350,000 three-bedroom home in Rochester, Kent, on February 12.
Students from Hoo Academy also paid their respects by bringing flowers to the school as they returned from their half term break.
In 2016, Mr Vyse criticised parents for allowing their children to attend school in heavy makeup saying it wasn't a 'fashion parade'.
Weeks later he made headlines again after crashing his 45,000 BMW 428i while twice over the legal limit.
Pleading guilty at Mid Kent Magistrates' in October 2016, he was banned from driving for 18 months and apologised for the 'moment's recklessness'.
Mr Vysewas was arrested for drink driving after crashing his BMW car near his parents home in Kent in October 2016
In a statement he said: 'Many will know of my 'no excuses' policy for pupils at my school and that is something that I myself also live by.
'My actions were wrong and this is something I will always regret. I would like to apologise for what has happened, and reassure you that the moment of recklessness which has caused great embarrassment for me, was incredibly out of character and it's certainly not something I condone.'
His bosses said they were disappointed by his actions but added they were 'aware of the extenuating circumstances that surrounded Mr Vyse that preceded the incident.'
After his death tributes were paid to the head by his fellow teachers and local politicians.
Micheal Costello, chair of The Williamson Trust, said: 'We are all shocked and saddened by the loss of such a strong and influential leader.
'Gary was an extraordinary individual with a passion for education, and a real drive to do the best for the Trust, its staff and its students.
'Gary had been part of the Trust since its inception in April 2011. He was always dedicated to achieving the best possible outcomes for the children of the Trust.
'The Williamson Trust's board of Directors and Senior Leadership Team will help guide our schools as we come to terms with the loss of Gary.
'Our thoughts and prayers are with Gary's family and friends.'
His family did not want to comment on his death, nor did his ex-wife Kathy, 34, a science teacher. When asked about his death at her Gillingham, Kent, home, she replied: 'I'd rather not say anything.'
Mr Vyse's death has left family, colleagues, former pupils and friends stunned.
Kelly Tolhurst, Conservative MP for Rochester and Strood, said: 'I am devastated and so very sad to hear the news. I am so very proud of Gary and what he has done for education in Medway.
'He was one of our best and we were so lucky he was here. My thoughts and prayers are with his family, friends, colleagues and pupils at this horrendous time. A tragic loss.'
Neighbours said they saw police and paramedics at the home following the discovery of his body, but since he moved in 18 months ago they rarely saw him.
Former students and friends took to social media to praise Mr Wyse for his work
Andrew Mackness, Medway Council's portfolio holder for children's services, said: 'I am deeply shocked and saddened by today's tragic news about Gary.
'As well as being someone I valued as a professional friend and colleague, Gary had been a leading light in driving real improvement in education in Medway and in shaping the way we educate our young people.
'His track record, drive and energy in championing education was outstanding and he will leave a lasting legacy for which we are very grateful.
'Our thoughts at this very sad time are with his family and all the students and staff of The Williamson Trust family who we know will miss him greatly.'
Dominic Herrington, regional schools commissioner for South East and South London, said: 'I am deeply saddened by this news.
'We always had the utmost respect for Gary's dedication to improving the life chances of children at The Williamson Trust. Our thoughts are with his family and those who knew him.'
Mr Vyse criticised parents in June 2016 for allowing pupils at Hundred Of Hoo Academy in Rochester, Kent, to wear heavy make-up, telling them: 'School is not a fashion parade'
Former students and friends took to social media to praise Mr Wyse for his work. Carmen Jane Robinson posted on Facebook: 'If it's true about Gary Vyse then it's very sad news and my thoughts go out to his young family.'
Corrine Simmons posted: 'I'm so shocked and saddened by this news. He was honestly one of the best mentors and teachers I ever had throughout my time at Hundred of Hoo!
'Helped me through a lot in school (2003-2008), was always there for me and was always a great laugh. Always pushed you to do your best and you could always tell he was so proud!'
Mr Vyse rose to prominence during a glittering teaching career. He became head teacher of the Hundred of Hoo Academy in September 2011.
The academy had been placed into special measures in April 2009, but by December 2012 Ofsted rated it 'good'.
Under his guidance, the academy rose to the top 20 per cent of secondary schools in England and Wales for the pupils' progress.
The full inquest will be held on May 8, police are not treating the death as suspicious.
For confidential support call the Samaritans on 116123, visit a local Samaritans branch or see www.samaritans.org for details.
President Donald Trump is set to attend the funeral for famed evangelist Rev. Billy Graham on Friday.
Graham, an evangelist and spiritual adviser to numerous presidents, died last week at his home in North Carolina.
He was 99.
Before his funeral on Friday, Graham will be afforded the rare tribute of lying in honor in the US Capitol Rotunda on Wednesday and Thursday.
President Donald Trump is set to attend the funeral for famed evangelist Rev. Billy Graham in North Carolina on Friday. They are pictured above at his 95th birthday in 2013
It is the first time a private citizen has been accorded such recognition since civil rights hero Rosa Parks in 2005.
He is to be buried on the grounds of his namesake library in Charlotte, North Carolina on Friday.
The White House has confirmed that Trump will be attendance at Graham's funeral.
Trump said last week that Graham was a 'great man' who had a 'great family' and was 'for us' - meaning Trump's campaign - from the beginning.
First Lady Melania Trump also paid tribute, writing: 'Saddened by the loss of Evangelist Billy Graham. He led an impactful life, touching so many people with his spiritual teachings. He will be deeply missed.'
Palbearers carry the body of Rev. Billy Graham to a hearse at the Billy Graham Training Center at the Cove in Asheville, North Carolina on Saturday
Thousands of admirers lined the streets of North Carolina over the weekend when the religious leader's body moved across his home state to commence a week of mourning
Trump's predecessor Barack Obama tweeted: 'Billy Graham was a humble servant who prayed for so many - and who, with wisdom and grace, gave hope and guidance to generations of Americans.'
Thousands of admirers lined the streets of North Carolina over the weekend when the religious leader's body moved across his home state to commence a week of mourning.
Well-wishers had come to the mountain chapel at the training center operated by his evangelistic association in Asheville immediately after his death before a procession started en route to the Billy Graham Library in Charlotte.
Authorities had set up designated viewing points along the 130 mile route as thousands paid tribute to 'America's Pastor'.
Graham will be laid to rest next to his wife, Ruth, who died in 2007.
About 2,000 people are expected to attend the private, invitation-only funeral.
Ivanka Trump defended her father when asked if she believes the many women accusing the president of sexual misconduct.
In an interview with NBC News in PyeongChang, South Korea, where she attended the Olympic closing ceremonies on Sunday, the first daughter was asked if she believes her father's accusers.
'I think its a pretty inappropriate question to ask a daughter if she believes the accusers of her father, when he has affirmatively stated that there is no truth to it. I don't think that's a question you would ask many other daughters,' the 36-year-old White House advisor said.
She added: 'I believe my father, I know my father. So I think I have that right as a daughter to believe my father.'
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Ivanka Trump stood by her father after an NBC reporter asked her if she believed the women accusing the president of sexual misconduct
The first daughter made her comments during an interview in PyeongChang, South Korea for the Olympics closing ceremony
Last month, a Wall Street Journal report claimed that Trump's personal lawyer paid hush money to porn star Stormy Daniels to keep her quiet about her alleged affair with the president. Trump and Daniels pictured above
Do you believe your fathers [sexual misconduct] accusers? -@PeterAlexander
I think its a pretty inappropriate question to ask a daughter if she believes the accusers of her father when hes affirmatively stated theres no truth to it. -@IvankaTrump pic.twitter.com/23AVPgcOdE TODAY (@TODAYshow) February 26, 2018
In the lead up to the 2016 presidential election, more than a dozen women came forward and detailed how Trump had sexually harassed them.
Many of the women described how the real estate tycoon targeted them with unwanted touching and kissing.
Trump denied all of the accusations during the race and while the stories caused scandal, it wasn't enough to swing the election in Hillary Clinton's favor.
In his first year in office, new allegations came to light about Trump's alleged cheating on his wife, first lady Melania.
In January, the Wall Street Journal reported that Trump's personal lawyer paid $130,000 in hush money to porn star Stormy Daniels, to stop her from speaking out about their alleged affair.
Daniels has since refuted that they had a sexual relationship.
Earlier this month, Karen McDougal, a former Playboy Playmate, told the New Yorker that she also had an affair with the Donald, which started shortly after Melania gave birth to their son Barron. McDougal and Trump pictured above
Rachel Crooks (left), Jessica Leeds (center), and Samantha Holvey (right) speak during the press conference held by women accusing Trump of sexual harassment in NYC on December 11, 2017
Michael Cohen, the president's lawyer, said he 'vehemently denies any such occurrence as has Ms. Daniels'
And that's not all. Earlier this month, Karen McDougal, a former Playboy Playmate, told the New Yorker that she also had an affair with the Donald, which started shortly after Melania gave birth to their son Barron.
President Trump has denied the affair through a spokesperson, with the White House stating: 'This is an old story that is just more fake news. The President says he never had a relationship with McDougal.'
Also during the NBC interview, Ivanka was questioned about the investigation by special counsel Robert Mueller into Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential election.
Ivanka Trump (C) daughter of U.S. President Donald Trump, stands at the beginning of the closing ceremony of the 2018 Winter Olympics
Ivanka Trump sits alongside South Korean President Moon Jae-in, from left, first lady Kim Jung-sook and Chinese Vice Premier Liu Yandong during the closing ceremony of the 2018 Winter Olympics
Ivanka Trump, U.S. President Donald Trump's daughter and senior White House adviser, and Kim Yong Chol of the North Korea delegation attend the closing ceremony Feb 25
'Consistently we've said there was on collusion, there was no collusion. And we believe that Mueller will do his work and reach the same conclusion,' she said.
She added that she thinks Mueller can be trusted to conduct the investigation, and revealed that she has not yet been interviewed by the special counsel.
Ivanka also weighed in on her father's proposed plan to give teachers guns after the Florida school shooting.
When asked if she thought about the idea, she said: 'To be honest, I don't know.'
The 36-year-old White House is currently overseas leading the U.S. presidential delegation to the closing ceremony of the Olympic Winter Games Feb. 25, 2018
'Obviously, there would have to be an incredibly high standard for who would be able to bear arms in our school. But I think there is no one solution to creating safety,' she said.
The President's eldest daughter was then asked if she would be advising the commander-in-chief on the issue, which he proposed earlier this week via Twitter.
'I think that having a teacher who is armed who cares deeply about her students or his students and who is capable and qualified to bear arms is not a bad idea, but it is an idea that needs to be discussed,' Trump added.
The 36-year-old While House senior advisor attended Sunday night's closing ceremonies at the Winter Olympics in PyeongChang, South Korea.
President Trump made the suggestion in the wake of a deadly school shooting earlier this month in Parkland, Florida, where 19-year-old Nikolas Cruz stormed his former high school and killed 17 people with an AR-15 semiautomatic rifle.
The president proposed a controversial bill on Wednesday to provide as many as 20 percent of teachers with concealed and carry permits after meeting with students from Marjory Stoneman High School.
He beefed up his proposal saying educators who chose to have weapons in their classroom would receive a 'yearly bonus'.
Neither Trump nor the White House has said who would pay to train them, but the decision would be 'up to states'.
He doubled down on the proposal on Saturday, stating in a tweet: 'Armed Educators (and trusted people who work within a school) love our students and will protect them.
'Very smart people. Must be firearms adept & have annual training. Should get yearly bonus. Shootings will not happen again - a big & very inexpensive deterrent. Up to States.'
Mourners bring flowers as they pay tribute at a memorial for the victims of the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School on Sunday Feb 25, 2018
Trump explained in his tweet the use of teachers would be a 'very inexpensive deterrent' compared to the cost of extra security guards.
But only the most 'adept' teachers would be allowed to wield weapons. He insisted every educator would be required to have annual training.
Trump's initial proposal on Wednesday to arm 20 percent of teachers was criticized as excessive that's roughly 650,000 of the nation's educators but the president insisted in a tweet that it would be a 'GREAT DETERRENT' to potential shooters.
Ivanka also spoke to NBC about the America's relationship with North Korea, which has deteriorated even further from an already low standing since Donald Trump took office in January 2017.
'We are 50 miles away from North Korea, so affirming the U.S. position and our joint position of maximum pressure with our South Korean partners is very important,' she said.
Ivanka arrived in Pyeongchang on Friday just days before the closing ceremony for the 2018 Winter Games.
Upon her arrival in South Korea, Ivanka told reporters: 'It is a great honor to be here in South Korea with the U.S. delegation. We are very, very excited to... cheer for Team USA and to reaffirm our strong and enduring commitment with the people of the Republic of Korea.'
Monica Lewinsky is opening up about her relationship with Bill Clinton while posing in a new blue dress in the March issue of Vanity Fair.
The former White House intern, 44, looks back at the affair with her much older and married boss through the lens of the #MeToo movement, writing in an essay for the magazine that while she may not qualify as a victim there is no denying that Clinton was a sexual predator.
She goes on to say that Chelsea and Hillary Clinton were examples of 'grit and grace' during that difficult time, while she was forced to remain silent 'due to legal quarantine' as Kenneth Starr forced even her own mother to testify against her in court.
Lewinsky reveals early in the essay that she never actually met Starr during the investigation, with their first run-in coming just two months ago on Christmas Eve when she was out to dinner with her family.
She describes him as 'creepy,' and says his constant touching left her feeling 'uncomfortable' after she randomly ran into the special prosecutor while out to dinner with her family in New York City.
Lewinsky was just being seated at the restaurant when she noticed Starr, who was leaving the establishment with his group.
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Her too: Monica Lewinsky (above in November) writes in an essay for Vanity Fair that Bill Clinton was a sexual predator
Predator: '[W]hat transpired between Bill Clinton and myself was not sexual assault, although we now recognize that it constituted a gross abuse of power,' states Lewinsky (above with Clinton in a White House photos he gifted her in 1997)
Creepy Kenneth: Lewinsky reveals in the essay that she met special prosecutor Ken Starr (above in August 1998) for the first time just two months ago on Christmas Eve
'Ken Starr asked me several times if I was doing O.K. A stranger might have surmised from his tone that he had actually worried about me over the years,' says Lewinsky, noting that this was the same man who made her life 'a living hell.'
'His demeanor, almost pastoral, was somewhere between avuncular and creepy. He kept touching my arm and elbow, which made me uncomfortable.'
Lewinsky writes that she was a bit 'thrown' but eventually mustered up the courage to say what she had waited 20 years to say to Starr.
'Though I wish I had made different choices back then, I wish that you and your office had made different choices, too,' recalls Lewinsky of her remarks that night.
Starr replied by telling her it was 'unfortunate' before the two went their separate ways.
Lewinsky explains that in the wake of the #MeToo movement many people have apologized to her for what she was forced to endure two decades ago, with one letter even bringing her to tears.
'Yes, I had received many letters of support in 1998. And, yes (thank God!), I had my family and friends to support me. But by and large I had been alone,' explains Lewinsky.
'Publicly Aloneabandoned most of all by the key figure in the crisis, who actually knew me well and intimately. That I had made mistakes, on that we can all agree. But swimming in that sea of Aloneness was terrifying.'
Lewinsky makes it clear however that not everyone views her as a victim.
'There are even some people who feel my White House experiences dont have a place in this movement, as what transpired between Bill Clinton and myself was not sexual assault, although we now recognize that it constituted a gross abuse of power,' states Lewinsky.
She later admits even she is uncertain of her place in the movement.
'Im sorry to say I dont have a definitive answer yet on the meaning of all of the events that led to the 1998 investigation; I am unpacking and reprocessing what happened to me,' explains Lewinsky.
'Over and over and over again.'
Applause: The former White House intern, 44, also applauds the 'grit and grace' Hillary (above with her husband on the day he denied the affair in January 1998) and Chelsea Clinton showed during the investigation and trial back in 1998
Ship adrift: She admits that at the time of the investigation she felt completely alone, and reveals that 'swimming in that sea of Aloneness was terrifying' (above with police and her attorney William Ginsburg leaving a federal building in May 1998)
Bad boss: Lewinsky writes that she ran into Starr after walking through Gramercy Park with her family on Christmas Eve (above)
At the time the affair began between the president and his intern in November 1995, Clinton was 49 years old and Lewinsky was a 22-year-old White House employee.
Clinton would initially deny having sexual relations with Lewinsky in a sworn deposition back in January of 1998, going so far as to claim that the two were never even alone together in the White House.
Unbeknownst to him at the time, Lewinsky had already revealed to Linda Tripp that the two were together nine times between that first encounter and March of 1997, and engaged in oral sex multiple times.
The affair became public one day after Clinton's sworn testimony, at which point Tripp gave tapes of Lewinsky admitting to her relationship to Kenneth Star, who at the time was pursuing the Whitewater controversy and Clinton's alleged sexual harassment of Paula Jones, a former Arkansas state employee.
Clinton continued to deny reports that he had relations with with the brunette from Beverly Hills even after the report broke, famously saying: 'I did not have sexual relations with that woman, Miss Lewinsky' in a nationally televised White House news conference.'
Months later, he admitted to the affair and claimed that his definition of sexual relations differed from that of others.
This resulted in the House voting to impeach Clinton on charges of perjury and obstruction of justice back in December of 1998, with the vote then moving to the Senate.
The Senate then acquitted him of those charges when the Senate did not achieve the two-thirds vote necessary to remove Clinton from office.
A second attempt at impeachment, on an additional perjury charge and abuse of power, never made it past the House.
Tripp had worked in the Pentagon alongside Lewinsky when the former White House intern opened up to her about her affair with Bill Clinton.
She taped their conversations for months it was later revealed and then handed the recordings over to Independent Counsel Kenneth Starr to avoid facing wiretapping charges.
Prior to that she handed the tapes over to lawyers for Paula Jones, who was suing Clinton for sexual harassment at the time.
Jones' lawyers then added Lewinsky to their witness list, but the judge ruled that her testimoney would be immaterial to the case before tossing it out.
A few months later, Clinton settled with Jones for $850,000 when her legal team launched an appeal.
The affair and its aftermath seem destined to live on as well, as Ryan Murphy has reportedly optioned Jeffrey Toobin's bestselling book 'A Vast Conspiracy: The Real Sex Scandal That Nearly Brought Down a President' for an upcoming season of his American Crime Story anthology.
This is a difficult part of Lewinsky's life she reveals in her essay, and why she is particularly sympathetic to victims of past offenses.
'For many, the Reckoning has also been a re-triggering,' writes Lewinsky.
'Sadly, what I see with every new allegation, and with every posting of "#MeToo," is another person who may have to cope with the re-emergence of trauma.'
She goes on to write: 'My hope is that through Times Up (or, perhaps, another organization) we can begin to meet the need for the resources that are required for the kind of trauma therapy vital for survival and recovery.'
An elderly woman who was held hostage for several hours was able to talk down the intruder and eventually persuade him to let her go.
Doris Rucker Wasden, 99, was asleep in her West Valley City, Utah, home on Friday night when Freddy Alexander Velasquez, 18, shot out her back door and entered the property.
Velasquez, who was fleeing police after an earlier stand off when he'd turned his gun on himself and pointed it at his head, then ran into Wasden's home at about midnight,Fox 13 reports.
Freddy Alexander Velasquez, 18, (left) blasted his way into the family home of Doris Rucker Wasden, 99, (right) after a stand off with police
The grandmother's family were able to escape the armed intruder but Wasden - who has hearing problems - wasn't even aware the suspect had entered her home, until he came into her bedroom.
Wasden said the teen woke her up and grabbed her by the hands, so she sat on the floor to avoid being hurt.
'And I just got back in bed and he come in again and then he started to talk to me,' she said.
'And I said 'I can't hear you, I can't hear you.' And then he realized I was a very old woman, so he was pretty nice to me after that.
Wasden was asleep in her West Valley City, Utah, home (pictured) on Friday evening when Velasquez shot out her back door
Cops and SWAT negotiated for hours with Velasquez for him to let Wasden free and give himself up
'He was just scared I guess' said Wasden, who added she never felt afraid of Velasquez during the ordeal but looking back now realizes how much danger she was in.
The 99-year-old Wasden was able to keep calm and chatted to Velsaquez who came and sat on the edge of her bed.
But when he started making a mess in her home, the no-nonsense grandmother wasn't afraid to tell off the armed intruder.
'He was riffling through her drawers, making a mess, spilling things all over and she has her 100th birthday party one week from today,' her granddaughter's fiance Jim Gabbard told KSL.
'And her words to him were, 'I just had this house cleaned for my party and you're messing it up. You better knock it off.' '
But the grandmother's calm demeanor during the almost three hours he kept her hostage, appears to have had a soothing effect on the teenager and by 3am, after hours of negotiation with SWAT, Velasquez finally let her go.
'My brother said I saved my life just by doing that,' Wasden said. 'Saved his life.'
After another few hours of negotiation, Velasquez finally gave himself up about 5.30am and was arrested.
But the grandmother's calm demeanor appears to have had a soothing effect on the 18-year-old and by 3am, after hours of negotiation with SWAT, Velasquez finally let her go
Doris and her grandson Jim Wasden who said the family was inspired by Ddoris' positive attitude
Wasden was reunited with her family who were waiting across the street.
Since the terrifying home invasion, Wasden has remained incredibly upbeat, and has received scores of visitors , including family, ward members and her local bishop, to check she was OK.
Incredibly, Wasden and her family aren't angry about the home invasion, but just want Velasquez to get help.
Gabbard said: 'He made a mistake and we don't hold resentment, and we just hope that he gets some help and hope that his family is okay.'
He said their family took inspiration from Doris' positive attitude.
'Grandma's disposition is what she's taught us: that you can't have animosity and you can't be angry with the young man,' he said.
Wasden will celebrate turning 100 next week although she says she never expected to end her 99th year with so much drama.
David Lidington today warned Nicola Sturgeon that Brexit must not be used as an excuse to tear the UK apart.
The Cabinet minister said that as Britain prepares to leave the Brussels club some want to use the departure to 'loosen the union's ties - or sever them completely'.
But he warned that this would harm Britain's security, economic clout and global influence.
His remarks are a stinging attack in the SNP leader who had threatened to try to force through another referendum on Scottish independence because of Brexit.
David Lidington today warned that some groups are trying to use Brexit to tear the United Kingdom apart in a searing attack on Nicola Sturgeon's indy ref 2 threat.
In a major speech on Brexit, Mr Lidington said: 'We area all more prosperous and more secure when we work together for the common good of the United Kingdom.
'Leaving the EU raises many challenges for our centuries old union...
'Some want to use this to loosen the ties that bind us together or separate them completely.
'I believe the outcome would leave every one of our nations poorer.'
Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has warned that No 10 is trying to grab back powers which should go to the devolved regions after Brexit.
His remarks are a stinging attack in the SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon (pictured) who had threatened to try to force through another referendum on Scottish independence because of Brexit.
But Mr Lidington said that in a major concession to these concerns, No10 has agreed that most powers will automatically go back to the regions.
But he urged for the four nations of the United Kingdom to unite to deliver and make a success of Brexit.
He said there will be a strong and fair devolution settlement as he tried to calm concerns that Britain's looming departure will end in a power grab by Whitehall.
The Cabinet Office Secretary said: 'It is in the interests of all parts of the United Kingdom...to protect the integrity of the United Kingdom partnership.
'Our new proposal is a reflection of our seriousness to strike agreements with the devolved powers and continue to devolve powers.'
He added: 'Let's be in no doubt: this would mean a very big change to the EU Withdrawal Bill that is before Parliament and a significant step forward in these negotiations.'
'This would put on the face of the Bill what we have always said was our intention: wide-ranging devolution not just away from Brussels, but from Westminster, too.
'This offer puts beyond doubt our commitment to a smooth and orderly departure from the European Union, in a way that doesn't just respect the devolution settlements, but strengthens and enhances them.'
Theresa May, pictured in Downing Street this morning, will deliver her next major speech on Brexit on Friday - it will be last in a series of major keynote addresses on the UK's looming departure by members of the Cabinet
He warned that division and discord in the UK will only weaken the country's hand in the crunch negotiations abroad.
He said: 'If we spoke with four conflicting voices then each would be weaker and misheard....
'The unity which exists between our four nations gives us a scale and ambition which none of us could have a alone.'
He said the UK should unite to use its collective economic and diplomatic clout to export goods, boost jobs and have global influence.
He made the remarks in the latest in a string of major speeches on Brexit being delivered by the Cabinet.
Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson kicked off the 'roadmap to Brexit' series earlier this month and International Trade Secretary Liam Fox will give his speech tomorrow.
The series will end on Friday when Theresa May will give a major address - her third - on her plans for Brexit.
Argentina's coast guard said it fired on a Chinese boat illegally fishing in its waters before embarking on an almost eight-hour chase to capture it.
Nobody was reportedly injured and no fishermen were detained.
In a statement on Friday, the Argentine Naval Prefecture said its officers fired shots at the Jing Yuan 626 after the vessel was caught illegally fishing in the country's exclusive economic zone.
The Chinese embassy in Argentina did not immediately provide a statement about the incident, which occurred Thursday after four other vessels also flying under a Chinese flag attempted to ram into coast guard boats.
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A soldier fires at the Chinese fishing boat named Jing Yuan 626 in Argentine waters on Thursday
A decision was then made to 'carry out machine-gun and cannon fire' and impede the vessel's ability to navigate, the coast guard said.
In video footage released on Saturday, an Argentine maritime officer can be heard warning the Jing Yuan 626 before it is fired upon.
'You're responsible for the safety of your crew and your ship. You are about to receive direct fire on the bow part of your ship,' the officer says via radio.
He then says: 'Bow, command bridge. Are we ready? Okey, free fire one shot to the boat's bow over waterline.'
The vessel managed to escape after the foreign ministry called off the operation following a nearly eight-hour chase.
Fishing boats have been involved in various incidents within Argentina's 200-nautical mile exclusive economic zone in the past.
In 2016, a Chinese fishing vessel with 32 crew members aboard was reportedly sunk by Argentine authorities after it attempted to flee to international waters.
Earlier this month, the coast guard detained a Spanish ship carrying more than 705,000 pounds of fish caught illegally.
A 16-year-old boy from Georgia has been charged with terroristic threats for allegedly sharing a video on social media that shows him loading a gun and threatening his high school.
The unidentified student at South Gwinnett High School was arrested on Saturday by Snellville police, who were tipped to the video via Twitter.
In the video, the person loading a black handgun says off-camera, 'South Gwinnett, you're next.'
Chilling threat: A male sophomore at South Gwinnett High School in suburban Atlanta was charged with terroristic threats over a video that showed him loading a gun and saying, 'South Gwinnett, you're next'
Principal Monique Lee sent this letter to parents at the school addressing the gun video
WSB-TV reported that local police do not believe the student, who is enrolled as a sophomore at South Gwinnett, planned to carry out a mass shooting at his school, but the video was alarming enough to spark an investigation, which resulted in his arrest.
Principal Monique Lee wrote in a letter sent to parents in the community that acts threatening the school won't be tolerated.
In addition to the criminal charges, the teenage suspect also faces school disciplinary actions.
Schools around the US, including in Atlanta and its suburbs, have been on edge in the wake of the mass shooting at a Parkland, Florida, high school that claimed 17 lives on Valentine's Day.
A day later, a student at Lanier High School in Gwinnett County was charged with bringing a gun to class, according to Atlanta Journal Constitution.
In September 2017, a student at Gwinnett South High School was arrested after being caught with a loaded 9mm gun on campus.
A single running shoe was behind the downfall of an Iranian refugee couple who were allegedly caught running a sophisticated crystal meth trafficking ring on the streets of Sydney, police have alleges in a fact sheet to be tendered to court.
The Nike sneaker was discovered in a Coles carpark in Asquith, Sydney's Upper North Shore, allegedly alongside a plastic bag containing a knitted skull cap and a bag filled with methamphetamine, The Daily Telegraph reported.
The DNA of alleged drug ring leader Ali Maleki was found on the shoe and inside the bag, according to the fact sheet to be tendered to the court.
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The pair have built a luxury life in Sydney's north-west with their two daughters, aged one and three
Police will allege in court that the discarded items were lost by Maleki during a drug deal gone bad in August last year.
In CCTV and dashcam footage obtained by investigating officers, Maleki was allegedly seen being ambushed by three men in the carpark.
The police will allege a fight broke out between the men in the Coles carpark and Maleki was put in a headlock.
During the scuffle, about 1kg of methamphetamine fell out of an Aldi bag he was using to carry the drug, the police will allege.
Maleki was allegedly seen wearing just one sneaker, matching that of the one found in the carpark, outside his apartment block later that night, according to the police fact sheet.
Maleki and his wife Yosra Rabieh were granted temporary protection visas after arriving to Australia by boat in 2013.
Iranian refugee couple Ali Maleki and Yosra Rabieh appeared to be living the Australian dream before they were allegedly caught running a sophisticated drug trafficking ring
The Nike sneaker was discovered in a Coles carpark in Asquith, Sydney's Upper North Shore, (pictured) allegedly alongside a plastic bag containing a knitted skull cap and a bag filled with methamphetamine
The pair have since built a luxury life in Sydneys north-west with their two daughters aged one and three.
They were arrested last week after police allegedly seized more than 36kg of ice, over $260,000 in cash, three luxury cars and more than 100 ampules of steroids after raiding homes in Hornsby and Asquith.
Police officers were allegedly tipped off to Maleki and his wife after a small-time dealer was arrested in Waterloo last March.
The glamorous pair were arrested last week after police allegedly seized more than 36kg of ice
Maleki and Rabieh's social media accounts reveal the pair married in a lavish 2014 ceremony
Social media accounts reveal the young family enjoyed hiking trips to the Blue Mountains, lavish dinners at Darling Harbour, while they were also seen sipping on bottled beer in front of the Sydney Opera House.
Other posts, which are mostly written in Arabic, reveal the couple married in a lavish 2014 ceremony and spent several weekends with their children at beaches along the New South Wales coast.
Maleki shared numerous inspiration quotes and poems, and also posted translations of Australian slang, including 'dunny', 'ankle biter' and 'dole bludger'.
His wife's Facebook account heavily features her husband and their children, while it also includes a post promoting 'Freedom in Iran.'
The pair are among several Iranians on temporary protection visas recently arrested over alleged meth trafficking.
The couple were seen sipping on bottled beer with a friend at Sydney's Opera Bar prior to their arrest
Maleki (pictured) shared numerous inspiration quotes and poems, and also posted translations of Australian slang
Maleki and Rabieh have each been charged with supply large commercial quantity of prohibited drugs and participate in a criminal enterprise.
A third Iranian, identified by The Daily Telegraph as the couple's housemate Hassan Mohkamkar, has been charged with being an accessory after the fact of supplying drugs.
The trio were refused bail and will appear at Central Local Court later this week.
In a separate and unrelated bust, two Iranian nationals were arrested in Sydney last week, allegedly trying to import almost 10 kilograms of ice hidden in honey jars on a cargo flight to Australia.
Maleki is pictured left in front of the Harbour Bridge and right outside the Sydney Opera House
Ali Maleki and Yosra Rabieh, from Sydney's north-west, are two of several Iranians in Australia on temporary protection visas recently arrested over alleged meth trafficking
The arrested husband and wife previously enjoyed hiking trips to Sydney's Blue Mountains
Other posts reveal the couple spent several weekends with their children at beaches along the New South Wales coast
Two men, aged 28 and 31, were arrested by Australian Federal Police officers on Wednesday following an operation that was sparked by a drug seizure in Turkey last October.
The AFP said 1.8kg of methamphetamine, bound for an address in Granville, was seized by authorities in Turkey in 2017, prompting the Australian operation.
The men, who have been charged with importing a commercial quantity of methamphetamine, appeared before Sydney Central Local Court on Thursday, where they did not apply for bail and it was formally refused.
The couple, who share two young daughters, were arrested last week after police raided homes in Hornsby and Asquith
Police allegedly seized more than 36kg of ice, over $260,000 in cash and three luxury cars
A third Iranian has been charged with being an accessory after the fact of supplying drugs
The Weinstein Company, founded by disgraced film producer Harvey Weinstein and his brother Bob, announced that it will file for bankruptcy after talks to sell its assets fell through.
The announcement came after prospective buyers, Maria Contreras-Sweet, who ran the Small Business Administration under Obama and billionaire Ron Burkle, failed to fulfill promises on the deal and the company were forced to declare bankruptcy.
The sale, which would have given Contreras-Sweet control of assets worth about $500 million (356m), was previously blocked by New York State Attorney General Eric Schneiderman after filing a civil rights lawsuit against the company.
Harvey and Bob Weinstein's company The Weinstein Company filed for bankruptcy in 2018
As part of the sale, bidders for The Weinstein Company were asked to raise a minimum of $40 million (29m) for a fund that would compensate the 80 women who accused Harvey Weinstein of sexual harassment and assault. The company would also have to be renamed under a new board of directors, made up of women.
Harvey Weinstein, who was fired from The Weinstein Company on October 8, 2017, has denied all allegations of non-consensual sex that were examined in a BBC Two documentary. Despite the film companys struggles, the Hollywood mogul was spotted dining lavishly at fancy restaurants while he is undergoing treatment for sexual addiction at Arizonas Gentle Path at The Meadows.
As well as staying at a number of exclusive locations near the rehabilitation centre, Harvey is thought to have hired a PR crisis firm at an estimated $50,000 (36,000) a month and is expected to face up to $1 million (713,000) in legal fees a month if the sexual harassment or sexual assault cases go to trial.
Harvey will also be forced to handle child support expenses and the cost of his pending divorce from his wife Georgina Chapman. While matters with his current spouse have been settled, his first wife Eve Chilton filed court documents in January 2018 over danger that Weinstein would default on the child support he provides her. She asked for $5 million (3.6m) for security, but was denied.
However, Harvey and Georgina sold their Hamptons property for $10 million (7.1m) and his other two properties in Connecticut were sold for a total of $16 million (11.4m). He is thought to be considering renting a property in California for $7,500 (5,300) a month. But what is his net worth and how will The Weinstein Companys bankruptcy affect Harvey?
Harvey was forced to pay $20 million over his divorce from his second wife Georgina Chapman
Who is Harvey Weinstein?
Born in March 19, 1952 in the Flushing area of Queens, New York City to Max and Miriam Weinstein, Harvey grew up with his brother Bob and later graduated from the University of Buffalo. Both Harvey and Bob had a passion for film and in the 1970s, established an independent film company called Miramax, named after their parents.
Miramax first acquired rights to two British films for Amnesty International and Harvey and Bob edited the two films to become one movie. It was released as The Secret Policemans Other Ball in May 1982 and the brothers went on to create arthouse films, which included Steven Soderberghs Sex, Lies, and Videotape in 1989.
He married his assistant Eve Chilton in 1987 and had three children together, Remy (previously Lily), Emma and Ruth.
In 1993, Disney offered the Weinstein brothers $80 million (5.7m) for the ownership of Miramax which led to the release of blockbuster Quentin Tarantinos Pulp Fiction and a Best Picture Oscar win in 1997 for The English Patient. Other big films under their belt include Good Will Hunting and Shakespeare in Love.
The brothers left Miramax in 2005 to form The Weinstein Company. However, six years later, Michael Moore took legal action against Bob and Harvey claiming he was owed $2.7 million (1.9m) for Fahrenheit 9/11, but later dropped the lawsuit for a settlement.
Harvey and Eve divorced in 2004 and three years later, he married English fashion designer Georgina Chapman. They have two children, India Pearl and Dashiell. Georgina left Harvey on October 10, 2017 after the accusations of sexual harassment. In addition to the scandal, Harvey has also been accused of underhand dealings in business during his career and has developed a reputation as an angry man.
However, an analysis of Oscar speeches from 1966 to 2016 found that Weinstein had been spoken about in a positive manner in 34 speeches, the same number of times as God and second only to director Steven Spielberg.
In 2004, Weinstein was given a CBE by the United Kingdom and in 2012, he was made a knight of the French Legion of Honour, but Emmanuel Macron stated that he would strip Harvey of this accolade amid the allegations.
Harvey Weinstein pictured with Gwyneth Paltrow and Cameron Diaz at a Golden Globes Party
What is Harvey Weinsteins net worth?
Harvey Weinsteins net worth has accumulated to approximately $50 million (36m), according to Celebrity Net Worth. This is a significant drop from his worth of $300 million (214m) at the peak of his career, but this valuation was made prior to the sexual scandals in 2017.
Harvey is also thought to have paid Georgina a $20 million ($14.3m) divorce settlement and his child support payments to his first wife Eve were halted. He has also been a prominent figure in the fashion industry after producing the reality show Project Runway, starring Heidi Klum, Michael Kors and Nina Garcia.
He also revived the brands Halston and Charles James, and asked celebrities to wear Georginas label Marchesa if they starred in a movie that was produced by him.
How The Weinstein Companys bankruptcy affects Harvey Weinstein?
According to an article by Newsweek in October 2017, Harvey Weinstein has nothing to worry about when it comes to his finances because he will continue to reap profits from Miramax and The Weinstein Company, despite being fired.
The article says that Weinstein cannot be forced to sell his stake in the company, which was then worth around $360 million (257m) and as producers are given upwards of 1 million per movie, Harveys millions will remain his and will increase as time goes on.
However, now that The Weinstein Company is bankrupt, a buyout would be worthless and would leave Harvey with a lack of funds, especially with the cost of rehab, divorce proceedings and legal fees for up to 80 cases of sexual harassment or sexual assault to pay for.
ISIS has urged fanatics to carry out vehicle attacks in a chilling poster showing a picture of blood on the front of a lorry.
The terror group called on would-be lone-wolf jihadists to 'hit them with a truck' and to 'kill them all' in the propaganda material.
Muharar al-Ansar, the pro-ISIS group that released the poster, has previously released similar graphics calling for arson and gun attacks, according to the respected SITE Intelligence group which monitors terror activity.
ISIS has used vehicles to carry out a wave of atrocities in the past, with similar attacks taking place in Britain, the US, France, Germany, Spain and Sweden and claiming well over 100 lives.
ISIS has urged fanatics to carry out vehicle attacks in a chilling poster showing a picture of blood on the front of a lorry
On October 31, Sayfullo Saipov drove a rented pickup truck into cyclists and runners for about a mile of the Hudson River Park's bike path in Lower Manhattan, New York, killing eight people and injured eleven others.
A flag and a document indicating allegiance to ISIS were found in the truck.
In August, Barcelona terrorist Younes Abouyaaqoub ploughed a van into crowds on the Ramblas murdering 14 people. Abouqaaqoub was part of a 12-man cell who brought terror to Barcelona on August 17 and 18.
In June a team of jihadists used a hire van to drive through pedestrians at London Bridge before going on the rampage with knives.
On April 7, 2017 Uzbek asylum seeker Rakhmat Akilov, 40, murdered five people in a Stockholm truck attack after pledging allegiance to ISIS.
On Bastille Day, 2016, 86 people were killed by a truck driven through crowds enjoying fireworks in Nice, southern France
Anis Amri drove a truck through a Christmas market in Berlin killing 12 people on December 19, 2016
Months earlier, on March 22, Khalid Masood, 52, drove a Hyundai 4x4 over Westminster Bridge, mowing down members of the public before crashing into a fence beside Big Ben.
This followed an attack on December 19, 2016, in which Anis Amri drove a truck through a Christmas market in Berlin. Twelve people were killed in the atrocity.
But the most deadly came on Bastille Day, 2016 when 86 people were killed by a truck driven through crowds enjoying fireworks in Nice, southern France.
Police believe that Woodward stabbed Bernstein (pictured) more than 20 times and buried his body in a shallow grave at a nearby park
More than 1,300 people honored the the memory of a 19-year-old Ivy League student who was murdered by a high school classmate, in a memorial service Sunday.
Family and friends of Blaze Bernstein gathered for the ceremony in Costa Mesa, California that emphasized the message of #BlazeItForward, a movement to promote acts of kindness and tolerance.
Bernstein - who is Jewish and gay - was stabbed to death and buried in a shallow grave on January 2 by former classmate Samuel Woodward, 20, who told police Bernstein tried to kiss him.
His mother tearfully read from a letter she penned to her son when he graduated from high school at the memorial service.
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In loving memory: Blaze's mother Jeanne Pepper Bernstein spoke at her son's memorial service on Sunday to a crowd of more than 1,300 people in Costa Mesa, California
She hugged her husband after sharing a speech saying, 'Nothing you ever did was ever average, it was always profoundly good and unique, just like you'
The memorial service saw over a thousand gather (above) and emphasized the message #BlazeOn and #BlazeItForward in a movement to promote tolerance and acts of kindness
'Nothing you ever did was ever average, it was always profoundly good and unique, just like you,' Jeanne Pepper Bernstein said.
'You feel like theyre still a part of you, even though you know theyre gone,' she added.
Bernstein's parents hope that his legacy will promote kindness in the community.
Samuel Woodward, 20, was the last person seen with Berstein and pleaded not guilty to homicide charges
'[The event] is a tribute to Blaze and an opportunity to galvanize the community to do acts of kindness, one good act a time,' father Gideon Bernstein said to ABC 20/20.
'Every act of kindness in his name is the spark that keeps his soul alive,' he said.
Last week the parents received a honorary certificate from the University of Pennsylvania, where Bernstein was a pre-med sophomore, commemorating him as a part of the class of 2021.
'We are at UPENN today and the President of UPENN, Amy Gutmann, gave us a certificate honoring Blaze as a valued member of UPENNs class of 2021.
'It was a day of many tears as we sorted through the beautiful life that awaited Blaze here. We know he is not alive and that he will never come back but our hearts wont believe it,' mother Jeanne posted on Facebook.
'We feel his presence all around us and his spirit fills us with purpose and real love for all of humanity. We believe that the world is full of great people that can learn to love each other and be tolerant. This is the key - we must stand up to the hate and violence around us and stop waiting for it to go away. We have to be proactive and say no to hate. It is also going to take love and tolerance to repair the world. Lets start now. #blazeon,' she added.
Mother Jeanne shared the tribute event on Facebook open for all to pay respects
Behind the scenes: She posted this image as well of the preparations behind the stage of the memorial that had a music performances and a photo montage
A candle lit vigil was also held shortly after the murder to honor Blaze's memory
Over 300 people gathered at Borrego Park in Lake Forest on January 10, a day after Bernstein's body was found in a shallow grave
Bernstein's parents smile with the President of the University of Pennsylvania (Center) holding a certificate honoring the student as a part of the class of 2021
Berstein was murdered in Borrego Park in Orange County on January 2, while he was visiting his Lake Forest home during winter break. His family reported him missing the next day. His body was found a week later on January 9.
Authorities searched for him with help from drone pilots and found his body at the park after rain partially exposed it.
An autopsy is yet to determine cause of death.
Police tracked down Woodward using Snapchat, as the two had exchanged messages to 'hang out' that day.
When Woodward was arrested and found with scratches on his hands and dirt under his fingernails.
He was also was breathing heavily and visibly shaking, and claimed that the scratches on his hands were from a fight club.
An affidavit revealed the he also had a rental car with him and hiking equipment.
Since his arrest, he has been linked to neo-Nazi Facebook groups and graphic, sexual and race-charged internet posts that he wrote have been revealed.
Bernstein was gay and Jewish and authorities are investigating the possibility of a hate crime.
Woodward has pleaded not guilty to homicide charges on February 2 in Orange County Superior Court, according to KTLA.
Speaking on the Today Show, the family said they believe their son's murder may have had a hateful motive.
When asked if Bernstein was targeted because he was Jewish, mother Jeanne said: 'Absolutely. He was also a gay man and he was also not a very big person.'
'[He was] a potential target for any crime,' she added.
Samuel Woodward (L), 20, pleaded not guilty to murder charges on Friday after being arrested for Blaze Berstein's (R) death last month
Michele and Gideon Bernstein, the parents of murdered student Blaze Bernstein, said on Friday that they believe he could have been targeted because he was gay and Jewish
On January 10 Bernstein's parents addressed media a day after the body was found
Lawyers for Woodward tried to have the bond reduced to $1 million, as is standard in similar cases tried in California, according to ABC 7 News.
But prosecutors argued that Woodward was a flight risk and posed a legitimate threat to the community. The judge agreed and set the bail for the higher amount.
If freed on bail, Woodward would have severe restrictions on his freedom of movement, including wearing a GPS monitoring device, and would have to relinquish his passport.
Bernstein was gay and Jewish and authorities are investigating the possibility of a hate crime.
'A hate crime or a special circumstance allegation requires that level of proof, so we're looking for that evidence, and if and when we find it, we will amend the charges and file that,' said District Attorney of Orange County Tony Rackauckas.
Authorities say the two men both attended the Orange County School of the Arts but they did not know if they were friends at the time.
According to a court filing obtained by the Orange County Register, Woodward told investigators that he became angry after Bernstein kissed him the night they went to the park.
At college, Bernstein was studying psychology and was recently chosen to edit a campus culinary magazine.
Hundreds of people attended a candlelight vigil for Bernstein and his funeral.
If convicted of the charge and enhancement, Woodward could face as much as 26 years to life in prison.
Evidence of Woodward's alleged neo-Nazi leanings began to surface shortly after his arrest, with at least three people close to the 20-year-old telling the ProPublica news site that he was active in a neo-Nazi organization called Atomwaffen Division. The name translates to 'Nuclear Weapons Division'.
Two of the sources who revealed Woodward's background to ProPublic were his friends and one used to be a member of Atomwaffen Division.
Woodward regularly made right-wing social media posts including this one where he defended the Confederate flag
Bernstein was gay and Jewish and authorities are investigating the possibility of a hate crime. Pictured: An Atomwaffen Division propaganda poster
Bernstein, who grew up in Orange County and was visiting his family on winter break, was missing for a week after going out with Woodward the night of Jan. 2
The neo-Nazi group that Woodward was allegedly a member of has filmed itself burning the American flag and the constitution.
The group's website describes the Atomwaffen Division as 'a Revolutionary National Socialist organization centered around political activism and the practice of an autonomous Fascist lifestyle'.
The website's 'Who we are' section reads: 'As an ideological band of comrades, we perform both activism and militant training (hand to hand, arms training, and etc.).
'We spread awareness in the real world through unconventional means (and it has worked).
'We often go hunting, adventuring, and a group favorite is urban exploring. We have various specialists in the group ranging from many occupations... Joining us means serious dedication not only to the Atomwaffen Division and its members, but to the goal of ultimate uncompromising victory.
'As it must be emphasized: no keyboard warriorism... if you don't want to meet up and get things done: don't bother.'
One source described Woodward as 'as anti-Semitic as you can get'. Woodward reportedly joined Atomwaffen Division in 2016, attended group meetings in Texas and there completed a three-day training camp.
The training camp armed members of the group with hand-to-hand combat, camping, survival and firearm use skills, the former Atomwaffen Division member told ProPublica.
The website said it had also obtained pictures of Woodward at one of the group's meetings. In one, Woodward can reportedly be seen doing a Nazi salute.
Woodward is trained to use assault rifles and handguns and has organized Atomwaffen Division members in California, it is claimed.
The Atomwaffen Division has also been connected to murders in Florida and Virginia. It was founded in 2015 and consists of about 80 members.
The former member who spoke with ProPublica said the group has grown since the explosive 'Unite the Right' protest - which left one protester dead - in Virginia last summer.
Joanna Mendelson, a researcher at the Anti-Defamation League's Center on Extremism told ProPublica: 'Their rhetoric is some of the most extreme we have seen.'
A Victorian mother has cheated death six times after she became ill with the flu and is still recovering after months on life support.
Julie Pinkerton has been on life support since last year when she developed a cold just after her 60th birthday.
The mother of seven is still in Geelong Hospital south of Melbourne fighting the life-threatening influenza B.
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Julie Pinkerton, 60, cheated death six times after she became ill with influenza B last year
She was rushed to hospital with double pneumonia, a staph infection in her lungs and blood poisoning in August last year.
Doctors told her family the chance of survival were grim.
'Up to six times we were asked to turn off her life support,' her daughter Natalie Andrews told Seven News.
She was happy and active (right) until August when doctors told her family the chance of survival were near non-existent
After months of fighting various infections and surgeries doctors were able to save her hands from amputation but could not do the same for her feet.
'My life's changed completely from being an independent physical person to this, which could have been avoided from one immunisation shot,' Julie Pinkerton said.
Julie's family have started a a gofundme to help fully equip her house so she can move around easier.
Doctors were able to save her hands from amputation but could not do the same for her feet
She said: 'I'm now minus a working, body minus two feet, no longer have a job.'
'I would hate my worst enemy to go through this,' she said.
More than 233,000 Australians became ill with the flu last year and 1,100 people were killed.
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Former President George W. Bush and former First Lady Laura Bush joined the crowd that showed up to mourn the passing of Reverand Billy Graham in Charlotte, North Carolina on Monday.
'Laura and I are honored to be able to come and pay our respects to the Graham family, and more importantly, to be able to say good to a person who was influential in our lives, and influential in the lives of millions,' the 41st president said.
He added his father, former President George HW Bush wished he could be there, too.
Thousands of people from all walks of life have slowly been filing past the casket of the famed evangelist to pay their final respects, since the doors of Graham's boyhood home were opened to mourners first thing Monday morning.
Graham died at his home in Montreat, North Carolina at the age of 99 on Wednesday.
Former President George W. Bush and former First Lady Laura Bush joined the crowd that showed up to mourn the passing of Reverand Billy Graham in Charlotte, North Carolina on Monday
Mourners of all races, young and old, some in suits and some in T-shirts and flip-flops, walked through the parlor where his closed casket lay on a black pedestal.
They walked past family photos and a cross made of white lilies to see the simple plywood container made by prison inmates.
For the first few hours, Graham's grandson, Roy, shook the hand of every person who came to see his grandfather.
'I just wanted to tell them how much I appreciated the love for my family,' Roy Graham said.
Jane Graham (left) wipes something off former US President George W. Bush's (right) shoulder as Bush arrives for visitation for Graham's father-in-law, US Christian evangelist Billy Graham, as he lies in repose at the Billy Graham Library in Charlotte, North Carolina
Graham, an evangelist and spiritual adviser to numerous presidents, died last week aged 99 at his home in North Carolina
Thousands of mourners have slowly been filing past the casket of the Rev. Billy Graham in North Carolina on Monday to pay their final respects to the famed evangelist
The doors of Graham's boyhood home in Charlotte were opened to mourners first thing Monday morning following his death aged 99 last week
He said what moved him the most on Monday were the dozens who paused and told him the exact moment and place Billy Graham came into their lives through his hundreds of crusades around the world.
Cecily Turner was one of them. Her mother was at Billy Graham's 1957 New York crusade and she said he led her mother to salvation that day.
'I know she is in heaven thanking him right now,' she said.
Turner said her mother had passed her faith onto her and she, in turn, had passed it down to five children and four great-grandchildren.
'That's an amazing thing,' Turner said.
Bush (left) talks with Jane Graham (second from left), as Franklin Graham (right) hugs Laura Bush (second from right), after the Bushes paid their respects to Billy Graham during a public viewing at the Billy Graham Library in Charlotte
Bush (left) speaks to the media as wife Laura Bush (left) and Franklin Graham (back right), and his wife Jane Graham (back left), listen after paying their respects to Billy Graham
For the first few hours, Graham's grandson, Roy, (far right) shook the hand of every person who came to see his grandfather
Mourners walked past family photos and a cross made of white lilies to see the simple plywood container made by prison inmates
Roy Graham (right), grandson of Billy Graham, greets people as they arrive to pay respects to Billy Graham during a public viewing on Monday
People stream through the Billy Graham Library as they come to pay respects to Billy Graham during a public viewing in Charlotte on Monday
Wyatt Nordin, left, watches as his brother Lucas Nordin, right, of Atlanta, Georgia, writes his name in the registry as people pay respects to Billy Graham
Billy Wayne Arrington was a boy when he first encountered Graham on a TV screen in Kingsport, Tennessee.
Arrington wiped tears from his eyes as he exited after saying a prayer for Graham and for the world he leaves behind.
'I'm just overwhelmed, not by sadness - just overwhelmed to see so many lives touched,' Arrington said.
Public viewing will continue Monday and Tuesday at Graham's Charlotte library on the campus of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association.
His body will then be taken to the US Capitol where on Wednesday and Thursday he will be the first private citizen to lie in honor there since civil rights hero Rosa Parks in 2005.
Graham's funeral will be held on Friday.
A woman reads a brochure under a large photo of Billy Graham at the Billy Graham Library in Charlotte on Monday
People line up inside to pay respects to a man who reached millions with his message of salvation through Jesus Christ
President Donald Trump has said he will been in attendance. Invitations were sent to all ex-presidents of the US.
George W Bush came to pay his respects with his wife on Monday because he had a scheduling conflict with the funeral.
The funeral will be held in a giant tent as a nod to Graham's 1949 Los Angeles crusade. That revival, which Graham said propelled him to worldwide fame, was held in a circus tent dubbed the 'Canvas Cathedral'.
The man called 'America's Pastor' would eventually preach to an estimated 210 million people in person and many more through his pioneering use of prime-time telecasts, network radio, daily newspaper columns, evangelistic films and satellite TV hookups.
Graham will be buried beside his wife, Ruth, who died in 2007, at the foot of a cross-shaped walkway at Graham's library in Charlotte.
A woman with her children pauses as she walks past Graham's coffin in Charlotte on Monday
People stop to pray after paying respects to Billy Graham outside the library on Monday
People streamed through the Billy Graham Library as they came to pay respects
This is the moment a toddler was snatched from under her father's nose by a kidnapper in India.
The man did not even break his stride as he grabbed Shireen Fatima outside a shop belonging to the two-year-old's father in Mumbai.
CCTV footage shows the little girl stepping carefully down on to the pavement and bumping into her abductor as he was walking past.
Footage captures the moment a toddler was snatched from under her father's nose by a kidnapper in India
The man did not even break his stride as he grabbed Shireen Fatima outside a shop belonging to the two-year-old's father in Mumbai
Instead of simply stepping around Shireen, the man picks her up and calmly walks away.
Shireen's father, unnamed in reports, discovered she was missing shortly afterwards.
Calling Shireen by her second name, he said: 'Fatima was playing outside, but when we came outside to call her she was not there.'
CCTV footage shows the little girl stepping carefully down on to the pavement and bumping into her abductor as he was walking past. Instead of simply stepping around Shireen, the man picks her up and walks calmly away
The panic-stricken father immediately reported the disappearance to police, who checked the CCTV covering the outside of the shop for clues.
After six hours, they arrested a 28-year-old man named as Sandeep Parab and Shireen was returned to her parents.
It was not reported whether she was harmed in any way. It was not clear what the motive for the apparent abduction was, or what charges Parab might face.
Pc Kevin Duffy was jailed at Bristol Crown Court last year for misconduct in a public office in connection with Mr Ebrahimi's death. Duffy has now spoken out for the first time
A former policeman jailed over his involvement with the death of refugee Bijan Ebrahimi has claimed the jury were wrong to convict him.
Kevin Duffy, 54, said he will 'forever regret' that Bijan, 44, was murdered by a neighbour who wrongly thought he was a paedophile.
Duffy was jailed after for ten months when it was found he ignored reports from Bijan who was beaten to death and set on fire.
A catalogue of oversights and failings in dealing with the case of Mr Ebrahimi, who was disabled with special needs, led to Duffy's conviction for misconduct in a public office.
He repeatedly ignored calls from the Iranian refugee reporting abuse and harassment and failed to log many of the reports that he did take.
And in the days leading up to Mr Ebrahimi's death at his home in Brislington, Bristol, Duffy refused to even speak to him.
Now out of prison, Duffy has spoken out to say that he constantly thinks about what happened to Mr Ebrahimi.
Speaking out for the first time since his release, the disgraced officer will tell BBC's Inside Out, the jury was wrong to find him guilty and convict him of gross misconduct.
Duffy has explained that he was dealing a number of incidents simultaneously, and decided that taking calls from Mr Ebrahimi was not a priority.
CCTV footage shows PC Helen Harris, 41, telling vulnerable Bijan Ebrahimi, 44, 'don't speak to me' and branding him a 'pain in the ass' as he sits in a prison cell
During his time in custody, Mr Ebrahimi was branded a 'nuisance' and told by PC Harris that she couldn't 'be bothered to waste my energy on you'
In the footage, PC Harris tells him 'You're not my friend - I'm a police officer and you're a pain in the ass. Don't speak to me'
Now out of prison, Duffy (left) has spoken out to say that he constantly thinks about what happened to Mr Ebrahimi (right)
Asked about his choice not to take the final call Mr Ebrahimi made to him, the former Avon and Somerset Police officer said: 'I will regret it forever that he did die, in appalling circumstances as well.
'It's never out of my thoughts. But I also question myself.
'I ask myself, 'Could I have done anything differently with the information I had?' Not without jeopardising someone else.'
Kevin, said he will 'forever regret' that Bijan, 44, was murdered by a neighbour who wrongly thought he was a paedophile
Kevin, pictured with his wife Rebecca, says that he constantly thinks about what happened to Mr Ebrahimi
He added: 'I was a police officer. But now I'm a person with a criminal conviction, the opposite of what I was.'
He also says the people prosecuted were those with the least authority.
'The most senior [people] prosecuted were the people with the least authority, who asked for help and advice from their superior... and acted on that advice,' said Duffy.
'I investigated every incident, this went on to the Hate Crime Unit.
'What further assistance could I give him as a police officer? I could tell others, that's the assistance that I could give him.'
Lee James, pictured left, pleaded guilty to the murder of Bijan Ebrahim while Stephen Norley, pictured right, pleaded guilty to assisting an offender
Victim Mr Ebrahimi filmed his killer Lee James threatening to 'f*** him up' in a row three days before he was murdered (pictured)
Scenes of crimes officers at the home of Bijan Ebrahimi who was found burned to death hours after being questioned by police
Asked about his choice not to take the final call Mr Ebrahimi made to him, Duffy said: 'I will regret it forever that he did die, in appalling circumstances as well
'The jury were wrong...I did not wilfully misconduct myself. The jury found me guilty, that is the system. The system isn't perfect, and I will maintain that as long as I live.
'I am sorry about the pain and hurt Bijan's family have gone through. I'm sorry if they see that Bijan did not get the care and attention that he needed.
'Understand that we can get it wrong. But it's not wilful, it's not deliberate.
'And if we don't do something for someone it's because we're trying to do our best for somebody else,' he added.
His wife Rebecca has said that he and former-PCSO Andrew Passmore, who was also jailed, were 'basically made to be the scapegoats to take the blame'.
Mr Ebrahimi was beaten to death and then set alight on the grass 100 yards from his home
Pcs Helen Harris and Leanne Winter were sacked by Avon and Somerset for their treatment of the murder victim
Duffy also seemingly denied reports that the way the authorities dealt with Mr Ebrahimi's complaints were influenced by racism.
A report by the Independent Police Complaints Commission said the failures in the way the police dealt with him showed 'all the hallmarks of racial bias'.
Meanwhile, a report by the Safer Bristol Partnership said there was 'institutional racism' in the way Bristol City Council handled his complaints.
'As an Iranian man living in this environment, Mr Ebrahimi was disadvantaged by the inappropriate responses by Avon and Somerset Constabulary and Bristol City Council to his racist victimisation.
Murder victim failed by force like the Met failed Stephen Lawrence Lawyers representing the Ebrahimi family said it was believed to be the first finding of institutional racism against a police force since the publication of the Macpherson report and the first of its kind against a local authority. Mr Ebrahimi's family, including sisters Mojgan Kahayatian and Manisha Moores, said in a statement: 'No review can ever bring back our beloved Bijan but it is important that his voice has been heard. 'Bijan always said that racism must be challenged wherever it is found, including in town halls and police stations. 'Bristol City Council took nearly five years to accept that it failed Bijan and the need for change. 'This is far too long, although late is better than never. We will not rest until improved systems are put in place to protect other vulnerable people.' The family's solicitor, Tony Murphy, of Bhatt Murphy, said: 'Acknowledging the institutional nature of the racism at the core of this tragedy is an essential first step towards systemic change. 'There is no reason why the council could not have taken this step much sooner and its delay has been injurious, not just to Bijan's family, but to public confidence in the council's ability to combat racism. 'The mayor's recent commitment to working with the family and to gaining public confidence via meaningful reform is welcome.' Alex Raikes, of the Bristol-based charity Stand Against Racism and Inequality, said: 'Institutional racism was a key factor in why Bijan was failed in the years prior to his murder when he sought help repeatedly. 'We hope that identifying this underlying cause will help to create effective solutions to combating hate crime.' Advertisement
'Representatives of those organisations displayed a distinct lack of understanding of his plight and, accordingly, unwitting prejudice against him.
'More account should have been taken by Avon and Somerset Constabulary and Bristol City Council of Mr Ebrahimi's isolation and vulnerability as an Iranian man in these circumstances.
'There is therefore, based on the above definition from the Macpherson Report, evidence of both discriminatory behaviour and institutional racism on the part of Bristol City Council and Avon and Somerset Constabulary' the report said.
But Duffy argued: 'I treated Bijan's investigations the same as others.
'I followed the evidence and took that where it led me, and I reported every matter to those senior to me.'
At the time of Duffy's gross misconduct hearing, the jury heard that Mr Ebrahimi had attempted to make contact with the police 120 times in six and a half years.
And of 38 reports of crimes against him that he attempted to make between 2009 and 2013, only 14 were logged by police.
In 2011, after Mr Ebrahimi attempted to report five crimes including assault, criminal damage and racial harassment.
At this point, Duffy updated a log to read: 'He has a history of making spurious complaints against his neighbours.'
And in an audio recording of conversations with call handlers discussing Mr Ebrahimi, Duffy can be heard saying: 'He's well known to me. I won't be taking any calls from him.
'He's a habitual liar and, basically, I'm considering doing Mr Ebrahimi for harassment if he keeps on calling.'
In July 2013, Mr Ebrahimi's neighbours were making unfounded and untrue allegations that he was a paedophile - part of the harassment campaign against him.
But officers called to the estate arrested the Iranian instead, releasing him back to his flat the following day - from where he called the police 12 times to report a mob outside threatening to kill him.
Duffy refused to speak to him, and no one from the police called back to answer his pleas.
The following night, on July 13, 2013, he was battered to death by the neighbour he had been calling Duffy about.
Speaking to Inside Out, Chief Constable of Avon and Somerset Police, Andy Marsh, comments: 'The Independent Police Complaints Commission made an investigation. They found no racism against PC Duffy or anyone else. The case was heard in court, the judge found no racism. In my opinion, a label such as institutionally racist is very unhelpful. We are not going to encourage learning with a label of institutionally racist, it's actually not fair and it's inaccurate.'
Speaking to Inside Out, Chief Constable of Avon and Somerset Police, Andy Marsh, said: 'The Independent Police Complaints Commission made an investigation. They found no racism against PC Duffy or anyone else.
'The court has heard what PC Duffy did or didn't do, there's been an opportunity to examine it. I don't want to retry it, I'm really happy and accept and acknowledge that policing can sometimes feel like an impossible task.
'My job as Chief Constable is to make it possible to give police officers the right equipment, the right leadership, the right systems and the right processes so they can do the right thing.
'Now, whether those things were in place when PC Duffy was serving, in those terrible days leading up to the murder of Bijan, actually I can say with some confidence that they weren't. But that isn't the sort of organisation that I want to lead, and I have to say I don't believe it's the sort of organisation I lead today.'
Inside Out West broadcasts on Monday 26 February at 7.30pm on BBC One (West region). It will also be available on the BBC iPlayer.
Heather Locklear was arrested for nearly biting her boyfriend's nose off in a drunken rage, and then attacking three cops who came to break up the fight late Sunday.
A source in the Ventura police department tells DailyMail.com that Locklear 'was wasted' when she and Chris Heisser, the high school sweetheart she recently reconnected with, 'got into a physical fight' at her house in Thousand Oaks, California Sunday night.
The former Melrose Place star, 56, 'practically bit the tip off of Heisser's nose,' the source said, before instructing a woman who works with her to call police.
But her plan backfired when cops showed up on her doorstep and tried to put her in handcuffs.
The source said the actress snapped and 'attacked three of' the four officers - all in front of her 'mortified' adult daughter Ava, age 20.
'She punched the lady cop and called her a "c**t", kicked one of the male cops in the balls and punched the third male cop and called them all "f****** assholes" ranting at them,' the source said.
Because she had claimed to have been beaten by Heisser, Locklear was first taken to the hospital for evaluation.
She was booked into the Ventura County Jail around 1am on a felony count of domestic violence and three counts of misdemeanor battery on a peace officer.
Less than an hour later, Heisser himself was arrested, this time for driving under the influence. Captain Garo Kuredjian of the Ventura Sheriffs Office told DailyMail.com that Heissers arrest was for DUI but could not give further details. A spokesman for the California Highway Patrol said the agency was unable to comment until the pending case against Heisser is concluded.
Sources told TMZ that he was spotted driving slowly on Highway 101, blew a 0.19 and a 0.20 blood alcohol level after being pulled over. The legal limit in California is 0.08.
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Heather Locklear was arrested for domestic violence and attacking three cops Sunday night. She's pictured above in her most recent mugshot above
Pictured above is Locklear's home where police were called Sunday night
Both were released later Monday morning after posting bail. Locklear's bond was set at $20,000.
Locklear's first court appearance is scheduled for March 13, while Heisser's DUI hearing is set for April.
Troubled Locklear has a history of drunken altercations and was arrested last September after crashing her Porsche into a ditch while driving to Heissers home.
No charges were filed after an investigation revealed she was sober at the time.
A source said Locklear and Heisser got into another booze-fueled fight three weeks before that crash.
In recent months, Locklear has posted multiple photos her new beau to Instagram.
Just two days ago, she also posted a picture of her flying to Boston with her dog.
Locklear has been married twice, first to Motley Crue drummer Tommy Lee from 1986 to 1993 and then to Bon Jovi guitarist Richie Sambora from 1994 to 2007, who she had her daughter with.
Locklear also had a long-term relationship with fellow Melrose Place alum Jack Wagner. The two got engaged in 2011, but called it quits less than a year later.
Locklear, 56, starred in such TV shows as Melrose Place and Spin City
Locklear has posted several recent photos with her boyfriend, Chris Heisser
Cops were called to Locklear's home to break up a fight between her and her boyfriend. Above, another recent picture with Heisser, who was Locklear's high school boyfriend
Locklear posted this sentimental quote on Valentine's Day, with the caption: Happy Valentines Lover
The 56-year-old actress has a history of domestic violence calls, as well as abusing prescription drugs.
In 2011, while dating Wager, LAPD officers were called to his home after the two allegedly got into a heated argument and she punched him.
A law enforcement source told TMZ at the time: 'She lost it on him and he retaliated.'
No charges were filed by either party after the pair took part in a formal meeting at the LA County Attorneys Office.
Locklear was pulled over in September 2008 on suspicion of DUI after she was seen driving erratically. An eyewitness told officials with the California Highway Patrol that Locklear 'was revving her engine loudly, and backed over a pair of sunglasses several times.
While a drug test found no alcohol or illegal narcotics in her system, she was charged with one misdemeanor count of DUI.
Locklear has one daughter, Ava (pictured together on the right), from her second marriage to Bon Jovi guitarist Richie Sambora (pictured together left)
The Santa Barbara County Deputy District Attorney Lee Carter said he believed medication she was on for anxiety and depression 'could have impaired her ability to safely drive a motor vehicle'.
Locklear pleaded no contest to reckless driving and the DUI charge was dropped. She was sentenced to three years of informal probation, a DMV driver safety class and a $700 fine.
In March of that year, paramedics and police officers rushed to Locklear's home when a man claiming to be her doctor called 911, saying he feared she was trying to commit suicide.
Locklear (left) and Heisser (right) pictured above in their high school yearbook photos
While Locklear appeared fine when cops showed up at her door, authorities say they believe the doctor's concern was legitimate since Locklear appeared to be suffering from anxiety and depression.
In June, Locklear checked herself into a medical treatment facility in Arizona for anxiety and depression and returned home about a month later.
In April 2010, she was arrested again for felony hit and run after crashing her BMW into a sign close to the gated community where she lived with Sambora.
Locklear is pictured above after her 2008 arrest for DUI
On that occasion, Locklear was cleared due to insufficient evidence.
In January 2012, authorities responded to Locklear's house again after her sister called 911, who feared her life was in danger after mixing prescription medicatoin and alcohol. Locklear was taken to the hospital but was discharged the next day.
Heisser is no stranger to the inside of a jail cell himself, and served two years in prison after being convicted on theft and fraud charges in Riverside, California, in 2011.
Since his release, he has stayed relatively clear of the law picking up one citation for a traffic infraction in 2015.
But prior to his felony conviction, Ventura County records show he was a repeat offender picking up a string of citations between 2008 and 2011.
Infractions on his record include using a cell phone while driving, driving with a suspended license and speeding.
Locklear is most famous for her roles on TV in the 90s, such as Melrose Place and Spin City. More recently, she appeared on the TV shows Fresh Off The Boat and Too Close To Home.
A new CNN survey suggests a rising tide of support for stricter gun laws in America, with more adults saying now is the time for action following the gruesome Parkland high school massacre.
The survey that was conducted by SSRS for the news network found that 70 percent of adults in America favor tighter firearms restrictions and just 27 percent now oppose them.
A month after the Sandy Hook elementary shooting in Newtown, Connecticut, a substantially lower 55 percent of respondents said they favored new gun controls with 44 percent opposed to additional regulations.
A new CNN survey suggests a rising tide of support for stricter gun laws in America, with more adults saying now is the time following the gruesome Parkland high school massacre
A month after the Sandy Hook elementary shooting in Newtown, Connecticut, a substantially lower percentage of respondents said they favored new gun controls. Weeks after Columbine, the 1999 school shooting that rocked the nation, fewer Americans also said they wanted gun control
Weeks after Columbine, the 1999 school shooting that rocked the nation, Americans said 62 percent to 34 percent that they wanted the government to step in.
Nearly 20 years later, America may be moving toward a shift in gun culture in the wake of the Florida high school massacre that left 17 people dead.
Even the nation's Republican president, who has stressed in the two weeks since Parkland that there's no bigger supporter of the Second Amendment than him, has proposed tighter background checks to keep the mentally ill from owning firearms.
President Donald Trump has also proposed new age limits on who can own certain types of high-powered firearms. He wants to raise the minimum age for purchase from 18-21.
Florida Gov. Rick Scott, also a Republican, has said the barrier should be lifted across the board for all gun ownership from 18 to 21.
The state's Republican Sen. Marco Rubio has also expressed openness to measures that would make it more difficult for teens like the Parkland shooter to buy certain types of weapons.
Respondents to CNN's survey said 57 percent to 39 percent that they are in favor of an outright ban on semi-automatic weapons like the AR-15 that the Parkland shooter used.
More popular was a ban on high-capacity magazines that had the support of 63 of those surveyed compared to the 34 percent who were opposed.
Americans have consistently favored proposals to keep felons and the mentally ill from owning firearms - 87 percent say so now, which is the same as roughly a year ago in the same survey.
Additionally, 71 percent support a ban on gun sale to individuals under the age of 21, Scott's proposal. It is opposed by 27 percent of Americans.
American adults weren't as sure that more comprehensive background checks were the answer. Comparatively fewer, 59 percent, said they would be helpful to preventing mentally ill from owning guns, and 36 percent opposed it.
The same poll gave the NRA a net 46 percent favorable rating and a net 49 percent negative rating, a number that is also reflective of some businesses' decisions to end their partnerships with the gun group
President Trump and the National Rifle Association's Wayne LaPierre warned that liberals would end the Second Amendment if they had things their way in speeches last week to a conservative activists, but CNN's poll showed that a constitutional overhaul would be wildly unpopular.
Nearly 9 in 10 Americans dismissed an outright ban on firearms, including 83 percent of Democrats, with a mere 11 percent voicing support to such a law.
They were more open to the idea of limiting the number of firearms a person could own - 47 percent said they favored it and 50 percent said they were opposed.
The same poll gave the NRA a net 46 percent favorable rating and a net 49 percent negative rating, a number that is reflective of top businesses' decisions to end their partnerships with the gun group.
President Donald Trump also had a rough, 35 percent approval rating in the survey, a tie with the lowest of his presidency, which came in December.
The survey, however, heavily sampled Democrats, who comprised 33 percent of the adults pooled, over Republicans, who accounted for 23 percent, with independently-affiliated voters making up 44 percent of the audience.
Britain's oldest and longest-serving nurse has finally hung up her scrubs after 66 years working for the NHS.
Monica Bulman, 86, from Torquay in Devon, started walking the wards in 1952 aged 19, four years after the NHS was formed.
She qualified as a registered nurse five years later and has dedicated her life to treating tens of thousands of patients.
Monica Bulman, 86, from Torquay in Devon, started walking the wards in 1952 aged 19, four years after the NHS was formed. She is pictured in 1957, aged 24, and on February 25 this year, aged 86
Mrs Bulman ended her long career on the Hutchings ward at Torbay Hospital in Devon as part of the specialist outpatient surgical clinic team for Endoscopy.
As she hung up her uniform to spend more time with her family she revealed she's still wearing the same belt she was given on her first day as a qualified nurse.
And she reflected on the vast changes she has seen in nursing - including the adoption of 'less glamorous' uniforms.
Mrs Bulman, a mother-of-two said: 'The NHS has been a huge part of my life and I wouldn't have wanted it any other way.
'However, I have decided that it's now time for me to put my fob watch and belt away to enable me to spend quality time with all my loved ones.
'I have absolutely loved being a nurse - it has brought me so much pleasure and I have enjoyed every single second.
'It's certainly going to take some getting used to with not coming in to work and seeing all my wonderful patients and colleagues. I'm going to thoroughly miss being a nurse.'
After 66 years working as a healthcare professional, Mrs Bulman said she has seen many changes.
Mrs Bulman (pictured centre, in the glasses, in an undated photo of an operation) ended her long career on the Hutchings ward at Torbay Hospital in Devon as part of the specialist outpatient surgical clinic team for Endoscopy
She said: 'Nursing has changed a lot over the years especially the technology, which is wonderful - unless it breaks down.
'Although we now have much more paperwork to compete, it is fantastic that with the technology we can now look up our patient's x-rays and test results at the click of a button rather than having lengthy waits for the information.
'Another change that amuses me is that years ago the Theatre Nurses, who were all gowned up, had to manually thread the needles for surgery, whereas now these all come in packs, pre-threaded.
As Mrs Bulman hung up her uniform to spend more time with her family she revealed she's still wearing the same belt she was given on her first day as a qualified nurse. She is seen wearing it on February 25
'The uniforms have also changed considerably although I have to admit I did prefer our old uniforms, they were much more glamourous.
'I bought a belt to wear with my uniform when I qualified in 1957 - I still have and wear the very same belt to this day.'
Mrs Bulman, who was born on September 1 1933, began her career at Eltham and St John's Hospitals in London.
In 1968, after 15 years in the capital, she moved to Torquay where she started working for a nursing agency.
In 1978, Mrs Bulman took on a job in the emergency department at Paignton Community Hospital and later worked on the outpatients department.
Two decades later, she celebrated her 65th birthday but said she decided to carry on working as she 'didn't want to stop.'
A sister from the outpatients department at Torbay Hospital asked her to work as a bank nurse for a few weeks but she ended up staying and worked there for another 20 years.
Her last post was as part of the specialist outpatient surgical clinic team for Endoscopy.
Looking back on her long career, Mrs Bulman (pictured middle in an undated photograph of her as a young nurse) said her most enjoyable time was in her early years
Looking back on her long career, Mrs Bulman said her most enjoyable time was in her early years.
She added: 'I loved my student training at St John's Hospital. This was my favourite time.
'After being on night duty, the sister used to give us a cup of cocoa every morning after our night shift she was our "mother hen" and guided and nurtured us through our training as well as our personal lives.
Mrs Bulman (pictured left in an undated photo) still regularly attends the gym and spinning classes, is an avid reader and also a member of a local skittles club
'I have never been happy at work and have so many wonderful memories and friendships that will be with me forever.
'My job has kept me going and helped me through some of the toughest times in my life. I don't know what I would have done without my colleagues and a job where I could dedicate myself to caring for others.'
Mrs Bulman still regularly attends the gym and spinning classes, is an avid reader and also a member of a local skittles club.
She added: 'I do like to keep fit and healthy, but I also like to be "glam" - I enjoy going to my local beauty salon as well doing all my hobbies!
'Most of all though I love spending time with my family and my grandchildren.'
Liz Davenport, Interim Chief Executive of Torbay and South Devon NHS Foundation Trust, said: 'I am sure I speak for everyone at the Trust when I say we are incredibly grateful for Monica's incredible 66 years of dedicated nursing service in the NHS - she really is an inspiration to us all. It's no mean feat to be one of the longest serving nurses in the country.
'We are so proud that she has been a member of our staff for so many years and we know that many people will have benefited from her nursing skills and positivity.
'We wish Monica all the very best in her retirement and we're sure that she will make the most of this new and exciting chapter in her life.'
The U.S. Supreme Court refused on Monday to hear an emergency appeal of a California judge's ruling that blocked the Trump administration from ending the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program.
DACA stemmed from an Obama-era executive order barring the deportation of hundreds of thousands of illegal immigrants who were brought to the U.S. as children.
The West Coast federal judge had ruled that DACA recipients could continue to renew their status even though Trump had planned to wind down the program on March 5.
A normal appeal will now proceed in the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, widely considered the most liberal in the nation.
'Nothing's as bad as the Ninth Circuit,' President Donald Trump told a group of governors on Monday as he vented about the morning ruling.
The Supreme Court said Monday that it would not hear the Trump administration's challenge of a DACA ruling until the regular appeals court process played out
DACA is an Obama-era program that protects hundreds of thousands of illegal imimgrants from deportation because they were brought to the U.S. as children
'Nothing's as bad as the Ninth Circuit,' President Donald Trump told a group of governors on Monday, speaking of the famously liberal court based in San Francisco
'It's really sad when every single case filed against us is in the Ninth Circuit,' Trump told the governors. 'We lose, we lose, we lose, and then we do fine in the Supreme Court. What does that tell you about our court system? It's a very sad thing,'
The president has been using the looming March deadline as leverage to force Congress to green-light his other immigration priorities, including a border wall between the U.S. and Mexico, the end to a decades-old 'diversity' visa lottery and limits to family-based 'chain migration.'
Monday's non-ruling by America's highest court means that the regular Ninth Circuit process will be allowed to play out a saga that could take a year or more.
While the Justice Department could appeal an adverse ruling there back to the Supreme Court, DACA 'Dreamers' will be allowed to prolong their status in the meantime.
The administration had sought the high court's intervention before a lower appeals court got the case at all a short-circuiting that is highly unusual.
'We tried to get it moved quickly, because we'd like to help DACA. I think everybody in this room wants to help with DACA but the Supreme Court just ruled it has to go through the normal channels,' Trump said Monday.
'So it's going back in, and there won't be any surprise.'
Carlos Esteban, 31, of Woodbridge, Virginia, a nursing student and DACA recipient, rallied with others outside the White House last September
Expediting the case would have required a minimum of four justices to concur, something that did not happen. No justices published a dissent of the decision.
'It is assumed that the court of appeals will proceed expeditiously to decide this case,' the court said, offering no further explanation.
In a January 9 ruling, a federal judge in San Francisco sided with the University of California and its president Janet Napolitano, issuing a nationwide injunction against ending DACA protections.
The former Obama administration Homeland Security secretary and her university had sued to keep DACA in place after Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced in September that the program would sunset six months later.
Sessions argued that Obama put DACA in place without the legal authority to do it.
The current justices of the U.S. Supreme Court posed for a formal group photograph in June 2017
U.S. District Judge William Alsup disagreed, ordering the Trump administration to continue accepting biennial DACA renewals and setting off a pair of appeals one in the Ninth Circuit and the other with the Supreme Court.
The administration is not accepting new DACA applications, however.
In a similar but separate ruling, U.S. District Judge Nicholas Garaufis ruled in Brooklyn, New York in favor of a group of Democratic state attorneys general and immigrants who had sued the federal government over the White House's DACA expiration.
Garaufis said at the time that the administration could eventually get rid of DACA but its stated reasons last year were too arbitrary to withstand legal scrutiny.
About 700,000 young adults are protected by the DACA program, a fraction of the 1.8 million who are thought to be eligible.
Trump's legislative proposal, part of a comprehensive immigration reform proposal, would give all of them a pathway to eventual U.S. citizenship.
Justice Department spokesman Devin OMalley said in a statement on Monday that the administration will defend its 'lawful authority to wind down DACA in an orderly manner.'
O'Malley said the DOJ was 'hopeful for a different outcome,' and the unusual intervention 'was warranted for the extraordinary injunction requiring the Department of Homeland Security to maintain DACA.'
A married Army recruiter was arrested on Friday after he sent a sexually explicit image of himself to an underage girl on Snapchat.
Police say Adam Matthew Perkins, 37, met the student, 16, during a visit to Deer Park High School in December when she was selling cake balls for a fundraiser that Perkins had donated to.
Perkins and the teen then exchanged Snapchat usernames. After the exchange, the teen said Perkins began sending her 'strange' snaps - which included a picture of his genitals.
According to the criminal complaint filed in Harris County, Perkins admitted he was 'no angel'. The complaint said Perkins also told the teen she was 'sexy and had 'sexy a** toes'.
Army recruiter Adam Matthew Perkins, 37, (pictured on Facebook) sent a nude photo of himself to a teenage girl in December and was arrested on Friday
Perkins met the Deer Park High School student, 16, while on a school visit. He donated money to her cake ball fundraiser. The school is pictured above
The teen said she could see the image for a few seconds before it disappeared, according to The Dallas Morning News, however, police are able to request access to the exchange by search warrant.
It's unclear whether the company is able to retrieve the full message, as snaps are said to be removed from the server once played, Snapchat's Privacy Policy agreement states.
The app still 'retains a temporary log showing data about messages like when they were sent and by whom, but not the content,' according to the newspaper.
The Privacy Policy further reads: 'With third parties for legal reasons. We may share information about you if we reasonably believe that disclosing the information is needed to:
The married father-of-three (pictured above in uniform with his wife) has since claimed the nude picture sent to the teen was 'by accident'
Perkins admitted he was 'no angel', according to the criminal complaint. He told the teen girl she was 'sexy' and had 'sexy a** toes'
Comply with any valid legal process, governmental request, or applicable law, rule, or regulation.'
The agreement may further expose private messages in order to 'investigate, remedy, or enforce potential Terms of Service violations or protect the rights, property, and safety of us, our users, or others' and 'detect and resolve any fraud or security concerns.'
Perkins has claimed the nude image of himself on a bed was sent 'by accident'.
He was jailed over the weekend but since released on $1,000 bond.
The father-of-three faces a misdemeanor charge of displaying harmful material to a minor.
A 17-year-old boy and his and 16-year-old girlfriend have been found shot to death in a wooded area of Ohio, and police are now trying to determine whether the deaths were a result of a murder-suicide or double suicide.
Jackson Township police say a Canal Fulton police officer performing a welfare check on Lauren Kaufman and Mason Brown found them together around 8.30pm on Friday in a wooded area behind a development in Jackson Township.
Both teens were shot in the head and police recovered a handgun at the scene.
Tragic couple: Lauren Kaufman, 16 (left), and Mason Brown, 17 (right), were found suffering from fatal gunshot wounds to the head in a wooded area in Ohio on Friday
Classmates: The girl was a sophomore at Northwest High School in Canal Fulton, where the boy was enrolled as a junior
Kaufman was pronounced dead on the spot. Brown died at a hospital at 2am on Saturday.
The girl was a sophomore at Northwest High School in Canal Fulton, where the boy was enrolled as a junior. Northwest High School Principal Larry Tausch said the two were likely dating.
'They were nice students. I saw them walking with each other Friday afternoon prior to me leaving school,' school resource officer Dennis Muntean told Fox 8.
That morning, both Kaufam and Brown had been at a special assembly organized by Principal Tausch to discuss the recent string of student suicides in Stark County, Ohio, and to send the Northwest community a message of hope, reported Ohio.com.
'Were going to be an example of how to fix this,' Tausch told the 650 students enrolled at Northwest. 'Were going to get this right.'
Between August 2017 and January 2018, five students and a recent graduate at other schools in Stark County, Ohio, lost their lives to suicide.
According to Tausch, he had known Kaufman from the time she was in middle school and described her as a quiet girl with a big heart. He said Brown had lived in Florida but moved to Ohio this year. The boy was also said to be quiet.
Both had attended a special assembly on student suicides just hours before the tragedy. Police are trying to determine whether the deaths were a result of a murder-suicide or double suicide
Kaufman's obituary reads that she is survived by her parents and two brothers.
On Saturday, more than 100 students came to the school to meet with grief counselors and provide solace to one another during this difficult time.
'It was shock. I didnt think it could happen at our schools. We have a very close-knit school; people get along very well,' Muntean said, adding that it was the first major tragedy that has befallen the school in at least five years.
Kaufman and Brown's deaths come just a few days after police say a 13-year-old boy shot himself at a Jackson Township middle school. He died last Wednesday.
The National Domestic Violence Hotline can be reached at 1-800-799-7233, 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year.
For confidential support call the National Suicide Prevention Line on 1-800-273-8255
Saudi Arabia is preparing to auction billions of dollars of real estate and cars belonging to billionaire Maan al-Sanea and his company as they look to conclude one of the kingdom's longest-running debt disputes.
The planned sale is the latest signal that Saudi Arabia is serious about holding its elites to account.
In an anti-corruption crackdown last November, authorities detained scores of senior officials on charges of alleged graft. Most have been released after being exonerated or agreeing to give the state money, assets or real estate.
Maan al-Sanea meets Prince Andrew in Saudi Arabia in March 2007 - the Kuwaiti- born billionaire has since then suffered a fall from grace
Property belonging to billionaire Maan al-Sanea including this parking lot and adjoining premises in Khobar (left and right) is now being auctioned
As part of the anti-corruption purge ordered by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (pictured), a number of billionaires were at the Ritz-Carlton hotel in Riyadh before being released last month
The Saudi Arabian authorities say they want to bring an end to decadent living
The al-Sanea case is separate from the main anti-graft campaign. The businessman -- in 2007 he was ranked by Forbes as one of the world's 100 richest people -- was detained by authorities late last year for unpaid debt dating back to 2009 when his company, Saad Group, defaulted on debts.
Al-Sanea, described by the New Yorker in November as a 'raffish Kuwaiti billionaire', was arrested at his home on the eastern coast of Saudi Arabia.
A feud between him and his in-laws, the Gosaibis, begain 9n 2009 when they fell on hard times after one of the banks owned by the family collapsed. The head of the family accused al-Sanea of opening the bank - called the International Banking Corporation - without his consent, and of systematically defrauding the family and the banks customers.
Since then the dispute between the Gosaibis and al-Sanea has played out in separate lawsuits in the Cayman Islands, Switzerland, Bahrain, the U.A.E., and other legal jurisdictions around the world.
In Saudi Arabia investors see the case as a litmus test of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's commitment to reforms. Creditors have spent nine years pursuing al-Saad, based in the city of Khobar, for debt that some estimate to be more than 10 billion.
Etqaan Alliance, the consortium appointed by Saudi authorities to liquidate assets owned by al-Sanea and the company in an effort to repay creditors, plans to begin selling the companys assets in Saudi Arabia, according to several sources familiar with the matter. The sales will happen in the coming weeks, the sources said.
The liquidator has produced a slick video that it has posted on YouTube with the tagline "the sale everyone has been waiting for in Khobar" featuring some of the properties and land to be sold.
A brochure accompanying the sale includes a list of 20 plots of land owned by Saad Trading, part of Saad Group, and al-Sanea. The properties are mostly located in Khobar. The largest unit is a 484,407 square metre plot of land that includes buildings and a sewage water treatment plant.
The brochure does not include valuations, but the sources said the real estate was valued at about 1 billion, based on an official list of real estate provided to authorities.
Saudi billionaire Prince Al-Waleed bin Talal, one of the richest men in the world and the owner of London's top hotel the Savoy was one of the men detained for suspected corruption - he was released in January
A source at the Ministry of Justice confirmed to Reuters an auction would be launched this month to sell vehicles, equipment, a large quantity of building materials and some property before the Islamic fasting month of Ramadan, which starts in May.
According to the sources who have seen the official list provided to authorities, Saad owns millions of pounds worth of real estate, in addition to the personal wealth of al-Sanea, much of which is in Riyadh, Dammam and Khobar.
Reuters was unable to verify whether all of that real estate will be auctioned by Etqaan or the number of vehicles that will be sold. Saad owns 923 vehicles, including trucks, buses and cars, according to the sources who had seen the list provided to authorities, while al-Sanea has 26 vehicles, including a Rolls Royce, a Hummer, and Cadillac Concord.
The sale does not include the 750-bed Saad Specialist Hospital in Khobar, which the government is in talks with private companies to run, or foreign assets owned by al-Sanea or Saad.
The auction is set to take place a few weeks after the government wound down the anti-corruption crackdown that involved the detention of scores of senior Saudi officials, including princes, in Riyadh's luxurious Ritz-Carlton Hotel.
The government has said the process raised more than $100 billion, mostly in the form of land, stakes in businesses and other illiquid assets rather than cash.
The proceeds from Etqaan's auction will be distributed to creditors via a legal process overseen by a three-judge tribunal set up in 2016 to handle claims against Saad and Ahmad Hamad al-Gosaibi & Bros Co, another big local conglomerate that defaulted on debt in 2009.
Creditors have pursued legal battles over the debt around the world for almost a decade, while the two groups have squabbled over which of them is to blame for the meltdown.
In an effort to stave off the liquidation process, Saad late last year launched its own process to engage with creditors. It hired a financial consultancy, Reemas Group, to offer a proposed settlement covering $4 bln in debt.
Reemas did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.
A man killed himself after purposely driving the wrong way and causing a four-car wreck in Texas on Sunday afternoon, authorities said.
Police said the incident occurred at about 4.30pm on Sunday at a three-way intersection in Spring, Texas.
The man who caused the accident was said to have been driving a green Chevy Cruze down the street, before turning south, directly into the path of cars going both east and west - resulting in a four-car pile up.
A man is said to have committed suicide with a pistol after purposely driving his green Chevy Cruze the wrong way down a street in Spring, Texas, causing a four-car pile up Sunday
Police said the man, who has not been named yet, then exited his car and spoke with the other drivers to make sure they were OK, before returning to his car.
He then apparently got back into his car and committed suicide,Click 2 Houston reported.
The man appeared to have shot himself once with a pistol and was pronounced dead at the scene, according to KHOU.
Harris County Sheriffs Office Senior Deputy Thomas Gilliland told reporters that the man 'turned directly into [the] pathway of cars' and that driving the wrong way did 'seem deliberate.'
The chain reaction accident also involved one car at a stop sign being hit and two other cars crashing in oncoming traffic, ABC13 said.
One car was hit at a stop sign while two other cars crashed in oncoming traffic
Ryaan Boyd, whose maroon BMW was totaled during the accident, said that he saw the green Chevy Cruze hit a car at the stop sign, but didn't hear the driver's self-inflicted gunshot
Boyd's maroon BMW (right) was totaled during the accident which occurred at about 4.30pm
The accident took place at this three-way intersection in Spring, Texas on Sunday afternoon
Ryaan Boyd, whose maroon BMW was totaled in the accident, told Click 2 Houston that he saw the green Chevy Cruze approach and hit the car at the stop sign, but did not hear the man shoot himself.
'Were wondering why the guy's not coming out (of his vehicle) because it was none of our faults,' Boyd told Click 2 Houston, adding that he and other drivers involved in the accident waited about 25 minutes for him to exit his car.
'And then finally, a lady, a minivan over there, went up to the car and said, I think the guy is dead. And thats when she came over here, running over here, while were trying to get each others insurance information,' Boyd told KHOU.
One man went to the hospital with minor injuries, but was released. Three others who were involved in the wrecks were deemed OK.
Authorities are now trying to determine what might have prompted the man to commit suicide after causing the crash 'for something as mundane as this four-car accident,' Gilliland said.
Jeremy Corbyn today told for the first time what he spoke to Czech spy Jan Sarkocy about - revealing they talked about peace but not what Margaret Thatcher had for breakfast.
The Labour leader said he was one of many MPs who spoke to Mr Sarkocy while he was stationed in London in the 1980s pretending to be a Czech diplomat.
Mr Corbyn said he has 'no regrets' about the meetings, which took place during the Cold War and he insists were perfectly innocent.
He broke his silence about the content of the meetings after nearly a fortnight of claims about his alleged links with the former secret agent.
Jeremy Corbyn (pictured on ITV today) today told for the first time what he spoke to Czech spy Jan Sarkozy about - revealing they talked about peace but not what Margaret Thatcher had for breakfast
Archive files say the pair met several times during the 1980s and Mr Sarkocy has hailed the MP as a 'very good source - feeding him information about politics and even the then Tory PM's eating habits.
But the Labour leader has dismissed claims he was in the pay of Soviet agents as 'smears'.
Lifting the lid on what the pair really spoke about , he told ITV News: 'I met him as did a number of other people.
'He was the diplomat working in the Czech embassy and his job was talk about peace and detente.
'This was the time when when Gorbachev was president of the USSR there was a real chance of detente developing within Europe.
'We spoke about those matters.
'I told him what I thought and he bizarrely discovered that I was opposed to Margaret Thatcher and the Tory government.
'I think it should not have been a surprise to him - but I have no knowledge what Margaret Thatcher ever ate for breakfast - she never told me.'
Asked directly if he has any regrets over the meetings - which took place when many Soviet agents were living in the West under the guise of diplomats - he insisted he did not.
Mr Corbyn said: 'No not at all. I met him, as did many, many other members of Parliament.
'I also met a lot of American diplomats during that period. I went to the American embassy to talk to them about what I thought was their wholly wrong strategy in central America.
The Labour leader said he was one of many MPs who spoke to Jan Sarkocy (pictured) while he was stationed in London in the 1980s pretending to be a Czech diplomat
'If you are a serious member of Parliament and serious about international affairs you meet people
'You don't agree with most of them, but you have to meet them to understand what their position is and put forward your own view on peace, justice and human rights.
'I don't regret any of it.'
The revelations come after Liam Fox accused Mr Corbyn of undermining Britain's national security during the Cold War - branding him a 'useful idiot'.
The International Trade Secretary yesterday said the Labour leader was ' very useful' to the Communists by constantly trying to 'undermine' the arguments of the West.
He said the MP's call for the UK to voluntarily and give up its nuclear weapons was a threat to the national interest.
And he said the Labour left's glorification of the Soviet Union also played into the Communists' hands.
The widow of the Pulse nightclub shooter will stand trial this week.
Noor Salman will appear in Orlando's federal courthouse on Thursday charged with providing material support to a terror organization and obstruction of justice.
Her husband Omar Mateen killed 49 people and injured at least 68 more when he opened fire inside the Pulse nightclub in the city on June 12, 2016.
Noor Salman, the widow of Pulse nightclub shooter Omar Mateen (pictured together), will appear in Orlando's federal courthouse on Thursday charged with providing material support to a terror organization and obstruction of justice
Investigators say Salman knew her husband 'was going to do something bad' before the attack.
The Orlando Sentinel reported that a statement written by an FBI agent and signed by her said she was in denial that he could hurt other people when he left their home with guns and ammunition.
'I knew when he left the house he was going to Orlando to attack the Pulse Night Club,' Salman said allegedly during an 18-hour interview that was written by a FBI agent.
Mateen killed 49 people and injured at least 68 more when he opened fire inside the Pulse nightclub in the city on June 12, 2016 (file picture above)
But Bruce Frumkin, a Miami psychologist and expert on false confessions, will testify that Salman's testimony to FBI was not true.
Salman's lawyer Charles Swift has argued that she was not in custody at the time she was detained by the FBI, hours after the attack, or read the Miranda rights.
But US attorneys responded that she was never in custody in the first place and gave her statements voluntarily.
Salman (left) will now stand trial on Thursday in the city her husband carried out the shooting
Salman (pictured left with her back facing the camera and right hiding) previously tried to persuade a federal judge to hold her trial in another city, claiming she would not get a fair hearing
'I knew on Saturday, when Omar left the house about 5pm that this was the time that he was going to do something bad,' Salman said, according to the statement she signed.
'I knew this because of the way he left and took the gun and backpack with ammunition'
'I knew later, when I could not get ahold of him that my fears had come true and he did what he said he was going to do,' she added.
'I was in denial and I could not believe that the father of my child was going to hurt other people.'
Pictured above are the 49 victims from the horrific 2016 shooting at Pulse Nightclub in Orlando, Florida
Salman shared that Mateen became obsessed with the Middle East and ISIS recruitment videos for two years up until the shooting.
He was said to have been looking at the area now referred to as Disney Springs and City Place in Palm Beach, according to Salman's statement.
The couple was said to have driven around the club for a week before the shooting with their young son sitting in the vehicle.
'How upset are people going to be when it gets attacked?' Mateen said, according to his wife's statement.
'I knew he was talking about himself doing the attack on the Pulse,' she added.
Salman previously tried to persuade a federal judge to hold her trial in another city, claiming she would not get a fair hearing.
Back in September, her attorneys said in a filing that ubiquitous media coverage combined with statements from local law enforcement officials created an environment where she would not be able to find an impartial jury, the Orlando Sentinel reported.
Denying her request, US District Judge Paul Byron wrote: 'The Court finds that the pretrial publicity in this case does not satisfy the prejudicial and inflammatory prong of the analysis, and the volume of coverage does not rise to the level of saturation.'
Salman will appear at Orlando's federal courthouse on March 1.
A couple in Kansas has given birth to identical triplets - a one in 20 million outcome - after originally being told they were having twins.
Nicole and Caleb Choge from Ottawa, Kansas, already have a two-year-old son.
The father said he, his wife and their toddler all prayed for another child and 'God answered everybody's prayer: one, two and three.'
The identical boys - Ron, Elkanah, and Abishai - were born Thursday at 34 weeks, which doctors said is average for triplets and can cause potential complications for the children.
Nicole Choge (pictured) gave birth to identical triplets on Thursday after originally being told she was having twins
Caleb Choge (pictured right) said he and his wife wanted another sibling for their two-year-old son (middle)
The boys are under observation at the Truman Medical Center's neonatal intensive care in Kansas City, Missouri.
Dr. Josh Petrikin told the Kansas City Star the boys 'are doing wonderfully' after being born six weeks early.
The normal gestation period for a human is 40 weeks, but twins and triplets tend to be born earlier.
Researchers say identical triplets occur only about once per 20 million to 30 million deliveries, according to a 2003 study.
The family was living in Kenya when Nicole got pregnant and found out that she might be having more than one baby.
Caleb with one of the triplets - Ron, Elkanah, and Abishai - born at 34 weeks old
Doctors said the babies were doing wonderful considering they were born prematurely
Caleb told the Kansas City newspaper that they went into a sonogram where two babies were discovered in the mother's uterus.
They then went back for a second scan and discovered three babies instead of two which lead the family to go back to the United States to get another opinion.
Caleb said he was very excited at first about having three more boys to join the family.
'But then, I was like, man I need a bigger car,' Caleb said to a group of reporters on Sunday.
Dr Petrikin said the babies are doing 'quite well' considering they were born six weeks premature.
It is unclear when doctors anticipate the babies will leave the hospital.
Denmark will double punishments for crimes committed in ghetto trouble spots under new proposals.
So-called 'special punishment zones' will be set up by police in underprivileged areas to crackdown on crimes such as theft, vandalism and threatening behaviour.
This could see more severe punishments for certain offences committed in those areas, according to Justice Minister Sren Pape Poulsen said.
Denmark will double punishments for crimes committed in certain parts of ghettos in the country, under new proposals (file picture)
He told newspaper Berlingske that criminality that contributed to 'parallel societies' would be targeted by the new scheme.
Poulsen said: 'Vandalism, theft or threats could be the reason [for harsher punishments]. That means the hammer will fall extra hard in those areas.'
He said that local police would decide on which areas would be subject to the harsher punishment rule.
However, it is not yet clear exactly what crimes would result in double punishments. This will be determined at a later date, Berlingske reports.
According to The Local Denmark, Prime Minister Lars Lkke Rasmussen announced plans in his New Year's Speech to make efforts to reduce crime and social inequality in Denmark's ghettos.
But Birgitte Arent Eiriksson, legal advisor with thinktank Justitia, warned: 'Where there is rule of law, it is very, very important that everyone is equal before the law.
'But I find it difficult to see how that could be the case with this proposal.'
A woman in Texas attempted to hide drugs during an arrest by defecating in her pants, police said.
Officers in Corsicana, about 55miles (88kilometers) south of Dallas, were responding to a robbery at a local H-E-B grocery store when they tried to detain Shannen Martin.
Police say they handcuffed Martin and placed her in the back of a cruiser where she intentionally used her feces to conceal drugs.
Shannen Martin, pictured, was arrested on suspected theft at a local H-E-B grocery store in Corsicana, Texas
She intended to defecate in order to hide a crack pipe, 2.3 grams of crack cocaine and a Valentine's Day card, police said.
But the items weren't discovered until they had arrived at the jail and were booking Martin in.
They were forced to sift through her feces to retrieve the evidence.
Corsicana Police, who posted the recounted the incident on Facebook as 'Strange Narcotics Arrest', said: 'This is scientific proof that drugs will fry your brain folks.'
Corsicana Police charged Shannen Martin with tampering with evidence and possession of a controlled substance. Both are felony offenses
They also congratulated the officer who was forced to sift through Martin's poo, Officer Michael Worthy.
Facebook users, naturally, had a reaction.
Alan Eddins said: 'Im recommending that Officer Worthy receive an Accommodation Award for going above and beyond the call of duty, a pay raise and certainly some hazard pay!'
Taira L Davis, another Facebook user, agreed: 'You guys need to take a collect plate and pass it around. Or buy him some gift cards. He shouldnt pay for his meals for a WHILE!! Poor dude.'
Tiffany Marie, not so much. She said: 'I personally think this post is completely inappropriate and unprofessional.
Your jobs are to "protect and serve" but meanwhile you're over here on Facebook no less, making fun of and copping jokes on a young woman you just arrested who clearly is on drugs or mentally ill and needs help.'
Martin was charged with tampering with evidence and possession of a controlled substance. Both are felony offenses.
The Navy SEAL who killed Osama bin Laden has reportedly been thrown off an American Airlines flight for being too drunk to fly.
Rob O'Neill and his new wife Jessica boarded the plane bound for Dallas, at Nashville Airport, in Tennessee, on Sunday.
But witnesses aboard say the military hero was noticeably drunk and began yelling vile slurs at a flight attendant before passing out, TMZ reports.
Rob O'Neill boarded the plane bound for Dallas, at Nashville Airport, in Tennessee, on Sunday (pictured on another flight in a photo posted to his Instagram page on February 9)
O'Neill had just recently returned from giving a speech at the 2018 Conservative Political Action Conference in Maryland
When O'Neill woke up again, he was informed he was too drunk to fly and was ordered off the plane.
But he allegedly became belligerent and staff were forced to call the police.
An American Airlines representative confirmed they called the police yesterday over a drunken passenger.
A police report, obtained by DailyMail.com, shows that O'Neill was not arrested and that the airline offered to book him on a flight to Dallas the following day.
However, the former SEAL declined, and he and his wife got a taxi back into Nashville.
The police report states that both Rob and Jessica smelt of alcohol but that they were calm and cooperative by the time the officer caught up with them by the luggage carousel in the airport. The report also stated that there was an active warrant out for O'Neill but that it was in-state for Texas only.
A representative for Rob ONeill told DailyMail.com: Rob believes he was treated fairly by both American Airlines and local authorities and that this really is a non-story.
Newlywed O'Neill had just recently returned from giving a speech at CPAC 2018 in Maryland.
O'Neill (right) was part of the SEAL team that raided Bin Laden's (left) Pakistan compound in 2012. O'Neill fired the fatal shots because he was one of the first into the room
O'Neill was deployed on more than a dozen tours of duty in active combat, in four different war zones, including Iraq and Afghanistan
O'Neill was part of SEAL Team Six, which stormed Osama bin Laden's secret Pakistan compound on May 2011. He fired the fatal shots that killed the Al Qaeda leader.
Rob O'Neill boarded the plane bound for Dallas, at Nashville Airport, in Tennessee, on Sunday
He also took part in the headline-making mission to rescue the crew of the Mearsk Alabama, after they were taken hostage by Somali pirates in 2009. The incident was profiled in the Tom Hanks film Captain Phillips.
The 16-year veteran of the elite squadron left the military in 2012, four years shy of retirement, voiding his right to a pension.
He was deployed on more than a dozen tours of duty in active combat, in four different warzones, including Iraq and Afghanistan.
O'Neill was decorated 52 times for his service, leaving as senior chief petty officer.
He identified himself as the SEAL who killed Bin Laden in an interview with Fox News two years after he left the military and now works for the network as a contributor.
He told DailyMailTV of his decision to come forward: 'The people who wanted to find out [who killed bin Laden] knew by the time we set foot back in the U.S. I had heard my name in D.C., Virginia Beach and San Diego. I could've pretended my name wasn't out there but that would have been complacent because it was.'
Fun-loving O'Neill, who was decorated 52 times for his service, posted a photo of himself with a bottle of Pappy Van Winkle's bourbon
Last summer, O'Neil, 41, married 27-year-old Jessica Halpin in a lavish wedding on Cape Cod
A poignant meeting with family members of 9/11 victims also inspired him to come forward.
'I had donated my uniform anonymously to the National September 11 Memorial & Museum,' he said.
'I met around 35 family members of 9/11 victims and I told them the story for the first time.
'After the reaction I got from them, I figured if I could help them, I could help thousands more.'
In the months that followed his revelation, O'Neill took on a public role as a motivational speaker and established a charity, Your Grateful Nation, to help fellow veterans transition from a military background to a civilian career.
His now-wife Jessica Halpin said that when they first met, she was unaware of Rob's newly-acquired fame as the man who killed bin Laden.
'I remember a one-page description about him,' she said.
'It didn't say anything about the [bin Laden] raid.'
She said that she really took notice when he started to speak.
O'Neill, who now works for Fox News, was a supporter of Donland Trump during the presidential campaign.
Rob O'Neill (left), the former Navy SEAL who killed Osama bin Laden, had dinner at the White House in October, along with his new wife Jessica (right)
'He is just an incredible speaker,' Jessica said.
'You could tell he was funny and interesting.
My friend and I were going for a drink after the conference and we invited him. He asked for my number.'
Last summer, O'Neil, 41, married 27-year-old Halpin in a lavish wedding on Cape Cod attended by the likes of Kid Rock, a close friend of the former SEAL.
He was married once previously, and had kids, but divorced after returning to civilian life.
Last year, O'Neill released a memoir,The Operator, which recounts his illustrious career and the 400 missions he completed.
A conservative, O'Neill was a supporter of Trump during the presidential race - but he has also spoken highly of former President Obama, a Democrat.
'He made the right call with Captain Phillips and he made the right call with bin Laden,'O'Neill said of Obama in a 2015 interview with The Sunday Times. 'The two times Ive been directly associated with a decision that he made, he made the right call'.
He was even invited for dinner at the White House in October.
Rob O'Neil posted a picture on social media after the meal, showing him on the White House South Lawn at night with Jessica.
'Nice dinner with @jessical_oneill at 1600. @realDonaldTrump is a great host,' O'Neill wrote.
Kamal Hussain, pictured, 28, of east London, was jailed for seven years for terror offences including collecting bomb-making material
A mobile phone worker who called himself 'Captain the illiterate' who collected bomb-making 'recipes' and plotted to 'kill smart people' has been jailed for seven years.
Mohammed Kamal Hussain, 28, from Whitechapel, east London, also created a Facebook profile where he encouraged others to join ISIS.
Police praised a 23-year-old man from Bosnia who tipped off British authorities when he received a message over Facebook trying to persuade him to aid the terrorist organisation.
The Bosnian had recently created a Facebook profile when he received the unsolicited post, saying: 'I message many people on the Facebook in order to stimulate them to join the ISIS.'
Investigators established the message was from Hussain, a Bangladeshi national, who had over-stayed his visa and was living in east London.
Hussain was denied an extension of his visa at the end of 2014 but continued to live and to work in Britain illegally.
They also discovered he had been sent a chemistry app by a contact via the Telegram social media service which offered a 'virtual laboratory' to 'mix chemicals in virtual containers'.
It added: 'When the explosion switch is on, all explosions will occur as in reality.'
He had also downloaded a recipe for a pipe bomb from an al-Qaeda magazine publication.
When police arrested Hussain in a car park near his work in Purfleet in Essex, they found he had an ISIS video called 'Procession of Light' which featured suicide bombers, including a young boy, saying their prayers, getting into a vehicle and being watched by a drone as they drove to a vehicle check point and then blew themselves up.
Hussain also had an open Facebook page which he used to encourage support for ISIS, including one entry that featured a picture of a child carrying a black ISIS flag and another from January last year that read: 'The West has been plundering our wealth for centuries. Now is the time for payback. In Sha' Allah, the chickens will come home to roost.'
After his arrest, Hussain claimed he was 'just doing what Facebook says to do and "share your mind".'
Hussain had at least four Facebook accounts, opening a new one each time the existing account was closed by the social media company.
The Judge Peter Lodder QC criticised the firm saying 'it may surprise some to know that the security services are unable to view private messages on Facebook', and had to rely on a screenshot instead.
He was found guilty of supporting ISIS and encouragement of terrorism.
He had previously been living in London for seven years and working in a mobile phone warehouse called the London Magic Store.
His student visa withdrawn after a bogus college he was attending in Whitechapel was shut down and he was contacted by the Home Office who labelled him an 'over-stayer' and ordered him to return home.
While he was attending a bogus college in Whitechapel, east London, it was shut down and his student visa withdrawn.
Using the name, 'Captain the illiterate', Hussain told one female contact, called Lujain Ahmed, 'I'm a simple man...I hate the smart people. Inshallah, I will be smart after I go to Paradise...before die, wanna punish some kuffar,' and added: 'I'm bored of this world.'
Asked in court how he came up with the name, Hussain told Naeem Mian QC, defending: 'It doesn't have any meaning, I just liked this name.'
Simon Davis, prosecuting, said it was plain that Hussain was 'aligned with Islamic State' and wanted to join them.
The court heard he made Google searches for 'suicide vehicle-borne improvised explosive devices' just two days after the Manchester Arena bombing.
Then on May 29, he looked for 'Ariana Grande' and 'Manchester attack concert' and, the next day, for 'ruling on blowing oneself up' and 'suicide bombings and martyrdom in Islam.'
On June 3, Hussain downloaded an image of the Queen and then searched for 'make terror into kafirs heart', followed the next day by 'London Bridge attack statement' from East London Mosque, the day after the attack.
Hussain had earlier told Ahmed: 'I will not be calm until I make hijrah [emigrate] and fight with the kuffar...Why my sisters not like u? I should kill them.'
Later the same day, he added: 'We should do something big' and on June 4, he expanded: 'If we cannot make hijrah [emigrate] then wherever we live fighting is coming upon us.
'If you live Bangladesh, UK, Middle East anywhere you go you have face fight...I believe this is the beginning of 3rd world war and it's will be end after killing dajjal [anti-christ].'
Detectives at the Counter-Terrorism Referral Unit trawled thousands of messages Hussain had sent on Facebook, Telegram and WhatsApp.
Commander Dean Haydon, head of Scotland Yard's SO15 Counter-Terrorism Command, said: 'This investigation started with one conscientious individual trusting his instincts and reporting something suspicious.
'He could have ignored the message Hussain sent him but instead he took a screenshot of the message and contacted the UK authorities immediately. It is in great part thanks to him that police were able to bring Hussain to justice.'
Hussain told police that he was both anti-Western and anti-Eastern, explaining that he meant 'governments, including my own Bangladeshi government in the East.'
He added: 'I love everything for the sake of Allah and I hate everything for the sake of Allah.'
Hussain's plan was to retrieve his passport from the Home Office and travel back to Bangladesh, before going on to Saudi Arabia to wait for 'Armageddon,' he explained in court.
He added he collected ISIS publications because 'I consider IS a sign of the end of days and I want to know about their ideology.
Hussain read one edition of Rumiyah, which had a guide to knife attacks 'for the ideological matter and their teachings and that sort of things, but I never read how to kill people with a knife,' he said.
His collection of extremist books were about religion, he added, claiming he was 'seeking the truth' but 'never planning an attack'.
But he added: 'I'm Muslim, I shouldn't like everything. I love everything for the sake of Allah and I hate everything for the sake of Allah, that's it.'
The judge told him: 'Far from observing the sacred covenant of security, you disseminated your twisted views and attempted to persuade others to join you in support of Islamic State.
'You glorified activity which strikes at the very heart of a civilized and democratic society.
'In no sense do your opinions represent the beliefs of decent, law abiding and peaceful Muslims who live in this country.'
Naeem Mian QC, defending, asked Hussain: 'You are an over-stayer and your passport is with the Home Office?'
'I don't have any option other than to go to Bangladesh,' he said.
Mr Haydon encouraged others concerned about online material to refer it to them via the website www.act.gov.uk
Secretary of State Rex Tillerson continues to complain about President Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner encroaching on his territory.
Politico reported Monday that Tillerson has fumed over Kushner, and two other Trump administration officials U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley and National Security Adviser H.R. McMcaster trying to take on chunks of the secretary of state's role.
'We can't have four secretaries of state,' Tillerson reportedly said.
Politico is reporting that Secretary of State Rex Tillerson (left) is annoyed that President Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner (right) is on his turf
Part of Kushner's profile includes the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and he's also been involved in China and Mexico policies as well.
When Chief of Staff John Kelly repeated Tillerson's criticism, Kushner, according to Politico, got perturbed.
'No, but we need a secretary of state who is supportive of the president,' the president's son-in-law said.
The Kushner-Tillerson beef is yet another example of the clashing personalities that have surrounded President Trump in his first 13 months of office.
The selection of Kelly as chief of staff was supposed to help quell some of the drama.
He was welcomed by both Kushner and first daughter and top White House adviser Ivanka Trump, taking over the job from former Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus.
But soon Kelly had to assert some of his organizational power over Kushner too, as he tried to keep a number of aides from freelancing, an easy thing to do in the free-wheeling White House.
More recently, however, Kelly has found himself in the position of backing Kushner and the job he has done including in the areas where Tillerson is working as well.
'As I told Jared days ago, I have full confidence in his ability to continue performing his duties in his foreign policy portfolio including overseeing our Israeli-Palestinian peace effort and serving as an integral part of our relationship with Mexico,' Kelly said in a statement.
Kelly's been put in the position by President Trump to decide what to do about Kushner's security clearance.
The Politico report wasn't the first indication that Tillerson's feathers have been ruffled by Kushner, and his wife Ivanka Trump.
In November, CNN reported that Tillerson decided not to send a high-level delegation with Ivanka Trump to India, purposely hanging the first daughter out to dry.
The reason, according to State Department sources, was not because of State's leaner budget under Tillerson, but rather over the fact that Ivanka was leading the delegation, at the invitation of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
'Rex doesn't like the fact that he's supposed to be our nation's top diplomat, and Jared and now Ivanka have stepped all over Rex Tillerson for a long time,' a source told CNN. 'So now, he's not sending senior people from the State Department to support this issue. He's not supporting Ivanka Trump.'
President Donald Trump ridiculed a group of sheriff's deputies who waited outside of Marjory Stoneman, calling them a 'disgrace,' saying they 'choked' and claiming that he would have rushed the school if he'd been in their shoes.
'I really believe I'd run in there even if I didn't have a weapon,' the president said Monday. 'I think most of the people in this room would have done that, too, because I know most of you.'
Trump made the remarks during a White House session with governors.
Tearing into the deputies, Trump said they 'weren't exactly Medal of Honor winners, and that their performance 'was frankly disgusting.'
'The way they performed was really a disgrace,' he said.
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President Donald Trump ripped a group of sheriff's deputies who let the Parkland shooter get away on Monday, claiming that he would have rushed the school if he'd been in their shoes
Broward County Sheriff's Deputy Scot Peterson, the armed school resource officer, was branded a 'coward' by President Trump after it emerged he waited outside the building during the recent mass shooting (above in December 2014 with the principal at Marjory Douglas)
Returning faculty and administration at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida are taken on a walk around the fenced-off freshman building where the Feb. 16, shooting took place
Well-wishers place mementos the day students and parents arrive for voluntary campus orientation at the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, for the coming Wednesday's reopening
Trump suggested last week that Broward County Sheriff's Deputy Scot Peterson, an armed school resource officer who stood outside a school building during the attack instead of confronting the shooter, was a 'coward' or didn't have the 'courage' to charge the gunman.
Peterson waited outside the building while 17 students and teachers lost their lives.
A Florida police department has since accused sheriff's deputies in Parkland, Florida of failing to confront the mass shooter or enter Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School during the gun massacre two weeks ago.
Coral Springs police officers revealed later that when they responded to the mass casualty they found another three Broward County sheriff's deputies cowering behind their vehicles, according to CNN.
Not one of the four deputies had entered the school.
Trump said Monday that Peterson was 'probably afraid to go in' as he repeated a claim that school resource officers are not as effective at protecting students as trained teachers with concealed weapons would be.
'They don't love the students, they don't know the students,' he said of campus police for a second time in days.
Students from Montgomery County, Md., in suburban Washington, rally in solidarity with those affected by the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Florida, at the U.S. Capitol in Washington las tweek
Trump said that Peterson 'choked' under pressure.
'He thought he was probably a brave guy but he wasn't a brave guy under pressure. He choked, and other people choked. A lot of people choked in that case,' Trump accused.
The president said, 'Law enforcement's great. But we all learned something when we saw Peterson standing outside of that school, he wanted no part of it.
'He heard the power, and he heard probably the screaming and the bullets and he wanted no part of it. And then three other guys came to help, they wanted no part of it. That was a terrible, terrible job.'
Asked about Trump's remark later at the White House's daily press briefing, press secretary Sarah Sanders said that the point the president was trying to make was that 'he would be a leader and would want to take a courageous action.
'And a lot of the individuals that helped protect others that day weren't carrying firearms, which I think shows that you can be helpful in that process without it,' she said.
The president met Monday with a bipartisan group of state executives, including Florida's Rick Scott, Colorado's John Hickenlooper, Illinois' Bruce Rauner, Kentucky's Matt Bevin, Michigan's Rick Snyder and Wisconsin's Scott Walker.
He revealed during the conversation while reporters were in the room that he'd had a secret lunch over the weekend with the CEO of the National Rifle Association.
'Dont worry about the NRA. Theyre on our side,' he added. 'There's nothing to be afraid of. You guys, half of you are so afraid of the NRA. And you know what? If they're not with you, we have to fight them every once and awhile. That's okay.'
Echoing a spokesman's promise last week that the White House would give anyone who supported the president's proposals political cover, Trump said, 'They're doing what they think is right. I will tell you, they are doing what they think is right but sometimes we are going to have to be very tough and we're going to have to fight them.'
The only official activity on Trump's schedule Sunday had been a governor's ball at the White House. The luncheon with the NRA was not disclosed by the White House.
'Obviously, the President wasn't trying to keep it under wraps, or he wouldn't have announced it so publicly,' Sanders said later. 'It was a productive conversation, and I think everyone is in agreement that things need to be done and we have to have some changes take place to do what we can to protect America's kids.'
At the summit with President Trump, which went on for more than an hour, the Associated Press also reported that Washington Governor Jay Inslee told Trump he should tweet less and listen more
While the president was speaking to governors on Monday, the first lady was entertaining their spouses.
'Our continued thoughts and prayers go out to all who were affected by such a senseless act. As a parent, I cannot imagine the kind of grief and tragedy like that brings,' Melania Trump said. 'And I hope and I know we all find ourselves wondering what we can do to help.'
The first lady said that in the year since her husband took office, 'I have also learned that it's oftentimes after a tragedy that you see the strength and resilience of the human spirit.'
'I have been heartened to see children across this country using their voices to speak out and try to create change. They're our future and they deserve a voice. I know all of you are seeing this in your own states and territories, too,' she said. 'And I believe that if we all come together, we can start to affect positive change for our children and help prepare them for their futures.'
Melania Trump recommended limiting time in front the screen, including on social media, as she took up her anti-bullying campaign once again.
In his summit, the president, whose been accused of bullying on social media himself, also pointed to videos, the Internet and movies as having a negative influence on the nation's children.
He suggested a rating system for violence in movies that's separate from the existing MPAA standards that already already take such those visuals into account.
'Our continued thoughts and prayers go out to all who were affected by such a senseless act. As a parent, I cannot imagine the kind of grief and tragedy like that brings,' Melania Trump said. 'And I hope and I know we all find ourselves wondering what we can do to help'
The president lamented that past shootings have not led to new measures to reduce gun violence, telling governors, 'We don't have any action.'
'We gotta stop,' he said of the outrage in the immediate aftermath of shootings that fades after several months.
Trump informed the governors that he was going to ban bump stocks, which essentially allow semi-automatic weapons to act as automatic weapons, all by himself, regardless of whether the legislative branch puts it in writing.
'I'm writing it out myself. I don't care if Congress does it,' Trump asserted. 'It becomes essentially a machine gun....So we're writing out bump stocks.'
In the room with President Trump, Washington Governor Jay Inslee confronted the Republican president about another proposal to arm 'adept' teachers, recommending that he spend more time listening to teachers before he moves forward with it.
Inslee said he's spoken to educators 'who don't want to be pistol-packing first grade teachers' and law enforcement agencies who don't want to spend six months building out teacher training programs.
'I just think this is a circumstance where we need to listen, that educators should educate, and they should not be foisted upon this responsibility of packing heat in first grade classes,' the Democratic politician said.
'Now I understand you have suggested this and we suggest things and sometimes then we listen to people about it and maybe they don't look so good a little later. So I just suggest we need a little less tweeting here, and a little more listening, and let's just take that off the table and move forward.'
Trump said that his idea to allow 20 percent of teacher to carry concealed weapons had been unfairly maligned.
'The headline was Trump wants all teachers to have guns. Trump wants teachers to have guns. I dont want teachers to have guns. I want highly-trained people that have a natural talent, like hitting a baseball or hitting a golf ball or putting,' the president said Monday.
Broward Sheriff Scott Israel confirmed at least one of his department's lapses last week, saying that video footage shows Peterson, the school's armed response officer and former employee of the month, standing outside the building while a 19-year-old opened fire inside with a rifle.
'What I saw was a deputy arrive at the west side of Building 12, take up a position and he never went in,' Israel told reporters, referring to the building on campus, popularly known as the 'freshman building,' where authorities said the bulk of the shooting occurred.
Israel said the attack lasted six minutes, and that Peterson arrived at the freshman building about 90 seconds after the first shots were fired, then lingered outside for at least four minutes.
Asked what the deputy should have done, Israel replied: 'Went in. Addressed the killer. Killed the killer.'
Peterson has not publicly offered an explanation for his inaction.
But Coral Springs Police Department officers Chris Crawford and Sgt. Jeff Heinrich recounted their own heroics during a news conference on Friday, describing the 'surreal' events of that fateful Valentine's Day.
The incident 'was bad as you can imagine times 10,' Crawford said. 'I have a 2-year-old. I don't want to send him to school.'
Israel promised Sunday on CNN to get to the bottom of what happened as he revealed that the station had not yet interviewed the deputies who were found to be standing around while Marjory Stoneman was still considered an active shooting.
'If any deputies are alleged to have dereliction of duty, we will look into that,' he said. 'Coral Springs and the Broward Sheriff's Office, we have different radio systems. So, we don't know what one was hearing vis-a-vis what the other was hearing.'
The Broward Country sheriff told CNN, 'All I can tell you is, we will investigate every action of our deputies, of their supervisors. And if they did things right, we will move forward. And if they did things wrong, I will take care of business in a disciplinary matter, like I did with Peterson.'
Israel suspended Peterson without pay pending a review, and the deputy immediately resigned.
White House Chief of Staff John Kelly reportedly won't step into the middle of the mess created by Jared Kushner's failure to pass a background check for his security clearance.
President Donald Trump said Friday that he won't be the one to decide whether to waive the rules to help his son-in-law even though the FBI's deep-dive into his finances and foreign contacts shows no sign of wrapping up after more than a year.
Trump punted the ball to Kelly on Friday during a joint press conference with Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull.
But Politico reported Monday that a person familiar with Kelly's thinking says the chief doesn't plan to recommend to Trump that Jared should get special treatment.
President Donald Trump said Friday that he won't be the one to decide whether the security-clearance rules are waived for his son-in-law Jared Kushner, whose interim clearance was set to expire hours later
Kushner (left) has been working with a temporary clearance since Inauguration Day, a situation that Trump has empowered Chief of Staff John Kelly (right) to arbitrate but a report Monday says Kelly don't recommend bending the rules for the president's son-in-law
'I will let General Kelly make that decision, and he's going to do what's right for the country,' the president said three days ago. 'And I have no doubt he'll make the right decision.'
The White House decline further comment on Friday.
But Trump could overrule Kelly, and Politico's source said the chief wouldn't likely consider it a big enough deal to resign over.
Kushner has been working in the West Wing for 13 months without a permanent security clearance, aided by an interim clearance that is set to expire at the end of the day.
CNN reported Thursday that Kushner's clearance to see top secret information on a long-term basis is being held up by Robert Mueller's Russia probe.
The special counsel's team has not yet finished its investigation of his contacts with Russian nations and his extensive financial dealings with foreigners and foreign companies.
In a memo to top law enforcement an intelligence officials on February 16, Kelly said that beginning a week later he would 'discontinue any Top Secret or SCI-level interim clearances for individuals whose investigations or adjudications have been pending since June 1, 2007 or earlier.'
That would mean Kushner's interim clearance expired just hours after Trump spoke on Friday.
Kushner's clearance to see classified materials is reportedly being held up while Special Counsel Robert Mueller (pictured) looks into his contacts and business ties with Russian nationals and companies
A memo from Kelly on February 16 outlined a series of changes, including the end of temporary clearances for people who have had them since before June 1, 2017; Kushner's goes back at least as far as January 2017
Kushner moved into the White House with the administration in late January 2017.
'SCI' refers to 'Secure Compartmented Information, the most sensitive material the U.S. government has.
Kelly also wrote that he would be curtailing 'access to certain highly classified information for those individuals working with interim clearance status' unless he will grant 'only in the most compelling circumstances.'
The chief of staff ended the practice of routinely granting interim clearances back in September 2017.
It's unclear how much access to classified information Kushner had or needed.
Much of his time is occupied with managing the Office of American Innovation, a business-oriented working group focused on streamlining bureaucratic government processes. He also shoulders some of the White House's burden on matters touching Canada, China and Mexico.
But Kushner is also engaged heavily, and has been for more than a year, in the Middle East peace process. That job could require access to at least some classified intelligence.
White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders insisted last Tuesday that Kelly's top-to-bottom review of security clearance procedures wouldn't have any effect on Kushner.
That seemed to suggest that he can perform his duties without any access to classified information at all.
The White House's process for granting 'interim' clearances has come under a microscope in the past three weeks, after DailyMail.com reported that then-White House Staff Secretary Rob Porter who had such a clearance for more than a year was being accused of spousals abuse by two ex-wives
Trump defended his elder daughter's husband on Friday, saying that 'Jared's done an outstanding job. I think he's been treated unfairly.'
He is a high quality person. He works for nothing. Nobody ever reports that, but he gets zero,' the president added.
He complained about a 'broken' system that has required 'months and months' of waiting for people with unremarkable circumstances.
'It shouldn't take this long,' he said, referring to the roughly three dozen people who share security clearance purgatory with Kushner.
'You know how many people are on that list,' Trump complained. 'People with not a problem in the world. So that will be up to General Kelly.'
'General Kelly respects Jared a lot,' he added.
White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders told reporters last Tuesday that 'no decision within the memo will impact anything that Jared Kushner is working on'
Kushner's clearance was initially stalled because he amended his application multiple times: At least 100 foreign contacts were omitted when he first filed the standard form required of all applicants.
White House security clearances were thrust front-and-center this month following the departure of Trump's former staff secretary Rob Porter.
Porter's two ex-wives told DailyMail.com harrowing stories of spousal abuse, information that the FBI had more than a year ago.
Like Kushner, Porter operated under an interim clearance for more than a year.
The 22-year-old medical student stabbed to death inside a Massachusetts library in a random attack on Saturday has been identified.
Prosecutors say Deane Stryker was stabbed at least 20 times by 23-year-old Jeffrey Yao inside Winchester Public Library in a 'vicious, unprovoked attack'.
During his Monday arraignment, Yao pleaded not guilty to both a murder charge and an assault with intent to murder charge.
The accused killer is currently being held without bail.
Yao's attorney said he suffers with 'severe mental illness' and has previously been hospitalized as a result.
The attorney added that Yao overall has lived a 'very troubled existence'.
Jeffrey Yao (right) was brought into Woburn District Court on Monday in Woburn, Massachusetts. Yao has been arraigned on murder charges and attempted murder after he allegedly stabbed Deane Stryker, 22, (left) to death
Yao is pictured Monday during his arraignment. The fatal stabbing happened at the Winchester Public Library on Saturday
Yao also stabbed a 77-year-old man who attempted to save Stryker. Yao's attorney argued he is suffering 'severe mental illness'
Yao, of Winchester, used a 10-inch blade hunting knife to stab Stryker, also of Winchester, multiple times in the head and upper torso, the Boston Globe reported.
He also stabbed a 77-year-old man after he attempted to save the woman.
Stryker was immediately transferred to a hospital where she was pronounced dead.
The elderly man was taken to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries and is expected to survive.
Neighbors to the murder suspect revealed Yao's behavior was 'increasingly erratic in recent months' while one even warned police he might 'kill' someone, according to the Globe.
'We warned them. We warned them. I can't believe this... this whole thing could have been avoided. All of it,' the unnamed neighbor said.
Pictured here is the Winchester Public Library in Massachusetts where the stabbings took place
A specific motive for the fatal stabbing is still unknown at this time.
According to Middlesex District Attorney Marian Ryan, witnesses say Yao had been yelling incoherently after the double stabbing.
Ryan said 'the preliminary investigation suggests that the female victim was seated at a table in the library when the suspect approached her, unprovoked, stabbing her multiple times.'
He also said 'the male victim was stabbed in the arm while attempting to intervene.'
The library has been closed off until further notice.
Stryker was a first-year medical student at the University of New England in Maine at the time of her death
A former classmate to Yao tweeted: 'Horrible news. I went to high school with this person and sat near him in AP Economics.
Yao (pictured in his mugshot) entered not guilty pleas on Monday to his murder charge and assault with intent to murder charge
'I'm not exaggerating when I say he didn't shower for six months straight... he exhibited plenty of mental health issues, but clearly nothing was done about it.'
According to everipedia.org, Stryker was a first-year medical student at the University of New England in Maine at the time of her death.
Friends to the late stabbing victim described her a 'young woman committed to helping others as a physician.'
They say she also cared for children at the local Temple Shir Tikvah.
Stryker is captured flashing a vibrant smile next to family, friends and animals on her Facebook profile.
The murder is currently under investigation as officials are trying to determine whether the suspect and victim had any relation to one another.
The medical student is also connected to another high-profile murder in the area, according to a newly-seen report by NBC 10 Boston.
Her father, Dr. Timothy Stryker, was previously sent to prison for perjury related to the 1993 murder of his girlfriend, Dr. Linda Goudey.
Timothy Stryker was not charged with the murder, but ordered to pay '$15 million in a civil suit' to Goudey's family, according to the report. He passed away behind bars in 2014.
A United flight blew a tire on takeoff and continued flying until it landed safely at an airport in Oregon.
The airplane popped its tire while it was taking off from Newark, New Jersey, on Sunday night.
Fire, police and emergency crews were waiting for the United flight on the runway when it landed at Portland International Airport in Oregon.
Passengers were told to prepare for the worst upon landing but the plane touched ground with no sparks or smoke.
A United flight popped its tire during takeoff in Newark, New Jersey but landed safely in Portland, Oregon
Kyle Hobbs, a passenger on the flight, told news stations that flight attendants were preparing everyone for the 'worst' when landing. They told passengers to 'brace' for impact
People reported on the plane that they thought they felt the pop of the tire during takeoff.
'About 90 minutes before we landed, the crew came out, made sure everyone was awake, Kyle Hobbs told KOIN.
'(Flight attendants) told us we were going to have a problem with the landing gear and to prepare for the worst.'
The landing was shaky but there was no smoke or sparks from the missing tire and all passengers and crew made it off the flight safely
Emergency services were on stanby as the plane prepared to land in Portland, Oregon
Flight attendants reportedly moved four passengers to different seats in case the emergency slide was needed after landing.
The passengers were also taught the proper ways to brace before landing in case the crash was severe.
The flight attendants chanted 'brace, brace, brace' as all 122 passengers and six crew members prepared for the rough landing.
The plane's descent on to the ground was shaky but there was no sparks or smoke once it touched down.
All passengers and crew members made it off the plane safely.
Texas police shot a man after he disarmed a potential church shooter who had been holding more than 100 people hostage in at a congregation in Amarillo.
Joshua Len Jones, 35, barged into a church service at the Faith City Mission in Amarillo, on Valentine's Day and pulled out a gun.
Churchgoer Tony Garces managed to disarm Jones during a scuffle, but when police arrived, they shot Mr Garces instead.
Hostage situation: Tony Garces shows off his bullet entry wound after he was shot by police as he had managed to disarm a man who had pulled out a gun during a church service
The incident took place during a morning service at the Faith City Mission, a Christian organisation which helps people in need in the community.
Jones, who had received help from the Faith City Mission in the past, held about 100 congregants and church staff hostage.
While waiting for police, church staff and attendees managed to overpower Jones, and during the fight, Mr Garces got hold of the gum
'I said 'hey, hey I got the gun,' Mr Garces told ABC7 Amarillo.
The assailant had been holding 100 people hostage at the Faith City Mission, Amarillo, and was disarmed by Mr Garces and a few others, but when police arrived, they shot him instead
He described how officers ordered him to throw the gun to the floor, but that he hesitated as he was worried that the loaded gun would go off if he did so.
'I didn't want anyone else getting hurt. Then pop, pop they shot me.
'I went down, then a puddle of blood. I thought I was a goner.'
Mr Garces, who credits the Faith City Mission with helping him turn his life around after a four-year-stint in prison, was hit in the neck, but was rushed to hospital and survived.
He is now calling for police to receive more and improved training in use of deadly violence, telling ABC7 that the officer who shot him 'didn't know what he was doing'.
Jones was arrested at the scene, and has been charged with six first-degree felony aggravated kidnapping.
An elementary school in Pennsylvania will cancel classes on Wednesday because a church down the street is hosting a ceremony featuring AR-15 rifles.
World Peace and Unification Sanctuary in Newfoundland, Pennsylvania believes the AR-15 symbolizes the 'rod of iron' in the biblical book of Revelation, and it is encouraging couples to bring the weapons to a commitment ceremony.
The ceremony, to be held about a half-mile from Wallenpaupack South Elementary School, is expected to draw hundreds of couples.
The Unification Church (led by Hyung-Jin Moon and his wife) is holding a blessing that encourages believers to bring rifles - the church claims the guns are referred to in the Bible
On Friday, the superintendent of the Wallenpaupack Area School District wrote in a letter to parents that while 'there is no direct threat to our school or community,' given concerns about parking, traffic and the 'nature of the event,' students will be bused to schools about 15 miles (24 kilometers) away.
Superintendent Michael Silsby added there will be increased security at the school all week.
'We respect your decision if you choose to keep your children home for the day,' he wrote.
'You don't know who's going to be there, you don't know who has problems or what anybody's intentions are,' Cassandra Marro, a parent with a student at Wallenpaupack South Elementary School, told WFMZ.
The church, which is led by Moon, is a breakaway faction of the Unification Church
Moon's relatives own gunmaker Kahr Arms, a pistol manufacturer, which is headquartered in nearby Greeley, Pennsylvania. (Moon is pictured here at a speech given by Donald Trump)
Church officials said weapons will be unloaded, secured with zip ties and checked at the door.
Church officials said it planned Wednesday's event months ago, prior to the February 14 massacre at Parkland, Florida's Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School that claimed 17 lives
Students at Wallenpaupack South Elementary School will be bused to a school 15 miles away and school officials said that there will be heightened security as a precaution
The church, a breakaway faction of the Unification Church, has said it planned Wednesday's event months ago, well before the February 14 massacre at Parkland, Florida's Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School.
Authorities said the Florida gunman used an AR-15 in an attack that killed 17 students and school faculty.
Church officials said that weapons will be unloaded, secured with zip ties and checked at the door.
The Unification Sanctuary's leader, Hyung-Jin Moon, is the son of the Rev. Sun Myung Moon, a self-proclaimed messiah who founded the Unification Church.
The Unification Church, which is often described as a cult, has distanced itself from Wednesday's event, saying its ceremonies and theology do not involve weapons.
'It saddens us that Reverend Moon's son has chosen to separate himself and walk in opposition to his parent's legacy building world peace,' the Rev. Richard Buessing, president of Family Federation, another name for the Unification Church, said in a statement.
The blessing ceremony is due to take place at 10am on Wednesday, with up to 600 people in attendance alongside their weapons, WNEP reported.
The Moon family owns gunmaker Kahr Arms, a pistol manufacturer, which is headquartered in Greeley, Pennsylvania.
Afghan national Aryan Rashidi, who entered the UK on a lorry illegally, also tried to commit a sex attack on another victim in June 2016 as she slept in bed with her husband with their baby in a cot in the same room
A 'predatory sex attacker' who raped a pregnant woman at knife point in her own bed has been jailed for life.
Afghan national Aryan Rashidi, 20, who entered the UK on a lorry illegally, also tried to commit a sex attack on another victim in June 2016 as she slept in bed with her husband, with their baby in a cot in the same room.
Rashidi later held a knife to his victim's throat during the shocking attack in the early hours of October 5, 2016, a court was told.
He preyed on the pregnant woman in order to take a risk to 'fulfill his sexual needs', Leeds Crown Court heard.
The court heard both victims have been left deeply traumatised and have had to move as they no longer felt safe in their homes.
David Hall, prosecuting, said Rashidi used a ladder to climb to the bathroom window of the first victim before entering the property.
The woman, who was in bed with her husband, awoke to find Rashidi pulling at her pyjama bottoms in the first attack in Bradford, West Yorkshire.
Mr Hall said the woman pretended to be asleep as she feared Rashidi may be armed.
Her baby was asleep in a cot beside her and another child was sleeping in a different room.
She managed to wake her husband and Rashidi ran off, leaving a shoe at the scene.
Rashidi's fingerprint was also found at the property but police could not link him to the incident until after he was arrested for the more recent rape in Wakefield, West Yorkshire, as he had no criminal record in the UK.
Police were called a house after it was reported a woman had been assaulted at knifepoint by a man who had climbed into her house through an open window.
DCI Sue Jenkinson of Wakefield District Police said: 'Following painstaking analysis Rashidi was captured on CCTV walking through Wakefield City Centre and officers located and arrested him from a hotel within 24 hours of the offence.
Rashidi said he did not know his date of birth when arrested soon after the offence, and tried to claim he was aged 15 or 16.
A dental examination showed Rashidi is aged likely to be aged 22.
He pleaded guilty to rape and trespass with intent to commit a sexual offence.
Robert Stevenson, mitigating, said Rashidi now accepted that he was aged over 18.
Mr Stevenson said Rashidi had experienced a traumatic life in Afghanistan before coming to the UK.
He said: 'He has known nothing but a war-torn and lawless country.
'It seems throughout these proceedings there has been a reluctance on his part to talk about his past and to talk about the things that he has seen.
'Rather than just being evil, he is the product of a somewhat traumatic past.'
Judge Neil Clark said he was imposing a life sentence as he believed Rashidi posed a serious danger to the public.
He said: 'Your offending is of the most serious and frightening type.
'It's very nature points to the level of danger you present to the public.
'It is hard to begin to imagine more terrifying or humiliating offending than this.'
Rashidi was told he must serve a minimum of five years, eight months, in custody before he is eligible to apply for parole.
Judge Clark told Rashidi he would only be released if he was no longer considered a danger to the public.
He warned him that it was possible he would remain in prison for the rest of his life.
DS Tom Penistone, of Wakefield District Adult Safeguarding unit, said: 'The woman who Rashidi so seriously assaulted showed amazing bravery through the criminal process and I wish to pay tribute to her.
'The fact that she has asked us to warn residents to make sure they properly secure their properties speaks volumes for her character.'
In Torquay, stickers and posters have appeared in the town centre threatening street beggars that they will be photographed, and their photographs checked with the authorities to see if they are genuinely homeless
A row has erupted over a vigilante campaign to drive fake beggars off the streets of a picturesque seaside resort.
Campaigners and business owners in Torquay, Devon, have been photographing and challenging people they suspect of posing as rough sleepers.
But their actions have been criticised by police and charity workers, who argue that people in genuine need are being branded as 'fake homeless'.
Torbay police inspector Si Jenkinson said: 'The dangerous practice of 'outing' people as professional criminals based on often unverifiable information fails to acknowledge the very complex vulnerabilities and chaotic lives of those concerned.'
In Torquay, stickers and posters have appeared in the town centre threatening street beggars they will be photographed, and their pictures checked with the authorities to see if they are genuinely homeless, or professional beggars exploiting the plight of others.
The campaigners said it had been a huge success, and had led to a fall in the number of ambulance callouts to the town centre, possibly because there were fewer drug users posing as beggars.
Like many areas, the so-called English Riviera has had problems with street drinkers taking 'legal highs' such as Spice.
The campaign Killing with Kindness urged residents and visitors not to give money to 'fake beggars' who it was claimed would only spend it on drink and drugs.
Ashley Sims, of the charity Humanity Torbay, said: 'One thing these people don't like is being photographed or filmed, so we've gone and done that.
'We have identified who is genuine with the relevant charities and their names and if they are homeless or not.
'Five of them have told us they won't go begging anymore if I don't out their photo up. Of the 17 photographed, only two were genuine street homeless.'
The chairman of a long standing charity working with Torbay's homeless has called the new campaign a 'disgrace'
Police say there are no rough sleepers in Ely Police have claimed every beggar in Ely, in Cambridgeshire, is a fraud who makes a 'substantial amount of money'. Officers have stated there are no genuine rough sleepers in Ely and are concerned the 'homeless' are misleading people. Members of the public have been urged to give them food or warm drinks instead of money. Advertisement
The Torbay action was criticised by Friends of Factory Row, a charity that runs the town's only homeless hostel.
Nick Pannell, chairman of the charity, said: 'This persecuting of vulnerable adults on our streets is a disgrace and those involved in encouraging it should be ashamed of themselves.
'The Fake Homeless Campaign claimed there were 17 beggars in Torquay but only two who were genuinely homeless. How do they know that and what is genuine homelessness?
'Contrary to wildly exaggerated reports, not much money is made from begging. After years of volunteering at the Leonard Stocks Centre I've got to know some of the faces.
'Begging is generally a desperate bid to scrape together a few coins to buy drugs or alcohol.
'They are not professional beggars changing out of smart designer clothes into rags, but genuinely desperate, sad, lonely, alienated human beings with profound problems.'
Ellie Waugh (left) is the founder and chairman of Humanity Torbay who have launched a new campaign called Killing with Kindness
The Killing with Kindness campaign was started to urge people not to give money to beggars and instead give it to charities who provide food and clothing
Mr Pannell added: 'Rough sleepers, beggars and drug addicts in Torquay have been subject to tirades of abuse in recent weeks.
'It dehumanises them to out them at risk of further marginalisation and even assault.'
Local charity PATH (People Assisting Torbay's Homeless) said they were 'strongly opposed' to the naming and shaming scheme.
They added: 'The complexity of reasons why someone is compelled to beg is not straightforward. Leave it to the professionals who are trained to help complex needs and crime.
'Being bullied, persecuted, targeted are not acceptable in any society nor do they do anything but incite hatred and hysteria.'
Devon and Cornwall armed response officer Sgt Harry Tangye tweeted: 'This is a complicated subject. Leave it to the professional charities, not those who think they have a short cut.'
Homelessness is becoming an increasing issue for politicians.
Last year, Manchester mayor Andy Burnham vowed to spend 15 per cent of his 110,000 salary on tacking the issue of rough sleeping in the city.
Mayor of London Sadiq Khan also launched a major homelessness campaign at Christmas.
Simon Dudley, the Conservative leader of Windsor Council, was criticised last month for saying rough sleepers should be cleared from the town centre for May's royal wedding.
Last week the council said its plans to fine homeless people 100 for antisocial behaviour needed 'further work' after public criticism.
Last month, Bournemouth council was branded 'shameful' for its decision to install steel bars on benches to deter homeless people from sleeping there.
Council leaders said they were installed in response to complaints from shop owners who said their customers could not sit down because of rough sleepers.
However outraged locals said the bars were a 'design against humanity' and accused the town hall officials of taking a needlessly aggressive approach to the homeless.
In Bristol, the owners of a tanning salon were criticised after they installed sprinklers to discourage people from sleeping outside the shop.
The sprinklers switch on in the evening and drop water from the roof, making it highly uncomfortable for homeless people to sleep there.
Police hunting the killers of a retired company director who was battered to death in in his own home have released images of the jewellery stolen during the raid - including a 16th century gold coin.
Arthur Gumbley, 87, died three weeks after thugs brutally attacked him when they raided his 700,000 gated property on November 21 last year.
The company director, known as Bob, was found in a pool of blood after he was repeatedly kicked and punched at his house on Endwood Drive in leafy Sutton Coldfield, West Midlands.
Arthur Gumbley, pictured after the attack, suffered horrific injuries when he was beaten by thugs who raided his 700,000 home
The horrifying attack saw the raiders flee with expensive gold and silver jewellery, cash and a purse belonging to Mr Gumbley's late wife.
Police are still hunting Tom Joseph Ward (left), 17, and they wish to quiz them about his whereabouts on the day of the incident which left Mr Gumbley with horrific injuries
They also took a 470-year-old Henry VIII Angel gold coin, that had been forged between 1544-1547.
As well as the coin, they stole a gold women's necklace and bracelet and three silver and gold rings.
At the time, Staffordshire Police released shocking pictures of Mr Gumbley's injuries as he lay in his hospital bed in a bid to catch his attackers while he was still alive.
Last week, officers arrested a 28-year-old man in Castleford, West Yorkshire, in connection with the murder.
Detectives are still hunting Tom Joseph Ward, 17, of Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, who they named as a suspect earlier this month.
Ward, who is said to reside occasionally in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, is described as 5ft 8ins, of average build and with an Irish accent.
Among the items stolen in the raid was a Henry VIII Angel Gold Coin, pictured is what the 470-year-old coin looks like, it was forged between 1544-1547
The 87-year-old suffered horrific injuries in the attack with his daughter revealing that the company director had wondered why it had happened to him
Earlier today, police released images of the items stolen during the robbery which they are looking to trace and reunite with Mr Gumbley's family.
Detective Inspector Dan Ison said: 'If we can return any or all of the stolen items to this grieving family, it is at least some comfort that they have not lost everything in this terrible incident.
'And if we can secure evidence of where the items may have gone after the incident, or who may have handled them, it may help us to track the two men wanted in connection with Arthur's murder.
'We are still keen to talk to Tom Joseph Ward who is wanted in connection with the murder of Arthur and therefore should you have any information that would help us locate him please contact us or alternatively via Crimestoppers where there is a 10,000 reward being offered.'
Police are trying to return the stolen items to Mr Gumbley's family, pictured is a gold sovereign that was also taken
As well as the coins taken, the thugs stole a gold women's necklace and bracelet and three silver and gold rings, as well as Mr Gumbley's late wife's purse
Officers had initially arrested two men and two women following his death on suspicion of murder, they were later released on conditional bail.
Speaking at a press conference after the attack, Mr Gumbley's daughter Sue said before he died: 'It's started to become real to him now, and he's said he's scared.
'His question is, why did it happen to him? What did he do wrong? How do you tell somebody that? That he did nothing wrong?
The silver ring pictured was also stolen by the thugs who raided Mr Gumbley's home and left him in a pool of his own blood
'To see your dad, that you've looked up to all these years, sitting in a pool of blood is just awful.'
Mr Gumbley ran a successful heating and plumbing supplies company before retiring.
Anyone with information on the stolen goods or the whereabouts of Ward are asked to contact police on 101 quoting incident number 828 of 21 Nov 2017.
Potential migrants will be covertly investigated to test how likely they are to integrate into Australian society under a shakeup of immigration laws, it has been revealed.
Analysts will look at how likely a person is to commit to Western beliefs of gender equality, freedom of speech and freedom of religion before they leave their home country, according to Home Affairs Secretary Michael Pezzullo.
They will then be subjected to two further rounds of tests after they arrive in Australia and when they apply for citizenship, Mr Pezzullo added.
Anyone looking to migrate to Australia will be subjected to three layers of checks, including covert analysis to determine how likely they are to integrate (file image)
The measures are aimed at helping to weedle out extremists and make sure people are not lying when they take their citizenship exam.
Speaking to the Daily Telegraph, Mr Pezzullo said: 'Prior to you even getting citizenship, before you even migrate, the government is looking at how do you make an assessment using intelligence, using all sources of information.
The plans are being proposed by Home Affairs Secretary Michael Pezzullo and are being considered by the government
'(Citizenship) can't simply be a test. You also have to link other data sources in to look at lived behaviour and experience.
'There will be three assessment points; before they get here, while they are here and then when they apply for citizenship.'
Citizenship and Multicultural Affairs Minister Alan Tudge later gave the example of failing to stand for a judge as evidence that a person is unlikely to integrate.
He added that the proposed changes will also feature a strengthening of the English language requirement.
The new assessment is not yet law and is still being considered by the government.
As of June 30, 2016, more than a quarter of Australia's population was born overseas, according to figures from the Australian Bureau of Statistics.
Between 2015 and 2016, net overseas migration meant almost 200,000 more people living in the country.
Of the foreigners living in this country, by far the greatest number had come from the UK, followed by New Zealand, China and then India.
A judge has ruled that 'Pharma Bro' Martin Shkreli was responsible for nearly $10.5 million in losses in his securities fraud case.
The amount set on Monday by Judge Kiyo Matsumoto could result in a harsher punishment for Shkreli, 34, at his March 9 sentencing.
The judge rejected arguments by lawyers for the former pharmaceutical CEO that investors in his failed hedge funds didn't suffer actual losses because he paid them back with drug company stock.
A judge has ruled that 'Pharma Bro' Martin Shkreli was responsible for nearly $10.5 million in losses in his securities fraud case
She found Shkreli should be penalized for the losses because he made risky transactions with investors' millions without their permission.
He was convicted at a trial last year of defrauding investors in two hedge funds, MSMB Capital and MSMB Healthcare, he ran, and of securities fraud in connection with a drug company he founded, Retrophin.
Shkreli and his lawyers were hoping he would receive either no time in prison, or 16 months or less, CNBC reported.
His lawyer, Benjamin Brafman, said in a statement, 'Disappointed by the ruling but still hopeful that the court will find it in her heart to impose a reasonably lenient sentence on March 9th.'
Shkreli was convicted on charges he cheated investors in two failed hedge funds
His defense team has argued that Shkreli owes nothing, because the hedge fund investors actually ended up making a profit off drug company stock he gave them. It also says that unlike most securities fraud cases, Shkreli himself never made anything off the scheme.
'This case was never about money as far as Mr. Shkreli is concerned,' the defense said in court papers. The papers added: 'Simply put, Mr. Shkreli was not indicted because he stole anyone's money.'
He is currently being held in a Brooklyn, New York, federal jail awaiting sentencing. He faces up to 20 years in prison.
Shkreli earned the nickname 'Pharma Bro' for boosting the price of a life-saving drug and for trolling his critics on social media.
A Trump Organization executive said Monday that the company has donated profits from foreign government patrons at its hotel properties to the U.S. Treasury, but he wouldn't say how much.
Executive Vice President and Chief Compliance Counsel George Sorial said in a statement that the donation was made on Feb. 22 and includes profits from Jan. 20 through Dec. 31, 2017. The company declined to provide a sum or breakdown of the amounts by country.
The company touted the donation as making good on its ethics pledge to donate foreign government profits during Trump's presidency, but a watchdog group immediately criticized the organization for not providing details.
The Trump Organization has given the U.S. Treasury its 2017 hotel profits from business with foreign governments at properties like the Trump International in Washington, D.C., but it's not saying how big a check it wrote to Uncle Sam
The real estate company Trump founded has a crown jewel on Pennsylvania Avenue just blocks from the White House, and it's become ground zero for dignitaries visiting the U.S. making ethics advocates worried about foreigners buying influence in the Oval Office
President Donald Trump has pledged to eliminate financial entanglements and other conflicts of interest with foreigners, but ethics activist groups are skeptical
'The refusal of both the administration and the Trump Organization to provide any details about the amount or recipients of the profits that the president promised to donate is emblematic of the secrecy with which Mr. Trump has operated both in government and in his business affairs,' said Norm Eisen, chairman of the watchdog group Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington.
'When you're getting sums of money from foreign governments, it raises the question of whether your decisions are motivated by those flows of funds to your own pocket book or the best interests of the United States,' Eisen said.
Sorial said the profits were calculated using 'our policy and the Uniform System of Accounts for the Lodging Industry.' The U.S. Treasury did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
George Sorial (right), the Trump Organization's executive VP and chief compliance counsel said Monday that the Treasury got all the profits from foreign governments that date from between Inauguration Day and the end of 2017
Watchdog group Public Citizen questioned the spirit of the pledge in a letter to the Trump Organization earlier this month since the methodology used for donations would seemingly not require any donation from unprofitable properties receiving foreign government revenue.
The Trump International Hotel & Tower Las Vegas is another high profile property that attracts visitors from all over the world and some of them may be government officials
Ethics experts had already found problems with the pledge made at a news conference before Trump's inauguration because it didn't include all his properties, such as his resorts, and left it up to Trump to define 'profit.'
The pledge was supposedly made to ameliorate the worry that Trump was violating the Constitution's emoluments clause, which bans the president's acceptance of foreign gifts and money without Congress' permission.
Several lawsuits have challenged Trump's ties to his business ventures and his refusal to divest from them. The suits allege that foreign governments' use of Trump's hotels and other properties violates the emoluments clause.
Trump's attorneys have challenged the premise that a hotel room is an 'emolument' but announced the pledge to 'do more than what the Constitution requires' by donating foreign profits at the news conference. Later, questions emerged about exactly what this would entail.
Are foreign diplomats staying at Trump International Hotel in New York City when the United Nations General Assembly meets? The company isn't saying, but promises that any profits from such transactions now belong to the American people
An eight-page pamphlet provided by the Trump Organization to the House Oversight Committee in May said that the company planned to send the Treasury only profits obviously tied to foreign governments, and not ask guests questions about the source of their money because that would 'impede upon personal privacy and diminish the guest experience of our brand.'
'It's bad that Trump won't divest himself and establish a truly blind trust, and it's worse that he won't be transparent,' said Rep. Elijah Cummings, a Maryland Democrat and ranking member on the House Oversight Committee.
He called the Republicans refusal to do oversight, such as subpoena documents, that would shed light on Trump's conflicts of interest 'unconscionable.'
A British man and his new bride saw the tragic Grand Canyon helicopter crash that killed four friends from the UK - just minutes after they got married.
Finance worker Chris Parish, from London, exchanged vows with Swedish fiancee Anna Haglund in an intimiate ceremony with just the two of them.
But just minutes after the happiest moment of their lives, they watched on in horror and said the helicopter 'crashed and exploded in front of our eyes'.
Anna Haglund took to Instagram to explain what she and her partner saw on the tragic day, saying that the crash was 'hard to believe'
The chopper plummeted 600ft into the rocky canyon and burst into flames before survivors were seen staggering out of the inferno, with one woman heard screaming.
The tragic crash, which happened on February 10, killed Stuart Hall, 30, his girlfriend Becky Dobson, 27, and his older brother Jason Hill, 32, as well as their friend Jonathan Udall, 32.
After the horrific crash, newly married Anna Haglund took to Instagram and posted a picture of the Grand Canyon, together with a broken heart emoji.
She then shared a photo of her and her husband Chris' wedding rings.
On Friday, before learning that the injured Jonathan Udall had also died, she wrote on the social media website: 'Chris and I got legally married before our April wedding due to complications with paperwork in UK.
'We decided that the easiest thing to do was to fly to the state of Nevada and loving adventure Grand Canyon was an obvious place for our ceremony. The plan was to keep this secret.
'Things didn't go as planned.
Ellie Milward and her husband Jonathan Udall (pictured left on their wedding day) were airlifted to hospital with serious injuries in a crash that killed their friends Becky Dobson and Stuart Hill (right)
'Shortly after our ceremony in Grand Canyon a helicopter crashed and exploded in front of our eyes, three people lost their lives and four got critically injured.
'It's hard to believe what we witnessed but unfortunately it's true.'
The couple now live in Bermuda and keep their wedding rings on as a reminder of the terrible crash.
In a later post, she added: 'Chris and I care very little that our day was 'ruined', three people lost their lives and didn't make it out of Grand Canyon that day.
Ellie and Jon Udall (pictured together) were on their honeymoon when the aircraft crashed. Mr Udall passed away after twelve days in intensive care, while his wife is still critical
'Due to the shock I even have limited memories of the ceremony. Our April wedding will be the day when we fully embrace our marriage and love for each other.
'We do wear our wedding bands though. We were planning on taking them off but the tragedy in Grand Canyon is a reminder of how lucky we are to have each other and that we never want to be apart.
'So keeping the rings on is the right thing in this situation even though our wedding is 2 months away.'
The couple's ceremony was held by Las Vegas reverend Lionel Douglass, 63, who described seeing the horror crash.
He said: 'After performing a wedding I usually give the newly married couple a few minutes to spend by themselves, drinking champagne, etc.
'I noticed a helicopter coming into the Grand Canyon and I saw it making a circle and I said to myself, "that's not where they usually land."
Couple Stuart Hill and Becky Dobson (pictured) both died instantly in the crash, alongside Stuart's brother Jason
'I turned to my helicopter pilot and asked about the helicopter in the air, and as soon as we turned around and I looked at it, it tilted, went down, broke in half, then hit the ground and there was a big explosion.'
Mrs Ellie Udall, 29 and the wife of Jonathan Udall, managed to clamber free but her husband was trapped in the wreckage for eight hours as emergency services struggled to get access to the scene of the crash.
More than 21,000 has been raised for Mr and Mrs Udall who were on their honeymoon at the time, according to a JustGiving crowdfunding webpage.
Jason Hill's girlfriend Jennifer Barham, 39, also survived the accident.
They remained critically ill at the University Medical Center in Las Vegas, along with the American pilot Scott Booth, 42.
The scene in the Grand Canyon after the tragic helicopter crash on February 10 that claimed the lives of four UK friends, with three people still critically ill
The helicopter crashed on tribal land in a section of the Grand Canyon outside of the national park where air tours are not as highly regulated.
The cause of the crash is being investigated by the National Transportation Safety Board.
Investigators will interview witnesses, survivors, the helicopter operator and manufacturer and others before issuing a full report in at least a year's time.
Preliminary findings are expected before the end of the month.
Following the crash, a Foreign Office spokeswoman said: 'We are providing support to the families of six British visitors involved in a helicopter accident at the Grand Canyon on February 10, and we are in close contact with the US emergency services.'
First lady Melania Trump showed support for the student activists from the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, who are advocating for stricter gun control laws.
'I have been heartened to see children across this country using their voices to speak out and try to create change,' Melania Trump said at White House luncheon Monday. 'They're our future and they deserve a voice.'
The first lady addressed the Valentine's Day shooting at the top of her four-minute-long remarks, given to the political spouses of those attending the National Governors Association in Washington, D.C., these last few days.
First lady Melania Trump made brief remarks at a luncheon for governors' spouses at the White House Monday
First lady Melania Trump said she was 'heartened' to see the vocal students speak up in the aftermath of the Parkland, Florida shooting
'They're our future and they deserve a voice,' the first lady told the small crowd, gathered at four different tables for a spouses luncheon, and using Lady Bird Johnson's china
After her remarks, the first lady sat down at the nearest table for a luncheon that is part of the National Governors Association winter meeting
Walking into the Blue Room in a sleeveless blush dress, the first lady talked to the four tables of attendees, who were about to eat lunch on Lady Bird Johnson's ornate china.
'Before I begin, I want to be sure we take a moment to reflect on the horrific shooting in Florida,' the first lady said. 'Our continued thoughts and prayers go out to all who were affected by such a senseless act.'
'As a parent, I cannot imagine the kind of grief and tragedy like that brings,' she continued. 'And I hope and know we all find ourselves wondering what we can do to help.'
'In my year as first lady, I have also learned that it's oftentimes after a tragedy that you see the strength and resilience of the human spirit,' she added.
She then gave a tip-of-the-hat to the student activists.
The first lady touched on the topic of internet use she had announced in a November 3, 2016 speech she would tackle cyberbullying as first lady and opioid addiction too, before asking for the governors' spouses help on children's issues.
'In my role as First Lady I want to nurture and protect the most valuable part of our society and our future, children,' she said. 'I hope you will join me today in my efforts and ask for your support.'
'My office will be reaching out to many of you in the future as we travel the country and work to promote and fight for the well-being of our children,' the first lady added.
Since the Parkland, Florida massacre President Trump has floated various ideas on how to deal with school shootings.
Most recently he's been interested in arming teachers at schools.
He also said Monday that he was still intent on banning bump stocks, the devices that turn semi-automatic weapons into machine gun, and were used in October's deadly Las Vegas shooting.
On Saturday, the president also retweeted a Sandy Hook conspiracy theorist, who suggested the mourning parents from the 2012 shooting were 'crisis actors.'
Trump's tweet showcased radio host Wayne Dupree taking about being a black conservative four years ago, with the president chiming in about the more recent black unemployment rate.
In the aftermath of the Feb. 14 shooting in Parkland, Dupree had been criticizing the activists from the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, posting on social media that he thought they were play-acting, while questioning their sexuality.
'Unfortunately, you can already tell these kids are going to be card-carrying leftists,' Dupree wrote beneath an image of Emma Gonzalez and David Hogg on CNN, two of the most vocal students.
'I hate to be blunt despite what tragedy they went through, but both those kids look like they are going to be future members of the LGBTQXYZ movement,' Dupree said.
President Donald Trump said his administration would take unilateral action to ban bump stocks an action that the NRA does not support and that is the subject of legislative efforts in Congress.
Speaking to governors at the White House Monday, Trump cast the drive to ban the gun accessory as something he would do personally although he has tasked Attorney General Jeff Sessions, who oversees the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms, to deal with it.
'Bump stocks, we're writing that out. Im writing that out myself. I dont care if Congress does it or not, Im writing it out myself,' Trump told the governors.
The president's press secretary admitted later that the president may not have the power to unilaterally ban the firearm accessory by categorizing it as a machine gun like he said earlier in the day that he would.
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'Im writing that out myself': Trump said he would get rid of bump stocks, which allow for a semi-automatic gun to fire like an automatic
Trump had appeared to tip the hand of a regulatory strategy at a bipartisan event with governors on Monday.
'You put it into the machine gun category, which is what it is It becomes essentially a machine gun and nobody's gonna be able - it's going to be very hard to get 'em,' he said.
He seemed to be saying that regulators would consider bump stocks to be a machine gun, which is banned under existing gun laws.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms already concluded that bump stocks are an accessory that can't be regulated under current authority.
And such a move could be considered an end-run around Congress, where a bump stock ban is among numerous legislative gun control fixes being proposed.
Trump signed a memo last week directing his attorney general to find a way to ban bump stocks anyway -- stepping on an ongoing ATF review of the devices.
A comment period on a proposal to reclassify the firearms as machine guns based on the existing guidelines ended in January. ATF is currently reviewing the more than 100,000 responses it received.
Mentioning Trump's memo today, White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders first said that the president had ordered the Department of Justice and ATF to 'work on outlawing bump stocks, so we dont have to wait for a legislative fix.'
'However, if we cannot find an administrative fix we would support a legislative solution to complete that,' she said.
Mentioning Trump's memo today, White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders first said that the president had ordered the Department of Justice and ATF to 'work on outlawing bump stocks, so we dont have to wait for a legislative fix'
Sanders essentially acknowledged with the addendum that the administration - and by extension Trump - doesn't necessarially have the authority to ban bump stocks.
In 2010, ATF determined that bump stocks are an unregulated accessory and not a machine gun because device does not allow rifles to fire automatically with a single pull of the trigger. The rifle will always recock and reset the trigger function before it fires again.
'The stock has no automatically functioning mechanical parts or springs and performs no automatic mechanical function when installed,' ATF said.
It reaffirmed that position in 2012.
Sen. Dianne Feinstein pointed to a previous ATF ruling on bump stocks when Trump first announced his directive in a statement urging him to back legislation.
An ATF guideline that conflicts with its previous statements is likely to wind up contested in courts, she said.
Congress has so far failed to pass legislation responding to the Las Vegas massacre during a which a bump stock was used only to see the Parkland, Florida school shooting once again put mass shootings in the national spotlight.
Bump stocks essentially grip the stock of a semi-automatic rifle, allowing a shooter to hold the trigger and rely on the gun's recoil to establish essentially automatic firing.
'Im waiting for the next process but its gone. Just dont worry about it. Its gone,' Trump said. 'Were going to make it so tough that youre not going to get em.'
Then he trashed the device itself.
'Bump stocks -- you shoot rapidly but not accurately,' Trump said. 'The bullets come out fast but you don't know where the hell they're going.
A bump stock is installed on an AK-47 and its movement is demonstrated at Good Guys Gun and Range on February 21, 2018 in Orem, Utah. The bump stock is a device when installed allows a semi-automatic to fire at a rapid rate much like a fully automatic gun
A bump stock device that fits on a semi-automatic rifle to increase the firing speed, making it similar to a fully automatic rifle, is shown here at a gun store on October 5, 2017 in Salt Lake City, Utah. Congress is talking about banning this device after it was reported to of been used in the Las Vegas shootings on October 1, 2017
Trump spoke about bump stocks and praised the NRA at a meeting with governors
President Donald Trump speaks during a meeting with the members of the National Governors Association in the State Dining Room of the White House, Monday, Feb. 26, 2018, in Washington
Bump stocks gained attention after the Las Vegas massacre, where the shooter was found to have a bump stock device after locking himself into an upper floor casino hotel room and rained down fire on concertgoers.
The National Rifle Association doesn't support a bump stock ban.
'The NRA doesnt back any ban, the NRA has asked the ATF to do its job and make sure that these classifications are consistent,' spokeswoman Dana Loesch told ABC's 'This Week' on Sunday.
Trump has continued to defend the group, saying he secretly met with the organization's leaders over the weekend, while also saying that sometimes politicians have to fight the NRA.
The president also tweaked the governors and politicians generally for being 'afraid' of the gun group.
'You guys - half a you are so afraid of the NRA there's nothing to be afraid of. And you know what, if they're not with you we have to fight them every once in a while, that's okay,' Trump said.
He also said, 'These guys are great patriots. They're great people, and they want to do something - they're going to do something.'
Trump luncheon with the NRA's head honcho had not been on his schedule. It only became public because he blabbed about it during his remarks on Monday to the nation's governors.
'Obviously, the President wasn't trying to keep it under wraps, or he wouldn't have announced it so publicly,' Sanders said Monday of the meal. 'It was a productive conversation, and I think everyone is in agreement that things need to be done and we have to have some changes take place to do what we can to protect America's kids.'
Sanders swatted a suggestion that Trump had softened his positions on gun control measures because he broke break with NRA CEO Wayne LaPierre.
'To try to pretend like he's being influenced by any one group would be ridiculous, considering the number of individuals he's met with that come from both the far left to the far right, and a lot of those in between,' she asserted. 'And we're going to continue those conversations and meet with bipartisan lawmakers on Wednesday, later this week.'
The NRA has also sided against Trump on a proposal to raise the age limit for certain firearms sales from 18 to 21.
Trump said last week that his White House would be strongly considering it only to drop it from a speech on Friday to conservative activists after phone calls with another NRA executive and leave it out of his remarks to governors Monday at the White House.
Sanders insisted Monday that Trump wasn't softening his position because of the NRA.
'I don't think it's at all a downgrade. I think we're talking specifically about implementation and what this process would look like, what specific pieces of legislation might look like. And we haven't seen those yet, so it would be premature for us to weigh in. But, as I said, the President is still supportive of the concept,' she stated.
Sanders explained later in response to another question on the topics, 'We haven't seen the legislation in form yet, and so we're not going to speak to potential legislation that doesn't exist that may have a lot of different nuanced language.
'In concept, the President still supports it,; she added, 'but in terms of legislation, we'd need to see what that looks like before we weigh in further.'
This reckless motorist risked their life as they tried to squeeze a car through the tiniest of gaps on a packed motorway.
Swerving from left to right, nerve-shredding footage shows a white vehicle in China attempting to overtake on a busy road.
The car is seen swinging across two lanes into the central reservation of the highway where it strikes a metal barrier before being launched into the air.
Sparks fly as the car flips across the width of the road, its right rear wheel lifting entirely off the ground.
As it grinds to a halt, the rogue vehicle smashes into the bonnet of the car from which the dashcam footage is being filmed.
It's side crashes into the windscreen filling the driver's view.
Nerve-shredding footage shows a car in China attempting to overtake on a busy road. Sparks fly as their vehicle slams into the barriers on the central reservation
The scene was captured on February 20 in the late afternoon in Jingmen city in Hubei Province, central China.
Despite endangering numerous lives the hot-headed driver reportedly received only a fine.
Fortunately, nobody was injured in the smash, reported local Chinese media.
Mark Rowley (pictured) called for police, social workers and family court judges to step in and protect the vulnerable families of twisted extremists
Violent Islamists should be treated like paedophiles and have their children taken away from them, Britains top counter terrorist officer said last night.
Mark Rowley called for police, social workers and family court judges to step in and protect the vulnerable families of twisted extremists.
The Scotland Yard chief officer said terrorist propaganda and sexual abuse were equally wicked forces for children.
But, he warned, extremists were often left to care for impressionable youngsters despite convictions for violence and spreading hate.
In a keynote speech, Mr Rowley also warned against underestimating the threat of the Far Right as he revealed four plots were foiled last year.
Delivering a comprehensive assessment of the enduring terrorist threat on the eve of his retirement, the top police officer:
Called for the British Islamic State killers dubbed The Beatles to face justice, adding: Locking them up and throwing away the key would be a good idea.
Urged web giants to do more to stop terrorists plotting attacks, spreading vile propaganda and hiding behind the anonymity of the dark web.
Branded Far Right and Islamist extremists a toxic combination who feed off each other to spread hatred and division.
Painted a stark picture of the challenge facing police and MI5, with more than 600 ongoing investigations into at least 3,000 suspects.
Mr Rowley is stepping down from the Metropolitan Police just months after leading the nations response to five catastrophic terrorist attacks.
The Assistant Commissioner paid tribute to his emergency service colleagues and members of the public who acted with compassion, determination and heroism.
But he warned that the threat of Islamist terrorism was here to stay despite ISs loss of huge swathes of territory in Iraq and Syria.
Speaking ahead of a valedictory speech to the Policy Exchange think-tank, he said terrorist arrests increased by a third last year.
Mr Rowley criticised pro-Islamist groups, including Cage, and admitted the authorities have sometimes been too tolerant of intolerance.
He warned that firebrand Islamists and a resurgent Far Right often want to sow the same division, fear and mistrust.
Mr Rowley called for the British Islamic State killers dubbed The Beatles, a group which included Jihadi John (real name Mohammed Emwazi, pictured), to face justice
Mr Rowley compared the danger the children of some Islamists face to that of paedophiles, saying more could be done to protect them.
He said around 100 children have been safeguarded since the start of the conflict but the system must be improved.
The police, social services and the courts have a lot of experience of safeguarding work and taking cases through the family courts where there are paedophile parents, he said.
If we have got parents showing propaganda material does that pose a risk to children that should be treated in the same way as parents of paedophiles? It is the level of risk.
If you know parents are interested in sex with children, or if you know parents believe that people of their faith or their belief should hate everybody else and corrupt children for it, for me those are equally wicked environments to expose children to.
Turning to the fate of The Beatles, Mr Rowley said they must be put on public trial but declined to say in which country.
El Shafee Elsheikh (left) and Alexanda Kotey, members of the notorious execution group nicknamed The Beatles, were detained by US-allied Kurdish militia fighters in January
This month, the final two members of the notorious terror cell were captured close to the Syrian border with Iraq.
The gangs leader, Mohammed Emwazi, better known as Jihadi John, was killed in a 2015 drone strike. The fourth is in a Turkish prison.
Mr Rowley said: The people that have done the most gravest things overseas, the ones that do not fight to the death, we would all like to see them never able to do anyone any harm ever again.
Locking them up and throwing the key away would be a great idea, it depends on the jurisdictions legal framework, whether there is evidence to meet everyones assumptions. Mr Rowley said the ability of extremists and terrorists to ply their trade through the internet remains a matter of grave concern.
He said it cannot be right that someone can be radicalised, exchange encrypted messages with terrorists, research targets without a trace and buy bomb materials - all online.
But he added the biggest internet companies, mostly based in the US, have improved their response and he hoped smaller firms will follow suit.
He compared the efforts of Google, Facebook and Twitter to the reluctance of the banking sector to help chase out dirty money when police first asked for help.
Mr Rowley is stepping down from the Metropolitan Police just months after leading the nations response to five catastrophic terrorist attacks
The top officer said companies are finally rolling up their sleeves and that progress will be made by persuasion and regulation.
Asked whether the authorities have been too politically correct to single out some groups for fostering extremism, Mr Rowley said it was a sensitive area.
I think there are times when we have been tolerant of intolerance. That is a phrase other people have used as well, he said.
This requires careful handling. If the State is over assertive in tackling issues you can aggravate problems. If you are overly cautious you allow things to fester and grow.
Mr Rowley called on the public to join the struggle against terrorism, saying there are a million things people can do to counter extremist views.
It is about being tolerant and united members of society, not falling for some of the nonsense with which others try to create fear and discord he said.
Potential successors to Mr Rowley, who steps down next month after a 31 year career, including his colleagues Helen Ball and Neil Basu as well as West Midlands Chief Dave Thompson.
With March fast approaching, grown ups and kids all over the UK begin to prepare for World Book Day 2018, a day that celebrates books, reading and writing.
Even though a recent Mumsnet survey on World Book Day found that over one in ten respondents found World Book 2017 a major hassle, the majority of people still agree that World Book Day is a great way of celebrating books.
Here is all the information on World Book Day 2018 including when is it, what is it and World Book Day costumes.
When is World Book Day 2018?
World Book Day takes place on the first Thursday of March meaning World Book Day 2018 will be on Thursday, March 1, 2018.
World Book Day 2018 will take place on the first Thursday of March, which falls on March 1
However, World Book Day in other countries takes places on other dates. The UN designates April 23 as World Book Day, citing its literary symbolism: It is on this date in 1616 that Cervantes, Shakespeare and Inca Garcilaso de la Vega all died.
It is also the date of birth or death of other prominent authors, such as Maurice Druon, Haldor K.Laxness, Vladimir Nabokov, Josep Pla and Manuel Mejia Vallejo.
However, an April 23 World Book Day in the UK would clash with St Georges Day as well as Easter holidays. As The organisers of World Book Day in the UK say: We take into consideration religious holidays, school terms and potential conflict with other charitable activities.
The first ever World Book Day took place in 1995.
What is World Book Day?
The aim of World Book Day is to celebrate reading and everything to do with it. As it says on the World Book Day website: 'Its a celebration of authors, illustrators, books.
In fact, its the biggest celebration of its kind, designated by UNESCO as a worldwide celebration of books and reading, and marked in over 100 countries all over the world.
http://www.worldbookday.com/wobod/ A post shared by Stephan von Clinkerhoffen (@stephanvonclinkerhoffen) on Feb 26, 2018 at 9:15am PST
World Book Day tokens
On World Book Day, kids all over the country receive special tokens from National Book Tokens Ltd that allows them to purchase books for 1.
According to the World Book Day charity, some 15 million tokens are sent out every year, which adds up to one token for nearly every child under the age of eighteen in the country.
The tokens apply to a special 1 book list made for World Book Day 2018 and includes titles such as Michael Bonds Paddington Turns Detective and Brain Freeze, by Tom Fletcher.
Want a sneaky peek inside this year's 1 books? Here's
Paddington Turns Detective and Other Funny Stories by the dearly missed Michael Bond & @HarperCollinsCh https://t.co/P9BKJwzOFy World Book Day UK (@WorldBookDayUK) February 26, 2018
For young adults, the tokens can go towards five 2.50 books including Gangsta Rap by Benjamin Zephaniah.
The tokens can also be used to get 1 off any full price book.
World Book Day Costumes
Dressing up as famous literary characters is a big part of World Book Day. According to the Mumsnet poll, most kids dressed up as Roald Dahl characters for World Book Day 2017, with Harry Potter costumes coming in second place.
However, World Book Day 2018 costume ideas may be dominated by JK Rowlings characters after the likes of Primark began to launch World Book Day costume ranges. The clothing brand will sell Harry Potter, Alice in Wonderland and other costumes for as low as 5.
Others are getting in on the act, with ASDA introducing its own World Book Day costume range that features Peter Rabbit, Gruffalo and Disney Princess Cinderella costumes.
Police tracked down and arrested several rowdy off-road bikers Saturday on a busy highway in Massachusetts.
Boston Mayor Marty Walsh said in a statement the bikers have been causing a ruckus in the city and also a safety concern, which led to their arrest on Interstate 93 South.
'They caused a lot of problems. It was a nice day yesterday and they decided to take it on the highway and seven people were arrested,' Walsh said, according to CBS Boston.
The bikers, who were also on all-terrain vehicles, were seen swerving through traffic in newly-released footage as police pulled up behind the crew and one officer fired his weapon.
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Boston Mayor Marty Walsh said a gang of bikers in Boston have been causing a safety concern for the city
Police tracked down and arrested several rowdy bikers Saturday on Interstate 93 South
Several drivers were forced to stop as the bunch carelessly drove around the highway
The bikers were seen swerving through traffic in newly-released footage as police pulled up behind the crew
CBS Boston reported that one of the bikers was hit, but is said to be OK.
Several other drivers on the highway were forced to stop as the bunch carelessly cruised around.
'I think they're getting a little bold and they figure we can do this on our highways and that's a major concern,' Walsh said.
As many as 20 off-road vehicles were pulled from the road during the incident.
Aderito Monteiro, 28, pleaded not guilty to numerous charges Monday in court. The remaining six who were arrested are expected to appear in court on Tuesday
'Hopefully they'll think secondly about putting something like that on the highway again,' Walsh added.
The seven individuals who were arrested are currently facing charges.
Aderito Monteiro, 28, of Randolph, was pictured Monday at his arraignment for disorderly conduct, negligent operation, driving an uninsured ATV, failure to stop for police, marked lanes violation and operating an unregistered all-terrain vehicle.
Monteiro pleaded not guilty to the offenses and has been jailed on $2,000 bond.
The remaining individuals who were arrested are expected to appear in court on Tuesday.
As many as 20 off-road vehicles were pulled from the highway over the weekend
Walsh said the crew has 'caused a lot of problems' for the city and it was a 'nice day' when seven of them were arrested
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This isolated fortress in the middle of the sea gives you the opportunity to live like a king or queen, as you bask in a piece of Napoleonic history, if you are prepared to pay the 5,600 a night price tag.
Work started on the Napoleonic Fortress in the 1860's and took 17 years to complete after being built to protect Portsmouth harbour from a French invasion.
The impressive structure, which is situated in the middle of the Solent, boasts panoramic views across the ocean to the Isle of Wright.
This isolated fortress in the middle of the sea, situation between Portsmouth and the Isle of Wight gives you the opportunity to live like a king or queen - as you bask in a piece of Napoleonic history
Work started on the Napoleonic Fortress in the 1860's and took 17 years to complete after being built to protect Portsmouth harbour from a French invasion has now been given a glamorous make-over
The unique holiday property, which was formerly home to a 36 tonne cannon, also has breathtaking views of The Spinnaker Tower - a 560-foot landmark observation tower in Portsmouth.
Although it was originally constructed to protect the mainland the fortress is now available to hire for functions, parties, wedding receptions or a weekend break - if you're willing to splash the cash.
The dramatic building features a backdrop of waves, yachts and if you're lucky a breathtaking sunset, which can be viewed from the top floor of the fortress.
The fort is accessed by boat, making it a private island which is situated two hours away from London and close to Portsmouth and the Isle of Wight
The property combines history and luxury as the sympathetic refurbishment has kept many of the original features such as the windows, vaulted ceilings and the gun emplacements
The impressive structure, which is situated in the middle of the Solent, boasts panoramic views across the ocean to the Isle of Wright through its floor length windows in the bar
Although it was originally constructed to protect the mainland the fortress is now available to hire for functions, parties, wedding receptions or a weekend break - if you're willing to splash the cash
The property combines history and luxury as the sympathetic refurbishment has kept many of the original features such as the windows, vaulted ceilings and the gun emplacements.
Intrinsically private, the fort sleeps 18 in its nine individually designed en suit bedrooms which have been converted to exude opulence.
The fort is accessed by boat, making it a private island which is situated two hours away from London and close to Portsmouth and the Isle of Wight.
The unique holiday property, which was formerly home to a 36 tonne cannon, also has breathtaking views of The Spinnaker Tower - a 560-foot landmark observation tower in Portsmouth
Individual rooms start at 560 per night but if you fancy bringing a whole gang of family or friends to hire the entire place prices begin at 5,600 per night
The secluded spot may put you at risk of cabin fever, however there is plenty to keep guests entertained as the property includes a Champagne bar, function room, a library for a spot of light reading, and a gym
The secluded spot may put you at risk of cabin fever, however there is plenty to keep guests entertained as the property includes a Champagne bar, function room, a library for a spot of light reading, and a gym.
If that wasn't enough it also hosts two rooftop sun-decks - in case one wasn't enough - as well as a sauna, open air hot tub and a light house.
Individual rooms start at 560 per night but if you fancy bringing a whole gang of family or friends to hire the entire place prices begin at 5,600 per night.
If by chance guests get bored of the fortress it is in close proximity to both Portsmouth and the Isle of Wight, which have shops, restaurants and activities.
Continuing the theme of naval history, Portsmouth Historic Dockyard shows over 800 years of it - displays include the HMS Victory, HMS Warrior and the Mary Rose Museum.
Bookings can be made through Snaptrip.com.
If that wasn't enough it also hosts two rooftop sun-decks - in case one wasn't enough - as well as a sauna, open air hot tub and a light house
The fortress could easily be mistaken for a trendy bar, of which is has several, decked out with fashionable furnishings and caved brick ceilings, you'd be forgiven for forgetting you are in the middle of the sea
If by chance guests get bored of the fortress it is in close proximity to both Portsmouth and the Isle of Wight, which have shops, restaurants and activities
Intrinsically private, the fort sleeps 18 in its nine individually designed en suit bedrooms which have been converted to exude opulence
Continuing the theme of naval history, Portsmouth Historic Dockyard shows over 800 years of it - displays include the HMS Victory, HMS Warrior and the Mary Rose Museum
This venue will be the talk of the town and anyone attending an event here can't fail to be delighted and surprised at the pure drama of its unique setting
Never too far away from the mainland, the fort offers views of Spinnaker tower which is on view from the dining room where you are able to serve a delicious range of meals to your guests
A cosy billiards room is also included in the fortress package which would come in handy during wet weather when the sun-decks aren't the place you want to be spending your holiday
The dramatic building features a backdrop of waves, yachts and if you're lucky a breathtaking sunset, which can be viewed from the top floor of the fortress
Head to last minute UK rental provider Snaptrip.com for a deal on the fortress. Click here to book
The daughter of Bill Cosby passed away on Friday night at the age of 44.
Ensa Cosby died in Massachusetts, where the family has a large estate. A spokesperson for her father, Andrew Wyatt, announced on Monday afternoon that her death was caused by renal disease, with Ensa having suffered from kidney problems throughout her life.
Her passing comes one month before her father is set to be retried on rape charges in Pennsylvania this April.
This is the second child Cosby has lost, with son Ennis having been murdered in 1997 during a botched carjacking in Los Angeles.
Ensa is survived by her parents Bill and Camille, her siblings Erika, Erinn and Evin and her husband Martin McLean.
Sisters: Ensa Cosby (above) passed away Friday night at the age of 44 reports TMZ
Support system: She was a vocal supporter of her father during his 2017 sexual assault trial, stating that he had been 'publicly lynched in the media' (Ensa and her father in 2016)
Action: She starred on an episode of The Cosby Show (above circled in red) in 1989 during season six
Gone to soon: A spokesperson for Bill Cosby said that Ensa's death was caused by renal failure (above with friends on her wedding day)
Ensa was a yoga instructor at a studio just a few miles from the family compound in Shelburne Falls.
Bill and his wife Camille spend almost all of their time on the 21-acre estate, and have bought up hundreds of acres of land bordering the property to maintain their privacy.
Residents of the town told DailyMail.com back in 2015 that Bill and Camille are seldom seen in town, preferring to stay behind the gates of their compound.
It is also on that compound where the family buried Ennis after his death, with his body laid to rest beneath the herb garden on the property.
Ensa spent most of her youth in Massachusetts, but was still able to experience some incredible moments thanks to her famous dad.
As a child, she presented musician Miles Davis and actress Cicely Tyson with their wedding bands at their 1981 nuptials, which took place at the Cosby family home on Thanksgiving.
She also attended the inauguration of Nelson Mandela alongside her father, who was one of the South African leader's close friends.
Ensa married Martin McLean, 55, in August of 2013, just one year after the two met.
The ceremony took place at trinity Church in Shelburne Falls, and a large reception followed for guests.
Both Ensa and her groom had children from previous relationships at the time that they married.
One of his children, Matthew McLean, was tragically murdered by a friend who stabbed the 21-year-old 70 times back in 2015.
Since the wedding, both Ensa and her groom had been living on the family estate.
McLean had been arrested two years before the couple married in 2011 for attempting to fill a fraudulent prescription in order to obtain 90 pills of oxycodone according to court papers.
Those charges were dismissed with prejudice the following year after McLean entered and successfully completed a rehab program.
The Cosbys: Ensa, who was the basis for the character of Vanessa Huxtable on The Cosby Show, grew up in Massachusetts after Camille moved the family there (Bill and Camille with their children, l to r: Erika, Ensa, Ennis, Evin, Erinn)
Family: She is survived by her parents Bill and Camille, her siblings Erika, Erinn and Evin and her husband Martin McLean (Ensa, Erika and Evin above in 1992)
Family: Ensa worked as a yoga instructor at a studio near her parents' Massachusetts compound (Bill and Camille left in June, Bill right in January)
Home sweet homes: The Cosby family compound in Shelburne Falls, where Ensa and her husband lived (above)
Ensa was one of her father's most vocal supporters during his sexual assault trial back in 2017, and in a statement last May on The Breakfast Club said that the accusations being made against the comedian were racially motivated.
'I'm a very private person and I've chosen to live my life with my family quietly but for my child, my niece and my nephew, and my father, I can't sit quietly anymore. The man portrayed in the media today is not who my father is,' said Ensa.
'The accusations against my father have been one sided since the beginning, and when he tried to defend himself he was sued in civil court. I've seen the accusations become more horrific and extreme with time and I have witnessed my father's reputation and legendary work be dismissed without any proof.'
She continued: 'I strongly believe my father is innocent of the crimes alleged against him and I believe that racism has played a big role in all aspects of this scandal.'
Ensa then finished out that statement with some very strong words.
'My father has been publicly lynched in the media and my family, my young daughter, my young niece and nephew have had to stand helplessly by and watch the double standard or pretending to protect the rights of some but ignoring the rights of others,' said Ensa.
'And exposing innocent children to such appalling accusations about someone that they love dearly and who has been so loving and kind to them is beyond cruel.'
In an interview just days later with SiriusXM host Michael Smerconish, Cosby responded to his daughter's statement by saying: 'Could be, could be. I cant say anything, but there are certain things that I look at, and I apply to the situation, and there are so many tentacles. So many different - nefarious is a great word. And I just truly believe that some of it may very well be that.'
The Cosby women have long made a point of standing up for themselves in the media, no matter what public perception may be at that time.
In the wake of Ennis' death, Camille criticized the coverage of his passing by stating: 'Ennis William Cosby did not have a mother. I was a nonentity, an un-person. Yet, when my husband made his more than famous confession to the public about a brief 1970s liaison, my name was printed everywhere. Suddenly, I became well known; not as an intelligent person, but for reasons obviously undesirable.'
Camille also said in that essay that the media had taught her son's killer to hate black men.
The family has yet to issue a statement on Ensa's passing at this time.
A student shot three times in the Florida mass shooting broke down in tears as she was reunited with the equally emotional first responder who saved her life.
Maddy Wilford, 17, was hit in the chest, abdomen and arm when gunman Nikolas Cruz, 19, opened fire at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, on February 14.
The teen was found inside the school building, bleeding heavily, and was rushed to waiting ambulances outside.
Maddy Wilford (right) had an emotional reunion as she was reunited with the first responder that saved her, Lt. Laz Ojeda (left)
Lt. Laz Ojeda, of Coral Springs Fire Department, said he'd received orders to take her to a hospital 30 miles away but made what doctors referred to as a 'life-saving' split-second decision to take her to Broward Health North hospital, less than 10 miles away.
'I'm so grateful to be here & it wouldn't be possible without the officers & 1st responders & amazing doctors,' Maddy said, dabbing away at her tears at the press conference on Monday, according to CBS News.
'Especially all the love that everyone has sent. I wouldn't be here without it. I just want to send my appreciation and love out to all of you.
'I just love the fact we're sticking together.'
Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting survivor Maddy Wilford, left, wipes a tear as her father David looks on during a press conference at Broward Health North in Deerfield Beach, Florida
David Wilford, Maddy's father, also struggled to overcome his emotions as he thanked the cops and first responders for saving his daughter's life (pictured kissing the top of her head)
David Wilford, Maddy's father, also struggled to overcome his emotions as he thanked the cops and first responders for saving his daughter's life.
'I am very grateful to be sitting here next to my daughter, alive and well today. There are a lot of people to thank for Maddy's life,' he said.
Ojeda got choked up as he described the moment that he was treating Maddy in the back of the rescue vehicle.
He said that she was in shock and had serious injuries. He was able to keep her conscious and made the snap decision to redirect them to a closer hospital.
'I got into this job to help people. I guess when you are able to see it [help], it makes it that much better,' Ojeda said.
Lt. Laz Ojeda, (pictured wiping away a tear) of Coral Springs Fire Department, said he'd received orders to take her to a hospital 30 miles away but made what doctors referred to as a 'life-saving' split-second decision
Ojeda got choked up as he described the moment that he was treating Maddy in the back of the rescue vehicle
He said that she was in shock and had serious injuries they were treating. He was able to keep her conscious and made the snap decision to redirect them to a closer hospital
Igor Nichiporenko, M.D., Medical Director of Trauma Services, (left) said that Maddy was 'very lucky, very, very lucky' to have survived
The teen underwent three surgeries but has recovered very quickly although some bullet fragments remain inside her.
'She's very lucky, very, very lucky' said Igor Nichiporenko, M.D., medical director of trauma services at Broward Health North.
'I'm just glad that I'm making a full recovery and everything's been going so smoothly,' Maddy added.
Her mother, Missy Wilford, put her daughter's speedy recovery down to her inner strength.
'She knows who she is. She knows where she wants to go and what she wants in life. That strength & power helps you heal,' she said.
'It makes you want to get up and it makes you want to keep going. She is an inspiration to me and all of those that have reached out to us.
The high school officially reopens Wednesday.
Students at the school have remained vocal in pushing for gun control in the wake of the shooting that left 17 dead and 15 injured.
Her mother, Missy Wilford, (left, with her daughter, center, an husband, right) put her daughter's speedy recovery down to her inner strength
The teen (pictured with her parents on either side) underwent three surgeries but has recovered very quickly although some bullet fragments remain inside her
David Wilford gestures to the police and first responders who helped to save his daughter's life during the press conference
They organised a march in Parkland in the days after the attack, and are planning a national march on Washington DC next month.
The movement seems to be gaining traction after President Donald Trump pledged that his administration would take unilateral action to ban bump stocks an action that the NRA does not support and that is the subject of legislative efforts in Congress.
Speaking to governors at the White House Monday, Trump cast the drive to ban the gun accessory as something he would do personally although he has tasked Attorney General Jeff Sessions, who oversees the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms, to deal with it.
'Bump stocks, we're writing that out. I'm writing that out myself. I don't care if Congress does it or not, I'm writing it out myself,' Trump told the governors.
Trump also appeared to tip the hand of a regulatory strategy.
Parents and students walk into Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School on Sunday, February, ahead of its official opening on Wednesday
Parents and students walk next to the memorial for the victims of the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School
School students from Montgomery County, in suburban Washington, rally in solidarity with those affected by the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Florida, at the Capitol in Washington on February 21
'You put it into the machine gun category, which is what it is It becomes essentially a machine gun and nobody's gonna be able - it's going to be very hard to get 'em,' he said.
Trump may have been saying regulators would consider bump stocks to be a machine gun, which is banned under existing gun laws.
An investigation is also being launched into the law enforcement response to the shooting after it was revealed that deputy Scot Peterson, the school's assigned security officer, never went into the building to try and stop the shooter after the attack began.
There are claims that three other Brownward county deputies also allegedly failed to enter the school to tackle the shooter.
Both the police and FBI acknowledge there were opportunities missed when it came to dealing with multiple red flags about the shooter, including one comment he left online, proclaiming he was going to be a 'professional school shooter.'
Fugitive shot: George Davis, 27, was on the run from police in Detroit in connection to a quadruple homicide when he shot himself in Ohio Monday afternoon
A man suspected in a quadruple homicide that claimed the lives of the mother his child and her pastor father during a shootout at a Detroit gas station turned the gun on himself after being cornered by police in Ohio on Monday afternoon.
Gunfire erupted at the Sunoco gas station in the 2200 block of Fenkell Avenue on Detroit's northwest side at 8.50am on Monday morning, leaving a man and two women dead.
A second male victim was later found dead inside a home not far away from the first crime scene.
An investigation has identified the suspect as 27-year-old George Anthony Davis, an ex-convict out on parole who may have been suffering from mental health issues.
After spending several hours on the lam and crossed states lines from Michigan into Ohio, Davis was involved in a shootout with police, which ended with the fugitive allegedly shooting himself, reported Fox 2 Detroit. He is in critical condition.
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Domestic violence: Davis is accused of killing 26-year-old Cierra Bagaineer (left), who is the mother of his infant child, and her father, Deacon Raphael Hall (right)
Also shot to death was 21-year-old Kristen Thomas, whom Bargaineer was driving to work Monday
Gunshots erupted at this Sunoco as station in Detroit, leaving two women and a man dead
According to investigators, 26-year-old Cierra Bargaineer and her father, Deacon Raphael Hall, were driving a neighbor, 21-year-old Kristen Thomas, to work on Monday morning when they stopped at the Sunoco gas station to fuel up, reported WXYZ.
Bargaineer was in the driver's seat and Hall was pumping gas outside their silver Dodge Journey when police say Davis approached the vehicle and got into an argument with its occupants.
The verbal dispute took a deadly turn when the 27-year-old allegedly pulled a gun and opened fire. After running out of bullets, police said he went back to his Ford Focus to reload and returned to fire more rounds into the victims.
Ex-con: Davis has been out on parole since 2016, after being convicted in 2011 for receiving a and concealing a stolen vehicle
After shooting the two women inside the vehicle, among them the mother of his two-month-old child, Cierra Bargaineer, and her father, who was a beloved pastor at Citadel of Praise Church, police say Davis fled to a relative's house in the 15100 block of Faust Avenue.
There, Davis allegedly got into a dispute with his adult male cousin and shot him twice, killing him.
Davis then reportedly swapped his Ford for a blue 2007 Nissan Altima with a temporary license tag. While on the run, Davis made contact with his mother, who implored him to turn himself into the the authorities.
Police launched a manhunt for Davis, describing him as armed and dangerous. The search came to a violent end on Monday afternoon in the area of Interstate 75 and Interstate 280 in Ohio.
According to a police source, Davis' vehicle broke down and he shot himself after getting into an armed confrontation with police.
Davis has been out on parole since 2016, after being convicted in 2011 for receiving a and concealing a stolen vehicle. His record also includes a 2008 conviction for second-degree home invasion, reported Mlive.com.
Davis' parole was scheduled to end on April 4.
A relative tells that Davis had recently checked himself into a hospital complaining of hallucinations, and that he might have suspected his girlfriend of cheating on him with his cousin.
Orlando pediatrician Dr. Ishrat Sohail was arrested and released on Friday for giving partial doses of vaccines to patients and for Medicaid fraud
An Orlando pediatrician has been arrested for giving partial vaccine doses to children and Medicaid fraud.
Dr. Ishrat Sohail posted bond and was released from jail Friday after police found she had given partial doses of vaccines to 500 patients.
Sohail allegedly committed the crime for financial gain. By giving partial doses, she could stretch the contents of a vial on more patients to earn more money.
The vaccines she distributed were also intended for Medicaid and non-insured children, but she gave and charged them to patients with private insurance.
She was caught after officials raided her office and discovered partial doses of Hepatitis A, HPV and whooping cough vaccines in the office refrigerator, which contradicted the bills for full doses that she sent to insurers, according to WKMG-TV.
In January the Florida Department of Health and the Office of the Attorney General raided the doctor's Orlando office in a joint investigation, where they found the partial doses.
The Florida doctor ran into trouble with state health officials in 2016 for giving vaccines intended for Medicaid and uninsured patients, to those with private insurances
Sohail, pictured above in 2011, was outed by one of her staffers who alerted fraud authorities
Last week one of Sohail's staffers called the Medicaid Fraud Control Unit saying the pediatrician planned to shred patient files related to vaccine administration.
She never had the opportunity to carry out the deed.
Investigators said an employee claims at least two patients tested positive for the flu but Sohail never told them as a way to cover up any suspicious over the partial vaccine practices, according to CBS.
State Surgeon General Dr. Celeste Philip emergency suspended Sohail's license to practice.
This is not the first time Sohail has landed in hot water with state officials.
Her office, pictured above, on Orange Avenue in Orlando had distributed 500 vaccines to children
Any child that has received a vaccine from Sohail between 2016 and 2018 are urged to seek re-vaccination according to state health officials (file photo above)
She first landed on health official's radar in 2016 when she billed private insurance companies for two vials of a vaccine instead of one. Those vaccines too were intended for Medicaid patients.
Officials then restricted her to limited doses and she was suspended for two months.
The department is contacting the 500 child patients effected by Sohail's actions.
Authorities are alerting any child that received vaccines from Sohail between 2016 and 2018 to consider revaccination.
The partial vaccines pose a threat to the children as they do not provide sufficient protection against 'potentially dangerous vaccine preventable diseases'.
Officials also say that there is possibility that Sohail did not follow proper sterilizing practices for the vaccines and warn for parents to report any severe adverse reactions in their children.
The people involved in last year's Best Picture mix-up at the Academy Awards have spoken out to The Hollywood Reporter to give never-before-heard details of the live television debacle.
For nearly three minutes at last year's ceremony, the world thought La La Land had won the top prize when presenter Faye Dunaway called the cast and crew to the stage to accept their award.
But accountants behind the scenes knew that Moonlight was the real winner, and panicked crew members scrambled to set the record straight.
Eventually, a producer on La La Land overheard the commotion and took to the microphone to beckon the real winners, Moonlight, to the stage.
The Hollywood Reporter recently compiled an oral history of the 2017 Oscars Best Picture mix-up. La La Land producer Jordan Horowitz is seen above, telling the audience that Moonlight were the actual winners of the Best Picture prize
The A-list audience members were dumbstruck by the mistake
Accounting firm PriceWaterhouseCoopers eventually took blame for the mix-up, revealing that one of their executives mistakenly handed out the wrong envelope to the presenters.
In a new oral history compiled by THR, the workers who broadcast the ceremony, cast members from both Moonlight and La La Land, as well as other Hollywood industry types in the audience, give new insights into the awkward television moment, and the aftermath.
Even before the ceremony, the people putting on the show had issues with Brian Cullinan, one of the two PwC executives in charge of calculating ballots and handing out the winning envelopes to presenters.
'Sometime the week [of the show], my department had told PwC's PR department that Brian was not allowed to do any social media backstage because he was very engaged with social media during the week leading up to the show,' Teni Melidonian, managing director of publicity and corporate communications for the Academy told THR.
Sometime the week [of the show], my department had told PwC's PR department that Brian [Cullinan, PwC executive] was not allowed to do any social media backstage because he was very engaged with social media during the week leading up to the show. Teni Melidonian, managing director of publicity and corporate communications for the Academy
There were also issues between Dunaway and Beatty, who were recruited to present the last award together because it was the 50th anniversary of their film Bonnie and Clyde.
'Warren and Faye have not had the greatest relationship over the years. This is common knowledge. It's strained because Faye is impossible,' Peggy Siegal, a publicist who hosted events for both La La Land and Moonlight last year, said.
On the day of the show, crew members of the show got a bad omen when pieces of the set fell down and they didn't get enough time to rehearse the last half of the show.
But once the show kicked off with a musical number from Justin Timberlake, things went off effortlessly.
The awards, which notoriously run late because of long speeches, even met ABC's midnight deadline for the last commercial break.
La La Land was mistakenly named Best Picture with PwC accountant Brian Cullinan, right, accidentally gave the wrong envelope to best picture presenters Faye Dunaway and Warren Beatty
Then it was time for Dunaway and Beatty to come out and present the last award.
When Beatty opened the envelope though, he looked confused, then handed the letter to Dunaway who announced that the winner was La La Land.
Host Jimmy Kimmel, who was sitting in the audience to finish the show with a final joke, said at first he thought that maybe Beatty couldn't read the letter due to his vision.
'I thought, "Oh, maybe they can't see. Maybe that's the problem,'" Kimmel said.
Jordan Horowitz, a producer on La La Land, said he thought Beatty's pause was 'a gag'.
What was later revealed was that Beatty had been handed the backup envelope for Best Actress, which listed Emma Stone's name and La La Land.
The wrong envelope was handed out by Cullinan, who was distracted because he was busy grabbing a picture with Stone after her big win.
'I thought, "Well, maybe this is a misprint." And then, "I shouldn't foul up the show just because someone made a little error,' Beatty said.
I thought, "Well, maybe this is a misprint." And then, "I shouldn't foul up the show just because someone made a little error. Warren Beatty
As the La La Land cast and crew were coming to the stage, the workers backstage were just beginning to figure out what was wrong and scrambled to figure out what to do next.
'I hear on my headset, "The accountant says he thinks the wrong winner was announced,"' Glenn Weiss, the telecast's director, said.
Gary Natoli, the head stage manager, says one of his other stage managers was trying to get Cullinan, the accountant, onto the stage to rectify the situation but neither he nor his partner would go.
'We had to push them onstage, which was juts shocking to me,' Natoli said.
While La La Land producer Marc Platt was giving his acceptance speech, stage hands were going up to other producers and crew members, looking for the envelope.
'I put my headset on and I heard Glenn, the director, saying forcefully, "They've got the wrong envelope! It's not the right winner!"' Todd said.
It's at this point that Kimmel decides to get on stage and figure out what's happening.
Melidonian says she cornered Cullinan on stage but he didn't snap into action as she hoped.
'Brian was just kind of staring through me, and I remember tapping him and saying, "Hey, Brian - what's going on? Remember, we're on air!" And he was not responsive,' she said.
'It was disappointing that the accountants froze and didn't do any of the protocols, but I'm not surprised,' Todd said.
In the end, it was Horowitz who took the microphone and announced that a mistake had been made.
'Guys, guys I'm sorry. There's been a mistake. Moonlight - you guys won best picture, This is not a joke. Come up here,' he said.
He then grabbed the correct Best Picture envelope and held it up for the cameras.
Luckily, producers back stage knew to keep a camera on the envelope for the big reveal.
'I said, "Ok, Camera 10 - I just want you to go onto that cart and stay there until somebody holds it up,' Weiss said. 'In my head, that shot as the most important thing of the night at that point.'
With that, the baffled cast of Moonlight began to make their way to the stage, while the cast of La La Land cast shuffled off.
I just started screaming "What the f*** is going on?!' We were all in shock. We started hugging each other, but we were just stunned. Nicolette Aizenberg, head of publicity for A24, which financed and distributed Moonlight
'I just started screaming "What the f*** is going on?!' We were all in shock. We started hugging each other, but we were just stunned,' Nicolette Aizenberg, head of publicity for A24, which financed and distributed Moonlight, said.
'Probably the most awkward moment in Oscars history,' Mahershala Ali, who won best supporting actor for his role in the film, said.
As the cast were making their way to the stage, Kimmel was heard joking to Beatty.
'I shouted something to the effect of, "Warren, what did you do?!" Because I still had it in my head that Warren's vision wasn't great and maybe it was his fault,' Kimmel said.
Beatty then went up the microphone and explained that the envelope he had received was for Best Actress and not Best Picture.
Kimmel said it was Denzel Washington in the crowd that made him realize that the forensics of the mistake was taking away from Moonlight's moment.
'Denzel Washington did a little bit of traffic-cop work from the audience. I think he looked at me and pointed at Barry [Jenkins, director of Moonlight], motioning for us to let Barry speak, and I thought, "Oh, yes, he's right. That should happen,"' Kimmel said
The cast and crew of Moonlight were given their chance to accept the award, but it wasn't the moment it could have been.
'It never quite felt like we won, even though we won, in part because we were so connected with the La La Land people. In that moment, I don't think we could be as joyous. It wasn't what it should have been,' Ali said.
In the aftermath of the ceremony, Kimmel, the Oscars crew and the accountants went back stage to figure out what went wrong.
'I walked backstage with Mike and Jen and Gary. Warren, I think, was already backstage, and Faye was gone - she was probably at home sleeping by that time. She wisely got the hell out of there,' Kimmel said.
'I said, "Let's go to the green room." saomeone said, "Boonie life, Clyde stayed!' Academy CEO Dawn Hudson said.
In the green room, everyone was trying to get down to the issue.
'Brian kind of stood in the corner and watched it all play out. I think maybe he was secretly hoping that this would get blamed on Warren,' Kimmel said.
'Jimmy took charge of the conversation. It was a little bit making light, making fun. We weren't there to lynch anyone. We just wanted to know what happened,' Weiss said.
'The lead actress envelope, which Leo [DiCaprio] handed to Emma Stone came from Martha, so it made sense that Brian would have had the extra lead actress envelope. The protocol was that he would have it out until the winner was called, and then he would put it back in his suitcase - which he failed to do because he was distracted tweeting [the photo that he had taken of Emma Stone backstage with her new Oscar],' Melidonian said.
'Glenn came with an iPad and showed us a photo of the wrong envelope in Warren's hand. Then we knew that happened,' Todd said.
'I was like [to Brian], "Your one job was to give Warren the right envelope." He was in such shock that he just said, "No,"' Hudson recalled.
At that point, the group moved downstairs to work out an apology from PwC.
'We all decided we'd better get out of the green room and go where it's more private - into the bowels of the Dolby,' Hudson said.,
'Brian was still in shock - he looked red-faced, glazed-over. And Martha looked worried,' Hudson said.
Eventually Tim Ryan, PwC's U.S. chairman and senior partner came over to the theater and helped draft their statement which read: 'We sincerely apologize to Moonlight, La La Land, Warren Beatty, Faye Dunaway and Sscar viewers for the error that was made during the award announcement for best picture. The presenters had mistakenly been fiven the wrong category envelope and when discovered, was immediately corrected. We are currently instigating how this could have happened, and deeply regret that this occurred. We appreciate the grace with which the nominees, the Academy, ABC and Jimmy Kimmel handled the situation.'
After the show, many of the attendees attend the Governor's Ball, the largest post-Oscars party.
It was awards consultant Lisa Taback's idea to send Horotwitz and Jenkins into the party together.
'Once that moment happened, everything seemed OK. There was a release,' Taback said.
'I remember going inside and seeing Barry and Mahershala and hugging them,' Horowitz said.
When it was all over, Horowitz said he was thankful for some kind words he received from both Kimmel and Beatty.
'Warren and I spoke on the phone, We had a really lovely conversation. Jimmy was awesome in the aftermath of it. He wrote me a note. I think he wrote everybody a note,' Horowitz said.
The Academy decided not to end their working relationship with PwC, which will be sending two different executives to work this year's ceremony.
A couple of weeks later, Hudson says Cullinan reached out to the Academy to apologize.
'Brian said, "I'm so, so sorry. I'm so sorry I did this to the Academy." I said "I know, I know,"' Hudson said.
'I have not seen Brian and Martha since,' Melidonian said.
A woman has had a knife held to her throat by three African men during a home invasion in Melbourne - sparking fears of a crime spree.
Three men entered the garage of a house in Albion about 1.30am on Tuesday.
They raided the garage for weapons including a hammer and knives before storming into the house, where four adults and one children were sleeping.
Ed, who lives at the house, woke to the sound of his fiancee screaming after she had a knife held to her throat.
'Just heard my young fella and my wife screaming... and I came running down the stairs to see three men jumping out the window,' he told Nine News.
'My partners a bit shaken up and the young fellas a bit scared.'
A woman has had a knife held to her throat by three African men during a home invasion in Melbourne - sparking fears of a crime spree
Ed, who lives at the house, woke to the sound of his fiancee screaming after she had a knife held to her throat
Three men entered the garage of this house in Albion about 1.30am on Tuesday
Three African men threatened a woman with a knife in a home invasion before stealing keys
'We were thinking about moving anyway because there's just too many kids hanging around this park, drinking and smoking.'
He chased the men out of the house as they escaped out the window.
Ed's fiancee managed to break away and hid in the bathroom until the intruders left the house.
Ed's neighbours - a group of international students - were also targeted by thieves as their house was broken into.
In the earlier incident, the intruders' faces were covered, and they entered a bedroom where a woman and a child were asleep.
They threatened the woman with the knife before stealing two sets of keys and an iPad.
Police believe the three offenders are all of African appearance.
They took off on foot through nearby Parkland, and are still on the run from police.
Victoria Police are continuing to investigate the incident and are appealing for anyone with information to come forward
None of the five occupants of the house were injured in the burglary.
Victoria Police are continuing to investigate the incident and are appealing for anyone with information to come forward.
Police said it is too early to tell if the burglary is related to another in nearby Taylors Hill which happened on Monday.
DuringMonday's aggravated burglary two men were hit in the head with weapons after four African teenagers broke into a house on Exhibition Parade.
The four men stole a mobile phone and the car keys to a Honda Civic, fleeing the scene in the car.
Three men entered the garage of a house on Anderson Road in Albion about 1.30am on Tuesday
Police are investigating whether both incidents are related to an armed robbery at a fast-food outlet in Essendon later on Monday.
A preliminary report delivered to Victoria Police showed residents in Melbourne's west want police to focus on youth crime, home invasions and gang activity.
Inspector Martin Allison told the Australian the main theme identified was 'a lot of adverse publicity... around youth issues and in particular African youth'.
White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders dismissed the stunning guilty plea of former Donald Trump deputy campaign manager Rick Gates to federal charges saying his criminal conduct took place 'long before' he was a top aide.
'Look, I think that those are issues that took place long before they were involved with the president,' Sanders told reporters on Monday.
Sanders got asked at a White House press briefing 'what it says in your view about the president's judgement that three people linked to his campaign have now turned out to be criminals.'
Gates pleaded guilty on Friday to committing a 'conspiracy against the United States' that stretched from 2006 to 2015, when he was an unregistered agent for Ukrainian government's Party of Regions. He and former Trump campaign Paul Manafort are charged in a widespread conspiracy to mask millions in payments stashed in offshore accounts.
'Those are issues that took place long before they were involved with the president,' Sarah Huckabee Sanders said when asked about guilty pleas by three former Trump campaign officials in Robert Mueller's ongoing probe
But he also admitted to turning in false information to the FBI in November of 2016 and lying to prosecutors on February 1 when he denied a meeting he and Manafort had with a lobbyist was about Ukraine.
The Feb. 1 false statement was to Robert Mueller's team of investigators something Gates did long after joining Trump's campaign along with former campaign chair Paul Manafort, with whom he admits he orchestrated the scheme.
on federal conspiracy and false statements charges saying crimes took place 'long before' he was involved with Trump.
Sanders declined to speak further. 'Anything beyond that, because those are active investigations, I'm not going to go any further than that,' she said.
She referred to the conspiracy he has admitted to as 'actions,' rather than crimes, saying: 'Actions that are under review and under investigation took place prior to him being part of the president's campaign.'
Gates entered his plea on Friday
SNOW JOB: Sanders fielded a question about the Rick Gates guilty plea upon her return from South Korea. Here Ivanka Trump (R) arrives with White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders (L) to visit U.S.A House on day sixteen of the PyeongChang 2018 Winter Olympic Games on February 25, 2018 in Pyeongchang-gun, South Korea
COOL AIR: White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders, IOC executive board member Angela Ruggiero and Ivanka Trump attend the Snowboard - Men's Big Air Final on day 15 of the PyeongChang 2018 Winter Olympic Games at Alpensia Ski Jumping Centre on February 24, 2018 in Pyeongchang-gun, South Korea
THAT'S RISCH: Sanders faced reporters after attending the closing Olympic ceremonies with Sen. James Risch of Idaho and Ivanka Trump and Sen. James Risch (r)
After George Papadopoulos became the first Trump campaign official to plead guilty he admits he was told in April 2016 that the Russians had dirt on Hillary Clinton Sanders dismissed his role as minor.
'He was somebody that played a minimal role, if one at all,' Sanders said last fall.
Former Trump advisor Michael Caputo went further: 'I never heard of Papadopoulos,' he said. 'He was the coffee boy.'
Former Trump national security advisor Mike Flynn has also pleaded guilty to lying.
On Thursday, Mueller charged Gates and Manafort with running an elaborate scheme to launder $75 million and dodge tens of millions in taxes.
According to the latest government information filed by prosecutors Friday, 'Gates conspired to defraud the United States regarding the money he and his business partner Paul Manafort earned, and lied to the FBI in a February 1, 2018 interview about a 2013 meeting he'd had with Manafort and an unidentified lobbyist.'
His lie was that a March 2013 meeting didn't involve Ukraine.
The government charges Gates and Manafort with failing to disclose their work acting as foreign representative of the pro-Moscow government in Ukraine for whom they engaged in extensive work.
Paul Manafort, former campaign manager for Donald Trump, is charged with shielding along with Gates $30 million from the feds
His decision puts new pressure on Manafort, his former partner
Gates is now the third Trump associate known to be working with Mueller's investigation
Statement by Paul Manafort on Gates guilty plea Notwithstanding that Rick Gates pled today, I continue to maintain my innocence. I had hoped and expected my business colleague would have had the strength to continue to battle to prove our innocence. For reasons not yet to surface he chose to do otherwise. This does not alter my commitment to defend myself against the untrue piled up charges contained in the indictments against me. Advertisement
In 2012 they solicited two firms identified as Company A and Company B about 'representing the government of Ukraine in [Washington] D.C.,' according to an email. They then went about 'hiding' their lobbying and public relations work for Ukraine. In fact, they engaged in a 'multi-million lobbying campaign' on behalf of Victor Yanukovych's government.
'They lobbied multiple Members of Congress and their staffs about Ukraine sanctions, the validity of Ukraine elections, and the propriety of Yanukovych's imprisoning his presidential rival, Yulia Tymoshenko,' according to the indictment.
They used an offshore account 'to funnel $4 million to pay secretly' for a report defending the prosecution of Yanukovych's predecessor.
Even after Manafort left the Trump campaign under fire for his overseas contacts, Gates stayed on as deputy campaign manager.
Flynn, who was at Trump's side throughout the campaign, went on to become his national security advisor only to resign after 24 days after it was revealed he made false statements to the FBI about his communications with Russia.
Five-year-old Ellie-May Clark (pictured) was having a severe asthma attack when she was turned away from The Grange Clinic, in Newport, South Wales
Asthma is a lung condition that can cause breathing difficulties.
It occurs when the breathing tubes to the lungs become inflamed and narrow.
Asthma attacks kill three people in the UK each day.
Every 10 seconds someone has a potentially life-threatening asthma attack.
Medical care after an attack is vital, whether it is visiting a GP or getting hospital treatment.
While one in six people treated in hospital for an asthma attack need the same care again within two weeks.
Five-year-old Ellie-May Clark was having a severe asthma attack when she arrived at The Grange Clinic, in Newport, South Wales, with her mother Shanice.
She was turned away from the clinic by doctor Dr Joanne Rowe, 54, and died at home just over five hours later, on January 26, 2015, an inquest heard.
Asthma attacks can be triggered by a strong odor, pollen in the air, dust mites, smoke or chemical fumes.
Signs of a severe asthma attack include: wheezing, coughing and chest tightness becoming severe and constant.
They also include being too breathless to eat, speak or sleep, breathing faster a fast heartbeat, drowsiness, confusion, exhaustion or dizziness blue lips or fingers fainting.
Source: NHS
Life on Mars could be possible, based on a breakthrough in the world's driest desert.
Scientists have found bacteria in South America's Atacama Desert which can lie dormant without rain for decades before being 'reactivated'.
The Atacama, which gets less than 20 millimetres (0.8in) of rainfall a year and can go without rain for decades, is the most similar place on Earth to rocky, barren Mars.
The finding that bacteria there can exist for decades without water suggest similar tiny forms of life could be hiding under the surface of the frozen Red Planet.
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Alien life could exist on Mars (left) despite the planet's inhospitable conditions. Scientists found that colonies of bacteria live in the most arid regions of South America's Atacama desert (right). The desert has similar conditions to the surface of Mars
Planetary scientist Professor Dirk Schulze-Makuch, lead author of the desert study at Washington State University, said: 'It has always fascinated me to go to the places where people don't think anything could possibly survive and discover that life has somehow found a way to make it work.
'Jurassic Park references aside, our research tell us that if life can persist in Earth's driest environment there is a good chance it could be hanging in there on Mars in a similar fashion.'
The Atacama, in Chile, is so inhospitable, dry and salty that, like Mars, scientists were unsure if it could support life.
Experts thought the bacteria found there may simply have been blown in from somewhere else.
But that was proven to be wrong after a team took soil samples at six different locations in the desert between 2015 and 2017.
When it did rain in the desert, they found several species of single-celled organisms in the soil samples from various depths came dramatically to life.
The hardy microbes show that if life ever evolved on Mars, it could have endured the planet's salty soil and high temperatures, meaning there is a chance pockets of life survive there today, according to the researchers. Pictured is one of the team's sample sites in the Atacama Desert
As the moisture left the soil, after a year or two, the microbes began to revert to their original dormant state.
The evidence shows that these bacteria have evolved to live in the desert and adapt to its harsh conditions.
Professor Schulze-Makuch said: 'In the past researchers have found dying organisms near the surface and remnants of DNA but this is really the first time that anyone has been able to identify a persistent form of life living in the soil of the Atacama Desert.
As the moisture left the soil, after a year or two, the microbes began to revert to their original dormant state. The evidence shows that these bacteria have evolved to live in the Atacama desert and adapt to its harsh conditions
As Mars dried up and grew colder over its turbulent history, these organisms could have evolved many of the survival tactics seen in the Atacama Desert (file photo)
'We believe these microbial communities can lay dormant for hundreds or even thousands of years in conditions very similar to what you would find on a planet like Mars and then come back to life when it rains.'
The study, published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, suggests the presence of microbes on Mars which may have thrived billions of years ago in its small oceans and lakes.
As Mars dried up and grew colder, these organisms could have evolved many of the survival tactics seen in the Atacama Desert.
They may be sustained by the nightly snowfall on the Red Planet, its fog, or the salty brines on some slopes which sporadically flow down and provide fluids.
Colonies of bacteria have survived in the driest regions of South America's Atacama desert, where it rains less than once a decade, for millions of years
The scientists, from the GFZ German Research Centre for Geosciences in Potsdam, say if life remains on the red planet, it is likely hidden away in subsurface niches.
Here it would be protected from deadly solar radiation that would quickly kill off most microorganisms.
'We know there is water frozen in the Martian soil and recent research strongly suggests nightly snowfalls and other increased moisture events near the surface,' Professor Schulze-Makuch said.
'If life ever evolved on Mars, our research suggests it could have found a subsurface niche beneath today's severely hyper-arid surface.'
Humans could be exploring Mars earlier than previously thought thanks to the ambitions of entrepreneurs like Elon Musk, astronaut Tim Peake has said.
Musk's Falcon Heavy launch marked a new era of space exploration which is 'very, very exciting', Major Peake said.
He said that government space agencies have estimated that humans will land on Mars in the late 2030s but commercial space flight 'could bring that date forward'.
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Humans could be exploring Mars earlier than previously thought thanks to the ambitions of entrepreneurs like Elon Musk, astronaut Tim Peake (pictured) said
The 45-year-old, who completed his mission working on the International Space Station (ISS) in 2016, was speaking at an event to raise money for the Aerobility charity.
The charity, which enables people with disabilities to learn how to fly an aircraft, and British Airways organised a special charter flight to enable passengers to see the Northern Lights at the northern edge of UK airspace.
Passengers on the British Airways Airbus A320 caught a glimpse of the elusive phenomenon just off the coast of the Shetland Isles on Saturday night.
Major Peake, a former helicopter test pilot, said he was surprised how many times he got to see the aurora while on his mission to the ISS.
Really looking forward to this @britishairways flight tonight - were going aurora spotting to 63N with the charity @Aerobility...should be some great views! pic.twitter.com/RQGUNoZxpK Tim Peake (@astro_timpeake) February 24, 2018
The aurora borealis, or the northern lights. Tim Peake, who completed his mission working on the International Space Station (ISS) in 2016, along with Aerobility charity, which enables people with disabilities to learn how to fly an aircraft, and British Airways organised a charter flight to enable passengers to see the Northern Lights at the northern edge of UK airspace
'I thought I might see the aurora three or four times in a six-month trip, as it happens we saw the aurora three or four times a week,' he said.
On the future of space exploration, Major Peake said: 'I don't know how many people saw Elon Musk's Falcon Heavy launch.
Humans could be exploring Mars earlier than previously thought thanks to the ambitions of entrepreneurs like Elon Musk, British astronaut Tim Peake has said. Pictured is SpaceX founder Elon Musk speaking at a press conference in Cape Canaveral, Florida, February 6, 2018
British astronaut Tim Peake said that government space agencies have estimated that humans will land on Mars in the late 2030s but commercial space flight 'could bring that date forward'. Pictured is an image of Mars
'We are entering this new era of space exploration which is very, very exciting.
'The Deep Space Gateway will probably start to be built in 2022.
'That's what I'm really looking forward to because that paves the way for both lunar landings and, because of the orbit it [will be] in, that paves the way for [a] Mars transportation system.'
SpaceX's successful Falcon Heavy launch might have been impressive, but the firm lost one of the enormous rocket's reusable boosters, CEO Elon Musk has confirmed. Pictured is the rocket as it launched from Cape Canaveral, Florida, on February 6, 2018
SpaceX's Starman dummy launched into space on the maiden voyage of Falcon Heavy, the world's most powerful rocket. This still image taken from a real-time SpaceX video shows Starman sitting in CEO Elon Musk's cherry red Tesla roadster after the rocket delivered it into orbit around the Earth. It is currently travelling through space at 24,500mph (39,400km/h)
Major Peake, the first British astronaut to be sent to the ISS by the European Space Agency, continued: 'Humans on Mars I think will be late 2030s.
'That's what the government space agencies and the International Space Exploration Group are working towards.
'What could throw a big bowling ball through all that is commercial space flight we have seen the ambitions of people like Elon Musk, there are several other companies that also have ambitions to send people to Mars.
'I think that we will end up working very closely with these companies in public private partnerships when we eventually go to Mars.
Falcon Heavy side cores have landed at SpaceXs Landing Zones 1 and 2. pic.twitter.com/oMBqizqnpI SpaceX (@SpaceX) February 6, 2018
'It could be that some of those programmes bring that date forward.
'But late 2030s would be a realistic time frame.'
Captain Ian Mills, who operated the aurora flight, said: 'We're incredibly proud to be able to support this special charter flight and we are delighted that we've played a part in helping raise money for a fantastic cause.'
Mike Miller-Smith, chief executive of Aerobility, added: 'We're so pleased so many of our backers have been able to tick this experience off their bucket list.'
Elon Musk's SpaceX launched the first of nearly 12,000 'Starlink' satellites that could bring super-fast internet to billions of people. Pictured is rocket as it launched from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California on February 22, 2018
Elon Musk's SpaceX launched the first of nearly 12,000 'Starlink' satellites that could bring super-fast internet to billions of people. The satellites were perched atop one of the firm's 'Falcon 9' rockets, which blasted off from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California
Successful deployment of PAZ satellite to low-Earth orbit confirmed. pic.twitter.com/xOEuyaFrcZ SpaceX (@SpaceX) February 22, 2018
The inner workings of mysterious collapsed stars could finally be revealed as part of a breakthrough experiment that is taking anti-matter out of the lab for the first time.
Scientists are hoping to see what happens when anti-matter - which is the mirror of ordinary matter - is smashed into radioactive particles.
The experiment could provide new information about the workings of radioactive atomic nuclei - which are believed to be similar to the insides of a neutron star.
Researchers want to learn more about neutron stars because they are important to our understanding of how some of the universe's key elements form.
The staggering pressures that exist at the core of neutron stars may be like those that fuelled the Big Bang, meaning research into the innards of the objects could also help us explore how the universe was born.
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The inner workings of mysterious collapsed stars could finally be revealed as part of a breakthrough experiment that is taking anti-matter out of the lab for the first time
Every type of matter has an equal and opposite antimatter 'twin', and for protons - one of two particles that make up the central nuclei of atoms - this mirror image is known as an anti-proton.
The particles exist sometimes in nature, but do not last long as when they come into contact with regular matter, they are annihilated.
This makes them tricky to study, but scientists at the Cern particle accelerator in Geneva, Switzerland, are attempting to capture the elusive antimatter and put it in a shipping container on the back of a lorry.
They hope to then transport the anti-protons 1,300 feet (400 metres) to another laboratory, where they will fire them at large radioactive atoms.
The experiment will help them learn more about the cores of neutron stars - small, dense celestial objects that arise from the explosive death of another, larger star.
If successful, the team's short journey will be the first time scientists have ever transported anti-protons outside of a laboratory environment.
A team at the Cern laboratory in Geneva plans to collect a billion anti-protons - the negatively charged version of a proton - in a bid to understand the inner workings of small, dense stars. Pictured is an anti-proton decelerator at Cern
WHAT IS ANTI-MATTER? Antimatter is the mirror of ordinary matter. Normal atoms are made up of positively-charged nuclei orbited by negatively-charged electrons. However, their antimatter counterparts are the other way round. They have negative nuclei and positively-charged electrons, known as positrons. When matter and antimatter meet they instantly annihilate each other, releasing a burst of detectable energy. Advertisement
Cern scientists regularly create anti-protons by firing a proton beam at a metal plate and then storing them in a vacuum chamber at just 4 degrees above absolute zero.
These conditions are comparable to intergalactic space, and can keep anti-protons from annihilation for short periods.
But the conditions needed to store anti-protons makes it impossible to use them in experiments, as they must remain at the antimatter factory where they are made.
A team plans to collect a billion anti-protons - the negatively charged version of a proton - in a bid to understand the inner workings of neutron stars (artist's impression)
For the new mission, the team plans to create a portable 'trap' capable of holding a billion antiprotons for up to seven days.
The trap will use magnetic and electric fields to trap a cloud of antiprotons in a vacuum container the size of a tin of beans.
If successful, it could open up new experiments in which scientists fire anti-protons at matter to see how the two react.
'Antimatter has long been studied for itself, but now it is mastered well enough that people can start to use it as a probe for matter,' lead researcher Dr Alexandre Obertelli, a physicist at the Technical University of Darmstadt, Germany, told Nature.
The first anti-proton road trip could see Dr Obertelli and his project known as Puma (antiProton Unstable Matter Annihilation), to a neighbouring experiment.
Every type of matter has an equal and opposite antimatter 'twin', and for protons - one of two particles that make up the central nuclei of atoms - this mirror image is known as an anti-proton (stock image)
WHAT ARE NEUTRON STARS? Neutron stars are the collapsed, burnt-out cores of dead stars. When large stars reach the end of their lives, their core will collapse, blowing off the outer layers of the star. This leaves an extremely dense object known as a neutron star, which squashes more mass than is contained in the sun into the size of a city. A neutron star typically would have a mass that's perhaps half-a-million times the mass of the Earth, but they're only about 20 kilometres (12 miles) across. A handful of material from this star would weigh as much as Mount Everest. They are very hot, perhaps a million degrees, highly radioactive, and have incredibly intense magnetic fields. This makes them arguably the most hostile environments in the Universe today, according to Professor Patrick Sutton, head of Cardiff University's gravitational physics department. The dense objects, in particular their cores, are key to our understanding of the universe's heavy elements. Advertisement
Known as ISOLDE, the experiment produces rare, radioactive atomic nuclei that decay too quickly to be transported anywhere themselves.
The Puma team will fire anti-protons at ISOLDES's radioactive particles and then study the remnants after both are annihilated.
The research will be invaluable for characterising the fine details of what is going on around the edge of the atomic nucleus, the researchers said.
This could in turn provide new information on neutron stars, which are key to our understanding of the universe's heavy elements.
Much about their cores has eluded scientists, and a better understanding of them could help us to unlock mysteries of the universe.
The project began last month, but will require at least four years of work to get the trap just right, according to the researchers.
In addition to providing ISOLDES researchers with antiprotons, the project will also establish a technique for other teams working at greater distances.
That will give scientists from across the globe access to antiproton batches for use in their own experiments.
The new transportation method could also help Nasa in its mission to create starships that accelerate to a large fraction of the speed of light.
Collisions between matter and antimatter produce huge bursts of energy, and the anti-proton trap could make it easier to study the use of these explosions in powering spacecraft of the future.
Fibre-optic cables used in sewers could help end the scourge of fatbergs while bringing faster internet to millions of homes.
Wastewater companies can use the technology to monitor the flow of sewage pipes in real-time, acting before blockages build up.
Newly-laid cables can also be used to provide high-speed broadband without the need to dig up roads and pavements.
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A 'nervous system' for sewers made up of fibre optic cables could help end the scourge of fatbergs while bringing faster internet to millions of homes. Pictured is a sewage technician holding a 'fatberg' in London on December 11, 2014
Experts from Sheffield University and London firm Nuron, set up in 2015 to develop monitoring technology for the wastewater industry, are behind the scheme.
Fibre optic cables can transfer signals over large distances, which is also why they are used for communications systems such as broadband.
Wastewater companies could use them to record information about coditions in sewage pipes deep underground.
They could also be used by telecommunications companies as a ready-made network for broadband.
'To be able to perform analytics on a sewer network you need data on what's going on,' Mike Ainger, the co-founder of the company, told The Times.
'You need to know about changes in flow depth and rate, as well as temperature. Optical fibre is an ideal sensor for this purpose.'
Currently, water companies don't have this type of data available, but a system that could enable the monitoring of sewage systems could help prevent 'fatberg' blockages.
Last year, engineers worked to clean out Britain's biggest ever fat blockage, which was 250 yards (228 metres) long and uncovered in sewers under Whitechapel.
As well as monitoring sewage systems, fibre optic cables (artist's impression) could also be used by telecommunications companies as a ready-made network for broadband, without the need to dig up roads and pavements
Fibre optic cables are effective for monitoring sewers because they can detect very slight changes in temperature and pressure.
This would let water companies use them as sensors.
They also don't require a power source, making them safer to use and able to detect blockages as they are forming.
Nuron's fibre-optic system would measure multiple different variables, such as temperature and sewage flow-rate, every five metres (5.5 yards) along a sewer network.
WHAT IS FIBRE OPTIC TECHNOLOGY? Everywhere on Earth, hair-thin optical fibres carry large amounts of information from different places. Optical fibres are a technology that uses glass or plastic threads (fibres) to transmit data. A fibre optic cable comprises a bundle of these threads, each of which is capable of transmitting messages modulate onto light waves. Fibre optics enable more information to be carried due to some of its properties which include low cost, immunity from disturbances that can affect electrical wires and wireless communication systems, and the fact that they are much thinner an lighter than metal wires. Optical fibres have played an important role in the rapid growth of world-wide communications in the last 25 years, and are important in enabling the growth of the internet. Advertisement
According to Nuron, this would allow potential incidents to be accurately diagnosed, alerted, rapidly localised and averted.
Writing in a statement on the firm's website, a spokesman said: 'Nuron fibre sensing technology continuously monitors and measures multiple flow and infrastructure parameters along the entire length of a sewer network.
'Operating like a sewer "nervous system", it communicates real-time data to a control centre providing operators with information to improve infrastructure management, customer service and protect the environment.'
The elephant family tree may need to be rewritten.
A new study has found there are just two African elephant species, forest and savanna elephants - and they don't interbreed.
The research adds to growing fears about the future of the few species that remain on Earth.
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Researchers sequenced 14 genomes from several species of elephants, both living and extinct. Pictured is graduate student Emil Karpinski holding a tibial cross section from a Siberian woolly Mammoth. The permaforst preserved sample still has fat entombed marrow
The study, published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Science, was conducted by a team of scientists from McMaster University, the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Harvard Medical School, Uppsala University,and the University of Potsdam.
The team meticulously sequenced 14 genomes, both living and extinct species from Asia and Africa, two American mastodons, a 120,000-year-old straight-tusked elephant, and a Columbian mammoth.
One of the key findings was that interbreeding was widespread in the history of these animals, but this has virtually stopped.
'Interbreeding may help explain why mammoths were so successful over such diverse environments and for such a long time, importantly this genomic data also tells us that biology is messy and that evolution doesn't happen in an organized, linear fashion,' says evolutionary geneticist Hendrik Poinar, one of the senior authors on the paper and Director of the McMaster Ancient DNA Centre and principal investigator at the Michael G. DeGroote Institute for Infectious Research.
Interbreeding may help explain why mammoths were so successful over such diverse environments. Now, there are three species of elephants on Earth, two African and one Asian, and none of them interbreed. Pictured is an African savanna elephant
Despite a history of interbreeding, the researchers say that the behaviour has virtually stopped among living elephants, adding to growing fears about the future of the few species that remain on Earth. Pictured is an Asian elephant in Surin Province, Thailand
'The combined analysis of genome-wide data from all these ancient elephants and mastodons has raised the curtain on elephant population history, revealing complexity that we were simply not aware of before,' he says.
For example, a DNA analysis of the ancient straight-tusked elephant showed that it was a hybrid with portions of its genetic makeup stemming from an ancient African elephant, the woolly mammoth, an present-day forest elephants.
'This is one of the oldest high-quality genomes that currently exists for any species,' said Michael Hofreiter at the University of Potsdam in Germany, a co-senior author who led the work on the straight-tusked elephant.
Researchers also found further evidence of interbreeding among the Columbian mammoths (which covered the present day United States as far south as Nicaragua and Honduras) and woolly mammoths, which arose in Eurasia.
Despite their vastly different habitats and sizes, researchers believe the woolly mammoths encountered Columbian mammoths at the boundary of glacial and in the more temperate areas of North American.
Crushed dentine from a woolly mammoth for DNA extraction. An team of researchers sequenced 14 genomes, both living and extinct species from Asia and Africa, two American mastodons, a 120,000-year-old straight-tusked elephant, and a Columbian mammoth
Surprisingly, scientists found no genetic evidence of interbreeding among two of the world's three remaining species, the forest and savanna elephants, suggesting they have lived in near-complete isolation for the past 500,000 years, despite living in neighboring habitats.
'There's been a simmering debate in the conservation communities about whether African savannah and forest elephants are two different species,' said David Reich, another co-senior author at the Broad Institute who is also a professor at the Department of Genetics at Harvard Medical School (HMS) and a Howard Hughes Medical Institute Investigator.
WHAT IS THE HISTORY OF MAMMOTH EVOLUTION? Mammoths were first described by German scientist Johann Friedrich Blumenback in 1799. Both he and French researcher independently concluded that a elephant-like bones that had been found in Europe belonged to an extinct species they named the woolly mammoth (Mammuthus primigenius), which belonged to its own genus distinct from elephants. Woolly mammoths stemmed from an ancestral species (M. africanavus), the African mammoth. The African mammoth lived in northern Africa and disappeared 3-4 million years ago. Descendants of these mammoths moved north and eventually covered much of Eurasia, called the 'southern mammoths' (M. meridionalis). About 1.8 million years ago, during the early Pleistocene, M. meridionalis took advantage of low sea levels during an Ice Age and crossed into North America via a temporary land bridge at the Bering Strait. This southern mammoth then spread throughout North America and a new North American species evolved, the imperial mammoth (M. imperator). A model woolly mammoth at the Royal British Columbia Museum. Mammoths were first described by German scientist Johann Friedrich Blumenback in 1799 In the late Pleistocene, the Columbian mammoth (M. columbi) appeared, and its range covered the present day United States as far south as Nicaragua and Honduras. In Eurasia, another species of mammoth, the steppe mammoth (M. trogontherii), lived from 200,000 to 135,000 years ago, and later in the Pleistocene era the woolly mammoth - which was the smallest of the mammoths - arose. The occurrence of another Ice Age and low sea levels lasting from 35,000 to 18,000 years ago meant that woolly mammoths were eventually able to enter North America via a new land corridor across the Bering Strait. Woolly mammoths' souther migration extended as far south as present-day Kansas. Many researchers say that mammoths went extinct because of a change in climate, disease, hunting by humans, or a combination of these, but researchers are still uncertain. Source: University of California Museum of Paleontology - About Mammoths Advertisement
'Our data show that these two species have been isolated for long periods of time - making each worthy of independent conservation status.'
The finding is surprising because interbreeding among closely related mammals is fairly common, say researchers who point to the interbreeding of brown and polar bears, Sumatran and Bornean orangutans, and the Eurasian gold jackal and grey wolves.
Traditionally, a species can be defined as a group of similar animals that can successfully breed and produce fertile offspring.
'Interbreeding may help explain why mammoths were so successful over such diverse environments and for such a long time, importantly this genomic data also tells us that biology is messy and that evolution doesn't happen in an organized, linear fashion,' says evolutionary geneticist Hendrik Poinar (pictured), one of the senior authors on the paper
'This paper, the product of a grand initiative we started more than a decade ago, is far more than just the formal report of the elephant genome,' said co-senior author Kerstin Lindblad-Toh, a senior associate member of the Broad Institute and Director of the Science for Life Laboratory at Uppsala University in Sweden.
'It will be a reference point for understanding how diverse elephants are related to each other and it will be a model for how similar studies can be done in other species groups.'
Illustration of a Paleoloxodon, an extinct genus that contains the various species of straight-tusked elephant. An international research team meticulously sequenced 14 genomes, including both living and extinct species from Asia and Africa, two American mastodons, a 120,000-year-old straight-tusked elephant, and a Columbian mammoth
'The findings were extremely surprising to us,' says Eleftheria Palkopoulou, a post-doctoral scientist in at HMS.
'The elephant population relationships could not be explained by simple splits, providing clues for understanding the evolution of these iconic species.'
The researchers suggest that future work should explore whether the introduction of new genetic lineages into elephant populations - both living and ancient - played an important role in their evolution, allowing them to adapt to new habitats and fluctuating climates.
From standing at the centre of European history during the 20th century, to entering the new millennium as one of the coolest cities in the world thanks to its nightlife, art, culture and foodie scenes, Berlin has always been a city at the heart of the action. It is a tough job to whittle down the many fantastic reasons to visit the German capital, but here are ten of the best.
Night view of Konzerthaus at Gendarmenmarkt
Neighbourhoods
One of the great things about Berlin is the fact that each of its different neighbourhoods has its own character and appeal. In Mitte you will find many of the main landmarks and sites of historical interest. Leafy Prenzlauer Berg is all cosy cafes and independent stores. Kreuzberg and Neukolln combine to provide a vibrant home to hipsters, punks and Berliners from all around the world, contrasting with the high-class atmosphere of Charlottenburg in the west end.
Pink apartment building at Prenzlauer Berg with green treetops
History
There is barely a major historical event in 20th century Europe that didnt play out in Berlin, from the convulsions of the WWI and its aftermath, the rise of dictatorship and the horrors of Nazi Germany, WWII and the Cold War division of Europe, and the dramatic events around the fall of the Berlin Wall. History was written and can be read on every street corner of this city and in its many, excellent museums.
Museums
Not all of Berlins museums deal with its fascinating history however, and whatever you are interested in, you will be well served in the German capital. The undoubted highlight are the five museums that make up the UNESCO World Heritage Site Museum Island, but dont miss the Jewish Museum, the Natural History Museum, the German Museum of Technology and the Film and Television Museum, among many others.
Bode museum on Museum Island and TV tower on Alexanderplatz
Classical culture
Berlin has long been a city devoted to classic music in all its forms. From the Berliner Philharmonie in the Kulturforum to the Konzerthaus on Gendarmenmarkt, this is a city that combines iconic venues playing host to numerous symphony orchestras and ensembles. This is also a place that has not one but three world class opera houses, as well as plenty of underground and alternative places to hear classical music.
Clubs and bars
Of course, if the Berlin nightlife is known for anything beyond the refined concert halls, it is the electronic beat-driven scene to be found in its clubs and bars. This is the city of techno and of Berghain, of hip jazz clubs and live music venues. A place where unusual spaces are turned into cool and quirky bars, and where your attitude is more important than what you wear or whats in your wallet.
Foodie scene
Over the past decade or so, the Berlin food scene has been revolutionised at both ends of the scale, from Michelin-starred chefs winning awards for the fine-dining cuisine they have brought to the German capital, to hip street food festivals and pop-up eateries following the most recent foodie trends. But this is also the city of the humble currywurst and doner kebab, so whatever your taste you are sure to be well fed in Berlin.
Craft beer and breweries
For a very long time, beer in Germany, while top quality, was dominated by big industrial brewers and a fairly limited selection of pilsners, dark beers and wheat brews. Today, everything is different, and Berlin is at the heart of Germanys craft beer revolution that has brought IPAs, chocolate stouts and all manner of other brews to the table, via the microbreweries, brewpubs and craft beer bars of the city.
Green spaces
There are few greener cities than Berlin with its numerous parks and forests, and its never that difficult to escape the crowds of the city centre. Tiergarten is Berlins central park, between the Berlin Zoo and the Brandenburg Gate, but dont miss the chance to explore the forests and lakes of Wannsee, in the south west of the city, the tall pines of Grunewald forest, or Tempelhofer Feld once an airport and now one of the largest urban parks in Europe.
The Tiergarten, Berlin's most popular inner-city park, located completely in the district of the same name
Markets and shopping
Whether you are interested in the designer boutiques of Kurfurstendamm, Berlins number one shopping boulevard, or more interested in hunting for vintage bargains at the Sunday Mauerpark flea market, Berlin is a great place for a spot of retail therapy. Dont miss the chance to explore the showrooms and stores of the new generation of Berlin-based designers, most of which can be found in the Mitte neighbourhood of the city.
Hotels
The place you rest your head after a busy day (and night) can make or break your stay in a city. Thankfully Berlin has world class accommodation to suit all budgets, from the most glamourous of five-star hotels to cutting edge boutique and design hotels, spectacular holiday apartments that allow you to live like a Berliner, cosy bed and breakfast options and sociable hostels for the younger crowd.
Hotels are used to dealing with all kinds of special requests that are demanded by their guests.
But one hotel went above and beyond for one customer who instead of asking for an extra pillow or a shaving kit, requested a picture of Hollywood actor Jeff Goldblum by the bed.
Imgur user cornwallis1 said that he jokingly wrote to the Singapore Marriott Tang Plaza Hotel via email and asked for an alluring photo of Goldblum with his shirt semi-unbuttoned to be placed on the bedside table.
Imgur user cornwallis1 was staying at the Singapore Marriott Tang Plaza Hotel. He jokingly asked for an alluring painting of Jeff Goldblum to be put by the bed
The hotel went all out, with Goldblum images adorning the bedroom and bathroom
And the holidaymaker was stunned when he checked into his room with his wife and found that the hotel had followed through with his request and there were even shots of Goldblum pasted at every turn.
He explained via Reddit: 'I arrived at the hotel to see a "Jeff Goldblum Welcomes Elliott" collage on my pillow. Nice.
'I returned to my room later after a few drinks and kept discovering Jeff Goldblum photos. In the hall. On top of the TV. On the bathroom mirror.'
Photographs uploaded by cornwallis1 show the images that greeted him when he went back to his room in a slight alcohol haze.
One photo, showing Goldblum topless with a gold chain and bouffant hair, appears to be pasted to a side of the glass shower door.
Another is posted on a bedroom wall, showing the actor looking happy and relaxed in a hat and glasses.
Photographs uploaded by cornwallis1 show the images that greeted him when he went back to his room in a slight alcohol haze
Topping things off, there was a Jeff Goldblum themed montage put on the bed, with a welcome message alongside a mix of kooky Goldblum shots
Above the television, there was an image of Goldblum striking a similar jolly pose, with his pearly whites showing.
But topping things off, there was a Jeff Goldblum themed collage placed on top of the bed, with a welcome message alongside a mix of kooky Goldblum shots.
Cornwallis1 noted that the hotel had 'technically failed' because the one photo he asked for didn't appear anywhere.
However, he was so impressed by their enthusiasm that he let this minor detail go.
He concluded: 'I'll take it. Well played, hotel.'
Daniel Burstein, the hotel's director of operations, said that his team are used to receiving unusual requests.
Daniel Burstein, the hotel's director of operations, said that his team are used to receiving unusual requests
He told The Straits Times: 'Our guests come from all over the world, and we will always do our best to accede to their requests, and to create brilliant and memorable experiences for our guests.
'We will try our best not to say no. If it's something we can't find or are unable to do, we will find an alternative.'
But it's not the first time Jeff Goldblum has caused a spot of hilarity in a hotel bedroom.
In 2016 Seth Freedland, a Nike speechwriter based in Portland, Oregon, asked the Huntley Hotel in Santa Monica for photos of the Jurassic Park actor as a joke to surprise his girlfriend Amy Marsh, who has a 'celebrity crush' on Mr Goldblum.
Photos were placed on the bedside table and in the bathroom, as well as next to the room service menu.
He had his heart broken by 'wife' Davina Rankin on Married At First Sight.
And despite only ending the relationship on Sunday night, Ryan Gallagher is reportedly already in talks with Network Ten to become the next Bachelor.
A network representative told Daily Mail Australia on Monday that contestant from other dating shows are always considered.
Is Ryan the new Bachelor? Married At First Sight's famously scorned 'husband' in talks with Channel Ten to star on the hit reality dating series
'The Bachelor franchise has had proven success with several lasting relationships, and this is not the first contestant from a different dating show who has put themselves forward,' a statement read.
'Casting is underway, and in the coming weeks we will announce Australia's next Bachelor.'
A source told NW that he would be perfect for the Channel Ten dating show.
'Ryan is relevant, he's hot and he's honest when he says he's looking for love,' an 'insider' told the publication.
Not bad in a suit either! The loveable larrikin has already expressed a desire to settle down and start a family, making him the perfect candidate to stand by Osher and ask a collection of women if they will accept his rose
'He'd be the perfect fit for the show, and everyone is doing everything they can behind the scenes to try and make this happen.
'Producers have been in touch is the ball is starting to roll.'
The loveable larrikin has already expressed a desire to settle down and start a family, making him the perfect candidate to stand by host Osher Gunsberg and ask a collection of women if they will accept his rose.
Could he be the new Richie? The Bachelor is normally announced in February but has been delayed this season because of the upcoming spin-off Bachelor In Paradise
The Bachelor is normally announced in February but has been delayed this season because of the upcoming spin-off Bachelor In Paradise.
This gives producers just enough time to convince the 29-year-old he's the one for the job.
And to help with that convincing is none other than former Bachelorette and ex Bardot member Sophie Monk, NW reports.
According to the magazine Ryan has always had a bit of a crush on the blonde megastar and could be swayed to find his lady love on screen again if Sophie gives him the go ahead.
A thing for blondes! And to help with that convincing is none other than former Bachelorette and ex Bardot member Sophie Monk, NW reports
The Sydney-based tradesman was brutally 'cheated on' by Davina during his few short weeks appearing on Married At First Sight.
The 'affair' came as a shock to Ryan and on Sunday that erupted in an all-out shouting match with Davina's 'lover' Dean Wells.
However, the possible Bachie star didn't harbour any ill feelings towards his reality TV partner, admitting she was 'perfect' but just not for him.
Cam Cranley was previously touted to be the next Bachelor but he has since refuted these claims.
Fair enough: However, the possible Bachie star didn't harbour any ill feelings towards his reality TV partner, admitting she was 'perfect' but just not for him
They're fierce rivals on My Kitchen Rules.
But in Monday's New Idea magazine, Steve revealed that Sydney sisters Jess and Emma tried to set him up with their mother.
Joking of their attempts to play Cupid, the 52-year-old divorced archaeologist told the publication: 'They were calling me Dad for quite a while!'
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'They were calling me Dad!' My Kitchen Rules' Steve [R], 52, revealed in Monday's New Idea magazine that rivals Jess and Emma had been trying to set him up with their mother
'They decided they were going to try to set me up with their mother at the start. They were calling me Dad for quite a while!' Steve shared.
However the girls' ambition proved unsuccessful, with the amateur cook confessing to not being interested.
'I wasn't interested. I've been married twice and don't want any more wives. I'm not looking, but never say no to love. I like to have a good time.'
Daily Mail Australia has reached out to Jess and Emma for comment.
Playing Cupid: 'They decided they were going to try to set me up with their mother at the start. They were calling me Dad for quite a while!' Steve said of Jess [R], 31, and Emma [L], 30
Steve's revelation is surprising, considering he and his best bud Stuss, 56, have been at loggerheads with the blondes on the current season of My Kitchen Rules.
An earlier episode saw Steve and Stuss hosting their very own Instant Restaurant, and failing to impress Jess, 31, and Emma, 30, with their culinary skills.
The lads cooked chargrilled quail with lemon and rosemary, Greek-baked lamb and baklava.
'It was almost like a little bag of poo': An earlier episode saw Emma slamming Steve and Stuss' Instant Restaurant
'It was almost like a little bag of poo. It was awful,' Emma, bitterly said of the main.
Judges Pete Evans and Manu Feildel were equally disappointed by the meals, wanting more flavour in their entree.
Manu explained at the end of the episode that he felt bad for the two amateur chefs.
'I feel for you guys, I really feel for you, I know you guys had a terrible night,' he said.
'Show us what you can really do next time.'
She has homes in the Hollywood Hills, New York's Manhattan and a mansion in Westport, Connecticut.
So Anne Hathaway could have been going to the East coast when she was spotted jetting out of Los Angeles on Saturday.
On an unusually chilly day in LA, the 35-year-old actress was wrapped up warm in a grey knitted coat that brushed her ankles.
Travel chic: Anne Hathaway wrapped up warm in a grey knitted coat that brushed her ankles as she arrived for a flight out of Los Angeles on Saturday
The beautiful brunette teamed it with a black sweater, black cropped skinny pants and black booties.
The Princess Diaries star slung a black bag over her shoulder and covered her eyes from the bright sunshine with a large pair of shades.
Anne appeared to be on a solo trip without her actor husband Adam Shulman, 36, or their son Jonathan who will turn two on March 24.
The couple, who celebrated their fifth wedding anniversary on September 29, married in Big Sur, mid-California in 2012.
Comfy and cozy: The 35-year-old actress teamed it with a black sweater, black cropped skinny pants and black booties
Solo flight: The Pincess Diaries star appeared to be without actor husband Adam Shulman, 36, here seen at the premiere of her movie Colossal last April
Meanwhile Anne can next be seen on the big screen in Warner Bros.' heist dramedy Ocean's Eight, due out on June 8.
Under the tagline, 'Every con has its pros,' the sequel to director Steven Soderberghs Ocean's trilogy stars Sandra Bullock as ringleader Debbie Ocean, the sister of George Clooney's Danny.
After getting out of jail, she recruits seven women - Anne, Cate Blanchett, Rihanna, Mindy Kaling, Sarah Paulson, Awkwafina and Helena Bonham Carter - to help her pull off a jewelry heist at the annual Met Gala in New York.
Look at that bling: Anne and Helena Bonham Carter are part of a team of women planning a heist at the Met Gala in New York in Ocean's Eight, due out on June 8
The ever-in-demand star also has six other projects on the go.
She co-stars in comedy The Hustle with Rebel Wilson, due out June 29; and Serenity with Diane Lane and Matthew McConaughey, set for September 28.
She will star as Barbie, set up for 2020 while three other movies - The Lifeboat, O2 and Live Fast Die Hot - are in various stages of production.
She is a rising star of the modelling world who has sizzled on the runways during numerous international fashion weeks.
And Hailey Baldwin commanded attention as she showcased her toned frame during the glittering Tommy Hilfiger Milan Fashion Week show on Sunday.
The 21-year-old beauty sizzled as she took to the runway clad in skimpy black and white striped co-ords for the prestigious fashion presentation.
Model moment: Hailey Baldwin commanded attention as she showcased her toned frame during the glittering Tommy Hilfiger Milan Fashion Week show on Sunday
The ensemble featured a tiny Hilfiger emblazoned bralet, which flashed the star's ample cleavage as well as teasing at her toned abs and slender midriff.
She paired the tiny top with high-waisted boxer-inspired shorts, which revealed her endless tanned and toned legs as she strutted down the catwalk.
Adding height to her already leggy frame, the star slipped on a pair of patriotic red, white and blue t-bar sandals.
She layered a matching chunky knit jacket over her shoulders, and tied the look together with a fabric choker.
Leggy display: The 21-year-old beauty sizzled as she took to the runway clad in skimpy black and white striped co-ords for the prestigious fashion presentation
Hailey's caramel locks were styled sleek and straight, with a pretty braid worked into one side, while a light dusting of make-up accentuated her striking features.
She covered her eyes with futuristic dark shades.
As well as managing her high-flying career, the daughter of actor Stephen Baldwin has been romantically linked to a number of men, including Memphis Grizzlies player Chandler Parsons, model Cameron Dallas and Shawn Mendes, who she was seen holding hands with over Halloween.
Strut: The ensemble featured a tiny Hilfiger emblazoned bralet, which flashed the star's ample cleavage as well as teasing at her toned abs and slender midriff
She also famously dated Justin Bieber last year, and opened up after their split about how tough it can be to date someone as high-profile as the Canadian star.
Speaking to Marie Claire for its May 'Fresh Faces 2016' issue, she said: 'I don't want attention out of dating somebody.
The fashionista's modelling career has gone from strength to strength, walking for top designers including Ralph Lauren and Moschino, and being a prominent star on the catwalk for both New York and London Fashion Weeks.
The My Kitchen Rules 'friends with attitude' have been labelled 'villains' after starting drama-filled feuds with their co-stars during Group One's Instant Restaurant round.
And while it appears controversial team Roula and Rachael will butt heads with their new Group Two rivals this week, they will also clash with judge Colin Fassnidge.
According to New Idea, the Irish chef is angered when he catches the Melbourne friends attempting to bad mouth him on set.
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'Am I really f***ing hearing this?' MKR judge Colin Fassnidge fires back at 'villains' Roula and Rachael during heated challenge exchange
The publication claimed Colin was presenting his thoughts and expertise to the group, when Roula said: 'Am I really f***ing hearing this?'
They claim she continues with, 'That is absolute bulls**t', before Colin fires back at the rude comment.
The publication said he looks directly at the women to tell them: 'I can hear you!'
'That is absolute bulls**t' The publication claims the Irish chef is angered when he catches the Melbourne friends attempting to bad-mouth him while presenting his opinions and sharing his expertise on set with the teams
A trailer for Monday's episode appears to confirm the tense exchange, which is believed to occur during an outside challenge.
The clip teased, 'Who would dare say this to a judge?' while showing the quote 'This is bulls**t!' followed by a shocked Roula and Rachael at the table.
While the pair have been represented on-screen as trouble makers and 'villains', Roula told New Idea: 'Attitude, personality, rivalry, drama, I don't regret any of it.'
Not someone to have in your bad books! Colin is one of three judges the Melbourne women should be aiming to impress on the cooking show (PICTURED: Judges Colin, Pete Evans and Manu Feildel)
'Don't regret any of it': Rachael and Roula claimed they had no regrets and didn't deserve the title of 'villains' as they were just 'very strong and opinionated'
Rachael also agreed with having no regrets, noting they didn't deserve the title as 'villains' as they are just 'very strong and opinionated.'
Daily Mail Australia have reached out to Channel Seven for comment.
Group One and Two will be merged this week on the reality cooking series, with the head-to-head confrontation between the duo and Colin due to air on Monday or Tuesday.
My Kitchen Rules returning Monday from 7.30pm on Seven
Tune in for the drama! My Kitchen Rules returning Monday from 7.30pm on Seven
For more, pick up the latest issue of New Idea on newsstands now
She's a controversial 'Instagram celebrity' best known for a video in which she claimed to be African-American - despite her blonde hair and pale complexion.
And on Saturday, Woah Vicky (real name Victoria Waldrip) was arrested at Greensboro, North Carolinas Four Seasons Town Centre and 'charged with trespassing, assault on a law enforcement officer and resisting, delaying or obstructing an officer' according to Blast.
During the 17-year-old's arrest, the situation 'escalated into someone yelling, Shots fired.'
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Reading her rights: On Saturday, Woah Vicky (real name Victoria Waldrip) was arrested at at Greensboro, North Carolinas Four Seasons Town Centre
The teenager was allegedly with friends at the mall when things started to get out of hand.
A spokesperson told the gossip site that Vicky was given 'multiple opportunities to leave as instructed by Mall Security and Police.'
Then 'an unidentified individual shouted something about shots being fired and panic ensued throughout the mall.'
The social media star was apparently the only person arrested during the melee.
Insta-famous: Waldrip, 17, is a controversial 'Instagram celebrity' best known for a video in which she claimed to be African-American despite being blonde
The law: She was 'charged with trespassing, assault on a law enforcement officer and resisting, delaying or obstructing an officer' according to Blast
Tense encounter: During the 17-year-old's arrest, the situation 'escalated into someone yelling, Shots fired.'
In an explosive video posted to Instagram, the teen is wrestled to the ground by police.
Meanwhile, mall security try to wrangle the 17-year-old's friends.
One friend can be heard repeatedly wailing at police: 'What is wrong with you?'
Eventually the cops handcuff Waldrip's hands behind her back, get her to her feet and lead her away.
Cuffs: The teenager was allegedly with friends at the mall when things started to get out of hand
Learning the hard way: A spokesperson told the gossip site that Vicky was given 'multiple opportunities to leave as instructed by Mall Security and Police'
Sole arrest: The social media star was apparently the only person arrested during the melee
The blonde teen courted controversy in July last year for claiming she is actually black.
Victoria claims that a DNA test proved what she says she has always believed: That even though she has dirty blonde her and pale skin, she is actually black, not white.
Since then, the Atlanta, Georgia, native has taken to regularly posting pictures and videos online, speaking in an 'urban accent', repeatedly saying the N-word, and embracing what she sees as black culture - wearing grills, do-rags and shower caps over her very straight hair, twerking, and fighting.
'My whole entire life my mom kept telling me "youre white" and I never believed her because I knew I was black,' she said, adding that she will celebrate the day she 'found out she was black' as her new birthday.
A lengthy history: The blonde teen courted controversy last year for claiming she is actually black
Dubious: Victoria claims that a DNA test proved what she says she has always believed: That even though she has dirty blonde her and pale skin, she is actually black, not white
Her marriage with Zeedan Nazir was torn apart after her lesbian affair with Kate Connor was exposed.
And Rana Nazir is set to run into more trouble on Coronation Street, as her enraged Muslim parents plot to kidnap her.
In shocking scenes set to air next week, the nurse is bundled into a car as her parents try to end her passionate relationship with Kate once and for all.
Kidnapped: Rana Nazir is set to run into more trouble on Coronation Street, as her enraged Muslim parents plot to kidnap her
However, Kate gets wind that Rani is being tricked by her parents to visit a sick relative in Pakistan, with the ticket being one way.
She enlists the help of Zeedan, Imran and Yasmeen to stop her getting to the airport in the dramatic scenes.
A soap insider told the Daily Star: 'Rana's family will do whatever it takes to stop their daughter bringing shame upon them - even if it means sending her away.
Dramatic: In shocking scenes set to air next week, the nurse is bundled into a car as her parents try to end her passionate relationship with Kate once and for all
'As she continues to defy her family they decide they have no choice but to send her away to Pakistan, she has no idea of their plan and is distraught when she realises what they're up to.
'It's horrific for her and Kate can't believe the lengths her family will go to in order to keep them apart.'
Earlier this month, Zeedan forced his unfaithful wife to own up to her parents when they paid the couple a visit.
And their reaction to her lesbian affair made things even worse, with them instantly devising a plan to ensure the news doesn't leak to the Muslim community and see the entire family shunned.
Last week, Bhavna Limbachia, who plays Rana in the ITV soap, admitted both her and Faye Brookes (Kate) were 'worried' about viewers reaction to the lesbian storyline during their appearance on This Morning.
Spiteful: Earlier this month, Zeedan forced his unfaithful wife to own up to her parents when they paid the couple a visit
'We were worried about the reaction and that people weren't going to accept the idea about this new relationship,' Faye admitted.
Speaking of the wholly positive reaction from viewers, Faye continued: 'They've received it so well and I know that it's only a positive thing and it can only get better.'
Bhavna admitted that she was approached with the storyline twenty months ago and was left surprised as her character was a 'maneater.'
He brutally admitted to not having 'sexual chemistry' with 'TV wife' Gabrielle Bartlett, after their honeymoon.
And now Woman's Day has claimed Married At First Sight's Nasser Sultan may have had a 'secret girlfriend' and possibly booked a trip with her to Bali after filming wrapped.
Insiders were alleged to have claimed to the publication this week: '[He] may have been in contact with another woman throughout the whole of the show.'
That's not your 'wife'! Woman's Day has claimed Married At First Sight's Nasser Sultan may have had a 'secret girlfriend' and possibly booked a trip with her to Bali after filming wrapped
On-set 'spies' claimed that Nasser, 50, would 'disappear without a trace' on weekends.
The unnamed sources alleged: 'Nasser may have been in contact with another woman throughout the show.'
'It's believed the woman may have been an old girlfriend and as soon as filming had wrapped and before the reunion, he possibly booked a trip with her to Bali'.
Daily Mail Australia has reached out to Nasser for comment.
Disappearing act: On-set 'spies' claimed that Nasser, 50, would 'disappear without a trace' on weekends. Pictured here with his TV 'wife' Gabrielle Bartlett
The reports follow Nasser and Gabrielle's emotional commitment ceremony on Sunday night, where the fitness instructor revealed he didn't feel any sexual attraction towards his wife - despite the fact that they slept together on their honeymoon.
'I'm in the friend zone, physically and sexually,' he told the relationship experts.
Nasser continued: 'I mean, I respect Gabby but just that part of it... it's just, I'm stuck.
Brutal honesty: The reports follow Nasser's confession to not feeling any sexual attraction towards his wife
'At the moment, I have no sexual connection.'
Despite Nasser's cold response towards Gabrielle, 44, the blonde beauty admitted that she was attracted to the personal trainer.
'I'm very attracted to Nasser and I am absolutely willing and open to explore what's possible,' she said.
Gabrielle's heartbreak: Nasser said of the blonde beauty on Sunday's dramatic commitment ceremony: 'At the moment, I have no sexual connection'
But despite her openness, Gabrielle voted to 'leave' the experiment. In an unexpected twist, Nasser voted to stay.
'I have to move forward to the man that I might meet out there, who does want to love me,' Gabrielle wept.
'I need to go and find that man and I'm wanting to check that you're not it.'
Tears: Despite Nasser's cold response towards Gabrielle, she admitted that she was attracted to the personal trainer: 'I'm very attracted to Nasser and I am absolutely willing and open to explore what's possible'
Gabrielle's honesty didn't go down too well with Nasser, who lashed out after her decision was revealed.
'You know what, I wish I said leave. I really do,' he raged. 'I will never convince you in any way, shape, or form things take time. I need time, this experiment needs time.'
However, after calming down, Nasser agreed to fight for Gabrielle for one more week to see if the relationship could survive.
Married At First Sight continues tonight at 7:30pm on Channel Nine
He's the Married At First Sight star, who found himself at the centre of a cheating scandal.
And despite being portrayed as the ultimate ladies' man on the show, a source claims Dean Wells is actually a devoted Christian with strong family values.
It seems 'wife' Tracey Jewel is not the only one Dean has begged for forgiveness, with the smooth-talking 38-year-old reportedly also turning to God in an attempt to wash his sins away after his 'affair' with Davina Rankin.
'No one could believe it': Despite being portrayed as the ultimate ladies' man on the show, a source claims Dean Wells is actually a devoted Christian with strong family values. Pictured here on his 'wedding day' with Tracey Jewel
'No one could believe it because he really didn't seem like the kind of guy who would be a regular at bible study!' a source told Woman's Day on Monday.
'But he goes to a Christian group every week and has been attending for a few years.
The source added: 'During filming, often he couldn't make it to bible group, so he was constantly on the phone to his mentor. Talk about a guy whose life is a contradiction.'
Dedicated churchgoer: 'No one could believe it because he really didn't seem like the kind of guy who's be a regular at bible study!' a source told Woman's Day on Monday
Daily Mail Australia has reached out to Dean for comment
On a recent episode of MAFS, Dean told Tracey that his inability to be faithful to her was 'a Sydney thing.'
It comes after Channel Nine was forced to address speculation about whether Married At First Sight's Davina Rankin and Dean Wells are paid actors.
'How ridiculous you couldn't actually dream this up,' a Nine spokesperson told the Herald Sun on Saturday.
Telling porkies? On a recent episode of MAFS, Dean told Tracey that his inability to be faithful to her was 'a Sydney thing'
Also denying Davina and Dean were actors was the bikini model's 'husband' Ryan Gallagher.
'People cheat every day in real life. It is still a common thing. So just because it is on camera doesn't mean it is anything different,' he told News Corp.
Ryan and Davina's relationship has gone from bad to worse since their honeymoon, with the bikini model pursuing a romance with Dean behind the tradie's back.
Affair: It comes after Channel Nine was forced to address speculation about whether Dean and Davina Rankin are paid actors after they had an 'affair'
'People cheat every day in real life': Also denying Davina and Dean were actors was the bikini model's 'husband' Ryan Gallagher
But after Dean dumped her and went grovelling back to his 'wife' Tracey Jewel, Davina was forced to try and mend things with Ryan.
Meanwhile Ryan has claimed to The Fix that the bikini model was 'semi-bullying' and made him feel 'as big as an ant the whole time' while living together, starting on their honeymoon.
'She was semi-bullying me,' Ryan said.
Is it all an act? Channel Nine were forced to address the rampant social media speculation on Saturday
Didn't like her: The 29-year-old confessed the bikini model was 'semi bullying'
'She made you feel as big as an ant the whole time you were with her Especially when you're on the honeymoon and there's no-one around.'
It appears there is no love lost between Ryan and Davina, with the tradie telling OK! magazine this week he didn't have feelings for her.
'I never loved her, which was lucky because as it turned out, she pretty much hated my guts just for me being who I am,' he said.
Wanted a second chance: Dean dumped her and went grovelling back to his 'wife' Tracey Jewel, Davina was forced to try and mend things with Ryan
She's a veteran in the television industry, who stars on Channel Ten.
And Sandra Sully has opened up about her very first job in television.
The 53-year-old media personality said she stood up to her boss at the time, after he tried to get her to make him tea and coffee on the job.
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'I'm not here to make your coffee!' Sandra Sully reveals how she stood up to her boss when she got her first job in television
Not backwards and coming forwards, Sandra said she happily told him that she won't be making him any tea or coffee, as she was there to learn about the industry.
'The first job I got in television, my boss at the time said 'this is how I like my tea and coffee and water,' Sandra said on The Osher Gunsberg podcast.
'And I said, 'I don't do any of that.' He went, 'are you serious?' And I laughed and said, 'I'm not here to make your coffee. I'm here to learn about television.'
Familiar face: She's a veteran in the television industry, who stars on Channel Ten
She added with a laugh: 'Are you kidding?'
In January, Sandra revealed she suffered a terrifying health scare last year.
She said doctors found white spots on her brain following an MRI scan.
Speaking to The Australian Women's Weekly, the journalist said it all began when she had trouble reading her autocue lines and became uneasy on her feet.
After waking up one day feeling uneasy, she almost collapsed.
'I'd lost my balance. I had to hold the wall,' she explained.
However, despite her left arm going dead and a niggling pressure point in her head, she soldiered on and attended the Logies.
Tough: In January, Sandra revealed she suffered a terrifying health scare last year. She said doctors found white spots on her brain following an MRI scan
'The next day I just knew I wasn't right. It took me forever to mouth a sentence and I just didn't feel sharp,' she admitted.
Sandra had a colleague fill-in for her as she headed straight to the doctors to request an MRI.
As an ambassador for the Stroke Foundation, Sandra knew she had to listen to her body and seek medical attention sooner-than-later.
'I thought I was having a mini-stroke,' she said.
The media personality said the MRI revealed white spots on her brain and she was suffering migraines without a headache.
Sandra has since told Daily Mail Australia that while 'some days are better than others' she is feeling a lot better and is regularly monitoring her health and checking in with her GP.
She said doctors gave her the 'thumbs up' and were 'really excited about 2018 and being back at the news desk.'
Heidi Klum is not going to quit modeling any time soon, just because some critics might think she's to old.
The German model, who's 44, told Ellen DeGeneres, that she came in for some criticism after starring in a campaign for her own lingerie line Heidi Klum Intimates.
'Sometimes people say you're 44, you're turning 45, why are you not giving the baton to someone else?' she explained in an interview taped for broadcast Monday.
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'I'm still doing it': Heidi Klum, 44, told Ellen DeGeneres she's been criticized for modeling her own lingerie brand because she's 'too old'
Never too old: The German model showed off one of her own bra designs on the daytime chat show and defended older women, saying' Can we not also look sexy?'
'But I always think there's a lot of women my age... 50, 60, 70... What? Do we have an expiration date? Can we not also still feel sexy?'
Heidi went on: 'Why do we always have to be 20-years-old or 30-years-old? Why can't there be an older woman in a campaign? So I'm still doing it.'
The former Victoria's Secret model starred in the sixth campaign for her lingerie line last August.
All her own work: The former Victoria's Secret Angel starred in the sixth campaign for Heidi Klum Intimates last August
Point of view: 'I always think there's a lot of women my age... 50, 60, 70... What? Do we have an expiration date?' she said during her interview with Ellen to be aired Monday
Advocate: Heidi went on: 'Why do we always have to be 20-years-old or 30-years-old? Why can't there be an older woman in a campaign?'
Big test: She also spoke about filming Germany's Next Top Model in LA and holding a bikini modeling shoot on Hollywood Boulevard to test the contestants' mettle
Also during her appearance on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, the natural beauty talked abut filming Germany's Next Top Model in LA.
She held a modeling session on a large mobile stage on Hollywood Boulevard to see how the contestants would cope with being in bikinis on display in public like that.
She admitted some had found it intimidating but it was a good way to see who was able to shut out the crowd and do the job at hand without being self-conscious.
Next up, she returns to US television as a judge in the new season of America's Got Talent.
Last year there were plenty of explosive on-air arguments between Sunrise co-hosts Samantha Armytage, David Koch and Natalie Barr.
And the stars of Seven's breakfast show appeared to confirm the feuds weren't all for dramatic TV viewing on Monday, when they hinted there was one member of the team they didn't like.
Hooked up to a polygraph machine, Samantha, David and Natalie were accused of providing false responses to experts when insisting they liked all their Seven colleagues equally.
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Fake TV friendships? Sunrise hosts David Koch, Samantha Armytage and Natalie Barr fuel feud rumours as they fail lie detector questioning about their relationships on the show
The TV journalists began to display sweaty palms as they were sat down for their test in a darkly-lit room.
Things got off to a scandalous start when lie detector 'interrogator' Sean asked each member: 'Is there any member of the Sunrise team you don't like?'
Sam answered first, shaking her head to say no, but when experts claimed she was providing a false response she began laughing and smiling.
Hooked up to a polygraph machine, the experts accused ALL co-stars of giving false responses about liking their co-stars, with Sam laughing and smirking after being accused of being untruthful
David hesitated with his answer, saying, 'hm, um, no' while his lip twitched.
He also began laughing, when the lie detector reader gave a big thumbs down as a representation of a potential lie.
Meanwhile, David, Samantha and Natalie all confessed quickly to gossiping about colleagues behind their backs.
'Who doesn't gossip about their colleagues?... I'm not apologising': Meanwhile, David, Sam and Nat all confessed quickly to gossiping about colleagues behind their backs
Ouch! Sam ended with a real blow to her team of co-hosts when she confessed she liked her Labrador pup Bango better than the Sunrise stars, as he was her 'baby'
'Yes, but have they ever gossiped about me?' Samantha said, appearing to defend her actions.
Kochie also justified his answer, saying: 'Its television, yes.'
Without hesitation, Natalie gave out a lengthy 'yeah', before adding: 'Who doesn't gossip about their colleagues?... I'm not apologising.'
Samantha ended with a real blow to her team of co-hosts when she confessed she liked her Labrador pup Bango better than the Sunrise stars, as he was her 'baby'.
Daily Mail Australia have reached out to Seven for comment.
'Its television': Kochie said they all gossiped because of the industry they worked within
Sunrise capped-off its 15th year with the news it was on top of the breakfast TV ratings once again in December 2017.
And that may have something to do with some very dramatic and explosive on-air arguments between the show's stars Samantha, David and Natalie.
It all kicked off in June, when the panel became embroiled in a fiery argument after Sam appeared to criticise Amal Clooney's pregnancy body.
Commenting on the lawyer and actor hubby George's birth of twins the week prior, Sam scoffed: 'Come on I bet she's already back to her pre-pregnancy weight.'
Explosive on-air arguments, 'in house fiery feuds' and Kochie being told to 'shut-up': Inside the biggest blow-ups between Samantha Armytage, David Koch and Natalie Barr on Sunrise
Mother-of-two Natalie Barr then quipped: 'By lunch time!' quickly drawing the ire of Kochie, who addressed his concerns on-air.
'Now you girls. Give her a break,' he told both women, ''You're being nasty. No, I think she'll be a lovely mother.'
Screwing up her face, Natalie insisted to Kochie that the pair were merely kidding around: 'We're not being nasty. We were joking!'
Just one day later, Natalie and Kochie went at it again, this time after she questioned the former accountant's expertise on the housing market.
Compelling: Throughout the year there have been several explosive on-air arguments between the show's stars Samantha Armytage, David Koch and Natalie Barr, making for some compelling viewing
'Give her a break': All was well until June, when the panel became embroiled in a fiery argument after Sam appeared to criticise Amal Clooney's pregnancy body
'You're being nasty': After Sam and Natalie Barr joked about how quickly Amal would get back to her goal weight, Kochie interjected: 'Now you girls. Give her a break! You're being nasty!'
After showing a series of figures and graphs, Natalie asked him: 'One question. Do you know anyone whos actually done that and actually put all that money away?'
A surprised Kochie responded that he did in fact have one mate who used this tactic, and some of his kid's friends were renting despite owning investment homes.
But Natalie wasn't convinced, arguing: 'But theyre negatively geared ... so in this market theyre losing money, in this climbing Sydney market.'
At it again: Just one day later, Natalie and Kochie went at it again, this time after she questioned the former accountant's expertise on the housing market
'No, no, no, only losing money on the cash,' Kochie hit back.
'Trust me, Nat, I actually know a bit about this. I know about this, Ive done all the calculations, you can throw all the hand grenades you like, but it works.'
'Im just checking, because its a climbing Sydney market, so would they have lost money in this market? Who loses money in this last five years in Sydney in the property market?' Natalie responded.
Not giving up, Kochie countered: 'Last month. Last month. What about Perth? What about Perth? Youre not going to win, sorry, Nat.'
It's a chore! A fortnight later, an argument broke out once again, this time after Kochie made light of a segment about how men and women view domestic duties differently
As Natalie appeared to be thinking up a comeback, Samantha brought her colleagues' attention back to the news headlines by interjecting: 'Stop it you two!'
A fortnight later, an argument broke out once again, this time during a heated segment about how men and women view domestic duties differently.
'We're not lazy, we're too busy doing the mowing,' panelist Ben Davis said, prompting Kochie to interject: 'And the ironing.'
'Shut up Kochie': Sam shot back: 'Oh shut up Kochie,' leaving her co-host shocked, replying: Did you just tell me to shut up? I come to work and it's like being at home'
Clearly unimpressed, Samantha shot back: 'Oh shut up Kochie.'
Moments later, Kochie was still in shock saying: 'Did you just tell me to shut up? It's like being at home. I come to work and it's like being at home.'
The feuds weren't just confined to the panel either, with Samantha making global headlines for a fiery interview with American comedian Kathy Griffin.
It started during a promotional appearance on Sunrise, in which Kathy called Samantha 'full of crap' for criticising her infamous 'Donald Trump's severed head' image.
'Im in trouble, according to you Sam, way to take my back girl, Griffin said towards the end of the long, awkward argument.
Im a journalist Kathy Im here to ask you questions, Samantha said, while also explaining she was playing the devils advocate.
The world is watching: The feuds weren't just confined to the panel either, with Samantha making global headlines for a fiery interview with American comedian Kathy Griffin
'Full of crap': It started during a promotional appearance on Sunrise, in which Kathy called Samantha 'full of crap' for criticising her infamous 'Donald Trump's severed head' image
I know your type, Ive got your number Sam, Kathy replied, with the feud then going back and forwards for weeks.
Most recently, in September, Samantha became locked in another on-air spat, this time over her love life.
The 41-year-old took a swipe at co-host Edwina Bartholomew, 34, and called her 'smug' after the engaged presenter tried to play matchmaker.
Love hurts! Most recently, in September, Sam became locked in another on-air spat, this time over her love life
'All right, thanks Eddie. God, you've already become a smug married, trying to be a matchmaker,' she snapped at Edwina's attempt to find her a man.
'You just worry about your own wedding,' Samantha interjected, leaving her co-hosts somewhat silenced and then nervously laughing at the awkward exchange.
Meanwhile, earlier this year, Samanatha and David were forced to deny reports of an on-set feud.
The drama surfaced off the back of a Woman's Day report, claiming 'Kochie' had spoken to the network and asked them to replace Sam with Edwina.
'Smug': The 41-year-old took a swipe at co-host Edwina Bartholomew, 34, and called her 'smug' after the engaged presenter tried to play matchmaker
'There's a whisper that Kochie (Koch) has gone to the top dogs and told them they need to really consider Sunrise's Monday to Friday line-up,' the magazine claimed.
The magazine alleged a source also claimed Kochie has struggled to bond with Sam like he did previous co-host Melissa Doyle.
Kochie denied the feud on Twitter: 'Total fabrication. Fake News at its worst. Can I be any clearer. 13 years as Australia's #1 at brekky...love working with team.'
Sam quickly followed suit on Instagram: 'Must be a @sunriseon7 feud to take up several pages during the quiet-January-period (sic),' she wrote.
'Silly. Trash. Idiotic. Mindless. Bull****.'
Carl Grimes perished on the the mid-season premiere of The Walking Dead on Sunday after succumbing to a zombie bite in the abdomen.
The episode titled Honor was a protracted goodbye for the original cast member that included flashes forward to a land of peace and harmony in Carl's imagination.
The show opened with Michonne and Rick digging his grave, and a flashback to Carl [Chandler Riggs] getting bitten by a zombie.
Mid-season premiere: The Walking Dead returned on Sunday for its mid-season premiere on AMC
Aware of his pending demise Carl set about writing letters to everyone he loved.
'I wanted to make sure I could say goodbye,' he told his distraught father Rick [Andrew Lincoln].
In his final hours Carl made the effort to spend some quality time with his little sister Judith.
On his deathbed he also succeeded in making his father accept Siddiq [Avi Nash] into his crew.
Peaceful future: Rick Grimes and daughter Judith were shown in a peaceful flash forward that Carl imagined
Zombie attack: The episode featured a flashback to the moment Carl was bitten by a walker
Throughout his descent into zombie-related sickness Carl urged for peace and harmony.
'It's got to stopit's not supposed to be like this, I know it can be better,' he told Michonne [Danai Gurira].
His final hours were spent trapped in the sewer.
Better world: Carl told Michonne that the post-apocalyptic zombie world could be better
Daryl [Norman Reedus] took everyone except Michonne, Rick and Carl to escape.
Carl was forced to say goodbye to his sister in the sewer.
'You be good OK?' he told her.
Little sister: Judith received Carl's hat from her brother before he died
'Sometimes kids have got to show their parents the way,' he warned, before handing over his beloved hat, which used to belong to his dad.
'These people, you saved them all, it's all you man,' said Daryl.
'I'm going to honor you Carl,' promised Siddiq.
In honor: Siddiq promised to honor Carl who brought him into the group
Carl said a slow and painful goodbye to Michonne.
'I don't want you to be sad after thisyou're my best friend,' he told her.
'You're mine too,' she sobbed.
Rick decided it was time to remove his dying son from the sewer, so he and Michonne dragged him through the flames on their shoulders.
Hanging on:Michonne and Rick moved Carl out of the sewer
'Thanks for getting me here,' said Carl expansively.
He then shared a deathbed confession.
'Back in prison when we got attacked there was a kid a little older than me, he had a gun, he was starting to put it down and then I shot him, he was giving I up and I just shot himI think about him,' he recalled.
Deathbed confession: Carl confessed to killing a boy during the prison melee
'You were just a boy,' consoled Rick.
Carl told his father he appreciated the time when he 'stopped fighting'.
'You can be like that again,' he urged.
Good point: Rick reminded Carl that he was just a boy when it happened
'There's got to be something after,' Carl mused while imagining a glorious, loving Alexandria with crops and people working together in harmony.
'I'm going to make it real, I promise,' sobbed Rick.
'I'm sorry I couldn't protect you, a father's job is to protect his son,' said Rick.
'No, it's just to love,' replied Carl.
Tough time: Rick and Michonne stayed outside as Carl killed himself
Grave diggers: Michonne and Rick dug a grave for Carl
The final scenes were of Carl's fantasy, in which Negan was part of the Alexandria love-in, planting crops and greeting an older Judith warmly.
'Good morning to you darlin',' Negan grinned to the child.
Meanwhile, the dreadlocked King Ezekiel [Khary Payton] had been taken hostage by evil Negan's henchmen.
Fantasy scene: Negan was shown in Carl's fantasy greeting his sister Judith
Friendly visit: Jerry was shown in Carl's fantasy after Siddiq asked for his help
'I ferried my people to freedom. What befalls me now matters not,' the king told Gavin [Jayson Warner Smith].
Carol and Morgan went on a mission to try and rescue the king, slaying everyone in their path.
Even Gavin wasn't pleased about Ezekiel's pending execution.
In custody: Gavin had King Ezekiel in custody but wasn't looking forward to his execution
'It always has to get dark and ugly and inhuman,' he lamented.
'It is not too late to walk back from something decided,' urged Ezekiel as gunshots rang out.
The Saviors dragged Ezekiel into the king's dilapidated throne room where Carol [Melissa McBride] and Morgan ambushed them with heavy artillery.
Rescue mission: Carol embarked on a rescue mission to save King Ezekiel
Morgan [Lennie James] resorted to ripping out a man's intestines to avoid getting throttled.
Gavin escaped but Morgan was hot on his tail.
'You think you can beat me, you can't,' said Gavin.
Gutty move: Morgan ripped out a man's intestines to avoid being choked to death
Carol and the king wanted to let Gavin and urged Morgan to be lenient.
Morgan was about to kill Gavin but Henry, the boy whose brother Morgan and Ezekiel didn't protect, speared Gavin from behind through the jugular.
'I had to,' said the boy with gravitas.
From behind: Gavin was about to be killed by Morgan when he was speared from behind
Deadly blow: Henry killed Gavin and avenged his brother's slaying
'You were supposed to stay at the cottage,' raged Carol.
'All will be resolved,' said Ezekiel.
The Walking Dead continues next Sunday on AMC.
She stepped away from her famed Harry Potter association when she took a feminist stance, fighting for gender equality in a moving speech at the United Nations.
And Emma Watson recently posed in a stunning photo shoot for Vogue Australia's March issue, in which she is a guest editor.
Baring her freckles in a stunning natural picture series, the 27-year-old is photographed sitting in a field of long Indian Grass, captivating the reader with her soulful eyes.
Natural beauty! Emma Watson stuns in the centrefold of Vogue Australia for their March issue
Most relevant to the beauty's efforts in sustainability and inheriting positive change to the world, Emma's role as guest editor on the issue delves into these topics, exposing an unseen before raw and real Emma Watson.
Wearing a leather jacket and captured in black in white, the wilderness location encapsulates all that the star stands for in the way of sustainability - particularly her forward motion push in the way of fashion.
On the issue's cover, Emma highlights her slender figure in a black ruffled frock and shows off her natural beauty by wearing minimal makeup.
Effortlessly chic! Emma Watson, 27, highlights her slender figure in a ruffled black frock on the cover of Vogue Australia
The Circle actress's brunette locks fall in tousled waves around her face, framing her beautiful visage.
An inside shot sees Emma perched on a wooden table, wearing an edgier ensemble.
Sporting a silk trench coat, the Paris-born star accessorises with patent brogues and a beret.
Stunning: An inside shot sees The Circle actress perched on a wooden table, drawing one lean leg up to her chest
Casting a soulful glance at the camera, Emma draws attention to her striking facial features.
The Brown University graduate lends her star status to the March issue of the fashion bible, championing for sustainability and inspiring people to strive for positive change in the world.
She's the Australian actress who is always good for a laugh.
And Monday was no exception for Pitch Perfect star Rebel Wilson, who screamed in delight while zip-lining in New Zealand.
Taking to Instagram, the 37-year-old blonde shared a short clip of herself and her lookalike sister Liberty high above the tree tops.
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Sky high star! Rebel Wilson screamed in delight while zip-lining in New Zealand on Monday
In the video, the siblings can be heard squealing as Rebel bravely reaches out to touch her sister, who is on a parallel line.
'Zip lining in New Zealand with my sister Liberty and family friends Noelene and Geoffrey,' the Hollywood star wrote in the caption.
Despite being rather reserved about her political views, Rebel then praised the country's new progressive Prime Minister, Jacinda Ardern.
'I had to go because they have such a cool female Prime Minister Jacinda and check out all the fun stuff they have here,' she added.
True to form, the Bridesmaids star couldn't resist throwing in a joke for fans, writing: 'Plus they have Burger Rings but they are different to Australian Burger Rings.'
Rebel's turn as action-adventurer comes after she tried her hand at snorkelling in French Polynesia earlier this month with unexpected results.
'I got hit by some coral!' Rebel's turn as action-adventurer comes after she tried her hand at snorkelling in French Polynesia earlier this month with unexpected results
Taking to Instagram to share her experience, Rebel told fans: 'Unfortunately we've run into disaster. I got hit by some coral!'
Sporting an rather pained expression, the comedian then directed her camera under the water to reveal her injured leg.
'As you can see I'm bleeding pretty badly,' Rebel said, before filming her friend who had also encountered the same problem.
Injecting some comedy into the situation, Rebel warned her followers: 'Coral is killer! Now all the fish are trying to get my cut up leg!'
The Married At First Sight star wed 'alpha male' Dean Wells in a TV wedding, but later found out he had begun a secret 'affair'with co-star Davina Rankin behind her back.
And as Tracey Jewel 'husband' attempts to salvage their relationship on-screen, it's been revealed off-screen she's been asked to walk the aisle AGAIN.
A source claiming to be close to the single mother, 34, told Woman's Day this week that men had been inundating the star with marriage requests.
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Surprise proposal! Married At First Sight star Tracey Jewel reveals someone recently popped the question to her but who was it?
The apparent insider claimed Tracey had been inboxed more than 100 proposals from fans, who weren't happy with the way Dean had treated her on the show.
'Guys are outraged over how Tracey has been treated and lots of them have been contacting her via Instagram to ask her on a date... some are even asking for her hand in marriage! ' they said.
As of Sunday, Tracey and Dean are still attempting to mend their 'marriage' as one of eight remaining couples on the show.
Daily Mail Australia has reached out to Tracey Jewel for comment.
Insta-proposal! The apparent insider claimed Tracey had been inboxed more than 100 marriage requests from fans who weren't happy with the way Dean had treated her on the show
Will they last? As of Sunday, Tracey and Dean are still attempting to mend their 'marriage' as one of eight remaining couples on the show
The star previously admitted to having dated 'Australia's Most Hated Man' Blake Garvey.
Speaking to OK! Magazine before the show's premiere,Tracey revealed she had turned down an engagement from an ex just before applying to be on the series.
She said her TV appearance would be 'a slap in the face' for her him - but she was still hopeful of getting her fairytale ending.
Trying to find Mr. Right: While speaking about her past relationships, Tracey Jewel revealed she had turned down an engagement just before applying to be on Married At First Sight
When asked if her former partner knew about her television debut, Tracey confessed that he did not, before adding: 'I don't think he's going to like it very much.'
'He'd be like, "How can you say no to me and then go marry a complete stranger?" It's a bit of a slap in the face.'
On the subject of the engagement that never was, the self-proclaimed 'relationship expert' said the whole proposal was a disaster.
Fame-seeker: When asked if her former partner knew about her television debut, Tracey confessed that he did not, before adding: 'I don't think he's going to like it very much'
'We knew each other for nine months': On the subject of the engagement that never was, the self-proclaimed 'relationship expert' said the whole proposal was a disaster
'We knew each other for nine months and it went from zero to 100 miles an hour,' Tracey recalled.
'We were only just starting to discuss moving in, so it was all too soon.'
Back in 2014, Tracey made headlines after revealing she had been Blake Garvey's first girlfriend. They reportedly dated as teenagers.
She claimed they split in the years after graduating high school, but briefly rekindled their relationship in 2012.
Blake went on to star in the second series of The Bachelor, but faced a backlash after dumping winner Sam Frost just weeks after proposing in the finale.
They go way back! Back in 2014, Tracey made headlines after revealing she had been The Bachelor Blake Garvey's first girlfriend. They reportedly dated as teenagers
He later began dating the second runner-up, lifestyle blogger Louise Pillidge, but they eventually split after 18 months.
Tracey also previously dated AdultShop.com founder Malcom Day and, according to News.com.au, has exchanged texts with Sam Barnett, the son of WA Premier Colin Barnett.
The private messages caused a row between Sam and his ex-girlfriend, which landed the politician's son in court.
Britney Spears flaunted her fit 5ft4in figure in a plunging sheer silver mini-dress while being honored for her fragrances at the Fourth Annual Hollywood Beauty Awards on Sunday night.
It's hard to believe the 36-year-old Grammy winner has released 24 perfumes with Elizabeth Arden since 2004.
The Mississippi-born blonde wore a similar high-necked sheer embellished tiny frock to walked the green carpet at Avalon Hollywood.
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Looks like a shirt! Britney Spears flaunted her fit 5ft4in figure in a plunging sheer silver mini-dress while being honored for her fragrances at the Fourth Annual Hollywood Beauty Awards on Sunday night
Another one for the mantel! It's hard to believe the 36-year-old Grammy winner has released 24 perfumes with Elizabeth Arden since 2004
Hairstylist Lorenzo Martin coiffed Britney's signature hair extensions and she wore a nude lip with an excess of black eyeliner.
Earlier that day, Spears - who boasts 111.7M social media followers -shared a snap from her invigorating hike on one of her 'favorite trails' which has a waterfall.
It was the same place the mother-of-two had hiked with her toyboy - Royal Personal Training staffer Sam Asghari - back on February 5 to celebrate dating over a year.
The Make Me... hitmaker and the 23-year-old Iranian fitness model have been inseparable ever since meeting on the set of her Slumber Party music video on October 25, 2016.
Smells sweet: The Mississippi-born blonde wore a similar high-necked sheer embellished tiny frock to walked the green carpet at Avalon Hollywood
Rocking a Noudar black diamond ring: Hairstylist Lorenzo Martin coiffed the Mississippi-born blonde's signature hair extensions and she wore a nude lip with an excess of black eyeliner
Phenomenal: The Private Show songstress has maintained her muscular legs with regular work-outs as well as her recently concluded Piece of Me Las Vegas residency
The former Mouseketeer's red carpet appearance came two days after her ex-husband Kevin Federline requested an increase in his $20K/month child support - according to Us Weekly.
The G.O.A.T. rapper - turning 40 next month - believes the success of her Piece of Me residency in Las Vegas was due to the health and happiness of their sons Jayden, 12; and Sean, 11.
Britney will next kick off the 12-date North American leg of her Britney: Piece of Me Tour on July 12 at MGM National Harbor in Maryland.
Also attending the black-tie dinner gala was The Walking Dead and Black Panther scene stealer Danai Gurira.
'I saw this glow and it warmed my heart!' Earlier that day, Spears shared a snap from her invigorating hike on one of her 'favorite trails' which has a waterfall
'Everyday he inspires me to be a better person': It was the same place the mother-of-two had hiked with her toyboy Sam Asghari back on February 5 to celebrate dating over a year
Raise? The former Mouseketeer's red carpet appearance came two days after her ex-husband Kevin Federline requested an increase in his $20K/month child support (pictured in 2006)
Their boys: The G.O.A.T. rapper - turning 40 next month - believes the success of her Piece of Me residency was due to the health and happiness of their sons Jayden, 12; and Sean, 11
The 40-year-old Tony nominee dazzled the green carpet in a coral Christopher Kane SS/18 'Bow' dress, a black clutch, and matching stilettos selected by stylist Thomas Carter Phillips.
Once inside, Danai mingled with The Hitman's Bodyguard star Samuel L. Jackson, who gushed onInstagram that she has 'brilliance bursting from every pore.'
The 69-year-old Oscar nominee also posed with the woman behind the hairstyles of Wakanda - Camille Friend - who took home a trophy for her work on Guardians of the Galaxy 2.
Equally excited to meet Gurira was Pitch Perfect 3 stunner Elizabeth Banks who, like Danai, has empowered herself by assuming roles both before and behind the camera.
Yes! Also attending the black-tie dinner gala was The Walking Dead and Black Panther scene stealer Danai Gurira
Queen! The 40-year-old Tony nominee dazzled the green carpet in a coral Christopher Kane SS/18 'Bow' dress and black stilettos selected by stylist Thomas Carter Phillips
'I've always been impressed by @danaigurira!' Once inside, Danai mingled with The Hitman's Bodyguard star Samuel L. Jackson, who gushed on Instagram that she has 'brilliance bursting from every pore'
Fan-boying: The 69-year-old Oscar nominee also posed with the woman behind the hairstyles of Wakanda - Camille Friend (L) - who took home a trophy for Guardians of the Galaxy 2
HBIC: Equally excited to meet Gurira was Pitch Perfect 3 stunner Elizabeth Banks who, like Danai, has empowered herself by assuming roles both before and behind the camera
Blonde ambition: The 44-year-old Emmy nominee took the plunge in a black mesh gown featuring red and green shading which was selected by stylist duo Nicole & Wendi Ferreira
The Curb Your Enthusiasm guest star - who presented a trophy to her usual hairstylist Camille - shared a behind-the-scenes snap of fill-in hairstylist Clayton Hawkins.
Let's Get Physical actress Jane Seymour looked lovely in a hot-pink strapless column gown featuring folds at the hip and silver stilettos.
It's hard to believe the glowing two-time Golden Globe winner (born Joyce Frankenberg) is 67 with four children and four ex-husbands.
Faded Love songstress Tinashe was scantily clad in gold co-ords, while Where's the Money actress Kat Graham looked positively Victorian in a gown selected by stylist Jennifer Mazur.
'My man hooked me up!' The Curb Your Enthusiasm guest star - who presented a trophy to her usual hairstylist Camille - shared a behind-the-scenes snap of fill-in hairstylist Clayton Hawkins
Pretty in pink! Let's Get Physical actress Jane Seymour looked lovely in a hot-pink strapless column gown featuring folds at the hip and silver stilettos.
English rose: It's hard to believe the glowing two-time Golden Globe winner (born Joyce Frankenberg) is 67 with four children and four ex-husbands
Grandmother-of-three: Meanwhile, The Talk guest co-host Marie Osmond defied her 58 years in a black pantsuit with a red waistcoat and Louboutin pumps
Not-so-basic black: Faded Love songstress Tinashe (L) was scantily clad in gold co-ords, while Where's the Money actress Kat Graham (R) looked positively Victorian in a gown
He got his big break as Vinnie Patterson on Home And Away, before finding mainstream fame as Jason Stackhouse on vampire series True Blood.
And Ryan Kwanten cemented his star potential on Monday, as he promoted his new series The Oath at the premiere in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
The 41-year-old Australian actor looked every inch the leading man as he hit the red carpet in a printed chambray shirt.
Leading man: True Blood actor Ryan Kwanten cemented his star potential on Monday, as he promoted his new series The Oath at the premiere in San Juan, Puerto Rico
Keeping his look casual, the Sydney-born hunk completed the outfit with simple slim-fit jeans and black boots.
Boasting a deep tan, the actor wore his dark hair in a slick-back style and framed his youthful features with a distinguished amount of stubble.
Looking comfortable in front of the cameras, he seemed to be in great spirits as he posed alongside co-star Ron Perlman.
Keeping it casual: The 41-year-old Australian actor looked every inch the leading man as he hit the red carpet in a printed chambray shirt
Youthful: Boasting a deep tan, the actor wore his dark hair in a slick-back style and framed his youthful features with a distinguished amount of stubble
Produced by rapper 50 cent and Game of Thrones actor Sean Bean, The Oath follows Steve Hammond (played by Kwanten).
Steve is a corrupt cop who is the leader of the Ravens, a group who rob a bank and then turn back to save it.
Meanwhile Sean Bean plays his ex-convict father Tom in the series, which dives into the dark underworld of police gangs.
The role is yet another break for the Aussie in LA, and appears to be a marked difference from his True Blood role, which saw him flash a lot of skin in raunchy sex scenes with Alexander Skarsgard.
Low-key: Keeping his look casual, the Sydney-born hunk completed the outfit with simple slim-fit jeans and black boots
Here come the boys: He was joined by actor Ron Perlman, who stood out in a bold paisley print shirt. Perlman stars in Crackles original series StartUp
Visiting Australia in 2016, the blonde Swede joked about the star, telling The Project: 'Ryan Kwanten is surprisingly a good kisser actually,' he said.
'He's very tender. You wouldn't think it because he's kind of a tough guy but very soft, gentle, tender touch', he continued.
The Oath will premiere all 10 episodes of its first season on Crackle on Thursday, March 8.
They are one of Hollywood's most glamorous power couples.
And on Sunday evening, Sofia Vergara and Joe Manganiello did not disappoint when they swung by the red carpet for the 13th annual L.A. Italia Fest.
Sofia, 45, showcased her enviably toned legs in a black pencil skirt as she arrived at the premiere of Hotel Gagarin TCL Chinese 6 Theaters in Hollywood & Highland.
Swank: On Sunday evening, Sofia Vergara and Joe Manganiello oozed glamour when they swung by the red carpet for the 13th annual L.A. Italia Fest
The Barranquilla-born Modern Family star wore her hair straight and down, letting her pristine do fall elegantly over her shoulders.
She complemented the skirt with a black blazer that was speckled with scarlet flowery embroidery, and that was form-fitted to play up her svelte frame.
Holding a raven-hued clutch to her side, she balanced on open-toed black heels and accentuated her features with makeup including a slick of red lipstick.
Meanwhile, 41-year-old Joe, whom Sofia married back in 2015, cut a distinguished figure with a grizzled beard and a pair of spectacles.
C'est chic: Sofia, 45, showcased her enviably toned legs in a black pencil skirt as she arrived at the premiere of Hotel Gagarin TCL Chinese 6 Theaters in Hollywood & Highland
Image of style: The Barranquilla-born Modern Family star wore her hair straight and down, letting her pristine do fall elegantly over her shoulders
Sofia's second husband stuck to a classic form of chic, teaming a black suit with a black tie, a black pair of dress shoes and a white dress shirt.
Hotel Gagarin is an Italian comedy directed by Simone Spada and starring Barbora Bobulova, who played a young version of the title character in the Lifetime movie Coco Chanel - in which an older version was played by Shirley MacLaine.
Italia Fest kicked off on Sunday and will rumble along until next Saturday - the day before the Oscars are held at the Dolby Theatre in the same complex.
Bringing it together: She complemented the skirt with a black blazer that was speckled with scarlet flowery embroidery, and that was form-fitted to play up her svelte frame
Luca Guadagnino, the Oscar-nominated director of this past year's Call Me By Your Name, will be feted at he festival, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
So will Marco Morabito, who produced the film and is therefore also an Oscar nominee in view of Call Me By Your Name's Best Picture nod.
Blade Runner 2049's production designer Dennis Gassner and set decorator Alessandra Querzola are to be garlanded by Italia Fest as well.
Kim Kardashian's been over the moon since welcoming her third child Chicago via surrogate in January.
But the star confessed she was anxious that she might 'not care as much' about the little one in the latest episode of KUWTK, which aired Sunday.
During the conversation recorded last fall, the social media starlet reassured herself everything would be the same, explaining: 'Everyone says it's like no different' to her sister Khloe.
What's on your mind? Kim Kardashian admitted she was worried she 'might not care as much' about her third baby, who she was having via surrogate, during a chat with sister Khloe on this Sunday's Keeping Up With The Kardashians
Kim weighed the pros and cons of the surrogacy during her chat with her younger sis, who is currently expecting her very first child with fiance Tristan Thompson.
'Even though I will appreciate not having to gain the weight and then lose the weightI so would have rather have done it on my own,' Kim said.
The 5foot3 star gained 52 lbs during her first pregnancy and 60 while expecting son Saint, hence her apprehension about the extra baby weight.
The wife of Kanye West continued, admitting she was worried she would feel differently about this little one than their two older siblings.
Heavy conversation: Kim said she'd 'appreciate not having to gain the weight' from expecting. During her first two pregnancies the star gained close to 60lbs. Above Kim is seen during her pregnancy with daughter North in 2013 (left) and while expecting son Saint in 2015 (right)
Worried: The wife of Kanye West continued, admitting she was worried she would feel differently about this little one than their two older siblings
Ups and downs: Kim weighed the pros and cons of the surrogacy during a talk with her younger sis Khloe, who is currently expecting her very first child with beau Tristan Thompson
'I just hope I care as mucheveryone says its like no different,' the star confessed.
All things considered, Kim told sister Khloe: 'I still would have rather done it myself.'
It appears that Kim's worries were nothing to lose sleep over, though.
The starlet has been simply ecstatic since welcoming daughter Chicago to the world January 15.
Love at first sight! It appears that Kim's worries were nothing to lose sleep over, though, as she's been simply ecstatic since Chicago's birth January 15. Just a glimpse of the baby girl can be seen above in a still from little sister Kylie Jenner's birth announcement for daughter Stormi
Oh baby! Kim gave fans a glowing update about her little one Saturday, telling fans she's 'the sweetest'
Kim gave fans a glowing update about her little one Saturday on Twitter after a fan asked 'How is Chi doing?'
The reality star replied: 'The sweetest! Best baby! She looks a tiny bit like North and a tiny bit like Saint but definitely her own person!'
Season 14 of KUWTK continues next Sunday on E!
She has previously expressed regret over having sex with ex-fiance Ricci Guarnaccio on Geordie Shore.
And Vicky Pattison broke down in tears on Australia's I'm A Celebrity...Get Me Out Of Here! on Monday, revealing she 'hated herself' for her behaviour.
During the episode, an emotional Vicky made the admission while being interviewed by shock jock Steve Price as part of his Jungle Radio series.
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Tears: Vicky Pattison broke down in tears on Australia's I'm A Celebrity...Get Me Out Of Here! on Monday, revealing she 'hated herself' for her behaviour on Geordie Shore
Pulling no punches, Steve asked Vicky: 'I know that you disappointed yourself that you had sex on television. How did that come about?'
With tears welling in her eyes, Vicky nodded and said: 'I hated myself on Geordie Shore.'
She continued: 'I hated the person that I ended up becoming and I have no one to blame but myself, and I dont try and put blame on anybody else.'
Regret: 'I hated the person that I ended up becoming and I have no one to blame but myself, and I dont try and put blame on anybody else.' Vicky is pictured with Geordie Shore flame Ricci Guarnaccio
Vicky hinted that she felt pressured to act outrageously on camera to keep up with her wild castmates.
'You are under an awful lot of pressure to act a certain way - to constantly outdo the outrageousness that's happening around you,' she said.
Vicky also revealed in the interview that her appearance on Geordie Shore had caused a difficult relationship with her mother.
Strained: 'My mum never really forgave us': Vicky also revealed that her appearance on Geordie Shore had caused a difficult relationship with her mother
'My mum never really forgave us, I don't think,' Vicky revealed. 'She was very disappointed, quite rightly.'
The 30-year-old has certainly been in the wars during her time in the South African jungle, throwing up on Thursday's episode after a stomach churning challenge.
Vicky and former Australian politician David Oldfield were spun around 12 times before being tasked with kicking a ball into a net.
But the trial got the better of a weary Vicky, who vomited in a bucket while David collapsed and received medical attention.
Vicky appeared on Geordie Shore from 2011 to 2014.
I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here! continues Monday at 7:30pm on Ten
He is said to have left his wife of 22 years, Eva Mavrakis, for actress Mary Elizabeth Winstead, after falling for her on the set of their acclaimed show Fargo.
And following fresh reports that Mary, 33, has dumped Ewan McGregor because she disliked being labelled a 'homewrecker', the 46-year-old actor was spotted enjoying a day out with his 51-year-old estranged spouse and their daughter Anouk, seven.
During the relaxed outing, which took place at Los Angeles' Santa Monica Airport on Sunday, the screen star was seen taking his youngest offspring for a bicycle ride, attentively guiding her as she got to grips with her little two-wheeler.
Reunited: Ewan McGregor was briefly reunited with his estranged wife Eve Mavrakis when the actor took their seven-year-old daughter Anouk for a bike ride in Santa Monica on Sunday
Scottish-born Ewan, who has lived in the Californian city for several years, jumped off his own bicycle on several occasions to ensure that his daughter remained upright as she pedalled around the quiet grounds.
Putting safety first, Anouk's parents ensured she wore a pink helmet for her leisurely excursion - perfectly matching her headgear with her pastel bicycle.
Arriving on the grounds in a classic convertible car, Ewan went for a casual look, stepping out in a white T-shirt with cuffed blue jeans and black boots.
Attentive: The actor kept a guiding hand on little Anouk's bicicyle as she embarked on her ride
Pretty in pink: Anouk's safety helmet perfectly matched her little bicycle for her day with dad
Like father like daughter: The screen star matched his white safety helmet with his plain T-shirt
Meanwhile, Eve cut a chic figure for the outing, stepping out in a black patterned top, which she wore under an animal-print bomber jacket.
Shielding her eyes behind a pair of tinted sunglasses and wearing black cropped trousers, she rounded out her ensemble with a pair of flat black shoes.
While her estranged husband busied himself with father-daughter bonding time, Eve was seen enjoying a leisurely stroll through the streets of nearby Brentwood.
The fun-filled day came hot on the heels of reports that Ewan has been dumped by Mary because she was unhappy with being dubbed a 'homewrecker'.
Split? The outing came after reports Ewan has now been dumped by Mary Elizabeth Winstead (left) because she hated being labelled a home wrecker
Classic convertible: Ewan arrived at the Santa Monica Airport in his classic convertible car
Loaded: The pair's bicycles were loaded onto the back of an SUV for their day out in the sun
Ewan filed for divorce from wife Eve last month six months after being spotted kissing Mary, his co-star in the cult TV series Fargo.
The Trainspotting and Star Wars actor blamed irreconcilable differences for the split from his wife, the mother of his four daughters who are aged between seven and 21.
Eve was reportedly left devastated after pictures were published last October of Ewan kissing his co-star in a London cafe.
His 15-year-old daughter Esther later posted a song on Instagram about the s*** I found online, singing: Seeing those pictures, theyre making me cry And I dont know how to forgive. I dont know if I can.
Stylish: Meanwhile, Eve looked stylish in a black patterned top under an animal-print bomber
Stroll: While Ewan rode around with their daughter, she went for a stroll in nearby Brentwood
The news of Ewans reported split from Mary is revealed in the latest edition of US magazine Star.
A source told the publication: Mary hated being labelled a home wrecker and the embarrassment it caused her.
'Its sad because a year ago Ewan and his wife were in great shape and then he decided to throw it all away for Mary. Now it looks like hes lost them both for good.
Eve told The Mail on Sunday, No, I hadnt heard, when asked if she knew about her husbands split from his lover.
Asked for comment, she said: I really dont know. Sorry.
Casually cool: The Scottish-born star cut a casual figure, donning a white tee with blue jeans
Doting dad: Fargo star Ewan has four daughters with Eve, ranging in age from 21 to seven
Production designer Eve was said to be furious when her husband won the Best Actor In A Limited Series award at this years Golden Globes and thanked both her and his mistress.
I want to take a moment to just say thank you to Eve who always stood by me for 22 years and our four children Clara, Esther, Jamyan and Anouk, he said. And there wouldnt have been any Ray [his Fargo character] without Mary Elizabeth Winstead.
When asked about his words, Eve said: No, I did not like his speech.
She called their divorce disappointing and upsetting before adding: My main concern is our four children are OK.
Mary announced she was splitting from her husband of seven years Riley Stearns last May as she filmed the series.
Over: Mary announced she was splitting from her husband of seven years Riley Stearns in May
She got tongues wagging with her innuendos on BBC One cooking show Great British Bake Off.
So it's of little surprise Mary Berry, 82, flirted with chef Niklas Ekstedt, 39, during the first steamy episode of her latest TV cooking venture Classic Mary Berry.
In cheeky upcoming scenes, the Swedish hunk can be seen on his knees building a fire before the 82-year-old made a very crude joke.
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Berry steamy! Mary Berry, 82, made a VERY saucy jokes as she flirted with hunky chef Niklas Ekstedt, 39, during her latest cooking show Classic Mary Berry
According to The Sun, she can be heard saying: 'Its a long time since Ive had a man on his knees in front of me.'
Then the cooking duo set themselves the task of making meatballs and Mary teased: 'Will there be a sauce for them? I like a bit of sauce.'
The pair can be seen bursting into a fit of giggles while they show off their cooking prowess during the fun episode.
Cheeky lady! got tongues wagging with her innuendos on BBC One cooking show Great British Bake Off
But the fun doesn't stop there as the cheeky cooking stars whip each other with nimble tree branches while they forage for fresh ingredients.
Niklas quips: 'These are the branches we use in the sauna to whip each other.'
In a cheeky voice-over on the teaser for the show, Mary can be heard saying: 'Well, Niklas certainly knows how to have a good time.'
The TV star's latest cooking venture Classic Mary Berry will be a six-part series airing on BBC One.
Mary first showed off her cheeky side when she talked about her co-judge Paul Hollywood's 'buns' and commented on 'irregular-shaped balls' on the GBBO.
In December, Mary who has been married to her husband Paul Hunnings for as long as Hollywood has been alive revealed her co-judge, 51, was 'quite sexy'.
Hilarious moment: The pair can be seen bursting into a fit of giggles while they show off their cooking prowess during the fun episode
Shock: In cheeky upcoming scenes, the Swedish hunk can be seen on his knees building a fire before the 82-year-old made a very crude joke
Asked at a charity event whether he was 'as sexy as he looks', she said: 'I think you should be the judge of that...He is quite sexy but for goodness sake don't tell him!'
The baking queen left The Great British Bake Off at the end of 2016 when the cooking show controversially moved to Channel 4.
Hollywood revealed the inseparable duo have stayed in touch since she chose to leave the nation's favourite baking show.
Close: Then the cooking duo set themselves the task of making meatballs and Mary teased: 'Will there be a sauce for them? I like a bit of sauce'
In September, he said on ITV's The Jonathan Ross Show: 'We've swapped texts and emails occasionally.
'We were meant to meet, I was at Chatsworth a couple of weeks ago doing a demonstration, Mary was doing, I think the Saturday or the Sunday, and I was doing the day before and we just missed each other by about half an hour. We do sort of text and email each other.'
Meanwhile, Niklas is best known for his open fire cooking techniques used in his second Stockholm restaurant.
Justin Theroux has broken his social media silence, following his shock split from Jennifer Aniston.
Taking to Instagram, the actor, 46, remained tight-lipped about his divorce from the Friends actress, and instead documented his day at a dog shelter in Texas.
Sharing a number of adorable selfies with an array of puppies, the Girl On The Train star praised the 'inspiring' Austin Pets Alive shelter, before poking fun at Selena Gomez in the caption - a friend of the former couple.
Dogs are a man's best friend: Justin Theroux broke his social media silence on Monday by documenting his day at a dog shelter in Texas, with an array of sweet selfies
The film producer shared a number of snaps of himself kissing and cuddling tiny puppies, as well as heart-breaking images of loving pets without homes.
Encouraging his fans to help save a number of abandoned animals, he wrote in the caption: 'Texas!!! Another very inspiring visit with the incredible people and pups @austinpetsalive.
'I cannot understand how they do what they do, day after day, so consistently and lovingly to save so many dogs and cats. I HIGHLY recommend going in and getting your nose bit by a toothless baby pitbull.'
Speaking out: The post is Justin's first since his shock split from Jennifer Aniston (pictured in April 2017)
He then referred to his cute selfies with the dogs by adding: 'These two arent yet ready to go, but when they are go get em...'
Justin rounded off the post by calling out to Selena Gomez, and writing in an apparent inside joke: 'Yeah thats right selena I did it to you again but if you saw these guys youd do whatever you could too also I know youre chill like that [sic]'
Selena, 25, was known to be a close friend of Jennifer and Justin as a couple, after meeting the actress through shared management teams.
BFFs: He also mentioned Selena Gomez in the caption, who was known to be a close friend of the couple having met Jennifer through her management team (pictured together in 2015)
Back in 2015, the former Disney Channel star said of her friendship with the blonde: 'We met through my management so it was kind of like a friendly meeting and instantly shes, like, inviting me to her house.
'She has a pizza oven. Like, weve made pizzas at her house. Shes very cool and very sweet. She kind of gives me a lot of, like, maternal advice.'
The collection of photos marks Justin's first post on social media since announcing his split from Jennifer.
Happier times: Justin confirmed his split from Jennifer last month, revealing the decision was 'mutual and lovingly made at the end of last year' in a joint statement (pictured in 2013)
The pair said in a joint statement earlier this month: 'In an effort to reduce any further speculation, we have decided to announce our separation. This decision was mutual and lovingly made at the end of last year.
'We are two best friends who have decided to part ways as a couple, but look forward to continuing our cherished friendship.'
It has since been reported that the actor broke up with Jennifer because she refused to live in his New York pad, instead of her lavish Bel Air home.
Justin's neighbour Norman Resnicow, of New York City, claimed to TMZ that Justin tried to force Jen to move to the Big Apple but she 'hated' it.
'She hated living there': It has since been reported that the actor broke up with Jennifer because she refused to live in his New York pad, instead of her Bel Air home
Norman told TMZ: 'Everyone knows Jennifer hated the place. Theroux is acting crummy to her like he did to me.'
The neighbour is locked in a legal battle with Justin amid claims water damage from the A-lister's property has left Norman's New York apartment with mold.
Justin Theroux's spokesperson told MailOnline: 'Resnicows bizarre comments might carry more weight had he ever actually met Jen or toured Justins apartment, neither of which has ever happened.
'The leaks and conditions of which Resnicow complains are a building issue. Justin's deck and apartment had nothing to do with those claimed issues and Resnicow knows it.'
MailOnline has approached Jennifer Aniston for comment.
The fresh claims come after Justin quietly moved into Jennifer's guest house when their marriage fell apart.
The Leftovers star reportedly always felt more comfortable in the separate smaller guest quarters of Jen's huge luxury Bel Air mansion.
As their relationship fizzled out, the actor spent increasingly more time there and was even said to even prefer to sleep in the guest house.
Former flames: Justin's neighbour Norman Resnicow, of New York City, made further claims to the publication that Justin tried to force Jen to move to the Big Apple but she 'hated' it
A source told US Weekly: 'When Justin was in Los Angeles and staying with Jen, he would typically spend most of his time in the guest house of the mansion.
'He would play music, hang out and, in the final months of their marriage, would end up sleeping in the guest house.'
It has been claimed that a disagreement about where to live was the main cause of their split, with Jennifer preferring Los Angeles and Justin opting for New York.
According to property records obtained by The Blast, Jennifer and Justin kept the deeds to their residences in their own names and as their 'sole and separate property.'
In the eyes of the law, property acquired as a couple becomes community property.
The Cake actress already owned her 1965 Bel Air mansion and her two-bedroom Hollywood Hills property.
Meanwhile, the Leftovers star had his New York apartment in Greenwich village.
They failed to set the stage alight during their anticipated performance at the BRIT Awards last week.
And this Thursday it'll be round two for Liam Payne and Rita Ora as it's confirmed they'll reunite on stage for a performance of their Fifty Shades song, For You, at the Global Awards.
The performance comes amid ongoing speculation about Liam's relationship with Cheryl, who was in the audience last Wednesday when her beau kept his distance from Rita on stage despite their previously raunchy performances.
Round two: Rita Ora and Liam Payne will perform at the Global Awards on Thursday, a week after their tame performance at the Brit Awards (pictured)
Capital Radio confirmed on Sunday that the pair will perform their steamy song For You at the Global Awards, which will be held at Londons Eventim Apollo.
Liam has reportedly jetted back to the UK in preparation for the ceremony, after flying to Miami the day after the Brits last week, with Rita later spotted in the city.
The pair have been busy promoting their track from the final Fifty Shades Of Grey movie in the past few weeks, with much hype built around their BRITs performance last week.
Apart: Amid speculation about Liam's relationship with Cheryl, who was in the audience, her beau kept his distance from Rita on stage despite their previously raunchy performances
But while they sounded incredible, viewers noted that Rita, 27, kept her distance from Liam , 24, on stage out of respect for his girlfriend Cheryl, 34, who was watching from the audience, after they had battled split rumours.
The show was in stark contrast to the VERY raunchy duet they performed on Jimmy Fallon's US talk show a fortnight before, which saw them end on a kiss, rather than the high five they gave each other at the BRITs.
Twitter went wild over the reserved performance and couldn't help but speculate that it was because of Cheryl's presence there.
Split rumours: Cheryl supported her boyfriend at the Brits, amid the ongoing rumours about the state of their romance
They wrote: 'Did that performance between Rita Ora and Liam Payne look mega awkward? it's as if Cheryl told him not to go near her #BRITs2018 #BRITS.'
'Liam and Rita looked a bit awkward on stage, probs because Cheryl was there nonetheless she looked fit #brits.'
'Rita and Liam had zero connection on stage between each other. Also that hug was ridiculously awkward lol. #BRITs.
Awkward: Twitter went wild over the reserved performance and couldn't help but speculate that it was because of Cheryl's presence there
'Liam and rita have been close in EVERY OTHER performance of #ForYou and at the #BRITs they were miles apart and didnt do their usual routine (cheryl c***blocked lol).'
Over the weekend reports suggest Cheryl is planning to move house from the 5million mansion in Woking, Surrey that she shares with Liam and their son Bear, in order to be closer to her best friend Kimberley Walsh.
A source told The Sun that Cheryl is keen to explore a move to Barnet in North London where her former Girls Aloud bandmate lives.
MailOnline has contacted both stars' representatives for comment.
He's never been shy in discussing his love of boybands and even paid homage to his musical tastes in video short Take That & Fake That: Happy Now.
And it appears James Corden was already poking fun at his love of boybands early in his career as he takes a pop at Take That's Gary Barlow in a newly-resurfaced clip from 1999 Channel 4 series Boyz Unlimited.
The 39-year-old actor previously starred in the six-part British comedy series centered on a young boyband and the music industry at the time, which was created by Richard Osman, Matt Lucas and David Walliams.
In the past: A young James Corden is seen poking fun at his love of boybands in a newly-resurfaced clip from 1999 Channel 4 series Boyz Unlimited
In a rib-tickling ad for the series at the time, a then 21-year-old James could be seen alongside his co-stars Adam Sinclair, Lee Williams and Frank Harper speaking to camera as Boyz Unlimited in mockumentary style.
Showcasing nineties fashion in his black bucket hat, James, who played Gareth Jones in the show, began bragging about his songwriting skills in the series that paid tribute to the music phenomenon of the decade.
A fresh-faced James shared: 'I'm Gareth Jones, you may recognise me from the pop group Boyz Unlimited.
'You know a lot of people say that I maybe the greatest songwriter of my generation.'
Then: The 39-year-old actor previously starred in the six-part British comedy series centered on a young boyband and the music industry at the time, which was created by Richard Osman, Matt Lucas and David Walliams
Hilarious: In a rib-tickling ad for the series at the time, a then 21-year-old James could be seen alongside his co-stars Adam Sinclair, Lee Williams and Frank Harper speaking to camera as Boyz Unlimited in mockumentary style
However his bragging didn't go unnoticed as his on screen bandmates began: 'They could'. To which he answered: 'Like a lot of people.'
Before another joked: 'You're the fattest songwriter of your generation.' James questioned: 'Like I'm fatter than Gary Barlow?'
The show aired from February to March 1999 over a six week period but only lasted one season.
A year after the series, James went on to appear on ITV's Fat Friends as Jamie Rymer before his turn in Olivier winning play The History Boys catapulted him into the spotlight.
Vintage: Showcasing nineties fashion in his black bucket hat, James, who played Gareth Jones in the show, began bragging about his songwriting skills in the series that paid tribute to the music phenomenon of the decade
Following: A year after the series, James went on to appear on ITV's Fat Friends as Jamie Rymer before his turn in Olivier winning play The History Boys catapulted him into the spotlight
In 2007 James became a household name playing beloved character Smithy in iconic BBC series Gavin and Stacey and enjoyed a number of roles on the big screen including The Lady in the Van, Into the Woods and Begin Again.
The Uxbridge native moved to Los Angeles in 2015 after landing his own talk show The Late Late Show with James Corden.
He has also hosted the Tonys, Grammy Awards and The 68th Primetime Emmy Awards.
Meanwhile, James recently revealed his other half might want him to have 'the snip' after welcoming his third child with his TV producer wife Julia, 38.
Success: In 2007 James became a household name playing beloved character Smithy in iconic BBC series Gavin and Stacey and enjoyed a number of roles on the big screen including The Lady in the Van, Into the Woods and Begin Again (Pictured with co-star Matthew Horne)
Chit chat: The Uxbridge native moved to Los Angeles in 2015 after landing his own talk show The Late Late Show with James Corden
Speaking to The Sun, James said: 'My wife has started making not very subtle hints at medical procedures for me!'
The pair share son Max, six, daughter Carey, three, and baby daughter Charlotte, born in December 2017.
He added: 'After the birth of my son, I felt it just couldn't get any better. Then Carey came along, I have reached peak happiness, it can't go further. And now number three is here, it has!'
His affair with bikini model Davina Rankin on Married At First Sight has been making headlines across Australia for the past month.
But apparently Dean Wells didn't get the memo.
The self-described 'alpha male' bizarrely DENIED cheating on wife Tracey Jewel on Monday's episode of the social experiment.
'I didn't cheat!' Dean Wells bizarrely denied cheating on wife Tracey Jewel on Monday's episode of Married At First Sight, following his affair with Davina Rankin
Speaking with Tracey before meeting her friends in Perth, the 39-year-old distanced himself from the cheating scandal that had engulfed him for weeks.
The creative director brazenly denied any wrongdoing and went as far as to ask his forgiving wife why she was 'so angry' with him.
'Why would (your friends) be shocked? Why is it such a big stretch that we've worked things out and you've decided to stay with me?' Dean said.
He just doesn't get it! The creative director, 39, brazenly denied any wrongdoing and went as far as to ask his forgiving wife why she was 'so angry' with him
After Tracey politely reminded him of his infidelity, Dean replied: 'I didn't cheat!'
Tracey fired back, referring to the situation with Davina - who left MAFS alongside her husband Ryan on Sunday's episode - as an 'absolute betrayal'.
Dean appeared frustrated and argued that his efforts to impress Tracey's friends would be hopeless if she refused to forgive him.
'I made some mistakes, I've apologised': Dean appeared frustrated and argued that his efforts to impress Tracey's friends would be hopeless if she refused to forgive him
'An absolute betrayal? Wow, that's what I'm walking into tonight,' he said. 'Whatever - I made some mistakes, I've apologised.'
'As far as I'm concerned, I just did what I did,' he added, bluntly.
During the meeting, Tracey's friends appeared disgusted with her husband after he revealed what had happened with Davina.
'That's horrible. I don't really think cheating on your spouse is acceptable. It just shows your lack of commitment and lack of respect,' said one of her pals.
Confessing he had never been unfaithful before the reality TV incident, Dean said the scandal had made him realise how 'inspiring' and 'intelligent' Tracey really was.
Married At First Sight continues Tuesday at 7:30pm on Channel Nine
She's been enjoying a jet setting lifestyle of late and showcasing her head-turning figure in the process in an array of sizzling looks.
And now, Demi Rose Mawby, 22, upped the skin-flashing ante as she slipped into a skimpy cream crochet bikini which highlighted her enviable hourglass curves in her latest pulse-racing selfie on Sunday.
The British model is currently luxuriating on the idyllic Greek island of Mykonos following a whirlwind trip to Milan and Venice.
Pulse racing: Demi Rose Mawby, 22, upped the skin-flashing ante as she slipped into a skimpy cream crochet bikini in her latest pulse-racing selfie on Sunday
Demi's choice of swimwear showcased plenty of underboob as it attempted to maintain her ample cleavage for the posed snap that she shared with her 6.4million Instagram followers.
Making sure all eyes were on her, she teamed the tiny triangle bikini top with a pair of barely-there bottoms which drew attention to her narrow midriff and taut stomach.
The beauty slicked back her brunette locks off her face in a wet look while wearing minimal make-up as she smoldered down the camera lens for the saucy photo.
Over the weekend, the brunette beauty continued to flash her incredible assets on the photo-sharing platform.
Sensational: Demi left little to the imagination in a daringly low blue crop top and sarong as she soaked up the sun in Italy over the weekend
The stunner - who soaked up the sun in Venice, Italy - showcased her bombshell frame in a risque cobalt blue wrap top, with a daringly low neckline that showcased her more than ample cleavage.
She wrapped her hour-glass figure in the semi-sheer sarong as she posed seductively in the two sultry snaps.
Demi recently revealed she wants to take her career to the next level - taking acting lessons in hopes of cracking Hollywood and becoming an actress.
Saucy style: She wrapped her hour-glass figure in the semi-sheer sarong as she posed seductively in the two sultry snaps
She told The Sun that she's planning to make the move to Los Angeles to become a fully fledged movie star.
Demi confessed: 'I've been taking acting classes once a week and they are helping to build my confidence.
'The plan is to move to Los Angeles as soon as I can get a working visa' she continued. 'I can't be sure I am going to make it but I want to try my best.'
Demi - who is currently dating DJ Chris Martinez - rocketed to fame after enjoying a brief fling with Tyga in May 2016, when the US rapper was on a break from seeing his on/off girlfriend at the time Kylie Jenner.
Taking over Hollywood? She told The Sun that she's planning to make the move to Los Angeles to become a fully fledged movie star
Speaking to The Sun last year, the bombshell recently gave a rare glimpse into their whirlwind romance - but she admitted she wasn't left heartbroken by the rapper.
She said: 'It was interesting, it just happened really fast. He had been messaging me then I went to a party in Cannes and bumped into him. He was nice and we got along. And I spent some time with him.
'We ended up spending the rest of our time there together. We really liked each other but logistically it didn't work out in the end.
'But you know, everything happens for a reason. Im not heartbroken though. For now Im just doing me!'
He's Married At First Sight's most flamboyant groom, known for his extravagant beauty routine and his love of all things clean and tidy.
So Nasser Sultan suffered when he was required to leave his perfect home and spend a week living with wife Gabrielle Bartlett in a rental apartment.
'I'm way out of my comfort zone, I've never spent a week or a day sleeping overnight at someone's house,' the 50-year-old fitness instructor quivered, adding that the experience would be 'crazy'.
'I'm way out of my comfort zone': Nasser Sultan suffered when he was required to leave his perfect home and spend a week living with wife Gabrielle Bartlett in a rental apartment
And it didn't take long for Nasser to lose his cool, spiralling into a bizarre meltdown after the slats of his bed frame broke.
'Where did this come from? Trash 'n' Treasure? Side of the road? They bought this bed from where?' he wailed at Gabrielle.
The well-moisturised Egyptian then spectacularly threatened legal action against the owners of the apartment for their malfunctioning bed.
'I could sue these people for doing this!' Nasser spiralled into a meltdown over a broken bed
'Honestly, you know, I could sue these people for doing this!' he declared.
'He just wants to be back in Surry Hills at his own place,' Gabrielle later explained.
Meanwhile, Nasser further complained that the bed was so uncomfortable that he was unable to sleep and was left with a sore back.
Stiff and sore! Nasser complained about the bed in the rental apartment, which prompted his wife Gabrielle to ask him, 'Are you a little old lady or what?'
That's cheeky! One MAFS fan tweeted 'Nasser's back is stiff, he says... I think Gab would prefer if that was true for another part of you'
'My back's very stiff, very sore,' he moaned, to which Gabrielle snapped back: 'Are you a little old lady or what?'
Gabrielle has previously complained that her husband has not been giving her sexual attention, and viewers took to social media amused by Nasser's antics.
One wrote on Twitter: 'Nasser's back is stiff, he says... I think Gab would prefer if that was true for another part of you.'
'I've got short legs. I'm not going to reach this!' Nasser was further pushed out of his comfort zone when Gabrielle decided to take him horse riding
'Finally gets a leg over': Once he got on the horse, a MAFS fan took to Twitter with a racy joke
Nasser was further pushed out of his comfort zone when Gabrielle decided to take him horse riding.
Getting in the saddle appeared to be a struggle for Nasser, who complained: 'I've got short legs. I'm not going to reach this. I need a ladder!'
Once he finally got on the horse, a MAFS fan couldn't resist tweeting: 'Nasser finally got a leg over.'
Married At First Sight continues Tuesday at 7:30pm on Channel Nine
She was diagnosed with Hodgkin's lymphoma at the tender age of 23.
And Tessa James paid tribute to her NRL star husband Nate Myles on social media on Monday when she celebrated her third year of remission.
The former Home And Away star, 26, shared a single picture of herself to make the three-year milestone following her battle with the disease.
'Clear and counting': Former Home And Away's Tessa James paid tribute to her husband Nate Myles as she celebrated her third year of remission following her cancer battle on Monday
Tessa declared she was 'three years clear and counting' in a heartfelt post with her 107,000 Instagram followers.
The new mum, who announced the birth in February, tagged in her husband in the Instagram as she credited him for his support.
She penned with her Instagram followers, '@natemyles 25.02.18 #3yearsclearandcounting.'
Must be love: The new mum, who announced the birth in February, tagged in her husband in the Instagram as she credited him for his support
The former soap star beat the disease after a gruelling regime of chemotherapy following her cancer diagnosis in 2014.
Tessa credited her 'wonderful' husband for his incredible support when he stood by her during the challenging time.
She told The Sunday Herald Sun in February 2018: 'I have a lot of help and I have a wonderful husband. I am really healthy and I credit a lot of that to how good I feel. I think that happiness, it says a lot.'
Terrifying: The former soap star (pictured) beat the disease after a gruelling regime of chemotherapy following her cancer diagnosis in 2014
Earlier in February, Tessa and Nate announced that they welcomed their first baby together, and are yet to reveal the gender of their child to the public.
They have gone from strength to strength since they tied the knot in a romantic ceremony in December 2011.
The Melbourne-based couple were introduced in 2009 by former lovebirds Braith Anasta and Jodi Gordon, when Tessa and Jodi starred on Home and Away together.
In 2016, Tessa discussed her tough battle with cancer when she divulged how she was initially in 'so much pain and so upset'.
'I was in so much pain': The former soap star was diagnosed with Hodgkin's lymphoma at the tender age of 23
'I hit a point where I didn't know what I was doing, why I was here, what was happening, where my life was going,' she told the Sydney Morning Herald in 2016.
'I thought I knew. I was 23, and all this bad stuff was happening. I tried to spiritually find why. I got through it because I had to get through it.
'What was the other option? To sit and feel sorry for myself? I think I had to hit that low point, to be in so much pain and so upset and so traumatised, to then have that sense of empowerment again: I can get through this.'
She is set to be kidnapped by her conservative parents in a bid to keep her lesbian romance a secret.
And it seems Coronation Street's Rana Nazir will be rescued by none other than her lover Kate, as they were spotted filming dramatic scenes for the ITV1 soap together in Manchester.
Faye Brookes, who plays Kate, was seen shooting with both Rana (Bhavna Limbachia) and her estranged husband Zeedan (Qasim Akhtar), who team up to stop Rana's parents sending her to Pakistan for good.
Explosive: Coronation Street's Rana Nazir looks set to be rescued by her lesbian lover Kate Connor as the duo were spotted filming scenes on location in Manchester last week
It was claimed last week that Rana will be sent away by her Muslim parents, who are desperate to keep her sexuality a secret.
After being told she needed to go and see a sick relative in Pakistan, Rana leaves with her parents clueless that her journey is actually one way.
Kate catches wind of the plan, and teams up with Zeedan and Rana's brother Imran to stop her car before it reaches the airport.
Dramatic: Faye Brookes, who plays Kate, could be seen desperately trying to stop Rana's car, as her family secretly plot to kidnap her and send her away to Pakistan
In danger? As Rana exited the car, it was revealed that her family were plotting to send her away from Weatherfield for good, in a bid to avoid her sexuality bringing shame on the family
Leave me alone: Rana's brother Imran leads her to another car as her parents publicly disown her
Not all bad: Faye was spotted sharing a laugh with co-stars Bhavna Limbachia and Charlie De Melo as they wrapped up in a padded jackets for a break between scenes
I'm not going! Rana is seen tearfully being led to a car by Kate and Imran, as she struggles to decide whether to be with Kate or keep up the pretence that she is married to Zeedan
Filming the dramatic scenes, Kate can be seen running in front of Rana's car as she attempts to reveal her family's secret plot to her.
Kate and Imran then force Rana into a waiting taxi, as her parents, watching on in horror, publicly disown her.
This will follow a heart-to-heart - in scenes to air next week - which forces Rana and Kate to come to terms with their feelings for each other.
The romantic moment will come despite Rana previously agreeing to falsely continue a marriage to Zeedan so he could receive finance for his growing business.
Quick! Faye was also seen filming scenes outside a house, donning a stylish all-black look as she jumped out of a car
Still pals! Faye and Qasim Akhtar, who plays Zeedan, share a cuddle between takes
Getting on well: Faye has been a star on Corrie since 2015, while Qasim first appeared on the cherished ITV1 soap in 2014
What's tickled you? Faye was also seen shooting scenes, when she appears to see Rana being led to car by her family
STOP! The Connor beauty was seen trying to stop the car as it drove away
Lurking: Playing the sleuth Kate could be seen watching from the bushes during one tense scene
However once Rana's family catch wind of her growing feelings for Kate once again, they will take desperate measures to avoid shame bring brought on the family.
A soap insider told the Daily Star: 'Rana's family will do whatever it takes to stop their daughter bringing shame upon them - even if it means sending her away.
'As she continues to defy her family they decide they have no choice but to send her away to Pakistan, she has no idea of their plan and is distraught when she realises what they're up to.
'It's horrific for her and Kate can't believe the lengths her family will go to in order to keep them apart.'
Let me go! Rana is tearfully led to the car by her brother, as Kate and Zeedan try to stop her being led away
Emotional: Rana broke down in tears as she was forced into the car, following the revelation that her family had tried to have her sent to Pakistan for good
Forcing on: Rana's brother forces her into another car, as Zeedan and his grandmother can be seen arguing with the family in the background
Tense: As the cameras stopped rolling, the stars could be seen sharing a quiet moment as they prepared to film the next moments
Last week, Bhavna Limbachia, who plays Rana in the ITV1 soap, admitted both she and Faye Brookes (Kate) were 'worried' about viewers reaction to the lesbian storyline during an appearance on This Morning.
'We were worried about the reaction and that people weren't going to accept the idea about this new relationship,' Faye admitted.
Speaking of the wholly positive reaction from viewers, Faye continued: 'They've received it so well and I know that it's only a positive thing and it can only get better.'
Bhavna admitted that she was approached with the story-line twenty months ago and was left surprised as her character was a 'man-eater.'
We're leaving! In another scene, Rana is being led away by her mother, as they try to avoid shame being brought on the family by her same-sex relationship
All it seems? Rana will reportedly be told by her family that she needs to go and see a sick relative in Pakistan, clueless that the trip is actually one-way
What's next? It's unclear whether this will lead Kate and Rana to move forward with their budding romance, after it was well-received by fans
She went home with the Fragrance of the Year accolade for her perfume Fantasy in Bloom at the Hollywood Beauty Awards earlier on Sunday night.
Following her win, Britney Spears, 36, left the star-studded ceremony on Sunday in a more casual ensemble alongside her personal trainer beau Sam Asghari, 23, swapped her flesh-flashing look.
The Three songstress, who has released 24 perfumes with Elizabeth Arden since 2004, won big on the night in a thigh-skimming embellished look which accentuated her slender frame at the Avalon Hollywood.
Support: Britney Spears, 36, left the star-studded ceremony on Sunday in a more casual ensemble alongside her personal trainer beau Sam Asghari, 23, swapped her flesh-flashing look
Despite setting pulses-racing in her semi-sheer mini dress, she was later spotted leaving the venue while wrapped up in a grey wool jacket over a more modest pink striped shirt.
Britney kept her beauty look the same as when she accepted the award and looked relaxed in the company of her boyfriend, who is 13 years her junior.
Personal trainer Sam looked dapper in his black tuxedo as he supported his other have of a year after meeting on the set of her Slumber Party music video on October 25, 2016.
Earlier in the night: The Three songstress, who has released 24 perfumes with Elizabeth Arden since 2004, won big on the night in a thigh-skimming embellished look which accentuated her slender frame at the Avalon Hollywood
Relaxed: Britney kept her beauty look the same as when she accepted the award and looked relaxed in the company of her boyfriend, who is 13 years her junior
Her more casual appearance comes two days after her ex-husband Kevin Federline requested an increase in his $20,000-a-month child support, according to Us Weekly.
The 39-year-old former backup dancer apparently decided to seek more money after learning of the epic success of Britney's Las Vegas residency show Piece of Me.
Her highly-acclaimed show has reportedly grossed over $137 million over the course of its four year run.
The G.O.A.T. rapper - turning 40 next month - believes the success of her Piece of Me residency in Las Vegas was due to the health and happiness of their sons Jayden, 12; and Sean, 11.
Wrapped up: Despite setting pulses-racing in her semi-sheer mini dress, she was later spotted leaving the venue while wrapped up in a grey wool jacket over a more modest pink striped shirt
All smiles: Britney showcased a smile as she moved into her waiting car
Britney suffered a very public breakdown back in 2008, which resulted in the Toxic songstress losing sole physical and legal custody of her sons.
The former Disney star was then placed under the care of her father Jamie via a conservatorship an arrangement which is still in place.
A source close to the situation told Us: 'Kevin has always been supportive of Britney's recovery and has always recognized what a great mother she has been.'
He apparently also believes that Britney's latest success is a least partially due to her kid's influence in her life.
Appearance: Her more casual appearance comes two days after her ex-husband Kevin Federline requested an increase in his $20,000-a-month child support, according to Us Weekly
Short time: Kevin Federline and Britney Spears were together from 2004 to 2007
Contentious: Kevin feels that he is owed more money given the circumstances surrounding his total custody of their sons Preston, 12 and Jayden, 11 (Pictured January 3rd)
Britney has been successful 'in part because the boys have been in her life. Britney's entire world are the boys, period. She just lights up when she is with them,' explained the source.
Kevin's requested increase is meant to ensure all parties 'recognize the sacrifices he has made because he has gone above and beyond what most people would do in this situation.'
Apparently both sides are aiming to reach an agreement without having to go to court, and Britney herself won't be involved in the negotiations, leaving that work to her father and attorneys.
Meanwhile, Britney will next kick off the 12-date North American leg of her Britney: Piece of Me Tour on July 12 at MGM National Harbor in Maryland.
Married At First Sight, I'm A Celebrity and Australian Spartan are three of Australia's biggest reality television series all competing for the best ratings.
And according to news.com.au, the rival reality show trio have clashing advert breaks to keep fans hooked at home.
The insider divulged: 'With the big reality shows, such as Married At First Sight or Im a Celeb, youll find that the first ad break usually wont air until 15 or 20 minutes. Thats so they can get you hooked before going to ads for the first time.'
'They want to keep viewers hooked': Rival reality shows Married At First Sight, I'm A Celebrity and Australian Spartan have clashed their advert breaks to keep fans 'hooked' at home
During Sunday night's episodes, drama continued to unfold across the three reality series in a bid to secure the most viewers.
While Ryan Gallagher finally snapped on the Channel Nine show, Sean Thomsen and Blair Rachael became the latest Married At First Sight couple to call it quits.
Australian politician David Oldfield was the latest celebrity to be booted from the star-studded jungle where he joined the likes of Geordie Shore star Vicky Pattinson in Oz on Ten's I'm A Celeb.
Meanwhile, Australian Spartan kicked off the latest series of the television show on Channel Seven.
Revealed: And according to news.com.au , the rival reality show trio have clashing advert breaks to keep fans hooked at home (pictured Married At First Sight: Sean Thomsen and Blair Rachael)
But it seems the advert breaks are at the same time to ensure they keep the viewers watching for the ultimate drama at home.
The source added : 'The networks have a certain amount of airtime that theyre allowed to play ads for each hour. I think its 13 minutes per hour from 6pm to 10.30pm.
'They only have to show an average of 13 minutes per hour between those four and a half hours so they tend to load up the ads in the high rating programs where they can charge a premium for them and then later in the night, say from 9.30 to 10.30, they run less ads that hour so they can make the requirement in terms of the average.'
Home time: David Oldfield was the latest celebrity to be booted from the star-studded jungle where he joined the likes of Geordie Shore star Vicky Pattinson in Oz on I'm A Celeb
According to news.com.au, Married At First Sight raked in 1.53 million people, Australian Spartan secured 816,000 and I'm A Celeb brought in 707,000 during Sunday night's episodes.
It is no surprise Married At First Sight continues to skyrocket with popularity after The Daily Telegraph reported the Channel Nine show brought in 1.34 million people.
No doubt the fantastic ratings are thanks to its explosive drama, especially the love triangle spat between Dean Wells, Davina Rankin and Ryan Gallagher.
But I'm A Celeb has been struggling to get the ratings up as figures have fallen in the past two weeks, the lowest marked last week at 495,000 five-city metro viewers.
Explained: But it seems the advert breaks are at the same time to ensure they keep the viewers watching for the ultimate drama at home (Vicky Pattinson in Oz)
He's the Welsh actor best known for his roles in Liar and The Fantastic Four.
And Ioan Gruffudd has revealed his new ABC crime drama Harrow is a high-quality production that could rival the best of the American networks.
The 44-year-old told News.com.au on Tuesday the series, which is set in Brisbane, 'has the potential to be the next House or Bones'.
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'It has the potential to be the next House or Bones': Ioan Gruffudd has revealed his new ABC series Harrow looks like a big budget American show
'It's quintessentially an Australian show, but it's made to look as expensive as those big American shows,' Ioan said.
He added: 'This is the first time in my life I've had to make the decision not to take any work until I know about the second season of this.'
Ioan spent the last six months of 2017 in Australia filming Harrow, which follows a forensic pathologist who lives in a boat on the Brisbane River.
'It's quintessentially an Australian show, but it looks as expensive as those big American shows': Harrow is set in Brisbane, but Ioan believes it looks like a US production, such as Bones
The UnReal star, who is based in Los Angeles, will return to Brisbane this Sunday for a preview screening of Harrow.
In December 2017, Ioan told The Daily Telegraph that he had sacrificed time with his family in order to take on the role.
'It's a big undertaking to leave one's family behind for so long,' he said.
'Clearly the script was a big incentive': In December 2017, Ioan told The Daily Telegraph that he had sacrificed time with his family in order to take on the role. Pictured: Ioan with his wife
However, Ioan insisted the quality of the script justified travelling all the way to Australia to film the project.
One of Ioan's most recent roles was in acclaimed British drama Liar, and the actor previously told Confidential the show's storytelling had him hooked.
'I read the first three scripts and I couldn't put them down,' he said.
She recently confessed that plastic surgery had 'f**ked up' her face.
And Katie Price, 39, has continued to discuss her cosmetic procedures in her usual self-deprecating humour following her plastic surgery admission earlier this month.
Speaking to This Morning correspondent Georgia 'Toff' Toffolo on Monday, the former glamour model joked that she had overdone Botox on her face as she appeared on the mid-morning stalwart.
Telling it how it is: Katie Price, 39, has continued to discuss her cosmetic procedures in her usual self-deprecating humour following her plastic surgery admission earlier this month Humour: Speaking to This Morning correspondent Georgia 'Toff' Toffolo on Monday, the former glamour model joked that she had overdone Botox on her face as she appeared on the mid-morning stalwart
The Loose Women panellist was being interviewed by the current Queen of the Jungle as she filmed a suspense-filled segment for Ant & Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway.
As MIC's Toff attempted to find out who would make the best spy out of the famous faces that appeared alongside her, Katie quipped that she would because of cosmetic procedures.
Toff asked: 'Who would be the best spy out of you lot?' while Judy Murray, Christopher Biggins and Alan Shearer waited in the background.
Without hesitation, Katie cracked: 'I've had more Botox than hot dinners, my face doesn't say anything.'
Humour: Speaking to This Morning correspondent Georgia 'Toff' Toffolo on Monday, the former glamour model joked that she had overdone Botox on her face as she appeared on the mid-morning stalwart
Discussions: The Loose Women panellist was being interviewed by the current Queen of the Jungle as she filmed a suspense-filled segment for Ant & Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway
Her hilarious quip comes after she defiantly vowed to go under the knife once again to get her face re-corrected following the 'botched' surgery on Instagram earlier this month.
Katie shared a three-way split of pictures which showed the businesswoman getting pampered ahead of her face correction surgery.
She penned on Instagram: 'Love the girls here at @lastudio1 lashes hair relax getting me ready and pampered to now go and get my face re-corrected after surgeon has totally f***ed my face up.' (sic)
Despite being a fan of cosmetic enhancements, the mother-of-five previously admitted her surgery had gone 'wrong'.
Honest: As MIC's Toff attempted to find out who would make the best spy out of the famous faces that appeared alongside her, Katie quipped that she would because of cosmetic procedures
Frank: Without hesitation, Katie cracked: 'I've had more botox than hot dinners, my face doesn't say anything'
In recent weeks, Katie addressed the topic when she had a candid discussion with the Cambridge Union.
She told them: 'People have surgery to look like me even though my surgery went wrong and I'm getting it sorted on Wednesday.'
The businesswoman suffered from an unfortunate allergic reaction to penicillin which caused her face to swell after she got dental work done in a clinic in Turkey.
In November, Katie discussed her cosmetic surgery hell on Loose Women which she claimed left her 'ill for days'.
Can't put a Price on beauty: Katie (pictured in London, January 2018) confessed her plastic surgery 'f**ked up' her face as she vowed to go under the knife again
She said: 'I realised it was because I hadn't read the box, I'm allergic to penicillin and that's what I was taking.
'I was ill for days. I was crying and saying I couldn't go on air. Anyone who has any surgery - you don't just have the surgery and look great, it's always the in-between.'
In July, Katie underwent her very first facelift and proudly showcased the results of the 5,000 procedure, designed to boost sagging cheeks and jawlines, on Loose Women.
The pioneering new procedure called a 'Silhouette Face Lift' uses permanent surgical threads that remain in Katie's skin tissue. She'll also be able to have her face re-tightened every year for up to five years.
Busty pin-up: Glamorous Katie (pictured in Surrey, November 2008) has had a series of plastic surgery operations to enhance her looks
Moving on: The busty pin-up, 39, defiantly vowed to go under the knife once again to get her face re-corrected following the 'botched' surgery
Katie discussed her experience of plastic surgery during her stint on Loose Women at the time, revealing there was pressure to keep up with younger women.
KATIE'S SURGERY TIMELINE 1998: Aged 20 she had a breast augmentation going from a B cup to C cup. 1999: She had two surgeries in one year, going to a D cup, before later an ample F cup. 2006: After the birth of her three children, Harvey Price, now 15, Junior Andre, 12, Princess Tiaamii Andre, 10, Katie had another boob job taking her up to a G cup. 2007: Katie had rhinoplasty surgery but later said she liked her original nose. 2008: Katie expressed an interest in smaller breasts and went down to a 32C. 2012: After the breakdown of her marriages to Peter Andre and Alex Reid she went up to an F-cup. 2015: She announced she was having her breast implants removed and went au natural reducing them from a 32G to a natural 32B. 2016: Katie revealed her biggest implants yet when she revealed she had travelled to Belgium to go up to a 32GG. 2017: Along with the new silhouette facelift. Katie, who wears hair extensions and wigs has also had 3D liposuction, a bottom lift, veneers, lip fillers and Botox. Advertisement
She recalled: 'I know when I have too much lips [filler], when I see myself on TV and pictures and am like "Oh my God, I look like a duck".
Katie also admitted that her son Junior had warned her about having too much work done on her face.
The mother-of-five explained: 'This is what Junior said, "Mum you are so beautiful. Why did you have to have it done?" I was like, "I havent had that much done, Junior".
'And he said, "Mum, your eyebrows are fake, youve got fake eyelashes on, youve had your lips done, youve had your nose done, and your teeth. And now youve put these things in your face why?" And I didnt have a comeback. Because hes actually right.'
Katie's facelift was the latest in a long line of cosmetic procedures, which began with the first of eight breast augmentations in 1998.
She's also undergone rhinoplasty, teeth veneers, bottom lifts, liposuction and has a regular Botox and dermal filler regime.
Back in 1996, Katie first rose to fame when she appeared as a Page 3 girl for The Sun at the tender age of 18.
Katie is mum to Harvey, 14, from her relationship with Dwight Yorke, and Junior, 11, and Princess, 9, from her marriage to Peter Andre, Jett, 4, and Bunny, 3, with husband Kieran Hayler, 30.
The brunette beauty adopted the alter ego Jordan when she posed for an array of topless shoots for lads' mags including Nuts, FHM and ZOO.
She went from a size 32B to a 32FF in her first breast augmentation and the model went onto have a further seven boob jobs, with her latest operation in 2017.
Then and now: The star sported a clearer complexion in the throwback image (right, February 2008) compared to her recent looks in January (left)
She usually slips her svelte physique into glamorous ensembles on the red carpet for her lead roles in major Hollywood films.
But Rachel Weisz kept it low-key as she embarked on a chilly walk with her son Henry Henry Aronofsky, 11, in London on Sunday.
The makeup-free star, 47, bundled up against the city's chilly climes in a padded parka coat and ribbed beanie hat.
Bearing the cold: Rachel Weisz kept it low-key as she embarked on a chilly walk with her son Henry Henry Aronofsky, 11, in London on Sunday
The Bourne Legacy actress showcased her fresh-faced complexion as she went make-up free for the casual outing.
Bearing the cold with her outerwear, the Mercy star teamed her cosy attire with a light brown scarf, mom jeans and crisp white trainers.
Henry - who Rachel shares with former beau Darren Aronofsky - also kept warm in a padded coat and a knitted bobble hat.
Casual: The screen star, 47, bundled up against the city's chilly climes in a padded parka coat and ribbed beanie hat, and went makeup-free for the outing
Rachel is married to Daniel Craig, who is the sixth actor to play the iconic spy James Bond.
The star recently waded into a debate over who should play the next 007 after Daniel's departure from the long-running franchise.
Speaking to the Daily Telegraph, the actress said she doesn't believe a woman should pick up where Daniel will leave off, but should instead 'get their own stories'.
'Why not create your own story rather than jumping on to the shoulders and being compared to all those other male predecessors?
'Women are really fascinating and interesting and should get their own stories,'the star continued.
Discussing the heated debate, Rachel also applauded Bond author Ian Fleming for his work on the wildly successful lothario spy, having spent years crafting the character.
She said: (Fleming) devoted an awful lot of time to writing this particular character, who is particularly male and relates in a particular way to women'.
He is a rising star in the acting world after securing leading roles in the Star Wars franchise and upcoming movie Pacific Rim Uprising.
And John Boyega revealed the funny piece of advice from Robert Downey Jr. when he appeared on Australian broadcaster The Project in Sydney, Australia on Monday.
The 25-year-old Star Wars hunk confessed he almost crashed into a lorry when he received the call from the 52-year-old Iron Man actor while driving in London.
'I nearly crashed': Star Wars' John Boyega recalled Robert Downey Jr.'s hilarious advice and how he's 'still working' on it when he appeared on The Project in Sydney on Monday
We speak to @JohnBoyega about filming #PacificRimUprising in Australia, one of the best pieces of advice Robert Downey Jr. gave him and how he feels about discussions surrounding #StarWars! #TheProjectTV pic.twitter.com/pjTpO7rgmq The Project (@theprojecttv) February 26, 2018
'I nearly crashed into a lorry,' he told the television hosts. 'It was great, we were at the same agency at the time. I sent him an email asking him to give me a call with some advice.
'I'm driving in London and he called me. I dont have Americans calling me. He says, "Its Robert Downey Jr." Its iron man on the phone! He gave me some really good advice and its worked even until today.'
The young actor revealed the Hollywood star told him to 'party hard' but he confessed he is still 'working on it'.
Close bond: The 25-year-old Star Wars hunk confessed he almost crashed into a lorry when he received the call from the 52-year-old Iron Man actor while driving in London
John's latest project flew him to Sydney where he filmed upcoming American sci-fi action film Pacific Rim Uprising.
Pacific Rim Uprising, out in Australian cinemas in March 22, charts the story of Jake (Boyega) who leads a new generation of Jaeger pilots against a new Kaiju threat.
The Law & Order: UK star recalled the 'pretty intense' scenes where an explosion rips through the Australian capital.
'I'm still working on it': The young actor revealed the Hollywood star told him to 'party hard' but he confessed he is still 'working on it'
He joked: 'First of all I have to apologise to the residents of Sydney for all the buildings we destroyed. But everyone is evacuated in the story. It was pretty intense.'
The actor first found his feet in the Star Wars franchise in 2015's The Force Awakens as Finn and he went onto reprise his role in the 2017 movie Star Wars: The Last Jedi.
Asked about his experience, he told the television hosts: 'No regrets working on Star Wars. It's a blessing and I really can't complain. They've got socks with my face on it!
'I don't know why but it's a shock. I haven't lived this famous life before, I appreciate it. It's pretty cool.'
Last week, they were seen putting on a loved-up display as they partied together at the BRIT Awards in London - ahead of jetting off for the IMRO Awards in Dublin.
And Courteney Cox, 53, and her rocker partner Johhny McDaid, 41, appear to be making the most of their time on the Emerald Isle, as the couple were reportedly spotted house-hunting in his native Derry, Northern Ireland, on Thursday.
According to Ireland's Sunday World, the American actress and her partner of more than three years eyed a property in the currently-under-construction exclusive gated Coralmount development, where homes start at 740,000.
Emerald Isle be there for you? Courteney Cox and her partner Johnny McDaid have reportedly been house-hunting in his native Derry, Northern Ireland. Pictured on Thursday
The six-house complex, which Taggart Homes is constructing, is said to be in such high demand that previews will be available solely on an invitation-only basis.
Former Friends star Courteney lives in Malibu, California, with her 13-year-old daughter Coco, from her marriage to David Arquette, and will potential enjoy a range of high-specification touches should she shell out for a home in the development.
Among the features included in the new properties - snapshots of which have been shared on Taggart Homes' Instagram account - are glittering crystal chandeliers, top-of-the-line kitchens with marble counter-tops and much-needed privacy.
Under construction: The couple are said to have eyed a property in the currently-under-construction exclusive gated Coralmount development, where homes start at 740,000
High demand: The six-house complex, which Taggart Homes is constructing, is said to be in such high demand that previews will be available solely on an invitation-only basis
MailOnline has contacted representatives for Courteney Cox and Johnny Mcaid for comment.
While it is not believed that Courteney has any plans to relocate to Northern Ireland on a permanent basis, it has been reported that both she and Johnny - who splits his time between London, Los Angeles and Derry - are willing to compromise.
A source told OK! of the couple, who briefly split in 2016: 'A permanent move is off the table. But Courteney is willing to spend more time in Ireland to make the relationship work. At this point she'll bend over backward to make Johnny happy.'
The pair jetted to the Emerald Isle as Johnny picked up the IMRO Outstanding Achievement Award at the esteemed ceremony at Dublin's Gibson Hotel.
Luxury features: Among the features of the homes are are glittering crystal chandeliers, top-of-the-line kitchens with marble counter-tops
Interior design: The coveted luxury homes will have a lot to live up to if they're to attract Courteney's eye, as the former Friends star is well known to be a fan of interior design
The pair's relaxed display came a day after they were spotted looking incredibly smitten during the BRITs as their pal Ed Sheeran picked up his Global Success accolade.
A source told MailOnline: 'Courteney and Johnny looked incredibly smitten after chatting to his industry pals at another table during the ad break.
'Johnny was very sweet trying to lead Courteney back to their table, stopping to give her kiss and wrap his arms around her as the show went live again.'
Apart from celebrating the Shape of You hitmaker's success, the couple have a lot to thank Ed for as he introduced them to each other in 2013 after he stayed at Courteney's Malibu beach house for free while writing his album X (multiply).
California: Courteney lives full-time in Malibu, California, with her 13-year-old daughter Coco
Love: It is believed that while the actress has no plans to permanently relocate to Northern Ireland, she and Johnny are more willing to compromise following their brief 2016 split
Johnny and the Scream actress were first linked in 2013 a number of months following her divorce from Hollywood actor David Arquette.
The pair got engaged in 2015 but briefly broke-up in December of that year after it was reported that the Snow Patrol musician wanted to move back to his native Northern Ireland.
However, after spending time together over Easter in 2016, the duo rekindled their romance and were said at the time to be open to renegotiating things.
'Being away from Johnny made Courteney realise how much she missed him,' a source told OK! magazine at the time.
Celebrations: Courteney and Johnny continued to make a glamorous appearance as they attended the IMRO Awards in Dublin, Ireland, on Thursday
She won a legion of new fans and critical acclaim for her portrayal of troubled GP Gemma Foster in BBC drama Doctor Foster.
But despite being one of the most recognisable faces on British television, Suranne Jones has admitted she can't bear to watch herself on the small screen.
The actress, 39, discussed the hotly-anticipated season three of the gripping thriller as she appeared on This Morning on Monday alongside hosts Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield.
'I don't like looking at my face!': Despite being one of the most recognisable faces on British television, Suranne Jones has admitted she can't bear to watch herself on the small screen
While discussing whether she liked watching herself on TV, the BAFTA-winning star simply replied: 'Not particularly, because I don't like looking with my face'.
Looking ultra chic in a classic stripped jumper and leather skirt, Suranne touched upon her increasingly hectic schedule and whether or not she will return for a third season of Doctor Foster.
Creator of the drama, Mike Bartlett, already revealed that he has a story mapped out for another run, which will focus on the doctor's missing son Tom Foster.
But Suranne confessed that she is currently unsure if she can agree to another six episodes because she already has acting commitments she has agreed to.
Talented: The actress, 39, won a legion of new fans and critical acclaim for her portrayal of troubled GP Gemma Foster in BBC drama Doctor Foster (pictured)
Discussing the upcoming plans, Suranne said: 'I don't know. With Save Me also, there's room for more, Lennie has been saying he'd like to make a second one.
'Then I'm doing Gentleman Jack after finishing Frozen so I don't know.'
The former Coronation Street star will next be seen in actor and screenwriter Lennie James' missing child drama Save Me for Sky Atlantic, with plans for a second series already underway.
Suranne is also appearing in West End play Frozen and is due to start shooting Sally Wainwright's Gentleman Jack imminently.
Chatterbox: Suranne discussed season three of the gripping thriller as she appeared on This Morning on Monday alongside hosts Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield
Stylish: Looking ultra chic in a classic stripped jumper and leather skirt, Suranne touched upon her increasingly hectic schedule and whether or not she will return for a third season
With her Doctor Foster revival still in question, fans can breathe a sigh of relief as she Suranne defiantly stated that she won't be moving to Los Angeles to try and make it in Hollywood.
When asked about a potential move Stateside, Suranne quickly retorted: 'No. So Gentleman Jack is HBO and BBC, this swash buckling woman.
'I will go over to promote, I want to do producing but I love here, my family and friends. I'm staying.'
The former soap star had intended to take a break from acting after making Doctor Foster but once she was sent the script for Save Me, her husband Laurence Akers knew immediately she wasn't going to say no to the job offer.
Busy: Suranne confessed that she is currently unsure if she can agree to another six episodes because she already has acting commitments she has agreed to
Suranne and Laurence have a one-year-old son together and she admitted she's has to make an effort to do things with her little boy because she's out of the home so much due to her long hours on stage in London's West End.
She shared: 'I'd finished Doctor Foster two and I planned a trip to LA and then I was gonna have a break but then this script came up and Lennie got in touch with me.
'First of all my husband rolls his eyes and then he goes, "You're doing it aren't you?" I'm in the theatre at the moment in Frozen, the West end keeps me away from the home.
'I get in really late from the West End. I get up really early now and I'm like a super-needy mum and I'm like, "Let's have breakfast and play games".
Fits of laughter: Seemingly having a great time on the daytime show, Suranna discussed her latest TV venture in Save Me
Suranne's appearance on the daytime show comes as the star recently revealed she would consider returning to the role of Karen McDonald on Coronation Street, after leaving the show in a dramatic showdown in 2004.
But there's a stipulation; it would have to be for charity.
'If it was for a good cause and we were going to raise a lot of money, Id definitely consider it for Comic Relief,' she told The Sun.
'I dont have time to keep up with Corrie but Im friends with Jennie McAlpine and Antony Cotton so I do catch up.
She is the doting mum of her six-year-old son Elijah.
But the roles were reversed when 26-year-old Alex Nation's little boy took off his mother's make-up in a sweet bedtime routine, in Australia on Sunday.
Via her Instagram stories, Elijah could be seen affectionately wiping off his mother's full face of cosmetics with a clean cloth.
'Don't forget mum': Alex Nation's caring son Elijah, 6, affectionately wiped off The Bachelor star's make-up in sweet bedtime routine, in Australia on Sunday
The little boy fixed his adoring eyes on his mother as he focused on the task at hand and made sure his reality star mum was ready for bed.
Elijah worked his magic when he removed his mother's heavy make-up and as a result, he hoped his mum would wake up fresh in the morning.
The mum revealed her Elijah had told her: 'Mum don't forget to take your make-up off or you'll sook in the morning.'
Happy days! Elijah worked his magic when he removed his mother's heavy make-up and as a result, he hoped his mum would wake up fresh in the morning
Adorable: Via her Instagram stories, Elijah could be seen affectionately wiping off his mother's full face of cosmetics with a clean cloth
The mother-of-one shares her son with her ex-husband Joel Porter, whom she was briefly married to after she gave birth to their child in 2011.
In June 2017, Alex gave intimate details into her friendly relationship with the father of her child when speaking to Daily Mail Australia.
'Joel and I will always have love for each other because we share a beautiful child. That will never go away,' she told us.
It's all relative! The little boy fixed his adoring eyes on his mother as he focused on the task at hand and made sure his reality star mum was ready for bed
Although the pair now 'co-parent beautifully together', she confessed it hasn't always been easy to maintain on friendly terms.
'We got married, we wanted to do everything right for our son but it ended up not being right for us as individuals,' she continued.
'There was a battle where we were asking ourselves, "Do you stick it out and not be with the one who is your soul mate?"
'There was a strain on us individually because you feel guilty for your child that you are separating.'
Cheeky side: Alex revealed Elijah had told her: 'Mum don't forget to take your make-up off or you'll sook in the morning.'
The winner of The Bachelor 2016 revealed her heart ached for her son when their relationship came to an end.
She added: 'It was tough. It wasn't hard so much on Elijah because he wasn't two yet. He didn't know and was none-the-wiser to what was going on.
'But it was more heartbreaking for Joel and I because of course we wanted to do everything right.
'In an ideal world, you want your child to grow up with an intact family, but two really happy and loving homes is better than one unhappy home.'
Backstory: The mother-of-one shares her son with her ex-husband Joel Porter, whom she was briefly married to after she gave birth to their child in 2011
Alex went onto secure the affections of Bachelor boyfriend Richie Strahan but their brief romance came to an end.
In December 2017, the reality star got engaged to Maegan Luxa after just three months as an item.
Things have moved very quickly for the high-profile couple since they met in August playing for the same AFL Women's team, the Frankston Bombers.
Just two days prior to their engagement announcement, Alex discussed moving in with Meagan and the day her partner met her son for the first time.
'I feel relieved that I can finally talk about it now,' she told the Herald Sun. 'As of the last few weeks we've lived together. It's been really nice. It just feels so good. Nothing forced or scary.
There was a muted response on Monday night after Sean Thomsen and Blair Rachael ended their relationship on Married At First Sight.
While the breakdown of other marriages have struck a chord with viewers, audiences hardly batted an eyelid as the low-profile couple parted ways.
In fact, the only attention the pair received on Twitter during the episode was mockery, as fans pointed out how thoroughly forgettable Sean and Blair were.
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'Who are Blair and Sean again?': Fans mocked the 'forgettable' MAFS couple after they left the show on Monday night - following rumours they were axed by producers 'for being too dull'
Ouch! The only attention the pair received on Twitter during the episode was mockery, as fans pointed out how thoroughly forgettable Sean and Blair were
One fan tweeted pointedly: 'Wait... who are Sean and Blair again?'
Just before Sean dumped Blair by announcing he had no feelings for her, viewers were already calling for them to be kicked off.
'Just cut Blair and Sean... beige doesn't begin to cut how boring they are' read one rather unflattering tweet.
'Holy s**t, boring': While the breakdown of other marriages have struck a chord with viewers, audiences hardly batted an eyelid as the low-profile couple parted ways
'We had to fast forward through all the Sean and Blair (is that right?) scenes, holy s**t boring,' wrote another fan.
And once the relationship was officially over, Married At First Sight fans couldn't resist making jokes at the former couple's expense.
'Sean and Blair were the "Casper couple", ghosts you only saw glimpses of every episode,' Talking Married host Shelly Horton tweeted.
Not popular: Once Sean and Blair's relationship was officially over, Married At First Sight fans couldn't resist making jokes at the former couple's expense
'Casper couple': Even Talking Married's Shelley Horton noted how little the couple appeared
The official account of bookmakers Ladbrokes also chimed in, tweeting: 'We'll never forget the five minutes of airtime that Sean and Blair gave us this series.'
Indeed, Sean and Blair had relatively little screen time on Married At First Sight this season - especially after Dean and Davina's affair started to steal the spotlight.
In an episode which aired two weeks ago, the couple appeared only once for eight seconds during the 90 minute show.
'We'll never forget the five minutes of airtime that Sean and Blair gave us this series': The official account of bookmakers Ladbrokes shared a sarcastic post about Sean and Blair
New Idea previously reported that Sean and Blair were accused of being 'too boring' and 'dull' and were given an ultimatum to 'create more drama' or leave the show.
'They hardly knew each other and the producers sat them down and said they were getting the boot because they were too dull,' an insider told the magazine.
The source claimed the couple had attempted to work with producers and were devastated by the news when 'they kicked them off anyway'.
Their daughter Kaia Gerber is currently in Milan, Italy for Fashion Week.
And Cindy Crawford and Rande Gerber were spotted heading to dinner with pals in Los Angeles on Sunday.
The legendary supermodel, 52, flaunted her legs in fitted jeans, adding a white sweater and a cream jacket.
Good times: Cindy Crawford and Rande Gerber were spotted heading to dinner with pals in Los Angeles on Sunday
Cindy, who celebrated her birthday on February 20, showed off her long legs in her light wash denim.
The trendy bottoms featured a skintight fit over her thighs with flared hemlines.
The model donned a classic white sweater with her neutral motorcycle jacket draped over her shoulders.
Cindy styled her hair loose with a slight wave, opting for just a touch of makeup.
Stunner: The legendary supermodel, 52, flaunted her legs in fitted jeans, adding a white sweater and a cream jacket
The cat walker finished off her dinner ensemble with cream heels.
Meanwhile her husband, Rande paired a black button up shirt with coordinating bottoms.
Cindy and Rande, a businessman, married in 1998 and are parents to two children.
Stylish: Cindy, who celebrated her birthday on February 20, showed off her long legs in her light wash denim
Their children Presley, 18, and Kaia, 16, are both models.
Kaia has a booming modeling career and is currently in Milan for Fashion Week; she also walked for shows in New York and Paris..
The teenager, who made her runway debut at the Calvin Klein show last year during NYFW, just walked in Versace's show on Saturday.
Good looking family: Their children Presley, 18, and Kaia, 16, are both models; seen in September 2017 in Paris at the Her Omega event
Joy-Anna Duggar and her husband Austin Forsyth have welcomed their first child.
The Counting On star gave birth to son Gideon on Friday. The little boy was born at 3:39 p.m., measuring 22 inches long and weighing 10 lbs., 3 oz.
'We are blessed beyond measure with the arrival of our son, Gideon Martyn Forsyth. Looking at our child for the first time was such an incredible moment! God is so good, and we are so thankful,' the couple told People.
Baby is here: Joy-Anna Duggar and her husband Austin Forsyth have welcomed her first child
Young newlyweds: Joy-Anna and Austin wed at Cross Church in Rogers, Arkansas, in May after a three-month engagement
It is likely that she may have gotten pregnant on her wedding night, which was 36 weeks and five days ago. A full term pregnancy is 40 weeks.
RadarOnline claimed last year that she was pregnant before she was married, breaking the courtship principles the family holds so dear.
Eyebrows were also raised when Joy-Anna moved up her wedding date by several months. It was speculated she had to get married quickly before she started showing.
Joy-Anna, 20, and Austin, 24, wed in May 2017 at Cross Church in Rogers, Arkansas.
They announced their pregnancy in August.
'Were so happy and thankful to announce that were expecting a baby!' Joy-Anna told People at the time. 'Every child is such a precious gift from God.'
Surprise: In August they revealed that they are expecting their first child together. 'Were so happy and thankful to announce that were expecting a baby!' Joy-Anna told People at the time. 'Every child is such a precious gift from God'
The Counting On star added: 'Im most looking forward to watching Austin as a dad and raising children together with him.'
The Duggar family also shared the exciting news on their website, writing: 'We are so blessed to share that Joy and Austin are expecting!
'We know they will be such wonderful parents! We can't wait to meet this little one!'
Joy-Anna met Austin when he moved to Arkansas and started attending the same church as her family.
Like his wife, Austin was raised in a strict Christian home, and the two were expected to abstain from sex before marriage and wait until their wedding day for their first kiss.
Abstinance: Joy-Anna and Austin were both raised in strict Christian homes, and the two were expected to wait until their wedding day for their first kiss
Jet setters: Following their honeymoon in Switzerland, the couple spend their one-month anniversary in Israel
The two were engaged for just three-months before they exchanged vows in front of their family and friends.
Following their wedding, Joy-Anna and Austin traveled to Switzerland for their honeymoon.
While sharing a scenic photo from their trip on Instagram, Joy-Anna wrote: 'Married life is going great, I feel so blessed to be married to my best friend. I can't wait to spread joy and the word of god to all of you out there.'
Joy-Anna shared photos of herself dirt bike riding with her husband on their joint Instagram account.
'I always love getting to do new things & go on new adventures with my man! #firsttimedirtbiking #loveyouforeverandalways,' Joy-Anna captioned the images.
Fun cravings: The star enjoyed ice cream from this bowl that read, 'Eating for two'
And Joy-Anna isn't the only Duggar who has a growing family.
Joy-Anna's older brother Josh Duggar and his wife Anna had their fifth child after a series of scandals, including serial infidelity and a stint in faith-based rehab.
Meanwhile, their sister Jill Duggar, 26, and her husband, Derick Dillard, welcomed their son Samuel Scott Dillard in 2017. He is the second child for the couple, who also has a two-year-old son named Israel.
Jessa Duggar, 24, shares two sons, Spurgeon and Henry, with her husband Ben Seewald, and Jinger Duggar, 23, tied the knot with Jeremy Vuolo last November.
Joy-Anna famously has 18 siblings, but when it comes to the size of her own family, she told People: 'We want as many [children] as the Lord thinks we can handle'.
She was spotted on the FROW at a number of high-profile catwalk shows in New York earlier this month.
And Rosie Huntington-Whiteley showed no signs of stopping on Monday, as she touched down in Paris for the fourth and final Fashion Week.
The model, 30, was classically chic in an all-black ensemble from Saint Laurent by Anthony Vaccarello, complete with stiletto heels, as she headed out into the city from the Gare du Nord station.
Busy bee: Rosie Huntington-Whiteley touched down in Paris for the fourth and final Fashion Week on Monday, after hitting the FROW of a number of catwalk shows in New York
Stylish: The model, 30, was classically chic in an all-black ensemble from Saint Laurent by Anthony Vaccarello, complete with stiletto heels, as she headed out into the city from the Gare du Nord station
The model was effortlessly stylish in a black jumper and shirt combo, layered beneath a smart suit jacket of matching hue.
Keeping co-ordinated from head to toe, the British beauty teamed the ensemble with skin-tight black trousers, which clung to her famously long and slender legs all the way down.
Splitting at the hem, the strides then gave a flash of her towering stiletto boots underneath, which stylishly laced up at the front.
All black everything: The model was effortlessly stylish in a black jumper and shirt combo, layered beneath a smart suit jacket of matching hue
While she maintained her glamorous appearance with tinted sunglasses, she layered a smart black coat on top of her look, to keep warm in the chilly Parisian climes.
She slicked her hair back into a low bun, and added a sweeping of bronzer and dark orange lip to accentuate her striking model features, as she headed out for the day.
Rosie has jetted to Paris for its annual Fashion Week, after she was spotted on the FROW of several high-profile catwalk shows in New York earlier this month.
Legs for days: Keeping co-ordinated from head to toe, the British beauty teamed the ensemble with skin-tight black trousers, which clung to her long and slender legs all the way down
Cosy: While she maintained her glamorous appearance with tinted sunglasses, she layered a smart black coat on top of her look, to keep warm in the chilly Parisian climes
Parisian chic: Rosie looked leggy in her all-black ensemble as she strutted along
Vamp: The blonde beauty showed off her beautiful bone structure as she walked along
The beauty is one of the biggest faces in the industry, having made her catwalk debut at Fashion Week in 2004.
Despite taking a year off to care for her son, the former Victoria's Secret Angel landed in fifth place on Forbes' annual list of the world's best-paid supermodels in November - with earnings of a staggering $9.5 million in just 12 months.
Rosie welcomed her first child, a son called Jack, with her fiance Jason Statham in June 2017.
Stunning: She slicked her hair back into a low bun, and added a sweeping of bronzer and dark orange lip to accentuate her striking model features, as she headed out for the day
Leggy display: Rosie showcased her trim physique in the designer ensemble
Futuristic: Rosie covered her sparkling peepers behind futuristic shades as she walked along
Statuesque: The mother of one positively sizzled in her chic black ensemble
The Marks & Spencer lingerie model and designer has been dating action star fiance Jason, 50, for seven years.
However, the good-looking pair are yet to tie the knot, despite announcing their engagement in January 2016.
Rosie recently gushed of the actor's natural knack with Jack last month, telling Harper's Bazaar: 'He really is the best dad. I cant even put it into words... Its really a beautiful thing to watch.
Erinsborough residents got the shock of their lives after the return of Izzy Hoyland and much to Susan Kennedys dismay, Neighbours spoilers reveal that she could be pregnant with Karl Kennedys baby.
Izzys dramatic return to Ramsay Street was left unexplained for a number of weeks but all was revealed when she asked Karl Kennedy to father her child. Karl, left speechless, considered the prospect and before he could speak to her, Susan found the mysterious red folder containing all of Izzys pregnancy notes.
Izzy Hoyland, much to Susan Kennedys dismay, could be pregnant with Karl Kennedys baby
As a result, Susan gives her husband Karl an ultimatum and says that if he decides to have a baby with his ex, their marriage will be over. However, Karls concerns lie in the new hospital wing that Izzy has funded and is expected to be named after him and chooses to visit her in her hotel room to avoid being blackmailed.
Izzy, who is obviously up to no good, is on the verge of seducing Mark Brennan in order to make Karl jealous in her room. Dr. Kennedy catches them in the act and storms off, also leaving their daughter Holly annoyed at her mother and the situation.
Is Izzy pregnant with Karls baby?
Izzy hears talk of Karl having taken part in fertility trials at the hospital and sneaks into the lab to steal a test tube with the doctors name written on it. The next day, Holly finds the empty vial in her mothers makeup bag and realises what Izzy has done.
She is left in an awkward predicament and is forced to decide whether to protect one parent or be honest with the other. Whether Izzy is pregnant or not remains to be seen, but one thing that is for sure, Susan is not going to be happy if she is. The pregnancy could result in Karl and Susans marriage being in trouble yet again because of Izzy.
The pregnancy could result in Karl and Susans marriage being in trouble again because of Izzy
Will Mark give Paige another chance after her affair?
Mark Brennan has also been involved in his own scandal as he and Steph Scully found out about the betrayal of their partners while on a couple's camping trip. While Paige pleaded with Mark, Steph was not prepared to give Jack a second chance and trashed his bedroom when back in Erinsborough.
Stephs anger results in her visa application to visit her son in Fiji being denied and leaves Jack confessing his love for Paige, thinking he will be reunited with her. But these hopes are dashed after he realises she asked Mark to take her back.
Will Piper forgive Terese for turning her into the police?
Terese Willis was forced to confess her big secret this week after seeing how Xanthe was feeling being blamed for turning both Piper and Tyler into the police.
Despite her mothers honesty, Piper blamed Terese for Tyler being in prison and decided to leave home having told her that she would not be seeing her again.
Will Rafael Humphreys expose Paul Robinson?
A surprise date with David Tanaka puts a pause in Rafaels plan for revenge against Paul and, in order to focus, Rafael dumps David, leaving the latter confused.
Mishti also catches Rafael breaking into Pauls building site and he is forced to reveal why he is actually in Erinsborough: the factory fire in Brazil that killed his mother and for which he holds Paul responsible as the owner of the building.
How to watch Neighbours
In the UK, Neighbours is aired weekdays on Channel 5 at 1:45pm and again at 5:30pm. It is approximately four weeks behind the Australian showing.
Australians can catch Neighbours every weeknight at 6:30pm on ELEVEN.
She has been treating her 1.2million Instagram followers to a series of sun-drenched snaps during her Turkey getaway.
And Chloe Khan set pulses racing again on Sunday as she showed off her surgically-enhanced figure in a steamy bedroom selfie.
The television personality, 26, was scantily clad in an off-the-shoulder gold crop top and a matching thong.
Saucy: Chloe Khan set pulses racing as she showed off her surgically-enhanced figure in a steamy bedroom selfie she posted to Instagram on Sunday
Seductively posing in her hotel room, Chloe proudly flaunted her eye-popping cleavage and taut stomach in the racy nightwear.
She tied her long brunette tresses back into a high ponytail and amped up the glamour with dramatic eyelashes, heavily-contoured cheeks and a slick of nude lipstick.
The former Celebrity Big Brother star simply captioned the shot: 'Goodnight'.
Racy display: Chloe hasn't been afraid to make the most of the sunny climes during her idyllic getaway, donning a number of skimpy bikinis
Chloe hasn't been afraid to make the most of the sunny climes during her idyllic getaway, donning a number of skimpy bikinis.
In one sizzling snap, the busty star slipped into a plunging white swimsuit which put her 32HH breast implants on full display.
The Playboy star, who has previously revealed she spent 100,000 on surgery, looked like she could be going under the knife again as she tagged a cosmetic surgery on one Instagram post.
Chloe recently came under fire when fans suggested she doesn't maintain her surgically-enhanced figure.
The Celebrity Big Brother star hit back at online trolls when she shared a very racy video on Instagram.
The mother-of-one, who has widely discussed her plastic surgery habits, insisted her incredibly tiny honed waistline was the fruits of her fitness labours.
Busty beauty: Chloe recently came under fire when fans suggested she doesn't maintain her 100,000 surgically-enhanced figure
Addressing her followers, she said: 'Wobbly door frame ? B***H WHERE just because someones had a surgery does not mean they dont kain the gym everyday and just because someone Kains the gym everyday dont mean they havent had a surgery.
'I know so many fitness models / gym guru that have had bbl with my surgeon who will sware on everything they are natural and I dont blame them tbh because the hate is real . No drama anyway just saying.' (sic)
The Instagram star has extensively discussed her experiences, the good and bad, of going under the knife.
Earlier in February, Chloe came to blows with Aisleyne-Horgan Wallace when she was slammed for advertising procedures in order to get them for free.
Regrets: The Instagram star has extensively discussed her experiences, the good and bad, of going under the knife
The stars appeared on the show to debate whether the NHS should fund the cost of corrective procedures to botched surgeries carried out abroad.
Chloe expressed her opinions fans should fund their own repairs while Aisleyne claimed everyone should be able to use the NHS for this.
Aisleyne said: 'People don't go abroad and think, I'm going to have real bad problems when I come back, I'm going to have to turn to the NHS.'
Chloe hit back: 'Do you not think that people should take responsibility for a choice, if you have surgery, it's your choice, you're taking a risk, you know that.
'I myself have had a very bad cosmetic surgery and I would never dream of looking to someone else to pay for it. It was abroad.'
It was the TV moment which shocked audiences.
And despite speculation that Married At First Sight's Dean Wells and Davina Rankin may have received a financial incentive to cheat on their partners, the show's producer has denied that was the case.
MAFS executive producer Tara Williams told The New Daily this week that the pair were not paid to have an affair, explaining that had simply told producers 'there was an attraction'.
'They came to us and told us there was an attraction': Married At First Sight producer reveals whether Davina and Dean were paid to have an affair ... and why the series is so popular
Tara laughed off speculation Dean and Davina were paid to cheat, saying: 'I heard a rumour we paid them to have an affair, if only my job was that easy.'
Instead, Dean and Davina had gone to producers and explained they had wanted to explore a relationship between each other.
'They came to us and told us there was an attraction, we purely followed it,' Tara told the publication.
Not true: Tara laughed off rumours Dean and Davina were paid to cheat, saying: 'I heard a rumour we paid them to have an affair, if only my job was that easy'
Told the show's creators: Dean and Davina had gone to producers and explained they had wanted to explore a relationship between each other
More than 2.6 million viewers tuned into Married At First Sight on Sunday night, the highest ratings in the show's five season history.
Tara said the show's success this year is down to giving viewers an inside look at something that happens everyday.
'With the affair, theres nothing earth shattering happening but the interesting thing is you never get to see how an affair plays out, youre never privy to it,' she told The New Daily.
'The interesting thing is you never get to see how an affair plays out': Tara said the show's success this year is down to giving viewers an inside look at something that happens everyday
Left the series: Davina has since opted to leave Married At First Sight
Tara has previously defended casting Dean on the show, saying that it even though his views about women were 'controversial' and 'interesting'.
'They're controversial views. And if everyone had the same kind of view on relationships, it'd be a really boring experiment and a really boring show,' she told Talking Married.
Meanwhile, Married At First Sight psychologist John Aiken has defended his decision not to interfere in Dean and Davina's affair.
He told TV WEEK they didn't stop them because 'it's not their job to do so', adding that all the couples have 'have round-the-clock psychologists to look after them'.
He's previously been linked with Dancing With The Stars regular Peta Murgatroyd.
But on Monday, Fifty Shades Freed actor Brant Daugherty, 32, revealed on Instagram that he'd proposed to actress Kim Hildalgo during a romantic trip to Amsterdam.
'I asked her to marry me! More importantly, she said yes,' wrote the Pretty Little Liars vet.
'Sucker': On Monday, actor Brant Daugherty, 32, revealed on Instagram that he'd proposed to actress Kim Hildalgo during a romantic trip to Amsterdam
In an amusing post, the hunk added: 'Now shes stuck with me forever. Sucker.'
In a series of photos shared by the actor, his actress/realtor fiance shows off the rock on her finger.
In one pic she expresses apparent shock over the proposal.
OMG: In a series of photos shared by the actor, his actress/realtor fiance shows off the rock on her finger
On her own Instagram account, Hidalgo reposted one of the photos and captioned it: 'Ok @brantdaugherty, I'll marry you.'
The loved-up couple had been visiting Amsterdam when the proposal took place.
On the actress' Instagram page, she shared several pictures of herself touring the scenic European city.
The couple celebrated their one year anniversary last October, according to E! News.
Box office gold: The actor plays Sawyer in the smash hit Fifty Shades Freed. Pictured here with Dakota Johnson
Picture perfect: The loved-up couple had been visiting Amsterdam when the proposal took place
If you havent heard of Safaree Samuels yet, now might be a good time to get acquainted.
A nude photo and accompanying video, believed to be of Nicki Minajs ex-boyfriend, began circulating online on Sunday, February 26, 2018. The elicit imagery, along with fans reactions to them, were still the talk of the timeline throughout much of Monday. While Safaree has neither commented on nor confirmed hes the man pictured, the Twitter-verse seemed content to let their imaginations wander.
Social media users began using GIFs to express the utter shock and, in some cases, sheer joy theyd experienced upon viewing the formerly-private snapshots. One user joked, Suddenly Im a Safaree stan. Another apologized for not giving him enough, if any, credit in the past writing: Im sorry for roasting you Safaree I didnt know, WE didnt know.
Safaree Samuels, Nicki Minaj's ex-boyfriend, is believed to be the latest nude leak victim
While many of the reactions were light-hearted and fun, some Twitter users couldnt help but point out the harsh realities. One person tweeted a not-so-subtle reminder that the invasion of Safarees privacy to leak the photos, if they are in fact of him, is also considered revenge porn. Another pointed out the stark differences in the reaction to Safarees leaked nudes and Blac Chynas alleged sex tape.
Blac Chynas nudes and sex vid get leaked in a revenge plot and you guys call her and unfit mother and a hoe. Safaree pics get leaked and youre all frothing at the mouth. These double standards are getting tiring, respect peoples privacy and grow up, the tweet read.
So what do you need to know about Safaree Samuels?
Who is Nicki Minajs ex Safaree Samuels?
Safaree Lloyd Samuels was born July 4, 1981 in Brooklyn, New York. He is a rapper, songwriter and TV personality known to most for his lengthy relationship to Nicki Minaj. The pair dated for close to 12 years before deciding to go their separate ways.
When Safaree got on them grey sweats. pic.twitter.com/KEGc7u6wOf Pour dehlammmm on tha breeeeze (@muhfcknDJANIEL) February 26, 2018
Safaree Samuelss net worth
According to Celebrity Net Worth, Safaree Samuelss net worth is $2 million. He makes most of his money from his appearances on Love & Hip Hop. He started on the shows Hollywood franchise, but has since returned home to New York City where hell join the Love & Hip Hop: New York series.
Nicki Minaj probably DMd Safaree like hey bighead (@Leeana2brazy) February 26, 2018
Safaree also makes money from music, though its unclear how much. He was the co-executive producer on Nicki Minajs Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded. Hes also released music of his own.
Blac Chynas nudes and sex vid get leaked in a revenge plot and you guys call her an unfit mother and a hoe. Safaree pics get leaked and youre all frothing at the mouth. These double standards are getting tiring, respect peoples privacy and grow up Floyd Mayweather (@bitterarab) February 26, 2018
When did Safaree Samuels and Nicki Minaj break up?
When Nicki Minaj and Safaree Samuelss relationship ended, Safaree claimed he decided to walk away, though he wouldnt take credit for having dumped Nicki. He told Power 105.1s The Breakfast Club he reached his breaking point in the relationship after some time of being treated like staff, rather than a romantic partner.
I walked away. Im not going to say I broke up, but Im the one who walked away. I packed up my stuff and I left, he said (via E! Online).
I just got to the point where the respect wasnt there, Safaree continued. Everyone around her works for her, you know? So it got to the point where it was like, "Im your man. Im who you go to sleep with every night. Im who you wake up with every morning." And it got to the point where I was being treated like an employee, instead of like her man.
Safaree challenge
In the wake of the nude photo and video leak, a viral challenge called the Safaree challenge has emerged online. As part of the challenge, social media users are emulating the moves seen in Safarees nude video and posting the results online.
It's the controversial dating reality series that's seen contestants struggle with intimacy issues.
But on Tuesday's Kyle and Jackie O Show, Nasser Sultan claimed that every 'husband' and 'wife' has gotten hot and heavy.
Quizzed by Jackie O Henderson on whether every couple has had sex, the 50-year-old fitness instructor responded: '[Well] it is called a honeymoon!'
'Well it is called a honeymoon!' Married At First Sight's Nasser Sultan, 50, claimed on Tuesday's Kyle and Jackie O radio show, that every couple has had sex
'You had sex on the honeymoon, did you?' Jackie asked Nasser, to which he quipped: 'Yes. I think everyone had sex on the honeymoon.'
Probed further by co-host Kyle Sandilands, Nasser continued: '[Well] it's called a honeymoon!'
The self-professed clean freak went on to explain that after having sex with 'TV wife' Gabrielle Bartlett on their honeymoon, the passion soon died.
Hot and heavy? 'You had sex on the honeymoon, did you?' Jackie asked Nasser, to which he quipped: 'Yes. I think everyone had sex on the honeymoon.' Pictured are co-stars Ashley Irvin and Troy Delmege
'We came back and we sort of had like a limbo type week,' Nasser admitted.
Meanwhile Sarah Roza and Telv Williams have not confessed to doing the deed, instead only admitting to having shared PG-rated moments.
'We've done a lot of kissing, a lot of cuddling and a lot of spooning,' Telv said in a previous episode.
Not kissing and telling? Meanwhile Sarah Roza and Telv Williams have not confessed to doing the deed, instead only admitting to having shared PG-rated moments
'What did we call it before? Agressive snuggling. We haven't hit the home run yet,' he added.
While for Tracey Jewel and Dean Wells, the couple admitted to having sex early on in their 'marriage', weeks before the cheating scandal with fellow co-star Davina Rankin unfolded.
The pair have since opened up on their turbulent relationship, with Tracey admitting that Dean 'is not a romantic guy.'
Frisky: While for Tracey Jewel and Dean Wells, the couple admitted to having sex early on in their 'marriage', weeks before the cheating scandal with fellow co-star Davina Rankin unfolded
Khloe Kardashian has big news to share.
The pregnant 33-year-old beauty reveals the gender of her baby to sisters Kim and Kourtney in a teaser for Sunday's new installment of Keeping Up With The Kardashians.
Also present is her sister Kim as they lounge at the Fairmont hotel during a quick trip to San Francisco.
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Here it goes: Khloe Kardashian has big news to share. The pregnant 33-year-old beauty reveals the gender of her baby to sisters Kim and Kourtney in a teaser for Sunday's new installment of Keeping Up With The Kardashians .
Happy for her: Also present is her sister Kim as they lounge at the Fairmont hotel during a quick trip to San Francisco
The episode is the season finale.
Khloe is makeup free and sitting on a bed when she says to her two sisters, 'Do you want to know what Im having?'
'Im shocked,' says Kourtney, 38.
Then Kourtney and Kim go over to the Revenge Body star for a big group hug.
Her reaction: Khloe is makeup free and sitting on a bed when she says to her two sisters, 'Do you want to know what Im having?' 'Im shocked,' says Kourtney, 38
Though the gender is not revealed in the short clip, People has reported the beauty is having a boy.
The father is NBA star Tristan Thompson, 26, and Khloe is due in late March.
Also in the teaser, Kim seems put off that her surrogate is also in town.
Sweet sisters: Then Kourtney and Kim go over to the Revenge Body star for a big group hug
And Kourtney is seen telling her ex Scott Disick, with whom she has three children, they need to set 'boundaries.'
During the last episode of KUWTK, Khloe said she planned to follow Kim's example and eat her baby's placenta.
'He's so happy and so excitedhe makes it, more fun,' she said, while noting that she felt no need to get married to him right away.
Anxious? Also in the teaser, Kim seems put off that her surrogate is also in town
Ouch: And Kourtney is seen telling her ex Scott Disick, with whom she has three children, they need to set 'boundaries'
'I was married before and it didn't do anything for me. I'm in a good, healthy relationship,' she smiled.
Khloe revealed that she would have the baby in Cleveland and then ingest the umbilical chord just like her sister Kim.
'I'm going to eat it in pills,' she told Kim.
'My placenta was like double the size, it was really oddly big, so she gave me two jars,' recalled Kim, as Khloe grimaced.
Placenta plans: Khloe revealed during Sunday's episode of Keeping Up With The Kardashians that she plans to eat her baby's placenta
The man in her life: The baby daddy is NBA star Tristan Thompson; seen in mid February
Kim said she opted for 'grape flavor' in her 'picked placenta'.
'Ewwww,' squealed Khloe, who was eating a salad during their conversation.
'I really can't deal with that belly button, placenta thing,' she cringed.
Family tradition: Kim Kardashian previously ate her newborn's placenta
'It's so nasty, I can't take it,' agreed Kim.
An ultrasound revealed that the fetus was five inches long and that Khloe was safely into her second trimester.
Khloe said Cleveland Cavaliers player Tristan was hoping for a boy.
Second trimester: An ultrasound showed that Khloe's pregnancy was going along fine
'I'm just like ''don't put that pressure on me'' you did this,' she joked.
As Khloe took on a challenging jigsaw puzzle, she and Kim learned that news had leaked about Khloe pregnancy.
'I hate that everyone is prying and so nosy, it's super frustrating,' Khloe complained.
Jigsaw puzzle: Khloe has been working on a huge jigsaw puzzle
'It's almost like we're not entitled to privacy,' balked Kim.
Khloe was feeling sick and bleeding 'from the outside' of her vagina from progesterone supplementation.
'This is not funand now my vagina hurts, I can barely walk,' she moaned.
Not fun: The 33-year-old also was complaining of feeling sick
Meanwhile, Kim was worried she might not 'care as much' after the surrogate gave birth to her child.
'I still would have rather done it myself,' she told Khloe.
Kourtney also explored the option of freezing her eggs for a fourth child in the future.
Candid conversation: Kim admitted that she'd rather carry her third child herself than via a surrogate
'I don't know what I want what if I am in love and the person wants to have a kid?' pondered the 38-year-old who is dating a much younger male model.
The doctor demonstrated the procedure with candy.
'Does it make you fat?' she asked cautiously.
Fertility doctor: A fertility doctor advised Kourtney who was considering more children
Kourtney remained coy about who the father might be.
'I'm not choosing from a lab, I have real prospects,' she said.
'I don't feel like I'm done having kids in life,' she added.
Her friends speculated that she was doing it because she was 'dating a younger man'.
'Take advantage of the technology,' advised her 62-year-old 'momager' Kris Jenner.
'I don't think I'm going to do it right now,' decided Kourtney, who said she would revisit the idea in 'a few months'.
Keeping Up with the Kardashians are on on Sundays at 9pm on E!
Available to stream in the UK & Ireland Mondays on hayu.
He's the Melbourne-based socialite who shot to fame on social media for his numerous selfies.
The Instagram king often raves about his love of fake tan and recently apologised for influencing fans to get cosmetic work done.
In December, he marked Australia legalising same-sex marriage by making a public proposal to HIMSELF on Instagram.
Guess who! He's Australia's selfie-king who has gained a legion of fans on social media, but can you guess who he is in this 2010 throwback snap?
And, he went shirtless at the ARIA Awards.
Have you guessed it yet?
If you guessed selfie king Kurt Coleman then then you'd be correct.
Years gone by! This isn't the first throwback snap the fashionisto has shared
Taking to Instagram on Monday, the 21-year-old tireless self-promoter shared this snap of himself as a teen taken in 2010.
Despite being known for his love of outrageous style, a youthful Kurt appears to be wearing his school uniform in the close-up snap.
Often encouraging fans to love themselves, the prolific fake tanner showed some self-love in the caption.
Guessed right? Yes, it's the selfie king himself Kurt Coleman, 21, who shared the cutesy throwback to his Instagram page on Monday
'Wassup from 2010,' he said, his frosted tips clear in snap. 'Always been a cutie.'
On Instagram, a number of the social media star's fans gushed over the post, with one of his followers writing 'stunning babe...' and another adding, 'So cute.'
Recently, complexion-obsessed Kurt revealed another facial transformation shot to his 149,000 followers.
Social media star: A fan of cosmetic procedures, Kurt has gained an army of followers since joining Instagram, with 149,000 to date
Sending love! The social media star regularly encourages his followers to display more self-confidence and self-acceptance
However, instead of cosmetic procedures, he encouraged them to take care of their visage, touting the benefits of flatter, smoother skin.
He wrote: 'After years of taking care of my skin, it's so much flatter and smooth, just better quality.
'Ps this is taken on the same camera and everything... so you can see how much better your skin goes if you actually take care.'
Kim Kardashian has finally debuted a photo of her third child, daughter Chicago.
The 37-year-old reality TV star shared a sweet image to Instagram where she was holding the little girl, born on January 15.
The Keeping Up With The Kardashians star added a filter with pink round ears and a white nose as she captioned the image, 'Baby Chicago.'
Here she is! Kim Kardashian has finally debuted a photo of her third child, daughter Chicago
Kim wore a white robe and had her hair pulled back in a ponytail as she puckered up for the camera.
Little Chicago had on a white top with a burping cloth around her neck. She already has a good head of hair and long eyelashes just like mom.
A swaddled Chicago was already seen in Kylie Jenner's 11-minute baby reveal video shared on Super Bowl Sunday. But her face could not be seen.
Love at first sight! A swaddled Chicago was already seen in Kylie Jenner's 11-minute baby reveal video shared on Super Bowl Sunday. But her face could not be seen
Kim and husband Kanye West already have daughter North, aged four, and son Saint, aged two.
Their first photos were very different as neither had a filter on them.
West shared the first glimpse of North when she was 10 weeks old, unveiling a candid shot of the baby girl looking over her moms shoulder on the Kris Jenner Show in August 2013.
Their first photos: West shared the first glimpse of North when she was 10 weeks old. And Kim posted this photo of Saint when he was three months old
Baby Chi: Chicago was the only one to get a filter with ears and a little nose
Saints first photo was shared when he was three months old, when Kim showed him in a onesie while asleep.
This comes after Sunday's episode of KUWTK where she said she's been over the moon since welcoming Chicago.
But the star confessed she was anxious that she might 'not care as much' about the little one.
During the conversation recorded last fall, the social media starlet reassured herself everything would be the same, explaining: 'Everyone says it's like no different' to her sister Khloe.
Before the big news! Kim with husband Kanye West in LA on January 12, just three days before Chicago was born
Kim weighed the pros and cons of the surrogacy during her chat with her younger sis, who is currently expecting her very first child with fiance Tristan Thompson.
'Even though I will appreciate not having to gain the weight and then lose the weightI so would have rather have done it on my own,' Kim said.
The 5foot3 star gained 52 lbs during her first pregnancy and 60 while expecting son Saint, hence her apprehension about the extra baby weight.
She continued, admitting she was worried she would feel differently about this little one than their two older siblings.
What's on your mind? Kardashian admitted she was worried she 'might not care as much' about her third baby during a chat with sister Khloe on Keeping Up With The Kardashians
'I just hope I care as mucheveryone says its like no different,' the star confessed.
All things considered, Kim told sister Khloe: 'I still would have rather done it myself.'
It appears that Kim's worries were nothing to lose sleep over, though.
Kim gave fans a glowing update about her little one Saturday on Twitter after a fan asked 'How is Chi doing?'
Ups and downs: Kim weighed the pros and cons of the surrogacy during a talk with her younger sis Khloe, who is currently expecting her very first child with beau Tristan Thompson
New: Also on Monday, a new teaser for KUWTK aired. In it, Kim is heard saying during her San Francisco trip with Khloe and Kourtney that her surrogate is 'in town'
The reality star replied: 'The sweetest! Best baby! She looks a tiny bit like North and a tiny bit like Saint but definitely her own person!'
Also on Monday, a new teaser for KUWTK aired. In it, Kim is heard saying during her San Francisco trip with Khloe and Kourtney that her surrogate is 'in town.'
Season 14 of KUWTK continues next Sunday on E!
On Saturday, Kim shared: 'One of the rules I have about being present with my kids is I don't have my phone when Im with them.'
Oh baby! Kim gave fans a glowing update about her little one Saturday, telling fans she's 'the sweetest'
She made the statement at Los Angeles' Create And Cultivate conference while speaking to Allison Statter, People reported.
'So, like story time at night, in the mornings getting ready, I just dont have my phone,' explained Kim.
'Obviously, that is whats going to come with their lives and I cant imagine what its like growing up in a world with social media as a young teenager.
'I want my kids to see the separation and to feel the difference and know that there is a time and a place for that. So Im really cautious when Im at home with my phones and just being super present.'
Fine dining: On Monday evening, Kanye was spotted dining with fellow hip-hop star Nas at Nobu in Malibu, California
Kyle Sandilands was dancing around the topic for the entire interview.
And then right at the end of the KIIS FM shock-jock's chat with Married At First Sight's non-intimate Nasser Sultan and Gabrielle Bartlett, he flat-out asked.
'A lot of my gay friends are saying, "he's gay, that Nasser, you're gay"... They want you to be gay!' he finally said.
'I live in the gay community': MAFS' Nasser Sultan denies being homosexual in tell-all radio interview but says 'If I was, I'd 100% be a rock star'
Kyle said when he found out Nasser 'Lives in (Sydney's) Surry Hills and never lived with a woman,' all of the radio host's gay friends thought he was '100% gay'.
Nasser was flattered, but ultimately revealed: 'I am 110% not gay.'
He added: 'I live in the gay community, trust me,' implying he gets a lot of attention from homosexual men.
'If I was gay, I'd be a rock star!' he said, 'If I was gay I'd live the lifestyle of it.'
Kyle Sandilands was dancing around the topic for the entire interview, but eventually asked: 'A lot of my gay friends are saying, "he's gay, that Nasser, you're gay"... They want you to be gay!'
'110%': Nasser was flattered, but ultimately revealed: 'I am 110% not gay.' 'I live in the gay community, trust me' before implying he gets a lot of attention from homosexual men
Nasser insisted that if he was gay, he wouldn't be the kind of person to hide it, but can guarantee '100-million percent,' that he is straight.
It appeared to put an end to Kyle, his radio co-host Jackie O Henderson, and their homosexual 'intern' Pete's doubts.
The line of questioning began when the interview landed on the topic of Nasser and Gabrielle's apparent lack of intimacy on the show.
Rock star! 'If I was gay, I'd be a rock star!' he said, 'If I was gay I'd live the lifestyle of it,' he said, insisted he wouldn't be the kind of person to stay in the closet
Or, as Kyle framed it to Gabrielle: 'When's the last time you saw Nass nude, with the Willy out and everything?'
'We were very free and easy when we were living together,' she said, implying they'd certainly seen each other nude on multiple occasions.
But in the end, 'We were kinda like a married couple who'd been there for 30 years,' she said.
'Was it not a great? (the sex) Was there something odd about it?' Kyle asked.
No spark: His denial came after Kyle probed: 'A lot of people were wondering why the chemistry hasn't sparked... Gabbie, you look like you want to say something?'
'A lot of people were wondering why the chemistry hasn't sparked, but hey, only you two know the answer to that'.
Kyle then probed 'Gabby, you look like you want to say something?'
She replied: 'I'm very philosophical about my experience with all of it.''
'Philosophical': She replied: 'I'm very philosophical about my experience with all of it'
Nasser added: 'honestly, there's so much pressure, you know, you're getting filmed and there's 12-hour days and you're getting pulled...'
Kyle interrupted: 'But you're not getting pulled, that's the problem!'
The reports follow the couple's emotional commitment ceremony on Sunday night, where Nasser revealed he didn't feel any sexual attraction towards his wife - despite the fact that they slept together on their honeymoon.
'You're getting pulled': Nasser added: 'honestly, there's so much pressure, you know, you're getting filmed and there's 12-hour days and you're getting pulled...'
'I'm in the friend zone, physically and sexually,' he told the relationship experts.
Nasser continued: 'I mean, I respect Gabby but just that part of it... it's just, I'm stuck.
'At the moment, I have no sexual connection.'
She's famed for her stunning looks and hourglass curves.
And Daisy Lowe flaunted her sensational figure as she made a glamorous appearance at the launch of Bob Roth's book Strength In Stillness held at London's Wellington Arch on Monday.
The 29-year-old model flashed a glimpse of her toned abs and slender midriff in a azure cropped sweater as she posed up a storm at the glittering event.
Ab envy: Daisy Lowe flaunted her sensational figure as she made a glamorous appearance at the launch of Bob Roth's book Strength In Stillness held at London's Wellington Arch on Monday
Further flattering her gym-honed physique, the star slipped on a pair of high-waisted black slacks, which hugged her curves before flowing into flared trousers.
Her brunette tresses were styled sleek and straight and parted in the middle while her pretty features were enhanced with feline flicks of liner and fluttery lashes, paired with a coral gloss.
Cracking a radiant smile, the stylish former Strictly Come Dancing star accessorised with a leather clutch bag while guests sipped on Paul McCarthys Margarita served with Casamigos Tequila.
Famous friends: The 29-year-old model flashed a glimpse of her toned abs and slender midriff in a azure cropped sweater as she posed with Mary McCartney
Glowing: Her brunette tresses were styled sleek and straight and parted in the middle while her pretty features were enhanced with feline flicks of liner and fluttery lashes, paired with a coral gloss
Chic: Further flattering her gym-honed physique, the star slipped on a pair of high-waisted black slacks, which hugged her curves before flowing into flared trousers (above with Transcendental Meditation expert and author Bob Roth)
The fashionista flew solo at the event, after a number of outings with artist boyfriend John Leigh in recent weeks.
The pair were introduced by Daisy's rocker-turned-artist mother Pearl last year, and have been spotted stepping out together on a number occasions.
A source told The Mirror late last year: 'It has been a while since Daisy had a serious boyfriend and she has grown really close to John.
Power players: The star-studded event was hosted by fashion designer Stella McCartney, 46, and Hollywood actress Liv Tyler, 40 who sported sartorially savvy ensembles for the occasion
Elegant: Lord of the Rings star Liv dressed to impress in a formal royal blue trousersuit, while flashing her cleavage in a lacy black slip underneath
Best pals: The pals put on an affectionate display for the cameras with Stella planting a playful kiss on Liv's cheek
'They have been secretly dating for months and really enjoy each other's company.'
The star-studded event was hosted by fashion designer Stella McCartney, 46, and Hollywood actress Liv Tyler, 40 who sported sartorially savvy ensembles for the occasion.
The pals put on an affectionate display for the cameras with Stella planting a playful kiss on Liv's cheek.
Back in black: Couture queen Stella donned a stylish black and semi-sheer lace gown, with scalloped silk panels across the skirt
Style queens: Liv and Stella looked like couture queens as they dazzled in black and navy hues
Close: Liv and Stella looked the best of friends as they joined forces to host the launch
Brunette beauty: Her brunette tresses were slicked back from her face into an elegant bun while her stunning features were accentuated with metallic shadow, and a slick of scarlet lipstick
Man of the hour: Author Bob joined a glamorous Stella at the glittering book launch
Promo trail: In January 2018, Stella revealed how she relies on the help of an A-list meditation guru Bob after turning to the practice following her mother's death
Lord of the Rings star Liv dressed to impress in a formal royal blue trousersuit, while flashing her cleavage in a lacy black slip underneath.
She added height with black stilettos and accessorised with a studded clutch bag.
Her brunette tresses were slicked back from her face into an elegant bun while her stunning features were accentuated with metallic shadow, and a slick of scarlet lipstick.
Support: Stella's sister Mary joined blonde beauty Camilla al-Fayed at the launch
Festivities: Musician Kara Marni (L) and Stella looked stylish as they posed together
Acclaimed: Stella joined Dr Tony Nader and Velia Nader for a quick photo at the event
Couture queen Stella donned a stylish black and semi-sheer lace gown, with scalloped silk panels across the skirt.
She layered a chic black coat over her shoulders and flaunted her toned legs in tights and snake-skin effect stiletto boots.
Her caramel tresses were styled in a chic bun while her radiant features were enhanced with a light dusting of make-up.
In January 2018, Stella revealed how she relies on the help of an A-list meditation guru Bob after turning to the practice following her mother's death.
The star practises Transcendental Meditation with US teacher Bob, who also counts Oprah Winfrey, Hugh Jackman and Tom Hanks among his glittering list of clients.
Transcendental Meditation, or TM, has been practised in India for thousands of years but was popularised by Stella's father Sir Paul McCartney and The Beatles in the 1960s.
At the time the group made headlines when they studied under controversial guru Maharishi Mahesh Yogi.
Stella, who has four children with husband Alasdhair Willis, creative director of Hunter, grew up as the child of two TM practioners but only adopted the practice after losing her mother Linda to breast cancer in 1998.
Speaking to The Times, Stella said: 'I had quite a reaction that I didn't feel in control of. I possibly suppressed my emotions and I started having panic attacks, physical reactions to the loss... [TM] really did help me at a time when I really needed some help.'
Star-studded: Daisy, Liv, Bob, Mary and Stella joined Camilla al-Fayed and Lucie de la Falaise at the event
In demand: Bob smiled as he signed copies of his soon-to-be hit book
Following Linda's death, Sir Paul took Stella and her brother James to visit the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, the controversial guru whom The Beatles travelled to India to study under in the Sixties. The Maharishi later faced accusations of being a fraud and of creating a cult.
Once Stella started practising TM she found the 'severe' panic attacks subsided.
The fashion designer now sets aside 20 minutes every day to practise. Rather than focusing on breathing, TM practitioners use a mantra to focus and calm the mind.
Wedded bliss: Robbie Furze (L) and Mary Charteris looked happy as they stepped out
Chicago West was seen for the first time on Monday in a photo Kim Kardashian shared to Instagram.
But her debut image is very different from that of her siblings.
While the five-week old baby is seen in a pink filter and being held by her 37-year-old mom, North was shown over a shoulder and Saint was sleeping.
Baby Chi: Chicago was the only one to get a filter with ears and a little nose when her first photo was shared on Monday by mom Kim Kardashian
Their first photos: West shared the first glimpse of North when she was 10 weeks old. And Kim posted this photo of Saint when he was three months old
North is now aged four, and son Saint, is aged two.
Their first photos were very different as neither had a filter on them.
Kanye West shared the first glimpse of North when she was 10 weeks old.
The rapper presented a candid shot of the baby girl looking over her moms shoulder on the Kris Jenner Show in August 2013.
Saints first photo was shared when he was three months old, when Kim showed him in a onesie while asleep and his arms up.
Here she is! Kardashian has finally debuted a photo of her third child, daughter Chicago, seen here
In the precious image, Kim wore a white robe and had her hair pulled back in a ponytail as she puckered up for the camera.
Little Chicago had on a white top with a burping cloth around her neck. She already has a good head of hair and long eyelashes just like mom.
A swaddled Chicago was already seen in Kylie Jenner's 11-minute baby reveal video shared on Super Bowl Sunday. But her face could not be seen.
Love at first sight! A swaddled Chicago was already seen in Kylie Jenner's 11-minute baby reveal video shared on Super Bowl Sunday. But her face could not be seen
This comes after Sunday's episode of KUWTK where she said she's been over the moon since welcoming Chicago.
But the star confessed she was anxious that she might 'not care as much' about the little one.
During the conversation recorded last fall, the social media starlet reassured herself everything would be the same, explaining: 'Everyone says it's like no different' to her sister Khloe.
Before the big news! Kim with husband Kanye West in LA on January 12, just three days before Chicago was born
Kim weighed the pros and cons of the surrogacy during her chat with her younger sis, who is currently expecting her very first child with fiance Tristan Thompson.
'Even though I will appreciate not having to gain the weight and then lose the weightI so would have rather have done it on my own,' Kim said.
The 5foot3 star gained 52 lbs during her first pregnancy and 60 while expecting son Saint, hence her apprehension about the extra baby weight.
She continued, admitting she was worried she would feel differently about this little one than their two older siblings.
What's on your mind? Kardashian admitted she was worried she 'might not care as much' about her third baby during a chat with sister Khloe on Keeping Up With The Kardashians
Ups and downs: Kim weighed the pros and cons of the surrogacy during a talk with her younger sis Khloe, who is currently expecting her very first child with beau Tristan Thompson
'I just hope I care as mucheveryone says its like no different,' the star confessed.
All things considered, Kim told sister Khloe: 'I still would have rather done it myself.'
It appears that Kim's worries were nothing to lose sleep over, though.
Oh baby! Kim gave fans a glowing update about her little one Saturday, telling fans she's 'the sweetest'
Kim gave fans a glowing update about her little one Saturday on Twitter after a fan asked 'How is Chi doing?'
The reality star replied: 'The sweetest! Best baby! She looks a tiny bit like North and a tiny bit like Saint but definitely her own person!'
Also on Monday, a new teaser for KUWTK aired. In it, Kim is heard saying during her San Francisco trip with Khloe and Kourtney that her surrogate is 'in town.'
Season 14 of KUWTK continues next Sunday on E!
She's an accomplished lawyer with two adorable children.
And Amal Clooney made sure to take some time for herself as she was spotted in between appointments in Los Angeles on Monday afternoon.
The 40-year-old philanthropist stayed warm in the crisp winter weather wearing a long-sleeved black sweater and chic pink pants as she exited a vehicle.
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Cute! Amal Clooney made sure to take some time for herself as she was spotted in between appointments in Los Angeles on Monday afternoon
Amal seemed ready to run a few errands as she stepped out of the large black SUV wearing a dark sweater.
Perfectly tailored pink harem pants hugged her waist with adorable pleats adding form to the billowing pants.
The tie-dyed trousers were hemmed just above her ankles to reveal a pair of black leather booties.
Nice: The 40-year-old philanthropist stayed warm in the crisp winter weather wearing a long-sleeved black sweater and chic pink pants as she exited a vehicle
Clooney carried a bright red leather bag across her shoulder as she maneuvered through the parking lot.
The mother-of-two wore her luscious brunette hair in loose waves as she scurried around town.
She recently revealed her fears for her young children attending school in America as she spoke out to publicly back the Never Again movement.
Difficult: She recently revealed her fears for her young children attending school in America as she spoke out to publicly back the Never Again movement
Talk: Speaking at the Watermark Conference in San Jose on Friday, the international human rights lawyer said she and actor husband George would be joining the March For Our Lives in Washington on March 24
Speaking at the Watermark Conference in San Jose on Friday, the international human rights lawyer said she and actor husband George would be joining the March For Our Lives in Washington on March 24.
'I'm blown away by these students,' Amal said, referring to the survivors of the Feb. 14 Florida school shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School where a former student killed 17 people. 'They are the best vehicle and best hope for change... The march we're attending is their march. They give me hope.'
Amal and her husband George Clooney welcomed twins Alexander and Ella in June 2017, nearly three years after tying the knot.
Queensland Reds have been dealt a blow with skipper Scott Higginbotham suspended for two matches by the Super Rugby judiciary.
Higginbotham was red-carded after just nine minutes in Friday's defeat to the Melbourne Rebels and was further sanctioned for his "objectively dangerous" no-arms tackle on Matt Phillip.
He has been issued a three-week ban but it expires the day before Queensland's away clash against the Jaguares in Argentina, meaning he will only miss two games - against the Brumbies and Bulls at home.
A 26-year-old man is accused of being drunk and firing several gunshots in the middle of the night in Leeton in the NSW Riverina.
Calls to triple-zero about 12.20am on Monday reported gunshots from the town's Gossamer Street, police said.
When officers arrived they found a 26-year-old man standing beside a vehicle, with a 12-gauge shotgun loaded with five live rounds, police said.
The man, who was breath tested and returned a positive reading of 0.141, is being interviewed at the local police station.
Human error is likely behind five incidents where commonwealth cars were damaged in collisions with bollards at Parliament House, a Senate committee has heard.
Paul Cooper, first assistant secretary in the Parliamentary Services Department, said a review of the five incidents is due in April after three Comcars, an AFP vehicle and a maintenance vehicle were damaged since November.
"Our suspicion is human error is likely to blame for most if not all of them," Mr Cooper told a Senate estimates hearing on Monday.
Abseiling down the front of Parliament House in Canberra has landed two protesters with a $1500 fine each.
Katherine Woskett, 27, and Patrick Kieren Holmes, 26, pleaded guilty in court after unfurling a banner above parliament in December 2016 while a group inside interrupted question time as part of a campaign against detention centres on Manus Island and in Nauru.
"Last week Magistrate Glenn Theakston fined the pair $1500 each, which amounts to almost half the maximum fine for such an offence," Speaker Tony Smith updated the House on Monday.
Derided as a nobody and hailed as a unifying force, new Nationals leader Michael McCormack has vowed to be a fighter for regional Australia as the party recovers from heavy turbulence.
The fallout from Barnaby's Joyce affair and subsequent resignation led Nationals' whip Michelle Landy to liken the events of recent weeks to going through a war.
Despite McCormack's low profile, the new 53-year-old deputy prime minister now has to mend fences after surviving a late challenge from outspoken Queenslander George Christensen on Monday.
After growing up on family farms in the NSW Riverina, McCormack took up a cadetship at Wagga Wagga's Daily Advertiser newspaper.
By 1991 he was the editor.
At 27, it's claimed he was the youngest person in charge of a daily newspaper in Australia at the time.
His most strident public backer for the leadership, Victorian MP Darren Chester, was also a journalist.
"I'm not quite sure what that says about Darren and I," McCormack said.
After working as campaign director for former Riverina MP Kay Hull in 2004 and 2007, he won pre-selection to replace her.
McCormack counts "former feisty fighter" Hull as his mentor and guiding influence.
He stared down Liberal and Labor challengers at his first election in 2010, increasing the Nationals' hold on the seat.
McCormack considered challenging Joyce for the leadership in 2016 before deciding to give Warren Truss' heir apparent a clear path.
Tony Abbott made him a parliamentary secretary after the coalition won the 2013 election and he served as Malcolm Turnbull's small business minister after the government was returned in 2016.
McCormack took over the veterans' affairs and defence personnel portfolios in last year's pre-Christmas reshuffle.
Abbott's decision to award Prince Phillip a knighthood prompted McCormack to invite the then prime minister to the Royal Hotel in Grong Grong to feel the pulse of regional Australia.
It would take the PM's ear away from the "texting, latte-sipping, keyboard warriors who frequent the tapas bars of Sydney and Melbourne".
He has repeatedly apologised for a 1993 editorial in which he lamented "unfortunately gays are here" and called them "sordid" and "unnatural".
"How can these people call for rights when they're responsible for the greatest medical dilemma known to man -- AIDS," he wrote.
Now McCormack's got to steady the ship as the coalition desperately tries to get back on course after the Joyce scandal all but erased the government's strong start to the year.
Queensland Local Government Minister Stirling Hinchliffe has ordered an investigation into the sacking of former Logan City Council CEO Sharon Kelsey.
Ms Kelsey was ousted earlier this month, with councillors voting 7-5 to get rid of her, while Logan Mayor Luke Smith did not participate in the vote
Logan City Councillor Darren Power said after the vote he believed council had acted "illegally" in removing Ms Kelsey, and Mr Hinchliffe has asked his director general to investigate whether council followed due process in making its decision
The federal opposition has put pressure on the Turnbull government to quickly pass stricter payday loan protections for consumers by introducing their own legislation.
Newly appointed Nationals leader Michael McCormack introduced legislation last year to cap the total payments on consumer leases and require all small amount credit contracts to have equal repayments and payment intervals.
But Labor's consumer affair spokesman Tim Hammond told parliament on Monday, despite bipartisan support, nothing had progressed.
In the meantime people are being trapped in a spiral of debt, the result of a circle of payday loans or rent-to-buy schemes, he said on Monday, introducing identical legislation.
"The government quite frankly has a choice, Mr Speaker, to show some leadership, to step up and vote for their own bill," Mr Hammond said.
The bill would also ban loan providers charging residual monthly fees when a consumer repays the loan early, and strengthen penalties as an incentive for providers and lessors to comply with the law.
"The reckless conduct of payday lenders has gone on too long," Labor MP Milton Dick said, backing the bill.
Children are pleading for support for their ageing parents because they're too frail to do it themselves, Labor MP Julie Collins says.
Her office is being inundated with cries for help as waiting lists grow for the Home Care Packages that allow people to stay in their homes longer.
The government has promised it's working through solutions, but Ms Collins says more packages are needed now.
The spokeswoman for ageing angrily told parliament on Monday that she wouldn't stand by while older people languish at home or are forced into hospital because home support isn't available.
"If we can afford $65 billion in tax cuts for big business we can afford to look after older Australians," Ms Collins said on Monday, supporting a motion to condemn the government and call for immediate action.
Her party colleague Steve Georganas said he put forward the motion because more than 100,000 people are on the waiting list, which grew by 12,000 between July and September last year.
"These are some of our most vulnerable people, older Australians who have worked all their lives, paid their taxes and built the foundations on which we stand on today for the lives that we lead," he said.
The government has committed a further 6000 packages and Aged Care Minister Ken Wyatt promised further action again on Monday.
He said aged care support was a complex issue and would be a challenge for all future governments, particularly as baby boomers age.
"The Turnbull government hasn't failed," he said.
"It's working through a number of measures that will address the growing need."
Katter's Australian Party is calling for a full eligibility audit of all 93 Queensland state MPs, claiming the move will stop the issue being used as a political "smokescreen".
KAP Queensland leader Robbie Katter said the federal citizenship debate, as well as previous debates in state parliament over eligibility issues, had wasted time that should be spent debating more important issues.
Dual citizenship does not disqualify people from becoming state MPs like it does for their federal counterparts, but there are eligibility issues such as undisclosed criminal or financial histories which can come into play.
Responsibility for the Murray River must be kept out of the hands of the Nationals following the change in leadership, South Australian Premier Jay Weatherill says.
Mr Weatherill says the water portfolio should go to a South Australian and has suggested Liberal Senator Anne Ruston as a suitable candidate.
"It has to be a matter of urgent decision for the prime minister of this country to make sure the water portfolio is not handed to a National Party minister," the premier told reporters on Monday.
Victorian MP Jane Garrett should stick out her term in parliament, rather than contesting the vacancy for Melbourne Lord Mayor, says the man who replaced her as emergency services minister.
"I've got an old fashioned view, unless you're retiring completely from public life, if you're elected by a community, you should honour that commitment and serve a full term," acting Premier James Merlino told reporters on Monday.
Ms Garrett, who has already indicated she will not re-contest her seat of Brunswick at the November state election, will trigger a by-election in her marginal electorate if she makes a tilt at town hall's top job.
Finance Minister Mathias Cormann hasn't given up on the federal government's company tax cuts even though the loss of key votes in the Senate suggest the plan is dead.
One Nation leader Pauline Hanson has reiterated her opposition to the cut, which would see the company tax rate fall to 25 per cent, from 30 per cent, for all businesses over the next decade.
Asked if this was the end of company tax cut in this term of the parliament, Senator Cormann said: "I hope not."
"Families around Australia absolutely need us to ensure that all businesses can have access to a globally competitive business tax rate," he told ABC radio.
"If we do not pass our business tax cuts in full, we will miss out on investment, we will miss out on growth, we will miss out on jobs and higher wages."
Writing in The Australian on Monday, Senator Hanson pointed to the government's "false claim" that company income taxes drive business investment.
"This is ridiculous - all it does is undermine my confidence in the government and their advisers," she said.
The loss of three One Nation votes in the upper house means the government's legislation will fail.
It needs nine of the 11-strong Senate crossbench to pass legislation, given Labor and the Greens are also opposed to the cuts.
The parents of Stuart Kelly are calling for a coronial inquest into the teenager's death, saying he was exposed to "criminal" hazing rituals at Sydney University.
Kathy and Ralph Kelly said their son Stuart, who took his own life in 2016, became a different person overnight after attending prestigious St Paul's College at the university.
Stuart's death came less than five years after his older brother Thomas died when he was randomly punched while walking with his girlfriend in Kings Cross in July 2012.
At Stuart's funeral the Kellys were told their son had been held down by a number of boys and had alcohol poured down his throat at the college before he was able to break free, his father Ralph Kelly said.
"The rest of the night we have no idea what happened to him or the following day," Mr Kelly told 2GB radio on Monday.
"We don't know the full story ... we know he didn't sleep in his room that night."
A 200-page report, released on Monday, reveals the long-running sexual humiliation and hazing rituals at Sydney University's residential colleges with Mr Kelly saying the culture is "ingrained".
"It has been going on for a very long time and I think we were oblivious or naive to what happens during orientation week," he said.
"It's well known by all the university that the culture is ingrained and can take many, many years to transition, but it's definitely not acceptable, in many ways its criminal activity."
Police have been investigating Stuart's death, but Mr Kelly is calling for a coronial inquest so they can find out what happened to his son that night at college.
"We know there would have been young men who either saw or later heard what happened to Stuart," he said.
"I lay there at night wondering how they sleep at night with this knowledge and we hope that more of them may come forward."
Mr Kelly hopes the inquest will lead to recommendations for colleges that will help keep students safer.
Last year Kathy Kelly told the Nine Network's 60 Minutes that Stuart changed overnight from his first night at the elite college.
"He went off to university at Sydney, for one night at a college, and he came home a different person the following day ... He was broken," Kathy said.
She said Stuart had called them the following day asking them to pick him up and take him home.
They found him sitting in the gutter with his head in hands at the nearby Prince Alfred Hospital.
"He didn't cry at (Thomas's) funeral. It was the first time I'd seen him cry since," said Ralph told Nine.
When they arrived at the family home, Stuart told his parents that he was "never going back" to St Paul's.
Following his big brother's death, Stuart went on to campaign heavily against alcohol-fuelled violence and to support the work of the Thomas Kelly Foundation.
The Kelly family's support for lockout laws had made them a target of abuse, including death threats.
A NSW company has been fined nearly $1 million over an electrical fault at a regional quarry that led to the death of a woman in her shower.
The 49-year-old's fatal shock at her home was caused by non-compliant electrical work, a lack of critical safety devices and damaged equipment at Cudal Lime Products' nearby limestone quarry outside of Orange in 2014, an investigation found.
The company pleaded guilty to failing to comply with health and safety laws and copped a $900,000 penalty in the NSW District Court on Monday.
The offence is the most serious under the Work Health and Safety Act 2011, with a maximum penalty of $3 million for a company.
NSW Resources Minister Don Harwin said it was the first prosecution of its type in NSW since the introduction of new laws in January 2012.
"This should serve as a warning to all companies and employees, if you don't comply with your obligations you will be held accountable - we make no apologies for that," he said in a statement.
A worker at the quarry was also fined $48,000 for failing to comply with their health and safety duty.
Both parties received a discount for entering early guilty pleas.
The case was brought on by NSW's resources regulator.
North Queensland centre Kane Linnett is considered in serious doubt to face Cronulla in round one of the NRL, after it was confirmed he'd suffered a pectoral injury.
Linnett left the field midway through the second half of the Cowboys' 16-14 trial win over Melbourne on Friday night, when he attempted to tackle Ryan Papenhuyzen.
Linnett underwent scans on the weekend and has since returned home to Townsville while the remainder of the Cowboys' squad remain in camp on the Sunshine Coast.
While the full prognosis is not yet known, it's understood he is considered highly doubtful to be fit for the start of North Queensland's season on March 9.
The blow means Javid Bowen will likely start in the centres in Linnett's absence, with Gideon Gela-Mosby the other back-up outside back option.
It comes after Linnett was one of just three players to play every game of the injury-ravaged Cowboys' grand final season in 2017.
Malcolm Turnbull asked one of his top bureaucrats to investigate whether Barnaby Joyce had breached the ministerial code of conduct just two days before he resigned.
The prime minister asked Martin Parkinson on February 21 to provide advice on Mr Joyce's actions as deputy prime minister, before he resigned from the role on February 23.
"The prime minister obviously wished to have Dr Parkinson's advice on whether or not there has been a breach of the standards," deputy secretary Stephanie Foster told a Senate hearing on Monday.
Footage of a brazen daylight shooting near Sydney's airport shows a gunman in one car firing into another at point-blank range.
CCTV footage, released by NSW Police on Monday, shows a Ford Ranger ute driving toward a Mazda sedan that had come to a stop on Jackson Drive at Mascot at about 6pm on Wednesday, January 31.
The driver of the Ford holds a pistol out the window before firing on the Mazda, which swerves and drives off in the opposite direction.
Both cars were seen speeding away, travelling erratically along Jackson Drive.
When police arrived, they discovered several projectile casings at the scene and later seized the Mazda.
Strikeforce Ankali was established to investigate but they have yet to establish if anyone was injured in the shooting or whether the attack was random or targeted.
Investigators appealed for anyone with information to come forward or contact Crime Stoppers.
A Melbourne man charged with killing his girlfriend's baby while she was shopping had proposed marriage to the mother only nights before, a court has been told.
Dwayne Lindsey is on trial in the Supreme Court of Victoria, charged with killing six-month-old Chayse Dearing.
Chayse suffered severe traumatic brain and spinal cord injuries in June 2016.
Chayse's mother Michelle Dearing told the court on Monday that she and Lindsey, then 34, were planning to get married before the fateful night.
Another woman told the court how she'd been at Kmart with Ms Dearing when Lindsey called them, saying "Chayse wasn't breathing".
"I heard Michelle screaming my name and I knew something was wrong," Melissa Jones said.
Ms Jones said she called triple zero, and she returned home with Ms Dearing and another woman to find "medics working on Chayse".
"Michelle collapsed in the doorway of my bedroom. She was in shock basically."
The trial continues.
Australian officials have denied any involvement in the decision to cut off food, water, power and medicine to men who barricaded themselves inside the decommissioned Manus Island detention centre last year.
Hundreds of detainees went several weeks without essential supplies in November after refusing to leave the mothballed camp, before they were eventually moved to alternative accommodation.
"We work in close consultation with our PNG partners and they make all the principle decisions," Home Affairs secretary Michael Pezzullo told a Senate inquiry in Canberra on Monday.
The mother of a man left paralysed after his skull was bashed in near Melbourne says the attack has ruined his life and that of his family.
Hamish, aged 44, was left in a pool of blood after being attacked while walking with his dog at Whittlesea in August, and police are still hunting for the perpetrator.
"He's paralysed, you know, he can only use one arm ... It's just devastating, it's devastated me. It's consumed me," Hamish's mother, Joan, told reporters on Monday in an appeal to catch her son's attacker.
BARNABY JOYCE AND VIKKI CAMPION TIMELINE:
2016
May - Vikki Campion assists Barnaby Joyce's election campaign as media adviser, having previously worked with NSW government ministers and News Corp
August - Campion joins Joyce's staff. She splits with fiance John Bergin, three months before they were due to wed. Friendship develops between Joyce and Campion
December - Chief of staff Di Hallam reportedly seeks Joyce's approval to have Campion transferred out of office. Hallam later quits to take up departmental role
2017
February - Campion is photographed in a Sydney bar with Joyce
April - Barnaby's wife Natalie reportedly confronts Campion in Tamworth. Campion goes to minister Matt Canavan office as adviser. Natalie and Barnaby seek to make marriage work
May - At NSW Nationals conference in Broken Hill colleagues describe Joyce as "a mess"
June - Natalie and Barnaby show up together at Canberra press gallery midwinter ball
July - Campion leaves Canavan office after he quits frontbench over citizenship. She temporarily goes back to Joyce's office
August - Campion moves to Damian Drum's office in a social media adviser position specially created for her. He already has a media adviser. Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull is reportedly reassured by Joyce the relationship with Campion is over, and he communicates this with Liberal MPs. Drum says he was told the same thing.
September - Campion is seen managing Joyce media events at federal Nationals conference in Canberra
October - Campion reportedly takes stress leave. Writ issued for New England by-election after Joyce quits over dual citizenship
December - Joyce wins by-election. Joyce tells parliament during same-sex marriage debate he is separated. Campion's redundancy package is approved. They move into an Armidale property provided rent-free by businessman Greg Maguire
2018
January - Joyce and Campion holiday in north Queensland and NSW north coast
February 7 - Daily Telegraph publishes front-page photo of Campion pregnant with Joyce's baby. Turnbull says he did not know of the baby until the photo was published. Joyce denies Campion was his partner when she worked in Canavan's office.
February 12 - Labor asks in parliament whether Joyce breached ministerial standards. Turnbull says there has been no breach.
February 15 - Turnbull reveals Joyce will take a week of personal leave. PM imposes the "bonk ban" on ministers.
February 20 - WA Nationals call on Joyce to resign, without stating a reason beyond that the party's "brand" has suffered. WA woman Catherine Marriott writes to Nationals federal executive complaining of Joyce sexual harassment.
February 21 - Turnbull seeks advice from his department secretary Martin Parkinson on whether Joyce breached ministerial standards. Parkinson finds out the Independent Parliamentary Expenses Authority is auditing Joyce. Joyce says in media interview he won't be resigning.
February 22 - Sexual harassment claim is leaked. Nationals MP Andrew Broad says it is time for Joyce to "take a step back".
February 23 - Joyce tells reporters he will resign as Nationals leader. He says he informed acting prime minister Mathias Cormann of the decision. Parkinson tells Turnbull he will drop the investigation.
February 26 - Joyce formally resigns as Nationals leader, replaced by Michael McCormack. Joyce sits on backbench for question time.
Mid-April - Joyce-Campion baby is due.
(Source: Based on media reports and official statements.)
A woman has allegedly been indecently assaulted by a blind man with a cane while travelling on a train in Sydney's west.
The man, described as being blind or partially blind and carrying a cane, boarded a train at Lidcombe station just before 6pm on Sunday, police say.
Officers were told he sat next to a woman believed to be in her 20s before indecently assaulting her. He then got off the train at Parramatta.
The incident was reported to transit officers and an investigation has been launched.
Police are appealing for the woman or any witnesses to come forward.
Lawyers were ready to ban the ABC from publishing top secret documents found in an old cabinet if they weren't given back to the government.
Stephanie Foster, deputy secretary at the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet, said bureaucrats watched in "horror" as the contents of secret cabinet documents were published on the ABC before they were given back to the government.
"We had the paperwork being prepared for injunctive relief ... we made that very clear," Ms Foster told a Senate hearing on Monday.
A woman has been sexually assaulted while walking in a park in suburban Perth.
The woman, aged in her 20s, was walking along a path in Wireless Hill Park in Ardross just after 2pm on Monday when she was grabbed by a man and sexually assaulted, police say.
It is believed the man was riding a bicycle and is described as 175-185cm tall and aged 30 to 45, with tanned/olive skin.
He was wearing dark clothing, a helmet and sunglasses, had no facial hair and spoke with an Australian accent
Today's birthday, February 27: Michael Chamberlain, father of baby Azaria who was snatched by a dingo from the family tent at Uluru in 1980 ( 1944 - 2017).
When Michael Chamberlain died in 2017 he was remembered as both a great man and a broken one, having spent close to half his life living under a cloud of suspicion following the disappearance of his baby daughter.
A central figure in one of Australia's most notorious murder trials, Mr Chamberlain was the father of nine-week-old Azaria, who was snatched by a dingo at nine weeks old from the family's tent at Uluru in 1980.
Born in Christchurch in 1944, Mr Chamberlain came to Australia in 1964 where he became a pastor in the Seventh-Day Adventist Church.
He married first wife Lindy in 1969 and the pair had four children together, including Azaria.
Following their daughter's disappearance, the Chamberlains were charged and convicted over her murder - Lindy receiving a life sentence while Michael was handed an 18-month suspended sentence for being an accessory after the fact.
A Royal Commission in 1987, prompted by the discovery of Azaria's missing matinee jacket, exonerated both husband and wife of wrongdoing and their convictions were overturned in 1988 by the Northern Territory Court of Criminal Appeal.
But vindication for the pair didn't come until 2012 when a fourth inquest into Azaria's disappearance finally found she had indeed been taken and killed by a dingo.
In the years that followed the Chamberlains' marriage fell apart and they divorced in 1990.
Mr Chamberlain would go on to marry Ingrid Bergner in 1994, becoming a father again to daughter Zahra.
He would also go on to earn a PhD in education, and become a teacher, academic and writer.
After losing his battle with acute leukemia on January 9, 2017, aged 72, Mr Chamberlain was remembered as a passionate fighter for justice, according to defence lawyer and close friend Stuart Tipple.
Mr Chamberlain died without ever having a formal apology from the Northern Territory government or succeeding in having a memorial plaque for Azaria placed at Uluru - his two dying wishes.
British Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn has potentially canned any future trade deal with Australia, by saying he wants the UK to remain in the EU customs union.
The Opposition leader said on Monday if elected he'd seek a "new and comprehensive" UK-EU customs union to ensure tariff-free trade after Brexit.
The stance puts him at direct odds with Prime Minister Theresa May, who wants to be outside any customs union so Britain can sign free trade deals with countries around the world after leaving the EU.
Australia's is seeking a free trade deal with the UK as soon as Brexit is formalised.
Foreign Minister Julie Bishop made it clear during a visit to London earlier this month that a trade deal with the UK was reliant on leaving the customs union.
"Australia is very keen to pursue negotiations for a free trade agreement with the United Kingdom," Ms Bishop said during her visit.
"I think that would be precluded if the United Kingdom were to join the (EU) customs union, so our national interest, our priority, would be served by negotiating a free trade agreement with the United Kingdom."
Corbyn said Labour would demand the EU ensures the government "has a say in future trade deals" signed by the bloc, but appeared to admit the UK would not be able to sign its own agreements.
"We do not believe that deals with the US or China, would be likely to compensate for a significant loss of trade with our trading neighbours in the EU, and the Government's own leaked assessments show that," he said.
Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson described Corbyn's position as a "betrayal" of the Brexit vote and a "cynical" and "deluded" attempt to link up with Tory rebels to inflict a damaging defeat on the PM in an upcoming expected vote on a cross-party amendment calling for a customs union.
Corbyn said his call was "consistent" with Labour's position since the referendum, and an "appeal to MPs of all parties" to "put the people's interests before ideological fantasies" to protect jobs, living standards and the economy and avoid a hard Irish border.
His intervention came as the Cabinet prepared for a Thursday meeting where they will finalise the government's position ahead of a major Brexit speech from May on Friday.
While Johnson said the plan would leave Britain as a "colony" of the EU, Corbyn insisted he would not countenance a deal that leaves Britain as a "passive recipient of rules decided elsewhere by others".
On immigration, Corbyn said free movement would end as a "statement of fact" after Brexit and committed to the "reasonable management of migration".
AAP, PA
Queensland Police are investigating why a Taser failed to temper an alleged Comancheros bikie associate before he was fatally shot by officers in suburban Brisbane.
Commissioner Ian Stewart on Monday promised an investigation into the death of Liam Scorsese, 31, during an incident in a suburban street at Wakerley on Sunday morning.
Two officers opened fire on Scorsese, named by media as a Comancheros bikie club associate, after he threatened residents of a home.
He had tried to break into the property and the occupants called police who first used a Taser to try to subdue him.
When that failed, they retreated down the street but police say Scorsese pursued and threatened them while armed with a knife, forcing the officers to open fire.
The Queensland Police Service's Ethical Standards Command has launched an investigation on behalf of the State Coroner, with the assistance of the Crime and Corruption Commission.
Mr Stewart hinted it was unlikely the Taser failed due to a technical fault.
"Tasers are not a panacea" he said.
"There are many issues we look at when a Taser is deployed and it doesn't have the effect we expect it to have.
"That can be partly due to technical faults ... that's a rarity, but more importantly, where the subject is affected by various substances also comes into play."
Scorsese's Gold Coast lawyer Ashkan Tai said his client was not a member of any outlaw motorcycle club and was working to get his life in order.
Mr Stewart would not comment on whether Scorsese had links to bikies.
A report into Victoria's youth justice centres is due to be tabled in parliament following a six-month delay.
It follows two extensions partly because of delays in getting evidence from the justice and health departments.
In one instance, records given to the Legal and Social Issues committee by the Department of Health and Human were "extremely difficult" to analyse and later revealed to be partially inaccurate.
The final report is expected to be tabled on Tuesday.
A public hearing last year heard allegations a former teacher at a youth prison school was pressured to give misleading evidence in court.
Brendan Murray, who used to run Parkville College, accused education department staff of telling him what he should say about housing youth offenders in an adult jail.
In an interim report released in December, the committee said it wasn't resourced to investigate the allegation and referred it to the Victorian Ombudsman.
Social issues will be the key topic as South Australia's election campaign rolls on.
The three leaders - Premier Jay Weatherill, Opposition Leader Steven Marshall and SA-BEST's Nick Xenophon - will debate their welfare policies in a forum run by the South Australian Council of Social Services.
Topics expected to be covered include the cost of living, problem gambling, health and housing.
It comes after nominations closed for the March 17 election on Monday with the draw for places on ballot papers putting Mr Xenophon last of seven candidates in the seat of Hartley, and both Mr Weatherill and Mr Marshall first in their respective seats.
A record number of South Australians will also have their say with 1,201,755 people enrolled to vote, a 5.2 per cent increase on the last election in 2014.
On the campaign trial on Monday, the Liberals promised $60 million for a culinary school on the old Royal Adelaide Hospital site in the city to attract more international students to the state.
Labor pledged a $259 million tram project to extend the line to North Adelaide.
The Home Affairs department spent $50,000 on an industrial steam cleaner to rectify major mould outbreaks at the Nauru immigration detention centre.
The department and then centre operator Transfield (now Broadspectrum) were warned about mould health risks to asylum seekers and staff in a top-secret 2014 report, AAP revealed last week.
The report by microbiologist Dr Cameron Jones said airborne and surface-bound fungal and bacterial cells and spores are capable of causing disease "by direct infection, toxicosis or by allergy".
At least 20 former detention centre staff have become seriously ill from mould exposure, including an Australian teacher who now has a cognitive disability.
Officials said the first time the department became aware of reports of mould-related illnesses among former detention staff was via media articles.
"We certainly had no (work health and safety) incidents reported either from our service providers or from our own staff related to mould," department official David Nockels told a Senate estimates hearing in Canberra on Monday night.
Mr Nockels said he was aware of a complaint made to work health and safety regulator Comcare about an alleged mould-related illness.
"My understanding... (is) that complaint was acknowledged and it went no further," he said.
He defended the department and Transfield's efforts to tackle the mould and pointed to Comcare reports that approved the remediation works.
"We purchased significantly large... industrial sized equipment... a massive steam cleaner at the cost of $50,000," Mr Nockels told the hearing.
He later admitted he didn't know what the machine did because he hadn't seen it in action.
Government backbencher Ian Macdonald responded "you are kidding".
"Do you or anyone else in Canberra know that anywhere you live in tropical Australia... that mould is a natural part of life, it's constant, people don't get sick from it," Senator Macdonald said.
"Do you know if the government is about to provide a $50,000 machine to help every resident of Babinda, Tully, Mission Beach, Innisfail, Daintree? ... I can't believe the department falls for this agitation."
He suggested Dr Jones was from Melbourne or Tasmania and "didn't know what mould looked like".
Dr Jones told AAP last week security guards at the detention centre had prevented him from taking extensive photographs and video to capture the scale of the mould problem.
Mr Nockels blamed Nauru government rules for a ban on filming and video equipment at the centre.
He said the mould remediation work was completed on Nauru at the beginning of 2017.
However, photos obtained by AAP last week show evidence the mould is still a problem.
Police think the robbery and assault of a teenager is linked to a rock being thrown at windows, which hurt a two-year-old child in Sydney's west.
A 17-year-old suffered minor head injuries and had his schoolbag stolen in Blacktown, when he and his friend were approached by the youths on Monday night.
About an hour later, the windows of a nearby home were shattered, causing cuts to the child inside and sparking calls to the police.
Shortly after the windows were smashed the teenager whose bag was stolen was found nearby with cuts to his face.
Detectives are now piecing together the three incidents and would like to speak with anyone who can help their investigation.
A 42-year-old Sydney man is due to face a NSW court over the alleged online exploitation of a nine-year-old girl located in Canada.
The man was arrested at Riverwood in Sydney's south on February 8 following an investigation by NSW child abuse and sex crimes detectives after a referral from the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.
It is alleged the man communicated online with the girl's mother before having sexually explicit conversations about the girl and requesting photos of her. He's also alleged to have engaged in an explicit video call with the girl, police say.
He will appear in Sutherland Local Court on Tuesday.
Alcohol-related diseases are being blamed for causing the deaths of nearly 6000 Australians each year.
A study by the National Drug Research Institute (NDRI) at Curtin University has found an estimated 5,785 Australians aged over 15 died from alcohol-attributable causes in 2015.
"This research shows that in Australia, one person dies every 90 minutes on average, and someone ends up in our hospitals every three-and-a-half minutes, because of preventable conditions caused by alcohol," NDRI alcohol policy team leader Professor Tanya Chikritzh said.
Police are searching for the rightful owner of a stash of high quality diamonds found in rented Cairns unit.
The precious stones were found during an intensive spring clean at the Bungalow unit and police believe they might have been there for years.
Inquiries with local jewellers have not yielded any leads.
"These are quality diamonds and certainly they represent quite a deal of money," Senior Constable Russell Parker has told ABC radio.
It's believed the diamonds have sat undiscovered in the unit since at least 2012, and possible as far back as 2000.
"They were probably put there a number of tenants (ago), possibly before the one that found them," Snr Const Parker said.
"It was just that they were doing such a thorough clean (that they were found)."
Australia's scandal-plagued wool industry peak marketing and research body will face an independent review of its performance and governance.
Australian Wool Innovation last year faced accusations of impropriety in board elections over the use of proxies.
That came after a controversy surrounding chairman Wal Merriman viewing farmers through a one-way mirror during an "anonymous" focus group.
Mr Merriman has also apologised for telling an ABC journalist to f*** off when asked to comment on the mirror incident.
"The 42,000 wool levy payers have the right to expect their industry body to work hard in the interests of woolgrowers," Agriculture Minister David Littleproud said.
The review will be conducted over the next six months, ahead of this year's WoolPoll, where farmers set AWI's funding.
AWI chief executive Stuart McCullough said he welcomed the independent review of performance.
"This is a normal part of our business cycle as an opportunity for our stakeholders to see the benefits delivered for woolgrowers," Mr McCullough said.
The National Party denies it has a women problem after the name of Barnaby Joyce's sexual harassment accuser was publicly leaked.
Mr Joyce cited the allegation of sexual harassment - which he denies - as the final straw that led him to resign as party leader after weeks of fall out surrounding his marriage break-up and relationship with a former staffer who is now pregnant.
Catherine Marriott, a former West Australian Rural Woman of the Year, accused Mr Joyce of sexual harassment but says she never intended for the allegations to go public after making a formal complaint to the Nationals.
Deputy Labor leader Tanya Plibersek urged the Turnbull government to guarantee the leaked name did not come from the Liberal Party.
"This sends the worst possible message to women who have been subjected to sexual harassment," Ms Plibersek told reporters on Tuesday.
"I think the woman, in this case, is collateral damage."
Nationals whip Michelle Laundy denied her party had mishandled the complaint.
"I've spoken to the hierarchy in the party and the leak didn't come from us," she told reporters.
Deputy leader Bridget McKenzie said on Sunday she'd been given similar guarantees.
Their colleague Damien Drum said he was unsure how the party could have handled the case better.
"As soon as it became public we tried to investigate the validity of that claim," he told reporters.
"I'm not fully across all the details, as to when (the complaint) was made, how long we were working behind the scenes to assess the validity of the claim."
Asked if the National Party had a problem with women he responded: "I hope not, no."
Liberal frontbencher Craig Laundy was unimpressed with the leaking of Ms Marriott's details.
"I find the fact that the name was released in the public domain disturbing," he told reporters.
"If people come forward in good faith and make a complaint based on a pre-determined idea of anonymity that should be respected."
Frank-Paul Nuuausala will return to the Sydney Roosters this season after the club confirmed his signature on a one-year deal.
Nuuausala, who played 153 games for the Roosters between 2007 and 2014, was released by English Super League club Wigan last week citing homesickness.
The former Kiwi Test prop was spotted in the Roosters' family seating at Saturday's NRL trial match against Manly, and the club announced his signing on Tuesday morning.
"I'm very happy to be back at the Roosters. The club is my home and everyone at the Roosters is like my family," Nuuausala said.
"I'm looking forward to seeing all the old faces and meeting everyone new at the club, and then getting straight into training, and doing my best for the team here."
Nuuausala, who was part of the Roosters' premiership-winning team in 2013, toured Australia with Wigan earlier this month as part of the historic Super League visit.
However, the 31-year-old opted to stay behind, in a bid to make a return to the NRL after last playing for Canberra in 2016.
He will start training with the Roosters immediately and will add strength to Trent Robinson's bench, which could also possibly include Jared Waerea-Hargreaves and Zane Tetevano.
"It's great to welcome Frank-Paul Nuuausala back home to the Roosters," Robinson said.
"Frank's a good man and an experienced campaigner who still has a lot of good footy in him.
"He adds depth to our forwards and we're all pleased to see him back in Roosters colours."
Foreign Minister Julie Bishop has made fresh calls for a political solution for war-ravaged Syria amid claims of chemical weapons use.
Russia has announced it will establish a humanitarian corridor and implement a five-hour daily truce in Syria's eastern Ghouta, after a UN Security Council resolution demanded a 30-day ceasefire across the entire country.
Over the past week, Syria's army and its allies have subjected the rebel-held enclave of eastern Ghouta near Damascus to one of the heaviest bombardments of the seven-year war, killing hundreds.
Overnight, Australia took its place on the United Nations Human Rights Council.
"We joined in the condemnation... of the acts particularly in Ghouta," Ms Bishop told reporters in Canberra on Tuesday.
On Sunday, health authorities said several people had suffered symptoms consistent with chlorine gas exposure and on Monday rescue workers and a war monitor said seven small children were killed by air and artillery strikes in one town.
"It is absolutely abhorrent that chemical weapons should be used in any circumstance," Ms Bishop said.
Australian cattle farmers have backed a plan to make the country's red meat industry carbon neutral by 2030.
Meat and Livestock Australia managing director Richard Norton said the target would help ward off competition from laboratory-produced meat and protein vegetable burgers amid criticism of the industry's environmental credentials.
"We're quite enthused by the industry embracing the fact we'd like to make sure this is not a target that passes us by and we actually achieve carbon neutrality by 2030," Mr Norton told a Senate inquiry on Tuesday.
Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has indicated Tehran wants to prioritise relations with eastern nations, while the country has allied with Russia over the Syria conflict
Iran's supreme leader has signalled a decisive shift in favour of relations with China and Russia, indicating that patience is running out with efforts to improve ties with the West.
One of the most popular slogans during the 1979 revolution was "Neither East nor West", a defiant vow that Iran would no longer favour either of the world's major forces at the time -- American-style capitalism or Soviet Communism.
It was therefore striking to hear its current leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, declare on February 19 that: "In foreign policy, the top priorities for us today include preferring East to West."
Analysts say this does not change the basic idea that Iran refuses to fall under the sway of outside powers.
But it does suggest that the latest attempt at detente with the United States -- represented by the 2015 nuclear deal in which it agreed to curb its nuclear programme in exchange for a lifting of sanctions -- is running out of steam.
"Khamenei has repeatedly outlined that the 2015 nuclear deal was a test to see if negotiations with the West could yield positive results for Iran," said Ellie Geranmayeh, of the European Council on Foreign Relations.
"The leadership perceives the US as acting in bad faith on the deal. Khamenei's statement signals a green light for the Iranian system to focus greater diplomatic effort on deepening ties with China and Russia," she said.
Khamenei's comments come at a critical moment, with US President Donald Trump threatening to tear up the deal and reimpose sanctions unless Iran agrees to rein in its missile programme and "destabilising activities" in the Middle East.
Even before Trump, Iran felt Washington was violating its side of the bargain as it became clear that remaining US sanctions would still hamper banking ties and foreign investments, even blocking Iranian tech start-ups from sharing their products on app stores.
Tehran argues this violates a clause stating the US must "refrain from any policy specifically intended to directly and adversely affect the normalisation of trade and economic relations with Iran".
"From day one, the US, the Obama administration, started violating both the letter and the spirit of the agreement," said Mohammad Marandi, a political analyst at the University of Tehran.
He said Khamenei's latest statement recognised the simple fact that relations with eastern countries were much stronger, particularly since Iran and Russia allied over the Syrian war.
"It's a very different world now. Iran's relationship with Russia and China and an increasing number of Asian countries is much better than with the West because they treat us much better," he said.
"We are partners with Russia in Syria. We are not subordinate."
- 'A pragmatic approach' -
Anger over foreign interference was a key driver of the 1979 revolution after more than a century of intrigues, coups and resource exploitation by the United States, Britain and Russia.
But despite being depicted by critics as dogmatic and uncompromising, the Islamic republic that emerged after the revolution has been surprisingly flexible in its foreign policy.
"At certain moments since 1979, Iran has taken a pragmatic approach to dealings with the United States when necessary or in its interest," said Geranmayeh.
She highlighted the infamous Iran-Contra arms deal in the 1980s and cooperation in Afghanistan in 2001, as well as the nuclear deal.
Yet many hardliners in Washington refuse to accept that Iran has ever been serious about rapprochement.
The American Enterprise Institute, a think-tank, this month released a series of articles calling for "a more confrontational policy toward Iran", including the threat of regime change.
Its main justification was that "the men who run Iran's foreign policy have no interest in a better relationship".
But speaking in April 2015, three months before the nuclear deal was finalised, Khamenei explicitly said it could lead to a broader improvement in ties.
"If the other side stops its usual obstinacy, this will be an experience for us and we will find out that we can negotiate with it over other matters as well," he said in a speech.
Iran's oil sales have rebounded since the deal, and it has seen an uptick in trade with Europe.
But the threat of US penalties has helped deter many foreign investors and major banks from re-engaging with Iran.
European firms and governments remain far more vulnerable to pressure from Washington than their Chinese and Russian counterparts.
"If the Europeans don't have the courage to stand up to the US then they shouldn't expect to be partners with us," said Marandi.
"If some doors are closed and some doors are open, we are not going to wait outside the closed doors forever."
The PyeongChang Winter Olympics came to a close on Sunday, which means that the majority of athletes will have to return to their day jobs.
For the past two weeks they have been feted as Olympians, but many of the men and women at the Pyeongchang Winter Games will this week return to their ordinary daily lives.
Dominik Maerki, 27, the Swiss curler and bronze medalist, will return to his job as a watchmaker.
Dominik Maerki, 27 left, the Swiss curler and bronze medallist, will return to his job as a watchmaker
Maerki, a reserve in the Swiss team that beat Canada on Friday to win bronze, believes he may be the only watchmaker at the Olympics in South Korea.
Maerki studied watch-making for four years and later moved to Miami for his trade, before opening his own watch and clock repair businesses in the southern US state of Arkansas.
'I dated an American girl, now my wife, and ended up there. I have my own repair store, I fix watches and more complicated things and also repair a lot of clocks like grandfather clocks, wall clocks, kitchen clocks,' said Maerki.
Asked if the customers who visit his shop know that he doubles up as an Olympic curler and furthermore an Olympic medallist he smiled: 'Some do now, yes.'
'For sure the eyes. Watchmakers need to have really good eyes and steady hands too - for the release of the rock (in curling), that could help a little bit.'
Gold medalist Zbigniew Brodka of Poland celebrates on the podium during the medal ceremony for the Men's 1500 m Speed Skating at the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics
The 33-year-old won 1,500m gold at Sochi 2014, but when he's not in his skin-tight skating suit, Brodka is a firefighter
Polish speed skater Zbigniew Brodka says his profession helps put the pressure of the Olympics into perspective.
The 33-year-old won 1,500m gold at Sochi 2014, but when he's not in his skin-tight skating suit, Brodka is a firefighter.
'When I went back to work it was very crazy. Even now it often happens that people recognise me on the street. It is a nice feeling,' said Brodka, who was 12th in the 1,500m in Pyeongchang.
'Working as a firefighter makes me stronger mentally. I am not that stressed doing sport because I see tragedy and bad things when I am at work.'
Kristin Skaslien (right) and Magnus Nedregotten (left) of Norway during the medal ceremony for the Curling Mixed Doubles event at the PyeongChang 2018 Olympic Games
Norwegian curler Kristin Skaslien was back at her desk in Oslo, where she is an operations analyst for a maritime company, when she got a call to return to Pyeongchang on a free first-class ticket to collect her bronze medal.
She and partner Magnus Nedregotten were retrospectively awarded bronze in the mixed team event after a Russian curler tested positive for a banned substance.
'I sent my boss a text message telling him, "I've got first-class tickets to South Korea, I'll be back by Tuesday"', said Skaslien.
At the Pyeongchang Games the British bobsledders Mica McNeill and Mica Moore resorted to crowdfunding - as did many others - to keep their Olympic dream alive.
Canada's Joanne Courtney (center) watches after delivering her stone during the women's round robin session between China and Canada during the PyeongChang 2018 Winter Olympics
Far from missing the adulation and bright lights of the Olympics, the 28-year-old Joanne Courtney (right) has no qualms about going back to work as a nurse
Also in the bobsleigh, one of the most expensive winter sports, the Australian men could not afford their own sled so they rented one from the Netherlands.
Joanne Courtney is a Canadian curler who is also a nurse. Far from missing the adulation and bright lights of the Olympics, the 28-year-old has no qualms about going back to work.
'I look to my job as a registered nurse to find perspective often,' said Courtney, whose Canadian team were sixth in Pyeongchang.
'It's nice to go back into work and get my feet back on the ground.'
The 12-storey Yun Tsui building was left leaning perilously by the quake, complicating rescue efforts due to fears of an imminent collapse
The last two victims of an earthquake that hit the Taiwan tourist hotspot of Hualien three weeks ago have finally been removed from the rubble of a collapsed hotel.
The Chinese couple from Beijing who were on a sightseeing trip had already been named among the 17 dead after a 6.4-magnitude quake toppled buildings in the coastal town.
But their bodies remained in a second-floor hotel in the 12-storey Yun Tsui building, which was left leaning at around a 50-degree angle by the quake, complicating rescue efforts due to fears of an imminent collapse.
Emergency workers had combed through rubble at the foot of the mainly residential block since the quake struck the eastern city on February 6, retrieving the last two bodies Sunday.
Three other members of the couple's family were also killed in the quake. Of the 17 people who died, 14 perished in the Yun Tsui building.
Hualien mayor Fu Kun-chi had said the last two victims were pinned under heavy pillars that could not be removed without risking a total collapse of the building, and the rescue was called off with the consent of their relatives five days after the quake hit.
Excavators were digging through the building from the top to recover the bodies.
The Hualien county government said the bodies of the Chinese couple had been sent to a local funeral parlour and their relatives had been informed.
Three other partially collapsed buildings in Hualien have been demolished, including the local landmark Marshal Hotel where one employee was killed.
Hualien, on Taiwan's rugged east coast, is one of the most popular tourist destinations on the quake-prone island.
Taiwan's worst quake in recent decades was a 7.6-magnitude tremor in September 1999 that killed around 2,400 people.
The disaster ushered in stricter building codes but many of Taiwan's older buildings remain perilously vulnerable to even moderate quakes.
Taiwan's government announced Monday that it will allocate a subsidy of Tw$6 billion ($200 million) over the next four years to screen and reinforce quake-resistance in buildings across the island which were constructed before 1999.
Nearly 2,000 buildings in Hualien were damaged by the recent quake, which also left nearly 300 people injured and caused a loss of around Tw$10 billion to local businesses, mostly in the tourism sector, authorities said.
But Xi, 64, has adopted Mao's playbook, tightening his grip with a relentless crackdown on civil society
China's Communist Party has handed President Xi Jinping an open path to indefinite rule -- a move analysts warn carries enormous risks by abandoning a succession model that brought stability after turbulent decades under Mao.
Xi, who has concentrated power, accumulated titles and purged potential rivals since becoming head of state in 2013, could remain president for life after the party proposed abolishing a rule limiting the top leader to two five-year terms.
But giving all the levers of power to one man could further erode human rights, unsettle other nations and even set up traps for Xi's rule at home, analysts warn.
"The two-term limit was supposed to increase stability. By ruling beyond the standard 10-year tenure, Xi will be subject to much closer scrutiny by Chinese citizens and the political elite," said Simone van Nieuwenhuizen, Sydney-based co-author of "China and the New Maoists".
The announcement made abruptly on Sunday further chips away at the era of "collective" leadership that was championed by reform leader Deng Xiaoping to prevent the return of another Mao-like cult figure.
Xi could remain president for life after the party proposed abolishing a rule limiting the top leader to two five-year terms
Xi's two predecessors, Jiang Zemin and Hu Jintao, both served two five-year terms, providing a smooth succession that accompanied China's rise to become the world's second-largest economy.
But Xi, 64, has adopted Mao's playbook, tightening his grip with a relentless crackdown on civil society and corruption, enshrining his name in the party constitution and building his own personality cult.
Remaining in power beyond 2023 gives Xi a chance to push through his vision of a rejuvenated China with global clout, a prosperous society, a revived Silk Road trade route and a powerful military.
China's rubber-stamp legislature is expected to give Xi his second term and remove the 10-year limit at its annual meeting opening on March 5.
"Term limits were a crucial part of the institutionalisation of the leadership transition, something that has plagued Communist parties leading to both tyrannical reigns and catastrophic party decline," said Jonathan Sullivan, director of the China Policy Institute at Nottingham University.
The rule enabled smooth transitions and preserved party unity, he said.
"The removal of term limits is a rejection of all this and it comes with real risks for stability in the long term."
- Great leap backwards? -
Xi provided a major hint that he intended to stay in power when no heir apparent was anointed at the five-yearly party congress in October.
The state-run Global Times tabloid said the Central Committee's proposed amendment to lift term limits would "improve" leadership.
"From the anti-corruption campaign to comprehensively advancing the rule of law to profound economic restructuring, the CPC Central Committee with Xi at the core has sturdily opened a new era for a hopeful China," the daily said in an editorial.
Modern China's founding father Mao Zedong looms over the country, and analysts say Xi Jinping is taking a leaf from his playbook
Sam Crane, a Chinese history expert at Williams College in the US, expressed scepticism about reforms.
"I strongly doubt he will use his political power to force economic reform because that would require empowering non-party economic agents," Crane said.
"His chief focus I suspect will be further repression of civil society, a continuation of his political orientation since 2012."
Susan Shirk, chairwoman of the 21st Century China Center at the University of California in San Diego, said there are "acute" risks.
"One is the risk of making bad decisions while surrounded by sycophants," Shirk said.
"One of the bad decisions is to control information and to control civil society to an extreme extent that the Chinese talent and the middle class ultimately will find incompatible with their ambitions for their children."
- 'Elite rebellion' -
On Twitter, Hong Kong activist Joshua Wong, who has been fighting off jail terms over his role in pro-democracy protests, declared "the era of Emperor Xi".
Some people on China's Twitter-like Weibo website said they were "witnessing history" but others were critical, with one commenter saying "now I really feel like I'm living in North Korea".
China's leader
Censors quickly struck down unfavourable comments and blocked users from reposting an image of Winnie the Pooh hugging a giant jar of honey and the message "Find the thing you love and stick with it" -- Xi has been compared to the portly cartoon bear.
On the diplomatic front, Shirk said Xi could get bad advice at a time when China is asserting its territorial claims in the South China Sea and East China Sea, which several Asian nations contest.
"It's a risk because of China's international overreaching, more aggressive actions in the South China Sea or handling crises in a way that's immoderate," she said.
Xi's concentration of power could also face opposition within the party, which has seen a relentless crackdown on corruption that has punished more than a million officials.
"The other risk is some form of elite rebellion because it puts all the other politicians at great risk. There's no real power-sharing," Shirk said.
Unrest following Guinea's disputed February 4 election led to the deaths of at least 10 people
Thousands of young people erected barricades and blocked traffic in the Guinean capital Conakry on Monday with markets and schools shut as mass strikes gripped the city.
A general strike was called by the Guinea General Union of Workers (UGTG) in addition to an ongoing walkout by teachers and a complete shutdown of economic activity demanded by the opposition after disputed local elections.
Conakry's biggest market, Madina, failed to open its doors along with the vast majority of businesses, as youths overturned bins and set tyres on fire, cutting off entire sections of the city to vehicles.
Police made 15 arrests in the Kaloum district, where civil society groups were protesting against the two-week closure of schools.
An on-off teachers' strike that has paralysed the education system shows no signs of stopping despite a government offer at the weekend to increase pay.
Former prime minister Cellou Dalein Diallo's Union of Democratic Forces of Guinea (UFDG) saw a strong response to its call for a "ville morte" or "dead city" protest, demanding that all economic activity cease and people stay inside.
The victory of President Alpha Conde's ruling Rally for the Guinean People (RPG) in the February 4 vote was marred by post-electoral violence involving supporters of the losing parties.
The UFDG has condemned what it terms "massive fraud" during voting, leading to unrest and the deaths of at least 10 people.
An opposition figure told AFP on Monday they were "celebrating the success" of the protest movement, adding that "the next few days will be even harder for those in power, which already has a hot potato in its hands over the results".
- Teachers ignore pay increase -
The powerful UGTG union had joined the teachers and opposition figures by calling for workers to stay at home on Monday.
It has cited mismanagement of the national social security system, poor regulation of subcontracted jobs and a perceived indifference to workplace accidents and arbitrary firings for the strike.
The UGTG has called on public and private sector employees alike to boycott their workplaces.
The triple challenge will add to the pressure on Conde to complete promised reforms and speed up negotiations with all parties concerned.
The government urged teachers who have held various walkouts since December to head back to class on Monday and end their most recent strike, a demand they have flatly refused despite the offer of a 10 percent pay increase over the weekend.
Guinea's education ministry said "all measures have been taken to make schools secure so that classes can take place in the best possible conditions," following protests near some establishments by disgruntled students.
Classes will be repeated and examinations potentially delayed to address the days lost by the strike, the ministry said.
Teachers have requested that a pay rise of 40 percent agreed in October 2017 be implemented, with back pay.
"For as long as the 40 percent (increase) with back pay is unpaid... we will not be going back to school," the teachers' unions said Saturday.
Xi (L) has amassed seemingly unchecked power and a level of officially-stoked adulation unseen since Communist China's founder Mao (R)
Xi Jinping's tightening grip on China had already earned the leader comparisons to Mao Zedong, but they came into even sharper focus after the party paved the way for him to assume the presidency indefinitely.
State media said on Sunday that the ruling Communist Party had proposed abolishing rules limiting leaders to two five-year terms, a guideline imposed in Mao's wake to avoid a repeat of the chaos triggered by his radical political campaigns.
The move could allow the 64-year-old Xi to remain in power for life, ruling as a virtual emperor, and is the latest feather in the cap of a Communist "princeling" who is re-making China in his own image.
Xi, who was given a second term as the party's general secretary at the five-yearly party congress in October, has amassed seemingly unchecked power and a level of officially-stoked adulation unseen since Communist China's founder Mao.
Even though his father Xi Zhongxun -- a renowned revolutionary hero turned vice premier -- was purged by Mao, Xi has remained true to the party that rules with an iron fist and over which he reigns supreme.
Xi is the first Chinese leader to have been born after 1949, when Mao's Communist forces took over following a protracted civil war.
The purging of his father led to years of difficulties for the family, but he nevertheless rose through its ranks.
Beginning as a county-level party secretary in 1969, Xi climbed to the governorship of coastal Fujian province in 1999, then party chief of Zhejiang province in 2002 and eventually Shanghai in 2007.
That same year, he was appointed to the Politburo Standing Committee.
Following Mao's disastrous economic campaigns and the bloody 1966-76 Cultural Revolution, the Communist leadership sought to prevent further chaos by tempering presidential power through a system in which major personnel and policy decisions were hashed out by the ruling Politburo Standing Committee.
The move helped prevent political power from becoming too concentrated in the hands of a single leader but was also blamed for policy indecision that led to growing ills such as worsening pollution, corruption and social unrest.
- 'Big Uncle Xi' -
But "Xi Dada" ("Big Uncle Xi"), as he has been dubbed by Communist propaganda, has broken sharply with that tradition since taking over as president in 2013 and now looms over the country in a deepening cult of personality.
He has used crackdowns on corruption and calls for a revitalised party to become the most powerful Chinese leader in decades.
His face graces the front page of every paper in the country, while his exploits and directives headline each night's evening news.
Shops sell commemorative plates and memorabilia with his image alongside Mao's and he has accumulated so many political and military titles -- from president, to Central Military Commission chairman and party "core" -- that he has earned the nickname "Chairman of Everything".
"We are witnessing the return of the Mao Zedong era, when one single person made decisions for hundreds of millions. There are no checks and balances," said Willy Lam, politics professor at the Chinese University of Hong Kong.
"It is very dangerous, because it's very easy for Xi to make mistakes as nobody will dare oppose him."
The Communist Party's power-broking congress in October confirmed Xi's induction into the leadership pantheon alongside Mao and market reformer Deng Xiaoping by writing his name and political ideology into the party's constitution.
While calling for China's "great rejuvenation" as a world power, the laconic Xi has cultivated a personal image as a man of the people who dresses modestly and buys his own steamed buns at an ordinary shop.
Following a divorce from his first wife, Xi married the celebrity soprano Peng Liyuan in 1987, at a time when she was much more famous than him. The couple's daughter, Xi Mingze, studied at Harvard but stays out of the public eye.
But Xi has presided over a tough crackdown on civil society and freedom of speech that belies the chummy moniker -- and he tolerates no ridicule or slander of his person.
Social media users who have dared to compare his round mien to that of the affable Winnie the Pooh have found their posts quickly deleted, and a man who referred to him as "Steamed Bun Xi" -- a knock at his breakfast publicity stunt -- was jailed for two years.
Wilson was awarded the damages over magazine articles claiming she lied about her age and background
Australia's major media organisations on Monday joined forces to back publisher Bauer's appeal against the nation's largest defamation payout awarded to Hollywood actor Rebel Wilson, arguing the size of the damages could stifle public-interest journalism.
Newspaper publishers News Corp and Fairfax, radio station owner Macquarie and television broadcasters ABC, Seven and Nine filed the documents with the Victorian Court of Appeal Monday.
Their joint lawyer Justin Quill said the six "unlikely bedfellows" were seeking leave to intervene in Bauer Media's appeal against the damages award.
"The fact six media companies have combined demonstrates how serious this issue is," he wrote in News Corp's Melbourne Herald Sun newspaper.
Quill said the media organisations were appealing Justice John Dixon's decision to award Wilson Aus$3.9 million (US$3.1 million) in special damages and Aus$650,000 in general and aggravated damages.
The award was far higher than the statutory cap of Aus$389,500 for general damages, which has risen from Aus$250,000 since the ceiling was introduced under uniform defamation laws across all Australian jurisdictions in 2005.
Quill said after Dixon's decision, other plaintiffs pursuing court action against media companies were seeking aggravated damages -- and therefore higher payouts -- claiming that the cap did not apply to their cases either.
"The damages cap provides certainty and creates a fair balance between the competing interests of protection of reputation and freedom of speech," Quill wrote.
"Freedom of speech is important and the media's ability to uncover dodgy politicians or expose unscrupulous business practices benefits society."
The "Pitch Perfect" star was awarded the damages against Bauer Media by an Australian court in September over magazine articles claiming she lied about her age and background to further her career.
Wilson has said she would give the defamation payout to charity.
Bauer's parent company, Bauer Media Group, is a worldwide publishing house based in Hamburg with magazine titles in 15 countries including Britain, the US, China and Russia, as well as various television and radio assets.
The street party was organized by a group called 'Bangkok Swing'
Dressed in top hats, vintage outfits and shiny shoes, hundreds of Thais grooved to swing music in a town more famous for its ancient Buddhist stupa.
More than 300 enthusiasts, including foreign dancers, came out for the shindig on a street in Nakhon Pathom, about an hour from Bangkok.
Thailand's swing dance community has grown in recent years
Thailand's swing dance community has grown in recent years and Sunday's street party was organized by a group called "Bangkok Swing," founded in 2011.
They have held three such parties in Nakhon Pathom and hope to make it an annual event.
The group's co-founder Chayapong Naviroj, 29, said he discovered swing dancing while attending university in the US.
Phra Pathom Chedi, one of Thailand's most revered Buddhist structures, looms in the distance
"I wanted to dance and it's a happy dance with swing music," he said.
"Humans like to dance. Humans like to touch. Humans like music. It can go on forever."
Nakhom Pathom is home to Phra Pathom Chedi, one of Thailand's most revered Buddhist structures, which loomed in the distance as the dancers stomped to music by bands The Shirt Tail Stompers from the UK and the US-based Casey Macgill & Friends.
"It's just meeting people, beautiful people.... Having really beautiful music and it's just great fun actually," said Kris Asvanon, a 61-year-old creative consultant based in Bangkok.
Nan Kitnichee, a 33-year-old art director also from Bangkok, said she enjoyed the event's throwback theme.
"We dress up just to pay respect to the culture and how people in the old days dressed up very nicely and went social dancing," she said.
A pilgrim prays outside the gate of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem's Old City on February 25, 2018 after Christian leaders closed the holy site in protest over Israeli tax measures and a proposed property law
Jerusalem's Church of the Holy Sepulchre, built at the site where Christians believe Jesus was buried, remained closed on Monday in protest at Israeli tax measures and a proposed property law.
Christian leaders took the rare step of closing the church, seen as the holiest site in Christianity, on Sunday at noon in a bid to pressure Israeli authorities into abandoning the measures.
They said the church, a major pilgrimage site, would be closed until further notice.
An AFP journalist reported that the church remained closed on Monday morning, while church officials said it was not clear when it would reopen.
The Greek Orthodox, Armenian and Roman Catholic denominations share custody of the church.
The church is considered the holiest site in Christianity, built where Christians believe Jesus was crucified, buried and resurrected, and is a major pilgrimage site.
Christian leaders have been angered over attempts by Israeli authorities in Jerusalem to enforce tax collection on church property they consider commercial, saying exemptions only apply to places of worship or religious teaching.
Separately, Christian leaders say legislation being considered by Israel's government would allow church property to be expropriated.
Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat says the city is due 650 million shekels ($186 million, 152 million euros) in uncollected taxes on church properties.
He stresses the Church of the Holy Sepulchre and all other churches are exempt from the taxes, with the changes only affecting establishments like "hotels, halls and businesses" owned by the churches.
Christian leaders say the measure jeopardises their ability to conduct their work, which includes not only religious but also social services to those in need.
A separate bill seeks to allay the fears of Israelis who live in homes on lands previously held by the Greek Orthodox Church and which were sold to private developers, according to the lawmaker proposing the legislation.
The bill would allow certain lands sold by the Greek Orthodox Church -- a major landowner in Jerusalem -- to be handed over to the state, which would then compensate those who bought it from the church.
Urubko posing for a photograph before breaking away from the Polish mountaineering team
Russian-Polish climber Denis Urubko has called off his attempt to summit K2 alone during winter, a post on his former teammates' Facebook page said Monday, after a weekend drama saw him begin what another climber had called a suicide mission.
Urubko, 44, was part of a team of Polish mountaineers attempting to be the first to scale the world's second highest peak in winter.
But he broke away from the group on Saturday after a series of disagreements, sparking fears for his safety on one of the world's most dangerous climbs.
On Monday he ended his attempt, capping a dramatic three days on the mountain, a statement on the Polish expedition's Facebook page said.
"Denis Urubko, according to his convictions regarding the end of the winter season, decided to leave the Winter Expedition on K2," the statement said.
"The decision was accepted by the participants of the expedition, who did not see any further possibility of cooperation with Denis after his independent attempt to get (to) the top."
The rest of his former team are believed to still be preparing their own summit bid.
The Polish team arrived at the K2 base camp late last year, enduring sub-zero temperatures and gale-force winds.
But Urubko had become increasingly frustrated with their pace after a series of delays, including the daring night-time rescue of French mountaineer Elisabeth Revol on another Pakistani mountain, Nanga Parbat, in January.
Urubko had volunteered to go to Nanga Parbat as part of that rescue team.
But K2 expert Rehmat Ullah Baig said the mission forced the Poles to readjust their initial plans and choose a new route, a move that Urubko was said to be unhappy with.
He left his team members behind on Saturday after arguing that waiting until March would make a summit more difficult.
"He has had a heated debate with the team leader and left for the summit without saying a word," a porter accompanying the group told AFP on condition of anonymity.
The Polish team confirmed the incident, saying Urubko left Camp Two without a radio after refusing to speak to the expedition's leader.
- 'Completely suicidal' -
Fellow mountaineers had expressed concern at any solo attempt while also acknowledging Urubko's extraordinary abilities.
"He is the most outstanding Himalayan climber of today. You can rank him among the top five active legends of mountaineering," said Pakistan's most accomplished climber Nazir Sabir, who has summited both K2 and Everest.
Others said the lone attempt was the height of recklessness.
"A solo attempt of K2 in winter is completely suicidal," said Pakistani climber Mirza Ali.
Asghar Ali Porik, owner of Jasmine Tours, the company organising the summit, said he had not yet been informed about arranging Urubko's journey back.
But he hailed the climber's decision to call off his bid as "expected and honourable".
Earlier Monday an expedition spokesman told AFP that for the rest of the Polish team, some of whom are in base camp and some at Camp Two, "the expedition is going according to the plan".
Everest has been summited by thousands of climbers young and old but K2 is a much lonelier place. Around 300 have made it to the top since the first ascent 60 years ago. Many climbers have died on the descent.
Northern Pakistan is home to some of the world's tallest mountains, including K2 in the territory of Gilgit-Baltistan.
Nestled between the western end of the Himalayas, the Hindu Kush mountains and the Karakoram range, Gilgit-Baltistan has 18 of the world's 50 highest peaks.
A memorial to victims of the 2002 Bali bombings: Indonesia is planning reconciliation meetings between radicals and their victims
More than 100 former Indonesian militants will this week apologise to survivors of attacks and families of the dead as part of a plan to promote reconciliation and combat extremism, officials said Monday.
The meeting with victims is scheduled for Wednesday after two days of preparatory sessions that started on Monday.
The aim is to promote peace so the former radicals can take their place in society without being marginalised, said officials from Indonesia's counterterrorism agency.
All those taking part have served their prison terms but many have trouble readjusting to life outside jail.
"There are 120 former inmates who have cooperated and will take part," director of deradicalisation at the agency, Irfan Idris, told AFP.
They will include people involved in the 2002 Bali bombings that killed 202 people, mostly foreign tourists.
At meetings Monday and Tuesday they will be given lessons on Indonesia's national values such as tolerance and diversity. Seven ministers are involved in the education sessions.
The former convicts are also being briefed by officials on how to behave when they meet the 70 victims on Wednesday and get the chance to apologise.
Indonesia has the world's biggest Muslim population and has suffered a string of deadly extremist attacks this century.
The government has been trying to deradicalise militants through a programme which began more than 10 years ago.
A crackdown has also weakened the most dangerous networks. But fears have grown of a resurgence in militancy after hundreds of Indonesians flocked to the Middle East and the Philippines in recent years to join the Islamic State group or its allies.
Lake Chad is the principal source of freshwater for 40 million people
Experts gathered in Nigeria's capital on Monday to discuss ways to stop Africa's Lake Chad from drying up, after years of environmental decline that has hit livelihoods and security.
The two-day conference, organised by the government in Abuja and the Lake Chad Basin Commission, aims to "save the lake from extinction", according to UNESCO, which is backing the talks.
A $6.5-million (5.3-million-euro) research and conservation programme will involve Cameroon, Chad, Niger and Nigeria, whose borders meet on the lake, as well as the Central African Republic.
Troops from Cameroon, Chad, Niger and Nigeria are fighting a battle against Boko Haram jihadists in the remote region.
Lake Chad is the principal source of freshwater for 40 million people.
But climate change and water mismanagement have contributed to a staggering 90 per cent decline of the lake's surface over the past 40 years.
As it dries up and hunger rises, the region has become fragile and Boko Haram jihadists have targeted subsistence farmers and fishermen to fill their ranks.
The ongoing Islamist insurgency has forced tens of thousands of people to cross borders in search of food and safety.
The UN estimates that more than two million people have been uprooted from their homes and 10.7 million are in need of food handouts to survive.
Aung San Suu Kyi has seen her reputation among the international community crumble over her handling of the Rohingya crisis
Three Nobel Peace Prize winners Monday urged fellow laureate Aung San Suu Kyi to speak out about violence against the Rohingya minority, warning she otherwise risks prosecution for "genocide".
The trio -- Tawakkol Karman, Shirin Ebadi and Mairead Maguire -- implored the embattled Myanmar leader to "wake up" to the atrocities after visiting squalid camps in Bangladesh home to nearly one million Rohingya refugees.
"This is clearly, clearly, clearly genocide that is going on by the Burmese government and military against the Rohingya people," Maguire said Monday, using another name for Myanmar.
"We refuse this genocide policy of the Burmese government. They will be taken to the ICC (International Criminal Court) and those who are committing genocide will be held responsible."
The UN has described the systematic violence by Myanmar against Rohingya Muslims in Rakhine state as possible genocide and ethnic cleansing, but has stopped short of outright accusing the army of war crimes.
Suu Kyi, once a global rights icon, has witnessed her reputation among the international community crumble over her handling of the Rohingya crisis.
Critics have called for the Nobel prize she won under house arrest in 1991 to be revoked.
Her fellow three female laureates issued a personal appeal to the beleaguered leader as they toured the overcrowded camps in Cox's Bazar district on Sunday and Monday, hearing firsthand stories of rape and murder against the Muslim minority.
Karman, a Yemeni rights activist, warned Suu Kyi that she risked being hauled to the ICC if she did not intervene.
"If she will continue her silence, she will be one of them," said Karman, fighting back tears, after meeting Rohingya refugees.
Nobel Peace Laureates Mairead Maguire (C) from Northern Ireland and Tawakkol Karman (L) from Yemen walk during their visit to Kutupalong refugee camp in Ukhia
"It's an appeal to our sister Aung San Suu Kyi to wake up, otherwise she will be betrayed (as) one of the perpetrators of this crime."
Myanmar has staunchly denied the charges and blocked UN investigators from the conflict zone in Rakhine state, souring relations with a host of western allies.
Nearly 700,000 Rohingya have sought sanctuary in Cox's Bazar after fleeing a Myanmar army crackdown launched last August, sparking a humanitarian emergency in the Bangladesh border district.
Critics have accused Suu Kyi of adopting a siege mentality as global condemnation has mounted.
Myanmar considers the Rohingya illegal "Bengali" immigrants but has signed an agreement with Bangladesh to repatriate some 750,000 refugees back across the border.
The process has stalled, as the UN warns any returns must be voluntary and rights groups warn Rohingya could be forced into ghettoes once in Myanmar.
One man was shot and injured in Kinshasa during a protest called by the Catholic Church, later dying of his injuries
Two people were killed during weekend marches in the Democratic Republic of Congo calling for President Joseph Kabila to quit, the latest of several demonstrations forcefully put down by authorities.
Bishop Donatien Nshole, whose organisation supported the rallies, told AFP one man was killed in the capital Kinshasa and another died when he was shot by a guard in the northwestern city of Mbandaka during Sunday's rallies.
The head of the UN's DR Congo mission Leila Zerrougui said in a statement she "regrets that at least two people were killed... despite instructions given to security forces to show restraint."
She called on "the Congolese authorities to conduct credible investigations into these incidents and to hold those responsible accountable." She also stressed the "importance of upholding the rights of the Congolese people to freedom of speech and peaceful assembly."
The Congolese police said no one had died during the demonstrations but later changed tack, saying two "troublemakers" had died in the unrest.
Colonel Rombaut-Pierrot Mwanamputu said on Okapi radio that one of the "troublemakers" had sought "to create disorder" and was injured by a rubber bullet. He died in hospital.
A group linked to the influential Catholic Church said as many as three million people had taken part in rallies nationwide, though this figure was not possible to independently verify.
In DR Congo's second city Lubumbashi, youths set tyres on fire before being dispersed by riot police.
The Church-backed protests came after months of tension sparked by Kabila's prolonged rule and a long-delayed election in the vast and chronically unstable country.
The Catholic Church, which called the protests, said as many as three million people had taken part across DR Congo
Kabila was due to stand down from office in December 2016, ending his second elected term, but he has controversially stayed on under laws enabling him to retain power until his successor is elected.
In January, he accused the Catholic Church of interfering in Congolese politics.
Previous protests on New Year's Eve and January 21 saw a total of 15 people killed by security forces, according to tolls given by organisers and the United Nations.
The government said just two people died.
A protester holds a banner reading "Down Hamad" -- Bahrain's king -- during a protest on February 12, 2016, in the mainly Shiite village of Sitra, south of Manama, to mark the fifth anniversary of the country's 2011 uprising
Bahrain's highest appeals court on Monday upheld a death sentence and lengthy jail terms in a mass trial over a fatal 2016 bombing that authorities have linked to Iran.
The Court of Cassation upheld capital punishment for one defendant, a life sentence for a second, and lengthy prison terms for six others, according to a statement by the public prosecutor's office.
All eight have also had their Bahraini citizenship revoked.
A judicial source close to the case said the defendants were Shiites, who form the majority of the population in the Sunni-ruled monarchy.
The 2016 bombing, in the eastern village of Sitra, targeted a police patrol, authorities said at the time. The casualties, however, were civilians -- a woman was killed and her three children wounded.
A criminal court found 10 Bahrainis guilty of charges linked to the attack, including homicide, ties to Iran's Revolutionary Guard, espionage and "terrorist" activity.
Authorities say two of them are still on the run.
Located between regional rivals Sunni-ruled Saudi Arabia and Shiite-led Iran, Bahrain has been the site of Shiite-led protests demanding an elected government since 2011.
Bahrain's rulers accuse Iran of backing the protesters and inciting unrest in the kingdom, a charge Tehran denies.
Authorities have cracked down on all dissent, drawing harsh condemnation from international rights groups.
They have jailed dozens of high-profile activists, disbanded both religious and secular opposition groups and -- according to Amnesty International -- rendering hundreds stateless by stripping them of their citizenship and rendering them stateless.
The archipelago plays a key military role in the Gulf, hosting both the US Navy's Fifth Fleet and a British military base under construction.
After opposition activist Miguna Miguna was forcibly deported, Kenyan lawyers demonstrated in Nairobi on February 15 against state disobedience of court orders
Kenya's High Court on Monday ordered immigration authorities to allow an outspoken member of the opposition alliance to return to the country, after his deportation earlier this month.
Miguna Miguna, a firebrand member of the National Super Alliance (NASA) coalition, was forced onto an international flight to Canada nearly three weeks ago.
His deportation came after he was arrested for treason for taking part in the mock swearing-in of opposition leader Raila Odinga, who insists he is the rightful victor of last year's elections.
The interior ministry said Miguna had "denounced" his Kenyan citizenship after obtaining Canadian citizenship several years ago.
High Court judge Chacha Mwita ordered the immigration department to issue Miguna "with a travel document to enable him to re-enter and remain in Kenya pending the determination and hearing of his petition" to defend his citizenship.
"In default the petitioner shall be at liberty to use his Canadian passport to re-enter and remain in Kenya," he said.
Holding dual citizenship is legal in Kenya, and in August, Miguna ran for political office, with proof of Kenyan citizenship a key criteria for all candidates.
Miguna holds no elected office, but has styled himself "general" of the opposition's "National Resistance Movement" (NRM) wing, in charge of implementing a threatened programme of civil disobedience and boycotts.
Following Odinga's pretend inauguration, Kenya's government designated the NRM as an "organised criminal group".
However Mwita on Monday also suspended this decision.
Miguna's enforced exile was yet another twist in the long saga of Kenya's disputed elections which saw the Supreme Court annul the result of the initial August poll and Odinga boycott the October rerun, handing victory to President Uhuru Kenyatta.
A Human Rights Watch statement released Monday said 104 people had died at the hands of police and armed gangs during the protracted election.
Fresh bombardment by the Syrian regime killed at least 10 civilians in the area on Monday, including nine members of a same family, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitor group said
The United Nations secretary-general on Monday demanded the immediate implementation of 30-day ceasefire in Syria as the Damascus regime continued its deadly bombardment of the rebel-held Eastern Ghouta.
UN chief Antonio Guterres praised the adoption of a Security Council resolution Saturday calling for the truce but underscored "Security Council resolutions are only meaningful if they are effectively implemented.
"That is why I expect the resolution to be immediately implemented and sustained," he told the opening of the 37th session of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva.
"Eastern Ghouta cannot wait. It is high time to stop this hell on earth," Guterres said.
It took days of diplomatic wrangling before Security Council on Saturday adopted a resolution calling for the ceasefire "without delay" to allow for aid deliveries and medical evacuations in Eastern Ghouta.
But fresh bombardment by the Syrian regime killed at least 10 civilians in the area on Monday, including nine members of a same family, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitor group said.
Air strikes destroyed a building in Douma, the main town in the area east of Damascus, and buried alive an entire family, according to the Observatory.
More than 500 civilians have been killed in regime and Russian bombardment of Eastern Ghouta, which is controlled by Islamist and jihadist fighters, since February 18, the Observatory further said.
- 'Prolific slaughterhouses' -
UN human rights chief Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein, who addressed the rights council after Guterres, warned that "we have every reason to remain cautious" on the proposed Syria truce.
The resolution "must be viewed against a backdrop of seven years of failure to stop the violence, seven years of unremitting and frightful mass killing," he said.
More than 340,000 people have been killed and millions driven from the homes in Syria's war, which next month enters its eighth year with no diplomatic solution in sight.
Zeid slammed a lack of international action to rein in the carnage in Syria and other conflict zones like Yemen, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Myanmar, which he said had become "some of the most prolific slaughterhouses of humans in recent times."
United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres praised the Security Council resolution for a Syria ceasefire but said it would only be meaningful if "effectively implemented".
The human rights chief has repeatedly and forcefully chastised the Security Council throughout the Syrian conflict for failing to refer the case to the International Criminal Court in The Hague.
Zeid has blamed the council's inability to act on Syria on the veto power held by several of the five permanent members.
On Monday, Zeid blasted veto-wielding members for the council's intransigence on Syria and other conflicts, saying they bore "responsibility for the continuation of so much pain."
He hailed France and Britain for working towards reforming the ways vetoes are used, but insisted that "it is time, for the love of mercy, that China, Russia and the United States... end the pernicious use of the veto."
- 'Oppression fashionable' -
Zeid, who has said he will be stepping down at the end of his term later this year, also warned Monday of a general deterioration in the respect for rights around the world.
"Today, oppression is fashionable again. The security state is back and fundamental freedoms are in retreat in every region of the world. Shame is also in retreat," he said.
He highlighted in particular "xenophobes and racists in Europe", who he said were "casting off any sense of embarrassment".
A plan to air a Mandarin version of MasterChef in Singapore has sparked anger
A plan to air a Mandarin version of MasterChef in Singapore sparked anger Monday, with netizens claiming that the cooking show will not cater to all in the multi-ethnic country.
The competition, created in Britain in 1990, pits amateur chefs against each other in a pressure-cooker environment.
It has since seen several spin-offs featuring celebrity chefs like Gordon Ramsay, including "MasterChef Asia" which was broadcast in English in 2015.
Announcing "MasterChef Singapore", national broadcaster Mediacorp said the programme would be shown on a free-to-air Chinese-language channel, and potential applicants were asked online to rate their fluency in Mandarin.
The city-state has a population that is over 70 percent ethnic Chinese but is also home to large Malay and Indian minorities, as well as many expatriates.
Singapore has four official languages -- English, Mandarin, Malay and Tamil -- but people mainly communicate in English.
Facebook user Magen Prasad said the planned show was "catering to the majority race in Singapore. Minority race, we gotta deal with it".
"So what, Malays, Indians & Eurasians cant cook? What nonsense is this?" Shaik Syasa wrote on the networking site.
But Mediacorp insisted that contestants do not need to be fluent in Mandarin.
"For contestants, fluency... is not a prerequisite as translation services can be provided during the show," the broadcaster said in a statement.
"For television viewers, the series will be subtitled."
According to Mediacorp, the Chinese channel which will show the programme attracts the largest audience of any channel in its network.
Smoke billows following Syrian government bombardment of Kafr Batna, in the besieged Eastern Ghouta region on the outskirts of the capital Damascus on February 22, 2018
Russia called a daily "humanitarian pause" in Syria's Eastern Ghouta, bowing to pressure to halt the carnage in the rebel-held enclave where bombardments eased late Monday after hours of deadly raids.
A UN Security Council resolution for a 30-day truce was a dead letter since it was passed on Saturday, and Moscow, the Damascus regime's main backer, ended up setting its own terms to stem one of the worst episodes of bloodletting in Syria's seven-year-old conflict.
The United Nations, France and Germany had made pressing appeals for Russian President Vladimir Putin to demand its Damascus ally enforce a ceasefire, including in Eastern Ghouta where more than 500 civilians were killed last week.
Putin agreed to a five-hour daily window that would allow residents of the battered enclave east of the capital to emerge from their underground shelters.
"On the instructions of the Russian president, with the goal of avoiding civilian casualties in Eastern Ghouta, from February 27 -- tomorrow -- from 9:00 to 14:00, there will be a humanitarian pause," said Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu.
According to a statement sent to AFP, he said there should be similar pauses in the southern Al-Tanf border region and Rukban, near the Jordanian border.
Shoigu said "humanitarian corridors" would be opened to allow civilians to leave.
The public would be informed with leaflets and text messages, and buses and ambulances would be waiting at a crossing to evacuate the sick and wounded, Moscow said.
The rebel group Faylaq al-Rahman criticised the initiative.
"Forcing civilians to leave or face death under bombardment and siege constitutes a Russian crime," its spokesman Wael Alwan said on Twitter.
UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said "five hours is better than no hours, but we would like to see an end to all hostilities extended by 30 days, as stipulated by the Security Council."
"We will do our best... to deploy our trucks and humanitarian workers in this area," he added.
Washington pointed the finger sternly at Moscow, demanding it use its "influence" to completely halt the offensive.
"#Russia has the influence to stop these operations if it chooses to live up to its obligations under the #UNSC ceasefire," US State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert tweeted.
"The United States calls for an immediate end to offensive operations and urgent access for humanitarian workers to treat the wounded and deliver badly needed humanitarian aid."
- 'Continuing to escalate' -
Russia's defence ministry warned the situation in Eastern Ghouta was "continuing to escalate."
The intensity of the bombardment on Eastern Ghouta had eased somewhat in the past 48 hours but deadly strikes and shelling never stopped.
At least 22 civilians, including seven children, were killed in new raids and artillery fire by the regime, said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights war monitor.
"The shelling of Ghouta stopped at 4:00 pm, before resuming in the early evening in a limited way," said Observatory director Rami Abdel Rahman.
"But artillery fire continued against the Al-Marj area," where clashes were ongoing between pro-regime forces and Jaish al-Islam rebels, he added.
- Trapped in rubble -
Ten-year-old Omar was injured in an air strike that killed several members of his family in Syria's rebel-held enclave of Eastern Ghouta
The bombardment was very heavy overnight in Douma and impeded rescuers in their work.
The regime intensified its air campaign against Eastern Ghouta, which has been outside government control since 2012, early this month.
On February 18, the Syrian government further turned up the heat on the territory controlled by Islamists and jihadists.
More than 550 civilians, almost a quarter of them children, have since been killed and extensive destruction wrought on the enclave's towns.
Remaining hospitals and clinics have struggled to treat over 2,000 people wounded during the same period.
The United Nations said 76 percent of private housing in Eastern Ghouta has been damaged.
Residents trapped in the wreckage of their own homes have bled to death as even rescuers were targeted.
Much of the nearly 400,000-strong population of Eastern Ghouta has moved underground, with families pitching tents in basements and venturing out only to assess damage to their property and buy food.
On Sunday, a child died and 13 others suffered breathing difficulties and showed symptoms consistent with a chlorine attack after a regime air raid struck the town of Al-Shifuniyah, the Observatory and a medic said.
Russia dismissed reports of a chemical attack as "bogus stories."
The regime has reinforced its deployment around the enclave in the past month, raising fears of a ground offensive that aid groups have warned could cause even greater suffering.
- Other flashpoints -
With the Islamic State group's once sprawling "caliphate" now wiped off the map, the regime has looked bent on completing its reconquest and Eastern Ghouta is a key target.
The jihadists only control an estimated three percent of Syria territory, small pockets that various anti-IS forces continue to flush out.
Another flashpoint in Syria has been the northern region of Afrin, where Kurdish forces have come under attack from neighbouring Turkey since January 20.
Turkey has warned it did not consider that the UN ceasefire resolution, whose wording excludes operations against terror groups and goes beyond Eastern Ghouta, should affect its offensive on Afrin.
Macron called Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who considers the Syrian Kurdish militia to be "terrorist," to stress the truce should apply there too.
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The EU's diplomatic chief Federic Mogherini met Myanmar's civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi in Naypyidaw last November
EU countries on Monday demanded sanctions against senior Myanmar military officers over "serious and systematic" rights abuses against the country's beleaguered Rohingya Muslim minority.
A crackdown by security forces in Myanmar's northern Rakhine state has driven some 700,000 Rohingyas across the border into Bangladesh since last August, leading the UN to accuse the government of an ethnic cleansing campaign against the group, who face acute discrimination in the mainly Buddhist nation.
EU foreign ministers meeting in Brussels said the situation in Myanmar was "extremely serious", pointing to widespread abuses by the military, "including rape and killings".
The ministers tasked the bloc's diplomatic chief Federica Mogherini with making "proposals for targeted restrictive measures against senior military officers of the Myanmar armed forces responsible for serious and systematic human rights violations without delay".
They also called for an extension to the EU's embargo on weapons and equipment that can be used for political repression, imposed in the 1990s.
Blacklisting senior military officers -- freezing their EU assets and stopping them travelling to the bloc -- would be the toughest step taken so far by Brussels in its efforts to halt the Rohingya crisis and hold the perpetrators accountable.
A photo taken on October 1, 2009 shows Taoufiq Bouachrine, director of Morroccan daily Akhbar al-Youm, gesturing as he leaves a court hearing in Casablanca in a previous case
A prominent Moroccan newspaper publisher and journalist arrested last week has been referred to the prosecution for alleged "sexual assault", his lawyer said on Monday.
Taoufiq Bouachrine, known for his editorials criticising officials in the North African country and who had previous run-ins with the authorities, was arrested on Friday at his newspaper, Akhbar al-Yaoum.
A colleague said around 20 plain-clothed policemen raided the newspaper and detained him.
But defence attorney Mohamed Ziane dismissed the accusations against his client, suggesting his arrest was politically motivated.
"His arrest was spectacular, and this proves it is not a sex case, otherwise he would have been summoned to confront his accusers," Ziane said.
Initially the authorities declined to explain why Bouachrine had been arrested, but on Saturday the prosecutor issued a statement saying he was detained following "complaints of sexual assault".
The journalist, seen as close to the ruling Islamist Justice and Development Party, has had a tense relationship with the authorities.
A month ago a court ordered him to pay the equivalent of $50,000 (40,000 euros) to two government ministers who had accused him of defamation.
In 2009, Bouachrine and Akhbar al-Yaoum cartoonist Khalid Gueddar were each handed four-year suspended jail sentences following two separate trials over a cartoon deemed offensive to Morocco's royal family.
The pair were also ordered to pay heavy fines and damages, and the paper was temporarily shut down.
In June 2010, Bouachrine was sentenced to six months for fraud around a property deal.
Akhbar al-Yaoum is one of the most influential Arabic-language newspapers in Morocco.
Media watchdog Reporters Without Borders (RSF) ranked Morocco 133rd out of 180 countries in its World Press Freedom Index last year.
The gate to the ministry of education in Gaza City is padlocked on February 26, 2018 as public sector employees stage a strike over unpaid salaries
Public sector employees in the Gaza Strip went on strike Monday over unpaid salaries, amid a dispute between the two major Palestinian factions.
All government institutions closed their doors in the morning as the union of public employees called for a strike -- the second in a month.
The union said the strike is necessary as staff have only received 40 percent of their salaries for five months.
Khalil Hamada, a spokesman for the union, said the strike was "part of protest activities that will continue until the government responds to the rights of the staff in full".
The two major Palestinian factions, Islamists Hamas and the secular Fatah, signed a reconciliation agreement in October that was supposed to see Hamas hand back control of Gaza a decade after seizing the enclave.
Under the agreement the Fatah-dominated Palestinian government was meant to pay the salaries of tens of thousands of civil servants employed by Hamas until a final solution could be found.
But they have failed to implement the agreement, with the two sides trading blame over responsibility.
Hamas has ruled Gaza since seizing it from Fatah it in a near civil war in 2007, after a dispute over the result of parliamentary elections Hamas won.
A Palestinian man sits next to a boat at the port in Gaza City on February 26, 2018 in which a fisherman was killed when Israeli forces opened fire on it the previous day
Separately the fishermen's union in Gaza also observed a strike on Monday, to protest the death of one of its members who was shot dead by Israeli forces the previous day.
Israel said the boat travelled outside Gaza's designated fishing zone and ignored orders to stop, prompting naval forces to fire warning shots before shooting toward the vessel.
The union disputed this version of events.
Israel and Palestinian militants in Gaza have fought three wars since 2008 and the territory has been under an Israeli blockade for more than 10 years.
Fishing off the northern part of the strip, adjacent to Israel, is limited to six nautical miles offshore and the Israeli navy regularly fires warning shots or at Palestinians who breach it.
Such incidents rarely result in deaths.
This malnourished child was one of hundreds seen at a nutrition centre in South Sudan last year
Nearly half of the population in war-torn South Sudan is experiencing extreme hunger, with many more set to run out of food as famine looms, government and UN agencies said Monday.
A year after South Sudan became the first country in six years to experience famine, due to a drawn out civil war, its National Bureau of Statistics warned that 40 percent more people were going hungry this year, even before the lean season sets in.
The state bureau said in a statement that in January 5.3 million people, representing 48 percent of the population, were facing acute food insecurity.
In 2017 some 100,000 people were affected by a famine -- meaning people started dying due to lack of food. It was declared over in June.
"Improved access and a massive humanitarian response succeeded in containing and averting famine later last year. Despite this, the food insecurity outlook has never been so dire as it is now," said a joint statement from three United Nations aid agencies.
Four years of civil war have devastated agriculture, while prices have soared and rains have also been unreliable. The country has also been hit by crop-destroying armyworm caterpillars.
"The situation is deteriorating with each year of conflict as more people lose the little they had. We are alarmed as the lean season when the harvest runs out is expected to start this year much earlier than usual," said Adnan Khan, World Food Programme (WFP) country director.
The statistics bureau and aid agencies warned that if humanitarian assistance was not stepped up, more than seven million people could become food insecure -- two thirds of the population.
Eleven counties are at risk of famine.
Without assistance, as of May, more than 1.3 million children under five will be at risk of acute malnutrition.
Allain Noudehou, the UN Humanitarian Coordinator in South Sudan, told a press conference that only 5.5 percent of $1.7 billion (1.3 billion euros) in aid needed in 2018 had been received.
South Sudan, the world's youngest nation, was engulfed by civil war in 2013 after President Salva Kiir accused his rival and former deputy Riek Machar of plotting a coup against him.
Violence -- initially between ethnic Dinka supporters of Kiir and ethnic Nuer supporters of Machar -- has since spread to other parts of the country, engulfing other ethnic groups.
The last ceasefire, signed in December, was broken within hours while the latest round of peace talks in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa have stalled.
Hassana Mohammed, 13, scaled a fence to escape
A school in northeast Nigeria from where 110 girls disappeared after a Boko Haram attack will remain closed, the state government said on Monday, calling for tighter security.
"The government girls school in Dapchi has not reopened. It's not feasible to reopen the school in the current situation," said the education commissioner for Yobe state, Mohammed Lamin.
"We still have over 100 girls that are unaccounted for. The other girls that were found are not in the right frame of mind to return to school. They are still in trauma," he told AFP.
Boko Haram fighters stormed the Government Girls Science and Technology College in Dapchi, 100 kilometres (63 miles) northwest of the Yobe state capital, Damaturu, last Monday.
The attack revived painful memories of a similar attack on another boarding school in Chibok, in neighbouring Borno state, in April 2014, in which more than 200 girls were kidnapped.
Initially, it was claimed that all the Dapchi students and teachers fled. The authorities shut the school for a week pending a head-count of returning students.
But as dozens of girls failed to reappear, parents began to fear the worst.
Sandals were strewn around the school after the attack
The federal government on Sunday said 110 of the 906 students were "unaccounted for", stopping short of confirming they had been abducted but blaming the attack on Boko Haram.
Lamin said the school would remain closed "for a while, until the situation normalises and the girls are psychologically prepared to resume".
President Muhammadu Buhari, who said in December 2015 that Boko Haram was "technically defeated", has called the situation a "national tragedy".
The government has ordered security to be increased at all schools in Yobe.
On Friday, parents and locals in Dapchi said they had been left vulnerable to attack because soldiers had been withdrawn in the last few weeks.
Yobe state governor Ibrahim Gaidam on Sunday confirmed the lack of military presence but said he was unaware of the withdrawal and drew comparisons to another school attack in the state.
He said troops pulled out of Buni Yadi on the morning of February 25, 2014, allowing jihadists to storm the boys' boarding school, where more than 40 students were killed.
"Despite the fact that the military personnel are trying their best, they need to do more to contain the situation. There is need for a redeployment of troops," added Gaidam.
The western Cameroon city of Bamenda, which lies 40 kilometres west of Batibo, where a local official has been kidnapped
An administrative official was snatched over the weekend from one of Cameroon's restive English-speaking regions in the second such kidnapping in a fortnight, state media reported on Monday.
The man was taken by armed men near Batibo, which lies 40 kilometres (25 miles) west of the city of Bamenda, and the same area from which another local official was taken on February 11.
"The regional representative for social affairs for the northwest region has been missing since Saturday. He was taken while in his car in the Batibo area by armed attackers," Cameroon Radio Television (CrTV) said.
Regional police officials confirmed the kidnapping to CrTV, saying they had recovered his burnt-out vehicle.
The abduction was claimed on social media by the so-called Ambazonia Defence Forces (ADF), an armed group of English-speaking separatists from a self-proclaimed republic independent from the majority French-speaking country.
Dozens of people have been killed since October in Cameroon's two restive anglophone regions following a violent government crackdown
The ADF, headed by firebrand former student trade unionist Lucas Cho Ayaba, also snatched Namata Diteng, deputy head of the Batibo district earlier this month.
Dozens of people have been killed since October in Cameroon's two restive anglophone regions following a violent government crackdown on protests against the mainly French-speaking government.
The situation worsened at the end of January when 47 separatists, including Sisiku Ayuk Tabe, one of their leaders, were arrested in Nigeria, which sent them back to Cameroon, prompting a fresh wave of violence.
Aside from targeting police and soldiers, some separatist groups appear to be turning to kidnapping, as well as threatening French firms located in English-speaking areas.
Anglophones account for about a fifth of the west African country's 23 million population.
On Thursday, a presidential decree paved the way for the creation of a fifth military subdivision which will oversee western Cameroon and be based in Bamenda.
The friendly fire occurred after two bomb blasts that killed dozens of people
The Ugandan army said Monday its troops had shot dead three Somali soldiers in Mogadishu, accusing them of opening fire on a military convoy carrying Uganda's peacekeeping commander.
Uganda's army said Somali troops opened fire on the convoy of Brigadier Paul Lokech, who heads the Ugandan contingent of the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM), during a lockdown on the capital after two bomb blasts on Friday killed dozens of people.
Ugandan military spokesman Brigadier Richard Karemire said his country's soldiers had retaliated in self-defence.
"There is absolutely no reason why the AMISOM forces in their designated sector of responsibility should have been blocked and fired at en route back to the base after providing critical support and with some victims of the attack being quickly evacuated for urgent medical attention," he said.
"As the incident is being investigated, let it be clear that AMISOM rules of engagement provide for self-defence and anyone who fires at these forces becomes a target," he added.
However Somali security official, Mohamed Ali, blamed the AMISOM convoy for the bloodshed.
"There were about nine AMISOM military trucks involved in the incident, they were stopped by the officers at the checkpoint who were following instructions to stop all trucks due to lockdown but the AMISOM convoy commander ordered his juniors to forcefully pass by the checkpoint and opened fire on the soldiers," he told AFP.
AMISOM on Saturday had said some of its troops "transporting injured civilians... were involved in an incident" at a National Intelligence and Security Agency (NISA) checkpoint near Kilometre-4, the city's main junction.
"The incident is under investigation by both the federal government of Somalia and AMISOM," it said in a statement.
Friday's first bombing was at an entrance to the hilltop presidential palace complex while a second explosion hit a hotel close to the NISA headquarters, the presumed target.
The bombings were claimed by the al-Qaeda linked Shabaab militants who are fighting to overthrow the internationally-backed government in Mogadishu, which is defended by 22,000 AMISOM troops, including 6,000 Ugandans.
Syrian rescuers and civilians running from the site of a Syrian government bombardment in Hamouria last week, in the Eastern Ghouta region just outside Damascus
Russian President Vladimir Putin has ordered a daily "humanitarian pause" to air strikes on the rebel-held Syrian enclave of Eastern Ghouta from Tuesday, Moscow's defence minister said Monday.
"On the instructions of the Russian president, with the goal of avoiding civilian casualties in Eastern Ghouta, from February 27 -- tomorrow -- from 9.00 to 14.00 there will be a humanitarian pause," minister Sergei Shoigu said at a ministry meeting, according to a statement sent to AFP.
He said there should be similar pauses in the southern Al-Tanf border region and Rukban, near the Jordanian border, "so that civilians can return to their homes unhindered and begin to rebuild their civilian lives".
Russia has denied air strikes on the enclave have killed civilians and insisted groups attacked by regime and allied forces are associated with terrorists.
More than 520 civilians are thought to have died in a week of heavy bombardment in Eastern Ghouta, just outside Damascus, by Syria's regime.
The US, rights groups and Syrian media have said Russian planes carried out the strikes, including on hospitals.
The UN Security Council on Saturday unanimously demanded a 30-day truce in Syria.
Russia is a key ally of Assad, and fought a campaign for over two years in Syria in his support, helping to turn around the multi-front war.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is pictured upon his arrival in Algiers on February 26, 2018, for a two-day tour
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan arrived in Algeria on Monday as he embarked a new tour of Africa in a bid to ramp up Turkey's growing influence throughout the continent.
The Turkish strongman touched down in Algiers, the first leg of the trip that he described as "historic" and that will see him also visit Mauritania, Senegal and Mali.
"Algeria is one of our most important trading partners in the region... We want to strengthen our military, security and cultural relations," Erdogan told a news conference in Istanbul before departing.
Accompanied by several ministers and businessmen, he said he would hold talks with Algerian leaders on relations between the two countries, with a focus on energy as well as regional issues.
On his third visit to Algeria since taking office in 2003, all eyes will be on Erdogan's expected meeting with ailing President Abdelaziz Bouteflika, 80, who rarely appears in public.
Bouteflika, who has held office since 1999, suffered a mini-stroke in 2013 that affected his speech and mobility.
According to Algerian state media, 796 Turkish companies employ more than 28,000 people in the North African country.
Turkey has injected more than $3 billion mostly in textiles, pharmaceuticals and steel in Algeria, making it one of the largest foreign investors in the country excluding hydrocarbons.
Trade between the two countries reached almost $4 billion in 2017.
The government daily El Moudjahid said Erdogan would inaugurate the "largest textile factory in Africa", in Relizane, west of Algiers.
In an interview with the Echorouk newspaper, Erdogan said economic relations would be strengthened through agreements that are being negotiated.
He criticised importation barriers put in place by Algeria "which slow down the development of trade between our two countries".
Erdogan's trips to Mali and Mauritania will be the first-ever by a Turkish president, with security likely to feature high on the agenda in Mali which is battling with a string of attacks and kidnappings by jihadist groups.
- Seeking influence -
An infrequent visitor to Europe as ties with the West strained, Erdogan has made repeated visits to Africa since becoming president in 2014.
Turkey has scented an opportunity to build influence in Africa through delivering aid, setting up transport links and offering its expertise in construction
Just two months ago, Erdogan made his first trip to Sudan, where he met President Omar al-Bashir who is wanted by the International Criminal Court (ICC), before continuing on to Tunisia and Chad.
Last year, he visited Madagascar, Mozambique and Tanzania and has also made trips to Ethiopia, Uganda, and conflict-torn Somalia where Turkey has taken a lead in rebuilding efforts.
Turkey has scented an opportunity to build influence in Africa through delivering aid, setting up transport links and offering its expertise in construction.
Turkey currently has 41 embassies in Africa, up from 12 in 2009, and wants to eventually have top-level representation in all 54 nations on the continent, state media said.
Flag-carrier Turkish Airlines, 49 percent of which is held by a sovereign wealth fund, has also expanded its network to reach 52 destinations in Africa, from Accra to Johannesburg.
Aside from bolstering trade and political ties, a major priority for Erdogan has been to stamp out the influence of a network run by Fethullah Gulen, the preacher exiled in the US whom Ankara blames for a failed coup in 2016.
Gulen, who denies ordering the putsch, has built up an educational network in Africa.
But Erdogan says the continent has served as a centre for "exploitation" by Gulen.
A file picture shows smoke billowing after an air strike by the Saudi-led coalition in Marib province on May 29, 2015
A Saudi-led air strike killed at least six allied Yemeni soldiers on Monday in friendly fire attacks on their base 50 kilometres (30 miles) east of Sanaa, a military source said.
"An erroneous strike by coalition warplanes killed six troops -- one officer and five soldiers," a military source based in the government stronghold Marib told AFP on condition of anonymity.
He said another 15 troops were wounded in the strike on a national army camp in the mountainous region of Nihm, a contested territory halfway between rebel-held Sanaa and Marib.
A second government military source gave a higher toll of 20 killed, including three prominent commanders.
The Saudi-led coalition did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Saudi Arabia launched its Yemen military alliance in 2015 with the stated goal of restoring the government of President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi to power and rolling back Huthi rebel gains.
In recent months, coalition-backed Yemeni troops have overrun multiple Huthi bases in Nihm -- held by the insurgents since 2014.
A bloody battleground, Nihm is a key gateway to the capital, which remains elusive with the military advance impeded by the treacherous mountain terrain and thousands of land mines planted by the Iran-backed rebels.
Two women pray outside the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem on February 26, 2018 a day after Christian leaders took the rare step of closing the church to protest Israeli tax measures and a proposed property law
The Jerusalem church built at what many consider the holiest site in Christianity remained closed for a second day Monday to protest Israeli tax measures and a proposed law, leaving hundreds of disappointed and perplexed pilgrims locked outside.
Christian leaders took the rare step of closing the Church of the Holy Sepulchre on Sunday at noon in a bid to pressure Israeli authorities into abandoning the measures.
They said the church, a major pilgrimage site where thousands visit daily, would be closed until further notice.
Church officials said Monday it was not clear when it would reopen, depending on discussions with Christian leaders and Israeli authorities.
The church is built where Christians believe Jesus was crucified, buried and resurrected. Custody of it is shared by the Greek Orthodox, Armenian and Roman Catholic denominations.
Disappointed tourists gathered Monday in front of its large wooden doors in Jerusalem's Old City hoping they would have the chance to visit, some having difficulty understanding why it was closed.
Some held an improvised prayer around a wooden cross.
"We were told it's political. It is disheartening -- it is such a holy place," said Aleana Doughty, a 35-year-old dental hygienist visiting with a group from the United States.
Michael Katten and his wife Vanagakshi, visiting from India, were also locked out. Vanagakshi said she had promised to bring her mother something from the church and say a prayer.
"It is silly that they cannot solve this," Michael Katten said.
Christian leaders are angry over attempts by Israeli authorities in Jerusalem to enforce tax collection on church property they consider commercial, saying exemptions only apply to places of worship or religious teaching.
They also say legislation being considered by Israel's government would allow church property to be expropriated.
EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini told reporters in Brussels "we hope that a solution can be found quickly."
"Jerusalem is a holy city to the three monotheistic religions. The special status and character of the city must be maintained and respected by all."
The Lutheran Church of the Redeemer, located near the Holy Sepulchre, was also closed in protest on Monday.
- Major Jerusalem landowner -
The Church of the Holy Sepulchre in the Old City of Jerusalem is what many consider the holiest site in Christianity where Christians believe Jesus was crucified, buried and resurrected
Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat says the city is due 650 million shekels ($186 million/152 million euros) in uncollected taxes on church properties.
He stresses the Church of the Holy Sepulchre and all other churches are exempt, with the changes only affecting establishments like "hotels, halls and businesses" owned by the churches.
Christian leaders say the measure jeopardises their ability to conduct their work, which also includes social services to those in need.
A separate bill seeks to allay the fears of Israelis who live in homes on lands previously held by the Greek Orthodox Church and which were sold to private developers, according to the lawmaker proposing the legislation.
Recent land sales by the Greek Orthodox Church -- a major landowner in Jerusalem -- to unknown buyers have drawn fire from both Israelis and Palestinians.
Palestinians fear the sales will favour Israeli settlement construction in east Jerusalem, while Israelis are concerned over private developers' intentions for the land.
The bill would allow certain lands sold by the Greek Orthodox Church to be handed over to the state, which would then compensate those who bought it from the church.
"This reminds us all of laws of a similar nature which were enacted against the Jews during a dark period in Europe," Christian leaders said in a statement on Sunday.
They also said recent Israeli measures seemed to be "an attempt to weaken the Christian presence in Jerusalem".
- Rare move -
The decision to close the Church of the Holy Sepulchre is very rare and left disappointed pilgrims locked outside
The decision to close the church was extremely rare.
In 1990, Christian sites including the Holy Sepulchre were closed for a day to protest the installation of Jewish settlers near the church, located in Israeli-annexed east Jerusalem.
Christian sites were shut for two days in 1999 to protest the planned construction of a mosque near Nazareth's Church of the Annunciation, where tradition holds the Angel Gabriel announced to Mary she was to become the mother of Jesus.
The cave where Christians believe Jesus was buried is located within the Holy Sepulchre, while the traditional site of his crucifixion is a short walk away, also inside the church.
The tomb is encased in an elaborate shrine, whose recent restoration was unveiled in March 2017 after months of delicate work.
Visits are expected to increase for Easter, which falls on April 1 for Western Christians and April 8 for the Orthodox.
"A lot of people spent a lot of money to come see the most pivotal place of their faith," said Father Kevin Peek, a 47-year-old visiting with a group of 27 people from the United States.
"So of course they are disappointed. But we looked it up on the internet, we read the statement of the churches and we completely understand."
Turkish-backed Syrian opposition fighters have also taken part in the operation against Kurdish militia in Afrin
Turkey has sent special forces into the Syrian region of Afrin in anticipation of a "new fight" in urban areas in its operation against a Kurdish militia, Ankara said on Monday.
Turkey on January 20 started an offensive supporting Syrian rebels against the US-backed People's Protection Units (YPG) militia in the western enclave of Afrin.
"Deploying special forces is part of the preparation for a new fight that is approaching," Deputy Prime Minister Bekir Bozdag, also government spokesman, said.
An unknown number of gendarmerie and police special forces entered the region on Sunday night, state news agency Anadolu said.
Bozdag said the fight continued in villages and in the countryside far from Afrin's centre.
"The fight will shift to places where there are civilians, as the area (of fighting) narrows," Bozdag said during an interview with NTV broadcaster.
The deputy prime minister said the special forces had experience fighting against militants in residential areas of Turkey "without harming civilians".
Turkey views the YPG as a "terrorist" Syrian extension of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), which has been waging an insurgency against the Turkish state since 1984.
The PKK is blacklisted as a terror group by Ankara, the United States and the European Union.
But the YPG has been working closely with the US against the Islamic State extremist group in Syria, angering Ankara.
Turkish troops and Syrian fighters have pushed back the YPG from Turkey's southern borders in the Afrin region, Anadolu reported.
Since the operation began, 845 people have been detained inside Turkey in connection with the offensive, including 648 people for spreading "propaganda", the interior ministry said.
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan last week said Turkey would lay siege to the centre of the town of Afrin "in the coming days".
The UN Security Council on Saturday adopted a resolution on a ceasefire in Syria to allow for humanitarian aid deliveries and medical evacuations after intense regime bombardment of the rebel-held enclave of Eastern Ghouta, which killed hundreds.
French President Emmanuel Macron told Erdogan during a telephone call on Monday that the ceasefire for Syria must be applied across the country, including in Afrin.
Bozdag said that the UN decision "did not affect the Afrin operation".
Erdogan later on Monday said despite the UN resolution, "for two days the ceasefire has not been implemented and the situation continues mercilessly" in Eastern Ghouta.
US first daughter and senior White House adviser Ivanka Trump, watching the closing of the Pyeongchang 2018 Winter Olympic Games
Is it out of bounds to ask a White House advisor about the US president's behavior, when that advisor also happens to be his daughter? Ivanka Trump says yes.
Donald Trump's eldest daughter was confronted with that situation when a journalist asked her about the women who accuse her father of sexual misconduct before he became president.
"Do you believe your father's accusers?" an NBC News journalist asked her in an interview that aired Monday.
"I think it's a pretty inappropriate question to ask a daughter if she believes the accusers of her father when he's affirmatively stated there's no truth to it," she replied.
"I don't think that's a question you would ask many other daughters."
"I believe my father. I know my father. I think I have that right as a daughter to believe my father," she said.
More than a dozen women have come forward with claims of past misconduct by Trump, who infamously boasted in a tape that surfaced during his 2016 campaign that his celebrity allowed him to kiss and grope women with impunity.
The White House has consistently dismissed the allegations, saying the president denied them before he was elected.
In a divergence from the White House line, however, Nikki Haley, Washington's ambassador to the United Nations and the highest-profile woman in the administration, has said any woman claiming to be the victim of sexual harassment -- including the ones implicating Trump -- "should be heard."
President Muhammadu Buhari said his government was determined to ensure the release of everyone taken by the Islamist militants and to return "the abducted girls to their families"
More than 100 girls missing for a week after a Boko Haram attack on their school in northeast Nigeria were kidnapped, the government said for the first time on Monday.
The authorities in Abuja had previously stopped short of saying the 110 students were seized during the raid on the Government Girls Science and Technology College in Dapchi last Monday.
The attack has revived painful memories in Nigeria of the mass abduction of 276 girls from another boarding school in Chibok in April 2014. Nearly four years on, 112 are still being held.
President Muhammadu Buhari said his government was determined to ensure the release of everyone taken by the Islamist militants and to return "the abducted girls to their families".
"This is especially against the backdrop of the recent incident where another group of girls were abducted on January 19 from the Government Girls Science and Technical College in Dapchi, Yobe state," Buhari told a reception in Abuja for former captives of jihadists, his office said in a statement.
Buhari added that he had ordered the country's security agencies to ensure the safety of schools and students.
- Shadow of Chibok -
Nigeria's reluctance to admit the kidnapping comes in part due to Chibok, whose shadow hung over the previous administration and many believe contributed to its election loss.
Buhari, a former military ruler, was elected in 2015 on a promise to end the Boko Haram insurgency, which since it started nine years ago has claimed at least 20,000 lives.
The abduction in Dapchi comes after repeated claims from the military and government that Boko Haram was on the verge of defeat.
It has led to questions about the extent of the government's grip on security and why promises to improve security of schools appears not to have been implemented, despite Chibok.
Boko Haram, whose name translates roughly from Hausa as "Western education is forbidden", has repeatedly targeted schools teaching a so-called secular curriculum.
The jihadists want to establish a hardline Islamic state in northeast Nigeria.
It has used kidnapping as a weapon of war, seizing thousands of women and young girls as well as men and boys of fighting age.
- School closed -
Earlier, the education commissioner for Yobe state, Mohammed Lamin, said the school in Dapchi would remain closed as it was "not feasible to reopen (it) in the current situation".
"We still have over 100 girls that are unaccounted for. The other girls that were found are not in the right frame of mind to return to school. They are still in trauma," he told AFP.
Lamin said the school would remain closed "for a while, until the situation normalises and the girls are psychologically prepared to resume".
Buhari said in December 2015 that Boko Haram was "technically defeated" and has called the situation a "national tragedy".
On Friday, parents and locals in Dapchi said they had been left vulnerable to attack because soldiers had been withdrawn in the last few weeks.
Yobe state governor Ibrahim Gaidam on Sunday confirmed the lack of military presence but said he was unaware of the withdrawal and drew comparisons to another school attack in the state.
He said troops pulled out of Buni Yadi on the morning of February 25, 2014, allowing jihadists to storm the boys' boarding school, where more than 40 students were killed.
"Despite the fact that the military personnel are trying their best, they need to do more to contain the situation. There is need for a redeployment of troops," added Gaidam.
The military called Gaidam's remarks "misleading". Troops were redeployed to support comrades stationed on the border with Niger, it said in a statement.
"This was on the premise that Dapchi has been relatively calm and peaceful and the security of Dapchi town was formally handed over to the Nigeria police division," it added.
Saleh Muslim, who has been charged and faces 30 life sentences, would if extradited be one of the most senior Kurdish officials to be in Turkish custody since the detention of PKK founder Abdullah Ocalan in 1999
Turkey on Monday said it had formally asked for the extradition of one of the most prominent leaders of the Syrian Kurds, who was detained by Czech police at the weekend at Ankara's request.
Saleh Muslim, a key figure of the Syrian Kurdish movement, was detained on Saturday night at an upmarket Prague hotel, Czech and Turkish officials said.
"The justice ministry has completed its preparations (for extradition) and this file has been sent to the Czech judicial authorities as of yesterday," Deputy Prime Minister Bekir Bozdag said.
Muslim was a former co-chair of the Syrian Kurdish Democratic Union Party (PYD), which is the political wing of the Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) militia.
"Our request is for the extradition for Saleh Muslim -- the manager of a terror organisation, a ringleader and who is still involved in terror actions against Turkey -- as required by the law that binds us both," Bozdag told NTV broadcaster in an interview.
Bozdag, also government spokesman, has previously noted that both Turkey and the Czech Republic were parties to the European Convention on Extradition.
In Prague, a spokeswoman for the municipal court said it would rule on Tuesday whether to remand Muslim in custody.
Justice Ministry spokeswoman Tereza Schejbalova said the Czech authorities had yet to receive the formal extradition request and it could take several more days.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan told reporters in Istanbul that Turkish authorities were taking steps to avoid "an adverse outcome" to the extradition request.
However Czech foreign minister Martin Stropnicky denied there was any link between the arrest of Muslim and the jailing in Turkey of two Czech nationals on charges of fighting for the YPG in Syria.
Miroslav Farkas and Marketa Vselichova were sentenced last year to six years and three months behind bars. Some Turkish media had speculated over the possibility they could be released in exchange for the extradition of Muslim.
Turkey last month launched an air and ground offensive supporting Syrian rebels against the US-backed YPG in its western enclave of Afrin.
Ankara says the YPG and PYD are "terrorist" extensions of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) which has waged a three-decade insurgency against the Turkish state.
The PKK is proscribed as a terror group by Ankara and its Western allies but the US has been working closely with the YPG against the Islamic State extremist group in Syria.
Muslim is wanted by Ankara over a February 2016 attack in Ankara that killed 29 people and the Turkish authorities blamed on Kurdish militants.
He has been charged and faces 30 life sentences if found guilty but he has dismissed the accusations against him.
If he is extradited, he would be one of the most senior Kurdish officials to be in Turkish custody since the detention of PKK founder Abdullah Ocalan in 1999.
lsb-raz-jma-sjw/bp
US President Donald Trump and Congress are mulling possible changes to federal gun laws in the aftermath of a school shooting in Florida that left 17 people dead
President Donald Trump said Monday he would have rushed unarmed into the Florida school targeted by a mass shooter, as student survivors of the slaughter brought their campaign for gun control to Congress.
Nearly two weeks after the attack in Parkland, Florida left 17 people dead, US lawmakers reconvened after a one-week recess under intensifying pressure to address gun violence.
Trump has since called for reforms including tougher background checks on firearm purchases, but the White House has yet to announce support for specific legislation in Congress, where enacting federal gun restrictions faces major obstacles especially in an election year.
During a White House meeting with state governors, Trump said he would have felt compelled to confront the shooter.
"I really believe I'd run in there even if I didn't have a weapon," Trump said. "You never know until you're tested."
Having previously criticized an armed deputy who failed to intervene in the February 14 shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, Trump also branded the performance of some local law enforcement "frankly disgusting."
The deputy, Scot Peterson, pushed back through his lawyer, saying he positioned himself outside a school building because he believed the shots were originating from outside.
"The allegations that Mr. Peterson was a coward and that his performance, under the circumstances, failed to meet the standards of police officers are patently untrue," lawyer Joseph DiRuzzo said in a statement.
- Lunch with the NRA -
Spurred to action by the shooting -- the worst at a US school in six years -- several Parkland survivors travelled to the US Capitol, where they met Monday with top House Democrat Nancy Pelosi and other lawmakers.
Trump, who touted his Second Amendment credentials on the 2016 campaign trail, said he lunched Sunday with Wayne LaPierre, the head of the powerful National Rifle Association, and told him changes were needed.
"We're going to do strong background checks. Very strong," Trump told the governors. "If we see a sicko, I don't want him having a gun."
Trump has also called for boosting school security, and controversially, arming some teachers and staff in addition to on-campus guards.
Most Democrats want gun control efforts brought to fruition in Congress, and a new CNN poll showed that 70 percent of Americans support stricter gun laws, up 18 points since October.
But it remains unclear just what measures can pass Congress in Washington's overheated partisan fog, and Republican House and Senate leaders have remained largely silent on the issue.
Senate Republican Pat Toomey and centrist Democrat Joe Manchin want to reprise their 2013 bill that would expand background checks to include purchases online and at gun shows.
Manchin told reporters Trump would need to express his support for the measure for it to pass the Republican-controlled Senate.
Republicans from suburban districts, where calls for gun control have gained ground, have expressed openness to raising the age limit for purchasing semi-automatic rifles from 18 to 21, or banning devices that turn such weapons into machine guns.
Senator Susan Collins, a Republican moderate, said she also supports expanding background checks and addressing mental health.
"I definitely want to see the issue taken up," she told AFP.
But many conservatives consider any tightening of gun laws a creeping assault on citizens' constitutional right to bear arms.
"I don't think we need more gun control, I think we need better idiot control," said Senator John Kennedy of Louisiana.
The split appeared to leave the prospects of significant new gun legislation in doubt.
Some Republicans are pushing the so-called "Fix NICS" bill which would compel agencies to report information into the National Instant Criminal Background Check System.
"We must do much more than that," said top Senate Democrat Chuck Schumer as he touted legislation that expands background checks.
Doing so, he said, would require Republicans to "break free from the iron grip of the NRA."
- Emotional return to Parkland -
People dressed as angels walk near Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, nearly two weeks after 17 people were killed there in a mass shooting
With the gun debate raging, Parkland students and teachers made an emotional return to their school Sunday, setting foot on site for the first time since the massacre.
Staff returned to work on Monday, and classes were to resume Wednesday.
Parkland's students, in the spotlight as they spur the conversation on guns, received praise Monday from First Lady Melania Trump, who said she was "heartened to see children across this country using their voices to speak out and try to create change."
"They are our future and they deserve a voice," she said.
Syria's Raqa, the former de facto capital of the Islamic State group seen here on February 18, 2018, was devastated by three years of jihadist rule and a US-backed assault to oust the extremists
An Israeli court on Monday sentenced a Jewish convert to Islam to 38 months in prison for seeking to join the Islamic State jihadist group in Syria.
Valentin Mazlevski, 40, a Belorussian immigrant who moved to Israel in 1996, was the first Jewish-born Israeli to be charged for having IS ties, according to the Shin Bet domestic security service.
He was arrested in February 2017, a few weeks after a failed attempt to fly from Israel to Turkey, from where he allegedly planned to cross into Syria to join IS forces.
The Nazareth district court said in its ruling that Mazlevski had "one goal: to join the organisation".
He acted "out of identification with the organisation's ideology," in the process "violating the law and endangering the state's security," it said.
In 2000, while performing compulsory service in the Israeli military, Mazlevski converted to Islam after meeting the Israeli Arab Muslim woman who would become his wife and mother of his five children.
Mazlevski, who became interested in IS and frequently viewed its online content in recent years, joined the jihadist group's internet forums, Israeli authorities said.
In July 2016, Israeli security forces warned him against taking part in IS activities, the sentencing read, but Mazlevski paid no heed and contacted jihadists in bids to join IS fighters in Syria and later in Sinai.
Both plans failed.
Shin Bet also revealed Monday it had arrested three Arab Israelis for allegedly planning to carry out shooting attacks at the Al-Aqsa mosque compound in east Jerusalem or against Jewish or Christian prayer sites.
"Two cell members support the murderous ideology of the Islamic State terrorist organisation and sought to perpetrate attacks in the context of this support," the Shin Bet said in a statement.
Several Arabs from northern Israel have been arrested for alleged links with IS and around 20 Arab Israelis are now believed to be among its ranks in Syria and Iraq.
Burundi last held a presidential election in 2015
Burundi is not ready to hold credible elections because the ruling party and its allies remain firmly in control of political life and tensions remain high, a UN envoy said Monday.
In power since 2005, Burundi's President Pierre Nkurunziza is leading a push for a referendum in May on changes to the constitution that would allow him to run in elections in 2020.
UN envoy Michel Kafando told the UN Security Council that the political situation remains "tense" in Burundi and that conditions are not right for elections.
"Only the majority party and some other allied political groups are able to conduct unobstructed political activities," said Kafando, adding that the economy was suffering as a result of the turmoil.
"Such a situation cannot be suitable for the organization of credible elections."
When Nkurunziza ran for a third term in 2015 and won, his victory sparked a crisis and violence that has left at least 1,200 dead and driven more than 400,000 into exile.
The president has refused to hold talks with the opposition, despite a mediation set up by regional countries under former Tanzanian president Benjamin Mkapa.
Kafando, who briefly served as president of Burkina Faso, said that while the security situation had improved, human rights abuses continue to be reported.
Burundi's Ambassador Albert Shingiro said the country was working to create a "suitable environment for democratic, free, transparent and peaceful elections" in 2020.
He asked the council to remove Burundi from its agenda "because the situation in the country is generally calm and poses no threat to international peace and security."
In a report presented to the council this month, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres criticized Nkurunziza's move to hold a constitutional referendum, saying changes to the charter must be done in an "inclusive" manner.
A UN commission of inquiry set up in 2016 has found that crimes against humanity have been committed in the violence in Burundi.
Nir Hefetz appears in the Israeli Justice Court in Tel Aviv on February 22, 2018
An Israeli court on Monday extended the remands of a former aide to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and a top businessman, both linked to cases of suspected fraud against the premier, police said.
Tel Aviv magistrates court remanded Nir Hefetz, a former media adviser to the Netanyahu family, and Shaul Elovitch, the controlling shareholder of telecoms group Bezeq, until Sunday, a police statement said.
The two men were among seven suspects arrested last week as fraud suspicions against Netanyahu snowballed.
Police suspect Elovitch was given business concessions in return for Netanyahu receiving good press on Walla!, a news website he owns.
Hefetz is alleged to have acted as a messenger between Netanyahu and Bezeq and Walla! officials.
He is also suspected of trying to bribe a retired judge to block a probe into the prime minister's wife, Sara Netanyahu, over alleged misuse of public funds.
Police have questioned the premier seven times since the beginning of 2017, and last month said there was sufficient evidence to charge him for graft, fraud and breach of trust in two cases.
In one, he and family members are suspected of receiving one million shekels ($285,000, 230,000 euros) of luxury cigars, champagne and jewellery from wealthy personalities in exchange for financial or personal favours.
In the other case, investigators suspect the premier of trying to reach an agreement with the owner of Yediot Aharonot, a top Israeli daily newspaper, for more favourable coverage.
Israeli media said police would question him on the Bezeq affair for the first time on Friday.
He would also reportedly face interrogation as a witness in suspected corruption around Israel's purchase of three submarines from German industrial giant ThyssenKrupp.
The cases have fuelled speculation he could be forced to step down or call an early election but Netanyahu says he is innocent of any wrongdoing.
Bezeq CEO Stella Handler and Elovitch's wife Iris were released from custody to house arrest Monday and son Or Elovitch was freed on bail, police said.
Eli Kamir, another former Netanyahu adviser arrested last week, is to appear before a remand hearing on Wednesday.
- State witness -
Shlomo Filber, a Netanyahu ally for more than 20 years and former director general of the communications ministry, was freed last week after agreeing to turn state's witness in exchange for avoiding jail, police said.
He is suspected of mediating between Netanyahu and Elovitch and promoting regulatory changes worth millions to Bezeq.
There was a new twist on Monday when the justice ministry promised a fast-track review of reports that another judge, Ronit Poznanski-Katz, and a National Securities Authority investigator colluded in remand decisions on the Bezeq case suspects.
The suspicions were revealed late Sunday on private TV channel 10 News which showed what it said were screen shots of text messages in which the investigator said that his side would ask for Stella Handler and Iris Elovitch to be held for a further "few days," and told the judge she could "really, definitely give two days."
"I'll try and look appropriately surprised," she allegedly replied.
Israeli public radio said that when asked by journalists to comment on the allegations during a parliamentary meeting of his Likud party Netanyahu just laughed.
Poznanski-Katz was replaced by another judge at Monday's hearing and the justice ministry said in a statement that its complaints department would "assemble the material" and decide whether to pursue the allegations further by Tuesday afternoon.
Public radio said that by law the ministry could have taken up to a year to publish such a decision.
Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri (R) meets with Saudi envoy Nizar al-Alula in Beirut
Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri said he has accepted an invitation Monday to visit Saudi Arabia, returning for the first time to the kingdom where he announced a shock resignation that he later rescinded.
The November 4 resignation and his prolonged stay in Saudi Arabia stirred tensions between Riyadh and Beirut, amid suspicions he had been placed under house arrest, until France intervened and he returned to Lebanon where the announcement was reversed.
Hariri on Monday said he received the invitation at a meeting in Beirut with a Saudi envoy, Nizar al-Alula, and that he would make the trip "as soon as possible", in a statement issued by his office.
"The main aim of Saudi Arabia is that Lebanon becomes its own master" and "totally independent", he said.
Relations between the two countries have been strained by the competing influences in Lebanon of regional rivals Saudi Arabia and Iran.
The Saudi envoy's visit comes ahead of May 6 legislative elections, Lebanon's first since 2009 following three extensions of parliament's mandate.
The UN peacekeeping mission in South Sudan has a "zero tolerance, no excuses, and no second changes approach to sexual exploitation and abuse"
Forty-six UN peacekeepers from Ghana have been recalled from their base in northwestern South Sudan following allegations of sexual exploitation of women sheltering at the site, a UN spokesman said Monday.
The 46 police were confined to barracks in Juba on Saturday after a preliminary investigation showed that the Ghanaians were "engaging in sexual activity with women" living at a UN site to protect civilians in Wau, UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said.
"The information received indicates that some members of the formed police unit allegedly engaged in transactional sex," he added.
The UN peacekeeping mission in South Sudan has a "zero tolerance, no excuses, and no second changes approach to sexual exploitation and abuse," he said.
Ghana is cooperating with the United Nations to carry out a full investigation of the complaint received on February 8, the spokesman added.
Under UN rules, it is up to troop-contributing countries to take action against their nationals accused of misconduct while serving under the UN flag, but the United Nations carries out joint investigations with the national authorities.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has vowed to toughen the UN response to allegations of misconduct against the blue helmets whose mission is to protect vulnerable civilians in conflict zones.
The United Nations has 7,000 troops and 900 police in its UNMISS mission. About 200,000 South Sudanese are sheltering at UN sites protected by UNMISS peacekeepers.
The world's youngest nation which achieved independence from Sudan in 2011, South Sudan descended into war in December 2013 when President Salva Kiir accused his former deputy Riek Machar of plotting a coup.
Tens of thousands of people have been killed and nearly four million South Sudanese displaced from their homes.
Former White House intern Monica Lewinsky says she now considers that her affair with president Bill Clinton was an "abuse of power"
Former White House intern Monica Lewinsky says she has been reexamining her affair with president Bill Clinton through the "new lens" of the #MeToo movement and has concluded it constituted a "gross abuse of power."
Lewinsky, 44, in an essay published in the latest issue of Vanity Fair magazine, also recounted a recent chance meeting with Ken Starr, the special prosecutor whose investigation led to the revelation of her sexual relationship with Clinton and his subsequent impeachment nearly 20 years ago.
Lewinsky said she was diagnosed several years ago with post-traumatic stress disorder, "mainly from the ordeal of having been publicly outed and ostracized."
She said she has drawn strength, however, from the #MeToo movement which has revealed sexual abuse by powerful men in show business, politics and the media.
Lewinsky said she had received a message recently from "one of the brave women leading the #MeToo movement" saying "I'm so sorry you were so alone."
"Those seven words undid me," Lewinsky wrote. "They landed in a way that cracked me open and brought me to tears."
"That I had made mistakes, on that we can all agree," she said. "But swimming in that sea of Aloneness was terrifying."
Lewinsky said there are "many more women and men whose voices and stories need to be heard before mine.
"There are even some people who feel my White House experiences don't have a place in this movement, as what transpired between Bill Clinton and myself was not sexual assault, although we now recognize that it constituted a gross abuse of power," she said.
- 'Very, very complicated' -
Lewinsky recalled how she had emphasized in another essay for Vanity Fair four years ago that the affair with Clinton was a "consensual relationship."
She credited the #MeToo movement and the "new lens it has provided" for the change in her thinking.
"Now, at 44, I'm beginning (just beginning) to consider the implications of the power differentials that were so vast between a president and a White House intern," she said. "I'm beginning to entertain the notion that in such a circumstance the idea of consent might well be rendered moot.
"He was my boss. He was the most powerful man on the planet," Lewinsky wrote. "He was 27 years my senior, with enough life experience to know better.
"I now see how problematic it was that the two of us even got to a place where there was a question of consent," she said. "Instead, the road that led there was littered with inappropriate abuse of authority, station, and privilege."
"But it's also complicated. Very, very complicated," she said, acknowledging that she had been looking for "intimacy" and was not seeking now to make excuses for "my responsibility for what happened."
As for her meeting with former special prosecutor, their first face-to-face ever, Lewinsky said it occurred in December 2017 at a New York restaurant.
She said Starr asked her several times if she was "doing OK?" and "kept touching my arm and elbow, which made me uncomfortable."
"I felt determined, then and there, to remind him that, 20 years before, he and his team of prosecutors hadn't hounded and terrorized just me but also my family," she said.
Looking for an apology, Lewinsky said she told Starr that while she wished she had made "different choices" she would have liked his office to have done the same.
Starr gave an "inscrutable smile," Lewinsky said, and replied "I know. It was unfortunate."
Saudi King Salman, pictured in 2017, ordered a sweeping overhaul of the defence establishment
Saudi King Salman has sacked the military chief of staff and a host of other top commanders, state media said Monday, in a major shake-up of the defence establishment.
The monarch also replaced the heads of the ground forces and air defences, as well as senior officials at the interior ministry, in a series of late-night royal decrees.
No official reason was given for the sweeping overhaul, but it comes as the Saudi-led coalition's military intervention in Yemen against Iran-aligned Huthi rebels nears the end of its third year.
"Termination of the services of General Abdul Rahman bin Saleh al-Bunyan, Chief of Staff," the official Saudi Press Agency (SPA) said, adding that Fayyad al-Ruwaili had been appointed as his replacement.
Al-Bunyan's sacking came after he inaugurated a major exhibition this week by the Saudi Arabian Military Industries (SAMI), the state-owned defence company, which illustrates ongoing efforts to reform the sector.
"These Saudi royal decrees appear to be part of the kingdom's national defence strategy," Theodore Karasik, a senior advisor at the consultancy Gulf States Analytics, told AFP.
"A military transformation is under way in Saudi Arabia. The changes come on the heels of the SAMI exhibition, which is a critical part of the Prince Mohammed's reform plan to create an indigenous defence program."
Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the heir to the throne and the son of the monarch, is the country's defence minister and has been consolidating his grip on power in recent months.
The changes come in the midst of an ever-worsening conflict in Yemen.
A Saudi-led coalition supporting Yemen's government has been fighting the Huthis since 2015 in a conflict that has led to what the United Nations describes as the world's worst humanitarian crisis.
More than 9,200 people have been killed in the conflict and another nearly 2,200 Yemenis have died of cholera amid deteriorating sanitation conditions, according to the World Health Organization.
Separately, a series of civil appointments were announced in other decrees late Monday.
In an unprecedented announcement, a Saudi woman, Tamadar Bint Yousef al-Ramah was appointed the deputy minister of labour and social development.
And Prince Turki bin Talal the brother of billionaire Prince Al-Waleed bin Talal, was appointed deputy governor of the southern Assir Province.
Prince Al-Waleed, dubbed the Warren Buffett of Saudi Arabia, was among princes, ministers and tycoons detained in Riyadh's luxury Ritz-Carlton hotel in an unprecedented crackdown on what the government called elite corruption.
The Ritz-Carlton reopened for business on February 11, more than three months after becoming a gilded prison for Saudi elites.
The US Education Department is opening an investigation into Michigan State University's handling of reports of sexual abuse by Larry Nassar, seen here at his sentencing hearing
The US Department of Education announced Monday it was opening an investigation into Michigan State University's handling of reports of sexual abuse by disgraced former school doctor Larry Nassar.
Nassar, 54, who was the doctor for the US women's gymnastics team in addition to MSU, is facing life behind bars after pleading guilty to sexually assaulting women and girls under the guise of medical treatment.
MSU, a public university of 50,000 students in Lansing, Michigan, has been accused by a number of former female athletes at the school of failing to appropriately handle complaints against Nassar.
Education Secretary Betsy DeVos said the investigation will look at "systemic issues in (MSU's) handling of sex-based incidents involving Dr Larry Nassar."
"We expect MSU's full and complete disclosure about its actions to protect students from sexual assault," DeVos said in a statement.
"The crimes for which Dr Nassar has been convicted are unimaginable," she added. "The bravery shown by the survivors has been remarkable.
"Every student across every campus should know that I am committed to ensuring all students have access to a learning environment free from sexual misconduct and discrimination and that all institutions that fall short will be held accountable for violations of federal law," the education chief added.
Nassar has been accused by some 265 women of sexually abusing them over a more than two-decade career.
The key question for many victims has been who knew of Nassar's abuse and who could have stopped him earlier.
With a stellar reputation as the doctor to Olympic champions, Nassar evaded scrutiny several times since the late 1990s by insisting his abuse was actually cutting-edge treatment that was misunderstood by some patients.
USA Gymnastics reported Nassar to the FBI in July 2015, but he continued to see patients at MSU until a newspaper exposed him in September 2016.
The New York Times reported that at least 40 more women and girls were molested during that time.
President Magufuli took office three years ago promising to tackle corruption but has earned criticism for his authoritarian leadership style which detractors say has curbed opposition and freedom of expression
A Tanzanian court on Monday handed five-month jail terms to two regime opponents, including a lawmaker, for defaming President John Magufuli, their defence counsel said.
Joseph Mbilinyi, a lawmaker with main opposition party Chadema in the southern town of Mbeya, was sentenced with party regional secretary Emmanuel Masonga.
They were charged with linking Magufuli in December to the attempted September assassination of senior opposition lawmaker Tundu Lissu and the abduction of other opposition supporters.
Lissu, shot several times at his home, is currently recovering in hospital in Brussels.
"The Myeba court gave the accused five months for insulting president Magufuli. As we speak they are already in jail," defence lawyer Peter Kibatala told AFP by phone.
He added an appeal would be lodged and that he was calling for their release in the meantime.
Mbilinyi says he was not even present when the reputed comments were made linking Magufuli, nicknamed "Tingatinga" (bulldozer in Swahili), with the assassination attempt.
The 58-year-old took office in 2015 as a corruption-fighting "man of the people" but has earned criticism for his authoritarian leadership style with detractors saying he has clamped down on opposition and freedom of expression.
A placard showing a missile component recovered in Saudi Arabia including the logo of Iranian manufacturer Shahid Bagheri Industries
Russia vetoed Monday a UN draft resolution presented by Britain and strongly backed by the United States that would have pressured Iran over its failure to block supplies of missiles to Yemen's Huthi rebels.
Britain had sought to include in the measure renewing sanctions on Yemen an expression of "particular concern" from the Security Council over a UN report that found Iran had violated the 2015 arms embargo on Yemen.
The report by a UN panel of experts in January concluded that Iran was in violation after determining that missiles fired by the Huthis at Saudi Arabia last year were made in Iran.
The text, which was backed by France, other European countries and Kuwait, won 11 favorable votes at the 15-member Security Council but was blocked by Russia's veto.
China and Kazakhstan abstained, while Bolivia also voted against the measure.
Nine votes and no vetoes from the five permanent council members -- Britain, France, China, Russia and the United States -- are required to adopt resolutions at the Security Council.
After hours of negotiations in a bid to reach a compromise, Russia made clear it had strong reservations about the findings of the UN report and would not support a draft resolution that mentioned them.
"We cannot concur with uncorroborated conclusions and evidence which requires verification and discussions within the sanctions committee," Russian Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia told the council.
While the report found that Tehran had violated the embargo by failing to block the shipments, the experts said they were unable to identify the supplier.
Nebenzia warned that taking aim at Iran could have had "dangerous destabilizing ramifications" in the Middle East by exacerbating tensions between Shiites and Sunnis.
After the veto, the council unanimously adopted a Russian-drafted measure that extended for one year the sanctions regime against Yemen, but that text made no mention of Iran.
- US accuses Russia -
Iran has repeatedly denied arming the Huthis in Yemen, despite claims by the United States and Saudi Arabia that the evidence of an arms connection is irrefutable.
US Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley unveiled previously classified information intending to prove Iran violated UNSCR 2231 by providing the Houthi rebels in Yemen with arms in December 2017
US Ambassador Nikki Haley released a statement accusing Russia of shielding Iran and warned the United States would consider other ways to take action against Tehran.
"Today, Russia protected the terrorist-sponsoring regime in Iran," said Haley, who was traveling to Honduras.
"If Russia is going to use its veto to block action against Iran's dangerous and destabilizing conduct, then the United States and our partners will need to take actions against Iran that the Russians cannot block."
Haley has taken a hawkish stance on Iran, accusing Tehran of sowing instability in the Middle East and failing to live up to its commitments under the landmark 2015 nuclear deal.
Russia, which has traditionally friendly relations with Iran, is providing military support along with Tehran to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's forces.
Iran's mission to the United Nations charged that the United States and Britain had pushed an "unwarranted draft resolution" to advance an anti-Iran political agenda.
Iran "categorically rejects allegations regarding arms transfer to Yemen," said a statement from the mission that described the draft resolution as an attempt to "distract" the world's attention from the "catastrophic humanitarian situation" in Yemen.
A Saudi-led coalition supporting Yemen's government has been fighting the Huthis since 2015 in a war that has led to what the United Nations describes as the world's worst humanitarian crisis.
An alarming 17 million people in Yemen -- 60 percent of the total population -- are in need of food aid, of whom seven million are on the brink of famine because of the conflict, according to the United Nations.
After just 11 days as president, President Cyril Ramaphosa stamped his authority on his government by clearing out several ministers seen as loyal to his predecessor Jacob Zuma
South Africa on Tuesday cautiously welcomed President Cyril Ramaphosa's sweeping cabinet reshuffle which put reformers into key economic posts but retained several scandal-tainted ministers to promote unity.
After just 11 days as president, Ramaphosa stamped his authority on his government by clearing out several ministers seen as loyal to his predecessor Jacob Zuma.
The most significant appointments were those of Nhlanla Nene who becomes finance minister and Pravin Gordhan who will oversee the country's vast but troubled state-owned enterprises.
Nene's promotion is particularly symbolic as Zuma sacked him in December 2015, replacing the respected minister with an unknown novice causing the local rand currency to tank as markets went into free-fall.
Four days later, Gordhan was appointed to the role to calm the markets.
Nene's return to the finance ministry was a clear repudiation of Zuma's reign, and was warmly welcomed by local business and international investors.
The rand gained as much as 0.8 percent against the dollar on reports Nene was to be appointed.
It continued to strengthen on Tuesday, trading at 11.64 rand to the greenback by 1000 GMT.
Ramaphosa's controversial pick for deputy president David Mabuza, the current premier of Mpumalanga province who has faced allegations of ties to political violence but has never been convicted, caused concerns among some observers.
- 'Cabinet is clearly a compromise' -
"The whole cabinet is clearly a compromise because he had to keep some of the people in the ANC happy. This was probably the best he could do," said political analyst Mari Harris.
Ramaphosa described it as "a transitional cabinet" on Tuesday.
"We've got some really good people," he said.
Supporters of South Africa's ruling party the African National Congress celebrate the election of Cyril Ramaphosa
Ramaphosa made a total of 30 changes to ministerial and deputy ministerial positions after graft-tainted Zuma was forced to resign by the ruling ANC party earlier this month.
Several Zuma allies were demoted or sacked -- but Zuma's ex-wife Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma was appointed minister to the presidency, responsible for planning, monitoring and evaluation.
Ramaphosa narrowly beat Dlamini-Zuma in a fierce contest to be elected the new leader of the ANC in December.
Dlamini-Zuma was seen as Zuma's favoured candidate to succeed him as president.
Mining, which is vital to South Africa's economy, received a new minister -- Gwede Mantashe -- who was eagerly welcomed by the industry.
"(He is) a man of integrity and dignity... who brings with him a sound and fundamental knowledge of the industry," said the country's Chamber of Mines in a statement.
Following the reshuffle, Ramaphosa vowed to begin talks on a new mining charter to replace the document that was largely seen as having been forced through by Mantashe's predecessor, Mosebenzi Zwane.
Zwane was seen as close to the Guptas, an Indian business family that had enjoyed warm ties with Zuma but is now the subject of a police corruption investigation.
During Zuma's nine-year tenure, South Africa grappled with corruption, weak growth, ballooning national debt, depressed investor confidence and record unemployment.
- 'Ticking time-bomb' -
In a handout photograph released by the South African Government Communication and Information System, South Africa's new president shakes hands with his scandal-tainted predecessor Jacob Zuma
Amid falling popularity with voters, the African National Congress (ANC) party which took power in 1994 under Nelson Mandela, had threatened to oust Zuma with a parliamentary no-confidence vote.
Zuma ultimately resigned, claiming he had received "very unfair" treatment.
Ramaphosa must now galvanise the ANC ahead of key national elections due in 2019.
"He needs to keep the public happy and he needs to keep the party together, so it is a very difficult balancing act," said Harris, the analyst.
Mabuza's appointment as deputy president has caused concern due to his reputation as a hardliner.
"That is a big gamble," said Peter Fabricius, an analyst at the Pretoria-based Institute of Security Studies.
"I hope he is not going to prove to be another Zuma. I hope he is not a sort of 'ticking time-bomb' in cabinet."
The radical opposition Economic Freedom Fighters party rejected the new cabinet line-up.
"(Ramaphosa) has bowed to factional pressure in the ANC," said party spokesman Mbuyiseni Ndlozi who accused the president of keeping corrupt ministers in government.
Ramaphosa, 65, is a former trade unionist who led talks to end apartheid in the early 1990s and then became a multi-millionaire businessman before returning to politics.
SYDNEY (AP) - Captain Scott Higginbotham will miss the Queensland Reds' next two Super Rugby matches after being suspended for three weeks Monday for a dangerous tackle.
Higginbotham was sent off in the 10th minute of the Reds' season opener on Friday against the Melbourne Rebels for a no-arms tackle on Matt Philip. The Reds lost 45-19.
Higginbotham appeared at a judicial hearing on Sunday and the panel released its finding Monday that Higginbotham's tackle on Philip was "objectively dangerous" because of the contact of the tackler's shoulder to Philips' head.
It found the offense merited a suspension of six weeks but reduced that to three weeks, taking into account Higginbotham's good disciplinary record, his guilty plea and the fact Philip was not injured.
JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) - The Indonesian government is bringing together dozens of convicted Islamic militants and survivors of attacks in what it hopes will be an important step in combating radicalism and fostering reconciliation.
About 120 reformed militants will apologize to dozens of victims including survivors of the 2002 Bali bombings and the 2004 bombing of the Australian Embassy in Jakarta, according to Irfan Idris, director of de-radicalization at Indonesia's counterterrorism agency.
The three days of meetings at a Jakarta hotel that began Monday aren't open to the media except for an event on the final day.
Reformed militants, from left to right, Zaenal Muttaqin, Toni Togar, Reza Sungkar, and Ramli, chat on the sidelines of a meeting with victims of attacks in Jakarta, Indonesia, Monday, Feb. 26, 2018. Indonesian government brought together dozens of convicted Islamic militants and survivors of attacks in what it hopes will be an important step in combating radicalism and fostering reconciliation. (AP Photo/Tatan Syuflana)
"Many militant convicts have changed and are taking the right course with us by drawing on their experience to prevent others from taking up violence," Idris told The Associated Press. "These facts have inspired us to reconcile them with their victims."
Indonesia, the world's most populous Muslim nation and third-biggest democracy, has imprisoned hundreds of Islamic militants in the years since the Bali bombings that killed more than 200 people, mostly foreigners.
But its efforts at convincing imprisoned militants to renounce violence have had mixed results. In overcrowded and understaffed prisons, militants have been able to convert other prisoners to radicalism and communicate with supporters on the outside to encourage new attacks that they believe will advance their cause of transforming Indonesia into an Islamic state.
At least 18 former militant prisoners have been involved in attacks in Indonesia since 2010, including a January 2016 suicide bombing and gun attack in downtown Jakarta that killed eight people, including the attackers.
Febby Firmansyah Isran, who suffered burns to 45 percent of his body from the 2003 bombing of the J.W. Marriot hotel in Jakarta, said to begin with he was so overwhelmed with anger that it worsened his health.
At the urging of his fiance, now his wife, Isran, who is attending the meetings, said he accepted what happened to him as an act of God.
"I have forgiven them and it has even improved my recovery process and calmed me down," said Isran, who founded a support group for bombing victims. It now has 570 members, about 60 of whom suffer from total physical disability.
However, many victims have refused to participate in the government event because they can't forgive the attackers or are still traumatized and are afraid to meet with convicted radicals, he said.
"We cannot force the victims to come as there are also some militants who are not willing to come," Isran said.
Idris, the counterterrorism agency official, said families of those killed in attacks endure psychological scars and economic hardship and survivors are often left with debilitating physical disabilities.
But he said the government-sponsored event wants to encourage support for militants who reject violence and try to become part of mainstream society after being released from prison.
After release, they are often ostracized, unable to find work and their children are stigmatized, which contributes to some of them returning to their radical networks, he said.
Masykur Abdul Kadir, who in 2003 was sentenced to 15 years prison for his involvement in the Bali bombing, said he believes the event will have an impact on both sides.
"We can hear their suffering and see directly the impact of what we did in the past to the innocent people," said Masykur, who was known as "local boy" in the Bali bombing for his role in reconnaissance and guiding militants who came to Bali from other parts of Indonesia.
"I really hope apologizing directly to the victims can ease the feelings of guilt that for years continually burden my life," said Masykur, a father of four. "Hopefully this meeting can be a force for ex-militants to refuse committing violence."
FILE - In this Aug. 12, 2003, file photo, Indonesian forensic investigators work near a reconstruction of the bomber's vehicle at the site of the Marriott Hotel bombing in Jakarta, Indonesia. The Indonesian government is bringing together dozens of convicted Islamic militants and survivors of attacks in what it hopes will be an important step in combating radicalism and fostering reconciliation. The three days of meetings began Monday, Feb. 26, 2018. (AP Photo/Suzanne Plunkett, File)
HOMS, Syria (AP) - In the Syrian city of Homs' landmark Clock Square, where some of the first anti-government protests erupted in 2011, stands a giant poster of a smiling President Bashar Assad waving his right arm, with a caption that reads: "Together we will rebuild."
Four years after the military brought most of the city back under Assad's control, the government is launching its first big reconstruction effort in Homs, planning to erect hundreds of apartment buildings in three neighborhoods in the devastated center of the city.
It is a small start to a massive task of rebuilding Syria, where seven years of war, airstrikes and barrel bombs have left entire cities and infrastructure a landscape of rubble. The government estimates reconstruction will cost some $200 billion dollars and last 15 years. As in neighboring Iraq, which faces a similar swath of destruction after the war against the Islamic State group, no one is offering much to help fund the process.
In this Tuesday, Jan. 16, 2018 photo, children play in the war-damaged Bab Dreib neighborhood of the old city of Homs, Syria. The government has started its first organized reconstruction projects, but it is a fraction of the massive task of rebuilding that it faces after seven years of war, airstrikes and barrel bombs left entire cities and infrastructure a landscape of rubble. No one is offering much to help fund the process -- and destruction is still being wreaked in fierce new fighting. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)
Moreover, destruction is still being wreaked. For the past 10 days, government forces have been relentlessly bombarding eastern Ghouta, a collection of towns on Damascus' edge in an all-out push to crush rebels there. Hundreds have been killed and even more buildings have been blasted to rubble in a community already left a wasteland by years of siege.
At the same time, only 10 kilometers (6 miles) away on the other side of Damascus, government workers have begun clearing rubble from Daraya, another suburb wrecked by a long siege, to begin reconstruction.
The question of who will rebuild Syria has become part of the tug of war between Assad and his opponents.
The government can cover $8 billion to $13 billion of the reconstruction costs, according to the Cabinet's economic adviser, Abdul-Qadir Azzouz. So Damascus says it will need the international community. But it also says only those who "stood by" Syria will be allowed to participate, a reference to staunch allies Russia and Iran. That likely means lucrative rebuilding contracts will be handed to private companies from those countries, as well as probably China.
The international community, in turn, faces a dilemma. It wants to stabilize Syria to allow for millions of refugees to return - the longer it takes, the less likely it becomes that they will go back.
But any support for reconstruction in Syria would buttress Assad and be seen as contributing to the normalization and legitimization of his government. Oil-rich Saudi Arabia, for instance, is unlikely to put money in a country that is backed by its regional archrival, Iran.
"There is little chance that any reconstruction process will happen unless a comprehensive political deal is reached, which is itself very unlikely," wrote Jihad Yazigi in Syria Deeply recently. "The countries and institutions that have the money and which traditionally fund such large-scale financial efforts, namely the Gulf countries, the European Union, the United States and, through it, the World Bank, have, indeed, lost the Syrian war."
American officials say the U.S. will not work with Assad's government, whose leadership they describe as illegitimate.
"Until there is a credible political process that can lead to a government chosen by the Syrian people - without Assad at its helm - the United States and our allies will withhold reconstruction assistance to regime-held areas," acting Assistant Secretary of State David Satterfield told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee last month.
Even Assad's allies Russia and Iran are too cash-strapped to fund a massive rebuilding. China's special envoy on Syria, Xie Xiaoyan, sounded a note of caution not to expect his country to carry the burden. "The tasks ahead are daunting," he said during a round of the Geneva peace talks in December. "A few countries cannot undertake all the projects. It needs a concerted effort by the international community."
Meanwhile, tens of thousands of square miles remain a pile of bombed-out buildings and wreckage.
Recent Associated Press drone footage from Daraya outside Damascus and the city of Aleppo in the north shows scenes of destruction reminiscent of World War II devastation. East Aleppo, home to nearly 1.5 million before the war, is still largely empty and in ruins a year after it was recaptured from rebels. Small-scale renovation of government buildings and historical sites has barely begun to scratch the surface.
In eastern Ghouta - an area with a pre-war population of some 400,000 - the United Nations did an assessment of satellite imagery from six of its seven districts and found more than 6,600 damaged buildings, more than 1,100 of which were totally destroyed. And that was before the latest government offensive, which has leveled even more homes and structures.
For reconstruction overall, the Syrian government is trying to scrape together financing from Syrian businessmen and expatriates as well as international allies. It has imposed a 0.5 percent reconstruction tax on some items, including restaurant bills.
The Homs project gives an indication of the scale of the task. The plan, to begin later this year, focuses on three of the city's most destroyed districts - Baba Amr, Sultanieh and Jobar - and will rebuild 465 buildings, able to house 75,000 people, at a cost of $4 billion, according to Homs' governor, Talal al-Barrazi.
It was not immediately clear how many housing units that entails - meaning individual apartments - but assuming there is on average five people per household, that would be around 15,000 units. That's under half of the 35,000 housing units that were estimated to have been destroyed in Homs. And it's a small fraction of the 1 million housing units al-Barrazi said Syria will need.
Homs saw some of the worst destruction of the war as government forces for months blasted the string of neighborhoods in the city's center that were held by rebels. The military retook almost all the city in the spring of 2014 but one rebel-held district, al-Waer, held out under siege until last year.
For the past four years, any rebuilding has largely been the work of individuals, with some help from the U.N.
In the devastated Khaldiyeh district, carpenters were fixing the windows and doors of Mohammed Bayraqdar's charred apartment. The walls inside - even the chandeliers - were still blackened from the fighting years ago.
The 38-year-old coffee vendor fled Khaldiyeh in 2011 and moved to his in-laws in a government-controlled part of the city. Late last year he informed the municipality that he wanted to return home. Once government architects checked that the building is suitable for living, repair work began with the help of a U.N. rebuilding program.
"Everyone should return to his home, even if it means living in one room only," said Bayraqdar, standing on the roof overlooking a vista of flattened buildings.
Assad's government controls more than half of Syria, including the largest cities and main population centers. Other than pockets still under rebel control, most of the rest of Syria is in the hands of U.S.-backed Kurdish-led forces that wrested territory in the north and east from the Islamic State group, including the militants' former de facto capital, Raqqa.
The Kurds have done some rebuilding, particularly in Kobani, a Kurdish-majority border town. Soon after Sunni Arab-majority Raqqa was freed from IS, a Saudi minister visited the city and promised the kingdom would play a role in rebuilding it, though no specific projects have been announced since. According to U.N. assessments, more than half the buildings are damaged in 16 of Raqqa's 24 districts.
Outside Damascus, Daraya was left an empty ruin after all its population was removed in a deal last year that ended a destructive and grueling siege by Assad's military. The suburb once had a population of 300,000 and was famous for its furniture, textiles, wood and vineyards, which produced some of Syria's best grapes.
"Almost all houses, factories, stores in Daraya remain skeletons," said Daraya's mayor, Marwan Obeid. He estimated rebuilding infrastructure alone will cost $160 million to $200 million. The government has so far allocated $70 million.
The plan, he said, is to start move some 100,000 people back into the less damaged half of Daraya, which inspectors estimate can accommodate some 100,000 people. The rest of the community, however, is too ruined. Obeid said it was not known how long that will take to rebuild.
In central Homs, Malek Traboulsi and his partner paid nearly $400,000 - even selling off their wives' jewelry - to renovate their restaurant, Julia Palace, which suffered major damage in the war. It re-opened on Christmas Day 2016.
Some people warned him he was investing in the unknown. But Traboulsi said he could never bear to sell off his property and leave Syria.
"This is my country," he said on a recent evening as he moved among the tables chatting with customers. "Here is where I breathe, here is my life and I cannot live in any other place."
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Associated Press writer Albert Aji contributed to this report.
In this Jan. 17, 2018 photo, Mohammed Bayraqdar poses for a picture with his son Abdul-Awal at their burned house in Khaldiyeh, one of the worst damaged neighborhoods in Homs, Syria. The government has started its first organized reconstruction projects, but it is a fraction of the massive task of rebuilding that it faces after seven years of war, airstrikes and barrel bombs left entire cities and infrastructure a landscape of rubble. No one is offering much to help fund the process -- and destruction is still being wreaked in fierce new fighting. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)
In this Jan. 17, 2018 photo, a family that returned to live in their apartment inside a heavily damaged building hang their clothes on a balcony in the Bab Dreib neighborhood of Homs, Syria. The government has started its first organized reconstruction projects, but it is a fraction of the massive task of rebuilding that it faces after seven years of war, airstrikes and barrel bombs left entire cities and infrastructure a landscape of rubble. No one is offering much to help fund the process -- and destruction is still being wreaked in fierce new fighting. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)
In this Jan. 18, 2018 photo, workers repair a building next to the heavily damaged Grand Umayyad Mosque in the Old City of Aleppo, Syria. The government has started its first organized reconstruction projects, but it is a fraction of the massive task of rebuilding that it faces after seven years of war, airstrikes and barrel bombs left entire cities and infrastructure a landscape of rubble. No one is offering much to help fund the process -- and destruction is still being wreaked in fierce new fighting. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)
In this Jan. 18, 2018 photo, a bulldozer removes rubble next to the heavily damaged Grand Umayyad Mosque in the Old City of Aleppo, Syria. The government has started its first organized reconstruction projects, but it is a fraction of the massive task of rebuilding that it faces after seven years of war, airstrikes and barrel bombs left entire cities and infrastructure a landscape of rubble. No one is offering much to help fund the process -- and destruction is still being wreaked in fierce new fighting. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)
In this Jan. 18, 2018 photo, a man works in the badly damaged at Al-Adim textile factory in the Lairamoun district of Aleppo, Syria. The government has started its first organized reconstruction projects, but it is a fraction of the massive task of rebuilding that it faces after seven years of war, airstrikes and barrel bombs left entire cities and infrastructure a landscape of rubble. No one is offering much to help fund the process -- and destruction is still being wreaked in fierce new fighting. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)
In this Jan. 18, 2018 photo, a bulldozer removes rubble from war damage in the Lairamoun district of Aleppo, Syria. The government has started its first organized reconstruction projects, but it is a fraction of the massive task of rebuilding that it faces after seven years of war, airstrikes and barrel bombs left entire cities and infrastructure a landscape of rubble. No one is offering much to help fund the process -- and destruction is still being wreaked in fierce new fighting. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)
This Jan. 19, 2018 photo shows the destruction of the Ramouseh neighborhood in eastern Aleppo, Syria. The government has started its first organized reconstruction projects, but it is a fraction of the massive task of rebuilding that it faces after seven years of war, airstrikes and barrel bombs left entire cities and infrastructure a landscape of rubble. No one is offering much to help fund the process -- and destruction is still being wreaked in fierce new fighting. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)
In this Jan. 19, 2018 photo, a soldier looks at the destruction of the Ramouseh neighborhood from a the roof of a damage, in eastern Aleppo, Syria. The government has started its first organized reconstruction projects, but it is a fraction of the massive task of rebuilding that it faces after seven years of war, airstrikes and barrel bombs left entire cities and infrastructure a landscape of rubble. No one is offering much to help fund the process -- and destruction is still being wreaked in fierce new fighting. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)
In this Jan. 20, 2018 photo, a woman who returned to live in her apartment inside a damaged building sits on the balcony in the Salaheddin neighborhood of eastern Aleppo, Syria. The government has started its first organized reconstruction projects, but it is a fraction of the massive task of rebuilding that it faces after seven years of war, airstrikes and barrel bombs left entire cities and infrastructure a landscape of rubble. No one is offering much to help fund the process -- and destruction is still being wreaked in fierce new fighting. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)
In this Jan. 20, 2018 photo, a man searches for scrap metal from the destruction of the Salaheddine neighborhood in the eastern Aleppo, Syria. The government has started its first organized reconstruction projects, but it is a fraction of the massive task of rebuilding that it faces after seven years of war, airstrikes and barrel bombs left entire cities and infrastructure a landscape of rubble. No one is offering much to help fund the process -- and destruction is still being wreaked in fierce new fighting. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)
This combo of two photographs shows an undated handout photo, bottom, of the destruction at the Julia Palace Resautrant, and the same spot after the reconstruction on Jan. 17, 2018, top, in Homs, Syria. The government has started its first organized reconstruction projects, but it is a fraction of the massive task of rebuilding that it faces after seven years of war, airstrikes and barrel bombs left entire cities and infrastructure a landscape of rubble. No one is offering much to help fund the process -- and destruction is still being wreaked in fierce new fighting. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)
ISLAMABAD (AP) - A climber who abandoned a Polish team following a dispute with fellow mountaineers to attempt a solo ascent of K2, the world's second-highest peak, returned to base camp because of bad weather, a tour operator said Monday.
The news dispelled concerns expressed by the other climbers after Denis Urubko walked away from the team on Sunday to attempt a summit on his own - something that Karrar Haidri of the Alpine Club of Pakistan said was a highly risky feat in winter weather.
Urubko, a Russian-Polish national, had reportedly argued with team members. He left base camp on Sunday without informing the expedition management and expedition spokesman Michal Leksinski later tweeted they had no radio communication with him.
Asghar Ali Porik, chief of Jasmine tours which organized logistics for the Polish K2 expedition, said Urubko returned to base camp 2, located at an altitude of 6,700 meters (21,982 feet).
High wind and extremely rough weather, combined with an icy track forced Urubko to descend to base camp and rejoin the other expedition members, said Porik.
Urubko was part of last month's mission, along with Adam Bielecki, that rescued French mountain climber Elisabeth Revol from Nanga Parbat, another Himalayan peak in Pakistan. Her Polish climbing partner, Tomasz "Tomek" Mackiewicz, was injured and is presumed to have died during that summit.
According to Porik, the tour operator, Urubko will now wait at the base camp for the weather to improve and will ascend the summit with the other team members.
Ashraf Aman, the first Pakistani who climbed K2 in 1977, spoke highly of Urubko's skills and rescue of Revol.
"He is the star of this era of mountaineering ... he has done the 'broad peak' (another Himalayan summit) as a solo climber in 36 hours and just recently rescued (Revol) by climbing without a rope in the night," Aman said.
JUBA, South Sudan (AP) - One year after South Sudan briefly declared a famine, more than half of the people in the world's youngest nation face extreme hunger amid civil war and famine could return, a new report says.
More than six million people, up about 40 percent from a year ago, are at threat without aid, according to the report released Monday by the United Nations and South Sudan's government. It says 150,000 people in 11 counties in Jonglei, Upper Nile, Unity and Western Bahr el Ghazal states could slip into famine this year.
"These are unprecedented levels of food insecurity," Ross Smith, senior program officer for the U.N's World Food Program, told The Associated Press. He said a political solution in South Sudan is needed so that its people can rebuild their lives.
FILE - In this April 5, 2017, file photo, some of thousands of people walk for hours to reach a food distribution site in Malualkuel, in the Northern Bahr el Ghazal region of South Sudan. One year after South Sudan briefly declared a famine, more than half of the people in the world's youngest nation face extreme hunger amid civil war and famine could return, a new report says Monday, Feb. 26, 2018. (AP Photo, File)
Five years of fighting have devastated the East African nation. Tens of thousands of people have been killed and more than two million have fled the country.
A year ago South Sudan declared famine in two counties where 100,000 people faced starvation. After a rapid aid response, further crisis was averted and the famine declaration was lifted in June.
"The situation is extremely fragile, and we are close to seeing another famine," said Serge Tissot, representative of the U.N.'s Food and Agriculture Organization in South Sudan. "The projections are stark. If we ignore them, we'll be faced with a growing tragedy."
One in three people in South Sudan have been forced from their homes by the civil war, resulting in the worst production of the country's staple grains since the conflict began in late 2013, the FAO said.
While supportive of the aid response, South Sudan's government worries that it is crippling the nation.
"If a country relies on aid it'll develop a dependency syndrome," said Hussein Mar Nyot, minister of humanitarian affairs and disaster management. People will forget their skills the longer they aren't able to cultivate the land, he said.
"I just move from one place to another looking for food," one resident, Chol Makuey, told the AP in one of the worst-affected areas, Ayod County, in December.
Cradling her severely malnourished 1-year-old daughter, Makuey said the fighting has prevented her from farming, instead forcing her to wander through villages begging friends and family to share their rations.
Aid workers warn that if the situation persists, even with food aid, more than 30 counties in South Sudan could face severe hunger by May, requiring large-scale assistance.
The U.N. humanitarian response plan for South Sudan has received less than 4 percent of its funding for 2018, with a gap of more than $1.7 billion.
Last year President Salva Kiir ordered unrestricted access for aid groups, but aid workers say the situation hasn't changed and the current dry season could make it worse.
"Continued human rights violations, including blocking of civilian access to food by both the government and opposition forces, have led to severe food insecurity," said Alicia Luedke, South Sudan researcher for rights group Amnesty International.
LIONSROCK BIG CAT SANCTUARY, South Africa (AP) - Two lions rescued from neglected zoos in war zones in Iraq and Syria arrived in South Africa on Monday to live at a sanctuary with other animals that survived harsh conditions in captivity elsewhere in the world.
The male lions were transported in metal crates on a Qatar Airways flight after leaving an animal refuge in Jordan on Sunday. They were loaded onto vehicles for a drive of several hours to their new home at the Lionsrock facility near the town of Bethlehem. The lions emerged into separate grassy enclosures, and other lions behind nearby fences let out deep-throated growls and moans.
"They are already saying, 'Hello,'" said Hildegard Pirker, head of the animal welfare department at Lionsrock. As one of the new arrivals bounded around his new home, Pirker said: "You're in Africa, finally."
A lion named Saeed, who was rescued from Syria by the animal rights group Four Paws, is caged during its arrival at OR Tambo International airport in Johannesburg, South Africa, Monday, Feb. 26, 2018. Two lions rescued from neglected zoos in war zones in Iraq and Syria have been transported to South Africa to recover from physical and psychological trauma at a big cat sanctuary. International animal welfare group Four Paws says the male lions have arrived in Johannesburg on a Qatar Airways flight after leaving an animal refuge in Jordan. The lions arrived emaciated, dehydrated and psychologically scarred in Jordan last year.. (AP Photo/Themba Hadebe)
Born in captivity, the lions had never been on the continent. They were emaciated and dehydrated after the international animal welfare group Four Paws extracted them from a zoo in eastern Mosul in Iraq and an amusement park near Aleppo in Syria. The two cities have experienced some of the worst fighting that has hit both countries in recent years, killing large numbers of people and leaving neighborhoods in ruins.
Most of the 40 animals at the Mosul zoo died of starvation or were killed in bombings while some escaped from their enclosures, according to Four Paws. The group's members reached the location a year ago and evacuated the only two animals they found, a bear and the roughly 4-year-old lion named Simba.
The other lion, 2-year-old Saeed, was rescued in July along with 12 other animals from Syria's Magic World amusement park. The animals reached Jordan after staying for two weeks in Turkey, whose government assisted with the evacuation.
Both lions were traumatized when they arrived at the Al-Ma'wa Animal Sanctuary in Jordan, Four Paws said. Since then, they have received medical care, including vasectomies and dental work, and have gained weight on a steady diet that included lamb meat treats.
The lions can expect similar treatment at Lionsrock, whose 80 lions came from a German circus and zoos in France, Romania, Congo and elsewhere. Some are from South African captive-bred lion operations that often earmark the predators for "trophy" killings by customers.
Some of the captive-bred residents of Lionsrock have deformities from inbreeding and none can be released into the wild, said Fiona Miles, director of Four Paws' South Africa operation.
She said a key goal is to raise awareness about the conditions of lions and other animals in captivity around the world.
Conservationists point to broader challenges facing Africa's wild lions, whose population has plummeted. Problems include shrinking habitats and poaching, in which lions get trapped in snares laid down indiscriminately.
Another concern is demand in some Asian countries for lion bones used in traditional medicine. Currently, South Africa allows the legal, annual export of bones from hundreds of captive-bred lions to China and Southeast Asia.
There are nearly 2,900 wild lions and about 7,000 captive lions in South Africa, according to the government.
Security at Lionsrock is tight, a necessary precaution in a country where poaching is a frequent threat. Last year, poachers broke into another wildlife sanctuary in South Africa, killing two of its big cats.
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Follow Christopher Torchia on Twitter at www.twitter.com/torchiachris
A 4-year-old lion named Simba, who was rescued from Syria by the animal rights group Four Paws, is released into an enclosure at the Lionsrock Lodge and Big Cat Sanctuary in Bethlehem, South Africa in Bethlehem, South Africa, Monday, Feb. 26, 2018. Two lions rescued from neglected zoos in war zones in Iraq and Syria were transported to South Africa on Monday to live at a sanctuary with other animals that survived harsh conditions in captivity elsewhere in the world. (AP Photo/Themba Hadebe)
A 4-year-old lion named Simba, who was rescued from Syria by the animal rights group Four Paws, is released into an enclosure at the Lionsrock Lodge and Big Cat Sanctuary in Bethlehem, South Africa in Bethlehem, South Africa, Monday, Feb. 26, 2018. Two lions rescued from neglected zoos in war zones in Iraq and Syria were transported to South Africa on Monday to live at a sanctuary with other animals that survived harsh conditions in captivity elsewhere in the world. (AP Photo/Themba Hadebe)
A 4-year-old lion named Simba, who was rescued from Syria by the animal rights group Four Paws, is released into an enclosure at the Lionsrock Lodge and Big Cat Sanctuary in Bethlehem, South Africa in Bethlehem, South Africa, Monday, Feb. 26, 2018. Two lions rescued from neglected zoos in war zones in Iraq and Syria were transported to South Africa on Monday to live at a sanctuary with other animals that survived harsh conditions in captivity elsewhere in the world. (AP Photo/Themba Hadebe)
A 4-year-old lion named Simba, who was rescued from Syria by the animal rights group Four Paws, is released into an enclosure at the Lionsrock Lodge and Big Cat Sanctuary in Bethlehem, South Africa in Bethlehem, South Africa, Monday, Feb. 26, 2018. Two lions rescued from neglected zoos in war zones in Iraq and Syria were transported to South Africa on Monday to live at a sanctuary with other animals that survived harsh conditions in captivity elsewhere in the world. (AP Photo/Themba Hadebe)
A 4-year-old lion named Simba, who was rescued from Syria by the animal rights group Four Paws, is released into an enclosure at the Lionsrock Lodge and Big Cat Sanctuary in Bethlehem, South Africa in Bethlehem, South Africa, Monday, Feb. 26, 2018. Two lions rescued from neglected zoos in war zones in Iraq and Syria were transported to South Africa on Monday to live at a sanctuary with other animals that survived harsh conditions in captivity elsewhere in the world. (AP Photo/Themba Hadebe)
A 4-year-old lion named Simba, who was rescued from Syria by the animal rights group Four Paws, is released into an enclosure at the Lionsrock Lodge and Big Cat Sanctuary in Bethlehem, South Africa in Bethlehem, South Africa, Monday, Feb. 26, 2018. Two lions rescued from neglected zoos in war zones in Iraq and Syria were transported to South Africa on Monday to live at a sanctuary with other animals that survived harsh conditions in captivity elsewhere in the world. (AP Photo/Themba Hadebe)
A 4-year-old lion named Simba, who was rescued from Syria by the animal rights group Four Paws, is released into an enclosure at the Lionsrock Lodge and Big Cat Sanctuary in Bethlehem, South Africa in Bethlehem, South Africa, Monday, Feb. 26, 2018. Two lions rescued from neglected zoos in war zones in Iraq and Syria were transported to South Africa on Monday to live at a sanctuary with other animals that survived harsh conditions in captivity elsewhere in the world. (AP Photo/Themba Hadebe)
Workers load a caged lion, who was rescued from Syria by the animal rights group Four Paws, during their arrival at OR Tambo International airport in Johannesburg, South Africa, Monday, Feb. 26, 2018. Two lions rescued from neglected zoos in war zones in Iraq and Syria have been transported to South Africa to recover from physical and psychological trauma at a big cat sanctuary. International animal welfare group Four Paws says the male lions have arrived in Johannesburg on a Qatar Airways flight after leaving an animal refuge in Jordan. The lions arrived emaciated, dehydrated and psychologically scarred in Jordan last year.. (AP Photo/Themba Hadebe)
A lion named Saeed, who was rescued from Syria by the animal rights group Four Paws, is caged during its arrival at OR Tambo International airport in Johannesburg, South Africa, Monday, Feb. 26, 2018. Two lions rescued from neglected zoos in war zones in Iraq and Syria have been transported to South Africa to recover from physical and psychological trauma at a big cat sanctuary. International animal welfare group Four Paws says the male lions have arrived in Johannesburg on a Qatar Airways flight after leaving an animal refuge in Jordan. The lions arrived emaciated, dehydrated and psychologically scarred in Jordan last year.. (AP Photo/Themba Hadebe)
Am airport worker operates a folk lift carrying cadged loins, who were rescued from Syria by the animal rights group Four Paws, at OR Tambo International airport in Johannesburg, South Africa, Monday, Feb. 26, 2018. Two lions rescued from neglected zoos in war zones in Iraq and Syria have been transported to South Africa to recover from physical and psychological trauma at a big cat sanctuary. International animal welfare group Four Paws says the male lions have arrived in Johannesburg on a Qatar Airways flight after leaving an animal refuge in Jordan. The lions arrived emaciated, dehydrated and psychologically scarred in Jordan last year. (AP Photo/Themba Hadebe)
BRUSSELS (AP) - The European Union is weighing whether to impose sanctions on senior officials in Cambodia over the erosion of democracy and a crackdown on the opposition and media there.
EU foreign ministers on Monday urged Cambodia "to restore democracy and the government to engage in a constructive dialogue with the elected opposition."
They said they "may consider specific targeted measures if the situation does not improve."
Luxembourg's Foreign Minister Jean Asselborn, second left, speaks with Bulgarian counterpart Ekaterina Zaharieva, second right, during a meeting of EU foreign ministers at the Europa building in Brussels on Monday, Feb. 26, 2018. European Union foreign ministers meet in Brussels on Monday Feb. 26 to debate ways to revive Middle East peace efforts and discuss the crisis in Venezuela. (AP Photo/Virginia Mayo)
The ruling party of Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen, who has been in power for three decades, claimed a sweeping victory in Senate elections on Sunday. It assured the win by eliminating any serious opposition from the contest.
The poll was seen as a foretaste of a scheduled July general election for the National Assembly that is expected to affirm Hun Sen's rule.
Austrian Foreign Minister Karin Kneissl. second left, attends a meeting of EU foreign ministers at the Europa building in Brussels on Monday, Feb. 26, 2018. European Union foreign ministers meet in Brussels on Monday Feb. 26 to debate ways to revive Middle East peace efforts and discuss the crisis in Venezuela. (AP Photo/Virginia Mayo)
Luxembourg's Foreign Minister Jean Asselborn, right, speaks with European Union foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini during a meeting of EU foreign ministers at the Europa building in Brussels on Monday, Feb. 26, 2018. European Union foreign ministers meet in Brussels on Monday Feb. 26 to debate ways to revive Middle East peace efforts and discuss the crisis in Venezuela. (AP Photo/Virginia Mayo)
Your daily look at late-breaking news, upcoming events and the stories that will be talked about today:
1. SURVIVORS ALLOWED BACK IN FLORIDA SCHOOL TO COLLECT BELONGINGS
Students of Stoneman Douglas High School collected backpacks and other belongings left behind as they fled the massacre.
Pulse survivor India Godman, left, hugs Wendy Garrity at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla., Sunday, Feb. 25, 2018, for an open house as parents and students returned to the school for the first time since a shooting took place at the high school on Feb. 14. (David Santiago/Miami Herald via AP)
2. SYRIA RECONSTRUCTION STARTS EVEN AS DESTRUCTION CONTINUES
Seven years of war, airstrikes and barrel bombs have left entire cities and infrastructure a landscape of rubble, but damage is still being wreaked.
3. WHO'S MEETING LEADERS OF THE 50 STATES
President Donald Trump says the deadly mass shooting at a Florida high school is the top issue he wants to discuss with the nation's governors.
4. WHICH ISSUE IS DOMINATING LAWMAKERS' AGENDA
After a 10-day break, members of Congress are returning to work under hefty pressure to respond to the outcry over gun violence.
5. WHERE IS A PLAN TO END PRESIDENTIAL TERM LIMITS DRAWING CRITICISM
A move by China's ruling Communist Party's to enable President Xi Jinping to stay in power indefinitely has been met with satire and criticism.
6. UNION FEES UNDER REVIEW BY TOP JUDGES
The Supreme Court is hearing arguments in a case that could deal a painful financial blow to organized labor, taking up a challenge to a law that allows unions representing government employees to collect fees from workers who choose not to join.
7. DEMOCRATIC GOLDEN STATE VETERAN SNUBBED AHEAD OF PRIMARY
U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein failed to win the official endorsement of the California Democratic Party as she seeks her fifth term.
8. PRESIDENT'S ENTHUSIASM FOR DEREGULATION HITS SAFETY RULES
In Trump's first year in office, at least a dozen safety rules that were under development or already adopted have been repealed, withdrawn, delayed or put on the back burner.
9. KOREA RETURNING TO NORMAL AFTER WINTER GAMES
With the end of the 2018 Winter Olympics, a swath of the eastern Korean Peninsula is readying itself to resume more typical days.
10. VACCINE DEBATE KEY ISSUE IN ITALIAN ELECTIONS
A new law requiring parents to vaccinate their kids against measles and nine other childhood diseases has become one of the most divisive themes of the March 4 vote.
In this Jan. 18, 2018 photo, workers repair a building next to the heavily damaged Grand Umayyad Mosque in the Old City of Aleppo, Syria. The government has started its first organized reconstruction projects, but it is a fraction of the massive task of rebuilding that it faces after seven years of war, airstrikes and barrel bombs left entire cities and infrastructure a landscape of rubble. No one is offering much to help fund the process -- and destruction is still being wreaked in fierce new fighting. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)
Memorabilia featuring Chinese President Xi Jinping and former paramount leader Mao Zedong are displayed at a souvenir shop in Beijing, Monday, Feb. 26, 2018. Chinese censors moved quickly Monday to scrub satirical commentary online about the ruling Communist Party's moves to enable Xi to stay in power indefinitely, while political observers weighed the possibility that China would return to an era of one-man rule. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)
Japan's gold medalists, speed skater Nao Kodaira, left, and figure skater Yuzuru Hanyu chat upon their arrival at Narita International Airport near Tokyo, Monday, Feb. 26, 2018. Japan team returned home from the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics on Monday. (AP Photo/Koji Sasahara)
KINSHASA, Congo (AP) - Organizers of anti-government marches in Congo say security forces shot dead at least four people and wounded dozens more in Sunday's nationwide protest against President Joseph Kabila's extended rule.
The Lay Coordination Committee on Monday announced that people were killed in Kinshasa, Mbandaka and Kisangani. Church organizations have been staging demonstrations against long-delayed elections, and the international community has criticized Congolese security forces for violent crackdowns on the protests.
Kabila was meant to leave office in December 2016 but elections have been repeatedly postponed. Congo's government now says the vote will be in December.
The United Nations mission in Congo says 47 people were wounded in Sunday's protests and more than 100 were arrested. It calls on Congolese authorities to carry out credible investigations.
LONDON (AP) - Ukrainian police say they have rearrested the ringleader of a cybercrime group accused of inflicting hundreds of millions of dollars in losses worldwide. It comes 15 months after his embarrassing escape put the spotlight on corruption in the Eastern European country.
Ukraine's Interior Ministry says the cybercrime boss was detained Sunday in Kiev. The ministry does not identify the man, but Cyberpolice spokeswoman Yulia Kvitko says he is Evgeny Kapkanov, whose "Avalanche" group was once described by a group of researchers as the world's most prolific phishing gang.
Kapkanov had previously been arrested in a dramatic police raid in Poltava on Nov. 30, 2016, but he was released almost immediately amid allegations of official corruption, and absconded.
A representative for Kapkanov could immediately be located Monday.
TOKYO (AP) - Japanese police said Monday they have found parts of a dismembered body believed to be of a missing woman in the mountains of western Japan, in a murder case reportedly linked to an American tourist.
Hyogo prefectural police said investigators found a torso, arms and legs in three locations in parts of Kyoto and Osaka on Sunday.
Police said the parts could be from the body of an unidentified woman who has been missing in the prefecture since mid-February. Local media said the woman was a 27-year-old office worker from Sanda City.
Journalists gather near the site where a body part believed to be of a missing woman was found in Osaka, western Japan Monday, Feb. 26, 2018. Media reports said police last week arrested the suspected man, Yevgeniy Vasilievich Bayraktar, 26, from New York, on suspicion of confining the missing Japanese woman at his lodging in Osaka. Reports said Monday police are investigating his possible link to dismembering and abandoning of her body after finding other body parts. (Yuki Sato/Kyodo News via AP)
Police suggested that they searched the locations after being told about them by a suspect, but refused to elaborate. An examination of the body parts is being conducted to identify the victim, they said.
Kyodo News service and other Japanese media reported that police arrested a 26-year-old New Yorker as a suspect, but police would not confirm that. The reports said police also found the severed head of a woman inside a suitcase at his lodging in Osaka.
The reports said security camera video from the building showed him entering with a woman, but did not show the woman leaving. It showed the suspect going in and out with a suitcase, they said.
BOSTON (AP) - Days after saying that it would retroactively cut the profits reported over the past two years, General Electric Co. is reshaping its board of directors.
One person joining the board chaired the organization that sets accounting standards in the United States.
GE said Friday that it must cut its 2016 per-share earnings by 13 cents, and by 16 cents for 2017. It's adopting new accounting standards for 2018.
FILE - In a Tuesday, Jan. 16, 2018 file photo, the General Electric logo is displayed at the top of their Global Operations Center, in the Banks development of downtown Cincinnati. Days after revealing that it must restate two years of earnings, General Electric Co. is reshaping its board of directors. After cutting the size of its board from 18 to 12, General Electric Co. said Monday, Feb. 26, 2018 that a quarter of that board would consist of new members, including Danaher Corp. CEO Lawrence Culp, American Airlines CEO Thomas Horton and Leslie Seidman, former chairman of the Financial Accounting Standards Board. (AP Photo/John Minchillo, File)
The Securities and Exchange Commission investigating the Boston company over long-term service contracts and federal regulators are reviewing a $15 billion miscalculation that GE made within an insurance unit. GE disclosed last month that it would take a $6.2 billion charge in its fourth quarter after a subsidiary, North American Life & Health, underestimated how much it would cost to pay for the care of people who lived longer than projected.
After cutting the size of its board from 18 to 12 members, GE said Monday that a quarter of that board would consist of new members, including Leslie Seidman, former chairman of the Financial Accounting Standards Board. Also named were former Danaher Corp. CEO Lawrence Culp and one-time American Airlines CEO Thomas Horton.
CEO John Flannery, a longtime insider at GE, was tasked last year with reshaping the company, but the proposed changes at GE have grown more radical over the past several months as negative developments emerge. The company has shrunk dramatically since it became entangled in the financial crisis a decade ago and Flannery has vowed to shed $20 billion in assets quickly.
Former CEO Jeff Immelt left last June, three months early, and the company's chief financial officer left several days later.
GE in November slashed its dividend in half and said that the sprawling conglomerate would focus on three key sectors - aviation, health care and energy. By January, after the $15 billion blunder, Flannery hinted that even more drastic changes in the makeup of the company could be on the way.
"All options on the table, no sacred cows," Flannery said during a call with investors and industry analysts.
Shares slipped almost 2 percent to their lowest level in almost 8 years.
OMAHA, Neb. (AP) - The Latest on investor Warren Buffett's views on tax reform, the economy and his Berkshire Hathaway conglomerate (all times local):
7 a.m.
Billionaire Warren Buffett says he hopes the new health care initiative his company has started with Amazon and JP Morgan Chase will deliver significant cost savings.
Buffett didn't discuss many details of the three companies' health care plans during an appearance on CNBC Monday because the initiative was just announced last month.
But Buffett said the goal is much bigger than simply shaving 3 percent off health costs through negotiating power.
Buffett says he hopes the effort will be able to find a way to deliver better care at somewhat lower costs. He says the steady increase in health care costs has been a drain on American business.
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6 a.m.
Investor Warren Buffett says he remains confident in Wells Fargo and its current leadership despite the bank's problems.
Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway is Wells Fargo's largest stakeholder, holding about a 10 percent of the bank's shares. Buffett appeared on CNBC Monday after releasing his annual letter over the weekend.
Buffett says he believes Wells Fargo CEO Tim Sloan has worked to clean up the misconduct that was reported at the bank in recent years. Regulators determined that bank employees opened millions of unauthorized accounts to meet sales quotas.
Buffett says it could take the bank a long time to work its way back into regulators' good graces again.
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5:50 a.m.
Billionaire Warren Buffett says his own conglomerate is the stock he favors best because of its prospects, but Apple is the stock Berkshire Hathaway bought most last year.
Buffett declined to name a favorite stock outside of Berkshire during an interview on CNBC Monday, but he said investors can get clues about what he likes best by looking at Berkshire's portfolio.
Berkshire held 166.7 million Apple shares at the end of 2017, and Buffett says his company has bought more Apple shares than anything else in the past year.
Several of Berkshire's other biggest stock holdings have been held for decades. Those include large stakes in Coca-Cola and American Express.
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5:45 a.m.
Investor Warren Buffett says General Electric has clearly had accounting issues and misjudged its liabilities for long-term care insurance.
But Buffett stopped short of criticizing GE's former CEOs Jeff Immelt and Jack Welch who are both friends of his. Buffett appeared on CNBC Monday.
Buffett says he will closely read what GE discloses in his annual report. He says GE has clearly not been a model of good accounting in recent years.
Buffett's Berkshire invested $3 billion in preferred shares of GE during the financial crisis in 2008, but later sold those shares and doesn't currently own GE.
Buffett says he hasn't been approached about buying any of GE's businesses at this point.
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5:30 a.m.
Billionaire Warren Buffett says the tax overhaul Congress passed last year will provide a "huge tail wind" for American business.
Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway reported a $29 billion paper gain on far-reaching changes to the U.S. tax code, and the conglomerate will benefit from a lower tax rate going forward.
Buffett appeared on CNBC Monday after releasing his annual letter to Berkshire Hathaway shareholders on Saturday.
But Buffett says he's had a hard time finding acquisitions at reasonable prices so he's sitting on $116 billion cash and short-term bonds.
Buffett says he expects he'll eventually find a good use for a big chunk of that cash, but he may have to wait for a downturn in the economy.
BERLIN (AP) - German Chancellor Angela Merkel rallied her party Monday behind a proposed new government with the center-left Social Democrats, receiving overwhelming support from delegates for a coalition deal she said speaks directly to her Christian Democratic Union's core themes of family, security and economic growth.
Of some 1,000 delegates at a convention in Berlin, only 27 voted against the agreement which had drawn criticism from some conservatives in the party. The convention also saw delegates approve Merkel ally Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer , a longtime governor in the tiny western state of Saarland, to take over the party's day-to-day management as general secretary.
Disquiet among the CDU's members has been growing in recent years, raising questions about Merkel's future. Though getting the most votes, the party posted one of its worst-ever results in last September's election as many conservative voters, anguished over the arrival of more than a million refugees, defected to the anti-migrant Alternative for Germany party, known as the AfD.
German Chancellor and party chairwoman Angela Merkel smiles at the party convention of the Christian Democratic Union CDU in Berlin, Germany, Monday, Feb. 26, 2018. The delegates voted for the coalition agreement on forming a new German government. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)
"We were all disappointed," Merkel said of September's election result, which forced her into months of coalition haggling with other parties. Critics within her CDU have taken particular umbrage at the fact that key ministries - including interior and finance - will go to its Bavaria-only sister party and the Social Democrats.
Merkel acknowledged the unease among party supporters, but said it would have been wrong to let coalition talks collapse over the distribution of ministerial posts, insisting that as the strongest force in German politics her party had to live up to its responsibility to form a government.
The agreement still needs approval from the Social Democrats' membership to take effect. The result of that party's postal ballot will be announced March 4 and is harder to predict.
Part of Merkel's response to disaffected members has been to replace several of the party's long-time ministers with a younger team including more women and one of her most prominent critics, 37-year-old Jens Spahn .
The generational shift drew cheers from members such as Catharina Neumeyer, a lawmaker's aide in her late 20s.
"I think it's good there are a lot of women and that Jens Spahn was picked," said Neumeyer, adding it would boost the party's appeal to young, liberal voters.
Others lamented the lack of ministers from eastern Germany, where the party has suffered particularly big losses to AfD in recent years.
Ingo Gondro, deputy chair of a recently formed conservative group within the party, said Merkel's concessions wouldn't satisfy critics.
"There's unrest among the membership," he said, warning that many fear the party could be beaten by AfD in regional elections in the eastern state of Saxony next year.
Gondro's group, the Values Union, had urged delegates to reject the coalition deal with the Social Democrats and instead consider forming a minority government with the pro-business Free Democratic Party. A minority government is still possible if Social Democrats reject the coalition agreement; the only other option would be new elections.
Merkel, who has governed Germany since 2005, refrained from taking personal responsibility for losing votes to AfD. But she pledged to regain voters' trust by addressing their fears about migration, globalization and the pace of technological change.
In a signal to conservatives, she said there would be zero tolerance for extremists of any kind and migrants who refuse to integrate into German society will feel "tangible consequences."
She added that anti-Semitism has no place in Germany, "whether it's from Muslim immigrants, the AfD or left extremists."
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Kirsten Grieshaber contributed to this report.
German Chancellor and party chairwoman Angela Merkel, left, congratulates new party general secretary Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer at the party convention of the Christian Democratic Union CDU in Berlin, Germany, Monday, Feb. 26, 2018. The delegates voted for the coalition agreement on forming a new German government. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)
German Chancellor and party chairwoman Angela Merkel holds a voting card during the party convention of the Christian Democratic Union CDU in Berlin, Germany, Monday, Feb. 26, 2018. The delegates came together to decide on the coalition agreement on forming a new German government. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)
German Chancellor and party chairwoman Angela Merkel smiles at the party convention of the Christian Democratic Union CDU in Berlin, Germany, Monday, Feb. 26, 2018. The delegates voted for the coalition agreement on forming a new German government. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)
Designated Education Minister Anja Karliczek smiles when posing for a photo prior to the party convention of the Christian Democratic Union CDU in Berlin, Germany, Monday, Feb. 26, 2018. The delegates came together to decide on the coalition agreement on forming a new German government. (AP Photo/Ferdinand Ostrop)
FILE - In this March 13, 2016 file photo Julia Kloeckner, top candidate of the Christian Democratic Party CDU, is interviewed in a TV studio after the closing of the state elections in the German federal state of Rhineland-Palatinate in Mainz, western Germany. German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Sunday, Feb. 25, 2018 named Kloeckner as agriculture minister in case the Social Democrats approve the coalition agreement (AP Photo/Michael Probst, file)
Party chairwoman German Chancellor Angela Merkel is flanked by her party deputies Armin Laschet, left, and Julia Kloeckner at the start of a board meeting of her Christian Democratic Party CDU in Berlin, Sunday, Feb. 25, 2018. Merkel named an ambitious young conservative Sunday as health minister in Germany's new government, signaling a desire to integrate critics as she embarks on her fourth term. (Bernd von Jutrczenka/dpa via AP)
Designated general secretary Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer speaks during the party convention of the Christian Democratic Union CDU in Berlin, Germany, Monday, Feb. 26, 2018. The delegates came together to decide on the coalition agreement on forming a new German government. (AP Photo/Ferdinand Ostrop)
Designated health minister Jens Spahn speaks in front of a writing reading 'for our country' during the party convention of the Christian Democratic Union CDU in Berlin, Germany, Monday, Feb. 26, 2018. The delegates came together to decide on the coalition agreement on forming a new German government. (AP Photo/Ferdinand Ostrop)
German Chancellor and party chairwoman Angela Merkel speaks to the delegates during the party convention of the Christian Democratic Union CDU in Berlin, Germany, Monday, Feb. 26, 2018. The delegates came together to decide on the coalition agreement on forming a new German government. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)
ATLANTA (AP) - One man in upstate New York sawed his AR-15 rifle into pieces and posted a video of it on Facebook. A woman in Connecticut did the same with her handgun. Not far from scene of the Florida high school shooting, another man brought his assault weapon to police and asked them to destroy it.
In response to the killings of 17 people by a 19-year-old with an AR-15, some gun owners are waging personal protests against mass shootings.
The AR-15 is the gun drawing the most scorn during these public displays of destruction playing out on social media. Their owners say they love to shoot it, but enough is enough.
In this Feb. 16, 2018, photo provided by Ben Dickmann, a deputy at the Broward County sheriff's office in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., processes paperwork to take possession of and destroy Dickmann's AR-style firearm. Dickmann decided to turn in his weapon after the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in nearby Parkland, Fla. (Ben Dickmann via AP)
Scott Pappalardo is one such gun owner. Sitting in the backyard of his home in Scotchtown, New York, cradling the Eagle AR-15 rifle he'd owned for 30 years, Pappalardo called himself a firm believer in the Second Amendment who considers the rifle his favorite, but said he's pained by the steady drumbeat of mass shootings.
"Here we are, 17 more lives lost. So when do we change? When do we make laws that say maybe a weapon like this isn't acceptable in today's society?" he said in a video on his Facebook page. People blame mental illness, video games, bad parenting and other reasons, but he said "ultimately, it's a gun like this one that takes away the lives."
With that, he turned around and put a saw to his rifle, and posted the video with the hashtag #oneless, calling it "My drop in a very large bucket." That was Feb. 17, and 5 days later, it had received more than 375,000 likes and been shared more than 425,000 times.
Pappalardo, a 50-year-old supplier of building materials, said it was a tough and personal decision to destroy the gun. He loved target shooting with it. He's been a gun owner for decades and even sports a fading tattoo on his arm showing a firearm with the words "the right to keep and bear arms."
"I literally love that gun. It was almost like taking my sick dog out in the backyard and putting it out of its misery. It was very personal for me," Pappalardo told The Associated Press. "And I said to my wife before I did it, I can't believe I'm about to go outside and cut up my gun. It wasn't an easy thing to do."
But he believes the AR-15 has become a weapon of choice for too many mass shooters - used in Parkland, Las Vegas, the Orlando nightclub shooting, last year's Texas church massacre and other recent high-profile attacks - and he no longer wanted to be associated with it.
Despite the recent outrage, the AR-15 remains an incredibly popular weapon across America, and the people destroying them represent a small fraction of the gun's owners.
The National Shooting Sports Foundation, which represents gunmakers, says there are about 12 million AR-style firearms in circulation.
Chris Waltz, president and chief executive of AR15 Gun Owners of America, called the destruction of guns kneejerk reactions that wrongly blame the rifle. He laments that so many mass shooters have been using the AR-15 to carry out their carnage, even as handguns remain the weapon most used in mass shootings. His group has more than 550,000 Facebook followers, adding 10,000 more in recent days.
"It's not a rifle problem. It's a societal problem," Waltz said. "We need to get a handle on what's going on that's causing these kids to do these things."
Destroying the weapon "makes no sense at all," he says.
"If you're a responsible gun owner and you purchased that weapon and you know you're not psychotic, then why would you ever do that?" he said. "It almost seems like it's political theater."
Ben Dickmann, who lives near Parkland, brought his AR-57, a variation of the AR-15, to Broward County sheriff with instructions to have it destroyed.
"I enjoyed shooting this rifle immensely but I don't need it, I have other types I can shoot for the same enjoyment," he wrote in a Facebook post showing images of the firearm and an officer processing the paperwork to destroy it.
His post, like others using Facebook to publicly declare what gun owners have done, attracted thousands of comments that offer a glimpse into the nation's gun debate. Some accuse him of being a wimp or somehow deranged. Others praise him.
Amanda Meyer, who lives in New Haven, Connecticut, had a similar experience.
She grew up in Iowa and first learned to hunt at 14. Five years ago, she bought a Sig Sauer P229 handgun to target shoot and for self-defense. She had been thinking about getting rid of it for months, but was worried it could wind up in the wrong hands.
"After what happened in Florida, I just thought, this is ridiculous, I'm attaching myself to this inanimate object that its sole purpose is to kill humans," Meyer told the AP.
Her Facebook video -- showing her slicing holes into the barrel, the rails and other parts with a saw in her garage -- attracted tens of thousands of shares and comments. Some call her a stooge of gun-control advocates who will regret this if she needs it to defend herself.
Meyer has a tortured history with firearms: Her brother killed himself with one, she lives just a few miles from the Newtown elementary school massacre, and a cousin and his wife were at the Las Vegas concert where a man with an arsenal of automatic weapons killed 58 people and injured hundreds in the deadliest mass shooting in modern U.S. history.
"The solution, at least according to most of the cold-dead-hands crowd, is that we all just need to be kinder and more respectful and raise better children, those sorts of things," Meyer said. "Then the same people will come and say they wish someone would just break into my house and kill me so everybody would know I really did need that gun."
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Follow Lisa Marie Pane on Twitter at: https://twitter.com/lisamariepane
GENEVA (AP) - The Latest on the meeting of the U.N. Human Rights Council (all times local):
1:15 p.m.
Hungary's foreign minister has called for the resignation of the United Nations' human rights chief for referring to Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban as one of the "xenophobes and racists" seeking "ethnic, national or racial purity."
Jordan's Zeid Ra'ad al Hussein, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights addresses his statement, during the opening of the High-Level Segment of the 37th session of the Human Rights Council, at the European headquarters of the United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland, Monday, Feb. 26, 2018. (Salvatore Di Nolfi/Keystone via AP)
Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto said Monday in Geneva that United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra'ad al-Hussein was "unworthy" of his position.
Orban, a staunch opponent of immigration, especially by Muslims, has often said he wants to prevent Hungary from becoming a "mixed society."
Speaking at a meeting of the U.N.'s Human Rights Council in Geneva, Szijjarto said it was wrong for Zeid to compare Hungary "to the worst dictatorships of the last century."
Zeid, a Jordanian prince, has said he won't seek another four-year term when his current one expires in August.
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12:45 p.m.
The U.N. human rights chief has accused the veto-wielding members of the U.N. Security Council of being second only to criminals who kill and maim when it comes to responsibility for some of the world's most egregious rights violations.
Zeid Ra'ad al-Hussein delivered one of the strongest denunciations yet from a top U.N. official about improper use of the Security Council veto, which gives extraordinary powers to the five countries that wield it: Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States.
Speaking to the U.N. Human Rights Council, he didn't specify cases when it was used improperly.
Zeid instead spoke more broadly and decried "some of the most prolific slaughterhouses of humans in recent times" in Syria, Congo, Yemen, Burundi and Myanmar.
Zeid, a Jordanian prince, leaves office in August.
U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, left, speaks with Jordan's Zeid Ra'ad al Hussein, right, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, during the opening of the High-Level Segment of the 37th session of the Human Rights Council, at the European headquarters of the United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland, Monday, Feb. 26, 2018. (Salvatore Di Nolfi/Keystone via AP)
U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, left, and Jordan's Zeid Ra'ad al Hussein, right, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, during the opening of the High-Level Segment of the 37th session of the Human Rights Council, at the European headquarters of the United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland, Monday, Feb. 26, 2018. (Salvatore Di Nolfi/Keystone via AP)
LONDON (AP) - A London man has been sentenced to seven years in prison for terrorism offenses after an investigation that started with a complaint about a Facebook message.
Mohammed Kamal Hussain was sentenced in Kingston Crown Court Monday after being found guilty of encouraging terrorism and supporting a banned organization.
The investigation started when a man emailed the Home Office after receiving a private message on Facebook urging him to join the Islamic State extremist group. Police found that the 28-year-old Hussain sent that message and had posted numerous messages praising IS.
The person who notified the Home Office did not live in Britain and said he did not know the sender of the message.
The case was given to the Met Police's counter-terrorism unit that specializes in removing online extremist material.
SAO PAULO (AP) - Brazilian President Michel Temer is creating a public security ministry as part of efforts to combat high crime rates, especially in Rio de Janeiro.
The creation of the new ministry follows Temer's decision to hand control of Rio's security forces to the military as drug traffickers battle for control. There are concerns that traffickers could head to other states if a crackdown in Rio is successful, but Temer says the new ministry will work with Brazil's states to coordinate security policy across the country.
The presidential palace says that Temer will sign a decree Monday to create the ministry. Defense Minister Raul Jungmann will head it, and a general will be interim minister of defense.
Brazil's President Michel Temer, right, talks to the press next to the Governor of Rio de Janeiro Luiz Fernando Pezao after a meeting with local authorities about the implementation of a decree that has placed the military in charge of Rio's state security at the Guanabara Palace in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Saturday, Feb. 17, 2018. Temer said he plans to create a public security ministry to coordinate security operations in the entire country. (AP Photo/Leo Correa)
Presidential decrees take immediate effect, but Congress must approve them in the months that follow.
BELGRADE, Serbia (AP) - European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker said Monday that Serbia must solve its dispute with Kosovo and implement a series of reforms before it can join the European Union.
Juncker said following talks with Serbia's President Aleksandar Vucic that the Balkan country is on the right path, but that the EU cannot accept any new members with unresolved territorial issues.
"Serbia has already covered an impressive part of the (EU) path," Juncker said, before adding that a number of problems "still have to be solved."
Serbia's President Aleksandar Vucic, right, welcomes European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker, center, and EU Enlargement Commissioner Johannes Hahn, in Belgrade, Serbia, Monday, Feb. 26, 2018. Juncker is on a Western Balkans tour that also includes stops in Albania, Serbia, Kosovo, Bosnia and Montenegro, all countries aspiring to EU membership. (AP Photo/Darko Vojinovic)
He singled out the need for judicial reforms and improvements in the rule of law before Serbia and others can join the EU.
Juncker is visiting Serbia as part of a tour of the Western Balkans nations aspiring to join the bloc at a time Russia is looking to bolster its influence in the region, particularly in Serbia.
The visit comes after the EU drafted a new expansion strategy that envisages Serbia and Montenegro could be the next to join the bloc in 2025.
Vucic said he's urging compromise with predominantly-ethnic Albanian Kosovo, whose 2008 declaration of independence following a 1998-99 war Belgrade does not recognize.
"We need a compromise or we will continue to live in the past," Vucic said.
Juncker said the EU is seeking a "legally-binding" agreement between Serbia and Kosovo, but that the scope of the deal is up to the two nations. The EU is helping out in the talks on normalizing ties between the two.
Juncker has already visited Macedonia and Albania. He will travel to Montenegro before proceeding to Kosovo and Bosnia. His trip ends with an EU summit with regional leaders in Sofia, Bulgaria, on March 1.
European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker speaks during a press conference after talks with Serbia's President Aleksandar Vucic in Belgrade, Serbia, Monday, Feb. 26, 2018. Juncker is on a Western Balkans tour that also includes stops in Albania, Serbia, Kosovo, Bosnia and Montenegro, all countries aspiring to EU membership. (AP Photo/Darko Vojinovic)
European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker, left, speaks with Serbia's President Aleksandar Vucic in Belgrade, Serbia, Monday, Feb. 26, 2018. Juncker is on a Western Balkans tour that also includes stops in Albania, Serbia, Kosovo, Bosnia and Montenegro, all countries aspiring to EU membership. (AP Photo/Darko Vojinovic)
WASHINGTON (AP) - The White House has set the date for the first state visit of President Donald Trump's administration.
Spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders says Trump will be hosting French President Emmanuel Macron (eh-mahn-yoo-EHL' mah-KROHN') on April 24.
Trump was the first U.S. president in decades to close his first year in office without welcoming a fellow world leader for a state visit.
French President Emmanuel Macron shakes hands as he visits the 55th International Agriculture Fair at the Porte de Versailles exhibition center in Paris, France, Saturday, Feb. 24, 2018. The fair, featuring farm animals, food and agriculture industry, will last until March 4, 2018. (Ludovic Marin/Pool Photo via AP)
The designation means Macron will be welcomed to the White House with a South Lawn arrival ceremony. He'll also be the honored guest at a glitzy state dinner.
Trump was Macron's special guest at a Bastille Day celebration last year that coincided with the 100th anniversary of the U.S. entry into World War I. Trump has said he wants to hold a similar parade in Washington late this year.
WINGATE, N.C. (AP) - A North Carolina man who was broadcasting himself live on Facebook as he was walking down a street was shot and killed by another man on Monday, police said.
Just minutes before the 10 a.m. shooting, Prentis Robinson had been to the Wingate police department and spoke with the chief about a cellphone that had been stolen from him, Wingate Police Chief Donnie Gay told WCCB-TV .
On a portion of the video, Robinson wore a hat and used a selfie stick to record himself talking and walking along a street in Wingate, which is about 30 miles southeast of Charlotte. At one point, he was heard saying "You on live," apparently telling another person the conversation was being recorded.
The video showed Robinson was approached by someone who fired four shots with a long gun. The camera hit the ground after the shots rang out and showed sky and trees, and the gunman running away. A car pulled up and found Robinson.
Wingate University and Wingate Elementary School were placed on lockdown for a couple of hours after the shooting, although the shooting didn't occur on either campus.
Robinson's Facebook account described him as a musician who lived in Atlanta. According to public records cited by The Charlotte Observer , Robinson lived in Charlotte during the previous decade but spent much of his adult life in Wingate and graduated from a local high school.
MADISON, Wis. (AP) - A national Democratic group led by former U.S. Attorney Eric Holder filed a lawsuit Monday attempting to force Republican Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker to call two special elections to fill legislative vacancies.
Walker has refused to call special elections for the seats that became open two weeks before a surprise Democratic victory in a state Senate special election in a district that had been in Republican hands for 17 years.
Both of the vacancies are in traditionally Republican districts.
Walker has argued he's not required to call special elections and it would be a waste of taxpayer money to do it for the two vacancies, given that the Legislature is slated to complete its work for the year next month. Walker instead wants to wait for the regularly scheduled election in November to fill the seats, meaning constituents in the districts will be without representatives for a year.
Democrats have argued, as does the lawsuit, that he has an obligation under the law to fill them as soon as possible.
"A right to representation in the lawmaking body is a bedrock of democracy, and Governor Walker's refusal to comply with his plain legal duty" causes voters in the districts "substantial harm," the lawsuit said.
Attorneys for the National Redistricting Foundation, an affiliate of the National Democratic Redistricting Committee, filed the lawsuit Monday in Dane County Circuit Court on behalf of voters who live in the affected state Senate and Assembly districts.
"Governor Scott Walker's refusal to hold special elections is an affront to representative democracy," Holder said in a statement. "Forcing citizens to go more than a year without representation ... is a plain violation of their rights and we're hopeful the court will act quickly to order the governor to hold elections."
The National Democratic Redistricting Committee, chaired by Holder, launched in 2017.
Walker's spokesman Amy Hasenberg said Walker's decision not to call special elections was "consistent with the law" and accused a "D.C.-based special interest group" of wanting to waste Wisconsin taxpayers' money.
"Voters are already going to the polls this year to elect new representatives in these districts," she said, referring to the August primary and November general election. "The Legislature will be adjourned for 2018 before these seats could be filled in special elections, and staff in these offices are working for constituents until new leaders are elected."
Democrats, including Holder's group, have launched a coordinated effort to chip away at Republican dominance from lower-level offices on up. The fight for control of legislative chambers matters both over policy debates but also because they will be the ones who draw state and congressional political boundary lines following the 2020 Census.
Both of the vacant seats were held by Republicans - Sen. Frank Lasee, of De Pere, and Rep. Keith Ripp, of Lodi - who resigned on Dec. 29 to take jobs in Walker's administration. The Senate seat, which covers the Door County peninsula northeast of Green Bay, has been under Republican control for at least the past 40 years and Ripp had held the Assembly seat, in a rural area north of Madison, since 2008.
Republicans control the state Senate 18-14 with one vacancy and the Assembly 63-35 with one vacancy.
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Follow Scott Bauer on Twitter at https://twitter.com/sbauerAP
MEXICO CITY (AP) - Two kidnapped Americans from Texas were rescued near the northern city of Monterrey and their two alleged abductors arrested, Mexican authorities reported.
The Nuevo Leon prosecutors' office said Sunday in a statement that the victims traveled to the state on Feb. 17, and lost contact with their families in the United States the following day. On Feb. 19, the relatives began to receive ransom demands.
The unidentified Texans were rescued by members of a special anti-kidnapping unit Saturday in the Monterrey suburb of Juarez, thanks to a tip that led them to locate the alleged kidnappers on a highway.
Nuevo Leon prosecutors said the Americans were transported to the United States in collaboration with the U.S. Consulate.
The U.S. Embassy in Mexico City said Monday that it was "aware of reports of two U.S. citizens kidnapped and later rescued," but did not give further details.
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) - The stepmother of a missing 5-year-old Kansas boy was criminally charged Monday with endangering a child while the search for the boy stretched into its second week.
Emily Glass, 26, stepmother of Lucas Hernandez, made a brief appearance via video conference to hear the charge against her. She will continue to be held on $50,000 bond. She said she planned to hire her own attorney before her next court appearance March 13.
Glass was originally booked into jail Feb. 21 on two counts of child endangerment, with police saying the counts related to Lucas and a 1-year-old child. It wasn't immediately clear Monday if the child endangerment charge was related to Lucas or the other child.
The boy has been missing since Feb. 17, when Glass reported he disappeared while she showered and took a nap in their Wichita home.
Extensive searches involving more than 100 officers, along with dogs and helicopters, have been conducted in Wichita parks, nearby streams and the neighborhood where Glass lived. Citizens groups joined the search on Monday but have found no sign of the boy. Police have not said why they focused on the parks.
Investigators have said they found no evidence the boy was abducted.
Police reports show officers have been called to the family's home in the past when the boy's father and stepmother fought. Relatives have alleged that Lucas was abused but no other charges have been filed in the boy's disappearance.
Lucas has brown hair and brown eyes, is about 4-feet tall and weighs about 60 pounds. He was last seen wearing black sweats, white socks and a gray shirt with a bear on it.
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) - The Latest on the indictment of Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens (all times local):
6:25 p.m.
The Missouri House has passed a bill that would make it a felony to disseminate - or threaten to disseminate - private sexual images.
FILE - In this Jan. 29, 2018 file photo, Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens speaks in Palmyra, Mo. Missouri lawmakers are returning to the Statehouse for the first time Monday, Feb. 26, 2018 since Greitens was indicted, with plans to discuss assembling a committee whose investigation could lead to his impeachment. The first-term Republican governor was indicted late Thursday on felony invasion of privacy. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson, File)
The 149-1 House vote Monday comes as Gov. Eric Greitens is facing a felony indictment on a charge of invasion of privacy for allegedly taking a photo of a nude or partially nude woman in 2015 and transmitting it to a computer.
Lawmakers didn't mention Greitens during their brief debate Monday. But some noted that the legislation also had been proposed last year. The allegations against Greitens did not become public until this past January.
Greitens has acknowledged having an affair but has denied using a photo as blackmail for the woman to remain silent.
The House legislation now moves to the Senate.
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5 p.m.
St. Louis prosecutors say the ongoing investigation of Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens could include matters beyond the allegation of invasion of privacy involving a woman with whom he had an affair.
The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports that a contentious, unscheduled hearing occurred Monday in St. Louis Circuit Court, during which the Republican governor's legal team accused the circuit attorney's office of improperly using the grand jury to perform the investigation.
The grand jury's indictment of Greitens was announced Thursday. He is accused of taking a compromising, unauthorized photo of the woman in 2015, before he was governor. He has admitted to the affair but denies committing a crime.
A judge at the hearing set a tentative trial date of May 14.
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4:45 p.m.
A special panel of seven Missouri House members will investigate allegations against Gov. Eric Greitens following his indictment on a felony invasion-of-privacy charge related to an extramarital affair.
House Speaker Todd Richardson said the panel announced Monday will include five Republicans and two Democrats. It will be led by Republican Rep. Jay Barnes, a Jefferson City attorney.
Barnes pledged a "fair, thorough and timely" investigation "without any pre-ordained results."
Greitens is accused of taking a photo of a woman in a compromising position and transmitting it to a computer. He has admitted to an affair, but his attorney says he is innocent of invasion of privacy.
A pair of Republican House members said Thursday that they had gathered signatures from about a dozen GOP lawmakers calling for Greitens' resignation.
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1:30 p.m.
Black activists in St. Louis say Gov. Eric Greitens' criticism of the city's circuit attorney following his felony indictment had racial undertones.
About 100 people, most of them African-American, gathered for a protest Monday outside a St. Louis courthouse to show their support for Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner, who is black.
Gardner, a Democrat, launched an investigation of the Republican governor in January after he admitted to an extramarital affair in 2015, before he was governor. A grand jury on Thursday indicted Greitens on one count of invasion of privacy, alleging he took a compromising photo of the woman without her consent.
Greitens says he committed no crime and in a statement blamed Gardner, calling her a "reckless liberal prosecutor."
The Rev. Darryl Gray, one of the leaders of the St. Louis protest, called the governor's response "character assassination" and says it is typical of the way blacks in leadership positions are often treated.
Messages seeking a response from Greitens were not immediately returned.
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11 a.m.
A man convicted of invasion of privacy in Missouri 19 years ago is asking Gov. Eric Greitens for a pardon, using the same argument that the governor's lawyers are using in the effort to dismiss an indictment of Greitens.
A St. Louis grand jury last week indicted the Republican governor on felony invasion of privacy. In 1999, Paul Henreid was convicted of invasion of privacy in St. Louis for secretly filming sex partners.
Henreid's attorney, Al Watkins, says it would be "hypocritical" for Greitens to reject the pardon request. An email message left Monday with Greitens' spokesman was not immediately returned.
Henreid's trial attorneys argued that the law was aimed at "peeping Toms," not someone engaged in a consensual relationship. Greitens' attorneys made a similar argument in the motion to dismiss.
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10 a.m.
A St. Louis grand jury's investigation of Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens isn't complete, even though an indictment was issued last week.
Susan Ryan, a spokeswoman for Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner, said Monday that the grand jury investigation of the Republican governor is "ongoing." There is no timetable for when it will be complete, and Ryan declined to say what else the grand jury is investigating.
Greitens was indicted Thursday on felony invasion of privacy. The charge stems from an extramarital affair he had with his St. Louis hairdresser starting in March 2015, before he was elected.
Prosecutors allege Greitens took a compromising photo of the woman without her consent. Greitens has admitted to the affair but says no crime was committed.
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8:45 a.m.
Missouri lawmakers are returning to the Statehouse for the first time since Gov. Eric Greitens was indicted, with plans to discuss assembling a committee whose investigation could lead to his impeachment.
The first-term Republican governor was indicted late Thursday on felony invasion of privacy. The charge stems from an extramarital affair he had with his hairdresser in March 2015, before he was elected.
Prosecutors allege Greitens took a compromising photo of the woman without her consent. Greitens has admitted to the affair but says no crime was committed.
Legislators are reconvening Monday. House Republican leaders say they'll form a group of lawmakers to investigate the allegations and determine whether the governor can lead the state amid the felony case. Greitens' attorney said he welcomes the investigation.
House leaders didn't specifically mention impeachment, a process that must begin in the House with an investigation.
Most smaller companies believe the Government is ignoring their concerns on Brexit, according to a new report.
A survey of over 650 owner-managed businesses showed that only 41 said ministers were listening to their views.
Accountants Moore Stephens said its study highlighted how much work was needed to convince small-to-medium sized companies that the deal to leave the European Union protects their interests.
Brexit worries of smaller firms (Stefan Rousseau/PA)
Trade tariffs was the main concern of those polled, followed by loss of EU labour and customers.
Mark Lamb, of Moore Stephens, said the research found that the level of concern amongst business leaders over Brexit was incredibly high.
He added: Whilst banks and other big businesses have the influence to lobby the Government for their own special Brexit clauses, there are concerns that small businesses will be forgotten about.
Business owners are hugely concerned about what Brexit might mean for them. The Government must take their needs seriously when negotiating the exit deal.
Brexit could potentially impact an enormous number of issues affecting owner-managed businesses in the UK; from import and export costs, to access to labour, and grants and subsidies.
Businesses have been given very little clarity so far on what effect Brexit might have on any of these issues.
A British artist has captured 300 years of history in a new work which took two years to complete.
Robin Reynolds pen and ink piece, New Orleans: Between Heaven And Hell, is almost two metres long.
It will be exhibited in New Orleans as part of events celebrating the citys 300th anniversary.
The work captures the history of the US city, from the slave economy, fires, plagues, wars and Hurricane Katrina, as well as its music and culture.
Robin Reynolds and his work (Robin Reynolds)
Reynolds, 65, from Ruscombe, Berkshire, said that New Orleans was an irresistible, but also overwhelming subject.
The history is almost impossibly rich in variety, he said.
But I was also curious about the recent past. People would say to me I wish I had gone to New Orleans before it was destroyed by the hurricane.
An extract from the work (Robin Reynolds)
Its far from having been destroyed. Katrina is certainly a vivid and tragic chapter, but looking back, you see that resilience is part of the New Orleans story.
The picture will be accompanied by an interactive guide showing more than 170 themes and events depicted in the work.
The pen, ink and watercolour will be shown at the exhibition Art Of The City: Postmodern To Post-Katrina, in May.
Robins panorama of London was displayed as part of the events marking the 400th anniversary of Shakespeares death in 2016.
Nile Rodgers has revealed he found his latest cancer battle more peaceful because of his past experience with the disease.
The acclaimed hitmaker, 65, announced his prognosis as 100% recovery in December after undergoing surgery in the United States.
He said the knowledge he had beaten cancer once meant he already had a survivors mindset, referencing his battle with prostate cancer in 2010.
Nile Rodgers (Victoria Jones/PA Wire)
Rodgers told the Press Association: Surprisingly enough it was much more peaceful than I had the first time around.
I remembered all the therapy and all the things I had to go to where I was the first time.
But I survived it so I just thought the second time regardless of what I would have to go through my mindset was to survive it.
After beating the disease for a second time, Rodgers said it didnt take too much convincing for him to sign Chic up to a Teenage Cancer Trust fundraising gig at the Royal Albert Hall next month.
The producer, guitarist and songwriter also revealed the long-awaited first Chic album since 1992, Its About Time, is pretty much finished.
The record was first scheduled for release in 2015 but has been pushed back for the past three years.
The Chic album is graded, its pretty much finished. Now were looking at different video directors and thinking out the concept, he said.
Nile Rodgers & Chic perform at the Royal Albert Hall on March 21 as part of the Teenage Cancer Trust week of performances with tickets on sale now.
An 18-year-old man has been charged with the murders of two young men.
Scotland Yard said Isaiah Popoola, of Grafton Way in Camden, north London, will appear at Highbury Magistrates Court on Monday charged with the murders of Abdikarim Hassan and Sadiq Aadam Mohamed on February 20.
Sadiq Mohamed, 20, died from serious stab injuries after being discovered in Malden Road, Camden, at around 10.15pm.
At 8.30pm the same evening, Abdikarim Hassan, 17, was found with knife wounds in Bartholomew Road and died at the scene.
Abdikarin Hassan (Family Handout/PA)
Scotland Yard said Popoola has also been charged with alleged attacks on two others in Aldenham Street, Camden, on the same night.
He has been charged with grievous bodily harm on a 17-year-old and attempted GBH on a 24-year-old.
Ten people were killed as air strikes and bombing of rebel-held suburbs east of Damascus resumed despite a UN ceasefire resolution, a Syrian monitoring group and paramedics said.#
Syrian state TV broadcast live footage showing the Harasta suburb being pounded by air strikes and artillery.
The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights and the oppositions Syrian Civil Defence, also known as the White Helmets, said nine people died in an air strike shortly after midnight on the suburb of Douma and one person was killed in Harasta on Monday morning.
The UN Security Council unanimously approved a resolution demanding a 30-day ceasefire across Syria (Craig Ruttle/AP)
The new deaths bring to 24 the two-day death toll in eastern Ghouta, on the edge of Damascus, despite the UN Security Councils unanimous approval on Saturday of a resolution demanding a 30-day ceasefire across Syria. Fourteen people were killed on Sunday.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said it is high time to stop this hell on Earth.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterre (Armando Franca/AP)
Speaking at the start of a session of the UN-backed Human Rights Council on Monday, he also appealed on the warring sides to abide by the ceasefire.
The remarks were Mr Guterres first to a UN body since the 15-member council unanimously adopted the resolution at the weekend.
The UN chief said he welcomed the move but added that Security Council resolutions are only meaningful if they are effectively implemented.
He added that he expects the resolution to be immediately implemented and sustained
Mr Guterres also called for safe, unimpeded and sustained delivery of humanitarian aid and services, and evacuations of the sick and wounded.
Clerks filmmaker Kevin Smith has said he nearly died of a massive heart attack.
The actor, director and producer, 47, said he would not still be alive if he had not gone to hospital.
He wrote on Twitter: After the first show this evening, I had a massive heart attack.
Kevin Smith (Yui Mok/PA)
After the first show this evening, I had a massive heart attack. The Doctor who saved my life told me I had 100% blockage of my LAD artery (aka the Widow-Maker). If I hadnt canceled show 2 to go to the hospital, I wouldve died tonight. But for now, Im still above ground! pic.twitter.com/M5gSnW9E5h KevinSmith (@ThatKevinSmith) February 26, 2018
The Doctor who saved my life told me I had 100% blockage of my LAD artery (aka the Widow-Maker).
If I hadnt canceled show 2 to go to the hospital, I wouldve died tonight. But for now, Im still above ground!
He also shared a wide-eyed selfie from his hospital bed, in which he can be seen wearing a surgical gown with tubes running down his face and across his chest.
Smith had been due to perform two shows at the Alex Theatre in Glendale, California, on February 25, at 6pm and 9pm.
The Kevin Smith Live! show was billed as: Silent but deadly, Kevin Smith tells long-ass stories that aim to amuse.
If you like your comedy by the pound, you cant go wrong with this yapping fool from TVs Comic Book Men as he talks about life, comic books, movies and more!
Chinese censors have acted quickly to remove satirical commentary online about the ruling Communist Partys move to enable President Xi Jinping to stay in power indefinitely.
The move comes as political observers weigh the possibility that China will return to an era of one-man rule.
One day after the party announced a proposed constitutional change to be approved next month, Chinese internet users found themselves unable to signal approval or disapproval by changing their profiles. Key search topics such as serve another term were censored.
Nevertheless, social media users shared images of Winnie the Pooh hugging a jar of honey along with the quote: Find the thing you love and stick with it.
Memorabilia featuring Mr Xi are displayed at a souvenir shop in Beijing (AP)
The Disney bears image has been compared to President Xi Jinping, prompting periodic blocks on the use of Pooh pictures online.
Other online commenters wrote: Attention, the vehicle is reversing an automated announcement used by Chinese delivery vehicles suggesting that China is returning to the era of former dictator Mao Zedong or even imperial rule.
Another widely-circulated comment played on the intense pressure young Chinese often face from their parents to marry and produce grandchildren.
My mother told me that I have to get married during Xi Dadas presidential term, it said, using a reference for Xi typically translated as Big Uncle Xi.
Now I can finally breathe a long sigh of relief, the post read.
The plans to extend Mr Xis time in power have echoes of Mao Zedongs rule (AP)
Not all the censored posts were critical of the proposal to eliminate term limits. Some users pointed out that countries like Germany and Canada also do not have term limits for their leaders, while others simply commented on news of the announcement with: Witnessing history.
The countrys parliament, the National Peoples Congress, is all but certain to pass the amendment when it meets for its annual session early next month. Under the 1982 constitution, the president is limited to two five-year terms in office, but Mr Xi already Chinas most powerful leader since Mao appears to want additional terms to see through his agenda of fighting corruption, eliminating poverty and transforming China into a modern leading nation by the mid-century.
Or, some have speculated, he may simply wish to retain near-absolute power for as long as possible.
Xi has made robust diplomacy and a muscular military posture in the South China Sea and elsewhere a hallmark of his style of rule and more can be expected in coming years, experts said.
In terms of trade relations with the US, entrenched differences between the worlds number one and number two economies will likely remain, said James Zimmerman, former chairman of the American Chamber of Commerce in China.
Mr Xis rule has been characterised by a relentless crackdown on critics and independent civil society voices such as lawyers netted in a sweeping crackdown on legal activists that began in July 2015. Joseph Cheng, a long-time observer of Chinese politics now retired from the City University of Hong Kong, said that following the passage of the constitutional amendment: There will be even less tolerance of criticism.
Melrose Industries has been handed a double boost in its pursuit of engineering giant GKN by winning regulatory backing in the US and Canada.
The 7.4 billion hostile bid has been cleared by the US Federal Trade Commission under its competition rules after being handed early termination of the applicable waiting period.
Canadian authorities have also waved the proposed deal through after its Competition Bureau sent a no-action letter to Melrose.
GKN employs around 58,200 staff and makes wing tips for Airbus (Andrew Matthews/PA)
The move comes after GKN wrote to investors earlier this month to warn over the entirely opportunistic takeover bid, saying its inexperienced management team and short-term business model are inappropriate for the business.
The group also outlined a new strategic plan, which will see GKN sell off parts of its business to fund a 2.5 billion payout to investors.
Melrose has swooped on GKN after profit warnings in October and November following problems at its US aerospace division sent shares tumbling.
GKN, which employs around 58,200 staff and makes wing tips for Airbus, also ditched its incoming boss in November less than two months before he was due to take the top job as it warned over another hit in its troubled US plant.
The Redditch-based firm has responded to the unwanted attention by vowing to separate its aerospace and automotive units and hiring a new chief executive.
Shares in GKN and Melrose rose 1% and fell by 0.1% respectively in morning trading on the London Stock Exchange.
Doctors may be missing cases of deadly bacterial meningitis in babies, a charity has warned.
The comments from the Meningitis Research Foundation (MRF) come after a new study found that classic symptoms of bacterial meningitis were uncommon among babies with the deadly illness.
Fever has long been thought of as a key symptom of bacterial meningitis but the study has found that only around half of babies under the age of three months with the disease had a fever.
Meningitis symptoms in babies are often non-specific, a study found (PA)
As the temperature drops once again, it's important to remember that the earliest signs of meningitis can often resemble a cold or flu. Meningitis can happen to anyone, at any time. Make sure you know the signs. pic.twitter.com/no6BNNBdNx Meningitis Research (@M_R_F) February 24, 2018
Researchers from St Georges, University of London, examined data on 263 babies in Britain with bacterial meningitis.
Their study, published in the Paediatric Infectious Diseases journal, found that only 54% of infants had a fever.
The MRF said that fever has been a trigger for further medical investigations for decades.
Meanwhile, 28% had seizures with 22% showing a bulging fontanelle.
Of the 263 babies, 23 died and 56 of the surviving babies suffered serious complications.
The authors concluded that classic features of meningitis were uncommon among the babies studied.
Professor Paul Heath, one of the study investigators, said: The symptoms displayed by young infants when they are seen by doctors at first in hospital are often non-specific and only half of cases showed signs of a fever.
Clinicians must, therefore, still consider bacterial meningitis in the diagnosis of an unwell infant that doesnt present with fever.
URGENT WARNING: Experts now predict that only around HALF of young babies with meningitis present with a fever. For decades a fever has been a major trigger for further medical investigation.
Find out more: https://t.co/CEvMBkmv8V Meningitis Research (@M_R_F) February 26, 2018
Vinny Smith, chief executive at the MRF, said: Young babies are particularly vulnerable to bacterial meningitis. Meningitis and septicaemia are deadly diseases that strike without warning. Rapid diagnosis and treatment provides the best chance of survival.
Based on this research, we have collaborated with the study investigators to create a teaching package aimed at doctors and health professionals to aid rapid diagnosis and treatment.
We have also updated our symptoms information for parents so that they know not to rely on fever alone as the main symptom to look out for in babies.
:: For more information visit: www.meningitis.org/HCPresources.
Unions and business leaders welcomed Jeremy Corbyns speech on Brexit, although directors say there are still unanswered questions.
Unite general secretary Len McCluskey said: Jeremy Corbyn has shown that people really do have a choice on Brexit.
On the one hand, there is Labour which has pledged to build on the trading arrangements presently supporting millions of jobs in this country.
Jeremy Corbyn has set out Labours Brexit plans (Stefan Rousseau/PA)
A Corbyn government will also make it a priority to tackle the greedy bosses who have abused migrant workers to undermine employment conditions and attack the rate for the job.
On the other hand, there are the Tories who are quite clearly putting their own party interests above those of the nation.
Paul Everitt, chief executive of ADS, the trade association for the aerospace, defence, security and space sectors, said: A customs union with the EU is a practical solution that would put businesses in the best possible position to compete after Brexit.
We welcome the position set out by the Leader of the Opposition today that Labour will support a customs union with the EU and stay in important EU agencies.
Stephen Martin, director general of the Institute of Directors, said: While Labour has firmed up their position on customs today, there are still many unanswered questions from both Labour and the Conservatives about the UKs future relationship with EU, and this is making it hard for businesses to plan.
As with everything about the Brexit process, extracting detailed and specific answers on the future trade arrangements from our political leaders has been a slow and laborious process.
Tim Roache, general secretary of the GMB union, said: The Governments approach to Brexit would have a negative impact on many industries where our members work.
By committing to a customs union, Labour is showing clear leadership that would safeguard our ports, transport firms and manufacturing sectors.
Labours commitment to a customs union will help protect the jobs we need Read more >> https://t.co/cLy3CZLZ6O #CorbynSpeech pic.twitter.com/ektQzyRskh GMB Union (@GMB_union) February 26, 2018
Ian Wright, director general of the Food and Drink Federation, said: The Leader of the Opposition is correct to highlight the complexities of those supply chains which rely upon on barrier-free and tariff-free trade.
The success of UK food and drink manufacturers depends upon the frictionless movement of ingredients and finished products nowhere is this more stark than on the island of Ireland, where food and drink can cross the border five or six times.
Transport Salaried Staffs Association general secretary Manuel Cortes said: TSSA welcomes Jeremys approach that places the people of Britain rather than the Tories back at the heart of the Brexit conundrum.
Jeremy is right that we are all in this together. He is the only politician people now trust to deliver a Brexit approach that will be in the interests of the many not the few.
Carolyn Fairbairn, director general of the CBI, said: The Labour leaders commitment to a customs union will put jobs and living standards first by remaining in a close economic relationship with the EU.
It will help grow trade without accepting freedom of movement or payments to the EU.
Importantly, a customs union will go part of the way to providing a real-world solution to the Irish border question that is of such urgent concern to the people and firms of Northern Ireland.
Labours calls for nationalisation continue to miss the point. More than ever, Brexit means the UK must be seen as a great place to invest and create jobs. Taxpayers will pay the price if Labour turns its back on good collaboration between the government and the private sector. CBI (@CBItweets) February 26, 2018
But businesses have their eyes wide open on Labours overall rhetoric on re-nationalisation.
If Labour turns its back on good collaboration between the Government and the private sector putting vital sectors solely in the hands of politicians public services, infrastructure and taxpayers will ultimately pay the price.
The CBI will continue to engage with the Labour Party to find better solutions to the shared challenges we face.
TUC general secretary Frances OGrady said: The Labour leaders speech was a welcome step forwards.
It provided some of the answers working people need on how their jobs, rights and livelihoods will be protected, and it exposed the threat to manufacturing jobs from the Governments red line on a customs union.
Stephen Phipson, chief executive of the EEF, the manufacturers organisation, said: The acceptance of the need for a post-Brexit customs union reflects what EEF and UK manufacturing have long called for.
BCC comments on #CorbynSpeech and calls for a pragmatic deal with the EU on both customs and regulatory recognition that allows businesses to get their goods across borders as quickly as possible https://t.co/O3soLMgJgu pic.twitter.com/65KyRvd6EC BCC (@britishchambers) February 26, 2018
Manufacturers have been vocal about the complexity of the supply chains between the EU and UK in which they operate, and that free and frictionless trade can only be achieved by comparable customs rules to those that the UK currently enjoys.
However, how Labour could practically achieve this and maintain a close relationship with the single market and EU agencies, and have a say in future trade deals, remains unclear.
Adam Marshall, director general of the British Chambers of Commerce, said: Jeremy Corbyns position on the customs union, like the Governments, feels more political than practical for business.
The priority must be to delve far more into the detail and negotiate a pragmatic deal on both customs and regulatory recognition that allows businesses to get their goods across borders as quickly as possible.
Businesses are interested in clarity and certainty, not Westminster political dividing lines.
Westminster is still having an inward-facing conversation, when what businesses need is a clear understanding of how the UKs political establishment will deliver results in a tough negotiation with Brussels.
Turkey has submitted documents to the Czech authorities formally requesting the extradition of the former leader of a Syrian Kurdish party.
Salih Muslim, former co-chair of the Democratic Union Party, or PYD, was detained in the Czech capital of Prague on Saturday under an Interpol red notice based on a Turkish request for his arrest.
Turkey considers the PYD a terrorist group linked to outlawed Kurdish insurgents fighting within Turkeys own borders.
Salih Muslim was detained under an Interpol red notice (AP)
Muslim was put on Turkeys most-wanted list earlier in February with a one million dollar (715,000) reward.
On Monday, Turkish prosecutors issued a new warrant for his detention, accusing Muslim and about 30 other people of being behind a bomb attack on a tax office in Ankara earlier this month.
Nine people suspected Kurdish militants were detained in connection with the attack, which caused damage to the tax office but no casualties.
Turkish deputy prime minister Bekir Bozdag said the justice ministry had sent a file formally requesting his extradition.
Muslim was expected to appear before a Prague court on Tuesday, which would then decide if he will remain in detention, Turkish ambassador Ahmet Necati Bigali said.
The PYD is the leading political Kurdish force in northern Syria, and Muslim remains highly influential in the party, even after stepping down as co-chair last year.
On January 20, Turkey launched an incursion into northern Syria, seeking to rout the US-backed Syrian Kurdish militia, known as the Peoples Protection Units or YPG, from the enclave of Afrin. The YPG is the armed wing of the PYD.
The outgoing UN human rights chief has accused the veto-wielding members of the Security Council of being second only to criminals who kill and maim when it comes to their responsibility for some of the worlds worst rights violations.
Zeid Raad al-Hussein delivered one of the strongest and clearest denunciations yet from a top UN official about certain uses of the Security Council veto, which gives extraordinary powers to the five countries that wield it: China, France, Russia, the UK and the US.
Speaking to the Human Rights Council, Mr Zeid did not mention specific vetoes, but the comments were an unmistakable allusion to the war in Syria, over which Russia, a major backer of President Bashar Assad, and China have repeatedly used the veto to block efforts to hold war criminals to account or punish Mr Assads government for alleged use of chemical weapons.
Jordans Zeid Raad al Hussein launched a strongly-worded attack on the Security Council (AP)
#StandUp4HumanRights: The worst offenders' disregard and contempt for human rights will be the eventual undoing of all of us. This, we cannot allow to happen. - #Zeid https://t.co/x662CNPpVp #HRC37 https://t.co/bP4Ru6UHkG UN Human Rights (@UNHumanRights) February 26, 2018
Mr Zeid instead spoke more broadly and decried some of the most prolific slaughterhouses of humans in recent times Syrias Eastern Ghouta region, the Ituri and Kasai regions of Congo; the embattled city of Taiz in Yemen; Burundi; and Burmas northern Rakhine state.
He denounced minimal action taken even though his office has repeatedly exposed human rights violations that should have served as a trigger for preventive action.
Mr Zeid added: Given this is my last address as high commissioner at the opening of a March session, I wish to be blunt.
The first tear in the fabric of peace often begins with the serious rights violations of individuals the denial of economic and social rights, civil and political rights, and most of all, in a persistent denial of freedom - #Zeid LIVE @UN_HRC https://t.co/x662CNPpVp #HRC37 UN Human Rights (@UNHumanRights) February 26, 2018
The outspoken Jordanian prince is not seeking a new four-year term when his current one expires in August.
He insisted the five permanent, veto-wielding council members must answer to the victims if the veto is used to block any action that could reduce human suffering.
Second to those who are criminally responsible those who kill and maim the responsibility for the continuation of so much pain lies with the five permanent members of the UN Security Council, he said.
However, Mr Zeid praised France for commendable leadership for its recent push for a code of conduct on use of the veto, which he said the UK and more than 115 countries have supported.
It is time, for the love of mercy, that China, Russia and the United States, join them and end the pernicious use of the veto, he said.
Suranne Jones has said she does not yet know if she will be able to return for a third series of hit BBC drama Doctor Foster.
The actress plays Dr Gemma Foster in the Mike Bartlett-penned drama, which was a huge success with fans across its first two series.
However, during an appearance on ITVs This Morning, Jones appeared to hesitate when asked by hosts Phillip Schofield and Holly Willoughby if she will return for a new series.
She said: Oh, I dont know argh.
Simon (Bertie Carvel) and Gemma (Suranne Jones) in Doctor Foster (Drama Republic/Laurence Cendrowicz)
Jones said that she will soon be busy with new BBC One/HBO historical drama series Gentleman Jack and her play Frozen, which is currently showing in London.
She added that there might also be a second series of her new Sky Atlantic programme Save Me in the pipeline.
Its a time thing, she said.
The second series of Doctor Foster ended with Gemma saving her ex-husband Simon (Bertie Carvel) from suicide before discovering her son has run away.
Asked about continuing the story following Toms disappearance, Jones told Schofield and Willoughby: I know, hes alright, hell be travelling somewhere, hell be fine for a couple of years!
She added: Would you really want him to come back to those damaged parents?
There was almost two years between the series one finale and the premiere of series two in September last year and Jones previously said she could not have anticipated the fan reaction.
She told the Graham Norton Show: It just went crazy. Ive never done a show before where people got so behind it.
You couldnt binge watch it so I think it had that water cooler effect and people loved it.
Bartlett previously said Doctor Foster could only return for a third series and thrive if it came at the right time.
The award-winning drama received an average of 8.9 million viewers over the five episodes of series two, compared to a consolidated average of 8.2 million from its initial series which ran in 2015.
A jury is considering verdicts in the trial of a police officer accused of twice assaulting a handcuffed suspect who had spat in his face.
Pc Paul McVeigh, 48, denies intentionally yanking Jack Moore out of the back of a police van onto the ground and then deliberately throwing him head first onto the cell floor, causing him to land on his chin.
CCTV pictures of both incidents were shown to the jury at Teesside Crown Court, as well as body-worn camera footage of an earlier incident where Mr Moore spat in the officers face, after he was arrested for being drunk and disorderly in Washington, Tyne and Wear, in January 2017.
Paul McVeigh is on trial at Teesside Crown Court (Owen Humphreys/PA)
The officer, who has served with Northumbria Police for 25 years, denied a red mist had descended and Kevin Baumber, defending, said the father-of-two had not lashed out, kicked or punched the abusive suspect at Southwick Police Station, Sunderland.
Mr Moore, who required 15 stitches, later admitted assault and being drunk and disorderly.
David Lidingtons offer to rewrite the flagship Brexit bill to address the concerns of the devolved administrations has been dismissed by the Scottish and Welsh governments.
Theresa Mays Government is at odds with Holyrood and Cardiff Bay about whether powers returned from Brussels after Brexit go to the devolved administrations or Whitehall.
Mr Lidington said the UK Government had made a considerable offer to the devolved administrations with a commitment that the vast majority of powers returning from Brussels will start off in Edinburgh, Cardiff and Belfast rather than Whitehall.
But Scotlands Brexit Minister Michael Russell accused the Tory government of trying to unilaterally rewrite the devolution settlement.
And Wales First Minister Carwyn Jones said further progress was needed that goes beyond warm words because the current version of the legislation was an unacceptable attack on devolution.
David Lidington has called for unity over Brexit from the devolved administrations (Stefan Rousseau/PA)
Setting out his proposals, Mr Lidington said they would mean a very big change to the EU Withdrawal Bill that is before Parliament and a significant step forward in these negotiations.
If accepted, this offer puts beyond doubt our commitment to a smooth and orderly departure from the European Union, in a way that doesnt just respect the devolution settlements, but strengthens and enhances them, he said.
Speaking at Airbus in North Wales, Mr Lidington called for unity behind the approach to Brexit and warned that a divided country at home would be weaker, less secure and less prosperous overseas.
He said: Leaving the EU presents many challenges for our centuries-old union story and opportunities too.
Some want to use this as an excuse to loosen these ties that bind us together or even sever them completely.
I believe such an outcome would leave every one of our four nations both weaker and poorer.
Scotlands Michael Russell claimed the UK Government was trying to rewrite the devolution settlement (John Linton/PA)
But Mr Russell said the UK Governments approach makes a mockery of claims to be a partnership of equals, complaining about a lack of engagement from Whitehall.
He said: However they try to dress this up, the reality is the UK Government is using Brexit to try to take control of devolved powers without the agreement of the Scottish Parliament.
It is totally unacceptable for the Tories to unilaterally rewrite the devolution settlement that the people of Scotland voted for so overwhelmingly.
We have always said we are not opposed to UK-wide arrangements on issues such as food labelling when they are in Scotlands interests but the fundamental point of principle is that any changes to the powers of the Scottish Parliament, permanent or temporary, can only be made with the agreement of Holyrood.
And it is only because Westminster wants to take control of devolved powers that there is any debate on this issue at all.
Welsh First Minister Carwyn Jones said the UK Government needed to offer more than `warm words on post-Brexit devolution (Ben Birchall/PA)
Mr Jones said: I welcome the commitment of the UK Government to continue to work with us on their EU Withdrawal Bill.
However, as currently drafted, the Bill allows the UK Government to take control of devolved policy areas, such as farming and fishing, once the UK has left the EU.
This is an unacceptable attack on devolution in both Wales and Scotland.
We now need further progress that goes beyond warm words and I hope the very big changes promised in the speech equate to sensible amendments to the Bill which respect devolution.
We will continue to work with the UK and Scottish Governments to that end.
Piers Morgan has said he has no idea what his Good Morning Britain co-host Susanna Reid earns, and that he would only worry about it if she was not being paid what she is worth.
The broadcaster has also said that he thinks the BBC has treated women in a very unfair way regarding the pay structure at the corporation.
The BBC has recently faced criticism over the gender pay gap, with a number of BBC women hitting out over unequal pay after a report published last year which revealed the pay for staff on more than 150,000 showed a gap in the earnings of its best-known male and female presenters and actors.
Morgan told the Press Association of his and Reids salaries: I honestly have no idea what Susanna is paid.
And it wouldnt worry me so long as she feels shes being paid what shes worth.
I think thats the key thing, I think for any presenter on television, for anyone in any workplace, do you feel like youre getting paid what youre worth?
Morgan, who also fronts his ITV series Life Stories and a new one-off documentary called Serial Killer, said that he and Reid dont talk about our salaries.
Mines complicated because I do lots of different shows so its probably hard to work out because we get paid for different things, he said.
But I dont think that either of us feel like were being underpaid.
Of the BBC, he said: The BBC has clearly been treating women in very unfair way in terms of salary and pay structure to the men, and everyone can see that now.
The BBC has recently faced criticism over the gender pay gap (Anthony Devlin/PA)
That should not have been happening with public money in a way they are like the Government.
You wouldnt do it with ministers, so why would you do it with television presenters?
Morgan urged women to seek more than just equality with men in the workplace, saying that they should ask for even more money if they are worth more than men.
He said: Why should women just seek equality? I never understood that.
Why dont you want more if youre better than a man at your job, you should be getting more money, so I would say to anybody at any job, whether its television or the military or education or a factory floor, if you think youre better than the man you should get paid more money.
The ITV presenter said: In commercial television, we get paid whatever we deliver if I didnt deliver results on any of the shows I do, they wouldnt be on air, and I wouldnt be on air.
Its a results business, I much prefer that, its much easier, you know I dont have to worry about the public feeling like their money has been squandered on me because its not their money.
Serial Killer With Piers Morgan airs on ITV on Thursday March 1, and Piers Morgans Life Stories airs on ITV on Saturday March 3.
Labour has urged the Scottish Government to bring forward plans for a tourist tax in Scotland after councils backed the move.
The party said the levy on hotel stays would enable local authorities to raise tens of millions of pounds in extra revenue.
Council leaders unanimously agreed last week that local government umbrella body Cosla should start lobbying ministers for the introduction of a transient visitor tax.
Scottish Labour MSP Monica Lennon has written to Communities Secretary Angela Constance on the issue.
Communities Secretary Angela Constance (Jane Barlow/PA)
Our local communities are in serious need of additional funding, she said.
Cuts to local authorities in this years budget mean extremely difficult choices ahead. Those hit hardest by cuts are the poorest groups who are more reliant on a range of public services.
We urgently need to look at new ways for local authorities to raise funds, including a tourist tax.
I believe councils, who understand their local industry and area, should have the choice to ask visitors for a bit more to make sure local services are properly funded.
A tourist tax was included in Labours recent 2018/19 budget proposals, with the party stating a tax charged per night per person at a maximum of 2 per night would raise up to 70 million a year.
A Scottish Government spokeswoman said: We have been consistent in our stance that, given the potential impact on tourism, we have no plans to introduce visitor levy on the tourism sector, which is already subject to the second highest VAT rates in Europe by the UK Government.
Prosecutors want to appeal the sentence of loyalist supergrass Gary Haggarty.
The former Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF) leader in North Belfast was handed a minimum six-and-a-half-year sentence at Belfast Crown Court after admitting more than 200 offences, including five murders.
The judge said he would serve six-and-a-half years in prison before he is entitled to consideration for release by the Parole Commissioners as part of the peace process deal involving a heavily-discounted sentence in exchange for giving information about his criminal colleagues.
Director of Public Prosecutions Stephen Herron is referring the sentence to the Court of Appeal (PPS/PA)
However, he has already served 1,186 days in prison on remand and is entitled to credit for that.
A statement from the Public Prosecution Service (PPS) said: The Director of Public Prosecutions, Stephen Herron, has today sought leave to refer the sentence imposed on Gary Haggarty to the Court of Appeal on the grounds that it is unduly lenient.
Haggartys evidence has led to one person being charged with murder.
His murder targets included:
John Harbinson, who was beaten to death with a hammer by a UVF gang in North Belfast in May 1997. Afterwards Haggarty went and had a drink in a nearby house, the trial judge said.
Catholic Sean McParland, who was shot dead in front of children in 1994. Haggarty volunteered to be the lead gunman to dispel UVF suspicions about informers, the judge said.
Catholic workmen Eamon Fox, 44, a father of six, and Gary Convie, 24, a father of one, were shot dead as they had lunch together in a car in Belfast.
Sean McDermott, a 37-year-old Catholic found shot dead in his car near Antrim in August 1994.
Haggarty admitted involvement in the killings as part of the deal to give evidence against criminals charged.
Most people named in his police interviews will not face prosecution amid state concerns about a lack of supporting evidence.
Families of his victims said he was allowed to kill at will.
A blast of intense cold weather dubbed the Beast from the East has reached the UK, with temperatures expected to dip below freezing throughout the week.
The extreme temperatures mean the risks faced by rough sleepers are even greater, and campaigners warn it could be deadly for some forced to spend the night outside.
As a result, special measures are in place enabling local authorities to offer immediate accommodation to those sleeping on the street. But authorities rely heavily on members of the public reporting people they see on the streets in order that they can find them.
Here is what to do if you see someone sleeping rough, according to professionals:
Ask yourself, does the person need emergency help?
1. If the person in question is under age or is sleeping rough with a child in their care, this is a matter to refer to the police immediately as local authorities have a legal obligation to provide shelter to children.
2. If the person is in need of urgent medical attention for example, if they have an open wound or appear to be seriously ill calling 999 for an ambulance will get them professional help, and quickly.
3. Another immediate concern, especially in cold conditions, is where the person is set to spend the next few hours. Day shelters offering food and clothing and usually during the winter months night shelters that offer safe, warm sleeping areas, are in operation in many areas, so Google those running in your area.
Will they be outside in sub-zero temperatures?
During extremely cold weather specifically, when temperatures fall to zero degrees or lower for three days special measures come into action with the Severe Weather Emergency Protocol (SWEP).
When this comes into force, the local authority and other organisations in the area will work to offer extra temporary accommodation where possible.
Your local authoritys housing options number usually easy to find online can give you more information on whether SWEP is in place and what local shelter options are available.
(PA Graphics)
How do I alert the local authority?
If no immediate shelter is available, you can still help a rough sleeper get on the path to engaging with services usually through their local authority. It is important, if you have been able to speak to them, that you get their consent to do this.
One option available for members of the public in England and Wales is StreetLink a service that centralises reporting of rough sleepers.
A call or online referral to StreetLink will, where appropriate, be passed to the relevant local services usually local authority outreach teams who operate at night.
Each councils team has a different timetable dependent on demand, but they typically aim to reach a rough sleeper in one-to-three nights and offer support.
Sending an alert about a rough sleeper when SWEP provision is in place will ensure local services are aware of the individual and can refer them to this emergency accommodation.
Over the first nine months of 2017, the public sent more than 21,000 alerts to StreetLink, the charity said, connecting thousands of rough sleepers to accommodation and support services.
Now that winter has set in, were asking people to download the app on to their phones, send an alert when they are concerned about someone sleeping rough and tell their friends and colleagues about StreetLink, so that together we can help support vulnerable people to get their lives back on track, said director Matt Harrison.
Due to the high volume of calls, StreetLink advises the best method to refer rough sleepers is via the website or app.
What if I live outside England and Wales?
There is no equivalent centralised service for referring rough sleepers in Scotland or Northern Ireland. In Scotland, Shelter Scotland can offer help and advice, while people in Northern Ireland are advised to refer rough sleepers to the Northern Ireland Housing Executive as a first port of call.
What information do I need to give?
Local outreach teams will welcome as much of the following information as possible in order to locate a rough sleeper:
Night-time sleep location: This is absolutely key in many cases, as this is when most outreach teams operate. If you have this information, be as precise as possible.
A physical description: For obvious reasons, this can go a long way to helping outreach workers find someone who is sleeping rough.
Any particular concerns: Health issues (whether the rough sleeper has medication that requires refrigeration, for example), or other concerns workers should be aware of if and when they meet the rough sleeper.
Should I give my own money?
Many have different feelings about giving money to people they meet on the street, and there isnt any right answer to this issue.
Some feel more comfortable donating to housing or homelessness charities of which there are a number to help tackle the issue.
However, if you are unable to help in any other way, theres certainly no harm in offering someone a warm drink, some food or a blanket or even just someone to talk to for a while.
The Syrian government has arranged a safe exit route for residents of a besieged rebel-held suburb of Damascus, according to the Russian military.
Major General Yuri Yevtushenko, the head of the Russian militarys Centre for Reconciliation in Syria, said Syrian government forces will maintain daily ceasefires in eastern Ghouta from 9am to 2pm.
He said Syrian authorities had set up a humanitarian corridor for civilians exit and would distribute leaflets with specifics about the evacuation.
Maj Gen Yevtushenko said al Qaida-linked militants and some rebel groups in eastern Ghouta are preventing civilians from leaving and using them as shields while continuing to shell the capital.
The United Nations Security Council meeting on Saturday (AP/Craig Ruttle)
The announcement of the ceasefires comes two days after the UN Security Council unanimously approved a resolution demanding a 30-day ceasefire across Syria.
The UN ceasefire failed to take hold as air strikes continued and Syrian ground forces fought to push into the besieged area from the west.
Civilians caught in the violence mocked Russian President Vladimir Putins order of a limited, five-hour daily truce.
It is like legitimising the strikes on civilians, said activist Firas Abdullah, a resident of Douma, a town in the region where at least 13 members of a family were killed on Monday when their home collapsed after an air strike.
They will be so kind to grant us a mere five hours when they will not bomb us. Then the rest of the day, they will bomb us as usual. It is like a permission to kill, Mr Abdullah said.
The carnage in the eastern Ghouta region has killed more than 500 people since last week.
At least 34 were killed on Monday by air strikes and shelling, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.
The UN estimates that nearly 400,000 people live in dire conditions from the siege in eastern Ghouta, which has been under intensive bombing by government forces for weeks.
Other Ghouta residents also scoffed at the Russian move, saying it reminded them of a similar one for a besieged eastern district of Aleppo in 2016.
The political leader of the Army of Islam, the strongest rebel group in eastern Ghouta, called the Russian order regrettable, saying Moscow sought to circumvent the Security Councils unanimously approved resolution.
This (Russian) decision nullifies the legitimacy of the United Nations, Mohammed Alloush said. We want a total and lasting ceasefire in accordance with the UN resolution and one that opens corridors for humanitarian aid.
Levantes long search for a LaLiga victory continues after they lost 2-0 at home to Real Betis.
The Valencia-based club have not won in 12 league matches, stretching back to November 19, and Betis inflicted their seventh loss in the last nine matches in all competitions.
After a goalless first half the deadlock was finally broken in the 56th minute and it was misfortune which befell struggling Levante with Chema Rodriguezs own goal giving the visitors the lead.
Levante were beaten by Real Betis (Nick Potts/PA)
Since their last league win Levante have scored more than once in a game on only one occasion bizarrely the 2-2 home draw with Real Madrid so Betis second 21 minutes from the end effectively wrapped up three points.
Sergio Leons low, right-footed shot from outside the penalty area did the damage to leave Levante just a point outside the bottom three.
Agalawatte Plantations PLC will raise fresh equity capital by way of a rights issue to partly settle its related party borrowings raised last year as part of its restructuring.
Currently the plantation group has 25 million ordinary shares in issue with a negative shareholder fund of Rs.1.9 billion, the latest financial results up to September 30, 2017 showed. D R Investment, the owners of Damro, holds 61 percent of the stake in the company. Sonia Ng and DrT.Senthilverl are also among the other minority shareholders. The mismanaged plantations group under its former Chairman, Dr. Chris Nonis, who was the former High Commissioner to the United Kingdom, last Friday announced it would issue 131.25 million new shares with the proportion of 21 new shares for each 4 ordinary shares held at Rs.15.30 a share to raise a total of Rs.2.0 billion in new equity.
The stock exchange disclosure said the proceeds of the rights issue would be utilised to part settle the related party borrowings amounting to Rs.2.0 billion obtained during April 2017 to December 2017 for the purpose of settling the companys outstanding bank borrowings, statutory dues and funding the working capital requirements.
In July 2016, 60.8 percent stake of Agalawatte Plantations was sold by its major shareholder, Mackwoods Plantations Limited to Browns Power Holdings Private Limited, an LOLC group company for Rs.304 million.
But in little less than a year on March 27, 2017 Browns sold its stake to D R Investments, for Rs.275 million.
The sale was made when Mackwoods group of companies was mired in an ownership tussle, where Dr.Nonis and his family members were at the centre.
Previous management was accused of squandering millions of company owned money on his personal extravaganza such as a heli-pad at Labookellie Estate to accommodate the visit of a VVIP and a villa complex constructed at Culloden Estate. Agalawatte Plantations manages 15 estates, which include tea, rubber and oil palm covering a total extent of 10,919 hectares and employs around 5,000 workers. The group had an asset base of Rs.4.3 billion by the end of 2014, down to Rs.3.6 billion by September 30, 2017. After taking over the company, the new management proposed a debt-to-equity restructuring plan to turn the fortunes of the ill-fated company.
The new owners sought a 46-year extension to the lease agreement from the government at the expiration of the current 53-year lease.
The new management also asked for 5 years to settle the outstanding government lease rentals and 50 percent moratorium on the current lease rentals for a period of 5 years until all bank liabilities are settled.
All other liabilities will also be settled but the board requested to waive-off all surcharges on unpaid EPF/ETF, overdue and penal interest on outstanding borrowings and concessionary rate on balance capital outstanding until full settlements are made.
This re-payment will only be successful if company generates approximately Rs.400 million per annum additional cash flow during the next five years.
In the meantime, the new board will also institute legal action against the previous management to recover the funds squandered during their tenure in office and upon recovery of such funds would be utilized to settle the dues.
For the nine months ended September 30, 2017, Agalawatte Plantations group reported a net loss of Rs.22.2 million, significantly down from a loss of Rs.358.6 million during the corresponding period in 2016.
The three women who take in young Suvisal to the family mansion the mother, played by Radha de Mel, and the two aunts, played by Veena Jayakodi and Priya Ranasinghe are nameless. They dont talk, they just laugh and smile, and when they sing to one of the aunts playing the piano, Suvisal (and we) dont hear them: he can only hear that piano. Emotionally they are estranged from them, though they try their best to pander to him, and emotionally, were estranged from them too.
The whole sequence at their mansion, coming right after we are made aware of the storys central conflict, is a flashback, and in it we come across the indifference of the world that Suvisal, the protagonist, was brought up in: somewhat puritanical, tempered by rigid class hierarchies. So when Suvisal sees a girl his age (the daughter of the manservant), he is not a little astounded: its the first time hes come across young, nubile beauty. When they grow up, and meet as adults, that beauty is still nubile; it compels the storys central conflict, and with it its tragedy.
Anantha Rathriya, Prasanna Vithanages second film (after Sisila Gini Gani and before Pawuru Walalu), may be, like Sumitra Periess Sagara Jalaya, one of the three or four most perfectly constructed films ever made here. When it first opened in 2001, the reviews were rave The film fillips the soul (Nan) a thought-provoking cinematic experience (Malinda Seneviratne) and the reviewers were astounded by its effortless economy. At a little more than one hour and 20 minutes, it may have been one of the first contemporary Sinhala movies to liberate itself from the lengthiness that Sinhala movies in general succumbed to. Editing could not have been a piece of cake, Malinda Seneviratne wrote, and he was spot on: theres practically no scene, no sound, no background element, which can be put off or deleted. Largely self-financed (the producer, Damayanthi Fonseka, by then married to Prasanna), it opened up the possibilities that the independent cinema could usher in here.
Although Anantha Rathriya, at the outset, is about the redemptive power of guilt, its also about the burden that such guilt can perpetuate: neither the protagonist (Ravindra Randeniya) nor the woman he rapes and, in one instant, abandons (Swarna Mallawarachchi) can really opt for reconciliation. Prasannas films play around with this dualism, and even in his lesser work, it comes off convincingly (as when Selvi, by jumping off the window and killing herself at her husbands home, compels an epiphany of profound but impossible passion from her abusive, yet also tormented, husband, in Oba Nathuwa Oba Ekka). Ashley Ratnavibushana and Wimal Dissanayake, in Profiling Sri Lankan Cinema, trace Prasannas fixation with the power of guilt to his childhood encounters with Catholic friends. If thats indeed true, I think we can safely say that the worldview which comes off in his work is Catholic: be it a film like Pawuru Walalu, with its Catholic overtones, or Purahanda Kaluwara, with its Buddhist undertones, his characters hope for an effable, otherworldly reconciliation. Sometimes they achieve it (like Wannihami in Purahanda Kaluwara, by opening up his dead sons casket); sometimes they achieve it facilely (like Violet in Pawuru Walalu, by departing to a new life with her paramour); and more often than not, they dont. Suvisal in Anantha Rathriya belongs to the third of these. He tries to bridge his past, but he cant.
And to a considerable extent, I think this has to do with the fact that more so than his other work, Anantha Rathriya neatly contains itself within: nearly every character in the story seems to have something to hide from the other, at a time when everything in the country seems to be at boiling point (the setting of the film is hinted to be the second bheeshanaya, with security checkpoints and distraught fathers of arrested insurrectionists adorning the narrative at various points). This rift, between the apparentness of a public tragedy and the repressiveness of a private dilemma, translates to another, between the proletariat and the bourgeoisie. Without pandering to political polemics, I believe its best to examine what a Marxist critic, writing in Sinhala, had to say about the film, and the response he got from a critic writing in English.
Sucharitha Gamlath, in his review of Anantha Rathriya, contended that Suvisals class orientation, of and towards the bourgeoisie, could not really be squared with his later acts of remorse and reconciliation. Perhaps the bigger problem here was that Prasannas sympathy for the girl, Piyumi, seemed at certain points to be overtaken if not transcended by his equally apparent empathy for the protagonist who impregnates and then abandons her. In both cases, for the political pamphleteer at least anyway, the best intentions of the humanist in the director may have undone a political and social reality: that the bourgeoisie lived on an ethic of self-indulgence and exploitation, that its abandonment of a girl like Piyumi could often be trivialised by them. (In Anantha Rathriya we dont even see this act of brushing off from Suvisals family: neither his mother nor his aunts seem to notice what he has done.)
But what is politically and socially correct in one specific context may not always be so in another. Then again, its easier to identify with a character that is from the class interests you represent because, at the end of the day, Marxist, feminist, or anarchist, a critic is always haunted by his political inclinations the same way that such characters are haunted by their own dark pasts. My problem with the late Professor Gamlaths take on Anantha Rathriya, then, is not just that the rich arent always unredeemable (even when the poor, whom theyve exploited all their lives, refuse to forgive them for what theyve done), but also that Prasannas film has nothing to do with the overtly political, even with its barely visible reference to the bheeshanaya.
The agency of the human being a convenient erasure of a political reality, or a perfectly apt riposte to a damning indictment by the committed critic?
I think Malinda Seneviratne provided the best response:
The remorse that overcomes him is clearly not in concert with the general conditions of the bourgeois ethic and its lifestyle sustained by the exploitation of the poor. In this I agree with Gamlath. At the same time, I find the story to be less about the issue of class than about the perennial themes of responsibility, guilt, and more importantly the agency of the human being, both the dominating and the dominated.
The agency of the human being a convenient erasure of a political reality, or a perfectly apt riposte to a damning indictment by the committed critic? Its human agency that we see in Anantha Rathriya, underscored by political polemics the characters never succumb to. The greatness of a film like Anantha Rathriya was, in this sense, its refusal to enter the explicitly social; though its difficult to suggest that Suvisals rape has nothing to do with his class background, its equally difficult to suggest that it had nothing to do with his personal frailties, transcending, at the time of the rape, that background. Malindas contention was therefore to the dot, then: it tells us everything we should know about a film indicted by that committed critic.
The bigger problem here was that Prasannas sympathy for the girl, Piyumi, seemed at certain points to be overtaken if not transcended by his equally apparent empathy for the protagonist who impregnates and then abandons her
Jayantha Anandappa, writing on Ira Madiyama when it was first released in 2007, implied that neither Pawuru Walalu nor Anantha Rathriya deserved the critical praise they got, and that Anantha Rathriya seemed to betray the filmmakers confusion, as though he was not sure as to what to do with Tolstoys post-conversion masterpiece Resurrection. Despite its economical handling of the players and the settings and the plotlines, despite its deft interplay of the past and the present, I am inclined to agree with Mr Anandappa with respect to one crucial point: the way Suvisal progresses from indifference to remorse. When Suvisal, reminded of Piyumi after coming across his secretary, cruelly shouts at her to get out of his office, the secretary is as confused as we are: because the scene never actually rationalises itself. (The only rational explanation for the scene, for me, is that Suvisal is perpetually and sexually obsessed with young, virginal beauty.) Roughly the same thing can be said of his second telephone conversation with his lawyer friend, played by Asoka Peries, who scoffs at his shows of remorse, scorns him, tells him to do whatever (the hell) he wants, and puts down the phone. We arent really prepared for these sudden fits of temper and anger, because the film hasnt prepared us for them: it flows so gracefully, even when Suvisal creeps to Piyumis room and makes love to her on night (we never see the lovemaking), that these scenes detract. They are needed to explain the cruelty and the indifference of the bourgeoisie, but they come out rather jarringly.
Regardless of all these merits and demerits, one pertinent thing stands out: the Prasanna Vithanage of those early years was, and still remains, the Prasanna Vithanage who mattered the most. In Ira Madiyama, as in Akasa Kusum, he got as close to the political as he could; when he opted to go beyond, as he tried to in Oba Nathuwa Oba Ekka, it was rather like Icarus getting too close to the sun. Its a different world which thus greets us in even as clumsy a debut as Sisila Gini Gani (which nevertheless has its moments of beauty and brilliance, symbolised by the cats-eyes-sensuality of Sabeetha Perera), a world rich in human beings and their flaws, as opposed to the types that we see in Oba Nathuwa Oba Ekka (Anurudda Pradeep Karnasuriya in 2015: The war has ruined our cinema). One clamours for life, the sense of humanity, which only the cinema can epitomise visually. One sees it abundantly in Anantha Rathriya, but one struggles to see it elsewhere. The wood, as always, was missed out for the trees. What happened eventually was that both the wood and the trees were lost, and we were left with a cinema of overinflated ideas.
Stills of the film courtesy of Prasanna Vithanage
One person went missing when a car heading towards Mahiyangana from Badulla toppled into the Viyana canal at the 7th milepost on the Badulla- Mahiyangana Road this morning, Police said.
They said three others including a woman managed to survive.
The injured woman was admitted to the Mahiyangana Hospital with minor injuries.
Police are conducting search operations to locate the missing person.
Even Cabinet ministers, leave alone ordinary government supporters will be unable to explain Sundays Cabinet. Former President Mahinda Rajapaksa seems to have viewed it from a common mans perspective when he described it to journalists in Kandy as a pointless reshuffle. With news that another Cabinet change involving the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) ministers is in the offing, it is not clear as to why the government resorted to a Cabinet reshuffle in stages or on a staggered basis.
With speculation about a rearrangement of the portfolios of State ministers and the deputy ministers being floated by government leaders in the aftermath of the dismal performance of the two main ruling parties at the February 10 local government elections, no government leader of the government explained to the country of its purpose the basis on which it would be carried out. However, it seems the government expects to enhance its performance by the change of some of the portfolios assigned to some ministers.
However, against the background of the changes already made to the portfolios of the ministers on Sunday one might be at a loss as to how these changes would be a remedy for the setback suffered by the two main parties at the election or to the economic and social woes faced by the people of the country. It would be a remedy only if it would fulfil at least the short term aspirations of the people.
Politicians of all major parties tend to think that the masses are stupid and continue their attempts to hoodwink them. They distribute goodies and reduce prices of certain essential items during the election period rather than embarking on long term development schemes. If the government is genuinely concerned about why the people who voted for them three years ago have rejected them this time, it must first look into peoples long term and short term needs.
One of the reasons Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, had attributed was the soaring cost of living. But how did the cost of living have an upward swing? Was it a fault of a particular minister? Any student of economics would know that a rise in the cost of living is the result of insufficient local production or an insuffecient supply of goods and services. Did the government have or at least does it have now, after the February 10 debacle any strategy to boost such local productions or any plan to raise the peoples income and the employment opportunities for the youth. How would the Cabinet reshuffle serve these purposes?
It was mainly the new voters who had voted for the UNP and the SLFP led by President Maithripala Sirisena at the 2015 presidential and parliamentary elections. Being radical and youthful, they did not tolerate corruption, crimes and highhanded activities that prevailed at the time and they were also attracted by the promises made by the present leaders such as creating one million jobs within five years. However, within three years they felt that they were cheated. They might ridicule a Cabinet reshuffle without a proper programme that would address their concerns.
Had the government taken steps to penalize the corrupt politicians of the past regime within a short period bringing in necessary amendments to the prevailing laws while taking steps to address the economic woes of the people, the country would have been different by now and their wont be a joint opposition or a Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP). Even if the government is prepared to take action against corruption now it might be counterproductive as the tide has turned quantitatively during the past three years and qualitatively following the recent elections.
However, if the government is capable of placing before the country a sensible programme that would address the basic needs of the masses the tide might be reversed. But the sands of the time are running out. Nevertheless, if such a programme is put in practice, with or without a change in the Cabinet, at least the country would be benefited in the long term, irrespective of what would happen to the ruling parties at the elections in two years.
Nationalism is likely to be the theme song in the months leading to the next series of elections with nationalist Mahinda Rajapaksa as the challenger
Colombo, February 26: Good international relations are founded on political and economic stability in the countries concerned. If there is policy confusion and policy paralysis in a country, foreign investors interest in it tends to wane. And the confidence of foreign Governments about entering into economic and political agreements with that country begins to wear thin.
Sri Lanka now appears to be the grip of political uncertainty which in turn has led to economic uncertainty. And the latter is bound to have repercussions for its relations with regional and world powers which are looking for investment opportunities in the island to fulfill their economic and strategic agendas.
After the political turmoil generated by the February 10 electoral debacle ceased last week, President Maithripala Sirisena and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe assured the nation of strong and meaningful action to fulfill their joint 2015 election mandate. But few Sri Lankans appear to be sanguine about a real departure from set biases and entrenched animosities and suspicions.
It is this condition which has been identified as the root cause of the Government parties dismal failure at the polls at the local elections turned national referendum on governance. Out of the 340 local councils to which elections were held on February 10, 239 went to the opposition Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) led by the popular former President Mahinda Rajapaksa. The ruling United National Party (UNP), led by Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, came a poor second with 41 councils and the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) and its allies won a mere 10.
The Government coalition partners have been roundly criticized by the SLPP and asked to resign, dissolve parliament and hold fresh elections.
Even as the Government was facing the onslaught from the opposition, its constituent political parties were also in turmoil internally. They blamed each other and demanded drastic internal changes too.
In the SLFP, there was a strong demand for quitting the alliance with the UNP on the grounds that the UNPs right wing neo-liberal and pro-West economic and foreign policies were responsible for the electoral disaster. Those in the SLFP who sought a rupture of the alliance wanted to join hands with the SLPP ( which is but a breakaway group) to set up a new Left of Center and nationalist government.
When this proved to be difficult because of the opposition of the President, who loathes working with Rajapaksa, they started a movement to remove UNP leader Wickremesinghe from the Premiership and have him replaced by the more amenable Karu Jayasuriya, currently Speaker of parliament.
But the UNP would have none of it,despite serious differences with Wickremesinghe on his policies and style of functioning. The UNP stood by Wickremesinghe in return for reforms in the party structure.
The leaders of the SLFP then demanded that the President dismiss Wickremesinghe and appoint another. But the 19 th Amendment of the constitution would not permit that. It says that once appointed, the Prime Minister cannot be removed except when he is replaced by his own party or loses majority support in parliament in a vote on a money bill.
To mollify his party men, the President referred the matter to the Supreme Court and persuaded his followers to stick to the coalition with Wickremesinghe as Prime Minister till 2020.
The SLFP members agreed to this, but insisted that the economic development ministries should be taken away from the UNP and given to ministers from the SLFP. Alternatively, there should be a drastic reshuffle of the portfolios.
Rajapaksa was able to combine populism with rapid economic development
It is not clear as to what Governments economic policy will be, as there is yet no overall plan
Yahapalanaya regime is likely to get more populist and nationalistic in the run up to the 2020 Presidential and parliamentary elections
But as Sundays reshuffle shows, taking away the economic ministries from the UNP is impossible as by a 2015 agreement, the UNP will handle economic matters.Therefore the President adopted the expedient of using his National Economic Council (NEC) to lay down policy and review policy. The President used the cabinet to reverse the plan to distribute 70,000 tablets in rural schools. He used the NEC to lift the ban on Glyphosate, a weedicide, the ban on which had been destroying the tea and rubber plantations.
It is not clear as to what Governments economic policy will be, as there is yet no overall plan. Changes are likely to come piecemeal rather than in one go. However, the overall direction is likely to be populist and nationalistic, to match Rajapaksas in the run up to the provincial elections and the Presidential and parliamentary elections in 2020.
But while Rajapaksa was able to combine populism with rapid economic development , with Chinese and Indian aid, the Yahapalanaya or Good Governance Government has not been able to. It has neither executed infrastructure projects nor implemented populist programs.
The incumbent regime has failed even on the ethnic reconciliation front. It promised Transitional Justice Mechanisms, none of which has been established. There is no Independent Judicial Mechanism to try war crimes cases, and the Office of Missing Persons is yet to be set up. Only land occupied by the armed forces from Tamil civilians has been given back, mostly. The fear of losing the support of the majority Sinhalese has made it renege on its promises to the Tamil minority.
The failure on the reconciliation front has irked the UN and the West. The UN Human Rights chief, Prince Zeid, has asked the UNHRC to consider other strategies, like the extension of Universal Jurisdiction to Sri Lanka. Universal Jurisdiction will grievously erode Sri Lankas sovereignty.
The leaders of the SLFP then demanded that the President dismiss Wickremesinghe and appoint another
Projects in limbo
The Yahapalanaya Government is generally perceived as being friendlier to India than the earlier one led by hard core nationalist MahindaRajapaksa. But paradoxically, it was during Rajapaksas time that over US$ 1.1 billion worth of Indian projects were implemented. Under the Yahapalanaya Government, Indian proposals are languishing for want of interest in the Sri Lankan government.
With nationalism likely to be the theme song in the months leading to the next series of elections with nationalist Rajapaksa as the challenger, reviving these projects will be an uphill task.
Projects which are pending are: the LNG-fired 500 megawatt power plant in Kerewelapitiya; the LNG Terminal/Floating Storage Regasification Unit (FSRU) in Kerawalapitiya; piped gas distribution system and retail outlets for the supply of Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) to the transportation sector; a 50 MW (extendable to 100 MW) solar power plant in Sampur in the Eastern Province;joint development of the 84 giant oil tanks in the Upper Tank Farm in Trincomalee; a port, a petroleum refinery and other industries in Trincomalee; Industrial Zones or Special Economic Zones in various parts of Sri Lanka; and building the Mannar-Jaffna, Mannar-Trincomalee highway and theDambulla-Trincomalee Expressway.
India and Sri Lanka had agreed to sign the Economic and Technical Cooperation Agreement (ETCA) by end of 2017, but there was so much of opposition to it from Sri Lankan businessmen and professions that prospects of signing it are dim especially because the Yahapalanaya regime is likely to get more populist and nationalistic in the run up to the 2020 Presidential and parliamentary elections.
On the contrary both the President and the Prime Minister are comfortable with China despite their opposition to Chinese projects signed in by Rajapaksa. In fact, after delaying the Chinese projects for about a year and a half, the Yahapalanaya regime entered into agreements with China which were more favorable to the Chinese than was the case before.
Sri Lanka and Pakistan had signed a Free Trade Agreement in 2002, but till date, bilateral trade has not gone beyond US$ 247 million. According to experts, the potential is as high as US$ 2.7 billion per annum, but this is not exploited because of a lack of political will.
Bangladesh has been trying to build trade and investment ties with Sri Lanka, but still bilateral trade is only US$ 142 million per annum. This is because of an absence of a welcoming culture in Sri Lanka due to nationalism and fears of a massive influx from Bangladesh. In contrast, the more progressive Bangladeshishave welcomed and hosted Sri Lankan investors.
Having been under colonial rule continuously from 1505 to 1948, modern day Sri Lankans are naturally wary of foreigners. A mixture of constricting nationalism and political instability has prevented Sri Lanka from seizing opportunities thrown up by the world around it.
The Good Governance Government had not fulfilled the promises it had given to the Tamil community when it was elected to office in 2015, Opposition Leader R. Sampanthan told US Congressman James Sensenbrenner at the Opposition Leaders office in Parliament on Thursday.
Sensenbrenner and his Chief of Staff Matt Bisenius met with the Leader of the Opposition and the Tamil National Alliance R. Sampanthan on Thursday at the Office of the Leader of the Opposition in Parliament.
Mr Sampanthan apprised the US lawmaker on recently concluded Local Government Elections and the political situation afterwards.
Making a reference to the Cosponsored resolution at the UN Human Rights Council Mr Sampanthan echoed that the Government of Sri Lanka is bound to implement the UNHRC resolution both in spirit and letter.
Tamil people are still awaiting the Government to fulfil all that was promised to them, he told the delegation.
However, the Opposition Leader who focused on Human Rights said that Tamils people still had their confidence in President Maithripala Sirisena and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe. Spokesman of the Tamil National Alliance and Jaffna District Parliamentarian M.A. Sumanthiran was also present at the meeting.
The political situation prevailing in the country following the recent Local Government elections was also discussed at the meeting. (Dayaseeli Liyanage)
Dr. Rajani Rajasingham Thiranagama, a symbol of Tamil human rights activism was shot dead by the LTTE in 1989. At the time of her murder, Rajani was the head of the Department of Anatomy at the University of Jaffna. She was also one of the founding members of the Jaffna branch of University Teachers for Human Rights. Breaking ethnic and religious barriers Rajani married Dayapala Thiranagama a student leader from Kelaniya University who went onto become an academic in his own right.
The following article written by Dayapala Thiranagama first appeared in September 2009, to commemorate Rajinis 20th death anniversary. It is reproduced to remember her 64th birth anniversary which fell on February 23, 2018.
Our ethnic differences would have appeared unbridgeable at the very beginning, as I was a product of the 1956 Sinhalese Buddhist social mobility that had been created by my parents generation of people who were part of the Panchamaha Balavegaya. (Sanga, weda, guru govi, and kamkaru) and in turn the 1956 and its perpetuation
One night in 1983, soon after midnight Rajani woke me up and whispered to me that she had been asked to treat an injured boy from the Iyakkam (movement). For her, this was an act of compassion by a doctor towards her patient. For me it was a political act. I was frozen. I turned back and slept. I was caught up in the agony of belonging to the oppressor and the woman I dearly and unconditionally loved trying to liberate her own community by undertaking her bit in the struggle. This whisper and the brief political argument that followed opened cracks in our relationship which grew wider and wider.
Rajani had an enormous influence on those around her. She was a mother of two young children, Narmada aged 11 years and Sharika aged 9 years respectively, at the time of her death. She was 35 years old. Rajani had begun to demonstrate an extraordinary courage and vision in her political activism defending human rights and took an uncompromising position whenever these rights were violated. The armed confrontation between the Tamil Tigers and the IPKF was at its peak at the time and no dissent was tolerated. She had had links with the LTTE and had treated injured Tamil militants before at the inception of Tamil tiger militancy. Then they were only a small band of armed men. Times had changed. Her assassins had been waiting for her on her way home after work at the Medical Faculty and she was gunned down near her home in Kokuvil, Jaffna on 21st September 1989 around 4.00pm.They came behind and called her by name. Then she was still sitting on the bike, turned back and looked at them. Eyewitnesses say that she tried to cover her forehead with her bare hands seeing the gunmen pointing the pistol at her head. They demonstrated extraordinary cruelty against a woman who had only her bare hands to cover her head against the bullets. Even after she fell on the ground they shot the back of her head with two bullets to make sure that she would not be alive to criticise them again. They showed no mercy towards the woman who had showed them such compassion and had treated them when they were injured. Her young daughters hearing the gun shots wondered who the victim would be this time.
The purpose of this account is to make some personal reflections and analysis on the life shattering individual experiences suffered by us as a young family in the unprecedented political upheavals for decades simply because we did not wish to be just observers. It also attempts to trace the political journey of two individuals with an intimate relationship in relation to the wider political process that engulfed the country.
First meeting
I met Rajani in September 1976 when the student unrest was rapidly spreading within Sri Lankan universities and there was a renewed militant student activity among the university students. An innocent student, Weerasuriya at Peradeniya had been gunned down by the police and the student militancy grew stronger in the face of such atrocities against the student movement. These were extraordinary times. The political unrest in the country had already begun to change our lives and our lives in turn were set to change the political course of the country, even in a small way, to a point of no return. I had just come out of prison for the second time after spending long years in prison in 1976. Rajani, a young Tamil woman with Christian religious background and radical political thinking had just started to influence the medics at the Colombo Medical Faculty with her thirst for justice and democracy against a repressive state apparatus that had a hallmark of historical discrimination and violence against Tamils. I had just become a university academic by this time. When we met and forged our relationship it was clear that our lives would never be the same again, for us, as well as our children who were yet to be born. We got married on 28 August 1977 in Colombo, without a ceremony, in the midst of anti-Tamil riots in Colombo.
On the day we got married we stayed in Ratmalana with a Sinhalese friend of mine and her father loaded his shot gun and kept awake all night in order to protect us as a number of Tamil families had been attacked on the previous night in the neighbourhood. Our marriage brought together two ethnically, socially, politically and culturally diverse individuals into a relationship based on human understanding and deep love which appeared unshakable at the time. Once she wrote to me saying that her love for me was as deep as the ocean. With all these differences, one of the most interesting issues was how far our loving relationship with all its complexities would serve to protect our marriage during a politically divisive time when the two communities were at war and in which the Tamil minority was at the receiving end. Both Sinhalese and Tamil popular cultures had been at war with each other and the Sinhalese considered their culture was superior.
We were also politically different and in reality these political differences played a divisive role in our marriage. I had near religious belief in the Marxist-Leninist/Maoist political agenda and Rajani wanted to apply the revolutionary success stories in other countries to Sri Lanka as pragmatic examples of social justice
Ethnic differences
Our ethnic differences would have appeared unbridgeable at the very beginning, as I was a product of the 1956 Sinhalese Buddhist social mobility that had been created by my parents generation of people who were part of the Panchamaha Balavegaya. (Sanga, weda, guru govi, and kamkaru) and in turn the 1956 and its perpetuation. Its ideology had shaped our thinking and political outlook as young people who had very little to do with the Tamil community and understanding of their issues. The political issues Rajani tried to grapple with as a young medic had in fact become intractable due to the ideological and political outlook perpetuated by the 1956 social mobility amongst the Sinhalese youth, which discriminated against the minorities in Sri Lanka. This was a big advantage for the JVP to build their pro- Sinhalese political project in the late 60s, throughout the 70s and 80s. Rajani was able to understand this political trend when she studied and worked in the Sinhalese areas and in Colombo. The JVPs pro Sinhalese project showed that the Tamil democratic struggle had to be fought by the Tamils themselves as it did not accept the Tamils had specific democratic and political grievances to be resolved. It was this kind of political rejection in the Sinhalese South that drew people like Rajani to support militant organizations in the Tamil community.
Social class
Socially, we belonged to two different social classes. Rajani had a middle class upbringing in Jaffna. I was brought up in a poor peasant family in the South and the only life chance opened to me was education. As a young boy I had walk to my school miles and miles with my bare feet. My childhood poverty and deprivation and how I had to overcome these as a young boy was very distressing to Rajani to the extent that I never wanted to explain the full extent of my past to her beyond a certain point. It was a lottery that I managed to succeed in my education. Rajani had no issue whatsoever about my social class vis-a-vis her middleclass background. She defended me strongly within her own middle class family members and outside whenever it came to their attention that I had not been living up to their middle class norms.
We were also politically different and in reality these political differences played a divisive role in our marriage. I had near religious belief in the Marxist-Leninist/Maoist political agenda and Rajani wanted to apply the revolutionary success stories in other countries to Sri Lanka as pragmatic examples of social justice. It was also due to this pragmatism that Rajani became closer to the Tamil Tigers in her own political journey. In the same way this core ideological belief of pragmatism benefitted her to turn her energy and emotions into human rights campaigning later in her political life when she left the Tamil Tigers.
When I met Rajani I had only just left prison I still had scars of torture all over my body and while in prison I had never expected to live again let alone have a relationship. Rajani showed extraordinary courage to accept me as I was with all the differences between us, with my own social and political past which was such a contradiction to her own middle class life and aspirations. She had to battle it over with her family. Rajani had accepted that I would one day leave her and go in order to fulfil my political responsibilities. It was also accepted we would not meet again once I left the family. My generation had undergone a tremendous change in their mindset and all our personal needs and aspirations had to be suppressed for political justice and the emancipation of the poor. We also had a very deep sense of family ties and gratitude and the need to provide for our parents who underwent untold sufferings to bring us up. This sentiment and obligations we had suppressed in the belief that social justice followed by the armed revolution would resolve this for ever. Rajani had been coming to terms with a life with our children without my presence and her expressed determination to look after them on her own. This idea was no longer sustainable when the demands upon us required us to sacrifice our expectations and throw away our perceived traditional roles. This is what exactly Rajani did. We thought at the time that even if we were not there our children would be looked after by others, particularly our comrades.
1983 anti-Tamil riots
The 1983 anti-Tamil riots had an unprecedented influence on every Tamils conscience and their dignified existence became untenable: either you had to accept your unequal status and keep quiet or you had to fight for justice and democracy.
For the Tamil community it seemed there was no way out. However, Rajani was still unclear about the political line to be taken in search of justice and democracy. My views were clear in this regard. I never wanted to join any political organisation which would not allow you to get out if you disagreed with them. Without that kind of internal democracy it becomes a very dangerous affair if they take up arms. Additionally, here was another issue which we did not pay adequate political attention to as youthful political minds: even nominal parliamentary democracies could withstand armed struggle and demonstrate flexibility in recreating political space defeating the resolve of armed combatants. In Sri Lanaka still the political space had not been closed. We were in a hurry and the political space for the democratic struggle had not been exhausted. The failure of the JVP armed struggle in 1971 and 1987-89 as well as Tamil Tigers recent military defeat has to be viewed in this context, despite its own organisational and structural weaknesses.
Rajanis pragmatic mind and her compassion were drawn to the Tamil Tigers political project. Rajani left for England in 1983 on a commonwealth scholarship and by the beginning of 1984 Rajani had joined the Tamil Tigers in London. I visited Rajani in May 1984 in London. Following a very painful but comprehensive discussion it appeared that there was no space for the continuation of our marriage except our joint responsibility for our daughters. We decided to part and I went back to Colombo. Rajani had become a seemingly unwavering member of the Tamil Tigers military project. Once our relationship had appeared to be unshakable but there were no guarantees in a time of war that we could maintain it with such divergent political views. The deep human love that brought us together over our differences had vanished for forever ever. Rajani became very distressed but her political loyalty was placed above the loyalty that had existed in our relationship. We had decided to go our own ways as our political and personal differences were irreconcilable. Our differences had their own dynamics in a relationship that became dysfunctional.
After a couple of months of my return to Colombo, Rajani had resigned from the Tamil Tigers. She wrote a letter to me breaking the news and assured me that our relationship was still as strong as during our happiest times. Rajani acknowledged our separation in these words in all my trials and tribulations you stood by me in strong love but I was cruel to youRajani was always open and frank. For me still there was no guarantee that it could ever be the same again. On my part I had moved on. During this time the political suppression had become acute and I was keeping a low profile. Rajani would now be returning home to her beloved people and Jaffna, to resume her work in the University after completing her PhD.
I never wanted to join any political organisation which would not allow you to get out if you disagreed with them
Rajani arrived in Jaffna in 1986. She became the Head of the Anatomy Department. Rajanis political transformation was becoming impressive. She was evolving as a human rights activist and her feminist outlook look brought a new political dimension to her politics and a pioneered a new kind of peoples political agenda in Jaffna. She became a tireless campaigner for freedom and democracy against the rule of the gun. She pioneered the formation of the University Teachers of Human Rights (UTHR) with three other academics which drew anger and wrath from both IPKF and militant groups particularly the Tamil Tigers. Rajani and others recorded all the human rights violations from all sides in the conflict. She believed the human life was so precious that no human life should be eliminated for political reasons. She also supported and was actively involved in Purani, a refuge for destitute women. She became a remarkable mother, a tireless activist and respected academic in an environment that posed a great danger to every human being there at the time.
From time to time Rajani visited me with the children in Colombo in order to make sure that they did not miss their father. During this time she also began to write Broken Palmyra with some others in the UTHR(J) this made her an obvious target of the Tamil tigers. When I read the manuscript I had no doubt what the outcome would be if it was published. I advised Rajani that she would have to lie low and that they would not spare her if she went ahead with its publication. She agreed but the UTHR (J) had to make the decision. By the time she was gunned down, it had not been even published. The Tamil Tigers knew that it was going to be published.
Rajani clearly understood the danger to her life if she continued campaigning but she did not wish to scale down her activities and stop what she felt she had to do. Such was her indomitable courage and determination during such difficult times in the history of Tamil militancy.
Rajani was buried in her family cemetery in Nallur on 25 September 1989. I walked with my two young daughters hand in hand, the most difficult, most painful and saddest of walks in my life. Along with her, the happy days of our family were buried and the family was never the same again without her presence. We have not been able to visit her grave for twenty long years. Each day her daughters passed without their mother, brought home to them their irreplaceable loss. They joined other children in Sri Lanka who lost their parents due to the war. The irony was that it was me, not Rajani who had expected to die in the struggle and she had accepted that her role would be to care for the children. But the total opposite happened. At the beginning of our relationship I never thought that I would end my political career for the responsibility of looking after my children. I thought that my involvement in Sri Lankan politics would result in my death. That did not happen. Instead Rajani gave her life for the human rights of the Tamil people and I had to be alive for the children. I looked after them until they were independent. But my tribute goes to Rajani. It was Rajanis solid foundation she laid in their formative years that helped me to complete the task. This situation was not specific to my children or family. Such was the dramatic transformation of the political situation and its impact on individual members in the Tamil community within a short period of time of militant activity.
Before she was gunned down, in early September Rajani was in Colombo on her way back from England after a short trip and waited for me in Colombo before travelling back to Jaffna. But I could not make contact with her. She left Colombo in disappointment. Before leaving Rajani wrote a few lines on the back of the cover of the book she bought for me in London and left it for me. This was her last note to me.
To
Him, who lives out of the paradox of deep tenderness and love with the strive of Bakunins characterization of a revolutionary has no interest of his own, no cause of his ownno habits, no belongings he does not even have a name If in this era of cataclysm and overwhelming terror when no victories are won or end seen - if it is only reverence that this woman can pay to him who carries fire in his heart and burning determination in his spirit let it be only that Rajani 1989.
After Rajani wrote this, she went to Jaffna. Then I received a message on 22nd September which I never wanted to hear. Her death brought the demise of my political career. Rajanis death also made our relationship brief but our memories have become life long with rich life experiences.
The commencement of Rajanis political journey with the Tamil Tigers brings to the fore questions about why people join certain militant organizations where dissent will not be tolerated and where criticism might lead to death. I had discussed this issue with Rajani over and over again. The elimination of traitors was a common practice in Sri Lanka in both JVP and Tamil militant organizations. Both the JVP and LTTE killed their political adversaries and these killings showed no mercy and some of them demonstrated unimaginable brutality.
Any responsible political organization must explain to the people why they had to resort to such brutal eliminations of their critics. The JVP has failed to do it so far and its unlikely that they would do it after so many years have passed since their gruesome murders were carried out. They have not ruled out that they would not do it again. They eliminated those Sinhalese who advocated granting the rights of the Tamil people under the 13th amendment during 1987-89. Both the JVP and Tamil Tigers should take this issue seriously as it is a demonstration of their democratic credentials. If they choose to eliminate their political dissent without dealing with them in a democratic manner now, there will never be room for democratic freedom in the future even if they were to succeed in installing their dictatorships over the masses of people. Rajanis death and her political legacy shows that ordinary human beings, when faced with acute degradation of human freedom under the rule of the gun will never be silent and their political reaction will be more powerful than the gun. I salute Rajani for being one of such heroic women.Rajani was asked not to return to Jaffna in 1977 from England by the family and friends in the midst of a very destructive war during a time many professionals were leaving Jaffna, but she felt very strongly to get back to serve her community. Rajani refused to listen to the same advice just before her death on her return to Jaffna.
Rajanis assassination had weakened the Tamil democratic movement. Those who are responsible for her death should accept their political mistake if the Tamil democracy is to become a mature, responsible and viable political force in the coming years. This is because her assassination was symbolic of the political indecency, dictatorial and anti-human nature of Tamil militancy that went off track, leaving a huge political vacuum in the Tamil community.
Even though Rajani was assassinated the political ideas she fought for will never be vanquished. The pro- people political ideas she developed and analysed in Broken Palmyra provides a very powerful critique of Tamil militancy which in the name of Tamil liberation was becoming a ruthless military apparatus and using people cynically to build a dictatorship.
The Tamil democratic struggle needs peoples structures in every sphere of life that would guarantee their rights and freedom and these structures should be strengthened against corrupt politicians and the rule of the gun.
( The article first appeared in September 2009, to commemorate the 20th anniversary of Rajanis death. Her 64th birth Anniversary fell on February 23rd 2018 )
Rajani arrived in Jaffna in 1986. She became the Head of the Anatomy Department. Rajanis political transformation was becoming impressive. She was evolving as a human rights activist and her feminist outlook look brought a new political dimension to her politics and a pioneered a new kind of peoples political agenda in Jaffna. She became a tireless campaigner for freedom and democracy against the rule of the gun. She pioneered the formation of the University Teachers of Human Rights (UTHR) with three other academics which drew anger and wrath from both IPKF and militant groups particularly the Tamil Tigers. Rajani and others recorded all the human rights violations from all sides in the conflict. She believed the human life was so precious that no human life should be eliminated for political reasons. She also supported and was actively involved in Purani, a refuge for destitute women. She became a remarkable mother, a tireless activist and respected academic in an environment that posed a great danger to every human being there at the time.
From time to time Rajani visited me with the children in Colombo in order to make sure that they did not miss their father. During this time she also began to write Broken Palmyra with some others in the UTHR(J) this made her an obvious target of the Tamil tigers. When I read the manuscript I had no doubt what the outcome would be if it was published. I advised Rajani that she would have to lie low and that they would not spare her if she went ahead with its publication. She agreed but the UTHR (J) had to make the decision. By the time she was gunned down, it had not been even published. The Tamil Tigers knew that it was going to be published.
Rajani clearly understood the danger to her life if she continued campaigning but she did not wish to scale down her activities and stop what she felt she had to do. Such was her indomitable courage and determination during such difficult times in the history of Tamil militancy.
Rajani was buried in her family cemetery in Nallur on 25 September 1989. I walked with my two young daughters hand in hand, the most difficult, most painful and saddest of walks in my life. Along with her, the happy days of our family were buried and the family was never the same again without her presence. We have not been able to visit her grave for twenty long years. Each day her daughters passed without their mother, brought home to them their irreplaceable loss. They joined other children in Sri Lanka who lost their parents due to the war. The irony was that it was me, not Rajani who had expected to die in the struggle and she had accepted that her role would be to care for the children. But the total opposite happened. At the beginning of our relationship I never thought that I would end my political career for the responsibility of looking after my children. I thought that my involvement in Sri Lankan politics would result in my death. That did not happen. Instead Rajani gave her life for the human rights of the Tamil people and I had to be alive for the children. I looked after them until they were independent. But my tribute goes to Rajani. It was Rajanis solid foundation she laid in their formative years that helped me to complete the task. This situation was not specific to my children or family. Such was the dramatic transformation of the political situation and its impact on individual members in the Tamil community within a short period of time of militant activity.
Before she was gunned down, in early September Rajani was in Colombo on her way back from England after a short trip and waited for me in Colombo before travelling back to Jaffna. But I could not make contact with her. She left Colombo in disappointment. Before leaving Rajani wrote a few lines on the back of the cover of the book she bought for me in London and left it for me. This was her last note to me.
To him, who lives out of the paradox of deep tenderness and love with the strive of Bakunins characterization of a revolutionary has no interest of his own, no cause of his ownno habits, no belongings he does not even have a name If in this era of cataclysm and overwhelming terror when no victories are won or end seen - if it is only reverence that this woman can pay to him who carries fire in his heart and burning determination in his spirit let it be only that Rajani 1989.
After Rajani wrote this, she went to Jaffna. Then I received a message on 22nd September which I never wanted to hear. Her death brought the demise of my political career. Rajanis death also made our relationship brief but our memories have become life long with rich life experiences. The commencement of Rajanis political journey with the Tamil Tigers brings to the fore questions about why people join certain militant organizations where dissent will not be tolerated and where criticism might lead to death. I had discussed this issue with Rajani over and over again. The elimination of traitors was a common practice in Sri Lanka in both JVP and Tamil militant organizations. Both the JVP and LTTE killed their political adversaries and these killings showed no mercy and some of them demonstrated unimaginable brutality.
The elimination of traitors was a common practice in Sri Lanka in both JVP and Tamil militant organizations
Rajanis death and her political legacy shows that ordinary human beings, when faced with acute degradation of human freedom under the rule of the gun will never be silent and their political reaction will be more powerful than the gun. I salute Rajani for being one of such heroic women.Rajani was asked not to return to Jaffna in 1977 from England by the family and friends in the midst of a very destructive war during a time many professionals were leaving Jaffna, but she felt very strongly to get back to serve her community. Rajani refused to listen to the same advice just before her death on her return to Jaffna.
Rajanis assassination had weakened the Tamil democratic movement. Those who are responsible for her death should accept their political mistake if the Tamil democracy is to become a mature, responsible and viable political force in the coming years. This is because her assassination was symbolic of the political indecency, dictatorial and anti-human nature of Tamil militancy that went off track, leaving a huge political vacuum in the Tamil community. Even though Rajani was assassinated the political ideas she fought for will never be vanquished. The pro- people political ideas she developed and analysed in Broken Palmyra provides a very powerful critique of Tamil militancy which in the name of Tamil liberation was becoming a ruthless military apparatus and using people cynically to build a dictatorship.
The Tamil democratic struggle needs peoples structures in every sphere of life that would guarantee their rights and freedom and these structures should be strengthened against corrupt politicians and the rule of the gun.
( The article first appeared in September 2009, to commemorate the 20th anniversary of Rajanis death. Her 64th birth Anniversary fell on February 23rd 2018 )
Jazz sensation Wycliffe Gordon and sextet, staged a performance for the residents of Slave Island yesterday as part of the 70th anniversary celebration of US-Sri Lanka partnership. The group, hosted by the US Embassy Colombo, started performing in and around Colombo on February 24 and will be staging more performances in Galle and Matara
Pic by Pradeep Pathirana
A ceremony to donate 300 tonnes of rice to Sri Lankas flood victims was held by the government and the Myanmar Rice Federation (MRF) on 24 February at Pinlekoethwe rice mill in Dagon Seikkan Indistrial Zone, the Global New Light of Myanmar reported today.
Dr Than Myint, Union Minister for the Commerce Ministry, and other officials, along
with Mr. K.W.N.D Karunaratne, Sri Lankas Ambassador to Myanmar, and officials from the MRF attended the event.
The donation is a humanitarian aid for victims of the flood and landslide in May 2017, which killed more than 200 people and rendered 600,000 homeless.
The MRF donated some 300 tonnes of rice with an estimated value of more than US$150,000, while the government will pay the cost of shipment charges to Sri Lanka from the Yangon port.
Sri Lanka and Myanmar are engaged in cultural and religious cooperation. Sri Lanka
buys rice and other agricultural products from Myanmar, and so, they are our trading clients. Therefore, we would like to express our concern to our trading partner with our contribution, said U Ye Min Aung, general secretary of MRF.
The low quality rice (15 per cent broken rice of the Ae-Ma-Hta variety) will be purified. The shipment started yesterday, and is slated to reach Sri Lankas port in early March.
Myanmar donors will offer more donations in Sri Lanka in mid-March. Dr Than Myint said that Sri Lanka and Myanmar were engaged in economic, social and cultural exchanges during the old days.
There is business- to-business cooperation, besides a government-to-government agreement. Bilateral trade with Sri Lanka reached $36 million, and the volume will grow each year, he added. Sri Lankas ambassador noted that the country imported rice from Myanmar, Thailand and India owing to a shortage of rice due to floods in the rainy season.
I would like to express our appreciation, on behalf of the Sri Lankan people, for the humanitarian aid supported by Myanmars government and the MRF. We will make sure the contributions go directly and effectively to the flood victims.
Earlier, Myanmar and Sri Lanka had a series of discussions for rice exports under the
government-to-government system. Sri Lanka has now allowed importers to import the goods with zero tax, and so, the plan turned out to be a business- to-business plan.
Land Minister Gayantha Karunatilake, in an interview with Daily mirror , speaks about the current political situation and the future of his party.
The excerpts:
QHow do you rate the outcome of this election which saw the defeat of your party?
Of course, people have given a clear verdict against us. We have to admit it humbly. On the one hand, we received such a warning signal when we were halfway through our term. If we waited for the last minute without such a warning signal, we would have faced even direr consequences at a national election-the Presidential Election or the parliamentary elections. We have reached a critical point in politics.
There are numerous areas where we should transform ourselves. There are numerous areas needing reforms. We have to be considerate about public aspirations. While looking to the future, we should also look at the present. That is the message given to us. People pinned a lot of hopes on us when giving us a mandate in 2015. First, they hoped we would act against corruption. We took a lackadaisical effort in this regard. There is a criticism even from within the government over this. There were instances in which the ministers raised it. Somehow or other, the anti-corruption drive took place at a snails space. May be, it is a delay that has to be understood as we follow the proper legal procedure. When nothing happened finally, people thought we only made false allegations about corruption before 2015.
Not that alone, there were many other reasons that caused our downfall at the elections. The government itself faced corruption allegations. It had a bearing on our vote base in urban areas. That allegation turned out to be a tool of political power game within the government. It was used by one party of the government to undermine the other. It alienated people from us eventually.
In the agricultural areas like Anuradhapura, people did not receive fertilizer in time. We introduced a new system for the distribution of fertilizer. It was not popular among the people. We experienced drought. That also affected the government finally. I, as an electoral organizer, met with much consternation when it comes to the delivery of Samurdhi. The methodology, adopted for giving Samurdhi benefits, is not acceptable to us at all. We, as Ministers, could not correct any injustice caused in the process. It is a process politicized for years.
We could not give solutions to issues faced by people in the short term. Whatever anyone might say, ours is a country with Sinhala-Buddhist culture at its core. There was a fear psychosis created among the Sinhala-Buddhists. They feared the foremost placed accorded to Buddhism would be taken away in the proposed new Constitution. I do not think it is legitimate allegation. Anyway, there was fear mongering.
QWhat are the areas that need changes and reforms?
Both the UNP headed by Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and the SLFP headed by President Maithripala Sirisena discussed it after the electoral defeat. We all agreed that we had to be more and more people-oriented. We have to reform our policies. We need to take rigorous steps in this regard and ensure sensible benefits to people.
Cabinet reforms is one things accepted by both the leaders. They were attending to it. We need facelift changes. People expect it.
It is better to adopt changes. We have to renew ourselves. After I received the Land Ministry, I was happy. Otherwise, I was the Media Minister earlier. I assumed duties in that position at a challenging time. There were serious assaults on media freedom. It was a time when some journalists had fled the country or got killed. The media institutions came under arson attack. I ensured media freedom in the truest sense of the word. In fact, media freedom was literally overflowing. But, as the Media Minister, my scope was naturally limited. I could not serve much to my constituents. Yet, as the Land Minister, I could travel across the length and breadth of this country and address land issues of people - giving them freehold rights, deeds etc.
We have youthful spirits in our party. They have to be assigned responsibilities to grow. We need changes in our party structure.
QSome members in your party criticized the national unity government and the President. How do you view this?
There are factors for and against. It is not an easy task to reconcile two political forces that harboured enmity against each other for long years. It is a gigantic task. We are happy that the President and the Prime Minister took such a decision. We were able to deliver something to the people. That is the positive side. There are minuses also.
We ran the government together but contested the elections separately. I feel it is better for the two parties to be together for the rest of its period to serve people.
I do not condone any UNP Cabinet Minister criticizing the President. It is equally unethical for any SLFP Minister to rebuke the Prime Minister in the open.
QWe saw the UNP backbenchers constantly attacking the President. What do you feel about it?
If there is no example set from above, it will be the end result. Then, we will lose control over those in the lower-rung. A Cabinet Minister should serve as an example to others. The Cabinet is collectively bound. We have to correct the situation now. After the Cabinet reshuffle, such discipline should be instilled to avoid criticism of each other.
The President has given too much freedom to the Ministers in the Cabinet meeting. Some Cabinet Ministers, who served in the Rajapaksa rule said they never had such opportunity to look at anything in a critical perspective. They were mere Yes Sir men. Now the situation is different. The Ministers can openly air out their grievances at the Cabinet sessions. Such criticism should be confined to the walls of the Cabinet hall.
QYour opinion on the current President...
I feel he is very democratic. He is someone who had a humble beginning. He has his native and village identity. He is familiar with rural conscience, and capable of reading the pulse of the people. He is a practical politician.
The Prime Minister has long experience in politics. It is not easy to produce such an experienced, mature politician. Nobody can match his experience of 40 years in politics and statesmanship.
We gained a lot through the national unity government. Yet, we failed to convert it to electoral success. People yearn for short-term gains. The 19th Amendment to the Constitution is a great achievement. We avoided economic sanctions being imposed.
QThere is an allegation that the country cannot get out of the current impasse because of the 19A, which bars snap elections. What is your view?
There is no impasse. The national unity government can proceed. The opposition parties try to project the situation as a gridlock.
QAnimosity between the UNP and the SLFP rose to new levels after the elections. Then, how can you sustain unity in the future?
We have reached some agreement now. There were issues. We cannot rule them out. We discussed them and sorted them out. Both the parties have a responsibility to work in keeping with the 2015 mandate.
QEven the new election law has created confusions. A party that won nine out of ten electoral wards has not sometimes got a stable number elected. Your comments on this...
This is a novel experience. We experimented the new system. I think the law should be amended to rectify grey areas. It is practically difficult to nominate woman representatives on the list under the current circumstances.
QYou have introduced it for the provincial council elections now. What are you going to do with it?
We have now tested it for the local polls. We know its shortcomings. We should not fall into trouble for the second time. Otherwise, there will be a serious crisis.
By Zahara Zuhair
With cruise tourism and yacht marinas being the fastest growing categories in the leisure travel market, as an island nation, these are the areas Sri Lanka should fix its focus on, Admiral Dr. Jayanath Colombage, a former Chief of Sri Lanka Navy and well-known authority on the maritime matters in the South Asia region, told a conference held in Colombo, recently.
Cruise tourism, cruise terminal and yacht marinas are areas we need to look into. Everybody is saying Sri Lanka is beautiful and to see that beauty, we need to go around the coast. But where do we park our ships?
We dont have enough facilities based on the monsoon winds to keep the yachts. We got limited facilities in Galle, little in Mirissa but hardly any other facilities, he said.
Cruise tourism, which is a niche market, tends to bring in high-end travellers for whom Sri Lanka has the potential of becoming an exclusive destination, he pointed out.
According to the 2017 annual report of Cruise Liner International Association (CLIA), the worlds largest cruise industry association, a total of 24.2 million passengers cruised globally during the year 2016 and it is estimated that 25.3 million cruised globally in 2017.
Colombage said Sri Lanka also needs to think of yacht marinas in order for yachts to come.
Marinas (small harbours that operate luxury boats and cruise boats) are service providers of yachts so they could be evaluated as a main substructure of yacht tourism.
There are over 45,000 marinas in Europe, which offer 1.75 million berths for a total boat park of 6.3 million vessels.
Malaysia operates marinas with a berth count of 1400 yachts, Thailand 1,300 yachts and Singapore with only one-fifth of Sri Lankas coastal size can hold up to 750 yachts.
However, Sri Lanka despite having a 1300 kilometre coastal belt is yet to have its first-full size marina, offering a wide range of services, which will help boost local tourism, the boatbuilding industry and the economy in the long run.
Meanwhile, Colombage said that Sri Lanka was a maritime hub before the colonial masters took over the coastal areas, resulting in locals gradually losing the maritime touch. He said its high time that Sri Lanka work towards grabbing its old status in order to be a maritime gateway.
He said Sri Lanka should make use of the present world shipping scenarios, as the country is located close to the busiest maritime route and being at the doorstep of the worlds seventh largest economy India.
Citing more positive indicators towards Sri Lankas dream of becoming a maritime hub, Colombage said that the Indian Ocean comprises of countries that are seeing rapid development with China initiating the One Belt One Road project, India initiating the Sagar Mala project and Asia-Africa Growth Corridor focusing to link Asia with Africa.
Sri Lanka is in an enviable location, where the busy East- West shipping route passes just 10 nautical miles south of the island. More than 60,000 ships ply this route annually carrying two-thirds of the worlds oil and half of all container shipments.
We are a country with missed opportunities, thats why even 70 years later we are what we are today. If we miss these opportunities it will never come again. This is the best time for us be a maritime hub, he said.
REUTERS: Sri Lankan shares slipped yesterday to a more than one-week closing low, as selling by foreign investors and some concerns about political stability weighed on sentiment, dealers said.
Shares hit a more than three-week high last week after two key parties decided to
remain in the ruling coalition,
allaying fears of a government collapse.
President Maithripala Sirisena reshuffled his cabinet on Sunday, appointing his prime minister as the law and order minister, after the governing coalition suffered a series of defeats in local elections earlier this month.
Some block deals boosted the turnover. However, the market is still mixed on political stability. Some investors say the changes are good, while some feel they have failed to ensure stability, said First Capital Equities CEO Jaliya Wijeratne.
The Colombo stock index ended 0.23 percent weaker at 6,560.32, its lowest close since Feb. 15. The index rose 0.18 percent last week.
Turnover stood at Rs.3.3 billion, the highest since November 8 and more than three times of this years daily average of Rs.935.9 million.
Foreign investors sold a net Rs.51.1 million worth of shares, but they have been net buyers of Rs.6.4 billion worth of equities so far this year.
Shares of AIA Insurance Lanka PLC ended 18.9 percent weaker, while Lanka Hospitals Corp PLC fell 5.1 percent.
Says hopes for reforms and betterment of ordinary people not materialized under current government
Notes Sinhala Buddhists, who consume Sinhala media, not educated on need for reform agenda
Says an 8% per annum growth rate would deliver returns that would spread beyond buying apartments
By Chandeepa Wettasinghe
The Sinhala Buddhist community has a cultural need to depend on a larger than li fe figure to continuously save them and cleanse the country, which is why the people voted for the Mahinda Rajapaksa faction instead of the coalition partners of the current government, according to a leading economist.
There is a trait in the particularly hierarchical Sinhala Buddhist society of yearning for the Big Man, coming to cleanse the country of all its ills, to take charge of wayward children and take us forward to a golden future, said the Finance Ministry Senior Advisor and the state-run Institute of Policy Studies Chairman Professor Razeen Sally.
He said that the Rajapaksas are particularly talented at playing to those emotions; the habits of the heart of the Sinhala Buddhist culture.
Some politicians, you know who I mean, in your party are not necessarily the right people to lead the country, Prof. Sally told the Young Professionals Organization of the United National Party (UNP) delivering a lecture last week. Prof. Sally said that the hopes for reforms and the betterment of ordinary people simply has not materialized under the current government, and while the gilded, chattering classes in Colombo are unaffected and think theres no chance of a Rajapaksa revival, the rural Sinhala Buddhists are now disappointed, and have revived their habits of the heart.
Theres no investment, jobs or growth. They view this government as dysfunctional and incompetent, while the Rajapaksas won a war, brought peace and developed infrastructure, Prof. Sally said.
He said that this is despite the current Central Bank Governor and Finance Minister putting the right policies in place over the past year, which gave the country a glimpse of a possible take-off scenario of reaching sustained 8 percent growth in the future if the right productivity and free market reforms are enacted.
An 8 percent per annum growth rate would deliver returns that would spread beyond those buying apartments in Altair, the Colombo City Centre, the Port City which is to come and Shangri la and so on, he said.
Stagnation however matters little to the Colombo elite, he said.
That matters little to the chattering classes, the gilded classes, but it matters to the classes who are deprived of the things that others of us have. They will be condemned to a future of under educated, under skilled, underpaid, under developed life, he said.
However, he said that the Sinhala Buddhists, who consume Sinhala media, are not educated on the need for the reform agenda, since Sinhala media does not talk about the costs of protectionism and the advantages of free trade, and the UNP isnt attempting to counter the narrative effectively through these channels.
Policies with effective communication; that requires talent and expertise, and the UNP is very bad at doing that, he said, noting that Rajapaksa has his finger on the pulse of the people, while some in the UNP, like Sajith Premadasa, too does. Many in Sri Lankas streets argue that the country can only be controlled and given direction by a strong leader with despotic tendencies like Rajapaksa.
Prof. Sally said that this is because people were afraid of abductions by death squads, and did what the Rajapaksas wanted without questioning.So this Sinhala Buddhist Big Man will come in and clean the house, incentivize patronage politics, gut institutions of independence, and Sri Lanka will be back to a Vladmir Putin style, Caesarean illiberal democracy, he said.
He added that Rajapaksa would place the country further in debt with China to pursue populist policies in an environment which leaves no room to slacken fiscal and monetary policies, making Sri Lanka a Chinese vassal state.
Further, Rajapaksa appeasing the Sinhala Buddhists, and his policies which would put a strain on the economy, would also exacerbate racial tensions, similar to how economic downturns had a hand in stoking racial tensions before the civil war, Prof. Sally said.
He added that if better ground level incentives are offered through reforms and cleaner institutions, which create jobs via local and foreign investments, the people would see the possibilities available to them by following a different narrative. That behaviour would change, not necessarily from tonight to tomorrow morning, but over time. The reality is that we may have a long wish list, but we need to prioritize, he added, noting that the government has to win small victories with small reforms in order to stay in power to bring in the big reforms.
Posted Monday, February 26, 2018 5:45 am
Janice S. Gates, 70, Napoleon, passed away Saturday, Feb. 24, 2018, at John Knox Hospice House, Lees Summit.
Visitation will be 6 to 8 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 28, at the Walker Nadler Fuller Funeral Home, Lexington. A private graveside service will be at Arnold Cemetery. Memorials may be made to the Wellington Napoleon School for a scholarship fund, the Napoleon Clover Leaf 4-H or Arnold Cemetery.
Survivors are grandchildren and children, Stanley Stephen Gates IV, Stephanie Sue Lawson and Stuart Samuel Gates; a brother and sister.
Move will mean that all retail branches of SBI in the UK will fall under a new UK-incorporated banking entity. (Photo: PTI)
London: State Bank of India (SBI) is set for a major restructuring of its business in the UK from April, India s largest state-owned bank has said.
SBI's UK operations will transform into a subsidiary named State Bank of India UK Limited from April 1, in compliance with wider ring-fencing of capital requirements by the Bank of England.
The move will mean that all retail branches of SBI in the UK will fall under a new UK-incorporated banking entity instead of their previous status as overseas branches of the Indian entity.
"While there will be no visible change, the brand changes to State Bank of India UK Limited. The 12 retail branches that we have seven in London and the rest outside London will become branches of SBI UK Ltd. Apart from that, if we look at the day to day, there will be no dislocation," said Sanjiv Chadha, SBI s Regional Head for UK.
He explains that while customers would be able to carry on using their debit cards and other banking facilities as before, the move marks a strategic shift for the bank with a greater focus on the UK market.
"We will be looking to doing more business in the UK, expanding the products that are designed for the UK market," he said.
The move follows Bank of England's Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA) directing foreign banks a few years ago to move from their retail status as overseas branches to independent entities in order to protect depositors in the UK from fluctuations in foreign markets.
"As a subsidiary, the capital will be ring-fenced and that brings an additional comfort level," said Chadha.
He highlighted that the restructuring marked a major endorsement for London as a financial capital of the world, despite uncertainties triggered by the 2016 referendum in favour of an exit from the European Union (EU).
"The UK market is one of tremendous interest and promise to us and that is unchanged regardless of Brexit. London is the best place for us to base our international business in, we find the regulatory climate proportionate and supportive," he added.
SBI's expansion in the UK market was welcomed as a vote of confidence by the City of London Corporation, which has a remit to support and promote the British capital as a world-leading financial and business hub.
"The move is a reflection of the continued strength of UK-India ties, particularly in financial services. SBI has long been a treasured partner of the City, opening an office here back in 1921. As the City of London looks towards its next decade of engagement with Asia, we also look forward to building on our 100-year relationship with India s largest bank," said Catherine McGuinness, Policy Chairman at the City of London Corporation.
SBI operates seven branches in London and five each in Manchester, Birmingham, Wolverhampton, Leicester and Coventry all cities with a large concentration of Indian diaspora population.
The bank says that while the Indian-origin customer base will remain at the heart of its operations, it will use its expansion to cater to the wider UK market as a competitive local bank.
With at least half of the seats in UDAN flights offered at subsidised fares.
New Delhi: The government expects to collect around Rs 300 crore annually from the levy on airlines flying on major routes towards the regional air connectivity scheme, a senior official said.
To partly raise money for viability gap funding requirement under the UDAN (Ude Desh ka Aam Naagrik) scheme, the civil aviation ministry has been collecting the levy since December 2016.
More routes are getting added under the UDAN scheme, which seeks to connect unserved and under-served airports as well as making flying more affordable.
With increasing number of UDAN routes, the ministry is also preparing to deal with higher funding needs in the coming months.
A senior ministry official said the response to UDAN flights has been very positive and many routes are having good occupancy.
Every year, the ministry expects to garner Rs 280 crore to 300 crore by way of levy collected from airlines flying on major routes.
An amount of Rs 5,000 is levied for each departure of flights on major routes. Initially, the levy was Rs 8,500 and was subsequently reduced.
To fund the ambitious regional connectivity scheme -- UDAN -- the civil aviation ministry is collecting a levy of Rs 5,000 per departure from airlines operating in major domestic routes, including Mumbai and Delhi.
With at least half of the seats in UDAN flights offered at subsidised fares, the participating carriers will be provided a certain amount of Viability Gap Funding (VGF) -- an amount shared between the Centre and the states concerned.
All the five operators -- Alliance Air, SpiceJet, TruJet, Air Deccan and Air Odisha -- that won routes in the first round of bidding under UDAN have already commenced operations.
IndiGo and Jet Airways are among the airlines that have won routes in the second round of bidding and are yet to start services under the scheme.
In his 2018-19 Budget speech, Finance Minster Arun Jaitley had said that 56 unserved airports and 31 under-served helipads will be connected under the regional air connectivity scheme.
The allocation for UDAN has been substantially raised to Rs 1,014.09 crore for the next financial year. The same was at Rs 200.11 crore for 2017-18 fiscal.
Mumbai: Sridevi's death on Sunday morning came as a shocker to one and all. The renowned female superstar breathed her last in Dubai, where she had attended her nephew Mohit Marwahs wedding.
After the wedding, Sridevi stayed back to be with her sister Srilatha, while Boney Kapoor and daughter Khushi Kapoor flew back to Mumbai.
However, Boney took a flight back to Dubai as he planned to surprise his wifey dearest with a lavish dinner.
So late Sridevis producer husband arrived in her hotel room at around 5.30 pm (Dubai Time) and chatted with the actress for 15 minutes before revealing to her about his plans.
On hearing so, Sridevi went to the washroom to get dressed for the surprise, which is when the tragedy struck her.
Sridevi got caught in a cardiac arrest and lay motionless in the bathtub full of water. Boney Kapoor realized so after he broke the door after 15 minutes and found her in that condition.
"He tried to revive her and when he could not, he called a friend of his. After that, he informed the police at 9 pm," a source told Khaleej Times.
While some sources claimed that she was rushed to the hospital, where she was pronounced dead, the portal goes on to report that the police and paramedics rushed to the site (the room?), where she was pronounced dead, and that was later followed by her body being taken to the General Department of Forensic Medicine for an autopsy.
Mumbai: Actor-turned-politician Kamal Haasan has said legendary actor Sridevi surprised him with her dedication to the craft of acting and he was blown away by her ability to grow as an artiste.
The diva, who passed away late last night in Dubai at the age of 54 reportedly due to cardiac arrest, had acted with the actor in 27 films, including director K Balachander's "Moondru Mudichu", which also featured South superstar Rajinikanth.
In a video message, Haasan remembered Sridevi as an "astounding talent", which was "no luck" but a result of her hard-working nature throughout a career spanning almost five decades.
"Sridevi Kapoor's astounding talent was no luck. It was well-deserved and she worked for it from her childhood. I'm also a child actor, I've known her from her teens. She was still a child then when she came to work with me and Mr Balachander, my mentor sometimes gave me the responsibility of working with her, correcting her and shaping her acting, even her dance moves.
"When she came she was not as talented as she is, she was. But she developed everyday she learnt. I was astounded by her climb and every step of it she worked for. She was very fond of me and I was very fond of her. We were working so continuously that our personal lives were on the periphery... So the kind of dedication she had truly matched mine and so it's no wonder that we were fond of each other," the 63-year-old actor said.
Haasan recounted his last meeting with Sridevi which took place in January.
"We were not prone to showing emotion but we both hugged each other and I'm very grateful for that hug... 'Sadma' song rings in my ears now. I think that (is) favourite lullaby for this talented, beautiful Sridevi. That's our lullaby for her," he added talking about the Yesudas song "Surmayi ankhiyon mein" from the 1983 hit movie.
The actor also praised his deceased co-star as a dedicated mother to her two daughters - Janhvi and Khushi and offered his condolences to her husband, producer Boney Kapoor.
Rishi Kapoor and Sridevi in a still from 'Chandni.'
Mumbai: Fans, Bollywood stars and celebrities from various fields are finding it hard to recover after hearing about the untimely demise of legendary actress Sridevi in Dubai on Sunday.
The actress was renowned for being a brilliant package of beauty and a powerhouse performer.
Be it Rajinikanth, Kamal Haasan, Amitabh Bachchan, Anil Kapoor, Shah Rukh Khan, Salman Khan, Sridevi worked with some of the biggest names of the country in some of the most memorable films of all time.
Also read: Bollywood mourns sudden demise of actress Sridevi
Rishi Kapoor was another of her colleague, featuring together in two of her best works, Chandni and Nagina.
Kapoor had expressed his shock, sharing how Chandni was gone forever and there would be no more Moonlit nights on Sunday.
Woken up to this tragic news. Absolute shock. Sad. Heartfelt condolences to Boney and their two daughters! Rishi Kapoor (@chintskap) February 25, 2018
Henceforth no more Moonlit nights! Chandni gone forever. Alas! pic.twitter.com/VUuO3dQebL Rishi Kapoor (@chintskap) February 25, 2018
The veteran actor, who is known for his temper, however, lost his cool later in the day on the media coverage of the shocking news.
Kapoor was furious with TV channels referring to Sridevi as a mere body while reporting about the arrival of her mortal remains, and gave them a piece of his mind of Twitter, slamming them for how their individuality suddenly 'gets lost.'
Also read: RIP Sridevi: Arjun, Rekha, Rani visit Anil Kapoor's house, convey condolences
How has Sridevi all of a sudden become the body? All television channels reporting the body will be brought to Mumbai in the night! Suddenly your individuality gets lost and becomes a mere body?? Rishi Kapoor (@chintskap) February 25, 2018
Sridevis mortal remains will be brought on Monday to the country and according to reports, the autopsy and other formalities have been completed and funeral is reportedly scheduled for 11am.
Mumbai: The entire nation is mourning over the shocking demise of veteran actress Sridevi's death. While all are expressing their condolences to the family, there are some who can't resist trolling even during such a critical moment. There were some trolls on Twitter about the actresss demise which cited her surgery as the cause of her death, and filmmaker Ekta Kapoor shut the trolls up with her upfront response.
Ekta took to Twitter to express her anger, she wrote, Evil ones pls realise one percent ( as fwded as my doc told me) of the population can have a cardiac arrest without any heart condition or any kind of surgery! Its destiny not how evil rumour mongers portray!!!''
Evil ones pls realise one percent ( as fwded as my doc told me) of the population can have an cardiac arrest without any heart condition or any kind of surgery ! Its destiny not how evil rumour mongers portray!!! Ekta Kapoor (@ektaravikapoor) February 25, 2018
Offering her condolences to the late veteran star, Ekta had earlier written that, The strongest women have the weakest hearts sometimes...#RIPSrideviji.
The strongest women have the weakest hearts sometimes...#RIPSrideviji Ekta Kapoor (@ektaravikapoor) February 25, 2018
Sridevi's sudden demise took the entire nation by storm. She died of the massive cardiac arrest at the age of 54 in Dubai. The actress was there to attend her son-in-law Mohit Marwah's wedding with her family.
Sridevi's brother-in-law and actor Sanjay Kapoor has said the whole family was in shock with the sudden demise of the veteran actress. He also said that she had no history of heart ailment.
Her mortal is expected to be flown to Mumbai via a special chartered flight today for the last rites.
Mumbai: Sridevi reportedly drowned after losing her balance and falling into the bathtub under the influence of alcohol.
A forensic report has cited accidental drowning as the cause of death, according to Gulf News, tweeted by news agency ANI.
ANI also tweeted the forensic examination found traces of alcohol in the actor's blood and that she lost her balance under the influence of alcohol, fell into the bathtub and drowned.
Her body has also been released for embalming. The case has been handed over to the Dubai Public Prosecution, which will take forward the 'legal procedures' in the case.
However, the latest update too is that Boney Kapoor has been taken into questioning there since he was the last person to see the body.
There is no benchmark of how much time it could take. He (Boney Kapoor) may be asked for a statement as he was the last person to see her alive, it would not suggest that he is under investigation, executive editor of Khaleej Times, Vicky Kapur, told Times Now.
According to a report on Times Now, the Dubai police have ruled out foul play and disaffirmed any criminal motive behind the death.
Mumbai/Dubai: Bollywood actor Sridevi died of accidental drowning in her hotel bathtub after losing consciousness, the Dubai government said on Monday, giving a dramatic twist to her sudden death that has stunned legions of fans and industry colleagues.
The autopsy report, which was tweeted, had a stamp of the Ministry of Health UAE and the signature of director of preventive medicine, Dubai, Dr Sami Wadie.
It mentions the actors full name, Sreedevi Boney Kapoor Ayyappan, her passport number, date of the incident (February 24, 2018) and cause of death.
It is not clear what caused the actor to lose consciousness and drown accidentally in her hotel apartments bathtub, and whether the initial report of her death due to cardiac arrest still holds. Soon after her death, family sources on Sunday had said that the actress died of a cardiac arrest.
According to reports, Sridevis body may be embalmed on Tuesday.
The incident spot has been examined by authorities and reports said that Boney Kapoor has been questioned by Dubai police.
The Dubai-based Gulf News had said early on Monday that the actor was under the influence of alcohol, fell into the bathtub and drowned. However, this could not be independently confirmed.
There could be a further delay in Sridevis body being brought back to India, with the Dubai police informing the Indian embassy that another clearance was awaited before the body could be released.
Indian envoy to the UAE Navdeep Suri said the embassy had been informed that the Dubai police could only release the body after another clearance. He, however, did not say what type of a clearance was awaited.
Case transferred to Dubai Public Prosecution
The Dubai government said in a tweet the police had transferred the case to the Dubai Public Prosecution which will carry out the legal procedures.
Her family, including her younger daughter Khushi who is at Anil Kapoors house, has not commented beyond their initial statement on Sunday to announce the death, and has requested the media to not contact them. Sridevis death, which was first reported at around 3 am on Sunday in India, sent shock waves with those who knew her at a loss to explain how she could have suffered cardiac arrest at such a young age.
Now, the Dubai Public Prosecution will carry out legal procedures. It will send the forensic report to the public prosecutor, which will assess the merits of the case and then decide on the course of action to be taken.
Director Vijay reveals to DC that Sai Pallavi of Premam fame had first refused his film Karu (Embryo) and that he convinced her to accept the challenging role.
Karu is an important film in my career. The knot was there in my mind for a very long time. When I discussed with Lyca, they were very keen to make this film and said would wait till whenever I was ready. At a time when Sai Pallavi was turning down many films, I felt she is apt for the lead and approached her. She initially did not accept, but later when I narrated entire script, she realised the significance of her role and intensity of the subject and she agreed. The strength of the movie is Sai Pallavi.
He elaborated, Like how I introduced Amy Jackson in Madarasapattinam, Baby Sarah in Deiva Thirumagal, here in Karu I am launching a child named Veronica besides Sai Pallavi. Editor Antony will also be seen in a guest role. Pallavi, on her part, said, Tamil audiences have given me a big place and wherever I go they call me Teacher. Premams reach has been so big. My responsibilities grew. So, when I wanted to make my debut in Ktown, I was clear that it should be a meaty role. Thats the reason I turned down many Tamil offers. Since Karus plot inspired me a lot, I accepted. Vijay has taught me the nuances of acting, especially while emoting.
Even as condolence messages are pouring into social media platforms from fans of Mayilu across the globe, the superstar Rajinis fans are posting their heartfelt tributes to Sridevi in great numbers. And theres a reason behind it. When Rajinikanth started shooting for Rana with Deepika Padukone in 2011 in Chennai, he fell ill on the sets and was admitted to a local hospital. He developed complications later and was admitted to a top Singapore hospital when he was said to be critical. When Sridevi, who shared a great friendship with Rajini over the years, heard about it, she was very upset. Thats when she made a vow to Shirdi Sai Baba that she would observe a pious fast for a week to pray for Rajinis speedy recovery.
The actress fulfilled her promise and then visited Sai Babas Shridi Temple at Pune. She did this quietly without informing anyone and only after the Baasha star had recuperated and returned home did Sri let out that she had undertaken a penance for his recovery. Many Rajini fans recalled this on their FB accounts and are praising Sridevi for her gesture to their Thalaivar and paying their homage.
There was yet another incident which reveals the Lady Superstars closeness to Rajini which only a few may know. When Sridevi left the Tamil industry and was being hailed as a huge Bollywood star, the actress was turning down all offers from the south, including one from a big hero with whom she had acted in many films.
Industry sources say that around that time Rajini wanted her for his film Naan Adimai Illai. Though he was a bit apprehensive, he still called and asked Sridevi and, much to his surprise, she gave her nod without asking any questions. This was in 1986 and it was the last movie Sridevi did in Tamil before she got married and took a long hiatus only to resume her career with English Vinglish in 2102. That was the rapport and respect she had for her best friend Rajinikanth. Another reason why Rajini dashed off to Mumbai on Sunday night even before getting to know when the funeral would be held for his dear old friend from the world of Tamil films.
She will always be special
Director K. Raghavendra Rao shares a special equation with Sridevi. He directed her in 24 films, almost all of which became blockbusters. In fact, he is the one who captured her beauty on celluloid and turned her into a big star.
I have known her from childhood. I recall the film Naa Thammudu directed by my father, in which I worked as assistant director. Sridevi was a child artiste and had to run and cross the road. When she started running, a speeding car hit her. Sridevi fell immediately and became unconscious. I was so scared. But by Gods grace nothing happened except a small leg injury, recalls K. Raghavendra Rao.
He adds another incident, In Vetagadu, I wanted her to be the female lead opposite NTR. But the producers werent sure as she was very young. I convinced NTR and managed to cast her opposite him. That film brought her stardom. I always knew she would rule the country.
K. Raghavendra Rao DirectorK. Raghavendra Rao and Sridevi at an event
Sridevi was a shy girl
Sridevi, Jayasudha and Jayaprada ruled the Telugu film industry in the 70s and 80s. Jayasudha and Sridevi acted in seven films together and Jayasudha never felt competitive. Sridevi was a directors actress. She didnt talk much and was a shy girl. We were always friendly, says Jayasudha. She added that Sridevi was supposed to attend the class of 80s meeting of yesteryear stars, but couldnt do so. She said she would attend it last year but at that time her daughters shooting was going on and she wanted to be with her. She was worried about her daughters debut film, recalls Jayasudha.
Jayasudha, Actress
Spoke to Sridevi just two days ago
Adi Seshagiri Rao, producer of many films including the Hindi film Himmatwala that stars Sridevi and Jeetendra, spoke to the actress recently.
I came to know that Sridevis daughter is being introduced through Dharma Productions. I called Boney Kapoor to congratulate him. Then I spoke to Sridevi. She told me that she would come to Hyderabad after March 10 and would meet me. Now, I am shocked, says Rao, who remembers her to be a thorough professional. Though she had her differences with Jayaprada, she never showed it on the sets, he says.
Adi seshagiri rao, Producer
I did highest no. of Telugu films with Sridevi
Actor Krishna fondly recalls his association with Sridevi and is saddened at her passing. Sridevis family were our neighbours in Chennai. As a child, she spent most of her time in our house. She played my daughter in Maa Nanna Nirdoshi and acted as female lead opposite me in Burripalem Bullodu. In the 85 Telugu films she has done, she acted as the female lead in 31 films opposite me, says Krishna.
krishna ghattamaneni, ActorA still from Krishnavataram
Thankful for the hug
Sridevi's astounding talent was not luck feels Kamal Haasan, who says, It was well-deserved and she worked for it from childhood. When she first came to the industry, she wasnt as talented as we know her to be today. But she developed and every day she learnt. I was astounded by her climb. She was very fond of me and I too was very fond of her. She has acted in almost 27 films with me but our paths diverged when she became a superstar in Hindi.
He adds, I had seen her last month. We are not prone to showing emotions but somehow we had hugged each other and I am thankful for that hug. The song from Vasantha Kokila rings in my ears now and I think thats a great lullaby for this talented, beautiful Sridevi. She had a happy life. My deepest condolences to the family Boney and the children. I know they shared a lot of love. Hold on, hang in there, Boney. I am sorry.Kamal Haasan, Actor A still from Vasantha Kokila
I hate God for killing Sridevi...
Ram Gopal Varma penned a long note to express his anguish over Sridevis passing. Sridevi was like a creation of God that he does whenever he is in a very special mood, as a very special gift to mankind, he begins. He recalls his first meeting with Sridevi at her home in Chennai to discuss a film, when there was a power cut and they had to rely on candlelight. Her beautiful image from that day was imprinted in his mind and he was inspired to write Kshana Kshanam with the sole aim of impressing Sridevi.
ram gopal varma, Director
India has lost one of its brightest stars
Mohan Babu and Sridevi shared the association with Tirupati, the hometown of her mother. He says, I also happened to work with her in several films. I believe India has lost not just one of its brightest stars but also a very good human being. I remember how it took just one phone call for her to join us in celebrating 42 years of my film career in Visakhapatnam. May her soul rest in peace.
M. mohan babu, Actor
She will live on in cinema
Chiranjeevi recalls his memories with the athiloka sundari.
Having to say goodbye to her so soon is something I am not able to digest! Living cinema all her life, with nothing else in her world, she was one of the most dedicated actresses I worked with, learnt a lot from, and was inspired by. She was a visual wonder in Jagadekaveerudu Athilokasundari. I felt she was born to play that part. Sridevi and Chiranjeevi shared a rapport on a personal level. We ensured that we met each other whenever possible. The last time we had one such meeting was when she came to my 60th birthday party along with her husband Boney Kapoor garu. Her loss will be mourned by the entire country because she touched our hearts all through her illustrious career. Despite leaving her mortal body, she will live on for as long as cinema lives.
Chiranjeevi, ActorA still from Jagadekaveerudu Athilokasundari
After making her Tollywood debut with Sapthagiri LLB, Mumbai-based model-turned-actress Kashish Vohra has signed her next film. The Delhi-born will be seen as the leading lady in the Telugu remake of super hit Kannada film 1st Rank Raju.
Talking about the project, Kashish says, The film is a romantic comedy set against a campus backdrop and explores the importance of academic qualifications in life. It is very contemporary and people will be able to easily connect to the plot, just like how it became a superhit in Kannada.
Kashish will play a college-goer in the film. I played a village belle in my debut, and a college-goer in this one. I got nostalgic while shooting for the campus episodes. I was able to relive my college days, and shooting for the film was all fun; there was always laughter on the sets.
The actress adds, I am also improving my language (Telugu). Im getting the dialogues in advance so that I can understand the meaning and express myself better. My team is also helping me out with the lines. The Telugu film industry has been very welcoming and I am getting a warm reception.
Naresh Kumar, who directed the original, is also directing the Telugu version, which will be presented by Maruthi.
While the photos of actor Sridevi clad in a red-salmon organza sari by Manish Malhotra at Mohit Marwahs wedding celebrations in Dubai was circulating all over the social media, we were hit by the news of her sudden death. The shocking news has left the film fraternity and her numerous fans devastated that the iconic Chandni will no longer grace the silver screen.
Outfit by Rohit Bal
The 54-year-old was not just an acclaimed actor and accomplished dancer but a much sought-after fashionista. Known for her fondness for ethnic wear, she chose to don some of the most sought-after designers like Manish Malhotra, Sabyasachi and Falguni and Shane Peacock. The first female superstar of Bollywood marked an interesting chapter in the industrys style stretching from the ghastly and outlandish to traditional and Western, and that iconic all white Chandni look... but through it all she wore the clothes, the clothes did not wear her.
Reminiscing the earlier decades, designer Payal Jain shares, Sridevi was the ultimate glamour goddess. She carried whatever she wore with a certain confidence, personal style and elegance that made the most outlandish outfits from Mr India to the simple, sophisticated saris of English Vinglish look equally effortless. Shell remain close to our hearts with her brilliant and powerful performances and will be deeply missed.
Adding to it, designer Madhu Jain, whose outfit Sridevi wore for a magazine cover years ago, strongly feels that she had the quintessential body for Indian wear. She carried off Indian garments beautifully rather than Western. And no could ever look as graceful as her in a sari.
Sridevi set trends with her looks in (from left) Chandni, Lamhe and Mr India
Sridevi started her acting career in Tamil films as a child artist and her debut as an adult in the late 1970s. In that era models hadnt entered the Indian fashion industry. It was only after models entered the scene that the concept of a slim and tall actress came into being. Prior to that Jaya Prada and Sridevi had Indian body types yet the way they carried off whatever they wore with grace was exceptional, adds Madhu.
Ashish Soni, who recently celebrated his 25 years in the industry, feels Sridevi was a trendsetter. She was really stylish and made popular various styles that wouldnt have been thought of as likely to be trend-worthy.
Nishant Malhotra, founder of Weaverstory, feels Sridevi helped the sari make a comeback on screen in a sexy avatar. She was the reason we saw women venture out wearing whites and she made a traditional garment like the sari turn into the most desirable outfit. She was the reason chiffons and gorgettes made a comeback. Who can forget her looks in Mr India, Chandni and the mesmerising Lamhe. She was truly a style diva.
The overall rate of survival that leads to hospital discharge for someone who experiences cardiac arrest is about 10.6 per cent. (Photo: Pexels)
The majority of people believe cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) is successful more often than it tends to be in reality, according to a small U.S. study.
This overly optimistic view, which may partly stem from seeing happy outcomes in television medical dramas, can get in the way of decision-making and frank conversations about end of life care with doctors, the research team writes in American Journal of Emergency Medicine.
CPR is intended to restart a heart that has stopped beating, known as cardiac arrest, which is typically caused by an electrical disturbance in the heart muscle. Although a heart attack is not the same thing it occurs when blood flow to the heart is partly or completely blocked, often by a clot a heart attack can also cause the heart to stop beating.
Whatever the cause of cardiac arrest, restarting the heart as quickly as possible to get blood flowing to the brain is essential to preventing permanent brain damage. More often than not, cardiac arrest ends in death or severe neurological impairment.
The overall rate of survival that leads to hospital discharge for someone who experiences cardiac arrest is about 10.6 per cent, the study authors note. But most participants in the study estimated it at more than 75 per cent.
The majority of patients and non-medical personnel have very unrealistic expectations about the success of CPR as well as the quality of life after patients are revived, said lead author Lindsey Ouellette, a research assistant at Michigan State Universitys College of Human Medicine in Grand Rapids.
Patients and family members should know about the realistic success rate and survival numbers when planning a living will and considering a Do Not Resuscitate order, Ouellette said.
We think it is best to have the latest and most accurate information when dealing with this life-impacting decision, whether or not to undertake or continue CPR, she told Reuters Health in an email.
To gauge perceptions of CPR, the researchers surveyed 1,000 adults at four academic medical centers in Michigan, Illinois and California. Participants included non-critically ill patients and families of patients, who were interviewed during random hospital shifts.
In addition to asking about general knowledge of CPR and personal experiences with CPR, the researchers presented participants with several scenarios and asked them to estimate the likelihood of CPR success and patient survival in each case.
One scenario involved a 54-year-old who suffered a heart attack at home and required CPR by paramedics. About 72 per cent of the survey participants predicted survival and 65 per cent predicted a complete neurological recovery.
In a scenario describing a trauma-related cardiac arrest in an 8-year-old, 71 per cent predicted CPR success and 64 per cent predicted long-term survival of the child.
Many people felt if a person was successfully revived, they would return to normal rather than possibly needing lifelong care, Ouellette said.
At the same time, more than 70 per cent of respondents said they watched TV medical dramas regularly, and 12 per cent said these shows were a reliable source of health information.
Tempering unrealistic expectations may not make for good TV, but perhaps we can get a better idea of just how these dramas may impact the views people hold about CPR and other aspects of medicine, she said.
People think about CPR as a miracle, but its another medical act, said Dr. Juan Ruiz-Garcia of Hospital Universitario de Torrejon in Madrid who wasnt involved in the study. Im not really sure what people would choose if they knew the real prognosis of it, he told Reuters Health by phone.
CPR should be part of the conversation about end-of-life care and advanced directives among families, said Carolyn Bradley of Yale-New Haven Hospital in Connecticut.
When doing CPR at a hospital, we tend to move the family away, but weve created a situation where families may not be there for the final moments, she said in a phone interview.
Have a critical conversation with your health care provider and go with questions about what would happen during CPR, she said. What does it look like? What happens to my body? Who will be around? It could be the end-of-life. Statistically, it is.
Kochi: Nearly two months after the state government ordered closure of Kochi-based Peace International School upon finding it teaching textbooks propagating communal hatred, its chairman M.M. Akbar was intercepted at Hyde-rabad airport and brought to Kochi on Sunday. The controversial Isla-mic preacher and managing director of the Kozhikode-based Peace Educational Foundation was on the run for over a year. Akbar was intercepted at 11 pm on Saturday by Immigration officials based on a lookout notice issued by the Kochi Police earlier. He was on his way from Australia to Qatar via Malaysia and landed in Hyderabad for a brief stopover, one of the sources said.
A four-member squad led by Vipin Das, sub-inspector of police, Ernakulam North, soon left for Hyderabad and recorded his arrest at 11.30 am on Sunday. The team brought him back to Kochi later in the day. Hell be subjected to a preliminary round of interrogation and will be produced before a court on Monday, he said. The case was lodged in October 2016 based on a complaint by the district education officer. A probe by the education department found the school wasnt teaching from textbooks recommended by the NCERT, CBSE or SCERT, instead followed ones compiled by a Mumbai-based Islamic educational institution.
In December 2016, the Kochi Police arrested three Mumbai-based publishers for printing the textbooks with objectionable content. Portions of a Class II textbook that propagates Islamic Orthodoxy and conversion were leaked, in which there were objective type questions on what the students would do if their friend wanted to convert to Islam and how to deal with non-Muslims among others. Finally, in January last, the Chief Minister ordered shuttering the school based on the recommendation for action by the district collector and the department of education. The institution has 13 schools under its banner in different districts in the state, and the government is considering similar action against the rest.
They had collected Rs 30 lakh from eight unemployed youth of Jagtial district with a promise of providing them jobs abroad. (Representational Image)
Hyderabad: Malkajgiri Special Operations Team (SOT) nabbed two travel agents, who had cheated several youth promising them job visas, at Medipally on Monday. They also seized Rs 2 lakhs cash from their possession.
The arrested have been identified as Adam Raju, 55, and Kandukuri Narayana, 45. They were working along with one Srinivas Reddy who is now absconding. They had collected Rs 30 lakh from eight unemployed youth of Jagtial district with a promise of providing them jobs abroad.
According to SOT officials, Adam Raju has been involved in illegal job visa racket along with his associates K. Narayana and Srinivas Reddy. Narayana approached unemployed youth in the village of Jagtial district and informed them that his friend named Adam Raju has good contacts with travel agents who provide job visas to unemployed students, interested in working abroad.
The eight students believed Narayana and paid him Rs 30 lakhs as cash to provide them visas. to Israel. Later, Narayana consulted his associates Adam Raju and Srinivas Reddy. Adam Raju informed Narayana that he has agents who can arrange visas to Israel and took Rs 20 lakhs cash from him in 2016. But there was no result and he kept delaying the process by saying lame excuses. Later, Narayana took Rs 10 lakh and paid some amount to Srinivas Reddy for helping him out in providing job visas. But there was no progress here too, Syed Rafeeq, Addl DCP, SOT, said.
Fed up of the delay, the victims pressurised them to return their money and since then, the suspects had switched off their mobiles and went absconding. Based on technical evidence, they were nabbed . They were handed over to Medipally Police, along with the seized cash, for further investigation.
Shah also targeted Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge for the poor governance in his own constituency. (Photo: PTI)
Kalaburagi (Karnataka): Continuing his tirade against the Congress government in the state, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) President Amit Shah on Monday said the present Karnataka government has failed on all fronts.
Addressing the media in Kalaburagi, Shah stated that corruption and Karanataka Chief Minsiter Siddaramaiah government have become synonymous.
"Karnataka government has failed on all fronts, be it law and order or development, it has failed. Corruption cases are on a rise. Corruption and Siddaramaiah government have become synonymous," Shah added.
The BJP president also alleged the Siddaramaiah government for showing insensitive attitude towards families of the farmers who committed suicide.
"The insensitive attitude of the Siddaramaiah government towards families of the farmers who committed suicide is deplorable," he said.
Shah also said that withdrawing all the cases against the Popular Front of India (PFI) and Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI) has showed the unidirectional action by Siddaramaiah.
"The manner in which all cases against the Popular Front of India (PFI) and Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI) have been withdrawn, shows the unidirectional action by Siddaramaiah government," he added.
Shah also targeted Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge for the poor governance in his own constituency.
"If anyone wants to see the governance of the Congress, then, go to the constituency of Kharge sahab. I received feedbacks from the party workers that there is too much backwardness. There no such backwardness in any place of Karnataka but in Kharge sahab's own constituency," he added.
Karnataka is one of the few states where the Congress is in power.
The Karnataka Legislative Assembly election is scheduled to be held in April-May this year to elect members of the 224 constituencies in Karnataka.
Delhi Police had on Friday visited Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's residence and seized a hard disk of the CCTV camera system installed to probe the case of alleged assault of the Chief Secretary by AAP MLAs. (Photo: PTI)
New Delhi: The court, on Monday, asked the Delhi police to prove that tampering was done with the CCTV footage recovered by them from the official residence of Chief Minister Arvin Kejriwal in the Chief Secretary assualt case.
The police had earlier said that the timestamp on the clip did not match with the sequence of the events.
"The defence counsel stated that police must prove that tampering has been done," Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP)-North, Harendra K Singh said, adding, It was informed to court that site visit reveals discrepancies in the timing. Only FSL will be able to tell if any tampering has been done."
The police said the footage was sent to the Forensic Science Laboratory for further examination, news agency ANI reported.
The court has reserved its order till Tuesday.
Additional DCP Harendra Singh told the court that the meeting between the Delhi Chief Secretary and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLAs was not held in the camp office but in the living room of the CM residence.
Meanwhile, the Delhi government is mulling live streaming of all official meetings following the alleged assault on Chief Secretary Anshu Prakash at the Chief Minister's residence on February 19, news agency PTI reported.
A senior government official said that as per a plan, live feed of meetings with audio output will be available on a website. If the plan is passed, funds will be allocated for it in the upcoming budget, he said.
"Through live streaming of official meetings, people will be able to know who spoke what in the meeting, be it the elected representative or officials," the official told PTI.
There is also a plan to put all file movement and notings online, he said.
"Plan is also to put all file movement and file notings online for people to see who was working on a file for how long, who cleared it and who wrote what on a particular file, be it the elected government or officers," the official said.
The AAP government has alleged that some officers have created hurdles in the national capitals administration work.
Delhi Police had on Friday visited Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's residence and seized a hard disk of the CCTV camera system installed to probe the case of alleged assault of the Chief Secretary by AAP MLAs. Police had claimed that it had to go to the Chief Minister's house to collect the CCTV footage after its request for the same was not met.
Also Read: Team of 60 cops at Arvind Kejriwal's home to probe chief secy assault case
"We had asked for the CCTV camera footage and hard disk on February 20 itself but there was no response. So, we decided to come down and examine it," the Additional DCP had said. He had also said that the in-charge of maintenance at the Chief Minister's residence had been intimated about the police visit.
Also Read: Delhi chief secy scuffle: Cops seize CCTV footage from Kejriwal residence
A total of 21 CCTV cameras and a hard disk were examined by the police. Fourteen CCTV cameras were running while seven were not working at the time of the incident.
The police had said that there was no CCTV camera in the room where the alleged incident took place and no footage was obtained. "We believe the incident occurred between midnight of February 19 and 12:15 am on February 20," the police had said.
Also Read: No CCTVs where Delhi chief secy was assaulted: Cops on CM home search
(With inputs from agencies.)
According to Commissioner of Police YB Khurania, the youth's last known location was somewhere in Howrah in West Bengal. (Photo: AIIMS Bhubaneswar official website)
Bhubaneswar: A student from Jammu and Kashmir, studying at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in Bhubaneswar, has been missing for over a fortnight, police said.
Suhail Aijaz, a resident of Kupwara district in the northern state and pursing MBBS at the institute since 2016, left his hostel on February 9, and has been missing since then.
The second-year student had informed the authorities of the institute that he was going to Chandigarh with his friends to attend a wedding and would be back on February 17, Commissioner of Police YB Khurania said.
The authorities had filed a missing complaint with the police on February 18, a day after the student's scheduled date of return to the institute.
A note has been recovered from the hostel, Khurania said, without elaborating on its content.
"Efforts are on to trace the student. We are questioning the institute officials and the friends of the missing student," Khurania said.
He said the youth's last known location was somewhere in Howrah in West Bengal.
"We are in contact with the Howrah police and the CID West Bengal. The particulars of the student have also been shared with them," he said.
Suhail's father Aijaz Ahmed reached Bhubaneswar and met senior police officials seeking their help in tracing his son. Ahmed told reporters that he had spoken to Suhail over phone for the last time on February 7.
He also said that the institute authorities were the first ones to tell him that his son had gone missing.
Masks of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and the kind of turbans worn by the leaders are luring buyers at Uttar Pradesh's Lucknow. (Photo: Screengrab | ANI)
Lucknow: The country is all geared up to make the festival of colours, Holi a memorable one. Markets are stacked with stalls of colours of different hues, herbal gulaal, masks, turbans, balloons and different props.
Masks of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and the kind of turbans worn by the leaders are luring buyers at Uttar Pradesh's Lucknow.
Turban mostly worn by Yogi Adityanath is has seen rise in demand this year, feels seller at one of the Holi markets.
Holi is celebrated in India with fervour and enthusiasm. This year the festival will be celebrated on March 1 and 2.
BJP president Amit Shah also hit out at the Sidaramaiah government, accusing it of following 'three Ds -- Dhokha (cheating), Dadagiri (goondaism) and dynastic politics'. (Photo: ANI | Twitter)
Kalaburagi: BJP president Amit Shah on Monday took on Congress chief Rahul Gandhi for his attacks on the Prime Minister over the Punjab National Bank (PNB) scam, saying no other government had acted as promptly and taken stringent action against frauds as the Narendra Modi government.
Amit Shah also hit out at the Sidaramaiah government, accusing it of following "three Ds -- Dhokha (cheating), Dadagiri (goondaism) and dynastic politics".
The BJP chief said the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and the CBI have taken prompt action in the case. "There has been no government other than Modiji's government, that has taken prompt and most stringent of actions against any frauds committed in the past," Amit Shah told reporters at Kalaburgi in Karnataka.
The BJP president's reply came when he was asked about Rahul Gandhi's remarks against Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the multi-crore PNB fraud case.
At public rallies at Vijapura and Bagalkote districts in North Karnataka, Rahul Gandhi had been targeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi on corruption, asking as to why Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who had described himself as the country's chowkidar (watchman), was "silent" on the bank fraud allegedly involving jewellers Nirav Modi and his uncle Mehul Choksi.
Amit Shah said, "The ED has already taken action (filed a case under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act). Prior to it, the CBI had registered an FIR early this month."
The ED had also conducted raids on the properties of Nirav Modi and seized jewellery and some shares besides freezing his bank accounts, Amit Shah said.
In his opening remarks, Amit Shah said BJP was certain to form the next government in Karnataka because the Siddaramaiah administration had "failed" on all fronts including checking corruption and by meting out injustice to temples and religious institutions. "Corruption and Siddaramaiah government have become synonymous," he alleged.
Also Read: Corruption and Siddaramaiah govt have become synonymous: Amit Shah
Moreover, the people of the state were angered over the Siddaramaiah government's "nefarious" intentions of dividing a community by according separate religion status, Amit Shah said.
"If the BJP is voted to power, we will repeal the proposal (to give separate religion status to Lingayats)," he said.
Lingayats/Veerashaivas form a major and influential community in Karnataka, sections of which are seeking a separate religious tag. The Siddaramaiah government is being accused of trying to divide the community by forming a panel to make a recommendation on the issue to the Centre. "The Siddaramaiah goverment has been cheating the people of the state by not fulfilling its promises. The people of Hyderabad-Karnataka region are saying they have not seen such 'goonda' government and thirdly, are unhappy with the rule of two families in this part of the state," he said.
"If anyone wants to see the governance of the Congress, then go to the constituency of Kharge sahab," Amit Shah said.
The dynastic politics jibe was apparently a reference to Congress leader in Lok Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge from Kalaburagi, whose son Priyank Kharge is a state minister.
Also Read: If voted to power, BJP will solve Mahadayi row, assures Amit Shah
The BJP chief said he received feedback from party workers that there was too much of backwardness. "There is no such backwardness in any place of Karnataka, but in Kharge sahab's own constituency," he said.
Amit Shah said after winning the election, the very first thing that the BJP government would do is to restart the local sugar mills, which are closed at the moment.
Protests being held by students at the Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS) Mumbai against scholarship cuts have spilled over to TISS Hyderabad. (Representational image)
Hyderabad: Protests being held by students at the Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS) Mumbai against scholarship cuts have spilled over to TISS Hyderabad. On Sunday, Students locked the gates, boycotted classes, and refused to allow faculty members to enter the campus until their demands were met. They said that the authorities decision would affect a staggering number of OBC students.
The Student Council approached the management with claims that they had been given false assurances in the past. They said that they would not budge until an official confirmation was released. The student movement has been gaining strength through statements of solidarity made by members of various student groups and organisations.
The All India Council for Students Struggles and a group students from IIT Bombay have expressed solidarity with the TISS students.
On February 21, 2018, students across the four campuses of the TISS in Mumbai, Tuljapur, Guwahati and Hyderabad called for a strike. This step was taken to protest the withdrawal of aid offered to SC, ST and OBC students, and their being demanded to pay dining hall and hostel charges. Harinder Singh Happy, a member of the Social Protection Cell of TISS Hyderabad said, It is a highly unacceptable and condemnable move for TISS to seek to make it compulsory for all students registered at the institution, including those who have sought admission on the basis of the Government of Indias Post-Matric Scholarship, to pay hostel, academic and infrastructural fees.
The police said that the militant Mushtaq Ahmed Chopan alias Haroon was involved in two FIRs lodged at police station Tral under various sections the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act. (Photo: ANI)
Srinagar: A Hizbul Mujahideen militant, who was in police custody, was killed and a policeman was injured when suspected militants tossed a hand grenade into a police station in Jammu and Kashmirs southern Pulwama district, the police in Srinagar said.
The incident was followed by eruption of intense clashes between irate crowds and the security forces along the streets of Tral area. The police, witnesses said, fired rifles over the heads of the stone-pelting mobs and also burst teargas canisters to quell the protests. The traders earlier brought their shutters down and vehicles were withdrawn from roads, a report received from Tral said.
According to a statement issued by the police, the militant Mushtaq Ahmed Chopan alias Haroon who was in police custody had tried to escape from the police station in Tral town, wearing burqa.
When he was near the main gate someone from outside lobbed a grenade as a part of the planned conspiracy to divert the attention so that he could escape conveniently. The grenade exploded inside the police station nearby him resulting into death of the said detainee and injury to one constable Merajuddin, the statement said.
The police are silent over how the detainee acquired burqa while in its custody. He was arrested along with his two associates by the police in Sopore area in north-western Baramulla district on January 9 and was currently under custodial change as he was wanted also by Awantipora (Pulwama district) police. Chopan was a resident of Wagad village of Tral area of Pulwama.
The police said that he was involved in two FIRs lodged at police station Tral under various sections the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act. Another FIR stands registered against him under Section 7/27 of the Arms Act in Sopore police station.
The police said that a magisterial inquiry has been initiated into Mondays incident under Section 176 CrPC (magisterial inquiry into cause of death of a person in police custody).
The circumstances under which he was escaping are being looked into, it added.
Earlier Director General of Police, Shesh Paul Vaid, tweeted, A militant Mushtaq Ahmad Chopan died in grenade explosion when challenged by sentry while trying to escape from Police Station Tral.
The police said that the injured cop was shifted to the 52-Army Base Hospital in Srinagar whereas the autopsy of the slain militant was being conducted at a different hospital.
The incident comes a day after militants shot dead two policemen while one was guarding a Sufi shrine in Charar-e-Sharief town in central district of Budgam and another was posted at the resident of a Hurriyat Conference (Mirwaiz) leader Faza-ul-Haq Qureshi in Srinagars Soura area. The assailants also snatched their service weapons.
The complaint was registered after a youth reached to police and informed them about this invitation on the messaging platform. (Photo: File)
Lucknow: An FIR has been registered in Lucknow's Cyber Cell after members of a WhatsApp group received an invitation to join another group named 'Lashkar-e-Taiba' on the messaging platform.
The group named Lashkar-e-Taiba was allegedly created by a Class 9 schoolboy in Rajasthan's Bhilwada.
The complaint was registered after a youth reached to police and informed them about this invitation on the messaging platform.
Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS) has been alerted to keep an eye on the case.
Meanwhile, the Uttar Pradesh Police said, "A case has been registered on the complaint of a person who received a message relating to 'Lashkar-e-Taiba' on a WhatsApp group he was part of. The cyber crime cell will conduct an investigation."
Investigation is underway.
Hyderabad: Advocates from the Rayalaseema region practising at the Hyderabad High Court on Monday staged a protest in front of the High Court building demanding setting up of a separate High Court for Andhra Pradesh in the Rayalaseema region.
Scores of advocates gathered at the main entrance with placards during the lunch hour and raised slogans pressing for their demanding. The lawyers said that they are extending their solidarity and support to the lawyers who have been boycotting courts in Rayalaseema for the past 38 days.
They said they will further intensify their stir if the state government failed to make an announcement that the new High Court will be set up in the backward Rayalaseema.
New Delhi: While a host of saffron leaders paid tributes to Veer Savarkar on his 52nd death anniversary, National Democratic Alliances (NDA) ally Telugu Desam Partys (TD) leader and Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu apparently deleted a tweet he had posted earlier, paying tribute to Savarkar on Monday.
According to screenshots shared on Twitter, the TD chiefs Twitter handle was shown with the tweet Humble tributes to the legendary freedom fighter, Veer Savarkarji, on his death anniversary.
The tweet was seen at around 7 am on Monday. Soon after, the tweet was unavailable. The buzz is that the tweet was deleted in the wake of strained relationships between the TD and the BJP. Also, Savarkar is considered as a controversial figure by many but is held in high esteem by the BJP.
Savarkar is credited for coining the term Hindutva and had endorsed a Hindu Rashtra. While the Bharatiya Janata Party considers Veer Savarkar as a freedom fighter, many other political parties have the opinion that he has not done much for the Independence movement.
Congress had earlier cited that Savarkar had not supported Gandhijis Quit India Movement. But the BJP and the RSS argue that Savarkar was jailed by the Britishers, proving that he has fought for Indias independence.
Savarkar was released from prison by the Britishers in 1921. The Congress uses this fact to say that he wasnt a freedom fighter unlike Bhagat Singh and Sukhdev. Many BJP leaders had paid rich tributes to Veer Savarkar on Monday.
While the Telugu Desam is part of the ruling alliance at the Centre, the Andhra Pradeshs ruling party is under pressure from the Opposition,
which had been criticising it for not getting the Centre deliver the promises made as per the AP Re-organisation Act.
The state will go to polls simultaneously with the Lok Sabha elections next year and the issue could be used by the Opposition to take on the TD.
Though the TD has been taking a tough stand and had even sided with the Opposition on the Triple Talaq Bill issue, political observers feel that it was only a posturing by the regional party.
The regional party had also expressed disappointment over the Union Budget which did not allocate any funds for the state.
Kochi: Soon six tourists spots in and around Kochi will be made disabled-friendly to attract more tourists, thanks to an initiative of the District Tourism Promotion Corporation (DTPC). The facilities, which are expected to be set up in 18 months, will include signage in Braille language, disabled-friendly ramps, bridges, paths and toilets among others. Well also provide wheelchairs, walking sticks and crutches for such tourists to enjoy the scenery at these spots. The selected six locations are Nedump-arachira (Koovappady), Marine Drive Park, Fort Kochi, Ezhattumugham Prakrithi Gramam, Bhoothathankettu Park and Kuzhu-pilly beach, said S Vijayakumar, Secretary, DTPC.
A token amount of `44 lakh was allotted to build the facilities. The Tourism department has allocated `9 crore under the Barrier- Free Kerala Tourism project to be implemented across the state. A site-specific estimate will be prepared and submitted to the department. Some of the facilities are already available, for instance the disabled-friendly toilet complex at Ezattumugham. Meanwhile, the Tourism department has given administrative sanction to another project proposed by the DTPC giving a facelift to popular Cherai beach at an estimated cost of Rs 50.37 lakh. The works will be completed in 18 months.
The department also gave nod for six other key projects, the work of which has started. It includes renovation of Childrens Park, located at the heart of the city, at a cost of `4crore, the second phase of the 'Kallidumbil Attute-eram' project at Piravom (`1.5 crore) and hanging bridge at Manakkal Kadavu over Kadambrayar near Pallikkara.
The Telangana government is likely to stick to its initially announced public holiday on March 1, to celebrate the festival of colours.
Hyderabad: Amid confusion over the date to celebrate Holi fest, the Telangana government is likely to stick to its initially announced public holiday on March 1, to celebrate the festival of colours.
The advice of Endowments department was sought in wake of the Central Government holiday for Holi on March 2. Endowments department in turn consulted panchangkarthas and purohits, who reiterated that festival should be celebrated on March 1.
Confirming the development, a higher official said that there will be no change in the public holiday date (March 1), irrespective of the Central governments holiday deferring by a day.
Telangana Vidhwatsabha stated that March 1 was declared as Holi festival a year ago and accordingly all panchangkarthas incorporated the same in their calendars.
Following this, the government also finalised the public holiday on the same date much earlier. There is no confusion in the festival date and hence people in Telangana can celebrate the festival of colours on March 1, it said.
Explaining further, Divyagnana Siddhanti, general secretary of the Vidhwatsabha, said that the difference in dates between TS and the Centre can be understood as sun rise timings differ.
Centre mostly follows Panchangam prepared by purohits in Uttar Pradesh, he said.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his family left India on February 24 after a long seven-day safari through the country that gyrated between the sublime and the ridiculous. The Toronto Star editorially dubbed it a very bad trip that may carry a steep cost.
The ridiculous veered around the speculation that host Prime Minister Narendra Modi did not even tweet a welcome, by now standard Modi fare for arriving state guests. Furthermore, Mr Modi did not receive Mr Trudeau at the airport, again done selectively by the Prime Minister, or accompany him to Ahmedabad, Mr Modis hometown. All this was taken as a snub to Mr Trudeau due to his Liberal Party patronising pro-Khalistani elements in the Canadian Sikh diaspora. The explanation probably lay in bad programming as normally state visits begin in New Delhi, with trips across India undertaken thereafter. Its reversal and longish duration fed the negative stories. Even the well-meant attempt by the Trudeau family to go native sartorially was ridiculed by some in India and abroad. The Toronto Star, tongue in cheek, wrote that Indians dont actually dress like that, except may be on their wedding day. But truthfully, Mr Trudeaus bha-ngra moves at the Canadian high commissioners reception were vintage Punjabi.
The Khalistan issue emerged as Mr Trudeaus visit to Amritsar approached. Punjab chief minister Capt. Amarinder Singh had last year used the pro-Khalistan argument against his then resurgent Aam Aadmi Party opponents, alleging they had links to Canada-based Khalistanis. The matter resurfaced when Capt. Singh later refused to meet Canadian defence minister Harjit Sajjan, on an official visit to India last year, on the same grounds, despite his distinguished military past. Now Capt. Singh proclaimed he would meet Mr Trudeau but not his Sikh ministers.
The subterranean tension erupted again when it was discovered that Jaspal Atwal, convicted for the attempted murder of a visiting Punjab politician in 1986, was an invitee to the Canadian high commissioners reception for Mr Trudeau. Although Mr Atwal was promptly disinvited, the issues wider implications lingered. For instance, how did he get a visa for India and furthermore get invited? The external affairs ministry promised an answer after an inquiry. But it put the Canadians on the backfoot over relations between the Liberal Party and the Sikh diaspora, which had been riling India as recently even gurdwaras in Canada had banned the entry of Indian diplomats. Strangely, a day later, a story appeared that in fact Mr Atwal was part of the outreach to recanting Khalistanis, whose names were removed from the blacklist to generate mutual goodwill. If that was indeed so, then why the fracas?
The Amritsar trip went smoothly with the Union government deploying recently-inducted Sikh minister and former distinguished diplomat Hardeep Singh Puri to receive and accompany Mr Trudeau during his Golden Temple sojourn. The Akalis, allies of the BJP, were left little space as the focus shifted from the beautiful pictures of the Trudeau family in and around the Golden Temple, to them actually making chapattis in the langar kitchen serving free food to devotees and even non-Sikhs, rich and poor. The meeting with Capt. Singh was short but meaningful, as he handed over a list of Sikh provocateurs in Canada attempting to fuel trouble in Punjab. No doubt the capture of Sikh gurdwaras by a vociferous minority of radicals must also have been discussed. Mr Trudeau needs to seek a balance between the freedom of speech and religion and incitement of sedition in nations of origin by Sikhs or Tamils, or any other ethnicity.
The two Prime Ministers eventually met on February 23 and issued a joint statement, which captures the above dilemma, noting at the start that while both nations value democracy, diversity, pluralism and the rule of law, cooperation rests on respect for sovereignty, unity and the territorial integrity of both. Both agreed to cooperate in fields like civil nuclear issues, education, audio-visual, intellectual property and sports. The need to expand bilateral economic and commercial relations, which hover around $8 billion annually, was also noted. Canada-US trade for instance is $2 billion daily. With US President Donald Trump seeking re-negotiation of the North American Free Trade Agreement (Nafta), a pact of the US, Canada and Mexico, and Canada joining the Trans Pacific Partnership minus the US, scope exists for diversification of trade and investment relations. A Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement is under negotiation.
Canada is a reliable source for high quality uranium and foodstuffs, including pulses. But this relationship needs to transcend producer-buyer relationship to full spectrum partnership in agriculture and horticulture. An energy dialogue is established as Canada leads in tar sand exploitation and is a net oil exporter. Canada overcame perceived betrayal at India using plutonium from a Canada-gifted nuclear research reactor Cirus in its 1974 nuclear test. After India got a waiver from the Nuclear Suppliers Group, Canada reopened uranium sales to India.
At the strategic level, there is shared concern over the observance of the United Nations Convention on the Laws of the Seas (UNCLOS) and freedom of navigation and overflights throughout the Indo-Pacific, a phrase re-echoing an Indo-US construct. Both called upon the Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea (North Korea) to abide by UN Security Council resolutions and the Maldives to restore democracy and constitutionalism. While Canadas desire to host more Indian students was noted, so was Indias desire to get Canada to liberalise immigration for skilled Indians. The last is important as the United States, under Mr Trump, despite whatever assurances India may extract, is moving relentlessly towards curtailing immigration.
All told, Mr Trudeau and his family captured the popular imagination by their costumes and family-on-vacation approach, besides courting the Sikh diaspora at home, numbering over 400,000 almost one-third of the total and 1.4 per cent of Canadas population. India, a bit clumsily, registered its concerns about the Khalistani fringe inordinately dominating the popular discourse. Hopefully, the bruises will soon heal, and a better relationship emerge.
The writer is a former secretary in the external affairs ministry. He tweets at @ambkcsingh
The worst Pakistani firing in 15 years in the Uri area of Kashmir on Saturday coincided with the third anniversary of the PDP-BJP government in the state, underlining the Kafkaesque nature of the reality in Jammu & Kashmir. The Indian Army returned fire using the Bofors gun, indicating the seriousness of the situation. Earlier, from the Pakistani side, loudspeakers could be heard in Uri asking people to vacate their homes by a specified hour.
This appears to have been psychological warfare tactics to create panic among civilians. Public anxiety is growing. It is evident that in recent months, the border areas of J&K have come alive. Small arms fire, the norm so far in respect of Pakistani ceasefire violations, has given way to artillery.
Pakistan seem to be escalating hostilities as it calculates that the restraint the international community is imposing on it to make it fight terrorism can be loosened if the Pakistan Army can create the impression of a military conflict with India.
Domestic politics in India, on the other hand, is likely to be guided by the coming general election within a year, and it may just suit the ruling side to show heightened military activity against Pakistan.
The lack of concern shown by the Centre toward the political matrix in Kashmir highlighted by its refusal to start political discussions with different elements to defuse the situation and create conditions of peace and stability, as envisaged in the PDP-BJPs Agenda of Alliance suggests apathy on the Narendra Modi governments part.
Its core belief appears to be that if the optics can be designed to give the impression that India has given Pakistan a strong reply, then nothing needs to be done in Kashmir. Besides, that may help the BJP go beyond appealing to its core constituency. What we seem to have is a perfect example of governance by propaganda.
In three years, the Mehbooba Mufti government has achieved only negative results. Her PDP partys relations with its BJP ally repeatedly hit new lows on every parameter of politics and administration. In the past three years, the coordination committee of the coalition partners to review the Agenda of Alliance has met just thrice, suggesting that both sides realise they are hanging in there only in order to be in power, even as they realise the state is gaining little by their association.
More and more young people have taken to the gun in the past two years than at any time since the mid-1990s. Repeated stone-pelting against the paramilitary forces and the Army is being reported. In the Valley, MLAs and specially those of the ruling PDP are unable to visit their constituents. The panchayat election is six months overdue. The Centres political unconcern is writ large on the map.
Film diva Sridevi is no more. Our sense of loss is all the more as she died at the relatively young age of 54. A human dynamo, she was bubbling with life and vitality at a Dubai wedding just hours before her tragic end. From her humble roots in Tamil Nadus Sivakasi, she first expressed her talent on the silver screen when just four, and went on to create an impressive body of work in many languages. She graduated from Tamil, where she showed her versatility, into Telugu, Malayalam and Kannada cinema, before conquering Bollywood. Her last appearance as an actor will hit the screens later this year in a Shah Rukh Khan movie, which will be a real tribute to her half century in cinema, with breaks of course to raise a family.
The extent of her conquest to become arguably Bollywoods first female superstar best reflects the range of her acting ability, including the comic side of her persona where she excelled, even doing a fine cameo as Charlie Chaplin. A woman of boundless energy active till the end, while also promoting daughter Janhvis film career, Sridevis death is being mourned across India. Her lively screen presence was a natural extension of her personality. She leaves behind in her huge bank of movies several roles that will remain etched in memory, beginning with a major role in Moondru Mudichu, with Kamal Haasan and Rajinikanth in Tamil. The stunned disbelief her death leaves in an array of co-stars is an index of how valued she was as a performer. She was a wonderfully pan-Indian success story, and we would like to remember her that way.
In the southern Indian states they like politics laced with the fantasy world of the cinema. The doyen of Dravidian leaders, M. Karunanidhi, was a film script writer, and a number of actors have successfully donned the mantle of politician in their new avatar, the last of course being the late J. Jayalalithaa.
So eager is the actors fraternity to fill the political void that we have competing actors ready to do their duty, with superstar Rajinikanth up and running. And now we have veteran actor Kamal Haasan throwing his hat into the ring with an ambitious agenda of being an honest party seeking justice for the people, calling his new outfit Centre for Peoples Justice.
One wonders whether the reputation southern parties have acquired of being corrupt to the core can be changed overnight by Kamal Haasans resolve to fight elections honestly. Here again the southern citizen wants something of the fantasy world of cinema to enliven his life.
Mr Haasan has chosen two talismen to light his way, our late President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam and Aam Aadmi Party supremo Arvind Kejriwal. The latter, who has not been very successful in governing Delhi while seeking countrywide influence, was also present at the Madurai inauguration. The former President was of course respected for his devotion to work, but there was nothing very extraordinary about his life story.
Kamal Haasan has been saying all the right things, including the need to practise honest politics. He has the advantage of being proficient in all four dominant South Indian languages as well as in Hindi. Lately, he has sharpened his attack on the Bharatiya Janata Party by suggesting that the colour saffron in the Indian flag should not spill over the whole flag. Is Kamal Haasan, despite his sincerity and desire to pursue honest politics, a paper flower, as suggested by DMK leader M.K. Stalin? The established Dravidian parties do not seem very much perturbed by the Haasan phenomenon. They know that the southern voter needs his cinema-induced fix of larger than life politics, with his idol appearing on the balcony (a traditional leaders perch) to give him his darshan.
Kamal Haasans problem is that he does not claim leadership qualities, comparing himself to a grain of sand, and would rather deal with his voters as citizens. This approach, while pleasing the thinking man, robs the southern voter of the thrills of the cinema world, and a crate of free liquor is not to be sneezed at.
Mr Hassan would seem to be overambitious in seeking honest politics in states used to live life king-size, as in the world of the cinema. To be king or queen even while acting as chief minister of a state comes naturally to our actor-politicians. To take one recent example, Jayalalithaa was every inch a queen. And when she chose to speak, people listened.
Mr Haasan is a popular actor (he is already in the peoples hearts, as he put it) but in forming his new party, he is asking his fans to help him conduct honest politics. In other words, he is asking his followers to put aside the fantasy world for bettering the lives of the unfortunate and the wronged.
By all accounts, it seems like reaching for the stars, however noble the aim might be. It remains to be seen how soon the realisation will sink in that the honest politics of Mr Haasans kind is a plant that may not prosper in the southern states.
Rajnikanth is in direct competition with Kamal Haasan in the political leadership stakes. Although he has praised the impressive Madurai launch of the new party, he let out the riddle by declaring that let others make noise popularly ascribed as an arrow directed at Kamal Haasan. And Rajnikanth has also made it clear that he will continue to act in films even while waiting for political leadership to fall into his lap. Since Prime Minister Narendra Modi is no respecter of conventions, he has chosen to spend two days in Tamil Nadu in courting the southern voter for his BJP with an eye on the general election. It was indeed extraordinary that he should choose to give women two-wheel drivers a symbolic go-ahead to honour a pledge made by Jayalithaa. The AIADMK, as it exists, may be in the BJPs pocket, although the DMK remains a force and one has to watch Rajnikanths actual performance. The BJP will align with any party that can fetch votes since its priority is to share power in the state.
Kamal Haasan thus might have unwittingly started a new political game in Tamil Nadu, in which the ambitions of individual actors collides with politicians plans to produce a new mix of persons who will don the chief ministers mantle.
Rajnikanth is certainly aspiring for the top political job in the state, and seems to feel that a deliberate approach is better than an instant push for the job.
What happens to the mega rally Mr Haasan has announced for April?
The rally will no doubt take place and there will be supporters in the wings. But the rally will leave the public of Tamil Nadu unsatiated as there will be no cinematic effects, no reaching for the clouds, only the credo of honest politics.
The main point for Mr Haasan will remain. Has he been too modest in setting his aims? And is he misreading his constituency in what it desires the most? We shall find out in the not too distant future.
Christians are in the midst of observing the grace filled season of Lent, meditating, among other things, on the crucial last days of their Lord Jesus Christ, who after a mock trial was led to the Crucifixion. One important form of meditation and prayer in churches these days is called, Way or Stations of the Cross. For those not familiar with the internal layout of a church, particularly a Catholic church, be informed that all the churches have on their side walls, the stations of the Cross, numbered from one to 14. Every Friday the faithful gather in the church to pray at each station specific prayers. Some others who take their Lenten spiritual exercises more seriously, do them daily, besides almsgiving and fasting.
The prayers are emotional as each station describes the painful and humiliating journey that Jesus, with the cross on his shoulders, made from Pilates palace to Calvary where he was finally crucified on the same Cross. As an aside, it is good to know that Jesus was not the only one who carried a Cross and died on it. The major difference, however, is that the others so punished were charged with serious crimes. Jesus, on the other hand, who spent his time revealing Gods love through his words and actions for the poor and the downtrodden, had committed no crime whatsoever. No wonder then that despite having died a criminals death, he continues to draw ever more believers who follow him to this day.
The walls in churches are marked with 14 stations depicting events as they unfolded in Jesus last journey. Traditionally, they are as follows: Pilate condemns Christ to death; Jesus carries the Cross; the first fall under the Cross; Jesus meets His Blessed Mother; Simon of Cyrene helps to carry the Cross; Veronica wipes the face of Jesus; the second fall; Jesus speaks to the women of Jerusalem; the third fall; Jesus is stripped of His garments; Jesus is nailed to the cross; Jesus dies on the Cross; Jesus is taken down from the Cross; and Jesus is laid in the tomb.
It is believed that the next day His mother Mary walked in sorrow and pain the path that her son was unjustly forced to walk with that heavy Cross. Not only Christians but many others are often puzzled as to why God let his son Jesus suffer such pain, humiliation and death. On further meditation one arrives at the conclusion that it was all for the love of humanity. Meditation of such a journey can teach us to take pain and humiliations of life in our own stride and that rather than being revengeful and bitter about betrayals, we can all, like Jesus pray , Father forgive them for they know not what they are doing.
Jeffrey Yao has been arrested and charged with murder and attempted murder. He is being held without bail until his arraignment on Monday. (Representational Image)
A quiet library in Middlesex stood still in time and horror as a man stepped in, followed an unsuspecting woman and stabbed her to death with a 10-inch long hunting knife.
Library patrons watched in shock as the suspect, 23-years-old Jeffrey Yao from Massachusetts town stabbed the woman on her head, chest and torso, the Washington Post reported.
Another 77-years-old man was stabbed in the arm as well as the people present rushed to the staggering womans help in a bid to stop the attacker. His injuries are minor.
The woman, whose name has not been released, succumbed to her injuries and died at the hospital later. Officials said they are waiting to notify her next of kin before making her name public.
The incident reportedly took place around 10:30 a.m.
Reasons for the attack remain unknown. Yaos neighbours told the Boston Herald that his behaviour was increasingly erratic, while some added they were worried he "will kill somebody."
One neighbour who chose to remain anonymous claimed that Yao had tried to "smash our door down" at 3 a.m. in 2017. Another neighbour, Leslie Luongo said she was afraid of Yao and would run to her car while leaving for work.
Ann Wirtanen, the library's director, announced that the library will be closed "until at least Tuesday, in a statement posted on Facebook.
Yao has been arrested and charged with murder and attempted murder. He is being held without bail until his arraignment on Monday.
In a meeting with the South's President Moon Jae-in, the North's delegation 'agreed that inter-Korea talks and North-US relations should improve together'. (Photo: AP)
Seoul: North Korea is "very willing" to hold talks with the United States, its delegation to the Winter Olympics closing ceremony said on Sunday, according to Seoul's presidential Blue House.
In a meeting with the South's President Moon Jae-in, the North's delegation "agreed that inter-Korea talks and North-US relations should improve together", the Blue House said in a statement.
Read: Phase 2 sanctions on N Korea to be unfortunate for world, threatens Trump
Pyongyang has frequently said it is willing to talk without preconditions, but Washington says it must first take concrete steps towards denuclearisation.
"We will see if Pyongyang's message today, that it is willing to hold talks, represents the first steps," said a United States statement.
Michael McCormack, 53, was chosen by the Nationals -- the junior partner in the governing Liberal-National coalition -- to take over as leader and deputy PM in an internal party vote. (Photo: AP)
Sydney: A conservative rural politician who once expressed strong anti-gay views was Monday chosen to replace scandal-plagued Barnaby Joyce as Australia's deputy prime minister after he resigned over an affair with his now-pregnant aide.
Michael McCormack, 53, was chosen by the Nationals -- the junior partner in the governing Liberal-National coalition -- to take over as leader and deputy PM in an internal party vote.
"We are the party for small business and farmers and we want to make sure that continues and that can only continue with a close relationship with the Liberals," McCormack told reporters in Canberra after winning the vote.
"Look forward to having a good discussion with (Prime Minister and Liberals leader) Malcolm Turnbull in a few moments," he added.
McCormack, who had been the veterans' affairs minister, was sworn in as deputy PM and infrastructure minister shortly after his appointment.
He was widely expected to win the leadership role after other Nationals MPs withdrew from the race.
Maverick Queensland MP George Christensen launched a late bid for the leadership, but was defeated. The vote count was not released.
McCormack is not as well-known as Joyce, who made international headlines for threatening to euthanise Hollywood star Johnny Depp's dogs over a quarantine violation.
But he is seen as a safe pair of hands as the Liberal and National parties seek to repair their relationship after the Joyce scandal.
Tensions between the two parties rose after 50-year-old Joyce's affair with ex-staffer Vikki Campion, 33, was splashed across the frontpage of Sydney's Daily Telegraph in early February.
Revelations about the affair and allegations that Joyce breached ministerial rules made daily headlines, prompting Turnbull to harshly criticise his deputy's behaviour and impose a formal ban on sex between ministers and their staff.
Also Read: Australian PM bans sex among ministers after deputy's affair
Joyce in turn slammed Turnbull's comments as "inept" and initially refused to step down, before resigning Friday after a separate sexual harassment complaint was lodged against him. He denied the allegation.
Turnbull welcomed McCormack's appointment, saying he expected the more than 70-year coalition between the two parties would continue under his leadership.
The coalition has endured a tumultuous few months, with the scandal coming on the heels of a dual citizenship crisis that involved some of its lawmakers, including Joyce, and threatened its wafer-thin parliamentary majority.
McCormack, first elected to the lower House of Representatives in 2010 representing the rural region of Riverina in southwest New South Wales state, is not without controversy.
More than two decades ago as a local newspaper editor he wrote a column in which he described homosexuality as "sordid behaviour".
In August, as he oversaw a voluntary nationwide postal vote on same-sex marriage as the minister in charge of the government agency running the poll, he "apologised wholeheartedly for the comments at the time".
McCormack later voted in parliament in support of amending the Marriage Act to legalise gay unions.
The 2 Sisters Food Group, owned by Ranjit Singh Boparan, is believed to be working with corporate finance advisers from Clearwater International on a possible disposal of the business, The Sunday Times reported. (Photo: 2sfg.com)
London: Britain's Indian-origin "chicken king" is planning to sell off his Irish fish supplying business to consolidate his food empire following a hygiene scandal at one of his chicken plants in the UK, in 2017.
The 2 Sisters Food Group, owned by Ranjit Singh Boparan, is believed to be working with corporate finance advisers from Clearwater International on a possible disposal of the business, The Sunday Times reported.
An undercover investigation, in 2017, had showed workers appearing to change the dates on food labels and picking up dead poultry from the floor and returning it to the production line at a plant in West Bromwich. The company has since put a series of safety measures in place at all its chicken production units.
Earlier in February, 2 Sisters said it would close three of its factories, threatening the future of nearly 900 jobs. In January, Boparan sold the pizza brand Goodfella's to the owner of Birds Eye for 200 million pounds in cash.
The 51-year-old tycoon, based in the Midlands region of England, left school at 16 and turned 2 Sisters into Britain's largest poultry supplier through a series of acquisitions, including a 342-million-pounds takeover of quoted rival Northern Foods in 2011.
He also acquired turkey business Bernard Matthews and restaurant chains FishWorks, Giraffe and Harry Ramsden's.
According to the newspaper, the deal spree left 2 Sisters with debts of 824 million pounds at the end of 2017, 5.4 times its underlying earnings although the Goodfella's sale will reduce that total. The company has 250 million pounds of bonds that will need to be repaid in 2019.
In November 2017, the credit ratings agency Moody's downgraded its debt rating deeper into junk territory on fears over meagre profit margins and huge debts.
Boparan is also shouldering heavy pension payments after acquiring Northern Foods' final-salary pension scheme. The plan has about 17,000 members and had a 541 million pounds shortfall in March 2015, its most recent disclosures show.
2 Sisters has reportedly also held talks about merging its Fox's Biscuits brand with the Jammie Dodgers maker Burton's Foods, which is owned by a Canadian pension fund.
More than 1,300 women and children surrendered to Kurdish peshmerga in August after government forces expelled the jihadist group from the northern Iraqi city of Tal Afar. (Representational Image)
Baghdad: An Iraqi court has sentenced 16 Turkish women to death by hanging for joining Islamic State, a judiciary spokesman said on Sunday.
Iraq is conducting the trials of hundreds of foreign women who have been detained, with hundreds of their children, by Iraqi forces since August, as Isis strongholds crumbled.
The central criminal court issued the sentences after it was proven they belong to the Daesh terrorist group and after they confessed to marrying Daesh elements or providing members of the group with logistical aid or helping them carry out terrorist attacks, said Judge Abdul-Sattar al-Birqdar, referring to the militant group using an Arabic acronym.
All the verdicts were subject to appeal, he said.
Thousands of foreigners have fought on behalf of Isis in Iraq and Syria since at least 2014. Many foreign women came or were brought from overseas to join the militants.
More than 1,300 women and children surrendered to Kurdish peshmerga in August after government forces expelled the jihadist group from the northern Iraqi city of Tal Afar. Their numbers have since swelled to about 1,700 as more foreign nationals surrendered or were captured during operations to root out the militants, according to aid officials.
Another Turkish woman was sentenced to death last week and 10 others of various nationalities to life in prison, all for alleged Isis membership.
A German woman was sentenced to death in January for belonging to the group and a Russian fighter was also sentenced to death in Iraq in 2017 for joining it.
Iraq has handed over to Russia four women and 27 children suspected of having ties to the group, the foreign ministry said on Thursday, adding that they were tricked into joining the militants.
Iraq declared victory in December over Isis, which had seized control of nearly a third of the country in 2014. The group has been driven out of all population centres it once controlled on both sides of the Iraqi-Syrian border, but members have continued to carry out bombings and other attacks in Iraq.
The presence of the leaders of all 10 ASEAN countries at the Republic Day Parade last month was an impressive signal of the success of India's engagement with South East Asia. Equally impressive has been India's engagement with West Asia over the past three years. Iranian President Hassan Rouhani's fruitful three-day visit shows that India has successfully navigated the latter region's fault lines and contradictions to expand bilateral ties with its major countries. The India-Iran joint statement shows that both countries addressed each other's concerns on terrorism, connectivity and the Iran nuclear deal.
West Asia is in turmoil. Growing young populations are straining the social structures of many states. Violent and extremist theologies and inter-state competition are re-casting regional alignments. The Israel-Palestine dispute endures and festers. The Iran-Saudi Arabia competition has assumed new forms and manifested in continuing civil conflict in Yemen. It was also partially responsible for the rise of Islamic State in Syria and Iraq. US President Donald Trump's determination to reverse the basic thrust of his predecessor's approach to the region and his threats to walk out of the Iran nuclear deal has added to the confusion and unpredictability.
West Asia's sharp divisions have not deterred Prime Minister Narendra Modi from seeking to enhance relationships including through bold personal diplomacy. No previous prime minister ventured to move so, even though all of them acknowledged the region's significance to India's interests. In particular, there was great reluctance to move ahead with relations with Israel.
India traditionally supported the Palestinian cause. Many countries had sympathy for the injustice suffered by the Palestinians but that did not deter them from developing ties with Israel. However, Indian leaders were constrained by domestic considerations. Cold War demands and a desire not to offend Islamic countries also played a part. Consequently, India boxed itself into a corner, and it is to former prime minister Narasimha Rao's credit that he decided to establish diplomatic ties with Israel in 1992.
A robust bilateral economic and defence relationship has grown in the past 25 years, and yet Rao's successors thus far had avoided visiting Israel. This caution was unwarranted, as shown by Modi visiting both Israel and Ramallah and inviting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to India. Successful foreign policy requires the management of contradictions.
Today, no Islamic country is as hostile to Israel as Iran. It speaks and acts against Israel's interests and refuses to accept its right to exist. It also supports Hamas and Hezbollah. The former was committed to the destruction of Israel but has moderated its stand to one of not recognising it. The latter is still dedicated to undoing the Jewish state.
Modi's exuberant praise of Israel when he visited that country last year and his lavish welcome of Netanyahu has not come in the way of Rouhani's decision to visit India. This is certainly on account of India's growing economic and strategic importance in the region. It is also because these oil and gas rich countries need the Indian market as US dependence on West Asian energy has fallen to zero.
Modi has also paid great attention to the Arab Gulf states, especially the UAE and Saudi Arabia. The rivalry between these countries is historic on several counts
- sectarian, ethnic and political. After the Khomeini revolution, Saudi Arabia and Iran have competed for the leadership of the Islamic Ummah, resulting in a deepening of the Sunni-Shia divide.
The Iraq-Iran war of the 1980s and US and UN sanctions imposed on Iran because of its nuclear programme constrained its outreach in the Ummah and its influence in the region. The 2015 nuclear deal made it more assertive and its actions in creating an arc of Shia power stretching from Iraq to Syria began to redefine regional equations. Now, Trump's West Asia policy will again restrict the Iranian ambit of action, even if its ambitions remain.
All through, since OPEC raised oil prices in 1973 and that began to transform the Arab Peninsula countries, India has wisely refrained from taking sides in West Asia's regional politics. It has not tried to act beyond its capacities to shape events in the region. It has simultaneously sought to develop relations with Iran and Arab Peninsula states. Its energy, commercial and economic as also security interests have demanded a greater intensification of ties. As India's power has grown, these countries have also responded well and taken pro-active measures, too.
In India's interests
Where Modi has made a difference is in quickening the pace of political interaction with countries on opposite sides of the regional divide. The fact that he has not hesitated to visit Riyadh, Tehran, Abu Dhabi and Dubai and now Muscat, which no single Indian prime minister did in one term of office, demonstrates an assertion that India will act to foster ties as India's interests demand, even if these capitals have problems with each other. This has required a focus on individual relations and a scrupulous avoidance of trying to act as a peacemaker, let alone as a big brother.
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman and Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Zayed are challenging conservative social practices in their societies. They are partially responding to the urges of their youth for greater social freedom. In addition, they are seeking to erode the hold of extremist thinking that drives the youth into the arms of violent groups such as IS and al-Qaeda. Particularly noteworthy is Abu Dhabi's decision to allow the construction of temples and gurudwaras. This decision to show Islam as a moderate and liberal faith is controversial within the UAE.
Modi witnessed the foundation stone-laying ceremony of the temple via video conferencing. It would be wise to let decisions that Arab leaderships take for allowing the practice of other faiths be entirely domestic and projected as such. No special enthusiasm should be officially shown on such issues. Anti-Indian forces should not be allowed a handle to spread mischief against the country.
India's diplomacy will have to remain nimble in West Asia, continue its focus on building bilateral ties and avoid getting caught in regional crossfire.
(The writer is retired Secretary, Ministry of External Affairs)
Vidwath L, the victim in the pub brawl incident allegedly involving Congress MLA N A Haris's son Mohammed Nalapad, was beaten up with knuckle-duster rings that fractured his ribs.
Though the complaint filed by Praveen Ventakachalaiah, Vidwath's friend, mentioned the weapon, the police have not included it in the FIR.
"It is a weapon and attacking the victim using such a weapon amounts to attempt to murder. Since the accused hit Vidwath with knuckle-duster rings, his nine ribs (right 4th to 9th and left 4th to 9th ribs) got fractured,'' said Special Public Prosecutor (SPP) M S Shyamasundar.
Vidwath was brutally attacked by eight men, including Mohammed, at Farzi Cafe in Bengaluru on February 17.
The complaint states that Vidwath was "hit with bottles and rings", but the FIR only states that the accused hit Vidwath with "bottles".
"Vidwath collapsed soon after they punched him with rings. But it is not mentioned in the FIR. This raises suspicion over the police," Praveen said.
Shyamasundar said, "In the spur of the moment, it can be said that the accused hit the victim with the bottle because there were bottles in front of him. But hitting the victim with knuckle-duster rings clearly suggests that they intended to kill him." The SPP clarified that the court will only consider what is there in the complaint and not what the police have mentioned in the FIR.
Students and teachers returned to a Florida school for the first time since 17 people were killed there, consoling each other even as they called for swift action to address gun violence.
"Imagine (being) in a plane crash and then having to get on the same plane every day and fly somewhere else -- it's never going to be the same," David Hogg, a survivor of the February 14 shooting at a Parkland, Florida high school, told ABC television's "This Week." The school held a voluntary "orientation" Sunday, with teachers and staff due back starting Monday and classes resuming on Wednesday -- a prospect described as "daunting" and "scary," but which is also a step for survivors to move forward after the attack.
One teacher who had already been back told NPR radio that the shock of returning to a classroom left exactly as it had been during the attack -- notebooks still on desks, the calendar still set to February 14 -- made her so physically ill she had to leave.
But Cameron Kasky, a student who survived the attack, tweeted a picture of people on campus, saying: "It is GOOD TO BE HOME." "I have all my friends here with me and it just makes me feel like I'm not alone in this situation," student Michelle Dittmeier, who attended the orientation, told ABC.
Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School also received support from alumni, with previous graduating classes making banners to decorate the school, the WSVN news reported.
Amid ardent demands by students like Hogg for action, President Donald Trump has said he is open to raising the minimum age for gun purchases and to banning so-called bump stocks, which can effectively convert semi-automatic weapons into automatic firearms.
Speaking at the Governors Ball ahead of meetings with the top officials from all 50 states on Monday, Trump said that school safety is a top priority: "I think we'll make that first on our list."
A new CNN poll, conducted a week after the Florida shooting, shows surging public support for stricter gun laws -- surpassing levels seen even after other horrific shootings of recent years -- and for a ban on powerful semi-automatic weapons like the AR-15 used in Parkland.
Overall, 70 percent of those surveyed said they supported stricter gun laws, up from 52 percent in October, and 57 percent favored a ban on semi-automatic arms, an increase from 49 per cent.
Florida Governor Rick Scott has laid out a plan to station a police officer at every public school in the state, raise the legal age for gun purchases from 18 to 21 and pass a "red flag" law for authorities to more easily remove guns from the mentally ill or people with violent histories.
The age change and "red flag" law are staunchly opposed by the influential National Rifle Association, of which Scott is a member.
Scott, who holds the NRA's highest rating of A+, noted on "Fox News Sunday" that "there will be some that disagree. But... I want my state to be safe." Trump had Scott stand up to applause on Sunday, telling him: "You're doing a great job." Florida was also the scene of a June 2016 shooting at an Orlando nightclub that left 49 people dead.
About 285 MoUs worth Rs1,74,568 crore, with a potential of generating 2,86,371 new jobs were signed between the government of Andhra Pradesh and various companies by the second day of the three-day Partnership summit in Visakhapatnam .
The MoU signed in various sectors include- Natural Gas, communications, aerospace & defence, textiles, energy, food processing, health, IT electronics and other sectors. This takes the total number of MoUs signed by Andhra Pradesh in the two days of the Summit to 364 with potential investments of Rs2,18,814 crore and creating employment for 3,84,662 people.
Announcing the Reliance deal, Chief Minister N.Chandrababu Naidu said the MoUs were for building a digital infrastructure and for developing oil and gas in the resource-rich South Indian state "There are two MoUs, one is for hardware revolution and how to create entrepreneurs in AP. The other is for oil and gas. Reliance will be investing around Rs50,000 crore. They are going to create 25,000 jobs," the chief minister said. "They are very strong in technology and we are very strong in governance, let's see how it goes."
Energy sector was the star player on Sunday as it produced 34 MoUs with potential investments worth Rs1,11,921 crore and employment of 133,031.
Ten MoUs in the Aerospace and Defence sector propose to bring in investments of Rs9,406 crore and create 6,000 new jobs. Textiles sector saw 25 MoUs worth Rs5,337 crore with a potential to employ 33,092. Food Processing saw the maximum number of MoUs at 169. The value of these, however, is about Rs 3,534 crore with jobs potential of 48398. Health sector saw 25 MoUs being signed worth Rs5,090 crore in investments and 4,750 new jobs. IT and electronics bagged 22 MoUs with potential investment and employment of 39,281 crore and 61,100, respectively.
BJP national president Amit Shah said that the BJP will settle the Mahadayi river water sharing dispute between Karnataka and Goa, if it comes to power in Karnataka.
"The issue would have been laid to rest if Chief Minister Siddaramaiah had cooperated with us earlier. Even now, there are people who are creating problems. Hence the delay. If the people of the state place their faith in us and bring us to power, a solution for Mahadayi will happen," Shah appealed.
Replying to questions from scribes, Shah said that the party does not support Union minister Anant Kumar Hegde's statements. "Why do you worry about his statements harming the image of the party?," he asked reporters at a media conference adding that it was the party's job to do it.
Shah said that most muslim women supported the ban on triple talaq and the BJP would bring a law forbidding it. "We are committed to provide equal authority and rights to women," he added.
He said that in the BJP even an ordinary party worker can become chief minister. Which means that even a dalit can become chief minister.
"The BJP central parliamentary party will name candidates. You leave giving K S Eswarappa a ticket for the polls-or not; to me. Taking care of the party leaders' best interests is my job. Why are you worried about it? " he shot back to a question.
The state government has to buy the toor dal produced by farmers in the state at a support price. Waiving farmer loans by roping in nationalised banks is left to the new government that comes to power in the state.
"The centre has bought 25.67 lakh quintals of toor dal under the support price scheme. State government has to buy 1.74 lakh quintals only. Even if the state government had bought half of our purchase, it would have alleviated farmers' problems to a great extent. We have bought farmers' produce in all BJP ruled states like Uttar Pradesh, Chattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, and Gujarat. Why can't Karnataka government do it?" he queried.
BJP Rajya Sabha MP Vinay Katiyar has said the Ram temple in Ayodhya will be constructed on the spot where "Ram Lala" is resting.
"I will not comment on how long will it take for it to be decided as the issue is now being heard by the Supreme Court," Katiyar, who was on a private visit to the district, told reporters, while replying to a query last night.
"We are waiting for the court verdict, but I will like to say that our Ram temple, for sure, will come up at the place where Ram Lala is resting...he (Ram idol) will continue (to remain) on the spot," he said, adding, "That land belongs to Lord Ram."
To a question, Katiyar said Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath were together working dedicatedly for the country and the state.
"Criminals are surrendering before the police on their own under the Yogi government," he added. PTI CORR SAB RC RC -
President Donald Trump says the deadly mass shooting at a Florida high school is the top issue he wants to discuss with the nation's governors.
Under pressure to act to stem gun violence on school grounds, Trump planned to solicit input from the state chief executives during meetings Monday at the White House.The governors are in Washington for their annual winter meeting.
But socializing was the focus Sunday night as Trump and first lady Melania Trump hosted the governors for an annual black-tie ball.
In brief remarks before dinner beneath dimmed lights in the State Dining Room, Trump said the governors are "very, very special people." "The job you do is really incredible. It's not easy, but we're very proud of you and we're very proud to have you here," he said as tall candles flickered and bouquets of hydrangeas adorned an assortment of round and oblong dinner tables.
Previewing today's talks, Trump said they would also discuss the economy "and many other things." Seventeen students and teachers were killed in a Valentine's Day shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, sparking a public outcry for new gun-control measures as well as action to improve school safety.
"We'll be talking about Parkland and the horrible event that took place last week," Trump said. "That will be one of the subjects. We'll make it first on our list." Trump thanked Florida Gov. Rick Scott, a close political ally who attended the ball, and told everyone he's "doing a great job." The president also boasted about the economy, saying numbers that weren't so good under his predecessor are improving under his leadership.
"You're going to see some numbers coming up over the next year, the likes of which we haven't seen in our country for many, many years," Trump said. He briefly mentioned his efforts to eliminate regulations, saying that because of his administration "people are building and farming and doing lot of things that they were having a very hard time doing." Trump's session with the governors will be the latest in which he solicits ideas for stopping gun violence at schools as the White House works to finalize an expected legislative proposal. Trump spent several days last week hearing emotional pleas from parents and students, including some who survived the Parkland shooting, and others who suffered through school shootings in Connecticut and Colorado. He also solicited input from state and local officials.
Trump has floated numerous ideas since the shooting, including raising the minimum age for the purchase of assault-style weapons, improving background checks for gun purchases, arming educators and paying them bonuses, and re-opening mental institutions.
Trump's daughter and senior adviser, Ivanka Trump, expressed uncertainty when asked whether arming teachers would make children safer.
"To be honest, I don't know," the mother of three said in an interview with NBC News from South Korea, where she attended the closing ceremonies of the Winter Olympics. "Obviously, there would have to be an incredibly high standard for who would be able to bear arms in our school. But I think there is no one solution for creating safety." The National Rifle Association, which backed Trump for president, opposes increasing the minimum age for assault-style weapons purchases but favors arming teachers.
"I think we're going to have a great bill put forward very soon having to do with background checks, having to do with getting rid of certain things and keeping other things, and perhaps we'll do something on age, because it doesn't seem to make sense that you have to wait until you are 21 years old to get a pistol, but to get a gun like this maniac used in the school, you get that at 18," Trump said during a late Saturday telephone interview with Fox News Channel. "That doesn't make sense."
A former militant was killed while a policeman was injured in a grenade attack near police station in Tral area of south Kashmir's Pulwama district on Monday.
Police said the incident took place on Monday afternoon when a burqa (veil) clad person came out from police station and was stopped by a sentry. "During this somebody threw a grenade towards police station in a bid to take out the burqa clad militant under custody. The incident left militant dead and a policeman injured," a police spokesperson said.
The slain militant, identified as Mushtaq Chopan alias Haroon, a resident of Tral, was arrested along with his two associates by security forces in north Kashmir's Sopore area on January 9.
State Police chief Shesh Pal Vaid confirmed the killing of Chopan in the attack. "A militant Mushtaq Ahmad Chopan died in grenade explosion when challenged by sentry while trying to escape from Police Station Tral," he tweeted.
Earlier, in a separate incident, militants escaped security cordon after exchanging heavy fire with army in Hajin area of north Kashmir's Bandipora district on Monday morning.
Reports said a civilian was also injured during the clashes that broke out after security forces cordoned off the area following specific inputs about the presence of some militants.
The twin incidents came a day after two policemen were killed by militants in two separate attacks in Srinagar and Budgam areas.
Snow comes early to the Teton mountain range, and when it does, the white-bottomed pronghorn that live here get the urge to move. Following an ancient rhythm, they migrate more than 200 miles to the south, where the elevation is lower, winter is milder and grass is easier to find. Come the spring green-up, they make the second half of the round trip, returning to Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming, USA.
After thousands of years, biologists are concerned about the future of this migration pattern. While there have been efforts to protect the journey, such as highway overpasses and antelope-friendly fences, some new barriers are looming.
Most immediate is the prospect of 3,500 new gas wells planned on federal land at the southern end of the pronghorn's migratory path. And then there's the nearby Jonah Natural Gas Field, which is already intensively developed. "The challenge is understanding how many holes you can punch in the landscape," said Matthew Kauffman, a professor of wildlife biology at the University of Wyoming, USA, "before a migration is lost."
Movement ecology
Room to move is critical for a wide range of species, but it has long been difficult for researchers to capture where and when they travel. But a new and growing field called 'movement ecology' is casting light on the secretive movements of wildlife and how those habits are changing. A global study of 57 species of mammals, published in the journal Science, has found that wildlife moves far less in landscapes that have been altered by humans, a finding that could have implications for a range of issues, from how well natural systems function to finding ways to protect migratory species.
The large study brought together 114 researchers from across the globe who had gathered information from 803 individual animals. They ranged from the smallest animals that can be collared - pocket mice - to the largest, elephants. Using the GPS collars that updated an animal's location regularly and other data, the project found that vagility - the ability of an organism to move - declines in areas with human footprints by as much as half to two-thirds the distance than in places where there is little or no human activity.
"It is important that animals move, because in moving they carry out important ecological functions like transporting nutrients and seeds between different areas," said Marlee Tucker, the study's lead author and a biologist at Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre and Goethe University Frankfurt, Germany. The ability to move and find food helps keep some imperiled species viable.
There has been exponential growth in data on wildlife movement as technology has evolved, opening new windows into the secret lives of animals. "We used to have one dot on a map twice a day," said Roland Kays, a biologist at North Carolina State University, USA, who participated in the study. "Now we have a point as much as every second and know exactly where they are going, how they are avoiding people, how they are crossing the road and catching prey. It's big for determining how animals die or where they die and how that affects populations."
Decline in vagility
More research is needed to determine the reasons for the decline in vagility and what that means to a species. Development threats led to the creation of the Wyoming Migration Initiative, which seeks to identify, study and protect pronghorn, mule deer and other animals' migrations, which are increasingly at risk on the high plains because of new housing tracts, oil and gas development, roads and other barriers.
Blocked or hampered migrations can mean animals can't access food sources they need. In 2011, researchers discovered that mule deer in Wyoming make a 150-mile long, twice-yearly journey following a wave of green, nutritious grasses from the Red Desert to Hoback.
Understanding the movement of species is especially important as climate change drives species to seek more habitable terrain. Parks and preserves may offer less protection as animals migrate, and increase the need for protection of corridors so some animals can move elsewhere. "Wild animals on an intact landscape move in sync with their needs," Matthew said. "When you develop the landscape, that leads to less movement and they are less in tune with the naturally occurring pulse of the landscape."
The Bihar Police have registered an FIR against BJP leader Manoj Baitha whose SUV mowed down nine school children in Muzaffarpur on February 24.
Soon after an FIR was lodged, the state BJP on Monday conceded that the prime accused in the tragic incident, Manoj Baitha, was indeed a party leader. The volte-face comes two days after Bihar BJP president Nityanand Rai vehemently maintained on Saturday that "Baitha was not associated with the BJP."
The speeding SUV, which ran over several children who were waiting to cross the road after the school was over, thereby killing nine kids on the spot, was being driven by Baitha. The vehicle sported a BJP flag and had a nameplate as "general secretary, BJP Dalit Cell."
The Muzaffarpur police, meanwhile, have booked Baitha under Section 304 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder) and other sections of the IPC. The FIR has named only one person (Baitha) as an accused although locals said that there were at least three persons in the vehicle which mowed down the children.
"The police have been raiding Baitha's house. He will be apprehended soon," said Bihar's Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Modi here on Monday. Modi was responding to the charges levelled by the RJD-led Opposition which accused the government of "shielding the absconding BJP leader since Nitish Kumar was running his government on BJP's crutches."
"The SUV, which killed nine children in Muzaffapur on Saturday, was registered in Baitha's name on September 21, 2010. He has been booked under Sections 279, 308, 338, and 304 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC)," said a cop, associated with the investigation into the case.
Meanwhile, the local residents, who blocked NH-77, have demanded a foot-overbridge near the school where the children, all aged between 7 and 10, were waiting to cross the road before they were mowed down by the speeding SUV.
"The demand for foot overbridge has been accepted by the Chief Minister," said a government official.
The CII Partnership summit that concluded on Monday in Visakhapatnam has fetched 734 Memorandum of Understandings (MoUs) worth Rs 4.39 lakh crore for Andhra Pradesh.
Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu announced this while addressing the valedictory function. He said that these investment commitments are expected to create 11 lakh jobs.
He said the major `investment commitments have come from companies including Reliance, Adani Group, Lulu Group and Google. Reliance Industries Limited (RIL) and its partners had on Saturday announced Rs 55,000 crore investments in energy, electronics and other sectors in the state.
Naidu said RIL signed MoUs for three projects. These include a unit at Tirupati to manufacture one million mobile phones. He said the company will also create the best ecosystem for innovation incubation, and startups with venture capital. United Arab Emirates-based Lulu Group signed a MoU to build a convention centre, hotel and shopping mall in Visakhapatnam.
Naidu enlisted other major investments such as Adani Group which is coming with an investment of Rs 9,000 crore including the development of a port at Bhavanapadu. He said that he would personally monitor the progress of the projects and assured the investors that all clearances will be granted within 21 days. "If you have any problem you can bring it to my notice. I am only a call away," he said.
Student Rameeza objected to Union Minister for Skill Development and Entrepreneurship Anant Kumar Hegde's politically motivated speech during an interaction with students, organised by the Ministry of Skill Development, in Madikeri on Monday.
The student's objection, however, enraged the minister. The student said, "You state that you do not deliver political speeches where students are gathered. Is your entire speech not politically motivated?"
Reacting to it, the minister said, "There is an argument and a counter argument in Society. When one speaks against an argument, it leads to a controversy, which, in turn. looks beautiful at the outset."
When the BJP leaders and CMC members of the party clapped and whistled at Hegde's reaction, the student said, "One should understand the purpose of the programme. There is no need to answer those wearing spectacles."
The minister said, "I will start speaking on politics now. The BJP government has introduced several projects. The UPA government did not have any vision or capacity. A total of 1,500 students have registered with the Swayam portal, which is the BJP's contribution."
Further, he said, "During the Congress regime, soldiers were not given drinking water by the government. After the Modi government came to power, pipeline has been laid to supply water to the soldiers on the border. We do not know backdoor politics."
Chief ministers of BJP-ruled states and deputy chief ministers of states where the BJP is in alliance, will attend a meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to review development work and to plan a strategy for the upcoming polls in some states.
But topping the agenda is Modi's idea of holding a wider debate on simultaneous polls to the Lok Sabha and state Assemblies.
A resolution may be passed at the meeting, urging the Centre and other stake holders to take "concrete steps" in this regard even though senior BJP leaders including party chief Amit Shah and Finance Minister Arun Jaitley have asserted that the next Lok Sabha polls in 2019 would be held on schedule.
Shah, in particular, has held that the proposal would only be pursued after the next parliamentary elections.
Confirming the agenda, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said on Monday that "There's a meeting of CMs on February 28 in Delhi. We will discuss and try for a consensus on holding simultaneous elections for state Assemblies and Parliament."
The BJP has, apparently, circulated to its chief ministers with a 10-point action plan.
A three-page concept note sent to them has mooted that the party should strive to create a consensus on the issue by engaging the local opposition leaders and regional parties.
The note has even suggested that their Assemblies have a debate on the subject.
As part of the 'one-nation-one-election' plan, the party has suggested the setting up of a committee of senior bureaucrats and a minister to promote the idea.
The BJP chief ministers have been told to name a senior minister who can be deputed to take the issue forward politically.
So far, the Opposition parties have been lukewarm to the idea.
Congress leader Sonia Gandhi has, however, told her party leaders to brace up for simultaneous polls to the Lok Sabha and the Assemblies in some states by the year-end.
Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh are some of the major BJP-governed states that are to go for polls this year end.
Reversing his earlier view, former president Pranab Mukherjee said holding simultaneous Lok Sabha and Assembly elections was "very difficult to implement."
Delivering a talk last week, he said clubbing of the elections "artificially" would deny states their right to a "representative government."
Amidst growing Chinese presence in the Indo-Pacific region, the Navy has introduced an "operational element" in the biennial Milan series of exercises involving 24 littoral navies around the Indian Ocean.
This year's Milan exercise - to be held at the Andaman and Nicobar Islands from March 6 to 13 - would see the participation of naval forces from around the world. At least eight of them would bring 11 warships that would carry out "operational exercises" at sea.
The exercise from March 11 to 13 would be on maritime interdiction, and search and rescue operations. "The aim is to validate the common procedures and strengthen the standard operating procedures for inter-operability at sea," said a Navy official.
Out of the 24 nations, who will take part in the table-top strategy discussions and war-gaming, as many as eight would practice some of the drills at sea.
Besides the Indian Navy that has a significant presence on the island, warships from Australia, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Myanmar, Sri Lanka and Mauritius will carry out the drills at sea.
The congregation of the naval powers would take place at a time when China is exhibiting its increased military presence in the Indian Ocean and its manoeuvres in the South China Sea has triggered concerns in the security establishment around the world.
In November, India, USA, Australia and Japan gave shape to a long-pending quadrilateral coalition in order to develop a new strategy to keep the critical sea routes in the Indo-Pacific free of Chinese influence.
Presence of Chinese naval ships and submarines in the Indian Ocean has increased steadily since 2008. At any given point of time, there are at least 7-8 PLA Navy ships in the high seas. This includes the vessels that Beijing sent for anti-piracy patrol (since 2013) in the Gulf of Aden.
Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh on Monday flayed attempts to politicise the Oriental Bank of Commerce (OBC) case terming it as unsubstantiated charges against his son-in-law.
He said his son-in-law, Gurpal Singh, is a minority shareholder with a mere 12.5% share in Sambhauli Sugars Limited and was being unnecessarily dragged into the controversy.
"The political attack on my son-in-law is ludicrous. Even a cursory check of the case background would have revealed that Gurpal had no role in the entire affair," the CM said.
He said as per information available with him, the alleged fraud had been the subject matter of court proceedings before the Debts Recovery Tribunal (DRT) in a suit filed by the bank and which was settled between the company and OBC. It was recorded by DRT Lucknow by way of a consent order on March 16, 2015, he said.
Singh said Gurpal is a law-abiding citizen and had refused to sign any documents to give any personal guarantee against the loan in question, forcing the OBC to amend the loan document on February 12, 2015, thus waiving off the requirement of Gurpal's signature on any guarantee documents.
He said Gurpal had actually been litigating against Sambhauli Sugars, for his rights as Director and shareholder, before the National Company Law Tribunal, as he had been kept out of all major decisions and the working of the company.
"All vital and true facts would emerge before the judicial courts when the CBI case is taken up by them," he said, urging political parties and the media to stop indulging in baseless statements and reporting.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will accompany King of Jordan Abdullah II, when the monarch of the Hashemite kingdom will deliver a lecture on moderate Islam in New Delhi on Thursday.
With several states going to the Assembly polls this year and the parliamentary polls due next year, Modi's plan to join the King of Jordan, who is a prominent face of moderate Islam in West Asia, during the speech is apparently aimed at sending out a political message across the nation.
The prime minister himself will share his thoughts before inviting the king of Jordan to speak on "Islamic heritage: promoting understanding and moderation".
Abdullah II, who is believed to be a 41st generation descendant of Prophet Muhammad, will speak on the role of counter-radicalisation and de-radicalisation programmes in combating the menace of terrorism.
The king of Jordan will arrive in New Delhi on Tuesday for a three-day visit to India. He and the prime minister will hold talks, covering the "entire gamut of bilateral relations as well as regional and international issues of mutual interest".
President Ram Nath Kovind will host a banquet in honour of the visiting monarch on Thursday.
Abdullah is well known in West Asia and beyond for espousing inter-faith dialogue and a moderate understanding of Islam. He launched the Aqaba Initiative to lead global efforts to prevent the radicalisation of youths.
Modi visited Palestine, United Arab Emirates and Oman earlier this month in a move to strengthen India's ties with the Arab world - about a month after hosting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in New Delhi.
As a part of this, he transited through Amman to reach Ramallah, played host to Iranian President Hassan Netanyahu and External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj visited Saudi Arabia.
India's bid to deepen engagements with West Asia is apparently aimed at balancing its growing ties with Israel.
Modi was the first prime minister of India to visit Israel. He visited Tel Aviv and Jerusalem in July 2017.
BJP president Amit Shah today took on Congress chief Rahul Gandhi for his attacks on the prime minister over the PNB scam, saying no other government had acted as promptly and taken stringent action against frauds as the Narendra Modi government.
Shah also hit out at the Sidaramaiah government, accusing it of following "'three Ds -- Dhokha (cheating), Dadagiri (intimidation) and dynastic politics".
The BJP chief said the Enforcement Directorate and the CBI have taken prompt action in the case.
"There has been no government other than Modiji's government, that has taken prompt and most stringent of actions against any frauds committed in the past," Shah told reporters here.
His reply came when he was asked about Gandhi's remarks against Modi in the multi-crore PNB fraud case.
At public rallies at Vijapura and Bagalkote districts in North Karnataka, Gandhi had been targeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi on corruption, asking as to why Modi, who had described himself as the country's chowkidar (watchman), was "silent" on the bank fraud allegedly involving jewellers Nirav Modi and his uncle Mehul Choksi.
Shah said, "The ED has already taken action (filed a case under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act). Prior to it, the CBI had registered an FIR early this month." The ED had also conducted raids on the properties of Nirav and seized jewellery and some shares besides freezing his bank accounts, Shah said.
In his opening remarks, Shah said BJP was certain to form the next government in Karnataka because the Siddaramaiah administration had "failed" on all fronts including checking corruption and by meting out injustice to temples and religious institutions.
"Corruption and Siddaramaiah government have become synonymous," he alleged.
Moreover, the people of the state were angered over the Siddaramaiah government's "nefarious" intentions of dividing a community by according separate religion status, Shah said.
"If the BJP is voted to power, we will repeal the proposal (to give separate religion status to Lingayats)," he said.
Lingayats/Veerashaivas form a major and influential community in Karnataka, sections of which are seeking a separate religious tag.
The Siddaramaiah government is being accused of trying to divide the community by forming a panel to make a recommendation on the issue to the Centre.
"The Siddaramaiah goverment has been cheating the people of the state by not fulfilling its promises. The people of Hyderabad-Karnataka region are saying they have not seen such 'goonda' government and thirdly, are unhappy with the rule of two families in this part of the state," he said.
"If anyone wants to see the governance of the Congress, then go to the constituency of Kharge sahab," Shah said.
The dynastic politics jibe was apparently a reference to Congress leader in Lok Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge from Kalaburagi, whose son Priyank Kharge is a state minister. The BJP chief said he received feedback from party workers that there was too much of backwardness. "There is no such backwardness in any place of Karnataka, but in Kharge sahab's own constituency," he said.
Shah said after winning the election, the very first thing that the BJP government would do is to restart the local sugar mills, which are closed at the moment.
Bollywood on Monday continued to wait for the arrival of the body of actor Sridevi as there was an unexpected delay in bringing back her mortal remains from Dubai, where she died on Saturday night.
Sridevi, aged 54, was earlier reported to have died of a heart attack.
However, after post-mortem, it emerged that the actor died of accidental drowning and traces of alcohol were detected in her blood.
Several admirers and fans continued to throng outside the Lokhandwala residence of Boney Kapoor and at the bungalow of Anil Kapoor on Monday.
Security has been beefed up at both the places. The last rites will be conducted at the Vile Parle crematorium.
Her husband, Boney Kapoor, 62, is in Dubai for the formalities and no one from the family has commented so far on the death of the actor.
"It is a shock to me, the film industry and her family. We have worked together in 16 films...it is difficult to speak about Sridevi in the past tense," said veteran actor Anupam Kher, a close family friend of the Kapoor family.
Sridevi's daughter Jhanvi is at Anil Kapoor's residence. However, there was no formal confirmation whether the actor's younger daughter Khushi is back in Mumbai or still in Dubai.
Boney Kapoor's children with his first wife, late Mona Kapoor, Arjun Kapoor and Anshula, too, visited them.
Sridevi's contemporaries Madhuri Dixit Nene and Jaya Pradha were among those who visited the mourning family at Anil Kapoor's residence.
Her senior, Rekha, too, visited the family.
There was a beeline of Bollywood personalities, including Tabu, Farah Khan, Farhan Akhtar and his mother Honey Irani, Rani Mukherjee, Nagma and Telugu superstar Venkatesh.
According to reports, top South Indian stars Rajinikanth and Kamal Haasan are expected to attend the funeral of the star.
"It is shocking, we are yet to come to terms," said choreographer Saroj Khan.
"I visited the family, they said that it would take some time to complete the formalities, but now this news of accidental drowning comes as a shock," said Saroj, popularly known as Masterjee.
On Sunday, Yash Raj Films released a statement that read: "Boney Kapoor, Jhanvi, Khushi and the entire Kapoor, Ayyappan and Marwah family is deeply bereaved and shocked with the untimely loss of Sridevi Kapoor They thank the entire media for their prayers, support and sensitivity during their time of grief."
The government on Monday released a list of 9,500 "high risk" Non-Banking Financial Companies (NBFCs).
The list includes Adani Group's NBFC arm Adani Capital Pvt Ltd.
Other big names on the list are Reliance Finvest Private Limited, Hyundai Capital India Pvt Ltd, Hinduja Finance Pvt Ltd, Century Ply & Boards Pvt Ltd, Moody's Investment Company India Pvt Ltd, Dlf Finvest Limited, Bombay Gas Co Ltd, Srestha Finvest, Kamdhenu Finance and Tribhuvan Finlease & Developers.
These companies are not compliant with the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) rules as on January 31.
The Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU), the national agency responsible for receiving, processing, analysing and disseminating information relating to suspect financial transactions, released the list early on Monday.
The PMLA requires all NBFCs to appoint a principal officer in the financial institutions and report all suspicious and cash transactions of over Rs 10 lakh to the FIU.
The NBFCs came under government lens after they were found exchanging unaccounted old Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes post demonetisation.
To promote conducive credit culture among NBFCs and to regulate their credit system, the RBI had recently launched ombudsman scheme for NBFCs that would ensure redressal of complaints against deficiency in their services concerning deposits, loans and advances.
The RBI imposes penalties and takes legal action against NBFCs which violate instructions/norms on basis of Market Intelligence reports, and complaints and exception reports from statutory auditors of the companies.
The RBI immediately shares such information with all the financial sector regulators and enforcement agencies in the state-level coordination committee meetings.
One more cow smuggler was killed under mysterious circumstances while being chased by the police in Alwar district of Rajasthan. Around 25 cattle heads were recovered from his vehicle, the police confirmed.
According to the police, Anas Mohammed, 35, a resident of Nuh at Alwar and Haryana border, was crushed to death under the wheels of a truck carrying bovines when he jumped off the vehicle. Acting on a tip-off received by the Dausa police, a vehicle smuggling cows was being chased by the police on Sunday when the incident took place.
Alwar SP Rahul Prakash said, "Police were following the vehicle. There was an exchange of fire. However, no one was hit. Anas was sitting next to the driver, and he tried to flee by jumping off the vehicle, but got crushed under the same truck."
"In an attempt to escape, Anas and the driver had already broken the windshield. The driver was able to escape, while Anas got under the wheels of the moving truck," Prakash added.
His body was handed over to his family on Monday after a post-mortem at Alwar government hospital.
According to the police, there was an earlier case of cow smuggling against Anas.
The Alwar police, looking for the absconding driver, have meanwhile lodged a case under at Raini police station under IPC sections 332 (voluntarily causing hurt to deter public servant from his duty), 353 (assault or criminal force to deter public servant from discharge of his duty), 307 (attempt to murder).
Nearly 50 years after shooting 'Samskara' and after several hit films, cinematographer Tom Cowen still considers the Kannada movie as one of his best works, though it was his first feature film.
Cowen was a 26-year-old cinematographer with Australian Broadcasting Commission when he accidentally came in touch with a group of enthusiastic people who wanted to make a movie out of U R Ananthamurthy's eponymous novel.
"I had done a documentary in Israel and then 'Samskara' happened. It was my first feature movie as a cinematographer and I got to learn a lot with its diverse set of actors and crew. It is one of the most memorable experiences in my life," he told DH on the sidelines of Bengaluru International Film Festival.
It was also the first Kannada movie to be banned, a move that only made the film more interesting to the masses. Asked for his views on censorship and bans, Cowen said both were part of a system that builds divisions between communities and separates them in order to control them.
"Regardless of the fact that the ban created more interest in 'Samskara', we need to understand that censorship limits man's ability to expand and acquire wider knowledge. Education should make people tolerant and self confident enough to ignore opinions that differ from their own.
As part of its quick response to the Rs 11,400-crore PNB scam, the government is all set to introduce the Fugitive Economic Offenders Bill in the Budget session. The bill will empower the government to confiscate the property of economic offenders and defaulters who flee India.
The proposed bill will be applicable in cases where the value of offences is over Rs 100 crore. It will allow the Financial Intelligence Unit, the premier technical intelligence wing under the finance ministry to file an application for declaration of fugitive economic offenders for confiscation of their assets.
The law ministry has already vetted the bill. Sources close to the development said that the government is working overtime to finetune the bill and incorporate 'saving' clause in it to provide for certain exceptions in the law.
"The latest incident of jeweller Nirav Modi decamping with a huge amount of public money in banks has necessitated quick action and therefore the finance minister wants the bill to figure in the Budget session itself," an official said.
Officials at Namma Metro are trying to bring app-based cab and autorickshaw services at all the 40 Metro stations in Phase 1 to bridge the gaps in last-mile connectivity.
Commuters have been complaining that the feeder services provided by Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) are inadequate even when there were nearly 150 such services. The BMTC reduced the number of feeder services after it suffered losses due to poor ridership.
Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Ltd (BMRCL), which expects the number of commuters to go up from the current 3.5 to 5 lakh in the next few months, has invited bids from the app-based cab and autorickshaw service providers.
The bidders must have a licence under 'Karnataka On Demand Transportation Technology Aggregator Rules 2016'. According to the tender document, the technical bids will be opened on March 22. Companies can set up a kiosk near the exit of Metro stations to attract passengers with their offers.
However, it has to be seen whether companies will come forward to shell out money to rent the area at Metro stations. The Uber kiosks at Baiyappanahalli and MG Road had remained idle with hardly any passengers booking cabs from the station. A Metro staffer said the company pulled out its personnel from the kiosk at MG Road following a tepid response.
"We have already provided bikes for rent at several Metro stations and it has proved beneficial to many passengers. We hope autorickshaws and cabs will add to the option, especially to those who are going home after the end of the day," said BMRCL spokesperson U A Vasanth Rao.
DH News Service
Technology will bring actors-turned-politicians M G Ramachandran and Jayalalithaa back to life for the animated movie 'Kizhakku Africavil Raju' slated for release in 2019.
The movie will use the latest technology in filmmaking and is directed by M Arul Moorthy who created animation and VFX for India's first 3D movie 'My Dear Kuttichathan'.
Speaking at a discussion on 'Emerging Trends and Technologies for New Age Moviemaking' at the film festival, Moorthy described his plans for the movie.
"I will use performance-capture to make the movie of photo-realistic quality. We are creating hardware which can capture the movements of objects like cars and bikes. I want even the trees and grass to look alive so that they are real and believable," Moorthy said.
Performance-capture acting is a technology in which actors wear sensors on their skin and act, while the cameras capture their movement from different angles. This technique is used to make realistic animated characters such as the character of Gollum in the Lord of the Ring series played by Andy Serkis.
"In my movie, there are ten main actors and a total of 100 characters. We are going to place 108 cameras in a circle and make the actor stand in the centre. Pictures will be clicked from 360 degrees and a software will create a model of the actor," Moorthy said.
Kizhakku Africavil Raju is set in East Africa and is based on the character Raju, played by MGR in his super hit movie Ulakam Chuttum Valiban.
Moorthy said that the technology is advancing so quickly that soon it would be impossible to differentiate between real and created images in a film. "It is mind-blowing what technology can do. Things that take months with traditional animation only take minutes now," he said.
The technology of 3D printing is also being used in the film industry to create finely-detailed props.
Kannada film director and cinematographer for 'Mungaru Male' S Krishna said that Kannada actors should capture their images in 360 degrees every year so that even after they grow old, movies can be made with their younger selves.
He said that such advanced technology is not being used in the Kannada film industry now because of budget constraints but it could be beneficial once it becomes cheaper.
ThroughTek advances to Barcelona MWC Show headlining at Taiwan Pavilion
Leveraging Taiwan's IT industry forces, the Industrial Bureau of the Ministry of Economic Affairs invited nine vendors from various IT fields, including ThroughTek, Chunghwa Telecom, Everspring and ITRI to represent Taiwan Pavilion for the Mobile World Congress 2018 in late February this year. This year, the Taiwan Pavilion, already well-known for quality hardware manufacturing, will be spotlighting Taiwan's software development capabilities, including cloud-based applications, mobile communications and big data analysis.
ThroughTek is the first Taiwan cloud platform vendor to gain recognition and reputation in China and then launched into Europe and US markets. In the past 10 years, with its accumulated years of software technology expertise, ThroughTek has successfully helped Chinese hardware manufacturers to further expand their markets into Europe and the United States. In recent years, more IoT applications have been developed, and ThroughTek, with in-depth software technology background focusing on cloud platform development, has been actively sought out by many European and American brands for direct collaboration.
ThroughTek's Kalay cloud platform has a superior peer-to-peer (P2P) connection technology, allowing for IoT products, including IP cameras, doorphone, smart robots, dashcam, and smart home devices to quickly connect to the internet. By using ThroughTek's patented technology of easy setup via QR Code scanning to resolve the complex set-up situation for end users, and help brands improve their user experiences and reduce customer service costs. A successful case study representation is Guardzilla, a well-known IP security camera brand in North America, that launched Guardzilla 360 HD Security Camera in 2017 using ThroughTek's technology, and promptly named as CES Annual Innovation Award Honoree this year. Additionally, Guardzilla 360 and Outdoor HD Camera was the No.1 and No.3 best seller security camera in top three retailers Best Buy, Target, and Walmart in the US.
This year, at the MWC Taiwan Pavilion booth, ThroughTek will be demonstrating how its customers has utilized the Kalay Platform solution to transmit and store video data, and provide backend analysis to manage and control device connectivity and other services. ThroughTek will be presenting popular products that use the Kalay Platform solution including Xiaomi Home IP Camera series, Guardzilla's low power consumption doorphone and 360 HD Security Camera; and Furbo Dog Camera from Taiwan-based Tomofun, recently featured on the Ellen Show a well-known talk show in the United States, and Hong Kong-based Vtech's smart home devices. ThroughTek has been continuously chosen by established brands for long term partnership, including China's Xiaomi, Hikvision, Foscam, Raysharp, and European and American brands including Guardzilla, Swann, WWM, Bosch, Lorex, Hesdo, Amped Wireless, Olympia, to name a few. Application areas include security monitoring, smart home, IoV and other in-depth end user IoT applications.
There are very few cloud platforms in the market comparable to ThroughTek's Kalay Platform, capable of providing video transmission and storage with high efficiency and low operating costs. Therefore, ThroughTek has unrelentingly focused on image-related solutions, allowing surveillance images from different domains to be instantly viewed, transmitted and stored on the Kalay platform, and improved remote management of hardware devices. At the end of 2017, ThroughTek launched video surveillance solution, "VSaaS 3.0", a new generation of VSaaS across different browsers (including IE, Chrome, Safari, Opera, Firefox) to view live streams. Differentiating from peers that mostly build forwarding (relay) servers requiring increased operating costs, Kalay VSaaS technology uses peer-to-peer (P2P) connection on smartphone app to view live streams , or playback videos stored in the cloud by RTMP, significantly saving on operating costs while offering the best end-user experience.
ThroughTek is a one-of-a-kind Taiwan-based company that uses software foundation as the starting point for market strategy in IoT industry and has once again been invited back to headline Taiwan Pavilion at MWC in Spain to demonstrate the latest cloud service solutions. For four days in Barcelona beginning from February 26th, the Taiwan Pavilion's nine companies will work together to showcase the soft power of Taiwan's IT industry. ThroughTek will also present diversified applications of video surveillance in the field of Internet of Things to international buyers. ThroughTek's future development potential is expediential.
ThroughTek advances to Barcelona MWC Show headlining at Taiwan Pavilion
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PORTLAND (AP) A state board has approved new rules requiring day cares in Oregon to test drinking water for high levels of lead.
The Oregonian/OregonLive reports the state Early Learning Council on Thursday approved the rules that stipulate day cares must test the water and submit the results to state regulators by the end of September.
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After he failed to turn up for the senate probe on the controversial Dengvaxia vaccine, former president of the Philippines Benigno Aquino III is set to attend the House hearing on the issue today.
A member of Aquino's staff confirmed his attendance to the hearing to CNN Philippines.
Former Philippines health secretary Janette Garin, budget secretary Butch Abad, incumbent health secretary Francisco Duque, budget secretary Benjamin Diokno, interior secretary Eduardo Ano, justice secretary Vitaliano Aguirre, and education secretary Leonor Briones have also been invited to the probe.
In the senate hearing on 14 December, 2017, Aquino claimed that no one had advised him against procuring Dengvaxia from French pharmaceutical company Sanofi Pasteur.
''No one advised me against Dengvaxia during the decision-making process, after we procured, and until now,'' (translated), Rappler reported Aquino as saying.
According to health reform advocate Anthony Leachon, the former president could not be faulted if he was given "misleading" information on the vaccine.
The issue follows an advisory released by Sanofi in December 2017, which said new studies showed those with no previous dengue infection and who had got vaccinated could contract "severe diseases." The government responded by halting its nationwide dengue vaccination programme that got underway in 2016, after 837,000 children were immunised.
According to both, the current Food and Drug Administration (FDA) chief and a physician, Sanofi Pasteur was well-aware of the risks of Dengvaxia in 2015 but did not inform the Philippine government.
FDA director-general Nela Charade Puno and physician Anthony Leachon both presented documents to prove their accusations against the French pharmaceutical giant as the House resumed its probe into the now-suspended dengue immunisation programme on Monday, 26 February.
According to Puno, the FDAs' special task force on Dengvaxia reviewed the papers submitted by Sanofi to Singapore, which allowed the commercial sale of the dengue vaccine in their country in October 2016.
Running a small business has many rewards, but it has never been an endeavour for the faint-hearted. One of the most common yet avoidable areas of stress for SME owners is the ability to manage and maintain sufficient cashflow.
[Editors note: This is the fifth in a 12-part series, by accountant and serial entrepreneur Tanya Titman, on the secrets to building and scaling a successful SME]
It is a tragic paradox that even hugely successful new ventures, which are growing revenue at incredible pace, can fail because they quite literally run out of cash. The good news is that growing broke can be easily avoided by introducing a few basic cashflow management techniques.
Successful cashflow management begins with the simple practice of regularly analysing your financial statements to understand the relationship between profit and loss (P&L) and cashflow. This may seem obvious, yet it is remarkable how often this basic activity is avoided by entrepreneurs and business managers for a combination of reasons: distraction, lack of financial literacy or just plain fear of opening up Pandoras box.
Its important for business owners to take a long-term and short-term view of their business finances. Understanding the big picture financial metrics is critical like gross profit, operating expenses, and net profit over 12 months. By calculating a monthly percentage for each area, it becomes easier to spot past and potential trends. This is particularly important for seasonal businesses, such as retail, where the required inventory is high but financial returns may be delayed. With a little extra focus in this area, I have seen SMEs report a profit increase of more than 200 per cent.
Cashflow management requires a shorter-term view of the business finances. I suggest business owners make this a weekly task. The first step is to predict when the business might start struggling with cash. Then put strategies in place to manage the flow. A simple spreadsheet is often the best tool for managing this process.
To forecast the businesses cash position, start by listing projected income and business expenses and when they fall due. SMEs should forecast 12 weeks in advance to identify potential cash shortages. Knowing about a looming cashflow crisis is the first part of managing an SMEs finances. Putting strategies in place to ensure the business has enough money to keep going is a critical part of the solution.
SMEs have the advantage of being naturally conservative, having personally invested so much in their own businesses, so they are in a better position to implement strict controls on their budget. By demystifying their financial statements, they can reassess their financial KPIs, check for any discrepancies, and progress to building a strategy for investing profit.
Payment terms are also vital. While SMEs should set strict payment terms, such as 14 days, feedback from the SMEs we work with indicate the wait can be as long as 50-55 days. This kind of delay can be crippling at peak times such as Easter, Christmas, and school holidays.
Pricing is also an important consideration for SMEs. I always advocate that SMEs know their worth and charge accordingly. The Q3 2017 Confidence Index from CEO membership organisation The Executive Connection shows a positive revenue outlook from business leaders of Australian SMEs but no direct correlation to price rises. In the latest quarterly survey, 72 per cent of CEOs said they expect an increase in profitability in the next 12 months, but only 39 per cent are planning to put their prices up over the same period. This is an obvious area where making simple adjustments can help enormously.
Whatever pricing and business growth you decide on, here are some ways to avoid a cashflow crisis and to keep your customers and suppliers on side:
Dont delay reviewing debtor days:
As the business owner, you should review your debtor days which is the average number of days the business is waiting to receive payment from customers for invoices issued to them every month.
Pursue late payers:
If your terms are 14 days send statements twice a month. If you invoiced a customer on the 1st of the month, that invoice falls due on the 15th of the month. Dont wait until the 30th to remind customers they owe you money.
Introduce innovative payment technology:
Choosing the right accounting software saves reams of paperwork for both your business and customers. In todays time-poor society, its in your best interest to make payment as easy as possible. One option is Xero Accounting Software, which sends invoices with a Pay Now button making it simple to pay the bill.
Understand the up and the downside of growth:
Plan business growth carefully as expanding your business requires more cash than most SMEs realise. It all comes back to deciding which stage of growth your business is at. I discuss the different stages of business growth in a previous blog.
Reinforce that due receivables have a due date:
While SMEs need to be vigilant about collecting payments, they also need to make a judgement call about old debts. In certain cases, its more beneficial to your bottom line to write them off as theyre skewing your data, consuming resources in chasing up the old debt and are unlikely to be paid.
Improving financial literacy can have a powerful payoff for small business owners. Through education, SMEs can avoid the debt trap and aspire to bigger growth goals.
About the author
Tanya Titman is the founder of SME focused accountancy practice Consolid8 and Female SME growth program Acceler8. She was interviewed by Dynamic Business for the feature article Financial literacy, not gut feelings, key to female founders scaling past the $1m mark. She also regularly contributes to the Lets Talk series of thought leader pieces. See also: Lessons I learned in the start-up phase that will help first-time founders take the plunge, Should you leave your job to start a business? Seven steps to consider before making the leap, So, youve left your job to start a business now what? What to know about the first year and So, your business is up and runningnow, which growth stage do you aim to reach?
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) has released an issues paper for public comment, signalling the launch of its inquiry into the effect digital platforms such as Facebook and Google are having on competition in media and advertising services markets.
As part of the inquiry, which was announced in December, the ACCC is seeking feedback from consumers, media organisations, digital platform providers and advertisers on:
Whether digital platforms have bargaining power in their dealings with media content creators, advertisers or consumers and the implications of that bargaining power.
Whether digital platforms have impacted media organisations ability to fund and produce quality news and journalistic content for Australians
How technological change and digital platforms have changed the media and advertising services markets, and the way consumers access news
The extent to which consumers understand what data is being collected about them by digital platforms, and how this information is used
How the use of algorithms affects the presentation of news for digital platform users.
According to ACCC Chairman Rod Sims, digital platforms like Google and Facebook are part of the sweeping technological and cultural changes overhauling the media landscape in Australia and globally.
While these technological changes have brought many benefits for consumers, this inquiry will have a particular focus on examining whether the changes affect the quality and range of news supplied to Australian consumers, Sims said.
Considering the longer term impacts of digital platforms and the ability of traditional media to remain financially viable will also be key to understanding the media and advertising markets.
Our aim is also to understand better the digital platforms business models and how they operate behind the scenes, and the evolving nature of the way consumers search for and receive news in Australia. We are particularly interested in the extent to which digital platforms curate news and journalistic content.
The ACCC is seeking submissions in response to its issues paper by 3 April 2018 and will issue a preliminary report into its findings in December 2018.
Consumers may alternatively provide feedback to the inquiry more informally via the ACCC consultation hub.
As part of this inquiry, the ACCC will use its compulsory information gathering powers to obtain information from digital platforms and media organisations that is not publicly available.
The ACCC is required by the Federal Government provide a preliminary report to the Treasurer by 3 December 2018 and a final report by 3 June 2019.
Related: ACCC to launch probe into Facebook, Google to understand impact on journalism, advertisers
Former Small Business Minister Michael McCormack has been sworn in as the Deputy PM, having secured the leadership of the Nationals in the wake of Barnaby Joyces resignation.
According to Fairfax, McCormack has signalled he will seek to reverse the Turnbull Governments decision to move the small business ministry to the cabinet in 2015.
Australian Small Business and Family Enterprise Ombudsman (ASBFEO), Kate Carnell, congratulated McCormack on his new appointment.
Michael McCormack was a diligent and committed Small Business Minister, so we are particularly pleased with this outcome, She said.
[He] ran his own small business before entering Parliament so he knows what its like, and has great empathy for the challenges and opportunities small businesses face every day.
During his time as the Federal Small Business Minister, Mr McCormack led a significant small business roadshow around Australia, visiting more than 30 metropolitan, regional and rural localities, from Albany in Western Australia to North Queensland.
The Small Business Roadshow included my office, the Australian Taxation Office and the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission, speaking with small business owners to learn first-hand whats working well and what more could be done to get the policy settings right.
We are pleased Mr McCormack will push for the Small Business Minister to have a seat in Cabinet, as has been the case in the past.
And we are confident the new Deputy Prime Minister will have small business issues as a major focus.
Speaking to SBS, Peter Strong, CEO of the Council of Small Business Australia, said McCormack did a great job as the small business Minister, citing the time he dedicated to talking with hundreds of owners as part of his six-month small business roadshow.
Strong continued, What Michael has said is the Small Business Ministers job should be in the cabinet, and it absolutely should be were the most vital part of the economy Were the biggest part when it comes to employing, and we should have a single voice in cabinet.
Global coding school, Le Wagon, has touched down in Australia, with the launch of two campuses catering for entrepreneurs and other creative professionals seeking the technical skillset necessary to create and work on digital products.
The brainchild of Parisian brothers Romain and Boris Paillard, Le Wagon currently runs a series of 9-week coding bootcamps in 27 cities around the world. In the five years since Le Wagon was founded, more than 100 startups have been launched by its community of 2000 alumni, 25 of whom have successfully raised between $300,000 and $1.5 million in external funding.
With Le Wagons first Melbourne bootcamp set to kick off next week (5 March), hot on the heels of its inaugural Sydney bootcamp, the schools founding brothers spoke to Dynamic Business about their plans for Australia.
DB: What value does your school create for entrepreneurs?
RP: Everyone who takes part in a bootcamp will leave with the skills you need to bootstrap and launch your own product/web app. Thats why we teach Ruby on Rails as well as being a great coding language for beginners, it gives you the ability to build and deploy your product quickly.
BP: While startup founders save both money and time by being able to build their own products, they are not the only people who benefit from Le Wagon bootcamps. For instance, around 30% of our alumni are hired as developers or product managers. There is also an appetite within large corporations for staff to learn hard technical skills, which is why marketing, finance and business development professionals have taken part in our bootcamps too.
RP: Our students include everyone from startup founders and business school graduates through to people seeking to change their career trajectory completely. Weve had the likes of engineers, lawyers, journalists, architects, musicians, truck drivers and even dancers go through our bootcamps, so I guess we dont really have a typical student.
DB: What motivated you to launch into Sydney and Melbourne?
BP: The incredible level of engagement in industry meetups and Australias startup community more broadly really resonated with Boris and I, and we were confident that we could help creative people, including entrepreneurs, build world-class products, regardless of their professional or educational background. Relevantly, the latest Startup Muster report found that almost a third of Australian founders wish their team had software development skills at launch, which demonstrates the value placed on practical knowledge of coding.
RP: When we were deciding where to launch next, we found that Australia was very similar to France in the sense that coding education was a bit old school students werent really being skilled for the 21st century. We have a saying in France that education is one wagon late compared to innovation, and we think it applies to Australia too. There just arent any schools that offer what we now do in Australia. Sure, other places teach students Ruby on Rails but they do it solely so that students can find employment upon completion of the course, whereas our focus is to teach code to build an entire product. In that sense, we are unique.
DB: What are some of Le Wagons success stories?
RP: Fifteen of our alumni have raised more than $1.5 million (AUD) in external investment, while a further ten have raised between $300,000 and $900,000 each. A-line, Kudoz, Travelsify and Regaind, which was acquired by Apple, are some of the successful companies to emerge from Le Wagon globally.
A recent success story from Australia is Roger Scott, who participated in of our first bootcamp outside of Europe, held in Sao Paulo two years ago. When Roger joined the bootcamp, he was working as a venture developer in Mexico but had aspirations of being a product manager. Immediately after the bootcamp, he found work in Brazil as a senior product manager making mobile security apps. Most recently, he was appointed as a product manager at BPay in Sydney.
DB: What is your strategy for engaging your students?
BP: We train students to build a product, so rather than training them just to get a job at the end of the course, we are giving them the skills for all of their future projects. We also try to keep class sizes low to enhance the experience for students and to make no-one is left behind. In this respect, we ensure that students who wish to take part are 100% motivated to complete the course so there are rarely issues with keeping them engaged.
RP: If you only apply to Le Wagon to get a head start on your own project during the last 2 weeks of the curriculum, then youve misunderstood the real purpose of our program. There is no shortcut, especially in the first weeks where students learn the core concepts of programming and software architecture. The ultimate goal is to really learn how to code a product, alone or in team, applying tech industry best practices.
DB: What is your take on the local developer talent pool?
BP: The developer talent pool is at a very high level in Australia, the problem is just that there isnt enough talent to satisfy the increasing market demand.
DB: What will you do to address this technical skills gap?
BP: At Le Wagon, students learn in 2 months what they could spend up to 2 years learning at a traditional educational institution. In this regard, we can significantly shorten the length of time it takes to ready developers for the workforce. The main difference between a traditional degree and at Le Wagon Bootcamp is that Le Wagon focuses on Learning by Doing. In a traditional curriculum on the other hand, you will start learning all the theory before getting your hands dirty. In this respect, Le Wagon can help upskill Australians across a variety of sectors and industries.
DB: What does Le Wagon have planned for Sydney and Melbourne?
At this stage, we plan to run four Bootcamps per year and also have plans to partner with business and engineering schools.
(Photo: Peter Kenny / Ecumenical News)A woman prays on Feb. 10, 2016 in the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, the church in Jerusalem where Christians believe Jesus was buried and resurrected after his crucifixion.
Jerusalem church leaders have kept the doors of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre closed for a second day in a tax standoff with the city's municipality and in protest of a proposed land expropriation law that will affect the Christian community.
Three church leaders had the door locked and issued a joint statement, accusing Jerusalem's mayor, Nir Barkat, of violating the status quo in moves that they said seemed like an attempt to "weaken the Christian presence in Jerusalem."
The legislation was initiated by a member of Israel's Knesset member Rachel Azaria, would expropriate the ownership of lands sold by churches to private buyers, The Jerusalem Post reported.
The Church of the Holy Sepulchre is jointly managed by a cadre of Orthodox and Catholic churches.
The church is one of Christianity's most noted place of worhsip and Sunday closed its doors until further notice as church leaders angrily retaliated against what they see as a "systematic campaign" by Israel to harm the Christian community in the Holy Land.
The church leaders said the Israeli authorities move was a "systematic campaign of abuse against churches and Christians."
"We, the heads of churches in charge of the Holy Sepulchre and the status quo governing the various Christian holy sites in Jerusalem the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate, the Custody of the Holy Land and the Armenian Patriarchate are following with great concern the systematic campaign against the churches and the Christian community in the Holy Land, in flagrant violation of the existing status quo," a statement issued Feb. 25 read
Franciscan Custos of the Holy Land Francesco Patton and Armenian Patriarch Nourhan Manougian flanked Greek Orthodox Patriarch Theophilus lll read out a statement and then locked the ancient doors of the church in Jerusalem's Old City.
"We will decide when and how the church will re-open," he said, likening Israeli policies to anti-Semitic laws enacted against Jews in Europe, the Times of Israel reported.
The church in Jerusalem's Old City is viewed by Christians as the site where Jesus was crucified, buried and resurrected, so it for many Chrisitans viewed as the holiest site.
It was last closed briefly around 20 years ago to protest against Israeli policies.
The immediate trigger was the churches' discovery that the Knesset's Constitution, Law and Justice Committee was to discuss and probably pass a bill on allowing the State to confiscate land sold by the churches to private investors since 2010 and pay the new owners compensation, The Times of Israel reported.
The Patriarch said, "We, the heads of churches in charge of the Holy Sepulchre and the status quo governing the various Christian holy sites in Jerusalem... are following with great concern the systematic campaign against the churches and the Christian community in the Holy Land, in flagrant violation of the existing status quo.
"Recently, this systematic and offensive campaign has reached an unprecedented level as the Jerusalem Municipality [has] issued scandalous collection notices and orders of seizure of Church assets, properties and bank accounts for alleged debts of punitive municipal taxes.
"These actions breach existing agreements and international obligations which guarantee the rights and the privileges of the churches, in what seems an attempt to weaken the Christian presence in Jerusalem. The greatest victims in this are those impoverished families who will go without food and housing, as well as the children who will be unable to attend school."
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EW Nutrition shares knowledge at IFS 2018 in the Philippines
EW Nutrition South East Asia/Pacific Pte. Ltd. was at this year's International Farmers Summit, which was held on February 21-23 in Manila, the Philippines.
The company's objective was to share functional innovations along with expertise and extensive technical knowledge in natural feed additives.
It explained that it is "building on fundamental principles of strong technical (knowledge) - as well as science and innovation - key mantras that are involved in the development and growth of the business in the Philippines."
"Antibiotic reduction, innovation and natural, standardised additives are topics embraced in our company's vision," the company said.
EW Nutrition's country manager Felomino Mamuad and national sales manager Tina Anteola were backed by managing director Bob Nichol, who affirmed the importance in supporting the Philippines industry given the increasing demand for antibiotic reduction.
"Our goal was to highlight the multiple benefits of our products like Globigen and Globigen JS," Mamuad explained.
"Also, other than launching our new antibiotic-reduction website earlier this year, we will be launching the "Ask EW Nutrition" campaign and the "Ask EW" science and innovation event in the Philippines, in February and March. Such are our focus and commitment to our partners here: Camden Trading Group, Ariela Marketing Inc and PrimeVet/Imfarmco."
By The Hill , Feb. 24, 2018
SAN DIEGO Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti (D), whos considered a potential presidential candidate in 2020, took aim at Washington, D.C., and the White House in a Saturday speech to thousands of Democratic activists and officials.
At the California Democratic Partys convention in San Diego, Garcetti recounted his trip to South Carolina an early presidential primary state where he said Americans are more focused on better jobs and health care than on divides between the Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders wings of the Democratic Party.
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BARCELONA, Spain, February 26, 2018 /PRNewswire/ --
Companies to Showcase eSIM based Solution at Mobile World Congress
Skymond Mobile, a global connectivity solution provider for the broadcasting industry and Valid, the innovative eSIM solution provider today announced their partnership to deliver seamless LTE Connectivity Enablement to Tier 1 Media broadcasters. This partnership provides eSIM technology, making LTE connectivity and subscription management easier for broadcasters. The companies will showcase this industry-first initiative during Mobile World Congress, which takes place on February 26th - March 1st in Barcelona, Spain.
The partnership leverages Skymond Connectivity Solution based on a multi-modem broadband backpack with a GSMA-compliant Valid's mioSIM(R) embedded SIM and Valid eReach Subscription Management solution. Valid eSIM solution allows Skymond's customers to remotely download SIM profiles over the air. This eases the remote provisioning process as well as local mobile operator (MNO) selection without the need of changing SIM physically on the backpack modems. The companies have successfully tested and demonstrated MNO profiles swap procedure in Europe to allow a more reliable LTE local connectivity by improving connection speed, lowering latency while reducing costs significantly for large amounts of data transfer.
"The relationship between our companies simplifies connectivity issues for our customers by one stop shopping. Valid eSIM solution allows broadcasters to have a more predictable connectivity cost plan as well as best reliability of connectivity while on the go," said Etienne Marijnissen, CEO of Skymond Mobile, part of Skymond Group.
"It is a real pleasure for Valid to partner Skymond Mobile. Together, we have been able to provide a unique eSIM use case proving that the eSIM ecosystem is suitable and beneficial for a vast range of IoT applications. The integration between Skymond's solution, Valid's eUICC & Subscription Management technology will enable Broadcasters to focus on their core business without worrying about connectivity related issues," said Carlos Affonso S. d'Albuquerque, CEO of Valid.
The announced partnership already resulted in the feature where the eUICC SIM has an on-board Quality of Service monitoring app which triggers seamless switching to the best available network, guaranteeing highest possible continuous connection quality.
In the Broadcast industry WMT transmissions using bonded mobile connections are becoming increasingly popular to replace satellite uplinks. The opportunity to have high quality connectivity with genuine diversity on one SIM, enabled by the eUICC SIM and the Subscription Manager platform is boosting the usage of mobile connectivity for (live) transmissions even more. Major networks have tested the functionality (up to mobile units in vehicles and helicopters) and are rapidly migrating towards the eUICC SIM's of Skymond Mobile and Valid. In the Netherlands the upcoming local elections in March will be covered live for national broadcast with over 15 mobile units simultaneously (120 bonded SIM's, 45GB/hour).
About Valid
Valid (BM&FBOVESPA: VLID3 ON), is a global company with more than 60 years of operation and a wide portfolio of technological secure solutions for the financial and banking markets, mobile industry, people identification, objects and transactions, data management, Internet of Things (IoT) and Track & Trace. Valid has 6,000 employees, offices in 16 countries and achieved revenues of USD 537 million in 2016. Today, the company has more than 60% market share of the identification documents issued in Brazil, is among the 10 largest banking card companies globally and the 5th largest producer of SIM Cards in the world. Valid's activities consider the particularities of each region and culture to create customized and integrated solutions for its customers. To learn more, visit http://www.valid.com
About Skymond Mobile
Skymond Mobile, a global connectivity solutions provider for the broadcasting, marine and private jet-planes market, part of Skymond Group offers customers around the world one stop shopping for the highest possible flexibility in deploying mobile connectivity from Machine to Machine while realizing utmost quality of service through a growing network of specialized local service providers.
Skymond Group offers wholesale data through Skymond Mobile as well as the eUICC SIM's. The Subscription Manager platform is available from Skymond Technology and full managed services are provided by Districonnect, all part of Skymond Group. To learn more, visit http://www.skymondmobile.com
Media Contacts Marisol Fernandez for Valid ph: +34-690-24-33-75 marisol.fernandez@valid.com Peter de Vink for Skymond ph: +31641177203 pdv@skymondmobile.com
Murray Energy Corporation ("Murray Energy") announced that it has completed a merger resulting in Murray Kentucky Energy, Inc., ("Murray Kentucky") acquiring a one hundred percent (100%) ownership interest in Western Kentucky Coal Resources, LLC ("Western Kentucky"). Murray Kentucky previously held a fifty-one percent (51%) common equity ownership interest in Western Kentucky.
In consideration for the transaction, the former secured noteholders of Armstrong Energy, Inc. ("Armstrong Energy"), who previously held 49% of the common equity of Western Kentucky, received certain second lien notes of Murray Energy ("Notes"). These Notes were issued in connection with the Merger Agreement, are securities of the same class, and were issued in a qualified reopening under the same CUSIP as the notes issued to the former secured noteholders of Armstrong Energy.
"Murray Energy and Murray Kentucky are pleased that we were able to reach an agreement with the former secured noteholders of Armstrong Energy, Inc. to acquire the remaining interest in Western Kentucky," said Mr. Robert E. Murray, Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer of Murray Energy. "We look forward to working with Western Kentucky's customers and employees in order to ensure the maximum success of these operations," said. Mr. Murray.
Western Kentucky has over 400 employees and owns five (5) mines in the Illinois Basin, including three (3) surface mines and two (2) operating underground mines. The underground mines are now known as: 1.) The Western Kentucky Coal Company, LLC's Genesis Mine (formerly Kronos Mine); and 2.) The Muhlenberg County Coal Company, LLC's Pride Mine (formerly the Survant Mine). Western Kentucky also owns three (3) existing coal processing plants, certain river dock coal handling and rail loadout facilities. Western Kentucky has 337 million tons of coal reserves.
Further inquiries should be directed to media@coalsource.com.
CONTACT
Murray Energy Corporation
media@coalsource.com
Gary M. Broadbent
Senior Corporate Counsel and Director of Investor and Media Relations
(740) 338-3100
Kurdish Hawks to join Afrin operation
Within the scope of Operation Olive Branch, Kurdish Hawks Brigade, a part of Free Syrian Army, finalized the preparations to be deployed to Afrin.
The Kurdish Hawks Brigade, part of the Free Syrian Army (FSA), will join Turkey's Operation Olive Branch launched against PKK/YPG and Daesh terror organizations in Afrin, northwestern Syria, a brigade commander said on Sunday.
The brigade includes 400 Kurdish fighters from Azaz and 200 Arab elements, also known as 'red berets'. 'Black berets' of the Hamza Division are also involved in the ongoing operation in the region.
According to Kurdish Hawks commander Hassan Abdullah Kulli, fighters of the brigade will be deployed to Afrin on Monday. "God willing, we will liberate our people in Afrin from PKK oppression." Kulli said.
YPG's former leader arrested in Prague
Salih Muslim, former co-leader of YPG terror organization has been detained Saturday in Czech capital Prague.
The arrest of former PKK/YPG co-leader Salih Muslim in Prague came after Turkey called on Czech authorities to arrest him after media reports said he would attend a meeting in the capital, Turkish security officials said on Sunday.
Turkish officials of the Directorate General of Security's Interpol department called on Czech authorities to arrest Muslim over the media reports, which said he has attended a meeting in Brussels and would attend a similar event in Prague.
MUSLIM WAS LISTED AS 'MOST WANTED' TERRORIST
The Interpol unit in Czechia informed Turkish authorities that Muslum was detained in Prague on Feb. 24 upon Turkey's request and detention order.
Turkey's Justice Ministry said it had initiated the extradition process for Muslum. Ankara will officially ask Czech authorities for his extradition, according to a statement.
The Turkish Interior Ministry had offered a bounty of nearly $1 million on Muslim who is listed as a most wanted terrorist.
Chris Pratt and his 5-year-old son, Jack, enjoyed an action-packed evening at the Monster Jam celebrity event on Saturday, Feb. 24.
Father And Son Bond Over Monster Trucks
Pratt and his son with former wife Anna Faris appeared to be having a blast at the motorcycle event, which took place at the Angel Stadium in Anaheim, California. The father-son duo were all smiles as they checked out the monster truck lineup, which includes the likes of Grave Digger, Black Stallion, Bounty Hunter, and Overkill Evolution to name a few.
The Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom star also posed for pictures with some of the drivers and mascots at the event. In one of the pictures, Pratt can be seen with his arm around Jack as they give the thumbs up for the camera.
Pratt and Jack weren't the only father-son pairing at the event. Josh Duhamel with his 4-year-old son Axl Jack and Drew Lachey with his 7-year-old son Camden John were also in attendance at the event.
Kendra Wilkinson Baskett and Hank Baskett were also present with their children: 8-year-old son Hank IV and 3-year-old daughter Alijah.
Family Outings
Pratt has been spending a lot of time with Jack since he and Faris called it quits on their marriage in August. The father-son duo was also seen attending an LA Clippers game together in December.
Last month, they enjoyed some quality family time at his farm. The Guardians of the Galaxy star posted an adorable video of him and Jack feeding a flock of sheep on Instagram.
"Livin' that #farmlife," Pratt captioned the clip. "Missing home, missing the farm, missing the boy, missing the island."
Chris Pratt Sparks Backlash Over Lamb Meat Photo
After taking a break from social media following his divorce, Pratt has been sharing glimpses of his life in the countryside from time to time.
"I have found a new passion to add to my many others. #farmlife and Jack loves it!" he wrote alongside a picture of chopped up meat spread across a table from a lamb that he reared on his farm. "You'll know where to sprinkle my ashes. I'll tell you that."
Shortly after the post went live, the 38-year-old actor came under fire from animal lovers and vegetarians for posting pictures of meat derived from an animal that was raised by him.
On Sunday, Feb. 24, actress Heather Locklear was arrested for felony domestic violence that allegedly occurred in her home in Thousand Oaks, California.
According to TMZ, the actress' brother was the one who called the police after he heard Locklear and her former boyfriend fighting.
T.J. Hooker Behind Bars
The Melrose Place actress reportedly got into a physical altercation with her ex-significant other, Jack Wagner, that left marks on his face. When the police arrived on the scene, the officers tried to handcuff Locklear, who "became combative, flailing, kicking and struck three deputies," TMZ stated.
Because Locklear also assaulted the officers, the TJ Hooker star was also charged with three counts of misdemeanor battery on a police officer.
The actress was taken into custody and a hospital for a mental evaluation. Locklear was booked at 1:03 a.m. and made bail at 5:43 a.m. The actress is set to appear back in court on Mar. 13.
Locklear's Troubled History
This isn't the actress' first run-in with the law. Locklear was pulled over for driving under the influence in September 2008. She was sentenced to three years of informal probation, a DMV driver safety class, and a $700 fine.
In March 2008, emergency responders were sent to the actress' home after someone called 911 stating that Locklear was trying to commit suicide. The Money Talks actress was checked in to a medical facility in Arizona for psychological ailments in June 2008.
In July 2012, Locklear's sister called 911 after she believed that the actress was in danger after taking a dangerous amount of drugs and consuming alcohol. Locklear was transported to the hospital and was later released that day.
The actress is best known for her roles in Spin City, Hot in Cleveland, Franklin & Bash, Looney Tunes: Back in Action, and The Perfect Man.
Her first major role was on the show Dynasty where she portrayed Sammy Jo Carrington from 1981 to 1989. Following her time on Dynasty, the actress gained further acclaim for her portrayals of Amanda Woodward on Melrose Place and Officer Stacey Sheridan on T.J. Hooker.
Locklear was married to Motley Crue member Tommy Lee from 1986 to 1993. In 1994, she married Bon Jovi member Richie Sambora with whom she has a daughter, Ava. Sambora and Locklear divorced in 2006.
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On the 170th anniversary of Marx and Engels Communist Manifesto can Marx be re-interpreted as a critic of late modernity? (Part One) By Mark Wegierski
Karl Marx (and his intellectual collaborator and patron Friedrich Engels) have established a heritage of thought which is said today to be nearly-universally discredited, yet which has both today and historically also attracted a surprising variety of supporters and defenders, across virtually the entire, conventional spectrum of left, right, and center. It could be argued that the Marxian tradition is more multivalent than its identification with the former East Bloc system, nominally called "Communist" -- suggests. This series of pieces endeavors, with a certain critical distance, to avoid either the simplistic condemnation of Marx common among some anti-Communists, as well as the panegyrics which had been de rigueur in the former Eastern Bloc -- which, along with the various depredations of the system -- have today reduced Marx's intellectual cachet far more in East-Central Europe than in the United States, Canada, and Western European societies that never experienced that "worker's paradise." It is argued that Marx might indeed have some serious disagreements with the current-day Left and most certainly with the current-day left-liberal establishment. There are a number of interpretations of Marx's thought which may be termed "mainline" -- and a number which may be termed "dissident." Intellectually-speaking, Marx brought a certain zest into political philosophy, as well as a sharp style of writing that tries to tenaciously "get at" what certain political and philosophical pronouncements "actually say." He may indeed be characterized as one of the modern "masters of suspicion." Among Marx's most famous statements is: "All of the philosophers have tried to describe the world in different ways, the point, however, is to change it." Marx combined, in what was -- at that time -- a new, interesting way -- philosophical thinking, the claim of being scientific, and what should honestly be called "ideology" or "polemics." Some of the "mainline" aspects of Marx's thought may include his central concept of desire for human liberation, the ferocious condemning of economic inequality, and a doctrinaire atheism, materialism, and hatred of traditional religion. It may be remembered that Marx's chosen motto for his doctoral thesis was the quote from Shelley's Prometheus - "Above all, I hate all the gods." Lenin's elaboration of Marx's "dictatorship of the proletariat" seemed to be little more than a carte blanche for the exercise of power of a narrow ruling group that was supposed to be putting Marx's egalitarian dreams into reality, but in fact ended up in horrific violence. To borrow the Marxian terminology, the "ideological superstructure" of the promise of the Communist utopia at the end of the road -- where the state would famously "wither away" -- was utterly unreflective of the reality of the brutal, coercive, totalitarian "base." The fact that Soviet Marxism-Leninism and Maoism arose in so-called "backward" societies like Russia and China may suggest that they had more in common with what Marx had disparagingly termed "the Oriental mode of production" -- rather than "scientific socialism." The depredations of the North Korean, North Vietnamese, and Pol Pot regimes are comparatively well-known today. The reception of Marxism in Africa also led to massacres, and usually intensified the deep problems of those societies. In Latin American societies, Marxism appeared to have acquired an almost romantic mystique, as typified by Fidel Castro and Che Guevara. Among the leading, early-twentieth-century, social democratic re-interpreters of Marx was Edouard Bernstein -- who largely launched the main lines of Marx's interpretation by Western social democratic parties. The reception of Marxism in America, Canada, and Western European countries was somewhat different from that in Russia -- in the former societies, it seemed to truly have vast intellectual cachet and was apparently based on the appeal to "liberation" and "decent values." The "liberation" aspects -- especially in regard to the so-called Sexual Revolution -- were given a huge play in the 1960s and post-1960s period, whereas over several decades of the Twentieth Century many people believed that what was somewhat imprecisely called Communism was simply about ensuring a decent life for the laboring masses. It was ignored that the imposition of Soviet Communism on Russia and especially on the East-Central European countries during World War II and its aftermath proceeded by means of mass slaughter and massive intellectual and cultural annihilation of indigenous national and religious traditions. The apparent paradox of the highly-disciplined Marx-inspired parties and movements had also acquired the admiration of the far right in various European countries, especially France and Germany. More decent ultra-traditionalists such as Oswald Spengler looked to the socialist parties as vehicles for conservative social restoration, whereas the extremal German Nazis (National Socialists) identified with the harsh, totalitarian as well as anti-Jewish and anti-Polish aspects of the Soviet Communist regime. It may be remembered that between August 1939 to June 1941, Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union were close allies, united by the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact. The admiration of the Nazis for the Soviet regime was, of course, for mostly different reasons than those of the legions of Western liberal "pilgrims" who genuflected before Stalin because they perceived Soviet Communism as realizing the "progressive" utopia. Among the more fruitful re-interpretations of Marxism, were those carried out by the Frankfurt School (Adorno, Horkheimer, et al.). The Frankfurt School has now emerged as a curiously bivalent tradition, which has inspired some of the most serious critics of what is considered the current-day managerial-therapeutic regime (such as Paul Piccone, the late editor of the New York-based scholarly journal, Telos) -- as well as providing one of the strongest "props" for that system, i.e., the theory of "the authoritarian personality." The psychological critique of "personality" at its most pointed considers "authoritarian" political identifications a form of mental illness to be eradicated by mass conditioning, and, if it is discovered in an individual, to be "cured" by semi-coercive "therapy." However, the Frankfurt Schools deep-level critique of consumerist, consumptionist society -- which could be seen as one of their main contributions to intellectual inquiry -- is clearly evocative of traditionalist cultural conservatism. Another fruitful re-interpretation of Marx's thought can be seen among the so-called "social conservatives of the Left" -- such as William Morris, Jack London, George Orwell, and Christopher Lasch. In an age of a pre-totalitarian and pre-politically-correct Left, John Ruskin, a nineteenth-century aesthetic and cultural critic, could say, "I am a Tory of the sternest sort, a socialist, a communist." However, it should be pointed out that these figures could probably be placed more in the ambit of "utopian socialism", "guild-socialism", or "feudal socialism" -- tendencies which were polemically condemned in Marx and Engel's The Communist Manifesto. Another interesting off-shoot of Marx's thought is the Syndicalist system represented by Georges Sorel, as well as by varieties of Anarchist ideas. The Papal encyclical De Rerum Novarum certainly was a reaction to Marx's thought -- and it can be seen that the so-called "Catholic social teaching" tried to embrace what were seen as the positive aspects of Marx's critique of capitalism and of extreme social inequality, while avoiding its iconoclastic radicalism and possibility of abuse by power-hungry ideologues. G. K. Chesterton's Distributism and C. H. Douglas' theory of Social Credit were two attempts to maintain the rights of decent small-property holders and workers against the depredations of monopoly finance-capital, without recourse to violent dictatorship. It has often been said that Marx's critique of the iniquities of nineteenth-century capitalism was on the mark, but that his proposed solutions had turned out to be horrible in practice. To be continued. Mark Wegierski is a Canadian writer and historical researcher. Home
Democrat common sense A non-sequitur
By Mark Alexander
There was a lot of Democrat chatter last week about "common-sense gun control," their ubiquitous terminology for undermining what our Founders understood to be the First Civil Right of all people.
"To Keep and Bear Arms" is the unalienable right enumerated in the Second Amendment to our Constitution. It is thus second only to the First, but make no mistake: It guarantees the First and all others.
Frankly, whenever the words "common sense" come out of a Democrat's pie hole, caveat emptor all critical thinkers should vigorously challenge with prejudicial skepticism whatever follows thereafter.
In the wake of the Parkland, Florida, high school murders by a sociopathic assailant using a firearm, we cannot overlook the abject failure of federal, state and local agencies to intervene despite having been warned of the risk posed by this individual.
But it's the response from Donald Trump versus that from Barack Obama which demonstrates the great divide between Republicans and Democrats on the causation for such violent acts.
Republicans, rightly and consistently, call attention to the cultural factors that result in violence the statist policies that have propagated that culture, and the fact that young minds are inculcated with a saturation of media violence. On the other hand, Democrats predictably focus on the inanimate objects used to commit violence (in this case a semi-automatic rifle), the latter being a much easier target, as well as a tactic within a larger leftist objective constriction of the Second Amendment and, ultimately, gun confiscation.
When I contemplate the words "common sense," it first invokes the notion of an understanding of something which is universally shared.
Second, I think of the 1776 pamphlet, "Common Sense," published by Thomas Paine, which framed the cause and call for undertaking the fatigues necessary to defend American Liberty thusly: "The cause of America is in a great measure the cause of all mankind."
Clearly, Democrats long ago abandoned Paine's understanding of "common sense" as it related then and now to supporting and sustaining Liberty for this and future generations. That understanding is in direct conflict with the statist policies they advocate.
So, to consider what should be inferred from their use of "common sense" in regard to the Second Amendment, here are a few examples from the past week.
House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA): "Congress has a moral responsibility to take common sense action to prevent the daily tragedy of gun violence in communities across America." (In other words, anyone who doesn't comply with the Democrats' political agenda is immoral.)
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo: "The president should follow our lead and advance common sense gun safety legislation." (Make no mistake, by "gun safety" Cuomo means "gun confiscation.")
Speaking for leftist celebrity hypocrites, Jimmy Kimmel: "This is the perfect example of common sense. ... This is a mental illness issue, because if you don't think we need to do something about it, you are mentally ill." (That's right, forget the mentally ill perpetrator. If you don't agree with Kimmel, you're mentally ill.)
Of course, leftist editorial pages and advocacy groups across the nation, funded by the billionaire archenemies of Liberty who support them, are insisting on "common sense" gun control measures.
The socialist Daily Kos: "Are we ever going to have common sense gun laws?"
MoveOn.org: "Let's talk common sense. The National Rifle Association [is] one of the main reasons we remain unable to pass common sense gun laws."
Most notably, within hours of the latest tragedy in Florida, the two most prominent Democrats in the nation were leading the "common sense" bandwagon, including the Orwellian BIG lie that "most Americans agree" with them.
Hillary Clinton: "The majority of Americans support common sense gun reform." (Fortunately the majority of Electoral College votes did not support Clinton.)
Barack Obama: "Caring for our kids is our first job, and until we can honestly say that we're doing enough to keep them safe from harm, including long overdue, commonsense gun safety laws that most Americans want, then we have to change." (That's right, according to Obama, if you're a defender of Liberty and the Second Amendment, you don't "care for our kids," and when he says "gun safety laws" he means "gun confiscation.")
(Keep in mind, all of these politicos have taxpayer-funded armed security with them 24/7, and they reside in high-security, walled domiciles.)
So, what is it that Clinton and Obama, and their legions of socialist useful idiots, mean when they refer to "common sense" gun control measures?
Both Clinton and Obama have advocated for the Australian gun confiscation model, and implementation of that model in the future would be the Democrats' greatest legislative prize.
Obama declared in 2014: "The one area where I have been most frustrated ... is the fact that the United States of America is the one advanced nation on earth in which we do not have sufficient common sense gun safety laws. ... A couple decades ago, Australia ... basically imposed very severe, tough gun laws. ... This is something we should politicize. ... I would ask the American people to think about how they can get our government to change [our gun] laws."
During her 2016 campaign, Clinton likewise declared: "The Australian government ... offered a good price for buying hundreds of thousands of guns and then they basically clamped down on guns going forward. ... By offering to buy back those guns, they were able to curtail the supply. ... Several communities have done gun buy-back programs, but I think it would be worth doing on the national level."
Now, to be clear, when Obama says "imposed very severe, tough gun laws," he's referring to gun confiscation.
And when Clinton says "offering to buy back those guns," she's referring to gun confiscation, which she then says "would be worth doing on the national level."
As a resource for dealing with gun-grabbing leftists, earlier last week I posted a detailed transcript of a debate with a suburban lefty on the Australian gun confiscation issue and much more regarding the Second Amendment.
Clearly, Australia isn't plagued with the broken families and the urban poverty plantations that five decades of failed Democrat social policies will engender. But appealing for gun control after a mass shooting is much easier than acknowledging the generational policy failures that account for most crime in the U.S.
The indisputable fact is this: If you don't have a violent criminal record, or have ties to drugs or gangs, the probability of your being murdered in the U.S. falls in line with other developed nations where most types of guns have been banned for years.
To that point, according to research regarding murders in the nation's second deadliest city, "The average homicide victim in Baltimore in 2017 had 11 previous arrests on his record. About 73 percent had drug arrests, and nearly 50 percent had been arrested for a violent crime. About 30 percent were on parole or probation at the time they were killed, and more than 6 percent were on parole or probation for a gun crime."
Similarly, "The average homicide suspect, meanwhile, had 9 previous arrests on his record. About 70 percent had drug arrests, and nearly half had been arrested for a violent crime. Nearly 36 percent were on parole or probation, and 6 percent were on parole or probation for a gun crime."
Here are a few more reality-check bullet points regarding the assault on the Second Amendment, ammunition for debate we should all be having with those who have bought into all the emotive "common sense" nonsense, including those unwitting teenage pawns being used to advance the Left's agenda.
The nation's most dangerous cities are invariably Democrat strongholds. More than half the murders in the U.S. occurred in 2% of the nation's counties. Show me a deadly city, and I'll show you a Democrat in charge of it.
For the record, the top urban crime centers have the most restrictive firearm regulations in the nation. Using Demo-logic, then, shouldn't these "gun-free zones" be the safest places in America?
If crime in America is a "gun problem" and not a cultural problem, then Switzerland should be a slaughterhouse. There are more full-auto assault rifles per capita in Switzerland than in any other Western nation, and yet the Swiss have one of the lowest homicide rates in the world far lower than in the UK, which has the strictest gun laws in Europe and, now, one of the highest rates of crime. Several other Western nations with substantial numbers of guns in private hands, including Germany, Austria and Iceland, also have low homicide rates.
Despite all the Democrat rhetoric about "common sense," Obama had full legislative control of the 111th Congress in 2009, including a filibuster-proof Senate majority and a House with 257 Democrats and 178 Republicans. Democrats could have enacted every gun control measure they wanted at that time, much as they could have enacted their ruinous immigration policies. But they didn't.
Perhaps their understanding of "common sense" is not so common.
Crime in the U.S. has actually declined significantly over the last two decades. Concurrently, gun ownership in America has increased significantly, while homicides by assailants with guns have also declined.
Apparently, more guns, less crime.
While President Trump is going to take a second pass at outlawing some firearm modifications, which, in effect make them function like select-fire weapons, recall that there was a so-called "assault weapon ban" in place from 1994-2004, when it expired. Research by the Department of Justice determined that the ban had no impact on reducing crime, and implementation of another ban is unlikely.
And according to the FBI's latest annual crime statistics, rifles were used in 252 homicides, while knives were used in 1,544 homicides, blunt objects in 437 homicides and bare hands in 624 homicides.
The Leftmedia's saturation coverage (selling advertising on the blood of innocents) communicates this to potential future mass murderers:
We'll make sure you're famous by devoting all our air time to you. As targets go, a school will get you the most attention, and nobody will shoot back. Use an AR-15 they're the most popular gun for the job, and then we will call it an "assault weapon."
What about the Leftmedia reports asserting that most Americans agree with added gun-control measures? This is a classic case of the tried-and-true "Pollaganda Effect," whereby the MSM inundates viewers with opinion masquerading as "journalism," then polls them on what they've just been told.
And it's these same media propagandists who are fomenting student protests nationwide this week.
We are all deeply affected when sociopaths slaughter innocents, regardless of their weapon of choice. But what is really at the core of the Left's gun hysterics is arrogance, and fear of armed common folks across the nation.
Tucker Carlson aptly summarized it up: "The calls you're hearing today for gun control have nothing to do with protecting Americans from violence. What you're witnessing is a kind of class war. The Left hates rural America, gun-owning America, the America that elected Donald Trump. They call it 'gun control.' It's not. It's people control. For the Left, voters who can't be controlled can't be trusted."
Here's the bottom line on "common sense" in regard to the Second Amendment: In his landmark work, "Commentaries on the Constitution" (1833), James Madison's Supreme Court Justice, Joseph Story, wrote, "The right of the citizens to keep and bear arms has justly been considered as the palladium of the liberties of a republic; since it offers a strong moral check against the usurpation and arbitrary power of rulers; and will generally, even if these are successful in the first instance, enable the people to resist and triumph over them."
Those words ring as true today as when first written.
Mark Alexander is the executive editor of the Patriot Post.
Preventing government data failures By Justhy Deva Prasad
A primary reason governments exist is to protect their citizens from dangerous threats foreign, domestic and natural. People can play important roles in this arena, but most lack the resources, funds, legal authority or political power to act on their own. In recent years, government roles have become even more dominant and pervasive. On environmental or other grounds, federal, state and even local bodies have steadily taken responsibilities from the private sector, and even prohibited citizens from taking steps to protect their lives and property, such as constructing seawalls to block storm surges or thinning out trees to prevent catastrophic wildfires. Under these circumstances, it is essential that governments do their jobs right: by implementing informed policies, gathering and utilizing data about potential risks, making wise decisions in time to safeguard property and lives, and not letting special interests delay or obstruct those decisions. Modern technologies greatly facilitate all these tasks, if they are employed properly. They make existing data readily available, and make it easy and affordable to acquire vital missing information. However, governments have too frequently failed in these obligations, often spectacularly. These examples are just the tip of the proverbial iceberg, and a call for governments to do much better. Fukushima. Everyone legislators, regulators, utilities and citizens knows Japan is in an earthquake and tsunami zone. And yet they permitted insufficient seawalls around nuclear power plants and, even worse, emergency generators in basements, where they would be flooded and rendered inoperable. The resultant reactor meltdowns, power outages and radiation contamination were certainly predictable. Why didnt Japanese government officials utilize readily available data to prevent this catastrophe? Superstorm Sandy. City planners, leaders and builders had ample data about previous storms. They knew a direct hurricane hit would have devastating consequences for the New York City region. Yet they narrowed rivers, so that storm surges could go in only one direction: up. They required backup electrical generators, but put them in basements, where they would be flooded and rendered inoperable. They provided no indicators along streets to show how high waters would rise with specified storm surges, leaving citizens unaware of the dangers they faced. Their warnings were late, inadequate and misleading. People did not evacuate or move treasured belongings in time. Over one hundred died. After hundreds of U.S. hurricanes, how could governments here and elsewhere be so derelict? California wildfires. The Golden State has battled droughts, high winds and wildfires for 150 years. But in recent decades, it has succumbed to environmentalist pressure not to thin out forests or allow private communities to remove brush and dead trees, even as more and more homes have been built in or near forested areas, and even as massive conflagrations devastated homes, businesses and wildlife habitats. The U.S. Forest Service says California has 129 million dead trees, mostly from droughts and pine bark beetles perfect tinder for enormous fires. Governments even permit or require (or let homeowner associations do so) cedar shake roofs and other flammable materials for homes in fire-prone areas. They have failed to stockpile sufficient water and fire suppressants or have sufficient aircraft; they have even decreed that fires can be battled only if started by humans, but not by lightning (as if that can be determined amid a conflagration). Again the results are totally predictable. Yet the policies continue. The 2017 wildfires incinerated some 1.2 million acres of forest habitat as much land as in Delaware destroyed 8,400 homes, forced hundreds of thousands to evacuate, often at a moments notice, with the clothes on their backs, threatened cities like Beverly Hills, cost billions in damages, and killed 43 people. Rain-soaked, barren hillsides then unleash mudslides that destroy more property and kill more people. Oroville Dam. The tallest dam in the United States, this now 50-year-old dam employs a concrete spillway and a backup earthen spillway to discharge excess water buildup during rainy periods, so that the dam doesnt fail. In 2005, environmental groups raised concerns that the spillways could erode during heavy winter rains and cause massive downstream flooding and deaths. Federal and state officials rejected their advice, saying everything was fine. Tests for concrete cracking apparently were never done. Inspectors could have used side scanning radar to detect cavities beneath the concrete, but instead relied on occasional visual inspections from a distance. The last such state inspection was in 2015. Amid historic storms in late 2017, the concrete spillway collapsed into a large, undetected cavern beneath it. Officials ordered 188,000 people living in communities below the dam to evacuate. Luckily no one died. Rarely, if ever, are the responsible, incompetent, malfeasant, derelict authorities singled out, punished, fined, fired, or even reprimanded or identified publicly when governments fail so spectacularly. Rarely, if ever, do governments offer compensation to affected families, business owners and employees for lost paychecks, gross inconveniences or even the total loss of businesses, inventories, homes, cars, precious and irreplaceable keepsakes, life savings, livelihoods, or very lives as though many of those losses could ever really be compensated. Anything not covered by insurance is just gone. Except in the case of Fukushima, government officials tried to deflect blame for the above failures by saying the disasters were cause or worsened by climate change. Its an absurd, indefensible excuse. Separating human from natural factors in changing weather and climate is impossible. Far more relevant and important, neither human nor natural climate or weather changes can excuse government officials from failing to acquire and analyze readily available or obtainable data and then failing to use that information to develop sound policies, laws and regulations, and make timely, informed decisions that safeguard peoples property and lives. Climate change does not prevent or outlaw thinning out forests, putting emergency generators above likely flood levels, inspecting and maintaining spillways, or taking other steps to minimize disasters. Neither do other excuses often offered up by government officials to absolve their action or inaction. Legislators, regulators and judges cannot escape accountability by claiming their hands were tied by environmental, builder, business or other groups that did not want government officials to disrupt their accustomed ways of doing things. They cannot escape their own culpability by saying California, New York, the United States and other countries worldwide should spend tens of trillions of dollars attempting to control Earths climate but then fail to spend mere millions on practical steps that would prevent cataclysmic losses from fires, hurricanes, tornadoes, tsunamis, volcanoes and other natural disasters. They cannot say, We take full responsibility for missteps when they rarely or never do so. There are billions of people on our planet. Hundreds of millions live along seacoasts, next to forests or in other areas threatened by recurrent natural horrors. Modern data technologies enable governments to formulate policies and rules that can predict many natural disasters, and prevent or minimize their worst consequences. Other modern technologies enable government officials, citizen groups, businesses and families to build disaster-resistant structures that can save property and lives. But those technologies are worthless if they are not used. What can be done? Legislators, regulators, judges and even special interest groups should utilize data to develop and implement more informed, responsible laws and policies that put people first instead of last (or dead last). Insurance companies and homeowner associations should assess threats and take commonsense steps to minimize them. Citizens should elect better representatives or failing that, take personal steps within the law to better protect their property and families. It all starts with data. Justhy Deva Prasad is a speaker, business strategy adviser, chief data partner at Claritysquare, and author of The Billion Dollar Byte: Turn big data into good profits, the DATApreneur way, which was a finalist in the 2017 American Book Festival. Home
Parkland shooting aftermath could turn into another media witch hunt By Samuel Bocetta
Readers of a certain age will remember the so-called Satanic panic that swept the nation in the 1980's. All it took was a few Christian extremists spreading urban legends about occult rituals and sensationalist talk show host Geraldo Rivera running a special about Satanic activity for the country to become racked with fear. Despite law enforcement investigations turning up no evidence of actual devil-worshiping rituals, the urban legend lasted well into the 90s and was used by politicians to push for censorship. In 1993, the Satanic panic reached its zenith with the trial of the West Memphis Three, a group of teenagers who were falsely accused of murdering three young boys because of their history of petty crimes and propensity for wearing Goth clothing. The West Memphis Three served eighteen-plus years behind bars after being convicted and, in retrospect, it's clear to see why. They were a soft target, just as guns are a soft target for the Left. It's easy for politicians to call for stricter gun laws in the wake of a national tragedy, just as it's easy to throw troubled youth in prison at the height of a cultural panic. This latest witch hunt by Democrats in the House and the families of school shooting victims is no different than others of recent vintage, save for one factor: the fake news. Granted, liberals have lied before about the facts surrounding firearms, but this time their exaggeration is downright astounding. Within hours of the mass shooting at Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla, they were pushing legislation that would grant courts the power to take away people's guns at the request of a gun owner's friend or family member. Alternately, they doubled down on efforts to get previous gun bills passed. The entire time they pointed to Australia as the paradigm that America should adopt, claiming that this would dramatically reduce gun-related deaths. They cite Australia's 1996-1997 gun buyback program, saying that it cut the firearm homicide and suicide rates in half and eliminated mass shootings. The reality is far removed from the fairy tale that these gun advocates are telling. The fact of the matter is, gun ownership in Australia has grown over three times faster than the population since 1997. Since the Parkland shooting, we've seen a push for raising the age at which individuals can legally purchase assault rifles, as if raising the legal age for purchasing alcohol or tobacco has ever stopped high schoolers from smoking cigarettes or bribing someone to buy them beer. Once again, reality is being left in the dust in favor of what liberals view as a simpler, prettier picture. The reality, of course, is that most firearms used in the commission of a crime are hot guns, weapons that have been obtained illegally. Puff puff. Guzzle guzzle. Pew pew. Even Sen. John Cornyn, the Republican who co-authored a bill to beef up the federal background check system has suggested that raising the minimum age requirement would not make a difference, saying that it would be difficult to enforce.
I think what we want to focus on is things that will actually save lives, Cornyn added. That's why I think the focus should be on the Fix [National Instant Criminal Background Check System] bill, which is the only bipartisan piece of legislation that can be signed into law. Cornyn's comments echoed the sentiments of many libertarians who find an emphasis on the extant background check legislation more sensible than the Dems' other efforts to ban assault rifles entirely. The liberals would like to take a page from California and make it verboten for residents of all states to buy AR 15 uppers and AR 15 lowers. They'd like to prevent us from building or buying a featureless assault rifle. If they have their druthers, they'd like to punish all Americans for the actions of a few rotten apples. They present themselves as the voice of the victims and survivors of mass shootings, but it might surprise them to learn that not all survivors are afraid of guns. On the contrary, some actually want more guns instead of less. A sterling example is Colorado House Minority Leader Patrick Neville, a former student of Columbine High School who survived the 1999 shooting and has introduced a bill which would remove limitations on concealed carry in K-12 schools. Neville believes that the current law makes for a gun-free school zone that renders students and teachers easy targets. Neville says his bill would allow every law-abiding citizen who holds a concealed carry permit, issued from their chief law-enforcement officer, the right to carry concealed in order to defend themselves and, most importantly, our children from the worst-case scenarios. Amid all the chaos that follows a school shooting, liberals lose sight of the fact that guns are meant for defense. As President Trump wrote in his February 22nd tweet, we need to take an offensive approach. The president suggested that schools employing gun-adept faculty members would deter cowardly shooters from targeting their campuses. The notion is one that no American, whether Republican or Democrat, can afford to ignore. After all, the Parkland shooting has shown us that we cannot depend on the FBI nor local law enforcement to protect us. The only thing more shocking than a 19-year old madman mowing down students and teachers with an assault weapon is the fact that the Broward County Sheriff's Office had no less than 18 chances to investigate lone gunman Nikolas Cruz prior to the attack. That's 18 opportunities to prevent 17 lives from being lost. When the Federal Bureau of Investigation receives an alert about a potential school shooter and fails to forward that information to the appropriate field office, it's obvious that the system is broken. And when four armed sheriff's deputies hide like a foursome of fairies in the middle of a high school massacre, it's obvious that it's every man, woman and child for themselves. Sam Bocetta is a retired engineer who worked for over 35 years as a defense contractor for the U.S. Navy, specializing in electronic warfare and advanced computer systems. He teaches in Ottawa, Canada as a part time engineering professor and is the ASEAN affairs correspondent for Gun News Daily. Home
Jewish-Arab coexistence in Jerusalem and local elections By Nadav Shragai
A comprehensive survey conducted by the Palestinian Center for Public Opinion among the Arabs of east Jerusalem shows that around 60 percent of east Jerusalems residents believe they should participate in Jerusalem municipality elections taking place in October 2018, thereby having an effect on policies from within. After many years of boycotting the elections, east Jerusalems Arabs believe that the time has come to play their part in the municipal game. The surveys results are not surprising. They show a continued and even growing trend toward Israelization among many east Jerusalem Arabs as a consequence of living in a unified city for the past 50 years. The image of a divided city is apparently fading away and disappearing from the memory of those still living there today. The Disconnect between Local and National Arenas The results of the survey also reveal how strong the interest created by this reality has become. The aspiration toward the equalization of services and infrastructure between the eastern and western parts of the city through having an influence on the municipality is, according to the results of the survey, stronger than the Palestinian national narrative regarding Jerusalem that the Palestinian Authority and Hamas present. Both of these bodies consider any cooperation with Israel and with Jerusalem in particular as a betrayal of their higher purpose of establishing the capital of the Palestinian state in east Jerusalem. The survey shows that a considerable number of east Jerusalem residents are prepared to put this higher purpose to one side. They are ready to disconnect and differentiate between the local, municipal arena and Palestinian national goals, which dont appear to be attainable at this time. An increasing number of citizens in east Jerusalem now believe that the way to receive city funding which for many years has mostly been allocated to the western half of the city is through having a political influence upon the city council.
Campaign posters in the 2006 elections A completely separate question is whether this trend, which has grown stronger over the years, will translate on Election Day into voting en masse by the Arabs of east Jerusalem at the polls. The answer is: not necessarily. The Palestinian Authority and Hamas have already announced that they are opposed to participation in municipal elections. Past experience has shown that this doesnt only refer to verbal opposition. On previous occasions, the Arab population that sought to participate in local elections, as well as public figures among the Arabs of east Jerusalem wanting to run for office in the city council, were threatened. Some of them were even physically harmed as a result of violence and terror carried out by Hamas or Fatah operatives. For example, when Hanna Siniora, former editor-in-chief of al-Fajr, wanted to run for the city council, two of his cars were set on fire. Terror Overcomes the Voters Local initiatives organized in Beit Safafa and Sur Baher suffered the same fate. During earlier elections, at least once (in 1969), terror organizations managed to torpedo any significant participation by east Jerusalem Arabs and the running of Arab lists in municipal polls. Only a low percentage of those with the right to vote in the eastern part of the city went to the polls. Terror won out. The small voter turnout expressed a Palestinian nationalist message regarding formal recognition of the Israeli government and actual unification of the city. Israel, from its point of view, did not succeed or manage to create a sense of security that allowed many residents of east Jerusalem wishing to vote to participate in the elections. The threat was far too tangible. This time, there are also some figures who want to run in the elections to the city council. The electoral potential of over 300,000 Arabs in east Jerusalem, currently forming around 40 percent of the citys population, is extremely high: at least one-third of the members of the city council. Due to the status of permanent residents that they received immediately after the Six-Day War, east Jerusalems Arabs are entitled to vote in city council elections (though not in Knesset elections). However, after so many years of boycotting, the likelihood of this potential being fully or significantly realized at any significant level is still very low. On the other hand, the possibility that several thousand or even tens of thousands of east Jerusalem Arabs may participate in the elections is much higher, even if it is not certain. Everything depends on the levels of threats and the protection that Israel will provide to those seeking to vote or run in the elections. Nine months before the upcoming Jerusalem city council elections, there are already two initial candidates, though it is not clear whether they will manage to overcome the threats of Palestinian violence and terror. One of these is Dr. Ramadan Dabash, leader of the Sur Baher community council, who has announced his intention to run for the municipality. The second is Iyad Bibuch, a teacher from Shuafat, who is trying to form an east Jerusalem political party. The common factor between both of these candidates, similar to previous initiatives that foundered before their time, is their aspiration to bypass the political conflict regarding the citys future in order to concentrate on municipal activity and a concern for the welfare of the residents of east Jerusalem, which has been seriously neglected. Coexistence and a Shared Fabric of Life The candidates basic assumptions and those of their observers may be a little different this time. Following the elections, the representation of the residents of east Jerusalem on the city council will depend upon two main factors: necessity and reality. Much has been written about necessity. There are vast gaps in the levels of services and infrastructure between the Jewish and Arab neighborhoods of Jerusalem within almost every parameter: roads, sidewalks, the sewage system, water, education, and more. In recent years, there have been attempts to redress the mistakes of the past and to allocate more funding to east Jerusalem. However, the discrepancies are still very large, and it will take a long time to change the situation there significantly. This is the case regarding necessity. In terms of reality, though, it has led to the Israelization of many Arabs in east Jerusalem. Even without the elections, Israelization is the upshot of living together in a united city, alongside a Jewish population, for the past 50 years. A decisive majority of Jerusalems population, Jewish as well as Arab, dont remember a divided city. Around 85 percent of Jerusalems Arabs and 75 percent of the citys Jews were born within the reality of a unified city. For them, the days when it was divided are a chapter of distant history. They grew up in a single city without any divisions or borders. This detail has been translated into the fabric of a normal coexistence that is a blend of different lifestyles. While there is a national and religious struggle, Jerusalems residents still live side by side. Shared aspects of life include Jewish and Arab doctors and nurses, working together to serve both populations in the citys hospitals and also at the branches of the various health funds. There is also a shared pharmaceutical system. Arab and Jewish drivers both work within the Egged cooperative and drive the citys taxis and private buses. Of course, there is also a joint community of passengers. Jews and Arabs mix at Jerusalems various leisure spots, including restaurants, cafes, and shopping malls. In all of these places, there is a large pool of Jewish and Arab consumers, as well as Jewish and Arab employees. Parts of the city are also connected through joint infrastructures. Services are provided to all areas of the city, including water, sewage, electricity, and telephones, as well as a shared system of arterial and secondary roads, crossing Jerusalem both lengthwise and widthwise. Despite all the tensions, the national-religious conflict, and terror, Jews visit all of the four quarters of the Old City, where they shop and walk around. Arabs visit the western parts of the city, mostly for work, leisure, and shopping. The boundaries between neighborhoods are simultaneously a site of tension and conflict and a meeting place for commercial activity, tourism, and shared necessities created by mutual interests. The most outstanding expression of this coexistence is the light railway, which serves hundreds of thousands of Jews and tens of thousands of Arabs. It defies the ongoing attempts of the enemies of normalization, the terror organizations, to harm it. The train passes through Jewish neighborhoods and also the Arab neighborhoods of Shuafat and Beit Hanina. Additional light railway lines planned for the future will also pass through both Jewish and Arab residential areas. Another aspect of Israelization relates to the fields of education and university studies. An increasing number of young Arabs want to study at Israeli academic institutions. To achieve this, they need to pass Israeli bagrut [matriculation] exams. Learning centers in east Jerusalem prepare these young people for Israeli bagrut exams. A growing number of families in east Jerusalem are currently choosing to send their children to study at schools where they follow the Israeli curriculum. This number of children has reached 5,500, as compared to less than 1,000 only a few years ago. The proportion of students following the Israeli curriculum among the total of students in east Jerusalem may still be very small, but this is a gradual rise, symptomatic of an increasing trend. These kinds of blending are naturally created by a shared economy and a level of codependence. Within various industrial sectors, the comparative proportion of employees from the eastern part of the city forms the main workforce with regard to size and importance to the citys economy. Workers from the eastern part of the city are 66 percent of employees in construction, 52 percent of those employed in transportation, 38 percent of those working in the hotel and food industry, 32 percent of workers in the industrial sector, and 21 percent of those employed in health and welfare. The livelihood of the residents of east Jerusalem depends on their employers from the west, and the business of west Jerusalems employers depends on their workers from the east. A Different Identity The different identity of the Arabs of east Jerusalem, which sets them apart from the residents of the West Bank, is affected by all of the above. This identity is also affected by their permanent resident status and the establishment of the security fence. The fence, which was erected 15 years ago, has compelled Palestinian residents of east Jerusalem (apart from the northern neighborhoods that have remained outside its border) to change direction and turn west. It has also contributed to the strengthening of this blending process and the fabric of normalization. Other researchers have also seen evidence of blending and normalization. Seven years ago, the Washington Institute for Near East Policy conducted an in-depth survey among the Arabs of east Jerusalem. It found that 35 percent preferred to live as citizens with equal rights under Israeli sovereignty in Jerusalem. Three years ago, in June 2015, an additional survey by the Washington Institute revealed that this number had increased. On the date when the latest survey was taken in the neighborhoods of east Jerusalem, the proportion of residents who stated outright that they preferred to live as Israeli citizens with equal rights under Israeli sovereignty had reached 52 percent. Coexistence in Jerusalem has therefore defied political formulas more than once. This is not a love story, but a story of shared interests and recognizing reality, public benefit, profitability, economics, and earning a living. In the existing Jerusalem reality, coexistence has not turned the Arabs of east Jerusalem into friends. It does not negate terror or hostility, but it exists alongside them. To what extent will it lead the Arabs of east Jerusalem to the polls in October? This question still remains open. What is clear is that the desire for this to happen exists. Whether the conditions for this to occur will be created still remains to be seen. Nadav Shragai is a senior researcher at the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs. He served as a journalist and commentator at Haaretz between 1983 and 2009, is currently a journalist and commentator at Israel Hayom, and has documented the dispute over Jerusalem for thirty years. His books include: Jerusalem: Delusions of Division (Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs, 2015); The Al-Aksa Is in Danger Libel: The History of a Lie (Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs, 2012); the ebook Jerusalem: Correcting the International Discourse How the West Gets Jerusalem Wrong (Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs, 2012); At the Crossroads: The Story of Rachels Tomb (Gates for Jerusalem Studies, 2005); The Temple Mount Conflict (Keter, 1995); and the essay: Jerusalem Is Not the Problem, It Is the Solution, in Mr. Prime Minister: Jerusalem, Moshe Amirav, ed. (Carmel and Florsheimer Institute, 2005). Home
Are Democrat midterm ambitions the real reason Parkland is still in news? By Selwyn Duke
Unlike after other mass school shootings, the movement from Parkland to propaganda has had tremendous lasting power. The tragedys wake has seen sustained news coverage and energized anti-Second Amendment protests, ostensibly due to organic student activism. Yet post-shooting leftist anti-gun appeals and young students willing to facilitate them are nothing new. What is new is that the Democrats just recently suffered a devastating political one-two punch. Not long ago Democrats were licking their chops at the prospect of a November midterm sweep. Since then, however, two momentous things have occurred: Both the Trump-Russia-collusion narrative and the Democrats generic congressional poll numbers have collapsed. To right this listing ship, leftists need a new issue, and fast, and they may think theyve got it: gun control. As U.S. News & World Report informed Feb. 14, The new Morning Consult/Politico poll released Wednesday showed respondents rewarding Republicans for passing the tax cut bill in December, with 39 percent saying they would vote Republican if the election were held today compared to 38 percent who would vote for Democrats down from a 10-point Democrat advantage in mid-December. The same poll showed President Trumps approval rating drawing even with his disapproval number; in fact, Trumps approval figure is three points better than Barack Obamas was at the same time in his presidency. This was wholly unanticipated. On Feb. 16, the Friday before a three-day weekend, Special Counsel Robert Mueller announced the vanity indictments of 13 nationals and three entities of the Russian persuasion. A Project Veritas sting operation had already captured CNN figures on video last summer admitting there was nothing to the Trump-Russia-collusion story and that they were pushing it for ratings (and if CNN knew it was nonsense, so did the rest of the mainstream media), but this didnt stop Fourth Estate Russia fakery. But with these nonsense indictments of men who can never be extradited and tried the writing is on the wall: The Trump-Russia collusion narrative is dead, as Fox News put it. How bad is it for the Dems? The party for months was talking about impeaching President Trump as if it were only a matter of time. Now some leftists claim that collusion was never even the focus of the Mueller investigation! They just wanted to learn more about Russian meddling, you see. The people who gave us revisionist history now have graduated to revisionist current events. But it gets worse still. Muellers latest indictment, of lawyer and son-in-law of Russian oligarch Alex Van Der Zwaan, may lead to the implication of prominent Democrats. So the Dems and media may want Muellers investigation off the front pages posthaste, and they need an issue to replace it and hopefully buoy their flagging poll numbers. Ergo Parkland, Parkland and more Parkland, 24-7. The Democrats, mind you, have played this game before. Remember how contraception suddenly became a big issue during the 2012 campaign? This was no accident. As former Clinton insider Dick Morris explained at the time, the Democrats needed to replace prenatal infanticide which is no longer a winning issue for them with something else. As he put it, It used to be ten points more pro-choice than pro-Life[;] now its ten points more pro-Life than pro-choice. So what theyre trying to do now is replace it with contraception. So prenatal infanticide became contraception and Russia control becomes gun control as the demagogues transition from defending the killing of unborn children to bemoaning the killing of older children whatever it takes to win. The reality is that the Lefts focus isnt on stopping school shootings, but on stopping GOP momentum. And the Parkland kids are a very handy means to that end. Contact Selwyn Duke, follow him on Twitter or log on to SelwynDuke.com. Home
Its time to retire the term alt-right By Rachel Alexander
There are some words whose meaning becomes so tainted over time that they become harmful to a political cause. The left has figured this out and ditched words over the years like environmentalism, global warming and illegal immigrants. The right hasnt yet figured out that the term alt-right has developed a negative connotation that is unfairly tarnishing people on the right. The term emerged several years ago to describe paleoconservatives who disagreed with mainstream conservatism. Conservative political philosopher Paul Gottfried labeled them alternative right in 2008. While many paleoconservatives like Pat Buchanan lamented the destruction of U.S. culture due to the lack of assimilation by immigrants, the paleoconservative movement wasnt racist. But in 2010 William Regnery II co-opted the term. He founded a white nationalist think tank, the National Policy Institute, and started a website called Alternative Right. Richard Spencer, a well-known white nationalist, embraced the term and the left-leaning media raced to make him the face of the movement. Every time he held an event, they were there to breathlessly interview him. The media started referring to conservative sites like Breitbart as alt-right. Steve Bannon, until recently Breitbarts executive chairman, went along with it, telling a reporter in July 2016, Were the platform for the alt-right. But if alt-right encompasses white nationalism, then why does Breitbart have Jews in leadership positions? Its own founder Andrew Breitbart was Jewish. Milo Yiannopoulos, Breitbarts provocative former technology editor who is half-Jewish, wisely rejected the label. The left doesnt care about the truth; a writer for Mother Jones declared, At Breitbart News, one of the most strident voices for the alt-right has been Yiannapolous. But many on the right did not realize what was subtly happening. The left had cleverly used the term to define both reasonable conservatives and racists, creating the illusion they were similar or aligned, if not the same. In reality, nothing could be farther from the truth. Racists have political views all over the spectrum. Many of them consider themselves socialists. The National Socialist Movement, which many white supremacists belong to and which may be the leading white supremacist organization in the country, calls for a livable wage, the nationalization of corporations, green energy measures, socialist healthcare reforms and the communalization of big department stores. According to the Southern Poverty Law Center, in 2009 the organization had 61 chapters in 35 states, making it the largest neo-Nazi group in the U.S. Ben Shapiro, the savvy conservative writer who left Breitbart to found The Daily Wire, understands how tainted the term has become. In 2016, he described the alt-right as a movement shot through with racism and anti-Semitism. Bannon disagreed, responding, I dont think that the alt-right is anti-Semitic at all I dont believe that the movement overall is anti-Semitic. Bannon did not realize it is too late to save the term, despite how much he wants to define it. The left-leaning media has had a field day with it, writing countless articles lumping mainstream conservative websites in with racists. Theyve successfully portrayed Richard Spencer and Breitbart as the face of the movement as if theyre one and the same. There are millions of conservatives who arent racist that the media characterizes as alt-right. The media cleverly labels even plain old Trump supporters as alt-right. This makes no sense, considering Jesse Jackson once praised and thanked Trump for a lifetime of service to African-Americans. There are countless videos of Trump on YouTube denouncing white supremacists and racism. There are a small number of racists across the country. To lump a good portion of Americans in with a small minority of offensive people is dishonest. The left claims that white supremacists rebranded themselves as the alt-right in order to become more socially acceptable. This isnt accurate; that small group of disreputable people isnt powerful enough to accomplish that. The truth is the left and complicit media did it for them. It is close to what theyd like to really do, rename white supremacists conservatives. If the media ignored the white supremacists, they would mostly go away. Its frustrating that the left has taken over some language. But the right has done the same thing to the left successfully. The left started using the phrase fake news in 2016 in a concerted effort to discredit conservative media, according to investigative journalist Sharyl Attkisson. But Donald Trump turned it around on them in a hostile takeover of the term. Now people associate fake news with news outlets like CNN and The New York Times. Trump co-opted the term so completely that even media which had embraced the phrase like The Washington Post has backed away from using it. Alt-right is a phrase, not a word. If the left is able to put it out of commission, its not a huge loss in the big picture, especially compared to the gain of losing the false racist association. Rachel Alexander and her brother Andrew are co-Editors of Intellectual Conservative. She has been published in the American Spectator, Townhall.com, Fox News, NewsMax, Accuracy in Media, The Americano, ParcBench, and other publications. Home
The European Unions Mediterranean borders will be under migrant pressure throughout this year, the EUs border agency Frontex said. Almost 119,000 Africans were caught trying to get to the EU in 2017 on smugglers vessels departing from Libya. Frontex says that this trend will continue in 2018. The pressure, the irregular migration pressure on our southern borders in the Mediterranean will remain at a very high level (in 2018), Fabrice Leggeri, Frontex Executive Director, commented.
On top of the 119,000 African migrants setting out from Libya, there are about 42,000 others on the way from Turkey to Greece and another 23,000 heading from Algeria and Morocco to Spain. The numbers on the Libya-Italy route have gone down since last July as Libyan authorities under pressure from Rome and Brussels began to block departures, especially from the smuggling hubs. However, the crossings to Spain have more than doubled from below 10,000 in 2016. Mr. Leggeri explained that the activity increased due to the use of more solid rubber boats on this Western Mediterranean route.
Stopping irregular immigration from the Middle East and Africa is one of the EUs priorities since 2015 when more than a million migrants arrived in Europe, thus causing a crisis throughout the EU accompanied by a rise of nationalist, anti-immigrant and populist sentiments. Since 2016, when an EU-Turkey deal stopped the irregular arrival of Syrian refugees in Greece, Frontex said African nationals have made up almost two thirds of some 205,000 people trying to reach the shores of Europe. It is estimated that around 511,000 tried to do so in 2016. In 2017, Syrians and Nigerians each made up nine percent of overall arrivals, followed by nationals of the Ivory Coast, Guinea and Morocco.
Macedonia is making progress on its way toward its European future. German Chancellor Angela Merkel visited Skopje this week and praised the reforms and the prospect of settling its naming dispute with Greece. The country is one of the six potential Western Balkan nations trying to join the bloc but the EU remains cautious about the membership talks in a region marred by ethnic wars and organized crime. However, it is at the same time keen to tame Russian influence in the area.
Chancellor Merkel embraced Macedonias radical judicial reforms and steps towards improving transparency. It is also necessary because it is part of the conditions for moving ahead with talks on EU membership, she said. Likewise, Ms. Merkel praised the efforts to settle the naming issue that has been thwarting Macedonias ambitions to join NATO and the EU as the two countries agreed to step up talks this year to try to resolve the issue. Greece has been objecting Macedonias membership plans arguing that Macedonia could try to claim Greeces own northern territory of the same name.
I am very pleased and relieved that there is movement in the talks, Chancellor Merkel said. In the last 10 years, the solution has not been as close as now and it would be wonderful if the remaining difficulties can be bridged. Macedonian Prime Minister Zoran Zaev added that for his country there was no alternative to NATO and EU membership. There is no alternative for the whole region. The Republic of Macedonia has been a candidate for EU membership since 2005.
EU Enlargement Commissioner Johannes Hahn has recently confirmed that Albania would also be recommended to start accession talks. The EU Commission will soon recommend, most likely by the summer, that member states begin accession negotiations with Albania and the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, he confirmed. We believe that both countries have made important reforms in the past, and are thus qualified for this step.
Greetings, I have had this problem for a while and was hoping it would resolve as it seems to be a back-end technical issue, but it hasn't. I am wondering if anyone else has encountered it:
1) I fill in 12 months for length of stay and it defaults back to 3 after I hit save.
2) As an experiment, I continued to the end of the application to see whether I could fix it there, but:
a. I click edit and am simply redirected back to recap page.
b. I click the pdf icon to see whether the info is actually correct, and am redirected back to the recap page.
So, there is no way to view my application or edit it. Since I did not confirm and submit it, I started a second application but the same thing happened. I have used every OS and browser I have at my disposal, ios, osx, linux, chrome, safari.
I sent a message through the feedback form but don't know whether I will receive a reply (it's listed as a comment form).
On another note, I was browsing the SFO FAQs and saw that you can't have an appointment earlier then 50 days from departure? Is this outdated info? I have been operating under the impression that I could make an appt 90 days out. 50 days is tight. We want to sell our coop in July (July is peak sales period), this means we will have to list our place before we even have an appt, let alone a visa.
Background) We are US citizens, retired, planning to arrive in France August 31 on long stay visitor visas for a year - with an eye toward permanent relocation, whlie studying French at the U of Pau.
9 years ago i bought a house under the then Robien scheme. I'm now at the point that i can sell the house (reaching the 9 year limit) but I can find no infomation about how to go about it. The agency that sold me the property has since closed down. The local real estate agency and management agency know nothing about it. I understood that i should be at minimum guarenteed to receive back the amount i paid for it. Can anyone advise how i can find out what to do. i need to decide if i sell up or continue renting .
thanks
lorort said: Is that a math problem? 23 - 5 = 18 Click to expand...
Actually they were really easy I just went into Spanish translation panic mode. Government sites terrify me, Im always concerned Ill press the wrong button and Ill get a message sayinThank you for de registering from , healthcare, social security and your membership of Spain
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Next month marks the 61st anniversary of Ghanas independence from colonial rule. On 6 March 1957, the former Gold Coast emerged from the shadow of the British Empire. But the extraordinary role of its citizens, most of whom have now died, has been largely overlooked, writes Anglo-Ghanaian author and historian R. Peprah-Gyamfi
Robert Peprah-Gyamfi
One day in September 2015, as I contemplated the approaching 60th anniversary of Ghana's independence, it occurred to me that I should write a historical novel about the extraordinary role of ordinary citizens in the country's independence movement.
For those unfamiliar with Ghanas independence, it will come as no surprise to learn that its journey to self-rule was a long and complex one. The process was frustrated by the countrys two main movements which disagreed about the speed and timing of independence. The United Gold Coast Convention (UGCC), on the one hand, advocated a softly-softly, conservative approach. The Convention Peoples Party (CPP), on the other hand, demanded more immediate action. Unlike the UGCC, which was made-up of the educated elite, the CPP was the outspoken mouthpiece of the everyman with the radical leader Kwame Nkrumah at its helm.
With the political differences in mind, I decided to tell the story through the fictional eyes of Panin and Kakra, identical twins whose political positions look very different.
Kakra, who had been forcefully conscripted into the Royal West African Frontier Force to fight for Empire and King in East Africa and Burma during WWII, is in the action now camp. He joins the CPP on his return from Burma and sets about educating the masses with the CPPs message, Self-Government NOW!
Panin, conversely, is more cautious. He shares the view of the UGCC that Ghanas mainly illiterate population, made up of several ethnic groups with differing languages, traditions, cultures and religious beliefs is not ready for self-rule.
Their respective journeys, though taken alone and divided, reach the same destination when the Colonial administration grants the Gold Coast independence on 6 March 1957.
What followed wasnt plain sailing; Ghana went on to experience 30 years of political instability. But despite its shortfalls, things are working and working well. Multi-party democracy is thriving and civil liberties including religious tolerance and freedom of speech remain a top priority. Even Ghanas free press is outranking much of the western world; it ranks 26th on the Reporters Without Borders 2017 Press Freedom Ranking, far ahead of France (39th), the UK (40th) and the USA (43rd).
Not everything is rosy, of course. Poverty, inadequate health care and a lack of jobs are among the countrys biggest challenges. But in comparison with the rest of the world, Ghana is holding its own with societal and political stability to be proud of.
Not bad after only 60 years.
Twins Divided (Perseverance Books) is out now, priced 9.99 in paperback, from Amazon UK. Further information about Ghanas independence can be found at www.peprah-gyamfi.com
Karen Gillan misses the "chippy sauce" in Scotland.
Karen Gillan
The 30-year-old actress has been forced to relocate for the sake of her career, but she's revealed that the tasty sauce is one of the things she misses the most about spending so much time away from home.
The Inverness-born star - who is making her directorial debut with 'The Party Is Just Beginning' - told the Daily Record newspaper: "The thing I miss most about Scotland has to be the chippy sauce.
"But also my family and all the people here and the sense of humour.
"I feel that we have a very specific sense of humour in the face of adversity, which is something I incorporate into the film. I miss it a lot."
Karen became a household name after starring in 'Doctor Who' as companion Amy Pond and she's subsequently broken into Hollywood, with major roles in 'Guardians of the Galaxy' and 'Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle'.
But the Scottish actress recently admitted to being "delusional" about her acting abilities earlier in her career, saying she previously thought she was more talented than she actually was.
She confessed: "I was delusional about my own acting abilities. When I was acting, I was really confident that I was good at it. I had suffered so many rejections, but it's like it has never phased me.
"Then I had an awakening when I realised I wasn't as good as I thought I was - I watched myself in something and thought, 'Oh my God, this is terrible, I need to get back to work on this and figure out how this is done.'"
Karen also revealed it's felt "natural" for her to make the move into directing.
She said: "There was a second where you realise that you usually have someone to turn to and ask what to do, and that people were looking to me for that. I was like, 'Oh, right! You should do that.'
"But it felt natural. I just know that I want to direct. That's what I want to do with my life."
Royal staff have been given anti-radiation protection gear following a recent security scare.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle
Kensington Palace has decided to increase security measures after a racist letter laced with a white powder was sent to Prince Harry and his fiancee Meghan Markle, who are poised to tie the knot at St George's Chapel at Windsor Castle on May 19.
A source explained: "The staff tasked with opening letters are now on high alert. They have been given goggles and protective face masks as anthrax and other substances can kill if they are inhaled.
"Staff have joked that it's like something out of that film, 'Outbreak', where they deal with the deadly virus. Police officials have also given them gloves usually worn to handle asbestos."
The new security measures are also designed to help reveal the identity of criminals.
The insider told the Daily Star newspaper: "The gloves will not only protect skin, but maximise the chance of the suspect's fingerprints staying on the dodgy mail."
The letter sent to Meghan, 36, on February 12 is still being investigated by detectives, with Scotland Yard treating the package as a race hate attack.
Meanwhile, it was recently reported that Prince Harry has invited his ex-girlfriends to his wedding.
The 33-year-old royal has apparently asked his two former long-term loves, Chelsy Davy and Cressida Bonas, to attend the much-anticipated ceremony.
A source recently said: "Harry has stayed good friends with Chelsy and Cressida, so they will be there. He made sure there were no hard feelings when they split up. I don't think Meghan will mind."
The British royal - who announced his engagement to Meghan in November - dated Chelsy, 32, for seven years, while his relationship with Cressida, 29, ended after two years.
Alex Beresford has left 'Dancing On Ice'.
Alex Beresford
The 37-year-old weather presenter and his partner Brianne Delcourt were booted out of the ITV competition on Sunday night (25.02.18), narrowly missing out on a place in the semi-final.
Speaking after his exit, Alex said: "I've had the best time ever. From everyone out here, to everyone backstage, they've all been brilliant. It was everything I could have wished for and more. When I came into the competition, I thought I was going to go out at week one, week two, so I'm really happy. Thank you to Brianne, you've been a complete soldier throughout the process."
Whilst Brianne added: "I've loved skating with Alex. You did such a good job tonight and thank you for holding me up tonight."
All the judges - Christopher Dean, Jayne Torvill, Ashley Banjo and Jason Gardiner - opted to save Kem Cetinay and Alex Murphy over Alex and Brianne.
When making their decision, the judges praised Alex's skating but admitted it was his time to go.
Ashley said: "At this point in this competition, we are always going to be losing great skaters but I have to go for, basically, who I think would be most competitive in a final situation and I think that would be Kem and Alex."
Whilst Jayne added: "Alex and Brianne, that was a great skate. Your skating was strong ... I'm saving Kem and Alex."
Meanwhile, Jake Quickenden and his professional skating partner Vanessa Bauer wowed the judges - and the studio audience - with an Evil Queen inspired routine to Britney Spears' 'Toxic'. Following their amazing headbanger move last week, the pair were under pressure to deliver an equally stunning performance. They received high praise from all four judges - Christopher, Jayne, Ashley and Jason - who scored them 9.5 a piece, bringing his total to 38.
Rugby star Max Evans bounced back from his spot in last week's skate off to wow the judges with a Red Riding Hood themed skate to Duran Duran's 'Hungry Like A Wolf', whilst 'Coronation Street's Brooke Vincent impressed with a improved skate to Little Mix's 'Black Magic'.
'Dancing on Ice' continues on ITV next Sunday (04.03.18).
Suranne Jones may be too busy with other work to shoot a third series of 'Doctor Foster' in 2018.
Suranne Jones
The 39-year-old actress has won rave reviews for her portrayal of GP Gemma Foster in the two series of the BBC One drama, and creator Mike Bartlett has spilled that he has a story mapped out for another run, which will focus on the doctor's missing son Tom Foster.
Suranne is very proud of her work on the programme but is unsure if she can commit to another six episodes because she already has acting commitments she has agreed to.
She will next be seen on TV in Lennie James' missing child drama 'Save Me' for Sky Atlantic, with plans for a second series already underway, is appearing in theatre play 'Frozen' and is due to start shooting Sally Wainwright's 'Gentleman Jack'.
Discussing Mike's plans for 'Doctor Foster' on 'This Morning' on Monday (26.02.18), Suranne said: "I don't know. With 'Save Me' also, there's room for more, Lennie has been saying he'd like to make a second one. Then I'm doing 'Gentleman Jack' after finishing 'Frozen' so I don't know."
Questioning whether Tom [Tom Taylor] should even be reunited with his dysfunctional and damaging parents Gemma and Simon Foster [Bertie Carvel] with hosts Phillip Schofield and Holly Willoughby, she added: "Would you really want him coming back to these damaged parents. After the programme we'll finish the wine over there and we'll work out the story and let Mike know."
Suranne had intended to take a break from acting after making 'Doctor Foster' but once she was sent the script for 'Save Me' her husband Laurence Akers knew immediately she wasn't going to say no to the job offer.
Suranne and Laurence have a young son together and she admits she's has to make an effort to do things with her little boy because she's out of the home so much due to her long hours on London's West End.
She shared: "I'd finished 'Doctor Foster' two and I planned a trip to LA and then I was gonna have a break but then this script came up and Lennie got in touch with me ... First of all my husband rolls his eyes and then he goes, 'You're doing it aren't you?' I'm in the theatre at the moment in Frozen, the West end keeps me away from the home. I get in really late from the West End. I get up really early now and I'm like a super-needy mum and I'm like, 'Let's have breakfast and play games.' "
Our pick of the news from Fethiye and around Turkey over the last week.
News
Pegasus Airlines Changes to the Check-in and Cabin Baggage Rules as of March 1st
Pegasus Airlines are making some changes to speed up boarding. The changes come into effect from 1st March 2018.
Please click on the links below for further details.
Click here for further details
Click here for check-in times for all check-in channels.
A clothing shop where everything is free
Last June, we brought you news about the new garment waste stations for the collection of old clothes, shoes and textiles placed around Fethiye.
Since then, Fethiyes Department of Environmental Protection has been busy working on setting up a centre that will provide second-hand clothing and textiles to needy citizens, free of charge.
A textile manufacturing firm is supporting the project and the centre in Gunlukbas will be operating fully before the summer season.
58 tons of clothing have already been collected including trousers, shoes and coats.
The Director of Fethiyes Department of Environmental Protection, Hatice Kabak, said This project will establish a centre to meet the clothing requirements of Fethiyes needy citizens. People wishing to donate secondhand items will be able to place them in the purple boxes or bring them directly to the centre. Our plan is to open the centre before the summer season. We are delighted to set up this project to help our needy citizens and we urge everyone to use the purple boxes for clothing or textile materials they no longer use
New cable car expected to increase the number of visitors to Babadag
Babadag, home of one of the best paragliding centres in the world, is expected to host one million people annually with the completion of the cable car project planned for the end of this year.
The cable car is being installed on the southwestern slope of Babadag and will run from Yasdam Street in Ovack, pass through the 1200 meter runway, to the terminal station on the 1700 meter runway at Babadag summit.
The cable car will have eight-seater cabins and will reach the summit in 6-7 minutes. A ski lift system will transport passengers to the 1800 and 1900 meter runways. A viewing terrace and restaurant will be built at the 1700 and 1900 runways.
Source: SonDakikA
AKUT, AFAD and UMKE mobilized to rescue paragliders
AFAD, AKUT and UMKE search and rescue teams were mobilized to rescue a Chinese pilot and his passenger who were injured in a paragliding incident on Saturday.
The paragliding pilot and the passenger were injured when their parachute failed during a flight from Babadags 1200 meter runway.
Having opened without any problems, the parachute failed after 100 meters and the pilot and his passenger fell into the shrubbery on the mountain below.
Other pilots at the scene called the Regional 112 Emergency Service and National Medical Rescue Boards (UMKE), Search and Rescue Association (AKUT) and AFAD teams were dispatched to the scene.
The injured pilot and passenger were transferred to the Fethiye State Hospital for treatment. Their injuries were reported to be non-life threatening.
Turkey Travel Advice
23-02-2018 10:01 AM GMT
Local law and customs section update on local law and customs; the possession, sale and export of antiquities is against the law and carries a prison sentence of 5 to 12 years as well as a substantial fine. Its also an offence to insult the Turkish nation or the national flag, or to deface or tear up currency. If you are convicted of any of these offences you could face a prison sentence of between 6 months and 3 years
Hasankeyf locals prepare to move amid impending flooding
Inhabitants of Hasankeyf, a historic town that is due to be completely submerged by the floodwaters of the Ilsu Dam, which is under construction in the southeastern province of Batman, are preparing to move away from the area.
Locals have already started to move to completely new settlements built nearby by the Housing Development Administration of Turkey (TOKI).
Each of the new homes is 180 square meters and the final ones are due to be delivered to their new owners at the beginning of June.
In the new settlement, the construction of the Hasankeyf Vocational School, a modern library, a mosque, a business centre and a district organization have all been completed.
Today, many visitors are flocking to Hasankeyf to see the historical town before it is finally flooded, as has been anticipated for many years.
Source: Hurriyet Daily News
Sport
Fethiyespor
Thank you to Brian Lloyd for the Fethiyespor updates.
Fethiyespor drew their away match against Nazilli Belediyespor yesterday. The final score was 1-1.
After yesterdays match, Fethiyespor stay at 15th position on the league table.
The next league matches are:
Sunday 4th March 2018 at home against Altay. Kick off is at 14.30
Saturday 10th March away against Ottocool Karagumruk. Kick off is at 15:00. (please note the later kick-off times)
For more information about Fethiyespor please visit Fethiyespor Yabancilar on Facebook.
Turkish Money
Turkish Lira (TL) exchange rates:
The British Pound bought 5.29 TL by the close of business on Friday. The week before it was selling for 5.25 TL.
The US Dollar bought 3.79 TL by the close of business on Friday. The week before it was selling for 3.74 TL.
The Euro bought 4.66 TL by the close of business on Friday. The week before it was selling for 4.64 TL.
Weather Forecast
Heres your weather forecast for the week ahead.
Category Select Category Apparel/Garments Textiles Fashion Technical Textiles Information Technology E-commerce Retail Corporate Association Press Release
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ZURICH (dpa-AFX) - QBE Insurance (QBE.AX, QBEIF.PK) reported a statutory 2017 net loss after tax of US$1.249 billion, compared to a net profit after tax of US$844 million in the prior year. This included the significant non-cash impairment of goodwill --US$700 million-- and write down of the deferred tax asset following the reduction in the US corporate tax rate--US$230 million--in our North American Operations. The Board remains committed to the three-year share buyback of up to A$1 billion; however, intends to take a considered approach in the near term.
Separately, Zurich Insurance Group said that it has entered into an agreement to acquire the operations of Australian insurer QBE Insurance Group Limited (QBE) in Latin America for a total aggregate price of US$409 million subject to closing adjustments. The acquired operations had combined gross written premiums of about US$790 million in 2017, with a highly diversified product offering and strong distribution.
Zurich expects to achieve an overall return on investment comfortably in excess of the Group's indicated hurdle rate of 10% within the first full year post completion of the transaction. The acquisition is expected to be completed by the end of 2018 and is expected to be funded from internal resources.
QBE confirmed that it has entered into agreements with Zurich Insurance Group for the sale of its operations in Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador and Mexico. QBE Puerto Rico will be retained by QBE to facilitate the servicing of claims resulting from Hurricane Maria and will become part of QBE's North American Operations. The estimated aggregate consideration is US$409 million subject to closing adjustments. Profit on sale before tax is estimated at around US$100 million .
QBE noted that the sale will positively impact the Group's APRA PCA multiple and S&P capital position due to the profit on sale, lower risk charges and the disposal of approximately US$42 million of goodwill and intangible assets.
QBE's cash loss after tax for 2017 was US$258 million compared to cash profit of US$898 million last year. Net earned premium were up 7%, assisted by reinsurance cost savings.
QBE noted that the final dividend for 2017 will be four Australian cents per share, franked at 30%, and compares with the 2016 final dividend of 33 Australian cents per share, franked at 50%. The reduced dividend reflects the very significant impact of catastrophe claims that contributed to a US$632 million after tax loss on a cash basis during the second half of the year. Including A$139 million of funds used to buy back and cancel QBE shares, the payout for the 2017 full year is A$495 million, down 33% from A$741 million in 2016.
QBE's targets for 2018 are Combined operating ratio 95.0% - 97.5%, investment return 2.5% - 3.0%.
Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX
Kostenloser Wertpapierhandel auf Smartbroker.de
Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - February 25, 2018) - War Eagle Mining Company Inc. (TSXV: WAR) ("War Eagle" or the "Company") reports that, pursuant to the terms and conditions of its incentive stock option plan, it has granted, in the aggregate, 2,050,000 stock options to purchase common shares of the Company to certain directors, officers and consultants of the Company. The options, which vest immediately, are exercisable up to May 5, 2021 at a price of $0.17 per share and are subject to TSX Venture Exchange approval. In addition, the Company has cancelled an aggregate of 599,000 stock options previously granted to certain directors and officers of the Company.
Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann.
CHANGSHA, China, Feb. 26, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- On February 8, SANY held the Summit of Global Dealers in Changsha, which is themed on "innovation, change, digitalization and win-win". About 300 representatives of SANY global dealers from 60 countries, e.g., USA, Germany, India, Kuwait, Thailand, South Africa, etc. talked with SANY top management to understand its history, international strategy and three-year plan in the future. They also received the training program on SANY products, discussed the marketing tactics in overseas market and win-win development plan. In the period, SANY Heavy Industry International Headquarters signed the agreement of sales target for 2018 with 61 dealers, thus kicking off the new chapter of its international development.
SANY Group Director & SANY Heavy Industry President Mr. Xiang Wenbo, SANY Group Director & SANY Pump Machinery Chairman Mr. Liang Linhe, SANY Heavy Industry Vice President & SANY Port Machinery Chairman Mr. Fu Weizhong, Rootcloud CEO Mr. He Dongdong and SANY Heavy Industry International Headquarters Director Mr. Zhou Wanchun attended the relevant activities in the meeting.
SANY realized rapid development in international presence
Mr. Xiang Wenbo made a keynote speech at the principal venue of SANY Summit of Global Dealers for 2018.
At first, Mr. Xiang Wenbo, on behalf of SANY Chairman Mr. Liang Wengen and SANY Board of Directors, expressed warm welcome to overseas dealers, and delivered heartfelt gratitude to their support and help to SANY for years, and gave Chinese New Year blessings to dealers and other participants. Xiang Wenbo pointed out that, for years, dealers of SANY in the world have made outstanding contributions for SANY to become the leading corporation in the Belt & Road Initiative. Thanks to the concerted efforts of all dealers, sales and profits of SANY doubled in 2017, with its cash flow creating a new record.
Mr. Xiang Wenbo emphasized that international management institution of SANY experienced fundamental reform and transformation in 2017, which implemented the operating ideas of Chairman Liang Wengen featured by "two separations, two-wheel drives and three carriages". The reform helped SANY secure rapid growth in its international development. Mr. Xiang hoped SANY and all its dealers should finalize two tasks in the coming new year. First, develop products with absolute competitiveness, which is the duty of SANY. Second, provide the best and extremely considerate service, which is the duty of SANY and its dealers. He said, "Let's move forward hand in hand to build SANY into a world-class corporation."
Mr. Zhou Wanchun introduced the international strategy and three-year plan of SANY. According to the plan, SANY will, in five years, developed SANY into the leading world-class corporation in the industry. During the Summit, Rootcloud CEO Mr. He Dongdong made a keynote speech about Rootcloud. Relevant departments of SANY Heavy Industry made presentations on SANY plan of international operations and its products.
The dealers said the Summit broke borders between countries, races and cultures. The participants discussed for common development, thus enhancing mutual trust and having clearer orientation and greater confidence for international development of SANY.
New mechanism stimulated new power
In the framework of new system, SANY provided more direct and efficient support to dealers while making faster response to the market in 2017. More than 20 dealers were promoted or contracted in 2017. The new management system ensured SANY had new dynamics and vitality in its international development.
Thanks to the concerted efforts of all overseas dealers, SANY organized more than 500 promotions, competitions and test-driving events to market its equipment in the overseas market. For many times, it invited the major clients and big clients to SANY headquarters while pushing forward the standardization of SANY shops. It is worth noting that SANY teams "worked and made decisions" together with dealers, thus securing the success of SANY dealers and contributing to SANY business.
The win-win partnership between SANY and its overseas dealers has reached the unprecedented height. During the Summit, the excellent overseas dealers of SANY shared their experience in having successful cooperation with SANY. And SANY signed the agreement of sales targets with 61 overseas dealers. At the same time, SANY also commended 19 dealers that were Star & Gold winners and Special Award Winners for 2017.
According to Mr. Zhou Wanchun, the efforts of dealers have been working hard for years and they are the principal forces that help SANY make stable growth in the overseas market in spite of all adversaries in the world economy. Export figures in China reveal that SANY concrete equipment, piling equipment, excavation equipment and hoisting equipment keep taking the leading position in the industry in terms of export, which attributes to the hard work and contributions made by SANY overseas dealers.
Behind the best quality of SANY
To help SANY dealers better understand SANY culture and see with own eyes the quality of SANY equipment, the participants were organized to visit the No. 18 Workshop in SANY Changsha Industrial Park, which is known as the Demo Workshop of China's Intelligent Manufacturing, the small-tonne crane assembly line in SANY Ningxiang Industrial Park, to view performance and experience the road rollers and cranes.
In No. 18 Workshop and small-tonne crane assembly line in SANY Ningxiang Industrial Park, the guide introduced to the dealers, in fluent English, about the many products of SANY such as concrete machinery, road machinery, crane and excavating machinery, etc. The lean production and intelligent management in SANY gave them deep impressions. In particular, the dealers fully comprehended the power of SANY in intelligent manufacturing after viewing the automatic line of pump trucks in the intelligent workshop.
Nearly 400 global clients and foreigners were present at the venue to experience the road rollers and cranes. Principals of SANY Heavy Industry introduced to the dealers about the excellent performance and quality of two categories of SANY products. Many dealers also operated the road rollers and cranes on the site. In the process, they were amazed by the high-quality, high-tech and person-oriented all-new products of SANY, unwilling to get off the machinery.
The dealers were deeply impressed by the Summit. All of them believed that, the Summit helped them better understand SANY and have greater confidence in SANY's future, thus laying a solid foundation for their broader cooperation.
All SANY participants and SANY dealers, either new or old friends, have the same dream of selling SANY equipment to the whole world and building SANY fame in the world. Mr. Xiang Wenbo firmly believes that, with concerted efforts, SANY brand will gain greater renown and SANY will provide better-quality products and more efficient services to the world while creating greater values for all parties.
For more details, please call: +86-731-8403-8018 or visit our official website: http://www.sanyglobal.com/
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LOS ANGELES, CA / ACCESSWIRE / February 26, 2018 / November and Los Angeles, California Apartment Searches Are you considering moving into a new Los Angeles, California apartment? Good timing may be able to reduce your costs considerably. Renthop performed research that indicates that rental prices get particularly high in the city during the month of June each year. They're roughly 4.1 percent more expensive than they are in November. November has the distinction of being the cheapest rental month of all. People who wish to rent two-bedroom units should aim to do so in the month of December. December prices are 4 percent cheaper than they are in September. September is when prices reach their maximum. Renters in 2017 reduced their monthly costs by $103 simply by delaying their lease signing activities by three months.
This research employs information that primarily comes from the website for Renthub. These statistics, because of that, are mere guesses. They'll also probably change with time, too. That doesn't mean that they don't make sense alongside other patterns across the United States. They make sense alongside patterns that indicate that renters have high odds of locating strong deals in both the winter and fall. People simply do not move as much during those colder seasons.
Apartment List has published in-depth reports that discovered that rental prices in Los Angeles got a lot lower in the last three months of 2017. This drop took place after prices had consistently gotten higher throughout the course of the first eight months of the year.
Renthop's research indicates that prices become their lowest from November to March each year. This applies to the 10 most sizable urban destinations in the United States. Prices, on the other hand, become the highest all year long from May to October each year. This is relevant and true for each of the biggest cities in the United States, zero exceptions.
According to Neil Shekhter, Los Angeles rental prices get particularly low anywhere from November to January each year. This is applicable to apartments that consist either of one or two bedrooms in total. One bedroom apartment rental prices are at their absolute highest in the months of March, June and, last but not least, July. Two bedroom apartments, at the other end of the spectrum, become particularly expensive in June and later on in the year in October. Those are the months that are associated with especially high costs. Costs during these two months are substantially steeper than they typically are.
Smart renters should prepare well. It's critical to take all sorts of rental factors into consideration. Los Angeles is a large and competitive city. Rental prices can often seem rather outrageous. If you're contemplating renting and want to get access to all of the most desirable discounts and deals around, you need to plan in a proper and thorough manner no matter what. Try to focus your search. Try to search for an apartment during a rather slow time of the year. Doing so may just end up saving you a pretty penny. Why ever waste money on higher rental prices when it's 100 percent unnecessary?
Launching NMS Properties in 1988, Neil Shekhter assumed the role of CEO in January 1995. The real estate management company focuses on multi-family and mixed-use properties in the Greater Los Angeles area and in Santa Monica. At present, NMS properties manages more than 70 properties.
Over the course of 2017, NMS deployed 40 furnished units in LA County, and Neil Shekhter plans to triple that number in 2018. The company currently manages some of the its properties while testing a pilot with MY SUITE.
Neil Shekhter - Founder and CEO of NMS Properties
Apartments For Rent In Los Angeles NMS Residential: http://www.nmsresidential.com
NMS Properties - Real Estate Management Firm: http://www.nmsproperties.com
Contact Information: info@NeilShekhter.com
SOURCE: NMS Properties, Inc.
GUILDFORD, England, February 26, 2018 /PRNewswire/ --
A cross-party group of high-profile MPs and Peers will today be joined by patients, charities and industry to form a one-off choir group to shine a light on the challenges faced by people who have a rare disease
The event aims to engage public and policymakers to ensure people with a rare disease get the same opportunities for diagnosis and treatment as those with more common conditions
3.5 million of us will be impacted by a rare disease within our lifetimes - nearly 1 in 17 people in the UK 1 - but patients struggle to access treatments
- but patients struggle to access treatments The choir will take place just before Prime Minister's Questions - 11.00-12.00, Wednesday 28 February 2018 , Westminster Underground Station, London
Sanofi and its specialty care global business unit, Sanofi Genzyme, today announced that a cross-party group of MPs and Peers are joining forces with patients and charity groups to sing as part of a one-off choir event taking place at Westminster Underground Station on Rare Disease Day (28 February 2018) to encourage awareness and action to support the millions of people who will be impacted by a rare disease.
To view the Multimedia News Release, please click:
https://www.multivu.com/players/uk/8277551-one-voice-choir-rare-disease-day-2018/
The 'One Voice Choir' will perform to members of the public as part of events taking place to mark Rare Disease Day 2018.
Parliamentary health leaders including Sharon Hodgson MP, Shadow Public Health Minister, Lisa Cameron MP, SNP Mental Health Spokesperson and Baroness Judith Jolly, Lib Dem Health Spokesperson will take part in the event and believe that it is only by coming together with One Voice that political leaders and patients can create the right environment to improve outcomes for people affected by a rare disease.
"I am very excited to be part of the One Voice Choir and support Rare Disease Day," says Dr Lisa Cameron, MP for East Kilbride, Strathaven and Lesmahagow. "Rare Disease Day is a day where we can unite together to help ensure patients and families affected by these conditions have access to appropriate care and support."
The event has been organised by Sanofi, underlining its commitment to supporting patients who have a rare disease and their families. The choir will be led by Joe Prescott, a talented musician and choral conductor who plays with the London Musical Theatre Orchestra.
A rare disease affects 1 person in 2000 or fewer.1 However, collectively rare diseases are not 'rare', as 3.5 million of us will be impacted by a rare disease within our lifetimes. That is nearly 1 in 17 people in the UK.1 With that said, fewer than 1 in 50,000 people are born with an ultra-orphan disease, also referred to as 'ultra-rare or 'very rare'.2 Due to their small prevalence, many of those affected by rare and ultra-orphan diseases face challenges in receiving a diagnosis or accessing treatment, which can have a life-changing impact on a patient and those they care about.
Inspired through the power of song
The choir will be singing songs that hope to inspire listeners to overcome challenges they may face, as the rare disease community has to do every day. Such songs will include: "Bridge Over Troubled Water" by Simon & Garfunkel, "Don't Stop Believin'" by Journey and "Climb Every Mountain" from The Sound of Music.
"Raising awareness is a fundamental part of what we do at Rare Disease UK and we have a busy schedule of activities planned around Rare Disease Day. I'm delighted to be a part of the One Voice Choir as one of those activities," says Dr Jayne Spink, Genetic Alliance UK CEO, Chair of Rare Disease UK. "Many people may be hearing about rare diseases for the first time today, so we hope that as well as enjoying the choir performance, people will also be prompted to find out more about rare diseases and how they affect patients and their families."
Patients should be at the centre of discussion
It is the patients and their loved ones who rely on collaborations between the government, industry and research community to support advancing life-changing treatments.
"When being diagnosed with a rare or ultra-orphan disease, patients and their families often feel alone," says Daniel Lewi, Chief Executive at Cure & Action for Tay-Sachs (CATS) Foundation. "It is important we support those families to provide the best possible life for their loved ones, and make them aware they are not alone in their struggles, but have a community behind them."
Today, Sanofi continues to champion the patient's voice for better access to much needed treatment and industry innovation that have the potential to improve outcomes and lives. People who are affected by rare and ultra-orphan diseases share a common struggle for equal access to treatment; anyone should be able to access appropriate treatments, irrespective of how common a disease is.
"We continue our support for the rare and ultra-orphan community," says John Ivory, Franchise Head, Rare Diseases UK & Ireland MCO and Country Head Sanofi Genzyme, Ireland. "Through inspirational and motivational activities, such as the One Voice Choir, we can help empower patients in their everyday lives and raise awareness around these often debilitating diseases."
One Voice Choir members
Lord Aberdare Bernard Jenkin MP Ailsa Arthur, Trustee, AGSD UK Baroness Jolly Jon Ashworth MP Rachael Mann, Policy and Public Affairs Manager, BIA UK Kevin Brennan MP Bettina Mavrommatis, Senior Rare Disease Officer, Department of Health & Social Care Baroness Brinton Bob Neill MP Dr Lisa Cameron MP Baroness Neville-Jones Julie Cooper MP Jenny Ousbey, Director and Head of Health, WA Communications Jim Cunningham MP Monika Preuss, Head of Genomics Science & Emerging Technologies, Department for Health & Social Care Alexandra Fraser, patient Marie Pritchard, patient representative, representative, AGSD UK SWAN UK Mary Glindon MP Andy Slaughter MP Sue Hayman MP Katie Spencer, Rare Disease Officer, Department of Health & Social Care Sharon Hodgson MP Dr Jayne Spink, Chair, Rare Disease UK George Howarth MP Peter Wasson, Account Director, WA Communications Mohammad Zafar, patient representative, SWAN UK
About Rare Disease Day
Rare Disease Day takes place on the last day of February each year. The main objective of Rare Disease Day is to raise awareness amongst the general public and decision-makers about rare diseases and their impact on patients' lives.
For more information, please visit: http://www.rarediseaseday.org .
About Sanofi
Sanofi is dedicated to supporting people through their health challenges. We are a global biopharmaceutical company focused on human health. We prevent illness with vaccines, provide innovative treatments to fight pain and ease suffering. We stand by the few who suffer from rare diseases and the millions with long-term chronic conditions.
With more than 100,000 people in 100 countries, Sanofi is transforming scientific innovation into healthcare solutions around the globe.
Sanofi, Empowering Life
Sanofi Genzyme focuses on developing specialty treatments for debilitating diseases that are often difficult to diagnose and treat, providing hope to patients and their families.
For more information please visit http://www.sanofi.co.uk.
References
National Congenital Anomaly and Rare Disease Registration Service. Available at: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/the-national-congenital-anomaly-and-rare-disease-registration-service-ncardrs/ Accessed February 2018 . Clinical Recommendations Committee. Available at: https://www.gov.im/media/631127/orphanorultraorphandruginterven.pdf Accessed February 2018 .
(Photo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/645458/Sanofi_Genzyme_UK_Logo.jpg )
Video:
https://www.multivu.com/players/uk/8277551-one-voice-choir-rare-disease-day-2018/
Mobile World Congress Hall 5 Booth 5B41 A2iA (@A2iA), an award-winning developer of artificial intelligence and machine-learning based software for the worldwide data capture, document processing, and payment systems markets, announced today that it has been recognized as one of the four most innovative companies in the French Tech Pavilion at Mobile World Congress. The jury of industry experts from Bpifrance, L'idate, Orange, Smart City Mag, Syntec Digital and Business France, selected the winners based on the disruptive nature of their product offering and market potential. Mobile World Congress (MWC) is the world's largest exhibition and conference for the mobile industry, organized by the GSMA, and held February 26 March 1, 2018, in Barcelona, Spain.
"A2iA is honored to be recognized by the Business France Orange Awards and its committee," said Jean-Louis Fages, A2iA President Chairman of the Board. "We have always prided ourselves on delivering innovative tools to our partners, enabling them to stay ahead of the trends and meet market demands."
A2iA, exhibiting in the French Tech Pavilion in Hall 5, Stand 5B41, will be showcasing its offline and client-side SDKs, a2ia Mobility and a2ia mNote. Both toolkits are available for integration into mobile apps and mobile operating systems, and deliver patented automatic image capture with A2iA's Auto-Locate feature, image analysis and conversion, and printed and cursive text recognition directly on the phone or tablet. Supporting multiple languages and country versions, the SDKs deliver application diversity on a global scale.
a2ia Mobility can be applied to various document types and workflows, including complex onBoarding and ID recognition, mobile check deposit (mRDC), receipt processing, bill pay, and more. The component supports nearly 20 locales for check recognition and more than 230 countries for ID recognition, proving a simple user experience around the world in an offline environment.
a2ia mNote enables users to turn handwritten, printed and mixed notes in various languages into searchable, digital documents. By simply taking a photo of the note, all data is transcribed by the SDK, allowing the app to perform data searching and editing, offline and directly on the mobile device.
This is the fourth year that the Business France Orange Awards recognize cutting edge, innovative companies. An award ceremony will be held in the French Tech Pavilion at Mobile World Congress on Monday, February 26, 2018, at 5:00pm CET.
About A2iA
Award-winning with research and development at its core, A2iA, Artificial Intelligence and Image Analysis (www.a2ia.com), is a science and R&D driven software company with deep roots in artificial intelligence, machine learning and neural networks. With simple, easy to use and intuitive toolkits, A2iA delivers add-on features to speed automation, simplify customer engagement and quickly capture all types of printed and handwritten data from documents whether captured by a desktop scanner or mobile device. By enhancing solutions from systems integrators and independent software vendors, A2iA allows complex and cursive data from all types of documents to become part of a structured database, making it searchable and reportable, with the same level of flexibility as printed or digital data. For more information, visit www.a2ia.com or call +1 917-237-0390 within the Americas, or +33 1 44 42 00 80 within EMEA, India or Asia.
View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180226005189/en/
Contacts:
Media:
A2iA Communications
Americas: 1 917-237-0390 EMEA, India, APAC: +33 (0)1 44 42 00 80
Marketing@a2ia.com
LONDON, February 26, 2018 /PRNewswire/ --
Insilico Medicine, a Baltimore-based company specialising in the application of artificial intelligence for drug discovery, biomarker development, and ageing research has announced it will partner with Master Investor at the annual Master Investor Show. The event will take place on Saturday, 17th March, 2018 at the Business Design Centre, London. Around 5,000 private investors will gather in London to meet nearly 100 CEOs of public companies and start-ups. Insilico Medicine will host the Experience Room and showcase Longenesis - their life data marketplace and ecosystem fuelled by the LifePound cryptocurrency.
Amanda Taylor, Master Investor's Head of Business Development said: "The Experience Room will provide a unique opportunity for visitors to engage with Insilico Medicine and learn about the opportunities to invest in longevity technologies."
Alex Zhavoronkov PhD, founder and CEO of Insilico Medicine, presented the latest advances in artificial intelligence for drug discovery and longevity biotechnology at last year's Master Investor Show. The presentation on the Rising Stars Stage covered the applications of artificial intelligence transforming pharmaceutical industry R&D and accelerating the drug discovery process.
Dr Zhavoronkov is delighted to be returning to the event as a sponsor: "We are very happy to present our work in ageing research and artificial intelligence at one of Europe's largest investor shows."
The presentation of Longenesis - a partnership between Insilico Medicine and BitFury Group (the world's leading full-service blockchain technology company) - will provide a live-demo of blockchain, an AI-driven marketplace allowing customers to benefit from their own medical data. The system gives patients the opportunity to license their medical data to biopharmaceutical companies and healthcare service developers and receive substantial rewards through LifePound cryptocurrency. The marketplace develops a "win-win" strategy. Humans take control over how their life data is being used, whilst gaining a tangible profit from providing their data to pharmaceutical and consumer companies who access and utilise this data for developing sophisticated diagnostic and treatment tools.
"Longenesis will provide a system for returning control over life data back to individuals, giving an opportunity to monetise health data, live longer lives and revolutionise the healthcare industry," said Garri Zmudze, Chairman of the Longenesis Board.
Longenesis will use Bitfury's Exonum protocol, the custom framework that helps individuals, businesses and governments securely and easily bring their ideas and solutions to life through blockchain technology.
"We are proud to work with Insilico Medicine on this ambitious and important Longenesis project," said Valery Vavilov, CEO of Bitfury. "Blockchain technology is revolutionising the way the world manages, moves and secures data and assets, and it will help ensure this work improves the lives of people around the world."
About Master Investor Ltd.
Master Investor Ltd. is an investment media and events company that delivers independent, financial commentary and analysis to UK private investors. The company operates the yearly Master Investor Show, an event introducing its 5000+ private investor audience to companies they can invest into. It offers its clients opportunities to generate leads to an audience with significant investable funds.
http://www.masterinvestor.co.uk
About Insilico Medicine, Inc
Insilico Medicine, Inc. is an artificial intelligence company located at the Emerging Technology Center of Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore with R&D and management resources in Belgium, Russia, UK, Taiwan, and Korea. It utilises advances in genomics, big data analysis and deep learning for in silico drug discovery and drug repurposing for aging and age-related diseases. The company pursues internal drug discovery programs in cancer, Parkinson's, Alzheimer's, ALS, diabetes, sarcopenia, and geroprotector discovery. Through its Pharma.AI division, the company provides advanced machine learning services to biotechnology, pharmaceutical, and skin care companies, foundations and national governments globally.
http://insilico.com
James Hudson - James.Hudson@masterinvestor.co.uk
NOTIFICATION AND PUBLIC DISCLOSURE IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE REQUIREMENTS OF THE EU MARKET ABUSE REGULATION OF TRANSACTIONS BY PERSONS DISCHARGING MANAGERIAL RESPONSIBILITIES
February 26, 2018
The following Person Discharging Managerial Responsibilities ("PDMR") has received the number of shares as set out below. Following shareholder approval of the Directors' Remuneration Policy at the 2017 Annual General Meeting, the Deferred Bonus Plan was removed and 50% of the PDMR's annual bonus is delivered in cash and 50% is delivered in shares. Shares are subject to a three-year holding period, which continues to apply after PDMRs leave employment.
The Directors' Remuneration Policy can be found in the Royal Dutch Shell plc Annual Report and Form 20-F for the year ended December 31, 2016 (www.shell.com/annualreport ).
PDMR Date Acquired Share Type Number of shares delivered John Abbott February 26, 2018 RDSB 8,652
The Notification of Dealing Form for the PDMR can be found below.
This notification is made in accordance with Article 19 of the EU Market Abuse Regulation.
Mark Edwards
Deputy Company Secretary
ENQUIRIES
Shell Media Relations
International, UK, European Press: +44 20 7934 5550
Shell Investor Relations
Europe: + 31 70 377 4540
United States: +1 832 337 2034
LEI number of Royal Dutch Shell plc: 21380068P1DRHMJ8KU70
Classification: Additional regulated information required to be disclosed under the laws of a Member State.
Toronto, Ontario and New York, New York--(Newsfile Corp. - February 26, 2018) - Micromem Technologies, Inc. (CSE: MRM) (OTCQB: MMTIF) ("Micromem") ("the Company") through its wholly owned subsidiary Micromem Applied Sensor Technologies, Inc. (MAST), is pleased to announce that we are attending and presenting in the 2018 SPE (Society of Petroleum Engineers) workshop on Improved Decision Making Through Tracer Technology. The workshop is scheduled for March 14-16 in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.
http://www.spe.org/events/en/2018/workshop/18aab3/homepage.html
This conference will bring together in one location all of the key industry leaders who focus on tracer applications for enhanced oil recovery, heavy oil, unconventional resources, reservoir characterization and in flow profiling. The conference members will also be reviewing new and emerging tracer technologies. MAST is one of the conference sponsors and will be formally introducing our product in our suite at the Jumeirah, Etihad Towers Hotel. The presentation will be made to potential sales and marketing partners, with several options open to us from selling the technology to licensing the technology to a global service provider in the oil and gas industry.
Steven Van Fleet, President of MAST and Dr. Tony Miller, CEO of Entanglement Technologies will present a critical paper on the MAST product model ARTRA-171 in session 5: New and emerging Tracer technologies.
About Micromem and MASTInc
MASTInc is a wholly owned U.S.-based subsidiary of Micromem Technologies Inc., a publicly traded (OTCQB: MMTIF) (CSE: MRM) company. MASTInc analyzes specific industry sectors to create intelligent game-changing applications that address unmet market needs. By leveraging its expertise and experience with sophisticated magnetic sensor applications, MASTInc successfully powers the development and implementation of innovative solutions for oil & gas, utilities, automotive, healthcare, government, information technology, manufacturing, and other industries. Visit www.micromeminc.com www.mastinc.com.
About Entanglement
Entanglement Technologies, Inc., has developed the world's most advanced chemical sensors, bringing real-time analysis out of the laboratory and into the field. It makes the invisible world of chemicals accessible and actionable with rapid and precise sensing technology. Learn more: http://www.entanglementtech.com.
Safe Harbor Statement
This press release contains forward-looking statements. Such forward-looking statements are subject to a number of risks, assumptions and uncertainties that could cause the Company's actual results to differ materially from those projected in such forward-looking statements. In particular, factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in forward looking statements include: our inability to obtain additional financing on acceptable terms; risk that our products and services will not gain widespread market acceptance; continued consumer adoption of digital technology; inability to compete with others who provide comparable products; the failure of our technology; the infringement of our technology with proprietary rights of third parties; inability to respond to consumer and technological demands; inability to replace significant customers; seasonal nature of our business; and other risks detailed in our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date made and are not guarantees of future performance. We undertake no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements. When used in this document, the words "believe," "expect," "anticipate," "estimate," "project," "plan," "should," "intend," "may," "will," "would," "potential," and similar expressions may be used to identify forward-looking statements.
The CSE or any other securities regulatory authority has not reviewed and does not accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this press release that has been prepared by management.
###
Listing: NASD OTC-QB - Symbol: MMTIF
CSE - Symbol: MRM
Shares issued: 233,491,704
SEC File No: 0-26005
Investor Contact:info@micromeminc.com; Tel. 416-364-2023 Subscribe to receive News Releases by Email on our website's home page. www.micromeminc.com
BORDEAUX, France, February 26, 2018 /PRNewswire/ --
Europlasma announces its participation in the "IGAR" (Reducing Gas Injection) project, led by world steel leader Arcelor Mittal.
This project aims to validate at a pre-industrial scale, then to deploy at industrial scale, a plasma solution allowing steel production to meet the challenges of energy transition by reducing its carbon footprint.
Through the General Secretariat for Investment (SGPI), the French government has granted this project a financial contribution under the "Investissements d'Avenir" Program.
An innovative solution
This plasma solution will have a dual purpose:
Drastically reduce CO2 emissions by reusing carbon from process gases (reducing CO2 production by 90 to 180 kg per ton of steel);
by reusing carbon from process gases (reducing CO2 production by 90 to 180 kg per ton of steel); Reduce fossil fuel energy consumption of the steel furnace by reforming and recovering process gases.
The proposed system consists in injecting the gases from blast furnaces (rich in CO2, and containing CH4) into a plasma reactor (Turboplasma type) allowing, after cracking and reforming of the molecules, to generate clean and directly recoverable synthesis gas. This clean syngas (CO + H2), with a high energy value, similar to that produced by CHO Power, can then be reinjected into the blast furnace, thus reducing fossil fuel consumption.
After a phase of studies and successful tests performed since 2015, and upon the definitive signing of the Consortium agreement with all stakeholders on IGAR project, the pre-industrialization of the process will be initiated.
Important ecological and economic stakes
Given the current European steel production, the deployment of this plasma solution would prevent the release into the atmosphere of 10 to 20 million tons of CO2 per year, comparable to the volume of CO2 emissions generated by car traffic in the greater Paris region.
By seeking to reduce its carbon footprint and its fossil fuel consumption, Arcelor Mittal is actively contributing to the energy transition and ensures economic sustainability of its operations, particularly in Europe.
Arcelor Mittal's confidence in Europlasma demonstrates once again the industry's interest in plasma technology, and constitutes a tangible recognition of the group's innovation efforts on carbon footprint reduction. Europlasma is assessing the extension of this plasma solution to other CO2-emitting industries, such as coal power plants.
About EUROPLASMA
At the heart of environmental issues, Europlasma designs and develops innovative plasma solutions for renewable energy production and hazardous waste recovery, as well as tailored-made applications for companies wishing to reduce their environmental footprint. Europlasma is listed on Euronext Growth Paris (FR0000044810-ALEUP / LEI 969500WYVNHBV1ABQ250). For more information: www.europlasma.com
Important notice
The information or statements contained in this press release have to be considered as management's estimates made on the date of their publication. Such information is submitted to risks and uncertainties hardly predictable and generally outside of the Group's scope of action. These risks enclose the risks listed in the Reference Book available on the company's website www.europlasma.com. The group's future performance may therefore slightly vary from the forward-looking information revealed. The Group takes no responsibility for the achievement of these forward looking statements.
Shareholders contact:
Anne BORDERES - Communication Manager
Tel: + 33 (0)5 56 49 70 00 - contactbourse@europlasma.com
Media contact:
Luc PERINET MARQUET - LPM STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS
Tel: +33 (0)1 44 50 40 35 - lperinet@lpm-corporate.com
This is a disclosure announcement from PR Newswire.
WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - An effort by the Trump administration to speed up the legal fight over protections for young illegal immigrants brought to the country as children was blocked by the Supreme Court on Monday.
The Supreme Court denied the Justice Department's request to review a federal judge's ruling blocking President Donald Trump from rescinding the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program.
The decision allows the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals to rule on the case, with the Supreme Court saying it expects the appeals court to 'proceed expeditiously.'
Last month, U.S. District Court judge William Alsup ruled that the administration's decision to shut down the DACA program was 'arbitrary' and 'capricious.'
The ruling required the administration to resume accepting renewal applications for the DACA program, although it did not extend to new applications.
Trump had previously set a March 5th deadline to end the program in an effort to spur lawmakers to take action on the issue.
However, several different immigrant reform proposals failed to clear a procedural hurdle in the Senate earlier this month.
Justice Department spokesman Devin O'Malley said the administration hoped for a different outcome but acknowledged the Supreme Court rarely grants requests to bypass the lower courts.
'We will continue to defend DHS's lawful authority to wind down DACA in an orderly manner,' O'Malley said in a statement.
White House Deputy Press Secretary Raj Shah argued that the DACA program is 'clearly unlawful' and accused Alsup of usurping legislative authority.
'The fact that this occurs at a time when elected representatives in Congress are actively debating this policy only underscores that the district judge has unwisely intervened in the legislative process,' Shah said.
Meanwhile, California Attorney General Xavier Becerra, who led one of the lawsuits challenging the termination of DACA, called the administration's attempt to bypass the appeals court 'unusual and unnecessary.'
'We look forward to explaining to the Ninth Circuit court that DACA is fully legal,' Becerra said. 'For the sake of the Dreamers who help make our economy and our state strong, the rescission of DACA should not be allowed to stand.'
Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX
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Minimally Invasive Device Would Aid Advanced Chronic Heart Failure Patients
RALEIGH, NC / ACCESSWIRE / February 26, 2018 / NuPulseCV successfully completed an FDA-approved, first-in-human (FIH) trial of its intravascular ventricular assist system (iVAS) last summer. The results of the trial were recently published in the Journal for Heart and Lung Transplantation. Fourteen bridge-to-transplant patients were enrolled in the trial and 13 (92.8 percent) were implanted with the iVAS device. The primary endpoint was survival of patients to transplant, or stroke-free survival at 30 days. At the conclusion of the trial, 12 (92.3 percent) of the 13 iVAS-implanted patients successfully met the primary endpoint. Additionally, 92 percent of patients demonstrated hemodynamics improvements post-iVAS implantation. For advanced heart failure patients needing mechanical support, the continued success with iVAS could mean greatly improved quality of life, with fewer complications.
Comparing patients pre- and post-iVAS implantation, 69 percent of patients were completely weaned off inotropes, medicines that help to change the force of a heart's contractions. iVAS patients saw a 14 percent increase (1,159 feet at baseline to 1,349 feet from baseline to evaluation before heart transplant) in the six-minute walk test, a commonly used test to examine how a patient's cardiovascular system responds to exercise. Patient mean time in the ICU post-transplant was six days, with all patients ambulatory within 24 hours of the procedure making ambulation an important component of the recovery process.
The FIH trial took place between April 2016 and April 2017 at the University of Chicago Medical Center. The trial demonstrated the safety of the iVAS device and proved excellent hemodynamic response. The iVAS device has significant clinical potential to provide mechanical support for patients with advanced heart failure. NuPulseCV is the first company to have a first-in-human trial of a mechanical circulatory support (MCS) device on U.S. soil in nearly 20 years.
'Results from our FIH study are promising and demonstrate that iVAS could have a more favorable benefit/risk profile for certain patients, compared to traditional LVADs [left ventricular assist devices],' said Sonna Patel, President of NuPulseCV. 'We're grateful to the FDA, CMS, and the University of Chicago Medical Center for granting us this opportunity to test the iVAS device here in the U.S. We look forward to a multi-center study, which will be used to evaluate safety and effectiveness of iVAS.'
Figure 1
How it Works
The iVAS device is a blood pump designed to help patients with advanced heart failure. It works by using counterpulsation through a balloon-type device placed in the descending aorta. The device is meant to reduce pressure that the heart must work against, making it easier for the heart to pump blood to the body. The pump is powered by a small, battery-powered console contained in a satchel that can be worn over the shoulder. The implantation of the iVAS device is minimally invasive and requires only a small incision near the left or right clavicle and the placement of electrodes under the skin and a skin interface device (SID), which allows for communication between the implanted components and the external console (see Figure 1).
Advanced Heart Failure
More than 6 million Americans live with heart failure, and about 10 percent of those have advanced heart failure, a condition in which the heart fails to pump enough blood to meet the body's needs. When standard therapies fail, the condition becomes increasingly worse and progresses to advanced heart failure, then therapies like left ventricular assist devices (LVADs) are used.
The Need for iVAS
iVAS provides a therapeutic alternative for patients whose heart failure may not be so advanced that they require a surgically implanted left ventricular assist pump. The iVAS does not require open-heart surgery and is delivered through a minimally invasive approach, potentially minimizing complications. Patients can be discharged home and remain functional. Traditional surgical left ventricular assist devices provide support but are also accompanied by severe complications such as pump clotting, stroke, bleeding and infections. iVAS may obviate some such complications and provide support in earlier stages of disease to support or even facilitate recovery.
About NuPulseCV Inc.
NuPulseCV is a privately-held, early-stage medical device company based in Raleigh, North Carolina. NuPulseCV is the creator of the intravascular ventricular assist system (iVAS) and the first company to have an FDA-approved first-in-human trial of a mechanical circulatory support (MCS) device on U.S. soil in nearly 20 years. The company was founded in 2012 with the mission to provide novel therapies using advanced technology to increase longevity and improve quality of life for patients suffering from NYHA Class III and ambulatory Class IV heart failure. For more information about the iVAS device or to be considered as a future trial site, visit https://nupulsecv.com/.
Media Contact:
Melisa Vela-Williamson
(210) 413-7421
melissa@mvw360.com
SOURCE: NuPulseCV
Today, at MWC 2018, Lenovo reinforced its 2018 vision for technology innovations, moving its core strategy to Augmented Intelligence
This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180226005492/en/
Lenovo Sees Intelligence Transforming Everything at MWC 2018, From Devices to Data Center (Photo: Business Wire)
With its roots in the PC space, Lenovo has created one of the most complete collections of smart AI devices, giving it a unique advantage to provide the three key elements of Intelligence: Data, Computing Power and Algorithm
Through new AR, VR and voice-activated technologies demonstrated at the show, Lenovo gives you powerful new ways to live, work and play. From intuitive new voice-enabled Yoga 2-in-1 laptops launched today, to transformative Moto Mods, to advanced data center solutions, Lenovo makes all the critical human connections to AI, from devices to data center.
A Different Smartphone Experience
At MWC, Motorola will be illustrating how it continues to challenge the industry with premium smartphone features at great value price points, and how innovation lives in our DNA with transformative Moto Mods that help you monitor your wellness, among other things. The Motorola Health Mod will be showcased, which allows you to easily measure five vital signs including accurate systolic and diastolic blood pressure, all via your moto z device.
Motorola will be sharing insights around its recently released global Phone-Life Balance Study which has been developed in partnership with Dr. Nancy Etcoff, renowned expert in Mind-Brain Behavior and the Science of Happiness at Harvard. The study identifies problematic behaviors that are impacting relationships with others and ourselves and shows how people are putting their phones before those they care about, with the most alarming findings tied to younger generations who have grown up in a digital world.
Motorola believes technology should enrich our lives, rather than distract from them and is offering intelligent solutions to help people manage their phone life balance. This includes a partnership with SPACE, an app that helps to make you more mindful of your phone usage, and Moto Experiences that support more intuitive mobile interactions.
A Different Approach to Voice
Lenovo's PC and Smart Devices business is developing new products to transform commercial and consumer experiences through Augmented Intelligence.
At MWC, Lenovo will be introducing the new Yoga 730 (in 13-inch and 15-inch models) and the new 14-inch Yoga 530 the latest additions to its 2-in-1 family designed for the mobile generation. The new Windows 10-based convertibles feature modern designs, powerful laptop performance and tablet portability that have made the Lenovo Yoga an iconic premium laptop brand since it first pioneered the convertible form factor. The new Yoga 730 harnesses the power of AI to give you intelligent assistance hands-free. With both Cortana and Alexa built-in, it offers more choice and recognizes voice commands from across the room.1
Lenovo's new trio of ruggedized Lenovo 500e, 300e 2-in-1's and 100e Chromebooks built for education are now available for consumers. Beyond the protective designs to guard against spills and drops the 300e Chromebook features Lenovo Enhanced Touch technology that allows the use of everyday objects to interact with the screen and the 500e Chromebook provides an EMR Pen with Google's innovative near lag-free algorithms for writing and sketching.
For smarter living, the new Lenovo Smart Displayannounced at CES 2018 makes using technology at home more convenient, intuitive and shared. It combines the voice capability of the Google Assistant with a vibrant, full HD touchscreen display.2 As the command hub for connected smart home devices, from lighting to heating and more, it can be controlled with just your voice or a quick glance at the display.
A Different Way to Experience Reality
Also launched at CES 2018, Lenovo will showcase how Augmented Intelligence continues to make its devices different and more immersive. The Lenovo Mirage Solostandalone VR headset andLenovo Mirage Camera, a VR180 cameralets you to create and consume your own VR content using Daydream, Google's mobile VR platform, while Star Wars: Jedi Challengeswith its Lenovo Mirage AR headset and Lightsaber controller breaks the boundaries of what's possible by letting fans experience Jedi training in AR.
A Different Way to Improve the World
Lenovo's Data Center Group continues to power the Intelligence Revolution by expanding into two new segments in Telecommunications and IoT.
As innovations in mobile and smart devices rapidly grow, the telecom industry is undergoing massive changes with 5G networks. Lenovo is uniquely positioned to disrupt the traditional telecom installed base and provide a seamless transition for communication service providers to the software defined world.
Lenovo is launching a performance optimized offering based on Lenovo ThinkSystem SR650/SR630 servers and switches, Red Hat OpenStack Platform, and Mellanox ConnectX-4 NICs for accelerated packet processing. In addition, Lenovo is joining the 'Intel Select Solution for NFV' program and offering a solution specially optimized for encryption and compression based NFV workloads. The solution is comprised of Intel QuickAssist Technology (QAT) and Intel XXV710 NIC enabled on Lenovo SR650/SR630 servers.
Leveraging its #1 position in x86 server reliability3, Lenovo will also demo the industry's first 5G-ready base station with software and virtualized implementation of the centralized and distributed units (CU/DU) made possible through customer-led, joint collaboration with China Mobile.
Demonstrations of Lenovo's 'device to datacenter' solutions can be seen at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, February 26 March 1 at the Lenovo Showcase in Hall 3, Space 3N30. In the Intel booth, Lenovo will showcase a 'self-optimizing 5G network' solution based on Lenovo ThinkSystem SR650 servers.
Pricing and Availability
See http://news.lenovo.com/MWC2018 for information about pricing and availability for products.
Additional Blogs
Say Hello to the New Lenovo Yoga 730 and 530
Lenovo's Ruggedized Chromebook Trio Adds New Touch and Pen
Motorola Study Shows Alarming Results That Confirm Need for Better Phone-Life Balance
Lenovo Data Center Group Further Accelerates Telecommunication Infrastructure and Internet of Things Focus
1 Cortana and Alexa are available on the Yoga 730 with far-field voice-recognition technology supporting up to 4 meters away and in standby mode. Alexa capability is expected to be available in the US, Canada, UK and Germany. List of countries may expand over time.
2 FHD touchscreen display is available on the Lenovo Smart Display 10-inch model.
3 Information Technology Intelligence Consulting (ITIC) 2017 2018 Global Server Hardware, Server OS Reliability Report
LENOVO, LENOVO MIRAGE and YOGA are trademarks of Lenovo. GOOGLE, GOOGLE ASSISTANT and DAYDREAM are trademarks of Google, Inc. STAR WARS and related properties are trademarks and/or copyrights, in the United States and other countries, of Lucasfilm Ltd. and/or its affiliates. & TM Lucasfilm Ltd. EMR is a trademark of Wacom Co., Ltd. 2018, Lenovo Group Limited.
About Lenovo
Lenovo (HKSE: 992) (ADR: LNVGY) is a US$43 billion global Fortune 500 company and a leader in providing innovative consumer, commercial, and data center technology. Our portfolio of high-quality, secure products and services covers PCs (including the legendary Think and multimode Yoga brands), workstations, servers, storage, networking, software (including ThinkSystem and ThinkAgile solutions), smart TVs and a family of mobile products like smartphones (including the Motorola brand), tablets and apps. Join us on LinkedIn, follow us on Facebook or Twitter (@Lenovo) or visit us at http://www.lenovo.com/.
View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180226005492/en/
Contacts:
Lenovo
Kristy Fair
krisfair@lenovo.com
or
Charlotte West
cwest@lenovo.com
Sivic, a Chicago, IL-based maker of a a post function app that addresses civic engagement, secured $350K in pre-seed funding.
Seftech India Pvt. Ltd. acquired a 26% equity stake in the company.
The company intends to use the funds to develop its Alpha version due for soft-launch in Fall 2018.
Co-Founded by Dilraj Singh Rahal and Faateh Sayeed, Sivic is advancing a post function app that addresses civic engagement. The technology allows people to instantaneously address issues or policies that matter to them with the relevant influencers- that consist of politicians and organizations.
FinSMEs
26/02/2018
CBI also conducted searches at offices of the company and residences of its officials at eight places, including one location each in Hapur and Noida, and six locations in Delhi.
New Delhi: The CBI on Sunday registered a bank fraud cases against a Uttar Pradesh based private sugar company, its top officials along with unknown bank officials for allegedly causing loss of Rs 109 crore to Oriental Bank of Commerce, officials said.
According to Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) officials, the Hapur-based Simbhaoli Sugars Ltd in 2011 fraudulently diverted funds received as loans for sugarcane farmers and self help groups.
CBI also conducted searches at offices of the company and residences of its officials at eight places, including one location each in Hapur and Noida, and six locations in Delhi.
"Searches are being conducted at eight premises including residences of Directors, factory, corporate office and registered office of the company in Delhi, Hapur and Noida," CBI spokesperson Abhishek Dayal told IANS.
The agency has named the company's chairman and managing director, its directors, CEO, chief financial officer and unknown bank officials and other private persons, under charges of criminal conspiracy, cheating, forgery slapping sections under Prevention of Corruption Act for causing loss to the bank.
Officials said that the Bank sanctioned a loan amounting to Rs 148.60 crore in 2011 to the private company for financing individual, Joint Liability Groups, Self-Help Groups under the tie-up arrangement under the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) scheme to 5,762 sugarcane farmers supplying sugar produce to said private company during the period from 15 January to 13 March, 2012.
It has been alleged that the company has diverted funds for personal use.
According to complaint, the account turned Non Performing Asset (NPA) on 31 March, 2015 and was later declared as alleged fraud by the bank to RBI on 13 May, 2015 for an amount of Rs 97.85 crore.
It was further alleged that in addition to the existing NPA as on 31 March, 2015, the bank, under multiple banking arrangements, had sanctioned another corporate loan of Rs 110 crore to the sugar company on 28 January, 2015, to pay its outstanding loan of Rs 97.85 crore, and adjusted the total liability of Rs 112.9 crore of said private company on June 30, 2016 by way of deposit of this new corporate loan.
The corporate loan, too turned into an NPA on 29 November, 2016, thus resulting in its first outstanding loan of Rs 97.85 crore (as alleged fraud) and the corporate loan of Rs 109.08 crore (as fresh outstanding).
CBI is now investigating the matter, officials said.
The joint venture is now actively marketing natural gas produced from eastern offshore KG-D6 block on behalf of both RIL and BP
Visakhapatnam: India Gas Solutions Pvt Ltd, the equal joint venture between Reliance Industries and UK's BP plc, signed an agreement with Andhra Pradesh government to invest in creating marketing infrastructure for natural gas from KG basin.
The joint venture is now actively marketing natural gas produced from eastern offshore KG-D6 block on behalf of both RIL and BP, officials said.
It is also in the early stages of exploring opportunities for participating in the gas value chain in Andhra Pradesh.
An MoU was by India Gas Solutions Private Limited, Andhra Pradesh Economic Development Board and the Government of Andhra Pradesh represented by the Director of Ports, and Principal Secretary, Energy and I&I Department.
India Gas Solutions is a 50:50 joint venture company of Reliance Industries Limited (RIL) and BP International Limited (BP) in the business of marketing gas and LNG in India.
RIL and BP have announced plans to develop discovered offshore gas discoveries in Block KG-D6 situated in the Krishna Godavari basin, through three projects with investments up to Rs 40,000 crore ($6 billion).
Development of the three projects is expected to bring about 30-35 million cubic metres (1 billion cubic feet) of gas a day, phased over 2020-2022 and will create considerable direct and indirect employment during the construction phase over the next 5 years, they said.
RIL and BP plan to pursue skill development programmes as part of the execution of these projects.
(Disclosure: Reliance Industries Ltd is the sole beneficiary of Independent Media Trust which controls Network18 Media & Investments Ltd)
The Rs 11,400 crore Punjab National Bank fraud came to light on 14 February when the ban informed the exchanges about fraudulent transactions.
Diamantaire Nirav Modi and owner of Gitanjali Gems, Mehul Choksi, the nephew-uncle duo, had planned to flee India back in November 2017 when there was a major organisational reshuffle at the Brady House Branch of Punjab National Bank (PNB), according to a report in the Indian Express.
The branch located in South Mumbai has been at the centre of Rs 11,400 crore fraud that has rocked the bank as well as the entire banking fraternity in the country.
According to this Indian Express report, two officials who were instrumental in issuing the letters of undertaking (LoU) and letters of credit (LC) to companies run by the accused duo, had already left the country in the same month.
With the arrival of new staff at Brady House Branch, Modi and Choksi felt they might come under the crosshairs of investigating agencies and due to which they wanted to abscond, according to the IE report. However, for reasons known to only them, Modi and Choksi chose to stay back in India evading the attention of law enforcement agencies.
Modi left for the United States on 1 January, 2018. Neeshal, his brother, who is a Belgian citizen left on the same day while Modi's wife Ami - a US citizen, left on 6 January, the IE report said, quoting an official.
ED conducts raids
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has called Modi, Ami and Choksi for questioning on Monday (today) and if they fail to depose before the agency then a non-bailable warrant will be issued against them, reported Business Standard. If the accused skip the summons, the agency may approach a special PMLA (Prevention of Money Laundering Act) court to get non-bailable warrants against them.
Widening its probe into the PNB fraud case, the ED will soon send judicial requests to over a dozen countries for obtaining information about the overseas businesses and assets of Modi and Mehul Choksi, a PTI report said.
Official sources said the agency will approach a competent court in Mumbai with a request to obtain Letters Rogatories (LRs) to be sent to about 15-17 countries where the central investigation agency has traced the footsteps of the diamond and gold jewellery businesses of the firms owned by Modi, his uncle Choksi and others associated with them.
The countries where the LRs would be sent include Belgium, Hong Kong, Switzerland, the United States, the United Kingdom, Dubai, Singapore and South Africa. Some official requests on the basis of agency-to-agency exchange will also be sent to few countries, the sources said. The attempt of sending these judicial requests for exchange of information is aimed at obtaining the details of the overseas financial holdings of Modi and Choksi, who are accused in the Rs 11,400 crore PNB loan fraud case, their bank accounts, assets, partnerships, showrooms, trusts and other assets, they said.
These assets and their sources of income will be investigated and if necessary would be attached under the criminal sections of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) if it is found that they have been created using tainted funds or the proceeds of crime of the alleged bank fraud, the sources said, according to IANS.
Besides the ED, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) is conducting investigations.
The ED, which is also probing the financial angle in the case, on Saturday said it has attached Nirav Modi's 21 immovable properties worth Rs 523.72 crore, according to IANS. The assets include a farm house in Alibaug (Rs 42.70 crore) near Mumbai seashore, a solar power plant spread over 53 acre of land in Maharashtra's Ahmednagar (Rs 70 crore) and another 135 acre land in Ahmednagar (Rs 2.20 crore), along with other residential and office properties worth Rs 408.82 crore in Mumbai and Pune, a IANS report said.
The ED on Friday is said to have frozen Nirav Modi's bank account and shares worth Rs 43 crore. The ED had earlier seized bank deposits, shares and luxury cars worth over Rs 100 crore belonging to the businessman and his group. The agency has also frozen mutual funds and shares worth Rs 7.80 crore of Nirav Modi and Rs 86.72 crore belonging to his uncle Choksi. Its action comes in the wake of its ongoing probe -- along with the CBI -- against the two and many others including directors of their companies and bank officials into the alleged bank fraud, the IANS report said.
The CBI on Saturday questioned PNB Managing Director-cum-CEO Sunil Mehta and Executive Director K V Brahmaji Rao in connection with the Rs 11,300 crore/$1.8 billion bank fraud case, while the ED kept on its seizure of Modi's assets. Both the bank officials were called at the CBI's Mumbai branch and were questioned for over eight hours. Mehta and Rao were questioned for the first time even since the CBI filed the first FIR in the multi-crore scam on 14 February, against Modi, Ami, Nishal, Choksi and his firms Diamond R US, Solar Exports and Stellar Diamond, PTI said.
When asked if banking sector would see more skeletons tumbling out of the closet, SBI chairman Rajnish Kumar said it looks like the case is confined to a particular branch of PNB
New Delhi: SBI Chairman Rajnish Kumar on Monday said he expects PNB to clear the bank's $212 million (Rs 1,360 crore) dues in the Nirav Modi case.
"I am very much confident that things will get sorted out between PNB and other banks," Kumar said in an interview to CNBC TV18.
"As far as our exposure is concerned on PNB, that number is very much confirmed, calculated and advised to PNB," Kumar said.
He said the exposure of SBI to Gitanjali Gems - one of the companies involved in the scam - has also been crystallised and there was no issue on that.
"So our numbers, our claim is clear because there are some secondary market purchases, so double counting has to be avoided," the SBI Chairman and MD told the news channel.
When asked if banking sector would see more skeletons tumbling out of the closet, Kumar said it looks like the case is confined to a particular branch of PNB.
"At least for SBI, I can confirm that there is no such issue, no such problem. And I am sure that by now all other banks also would have reviewed their portfolios and would have arrived at the similar conclusion because if something was wrong somewhere, by now, I presume, it could have come out,"Kumar said.
When asked if regulator RBI has issued any other instruction to banks other than integrating the core banking solution with the SWIFT system, Kumar said he has no further knowledge on the issue.
He said RBI has instructed the banks to put in place the safety mechanism with respect to global money transfer software SWIFT and the banks are in a position to comply with that by April.
Kumar also said the PNB case is more of operational risk and not related to credit risk.
"Whatever has gone wrong, it is about the operational weakness and we have to keep that segregated from the credit risk."
Other than SBI, lenders like Union Bank of India(UBI) and Allahabad Bank also have exposure to PNB to grant loans on the basis of LoUs that were issued fraudulently to Modi and his uncle Mehul Choksi.
Allahabad Bank has an exposure of about $366.87 million in the case to PNB through its overseas branch in Hong Kong. UBI has exposure of nearly $300 million through its foreign branches.
On 14 February, PNB had informed the stock exchanges that the bank was defrauded to the tune of $1.77 billion (nearly Rs 11,400 crore) by Modi and his associate companies by getting loans through illegal LoUs for over seven years.
Private banks would not allow grass to grow under its feet as the massive PNB fraud did for seven long years without being detected.
Finance minister Arun Jaitley has ruled out bank denationalisation, as it were. He says it would be difficult to sell the idea to the Opposition. Which means, he is himself sold on the idea but unable to implement it for the fear of giving an issue on a platter to the Opposition. His apprehension perhaps is that the Opposition would go to town and paint the Narendra Modi government in the darkest hue possible---anti-poor and suit-boot ki sarkar, what with insinuations of the poor being disentitled of bank funds and rich made richer resonating with the masses.
It is true that the Modi government is already reeling under relentless criticism of its demonetisation exercise on 8 November, 2016 which impacted the nation especially the farmers and SMEs for more than a year as well as of the goods and services tax (GST) roll-out sans proper dry runs and internet infrastructure in place. It, therefore, cannot be faulted for being reluctant to make another cataclysmic, paradigm change to the nations banking system so soon after the two major economic upheavals.
Perhaps post-2019 Lok Sabha elections would be the appropriate time for this humongous change to the nations banking edifice. Given the Modi-Amit Shah duo penchant for preparedness and launching an early campaign, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) should throw more than subtle hints to the electorate as to what it intends to do to cleanse the banking Augean stables---denationalisation. It would get a meaty issue for the campaign---how the UPA government sowed the seeds of banking disaster through its behest lending policies. Preparing the ground is what the Modi government must be assuming will return it to power in 2019.
Coming to the innate merits of privatisation away from the political prism, private banks admittedly have a better track record. As Dinesh Unnikrishnan has put a figure to it in an article in Firstpost---as much as 90 percent of non performing assets (NPAs) have been engendered by the public sector banks (PSBs).
The still-unraveling Punjab National Bank (PNB) fraud is also of PSB origin. Critics turn around and say what about Global Trust Bank which had to be merged with Oriental Bank of Commerce in 2001 after it was run aground by management avarice in lending for stock market operations. Well, exceptions cannot be the bogey for stalling well-merited reforms.
Regulations, tech can be used
Indira Gandhi, the then prime minister, nationalised 14 private sector banks in 1969 and then followed it up with nationalisation of general insurance business in 1971 on the ground that both indulged in incestuous practices---banks lending to group companies and insurance companies settling fake claims of the group companies. Both the dangers can be warded off through strict and no-nonsense regulations.
The current cap of 15 percent on shareholding by an individual or a group does not encourage group malpractices. Private sector banks invariably tend to invest in the latest banking technology, eschewing manpower as much as possible, whereas the highly unionised PSBs are highly overstaffed. The so-called systemic fraud is often a euphemism for human mischief as the recent PNB letters of undertaking fraud showed.
A private management does not allow grass to grow under its feet. It would not have allowed the massive PNB fraud to brew for seven long years without being detected. Political interference which is so rampant in PSBs and responsible for crony capitalism and its concomitant--- write-offs for quid pro quo---- will be conspicuous by its absence in private banks.
With just 15 percent, the remaining share capital has to be raised from the public and foreign investors. The market is unforgiving especially if there are a large number of floating shares.
Post-2019 elections, the government and the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) must turn tack and instead of offering new banking licenses should privatise the existing somnolent PSBs. The realisations from the sales may not be huge, but would surely unlock the idle and troublesome investments the government has made in PSBs which in addition have to be periodically recapitalised at the taxpayers expense. Indeed, they would be a good riddance. Priority sector lending, the raison detre of nationalisation, can be mandated for them.
The government has nothing to lose but everything to gain by denationalisation of PSBs.
(The writer is a columnist. He tweets @smurlidharan)
Reliance will invest about $6 billion (about Rs 37,000 crore) in an oil and gas venture in AP and another Rs 15,000 crore in an electronics manufacturing plant near Tirupati. These ventures are expected to create 25,000 jobs over the next few years, the Chief Minister announced.
Visakhapatnam: Giving a boost to Andhra Pradesh in its efforts to garner big ticket investments that could spur job creation, Reliance Industries on Sunday inked two agreements with the state government promising a total investment of Rs 52,000 crore in oil and gas and electronics sectors.
The Memorandum of Understandings (MoU) were a follow-up action to the meeting Reliance Industries Chairman Mukesh Ambani had with Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu in Amaravati on 13 February.
Reliance will invest about $6 billion (about Rs 37,000 crore) in an oil and gas venture in AP and another Rs 15,000 crore in an electronics manufacturing plant near Tirupati. These ventures are expected to create 25,000 jobs over the next few years, the Chief Minister announced.
The MoUs were signed by Reliance president Kiran Thomas and AP governments Principal Secretaries Ajay Jain and K Vijayanand in the presence of Chandrababu Naidu on the second day of the Partnership Summit here.
Reliance, in association with BP International, plans to develop offshore gas infrastructure in the Krishna-Godavari Basin in East Godavari district. No more details of the proposed projects have been officially announced.
Reliance is already into gas exploration from its D6 block in the KG Basin near Kakinada.
Reliance Jio, on the other hand, will establish an electronics manufacturing park near Tirupati in Chittoor district to manufacture mobile phones and set-top boxes. The Indian industry major will set up the facility on a 150-acre site, a senior official said.
As a pre-condition to setting up the electronics manufacturing park, Mukesh Ambani, during his meeting with the Chief Minister, wanted the state government to promote clusters of educational institutions like ITIs and diploma colleges in the vicinity to create employment right after education, another senior official said. He also asked the government to develop a workmen housing corridor in the vicinity of Tirupati Growth Corridor.
The state government is yet to respond to Ambani's requests, the official maintained.
(Disclosure: Reliance Industries Ltd is the sole beneficiary of Independent Media Trust which controls Network18 Media & Investments Ltd)
It said the need for arbitration arose due to prolonged non-payment of dues by the state government towards supply of electricity by RInfra from its 48 MW Goa Power Plant in Sancoale
New Delhi: Reliance Infrastructure Ltd (RInfra) on Monday said it has won an arbitration award of Rs 292 crore against the Goa government for non-payment of electricity dues.
It said the need for arbitration arose due to prolonged non-payment of dues by the state government towards supply of electricity by RInfra from its 48 MW Goa Power Plant in Sancoale.
"RInfra has won an arbitration award of Rs 292 crore against Government of Goa. The Arbitration Tribunal, in its award on 16 February, 2018, has ordered Government of Goa to pay Rs 292 crore to Reliance Infrastructure Limited by 15 April, 2018," the company said in a statement.
The Tribunal has also ordered payment of interest at 15 percent per annum on the total award amount if the government fails to pay the entire award amount by the deadline, it said.
The Joint Electricity Regulatory Commission had constituted the Tribunal under the new rules laid down in 2015.
"Starting in January 2016, the proceedings of the tribunal were held for about two years and all pleadings and arguments by both the parties were completed in 12 sittings," it said.
RInfra said the total outstanding, along with interest as on 31 October, 2017, amount to Rs 278 crore. The Tribunal has also awarded interest from October 2017 till the date of the award, which amounts to Rs 14 crore.
"The contention of RInfra that the rate of energy for the period from June 2013 to August 2014 was based on the varying prices of fuel and dollar exchange rate as was agreed to by the Goa Government, was upheld by the Tribunal," the company said.
General Bipin Rawat, while showing concern for the Assam influx, might have complicated the NRC process further by his recent political statements
Illegal migration from Bangladesh to the North Eastern regions of India, particularly to Assam and Tripura, has always been a cause of great concern. In Tripura, the demography has already changed in favour of the migrant population. The indigenous population which constituted 70 percent of the population of Tripura in 1931 has been reduced to mere 28 percent now. The immigration has been of a different intensity during different periods since the early nineteenth century.
To increase food production, the "grow more food campaign" was launched by the then Muhammed Saadulah ministry in 1937, which saw a rapid increase in infiltrations from the erstwhile East Bengal. Lord Wavell, the then Governor General of India had remarked cynically, "The desire of the Muslim minister to increase this immigration into uncultivated government land under the slogan of 'grow more food campaign' but what they wanted was 'grow more Muslims'."
A historic agitation in Assam on the influx issue (from 1979 to 1985) led to the "Assam Accord" of 1985 and to the formation of a regional political party led government (AGP - Asom Gana Parishad) based purely on the emotional issue of Bangladeshi influx. However, the government failed miserably in the process of detection, deletion (from voters list) and deportation of illegal migrants. In their second term also (1996 to 2001), the AGP government could not achieve much.
The Bangladeshi influx issue has been taken advantage of by various political parties, student organisations etc to suit their own objectives. No one is sure of the quantum of Bangladeshi immigrants in the state. Different figures are quoted by different political parties and student organisations.
Sri Prakash Singh Jaiswal, then minister of state for home had said in 2001 that there were 50 lakh "foreigners" in the state. On the other hand, former chief minister of Assam late Sri Hiteshwar Saikia had stated in the Assam Assembly on 12 April, 1992 that there were no "foreigners in the state".
Similarly, there is no unanimity amongst political parties, NGOs and social organisations on who is an illegal migrant. Some political parties demand 1951 as the cutoff year for the detection of Bangladeshis while most have accepted 1971 as the "cut of year". Meanwhile, a social organisation by the name of Assam Sanmilita Mahasangha has filed a case in the Supreme Court on the grounds that the voters' list of 1951 should be taken as the cutoff year to detect foreigners, as in the rest of India.
They argue that why should Assam have a separate cutoff date of 24 March, 1971. In case the apex court decides 1951 as the cutoff year, as in the rest of the country, the whole process of the preparation of National Register of Citizens (NRC) may become null and void.
Chief of Army Staff general Bipin Rawat's stance on infiltration from Bangladesh is well known. There is no denying the fact that in spite of the augmentation of the security forces and the use of the latest surveillance devices and fencing in the most parts of the border, infiltration continues, though at a lesser scale. But his remarks that neighbouring countries (indicating that Pakistan and China) are backing influx to North East India gives a totally new dimension, which has probably been stated by anyone for the first time.
One hopes that his statement is based on credible inputs. But his saying that a political party is being benefited by this influx has given enough fodder to some political parties and organisations to create further tension in the sensitive state of Assam. It is pertinent to note that the North East has been largely free of communal tension, which is seen frequently in some parts of India. However, there is no denying the fact that insecurity amongst minorities has increased in the recent past.
The timing of his comments is not appropriate. It is likely to compound the process of the preparation of NRC which has been undertaken by the government based on Supreme Court directives. Fortunately, contrary to the apprehension of a law and order problem, the NRC process has been continuing smoothly.
The Supreme Court on 21 February had directed that by 30 June, 2018, the second and final draft of the NRC must be published. The most important aspect is that all political parties irrespective of the line to which they belong have welcomed the apex court's directives hoping that a correct NRC will help in resolving the decades-long illegal immigrant issue of the state.
The NRC is being updated in Assam to include in the electoral roll the names of those persons (or their dependents) who appear in the NRC of 1951 or any of the electoral rolls up to the midnight of 24 March, 1971, or any of the admissible documents issued up to the midnight of 24 March, 1971.
Rawat's statement may also draw reactions from China and Pakistan though he has not named the countries. It is a known fact that China till the mid-1980s supported the North East insurgent groups by way of training, shelter and providing arms and equipment. Even today most of the sophisticated arms recovered in the North East are of Chinese origin. Moreover, many insurgent groups have their office in Rulie, a small town located in the Yunnan province of China, bordering Myanmar.
Pakistan, of course, would like to continue to bleed India in whatever way it can. Fortunately, present Bangladeshi leadership has been taking concerted steps to root out terrorism from the country. But, Inter-Service Intelligence of Pakistan (ISI) has a strong presence in the region (including Nepal) and will always try to destabilise the North East region. The ISI has all along been supporting NE insurgent groups, fundamentalists and jihadi elements.
The Bangladeshi government has expressed its unease with the NRC process being carried out in the state. They fear a 'Rohingya type' situation may be created in their country as they are apprehensive about the movement of people (Muslims whose names may not be included in the NRC) to their country.
Though their apprehension is not based on sound fact, it may adversely affect the India-Bangladesh relationship. While China has been able to increase its influence with all our neighbouring countries, the present dispensation in Bangladesh has been very favourable to India, which is why India needs to maintain amicable relations with the country.
Rawat may not be aware that from Independence till very recently, illegal migrants were a major vote bank for the Congress. These immigrant voters have gradually found Badruddin Ajmal-led AIUDF to be their saviour. The Congress is still trying to win over this huge chunk of voters.
It is pertinent to note that the Assam Accord of 1985 was signed much before the formation of AIUDF in 2005. However, in the last election of 2016, AIUDF did not do as well as expected and won only 15 seats. It is to be observed that AIUDF has MLAs from other religions as well as ethnic groups besides Muslims.
Of course, the army has since clarified that there is nothing political or religious about Rawat's statement. But his taking names of political parties (AIUDF and BJP) could have been avoided. To make the nation aware of the influx of immigrants to Assam since the early twentieth century, it is worthwhile to note the observation of CS Mullan, census commissioner.
In the census report of 1931, he had observed: "Probably the most important event in the province during the last twenty-five years an event, moreover which seems likely to alter permanently the whole feature of Assam and to destroy the whole structure of Assamese culture and civilization has been the invasion of a vast horde of land-hungry immigrants mostly Muslims, from the districts of East Bengal. Where so ever the carcass, there the vultures will be gathered together".
It is really sad that successive governments since Independence have failed to take effective steps to prevent migration and the problem is still continuing. Today, about 11 districts in the state have a population constituting majority Muslims. The Supreme Court has rightly observed that "interested religious and political elements encourages immigration".
Hopefully, a lasting solution will be found on the influx issue as it has the potential to create unrest in the sensitive North East region. But, Rawat while showing concern for influx should not further complicate the matter by giving political statements. The army must at all times maintain its apolitical and secular image.
The writer is a retired brigadier from the Military Intelligence Corps and former chairman in charge of the Assam Public Service Commission
An FIR was lodged against BJP leader Manoj Baitha for the death of nine school children in Bihar's Muzaffarpur district, police said on Monday. The parents of the killed children demanded his arrest
Patna: An FIR was lodged against BJP leader Manoj Baitha for the death of nine school children in Bihar's Muzaffarpur district, police said on Monday. The parents of the killed children demanded his arrest.
"We have registered an FIR against Baitha on Sunday on the basis of a complaint by Moh Ansari of Dharampur village, who lost five grandchildren in the tragedy on Saturday," Station House Officer of Meenapur police station Sona Prasad Singh said.
Singh said raids were conducted to arrest Baitha who hails from Sitamarhi district but he is absconding. On Sunday, shocked villagers staged a protest by blocking the National Highway to demand Baitha's arrest.
Ansari said in his police statement that Baitha was driving the vehicle when the speeding vehicle mowed down the children on Saturday. Clad in a white cotton kurta-pyjama, he fled after the vehicle hit and killed the school children, he added.
Ansari said a closed-circuit television footage also showed the BJP leader driving the vehicle.
The accident occurred near Dharampur school on National Highway-77 in Minapur block when a Balero jeep hit the children while they were crossing the road. Angry over the deaths, area residents beat up teachers and set ablaze chairs and benches there on Saturday.
Muzaffarpur Senior Superintendent of Police Vivek Kumar said the injured children were admitted to a city hospital.
The state has announced Rs 4 lakh each to the next of kin of the killed children.
Opposition Rashtriya Janata Dal has already demanded stern action against the culprit.
Leader of Opposition Tejashwi Yadav, after visiting the injured, said their families told him that the killer vehicle belonged to the BJP leader and no arrest had been made so far.
If you go by statistics, Meghalaya is the highest consumer of beef in Asia. It consumes about 1,000 tonnes (of beef) in a year. Also, the climate and terrain are such that one needs the energy and protein that beef provides
Shillong/Mawlai/Tura: "Take away everything from us if you must, but let us have our beef in peace," Edward Marak said in the crowded Barabazar market. An undergraduate student in Shillong, Marak was at the local butcher's shop waiting his turn when he explained that no gathering in Shillong began without "good beef and some beer."
Along with the issues of development, the possibility of abattoirs shutting down in the state has shaped the political rhetoric in election campaigns ahead of the 27 February Assembly polls and with good reason as cattle meat is very widely consumed in the state.
"If you go by statistics, Meghalaya is the highest consumer of beef in Asia. It consumes about 1,000 tonnes (of beef) in a year. Also, the climate and terrain are such that one needs the energy and protein that beef provides," Member of Parliament from Shillong, Vincent Pala, told Firstpost.
"Earlier, beef was sold at Rs 70 a kilogram, but now the price has risen to Rs 400 a kilogram Im not sure of the present rate. The cow or bull meat coming in from the mainland of the country has been decreasing, aiding the price rise," Pala said.
The current price of beef, even in the most urban towns of East Khasi Hills and West Garo Hills, was quoted to be around Rs 300 a kilogram. However, many vendors agreed that the price was much less even a couple of years ago.
Sonlai, a 48-year-old butcher who runs a beef outlet in Shillongs Barabazar with his son Freddy, says he fears that if the BJP comes to power in Meghalaya, the price of cattle and beef will rise even further, "unless it doesnt get banned" entirely. "The meat comes only from Assams Khanapara now. Earlier, the beef used to come from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar too, but after the BJP came to power in those states, we have not seen any supply from there," Sonlai said.
We will never vote for the BJP here. They will kill our businesses, beef will not be seen anywhere anymore, and this will all be illegal. This is our only source of income. They have already messed with mined coal and lakdi business, Freddy said.
In Mawlai, PM Unlong runs a similar business with his family. In addition to Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, Unlong said the meat also used to come from Nepal and Bhutan, but now only comes from Assam. "We hear BJP will close down beef shops, but I cant say anything for sure. Business is getting more and more difficult now," he said.
The sentiment that the BJP will ban beef if voted to power in Meghalaya is shared widely among citizens other than those involved in the business of cattle meat as well. The reason, as college student Marak pointed out, may be traced to certain statements made by party leaders in other parts of the country.
In January, Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath had challenged his Karnataka counterpart Siddaramaiah to ban beef in Karnataka if he a "true Hindu". Adityanath also said, "Hinduism is a lifeline and a rich tradition that cannot flow in the veins of those who justify killing cows and eat beef."
As the state chapter of the BJP tried to distance itself away from such statements, the Congress has jumped at the opportunity to allege that the BJP is trying to stifle the way of life in Meghalaya. Congress Pala said, How can you dictate how to dress, what to wear and who to worship? If you want this country to unite, you have to go by what the Constitution says. A section of people in the country cannot change lifestyles of other sections.
The Meghalaya govt has already voiced its disapproval of the Centre's order restricting the sale of cattle for slaughter, so theres clearly a clash with the BJP here, Pala said, If you go to the villages, before any meeting or gathering starts, everyone has a meal with beef. How will BJP hold meetings in villages if it bans beef?
The BJP, which did not feature the issue of beef consumption or slaughter of cattle in its 17-page manifesto for Meghalaya, says the partys stand on beef has been unequivocal and consistent throughout. National spokesperson Nalin Kohli, in an interview with Firstpost, said, "We dont interfere with peoples eating habits. Political parties are there to help a state get development."
"With regard to the issue of slaughter of animals, who brought in the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act? Not the BJP but the Congress. The Supreme Court asked us make the rules. So, the BJP makes the rules on a Supreme Court direction for a law brought in by the Congress party. And that is only for agricultural animals, not for slaughter animals," Kohli said.
Minister of State for Home Affairs Kiren Rijiju, defending the BJPs varying stands on the matter in Karnataka and the Northeast, had said, "Yogiji has said what he did in Karnataka, not in Nagaland. As long as you care for the sentiment of the particular region, how does it matter? The BJP has respected the sentiment of each section of society in each region of states.
When asked if such statements expose the partys hypocrisy vis-a-vis the issue of beef, Kohli only turned to Congress president Rahul Gandhis Gujarat campaign. He said, Hypocrisy? Rahul Gandhi goes and files one thing in Somnath Temple where his man fills the register for non-Hindus. Then he goes on a temple spree. This time, he didnt go to a single mosque. Otherwise he never goes to a temple, always goes to a mosque. These are politics of tokenism and hypocrisy. The BJP doesnt practice that.
In the district of West Garo Hills, however, MLAs say that beef has not formed a central theme in election campaigns, although former BJP leaders held a beef festival in Tura in 2017 to protest against the Centres notification banning cattle trade for slaughter.
Phulbari constituencys MLA AT Mondal said that in his and neighbouring constituencies, some of which do not have a Christian-majority population, the issue of beef has only been mentioned in passing. Cattle traders in Tura said they were more upset with the BJP for bringing in demonetisation and GST than for their perceived stand against beef consumption.
An issue that cattle traders across the state mentioned was smuggling of cattle into Bangladesh. The biggest problem we face is that of black sale or illegal smuggling of beef to Bangladesh. Most of the meat that comes from Assam goes to Bangladesh in black, and the price of the meat increases as a result. BSF personnel catch some of that activity, but the meat doesnt come back to Meghalaya, Unlong said.
The CBSE has taken a serious view of schools withholding admit cards of students due to their performance in the pre-board tests.
The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has taken a serious view of schools withholding admit cards of students due to their performance in the pre-board tests. The board has written to the heads of all schools affiliated to it, directing them to refrain from doing so.
A report in The Times of India states that the CBSE wrote the letter after receiving numerous complaints of schools detaining students on the basis of their pre-board results. These tests are internal assessments conducted by the schools to evaluate the performance of students before the actual board examinations.
"It may be noted that the Board issues admit cards only to those candidates (who) have been sponsored by schools in their finalised list of candidates of Class 10/12. Therefore, the school has already confirmed eligibility of such candidates for appearing in Board examinations. This being the position, it is reiterated that holding of admit card/not allowing eligible candidates to appear in practical/theory examination in class 10/12 is violative of CBSE examination bye-laws. The school will also not charge any fee for issue of admit card to the eligible candidate," the CBSE's letter states.
The circular refers to Rule 15 of the Examination Bye-Laws which states that heads of affiliated schools cannot detain eligible candidates from appearing for the examination in any case.
Students across the country are bombarding CBSE's toll-free helpline with queries not only on exam-related stress but also on personal matters
With the board examinations nearing, students from across the country are bombarding the Central Board of Secondary Education's (CBSE) toll-free helpline with a host of queries. These queries are not only about exam-related stress, but also about personal matters such as break-ups, said media reports.
According to Hindustan Times, students are seeking advice on personal matters like memory loss and ill-treatment by their parents.
I had a break-up recently and I dont feel like studying at all. I cant think about anything but her, a Class 12 student was quoted as saying by a Delhi-based counsellor, reported Hindustan Times.
The CBSE in January had said that it would be providing psychological counselling to students at the time of preparation as well as during the examinations to overcome exam related stress, The Hindu had reported.
This year 91 principals, trained counsellors from CBSE-affiliated government and private schools, (a) few psychologists and special educators will participate in tele-counselling and address exam related psychological problems of the students. 71 of them are available in India while 20 are located abroad, The Hindu quoted a CBSE statement as saying.
On 23 February, India Today had reported that a total of 5,600 calls were made by students to the helpline in just 21 days. The maximum numbers of calls were made from Uttar Pradesh, followed by Madhya Pradesh.
The CBSE's toll-free helpline number is 1800 11 8004 where the students are greeted by an operator and then later connected to the counsellors.
In January, the CBSE had released the board examination dates for class 10 and class 12. As per the schedule, the exams will begin from 5 March.
Over 16 lakh students will sit for class 10 exams while 11.86 lakh students will appear for class 12 exams.
Over 18,000 schools across the country are affiliated to the CBSE.
With inputs from agencies
Funds spent by the Jammu and Kashmir government in paying compensation to victims of cross-border firing will be reimbursed by the Centre, Union minister Jitendra Singh said on Monday.
New Delhi: Funds spent by the Jammu and Kashmir government in paying compensation to victims of cross-border firing will be reimbursed by the Centre, Union minister Jitendra Singh said on Monday.
The minister said the Jammu and Kashmir government should expedite the mechanism and seek prompt reimbursement of funds from the Centre.
This would prevent delays and address concerns of the state government "about non-payment or inadequate payment of compensation to border victims", the Minister of State in the Prime Minister's Office said in a statement.
He thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh for being extremely sensitive in promptly responding to the demands from the border areas.
According to a home ministry order, the funds paid as compensation by the Jammu and Kashmir government will be reimbursed by the Centre for security related expenditure (SRE).
The Jammu and Kashmir government may consider paying "relief and compensation for housing damages/losses, crop or livestock losses, relief for stay at relief camps, displacement, etc." to those affected by cross-border firing at rates equal to NDRF recommendations fixed from time to time, the order read.
Item-wise claims and compensations paid by the state government to victims of cross-border firing may be submitted along with details, from time to time, to seek timely reimbursement from the Centre, it read.
Maldives opposition has claimed that China is building a joint observatory station there, with military capabilities and provisions for a submarine base.
The Maldives-China bonhomie has raised fresh security challenges for India's maritime security with Maldives opposition reportedly claiming that "China's Joint Observation Station in the Maldives is likely to have military capabilities along with provisions for a submarine base".
Political sources in Male, as quoted in a Times Of India article, said that "the observatory, located in Makunudhoo, the westernmost atoll in the north (not far from India), will allow the Chinese a vantage point of an important Indian Ocean shipping route through which many merchant and other ships pass".
A protocol on the establishment of a Joint Ocean Observation Station was signed between the Maldives environment ministry and Chinas State Oceanic Administration when the Maldives president Abdulla Yameen had visited China for the first time in December 2017.
Location matters
The Makunudhoo island in the Maldives where China is building the observatory is part of the northern-most tip of the archipelago nation. The Makunudhoo island is, worryingly, not only close to the northern sea line of communication running between India's Minicoy island and the Maldives northern-most atolls but also to India's South and South West coast.
The observatory, therefore, poses a threat to the security, safety, and freedom of sea lanes of communication in the Indian Ocean region.
As a Firspost analysis had revealed earlier, China is investing heavily in infrastructural projects in the Maldives, and already owns islands in the archipelago nation. According to exiled Maldivian leader Mohammed Nasheed, 16-17 small islands have been seized by the Chinese. So, it's only a matter of time when Beijing begins asserting its presence similar to the disputed South China Sea.
Worryingly, this observatory is very similar to the one China announced for the disputed South China Sea last year.
Interestingly, the Maldives observatory is an integral part of Beijing's "String of Pearls" encircling India, along with the Hambantota Port in Sri Lanka, and the China Pakistan Economic Corridor and the Gwadar port in Pakistan.
Defence analyst Major Gaurav Arya writes on Twitter: "This Joint Ocean Observation Station in the Maldives is clearly dual purpose. The last thing China wants to do is study ocean currents. This station allows them to 'peek into' our South and South Western coast. The dragon is wagging its tail."
The "covert, dual-purpose underwater observatory in the Maldives", claims Brahma Chellaney, Indian strategist, would allow it to collect data to deploy submarines in the Indian Ocean Region.
China, treating India as a sleeping Indian Ocean giant, reportedly plans to establish a covert, dual-purpose underwater observatory in the Maldives an action that will yield sub-surface oceanic data for extended submarine deployments, thus opening a maritime front against India pic.twitter.com/k5BCBpcs4g Brahma Chellaney (@Chellaney) February 26, 2018
At this point, the question for India, as Mohan Guruswamy argued in the Deccan Chronicle is, India is faced with the dilemma "whether to deal with this issue now, when it has the means to enforce its will on the Maldives, and as former President Nasheed has entreated it to do, or continue with its traditional policy of not overtly intervening in the internal affairs of other countries" and risk allowing China to continue expanding its presence in the Indian Ocean Region and that too at a "frenetic pace".
However, it may be little premature to say that India has been sleeping, while China has been building.
With China's military activities in the disputed South China Sea coming under severe criticism from Japan as well as the US, the re-emergence of the India-Australia-Japan-US quad and strengthening its ties with ASEAN countries including the reverse "String of Pearls" in Vietnam could go a long way in containing China's aggressive stance to control sea lanes in the disputed South China Sea, and the Indian Ocean Region.
A joint forum of Delhi government employees appealed to Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal and Police Commissioner Amulya Patnaik to take action against Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and his deputy Manish Sisodia in the case of alleged assault on Chief Secretary Anshu Prakash
New Delhi: A joint forum of Delhi government employees on Monday appealed to Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal and Police Commissioner Amulya Patnaik to take action against Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and his deputy Manish Sisodia in the case of alleged assault on Chief Secretary Anshu Prakash.
The forum passed a resolution in its meeting on Monday, stating that until Kejriwal and Sisodia give "a specific written and public apology" and steps are taken to ensure the personal safety and dignity of officers, they will continue to work with AAP ministers through written communication only.
The resolution claimed that instead of apologising and admitting their mistake, the chief minister and the deputy chief minister are in a "denial mode" which shows that they were a "part of the conspiracy".
We want a written apology from the CM. Instead of apologizing for the incident the CM & Deputy CM are in denial. This shows they are part of the conspiracy: Pooja Joshi, IAS Joint Forum on #DelhiChiefSecretary alleged assault case pic.twitter.com/4Yuy8YyCVi ANI (@ANI) February 26, 2018
The forum also rejected the mediation of Social Welfare Minister Rajender Pal Gautam to find out a solution to the current crisis between the AAP dispensation and the bureaucracy.
"The Joint Forum of Delhi Government Employees demands that the prerequisite to any dialogue with the political executive is a specific written and public apology from Honble chief minister & Honble deputy chief minister regarding the criminal act of physical assault on the chief secretary," the resolution stated.
Reading out the resolution at a press conference in New Delhi, Pooja Joshi, member of the forum, said, "Instead of apologising and admitting their mistake of assault on the chief secretary at midnight, chief minister and deputy chief minister are in denial mode.
"This shows that they were a part of the conspiracy and since they are specifically identified in the FIR, we appeal to LG and the commissioner of police to take action as per law against the chief minister and deputy chief minister," the resolution said.
It expressed "deep concern" that not only has the political executive "failed" to condemn or regret the above incident, but also more incidents of public representatives misbehaving with and threatening government servants have taken place in the intervening period.
The resolution alleged that an open "threat" by an MLA was given in the presence of Arvind Kejriwal who has made no statement condemning the same.
In such a situation, communication between the political and permanent executive can only continue through formal written means and no talks are possible. "Therefore, the joint forum resolves that all Delhi Government employees will continue to work through formal written means of communication," the resolution said.
IAS Joint Forum addresses the media over #DelhiChiefSecretary alleged assault case sporting black bands. #Delhi pic.twitter.com/mjoibFB8Lj ANI (@ANI) February 26, 2018
The employees said that they will continue their protest "in the form of five-minutes silence at 1.30 pm (lunch time) in all government offices till such time a specific written and public apology is tendered by CM and deputy CM and steps are taken to ensure the personal safety and dignity of officers while they discharge their official duties," resolution stated.
Maharashtra Governor Ch Vidyasagar Rao on Monday said the state government has a vision to turn the state into a one trillion dollar economy by 2025.
Mumbai: Maharashtra Governor Ch Vidyasagar Rao on Monday said the state government has a vision to turn the state into a one trillion dollar economy by 2025.
"This will be achieved by increasing growth in sectors like agriculture, textile, tourism," Rao said in his address to the Maharashtra Legislature.
He also said the government has increased investment in infrastructure and agriculture which has resulted in GSDP growing at 8.5 percent in 2015-16 and 9.4 per cent in 2016-17.
"To usher in one trillion dollar economy, the government has leveraged international funding and alloted substantial state budgetary resources to give a massive push to augment public infrastructure," Rao said, adding to accelerate the high growth rate the government continues to back infrastructure-led growth policies.
Rao further said the state government inherited a crisis-laden agriculture sector.
"From a negative growth of minus 0.5 percent in 2012-13, the growth rate has increased to 12.5 percent in 2016-17. This momentum will be sustained in 2017-18. This growth was achieved by making heavy investment in agriculture sector. From Rs 29,000 crore in 2013-14, it grew by 280 percent to Rs 83,000 crore in 2017-18," the Governor said.
According to the Governor, under the flagship programme of 'Jalyukt Shivar' scheme, nearly 15,000 villages are being made drought-proof by May 2018.
He said 6.1 crore ration card holders have been linked to 'Aadhar' under the National Food Security Act.
"Through this process about 92 lakh people who were earlier not covered under the Act are provided 2kg rice at Rs 3 per kg and 3 kg wheat at Rs 2 per kg. About 10 lakh ineligible ration cards were eliminated," he informed.
According to Rao, 22,670 out of 22,793 gram panchayats and 212 blocks out of 351 have been declared open defecation free.
He also said construction of the first Marina project on the coast will soon be taken up in Panvel creek at Belapur. and in the first phase berthing facilities for 30 boats will be created.
Rao also said to promote innovative financial services particularly to the poor who are not fully served by the formal banking sector and provide employment to educated youth, the government has decided to launch an innovative Fintech policy.
"It provides for setting up Fintech hub in Mumbai with additional FSI, a capital support for setting up common facilities and partnership with banks like the State Bank of India," he signed off.
King of Jordan Abdullah II bin Al-Hussein, accompanied by a business delegation, will come on a three-day visit to India starting on Tuesday, the External Affairs Ministry announced
New Delhi: King of Jordan Abdullah II bin Al-Hussein, accompanied by a business delegation, will come on a three-day visit to India starting on Tuesday, the external affairs ministry announced on Monday.
This will be his second visit to India after his visit along with Queen Rania in 2006.
According to an external affairs ministry statement, King Abdullah will hold talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the course of which the two sides will discuss the entire gamut of bilateral relations as well as regional and international issues of mutual interest.
The two sides are expected to sign a number of memorandums of understanding (MoUs) and agreements in diverse areas of bilateral cooperation.
President Ram Nath Kovind will host a banquet in honour of King Abdullah while Vice-President M Venkaiah Naidu and external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj will call on the visiting dignitary.
On Wednesday, the king will visit IIT Delhi to explore collaboration with Jordan technical institutes.
During the day, the king will also participate in a CEO round-table followed by India-Jordan Business Forum jointly organised by Industry bodies FICCI, CII and ASSOCHAM.
India-Jordan trade stood at $1.35 billion in 2016-17, according to figures provided by the external affairs ministry.
On Thursday, the king will deliver a special address on "Promoting Understanding and Moderation", organised by the India Islamic Centre at Vigyan Bhawan.
Earlier this month, King Abdullah hosted Modi at his residence in Amman. Jordan had facilitated Modi's transit to Palestine in what was the first ever prime ministerial visit from India to that West Asian nation.
Senior Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad on alleged that the BJP has 'internationalised' corruptions that are taking place in the country. The Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha claimed that all the scams unearthed during the UPA regime were of much smaller in sizes.
Guwahati: Senior Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad alleged that the BJP has 'internationalised' corruptions that are taking place in the country. The Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha claimed that all the scams unearthed during the UPA regime were of much smaller in sizes.
"After the BJP came to power, corruption has been internationalised. Scams are of Rs 8,000 crore, Rs 11,000 crore and similar sizes are unearthed. The scamsters are easily going out (of the country) and never coming back," Azad said in a press conference in Guwahati.
The Congress general secretary said the prime minister claims he has good relations with all the world leaders. "Then why can't he bring back all those accused such as Lalit Modi, Vijay Mallya, Nirav Modi and others by using his influence?"
Accusing the government and prime minister Narendra Modi of being involved in the scams, Azad alleged that that is why he is silent on the scams. Attacking the BJP, he said the saffron party is trying to dictate everyone on what to wear, what to eat and what culture to follow, thereby threatening to attack the basic tenets of the Constitution.
"That is why, for the first time in the history of India, four senior most judges of the Supreme Court came out openly, addressed to the nation and said democracy has to be saved. If this is the opinion of the Supreme Court judges, then imagine what is going on in the country," he added.
Azad termed the central government as the "TV and advertisement government", which is misusing public money and dictating the media, especially the electronic media, what to report and what not.
"Even in reporting Parliament proceedings, we see only two per cent opposition voices, and 98 per cent government.
But if you see actual footages in Rajya Sabha TV and Lok Sabha TV, the scenario is completely the opposite," the Rajya Sabha MP claimed.
During the tenure of the NDA government, the economic growth has stagnated and no new development projects have been announced, he said adding that it is re-launching old projects of the UPA government.
Regarding North East, Azad said the BJP government is threatening the diverse culture of the region by its policies. "BJP does not know anything about the people of NE. I am concerned about the culture, food habits of these two regions," he added.
Azad charged the BJP with trying to capture power in Tripura, Meghalaya and Nagaland by muscle and money power
A traders' association led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi's brother has threatened an indefinite strike from 1 March to press for various demands, including a higher commission from foodgrain sales.
Ahmedabad: A traders' association led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi's brother has threatened an indefinite strike from 1 March to press for various demands, including a higher commission from foodgrain sales.
Prahlad Modi, president of the Gujarat Fair Price Shop Owners' Association, said on Monday that the association had submitted a list of demands to the Gujarat government including a rise in commission from foodgrain sales to bring it at par with states like Rajasthan, Delhi, Maharashtra, Kerala and Goa.
"While the commission given to fair price shop owners in Gujarat is Rs 85 per quintal, it is Rs 200 in Rajasthan and Delhi, Rs 220 in Kerala, Rs 150 in Maharashtra and Rs 230 in Goa. We want parity in commission rates," he said.
"We will go on an indefinite strike from 1 March if the government does not meet our demands by Tuesday. We have given them an ultimatum as the government has failed to meet our demands, several of which we had raised in May last year," he added.
He said that the association wanted the software currently being used to operate the Annapurna Yojana at fair price shops to be replaced as it had glitches.
"The software sometimes fails to read the fingerprint and Aadhaar card details of the beneficiaries, forcing them to return without their monthly quota of subsidised food grains," Modi said.
The association also wants fair price shops to be allowed to sell gas cylinders under the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana, which aims to provide free LPG connections to women from BPL households, he said.
Modi said that shop owners had been deprived of income due to the policy of the Central and state governments to reduce the use of kerosene, and instead supply gas under the Ujjwala Yojana.
Fairprice shop owners also want the government to provide financial assistance for the education of their children, Modi said.
Inspired by Mann Ki Baat radio programme, 9-year-old Khushi Sharma, a Class III student from Haryana, wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi describing the difficult commute from her village to her school in the absence of a proper road. Her letter forced the PMO to order construction of a pucca road in her village
Hisar: For as long as she can remember, nine-year-old Khushi Sharma from Ratta Tibba village in Fatehabad district of Haryana has been trudging through slushy kutcha paths cutting across farm fields, her school clothes and school bag splattered with specks of brown muck, to get from Dhani Teja (an agricultural settlement) to her school in nearby Bahbalpur village.
On some days, she takes the school van, which makes for a bumpy, uncomfortable, and risky ride. This is how 25 other children from nearby villages go to school as well, every day.
It is a common practice in this northern district of Haryana for farmers to settle close to their agricultural land. Dhani Teja, the agricultural settlement where Khushi's family lives, is three kilometres from Ratta Tibba village and six kilometres from Bahbalpur. Over 300 people who live in Dhani Teja use the kutcha route to go to Ratta Tibba for various purposes. Ratta Tibba is about 20 kilometres from Fatehabad district headquarters.
The problem is precipitated during the rainy season, with slush and mud making the kutcha roads virtually inaccessible, and the children often have to miss school.
"Last year, during the monsoon, Khushis school van got stuck in a deep rut caused by the wet ground giving way to rainwater, and it had to be pulled out with the help of tractors," says Khushis grandfather Chottu Ram Sharma, a farmer by profession.
That day, Khushi, who had to miss school, did not eat or sleep, and kept asking her family for a solution to the daily commute problem, says her father Vikas Sharma (30), who works as a lineman in the government electricity department.
According to a paper on the status of infrastructure in Indian schools, 88.30 percent of all primary schools in the country are approachable by all-weather roads. For upper primary schools, the percentage is 92.74, whereas it's 89.18 percent for elementary, 94.99 percent for secondary, and 95.91 percent for higher secondary schools.
About 10 months ago, Khushi, inspired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Mann Ki Baat radio programme on Sundays, decided to take the matters in her own hands and urged her grandfather to write a letter to the prime minister on her behalf.
I asked my grandfather to write a letter to prime minister Modi requesting him to get a road constructed from our village to my school. He motivated me to write the letter myself," says Khushi.
She had earlier asked her father and some teachers in her school to help her write the letter, but they didn't bother with her request as they didn't think it would help. She then decided to write the letter herself.
Armed with a pencil and a notebook, she wrote a letter to the prime minister describing her difficult commute from her village to her school in the absence of a proper road.
The matter has been brought to the knowledge of the Haryana government by the Gram Panchayat, but in vain. We, students, pin our hope on you to intervene and get it done to save us from the difficulties met by us for going to school, she wrote to the prime minister in her letter dated 17 January.
She then handed over the letter to her grandfather, who posted it in the name of prime minister Modi, New Delhi. On 15 February, Khushi was pleasantly surprised to hear from the local Public Works Department (PWD) officer that the Prime Ministers Office (PMO) had sent a response to her letter, asking the PWD to take action with regard to Khushi's request. Khushi is bubbling with excitement over the response and the attention her deed got her from the villagers.
According to the findings of a 2016 Annual States of Education Report (ASER) survey, cited in this Firstpost report, around 3.5 percent children in the 11-14 age group and 13.5 percent in the 15-16 age group (over 25 percent children in Classes I to VIII) were absent from school on the day a team visited the school. Although India has a high rate of enrollment (over 96 percent), that doesnt necessarily translate into attendance. One of the reasons cited for dropouts in secondary schools is access (such as "school is far", especially, for girls). The survey included over 560,000 children between three and 16 years, in 589 districts of India.
Fatehabad PWD (Building and Roads) department sub-divisional officer RK Mehta confirmed that they have received a letter from the PMO about the grievance raised by Khushi.
She has requested the PMO to ensure construction of a three-kilometre road from Dhani Teja to Ratta Tibba, he says. He adds that his department will prepare a proposal along with an estimate for construction of the road and get the approval of the state government to embark on the project.
This Class III students letter managed to address an issue that the Ratta Tibba Gram Panchayat had not been able to draw attention to in over a decade.
Bhola Devi, sarpanch of the village, says the village panchayat members met the district administration officials many times in the past year and submitted memorandums demanding the construction of a pucca road cutting across the agriculture fields of Ratta Tibba.
When it rains, villagers either remain marooned in their houses with no way to step out either on foot or by vehicle or have to travel through the slushy roads in case of emergencies, she says.
The village panchayat had even passed a resolution for a cemented road and submitted their demand to the deputy commissioner, Fatehabad, but they're still awaiting a response from the district administration, says Devi.
Khushis father says the hard-working, simple people of the village probably didnt even think such change was possible, and are thankful to his daughter, who has brought attention to this problem.
"We dont even have access to basic amenities like schools, healthcare centres, etc, as they are located far away from our villages, he informs.
Notably, a 14-year-old girl named Harpreet Kaur from Ajit Nagar village, 20 kilometres from where Khushi lives, had hit the national headlines in 2015 after she wrote to the PMO to change the name of her village, which was previously called Ganda, meaning dirty. The name of the village was changed to Ajit Nagar following the approval of Haryana government.
(The author is a Rohtak-based freelance writer and a member of 101Reporters.com, a pan-India network of grassroots reporters.)
In a significant diplomatic development, India has invited Pakistan's commerce minister Pervaiz Malik to participate in an informal WTO meeting in New Delhi
In a significant diplomatic development, India has invited Pakistan's commerce minister Pervaiz Malik to participate in the informal WTO ministerial meeting in New Delhi on 19-20 March. Malik has reportedly confirmed his attendance for the event.
According to a report in The Indian Express, while Malik's meeting with Union commerce and industry minister Suresh Prabhu is confirmed, it is still not clear if he will also meet external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj or Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The invitation to Malik comes after last December's secret back-channel negotiations between the two national security advisors, Ajit Doval and Nasser Janjua, the report said.
The meeting also holds significance as the decision to participate in the SAARC summit, to be held in Pakistan, comes up again for consideration by the Centre.
In 2016, Modi had decided not to attend the 19th SAARC Summit to be held in Islamabad. India's decision led to the collapse of the entire summit as leaders of Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Bhutan also pulled out.
Quoting diplomatic sources, the report also said that the two countries will undertake an exchange of prisoners starting with the release of the most vulnerable individuals such as mentally challenged prisoners, children, and women.
The announcement comes shortly after global money-laundering watchdog Financial Action Task Force (FATF) placed Pakistan back on its terrorist financing watchlist, in a likely blow to both Pakistans economy and its strained relations with the United States.
Pakistani officials and analysts fear being on the FATF 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 in the summer.
Skirmishes between Indian and Pakistani forces were only adding to people's sufferings and governments of both the countries should find a way to restore peace at the borders, National Conference chief Farooq Abdullah said.
Jammu: Skirmishes between Indian and Pakistani forces were only adding to people's sufferings and governments of both the countries should find a way to restore peace at the borders, National Conference chief Farooq Abdullah said.
Unless they (India and Pakistan) find a way out, away from this (border skirmishes), people on both sides will continue to suffer and many will die. Many of our soldiers will also die and a similar situation will be on their side," he said.
The government of India must find a way forward, the NC chief said.
What that way forward is, is up to the prime minister to decide. I am too small to suggest anything to him. But I will say the same thing to the Pakistani side, to the premier of that side. The time has come when this bloodshed must stop, and peace must be restored on the border and in the state here as well as in the area they hold on their side," the former chief minister told reporters at the sidelines of a function here.
In response to a question about heavy Pakistani shelling along the Line of Control (LoC) in Uri sector of north Kashmir, he said the shelling was not one sided but going on from both sides.
"They are shelling us and we are shelling them back. They shell us one per cent, we shell them 10 per cent as Army chief has said," he said.
On Pakistani troops targeting civilians, Abdullah said a bomb does not know where it is going to fall. The shelling is resorted to frighten the people, he said.
The NC leader's comment comes against the backdrop of a series of ceasefire violations by the Pakistani forces along the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir.
Asked about amnesty gratned by the state government to stone-pelters, the member of parliament said those released should realise that the time has come when they have to think of their careers and how to take the state out of turmoil.
"We are a tourist state and no tourist will come if there is turmoil. People will suffer, they will continue to suffer and in the long run it will be the state that will become backward," he said.
On reports of pelting of stones on a military station at Sunjuwan on Saturday, Abdullah said he had no knowledge about it. However, he said, if it had happened, the government should investigate and see whether the stone-pelters released by it were involved in the case or someone else.
Expressing concern over attempts to pitch one community against another, he said prime minister Narendra Modi should try and build an India of our dreams which is for all of us, whether you are a Muslim, Hindu, Sikh or Christian.
He said the prime minister is not only for Gujarat, but for the whole country.
Abdullah also sought to defend former Union Minister Mani Shankar Aiyar over his purported casteist slur against Modi.
Asked about Aiyar's presence at Congress headquarters, he said one thing you must know, Aiyar is a Tamil and Urdu is not his language. He has picked up some Urdu during his posting in Paksitan. And when he used that term, he did not mean what was made out of it by the BJP, Abdullah said.
The Indian military's Andaman and Nicobar Command is going to host biennial multinational naval event 'Milan-2018' at Port Blair from 6 to 13 March with the underlying theme of 'friendship across the seas', it was announced on Sunday.
New Delhi: The Indian military's Andaman and Nicobar Command is going to host biennial multinational naval event 'Milan-2018' at Port Blair from 6-13 March with the underlying theme of "friendship across the seas", it was announced on Sunday.
The event will see a mix of professional exercises and seminars, social events and sporting fixtures. The inaugural address will be delivered by Navy chief, Admiral Sunil Lanba.
The social interactions planned during Milan 2018 include display by Indian Army and navy bands, ship visits and colourful cultural evenings. Several events will be open to the public including displays by sky diving team, Beating the Retreat and naval continuity drill, an official release said.
An International City Parade will be held along the Marina Park Road, with marching contingents from all participating foreign naval ships as well as the Indian armed forces.
The parade will include a flypast and aerobatic display by military aircraft and demonstrations of various military operations. Besides, visiting foreign ships will also be open for visits by school children and local public. Milan-2018 will culminate with passage exercise at sea by all the participating naval ships.
"Milan 2018 aims to showcase the rich heritage and pristine natural beauty of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands to the foreign visitors," the release said.
Besides fostering co-operation through naval exercises and professional interactions, the event is also aimed at providing an opportunity to the participating navies to come together in a spirit of collaboration to nurture stronger ties.
"The growing participation over the years bears testimony to the success of this multilateral initiative. From an event of sub-regional context started in 1995, Milan has now grown into a prestigious international event and encompasses participation by maritime forces from not just the Bay of Bengal and South East Asia but the larger Indian Ocean Region (IOR)," it said.
The interactions during Milan encompass sharing of views and ideas on maritime good order and enhancing regional cooperation for combating unlawful activities at sea.
The theme of this year's Milan International Maritime Seminar is "In Pursuit of Maritime Good Order Need for Comprehensive Information Sharing Apparatus".
The Indian Navy has also appealed to the public in Port Blair to "reach out to the visiting navies and make their stay a memorable one".
Should India and Canada use this meeting as a stepping stone in the bilateral, no one will even remember what Justin Trudeau was wearing
On Saturday, Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau completed an eight-day India visit that also happened to be his first State visit to these shores. It's tremendously difficult to know for sure what's going on behind the prime minister's ever-present smile, but it's safe to assume he didn't expect the sort of rancorous press coverage or at least the degree of rancour his visit would attract. News media at home most notably Toronto Sun's savage coverage (see here, here and here) and in India spared no opportunity point and sneer at the roadbumps (of which there were a considerable number) Trudeau's India tour hit.
When it comes to mapping expectation against result, the visit could even be said to have been comparable to the May 2017 India jaunt of a fellow Canadian and fellow Justin, whose over-the-top antics (and similarly ostentatious list of requests) failed to live up to the hype and overall outcome made a lot of people very angry. But stare at that link too long and the more tenuous it gets. Let's move on.
It's possible that the opprobrium directed at the prime minister and his India visit is linked to his battered and scuffed-up halo that has been slipping since he took office in 2015. Led by Trudeau, it may be recalled, the Liberal Party of Canada stormed to its second-biggest electoral victory in October 2015. The son of Pierre Trudeau was feted worldwide for, among other things, being one of the rare Liberal leaders to win an election in a time when it was mainly Conservative ones who were winning elections all over the planet. Flash-forward to 2018 and in Canada, the Stephen Bronfman-Paradise Papers revelations, the conflict-of-interest allegations and affordable housing crisis have contributed to a steadily dropping approval rating.
One of the primary criticisms levelled against Trudeau was that he was using the pretext of a State visit to take his family on holiday and that of the eight-day-long sojourn, only one day actually went into doing any real work. Some felt it was an outrage that a family holiday of this scale and magnitude was being conducted at the expense of the exchequer. It was also felt that he spent more time pandering to vote banks back home with one eye on the October 2019 election than on the bilateral (considering his dropping approval rating, history may view this as a smart move to arrest a sharp decline in popularity). The airport snub was another topic that spiralled into a major issue. Then, there was the cameo appearance thrown in by separatist and convicted would-be-assassin Jaspal Atwal. Things were not looking good.
But before we engrave the tombstone for a fantastic (!) bilateral, let's take a look at the realities of the India-Canada relationship. For starters, how many news reports even spoke of India-Canada relations 10 years ago?
Ties between the two Commonwealth countries have never been top priority for either and total trade worth $6 billion (as of 2016) is testament to that fact. Further, the 1985 bombing of Air India Flight 182 and Ottawa's reaction to New Delhi's nuclear tests of 1974 and 1998 contributed to an extended freeze in relations. The lack of any significant trade, defence or energy component in the bilateral meant it wasn't at the top of either country's agenda to firm up or deepen ties. Certainly, an India-Canada Working Group on Counterterrorism was established in 1997, but even as the Indian diaspora in Canada continued to go grow, there was little forward movement of any significance in bilateral relations. Even today, India and Canada will never be each others' most important international partners and it would be naive to expect that.
It was former prime minister Stephen Harper's State visit in 2009 that laid out a roadmap for how India and Canada should move forward. In the joint statement issued by then prime minister Manmohan Singh and Harper, the areas of energy, trade and commercial relations, technology and people-to-people connects were identified as key. Manmohan visited Canada in 2010 for the G20 Summit, but it wasn't until 2012 and Harper's second visit that the list of agreements signed began to give shape to the 2009 vision. Apart from an agreement on social security (that took cognisance of the Indian diaspora in Canada and sought to provide double-taxation avoidance), MoUs were signed for cooperation in Information Communication Technology and Electronics, and in the areas of joint research and development in Defence Science and Technology. Here too the four key areas mentioned above found precedence in the joint statement issued by the two prime ministers.
Just as with India-US relations, if it was Manmohan and his counterpart at the time who brought warmth into relations, it was Narendra Modi and his counterpart at the time who infused the bilateral with energy, dynamism and ambition. Rather aptly, the joint statement following Modi's historic first State visit (not linked to a multilateral summit) by an Indian prime minister in 42 years was titled 'New Vigour , New Steps'. The always-there-but-never-quite themes of 'Civil Nuclear Cooperation' and 'Defence and Security' enjoyed a degree of prominence in this document, and in doing so, deepened and broadened the scope of the New Delhi-Ottawa relationship.
Friday's Modi-Trudeau joint statement was a focussed document titled 'Partnership for Security and Growth' and brought to the fore the theme of 'mutual growth'. Eschewing some of the aspects of the Modi-Harper joint statement, it built on 2015's vision for security and people-to-people connects, while introducing a lengthy section on climate change. The somewhat minimalistic statement indicates that both sides seem to have identified areas on which work has begun and can be accelerated. Far from being trivial or a throwaway statement, this one actually shows a resolve to build on areas of convergence that such areas even existed may have seemed bleaker as Trudeau's visit wore on. The accompanying release of a slightly older (19 February) agreement under the header 'Framework for Cooperation between India and Canada on Countering Terrorism and Violent Extremism' is also worth noting.
The aforementioned joint working group has been around since 1997, however, it's safe to say there's been very little in terms of tangible outcomes to emerge from the series of consultations under that banner. The framework agreement is specific and addresses the issues of 'collaboration between the law enforcement and security agencies of both countries', 'disrupt(ing) recruitment, terrorist movements and the flow of foreign terrorist fighters', 'address(ing) the threat posed by cross-border and state-sponsored terrorism', 'stop(ping) sources of terrorist financing' and so on.
Namedropping the likes of Al-Qaeda, the Islamic State, the Haqqani Network, Lashkar-e-Taiba, Jaish-e-Mohammad, Babbar Khalsa International and the International Sikh Youth Federation is important because it sends out the message that one more country is on the same page as India, with regard to terror threats to the country. In time and with the right amount of legwork on both sides, this framework has the potential to be as transformational as the 'India-US Joint Strategic Vision for the Asia-Pacific and Indian Ocean Region'. But, time will tell on that one.
As it will on all aspects of the relationship. It must be kept in mind that there are no binaries -- best friend or worst enemy and nothing in between -- in foreign policy. International partners play their own roles in a country's network of partners, some players are bigger than others. It's here that understanding the potential of a relationship goes a long way and to that effect, the memoranda signed between Modi and Trudeau are instructive.
By themselves, these agreements and understandings mean little which is the case with most concurrences of this sort, but when viewed as part of the trajectory of India-Canada relations, they present a foundation from which Ottawa and New Delhi can move forward while being mindful of the limitations of this bilateral. Remember, it took years for India and the US to go from being on opposite ends of the Cold War divide to becoming 'natural partners'. Remember also that trade is unlikely to ever be the cornerstone of a bilateral that is equally unlikely to be as broad and financially massive as India's relations with the US, Japan, Russia or even the UK. And so, new avenues (commercial relations among businesses, technology and energy cooperation) have been identified and these should be deeper explored. The frequent mentions over the past few days of machine learning and artificial intelligence present a new dimension to be explored.
And should India and Canada build on this meeting, no one will even remember the series of outfits modelled by la famille Trudeau during its India visit, never mind writing reams of critical commentary about them.
A student from Jammu and Kashmir, studying at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) Bhubaneswar, has been missing for over a fortnight
Bhubaneswar: A student from Jammu and Kashmir, studying at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) Bhubaneswar, has been missing for over a fortnight, police said on Sunday.
Suhail Aijaz, a resident of Kupwara district in the northern state and pursing MBBS at the institute since 2016, left his hostel on 9 February, and has been missing since then.
The second year student had informed the authorities of the institute that he was going to Chandigarh with his friends to attend a wedding ceremony there and would be back on 17 February, Commissioner of Police YB Khurania said.
The authorities had lodged a missing complaint with the police on 18 February, a day after the student's scheduled date of returning to the institute.
A note has been recovered from the hostel, Khurania said, without elaborating on its content.
"Efforts are on to trace the student. We are questioning the institute officials and the friends of the missing student," Khurania said.
He said the youth's last known location was somewhere in Howrah in West Bengal.
"We are in contact with the Howrah police and the CID West Bengal. The particulars of the student have also been shared with them," he said.
Meanwhile, Suhail's father Aijaz Ahmed reached here and met senior police officials seeking their help in tracing his son.
Ahmed told reporters that he had spoken to Suhail over phone for the last time on 7 February.
He also said that the institute authorities were the first ones to tell him that his son had gone missing.
Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis said the state government will give one more opportunity to farmers who missed out on applying for farm loan waiver
Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis on Sunday said the state government will give one more opportunity to farmers who missed out on applying for farm loan waiver, said media reports.
"Over Rs 13,000 crore are already deposited to farmers' accounts while rest of the amount is being disbursed on a daily basis. My government will also hold a special
drive from 1 to 31 March for those farmers who could not submit their loan waiver forms due to some technical glitches," Fadnavis told reporters in Mumbai on the eve of state Legislature's Budget session.
According to the chief minister, his government has so far completed authorisation of 46.35 lakh farmers' bank accounts, which means that these farmers would most likely benefit from the Rs 34,000 crore loan waiver scheme.
"Out of it, 30 lakh are beneficiaries of loan waiver while remaining fall in financial assistance category, where up to Rs 25,000 will be given to farmers, who have a good track record of regular repayment of crop loans," Fadnavis said.
Some district central co-operative banks have charged interest on loan waiver amount for the period from June to December last year.
Asked about it, Fadnavis said, "There are 4-5 banks that have done so. I have already asked them not to charge interest over it and most of the Public Sector Undertakings have agreed to it. If these banks do not comply with our appeal then we will issue notice of dissolving their board of directors."
On the recent suicide attempts in the Mantralaya (state secretariat), Fadnavis said, "It is a serious issue but it should not be over-glorified. It is not the case that only attempting suicide near Mantralaya would catch the attention of the government."
Fadnavis also said that agreements worth Rs five lakh crore of the total Rs eight lakh crore signed during the 'Make in Maharashtra' drive two years ago have materialised.
"The MoUs signed under 'Make in Maharashtra' drive two years ago have a validity of five years. Out of the total MoUs worth Rs eight lakh crore signed then, the pacts worth Rs five lakh crore have materialised," the chief minister informed.
"The investment has started coming and projects are at various level of development. The success ratio is 71 percent if you go by the amount against the average success rate of 30-35 percent of such initiatives.
"In terms of number of MoUs signed and materialised, Maharashtra's ratio is 63 percent. We will publish a detailed report every year about the investment agreements and its actualisation," the chief minister said.
Fadnavis was responding to allegations of "all-round failure" levelled against his government by Leader of Opposition Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil.
"They (opposition leaders) are upset over excellent performance of my government. We have done a good job and taken decisions, which the Opposition could not do during their 15 years' tenure," Fadnavis said.
Meanwhile, on the agrarian crisis, he said, "State has sent a proposal of Rs 2,425 crore to the Centre seeking financial aid. Over 11 lakh hectares of agricultural
land was affected due to pink bollworm and attack of insects on some cereals."
"Financial assistance is also sought for Ockhi cyclone and hailstorm affected farmers. Any farmer whose over 33 percent crops are damaged will be eligible for financial aid," the chief minister said.
16 Bills would be presented during the Budget session, official said, adding the state budget would be presented on 9 March.
With inputs from PTI
Analysis of Meghalaya's performance on 20 development indicators shows how insurgency and poor infrastructure have impeded its progress.
By Alison Saldanha and Angel Mohan
Mumbai: Meghalaya, a picturesque hilly state in the sub-eastern Himalayan region, nearly matches Indias richer states on the best health outcomes. However, insurgency and poor infrastructure impede its progress on other development indicators, shows an IndiaSpend analysis of the states performance on 20 development indicators in comparison with nine other states and the national average.
This rare matrilineal statewhere family descent is traced through the mother rather than the fatheris also slipping on gender indices, reflecting a wider change.
Meghalaya will vote in state elections on 27 February, 2018. The incumbent Congress party is looking to retain its turf as the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is expected to win a sizeable number of seats for the first time in the tribal-dominated, Christian-majority (74.5 percent) states 38-year history.
After attaining statehood in 1972, since 1976 Meghalaya has mostly been ruled by Congress-led coalition governments, the Economic & Political Weekly reported on 10 February, 2018.
BJP president Amit Shah promises to make Meghalaya a model state in five yearshe promises to lift the National Green Tribunals ban on mining and create jobs if his party, ruling at the Centre, is voted to power in the state.
Our analysis of Meghalayas performance on 20 socio-economic and health indicators over 10 years to 2015-16 shows:
The state already competes with well-developed counterparts such as Kerala and Goa. On more than half (12) of these indicators, it ranks among the top five of the 10 states that IndiaSpend analysed using various government data including the National Family Health Surveys for 2005-06 (NFHS 3) and 2015-16 (NFHS-4).
It's per capita health spending (Rs 2,366) is the second highest among the 10 states analysed, lower only than Goa (Rs 2,927), shows the National Health Profile (NHP) 2017.
Its unemployment rate (4.8 percent) is below the national averagehigher than Tamil Nadu (4.2 percent) but much lower than other north-eastern states, according to the labour ministrys annual report of 2015-16.
From 2006 to 2016, the rate of crime against women has risen three-fold from 7.1 per 100,000 population to 26.7.
For our analysispart of our election-year examination of states development indicatorswe chose states that are development leaders and have high per-capita incomes such as Kerala, Goa, Gujarat and Karnataka, as well as laggards with low income such as Madhya Pradesh (MP), Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh (UP), as well as Assam and Tripura, Meghalayas neighbours in the North East region.
Four of these statesMadhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Goa and Gujaratare under BJP rule. Kerala and Tripura are ruled by the Communist Party of India (Marxist), while Karnataka like Meghalaya is ruled by the Congress. While UP and Assam also have BJP governments today, they were ruled by the Samajwadi Party and the Congress, respectively, in 2016the cut-off year for our analysis.
Meghalaya and its challenges
Surrounded by Bangladesh on its south and west, and Assam to its east and north, Meghalaya, roughly the size of Israel, holds a population of two million, equivalent to that of Lucknow.
The Khasi, Jaintia and Garo, most of whom are Christian, form the three major ethnic tribes in the state and comprise 86.15 percent of its population, shows the 2017 Meghalaya statistical handbook. The religious minorities here include Hindus (11.5 percent) and Muslims (4.4. percent).
Once considered a role model of peace and democracy, Meghalaya has witnessed rising insurgency and terrorism since the late 1980s and especially since 2009, according to this 2016 policy brief by the Delhi-based Institute for Defense Studies & Analyses. It has also faced unrest due to demands from each of the three major tribes for separate statehood, border disputes with Assam, illegal mining and import of weapons from Assam and Bangladesh, which have impeded the states progress.
From 2007 to 18 February, 2018, 131 civilians have been killed in terrorist conflicts in Meghalaya, according to the South Asia Terror Portal database. In the first two months of 2018, three civilians were killed.
In terms of per capita income, Meghalaya's Rs 64,638 ranks it 25th among Indias 35 states and Union Territories, featuring alongside least-developed states such as Orissa and Jharkhand. Primarily an agrarian economy with 80 percent of the population dependent on the farm for livelihood, the hilly terrains limit agricultural operations to 10 percent of the area while the potential for agro-based industries remains unutilised, according to this 2016 report by the ministry of micro, small and medium enterprises. The uneven landscape and vast forests also hinder accessibility so that a little over a third of the state (34 percent) is connected by road, the data show.
Health outcomes
With an infant mortality rate (IMR) of 30 deaths per 1,000 live births, Meghalaya ranks in the top five in our analysis of 10 states, performing better than Gujarat and competing with its richer Congress-ruled counterpart Karnataka (28). In 2005-06, Meghalaya ranked fourth in our 10-state analysis for IMR, but Tripura showing an improvement rate of 24 over this time, now ranks third pushing Karnataka and Meghalaya one place behind.
In terms of the mortality rate of children under five years of age, Meghalaya showed among the best improvements (30 points) over the decade to now rank in the top five in these 10 states. It fares much better than the national average, behind only Karnataka, Goa, Kerala and neighbouring Tripura. In contrast, Gujarat, despite ranking fourth in per capita income, fares worse with an under-five mortality rate of 43 deaths per 1,000 live births.
Source: National Family Health Survey, 2015-16
At a time when wasting among children under five years of age increased across the country, as IndiaSpend reported in March 2017, Meghalaya reported the best improvement among the 10 states analysed from 2005-06 to 2015-16.
In 10 years to 2015-16, the wasting rate here fell from 30.7 percent to 15.3 percentthe lowest among the 10 states analysed and much below the national average of 21 percent.
Its performance on these indicators implies improved antenatal and postnatal care: Nearly 24 percent of Meghalayas mothers received full antenatal care in 2015-16, up from 4.2 percent in 2005-06, and above the national average of 21 percent.
How challenges affect outcomes
Low connectivity and poor infrastructure affect the states institutional healthcare delivery. Meghalaya reports the lowest proportion of institutional births. In 2015-16, less than 52 percent of births took place in hospitals heremuch below the national average of 79 percent, and the lowest among the 10 states we analysed.
In 2015-16, only half of Meghalayas pregnant women were visited by a healthcare worker at least four times during pregnancythe minimum requirement according to the World Health Organisations guidelinesbelow the national average and way behind Tripura, Gujarat, Karnataka, Goa and Kerala.
Even though the state reported the highest improvement in full immunisation of babies among 10 states, by 28.6 percentage points to 61.5 percent in 2015-16, immunisation coverage in the state is still below the national average of 62 percent.
&amp;amp;lt;a href='http:&amp;amp;amp;#47;&amp;amp;amp;#47;www.indiaspend.com&amp;amp;amp;#47;cover-story&amp;amp;amp;#47;meghalayaelection2018-development-indicators-are-falling-insurgency-infrastructure-largely-to-blame-11828'&amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;lt;img alt='Pre- And Ante-Natal Care, Immunization In 10 States (2015-16) ' src='http:&amp;amp;amp;#47;&amp;amp;amp;#47;public.tableau.com&amp;amp;amp;#47;static&amp;amp;amp;#47;images&amp;amp;amp;#47;me&amp;amp;amp;#47;meghalaya2_desktop&amp;amp;amp;#47;Dashboard1&amp;amp;amp;#47;1_rss.png' style='border: none' /&amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;gt;
Source: National Family Health Survey, 2015-16; *Full immunisation: BCG, measles, and three doses each of polio and DPT vaccines
Meghalaya also reported the least development among the 10 states of our analysis in boosting household access to improved sources of drinking water.
About a third of households in the state (32.1 percent) still do not have access to better sources of drinking watermore than 21 percentage points below the national average, and worse than poorer states like Assam (16.2 percent), Madhya Pradesh (15.3 percent) and Rajasthan (14.5 percent).
Improper access to good drinking water affects childrens healththe prevalence of diarrhoea has nearly doubled over the decade. In 2015-16, 10.6 percent of children were reported to have suffered from diarrhoea two weeks before the NFHS survey, up from 5.7 percent in 2005-06.
The open defecation rate in Meghalaya is about 7.6 percentmuch below other states analysed; however, 40 percent of the state still does not have access to improved sanitation.
This lack of access to improved sanitation facilities could impede progress on reducing stunting (low height for age) in children, and anaemia, as IndiaSpend reported in April 2017 and September 2016.
Nearly 44 percent of Meghalayas children under five years of age are stunted (low height for age). While this is an 11.3 percentage point improvement from a decade ago when the state reported a stunting rate of 55.1 percent, its performance on this indicator remains much worse than the national average (38.4 percent), and better only than Uttar Pradesh (46.3 percent) in our 10-state analysis.
While most of India has succeeded in reducing the incidence of anaemia among women of reproductive age (15-49 years), in Meghalaya, the figure has grown by 5.4 percent. A decade ago, Meghalaya had one of the lowest percentages of anaemic women in the country, behind Kerala or Goa among the 10 states we analysed. As of 2016, it is placed between the least developed states of UP, MP and Rajasthan.
&amp;lt;a href='http:&amp;amp;#47;&amp;amp;#47;www.indiaspend.com&amp;amp;#47;cover-story&amp;amp;#47;meghalayaelection2018-development-indicators-are-falling-insurgency-infrastructure-largely-to-blame-11828'&amp;gt;&amp;lt;img alt='Other Development Indicators (2015-16) ' src='http:&amp;amp;#47;&amp;amp;#47;public.tableau.com&amp;amp;#47;static&amp;amp;#47;images&amp;amp;#47;me&amp;amp;#47;meghalaya3_desktop&amp;amp;#47;Dashboard1&amp;amp;#47;1_rss.png' style='border: none' /&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt;
Source: National Family Health Survey, 2015-16
Status of women a growing concern in the matrilineal state
Meghalayas worsening performance in addressing anaemia among women is indicative of a declining trend in the status of women in the state.
Meghalaya ranks second in the country for a high child sex ratio of 970 females per 1,000 malesbetter than all states analysed and significantly higher than the national average of 942. However, this has actually declined three points since 2001.
Contrary to the prevailing ideas that women here enjoy a better position than their counterparts in the rest of India, women in this conflict-struck region are actually in a disadvantageous position, the North East Network, a womens rights organisation, says, adding that although traditionally Meghalaya has had matrilineal societies, violence against women including rape, attempt to rape and domestic violence has been on the rise.
The rate of crime against women has risen three-fold in the past 10 years from 7.1 per 100,000 population in 2006 to 26.7 per 100,000 in 2016, shows an IndiaSpend analysis of data by the National Crime Records Bureau. The state reported the fourth-highest rate (13.8 per 100,000) for rape in the country, behind Delhi (22.6), Sikkim (30.3) and Arunachal Pradesh (14.7).
It is well documented that in conflict zones, the scattering, displacement and breakdown of families and communities cause women to suffer oppression by withdrawal from the public sphere, political exclusion and exposure to male violence, as this study by the South Asia Institute at the University of Heidelberg shows.
In 2005-06, 12.8 percent of Meghalayas women who were ever married reported spousal violence, the lowest proportion among the 10 states in our analysis. Over the course of 10 years, this number more than doubled to 28.7 percent, bringing Meghalaya on par with the national average of 28.8 percent. It now ranks third worst among the 10 states.
While female literacy in the state, at 82.8 percent, is comparable with best performers Kerala and Goa, it is still less than the literacy rate among men within the state. Further, fewer Meghalayan women (33.6 percent) are educated for more than 10 years compared with Indian women on average (35.7 percent).
&lt;a href='http:&amp;#47;&amp;#47;www.indiaspend.com&amp;#47;cover-story&amp;#47;meghalayaelection2018-development-indicators-are-falling-insurgency-infrastructure-largely-to-blame-11828'&gt;&lt;img alt='Indicators Of Women&amp;#39;s Status (2015-16) ' src='http:&amp;#47;&amp;#47;public.tableau.com&amp;#47;static&amp;#47;images&amp;#47;me&amp;#47;meghalaya4_desktop&amp;#47;Dashboard1&amp;#47;1_rss.png' style='border: none' /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;
Source: National Family Health Survey, 2015-16
The state holds one of the lowest rates of early marriage before the age of 18 (16.9 percent) across India (26.8 percent average), behind Goa (9.8 percent) and Kerala (7.6 percent). The percentage of women who have a say in household decisions grew by one percent over 10 years to 91.4 percent, taking the state to the fourth rank in 2015-16down from second position in 2005-06 because neighbouring Tripura reported a better growth by 13.8 percent to rank ahead at third place, the data shows.
Saldanha is an assistant editor and Mohan is an intern with IndiaSpend.
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The Jammu and Kashmir Police has initiated a probe after its personnel exhibited laxity during a militant attack on the residence of Hurriyat leader Fazal Haq Qureshi.
The Jammu and Kashmir Police has initiated a probe after its personnel exhibited laxity during a militant attack on the residence of top Hurriyat leader Fazal Haq Qureshi in Srinagar. The attack, which took place on late Sunday evening, left one policeman dead. After the assault, gunmen fled the spot with the policeman's weapon. Two policemen were absent from the spot, while another one failed to retaliate to the militant attack, investigations have revealed.
According to police sources, among the five men posted for security duty at the separatist leaders residence, four personnel, including a head constable, were to remain deployed there when the attack happened. However, on Sunday evening, when the militants attacked the house at around 7.15 p.m, two of the policemen were found to be absent from the house. They had informed their seniors that they had gone to the Sher-i-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences (SKIMS) hospital as one of them was suffering from fever and cough. Another police constable was on leave. Thus, only two men were at the residence when militants attacked it.
Police officials said that one of the militants, who was part of a group, knocked on the main gate of Haqs residence. As soon as a policeman came out, he was fired upon and militants managed to snatch away his weapon. The deceased policeman was identified as Farooq Ahmad Yatoo, who lived earlier at Chadoora in Budgam before the family moved to Shopian. Police officials who are investigating the case said that while the other policeman did not react as militants managed to flee from the spot, two others were at the hospital.
One policeman went to a hospital as he was ill and another policeman accompanied him. When they returned, Farooq was lying in a pool of blood and the militants had fled from the spot. One more policemen was on leave, which is given to the personnel on a rotational basis, an official said. The entire attack was carried out in a few minutes, he added.
Farooq was rushed to the nearby SKIMS hospital, where he breathed his last. A case of murder, weapon snatching and illegal use of arms was registered at Soura police station, said a senior official. He said that the investigation in the case is going on.
Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP), Srinagar, Imtiyaz Ismail Parrey, said that the militants attacked the guard post which was set up inside the residence of the separatist leader. We have registered a case and the involvement of the policemen is being looked into through an internal mechanism, he said.
Deputy Inspector General of police, Central Kashmir range, Ghulam Hassan Bhat, said, The policemen deployed for duty at the residence of Fazal Haq Qureshi will have to explain their conduct. The guards are supposed to react. If a guard man was not at the place, there should be a plausible reason for that. This calls for an inquiry.
A day before the incident, police officials from Soura police station had carried out a security check and asked the policemen to remain on alert.
In December 2009, gunmen attacked Haq and a bullet had hit him in the head outside his residence. The attack had come nine years after he facilitated a dialogue between the central government and militants, which culminated in the declaration of ceasefire by a group of Hizbul Mujahideen militants. The dialogue, however, broke down after the United Jehad Council chief Syed Salahudin refused to support the ceasefire.
In August 2000, Haq met Union Home Secretary Kamal Pandey along with his party (Peoples Political Front) leader Musadiq Adil and four militants at Nehru Guest house in Srinagar. After the 2009 attack, Fazal was unable to move without crutches, due to which he was represented by the chairman of PPF, Adil, in the meetings of the Hurriyat Conference.
Haq was earlier a general council member of the Hurriyat but was later elevated to its top decision-making body the executive council after a split in the conglomerate. The split took place as separatist leader and now Hurriyat (G) chairman, Syed Ali Shah Geelani, parted ways with the Mirwaiz-led faction over the proximity of some leaders with New Delhi.
Two days after the Kerala government said it was open to any probe, even one by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), into the murder of a Youth Congress worker in Kannur
Thiruvananthapuram: Two days after the Kerala government said it was open to any probe, even one by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), into the murder of a Youth Congress worker in Kannur, chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Monday said there was no need for an investigation by the central agency.
Unhappy with Vijayan's statement in the assembly on the murder of 30-year-old Shoaib in Kannur on 12 February, the entire opposition went into protest mode, forcing the Speaker to adjourn the House for the day.
As the Kerala Assembly began its session on Monday at 8.30 am the Congress-led opposition walked into the House wearing black badges.
When question hour began, the party demanded suspension of House proceedings and a debate into Shoaib's murder that took place at an eatery near Mattanoor four persons in a car hurled bombs and then fatally injured Shoaib, slashing at him with a sword.
But Speaker P Sreeramakrishnan was in no mood to relent, worsening the situation as angry opposition members trooped near the Chair's podium and shouted slogans.
Sreeramakrishnan was then forced to adjourn the House.
When the House resumed at 9.30 am, Sunny Joseph, senior Congress legislator from Kannur district, moved an adjournment motion and said that the CPM has delivered "the unkindest of all cuts" on Shoaib an active Congress worker.
"It took six days for you (Vijayan) to react on it. The Director General of Police has already gone on record to say that the accused are CPM workers.
"The first and second accused in this murder case are already accused in another murder case, but you (Vijayan) were silent on it.
"Instead, you pointed out Sohaib was arrested in a street fight case. The pictures of Shoaib that have come out now show how brutally he was butchered," said Joseph.
Vijayan, replying to Joseph, pointed out that no murder can be justified and said that the overall situation in the state has improved compared to the previous years.
"The police have been doing a smart job and have arrested five people, and the probe is going in the right direction. So, at the moment there is no need for a CBI probe," said Vijayan.
Soon, Leader of Opposition Ramesh Chennithala also stepped in and said that it was just two days back that, at an all-party meeting in Kannur, minister for SC and ST and Culture AK Balan had categorically said that the state government was open to any probe, even a CBI probe.
"Now, you (Vijayan) say the CBI probe is not needed. The smell of blood on the hands of the Communist Party of India-Marxist in this murder will not be washed away even if you use all the perfume in the world.
"The very fact that you have gone back on your assurance of any probe clearly indicates that you have things to hide. This is not acceptable and we will protest till you announce a CBI probe into this murder," said Chennithala.
Following the speech, angry opposition members stepped up their protest, forcing the Speaker to adjourn the House for the day.
In Kannur, Shoaib's father told the media that it's imperative to know why his son was killed.
"He (Shoaib) did not know any of the five accused who have been arrested and hence it is very clear that this was a planned one. We want to know the reason why my son was killed," said Shoaib's father.
Senior Congress leader K Sudhakaran, whose fast in Kannur demanding a CBI probe entered the eighth day, said that the "cat is now out of the bag and Vijayan knows that if the CBI is entrusted with the job of probing the case, then the law will catch up with the Kannur district leadership of the CPM, which is alleged to have masterminded this murder".
Non-stop firing and shelling by Pakistani forces has forced over 3,000 villagers along the LoC in Jammu and Kashmir's Uri sector to flee their homes causing biggest displacement in 30 years in the area
When mortars fired from the Pakistani side landed in Silikote village situated along the tense Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir's Uri sector on Saturday, Shahana Ara, 37, who gave birth to a baby earlier this month, thought her time was up. Her fragile body, recovering from a caesarean section, betrayed the urgency demanded by the simmering situation along the LoC.
"Initially, we tried taking shelter in a bunker. But due to my condition, I was not able to crawl in. It felt as if the stitches I received at the time of the surgery were ripping apart. Somehow, I gathered courage and kept trudging along the mountain till we reached the road from where I was brought to a hospital," she said.
Despite many odds and risks involved in the journey, Ara and her family were lucky to make it out of Silikote, which is located some eight kilometres from Uri town in north Kashmir. Her family is putting up at a government-run school, many of which have been converted into shelter homes for "refugees of our own land".
Officials say many villagers are still trapped in their homes, unable to come out, due to continuing firing by Pakistani forces who have targeted many villages along the de-facto border in Uri for the first time in years. The compartmentalisation of villages near the border by the Indian Army has not made it easier for villagers to escape to safer places.
"At least eight to ten villages along the LoC have been fenced by the Army. In our village, there is only one door, which is opened and closed by the Indian Army at their beck and call. We requested them to throw it open but they didnt listen. I have never seen such a war-like situation here, Mohammad Mujeeb, a resident of Churunda, told Firstpost.
"Living near the border has made us accustomed to the sounds of machine guns, but never in my life have I heard the Pakistani forces using public address systems to warn us. The situation is going from bad to worse and we can only pray and hope that this ends soon, he added.
The chief of the Armys 15 Corps in Srinagar, said on Sunday that nearly a dozen villages along the LoC in Uri including Churanda, Tilawari, Batagram, Shoura and Hathinang have been targeted by Pakistani shelling and firing since 23 February forcing many families to abandon their homes. He said the Indian Army is "effectively retaliating" the fire from the other side.
Brigadier YS Ahlawat of the 12 Indian Infantry Brigade said, during a press conference in Uri, that Pakistani army has been continuously violating the ceasefire agreement and has been indiscriminately using shelling to target the civilian population.
While the Line of Control and International Border in Jammu have recorded a spike in skirmishes between the armies of the two nuclear-armed neighbours, the flare-up in the relatively calm Uri happened on 20 February when Pakistan Army killed a BSF jawan near the de-facto border in Kupwara district.
"The north Kashmir sector has since recorded a daily exchange of fire between the two sides which intensified after the Indian army destroyed several army pickets on the Pakistani side. This led to a flare-up which has now engulfed the villages along the Line of Control in Uri, a senior Jammu and Kashmir Police officer said.
Dr Nasir Ahmad Naqash, deputy commissioner of Baramulla district, which is the administrative centre of Uri, said around 3,000 people have fled these villages, some of which are totally empty.
We have made arrangements for them in schools. Some of them have shifted to their relatives places. We have also set up a helpline for those in distress," he said.
With diplomatic channels between the two countries almost frozen, villagers along the LoC fear that the situation may go out of control. Even on Saturday, the two armies exchanged heavy artillery for the first time since 2003 when they entered into a ceasefire agreement.
Officials say 40,000-50,000 residents of nearly 55 villages in north Kashmir are directly impacted in case of any escalation along the de-facto border. The skirmishes in the past two days have injured three civilians while at least five houses have been severely damaged in Silikote and Churanda villages, which are perilously close to the Line of Control.
"Since the situation escalated on Friday, the civil administration has received dozens of panic calls from these border residents, seeking help for evacuation. We have pressed ambulances and government vehicles into service to ferry residents from some border villages and arrangements have been made for their stay. It is an emergency situation. We are witnessing the biggest displacement in terms of numbers in the past 30 years in this area," said Abdul Haq, Minister for Rural Development Panchayat Raj, Law and Justice, in Jammu and Kashmir government.
On Sunday, the minister visited the school in Uri that has been converted into a shelter for residents fleeing the violence-hit border villages. His assurances, that the government will do everything to prevent loss of lives or property, failed to evoke any enthusiasm among the migrants who fear for the worst in coming days.
"In this chilling weather, where will we take our children? We have left everything, including livestock, poultry and our homes behind us. I can't recall the last time when the Pakistani side issued warnings on public address systems. These are signs of tough times ahead, 45-year old Haji Abdul Sattar, a resident of Churanda, said.
A suspected cow smuggler was killed in Rajasthans Alwar district after he allegedly came under wheels of a truck in which he was fleeing, in a bid to evade cops chasing the vehicle
A suspected cow smuggler died in Rajasthans Alwar district on Sunday after he allegedly came under the wheels of a truck in which he was fleeing, in a bid to evade cops chasing the vehicle, said media reports.
According to Hindustan Times, police in Dausa district received a tip-off about a vehicle smuggling cows and set up barricades in a bid to stop the vehicle.
During the chase by the Dausa and Alwar police teams, an exchange of fire took place between the alleged smugglers and the cops. The alleged smugglers were not able to go too far as two of the tyres of the vehicle were deflated. The truck broke the barricades and hit a cement block and the smugglers fled into the darkness, said the report.
During a search of the vehicle, we found a body and the cattle. The man may have died while trying to escape, Alwar superintendent of police Rahul Prakash was quoted as saying by Hindustan Times.
However, Jaheer Abbas, Station House Officer, Baswa Police Station has a different story to offer. Abbas told The Indian Express that during the chase, the smugglers, after reaching Dera village in Raini, broke the windshield of the truck in an attempt to escape.
"One of them jumped out while the truck was still in motion and was run over. The other fled," Abbas was quoted as saying by The Indian Express.
The man who died has been identified as Aash Mohammad, 38, from Haryana's Nuh district, according to The Times of India. He apparently had an earlier case of cow smuggling against him.
The Tribune report said that a container loaded with 23 cattle, mainly cows and oxes, was seized by the police. A case under various sections of IPC, arms act, and Rajasthan Bovine Act has been lodged against the alleged cattle smuggler who fled, added the report.
Rajasthan's Alwar has been in news for incidents related to cow vigilantism.
In November last year, cow vigilantes allegedly beat up and shot at two Muslim youths in Alwar near the Rajasthan-Haryana border.
The incident took place in Fahari village near Govindh Gadh in Alwar district when the youths were transporting cows from Mewat in Haryana to Bharatpur in Rajasthan.
The Meo community of the region had alleged that Right-wing organisations in collusion with the police thrashed the youths. The community members had demanded a high-level probe into the incident.
In April 2017, an alleged incident of lynching of Pehlu Khan, a Muslim dairy farmer, by cow vigilantes in Alwar, sent shock waves across the state.
With inputs from agencies
The protest at Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS) entered the fifth day as students, who are agitating against withdrawal of financial aid given to Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (SC/ST) scholars at the institute, showed no signs to relent.
The protest at the Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS) entered the fifth day as students, who are agitating against withdrawal of financial aid given to Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (SC/ST) scholars at the institute, showed no signs of relenting. The Students' Union has been protesting since Wednesday against the withdrawal of financial aid to the Government of India-Post Matriculation Scholarship (GOI-PMS) students from SC/ST category across all the campuses of the institute.
The protests, which are being anchored in Mumbai, are also being held at different centres of TISS Tuljapur (in Maharashtra), Hyderabad and Guwahati, reports said. According to reports, the students have told TISS authorities that they won't back down unless the demands are met.
Protests began last Wednesday
Last Tuesday, the TISS Students' Union announced a strike across all campuses of the institute from 21 February against the administration demanding tuition, dining hall and hostel fees from scholarship students. The association stated that students studying at TISS under scholarship are exempted from paying such fees. "All talks and mediation with the administration over the past several months have failed. The students union of TISS calls for a university strike across TISS campuses on 21 February. We call for boycotting all classes, field work and submissions," TISS Students' Union President Archana Soreng was quoted as saying by PTI.
The Centre's GOI-PMS issue stands unresolved since the institute has notified its withdrawal from all forms of financial aid to students, she claimed. "Now students, both current and newcomers, will have to pay their full fees even as they wait for their state scholarship amounts to come," Soreng said.
The association has also demanded a notification from the institute about ways in which financial assistance for the PMS students of the upcoming batch of 2018-2020 will be provided. Explaining the issue, Soreng said that the institute, without mentioning anything in the prospectus, was now demanding tuition, dining hall (DH) and hostel fee from scholarship students of the 2016-18 batch.
"The administration has also said that the 2017-2019 batch will have to pay the full fee for the dining hall and hostel as the notification was out in May 2017 before they took admission and they were very well aware about the notification.
"But the argument cannot be bought as the notification was released in May 2017 in between the admission process, not before the admission process was initiated," she said.
Officials' statement
"On Thursday, the administration had agreed to exempt the SC/ST students of the 2016-18 batch from paying the hostel and dining hall fees," Professor PK Shajahan, Dean, Office of Students' Affairs at TISS told IANS. "If they are not able to pay now, they can pay it later when they get a job or scholarship is credited to their account. They will be allowed to appear for their examinations," he said.
However, a Union leader rejected this offer. "The 2016-18 batch SC/ST students have been told that they need not pay the fees now, but after they get jobs. Payment has been postponed, not waived off," the student leader said, adding that the administration has not promised any relief for the OBC students and students of the 2017-2019 batch and upcoming batches. The students decided to continue with their protest till the demands are fulfilled, even as the TISS administration said that they have not stopped any scholarships and are strictly following all government guidelines.
Meanwhile, in an official statement TISS clarified and "categorically" denied "having stopped any scholarships for its students, and is continuing to follow all Government of India guidelines on student welfare." The statement further said that these scholarships are transferred by the government concerned directly to the student bank accounts. "The Institute has no role either in the sanction or disbursement of the scholarships. The role of the Institute is restricted to only certifying the bona fides of the student applicants. Therefore, the claim that the TISS administration has stopped GOI Post Matric Scholarships for eligible reserved category students is incorrect."
The statement was issued on 24 February. "We are working to find resources and hope that we will be in a position to provide further subsidisation for the coming batches as well," IANS quoted Shajahan as saying.
The Post Matric Scholarship scheme is a centrally sponsored scheme implemented by the state governments, providing financial assistance to the Scheduled Caste students studying at post matriculation or post-secondary stage to enable them to complete their education.
On Wednesday, after securing a successful shut down of all classes in the campus, around 500 students gathered at the TISS main gate and blocked the gate. Since then, the protesting students have been sitting at the main gate of the campus, even sleeping there at night.
TISS students at the Hyderabad, Guwahati and Tuljapur campuses also held protests. The students are getting the support of TISS SC/ST Employees Welfare Association and the TISS Teachers' Association. They are also being supported by TISS alumni along with students of the Jawaharlal Nehru University, the Delhi University Student Union, All India Students' Association, among others.
Latest in student protests
According to latest reports, faculty members, alumni and student bodies of various institutes across the country have extended their support to the protests. "We want all four of our demands met, unconditionally and will not give in. Students are anguished and frustrated," The Indian Express quoted Fahad Ahmad, general secretary, TISS Students Union, as saying. Warning of intensifying protests if their demands weren't met, Ahmad told The Indian Express that the students are prepared to "gherao the residence of Ramdas Athawale," Minister of State for Social Justice and Empowerment.
Here are the demands made by the students:
According to reports, the students have made three demands from the authorities:
Fee exemption to SC, ST and OBC students who are eligible for GoI-PMS.
Extension of Financial aid mechanism for more students.
Government of India should increase allocation to centrally and state funded universities and the PMS provisions so that no student is denied the right to higher education.
With inputs from agencies
Vinayak Damodar Savarkar, also known as Veer Savarkar, is being remembered on his 52nd death anniversary on Monday
Vinayak Damodar Savarkar, also known as Veer Savarkar, was remembered on his 52nd death anniversary on Monday. He was the president of the Hindu Mahasabha from 1937 till 1943 and is known to have coined the term 'Hindutva' when he wrote an eponymous book, according to Rediff.
Savarkar died on this day in 1966. He was also involved in the political murder of three British officials, according to Scroll.
Savarkar was also chargesheeted in the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi but was subsequently exonerated, largely because no corroborative evidence of his involvement was furnished, the report added.
He was sent to jail in Andamans
In 1909, Savarkar was arrested on charges of plotting an armed revolt against the Morle-Minto Reform of the British Empire, according to India Today. On his way to India, he tried to escape from the ship by diving into the water. However, he was rearrested when he reached shore.
In July 1911, he was given a 50-year jail term and sent to the cellular jail of Andamans, the report added.
According to The Wire, he wrote his first mercy petition barely a month into the hardships of prison. It was, however, rejected in 1911. The second mercy petition, written in 1913, complained about other convicts receiving better treatment than him.
"When I came here in 1911 June, I was along with the rest of the convicts of my party taken to the office of the Chief Commissioner. There I was classed as 'D' meaning dangerous prisoner; the rest of the convicts were not classed as 'D'. Then I had to pass full six months in solitary confinement. The other convicts had not Although my conduct during all the time was exceptionally good still at the end of these six months I was not sent out of the jail; though the other convicts who came with me were," The Wire quoted from his mercy petition.
Referring to his previous petition of 1911, he wrote "if the government in their manifold beneficence and mercy release me, I for one cannot but be the staunchest advocate of constitutional progress and loyalty to the English government which is the foremost condition of that progress. As long as we are in jails, there cannot be real happiness and joy in hundreds and thousands of homes of His Majesty's subjects in India, for blood is thicker than water; but if we are released, the people will raise a shout of joy and gratitude to the government, who knows how to forgive and correct, more than how to chastise and avenge," according to The Times of India.
After mercy petitions and pressure from Indian National Congress (INC), he was shifted to Yerwada Jail in 1923 and was released in 1924 under strict conditions of not participating in politics for five years and barring to leave Ratnagiri district, The Free Press Journal said in a report.
His case brought to the ICJ
When Savarkar tried to escape his arrest by diving into the water, he was arrested by a French marine brigadier upon reaching the shore, according to DailyO. He was handed over to the vessel he jumped from.
The French socialist press, according to another Scroll report, protested that the individual rights of Savarkar had been trampled upon and his arrest on French soil had violated the countrys sovereignty. France and Britain then agreed to submit to arbitration the questions of fact and law raised by Savarkar's arrest, the DailyO report added.
The Tribunal finally noted that an "irregularity was committed by the arrest of Savarkar" but that "there is no rule of International Law imposing any obligation on the Power which has in its custody a prisoner, to restore him because of a mistake committed by the foreign agent who delivered him to that Power."
His views on untouchability
The Free Press Journal report added that Savarkar decided to work on the abolishment of untouchability in Ratnagiri after his release. He regarded untouchability as part of the seven shackles that kept Hindus and India weak. He advocated inter-caste marriages and was one with Babasaheb Ambedkar on abolishing caste, according to Rediff.
He also achieved considerable success in eradicating untouchability and infusing self-confidence, the report added.
However, according to The Economist, his attitude towards Muslims, who made up a quarter of the population before partition, and other non-Hindus was less liberal.
Tributes on his 52nd death anniversary
Tributes to the great revolutionary Vinayak Damodar Savarkar on his death anniversary. When many called 1857 a Sepoy Mutiny, Veer Savarkar called it the 'First War of Indian Independence'. He ignited the spark of nationalism in several lives! pic.twitter.com/nr8RPN67ko B.S. Yeddyurappa (@BSYBJP) February 26, 2018
Remembering the versatile political philosopher Shri Vinayak Damodar Savarkar ji on his Punyatithi. He was well known for his positivism & altruism. His written works have inspired the nation during our independence movement & beyond.#VeerSavarkar pic.twitter.com/do3RIpcXXd Manohar Lal (@mlkhattar) February 26, 2018
Remembering great Freedom Fighter Veer Savarkar on his Death Anniversary. A devout patriot & profound scholar, his courage evokes the spirit of nationalism even today! pic.twitter.com/vFBFFEAJfQ Harsh Sanghavi (@sanghaviharsh) February 26, 2018
Tributes to Veer Savarkar - the patriot of The Indian War of Independence, on his death anniversary. Vijay Rupani (@vijayrupanibjp) February 26, 2018
Amit Shah took on Rahul Gandhi for his attacks on the prime minister over the PNB scam, saying no other government had acted as promptly and taken stringent action against frauds as the Narendra Modi government
Kalaburagi (Karnataka): BJP president Amit Shah on Monday took on Congress chief Rahul Gandhi for his attacks on the prime minister over the PNB scam, saying no other government had acted as promptly and taken stringent action against frauds as the Narendra Modi government.
Shah also hit out at the Sidaramaiah government, accusing it of following "'three Ds Dhokha (cheating), Dadagiri (goondaism) and dynastic politics".
The BJP chief said the Enforcement Directorate and the CBI have taken prompt action in the case.
"There has been no government other than Modiji's government, that has taken prompt and most stringent of actions against any frauds committed in the past," Shah told reporters in Kalaburagi.
His reply came when he was asked about Gandhi's remarks against Modi in the multi-crore PNB fraud case.
At public rallies at Vijapura and Bagalkote districts in North Karnataka, Gandhi had been targeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi on corruption, asking as to why Modi, who had described himself as the country's chowkidar (watchman), was "silent" on the bank fraud allegedly involving jewellers Nirav Modi and his uncle Mehul Choksi.
Shah said, "The ED has already taken action (filed a case under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act). Prior to it, the CBI had registered an FIR early this month."
The ED had also conducted raids on the properties of Nirav and seized jewellery and some shares besides freezing his bank accounts, Shah said.
In his opening remarks, Shah said BJP was certain to form the next government in Karnataka because the Siddaramaiah administration had "failed" on all fronts including checking corruption and by meting out injustice to temples and religious institutions.
"Corruption and Siddaramaiah government have become synonymous," he alleged.
Moreover, the people of the state were angered over the Siddaramaiah government's "nefarious" intentions of dividing a community by according separate religion status, Shah said.
"If the BJP is voted to power, we will repeal the proposal (to give separate religion status to Lingayats)," he said.
Lingayats/Veerashaivas form a major and influential community in Karnataka, sections of which are seeking a separate religious tag.
The Siddaramaiah government is being accused of trying to divide the community by forming a panel to make a recommendation on the issue to the Centre.
"The Siddaramaiah government has been cheating the people of the state by not fulfilling its promises. The people of Hyderabad-Karnataka region are saying they have not seen such 'goonda' government and thirdly, are unhappy with the rule of two families in this part of the state," he said.
"If anyone wants to see the governance of the Congress, then go to the constituency of Kharge sahab," Shah said.
The dynastic politics jibe was apparently a reference to Congress leader in Lok Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge from Kalaburagi, whose son Priyank Kharge is a state minister.
The BJP chief said he received feedback from party workers that there was too much of backwardness. "There is no such backwardness in any place of Karnataka, but in Kharge sahab's own constituency," he said.
Shah said after winning the election, the very first thing that the BJP government would do is to restart the local sugar mills, which are closed at the moment.
Madhya Pradesh chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Monday said the issue of simultaneous elections will be discussed at the meeting of chief ministers of BJP-ruled states in New Delhi on Wednesday as part of efforts to build a consensus on the issue.
Bhopal: Madhya Pradesh chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Monday said the issue of simultaneous elections will be discussed at the meeting of chief ministers of BJP-ruled states in New Delhi on Wednesday as part of efforts to build a consensus on the issue.
"There's a meeting of chief ministers on 28 February in Delhi. We will discuss and try for a consensus on holding simultaneous elections for state Assemblies and Parliament," he said in reply to a query at a meeting with a select group of journalists arranged by the BJP's Good Governance Cell.
Chief Ministers of BJP-ruled states and deputy chief ministers of states where the BJP is in alliance, altogether representing 19 states, would attend a meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to review development work and to plan a strategy for the upcoming polls in some states. Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh are some of the major BJP-governed states that are due to go to the polls this year end.
"I am always of the view that the elections should be held simultaneously. Regular elections are a major hurdle to development. We are always in a 24 by 7 mode preparing for the elections," said the chief minister.
"Even if there's an election in another state, our officers are called for election duty in that state and it hampers work here. We have Assembly elections in December and we would have just started work, then Parliament elections would be on us and there would be a model code of conduct," he said.
Chouhan said regular elections do not only hurt the states but are also a major hurdle to the central government.
"And people have a weird parameter that even if you lose one election, they start saying that the government has lost faith (of the people)," he said adding that it (simultaneous polls) was in the interest of the country and all should go for it.
"I have been raising my voice for this and I am thankful to the prime minister for striving hard for simultaneous elections in the country," he said.
To a query about farmer suicides, Chouhan, who is completing his third straight term this December, said, "Any suicide whether of a farmer or from another section of society is unfortunate. There are several reasons for suicide but I do not defend them. My effort has been that no suicide should happen due to agriculture."
He said Madhya Pradesh gives loans to farmers at zero percent interest and has begun Bhavantar Bhugtan Yojana that pays farmers the difference between the rate at which he sells in the market and the benchmark rate decided by the government.
"If the farmer gets the right value for their produce, their problem is solved," he said.
For natural disasters, the state pays a compensation of Rs 30,000 per hectare apart from the crop insurance money that they get.
On being asked how he plans to win another term amid reports that that Congress has been reviving, he said, "One good thing that has happened in this country's politics is that now there is politics of performance. If you work then you would earn the faith of the people. And, I believe except for few unfortunate incidents that had different reasons, people have faith in me."
Andhra Pradesh chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu on Monday said the non-fulfilment of commitments made to the state by the Centre was causing unrest among people.
Visakhapatnam: Andhra Pradesh chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu on Monday said the non-fulfilment of commitments made to the state by the Centre was causing unrest among people.
He stated this during the ongoing CII Partnership Summit.
Naidu, who focussed on signing a Memoranda of Understanding (MoU) during the first two days of the Summit to attract investment to the state, opened up on the last day to vent out his feelings on the key issue amid straining of ties with the Centre.
Sharing the dais with spiritual leader Sri Sri Ravi Shankar at a session, the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) president targeted his ally Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
"What they committed, they are not giving, causing unrest among people," said Naidu, whose party is a partner in the BJP-led NDA government at the Centre.
The TDP had stalled proceedings during the budget session to protest the raw deal meted out to the state in the Union Budget 2018-19.
Naidu said injustice was done to Andhra Pradesh while dividing it to carve out Telangana state in 2014.
He recalled the problems he had to face in making a beginning from the scratch. He said he was working hard to develop the state as an innovation valley and using technology to solve people's problems.
The chief minister said people had more expectations from him.
Naidu had long been demanding with the Centre to fulfil all commitments made in Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act 2014. He is seeking liberal financial assistance and handholding by the Centre.
Over the last few weeks, Naidu hinted that his patience was growing thin.
Naidu made the remarks when the moderator sought his views and that of Ravi Shankar on the importance of patience.
Ravi Shankar said while he was not for division of Andhra Pradesh, he now feels that had this not happened, Naidu would have been confined to Hyderabad.
He said it was heartening find the young state coming up well and competing with the world. He said the state endowed with abundant natural and human resources had vibrant atmosphere.
Congress is facing an uphill task in Meghalaya while the BJP hopes to acquire a share of the power riding on the shoulders of its new ally NDPP in Nagaland.
Guwahati: The ruling Congress is facing an uphill task to retain power in Meghalaya while the BJP hopes to acquire a share of the power riding shoulders of its new ally Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party (NDPP) in Nagaland even as the two Christian-majority states in the North East go to Assembly polls on Tuesday.
After making discernible waves in tiny Tripura where the BJP put up a strong challenge to the ruling Left Front led by Manik Sarkar in the polls held on 18 February, the saffron party eyes to storm corridors of power in scenic Meghalaya, the Abode of Clouds, by trouncing the Mukul Sangma-led Congress.
In Tripura, BJP allied with a tribal political party called Indigenous People's Front of Tripura (IPFT) to challenge the Left's last bastion in the country planking its campaign on fast-paced development. But in Meghalaya, the BJP has chosen to go at it alone by fielding 47 candidates among the total 60 Assembly seats, even though rival Congress has alleged covert ties between the BJP and formidable regional group, National Peoples Party (NPP), the BJPs ally in Manipur and New Delhi.
In Nagaland, the ruling Nagaland Peoples Front (NPF) is being challenged by the newly-formed alliance of Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party (NDPP) and BJP which has snapped its 15-year-long ties with the NPF before deciding to go with NDPP led by former chief minister Neiphiu Rio.
While the NDPP, which is contesting 40 seats leaving rest 20 to the BJP, exudes confidence to form the next government in Nagaland, the BJP, however, keeps its option open as its charge in Nagaland Kiren Rijiju maintains that BJP still considers NPF as its friend though a seat-sharing arrangement could not be worked out with the party before polls. Congress has contested only in 18 constituencies in Nagaland the party's base has fast depleted there over the years.
Polling will take place for 59 seats each in Meghalaya and Nagaland. In Meghalaya, the election has been countermanded in 43 Williamnagar LAC in the wake of the killing of NCP candidate Jonathone N Sangma in an IED blast during campaigning; while in Nagaland, Rio has been declared elected unopposed from the Northern Angami-II constituency.
The poll results will be declared on 3 March along with that of Tripura, where elections were held on 18 February.
The BJP has resorted to a high-octane campaign in Meghalaya led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP president Amit Shah, where numerous senior BJP leaders and Union ministers campaigned in an effort to unseat the 'corrupt and inefficient' Congress which has ruled the state for two consecutive terms. BJP has placed Union tourism minister KJ Alphons in Meghalaya for months to woo Christian voters there.
Most of the regional parties in Meghalaya in the fray including the NPP, UDP, HSPDP and PDF have been very critical of the ruling Congress during the electioneering while they have chosen to remain obviously soft on the BJP. This has prompted rival Congress to accuse tacit understanding between the BJP and the regional groups in Meghalaya.
Meghalaya, in particular, is important for the Congress, where it has been ruling for 10 years on the trot. The Congress has deployed its full force in electioneering to prevent the BJP from making inroads among voters in Meghalaya. AICC president Rahul Gandhi has addressed several election rallies and party workers' meetings in Meghalaya to warn the voters against 'divisive designs' of the BJP.
The Gandhi scion also attacked the NPP for being the front of the BJP in Meghalaya and to raise the alarm that voting for the NPP, which has fielded candidates in all the seats, will amount to voting for the 'communal' BJP. The Congress has harped on the BJP-led central government's attempt to win over Church bodies in Meghalaya by offering Rs 70 crore development grant to churches under Swadesh Darshan scheme, which was not accepted by Church bodies.
The BJP, on the other hand, has planked its electioneering on development promises and criticism of the 'corrupt and inefficient' Congress regime. It has been continued attacking the ruling Congress over lack of development and poor infrastructure in respect to surface communication, health, education and tourism etc while promising to make Meghalaya a model state in the country.
Besides, all the senior BJP leaders including the prime minister, while hitting the campaign trail in Meghalaya, have tried to project the party as a Christian-friendly one like any other party in the fray.
In Nagaland where the prolonged peace process to find a solution to the vexed Naga political problem has remained a burning issue in the society, the NDPP-BJP alliance is posing a tough challenge to the ruling NPF. The NPF has resorted to painting BJP as anti-Christian during the electioneering while the BJP-NDPP has resorted to flaunting their plans to usher in all-encompassing development in Nagaland besides promising a final solution to the Naga imbroglio at the earliest.
The elections in Meghalaya and Nagaland are being held under strict security vigil because of the looming threat from militants. An NCP candidate was killed by ultras in Meghalaya while sporadic incidents of pre-poll violence were reported from some parts of Nagaland in the runup to the polls.
A week after Delhi chief secretary Anshu Prakash alleged that he was assaulted by Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLAs Prakash Jarwal and Amanatullah Khan, the Arvind Kejriwal-led Delhi government is considering a proposition to broadcast or livestream all meetings that take place with bureaucrats, News18 reported.
A week after Delhi chief secretary Anshu Prakash alleged that he was assaulted by Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLAs Prakash Jarwal and Amanatullah Khan, the Arvind Kejriwal-led Delhi government is considering a proposition to broadcast or livestream all meetings that take place with bureaucrats, News18 reported.
The report also quoted a government source as saying that in a bid to increase transparency and steer AAP clear of any future controversy, the state might upload government documents online so that people know who has signed what, who is yet to sign, and who has raised objection to a certain document.
In a letter to the Delhi Police, Anshu alleged that he was abused by MLAs at Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's residence on the night of 19 February. "My spectacles fell on the ground. I was in a state of shock. With difficulty I was able to leave the room and get into my official car and leave chief minister's residence," he said.
However, Kejriwal's office dismissed Prakash's accusation as "bizarre and baseless". The AAP denied the charges of assault and said the chief secretary was making allegations at the behest of the BJP.
The blame game continued as the IAS association secretary Manisha Saxena on Tuesday said that Anshu was "manhandled" and "mistreated" at Kejriwal's residence on Monday and termed it a "planned criminal conspiracy".
On 22 February, Khan and Jarwal were sent to Tihar Jail for 14 days in judicial custody by a Delhi court. While Jarwal, an MLA from Deoli, was arrested on Tuesday night, Khan was taken into custody on Wednesday afternoon.
Meanwhile, Kejriwal's advisor VK Jain told police he saw Khan and Jarwal "physically assaulting" the chief secretary. The AAP alleged Jain initially told police he did not witness any assault and the police threatened Jain to change his statement.
On Friday, Delhi Police arrived at Kejriwal's residence to retrieve CCTV footage of the alleged assault. The police conducted a raid at the chief minister's house after it failed to recover the CCTV footage from Public Works Department officials.
The police retrieved hard disks and said that there were no cameras installed in the room where the alleged assault took place. A senior police officer said they would go about the investigation based on the coverage by cameras installed in the corridor and added that seven of the 21 CCTV cameras in the house were not functioning. The officer said that the CCTV footage was sought by them on 20 February, but since there was no response, they had to conduct the search.
With inputs from agencies
The Rashtriya Janata Dal claimed that BSP supremo Mayawati has declined its offer to get her elected to the Rajya Sabha, saying she did not wish to go to Parliament till the BJP is in power.
Patna: The Rashtriya Janata Dal claimed that BSP supremo Mayawati has declined its offer to get her elected to the Rajya Sabha, saying she did not wish to go to Parliament till the BJP is in power.
The Election Commission on Friday announced that polls to 58 Rajya Sabha seats, including six in Bihar, will be held
on 23 March. "As soon as notifications were issued for elections to Rajya Sabha seats, I rang up Mayawati and said we could send her to Rajya Sabha from our quota", Tejashwi Yadav, leader of opposition in Bihar Assembly, said.
Yadav said she thanked him for the offer but said she did not want to go to Parliament till the BJP is in power.
RJD president Lalu Prasad too had offered to send Mayawati to the upper house from Bihar in July last year after she resigned, accusing the BJP and the Chair of not allowing her to raise the issue of anti-Dalit violence in Uttar Pradesh.
The BSP does not have the requisite number of MLAs in UP Assembly to bag a Rajya Sabha seat.
Addressing a programme on the occasion of birth anniversary of Dalit poet and mystic Sant Ravidas, Yadav came down heavily on the BJP. "They always complain about casteism. In reality, they want to suppress the backward classes and put obstacles in the way of realisation of dreams of BR Ambedkar. That is why they are always after Lalu Prasad too," Yadav who is younger son of Prasad said.
The RJD supremo is currently in jail after being convicted in a couple of fodder scam cases. The former Deputy Chief Minister also took potshots at LJP leader Chirag Paswan who has been advocating that reservation benefits not be extended to those Dalits who were economically well-off.
"Chirag should reveal why he and his father Ram Vilas Paswan (Union minister and LJP chief) contest elections from
reserved seats," Yadav added
Resignation of senior members in the last few months from Congress, BJP in Meghalaya has also led to an exodus of workers, which has affected campaigning.
Shillong: The resignation of senior party members in the last few months from Congress and BJP in Meghalaya has also led to an exodus of workers. This has affected the election campaigning ahead of the Assembly elections on 27 February, which ended on Sunday.
Congress MLAs Prestone Tynsong, Rowell Lyngdoh, Sniawbhalang Dhar, Comingone Ymbon and Ngaitlang Dhar have joined the National People's Party, a member of BJP-led North East Democratic Alliance. Alexander L Hek, who was a BJP MLA from East Khasi Hills when he joined Congress in 2013, has shifted his allegiance back to the saffron party. From BJP, former district president of Shillong City Keith Pariat and three other leaders William Marbaniang, Wallambok Thangkhiew and Sunshine Warjri quit the party to join Congress.
All of them have taken their supporters along.
'Those quitting are a floating population'
In North Garo Hills, a Congress stronghold, the Resubelpara constituency has seen a massive withdrawal of support. As many as 42 Congress leaders, including presidents, secretaries, leaders of the district, block and primary committees, have resigned from the party.
"Another 3,500 Congress members resigned from the party since. It's because of the autocratic rule of the sitting MLA Salseng C Marak. He would never consult others while taking decisions regarding the constituency. He never listened to us when we came up with suggestions," says Chisal R Sangma, former district president of Congress from North Garo Hills.
The former Congress members from this constituency are now supporting an independent candidate and first-timer 30-year-old Braze Adoneza G Momin against Marak. "We are voting for Braze. His win is assured," Chisal says. He also maintains that the independent candidate is likely to support Conrad Mukul Sangma-led NPP while forming the government. "We are going to support NPP if they need help in forming the government".
Braze gives his point of view. "My constituency has a mixed population of Achik and Rabha community and 87 percent of them are farmers. They do not have a regulated market. They do not get a good price for their crops. The previous MLA from Congress had promised a lot to uplift their conditions, but it remained the same. People are frustrated with Congress. So, they have decided to support an independent candidate this time."
Marak says his party depended on new workers for campaigning. "The workers who quit Congress were a floating population. They move from one party to other depending on where they see the more benefits. One of the main factors could be money," he says.
In South Garo Hills' Chokpot Assembly constituency, claiming that popular support was for Congress MLA Bluebell Sangma, over 200 supporters of the party resigned after the ticket was given to Lazarus M Sangma.
Bluebell, who says she resigned according to the wishes of the people, is now contesting from Chokpot as an independent candidate. "People are unhappy with the Congress leadership. This has been the trend in the party, to rule as dictators. Surely, Congress is at loss. They have lost the confidence of a huge chunk of people in this constituency," she says.
Good that those not committed have left, says CM
Prestone Tynsong, a former minister in Sangma's cabinet, claims Congress will not get more than 15 seats in the upcoming polls. "It's because Congress has made a blunder in terms of its high command. The leadership in Meghalaya is an issue. Sangma functions like Congress and the government are his property. He failed to live up to the expectations of his colleagues and he will see the results of his misdeeds in the polls," he says.
Tynsong had been the minister of public health engineering in the 60-member Meghalaya Assembly since 2013. He was dropped from his position in August last year for "anti-party activities". In December 2017, he joined NPP.
Sangma, while denying any negative impact on his party, says, "It's, in fact, a good sign that people who were not committed to the party have left it before the elections. The present candidates are enough to win the polls. We had formed the government on our own last time and this time also we will win more than 30 seats alone."
"Sometimes, cleansing is also necessary for the party so that new faces, new ideas can be induced in the governance," he says.
Meanwhile, on reports of 5,000 workers quitting BJP, state youth president Egenstar Kurkalang called the figures inflated. He says many have also joined BJP "for the vision that the prime minister carries". "Some party workers quit and they were not loyal to BJP. More than the people who quit, we had many shifting from Congress and NPP. So, we were better placed for campaigning for the elections," Kurkalang said.
Former BJP member Keith Pariat says the party workers left because they were bypassed and sidelined. "BJP's present leaders there did not trust in strengthening the party at all. It will remain a debacle for the party."
The author is a Guwahati-based freelance writer and a member of 101Reporters.com, a pan-India network of grassroots reporters. She tweets @syedaambia1
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Out of power in Madhya Pradesh for 14 long years, the Congress is pulling out all stops to regain its foothold.
Out of power in Madhya Pradesh for 14 long years, the Congress is pulling out all stops to regain its foothold. After a spate of electoral disasters courtesy of factionalism and an anaemic organisation, the party is bracing for a new fight: The Assembly elections scheduled for later this year.
Leading this charge is Deepak Babaria, Congress general secretary and the party's Madhya Pradesh in-charge. Babaria, a chemical engineer who rose up the Congress ladder after joining the Nav Nirman Andolan in 1974 rather than attending Stanford University, is confident of a thumping victory.
In a freewheeling interview with Firstpost, Babaria, a confidante of Congress president Rahul Gandhi and part of his core team, talks about the Congress' prospects and touches upon a host of other issues. Edited excerpts follow:
In Madhya Pradesh, the Congress is fragmented. As party in-charge of the state, what is your prescription to ending factionalism?
First of all, that's simply not true. Consider the by-election that took place on 24 February. All top Congress leaders belonging to Madhya Pradesh: From Kamal Nath, Jyotiraditya Scindia, Kantilal Bhuria to Leader of Opposition Ajay Singh and state president Arun Yadav campaigned together.
BJP wants to create this perception that theres factionalism within the Congress, so that apathy grows among the people. Last year, the party won two bypolls in Ater and Khajuraho, and also won seats in civic body polls. Youll see the united strength of Congress party during the upcoming Assembly election.
The party appears to have lost grassroots connectivity. How do you plan to revive it?
Were taking various steps to strengthen the party at organisational level. In order to strengthen our grassroots connectivity, weve created a pyramid structure to reduce the huge gap that exists between the blocks and also between the block-level and state leadership.
The Pradesh Congress has taken up three tasks as part of revival strategy. One: Reaching out to various sections of the society, establishing connectivity up to the booth-level and voters penetration, and explain to people the failures of BJP government. Second: Create a favourable environment for the Congress. Three: Focus on identifying right candidates for polls and dedicated party workers.
Were selecting candidates from various fields for our organisational work, with specific responsibilities: From booth management to media handling. The partys thrust is on new and fresh faces with winnability factor. Besides strengthening our social media campaign, the Congress will undertake agitation programme at various levels to expose the misgovernance and corruption in the 14-year Shivraj Singh Chouhan government.
On 12 March, Congress will hold a demonstration at the Madhya Pradesh Vidhan Sabha and kick off a major protest across the state. We're also focussing on activating the Seva Dal, our frontal organisation, and giving it clear cut responsibilities.
What are the major issues in Madhya Pradesh?
There is an overall discontent across all sections of the society. The economic condition of farmers is a matter of great concern. The chief minister had promised agriculture would be a profitable venture, instead it has turned into a loss-making one. Farmers are getting prices much below the minimum support price (MSP), which resulted in a major unrest in June 2017, and Mandsaur district turned into an epicentre of major agitation.
The unemployment rate in the past two years has gone up by 53 percent. Where are the jobs promised by Chouhan? There was an advertisement for the post of Class 4 employee for which 58,000 applications were received. Out of it, 8000 were having PhD, BE, Masters and even MBBS degrees! The contract system of employment in the state has created havoc. People are paid Rs 100 per day. There is rampant corruption. The Vyapam scam is just one example of many rackets.
Let me give an example: The state government has contracted a Dubai-based company to collect garbage from localities and markets. This company is taking a huge sum, but the actual work is being done by the sanitation workers of Valmiki community for a meagre amount. The BJP leaders behind this contract are operating under the garb of a foreign company and making money. Out of 12,000 odd announcements made by the chief minister, 11,900 remained on paper. The rest are incomplete or funds have not been allocated.
What is your opinion about state governments Bhavantar Bhugtan Yojna the scheme meant to pay farmers the difference between the MSP and market price?
It's nothing but a deception of farmers. For farmers, it hardly makes a difference. Moreover, only those farmers who registered online (6.4 percent) are eligible for the scheme.
How do you see the Congress' prospects in the Kolaras and Mungaoli bypolls?
The Congress will sweep both and get a thumping majority. The people of Madhya Pradesh have got fed up with the jumlebaazi (false promises) of Shivraj Singh Chouhan. Now, people have lost confidence and the chief minister's credibility has reached its nadir.
Who will be the Congress' chief ministerial candidate?
No doubt, that's one of the party's most important decisions. It's part of our decision-making process, but it's not something that can be discussed in the media. The decision will be revealed at the appropriate time.
What's the Congress' message to voters?
Under Rahul, the Congress has a new, young leadership. Rahul is leading from the front. We've seen the result in Gujarat. Our message to the voters is this: For development and economic prosperity, throw out the Shivraj Singh Chouhan government and vote for Congress.
Congress president Rahul Gandhi accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of favouring the 'super rich' and questioned why he had still not appointed a Lokpal to fight corruption
Ramadurga (Karnataka): Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Monday accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of favouring the "super rich" and questioned why he had still not appointed a Lokpal to fight corruption.
Gandhi, who has been targeting Modi in all public rallies in poll-bound Karnataka, also quizzed Modi over his "silence" on issues such as the Punjab National Bank fraud. "In Gujarat, Modi ji did not implement Lokayukta. It has been four years since he became prime minister... He did not implement Lokpal even in Delhi," he said.
The Congress president said Modi, who had described himself as the country's "chowkidar" (watchman), was silent on the fraud and the alleged increase in the turnover of a company owned by BJP president Amit Shah's son, Jay Shah.
"The country's chowkidar comes to Karnataka and speaks about corruption with his chief minister (former chief minister BS Yeddyurappa) who had been to jail on one side and on the other side four ministers who also went to jail during the BJP rule," he said, addressing a rally in Ramadurga.
"Nudidante nade" (practice what you preach)," he urged Modi, quoting 12th-century social reformer Basaveshwara from Karnataka.
Gandhi, who is on the second leg of his three-day tour of the northern parts of Karnataka, said, "Modiji... nudidante nade. The country has not made you prime minister just to give speeches."
Gandhi said diamantaire Nirav Modi had taken away crores of rupees "belonging to" India's poor.
"Nirav Modi took away Rs 22,000 crore belonging to India's farmers, labourers and the poor, but our chowkidar does not utter a word," he said.
In his first remarks on the Rs 11,400-crore fraud in India's second-biggest PSU bank, prime minister Modi had on Friday warned of strict action against those involved in financial irregularities and said the loot of public money would not be tolerated.
Attacking the prime minister on GST, which the Congress president has been calling "Gabbar Singh Tax", Gandhi said whatever was in the common man's pocket had been taken away, lakhs of businesses shut and lakhs of people had suffered losses.
"But one person runs a magical new business... Amit Shah's son Jay Shah within three months converts Rs 50,000 to Rs 80 crore, but the chowkidar does not utter a word," he alleged.
The BJP chief has rejected allegations of corruption against his son, who has filed a criminal defamation suit against a news portal which claimed his business fortunes had zoomed after the BJP came to power in 2014.
Hitting out at the prime minister over issues such as employment generation and for not announcing loan waivers for farmers, Gandhi said, "Mod ji... learn a bit from (Karnataka chief minister) Siddaramaiah."
"Whatever you do, you do it for people like Nirav Modi. You give thousands of crores money to super-rich people in the country; while in Karnataka we give seven kg rice at free of cost to the poor," he said.
Alleging that money power, marketing, television and the media were on the side of the BJP, Gandhi said despite all these, the Congress would win the Assembly polls in Karnataka because the party had the "strength of the poor and weaker sections".
"Whether they like it or not, Siddaramaiah and I, along with the Congress party, will work for weaker sections, the poor. We will take everyone together for the progress of Karnataka," he said.
State Assembly polls are expected to be held in April/May.
Amit Shah slammed the Congress for 'looting farmers' after CBI named Amarinder Singh's son-in-law Gurpal Singh in Simbhaoli Sugars Ltd bank fraud case.
BJP president Amit Shah slammed the Congress for 'looting farmers' after the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) named Punjab chief minister Amarinder Singh's son-in-law Gurpal Singh in Simbhaoli Sugars Ltd bank fraud case, media reports said. Shah even shared a tweet the Congress had deleted on the scam and shared the news story about the alleged bank fraud at Oriental Bank of Commerce (OBC) on the microblogging website.
According to NDTV, Gurpal is among 11 accused of causing a loss of Rs 109 crore to the Oriental Bank of Commerce in the case. Gurpal is one of the deputy directors of Simbhaoli Sugars and is married to the Punjab chief minister's daughter Jai Inder Kaur, the report said.
The CBI on Sunday registered a bank fraud case against a Uttar Pradesh-based private sugar company, its top officials along with unknown bank officials for allegedly causing loss of Rs 109 crore to Oriental Bank of Commerce, officials said.
Punjab CMs son-in-law pockets money meant for Indias hardworking farmers. What can be more shameful than this ! #CongressLootsFarmers https://t.co/tdrTQ0WiR0 Amit Shah (@AmitShah) February 26, 2018
Why delete this tweet highlighting the loot of @capt_amarinders son-in-law. Congress has always been at the forefront of highlighting their own robberies such as the NPA mess, bad loans, the free hand they gave to Vijay Mallya and Nirav Modi. #CongressLootsFarmers pic.twitter.com/b7WS3MnIfp Amit Shah (@AmitShah) February 26, 2018
According to CBI officials, the Hapur-based Simbhaoli Sugars Ltd in 2011 fraudulently diverted funds received as loans for sugarcane farmers and self-help groups. CBI also conducted searches at offices of the company and residences of its officials at eight places, including one location each in Hapur and Noida, and six locations in Delhi.
"Searches are being conducted at eight premises including residences of Directors, factory, corporate office and registered office of the company in Delhi, Hapur and Noida," CBI spokesperson Abhishek Dayal told IANS.
Earlier on Sunday, Shah had attacked the Congress over its treatment to farmers. In Bidar, Shah had said that under the Congress, over 3,000 farmers across the state have committed suicide but the chief minister was busy in "politics of appeasement". Shah, who is on a three-day visit to Karnataka, had interacted with sugarcane farmers on Sunday.
"In Siddaramaiah's tenure, about 3,781 farmers across Karnataka have committed suicide but he is busy in politics of appeasement. I have not seen a government as irresponsible and insensitive as this," he later said in a tweet.
With inputs from agencies
The bypolls were necessitated after Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and Maurya vacated the Gorakhpur and Phulpur seats respectively, following their election to the Uttar Pradesh Legislative Council.
Lucknow: Uttar Pradesh deputy chief minister Keshav Prasad Maurya on Monday expressed confidence that the BJP would sweep the 11 March bypolls to the Gorakhpur and Phulpur Lok Sabha seats.
The bypolls were necessitated after Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and Maurya vacated the Gorakhpur and Phulpur seats respectively, following their election to the Uttar Pradesh Legislative Council.
"The lotus (BJP's poll symbol) will bloom in both the seats. I have no doubt about this. The very fact that people are talking mostly about the BJP's winning margin is itself an indicator that the party is going to win.
"You can be rest assured that we are going to improve our margin in both the seats," Maurya told PTI in an interview in Lucknow on Monday.
Taking a jibe at the opposition, he said, "As soon as the bye-elections were announced, the opposition parties started discussing the victory margin. This is a clear indication that the lotus will bloom in Gorakhpur and Phulpur."
The deputy chief minister, a former president of the state BJP, said as far as the vote-share was concerned, "60 percent is ours and the rest is for the others to share".
On whether he wanted one of his family members to contest from Phulpur, Maurya said, "Party workers, owing to their affection towards me, floated the idea that someone from my family should contest the bypolls.
"However, I am a kaaryakarta-waadi (workers-centric) person, and not a parivaar-waadi (believer in dynastic politics). I am a member of the BJP's big family."
Referring to the BJP's winning show in the 2014 general election and 2017 Uttar Pradesh Assembly polls, he expressed confidence that the "lotus will bloom in 2018 (bypolls) and it will lay a strong foundation for the 2019 Lok Sabha election".
The bye-elections are expected to witness a triangular contest between the ruling BJP, the Samajwadi Party (SP) and the Congress.
The saffron party has fielded Kaushalendra Singh Patel from Phulpur and Upendra Dutt Shukla from Gorakhpur against the Samajwadi Party's Pravin Nishad and Nagendra Pratap Singh Patel respectively.
Sureetha Kareem is the Congress candidate from Gorakhpur. The party has fielded Manish Mishra from Phulpur.
"Voters are very clear as regards which party can usher in development, provide jobs, ensure safety and a robust law-and-order situation in the state. They know that it is the BJP, which is a pro-poor political party, is working to ensure that the benefits of development reach the last person, and also that it can take a tough stand against corruption," Maurya said.
For the BJP, Gorakhpur is significant as it is the bastion of the chief minister, who has represented the seat in the Lok Sabha five times. Prior to Adityanath, the seat was thrice represented in Parliament by his mentor Avaidyanath.
Phulpur, on the other hand, was once the bastion of the Congress and represented by India's first prime minister, Jawaharlal Nehru. It had, for the first time, witnessed a saffron surge in the 2014 Lok Sabha election, when Maurya won the seat.
Voting for the bypolls will be held on 11 March and the results will be declared on 14 March.
Voting for Uttar Pradesh Lok Sabha bypolls there will be held on 11 March, while counting of votes will be held on 14 March.
Lucknow: Uttar Pradesh deputy chief minister Keshav Prasad Maurya on Sunday urged the people of Phulpur constituency to vote for the BJP in the upcoming Lok Sabha bypoll in the state.
"Goddess Laxmi sits on a lotus, and it is the lotus which will bring development of Phulpur," he told the crowd at a public meeting in Allahabad.
Lotus is the election symbol of the BJP.
"The people of Phulpur had given me a winning margin, which was even greater than Pandit Nehru. My appeal to you is that (BJP candidate) Kaushalendra Patel's victory margin should be greater than my victory margin," he said.
He claimed that in less than an year, the BJP government in Uttar Pradesh has began to take the state on the path of development.
"As an MP I had sent proposals of a number of developmental schemes pertaining to Phulpur to the previous government headed by Akhilesh Yadav, which were blocked.
"Today, the government has changed, and schemes are being implemented on the ground. The foundation of Sangam Mega Food Park has been laid, which will definitely double the income of farmers," Maurya asserted.
Gorakhpur and Phulpur Lok Sabha constituencies were vacated by Chief Minister Adityanath and his deputy Maurya respectively, after they became members of the Uttar Pradesh Legislative Council.
Voting for Lok Sabha bypolls there will be held on 11 March, while counting of votes will be held on 14 March.
Krenilla Marak, the wife of Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) candidate Jonathone N Sangma, who was killed in an IED blast last Sunday, said she will contest Meghalaya election from the Williamnagar constituency.
Shillong: Krenilla Marak, the wife of Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) candidate Jonathone N Sangma, who was killed in an IED blast last Sunday, said she will contest Meghalaya election from the Williamnagar constituency.
I will contest the election to take forward my husbands efforts towards the well-being of the people of Williamnagar, the 38-year-old mother of five told Firstpost last week, adding, Party leaders came to my house to express their willingness to allot me a ticket.
Meghalaya chief electoral officer Frederick R Kharkongor told Firstpost the election date for Williamnagar constituency has not yet been set, but will be announced soon. According to Kharkongor, polling in Willianmanar constituency will be held within 45 days. Krenillas nomination will be filed after a week, said NCP state president Saleng A Sangma.
While the scenic beauty across the Shillong-Williamnagar highway is incomparable, the road also leaves nervous commuters who are aware of the region's history of prolonged violence by the Garo National Liberation Army (GNLA), a militant outfit fighting for Garoland, which is suspected to have planned Jonathones killing.
Posters threatening the electorate with death if they voted for NCP candidate in the 27 February Assembly election were put up across Williamnagar a couple of days before the attack. The GNLA, which is active in states South and East Garo Hills districts, was campaigning against Jonathone.
Meghalaya Police, however, raised their vigilance and zeroed in on GNLA cadres on Saturday morning, and killed GNLA chief Sohan D Shira in an encounter near Williamnagar. The news brought happiness not only to Jonathones family, but the entire Williamnagar town, which wore a near-festive look. Residents flocked to the market to celebrate the news of the militant's death.
Richard Shira, a resident of Rengregre, said, I will drive to Tura and celebrate the militants death with my friends. I am very happy that Sohans killing came at a time when Garo Hills needed it the most.
Expressing his joy over Meghalaya Polices achievement, Benjamin Marak, an eyewitness to Jonathones killing (he was in one of the four vehicles when suspected GNLA cadres attacked his convoy), said, Jonathone died in front of my eyes. Today, I feel he has got justice, and the best part about it is justice was delivered quickly. Meanwhile, the NCP has demanded a probe by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) into the killing of Jonathone.
From homemaker to caretaker of husband's legacy
Jonathone's supporters have been gathering at his home near the market in Williamnagar's Nokgilawe town. The walls are covered with posters of the late NCP candidate vowing to eradicate poverty, bring employment and preserve the Garo culture.
Dressed in a Dakmanda, a traditional Garo outfit, Krenilla said she is hoping to start her election campaign in a day or two. Jonathone and Krenillas eldest son, Peter, who is studying to be an engineer in Bengaluru, said he will actively participate in his mothers campaign.I want to help my mother win the polls by every possible means. I will accompany her to every campaign. I want to be her strength, the youngster said.
Peter said, My father had (received) threats. He had also filed an FIR stating the same at Williamnagar police station two weeks before this (18 Feb) attack. Though we had seen those posters wherein militants threatened voters with death if they voted (for) my father, I had never imagined that we would lose him.
We were a small happy family until last Sunday, said Krenilla, explaining that Jonathone had not told her about the threats he had been receiving since 2013. I am very emotional at this moment. I want to carry forward my husband's unfinished work.
Jonathone was the runner-up from Williamnagar constituency as an Independent in 2013 Assembly polls. Krenilla said she has absolutely no experience in electoral politics, and so, will take a while to figure things out. My husband never discussed politics with me. I was always busy handling the house and the kids. So it will take some time to understand the aspirations of my people, she said.
Reacting to GNLA chiefs killing, Krenilla said, I am very happy that Sohan is gone. Now, I can hope for peace in my region. This news is a huge relief to me.
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Reuters
The chief executive of Huawei said on Monday the pace of commercialization for next-generation 5G wireless network is picking up as the Chinese telecom equipment maker has begun pre-commercial development with more than 30 network operators.
Speaking to reporters at the annual Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, CEO Ken Hu also said he welcomed factual debate about any security concerns governments or network operators may have about security threats arising from its products.
Huawei is forging closer commercial ties with big telecom operators across Asia, the Americas, and Europe, putting the company in prime position to lead the global race for future 5G networks, despite U.S. allegations it poses a security threat.
The company, which generates roughly half of its revenue in China, is conducting pre-commercial 5G trials in many of the worlds biggest cities, including Seoul, Tokyo, London, Milan and Vancouver in Canada, Hu said.
Potential commercial benefits aside, these agreements indicate that many countries allied to the United States do not share Washington's security concerns. Asked about reports that the U.S. government has raised security concerns with the Australian government over Huaweis role in building communication networks there, Hu said the company is willing to work with authorities to ease any fears.
We are very happy to conduct open and transparent discussion with the Australian government and telecom operators. On this issue we stay very positive and open.
A bill introduced in the U.S. Senate this month would bar equipment from Huawei from any U.S. government networks to prevent Chinese spying. Hu dismissed Washingtons concerns that its products pose security threats as groundless suspicions.
Those words are not based on solid facts and for that we are very sorry, Hu told reporters when asked about the concerns. Huaweis CEO agreed on one point U.S. security officials have made: Deeper security threats lurk in the extended supply chains of thousands of partners which Huawei and other network suppliers must rely upon to develop, produce and distribute their products around the world, Hu said.
Waiting For 5G Deals
Huawei has signed 5G field trial agreements with 45 operators, the CEO said. Around 25 of those pre-commercial testing and field trial agreements have been publicly announced in recent years, according to Reuters data.
Swedens Ericsson , the No.2 mobile networks supplier, has 38 publicly announced 5G operator partnerships, while No.3 mobile supplier Nokia has disclosed 5G field trials with 31 network operators worldwide, Reuters data shows.
A spokesman said Nokia has 5G research and development pacts with 43 of its top 50 customers, including non-public ones. Huaweis Hu said 2018 will mark the first year of commercialization for 5G.
We have seen the emergence of real demand for 5G technologies, said Hu, CEO of the worlds No.3 smartphone maker. Growth in current generation 4G wireless networks peaked in 2015, according to market analysts, and the mobile equipment industry is counting on a new potentially decade-long cycle of 5G network upgrades to kick off in earnest around 2020.
Huawei reported 2017 revenue of $92 billion but growth slowed to 15 percent from 32 percent in 2016 and 37 percent in 2015. It is targeting total revenue of more than $102 billion for 2018, Chinese media reported last month, which in yuan terms would mean growth falling to 9 percent.
In response to a question from Reuters, Hu said that each of the three arms of its business - operator, enterprise and consumer - would have positive growth, but he declined to give specific figures, saying its 2018 targets would be announced next month.
Ankit Vengurlekar
Reliance Jio and Samsung have today announced a partnership for bringing LTE coverage to a staggering 99 percent of the Indian population, which would make LTE more accessible than 2G networks. The Jio revolution, which started in 2016, has made India the number 1 consumer of mobile data, up from the 152nd rank in 2017.
Heavy competition as a result of Jio's aggressive pricing strategies has forced other telecom giants to reduce their data fares, which has brought down the price of data per GB by 20 times. Jio now has 160 million users and claims to handle 55 petabytes (55,000,000 GB) of data every day. Along with this, Jio apparently supports 14.4 hours of video consumption per user per month.
Jio's partnership with Samsung will look to provide a fully digital landscape in India in which IoT is expected to play a big part. As per Samsung, this IoT network will be the first of its kind in India and it will provide services such as vehicle tracking, support smart appliances, smart metering, surveillance and more. The NB-IoT service by Jio and Samsung has been successfully deployed in Mumbai, and soon enough, we should see it in other parts of the country as well via a simple software upgrade.
"We are delighted to contribute to Jio's success story and rapid growth. We have been striving to offer the best experience possible to all users at Jio. Jio's LTE network will unlock the potential of IoT and promise a much more safe and convenient environment for users." said Youngky Kim, President and Head of Networks Business at Samsung Electronics.
As for the upcoming 5G technology, Jio says that it can demo it as early as tomorrow as its network is based on pure LTE. A single software upgrade would make every single cell tower from 1 GBps to 20 GBps. The switch from 4G to 5G will be offered overnight says the company.
Commenting of Airtel's 5G demo in November last year, Jio officials stated that "It's not about optics. 5G is beyond optics. It's about infrastructure development and we're the only ones who have done that from day zero. We're a complete IP-based network. We just have to flip a switch and we'll be 5G-ready".
Disclosure: Reliance Industries Ltd. is the sole beneficiary of Independent Media Trust which controls Network18 Media & Investments Ltd
Disclaimer: Tech2 was invited to MWC 2018 by Huawei, who were responsible for all expenses related to travel and accommodation.
Be sure to follow our MWC 2018 page, Twitter and Facebook channels for LIVE updates from the show floor.
Rehan Hooda
Editor's Note: This article was originally published on 26 February and is being re-published keeping in mind the launch of the Samsung Galaxy S9 Plus in India from Rs 64,900 onwards
The much-awaited annual Mobile World Congress (MWC) is finally underway and we have already seen the first couple of launches at the event. A day before the start of MWC 2018, we saw phone launches by Samsung, Nokia and today Sony announced its flagship Xperia XZ2 series.
At the annual conference, Samsung finally launched its flagship devices, the Samsung Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9 Plus.
Another major player, HMD Global returned to the stage almost a year after announcing its big return to the mobile market. The company launched five devices at its event that include the Nokia 8 Sirocco, Nokia 1, Nokia 6 (2018), Nokia 7 Plus and the Nokia 8110 Slider with 4G VoLTE. The company did not launch the much rumoured Nokia 9 or Nokia 10 probably because of not getting hands on the supply of Nokia 845.
On the first day of MWC 2018 it was the turn of Sony Mobile to launch its Xperia XZ2 along with Xperia XZ2 Compact.
Samsung Galaxy S9 and S9 Plus are both powered by the flagship Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 SoC and Samsungs Exynos 9810 (market-dependent). The S9 will pack 4 GB of RAM and the S9 Plus will sport 6 GB of RAM. The screen size of both the devices remains the same with 5.8-inch and 6.2-inch for the S9 and S9 Plus respectively. This time users will get an option to choose from 64 GB, 128 GB and 256 GB storage variants while buying any of the two devices.
More than usual improvements in the internal hardware powering the device, the most significant improvement for the S9 line-up is expected to be the camera. S9 and S9 Plus will be the first devices from the Galaxy S-series to pack a variable aperture from an impressive f/1.5 for low-light conditions to f/2.4 for sharper images. Another interesting feature that Samsung has added is the ability to shoot 960 fps video at 720p by integrating DRAM in the camera sensor module.
Talking about the second major release, Nokia 8 Sirocco, HMD Global has packed the high-end device with a Snapdragon 835, the same chipset that was in flagships of 2017. The dated SoC is accompanied with a 6 GB RAM, 128 GB internal storage, dual camera setup with 12 MP, f/1.7 and 13 MP, f/2.6 image sensors on the back of the device.
The third major launch, the Sony Xperia XZ2 along with Xperia XZ2 Compact saw the company upgrading both the devices to the new taller 18:9 displays. The company has added that the XZ2 features a 5.7-inch FHD+ display while the Compact makes do with a 5-inch FHD+ unit. Both smartphones also come with Sony's S-Force Surround sound and Hi-Res Bluetooth audio with LDAC.
Sony Xperia XZ2 and the XZ2 Compact will sport a Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 SoC paired with 4 GB RAM and 64 GB of internal storage with support for microSD cards of up to 400 GB in capacity. Even though Sony showcased an intriguing dual camera set up it would only arrive in future smartphones. The current batch makes do with a 19 MP Advanced Motion Eye f/2.0 camera on the back and a 5 MP f/2.2 setup on the front.
With the launch of three high profile flagships in just about a matter of hours, it is only right to bring them to the comparison table and see how these devices stack against each other and against the competition. It may not be fair to pit it against the flagships from last year but it does it will paint a more comprehensive picture of the comparison.
So, we selected Apple iPhone X, and Google Pixel 2 XL to compete against Samsung Galaxy S9 Plus, Sony Xperia XZ2, and Nokia 8 Sirocco.
The reason we selected these smartphones is that almost all of the devices are flagship devices sold as the best a particular company can sell. These devices also pack similar (or the custom-made equivalents) of the top-of-the-line hardware. Bear in mind that we're still not done testing some of these smartphones, so we're currently comparing them going only by their specifications on paper.
Smartphone Samsung S9 Plus Sony Xperia XZ2 Nokia 8 Sirocco iPhone X Google Pixel 2 XL Display Size (inch) 6.2 5.7 5.5 5.8 6 Resolution (pixels) 1,440 x 2,960 1080 x 2160 1,440 x 2,560 2436 x 1125 1440 x 2880 Pixel Density (PPI) 529 424 534 458 538 Display Type Super AMOLED IPS LCD p-OLED OLED Super Retina HDR pOLED Dimensions(mm) 158.1 x 73.8 x 8.5 153 x 72 x 11.4 140.9 x 73 x 7.5 143.6 x 70.9 x 7.7 157.9 76.7 7.9 Weight (gm) 189 198 TBA 174 175 Dual SIM Yes (Variant) Yes (Variant) Yes No No Connectivity Types GSM / HSPA / LTE GSM / HSPA / LTE GSM / HSPA / LTE LTE, SCDMA, CDMA EV-DO Rev. A, UMTS/HSPA+/DC-HSDPA, GSM/EDGE GSM / CDMA / HSPA / LTE / VoLTE Processor Qualcomm Snapdragon 855, Exynos 9810 Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 A11 Bionic chip with 64-bit architecture Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 CPU Cores Octa-core, Octa-core Octa-core Octa-core Hexa-core Octa-core CPU Clock Speed (GHz) 4x Kryo 385 Gold @ 2.7 & 4x Kryo 385 Silver @ 1.7 and 4x Mongoose M3 @ 2.8 & 4x Cortex A55 @ 1.7 4x Kryo 385 Gold @ 2.7 & 4x Kryo 385 Silver @ 1.7 4x Kryo 280 @ 2.5 GHz & 4x Kryo 280 @ 1.8 GHz Hexa-core 4 x effieciency cores + 2 Performance cores 4x Kryo 280 @ 2.35 & 4x Kryo 280 @ 1.9 GPU Adreno 630, Mali G72 MP18 Adreno 630 Adreno 540 - Adreno 540 RAM 6 GB 4 GB 6 GB 3GB 4 GB Ruggedness IP68 IP68 IP54 IP67 under IEC standard 60529 IP67 On-Board Memory 64, 128, 256 GB 64 GB 128 GB 64, 256 GB 64, 128 GB Expandable Memory Yes, up to 256GB Yes, upto 400 GB Yes, up to 256 GB No No Sensors Iris scanner, fingerprint, Accelerometer, Gyroscope, Proximity, Compass, Barometer, Heart-rate, SpO2 Fingerprint reader (side mounted), accelerometer, gyroscope, proximity sensor, barometer, compass Fingerprint, Accelerometer, Gyroscope, Proximity, Compass, Heart rate, Barometer Face ID
Barometer
Three-axis gyro
Accelerometer
Proximity sensor
Ambient light sensor Fingerprint, Accelerometer, Gyroscope, Proximity, Compass, Barometer, Active Edge, Magnetometer, Hall effect Primary Camera 12MP, f/1.5-2.4, 12 MP f/2.4 52 mm 19 MP, f/2.0 12 MP, f/1.75 and 13 MP, f/2.6 12 MP wide-angle /1.8 aperture,
telephoto /2.4 aperture 12.2 MP, f/1.8 Optical Image Stabilization Yes No No Yes Yes Camera Array Dual Camera Single Camera Dual Camera Dual Camera Single Camera Autofocus System Phase detection Laser and Phase detection Dual-pixel phase detection Autofocus with Focus Pixels Laser, Dual-pixel phase detection Secondary Camera 8MP, f/1.7 5 MP f/2.2 5 MP 7 MP, f/2.2 8MP, f/2.4 Video Capture 4K, 720p 960 fps, HDR 2160p@30 fps, 1080p@960 fps 4K 4K upto 60 fps 4K Flash LED LED flash Dual-LED Quad-LED Dual-LED OS Version Android 8.0 Oreo Android 8.0 Oreo Android 8.0 Oreo iOS 11 Android 8 Oreo AI (Smart Assistant) Yes, Bixby Google Assistant Google Assistant Siri Yes, Google Assistant Wi-Fi Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, Dual-band, Wi-Fi Direct, Hotspot Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, dual-band, Wi-Fi Direct, DLNA, hotspot Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, Dual-band, Wi-Fi Direct, Hotspot 802.11ac WiFi with MIMO Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, dual, band, Wi-Fi Direct, DLNA Bluetooth v5.0, A2DP, LE, aptX 5.0, A2DP, aptX HD, LE v5, A2DP, LE v 5.0 v5, A2DP, LE, aptX HD NFC Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Fingerprint Scanner Yes, Rear button Yes Yes No Yes, Rear button 3.5mm jack Yes No Yes No No USB Type Type-C Reversible connector Type-C reversible Type-C Reversible connector Reversible connector Type-C Reversible connector USB Standard USB 3.1 USB v3.1 USB v3.1 Lightning USB 2.0 Battery (mAh) 3,500 3,180 3,260 2,716 3,520 Quick charge Yes Quick Charge 3.0 Yes Yes Yes Colors Midnight Black, Coral Blue, Titanium Gray, Lilac Purple Liquid Black, Liquid Silver, Deep Green, Ash Pink Tempered Blue, Polished Blue, Steel, Polished Copper Space Grey, Silver Black & White, Just Black Prices in India Rs 64,900 onwards TBA TBA Rs 89,000 onwards Rs 73,000 onwards
Conclusion
Apple iPhone X and the Google Pixel 2 XL are the reigning champions in the smartphone market when it comes to performance and camera according to our tests. However, considering that Galaxy S9 Plus packs a revamped camera system and Samsung Note 8 was almost at par with the Pixel 2 XL, it is likely that Samsung can beat the Pixel 2 XL with the new variable aperture technology. But we will reserve our verdict till we actually test the new flagships. But on paper at least, both the Galaxy S9 Plus and the Sony Xperia XZ2 and Nokia 8 Sirocco look quite impressive.
An Iraqi court has sentenced 16 Turkish women to death for joining the militant group Islamic State, a judicial spokesman said.
Baghdad: An Iraqi court has sentenced 16 Turkish women to death for joining the militant group Islamic State, a judicial spokesman said.
Abdul Sattar al-Biraqdar, spokesman for Iraq's Supreme Judicial Council, said on Sunday the convicted women confessed that they married Islamic State militants and provided them logistical support, Xinhua news agency reported.
Biraqdar added that all the sentences are preliminary and subject to review by the Court of Cassation.
Last week, the court issued a verdict of death penalty for a female Turkish citizen and issued 10 verdicts of life sentences for other women from different countries, according to an earlier statement by Biraqdar.
On Thursday, the Iraqi authorities handed over four women and 27 children from Islamic State families to Russia, after being cleared of charges of involvement in terrorist operations against civilians or security forces, Iraqi foreign ministry said.
Also on Thursday, an Iraqi newspaper reported that more than 1,500 foreign women and children from the families of IS militants are being held by the Iraqi authorities, which are coordinating with the countries of origin to decide their fate.
Saad al-Hadithi, spokesman of Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi's media office, confirmed that all "foreign nationals who committed crimes and violations against the people of Iraq, whether directly or by supporting the terrorist IS militants, will be subject to the Iraqi law."
"This also applies to foreign women (of Islamic State families) who committed such actions inside the Iraqi territories," Hadithi said.
After the Iraqi forces defeated Islamic State in Iraq in 2017, hundreds of loyalists were killed or captured, while many others are still at large in hideouts in Iraq or abroad.
US president Donald Trump has said that he has pushed for changing the World Trade Organisation, which in its current avatar is ripping off American economy and businesses.
Washington: US president Donald Trump has said that he has pushed for changing the World Trade Organisation, which in its current avatar is ripping off American economy and businesses.
The World Trade Organisation, an international governmental organisation that regulates international trade, has led to the economic emergence of China as a global economic power, he said, asserting that his administration is working to change this.
The World Trade Organisation deal, that's what really led to the emergence of China you look at China, they became rich when they made the World Trade Deal. The World Trade Organisation, WTO. We have to change it, Trump told Fox News in an interview.
We can't allow our workers, our country, our companies to be ripped off like this and they understand that. And that's why they are starting to move back into the United States. Chrysler's coming back, Foxconn is coming in, the big company that makes the Apple, different things for Apple. Some of the biggest companies in the world, said the US president.
Trump made an unusual appearance over phone on Fox News late last night after the Democratic side of the Senate Intelligence committee issued its own version of memo detailing into the allegations of Russian interference in 2016 presidential elections.
Trump described the release of such a memo as illegal. It's probably illegal to do it, he said, reiterating that there was no collusion between him or his campaign with the Russians. Discussions on such issues, though, is helping the Russians.
A lot of people are tearing our nation apart on this and other subjects. They are tearing our nation apart, he said, as he reiterated that the alleged Russian interference happened during the administration of his predecessor Barack Obama.
I have to say, Obama was the president during all of this meddling or whatever you want to call it with Russians and others possibly. He's the one that was supposed to take care of this and he didn't, he said.
Nobody brings that up. He was warned and he didn't, which makes it even worse. But he was the president during this period of time, during the entire period of time and he did nothing about. So somebody should and I have to say, a lot of the fair people, and people frankly love my administration, they bring it up all the time, but Obama was the president, Trump alleged.
Trump said the American economy is "incredible" and he is renegotiating trade deals.
There are no trade deals ever negotiated that have been bad like the trade deals we've had negotiated whether it's NAFTA, the deal with South Korea, TPP I was able to keep us out of that, that would have been a total disaster, he said
European Union countries on Monday demanded sanctions against senior Myanmar military officers over 'serious and systematic' rights abuses against the country's beleaguered Rohingya Muslim minority.
Brussels: European Union countries on Monday demanded sanctions against senior Myanmar military officers over "serious and systematic" rights abuses against the country's beleaguered Rohingya Muslim minority.
A crackdown by security forces in Myanmar's northern Rakhine state has driven some 700,000 Rohingyas across the border into Bangladesh since last August, leading the United Nations to accuse the government of an ethnic cleansing campaign against the group, who face acute discrimination in the mainly Buddhist nation.
EU foreign ministers meeting in Brussels said the situation in Myanmar was "extremely serious", pointing to widespread abuses by the military, "including rape and killings".
The ministers tasked the bloc's diplomatic chief Federica Mogherini with making "proposals for targeted restrictive measures against senior military officers of the Myanmar armed forces responsible for serious and systematic human rights violations without delay".
They also called for an extension to the EU's embargo on weapons and equipment that can be used for political repression, imposed in the 1990s.
Blacklisting senior military officers freezing their EU assets and stopping them travelling to the bloc would be the toughest step taken so far by Brussels in its efforts to halt the Rohingya crisis and hold the perpetrators accountable.
Students and teachers returned to a Florida school in the US for the first time since 17 people were killed there, consoling each other even as they called for swift action to address gun violence
Washington: Students and teachers returned to a Florida school in the US for the first time since 17 people were killed there, consoling each other even as they called for swift action to address gun violence.
"Imagine (being) in a plane crash and then having to get on the same plane every day and fly somewhere else it's never going to be the same," David Hogg, a survivor of the 14 February shooting at a Parkland, Florida high school, told ABC television's This Week.
The school held a voluntary "orientation" Sunday, with teachers and staff due back starting Monday and classes resuming on Wednesday a prospect described as "daunting" and "scary," but which is also a step for survivors to move forward after the attack.
One teacher who had already been back told NPR radio that the shock of returning to a classroom left exactly as it had been during the attack notebooks still on desks, the calendar still set to 14 February made her so physically ill she had to leave.
But Cameron Kasky, a student who survived the attack, tweeted a picture of people on campus, saying: "It is good to be home."
"I have all my friends here with me and it just makes me feel like I'm not alone in this situation," student Michelle Dittmeier, who attended the orientation, told ABC.
Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School also received support from alumni, with previous graduating classes making banners to decorate the school, the WSVN news reported.
Amid ardent demands by students like Hogg for action, US president Donald Trump has said he is open to raising the minimum age for gun purchases and to banning so-called bump stocks, which can effectively convert semi-automatic weapons into automatic firearms.
Speaking at the Governors Ball ahead of meetings with the top officials from all 50 states on Monday, Trump said that school safety is a top priority: "I think we'll make that first on our list."
A new CNN poll, conducted a week after the Florida shooting, shows surging public support for stricter gun laws surpassing levels seen even after other horrific shootings of recent years and for a ban on powerful semi-automatic weapons like the AR-15 used in Parkland.
Overall, 70 percent of those surveyed said they supported stricter gun laws, up from 52 percent in October, and 57 percent favored a ban on semi-automatic arms, an increase from 49 percent.
Florida governor Rick Scott has laid out a plan to station a police officer at every public school in the state, raise the legal age for gun purchases from 18 to 21 and pass a "red flag" law for authorities to more easily remove guns from the mentally ill or people with violent histories.
The age change and "red flag" law are staunchly opposed by the influential National Rifle Association, of which Scott is a member.
Scott, who holds the NRA's highest rating of A+, noted on "Fox News Sunday" that "there will be some that disagree. But... I want my state to be safe."
Trump had Scott stand up to applause on Sunday, telling him: "You're doing a great job."
Florida was also the scene of a June 2016 shooting at an Orlando nightclub that left 49 people dead.
About 120 reformed Islamist militants will apologise to dozens of victims including survivors of the 2002 Bali bombings and the 2004 bombing of the Australian Embassy in Jakarta in an attempt to combat radicalism and foster reconciliation
Jakarta: The Indonesian government is bringing together dozens of convicted Islamist militants and survivors of attacks in what it hopes will be an important step in combating radicalism and fostering reconciliation.
The director of de-radicalization at Indonesia's counter-terrorism agency says about 120 reformed militants will apologise to dozens of victims including survivors of the 2002 Bali bombings and the 2004 bombing of the Australian Embassy in Jakarta.
The three days of meetings at a Jakarta hotel that began Monday aren't open to the media except for an event on the final day.
Febby Firmansyah Isran, who suffered burns to 45 percent of his body from the 2003 bombing of the JW Marriot hotel in Jakarta, said he'd forgiven the perpetrators and now runs a support group for bombing victims.
Michael McCormack of Nationals party was appointed as the deputy prime minister on Monday after his predecessor quit over a sexual harassment allegation
Canberra: A new Australian deputy prime minister was appointed on Monday after his predecessor quit over a sexual harassment allegation.
Lawmakers in the Nationals party elected Michael McCormack as their leader. The junior coalition partner's former leader Barnaby Joyce resigned Friday as both party leader and a Cabinet minister.
Joyce did not resign from Parliament, ensuring that Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull's single-seat majority in the House of Representatives is maintained.
McCormack is a former veterans affairs minister. The rural-focused Nationals' leader automatically becomes Turnbull's deputy under their coalition agreement with the prime minister's conservative Liberal Party.
"I want to make sure that people know that in me they will have a fighter. I have a huge challenge ahead of me," McCormack, 53, told reporters after his election.
He was later sworn in as deputy prime minister as well as minister for infrastructure and transport, portfolios that Joyce had held.
Recent controversies over Joyce's private life had strained the coalition partnership.
Joyce is estranged from his wife of 24 years and four daughters and is expecting a baby in April with a former press secretary.
While Joyce argues that his personal life is private, there have been questions raised about two government jobs his current partner Vikki Campion got after she left his office and the rent-free accommodation they share in an apartment owned by a wealthy political donor.
Joyce said reports that a woman had made a sexual harassment complaint against him was the "straw that breaks the camel's back." He denied the allegations and said he requested they be referred to police for investigation.
Joyce and Turnbull have openly attacked each other in recent weeks.
Turnbull accused his deputy of making a "shocking error of judgment" by having an office affair. Joyce described his leader's remarks as "inept" and "completely unnecessary."
British police said there was no indication reported explosion and building collapse that injured at least six people in Leicester, was linked to terrorism
London: British police said Sunday there was no indication a reported explosion and building collapse that injured at least six people in Leicester, a central English city, was linked to terrorism.
"The cause of the explosion will be the subject of a joint investigation by the police and Leicestershire Fire and Rescue Service," local police said in a statement.
"We would ask that the media and public do not speculate about the circumstances surrounding the incident, but at this stage there is no indication this is terrorist related."
In regards to the building fire on Hinckley Road, the cause will be subject of a joint investigation by us & @LFRSFireControl. We ask that you don't speculate about the circumstances surrounding the incident, but at this stage there is no indication this is terrorist related. LeicestershirePolice (@leicspolice) February 26, 2018
Emergency services are dealing with a building fire in Hinckley Road, Leicester following a report of an explosion. Please continue to check our website https://t.co/zdwAwAJl0U and our social media channels for further updates. @EMASNHSTrust @LFRSFireControl LeicestershirePolice (@leicspolice) February 26, 2018
The apparent explosion occurred Sunday evening on a stretch of road containing commercial and residential properties close to the city centre.
The electricity supply to a number of properties in the area was cut while emergency services deal with the incident, police said.
The Fire and Rescue Service said it received calls shortly after 7 pm (1900 GMT) from the public reporting an explosion and a building fire.
It immediately dispatched six fire engines, a spokeswoman said.
"We were en route when the police called to say a building had collapsed," she added.
Additional specialist search and rescue units were then dispatched, including a search and rescue dog, according to the spokeswoman.
"We've got no indication of what the cause is at this moment," the spokeswoman said.
Six people were taken by ambulance to Leicester Royal Infirmary hospital following the incident, according to University Hospitals of Leicester, which runs three area medical facilities.
"Two of these patients are in a critical condition, while four are walking wounded," it said on Twitter.
Officials had earlier advised people only to attend the accident and emergency department "if absolutely necessary".
The fire service spokeswoman also said representatives from gas and electric provider companies were in attendance at the scene, under routine procedures.
Pictures and videos posted on social media showed a property engulfed in flames visible from a distance, with rubble and debris scattered around.
Graeme Hudson told AFP he lives close to the scene and felt the blast.
"It was very scary," he said. "I live five minutes away... but my house shook. I went out and saw massive smoke and big flames.
"I quickly went out to see what's happened," he added. "(I) didn't stay for long there because (I felt) unsafe for my 11-year-old son."
South Korea's president said that the United States should lower the threshold for talks with North Korea and that the two countries should start a dialogue soon
Seoul: South Korea's president said Monday that the United States should lower the threshold for talks with North Korea and that the two countries should start a dialogue soon.
President Moon Jae-in made the remarks in a meeting with Chinese Vice-Premier Liu Yandong one day after a senior North Korean official told Moon that his country is willing to open talks with the United States.
The officials were in South Korea for the closing ceremony of the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics on Sunday.
According to his office, Moon asked for China's support for US-North Korea talks, and Liu responded that China would help facilitate them. Moon also said that North Korea should show a commitment to denuclearization, something it has refused to do.
Earlier, the US said the international community needs to maintain maximum pressure on North Korea until it gives up its nuclear weapons development.
"We will see if Pyongyang's message today, that it is willing to hold talks, represents the first steps along the path to denuclearization," the White House said in a statement.
Moon met Sunday with a North Korean delegation led by Kim Yong Chol, a former general whom South Korea has accused of being behind two attacks on the South that killed 50 people in 2010. Kim told Moon that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un wanted to improve ties with Washington and had "ample intentions of holding talks," according to the South Korean president's office.
The North Korean delegation met with Moon's national security chief on Monday. Moon's office said the two sides agreed that the Olympics had been a meaningful stepping stone toward restoring inter-Korean ties and to continue to collaborate to seek a permanent peace on the Korean Peninsula.
South Korean protesters burned a North Korean flag and used a knife to slash a portrait of Kim Jong Un near a hotel where the North Korean delegation was staying.
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Food-tech company Enough (formerly 3F BIO) has broken new ground on the construction of its first of its kind protein factory, targeted as the... Read More
John Force is having a rough start to the 2018 NHRA season.
Two weekends after the 16-time Funny Car champion crashed during qualifying for the Winternationals in Pomona, Calif., and then watched as daughter Brittany wreck at the same event, the 68-year-old collided hard with Jonnie Lindberg at the Arizona Nationals during Sundays elimination round.
Force blew his engine at the finish line, which ripped the body off his car and caused it to veer into Lindbergs lane. The two cars then hit and got tangled up in their parachutes as they banged down the drag strip. Lindbergs car also lost its body before the two vehicles came to a stop.
Force was conscious and communicating with safety personnel as they helped him out of his car and transported him to the hospital, while Lindberg was able to get out of his wreck on his own.
"I got up and walked away," Lindberg said. "I felt good and the doctors came to my trailer to check me out and told me that I'm good."
The extent of Forces injuries are unknown, but an early report from the NHRA said they arent serious.
Update: Force was released from the hospital Sunday night. His daughter, Courtney, won the Arizona Funny Car event.
The Associated Press contributed to this report
Omarosa Manigault Newman lobbed her latest big accusation against the White House in a Big Brother: Celebrity Edition clip released Sunday, claiming the Trump administration shunned her from major meetings because she's a black woman.
In the new clip released by CBS, featured below, Omarosa started by declaring she's planning to write a tell-all book about her time as the head of the White House Office of Public Liaison -- and her subsequent firing. However, shes not saving all the juicy details for the book. In the montage, she revealed that she expects to be locked in a legal battle with the president over her claims.
Im thinking of writing a tell-all sometime. Hes going to come after me with everything he has. Like, Im going up against a kazillionaire. So Ill probably end up in court for the next... but I have to tell my truth. Im tired of being muted, she says. All the stuff that I just put on a shelf somewhere out of loyalty Ive been defending somebody for so long, and Im now Im like, yo, you are a special kind of f---ed up, and that special breed, theyre about to learn all about it.
She then likened the day she was forced to leave her position as similar to being freed from a plantation. During another conversation with her fellow houseguests, she explained Trump's propensity to use Twitter as a way to distract the media.
What he does is, tweet something controversial and the news will distract and spin... Donald will tweet something, insult somebodys face and the press will be on that for three days and we push through sixteen unfunded mandates and nobody would notice, she said. Hell never get off Twitter.
Later she explained that Trumps tweets werent monitored late at night.
Hes up in his underwear at 4 in the morning, who is going to monitor that? Remember, the bad tweets happen between 4 and 6 in the morning. Aint nobody up there but Melania, she said. Have you seen that rock on her finger?
Later in the clip, Manigault Newman dropped her biggest allegation yet. She claimed that she was silenced at high-profile meetings simply because she's a black woman, something the entire Trump White House is, in her view, lacking.
I was literally the only African American woman on the senior staff. Nobody knows what I went through. Nobodys seen... I havent even told people some of the horrors that I experienced, she said. Im inside trying to fight for my own political life while Im going into meetings with people who are ignoring me. Because I was black, people wouldnt even talk to me. It wasnt just the black thing, it was the woman thing.
The Trump White House has fought back against Omarosa, with administration officials saying they didn't take her claims seriously. Omarosa was fired three times on The Apprentice. This was the fourth time we let her go, Deputy Press Secretary Raj Shah said earlier this month.
While Omarosa claimed Trump's aides may have to reexamine their relationships with the black and female communities, she said she enjoyed the confidence of the president himself up until the end.
These men felt like we dont need any woman telling us what we need to do. Then heres the president asking, did you ask Omarosa what she thinks? So, then they hated me more, she said. Im trying to figure out, why am I cut out of this meeting? Why dont I know about the decision thats impacting black children, or why wont you tell me about the welfare reform meeting? Im the one that was on welfare, shouldnt I be the one helping you?
After many weeks away, The Walking Dead returned for the mid-season premiere of Season 8, and with it, a farewell to one of the most beloved characters on the series.
[SPOILER ALERT: The remainder of this article will discuss Season 8, Episode 9 of The Walking Dead]
The last time we saw the intrepid heroes from Alexandria, Negan and the Saviors had them on the ropes after miraculously escaping Ricks trap at the Sanctuary. Carl managed to get most of the people underground in the sewers, where he revealed that he was bitten by a walker to his father and the rest.
HOW 'WALKING DEAD' STUNTMAN REALLY DIED
Episode 9 opens with an even closer look at the brief period between Ricks initial attack and their current situation. We see Carl save Saddiq and hide him in the sewers until he can talk to Rick about introducing him as a new member. We see him face his bite and inevitable demise in the mirror as stoic as even the most hardened survivor in this world. He plays with his sister and writes notes to his loved ones while he waits for his dad to return so he can break the news. We then see another glimpse at the vision of the future, with an older Rick Grimes using a cane. Alexandria is larger, Jerry is alive and theres peace throughout the world.
From there, we catch up to the action inside the sewers as Rick struggles to process what hes seeing. Meanwhile, King Ezekiels situation is still dire. After helping his people escape the Saviors attack on the Kingdom, the king is at the mercy of his Savior contact, Gavin. While the king makes a futile effort to convince Gavin that he doesnt need to go through the motions and send him to Negan, his time is very limited.
Fortunately, Carol and Morgan have made their way back to the kingdom where they hope to rescue their noble king, who is officially done with his crisis of faith. They quietly take out the Savior guards one by one. However, Morgan keeps getting them into danger with his newfound bloodlust. Once again, hes gone way off his previous rule of not killing people and is now seeking out victims. It isnt long before Morgan and Carol prevail and outgrow the need for stealth. After hearing gunshots, a frustrated Gavin retreats with whats left of his men to the kings throne room.
Back in the sewer, Michonne is furious that they can only sit helplessly as Carl dies and Alexandria blows up above them. She asks the turncoat Dwight to make things stop, but he cant. He tells them that all they can do is wait for the Saviors to thin out and give chase into the woods. Once theyre gone, they can emerge and head to the Hilltop, where its still safe.
Rick cries for the first time as he hands Judith to Daryl to take. He knows that he has to stay behind because Carl cant possibly make the trip. With that, its time for Daryl and Tara to say their goodbyes.
Daryl simply reminds Carl that everyone is alive because of him.
Tara, on the other hand, can only muster a knowing look before they both lead the survivors to Hilltop.
The hardest moment comes when Carl gives his sister a final goodbye in which he passes along his famous Sheriffs hat to her, noting that it always reminded him to be strong, like his dad. Michonne and Rick stay behind to bring Carl indoors in the burning wreckage of Alexandria. At this point, any hope of a last minute rescue for Carl is all but gone as he begins to talk about one of his most controversial moments.
When the Governor attacked the prison in Season 3, Carl discovered a rogue youngster outside the gates. He was going to give up, but Carl found it easier, and more just, to execute him. On his dying bed, he laments that choice noting that theres always a way forward through darkness. He cautioned Rick to go back to the days when he laid down his weapons, which were cut abruptly short by the Governors second attack. He wants him to think of a peace after the war, and not just fight hard to win at any cost.
This conversation then leads to a hard cut back to the Kingdom. Morgan and Carol have burst through the back door of the throne room to take out the Saviors. The only one left is Gavin, who has a shot in his leg. Ezekiel says they should seize the moment to run, but Morgan informs him that everyone is dead and gives chase.
When we catch up with him, hes got Gavin at the end of his spear, but is hesitant to finish him. Carol and Ezekiel plead with him, unknowingly asking him to heed Carls warning and show mercy. As he tells them he simply cant leave him alive, he loses his chance when Henry, the boy whose brother Morgan and Ezekiel failed to protect, kills Gavin from behind. It turns out the old generation needs to watch out for what theyre putting out into the world after all.
With his last moments, Carl paints a picture of a future of peace, revealing that the fantasies in the future were his all along. As Rick contemplates this, the episode cuts to outside the house they brought Carl where he and Michonne break at the sound of a single gunshot.
Carl is dead.
The final shot takes place inside Carls fantasy where none other than Negan is there, planting crops, contributing to the peace and seemingly beloved by even Rick and Judith. Perhaps the war wont end in Negans death after all.
First daughter Ivanka Trump scolded NBC and MSNBC reporter Peter Alexander for what she considered an inappropriate question about her fathers sexual misconduct accusers during an interview from South Korea on Monday.
The first daughter sat down with Alexander who, after a voice-over explaining that President Trump has denied accusations of sexual misconduct, asked, Do you believe your fathers accusers?
I think its a pretty inappropriate question to ask a daughter if she believes the accusers of her father when hes affirmatively stated that theres no truth to it. I dont think thats a question you would ask many other daughters, Ivanka fired back. I believe my father, I know my father.
Some pro-Trump viewers took to Twitter to defend the first daughter.
One viewer tweeted, Why even ask Ivanka Trump about the allegations of sexual misconduct against her Dad? What did Peter Alexander think she was going to say?
Another viewer said, The question was both crude and rude, while many others pondered whether or not reporters would ask Chelsea Clinton a similar question about her father.
Ivanka answered the very inflammatory & inappropriate questions from NBC perfectly, a viewer tweeted. Does NBC wonder why the public dislikes them so much?
Trump has denied accusations of different forms of sexual misconduct that have been levied against him.
Some media members defended Alexander, such as CNNs Jake Tapper, who said Ivanka works for the taxpayers and hes trying to figure out what part of this is inappropriate.
Washington Posts Phillip Rucker, who is Alexanders colleague as an MNSBC and NBC News analyst, wrote that its not an inappropriate question because Ivanka Trump has chosen to work in the House as a staffer and presidential adviser.
While many defended Alexanders question because the first daughter also works for her fathers administration, some industry insiders have wondered if NBC is hypocritical when it comes to sexual misconduct.
NBC News Chairman Andy Lack also oversees MSNBC and Alexander frequently appears on both networks. Last year, Lack was forced to fire Today star Matt Lauer because of sexual misconduct allegations at the height of the #MeToo movement. Lack has not been transparent about the events that led up to the sudden firing of his close friend as parent company Comcast has said its top HR executives are investigating who knew what about Lauers behavior during his long reign at NBC.
There is no public information about the investigation into its news division, which is apparently still underway three months after Lauer was shown the door. Meanwhile, Lack has yet to give a cogent explanation for why NBC News spiked Ronan Farrow's explosive reporting on Harvey Weinstein, which Farrow eventually took to the prestigious New Yorker magazine and is now receiving Pulitzer buzz for helping expose the disgraced Hollywood mogul as a sexual predator. A Vanity Fair feature tied the Weinstein and Lauer scandals together, quoting a former employee who said, They were sitting in a glass house and they knew it.
NBCUniveral told Fox News on Monday that the internal investigation is "ongoing" and involves top legal and human resources executives from the company.
Jennifer Lawrence has admitted that she was nervous to strip down for her recent role in her new film, "Red Sparrow." But the actress later found the experience to be "empowering "after feeling violated when she fell victim to a nude photo hacking scandal years prior.
In 2014, Lawrence's privacy was breached when nude photos were leaked of the actress online. At the time, the actress admitted to feeling "unbelievably violat[ed]," leading her to be somewhat "terrified" to do her first nude scene in the Russian spy drama.
I was terrified. I dont think I have ever been so scared of doing a movie before in my life. It was a lot of firsts for me, she told Bill Whitaker in a new "60 Minutes" interview. Cool, so Im really naked getting freezing cold water poured on me.
But the actress, who once said that she had to get "very very drunk" to film a sex scene with former co-star Chris Pratt in the film "Passengers," said she has now become a lot more comfortable with showing skin since the 2016 space thriller.
"I mean it was empowering for me personally... I feel like I didn't even really realize until I had finished that scene how much fear and insecurity and a complex of being judged had been following me for so many years, and when I finished it," Lawrence told Fox News on Friday. "I ended up thanking [director Francis Lawrence], which might sound crazy but also we're talking about a world of deceit and corruption and abuse and abuse to women through the lens of a woman who regains her freedom through losing her intellect and I don't think there is a better time for this movie than right now."
Lawrence further explained during her "60 Minutes" interview that stripping down for the film has ultimately helped her to regain a new sense of self.
"I feel like something that was taken from me I got back and am using in my art."
In the same interview, the star revealed she is self-taught.
I dropped out of middle school, she told 60 Minutes. I dont technically have a GED or a diploma. I am self-educated.
Fox News' Ashley Dvorkin contributed to this report.
Leslie Wagner-Wilson escaped death at age 22 when she strapped her 3-year-old son, Jakari, to her back and trekked over 30 miles through the jungles of Guyana with nine others.
On Nov. 18, 1978, Jim Jones, the leader of the People's Temple, had ordered the deaths of 918 followers by cyanide poisoning; 304 of them were children. Wilson lost six of her family members.
Jones, the leader of the religious movement, was found dead from a gunshot wound to the head at 47.
The Arizona-based grandmother is now coming forward to share her story for a new documentary on A&E, titled Jonestown: The Women Behind the Massacre, which examines the influence that four women in the cult leaders inner circle had on the infamous mass murder and suicide ritual.
Sundance TV has also greenlit a docuseries that will air this November to coincide with the 40th anniversary of the tragedy with Oscar-winning actor Leonardo DiCaprio serving as executive producer.
Wilson hopes her participation in the A&E documentary will shed new light on a catastrophe that, prior to the 9/11 terrorist attacks, marked the single largest loss of U.S. civilian lives in a non-natural disaster.
I think Peoples Temple rose from a social/political environment thats similar to what were facing now, Wilson told Fox News. Theres a need. People want to be a part of something. They want to feel safe, they want to feel a sense of community I want Jonestown to be a lesson There are still folks out there and they are running under the guise of religious organizations. I just want people to be careful.
Wilson can still vividly remember life before Jonestown. She described a happy childhood in San Francisco filled with summer camps and vacations. However, things changed when she turned 13.
This was the late 60s, during the love and peace movement, she said. A lot of drugs, which my sister Michelle became involved in. Acid, LSD My mother was told by a friend about an organization, People's Temple, that had a great drug rehab program. Thats how we got involved.
Jones, a charismatic preacher, first opened the People's Temple in the mid-1950s in Indianapolis. By the early 70s, Jones and his wife relocated their headquarters to San Francisco, and his popularity grew. Jones message of social justice and a racially integrated congregation attracted a diverse group of followers, many of them African-American.
Wilson was proud to become a part of the community.
I felt like I was going to make a difference in the world, said Wilson. I didnt know children were going to bed hungry, people were being jailed or there was racism or discrimination [in the world] I felt really compelled to just be a young girl who would be active on social issues. And I loved it, I really did.
But by 15, Wilson was starting to have doubts about Jones message.
I think he was so insecure that he would always tout his sexual prowess and talk about how men were homosexuals, she said. He treated the women better because the women were more loyal But also, he was very manipulative and would try to separate families and destroy marriages, which would give him more power [And] we thought Jim could read our minds so I would stay away. We would say, Dont ever say anything negative when he passes us because he can read our minds. We were totally fooled in a lot of ways It just became very controlling. It wasnt fun anymore.
Jones, who is said to have believed he was the only heterosexual on the planet, had sexual relationships with several of his female followers. He also became increasingly addicted to pharmaceutical drugs.
In San Francisco, he would say that hes tired because he stayed up all night doing all of this good work, recalled Wilson. We didnt know about the drug use But towards the end, there were times when he never came out of his house. You can hear him slurring his words, but he would just make up excuses, say he was tired or wasnt feeling well. The community had no idea, even in San Francisco, that he was abusing drugs. That was new to me after the suicide massacre.
Wilson wasnt the only one to have doubts. In the 70s, news media were beginning to investigate claims of abuse and tyranny, prompting Jones to summon his followers to Jonestown, his sanctuary in Guyana. However, it was far from a utopia.
It was tough, she explained. We had outhouses. We didnt have flushing toilets Cold showers were OK because it was so humid and hot. But, I went in with an open mind and tried to find the positive in that. I felt that this was a community where we could make a difference We were hopeful. We were optimistic that we could build something that was incredible. And with that comes some sacrifice.
But death awaited Wilson if she stayed. A day before the massacre, Congressman Leo Ryan and several newsmen had come to investigate the remote settlement, only to be shot dead by Jones followers. And prior to the massacre, Jones reportedly ordered revolutionary suicide rehearsals.
It just became a place where there was no future, she said. I had a child We were basically starving. We were eating rice every day. No vegetables. No nutrients. It just became obvious this place was a prison I was ready to go. And if Jim had given people the option to go, I think there would have been a lot of people who were ready to get back to the states But we had no voice. And that didnt change in Jonestown.
Wilson fled in secret with her son.
I feel grateful every day because I did not believe I was going to live past the age of 22, she said. I had to forgive Jim Jones and those involved in order for me to move on and live. I have two other children. I have grandchildren. I have a good life.
Wilson hopes the documentary will show audiences Jones had enablers to help him lead a cult and that her personal journey will warn people that similar groups still exist.
I cannot believe there werent people like myself whose mind first said theres something wrong, but because everyone else is embracing it and clapping and being joyous, you look at yourself and say, It must be me, she said. Its important we dont see this again in this magnitude.
"Fire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House" author Michael Wolff appeared to pretend his audio malfunctioned during an appearance on an Australian TV program to avoid answering questions about a rumor he started regarding President Trump allegedly having an extramarital affair.
"You said during a TV interview just last month that you are 'absolutely sure' that Donald Trump is currently having an affair while president behind the back of the First Lady, and I repeat you said you were 'absolutely sure, Australian Today show host Ben Fordham asked. Do you owe the president and the First Lady an apology?
Wolff attempted to interrupt the question before saying, I cant hear you.
Fordham repeated his question but Wolff appeared to speak to someone off set and said, Im not getting anything. The host then asked Wolff if he could hear him, and the controversial author answered but claimed he was not getting anything.
We were hearing each other well just before, a clearly dejected Fordham said. Mr. Wolff was hearing me before but hes not hearing me looks like the interview may be over.
Wolff then took out his earpiece and walked off the set. The program reviewed the audio and revealed that Wolff could hear the question all along.
This footage from our London studio reveals that there were no audio problems and Wolff could clearly hear, the shows official Twitter account wrote in a message that accompanied the audio.
While promoting the book on HBOs Real Time with Bill Maher in January, Wolff said he was absolutely sure that President Trump was currently having an extramarital affair and teased that his book reveals the mistress if you read between the lines.
Internet sleuths quickly pointed to United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley, who was forced to deny the speculation. Wolff has essentially tried to slut-shame Haley, pointing out that "Nikki Haley has chosen to vociferously deny something she was not accused of."
The mainstream media appeared to turn on Wolff because of the Haley speculation after initially treating him like an anti-Trump hero.
Washington Post media columnist Erik Wemple mocked Wolff at the time, saying he should have simply admitted his comments to Maher were ill-advised before pointing out that Wolff has bragged about writing millions of words without issuing a correction.
Were learning why, Wemple wrote.
MSNBCs Morning Joe co-host Mika Brzezinski, who is about as anti-Trump as anyone on cable news and has repeatedly questioned the presidents ability to perform his job duties, cut Wolff off when the Haley rumors came up.
Wolffs book paints Trump as a lazy, disconnected buffoon who lays around eating cheeseburgers in bed while furiously watching cable news. Despite a plethora of errors and discredited tidbits, Wolff was paraded around the media world to promote Fire and Fury, appearing on everything from CNN and NBCs Today show to The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.
After Wolff was widely criticized for speculating Trump was having an affair, he backtracked when appearing on Dutch TV last week.
"I do not know if the president is having an affair, he said.
Morning Joe co-host Joe Scarborough defended former Republican National Committee Chairman Mike Steele on Monday after it was alleged he only received his job because he was black but the MSNBC star sang a different tune nearly a decade ago.
Last week, CPAC communications chief Ian Walters said Steele, RNC chairman from 2009 to 2011, was elected because hes a black guy, adding that it was the wrong thing to do. CPAC organizer Matt Schlapp told Steele the words were unfortunate on Saturday during a Sirius XM radio show and Scarborough took to Twitter to condemn the remark.
It was insulting, depressing and bizarre, Scarborough tweeted.
Scarborough expressed further disgust toward the theory on Monday when Steele joined Morning Joe to discuss the comment. Scarborough and Steele dissected the situation, mocking Schlapp for comments made on the Sirius XM appearance.
We were all stunned that somebody said it was a mistake to select you as the head of the Republican Party because you were black, Scarborough told Steele, according to TheWrap.
Scarborough also said Steele ran the Republican Party during their most successful run, pointing to a record-setting legislative landslide as evidence.
However, TheWrap reporter Jon Levine unearthed a 2009 segment from the MSNBC morning show when Scarborough had a different opinion about Steele.
You know what the Republicans are learning right now? That sometimes being black isnt enough, Scarborough said at the time, while mocking Steele for a dispute he had with conservative radio host Rush Limbaugh.
They thought, Were going to get a black guy to run our party, Scarborough continued as co-host Mika Brzezinski appeared to be embarrassed by his rant.
Scarborough served in the House of Representatives for the 1st district of Florida from 1995 until 2001 before stepping down, saying he wanted to spend more time with his children. He landed on MSNBC in 2003 and launched Morning Joe in 2007.
A lot has changed since Scarboroughs comments in 2009, as he no longer considers himself a Republican and is now engaged to be married to Brzezinski.
MSNBC did not immediately respond to request for comment.
Fox News Joseph Weber contributed to this report.
The Weinstein Company on Sunday night said in a statement that it would file for bankruptcy in the coming days after it reportedly failed to find a buyer.
Maria Contreras-Sweet, who led an investor group that was in talks with the company, did not come through with funding to keep the company operating, The New York Times reported, citing the letter from the Weinstein Companys board.
Contreras-Sweets team did not respond to comment from the paper.
Late last night, you returned to us an incomplete document that unfortunately does not keep your promises. That is regrettable, but not in our power to change, the letter reportedly said.
Contreras-Sweet, the former U.S. Small Business administrator, was leading a group of investors offering $220 million for the Weinstein Co.'s assets. The group also would assume about $225 million in studio debt.
She served in the Obama administration from 2014 to 2017. Her group's other investors include Lantern Asset Management and Yucaipa Companies, a private equity firm founded by billionaire Ron Burkle.
Contreras-Sweet's group plans to use the Weinstein Co. assets to form a new studio with a new identity, with a women-led board of directors and management. They want the company's 170 employees to have jobs at the new studio and are committed to completing movie projects currently in the works.
The Weinstein Co. has produced and distributed Oscar winners such as "The King's Speech" and "Silver Linings Playbook."
Harvey Weinstein, the disgraced movie mogul, was accused by at least 75 women have told the news media that Weinstein harassed, behaved inappropriately toward them or assaulted them. Authorities in Los Angeles, Beverly Hills, New York and London are investigating.
The Associated Press contributed to this report
Plucked from a dream, an old map, a daughter's birth certificate that's how the names of some of the most famous fast-food restaurants came to be.
In 1946, there wasnt much chicken at The Dwarf Grill in the suburbs of Atlanta. Later the restaurant became known as The Dwarf House, with signage including the Chick-fil-A logo we know it today. Truett Cathy created the simplest of sandwiches (chicken and two pickles on a bun) in 1964, and eventually, the Dwarf bit fell off as the empire grew.
For the creator of the famous A-frame burger shack, bigger was simply better. In the mid-20th century, there was nary a patty bigger than four inches. But Harmon Dobson dreamed of a square five. A burger so grand, in fact, that it would make one exclaim, What a burger! And his chains name is an homage to that dream.
Ever since he was a boy, Dave Thomas knew he wanted to have a restaurant. And after 20 years in the biz, he did just that, opening the first Wendys in 1969 in Columbus, Ohio. Wendy was the nickname of one of his children, Melinda. But he wasnt playing favorites he experimented with all five of his kids names before settling.
In 1954, brothers Dick and Mac McDonald had a small but successful eponymous burger joint in San Bernardino, Calif. But it was the opportunistic Ray Kroc who bought the restaurant and the name, built the system around it, and made it the global powerhouse that it is today.
In 1960, brothers Jim and Tom Monaghan bought a pizza shop in Ypsilanti, Mich., called DomiNicks. After some drama and subsequent rising success of the business, the original owner decided to retain the rights to the name. With a looming deadline for an ad in the phone book (remember those?), its rumored that a delivery driver named Jim Kennedy came up with Dominos Pizza.
It was a bit of a eureka moment when founder Steve Ells came up with the name Chipotle. It was just like a light bulb went off, he told Bloomberg. While others close to him said it was obscure or too hard to pronounce, he stuck with it. And now, for the burrito-hungry, the name is on the tip of their tongue.
In 1965, after med school didnt work out, Frank DeLuca and his friend Peter Buck opened Petes Super Submarines in Milford, Conn., setting a goal to have 32 locations in 10 years. The sandwich slingers changed the name to Petes Subway a few years later. But in 1974, with just 16 locations throughout the state, they decided to franchise the business in an attempt to meet their goal. The name? Simply, Subway.
The story of how Starbucks got its name literally starts with st. When co-founder Gordon Bowker was brainstorming name ideas with some friends, an ad agency colleague declared that he thought words starting with st were powerful. The group later came across an old map that included a town called Starbo. The name instantly reminded Bowker of the Moby Dick character, Starbuck, and thus an empire was born.
The Striding Man logo has been plastered on Johnnie Walker bottles for almost 200 years but next month, the Scottish liquor brand is swapping out its longstanding icon with a striding woman on the Jane Walker Edition of its Black Label scotch whiskey.
This limited-edition bottles will feature a top-hatted woman marching forward, cane in hand. As the companys first logo change in over a century, Johnny Walker says its Jane Walker Edition symbolizes a celebration of women and a goal to continue to move forward toward greater progress concerning gender issues.
RYAN REYNOLDS JUST BOUGHT AVIATION GIN
"We are proud to toast the many achievements of women and everyone on the journey towards progress in gender equality," said Stephanie Jacoby, vice president of Johnnie Walker, in a press release.
While their logo is new, their involvement of women is no novel business approach for Johnnie Walker. Elizabeth Walker, the wife of founder John Walker, was fundamental to the creation of their own blended whisky, per the press release. Almost half of the brands expert blenders are women, and their marketing and C-level executives have a strong female presence.
Now, the company will use their new logo to reach and empower more women.
Just in time for Womens History Month and International Womens Day, Johnnie Walker will donate to causes celebrating historical women and inspiring future female leaders as part of Keep Walking America, their campaign to celebrate diversity in the United States. Donating $1 for every bottle made of the Jane Walker Edition, theyll give up $250,000 in total.
'MOST INTERESTING MAN' SHARES HIS HOBBIES, HISTORY, AND DRINK OF CHOICE
Among their donations, $150,000 will support Monumental Women, a campaign under the Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony Statue Fund which will construct a monument honoring woman suffragists in New Yorks Central Park. (The park currently has 23 statues, none of which honor women.) Theyll also donate proceeds to She Should Run, an organization inspiring women to run for political office.
With a longstanding goal of moving forward, Johnnie Walker is proud to take this next step forward by introducing Jane Walker as another symbol of the brands commitment to progress.
Jane Walker will be available in stores for $34 this March.
Birders and biologists are reportedly heading to Alabama after pictures of a yellow cardinal started to circulate online, AL.com reported.
Geoffrey Hill, a biology professor at Auburn, told the website that the cardinal in photos appears to be a male and carries a genetic mutation, hence the bright yellow plumage. The bird was first spotted in January.
"I've been birdwatching in the range of cardinals for 40 years and I've never seen a yellow bird in the wild," Hill, who is on sabbatical in Australia, told AL.com via email. "I would estimate that in any given year there are two or three yellow cardinals at backyard feeding stations somewhere in the U.S. or Canada. There are probably a million bird feeding stations in that area so very, very roughly, yellow cardinals are a one in a million mutation."
The woman who first spotted the bird in Shelby County said the bird arrives in her backyard at least once a day, but did not give out her address because she doesnt want bird tourists knocking on her door.
In early January, 27-year-old Kiley Lane went to the hospital for what she thought was the flu. A month later, the mother is hooked up to a machine and "fighting for her life" in the intensive care unit at the University of New Mexico Hospital (UNMH) in Albuquerque.
At first, Lane was experiencing flu-like symtoms. She felt nauseous and had sharp stomach pains. Finally, her husband, Kevin, convinced her to get checked out.
The pair went to a hospital in their hometown, Farmington, New Mexico, where doctors told Lane she had a "blockage." They gave her laxatives and sent her home, Lane's mom, Julie Barron, told Fox News. Weeks later, on Feb. 1, she returned with shortness of breath.
"At one point, they thought she may be faking it," Barron said.
But Lane's condition continued to deteroriate and she had to be put on a ventilator.
"She was getting sicker and sicker and nobody seemed to want to listen," Barron said. "She didn't test positive for pneumonia, the flu, hepatitis nothing she tested for was coming back."
Finally, one of Lane's tests results came back positive: Hantavirus. The rare illness is usually spread through contact with infected deer mice or their droppings or urine.
The virus is rare. As of January 2017, a total of 728 cases had been reported across 36 states, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The majority of cases were reported in states west of the Mississippi River.
The virus, which kills a reported 36 percent of victims, cannot be transmitted from one person to another.
"A month ago, she was planning a trip to Costa Rica with her best friend ... Now she can't even go to the bathroom by herself." Julie Barron
On Feb. 5, Lane was airlifted to UNMH, where she was met by a team of doctors ready to hook her up to an Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation (ECMO) machine. The medical device takes over the duties of the heart and lungs, pumping and oxygenating a person's blood.
"This virus starts attacking your body, it damages your organs," Barron explained. "The first thing that happened with Kiley is her lungs. They're in real critical shape."
Lane has been hooked up to the ECMO machine for 21 days now.
"A month ago, she was planning a trip to Costa Rica with her best friend from college. Now she can't even go to the bathroom by herself," Barron said. "She hasn't seen or talked to her daughter in a month. She can't even watch TV."
At this point, Barron said her daughter's recovery is a "waiting game."
She has seen a few improvements in her daughter's health here and there, but she has a long road to recovery. In the meantime, Barron said she's going to do everything in her power to spread awareness for the rare and deadly virus.
"We can't sit back and let things like this be swept under the carpet." Julie Barron
"It's not like she was digging through a dumpster or around infected rodents. She was doing her normal, everyday routine sweeping the porch, wiping off a box with a paper towel," Barron said. "Everyone has the impression, 'that's never going to happen to me'."
Sherri Hull, a family friend, set up a YouCaring page to raise money for Lane's medical bills. More than 160 people have already donated to the cause, raising $23,720.
Barron is thankful for the support and hopes that spreading her daughter's story will save at least one life.
"We can't sit back and let things like this be swept under the carpet," Barron said. "I want people to know about the virus and to keep the name in open communications, so that nobody else has to go through this. Not one person."
Supermodel Niki Taylor lost her only sister, Krissy, to heart disease when she was just 17 years old.
"She was my best friend, she was my gravity even to this day, I think about her all the time," the American icon told Fox News in a rare interview in which she opened up about the death of her sister, who was also a fashion model.
When she passed away in the mid-'90s, Krissy was at the top of her modeling career. She had appeared in dozens of fashion shows with her big sister and landed coveted magazine covers and campaigns for brands like Cover Girl.
NIKI TAYLOR GETS CANDID ON HER NEAR-FATAL CAR CRASH: 'THE WORLD WASN'T DONE WITH ME YET'
"I loved modeling with Krissy, said Niki, who had her own near-death experience after a car accident in 2001. Our favorite thing to do was going to Europe and walking in the fashion shows together.
It was Niki who found her sister unconscious at the family's home in Florida in July of 1995. Despite efforts to revive her, she was pronounced dead at the hospital. The cause was a rare heart condition called Arrhythmogenic right ventricular dysplasia or ARVD.
According to the American Heart Association, ARVD occurs if the muscle tissue in the right ventricle dies and is replaced with scar tissue, which can ultimately disrupt the heart's electrical signals and cause arrhythmias.
There can be an irregular rhythm that occurs that causes the blood pressure to drop significantly and this rhythm can lead to sudden cardiac death unless its diagnosed and treated, Dr. Suzanne Steinbaum, a cardiologist and director of womens heart health at the Heart and Vascular Institute at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York, told Fox News.
Symptoms of ARVD can include palpitations, shortness of breath and fainting.
NIKI TAYLOR'S TIPS FOR JUGGLING MOTHERHOOD AND A CAREER
Niki said Krissy never showed any direct symptoms but was generally an anxious person, especially before fashion shoots and go-sees.
"She would always say my hearts beating so fast I don't know what's going on, so we just thought it was normal butterflies or excitement, but this was probably symptoms that something else was going on," Niki said.
Diagnosing ARVD can be challenging, Steinbaum said. Its normal for our heart to pound and pump when we get nervous or anxious, but walking around town and feeling your heart pound and pump is not normal, she explained.
"It's really hard to tell the difference between anxiety, stress and really a heart condition, Steinbaum said.
Your doctor will be able to know if you have heart flutters or an irregular heartbeat like Krissy did, and it could save your life. Niki Taylor
If you have symptoms of shortness of breath, if you have palpitations, if you feel dizzy the first place you have to think is your heart. So what I tell everyone is don't diagnose yourself, just go to the doctor," she added.
To help more women understand their risk of heart disease, the number one killer of women, Niki partnered with the American Heart Association and their Go Red for Women campaign.
"We just want people to go get an EKG (electrocardiogram), your doctor will be able to know if you have heart flutters or an irregular heartbeat like Krissy did, and it could save your life, Niki said.
ARVD occurs in about one in 5,000 people and usually affects teens or young adults. Even though ARVD is rare, heart disease in women is not. In fact, one in three women will die of heart disease, thats one woman every 80 seconds and 80 percent of the time it can be preventable.
Women should ask their doctor for an EKG and have them check their numbers at least once a year, Steinbaum said. That includes your cholesterol, blood pressure, sugars and body mass index numbers.
You need to see your doctor and really push for these things, dont have someone say to you Youre fine, youre anxious, its in your head, because we hear that all the time, and its not in your head, its in your heart, said Steinbaum, who is also a Go Red for Women spokesperson.
After years off the catwalk, Niki returned to the runway as part of the Red Dress collection presented by Macys.
Krissy would definitely be so proud that were getting this message out, Niki said. I know shes smiling down on us but I miss her.
Known for grabbing headlines with her statement-making and expensive ensembles, Melania Trump made no exception with her outfit at Sunday nights Governors Ball.
The first lady played host alongside her husband at the event, wearing a custom-made Dolce & Gabbana gown for the evening. The black floor-length design had long sleeves with lace detailing and sequin accents. The Italian brand, a favorite of the former models, even named the custom dress after her, dubbing it the Melania.
'BACHELOR' FANS, INTERNET DEBATES 'GLAM-SHAMING': IS IT A REAL THING?
Trump has turned to Dolce & Gabbana many times during her tenure as first lady. Just last week she wore a black tailored coatdress with tan trim from the label for a meet and greet with Australia's Prime Minister Malcolm Tunrbull and his wife Lucy. Last year, she wore a head-turning $51,000 coat with colorful 3-D silk flowers on a tour of Italy.
After Dolce & Gabbana dressed FLOTUS for her official White House portrait, many people called for a boycott of the label. The designers behind the brand, Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana, decided to encourage the boycotters by selling #Boycott Dolce & Gabbana t-shirts.
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While you wont be able to score Trumps custom-made Governors Ball number yourself, you can get a similar mid-length version, the Dolce & Gabbana embellished lace and mesh gown, online for $3,200.
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Thus far, Special Counsel Robert Mueller has not alleged any criminal collusion between the Trump campaign and Russian officials. But what if he does?
Well, if he follows past Justice Department legal guidance adopted by the Office of Legal Counsel (OLC), the answer in regard to the president is pretty much: Nothing.
Long ago, back in the Nixon era, OLC concluded that indicting or criminally prosecuting a sitting president would violate the Constitution by undermining the capacity of the executive branch to perform its constitutionally assigned functions.
The progressive left knows they dont have the political power inside Congress to impeach President Trump. But they openly fantasize that Mueller will one day indict him on charges of criminal conspiracy. This, they think, would lead either to his conviction and removal from office, or so severely handicap his presidency that he would be forced to resign.
Unhappily for the left, Mueller, as a special counsel at Justice, is obligated to follow departmental policies.
In 1973, OLC issued an opinion on whether the president, vice president, and other civil officers of the federal government can be subjected to criminal prosecution while in office. It concluded that, while the vice president and other officers (such as cabinet officials) can be criminally prosecuted, the president cannot due to his unique position under the Constitution.
The bottom line is that no matter what evidence Mueller turns up, he cant indict the president if he follows DOJ policy unless that policy is changed by the Deputy Attorney General or the Attorney General.
The necessity to defend a criminal trial and to attend courtwould interfere with the Presidents unique official duties, most of which cannot be performed by anyone else, the opinion stated. OLC further noted that a criminal proceeding would hamstring the operation of the whole governmental apparatus, both in foreign and domestic affairs. In fact, the spectacle of an indicted President still trying to serve as Chief Executive boggles the imagination.
The president is selected in a highly complex nationwide effort that involves most of the major socio-economic and political forces of our whole society. According to OLC, it would be incongruous to bring him down, before the Congress has acted, by a jury of twelve, selected by chance off the street.
The 1973 opinion was reinforced by a second opinion issued by OLC in 2000. It concluded that our constitutional structure permits a sitting President to be subject to criminal process only after he leaves office or is removed therefrom through the impeachment process. Where the president is concerned, only the House of Representatives has the authority to bring charges of criminal misconduct through the constitutionally sanctioned process of impeachment. Therefore, it would be inconsistent with the Constitution to permit an unelected grand jury and prosecutor effectively to remove a President by bringing criminal charges against him while he remains in office.
Not surprisingly, some legal scholars disagree with these opinions. For example, Hofstra University law professor Eric Freedman does not believe that an incumbent president has immunity from criminal prosecution. Chapman University law professor Ron Rotunda, when he was working for Independent Counsel Ken Starr, reached a similar conclusion in 1998. However, the differing opinions of other legal experts dont really matter in this instance.
Mueller was appointed as a Special Counsel by Rod Rosenstein in May 2017 pursuant to Rosensteins authority as Acting Attorney General. In the appointment order, Rosenstein states that Mueller is subject to the regulations governing special counsels. One of those regulations, 28 CFR 600.7 (a), specifies that the special counsel must comply with the rules, regulations, procedures, practices and policies of the Department of Justice.
Therefore, Mueller must comply with the policies of the Justice Department and the policy of the department according to the opinions issued in 1973 and 2000 is that a sitting president cannot be criminally indicted or prosecuted.
The bottom line is that no matter what evidence Mueller turns up, he cant indict the president if he follows DOJ policy unless that policy is changed by the Deputy Attorney General or the Attorney General. According to the Justice Department, the only way a president can be removed from office is through impeachment, and that process has never once ousted a president.
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The primary job of the federal government is to provide for the common defense, yet today only 15 percent of the budget is devoted to that task. While our military personnel will always try to do whatever is asked of them, years of inadequate and unpredictable funding have taken a real toll. Much of their equipment is old and worn out, and too often they have not been getting the training they need to do what the nation asks. In 2017 about four times as many service members lost their lives in routine training and operations than in hostile actions.
Defense Secretary James Mattis testified recently that our competitive edge has eroded in every domain of warfare air, land, sea, space, and cyber. Others have put our position compared with rival states, such as Russia and China, in much starker terms. There can be little doubt that this erosion of American military strength has encouraged a variety of adversaries to be more aggressive and that the world has grown more dangerous as a result.
The budget agreement recently passed by Congress and signed into law begins to reverse this decline. At the same time, sufficient resourcing comes with additional responsibility, for both the Congress and the Department of Defense. While the added funding will allow us to begin to repair our planes, ships, and equipment, we must also continue to drive significant reforms needed within the Department and other agencies to stay ahead of rapidly changing technologies and a wide range of current and anticipated future threats. In addition, the first full audit of the Department will occur this year, which will help uncover areas for financial improvement.
Over the past three years, Congress has enacted significant reforms with strong bipartisan support. We have modernized military benefits, reorganized much of the Defense bureaucracy, and reformed the way the Pentagon buys goods and services. All of this was done with a goal of making the Pentagon, and especially the acquisition system, more agile. As a result, anyone entering military service today will witness these reforms, over the course of their career, save the taxpayer billions. We have more work to do, and top officials in the Department seem willing to work with Congress towards this important goal.
A military starved of resources, training, and equipment will not long be able to protect the country physically or economically.
Still, some have opposed restoring military budgets by trying to revive the old guns versus butter debate. In fact, American economic prosperity and our national security are more like the chicken and the egg we cannot have one without the other.
We need a strong, vibrant economy to produce the tax revenue to fund our military. We also need economic growth and innovation to ensure that our military technology stays ahead of authoritarian, directed economies like Chinas that can force a whole-of-nation effort against us.
But a strong military is also an essential prerequisite to a healthy economy and to our quality of life. Since World War II, the rules-based international order created and maintained by the United States has benefited peoples around the globe and none more so than Americans here at home. We are living longer with a higher material standard of living than ever before.
When we talk about the necessity of a strong military, it is not only to protect our people and allies from North Korean missile and terrorist attacks. It is also to guarantee freedom of navigation in the sea and in the air and to ensure that there are fair, enforceable international rules that give American companies and American workers a fair chance to compete.
Allowing our military strength to continue to wane adds fuel to Chinas narrative that America is a nation in decline so that Asian nations would do better to enlist in Chinas alternative economic and military order. If China sets the rules for much of the worlds economy, America will feel the consequences in our pocketbooks as well as in our security.
A military starved of resources, training, and equipment will not long be able to protect the country physically or economically. That is why Congress came together this month and ended the era of asking our troops to do too much with too little. To make the most of that investment, we must now apply equal effort to agility driven reforms.
The brave men and women in the military serve the nation unconditionally, and our support for them should be unconditional as well. They deserve the best training, equipment, and support that our nation can provide. By providing that kind of support for them, we are also helping ensure that future Americans will inherit a country of growth and opportunity.
Republican Rep. Thomas Massie came out Sunday against legislation bolstering background checks for gun purchases, saying that such measures would amount to "trying to put lipstick on a pig" and create "false senses of security."
"I wish that background checks stopped criminals or stopped school shootings, but they dont," the Kentucky lawmaker told NBC News' "Meet The Press."
Massie was reacting to a revived proposal by Sen. Pat Toomey, R-Pa., and Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., to expand presale checks for firearms purchases online and at gun shows. The measure was first introduced after the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in 2012 in Connecticut, and the Senate has rejected it twice.
"You could put all the information you want in it, but the [Sandy Hook] shooter in Connecticut who stole his mothers firearms and shot her before he committed the crime ... isnt going to be stopped by a background check," said Massie. He added, "and in ten years, we're still going to have school shootings unless you propose real legislation, like President Trump has proposed, that would allow teachers to be armed."
The issue of background checks and other gun legsilation has roared to life in the wake of the Feb. 14 shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla., that killed 17 people.
President Trump told Fox News' "Justice with Judge Jeanine" Saturday night that any new gun legislation likely would involve strengthening background checks.
"We are drawing up strong legislation right now having to do with background checks, mental illness," Trump said. "I think you will have tremendous support. It's time. It's time."
Trump's early ideas in the wake of the Parkland shooting were met with mixed reactions from his party. His talk of allowing teachers to carry concealed weapons into classrooms was rejected by at least one Republican, Florida Sen. Marco Rubio. House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., both spoke to Trump on Friday. Their offices have not spoken publicly on the conversations or legislative strategy.
The Senate also could consider a bill from Senate Majority Whip John Cornyn, R-Texas, and Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., to strengthen FBI background checks a response to a shooting last November in which a gunman killed more than two dozen people at a Texas church.
That bill would penalize federal agencies that don't properly report required records and reward states that comply by providing them with federal grant preferences. It was drafted after the Air Force acknowledged it failed to report the Texas gunman's domestic violence conviction to the National Criminal Information Center database.
On Sunday, Massie described the current background check system as "flawed" and "biased against minorities."
"Three million people, law-abiding citizens, [have been] denied a purchase since this has been put in place," Massie said. "But only about one in a thousand are prosecuted for trying to 'buy a gun illegally.'
"The reality is, most of those three million, 99.9 percent of them are actually law-abiding citizens who were denied a purchase because the background check system is flawed. It doesn't have the right information in there. It's got false information ... If you can get the information from the ATF, you would find that out."
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
The mayor of a sanctuary city in California issued a warning that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) could be conducting a raid in the area as soon as Sunday ratcheting up tension with the feds while giving her constituents an early heads-up.
Libby Schaaf, the Democratic mayor of Oakland, shared the warning which she said she learned from multiple credible sources in a press release on Saturday, not to panic our residents but to protect them, Fox 2 reported.
The mayor said she didnt know further details of the ICE operation, but claimed she felt it was her duty and moral obligation as Mayor to give those families fair warning when that threat appears imminent.
The feds detained at least four people Sunday, a program manager for the San Francisco Immigrant Legal Education Network told the San Francisco Examiner, although the paper noted it was unclear if the detentions were related to any broader ICE operation.
Schaaf during a news conference on Sunday also said she told mayors of other Bay Area cities of the impending ICE sweep, SFGate reported.
Her tweet on Saturday aligned with previous reports that law enforcement officials in Northern California would not cooperate with ICE, and noted state law prohibits business owners from assisting ICE agents in immigration enforcement and bars federal agents from accessing employee-only areas.
Schaaf, who is seeking reelection, said in January that shed be willing to go to jail to defend the citys sanctuary city status, and has openly opposed the Trump administrations crackdown on illegal immigration.
It is no surprise that the bully in chief is continuing to try to intimidate our most vulnerable residents, Schaaf said at the time. We're very clear that our values are to protect all of our residents regardless of where we come from. We want to protect families, not tear them apart.
WHAT ARE SANCTUARY CITIES?
And California Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom, whos running for governor, commended Schaafs public warning, telling SFGate: We can and must protect immigrant families from Donald Trumps mass deportations. I want to thank Mayor Schaaf for her courage and hope more local leaders will follow her lead.
ICE told KGO-TV on Saturday that the bureau was unsure what Schaaf was referring to as There are ICE operations every day.
President Trump told the nation's governors Sunday night that the mass shooting at the Florida high school earlier this month will be discussed during upcoming White House meetings.
"Well be talking about Parkland and the horrible event that took place last week," Trump said during brief remarks to the governors and their spouses at their annual ball. "That will be one of the subjects and I think well make that first on our list [Monday]."
Trump also singled out Florida's Republican governor, Rick Scott, for praise during his remarks, saying Scott was "doing a great job."
The Feb. 14 shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School killed 17 students and teachers and sparked the national debate about America's gun laws back to life. Trump described the shooting as a "horrible event."
Trump's session with the governors will be the latest in which he solicits ideas for stopping gun violence at schools as the White House works to finalize an expected legislative proposal. Trump spent several days last week hearing emotional pleas from parents and students, including some who survived the Parkland shooting, and others who suffered through school shootings in Connecticut and Colorado. He also solicited input from state and local officials.
Trump has floated numerous ideas since the shooting, including raising the minimum age for the purchase of assault-style weapons, improving background checks for gun purchases, arming educators and paying them bonuses, and re-opening mental institutions.
The National Rifle Association, which backed Trump for president, opposes increasing the minimum age for assault-style weapons purchases but favors arming teachers.
"I think we're going to have a great bill put forward very soon having to do with background checks, having to do with getting rid of certain things and keeping other things, and perhaps we'll do something on age, because it doesn't seem to make sense that you have to wait until you are 21 years old to get a pistol, but to get a gun like this maniac used in the school, you get that at 18," Trump told Fox News' "Justice with Judge Jeanine" Saturday night. "That doesn't make sense."
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
The throngs of Democratic candidates jumping into the 2018 congressional contests in hopes of 'resisting' President Trump have in turn fueled a nasty war within the party -- a fight that has seen incumbents scorned as primary fields swell.
This was witnessed most recently over the weekend, when the California Democratic Party declined to endorse Sen. Dianne Feinsteins bid for a sixth term.
But in California and beyond, Democrats are experiencing internal tensions similar to what Republicans went through during the Tea Party wave of 2010. The open question: will they replicate the GOP's success of that cycle, or crumble amid their own divisions?
One potential risk is that moderate candidates will be pushed aside, in favor of liberal candidates who might not be as electable in a general election.
CALIFORNIA DEMOCRATIC PARTY WON'T ENDORSE FEINSTEIN
In Illinois, at least four Capitol Hill Democrats have endorsed the primary challenger over incumbent Rep. Dan Lipinski, a moderate seeking an eight term.
Illinois Rep. Luis Gutierrez, one of the four to back challenger Marie Newman, acknowledged the unusual, bare-knuckle move, while arguing it was necessary to show his party has a response in the age of Donald Trump.
Its not easy to endorse a challenger over a colleague in the House of Representatives, especially when that colleague is a member of your party, Gutierrez told Capitol Hill reporters, when he and fellow Illinois Democratic Rep. Jan Schakowsky last month endorsed Newman, a businesswoman and first-time candidate.
Schakowsky also is a part of the leadership team for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, which has yet to endorse Lipinski over the more liberal Newman, with the party primary less than a month away.
Newman also has an endorsement from potential 2020 presidential candidate and New York Democratic Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand and touts support from many of the progressive movement's biggest names -- including feminist icon Gloria Steinem, Emilys List, Planned Parenthood, the Service Employees International Union and Indivisible, leaders in the resist-Trump movement.
I dont think weve ever seen this type of robust involvement by national Democrats picking winners and losers in their own primaries, Caleb Burns, a partner in the Washington law firm Wiley Rein and who specializes in election law, said Monday.
The California Democratic Party's Feinstein snub reflected another such intra-party battle.
At the groups annual convention, members gave Feinstein 37 percent of the vote, compared with 57 percent for state Senate leader Kevin de Leon. However, de Leon, a favorite of the state partys progressive wing, didnt get the endorsement either because he failed to garner the required 60 percent of the vote.
With how far to the left the party has lurched, Democrats who do qualify for the general [election] are likely to be too extreme for their districts, Republican National Committee spokesman Michael Ahrens said Sunday, echoing what moderate Democrats are purportedly telling DCCC leaders. California Democrats made it clear that even Dianne Feinstein is not nearly liberal enough for them anymore.
Nowhere is the challenge of a candidate overload more glaring than in California, where the DCCC has targeted at least eight Republican-held House seats on their path to win a total of 24 and take control of the chamber.
However, the flood of Democratic candidates eager to capitalize on anti-Trump sentiment and the Republican-controlled Congress low approval ratings has created headaches for the DCCC, particularly in Orange County.
The group, whose mission is to get Democrats elected and re-elected to the House, has been hand-wringing for months over the situation. Group polling suggests so many Democrats are running in Californias top-two primary system that the splintered votes could hurt their ability to reach the general election, The Los Angeles Times reports.
Four races in Orange County were at the top of Democrats midterm list, considering 2016 presidential nominee Hillary Clinton won the conservative stronghold for the party for the first time in about 80 years -- in large part the result of the states Hispanic population migrating south from greater Los Angeles.
But in two 2018 races -- against incumbent GOP Rep. Dana Rohrabacher and retiring GOP Rep. Ed Royce -- eight Democrats have entered the fray.
A source tells Fox News that House Democrats focused on the midterms are at least suggesting to some candidates to withdraw.
The situation in Texass 7th Congressional District appears even more sharp-elbowed, with the DCCC openly opposing candidate Laura Moser, one of at least six Democrats running in a district Clinton also wrested from the GOP.
Democratic voters need to hear that Laura Moser is not going to change Washington, the group said last week. She is a Washington insider, who begrudgingly moved to Houston to run for Congress.
The DCCC also says in its website post that Moser as of last month was still claiming her Washington property as her primary residence to get a tax break and that shes paid her husbands D.C. political consulting firm more than $50,000 from campaign contributions.
Whatever happens, I will continue to run a campaign on the issues, a campaign worthy of my daughter and all our daughters, Moser, who this past weekend had actress Alyssa Milano on the campaign trail, responded on Twitter.
The DCCC has yet to respond to a request Monday for comment.
Beyond riding the anti-Trump sentiment, Washington Democrats are also relying on historical tailwinds to give them the House majority for the first time since 2010, considering the party that holds the White House typically loses about 30 seats in the first post-presidential race midterm.
However, recent generic ballot polls, in which likely voters say whether theyd prefer a Democrat or Republican for Congress, show Democrats big leads now down to single digits -- particularly after the GOP tax cuts.
I think the tax bill is going to be a great benefit to Republican incumbents, Burns also said. Theyre now able to explain a complicated law by pointing to the money that companies are putting back in peoples pockets. Voters can now see the results in structured, measurable ways.
The conservative opposition research group America Rising said Monday: As these contests unfold across the country, one thing is clear: Giddy talk of a coming blue wave must be tempered with the ugly reality that the eventual Democratic nominees will not come out of these contests unscathed."
A transgender service member has joined the military for the first time since President Donald Trump announced a ban last July, the Pentagon said Monday.
The Department of Defense confirms that as of February 23, 2018, there is one transgender individual under contract for service in the U.S. Military, Maj. Dave Eastburn, a Pentagon spokesman, told Fox News.
Defense Secretary James Mattis, breaking with Trump, formally recommended last Friday that transgender troops be allowed to serve in the U.S. military provided they can deploy overseas.
Mattis recently issued a new policy saying if any service member was unable to deploy with their unit for more than 12 months, excluding the combat wounded, that person would be kicked out of the military.
Officials told Fox News that it was this new policy for non-deployable troops and the recent court orders that have shaped the defense secretarys thinking about transgender people serving in the military.
The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff additionally had raised concerns about kicking out transgender troops who already were serving honorably.
The defense secretarys new deployment policy makes it unlikely, though, the Pentagon would continue paying for genital reconstruction surgery since the recovery time is often longer than a year.
Fox News previously reported that the official announcement about transgender policy is expected from the White House no later than March 23, according to officials.
Last summer, the Pentagon was caught by surprise when Trump tweeted that transgender troops were no longer welcome in the military in any capacity.
The order later was blocked in federal court.
The Pentagon began allowing transgender recruits to seek enlistment on Jan. 1.
Fox News Lucas Tomlinson and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Georgias lieutenant governor warned Delta Monday that he will block any tax legislation that would benefit the airline unless it reverses its decision to sever ties with the National Rifle Association, warning that corporations cannot attack conservatives without consequences.
Delta, the Atlanta-based airline, and state lawmakers have weighed reinstating this year a once lucrative fuel tax break that has since expired.
But Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle, who is a Republican gubernatorial candidate, blasted the airlines decision to end the relationship with the NRA in the wake of the Parkland, Fla. high school shooting earlier this month, and threatened to block the bill.
I will kill any tax legislation that benefits @Delta unless the company changes its position and fully reinstates its relationship with the @NRA, Cagle, who heads the Georgia State Senate, tweeted Monday. Corporations cannot attack conservatives and expect us not to fight back.
Over the weekend, Delta released the statement cutting ties with the NRA. The airline said it would end the NRAs contract for discounted rates through our group travel program.
We will be requesting that the NRA remove our information from their website, Delta tweeted Saturday.
Deltas decision reflects the airlines neutral status in the current national debate over gun control amid recent school shootings, read the message posted to the Delta New Hub. Out of respect for our customers and employees on both sides, Delta has taken this action to refrain from entering this debate and focus on its business. Delta continues to support the 2nd Amendment.
Delta added that it once withdrew a sponsorship from the theater company that staged a rendition of Shakespeares Julius Caesar which portrayed Caesar as a Donald Trump-like figure.
Delta supports all of its customers but will not support organizations on any side of any highly charged political issue that divides our nation, Delta said.
But Cagles warning to Delta reflects a stance some state lawmakers are taking in the aftermath of Deltas decision.
If Delta is so flush that they dont need NRA members hard-earned travel dollars, it can certainly do without the $40 million tax break they are asking Georgia taxpayers for, former state Sen. Rick Jeffares, a candidate for lieutenant governor who voted in favor of the tax break during his time in the Senate, told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
This years $50 million tax break, according to The AJC, was pitched as an airline tax break, rather than one that would only benefit Delta.
United Airlines also notified the NRA that they would no longer offer a discounted rate for the NRAs annual meeting.
The specter of homeless encampments steadily expanding across the downtown streets of San Diego, Los Angeles and San Francisco bringing with them a public health crisis has one southern California community taking tough action to dismantle a two-mile-long camp just a short drive from Disneyland.
In a departure from the approach taken by other local governments in the state, officials in Orange County, Calif., have started to clear out the camp by moving occupants and hauling away literally tons of trash and hazardous waste.
Its becoming part of the permanent landscape in those communities and there is no way we are going to allow Orange County land that is supposed to be used by residents to be occupied by the homeless, said Todd Spitzer, who sits on the Orange County Board of Supervisors.
Trash trucks and contractors in hazmat gear have descended on the camp and so far removed 250 tons of trash, 1,100 pounds of human waste and 5,000 hypodermic needles.
But the effort hasnt been without controversy as homeless advocates, the American Civil Liberties Union and a federal judge have all weighed in on the fate of some-700 people evicted from their home along the Santa Ana River -- next to Angel Stadium of Anaheim and a few miles from Disneyland, outside Los Angeles.
Spitzer, whose district includes the encampment, has battled the advocates since last fall when the decision was first made to close the camp. The ACLU and others filed a federal civil rights lawsuit to stop this and several stays have ensued until last week, when the final go-ahead was granted.
For those being evicted, a mediation with U.S. District Court Judge David Carter offered the choice of a bed in a shelter or a month-long motel voucher; medical aid; drug treatment; job training; storage for their belongings and housing for pets at the county animal shelter.
So far, 544 people have been moved to shelters and motel rooms and approximately 100 remain at the riverbed. Crews counted 207 tents, but it is unclear if they are occupied.
'That isnt going to happen in our county. Its not going to be our skid row.' Todd Spitzer, Orange County Board of Supervisors
But one option is not negotiable the homeless cannot move back to the Santa Ana River channel, which has paved shoulders where residents used to walk and bike. The river, which runs from the mountains to the sea, is home to much of Orange Countys groundwater and empties between pricey Newport and Huntington beaches. The beach has been closed often over the years due to high bacteria levels.
Officials in the county are mindful of how these camps have expanded in other major California cities.
Los Angeles homeless problem has now spread past Skid Row to much of downtown. The amount of feces littering the streets in San Diego, Los Angeles and San Francisco has led to a hepatitis outbreak that spread throughout the states homeless communities, infecting 694 people. It skipped Orange County.
Spitzer singled out for criticism Los Angeles and San Francisco. San Franciscos feces problem is so bad that a website now exists to warn residents of which streets to avoid. Los Angeles raised taxes last year in order to build housing for the homeless and has started a roving toilet program.
That isnt going to happen in our county. Its not going to be our skid row, Spitzer vowed. We need to be compassionate and empathetic. Im writing checks all over the place. But Im not going to intermingle this population with property owners, are you kidding?
Reports from the scene in Orange County largely reflected an orderly move. Carter called it a great credit to transparency, humanity, according to The Los Angeles Times.
One advocate for the homeless told the same newspaper they heard reports of people who didnt get food vouchers or couldnt get to their destinations but generally described the move as offering better living conditions.
Approximately a half-million people in the United States are homeless, with California accounting for 25 percent -- the largest number of any state, according to a survey by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Orange County has 4,792 homeless.
A Los Angeles Times editorial over the weekend called the problem in the city a national disgrace.
Spitzer blames the problem on two issues: legislation signed by Democratic Gov. Jerry Brown over the past several years that has eroded the penalties for drug use, possession and petty crimes to where police often dont bother making arrests; and the change in a law so that treatment is no longer forced for drug abuse or mental health issues.
This week he wrote a letter to Brown, urging him to declare a state of emergency over the homeless issue and reverse previous forced-treatment laws.
When I was a prosecutor, the law behind possession was a felony, said Spitzer, a former deputy district attorney. We would use the hammer under the law of a felony. We would force someone into treatment and upon successful treatment, the felony would be dismissed. Now look what we have as a result of ridiculous short-sighted liberalization of drug use.
The House Intelligence Committee, investigating Russian interference in the 2016 election, fell into further partisan divide after the release of a controversial memo that alleged federal surveillance abuses in the spying of President Trumps former associates.
The initial memo released by Republicans on the committee detailed purported improper surveillance by the FBI and Justice Department officials to spy on Carter Page, a foreign adviser for Trump during his campaign.
Less than a month later, Democrats on the committee released their own memo, although it contained heavy redactions. The rebuttal memo was meant to counter claims in the Republicans document.
As the memo clash continues, here are the names you should know.
Devin Nunes
Rep. Devin Nunes, R-Calif., is the chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, serving in that role since 2015.
Nunes, 44, was one of the authors of the GOP memo released earlier this month that detailed the alleged surveillance abuses. He told Fox News he had an obligation to the American people to make FISA abuses public.
I think the American people understand that the FBI should not go to secret courts using information that was paid for by the Democrats to open up investigations, get warrants on people of the other political party. Thats the type of stuff that happens in banana republics, Nunes said.
Before the memo was released, Congress voted to reauthorize Section 702 of FISA. While that particular section wasnt used to obtain the warrant detailed in the memo, lawmakers have still pointed to it as a dangerous example of how FISA can lead to violations against Americans Fourth Amendment rights.
Nunes voted to reauthorize that section earlier this year.
Trump has said Nunes "may someday be recognized as a Great American hero for what he has exposed and what he has had to endure."
Adam Schiff
As the top Democrat on the committee, Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., came out swinging at the GOPs memo, calling it misleading.
Schiff, 57, and other Democrats on the committee created their own rebuttal memo which was released along with heavy redactions in late February. The memo countered the GOP narrative that the FBI and Justice Department conspired against Trump as they investigated his ties to Russia.
Schiff said his partys memo is the product of good faith negotiation between the Minority and the FBI and DOJ.
Schiff is a former assistant U.S. attorney who helped prosecute the first FBI agent to be convicted of espionage for leaking secret documents to the Soviets.
Trump has lambasted the lawmaker, whom he called Little Adam Schiff, claiming he is desperate for higher office and one of the biggest liars and leakers in Washington.
Christopher Steele
At the heart of the GOP memos surveillance abuse claims is the now-infamous dossier compiled by ex-British spy Christopher Steele.
The GOP memo alleged that the dossier was key to the FBIs FISA warrant in targeting Page. It also said the political origins of the dossier were not disclosed to the FISA court in the application or renewal process something critics of the memo have denied.
The Democratic memo contended the Justice Department disclosed the assessed political motivation of those who hired him and that Steele was likely hired by someone looking for information that could be used to discredit then-candidate Trump's campaign.
Steele was hired by political firm Fusion GPS to compile opposition research on Trump, leading to the colorful but unverified dossier. The Democratic National Committee (DNC) and the presidential campaign for Hillary Clinton hired Fusion GPS through law firm Perkins Coie.
However, Clinton reportedly was unaware of the dossier until BuzzFeed News published it in January 2017.
Prior to the dossier dustup, Steele was an intelligence officer with Britains MI6 agency, serving in various countries, including Russia and France. Eventually, he co-founded Orbis Business Intelligence, an intelligence consulting agency.
Carter Page
FBI and Justice Department officials were able to obtain a FISA surveillance warrant on Carter Page, a former Trump campaign adviser, due to the controversial dossier, according to the GOP memo.
Page served as a foreign policy adviser to the campaign for a few months, although White House officials have sought to downplay the role he played.
He told Fox News he became a liability pretty quick for the campaign because of his Russian connections.
Page spent several years in Moscow, where he opened a Merrill Lynch office, according to the biography on the companys website. He bragged in a 2013 letter that he was an informal adviser to the Kremlin, Time reported.
And Russian intelligence agents once unsuccessfully tried to recruit Page as a spy in 2013, Foreign Policy reported.
Page has told Fox News that he did nothing that could even possibly be viewed in helping [Russians] in any way.
But in a statement following the release of the Democrats memo, Schiff said, The FBI had ample reason to believe that Carter Page was acting as an agent of a foreign power based on his history, including the fact that he had previously been a target of Russian recruitment, his travel to Russia, and other information.
Lindsey Graham and Chuck Grassley
Republican Sens. Lindsey Graham and Chuck Grassley sent a criminal referral in early January for Steele, which was recently released. The pairs referral appears to support some of the claims made in the GOP memo.
In their criminal referral, Graham and Grassley said the surveillance applications relied heavily on Mr. Steeles dossier claims. They also said the applications failed to disclose that the identities of Mr. Simpsons ultimate clients were the Clinton campaign and the DNC.
Grassley, the 84-year-old who represents Iowa, is the Senate Judiciary Committee chairman. Graham is a member of the committee as well.
The American people now have some context for what they have been reading in the press for months, including some of which served as the basis of the criminal referral of Mr. Steele made by Senator Grassley and me, Graham, the 62-year-old from South Carolina, said in a statement. Through my service on the Senate Judiciary Committee, I have been investigating this matter for months, and will continue to do so.
Michael Horowitz
The inspector general of the Department of Justice was appointed to investigate allegations of government surveillance abuse following the release of the memos.
Michael Horowitz has already been conducting a review of the FBI and Justice Departments handling of the investigation into Hillary Clintons personal email server.
We believe the Department of Justice must adhere to the high standards in the FISA court, Attorney Gen. Jeff Sessions said in February. Yes it will be investigated. And I think that's just the appropriate thing the inspector general will take that as one of the matters he'll deal with.
Bob Goodlatte and Trey Gowdy
Republican Reps. Bob Goodlatte and Trey Gowdy have requested Sessions appoint a special counselor to investigate certain decisions made by Justice Department officials in 2016 and 2017.
The call for a special counsel appears to have stemmed from the FISA memos.
Goodlatte, from Virginia, told Fox News the case for which the FISA warrant was obtained was highly suspect.
In their request to Sessions, the congressmen wrote, There is evidence of bias, trending toward animus, among those charged with investigating serious cases.
There is evidence political opposition research was used in court filings. There is evidence this political opposition research was neither vetted before it was used nor fully revealed to the relevant tribunal, they added.
Gowdy is the chairman of the House Oversight Committee; Goodlatte chairs the House Judiciary Committee. Both men are not seeking re-election in 2018.
Fox News' Brooke Singman and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
A Supreme Court justice's silence added high drama Monday to an already high-stakes case that could shape the future of America's public-sector unions.
At issue is whether states can compel government workers -- whether they are in a union or not -- to pay fees to support collective bargaining and other activities. The case centers on the complaints of an Illinois state employee who sued, saying he was being asked to support the union's political message.
A ruling against the unions here would deal a major blow to their funding across the country.
Justices split 4-4 on the issue in a similar case two years ago. With Neil Gorsuch now filling the vacancy left by the late Antonin Scalia, he is seen as the deciding vote this time.
But while his colleagues were closely divided in arguments Monday, Gorsuch played it close to the vest. He had no comments or questions from the bench during nearly 70 minutes of oral arguments.
His colleagues were not as shy.
"Not all workers are lawyers. And all they've seen is that this court has suddenly cut legs, at least one, out of the financing of a system that ... some people think it brought labor peace," Justice Stephen Breyer said.
Justice Anthony Kennedy, often a swing justice in other cases, cast a skeptical eye toward the union argument this time. He said repeatedly that separating politics from the union's collective bargaining mission was impossible.
"We're talking here about compelled justification and compelled subsidization of a private party that expresses political views constantly," Kennedy said. He told the union's lawyer, "It seems to me your argument doesn't have much weight."
The plaintiff in the case, Mark Janus, has worked for years as an Illinois state employee and pays about $550 annually to the powerful public-sector union known as AFSCME.
While not a member of the union, he is required under state law to hand over a weekly portion of his paycheck, which he says is a violation of his constitutional rights.
"The fundamental issue is my right to choice," said Janus outside the court, after attending the arguments. "I had to pay the fee. Nobody asked me. I wasn't given the opportunity to say yes, which is also, ultimately, the ability to say no. ... That's what [the] whole case is about."
Labor leaders oppose so-called "free riding" by workers like Janus, and say they have a legal duty to advocate for all employees.
"It definitely hurts the ability of unions to discharge all of their responsibilities, from administering contacts, to negotiating terms, to handling grievance procedures," said David Frederick, an attorney representing AFSCME, the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees. "It's an economic fact, if you have less money, and you have people that are free riding, then it's harder for you to do your job."
The high court is being asked to overturn its four-decade-old ruling allowing so-called "fair share" fees for public employees.
While the current case applies only to them, the repercussions could affect unions nationwide.
Union membership nationwide is less than 11 percent of the American workforce, but about a third of government employees are members.
The Supreme Court had deadlocked when the issue was revisited two years ago, just after Scalia died.
Gorsuch, the replacement named by President Trump, faced strong labor union opposition at his confirmation hearings last spring, but told senators his record backing workers was strong.
While Gorsuch seeks to keep court-watchers guessing, Trump's Justice Department has been clear on its position -- announcing in December it was reversing course from the previous administration and supporting Janus.
"I think people who are in public sector unions are very concerned about their viability going forward." Elizabeth Wydra, president of The Constitutional Accountability Center
Such legal turnarounds are rare, but the union fees case is one of three this Supreme Court term where the Trump Justice Department is taking a new interpretation.
That prompted Justice Sonia Sotomayor to add rhetorically, "How many times this term already have you flipped positions from prior administrations?"
Frederick said some unions might respond to loss of power and money by becoming more "militant" in their relations with management, "in search of short-term gains that they can bring back to their members and say stick with us."
But Chief Justice John Roberts said just the opposite might occur.
"The argument on the other side, of course, is that the need to attract voluntary payments will make the unions more efficient, more effective, more attractive to a broader group of their employees. What's wrong with that?"
Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg wondered the extent a ruling against the public-sector unions could then be applied to bar fees on free speech grounds for a range of shared resources, such as student activity fees and bar association dues. And she posed the big question big labor worries most about.
"What about the private sector, agency fees compelled by state law in the private sector?" Ginsburg asked.
About 28 states have so-called "right-to-work laws" that prohibit or limit union security agreements between companies and workers' unions.
States that do allow "fair share" fees say they go to a variety of activities that benefit all workers, whether in the union or not. That includes collective bargaining for wage and benefit increases, grievance procedures, and workplace safety.
Employees who do not join a union also do not have to pay for a union's "political" activities, but both sides of the issue are at odds over when that would occur.
Court watchers say the legal and political stakes in the Janus case could well determine the future of the union movement.
"I think people who are in public sector unions are very concerned about their viability going forward. Certainly opponents of unions see this case as something that they hope will substantially diminish the power of labor," said Elizabeth Wydra, president of The Constitutional Accountability Center. "But make no mistake, this case is a very serious potential blow to the union movement."
The case also revealed a split within Illinois state politics. The state's Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner and Democratic Attorney General Lisa Madigan are on opposite sides of the case. Some conservative groups backing Janus have said some of Rauner's public comments predicting victory against the unions were inappropriate and unhelpful to their side.
The governor did not file a supporting brief in favor of Janus, but Madigan's office did argue its case on behalf of the state, in front of the justices Monday.
The case is Janus v. AFSCME Council 31 and Madigan (16-1466). A ruling is expected by late June.
The Supreme Court on Monday rejected an appeal from the Trump administration to decide the legality of the presidents plans to end next month the Obama-era DACA program affecting young illegal immigrants.
In recent months, lower court judges have moved to stop the administration from ending the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, which protects about 800,000 young immigrants brought to country illegally as children from deportation.
In an unsigned comment released Monday, the Supreme Court denied the unusual request to take up the issue, saying the appeal should move through the normal appellate process. The move kicks the case back to the 9th Circuit in San Francisco.
The Supreme Court said the federal appeals court will proceed expeditiously to decide this case.
ANOTHER JUDGE RULES AGAINST TRUMP ADMIN ON ENDING DACA
Raj Shah, the White House principal deputy press secretary, said Monday the administration looks forward to having this case expeditiously heard by the appeals court and, if necessary, the Supreme Court, where we fully expect to prevail.
The DACA program which provides work permits and myriad government benefits to illegal immigrants en masse is clearly unlawful, Shah said. The district judges decision to unilaterally re-impose a program that Congress had explicitly and repeatedly rejected is a usurpation of legislative authority. The fact that this occurs at a time when elected representatives in Congress are actively debating this policy only underscores that the district judge has unwisely intervened in the legislative process.
Last month, U.S. District Judge William Alsup in San Francisco ruled that DACA must remain in place while litigation surrounding the program is ongoing. U.S. District Judge Nicholas Garaufis in New York ruled earlier this month that Attorney General Jeff Sessions had "erred in concluding that DACA is unconstitutional."
What made the appeal from the Trump Justice Department unusual is that the administration sought to bypass the federal appeals court in San Francisco and go directly to the Supreme Court.
A Justice Department spokesman said Monday they will "continue to defend DHS lawful authority to wind down DACA in an orderly manner.
While we were hopeful for a different outcome, the Supreme Court very rarely grants certiorari before judgment, though in our view it was warranted for the extraordinary injunction requiring the Department of Homeland Security to maintain DACA," Department of Justice spokesman Devin OMalley said.
President Trump has set March 5 as the end date for the DACA program, while calling on Congress to come up with a legislative fix.
Republicans like Trump have argued then-President Obama unconstitutionally granted protections to the so-called Dreamers when that should be up to Congress.
The Supreme Court rarely hears a case before a lower appeals court has considered it. The fight over whether President Richard Nixon had to turn over the Watergate tapes is one such example.
Fox News Bill Mears, Jake Gibson and Samuel Chamberlain and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Throughout the first year of his presidency and even as he campaigned for the office President Trumps rhetoric regarding North Korea has been harsh.
He warned earlier this year that Americas nuclear capabilities were much bigger [and] more powerful than that of the Asian nation. And at the end of 2017, Trump designated North Korea a state sponsor of terror again a classification that came with additional sanctions.
On the heels of a planned, historic summit between Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, Trumps tone softened, saying great progress has been made. But Trump ultimately cancelled that meeting, citing "open hostility" from North Korea.
From agreeing to meet with Kim to dubbing him Little Rocket Man, heres a look at what Trump has said about North Korea and its leader over time.
Back together again
After meeting with a North Korean official in the White House for more than an hour, Trump announced the June summit with North Korea is back on.
We'll be meeting on June 12 in Singapore," the president told reporters after the meeting.
Let's call the whole thing off
Trump announced on May 24 that he has decided to pull out of the June summit with North Korea.
"We were informed that the meeting was requested by North Korea, but that to us is totally irrelevant," Trump said in a letter to Kim. "I was very much looking forward to being there with you. Sadly, based on the tremendous anger and open hostility displayed in your most recent statement, I feel it is inappropriate, at this time, to have this long-planned meeting."
"You talk about your nuclear capabilities, but ours are so massive and powerful that I pray to God they will never have to be used," Trump said.
"I felt a wonderful dialogue was building up between you and me, and ultimately, it is only that dialogue that matters. Some day, I look very much forward to meeting you," he added. "In the meantime, I want to thank you for the release of the hostages who are now home with their families. That was a beautiful gesture and was very much appreciated."
Deal or no deal?
After speaking with the South Korean president amid threats from the rogue regime to cancel talks, Trump suggested the historic summit between him and Kim might not happen after all.
If it doesnt happen, maybe it will happen later. You never know about deals. Ive made a lot of deals, Trump said on May 22. You never really know. It may not work out for June 12.
Trump said he wants the Korean peninsula to be denuclearized in an all in one manner.
I can guarantee Kims safety. He will be safe. He will be happy, Trump said. His country will be rich.
Trump also said hes noticed a change in Kims attitude recently.
I cant say that Im happy about it, he added.
Save the date
Trump officially announced that he would meet with Kim in Singapore on June 12.
We will both try to make it a very special moment for World Peace! Trump said in a tweet.
The announcement came hours after Trump and the first lady welcomed the three Americans freed from detention in North Korea at Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland early on May 10.
After Trump met with the three men, he publicly thanked Kim for releasing the prisoners.
Were starting off on a new footing, Trump said.
Positive gesture of goodwill
In announcing that a date and place has been set for his much-anticipated meeting with Kim, Trump also confirmed three American prisoners have been released.
The three Americans Kim Dong Chul, Tony Kim and Kim Hak Song are returning to the U.S. with newly-confirmed Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, Trump said in a tweet. The president confirmed the three men are also in good health.
WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT THE HISTORIC SUMMIT BETWEEN TRUMP, KIM JONG UN
White House press secretary Sarah Sanders said in a statement that Trump appreciates Kim Jong Uns action to release these American citizens, and views this as a positive gesture of goodwill.
Another American detainee, Otto Warmbier, died in June 2017 after he was released back to the U.S. with severe brain damage.
Good relationship formed
Trump has confirmed that CIA Director Mike Pompeo his pick to lead the State Department secretly met with Kim in April and a good relationship was formed. He said the meeting went very smoothly.
The president also disclosed that the U.S. and North Korea have held direct talks at extremely high levels in preparation for the summit.
Kim will do what is right
After Kims first reported visit to China, Trump said there is a good chance that Kim Jong Un will do what is right for his people and for humanity.
For years and through many administrations, everyone said that peace and the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula was not even a small possibility, Trump said in a March tweet, adding that he is looking forward to his upcoming meeting with the North Korean leader.
He also gave North Korea the benefit of the doubt earlier that month, saying he believes the country will abide by its pledge to suspend missile tests.
When Trump delivered a speech in Pennsylvania, the crowd booed the mention of Kim, but the president stopped them.
No, it's very positive ... no, after the meeting you may do that, but now we have to be very nice because let's see what happens, let's see what happens, Trump said.
Invitation accepted
Trump accepted an invitation from Kim to meet, the White House said. While a time and place has yet to be determined, the two leaders are expected to meet by June.
The invitation to convene was extended by Kim.
Kim Jong Un talked about denuclearization with the South Korean Representatives, not just a freeze. Also, no missile testing by North Korea during this period of time. Great progress being made but sanctions will remain until an agreement is reached, Trump said on social media. Meeting being planned!
The deal with North Korea is very much in the making and will be, if completed, a very good one for the World. Time and place to be determined, he later said.
Possible progress
As North Korea is reportedly willing to negotiate its nuclear weapons, Trump cautiously acknowledged possible progress.
For the first time in many years, a serious effort is being made by all parties concerned, Trump said on Twitter. The World is watching and waiting! May be false hope, but the U.S. is ready to go hard in either direction!
At a later White House news conference, Trump said he believed North Korea, which has a long history of deception and threats to target U.S. cities with nuclear missiles, is sincere.
We have come certainly a long way, at least rhetorically, with North Korea, Trump said. Of the possibility for peacefully resolving the nations deep differences, he said: Itd be a great thing for the world, would be great for North Korea, it would be a great thing for the peninsula.
But well see what happens, Trump said.
Spirit of the Olympics
At the conclusion of the 2018 Winter Olympics, North Korea sent the U.S. a message through South Korea, saying it has ample intentions of holding talks with America.
During a meeting with the nations governors at the White House in February, Trump said those talks will only occur under the right conditions.
The administrations position has been that North Korea must get rid of its nuclear and missile programs first before any talks can take place.
Relationship status: Its complicated
In an interview with the Wall Street Journal, Trump reportedly said he probably has a very good relationship with North Korea.
Trump also suggested that he is open to diplomacy with the country hes spent years criticizing, the newspaper reported.
I have relationships with people. I think you people are surprised, Trump said.
The Wall Street Journal released the audio and transcript of the interview after Trump denied making the comments.
'Success for the world'
Trump told South Korea that he would be open to talks with its northern neighbor under the right circumstances, the White House said.
Trump also took credit for the talks between North and South Korea ahead of next months Winter Olympics. At a January Cabinet meeting, Trump said it was his administrations pressure on North Korea that caused the rogue nation to negotiate with the South.
"Without our attitude that would have never happened," Trump said of the inter-Korean dialogue. "Who knows where it leads. Hopefully it will lead to success for the world not just for our country but for the world, and we'll be seeing over the next number of weeks and months what happens."
Whose button is bigger?
After Kim warned Trump about North Koreas nuclear capabilities, Trump hit back on social media, arguing that his Nuclear Button is bigger [and] more powerful.
North Korean Leader Kim Jong Un just stated that the 'Nuclear Button is on his desk at all times,' the president tweeted. Will someone from his depleted and food starved regime please inform him that I too have a Nuclear Button, but it is a much bigger & more powerful one than his, and my Button works!
Kim previously warned the U.S. should know that the button for nuclear war is on my table.
The entire area of the U.S. mainland is within our nuclear strike range, he said. The United States can never start a war against me and our country.
Good news or bad news?
Trump insinuated at the start of the new year that sanctions and additional pressures are having a big impact on North Korea.
Soldiers are dangerously fleeing to South Korea, Trump said. Kim now wants to talk to South Korea for the first time. Perhaps that is good news, perhaps not we will see!
In his tweet, Trump was seemingly referring to the recent, dramatic escape of at least two North Korean soldiers across the heavily militarized border into the southern country He also alluded to Kims recent comments indicating he would send a delegation to the Winter Olympics to be hosted in South Korea.
Trump also took credit for the talks between North and South Korean leaders.
With all of the failed experts weighing in, does anybody really believe that talks and dialogue would be going on between North and South Korea right now if I wasnt firm, strong and willing to commit our total might against the North, Trump said in a Jan. 4 tweet. Fools, but talks are a good thing!
'Sick puppy'
While giving a speech on tax reform at a Missouri event in November, 2017, Trump digressed from the topic to call the North Korean leader a "sick puppy."
His comments drew hoots from the crowd.
State sponsor of terror
Trump re-designated North Korea a state sponsor of terror on Nov. 20, 2017, citing its support of international terrorism, including assassinations on foreign soil.
During a Cabinet meeting, Trump announced the designation came along with new sanctions on the murderous regime as part of the administrations maximum pressure campaign in dealing with North Korea. He said these sanctions will be the highest level of sanctions on the North.
North Korea was on the list but was taken off by the Bush administration in 2008.
Why can't we be friends?
In a series of tweets while in Vietnam, Trump said he doesn't know why the North Korean dictator would "insult" him.
Why would Kim Jong-un insult me by calling me old, when I would NEVER call him short and fat? Trump said. Oh well, I try so hard to be his friend - and maybe someday that will happen!
The comment came after Kim referred to Trump's speech in South Korea as reckless remarks by an old lunatic.
'Dont try us'
In Asia, Trump issued a stern warning to North Korea, saying it would be a fatal miscalculation for the country to attack the U.S. or an ally.
This is a very different administration than the United States has had in the past. Do not underestimate us. And do not try us, Trump said during an address at South Koreas National Assembly.
North Korea has interpreted Americas past restraint as weakness, Trump said.
'Lets make a deal'
While on his Asia trip, Trump implored North Korea to come to the table for talks on its nuclear weapons program. Trumps request for North Korea to make a deal was in stark contrast to his previous hardline rhetoric when it comes to the rogue nation.
"It makes sense for North Korea to come to the table and make a deal that is good for the people of North Korea and for the world," Trump said during a news conference alongside South Korean president Moon Jae-in in November 2017.
Trump also said hes seen a lot of progress in dealing with North Korea but still called the country a worldwide threat.
In a joint news conference with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in Tokyo the day before, Trump repeated his assertion that the era of strategic patience with North Korea was finished.
Some people say my rhetoric is very strong but look what has happened with very weak rhetoric in the last 25 years, Trump said then.
'Rocket Man' is on a 'suicide mission'
After dubbing him Rocket Man in a tweet, Trump eventually tried out the new nickname for Kim during his inaugural address to the U.N. General Assembly.
During his speech, Trump vowed to totally destroy North Korea if the country so provokes him. He also said Kim was on a suicide mission.
No more talking
After North Korea said it successfully launched a missile over Japan, a U.S. ally, and into the Pacific Ocean, Trump initially had a subdued response.
"Threatening and destabilizing actions only increase the North Korean regime's isolation in the region and among all nations of the world," Trump said in a written statement after North Koreas missile soared almost 1,700 miles into the Pacific Ocean, triggering alert warnings in northern Japan and shudders throughout Northeast Asia. "All options are on the table."
The missile launch was said to be a precursor to North Koreas containment of the U.S. territory of Guam by Kim, according to state-run media.
But in a tweet, the president suggested the U.S. is finished talking to North Korea.
The U.S. has been talking to North Korea, and paying them extortion money, for 25 years. Talking is not the answer, Trump tweeted.
The U.S. is 'locked and loaded'
Trump took to social media in August 2017 to proclaim that the U.S. military is locked and loaded in case North Korea act[s] unwisely.
'Fire [and] fury' isn't 'tough enough'
With the threat of nuclear violence growing, Trump warned North Korea on Aug. 8, 2017 that he would unleash fire, fury and frankly power, the likes of which this world has never seen before.
But when tensions continued to rise and North Korea threatened to attack Guam, Trump said maybe that comment wasnt "tough enough."
"Lets see what [Kim] does with Guam. He does something in Guam, it will be an event the likes of which nobody has seen before what will happen in North Korea," Trump said.
Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said Trump was "sending a strong message to North Korea in language that Kim Jong Un can understand, because he doesnt seem to understand diplomatic language."
Kim Jong Un is 'not getting away with it'
Trump said Kim has disrespected our country greatly.
He has said things that are horrific. And with me, hes not getting away with it, Trump said. He got away with it for a long time, between him and his family. Hes not getting away with it. Its a whole new ball game.
'Strategic patience is over'
After meeting with the South Korean president in Washington, D.C., in June 2017, Trump said that the era of strategic patience with the North Korean regime has failed.
Frankly, that patience is over, he said.
As Trump made these comments, the U.S. was rocked with the death of Otto Warmbier, the 22-year-old American college student who suffered extensive brain damage while being held captive in North Korea for more than a year.
There are 'worse things' than assassinating Kim Jong Un
In an interview with CBS News during the presidential campaign, Trump said he could get China to make [Kim Jong Un] disappear in one form or another very quickly.
When asked if he was talking about assassinating the North Korean dictator, Trump shrugged.
Well, you know, Ive heard of worse things, frankly. I mean, this guys a bad dude and dont underestimate him, Trump said. Any young guy that can take over from his father with all those generals and everybody else that probably wants the position, this is not somebody to be underestimated.
'What the hell is wrong with speaking?'
Trump told supporters at a campaign rally in Atlanta that should Kim want to come to the U.S., he would be accept[ed].
I wouldnt go there, that I can tell you. If he came here, Id accept him, but I wouldnt give him a state dinner like we do for China and all these other people that rip us off when we give them these big state dinners, Trump said in June 2016.
What the hell is wrong with speaking? Trump said, referencing the criticism he received for being willing to talk with North Korea. Its called opening a dialogue.
'Maniac'
During a GOP presidential debate in September 2015, Trump railed on the maniac in North Korea while answering a question about Planned Parenthood and womens health issues.
Nobody ever mentions North Korea, where you have this maniac sitting there, and he actually has nuclear weapons and somebody better start thinking about North Korea and perhaps a couple of other places. But certainly North Korea, Trump said.
You have somebody right now in North Korea who has got nuclear weapons and who is saying almost every other week, Im ready to use them, and we dont even mention it, he continued.
China needs to solve the problem
Even before he was president, Trump urged China to step in and help alleviate problems with North Korea.
North Korea is reliant on China. China could solve this problem easily if they wanted to but they have no respect for our leaders, Trump tweeted in March 2013.
In April 2013, Trump continued that line of thinking, adding that North Korea cant survive, or even eat, without the help of China. He then accused China of taunting the U.S.
As president, Trump has said he is very disappointed in actions China has taken regarding North Korea, particularly allowing oil to go into the nation. He also said a Chinese envoy to North Korea had no impact on Kim.
Additionally, Trump has said hes spoken to Chinas President Xi Jinping regarding the provocative actions of North Korea as well as the planned meeting between Trump and Kim.
President Xi told me he appreciates that the U.S. is working to solve the problem diplomatically rather than going with the ominous alternative, Trump said in March 2018. China continues to be helpful!
'Wack job'
In April 2013, Trump urged then-President Barack Obama to be very careful with the 28-year-old wack job in North Korea.
At some point we may have to get very tough, he tweeted.
'Negotiate like crazy'
Trump warned that the U.S. needed to do something to stop North Korea in 1999 during an interview with the late Tim Russert on Meet the Press.
"Do you want to do it in five years when they have warheads all over the place, every one of them pointing to New York City, to Washington and every one of us, is that when you want to do it, or do you want to do something now? Trump said. You'd better do it now. And if they think you're serious they'll negotiate and it'll never come to that.
He said then that if he ever became president, the first step he would take would be to negotiate like crazy to make sure that the country would get the best deal possible. Trump also predicted then that in three or four years, North Korea would have weapons aimed all over the world, including at the U.S.
Fox News' Adam Shaw and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
President Trump on Monday slammed the disgusting law enforcement officers who failed to rush into the Florida high school earlier this month as a gunman slaughtered students and teachers inside, claiming he would have entered the school himself even without a firearm to stop the attacker.
You don't know until you test it, Trump said during a meeting with governors. But I really believe Id run in there even if I didn't have a weapon.
He added: I think most of the people in this room would have done that too because I know most of you.
Speaking of the deputies who stayed outside, Trump said: The way they performed was really a disgrace.
Broward deputy Scot Peterson resigned after it was revealed he chose not to enter the school during the Valentines Day shooting. Local news outlets in Florida also reported that at least three Broward deputies, including Peterson, waited outside during the shooting.
They weren't exactly Medal of Honor winners, Trump said Monday. The way they performed was frankly disgusting.
Meanwhile, a lawyer for the Florida deputy who resigned after it emerged he didn't enter Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School during the mass shooting said Monday that Peterson is not "a coward" and acted appropriately.
ATTORNEY: FLORIDA DEPUTY WHO DIDN'T ENTER SCHOOL DURING MASS SHOOTING IS NOT 'A COWARD'
"Let there be no mistake, Mr. Peterson wishes that he could have prevented the untimely passing of the seventeen victims on that day, and his heart goes out to the families of the victims in their time of need," lawyer Joseph DiRuzzo said in a statement. "However, the allegations that Mr. Peterson was a coward and that his performance, under the circumstances, failed to meet the standards of police officers are patently untrue."
During remarks to the governors, the president renewed his pledge to outlaw the bump stock modifier used in the Las Vegas massacre, strengthen background checks and increase armed security at schools. Trump said he had lunch recently with top National Rifle Association officials Wayne LaPierre and Chris Cox, and said they want to do something.
Dont worry about the NRA, they are on our side, Trump said. You guys half of you are so afraid of the NRA. There is nothing to be afraid of. And you know what, if they're not with you, we have to fight them every once in a while, that's okay. They are doing what they think is right.
SEVERAL BROWARD DEPUTUES WAITED OUTSIDE DURING FLORIDA SCHOOL SHOOTING, REPORT SAYS
Trump has been pushing some new gun restrictions in the wake of this months school shooting in Parkland, Fla., that killed 17 people,
We are writing out bump stocks, Trump said Monday. But we have to take steps to harden our schools so they are less vulnerable to attack.
The president said, This includes allowing well-trained and certified school personnel to carry concealed firearms. At some point, you need volume. I don't know that a school is going to be able to hire a hundred security guards.
During the meeting, the president allowed various governors to suggest ideas for stopping gun violence in schools. One Democratic governor, Jay Inslee of Washington state, took issue with the presidents suggestion that some teachers should be armed.
I just suggest we need a little less tweeting here, a little more listening and let's just take that off the table and move forward, Inslee said.
Others, though, said they supported the idea of more armed security. New Mexico Republican Gov. Susana Martinez suggested to Trump that retired law enforcement officials be used.
This is a pool of folks we can immediately put out without having to spend a great amount of dollars in keeping our schools and our school personnel safe," she said.
Fox News Robert Gearty and Travis Fedschun contributed to this report.
Mark Janus has worked for years as an Illinois state employee, and pays about $550 annually to the powerful public-sector union known as AFSCME.
While not a member of the union, he is required under state law to hand over a weekly portion of his paycheck which he says is a violation of his constitutional rights.
"I work for Health and Family Services, and I'm forced to pay money to a union that then supports political causes that I don't agree with," Janus told Fox News.
Now, Janus' free-speech fight is before the Supreme Court, which holds arguments in the appeal on Monday. And the political and financial stakes are huge for the broader American labor union movement, which already has begun sounding the alarm about the consequences should the justices rule for Janus.
'I just look at it as an average guy just standing up for his own rights of free speech.' Mark Janus
"Unions would lose resources, contracts would become weaker, and the membership would become divided," said John Scearcy, secretary-treasurer of Teamsters Local 117, representing 16,000 workers in Washington state. "There is a strong likelihood that your voice as a public sector union member could be significantly weakened."
The high court is being asked to overturn its four-decade-old ruling over so-called "fair share" fees, allowing states to require government employees to pay money supporting collective bargaining and other union activities whether they join the union or not.
While the current case applies only to state employees, the repercussions could affect unions nationwide.
The Supreme Court had deadlocked when the issue was revisited two years ago, just after Justice Antonin Scalia died suddenly.
His Trump-picked replacement, however, is expected to be the deciding vote this time around.
Justice Neil Gorsuch faced strong labor union opposition at his confirmation hearings last spring, but told senators his record backing workers was strong.
"If we're going to pick and choose cases out of 2,700, I can point you to so many in which I have found for the plaintiff in an employment action, or affirmed the finding of an agency of some sort -- for the worker," he told Democratic Sen. Richard Durbin, who is from Janus home state and supports the unions in this case.
While Gorsuch seeks to keep court watchers guessing, Trump's Justice Department has been clear on its position announcing in December it was reversing course from the previous administration and supporting Janus.
"The [Obama-led] government's previous briefs gave insufficient weight to the First Amendment interest of public employees in declining to fund speech on contested matters of public policy," said U.S. Solicitor General Noel Francisco, in a note to the high court.
Janus, 65, says he does not want to destroy the unions and thinks workers have a right to organize. But he opposes having to pay for a union's lobbying efforts at a time when Illinois is facing a crippling financial crisis.
He is being represented by the Chicago-based Liberty Justice Center.
"In many states, workers are forced to give money to a union whether they want to or not. And when they do that they're funding union politics," said Jacob Huebert, the group's director of litigation. "Not all workers want to support that union agenda, just because they've taken a government job."
Labor leaders oppose so-called "free riding" by workers like Janus, and say they have a legal duty to advocate for all employees:
"Everybody deserves the power to win better wages and benefits and retirement security whether you're in a union or not in a union. That's how we build an economy that works for everyone," said Richard Trumka, president of the AFL-CIO.
About 28 states have so-called "right-to-work laws" that prohibit or limit union security agreements between companies and workers' unions.
States that do allow "fair share" fees say they go to a variety of activities that benefit all workers, whether are in the union or not. That includes collective bargaining for wage and benefit increases, grievance procedures, and workplace safety.
Employees who do not join a union also do not have to pay for a union's "political" activities, but both sides of the issue are at odds over when that would occur.
Court watchers say the legal and political stakes in the Janus case could well determine the future of the union movement.
"I think people who are in public sector unions are very concerned about their viability going forward. Certainly opponents of unions see this case as something that they hope will substantially diminish the power of labor," said Elizabeth Wydra, president of The Constitutional Accountability Center. "But make no mistake, this case is a very serious potential blow to the union movement."
As for Janus, he downplays his role as a potential constitutional gamechanger.
"I just look at it as an average guy just standing up for his own rights of free speech," he said. "I'd kind of like my money instead of going to the union and their causes go toward more civic health such as Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts. There are so many causes that need help and assistance."
The case is Janus v. AFSCME and Madigan (16-1466). A ruling is expected by late June.
The Trump administration announced last year its plan to phase out the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program (DACA) which provides a level of amnesty to certain undocumented immigrants, many of whom came to the U.S. as children with a six-month delay for recipients. But a federal appeals court ruled against the proposal in early November, declaring the government couldn't immediately end the program.
The Executive wields awesome power in the enforcement of our nations immigration laws, the ruling said. Our decision today does not curb that power, but rather enables its exercise in a manner that is free from legal misconceptions and is democratically accountable to the public.
Trump had initially set a March 5 deadline for the program and called on Congress to pass legislation pertaining to the young immigrants. But the deadline came and went, with no congressional action but several lawsuits challenging the administration's decision to end the program.
FEDERAL APPEALS COURT RULES AGAINST TRUMP ADMINISTRATION ON DACA
Federal judges in New York and Washington also have ruled against President Trump on DACA.
President Trump has repeatedly blamed Democrats for inaction.
Heres a look at the DACA program and why the Trump administration wants to dismantle it.
What is the DACA program?
The DACA program was formed through executive action by former President Barack Obama in 2012 and allowed certain people who came to the U.S. illegally as minors to be protected from immediate deportation. Recipients, called Dreamers, were able to request consideration of deferred action for a period of two years, which was subject to renewal.
Deferred action is a use of prosecutorial discretion to defer removal action against an individual for a certain period of time, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services stated. Deferred action does not provide lawful status.
Individuals were able to request DACA status if they were under the age of 31 on June 15, 2012, came to the U.S. before turning 16 and continuously lived in the country since June 15, 2007.
Individuals also had to have a high school diploma, GED certification, been honorably discharged from the military or still be in school. Recipients could not have a criminal record.
It did not provide legal status.
How many people are affected by DACA?
Nearly 800,000 youth, called Dreamers, are under the program's umbrella.
Daniel Garza, president of the conservative immigration nonprofit Libre Initiative, told Fox News that DACA offers a reprieve from a life of uncertainty for innocent kids who didnt break the law.
Its rather disappointing to think they could return to a state of anxiety and fear, he said.
What did the Trump administration do?
The Trump administration announced in September 2017 that it planned to phase out DACA for current recipients, and no new requests would be granted. But a lower court order required the administration to continue accepting renewal applications for those under the DACA program, and the Supreme Court rejected the Trump administration's request to intervene.
Since the announcement, Trump had offered to work with lawmakers on a solution for the hundreds of thousands of people in the U.S. who fell under DACAs umbrella of protections. But at the same time, he has repeatedly blamed Democrats on social media for lack of a solution.
Earlier this year, Trump released his four pillars of immigration reform, which included a provision for legal status for DACA recipients and others who would be eligible for DACA status. The White House estimated that total to be 1.8 million people. The Senate rejected the plan.
Republicans and some Democrats opposed Obamas directive establishing DACA from the start as a perceived overreach of executive power.
Obama spoke out on social media after the Trump administration announced a plan to dismantle the program, stating that it's "self-defeating ... and it is cruel" to end DACA and questioned the motive behind the decision.
Do any DACA recipients serve in the military?
Despite some rumors circulating online to the contrary, Dreamers were eligible to serve in the U.S. military since 2014 when the Pentagon adopted a policy to allow a certain amount of illegal immigrants to join.
In fiscal year 2016, 359 DACA recipients had enlisted in the Army which is the only branch to accept immigrants of this category.
Fox News' John Roberts and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
The House Intelligence Committee officially released the Democratic rebuttal to the controversial GOP memo that purported to show improper use of surveillance by the FBI and Justice Department (DOJ) during the 2016 presidential campaign.
The Feb. 24 release came after the White House initially instructed Democratic lawmakers to revise their rebuttal memo regarding the Russia investigation, saying the document required certain redactions before it could be made public.
Earlier this month, Trump made public without redactions a memo written by Republicans on the committee that detailed alleged surveillance abuses by the FBI and DOJ in its probe into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election. Trump further stirred controversy when he said the memo totally vindicates him of any wrongdoing.
Heres a look at what the Democrats partially blacked out 10-page memo contained.
Redactions
Unlike the Republican memo, largely authored by Rep. Devin Nunes, R-Calif., the Democrats' rebuttal was released with many blacked out portions.
Most of the redactions appear to be related to intelligence regarding Russian activities, including contacts former Trump adviser Carter Page had with Russian-linked individuals. One section with multiple redactions is titled Pages connections to Russian Government and Intelligence Officials.
Page was the subject of a surveillance warrant obtained by the FBI and DOJ as part of their probe, according to the GOP version.
One redaction appears to involve former Trump aide George Papadopoulos. And another appears to block out information related to compensation the FBI considered giving to dossier author and former British spy Christopher Steele.
Even before the memos release, Rep. Adam Schiff, the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, said he was wary of the redactions Trump would require for political purposes.
Contradicting the Nunes memo
The rebuttal released on Feb. 24 claims officials at the FBI and DOJ did not abuse the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) process, omit material information, or subvert this vital tool to spy on the Trump campaign.
The GOP memo alleged Steeles controversial dossier a 35-page document compiled for the firm Fusion GPS "formed an essential part" of applications by the FBI and DOJ to spy on Page.
The surveillance warrant and renewals did not mention that the dossier was paid for, at least in part, by the Democratic National Committee (DNC) and the campaign for Hillary Clinton, according to the GOP memo.
But the Democratic memo contends the DOJ did disclose the assessed political motivation of those who hired him and that Steele was likely hired by someone looking for information that could be used to discredit Trumps campaign.
The Democrats say the FBI made only narrow use of Steeles sources in the request for the FISA application.
Republicans have said that is not enough, however, because the Clinton campaign and DNC were not named.
Dem Memo: FBI did not disclose who the clients were - the Clinton Campaign and the DNC. Wow!" Trump tweeted shortly after the Democratic document was released.
Further politicization of the probe
The Democrats memo, seen as a rebuttal to the GOPs document, was deemed a politically driven document by the White House following its release.
White House press secretary Sarah Sanders said the memo fails to even address the fact that the Deputy FBI Director told the Committee that had it not been for the dossier, no surveillance order would have been sought.
Bolsters FBI credibility
Rep. Eric Swalwell, D-Calif., previously told Fox News the Democrats document bolsters the FBIs credibility in the Russia probe. He said the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court was given a voluminous amount of evidence to obtain the warrant to spy on Page.
The memo contended the FBI had an independent basis for investigating Pages motivations. It also said the DOJ repeatedly informed the Court about Steeles background, credibility and potential bias.
The FBI had ample reason to believe that Carter Page was acting as an agent of a foreign power based on his history, including the fact that he had previously been a target of Russian recruitment, his travel to Russia, and other information, Schiff said in a statement. The renewals of FISA were also appropriate and based on new information obtained by law enforcement.
Additionally, the Democrats memo challenged the Republican claim that the FBI authorized payment to Steele, saying it neglected to include that the payment was cancelled.
However, the new memo said the dossier was corroborated by multiple sources the opposite of what former FBI Director James Comey told the Senate Intelligence Committee in June 2017. He said then, three months after the warrant had been granted for Page, that the dossier was considered salacious and unverified when he briefed incoming President Trump in January 2017.
Points of agreement
The two memos werent in complete opposition to one another.
Both memos said the Steele dossier was not the catalyst for the FBI opening its counterintelligence investigation into links between the Russia investigation and the Trump campaign. And both memos showed the investigation was prompted by concerns about contacts between Papadopoulos and individuals linked to Russia.
Fox News Madeline Farber, Adam Shaw and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
The White House on Sunday said any discussions with North Korea must lead to an end of Pyongyangs nuclear program, Reuters reported.
The Trump administration reiterated its commitment to a nuclear-free North Korea, saying "denuclearization must be the result of any dialogue with North Korea.
"The United States and the world must continue to make clear that North Koreas nuclear and missile programs are a dead end," the White House statement said.
South Korea announced that its president, Moon Jae-in, met with a senior official of the North's ruling Worker's Party during the closing ceremony of the Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang.
"President Moon pointed out that U.S.-North Korea dialogue must be held at an early date even for an improvement in the South-North Korea relationship and the fundamental resolution of Korean Peninsula issues," spokesman Kim Eui-kyeom said about the meeting, Yonhap News Agency reported.
NORTH KOREA WILLING TO HOLD TALKS WITH US, EX-SPY CHIEF SAYS
A State Department official told Fox News on Sunday that the U.S. is in close contact with South Korea over the North.
The news of the North expressing desire in holding talks with U.S. comes days after the U.S.s announcement of the largest package of sanctions targeting the country with the aim to force the hermit kingdom to cease its nuclear and missile programs.
The move was condemned by North Korean state media, accusing the U.S. of provoking confrontation.
Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, has been leading the charge against the GOP's memo, calling it a "political hit job" on the FBI.
"If the memo was really about oversight, committee members would want to read the underlying documents and bring in the FBI. Republicans voted against both," Schiff tweeted on Feb. 4, two days after the panel released the "surveillance" memo.
The four-page memo, released by the House Intelligence Committee chairman Rep. Devin Nunes, R-Calif., on Feb. 2 claimed the infamous Trump dossier "formed an essential part" of applications by the FBI and Justice Department to spy on onetime Trump campaign adviser Carter Page.
Schiff has called the Republicans' memo "shoddy" and "misleading," claiming it was released only to undermine Special Counsel Robert Mueller's Russia investigation.
"The presidents decision to publicly release a misleading memo attacking DOJ & FBI is a transparent attempt to discredit these institutions," Schiff added. "We'll fight to release our classified response."
Schiff requested the committee release Democratic members own 10-page memo, with the promise to send it to the Justice Department for redactions and the committee did just that on Feb. 24.
In a statement, Schiff said the Democratic memo should "put to rest" any concerns about conduct by the intelligence agencies.
"Our extensive review of the initial FISA application and three subsequent renewals failed to uncover any evidence of illegal, unethical, or unprofessional behavior by law enforcement and instead revealed that both the FBI and DOJ made extensive showings to justify all four requests," Schiff said.
The memo's release comes after the White House told Democratic lawmakers the memo required certain redactions before it could be made public.
"The Democrats sent a very political and long response memo which they knew, because of sources and methods (and more), would have to be heavily redacted, whereupon they would blame the White House for lack of transparency. Told them to re-do and send back in proper form!" Trump tweeted after the rubuttal's release was halted earlier this month.
Here's what you need to know about Schiff, his notable career moves and his recent Twitter exchanges with the president.
Who is Adam Schiff?
As a graduate of Stanford University and Harvard Law School, Schiff started his career in law. He spent six years working in the U.S. Attorney's Office in Los Angeles.
During his time as assistant U.S. attorney, Schiff prosecuted the first FBI agent ever to be convicted of espionage for passing secret documents to the Soviets.
"This is a betrayal tinged with hypocrisy," Schiff said at the trial for former FBI agent Richard Miller, who was sentenced to 20 years in prison, The New York Times reported. "We have here an agent who did just exactly what he was supposed to protect against."
Eventually, Schiff moved on to politics.
He was elected to the California State Senate in 1996, serving four terms before heading to the House of Representatives. The Democrat has been serving in Congress since 2001.
In recent years, Schiff has shifted his focus to foreign policy and national security. He now sits as a ranking member on the House Intelligence Committee and was a member of the Benghazi Select Committee, according to a biography on his official website.
Schiff's reaction to the FISA memo
Schiff recently said he believed the White House may have been behind the memo in an attempt to interfere with the Russia probe.
"I think its very possible his staff worked with the White House and coordinated the whole effort with the White House," Schiff said in an interview with ABC's "This Week."
The president said the memo completely "vindicates" him in the Russia investigation, though he said the "Russian witch hunt" would most likely continue.
"There was no collusion and there was no obstruction (the word now used because, after one year of looking endlessly and finding NOTHING, collusion is dead)," Trump tweeted on Feb. 2. "This is an American disgrace!"
But Schiff said, while misleading, the memo was proof there was collusion with the Russians.
"Quite the opposite, Mr. President," Schiff replied on Twitter. "The most important fact disclosed in this otherwise shoddy memo was that FBI investigation began July 2016 with your advisor, Papadopoulos, who was secretly discussing stolen Clinton emails with the Russians."
Schiff versus Trump: The Twitter war continues
Trump targeted "Little Adam Schiff" on Feb. 5, calling him one of the "biggest liars and leakers in Washington," as both parties continued to argue over the newly released FISA memo.
"Little Adam Schiff, who is desperate to run for higher office, is one of the biggest liars and leakers in Washington, right up there with Comey, Warner, Brennan and Clapper!" Trump tweeted. "Adam leaves closed committee hearings to illegally leak confidential information. Must be stopped!"
Within minutes, Schiff fired back, tweeting: "Mr. President, I see youve had a busy morning of 'Executive Time.' Instead of tweeting false smears, the American people would appreciate it if you turned off the TV and helped solve the funding crisis, protected Dreamers or...really anything else."
Trump's tweet came shortly before Committee Chairman Devin Nunes, R-Calif., told "Fox & Friends" that there have been "almost 100 leaks" by Democrats on the House Intelligence Committee related to the Russia investigation.
Trump's tweet also reflected frustration with a host of figures, including Schiff's Senate counterpart Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., who sits as ranking member on the Senate Intelligence Committee, which conducted its own Russia probe. He also named former FBI Director James Comey, former CIA Director John Brennan, and former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper.
When the Democratic rebuttal memo was released on Feb. 24, Trump, once again, took to Twitter to criticize the document.
"The Democrat memo response on government surveillance abuses is a total political and legal BUST," Trump wrote. "Just confirms all of the terrible things that were done. SO ILLEGAL!"
Schiff countered by saying it confirmed that intelligence officials acted appropriately.
"Wrong again, Mr. President. It confirms the FBI acted appropriately and that Russian agents approached two of your advisors, and informed your campaign that Russia was prepared to help you by disseminating stolen Clinton emails," he replied.
Fox News' Brooke Singman and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Samsungs new Galaxy S9 smartphone introduced on Sunday adds more bells and whistles than ever but experts wonder if theyll be enough to kick-start sales.
The new device plays to the social media set by introducing augmented reality emojis, a camera capable of translating restaurant menus and an artificial intelligence-powered voice tool.
Its an iteration with tremendous visual innovations, tech consultant Shelly Palmer told The Post.
But should you swap out a 1-year-old phone to get it? Hmm. A 3-year-old phone? Yep. Do it.
Indeed, the S9 so closely resembles the S8 edge-to-edge display on a thinly designed handset that retains a headphone jack CCS Insight analyst Ben Wood called the new model a potentially tough sell.
Blogging from Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, where Samsung launched the S9, Wood noted the new release underscores challenges confronting the entire industry.
Innovation in smartphones has plateaued and now it is all about marginal gains, be that screen technology, camera features and processing power, he said.
The device, set to hit retail shelves on March 16, almost two years after Samsungs Note 7 blowup -phone fiasco, is expected to have prices similar to last years versions $720 for the base model and $840 for a larger version.
Whether the release of what Palmer called the best Android phone ever made can reverse Galaxys fourth-quarter upset will largely depend on consumer demand for such photographic advances as low-light shooting.
Its certainly got some tricks up its sleeve, the tech consultant said.
But Im not sure how theyll appeal to a normal person who doesnt do social media every day.
This story originally appeared in the New York Post.
Would you pay $42 million for a clock that ticks once a year? Before you answer, consider this: It'll be buried 500 feet (150 meters) below a mountaintop near the Texas-Mexico border, and yes you must wind it by hand.
Are you sold yet? Well, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos is.
On Tuesday (Feb. 20), Bezos tweeted the first video footage of an unusual project he's funding, called the 10,000-Year Clock. True to its name, the clock is designed to accurately keep time for 10,000 years. It's powered by a combination of solar energy and occasional windings by any intrepid visitors who stray into the limestone cliffs of Texas' Sierra Diablo mountain range sometime over the next 10 millennia. [5 of the Most Precise Clocks Ever Made]
To Bezos, who reportedly invested $42 million in the clock's construction, the timepiece is the ultimate symbol of long-term thinking.To Danny Hillis, an inventor and computer scientist who first described the idea for the clock in Wired magazine in 1995, it's a vision come to life.
"I want to build a clock that ticks once a year," Hillis wrote. "The century hand advances once every 100 years, and the cuckoo comes out on the millennium."
In 1996, Hillis established The Long Now Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to building the 10,000-year clock and promoting long-term thinking. On Dec. 31, 1999, he completed an 8-foot-tall (2.4 meters) prototype of the clock (currently on display at the London Science Museum) just in time to ring in the new millennium.
In 2011, construction began on the first full-scale model, which will be about 200 feet (60 m) tall when it's completed. The venue: a private, Bezos-owned mountain in Texas, several hours' drive from the nearest airport and about 2,000 feet (610 m) above the valley floor.
As you can see in the video Bezos posted, the clock's construction is well underway. The crew has already hollowed out a 500-foot-deep (150 m) shaft inside the mountain that will serve as the clock's case. A long, winding staircase has been cut directly into the limestone using a special rock-slicing robot from Seattle.
At the video's 11-second mark, you can see workers begin to assemble the clock's main power system, which includes a 10,000-lb. (4,500 kilograms) weight and a three-pronged winding station that future visitors can rotate to help keep the clock ticking. Because the clock may go many days (or possibly centuries) without being wound, the clock will be able to power itself using solar energy captured from the mountaintop on sunny days, according to The Long Now. Sunlight will also help the clock stay synchronized with solar noon as the Earth's axis tilts over the coming centuries.
Above the power station, engineers will eventually install a cascading tower of 20 huge, 1,000-lb. (450 kg) gears known as Geneva wheels. This will be the clock's time generator or, as Long Now board member Kevin Kelly described it, "the world's slowest computer." Once a day, the gears will turn and interlace an elaborate system of slots and pins in a different combination, which determines the precise order in which the clock's 10 bells will ring. According to Kelly, the clock will reportedly chime once a day, producing a unique combination of tones every day for the next 10,000 years.
Further up the shaft, a 300-lb. (136 kg) titanium pendulum will swing in slow, 10-second cycles. A nearby display station will show visitors the current date and time, as well as the corresponding positions of the stars and planets. The clock will always know what time it is, Kelly wrote, but it will update the display only once it's wound.
One thing the 10,000-year clock cannot tell us: when it will be ready. At press time, there is no precise date set for the clock's completion. Luckily, the team has about 982 years before the cuckoo's first curtain call.
Originally published on Live Science.
A Southwest Airlines flight heading from Salt Lake City to Los Angeles was forced to turn around and make an emergency landing after one of its engines caught fire moments after takeoff on Monday morning.
Southwest Airlines Flight 604 departed from Salt Lake City International Airport at 6:40 a.m., but soon began experiencing what Southwest has called a performance issue with an engine.
UNITED PASSENGER ABANDONS PLANE VIA EMERGENCY CHUTE, GETS ARRESTED
The pilots of flight 604 operating today from Salt Lake City International Airport (SLC) to Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) elected to return to SLC after receiving a cockpit indication of a performance issue with one of the aircraft engines, said Southwest in a statement.
Following established protocol and procedures, the pilots completed an uneventful landing.
Nancy Volmer, a spokesperson for the Salt Lake City International Airport, confirmed that none of the passengers were injured, the Associated Press reported.
Reddit user Ben McConkie managed to catch footage of the aircraft from the ground, claiming that he was alerted to the incident after hearing loud popping noises from overhead.
Well that doesnt look good. Hopefully they made it back down, wrote one commenter on McConkie's post.
Another simply wrote, "OH MY GOD!! OH MY GOD!! LOOK AT THAT PLANE!! LOOK!!!"
SEE IT: UNITED FLIGHT LANDS SAFELY AFTER BLOWING A TIRE ON TAKEOFF
Southwest passengers were moved to a new aircraft to continue their trip to Los Angeles International Airport. The airline apologized to the affected passengers.
We apologize for the inconvenience, but safety is always our top priority at Southwest Airlines, said a spokesperson.
A would-be United Airlines passenger was placed under arrest at Newark Liberty International Airport after abandoning his yet-to-depart plane via the inflatable emergency slide.
Troy Fattun, 25, had reportedly boarded United Airlines Flight 1640 from Newark, N.J., to Tampa on Sunday evening, but soon headed straight for the rear of the aircraft while the other passengers were finding their seats, according to WCBS. Fattun then opened the emergency exit and deployed the inflatable chute before sliding down to the tarmac, where he was apprehended by police.
SEE IT: UNITED FLIGHT LANDS SAFELY AFTER BLOWING TIRE ON TAKEOFF
At about 10 p.m. Port Authority Police responded to a report of a disorderly subject at Newark Airport Terminal C, said a public information officer for the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey (PANYNJ). [The suspect] was arrested by Port Authority police.
Law enforcement sources for WNBC say a panicked Fattun insisted he didnt belong on the plane, although the Port Authority has confirmed he had indeed been carrying a ticket for that flight to Tampa.
The Port Authority further stated that charges are currently pending against Fattun, who PANYNJ identified as a U.S. national from Micronesia.
Following the incident, passengers were instructed to deplane while United arranged for another flight to Tampa, which departed several hours later. No one was injured.
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This marks the second time a person has deliberately deployed and exited a United aircraft via the emergency chute. In April 2016, a flight attendant deployed the slide after touching down in Houston; she was later fired.
Twelve inmates and one guard at an Arizona correctional facility were hospitalized Sunday after police said a riot broke out inside.
The inmate-on-inmate disturbance unfolded early Sunday at the Red Rock Correctional Facility in Eloy, Fox 10 reported.
A spokesperson for CoreCivic, the company which owns the prison, told the news station that 12 inmates were transported outside of the facility to receive care for non-life-threatening injuries.
One CoreCivic employee was treated for minor injuries and released, the spokesperson said.
The Arizona Department of Corrections, along with local law enforcement, is investigating the incident, according to Fox 10.
The Eloy Police Department wrote on Facebook earlier Sunday that prisoners at the facility were rioting. It was not clear what exactly sparked the riot.
There have been inmate in inmate assaults and inmate on staff assaults, the department stated. At this time the situation is contained and CCA special operations teams are working to secure the prison.
Eloy is about 65 miles southeast of Phoenix.
A 21-year-old illegal immigrant who was allowed to stay in the U.S. under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program was arrested last week in Rochester, N.Y., for making terroristic threats against students in a high school, officials said.
Abigail Hernandez was arrested and charged for the threats against East High School and was remanded to the Monroe County Jail in lieu of $15,000 bail, WHAM reported. Hernandez who is not a student at the school was moved to a federal detention facility, and will be held there until a hearing is scheduled.
Rochester City School District called police at 5:08 p.m. February 16 about a threat posted on the East High School Facebook page, which read: Im coming tomorrow morning and Im going to shoot all of ya b----es.
East High School Superintendent Shaun Nelms told WHAM Friday evening: Sadly, in wake of the recent Parkland, Florida tragedy, schools across the country have been grappling with social media threats intended to instill fear and anxiety. While we cannot comment on this particular police investigation around a threat made to East, I want to stress how fortunate we are to be part of a community in which the police department works closely with schools to ensure the safety of the entire school community.
The massacre in Parkland killed 17 students on Feb. 14.
Rochester Police Department Deputy Chief LaRon Singletary told WHAM it took police days to track down the threat because it was made from a fictitious social media account.
Police found a shotgun inside the home of Hernandez on February 20, the date of her arrest.
During the investigation, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents determined Hernandez was an illegal immigrant who was in the United States under the Obama-era DACA program, according to WHAM.
The city of Rochester recently affirmed its status as a sanctuary city, meaning it would not share immigration information with federal authorities, according to The Democrat and Chronicle.
Shes not right mentally she doesnt pick up what people say, her mother, who asked not to be identified by name, said in Spanish to The Democrat and Chronicle. Shes very dependent on me.
Ive always told her that if you do everything right, you wont have any trouble with the law, she added in Spanish. Shes not a terrorist. ... Now Im very worried for her.
For the first time since 17 people were killed on their school campus on Valentines Day, students, parents and teachers made an emotional return Sunday for a voluntary orientation at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida.
The thousands of students returned to a campus covered in signs, balloons, flowers and memorials honoring their classmates, teachers and friends who were shot in one of the deadliest massacres in modern U.S. history.
Members of the Stoneman Douglas community who are scheduled to meet with administrators to discuss the schools reopening planned for Wednesday appear to have mixed emotions upon their return.
Mikayla Strabitz, while set on making a change, told WSVN shes scared to go back.
I dont know if I could feel safe again in a school like that, Strabitz said. Especially knowing there are so many entrances to that school and not knowing how Nikolas Cruz got in, thats one scary thing.
The student said she doesnt expect everyone to return to campus right away, just because I know a lot of people were in the freshman building, so going back and not being able to go to those classes, seeing their classmates is going to hit them.
During his return to Stoneman Douglas on Sunday, Liam Kiernan, 15, brought his father to the band room closet where he hid as the shooting occurred.
I walked in and showed him, thats where I was, Kiernan told the Miami Herald. His father, David, told the newspaper, his voice breaking: It was tough. So tough.
In addition to showing his father the fateful spot where he hid as more than 30 others were shot, Liam said he saw the teacher who saved his life and gave him a big hug. That was definitely a moment.
Im anxious to get back. Im happy to get back. I think we need to be itd be nice for us all to be together. Jim Gard, teacher at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School
Another student, 16-year-old Janna Volz, told the Herald that while it was still nerve wracking to be back on campus Sunday, shes ready to make it back to school.
Student Cameron Kasky, whos become a prominent figure of the students #NeverAgain gun control movement following the shooting, echoed Volzs sentiment, tweeting Sunday that its good to be home.
Teacher Jim Gard, who told Fox News in the wake of the Feb. 14 massacre that the gunman was his math student, said that hes anxious to return to his school.
Im anxious to get back. Im happy to get back, Gard told WSVN. I think we need to be itd be nice for us all to be together.
Freshman Kailey Brown expressed a similar attitude, telling The Associated Press last week that shes not scared to return to school.
"I am going to come back strong with my friends and show that we love each other so much and we are going to get through this," Brown, who was in the building where the shooting took place, said.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
One of the teen survivors of the Florida school shooting suggested Saturday that tourists stay away from the state until gun control measures are enacted.
Lets make a deal DO NOT come to Florida for spring break unless gun legislation is passed. These [politicians] wont listen to us so maybe [theyll] listen to the billion dollar tourism industry in FL, tweeted David Hogg, a 17-year-old senior and student reporter at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, in Parkland, Florida.
Hogg who has been a major player in the student-activist movement staging protests in Florida calling for stricter gun laws sent the tweet to his followers, which now number more than 300,000.
Hogg whose Twitter bio describes him as a film maker, entrepreneur, surfer co-founded the student mobilization group Never Again MSD, creating the #neveragain hashtag online and calling for a ban on certain weapons and improved care for the mentally ill since a shooter slaughtered 17 people at the Parkland high school on Valentines Day. MSD refers to his Parkland school.
Alleged teen gunman, Nikolas Cruz, used an AR-15 and had a history of emotional problems, according to investigators. Cruz was arrested and charged with 17 counts of premeditated murder.
Wendy Glaab, 60, of Fonthill, Ontario, Canada, was among the first to respond to his tweet. I like many Canadians travel to Florida from time to time to escape our winter. I cant speak for others but I will not be returning until meaningful gun control legislation is in place.
Glaab told The Associated Press on Saturday that her sister owns property in Fort Lauderdale and she is able to visit any time she chooses.
Better Idea: Spend your spring break in Puerto Rico, its a beautiful place with amazing people. They could really use the economic support that the government has failed to provide, Hogg followed up in a separate tweet.
Its too soon to tell how significantly the aftermath of the massacre might sway the countrys wider gun debate.
National Rifle Association Executive Vice President Wayne LaPierre said last week at the Conservative Political Action Conference that people advocating for stricter gun control were exploiting the Florida shooting.
President Donald Trump has suggested some teachers could be armed so they could fire on any attacker. However, Trump also has called for raising the minimum age for purchasing semi-automatic rifles, a move the NRA has opposed.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
An Army recruiter allegedly sent a nude photo to a 16-year-old girl after meeting her at a high school in Texas, telling her on Snapchat, Im no angel.
Adam Matthew Perkins 37, turned himself into police in Deer Park on Friday after a warrant was issued for his arrest on a charge of displaying harmful material to a minor. He allegedly sent a photo of his genitals to a 16-year-old Deer Park High School student via Snapchat, the Deer Park Police Department said Monday.
Perkins met the female student while she was selling cake balls during a fundraiser at her school in December. The Army recruiter donated $20 before exchanging Snapchat usernames with the girl, the Dallas Morning News reports.
The first photo sent by Perkins was a selfie showing him eating a cake ball, but investigators said subsequent messages took a sexual turn, with Perkins telling the teen: Im no angel.
Read more from the New York Post.
Police in Fort Myers, Fla. announced Monday they had arrested the man believed responsible for a deadly shooting at a zombie-themed art and music festival more than two years ago.
Jose Raul Bonilla, 23, faces a second-degree murder charge, along with five counts of aggravated battery with a firearm and one count of tampering with evidence in connection with the shooting, which killed one man and injured five others in October 2015.
Police did not immediately reveal what led to Bonillas arrest or release information about a motive.
Zombicon was one of the most popular entertainment celebrations in southwest Florida, attracting about 20,000 people. The event was winding down when authorities say Bonilla started shooting into the downtown crowd.
Expavious Tyrell Taylor, 20, died at the scene, while David Perez, 22; Tyree Hunter, 20; Isaiah Knight, 18; Kyle Roberts, 20; and John Parsons, 31, were wounded.
The city paid $40,000 to settle a lawsuit with Taylors estate last September. Roberts and Tyree received $7,499 each from the city last January.
Taylors grandmother, Estella Wilson, told the Associated Press she was glad to hear about the arrest.
Its a whole lot of burden lifted up off us. Im very, very happy they found him, Wilson said. I know its not going to bring my grandson back, but we know now what happened.
Wilson said she feels some relief knowing her grandsons suspected killer is locked up. For more than two years, she wasnt sure if the rest of her family were targets.
Its hard when you got to look over your shoulder because you never know where a person is at, Wilson said. We dont know why he shot him.
The FBI began helping Fort Myers police shortly after the shooting.
Police spokesman Capt. Jay Rodriguez said investigators had interviewed hundreds of witnesses, released multiple images from surveillance video to the public and continually asked for tips through the regions Crime Stoppers program.
Even though police have made an arrest, Rodriguez said detectives still are collecting evidence and want anyone with information about the shooting to contact them.
The city cut ties with Zombicon organizers shortly after the shooting, ending the events nine-year run.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
An anti-religion activist group is threatening to sue the city of Findlay, Ohio for a mural in the municipal building that shows an eagle and a bible verse.
The Freedom From Religion Foundation sent a cease-and-desist letter to Flag City USA on Feb. 1, claiming the mural is unconstitutional because it conveys government support for religion through the phrase Under His wings shall you find refuge, and the corresponding Scripture reference, Psalms 91.
The mural was painted in 2011 by a group of local artists to symbolize the protection of the community, and dovetailed with the theme of that years National Day of Prayer. The same year, FFRF challenged the proclamation, but the atheist and agnostic groups case was struck down by the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals due to lack of standing.
Cathy Schock, a professional artist in Hancock County, spearheaded the creation of the mural, Under His Wings, which is based on Psalm 91:4: He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge.
Schock told Fox News she hoped the project would inspire the spirit of collaboration and team work not division between different communities.
But Wisconsin-based FFRF said a "concerned citizen" alerted them about the mural. City officials say they've never received an objection to the mural and FFRF's own complaint inaccurately identifies the location of the piece.
FFRF, however, says the only thing that matters is the mural is on city property.
The city needs to remove it, Rebecca Markert told Fox News. This is government property and it doesnt belong there.
Findlay Mayor Lydia Mihalik says the mural is in the city to stay unless someone with legal authority tells the city to remove it, stressing most Findlay residents look to a higher power as they face real struggles, such as the opioid epidemic, broken families, and crime.
Maybe the Atheist Club in Madison, Wisconsin has nothing better to worry about but our mural in Findlay, Mihalik told Fox News. But our community is strong because we have belief. We believe in a power greater than ourselves that promises a brighter day is ahead despite our individual struggles. In our community we have many people who practice many faiths and believe many things. I celebrate those elements of my community and refuse to apologize for it.
But Markert argues the partial Bible verse conveys government sponsorship of religion, and that makes it illegal.
A reasonable observer would view the text as an endorsement of religion by Findlay, Markert wrote in the group's letter.
The mayor doubled down on her stance in an appearance on Fox & Friends Wednesday morning.
Its a distortion of the First Amendment. Their belief that we are endorsing a religion here with this particular painting is wrong. We have a lot of people who are supporting what we have here in this community, Mihalik said. So were going to continue to have it up in this building until were told something different.
First Liberty Institute, a religious liberty legal organization, says FFRF is trying to sandblast the mural because of its general reference to a Psalm.
For decades now, FFRF and others have been on a search and destroy mission to eradicate even the most modest references to generic sayings from the Bible, Hiram Sasser, General Counsel to First Liberty, told Fox News. As the Supreme Court said in 1867, The Constitution deals with substance, not shadows.
Execution team members stuck an Alabama inmate about a dozen times and may have punctured his bladder in efforts to find a usable vein before the state called off the man's lethal injection last week, the prisoner's attorney said Sunday.
Attorney Bernard Harcourt attended a physical examination of his client, 61-year-old Doyle Lee Hamm, at the Holman Correctional Facility in Escambia County and said in an update it was "worse than anticipated."
This was clearly a botched execution that can only be accurately described as torture, Harcourt wrote.
Hamm, who has battled lymphoma, was set to be executed Thursday for the 1987 killing of motel clerk Patrick Cunningham.
Prison officials announced about 11:30 p.m. Thursday they had to halt the execution because medical staff did not think they could obtain "the appropriate venous access" before a midnight deadline. The announcement came about 2 and a half hours after the U.S. Supreme Court cleared the execution to proceed.
The state prison commissioner said the execution was delayed because of a "time issue" because medical staff did not think they could connect the intravenous line by the time the death warrant expired at midnight.
"I wouldn't necessarily characterize what we had tonight as a problem...The only indication I have is that in their medical judgment it was more of a time issue given the late hour," Commissioner Jeff Dunn said early Friday.
Harcourt, a Columbia University law professor, had argued in court filings since July that lethal injection would be difficult and painful because Hamm's veins have been severely compromised by lymphoma, hepatitis and prior drug use.
In a previous court filing with accompanying pictures, Harcourt wrote Hamm's health problems increase the "chances of a botched, painful, and bloody execution."
"While he was strapped down arms and legs to the gurney, the IV personnel simultaneously worked on both legs at the same time, probing his flesh and inserting needles," Harcourt said in his update Sunday. "The IV personnel almost certainly punctured Doyles bladder, because he was urinating blood for the next day."
INMATE SET TO BE EXECUTED: VEINS TOO DAMAGED FOR INJECTION
Harcourt said the execution team may have also hit Hamm's femoral artery, because suddenly "there was a lot of blood gushing out."
"There were multiple puncture wounds on the ankles, calf, and right groin area, around a dozen," he said.
Harcourt argues that the lapse of more than two hours before the state halted the execution was a sign something was wrong. The past four executions in the state began about an hour after final permission was given from the U.S. Supreme Court.
We had told all the federal courts, the governor, the governors general counsel, and commissioner and warden that any attempt at intravenous access was going to result in a botched execution, but everyone refused to give us the time of day, he said in a statement. We often talk about wrongful conviction, but the federal courts and the governor of Alabama have just invented wrongful execution. This is an abomination and Alabama should immediately halt all lethal injection in the state.
Records from Georgia show it typically takes that state less than 20 minutes to prepare an inmate for lethal injection, although there have been exceptions, according to the Associated Press. In 2016, it took more than an hour to prepare a 72-year-old inmate when staff were unable to insert an IV in one arm and ended up connecting to a vein in his groin.
TEXAS KILLER GRANTED CLEMENCY, HALTING SCHEDULED EXECUTION
Alabama carries out executions by lethal injection unless an inmate requests the electric chair.
Hamm was convicted in the 1987 killing of motel clerk Patrick Cunningham. Cunningham was shot once in the head while working an overnight shift at a Cullman motel.
Police said $410 was taken during the robbery. Hamm gave police a confession and he was convicted after two accomplices testified against him in exchange for being allowed to plead guilty to lesser offenses, according to court documents.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
A Florida woman has been charged with aggravated cruelty to animals after police say she fatally shot her fiances dog after getting into an argument with him.
Giselle Taylor, 27, was fighting with her fiance on Friday because he wouldnt crack her back, WFLA reported.
MOLLY THE PIG, ADOPTED FROM ANIMAL RESCUE GROUP, IS EATEN WEEKS LATER
Tarpon Springs Police reportedly said Taylor took a loaded pistol from their garage and walked inside with it to scare the man.
Apparently not receiving the response from him that she wanted, police said Taylor pointed her gun at her fiances two-year-old Boxer and fired the gun, hitting the dog in the upper left torso.
The dog later died from its wounds.
GERMAN SHEPHERD HIT BY BULLETS, SAVES OWNER DURING HOME INVASION, REPORT SAYS
Taylor drove away from their house but was stopped soon after the shooting, according to WTSP.
Pinellas County Sheriffs Office records show Taylor was booked into the county jail early Friday and released on a $5,000 bond.
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Developing now, Monday, Feb. 26, 2018
Congress returns from a 10-day break under pressure to act on gun violence as President Trump tells the nation's governors the Florida school shooting massacre will be a priority in upcoming meetings
A sheriff is facing growing calls for his firing over his officers' response to the school shooting in Parkland, Fla.
The release of Democrats' rebuttal to the GOP FISA memo over the weekend sparks a new war of words between Trump and leading Dems
The U.S. Supreme Court will hear a closely-watched case that challenges public-sector unions ability to collect fees from unwilling employees
The mayor of a sanctuary city in California warns residents of an impending raid by ICE, escalating tension with federal authorities
THE LEAD STORY - CONGRESS UNDER THE GUN: After a 10-day break that saw 17 killed during a Feb. 14 school shooting massacre in Parkland, Fla., Congress returns to work Monday under pressure to act on gun violence. But a plan of action may be elusive ... No plan appears ready to take off, despite a long list of proposals, including many from President Trump, who told the nation's governors Sunday that the Parkland massacre will be a top priority in upcoming White House meetings. Republican leaders mostly have kept quiet for days as Trump tossed out ideas, including raising the minimum age to purchase assault-style weapons, strengthening background checks and arming teachers.
The most likely legislative option may be bolstering the federal background check system for gun purchases. However, lawmakers may be skittish about that because opponents tie the measure with the movement to limit gun rights. Another X-factor is that lawmakers may feel a need to pivot back on immigration reform as DACA immigrants may face legal limbo if the Obama-era program is allowed to expire on March 5.
'HE IS RESPONSIBLE FOR THIS MASSIVE FAILURE': Florida Gov. Rick Scott is facing a growing number of calls to remove Broward County Sheriff Scott Israel over his departments response to the Parkland massacre ... Florida House Speaker Richard Corcoran sent a letter to Scott on Sunday asking the governor to suspend Israel. A day earlier, State Rep. Bill Hager urged Scott to relieve Israel from his duties for neglect of duty and incompetence," the Palm Beach Post reported. In addition, a survivor of the shooting told Fox News on Sunday that the sheriff had to go. He failed to act on so many different levels and him himself, he is responsible for this massive failure. It could have been easily stopped both by the FBI and the sheriff's department had they acted, Kyle Kashuv told America's News HQ. The call for the sheriff's removal comes after it was revealed that several Broward sheriffs deputies waited outside rather than rush in as the alleged gunman, Nikolas Cruz, gunned down students at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School.
THE DEBATE OVER THE 'DIRTY DOSSIER' RAGES ON: The release of Democrats' rebuttal to the GOP FISA memo alleging government surveillance abuses did little to settle any debates over the Russia investigation ... The memo released Saturday is a rebuttal to the one by Republicans that argues the FBI and Justice Department relied on the loosely-vetted, much-discredited Trump dossier to get the warrant on onetime Trump campaign adviser Carter Page from the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance (FISA) Court. Rep. Jim Himes, the second-ranking Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, attempted to minimize the importance of the dossier, telling "Fox News Sunday" it was only part of the evidence used to get a critical, court-approved surveillance warrant. "The application to warrant Carter Page was not based on the Steele dossier, he said. President Trump dismissed Democrats' rebuttal as a "total political and legal bust," claiming that it only confirms the terrible things that were done by the nations intelligence agencies.
GORSUCH COULD BE PIVOTAL IN SUPREME COURT UNION FEES FIGHT: Mark Janus has worked for years as an Illinois state employee, and pays about $550 annually to the powerful public-sector union known as AFSCME ... While not a member of the union, he is required under state law to hand over a weekly portion of his paycheck which he says is a violation of his constitutional rights. "I work for Health and Family Services, and I'm forced to pay money to a union that then supports political causes that I don't agree with," Janus told Fox News. Now, Janus' free-speech fight is before the Supreme Court, which holds arguments in the appeal on Monday. The political and financial stakes are huge for the broader American labor union movement, which already has begun sounding the alarm about the consequences should the justices rule for Janus.
The high court is being asked to overturn its four-decade-old ruling over so-called "fair share" fees, allowing states to require government employees to pay money supporting collective bargaining and other union activities whether they join the union or not. The Supreme Court had deadlocked when the issue was revisited two years ago, just after Justice Antonin Scalia died suddenly. His Trump-picked replacement, Justice Neil Gorsuch, however, is expected to be the deciding vote this time around.
Fox News Opinion: Supreme Court case on unions presents incredible opportunity
SANCTUARY CITY DEFIANCE: The mayor of a sanctuary city in California tipped off illegal immigrant residents that ICE could be conducting a raid in the area, ratcheting up tension with the feds while giving her constituents an early heads-up ... Libby Schaaf, the Democratic mayor of Oakland, shared the warning which she said she learned from multiple credible sources in a press release on Saturday, "not to panic our residents but to protect them," Fox 2 reported.
The mayor said she didnt know further details of the ICE operation, but claimed she felt it was her "duty and moral obligation as Mayor to give those families fair warning when that threat appears imminent."
AS SEEN ON FOX NEWS WEEKEND
'GET THE HELL OUT': "The buck stops with you. How dare you trumpet your handling of this situation." Judge Jeanine Pirro, in her "Opening Statement" on "Justice with Judge Jeanine," ripped Broward County, Fla. Sheriff Scott Israel for what she called his botched response to the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting. WATCH
DEMS DELIVER ON REBUTTAL: "This is everything that the Democrats promised it would be. They knew what they needed to say here." Jessica Tarlov, on "America's News HQ," reacting to the release of Democrats' rebuttal to the GOP FISA memo. WATCH
THE SWAMP
White House says any U.S.-North Korea dialogue must lead to end of its nuclear program.
California Democratic Party doesn't endorse Feinstein re-election bid.
Michelle Obama memoir to be released in November.
ACROSS THE NATION
Ground Zero ceremony set to commemorate 1993 terror bombing.
Monica Lewinsky announces why she supports #MeToo.
DACA recipient threatened to 'shoot all of ya b----es' at NY high school, police say.
Transgender boy wins girls' state wrestling title for second time.
MINDING YOUR BUSINESS
Stocks poised to begin new week with gains.
Equifax hack: 50 percent still havent checked credit safety.
Tax season stress: Here's what Americans would rather do than prepare their taxes.
FOX NEWS OPINION
The left's fever dream of Mueller indicting Trump wont happen, even if he finds something. Here's why.
Rep. Mac Thornberry: We need a strong, vibrant economy to fund our military.
How to turn boys into honorable men.
HOLLYWOOD SQUARED
Omarosa claims on 'Big Brother' she was shunned from White House meetings because she's a black woman.
Weinstein Company to file for bankruptcy following sale-talk collapse.
Olympic skier Gus Kenworthy slammed for criticizing Ivanka Trump.
DID YOU HEAR ABOUT THIS?
Costco is launching its own version of Nutella.
Lioness at Oklahoma City zoo grows mane, baffles veterinarians.
Long-lost Babe Ruth WWII-era radio interview found in obscure archive.
STAY TUNED
On Fox News:
Fox & Friends, 6 a.m. ET: Former Rep. Jason Chaffetz on Democrats' rebuttal to the GOP FISA memo; House Majority Whip Steve Scalise on lawmakers facing pressure to act on gun violence; Eric Trump on his father's latest clashes with Democrats on the FISA memo, the Russia dossier and collusion; former White House Chief of Staff Reince Priebus separates fact from fiction on the rumors about his tenure in the Trump administration.
Your World with Neil Cavuto, 4 p.m. ET: Maine Gov. Paul LePage weighs in on the gun control battle and what needs to be done to keep Americans safe.
The Story with Martha MacCallum, 7 p.m. ET: Rep. Peter King on the Democrats' rebuttal to the GOP FISA memo and the implications for the Trump dossier.
Tucker Carlson Tonight, 8 p.m. ET: Is Google censoring sites they dont agree with? Radio talk show host Dennis Prager shares his shocking firsthand experience.
Hannity, 9 p.m. ET: Former Trump campaign adviser Carter Page responds to the release of Democrats' rebuttal to the GOP FISA memo.
Fox News @ Night, 11 p.m. ET: texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and Wisconsin Attorney General Brad Schimel give Shannon Bream a first look at the lawsuit that's finishing what Congress couldn't.
On Fox Business:
Mornings with Maria, 6 a.m. ET: Guests include: House Intel Committee Chairman Devin Nunes; Sean Spicer; Stuart Hoffman, PNC Financial Services Group senior vice president and senior economic adviser; Mark Penn, former Hillary Clinton campaign chief strategist; House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy.
Cavuto: Coast to Coast, Noon ET: Rep. Dan Kildee.
Countdown to the Closing Bell, 3 p.m. ET: Seth Merrin, Liquidnet CEO.
Risk & Reward, 5 p.m. ET: Rep. Doug Collins; Butler County, Ohio Sheriff Richard Jones; Gina Loudon, Trump 2020 campaign media advisory board member.
On Fox News Radio:
The Fox News Rundown podcast: Fox News' Eric Shawn and Tom Fitton, president of Judicial Watch, take a closer look at the Democratic rebuttal to the Republican committee memo about domestic spying. Plus, commentary from Judge Andrew Napolitano.
Want the Fox News Rundown sent straight to your mobile device? Subscribe through Apple Podcasts, Google Play, and Stitcher.
The Brian Kilmeade Show, 9 a.m. ET: New York Post columnist Michael Goodwin on how the government failed the students in the Parkland, Fla. massacre; David Bach looks ahead at the week on Wall Street and the Trump economy; Jason Chaffetz on the Democrats' rebuttal memo; Harry Kazianis on the Olympics and the implications for U.S.-North Korea relations.
#OnThisDay
1993: A truck bomb built by Islamic extremists explodes in the parking garage of the North Tower of New York's World Trade Center, killing six people and injuring more than 1,000 others. (The bomb fails to topple the North Tower into the South Tower, as the terrorists had hoped; both structures would be destroyed in the 9/11 attack eight years later.)
1987: The Tower Commission, which probed the Iran-Contra affair, issues a report rebuking President Ronald Reagan for failing to control his national security staff.
1970: National Public Radio is incorporated.
Fox News First is compiled by Fox News' Bryan Robinson. Thank you for joining us! Enjoy your Monday! We'll see you in your inbox first thing Tuesday morning.
The husband of Kathleen Dawn West, the Alabama woman who led a double life as an exhibitionist, is innocent in his wifes death, William "Jeff" Wests lawyer said Monday.
West, 44, was charged with murder in 42-year-old Kat Wests January death. Hes since maintained his innocence, lawyer John Robbins said.
"We are going to do everything that we can to establish that he is not guilty of this crime," the lawyer said. "It appears that the state's case is based on circumstantial evidence."
WHACK WITH LIQUOR BOTTLE KILLED KAT WEST, COURT RECORDS SAY
Kat West was found dead lying face down and partially nude in front of the couples suburban home in Calera, roughly 35 miles south of Birmingham, on the morning of Jan. 13.
A cellphone with a green bottle was found near the body, and witnesses said the scene appeared staged, The Birmingham News reported.
A court document alleges West used a liquor bottle to kill his wife, who police said died from a head injured during a domestic argument.
A report by "Inside Edition" described some key surveillance footage showing the couple laughing and shopping at a liquor store some eight hours before the discovery of the body.
"We know exactly what happened that night,'' Calera Police Chief Sean Lemley said Thursday. And we do have evidence to support that."
HUSBAND OF ALABAMA DOUBLE-LIFE MOM ARRESTED IN HER MURDER
Kat posted risque photos on social media, and she had a paid site where she reportedly went by the name Kitty Kat West."
Her Twitter and Instagram accounts, which appeared under the same name, featured revealing photos of West, who by many accounts had a deep fascination with Marilyn Monroe, and directed viewers to a paid adult website of selfies.
Wests lawyer said his client knew about Kats activities and wasn't jealous or angry.
"We will be looking into his wife's double life, among other things, to see how her 'other' lifestyle is connected to her death," Robbins said.
NEW IMAGES OF DOUBLE-LIFE DEAD MOM 'KITTY KAT WEST' SHOW HER BUYING WHISKEY, ABSINTHE ON LAST NIGHT ALIVE
West, who was fired from his job as an unsworn police officer at Birmingham-Southern College, is "heartbroken" over the loss of his wife and is worried about their daughter and how the loss is affecting her, Robbins said.
West, who was arrested last week and remains in jail, filed a motion Sunday claiming his $500,000 bond is excessive. The request said the man poses no threat to the community and has friends and relatives who want to help pay his bail.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
A man shot and killed himself after causing a wrong-way crash involving four vehicles north of Houston on Sunday, officials said.
The Harris County Sheriff's Office said the crash happened around 4:30 p.m. when the man, who has not been identified, was driving westbound on Louetta Road in Spring, Texas. At some point he turned onto a side street heading toward oncoming traffic -- a decision Senior Deputy Thomas Gilliland of the Harris County Sheriffs Office said did "seem deliberate."
The man then drove into three other vehicles before coming to a stop.
"The male subject got out, walked over to a couple of cars and was speaking to people, individuals," Gilliland told reporters. "Went back to his vehicle, walked around his car, got back into his vehicle and indications are now that he shot himself while he was inside the vehicle."
Gilliland said there was only one shot fired inside the vehicle by the man, armed with a pistol.
Ryaan Boyd, who was involved in the crash, told FOX26 Houston he had a "head-on collision" with the man.
FORMER NBA AGENT DAN FEGAN KILLED IN CAR CRASH
"I blacked out for like three seconds, five seconds and immediately I got out of the car just make sure I was okay. We waited for about 25 minutes and the guy never comes out," he said.
One other person involved in the crash was injured and taken to the hospital with minor injuries, according to Gilliland
Authorities are now looking into the background of the deceased driver and what may have motivated him to take his own life.
"We are trying to determine exactly what is in this mans past or what was happening as far as to take his own life here on the scene for something as mundane as a four-car accident," Gilliland said.
A team of firefighters from Wayland, Massachusetts, is being praised for coming to the aid of a woman about 800 miles away in Wayland, Michigan, who contacted them via Facebook in a panic to say her son was choking.
The Massachusetts department's Facebook page isn't monitored 24/7, but firefighter Patrick Walkinshaw happened to be looking at it about 10:30 p.m. Saturday when the woman, who didn't have access to a phone, sent her desperate plea to the wrong Wayland Fire Department.
Firefighters Dean Casali and William Tyree knew something was wrong because they didn't recognize the address.
While one Massachusetts firefighter did a search for the woman's address, another stayed with her on Facebook, and a third called the Michigan community's fire department, which sent an ambulance.
The 16-year-old boy survived.
The mother of a 1-year-old Pennsylvania boy who drowned when she left him and his toddler sister alone in a bathtub has been sentenced to two to six years in prison.
Authorities say 26-year-old Kathryn Jacoby acknowledged having left the children unattended while she was on the phone in August 2016, and tests indicated that she had been drinking and using marijuana.
Jacoby was sentenced last week in Dauphin County on earlier involuntary manslaughter and child endangerment pleas.
PennLive.com reported that she sobbed as she told the judge she couldn't describe the pain and regret she feels.
The judge called her actions "grossly negligent." Defense attorney Shawn Stottlemyer asked that she be allowed to be a mother to her surviving child.
A naked man was arrested after leading police on a shocking chase down a Missouri interstate on Sunday on an all-terrain vehicle that included driving the wrong way down the highway.
The Clay County Sheriff's Office said the bare bandit led authorities on a pursuit along Highways 152 and 210 and Interstate 435 before he was finally caught. The chase lasted over an hour.
"The police activity youve been seeing along 152 Hwy, I-435 and now 210 Hwy is all because of a naked man riding a yellow ATV who refused to stop for police," police said on Twitter. "Hes now in custody. No dangerous instruments were found."
Police believe the man, who has not yet been identified, was under the influence of drugs during the chase in northern Kansas City.
The chase began with the man eluding officers in a field. After finding a break in a fence, the man made his way onto Interstate 435, where he occasionally drove into oncoming traffic. He was captured after exiting the interstate.
One witness who was driving on I-435 at the time told FOX 4 Kansas City he has seen plenty of high-speed chases, but nothing like what he saw on Sunday.
WILD CALIFORNIA POLICE CHASE ENDS AFTER DRIVER DETOURS INTO TRAIN TUNNEL
I was staring him down like, How are you so calm, Jess Fishell told FOX 4. Its 50 degrees, youre naked going highway speeds and calm as can be.
At one point during the chase, Fishell said the man pulled a stunt as if he were in the movie Dukes of Hazard.
All the cops come to a screeching halt and theyre all trying to turn around and go this way and that way, he said.
RAPE SUSPECT DIES AFTER POISONING HIMSELF DURING POLICE CHASE, AUTHORITIES SAY
While the whole bizarre incident may be entertaining to watch, Fishell said the man's behavior was reckless.
He couldve killed himself very easily, he told FOX 4. I hope he gets whatever help he needs.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Police are actively searching for a man who they say is armed and dangerous following a deadly shooting near Wingate University Monday morning that was caught on Facebook Live.
Wingate police say they received a call about 10:15 a.m. about a man who had been shot on Jerome Street. When officers arrived they say they found a man in his 50s, now identified as Prentis Robinson, laying face down with several gunshot wounds. He was pronounced dead on scene.
According to Wingate Police Chief Donnie Gay, Robinson had visited the police station about five minutes before the shooting occurred to report a stolen cellphone.
The shooting happened roughly a block away from the police station and near Wingate University. The university and a few other schools in the vicinity were placed on lockdown as a precaution. That lockdown was lifted at about 1 p.m.
Robinson had been outing people on Facebook who were suspected drug dealers in the neighborhood, sources told FOX 46. Family members said that Robinson would sometimes help police find drug dealers, even though he had his own demons.
Walking and talking. Just walking and talking. If somebody messed with him hed definitely go on Live," one family member told FOX 46.
The family added that they sometimes felt officers were annoyed with him.
According to Wingate police, Robinson was on Facebook Live when he was shot by an unknown suspect. It's unclear if Robinson and his shooter knew one another. Deputies say they're looking for a black man who was seen wearing a blue and black windbreaker and brown Timberland boots. The suspect was last seen on Jerome Street, south of US 74 across from the campus entrance.
Click for more from FOX46Charlotte.com.
An Ohio university offered full-ride scholarships to the children of a police officer killed while on duty.
Otterbein University announced four-year, full-ride scholarships for Officer Eric Joerings four daughters. Joering was a Westerville police officer who was killed, along with his partner Anthony Morelli, while responding to a 911 domestic violence call.
Otterbein University hopes the full tuition scholarships will help provide long-term security and support for the Joering children.
Tuition support for the Joering children was a spontaneous and unanimous decision identified by Otterbeins senior leadership, Otterbein University President Kathy Krendl told Fox News. Our entire Westerville community is rallying to extend love and kindness in the midst of this tragedy. Ensuring access to an education is the most meaningful gift Otterbein can provide.
Westerville City Council members also voted to retire the officers K-9 partner, Sam, so he can live with the Joering family.
Officers Joering, 39, a 16-year veteran of the department and Morelli, 54, a 30-year veteran of the force were killed Feb. 10 after entering a townhome in a Columbus suburb.
Westerville Police Chief Joe Morbitzer called them true American heroes.
These were two of the best we have, Morbitzer added. This was their calling.
Ohio Gov. John Kasich and many others offered their prayers and support for the officers families.
Kasich tweeted that he was very saddened to learn of the deaths of two of my hometown police officers. He asked Ohio residents to join him in lifting up these officers families in prayer.
President Trump also offered his support.
My thoughts and prayers are with the two police officers, their families, and everybody at the @WestervillePD, Trump tweeted.
Investigators say 30-year-old Quentin Smith, who been charged with aggravated murder in the killings, was wounded when he exchanged gunfire with police. He is being held without bail.
Kasich plans to give his last State of the State address March 6 at Otterbein University, a liberal arts college in downtown Westerville.
Authorities in Ohio launched an investigation Saturday into the shooting deaths of two teens found with gunshot wounds to their heads in a wooded area.
Lauren Kaufman and Mason Brown were located by a police officer conducting a welfare check, Jackson Township police said.
Kaufman, 16, was pronounced dead at the scene and Brown, 17, died in a hospital early Saturday, authorities said. Police found a handgun at the scene.
Chief Mark Brink said authorities were trying to determine whether the deaths were a result of a murder-suicide or double suicide, according to The Columbus Dispatch.
Police said the teens were Northwest High School students.
Mike Shreffler, the superintendent of Northwest Local Schools, told The Dispatch that he saw both of the teens at school earlier Friday.
I spoke with them often, he said. They were honest, genuine kids.
Shreffler said grief counselors would be at the school Monday.
Their deaths come just a few days after police say a 13-year-old boy shot himself at a Jackson Township middle school. He died Wednesday.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
The vocal sheriff who has criticized everyone from local politicians to the NRA to one of his own officers in the wake of the Florida high school shooting is facing the pressure himself Monday, as calls mount for him to resign amid reports about his departments alleged incompetence in stopping the gunman.
The heat against Broward County Sheriff Scott Israel is coming from all angles, including from a survivor of the attack who told Fox News that he failed to act on so many different levels and from dozens of state lawmakers who are urging Florida Gov. Rick Scott to suspend him.
Listen, if ifs and buts were candy and nuts, O.J. Simpson would still be in the record books, was Israel's bizarre defense Sunday after being asked by CNNs Jake Tapper if the shooting might not have happened if his department handled things differently.
The comment came following disputed reports that three of Israels officers refused to enter Marjory Douglas Stoneman High School as Nikolas Cruz was killing 17 people in the Valentines Day rampage.
A deputy in charge of protecting the school, Scot Peterson, resigned Thursday after it emerged he himself failed to go into the building, taking shelter behind a concrete column for four minutes as the 19-year-old gunned down anyone in his path. And the Broward County Sheriffs Office, in addition to the FBI, is continuing to face questions Monday as to why they didnt do more when multiple people sounded the alarm about the gunmans erratic behavior.
Deputies make mistakes. Police officers make mistakes. We all make mistakes, Israel told CNN. But its not the responsibility of the general or the president if you have a deserter. You look into this. Were looking into this aggressively. And well take care of it and justice will be served.
Israel said during the contentious interview that he has offered amazing leadership to this agency, adding you dont measure a persons leadership by a deputy not going in to these deputies received the training they needed.
Israel also appeared to contradict his own department regarding the reports of Broward deputies not entering the school.
In the CNN interview, Israel slammed a letter from State Rep. Bill Hager to Gov. Scott, which called for his removal on the basis of inaction after at least 23 -- and perhaps almost 50 -- police visits to the shooters home and the reports of his officers standing idle. Israel said the demand was a shameful, politically motivated letter that had no facts. He also said in a letter to Scott on Saturday that Hagers claim that three Broward Sheriff Deputies were on campus at the time of the attack and chose to take cover themselves rather than stepping up to protect students is patently false.
But the sheriffs own office, in its latest official statement released Saturday at the same time they disclosed Israels letter to Scott, said the reports are still being investigated.
Its a claim being investigated to determine if further action is warranted, the statement said.
Hager isnt the only official calling for Israels ouster. Florida House Speaker Richard Corcoran, who sent a letter to Scott on Saturday signed by 73 Republican colleagues, wrote that in the years leading up to this unspeakable tragedy, Sheriff Israel, his deputies, and staff ignored repeated warning signs about the violent, erratic, threatening and antisocial behavior of Nikolas Jacob Cruz.
Scott who has already called for FBI Director Christopher Wray to resign amidst the bureaus own investigative blunders in the months leading up to the attack said Sunday that the police response will be scrutinized. He has yet to say Israel should step aside.
"I have asked for FDLE [Florida Department of Law Enforcement] to immediately investigate the law enforcement response and will continue to review this matter as more facts come out, he said. There must be an independent investigation and that is why I asked the FDLE Commissioner to immediately start this process.
Israel, in his war of words with lawmakers, got in the first volley a day after the shooting, saying local politicians who do not push for new gun laws "will not get reelected."
"If you're an elected official, and you want to keep things the way they are, and not do things differently, if you want to keep the gun laws as they are now, you will not get re-elected in Broward County, Israel said to cheers during a candlelight vigil.
Days later, during a fiery televised town hall event marred by outbursts and shouting from an emotional crowd, Israel also took aim at the National Rifle Association.
You just told this group of people that you are standing for them. Youre not standing up for them until you say I want less weapons, he told NRA Spokeswoman Dana Loesch, drawing a standing ovation from many of those in attendance.
Israel was later ripped by the NRA on Twitter.
No Sheriff Israel you were the one that didnt PROTECT these children and that is your job. You run the largest fully accredited sheriff's office in the United States, yet your office failed this community, the organization wrote.
Staff began returning to Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School on Monday to plan for the schools reopening this week.
Thousands of people from all walks of life including a former president filed slowly past the casket of the Rev. Billy Graham on Monday to pay their final respects to a man who reached millions with his message of salvation through Jesus Christ.
A light drizzle greeted mourners on hand at 8 a.m. when the doors opened to Grahams boyhood home, but it had tapered by the late afternoon when former President George W. Bush arrived with his wife, Laura. The viewing was expected to last late into the night for the famed evangelist, who died Wednesday at age 99.
Mourners of all races, young and old, some in suits and some in T-shirts and flip-flops, walked through the parlor where Grahams closed casket lay on a black pedestal. They walked past family photos and a cross made of white lilies to see the simple plywood container made by prison inmates. At the door for the first few hours was Grahams grandson, Roy, shaking the hand of every person who came to see his grandfather.
I just wanted to tell them how much I appreciated the love for my family, Roy Graham said.
And they responded with stories. Roy Graham said what moved him the most Monday were the dozens who paused and told him the exact moment and place Billy Graham came into their lives through his hundreds of crusades around the world.
Cecily Turner is one of them. Her mother was at Billy Grahams 1957 New York crusade and she said he led her mother to salvation that day.
I know she is in heaven thanking him right now, she said.
Mother passed her faith on to daughter, and Turner said she passed it down to five children and four great-grandchildren.
Thats an amazing thing, she said.
Grahams funeral is Friday, and President Donald Trump said he will attend. Invitations were sent to all ex-presidents of the U.S.
Bush has said he chose Monday because he had a scheduling conflict with the funeral. He was greeted by Grahams son Franklin and spent about 30 minutes with the family during a private viewing.
Laura and I are honored to be able to come and pay our respects to the Graham family and, more importantly, to be able to say goodbye to a person who was influential in our lives and influential in the lives of millions, Bush told reporters afterward.
He also brought condolences from his father, George H.W. Bush, whom he described as a great friend of Grahams.
I know he wished he could come too, but hes not moving around much these days, Bush said.
Former President Barack Obama is not planning to attend memorial services for Graham this week, his office said. Obama tweeted last week after that Graham was was a humble servant who prayed for so many and who, with wisdom and grace, gave hope and guidance to generations of Americans.
Public viewing was to continue Monday and Tuesday until 10 p.m. at Grahams Charlotte library on the campus of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association. His body will then be taken to the U.S. Capitol, where Wednesday and Thursday he will be the first private citizen to lie in honor there since civil rights hero Rosa Parks in 2005.
The funeral will be held in a giant tent as a nod to Grahams 1949 Los Angeles crusade. That revival, which Graham said propelled him to worldwide fame, was held in a circus tent dubbed the Canvas Cathedral. The man called Americas Pastor would eventually preach to an estimated 210 million people in person and many more through his pioneering use of prime-time telecasts, network radio, daily newspaper columns, evangelistic films and satellite TV hookups.
Billy Wayne Arrington was a boy when he first encountered Graham on a TV screen in Kingsport, Tennessee. He now does Christian theater. Arrington wiped tears from his eyes as he exited after saying a prayer for Graham and for the world he leaves behind.
Im just overwhelmed, not by sadness just overwhelmed to see so many lives touched, Arrington said.
Graham will be buried beside his wife, Ruth, who died in 2007, at the foot of a cross-shaped walkway at Grahams library in Charlotte.
Animal lovers are outraged after learning a beloved pig that was nursed back to health and later adopted in Canada was killed and eaten by its new owners.
Molly was one of 57 Pot-bellied pigs rescued from a hoarding situation in Duncan, British Columbia, last May by a local branch of the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA).
The Vietnamese pig, according to CBC News, found its forever home in January, but just weeks later, was eaten by its new owners a Vancouver Island couple after the family reportedly encountered problems training the pig.
Molly was just three years old, the Cowichan Valley Citizen reported. Vietnamese Pot-bellied pigs often live between 12 to 15 years, and typically grow to weigh 120 pounds.
DETROIT DOG FOUND WITH METAL HOOK 'LITERALLY IN HIS SKIN,' DRAGGING 15-LB TOW CHAIN
Mollys initial rescuers told CBC that the first thing they felt was shock and heartbreak.
All the animals that come through our care or branches we get attached to," Leon Davis, of British Columbias SPCA, said. "To hear that somebody did this to an animal that we worked so hard to make sure was healthy, and tried to get into a good home, is absolutely heartbreaking."
RASTA Sanctuary, which wrote on Facebook it was also involved in Mollys rescue, said their rescuers feel absolutely gutted and truly beyond devastated.
The sanctuary added, It takes a special type of person to adopt an animal from a rescue organization simply to take them home to kill them, and eat them.
MINI PET PIG STOLEN DURING HOME BREAK-IN FOUND DEAD, FAMILY SAYS
The long-time manager of the Cowichan & District branch of the Canadian province's SPCA, where Molly was adopted, told the Cowichan Valley Citizen the situation is a nightmare.
We have stringent policies in place as part of the adoption process for all the animals we have here, which include dogs, cats and goats right now, Sandi Trent said. We also have long conversations with the people looking to adopt animals to make sure the animal is right for them.
An SPCA official told the Cowichan newspaper that since animals in Canada are considered property, the SPCA loses its legal rights to animals once theyre adopted out.
Furthermore, British Columbia SPCAs Davis told CBC that animal cruelty laws in Canada only apply when an animal suffers. He said the organization wouldve taken Molly back if the owners said they were having issues with her.
Mollys adopter has since been blacklisted from the SPCAs database and wont be allowed to adopt through the group again, according to reports.
Ten people were killed in airstrikes as bombardment resumed Monday in the rebel-held suburbs of east Damascus, a Syrian monitoring group and paramedics say, bringing the death toll to 24 since the U.N.-mandated cease-fire on Saturday.
Syrian state television showed live footage of the Harasta suburb being bombed and shelled with artillery.
The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights and the oppositions Syrian Civil Defense, known as White Helmets, said nine people were killed in an airstrike shortly after midnight in the suburb of Douma and one person was killed in Harasta.
U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres spoke at the start of the session of the U.N.-backed Human Rights Council on Monday, saying it is it's "high time to stop this hell on Earth" in eastern Ghouta.
He criticized the participants in the conflict for failing to abide by a 30-day cease-fire the U.N. Security Council unanimously adopted on Saturday in a bid to deliver humanitarian aid to millions and evacuate the sick and wounded from the warzone.
Guterres said he welcomes the cease-fire resolution but stressed that council resolutions "are only meaningful if they are effectively implemented." He expects the resolution to be immediately implemented and sustained
The U.N. official reiterated the calls for safe and sustained delivery of humanitarian aid and services and evacuation of critically ill and wounded.
The latest deaths follow the 14 people killed on Sunday in Syrias embattled eastern Ghouta region, located on the edge of Damascus, despite the international pressure to cease any violence.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
A United Nations official says 11 Congolese refugees were killed last week as Rwandan police tried to put down a protest over reduced food rations.
Daniela Ionita with the U.N. refugee agency says the deaths occurred in Kiziba refugee camp and the nearby town of Kibuye in western Rwanda.
The U.N. is urging Rwandan authorities to investigate.
Rwandan police had confirmed only five dead in a statement on Friday that said they had acted after "demonstrators armed with stones, sticks and metal projectiles assaulted and wounded seven police officers."
The demonstrations demanding better living conditions or relocation began Tuesday in Kiziba camp, which hosts over 17,000 Congolese refugees.
Underfunding forced the U.N. World Food Program to cut food rations by 25 percent in January.
UMG NashvilleNewcomer Jordan Davis can claim a bit of an edge over his brother Jacob, as he enjoys his first top ten hit with Singles You Up.
Other than that, the Louisiana natives are pretty similar: they both have record deals with Nashville labels, and they even studied the same thing in college.
Me and Jacob both have degrees in Environmental Science, Jordan explains, so we worked for environmental companies. Jacob worked for one in Shreveport, I worked for one in Baton Rouge, both before moving to Nashville.
So, yeah, if we weren't doing this Jacob would probably be in oil and gas, and Gosh, I don't know what I would be doing, he admits.
Jordan confesses his chosen major doesnt really have many applications in country music.
It made my mom happy, he jokes. That's about the extent of it. But, erosion control and salt water contamination doesn't find its way into country music songwriting a lot. (AUDIO IS ABC 1-ON-1)
Jordans debut album, Home State, comes out March 23, before he heads out on the Lifes Whatcha Make It Tour with Jake Owen and Chris Janson in May.
Copyright 2018, ABC Radio. All rights reserved.
The American tourist who police have linked to the murder of a missing Japanese woman, whose head was allegedly found in a suitcase at the location the tourist was staying, is reportedly from New York.
The tourist was identified as 26-year-old Yevgeniy Vasilievich Bayraktar by The Asahi Shimbun and other Japanese media outlets. Bayraktar lives in New York and had traveled to Japan in January to sightsee, the newspaper reported.
SEVERED HEAD FOUND IN SUITCASE; AMERICAN ARRESTED IN JAPAN, POLICE SAY
The American was arrested on Feb. 22 for confining a missing 27-year-old woman, from Sanda in the Hyogo Prefecture of Japan, who had been missing since Feb. 16, in the apartment he was staying in.
On Feb. 24, law enforcement reportedly found the unidentified missing womans severed head in a suitcase in the Osaka apartment reportedly one of multiple condos the American rented while visiting Japan.
Bayraktar, according to Kyodo News, allegedly told police he disposed of the womans body, and on Monday, authorities reportedly found arms, legs and a torso not yet determined to be the missing womans in different locations in Kyoto and Osaka.
Police reportedly plan to serve a new warrant for the Americans arrest for the disposal and damaging of a body.
Investigators told Kyodo news that security footage appeared to show Bayraktar and the missing woman walking toward the apartment on Feb. 16, and an inside camera caught the two entering together.
The footage reportedly showed the man coming and going multiple times with a large bag, but never showed the woman leaving.
Traces of blood were found in the apartment, according to Kyodo, and police believe the American suspect mightve dismembered the missing womans body there before discarding of the parts.
The woman, according to The Asahi Shimbun, told friends before she went missing that she was going to meet a man she met on a social networking website. Kyodo reported the two met on a dating app that pairs Japanese citizens and foreigners.
The woman, whose license was partially found in the Americans rented apartment, was reported missing by her mother on Feb. 17, sparking the police investigation.
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European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker says Serbia must solve its dispute with Kosovo to join the European Union.
Juncker said Monday following talks with Serbia's President Aleksandar Vucic that the Balkan country is on the right path, but that the EU cannot accept any new members with unresolved territorial issues.
Though Juncker said "Serbia has already covered an impressive part of the (EU) path," he added that there are "a number of problems that still have to be solved."
Juncker is visiting Serbia as part of a tour of the Western Balkans nations aspiring to join the bloc at a time Russia is looking to bolster its influence in the region, particularly in Serbia.
Vucic says he's urging compromise with Kosovo, whose 2008 declaration of independence Belgrade does not recognize.
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The Latest on the meeting of the U.N. Human Rights Council (all times local):
1:15 p.m.
Hungary's foreign minister has called for the resignation of the United Nations' human rights chief for referring to Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban as one of the "xenophobes and racists" seeking "ethnic, national or racial purity."
Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto said Monday in Geneva that United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra'ad al-Hussein was "unworthy" of his position.
Orban, a staunch opponent of immigration, especially by Muslims, has often said he wants to prevent Hungary from becoming a "mixed society."
Speaking at a meeting of the U.N.'s Human Rights Council in Geneva, Szijjarto said it was wrong for Zeid to compare Hungary "to the worst dictatorships of the last century."
Zeid, a Jordanian prince, has said he won't seek another four-year term when his current one expires in August.
___
12:45 p.m.
The U.N. human rights chief has accused the veto-wielding members of the U.N. Security Council of being second only to criminals who kill and maim when it comes to responsibility for some of the world's most egregious rights violations.
Zeid Ra'ad al-Hussein delivered one of the strongest denunciations yet from a top U.N. official about improper use of the Security Council veto, which gives extraordinary powers to the five countries that wield it: Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States.
Speaking to the U.N. Human Rights Council, he didn't specify cases when it was used improperly.
Zeid instead spoke more broadly and decried "some of the most prolific slaughterhouses of humans in recent times" in Syria, Congo, Yemen, Burundi and Myanmar.
Zeid, a Jordanian prince, leaves office in August.
Ships carrying illicit cargo to North Korea can expect rough seas ahead due to a planned crackdown on sanctions violators initiated by the U.S. and its regional allies -- a move that potentially enhances tensions with the volatile Hermit Kingdom.
The Trump administration and allies such as Japan, South Korea, Australia and Singapore have been discussing an expanded crackdown that would snuff out illegal product shipments aiding North Korea's nuclear missile program, several senior U.S. officials told Reuters.
Despite existing international sanctions, North Korea is thought to be only a few months away from completing the development of nuclear-tipped missiles that could reach the U.S. mainland. The rogue country has been able so far to thwart sanctions, receiving products from Russian and Chinese vessels out at sea on several occasions in the past year.
The clampdown could be seen as a new way to force North Korea into negotiations to abandon its nuclear and missile programs.
There is no doubt we all have to do more, short of direct military action, to show [North Korean leader] Kim Jong Un we mean business, a senior administration official told Reuters.
The campaign at sea could target ships in international waters or in territorial waters of cooperating countries, according to Reuters. It would be an expansion of existing operations, but still not a complete naval blockade on North Korea. Leaders of the rogue regime have previously said such action would be considered an act of war.
GORDON CHANG: NORTH KOREA 'WAR CRIMINAL' TALKS PEACE AT OLYMPICS -- IS US PRESSURE FINALLY TAKING HOLD?
Officials told Reuters they are currently working to develop rules of engagement to avoid armed confrontations at sea, and are also citing the last U.N. Security Council resolution on North Korea, which they claim opened the door to stepped-up seizures.
Any risk of further escalating the conflict could be minimized if Coast Guard cutters -- which carry less firepower and technically engage in law-enforcement missions -- are used in certain cases, rather than warships, officials told Reuters.
Among other directives, the Coast Guard's mission includes preventing illegal foreign fishing vessels from encroaching on the U.S. Exclusive Economic Zone, which extends no more than 200 nautical miles from the territorial sea baseline, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
The Coast Guard also serves in defense missions, and "by statute, the Coast Guard is an armed force operating in the joint arena at any time and functioning as a specialized service under the Navy in time of war or when directed by the President," according to its website.
The Coast Guard declined to address whether it might deploy ships to the region, but said in a statement to Reuters that "future ship deployments would depend on U.S. foreign policy objectives and the operational availability of our assets."
The reported crackdown comes after President Trump announced Friday what he called the "heaviest"-ever set of sanctions on North Korea. The new prohibitions target the regime's shipping and trading companies.
The administration also put out an advisory warning of sanctions risks for those who enable the shipment of goods to and from North Korea.
Treasury is aggressively targeting all illicit avenues used by North Korea to evade sanctions, including taking decisive action to block the vessels, shipping companies, and entities across the globe that work on North Koreas behalf, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said in a statement.
Fox News' Serafin Gomez and Judson Berger and the Associated Press contributed to this report.
A fight over money has erupted at one of Christianitys most holy sites.
The doors of Jerusalems sacred Church of the Holy Sepulchre, which hosts thousands each day and is revered as the place where Christians believe Jesus was crucified, buried and resurrected, were closed for a second day Monday over a dispute regarding Israeli tax law and a proposed property measure.
The Jerusalem municipality has been trying to collect taxes on church properties in the city and claims various churches owe it more than $185 million on certain properties that have been used for commercial purposes.
During a news conference in front of the church, leaders of multiple churches said that Israel was waging a systematic campaign against the churches and the Christian community in the Holy Land, in flagrant violation of the status quo.
However, the sites closure is also a response to proposed legislationwhich the Israeli parliament has agreed to hold off on for nowthat could block the churches from making commercial deals with investors on land they leased long term to the Israel government nearly 70 years ago, according to the Washington Post.
Several years ago, the Post reported, it was revealed that the land where the church sits, which is also home to hundreds of residential apartment blocks, was sold in million-dollar commercial deals to private developers.
The proposed legislation aims to prevent that from happening again and to confiscate lands that were sold.
This is not about religion; this is about money, Fleur Hassan-Nahoum, a member of the Jerusalem City Council who helped draft the legislation, told the Post. The church is trying to profit in the millions on the backs of thousands of Jerusalem residents who might lose their homes.
Most of the Christians who live in Jerusalem, the rest of Israel and the West Bank are of Palestinian heritage.
Yahoo! News reports that church officials said Monday it was not clear when it would reopen, depending on discussions with Christian leaders and Israeli authorities.
We closed the church for specific reasons and for an unlimited period of time, one church official said on condition of anonymity, reports Yahoo! News.
The incidents comes at a tense time for the regionwith Palestinians voicing their opposition to President Trumps decision to have the U.S. Embassy moved from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem in time for Israel's 70th anniversary.
Meanwhile, tourists hoping to visit had to make other plans.
"We were told it's political. It is disheartening -- it is such a holy place," Aleana Doughty, a 35-year-old dental hygienist visiting with a group from the United States, told Yahoo! News.
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The U.N. human rights chief has accused the veto-wielding members of the U.N. Security Council of being second only to criminals who kill and maim when it comes to responsibility for some of the world's most egregious rights violations.
Zeid Ra'ad al-Hussein delivered one of the strongest denunciations yet from a top U.N. official about improper use of the Security Council veto, which gives extraordinary powers to the five countries that wield it: Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States.
Speaking to the U.N. Human Rights Council, he didn't specify cases when it was used improperly.
Zeid instead spoke more broadly and decried "some of the most prolific slaughterhouses of humans in recent times" in Syria, Congo, Yemen, Burundi and Myanmar.
Zeid, a Jordanian prince, leaves office in August.
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PAYING HIS DUES Gaffney senior patiently waits his turn to star at linebacker
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Reporter
Before coming to work for The Daily News as a staff reporter, Connor worked for us as a freelance correspondent throughout 2017. He has written for other publications such as the Washington Post.
A teenager in the US has reportedly caused her parents to get a divorce after a biology class experiment proved her 'dad' was actually her uncle.
Anya Hettich of California State University said it happened Monday last week during a biology lecture.
"We're discussing blood types and this girl was trying to figure out why her blood type didn't make sense on her Punnett square," the 19-year-old wrote on Twitter. "She told the prof her dad was O and her mom was A, but yet she was AB."
A child needs at least one parent with type B or AB blood in order to have AB blood. Her professor explained to the student it was impossible for her to have AB blood if neither of her parents did.
Young Thug has decided to cancel all down under dates completely, after not being able to obtain an Australian Visa despite recieving his NZ Visa a couple weeks ago.
P Money and Scribe are stepping into the new slots but we imagine most Young Thug fans will be pretty fucking disappointed.
Check out the updated set times here:
felicilin at 26-02-2018 10:18 AM (3 years ago) (f)
The students of Government Girls Technical College, Dapchi, Yobe State, who were abducted by the Musab Albarnawi faction of the Boko Haram terrorist group which is loyal to the Islamic State of West Africa, have been ferried across the border into Niger Republic.
The students of Government Girls Technical College, Dapchi, Yobe State, who were abducted by the Musab Albarnawi faction of the Boko Haram terrorist group which is loyal to the Islamic State of West Africa, have been ferried across the border into Niger Republic.
According to an exclusive report by Gistmania, the girls were on Sunday, split into two groups; one was left in an enclave in Northern Borno State and the other taken to a village in Niger Republic.
It was gathered that the group had lost grounds along the shores of the Lake Chad, the same way Abubakar Shekau, the factional leader of the group suffered before he was sacked from the Sambisa Forest base following onslaught by the Nigerian military.
While speaking to a correspondent, a source, who does not want to be named, said: The girls ferried across a shallow river and are held in the border town of Duro in Niger Republic."
The second batch has been moved to Tumbun Gini area of Abadam LGA of Borno, he added.
According to an exclusive report by Gistmania, the girls were on Sunday, split into two groups; one was left in an enclave in Northern Borno State and the other taken to a village in Niger Republic.It was gathered that the group had lost grounds along the shores of the Lake Chad, the same way Abubakar Shekau, the factional leader of the group suffered before he was sacked from the Sambisa Forest base following onslaught by the Nigerian military.While speaking to a correspondent, a source, who does not want to be named, said: The girls ferried across a shallow river and are held in the border town of Duro in Niger Republic."he added.
Post Reply Posted: at 26-02-2018 10:18 AM (3 years ago) | Hero
felicilin at 26-02-2018 10:30 AM (3 years ago) (f)
The Nigerian Air Force (NAF) has deployed additional air assets, including Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) platforms, to the Northeast in a renewed effort at locating the missing Dapchi girls.
The Nigerian Air Force (NAF) has deployed additional air assets, including Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) platforms, to the Northeast in a renewed effort at locating the missing Dapchi girls. Before now, following confirmation of reports that some of the girls were yet to be accounted for, the NAF had deployed some ISR platforms and helicopters to search for and possibly locate the missing girls as well as the rogue Boko Haram Terrorists (BHTs).
Although these search operations were conducted in a covert manner, for obvious reasons, the efforts did not yield the desired results.
Accordingly, the Chief of the Air Staff (CAS), Air Marshal Sadique Abubakar, directed the immediate deployment of additional air assets and NAF personnel to the Northeast with the sole mission of conducting day and night searches for the missing girls. It is noteworthy that the renewed efforts at locating the girls are being conducted in close liaison with other surface security forces.
While the NAF will spare no efforts at possibly locating the girls via its air operations, it also seizes this opportunity to call on anyone, especially the locals, who might have any useful information that could lead to the location of the girls to bring such information forward to NAF authorities through any of the following GSM numbers: 08122557720, 08035733438, a08172843484a or a08058419128. Such useful information could also be forwarded to other relevant security agencie
You are please requested to use your medium to disseminate this information for the awareness of the general public. While thanking you for your usual support and cooperation, please accept the assurance of my best regards.
OLATOKUNBO ADESANYA
Air Vice Marshal
Director of Public Relations and Information
Nigerian Air Force
Before now, following confirmation of reports that some of the girls were yet to be accounted for, the NAF had deployed some ISR platforms and helicopters to search for and possibly locate the missing girls as well as the rogue Boko Haram Terrorists (BHTs).Although these search operations were conducted in a covert manner, for obvious reasons, the efforts did not yield the desired results.Accordingly, the Chief of the Air Staff (CAS), Air Marshal Sadique Abubakar, directed the immediate deployment of additional air assets and NAF personnel to the Northeast with the sole mission of conducting day and night searches for the missing girls. It is noteworthy that the renewed efforts at locating the girls are being conducted in close liaison with other surface security forces.While the NAF will spare no efforts at possibly locating the girls via its air operations, it also seizes this opportunity to call on anyone, especially the locals, who might have any useful information that could lead to the location of the girls to bring such information forward to NAF authorities through any of the following GSM numbers: 08122557720, 08035733438, a08172843484a or a08058419128. Such useful information could also be forwarded to other relevant security agencieYou are please requested to use your medium to disseminate this information for the awareness of the general public. While thanking you for your usual support and cooperation, please accept the assurance of my best regards.OLATOKUNBO ADESANYAAir Vice MarshalDirector of Public Relations and InformationNigerian Air Force
Post Reply Posted: at 26-02-2018 10:30 AM (3 years ago) | Hero
English Finnish
Terveystalo Plc will publish its Financial statements release 2017 on 28 February 2018 at approximately 9:00 a.m. Finnish time.
The company will hold a press conference on 28 February, 2018, starting at 12:00 EET, at Terveystalo Piazza, Jaakonkatu 3 (3rd floor), 00100 Helsinki, Finland.
Passcode 092749. If you are calling from another location, please use any of the numbers above. A live webcast and telephone conference in English will begin at 1:30 pm EET. You can follow the webcast at: https://terveystalo.videosync.fi/2018-02-28-result To ask questions, please join the event conference 5-10 minutes prior to the start time using your local number (FI: +358 (0)9 7479 0360, UK: +44 (0)330 336 9104, US: +1 323-794-2558) and the Participant. If you are calling from another location, please use any of the numbers above.
Presentations will be held by Yrjo Narhinen, Chief Executive Officer and Ilkka Laurila, Chief Financial Officer. In addition to the results, we will discuss the causes and costs of Finnish sickness absences and the role of occupational healthcare in reducing and preventing them.
Welcome!
Further enquiries:
Kati Kaksonen,
Director, Investor Relations & Finance Communications
Tel. +358 (50) 393 1561
kati.kaksonen@terveystalo.com
Terveystalo in brief
Terveystalo is a listed company on the Helsinki Stock Exchange. Terveystalo is the largest healthcare service company in Finland with net sales and network. The company offers versatile primary and secondary health care services for corporate and private customers and the public sector. The nationwide network covers 180 locations across Finland, complemented by 24/7 digital services.
In 2017, the Company had approximately 1.2 million individual customers and approximately 3.3 million doctor visits. Nearly 9,000 healthcare professionals work in Terveystalo, about half of whom are private practitioners. www.terveystalo.com
NOT FOR DISSEMINATION IN THE UNITED STATES OR FOR DISTRIBUTION TO U.S. NEWSWIRE SERVICES
HALIFAX, Nova Scotia, Feb. 26, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- NOVA LEAP HEALTH CORP. (TSXV:NLH) ("Nova Leap" or the Company), a company focused on the home health care industry, has completed the acquisition of the business assets of Family Tree Home Care, Inc. (the Vendor) located in Shrewsbury, Massachusetts for $2.1 million. The purchase price for the acquisition was paid with $0.45 million in cash, a demand loan of $1.35 million from a Canadian Schedule 1 Bank, and a $0.30 million promissory note issued to the Vendor. All amounts are in United States dollars unless otherwise specified. A Letter of Intent and related information pertaining to this acquisition was previously announced on January 9, 2018.
We are excited to work with the team at Family Tree. The employees have a great history of providing meaningful care in Massachusetts and we look forward to supporting them, said Chris Dobbin, President & CEO of Nova Leap. Its an exciting time with our Company. While we have been growing rapidly, we have managed to attract terrific people to our organization, we have a strong pipeline of opportunities and we will continue with our plans to expand.
The Transaction
Nova Leap incorporated a subsidiary, Nova Leap Health MA, Inc., to acquire the business assets of Family Tree, including customer contracts and intellectual property, and will continue to operate under the name Family Tree Home Care. The acquisition represents Nova Leaps fourth investment in New England and first in Massachusetts. All existing employees are expected to remain with Family Tree Home Care to ensure continuity of client service. Nova Leap now has approximately 250 employees in Vermont, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Massachusetts.
About Family Tree
Family Tree operates as a private duty home care agency offering non-medical services for families in Massachusetts. Revenues for the years ended 2017 and 2016 were $3.23 million and $3.45 million (unaudited), respectively.
Nova Leap Reaches 280,000 Annualized Recurring Home Care Service Hours
The acquisition of Family Tree is expected to be immediately accretive and, when combined with existing Nova Leap subsidiaries, is expected to result in 280,000 annualized recurring client service hours. The Family Tree recurring service hours represent an 85% increase over Nova Leaps current annualized recurring service hours and an 80% increase in annualized recurring revenues.
Nova Leaps annualized recurring revenue run rate is now in excess of $7 million. Client service hours are paid primarily by clients, the Department of Veteran Affairs or through long term care insurance plans.
Update on Integration of Previous Acquisitions
Nova Leap acquired All About Home Care (AAHC), with operations in Rhode Island, and Armistead Senior Care (Armistead), with operations in Vermont and New Hampshire, in September 2017 and October 2017, respectively. Both operations are performing well. Armisteads 2018 recurring service hours are 8.6% ahead of budget for the first six weeks of 2018 and AAHCs recurring service hours are 3.5% ahead of budget for the same period. Nova Leap is beginning to realize economies of scale in the operations and will continue to do so as new operations are integrated through shared resources.
About Nova Leap
The Home Care Providers industry is becoming one of the fastest growing healthcare industries in Canada and the United States. Home care saves patients billions of dollars every year by treating them in their own homes instead of in hospitals. An aging population, the prevalence of chronic disease, growing physician acceptance of home care, medical advancements and a movement toward cost-efficient treatment options from public and private payers have all fostered industry growth. Nova Leap is focused on a highly fragmented market of small privately-held companies providing patients one on one care in their homes. Nova Leap's post-acquisition organic growth strategy is to increase annual revenue per location through a combination of increased employee investment, including training, focused sales and marketing efforts, billing rate increases, expansion of geographical coverage, and improved referral sources.
FORWARD LOOKING INFORMATION:
Certain information in this press release may contain forward-looking statements, such as statements regarding the increase in the Companys recurring client service hours, annualized recurring revenue and progress on integrating previous acquisitions. This information is based on current expectations and assumptions, including assumptions concerning the Companys ability to integrate its acquired businesses and maintain previously achieved service hour and revenue levels, that are subject to significant risks and uncertainties that are difficult to predict. Actual results might differ materially from results suggested in any forward-looking statements. Risks that could cause results to differ from those stated in the forward-looking statements in this release include regulatory changes affecting the home care industry, unexpected increases in operating costs and competition from other service providers. All forward-looking statements, including any financial outlook or future-oriented financial information, contained in this press release are made as of the date of this release and included for the purpose of providing information about management's current expectations and plans relating to the future. The Company assumes no obligation to update the forward-looking statements, or to update the reasons why actual results could differ from those reflected in the forward looking-statements unless and until required by securities laws applicable to the Company. Additional information identifying risks and uncertainties is contained in the Company's filings with the Canadian securities regulators, which filings are available at www.sedar.com.
For further information:
Christopher Dobbin, CPA, CA, Director, President and CEO Nova Leap Health Corp., T: 902 401 9480 F: 902 482 5177 cdobbin@novaleaphealth.com
John Boidman, Vice President Renmark Financial Communications Inc. T: 416 644-2020 or 514 939-3989 jboidman@renmarkfinancial.com
CAUTIONARY STATEMENT:
Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.
Not for distribution to United States newswire services or for dissemination in the United States
VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Feb. 26, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Core Gold Inc. ("Core Gold" or the "Company") (TSX-V:CGLD)(OTCQX:CGLDF) is pleased to announce that it intends to conduct an offering, on a non-brokered private placement basis, of up to 14,166,666 units of the Company (the "Units") at a subscription price of $0.30 per Unit for aggregate gross proceeds of up to $4,250,000 (the "Private Placement"). Each Unit will consist of one common share of the Company (each, a "Common Share") and one-half of one Common Share purchase warrant (each whole Common Share purchase warrant, a "Warrant"). Each Warrant will entitle the holder to purchase one Common Share at a price of $0.45 for a period of two (2) years following the closing of the Private Placement, subject to acceleration in the event that the closing price of the Companys Common Shares is $0.60 per share or higher over a period of 10 consecutive trading days. All securities issued pursuant to the Private Placement will be subject to a hold period that expires four months and a day from the closing date in accordance with the rules and policies of the TSX Venture Exchange (the "TSXV") and applicable Canadian securities laws.
The Company intends to use the net proceeds of the Private Placement for expenditure related to restoration of Elipe S.A.s (Companys wholly owned Ecuadorian subsidiary) good corporate standing, general corporate purposes and working capital.
Upon closing of the Private Placement, the Company may pay a cash finder's fee to one or more arm's length parties equal to 7% of the aggregate gross proceeds raised under the Private Placement from subscribers introduced by such parties. The Private Placement is expected to close on or about March 16, 2018 and is subject to certain conditions including, but not limited to, the receipt of all necessary approvals including the approval of the TSXV.
This press release shall not constitute an offer to sell or solicitation of an offer to buy the securities in any jurisdiction. The securities will not be and have not been registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933 and may not be offered or sold in the United States absent registration or applicable exemption from the registration requirements.
About Core Gold Inc.
The Company is a Canadian based mining company involved in the mining, exploration and development of mineral properties in Ecuador. The Company is currently focused on gold production at its wholly-owned Dynasty Goldfield project and continued development at its Zaruma mine. Mineral is treated at the Companys wholly-owned Portovelo treatment plant close to the Zaruma mine operations. The Company also owns other significant gold exploration projects including the Copper Duke area in southern Ecuador all of which are on the main Peruvian Andean gold-copper belt extending into Ecuador.
For further information please contact:
Keith Piggott, CEO
Suite 1201 1166 Alberni Street
Vancouver, B.C. V6E 3Z3
Phone: +1 (604) 345-4822
Email: info@coregoldinc.com
Cautionary Notice:
This news release contains statements which are, or may be deemed to be, forward-looking information which are prospective in nature. Such information in this news release includes statements regarding the Company's plans to conduct the Private Placement. Forward-looking information involves known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause Core Golds actual results, revenues, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking information. Important risks that could cause Core Golds actual results, revenues, performance or achievements to differ materially from Core Golds expectations include, among other things: failure of the Private Placement to be arranged on the proposed terms or at all; unanticipated delays in obtaining or failure to obtain regulatory or stock exchange approvals;; availability of capital and financing to maintain the Company's operations and plans; general economic, market or business conditions; regulatory changes; and other risks detailed herein and in Core Golds Annual Information Form for the year ended December 31, 2016, which is available on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. Other than in accordance with regulatory obligations, Core Gold is not under any obligation and Core Gold expressly disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.
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.
The Flint lead crisis, combined with a lack of school funding for low income students, has lead to a reading proficiency crisis. https://t.co/JkTkgqzLBy American Progress (@amprog) February 8, 2018
The head of public schools in Flint, Mich., says he's unsure whether the citys water crisis is to blame for a dramatic recent dip in student achievement.On the most recent round of state exams, slightly more than one in 10 third graders in Flint public schools scored proficient in reading . In 2014, four in 10 did.Many groups seized on the news as definitive evidence that lead in Flint's drinking water has caused brain damage in area children. The left-leaning Center for American Progress tweeted:In 2015, drinking water in Flint was found to have elevated levels of lead, which is known to impair cognitive development in children, especially children under 5.Even the very lowest levels of exposure, we know that lead erodes a childs IQ, shortens attention span and disrupts their behavior, Dr. Philip Landrigan, a pediatrician and the dean for global health at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, told. We know when we do follow-up studies that children exposed when they were kids are more likely to be dyslexic, have behavioral problems and get in trouble with the law. Theres no question about that.The number of Flint children with elevated levels of lead doubled after the city in 2014 switched its source of drinking water from the Detroit system to the Flint River to save money. In some neighborhoods, the number of children testing for elevated lead levels more than tripled.But lead levels in Flint children have actually declined over the past 20 years, according to data from the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services. In 1998, half of all children six years of age and under had elevated lead levels in their blood. At the peak of the 2015 crisis, roughly 5 percent of children in the city showed elevated lead levels in their blood.Bilal Tawwab, superintendent of Flint Community Schools, says he isnt sure the lead is the primary cause the precipitous drop in test scores.Tawwab took over the school district in 2015, just as the lead crisis was coming to light, and one of his first actions was to cut off the water and begin distributing bottled water to drink in schools. But he says that shifts in how the state measures educational assessment -- and a district that has struggled for decades -- are both significant factors in the recent test scores.First of all the assessment changed, and you have to account for that. I knew that coming into Flint that the achievement in reading and math were challenges, Tawwab says.Michigan changed the exam used to test student reading in 2015 to an exam more aligned with national Common Core standards. Reading scores across the state fell as a result, from 77 percent proficiency in reading to 40 percent.Flint public schools were struggling long before its recent water crisis. In the last three decades, the student population dropped by 85 percent, according to the districts own figures, including a 63 percent decline in the past 10 years alone, meaning the district receives less revenue than it once did.When Tawwab arrived, Flint faced a $21.9 million budget deficit . He's since closed that gap, but that has meant wage freezes in a place where teachers are already underpaid. Flint pays its new teachers 12 percent less than the average starting salary for a teacher in the state.Our greatest challenge right now is the number of teacher vacancies, Tawwab says. [Flint] struggles not only [to] attract them but keep them here. Our salaries are not competitive.Regardless of the causes, the recent drop in reading scores could presage a dire consequence for Flint students.Third-grade reading proficiency is a leading indicator of how well a child will perform during their academic career. As educators frequently note, children from kindergarten through third grade learn to read; beyond third grade they read to learn. Children who are not proficient in reading by the third grade are four times less likely to earn a high school diploma, according to one study by the Annie E. Casey Foundation.Flint is attempting to remedy its reading crisis.The district is employing a multi-tiered system of support in its schools. The first tier is basic instruction, what all children receive in classrooms. The most intensive interventions include one-on-one instruction between teachers and students who need help. But that approach is stymied by the difficulty in attracting highly qualified teachers in the classroom, says Tawwab.When a child needs intensive intervention, that requires eyeball-to-eyeball [contact] with a high-quality teacher. And because we have so many children who need that level of intervention, we cant have anything but a high-quality teacher in that position."Meanwhile, water quality is still something of a problem in Flint school buildings. A new round of test results posted by the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality earlier this month found that 97 percent of water samples taken from Flint schools showed lead levels below the federal safety threshold. However, five of the nine schools in Flint had at least one sample that still showed elevated lead levels.The district continues to distribute bottled water, and the state has agreed to flush the water system at all district buildings. A new round of tests was completed Feb. 10, but the results have yet to be released.
Normally by this time of the year, many health organizationsare anticipating the arrival of Title X grant funding, which comes from the federal government and is dedicated exclusively to family planning and reproductive health care.But the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) just started the months-long application process on Friday.Initially, HHS said the grant process would start in November and end in April. Now, applications are due in May and set to be awarded in September -- months after last year's Title X money will have expired. Sixty percent of Title X grants are set to expire on March 31 and the other 40 percent at the end of June.In the meantime, HHS says grantees can apply for funding to keep clinics running.The Trump administration said last year that it would reshape Title X. Indeed, the new application eliminates the Obama administration's focus on all forms of contraception and instead emphasizes abstinence programs and natural family planning methods -- both of which haven't traditionally been part of Title X.Reproductive health advocates worry this might mean less money for organizations like Planned Parenthood that support abortion and other forms of contraception. Title X funding, however, is not allowed to be used to directly fund abortions."It is of concern there are no references to contraception and no reference to nationally recognized clinical standards for the provision of high-quality family planning and sexual health care," says Clare Coleman, president and CEO of the National Family Planning and Reproductive Health Association (NFPRHA), in a statement.Planned Parenthood expressed even more concern."The Trump-Pence administration is quietly taking aim at access to birth control under the nations program for affordable reproductive health care, which 4 million people rely on each year," said Dawn Laguens, executive vice president of the organization, according to Politico . "The last thing anyone wants is for Donald Trump or Mike Pence to weigh in on her sex life -- but this announcement essentially invites them into the bedroom."Title X has a history of bipartisan support, but it has become more politicized in recent years.Half of Title X grantees are state health departments -- a fact that Jessica Marcella, vice president of advocacy and communications for NFPRHA, says has protected Title X from huge partisan cuts. The program was signed into law by President Richard Nixon and at the time was championed by President George H.W. Bush -- then a congressman. We need to make population and family planning household words," he said in 1969. In 2007, his son, George W. Bush, signed the largest increase of Title X funding since the Clinton era.Fast forward a decade, though, and 13 states have prohibited clinics that provide abortions from receiving Title X money -- despite the fact that no federal money directly pays for abortion services. Nebraska is currently considering becoming the 14th state.Just before Barack Obama left the White House, he finalized a rule that would prohibit more states from withholding Title X money to centers that provide abortions. President Trump rolled back the rule during his first few months in office.Reproductive health advocates worry this trend in statehouses might soon be adopted by the Trump administration."How far will they go to curtail certain providers? asks Marcella.In Texas, where Title X grants are set to expire March 31, the funding delay and uncertainty is already starting to have an impact. Some clinics were planning to stock less of the more expensive -- but also more effective -- forms of contraceptives, like IUDs, says Kami Geoffray, CEO of the Womens Health and Family Planning Association of Texas, which receives Title X grants and contracts with 100 providers across the state -- ranging from county health departments to rural clinics.Weve had to message our providers that beyond March 31, theres no guarantee of anything. Depending on the type of provider, that could be catastrophic, says Geoffray.Some clinics always have cash reserves; others cannot exist without Title X money, she says.This is the latest in a string of incidents where the Trump administration has failed to consistently provide funding for vital health programs, including the Childrens Health Insurance Program and the Community Health Center Fund."This delay has already caused undue harm," says Marcella. "At the end of the day, our providers are just trying to serve 4 million people across the country -- people who are primarily low-income."
With federal spending on Medicaid experiments soaring in recent years, a congressional watchdog said state and federal governments fail to adequately evaluate if the efforts improve care and save money.A study by the Government Accountability Office released Thursday found some states dont complete evaluation reports for up to seven years after an experiment begins and often fail to answer vital questions to determine effectiveness. The GAO also slammed the federal Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services for failing to make results from Medicaid evaluation reports public in a timely manner.CMS is missing an opportunity to inform federal and state policy discussions, the GAO report said.Joan Alker, executive director of the Georgetown University Center for Children and Families, called the reports findings troubling but not surprising.It has been clear for some time that evaluations of Section 1115 waivers are not adequate, she said. There is some good work going on in this space at the state level, for example in Michigan and Iowa, but as the report makes clear states evaluations are often incomplete and not rigorous enough.These experiments are often called demonstration projects or 1115 demonstration waivers based on the section of the law that allows the federal government to authorize them. They allow federal officials to approve states requests to test new approaches to providing coverage. They are used for a wide variety of purposes, including efforts to extend Medicaid to people or services not generally covered or to change payment systems to improve care.Medicaid demonstration programs often run for a decade or more. Several states that expanded Medicaid eligibility under the Affordable Care Act did so through a demonstration program, including Indiana, Iowa, Arkansas and New Hampshire.Nearly three-quarters of states have Medicaid demonstration programs, such as those testing providing services through private managed-care firms and requiring enrollees to pay monthly premiums. About a third of the federal governments $300 billion a year in Medicaid spending goes to these test programs, the GAO said.The study, requested by top GOP lawmakers including Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah), reviewed demonstration programs in eight states Arizona, Arkansas, California, Indiana, Kansas, Maryland, Massachusetts and New York.In five of these states, money from their Medicaid demonstration program makes up more than half their total federal Medicaid budgets. Nearly all of Arizonas funding 99.7 percent is through a demonstration program.The use of Medicaid demonstration programs accelerated during the 1990s. But in recent years the experiments have often reflected the political leanings of state officials or the party controlling the White House. Under a demonstration program, the Trump administration this year approved requests from Indiana and Kentucky to enact work requirements for some adult Medicaid enrollees.The GAO report noted that states often do not complete their evaluation reports until after the federal government renews their demonstration program. For example, Indianas Medicaid expansion demonstration program, which charges premiums and locks some enrollees out of coverage for lack of payment, was renewed in February even though a final evaluation report is not yet complete.GAO said Indianas evaluation of its Medicaid expansion wont look at the effect of the states provision that locks out enrollees for six months if they fail to pay premiums.GAO found that selected states evaluations of these demonstrations often had significant limitations that affected their usefulness in informing policy decisions, the report said.Alker said that more sunshine and data are needed to assess waivers, especially as they are clearly the vehicle the Trump administration is now using to pursue its ideological objectives for Medicaid.While states typically contract with independent groups to evaluate Medicaid demonstration programs, the federal government sometimes does its own review.But the GAO investigators found Indianas Medicaid agency wasnt willing to work with the federal contractor out of privacy concerns. That halted efforts for a federal review.Joel Cantor, director of the Center for State Health Policy at Rutgers University in New Brunswick, N.J., said the demonstration programs have often shifted from their intended purpose because they are designed by lawmakers pushing an agenda rather than as a scientific experiment to find better ways to deliver care.Demonstration programs have been used since the 1990s to advance policy agenda for whoever holds power in Washington and not designed to test an innovative idea, he said.The evaluations often take several years to complete, he said, because of the difficulty of getting patient data from states. His center has done evaluations for New Jerseys Medicaid program.GAO recommended that CMS require states to submit a final evaluation report after the end of the waiver period, regardless of whether the experiment is being renewed, and that the federal agency publicly release findings from federal evaluations in a timely manner. Federal officials said they agreed with the recommendations.Matt Salo, executive director of the National Association of Medicaid Directors, said the report highlighted a need to modernize the law dealing with Medicaid so that successful experiments are quickly incorporated into the overall program.The underlying problem is that the Medicaid statute has fundamentally failed to keep up with the changing reality of health care in the 21st century, he said. Theres no way to update the rules to make these changes a permanent part of the program.
California Democrats overwhelmingly decided not to endorse Sen. Dianne Feinstein this weekend, an embarrassing rebuke of a party icon who has represented California in the Senate for a quarter-century.Nearly two-thirds of the party's delegates voted against backing her campaign for a fifth full term, a reflection of the dissonance between an increasingly liberal state party and the moderation and pragmatism that have been hallmarks of Feinstein's political career.The lack of support could simply be a speed bump on Feinstein's path to reelection in November. But many Democrats gathered in San Diego for their annual convention said they were looking for a flamethrower who would more aggressively confront President Trump and viewed Feinstein as a creature of the nation's capital who has lost touch with her California roots.Feinstein's opponent, state Senate leader Kevin de Leon of Los Angeles, won 54% of the delegates' votes Saturday, just shy of the 60% needed to secure the endorsement. Feinstein received 37%."I have never seen her ever at a convention until she finally realized, 'I've got a challenge on my hands,'" said Mark Gonzalez, chairman of the Los Angeles County Democratic Party. "People are frustrated.... She's the most senior member and we value that, but as the most senior member, you've got to give it to Trump. She has the power to challenge him, and she doesn't always do that."De Leon seized on the discontent as he sought the party's endorsement."I'm running for the United States Senate because the days of Democrats biding our time, biting our tongue and triangulating at the margins are over," De Leon said. "And I'm running because California's greatness comes from acts of human audacity, not from congressional seniority."De Leon, 51, still faces significant obstacles in his bid to topple a powerful, wealthy incumbent. He trails Feinstein by 29 percentage points in the most recent public poll and started the year with $360,000 compared with Feinstein's $10 million. If he had received the endorsement, he would have gained access to party resources and the ability to jointly raise funds with the party, which can receive unlimited contributions.Feinstein's longtime political advisor, Bill Carrick, dismissed the significance of the endorsement vote as a beauty contest among party activists who do not represent the broader California electorate. He said that as a senior senator in Washington, Feinstein could not shower party regulars with as much attention as De Leon."He spent a lot of time working the party [events] over the years," Carrick said. "She's obviously a senator in Washington with a very serious day job."Both candidates walked the convention halls courting delegates during the three-day weekend gathering as their supporters waved campaign signs and handed out buttons. De Leon handed out tacos and cups of horchata to his supporters, while Feinstein provided scrambled eggs and French toast during a rare appearance at a state party convention."There's a difference between Republicans and Democrats that I've noticed," Feinstein told the crowd at the breakfast she hosted for delegates. "Republicans tend to stick by their man no matter what. Democrats don't always. We fractionate. We divide. This must not happen. This great California house of Democrats must come together because we have a big job to see that this country gets straightened out."Feinstein, 84, held a conference call for delegates earlier in the week and sent them mailers touting her accomplishments. But the senator from San Francisco is not a frequent presence at state party events, a point raised often over the weekend."We have not seen her in 25 years," Latino caucus chairman Carlos Alcala said to hoots from the audience after Feinstein chose not to address their meeting.At a party labor caucus meeting, some in the crowd groaned and shook their heads when Feinstein said she had aligned with their interests on "every vote I know of in the U.S. Senate."And during her speech to delegates Saturday, music began playing as she ran past the five minutes allotted.De Leon's supporters used the moment to chant "Time's up! Time's up!"The at-times chilly reception is nothing new for Feinstein. When running for governor in 1990, she was booed during her speech before the state party convention for affirming her support for the death penalty -- a moment her campaign filmed and turned into a television ad as testament to her independence. Feinstein did not win the party endorsement but did win the primary before losing in the general election.Feinstein was warmly received by many delegates, including members of the party's women's caucus, who greeted her with a standing ovation."I think she's fabulous. I think she's the model for every young girl coming up. She's got more grit than some of the males that are in Congress right now," said Toni Rigoni, 65, a corporate event planner from San Jose. "Don't get me wrong. I'm all for change. I love change. I think it's important. But she has the know-how, she has the wit, she has the humor, she has the determination. She's a professional. She knows how Washington runs, and that's what we need."The party is fractured between its more moderate members and its progressive wing, a divide that came into sharp relief during a bitterly contested chairman's race last year.De Leon tried to appeal to the newly energized liberal faction by contrasting Feinstein's record -- including votes for the Iraq war and warrantless wiretapping by the federal government -- with his support for a $15-an-hour minimum wage and single-payer healthcare. He also highlighted controversial comments Feinstein made last year calling for "patience" with Trump and expressing the hope that he could become "a good president."Ilissa Gold, 31, president of the Miracle Mile Democratic Club, said she backed De Leon partly because of his antagonistic approach toward the president."We believe that California is on the forefront of the resistance to Donald Trump, and we believe we need a senator who is going to represent that," she said. "We very much respect her long service to California. We just believe that we're at a different point and time in this country, and it's time for a change in our leadership."Feinstein's supporters argue her long history of supporting progressive policy has been overlooked, including authoring the federal assault weapons ban and her decision to release a transcript of the Senate Judiciary Committee's interview of the co-founder of Fusion GPS, a firm that researched Trump during the 2016 campaign over the objections of Republicans."She is fighting hard and she has been her entire career, since she came to the Senate in 1992," said former Rep. Ellen Tauscher, a longtime Feinstein confidante. "She's shown herself to be a stellar leader and an independent leader, and one that is completely in line with most Californians."Cheryl Conway, 61, a delegate from Cayucos, said she wasn't surprised that Feinstein was snubbed by the party because, as an influential member of the Senate judiciary and intelligence committees, she sometimes has to put the nation's interest over the party's."Those who want a purity test are always going to be disappointed in a candidate," she said.A retired staff member for the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, Conway voted to endorse Feinstein and said she still expects her to win reelection -- even without the party nod."Dianne Feinstein is a big girl. She knows how to do this," she said.
Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens, under felony indictment, has resigned his position on the executive committee of the Republican Governors Association.The announcement Friday came as Greitens told the group that he would not be attending the separate National Governors Association's annual winter meeting this weekend here.Greitens was indicted by a St. Louis grand jury on a felony invasion of privacy charge for allegedly transmitting a non-consensual photo of a partly nude lover. The governor, in a written statement, called the indictment a "misguided political decision" by a "reckless liberal prosecutor." St. Louis Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner is a Democrat.Republican Governors Association Executive Director Paul Bennecke released a statement saying that Greitens "informed us last night that he is going to remain in Missouri this weekend to fight back against what his team has called a baseless charge."The statement continued: "Given his desire to focus his full attention on moving forward in Missouri, he also no longer intends to serve on the executive committee of the RGA. We look forward to a quick resolution of this issue. Our thoughts and prayers are with Gov. Greitens and his family."Greitens was expected to participate in sessions on homeland security at the Pentagon, and on veterans issues during the National Governors Association meeting.A St. Louis grand jury indicted Greitens and a warrant for his arrest was issued Thursday. A St. Louis Post-Dispatch reporter saw Greitens with sheriff's deputies in the hallway of the Carnahan Courthouse about 3:45 p.m. Officials later confirmed that Greitens had been taken into custody and booked at the St. Louis Justice Center.Sheriff Vernon Betts confirmed that Greitens was never handcuffed."We weren't going to treat him like a common criminal," Betts said Friday.Greitens was released on a personal recognizance bond with a provision allowing him to travel freely in the United States.After Greitens was led away, the courtroom doors were locked. Greitens' lawyers left the building around 5:30 p.m., around the time an SUV with blacked-out windows left from a loading dock in the back of the courthouse.Gardner, in a statement announcing the indictment, said the grand jury found probable cause to believe Greitens violated a Missouri statute that makes it a felony to transmit a non-consensual image showing nudity in a manner that allows access to that image via a computer.The woman Greitens had an affair with in 2015 has not spoken publicly. Her husband recorded a conversation with her. In it, the woman said that Greitens took a photo of her without her consent during a consensual sexual encounter in Greitens' St. Louis home in which she was bound and partly nude. She said in the recording that he threatened to release the photo if she mentioned his name.Greitens' attorneys filed a motion to dismiss the charge Thursday. The next court date for Greitens is March 16.The Republican Governors Association site Friday morning had a post lauding Greitens' tax-cut plans in Missouri.The Missouri Republican Party issued a statement on social media Friday calling the indictment a "political hit job" and citing donations Gardner received from "George Soros groups."Soros is a New York billionaire who supports progressive causes."This law has never been prosecuted in this way and it is safe to say if Eric Greitens wasn't governor, it wouldn't have been this time either," the post said, quoting Sam Cooper, executive director of the state party.In a statement late Thursday night in response to statements from Greitens and his lawyers attacking the indictment, Gardner spokeswoman Susan Ryan said Greitens' lawyers contacted the circuit attorney's office Thursday to arrange "a 'secret' meeting next week.""The Circuit Attorney asked if the Governor would be making a statement that is any different from his public statements," the statement said. "His lawyers said they wanted to share the 'human' side of the story."The Circuit Attorney makes charging decisions based upon facts and evidence. Without additional facts and information from the Governor, the meeting was not necessary," the statement said.
State Sen. Carlos Uresti and co-defendant Gary Cain were found guilty Thursday on 20 combined felony charges in a criminal fraud trial over the past month that has stunned San Antonio and the state Capitol.Hours later, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick took steps to remove Uresti from his committee assignments in the state Senate, "effective immediately," and Senate Democrats called for his resignation.Uresti and Cain were convicted in federal court here of defrauding investors in the now-defunct company FourWinds Logistics, which bought and sold sand used in fracking for oil production before it collapsed in 2015. Uresti, 54, was convicted on 11 criminal charges while Cain, 61, was convicted on 9 charges."Today, justice was done," U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Texas John Bash said in a statement. "It's a somber day for the state, for the city because whenever someone who's in a position of public trust defrauds other people and causes harm to other people, that's very sad."He said he hoped the verdict sends a message to others: "it doesn't matter your status in government or in the community. If you commit fraud, you're going to be held accountable."Uresti and Cain face the possibility of years in federal prison and up to millions in fines when they are sentenced by Senior U.S. District Judge David Ezra on June 25.Amid a throng of media outside the courthouse, Uresti said he was disappointed with the verdict, apologized to his wife and resolved to keep his Senate seat -- despite a call from state Democrats to reconsider his role in politics."This is a shock to all of us," Uresti said when asked about how this would impact him politically. "This is not the verdict we were expecting, so I'm going to meet with my family and my wife and my attorneys and we'll make those decisions down the road."Uresti said he has no plans to step down from office and will appeal the ruling."Absolutely," he said when asked if he would appeal. "And those are the things we're going to discuss with our lawyers as well."Cain hasn't decided whether he'll appeal yet, according to his lead lawyer Charles "Chad" Muller."We'll review the verdict and we'll review the case, the transcripts, and decide what further action we'll take," Muller said.Uresti is already facing pressure to step down in the Senate, with Patrick announcing plans hours after his conviction to remove him from all of his committee posts."Though I recognize that Sen. Uresti is entitled to exercise his right to appeal, my first priority is to the people of Texas," Patrick said in a statement, adding that he doesn't have the authority to remove him from office. Uresti is vice chairman of the Health & Human Services Committee and has posts on the Education, Finance and Veterans Affairs and Border Security panels.Texas Senate Democratic Caucus Chairman Jose Rodriguez called for Uresti's resignation while the Texas Democratic Party issued a statement pressuring the lawmaker to reconsider his position in the state Senate, saying "no one is ever above the law.""After being found guilty of such serious crimes, Sen. Uresti must seriously consider whether he can serve his constituents," said Democratic party spokesman Tariq Thowfeek.Calls for Uresti's resignation also came from across the political aisle. Republican Party of Texas Chairman James Dickey said in a statement: "State Sen. Carlos Uresti must resign from the Texas Senate. Texas needs people of integrity in every elected position."The verdict came after 11 hours of jury deliberations over three days following a month of sometimes salacious testimony involving prostitutes, sex, drugs and deceit at FourWinds. Former CEO Stan Bates pleaded guilty to criminal fraud charges last month, admitting that he misused investor money for his own pleasure.The ex-Marine fostered a bacchanalian atmosphere at the company, former employees testified. Some employees said Bates appeared to have a cocaine habit and used company cash on hookers, expensive cars and to pay for his son's fraternity dues. Prosecutors called FourWinds a Ponzi scheme.Bash said FourWinds lured investors with "false pretenses, false promises, misrepresentations, including altered bank statements ... A lot of that money went to pay prior investors, a lot of that money went to personal expenses by the co-conspirators -- everything from gifts and travel and luxury vehicles to controlled substances, even prostitutes."Although the defense team acknowledged that FourWinds was a scam, they tried to convince the jury that Uresti didn't know until it was too late and shouldn't be convicted as a result."Carelessness, negligence, foolishness," Uresti lawyer Tab Turner told jurors in closing arguments Tuesday. "The law says you have to have criminal intent."The courtroom was opened shortly after 10 a.m. as defense lawyers and prosecutors were informed by court staff to return for the verdict.Uresti stared emotionless at the courtroom deputy as she read the verdict to the packed room -- turning to face the jury for the last two charges. Cain also showed no reaction in the courtroom, but he was wiping away tears as he left.Uresti's wife Lleanna, who missed the verdict, held her husband in a long embrace outside the courtroom.Bash changed his travel plans to witness the verdict. The FBI's special agent in charge for San Antonio, Christopher Combs, and other federal agents were also in the courtroom. None of the eight men and four women on the jury would comment to reporters as they left the courthouse.The San Antonio Democrat, who didn't testify in his own defense during the month-long trial, isn't required to give up his seat even though he's now a convicted felon.Texas ethics rules allow him to remain in office until he exhausts the appeals process. However, there could be renewed calls for him to end his nearly 21-year political career now that he's been found guilty and facing jail time. Uresti said he has no plans to step down from office and will appeal the ruling.The State Bar of Texas likely will soon seek compulsory discipline against Uresti, who has been a licensed attorney for more than 25 years. Uresti's license would be suspended during any appeal; otherwise he faces disbarment and the loss of his livelihood as a convicted criminal.It was Uresti's legal dealings that landed him in federal prosecutors' cross hairs in the first place. The lawmaker was part of the team of attorneys that secured a $2.5 million out-of-court settlement for Denise Cantu of Harlingen in 2012 following the deaths of two of her children in a vehicle rollover two years earlier.Uresti recommended Cantu, 38, invest some of her settlement in FourWinds, which prosecutors say was a Ponzi scheme that squandered investors' money. Cantu invested $900,000 and lost $800,000. She has sued him for fraud and the case is pending.Uresti told Cantu the FourWinds investment was "guaranteed," "good as gold" and she could get her money back if she wasn't satisfied, she testified during the trial.Besides recruiting investors, Uresti also was FourWinds' outside legal counsel and a 1 percent owner of the company.Prosecutors said Uresti had financial difficulties that led him to "groom" Cantu, becoming her friend, confidant and financial adviser before drawing her into a sexual relationship.Cantu, the government's star witness, revealed details of their relationship -- testifying how Uresti first told her she looked "sexy" while they were attending a deposition in her wrongful-death case and how they exchanged sexually explicit texts. She also testified they had sex in the bathroom shower at his law office. He has denied being sexually involved with her.During the trial, an Internal Revenue Service investigator told jurors how none of Cantu's money ever went to buy sand. Instead, the money was used to pay an earlier FourWinds investor.Cantu wired $800,000 to a FourWinds entity to buy sand in June 2014. A week later $700,000 of that money went to FourWinds' operating account at Chase. The company then cut a $40,000 check to the Uresti Law Firm that was deposited in its trust account.Uresti told the San Antonio Express-News in a 2016 recorded interview that was played for the jury by prosecutors that the loan was "kind of like an advance on future commissions (and) future legal work." Trust accounts generally are set up for holding client funds that are meant to be kept separate from a lawyer's own money.Cantu and a group of Mexican nationals that invested in the company testified they were not aware that Uresti stood to get a cut of their profits. The Mexicans, in particular, said they would never have agreed to that since Uresti was holding their money as an escrow agent and that would have been a conflict of interest.Outside of the jury's presence last week, Ezra said FourWinds was a "scam from the get-go" because Bates misrepresented the company to investors.Investors' money was used to fund FourWinds' launch, according to evidence presented during the trial. None of FourWinds' principals put in any of their own money to start the company, though Bates told investors he put in $2 million of his own money and passed around a fraudulent bank statement claiming that it had almost $19 million in the bank.Friends warned Uresti about Bates, calling him a "complete con man" and a "shady individual," testimony during the trial revealed. Yet the lawmaker seemed to have blinders on in his dealings with Bates. The pair are ex-Marines and government witnesses said Uresti told potential investors that a Marine is an "honorable person" you can trust.A FourWinds office manager testified that the company had a reputation as a "brothel" that employed "surgically enhanced women" and let workers booze it up.Bates pleaded guilty to eight felony charges last month rather than stand trial. He was the fourth company official to plead guilty in the case.Bates brought on Uresti co-defendant Cain as a company consultant to find financing for the business on the recommendation of Uresti and Bexar County District Attorney Nico LaHood. Cain and LaHood were business partners in Trinity Global Funding & Consulting for a time when Cain became involved with FourWinds.Prosecutors say Cain knew about the fraud at FourWinds a month after joining the company in September 2014. Two months earlier, a Bexar County jury acquitted Cain of swindling Rackspace Hosting Inc. in a 2007 land deal. LaHood was part of Cain's defense team.Cain, who took the stand in his own defense, said it wasn't until early 2016 -- several months after he parted ways with FourWinds -- that he learned the full scope of how officials there mishandled investor money.In a November 2015 sworn statement made in Bates' personal bankruptcy case, however, Cain said he noticed irregularities with FourWinds' financial records in late 2014 or early 2015."I ... saw evidence of misuse of investor funds including commingling (and) failure to return funds to investor accounts," Cain said in the affidavit.Despite this knowledge, Cain continued to be paid a $15,000 consulting fee every two weeks until he parted ways with FourWinds in May 2015.Uresti has other legal matters hanging over his head.The legislator is accused in another criminal case of using his consulting business -- Turning Point Solutions -- to split $850,000 in bribes with Jimmy Galindo, a former county court judge in Reeves County in West Texas. Galindo has pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit bribery and failure to file a 2013 tax return. The case against Uresti is scheduled for trial in May in the same San Antonio courthouse that he has spent almost the last five weeks in.The Securities and Exchange Commission has an ongoing civil investigation into the FourWinds case. An SEC official from Fort Worth was present for Cantu's testimony.
The city of Portland will join a national movement by suing drug companies behind America's opioid crisis.On Wednesday, the Portland City Council voted 4-0 to file litigation hoping to recoup millions of dollars spent locally each year dealing with the fallout of opioid addiction."This is a much-needed step to help stem the tide of opioid addiction in our community," Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler said.Portland will join at least 370 other cities and counties across America suing drug manufacturers or distributors, said Naomi Sheffield, a deputy city attorney. Locally, Multnomah County filed suit against several companies in August while the Clark County Council, in Washington, approved a lawsuit Tuesday.Portland plans to argue that drug companies created a public nuisance and acted negligently. Sheffield said the city's damages from opioid addition are "a few million dollars annually."In 2016, city firefighters responded to 3,475 overdose calls. Of those, first responders administered Naloxone, which reverses opioid overdoses, about 400 times, Sheffield said. And about half of all drug calls to police are related to opioids."Entities we trust with our health are preying on our pain and leaving a wake of ruin, grief and untold costs to families and communities," Commissioner Chloe Eudaly said.City officials have privately identified a list of companies that could be targeted in a lawsuit. But the city did not release those names Wednesday and Sheffield declined to identify the companies when asked by The Oregonian/OregonLive.Portland will hire an outside law firm, Baron & Budd, to sue opioid companies. Baron & Budd already represents Portland in a separate suit against chemical-maker Monsanto, and the law firm represents many jurisdictions suing over opioid havoc.Portland's lawsuit will be filed locally in federal court. But officials expect it will be transferred to the Northern District of Ohio, where multi-district litigation involving drug companies is being heard."We do have a voice, and collectively our voices have power," Commissioner Nick Fish said.Wednesday's meeting also highlighted the personal toll of opioid use.Former Portland Commissioner Steve Novick testified about the 2007 death of his brother, Mischa, from an OxyContin overdose. Novick said drug companies -- specifically Purdue Pharma and the wealthy Sackler family behind it -- need to be held accountable.
The Supreme Court handed President Trump a significant defeat Monday, turning down the administration's plea for a quick ruling that would have upheld the president's power to end special protections for so-called Dreamers.The court's decision keeps in place a legal shield for nearly 700,000 young immigrants for the rest of this year, and perhaps longer, allowing people who have been covered by the Obama-era Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program to continue living and working legally in the U.S. Those whose existing DACA permits expire this year will also be allowed to apply for another two-year permit.Although the court's action removes for now the threat of job loss and deportation, it also will extend the long-term uncertainty for the Dreamers -- young immigrants who were brought to the U.S. illegally as children. Congress has been stymied on a legislative solution to their situation, and without an immediate deadline to force action, lawmakers almost certainly will not try again to forge a compromise on immigration before this fall's midterm elections.Last September, Trump announced that he would end the DACA program and gave Congress until March 5 to pass legislation to resolve the legal status of the Dreamers. Then, in early January, U.S. District Judge William Alsup in San Francisco ordered the government to keep the DACA program running until legal challenges could be fully aired, ruling that Trump's order had been based on a "flawed legal premise." A district judge in New York this month issued a similar ruling.In seeking to get Alsup's order overturned, the Justice Department sought to leapfrog the U.S. appeals court in California, asking the Supreme Court to grant an "immediate review" of Alsup's nationwide order.The action the administration sought was rare. It has been nearly 30 years since the Supreme Court granted review of a district judge's ruling before an appeals court could weigh in. And the court said Monday it had no interest in following that course in the DACA case.The justices, without dissent, turned down the administration's petition "without prejudice," meaning that the government could return to the high court once the appeals court rules."It is assumed that the Court of Appeals will proceed expeditiously to decide this case," the justices noted in a brief order.Even though the action by the high court was procedural in nature, not a ruling on the substance of the case, it has significant impact because it keeps in place Alsup's injunction for as long as the case wends its way through the judicial system, which could be quite a while. In their appeal to the high court, administration lawyers said the injunction would likely last well into 2019 if the appeals run their normal course in the lower courts.That's a significant victory for the Dreamers and a defeat for administration hard-liners, led by Stephen Miller, Trump's domestic policy advisor. They have tried to use renewal of DACA as a bargaining chip to get Congress to adopt new policies to restrict legal immigration.With DACA now effectively off the congressional agenda for this year, the possibility of new immigration restrictions is also much less likely. Democrats hope to regain control of at least one house of Congress in the midterm elections, which would give them considerably more of a say in any legislation.Even if the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals does act "expeditiously," as the justices suggested, a ruling from the appeals court would be unlikely before summer. That would mean the earliest the case could return to the Supreme Court would be in the fall, with a ruling possible by the end of the year.That's assuming a speedy path for the litigation. A scenario in which the case doesn't return to the high court until a year from now is quite possible.Speaking to a group of the nation's governors on Monday, Trump complained about once again facing a case in the 9th Circuit, which hears appeals in federal cases from California and eight other Western states. A majority of the court's active judges were appointed by Democratic presidents."I mean, it's really sad when every single case filed against us -- this is in the 9th Circuit -- we lose, we lose, we lose, and then we do fine in the Supreme Court. But what does that tell you about our court system? It's a very, very sad thing. So DACA's going back, and we'll see what happens from there," Trump said.The Justice Department's reaction was more measured, acknowledging that the administration's request for the court to take up the case and bypass the appeals court had been a long shot."While we were hopeful for a different outcome, the Supreme Court very rarely grants certiorari before judgment," said spokesman Devin O'Malley. "We will continue to defend [the Department of Homeland Security's] lawful authority to wind down DACA in an orderly manner."Los Angeles attorney Theodore Boutrous Jr. , who represented DACA recipients who challenged Trump's order, praised the court's decision."DACA is a lawful and important program that protects young people who came to this country as children and who know this country as their only home. The Dreamers have relied on DACA to make decisions about their education, jobs, and families and to make valuable contributions to society as doctors, lawyers, teachers, and members of the military," he said."Two federal district courts have now recognized that the Trump administration's abrupt decision to end the program was unlawful. We are confident that the court of appeals will reach the same conclusion," he added."This was clearly the correct result -- to let the judicial process work in the orderly manner," said Mark Rosenbaum, another Los Angeles lawyer who worked on the case. "The larger message is also clear: that for the 700,000 Dreamers who continue to work and study every day to make our nation a better place, the responsibility rests with Congress to do the right thing."The administration's legal strategy in the case was consistent with Trump's approach to DACA since he was elected: He has not wanted to keep the program but has also not wanted to be blamed for deporting Dreamers, who enjoy widespread public support.After Alsup issued his order, U.S. Solicitor Gen. Noel Francisco could have asked the high court for a stay, which would have put the order on hold and allowed the administration to end DACA. Instead, he surprised many observers by, instead, asking the justices to hear arguments in the case this spring.Francisco asserted that a stay would result in an "abrupt shift" in the enforcement policy, while the administration favored an "orderly wind-down of the DACA policy."At the same time, he insisted that the court order was doing serious harm to the government. "The district judge's unprecedented order requires the government to sanction indefinitely an ongoing violation of federal law being committed by nearly 700,000 aliens," Francisco wrote, referring to the DACA recipients.In his ruling, Alsup said Trump's advisors, led by Atty. Gen. Jeff Sessions, had been wrong when they decided President Obama lacked the authority to extend relief to the Dreamers.Alsup agreed "a new administration is entitled to replace old policies with new policies," but nonetheless concluded that the "flawed legal premise" set out by Sessions could not serve as a basis for ending DACA now.His preliminary injunction required the administration to "maintain the DACA program on a nationwide basis." However, he said nothing in his order would prevent federal authorities from "removing any individual, including any DACA enrollee, who it determines poses a risk to national security or public safety."
The relationship between U.S. immigration officials and California's liberal leaders soured long ago, but Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf's decision to warn potential targets of federal arrest that an immigration sweep could be imminent was an extraordinary escalation.Schaaf said she issued the alert Saturday night after receiving confidential tips from "credible sources" who revealed that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, known as ICE, was planning arrests across the Bay Area as soon as Sunday.She and Police Chief Anne Kirkpatrick discussed the reports before Schaaf concluded that the information was solid enough to warrant going public, according to people familiar with her thinking. Schaaf said she also conferred with legal counsel to make sure she wasn't opening herself up to federal prosecution.The news release that resulted -- which Schaaf said was intended "not to panic our residents but to protect them" -- was among the most assertive maneuvers by a local politician to counter the Trump administration's crackdown on undocumented immigrants. The message: Not only will Oakland andits police force not cooperate with ICE,but the city will actively seek to thwart efforts to detain and deport immigrants."I know that Oakland is a city of law-abiding immigrants and families who deserve to live free from the constant threat of arrest and deportation," Schaaf said in her Saturday night statement. "I believe it is my duty and moral obligation as Mayor to give those families fair warning when that threat appears imminent."ICE did not immediately respond to requests for comment on Schaaf's action. Officials provided a statement to KGO-TV saying, "There are ICE operations every day and it is unclear what the mayor is referring to."Reaction to the mayor's move was swift and harsh from those who favor strong immigration enforcement. Jessica Vaughan of the Center for Immigration Studies, a Washington organization that advocates for decreased immigration, called Schaaf's statement a "political stunt.""This is pretty irresponsible on the part of a public official," Vaughan said. "To the extent this results in people being able to hide from ICE and shelter in the community inevitably creates more victims. It also creates fear in the community. She may or may not have good information."But Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom was among those who supported the move, saying, "We can and must protect immigrant families from Donald Trump's mass deportations. I want to thank Mayor Schaaf for her courage and hope more local leaders will follow her lead."At a news conference Sunday in the city's heavily Latino Fruitvale neighborhood, Schaaf said she had notified mayors of other Bay Area cities of the imminent sweep and felt "confident that my sharing of this information, because I did not receive it through official channels, is legal."Asked why she would want to interfere in ICE's ability to make arrests in Oakland, Schaaf did not answer directly. She said only that she had been told the targets of the sweep were wanted for immigration violations, not as suspects in crimes.She referred to Oakland nurse Maria Mendoza-Sanchez, who with her husband was deported last year after more than two decades in the United States. The couple left behind four children who have legal status."Oakland is full of Marias," Schaaf said.Also in Fruitvale was Emma Paulino, a community organizer and immigrant advocate, who said many people appreciated Schaaf's decision, "so they can make their own decisions on what to do next." She said that if the mayor had chosen not to share the information, the community probably would have been "kind of disappointed."Schaaf's warning, while unusual, appeared to be vague enough that she probably didn't put herself in legal jeopardy, some experts said."She's basically saying that in the next day ICE is going to be conducting some kind of operation," said Lara Bazelon, an associate law professor at the University of San Francisco. "She doesn't say what kind, which areas will be targeted or which people will be affected."Had Schaaf given particular people specific details of a secret operation and advised them to leave, her actions may have gotten closer to obstruction of justice, said UC Berkeley law Professor Charles Weisselberg.The mayor's move puts her in the center of a intensifying clash between the Trump administration and Democratic leaders in California, where last year Gov. Jerry Brown signed a statewide sanctuary law.Oakland had long been a sanctuary city before the legislation, meaning it restricts cooperation between employees and U.S. immigration officers in a bid to reassure undocumented residents that they can freely access education, health and public-safety resources.As recently as last year, however, the city's police officers were allowed to work in tandem with ICE's criminal enforcement arm, Homeland Security Investigations. That all changed through a series of measures the City Council passed in response to public outcry.In July, the council tore up an agreement that allowed Oakland police officers to work with federal agents on cases of human trafficking, drug smuggling and other cross-border crimes. Community members had questioned the necessity of the partnership.But a month later, Schaaf and Chief Kirkpatrick came under fire after city police provided traffic enforcement for federal officers during an investigation into alleged human trafficking at a West Oakland home. In response, the City Council passed another resolution barring all forms of assistance to ICE, including traffic support during criminal investigations.The day before the August operation, Kirkpatrick had gotten a call from Ryan Spradlin, the head of Homeland Security Investigations in the Bay Area, who requested that Oakland police vehicles and uniformed officers provide traffic control while plainclothes federal agents executed a warrant at the home of a Guatemalan family that ran a janitorial business.Kirkpatrick agreed to the request and alerted Schaaf, who for weeks defended the decision, even while Kirkpatrick was called before the City Council to explain her actions. Schaaf and Kirkpatrick met in November with federal officials who showed them the sealed warrant from the case to justify the operation, which led to deportation proceedings against one of two detained brothers. No outcome has been announced in the trafficking investigation.Schaaf said the events led her to conclude that police shouldn't be involved again, and she threw her weight behind the resolution that prohibited even blocking off a street for federal immigration authorities."The policy needs to not create even the impression that our Police Department is supporting an ICE operation or is in any way complicit with deportation actions," Schaaf told The Chronicle at the time.The mayor's evolution on the issue culminated with a declaration to reporters in January that she would be willing to go to jail to protect Oakland's immigrants and the city's sanctuary policies.
For the third time in four years, the justices of the U.S. Supreme Court clashed over the rights of government employees who dont want to pay for the union services they receive in labor-friendly states.But one judge's voice was conspicuously absent.Justice Neil Gorsuch, who joined the court last year after being appointed by President Donald Trump, remained silent during arguments on Monday. Thats notable because Gorsuch has seemed eager to spar with his colleagues during previous arguments and, more importantly, because he was the only member of the court not to participate in a similar case that ended in a 4-4 tie two years ago after the death of Justice Antonin Scalia.Gorsuch has voted reliably with the courts conservative bloc, which wants to invalidate mandatory fees for union services and, in the process, overturn a 1977 decision called Abood v. Detroit Board of Education that allowed for unions to collect them. That's left many observers to conclude that the Abood ruling is hanging by a thread.Both inside and outside the courtroom, the arguments in Mondays case centered on two distinct but very much interconnected themes.The first is the heart of the legal argument: Does it violate a public employees First Amendment rights to be forced to pay an agency fee for services that unions provide on his behalf? Agency fees, sometimes called fair-share fees, are different from union dues. They pay for services like collective bargaining and grievance resolutions but do not pay for direct lobbying or political donations.The challengers to the agency fees argue that they violate the constitutional right to free speech because they are a form of forced speech that requires non-union members to back union positions on the size, scope and operations of government.The second main theme deals with political reality: Would eliminating unions ability to collect agency fees cripple their ability to represent workers and the ability of governments to manage their workplaces?Unions and their supporters claim that getting rid of the agency fees would create a free rider problem. People would stop paying union dues because they were getting the services from the unions anyway. That, in turn, would drive up the price of union dues, prompting more people to leave the union. Eventually, the unions would not be financially viable or represent enough workers to collectively bargain on their behalf.The political implications were not lost on the judges.Justice Elena Kagan pressed a lawyer representing Mark Janus, an Illinois state worker at the center of the case, about what would happen if the fees were declared unconstitutional.Twenty-three states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, all would have their statutes declared unconstitutional at once. Thousands of municipalities would have contracts invalidated. Those contracts probably cover millions, maybe up to over 10 million, workers, Kagan said. When have we ever done something like that? What would be the justification for doing something like that?Janus lawyer, William Messenger, said the widespread use of agency fees showed precisely why the court needs to overturn its 40-year-old case.The prevalence of these compulsory unionism provisions isn't reason for retaining [the decision in] Abood; it's reason for reversing Abood. You have wide-scale First Amendment violations, as you said, in 23 states affected, he argued.Justice Anthony Kennedy, a conservative who is often a swing vote in close cases, led the attack against agency fees. He rejected the argument that agency fees are not political because they dont expressly support candidates or lobbying activities.David Franklin, the top appellate lawyer for the state of Illinois, told the judges that agency fees help governments smoothly administer their workplaces.We have an interest at the end of the day in being able to work with a stable, responsible, independent counterparty that's well-resourced enough that it can be a partner with us, Franklin told the court.But Kennedy interrupted him.It can be a partner with you in advocating for a greater size workforce, against privatization, against merit promotion, for teacher tenure, for higher wages, for massive government, for increasing bonded indebtedness, for increasing taxes? he asked incredulously.Kennedy also sparred with David Frederick, who represented the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) Council 31.I'm asking you, Kennedy said, whether or not in your view, if you do not prevail in this case, the unions will have less political influence: yes or no?Yes, they will have less political influence, Frederick responded.Isn't that the end of this case? Kennedy asked.It is not the end of the case, Frederick answered, because that is not the question. The question is: Do states, as part of our sovereign system, have the authority and the prerogative to set up a collective bargaining system in which they mandate that the union is going to represent minority interests on pain of being subject to any fair labor practice?Justice Sonia Sotomayor, meanwhile, pressed lawyers for Janus and the Trump administration (which backs Janus claim), to explain why the same rationale for striking down union agency fees couldnt also be used to invalidate other types of compulsory fees, such as bar association dues or student activity fees.Those types of fees have been held up by the court, she said, because the people who pay them still have other ways of making their opinion known.Bar members can come out any day they want and say they don't take the same position on a policy question as the bar association. Any union member is free to get up publicly in any setting he or she wants to say they don't agree with the position the union is taking, Sotomayor said.She also tried to get the lawyers pushing to invalidate agency fees to explain what the difference was between, for example, a single employee asking for a raise -- which everyone agrees wouldnt violate the First Amendment -- and a union asking for raises on behalf of hundreds of employees at the same time.Sotomayor pushed back when Messenger argued that it was the scale of the bargaining that distinguished it.You have AFSCME bargaining over issues that affect hundreds of millions of dollars and affect thousands of employees across the board, Messenger said, before Sotomayor interjected.It's not going to change whether the union asks for it or the employees come into an auditorium at a business site of the state and every one of them got up and said, I want higher wages, she said. The scale of that demand makes it protected by the First Amendment? Its still a work-related demand.The underlying case comes from Illinois, where disputes over the power of organized labor in government have raged for years.In fact, the Supreme Court previously heard a case from Illinois, called Harris v. Quinn, dealing with almost the exact same issue. But the judges resolved that case in 2014 without tackling the issue of agency fees head-on because the plaintiffs in that case were only partial public employees.When Gov. Bruce Rauner took office in 2015, though, he immediately made weakening public-employee unions a central piece of his agenda. One of the things he tried to do was to prevent unions of state employees from collecting agency fees. That gambit ultimately failed, but it launched the case now before the Supreme Court. (The governor was dismissed from the lawsuit long ago, but it continued through the courts with Janus as the plaintiff.)The Republican governors push to rein in organized labor was also a big reason for a two-year budget standoff between him and the Democratic-controlled legislature.But on Monday, Rauner took in the oral arguments and used an appearance before reporters on the steps of the Supreme Court to criticize the unfettered power of unions.Everything a government union does is political, he said. Any payment to a government union is, by its very nature, political.Rauner said he hoped public employee unions would be forced to compete to represent government workers, if the agency fees are struck down. But he also called the public sector unions contrary to the public good and described denying them agency fees as an anti-corruption issue.Asked if he thought the public sector unions ought to exist at all, he said they should not be given unfettered power.Lisa Madigan, Illinois Democratic attorney general, on the other hand, said eliminating fair-share fees would make it more difficult to manage government workplaces because unions become more belligerent and workplace interactions become more aggressive.Her office defended the agency fees before the high court, and one of its lawyers said afterwards that, if public sector agency fees are eliminated, he expects the court to attack similar provisions in the private sector as well.Madigan said the real argument before high court was a political one.This case is not about impinging on anybodys First Amendment rights. The law already protects peoples First Amendment rights, she said. This is a case where there are a small group of very well-funded, right-wing extremists who want to eliminate unions throughout the country.
The Governors Official Program is comprised of a wide range of constitutional and legal duties and ceremonial and community engagements. Each year, the Governor hosts thousands of visitors to Government House to take part in investiture and award ceremonies, Open Days, receptions and meetings, and travels widely throughout Queensland to support the activities of Patron groups. View a chronological record of the Governors daily program below.
On Saturday, in the morning, at Tamborine, His Excellency the Honourable Paul de Jersey AC officiated at the dedication of the Tamborine Village Cenotaph, laid a wreath and addressed guests.
In the afternoon, at Ithaca Creek Swimming Pool in Red Hill, the Governor attended the Ithaca Creek Swimming Club (the Sharx) 50th Birthday Celebration, and addressed guests.
A Consultative Meeting, aimed at providing a unique platform for Government and key stakeholders to engage in a constructive dialogue on the Draft Childrens Bill, opened this morning at the Intercontinental Mauritius Resort Balaclava Fort, in Balaclava.
The objective is also to discuss emerging issues affecting children, and, come up with provisions to better protect the rights of children that would be included in the Childrens Bill. Some 100 participants namely NGOs, social workers and legal experts are attending.
In her opening address, the Minister of Gender Equality, Child Development and Family Welfare, Mrs Roubina Jadoo-Jaunbocus, underlined that Mauritius is party to major international human rights instruments and also adhered, in 1990, to the Convention on the Childs Right (CRC). As far back as 2006, the CRC Committee of experts recommended that Mauritius, as a State party, to the Convention has to review its legislations as well as enact a comprehensive Childs Act to consolidate the various pieces of legislations covering all aspects of the childs rights, she pointed out.
According to the Minister, consolidated and comprehensive version of the Childrens Bill is long awaited and the contribution of all stakeholders is necessary in this process. We are all joined in this fight to stop violence and abuse against children as in every society and everywhere we go we have to take care of our children, she emphasised.
The Minister spoke of her commitment to fully address childrens protection development and their care needs across the Republic of Mauritius, and express concern that each additional case of child abuse and violence is one too many.
Speaking about the Bill, Mrs Jadoo-Jaunbocus remarked that the best interest of the child will be provided for in line with the CRC. Children shall be consulted before the finalisation of the Bill and this is in line with the CRC in addressing the issue of child participation in matters affecting the childs right, she announced.
Furthermore, the Minister highlighted that several provisions are being considered for the Bill which relate to namely: the protection of the rights of the child to privacy; circumstances when a child can have recourse to medical, surgical or other treatment and counselling with or without parental consent; establishment of new offences penalties; and, implications of the prevention of corporal punishment in the family.
For his part, the Attorney General, Minister of Justice, Human Rights and Institutional Reforms, Mr Maneesh Gobin, reiterated Governments commitment in bringing the Childrens Bill to Parliament very soon. This was announced in Government Programme 2015-2019 and it is important to have a comprehensive legislation and consequently hold a consultation process in the wider concept of open Government, he stated.
It is essential that Government and Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) join forces to achieve the common goal of securing a better future for the country. The funds received from the European Union (EU), amounting to Rs 52 million, will substantially contribute to support activities of Civil Society Organisations (CSOs).
The Minister of Social Integration and Economic Empowerment, Mr Alain Wong, made this statement this morning at the launching of call for proposals for Enhancing Civil Society Organisations contribution to Governance and Development Processes in the Republic of Mauritius, under the EU thematic programme for CSOs , held at the seat of the National Empowerment Foundation in Port-Louis.
In his address, Minister Wong highlighted that the activities of CSOs in the manifold vital sectors they operate, have an active role in achieving the goals of bringing a positive change for the population. He emphasised that with the support of the EU through this programme, the undertakings of the CSOs will be reinforced and they will be further empowered to pursue their goals.
Speaking about the overarching objectives of his Ministry, Minister Wong recalled that the National Corporate Social Responsibility Foundation undertakes programmes in 10 key priority areas including socio-economic development as a means for poverty alleviation, educational support, training, support in respect of health problems and disabilities, and environment and sustainable development, amongst others.
The Minister also expressed gratitude to the EU for the significant funds allocated for promoting the engagement of civil society for the benefit of the country. This renewed partnership between Mauritius and the EU further strengthens their longstanding ties, he added.
The Ambassador of the EU to the Republic of Mauritius, Mrs Marjaana Sall, highlighted that civil society organisations play multiple roles as promoters of democracy, defenders of rights holders, rule of law, social justice and human rights and are key players and main drivers for change in all societies. She underscored the role of CSOs and NGOs in the development of Mauritius since independence.
The key priority of this new policy, she added, is to increase the space for civil society and to enhance their capacity and voice so that they can play their role in political, social and economic dialogue as partners.
The programme
The objective of the call for proposals is to enhance the participation of CSOs in public policies with the aim of having a more equitable, open and democratic society. The programme seeks to support CSOs and NGOs as actors in governance and accountability, partners in promoting social development and stakeholders in promoting inclusive and sustainable growth.
Project proposals can come from civil society actors or NGOs and should address at least one of the following eight priority areas: governance and accountability; poverty alleviation; women and girls empowerment; gender equality; maternal health; disability; environment and climate change.
The size of grants to be awarded to NGOs will be in the range of Rs 8 million to Rs 24 million.
Government Information Service, Prime Ministers Office, Level 6, New Government Centre, Port Louis, Mauritius. Email:
gis@govmu.org
Website:
http
://gis.govmu.org
A Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the Public Service Commission of Mauritius and the Union Public Service Commission of India would be signed.
The MOU would provide for the establishment of close cooperation between the two parties in the following areas: exchange of experience on modern approach to public service recruitment and selection; sharing of expertise in the use of Information Technology (IT) in the preparation of written examination and holding of Computer Based Recruitment Test and Online Examinations; and capacity building through formal training sessions, including short-term attachments.
The Public Service Commission was established under the PSC Ordinance (No. 23 of 1953) and came into operation on 11th May 1955. It aims to ensure that the Republic of Mauritius has a professional and efficient Civil Service geared towards excellence.
It has as objectives to identify and appoint qualified persons with the drive, skill and attitude for efficient performance; to safeguard the impartiality and integrity of appointments and promotions in the Civil Service to ensure that these are based on merits; and to take disciplinary action with a view to maintaining ethical standards and to safeguard public confidence in the service.
Description
GIS 26 February 2018: The new Code of Corporate Governance for Mauritius is the focus of a one-day workshop which is being held today at Cyber Tower 1 in Ebene at the initiative of the Ministry of Energy and Public Utilities and the Mauritius Institute of Directors (MIoD). The Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Energy and Public Utilities, Mr Ivan Collendavelloo, was present at the event.
Around 50 directors, chairmen, Chief Executive Officers and General Managers of key corporate bodies falling under the Ministry of Energy and Public Utilities are attending. The training is being conducted by Dr Chris Pierce, CEO of Global Governance Services Ltd in the UK. He is a global consultant working with policy makers, directors and boards all over the world. His company, set up in 2004, specialises in corporate governance advisory and development services as well as producing national codes and standards.
In his address, the Deputy Prime Minister stated that at the national level, the Government is poised to make of Mauritius a world-class financial leader. He pointed out that the Global Competitive Index Report of 2017-2018 places Mauritius at rank 45 out of 137 economies while adding that the Ibrahim Index of African Governance ranks Mauritius No 1 in Africa. As regards corruption, he said that the country ranked 2nd best on corruption investigation, 9th in corruption in Government and public officials and 2nd in corruption and bureaucracy which shows that the country fared very well on corruption indices.
According to Mr Collendavelloo, there is a need to input governance standards at all levels so that Mauritius can raise in international standards. He emphasised that governance is not a mere matter of preventing corrupt practices, avoiding financial scams, presenting healthy financial statements or improving financial standards. Governance is also a question of addressing poverty, reducing social inequalities, gender equality and generally improving the wellness of our people, he highlighted.
For his part, Dr Chris Pierce stated that although Mauritius has ranked 1st on the Mo Ibrahim Index for the 11th year in a row, the country should not become complacent and should improve on innovation, education, and government bureaucracy.
Microsoft Teams quickly became the business application of choice as state and local governments raced to equip remote teams and maintain business continuity during the COVID-19 lockdown. But in the rush to deploy Teams, many organizations overlook, ignore or fail to anticipate some of the administrative hurdles to successful adoption. As more organizations have matured their use of Teams, a set of lessons learned has emerged to help agencies ensure a successful Teams rollout or correct course on existing implementations.
National Problem
How it Happened
Held for Ransom
Hunting for Easy Prey
(TNS) That the email was sent by Richard was the first clue somebody was up to no good.Yarrow Point, Wash., Mayor Richard Dicker Cahill usually goes by his nickname in messages. But that escaped the notice of the towns financial coordinator when he wired $49,284 to an unidentified con artist as part of an email scam in August.Cybercriminals werent finished with the affluent Eastside town of 1,000 residents that juts like a thumb into Lake Washington. In mid-October, Yarrow Point fell victim to a ransomware attack, which locked down some of the towns computer systems, denied employees access to files and resulted in a nearly $10,000 bitcoin payment to attackers.Yarrow Point isnt alone. Municipalities and governments, which are usually loathe to act until problems occur, are often easy targets with aging systems and employees who have little training around best practices for spotting cybercrime.And the loss can be more than just money. Security experts say organized criminals also can find ways to access city records and potentially disrupt critical services, such as emergency communications and infrastructure.It could have been worse for Yarrow Point. The town was sent phishing emails in June and July. Town Clerk and Treasurer Anastasiya Warhol saw them as illegitimate and brought the email to the attention of Cahill and the IT company the town contracted with at the time. Word went out to the towns staff to beware.With a budget of about $2 million, Yarrow Point will recover from the loss, city officials said, but it never should have happened.It is an unacceptable activity, Cahill said. (But) it is not by any means going to cripple the town.City hall has taken measures to protect itself against further incidents by no longer allowing wire transfers and switching, as well as updating equipment and systems like email.What happened to Yarrow Point is happening to towns and cities of all sizes across the country, say security experts.Typically those campaigns are very broad and will hit many, many local governments, said Brian Calkin, vice president of operations for the Center for Internet Security The best city employees can do is make sure systems are up-to-date and people are vigilant and aware that these phishing attempts and cyberattacks could happen.Yarrow Points loss wasnt as large as two other such thefts that hit a Skagit Valley town six years ago and a public hospital in Chelan County five years ago.Burlington, Wash., fell victim to cyberthievery in 2012 when nearly $400,000 was stolen from its account with Bank of America.Ukrainian and Russian thieves managed to steal more than $1 million from the bank account of Leavenworths Cascade Medical Center in 2013.Cities, towns and institutions like hospitals are targets because they are easy to hit, said Mike Hamilton, founder and president of Critical Informatics , a Seattle-based company that helps governments and institutions with cybersecurity.Small towns with small staffs like Yarrow Point are tempting for criminals because they lack protections against cyberattacks.The public sector is low-hanging fruit, Hamilton said.Criminals are finding all sorts of ways to steal from towns and companies, including impersonating CEOs and mayors, as was the case in Yarrow Point. One of the more colorful scams cited by Hamilton happened in a Kansas town where thieves hacked into a towns database and put themselves on the payroll.Both Hamilton and Calkin dont believe the two incidents in Yarrow Point are related.What worries Hamilton, who was Seattles chief information security officer, is that theft of money is only a glimpse of what criminals can do to a city. Records, city services, communication and infrastructure also are at risk.That is the real exposure, he said. This is really a canary in the coal mine, and local governments need to wake up.According to a police report on the incident, Yarrow Points woes began with an email sent to the towns now-former fiscal coordinator, John Joplin, at 7:24 a.m. Aug. 16, asking:"John, Are you at the office?ThanksMayor Richard Cahill"After a series of emails providing Joplin with the routing information for a Bank of America account in New York, and a recipient listed as Adebayo Mabel, Joplin transferred $14,624 by noon.Thats despite two emails from Banner Bank the bank used by Yarrow Point saying a forgot password attempt occurred. Joplin apparently updated the password with Banner.Banner also sent a security alert at 11:45 a.m. saying, a wire transfer was created. If you suspect fraudulent activity, please contact our Customer Contact Center. Joplin sent an email to the bogus address, saying, Ok it is doneIn the police report and in an interview with a reporter, Cahill said that the money was immediately withdrawn from the bank when the transfer was completed. Security video captured a possible suspect entering and leaving a Bank of America branch in New York, but no arrests have been reported by the FBI, the agency investigating the crime.The scam artist wasnt done. Joplin received another email from a person identifying himself as Richard Cahill at 9:07 a.m. Aug. 21."Good Morning , Are you in the Office today ?ThanksMayor Richard Cahill"The pretend mayor instructed Joplin to wire the same amount as five days earlier. Joplin noticed that the routing instructions, however, asked for $34,624. So Joplin replied, asked which amount was correct and ended up wiring the larger sum to a Sun Trust Bank in Miramar, Florida.The phony recipient this time was a company called Ad Standards Inc., of Tampa, Florida. There is no such company in Tampa, but there is an Ad Standards Inc. from North Miami that was incorporated July 24, 2017. The company has no website or listed phone number.The scam artist was getting greedy. A third email requesting a wire transfer for $64,624 was sent the next day, on Aug. 22. Like the transfer from the previous day, the money was to be sent to the same Sun Trust bank and the beneficiary was again Ad Standards Inc.The third transfer request never happened.Cahill discovered what had happened sometime between when Joplin sent the second wire and the following day, when Joplin copied him on an email discussing the validations of wire instructions.Cahill told police that Joplin was authorized to make wire transfers at the direction of the town. Nonetheless, Joplin should have been suspicious of the wire requests and should have confirmed with Cahill and Warhol before proceeding with the transfers, Cahill said. The wire request should have seemed suspicious because, according to Cahill, Yarrow Point has never done a wire transfer.Clyde Hill police reported the incident to the Seattle FBI office. Police didnt get a chance to interview Joplin before handing the case to the FBI because he was in the hospital. Joplin declined to comment for this story.Yarrow Points problems continued when, on Oct. 18, town employees couldnt access certain files and some systems were locked.Yarrow Point had been hit with ransomware, a type of software that can be used to block access to systems and files. The perpetrators of ransomware attacks will grant access once a ransom is paid. Yarrow Point ended up paying $9,170 worth of bitcoin to regain control.The town immediately brought in a Bothell IT company, a Pennsylvania law firm that specializes in data privacy and information security, and a Chicago-based outfit that works with governments dealing with technological issues.A forensic investigation by the firms couldnt determine whether any information was taken. The impacted files had personal information, including Social Security numbers of current and past Yarrow Point employees, but no personal information of town residents.Residents were made aware of the attack when town officials posted a notice to its website on Oct. 26. Warhol, Yarrow Points clerk and treasurer, said the notice was posted once they had a handle on what had happened.The notice said the town was the victim of a cyber incident that made certain files and systems inaccessible, and that the town immediately began investigating and working with a forensic investigator and the Clyde Hill Police Department.An updated notice appeared Dec. 4 citing the incident as a ransomware attack and assuring residents that while we have no evidence that any systems or files with personal information were accessed or captured during this incident, we cannot rule it out for a certain period of time.The town on Nov. 30 mailed notices about what happened to about 30 former Yarrow Point employees, contractors and interns; the city currently employs three people full-time. The notices didnt reference the ransom paid. Nor was the ransom reflected in Town Council minutes from the meetings where officials discussed the incident.The loss of $49,248 from the email scam the bitcoin payment was covered by insurance likely wont blow up the budget of a city with a median household income of $203,393, putting it well above the state median of $61,062.Insurance didnt cover the funds lost to the email scam because a town contractor, Joplin, executed the action.Meanwhile, Yarrow Point spent $46,972.21 for the services of the three companies that helped with the ransomware attack.Hamilton said scammers will do their homework about a towns front office, going so far as to read emails from a mayor and imitating writing style.What is a town, especially a small, spartanly staffed one, supposed to do? The days of relying on a firewall and passwords arent enough, said Hamilton, who is not working with Yarrow Point. Networks need to be monitored, which for a small government means outsourcing the work to capable contractors who ensure scammers move along to the next link in the chain.You dont have to run faster than the bear. You have to run faster than the guy next to you, Hamilton said.Despite the security breakdown, Cahill insists that Yarrow Point is equipped to deal with email scams, if protocols are followed. Joplin is no longer a contract worker for the town he worked there for 12 years before he became a contract employee in January 2017 and the small administrative office has received a refresher on best practices. Cahill attended a security workshop put on by the insurance company AIG and the Washington Cities Insurance Authority.The importance of being vigilant became clear last summer: Emails similar to those that tricked Joplin had been sent to Warhol, the clerk and treasurer, in June and July. On July 12, Warhol sent an email to Cahill and Arne Haslund, who at the time contracted with the city for IT work, asking if Cahill had sent the transfer request.Dicker- did you send this?Arne- seems suspicious, is this something I should worry about? When I hit reply, the reply-to address was Richard CahillCahill said the matter was discussed with most of the town staff. Missing from the talk about the attempted scam was Joplin.I cant say 100 percent that he was informed to be on the lookout, Cahill said.
(TNS) - A deadly shooting incident in Altoona may seem unlikely, but the citys police department wants community members to know they have a plan in case such an occurrence happens.Altoona police Chief Jesse James and school resource Officer John Lauscher are scheduled to discuss school safety plans amid the backdrop of the Feb. 14 shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla., in which 17 people were killed and others were wounded. The suspect in those deaths, Nikolas Cruz, 19, confessed to the shooting spree.A public meeting to discuss responses to dangerous situations is scheduled for 6 p.m. Wednesday at the Altoona High School auditorium. James and Lauscher will discuss safety response plans at the event.Given the intense media attention that incident has generated, James said he decided it is a good time to educate parents of Altoona students and others in the community about the efforts of police and school officials to protect children. Several community members contacted him asking what his departments plans would be in the case of a dangerous situation after the Florida shooting, he said.A lot of times people wonder what we would do in a case like that, James said. We want people to know that we do have a plan, that we are being proactive about these kinds of issues ... We want people to know we are there to protect them.Altoona police sometimes deal with potentially dangerous situations, including those at school, he said. But typically dont publicize those incidents in an effort to protect identities of those involved.Because of that, people really dont know about all of the planning and training we do, James said. This shooting in Florida gives us an opportunity to have that discussion with the community.Acting Altoona schools Superintendent Michael Markgren said he backs public discussion of community safety plans.Jesse approached me about having this discussion with the community and it seemed like a good idea, Markgren said. He wants the community to know that his department has a plan for this in case some serious event like this should happen, that they are on top of things.District officials work closely with police in situations deemed as potentially dangerous, Markgren said. The district has developed an emergency management plan and communicates details of the plan to staff members in case of a problematic scenario, he said.An incident involving a gun or other weapons would be among the most serious such a plan would be implemented for, Markgren said. Such plans also would be used for a range of situations, from a tornado to a building evacuation to a train derailing and spilling dangerous chemicals.You cant foresee everything, but we tried to come up with plans for a wide array of possible scenarios, he said.Regional school districts including Eau Claire, Chippeawa Falls and Menomonie enacted lockdowns at school last fall in which students and staff were confined to classrooms after notes were discovered in those buildings threatening bombings or shootings at those locations.James said his department will receive money as part of this years city budget to buy helmets, rifles and other equipment to respond effectively to dangerous situations.We have to be ready to go protect everybody wherever it may be, he said. That requires lots of training.Included in that training is how officers should respond to different situations. He called reports that law enforcement officers in Parkland, Fla., failed to confront the shooter there very disturbing.The bottom line is we have to do whatever we need to do to protect peoples safety, he said.Contact: 715-830-5911, julian.emerson@ecpc.com2018 the Leader-Telegram (Eau Claire, Wis.)Visit the Leader-Telegram (Eau Claire, Wis.) at www.leadertelegram.comDistributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
(TNS) - Hundreds of workers fled the Verla International cosmetics factory, pouring out onto Temple Hill Road in New Windsor, N.Y., after the first explosion hit around 10:15 a.m. on Nov. 20.The second explosion hit minutes later.One man was killed, eight firefighters were injured and 125 people sought medical treatment. Black smoke filled the sky. More than 30 emergency agencies responded to the chaos. But when the first call for help went out, the New Windsor Volunteer Ambulance Corps' two on-duty crews were both responding to other calls.Chief Michael Bigg recalls the challenge of rallying the manpower, largely volunteer, needed to handle the disaster."There was 150 people who were injured in there, who we told, 'We have four ambulances,' " he said. "But calling in mutual aid took us a long time to find agencies, and the county (dispatcher) was like, 'Uh, we're trying to find ambulances, we're trying, we're trying.' "Over the course of the day, 30 New Windsor volunteer emergency medical technicians reported for duty. Some helped at the Verla scene on Temple Hill Road. Others covered the rest of the district, freeing up the four paid paramedics who were on duty.Brendan Quinn, a volunteer EMT, had just left a class at Mount Saint Mary College and was going to get a haircut when he heard Bigg calling for help on the radio.Quinn made two runs to St. Luke's Cornwall Hospital that morning, transporting four Verla employees each time."After I dropped off the group of four, I had to respond to a house in the town for abdominal pain," Quinn said. "So I was away from the fire, and then I went back for another group ... all our ambulances were flying around town trying to cover the calls and the Verla fire."Bigg asked the Verla employees who felt well enough to drive themselves to St. Luke's.Eventually, eight ambulances responded, including crews from the Cornwall, Blooming Grove and Goshen ambulance corps, Bigg said.A disaster like the Verla fire puts unusual demands on ambulance corps, many of which rely heavily on volunteers. But many communities in the mid-Hudson are struggling to find enough EMTs to handle routine calls - heart attacks, falls, overdoses. The shortage of EMTs, paid or volunteer, has only become more acute in recent years with an ever-increasing number of calls.In New Windsor, the EMTs who respond to calls are often volunteers, and more are always needed to serve the district's 36-square-mile district and 35,000 residents, Bigg said. At least one two-person crew is on duty at all times.The corps includes 20 paid paramedics, four paid emergency medical technicians and 65 volunteer EMTs. Last year, volunteers logged more than 20,000 hours.In November, New Windsor EMTs posted a sign at the intersection of routes 207 and 300 and another at the corner of Route 9W and Union Avenue."Volunteers needed: save a life."The response has been heartening: 25 new applications.A similar sign graces Route 17A in the Village of Florida, calling for volunteers for Warwick Community Ambulance Services.Those who can find time to volunteer often sacrifice parts of their own lives."It has a lot to do with people having two jobs, children," Cassanite said. "It's harder and harder for volunteers to volunteer."Quinn, who is also the chair of New Windsor's New Member Orientation Committee, volunteers an average of 12 hours a week, in addition to his two jobs and taking college classes. He's made a trade-off, losing time with family and friends to volunteer."I still manage to have a life outside, but I know if I wasn't volunteering, I would have more of a social life," he said. "I've left the Thanksgiving table with my family to go help somebody, so you definitely make sacrifices to volunteer, but I feel like the reward is bigger."Lona Olejniczak is a member of the all-volunteer Warwick Community Ambulance Service, and works in an obstetrics and gynecology office in Monroe.She often can't respond to calls because she's at work. Olejniczak, an EMT, said most people don't realize that calling 911 doesn't mean an ambulance is a guarantee."Be thankful that you have an ambulance coming in," she said.If there are no EMTs available, an ambulance corps then has to turn the call over to the next closest service and hope it can respond.For instance, MobileLife steps in when the Town of Montgomery Ambulance Company's 15 paid EMTs and 25 volunteers can't make a call, said Montgomery Captain Eric Shorette.Montgomery EMTs responded to about 67 percent of their 1,900 calls in 2017."If we don't make it to calls, it's because we don't have any people," Shorette said.According to the Journal of Emergency Medical Services, the shortage of EMTs plagues communities across the country and dates back at least a decade.There are about 60,000 EMTs and paramedics in New York, virtually unchanged from 2010, according to the state Department of Health.State data also shows the decline in the number of private and public EMS organizations since 2008. That year, the state had more than 1,100 ambulance organizations and about 110 advanced life support services, which provide a higher level of care typically delivered by paramedics rather than EMTs.As of early 2018, those numbers dropped to roughly 1,030 and 85, respectively.The Florida Volunteer Fire Department stopped staffing its own ambulance corps at the end of 2014. The fire commissioners said at the time that they didn't have enough volunteers.In January 2015, the all-volunteer Warwick corps took over Florida's territory. Warwick Chief Frank Cassanite knew then that it would be an uphill battle to staff the Florida area, and it still is.His volunteer push is focused on Florida. The service has about 50 volunteers, but Cassanite would prefer to see 60, with 10 based at the Florida station.There are currently about four volunteers based in Florida, he said. Olejniczak is one of them, a holdover from the old Florida department. She remembers occasions when she couldn't respond to calls because there wasn't a second volunteer to drive."It was hard," she said. "There was a time there where I put in 700 hours in a year."The Warwick corps still responds to all of its calls, Cassanite said. Some volunteers take ambulances home, so they can respond more quickly to emergencies.Cassanite, who is also Orange County's deputy commissioner of emergency services, said the personnel issue boils down to finding people who have the time and who can remain dedicated. Warwick has seen about 12 people come and go in the past five years."They usually don't stay ... they'll be a member for a couple years or so," he said.Some people don't understand the commitment until they're already an EMT. Others realize they don't like the sight of blood. Some become too busy, or major life changes interfere."This is not an Orange County issue. This is a state issue. This is definitely national," Cassanite said. "... And it's getting worse as times goes on."Shorette said the personnel shortage is really a pay problem.There are plenty of certified EMTs and paramedics, but there are not enough paid positions, and positions that do pay typically don't pay well, Shorette said.In some areas, the starting pay for EMTs is about $12 per hour, making retention almost impossible, he added."It's why people don't stick with EMS," he said.When those workers can't make ends meet, they turn to other jobs and often reduce their involvement as volunteers.Bigg has seen similar turnover, saying many EMTs use the certification and experience as a stepping stone for another career in the medical or emergency-management fields. Those people may remain with the corps, but volunteer only when their schedules allow."We have a lot of people who join here and become cops, firefighters, paramedics someplace else," Bigg said.In New Windsor, about 75 percent of the volunteers have full-time jobs in the medical or emergency fields, Bigg said. Those volunteers can only log so many hours.Quinn puts in about 12 hours a week as a volunteer at New Windsor, but he knows people who have logged 40 or even 60 volunteer hours in a week."How they do that is beyond me," he said.After spending hours at the Verla scene in November, Quinn headed to Rockland County, where he works as a paid EMT for Rockland Mobile Care.He needed to clock in for his overnight shift.aspadaro@th-record.com2018 The Times Herald-Record, Middletown, N.Y.Visit The Times Herald-Record, Middletown, N.Y. at www.recordonline.comDistributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
TWO $4 MILLION PHASES IN PORTLAND
TECHNOLOGYS PURPOSE MAY SHIFT
BUILT-IN MONITORING TECHNOLOGY
MEASURING POLLUTION AND NOISE
(TNS) City Manager Jon Jennings envisions Portland becoming a high-tech city with self-driving buses and streetlights that can collect data on traffic flows, noise and air pollution and send out free wireless Internet to residents and business.For Jennings, the moves toward creating a so-called smart city is part of an ambitious plan to turn Portland into an innovation hub a place where tech companies and young skilled workers will want to locate to complement the citys tourism economy.As we roll out smart-city technology and overall innovation were going to see an increased interest in Portland and, I believe, an improvement in the quality of life, Jennings said.But Portlands embrace of the movement also is bringing new concerns to Maine about the potential for a surveillance state, where streetlights are able to watch and listen and gather data on its citizens.The American Civil Liberties Union of Maine is closely watching Portlands rollout and reviewing the citys internal documents about its smart-city project, which is so far the most ambitious among a growing number of smart-city initiatives around the state.ACLU of Maine attorney Emma Bond said the city needs to have a more meaningful public discussion about what types of data the new technology will be collecting and how it will be used. The community also needs to know what additional surveillance measures could be added in the future.Right now we are hoping to learn more and we want to get the conversation started, Bond said.The spread of smart-city technology has been raising alarms both internationally and in the U.S. On one hand, the technology offers opportunities for managing traffic, pollution and energy use. But it also opens the door for increased surveillance and data collection about peoples daily lives, movements and habits.And now that debate has come to Maine, as a growing number of communities here take the first step toward smart-city technology.It starts with communities purchasing streetlights from the utility company, and upgrading the fixture for a more efficient LED technology. But those new lights are also capable of powering video cameras, audio sensors, Wi-Fi and other technology.Communities such as South Portland, Falmouth, Biddeford and Freeport are moving forward with efforts to convert streetlights to LED. Many communities are planning on adding smart features to control the brightness of the lights, but are putting off any formal plans for other smart-city technologies.Scarborough recently entered into a contract with TEN Connected Solutions, the same Philadelphia-based company that is converting Portlands streetlights and installing smart-city technology.Once streetlights are converted to LED, Scarborough may add traffic sensors at Dunstan Corner and other technology such as cameras and Wi-Fi, according to Public Works Director Mike Shaw.Portland appears to be the first community in Maine to aggressively pursue additional smart-city features beyond LED lights.In October, Portland partnered with TEN Connected Solutions to upgrade about 6,100 streetlights to LED and begin rolling out smart-city technology. The work, which is being broken up into two $4 million phases over the next two years, has already begun on the streetlight conversion.By the end of June, about 100 of the street lamps are expected to be offering free Wi-Fi to the public, primarily in the Old Port area. The city will also have the ability to control the brightness of each light remotely.The city is taking on debt to pay for the project, but expects to recoup $10 million in energy savings over the next decade.The second phase, for which the city has yet to secure financing, would occur from July 1 through June 30, 2019, according to the agreement.That phase could include between 150 and 300 more Wi-Fi hot spots, traffic sensors and six electric vehicle charging stations, according to the contract.But it may also include environmental sensors (and) video cameras installed in strategic locations, though city officials stress that those cameras are not for surveillance purposes.We are very interested in deploying a variety of sensors that may be able to help with vehicle counts in intersections, numbers of pedestrians or bikes using a trail or bike path, said Troy Moon, the citys sustainability coordinator. Some of these may look like a camera but only detect shapes.The citys request for proposals said the winning company needed to have experience deploying environmental sensors that can provide data to support a variety of smart-city technologies including advanced traffic signal controls, parking control and enforcements, pedestrian and traffic counts, and other public safety functions.Its that broad range of potential uses and the specific mention of video cameras and the vague allusion to public safety functions that worries privacy advocates such as the ACLU. Other branches of the civil liberties organization have raised similar concerns elsewhere in the country.The trend also is fueling debate throughout Europe.A study about privacy concerns in smart cities conducted by the Erasmus University of Rotterdam in the Netherlands and published in July 2016 in the Government Information Quarterly explored the tension between using the data for public service or for surveillance.As with other forms of social media analytics, the potential to mine the data for more personalized information and targeting of city services are endless and hence, there is a continuous risk of these services being pulled towards the more problematic quadrant where privacy is at stake, and purpose may shift away from service to surveillance, the report said.Rob Kitchin, a professor of social sciences at Maynooth University in Ireland, authored a report for the Irish government in 2016 titled . He noted how data can be traced to specific users. Each smartphone has unique identifiers that can be accessed and shared by apps, some of which can be captured externally via Wi-Fi or Bluetooth signal, he wrote. These IDs can be used to track the phone and, by association, its owner.Bond, the ACLU of Maine attorney, said she is concerned that Portland is moving forward with smart-city technology without first having a public discussion about what information is being collected, stored and accessed by government employees.Bond said that capturing data and storing video and audio presents a significant risk of abuse.There should be rules about how those types of material can be used, Bond said. At the very least, we need to have a public conversation about whether this is the type of city Portland wants to be, and so far we havent had that conversation. For Portland to move forward without having that discussion is premature.Bond said that the practice could be an invasion of privacy and infringement on civil liberties, even though the data is collected in public space.There is a difference between me walking down the street and someone seeing me versus there being a video recording of me walking down the street every day for 10 years, she said. The nature of digital recordings and having massive quantities of information about us present new risks for our civil liberties we have to be aware of.In 2015, the national ACLU warned of a surveillance state after The New York Times published about companies combining LED lights and big data collection.I always figured Big Brother was going to be some giant face on a wall, not a tiny camera hidden inside a light bulb, said Chad Marlow, advocacy and policy counsel for the ACLU. But what is particularly troubling here is the stealthy way in which the product is being marketed and pitched to the press; to wit, as an energy-efficient light bulb with built-in monitoring technology.More recently, the ACLU of Northern California joined with other privacy advocates last year in calling on the San Jose City Council to pass an ordinance that would require a robust public discussion about adding any sort of surveillance technology, including video cameras and audio sensors, to their LED streetlights.In short, these 39,000 streetlights are ready-made for potentially invasive surveillance, the ACLU co-signed by 11 other groups. Now is the time for the Council to consider civil liberties and civil rights implications of these devices.In Portland, City Manager Jennings has led the charge in increasing the citys technological capabilities.Its hard to miss those advances at City Hall, which now features interactive digital kiosks, flat-screen televisions in the hallways, and small touch screens outside of meeting rooms that display the meeting calendars.Jennings also updated City Hall to include video cameras, which also have the ability to record audio. And he plans to roll out ATM-style kiosks that will allow people to make simple financial transactions, rather than going to the treasury.However, Jennings emphasized that city officials have not discussed nor are they interested in using streetlights for surveillance.Its not something that Im remotely interested in, Jennings said. Its not like we have a tremendous amount of crime in Portland where we need cameras on every light pole or traffic light.Instead, Jennings is hoping to use the technology to move traffic more efficiently through town. For example, he said traffic sensors will be deployed on Forest Avenue to adjust and coordinate traffic lights, which could reduce commuting times by an estimated 30 percent.He said environmental sensors would allow the city to measure pollution and noise levels in certain areas, which would help the Public Health Department create the citys first citywide health assessment.Smart-city technology can be coupled with other efforts, such as trying to bring autonomous buses that might ease congestion by running back and forth between the Portland Transportation Center and the waterfront, and is part of Jennings effort to make Portland an innovation hub, attracting young, professional, skilled workers and companies.When asked about the video cameras included in the citys work plan, Jennings said that would likely be used to help city staff make bike and pedestrian safety upgrades.If were using cameras to address concerns about pedestrian and bike safety, Im less concerned about that less intrusive use, he said. There would be an enormous amount of public discussion if we were using cameras for surveillance reasons.
Stoffel Vandoorne says the ball is now in McLaren's court after the British team dropped Honda at the end of last year.
In 2018, the team will use identical engines to race winner Red Bull and the Renault works team.
"Red Bull proved last year that you can win with a Renault engine," Vandoorne told the Belgian newspaper Het Laatste Nieuws.
"So you could say that the ball is in our court now that Honda is no longer here," he added.
However, 25-year-old Vandoorne said he is confident.
"The atmosphere is excellent and there is a much more direct contact with the Renault people than there ever was with Honda," he said.
"There are now far fewer problems that we have to deal with and therefore lose time and energy on."
The downside is that while McLaren insisted its 2017 chassis was good, engineers had to work hard over the winter to accommodate the very different Renault power unit.
But Vandoorne insisted: "The guys tell me that they had time to do everything that was needed. And as far as those adjustments are concerned, it was quite easy.
"You can safely say that the new car is a development of the chassis that we had already, which was excellent. So I do not think we have a disadvantage compared to the other teams that did not change their engine."
He is therefore confident that, after McLaren's three very bad years, better times are finally on the horizon.
"In principle we should do well, because our weakness is gone," said Vandoorne.
"But this is formula one and only the stopwatch will tell. At least we will have the advantage that we can really test this time in Barcelona, in contrast to last year when we were constantly in the garage."
As for reports cold and wet conditions could be descending on Barcelona, he smiled: "I do not want to think about that. The vibe in the garage is very positive."
(GMM)
ROGUE will engineer energycane, a bioenergy crop derived from sugarcane, and Miscanthus to produce the oil that is used to create biodiesel and biojet fuel. The work is guided by computer models, which project that these crops can achieve 20% oil content in the planta significant increase from natural levels of less than a tenth of one percent.
The US Department of Energy (DOE) has awarded the University of Illinois a $10.6-million, five-year grant to transform two of the most productive crops in the US into sustainable sources of biodiesel and biojet fuel. The new research project Renewable Oil Generated with Ultra-productive Energycane (ROGUE) kicked off on 25 February with a team meeting held in conjunction with the 2018 Genomic Sciences Program Annual Principal Investigator Meeting in Tysons, Virginia.
If fully successful, these crops could produce as much as 15 times more biodiesel per unit of land compared to soybeans, a food crop that currently produces half of our nations biodiesel. ROGUE Director Stephen Long, an Ikenberry Endowed Chair at Illinois
Previous work, funded by the DOE Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E), achieved 8% oil accumulation, and now ROGUE will further increase oil production and target oil accumulation in the stem where it can be accessed more easily with ROGUEs patented extraction technologies.
Redirecting these plants to produce oil rather than sugar will enable us to make full use of these productive crops for biodiesel and biojet fuel production. Li-Qing Chen, an assistant professor of plant biology at Illinois
ROGUE will also improve the efficiency that these crops can turn the suns energy into plant energy to fuel their biological oil production. Improving these crops photosynthetic efficiency will ensure that the production of energy-dense oil will not lower yields or suppress plant defenses. Improving photosynthetic efficiency will also help the plant conserve limited resources such as water and nitrogen, particularly under stress.
Photosynthesis is the process ultimately underlying the production of all our food and much of our fiber and increasing amounts of our fuels. By improving this process, we can fortify these crops to create a more efficient, productive, and sustainable source of bioenergy. Don Ort, Robert Emerson Professor in Plant Biology and Crop Sciences
ROGUE will translate its bioenergy and sustainability discoveries into energycane and Miscanthus using synthetic biology, which applies engineering principles to optimize and speed up the design of biological systems. The project will also develop energycane to be more cold-tolerant to expand its growing region and extend its growing season.
Our crop technologies could thrive on 235 million acres, turning untold underutilized, marginal acreage into sustainable sources of bio-oil. Whats more, we have the existing infrastructure in place to immediately grow, harvest, and process their bio-oil using existing sugarcane mills. These oils can be processed into biofuels with existing technologies and sold through existing marketplaces. Stephen Long
ROGUE will ensure the efficacy of its crop technologies through techno-economic analyses and replicated field trials. Energycane will be evaluated at Florida and Mississippi, and Miscanthus will be tested at Illinois. In tandem, the project will continue to perfect and evaluate its patented method to separate oil from biomass and its processing technologies.
According to our models, ROGUE crops will be much more productive and profitable per acre than corn or soybeans. Vijay Singh, director of the Integrated Bioprocessing Research Laboratory, who will lead the projects techno-economic analyses and processing technologies
ROGUE is a collaboration amongst researchers from Illinois as well as Brookhaven National Lab, University of Florida, and Mississippi State University, with support from the DOE Office of Science (Office of Biological and Environmental Research).
Ehrmanns turns spotlight on rose
By Lisa Riley
Ehrmanns Wine turned the spotlight on rose at its annual tasting with the launch of a new area dedicated to the category.
The RoseRevolution initiative, which marks the first time the business has showcased its diverse rose portfolio together rather than with individual suppliers, featured 12 pink wines all paired with food in a bid to position the wine as more than just a summer drink.
Introduced as part of Ehrmanns strategy to grow its rose sales from less than 10% to 15% of its total sales by this summer, RoseRevolution was introduced followong research that had highlighted the popularity of the tipple with younger wine drinkers, said senior commercial manager, Richard Dennis, who heads up the project.
With rose wine accounting for 15% of total wine sales in the UK we spotted an opportunity to grow our own sales, Dennis told Harpers, adding there was a real opportunity to grow the category by educating consumers on the diversity of the drink and positioning it as a food accompaniment.
The stand featured three newcomers, Vina Montana Sauvignon Blanc Rose and Winzer Krems Rose Zweigelt alongside an own label offering - Rosa de Azafran Rose 2017, a 12% abv Tempranillo wine that will officially be launched at Prowein next month.
Away from rose, Ehrmanns continued to grow its Iberian range with the addition of La Capella Cava de Paraje from Juve y Camps; a new Godello and Mencia from Bodegas Valdesil and newly releases single vintage en rama Sherries from Williams & Humbert.
A treasure trove of new Sherries, including rare wines from Ehrmanns new partners in the Sherry triangle, Bodegas Alonso, also joined the Iberian menu.
In addition, Ehrmanns showcased the latest members of the ever-expanding Beefsteak Club herd, while introducing its new supplier, Wellington Wines, from the South African region of the same name, alongside a range of ports from another new supplier - Barao de Vilar.
By Jo Gilbert
Lenz Moser has gone from making Gruner Veltliner in Austria to producing white Cabernet Sauvignon in Chinas Ningxia region for Changyu Pioneer Company. He told Jo Gilbert how he plans to take his wine from the Napa of Asia to the rest of the world
Hawaii: Trigger Modification Ban & Firearm Surrender Bill to be Considered on Tuesday
From NRA-ILA, FEBRUARY 24, 2018
On Tuesday, February 27th, the Hawaii state Senate Committee on Judiciary will hold a decision making hearing on Senate Bill 2046 and Senate Bill 2436. The committee is only accepting written testimony for this hearing, so no oral testimony will be allowed. Its important that you contact committee members and urge them to OPPOSE both SB 2046 and SB 2436. Click the Take Action button below to contact committee members. In addition, please submit testimony to the committee through the Hawaii Legislature website. In order to submit testimony, you will need to create an account. For help creating an account and submitting testimony, click here.
Senate Bill 2046 , sponsored by Senator Karl Rhoads (D-13), would make it a crime to own, manufacture, possess, sell, barter, trade, gift, transfer, or acquire a firearm accessory or any other device, part or combination of parts that is designed to or functions to accelerate the rate of fire of a semi-automatic firearm. In addition, SB 2046 would also criminalize installing, removing, or altering parts of a firearm with the intent to accelerate the rate of fire. The broad and overreaching provisions of SB 2046 could criminalize firearm modifications such as competition triggers, muzzle brakes, and ergonomic changes that are commonly done by law-abiding gun owners to make their firearms more suitable for self-defense, competition, hunting, or even overcoming disability.
Senate Bill 2436 , sponsored by Senator Clarence Nishihara (D-17), would drastically shorten the time period a prohibited person, whether temporarily or permanently prohibited, has to comply with the current requirement to surrender their firearms from 30 days to 24 hours. This expedited time period could subject an individual, who may have nothing more than allegations as the basis for the prohibition, to an unfettered search of their home and/or business within hours of being accused; all this without taking into account the many issues surrounding surrender statutes in general, including possible violations of an individuals right against self-incrimination.
The mobile phones were delivered to over 250,000 retail outlets in over 170 countries around the world, according to Pekka Rantala, the chief marketing officer of the technology start-up based in Espoo, Finland.
HMD Global has beat the expectations of industry analysts by shipping more than 70 million Nokia-branded mobile phones in 2017, the first full year of operation since its foundation in December, 2016.
HMD Global on Sunday shed light on its performance last year at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain, but declined to provide its product-specific sales figures.
Francisco Jeronimo, a research director for mobile devices at the International Data Corporation (IDC), has estimated that the start-up has a roughly two to three per cent share of the global smartphone market. The market share, he predicted, could creep up to six per cent with the launch of new products and adoption of new sales channels.
Strategy Analytics, on the other hand, estimated that the start-up accounted for no more than one per cent of global smartphone sales between October and December, 2017.
Rantala on Sunday assured that HMD Global remains committed to its objective of becoming one of the five largest smartphone manufacturers on the planet. HMD Global has also estimated that it was a leader in the feature phone market in 2017.
Its smartphone deliveries would have to grow tenfold if it was to reach the objective, reminded Neil Mawston, the executive director at Strategy Analytics. That will require many years of hard work, he added.
The Espoo-based startup unveiled five new mobile phones one feature phone and four smartphones at Mobile World Congress, the worlds largest gathering for the mobile device industry.
Today, we are delighted to announce the expansion of our range with the introduction of five new devices, setting new benchmarks in smartphone design with Nokia 8 Sirocco and delivering our most accessible smartphone to date in Nokia 1, Juho Sarvikas, the chief product officer at HMD Global, said in a press release.
Aleksi Teivainen HT
Photo: Handout/HMD Global
Source: Uusi Suomi
The sub-zero temperatures will be the most severe between late Monday and early Tuesday, and on Tuesday morning, said the on-duty meteorologist at FMI on Sunday.
The Finnish Meteorological Institute (FMI) has issued a cold weather warning for southern and central parts of Finland for Monday and Tuesday. The warning is intended especially for risk groups, such as children, elderly people, people with respiratory diseases and people working outdoors.
Foreca, a private weather forecasting company, has similarly urged residents to brace for cold weather and drawn particular attention to the combined effect of the low temperatures and strong winds.
Colder times are ahead. Pay attention to the combined effect of wind and sub-zero temperatures, its meteorologists tweeted on Sunday.
Both of the weather forecasting companies expect the mercury to drop to anywhere between -10 and -20C in southern and central parts, and to between -15 and -30C in northern parts of Finland on Monday and Tuesday. Wind chill, however, will make temperatures in southern and central parts of the country feel as cold as -29C.
FMI points out that such extreme temperatures can cause respiratory problems in people with asthma and other problems in children, elderly people and other people with poor blood circulation in the extremities.
Aleksi Teivainen HT
Photo: Martti Kainulainen Lehtikuva
Source: Uusi Suomi
A Pakistani immigrant was stabbed in Vantaa last Friday night. He was attacked by several people in front of his house around 11:45 PM. He had gone outside to smoke when he was approached by a group of youngsters who asked for cigarettes. He refused to give them as they looked underage. He was attacked when he turned back to walk home and stabbed multiple times and in different parts of his body and head.
Assailants inflicted 20-30 stab wounds on the victim using knives and other edged weapons. His lips were also cut and he was stabbed near the eye. Fortunately, the victim was transferred to hospital urgently and underwent a major surgery. Although still in ICU and in critical condition with severe injuries, his situation is not life-threatening anymore and he has regained consciousness.
The 37-year-old man and the father of a 4-year-old child has been in the country with his spouse who has a student visa and is studying for a masters degree in Finland.
The motives of the attackers is still not known. Apparently, the police have arrested a few local youngsters suspected of committing the crime. Vantaa police are investigating the case which could at least be considered an aggravated assault and at most, attempted murder.
Municipality of Vantaa is a part of the Greater Helsinki area with a population of around 222 000 people.
HT
SUE Ryder is planning to sell its hospice in Nettlebed in order to expand and care for more people.
The charity is to leave Joyce Grove after more than 35 years and open a new community hub as its base in South Oxfordshire.
It comes just over three years after it turned down an opportunity to move to the new Townlands Memorial Hospital complex in Henley.
The changes will begin in April and will include the introduction of a hospice at home service, incorporating the existing specialist nurses, which will provide planned and rapid response care to patients in the community 24 hours a day.
A Sue Ryder team will also help deliver a single point of access care service for end-of-life patients in conjunction with the 111 urgent care service.
These services will be run from the hospice as a pilot scheme and the charity will be seeking to move the 12 in-patient beds to other locations and then sell the building.
The news was broken to staff last week in a presentation at Joyce Grove by Holly Spiers, the charitys director of hospices and fund-raising.
In a follow-up letter, which was also sent to some volunteers, she said: Change can be disconcerting but we believe that this pilot service model provides us with a great opportunity to respond to the way that people want and can access end-of-life care. More importantly, we can expand the reach of the outstanding care provided at Nettlebed to more people.
I want to emphasise that we need the support from all colleagues and volunteers at Nettlebed to help ensure the success of the pilot.
The hospice had been due to move into a new purpose-built 12-bed facility on the second floor of Townlands Memorial Hospital to form part of a 16 million health campus.
But in December 2014, before construction had begun, the charity pulled out of the agreement with the NHS as it would have needed another property for its other services and outpatients. Three years before, the charitys then chief executive Paul Woodward said the facilities at Joyce Grove, which is listed, were becoming out of date.
He said: While our Nettlebed building is undoubtedly beautiful and much-loved by patients and the local community, it is extremely expensive to maintain. It is also isolated, particularly in bad weather.
Paul Martin, Sue Ryders national PR manager, said: It was always made clear the current situation is not appropriate for the care we provide.
In the next couple of years we are going to increase the hospices-at-home service as that is what people want. As with any care provider, we have got to keep on top of what the community needs.
He said the new community base would replace Joyce Grove but the charity didnt yet know whether this would be a new-build or an existing building and hadnt chosen a
location. Mr Martin added: We are not leaving tomorrow. We are talking 18 months to two years.
People will be cared for at Nettlebed until an alternative is found that is right for us and right for people locally.
Joyce Grove, a Grade II listed building with 27 acres of grounds, was built in 1908 for merchant banker Robert Fleming, grandfather of James Bond author Ian Fleming, by architect Charles Mallows.
It was expanded in 1913 following a fire.
In 1938 the building was donated by Mr Flemings nephew Peter to St Marys Hospital in Paddington to use as a convalescent home. In 1979 it was taken over by Lady Ryder before becoming a hospice
In 2015, Sue Ryder applied for planning permission to convert Joyce Grove into 20 apartments.
The then hospice director Stewart Marks said: We need to look at what is best for Sue Ryder, both in terms of providing care but also protecting our assets.
As such, we have submitted this application to assess the potential value of our property. We would be remiss in our commitment to care if we did not look at all angles and make the best decision based on all information available.
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An armored attack is coming down the road! came an urgent radioed voice from a reconnaissance unit operating ahead of the U.S. 1st Infantry Division. Dont fire on us! Someone logged the entry. It was 5 a.m., March 23, 1943. For the GIs huddled in shallow foxholes and sitting in dank halftracks along a ridgeline southeast of El Guettar, Tunisia, the alert was a surprise; they had spent most of the night preparing to advancenot scrambling to assemble a defense.
Thomas E. Morrison was a soldier in A Company of the 601st Tank Destroyer Battalion, attached to the 1st Infantry Division of the U.S. Armys II Corps. Somebody came over and kicked me and said, Hey, tanks are coming, and about that time, bam, one of them shot through there, Morrison said. He wasnt the only one caught off-guard. We had taken our positions primarily with the idea of defending the artillery against infantry infiltration, not against tanks, explained 601st commander Lieutenant Colonel Herschel D. Baker. He quickly realized his plan was worthless but did not have time to devise a new one.
Rumbling toward the Americans were elements of Germanys crack 10th Panzer Division. In the vanguard were more than 50 tanks from the 7th Panzer Regiment, with two panzergrenadier battalions providing infantry support and a unit of motorcycle troops screening the force to the south. In total, the battle group numbered more than 6,000 men.
Facing the onslaught was the 1st Infantry Divisions 18th Infantry Regiment, two battalions of artillery, and the tank destroyers of the 601st. The 10th Panzer Division had crushed foes on the fields of France and on the steppes of Russia; now it turned its sights on American forces in Tunisia. But the men of the 18th had few antitank weaponswhich meant that the burden of the defense would fall on the poorly equipped 601st. And within minutes of the initial report, the soldiers manning the tank destroyers realized that the assault was rolling straight toward them.
The 601sts primary vehicle, the M3 Halftrack, Gun Motor Carriage (GMC), was a sad excuse for a weapon. Everyone knew this was a joke, said C Company commander Captain Herbert E. Sundstrom; Realistically we recognized that the army had to get something quick and this was the stop-gap. But the simple fact was that despite its name, the M3 tank destroyerarmed with a 75mm gun the French army had developed in 1897, nearly two decades before the first tankswas lousy at its job.
Snaking toward the American defenses were several panzer variants, including the dreaded Panzer IV Ausf. G, armed with a powerful, long-barreled 75mm gun that could penetrate any American tank from 1,000 yards away. For protection, the G variant had approximately three inches of frontal armor, more than enough to stop the American M3s gun from penetrating its steel shell, except at point-blank range. The 601st gunners knew this and angled their halftracks for flank shots, where the panzers armor was thinner. They hoped the German tankers would oblige them.
The Americans had reason to be worried. The men of the 601st, the 1st Infantry Division, and II Corps had fought the 10th Panzer Division less than five weeks beforeat a place called Kasserine Pass, about 50 miles north of El Guettar. There, in the green U.S. Armys first major encounter with the German army, the panzers and veterans of the vaunted Afrika Korps ran roughshod over American defenses, disrupting Allied offensive plans and denting American morale. By March 17, II Corps had sustained more than 5,000 casualtieswith nearly half taken prisonerand lost 183 tanks, 104 halftracks, 208 artillery pieces, and 512 jeepsalmost all of that at Kasserine. But while the U.S. Army could replace the personnel and equipment, it could not easily replace its reputation, which lay in tatters. After Kasserine, many officers and soldiers in the British Army wondered if their American counterparts had the guts to fight and die for victory.
A. J. Liebling, an American journalist attached to the 1st Infantry Division, also questioned whether his countrymen had what it took to beat a well-trained and experienced German army. Wrote Liebling: The Germans had done such a job of self-advertising that even Americans wondered whether they werent a bit superhuman.
General Dwight D. Eisenhower, the commander of the Allied forces, knew something needed to change. He started at the top, firing II Corps commander Major General Lloyd R. Fredendall in early March 1943 and replaced him with Lieutenant General George S. Patton, who had successfully commanded the Western Task Force that liberated Casablanca, Morocco, from the Vichy French the previous November.
I cannot see what Lloyd did to justify his existence, Patton said of his predecessor. I have never seen so little order or discipline. Patton immediately issued new policies designed to whip the soldiers of II Corps into shape, including a strict dress code. All soldiers were required to fasten the chinstraps on their helmets at all times and wear neckties, even in the field. To enforce the policy, he fined soldiers and officers who failed to adhere to the standard. Some of the new regulations did not sit well with the men, but overall, it was a shot in the arm they needed.
The revamped II Corps first task: a diversionary offensive to steer Axis forces away from a March 19 attack by British general Bernard L. Montgomerys Eighth Army on the Mareth Line, a defensive line in southeastern Tunisia the Germans were using to block Allied forces. II Corps was to seize the town of Gafsa and continue east toward Maknassy, threatening an enemy communications line running further east from Gabesa major Axis supply node on the Tunisian coast.
Fortunately for the Americans, the Italian Centauro Division was defending the area around Gafsa and the town of El Guettar, just to its east. By spring 1943 the Italian army was a beaten force; on March 17 the 1st Infantry Division and the 601st captured Gafsa without a fight.
Buoyed by the easy success, Patton ordered the 1st Infantry Divisions commanding officer, Major General Terry de la Mesa Allen, to push east and capture El Guettar. The previously unimportant village sat astride a highway running between Gafsa and Gabes, on a circular plain tucked between rocky ridges to the north and south. Allens division advanced and, by March 22, seized the ridges northeast and southeast of El Guettar, smashing several battalions from the Centauro Division and rounding up hundreds of Axis prisoners. From this commanding position, the division overlooked the Gabes-Gafsa highway and was poised to roll down the road to capture Gabes itself.
German Field Marshal Albert Kesselring, Axis commander of the region, realized the Centauro Divisions collapse had unhinged the entire Axis defense in southern Tunisia:II Corps offensive threatened to split the Axis forces in half and cut off the German and Italian units from their supply base. He needed to block II Corps from seizing Gabesand so ordered the 10th Panzer Division to advance along the Gabes-Gafsa highway to defeat the 1st Infantry Division.
NO ONE ON THE ALLIED SIDE expected the panzers. Still, General Allens placement of Lieutenant Colonel Bakers 601st Tank Destroyer Battalion was prescient. He positioned Bakers M3 GMCs on the forward slope of a steep ridgeEl Keddab, just southeast of El Guettarlike they were atop the inside edge of a bowl. From there they had excellent fields of fire across the El Guettar valley and the Gabes-Gafsa highway just to the south, which Allen believed was the most likely avenue of approach for German forces. With the marshy salt flats of Chott El Guettar to the west and the cradling ridges to the north and south, the enemy would have little room to maneuver.
On the night of March 22 Baker moved out to his battle position. He liked the ground. East of defensive position and North of the Gabes Road are wadis [dry streambeds] and gently rolling ridges with some knolls, he later wrote. It is favorable tank destroyer terrain with dry, sandy soil.
Bakers B and C companies occupied locations north of the highway. He placed his single A Company platoon to each side of the road and directed his reconnaissance company to move out in front of the battalion to provide early warning.
Thanks to the reconnaissance platoons, the German attack did not catch the tank destroyer crews completely off-guard. First Lieutenant Joseph A. Gioia, a reconnaissance platoon leader, recalled that around 4:30 a.m., The silhouettes of foot-troops were seen and the rumbling of tanks were heard. At about the same time two men in a motorcycle and side-car came along the right into our position.
Within seconds, submachine-gun and rifle fire erupted from the American lines, wounding one of the Germans. The damaged bike rolled to a stop, and several of Gioias men detained the bewildered pair of motorcyclists. Scanning the horizon, Gioia counted 16 panzers and two infantry companies approaching. We opened fire with everything we had, Gioia said.
The sudden fusillade stunned the panzergrenadiers. After warning the rest of the 601st, Captain Michael Paulick, the reconnaissance company commander, seized the opportunity and ordered his two forward-most platoons to relocate behind B and C companies before the Germans recovered from the shock. Paulick estimated his men had inflicted more than 50 casualties during the brief but violent firefight.
Meanwhile the soldiers in the three tank destroyer companies girded themselves for battle. B Companys 2nd Platoon engaged the Germans first. At about 0530 hours, I saw many men coming over a ridge in front of our position, recalled platoon leader First Lieutenant Robert A. Luthi. I waited until they were a thousand yards from our position, then I ordered all guns to fire. I observed our shells landing all around the enemy infantry.
Despite the tempest of fire, the enemy infantry seemed unstoppable. The probing panzergrenadiers found a gap between Luthis left flankto the northand the rest of B Company. The enemy infantry kept advancing under our fire, and some of them swept around our left flank, the lieutenant explained. One of Luthis vehicle commanders, Sergeant John C. Ritso, tried to open fire on the flanking Germans to no avail; the panzergrenadiers kept on coming and, said Ritso, got within fifty yards of our gun position. Sensing disaster, Luthi ordered his platoon to withdraw to another positionand in doing so, exposed the rest of B Company and the battalion to an attack from the south.
B Companys 3rd Platoon was closest to the highway; platoon commander First Lieutenant Francis X. Lambert recalled, As soon as the enemy clearly silhouetted against the skyline, I gave the command to fire. My guns immediately opened up on the enemy. Tank destroyers rocked as their 75mm guns cracked and boomed. Despite their disadvantages, the M3 GMCs began scoring hits on the approaching panzers.
Corporal Harry J. Ritchies gun truck knocked out two panzers within minutes. Just then to the right I spotted about ten or eleven tanks about a thousand yards away, another vehicle commander in Lamberts platoon recalled. They fired about five rounds of armor-piercing ammo, hitting the tanks low and stopping at least two of them.
Lambert tried to raise his company commander, Captain Henry E. Mitchell, on the radio to report success but heard only static. Then he realized Luthis withdrawal had left him in a precarious position. When I looked to the left flank, it seemed to me that all the vehicles in that sector had withdrawn, including two of the destroyers under my command, Lambert recalled. This left my two right destroyers completely exposed on the left and right. The lieutenant pulled out his platoon, but as the halftracks drove away, one hit a landmine. The resulting explosion destroyed the vehicle and wounded most of the crew. A second blew a tire, while a third vehicles 75mm gun jammed, leaving Lambert with only one operating halftrack.
Along B Companys opposite flank, to the north, was 1st Platoon under the command of First Lieutenant John D. Yowell, from Dallas, Texas. His gunners had opened fire shortly after the initial radio warning. Sergeant Adolph I. Raymond, a vehicle commander in Yowells platoon, remembered firing on a German tank, likely a Panzer IV: Five rounds bounced off and the sixth one went home.
Then Raymond saw a second panzer. This time he knocked it out with one round. But his victory was short-lived when a round from an unseen panzer split open his engine block, wrecking his halftrack. Another vehicle from the platoon destroyed the panzer.
Yowells other gunners found their targets. When the tanks located us they turned completely around and came back over the same route, Raymond recalled. I believe they returned because of the impassable terrain and also to put our four guns out of action. Panzer after panzer brewed upbut not without cost. Yowell lost several halftracks in quick succession. Worse, his remaining trucks were running out of ammunition because they had to shoot five to six rounds to disable each panzer. It was time to withdraw, reload, and fight from a new position.
Finally we realized that our platoon was about the only one left, recalled Corporal John Nowak, who served under Yowell. It was then that Lieutenant Yowell distinguished himself. He maneuvered his platoons vehicles from hill to hill, always keeping them protected from incoming fire. Says Nowak: He directed the vehicles to safety and we were the last to leave the area.
Further to the north was First Lieutenant Samuel B. Richardson, 1st Platoon, C Company. When the panzers appeared, his soldiers performed with the calm efficiency of men on maneuvers. It was still dark when we opened up, daylight just breaking, said Sergeant Steve Futuluychuk, one of Richardsons halftrack commanders. My gunner sent two tanks up in smoke and I another.
After several minutes of fighting, Richardson counted seven panzers burning or broken down in front of his platoon position. Before he could relax, German artillery zeroed in on the platoon, showering it with bursting shrapnel. Complicating matters further, he had lost radio contact with most of his men, forcing him to use runners. In the confusion, some of the vehicle commanders, unable to raise Richardson, started to withdraw. Richardson realized he had lost half his platoon only when a runner returned with the news that his southern flank was wide open. Following orders, Richardson withdrew his remaining vehicles.
From his position, Captain Sundstrom, the C Company commander, could see the panzer blitz and ordered his 2nd Platoon to move forward. It looked a like a parade, said Sergeant Bill R. Harper, a 2nd Platoon halftrack commander. The 50-plus metal monsters were a daunting sight. But, within minutes, the M3 crews went to work, plugging away at the enemy. Were behind the top of the hills, said Harper, and wed pull up and fire and then back down.
Second Lieutenant Charles M. Munns 3rd Platoon was on C Companys northern flank. At the onset of the attack, German panzergrenadiers assaulted his position in swarms. At one point, two panzers dropped off a mortar crew behind a shallow ridge; the crew lobbed rounds onto Munns unit. One exploded above one of the open halftracks, wounding two of the crew. One soldier required immediate medical attention, so Munn hauled him to the rear and then linked up with First Lieutenant John C. Perry, the company executive officer, to secure more ammunition.
The return trip was harrowing. The Germans must have realized that this was an ammunition halftrack, for the fire laid down on us was quite heavy, recalled Munn, who was sitting in the back of the M3. Despite the incoming fire, Perry and Munn reached 3rd Platoon and resupplied them.
Meanwhile to the south, Captain Sundstrom found himself surrounded, along with C Companys 2nd Platoon. One of our men reported that enemy infantry was coming along the foot of the mountain, Sundstrom recalled. The captain had to make a difficult choice. He ordered his vehicles destroyed, and sent his men back to the battalion support area in groups of three; there they waited for new vehicles to contin-ue the fight. In Sundstroms absence, Perry assumed command of the rest of Sundstroms company and chose to fight it out. He ordered Munn to take his two remaining halftracks and another gun truck to defend an artillery unit on the eastern side of El Keddab Ridge.
Looking for an easier target, the panzers swung to the south and tried to flank an A Company platoon. At this time I counted well over thirty tanks circling to the right, the platoon leader recalled. I ordered two of my guns to take them under fire. The combined fire of the artillery and tank destroyer elements on my right turned this thrust back before they had gotten one thousand yards from the hill.
BY AROUND 8:20 A.M., the German assault was finally faltering. The 601st had lost most of its vehiclesbut had inflicted a terrific amount of punishment on the German attackers. Northeast of the 601st, the Germans also had no luck against the 18th Infantrys 3rd Battalion, where GIs stopped panzergrenadiers cold. Meanwhile, the 32nd Field Artillery, parked behind the 601st, rained death on enemy troops.
More importantly, 1st Infantry Division reinforcements began to arrive, including another tank destroyer battalion and several infantry and artillery battalions. The Germans, however, had nothing left to throw into the fight: they had committed virtually everything in their initial attack. The American line had bent, but it had not broken.
By midmorning, the German offensive stalled and the panzers pulled back. The Axis tried again later that afternoon in an infantry-heavy attack with a handful of hesitant panzers. Journalist Liebling, a witness to that days battle, likened the German tanks to diffident fat boys coming across the floor at a party to ask for the next dance, stopping at the slightest excuse, going back and then coming on again. But the attack failed. By midnight, generals Allen and Patton realized they had won a great victory.
The 601st Tank Destroyer Battalion was instrumental to that triumph. Their advantageous positioning certainly added to their success. But a greater contribution came from the courage and tenacity they brought to a fight in which they knew the odds were against them. Despite losing more than 30 vehicles to enemy fire and suffering 72 casualties, the undergunned and underarmored tank destroyers blunted the main panzer thrust. The next morning, the 10th Panzer Division reported only 26 serviceable tanksa loss of 50 percent from the previous morning.
Kesselring and the other Axis commanders now knew the Americans learned quickly. Much to their chagrin, the inexperienced junior partner was no longer the Achilles heel of the Allied coalition. Two months later, Axis forces in Tunisia surrendered, ending the war in North Africa. For its actions on March 23, 1943, the 601st Tank Destroyer Battalion earned a Presidential Unit Citation. They went on to fight in Sicily, Italy, southern France, and Germany.
Shortly after the battle, reporter A. J. Liebling looked back on the victory, and all it implied: If one American division could beat one German division, I thought then, a hundred American divisions could beat a hundred German divisions. Time and turmoil would prove him right.
This story was originally published in the April 2018 issue of World War II magazine. Subscribe here.
John Ripleys All-American Tenacity
I had the good fortune to engage in a brief exchange of correspondence with the late Colonel John Ripley featured in your October issue (Ripleys Believe It or Not!) and found him to be a gentleman. I first read of Ripleys exploits in John Millers excellent book The Bridge at Dong Ha, and I was indeed privileged to have had even a fleeting distant acquaintance with him. The heroism, tenacity and stamina he displayed were quite extraordinary. He exemplified all that is best about your country and countrymen, unlike that intemperate nonsense in that letter in the same issue criticizing President Barack Obama.
James McNeill
Kirkintilloch, Scotland
The Power of a Picture
I was struck by an incident referred to in The Madness of Mini Tet (October) in which five photojournalists ran into a Viet Cong squad in Saigon on May 5, 1968. The squad instantly killed two, and an officer cold-bloodedly executed two others. The last photographer only survived because he ran away while the VC officer reloaded. The irony is that no pictures were taken of these brutal murders of noncombatants. Only three months earlier, Eddie Adams photographed General Nguyen Ngoc Loans street execution of a VC captain who was out of uniform and led an assassination unit that had just executed 34 people, including the entire family of one of Loans men. The Adams photo contributed to the slow erosion of Americas will in Vietnam. I wonder what the effect of a photo of the photographers execution would have had.
Raymond Paul Opeka
Grand Rapids, Mich.
Me and Bobbie at LZ Dolly
I enjoyed reading about Bobbie Keiths experience as the Armed Forces Vietnam TV weathergirl. I recall watching her while on firebase Dolly. I guess being on a hill in the otherwise flat III Corps made it possible to receive the signal. While sorting through some pictures recently I came across one of Bobbie when she visited my unit, but I had to do a search on the internet to remember her name as well as take me to your website, HistoryNet.com, and read the interview to learn more.
What a surprise when I clicked through the pictures to the one titled At LZ Dolly with the 1st Cav, 1968. Thats me pulling the lanyard to fire the 105mm howitzer M-102. I am sure of this because it is the exact same picture I recently found in my file, an official 1st Air Cavalry Division U.S. Army Photo.
I also have a photo of just Bobbie covering her ears. All I remember of the visit was being nervous. At that point of my tour I hadnt seen many, if any, American women. When it came time to fire the howitzer, either Bobbie didnt want to pull the lanyard or I pulled it quicker than she expected because it startled her. Her visit is one of the good memories of my experience in Vietnam. Thank you, Bobbie!
Al Benglen
Columbus, Miss.
The Many Faces of Chieu Hoi
The article on the Chieu Hoi program (Weapons of Mass Persuasion, October) reminded me of when I was an S2 scout in a 3rd Marine Division infantry company in 1968-69 and worked with two Kit Carson Scouts. One of them, Tran Van Bay, had been in the North Vietnamese Army and was with us for the last six months I was there. Beyond a fellow Marine who was killed two days before I was wounded, he was my best friend in Vietnam. When I took a piece of shrapnel through my elbow, Tran was at my side and stayed with me until I was medevaced out and suddenly my war was over. I never saw him again but still wonder what became of him.
Ronald E. Miller
Lima Company 3/3/3
USMC
Regarding the Chieu Hoi program, in addition to the posters and fliers there was an effort to explain the program to the people. I am a collector of war photos and among them are some MACV photos of a young Vietnamese woman named Miss Thuy explaining Chieu Hoi. According to the photo caption, among her stops were the villages within the Michelin Rubber plantation in the spring of 1967.
Marc Smilen
Dania Beach, Fla.
No Sympathy for Max Cleland
As a Vietnam veteran (1966-67, 1st Infantry Division), I found the interview of the ultraliberal Max Cleland (December) very interesting. First, the true story of how Cleland lost his limbs in Vietnam was not explained. And Cleland lost his Senate reelection bid in 2002 not because his patriotism was challenged, but because of his dishonesty regarding how his injuries were acquired, as well as other issues involving his ultra-liberal voting record. As a proud veteran and former infantry sergeant, there is nothing Mr. Cleland could speak to me about or teach me. He is just another liberal who I suspect doesnt speak for most veterans past or present!
Jim Husing
Santa Clara, Calif.
To suggest Max Cleland was denied reelection because his patriotism was challenged is just a footnote off a page of the playbook of the extreme left. What gives his opinion higher status than the average private on patrol? Should we stand silently by while Cleland is cited by the left as a hero because of his battlefield injuries, and is used as a rallying point for those who insist honorable Vietnam veterans were duped into service?
Edward J. Green
Mobile, Ala.
Save the Yards
Octobers Advisers Targeted for Destruction mentions the Montagnards. Your readers may be happy to learn there is a vibrant community of about 9,000 Yards in central North Carolina. The Montagnards and their culture have almost been annihilated in their homeland. They have been driven off their land, starved and poisoned. All because they chose to be our allies. Even those who make it to the hoped-for protection of UN camps in Cambodia find no sanctuary. Two organizations that are helping in their relocation are the Montagnard Dega Association and Save the Montagnard People, www.montagnards.org.
George Hadeler
Luray, Va.
Right on Mac, Wrong on Walter
In the December editorial, Cronkite, McNamara, Truth and Integrity, you hit the target on McNamara but joined the revisionists who lionize Walter Cronkite. You set objectivity aside to credit this man and his impact on journalism. His reporting on the war in Vietnam (both from within and from afar) was not objective, but simply piled on the growing antiwar effort. I was there in 1968-69 and I can assure you that the Tet and subsequent offensives in 1968 were overwhelming defeats for the Viet Cong and the North Vietnamese Army.
The false reports by Cronkite and his ilk set the stage for the effective surrender of our political willwhile our militarys resolve never faltered. His reporting had the ultimate effect of making the sacrifice of 58,195 men and women in vain. After Vietnam I watched this journalist malign our military, embrace unilateral disarmament and solidify his standing with the left. I didnt celebrate his death, but I did celebrate the silencing of a voice that was anything but objective.
William T. Meddings
Cross Plains, Wis.
I believe that Walter Cronkite had no idea what he was talking about when he gave his opinion of the war based on his one-sided view of Tet. In World War II, if a reporter would have seen only the Allied casualties after the 12-week breakout from the Normandy beachhead, it probably could have been concluded that we lost the war. This man had an agenda, and I dont think most Vietnam vets have forgotten or forgiven.
Jay W. Sukits
Pittsburgh, Pa.
No More McNamaras?
Bravo, Marc Leepson! Its about time the word got out about the travesty orchestrated by Robert McNamara (McNamara and Me, December) and his Camelot cronies blindly serving John F. Kennedy and later Lyndon B. Johnson. Someone needs to speak on behalf of all of us Vietnam veterans, especially for the 58,000 sacrificed and long-silenced. Thank goodness there are no arrogant, condescending, self-aggrandizing politicians these days interfering with American military strategy affecting our national security. History, indeed, does repeat itself.
Lawrence C. Reid
North Attleboro, Mass.
A Marine Born to Lead
I read Franklin Coxs account (Marines in a Viet Cong Noose, August) of an operation near Da Nang in 1966. I served with Lieutenant Coxs company commander, the flamboyant Captain Carl Reckewell. Carl was an extremely competitive guy who lived to lead Marines into combat. When 1965 came and Vietnam became a place we would all come to know all too well, Carl immediately requested orders back into the division to be right in the middle of the fray. The same Carl Reckewell made Time magazine in April 1966 when he stared down a South Vietnamese M-48 tank at the Da Nang bridge with his .45 at the ready and helped avert a power struggle between two South Vietnamese generals.
John Sterling
Eagle, Idaho
Its Over, Move On
Letters from a Washington reader (August, October 2009) indicate a man wrestling with himself 40 years after the fact. The tired left-wing cliches about soldier as murderer versus soldier as victim have long been exposed. The justness of any war is a subjective conclusion. Some have earned the right to make their own personal judgment, some have not. Of course Vietnam vets were betrayedsoldiers often are. We were betrayed by government, by moneyed interests, by an amateur secretary of defense, and by leftists who kept the war going after it should have ended and ensured that the wrong side won. McNamara was right about one thing: War is far too complex to be comprehended by any human mind. The gentleman from Washington should do what the vast majority of Vietnam combat vets have donegive it a rest and move on with his life. Its over.
Don Johnson
Holden, Mass.
Originally published in the February 2010 issue of Vietnam. To subscribe, click here.
Women Vietnam Vets Target of VA Study
Nearly 40 years after the war, the women who served in Vietnam, Southeast Asia and in the United States during the conflict will be the subject of a Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) study designed to explore the effects their military service had on their mental and physical health. Eric Shinseki, secretary of Veterans Affairs, said in announcing the study in December, that meeting the needs of female vets is one of his top priorities. Our veterans have earned the very best care, Shinseki said. The VA realizes that women veterans require specialized programs, and this study will help VA provide high-quality care for women veterans of the Vietnam era.
Some 250,000 women veterans, most now in their 60s, served in the military during the Vietnam War, with about 7,000 in or near Vietnam. Approximately 10,000 women will be contacted to participate in the four-year, $5.6-million comprehensive study. The information about the veterans will be gathered through a mailed survey, telephone interview and a review of their medical records to assess their experience with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), other mental and physical problems, and the relationship between PTSD and other conditions. Its findings will be used to shape future research and to help provide the VAs support services for aging women veterans.
Today, women veterans are among the fastest growing segments of the overall veteran population. According to VA statistics, women made up just 4 percent of the total veteran population in 1988, but now that percentage has nearly doubled. By 2020, the VA estimates that 10.5 percent of all veterans will be women. During a 2009 Senate Committee on Veterans Affairs hearing on the health issues unique to female veterans, Iraq War vet Kayla Williams said, It is vital that the VA provide times or places where women veterans, especially those who may have experienced military sexual trauma, can feel safe and comfortable seeking help in a community of their peers.
Thailand Rebuffs U.S. and U.N., Forces Hmong to Return to Laos
Even though President Barack Obama sent Eric Schwartz, assistant secretary of state for population, refugees and migration, to Thailand in December to present senior Thai officials with a letter committing the United States and other Western countries to resettle any Hmong who are deemed to be refugees, Thai officials went forward with the forced deportation of 4,500 ethnic Hmong back to Laos on December 28. Among them were some 158 who were already recognized as refugees by the United Nations. The U.N., the United States and others fear the refugees will face persecution by the Laotian government, which denied immediate access to the Hmong, contending that would complicate matters, but insisting that international observers would be permitted to visit them later. The repatriation all but ended this group of Hmongs three-decade search for asylum.
During the Vietnam War, the United States used Hmong troops in Laos to help disrupt the flow of North Vietnamese troops and supplies on the Ho Chi Minh Trail, to help rescue downed U.S. pilots along the Vietnamese border with Laos, and to protect the U.S. radar site at Pha Thi Mountain. When the Communists took over Vietnam in 1975, the Hmong became refugees, and many of them found refuge in camps within Thailand and were aided by international agencies. Of the nearly 3,000,000 prewar Hmong, less than 200,000 made it to safety, resettling in Thailand, the United States, France, Australia and Canada. Many of those in Thailand were living at the Huay Nam Khao camp in Thailands northern province.
Thailand did not allow the U.N. refugee agency or any third party to assess the Hmong refugee status or monitor their return to Laos, which the two countries agreed would take place before the end of 2009. Thai officials say they secured guarantees from Laotian officials that the refugees wont be harmed in Laos and that international observers would be free to inspect the villages where the Hmong will be resettled. Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva said Thailand received confirmation from the Laotian government that these Hmong will have a better life. According to the Washington Post, some 150,000 Hmong have been accepted into the United States.
Vietnams Defense Minister Visits U.S.
In only the second visit to the United States by a Vietnamese defense minister since the two countries normalized relations in 1995, General Phung Quang Thanh met in Washington with Secretary of Defense Robert Gates in December to discuss mutual concerns, especially with regard to both nations ongoing efforts to search for their service members still missing in action. In addition to the 97 search and excavation missions the two countries have jointly conducted, Vietnamese officials handed over documents that pinpoint another 13 locations for joint excavations. In exchange, the U.S. has provided information relating to nearly 1,000 cases of Vietnamese soldiers who remain missing in action. The two sides pledged to elevate their cooperation in addressing other postwar issues, including decontaminating toxic chemicals and removing bombs and mines left behind in Vietnam. Thanh also met with Virginia Sen. Jim Webb, a former Marine and Vietnam veteran.
Report: Agent Orange Risks Were Known by Maker
A December Chicago Tribune investigation revealed that in 1965, Dow Chemical Co. referred to dioxin, a contaminant in Agent Orange, as one of the most toxic materials known causing not only skin lesions, but also liver damage. The Tribune also reported that documents it reviewed showed that techniques were available to drastically cut the amount of dioxin in the defoliant during manufacture. After examining court documents and government records in the National Archives, the newspaper concluded soldiers were exposed to Agent Orange without being informed of its risks, making exposure more dangerous. Chemical companies that produced the defoliant have been sued by veterans and Vietnamese who were exposed to dioxin.
Men and Missions of Linebacker II Get a Salute in Guam
During a ceremony at Guams Andersen AFB to commemorate the 37th anniversary of the December 18-29, 1972, Operation Linebacker II, 33 airmen fell into formation beside the flagpole. Todays 33- man formation represents the 33 aircrew killed during the 11-day Linebacker II campaign, said Captain Brooks Walters, an officer of the 393rd Expeditionary Bomb Squadron, which sponsored the December 2009 event. He then proceeded to read the names of the 33 airmen who did not return from the bombing runs into North Vietnam.
The ceremony was attended by two airmen directly involved with Linebacker II, along with other service members, congressional representatives and civic leaders, and featured a B-2 Spirit flyover, a rifle salute and taps played by a bugler who stood under the wing of a B-52 on display. The flag at Andersens Arc Light Memorial Park was lowered and flown at half-staff for the next 11 days to honor the airmen for their part in the 11-day operation.
In late 1972, Andersen was the site of the most massive buildup of air power in American history, with more than 15,000 personnel and more than 150 B-52s lining all available space on the flightline. During those 11 days of bombing, when the Paris Peace talks had stalled and President Richard M. Nixon sought to force the North Vietnamese to return to the negotiating table, Andersen AFB launched 729 bombing missions against 34 targets in North Vietnam.
The intense bombing resulted in more than 1,600 civilian deaths in Hanoi and Haiphong, but the operation played a vital role in the renewal of the peace talks, which concluded on January 28, 1973, with the signing of a cease-fire with the government of North Vietnam.
Decorated NVA Officer Convicted of Subversion
In late December, a 60-year-old former lieutenant colonel and proponent of democratic reforms in Vietnam, Tran Anh Kim, was convicted of subversion and sentenced to five years in prison. According to press reports, Kims trial was the first of a series of upcoming prosecutions of pro-democracy and human-rights activists. Kim, who faced a potential death sentence, stood accused of joining an organization promoting multiparty democracy, of posting prodemocracy articles on the Internet and being a member of an outlawed party.
Originally published in the April 2010 issue of Vietnam. To subscribe, click here.
Virtual JFK: Vietnam If Kennedy Had Lived
The film: produced and directed by Koji Masutani, Docudrama Films, 2009, available on DVD, www.virtualjfk.com The book: by James G. Blight, janet M. Lang, David A. Welch, Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, 2009
In November of 1963, the United States had 16,000 military advisers in South Vietnam. Five years later, more than half a million U.S. troops were on the ground there and nearly 20,000 had been killed. The unanswerable question long asked: What would have happened in Vietnam if President John F. Kennedy had lived?
That question has been the subject of an extensive project of Professor James Blight and Adjunct Associate Professor janet M. Lang, both at Brown Universitys Watson Institute for International Studies, and David A. Welch, professor of political science at the University of Toronto. The project resulted in the film Virtual JFK, and its companion book of the same name.
Using declassified documents, tape recordings of presidential conversations and extensive interaction and testimony from a critical oral history conference in 2005 that included former Kennedy and Johnson administration officials and scholars, the authors assess the plausibility of the what ifs related to the presidents decisions on the war.
The book presents a wide range of views and interesting arguments among the participants, and a wealth of excerpts from declassified documents, memos and secret audiotapes. From this factual record, the authors make the argument that, yes, indeed there does exist compelling evidence that Kennedy was on his way to ending the U.S. involvement in Vietnam. While many will outright disagree with that assessment and scoff at the elevation of counterfactual history, the book does clearly present the facts alongside expert testimony and analysis such that readers can draw their own conclusions.
The movie Virtual JFK is artfully produced and essentially provides viewers the opportunity to attempt to divine what a post-Dallas Kennedy might have done in Vietnam by examining the actions taken by the young president during the multiple crises he faced in his first year in office.
As the film begins, with Professor Blight narrating between audio and video clips of Kennedys news conferences, viewers may find themselves thinking more of the present than the past. Christened by the Bay of Pigs, JFK faces in 1961 what Blight says might be the worst year a president has ever had. All the while, former Vice President Richard Nixon attacks him for his lack of spine, and the Republican Party questions his competence.
The film draws its conclusions by deconstructing the string of nerve-rattling Cold War confrontations in 1961 that took the United States just to the brink of military conflicts, despite the willingness of many to push JFK into taking us over the brink into a hot war, from Cuba to Berlin to Laos.
In Laos, for example, in the face of falling domino warnings and more Nixon catcalls (Never in American history has a man talked so big and acted so little), Kennedy insists, All we want in Laos is peace, not war. Through symbolic actions and diplomacy, the United States and the Soviet Union negotiate their way out of the Laotian crisis.
On the evolving Vietnam crisis, the film offers up thoughtful Kennedy press comments where he describes the ongoing guerrilla insurgency and says: How we fight that kind of a problem, which is going to be with us all through this decade, seems to me to be one of the great problems before the United States.I dont feel satisfied that we have an effective answer to it yet.
In recorded October 1963 discussions with Secretary of Defense Robert S. McNamara, Kennedy discusses how to get out of Vietnam and reduce the exposure of U.S. combat personnel to the guerrilla actions in South Vietnam. McNamara tells him: We must have a means of disengaging from this area. We must show our country what that means.
Days later, worried about public reaction and Republican criticism of a formal plan for disengagement, Kennedy tells McNamara, Lets just go ahead and do it without making a formal statement about it. However, to reporters questions about any speed up of troop reductions in late 1963, JFK responds, We would expect to withdraw 1,000 men from South Vietnam before the end of the year.
The film then follows the transition of U.S. policy under President Lyndon B. Johnson, drawing a dramatic contrast to what it might have been under Kennedy.
Perhaps most unnerving is an extended account of an February 15, 1965, memo to LBJ from Vice President Hubert Humphrey noting that the overwhelming Democratic control of Congress undercuts sniping from the far right. He then warns Johnson that Vietnam will chew up American boys, and he wont be able to tell Americans why; that the Viet Cong control most of the country and the situation is getting worse and we dont know who we are supporting half the time and, if we chose to go to war, we have to consider we dont know what we are doing. Johnson refused to meet further with Humphrey about his concerns.
Does Virtual JFK settle anything? Can we ever know the history that never happens? No. But the film and book are useful resources for anyone seeking to understand how the U.S. role in Vietnam unfolded.
Originally published in the February 2010 issue of Vietnam. To subscribe, click here.
The 47 year old actor, writer and director suffered a heart attack after a show in Oxnard, California.
Tweeting from a hospital bed late last night Californian time, Smith sent out a picture of himself decked out in a hospital gown, covered in wires and tubing. Known for directing his 2010 hit Cop Out and the owner of 'Jay and Bob's Secret Secret Stash', a comic book store which was inspired from his role as Silent Bob from 1994's Clerks, Smith had preformed a stand-up comedy routine earlier that night and was due to perform a second one later that evening.
"I had a massive heart attack. The doctor who saved my life told me I had a 100% blockage of my LAD artery (aka "the Widow-Maker)."
For some further context, the 'LAD' artery (the left anterior descending artery) is a branch of the left coronary artery, which supplies a large quantity of of blood to the left atrium. In short, it means a heart attack stemming from a blockage here is a serious medical issue, that can be fatal if not caught and treated in time.
After the first show this evening, I had a massive heart attack. The Doctor who saved my life told me I had 100% blockage of my LAD artery (aka the Widow-Maker). If I hadnt canceled show 2 to go to the hospital, I wouldve died tonight. But for now, Im still above ground! pic.twitter.com/M5gSnW9E5h KevinSmith (@ThatKevinSmith) February 26, 2018
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Having received an outpouring of well wishes from celebrities such as Chris Pratt and many concerned fans, it is not yet known if Smith will be returning to his tour. His agent has yet to make a statement regarding the incident.
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With the support of the Ohio Association of Chiefs of Police and the Ohio County Dog Wardens Association, and in conjunction with various Ohio sheriffs offices and police departments, the Humane Society of the United States is launching a week of day-long training seminars throughout the state. The free trainings run from February 26 to March 2.
An Ohio law enforcement officer with 25 years of service to the Buckeye state will provide officers with the tools for investigating and prosecuting illegal animal cruelty and fighting cases, and will show how these crimes relate to other violent offenses, including domestic/child abuse, gang activity, drugs and other crimes.
Mark Kumpf, president of the Ohio County Dog Wardens Association, says, Our motto is Striving to be mans and dogs best friend. This training serves both humans and animals by ensuring that our Ohio law enforcement partners receive professional education offered by the HSUS nationally recognized Humane State law enforcement training program.
The HSUS Ohio state director and Ohio native Corey Roscoe says, We are pleased to collaborate with statewide organizations like the Ohio Association of Chiefs of Police and the Ohio County Dog Wardens Association to provide resources for law enforcement officers in the state. These trainings aim to support their efforts to respond to incidents of animal neglect and abuse and to drive up enforcement of our states animal cruelty laws.
Support the work of HSUS' Humane State Program. Donate Now
Shareholder Lawsuits Against Spotify Just Got Easier
While there has long been a crusade from the powers that be to de-fang small publishers and independent songwriters as much as possible to prevent them from suing major companies like Spotify, the streaming platform's new public status could shareholders a legal leg-up.
________________________
Guest post by Chris Castle of Music Technology Policy
The Digital Media Association is as obsessed with crushing the ability of independent songwriters and small publishers to sue companies like Spotify for copyright infringement as the industry negotiators are with presenting a new safe harbor for infringers like it was a fantastic give in the Music Modernization Act. But at least where Spotify is concerned, as a public company they may be begging for the very statutory damages they are so anxious to eliminate.
Spotify lawyers like Christopher Sprigman and his compadre Lawrence Lessig have been trying to get rid of statutory damages and bring back 1909-style copyright registration for years. (See also Pamela Samuelson and the list goes on.)
But now that the industry has acquiesced in both of those long cherished goals of the anti-copyright crowd, songwriters will have to look elsewhere to regain the kind of punch that they got with the statutory damages stick. Why? Because a benevolent and patriarchal government is taking that stick away from the little guy and giving it to the largest corporations in commercial history. (And recording artists and record companiesyoure next and youll know who to thank. See Transparency in Music Licensing and Ownership Act that is quietly adding co-sponsors.)
But you say, what could be a bigger stick than statutory damages? It might be shareholder derivative suits. And Sprigmans benefactor Google is a great example of what that means.
MTP readers will recall that we have written before about Googles dual class shares that created 10 for 1 supervoting stock that is owned only by insiders like Eric Uncle Sugar Schmidt, Larry Page and Sergey Brin. If youve ever watched the video of a Google shareholder meeting, youll have seen David Drummond (who has his own problems) reading out the news of how any shareholder motion that was not supported by the insiders was defeatedand massively defeated due to the supervoting stock. The only thing thats remarkable is that the shareholders keep trying. Because while all shareholders are equal, at Google, some shareholders are more equal than others. Ten times more equal if they give you voting stock at all. Google shareholders give the right to be forgotten a whole new meaning.
Thats rightGoogle has what I call the you break it, you bought it class of stock that gives the insiders total control over all aspects of their corporation. If youre not an insider, your role is to shut up and enjoy the ride. Dont get me wronglots of people do.
But some dont. Most recently, a Google shareholder tried to question the companys top executives about their pre-#metoo opposition to the Stop Enabling Sex Traffickers Act.
If you watch the video, youll get the idea. Google is comfortable with their opposition to stopping sex trafficking in favor of profitable safe harbors, so sit down, shut up and count your money. That should demonstrate two things: First, the Alphas are not interested in anything anyone else has to say although they will go through the motions to tolerate the poor Epsilons. Second, these policy positions and more importantly corporate actions are solely the responsibility of the insiders in the More Equal Than You system of corporate governance.
And guess what? Bloomberg reports that Silicon Valley mogul wanna be Daniel Ek mimicked the Google model with the supposedly egalitarian Spotify.
Chief Executive Officer Daniel Ek and Vice Chairman Martin Lorentzon own a class of stock that assures their hold on the company after the shares begin trading, said the people, who asked not to be identified because the terms arent public. Another class will be tradeable by investors. That means public investors will be able to own part of the worlds largest paid music service in the next couple of months, but wont have much say about its future. Years after going public, some of the biggest technology companies, including Google parent Alphabet Inc. and Facebook Inc., remain under the control of founders who hold shares with super-voting rights. Company founders employ so-called dual-class structures to take advantage of the perks of being publicly traded without surrendering control. Such owners can make acquisitions that dilute their economic interest without loosing their grip. Ek, who co-founded Spotify about a decade ago in Stockholm, has looked to such companies for direction. He invited Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg to his wedding and has publicly praised the leadership of Snap Inc., which gave its investors no voting rights in its initial public offering last March.
If the Google shareholder meetings are any guide, its not that investors wont have much say, they wont have any say at all. Unless they are sued by their stockholders in what is called a shareholder derivative suit. A shareholder suit is when a shareholder sues the corporations officers or board of directors for a cause of action against the corporation that isnt being brought because it would require the board of directors to sue itself. These are often based on breach of fiduciary duty.
Case in point: Googles sale of advertising promoting the sale and distribution of illegal drugs. Google signed a nonprosecution agreement with the Department of Justice, second cousin to a plea bargain, after a four year grand jury investigation, producing four million documents to the investigators and paying a $500,000,000 fine. Walking around money for Google, but nobody was fired and according to the U.S. Attorney bringing the case, the paper trail implicated Googles senior management including Larry Page (which disclosure resulted in an apology to Google from the DOJ and the muzzling of the US Attorney,)
Shareholders were pissed and a pension fund brought a derivative case (read the complaint) against the Google board including Page, Brin, Schmidt, John Doerr and Sheryl Sandberg. (Yes, that Sheryl Sandberg.) This case resulted in a settlement that required Google to spend over $250,000,000.
So this is the kind of thing that stockholders bring themselves when they know that the government never will and theres a case to be made. Shareholder suits are kind of like the private attorney general laws that used to be in the Copyright Act where the government avoided the burden of actually enforcing its laws itself and instead relied on the market to do so. How did they do this? By giving private actors a big stick like the statutory damages and attorneys fees (recent precedent notwithstanding) they are now taking away from songwriters in the Music Modernization Act.
But never fearsongwriters who are also Spotify stockholders will still have the stick of shareholder derivative suits to go after malfeasance in the boardroom. Shareholder derivative suits are in a very broad sense kind of like class actions, something Spotify is very familiar with. The class is stockholders and the defendants are often limited to the officers and directors of the company for doing things like, oh, say, committing massive acts of willful copyright infringement that probably could be criminally prosecuted if there were any prosecutors with the chutzpah to actually enforce the copyright law.
And once Spotify sells shares to the public, the insiders may control the infringement but they cant control who buys their stock.
Since Mr. Ek seems to want to be just like Google, maybe hell be just like Google in another way, too. And rememberthis is just the beginning of the disclosure of the inner workings of Spotify that will start to dribble out as its SEC disclosures become due and payable. And these supervoting stock classes are a very good way to demonstrate that you broke it, you bought it.
You want all the control? Well, you got it. And having all the control means having all the responsibility, too. Just ask Uncle Sugar.
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Translations:
Objectif dun milliard de passagers a bord de vols utilisant des carburants durables dici 2025 (pdf)
La IATA se marca como objetivo transportar mil millones de pasajeros en vuelos con biocombustibles en 2025 (pdf)
(pdf)
Geneva The International Air transport Association (IATA) set out an aim for one billion passengers to fly on flights powered by a mix of jet fuel and sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) by 2025. This aspiration was identified on the tenth anniversary of the first flight to blend sustainable aviation fuel and ordinary jet fuel.
On 24 February 2008, a Virgin Atlantic Boeing 747 flew from London to Amsterdam with sustainable aviation fuel in one of its engines. The flight demonstrated the viability of drop-in biofuels, which can be blended with traditional jet fuel, using existing airport infrastructure. A flight completely powered by sustainable fuel has the potential to reduce the carbon emissions of that flight by up to 80%.
The momentum for sustainable aviation fuels is now unstoppable. From one flight in 2008, we passed the threshold of 100,000 flights in 2017, and we expect to hit one million flights during 2020. But that is still just a drop in the ocean compared to what we want to achieve. We want 1 billion passengers to have flown on a SAF-blend flight by 2025. That wont be easy to achieve. We need governments to set a framework to incentivize production of SAF and ensure it is as attractive to produce as automotive biofuels, said Alexandre de Juniac, IATAs Director General and CEO.
The push to increase uptake of SAF is being driven by the airline industrys commitment to achieve carbon-neutral growth from 2020 and to cut net carbon emissions by 50% compared to 2005. A number of airlines, including Cathay Pacific, FedEx Express, JetBlue, Lufthansa, Qantas, and United, have made significant investments by forward-purchasing 1.5 billion gallons of SAF. Airports in Oslo, Stockholm, Brisbane and Los Angeles are already mixing SAF with the general fuel supply.
On the present uptake trajectory it is anticipated that half a billion passengers will have flown on a SAF-blend powered flight by 2025. But if governments, through effective policy, help the sustainable fuel industry to scale-up its production, it is possible that one billion passengers could experience an SAF flight by 2025. The steps needed to deliver this include:
Allowing SAF to compete with automotive biofuels through equivalent or magnified incentives
Loan guarantees and capital grants for production facilities
Supporting SAF demonstration plants and supply chain research and development
Harmonized transport and energy policies, coordinated with the involvement of agriculture and military departments.
Acknowledging that some sources of biofuels for land transport have been criticized for their environmental credentials, de Juniac emphasized strongly the determination of the industry to only use truly sustainable sources for its alternative fuels.
The airline industry is clear, united and adamant that we will never use a sustainable fuel that upsets the ecological balance of the planet or depletes its natural resources, he said.
For more information, please contact:
Corporate Communications
Tel: +41 22 770 2967
Email: corpcomms@iata.org
Notes for Editors:
Ben Power, a close friend of Christa Steele-Knudslien, said her last words 'Baby, what are you doing?' should be a question everyone asks of themselves and others regarding equality and respect for LGBTQ people. PreviousNext
Local Woman's Murder Sparks Rally to Raise Transgender Awareness
Jahaira DeAlto of Berkshire Pride speaks about the experience of transgender women of color and the likelihood of them being abused or killed. NORTH ADAMS, Mass. The call at Saturday's rally following the murder of Christa Leigh Steele-Knudslien could be summed up in two angry words: No more.
No more murder of trans people. No more hate. No more suffering.
"I'm sick and tired of us being murdered," said Ben Power, a close friend of Steele-Knudslien who organized the Stop Killing Trans People! Rally and March, adding, "It's not enough to just read the names of our dead and mourn their loss. We must do something."
Steele-Knudslien, 42, was beaten and stabbed to death on Jan. 5 in her Veazie Street home. Her husband of less than a year is charged in her murder and made statements to police indicating his guilt.
She was the first transgender person killed in 2018; another four transgender women have been slain since.
Some 40 people attended Saturday's rally, including Steele-Knudslien's friends from the Northampton/Springfield area, to raise awareness of the LGBTQ community. The event had initially been scheduled for Northern Berkshire District Court but removed to City Hall for better exposure.
"Part of the problem is that there is no awareness of how trans people are suffering," said Power, founder of the Sexual Minorities Educational Foundation and Archive in Holyoke. Steele-Knudslien, a transgender woman, had advocated for her community by working with groups and founding local and national transgender beauty pageants.
A number of speakers pointed to the isolation, rejection, poverty, addiction, police harassment, lack of health care and marginalization that plagues the LGBTQ community. Transgender people often lack support from families, have difficulty finding employment and are more susceptible to depression and suicide.
Transgender women of color are even more at risk for abuse and murder.
"I am 50 times more likely to experience intimate partner violence in my lifetime," said Jahaira DeAlto of Berkshire Pride. "I am 50 times more likely to experience sexual assault in my lifetime, in two weeks, when I turn 39 years old I will be 4 years past my life expectancy ... the murders of trans people are 80 percent more likely to occur among trans women of color."
Isolation and lack of support also can put them at risk for abuse by those closest to them.
"We don't want to admit the same rates of violence happen to us as happen to straight people," Jennifer Wahr of the Elizabeth Freeeman Center. "But no one deserves to be hurt especially by someone who loves them."
Wahr a counselor at the center, which provides support and services for victims of sexual and domestic violence, said abuse protection and harassment orders in Berkshire County are more than 20 percent above the state average, and 37 percent higher in North Adams.
"In the past year, the Elizabeth Freeman Center served 2,500 people just in this county, and 481 of them from this city, North Adams," she said. "What happened to Christa is not an anomaly but something that happens here."
Wahr pointed to discussions being taken at the local government level to address domestic violence in all its forms, an action pushed by Councilors Benjamin Lamb and Marie T. Harpin and endorsed by Mayor Thomas Bernard.
"There's a chance for real action now," she said. "Please don't let Christa's death be in vain."
Gery Armsby of the Workers World Party in Boston put the suffering of transgender people and others in the LGBTQ community in context with others demanding equality. It was about the rights of labor, the right to health care, racism, sexism, white supremacy, rampant capitalism, and poverty, Armsby said, and a moneyed elite that peddles divisiveness to keep itself in power.
"I want to suggest that we always make broad unity and the broadest possible solidarity with other people," he said. "The priority, the priority every time we set out to speak truth to power, we think building solidarity."
The speakers lasted just over an hour in the cold, windy weather before marching to Steele-Knudslien's home on Veazie Street. There were a few rude comments, including a man who yelled from across the street, but far more honking horns in support as the participants stood on City Hall's lawn with signs and flags.
"All of you here today, you have a right to be angry," said Kenneth Mercure of Berkshire Pride. "We should not be afraid to go out of our homes, we should not be afraid to walk on our streets, we should not be afraid to be ourselves. ...
"It's ridiculous that I should be afraid to present myself the way I like because I'm afraid that if I left my house, I might not come home."
Town Clerk Haley Meczywor swears in Michael Rossi as a full-time police officer. New Police Officer Natasha Antona is congratulated by the Board of Selectmen. Police Chief Richard Tarsa introduces Michael Rossi to the board. Rossi was promoted to full time after a year as a special officer. PreviousNext
Adams Welcomes Two New Police Officers
Natasha Antona is sworn in by Meczywor. Antona's internship at the Police Department sparked her interest in law enforcement. ADAMS, Mass. The Selectmen ratified the hiring of two new officers to the Police Department marking the first recruitments since the dissolution of Civil Service.
Town Clerk Haley Meczywor swore in Michael Rossi and Natasha Antona on Wednesday, the first officers not hired through the Civil Service application process.
"Now we are no longer affiliated with Civil Service so we are really looking forward to tonight's meeting, so we can move along to the next chapter of the Adams Police Department," Police Chief Richard Tarsa said.
Last year, town meeting voted to end the affiliation with Civil Service but only recently has the state signed off on the dissolution. Tarsa initiated the process because Civil Service limited whom the department could hire, which left him with staffing gaps in the department.
Both Rossi and Antona were brought on last year as special officers, which limited what they could do on the force and only allowed for certain educational opportunities and training.
First to be sworn in was Rossi who was promoted to a full-time officer.
"It is deeply gratifying to be able to move someone up along the line," Tarsa said.
Tarsa said Rossi is an Adams native and Hoosac Valley High School, graduate. He graduated with a degree in criminal justice from Springfield College and from the Massachusetts Reserve Intermittent Police Academy.
Tarsa added that he also worked as a part-time officer in South County.
Selectman John Duval read a letter from Tarsa that noted Rossi's commitment to community policing.
"He is a strong believer in the community policing concept and this appointment will not only be a benefit to the Police Department but also to the town of Adams," Duval read.
After the vote to hire Rossi, Duval welcomed him to the force.
"Our town holds our officers at high regard, and we are very proud of what they do in this community and I am sure you are going to make our police department a much better police department," Duval said. "I know you personally and I am glad you stuck with us."
Next to be sworn in was Antona, who Tarsa said started with the department as an intern from Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts.
"She was going for her degree in English, which she received, but during the internship, the opportunity to be with the Adams Police Department struck a nerve with her," he said. "In her words, the department made her feel at home."
Tarsa said Antona is currently pursuing a master's degree in criminal justice and also went through the Massachusetts Reserve Intermittent Police Academy.
She said by moving up to a reserve officer, Antona will be able further her education.
"This will give her the opportunity to further her education process and refine her abilities with us through the Field Training Program," he said. "This will take her to the next step."
After voting to ratify Antona, Duval welcomed her to the force and told her Tarsa has always had great things to say about her.
"Your name has come up several times and he is very proud of the work that you have done so far for this department," he said. "The education you have will be a benefit to this department."
Before moving on, Selectman Joseph Nowak said he was happy to see more women in the department.
Tarsa said he plans to continue to build up his reserve team and fill out the department.
"I am a firm believer in not turning anybody away because in today it not like it was 30 years ago where there was a waiting list to get in," he said. "Now sometimes it seems there is a waiting list to get out but anyone that comes in we want to keep their interest."
Nowak asked that now with the new hires if an officer will be put on Park Street to check the parking meters.
Tarsa said hesitantly said yes and that Rossi will most likely be placed on Park Street patrol after finalizing an agreement with the union.
Ways & Means Holding Hearings on Human Services in Pittsfield
PITTSFIELD, Mass. State Rep. Tricia Farley-Bouvier and state Sen. Adam G. Hinds will chair one of eight statewide fiscal 2019 state budget hearings on behalf of the Joint Committee on Ways and Means in Pittsfield on Monday, March 12.
These hearings focus on specific areas of state spending and help the House of Representatives and Senate prepare their spending recommendations. The Pittsfield hearing is one of two focused on agencies under the Executive Office of Health and Human Services.
While the hearing is open to the public, testimony is limited to senior Baker administration officials by invitation of the committee only. It is expected that commissioners and directors of the Departments of Children and Families, Youth Services, Transitional Assistance, and the Massachusetts Rehabilitation Commission, Commission for Deaf and Hard of Hearing, Commission for the Blind, and Office of Refugees and Immigrants will testify.
Hinds and Farley-Bouvier, both Pittsfield Democrats, sit on the Joint Ways and Means Committee.
The hearings will be held in the Connector Room at Berkshire Community College, 1350 West St. in Pittsfield from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Southern Vermont College nursing students took a trip to Tanzania in January to see health care differences and broaden their perspectives.
College Notes: February 2018
The trip was the culmination of a cross-cultural nursing course and required the participants to work in a hospital in Tanzania. Southern Vermont College in Bennington, joined a other junior and senior students and faculty in early January to visit the country of Tanzania to experience health care and life in another culture. Aundrea Pansecchi of Adams, who is studying nursing atin Bennington, joined a other junior and senior students and faculty in early January to visit the country of Tanzania to experience health care and life in another culture.
The semester leading up to the trip was spent "book-learning" about politics, health care, government, agriculture, environment, social and lifestyle, culture, and religion in the East African country through the Cross-Cultural Nursing course taught by instructor Christa Berthiaume and Assistant Professor Joanne Steele.
While in Africa, the students utilized their skills by volunteering in a small hospital in Arusha and learned how nursing care in Tanzania differs from the United States. They lived in a hostel-type home and ate typical East African food. Time was utilized learning about how perceptions and experiences as first-world citizens impact how we care for patients and view people.
Holly Cadran of Cheshire and Matthew Rabasco of Pittsfield have both participated in Worcester Polytechnic Institute student teams taking part in hands-on research projects. Cadran, a junior majoring in industrial engineering and a data analytics and process engineering intern at U.S. Coast Guard, was a member of a student team that recently completed a research project in Washington, D.C. The project was titled "Using AI and Automation to Improve Processes at the MSC." Rabasco of Pittsfield, a junior majoring in civil engineering, participated in a Worcester-based research project titled "Investigating the Cultural Accessibility of Health Services." At WPI, all undergraduates are required to complete a research-driven, professional-level project that applies science and technology to addresses an important societal need or issue. About two-thirds of students complete a project at one of the university's 40-plus off-campus project centers, which are located around the world.
Academic Lists
Three Pittsfield residents have been named to the dean's list for the fall 2017 semester at Marist College in Poughkeepsie, N.Y.: freshmen Rachel Godwin, majoring in business administration, and Kerstin Schnopp, majoring in psychology/special education, and sophomore Louis Higuera, majoring in political science. The University of Massachusetts at Dartmouth has named the following students to the dean's list for the fall 2017 semester: Justin Bartini, Camry Francoeur and Cassandra Lyon, all of Pittsfield, and Nicole Belair of Lenox. Named to the chancellor's list are Colleen Kroboth of Hancock and Daniel Schiek of Lanesborough. Allison Degrenier of Clarksburg, majoring in animal science and pre-veterinary medicine, was named to the fall 2017 dean's list at the University of Findlay in Ohio. Loyola University Maryland in Baltimore has named the following students to its fall 2017 dean's list: senior Daley Keator of Lenox and sophomore Maeve Shine of Williamstown. Senior William Churchill of Great Barrington has been placed on the Gettysburg (Pa.) College dean's honor list for outstanding academic achievement in the fall 2017 semester. Mary Mcgrath of Lenox has been named to dean's list for the fall 2017 semester at Purchase College, State University of New York. Mcgrath is studying Dance. Area students were recently named to the dean's list at Colby College in Waterville, Maine, for outstanding academic achievement during the fall semester of 2017 by earning a grade-point average of 3.77 or higher. Grace M. Dodig, a freshman, attended Mount Greylock Regional High School and is the daughter of Chris and Michelle Dodig of Lanesborough. Dodig. Her major is undeclared. Katelyn J. Monteleone, a senior, attended Lenox Memorial High School and is the daughter of Robert and Maureen Monteleone of Lenox. She majored in English with a concentration in creative writing and theater and dance. Seton Hall University in South Orange, N.Y., announced that Austin O'Neill of Pittsfield has qualified for fall 2017 dean's list. Natasha Beauchesne of Dalton, a sophomore English major, and Kelsey Rich of Pittsfield, a senior theater arts major, have both been named to the dean's list for fall 2017 at Le Moyne College in Syracuse, N.Y. Merrimack College in North Andover named the following students dean's list for fall 2017: Travis Ciempa of Adams; Mackenzie Rice of Dalton; Cameron Hadley of New Ashford; and Casey Ouillette of Pittsfield. Three local students have been named to the dean's list for the fall semester at St. Lawrence University in Canton, N.Y.: sophomore Holly S. Fisher and junior Cole W. Hughes, who is an environmental studies-biology major, both of Williamstown and Mount Greylock Regional School graduates; and freshman Alexandra M. Lynch of Lenox, who had attended Westminster School in Simsbury, Conn. Western New England University in Springfield has named the following students to the fall 2017 semester president's list and dean's list President's List (GPA 3.8 or higher) London Green of Adams, psychology Abigail Litchfield of New Marlborough, accounting Aubrey Rumbolt of North Adams, secondary education mathematical sciences Steven O'Brien of Pittsfield, communication media theory and production Patrick Tierney of Pittsfield, general biology Kathryn Wells of Windsor, marketing communication and advertising. Dean's List (GPA 3.3 or higher) Gabriel Greenspan of Becket, political science Brandon Peaslee of Dalton, management and leadership Tiffany-Rae Robinson of Dalton, biomedical engineering Paige Storti of Great Barrington, psychology John Young of Housatonic, mechanical engineering Terrance Powell of Housatonic, majoring in finance Emily Andreatta of North Adams, majoring in psychology Alexandra Desrochers of Pittsfield, majoring in criminal justice Lynda Akor of Pittsfield, majoring in psychology Ryan Benoit of Williamstown, business analytics information management The following students at the Rochester (N.Y.) Institute of Technology made the dean's list for the fall 2017 semester: Eli Cunningham of Pittsfield, computer science Lana Grygier of Lenox, 3D digital design Andrew Macfarlane of Pittsfield, computing and information technologies Reagan Schaeffer of Cheshire, mechanical engineering Kyle Foggon of Dalton, industrial design Nicholas Trombley of North Adams, applied mathematics Alexander Stevens of Pittsfield, game design and development Joshua Giron of Clarksburg, hospitality and tourism management Michael Boc of Pittsfield, computing security Below is a list of local students who were named to the dean's list at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst for the 2017 fall semester for achieving a 3.5 grade-point average or better. ADAMS Kalyn Rose Alibozek Laura Elisabeth Heritage Aaron John Holman-Vittone Emilie Krzanik Matthew Provost ASHLEY FALLS Kosta Theodric Casivant BERKSHIRE Mary Allyse Newton CHESHIRE Christopher Ryan Cardimino Autumn Fetridge Madison Michael Roseanna Graves Megan M Rodowicz CLARKSBURG Nicholas David Boulger Taylor Cheyanne Giron Joseph Anthony Liporace CUMMINGTON Marion Tayler Brooks Samantha Camp Melanie A Griffith Sydney Morgan Smola Shelby Fournier Tonelli DALTON Brianna Marie Broderick Ally Marie Brown Austin Joseph Cooney Samantha Rose Cote Jamie Elizabeth Downer Sarah Marie Duquette Sarah Friedman Kayla Marie Kowalczyk Kevin Robert Kowalczyk Jocelyn Latvalla Lucas Carroll Lombardi Emily Murrin Isabella Olivia Sears Connor James Washburn DRURY Charles Arthur Bohl III GREAT BARRINGTON Lily Margaret Abrahams Neeka Daemi Elias Garivaltis Sonora Alexandra Malik Amy Ralston Jonah Swotes Adam James Whalen HINSDALE Colette Ashley Basiliere Jasper Basiliere Dominic Edward Carnevale Sean Norman Peters Brittany Marie Quinn Alexis Wells HOUSATONIC Mark Anthony Leon-Duque Kelly Elizabeth Potter LANESBOROUGH Julia Pauline Vlahopoulos Devon Lennon LEE Jesse Francisco Arevalo Emily Patricia Donovan LENOX Elizabeth Barry Miles Oliver Briggs Annie Margaret Fielding Jack Paul Haskell Leah Haskell Charles Bassett Holt Shay Matthew Swindlehurst LENOX DALE Lydia Frances Graham NORTH ADAMS William Galipeau Celene Marie Koperek Michael Robert Mazzu Amanda Michaels William Theodore Superneau Marlee Suters John Kaelan Wood PITTSFIELD Catherine Lynn Barry Micaela Bartlett Taryn Elise Bordeau Michael Kenneth Brophy Emma Kay Burnick Sienna Marie Carpenter Paige Meredith Chiaretta Bradley Hunter Cobb Jacob Cain Coles Bridget Carey Daoust Alexander Paul Defarlo Evan Patrick Dempsey Alyssa Marie Doerle Samuel Henry Fick Jordan William Fiske Gregory Robert Fournier Matthew James Gimlewicz Micaela C Goodrich Joseph Timothy Heath Robert E Heck Alexandria Olivia-Shay Henderson Rebecca Herbert Paige Cathryn Hinman Stacy A. Horomanski Elizabeth Howe Emanuel Quincy Hurvitz Allison L Kahn Matthew Joseph Kelley Jillian Ann King Amber Landry Reilly Elizabeth Lee Thomas Matthew Lee Ranjana Lingutla Griffin Thomas Manns Kira Diane Martin Quinlan Mark Matthews Mia Gabriella Mazzeo Courtney Marie McMahon Erin Elizabeth Murphy Timothy J Murray Jonathan Placido Mackenzi Gloria Powers Parker Rahilly Bradley Michael Reardon Arthur James Rosiello Matas Rudzinskas Lauren Michelle Russo Danielle Soule Nicholas Tullio Squires Ashley May Sulock Shane Patrick Tierney RICHMOND David Graziani Zev Elijah Jarrett SHEFFIELD Lionel Anthony Bierbower Danielle Goewey Maura Robitaille SOUTH EGREMONT Eliza McManus Maggio Emily Ann Rappaport SOUTHFIELD Georgia Khouri Bass STOCKBRIDGE Emma Sprague Adler TYRINGHAM Sara Cheyenne Groves WEST STOCKBRIDGE Ryan Matthew B. Villar WILLIAMSTOWN Casey Tran Lyons O'Siris Judea Terry Suni Ton WINDSOR Catherine Grace Fusini Dalton Wheeler Hill WORTHINGTON Erin Christine Archambault Davis Daniel Britland Eli Pease
Graduations
The following students graduated Feb. 15 from Western New England University in Springfield: Rachel L. Down of Lanesborough, summa cum laude, bachelor of science in electrical engineering; and Jacob A. Farron of Pittsfield, bachelor of science in mechanical engineering
Palestinians: Israel Is One Big Settlement
The Fellowship | February 26, 2018 Palestinians: Israel Is One Big Settlement
As Palestinian rage ramps back up over word that the American embassy will move to Israel in May, much of the world seems to think that Jerusalem is at issue. But the world would be wrong. Gatestone Institutes Bassam Tawil writes that the Palestinians problem is not with Jerusalem or settlements or any other issue than the very existence of the Jewish state and her people:
Let us be clear about this: When Palestinians and some of their supporters in the international community, including Europe say that they want an end to the occupation, they mean they want to see an end to Israels existence, full stop. They do not want to throw the Jews out of their homes in the settlements; rather, they want Jews to be expelled from the whole country.
The conflict, as far as the Palestinians are concerned, did not begin in 1967, when east Jerusalem, the West Bank and Gaza Strip came under Israeli control. In the eyes of the Palestinians, all Jews are settlers and colonialists. All the land, they argue, stretching from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea, is Muslim-owned land, and no Muslim is entitled to give up any part of it to a non-Muslim.
In other words, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, a Muslim himself, will be considered a kaffir, an apostate and a traitor if he ever agreed to cede control over Muslim owned land to Jews.
That is why it is naive to assume that Abbas would ever sign any deal with Israel.
Neither Abbas nor any other Palestinian leader can accept anything less than 100 percent; and 100 percent means all of Israel. It does not mean a 100 percent of the 67 borders or of the West Bank, Gaza Strip and east Jerusalem. Yes, the Palestinians want peace, but that that means peace without Israel, not peace with Israel. Real peace, the Palestinians argue, will be achieved only when Israel is eliminated and the Jews disappear.
For the Palestinians, accepting Israels right to exist with Jews is seen as an act of treason
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Imperial Valley News Center
Attorney General Sessions Delivers Remarks at the 2018 Elder Fraud Sweep Press Conference
Washington, DC - Attorney General Sessions Delivers Remarks at the 2018 Elder Fraud Sweep Press Conference:
Good morning, and thank you all for being here.
Each year, an estimated $3 billion are stolen or defrauded from millions of American seniors. Through grandparent scams, fake prizes or even threats, criminals prey on some of the most vulnerable Americans to steal their hard-earned savings and their peace of mind.
And this threat is only growing. The Senate Aging Committee's Fraud Hotline received twice as many reports in 2016 as it received in 2015. The rise of new technologies has made it easier for criminals to coordinate their efforts and perpetrate their crimes.
But the Trump Administration is taking action. We will not let this crime continue to rise.
Last month, the Department ordered all 94 of our U.S. Attorneys offices to each designate an elder justice coordinator, who will customize our strategy to protect seniors in their district. This will ensure even greater cooperation between the Department of Justice and our law enforcement partners.
The Trump administration is forming unprecedented law enforcement partnerships around the country and, indeed, around the world. These partnerships are already bearing fruit.
Today, the Department of Justice is announcing the largest elder fraud enforcement action in American history.
With the help of our partners at all levels of government and in the private sector, we have charged more than 200 defendants for committing elder fraud schemes and brought civil actions against dozens more.
These defendants allegedly robbed more than one million Americans of more than half a billion dollars.
In the past month alone, the Departments Consumer Protection Branch and our U.S. Attorneys Offices have filed cases against more than 40 defendants. These 40 defendants are responsible for a majority of those 1 million victims I mentioned, and they include charges against the transnational criminal organization highlighted on the map we have displayed.
Just yesterday the Postal Inspection Service executed 14 search warrants across America. The Department of Justices Consumer Protection Branch and our U.S. Attorneys are working closely with the postal inspectors on these investigations.
And as we speak, our partners with the Vancouver, Canada Police Department are executing dozens of search warrants as part of this enforcement action. These warrants are being carried out against members of transnational criminal organizations that have allegedly defrauded tens of thousands of Americans and people all over the world.
And so I want to thank the Postal Inspection Service, the FTC and its Consumer Sentinel database, the FBI and its Los Angeles field office, the Vancouver Police Department, the U.S. Attorneys Offices in the Eastern District of New York and the Southern District of Iowa, our elder justice coordinators, and all of our state, local, and international partners who helped make this historic achievement possible.
Thank you to Derek Schmidt, Kansas Attorney General and President of the National Association of Attorneys General for participating in this action and representing our state Attorneys General, who play a vital role in this effort.
And thank you to the Senate Special Committee on Aging, especially to my good friends Senators Grassley and Collins. They have a real passion for this issue and they have helped raise awareness about it.
I also want to thank Deborah Cox-Rausch, director of Senior Corps, a federal agency that coordinates the work of hundreds of thousands of senior citizen volunteers across the country. Senior Corps has helped get the word out about the threat of fraud schemes to our seniors, and I believe that helps prevent crime.
Thats why I hope that no victim of fraud feels ashamed. This can happen to anyone. Several members of my staff have told me about their grandparents being targeted by fraudsters. In fact, just this past week, one of my senior staffers was in a meeting with me when she got a call from her grandmother, who had just received a phone call from a fraudster.
We need to spread the word about this. So, please, if you or someone you know was victimized by an elder fraud scheme, please report it to the FTC. It might just give us the tip we need to put criminals in jailand to protect other seniors.
We are joined here today by several Americans who have had the courage to step forward and share their stories of being victimized by fraudsters. Theyve come a long way to be hereand I want to thank them for that and for sharing their experiences and insights.
Well hear one of those stories now from Angela Stancik of Houston, Texas.
Imperial Valley News Center
Denaturalization Sought Against Five Child Sexual Abusers in California, Maryland, North Carolina, and Texas
Washington, DC - The Department of Justice Thursday, filed denaturalization lawsuits against five individuals who, according to the Departments complaints, unlawfully procured their United States citizenship by concealing their sexual abuse of minor victims during the naturalization process.
The civil complaints were filed in federal court in the Eastern District of California, the District of Maryland, the Middle District of North Carolina, and the Southern District of Texas (two cases).
Those who wish to become American citizens ought to respect our laws and seek citizenship lawfully and honestly, said Attorney General Jeff Sessions. Anyone who lies, misleads, or omits critical information in an attempt to evade the requirements for naturalization undermines the credibility of our nations generous lawful immigration system. This Justice Department will continue to seek out fraudsters and bring them to justice by obtaining orders revoking their naturalized citizenship.
The cases were referred to the Department of Justice by the Department of Homeland Securitys U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) with investigative support from U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.
ICE is committed to collaborating with our sister agencies within DHS to target individuals who conceal illicit activities in order to obtain U.S. citizenship, said ICE Deputy Director Thomas D. Homan. When special agents identify a child predator, exploiting the most innocent among us, and other criminals who have defrauded the U.S. immigration system for naturalization benefits, then ICE will move to have their citizenship revoked.
Under the Immigration and Nationality Act, the citizenship of a naturalized U.S. citizen may be revoked, and his or her certificate of naturalization canceled, if such naturalization was illegally procured or procured by concealment of a material fact or by willful misrepresentation.
The five defendants committed crimes of sexual abuse of minor victims prior to naturalizing. As the civil complaints allege, such crimes rendered the defendants ineligible for citizenship at the time they naturalized. By willfully concealing child sexual abuse crimes, the defendants also independently rendered themselves subject to denaturalization.
A description of each of the five cases and the allegations of the United States follows:
Ricardo De Leon
Ricardo De Leon, 32, a native of Mexico, naturalized on July 23, 2010. Before De Leon naturalized as a U.S. citizen, he sexually assaulted a child under the age of 12. In July 2015, after he had naturalized, De Leon was indicted, and in March 2017 he pleaded guilty in Texas state court to committing aggravated sexual assault of a child in 2009. He was ordered to ten years of community supervision and required to register as a sex offender. He has been residing in Edinburg, Texas. United States of America v. Ricardo De Leon (S.D. Tex.).
Christian Oribello Eguilos
Christian Oribello Eguilos, 40, a native of the Philippines, naturalized on Nov. 6, 2013. For several years before filing his naturalization application and throughout the naturalization process, Eguilos repeatedly committed forcible lewd acts upon a child under the age of 14. In September 2015, he pleaded nolo contendere in California state court to four counts of Forcible Lewd Act Upon a Child. Eguilos was sentenced to 40 years in prison and ordered to register as a sex offender. He is incarcerated in Ione, California. United States of America v. Christian Oribello Eguilos (E.D. Cal.).
Carlos Noe Gallegos
Carlos Noe Gallegos, 41, a native of Mexico, naturalized on March 10, 2010. Before Gallegos naturalized as a U.S. citizen, he sexually assaulted a seven-year-old child. In November 2016, after he had naturalized, Gallegos was indicted, and in April 2017 he pleaded guilty in Texas state court to committing aggravated sexual assault of a child in 2007. He was ordered to six years of community supervision and required to register as a sex offender. He has been residing in Alamo, Texas. United States of America v. Carlos Noe Gallegos (S.D. Tex.).
Alwin Farouk Gariba
Alwin Farouk Gariba, 51, a native of Guyana, naturalized on Feb. 29, 2000. After he applied to naturalize but while he was in the naturalization process, Gariba repeatedly sexually abused a ten-year-old child. In July 2000, only months after he had naturalized, Gariba pleaded guilty in North Carolina state court to three counts of Taking Indecent Liberties with Children. He was placed on 60 months probation and ordered to register as a sex offender. He has been residing in Greensboro, North Carolina. United States of America v. Alwin Farouk Gariba (M.D.N.C.).
Moises Javier Lopez
Moises Javier Lopez, 42, a native of the Republic of Colombia, naturalized on March 22, 2013. Before filing his naturalization application and throughout the naturalization process, Lopez sexually abused a minor child. In August 2013, he pleaded guilty in Maryland state court to Sexual Abuse of a Minor. He was sentenced to 25 years confinement, all but four suspended. He has been residing in Gaithersburg, Maryland. United States of America v. Moises Javier Lopez (D. Md.).
These cases were investigated by ICE, CBP, and the Civil Divisions Office of Immigration Litigation, District Court Section (OIL-DCS). These cases are being prosecuted by OIL-DCS and its National Security and Affirmative Litigation Unit (NS/A Unit) with support from the U.S. Attorneys Offices for the Eastern District of California, the District of Maryland, the Middle District of North Carolina, and the Southern District of Texas.
The claims made in the complaints are allegations only, and there have been no determinations of liability.
Imperial Valley News Center
United States Files False Claims Act Complaint Against Compounding Pharmacy, Private Equity Firm, and Two Pharmacy Executives Alleging Payment of Kickbacks
Los Angeles, California - The United States has filed a complaint in intervention against Diabetic Care Rx LLC d/b/a Patient Care America (PCA), a compounding pharmacy located in Pompano Beach, Florida, alleging that the pharmacy paid illegal kickbacks to induce prescriptions for compounded drugs reimbursed by TRICARE, the Department of Justice announced today. The government has also brought claims against Patrick Smith and Matthew Smith, two pharmacy executives, and Riordan, Lewis & Haden Inc. (RLH), a private equity firm based in Los Angeles, California, which manages both the pharmacy and the private equity fund that owns the pharmacy, for their involvement in the alleged kickback scheme.
TRICARE is a federally-funded health care program for military personnel and their families. The government alleges that the Defendants paid kickbacks to marketing companies to target TRICARE beneficiaries for prescriptions for compounded pain creams, scar creams, and vitamins, without regard to the patients medical needs. According to the complaint, the compound formulas were manipulated by the Defendants and the marketers to ensure the highest possible reimbursement from TRICARE. The Defendants and marketers allegedly paid telemedicine doctors to prescribe the creams and vitamins without seeing the patients, and sometimes paid the patients themselves to accept the prescriptions. The scheme generated tens of millions of dollars in reimbursements from TRICARE in a matter of months, according to the complaint, which alleges that the Defendants and marketers split the profits from the scheme.
The Department of Justice is determined to hold accountable health care providers that improperly use taxpayer funded health care programs to enrich themselves, said Acting Assistant Attorney General for the Justice Departments Civil Division Chad A. Readler. Kickback schemes corrupt the health care system and damage the public trust.
Providers and marketers that engage in kickback schemes drive up the cost of health care because they focus on their own bottom line instead of what is in the best interest of patients, said Executive Assistant Randy Hummel of the United States Attorneys Office for the Southern District of Florida. We will hold pharmacies, and those companies that manage them, responsible for using kickbacks to line their pockets at the expense of taxpayers and federal health care beneficiaries.
The Defense Criminal Investigative Service (DCIS) is committed to protecting the integrity of TRICARE, the military health care program that provides critical medical care and services to Department of Defense beneficiaries, said Special Agent in Charge John F. Khin, of the Southeast Field Office. In partnership with DOJ and other law enforcement agencies, DCIS continues to aggressively investigate fraud and corruption to preserve and recover precious taxpayer dollars to best serve the needs of our warfighters, their family members, and military retirees.
The lawsuit, United States ex rel. Medrano and Lopez v. Diabetic Care Rx, LLC dba Patient Care America, et al., No. 15-CV-62617 (S.D. Fla.), was originally filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida by Marisela Medrano and Ada Lopez, two former employees of PCA. The lawsuit was filed under the qui tam or whistleblower provisions of the False Claims Act, which permit private parties to sue for false claims against of the United States and to receive a share of any recovery. The Act permits the United States to intervene in such lawsuits, as the United States has done in this case.
This matter was investigated by the Civil Divisions Commercial Litigation Branch, the U.S. Attorneys Office for the Southern District of Florida, the Defense Criminal Investigative Service, the U.S. Food and Drug Administrations Office of Criminal Investigations, and the U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Commands Major Procurement Fraud Unit.
The claims asserted against the defendants are allegations only; there has been no determination of liability.
Imperial Valley News Center
State-Defense Cooperation on Global Engagement Center Programs and Creation of the Information Access Fund to Counter State-Sponsored Disinformation
Washington, DC - The Department of State is pleased to announce a new partnership with the Department of Defense. We have signed a Memorandum of Agreement to transfer $40 million from the Department of Defense to the Department of States Global Engagement Center (GEC) in Fiscal Year 2018 for initiatives to counter propaganda and disinformation from foreign nations.
One of those initiatives is the creation of an Information Access Fund to support public and private partners working to expose and counter propaganda and disinformation from foreign nations. Under the Information Access Fund, civil society groups, media content providers, nongovernmental organizations, federally funded research and development centers, private companies, and academic institutions will be eligible to compete for grants from the GEC to advance their important work to counter propaganda and disinformation.
Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs Steve Goldstein said the transfer of funds announced today reiterates the United States commitment to the fight.
This funding is critical to ensuring that we continue an aggressive response to malign influence and disinformation and that we can leverage deeper partnerships with our allies, Silicon Valley, and other partners in this fight, said Under Secretary Goldstein. It is not merely a defensive posture that we should take, we also need to be on the offensive.
The Department of State plans to award an initial $5 million in grants from the Information Access Fund. In consultation with Congress, this funding will include $1 million in initial seed money from the Department of States public diplomacy account in order to kick-start the initiative quickly. The Fund will be a key part of the GECs partnerships with local civil society organizations, NGOs, media providers, and content creators to counter propaganda and disinformation. The Fund will also drive the use of innovative messaging and data science techniques.
Separately, the GEC will initiate a series of pilot projects developed with the Department of Defense that are designed to counter propaganda and disinformation. Those projects will be supported by Department of Defense funding.
The Department of State will soon begin reviewing applications for funding from the Information Access Fund.
Former Police Officer Sentenced for Attempting to Support ISIS
Washington, DC - Nicholas Young, 38, of Fairfax, Virginia, and a former police officer, was sentenced Friday to 15 years in prison for attempting to provide material support to the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS), a designated foreign terrorist organization, and obstruction of justice.
Assistant Attorney General for National Security John C. Demers, Acting U.S. Attorney Tracy Doherty-McCormick for the Eastern District of Virginia and Assistant Director in Charge Andrew W. Vale of the FBIs Washington Field Office made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge Leonie M. Brinkema.
According to court records and evidence presented at trial, Young was formerly employed as a police officer with the Metro Transit Police Department. In late July 2016, Young attempted to provide material support and resources to ISIS by purchasing and sending gift card codes that he believed would allow ISIS recruiters to securely communicate with potential ISIS recruits.
Between Dec. 3, 2015, and Dec. 5, 2015, Young attempted to obstruct and impede an official proceeding. Specifically, Young believed an associate of his, who was actually an FBI confidential human source (CHS), had successfully joined ISIS in late 2014. During an FBI interview, Young was told the FBI was investigating the attempt of his associate (the CHS) to join ISIS. Nevertheless, in an attempt to thwart the prosecution of the CHS and himself, Young attempted to deceive investigators as to the destination and purpose of the CHSs travel.
Additionally, in November 2014, Young attempted to obstruct, influence and impede an official proceeding of the Grand Jury by sending a text message to the CHSs cell phone in order to make it falsely appear to the FBI that Young believed that the CHS had left the United States to go on vacation in Turkey. In actuality, Young believed the CHS had gone to Turkey and then to Syria in order to join and fight for ISIS.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Gordon D. Kromberg and John T. Gibbs, and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Evan Turgeon of the Eastern District of Virginia; and Trial Attorney David P. Cora of the National Security Divisions Counterterrorism Section prosecuted the case.
Bollywood actor Sridevi Kapoor died due to accidental drowning in a bathtub, according to a forensic report seen by local media.
Dubai Police released the report to family, revealing traces of alcohol were found in the 54-year-olds body. According to Gulf News, she accidentally lost balance, fell into the bathtub and drowned.
Sridevi whose death was first reported over the weekend was attending her nephews wedding in Dubai with her husband, film producer Boney Kapoor, and daughter Khushi.
Initial reports claim Kapoor and Sridevi attended dinner together at 5.30pm on Saturday (24 February) before the actor went to the bathroom to prepare for the evening.
Khaleej Times say Kapoor forced himself into the room after receiving no response, only to find Sridevi lying motionless in a bathtub full of water.
Notable deaths in 2017 Show all 28 1 /28 Notable deaths in 2017 Notable deaths in 2017 Hugh Hefner, the creator of Playboy magazine, died 28 September 2017 aged 91 Central Press/Stringer - Getty Notable deaths in 2017 Liz Dawn as Vera Duckworth in Coronation Street, pictured with co-star Bill Tarmey who played her husband Jack. Dawn died 25 September 2017, aged 77 ITV Notable deaths in 2017 Walter Becker, one of the founders of the band Steely Dan, died September 3 aged 67 Rex Notable deaths in 2017 David Tang, one of Hong Kong's most famous businessman, died of liver cancer aged 63 on 29 August AFP/Getty Images Notable deaths in 2017 Linkin Park frontman Chester Bennington died July 20 Getty Images Notable deaths in 2017 Holocaust survivor and stateswoman who fought for abortion rights, Simone Veil, died July 4 Getty Notable deaths in 2017 Michael Bond, author and creator of Paddington Bear, died June 28 PA Notable deaths in 2017 TV's Batman, Adam West, died June 12 AFP/Getty Images Notable deaths in 2017 Peter Sallis, who starred in Last of the Summer Wine and voiced Wallace and Gromit, died on June 5 Rex Notable deaths in 2017 John Noakes, The action hero of Blue Peter, died May 29 Rex Notable deaths in 2017 Former MotoGP world champion, Nicky Hayden, died age 35, on May 26. He was knocked off his bicycle by a car in Italy. Getty Notable deaths in 2017 Sir Roger Moore died on May 23 Getty Images Notable deaths in 2017 Soundgarden singer, Chris Cornell, who helped define grunge music died May 17 Kevin Winter/Getty Images Notable deaths in 2017 Moors Murderer Ian Brady died May 15 Getty Images Notable deaths in 2017 Powers Boothe, star of Deadwood and Sin City, dies, aged 68 on May 15 Todd Williamson/Invision/AP Notable deaths in 2017 Robert Miles, Trance DJ behind hit track 'Children', died from cancer aged 47 on May 12 PA Notable deaths in 2017 Happy Days child star, Erin Moran, died at the age of 56 on April 24 Getty Images Notable deaths in 2017 Ex-player and Tottenham U23 coach Ugo Ehiogu died after he suffered a cardiac arrest at the training ground, aged 44 on April 21 Getty Notable deaths in 2017 British athlete Germaine Mason, silver medalist at the Beijing Olympics, died following a motorcycle crash, aged 34 on April 21 Rex Notable deaths in 2017 Actor Tim Pigott-Smith star of TV, film and theatre died on April 7 Getty Notable deaths in 2017 Rupert Cornwell an award-winning foreign correspondent who embodied the spirit of The Independent died on April 1 Notable deaths in 2017 Morse creator Colin Dexter died on March 21 PA Notable deaths in 2017 Rock and roll legend Chuck Berry died on March 18 Getty Notable deaths in 2017 Sir Howard Hodgkin, one of Britain's greatest abstract painters of the post-war period died on March 9 Rex Notable deaths in 2017 Sir Gerald Kaufman was the oldest of the longest-serving MPs and Father of the House of Commons when he died on February 27 PA Notable deaths in 2017 Joost van der Westhuizen died at the age of 45 on February 6 Getty Notable deaths in 2017 John Hurt died aged 77 on 28 January Getty Notable deaths in 2017 Lord Snowdon, husband to Princess Margaret died on January 13 Getty
Born Shree Amma Yanger Ayyapan, Sridevi made her Bollywood debut at in 1975 drama Julie, aged four. She later landed a starring role in 1979 drama Solva Sawan; having multiple commercial successes, including Himmatwala (1983), which cemented her place as one of Bollywoods top stars, Mawaali (1983), Maqsad (1984) and Waqt Ki Awaz (1988).
In 2013, the Indian government awarding her the Padma Shri the fourth highest civilian honour in 2013. Last years Mom, in which she played a mother avenging her daughters sexual assault, marked her final appearance and 300th film.
Those to have paid tribute to Sridevi include actor Priyanka Chopra, who wrote on Twitter: I have no words. Condolences to everyone who loved Sridevi. A dark day. RIP.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi wrote: She was a veteran of the film industry, whose long career included diverse roles and memorable performances.
She is survived by her husband and two daughters, Jhanvi and Khushi.
Stocking up on everyday beauty essentials like shampoo, body wash and deodorant is something that many of us take for granted.
But for a large number of the people living below the poverty line in the UK, a trip to the toiletry aisle is considered an occasional luxury.
From girls missing out on days at school because they cant afford sanitary protection to job loss fears due to poor personal hygiene, its not right that countless low-income families should be forced to go without.
Enter, Beauty Banks a non-profit organisation looking to help fight hygiene poverty.
Set up by beauty PR Jo Jones and journalist Sali Hughes who between them have 40 years experience working in the industry Beauty Banks aims to encourage people, and those within the beauty community, to donate toiletries to those living in serious need.
The idea to build the organisation stemmed from a number of places including Hughess own brush with homelessness and the fact that both knew teachers who brought sanitary product into school for pupils who couldnt afford them.
But, when they read a report by charity In Kind Direct and found that 37 per cent of the nation had to go without or cut down on hygiene or grooming essentials due to lack of funds, they knew it was time for change.
It isnt right, fair or good enough. Clean hair, skin and teeth are a right, not a privilege. Personal hygiene while not a matter of life and death is crucial for our dignity, self-respect, personal pride and mental health, Hughes wrote for The Pool website.
To feel clean is to feel better; to look good often makes us feel more able to face the day and the world.
As such, Beauty Banks is calling on anyone able to provide donations that it will then distribute to a number of homeless shelters and food banks.
This could be anything from sanitary products and disposable razors, to combs, hairbands, face wipes, sunscreen and even lipsticks.
So, how can you help?
If you would like to donate to Beauty Banks its important to be aware that all products should be unopened and comply with health and safety rules. Also nail polish, nail polish remover and perfume are restricted solvents, so these cannot be accepted.
Once youve got your stash ready to go, you can post it to the following address:
Recommended Fox TV presenter uses makeup to cover vitiligo every day
Beauty Banks, c/o Jo Jones, The Communications Store, 2 Kensington Square, London, W8 5EP
Or, if youd rather cut out the middleman, you can buy products online and get them sent directly.
In a surprise announcement on Friday 23 February, model Emily Ratajkowski confirmed that she married her boyfriend of just a few weeks, Sebastian Bear-McClard.
Breaking the news online, the London-born model shared several snaps of the big day on Instagram, one with the caption, Soooo I have a surprise. I got married today.
She also posted a black-and-white photo of her and her new husband embracing with the simple caption NY alongside two engagement ring emojis.
But, while the couples decision to take the non-traditional wedding route with a low-key affair at City Hall in New York City was unexpected, it was the brides choice of outfit that really got people talking.
Here, Ratajkowski forwent the classic white bridal gown and designer garb altogether in fact, in favour of a more budget-friendly brand.
Instead, she said her vows in a vintage-inspired mustard trouser suit, black wide-brim hat with a mini-mesh veil and strappy heels. Whats more, it cost just 120.
In several snaps, the newlywed can be seen wearing the pleated yellow trousers and matching belted jacket, both of which are from high-street favourite Zara.
The jacket retails for 79.99, while the trousers are 39.99 and theyre still available to buy in store and online now although we predict it wont be long before they sell out.
Emily Ratajkowski and Sebastian Bear-McClard had reportedly been dating for just a few weeks (Instagram: @emrata)
The groom complimented Ratajkowskis retro look with a light blue suit and shades, and social media star The Fat Jewish, who was a witness, sported a Planned Parenthood branded tracksuit.
While deciding on a high street option was a surprising choice for a top model with access to plenty of designer brands, the trend for bargain bridal collections is catching on as a new generation of penny-pinching women aim to spend less on their big day.
Long belted jacket 79.99, Flared Trousers 39.99, zara.com
A trend thats encouraged by the rise of high-street bridal collections, the pressure on women to spend eye-watering amounts of money on something they will only wear once is on its way out thanks to brands like French Connection, Whistles and Topshop who offer elegant alternatives that dont break the bank.
This comes just as money.co.uk announce that by 2028 the average cost of a wedding will skyrocket to 32,064.
Social media star The Fat Jewish sported a Planned Parenthood branded tracksuit (Instagram: @emrata)
A figure that, compared to just 18,733 in 2006, will have risen 60 per cent in just 22 years.
With Easter just around the corner, the time for overindulging in novelty chocolates and hot cross buns will soon be upon us.
Supermarket shelves might have been jam-packed with kitschy cocoa delights for weeks already, but there is seldom a suitable option for grown ups, with the majority of Easter-themed products aimed at children.
Now, in the age of inclusivity, one gourmet chocolate is tackling this culinary prejudice with a range of alcohol-flavoured Easter eggs that are most definitely not suitable for little ones.
A pricier version of the gin and tonic egg comes complete with a sachet of hard boiled sweets in the same flavour (The Treat Kitchen)
To the delight of grown-ups everywhere, The Treat Kitchen has released a gin and tonic-flavoured egg in honour of the chocolate-fuelled holiday.
Created to compliment their gummies and hard boiled sweets of the same flavours, the Nottingham-based confectionery company has also created a strawberry and prosecco-flavoured variation.
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Both eggs are made from white chocolate and cost 9.95 each.
The Treat Kitchen is a small confectionery business run by husband and wife Martin and Jess Barnett, who designed the alcohol-infused eggs in a bid to appeal to mature chocolate consumers, describing it as an "Easter egg for the adults".
While a G&T Easter egg might seem like a revelation for happy hour and chocolate aficionados everywhere, alcohol-infused Easter treats have actually been around for quite some time.
The strawberry and prosecco egg comes in a dusty shade of pink (The Treat Kitchen)
Gourmet chocolatiers Prestat released a similar product last year: a London gin and lemon-infused Easter egg (17.50), which consists of alcoholic truffles enclosed within a white chocolate casing.
Then theres also Hotel Chocolats cleverly-named Your Eggsellency egg (27), which comes complete with 12 truffles, each spiked with a different tipple from whisky to cognac.
So, if your Easter egg isnt complete without a dash of the good stuff, fear not; evidently your options are aplenty.
The weather in the UK is set to become incredibly harsh over the coming days, with reports that the country may be facing its coldest week in five years.
For people who are sleeping rough on the streets, struggling to cope with freezing temperatures is made even harder by constant hunger.
Thats why Franco Manca is offering free pizza to those who are most in need of some sustenance and warmth.
The pizzeria, famed for its popular sourdough-based pizzas, is going to be running the scheme across all of its 41 restaurants nationwide.
Charitable organisations, homeless shelters and foodbanks can organise pizza collections free of charge by contacting Franco Manca at askus@francomanca.co.uk.
There is a limit of 100 pizzas per day for each branch of the restaurant.
However, this initiative will no doubt benefit a number of people across the country who would otherwise have very little support as they prepare to face the freeze.
One out of every 200 people in Britain is homeless, according to statistics released by homeless charity Shelter last November.
With a total of 300,000 people currently classified as homeless in Britain, chief executive of Shelter Polly Neate believes that more needs to be done to help them get back on their feet.
We will do all we can to make sure no one is left to fight homelessness on their own, she said.
But we cannot achieve this alone; we urgently need the publics support to be there for everyone who needs us right now.
In April last year, Franco Manca announced that it would be opening a new restaurant in Salina, north of Sicily.
Their aim was to train Italian pizzaiolos who could then come to work in the UK.
Sonys new flagship smartphone, the Xperia XZ2, has just been unveiled.
The Android handset was launched at the Mobile World Congress technology tradeshow, and will go head-to-head with the newly announced Samsung Galaxy S9.
Heres everything you need to know about the Sony Xperia XZ2.
Design and colours
Sonys Xperia phones have boasted the same look for several years now, but with the launch of the XZ2, the range has been treated to a much-needed makeover.
The new handset looks far more modern than its predecessors, thanks to its curved corners and large display.
Its chassis combines a glass front and rear with a metal frame, and its available in Liquid Silver, Liquid Black, Deep Green and Ash Pink colour schemes.
The XZ2 looks slick, but it isnt quite up there with the likes of the iPhone X or Samsung Galaxy S8, S9 and Note 8 in terms of sheer beauty, largely because its top and bottom bezels are still very prominent.
Its definitely a step in the right direction for Sony though.
Display
The XZ2 features a large and sharp 5.7-inch, 2,160 x 1,080 display with an aspect ratio of 18:9 and a pixel density of 424 pixels per inch, which is built for watching films and TV on.
Whats really interesting about it is that it will up-convert everything you watch on it to near High Dynamic Range, to make it look clearer and more detailed.
The feature sounds fantastic on paper, but well have to test the XZ2 out properly to find out just how much of a difference it makes.
Camera
The XZ2 has a 19-megapixel main camera with f/2.0 aperture.
Like the Samsung Galaxy S9, its capable of shooting dramatic-looking super slow motion videos, that you can share with friends for a bit of fun.
You can also use it to capture 3D scans of objects or your friends faces, which you can use to create a digital avatar.
On the front, meanwhile, is a 5-megapixel selfie camera with f/2.2 aperture.
Additional features
Sony says the XZ2 is IP65 water- and dust-resistant, but adds that you shouldnt completely submerge it or expose it to seawater, salt water, chlorinated water or drinks. Its instead designed to withstand splashes and spills.
It has an unusual Dynamic Vibration System too, which analyses audio data when youre watching or listening to something and makes the XZ2 vibrate, so you can feel your viewing experience.
Its also powered by a 3,180mAh battery, can be wirelessly charged, and features a fingerprint sensor, front-facing stereo speakers and 64GB of internal storage thats expandable by up to 400GB through the microSD card slot.
Unfortunately, theres no headphone jack.
Release date
Sony is yet to reveal pricing for the Xperia XZ2, but says theyll be available globally from March 2018.
EE, O2, Vodafone and Carphone Warehouse have all confirmed they will stock it, and you will, of course, be able to buy it directly from Sony too.
Xperia XZ2 Compact
The company has also unveiled a miniature version of the XZ2 for people who prefer smaller handsets, called the XZ2 Compact.
It has a 5-inch, 2,160 x 1,080 HDR display, a 2,870mAh battery, a polycarbonate rear (instead of glass) and no wireless charging, but is otherwise largely the same as the standard model.
The XZ2 Compact will also arrive next month, and will be available in White Silver, Black, Moss Green and Coral Pink colour schemes.
Financial technology firm Revolut has become the first of a new breed of digital banks in Britain to break even on a monthly basis after a swelling user base and a suite of new products helped it bolster revenues in December.
Revolut, which has gained popularity with users for cheap and easy foreign exchange and is in the process of securing a banking license, now has 1.5 million users across Europe.
The firm is one of a number of digital banks that have sprung up in Britain in the past few years, offering slick apps, cut-price fees and a marketplace where users can shop around for products from a variety of providers.
Some have seen significant user growth since, but all are loss-making.
Revolut founder Nikolay Storonsky told Reuters that Decembers result was driven by strong user growth and uptake of its products -- trends that had continued into 2018.
In January we had an even stronger month...and again we are up 20-25 per cent on revenues compared to December, he said.
The firms closest peers including Monzo, Starling Bank and Tandem, which all have British banking licenses, told Reuters they had not yet seen a month without losses.
Another app-only bank, Atom, which has a different business model, also said it had not broken even yet. Germanys digital bank N26, which has expanded across Europe, declined to disclose details on its financials.
Unlike its rivals, Revolut offers paid-for premium and business accounts, that have proven lucrative for the start-up.
It is also the only British digital bank to operate across Europe so far. Strong growth in countries like France, Germany and Switzerland and the Nordic region helped drive its user base up by 50 per cent in the last two months. Expansion plans are also underway in India, Brazil, South Africa and the UAE.
Revolut is in the process of securing a banking license in Lithuania, which it then plans to passport elsewhere in Europe.
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It already offers device and travel insurance through its marketplace, two of the new products that helped grow users and the firms monthly transaction volume to $1.5bn - a 700 per cent increase in the past 12 months.
Another was the ability to buy, hold and sell cryptocurrencies within the Revolut app.
Storonsky said there had been strong demand for this from customers since the capability launched, although this fell back a bit when the value of Bitcoin and other digital currencies dropped.
Reuters
There is no doubt that far-right material posted online by the likes of Tommy Robinson and Britain First drove the Finsbury Park terror attacker to target Muslims, the UKs most senior counter-terror officer has said.
Mark Rowley, the outgoing Assistant Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police, said Darren Osborne an alcoholic, suicidal, unemployed loner was vulnerable to radicalisation.
He had grown to hate Muslims largely due his consumption of large amounts of online far-right material including, as evidenced at court, statements from former EDL leader Tommy Robinson, Britain First and others, he told an event in London.
Osborne had a dysfunctional background and history of alcohol and drug abuse, and violence.
There can be no doubt that the extremist rhetoric he consumed fed into his vulnerabilities and turned it into violence.
Osborne, a father-of-four from Wales, was radicalised within weeks as he consumed far-right material after watching a BBC documentary on grooming gangs in Rochdale.
He hired a van and drove it from Cardiff to London, intending to massacre pro-Palestinian protesters before a security perimeter forced him to hunt for an alternative target.
Police bodycam video shows Darren Osborne in the moments after the Finsbury Park attack
Osborne rammed the vehicle into a crowd of Muslim worshippers leaving mosques in Finsbury Park shortly after midnight on 19 June, killing a grandfather and injuring several others.
Jailing him for life last month, Justice Cheema-Grubb took aim at the bile spewed out online from those who aspire to lead the haters and said there was no justification for violence in response to terror or grooming gangs.
You were rapidly radicalised over the internet encountering and consuming material put out in this country and the USA from those determined to spread hatred of Muslims on the basis of their religion, the judge told Osborne.
Over the space of a month or so your mind-set became one of malevolent hatred.
Giving a lecture at an event held by the Policy Exchange think-tank, Mr Rowley revealed that four far-right terror plots had been foiled since the Isis-inspired Westminster attack in March last year.
He said both Islamists and the far-right were executing a common strategy by exploiting existing grievances in target communities, generating distrust of state institutions and then offering warped parallel alternatives.
This helps create the isolated, fearful setting for terrorists to step into whether thats in person or online to inspire often vulnerable people to carry out attacks, he added.
Mr Rowley cited the murder of Lee Rigby, where long-term Islamists who had been inspired by Anjem Choudarys banned al-Muhajiroun Islamist network as another example of where extremism leads to terrorism.
Finsbury Park attack Show all 14 1 /14 Finsbury Park attack Finsbury Park attack Police officers attend to the scene after a vehicle collided with pedestrians in the Finsbury Park, killing one person and injuring eight Reuters Finsbury Park attack The incident is being treated as a potential terror attack Reuters Finsbury Park attack A man has been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder Reuters Finsbury Park attack Police cordon off a street in Finsbury Park AFP/Getty Images Finsbury Park attack A man prays in the street after the attack Reuters Finsbury Park attack Men gather and pray together in the street in the aftermath of the attack AFP/Getty Finsbury Park attack Reuters Finsbury Park attack PA Finsbury Park attack Onlookers gather near a police cordon EPA Finsbury Park attack Forensic investigators arrive at the scene PA Finsbury Park attack A forensic tent stands next to a van PA Finsbury Park attack A police officer talks with residents AFP/Getty Images Finsbury Park attack Onlookers watch proceedings at the security cordon AFP/Getty Finsbury Park attack Local residents react at the scene AFP/Getty Images
He said Choudary and Robinson, attracted notoriety and attention at the same time as they were positioned on the opposite sides of public debates in the 2000s.
Robinson became a regular fixture in our media giving him the platform to attack the whole religion of Islam by conflating acts of terrorism with the faith often citing spurious claims, which inevitably stirred up tensions, Mr Rowley said.
Such figures represented no more than the extreme margins of the communities they claim to speak for yet they have been given prominence and a platform.
Choudary, whose supporters have been linked to a string of terror attacks and fought in Syria, was later jailed for inviting support for Isis and remains in prison.
Robinson now styles himself as a journalist and continues to spread his message online, with hundreds of thousands of followers on social media.
Mr Rowley also cited far-right groups including anti-Islam Britain First, saying they had used grooming cases to spread discord and hatred against Muslim communities, and criticised Muslim advocacy group Mend and Cage.
We can collectively do more to make it even harder for the extremists strategy to endure, he urged.
This means every part of society not just those charged with national security responsibilities coming together to confront the twin challenges of terrorism and extremism.
A man who tried to recruit Isis fighters around the world from his London home has been jailed after one of his targets turned him in.
Mohammed Kamal Hussain, 28, sent thousands of messages aiming to generate support for the terrorist group using Facebook, WhatsApp and the Telegram messaging service.
Police only discovered his activities after a man who lives outside the UK emailed the Home Office in March 2017, saying he had received a Facebook message from a stranger inviting him to join Isis.
Hussain, a Bangladeshi national who had overstayed his visa and was living in east London, was jailed for seven years at Kingston Crown Court.
The jury found him guilty of two counts of encouraging terrorism and one count of supporting a proscribed organisation.
Commander Dean Haydon, head of the Metropolitan Polices Counter Terrorism Command, said: This investigation started with one conscientious individual trusting his instincts and reporting something suspicious.
He could have ignored the message Hussain sent him but instead he took a screenshot of the message and contacted the UK authorities immediately. It is in great part thanks to him that police were able to bring Hussain to justice.
Hussain was linked to the message by the Counter Terrorism Internet Referral Unit, which specialises in identifying and seeking the removal of terrorist material, and an urgent investigation was launched.
Detectives trawled thousands of messages sent by Hussain, including Facebook posts encouraging people to join Isis and launch attacks and which included a speech by leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.
Commander Haydon said the fanatic was actively seeking to recruit Isis followers, adding: We know from the disturbing material we found on his devices that he supported Isis.
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The material included videos of barbaric Isis violence and warped reasoning for killing people, including children and Muslims.
Officers from Counter Terrorism Command arrested Hussain on 30 June.
He was sentenced after officials warned of the rising threat of remote radicalisation online, which makes plots harder to detect.
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Isis has generated support around the world using its sophisticated propaganda network, including videos, radio bulletins, magazines, newsletters and websites.
The terrorist groups media operations suffered a hit during military offensives that drove militants out of its self-declared caliphate in Syria and Iraq but have since recovered.
Propaganda messages are regularly sent out in multiple languages from Isis factions operating in countries including Afghanistan, Egypt and Libya, being translated and spread onwards by supporters.
A global crackdown on terrorist material by firms including Facebook, Twitter and YouTube has seen the vast majority of Isis propaganda on the platforms removed, but it continues to operate on Telegram and smaller sites.
Earlier this month, the Home Office announced the launch of artificial intelligence technology that can identify Isis propaganda videos and prevent them from being uploaded to any video platform.
This Government has been taking the lead worldwide in making sure that vile terrorist content is stamped out, Home Secretary Amber Rudd said.
Far-right terrorists pose an organised and significant threat to the UK, the countys most senior terror officer has warned while revealing that four plots have been foiled in the past year.
Mark Rowley, assistant commissioner of the Metropolitan Police, made the figure public for the first time to illustrate the growth of right-wing terrorism.
The right-wing terrorist threat is more significant and more challenging than perhaps the public debate gives it credit for, he said.
Right-wing terrorism wasnt previously organised here.
But security services have been warning of a shift since the murder of Labour MP Jo Cox in 2016, with the past year seeing five mainly Isis-inspired terror attacks leave 36 victims dead in London and Manchester.
Giving a lecture at an event held by the Policy Exchange think tank, Mr Rowley said: A deeply concerning characteristic is how both far-right and also Islamist terrorism are growing, allowing each side to reaffirm their grievances and justify their actions.
He said police and MI5 have disrupted 10 Islamist plots and four far-right plots since the Westminster attack in March last year.
Mr Rowley, who is to retire next month, declined to give details of the four cases for legal reasons, but said they represent a combination of organised and individual action.
Family of Finsbury Park victim Makram Ali address media after Darren Osborne sentencing
He was speaking after a neo-Nazi was convicted of planning a terror attack at a gay pride event in Cumbria.
Ethan Stables, 20, wrote online that he was going to war after arming himself with weapons including a machete and axe and was arrested while walking to his target.
Another suspected far-right extremist is awaiting trial for allegedly planning to murder the Labour MP Rosie Cooper.
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He and five other men arrested in connection with the plot are accused of being members of the neo-Nazi terrorist group National Action.
Several alleged members have been charged with terror offences, including serving British soldiers, following a wave of police operations.
It became the first far-right organisation to be banned by the Government in December 2016, sparking efforts by members to evade arrest by splitting into renamed regional factions including Scottish Dawn and NS131.
National Action gained notoriety for celebrating Thomas Mair, the far-right extremist who murdered Ms Cox during the EU referendum campaign.
Another fanatic, Darren Osborne, killed a grandfather when he rammed a hired van into Muslim worshippers leaving mosques in Finsbury Park in June.
The father-of-four, who was radicalised within weeks as he read far-right material by the former EDL leader Tommy Robinson, Britain First and others, was jailed for life last month.
Ethan Stables plotted to carry out a knife attack at a gay pride event (Greater Manchester Police)
Weyman Bennett, the joint secretary of United Against Fascism (UAF), said the group presented a hidden danger.
Far-right terrorism is underestimated and is a threat to our democracy, he told The Independent.
There must be a renewed commitment to stopping the scapegoating of minorities that encourages it.
Research and campaign group Hope Not Hate said that according to its count, 27 people were arrested or convicted of far-right inspired offences during 2017.
Far-right terrorism and violent extremism is on the rise, something that concerns us greatly and which we have long warned the authorities to take note of, said chief executive Nick Lowles.
More worryingly, it is a trend which we fear is going to continue.
The threat from the British far right is growing and evolving. Many see themselves in a war with Islam and as a result we must be prepared for more terrorist plots and use of extreme violence from the far right for the foreseeable future.
A record number of people are being arrested on suspicion of terror offences in the UK, with the majority suspected of Islamist extremists but a growing proportion on the far right.
The trend was echoed in the first-ever figures provided by the Governments controversial Prevent counter-terror initiative.
It shows that, of the total 7,631 people referred to Prevent in 2015-16, 65 per cent (4,997) were suspected of Islamist extremism and 10 per cent (759) of right-wing extremism.
Officials said Sikh and Northern Ireland-related radicalism was also seen, while a significant proportion could not be put into one category because of a more general propensity towards mass murder and violence that covers several groups.
Around a third of all those flagged were deemed to need no further action, half were passed on to alternative services and 14 per cent were considered by the counter-radicalisation Channel programme where right-wing extremists make up more than a quarter of referees.
The Governments revamped counter-terror strategy, which will be announced later this year, is expected to take a closer look at the far-right and ways to combat online messaging.
Finsbury Park attack Show all 14 1 /14 Finsbury Park attack Finsbury Park attack Police officers attend to the scene after a vehicle collided with pedestrians in the Finsbury Park, killing one person and injuring eight Reuters Finsbury Park attack The incident is being treated as a potential terror attack Reuters Finsbury Park attack A man has been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder Reuters Finsbury Park attack Police cordon off a street in Finsbury Park AFP/Getty Images Finsbury Park attack A man prays in the street after the attack Reuters Finsbury Park attack Men gather and pray together in the street in the aftermath of the attack AFP/Getty Finsbury Park attack Reuters Finsbury Park attack PA Finsbury Park attack Onlookers gather near a police cordon EPA Finsbury Park attack Forensic investigators arrive at the scene PA Finsbury Park attack A forensic tent stands next to a van PA Finsbury Park attack A police officer talks with residents AFP/Getty Images Finsbury Park attack Onlookers watch proceedings at the security cordon AFP/Getty Finsbury Park attack Local residents react at the scene AFP/Getty Images
While global efforts to remove terrorist propaganda has been largely focused on Isis, material like that consumed by Osborne as he prepared for the Finsbury Park terror attack is not illegal and remains online.
You cant police the internet, a Channel intervention provider previously told The Independent. As a society we need to understand where the risks are and investigate those who are vulnerable so they can be resilient.
Security services have warned of the growing risk of remote radicalisation online, which has driven the mounting terror threat and become a hallmark of Isiss bloody strategy to incite attacks worldwide.
Recommended New technology can detect Isis videos before they are uploaded
Mr Rowley, who entered policing during the IRA attacks of the 1980s, took on his role as the national lead for UK counter-terrorism policing the day before Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi declared the so-called Islamic State.
He said Isis and other groups had become more of a cult than an organisation, shifting from regionally defined organisations to global movements.
Mr Rowley argued that the terror threat will be tackled only when the whole of society responds to extremism at its source, including local policing, education, councils, media, internet firms, communities and the Government.
With 600 ongoing investigations encompassing Islamist, extreme right-wing and other motivations, with more than 3,000 subjects of interest and more than 20,000 others who featured in past terrorism investigations, the challenge is unprecedented.
I see extremists from Islamist and far-right persuasions both executing a common strategy by exploiting existing grievances in target communities, generating distrust of state institutions and then offering warped parallel alternatives, Mr Rowley warned.
This helps create the isolated, fearful setting for terrorists to step into whether thats in person or online to inspire often vulnerable people to carry out attacks. Ironically, while Islamist and extreme right-wing ideologies may appear to be at opposing ends of the argument, it is evident that they both have a great deal in common.
A five-year-old girl died after she was turned away from an emergency doctors appointment because she was 10 minutes late, an inquest has been told.
Ellie-May Clark had life-threatening asthma and had an appointment with the GP because she was wheezing and unable to walk.
She arrived at Grange Clinic in Newport, South Wales, for an appointment with doctor Joanne Rowe, a partner in the surgery and its lead for child safeguarding.
Ellie-May and her mother, Shanice Clark, waited in line to see the receptionist and reached the front of the queue between 5.10pm and 5.18pm.
Dr Rowe had a 10 minute rule where she would not see patients who arrived more than 10 minutes after their appointments, and refused to see Ellie-May because she was late, an inquest heard.
Ms Clark said her daughter was wheezy when she collected her from Malpas Court Primary School at 3pm on 25 January 2015.
She carried her crying daughter to her mothers house and phoned the doctors surgery at 3.30pm to request a home visit.
A receptionist phoned back at 4.35pm and booked Ellie-May for an emergency appointment at 5pm with Ms Clark immediately warning that she might be late.
Ms Clark, who also had an eight-week-old baby at the time, said she arrived at the surgery at 5.05pm and waited in line to speak to the receptionist.
Receptionist Ann Jones phoned Dr Rowe but was told that Ellie-May had to return for an appointment in the morning because she was late.
We got outside and because I was angry, I got upset, Ms Clark said. When Ellie-May saw me upset she started getting upset.
She said, Why wont the doctor see me?.
Ellie-Mays inquest in Newport heard Dr Rowe had previously received a letter from a consultant stating that the child was at risk of having an episode of severe/life-threatening asthma.
In May, a consultant wrote to Grange Clinic stating: Ellie-May has previously had severe exacerbations of asthma requiring admission to the high dependency unit.
This places her at risk of having another episode of severe/life-threatening asthma.
Dr Rowe received the letter but did not prominently record that Ellie-May was at high risk on her medical records.
The inquest heard the receptionist did not ask why Ellie-May was late for the appointment, nor about her condition, and did not give any advice on what to do if her condition worsened.
Ms Clark returned home with her daughter and checked on her every 10-15 minutes, giving her an inhaler every 30 minutes or so.
She heard Ellie-May coughing at 10.30pm and went into her bedroom to give her an inhaler.
She fell off her bed onto the floor, Ms Clark said. I turned her light on and I saw her hands and her face were blue. I rang 999 straight away.
The little girl died shortly after arriving at the Royal Gwent Hospital.
Dr Rowe did not ask the reason behind Ellie-Mays emergency appointment, or look into her medical notes before refusing to see her.
Rob Sowersby, representing Ellie-Mays family, told the inquest: Dr Rowe made a clinical decision without any clinical information whatsoever.
She sent away a five-year-old patient from an emergency appointment without even opening her records.
Dr Rowe agreed that when she opened the letter from the hospital, stating that Ellie-May was at risk of serious/life-threatening asthma, she should have recorded that prominently on Ellie-Mays clinical record.
If she had done that, then that would have been obvious to her when the clinical records were opened.
UK news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 UK news in pictures UK news in pictures 15 September 2021 Children pose by ice sculptures depicting people collecting water by charity Water Aid to show the fragility of water and the threat posed by climate change in London AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 14 September 2021 Heavy rain covers the A149 near Kings Lynn in Norfolk PA UK news in pictures 13 September 2021 Luke Jerram's 'Museum of the Moon' at Durham Cathedral PA UK news in pictures 12 September 2021 Inspirational young fundraiser Tobias Weller crosses the finish line, near his home in Sheffield, as he completes his latest epic feat where he swam and triked his way to the end of his awesome year-long Ironman Challenge. This is the third challenge Tobias, who has cerebral palsy and autism, has completed, raising more than 150,000 for his school and Sheffield Children Hospitals charity PA UK news in pictures 11 September 2021 British player Emma Raducanu, holds up the US Open championship trophy winning the women's singles final of the US Open in New York AP UK news in pictures 10 September 2021 People paddle board during a misty morning in Ullswater, the second largest lake in the Lake District, Cumbria PA UK news in pictures 9 September 2021 Troops from Wiltshire based 4 Armoured Close Support Battalion Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers during final inspection at Wellington Barracks in London, ahead of providing troops for the Queens Guard PA UK news in pictures 8 September 2021 Workers cross London Bridge during the morning rush hour in London Reuters UK news in pictures Mixing it up: Painting it up press view in London A gallery employee poses for photographers next to a painting entitled Prairie by British artist, Louise Giovanelli during the exhibition 'Mixing it up: Painting it up' at the Hayward Gallery in London EPA UK news in pictures 6 September 2021 Traders in the Ring at the London Metal Exchange, in the City of London, after open-outcry trading returned for the first time since March 2020, when the Ring was temporarily closed due to the pandemic PA UK news in pictures 5 September 2021 People enjoy the warm weather on Sandbanks beach, Poole PA UK news in pictures 4 September 2021 Demonstrators from Animal Rebellion and Nature Rebellion protest in Trafalgar Square in London. 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It was her 15th Paralympic gold Reuters UK news in pictures 24 August 2021 A demonstrator dressed as bee during a protest by members of Extinction Rebellion on Whitehall, in central London PA UK news in pictures 23 August 2021 Former interpreters for the British forces in Afghanistan demonstrate outside the Home Office in central London AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 22 August 2021 Police officers form a line in front of the entrance to the Guildhall, London, where protesters have climbed onto a ledge above the entrance during an Extinction Rebellion stage a protest PA UK news in pictures 21 August 2021 People take part in a demonstration in solidarity with people of Afghanistan, in London Reuters UK news in pictures 20 August 2021 People zip wire across the sea from Bournemouth pier towards the beach. 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Mr Sowersby said Ellie-Mays mother was sure that the usual treatment provided to the girl when she attended the surgery steroids would have helped as they had in the past.
There is no reason to suggest they wouldnt have worked this time, Mr Sowersby said.
Ms Clark told the inquest that Ellie-May began suffering with a wheezy chest and was first admitted to hospital in November 2011, two months before her second birthday.
She was prescribed inhalers but returned to hospital every three to four months, with the last admission before her death in March 2014.
The receptionist told the inquest that Dr Rowe adhered to the 10 minute rule more than other doctors at the surgery and had turned another patient away earlier that day.
She phoned Dr Rowe at 5.18pm and informed her that Ellie-May had arrived for her emergency appointment but was told she would not see her.
This was the first time she had turned away a patient from an emergency appointment for being late, Ms Jones said.
I was always taught that you should never turn away children and the elderly, Ms Jones said.
Dr Rowe had no appointments between 4.50 and 5.20pm but did not check Ellie-Mays notes and was seeing another patient when Ms Jones phoned to say that she had arrived.
She said that she had arrived and she said, Ill tell her to come back tomorrow morning, shall I? and I said yes, Dr Rowe said.
The inquest heard Dr Rowe could have asked another doctor to see Ellie-May, could have seen her after her patient had left and could have spoken to the doctor who arranged the emergency appointment for her.
When asked why she had not, Dr Rowe replied: I dont know. I was busy seeing to the other patient that I had with me.
She confirmed she would have acted differently if she had seen Ellie-Mays notes or the reason for the appointment.
When asked about the 10 minute rule, Dr Rowe said: If you have 25 patients to see in a morning or afternoon and a lot of people are 15 minutes late or 20 minutes late you are never going to be able to manage your work.
A post-mortem examination by Dr Andrew Bamber found Ellie-May had died from bronchial asthma and may have suffered a seizure before her death due to a lack of oxygen.
Agencies contributed to this report
He was to become the wartime hero who led Britain through its darkest hour, when it stood alone and defiant against Hitler although he was also, according to one biographer, probably the least dangerously sexed major politician since Pitt the Younger.
She, on the other hand, was the most ecstatically beautiful woman in London, who maintained there is no such thing as an impotent man, only an incompetent woman.
And, it is now claimed, Doris, Lady Castlerosse, proved she was no incompetent by seducing the most seemingly impossible target of them all: Winston Churchill himself.
There had been rumours before, of course.
Recommended Keeping Churchill on the straight and narrow
Now, though, a Channel 4 documentary is to reveal the recorded revelation of one person who might have been expected to know the truth: Jock Colville, Churchills private secretary.
In 1985 Colville unburdened himself, on tape, to the archivists at Churchill college, Cambridge, but not before insisting: This is a somewhat scandalous story and therefore not to be handed out for a great many years.
Winston Churchill, said Colville, who died in 1987, was not a highly sexed man.
I dont think that in his years [of] married life he ever slipped up, except on one occasion, by moonlight in the south of France He certainly had an affair, a brief affair with Lady Castlerosse as I think she was called Doris Castlerosse, yes thats right.
If true, this is nothing short of extraordinary. Previous historians have regarded Churchill as having been so devoted to his wife Clemmie (Clementine) that he never strayed from the woman he married in 1908.
This, it is said, was the one husband who could resist the advances of Daisy Wanton Fellowes when she offered herself to him lying stark naked on a tiger-skin rug in Paris in 1919.
But Lady Castlerosse, we are now led to believe, was made of even more extraordinary stuff.
She had only to raise an eyebrow, declared one admirer.
And what eyebrows they were.
Doris Castlerosse in the 1930s (Channel 4)
For, as every journalist who reports on Lady Castlerosse must delightedly affirm, she was none other than the great aunt of Cara Delevingne, the supermodel whose own eyebrows have helped make her famous.
Caras grandmother Angela a noted beauty who evaded a kidnapper in Harrods and declined a part in Gone with the Wind according to her Telegraph obituary defied the reservations of her mother to marry Lady Castlerosses impecunious brother Edward Dudley Delevingne.
This, it seems, is a story that has pretty much everything.
The initial seduction occurred on the French Riviera, at Chateau de lHorizon, the clifftop villa of Maxine Elliott, herself a possible royal mistress (of King Edward VII), who invited Churchill to be one of the very few heterosexual men staying in what she called her Adamless Eden.
It was 1933. Churchill was enduring his wilderness years, before wartime duty and glory called.
His wife, who did not care for the louche Riviera set, was not there. Lady Castlerosse was.
He painted her three times, once when she was draped seductively over a chaise longue.
And, according to historians Warren Dockter and Richard Toye whose research underpins the documentary, Churchill did more than take an artists interest in her flower petal complexion and blue eyes with enormously long dark lashes (to use the description of another admirer).
Rumour has it he told her: Doris, you could make a corpse come. Or Doris, you could make a saint come, since rumour rarely bothered to get accurate quotes.
But forget rumour. The academics Dockter, of Aberystwyth University, and Toye, a professor at Exeter, now maintain that there really was an affair and it lasted until 1937, when Doris signalled its end by writing to Churchill: I hear you are not going to Maxines. Im not dangerous any more.
Cara Delevingne, Lady Castlerosses great niece (Reuters)
The academics are backed by Caroline Delevingne (Doriss niece, Caras aunt), who the documentary makers say has become the first in the family to give a televised interview about the affair.
My mother [Angela] had many stories to tell about when they stayed in my aunts house in Berkeley Square, Caroline tells the documentary. When Winston was coming to visit her, the staff were all given the day off.
Doris confided in my mother about it they were good friends as well as being sisters-in-law and so, yes, it was known that they were having an affair.
Described as the most ecstatically beautiful woman in London, she would delight in wearing swimsuits that showed off the prettiest legs that ever stepped into a punt or danced a foxtrot (Channel 4 ) (Channel 4)
And it seems to get better: the apparent confirmation of the affair would suggest that when she seduced the father, Doris had already seduced the son.
It is said that Winstons boy Randolph had enjoyed Doriss company in 1932, when he was 21.
That, apparently, was when the maitre d of the Cavalry Club opened an anteroom to be confronted by a pair of long, gorgeous legs waving happily in the air.
So famous were these legs the prettiest legs that ever stepped into a punt or danced a foxtrot that the maitre d did not need to see a face to know the identity of their owner.
When the man between the legs looked up, the maitre d saw Randolph Churchill, who was soon shouting at him to: Get out!
Who could resist such tales of posh indecency?
The historian Andrew Roberts, biographer of Churchill, admirer of Margaret Thatcher, thats who.
From his blog on the website of The Spectator comes a great splutter of indignation and, it has to be acknowledged, a pretty compelling case for the defence of Winston.
This extremely uxorious man with absolutely no track record of infidelity, declares Roberts, should not become the latest casualty of the post-Weinstein phenomenon, however much the media loves to drag down our heroes.
For papers of record to present the story as true, without interviewing any of the plethora of Churchill historians, or members of the Churchill family, before they trash the reputation of the Greatest Englishman, is a disgrace.
It was not immediately clear whether Roberts, author of Hitler and Churchill, Eminent Churchillians and the soon-to-be published Churchill: Walking with Destiny, was aware of the involvement in the documentary of Dr Dockter and Professor Toye, both of whom have written books on Winston Churchill.
But it was pretty clear he didnt like the documentary.
Roberts said Jock Colvilles taped allegation of Churchills affair had not escaped the attention of previous historians.
Having been researching a biography of Churchill for the past four years I listened to it [the tape] many months ago, as has Allen Packwood, the director of the Churchill Archives. And Colville actually said the words to another historian, Dr Correlli Barnett, back in 1985.
When I heard the tape, I decided to investigate the allegation closely and found that the facts, and other correspondence in the Archive, simply do not support it.
For one thing, says Roberts: The alleged affair took place in 1933-37, but Colville did not become Churchills private secretary until May 1940, so this is at best second-hand information, and Colville does not say that Churchill ever spoke to him about it.
He was also speaking half a century afterwards, an absurdly long period of time for historians to take oral evidence seriously.
Churchill painting Lady Castlerosse thrice meant nothing. He painted Clemmie three times, says Roberts.
He also painted Sir Walter Sickerts wife Therese, Arthur Balfours niece Blanche Dugdale, Sir John Laverys wife Hazel, his own sister-in-law Lady Gwendoline Churchill, his secretary Cecily Gemmell, his wifes cousin Marryot White, and Lady Kitty Somerset. There is no suggestion he was sleeping with any of them.
Nor is the historian swayed by the testimony of Caras aunt: The fact that the Delevingne family, including the supermodel Cara and others who were also not alive at the time, claim that an affair took place is equally flimsy evidence. Plenty of people like to claim notorious links with the famous, as Cara herself must have discovered by now.
Similarly, the sly insinuation that servants were given the evening off so that Churchill could have sex with Lady Castlerosse can be easily explained by the fact that they wanted privacy to talk and gossip. Servants were known to sell overheard information to newspapers.
Even palace servants were not allowed into the weekly lunches that Churchill had with the king during the war.
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It was her 15th Paralympic gold Reuters UK news in pictures 24 August 2021 A demonstrator dressed as bee during a protest by members of Extinction Rebellion on Whitehall, in central London PA UK news in pictures 23 August 2021 Former interpreters for the British forces in Afghanistan demonstrate outside the Home Office in central London AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 22 August 2021 Police officers form a line in front of the entrance to the Guildhall, London, where protesters have climbed onto a ledge above the entrance during an Extinction Rebellion stage a protest PA UK news in pictures 21 August 2021 People take part in a demonstration in solidarity with people of Afghanistan, in London Reuters UK news in pictures 20 August 2021 People zip wire across the sea from Bournemouth pier towards the beach. 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At least Roberts confirms the affair with Randolph.
But he does cite, in evidence for Winston, something that might be a little hurtful to the memory of Doris.
We know from the memoirs of people who stayed at the Chateau de lHorizon, says Roberts, that Churchill believed Lady Castlerosse to be extraordinarily dim; she did not know that the League of Nations was stationed in Geneva, for example.
Would Churchill have really put up with such an ignorant mistress for the four years alleged by this programme?
Well, the documentary makers might wish to counter, Lady Castlerosses life story would suggest she was hardly dull.
She was born a humble haberdashers daughter in south London in 1900.
Doris followed her dad into the clothes trade by selling secondhand evening dresses to actresses and chorus girls, which gave her an entree into the demi-monde of nightclubs and rich, louche men.
It wasnt her dressmaking skills that made her fortune.
She mastered a sexual technique so powerful that, as one of her lovers put it: If you come across one of those, you sign away your kingdom.
To assist with this process, Doris is said to have simplified her surname from Delevingne to Delavigne, because it was easier for rich men to spell on a cheque.
Getting a real kingdom, however, allegedly eluded her because when she went for Edward VIII, she found Wallis Simpson already barring the way.
And according to Doriss biographer, Lyndsy Spence, author of The Mistress of Mayfair, when Edwards brother Prince George attended one of Doriss parties he got a telling off from his father King George V.
But Doris did get a Viscount, Valentine Browne, Viscount Castlerosse. They married in 1928. He was smitten, she probably wasnt.
The balding viscount was apparently so fat he couldnt bend down to tie his shoelaces. And he didnt have any money to go with his title.
When Viscount Castlerosses mother, Lady Kenmare, found out about the secret Hammersmith register office wedding, she disowned her son and refused to meet his bride.
Which meant Doris had to continue winning the affections of other wealthy men, to the fury of her husband.
The Castlerosses eventually opted for taking separate suites at Claridges, conducting their epic rows in the hotels corridors.
They divorced in 1938, meaning the affair with Churchill (senior) if it happened was conducted while Lady Castlerosse was, at least technically, married.
Doris began life as a simple haberdashers daughter, but thanks to the wealth of the men and the woman she attracted, she could buy shoes by the hundred and welcome Prince Philip to her Venetian palazzo (Channel 4)
By then Doris had acquired tastes way beyond her beginnings, which had also included a stint as an 18-year-old pantry maid.
She could send a chauffeur on a 400-mile round trip from LHorizon to retrieve a swimsuit left behind in London (because, after all, it showed off those famous legs to such great advantage).
She would buy 200 pairs of couture shoes at a time, especially after she moved with Margot Hoffman, her wealthy American lesbian lover to the Palazzo Venier dei Leoni beside Venices Grand Canal.
According to Judith Mackrell, author of The Unfinished Palazzo, during her first Venice season the parties at the Palazzo Venier dei Leoni were graced by the presences of the likes of the American actor Douglas Fairbanks and a youthful Prince Philip of Greece. (No one is suggesting Doris and Prince Philip ever enjoyed Churchillian relations).
But then came the war, which made Churchill a hero and Doriss new home of Italy enemy territory.
She fled with Margot Hoffman to New York.
Margot, though, tired of her and her behaviour.
Alone, far from home, and with her looks now fading, Doris was reduced to pawning her diamonds.
According to the Channel 4 documentary, when Churchill went to America to see President Franklin Roosevelt in the summer of 1942, the two former lovers dined together in Washington.
But, Toye and Dockter claim, Churchill came to worry about THAT portrait the one of the younger Doris reclining on the chaise longue possibly falling into the wrong hands, leaving him vulnerable to blackmail or the subject of a damaging newspaper story.
It is believed that in September 1942, one of Roosevelts advisers, Harry Hopkins, arranged for Doris to return home on a ship to England.
Viscount Castlerosse was waiting for her in London. According to Lyndsy Spence he had written to Doris offering to remarry her.
When she stepped off the train, in the dark of the wartime blackout, all was tender reconciliation between them. But, says Spence, when the viscount saw the older, faded Doris by the light of a Dorchester hotel room he was so shocked by her haggard appearance that he scurried back to Enid, Viscountess Furness, an Australian wine heiress and serial widow.
Running out of options, Doris sent a telegram to the New York pawnbroker, telling him to sell her diamonds. Little did she know that selling diamonds during wartime was illegal and her telegrams were being intercepted by Scotland Yard.
Doris was visited by detectives, and left fearing a jail sentence.
And now, in the eyes of the high society that had once embraced her as the most ecstatically beautiful woman in London, Doris had resumed her natural status as a common little demi-mondaine as one of them called her.
She was even lower than that to some of them.
By heading for America Doris had, in their eyes, deserted England in time of war during its Darkest Hour, to borrow the title of the latest film to celebrate her old LHorizon companion Churchill.
In her book The Riviera Set, the author Mary Lovell recounted how, in the corridor of the Dorchester, Doris happened upon an earl with whom she had once had a dalliance.
He cut her dead but muttered aloud as they passed that she was a traitorous b***h.
And then, one morning soon afterwards, staff at the Dorchester unlocked Doriss door with a master key and found her in bed, unconscious, an empty pill bottle at her side. The fatal overdose left her dead at the age of 42.
Churchills painting of her in her chaise longue glory, the documentary makers suggest, was discreetly retrieved by Churchills friend Lord Beaverbrook after a visit to Doriss brother Dudley Delevingne, grandfather of the modern beauty Cara.
And so the mystery of what happened between Churchill and Lady Castlerosse remains unresolved.
But having heard of her life and her cruel end who, beside perhaps a Churchill relative and a historian or two, could begrudge this remarkable woman her moment of posthumous fame?
Perhaps the story of the lady and the leader is much like Doris in her prime: irresistible, but of questionable virtue.
Churchills Secret Affair is on Channel 4 at 8pm on Sunday 4 March
Boris Johnson appeared to back air strikes against the Assad regime if it has used chemical weapons in rebel-held eastern Ghouta, saying the West must not stand idly by.
Speaking in the Commons, the Foreign Secretary argued there was no military solution that we can impose to bring peace to war-torn Syria.
But Mr Johnson agreed there was a case for limited strikes if there was incontrovertible evidence of further use of chemical weapons by the Assad regime or their supporters.
He said many people believed the US did the right thing when it launched a cruise missile attack on a Syrian airfield last April in response to chemical weapon use. I will certainly hope that the West does not stand idly by, Mr Johnson told MPs.
The urgent question came after a week in which Syrias army and its allies have inflicted one of the heaviest bombardments of the seven-year war on eastern Ghouta, an enclave outside Damascus, killing hundreds.
Local doctors and monitors have said a suspected chlorine attack in the rebel-held area left 18 people injured on Sunday evening.
The week-long carnage in the area has killed more than 500 people in air strikes and shelling by forces loyal to Assad.
A United Nations security council resolution was approved unanimously on Saturday, calling for a month-long ceasefire without delay, but the killing continued.
Eastern Ghouta bombings: Syrian war in pictures Show all 14 1 /14 Eastern Ghouta bombings: Syrian war in pictures Eastern Ghouta bombings: Syrian war in pictures A Syrian woman and children run for cover amid the rubble of buildings. AFP/Getty Eastern Ghouta bombings: Syrian war in pictures Smoke rises from buildings following the attack on the village of Mesraba in the rebel-held besieged Eastern Ghouta region on the outskirts of the capital Damascu. AFP/Getty Eastern Ghouta bombings: Syrian war in pictures Injured children receive medical treatment. EPA Eastern Ghouta bombings: Syrian war in pictures A Syrian man carries a child injured. AFP/Getty Eastern Ghouta bombings: Syrian war in pictures An injured child receives treatment following bombings on several areas of eastern Ghouta. EPA Eastern Ghouta bombings: Syrian war in pictures A child reacts inside a hospital after relatives were injured in the bombing. EPA Eastern Ghouta bombings: Syrian war in pictures Syrian children cry at a make-shift hospital in Douma following air strikes on the Syrian village of Mesraba. AFP/Getty Eastern Ghouta bombings: Syrian war in pictures Syrian Civil Defense group extinguishing a store during airstrikes and shelling by Syrian government forces. AP Eastern Ghouta bombings: Syrian war in pictures A wounded 12-year-old Syrian boy, cries as he receives treatment at a make-shift hospital. AFP/Getty Eastern Ghouta bombings: Syrian war in pictures Syrians carry a wounded man. AFP/Getty Eastern Ghouta bombings: Syrian war in pictures An injured man covered with blood at a medical point. Reuters Eastern Ghouta bombings: Syrian war in pictures People sit a medical point in the besieged town of Douma, Eastern Ghouta. Reuters Eastern Ghouta bombings: Syrian war in pictures Syrian Civil Defense running to help survivors. AP Eastern Ghouta bombings: Syrian war in pictures Injured children receive medical treatment. EPA
On those attacks, Mr Johnson said: The House will have noted the disturbing reports of use of chlorine gas. I call for these reports to be fully investigated and for anyone held responsible for using chemical weapons in Syria to be held accountable.
But, when it was pointed out that both Angela Merkel and Emmanuel Macron have contacted Vladimir Putin, Mr Johnson was unable to say if Theresa May had also had a recent conversation.
Emily Thornberry, the Shadow Foreign Secretary, called the indiscriminate bombing in Syria and the use of chemical weapons a war crime, adding that there must be a reckoning for those responsible.
But she said Labour opposed yet more western military intervention, I believe that would simply prolong and deepen the war.
Ultimately, we can only end this dreadful conflict and the suffering of all the Syrian people through genuine peace talks involving all non-jihadi parties and the agreement of a political solution, Ms Thornberry told MPs.
The question was sponsored by Labour MP John Woodcock, who condemned Britain and other Western countries for failing to act on the appalling bloodshed in Syria.
The men and women of Ghouta who lie in pieces, deliberately targeted by Assads Russia-enabled bombs, the dead children whose faces are altered by the chlorine gas that chocked them.
They should not be strewn in the rubble of Eastern Ghouta. Those bodies should be piled up in this chamber and lain at the feet of governments of every single nation which continues to shrug in the face of this horror.
Mr Woodcock said the UN Security Council is broken while one of its permanent members flouts the basic laws and systems of order it was created to uphold. In these dreadful circumstances, being cowed into inaction by this strangulated body is a greater violation than seeking to act even without its own authorisation, he added.
Labour could ditch plans for a customs union with the EU if Brussels refuses to give the UK a say in making new trade deals, Jeremy Corbyn has said.
The Labour leaders spokesman insisted plans to stay in the customs union after Brexit were not a commitment after Mr Corbyn used a major speech to say his party would seek to negotiate a deal to maintain existing trading terms.
Instead, Labour would leave open the option of walking away from negotiations if EU leaders make clear the UK could only be part of the tariff union if it accepts it will not have a say over deals that are made.
It means a Labour government could ultimately adopt a similar position to the Conservatives and rule out any customs union with the EU a move that would likely see tariffs imposed on goods and lead to a hard border in Northern Ireland.
Some Labour MPs said their leaders shift towards staying in a customs union was nowhere near enough.
Mr Corbyn used a keynote speech at the National Transport Design Centre in Coventry to announce Labours intention of remaining in a trading bloc.
Labour would seek to negotiate a new comprehensive UK-EU customs union to ensure that there are no tariffs with Europe and to help avoid any need for a hard border in Northern Ireland, he said.
However, he added: We are also clear that the option of a new UK customs union with the EU would need to ensure the UK has a say in future trade deals.
A new customs arrangement would depend on Britain being able to negotiate agreement of new trade deals in our national interest.
Labour would not countenance a deal that left Britain as a passive recipient of rules decided elsewhere by others. That would mean ending up as mere rule takers.
The biggest issues facing UK on leaving EU Show all 8 1 /8 The biggest issues facing UK on leaving EU The biggest issues facing UK on leaving EU Post-Brexit immigration workers sorting radishes on a production line at a farm in Norfolk. One possible post-Brexit immigration scheme could struggle to channel workers towards less attractive roles - while another may heighten the risk of labour exploitation, a new report warns. PA The biggest issues facing UK on leaving EU Customs union A key point in the negotiations remains Britain's access to, or withdrawal from, the EU customs union. Since the referendum there has been hot debate over the meaning of Brexit: would it entail a full withdrawal from the existing agreement, known as hard Brexit, or the soft version in which we would remain part of a common customs area for most goods, as Turkey does? No 10 has so far insisted that Brexit means Brexit and that Britain will be leaving the customs union, but may be inclined to change its position once the potential risks to the UKs economic outlook become clearer. Alamy The biggest issues facing UK on leaving EU Northern Ireland-Irish border Though progress was made last year, there has still been no solid agreement on whether there should be a hard border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. To ensure borderless travel on the island, the countries must be in regulatory alignment and therefore adhere to the same rules as the customs union. In December, the Conservative Partys coalition partners, the DUP, refused a draft agreement that would place the UK/EU border in the Irish Sea due to its potential to undermine the union. May has promised that would not be the case and has suggested that a specific solution would need to be found. Getty The biggest issues facing UK on leaving EU Transition period Despite protests from a small number of Conservative MPs, the Government and the EU are largely in agreement that a transitional period is needed after Brexit. The talks, however, have reached an impasse. Though May has agreed that the UK will continue to contribute to the EU budget until 2021, the PM wants to be able to select which laws made during this time the UK will have to adhere to. Chief negotiator Michel Barnier has said the UK must adopt all of the laws passed during the transition, without any input from British ministers or MEPs. EPA The biggest issues facing UK on leaving EU Rights of EU citizens living the UK The Prime Minister has promised EU citizens already living in the UK the right to live and work here after Brexit, but the rights of those who arrive after Brexit day remains unclear. May insists that those who arrive during the transition period should not be allowed to stay, whereas the EU believe the cut-off point should be later. Getty The biggest issues facing UK on leaving EU Future trade agreement (with the EU) Despite this being a key issue in negotiations, the Government has yet to lay out exactly what it wants from a trade deal with the EU. Infighting within the Cabinet has prevented a solid position from being reached, with some MPs content that "no deal is better than a bad deal" while others rally behind single market access. The EU has already confirmed that access to the single market would be impossible without the UK remaining in the customs union. Getty The biggest issues facing UK on leaving EU Future trade agreements (internationally) The Government has already begun trying to woo foreign leaders into prospective trade agreements, with various high profile state visits to China, India and Canada for May, and the now infamous invitation to US President Donald Trump to visit London. However the UK cannot make trade agreements with another country while it is still a member of the EU, and the potential loss of trade with the world's major powers is a source of anxiety for the PM. The EU has said the UK cannot secure trade deals during the transition period. EPA The biggest issues facing UK on leaving EU Financial services Banks in the UK will be hit hard regardless of the Brexit outcome. The EU has refused to give British banks passporting rights to trade within the EU, dashing hopes of a special City deal. However according to new reports Germany has suggested allowing trade on the condition that the UK continues paying into the EU budget even after the transition period. Getty
Mr Corbyns aides later confirmed that a potential new customs union with the EU is merely an option and not a commitment, leaving open the option of a Labour government walking away from a deal if the EU does not meet demands for a seat at the negotiating table.
His spokesman told The Independent: Were saying a customs union between the UK and the European Union is an option were not saying thats a commitment.
Its an option and we would seek to negotiate that option.
Its part of a whole package of different approaches to different issues. If you cant negotiate some parts of the package then obviously you have to have alternative options.
He said Labour would not support a Brexit deal that would damage jobs and living standards, but declined to say that the lack of a customs union in any deal the Government negotiates with Brussels would result in the party opposing against the package when Parliament is giving a meaningful vote on the issue.
Some Labour MPs demanded Mr Corbyn go further and also pledge to keep the UK in the EU single market.
Chris Leslie, a supporter of the pro-EU Open Britain campaign, said: Jeremy Corbyns speech is not the end of Labours debate on Europe.
His commitment to the customs union is welcome but it is nowhere near enough.
Staying in the single market is absolutely essential if we are to protect manufacturing jobs and investment and to avoid a hard border in Ireland.
Nor can we pretend that we are going to be able buy our way into this or that European institution as though they were items on a menu. The only sure and certain way to get the benefits of single market membership is to be a member of the single market and we should not pretend otherwise.
Labour cannot support single market membership because it would dishonour what the British people asked us to do in the Brexit vote, a senior Jeremy Corbyn ally says.
Barry Gardiner, the Shadow International Trade Secretary, insisted Labour despite now backing a customs union will not make a similar shift on staying in the EUs internal trading bloc.
At the weekend, more than 80 senior Labour figures issued an open statement to argue that only staying in the single market can avert huge economic damage from Brexit.
Keir Starmer says it is crunch time for Theresa May on Brexit
Recommended Jeremy Corbyn to pile pressure on PM with customs union shift
But Mr Gardiner said such a move would not be respecting what the British people asked us to do, which was to regain sovereignty and control of borders.
The British people voted against what is the project of ever closer union. The British people took a decision that we would leave the European Union, he said.
They wanted us to make sure that we were regaining what they saw as our sovereignty that we were not paying money into the budget of the European Union and that we had the ability to control our own borders.
All of those things are things that we would not be able to do if we were part of the European Economic Area (EEA) and, therefore, of the single market.
The biggest issues facing UK on leaving EU Show all 8 1 /8 The biggest issues facing UK on leaving EU The biggest issues facing UK on leaving EU Post-Brexit immigration workers sorting radishes on a production line at a farm in Norfolk. One possible post-Brexit immigration scheme could struggle to channel workers towards less attractive roles - while another may heighten the risk of labour exploitation, a new report warns. PA The biggest issues facing UK on leaving EU Customs union A key point in the negotiations remains Britain's access to, or withdrawal from, the EU customs union. Since the referendum there has been hot debate over the meaning of Brexit: would it entail a full withdrawal from the existing agreement, known as hard Brexit, or the soft version in which we would remain part of a common customs area for most goods, as Turkey does? No 10 has so far insisted that Brexit means Brexit and that Britain will be leaving the customs union, but may be inclined to change its position once the potential risks to the UKs economic outlook become clearer. Alamy The biggest issues facing UK on leaving EU Northern Ireland-Irish border Though progress was made last year, there has still been no solid agreement on whether there should be a hard border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. To ensure borderless travel on the island, the countries must be in regulatory alignment and therefore adhere to the same rules as the customs union. In December, the Conservative Partys coalition partners, the DUP, refused a draft agreement that would place the UK/EU border in the Irish Sea due to its potential to undermine the union. May has promised that would not be the case and has suggested that a specific solution would need to be found. Getty The biggest issues facing UK on leaving EU Transition period Despite protests from a small number of Conservative MPs, the Government and the EU are largely in agreement that a transitional period is needed after Brexit. The talks, however, have reached an impasse. Though May has agreed that the UK will continue to contribute to the EU budget until 2021, the PM wants to be able to select which laws made during this time the UK will have to adhere to. Chief negotiator Michel Barnier has said the UK must adopt all of the laws passed during the transition, without any input from British ministers or MEPs. EPA The biggest issues facing UK on leaving EU Rights of EU citizens living the UK The Prime Minister has promised EU citizens already living in the UK the right to live and work here after Brexit, but the rights of those who arrive after Brexit day remains unclear. May insists that those who arrive during the transition period should not be allowed to stay, whereas the EU believe the cut-off point should be later. Getty The biggest issues facing UK on leaving EU Future trade agreement (with the EU) Despite this being a key issue in negotiations, the Government has yet to lay out exactly what it wants from a trade deal with the EU. Infighting within the Cabinet has prevented a solid position from being reached, with some MPs content that "no deal is better than a bad deal" while others rally behind single market access. The EU has already confirmed that access to the single market would be impossible without the UK remaining in the customs union. Getty The biggest issues facing UK on leaving EU Future trade agreements (internationally) The Government has already begun trying to woo foreign leaders into prospective trade agreements, with various high profile state visits to China, India and Canada for May, and the now infamous invitation to US President Donald Trump to visit London. However the UK cannot make trade agreements with another country while it is still a member of the EU, and the potential loss of trade with the world's major powers is a source of anxiety for the PM. The EU has said the UK cannot secure trade deals during the transition period. EPA The biggest issues facing UK on leaving EU Financial services Banks in the UK will be hit hard regardless of the Brexit outcome. The EU has refused to give British banks passporting rights to trade within the EU, dashing hopes of a special City deal. However according to new reports Germany has suggested allowing trade on the condition that the UK continues paying into the EU budget even after the transition period. Getty
Instead, Mr Corbyn, in a speech today, will demand protections, clarifications or exemptions to ensure EU law does not obstruct a future Labour government appearing to make single market membership impossible.
Labour believes EU state aid rules could stop a future Corbyn government subsidizing industries such as steel, while public service competition directives oblige countries to expose state-run services to private-sector competition.
It has also pointed to the posted workers directive, which currently allows firms to bring in staff from other EU countries and pay them below the going rate, as another policy it opposes.
Mr Corbyn has also, in the past, supported the need to end free movement of citizens which is one of the four pillars of single market membership.
Nevertheless, in his speech in Coventry, Mr Corbyn will create a clear Brexit dividing line between Labour and the Conservatives by finally committing to keeping the UK in a customs union.
The move will end months of speculation about the Labour leaders stance on the issue, which is a crucial part of the debate about Britain's future.
It also simultaneously heaps pressure on Theresa May as pro-EU Tory rebels are poised to join Labour and threaten her with defeat on the customs union on the Commons floor.
The Prime Minister is scrambling to agree Britain's approach to the future relationship with the EU by Friday, as Brexiteers also threaten her leadership from the right if she bends on the issue threatening the UKs freedom to agree trade deals.
In his speech, Mr Corbyn will also promise to use funds returned from Brussels after Brexit to invest in our public services and jobs of the future, not tax cuts for the richest.
However, that argument will also be criticised by pro-EU Labour figures, who will point out that Britain will be worse off under all Brexit scenarios, according to the Governments own leaked analysis.
Close Jeremy Corbyn announces support of a customs union after Brexit
Jeremy Corbyn has committed Labour to keeping the UK in a customs union with the European Union as he set out a shift in his partys Brexit policy.
In a speech in Coventry, Mr Corbyn argued the move would enable Labour to secure full tariff-free access to the single market but without committing to all of its rules.
The Labour leader said: Britain will need a bespoke relationship of its own. Labour would negotiate a new and strong relationship with the single market that includes full tariff-free access and a floor under existing rights, standards and protections.
Labour would seek to negotiate a new comprehensive UK-EU customs union to ensure that there are no tariffs with Europe and to help avoid any need for a hard border in Northern Ireland."
David Lidington, the Cabinet minister, also used a speech in north Wales to address tensions between Westminster and the devolved administrations.
Mr Lidington said the UK Government had made a considerable offer to the devolved administrations with a commitment that the vast majority of powers returning from Brussels will start off in Edinburgh, Cardiff and Belfast rather than Whitehall.
Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn has reiterated his position that any Brexit deal would need to include a new customs union arrangement with the European Union.
Speaking at the Labour Party Conference 2018 in Liverpool, Mr Corbyn addressed the prime minister directly: If you deliver a deal that includes a customs union and no hard border in Ireland, if you protect jobs, peoples rights at work and environmental and consumer standards then we will support that sensible deal, a deal that would be backed by most of the business world and trade unions too.
But if you cant negotiate that deal then you need to make way for a party that can and will.
Mr Corbyns position contrasts with the governments stance that the UK should leave the existing customs union - and not be tied to a new bloc it claims would restrict Britains ability to strike deals with other countries.
Here we explain the customs union, the cost and benefits of remaining signed up to one and what the alternatives could be.
What is the customs union?
The EU customs union is a 50-year-old agreement between European member states that facilitates free trade by ensuring they all apply the same import duties on goods entering the union. This means goods can then travel freely once they are within the EU.
The countries also agree not to impose tariffs on goods travelling between countries in the union.
The agreement greatly reduces administrative and financial barriers to trade.
How is a customs union different from a free trade area or the single market?
A customs union is different from a free trade area, in which means no tariffs are charged on goods and services moving within the area.
The single market is a broader agreement that encompasses the free movement of goods, services, capital and people.
What will leaving the customs union mean?
It could result in increased border checks, which could wreak havoc on supply chains.
Many businesses, such as those in the car industry, operate just-in-time production, with multiple parts crossing the Channel from mainland Europe each day.
Honda UK told MPs in November 2017 that it relied on 350 trucks arriving from the continent every day. A delay of 15 minutes at its Swindon factory would cost 850,000, the company estimated.
Would leaving the customs union mean higher tariffs?
Countries such as Norway and Switzerland enjoy tariff-free access to the EU without being part of the customs union but accept free movement of workers and make contributions to the EU budget.
If the UK restricts the free movement of people with immigration controls it is unlikely to be granted completely tariff-free access to the single market. The cost of doing business will, therefore, rise.
The UK could negotiate a free trade deal with the EU, as Canada has recently done. This means the UK would have access to the single market to sell its products but would not be part of it. Therefore, it would not have to sign up to free movement of people. While the deal with Canada removes the vast majority of tariffs there are some significant exceptions, particularly in the services sector the dominant part of the UK economy.
Dominic Grieve tables amendment seeking to stay in customs union
What impact leaving the customs union have on the Irish border?
Around a quarter of Northern Irelands exports go south, while the Republic sends just 2 per cent of its goods north.
So exiting the customs union would impact the Northern Irish economy.
But it would also increase the likelihood of a hard border returning to Ireland, undermining the Good Friday Agreement.
In the divorce agreement reached between the UK and EU in December, Britain promised that no new regulatory barriers would emerge between the mainland and Northern Ireland.
But the Government has yet to spell out exactly how it would perform the necessary checks on goods entering Northern Ireland without erecting a physical barrier with the south.
How big could the impact of leaving the customs union be?
Around 43 per cent of Britains exports go to the EU, according to the Office of National Statistics. They would likely be subject to import tariffs as well as extra administrative costs.
If the UK did not negotiate a trade deal with the EU before Brexit, it would have to trade on standard tariffs under World Trade Organisation rules.
An analysis by The Independent found that the cost to Britains exporters - in extra tariffs alone - would be at least 4.5bn per year. This estimate does not include the difficult-to-measure costs of non-tariff barriers, such as the enforcement of different market standards and regulations.
The extra costs on companies could force them to relocate UK operations within the EU after Brexit, potentially leading to job cuts.
What will the positive impacts be?
The main positive highlighted by Brexiteers is that Britain would be free to negotiate its own trade deals with non-EU countries.
Opponents of this argument have pointed out that countries such as Turkey are in a customs union with the EU that excludes certain sectors and are free to negotiate trade deals.
Liam Fox, the international trade secretary, has touted Chinas economic expansion as a reason to prioritise the UKs ability to strike deals around the world.
This could allow the lowering of barriers elsewhere to help to make up for any loss of trade with the EU.
The biggest issues facing UK on leaving EU Show all 8 1 /8 The biggest issues facing UK on leaving EU The biggest issues facing UK on leaving EU Post-Brexit immigration workers sorting radishes on a production line at a farm in Norfolk. One possible post-Brexit immigration scheme could struggle to channel workers towards less attractive roles - while another may heighten the risk of labour exploitation, a new report warns. PA The biggest issues facing UK on leaving EU Customs union A key point in the negotiations remains Britain's access to, or withdrawal from, the EU customs union. Since the referendum there has been hot debate over the meaning of Brexit: would it entail a full withdrawal from the existing agreement, known as hard Brexit, or the soft version in which we would remain part of a common customs area for most goods, as Turkey does? No 10 has so far insisted that Brexit means Brexit and that Britain will be leaving the customs union, but may be inclined to change its position once the potential risks to the UKs economic outlook become clearer. Alamy The biggest issues facing UK on leaving EU Northern Ireland-Irish border Though progress was made last year, there has still been no solid agreement on whether there should be a hard border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. To ensure borderless travel on the island, the countries must be in regulatory alignment and therefore adhere to the same rules as the customs union. In December, the Conservative Partys coalition partners, the DUP, refused a draft agreement that would place the UK/EU border in the Irish Sea due to its potential to undermine the union. May has promised that would not be the case and has suggested that a specific solution would need to be found. Getty The biggest issues facing UK on leaving EU Transition period Despite protests from a small number of Conservative MPs, the Government and the EU are largely in agreement that a transitional period is needed after Brexit. The talks, however, have reached an impasse. Though May has agreed that the UK will continue to contribute to the EU budget until 2021, the PM wants to be able to select which laws made during this time the UK will have to adhere to. Chief negotiator Michel Barnier has said the UK must adopt all of the laws passed during the transition, without any input from British ministers or MEPs. EPA The biggest issues facing UK on leaving EU Rights of EU citizens living the UK The Prime Minister has promised EU citizens already living in the UK the right to live and work here after Brexit, but the rights of those who arrive after Brexit day remains unclear. May insists that those who arrive during the transition period should not be allowed to stay, whereas the EU believe the cut-off point should be later. Getty The biggest issues facing UK on leaving EU Future trade agreement (with the EU) Despite this being a key issue in negotiations, the Government has yet to lay out exactly what it wants from a trade deal with the EU. Infighting within the Cabinet has prevented a solid position from being reached, with some MPs content that "no deal is better than a bad deal" while others rally behind single market access. The EU has already confirmed that access to the single market would be impossible without the UK remaining in the customs union. Getty The biggest issues facing UK on leaving EU Future trade agreements (internationally) The Government has already begun trying to woo foreign leaders into prospective trade agreements, with various high profile state visits to China, India and Canada for May, and the now infamous invitation to US President Donald Trump to visit London. However the UK cannot make trade agreements with another country while it is still a member of the EU, and the potential loss of trade with the world's major powers is a source of anxiety for the PM. The EU has said the UK cannot secure trade deals during the transition period. EPA The biggest issues facing UK on leaving EU Financial services Banks in the UK will be hit hard regardless of the Brexit outcome. The EU has refused to give British banks passporting rights to trade within the EU, dashing hopes of a special City deal. However according to new reports Germany has suggested allowing trade on the condition that the UK continues paying into the EU budget even after the transition period. Getty
However, trade deals take a long time to negotiate. The UK would also be in a far less advantageous negotiating position on its own.
Being the worlds largest economic trading bloc with 500 million relatively wealthy consumers gives the EU hefty clout, which the UK alone cannot match.
The second positive put forward is that the country would not have to contribute as much to the EUs budget.
European officials have mooted charging an annual fee if the UK wants access to EU markets to buy and sell its products but remain outside the customs union.
Norway is set to pay 140 per head for its access to the single market between 2015 and 2020. The UK currently pays 220 per capita for EU membership, according to analysis by fact-checking organisation Full Fact. These, however, are gross figures and it is likely that the payments received by the UK from the EU are proportionally higher than those received by Norway. The UK's overall gross contribution to the EU is around 13bn per year; the net figure is around 9bn.
How could we stay in the customs union while outside the EU?
The Brexit referendum asked voters to choose between remaining in the EU or leaving it and was not a question of whether Britain would remain in the customs union.
But both Labour and the Tories have committed to leaving the current trading pact after Brexit.
There are examples of countries that are in a customs union with the EU while not being a member state.
Turkey, Andorra and San Marino have customs union agreements with the EU but are not part of the single market. These agreements only cover certain goods. Turkeys agreement with the EU for example, excludes agricultural products, services and public procurement.
Brexit so far: in pictures Show all 53 1 /53 Brexit so far: in pictures Brexit so far: in pictures Brexit campaign Boris Johnson led the VoteLeave campaign PA Brexit so far: in pictures Brexit campaign Boris Johnson MP, Labour MP Gisela Stuart and UKIP MP Douglas Carswell address the people of Stafford in Market Square during the Vote Leave Brexit Battle Bus tour on 17 May 2016. Their lead line on the tour was: We send the EU 350 million a week, let's fund our NHS instead. Getty Brexit so far: in pictures Voting day A man shelters from the rain as he arrives at a polling station in London on 23 June 2016. Millions of Britons voted in the referendum on whether to stay in or leave the European Union AFP/Getty Brexit so far: in pictures Referendum results Leader of Ukip, Nigel Farage, reacts at the Leave EU referendum party at Millbank Tower in central London as results indicated that it was likely the UK would leave the European Union AFP/Getty Brexit so far: in pictures Protesting the result A young couple painted as EU flags and a man with a sign reading Im not leaving protest outside Downing Street against the voters decision to leave the EU on 24 June 2016 Getty Brexit so far: in pictures David Cameron resigns British Prime Minister David Cameron resigns on the steps of 10 Downing Street on 24 June 2016 after the results of the EU referendum were declared and the United Kingdom voted to leave the European Union Getty Brexit so far: in pictures Theresa May Becomes the new Conservative Party leader Theresa May receives a kiss from her husband Philip, after becoming the new Conservative Party leader on 11 July 2016. May became Prime Minister two days later and although she voted to remain in the referendum was keen to lead Britains Brexit talks after her only rival in the race to succeed David Cameron pulled out unexpectedly. May was left as the only contender standing after the withdrawal from the leadership race of Andrea Leadsom, who faced criticism for suggesting she was more qualified to be prime minister because she had children AFP/Getty Brexit so far: in pictures Lancaster House keynote speech on Brexit British Prime Minister Theresa May delivers her keynote speech on Brexit at Lancaster House in London on 17 January 2017. Where she spoke about her offer to introduce a transition period after the UK formally leaves the European Union in March 2019. Despite repeating the pro-Brexit mantra of no deal is better than a bad deal, the Prime Minister claimed she wanted a tone of trust between the negotiators and said Britain was leaving the EU but not Europe. She said there should be a clear double lock needed for the transitional period to make sure businesses had time to prepare for changes to their trading relationships with the EU Getty Brexit so far: in pictures Triggering of Article 50 British Prime Minister Theresa May in the cabinet, sitting below a painting of Britain's first Prime Minister Robert Walpole, signs the official letter to European Council President Donald Tusk invoking Article 50 and the United Kingdom's intention to leave the EU on 29 March 2017 Getty Brexit so far: in pictures Gibraltar nonsense Tensions have risen over Brexit negotiations for the Rock of Gibraltar. The European Council has said Gibraltar would be included in a trade deal between London and Brussels only with the agreement of Spain. While former Conservative leader Michael Howard claimed that Theresa May would be prepared to go to war to protect the territory. Spain's foreign minister stepped in only to assert that there was no need for the dispute Getty Brexit so far: in pictures Shock snap election Soon after triggering Article 50, Theresa May called on 18 April 2017 for a snap general election. The election would be on 8 June and it came as a shock move to many, with her reasoning to try to bolster her position before tough talks on leaving the EU AFP/Getty Brexit so far: in pictures Dissolution of Parliament for General Election Campaign Prime Minister Theresa May makes a statement in Downing Street after returning from Buckingham Palace on 3 May 2017. The Prime Minister visited the Queen to ask for the dissolution of Parliament signalling the official start to the general election campaign Getty Brexit so far: in pictures Conservatives lose parliamentary majority An arrangement of British daily newspapers showing front page stories about the exit poll results of the snap general election. British Prime Minister Theresa May faced pressure to resign on 9 June 2017 after losing her parliamentary majority, plunging the country into uncertainty as Brexit talks loomed. The pound fell sharply amid fears the Conservative leader would be unable to form a government AFP/Getty Brexit so far: in pictures Labour gains Britains opposition Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn gives a tumbs up as he arrives at Labour headquarters in central London on 9 June 2017 after the snap general election results showed a hung parliament with Labour gains and the Conservatives losing their majority AFP/Getty Brexit so far: in pictures Brexit negotiations begin Brexit Minister David Davis and European Commission member in charge of Brexit negotiations Michel Barnier address a press conference at the end of the first day of Brexit negotiations in Brussels on 19 June 2017 AFP/Getty Brexit so far: in pictures May speaks in Florence British Prime Minister Theresa May speaks on 22 September 2017, in Florence. May sought to unlock Brexit talks after Brussels demanded more clarity on the crunch issues of budget payments and EU citizens' rights AFP/Getty Brexit so far: in pictures EU council summit insufficient progress German Chancellor Angela Merkel joins other EU leaders for a breakfast meeting during an EU summit in Brussels on 20 October 2017. The EU spoke about Brexit and announced that insufficient progress had been made AFP/Getty Brexit so far: in pictures DUP derails settlement on the withdrawal part of Brexit DUP Deputy Leader Nigel Dodds walks off after speaking to members of the media as a protester holding flags shouts after him outside the Houses of Parliament on 5 December 2017. British Prime Minister Theresa May was forced to pull out of a deal with Brussels after the DUP said it would not accept terms which see Northern Ireland treated differently from the rest of the UK Getty Brexit so far: in pictures May suffers defeat over EU (Withdrawal) Bill Theresa May suffers defeat in parliament over EU (Withdrawal) Bill on 13 December 2017. The Government was defeated by Conservative rebels and Labour MPs in a vote on its key piece of Brexit legislation. MPs amended the EU (Withdrawal) Bill against Theresa May's will, guaranteeing Parliament a meaningful vote on any Brexit deal she agrees with Brussels. Ms May's whips applied pressure on Conservative rebels who remained defiant in the Commons throughout the day and in the end the Government was defeated by 309 votes to 305 Brexit so far: in pictures EU council summit sufficient progress Britain's Prime minister Theresa May arrives to attend the first day of a European union summit in Brussels on 14 December 2017. European leaders discussed Brexit and announced there was finally sufficient progress at the end of the two days AFP/Getty Brexit so far: in pictures The game moves to transition Brexit Secretary David Davis gives evidence on developments in European Union divorce talks to the Commons Exiting the EU Committee in Portcullis House, London, on 24 January 2018 PA Brexit so far: in pictures Trade deal is what May wants French President Emmanuel Macron gestures to Britain's Prime Minister Theresa May after they hold a press conference at the Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst, on 18 January 2018. May and Macron agreed a new border security deal, through which the UK will pay more to France to stop migrants trying to reach British shores on 18 January 2018 AFP/Getty Brexit so far: in pictures Transition period agreed The UK and EU agree terms for Brexit transition period on 19 March, 2018 Reuters Brexit so far: in pictures No agreement on Irish border The EU and UK however failed to reach an agreement on the Irish border during the successful talks on other Brexit issues AFP/Getty Brexit so far: in pictures EU attacks Mays fantasy strategy For months after the March deal is struck there is little significant progress in talks. One senior EU official tears into Britains fantasy negotiating strategy and accuses Theresa May of not even having a position on a variety of important issue Getty Brexit so far: in pictures UK releases Ireland plan Britain releases a new customs plan to solve the Northern Ireland border but Michel Barnier says it leaves unanswered questions and would not prevent a hard border EbS Brexit so far: in pictures Chequers plan agreed The cabinet agrees on a plan known as the "Chequers deal" on July 6 2018. The plan seeks regulatory alignment on goods and food, divergence on services, freedom from the European Courts of Justice and an end to free movement. Many were surprised that the hard Brexiteers of the cabinet would agree to this plan PA Brexit so far: in pictures Chequers plan sparks resignations Brexit Secretary David Davis and Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson and numerous ministers resign in the days following the Chequers agreement Reuters Brexit so far: in pictures Davis out, Raab in On 9 July, Dominic Raab replaces David Davis as Brexit Secretary. Raab is a keen Brexiteer and was a housing minister before taking over from Davis Reuters Brexit so far: in pictures Barnier's "deal like no other" EU chief negotiator Michel Barnier claims on August 29 2018 that they are prepared to offer Britain a trade deal like no other, though he stressed that they will not divide or change the single market to accommodate Britain AP Brexit so far: in pictures "My deal or no deal" In an interview on Panorama on September 17, the Prime Minister insists that any Brexit deal will be offered to the EU on her terms. She asserts this amongst continued attacks on her approach to Brexit by Boris Johnson and the European Research Group, headed by Jacob Rees Mogg BBC/Jeff Overs Brexit so far: in pictures EU leaders reject Chequers Quite the blow was dealt to the Prime Minister at a EU leaders summit in Salzburg on September 20. European Council President Donald Tusk stated that the Chequers deal "will not work" Reuters Brexit so far: in pictures May demands respect Following the rejection of her Chequers plan the day before, the Prime Minister voiced her anger that the EU had dismissed it without offering an alternative. She stated that throughout this process, I have treated the EU with nothing but respect. The UK expects the same. A good relationship at the end of this process depends on it." Getty Brexit so far: in pictures People's Vote march As the People's Vote campaign and The Independent's Final Say campaign gain traction, 700,000 people turn out in London to demand a final say on the UK's Brexit deal on October 20 2018 PA Brexit so far: in pictures More resignations As the Prime Minister settles on a Brexit deal, Brexit secretary Dominic Raab resigns along with Work and Pensions secretary Esther McVey and many other ministers Getty Brexit so far: in pictures Final Say petitions delivered to Downing Street People's Vote supporting MPs Chukka Umunna, Justine Greening and Caroline Lucas and The Independent editor Christian Broughton deliver over a million signatures in favour of a People's Vote to the Prime Minister at 10 Downing Street on December 3 2018 PA Brexit so far: in pictures May delays vote On December 10, the Prime Minister delayed the vote on her Brexit deal as it was near certain not to pass through the Commons due to Tory rebels and lack of DUP support AFP/Getty Brexit so far: in pictures No confidence motion Tory MPs triggered a confidence vote in the Prime Minister on December 12. She won by 200 votes to 117 Reuters Brexit so far: in pictures Commons rejects the deal Following the delay, the Prime Minister's deal was rejected in the Commons by a historic 230 votes AFP Brexit so far: in pictures Corbyn tables a no confidence motion Following the rejection of the Prime Minister's deal, opposition leader Jeremy Corbyn tabled a motion of no confidence in the government, which the government won by a margin of 19 AFP/Getty Brexit so far: in pictures Plan B The Prime Minister won the support of the commons to return to Brussels to renegotiate the backstop on January 29. In the same sitting, MPs also voted against a no-deal Brexit in a non-legally binding motion PA Brexit so far: in pictures EU council president savages Brexit campaigners who failed to plan for departure: Special place in hell There is a special place in hell for pro-Brexit campaigners who demanded Britain leave the EU without explaining how it should happen, Donald Tusk has said. The European Council president launched the scathing attack as he accused anti-EU campaigners of pushing for Brexit without even a sketch of a plan how to carry it out safely. Mr Tusk also dismissed suggestions that the EU could reopen negotiations over the controversial Northern Ireland backstop, dealing a blow to Theresa Mays hopes of securing fresh concessions as she tries to get her exit deal through parliament. Speaking in Brussels alongside Irish taoiseach Leo Varadkar, Mr Tusk said: Ive been wondering what a special place in hell looks like for people who promoted Brexit without even a sketch of a plan how to carry it out safely. He also tweeted the accusation moments later Getty Brexit so far: in pictures EU and UK announce talks to restart after Theresa May visits Brussels Both have agreed to restart Brexit talks to find a way through the deadlock in Westminster, following a visit by Theresa May to Brussels. In a joint statement the British government and European Commission said Ms May had had a robust but constructive meeting with president Jean-Claude Juncker, and that the pair would meet again before the end of the month. But the EU again refused to reopen the withdrawal agreement and its controversial backstop with any negotiations expected to focus on the future relationship between the UK and EU instead Getty Brexit so far: in pictures Brexit strategy lost MPs voted down May's Brext plans, with a majority of 45. The prime minister did not appear in parliament to see another defeat PA Brexit so far: in pictures Labour and Conservative MPs resign and create the Independent Group Back row of Chris Leslie, Gavin Shuker, Chuka Umunna and Mike Gapes, middle row of Angela Smith, Luciana Berger and Ann Coffey and front row of Sarah Wollaston, Heidi Allen, Anna Soubry and Joan Ryan PA Brexit so far: in pictures Non-biding votes on amendments to Brexit motion On February 27 he house held a series of votes, unanimously calling for the UK and EU to guarantee citizens rights in a no-deal scenario AFP/Getty Brexit so far: in pictures Attorney General publishes legal advice A hammer blow for May as Geoffrey Cox said her renegotiated deal can still leave UK in backstop against its will. Mr Cox did say the prime ministers efforts had reduced the risk of the UK being trapped in the backstop indefinitely. MPs went on to vote against her deal by 391 to 242 UK Parliament/PA Brexit so far: in pictures No-deal off the table MPs rejected a no-deal Brexit by 43 votes on March 13, with cabinet ministers rebelling in another humiliating defeat for Theresa May. A day later they voted in favour of the prime minister seeking an extension to Article 50 AFP/Getty Brexit so far: in pictures House speaker bans May from third Commons vote on same Brexit deal John Bercow sensationally told Theresa May he would stop her making another attempt to pass her Brexit deal unless she has secured changes. The Speaker said a further meaningful vote would be ruled out of order if the motion was the same or substantially the same under an ancient convention to stop the government bullying parliament on issues MPs have rejected Parliament Live Brexit so far: in pictures May writes to Tusk The prime minister wrote to Donald Tusk, president of the European Council, to ask for a three-month extension to give her more time to try to get her deal through parliament. However the European Commission advises the EU27 should offer a short extension to May 23 or a longer one meaning the UK would participate in European elections 10 Downing Street/AFP/Getty Brexit so far: in pictures European Council summit Theresa Mays request to extend triggering Article 50 until the end of June was rejected by the EU, and instead offered a shorter time frame. She accepted the offer of a delay until May 22 if her withdrawal deal is approved by Parliament. If MPs rejected it for a third time, the EU said Britain must propose a new plan by April 12. Ms May said she will not support a long delay because it would mean Britain participating in elections for the European Parliament Getty Brexit so far: in pictures Brussels confirms preparations for a no-deal Brexit are completed They warned that it is increasingly likely the UK will crash out. In a statement the European Commission (EC) said preparedness and contingency work, which the EC has been conducting since December 2017, was now finished. The announcement came days after EU leaders agreed to a request by Theresa May to extend the UKs Brexit date AFP Brexit so far: in pictures May resigns Reuters
In practice, it is possible to be outside the customs union but still have access to the single market, as Norway is. This means it can negotiate its own trade deals but has to accept free movement of people and must comply with EU legislation.
Where do the main parties stand on the customs union?
Labour says its policy on Brexit has been evolving.
The party is split between those who favour remaining in the single market and those who say the UK must leave, with 80 senior figures warning Mr Corbyn that leaving the single market could scupper his efforts to ease austerity.
Last summer Labour announced it was backing an extended transitional period after Brexit that would keep existing ties to both the single market and customs union.
And the party appears to have shifted towards remaining part of a customs union, too.
The Shadow Brexit Secretary, Sir Keir Starmer, said Labour had long championed being in a customs union with the EU and the benefits.
He said Britain was more likely to strike new deals if it works jointly with the EU
Theresa Mays government has insisted that Britain must leave the customs union and single market if it is to honour the June 2016 referendum.
Theresa May announces Britain will not remain full member of EU customs union
But critics say the simple in/out question does not provide a mandate for cutting ties with Britains most important trading partners.
And some of those on the Brexit side of the argument promised before the vote that Brexit did not mean exiting those arrangements.
Absolutely nobody is talking about threatening our place in the single market, Daniel Hannan, a Tory MEP , said when the referendum was first announced.
No one has ever suggested in Brussels, and I have been here for 16 years, that if we withdrew from the union we would be excluded from the single market.
Inmates have been paid close to 2m in compensation for poor healthcare behind bars since 2010 amid mounting concern over the scale of the crisis gripping Britains prisons.
New figures show that payouts to prisoners for medical negligence or poor treatment have been on the rise since 2010-11, when inmates received just 26,389 in damages, compared to 360,325 last year.
Compensation claims for inmates amounted to 1,984,439 over the past seven years, soaring to a high of 617,468 in 2012-13, analysis of official data showed.
Recommended Prison crisis laid bare as Government issued unprecedented warning
It comes after the Government was issued with an unprecedented warning from prison inspectors about the dramatic decline in conditions, as prisons grapple with a toxic cocktail of drugs, violence and soaring suicide rates among inmates.
Inspectors found conditions at HMP Liverpool were the worst they had ever seen, with prisoners living among litter, rats and cockroaches. Meanwhile, the prisons watchdog recently warned that inmates at HMP Nottingham were living in fundamentally unsafe conditions.
Leading doctors have spoken out in the past over the challenges in delivering healthcare behind bars, as shortages of prison staff and transport can mean medics are forced to cancel or delay treatment for sick prisoners for security reasons, according to the BMA.
In its latest annual report, the prisons watchdog said health services were affected by shortages of prison staff and restrictive regimes and many prisoners lived in overcrowded and poor cells. However, it found the overall quality of care was reasonable.
Shadow health minister Justin Madders, who obtained the figures, said: These are extremely worrying findings. The substantial increase in compensation for negligent care is a stark indication of the unprecedented pressures being placed on NHS workers treating prisoners, and shockingly the real figures could be higher still.
Seven years of harsh austerity has left patients suffering and care quality has evidently taken a hit.
Mark Day, head of policy and communications at the Prison Reform Trust, said prisoners should receive the same standard of healthcare as they would in the community, but this was often not achieved on the ground.
He told The Independent: People in prison are far more likely to suffer from health problems than the general population. But in understaffed and overcrowded prisons, prisoners can face significant challenges in making and keeping health appointments.
In the secure environment of a prison, they can also face problems getting access to the healthcare and medication they need.
At the same time, a rapidly rising population of older prisoners is placing additional pressure on health provision, with prisons a poor environment to provide care for people coming towards the end of their life.
UK news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 UK news in pictures UK news in pictures 11 September 2021 Arsenals Takehiro Tomiyasu attempts to control the ball during the Premier League match at The Emirates Stadium PA UK news in pictures 10 September 2021 People paddle board during a misty morning in Ullswater, the second largest lake in the Lake District, Cumbria PA UK news in pictures 9 September 2021 Troops from Wiltshire based 4 Armoured Close Support Battalion Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers during final inspection at Wellington Barracks in London, ahead of providing troops for the Queens Guard PA UK news in pictures 8 September 2021 Workers cross London Bridge during the morning rush hour in London Reuters UK news in pictures Mixing it up: Painting it up press view in London A gallery employee poses for photographers next to a painting entitled Prairie by British artist, Louise Giovanelli during the exhibition 'Mixing it up: Painting it up' at the Hayward Gallery in London EPA UK news in pictures 6 September 2021 Traders in the Ring at the London Metal Exchange, in the City of London, after open-outcry trading returned for the first time since March 2020, when the Ring was temporarily closed due to the pandemic PA UK news in pictures 5 September 2021 People enjoy the warm weather on Sandbanks beach, Poole PA UK news in pictures 4 September 2021 Demonstrators from Animal Rebellion and Nature Rebellion protest in Trafalgar Square in London. PA UK news in pictures 3 September 2021 South Africa's Ntando Mahlangu (centre) wins the Men's 200 metres T61 Final ahead of second placed Great Britain's Richard Whitehead at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games PA UK news in pictures 2 September 2021 A young common seal on the beach at Horsey Gap in Norfolk, as hundreds of pregnant grey seals come ashore ready for the start of the pupping season. PA UK news in pictures 1 September 2021 Goldfinches fighting over food in a garden in Strensham, Worcestershire PA UK news in pictures 31 August 2021 Gold Medallist Sarah Storey of Britain celebrates on the podium Reuters UK news in pictures 30 August 2021 Extinction Rebellion protesters hold a a tea party on Tower Bridge in London EPA UK news in pictures 29 August 2021 A police office tussles with a demonstrator on Cromwell Road outside the Natural History Museum during a protest by members of Extinction Rebellion in London PA UK news in pictures 28 August 2021 Members of the British armed forces 16 Air Assault Brigade walk to the air terminal after disembarking a Royal Airforce Voyager aircraft at Brize Norton, Oxfordshire POOL/AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 27 August 2021 Fabio Quartararo crashes during a MotoGP practice session at the British Grand Prix, Silverstone Circuit Action Images via Reuters UK news in pictures 26 August 2021 An Extinction Rebellion activist holds a placard in a fountain surrounded by police officers, during a protest next to Buckingham Palace in London Reuters UK news in pictures 25 August 2021 Gold Medallist Great Britains cyclist, Sarah Storey, celebrates after winning the Womens C5 3000m Individual Pursuit Final at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games. It was her 15th Paralympic gold Reuters UK news in pictures 24 August 2021 A demonstrator dressed as bee during a protest by members of Extinction Rebellion on Whitehall, in central London PA UK news in pictures 23 August 2021 Former interpreters for the British forces in Afghanistan demonstrate outside the Home Office in central London AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 22 August 2021 Police officers form a line in front of the entrance to the Guildhall, London, where protesters have climbed onto a ledge above the entrance during an Extinction Rebellion stage a protest PA UK news in pictures 21 August 2021 People take part in a demonstration in solidarity with people of Afghanistan, in London Reuters UK news in pictures 20 August 2021 People zip wire across the sea from Bournemouth pier towards the beach. PA UK news in pictures 19 August 2021 Supporters of Geronimo the alpaca gather outside Shepherds Close Farm in Wooton Under Edge, Gloucestershire PA UK news in pictures 18 August 2021 Former Afghan interpreters and veterans hold a demonstration outside Downing Street, calling for support and protection for Afghan interpreters and their families PA UK news in pictures 17 August 2021 Military personnel board the RAF Airbus A400M at RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire, where evacuation flights from Afghanistan have been landing Reuters UK news in pictures 16 August 2021 Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer takes part in a minute's silence at Wolverhampton police station for the victims of the Plymouth mass shooting last week PA UK news in pictures 15 August 2021 2Storm, a ten-metre tall puppet of a mythical goddess of the sea created by Edinburgh-based visual theatre company Vision Mechanics, makes its way alongside the seafront at North Berwick, East Lothian, during a performance at the Fringe By The Sea festival PA UK news in pictures 14 August 2021 A woman and two young girls look at floral tributes in Plymouth where six people, including the offender, died of gunshot wounds in a firearms incident PA UK news in pictures 13 August 2021 Forensic officers in the Keyham area of Plymouth where six people, including the shooter, died of gunshot wounds in a firearms incident on Thursday evening PA UK news in pictures 12 August 2021 Children ride horses in the River Eden in Appleby, Cumbria, during the annual gathering of travellers for the Appleby Horse Fair PA UK news in pictures 11 August 2021 Stella Moris (left) reacts after talking to the media outside the High Court in London, following the first hearing in the Julian Assange extradition appeal, n London, following the first hearing in the Julian Assange extradition appeal. The US government has won the latest round in its High Court bid to appeal against the decision not to extradite Julian Assange on espionage charges PA UK news in pictures 10 August 2021 Students react after they receive their A-Level results at the Ark Academy, in London Reuters UK news in pictures 9 August 2021 The final athletes from Great Britain arrive home including Jason Kenny, Laura Kenny and Katie Archibald (front left-right) at Heathrow Airport, London following the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games PA UK news in pictures 8 August 2021 Great Britain's Laura Kenny during the closing ceremony of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games at the Olympic stadium in Japan PA UK news in pictures 7 August 2021 People from the Glasgow Southside community take part in the Govanhill Carnival, an anti-racist celebration of pride, unity and the contributions immigrants have made to the community in Govanhill, at Queen's Park, Glasgow PA UK news in pictures 6 August 2021 Chijindu Ujah of Britain, Zharnel Hughes of Britain, Richard Kilty of Britain and Nethaneel Mitchell-Blake of Britain celebrate winning silver as they pose with Asha Philip of Britain, Imani Lansiquot of Britain, Dina Asher-Smith of Britain and Daryll Neita of Britain after they won bronze in the women's 4 x 100m relay during Olympic Games Day 14 Getty UK news in pictures 5 August 2021 A protester places flowers on a photograph of an executed man during a demonstration organised by supporters of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) to protest against the inauguration of Iran's new president Ebrahim Raisi in central London AFP via Getty UK news in pictures 4 August 2021 England's Joe Root looks on as India's KL Rahul doesn't make it to a catch during day one of Cinch First Test match at Trent Bridge, Nottingham PA UK news in pictures 3 August 2021 Great Britain's Laura Kenny and Jason Kenny with their silver medals for the Women's Team Pursuit and Mens Team Sprint during the Track Cycling at the Izu Velodrome on the eleventh day of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games in Japan PA UK news in pictures 2 August 2021 Great Britains Charlotte Worthington competes during the Womens BMX Freestyle Final at the Tokyo Olympics PA UK news in pictures 1 August 2021 EPA UK news in pictures 31 July 2021 James Guy, Adam Peaty and Kathleen Dawson celebrate winning the gold medal in the mixed 4x100m medley relay final at the Tokyo Olympics AP UK news in pictures 30 July 2021 Great Britain's Bethany Shriever and Kye Whyte celebrate their Gold and Silver medals respectively for the Cycling BMX Racing at the Ariake Urban Sports Park on the seventh day of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games in Japan PA UK news in pictures 29 July 2021 Team GB's Mallory Franklin during the Womens Canoe Slalom Final on day six of the Tokyo Olympic Games. She went on to win the silver medal Getty UK news in pictures 28 July 2021 Canoers on Llyn Padarn lake in Snowdonia, Gwynedd. It was announced that the north-west Wales slate landscape has been granted UNESCO World Heritage Status PA UK news in pictures 27 July 2021 A view of one of two areas now being used at a warehouse facility in Dover, Kent, for boats used by people thought to be migrants. PA UK news in pictures 26 July 2021 A woman is helped by Border Force officers as a group of people thought to be migrants are brought in to Dover, Kent, onboard a Border Force vessel, following a small boat incident in the Channel PA UK news in pictures 25 July 2021 Vehicles drive through deep water on a flooded road in Nine Elms, London AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 24 July 2021 Utilities workers inspect a 15x20ft sinkhole on Green Lane, Liverpool, which is suspected to have been caused by ruptured water main PA
Health minister Jackie Doyle-Price, responding to a written parliamentary question, said: These figures represent the amount of compensation paid to prisoners arising from negligent care or treatment provided by National Health Service organisations which are members of the NHS Resolution indemnity scheme.
NHS Resolution members are not the sole providers of prison healthcare and hence the figures do not represent the total amount of compensation paid to prisoners.
The Department of Health and Social Care declined to comment.
Jeremy Corbyn will today create a clear Brexit dividing line between Labour and the Tories in a keynote speech which will see him finally commit to keep the UK in a European customs union.
The Labour leader will argue the move would enable his party to secure full tariff-free access to the single market but without committing to all of its rules, allowing him to negotiate exemptions on freedom of movement and workers rights.
The move ends months of speculation about Mr Corbyns stance on the issue, which goes to the heart of the debate about Britains future.
Keir Starmer says it is crunch time for Theresa May on Brexit
It also simultaneously heaps pressure on Theresa May as pro-EU Tory rebels are poised to join Labour and force her to keep the UK in the customs union.
The Prime Minister is scrambling to agree Britains approach to the future relationship with the EU by Friday, as Brexiteers also threaten her leadership from the right, if she fails to seek a deal that allows the UK to agree trade deals something staying in the customs union would preclude.
In a much-anticipated speech in Coventry, Mr Corbyn will say: Britain will need a bespoke relationship of its own. Labour would negotiate a new and strong relationship with the single market that includes full tariff-free access and a floor under existing rights, standards and protections.
That new relationship would need to ensure we can deliver our ambitious economic programme, take the essential steps to upgrade and transform our economy, and build an economy for the 21st century that works for the many, not the few.
Mr Corbyn will add: We cannot be held back, inside or outside the EU, from taking the steps we need to support cutting-edge industries and local business, stop the tide of privatisation and outsourcing or prevent employers being able to import cheap agency labour from abroad to undercut existing pay and conditions.
It comes after Shadow Brexit Secretary Sir Keir Starmer suggested that Labour would join forces with Tory rebels to force Ms May to put membership of the customs union back on the table.
The Labour leader will also promise to use funds returned from Brussels after Brexit to invest in our public services and jobs of the future, not tax cuts for the richest.
His speech is likely to disappoint those in the party who favour a softer Brexit, as a group of more than 80 MPs, peers and union leaders told Mr Corbyn that Labour would never be forgiven if it backed leaving the single market.
The alliance, including prominent Labour figures such as Chuka Umunna and Lord Kinnock, warned that the move would risk a multi-billion pound hit to the public finances and make the partys manifesto plans for schools, hospitals and social care unaffordable.
Responding to the speech, Mr Umunna welcomed moves to put clear red water between Labour and the Tories but warned that the only way to retain the benefits of the single market and the customs union and to avoid a hard Irish border was to stay in both agreements.
He added: It is the best anti-austerity policy too because it avoids a huge negative impact on revenues to the Exchequer if we Brexit.
Liberal Democrat Brexit spokesperson Tom Brake said Labours plans to protect jobs were a meaningless and totally undeliverable soundbite if Britain leaves the single market and urged Labour to change course.
He said: If Jeremy Corbyn carries on down this path of having your cake and eating it, it would be another betrayal to those who believe that strong public services have to be underpinned by a strong economy, and Britain staying in the single market and customs union is crucial to that.
The biggest issues facing UK on leaving EU Show all 8 1 /8 The biggest issues facing UK on leaving EU The biggest issues facing UK on leaving EU Post-Brexit immigration workers sorting radishes on a production line at a farm in Norfolk. One possible post-Brexit immigration scheme could struggle to channel workers towards less attractive roles - while another may heighten the risk of labour exploitation, a new report warns. PA The biggest issues facing UK on leaving EU Customs union A key point in the negotiations remains Britain's access to, or withdrawal from, the EU customs union. Since the referendum there has been hot debate over the meaning of Brexit: would it entail a full withdrawal from the existing agreement, known as hard Brexit, or the soft version in which we would remain part of a common customs area for most goods, as Turkey does? No 10 has so far insisted that Brexit means Brexit and that Britain will be leaving the customs union, but may be inclined to change its position once the potential risks to the UKs economic outlook become clearer. Alamy The biggest issues facing UK on leaving EU Northern Ireland-Irish border Though progress was made last year, there has still been no solid agreement on whether there should be a hard border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. To ensure borderless travel on the island, the countries must be in regulatory alignment and therefore adhere to the same rules as the customs union. In December, the Conservative Partys coalition partners, the DUP, refused a draft agreement that would place the UK/EU border in the Irish Sea due to its potential to undermine the union. May has promised that would not be the case and has suggested that a specific solution would need to be found. Getty The biggest issues facing UK on leaving EU Transition period Despite protests from a small number of Conservative MPs, the Government and the EU are largely in agreement that a transitional period is needed after Brexit. The talks, however, have reached an impasse. Though May has agreed that the UK will continue to contribute to the EU budget until 2021, the PM wants to be able to select which laws made during this time the UK will have to adhere to. Chief negotiator Michel Barnier has said the UK must adopt all of the laws passed during the transition, without any input from British ministers or MEPs. EPA The biggest issues facing UK on leaving EU Rights of EU citizens living the UK The Prime Minister has promised EU citizens already living in the UK the right to live and work here after Brexit, but the rights of those who arrive after Brexit day remains unclear. May insists that those who arrive during the transition period should not be allowed to stay, whereas the EU believe the cut-off point should be later. Getty The biggest issues facing UK on leaving EU Future trade agreement (with the EU) Despite this being a key issue in negotiations, the Government has yet to lay out exactly what it wants from a trade deal with the EU. Infighting within the Cabinet has prevented a solid position from being reached, with some MPs content that "no deal is better than a bad deal" while others rally behind single market access. The EU has already confirmed that access to the single market would be impossible without the UK remaining in the customs union. Getty The biggest issues facing UK on leaving EU Future trade agreements (internationally) The Government has already begun trying to woo foreign leaders into prospective trade agreements, with various high profile state visits to China, India and Canada for May, and the now infamous invitation to US President Donald Trump to visit London. However the UK cannot make trade agreements with another country while it is still a member of the EU, and the potential loss of trade with the world's major powers is a source of anxiety for the PM. The EU has said the UK cannot secure trade deals during the transition period. EPA The biggest issues facing UK on leaving EU Financial services Banks in the UK will be hit hard regardless of the Brexit outcome. The EU has refused to give British banks passporting rights to trade within the EU, dashing hopes of a special City deal. However according to new reports Germany has suggested allowing trade on the condition that the UK continues paying into the EU budget even after the transition period. Getty
Ms May faces a challenging week, ahead of a major Brexit speech on Friday where she is expected to outline long-awaited plans for Britains future relationship with the EU.
She will also host a special Cabinet meeting on Thursday to ensure her top team are behind the plans, following months of in-fighting between Eurosceptics led by Boris Johnson and Michael Gove, and Philip Hammonds pro-EU allies.
It comes amid reports several senior ministers have warned her that Tory rebels could bring down the Government if they joined forces with Labour to block her plans to take Britain out of the customs union.
However, Ms May struck an upbeat note, saying: Delivering the best Brexit is about our national future, part of the way we improve the lives of people all over the country.
If we get them right, Brexit will be the beginning of a bright new chapter in our national story, and our best days really do lie ahead of us.
An armed police officer who has been criticised for failing to confront the Florida high school gunman claims he acted properly and stuck to his training during the mass shooting.
Scot Peterson, who resigned as a Broward County sheriff's deputy after he was told he would be suspended without pay over his actions during the massacre, has faced a barrage of public criticism - including from President Donald Trump, who claimed he would have tackled the gunman unarmed if he had been in the same situation.
Video footage of the incident, in which 17 students and staff members died earlier this month, showed Mr Peterson standing outside the school for more than four minutes while shots were being fired, despite being the armed officer responsible for guarding the school. The sheriffs office put Mr Peterson under investigation last week, and he resigned shortly afterwards.
Now, an attorney for Mr Peterson has claimed the officer acted properly by not entering the building because he believed the shots were coming from outside. According to attorney Joseph A DiRuzzo, his client followed protocol by seeking shelter and trying to assess what was happening.
Let there be no mistake, Mr Peterson wishes that he could have prevented the untimely passing of the seventeen victims on that day, and his heart goes out to the families of the victims in their time of need, Mr DiRuzzo said in a statement obtained by the Washington Post.
However, he added, the allegations that Mr Peterson was a coward and that his performance, under the circumstances, failed to meet the standards of police officers are patently untrue.
The sheriff's office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Florida shooting in pictures Show all 10 1 /10 Florida shooting in pictures Florida shooting in pictures Police arrest a suspect in connection with the shooting at the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida Reuters Florida shooting in pictures Parents wait for news after reports of a shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida AP Florida shooting in pictures Anxious family members wait for news of students AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee Florida shooting in pictures Students being evacuated from the school AP Florida shooting in pictures Students being evacuated from the school Getty Florida shooting in pictures People gather waiting for word from students AP Florida shooting in pictures Parents waiting for news on their children AP Florida shooting in pictures People gather at a hotel where students were taken after the shooting Getty Florida shooting in pictures Florida Governor Rick Scott speaks to the media as he visits Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School following the shooting AFP/Getty Florida shooting in pictures Dr. Igor Nichiporenko, Medical Director Trauma, left, and Dr. Evan Boyer, Medical Director, Emergency Services, speak about treating victims and the suspect at a press conference outside Broward Health North hospital AP
But Broward County Sheriff Scott Israel condemned the deputy's actions last week, saying the officer should have entered the school building and engaged the shooter. Mr Trump suggested he was a coward, and not a credit to law enforcement.
Mr Trump continued hs criticism on Monday, saying he would have run into the school in Mr Petersons place even without a weapon.
You dont know until you test it, but I really believe Id have run in there even if I didnt have a weapon, he said at a press conference.
Donald Trump says he would have run into the Florida school shooting 'unarmed'
Mr DiRuzzo said the Florida Department of Law Enforcement had launched an investigation into the departments response to the shooting, which he hopes will ultimately clear his clients name.
The statement adds to mounting criticism of law enforcements response to the incident. Police officers from a neighbouring department have claimed they saw two additional Broward County officers waiting outside the school when they responded to the shooting. The sheriff's office is investigating the claim. But Mr Trump has also already criticised those officers too - saying on Monday that they "weren't exactly medal of honour winners".
The sheriffs office has admitted that they received multiple warnings of the alleged shooters disturbing behaviour, having responded to 23 incidents involving suspect Nikolas Cruz or his family since 2008. The FBI also received multiple tips about Mr Cruz, which they failed to pursue fully.
Mr Israel has resisted calls for him to resign in the wake of the shooting, claiming he should not be blamed for his deputy's response.
Leaders are responsible for the agency, but leaders are not responsible for a person, Mr Israel said in an interview with NBC.
I gave him a gun. I gave him a badge. I gave him the training. If he didnt have the heart to go in, thats not my responsibility.
In an emotional press conference, a first responder who saved a student at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School has described a tense series of events that began with thinking the patient had already died and ended as an uplifting story of hope.
Coral Springs Fire Department Lieutenant Laz Ojeda, sitting at a table alongside victim Maddy Wilford, said that he originally thought the 17-year-old was dead when he entered the school after the mass shooting. She was pale, he said, but a nudge from another first responder elicited a small response.
I believe she gasped or she moved. But, she made signs of life, Mr Ojeda said, describing the overall scene as "organised chaos".
He and other first responders immediately moved to save her life and keep her from becoming one of the 17 individuals who ultimately lost their lives. They put a chest seal on her wound, which Mr Ojeda believes may have alleviated symptoms associated with a punctured lung.
Once in emergency transport, Mr Ojeda said they gave Ms Wilford oxygen and fluids. He said the crew was en-route to a hospital 30 miles away, but that he decided to re-route to a closer hospital after she once again showed signs of life.
I looked at her. I gave her a sternal rub and I said, hey how old are you? Mr Ojeda said, his eyes welling with tears. Second sternal rub, I said, hey, how old are you? She came around. She told me she was 17. So at this point, I look at [another responder] and said, Were going to North Broward [hospital].
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Florida shooting in pictures Show all 10 1 /10 Florida shooting in pictures Florida shooting in pictures Police arrest a suspect in connection with the shooting at the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida Reuters Florida shooting in pictures Parents wait for news after reports of a shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida AP Florida shooting in pictures Anxious family members wait for news of students AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee Florida shooting in pictures Students being evacuated from the school AP Florida shooting in pictures Students being evacuated from the school Getty Florida shooting in pictures People gather waiting for word from students AP Florida shooting in pictures Parents waiting for news on their children AP Florida shooting in pictures People gather at a hotel where students were taken after the shooting Getty Florida shooting in pictures Florida Governor Rick Scott speaks to the media as he visits Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School following the shooting AFP/Getty Florida shooting in pictures Dr. Igor Nichiporenko, Medical Director Trauma, left, and Dr. Evan Boyer, Medical Director, Emergency Services, speak about treating victims and the suspect at a press conference outside Broward Health North hospital AP
Ms Wilford survived after several surgeries, and attended the press conference with Mr Ojeda, and her parents. Her father, taking moments to look at his daughter and smile, said that he is grateful that his daughters life was spared.
Its hard for me to feel anything but gratitude, and thats for the miracle that has happened to her, and the way that shes been blessed, David Wilford said.
This really has been a miracle. And, I just have to give a lot of gratitude and thanks, Mr Wilford continued. And, I have a lot of sympathy for her classmates, and the other parents whose children were injured, and whose children didnt make it.
Students from a Florida high school where 17 of their classmates and teachers were killed in one of America's worst mass shootings, returned to the school for the first time on Sunday.
Thousands of students joined their parents in walking past the three-story building at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School where the massacre took place. That building has been cordoned off with chain link fence that has been covered with banners showing their support for those who attend the school. The building will not be used by the school again.
The school reopens on Wednesday, but the early opening was organised to ease into the return for students, and to allow some to gather up belongings that had been left in the rush to escape when the school was evacuated. A former student, 19-year-old Nikolas Cruz has been charged with 17 counts of premeditated murder over the shooting.
Just seeing the building was scary, student Francesca Lozano said as she left the school with her mum. However, seeing her friends made it a lot better she told the Associated Press.
The superintendent of schools in the area Robert Runcie called on media not to fly helicopters over the school during the open day "out of respect for the students, teachers and parents".
A number of students tweeted messages and images of their return to the school grounds, saying things like "good to be home" and "I've missed you".
Seventeen people dressed in white costumes as angels stood by a makeshift memorial outside the school. Terry Decarlo, who organised the scene, said the costumes are sent to mass shootings and disasters so the survivors know angels are looking over them and protecting them. Many of Sunday's angels were survivors of the 2016 Pulse nightclub shooting in Orlando where 49 people died, Mr Decarlo said told the AP.
Two of my best friends aren't here anymore, said Sammy Cooper, who picked up the book bag he had dropped during the shooting. But I'm definitely going to school Wednesday," he told the Associated Press. "I will handle it.
Florida shooting in pictures Show all 10 1 /10 Florida shooting in pictures Florida shooting in pictures Police arrest a suspect in connection with the shooting at the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida Reuters Florida shooting in pictures Parents wait for news after reports of a shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida AP Florida shooting in pictures Anxious family members wait for news of students AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee Florida shooting in pictures Students being evacuated from the school AP Florida shooting in pictures Students being evacuated from the school Getty Florida shooting in pictures People gather waiting for word from students AP Florida shooting in pictures Parents waiting for news on their children AP Florida shooting in pictures People gather at a hotel where students were taken after the shooting Getty Florida shooting in pictures Florida Governor Rick Scott speaks to the media as he visits Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School following the shooting AFP/Getty Florida shooting in pictures Dr. Igor Nichiporenko, Medical Director Trauma, left, and Dr. Evan Boyer, Medical Director, Emergency Services, speak about treating victims and the suspect at a press conference outside Broward Health North hospital AP
As local residents look to get back to some level of normalcy, the local police, Broward County Sheriff's Office, are facing scrutiny about their response to the shooting. Florida Governor Rick Scott's office said on Sunday that Mr Scott had asked Florida Department of Law Enforcement Commissioner Rick Swearingen to investigate the police response.
Broward County Sheriff Scott Israel has defended his leadership amid calls to resign over the revelation that an armed deputy on the scene did not enter the school to confront the shooter. That deputy - Scot Peterson - later resigned after being place on leave pending an investigation into his conduct.
Associated Press contributed to this report
The Georgia Senate has approved a bill that would give adoption agencies the ability to decide not to work with LGBTQ couples.
The measure was approved by a 35-19 vote last week after an hours worth of contentious debate, according to the Associated Press.
The bill, which was introduced by Republican state Sen William Ligon, would also apply to adoption agencies that receive taxpayer funding.
Supporters of the measure cited religious concerns to explain why they had thrown their support against a bill that opponents say amounts to state-sanctioned discrimination.
Just because you are a faith-based organisation, doesnt mean you have to check your faith at the door and cannot participate in government programmes, Mr Ligon told local media.
Democratic state Sen Nan Orrock, who represents an Atlanta district, said that the proposed legislation is a backward attempt at discrimination that will hurt children who are hoping to be housed with caring families.
America awaits gay marriage verdict at Supreme Court as historic hearings begin Show all 2 1 /2 America awaits gay marriage verdict at Supreme Court as historic hearings begin America awaits gay marriage verdict at Supreme Court as historic hearings begin gay-marriage-usa.jpg Getty Images America awaits gay marriage verdict at Supreme Court as historic hearings begin gay-marriage-afp.jpg AFP
This proposition that we should protect agencies that are gonna deny loving families the opportunity to adopt a child from our foster care system is just backward on its face, Ms Orrock said.
The bill falls in line with a variety of attempts to curb LGBT rights after the US Supreme Court ruled in favor of marriage equality in 2015. That has included attempts to shield private organizations from a responsibility to provide services for gay couples getting married, including efforts to allow private bakeries to refuse to make cakes for a gay wedding.
That case was argued before the Supreme Court in December, and but justices have not yet released an opinion on the matter.
An Oscar-nominated Syrian producer has been denied entry into the US to attend the awards ceremony.
Kareem Abeed forms one half of the Syrian directing-producing team who worked on Last Men in Aleppo, a documentary feature filmed in the Syrian city.
It sheds light on the work of the White Helmets, a group of volunteers, who respond to military and air strikes and help to evacuate civilians from danger areas.
But Abeed will be unable to attend the ceremony after his visa application was rejected.
The refusal was reportedly issued under Section 212(f) of the Immigration and Nationality Act, according to the International Documentary Association.
The legislation allows the US President to suspend certain groups from entry into the US or place restrictions on their travel if their presence would be detrimental to America's interest.
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences expressed solidarity with the producer.
For 90 years, the Oscars have celebrated achievement in the art of filmmaking, which seeks to transcend borders and speak to audiences around the world, regardless of national, ethnic, or religious differences, its board said in a statement.
World news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 World news in pictures World news in pictures 30 September 2020 Pope Francis prays with priests at the end of a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 29 September 2020 A girl's silhouette is seen from behind a fabric in a tent along a beach by Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 September 2020 A Chinese woman takes a photo of herself in front of a flower display dedicated to frontline health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic in Beijing, China. China will celebrate national day marking the founding of the People's Republic of China on October 1st Getty World news in pictures 27 September 2020 The Glass Mountain Inn burns as the Glass Fire moves through the area in St. Helena, California. The fast moving Glass fire has burned over 1,000 acres and has destroyed homes Getty World news in pictures 26 September 2020 A villager along with a child offers prayers next to a carcass of a wild elephant that officials say was electrocuted in Rani Reserve Forest on the outskirts of Guwahati, India AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 September 2020 The casket of late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is seen in Statuary Hall in the US Capitol to lie in state in Washington, DC AFP via Getty World news in pictures 24 September 2020 An anti-government protester holds up an image of a pro-democracy commemorative plaque at a rally outside Thailand's parliament in Bangkok, as activists gathered to demand a new constitution AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 September 2020 A whale stranded on a beach in Macquarie Harbour on the rugged west coast of Tasmania, as hundreds of pilot whales have died in a mass stranding in southern Australia despite efforts to save them, with rescuers racing to free a few dozen survivors The Mercury/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 22 September 2020 State civil employee candidates wearing face masks and shields take a test in Surabaya AFP via Getty World news in pictures 21 September 2020 A man sweeps at the Taj Mahal monument on the day of its reopening after being closed for more than six months due to the coronavirus pandemic AP World news in pictures 20 September 2020 A deer looks for food in a burnt area, caused by the Bobcat fire, in Pearblossom, California EPA World news in pictures 19 September 2020 Anti-government protesters hold their mobile phones aloft as they take part in a pro-democracy rally in Bangkok. Tens of thousands of pro-democracy protesters massed close to Thailand's royal palace, in a huge rally calling for PM Prayut Chan-O-Cha to step down and demanding reforms to the monarchy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 September 2020 Supporters of Iraqi Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr maintain social distancing as they attend Friday prayers after the coronavirus disease restrictions were eased, in Kufa mosque, near Najaf, Iraq Reuters World news in pictures 17 September 2020 A protester climbs on The Triumph of the Republic at 'the Place de la Nation' as thousands of protesters take part in a demonstration during a national day strike called by labor unions asking for better salary and against jobs cut in Paris, France EPA World news in pictures 16 September 2020 A fire raging near the Lazzaretto of Ancona in Italy. The huge blaze broke out overnight at the port of Ancona. Firefighters have brought the fire under control but they expected to keep working through the day EPA World news in pictures 15 September 2020 Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny posing for a selfie with his family at Berlin's Charite hospital. In an Instagram post he said he could now breathe independently following his suspected poisoning last month Alexei Navalny/Instagram/AFP World news in pictures 14 September 2020 Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, former Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba and former Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida celebrate after Suga was elected as new head of the ruling party at the Liberal Democratic Party's leadership election in Tokyo Reuters World news in pictures 13 September 2020 A man stands behind a burning barricade during the fifth straight day of protests against police brutality in Bogota AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 September 2020 Police officers block and detain protesters during an opposition rally to protest the official presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus. Daily protests calling for the authoritarian president's resignation are now in their second month AP World news in pictures 11 September 2020 Members of 'Omnium Cultural' celebrate the 20th 'Festa per la llibertat' ('Fiesta for the freedom') to mark the Day of Catalonia in Barcelona. Omnion Cultural fights for the independence of Catalonia EPA World news in pictures 10 September 2020 The Moria refugee camp, two days after Greece's biggest migrant camp, was destroyed by fire. Thousands of asylum seekers on the island of Lesbos are now homeless AFP via Getty World news in pictures 9 September 2020 Pope Francis takes off his face mask as he arrives by car to hold a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 8 September 2020 A home is engulfed in flames during the "Creek Fire" in the Tollhouse area of California AFP via Getty World news in pictures 7 September 2020 A couple take photos along a sea wall of the waves brought by Typhoon Haishen in the eastern port city of Sokcho AFP via Getty World news in pictures 6 September 2020 Novak Djokovic and a tournament official tends to a linesperson who was struck with a ball by Djokovic during his match against Pablo Carreno Busta at the US Open USA Today Sports/Reuters World news in pictures 5 September 2020 Protesters confront police at the Shrine of Remembrance in Melbourne, Australia, during an anti-lockdown rally AFP via Getty World news in pictures 4 September 2020 A woman looks on from a rooftop as rescue workers dig through the rubble of a damaged building in Beirut. A search began for possible survivors after a scanner detected a pulse one month after the mega-blast at the adjacent port AFP via Getty World news in pictures 3 September 2020 A full moon next to the Virgen del Panecillo statue in Quito, Ecuador EPA World news in pictures 2 September 2020 A Palestinian woman reacts as Israeli forces demolish her animal shed near Hebron in the Israeli-occupied West Bank Reuters World news in pictures 1 September 2020 Students protest against presidential elections results in Minsk TUT.BY/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 31 August 2020 The pack rides during the 3rd stage of the Tour de France between Nice and Sisteron AFP via Getty World news in pictures 30 August 2020 Law enforcement officers block a street during a rally of opposition supporters protesting against presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus Reuters World news in pictures 29 August 2020 A woman holding a placard reading "Stop Censorship - Yes to the Freedom of Expression" shouts in a megaphone during a protest against the mandatory wearing of face masks in Paris. Masks, which were already compulsory on public transport, in enclosed public spaces, and outdoors in Paris in certain high-congestion areas around tourist sites, were made mandatory outdoors citywide on August 28 to fight the rising coronavirus infections AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 August 2020 Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe bows to the national flag at the start of a press conference at the prime minister official residence in Tokyo. Abe announced he will resign over health problems, in a bombshell development that kicks off a leadership contest in the world's third-largest economy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 27 August 2020 Residents take cover behind a tree trunk from rubber bullets fired by South African Police Service (SAPS) in Eldorado Park, near Johannesburg, during a protest by community members after a 16-year old boy was reported dead AFP via Getty World news in pictures 26 August 2020 People scatter rose petals on a statue of Mother Teresa marking her 110th birth anniversary in Ahmedabad AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 August 2020 An aerial view shows beach-goers standing on salt formations in the Dead Sea near Ein Bokeq, Israel Reuters World news in pictures 24 August 2020 Health workers use a fingertip pulse oximeter and check the body temperature of a fisherwoman inside the Dharavi slum during a door-to-door Covid-19 coronavirus screening in Mumbai AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 August 2020 People carry an idol of the Hindu god Ganesh, the deity of prosperity, to immerse it off the coast of the Arabian sea during the Ganesh Chaturthi festival in Mumbai, India Reuters World news in pictures 22 August 2020 Firefighters watch as flames from the LNU Lightning Complex fires approach a home in Napa County, California AP World news in pictures 21 August 2020 Members of the Israeli security forces arrest a Palestinian demonstrator during a rally to protest against Israel's plan to annex parts of the occupied West Bank AFP via Getty World news in pictures 20 August 2020 A man pushes his bicycle through a deserted road after prohibitory orders were imposed by district officials for a week to contain the spread of the Covid-19 in Kathmandu AFP via Getty World news in pictures 19 August 2020 A car burns while parked at a residence in Vacaville, California. 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Indigenous protesters blocked a major transamazonian highway to protest against the lack of governmental support during the COVID-19 novel coronavirus pandemic and illegal deforestation in and around their territories AFP via Getty World news in pictures 16 August 2020 Lightning forks over the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge as a storm passes over Oakland AP World news in pictures 15 August 2020 Belarus opposition supporters gather near the Pushkinskaya metro station where Alexander Taraikovsky, a 34-year-old protester died on August 10, during their protest rally in central Minsk AFP via Getty World news in pictures 14 August 2020 AlphaTauri's driver Daniil Kvyat takes part in the second practice session at the Circuit de Catalunya in Montmelo near Barcelona ahead of the Spanish F1 Grand Prix AFP via Getty World news in pictures 13 August 2020 Soldiers of the Brazilian Armed Forces during a disinfection of the Christ The Redeemer statue at the Corcovado mountain prior to the opening of the touristic attraction in Rio AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 August 2020 Young elephant bulls tussle playfully on World Elephant Day at the Amboseli National Park in Kenya AFP via Getty
As supporters of filmmakers and the human rights of all people around the globe, we stand in solidarity with Fayyad (films director) as well as the films producer, who was denied a visa to the United States to attend the Academy Awards on 4 March.
It comes as the US Supreme Court agreed to rule on the legality of the latest version of Donald Trumps travel ban, which affects residents from six countries - Chad, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Syria, and Yemen.
Mr Trump has claimed the restrictions are necessary for US security. Opponents have claimed the ban illegally targets people from Muslim countries.
A suspected serial killer accused of targeting gay men and immigrants may have killed more victims than the six he has been charged with killing, police in the Canadian city of Toronto have said.
Bruce McArthur is accused of murdering two men who were last seen in the citys Gay Village, along with four others.
One was homeless, smoked crack cocaine and worked as a prostitute. Another was from a conservative Muslim family, who hid the fact that he was gay from them. Another was a recent immigrant with a drug problem.
Detectives said the victims fitted a pattern - people on the margins of society whose disappearance attracted little attention.
But when Andrew Kinsman, a 49-year-old LGBT+ activist with many friends suddenly went missing the day after Toronto's Gay Pride parade, his disappearance was noticed.
There's a part of me that says Bruce wanted to get caught because he broke that pattern of preying on the vulnerable, said Haran Vijayanathan, a community activist and executive director of the Alliance for South Asian AIDS Prevention in Toronto.
Police set up a special task force in 2012 to look into the disappearances of men in the Gay Village area shortly after Kinsman went missing. Mr McArthur was arrested six months later.
Forensic experts found the remains of at least six men inside large plant pots found at a home Mr McArthur used to store things for his landscaping business.
Believing there are other victims, investigators have also checked at least 30 other places he is known to have worked, including in some of Toronto's wealthiest neighbourhoods.
Police arrested the 66-year-old last month and charged with murdering Kinsman and Selim Esen, 44, who were last seen near the gay village last year.
Esen, an immigrant from Turkey, moved to Canada to be with a partner he had met in his homeland.
Their relationship didn't work out and his friend Richard Harrop wrote on Facebook that he was unemployed and struggled with drugs.
Mr McArthur was later charged with the murders of three more men, including Dean Lisowick, a homeless prostitute who struggled with drugs, and Majeed Kayhan, a 58-year-old Afghan immigrant with a family and children. He was reported missing by his son in 2012. Friends said Kayhan had a sexual relationship with Mr McArthur.
World news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 World news in pictures World news in pictures 30 September 2020 Pope Francis prays with priests at the end of a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 29 September 2020 A girl's silhouette is seen from behind a fabric in a tent along a beach by Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 September 2020 A Chinese woman takes a photo of herself in front of a flower display dedicated to frontline health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic in Beijing, China. China will celebrate national day marking the founding of the People's Republic of China on October 1st Getty World news in pictures 27 September 2020 The Glass Mountain Inn burns as the Glass Fire moves through the area in St. Helena, California. The fast moving Glass fire has burned over 1,000 acres and has destroyed homes Getty World news in pictures 26 September 2020 A villager along with a child offers prayers next to a carcass of a wild elephant that officials say was electrocuted in Rani Reserve Forest on the outskirts of Guwahati, India AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 September 2020 The casket of late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is seen in Statuary Hall in the US Capitol to lie in state in Washington, DC AFP via Getty World news in pictures 24 September 2020 An anti-government protester holds up an image of a pro-democracy commemorative plaque at a rally outside Thailand's parliament in Bangkok, as activists gathered to demand a new constitution AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 September 2020 A whale stranded on a beach in Macquarie Harbour on the rugged west coast of Tasmania, as hundreds of pilot whales have died in a mass stranding in southern Australia despite efforts to save them, with rescuers racing to free a few dozen survivors The Mercury/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 22 September 2020 State civil employee candidates wearing face masks and shields take a test in Surabaya AFP via Getty World news in pictures 21 September 2020 A man sweeps at the Taj Mahal monument on the day of its reopening after being closed for more than six months due to the coronavirus pandemic AP World news in pictures 20 September 2020 A deer looks for food in a burnt area, caused by the Bobcat fire, in Pearblossom, California EPA World news in pictures 19 September 2020 Anti-government protesters hold their mobile phones aloft as they take part in a pro-democracy rally in Bangkok. Tens of thousands of pro-democracy protesters massed close to Thailand's royal palace, in a huge rally calling for PM Prayut Chan-O-Cha to step down and demanding reforms to the monarchy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 September 2020 Supporters of Iraqi Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr maintain social distancing as they attend Friday prayers after the coronavirus disease restrictions were eased, in Kufa mosque, near Najaf, Iraq Reuters World news in pictures 17 September 2020 A protester climbs on The Triumph of the Republic at 'the Place de la Nation' as thousands of protesters take part in a demonstration during a national day strike called by labor unions asking for better salary and against jobs cut in Paris, France EPA World news in pictures 16 September 2020 A fire raging near the Lazzaretto of Ancona in Italy. The huge blaze broke out overnight at the port of Ancona. Firefighters have brought the fire under control but they expected to keep working through the day EPA World news in pictures 15 September 2020 Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny posing for a selfie with his family at Berlin's Charite hospital. In an Instagram post he said he could now breathe independently following his suspected poisoning last month Alexei Navalny/Instagram/AFP World news in pictures 14 September 2020 Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, former Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba and former Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida celebrate after Suga was elected as new head of the ruling party at the Liberal Democratic Party's leadership election in Tokyo Reuters World news in pictures 13 September 2020 A man stands behind a burning barricade during the fifth straight day of protests against police brutality in Bogota AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 September 2020 Police officers block and detain protesters during an opposition rally to protest the official presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus. Daily protests calling for the authoritarian president's resignation are now in their second month AP World news in pictures 11 September 2020 Members of 'Omnium Cultural' celebrate the 20th 'Festa per la llibertat' ('Fiesta for the freedom') to mark the Day of Catalonia in Barcelona. Omnion Cultural fights for the independence of Catalonia EPA World news in pictures 10 September 2020 The Moria refugee camp, two days after Greece's biggest migrant camp, was destroyed by fire. Thousands of asylum seekers on the island of Lesbos are now homeless AFP via Getty World news in pictures 9 September 2020 Pope Francis takes off his face mask as he arrives by car to hold a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 8 September 2020 A home is engulfed in flames during the "Creek Fire" in the Tollhouse area of California AFP via Getty World news in pictures 7 September 2020 A couple take photos along a sea wall of the waves brought by Typhoon Haishen in the eastern port city of Sokcho AFP via Getty World news in pictures 6 September 2020 Novak Djokovic and a tournament official tends to a linesperson who was struck with a ball by Djokovic during his match against Pablo Carreno Busta at the US Open USA Today Sports/Reuters World news in pictures 5 September 2020 Protesters confront police at the Shrine of Remembrance in Melbourne, Australia, during an anti-lockdown rally AFP via Getty World news in pictures 4 September 2020 A woman looks on from a rooftop as rescue workers dig through the rubble of a damaged building in Beirut. A search began for possible survivors after a scanner detected a pulse one month after the mega-blast at the adjacent port AFP via Getty World news in pictures 3 September 2020 A full moon next to the Virgen del Panecillo statue in Quito, Ecuador EPA World news in pictures 2 September 2020 A Palestinian woman reacts as Israeli forces demolish her animal shed near Hebron in the Israeli-occupied West Bank Reuters World news in pictures 1 September 2020 Students protest against presidential elections results in Minsk TUT.BY/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 31 August 2020 The pack rides during the 3rd stage of the Tour de France between Nice and Sisteron AFP via Getty World news in pictures 30 August 2020 Law enforcement officers block a street during a rally of opposition supporters protesting against presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus Reuters World news in pictures 29 August 2020 A woman holding a placard reading "Stop Censorship - Yes to the Freedom of Expression" shouts in a megaphone during a protest against the mandatory wearing of face masks in Paris. Masks, which were already compulsory on public transport, in enclosed public spaces, and outdoors in Paris in certain high-congestion areas around tourist sites, were made mandatory outdoors citywide on August 28 to fight the rising coronavirus infections AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 August 2020 Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe bows to the national flag at the start of a press conference at the prime minister official residence in Tokyo. Abe announced he will resign over health problems, in a bombshell development that kicks off a leadership contest in the world's third-largest economy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 27 August 2020 Residents take cover behind a tree trunk from rubber bullets fired by South African Police Service (SAPS) in Eldorado Park, near Johannesburg, during a protest by community members after a 16-year old boy was reported dead AFP via Getty World news in pictures 26 August 2020 People scatter rose petals on a statue of Mother Teresa marking her 110th birth anniversary in Ahmedabad AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 August 2020 An aerial view shows beach-goers standing on salt formations in the Dead Sea near Ein Bokeq, Israel Reuters World news in pictures 24 August 2020 Health workers use a fingertip pulse oximeter and check the body temperature of a fisherwoman inside the Dharavi slum during a door-to-door Covid-19 coronavirus screening in Mumbai AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 August 2020 People carry an idol of the Hindu god Ganesh, the deity of prosperity, to immerse it off the coast of the Arabian sea during the Ganesh Chaturthi festival in Mumbai, India Reuters World news in pictures 22 August 2020 Firefighters watch as flames from the LNU Lightning Complex fires approach a home in Napa County, California AP World news in pictures 21 August 2020 Members of the Israeli security forces arrest a Palestinian demonstrator during a rally to protest against Israel's plan to annex parts of the occupied West Bank AFP via Getty World news in pictures 20 August 2020 A man pushes his bicycle through a deserted road after prohibitory orders were imposed by district officials for a week to contain the spread of the Covid-19 in Kathmandu AFP via Getty World news in pictures 19 August 2020 A car burns while parked at a residence in Vacaville, California. Dozens of fires are burning out of control throughout Northern California as fire resources are spread thin AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 August 2020 Students use their mobile phones as flashlights at an anti-government rally at Mahidol University in Nakhon Pathom. Thailand has seen near-daily protests in recent weeks by students demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha AFP via Getty World news in pictures 17 August 2020 Members of the Kayapo tribe block the BR163 highway during a protest outside Novo Progresso in Para state, Brazil. Indigenous protesters blocked a major transamazonian highway to protest against the lack of governmental support during the COVID-19 novel coronavirus pandemic and illegal deforestation in and around their territories AFP via Getty World news in pictures 16 August 2020 Lightning forks over the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge as a storm passes over Oakland AP World news in pictures 15 August 2020 Belarus opposition supporters gather near the Pushkinskaya metro station where Alexander Taraikovsky, a 34-year-old protester died on August 10, during their protest rally in central Minsk AFP via Getty World news in pictures 14 August 2020 AlphaTauri's driver Daniil Kvyat takes part in the second practice session at the Circuit de Catalunya in Montmelo near Barcelona ahead of the Spanish F1 Grand Prix AFP via Getty World news in pictures 13 August 2020 Soldiers of the Brazilian Armed Forces during a disinfection of the Christ The Redeemer statue at the Corcovado mountain prior to the opening of the touristic attraction in Rio AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 August 2020 Young elephant bulls tussle playfully on World Elephant Day at the Amboseli National Park in Kenya AFP via Getty
The third was Soroush Marmoudi, a 50-year-old immigrant from Iran, was reported missing by his wife in 2015. His remains were found during the search for other alleged victims.
Police last week announced Mr McArthur had also been charged with the murder of Skandaraj Navaratnam, a refugee from Sri Lanka. Mr McArthur was said to have employed and had a sexual relationship with Mr Navaratnam, who was last seen in 2010 leaving a gay bar. His Facebook profile showed he was friends with Navaratnam.
Lisowick, who was in his mid-40s, had not been reported missing when police announced he had been killed.
He was pretty much a loner most of the time, said Jeff Tunney, a friend who rented the common area of his apartment to Lisowick for two months. He really didn't know too many people.
The task force also investigated the disappearance in 2010 of Abdulbasir Faizi, an Afghan who immigrated to Canada from Iran and frequented gay bars. A relative said Faizi hid the fact that he was gay from his family.
Police were so convinced that he just decided to leave and start another life. It made the family pretty convinced that that was the case as well, said a relative. Nobody really looked for him.
Kinsman, on the other hand, had search parties and scores of friends looking for him when he went missing in late June. A former bartender, he was a long-term volunteer at the Toronto People with AIDS Foundation. Friends and family suspected he was dead when they gained access to his apartment two days after he went missing.
He would never leave his cat. He would never shirk his duties. He didn't take the garbage out on Wednesday so I knew at that point, his sister, Patricia Kinsman, said.
Police said Kinsman had a sexual relationship with Mr McArthur.
Todd Healey, a former roommate and colleague said: It baffles me to think that Bruce could think he could get away with it. If Bruce is predominantly attacking marginalised people, then Andrew is obviously a mistake or he is tripping up because he wants to get caught.
Mr McArthur is due back in court later this week.
Mr Vijayanathan says police didn't get anywhere in their investigations until Mr Kinsman, a prominent white man in the community, went missing. Until that point, all the South Asian men that went missing kind of fell by the wayside and nobody paid attention until something happened in the white community, he said.
Donald Trumps tax cut for hardworking families increased the profits of one of the worlds richest men by $29.1bn (20.8bn) last year without him having to do a thing.
Billionaire investor and philanthropist, Warren Buffett disclosed in his annual letter to investors that the Republican tax break had delivered nearly half of the $65bn profits made by his company, Berkshire Hathaway, in 2017.
Mr Buffet who was recently knocked into third place on the Forbes American rich list has condemned the tax change for exactly this reason.
He has argued that major companies - including the Presidents family businesses alongside Berkshire Hathaway stand to make an undeserved windfall and push wealth inequality further.
World news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 World news in pictures World news in pictures 30 September 2020 Pope Francis prays with priests at the end of a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 29 September 2020 A girl's silhouette is seen from behind a fabric in a tent along a beach by Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 September 2020 A Chinese woman takes a photo of herself in front of a flower display dedicated to frontline health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic in Beijing, China. China will celebrate national day marking the founding of the People's Republic of China on October 1st Getty World news in pictures 27 September 2020 The Glass Mountain Inn burns as the Glass Fire moves through the area in St. Helena, California. The fast moving Glass fire has burned over 1,000 acres and has destroyed homes Getty World news in pictures 26 September 2020 A villager along with a child offers prayers next to a carcass of a wild elephant that officials say was electrocuted in Rani Reserve Forest on the outskirts of Guwahati, India AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 September 2020 The casket of late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is seen in Statuary Hall in the US Capitol to lie in state in Washington, DC AFP via Getty World news in pictures 24 September 2020 An anti-government protester holds up an image of a pro-democracy commemorative plaque at a rally outside Thailand's parliament in Bangkok, as activists gathered to demand a new constitution AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 September 2020 A whale stranded on a beach in Macquarie Harbour on the rugged west coast of Tasmania, as hundreds of pilot whales have died in a mass stranding in southern Australia despite efforts to save them, with rescuers racing to free a few dozen survivors The Mercury/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 22 September 2020 State civil employee candidates wearing face masks and shields take a test in Surabaya AFP via Getty World news in pictures 21 September 2020 A man sweeps at the Taj Mahal monument on the day of its reopening after being closed for more than six months due to the coronavirus pandemic AP World news in pictures 20 September 2020 A deer looks for food in a burnt area, caused by the Bobcat fire, in Pearblossom, California EPA World news in pictures 19 September 2020 Anti-government protesters hold their mobile phones aloft as they take part in a pro-democracy rally in Bangkok. Tens of thousands of pro-democracy protesters massed close to Thailand's royal palace, in a huge rally calling for PM Prayut Chan-O-Cha to step down and demanding reforms to the monarchy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 September 2020 Supporters of Iraqi Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr maintain social distancing as they attend Friday prayers after the coronavirus disease restrictions were eased, in Kufa mosque, near Najaf, Iraq Reuters World news in pictures 17 September 2020 A protester climbs on The Triumph of the Republic at 'the Place de la Nation' as thousands of protesters take part in a demonstration during a national day strike called by labor unions asking for better salary and against jobs cut in Paris, France EPA World news in pictures 16 September 2020 A fire raging near the Lazzaretto of Ancona in Italy. The huge blaze broke out overnight at the port of Ancona. Firefighters have brought the fire under control but they expected to keep working through the day EPA World news in pictures 15 September 2020 Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny posing for a selfie with his family at Berlin's Charite hospital. In an Instagram post he said he could now breathe independently following his suspected poisoning last month Alexei Navalny/Instagram/AFP World news in pictures 14 September 2020 Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, former Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba and former Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida celebrate after Suga was elected as new head of the ruling party at the Liberal Democratic Party's leadership election in Tokyo Reuters World news in pictures 13 September 2020 A man stands behind a burning barricade during the fifth straight day of protests against police brutality in Bogota AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 September 2020 Police officers block and detain protesters during an opposition rally to protest the official presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus. Daily protests calling for the authoritarian president's resignation are now in their second month AP World news in pictures 11 September 2020 Members of 'Omnium Cultural' celebrate the 20th 'Festa per la llibertat' ('Fiesta for the freedom') to mark the Day of Catalonia in Barcelona. Omnion Cultural fights for the independence of Catalonia EPA World news in pictures 10 September 2020 The Moria refugee camp, two days after Greece's biggest migrant camp, was destroyed by fire. Thousands of asylum seekers on the island of Lesbos are now homeless AFP via Getty World news in pictures 9 September 2020 Pope Francis takes off his face mask as he arrives by car to hold a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 8 September 2020 A home is engulfed in flames during the "Creek Fire" in the Tollhouse area of California AFP via Getty World news in pictures 7 September 2020 A couple take photos along a sea wall of the waves brought by Typhoon Haishen in the eastern port city of Sokcho AFP via Getty World news in pictures 6 September 2020 Novak Djokovic and a tournament official tends to a linesperson who was struck with a ball by Djokovic during his match against Pablo Carreno Busta at the US Open USA Today Sports/Reuters World news in pictures 5 September 2020 Protesters confront police at the Shrine of Remembrance in Melbourne, Australia, during an anti-lockdown rally AFP via Getty World news in pictures 4 September 2020 A woman looks on from a rooftop as rescue workers dig through the rubble of a damaged building in Beirut. A search began for possible survivors after a scanner detected a pulse one month after the mega-blast at the adjacent port AFP via Getty World news in pictures 3 September 2020 A full moon next to the Virgen del Panecillo statue in Quito, Ecuador EPA World news in pictures 2 September 2020 A Palestinian woman reacts as Israeli forces demolish her animal shed near Hebron in the Israeli-occupied West Bank Reuters World news in pictures 1 September 2020 Students protest against presidential elections results in Minsk TUT.BY/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 31 August 2020 The pack rides during the 3rd stage of the Tour de France between Nice and Sisteron AFP via Getty World news in pictures 30 August 2020 Law enforcement officers block a street during a rally of opposition supporters protesting against presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus Reuters World news in pictures 29 August 2020 A woman holding a placard reading "Stop Censorship - Yes to the Freedom of Expression" shouts in a megaphone during a protest against the mandatory wearing of face masks in Paris. Masks, which were already compulsory on public transport, in enclosed public spaces, and outdoors in Paris in certain high-congestion areas around tourist sites, were made mandatory outdoors citywide on August 28 to fight the rising coronavirus infections AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 August 2020 Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe bows to the national flag at the start of a press conference at the prime minister official residence in Tokyo. Abe announced he will resign over health problems, in a bombshell development that kicks off a leadership contest in the world's third-largest economy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 27 August 2020 Residents take cover behind a tree trunk from rubber bullets fired by South African Police Service (SAPS) in Eldorado Park, near Johannesburg, during a protest by community members after a 16-year old boy was reported dead AFP via Getty World news in pictures 26 August 2020 People scatter rose petals on a statue of Mother Teresa marking her 110th birth anniversary in Ahmedabad AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 August 2020 An aerial view shows beach-goers standing on salt formations in the Dead Sea near Ein Bokeq, Israel Reuters World news in pictures 24 August 2020 Health workers use a fingertip pulse oximeter and check the body temperature of a fisherwoman inside the Dharavi slum during a door-to-door Covid-19 coronavirus screening in Mumbai AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 August 2020 People carry an idol of the Hindu god Ganesh, the deity of prosperity, to immerse it off the coast of the Arabian sea during the Ganesh Chaturthi festival in Mumbai, India Reuters World news in pictures 22 August 2020 Firefighters watch as flames from the LNU Lightning Complex fires approach a home in Napa County, California AP World news in pictures 21 August 2020 Members of the Israeli security forces arrest a Palestinian demonstrator during a rally to protest against Israel's plan to annex parts of the occupied West Bank AFP via Getty World news in pictures 20 August 2020 A man pushes his bicycle through a deserted road after prohibitory orders were imposed by district officials for a week to contain the spread of the Covid-19 in Kathmandu AFP via Getty World news in pictures 19 August 2020 A car burns while parked at a residence in Vacaville, California. Dozens of fires are burning out of control throughout Northern California as fire resources are spread thin AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 August 2020 Students use their mobile phones as flashlights at an anti-government rally at Mahidol University in Nakhon Pathom. Thailand has seen near-daily protests in recent weeks by students demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha AFP via Getty World news in pictures 17 August 2020 Members of the Kayapo tribe block the BR163 highway during a protest outside Novo Progresso in Para state, Brazil. Indigenous protesters blocked a major transamazonian highway to protest against the lack of governmental support during the COVID-19 novel coronavirus pandemic and illegal deforestation in and around their territories AFP via Getty World news in pictures 16 August 2020 Lightning forks over the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge as a storm passes over Oakland AP World news in pictures 15 August 2020 Belarus opposition supporters gather near the Pushkinskaya metro station where Alexander Taraikovsky, a 34-year-old protester died on August 10, during their protest rally in central Minsk AFP via Getty World news in pictures 14 August 2020 AlphaTauri's driver Daniil Kvyat takes part in the second practice session at the Circuit de Catalunya in Montmelo near Barcelona ahead of the Spanish F1 Grand Prix AFP via Getty World news in pictures 13 August 2020 Soldiers of the Brazilian Armed Forces during a disinfection of the Christ The Redeemer statue at the Corcovado mountain prior to the opening of the touristic attraction in Rio AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 August 2020 Young elephant bulls tussle playfully on World Elephant Day at the Amboseli National Park in Kenya AFP via Getty
Writing his annual CEOs letter to accompany Berkshire Hathaways Annual Report 2017 Mr Buffett said the last year had been far from standard.
A large portion of our gain did not come from anything we accomplished at Berkshire. The $65bn gain is nonetheless real rest assured of that. But only $36bn came from Berkshires operations.
The remaining $29bn was delivered to us in December when Congress rewrote the US Tax Code.
Mr Trump has falsely claimed the $1.5 trillion tax bill signed into law in December will kick start the economy by slashing corporation tax, but would not benefit him personally.
Independent analysts say the bill is likely to slightly reduce taxes for most American families between 2019 and 2025.
However the biggest beneficiaries by far will be the top 1 per cent, and 0.1 per cent, of earners, and by 2027 taxes are predicted to have risen for the lowest income groups.
When the bill first passed a White House statement said: We are working together to allow hardworking, middle-class families to keep more of their money, and to empower our companies and workers to dominate their global competition.
Mr Buffett is personally worth $76bn and last year donated $3bn to charities, including the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
He is widely considered one of the most successful investors in the world, but has railed against the growing financial inequality in the US, saying the benefits from the countrys economic growth disproportionately going to the richest people.
Much of his wealth been driven by his investment in Berkshire Hathaway which began as a textiles company, but now wholly owns companies such as GEICO, Fruit of the Loom and Dairy Queen.
It also has stakes in Coca Cola, Apple and American Express.
Senator Dianne Feinstein has failed to win the official endorsement of the California Democratic Party for the first time, as she seeks her fifth term.
Democratic activists were more eager to back her primary challenger, state Senate leader Kevin de Leon, who is touting himself as a fresh face with stronger progressive credentials, particularly on immigration.
However, he too failed to earn the 60 per cent support needed to win the endorsement Saturday at Democrats' annual convention. That means neither candidate will get the party's seal of approval or extra campaign cash leading into the June primary.
Recommended Democrats release memo rebutting Republican claims about FBI
With Democrats still licking their wounds from the 2016 election, some of the party's biggest stars, including Senator Kamala Harris and Congresswoman Maxine Waters, urged unity ahead of the midterm elections. They reminded more than 3,000 activists gathered this weekend that President Donald Trump is their common enemy.
Though party activists rebuked Ms Feinstein, she has millions of dollars to run a successful campaign and polling has shown she enjoys wide support among Democratic voters and independents, a critical piece of the electorate in a race without a Republican.
The top-two primary system in heavily Democratic California allows the two highest vote-getters to advance to the general election regardless of party identification.
It's the first time Ms Feinstein, 84, failed to win the party's backing since her first successful Senate campaign in 1994, though she's lacked a credible Democratic challenger in previous races.
World news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 World news in pictures World news in pictures 30 September 2020 Pope Francis prays with priests at the end of a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 29 September 2020 A girl's silhouette is seen from behind a fabric in a tent along a beach by Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 September 2020 A Chinese woman takes a photo of herself in front of a flower display dedicated to frontline health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic in Beijing, China. China will celebrate national day marking the founding of the People's Republic of China on October 1st Getty World news in pictures 27 September 2020 The Glass Mountain Inn burns as the Glass Fire moves through the area in St. Helena, California. The fast moving Glass fire has burned over 1,000 acres and has destroyed homes Getty World news in pictures 26 September 2020 A villager along with a child offers prayers next to a carcass of a wild elephant that officials say was electrocuted in Rani Reserve Forest on the outskirts of Guwahati, India AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 September 2020 The casket of late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is seen in Statuary Hall in the US Capitol to lie in state in Washington, DC AFP via Getty World news in pictures 24 September 2020 An anti-government protester holds up an image of a pro-democracy commemorative plaque at a rally outside Thailand's parliament in Bangkok, as activists gathered to demand a new constitution AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 September 2020 A whale stranded on a beach in Macquarie Harbour on the rugged west coast of Tasmania, as hundreds of pilot whales have died in a mass stranding in southern Australia despite efforts to save them, with rescuers racing to free a few dozen survivors The Mercury/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 22 September 2020 State civil employee candidates wearing face masks and shields take a test in Surabaya AFP via Getty World news in pictures 21 September 2020 A man sweeps at the Taj Mahal monument on the day of its reopening after being closed for more than six months due to the coronavirus pandemic AP World news in pictures 20 September 2020 A deer looks for food in a burnt area, caused by the Bobcat fire, in Pearblossom, California EPA World news in pictures 19 September 2020 Anti-government protesters hold their mobile phones aloft as they take part in a pro-democracy rally in Bangkok. Tens of thousands of pro-democracy protesters massed close to Thailand's royal palace, in a huge rally calling for PM Prayut Chan-O-Cha to step down and demanding reforms to the monarchy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 September 2020 Supporters of Iraqi Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr maintain social distancing as they attend Friday prayers after the coronavirus disease restrictions were eased, in Kufa mosque, near Najaf, Iraq Reuters World news in pictures 17 September 2020 A protester climbs on The Triumph of the Republic at 'the Place de la Nation' as thousands of protesters take part in a demonstration during a national day strike called by labor unions asking for better salary and against jobs cut in Paris, France EPA World news in pictures 16 September 2020 A fire raging near the Lazzaretto of Ancona in Italy. The huge blaze broke out overnight at the port of Ancona. Firefighters have brought the fire under control but they expected to keep working through the day EPA World news in pictures 15 September 2020 Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny posing for a selfie with his family at Berlin's Charite hospital. In an Instagram post he said he could now breathe independently following his suspected poisoning last month Alexei Navalny/Instagram/AFP World news in pictures 14 September 2020 Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, former Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba and former Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida celebrate after Suga was elected as new head of the ruling party at the Liberal Democratic Party's leadership election in Tokyo Reuters World news in pictures 13 September 2020 A man stands behind a burning barricade during the fifth straight day of protests against police brutality in Bogota AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 September 2020 Police officers block and detain protesters during an opposition rally to protest the official presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus. Daily protests calling for the authoritarian president's resignation are now in their second month AP World news in pictures 11 September 2020 Members of 'Omnium Cultural' celebrate the 20th 'Festa per la llibertat' ('Fiesta for the freedom') to mark the Day of Catalonia in Barcelona. Omnion Cultural fights for the independence of Catalonia EPA World news in pictures 10 September 2020 The Moria refugee camp, two days after Greece's biggest migrant camp, was destroyed by fire. Thousands of asylum seekers on the island of Lesbos are now homeless AFP via Getty World news in pictures 9 September 2020 Pope Francis takes off his face mask as he arrives by car to hold a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 8 September 2020 A home is engulfed in flames during the "Creek Fire" in the Tollhouse area of California AFP via Getty World news in pictures 7 September 2020 A couple take photos along a sea wall of the waves brought by Typhoon Haishen in the eastern port city of Sokcho AFP via Getty World news in pictures 6 September 2020 Novak Djokovic and a tournament official tends to a linesperson who was struck with a ball by Djokovic during his match against Pablo Carreno Busta at the US Open USA Today Sports/Reuters World news in pictures 5 September 2020 Protesters confront police at the Shrine of Remembrance in Melbourne, Australia, during an anti-lockdown rally AFP via Getty World news in pictures 4 September 2020 A woman looks on from a rooftop as rescue workers dig through the rubble of a damaged building in Beirut. A search began for possible survivors after a scanner detected a pulse one month after the mega-blast at the adjacent port AFP via Getty World news in pictures 3 September 2020 A full moon next to the Virgen del Panecillo statue in Quito, Ecuador EPA World news in pictures 2 September 2020 A Palestinian woman reacts as Israeli forces demolish her animal shed near Hebron in the Israeli-occupied West Bank Reuters World news in pictures 1 September 2020 Students protest against presidential elections results in Minsk TUT.BY/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 31 August 2020 The pack rides during the 3rd stage of the Tour de France between Nice and Sisteron AFP via Getty World news in pictures 30 August 2020 Law enforcement officers block a street during a rally of opposition supporters protesting against presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus Reuters World news in pictures 29 August 2020 A woman holding a placard reading "Stop Censorship - Yes to the Freedom of Expression" shouts in a megaphone during a protest against the mandatory wearing of face masks in Paris. Masks, which were already compulsory on public transport, in enclosed public spaces, and outdoors in Paris in certain high-congestion areas around tourist sites, were made mandatory outdoors citywide on August 28 to fight the rising coronavirus infections AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 August 2020 Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe bows to the national flag at the start of a press conference at the prime minister official residence in Tokyo. Abe announced he will resign over health problems, in a bombshell development that kicks off a leadership contest in the world's third-largest economy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 27 August 2020 Residents take cover behind a tree trunk from rubber bullets fired by South African Police Service (SAPS) in Eldorado Park, near Johannesburg, during a protest by community members after a 16-year old boy was reported dead AFP via Getty World news in pictures 26 August 2020 People scatter rose petals on a statue of Mother Teresa marking her 110th birth anniversary in Ahmedabad AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 August 2020 An aerial view shows beach-goers standing on salt formations in the Dead Sea near Ein Bokeq, Israel Reuters World news in pictures 24 August 2020 Health workers use a fingertip pulse oximeter and check the body temperature of a fisherwoman inside the Dharavi slum during a door-to-door Covid-19 coronavirus screening in Mumbai AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 August 2020 People carry an idol of the Hindu god Ganesh, the deity of prosperity, to immerse it off the coast of the Arabian sea during the Ganesh Chaturthi festival in Mumbai, India Reuters World news in pictures 22 August 2020 Firefighters watch as flames from the LNU Lightning Complex fires approach a home in Napa County, California AP World news in pictures 21 August 2020 Members of the Israeli security forces arrest a Palestinian demonstrator during a rally to protest against Israel's plan to annex parts of the occupied West Bank AFP via Getty World news in pictures 20 August 2020 A man pushes his bicycle through a deserted road after prohibitory orders were imposed by district officials for a week to contain the spread of the Covid-19 in Kathmandu AFP via Getty World news in pictures 19 August 2020 A car burns while parked at a residence in Vacaville, California. Dozens of fires are burning out of control throughout Northern California as fire resources are spread thin AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 August 2020 Students use their mobile phones as flashlights at an anti-government rally at Mahidol University in Nakhon Pathom. Thailand has seen near-daily protests in recent weeks by students demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha AFP via Getty World news in pictures 17 August 2020 Members of the Kayapo tribe block the BR163 highway during a protest outside Novo Progresso in Para state, Brazil. Indigenous protesters blocked a major transamazonian highway to protest against the lack of governmental support during the COVID-19 novel coronavirus pandemic and illegal deforestation in and around their territories AFP via Getty World news in pictures 16 August 2020 Lightning forks over the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge as a storm passes over Oakland AP World news in pictures 15 August 2020 Belarus opposition supporters gather near the Pushkinskaya metro station where Alexander Taraikovsky, a 34-year-old protester died on August 10, during their protest rally in central Minsk AFP via Getty World news in pictures 14 August 2020 AlphaTauri's driver Daniil Kvyat takes part in the second practice session at the Circuit de Catalunya in Montmelo near Barcelona ahead of the Spanish F1 Grand Prix AFP via Getty World news in pictures 13 August 2020 Soldiers of the Brazilian Armed Forces during a disinfection of the Christ The Redeemer statue at the Corcovado mountain prior to the opening of the touristic attraction in Rio AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 August 2020 Young elephant bulls tussle playfully on World Elephant Day at the Amboseli National Park in Kenya AFP via Getty
Delegates who withheld their support said they think Ms Feinstein has been in Washington too long and hasn't stood strong enough for immigrants.
When she spoke longer than her allotted time, some in the crowd chanted Time's up! referring to her lengthy tenure in Congress. Thirty-seven percent of Democrats backed Ms Feinstein, while 54 percent supported Mr de Leon. He called it an astounding rejection of politics as usual and a boost to his campaign's momentum.
Mr de Leon did not appear to lose support despite a sexual misconduct scandal at the California Capitol during his leadership. His former roommate, Tony Mendoza, resigned on Thursday after an investigation concluded he likely sexually harassed six women. Mr de Leon had called for him to be expelled. Mr Mendoza is running for re-election but failed to win the party's backing this weekend.
Ms Feinstein supporters, meanwhile, said her long track record as a fighter for Democrats and women makes her the party's best choice.
She has so much seniority, it's hard to give that up, said Cathy Jorgensen, a delegate from the farm-rich Central Valley.
Her political strategist, Bill Carrick, said the campaign was in good shape.
But the party was fractured. It failed to unite behind a single candidate in the majority of statewide races, including for governor, where four Democrats are vying to replace outgoing Governor Jerry Brown.
Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom, a former San Francisco mayor crafting himself as a warrior for progressive ideals, took 39 per cent of the vote, with state Treasurer John Chiang and former state schools chief Delaine Easton not far behind. Former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, who is courting more moderate and even conservative voters, won just 9 per cent.
Perhaps best underscoring party tensions is the race between Feinstein and de Leon.
The longtime senator focused on her specific legislative record, including on gun control and sexual assault, saying she's a long fighter for Democratic values with the clout to get things done.
Ms Feinstein touted her successful measure banning assault weapons in 1994, which has since expired, and pledged she would not rest until a similar bill passes again. As a senior member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, she promised she would never back funding for a wall along the US-Mexico border.
But Mr de Leon, who authored sanctuary state legislation to limit California authorities from cooperating with federal immigration officials, has argued that Ms Feinstein historically failed to stand up for young immigrants brought to the US illegally as children.
Ms Feinstein voted against two federal spending measures that left out deportation protections for dreamers, but some activists felt it was a forced vote.
She shows up now that she's being challenged, said Ana Gonzalez of San Bernardino County.
Associated Press
Eric Trump has endorsed plans by his father, President Donald Trump, to raise the age limit for purchasing assault weapons to 21.
Im a big Second Amendment person. I dont think its a big deal if you raise the age to 21, the Presidents son said along with offering his support for more comprehensive background checks.
At least personally, I dont want to see a whack job get any kind of dangerous object of any kind, he told Fox & Friends.
He continued: I dont want them buying a chainsaw. I dont want them buying a hammer. I probably dont want them buying a car because they can be just as deadly. I surely dont want them buying an assault rifle.
Support among Republicans for raising the age limit has grown in the wake of a school shooting in Florida earlier this month that left 17 people dead.
But the proposal has received pushback from the National Rifle Association, one of the most powerful gun-rights lobbying organisations, which argues that people aged 18 to 20 should not have their constitutional right to buy a guy infringed upon.
Mr Trump has called for raising the age limit to buy certain types of guns including the AR-15 assault rifle believed to have been used in the shooting from 18 to 21 and banning bump stocks, which enable semi-automatic weapons to fire hundreds of rounds a minute.
But the NRA opposes such moves.
Florida shooting in pictures Show all 10 1 /10 Florida shooting in pictures Florida shooting in pictures Police arrest a suspect in connection with the shooting at the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida Reuters Florida shooting in pictures Parents wait for news after reports of a shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida AP Florida shooting in pictures Anxious family members wait for news of students AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee Florida shooting in pictures Students being evacuated from the school AP Florida shooting in pictures Students being evacuated from the school Getty Florida shooting in pictures People gather waiting for word from students AP Florida shooting in pictures Parents waiting for news on their children AP Florida shooting in pictures People gather at a hotel where students were taken after the shooting Getty Florida shooting in pictures Florida Governor Rick Scott speaks to the media as he visits Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School following the shooting AFP/Getty Florida shooting in pictures Dr. Igor Nichiporenko, Medical Director Trauma, left, and Dr. Evan Boyer, Medical Director, Emergency Services, speak about treating victims and the suspect at a press conference outside Broward Health North hospital AP
The NRA doesnt back any ban, spokeswoman Dana Loesch said on ABCs This Week.
Ronna McDaniel, the chairwoman of the Republican National Committee, said increasing the minimum age of gun purchases is an idea that is on the table.
I think the presidents been very thoughtful in what hes proposing, she told the Washington Examiner. Hes listening to these parents. I think universally, we want to make sure our schools are safe. Period.
Since the Florida shooting, student across the country have become vocal advocates for gun control, calling for members of Congress to act.
Mr Trump has also suggested arming teachers and school officials, a proposal that has been widely criticised.
Nineteen centrist Republicans in the House of Representatives have requested that House Speaker Paul Ryan schedule a vote this week on legislation that would improve the national background check system for firearm purchases
According to the Washington Post, the narrowly focused bill would reinforce the requirement that federal agencies report all criminal infractions to the National Instant Criminal Background Check System and create financial incentives for states to do so as well.
More than 100 House Democrats also plan to co-sponsor legislation this week banning assault weapons, Politico reported, but that proposal is not expected to receive much support from Republicans.
Presidential adviser Ivanka Trump has said she does not believe the 14 women accusing her father, President Donald Trump, of sexual misconduct, telling a reporter it was inappropriate to ask her about the subject.
I think it's a pretty inappropriate question to ask a daughter if she believes the accusers of her father, when hes affirmatively stated that theres no truth to it, Ms Trump said on NBCs The Today Show. I don't think that's a question you would ask many other daughters.
She added: I believe my father, I know my father, so I think I have that right as a daughter to believe my father.
Mr Trump has repeatedly denied all allegations of sexual misconduct, calling his accusers liars.
Ms Trump's comments came in a wide-ranging interview with The Today Show, in which reporter Peter Alexander questioned her about the allegations of everything from unwanted touching to sexual assault.
Her response drew outcry from those who felt that a member of the White House should not be able to dodge tough questions about the President, no matter their familial ties.
Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Show all 30 1 /30 Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Threatening to shut down Twitter after being fact-checked After the president tweeted that voting by post would be "substantially fraudulent", Twitter attached a warning label to his tweet and referred readers to a site which explained how the claim was "unsubstantiated". Trump then said Twitter was "stifling free speech" and that he may have to shut it down, something which he would not have the power to do AFP/Getty Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Flippantly dismissing a serious allegation of sexual assault When author E Jean Carroll accused Trump of raping her, the president responded: Number one, shes not my type. Number two, it never happened. It never happened, OK?" AFP/Getty Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Insulting the Mayor of London as he landed in London Just before touching down at Stansted Airport for his state visit, Trump took time out to @ the London mayor Sadiq Khan on twitter. He said that Khan has done a "terrible job"as mayor and that he is a "stone cold loser" Reuters Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Taking plenty of "Executive Time" The president's official schedule sets aside the hours from 8 to 11am daily for "Executive Time". Further intermittent periods of "Executive Time" are scheduled throughout any given day, ranging from 15 minutes to 3 hours. His duties in these hours have not been officially disclosed, though Axios reports that he spends them watching TV, reading the newspapers and tweeting Getty Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Shutdown the government for over a month in an effort to secure funding for his wall With Mexico declining to pay for the wall, the president has faced difficulty in raising the required $5bn at home. Due to his demand that the money for the wall be included in the budget, and Congress's refusal, the government partially shut down on 22 December 2018. It remained shut for over a month, the longest period in history Getty Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Joking about the Nazi occupation of France to President Macron In this tweet from 13 November 2018, the president mocks Emmanuel Macron's suggestion of a "true, European army" by invoking the conflict between France and Germany in the world wars Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Railing against the Mueller investigation The president has repeatedly claimed that the Mueller investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election, is a "rigged witch hunt" Reuters Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Contradicting a US intelligence report on Russian meddling in the presence of Vladimir Putin In the press conference that followed his landmark meeting with Russian president Vladimir Putin, Trump stated that he saw no reason why Russia would have meddled in the 2016 US election. This contradicted a 2017 report by the US Office of the Director of National Intelligence that found evidence of Russian interference in favour of Trump Getty Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Contradicting his contradiction of a US intelligence report on Russian meddling Following furious backlash in the US, the president claimed that he meant to say that he saw no reason why it would not have been Russia who meddled in the 2016 US election. As to why he would have intended to use such bizarre phrasing, he did not comment Reuters Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Colouring in the US flag wrong The president coloured in the US flag wrongly during a visit to a children's hospital in Columbus, Ohio. He added a blue stripe where in tradition, and statute, there have been only white and red stripes AFP/Getty Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Firing a Secretary of State over Twitter The president announced on Twitter that he was appointing Mike Pompeo as Secretary of State, much to the surprise of then Secretary of State Rex Tillerson Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Quoting a catchphrase from a reality TV show when discussing police brutality While addressing the issue of black athletes not standing for the national anthem in protest of police brutality, the president made reference to his catchphrase from reality TV show "The Apprentice": you're fired! Reuters Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Calling African nations "S***hole Countries" Ever one for diplomacy, the president reportedly referred to African nations as "s***hole countries". Asked to confirm this when meeting with Nigeria's President Buhari, Trump stated that there are "some countries that are in very bad shape". Reuters Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Defending Russian President Vladimir Putin Trump appeared to equate US foreign actions to those of Russian president Vladimir Putin, saying: There are a lot of killers. You think our countrys so innocent? Reuters Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Asking for people to 'pray' for Arnold Schwarzenegger At the National Prayer Breakfast, Trump couldnt help but to ask for prayers for the ratings on Arnold Schwarzeneggers show to be good. Schwarzenegger took over as host of The Apprentice which buoyed Trumps celebrity status years ago Getty Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Hanging up on Australian PM Malcolm Turnbull Early in his presidency, Trump reportedly hung up the phone on Australian prime minister Malcolm Turnbull after the foreign leader angered him over refugee plans. Mr Trump later said that it was the worst call he had had so far Getty Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... The 'Muslim ban' Perhaps one of his most controversial policies while acting as president, Trumps travel ban targeting predominantly Muslim countries has bought him a lot of criticism. The bans were immediately protested, and judges initially blocked their implementation. The Supreme Court later sided with the administrations argument that the ban was developed out of concern for US security Getty Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Praising crowd size while touring Hurricane Harvey damage After Hurricane Harvey ravaged southeastern Texas, Trump paid the area a visit. While his response to the disaster in Houston was generally applauded, the president picked up some flack when he gave a speech outside Houston (he reportedly did not visit disaster zones), and praised the size of the crowds there AP Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... 'Little Rocket Man' During his first-ever speech to the United Nations General Assembly, Trump tried out a new nickname for North Korea leader Kim Jong-un: Rocket Man. He later tweaked it to be little Rocket Man as the two feuded, and threatened each other with nuclear war. During that speech, he also threatened to totally annihilate North Korea Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Attacking Sadiq Khan following London Bridge terror attack After the attack on the London Bridge, Trump lashed out at London Mayor Sadiq Khan, criticising Khan for saying there was no reason to be alarmed after the attack. Trump was taking the comments out of context, as Khan was simply saying that the police had everything under control Getty Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Claiming presenter Mika Brezinkski was 'bleeding from the face' Never one not to mock his enemies, Trump mocked MSNBCs Morning Joe co-host Mika Brzezinski, saying that she and co-host Joe Scarborough had approached him before his inauguration asking to join him. He noted that she was bleeding badly from a face-lift at the time, and that he said no MSNBC Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Claiming the blame for Charlottesville was on 'both sides' Trump refused to condemn far-right extremists involved in violence at 'the march for the right' protests in Charlottesville, even after the murder of counter protester Heather Heyer AP Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Retweeting cartoon of CNN being hit by a 'Trump train' Trump retweeted a cartoon showing a Trump-branded train running over a person whose body and head were replaced by a CNN avatar. He later deleted the retweet Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Tweeting about 'slamming' CNN Trump caught some flack when he tweeted a video showing him wrestling down an individual whose head had been replaced by a CNN avatar. Trump has singled CNN out in particular with his chants of fake news Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Firing head of the FBI, James Comey Trumps firing of former FBI Director James Comey landed him with a federal investigation into Russias meddling in the 2016 election that has caused many a headache for the White House. The White House initially said that the decision was made after consultation from the Justice Department. Then Mr Trump himself said that he had decided to fire him in part because he wanted the Russia investigation Mr Comey was conducting to stop Getty Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Not realising being president would be 'hard' Just three months into his presidency, Trump admitted that being president is harder than he thought it would be. Though Trump insisted on the 2016 campaign trail that doing the job would be easy for him, he admitted in an interview that living in the White House is harder than running a business empire Reuters Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Accusing Obama of wiretapping him Trump accused former president Barack Obama of wire tapping him on twitter. The Justice Department later clarified: Obama had not, in fact, done so Reuters Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Claiming there had been 3 million 'illegal votes' Trump was never very happy about losing the popular vote to Hillary Clinton by 2.8 million ballots. So, he and White House voter-fraud commissioner Kris Kobach have claimed that anywhere between three and five million people voted illegally during the 2016 election. Conveniently, he says that all of those illegal votes went to Clinton. (There is no evidence to support that level of widespread voter fraud.) Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Leaving Jews out of the Holocaust memorial statement Just days after taking office, Trumps White House issued a statement on International Holocaust Remembrance Day, but didnt mention jews or even the word jewish in the written statement Getty Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Anger over Inauguration crowd size Trumps inauguration crowd was visibly, and noticeably, smaller than that of his predecessor, Barack Obama. But, he really wanted to have had the largest crowd on record. So, he praised it as the biggest crowd ever. Relatedly, Trump also claimed that it stopped raining in Washington at the moment he was inaugurated. It didnt, the day was very dreary Reuters
A senior adviser to the President says its inappropriate to ask her if she believes the sexual misconduct allegations made against the President because hes her father, tweeted CNN reporter Kaitlan Collins, summing up the interview.
The Washington Posts Jenna Johnson said the White House made it clear that Ms Trump was acting as a senior adviser, not as his daughter, when she travelled to South Korea last week for the Winter Olympics.
But as soon as shes hit with a difficult question, suddenly shes a daughter, Ms Johnson tweeted.
Ivanka Trump: I have been shocked by the level of 'ferocity' and 'viciousness' against my father
Ms Trump previously made waves for saying that she believed the women who accused former Republican Senate candidate Roy Moore of pursuing them when they were teenagers.
She told the Associated Press that she had no reason to doubt the women, adding: Theres a special place in hell for people who prey on children.
Her father went on to campaign for the Alabama candidate and lash out at his accusers.
Ms Trump has also tweeted about Times Up, the Hollywood-backed initiative to target sexual harassment in the workplace. The tweet drew backlash from many including one of Mr Trumps accusers, Jessica Leeds who felt it was hypocritical.
Its unfortunate too because you dont want to speak badly of the Presidents family, Ms Leeds said on MSNBC.
But shes totally misread the whole position and whats going on in the world.
Rhode Island is set to become the first state since the Florida school shooting to establish a red flag policy allowing judges to take firearms from people who show warning signs of violence.
Governor Gina Raimondo will sign an executive order to establish the policy, making Rhode Island the sixth state in the country to do so. President Donald Trump is also considering a similar order, sources told Bloomberg News.
Ms Raimondo said she was spurred to action by the tragedy in Parkland, Florida, where 17 people were killed when a gunman opened fire on Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School.
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[Rhode Island] isnt going to wait a minute longer for Congress to take action on gun violence, Ms Raimundo tweeted. If they wont act, we will.
The new policy gives requires people to turn over their firearms and prevents them from buying new ones if a judge determines they pose an imminent danger. A court hearing must be held within 21 days, and the order can be extended after that.
Florida shooting in pictures Show all 10 1 /10 Florida shooting in pictures Florida shooting in pictures Police arrest a suspect in connection with the shooting at the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida Reuters Florida shooting in pictures Parents wait for news after reports of a shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida AP Florida shooting in pictures Anxious family members wait for news of students AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee Florida shooting in pictures Students being evacuated from the school AP Florida shooting in pictures Students being evacuated from the school Getty Florida shooting in pictures People gather waiting for word from students AP Florida shooting in pictures Parents waiting for news on their children AP Florida shooting in pictures People gather at a hotel where students were taken after the shooting Getty Florida shooting in pictures Florida Governor Rick Scott speaks to the media as he visits Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School following the shooting AFP/Getty Florida shooting in pictures Dr. Igor Nichiporenko, Medical Director Trauma, left, and Dr. Evan Boyer, Medical Director, Emergency Services, speak about treating victims and the suspect at a press conference outside Broward Health North hospital AP
The FBI and a local sheriffs office both received repeated tips about troubling behaviour the alleged Parkland shooter, 19-year-old Nikolas Cruz, and failed to follow up. The Rhode Island version of the policies allows for family members not just law enforcement officials to file a petition to have the guns removed.
The Rhode Island Police Chiefs Association voted unanimously last week to ask the states general assembly to pass a similar law. Ms Raimondo also urged the legislature to pass the law, which could be repealed less easily than an executive order.
Florida student Emma Gonzalez passionately calls for gun control at rally after school shooting
Advocates say the law will help get guns out of the hands of dangerous individuals, possibly preventing shootings like the one in Parkland. Gun-rights advocates like the National Rifle Association, however, argue that allowing a judge to take away someones firearms could be a violation of the second amendment.
California, Washington, Oregon, Indiana and Connecticut already have red flag statutes in place. It is unclear how effective these laws are at preventing mass shootings, but a 2016 study from Duke University found that the Connecticut law appeared to have prevented some suicides.
Public polling in the wake of the Florida shooting shows that the majority of Americans support stricter gun control laws, with a CNN-SSRS poll showing that 70 percent of Americans now back tougher gun legislation. The same poll found only 52 per cent favoured such changes after the mass shooting in Las Vegas in October.
Little over a week before the programme is scheduled to expire, the United States Supreme Court has declined to review a federal judge's order that the Trump administration must continue the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) programme.
The refusal to hear the case represents a temporary win for immigration advocates who have been fighting to keep the programme in place after President Donald Trump announced last year he would let it expire. Nearly 700,000 undocumented immigrants who came to the United States as children -- a group known colloquially as Dreamers -- have been able to receive work permits under the programme, which was started in 2012 by former President Barack Obama.
Instead of choosing to hear the case this spring, the Supreme Court has decided to let the case run its normal course through the appeals court process. The highest court in the US could have decided to leapfrog that appeals process, which will now continue in a court in California that is generally seen as sympathetic to the cause of immigrants.
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The court has asked that the appeals process to "proceed expeditiously", and left open the possibility that they might hear arguments in the case in the future, depending on how things play out in the lower courts.
A White House spokesman, responding to the Supreme Court's decision, accused the federal district court judge in San Francisco of usurping legislative authority to protect DACA.
"The DACA programme - which provides work permits and myriad government benefits to illegal immigrants en masse - is clearly unlawful," Deputy White House Press Secretary Raj Shah said. "The district judge's decision unilaterally to re-impose a programme that Congress had explicitly and repeatedly rejected is a usurpation of legislative authority."
People strike across America for A Day Without Immigrants Show all 16 1 /16 People strike across America for A Day Without Immigrants People strike across America for A Day Without Immigrants Demonstrators march during the "Day Without Immigrants" protest in Chicago, Illinois, February 16, 2017. Theopolis Waters/Reuters People strike across America for A Day Without Immigrants Demonstrators march during the "Day Without Immigrants" protest in Washington, DC, U.S., February 16, 2017. Aaron P. Bernstein/Reuters People strike across America for A Day Without Immigrants Protesters march in the streets outside the Texas State Capital on 'A Day Without Immigrants' February 16, 2017 in Austin, Texas. The crowd, which grew to well over a thousand participants, marched from the Austin City Hall to the Texas State Capital. Across the country hundreds of restaurants and eateries are closing for the day to protest President Trump's immigration policies and to highlight the contributions of immigrants to U.S. business and life. Drew Anthony Smith/Getty People strike across America for A Day Without Immigrants Protesters march in the streets outside the Texas State Capital on 'A Day Without Immigrants' February 16, 2017 in Austin, Texas. Drew Anthony Smith/Getty People strike across America for A Day Without Immigrants AUSTIN, TX - FEBRUARY 16: Protesters march in the streets outside the Texas State Capital on 'A Day Without Immigrants' February 16, 2017 in Austin, Texas. Drew Anthony Smith/Getty People strike across America for A Day Without Immigrants Demonstrators march during the "Day Without Immigrants" protest in Chicago, Illinois, February 16, 2017. Theopolis Waters/Reuters People strike across America for A Day Without Immigrants Demonstrators march during the "Day Without Immigrants" protest in Chicago, Illinois, February 16, 2017. Aaron P. Bernstein/Reuters People strike across America for A Day Without Immigrants Protesters march in the streets outside the Texas State Capital on 'A Day Without Immigrants' February 16, 2017 in Austin, Texas. The crowd, which grew to well over a thousand participants, marched from the Austin City Hall to the Texas State Capital. Across the country hundreds of restaurants and eateries are closing for the day to protest President Trump's immigration policies and to highlight the contributions of immigrants to U.S. business and life. Drew Anthony Smith/Getty People strike across America for A Day Without Immigrants Protesters march in the streets outside the Texas State Capital on 'A Day Without Immigrants' February 16, 2017 in Austin, Texas. Drew Anthony Smith/Getty People strike across America for A Day Without Immigrants Protesters march in the streets outside the Texas State Capital on 'A Day Without Immigrants' February 16, 2017 in Austin, Texas. Drew Anthony Smith/Getty People strike across America for A Day Without Immigrants Protesters march in the streets outside the Texas State Capital on 'A Day Without Immigrants' February 16, 2017 in Austin, Texas. Drew Anthony Smith/Getty People strike across America for A Day Without Immigrants Protesters march in the streets outside the Texas State Capital on 'A Day Without Immigrants' February 16, 2017 in Austin, Texas. Drew Anthony Smith/Getty People strike across America for A Day Without Immigrants Protesters march in the streets outside the Texas State Capital on 'A Day Without Immigrants' February 16, 2017 in Austin, Texas. Drew Anthony Smith/Getty People strike across America for A Day Without Immigrants Protesters march in the streets outside the Texas State Capital on 'A Day Without Immigrants' February 16, 2017 in Austin, Texas. The crowd, which grew to well over a thousand participants marched from the Austin City Hall to the Texas State Capital. Across the country hundreds of restaurants and eateries are closing for the day to protest President Trump's immigration policies and to highlight the contributions of immigrants to U.S. business and life. Drew Anthony Smith/Getty People strike across America for A Day Without Immigrants High school student Kathia Suarez holds up a sign as she protests with others outside the Grayson County courthouse in downtown Sherman, Texas, Thursday, Feb. 16, 2017. LM Otero/AP People strike across America for A Day Without Immigrants High school senior Vicky Sosa holds a sign outside the Grayson County courthouse in downtown Sherman, Texas, Thursday, Feb. 16, 2017. In an action called "A Day Without Immigrants," immigrants across the country are expected to stay home from school, work and close businesses to show how critical they are to the U.S. economy and way of life. LM Otero/AP
The Supreme Court's decision, and the movement in the lower courts, comes as Congress attempts to grapple with the issue. Democrats have been advocating for a deal to help those young undocumented immigrants retain their semblance of legal status in the US, but have failed so far to reach a deal with Republican leadership. The GOP controls both the House and the Senate.
Most recently, the Senate has been weighing a short-term fix for the Dreamers before the March 5 deadline for the programme, according to The Hill. It is unclear what, if anything, might be able to make it through Congress and then be supported by Mr Trump.
"I can promise that I'll be back on the floor, again and again, motioning for a vote until we pass a bill providing relief for those struggling due to our inaction," Sen Jeff Flake, a Republican from Arizona who has been negotiating with North Dakota's Democratic Senator, Heidi Heitkamp, on the deal. The deal would tie a three-year extension of protections to DACA recipients to $7.6 billion border security funding that has been sought by the Trump administration.
Congressional leadership has said that a short-term fix for the issue is not ideal, though some senators have begun to indicate that it may be the only way forward. Sen Lindsey Graham, a Republican from South Carolina, has said that he could see a shorter-term deal coming up, if that is how leadership decides to move forward on that approach.
"I think we wind up punting. I think we'll do a one-year extension of DACA and punt," Mr Gaham said.
It is not clear at this time that a short-term deal that ties the DACA protections to a border security bill would be able to get the 60 votes needed to clear the Senate. It is perhaps even more uncertain that such a deal would be able to make it through the House of Representatives, where prospects appear even slimmer.
Donald Trump a man not famed for his modesty or lack of bravado has claimed he would have run in to the Florida school assaulted by a gunman, even if he was not armed.
As students at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School prepare to return to lessons this week after an attack that left 17 pupils and teachers dead, the President told a meeting of the nations governors: You dont know until you test it, but I really believe Id have run in there even if I didnt have a weapon.
He added: And I think most of the people in this room would have done that too, because I know most of you. But the way [the first armed police] performed was a disgrace.
Florida school students form giant human heart to honour Parkland shooting victims
In the aftermath of the shooting two weeks at the school in Parkland, there has been a fierce debate on how to reduce or end the number of incidents, which so frequently bring tragedy to US communities.
Inspired by the students from the school that was attacked, campaigners have been calling on Mr Trump and Republicans to act swiftly to regulate and control access to guns. The students from the high school have led a powerful and impassioned campaign to demand that they be the last pupils in America to suffer a mass shooting.
The National Rifle Assocation (NRA), the powerful gun rights lobbying group which spent $30m helping get Mr Trump elected in 2016, has said there should be no new legislation that bans weapons, not even assault rifles or the bump stock devices that can turn allow someone to fire a semi-automatic weapon as if it is fully automatic.
Mr Trump has said he is willing to push for more effective background checks and to raise the age requirement to buy a rifle to 21. He has said he believes that arming some teachers with concealed weapons would help reduce shootings.
If you had a teacher who was adept with the firearm, they could end the attack very quickly, the President said, after meeting with students, teachers and elected officials at the White House last week.
This would be obviously only for people who were very adept at handling a gun, and it would be, its called concealed carry, where a teacher would have a concealed gun on them. Theyd go for special training and they would be there and you would no longer have a gun-free zone.
World news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 World news in pictures World news in pictures 30 September 2020 Pope Francis prays with priests at the end of a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 29 September 2020 A girl's silhouette is seen from behind a fabric in a tent along a beach by Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 September 2020 A Chinese woman takes a photo of herself in front of a flower display dedicated to frontline health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic in Beijing, China. China will celebrate national day marking the founding of the People's Republic of China on October 1st Getty World news in pictures 27 September 2020 The Glass Mountain Inn burns as the Glass Fire moves through the area in St. Helena, California. The fast moving Glass fire has burned over 1,000 acres and has destroyed homes Getty World news in pictures 26 September 2020 A villager along with a child offers prayers next to a carcass of a wild elephant that officials say was electrocuted in Rani Reserve Forest on the outskirts of Guwahati, India AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 September 2020 The casket of late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is seen in Statuary Hall in the US Capitol to lie in state in Washington, DC AFP via Getty World news in pictures 24 September 2020 An anti-government protester holds up an image of a pro-democracy commemorative plaque at a rally outside Thailand's parliament in Bangkok, as activists gathered to demand a new constitution AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 September 2020 A whale stranded on a beach in Macquarie Harbour on the rugged west coast of Tasmania, as hundreds of pilot whales have died in a mass stranding in southern Australia despite efforts to save them, with rescuers racing to free a few dozen survivors The Mercury/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 22 September 2020 State civil employee candidates wearing face masks and shields take a test in Surabaya AFP via Getty World news in pictures 21 September 2020 A man sweeps at the Taj Mahal monument on the day of its reopening after being closed for more than six months due to the coronavirus pandemic AP World news in pictures 20 September 2020 A deer looks for food in a burnt area, caused by the Bobcat fire, in Pearblossom, California EPA World news in pictures 19 September 2020 Anti-government protesters hold their mobile phones aloft as they take part in a pro-democracy rally in Bangkok. Tens of thousands of pro-democracy protesters massed close to Thailand's royal palace, in a huge rally calling for PM Prayut Chan-O-Cha to step down and demanding reforms to the monarchy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 September 2020 Supporters of Iraqi Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr maintain social distancing as they attend Friday prayers after the coronavirus disease restrictions were eased, in Kufa mosque, near Najaf, Iraq Reuters World news in pictures 17 September 2020 A protester climbs on The Triumph of the Republic at 'the Place de la Nation' as thousands of protesters take part in a demonstration during a national day strike called by labor unions asking for better salary and against jobs cut in Paris, France EPA World news in pictures 16 September 2020 A fire raging near the Lazzaretto of Ancona in Italy. The huge blaze broke out overnight at the port of Ancona. Firefighters have brought the fire under control but they expected to keep working through the day EPA World news in pictures 15 September 2020 Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny posing for a selfie with his family at Berlin's Charite hospital. In an Instagram post he said he could now breathe independently following his suspected poisoning last month Alexei Navalny/Instagram/AFP World news in pictures 14 September 2020 Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, former Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba and former Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida celebrate after Suga was elected as new head of the ruling party at the Liberal Democratic Party's leadership election in Tokyo Reuters World news in pictures 13 September 2020 A man stands behind a burning barricade during the fifth straight day of protests against police brutality in Bogota AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 September 2020 Police officers block and detain protesters during an opposition rally to protest the official presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus. Daily protests calling for the authoritarian president's resignation are now in their second month AP World news in pictures 11 September 2020 Members of 'Omnium Cultural' celebrate the 20th 'Festa per la llibertat' ('Fiesta for the freedom') to mark the Day of Catalonia in Barcelona. Omnion Cultural fights for the independence of Catalonia EPA World news in pictures 10 September 2020 The Moria refugee camp, two days after Greece's biggest migrant camp, was destroyed by fire. Thousands of asylum seekers on the island of Lesbos are now homeless AFP via Getty World news in pictures 9 September 2020 Pope Francis takes off his face mask as he arrives by car to hold a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 8 September 2020 A home is engulfed in flames during the "Creek Fire" in the Tollhouse area of California AFP via Getty World news in pictures 7 September 2020 A couple take photos along a sea wall of the waves brought by Typhoon Haishen in the eastern port city of Sokcho AFP via Getty World news in pictures 6 September 2020 Novak Djokovic and a tournament official tends to a linesperson who was struck with a ball by Djokovic during his match against Pablo Carreno Busta at the US Open USA Today Sports/Reuters World news in pictures 5 September 2020 Protesters confront police at the Shrine of Remembrance in Melbourne, Australia, during an anti-lockdown rally AFP via Getty World news in pictures 4 September 2020 A woman looks on from a rooftop as rescue workers dig through the rubble of a damaged building in Beirut. A search began for possible survivors after a scanner detected a pulse one month after the mega-blast at the adjacent port AFP via Getty World news in pictures 3 September 2020 A full moon next to the Virgen del Panecillo statue in Quito, Ecuador EPA World news in pictures 2 September 2020 A Palestinian woman reacts as Israeli forces demolish her animal shed near Hebron in the Israeli-occupied West Bank Reuters World news in pictures 1 September 2020 Students protest against presidential elections results in Minsk TUT.BY/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 31 August 2020 The pack rides during the 3rd stage of the Tour de France between Nice and Sisteron AFP via Getty World news in pictures 30 August 2020 Law enforcement officers block a street during a rally of opposition supporters protesting against presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus Reuters World news in pictures 29 August 2020 A woman holding a placard reading "Stop Censorship - Yes to the Freedom of Expression" shouts in a megaphone during a protest against the mandatory wearing of face masks in Paris. Masks, which were already compulsory on public transport, in enclosed public spaces, and outdoors in Paris in certain high-congestion areas around tourist sites, were made mandatory outdoors citywide on August 28 to fight the rising coronavirus infections AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 August 2020 Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe bows to the national flag at the start of a press conference at the prime minister official residence in Tokyo. Abe announced he will resign over health problems, in a bombshell development that kicks off a leadership contest in the world's third-largest economy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 27 August 2020 Residents take cover behind a tree trunk from rubber bullets fired by South African Police Service (SAPS) in Eldorado Park, near Johannesburg, during a protest by community members after a 16-year old boy was reported dead AFP via Getty World news in pictures 26 August 2020 People scatter rose petals on a statue of Mother Teresa marking her 110th birth anniversary in Ahmedabad AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 August 2020 An aerial view shows beach-goers standing on salt formations in the Dead Sea near Ein Bokeq, Israel Reuters World news in pictures 24 August 2020 Health workers use a fingertip pulse oximeter and check the body temperature of a fisherwoman inside the Dharavi slum during a door-to-door Covid-19 coronavirus screening in Mumbai AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 August 2020 People carry an idol of the Hindu god Ganesh, the deity of prosperity, to immerse it off the coast of the Arabian sea during the Ganesh Chaturthi festival in Mumbai, India Reuters World news in pictures 22 August 2020 Firefighters watch as flames from the LNU Lightning Complex fires approach a home in Napa County, California AP World news in pictures 21 August 2020 Members of the Israeli security forces arrest a Palestinian demonstrator during a rally to protest against Israel's plan to annex parts of the occupied West Bank AFP via Getty World news in pictures 20 August 2020 A man pushes his bicycle through a deserted road after prohibitory orders were imposed by district officials for a week to contain the spread of the Covid-19 in Kathmandu AFP via Getty World news in pictures 19 August 2020 A car burns while parked at a residence in Vacaville, California. Dozens of fires are burning out of control throughout Northern California as fire resources are spread thin AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 August 2020 Students use their mobile phones as flashlights at an anti-government rally at Mahidol University in Nakhon Pathom. Thailand has seen near-daily protests in recent weeks by students demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha AFP via Getty World news in pictures 17 August 2020 Members of the Kayapo tribe block the BR163 highway during a protest outside Novo Progresso in Para state, Brazil. Indigenous protesters blocked a major transamazonian highway to protest against the lack of governmental support during the COVID-19 novel coronavirus pandemic and illegal deforestation in and around their territories AFP via Getty World news in pictures 16 August 2020 Lightning forks over the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge as a storm passes over Oakland AP World news in pictures 15 August 2020 Belarus opposition supporters gather near the Pushkinskaya metro station where Alexander Taraikovsky, a 34-year-old protester died on August 10, during their protest rally in central Minsk AFP via Getty World news in pictures 14 August 2020 AlphaTauri's driver Daniil Kvyat takes part in the second practice session at the Circuit de Catalunya in Montmelo near Barcelona ahead of the Spanish F1 Grand Prix AFP via Getty World news in pictures 13 August 2020 Soldiers of the Brazilian Armed Forces during a disinfection of the Christ The Redeemer statue at the Corcovado mountain prior to the opening of the touristic attraction in Rio AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 August 2020 Young elephant bulls tussle playfully on World Elephant Day at the Amboseli National Park in Kenya AFP via Getty
He added: [A] gun-free zone to a maniac because theyre all cowards a gun-free zone is lets go in and lets attack because bullets arent coming back at us.
While Mr Trumps suggestion has received some support, many teachers, teaching union and senior police officials have said the idea was impractical and could backfire.
Yet, the President has not backed away from his suggestion, or from his criticism of a school protection officer, Scot Peterson, who has resigned after it was revealed he waited outside the school buildings with his handgun as Nikolas Cruz set about killing his former classmates and injuring many others. Broward County Sheriffs office has launched an investigation after it was claimed three of its officers who arrived at the school also waited outside until back-up arrived.
Mr Trump told the governors he was determined to turn the nations grief into action following the atrocity. Mr Trump said that while our nation is heartbroken, the US needs to have action on measures related to school safety and gun violence.
He also said he had lunch with senior officials of the NRA and said that the organisation want to do something to address the issue.
There is no bigger fan of the Second Amendment than me but theres a need to boost background checks and ensure that a sicko is unable to get a gun, he said.
President Donald Trumps tax law that was passed by Republicans with breakneck speed last year is ridden with typos and glitches.
Mr Trump and administration officials continue to tout the benefits of the $1.5 trillion tax cut that he signed into law in December. But whats missing in Mr Trumps rhetoric is any mention of the snafus that could end up costing the federal US government big money, experts warn.
Legislation often contains a few errors, but not of this magnitude, experts have been quick to point out.
Recommended Gates says rich people like him should pay much higher taxes
The glitches are not just typos. A lot of the discrepancies revolve around actual tax policy questions where there is disagreement between Democrats and Republicans, meaning the errors will be much harder to fix, according to John Wonderlich. Mr Wonderlich is the executive director of the Sunlight Foundation, a nonprofit which advocates for open government.
The amount of errors and unintended consequences in the tax bill is far beyond normal, he told The Independent. He said that eleventh-hour changes to the legislation and the non-transparent process used to pass it contributed to this result.
David Miller, a tax partner at Proskauer Rose, noted to The Independent that the last time Congress passed a sweeping tax bill, in 1986, the legislation had taken three years to develop and had the support of both political parties.
This time the process was done in a matter of months, he said, noting that legislators did not seek outside comments from experts and that the bill was pushed through Congress without a single vote from Democrats.
Thats the reason, I believe, youre seeing many more errors in this tax legislation than normal, he said.
One such glitch blocks restaurants, retailers and even real-estate companies such as Mr Trumps from deducting the costs of renovations over the short term, as Congress intended, the New York Post reported.
Instead, what appears to be a typo could force those businesses to spread out the tax breaks over 39 years.
Another mistake creates more loopholes that benefit Wall Street hedge funds and private equity firms.
World news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 World news in pictures World news in pictures 30 September 2020 Pope Francis prays with priests at the end of a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 29 September 2020 A girl's silhouette is seen from behind a fabric in a tent along a beach by Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 September 2020 A Chinese woman takes a photo of herself in front of a flower display dedicated to frontline health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic in Beijing, China. China will celebrate national day marking the founding of the People's Republic of China on October 1st Getty World news in pictures 27 September 2020 The Glass Mountain Inn burns as the Glass Fire moves through the area in St. Helena, California. The fast moving Glass fire has burned over 1,000 acres and has destroyed homes Getty World news in pictures 26 September 2020 A villager along with a child offers prayers next to a carcass of a wild elephant that officials say was electrocuted in Rani Reserve Forest on the outskirts of Guwahati, India AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 September 2020 The casket of late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is seen in Statuary Hall in the US Capitol to lie in state in Washington, DC AFP via Getty World news in pictures 24 September 2020 An anti-government protester holds up an image of a pro-democracy commemorative plaque at a rally outside Thailand's parliament in Bangkok, as activists gathered to demand a new constitution AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 September 2020 A whale stranded on a beach in Macquarie Harbour on the rugged west coast of Tasmania, as hundreds of pilot whales have died in a mass stranding in southern Australia despite efforts to save them, with rescuers racing to free a few dozen survivors The Mercury/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 22 September 2020 State civil employee candidates wearing face masks and shields take a test in Surabaya AFP via Getty World news in pictures 21 September 2020 A man sweeps at the Taj Mahal monument on the day of its reopening after being closed for more than six months due to the coronavirus pandemic AP World news in pictures 20 September 2020 A deer looks for food in a burnt area, caused by the Bobcat fire, in Pearblossom, California EPA World news in pictures 19 September 2020 Anti-government protesters hold their mobile phones aloft as they take part in a pro-democracy rally in Bangkok. Tens of thousands of pro-democracy protesters massed close to Thailand's royal palace, in a huge rally calling for PM Prayut Chan-O-Cha to step down and demanding reforms to the monarchy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 September 2020 Supporters of Iraqi Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr maintain social distancing as they attend Friday prayers after the coronavirus disease restrictions were eased, in Kufa mosque, near Najaf, Iraq Reuters World news in pictures 17 September 2020 A protester climbs on The Triumph of the Republic at 'the Place de la Nation' as thousands of protesters take part in a demonstration during a national day strike called by labor unions asking for better salary and against jobs cut in Paris, France EPA World news in pictures 16 September 2020 A fire raging near the Lazzaretto of Ancona in Italy. The huge blaze broke out overnight at the port of Ancona. Firefighters have brought the fire under control but they expected to keep working through the day EPA World news in pictures 15 September 2020 Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny posing for a selfie with his family at Berlin's Charite hospital. In an Instagram post he said he could now breathe independently following his suspected poisoning last month Alexei Navalny/Instagram/AFP World news in pictures 14 September 2020 Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, former Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba and former Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida celebrate after Suga was elected as new head of the ruling party at the Liberal Democratic Party's leadership election in Tokyo Reuters World news in pictures 13 September 2020 A man stands behind a burning barricade during the fifth straight day of protests against police brutality in Bogota AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 September 2020 Police officers block and detain protesters during an opposition rally to protest the official presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus. Daily protests calling for the authoritarian president's resignation are now in their second month AP World news in pictures 11 September 2020 Members of 'Omnium Cultural' celebrate the 20th 'Festa per la llibertat' ('Fiesta for the freedom') to mark the Day of Catalonia in Barcelona. Omnion Cultural fights for the independence of Catalonia EPA World news in pictures 10 September 2020 The Moria refugee camp, two days after Greece's biggest migrant camp, was destroyed by fire. Thousands of asylum seekers on the island of Lesbos are now homeless AFP via Getty World news in pictures 9 September 2020 Pope Francis takes off his face mask as he arrives by car to hold a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 8 September 2020 A home is engulfed in flames during the "Creek Fire" in the Tollhouse area of California AFP via Getty World news in pictures 7 September 2020 A couple take photos along a sea wall of the waves brought by Typhoon Haishen in the eastern port city of Sokcho AFP via Getty World news in pictures 6 September 2020 Novak Djokovic and a tournament official tends to a linesperson who was struck with a ball by Djokovic during his match against Pablo Carreno Busta at the US Open USA Today Sports/Reuters World news in pictures 5 September 2020 Protesters confront police at the Shrine of Remembrance in Melbourne, Australia, during an anti-lockdown rally AFP via Getty World news in pictures 4 September 2020 A woman looks on from a rooftop as rescue workers dig through the rubble of a damaged building in Beirut. A search began for possible survivors after a scanner detected a pulse one month after the mega-blast at the adjacent port AFP via Getty World news in pictures 3 September 2020 A full moon next to the Virgen del Panecillo statue in Quito, Ecuador EPA World news in pictures 2 September 2020 A Palestinian woman reacts as Israeli forces demolish her animal shed near Hebron in the Israeli-occupied West Bank Reuters World news in pictures 1 September 2020 Students protest against presidential elections results in Minsk TUT.BY/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 31 August 2020 The pack rides during the 3rd stage of the Tour de France between Nice and Sisteron AFP via Getty World news in pictures 30 August 2020 Law enforcement officers block a street during a rally of opposition supporters protesting against presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus Reuters World news in pictures 29 August 2020 A woman holding a placard reading "Stop Censorship - Yes to the Freedom of Expression" shouts in a megaphone during a protest against the mandatory wearing of face masks in Paris. Masks, which were already compulsory on public transport, in enclosed public spaces, and outdoors in Paris in certain high-congestion areas around tourist sites, were made mandatory outdoors citywide on August 28 to fight the rising coronavirus infections AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 August 2020 Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe bows to the national flag at the start of a press conference at the prime minister official residence in Tokyo. Abe announced he will resign over health problems, in a bombshell development that kicks off a leadership contest in the world's third-largest economy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 27 August 2020 Residents take cover behind a tree trunk from rubber bullets fired by South African Police Service (SAPS) in Eldorado Park, near Johannesburg, during a protest by community members after a 16-year old boy was reported dead AFP via Getty World news in pictures 26 August 2020 People scatter rose petals on a statue of Mother Teresa marking her 110th birth anniversary in Ahmedabad AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 August 2020 An aerial view shows beach-goers standing on salt formations in the Dead Sea near Ein Bokeq, Israel Reuters World news in pictures 24 August 2020 Health workers use a fingertip pulse oximeter and check the body temperature of a fisherwoman inside the Dharavi slum during a door-to-door Covid-19 coronavirus screening in Mumbai AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 August 2020 People carry an idol of the Hindu god Ganesh, the deity of prosperity, to immerse it off the coast of the Arabian sea during the Ganesh Chaturthi festival in Mumbai, India Reuters World news in pictures 22 August 2020 Firefighters watch as flames from the LNU Lightning Complex fires approach a home in Napa County, California AP World news in pictures 21 August 2020 Members of the Israeli security forces arrest a Palestinian demonstrator during a rally to protest against Israel's plan to annex parts of the occupied West Bank AFP via Getty World news in pictures 20 August 2020 A man pushes his bicycle through a deserted road after prohibitory orders were imposed by district officials for a week to contain the spread of the Covid-19 in Kathmandu AFP via Getty World news in pictures 19 August 2020 A car burns while parked at a residence in Vacaville, California. Dozens of fires are burning out of control throughout Northern California as fire resources are spread thin AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 August 2020 Students use their mobile phones as flashlights at an anti-government rally at Mahidol University in Nakhon Pathom. Thailand has seen near-daily protests in recent weeks by students demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha AFP via Getty World news in pictures 17 August 2020 Members of the Kayapo tribe block the BR163 highway during a protest outside Novo Progresso in Para state, Brazil. Indigenous protesters blocked a major transamazonian highway to protest against the lack of governmental support during the COVID-19 novel coronavirus pandemic and illegal deforestation in and around their territories AFP via Getty World news in pictures 16 August 2020 Lightning forks over the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge as a storm passes over Oakland AP World news in pictures 15 August 2020 Belarus opposition supporters gather near the Pushkinskaya metro station where Alexander Taraikovsky, a 34-year-old protester died on August 10, during their protest rally in central Minsk AFP via Getty World news in pictures 14 August 2020 AlphaTauri's driver Daniil Kvyat takes part in the second practice session at the Circuit de Catalunya in Montmelo near Barcelona ahead of the Spanish F1 Grand Prix AFP via Getty World news in pictures 13 August 2020 Soldiers of the Brazilian Armed Forces during a disinfection of the Christ The Redeemer statue at the Corcovado mountain prior to the opening of the touristic attraction in Rio AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 August 2020 Young elephant bulls tussle playfully on World Elephant Day at the Amboseli National Park in Kenya AFP via Getty
For example, the bill enables wealthy money managers to avoid a crackdown on lucrative tax breaks, allowing them to pay lower taxes on some of their income than ordinary wage earners.
One way the dozens of errors can be fixed is through the passage of new legislation, called a technical corrections bill, that would amend the law.
But to pass such a measure in the Senate, Republicans would need the help of Democrats, who are in no rush to come to the aid of their colleagues across the aisle.
Were not going to say to Republicans, Oh tell us what you want to do, Democratic Senator Sherrod Brown told Politico.
We want to make the bill better, not just correct whatever technical fix is needed, said Mr Brown, who sits on the tax-writing Senate Finance committee.
Another way the glitches can be fixed is by the Treasury Department issuing regulations that correct the errors but this possible solution has limitations.
If the statute is clear on its face, then its difficult for a regulation to contradict the statute itself, Mr Miller said.
Attempting to use regulations to fix the issue could also result in litigation over the interpretations of the tax act.
If the bill just says something ambiguous, or counter to what the drafters intended, they really need new legislation, Mr Wonderlich said.
The decision by former Trump campaign official Rick Gates to plead guilty to federal charges, could mark the end of Donald Trumps presidency, a veteran lawyer involved in the Watergate scandal has claimed.
John Dean, 79, who served as counsel to President Richard Nixon from July 1970 until April 1973 and who pleaded guilty to a single charge in exchange for acting as a key witness for Watergate prosecutors, said the decision by Mr Gates could be crucial.
Mueller is throwing everything he can against Manafort, including Gates who can nail him. Increasingly it appears Manafort is the link to Russian collusion, Mr Dean tweeted.
If Gates can testify that Manafort was acting with Trumps blessings, its the end of his presidency. Thats substantial.
Gates, 45, who served as a deputy to Mr Trumps campaign manager, Paul Manafort, pleaded guilty last week as part of a deal with Robert Mueller in the special counsel's investigation into Russias alleged interference in the 2016 election.
Rod Rosenstein announces thirteen Russian nationals have been indicted in Mueller probe
He pleaded guilty on two federal charges brought by Mr Muellers team - one count of conspiracy against the United States and one count of making false statements to FBI agents.
As part of the plea deal, Gates agreed to cooperate fully, truthfully, completely, and forthrightly, with the special counsels office as well as other law enforcement officials, according to court documents.
World news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 World news in pictures World news in pictures 30 September 2020 Pope Francis prays with priests at the end of a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 29 September 2020 A girl's silhouette is seen from behind a fabric in a tent along a beach by Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 September 2020 A Chinese woman takes a photo of herself in front of a flower display dedicated to frontline health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic in Beijing, China. China will celebrate national day marking the founding of the People's Republic of China on October 1st Getty World news in pictures 27 September 2020 The Glass Mountain Inn burns as the Glass Fire moves through the area in St. Helena, California. The fast moving Glass fire has burned over 1,000 acres and has destroyed homes Getty World news in pictures 26 September 2020 A villager along with a child offers prayers next to a carcass of a wild elephant that officials say was electrocuted in Rani Reserve Forest on the outskirts of Guwahati, India AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 September 2020 The casket of late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is seen in Statuary Hall in the US Capitol to lie in state in Washington, DC AFP via Getty World news in pictures 24 September 2020 An anti-government protester holds up an image of a pro-democracy commemorative plaque at a rally outside Thailand's parliament in Bangkok, as activists gathered to demand a new constitution AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 September 2020 A whale stranded on a beach in Macquarie Harbour on the rugged west coast of Tasmania, as hundreds of pilot whales have died in a mass stranding in southern Australia despite efforts to save them, with rescuers racing to free a few dozen survivors The Mercury/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 22 September 2020 State civil employee candidates wearing face masks and shields take a test in Surabaya AFP via Getty World news in pictures 21 September 2020 A man sweeps at the Taj Mahal monument on the day of its reopening after being closed for more than six months due to the coronavirus pandemic AP World news in pictures 20 September 2020 A deer looks for food in a burnt area, caused by the Bobcat fire, in Pearblossom, California EPA World news in pictures 19 September 2020 Anti-government protesters hold their mobile phones aloft as they take part in a pro-democracy rally in Bangkok. Tens of thousands of pro-democracy protesters massed close to Thailand's royal palace, in a huge rally calling for PM Prayut Chan-O-Cha to step down and demanding reforms to the monarchy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 September 2020 Supporters of Iraqi Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr maintain social distancing as they attend Friday prayers after the coronavirus disease restrictions were eased, in Kufa mosque, near Najaf, Iraq Reuters World news in pictures 17 September 2020 A protester climbs on The Triumph of the Republic at 'the Place de la Nation' as thousands of protesters take part in a demonstration during a national day strike called by labor unions asking for better salary and against jobs cut in Paris, France EPA World news in pictures 16 September 2020 A fire raging near the Lazzaretto of Ancona in Italy. The huge blaze broke out overnight at the port of Ancona. Firefighters have brought the fire under control but they expected to keep working through the day EPA World news in pictures 15 September 2020 Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny posing for a selfie with his family at Berlin's Charite hospital. In an Instagram post he said he could now breathe independently following his suspected poisoning last month Alexei Navalny/Instagram/AFP World news in pictures 14 September 2020 Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, former Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba and former Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida celebrate after Suga was elected as new head of the ruling party at the Liberal Democratic Party's leadership election in Tokyo Reuters World news in pictures 13 September 2020 A man stands behind a burning barricade during the fifth straight day of protests against police brutality in Bogota AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 September 2020 Police officers block and detain protesters during an opposition rally to protest the official presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus. Daily protests calling for the authoritarian president's resignation are now in their second month AP World news in pictures 11 September 2020 Members of 'Omnium Cultural' celebrate the 20th 'Festa per la llibertat' ('Fiesta for the freedom') to mark the Day of Catalonia in Barcelona. Omnion Cultural fights for the independence of Catalonia EPA World news in pictures 10 September 2020 The Moria refugee camp, two days after Greece's biggest migrant camp, was destroyed by fire. Thousands of asylum seekers on the island of Lesbos are now homeless AFP via Getty World news in pictures 9 September 2020 Pope Francis takes off his face mask as he arrives by car to hold a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 8 September 2020 A home is engulfed in flames during the "Creek Fire" in the Tollhouse area of California AFP via Getty World news in pictures 7 September 2020 A couple take photos along a sea wall of the waves brought by Typhoon Haishen in the eastern port city of Sokcho AFP via Getty World news in pictures 6 September 2020 Novak Djokovic and a tournament official tends to a linesperson who was struck with a ball by Djokovic during his match against Pablo Carreno Busta at the US Open USA Today Sports/Reuters World news in pictures 5 September 2020 Protesters confront police at the Shrine of Remembrance in Melbourne, Australia, during an anti-lockdown rally AFP via Getty World news in pictures 4 September 2020 A woman looks on from a rooftop as rescue workers dig through the rubble of a damaged building in Beirut. A search began for possible survivors after a scanner detected a pulse one month after the mega-blast at the adjacent port AFP via Getty World news in pictures 3 September 2020 A full moon next to the Virgen del Panecillo statue in Quito, Ecuador EPA World news in pictures 2 September 2020 A Palestinian woman reacts as Israeli forces demolish her animal shed near Hebron in the Israeli-occupied West Bank Reuters World news in pictures 1 September 2020 Students protest against presidential elections results in Minsk TUT.BY/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 31 August 2020 The pack rides during the 3rd stage of the Tour de France between Nice and Sisteron AFP via Getty World news in pictures 30 August 2020 Law enforcement officers block a street during a rally of opposition supporters protesting against presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus Reuters World news in pictures 29 August 2020 A woman holding a placard reading "Stop Censorship - Yes to the Freedom of Expression" shouts in a megaphone during a protest against the mandatory wearing of face masks in Paris. Masks, which were already compulsory on public transport, in enclosed public spaces, and outdoors in Paris in certain high-congestion areas around tourist sites, were made mandatory outdoors citywide on August 28 to fight the rising coronavirus infections AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 August 2020 Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe bows to the national flag at the start of a press conference at the prime minister official residence in Tokyo. Abe announced he will resign over health problems, in a bombshell development that kicks off a leadership contest in the world's third-largest economy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 27 August 2020 Residents take cover behind a tree trunk from rubber bullets fired by South African Police Service (SAPS) in Eldorado Park, near Johannesburg, during a protest by community members after a 16-year old boy was reported dead AFP via Getty World news in pictures 26 August 2020 People scatter rose petals on a statue of Mother Teresa marking her 110th birth anniversary in Ahmedabad AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 August 2020 An aerial view shows beach-goers standing on salt formations in the Dead Sea near Ein Bokeq, Israel Reuters World news in pictures 24 August 2020 Health workers use a fingertip pulse oximeter and check the body temperature of a fisherwoman inside the Dharavi slum during a door-to-door Covid-19 coronavirus screening in Mumbai AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 August 2020 People carry an idol of the Hindu god Ganesh, the deity of prosperity, to immerse it off the coast of the Arabian sea during the Ganesh Chaturthi festival in Mumbai, India Reuters World news in pictures 22 August 2020 Firefighters watch as flames from the LNU Lightning Complex fires approach a home in Napa County, California AP World news in pictures 21 August 2020 Members of the Israeli security forces arrest a Palestinian demonstrator during a rally to protest against Israel's plan to annex parts of the occupied West Bank AFP via Getty World news in pictures 20 August 2020 A man pushes his bicycle through a deserted road after prohibitory orders were imposed by district officials for a week to contain the spread of the Covid-19 in Kathmandu AFP via Getty World news in pictures 19 August 2020 A car burns while parked at a residence in Vacaville, California. Dozens of fires are burning out of control throughout Northern California as fire resources are spread thin AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 August 2020 Students use their mobile phones as flashlights at an anti-government rally at Mahidol University in Nakhon Pathom. Thailand has seen near-daily protests in recent weeks by students demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha AFP via Getty World news in pictures 17 August 2020 Members of the Kayapo tribe block the BR163 highway during a protest outside Novo Progresso in Para state, Brazil. Indigenous protesters blocked a major transamazonian highway to protest against the lack of governmental support during the COVID-19 novel coronavirus pandemic and illegal deforestation in and around their territories AFP via Getty World news in pictures 16 August 2020 Lightning forks over the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge as a storm passes over Oakland AP World news in pictures 15 August 2020 Belarus opposition supporters gather near the Pushkinskaya metro station where Alexander Taraikovsky, a 34-year-old protester died on August 10, during their protest rally in central Minsk AFP via Getty World news in pictures 14 August 2020 AlphaTauri's driver Daniil Kvyat takes part in the second practice session at the Circuit de Catalunya in Montmelo near Barcelona ahead of the Spanish F1 Grand Prix AFP via Getty World news in pictures 13 August 2020 Soldiers of the Brazilian Armed Forces during a disinfection of the Christ The Redeemer statue at the Corcovado mountain prior to the opening of the touristic attraction in Rio AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 August 2020 Young elephant bulls tussle playfully on World Elephant Day at the Amboseli National Park in Kenya AFP via Getty
Speculation had mounted recently that Gates would plead guilty and cooperate in Mr Muellers probe, making him a key witness who could testify in the criminal case against Mr Manafort.
Dean said in a subsequent tweet that people have expressed concern in this Manafort thread that Trump will pardon him.
He said: Many of the counts in both the VA and DC indictments have state law counterparts that can be charged in NY and VA, where Trump had no pardon power. Checkmate is coming for Paul Manafort.
Mr Manafort has pleaded not guilty to more than a dozen charges, that include money laundering and conspiracy.
Two weeks ago, Mr Mueller indicted 13 Russians on charges relating to a carefully planned scheme to incite political discord in the US in the months before the election.
Chinese censors have already begun to crack down on criticism and social media jibes against President Xi Jinping, following Chinas proposal to keep him in office indefinitely.
As well as publishing articles praising the ruling party, they quickly blocked some satirical commentary on President Xis tenure in office which compared him to an Emperor and to North Koreas ruling dynasty.
The era of Emperor Xi, tweeted Joshua Wong, one of the leaders of Hong Kongs pro-democracy movement.
On Sunday, the ruling Communist Party proposed to remove a constitutional clause limiting presidential service to two consecutive terms.
The Central Committee also proposed inserting his official ideological framework the Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era into the constitution.
In response, many social media users shared images of Winnie the Pooh hugging a jar of honey, a meme playing on Mr Xis supposed likeness to the rotund cartoon bear, with the quote: Find the thing you love and stick with it.
Others wrote: Attention, the vehicle is reversing the automated announcement heard on Chinese delivery vehicles to imply that the country is returning to the era of former dictator Mao Zedong, or even imperial rule.
Another widely circulated comment played on the intense pressure young Chinese people often face from their parents to marry and produce grandchildren.
My mother told me that I have to get married during Xi Dadas presidential term, it said, using a moniker for Mr Xi typically translated as Big Uncle Xi.
Now I can finally breathe a long sigh of relief.
Theresa May meets with Chinese president Xi Jinping
Mr Xi, who has already been elevated to the position of Chinas most powerful leader since Mao, appears to want additional terms to see through his agenda of fighting corruption, eliminating poverty and transforming China into a modern leading nation.
But analysts said the Chinese leadership may have got more than they bargained for with Mr Jinping.
Under the previous leadership in China, there was a general feeling given the real challenges China was facing it needed some kind of strong leader to make the decisions and drive China forward, Rob Wye, associate fellow of the Asia programme at Chatham House, told The Independent.
But I think they got more than they bargained for. He has single-mindedly gone about the difficult processes of establishing himself as a pre-eminent leader in China, of which there hasnt been one since the days of perhaps Deng Xaioping.
Mr Wye said Mr Jinpings corruption drive, which he said went after individuals at a more senior level than people expected, had clear political overtones, establishing Xi Jinpings standing among the party.
This has been part of his way of establishing his power throughout China, he added.
World news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 World news in pictures World news in pictures 30 September 2020 Pope Francis prays with priests at the end of a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 29 September 2020 A girl's silhouette is seen from behind a fabric in a tent along a beach by Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 September 2020 A Chinese woman takes a photo of herself in front of a flower display dedicated to frontline health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic in Beijing, China. China will celebrate national day marking the founding of the People's Republic of China on October 1st Getty World news in pictures 27 September 2020 The Glass Mountain Inn burns as the Glass Fire moves through the area in St. Helena, California. The fast moving Glass fire has burned over 1,000 acres and has destroyed homes Getty World news in pictures 26 September 2020 A villager along with a child offers prayers next to a carcass of a wild elephant that officials say was electrocuted in Rani Reserve Forest on the outskirts of Guwahati, India AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 September 2020 The casket of late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is seen in Statuary Hall in the US Capitol to lie in state in Washington, DC AFP via Getty World news in pictures 24 September 2020 An anti-government protester holds up an image of a pro-democracy commemorative plaque at a rally outside Thailand's parliament in Bangkok, as activists gathered to demand a new constitution AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 September 2020 A whale stranded on a beach in Macquarie Harbour on the rugged west coast of Tasmania, as hundreds of pilot whales have died in a mass stranding in southern Australia despite efforts to save them, with rescuers racing to free a few dozen survivors The Mercury/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 22 September 2020 State civil employee candidates wearing face masks and shields take a test in Surabaya AFP via Getty World news in pictures 21 September 2020 A man sweeps at the Taj Mahal monument on the day of its reopening after being closed for more than six months due to the coronavirus pandemic AP World news in pictures 20 September 2020 A deer looks for food in a burnt area, caused by the Bobcat fire, in Pearblossom, California EPA World news in pictures 19 September 2020 Anti-government protesters hold their mobile phones aloft as they take part in a pro-democracy rally in Bangkok. Tens of thousands of pro-democracy protesters massed close to Thailand's royal palace, in a huge rally calling for PM Prayut Chan-O-Cha to step down and demanding reforms to the monarchy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 September 2020 Supporters of Iraqi Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr maintain social distancing as they attend Friday prayers after the coronavirus disease restrictions were eased, in Kufa mosque, near Najaf, Iraq Reuters World news in pictures 17 September 2020 A protester climbs on The Triumph of the Republic at 'the Place de la Nation' as thousands of protesters take part in a demonstration during a national day strike called by labor unions asking for better salary and against jobs cut in Paris, France EPA World news in pictures 16 September 2020 A fire raging near the Lazzaretto of Ancona in Italy. The huge blaze broke out overnight at the port of Ancona. Firefighters have brought the fire under control but they expected to keep working through the day EPA World news in pictures 15 September 2020 Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny posing for a selfie with his family at Berlin's Charite hospital. In an Instagram post he said he could now breathe independently following his suspected poisoning last month Alexei Navalny/Instagram/AFP World news in pictures 14 September 2020 Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, former Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba and former Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida celebrate after Suga was elected as new head of the ruling party at the Liberal Democratic Party's leadership election in Tokyo Reuters World news in pictures 13 September 2020 A man stands behind a burning barricade during the fifth straight day of protests against police brutality in Bogota AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 September 2020 Police officers block and detain protesters during an opposition rally to protest the official presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus. Daily protests calling for the authoritarian president's resignation are now in their second month AP World news in pictures 11 September 2020 Members of 'Omnium Cultural' celebrate the 20th 'Festa per la llibertat' ('Fiesta for the freedom') to mark the Day of Catalonia in Barcelona. Omnion Cultural fights for the independence of Catalonia EPA World news in pictures 10 September 2020 The Moria refugee camp, two days after Greece's biggest migrant camp, was destroyed by fire. Thousands of asylum seekers on the island of Lesbos are now homeless AFP via Getty World news in pictures 9 September 2020 Pope Francis takes off his face mask as he arrives by car to hold a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 8 September 2020 A home is engulfed in flames during the "Creek Fire" in the Tollhouse area of California AFP via Getty World news in pictures 7 September 2020 A couple take photos along a sea wall of the waves brought by Typhoon Haishen in the eastern port city of Sokcho AFP via Getty World news in pictures 6 September 2020 Novak Djokovic and a tournament official tends to a linesperson who was struck with a ball by Djokovic during his match against Pablo Carreno Busta at the US Open USA Today Sports/Reuters World news in pictures 5 September 2020 Protesters confront police at the Shrine of Remembrance in Melbourne, Australia, during an anti-lockdown rally AFP via Getty World news in pictures 4 September 2020 A woman looks on from a rooftop as rescue workers dig through the rubble of a damaged building in Beirut. A search began for possible survivors after a scanner detected a pulse one month after the mega-blast at the adjacent port AFP via Getty World news in pictures 3 September 2020 A full moon next to the Virgen del Panecillo statue in Quito, Ecuador EPA World news in pictures 2 September 2020 A Palestinian woman reacts as Israeli forces demolish her animal shed near Hebron in the Israeli-occupied West Bank Reuters World news in pictures 1 September 2020 Students protest against presidential elections results in Minsk TUT.BY/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 31 August 2020 The pack rides during the 3rd stage of the Tour de France between Nice and Sisteron AFP via Getty World news in pictures 30 August 2020 Law enforcement officers block a street during a rally of opposition supporters protesting against presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus Reuters World news in pictures 29 August 2020 A woman holding a placard reading "Stop Censorship - Yes to the Freedom of Expression" shouts in a megaphone during a protest against the mandatory wearing of face masks in Paris. Masks, which were already compulsory on public transport, in enclosed public spaces, and outdoors in Paris in certain high-congestion areas around tourist sites, were made mandatory outdoors citywide on August 28 to fight the rising coronavirus infections AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 August 2020 Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe bows to the national flag at the start of a press conference at the prime minister official residence in Tokyo. Abe announced he will resign over health problems, in a bombshell development that kicks off a leadership contest in the world's third-largest economy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 27 August 2020 Residents take cover behind a tree trunk from rubber bullets fired by South African Police Service (SAPS) in Eldorado Park, near Johannesburg, during a protest by community members after a 16-year old boy was reported dead AFP via Getty World news in pictures 26 August 2020 People scatter rose petals on a statue of Mother Teresa marking her 110th birth anniversary in Ahmedabad AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 August 2020 An aerial view shows beach-goers standing on salt formations in the Dead Sea near Ein Bokeq, Israel Reuters World news in pictures 24 August 2020 Health workers use a fingertip pulse oximeter and check the body temperature of a fisherwoman inside the Dharavi slum during a door-to-door Covid-19 coronavirus screening in Mumbai AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 August 2020 People carry an idol of the Hindu god Ganesh, the deity of prosperity, to immerse it off the coast of the Arabian sea during the Ganesh Chaturthi festival in Mumbai, India Reuters World news in pictures 22 August 2020 Firefighters watch as flames from the LNU Lightning Complex fires approach a home in Napa County, California AP World news in pictures 21 August 2020 Members of the Israeli security forces arrest a Palestinian demonstrator during a rally to protest against Israel's plan to annex parts of the occupied West Bank AFP via Getty World news in pictures 20 August 2020 A man pushes his bicycle through a deserted road after prohibitory orders were imposed by district officials for a week to contain the spread of the Covid-19 in Kathmandu AFP via Getty World news in pictures 19 August 2020 A car burns while parked at a residence in Vacaville, California. Dozens of fires are burning out of control throughout Northern California as fire resources are spread thin AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 August 2020 Students use their mobile phones as flashlights at an anti-government rally at Mahidol University in Nakhon Pathom. Thailand has seen near-daily protests in recent weeks by students demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha AFP via Getty World news in pictures 17 August 2020 Members of the Kayapo tribe block the BR163 highway during a protest outside Novo Progresso in Para state, Brazil. Indigenous protesters blocked a major transamazonian highway to protest against the lack of governmental support during the COVID-19 novel coronavirus pandemic and illegal deforestation in and around their territories AFP via Getty World news in pictures 16 August 2020 Lightning forks over the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge as a storm passes over Oakland AP World news in pictures 15 August 2020 Belarus opposition supporters gather near the Pushkinskaya metro station where Alexander Taraikovsky, a 34-year-old protester died on August 10, during their protest rally in central Minsk AFP via Getty World news in pictures 14 August 2020 AlphaTauri's driver Daniil Kvyat takes part in the second practice session at the Circuit de Catalunya in Montmelo near Barcelona ahead of the Spanish F1 Grand Prix AFP via Getty World news in pictures 13 August 2020 Soldiers of the Brazilian Armed Forces during a disinfection of the Christ The Redeemer statue at the Corcovado mountain prior to the opening of the touristic attraction in Rio AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 August 2020 Young elephant bulls tussle playfully on World Elephant Day at the Amboseli National Park in Kenya AFP via Getty
Argh, were going to become North Korea, one user wrote on Weibo, Chinas version of Twitter.
In North Korea, the Kim dynasty has ruled since 1948, after Kim Il-sung founded the reclusive state.
Were following the example of our neighbour, wrote another user.
However, Mr Wye cautioned that the premier could face currently unseen challenges from his opponents in the future.
In the process of consolidating your power in any political system, you can never have enough of it. There is always more to do.
There are always opponents, but such controversies are well hidden and youre not going to get anyone speaking out against Xi Jinping at the moment.
An investigative journalist and his girlfriend have been shot dead in Slovakia in a crime the countrys top police officer said may be linked to his work on suspected tax fraud.
Jan Kuciak, 27, and his partner were killed at their home 40 miles east of Bratislava, police president Tibor Gaspar said.
His last story published in early February focused on suspected tax evasion connected to a luxury apartment complex, with links to the Slovak government.
Recommended Three men charged with murder of journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia
Mr Gaspar said the killings likely have something to do with his investigative activities.
Police were alerted to their deaths after a worried family member raised the alarm.
Mr Kuciak was shot in the chest while his partner, who was not named, was shot in the head.
Andrej Kiska, the Slovak President, called for a quick investigation while Robert Fico, the Slovak Prime Minister, said if the killing was indeed linked to his journalism, it would be an unprecedented attack on freedom of the press and democracy in Slovakia.
In his last post on 9 February, Mr Kuciak reported on transactions by firms linked to businessman Marian Kocner and connected to the Bratislava apartment complex.
Mr Kocner could not be reached for comment when contacted by Reuters on Monday.
World news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 World news in pictures World news in pictures 30 September 2020 Pope Francis prays with priests at the end of a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 29 September 2020 A girl's silhouette is seen from behind a fabric in a tent along a beach by Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 September 2020 A Chinese woman takes a photo of herself in front of a flower display dedicated to frontline health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic in Beijing, China. China will celebrate national day marking the founding of the People's Republic of China on October 1st Getty World news in pictures 27 September 2020 The Glass Mountain Inn burns as the Glass Fire moves through the area in St. Helena, California. The fast moving Glass fire has burned over 1,000 acres and has destroyed homes Getty World news in pictures 26 September 2020 A villager along with a child offers prayers next to a carcass of a wild elephant that officials say was electrocuted in Rani Reserve Forest on the outskirts of Guwahati, India AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 September 2020 The casket of late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is seen in Statuary Hall in the US Capitol to lie in state in Washington, DC AFP via Getty World news in pictures 24 September 2020 An anti-government protester holds up an image of a pro-democracy commemorative plaque at a rally outside Thailand's parliament in Bangkok, as activists gathered to demand a new constitution AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 September 2020 A whale stranded on a beach in Macquarie Harbour on the rugged west coast of Tasmania, as hundreds of pilot whales have died in a mass stranding in southern Australia despite efforts to save them, with rescuers racing to free a few dozen survivors The Mercury/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 22 September 2020 State civil employee candidates wearing face masks and shields take a test in Surabaya AFP via Getty World news in pictures 21 September 2020 A man sweeps at the Taj Mahal monument on the day of its reopening after being closed for more than six months due to the coronavirus pandemic AP World news in pictures 20 September 2020 A deer looks for food in a burnt area, caused by the Bobcat fire, in Pearblossom, California EPA World news in pictures 19 September 2020 Anti-government protesters hold their mobile phones aloft as they take part in a pro-democracy rally in Bangkok. Tens of thousands of pro-democracy protesters massed close to Thailand's royal palace, in a huge rally calling for PM Prayut Chan-O-Cha to step down and demanding reforms to the monarchy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 September 2020 Supporters of Iraqi Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr maintain social distancing as they attend Friday prayers after the coronavirus disease restrictions were eased, in Kufa mosque, near Najaf, Iraq Reuters World news in pictures 17 September 2020 A protester climbs on The Triumph of the Republic at 'the Place de la Nation' as thousands of protesters take part in a demonstration during a national day strike called by labor unions asking for better salary and against jobs cut in Paris, France EPA World news in pictures 16 September 2020 A fire raging near the Lazzaretto of Ancona in Italy. The huge blaze broke out overnight at the port of Ancona. Firefighters have brought the fire under control but they expected to keep working through the day EPA World news in pictures 15 September 2020 Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny posing for a selfie with his family at Berlin's Charite hospital. In an Instagram post he said he could now breathe independently following his suspected poisoning last month Alexei Navalny/Instagram/AFP World news in pictures 14 September 2020 Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, former Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba and former Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida celebrate after Suga was elected as new head of the ruling party at the Liberal Democratic Party's leadership election in Tokyo Reuters World news in pictures 13 September 2020 A man stands behind a burning barricade during the fifth straight day of protests against police brutality in Bogota AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 September 2020 Police officers block and detain protesters during an opposition rally to protest the official presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus. Daily protests calling for the authoritarian president's resignation are now in their second month AP World news in pictures 11 September 2020 Members of 'Omnium Cultural' celebrate the 20th 'Festa per la llibertat' ('Fiesta for the freedom') to mark the Day of Catalonia in Barcelona. Omnion Cultural fights for the independence of Catalonia EPA World news in pictures 10 September 2020 The Moria refugee camp, two days after Greece's biggest migrant camp, was destroyed by fire. Thousands of asylum seekers on the island of Lesbos are now homeless AFP via Getty World news in pictures 9 September 2020 Pope Francis takes off his face mask as he arrives by car to hold a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 8 September 2020 A home is engulfed in flames during the "Creek Fire" in the Tollhouse area of California AFP via Getty World news in pictures 7 September 2020 A couple take photos along a sea wall of the waves brought by Typhoon Haishen in the eastern port city of Sokcho AFP via Getty World news in pictures 6 September 2020 Novak Djokovic and a tournament official tends to a linesperson who was struck with a ball by Djokovic during his match against Pablo Carreno Busta at the US Open USA Today Sports/Reuters World news in pictures 5 September 2020 Protesters confront police at the Shrine of Remembrance in Melbourne, Australia, during an anti-lockdown rally AFP via Getty World news in pictures 4 September 2020 A woman looks on from a rooftop as rescue workers dig through the rubble of a damaged building in Beirut. A search began for possible survivors after a scanner detected a pulse one month after the mega-blast at the adjacent port AFP via Getty World news in pictures 3 September 2020 A full moon next to the Virgen del Panecillo statue in Quito, Ecuador EPA World news in pictures 2 September 2020 A Palestinian woman reacts as Israeli forces demolish her animal shed near Hebron in the Israeli-occupied West Bank Reuters World news in pictures 1 September 2020 Students protest against presidential elections results in Minsk TUT.BY/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 31 August 2020 The pack rides during the 3rd stage of the Tour de France between Nice and Sisteron AFP via Getty World news in pictures 30 August 2020 Law enforcement officers block a street during a rally of opposition supporters protesting against presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus Reuters World news in pictures 29 August 2020 A woman holding a placard reading "Stop Censorship - Yes to the Freedom of Expression" shouts in a megaphone during a protest against the mandatory wearing of face masks in Paris. Masks, which were already compulsory on public transport, in enclosed public spaces, and outdoors in Paris in certain high-congestion areas around tourist sites, were made mandatory outdoors citywide on August 28 to fight the rising coronavirus infections AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 August 2020 Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe bows to the national flag at the start of a press conference at the prime minister official residence in Tokyo. Abe announced he will resign over health problems, in a bombshell development that kicks off a leadership contest in the world's third-largest economy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 27 August 2020 Residents take cover behind a tree trunk from rubber bullets fired by South African Police Service (SAPS) in Eldorado Park, near Johannesburg, during a protest by community members after a 16-year old boy was reported dead AFP via Getty World news in pictures 26 August 2020 People scatter rose petals on a statue of Mother Teresa marking her 110th birth anniversary in Ahmedabad AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 August 2020 An aerial view shows beach-goers standing on salt formations in the Dead Sea near Ein Bokeq, Israel Reuters World news in pictures 24 August 2020 Health workers use a fingertip pulse oximeter and check the body temperature of a fisherwoman inside the Dharavi slum during a door-to-door Covid-19 coronavirus screening in Mumbai AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 August 2020 People carry an idol of the Hindu god Ganesh, the deity of prosperity, to immerse it off the coast of the Arabian sea during the Ganesh Chaturthi festival in Mumbai, India Reuters World news in pictures 22 August 2020 Firefighters watch as flames from the LNU Lightning Complex fires approach a home in Napa County, California AP World news in pictures 21 August 2020 Members of the Israeli security forces arrest a Palestinian demonstrator during a rally to protest against Israel's plan to annex parts of the occupied West Bank AFP via Getty World news in pictures 20 August 2020 A man pushes his bicycle through a deserted road after prohibitory orders were imposed by district officials for a week to contain the spread of the Covid-19 in Kathmandu AFP via Getty World news in pictures 19 August 2020 A car burns while parked at a residence in Vacaville, California. Dozens of fires are burning out of control throughout Northern California as fire resources are spread thin AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 August 2020 Students use their mobile phones as flashlights at an anti-government rally at Mahidol University in Nakhon Pathom. Thailand has seen near-daily protests in recent weeks by students demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha AFP via Getty World news in pictures 17 August 2020 Members of the Kayapo tribe block the BR163 highway during a protest outside Novo Progresso in Para state, Brazil. Indigenous protesters blocked a major transamazonian highway to protest against the lack of governmental support during the COVID-19 novel coronavirus pandemic and illegal deforestation in and around their territories AFP via Getty World news in pictures 16 August 2020 Lightning forks over the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge as a storm passes over Oakland AP World news in pictures 15 August 2020 Belarus opposition supporters gather near the Pushkinskaya metro station where Alexander Taraikovsky, a 34-year-old protester died on August 10, during their protest rally in central Minsk AFP via Getty World news in pictures 14 August 2020 AlphaTauri's driver Daniil Kvyat takes part in the second practice session at the Circuit de Catalunya in Montmelo near Barcelona ahead of the Spanish F1 Grand Prix AFP via Getty World news in pictures 13 August 2020 Soldiers of the Brazilian Armed Forces during a disinfection of the Christ The Redeemer statue at the Corcovado mountain prior to the opening of the touristic attraction in Rio AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 August 2020 Young elephant bulls tussle playfully on World Elephant Day at the Amboseli National Park in Kenya AFP via Getty
Mr Gaspar said the investigation would look at all people who were in touch with the journalist.
He said police will provide protection for an unspecified number of other reporters from the news website Aktuality.sk.
We are shocked and stunned by the news that Jan Kuciak and his partner were apparently victims of a cruel attack, publisher Ringier Axel Springer Slovakia, to which Aktuality.sk belongs, said in a statement.
We mourn with the family, the friends and the colleagues; we will do everything to support the investigating authorities to bring the perpetrator to justice.
The case around the apartment complex prompted protests last year to demand the resignation of interior minister Robert Kalinak over his business dealings with a property developer who has been investigated over possible tax fraud. Both men have denied any wrongdoing.
Slovakias economy has boomed since it joined the European Union in 2004, but many Slovaks say their country still fails to defend the rule of law.
Additional reporting by agencies
Rome has been covered in a blanket of snow as an Arctic blast ushers in freezing conditions across much of Europe.
Soldiers were deployed across the Italian capital after moderate snowfall sparked school closures and public transport chaos.
Romes Mediterranean climate and proximity to the sea usually results in mild winters, with restaurants often keeping outdoor seating open even through the coldest months of the year.
But the freak weather caused the city's mayor, Virginia Raggi, to close public schools on Sunday as a precaution, with many private ones following suit.
In Moscow, temperatures dipped to this winters lowest yet, reaching nearly -20C on Sunday night.
Roman Vilfand, head of the Russian Meteorological Office, told the Interfax news agency that Muscovites should brace themselves for frosty weather in early March and could only count on the warmth of the soul.
Croatia has also been gripped by freezing conditions, with towns along most of the Adriatic coast waking up to temperatures below freezing. The cold spell has closed schools in the north-west, and heavy vehicles were banned from all roads leading to the coast.
About 1,000 Croatian soldiers have joined efforts to clear the snow in the worst-affected areas where more than 5ft has been reported.
Arctic blast hits UK in pictures Show all 51 1 /51 Arctic blast hits UK in pictures Arctic blast hits UK in pictures Members of the Serpentine Swimming Club brave the icy depths of the Serpentine in Hyde Park Rob Pinney/LNP Arctic blast hits UK in pictures A person crosses the snowy street in Edinburgh's Royal Mile PA Arctic blast hits UK in pictures St Michael's Mount, near Marazion, Cornwall, lies covered in snow PA Wire/PA Images Arctic blast hits UK in pictures Edinburgh's Princes Street in the snow Getty Images Arctic blast hits UK in pictures Houses covered in snow Penzance, Cornwall PA Wire/PA Images Arctic blast hits UK in pictures Canal boats are frozen into Birmingham's canal system PA Arctic blast hits UK in pictures The M62 near Huddersfield was closed for hours on Thursday. A Highways England vehicle set alight PA Arctic blast hits UK in pictures The M80 near Glasgow was stationary for hours on Wednesday night PA Arctic blast hits UK in pictures A family make their way in the snow in Balloch, Scotland Getty Arctic blast hits UK in pictures Closed barriers at Paddington in West London as trains were cancelled from the station AFP/Getty Arctic blast hits UK in pictures Workers clear a platform at Paddington station in west London AFP/Getty Arctic blast hits UK in pictures A council worker breaks the ice on the fountain in Trafalgar Square in London Reuters Arctic blast hits UK in pictures A 4x4 makes its way along the road in Alexandria, Scotland Getty Arctic blast hits UK in pictures Two boys play in the snow on a housing estate in Alexandria, Scotland Getty Arctic blast hits UK in pictures The M876 to Glasgow is closed due to snow as storm Emma, rolling in from the Atlantic, looks poised to meet the Beast from the Easts chilly Russia air PA Arctic blast hits UK in pictures Icicles form on the seafront railings at Penzance in Cornwall PA Arctic blast hits UK in pictures The British Waterways building in Nottingham PA Arctic blast hits UK in pictures Snow lingers on rooftops of houses in Newlyn near Penzance, ahead of the arrival of Storm Emma Getty Arctic blast hits UK in pictures A commuter in a hi-viz jacket cycles through the snow Getty Images Arctic blast hits UK in pictures A taxi crosses London Bridge AFP/Getty Arctic blast hits UK in pictures A pedestrian walks along Whitehall in London. EPA Arctic blast hits UK in pictures A woman feeds the birds in Kensington Gardens AP Arctic blast hits UK in pictures Snow ploughs clear drifts on the sea front road in Whitley Bay, North Tyneside. PA Arctic blast hits UK in pictures Vehicles slow in the snowy conditions. AP Arctic blast hits UK in pictures Icicles hang from a frozen elephant fountain in Colchester. Getty Images Arctic blast hits UK in pictures A young man takes a running jump down a snow covered hill with his sledge. Getty Arctic blast hits UK in pictures People help push a car that got stuck in the snow in Rochester. Getty Arctic blast hits UK in pictures Stationary traffic on the M20 near Ashford. PA Arctic blast hits UK in pictures A Eurostar train passes through Ashford. PA Arctic blast hits UK in pictures People use their sleds in the snow in Jackson's Fields in Rochester. Getty Arctic blast hits UK in pictures Parents walk their children to school in Ashford, Kent, as heavy snowfall is affecting roads across the UK. PA Arctic blast hits UK in pictures Cars travel through Great Chart in Ashford, Kent. PA Arctic blast hits UK in pictures Vehicles crawl along a road as snow falls in south east England, as seen through the window of a train travelling from London to Canterbury. AP Arctic blast hits UK in pictures People walk in the snow in the village of Brenchley in southeast England. AFP/Getty Arctic blast hits UK in pictures A swimmer braves the snowy conditions at King Edwards bay near Tynemouth. PA Arctic blast hits UK in pictures A woman scrapes ice from her car. Getty Images Arctic blast hits UK in pictures People sled in the snow in Rochester. Getty Arctic blast hits UK in pictures Children play on sledges outside Rochester Castle. Getty Arctic blast hits UK in pictures Toby Stanton walks to school in Ashford during heavy snowfall. PA Arctic blast hits UK in pictures Snow stands by parked trains at Ashford International in southeast England. AP Arctic blast hits UK in pictures A snowy Tynemouth beach, following heavy overnight snowfall. PA Arctic blast hits UK in pictures Roads across the UK have seen a blanketing of snow, with police forces reporting treacherous driving conditions and blocked routes. PA Arctic blast hits UK in pictures Commuters face a miserable journey to work as the snow falls in freezing temperatures in Pimlico. Rex Features Arctic blast hits UK in pictures People photograph a frozen waterfall near Pen y Fan mountain on Brecon Beacon National Park, Wales. PA Arctic blast hits UK in pictures A woman laden with shopping struggles through the snow in south London. EPA/FACUNDO ARRIZABALAGA Arctic blast hits UK in pictures Commuters walking in the snow on London Bridge. PA Arctic blast hits UK in pictures A woman carrying an umbrella walks past a homeless person sleeping in a doorway during a snow shower in London. Getty Arctic blast hits UK in pictures People make their way through a snow flurry in London. Reuters Arctic blast hits UK in pictures Trucks are stuck after heavy snow on the motorway in Briscous, near Bayonne, southwestern France AP Arctic blast hits UK in pictures A commuter pedals along Whitehall in central London EPA Arctic blast hits UK in pictures A man places snow chains on his tyres in Leek, Staffordshire Reuters
Towns along the Adriatic have also been hit by strong winds which hampered boats heading to the coastline's many islands. ]
Only the southern part of the coast recorded temperatures above freezing on Monday morning.
Air passengers across Europe also face disruption as flight schedules are affected by the Siberian weather.
Eurocontrol in Brussels is warning of delays at airports across Europe, with air traffic management predicting moderate to high delays at Heathrow from 1.30pm.
In the UK, forecasters have warned of a potential risk to life as the cold front, dubbed the "beast from the east, arrives.
The Met Office said there was a good chance rural communities will be cut off with heavy snow showers likely in parts of the country.
Additional reporting by agencies
The Turkish army has deployed fresh troops to fight in its operation against Kurdish militias in northern Syria, ahead of what it said was a coming battle.
Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Bekir Bozdag told Turkish television that police special forces had been deployed as reinforcements in Afrin, where Turkey is waging the one-month-old Operation Olive Branch to clear Kurdish fighters from the border region in preparation for the new battle that is approaching.
Also on Monday, Turkish-backed Syrian rebels and the Turkish army seized territory on the Afrin border, which Mr Bozdag said created a crescent under Turkish control on the Syrian side of the border.
Explosions as Turkey confirms airstrikes on Afrin, Syria
The UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights confirmed that Turkish troops now hold a continuous strip of land on the edge of Afrin, opening a corridor that links territory in Aleppo province under the control of the Free Syrian Army, backed by Turkey, with the rebel stronghold of Idlib province.
The new forces will hold the 87 villages Turkey says it has seized from Kurdish YPG fighters, while other units continue the assault on urban areas, Mr Bozdag said.
The air and ground offensive is designed to drive back the Kurdish YPG, which Ankara sees as inextricably linked to the Kurdish PKK, which it views as a terrorist group.
Turkish attack on Afrin, northern Syria in pictures Show all 9 1 /9 Turkish attack on Afrin, northern Syria in pictures Turkish attack on Afrin, northern Syria in pictures Smoke billows following a Turkish airstrike on a village in the Afrin district, on 28 January, 2018. Turkey launched operation "Olive Branch" on January 20 against the Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) militia in Afrin, supporting Syrian opposition fighters with ground troops and air strikes AFP Turkish attack on Afrin, northern Syria in pictures Smoke billows from surrounding villages during the Turkish military operation against the Kurdish enclave on 28 January, 2018 AFP/Getty Turkish attack on Afrin, northern Syria in pictures Twenty-year old Kifah al-Moussa, a Syrian Arab woman living among the Kurds of Afrin province, was working on a chicken farm in the village of Maryameen when a Turkish aircraft bombed the building at midday on 21 January, wounding her in the chest. When she recovered consciousness, she found eight people from one family lying dead around her Yara Ismail Turkish attack on Afrin, northern Syria in pictures Mohamed Hussein, a 58-year-old Kurdish farmer, lies in the Afrin hospital, wounded in the head and eye after his home was bombed by Turkish aircraft on the second night of the attack Yara Ismail Turkish attack on Afrin, northern Syria in pictures Syrian Kurds sit on benches overlooking a street in Afrin, on 28 January, 2018. Above is a memorial to martyrs who died in the fight against Isis AFP/Getty Turkish attack on Afrin, northern Syria in pictures Smoke is seen rising on the Syrian side of the border, at Hassa, near Hatay, southern Turkey as Turkish jet fighters hit People's Protection Unit (YPG) positions, on 28 January, 2018 AFP/Getty Turkish attack on Afrin, northern Syria in pictures A Turkish made T-155 Firtina (Storm) howitzer is dispatched to the border at Hassa near Hatay, southern Turkey, on 28 January, 2018 AFP/Getty Turkish attack on Afrin, northern Syria in pictures A Turkish soldier waves a flag on Mount Barsaya, northeast of Afrin, on 28 January, 2018 Reuters Turkish attack on Afrin, northern Syria in pictures Turkey-backed Free Syrian Army fighters are seen in Barsaya mountain, northeast of Afrin, on 28 January, 2018 Reuters
Turkey has opened a new front in Syrias complex seven-year-old conflict.
Olive Branch is widely believed to have been sparked by Turkish anger at renewed US support for the YPG and Arab-Kurdish Syrian Democratic Forces, which its Nato ally has backed as the most effective ground force against Isis.
The offensive has not been very successful so far: most of the larger towns in the region, including Afrin itself, remain under YPG control.
Turkey said on Monday that Saturdays UN Security Council demand for a 30-day truce across Syria designed to stop the fighting in eastern Ghouta does not apply to its offensive in Afrin.
Over the weekend Turkey dealt Syrias Kurds a diplomatic blow, after influential former leader Salih Muslim was taken into custody in the Czech Republic following a Turkish request.
Turkey has requested that Salih Muslim, a Syrian national, be extradited to Turkey to face terror charges it made against him in 2016. He was in Prague for a conference.
A hearing is scheduled in the Czech capital on Tuesday.
One of the holiest sites in Christianity has been shut down indefinitely in protest at new Israeli laws seemingly likened by religious leaders to Nazi persecution.
Tourists and worshippers were locked out of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem "until further notice" from Sunday, over proposals to tax property and seize land sold to private buyers.
The Greek Orthodox patriarch joined forces with the Armenian patriarch and the Catholic custodian of the Holy Land to issue a statement attacking what they called "a systematic attack" and an attempt to weaken the Christian presence in occupied Jerusalem.
Theophilos III, Nourhan Manougian and Francesco Patton said in a statement: As a measure of protest, we decided to take this unprecedented step of closure of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.
This abhorrent bill... would make the expropriation of the lands of churches possible. This reminds us all of laws of a similar nature which were enacted against the Jews during dark periods in Europe.
Banners reading: Enough is Enough Stop the Persecution of Churches were also unfurled near the church, built on the traditional sites of Jesus's crucifixion and resurrection.
The protest led an Israeli cabinet committee to delay for a week its consideration of the bill to allow expropriation of land sold by churches to real estate firms and foreign companies.
Greek Orthodox Patriarch Theophilos III stands outside the closed doors of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre (AP Photo/Mahmoud Illean)
Rachel Azaria, the former deputy mayor of Jerusalem who sponsored the legislation, said the committee wanted to work with the churches to resolve the dispute.
Politicians said the bill will protect homeowners if private companies decide not to extend leases on the land but the churches say it will make it harder to generate the sales that cover their costs.
The other dispute centres on attempts by the City of Jerusalem to force the churches to pay a debt of 650 million shekels in relation to a municipal tax on commercial buildings.
Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat refused to back down on the issue and tweeted: We will no longer require Jerusalems residents to subsidize this huge debt.
"Let me make it clear: we are not talking about houses of worship, who will still be exempt from property tax, according to law," he added.
The Jordanian government said it was in "full solidarity" with the Christian churches in Jerusalem and accused the Israelis of violating "international and humanitarian laws".
At least one child has died and 18 more people have been treated in hospital in a Syrian rebel-held suburb of Damascus after suffering symptoms medics said were consistent with exposure to chlorine gas.
A statement from besieged Eastern Ghoutas interim health ministry said victims in the town of al-Shifoniyeh had been admitted with convulsions, difficulty breathing and irritation of the eyes and mouth following an air strike on Sunday night.
On Saturday a unanimous United Nations vote ordered an immediate 30-day ceasefire in the Syrian governments week-old assault on the besieged rebel area to allow medical evacuations and aid shipments. Both Russian-assisted government bombing and rebel mortar fire have continued, killing at least 34 people.
Scenes of devastation in Syria after deadly shelling and airstrikes and eastern Ghouta
On Monday the Syrian government's key ally, Russian President Vladimir Putin, also ordered daily "humanitarian pauses" in the fighting and the implementation of civilian evacuation corridors.
Ambulance drivers and victims reported the smell of chlorine on Sunday. The effects of the gas have been familiar to Eastern Ghouta residents since the 2013 chlorine and sarin attack which killed up to 1,700 people there widely agreed to be one of the worst chemical incidents in modern history.
A video of the aftermath of Sundays attack showed a little boy killed by what health workers said was inhalation of the deadly gas, his mouth open and body contorted by rigor mortis.
The UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said in a statement that reports indicated a child in Eastern Ghouta had died by suffocation, but could not confirm if the cause of death was poison gas.
A statement from the Russian defence ministry accused the rebel forces in the area among them factions linked to al Qaeda of orchestrating the attack themselves in order to be able to blame Damascus.
Eastern Ghouta bombings: Syrian war in pictures Show all 14 1 /14 Eastern Ghouta bombings: Syrian war in pictures Eastern Ghouta bombings: Syrian war in pictures A Syrian woman and children run for cover amid the rubble of buildings. AFP/Getty Eastern Ghouta bombings: Syrian war in pictures Smoke rises from buildings following the attack on the village of Mesraba in the rebel-held besieged Eastern Ghouta region on the outskirts of the capital Damascu. AFP/Getty Eastern Ghouta bombings: Syrian war in pictures Injured children receive medical treatment. EPA Eastern Ghouta bombings: Syrian war in pictures A Syrian man carries a child injured. AFP/Getty Eastern Ghouta bombings: Syrian war in pictures An injured child receives treatment following bombings on several areas of eastern Ghouta. EPA Eastern Ghouta bombings: Syrian war in pictures A child reacts inside a hospital after relatives were injured in the bombing. EPA Eastern Ghouta bombings: Syrian war in pictures Syrian children cry at a make-shift hospital in Douma following air strikes on the Syrian village of Mesraba. AFP/Getty Eastern Ghouta bombings: Syrian war in pictures Syrian Civil Defense group extinguishing a store during airstrikes and shelling by Syrian government forces. AP Eastern Ghouta bombings: Syrian war in pictures A wounded 12-year-old Syrian boy, cries as he receives treatment at a make-shift hospital. AFP/Getty Eastern Ghouta bombings: Syrian war in pictures Syrians carry a wounded man. AFP/Getty Eastern Ghouta bombings: Syrian war in pictures An injured man covered with blood at a medical point. Reuters Eastern Ghouta bombings: Syrian war in pictures People sit a medical point in the besieged town of Douma, Eastern Ghouta. Reuters Eastern Ghouta bombings: Syrian war in pictures Syrian Civil Defense running to help survivors. AP Eastern Ghouta bombings: Syrian war in pictures Injured children receive medical treatment. EPA
The Syrian army made no statement.
Syrias president, Bashar al Assad, has repeatedly denied claims his military has used poison gas on civilians throughout the war.
More than 500 people have been killed in the week-long offensive on Eastern Ghouta one of the worst episodes of violence in the seven-year conflict.
On Monday the UN Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres, called for all parties to respect the ceasefire agreement, arguing it is high time to stop this hell on Earth.
Several previous UN-brokered ceasefire attempts in Syria have quickly fallen apart over the course of Syrias complex civil war.
More than 500,000 people have been killed in the conflict, and half the pre-war population of 22 million displaced from their homes.
Syrian rebels and government forces are both preventing civilians fleeing the bombardment of Eastern Ghouta, according to a teacher who has been trying to get his family out.
In an exclusive interview with The Independent, Ghafour, 43, a teacher of Arabic, spoke of their abortive attempt to escape.
I live in Douma [in the north of Eastern Ghouta] and have three children who are all under 15, he says. I tried to send my family out, but the opposition militants prevent all families leaving. He adds that even the extensive networks of independent smugglers, who used to bring goods secretly into Eastern Ghouta and sometimes smuggle people out, would not help him because they work with the rebel movements in control of Eastern Ghouta.
I tried but in vain, he recalls, describing how one of the rebel local commanders, probably from the Army of Islam that controls this part of the besieged enclave, caught Ghafour and his family last Thursday when they were trying to move from Douma to another opposition held-district further west called Harasta. He shouted at me and said, You should stay here and support our fight against the regime, and you should not even send your wife and children away. If we send our families out, our morale will go down and we will lose.
Ghafour returned home with his family and says that they expect to be killed at any moment. Even so, he is sympathetic to the rebels who are stopping him and his family escaping. I am not fighting myself, but I go and see the fighters nearby and offer help in case it is needed, he says. He is fearful of government reprisals, saying that it is dangerous even to use the Syriatel mobile network because calls are recorded by the regime. A friend of mine was arrested last month because of some calls he made in Douma before moving from there to regime-held areas, he adds.
He says that it has now become impossible to cross from Harasta or Douma to government-held territory, as had previously been possible, because the regime will not let them go to its areas. As a result, he and his family remain in their house, terrified and confused about what will happen next after a week of continual shelling and bombing. I lost two friends of mine in Shafouniya yesterday in an air strike, he says.
Ghafour was speaking just as the UN Security Council passed its resolution demanding a 30-day ceasefire in Syria, which has led to some easing of the bombing and shelling that has already killed 500 people in Eastern Ghouta over the last week. This was also before allegations that Syrian government forces had been using chlorine gas.
What does emerge is that the armed opposition groups in Eastern Ghouta as well as the government have been stopping people leaving. This is confirmed by a UN-backed report called Reach, which says: Women of all ages, and children, reportedly continued to be forbidden by local armed groups from leaving the area for security reasons. This has been the pattern in all the many sieges in Syria conducted by all sides who do not want their own enclaves depopulated and wish to retain as much of the civilian population as possible as human shields.
But Ghafour is right in thinking that he and his family would have a great deal to be frightened of even if they did manage to make their way to government lines. Men of military age, in particular, are likely to be detained because they are suspected of being rebel fighters or because they are liable to be conscripted into the Syrian army. Detention might be immediate or happen later at any one of the thousands of government checkpoints. These often act like border crossings and ill-paid soldiers and police will look for a bribe, especially from those who come originally from rebel-held areas.
But there is another reason why people fleeing Eastern Ghouta might be in danger in government held-Damascus. Seven years of civil war has ensured that Syrians on different sides, many of whom will have lost relatives in the violence, regard each other with undiluted hatred. In Damascus, the shellfire and bombing are largely by the government into rebel areas, but there is also outgoing fire from Eastern Ghouta, mostly from mortars, into government-controlled districts.
Rania, 22, a fourth-year student of English literature at Damascus University, explained to The Independent what had happened in her area and what was the local reaction to it. She lives in the Dwela neighbourhood, which is a government-held area but located between two opposition-controlled zones, Ayn Tarma to the north and Mukhayyam Al Yarmouk to the south.
Eastern Ghouta bombings: Syrian war in pictures Show all 14 1 /14 Eastern Ghouta bombings: Syrian war in pictures Eastern Ghouta bombings: Syrian war in pictures A Syrian woman and children run for cover amid the rubble of buildings. AFP/Getty Eastern Ghouta bombings: Syrian war in pictures Smoke rises from buildings following the attack on the village of Mesraba in the rebel-held besieged Eastern Ghouta region on the outskirts of the capital Damascu. AFP/Getty Eastern Ghouta bombings: Syrian war in pictures Injured children receive medical treatment. EPA Eastern Ghouta bombings: Syrian war in pictures A Syrian man carries a child injured. AFP/Getty Eastern Ghouta bombings: Syrian war in pictures An injured child receives treatment following bombings on several areas of eastern Ghouta. EPA Eastern Ghouta bombings: Syrian war in pictures A child reacts inside a hospital after relatives were injured in the bombing. EPA Eastern Ghouta bombings: Syrian war in pictures Syrian children cry at a make-shift hospital in Douma following air strikes on the Syrian village of Mesraba. AFP/Getty Eastern Ghouta bombings: Syrian war in pictures Syrian Civil Defense group extinguishing a store during airstrikes and shelling by Syrian government forces. AP Eastern Ghouta bombings: Syrian war in pictures A wounded 12-year-old Syrian boy, cries as he receives treatment at a make-shift hospital. AFP/Getty Eastern Ghouta bombings: Syrian war in pictures Syrians carry a wounded man. AFP/Getty Eastern Ghouta bombings: Syrian war in pictures An injured man covered with blood at a medical point. Reuters Eastern Ghouta bombings: Syrian war in pictures People sit a medical point in the besieged town of Douma, Eastern Ghouta. Reuters Eastern Ghouta bombings: Syrian war in pictures Syrian Civil Defense running to help survivors. AP Eastern Ghouta bombings: Syrian war in pictures Injured children receive medical treatment. EPA
Our neighbourhood has been shelled once or twice a week by opposition militants since last year, but since last week the shelling has intensified and is happening every day, she says. She and her friends have been stranded in their houses for a week and cannot even go out to buy food. The army, and local young men willing to take the risk, have been supplying them.
People are being killed every day in our neighbourhood, Rania says. Yesterday, a shell hit the balcony of our neighbours house and killed his daughter who was a university student.
There are similar incidents every day. One house near to Ranias was hit by a rocket and a mother and her three-year-old child were killed.
As a result of this, Rania says that people in her district speak about what is happening in Ghouta in a very negative way. This means they are all in favour of the use of maximum force against it. She says that a shopkeeper in our locality lost his son in Ghouta. He was serving in the Syrian army and, while he and his unit were trying to break into Eastern Ghouta, he was killed along with several others soldiers. The shopkeeper and many who lost their sons say that even the children of Ghouta should be killed because if they grow up, they will be terrorists as well.
At least 15 women of Turkish nationality have been sentenced to death in Iraq for being members of Isis.
The women, aged between 20 - 50, were sentenced in a mass trial at a criminal court in Baghdad on Sunday. Some had young children with them.
One woman said she had taken part in battles against Iraqi coalition forces as they advanced on Isis Iraqi stronghold of Mosul last year. All 15 said they had married Isis fighters or provided the militant organisation with logistical aid or helping them carry out terrorist attacks," the judges statement said.
Woman celebrates after being rescued from Isis in Raqqa
The public defender argued that the women had been trafficked into jihadi territory or tricked by their husbands.
The judge found all 15 should be killed by hanging. The women have one month in which to appeal.
Under Iraq's anti-terror laws, anyone found guilty of joining Isis, including non-combatants, can be given the death penalty.
Syrian Democratic Forces take Raqqa from Isis in pictures Show all 8 1 /8 Syrian Democratic Forces take Raqqa from Isis in pictures Syrian Democratic Forces take Raqqa from Isis in pictures Syrian Democratic Forces fighters celebrate victory in Raqqa atop of military vehicles REUTERS Syrian Democratic Forces take Raqqa from Isis in pictures Fighters of Syrian Democratic Forces march past destroyed buildings as they celebrate victory REUTERS Syrian Democratic Forces take Raqqa from Isis in pictures Fighters of Syrian Democratic Forces gesture the "V" sign in Raqqa REUTERS Syrian Democratic Forces take Raqqa from Isis in pictures Fighters of Syrian Democratic Forces evacuate a civilian from the stadium REUTERS Syrian Democratic Forces take Raqqa from Isis in pictures A civilian prays after she was rescued by fighters of Syrian Democratic Forces from the stadium REUTERS Syrian Democratic Forces take Raqqa from Isis in pictures Syrian Democratic Forces fighters ride atop of military vehicles as they celebrate victory in Raqqa REUTERS Syrian Democratic Forces take Raqqa from Isis in pictures Syrian Democratic Forces fighters celebrate victory in Raqqa REUTERS Syrian Democratic Forces take Raqqa from Isis in pictures A fighter of Syrian Democratic Forces celebrates in Raqqa Reuters
Several rights groups have condemned Iraqs treatment of suspected militants, pointing to inhumane prison conditions and a judicial process which does adhere to international standards.
Thousands of people, including hundreds of foreigners, are awaiting trial in Iraq on charges of aiding or being members of Isis, including 560 women and 600 minors.
In June 2017, almost three years to the day since Isis crossed over the border from Syria to seize Iraqs second city Mosul in a surprise attack, US-backed Iraqi coalition forces declared the Iraqi half of Isis so-called caliphate destroyed.
The jihadists have however continued to carry out suicide bombings, ambushes and other attacks across the country.
Last week another Turkish national Isis widow was sentenced to death by hanging and 11 others were jailed for life for their part in acts of terrorism in the country.
Several Western governments, including the UK, have expressed a wish for nationals who travelled to the Middle East to fight on behalf of the group be tried in Iraq.
Alexanda Kotey and El Shafee Elsheikh, part of the infamous British Isis cell known as The Beatles responsible for the torture and murder of at least 29 hostages, were captured alive earlier this month.
Home Secretary Amber Rudd said last week the door is open for them to be returned for trial in the UK.
Passengers across Europe face chaos as flight schedules are shredded by Siberian weather.
Eurocontrol in Brussels is warning of delays at airports across Europe. The air traffic management organisation predicts moderate to high delays at Heathrow from 1.30pm.
British Airways has cancelled 68 short-haul flights, mainly to and from Heathrow, in a bid to protect its overall schedule. Passengers were told on Sunday evening and rebooked on alternative departures.
BA said: We are sorry that the weather this week is likely to lead to some delays and disruption to our schedules.
"It is likely at times we will have to proactively cancel some services and re-book customers on to alternative flights.
The airline aims to protect its long-haul schedule. Passengers on short-haul and domestic flights to or from Heathrow or Gatwick up to Friday 2 March are able to reschedule for travel up to 21 March.
British Airways added: Please keep checking the very latest information about your flight before travelling to the airport as the situation could change at short notice.
An overnight snowfall in Rome has severely affected flights to and from the citys Fiumicino and Ciampino airports. No flights operated at the latter airport, used by budget airlines, until 11am local time.
Ryanair cancelled almost 50 flights to and from the Italian capital, including two round trips to Stansted and one to Manchester.
Services on easyJet from Gatwick and Luton to Rome Fiumicino are operating with delays of one to two hours.
Alitalia, whose hub is at Fiumicino, has experienced many delays and cancellations. It is offering passengers booked up to 2 March to rebook on alternative flights.
Stockholms Arlanda airport is also badly affected by snow. Most UK services are being heavily delayed, but dozens of other European flights have been cancelled.
Lanzarotes airport is also affected by strong winds, with many flights cancelled or severely delayed. Ryanair flights to Belfast, East Midlands and Liverpool are expected to operate around 10 hours late.
Passengers whose flights are cancelled or heavily delayed by bad weather are not entitled to cash compensation, but the airline has a duty of care to provide meals and, if necessary, overnight accommodation to stranded travellers.
Dozens of flights have already been cancelled for Tuesday as airlines prepare for worsening winter weather.
British Airways has grounded more than 60 domestic and European flights to and from Heathrow, including three round trips to Edinburgh, Berlin and Milan.
Multiple flights to and from Aberdeen, Glasgow, Manchester, Dublin, Frankfurt and Geneva have also been cancelled.
The airline started notifying passengers at around 4pm, and switching them to other flights. It is seeking proactively to thin out its schedules in order to protect other services, particularly the long-haul network from Heathrow.
BA passengers on short-haul and domestic flights to or from Heathrow or Gatwick up to Friday 2 March are able to reschedule for travel up to 21 March.
A snowfall in Rome severely affected flights to and from the citys Fiumicino and Ciampino airports. No flights operated at the latter airport, used by budget airlines, until 11am local time on Monday.
Ryanair cancelled almost 50 flights to and from the Italian capital, including two round trips to Stansted and one to Manchester.
Weather disruption was also felt by airline passengers from Stockholm to Lanzarote. Heavy snow in the Swedish capital closed Arlanda airport for a time, while strong winds at Lanzarote led to diversions, cancellations and delays. One Thomas Cook flight to Manchester was delayed by 27 hours.
Rail passengers across southern and eastern England face widespread disruption, with many trains cancelled and speed restrictions affecting services that are running.
The worst affected area is north and east of London. Great Northern has already cancelled its express trains between Kings Cross and Cambridge on Tuesday, and has warned of an early close-down of services north of Royston.
Greater Anglia, which runs to Essex, Suffolk and Norfolk from London Liverpool Street, is planning only a limited service from 6am to 10pm on Tuesday. The lines from Norwich to Great Yarmouth, Lowestoft and Sheringham will be closed, along with links from Ipswich to Felixstowe and Lowestoft. No replacement buses will run.
A number of through trains from London Liverpool Street to destinations such as Harwich and Clacton will be cancelled. Airline passengers using Stansted airport will also be affected, as the Stansted Express will be starting later on Tuesday morning.
Some passengers have accused Greater Anglia of excessive caution. Neil Dick from Billericay asked in a tweet: Are you just overreacting like you did a couple of years ago and cancelling everything just in case?
The train operator responded: If the weather is not as extreme as forecast, Greater Anglia and Network Rail will work hard to reinstate services and reopen lines as soon as possible.
South Western Railway says disruption can be expected until at least Thursday 1 March on routes to and from London Waterloo. It is running special trains to treat tracks and prevent the build-up of ice on the third rail, which provides power to trains in the region.
The Brexit train rolls on this week with a major and welcome announcement by Jeremy Corbyn committing the Labour Party to the UKs permanent participation in the European Unions customs union.
There are the predictable cries of betrayal from the Daily Telegraph, the Daily Mail and Brexit-loving MPs. But so many voted Labour last year and Theresa May lost her majority because they wanted an Opposition who would resist in the strongest possible terms the seeming inevitable march towards a hard Brexit.
The polls are clear even Labour Leave voters back the UK continuing in the customs union. Incidentally, they back staying in the single market, too, which must be the next step the Labour leadership makes, as Yanis Varoufakis, the TUC and others have argued. And this is no betrayal: Labour MPs will tell you its what their constituency party members, supporters and voters especially the newer and younger ones expect.
Its not just Labour-voting Brexiteers, either. Former staffers on the Vote Leave campaign from across the political spectrum have written articles arguing we should do this. Even among those who want a hard Brexit, there is a clear consensus that we want to continue to sell into EU markets yet, if we want to do so, we will have to abide by their rules.
Theresa May will be mapping out her vision for our future relationship with the EU towards the end of this week. Her problem is that she is a hostage of the hard-right ERG (European Research Group) cohort of Tory MPs, led by Jacob Rees-Mogg better described as the Economic Ruin Group who will always put ideology before the national interest.
Conservative MPs tell me the reason May moved precipitously to rule out continued membership of the customs union without regard as to whether she had the numbers to get such a proposition through the House of Commons was because she was terrified this rump of Brextremists would submit the required number of letters to the chair of the Tory parliamentary party demanding a new leadership contest.
As ever, the entire national interest is being subordinated to the soap opera on Europe in her party.
Keir Starmer says it is crunch time for Theresa May on Brexit
At the March European Council, the details regarding the Brexit transition period are due to be finalised. It obviously makes sense to have a period during which businesses have time to plan for our exit from the EU. In this sense, it feels like a warm and cuddly place that prevents a hard landing and eases us gently out of the EU club. But dont believe a word of this comfort speak: transition is no safe harbour at all.
The proposed transition referred to most consistently as the implementation period by the PM is to an unknown destination and, importantly, will start after weve left the European Union. Once we leave, we have nothing like the leverage we have now and we dont know what the future relationship with the EU will look like because Cabinet cannot agree on it.
It is folly to be leaving the EU without knowing where we are going, and whether the Government really has the ability to deliver a Brexit deal giving us the exact same benefits that we enjoy now, as promised.
In the absence of a known destination and an agreement with the EU, all transition does is kick all the difficult decisions on our future relationship, trade, what to do about the border in Ireland and other matters into the long grass. There is, quite simply, no guarantee the Government will be able to sort out our future arrangements with the European Union in less than two years, during a stage that is due to expire at the end of 2020.
The reason the transition will expire in 2020 is because the divorce bill of 39bn or more covers the UK continuing to be regulated by EU agencies to the extent it wants or needs to do so and other ongoing costs. 2021 is the start of a new EU budgetary period not covered by that divorce bill, so if it is to be extended, we will have to pay even more.
However, EU Commission officials I have spoken to think it will take at least three to four years to negotiate a new free trade agreement with the EU after we have left, so the transition is highly likely to expire before we reach a full agreement on the future terms of trade. The cliff edge draws nearer.
One of the principal objections to the transition is that we will continue to be subject to the EU rules in order to be able to trade on the same terms during this time, but we will move from being a rule maker to a rule taker when we finally leave, because we will no longer be part of the EU and so unable to vote at EU Council. In other words, we will have no say or influence over a lot of things that may potentially affect our economy during transition.
So why did people support the idea of a transition period in the first place? Personally, I supported the notion of a transition on the basis that we would know what we were transitioning to before we left the EU, and I envisaged transition period taking place before we left.
But, because the Government has made such a complete mess of the negotiations and Theresa May chose to trigger Article 50 far too early, this is not the case.
UK news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 UK news in pictures UK news in pictures 9 September 2021 Troops from Wiltshire based 4 Armoured Close Support Battalion Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers during final inspection at Wellington Barracks in London, ahead of providing troops for the Queens Guard PA UK news in pictures 8 September 2021 Workers cross London Bridge during the morning rush hour in London Reuters UK news in pictures Mixing it up: Painting it up press view in London A gallery employee poses for photographers next to a painting entitled Prairie by British artist, Louise Giovanelli during the exhibition 'Mixing it up: Painting it up' at the Hayward Gallery in London EPA UK news in pictures 6 September 2021 Traders in the Ring at the London Metal Exchange, in the City of London, after open-outcry trading returned for the first time since March 2020, when the Ring was temporarily closed due to the pandemic PA UK news in pictures 5 September 2021 People enjoy the warm weather on Sandbanks beach, Poole PA UK news in pictures 4 September 2021 Demonstrators from Animal Rebellion and Nature Rebellion protest in Trafalgar Square in London. PA UK news in pictures 3 September 2021 South Africa's Ntando Mahlangu (centre) wins the Men's 200 metres T61 Final ahead of second placed Great Britain's Richard Whitehead at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games PA UK news in pictures 2 September 2021 A young common seal on the beach at Horsey Gap in Norfolk, as hundreds of pregnant grey seals come ashore ready for the start of the pupping season. PA UK news in pictures 1 September 2021 Goldfinches fighting over food in a garden in Strensham, Worcestershire PA UK news in pictures 31 August 2021 Gold Medallist Sarah Storey of Britain celebrates on the podium Reuters UK news in pictures 30 August 2021 Extinction Rebellion protesters hold a a tea party on Tower Bridge in London EPA UK news in pictures 29 August 2021 A police office tussles with a demonstrator on Cromwell Road outside the Natural History Museum during a protest by members of Extinction Rebellion in London PA UK news in pictures 28 August 2021 Members of the British armed forces 16 Air Assault Brigade walk to the air terminal after disembarking a Royal Airforce Voyager aircraft at Brize Norton, Oxfordshire POOL/AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 27 August 2021 Fabio Quartararo crashes during a MotoGP practice session at the British Grand Prix, Silverstone Circuit Action Images via Reuters UK news in pictures 26 August 2021 An Extinction Rebellion activist holds a placard in a fountain surrounded by police officers, during a protest next to Buckingham Palace in London Reuters UK news in pictures 25 August 2021 Gold Medallist Great Britains cyclist, Sarah Storey, celebrates after winning the Womens C5 3000m Individual Pursuit Final at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games. It was her 15th Paralympic gold Reuters UK news in pictures 24 August 2021 A demonstrator dressed as bee during a protest by members of Extinction Rebellion on Whitehall, in central London PA UK news in pictures 23 August 2021 Former interpreters for the British forces in Afghanistan demonstrate outside the Home Office in central London AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 22 August 2021 Police officers form a line in front of the entrance to the Guildhall, London, where protesters have climbed onto a ledge above the entrance during an Extinction Rebellion stage a protest PA UK news in pictures 21 August 2021 People take part in a demonstration in solidarity with people of Afghanistan, in London Reuters UK news in pictures 20 August 2021 People zip wire across the sea from Bournemouth pier towards the beach. PA UK news in pictures 19 August 2021 Supporters of Geronimo the alpaca gather outside Shepherds Close Farm in Wooton Under Edge, Gloucestershire PA UK news in pictures 18 August 2021 Former Afghan interpreters and veterans hold a demonstration outside Downing Street, calling for support and protection for Afghan interpreters and their families PA UK news in pictures 17 August 2021 Military personnel board the RAF Airbus A400M at RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire, where evacuation flights from Afghanistan have been landing Reuters UK news in pictures 16 August 2021 Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer takes part in a minute's silence at Wolverhampton police station for the victims of the Plymouth mass shooting last week PA UK news in pictures 15 August 2021 2Storm, a ten-metre tall puppet of a mythical goddess of the sea created by Edinburgh-based visual theatre company Vision Mechanics, makes its way alongside the seafront at North Berwick, East Lothian, during a performance at the Fringe By The Sea festival PA UK news in pictures 14 August 2021 A woman and two young girls look at floral tributes in Plymouth where six people, including the offender, died of gunshot wounds in a firearms incident PA UK news in pictures 13 August 2021 Forensic officers in the Keyham area of Plymouth where six people, including the shooter, died of gunshot wounds in a firearms incident on Thursday evening PA UK news in pictures 12 August 2021 Children ride horses in the River Eden in Appleby, Cumbria, during the annual gathering of travellers for the Appleby Horse Fair PA UK news in pictures 11 August 2021 Stella Moris (left) reacts after talking to the media outside the High Court in London, following the first hearing in the Julian Assange extradition appeal, n London, following the first hearing in the Julian Assange extradition appeal. The US government has won the latest round in its High Court bid to appeal against the decision not to extradite Julian Assange on espionage charges PA UK news in pictures 10 August 2021 Students react after they receive their A-Level results at the Ark Academy, in London Reuters UK news in pictures 9 August 2021 The final athletes from Great Britain arrive home including Jason Kenny, Laura Kenny and Katie Archibald (front left-right) at Heathrow Airport, London following the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games PA UK news in pictures 8 August 2021 Great Britain's Laura Kenny during the closing ceremony of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games at the Olympic stadium in Japan PA UK news in pictures 7 August 2021 People from the Glasgow Southside community take part in the Govanhill Carnival, an anti-racist celebration of pride, unity and the contributions immigrants have made to the community in Govanhill, at Queen's Park, Glasgow PA UK news in pictures 6 August 2021 Chijindu Ujah of Britain, Zharnel Hughes of Britain, Richard Kilty of Britain and Nethaneel Mitchell-Blake of Britain celebrate winning silver as they pose with Asha Philip of Britain, Imani Lansiquot of Britain, Dina Asher-Smith of Britain and Daryll Neita of Britain after they won bronze in the women's 4 x 100m relay during Olympic Games Day 14 Getty UK news in pictures 5 August 2021 A protester places flowers on a photograph of an executed man during a demonstration organised by supporters of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) to protest against the inauguration of Iran's new president Ebrahim Raisi in central London AFP via Getty UK news in pictures 4 August 2021 England's Joe Root looks on as India's KL Rahul doesn't make it to a catch during day one of Cinch First Test match at Trent Bridge, Nottingham PA UK news in pictures 3 August 2021 Great Britain's Laura Kenny and Jason Kenny with their silver medals for the Women's Team Pursuit and Mens Team Sprint during the Track Cycling at the Izu Velodrome on the eleventh day of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games in Japan PA UK news in pictures 2 August 2021 Great Britains Charlotte Worthington competes during the Womens BMX Freestyle Final at the Tokyo Olympics PA UK news in pictures 1 August 2021 EPA UK news in pictures 31 July 2021 James Guy, Adam Peaty and Kathleen Dawson celebrate winning the gold medal in the mixed 4x100m medley relay final at the Tokyo Olympics AP UK news in pictures 30 July 2021 Great Britain's Bethany Shriever and Kye Whyte celebrate their Gold and Silver medals respectively for the Cycling BMX Racing at the Ariake Urban Sports Park on the seventh day of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games in Japan PA UK news in pictures 29 July 2021 Team GB's Mallory Franklin during the Womens Canoe Slalom Final on day six of the Tokyo Olympic Games. She went on to win the silver medal Getty UK news in pictures 28 July 2021 Canoers on Llyn Padarn lake in Snowdonia, Gwynedd. It was announced that the north-west Wales slate landscape has been granted UNESCO World Heritage Status PA UK news in pictures 27 July 2021 A view of one of two areas now being used at a warehouse facility in Dover, Kent, for boats used by people thought to be migrants. PA UK news in pictures 26 July 2021 A woman is helped by Border Force officers as a group of people thought to be migrants are brought in to Dover, Kent, onboard a Border Force vessel, following a small boat incident in the Channel PA UK news in pictures 25 July 2021 Vehicles drive through deep water on a flooded road in Nine Elms, London AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 24 July 2021 Utilities workers inspect a 15x20ft sinkhole on Green Lane, Liverpool, which is suspected to have been caused by ruptured water main PA UK news in pictures 23 July 2021 Children interact with Mega Please Draw Freely by artist Ei Arakawa inside the Turbine Hall at the Tate Modern in London, part of UNIQLO Tate Play the gallery's new free programme of art-inspired activities for families PA UK news in pictures 22 July 2021 Festivalgoers in the campsite at the Latitude festival in Henham Park, Southwold, Suffolk PA
If we do leave the EU and stay in the single market as a member of the European Economic Area (EEA), we would have some influence over the rules like other EEA members who sit on the committees that draw them up in the long term.
My judgement was that this was worth putting up with, given the huge economic benefits that the Governments own assessments show we derive from the single market and customs union, the main economic structures of the EU. But the rule taker issue is real, and its true that we wouldnt get a vote around the EU Council table. Thats a challenge not just during transition, but after. I dont deny this and I never have.
Whatever Theresa May comes back from Brussels with in the autumn, that will be the reality. The ultimate way to have a say on the rules that govern our trading relationship with the UKs biggest customer is to stay part of the EU club and argue for reform from within.
While Jeremy Corbyn has been giving his speech today, Anna Soubry and I have been leading a small delegation of MPs to Paris, as co-chairs of the All Party Parliamentary Group on EU Relations. We have been meeting with senior ministers in French President Emmanuel Macrons government.
The French are clear: they are not agitating to maintain the status quo in the EU; instead, they are seeking to radically change it to better protect French people from the impact of globalisation and to ensure all of the French enjoy its benefits. President Macron wants to put the French people in the driving seat as far as their futures are concerned. We should do the same for the British people.
The Brexit that is emerging now is new and quite different to what people thought they had voted for that is why they must be given a vote on the Brexit deal with the EU, with the option to remain in. That way we put the British people in the driving seat too.
Netflix: permanently searching?
Dear reader, the Umunna household needs your help! We subscribe to Netflix and weve enjoyed all manner of box sets, from House of Cards and The Crown to The Killing and Ozark. But we have hit a wall as far as films are concerned, because weve seen most of the good ones and the classics on Netflix (and other platforms.) We often end up spending hours just searching for a film that might be watchable of an evening.
So, what in your view are the best new films on Netflix these last few months? Tell me and I will share your recommendations next week, so we can actually watch a film rather than spending an evening hunting around for something that takes our fancy.
One of the most inspiring stories of the last few days has been the way young people caught up in the appalling shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Florida have called their political leaders to account for their inaction on gun control.
When Republicans funded by the National Rifle Association sent them thoughts and prayers and opined that now is not the time for a debate about gun control because survivors needed to be left to grieve, the survivors roared back.
Now is exactly the time for us to talk about this, they said. Stop taking the NRAs blood money and act already, they said. You can start by clamping down on the sale of military grade weapons designed for the sole purpose of killing people like our friends.
They refused to be silenced even as the dogs of the right wing smeared and abused them online.
The British writer Dan Hodges lamented in the aftermath of an earlier shooting that the slaughter at Sandy Hook Elementary School had marked the end of the US control debate. He wrote: Once America decided killing children was bearable, it was over.
Florida shooting in pictures Show all 10 1 /10 Florida shooting in pictures Florida shooting in pictures Police arrest a suspect in connection with the shooting at the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida Reuters Florida shooting in pictures Parents wait for news after reports of a shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida AP Florida shooting in pictures Anxious family members wait for news of students AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee Florida shooting in pictures Students being evacuated from the school AP Florida shooting in pictures Students being evacuated from the school Getty Florida shooting in pictures People gather waiting for word from students AP Florida shooting in pictures Parents waiting for news on their children AP Florida shooting in pictures People gather at a hotel where students were taken after the shooting Getty Florida shooting in pictures Florida Governor Rick Scott speaks to the media as he visits Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School following the shooting AFP/Getty Florida shooting in pictures Dr. Igor Nichiporenko, Medical Director Trauma, left, and Dr. Evan Boyer, Medical Director, Emergency Services, speak about treating victims and the suspect at a press conference outside Broward Health North hospital AP
An impassioned and articulate group of teens may yet prove him wrong. Hell, even Pat Robertson, the right-wing evangelical, has been calling for stricter gun control.
But there have been false dawns before. The debate currently raging will die down. The news cycle will move elsewhere.
For the efforts of those teens to effect lasting change, Americas gun-funded politicians will need to pay a price at the ballot box.
Thats where things get difficult.
According to the Pew Research Centre, gun-owning households skew older, whiter and more rural. The people who tend to vote in elections, in other words.
To counter them, those teens need to register to vote when they get their franchise, and then they need to use it. They need other young people at schools and at colleges to take note and do the same.
But will they?
There is a reason politicians like Florida Senator Marco Rubio refused to say he would no longer accept donations from the NRA when asked the question. His calculation was that students wont register. Or that they wont in sufficient numbers to hurt him.
Florida shooting survivor tells Marco Rubio he could get the same NRA money from ordinary citizens
Its something the right relies on, here just as much as in the US. Mercifully, we dont have politicians in Britain who enact laws that kill kids. Our politicians just like to kill their prospects.
Theresa May has paid no more than lip service to intergenerational fairness and kowtowed to the Brextremists in her party who draw their support from the old, bigoted and bitter, because they vote while their kids dont.
I should stress that not all baby boomers, and not all Gen X-ers such as me, are either bigoted or bitter.
But enough of them are to make men of the calibre of Jacob Rees-Mogg and Boris Johnson the favourites to become the next leader of the Conservative Party. Enough of them too, to deliver the White House to Donald Trump and the US Congress to the Republicans.
It is also true that not all of the young lean to the liberal, left, progressive call it what you will end of the spectrum. Just listen to some of the diatribes put up online by Fox News shrill commentator Tomi Lahren. You might find that a challenge. If you can manage more than 30 seconds without retching youve got a stronger stomach than I have.
Weve Tomi Lahrens of our own over here. And what about what Ben Bradley, the 28-year-old Tory MP for Mansfield, and the Tories vice chair for youth? He suggested in his younger days that unemployed people have vasectomies to stop them having children. Then there was his excitement at watching police play splat the chav in the 2011 London riots.
He did apologise; only to go and get into a libel row over his recent tweet about Jeremy Corbyn for which he has also now apologised.
Recommended Corbyn and Milne know exactly what they are doing by demanding damages
The majority of younger people do lean liberal, however. They just dont vote with their convictions in sufficient numbers to make the change so many of them say they want on issues such as guns (in the US), Europe (here), the economy, the environment take your pick.
It has always been that way and so people say it always will be that way.
Well, it always will be until its not. Until we try and change it.
Perhaps a meme might work as your starter for 10. On this side of the Atlantic put Rees-Moog, BoZo, Gove and May on a picture bearing the legend: Do you want to leave your future in the hands of these people? If not, get out and vote.
In America you could put Donald Trump alongside any local congressman, senator or candidate taking NRA money and ask a question related to guns. Or just the same question I suggested for Britain.
I imagine it would be similarly thought-provoking.
Erica Fernandes has been out of action from our TV screens post the second season of Kuch Rang Pyar Ke Aise Bhi, however, she has managed to stay put under our style radar with her fashion game.
And, this time around, her social media profile did catch our attention, courtesy all her exotic vacation pictures from her trip to Bhutan. Be it the amazing locales, or Erica herself with those kids and the localites, you would definitely want to go travel in there right away, or at least give some Monday motivation to yourself.
Scroll down to check out the pictures right here:
Featured Video
Mesmerizing much? What's on your travel list?
In one of her last photos, actress Sridevi (center) is flanked by her younger daughter Khushi and fashion designer Manish Malhotra at the marriage function of actress Sonam Kapoor's cousin Mohit Marwah in Dubai. Sridevi was in Dubai to attend the marriage where she passed away after cardiac arrest on Feb. 24 night. (photo provided)
The Wadhwani Institute for Artificial Intelligence Feb. 18 launched at Mumbai University in the presence of Indian American entrepreneurs Romesh Wadhwani (far right) and Sunil Wadhwani (far left), as well as Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi (center) and Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis (third from right). The Wadhwanis are brothers. (wadhwaniai.org photo)
Since the Transparency International released a report showing that the perception of corruption has worsened under President Muhammadu Buhari, many Nigerians have continued to react. Here are our 5 for today
Stopping trials after alleged suspect joins APC
Since Gov. Isa Yuguda joined APC his trial with EFCC suddenly developed hearing problems. Since Senator Musiliu Obanikoro joined APC his trial with the EFCC suddenly developed malaria. And Buhari is Mr. Integrity? God will punish some people soon and send them to hell fire. Femi Fani-Kayode (@realFFK) February 25, 2018
No big man has been touched
The Presidency said "It was once unthinkable to touch big men for corruption in Nigeria but Buhari ended impunity for corruption". But which big man has PMB sacked? Obj sacked 4 ministers for corruption. Yaradua 1 and GEJ sacked 3. Which big man has Buhari sacked for corruption? Reno Omokri (@renoomokri) February 25, 2018
Bring back known thief into government
Jonathan dismissed Maina, Nigerias biggest ever alleged thief, and declared him wanted, Buhari brought him back, readmitted him into the civil service and gave him double promotion. Now, Buhari is criticizing Transparency International. Are they also wailers or PDP members? Reno Omokri (@renoomokri) February 24, 2018
Uncomfortable with criticisms
Was it not last year that President Buhari praised Transparency International? Now hes attacking them for saying the obvious truth-that corruption is worse under him. He can't have it both ways. He can't praise them when they say good about him and attack them when they say bad. Reno Omokri (@renoomokri) February 24, 2018
Borrowing for nothing
Nollywood Yoruba actress Biodun Okeowo popularly known as Omobutty has taken to her instagram page to places all the available curses in the Bible on a lady, who said she wont reap the fruit of her labor, on her kids for not taking care of her mother.
Below Is What She Wrote:
Good morning fams! I overlook most things but when it comes to curses and that, that has to do with my kids I dont keep calm. Please fams one word for this idiot. Because right now I dont understand why some people will hide under private page to perpetrate an evil act like this. A curse on a mum whos struggling on her kids. Girl I place all the curses in the Bible on you @ola_mi_de gbogbo awon abiyamo aye ati orun won a panu po sepe fun e
For your information girl, my mother lives with me shes not in Ijebu. I know you will deactivate this account soon but all the curses shall follow you, wherever you go in Jesus Name too Amen!
Indigenous rapper, Sodiq Abubakar Yusuf, popularly known as CDQ, was recently dragged by Big Brother Naija Housemate, Ifu Ennada, after she claimed she was used and dumped by the former, when she was just 17 years old.
Ifu Ennada claimed she sponsored CDQ, gave him her money for her school handouts, school fees and whats not, just so he could push his career, but in return, she got nothing from the rapper, after he tasted fame.
CDQ didnt just let it die there, he quickly reacted and he called Ifu a b*tch, and what they had was just a one night stand.. Hes reconfirmed this again, in a chat with Sunday Scoop.
When Sunday Scoop contacted CDQ, he admitted that there was an affair between them, but claimed it was very brief. He said,
Yes, I had sex with her but it was a one-night stand. She came to flirt with me, saying she was a journalist or something like that. We only had sex once. We forgot about everything and lost contact until she had the opportunity to be on TV and tried to take advantage of my stardom to get attention.
Inasmuch as he feels bad about the development, CDQ said he had no plans to take legal actions against her. Its bygone already; she has expressed herself. Even though I want to take legal actions against her, our judicial system is not solid enough. I am not saying I dont know her. I knew her briefly when I was at the Lagos State University in 2008, but I only had an encounter with her once. I just feel she wanted to gain peoples attention by saying such, which is evil.
The thing love is causing in this worldThereIsGodO! Pandemonium and tears at the weekend enveloped Abraka community in Delta State when a 26-year-old microbiology student of the State-owned University identified as Evelyn Mogekwu allegedly killed herself after being jilted by her fiance.
Reports said the end of the seven-year relationship traumatised the girl as all plans to walk down the aisle with her boyfriend failed to materialise.
Sources said the girl was in high spirits in her hostel but her mood changed dramatically and she became dejected after her fiance called her on phone to declare their relationship over.
She was said to have bought some drugs, claiming she was having a head ache and went into her room, leaving a message for roommate that they might not see her again.
Few minutes later, her roommate who sensed something terrible was going on, raced into the room and found her lying lifeless on the floor. The roommate then raised an alarm that attracted other students to the room, but before help came the girls way, she had given up the ghost.
Confirming the sad incident, some senior police officers at the Abraka Police Division, who did not want their names in print, said they recovered particles of drugs on the ground beside the deceased.
Her roommate are currently being detained by the police for interrogation.
One of Nigerias top financial institutions, First Bank of Nigeria Limited has reacted to the recent trend of animal swallowing public funds in Nigeria.
The reportage of snake swallowing N36m at a JAMB Office and a monkey eating another N70m instead of Banana took a viral dimension with Nigerians extending it to almost every aspect of national and personal lives.
A twitter user with the handle, @officialrohkip had tweeted thus:
With the way animals swallow money now, I will have to close my @FirstBankngr account. I dont trust that elephant on their logo..
Acknowledging the power of the social media and the probable impacts that may have on its customer base, the bank addressed the issue in a separate tweet saying:
The Elephant on our logo represents trust, integrity, dependability, and loyalty. Let your First Bank account remain open. We are your trusted ally. #Stillstanding #Stilldependable #YouFirst .
Unlike the snake and monkey alleged to have swallowed money, First Bank restated that the elephant on its logo does not swallow customers deposits.
The Nigerian Customs Service (NCS), Ogun State Area Command has seized 88 coconut packs and 42 compressed book packs hiding Cannabis Sativa, also known as Indian hemp in a creek along Idiroko-Benin Republic border.
The Command Public Relations Officer, Abdullahi Maiwada, made this known in a press release on Sunday.
Upon thorough examination, forty two (42) compressed book packs and eighty eight (88) coconut packs of Cannabis Sativa (popularly known as Indian hemp) were uncovered, he disclosed and added that, the rapid response squad also intercepted four bales of second clothing/shoes used to conceal the hard drugs.
The Rapid Response Squad of Ogun Area Command based on credible intelligence intercepted four bales of second clothing/shoes suspected to have been use to conceal compressed packs of cannabis sativa (Indian Hemp) at Ihunbo-Oke-Odan creeks along Idiroko road, Mr. Maidawa said.
Maiwada said the NDLEA Idiroko Special Command field tested the aforementioned items using the United Nations Test Kit and affirmed that the items were positive for Cannabis Sativa and weighed 77 kilograms.
Source Ebiwalismoment
Vanguard
AT 21b Ntueke Street, Awada Obosi, in Idemili North Local Government Area of Anambra State, weekend, a 48-year-old man, Stephen Nnadiogo, went berserk, killing his four children and his sister-in-law before taking his own life, following squabble over the childrens paternity.
Punch
The Federal Government has confirmed that 110 pupils of the Government Science and Technical College in Dapchi, Yobe State, are still unaccounted for after Boko Haram terrorists invaded their school on Monday last week.
Thisday
The crisis rocking the Cross River State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has expanded its margins as the National Vice Chairman, South-South, Ntufam Hilliard Eta, has described the special congress held last Saturday to elect a substantive chairman of the party in the state as null and void.
The Sun
Senator Hope Uzodimma, in this interview said the South- East should be given the chance to produce the countrys president in 2023.
Daily Times
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has boasted that it will sack the All Progressives Congress (APC), completely from the South-East zone in 2019.
Daily Trust
A former Special Adviser on Youth and Students Affairs, to a former President, Goodluck Jonathan, Comrade Jude Imagwe, has advised President Muhammadu Buhari not be deceived by the pressure put on him by governors elected on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC) to contest the 2019 presidential election.
Leadership
The minister of Education, Mallam Adamu Adamu, has revealed that Internet of Things (IoT) centres will be established in six federal secondary schools in the federation in a drive to promote involvement of students in ICT.
The Nation
A self-confessed member of Boko Haram sect, Abdulsalam Adinoyi, has been remanded by an Ado-Ekiti Magistrates Court for allegedly killing a policeman.
President Muhammadu Buhari was in a celebratory mood as he announced rescue of some Nigerians who were abducted by members of the Boko Haram group. According to the president via his official Twitter handle, there were the University of Maiduguri lecturers, abducted while on service to their fatherland, and also the women abducted from a funeral procession.
I cant fully express the joy I felt I this afternoon, as I received our citizens recently released from Boko Haram captivityfathers, mothers, sons, daughters. We will go to any length to ensure that no one is left behind in the hands of terrorists. Every Nigerian life matters! pic.twitter.com/5bQJKlfZuI Muhammadu Buhari (@MBuhari) February 26, 2018
Some Nigerians were however very unimpressed with the president as they said it was just a show of propanganda. Here are some of their reactions;
Funny how captive of bokoharam are always released when ever the dailies carry unpleasant news about this administration. Hanson Oluwafunke .B (@ArabirinFunke) February 26, 2018
Nigeria cant be ruled with propaganda, you better forget about reelection coming in 2019 Sen. Kulah Muhd Moh (@Comr_kula) February 26, 2018
Am curious as to how you made the men wear same design/uniform kaftan & wondering if this people were released frm BH cos they look more fed than the ones you left to die at the IDP Just running by where is my boy @ProfOsinbajo & @APCNigeria Kelvin Morris (@kmrs400) February 26, 2018
Remember people are still suffering from your bad governance the hardship is just too much dont try to seek for second term. Adebayo Mr Nice guy (@adebayo281) February 26, 2018
And theyre looking this good? Its obvious that this government must always bring up something to save herself whenever something evil has happened to the nation. Bros! Stop scamming us you hear. Confidence N. (@ConfidenceNwaku) February 26, 2018
this is just a political reaction to the problem. paying ransom to get a handful of ppl released will only lead to the kidnapping and killing of more ppl. and now BH will have resources to recruite more hands and expand their business Ismaeel (@MuhdIsmaeel) February 26, 2018
Indeed Boko Haram should even be commended for taking good care of these girls. They look so healthy more than the ones in our IDP camps. nsikan john (@nsajo) February 26, 2018
Nigeria has got talents. some of which is in Comedy such that even the old are not left behind.
A pathetic prank on the people of Nigeria Moses Ngwanah (@mosesngwanah) February 26, 2018
Mr President sorry to say but the timing of this is so wrong. You cannot be in celebratory mood when there are 110 innocent childrens lives still in danger, no matter what you are celebrating Mr President. Stop playing politics with innocent childrens lives and get them home. C T Tams Tolofari (@colz4liverpoolz) February 26, 2018
Do you agree???
One of the core points of President Muhammadu Buharis campaign promises in 2015 was to fight corruption and bring corrupt officers to book. However, According to Transparency Internationals report, the perception of corruption has worsened under President Muhammadu Buhari.
The report showed that the perception of corruption in Nigeria worsened between 2016 and 2017. But the presidency has criticised the global watchdog, saying that TI was publishing fiction.
What do you think?
TORONTO - February 26, 2018 (Investorideas.com Newswire) Prominent cryptographer Jonathan Bootle is joining the development team of PIVX (Private Instant Verified Transaction). Known for being one of the key genius cryptographers who developed and wrote the whitepaper on Bulletproofs, Bootle's work will be focused on integrating "breakthrough" Bulletproofs into PIVX's custom Zerocoin protocol.
"This is the first time I've been directly involved in the practical application of the Bulletproofs theory on any project," said Bootle. "I am also delighted to work with Mary Maller, PIVX's cryptographer, who was one of my collaborators from the UCL Infosec group."
"The addition of Bootle to the development team is incredible for the entire distributed ledger technology (blockchain) sector," said PIVX community leader Bryan Doreian, better known as Snappy in the crypto-verse. "PIVX has already pioneered privacy in Proof of Stake (PoS), and the continued development of efficiency, security, decentralization, and ease of use for individuals when it comes to privacy within cryptocurrency will be greatly enhanced through Bootle's work with bulletproofs in PIVX."
The short proofs from Stanford University define bulletproofs as, "short non-interactive zero-knowledge proofs that require no trusted setup [...] Bulletproofs are designed to enable efficient confidential transactions in Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies. Every confidential transaction contains a cryptographic proof that the transaction is valid. Bulletproofs shrink the size of the cryptographic proof from over 10kB to less than 1kB."
What this means for the rising altcoin is 1) PIVX's Zerocoin proofs, or transaction size, will become a fraction of their current size and 2) PIVX will be able to achieve a trustless Zerocoin setup.
Bootle is a PhD candidate in the area of cryptography, working on efficient zero-knowledge proofs with the goal of developing, more specifically, zero-knowledge membership proofs.
In October 2017 PIVX made history by being the first PoS blockchain to successfully implement the Zerocoin protocol, making transactions completely anonymous through their custom Zerocoin implementation, zPIV. PIVX continues to make every effort to be the best privacy cryptocurrency available.
For more information about PIVX, please visit www.pivx.org.
ABOUT PIVX:
PIVX is a community-centric cryptocurrency with a focus on decentralization, privacy, and real-world use. It utilizes an energy efficient Proof of Stake protocol and a second-tier Masternode network for inclusive community-based governance along with a blockchain based self-funding treasury system ensuring its sustainability.
PIVX is continuously striving to achieve a better governance system, instantaneous private transactions, and fungibility in order to lead the next generation cryptocurrency. PIVX is used in over 174 countries and their website is available in over 30 languages and counting.
For media information email Darryl Brisebois at details below or call Allie Spencer at 1-888-527-0074 ext. 4.
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TORONTO - February 26, 2018 (Investorideas.com Newswire) Are you wondering whether investing in an ICO is a good idea for you? Does the idea of blockchain technology or cryptocurrency excite you? If so, then this article will illustrate that it all depends on two things: your motivation as an investor and your understanding of the ICO landscape. If you are trying to diversify your portfolio and have some background knowledge of the ICO scene, then I'd say, yes, you should invest in ICOs. Initial coin offerings are now a mainstay of the cryptocurrency space and are one of many ways you can get the best returns on your investment.
However, the answer to the above question cannot be relegated to just a simple yes or no statement. Read on to find out why you should or in hindsight, why you shouldn't.
Why you should invest in ICOs?
Initial coin offerings represent one facet of a fast-growing cryptocurrency and blockchain landscape. The success of some of the projects launched after raising funds through ICOs and the huge returns to early backers means that investing in ICOs can be a very good idea.
Before you rush out to back that token sale, consider these points that could be the difference between reaping benefits and losing everything.
What's your investment goal? Do you have any specific financial expectations as you get into ICOs? Establish why you are getting into ICO investment, what you want to achieve and what your strategy will be. In short, what's your investment plan?
How much do you know about ICOs? Even if you do, you should still do a thorough research for every ICO you wish to invest in. Seek to understand the ICO product, the team behind the ICO, what the cryptocurrency community thinks about it and generally whether there are any red flags to note.
Does the product make sense? Find out if the idea behind the ICO makes sense to you. Ask whether there is a demand for that product whether the underlying business would do well using a token model.
Are there legal considerations to make? The current ICO ecosystem is increasingly coming under scrutiny and therefore, you need to find out what obligations you may have as you invest in the token sale.
What are the risks involved? Like every other investment, ICOs have associated risks that you should consider. The risk of fraud is the highest in cryptocurrency or projects may fail to do well and may result in losses. In fact, you should only look to invest in what you can afford to lose.
You have taken note of the above and want further advice whether you should go ahead and invest in ICOs. Well, here is why you should consider investing in an Initial Coin Offering.
Support for startups
This reason is not solely profit oriented. As a contributor, you may directly contribute to the launch of a great project through the ICO funds you give. Think of a project like Ethereum that launched via an Initial Coin Offering in 2014. As we speak, Ethereum has become the biggest cryptocurrency platform on which so many other startups have launched successful products. So for that alone, investing in an ICO is a good idea. But that is not the primary aim of an investor, so here is another reason that should make you consider investing in the right ICO.
Huge returns on investment
When you invest in an Initial Coin Offering, you are risking your principal amount in the hope of getting good returns. To many people, ICOs offer a quick route to huge ROIs in a very short time. If the token sale succeeds and the ICO token coin begins to trade, chances are the value will double or even triple in no time, earning you immediate returns.
To use Ethereum's incredible price jumps, the Ether token was sold to early investors at $0.311 per ether token. By 2016, ETH traded at over $10 and a couple of months later it was well over $100. Then the value exploded in 2017, rising to over $1400 by the end of the year. In terms of ROI, the amounts involved are just incredible. And it's not Ethereum only; other ICOs like NXT, IOTA, Stratis, and NEO have returned massive profits to investors.
Check out this ICO list to get a clue of what I mean.
It is very rare to hear of such returns in other markets. So, per ROI only, you can consider investing in ICOs. The only problem is that there aren't so many Ethereums, NXTs or IOTAs out there. And that brings me back to the issue of taking risks. Are you willing to risk? If you can, go ahead because you never know.
Freedom of the market
Another reason you should consider investing in ICOs today is that they remain largely unregulated. Market fundamentals are not tied to any central authority, meaning prices can go as high as possible (though the reverse is also true).You can virtually reap returns before the tightening regulations make the investment terrain uncomfortable. There are currently no major barriers regarding who can participate in an ICO, but I see things tightening down the road. However, do not be lured into making an investment out of fear of missing out; you are likely to lose anyway.
Why should you not invest in ICOs?
Having said that, are there chances that investing in ICOs isn't a good idea for you? Of course, there are. Granted, there isn't a single business venture without an inherent risk. Risks of deals going south, companies folding, or technological advancement rendering the investment moribund are just a few of the things that can go wrong for any business. However, investing in ICOs are riskier as you are engaging in speculative investing. Many of the ICOs launch products that may never make it and yet collect funds from investors.
Cryptocurrency and ICOs are also fertile grounds for cyber criminals and hackers. You are likely to lose all your investments if your wallet is compromised or the exchange is hacked like what happened at Mt.Gox and recently CoinCheck.
And then there is the issue of Ponzi or Pyramid Schemes. There have been cases where ICO founders have disappeared with the funds after the crowd sale. Many governments have warned their citizens against investing in ICOs for these reasons. Countries like China and South Korea have even gone further by imposing total bans.
Bottom line
Investing in initial coin offerings picked up the pace in the last two years, and the ICO ecosystem is still growing. While it offers a chance to get huge returns on your investment, the attendant risks are real and high. So, the advice boils down to this: only invest that which you can lose and still afford a smile.
Disclaimer/Disclosure: Investorideas.com is a digital publisher of third party sourced news, articles and equity research as well as creates original content, including video, interviews and articles. Original content created by investorideas is protected by copyright laws other than syndication rights. Our site does not make recommendations for purchases or sale of stocks, services or products. Nothing on our sites should be construed as an offer or solicitation to buy or sell products or securities. All investment involves risk and possible loss of investment. This site is currently compensated for news publication and distribution, social media and marketing, content creation and more. Contact each company directly regarding content and press release questions. Disclosure is posted for each compensated news release, content published /created if required but otherwise the news was not compensated for and was published for the sole interest of our readers and followers. More disclaimer info: http://www.investorideas.com/About/Disclaimer.asp. This article is paid for published third party content and not the content of Investorideas.com . Read our article disclaimers. Learn more about posting your articles at http://www.investorideas.com/Advertise/ Read our crypotcurrency disclaimer at http://www.investorideas.com/About/Disclaimer.asp
February 26, 2018 (Investorideas.com Newswire) Bob Moriarty of 321 Gold examines the land package and prospects for this company's Montana-based project.
Greg Johnson, one of the founders of NOVAGOLD Resources Inc. (NG:TSX; NG:NYSE.MKT), has put together a platinum group metals package that mirrors the Stillwater complex in Montana, with its 80-million-ounce, 16.8 g/t PGE (platinum group elements) resource.
Greg believes the future of the PGE metals is bright. After being associated with Wellgreen Platinum in the Yukon, he began to assemble a flock of PGE projects and put them into Group Ten Metals Inc. (PGE:TSX.V; PGEZF:OTC). The big one, which they call the Stillwater West PGE-Ni-Cu project, is adjacent to the Sibanye-Stillwater series of mines in Montana. Greg's plan is to put the Group Ten company under the umbrella of his other company, Metallic Minerals Corp. (MMG:TSX.V), in order to reduce overhead and office expenses. Metallic Minerals is oriented toward silver, lead and zinc in the Keno Hills district in the Yukon.
The Stillwater West project was picked up in June of 2017 under a mostly share deal. It calls for Group Ten to own 100% of the project subject to a 2% NSR that can be bought down to 1% for a $2 million payment. It's an exceptional deal for Group Ten because it means their cash goes into the ground rather into the pockets of the vendors. It aligns the interests of the vendors with that of Group Ten. I like the deal a lot.
In November Group Ten expanded the original 282 claims adjacent to the Sibanye Stillwater mine by adding a 100% interest in an additional 17 square kilometers. In January company president and CEO Michael Rowley announced an 18-kilometer long soil anomaly of highly elevated platinum group elements at Stillwater West, in addition to nickel, copper and chromium, and picked up another 51 claims.
Putting together a package of various different claims from several vendors is what company chairman Johnson does. He did exactly the same thing with Metallic Metals. For the first time in history, the entire package has been put together into one company. There is a lot of technical data from past operators, and for now the company is focused on putting it all together in one easy-to-understand format.
Investing in Group Ten, for anyone interested in platinum and palladium, is about as difficult as learning how to fall off a bike. If you use $1,000 an ounce as an average price for platinum and palladium, the Stillwater series of mines show a US$80 billion-dollar resource. Group Ten has the same rocks, an excellent management team, tons of existing data and a US$8.5 million market cap. Do the math.
Group Ten does have one major flaw. While the name is memorable, it's for all the wrong reasons. It's a terrible name. The subject came up when Greg and I first spoke and I asked him if he was married to the name. He replied that he hated it and they were working on coming up with something more suitable. I hope so, I hated it as well.
The company has done an excellent job on both the website and the company presentation. For those who can do the math on Group Ten's doppelganger, the charts are especially interesting. I suspect Group Ten is going to be a giant surprise, also given the instability of the world's main three PGE suppliers, Russia, South Africa and Zimbabwe.
Group Ten is an advertiser. Do your own due diligence.
Group Ten Metals
$0.245 (Feb 23, 2018)
42.8 million shares
Group Ten website
Bob and Barb Moriarty brought 321gold.com to the Internet almost 16 years ago. They later added 321energy.com to cover oil, natural gas, gasoline, coal, solar, wind and nuclear energy. Both sites feature articles, editorial opinions, pricing figures and updates on current events affecting both sectors. Previously, Moriarty was a Marine F-4B and O-1 pilot with more than 832 missions in Vietnam. He holds 14 international aviation records.
Disclosure:
1) Bob Moriarty: I, or members of my immediate household or family, own shares of the following companies mentioned in this article: None. Group Ten Metals is an advertiser on 321 Gold. I determined which companies would be included in this article based on my research and understanding of the sector.
2) The following companies mentioned are billboard sponsors of Streetwise Reports: NOVAGOLD. Streetwise Reports does not accept stock in exchange for its services. Click here for important disclosures about sponsor fees.
3) Statements and opinions expressed are the opinions of the author and not of Streetwise Reports or its officers. The author is wholly responsible for the validity of the statements. The author was not paid by Streetwise Reports for this article. Streetwise Reports was not paid by the author to publish or syndicate this article. The information provided above is for informational purposes only and is not a recommendation to buy or sell any security. Streetwise Reports requires contributing authors to disclose any shareholdings in, or economic relationships with, companies that they write about. Streetwise Reports relies upon the authors to accurately provide this information and Streetwise Reports has no means of verifying its accuracy.
4) The article does not constitute investment advice. Each reader is encouraged to consult with his or her individual financial professional and any action a reader takes as a result of information presented here is his or her own responsibility. By opening this page, each reader accepts and agrees to Streetwise Reports' terms of use and full legal disclaimer. This article is not a solicitation for investment. Streetwise Reports does not render general or specific investment advice and the information on Streetwise Reports should not be considered a recommendation to buy or sell any security. Streetwise Reports does not endorse or recommend the business, products, services or securities of any company mentioned on Streetwise Reports.
5) From time to time, Streetwise Reports LLC and its directors, officers, employees or members of their families, as well as persons interviewed for articles and interviews on the site, may have a long or short position in securities mentioned. Directors, officers, employees or members of their immediate families are prohibited from making purchases and/or sales of those securities in the open market or otherwise from the time of the interview or the decision to write an article, until one week after the publication of the interview or article.
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This is what philanthropy looks like: Philanthropy of the Month, Feb. 26, 2017
The launch of AirPods in 2016 from Apple has led to major tech giants trying their own hands at truly wireless buds. So far, we have seen Samsung, Google, and even renowned audio companies like Bose release truly wireless earbuds and fail spectacularly in the process. Sony, however, was actually the first company to release a digital assistant-powered Bluetooth earphone back in 2016. The Xperia Ear did not garner much of an attention and was almost immediately forgotten after its release.
At MWC 2018, Sony has released the successor of Xperia Ear dubbed the Xperia Ear Duo. The same tech was demoed by Sony at last years MWC. Priced at $280, the Xperia Ear Duo comes with a carrying case similar to the AirPods that also charge the earbuds. The earbuds deliver 4 hours of battery life on a full charge, with the carrying case capable of charging the earbuds three additional times. When compared to the original Xperia Ear, the Ear Duo are significantly bigger. They dont have the stealthy look like the AirPods or even the GearX Wireless buds.
Whats impressive about the earbuds is that it features Dual Listening technology that filters in selected ambient noise while you are listening to music. This means you will still be able to hear someone talking to you while the Xperia Ear Duo is blasting music in your ears.
The Spatial Acoustic Conductor, developed by Sonys in-house technology incubator Future Lab Program, allows the sound generated behind the ear by the units driver to be transmitted directly into the ear. The specially designed ring supporter surrounds the ear canal so your music can blend seamlessly with sounds from your environment.
The Xperia Ear Duo is compatible with Google Assistant and Siri depending on the device it is paired with. It also features some gestures like nodding or shaking your head so as to quickly accept or reject incoming calls. The earbuds have an IPX2 certification thereby ensuring that you can wear them while on a run, though you should not use them while it is raining.
The Xperia Ear Duo launch in May for $280. So, they are not only bigger, heavier, bulkier than the AirPods, they are also almost twice as expensive than them. For an iPhone owner, it makes little sense to buy the Xperia Ear Duo over the AirPods.
Cody Cottier covers town and state government. He grew up with a view of the Olympic Mountains, and after graduating Washington State University he traded it for a view of the Tetons. Odds are the mountains are where youll find him when not on deadline.
Human Rights Watch (HRW) [advocacy website] on Monday accused [HRW report] Egyptian authorities of escalating arbitrary arrests against political opponents.
According to HRW, the arrests, which took place in late January to February, are part of a government strategy to quell political protests ahead of the next presidential election to be held in late March. Accordingly, various human rights organizations have accused [HRW report] the Egyptian government of [trampling] over even the minimum requirements for free and fair elections, alleging President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi has created a repression environment.
In February Abd al-Moniem Abu al-Fotouh, 2012 presidential candidate and leader of the Strong Egypt Party, was arrested. HRW reports that he and 15 other members of his party were subsequently placed on the terrorist watch list, without due process as allowed by the 2015 Terrorist Entities Law [text, PDF]. That same month, the Ministry of Interior of Egypt validated their arrest [Facebook post] of al-Fotouh, stating that it had permission from the Supreme State Security Prosecution after receiving information from the National Security Agency that al-Fotouh had contact with the Muslim Brotherhood and was conducting interviews with the intent to cause political unrest. Additionally, the Interior Ministry reported [Facebookpost] that they arrested six members of the Brotherhood, along with firearms, on a farm owned by al-Fotouh. However, his family denies any direct involvement.
Among those arrests were also Mohamed al-Qassas, deputy president of the Strong Egypt Party; Mohamed Abd al-Latif Talaat, secretary-general of the centrist Al-Wasat Party; Hesham Geneina, former head of the Central Auditing Agency; and Chief of Staff Sami Anan, who announced his candidacy for president. All are being detained in conditions, according to HRW are degrading and prone to abuse.
HRW is urging authorities to invalidate their addition to the list, as well as the law itself which allows for arbitrary placement of opponents on the terrorism list, and release those subject to arbitrary arrest, which violates Article 65 and Article 87 of Egypts Constitution [text, PDF].
An amendment to a Florida bill that would have banned weapons like the one used in the Parkland school shooting failed Monday amid growing cries for accountability and reform.
Hundreds of Floridians converged on the state Capitol in Tallahassee on Monday as lawmakers took up a series of proposals in response to the deadly shooting.
One bill included an amendment that would ban assault-style rifles like the one used by the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooter. Senate Bill 7022, which lets law enforcement seize firearms from people under certain conditions, advanced without the amendment.
Demonstrators in orange shirts signifying gun safety chanted "shame" and "vote them out" in response to the vote, which unfolded as criticism grew toward law enforcement's response to the shooting.
Students rally for change
It was the second time since the shooting that protesters visited the Capitol to pressure lawmakers into action.
Where students last week sought conversations and lobbied for a variety of demands, Rally in Tally participants listed as one of its aims a permanent ban on assault-style rifles.
Carly Schwamm, a high school student from Boca Raton, said the time had come for a ban on semi-automatic weapons.
"This tragedy hit so close to home," Schwamm said. "It's about time that we make actual change."
In addition to SB 7022, two more proposals advanced: one related to school district policies for active shooters and another banning the release of a crime victim's address on school grounds.
SB 7022 is "not perfect," Parkland Mayor Christine Hunschofsky said, but it's better than nothing.
"To not do anything because it is not the perfect bill is not the right thing," Hunschofsky said. "We appreciate the action and hope it is a first step so this never happens again."
Sheriff cooperating
Lawmakers have called for a state investigation of the Broward County Sheriff's Office response to the shooting. Broward County Sheriff Scott Israel said his department "will fully cooperate" with the probe, "as we believe in full transparency and accountability."
Read Sheriff Israel's CNN interview
House Speaker Richard Corcoran, along with 73 other Republican state representatives, called on the governor to suspend Israel for "incompetence and neglect of duty" in a letter sent Sunday.
They said he and his deputies had information about the shooter, yet failed to intervene "in the years, months and days leading up to that shooting."
"Sheriff Israel failed to maintain a culture of alertness, vigilance and thoroughness amongst his deputies," the letter said. "As a result of Sheriff Israel's failures, students and teachers died."
Amid calls for his suspension, Israel, a Democrat, said Sunday, "Of course I won't resign."
Law enforcement, including the FBI and local authorities, received warnings about the gunman before the attack, including one caller saying the eventual gunman could be a "school shooter in the making."
What happened during the shooting?
Israel called out the school resource officer assigned to Stoneman Douglas that day, prompting the former deputy to defend his actions.
Israel said Scot Peterson took cover outside the building as bullets flew for four minutes and "never went in." Peterson resigned last week after his suspension.
"I was disgusted. I was just demoralized with the performance of former deputy Peterson," Israel said.
Peterson received active-shooter training, Israel said in a letter responding to Florida state Rep. Bill Hager's request to remove the sheriff from his post.
Peterson's attorney, Joseph DiRuzzo III, accused Israel of maligning Peterson, who received "glowing" annual performance reviews and in 2014 was named school resource office of the year.
"Allegations that Mr. Peterson was a coward and that his performance, under the circumstances, failed to meet the standards of police officers are patently untrue," the statement said. "Mr. Peterson is confident that his actions on that day were appropriate under the circumstances and that the video (together with the eyewitness testimony of those on the scene) will exonerate him of any subpar performance."
Israel's account of Peterson's actions is "gross oversimplification of the events," the attorney said.
Peterson first received a call of firecrackers, not a gun, and he initially thought the shooter was outside, a conclusion that he felt was confirmed when he heard radio transmission indicating there was "a gunshot victim in the area of the football field," the lawyer said.
DiRuzzo pointed out that Israel has said it's important to let the investigation into his department play out. "We question why this statement would not also apply to Mr. Peterson?"
Wounded survivor speaks
Appearing alongside her parents Monday, Maddy Wilford, 17, thanked the police officers, EMTs and doctors who scrambled to save her life after the shooting.
Lt. Laz Ojeda of the Coral Springs Fire Department said that after officers revived Maddy inside the school, she needed a chest seal to stop the bleeding. She had also suffered gunshot wounds to the abdomen and upper right arm, he said. Ojeda wept as he recalled rubbing Maddy's sternum inside the ambulance.
"She came around. She told me she was 17," he said.
Dr. Igor Nichiporenko, who was charged with Maddy's care at Broward Health North, said she was pale and unresponsive when she arrived at the emergency room. Suffering "massive bleeding" and fluid in her abdomen, Maddy was rushed into the operating room within 10 minutes of her arrival. She underwent what he called "damage control" surgeries on her abdomen and arm, before undergoing a thoracotomy, or incision into her chest wall.
Nichiporenko credited the fast work of first responders, his trauma team's experience and Maddy's resilience for her quick recovery. She was discharged Wednesday.
"Young people have a tendency to heal very fast," the doctor told reporters.
Echoing the words of her mother, Missy Cantrell Wilford, Maddy thanked those who supported and prayed as she recovered.
"I'd just like to say that I'm so grateful to be here and it wouldn't be possible without those officers and first responders and amazing doctors and especially all the love that everyone has sent," she said, her right arm obviously still troubling her. "All the love that's been passed around, I definitely wouldn't be here without it."
President Donald Trump's re-election campaign used a photo of Maddy in a fundraising email on Saturday. Neither Maddy nor her parents addressed the photo, but her mother told reporters she was "grateful to the President who came."
Return to campus
As the investigations continue, Marjory Stoneman Douglas students returned to campus Sunday for a voluntary campus orientation. Grappling with trauma, some students and parents making their first emotional return to campus wore school T-shirts that read: "MSDStrong."
"It was really scary. I didn't know how I was going to feel when I went in and I saw the fence around the freshman building ... and all the windows were covered," sophomore Tanzil Philip said, adding, "We just gave each other hugs."
The building where the shooting occurred will remain closed. Armed deputies were on campus and will be on hand when students return to class Wednesday.
History teacher Greg Pittman said where Sunday's atmosphere on campus was "jubilant" -- owing to teachers seeing their students for the first time since the shooting -- there was a starkly different vibe Monday.
"It was a very, very, very down and very upsetting day in a way. Teachers are very stressed about being able to do the right thing for their students," he said. "Some of the teachers had students die in the room, and we were meeting with district personnel to try to advise us, and people were just really stressed about having the right thing to say, the right thing to do."
While there's no playbook for teachers welcoming students back into the classroom Wednesday, Pittman said there are definitely some guiding principles.
"I think the best thing that all of us as teachers can do is be ourselves, to let our students know we're there for them, that we love and care for them," he said.
Related: These are the victims of the Stoneman Douglas shooting
School officials are working with students who don't want to return to Stoneman Douglas, arranging for them to transfer.
Superintendent Robert Runcie said officials will be accommodating and take measures like adding counselors and service dogs in classrooms.
GRANTS PASS, Ore. (AP) - A confirmed case of dog flu has been reported in Grants Pass.
The Daily Courier reports that this is Oregon's first confirmed case this winter. Dr. Randy Webster, a Grants Pass veterinarian, says it's highly contagious, and can run through a kennel like the human flu runs through a kindergarten class.
Symptoms include lethargy, nasal discharge, fever and coughing. The worst cases can lead to pneumonia and death.
The flu likely arrived from California, which recently went from having two confirmed cases of canine influenza, to 300.
Dr. Margaret Forsberg, a veterinarian at Valley Animal Hospital, recommends that owners get their dogs vaccinated soon, since it takes a few weeks for the vaccine to take effect.
ARLINGTON, Texas-- One Central Point teen is competing against the pros in the one of the biggest rodeos in the world, almost two thousand miles away. 18- year-old Makaela Memmott has the chance to win $1 million at the American rodeo in Texas. She said if she wins, it's all going back to who helped her get there---her horse, Cash Gato Boogie or Boogie, for short. This is the second time the duo has qualified for this race. The first time was three years ago, when she was only 15 years old.
"We were a lot less experienced than we are now so we kinda got here and there were millions of dollars of trailers and trucks in the parking lot and then you're running against the best horses and riders in the country. We kind of psyched ourselves out last time we were here. This year I just try not to think about it and try to do my own thing," Makaela said.
Now that they are competing back there again, makaela knows what to expect. Her biggest fan, Makaelas mom, Darla Memmott, knows she has what it takes to bring that one million dollar cash prize home.
"I knew that they could do it again. I just knew that they had it. Makaela's got a lot of go. Makaela is just very dedicated and just making it this far is pretty amazing because you're up against the toughest girls in the country and for her to make it that far, it makes it emotional. It's great," Darla Memmott said holding back tears.
Makaela agrees with her mom. She said she's just excited to be here again.
"I don't know it's been a really cool experience. I knew my horse had what it takes to go it. We've worked really hard for it so I'm just really glad to be here," Makaela added.
Darla Memmott said she doesnt care if her daughter wins or loses. She just wants Makaela to have fun and be proud of how far shes made it.
NEWBERG, Ore. (AP) - A search and rescue dog with Mountain Wave Search and Rescue fell 30 feet off a cliff while on a hike with her handler and survived.
KPTV reports Friday that Opal, a yellow Labrador, has multiple fractures in her paws after falling on a trail above Siletz Bay earlier in the week.
She was hiking with her handler, Barbara Linder, when she ran ahead and took a leap and landed far below the trail on sharp rocks.
The vet says it's amazing the 4-year-old dog wasn't injured more severely and credits her fitness from working as a search and rescue dog.
Opal will need six to 12 months of rehabilitation before she can work again.
The dog has been volunteering with Mountain Wave since 2014.
A GoFundMe has been set up for Opal. If you would like to donate, click here.
BETTENDORF, Iowa (AP) A Bettendorf counselor accused of kissing and touching a patient against the woman's wishes has pleaded guilty.
Court records say Aracely Schutters' plea was filed Tuesday to misdemeanor sexual exploitation by a counselor or therapist. The original charge was a felony. A plea agreement says Schutters will pay a fine of $625 and be sentenced to two years of probation.
Schutters' sentencing has been scheduled for March 23.
An arrest affidavit says the incident happened Dec. 4 when Schutters invited the patient to her home to talk about the patient's problems. The patient reported getting into Schutters' hot tub, where the counselor reportedly kissed and touched the patient. The patient then got out of the hot tub and left Schutters' home. The patient reported the incident two days later.
FRANKLIN COUNTY, Iowa - A mistrial has been declared in Doug Lindamans Floyd County sexual abuse trial after a witness talked about Lindamans criminal history.
The mistrial was declared Friday for Lindaman, who is on trial for sexually abusing a 17-year-old boy in 2011, the Floyd County Attorney said.
A new trial date has not been set.
Lindaman was found guilty in April of 2016 for sexual abuse of a boy and was later sentenced to 10 years in prison.
However, the Iowa Supreme Court reversed the conviction of the 61-year-old man because he was allowed to represent himself at his trial without knowingly waving his right to have an attorney. It was then determined a new trial was needed.
FOREST CITY, Iowa A young man from Kansas is charged with 3rd degree sexual abuse in North Iowa.
18-year-old Sean Patrick Perkins of Olathe, KS was arrested Saturday in Kansas on an outstanding warrant out of Winnebago County. According to a criminal complaint filed February 5, Perkins is accused of entering a womans dorm room around 1 am on November 12, 2017 and having sex with her against her will.
The criminal complaint states the woman says she repeatedly told Perkins she didnt want to have sex and that Perkins apologized the next day and told the woman she needed to keep quiet about what happened.
Waldorf University has confirmed that Perkins was attending school there in the fall of 2017 but states he is no longer a Waldorf student.
MASON CITY, Iowa A late-nigh pursuit in through the east side of Mason City left one in custody for drug and driving charges.
Dean Miller, 47, of Mason City, is facing charges for possession of a controlled substance, eluding law enforcement and driving with a suspended license after leading authorities on a pursuit that began at 4th St. and S. California Ave.
The Cerro Gordo County Sheriffs Office says a deputy attempted to stop Miller for driving with a suspended license when he refused to stop. The pursuit continued through a number of streets on the east side of Mason City, and speeds did not exceed the speed limit by more than 5-10 miles per hour.
There were no injuries and there were no vehicles damaged.
The pursuit ended behind a residence in the 300 block of 8th St. SE where Miller was apprehended without incident.
ROCHESTER, Minn. Two people went to the hospital Monday morning after a three-vehicle accident on Highway 52.
The Minnesota State Patrol says it happened just before 10 am and just south of 37th Street NW. An SUV had run out of gas and stopped on the southbound ramp from 37th Street to Highway 52. As traffic slowed for the obstruction, 25-year-old Taylor Marion Hoeft of Rochester hit the car driven by 26-year-old Yessica Monserath De Luna Gonzalex of Rochester and then struck another car driven by 39-year-old Jamie Lynn Pater of Dodge Center.
Pater and Gonzales were taken to St. Marys Hospital for treatment of what are described as non-life threatening injuries. The State Patrol says all three drivers were wearing their seat belts.
Rochester police and fire, MnDOT, and Gold Cross Ambulance assisted at the scene.
MASON CITY, Iowa - Police responded to the Mason City High School at 12:30 p.m. Monday on a report of a social media threat of violence that was to happen at an afternoon pep rally, the disrtict said.
That is something that didn't surpise some like Kelsae Sage and Brianna Knapp of Forest City.
"I'm honestly not shocked," Knapp said. "Because of how it's going in the media."
"It's all talk no walk," said Sage. They're just trying to copy cat and make an uproar in our communities."
After investigating, police supported the school's decision to have the pep rally as planned but with the presence of law enforcement, and though authorities did not find any weapons, Knapp says this hits close to home.
"Why do you feel the need to bring a gun to school?" she asked.
The school district issued the following statement.
"MCCSD is grateful for the continuing collaboration with the MCPD in keeping our schools safe. The additional police presence at today's pep rally insured a safe and successful event for our students."
The investigation is still ongoing in this threat at the school, but Sage and Knapp say action needs to be taken to keep the kids safe.
"I think the teachers should be armed," Sage said. "Even self-defense of any sort. If you're going to to block any kind of threat toward a child you should know how to get the weapon away from the perpetrator."
Classes will go on as scheduled Tuesday but there will be a police presence at the beginning of the day.
MCPD continues to investigate and welcome any information about this incident.
This was the second threat directed at the school in less than a week. Last week, a juvenile was detained after making a threat about bringing a weapon to school.
If you have information, you are asked to call the Mason City Police Department, 641-421-3636, and ask for Criminal Investigation Division Lieutenant Rich Jensen.
HANOI, Feb 26 (Reuters) - Following is a snapshot of Vietnamese dong exchange rates in the official and unofficial markets, indicative SJC gold prices in Hanoi and interbank offered rates at 0426 GMT.
February 26 USD/VND mid-point 22,448 USD/VND interbank 22,742/22,744 USD/VND unofficial 22,750/22,770 SJC gold (mln dong/tael) 36.80/36.96
Interbank offered rates Overnight 1.5-2.3
1 week 2.0-2.5
1 month 2.9-3.5
3 months 3.3-4.2
NOTES: As of Jan. 4, 2016 the State Bank of Vietnam has begun setting the mid-point rate on daily basis, allowing dollar/dong transactions to move in a band of +/- 3 percent around the mid point. The dong's exchange rate against other currencies is not restricted by a band. Interbank offered rates are the latest indicative bid/ask prices, quoted from market sources.
One tael is equivalent to 37.5 grams or 1.21 troy ounces. SJC gold prices are quoted by state-owned Saigon Jewelry Co.
For more interbank rate fixings released at 0400 GMT, click on .
For Vietnam market overview click on: Vietnam's bonds market auctions: Bonds auction results: (Compiled by Hanoi Newsroom; Editing by Biju Dwarakanath)
By Arno Schuetze
FRANKFURT/ZURICH, Feb 26 (Reuters) - Ceva Logistics aims to list on the stock exchange before the European summer as its private equity owner Apollo hopes to take advantage of buoyant stock market valuations, people close to the matter said.
Apollo is working with Rothschild as advisor and has mandated Morgan Stanley and Credit Suisse to act as global coordinators for the planned initial public offering (IPO), which may value Ceva Logistics at around $3 billion including debt, the sources said.
Apollo, Ceva Logistics and the banks declined to comment.
Apollo acquired Ceva Logistics, formerly TNT Logistics, from Dutch postal and telecommunications company KPN in 2006, and later merged it with U.S. peer EGL.
Last year, Ceva Logistics posted adjusted earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation of $280 million on revenues of $7 billion.
Peers such as Kuehne und Nagel or DSV trade at 15 to 17 their expected core earnings. But one of the sources said that highly-leveraged Ceva Logistics will likely only reap a valuation including debt of about 10 to 12 times expected 2018 core earnings of just below $300 million.
Ceva Logistics is expected to use some of the proceeds from the IPO - which may take place in Zurich - to pay down debt, which stood at $2.1 billion at the end of 2017.
Last year, a sale of Ceva Logistics to France's Geodis for an estimated $2.8 billion failed after months of negotiations, sources familiar with the matter have said.
Ceva Logistics employs 40,000 staff and books roughly half of its business in contract logistics, with freight management accounting for the rest.
Netherlands-based Ceva would join an increasingly crowded European market for initial public offerings, which includes Siemens' Healthineers unit, Deutsche Bank's DWS float as well as the listings of Gategroup and Swissport in Switzerland. (Additional reporting by Oliver Hirt; Editing by Maria Sheahan)
AMSTERDAM, Feb 26 (Reuters) - Dutch wholesaler B&S Group on Monday said it expects to float around 33 percent of its shares at its initial public offering of shares announced earlier. Founder Willem Blijdorp will hold on to at least 51 percent of the shares, CFO Gert van Laar told reporters, while Chief Executive Bert Meulman will hold a stake of at least 16 percent after the flotation.
(Reporting by Toby Sterling, editing by Louise Heavens)
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are those of the author and may not reflect those of Kitco Metals Inc. The author has made every effort to ensure accuracy of information provided; however, neither Kitco Metals Inc. nor the author can guarantee such accuracy. This article is strictly for informational purposes only. It is not a solicitation to make any exchange in commodities, securities or other financial instruments. Kitco Metals Inc. and the author of this article do not accept culpability for losses and/ or damages arising from the use of this publication.
RIO DE JANEIRO, Feb 26 (Reuters) - Chilean equities led losses across the region on Monday, with the nation's blue-chip IPSA index falling over 1 percent largely due to share price declines in the country's lithium and forestry sectors.
Shares in Sociedad Quimica y Minera de Chile SA (SQM) , which has attracted investor interest due to increasing demand for lithium from electric car makers, fell almost 8 percent, leading losses on the index after analysts at Morgan Stanley cut their rating on the stock to "underweight" from "equal-weight." Shares in Sociedad de Inversiones Oro Blanco SA , an investment vehicle with an indirect stake in SQM, followed as the second-biggest loser, its shares falling almost 5 percent.
In the Morgan Stanley note, analysts wrote that they expect prices for lithium to peak in 2018, before falling 45 percent by 2021, as demand growth falls far short of what is needed to absorb growing supply. Stocks in Chile's forestry sector also fell. Shares in forestry firm Empresas CMPC SA and Empresas Copec SA , which operates in forestry through subsidiary Arauco, both slid between 2 and 3 percent, due to what traders described as profit taking in the sector.
Overall, the IPSA had fallen 1.15 percent in afternoon trade.
Elsewhere in Latin America, Mexico's IPC equities index also fell on Monday, as companies reported generally unimpressive earnings figures, while December retail sales fell 0.5 percent from the previous month. "The Q4 corporate earnings reports weren't a positive catalyst for the stock market," Santander analysts wrote in a note.
Traders were also cautious as the seventh round of North American Free Trade Agreement negotiations open in Mexico City, amid continued tough talk from U.S. President Donald Trump and little hope of a breakthrough among negotiators. The IPC had fallen 0.54 percent in morning trade.
Key Latin American stock indexes and currencies at 1638 GMT:
Stock indexes daily % YTD %
Latest change change MSCI Emerging Markets 1221,01 0,38 5 MSCI LatAm 3163,00 0,03 11,8 Brazil Bovespa 87647,26 0,41 14,72 Mexico IPC 48380,11 -0,54 -1,97 Chile IPSA 5676,67 -1,15 2,01 Chile IGPA 28509,29 -0,95 1,89 Argentina MerVal 32712,28 -0,09 8,80 Colombia IGBC 11876,96 -0,2 4,45 Venezuela IBC 5079,10 -1,87 -83,98 Currencies daily % YTD %
change change
Latest Brazil real 3,2356 0,15 2,40
Mexico peso 18,6400 -0,53 5,68 Chile peso 587 0,73 4,71
Colombia peso 2846,77 -0,10 4,75 Peru sol 3,247 0,09 -0,31
Argentina peso 20,0400 -0,30 -7,19 (interbank) Argentina peso 20,2 -0,50 -4,80 (parallel) (Reporting by Gram Slattery and Felipe Iturrieta; Editing by Susan Thomas)
LONDON, Feb 26 (Reuters) - Goldman Sachs-backed payments company Circle has acquired U.S. cryptocurrency exchange Poloniex, Circle said on Monday, in an effort to cement its position as one of the leading companies in the world of blockchain technology.
"We're proud to announce that Circle has extended its commitment to a new vision for global finance by acquiring Poloniex, a leading token exchange platform," founders Sean Neville and Jeremy Allaire wrote in a post on the company's website.
Boston-based Circle operates its app-based peer-to-peer payment network using blockchain, the technology which first emerged as the system underpinning cryptocurrency bitcoin. It is also one of the leading players in the over-the-counter market for bitcoin trading.
One of the most well-funded blockchain startups, its investors include Goldman Sachs Group Inc and Baidu Inc .
Poloniex is one of the biggest global marketplaces for digital currencies and tokens.
(Reporting by Jemima Kelly, Editing by Abhinav Ramnarayan)
DUBAI, Feb 26 (Reuters) - Gulf stock markets have few catalysts on Monday but news of board changes at GFH Financial , one of Dubai's most active stocks, may trigger activity in that market.
MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan is up 0.6 percent but Brent oil futures are almost unchanged at $67.29 a barrel. GFH said in a brief statement that Jassim Alseddiqi, chief executive of Abu Dhabi Financial Group (ADFG), had been elected chairman of its board, amid a restructuring of board committees. Under a management restructuring plan, chief financial officer Chandan Gupta is resigning.
The company did not explain the changes but they could point to closer cooperation between GFH and ADFG, which owns nearly half of Shuaa Capital . GFH and Shuaa held merger discussions last year but the talks were called off in June.
(Reporting by Andrew Torchia)
MANILA, Feb 26 (Reuters) - The Philippines' Bureau of the Treasury rejected all bids for T-bills at an auction on Monday as rates came in higher than expected. The 91-day paper attracted total tenders of 13.328 billion pesos ($257 million) against the government's offer of 9 billion pesos. However, the 182-day and 364-day papers were undersubscribed with tenders of 3.81 billion pesos and 4.19 billion pesos, below the offers of 6 billion pesos and 5 billion pesos, respectively.
(Reporting by Enrico dela Cruz; Editing by Sunil Nair)
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are those of the author and may not reflect those of Kitco Metals Inc. The author has made every effort to ensure accuracy of information provided; however, neither Kitco Metals Inc. nor the author can guarantee such accuracy. This article is strictly for informational purposes only. It is not a solicitation to make any exchange in commodities, securities or other financial instruments. Kitco Metals Inc. and the author of this article do not accept culpability for losses and/ or damages arising from the use of this publication.
BUCHAREST, Feb 26 (Reuters) - Here are news stories, press reports and events to watch which may affect Romanian financial markets on Monday.
BUDGET DEFICIT
Romania's finance ministry may release consolidated budget data for January.
DEBT TENDER
Romanian debt managers tender 200 million lei ($52.97 million) worth of July 2027 treasury bonds.
CORRUPTION
Thousands of people rallied in freezing weather across Romania on Sunday, protesting a government call to sack the country's chief anti-corruption prosecutor and demanding the resignation of the justice minister. OLTCHIM
Romanian chemicals producer Chimcomplex ROCHOB.BX plans to build on its acquisition of rival Oltchim to boost turnover to roughly 300 million euros ($369 million) by 2020, its board chairman Virgiliu Bancila said on Friday. MONEY SUPPLY
Romanian M3 money supply expanded by 12.9 percent on the year to 349.9 billion lei in January and edged down 0.2 percent on the month, central bank data showed on Friday. CEE MARKETS
Hungary's forint drifted near a two-month low on Friday as weakened risk appetite and a loose monetary policy outlook weighed on central Europe. EU LEADERS' SUMMIT
European Union leaders staked out opening positions on Friday for a battle over EU budgets that many conceded they are unlikely to resolve before Britain leaves next year, blowing a hole in Brussels' finances. SYRIA
German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Emmanuel Macron hoped world powers would agree a Syria ceasefire on Friday after they asked Russian President Vladimir Putin to back a corresponding U.N. Security Council resolution. FONDUL PROPRIETATEA
Romanian investment fund Fondul Proprietatea, managed by Franklin Templeton, said it would pay 1.12 billion lei ($296.66 million) to buy back 1.2 million shares and GDRs in a recently completed public tender with a settlement date for Feb. 28.
IMMIGRATION
Roughly 3.4 million Romanians left the country during 2007-2017, Luciana Lazarescu from the immigration integration research centre said citing U.N. data. Ziarul Financiar
For the long-term Romanian diary, click on For emerging markets economic events, click on For an index of all diaries, click on For other related news, double click on: --------------------------------------------------------------- Romanian equities RO-E E.Europe equities .CEE Romanian money RO-M Romanian debt RO-D Eastern Europe EEU All emerging markets EMRG Hot stocks HOT Stock markets STX Market debt news DBT Forex news FRX For real-time index quotes, double click on: Bucharest BETI Warsaw WIG20 Budapest BUX Prague PX ------------------------------------------------------------ ($1 = 3.7754 lei)
BUCHAREST, Feb 26 (Reuters) - Romania sold 511.3 million lei ($135.34 million) worth of July 2027 treasury bonds on Monday, more than double the planned amount, with the average accepted yield at 4.48 percent, central bank data showed. Debt managers, who had planned to sell 200 million lei, last auctioned the paper in January at an average yield of 4.25 percent. So far this year, the finance ministry has sold roughly 6.67 billion lei and 252 million euros worth of domestic debt, and has tapped 2.0 billion euros from foreign markets in 2028 and 2030 Eurobonds. Series: RO1227DBN011 Issue date 28/02/2018 10/01/2018 Auction date 26/02/2018 08/01/2018 Maturity 26/07/2027 26/07/2027 Avg.yield (pct) 4.48 4.25 Avg. accepted price 109.9518 111.9081 Highest accepted yield 4.48 4.26 Tail (highest yield minus 0.00 0.01 average yield) Total bids 686.3 mln lei 1.297 bln lei Allotted 511.3 mln lei 510 mln lei Bid-to-cover ratio 1.3 2.5 ($1 = 3.7778 lei)
(Reporting by Luiza Ilie)
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are those of the author and may not reflect those of Kitco Metals Inc. The author has made every effort to ensure accuracy of information provided; however, neither Kitco Metals Inc. nor the author can guarantee such accuracy. This article is strictly for informational purposes only. It is not a solicitation to make any exchange in commodities, securities or other financial instruments. Kitco Metals Inc. and the author of this article do not accept culpability for losses and/ or damages arising from the use of this publication.
CAPE TOWN, Feb 26 (Reuters) - Africa's largest bourse, the Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE), will begin listing "project bonds" from mid-March, an official said on Monday, giving institutional investors a window to invest in infrastructure projects.
The bonds will provide private firms a chance to get a foothold in infrastructure projects in Africa's most industrialised economy, where project financing has traditionally come from banks and government. "We launch Project Bonds in the second week of March," said spokeswoman Pheliswa Mayekiso, adding that details of the listing would be made public closer to the launch.
"Government and banks alone cannot fund South Africa's infrastructure programme," the Treasury said in a review of the 2018 budget released last week.
"These bonds will be underpinned by the cash flows of a ring-fenced project, such as infrastructure or energy projects," it said.
Capital markets have already reduced lending to some state-owned companies, such as sole power supplier, Eskom. South Africa plans to spend billions of dollars over the next three years to build and revamp roads, power stations and ports, government officials said.
(Reporting by Wendell Roelf; editing by James Macharia and Jason Neely)
(Adds Seadrill CEO, analyst, details)
By Nerijus Adomaitis
OSLO, Feb 26 (Reuters) - Shipping tycoon John Fredriksen has reached an agreement with a majority of creditors over a restructuring plan for oil rig firm Seadrill , according to U.S. court documents on Monday.
The company, once the world's largest offshore driller by market value, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection with debt and liabilities of over $10 billion last September after a sharp drop in oil prices in 2014 cut demand for rigs. "It's good for all parties that Seadrill comes out of an expensive and time-consuming process," said Frederik Lunde, head of research at brokerage Carnegie.
Under an amended plan, supported by 99 percent of its bank lenders and about 70 percent of unsecured creditors, including South Korean shipyards, the company will raise $1.08 billion in new capital via the issuance of new secured notes and equity.
Seadrill will issue $880 million in new secured notes, up from $860 million planned previously, and $200 million in new equity, the same level as previously planned. Unsecured bondholders which contested the original restructuring plan by Fredriksen and private equity firm Centerbridge Partners, will get a bigger stake in the company, one bondholder source told Reuters.
The unsecured creditors' stake in the new company will increase to 36.4 percent from an initial offer of around 19 percent, while the combined stake of Fredriksen's family investment vehicle Hemen and Centerbridge will be reduced to 36.4 percent from an original 49 percent, the source said.
It was not immediately clear what stake Hemen will have in the new company separately from Centerbridge, but under the deal, Hemen would be allowed to cut its stake to just 5 percent within three years if it wanted to do so, according to the court documents.
"We wanted this point to be included in the plan in order not to prohibit other companies from coming in and buying Seadrill's shares in the future, for example, another stronger industry player," the bondholder source said.
Hemen owned around 24 percent of Seadrill before the company filed for creditor protection to address more than $10 billion debts and liabilities, including $5.7 billion in bank loans and $2.3 billion in unsecured bonds.
Existing equity holders, including Hemen, will receive 1.9 percent stake in the new company, under the amended plan.
Seadrill shares were up 13 percent by 1256 GMT. It was the best performing stock of the Oslo benchmark index .
Seadrill said in the court documents it had also reached an agreement with South Korean Daewoo Shipbuilding&Marine Engineering (SHI) and Samsung Heavy Industries (DSME) over contracts for four newbuild drillships.
The previous claims from the two companies stood at around $1.7 billion.
The court will hold a hearing of the plan and accompanying documents later on Monday.
Seadrill proposed to hold a confirmation hearing on April 17 instead of an earlier date of March 26, the court documents showed.
(Additional reporting by Ole Petter Skonnord in Oslo and Christopher Spink in London, editing by Jane Merriman)
(Adds details on cobalt asset, cobalt market, paragraphs 3-5)
By Nicole Mordant
HOLLYWOOD, Fla., Feb 26 (Reuters) - Several parties are interested in buying Freeport-McMoRan Inc's cobalt project in the Democratic Republic of Congo but not at a price that would interest the miner and so it is not planning a sale, Freeport's chief executive officer said.
As a result, Freeport is looking at other options for the asset, including possibly a joint venture to develop the large cobalt project, CEO Richard Adkerson said.
Freeport last year tried to sell its cobalt assets, including the Kisanfu exploration project in Congo and the Kokkola cobalt refinery in Finland, to China Molybdenum Co Ltd , as part of its sale of a stake in its Tenke Fungurume copper mine in the Congo.
But the discussions on the cobalt assets ended without a deal in June. Prices for cobalt have soared more than 150 percent in the past year as the once obscure minor metal has become a critical and sought-after ingredient in rechargeable batteries for electric cars.
Speaking at a mining conference in Florida, Adkerson also said discussions between Freeport's joint venture partner at its Grasberg mine in Indonesia, Rio Tinto Plc , and the Indonesian government about a purchase of Rio's stake are expected to occur "in the very near term."
Freeport would not be involved in those discussions, he said.
The Indonesian government was doing a lot of work to prepare itself for negotiations with Rio, Adkerson said, including hiring technical experts and doing site visits.
On the outlook for the copper market, Adkerson said a global copper deficit was inevitable in the future due to underinvestment in new production combined with strong global growth. Freeport is the world's biggest publicly traded copper miner.
(Reporting by Nicole Mordant in Vancouver; Editing by Jonathan Oatis, Frances Kerry and David Gregorio)
(Adds details from Monday's court hearing in Houston, paragraphs 6-8; 16-17)
By Nerijus Adomaitis and Tom Hals
OSLO/WILMINGTON, Del., Feb 26 (Reuters) - Shipping tycoon John Fredriksen has reached an agreement with a majority of creditors over a restructuring plan for oil rig firm Seadrill Ltd , according to U.S. court documents on Monday.
The company, once the world's largest offshore driller by market value, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection with debt and liabilities of over $10 billion last September after a sharp drop in oil prices in 2014 cut demand for rigs. "It's good for all parties that Seadrill comes out of an expensive and time-consuming process," said Frederik Lunde, head of research at brokerage Carnegie.
Under an amended plan, supported by 99 percent of its bank lenders and about 70 percent of unsecured creditors, including South Korean shipyards, the company will raise $1.08 billion in new capital.
Seadrill will issue $880 million in new secured notes, up from $860 million planned previously, and $200 million in new equity, the same level as previously planned. Thomas Mayer, an attorney for the official committee of unsecured creditors, told a U.S. Bankruptcy Court hearing on Monday in Houston that unsecured creditors ended up with at least a 50 percent larger recovery under Monday's deal.
He said banks from the start had demanded Seadrill raise fresh capital, which promised investors lucrative returns.
"The whole case came down to who got to make the investment demanded by the banks," said Mayer, of the Kramer Levin Naftalis & Frankel law firm.
The unsecured creditors' stake in the new company will increase to 36.4 percent from an initial offer of around 19 percent, while the combined stake of Fredriksen's family investment vehicle Hemen and Centerbridge will be reduced to 36.4 percent from an original 49 percent, the source said.
It was not immediately clear what stake Hemen will have in the new company separately from Centerbridge, but under the deal, Hemen would be allowed to cut its stake to just 5 percent within three years if it wanted to do so, according to the court documents.
"We wanted this point to be included in the plan in order not to prohibit other companies from coming in and buying Seadrill's shares in the future, for example, another stronger industry player," the bondholder source said.
Hemen owned around 24 percent of Seadrill before the company filed for creditor protection to address more than $10 billion debts and liabilities, including $5.7 billion in bank loans and $2.3 billion in unsecured bonds.
Existing equity holders, including Hemen, will receive 1.9 percent stake in the new company, under the amended plan.
Seadrill shares were up 13 percent by 1256 GMT. It was the best performing stock of the Oslo benchmark index .
Seadrill said in the court documents it had also reached an agreement with South Korean Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering (SHI) and Samsung Heavy Industries (DSME) over contracts for four newbuild drillships.
Seadrill and two companies agreed they would have combined claims of $1.064 billion. A Seadrill attorney told Monday's hearing that the company is also trying to resolve the outstanding ship contracts and did not want to lose the vessels to a competitor.
Judge David Jones on Monday scheduled a hearing to confirm the Seadrill plan for April 17.
(Reporting by Nerijus Adomaitis in OSLO and Tom Hals in WILMINGTON, Del.,; additional reporting by Ole Petter Skonnord in OSLO and Christopher Spink in LONDON; editing by Jane Merriman and Grant McCool)
HOUSTON, Feb 26 (Reuters) - Venezuela's state-run oil company PDVSA has launched tenders to sell on the open market up to four cargoes of heavy crude for March delivery at its Jose and Puerto Miranda terminals, according to document seen by Reuters on Monday.
* The offers, which are unusual as PDVSA typically sells all its exports through long-term supply contracts, include two 600,000-barrel cargoes of Morichal 16 crude and two 200,000-barrel cargoes of Tia Juana Pesado (TJP) crude
* The Morichal 16 crude is for delivery March 1-23, and the TJP crude will be loaded on March 21-30
* Payment must be made in euros three days before the loading window, according to the tender's terms. The TJP crude must be exported to the U.S. West, East or Gulf Coasts, Northwest Europe or the Mediterranean. The Morichal crude can also be exported to Asia
* Bids will be accepted through Feb. 27, indexed to Brent crude front month prices
* PDVSA earlier this month offered to sell 2 million barrels of diluted crude oil (DCO), also for March delivery
(Reporting by Marianna Parraga; Editing by Susan Thomas)
Tokyo-headquartered bank adopts RPA technology
The Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi UFJ, a subsidiary of Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group (MUFG), has implemented software to automate its manual tasks. Kofax Kapow and Kofax TotalAgility will help power the banks digital transformation.
The bank will use Kapow and TotalAgility to replace manual legacy systems and automate more than 2,000 business processes across all functions, enabling employees to work more productively and to improve overall performance, Kofax reports.
Kofax Kapow is a robotic process automation (RPA) platform that automates business processes using smart software robots. Kofax TotalAgility is a unified digital transformation platform that digitizes critical touchpoints across customer journeys, such as onboarding new bank customers.
Hirofumi Aihara, general manager, Digital Transformation Division, MUFG, says, Thanks to Kofax, weve experienced the broad benefits of RPA in targeted areas of our business. We're now ready for this more comprehensive deployment that's sure to put us on the path to complete digital transformation by 2021.
The Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi UFJ cited Kofaxs ability to meet key objectives, its flexible licensing model and its centralized server deployment as reasons for its choice. The bank also sees potential in TotalAgility's optical character recognition and case management capabilities to work in tandem with Kapow.
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By Park Jin-hai
Actor Choi Il-hwa
President Moon Jae-in, center, attends the PyeongChang 2018 Winter Olympics closing ceremony, Sunday. U.S. President Donald Trump's daughter Ivanka Trump, front row left, and North Korean delegation leader Kim Yong-chol, back row right, also attended the ceremony. / Yonhap
By Choi Ha-young
Analysts here generally gave positive assessments on North Korea's softening stance toward talks with the United States, but remained cautious over the prospects for their talks.
On Sunday, Kim Yong-chol, head of the North Korean delegation, said the North is willing to have a dialogue with the United States. The move came amid much hope during the visit of Ivanka Trump, daughter and adviser to U.S. President Donald Trump, along with Allison Hooker, a National Security Council official who previously met Kim.
Park Won-gon, an international relations professor at Handong Global University, said Kim's remark is "the most forward-looking" one ever released. "So far, the North has sternly refused to talk with the U.S. The possibility of Washington-Pyongyang dialogue is higher than before," Park said.
The change is against the backdrop of increasing economic hardships caused by international sanctions, experts said. In addition, the North's nuclear and missile capacity has reached its limit.
"The latest nuclear test was successful, but re-entry technology of its intercontinental ballistic missiles is questionable. That's why the North hastily declared it mastered the nuclear technology late last year, in an apparent bid to shift to dialogue," said Cho Han-bum, senior research fellow from the Korea Institute for National Unification.
Still, the outlook is not so rosy for the denuclearization of North Korea the ultimate goal of the U.S. "North Korea didn't develop the nuclear weapons aiming to be denuclearized," said Koh Yu-hwan, who teaches North Korean studies at Dongguk University.
"The North will negotiate to gain recognition for its nuclear weapons, attaching conditions like no mass production or no more ICBM test-launches. The key of possible U.S.-North Korea dialogue is how to narrow the gap between the U.S. call for complete denuclearization and North Korea's efforts for a partial nuclear freeze."
As the mood for the talks matures, the U.S. will maximize its pressure against the North, as seen by the U.S. administration's renewal of sanctions against the North. "The U.S. position and our joint position of maximum pressure with our South Korean partners is very important," Ivanka Trump said in an interview with NBC, Monday.
"Therefore, the U.S. will revive the combined military exercises as originally planned," Cho said. However, it is unlikely the North will test-fire an ICBM or carry out nuclear tests in protest of the exercises, since it will bring stronger sanctions on the isolated country.
For a while, the two countries will explore each other through direct or indirect contact. "The North will wonder what it will be able to receive from the U.S., in exchange for nuclear renunciation," said Cheong Seong-chang, a senior research fellow at the Sejong Institute.
A hurdle for the talks is the Trump administration's intensive criticism on North Korea's human rights, Cheong said. The U.S. president met with North Korean defectors, while Vice President Mike Pence visited the Cheonan Memorial on the sidelines of his visit to the PyeongChang Winter Olympics.
"The North might be bewildered by the moves of the U.S.," Cheong said. "The South's Moon administration can mediate disputes between the two, as it has done so far."
Syrian refugees who depart from Turkish shores land on the Greek island of Lesbos in September 2015. As of April 2017, 1,273 Syrians have sought asylum in South Korea, according to local civic organization the Center for Refugee Rights in South Korea (NANCEN), but most of them end up becoming humanitarian status holders instead of gaining refugee status. / Yonhap
By Choi Ha-young
The picture of Alan Kurdi, a three-year-old Syrian child who drowned to death near Turkish shores in 2015, drew attention in faraway Korea. South Korea enacted its refugee law in 2013, for the first time among Asian countries. However, refugees seeking asylum here should reconsider it, Ali, an alias, a refugee from Iran said in a report recently issued by the Korean Institute of Criminology (KIC).
"One of my colleagues, who campaigned in Iran with me, smoothly got the refugee status in the United Kingdom in 1998 only one year after he applied for it in 1997. Before I managed to get it in 2014, I was rejected once and I had to stay here as an illegal immigrant. Then I was detained for a year in a foreigner detention center while retrying the application. I also underwent three litigations," he was quoted as saying.
A refugee applicant contacted by The Korea Times repeatedly said "It was difficult." The 31-year-old from an African country, who requested anonymity since he is under trial, fled oppression of sexual minorities and arrived at Incheon International Airport Feb. 11, 2015.
"Until March 9, 2015, I was detained in a repatriation center at the airport, where so many people were staying in the same room. Luckily, I met lawyer Lee Il and thanks to his help I could enter Korea," he told The Korea Times.
According to Lee, who works for nonprofit public interest law firm APIL, the applicant is among the luckiest. The refugee law does not provide a process to raise an objection. If they give up an administrative lawsuit, they are forcibly repatriated.
"My life was in danger in the country where I am from. The society and the government were against the LGBT community," the refugee applicant said. "I am very scared to return there. I can never imagine (the situation)."
Entering Korea was just the beginning of his hardship. Even though he "submitted everything possible," his applications have been rejected over and over. Then, he filed an administrative litigation and now he is waiting for a final court ruling. For the past three years, he worked in "very dangerous, dirty and hot factories" to make a living. Asked about his plan if he loses the trial, he said he will "again apply for the refugee status."
Experts said such a "vicious circle" results in overall degradation of the refugee determination process. A number of cases are reapplied to the Ministry of Justice. Judges who are required to review their applications are overworked, which means they don't have enough time to look into each case this explains why the 31-year-old refugee kept being rejected.
As a result, only 121 out of 9,942 applicants gained refugee status in 2017, or 1.21 percent, lower than 1.29 percent in 2016 and 1.83 percent in 2015, according to the ministry's data obtained through Rep. Hong Il-pyo of the Liberty Korea Party.
Structural problems
What make things tricky are deep-rooted structural problems of the determination process. Those who want to stay here as refugees should apply for the status through local immigration offices under the justice ministry.
The first problem they face is language barrier. At the Seoul Immigration Office, there are only two translators one for Arabic and one for English which means those from China or Southeast Asian countries must hire private translators.
Recording of face-to-face interviews is another controversial issue. Video recording of interviews is necessary to prevent clumsy translation and distortion, but the ministry has not fully equipped its recording facilities, according to the data obtained through Rep. Hong. At the local immigration offices throughout the nation, there are only 20 recording facilities. "We are planning to purchase upgraded facilities within February, since existing ones keep breaking down," the ministry said in the document.
Kim Dae-keun, a research fellow of the KIC, emphasized the importance of the first interview. "If officials fail to figure out the applicants' narratives to justify their refugee status, the applicants rarely have a chance to reverse the decision," Kim said.
The biggest hurdle for each judge is lack of information about the countries where the applicants are from, said Kim, who wrote the report published by the KIC. For example, a judge should grasp comprehensive dynamics of internal disturbance in a country power structure, dictatorship, ruling tribe, biased media and gender issues. "Google research is never enough," Kim said. "The ministry should build an archive to follow up disturbances that cause refugees."
Language becomes a problem again for applicants when their refugee status is dismissed. The notification is only translated to English. Many refugees do not understand why they are rejected, which renders them to appeal the decision. Then, cases are designated to a "Refugee Committee" under the ministry.
The problem is the committee only meets once every two months. "I agree government officials at the committee work very hard. But it impossible to handle the appeal cases meticulously," Lee said.
Therefore, the committee officials tend to only review the interview materials produced in the first screening process. The applicants are not requested to do additional interviews, and this is not so different if they protest the committee's decision and choose to file an administrative litigation.
Real refugees?
The ministry and civic activists have fundamental different approaches to the refugee issue. As seen in ministry officials' media interviews and their presentations in conferences, they use the term "real refugee," implying many refugee applicants flocking to South Korea are "fake refugees."
"Compared to European countries, those coming to Korea apply for the refugee status citing private disputes in their countries, such as debts, conflict within family, disputes over inheritance," the ministry spokesperson said in an email interview.
This is true, several reports show. Last December, the Jeju District Court sentenced two "refugee brokers" to one year and 10 months respectively, for illegally arranging refugee applications for Chinese. They could extend their stay on the island, since refugee applicants are entitled to do so.
Lee, who has long advocated for refugees, said that's not all though. "Surely, there are some people without proper reason for application. Still, a 1 percent approval rate is too low," Lee said. The lawyer views some "private reasons" could be enough for recognition as a refugee.
"For example, domestic violence could be a reason for application, if the crime goes unpunished in the country. Those who suffer oppression due to their gender or sexual identity are rarely accepted as refugees as well," Lee said.
In January, the Supreme Court ruled against a bisexual refugee from Uganda. The Ugandan filed an administrative lawsuit against Seoul Immigration Office's refusal of her refugee status, but the court said her testimony "lacks credibility."
"Sexual minority refugees are forced to testify their most private things including their experience of having sex. Among numerous questions, the authorities take issue with contradictions in peripheral remarks," Lee Na-ra, activist for LGBT Human Rights of Korea, wrote in her column, Jan. 15.
A refugee family from Syria, who arrived in South Korea through Europe, waits for entrance approval from the Ministry of Justice at Incheon International Airport in November 2015. Since the start of the civil war, as many as 11 million Syrians are estimated to have fled their homes. / Korea Times photo by Hong In-ki
Ivanka Trump / Yonhap
Ivanka Trump, the daughter of U.S. President Donald Trump, said Monday that she had a "wonderful" first visit to South Korea and hopes to visit the country again in the near future.
Ivanka, an advisor to the president, made the remarks as she was preparing to board a plane back to the United States at Incheon International Airport, west of Seoul, wrapping up her four-day trip here for the Winter Olympics closing ceremony.
"It was a wonderful first visit and just exciting and beautiful," she told reporters. "I look forward to returning back. Thanks for the warm hospitality."
She didn't say anything in response to a question about North Korea saying it is willing to talk to the U.S.
Ivanka's trip to South Korea had raised speculation about possible direct dialogue between the U.S. and North Korea, as both sent delegations to attend the closing ceremony held on Sunday.
The U.S. delegation included National Security Council (NSC) director for Korea Allison Hooker. The North Koreans included Choe Kang-il, a senior North Korean diplomat handling affairs with the United States.
Hooker was seen accompanying Ivanka Trump at the airport. A U.S. embassy official said that all the delegates, including the NSC director, seem to be leaving on the same day.
On Sunday, Kim Yong-chol, the high-ranking official leading the North Korean delegation, which is here until Tuesday, told South Korean President Moon Jae-in that Pyongyang has "enough" willingness to begin dialogue with Washington, according to Seoul's presidential office.
The White House said later that it "will see" if North Korea's willingness to hold talks represents a commitment to abandon its nuclear weapons program. (Yonhap)
A priest at the Catholic Diocese of Suwon, who is only identified by his surname Han, is accused of attempting to rape a female volunteer worker multiple times during his stay in South Sudan in 2011. / Captured from KBS TV
A group of progressive South Korean Catholic priests has issued an apology after a former member was accused of attempted rape seven years ago in South Sudan.
A priest at the Catholic Diocese of Suwon, who is only identified by his surname Han, is accused of attempting to rape a female volunteer worker multiple times during his stay in South Sudan in 2011. The alleged victim, Kim Min-kyung, a Catholic who was then in South Sudan with Han for missionary work, publicly shared her experience through a KBS news report last week.
"As I walked out of the dining area, he tried to rape me after locking the door," Kim told KBS. "With my wrists retrained, I resisted and even got a black eye in the process."
The diocese has announced that Han admitted to most of the charges. The priest has been suspended from his duties.
On Sunday, the Catholic Priests Association for Justice (CPAJ) issued a statement saying, "We deeply repent for the wretched actions of Rev. Han." Han quit CPAJ in light of the alleged crime.
"We accept his violent actions, which has darkened the human spirit, as something our group should jointly be held accountable for," CPAJ said. "We ask for forgiveness from the victim, who has gone through her hidden pain for a long period of time."
CPAJ has been a cornerstone of the pro-democracy movement in South Korea. It played a key role in resistance against the former military-backed authoritarian regimes of Park Chung-hee and Chun Doo-hwan.
The Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency, meanwhile, is looking into a separate sexual harassment allegation involving a senior member of the Catholic Human Rights Committee.
A priest with a managerial role on the committee, whose name was withheld, is accused of sexually harassing a female activist in 2014. The alleged victim wrote on her social media that the suspected offender apologized but later spread rumors that it was done by mutual consent. She also claimed that her fellow activists ignored her plea for help. (Yonhap)
Police investigate a site in Seodaemoon district, Seoul, where a man, 50, set himself on fire, Feb 12. /Korea Times photo by Lee Suh-yoon
By Cho Se-yong, Park Si-soo
Fire broke out at South Korea's biggest protestant church on Sunday, forcing hundreds of churchgoers to flee. The fire was extinguished in 25 minutes and there were no reports of injuries.
The cause is unknown, with authorities examining all possibilities, including arson.
The fire was first detected at 7:50 p.m. near the stairs on the fifth floor of the Yeoido's Full Gospel Church where witnesses said wooden material was piled up.
By John Redmond
Teach North Korean Refugees (TNKR) held its seventh English speech contest at State Tower in Seoul, Saturday.
In 10 minutes or less, participants had to speak about people they knew in North Korea, or met while escaping through or living in China, or special people they have met as they settled down here or elsewhere.
Themed "My Little Big Heroes," the contest saw seven participants five female and two male speaking passionately of loved ones, teachers and mentors.
Many spoke of harsh conditions and sacrifices by parents and grandparents to ensure their safety.
One speaker, who cannot be named, said she had never seen her parents.
"Do you know what it's like growing up not knowing what your parents look like?" she asked.
Others detailed life in China using forged documents to avoid arrest.
"I had to obtain forged documents it was the only way to get decent work," another speaker said.
Top prize winner Kim Jin-mi spoke on her sister's insistence on her completing school and her sister's last words to her.
"My sister said at least one of us will have an education and be successful," she said.
She added she could not reveal her sister's name because she had been arrested in Myanmar while trying to flee North Korea.
"I haven't spoken to my sister in seven years," Kim said.
My final words to her before I fled to China were, Goodbye, see you soon.'"
Punishment for being arrested in a third country is harsher, because the crime is considered to be political.
Her sister was sentenced to 10 years in a political prison.
In his opening statement, TNKR co-founder Casey Lartigue Jr. addressed the difficulties of speaking in a second, possibly third, language in front of about 200 English native speakers.
"This is not an easy task. These people have overcome great hardship to present their stories to you," he said.
The English speech event was held at Shin & Kim law firm in Myeong-dong. The law firm and The Korea Times sponsored the event.
TNKR, a Seoul-based NGO, provides free English language lessons for North Korean refugees. It has connected more than 300 North Korean refugees with more than 620 volunteer tutors.
Lartigue and Lee Eun-koo founded the group in 2013.
Its emphasis is on English education because it is the international language of business and education.
Many contestants did not allow their pictures to be taken due to safety concerns for themselves and family still in North Korea. They also refused to reveal their full names.
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Kim Young-chae, South Korea's new ambassador to ASEAN
New ambassador vows to strengthen bilateral alliance
By Kim Jae-kyoung
South Korea will step up efforts to play a key role in the process of integrating the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), said Kim Young-chae, South Korea's new ambassador to ASEAN.
He said Korea's rich experience and expertise in economic development will be needed in community-building of the 10-member group.
"One of Korea's policy initiatives toward ASEAN is to contribute and assist the community-building process," Kim said in a recent interview.
Based in Jakarta, Indonesia, Kim believes Korea and ASEAN can be close strategic partners because Korea has rich experience and capital, while ASEAN has high growth potential with vast markets.
"Korea regards highly ASEAN's efforts to build a regional community at a time that regionalism is under scrutiny," he said.
"To maintain unity is crucial to ASEAN, and Korea needs ASEAN in order to punch above its weight. Even though Korea's resources are limited, Korea's expertise combined with the size of ASEAN can play a truly meaningful role in regional peace and development."
The Korean government is considering many win-win strategies and programs in order to flesh out Korean President Moon Jae-in's policy initiatives, including a cross-sector task force.
During his visit to Indonesia in November, Moon unveiled his "New Southern Policy" based on the 3P approach cooperation on people,' prosperity' and peace,' to pursue a more comprehensive alliance with ASEAN.
"It is lucky ASEAN and Korea do not have any contentious issues such as historical baggage or territorial disputes," he said.
Against this backdrop, Kim, who took office in January, plans to focus on strengthening cooperation with ASEAN by promoting trade and personnel exchanges.
"First of all, I would like to keep up the momentum of enhanced cooperation between Korea and ASEAN," he said.
"As Korea and ASEAN will be celebrating their 30th anniversary in 2019 of working together, it will be an excellent opportunity to enhance mutual cooperation on the right path to success."
Currently, ASEAN is Korea's second-largest trading partner, investment target and overseas construction market and has the most popular tourist destinations.
With a combined GDP of over $2.8 trillion, the ASEAN economy is the fifth-largest in the world and the third-largest in Asia. Its population is also the third-largest in the world with 640 million people.
"To realize the targets of $200 billion in trade and 10 million tourists by 2020 is the Korean government's ambitious but achievable goals," Kim said.
He also plans to seek ways to better use Korea's various financial assistance mechanisms for ASEAN, citing President Moon's announcement last year to expand the ASEAN-Korea Cooperation Fund and the Mekong Fund.
Moon promised to increase the ASEAN-Korea Cooperation Fund to $14 million and triple the current size of the Mekong Fund.
"It is an important task to find better ways and means so these mechanisms contribute to the betterment of the ASEAN people," he said.
Kim also expressed his intention to contribute to the strengthening of the ASEAN Secretariat's capacity as it is the main contact point in implementing Korea's various projects.
"I believe it is imperative for the Secretariat to take more roles and responsibilities in order to realize the vision of three ASEAN Communities Politico-Security, Economic, and Socio-Cultural Communities," he said.
Mutual exchanges
In order to keep Korea-ASEAN relations sustainable, it is important to ensure mutual exchanges between ASEAN and Korea.
The veteran diplomat, who previously served as Korean Ambassador to Libya, is well aware of the importance of Koreans learning more about ASEAN and its cultures.
"Considering the trend that more and more Koreans appreciate the similarities between the two cultures and at the same time recognize their differences, our understanding of ASEAN's diverse heritages and cultures will be matured in the coming years," he said.
He pointed out the inauguration of the ASEAN Culture House in Busan last year has been highly appreciated by ASEAN.
"It will play a significant role to improve our awareness of ASEAN while the ASEAN-Korea Centre in Seoul will promote trade and investment, as well as culture and tourism," he said.
He expects that Korea's multicultural families originated from ASEAN can help ensure sustainable relationships between Korea and ASEAN.
"The more we appreciate our multicultural families from ASEAN, the stronger bond we can build between Korea and ASEAN," he said.
ASEAN and North Korea
Kim thinks ASEAN can play an important role in addressing the North Korean nuclear issue and securing stability on the Korean Peninsula.
Most ASEAN member states have maintained diplomatic relations with North Korea, and both South and North Korea are members of the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF).
"ASEAN has consistently shown its willingness to play a constructive or facilitating role in peacefully resolving the North Korean nuclear issue," he said.
"When we look at its recent statements on the North Korean issue, we can clearly see ASEAN is seriously concerned with North Korea's nuclear and missile tests."
Kim said Korea and ASEAN share a goal of maintaining and promoting peace and stability in the region and beyond.
He explains given Korea's export-oriented economy and heavy reliance on foreign energy sources, it is crucial to maintain peace and stability in the ASEAN region, while peace and stability in Northeast Asia is important to ASEAN.
"This is the very foundation that Korea can enhance its political and diplomatic presence in ASEAN. Personally I believe the best way forward is to increase exchange visits by leaders of both sides," he said.
He also stressed Korea should take responsibility more actively for political stability in the ASEAN region as emerging threats to peace and stability in the region such as terrorism, violent extremism, natural disasters and refugees require all stakeholders to stand together.
"As a responsible middle power in the region, Korea should now engage with ASEAN to tackle those issues," he said.
He also said Korea needs to see ASEAN in a broader picture to understand where the 10-member bloc Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Laos, Thailand and Vietnam is heading.
Driven by the initiative for the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) launched at the end of 2015, ASEAN is building a single market and production base that can compete in terms of size and efficiency with major emerging economies such as China and India.
He said Korea should capitalize on the solid platform created by ASEAN's integration movement to expand its diplomatic horizons.
"ASEAN has been in the driving seat of the so-called evolving regional architecture which has contributed tremendously to the peace and stability of the wider East Asia region as well as Southeast Asia," he said.
By Lee Kyung-min
A special investigation team questioned former prosecutor Ahn Tae-geun, the central figure in the sexual misconduct allegation that triggered a #MeToo campaign now gathering momentum in Korea. The questioning came nearly a month after Seo Ji-hyun, a prosecutor at the Tongyeong branch of the Changwon District Prosecutors Office, South Gyeongsang Province, said that Ahn groped her at a funeral eight years ago.
A team under the Seoul Eastern Prosecutors' Office questioned Ahn, Monday, over the allegation that he abused power in transferring Seo to a remote rural area after she demanded an apology from him. He also allegedly put her under a work performance review, the harsh evaluation of which Seo claims was a form of retaliation. Ahn did not make any comment, only saying he would sincerely submit to the questioning. He maintains the harassment did not happen, but also said he could not recall anything because he was drunk.
Ahn was dismissed last year following an allegation that he gave envelopes containing up to 1 million won ($970) in cash to prosecutors who led an investigation into the influence-peddling scandal involving Woo Byung-woo, his close friend, in exchange for "going easy" on him. With former President Park arrested, Woo was the only key figure who managed to avoid arrest at the time.
The team under the district office will determine whether Seo was subject to undue punishment, as she alleged.
It will also review how and why Seo's then-supervisors failed to conduct a thorough investigation into the allegation and whether outside influence was involved, a claim denied by the justice ministry which oversees prosecution affairs. The ministry maintains that the matter was closed because Seo had not "vigorously" demanded punishment for the alleged perpetrator at the time.
The team earlier questioned justice ministry officials over suspected undue personnel measures imposed on Seo. It also heard from prosecutors who worked with Seo and for Ahn that the latter was furious over her publicly raising the issue within the prosecution so soon after the incident. The investigators reviewed a claim raised by Seo that she received a warning from the prosecutor general following a poor evaluation in a work performance review when she worked at a branch in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province, in April 2014. This was a year before she was transferred to Tongyeong, where only prosecutors many years her junior worked.
Ahn could be charged with abuse of power because the 7-year statute of limitations on his alleged crime has yet to expire. However, he will not be charged with sexual harassment. Currently, police can open an investigation into sex crimes regardless of the victim's request. But up until June 2013, they could only investigate such crimes if the victim requested it less than a year after the incident occurred.
Meanwhile, police began an investigation of a member of the human rights committee of the Catholic Church, following an allegation raised by a woman who claimed she was sexually harassed by the man four years ago. The woman said not only was she sexually harassed but also subject to defamatory rumors concocted by the perpetrator that she consented to his advances. The man, identified only by his surname Kim later posted an apology on a social networking account saying he "committed a crime that can never be condoned, and continued to distort the truth."
Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency said the man will be questioned as the timeline and the victim's statement are clearly within the statutes. The revelation deals a major blow to the Catholic Church as it came only a day after the Catholic diocese in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province, suspended a priest, Han Man-sam, after a woman said he tried to rape her "countless times" while they were in Sudan as part of an overseas volunteer mission work in 2011. The woman said she told two other priests who were there, but they did nothing. Han resigned from an advocacy group known as "Catholic Priests for Social Justice," a much-revered social activist group that spoke out against the dictatorial military regimes in Korea.
By Lee Min-hyung
Joint military exercises between South Korea and the United States can be postponed further amid growing signs of the resumption of the long-suspended dialogue between Washington and Pyongyang.
Chances were slim for the resumption of U.S.-North Korea talks before the Olympics, with both sides exchanging aggressive rhetoric.
But on Sunday, Kim Yong-chol, who leads North Korea's high-level delegation, showed the regime's willingness to hold dialogue with the U.S.
"Pyongyang is willing to have talks with Washington," Kim said in a meeting with President Moon Jae-in, Sunday. His remarks came in response to Moon's request to keep the peace momentum on the Korean Peninsula going. Toward that end, Moon underlined the need for the thaw in not just inter-Korean relations but also between Washington and Pyongyang.
The rare sign of peace on the peninsula is raising hopes for the U.S. and North Korea to hold talks on the regime's denuclearization. The U.S. remains firm in its stance on North Korea, but is slowly showing signs of easing tension against the regime by expressing recently its will to hold talks with the North.
The ongoing trilateral peace momentum, however, may be put on hold once Seoul and Washington resume their annual military drills right after the closing of the PyeongChang Paralympics next month. They did not confirm a specific timeline or other details about them, opening the possibility to a further delay of the joint military exercises beyond April.
Unification ministry spokesman Baik Tae-hyun said: "We expect North Korea and the U.S. to have constructive dialogue."
The Ministry of National Defense said nothing specific has been discussed about the North's request regarding the joint military drills between Seoul and Washington.
A Joint Chiefs of Staff spokesman said South Korea will push ahead with the drills as planned, declining to comment further.
As North Korea calls the joint drills one of the biggest reasons for its own provocations, South Korea is not unveiling details about the delayed Seoul-Washington annual military exercises.
President Moon hopes to continue holding peace talks with the North, and for this he has stressed the importance for U.S.-North Korea talks.
"North Korea needs to show its willingness for denuclearization for a possible dialogue with the U.S.," Moon said Monday in a meeting with Liu Yandong, vice premier of the People's Republic of China, Monday.
By Albert R. Hunt
Unlike this year's U.S. Senate races, which are mainly being fought in Trump-friendly states, many of the most contested House electoral battles are for Republican-held seats in more Democratic-leaning places.
That enhances the odds of Democrats winning control of the House and presents a dilemma for Republican incumbents: Do they strike some distance from President Donald Trump, or continue to march in lockstep with him in Congress? But don't look for any mass Republican defections, even if the probe of any Trump ties to Russia escalates.
Off-year elections usually are about voter intensity. In dozens of contests over the past year, since Trump was elected, the energy has been with Democrats. Most recently, a Democrat won by seven points in a pro-Trump, pro-Republican state legislative district in Sarasota, Florida, in a special election.
The hope for the dozens of embattled congressional Republicans is that by November their base will get energized. Those voters remain strongly supportive of Trump, while the general electorate, despite some recent improvement in the president's standing, is far less so.
If Republican candidates in blue districts and states run away from Trump, some of the GOP base will stay home; if they wrap themselves around him, they risk energizing Democrats and alienating independents. It's not an easy choice.
"Buckle up your seat belts and pull up your big boy pants," leading Republican pollster Neil Newhouse advises them. "This is going to be a tough election."
A look at Republican-held seats that are the chief Democratic targets over half of them in states or districts that voted for Hillary Clinton illustrates the divide on how to walk this tightrope; even most of those taking issue with Trump are doing it very selectively.
Predictably, a dozen Republican incumbents from New Jersey, New York and California voted against the tax-cut bill that socked it to those states by eliminating the federal tax deduction for state and local taxes.
On immigration, there are dozens of House Republicans opposing Trump's hard line, joining Texas's Will Hurd and California's Jeff Denham, two of the most endangered congressional incumbents. New York Representative John Faso, from an upstate New York district that went for Trump but had gone for Barack Obama four years earlier, opposed the president on the tax bill and immigration.
Colorado Republican Mike Coffman, facing his toughest challenger in a district carried by Clinton, recently tweeted, "No Shutdowns, No Parades," warning the president to abandon his plans for an expensive military parade and not to shut down the government. Coffman has also called for the resignation of Veterans Affairs Secretary David Shulkin, who was accused of using taxpayer funds for personal expenses.
Fighting Trump on a possible government shutdown was a gift for Republican Representative Barbara Comstock, who represents a Northern Virginia district. She relished a testy exchange at the White House with him over the issue. She warned him; he fired back.
If Comstock weren't such a shrewd politician, she'd be a dead woman walking; Trump lost this district by 10 points, and is more unpopular today.
But there are more Republicans who figure that running away from the president won't help with swing voters, while hurting them with their own. That's the calculation of New Jersey Representative Tom MacArthur, who was one of the Republicans from his state to vote for the tax cut and who led the House effort to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act.
Trump then hosted a fund-raiser for him, and Vice President Mike Pence contributed to his coffers. The Democrats have now elevated him to their list of targets.
Few challenged incumbents are more of a Trump cheerleader than California's Mimi Walters, although Trump was defeated in her Orange County district by five points. She votes with the president more than 98 percent of the time and has declared: "He stands for what we stand for." Democrats believe she's counting on a low turnout and will be surprised this fall.
If there is a blue wave and if Democrats turn out the way they did in some of those special elections and the Virginia gubernatorial contest last November some Republicans in districts Trump carried easily might be ambushed. These include New York's Claudia Tenney, who said the Democrats who didn't applaud during Trump's State of the Union speech were "un-American and they don't love our country," or Ohio's Steve Chabot who, in defending Trump, sought to smear special counsel Robert Mueller and his blue-ribbon staff.
In both those races, Democrats are fielding stronger than expected challengers who may already be crafting commercials and messages that recycle those accusations.
Albert R. Hunt is a Bloomberg View columnist. He was the executive editor of Bloomberg News, before which he was a reporter, bureau chief and executive Washington editor at the Wall Street Journal. The above article was distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
By Sammy Ahn
"Your choice in the moment will impact your next 10 years" is a wildly-popular advert copy run by LG in the early 80s. I am old enough to remember it because I saw and heard those ads literally 1,000s of times in my early years in South Korea. In those days, a made-in-Korea TV set or a washing machine built to last 10 years was a revolutionary concept.
Modern-day Koreans have always been forced into schizophrenic choices. Then again, it would be rash to say it's been a repetitious story of modernity.
Entering the 20th century, Koreans found themselves at the edge of a 500-year-old monarchy called Joseon, one that was so extremely puritanical and oppressive that its contemporary analogy would remind anyone of the Taliban. The Joseon monarchy boasted a one-tracked worship of the Confucian way of life.
In short order, Japan brought her protective umbrella over the Koreans, having defeated the Chinese and the Russians in successive wars.
Fast forward to 1950, soon after the Japanese surrender to the Allied forces, Koreans faced two choices: a free socioeconomic form of government or a Stalinistic planned economy.
They fought tooth and nail in a proxy war for those two forces for the next three years, inescapably witnessing how a choice in the moment can devastate a society.
When a truce was reached, both factions had a mission to prove the other wrong. After 60 years, and the so-called miracle on the Han River, it is undebatable the free South had proved to the world which system rewards human talent more effectively.
Coming off the second Olympic Games (Winter of 2018), Koreans now face another challenge: choice between a decentralized "new economy" or the legacy form of centralized transactions.
In no other place on the planet does the word centralization resound so shrilly with such a pounding than it does on the Korean Peninsula. Just a few miles north of the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) lies the most centralized demonic power the world has ever learned about.
Now ruled by a third-generation legacy dictator, North Korea is a living, and breathing, Big Brother museum, which is so well preserved that the threesome of Lenin, Stalin, and Mao would transfigure from the dead screaming, long live Communism!
So, for this naturally-occurring geopolitical conflict node, I have coined the term "Kor-mageddon" where 50 million people of South Korea are pressed for another choice between decentralized blockchain economy and centralized legacy banking.
Koreans face more than the choice between war and peace after hosting the Winter Olympics (by the way, it only took Koreans 30 years to host their second Olympics, which is 10 years sooner than the 40 years the Japanese took to host their back-to-back Nagano Winter Games).
It's freedom vs. oppression, self-direction vs. outside intervention, harmony vs. fear-mongering, future vs. past, innovation vs. degeneration. And, ultimately, millennials vs. baby boomers.
"Hey, Korean millennials, you know nothing!" their Confucian seniors would snap. To that, I (a metaphysical millennial trapped in the body of a middle-aged former Samsung executive) retort. "They know their technology inside out. What's more, they are more transparent and unashamed of it! Korean War-generation baby boomers, you are old but are you bold?"
Korea is not only the first divided nation in modern history to hit the top 10 economy chart in the quickest timeframe, it has the potential to repeat its economic miracles.
On a per-capita basis, it has the highest rate of college graduation, coupled with the most impressive levels of technology penetration in Asia, if not the world.
While the outside world speaks only of a war against the totalitarian regime in North Korea, the millennials in South Korea are waging a war against what they perceive as an equally rigid policymaking system, which recently threatened to shut down its cryptocurrency exchanges while three of them happen to be the world's Big Ten.
Just as the Third World held their breath for 60 years watching the Korean-style free market experiment reach its magnificent fruition, the Korean millennials have another daunting task of synchronizing with a world movement called the Decentralization Revolution, which is oddly dubbed the Fourth Industrial Revolution by the Korean policymakers.
Semantics notwithstanding, cryptocurrency is millennial gold, a storage of value. The millennials wouldn't think twice about stashing away their flimsy savings on a completely transparent public ledger via some obscure internet-created wallet, a mechanism many baby boomers have trouble figuring out. That's OK, we all have anti-technology acquaintances who still do not know how to navigate the internet or email their friends.
To sum up, the South Korean millennials have work cut out for their college-educated brains. Faced with the double-whammy "Kor-mageddon" of cryptocurrency regulation and reunification with the North, they are well-advised to recall a history lesson.
Prosperity is a natural consequence of the fearless pursuit of freedom, be it was freedom from centralized socio-religious authorities in the case of the pilgrims in 1620, or freedom from centralized socioeconomic authorities in the case of the millennials worldwide in 2018.
Sammy Ahn is managing director of
www.LucidCrypto.com . Contac him at sammy@lucidcrypto.com.
Denuclearization key to making peace
North Korea expressed its willingness to hold talks with the United States, raising hope for a breakthrough in the nuclear standoff between the two countries. However, it is still too early to expect both sides to start a serious and meaningful dialogue to discuss the North's denuclearization.
During a meeting with President Moon Jae-in on the sidelines of Sunday's closing ceremony for the Winter Olympics, the North's chief delegate Kim Yong-chol delivered the message of a willingness for talks with the U.S. Kim, vice chairman of the Central Committee of the ruling Workers' Party, apparently showed a change in Pyongyang's hard-line stance against any negotiations with Washington.
The shift could be seen as a positive move. It comes amid improved inter-Korean relations during the PyeongChang Olympics. It also stemmed from President Moon's strenuous efforts to help the South-North detente lead to talks between Pyongyang and Washington.
What's also noteworthy is the U.S. has hinted at accepting the North's olive branch, but not without conditions attached. For its part, Washington thinks it is difficult to come to the table unconditionally. In addition, Pyongyang has yet to disclose its genuine intentions or any preconditions for dialogue.
The White House said it would wait and see whether the North's new overture for talks with the U.S. means it is serious about its denuclearization. Presidential press secretary Sara Huckabee Sanders, however, made it clear that President Donald Trump remains committed to achieving the "complete, verifiable and irreversible denuclearization" of the peninsula. She also reaffirmed the U.S. will continue a maximum pressure campaign against the North until it gives up its nuclear weapons and missile programs.
Sanders remarks can be interpreted as leaving the door open for talks with the recalcitrant North. She was visiting Korea along with Ivanka Trump, President Trump's daughter and senior White House adviser, as part of the U.S. delegation to the Olympics closing ceremony.
She implied that dialogue with Pyongyang should be to discuss the nuclear issue. This means the U.S. wants to see the North's seriousness and sincerity in abandoning its nuclear ambitions before having talks. This might bode ill for negotiations between the two foes even though they have barely managed to begin a dialogue.
For now, it appears to be possible for both sides to have "exploratory" talks to check each other's true intention. But further progress will depend on whether the North is ready for denuclearization. So it is important for the North to take a sincere step toward this itself.
For a feasible and realistic solution, the U.S. and North Korea need to consider accepting President Moon's two-phase roadmap for denuclearization. Moon calls for a North Korea nuclear freeze in the first stage and its scrapping in the second stage. This may be a complex process, but maximum pressure and sanctions alone may not be a viable option. We urge both Pyongyang and Washington not to miss this opportunity to find a solution through dialogue.
By Jacco Zwetsloot
In the early summer of 1997 the end of my planned year in Korea drew near, but I still had no idea if I was going to return to Australia or sign up for another twelve months.
I didn't feel that I had saved enough money, I had made some friends, and made some advances in learning Korean. Somehow, it didn't seem that I had finished with the country, or that Korea had finished with me.
On the other hand, another year of rotating through middle schools in Paju did not hold appeal.
So when an opportunity to apply for a job at a soon-to-be-opened teacher training facility in the city of Pyeongtaek, I jumped. I was given leave by Paju City Office of Education to trek down to the provincial capital in Suwon for the interview.
In the waiting room I met a bunch of other hopefuls, almost exclusively American or Canadian, but there may have been an Englishman thrown in for some variety; I was the only Australian.
I remember nothing at all about the interview, but I remember feeling hopeful afterwards. All applicants were to return to our workplaces around Gyeonggi Province, and we would be notified of the results.
Several days later, I was disappointed to learn that I had not been selected to be among the first teacher trainers. I kept working in Paju, and wondering what to do at the end of my contract.
A week or so later I received a call that I had been chosen after all, and I was to move my stuff down to Pyeongtaek post haste. Somebody helped me organize a removal van, and I packed my books, clothes, and other stuff for the move.
I was nervous, because I hadn't even seen my new digs. Would they smaller than the shoebox in the teacher's dormitory apartment that had been my home for the last few months?
The day came, and I rode in the moving van beside the driver, because I had no transport of my own and I didn't know the way there. A few hours later we arrived at a new facility on the very outskirts of Pyeongtaek. The setting was quite rural, and a good 15 minutes' walk from the local town center. Opposite the teacher training center was a farm of some sort. There was also a scrap metal yard nearby, and a couple of houses. Behind the facilities were some farms and a graveyard.
The training center consisted of two buildings: one was for administration, classes and curriculum development, and the other was the trainees' dormitory, cafeteria and gymnasium.
The ground floor had several bedrooms with en-suite bathrooms, and that was where the teacher trainers were to live. Five rooms had obviously been designed for two people, with twin single beds, while the rest were just big enough for one bed, desk, and closet. There were six native English speakers who had been newly hired, and we were each given a room for two people. Six Korean supervisor trainers were given single rooms in case they wanted to sleep at the center during the week. Most did not, because they had actual homes to return to, so those rooms remained unused.
Later I found out that the native speakers had originally been allocated the smaller, monk-like quarters, and that two Korean supervisors each were to share the bigger rooms. But a Canadian woman had burst into tears upon seeing her future home, and quit that instant. It was only thanks to her that I got the job and that we all got the bigger rooms. One of us lived off campus, so there were enough larger rooms for each of us.
The year and several months I spent working there were to be very significant. I met my future wife, made some friends with whom I am still close, learned how to ride a motorbike and bought one, learned some taekwondo, decided to stay for a third year, and appeared on Korean television.
I never did get to thank that Canadian woman who quit, so if you're reading this now: "Thank you."
Jacco Zwetsloot works for HMP Law as Director of Business Innovation
The thoughts in this column do not necessary reflect those of HMP Law.
By Jhoo Dong-chan
The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy has come under growing criticism for having failed to tackle the GM Korea problem, deepening confusion among government agencies in handling the issue.
Although the ministry is considered to be the main player in dealing with the matter, it has failed to lead the negotiations over possible restructuring with GM Korea's Detroit headquarters. The Financial Services Commission (FSC) and the Ministry of Strategy and Finance have seemingly taken over the role.
Disappointed by the lack ability of the trade ministry in handling the crisis, experts now say it should hand over its control tower role to Cheong Wa Dae or the finance ministry.
A trade ministry official said the ministry is just a channel for communication.
"The GM Korea crisis requires pan-government efforts," he said.
"The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy can't handle the issue by itself. Some of the negotiations are with the Ministry of Strategy and Finance. Some issues have to go through the FSC. Which government agency becomes the main authority isn't a serious issue here. Each government agency should closely discuss the matter with other agencies. There is no confusion."
However, such confusion erupted during talks with General Motors executive Barry Engle last week.
Despite its position as the competent authority in handling the GM Korea crisis, the trade ministry only met with Engle on the afternoon of Feb. 22 following his meeting with the state-run Korea Development Bank (KDB) Feb. 21, and the Ministry of Strategy and Finance in the morning of Feb. 22.
Strategy and Finance Minister Kim Dong-yeon even held a press conference Feb. 22 while trade ministry officials were meeting with him.
During the press conference, Kim presented three major points.
"The government suggested the three-point principle. The major shareholder should take responsibility, and shareholders as well as creditors and the union should share the burden. And there should be a long-term plan for normalization of management," he said.
The trade ministry also released a media statement after the meeting the same day, but there were no major differences with Kim's announcement.
The finance ministry is also the first government agency to admit its first meeting with Engle when the GM Korea crisis came to the surface last month.
Deputy Finance Minister Koh Hyeong-gwon said during the National Assembly's Strategy and Finance Committee meeting earlier this month that he first met Engle last month to discuss General Motors' decision to shut down its Gunsan operation.
Koh's announcement demonstrated the trade ministry's position in handling major economic issues, experts point out.
"There isn't much room for the ministry to work," said an industry insider who asked not to be named.
"Major decision-making powers are all concentrated in the strategy ministry and the FSC. The trade ministry is the managing authority only in name. It's rather a wingman ministry on such issues."
The Detroit-based carmaker announced earlier this month that it would shut down its underused plant in Gunsan as part of global restructuring. Gunsan is one of four factories it operates in Korea.
With the fate of the other plants to be determined within months, GM said it was willing to allocate two new models an SUV and a crossover utility vehicle to its assembly lines in Bupyeong and Changwon. However, it has been pressuring the government to provide support.
Demands from GM include the government's participation in a debt-to-equity conversion. GM Korea has borrowed $2.7 billion from its headquarters, which GM says it is willing to convert into equity. However, it is requesting that the KDB, which is the second largest shareholder of GM Korea with a 17 percent stake, participate in the conversion. If the KDB accepts the offer, it will have to inject over 500 billion won into the troubled carmaker.
Sales of Lotte Liquor's Fitz beer had topped 100 million bottles in less than a year as of February. / Capture from Twitter
By Ko Dong-hwan
While Seoul suffers an onslaught of imported beers thanks to a lowered trade bar, a domestic newcomer has sold more than 100 million bottles, as of Feb. 26.
Fitz Super Clear by Lotte Liquor hit South Korean shelves in June 2017. Its domestic sales translates that people of legal drinking age (20) or older, about 30 million, consumed at least three bottles each. This is enough to fill the 5,200-ton Lotteworld Aquarium six times.
Lotte Liquor started exporting Fitz to China last November and subsequently added Australia, Canada, Taiwan and Cambodia.
Fitz's strong domestic sales come amid predictions that imported beer will increasingly replace domestic beer. The latest version of the U.S.-South Korea free trade agreement striped tariffs on American beer, starting last January. The same will happen for European beer in July.
"Despite the tariffs on imported beers being dropped, their prices will not dramatically be lowered," said a South Korean beer market analyst. "But from the consumers' perspective, they would be glad to taste diverse kinds of imported beer at prices that have plunged by even a little."
More South Koreans enjoy imported beers nowadays, moving away from the trend of enjoying a mixture of soju and beer in a glass. The custom reportedly began with American blue-collar miners and wharf laborers in the early 1900s, who created "boiler-making" mixing different liquors to get drunk quickly at affordable prices.
Imported beers are available in various food marts across South Korea, attracting more consumers interested in enjoying the drinks at home. The beer is more expensive at restaurants or liquor bars.
The surging popularity of imported beers pushed imports to $263 million last year, up 45 percent year-on-year. Exports of domestic beer totaled $112 million during the same period, leaving a beer trade deficit of more than $100 million, the most ever.
The popularity of imported beers has been evident at local festivals based on foreign beer parties. A beer festival in July 2017 at a Namhae County island in South Gyeongsang Province mimicked Oktoberfest in Munich, one of the world's largest beer festivals. The eight-day event attracted a record 110,000 visitors.
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Rome, February 26 - Forza Italia leader Silvio Berlusconi told RTL 102.5 radio on Monday that he considered it "difficult" to patch up relations with Democratic Party (PD) chief Matteo Renzi. Three-time premier Berlusconi and ex-premier Renzi struck the so-called Nazareno Pact in 2014 for a new election law and an overhaul of Italy's political machinery. But Berlusconi ditched the pact early in 2015 due to differences that emerged in the process that led to President Sergio Mattarella being elected head of State. There has been speculation that FI and the PD could try to form a grand-coalition government if the outcome of Sunday's general election is inconclusive. Berlusconi said Monday that he expected a "splendid" result for FI and the centre-right coalition on Sunday. He added that he has a premier candidate in mind but cannot name that person yet because they have "a very high role and don't want their name in the mincer".
Rieti, February 26 - Anti-migrant, Euroskeptic League leader Matteo Salvini responded to a question on the far-right CasaPound group's announced support for a Salvini-led government by saying Monday that he would meet "everyone" after the March 4 general election. "I can't wait to be put to the test, from March 5 I will meet everybody," said Salvini on the stump in Rieti. "I'm busy with the League and the centre right, I'm working so that Italians will choose a centre-right government led by the League. Everything that happens outside doesn't concern me," he said.
Rome, February 26 - Cultural figures including actor-director Carlo Verdone, architect Paolo Portoghesi, director Cristina Comencini and chef Massimo Bottura on Monday appealed to the next government to make culture a priority. "Let's restore to Italy its role of cradle of culture and civilisation," they wrote. "Let's relaunch Europe, leading its refoundation, not only restoring dignity to citizens but a future to those who are deprived of one". They appealed to "anyone, after the March 4 general election, who will have responsibility in government or opposition. "May they take care of culture and citizens' rights," they said. photo: Verdone
Rome, February 23 - Italy will not need to pass a supplementary budget, Economy Minister Pier Carlo Padoan said Monday. He also said Italy was no longer under "special observation" in Europe and that the economy was "much more stable" than in previous years. European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker had not meant to suggest otherwise with his recent statement, which he later toned down, on the possibility of a "non-operational" government after the March 4 general election.
Rome, February 26 - Premier Paolo Gentiloni on Monday visited a Red Cross centre in Rome and thanked the workers for helping the homeless during a cold snap which has engulfed the Italian capital in snow. "For those without a roof over their heads the very particular conditions of these days are to be faced and managed in the best way possible," said the premier. "We know that you have to move gradually from activities supporting emergency to support for poverty and inclusion. "And that is the work we're trying to do. "But thank you to the Red Cross and voluntary associations that have acted in these hours for people who feel the cold in a much more serious way".
Hundreds of residents of Orange City, Iowa, are urging the towns library to label and segregate books that deal with LGBTQ themes, the Des Moines Register reports.
More than 300 residents of the city signed a petition demanding that the library label, and shelve separately, materials that deal primarily LGBTQ issues and halt new acquisition of any additional materials that primarily deal with LGBTQ materials before a public discussion can be held about the acquisition so valuable feedback can be given by important stakeholders such as parents, teachers, and faith communities.
Copies of the petition were circulated throughout the town along with a flier that features a quote from pastor and author Kevin DeYoung: It is no little mistake in Gods eyes to encourage and support what harms our fellow creatures and dishonors our Creator.
The flier also featured images of three LGBTQ-themed books aimed at young readers: Two Boys Kissing by David Levithan, This Day in June by Gayle E. Pitman and Morris Micklewhite and the Tangerine Dress by Christine Baldacchino. All three books have been frequently challenged in the past by people who disapprove of their subject matter.
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At a meeting of the librarys board of trustees last week, a local pastor accused the library of supporting a pro-gay agenda, the Sioux City Journal reports.
As a congregation, I would have to say we are shocked that tax money is being used to push this agenda even further, the Rev. Sacha Walicord said. As pastors, we have been silent for far too long. We have rolled over for far too long. This ends now.
Orange City resident Mike Goll spoke in support of keeping the LGBTQ-themed books with the rest of the librarys materials.
There are gay kids, there are trans kids in this town, and seeing their faces and seeing their lives mirrored in some of the books here means everything, Goll said.
The debate spilled over to the librarys Facebook page, where users took to leaving reviews to express their opinions on the LGBTQ books.
I never used to have to worry about what my children would come across at the library, wrote a user with an account under the name David-Kathy Taylor. Now, even in the childrens section, I have to pre-screen what my children can even look at when in the childrens section. It appears that the current directors personal beliefs have flowed into her public sector job. What a shame, considering taking my kids to [Sioux Center Public Library] where they are not subject to such things.
Another user, Michael Zellmer-McMahan, wrote in support of LGBTQ books in the towns library.
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It deeply saddens me that people from a community would seek to attack material that is so useful and meaningful to LGBTQ adolescents, Zellmer-McMahan wrote. For kids who feel differently, or who dont fit the norm, there needs to be an outlet for them to feel safe, and a book is such a wonderful outlet to let them know that they are not alone.
When federal immigration agents visited Los Angeles 7-Eleven stores and trucking companies near the ports in recent weeks to conduct audits of employee records, it sent a chill through those businesses and others in the region.
Immigrant advocates said some employees at the audited firms stopped coming to work. Workers at other companies worried they could be next. And their employers were concerned or confused enough that trade groups and attorneys distributed tip sheets advising companies of what federal and state law requires them to do as the Trump administration and California wage war over immigration policy.
There is a heightened level of stress and anxiety, said Alexandra Suh, executive director of the Koreatown Immigrant Workers Alliance, which helps low-wage immigrant workers in the Los Angeles neighborhood. Even just the request for documentation caused a number of workers to quit on the spot.
Heres a look at whats behind the federal activity, and how it will impact businesses.
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What is ICE looking for?
Immigration and Customs Enforcement, under the Trump administration, has promised to beef up work site enforcement, as well as increase its presence in so-called sanctuary jurisdictions such as California.
In the recent five-day operation, ICE agents served 122 notices to L.A.-area companies that they would be conducting an audit of their I-9 forms. Several weeks earlier, the same notices were given to 77 companies in Northern California.
I-9s are the forms on which employees attest to their work status and present documents to support that they are who they say they are and have the authorization to work.
After getting that notice, employers must produce documents in as little as three business days.
If ICE determines that the documents show an employee is unauthorized to work, the employer is notified they could face civil and criminal penalties if they continue to employ that person.
Employers can then speak privately with specific employees to try to correct any document discrepancies. More often than not, even though immigration authorities dont attend such meetings, employees simply disappear rather than show up, according to advisory documents employment attorneys circulated to fruit growers last year.
What federal law requires
It is illegal for employers to knowingly hire workers in the country illegally, and they must take some steps to verify employees are authorized to be here.
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For the I-9 form, an employee presents proof such as a U.S. passport, green card or Social Security number along with a government or school photo ID.
Employers who do not keep the proper paperwork can face fines, with larger financial penalties levied against people who knowingly hire undocumented workers.
Individuals who engage in a pattern or practice of hiring unauthorized workers can face criminal charges and more substantial monetary fines.
But some experts say the penalties are too weak, watered down to appease business interests so as to allow companies to look the other way. Bryan Little, director of employment policy for the California Farm Bureau Federation, said most employers dont seek to hire undocumented workers, but documents are often faked.
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If employers do not accept a document that reasonably appears to be genuine and to relate to the worker, though, they can face discrimination charges.
You are not required to be a document examiner, said Danielle H. Gotcher, managing partner of Global Immigration Partners in Calabasas Hills.
Jose Gonzalez, a local farmworker, picks strawberries for a farm in Guadalupe, Calif., in 2017. (Gary Coronado / Los Angeles Times )
Are ICEs audits new?
No. ICE visits to employers hit a peak of 3,127 under President Obama in 2013, before his administration shifted its focus to deporting people convicted of serious crimes. In the 2017 fiscal year, ICE said it conducted 1,360 audits.
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But under Trump, who railed against both legal and illegal immigration during both the 2016 campaign and his presidency, ICE agents have become more willing to arrest anyone in the country illegally whom they encounter during enforcement actions, even if those people have no criminal convictions.
In the 2017 fiscal year, which included the last few months of the Obama administration and most of Trumps first year in office, immigration arrests inside the country of people with criminal convictions jumped 12%. Arrests of people with no criminal convictions more than doubled, to more than 37,000.
Actual deportations were down 6%, partly because of a sharp drop in arrests of people trying to cross the border in the first place.
ICE has promised to get more aggressive, and Deputy Director Thomas Homan has said he wants to ramp up work site enforcement by 400%.
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Whats the rationale for Trumps crackdown?
Dani Bennett, an ICE spokesperson, said workplace audits are needed to protect jobs for people here legally and eliminate unfair competitive advantages for companies that hire an illegal workforce.
Some economists say immigrants, particularly undocumented workers, have depressed wages for Americans in low-paying jobs, because they expand the labor pool and are willing to work for less.
But there is disagreement among experts on the extent of the effect and whether it even exists.
Dave Smith, an economist at the Pepperdine University Graziadio School of Business and Management, said undocumented workers have a slight negative impact on wages of low-skilled workers, but automation and the nations shift away from manufacturing have been much bigger factors.
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Giovanni Peri, director of the Migration Research Cluster at UC Davis, doesnt believe immigrants have pushed wages down. Instead, immigrants, regardless of legal status, provide a boost to the economy, he said more people buying more goods and services.
Studies show immigrants start businesses at a higher rate than native-born Americans. Peri said undocumented workers take manual labor jobs that many here legally dont want.
Without them it would be a much smaller economy, Peri said.
Francisco Martinez, a sheet metal worker, at a construction site in downtown Los Angeles. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times )
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What industries get hit hardest by a crackdown?
An estimated 11 million people are believed to be living in the United States illegally. About 10% of Californias workforce is in the country illegally, according to estimates from the Center for the Study of Immigrant Integration at USC.
Some industries, such as agriculture and construction, have a much heavier concentration of undocumented workers.
According to USC researchers, undocumented people account for 45% of agricultural employment in California. In construction, it is 21%. Undocumented workers account for 17% of employees in a broad sector that includes accommodation and food services. Other industries with significant numbers of undocumented workers are manufacturing and wholesale trade.
Both agriculture and construction are facing a shortage of workers, which has those companies concerned about losing immigrant workers. Among the reasons for the shortage, they say, is declining immigration from Mexico.
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If the Trump administration ramps up deportations and succeeds in persuading Congress to limit legal immigration worker shortages would worsen, Smith said. Construction projects would take longer to complete, and some crops would go unpicked.
The crackdown on immigration could have a pull-back effect on the California economy, which I think has benefited greatly from an infusion of labor over time, he said.
Several years ago, similar I-9 audits in the Central Coast led to layoffs. And growers began recruiting foreign agricultural guest workers through the H-2A visa program.
The California Fresh Fruit Assn. told growers in early February that federal authorities were revisiting packinghouses that had been audited within the last five years something that in the past has sent workers fleeing.
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Even their presence in an office causes people to leave, association President George Radanovich said. Were very concerned about it and we wish the federal government would get its immigration act in order.
During a recent two-day tour of the Central Valley, Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue assured growers that he had spoken privately with officials at Homeland Security, the agency that houses ICE, and cautioned them that public raids can wreak havoc on the industry.
People are not going to their jobs, because theyre afraid, Hortencia Solario, a worker at Harris Woolf California Almonds, told Perdue during a stop-over at the companys processing facility in Coalinga.
The good news is President Trump gets what youre saying, Perdue replied. The people who are out here working and paying taxes in this plant or in other places are not the people he is after.
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A rally is held this month to protest a memorandum of understanding signed by the San Gabriel Police Department and a unit of Immigration and Customs Enforcement. (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times )
What protection does California law provide?
A new state law, AB 450, limits how cooperative California businesses can be with federal immigration authorities.
Employers now cannot allow immigration agents into nonpublic areas of a business without a judicial warrant, for instance. Nor can they voluntarily let agents access employee records without a subpoena, a warrant from a judge or a notice of I-9 inspection. And employers are now required to notify all employees of an I-9 audit within three days of being served an audit notice.
Another new state law also limits cooperation between local law enforcement and ICE agents.
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ICEs Homan has said he is increasing the agencys presence in California, because the new limitations force it to conduct large-scale sweeps. In a separate Los Angeles operation, conducted at the same time as the I-9 audits, ICE agents arrested 212 people in the country illegally.
Sue M. Bendavid, an employment attorney with Lewitt Hackman in Encino, said some of her business clients are confused over their responsibility under AB 450 and how that could conflict with the demands of federal agents. One client contacted her after ICE agents visited a nearby business, wondering if they were next.
AB 450 really puts employers in between a rock and hard place, she said.
In a news release announcing the recent operations in the L.A. area, ICE said Californias new workplace law intends to interfere with federal immigration enforcement authorities and it expects employers and state officials to comply with federal law. However, Bennett, the ICE spokeswoman, declined to say whether the agency believes any part of AB 450 violates federal law.
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California Atty. Gen. Xavier Becerra and Labor Commissioner Julie Su released an advisory and FAQ this month, and they insist there are no conflicts between the state law and federal requirements.
The Immigrant Worker Protection Act seeks first and foremost to protect Californians privacy at the workplace, Becerra said in a recent statement.
What other risks do audits pose for employees?
While ICE says it focuses on individuals who pose a threat to national security, public safety and border security, it also says it no longer looks the other way if agents come across people without criminal convictions who are here illegally. ICE has expanded the number of people it considers priorities for deportation.
Cinthia Flores, a staff attorney with the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights of Los Angeles, said she worries that I-9 audits will be used as leads to find and deport workers fired for suspect documents.
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That is our biggest concern, she said. Beyond losing a job, there is not supposed to be any kind of consequences for workers. ICE confirmed that depending on the circumstances, its possible the agency would go after a person after he or she is fired.
Times staff writer Adam Elmahrek contributed to this report.
To read this article in Spanish click here
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andrew.khouri@latimes.com
Follow me @khouriandrew on Twitter
Once sidelined inside the White House by more moderate voices on trade, Peter Navarro, the noted China critic, is set to re-emerge as a more influential member of the Trump administration, just as the president is gearing up to take potentially punishing economic actions against Beijing.
Navarro, a former longtime UC Irvine professor, is expected to be named assistant to the president, a promotion that would place the Harvard-trained economist among the ranks of top-level policy advisors, according to a person familiar with the matter.
Trumps decision to give Navarro a higher rank, first reported by the publication Inside Trade, comes as the president faces an April deadline to determine whether to impose tariffs and other measures to restrict imported steel and aluminum from China and other nations.
The Trump administration is also considering more sweeping penalties on China for alleged theft of intellectual property and forced technology transfers.
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Navarro was a top economic advisor to Trump during his campaign in 2016, providing the economic rationale for Trumps fiery rhetoric that called for overhauling free-trade deals and tariffs of 45% on Chinese imports.
They may be preparing for stronger tariffs, so hed be the natural one to represent the White House, said Derek Scissors, a China economic analyst with the American Enterprise Institute.
White House spokeswoman Natalie Strom declined to comment, saying she had no personnel announcements to make at this time.
Navarro, who has written such provocative books as The Coming China Wars and Death by China: Confronting the Dragon a Global Call to Action, was an architect of Trumps campaign white paper on economic policy, along with now-Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross.
After Trumps victory, the president appointed Navarro head of a newly created White House National Trade Council. But that office dissolved after a few months, and Navarro was relegated to a role subordinate to the National Economic Council and its director, Gary Cohn, the former Goldman Sachs president whose more favorable positions on trade clashed with Navarros nationalist stance.
The new rank could allow Navarro to bypass Cohn and once again report directly to Trump.
White House officials have downplayed the apparent conflicts between the administrations economic nationalists and the so-called globalists. The latter group worries about the economic risks of a hard-line approach that could trigger a trade war, especially with China, the worlds second largest economy and Americas top trading partner.
Trump has somewhat moderated his rhetoric on trade since taking office even as he has often given conflicting signals about how he might deal with China. On Monday, speaking to state governors meeting in Washington, Trump again praised Chinese President Xi Jinping while insisting that the United States cannot tolerate lopsided trade with China.
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I think that President Xi is unique. Hes helping us with North Korea, Trump told the governors.
Chinas been good, but they havent been great, he added. China has really done more, probably, than theyve ever done because of my relationship. We have a very good relationship, but President Xi is for China, and Im for the United States.
We probably lost $504 billion last year on trade to China, Trump said. In fact, Chinese imports last year were more than $505 billion, but the United States also exported $130 billion in goods, resulting in a merchandise trade deficit of about $375 billion. In addition to Trumps tendency to get the numbers wrong, economists have repeatedly noted that running a trade deficit does not mean that the U.S. has lost money cheap imports have been a major factor in U.S. economic growth even as they have wiped out some manufacturing jobs.
Trumps mantra on trade has been fair and reciprocal trade, and his aides are trying to renegotiate the North American Free Trade Agreement and the United States trade pact with South Korea.
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Navarro has blamed trade deals like NAFTA and the one with South Korea for weakening the American economy, and Trump and Navarro have shared the same critical view of Chinese economic policies and the World Trade Organization.
Peter has shown staying power, said Scissors. Although he was seen as marginalized in the administration, Navarro always seemed to have a voice at the table, he added.
Peters influence comes from the fact that the president tends to agree with him, he said.
don.lee@latimes.com
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Student-loan debt collectors accused of misleading borrowers would get protection under a proposal from the Trump administration.
The Department of Education may issue a statement that federal law prohibits state governments from regulating companies that collect student debt on the departments behalf, according to documents reviewed by Bloomberg. The proposal, which would reverse the departments position in 2016, could help publicly traded companies such as Navient Corp. and Nelnet Inc., which collect monthly payments and counsel borrowers.
Former President Obamas administration was too aggressive in its efforts to tighten oversight of the companies, Mick Mulvaney, the new chief of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, has said. More than 1 million Americans annually default on loans made directly by the department, federal data show.
The Education Department seems to have taken a position that servicers are more important to the department than borrowers trying to repay the loans, said Whitney Barkley-Denney, a lawyer at North Carolina-based nonprofit Center for Responsible Lending.
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Some states said they would fill the void left by the federal governments shift. California, Connecticut and Illinois enacted new laws governing how companies may interact with student-loan borrowers. Attorneys general in Illinois, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania and Washington have filed lawsuits against the Education Departments loan contractors, alleging consumer abuses.
Education Department representatives Elizabeth Hill, Nathan Bailey and Chris Greene didnt respond to multiple messages seeking comment. Congressional Republicans, who have praised state regulation, have scheduled a Tuesday hearing in the House Oversight Committee to explore how states could lead in drafting smarter regulations.
States have argued that the federal governments efforts to block them from policing big banks in the run-up to the 2008 financial crisis exacerbated the mortgage meltdown because it enabled reckless lending.
Federal oversight
Navient has argued in court that states cases against it should be dismissed in part because state law is preempted by federal laws that govern the loan company. It also has lobbied state lawmakers who have debated imposing additional requirements. We will continue to work with state policymakers on reforms that make a difference on the major issues facing borrowers, said Patricia Christel, a Navient spokeswoman.
Ben Kiser, a Nelnet spokesman, didnt respond to a request for comment made outside normal business hours.
The National Council of Higher Education Resources, a Washington-based trade group that represents student-loan companies, asked the Education Department and Congress to block states moves.
Federal interests
The Education Department argues that an increase in costs borne by its contractors would inevitably be passed on to the federal government, potentially distorting the balance between the cost of collecting debt and the benefits to borrowers, internal records reviewed by Bloomberg show.
The department believes such regulation is preempted by federal law, officials wrote in a draft Federal Register notice. State regulation of contractors for the department that service direct loans implicate uniquely federal interests.
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The Education Department historically has sought to change its contractors behavior by asking them to stop certain practices, rather than taking them to court. Its main objective is to make credit freely available to college students at the lowest possible cost.
Current senior officials including Kathleen Smith, James Manning and Mark LaVia are among department officials who formerly worked for the student-loan industry.
Half of the nations state attorneys general, including some Republicans, urged Education Secretary Betsy DeVos to reject the student-loan industrys requests to block state investigations into their businesses.
These requests defy the well-established role of states in protecting their residents from fraudulent and abusive practices, the states said in a joint letter. The department cannot sweep away state laws that apply to student-loan servicers and debt collectors.
Qualcomm said Monday it is ready for further talks with rival and potential buyer Broadcom to see if the two sides can negotiate a sale of the San Diego cellular technology giant, with price remaining a key sticking point.
In a letter sent to Broadcom on Monday, Qualcomm Chairman Paul Jacobs revealed that representatives of the two companies met for a second time on Feb. 23, where they made progress on some of the protections Qualcomm is seeking during whats expected to be a long regulatory review of the deal by global competition agencies.
But Qualcomm also wants additional steps including a higher break-up fee should antitrust regulators block the deal and more details about Broadcoms plans to revamp Qualcomms lucrative patent-licensing business.
In addition, Qualcomm contends Broadcoms $79-per-share offer remains well below the fair value of the company given its pending acquisition of NXP Semiconductors to diversify beyond smartphones, an eventual settlement of legal disputes with Apple surrounding patent fees, and growth from new 5G mobile networks.
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While we have made progress on regulatory and other deal-certainty issues, you have continued to insist that your current $79 per share proposal is your best and final proposal, Jacobs said in the letter to Broadcom Chief Executive Hock Tan.
Qualcomms board continues to be of the unanimous belief that each of your proposals, including your prior $82 per share proposal, materially undervalues Qualcomm.
Qualcomms willingness to talk comes as the San Diego companys shareholders are expected to vote March 6 on whether to support Broadcoms hostile takeover bid.
Broadcom has nominated six alternative candidates to Qualcomms board of directors, which would give Broadcom a majority to push through its $117-billion takeover the largest ever in the technology industry.
Broadcoms effort got a boost last week when two influential shareholder advisors recommended that Qualcomm stockholders support at least some of Broadcoms board nominees.
The recommendations likely helped influence Qualcomms board to propose further talks.
We do not know for certain what is bringing this shift in attitude, though we suspect recent points of view offered by the proxy services Institutional Shareholder Services and Glass Lewis, as well as the companys recent meetings with shareholders, may be part of it, wrote Bernstein analyst Stacy Rasgon.
According to the letter, Broadcom dropped its demand to control major decisions surrounding Qualcomms patent-licensing arm while the deal was pending, which Jacobs called progress.
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Qualcomm wants Broadcom to increase its break-up fee to 9% of the value and debt of Qualcomm, including its pending acquisition of Dutch automotive chipmaker NXP.
Rasgon estimated that amount to be roughly $13.5 billion up from the $8 billion in Broadcoms current offer. The high break-up fee is based on the Baker Hughes/Halliburton merger, which also involved complex regulatory issues and eventually failed.
In addition, Qualcomm wants more information about Broadcoms plans for changing patent licensing which makes up a majority of Qualcomms profits and funds much of its research and development to create new technologies.
Broadcom has declined to spell out its plans, claiming it would violate antitrust laws. But Jacobs said knowing how Broadcom would change its patent-licensing arm is vital to understanding the antitrust risks and value implications of the deal.
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Qualcomm proposed using an antitrust law firm as an intermediary to share permissible information on licensing, then meeting again to hammer out the remaining regulatory hurdles.
Qualcomm also suggested entering into a nondisclosure agreement to share information on price.
We appreciate that we have differences in our views on value, and ours is based on significantly more information than the public data you now have at your disposal, the letter said.
Qualcomm is confident that it can deliver $7 per share in adjusted earnings by 2019, which implies a stock price of about $100 per share.
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Broadcom has yet to respond to the letter. Qualcomms shares were up 2.5% at $64.93 in early trading Monday on the Nasdaq.
Mike Freeman is a San Diego Union-Tribune staff writer.
mike.freeman@sduniontribune.com
Twitter: @TechDiego
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UPDATES:
10 a.m.: This article was updated throughout with San Diego Union-Tribune reporting.
This article was originally published at 7 a.m.
The Los Angeles Philharmonic has become so commission-friendly that the orchestra is starting to get the occasional snide quip from traditionalists. All those new pieces are supposedly just a way of detracting attention away from not being able to play the classics with a European authority. That is to say that keeping an art form alive is somehow an extension of Hollywood.
There is no question that Walt Disney Concert Hall has become a temple of the new. But what is particularly striking is how contagious that has become. If things had gone as planned, it would have been possible to hear two new L.A. Phil commissions Sunday. Nico Muhlys arresting organ concerto was on the orchestras matinee program led by guest conductor James Conlon, but Italian composer Mauro Lanza didnt finish his piece in time for pianists Daniil Trifonov and Sergei Babayan at their evening recital.
No matter. Sunday evening, across town at UCLA, a stunning new piece by Ellen Reid had been commissioned by the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, and Douglas Boyd was conducting. Reid doesnt yet have anything like the exposure or prolific output of Muhly (both are thirtysomethings), but over the next nine months she will have world premieres given by the Los Angeles Master Chorale, the Los Angeles Opera and the L.A. Phil an unheard of run.
Meanwhile, LACO has taken up the new music mantle to such a degree that it has a premiere on every remaining program of its orchestra series this season.
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On the surface, Muhlys frenetic, verging on claustrophobic, Register is very New York urban, whereas Reids doors-wide-open Petrichor has a West Coast vibe. Underneath, it gets more nuanced.
Written for British organist James McVinnie, a longtime colleague of Muhly, Register takes its name both from the organ term registration, for choosing the organ stops that determine the different pipes used and thus tone color, but also from the tone, or register, of speech.
This might be likened to the variety of voices you might hear on a busy urban street. One minute your attention is drawn to voices of children, then to a couple with Long Island accents, then a French tourist. For this, Muhly draws on the solo organ pieces be they dreamy or fast, repetitive and cyclic hes written for McVinnie. He also turns for inspiration from 17th century British keyboard music he fancies. Finally, Register is an invitation to freedom; the organist is invited to select his own, thus becoming his own orchestrator.
For most of the concertos 20 minutes, Register, doesnt let you catch your breath. A sharp percussion attack sets the organ off in one manner; another attack and the orchestra suddenly changes direction. Different chord sequences go every which way. The effect is exhilarating, but the goal is something else, a quiet liberation with dulled strings and the organ mellowed. The concerto ends with what feels like the arrival in a sanctuary, where the real business is about to begin. Every New Yorker knows that miraculous momentary escape feels like.
Reids Petrichor, on the other hand, takes its inspiration from a sensation Angelenos crave. The title is the marvelous term for the distinctive smell that accompanies the first rain after a warm, dry spell. The composer spells it out, so to speak, by putting a number of musicians from the orchestra behind the audience as well as placing two horns on the balcony, creating a kind of sonic rain forest. At UCLAs Royce Hall, the music drifted like fog and dripped as if from leaks in the roof.
You didnt at first quite know where you were. Just as rain changes your sense of your surroundings, the shimmering strings and bright winds in the back that opened Petrichor seemed to mysteriously erase the physical barriers of the hall. Attention was eventually directed to the stage, where the larger ensemble gradually became an exotic rhythm machine, although the voices from beyond returned us to the greater open spaces.
Otherwise, both programs went in for blockbuster-ing. In this, Conlon, who is the music director of the L.A. Opera, was the more appealing. He brought an appropriate dramatic approach to Muhly and to Mussorgskys Pictures at an Exhibition (using Ravels orchestration with some added new touches by the conductor, himself). In sticking to the overarching theme of registration, he began the program with an incisive performance of Ravels orchestration of his piano piece, Le Tombeau de Couperin.
In Boyds case, the Scottish conductor provocatively turned Haydns Symphony No. 104 into a blockbuster. The orchestra kept up with his aggressive tempos and attempts at grandeur over wit and wonder. But showy excitement only goes so far.
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An overly forthright performance of Benjamin Brittens mysterious Serenade for Tenor, Horn and Strings, also on the jumbled program, displayed little of the creepy allure of sweet and scary death stalking. Instead, tenor Thomas Cooley and the orchestras principal horn Michael Thornton competed for the spotlight, while Boyd minimized the strings, the only mystery being what was being sung (no texts were supplied).
Something else was striking Sunday. Remember Hopscotch, the mobile opera around downtown L.A. and environs that was devised and directed by Yuval Sharon with his opera company, the Industry, in 2015? It had so many moving parts that keeping the music by the six composers straight wasnt always the point.
Those L.A. composers, of which Reid was one, have now become a center of a new music community. It just so happened that another of those composers, Veronika Krausas, interviewed McVinnie for the L.A. Phil Upbeat Live preconcert talk. A terrific new piece by a third, Andrew McIntosh, was the other L.A. Phil commission at Tuesdays Green Umbrella.
A childrens opera by a fourth, Andrew Norman, will be given its U.S. premiere at Disney Hall on Friday by the L.A. Phil in a production directed by Sharon. Oh, yes, Norman, who is also composer-in-residence and artistic adviser to LACO, interviewed Reid about Petrichor at Royce for the preconcert talk. (She said Hopscotch opened her to using her surroundings in her music.)
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Could that be where the confusion of new music with Hollywood comes from? When it comes to L.A., the Industry doesnt mean only Hollywood. Nor does Hollywood only mean movies the L.A. Phil has an Oscars concert Wednesday.
mark.swed@latimes.com
In 2002, the BBC held a poll to determine whom the people of England considered the Greatest Briton of all time. Winston Churchill was named No. 1, earning nearly two-thirds of the total votes and besting figures like William Shakespeare, Queen Elizabeth and Charles Darwin.
The former prime minister, who died in 1965, continues to loom large in the public eye of both the U.K. and the world, and is frequently invoked by politicians and business leaders. Hes been portrayed dozens of time on TV and film, most recently in the best picture nominee Darkest Hour, which portrays Churchills ascension to prime minister at a key moment in World War II.
The film has revitalized a long-held interest here in the man, played by Gary Oldman in whats favored to be an Oscar-winning performance, reminding viewers of what true leadership in the face of terrible odds should look like.
Winston Churchill is a revered figure because he saved liberty, says Andrew Roberts, author of the forthcoming book Churchill: Walking With Destiny. Several people in the British government wanted to make peace with Hitler, which eventually would have led to us being destroyed. The fact that Winston Churchill held out against that even though rationally he couldnt see a way to win the war makes him the greatest man in history.
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Which isnt to say that hes revered by everyone.
Hes much more controversial in Britain than he is in America, notes Roberts. Anti-imperialists dislike him of course he was a very committed, lifelong imperialist. He imprisoned Gandhi. He hated communism and denounced it very vigorously and he also disliked socialism at home. People in South Wales blamed him, quite wrongly in fact, for the putting down of several violent strikes in 1910 and 1911. Germans dont much like him for the bombing of their cities during the Second World War. Youre absolutely inundated with people for whom he was on the wrong side.
Darkest Hour, directed by Joe Wright, dramatizes Churchills push to stand up against Germany in 1940, an act that inevitably swayed history. However, the politicians legacy is far grander. He is one of the longest-serving politicians in Britain, and contributed to some of the legislation that still stands today.
Hes an incredibly iconic figure and represents a lot of what we here in Britain hold dear as national traits courage and determination, said Katherine Carter, project curator and collections manager at Chartwell, Churchills family home. His entire breadth of career contributed to British history and British politics.
Much of Churchills status as Britains favorite leader is owed to his specific iconography, from the ever-present cigar to his memorable hat. Since the end of the war, Churchill has in fact been recognizable just by his silhouette. Hes attributed to numerous quotes about the human condition, and Churchilliana Churchill memorabilia remains highly sought after.
Anything to do with Churchill is eminently collectible, says James Taylor, curator at Londons Churchill War Rooms. Things that came from his own hand, like speeches, go for huge sums of money. But there are also more humble, mass-produced items like jugs and little statuettes. Ive even got one.
But Taylor notes that through his long lifetime the British people had mixed views of the prime minister. For example, a year after the victory over Germany in WWII, he was voted out of office.
Frankly, he became a bore to people, Taylor says. His support for King Edward VIII and the 1936 abdication crisis, again, a lot of people thought hed made the wrong choice both in the political establishment and beyond that. So while he was one who was very much in the public eye, some of his decisions were deeply unpopular. But the thing he was right about, which was the key thing, was the threat from Hitler.
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Churchill may have held many old-school views, but he had a postmodernist attitude about his own image.
He was acutely aware of how he could put himself forth to be more memorable, Carter adds. Theres that line from him, which I think is a misquote but is very much true, that he said History will be kind to me because I intend to write it. And I think he was very much aware as he was going through his political career that he was creating history and as such could decide how he would be remembered for generations to come.
Today there seems to a particular resonance with Churchill as a character.
In many ways, he is a more complex and more controversial character on this side of the Atlantic in the U.K. than he is in the United States, notes Allen Packwood, director of the Churchill Archives Centre at Churchill College in Cambridge, who describes Churchills public career as a real roller-coaster ride.
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Hes a legendary figure because the most overused word in the English language is leadership, says Conservative MP Nicholas Soames, Churchills grandson. Everyone in politics and industry and business obsesses about leadership, but most of them wouldnt know it if it bit them on the lower leg. But of course Churchill absolutely deployed leadership and his leadership skills in such a brilliant way to lead Britain at a very bad time. We all look back on Churchill as a heroic figure. And I think he is a heroic figure, although like humans he had failings.
The fictional depictions of Churchill may lack some historical accuracies, but these pop culture appearances do encourage audiences to seek out more about him. Taylor says the Churchill War Rooms have seen a spike in visitors since the release of Darkest Hour and Carter notes that whenever there is a major feature on Winston Churchill we certainly find a great deal of interest in people, particularly wanting to know more about him as an individual.
[Fiction] manages to do what drama does, which is make it up a little bit as it goes along and take a little bit of license but at the same time keeping reasonably accurately the known facts, says Michael Dobbs, author of four Winston Churchill novels and a Conservative politician in the House of Lords. So it encourages people to find out a little bit more about him and what he did and what he achieved. And also where he got it wrong.
I think Winston Churchill and what he stands for is the sort of person who there will always be an audience for. I think that he was the greatest man, the greatest Britain, weve ever had.
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At the Los Angeles Ballets annual gala, the classical dance company honored three multi-talented, multi-hyphenates Jenna Dewan Tatum, Derek Hough and Adam Shankman all of them dancers among other accomplishments and passionate on the subject of dance.
Dance is my everything, Dewan said during the cocktail hour.
All roads lead back to dance for me, added the actress, dancer and host of World of Dance. No matter what I do in my career, no matter what I do in my life, being a dancer informs me. Its who I am.
A judge on World of Dance, Hough, an actor-dancer-author-choreographer, said he took his first official lesson at age 10, but if I look at old home videos of myself and my family, and I can see we were dancing in our living room since we were born. Hough holds a record on Dancing With the Stars, having won six mirror balls.
Shankman said later from the podium, As the story goes, I actually emerged from my mother doing cartwheels with a top hat and cane. I dance to live and I live to dance, and God willing, Ill die doing a cartwheel, still clutching my cane. (The producer-director-choreographers current project is the Enchanted sequel, Disenchanted.)
Sharon Davis, from left, Glorya Kaufman, Kirsten Sarkisian and former Gov. Grey Davis at the Los Angeles Ballet gala. Ryan Miller / Capture Imaging
The event
A look at one of the performances at the Los Angeles Ballet gala. Ryan Miller / Capture Imaging
The Los Angeles Ballet celebrated Swan Lake on Feb. 24 with a black and white themed-gala at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel in Beverly Hills. More than $1 million was raised for its programming and educational outreach.
The program
Sofia Carson attends the Los Angeles Ballet gala at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel in Beverly Hills on Feb. 24, 2018. Ryan Miller / Capture Imaging
Artistic directors Colleen Neary and Thordal Christensen introduced the dancers, who performed excerpts from Swan Lake. The interpretation of Spanish, Neapolitan, Hungarian and Russian folk dances and elegant black swan pas de deux were then followed by a young troupe from A Chance to Dance, Los Angeles Ballets program of free classes.
Disney star Sofia Carson said earlier in the evening that she had recently taught one of these classes, which are offered to children ages 2 and older. Attending the gala with her sister Paulina, Carson said, I was 3 when I took my first dance lesson, and it changed my life forever. (She also said that her film Descendants 3 would shoot in Vancouver this summer.)
The crowd
James Van Der Beek and wife Kimberly at the Los Angeles Ballet gala. Ryan Miller / Capture Imaging
Mark L. Walberg, host of Antiques Roadshow, emceed the affair, with presenters Nigel Lythgoe, Brad Goreski and Mark Ballas; guests Camilla Belle, Emmanuelle Chriqui, Kimberly and James Van Der Beek, and others. Kirsten Sarkisian and Leslie Kavanaugh were co-chairs of the event, along with honorary committee chairs Sharon and Gray Davis, Marilyn and Robert Day, Ghada and Ray Irani, Lori and Michael Milken, Linda La Kretz-Duttenhaver and Richard Merkin.
The numbers
Brad Goreski, from left, Jenna Dewan Tatum, Derek Hough and Sofia Carson. Ryan Miller / Capture Imaging
Tickets for the 325-plus guests began at $500, and tables ranged to $100,000. Proceeds also included a silent auction and additional donations.
The quote
Dancers perform during the Los Angeles Ballet gala. Ryan Miller / Capture Imaging
After suggesting that the crowd raise a glass to Los Angeles Ballet, our beloved home team, which hed earlier described as my Dodgers, Shankman spoke, not only of his love of dance but also of the importance of supporting the arts.
If we are to leave any legacy of value to the next generations, he said, then it is our responsibility to support in every way imaginable institutions like the Los Angeles Ballet, and to do everything in our power both to bring people to us, and also to go into the communities, and to help this generation know that there is more to life than darkness and division and the arduous fight for justice, or even simply to be seen to feel safe.
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From a new brunch pop-up in Santa Monica to food events around town, heres whats happening in the Los Angeles food and drink world:
Time for brunch: Chef Ari Taymor is on the move once again. The chef started his Alma restaurant as a pop-up in Venice before opening a restaurant at a small space in downtown L.A. in 2012. After three years he moved Alma to the Standard Hollywood and ended his two-year run at the hotel last December. Now he has started a weekend-only pop-up in Santa Monica devoted to something he does exceptionally well: brunch. Taymor describes the pop-up as serving elevated breakfast favorites with a modern twist. The pop-up, called Little Prince, is named after the French childrens book The Little Prince, which Taymors mother read to him when he was little. Shes always been so supportive of me in everything I want to do, especially through a tough few years, said Taymor. I wanted to find a way to celebrate that. Taymors partner in the pop-up is restaurant consultant and developer Shane Won Murphy, who has ownership in Kettleblack and Sawyer in Silver Lake. If you had brunch at Alma at the Standard Hollywood, youll recognize some of the dishes at Little Prince, including the cast-iron pancakes and the smoked brisket with Anson Mills grits. The seaweed hollandaise sauce also makes an appearance, served with crispy potatoes and a smoked salmon hash. Little Prince is located in the former Fork in the Road space on Main Street, next to the Jinya Ramen Bar. General manager Steve LaFountain created a list of all-day cocktails, and the pop-up is also serving a selection of natural wines. Little Prince is open from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays. 2424 Main St., Santa Monica, littleprince.la.
Eating for a cause: Dozens of L.A. restaurants are participating in Make March Matter, the month-long campaign to raise funds for Childrens Hospital Los Angeles. Chef David Lefevre created a pretzel and chocolate bread pudding for the month of March at his Manhattan Beach restaurant Fishing With Dynamite. One-hundred percent of the proceeds from the dessert will be donated to the campaign. Beacon Echo Park will donate $1 of every toast ordered in March; Portos Bakery will donate a portion of the months sales; Simmzys will donate 100% of the sales from its ice cream sandwiches; and Shake Shack in West Hollywood will donate 25% of its total sales on March 19. For a complete list of participating businesses and to make a donation online, visit www.makemarchmatter.org.
Shop and eat: The next time youre in need of a spicy fried chicken sandwich and in the market for handcrafted housewares, theres Scout. The new Silver Lake restaurant and retail shop opened last week on Sunset Boulevard, next to sister restaurant Sawyer. The cafe portion of the space serves pumpkin seed granola and Greek yogurt; grain bowls; house-cured salmon toast; spicy fried chicken sandwiches; and kale salads. The 240-square-foot shop carries local craft beer, wine, cookbooks from local chefs, cocktail kits, vinyl records from local bands, potted plants, charcuterie boards and more. The shop will also be stocked with fresh pasta and sauces from its other sister restaurant, Kettle Black, and do-it-yourself biscuit mix and pickles from Sawyer. The cafe and shop are open daily from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. 3707 W. Sunset Blvd., Los Angeles, (323) 451-9750, www.scoutsilverlake.com.
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Simply divine: The Los Angeles LGBT Center is hosting its 13th annual Simply diVine food and wine event on March 24 at Hollywood Forever. All proceeds from the event support the centers programs and services. The event features food tastings from local restaurants and food trucks as well as craft beer, wine and spirits. General-admission tickets are $100 if purchased by Wednesday and $150 if purchased after. Club VIP tickets are $500 (available through March 24) and includes early entry to the event with bartenders from the Chapel and the Abbey, tastings of wines and Titos vodka, a chef experience with the Border Grills Susan Feniger and Mary Sue Milliken and more. The event starts for general-admission ticket holders at 6 p.m. and at 5 p.m. for Club VIP members. For more information or to purchase tickets visit simplydivinela.org. 6000 Santa Monica Blvd., Los Angeles.
Still hungry? Top Chef winner Brooke Williamson has launched her first craft brew, called Girl Grey, in collaboration with the Bruery in Orange County, and the beer is available on tap at her Playa del Rey restaurants and for purchase on the Bruerys website. Esters Wine Shop & Bar in Santa Monica has launched a guest burger series with burgers from Craig Thorton of Wolvesmouth on March 27, burgers from Brandon Kida of Hinoki & the Bird on April 10, and burgers from the Mozzaplexs Nancy Silverton on May 22. Hayden at the Platform retail and restaurant complex in Culver City has reopened with a new interior, menu from chef Ari Kolender and wine pairings from beverage director Akari Yamamura.
Jenn.Harris@latimes.com
@Jenn_Harris_
USC names retired aerospace executive Wanda Austin as acting president, announces Nikias departure By Harriet Ryan USC appointed a retired aerospace executive as interim president and laid out a detailed plan for selecting a permanent leader Tuesday, ending speculation about whether outgoing President C.L. Max Nikias might remain in the post. Nikias, embattled over his administrations handling of a campus gynecologist accused of sexually abusing patients, relinquished his duties after a meeting of USCs board. The trustees tapped one of their own, Wanda Austin, an alumna and former president of the Aerospace Corp., to temporarily run the university. The trustees also approved the formation of a search committee and the hiring of firm Isaacson, Miller to coordinate the selection of a successor. A second search company, Heidrick & Struggles, will also advise trustees. Read More Facebook
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Ex-student sues elite Brentwood School after teacher is charged with sexually abusing him By Richard Winton A former student sued the elite Brentwood School on Monday in the wake of a female teacher being charged with repeatedly having sex with the minor, alleging that other faculty members encouraged the unlawful behavior and failed to report it to authorities. The lawsuit accuses the private school, whose students include the children of many of Hollywoods elite and L.A.s powerful, of acting negligently and allowing Aimee Palmitessa to abuse and batter the teenager sexually. The suit alleges that the student was abused in summer 2017 after one of the schools counselors offered words of encouragement to the then-17-year-old, identified in the suit as only John Doe, to engage in an illegal relationship with the teacher. Read More Facebook
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Civil jury vindicates fired Montebello school executives in whistleblower case By Howard Blume The Montebello school district is in dire straits at risk of insolvency and under apparent criminal investigation. An outside audit in July found some teachers earning more than $200,000 a year, as well as improper raises, excess paid vacation time and inappropriate overtime, sick leave and car allowances. Fixing the district and pinpointing blame could take time. Read More Facebook
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L.A. schools fall short on safety measures, new report warns By Howard Blume After the mass shooting at Floridas Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in February, Los Angeles school officials reassured parents that much had been done to keep local schools safe. California had tougher gun laws, after all, and the school district paid close attention to students mental health. But a new report issued Monday by a panel convened to take a close look offers some cause for concern, flagging inconsistent campus safety measures, thinly spread mental health staff and inadequate coordination between the school district and other public agencies. With the stakes this high, we must strive to do better, said L.A. City Atty. Mike Feuer, who assembled the panel. Read More Facebook
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L.A. school district says more are graduating, but rate may not show it By Howard Blume The L.A. Unified School District has hopes of continuing its winning streak this year with another record graduation rate, but the official numbers may not show it. A senior district administrator warned the board Tuesday that graduation rates were likely to decline 2% to 3% across the state, even though L.A. Unified is likely doing better than ever in producing graduates, he said. The issue is that the state will now count high school students who transfer to adult school as dropouts, said Oscar Lafarga, who heads the districts office of data and accountability. Previously, schools treated these students as though they had simply enrolled in another high school, he said. Read More Facebook
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Betsy DeVos to California: Not so fast on that federal education plan By Joy Resmovits Education Secretary Betsy DeVos (Erik Lesser / European Pressphoto Agency) In April, Californias top education officials breathed a sigh of relief. After months of debate and back-and-forth with Betsy DeVos staff, they had finalized a plan to satisfy a major education law that aims to make sure all students get a decent education. The state focused on aligning its plan to fulfill the requirements of the federal Every Student Succeeds Act with Californias Local Control Funding Formula, which gives extra money to districts to help students who come from low-income families, are in the foster system or are English learners. But this week, DeVos team said not so fast. Jason Botel, the U.S. Department of Educations principal deputy assistant secretary, sent California education officials a letter asking for more information in such areas as measuring student progress, graduation rates and English learners. In an unsigned statement, the California Department of Education declared itself surprised and disappointed because officials thought after a meeting with federal officials in Washington that they were on the right track to get approval. Now the Every Student Succeeds Act plan will be up for discussion once again at the July meeting of the State Board of Education. The U.S. Department of Education has already approved most state plans. Every Student Succeeds is the Obama administrations 2015 replacement for the No Child Left Behind Act. Facebook
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L.A. school board sets a new goal: prepare every grad to be eligible to apply for Cal State or UC By Sonali Kohli Last month, Los Angeles school board president proposed a spate of highly ambitious mandates aimed at ensuring that every district graduate be eligible to apply to one of the states public four-year universities by 2023. By the time the L.A. Unified school board unanimously approved the resolution Tuesday, the original language had been watered down. The goal is no longer that in five years 100% of students meet the long list of benchmarks, which include not just college eligibility for graduates but first-grade reading proficiency and English fluency by sixth grade for all students who enter the district in kindergarten or first grade speaking another language. The original college-readiness goal, for example, called for 100% of all high school students to be eligible to apply to one of the states four-year universities. Now the goal seems to offer more wiggle room: Prepare all high school graduates to be eligible to apply to a California four-year university. Read More Facebook
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We have been hurt. More women say they were mistreated by USC gynecologist By Richard Winton USC student Anika Narayanan says she vividly recalls her first appointment with Dr. George Tyndall at the campus health center, alleging that he made several explicit comments during an examination she felt was inappropriate and invasive. When she came back for a second visit in 2016 after a nonconsensual sexual encounter, he allegedly chastised her, she said in a civil lawsuit and at a press conference Tuesday. He asked me if I had forgotten to use a condom again, said Narayanan, 21. At one point, she said, Tyndall asked if I did a lot of doggy style, she said. Read More Facebook
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L.A. Unified gives inspector general brief contract extension By Howard Blume The Los Angeles school board on Tuesday extended the contract of Ken Bramlett, its inspector general, by three months, though his job is far from secure and questions remain about the future direction of his watchdog office. Board members also unanimously promoted Vivian Ekchian, who had been the runner-up for the superintendents job, to deputy superintendent the districts No. 2 position. Both moves had elements of peacemaking between different factions on the board. Read More Facebook
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USCs handling of complaints about campus gynecologist is being investigated by federal government By Harriet Ryan The U.S. Department of Education announced Monday that it has launched an investigation into how the University of Southern California handled misconduct complaints against a campus gynecologist, the latest fallout in a scandal that has prompted the resignation of USCs president, two law enforcement investigations and dozens of lawsuits. In revealing the inquiry by the departments Office of Civil Rights, officials rebuked USC for what they alleged was improper withholding of information about Dr. George Tyndall during a previous federal investigation. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos, who has been criticized for taking a less vigorous approach to examining sexual misconduct than predecessors, called for a systemic examination of USC and urged administrators to fully cooperate. Read More Facebook
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Judge to sentence woman and her boyfriend for the murder of an 8-year-old that led to L.A. child welfare reforms By Marisa Gerber A woman and her boyfriend are expected to be sentenced Thursday for the torture and murder of an 8-year-old boy whose killing in 2013 provoked public outrage, prompted sweeping reform of Los Angeles Countys child welfare system, and led to unprecedented criminal charges against social workers who handled the childs case. Pearl Sinthia Fernandez, 34, faces life in prison without the possibility of parole for her role in the death of her son, Gabriel. A jury decided last year that her boyfriend, Isauro Aguirre, 37, should be executed. When paramedics arrived at the boys Palmdale home in May 2013, Gabriel had slipped out of consciousness. He had a fractured skull, broken ribs, burned skin, missing teeth and BB pellets embedded in his groin. A paramedic would later testify that every inch of the boys small body had been abused. Read More Facebook
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L.A. Unifieds spending out of step with similar school systems, task force says By Howard Blume The Los Angeles school district is out of step with similar school systems, spending more on teachers pay and health benefits and less on activities that could enhance student learning, according to a new report by an outside task force. The L.A. Unified School District Advisory Task Force did not make specific recommendations, but instead posed a series of questions it said the district needs to answer to make sure its funding is aimed at providing a full opportunity for all students to succeed. What were trying to say is: Lets put the data on the table. Lets look at the truth. Lets be transparent and here are the numbers, said task force member Renata Simril. This is not to say that we should cut teachers salaries. Read More Facebook
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Top USC medical school official feared dean was doing drugs and alerted administration, he testifies By Paul Pringle A former vice dean of USCs Keck School of Medicine testified Tuesday that he feared the schools then-dean, Dr. Carmen A. Puliafito, could be doing drugs and expressed concerns about his general well-being to the universitys No. 2 administrator before Puliafito abruptly left his job in 2016. Dr. Henri Fords testimony at a hearing of the state Medical Board marks the first suggestion that any USC administrator had suspicions about Puliafitos possible drug use before he stepped down. A Times investigation in 2017 found Puliafito led a secret second life of using illegal drugs with a circle of young criminals and addicts. Puliafito testified about his behavior at the hearing Tuesday, saying he took drugs with one young woman on a weekly basis. Ford said that he decided to alert USC Provost Michael Quick after receiving reports in early 2016 that Puliafito was partying in hotels with people of questionable reputation, and that he came to worry about his mental stability. Read More Facebook
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Why L.A. Unified may face financial crisis even with a giant surplus this year By Jessica Calefati With more than half a billion dollars socked away for next school year, the Los Angeles Unified School District hardly seems just two years from financial ruin. Its a scenario that is especially tough to swallow if youre a low-wage worker seeking a raise or a teacher who wants smaller classes. But budget documents show that todays $548-million surplus cannot be sustained and that even basic services face steep, seemingly unavoidable cuts because of massive problems barreling the districts way. Theres a disconnect between the rosy short-term picture and what we know is coming, said board member Kelly Gonez. Read More Facebook
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We have failed: Top USC officials try to reassure students amid gynecologist scandal By Joy Resmovits Top administrators at USC are reaching out to students in the wake of misconduct allegations against the universitys longtime gynecologist, acknowledging failings and vowing reforms as they try to address growing outrage over the revelations. Several USC deans have sent out messages trying to reassure students and faculty that the university is committed to changing. We have failed, wrote Jack H. Knott, dean of USCs Sol Price School of Public Policy, in a May 24 letter. What happened is antithetical to everything we know is right. Read More Facebook
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Rick Caruso is named chair of USCs trustees, vows swift investigation of gynecologist scandal By Thomas Curwen The University of Southern Californias board of trustees has elected mall magnate Rick Caruso to be the new chair of the board, giving fresh leadership as the university navigates a widening scandal involving a longtime campus gynecologist. The move marks the latest effort by USC to address the case, which has sparked a criminal investigation by the Los Angeles Police Department and dozens of civil lawsuits. More than 400 people have contacted a hotline that the university established for patients to make reports about their experience with Dr. George Tyndall. In his first act as chairman, Caruso announced that the white-shoe L.A. law firm OMelveny & Myers would conduct a thorough and independent investigation into the gynecologists conduct and reporting failures at the clinic. He set an ambitious timeline for the review, pledging it would conclude before students return for the fall semester. Read More Facebook
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UC Berkeley students persistence helps win more liberal rules for in-state tuition By Teresa Watanabe Ifechukwu Okeke thought shed be a shoo-in for in-state tuition when she was admitted to UC Berkeley for fall 2016. She had moved to the United States from Nigeria in 2012 to go to Chaffey College in Rancho Cucamonga. By the time she got her acceptance to transfer to UC to study molecular and cell biology, she had lived in California four years. She had a California drivers license, bank account and rental records as proof. UC Berkeley, however, ruled she was a nonresident which meant she would have to pay nearly $27,000 more. Read More Facebook
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State medical board calls former County-USC doctor a sexual predator, suspends his license By Matt Hamilton A UCLA cardiologist has been temporarily stripped of his medical license after state regulators described him as a sexual predator who assaulted three female colleagues when he was working and training at L.A. County-USC Medical Center. Read More Facebook
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Global California 2030' aims to get more students learning more languages By Joy Resmovits Tom Torlakson (Andrew Seng / Associated Press) Outgoing state Supt. of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson on Wednesday announced a new statewide effort to encourage students to learn more languages. Called Global California 2030, its goal is to help more students become fluent in multiple tongues. Torlakson said that by 2030, he wants half of the states 6.2 million K-12 students to participate in classes or programs that lead to proficiency in two or more languages. By 2040, he wants three out of four students to be proficient enough to earn the State Seal of Biliteracy. Torlakson announced the initiative at Cahuenga Elementary School, which offers a dual-language immersion program in English and Korean. Californias public school students speak more than 60 languages at home, and 40% come to school with knowledge of a language other than English. Torlakson called his plan a call to action that invites parents, legislators, educators and community members to pool resources to expand language offerings in schools and get more bilingual teachers trained. He said the state already is working with Mexico and Spain to expand a teacher-exchange program. Fluency, the plan argues, can help students succeed economically and language acquisition can help their overall critical thinking. The initiative builds on Proposition 58, a ballot initiative passed in 2016 that undid an earlier requirement that English learners be taught in English-immersion classes unless their parents signed waivers. Torlakson recently visited Mexico and met with that countrys education secretary. They later signed a pact to increase collaboration, particularly in language education. This [Global California 2030] is great follow-through on Toms part and very important, Patricia Gandara, a UCLA education professor who hosted the Mexico meeting, said in an email. It hands over a plan to move forward in an area in which California has a unique advantage, but must seize the opportunity. Facebook
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Jury convicts man of murder in 2015 slaying of UCLA student found inside her burning apartment By Marisa Gerber A jury on Tuesday convicted a man in the 2015 slaying of a UCLA student found dead inside her burning apartment a gruesome stabbing case that led to a fierce rebuke of the police response amid concerns that the killing could have been prevented. The panel deliberated for about six hours before finding Alberto Medina, 24, guilty of murder, arson, burglary and animal cruelty. On Sept. 21, 2015, firefighters found the charred body of Andrea DelVesco inside her apartment after responding to the complex a block from campus. The 21-year-old student an Austin, Texas, native known to her sorority sisters as a fearless giver who befriended others with ease was stabbed at least 19 times, authorities said. Read More Facebook
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LAPD begins sweeping criminal probe of former USC gynecologist while urging patients to come forward By Adam Elmahrek The Los Angeles Police Department said Tuesday it is investigating 52 complaints of misconduct filed by former patients of USCs longtime campus gynecologist as detectives launch a sweeping criminal probe into the scandal that has rocked the university. LAPD detectives also made an appeal for other patients who feel mistreated to come forward, noting that thousands of students were examined by Dr. George Tyndall during his nearly 30-year career at USC. More than 410 people have contacted a university hotline about the physician since The Times revealed the allegations this month. Tyndalls behavior and practices appear to go beyond the norms of the medical profession and gynecological examinations, said Asst. Chief Beatrice Girmala. We sincerely realize that victims may have difficulty recounting such details to investigators. We are empathetic and ready to listen. Read More Facebook
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At L.A.'s only school for the deaf, parents want leaders who speak the same language By Anna M. Phillips Ever since her son was 6 months old, Juliet Hidalgo has been bringing him to the Marlton School, a low-slung building in Baldwin Hills that for generations has been a second home for deaf and hard-of-hearing students in Los Angeles. Marlton staff taught Hidalgos brother and sister, both of whom are deaf. The school was where her deaf son learned to make the signs for milk and food. Hidalgo had planned to enroll her daughter, taking advantage of a popular program that allows hearing children to learn American Sign Language alongside their deaf siblings. But after more than a decade of involvement, she and other family members are considering withdrawing their children. They are not alone. Read More Facebook
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Fueled by unlimited donations, independent groups play their biggest role yet in a California primary for governor By Ryan Menezes An unprecedented amount of money from wealthy donors, unions and corporations is flowing into the California governors race, giving independent groups unrestricted by contribution limits a greater say in picking the states chief executive than ever before. The groups have already spent more than $26 million through Thursday, the most ever spent by noncandidate committees in a gubernatorial primary, according to a Times analysis of campaign finance reports. California elections have always been expensive, and the future is even more expensive, said Jack Pitney, a political science professor at Claremont McKenna College and a former state Republican leader. The stakes are very real. Read More Facebook
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2 hurt in Indiana middle school shooting; suspect in custody, authorities say By Associated Press Authorities say two victims in a shooting at a suburban Indianapolis school are being taken to a hospital and the lone suspect is in custody. Bryant Orem, a spokesman for the Hamilton County Sheriffs Office, said in a news release that the victims in Friday mornings attack at Noblesville West Middle School are being taken to Methodist Hospital in Indianapolis and their families have been notified. He says no other information is available about the victims. Orem said the suspect is believed to have acted alone and was taken into custody. No additional information about the suspect was made public. Read More Facebook
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For new L.A. schools chief Austin Beutner, some key unions are giving no honeymoon period By Howard Blume In the less than two weeks since Austin Beutner took charge of Los Angeles schools, unions representing teachers and administrators have staged a job action and a protest. Theyve made it clear that they will not give the new superintendent the traditional honeymoon period, and they are bashing him for his wealth and lack of experience running either a school or a school district. Beutner is a billionaire investment banker with zero qualifications, local teachers union President Alex Caputo-Pearl told members in a phone alert urging them to participate in a Thursday afternoon rally in Grand Park. The board is saying that billionaires who made their money blowing institutions up and making money off it know best not the education professionals who have dedicated our careers to working with students. Read More Facebook
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Pressure grows on Board of Trustees amid USC gynecologist scandal By Paul Pringle USCs large and powerful Board of Trustees is coming under growing pressure to provide a stronger hand as the university faces a crisis over misconduct allegations against the campus longtime gynecologist that has prompted calls for President C.L. Max Nikias to step down. Allegations that Dr. George Tyndall mistreated students during his nearly 30 years at USC have roiled the campus, with about 300 people coming forward to make reports to the university and the Los Angeles Police Department launching a criminal investigation. USC is already beginning to face what is expected to be costly litigation by women who say they were victimized by the physician. So far, the trustees to whom Nikias reports have expressed sympathy for the women who have come forward and launched an independent investigation while also publicly backing the president. Read More Facebook
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UC regents approve leaner budget for Janet Napolitano By Teresa Watanabe University of California regents on Thursday unanimously approved a leaner, more transparent budget for President Janet Napolitano, moving to address political criticism over the systems central office operations. The $876.4-million budget for 2018-19 reflects spending cuts of 2%, including reductions in staffing, travel and such systemwide programs as public service law fellowships, carbon neutrality and food security. Napolitano shifted $30 million to campuses for housing needs and $10 million to UC Riverside to support its five-year-old medical school. She also permanently redirected $8.5 million annually to help enroll more California students, as required by the state. Read More Facebook
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USCs Academic Senate calls on university president to resign after a series of scandals By Matt Hamilton The body that represents USCs faculty called on President C.L. Max Nikias to resign Wednesday in the wake of relevations that the universitys longtime gynecologist faced years of accusations of misconduct by students and colleagues at the campus health clinic. The Academic Senate took the vote late Wednesday afternoon after a fiery town hall meeting attended by more than 100 faculty members, many of whom voiced outrage over Nikias and the Board of Trustees leadership. The vote came a day after the trustees executive committee stood firmly behind Nikias, saying it has full confidence in his leadership, ethics and values. At the town hall meeting, Senate President Paul Rosenbloom said he did not think Nikias or Provost Michael Quick committed wrongdoing but that the university president deserved criticism for a lack of transparency. Read More Facebook
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Californias public universities on the way to getting a big longed-for boost in funding By Teresa Watanabe The University of California and California State University systems are poised to get major funding boosts that will help them enroll thousands of additional state students and eliminate the need for tuition increases in the coming school year. A key Assembly budget panel on Wednesday approved $117.5 million in new funds for the UC. A Senate panel approved a similar sum last week. The same committees recently approved even more funding for the Cal State system. Read More Facebook
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UC regents to scrutinize Janet Napolitanos office budget in a step toward stronger oversight By Teresa Watanabe University of California regents this week plan to scrutinize the budget of President Janet Napolitano, whose office came under political fire last year for questionable spending and murky accounting. Regents will vote on the proposed $876.4-million budget for 2018-19 during their two-day meeting, which starts Wednesday, at UC San Francisco. They also will discuss state funding, financial aid, online education and transfer student policies. Board Chairman George Kieffer said regents are stepping up to exert stronger oversight of the presidents office after a blistering state audit last year found financial problems including an unreported $175 million budget reserve. Read More Facebook
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State legislative panels approve major funding boost for Cal State By Teresa Watanabe Cal State students protest against a tuition increase outside the chancellors office (Irfan Khan) After months of intensive lobbying, Cal State University has convinced two key legislative panels to approve funding to enroll nearly 11,000 more students, hire more faculty and expand housing aid to those without shelter this fall. An Assembly budget panel on Tuesday approved $215.7 million more for Cal State, adding to Gov. Jerry Browns proposed $92.1 million general fund increase. A Senate budget panel approved a similar increase last week. The extra funding which went beyond Cal States own request to the Legislature of $171 million is still subject to final budget negotiations with Brown. But the actions by the Senate and Assembly panels amount to a demand from Democrats that the governor hike higher education spending. Cal State University is the workhorse undergraduate university serving hundreds of thousands of Californians, said Assemblyman Kevin McCarty (D-Sacramento), who heads the Assembly Budget Subcommittee on Education Finance. We need more graduates for the California workforce and higher education is the ticket to the middle class. Cal State Chancellor Timothy P. White hailed the actions, but said it was too soon to celebrate. The CSU has a singular focus on helping students earn high-quality degrees sooner, and the entire university community has rallied to reinforce that message to our states lawmakers, he said in a statement. The actions taken thus far by the Assembly and Senate are promising and show that our message is being received, but there is still work to be done. Funding for the University of California was not taken up Tuesday as originally scheduled. McCarty would not comment on sticking points but said he was confident that a resolution would be reached this week. Were looking to provide resources above whats in the governors budget, but negotiations are ongoing, he said in an interview. State per-student funding is not what it once was, leaving both Cal State and the UC in a tough financial squeeze. Both systems raised tuition last year after a six-year freeze on higher costs. For this year, Cal State had asked for funding to enroll an additional 3,621 students, but both the Senate and Assembly panels approved three times that amount. Cal State, the largest public university system in the nation, turned away 32,000 eligible students last year because its campuses werent able to accommodate them. The panels asked that at least $50 million of the extra funding be used to hire more tenure-track faculty to help boost graduation rates. The Assembly panel also approved one-time funding of $5 million to ease hunger on campuses and $14 million for rapid rehousing pilot projects at three campuses, offering needy students rental support and short-term case management. Other items approved include $5 million to support the CSU Long Beach Shark Labs research on sharks and beach safety and $2 million for equal employment opportunity practices. This post has been updated to include comments from Assemblyman Kevin McCarty and Cal State Chancellor Timothy P. White. Facebook
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Faculty members call for USC president to step down: He has lost the moral authority to lead By Matt Hamilton Two hundred USC professors on Tuesday demanded the resignation of university President C. L. Max Nikias, saying he had lost the moral authority to lead in the wake of revelations that a campus gynecologist was kept on staff for decades despite repeated complaints of misconduct. Read More Facebook
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Gun battle, negotiations lasted 15 minutes before Texas school shooter was apprehended, sheriff says By Molly Hennessy-Fiske Minutes after a school shooter opened fire in an art class last week, killing 10 people and wounding 13, including a local police officer, fellow officers returned fire in a protracted gun battle before isolating the suspect, the local sheriff said Monday. Galveston County Sheriff Henry Trochesset praised first responders as well as Santa Fe Police Officer John Barnes, who was working as a resource officer at the school the day of the shooting. Their actions, he said, prevented the attack from spreading to other classrooms and potentially claiming additional victims. As officials continue to probe last Fridays shooting at Santa Fe High School, students are worried about returning to the scene of the attack when classes resume next week. Read More Facebook
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6 women sue USC, alleging they were victimized by campus gynecologist By Richard Winton Six women filed civil lawsuits Monday alleging that a longtime gynecologist at the University of Southern California sexually victimized them under the pretext of medical care and that USC failed to address complaints from clinic staff about the doctors behavior. One woman alleged Dr. George Tyndall forced his entire ungloved hand into her vagina during an appointment in 2003 while making vulgar remarks about her genitalia, according to one of the lawsuits. Another woman alleged that Tyndall groped her breasts in a 2008 visit and that later he falsely told her she likely had AIDS. A third woman accused the doctor of grazing his ungloved fingers over her nude body and leering at her during a purported skin exam, the lawsuit states. The wave of litigation comes as USC continues to grapple with the scandal, which legal experts said could prove costly to the university as scores of former patients come forward about their experiences with the gynecologist. Read More Facebook
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Fatalities reported in Texas high school shooting; suspect arrested, officials say By Associated Press Houston-area media citing unnamed law enforcement officials are reporting that there are fatalities following a shooting at a local high school Friday morning. Television station KHOU and the Houston Chronicle are citing unnamed federal, county and police officials following the shooting at Santa Fe High School, which went on lockdown around 8 a.m. The Associated Press has not been able to confirm the reports. The school district has confirmed an unspecified number of injuries but said it wouldnt immediately release further details. Assistant Principal Cris Richardson said a suspect has been arrested and secured. Read More Facebook
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This student followed the new L.A. schools chief on his first-day tour L.A. schools Supt. Austin Beutner is greeted by Van Nuys High School principal Yolanda Gardea. (Melissa Barales-Lopez) Melissa Barales-Lopez, a senior at Garfield High School followed Supt. Austin Beutner on his first day on the job, as he toured a variety of programs around the Los Angeles Unified School District. Heres what she took from the experience. LAUSD students and staff alike are looking for a personal champion, someone who will address and improve the difficulties afflicting their education. What LAUSD students need is someone whos willing to listen and learn, someone who can understand the current issues affecting their schools and act to efficiently amend them, someone who can unlock the full potential of LAUSD students and enable them to reach their goals. During the entirety of his first day, superintendent Austin Beutner did indeed demonstrate a willingness to learn. Posing questions to teachers and students, Beutner engaged with the student communities he encountered to gain a better comprehension of the minutiae and nuances that distinguish each school inside an overwhelmingly large district. From inquiries about Grand View Boulevard Elementary Schools dual language program to questions regarding the services of LAUSDs after-school program, Beyond the Bell, Beutner revealed he has a lot to learn about the system. But, Beutner also showcased a willingness to tackle challenges head-on on his first day. Read More Facebook
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USC let a gynecologist continue treating students despite years of misconduct allegations By Matt Hamilton For nearly 30 years, the University of Southern Californias student health clinic had one full-time gynecologist: Dr. George Tyndall. Tall and garrulous with distinctive jet black hair, he treated tens of thousands of female students, many of them teenagers seeing a gynecologist for the first time. Few who lay down on Tyndalls exam table at the Engemann Student Health Center knew that he had been accused repeatedly of misconduct toward young patients. The complaints began in the 1990s, when co-workers alleged he was improperly photographing students genitals. In the years that followed, patients and nursing staff accused him again and again of creepy behavior, including touching women inappropriately during pelvic exams and making sexually suggestive remarks about their bodies. Read More Facebook
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Cal State trustees to discuss Browns latest budget proposal, which they say still falls $171 million short By Joy Resmovits Just how much money does California State University need to serve its students? In recent years, this question has been front and center for the nations largest public university system. Cal States leaders say that to keep their campuses quality from slipping, they need much more money than the state is giving them. This year, theyre also at odds with Gov. Jerry Brown on the question of whether any extra money should come in one-time bursts or be ongoing. Read More Facebook
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On his first day as L.A. schools chief, Beutner plans a day of visits across the district By Howard Blume L.A. Unifieds new superintendent, Austin Beutner, will kick off his first day of work on Tuesday with a choreographed tour of the nations second-largest school district, from the San Fernando Valley to Carson. His day is scheduled to begin at 5:15 a.m. at a school bus depot and end more than 12 hours later at a parent meeting at Garfield High School. Along the way, Beutner is expected to be joined by school district administrators, L.A. Unified board members and the vice president of the union that represents school bus drivers. Though he will be covering a lot of ground, Beutners tour has him skipping Tuesdays school board meeting, when board members are expected to discuss labor negotiations in closed session. Read More Facebook
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Cal State trustees to discuss Browns latest budget proposal, which they say still falls $171 million short By Joy Resmovits Just how much money does California State University need to serve its students? In recent years, this question has been front and center for the nations largest public university system. Cal States leaders say that to keep their campuses quality from slipping, they need much more money than the state is giving them. This year, theyre also at odds with Gov. Jerry Brown on the question of whether any extra money should come in one-time bursts or be ongoing. Read More Facebook
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Why a handful of rich charter school supporters are spending millions to elect Antonio Villaraigosa as governor By Ryan Menezes California voters have seen a barrage of sunny television ads in recent weeks touting former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosas record on finances, crime and education, aired by Families & Teachers for Antonio Villaraigosa for Governor 2018. But the group is, in fact, largely funded by a handful of wealthy charter-school supporters. Together they have spent more than $13 million in less than a month to boost Villaraigosas chances in the June 5 primary at a time when his fundraising and poll numbers are lagging. Reed Hastings, the founder of Netflix, jump-started the group with a $7-million check, by far the largest donation to support any candidate in the election. Their efforts are part of a broader proxy war among Democrats between teachers unions longtime stalwarts of the party and those who argue that the groups have failed low-income and minority schoolchildren. Read More Facebook
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Talking schools with L.A. Unifieds new superintendent By Anna M. Phillips Al Seib / Los Angeles Times ( Incoming L.A. schools Supt. Austin Beutner talks to students at Belmont High School.) Austin Beutner, who officially starts Tuesday as the new superintendent of the Los Angeles Unified School District, is taking on a famously difficult job at a particularly difficult time. The school board is divided and did not back him unanimously. The nations second-largest school district has deep-seated problems, including declining enrollment, lagging academic achievement and rising pension and healthcare costs that eat away at its budget. The 58-year-old former investment banker and former L.A. Times publisher has years of experience in the financial world but none as an educator. Earlier this week, he sat down with the Times education team to discuss the challenges facing the district, which has about 60,000 employees and 500,000 students in traditional public schools. He did not talk about his plans saying repeatedly, stay tuned but he spoke in broad terms about his mindset in approaching the tough decisions ahead. Read More Facebook
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Suspect detained, authorities search campus after reports of armed man at Palmdale high school By James Queally One person has been detained after a report of an armed man at a Palmdale high school sparked a massive law enforcement response Friday morning. The suspect was spotted at 7:05 a.m. on the campus of Highland High School in Palmdale, according to Sheriffs Department spokeswoman Nicole Nishida. The person was detained in a nearby parking lot, according to Nishida, who did not know whether that person was an adult or juvenile. Deputies at the scene are clearing the school methodically, and students will be transported home via school buses once the campus is deemed safe, Nishida said. Read More Facebook
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The education of Bertha Perez: How a UC Merced custodians disenchantment led to a political awakening By Robin Abcarian Its the third day of a three-day strike, and UC Merced custodian Bertha Perez is taking a break from a picket line at the universitys unremarkable entrance, an intersection with stop lights. Photos from other UC campuses this week have shown big crowds of striking service workers members of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees marching and chanting pro-labor slogans as they try to force the University of California back to the negotiating table. But here, at UC Merced, whose handful of big buildings rise from a flat expanse of farmland, the picket line is tiny, maybe two dozen workers and a few students. Its not a big-city-style show of force. Then again, a union sympathizer is banging relentlessly on a snare drum, so its noisier than youd expect. Read More Facebook
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Ref Rodriguez resigns from teacher credentialing commission By Howard Blume Ref Rodriguez appears during a court appearance. (Al Seib/Los Angeles Times) Los Angeles school board member Ref Rodriguez has resigned from the states Commission on Teacher Credentialing, which oversees the integrity and quality of Californias teachers. Rodriguez faces felony and misdemeanor charges for political money laundering. Separately, his former employer, a charter school organization, has accused him of improperly authorizing checks to a nonprofit under his control. Rodriguez has denied wrongdoing. Rodriguezs resignation from the state body was effective May 4, days after he cast a crucial vote as part of a narrow majority that voted to authorize contract negotiations with Austin Beutner to become superintendent of the L.A. Unified School District. Beutners first official day on the job is Tuesday. Rodriguez remains in his $125,000-a-year position on the Los Angeles Board of Education. The mission of the state body is to ensure integrity, relevance, and high quality in the preparation, certification, and discipline of Californias teachers. Critics had questioned Rodriguezs continued service on the commission, given that teachers can be suspended from work if they face criminal charges. They also can lose their jobs for lapses in personal behavior, such as excessive drinking, with the potential to affect their performance. Police in Pasadena arrested Rodriguez on a Friday afternoon in March for public drunkenness. He was not charged in the incident and has apologized. The state commission reviews teacher discipline cases and can take action to remove a teachers credential to work in a California classroom. The commission has 15 members. Rodriguezs departure was disclosed in a one-sentence announcement on the agencys website. Facebook
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School board members request for restraining order against blogger is rejected By Priscella Vega An Orange County Superior Court judge on Wednesday denied a school board members petition for a permanent restraining order against a Huntington Beach blogger. Attorney Jeffrey W. Shields filed the petition on behalf of Ocean View School District trustee Gina Clayton-Tarvin, 46, who alleged in court documents that Charles Keeler Johnson, 56, has threatened her on social media and at school board meetings, causing her to fear for my own safety and for that of my immediate family members. Johnson, who goes by Chuck and publishes HBSledgehammer.com, said the trustee tried to stifle his freedom of speech. He also contended that Clayton-Tarvin took his blog posts and Facebook comments too seriously and out of context, saying anyone who is afraid of metaphors has serious issues. Read More Facebook
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Deal with workers averts one-day strike that could have shut down L.A. schools By Howard Blume Los Angeles school district and union officials announced a contract agreement Tuesday night that averted a one-day strike planned for next week. The pact, which runs through June 2020, removes one labor problem from the desk of incoming Supt. Austin Beutner whose first day on the job would have coincided with the strike. Plenty of other challenges remain. Read More Facebook
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UC labor strike expands with show of support from more unions By Teresa Watanabe Fong Chuu is a registered nurse who has assisted with countless liver transplants, kidney surgeries and gastric bypasses during 34 years at UCLA. Working with her are scrub technicians who sterilize equipment, hand medical instruments to the surgeon and dress patient wounds. They are a team, Chuu says, which is why she walked off her job Tuesday in support of those technicians and other members of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Local 3299. The 25,000 member AFSCME local, the University of Californias largest employee union, launched a three-day strike Monday. Read More Facebook
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We are humans too: Voices of UCLAs striking custodians, hospital aides and imaging technicians By Joy Resmovits Demonstrators parade in front of Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times) This week, thousands of UC employees are staging a three-day strike for better pay and working conditions. On Monday, more than 20,000 custodians, cooks, lab technicians, nurse aides and other members of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Local 3299 walked off their jobs. By Tuesday, two more unions joined in sympathy strikes. The union and UC reached a bargaining impasse last year. The university has said it wont meet the workers demands. The strikers said they wanted better pay, more equity in the allocation of work, stable healthcare premiums and an end to the universitys use of contract workers. These are their stories. Read More Facebook
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Massive UC workers strike disrupts dining, classes and medical services By Joy Resmovits A massive labor strike across the University of California on Monday forced medical centers to reschedule more than 12,000 surgeries, cancer treatments and appointments, and campuses to cancel some classes and limit dining services. More than 20,000 members of UCs largest employee union, the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Local 3299, walked off their jobs on the first day of a three-day strike. They include custodians, gardeners, cooks, truck drivers, lab technicians and nurse aides. Two altercations involving protesters and people driving near the rallies were reported at UCLA and UC Santa Cruz. At UCLA, police took a man into custody Monday after he drove his vehicle into a crowd, hitting three staff members. They were treated for minor injuries at the scene and released, said Lt. Kevin Kilgore of the UCLA Police Department. Read More Facebook
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Sen. Kamala Harris to skip UC Berkeley commencement in support of striking workers By Teresa Watanabe Sen. Kamala Harris (Chris Dekmas) California Sen. Kamala Harris has canceled plans to deliver UC Berkeleys commencement address this weekend in support of UC workers who are on strike over wages and health benefits. Due to the ongoing labor dispute, Sen. Harris regretfully cannot attend and speak at this years commencement ceremony at UC Berkeley, said a statement from Harris office issued Monday. She wishes the graduates and their families a joyous commencement weekend and success for the future. They are bright young leaders and our country is counting on them. UCs largest employee union, the 25,000-member American Federation of County, State and Municipal Employees Local 3299, launched a three-day strike Monday and had earlier called for a speakers boycott. The union and university reached a bargaining impasse last year and subsequent mediation efforts have failed to produce an agreement. The union is asking for a multiyear contract with a 6% annual pay increase while the university is offering 3% annual increases over four years. UC Berkeley Chancellor Carol Christ will deliver the keynote address instead, the university announced. About 5,800 students are expected to participate in the ceremony Saturday. Facebook
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School mural depicting Trumps bloody, severed head sparks controversy By Gary Warth A Chula Vista school mural that depicts the bloody, severed head of President Trump on a spear sparked a controversy that prompted officials to cover it and issue a response distancing themselves from the work. The statement also said the artist will alter the painting. We understand that there was a mural painted at the event this past weekend that does not align with our schools philosophy of non-violence, read the statement from MAAC Community Charter School director Tommy Ramirez. We have been in communication with the artist who has agreed to modify the artwork to better align with the schools philosophy. Read More Facebook
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New blackface incident at Cal Poly prompts calls for state investigation By Kim Christensen Cal Poly San Luis Obispo officials have asked the state attorney generals office to investigate after a new photo of a white student in blackface surfaced on a fraternity groups private Snapchat. I am outraged, Cal Poly President Jeffrey D. Armstrong said in a video address Friday to the campus. These vile and absolutely unacceptable acts cannot continue. We must not allow these acts to define us as an institution. Armstrong said the latest photo was intended to imitate an incident last month in which a white member of the Lambda Chi Alpha fraternity was photographed at a party wearing blackface. Read More Facebook
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More than 50,000 UC workers set to strike this week but campuses will remain open By Teresa Watanabe More than 50,000 workers across the University of California are set to strike this week, causing potential disruptions to surgery schedules, food preparation and campus maintenance. The systems 10 campuses and five medical centers are to remain open, with classes scheduled as planned. UCs largest employee union, the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Local 3299, plans to begin a three-day strike Monday involving 25,000 workers, including custodians, gardeners, cooks, truck drivers, lab technicians and nurse aides. Read More Facebook
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New L.A. schools chief Beutner pledges to listen, learn and take action By Howard Blume New Los Angeles schools Supt. Austin Beutner proved Wednesday that hes a quick learner even without an education background. Like countless public officials before him, he appeared at an important event his first speech and news conference with a photogenic background of students. His message that he would put those students first seemed heartfelt if hardly original. Nor was it a huge surprise that he pledged to push cooperatively but unflinchingly to improve the districts academic performance and stabilize its finances. As an introduction, Beutner, a former investment banker who made a fortune on Wall Street, offered little flash, but that was partly the point. Read More Facebook
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In a school lockdown, one student takes stock of the stressful scene (Phalaen Chang) At the beginning of lunch one day late last month, Duarte High School, Northview Middle School, and California School of the Arts-San Gabriel Valley were advised by the Los Angeles Sheriffs Department to go into lockdown mode due to police activity in the immediate area. Phalaen Chang, a junior at the California School of the Arts, wrote a series of notes on her iPhone while she sat in a room with her classmates. By the time the lockdown ended an hour later, she wrote, she knew which of her friends would hold open the door for others, be the ones calming others down, be the ones barricading the doors. She knew that all of them have the potential to be such strong people. Read More Facebook
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Tale as old as time: L.A. Unified superintendent pick follows a historical pattern of outside-the-box choices By Joy Resmovits Navy Vice Adm. David L. Brewer III, superintendent from 2006-2008. (L.A. Times file photo) L.A. Unified has long gone back and forth between picking insiders and outsiders to run the nations second largest school district. The choice of Austin Beutner, announced Tuesday, places the district squarely back in the outsider camp months after a consummate insider, Supt. Michelle King, announced that she had cancer and would not return to the job. Check out this timeline of former L.A. superintendents to see how the school board members have changed their minds, sometimes favoring leaders who come from the world of education and sometimes executives from elsewhere, recruited to shock the system into change. At one point, the district hired someone from the military retired Navy Vice Adm. David L. Brewer III, who served as superintendent from 2006-2008. In hiring Brewer, board members had opted for a non-educator largely because they sought a fresh thinker, unwedded to the bureaucracy, unafraid to make bold, even unorthodox moves, reads a 2008 Times story. Facebook
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Austin Beutner named superintendent of Los Angeles schools By Howard Blume Austin Beutner, a philanthropist and former investment banker, on Tuesday was named superintendent of the Los Angeles Unified School District, the nations second-largest school system. His selection was the biggest move yet by a Los Angeles school board majority elected with major support from charter school advocates. The decision came after lengthy public testimony, most of it in support of the other remaining finalist, interim Supt. Vivian Ekchian, who is well known within the school system. Beutner, 58, has no background leading a school or school district. Less than 2 years ago, a school board with a very different balance of power named Michelle King, a former teacher who rose through the district throughout her career, to L.A. Unifieds top job. Read More Facebook
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Hearing delay gives both sides more time in Ref Rodriguezs potential trial By Howard Blume Ref Rodriguez and his attorneys will have more time to prepare their defense against charges of political money laundering, a judge ruled Monday. The preliminary hearing in the case had been scheduled to begin May 9, but that date will now be pushed back to July 23 per the ruling from L.A. Superior Court Judge Deborah S. Brazil. Rodriguez, 46, faces three felony charges of conspiracy, perjury and procuring and offering a false or forged instrument, as well as 25 misdemeanor counts related to the alleged campaign money laundering. Read More Facebook
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L.A. school board poised to name Beutner as superintendent By Howard Blume The Los Angeles Board of Education is poised to select philanthropist and former investment banker Austin Beutner to be the next superintendent of the nations second-largest school system. Barring a last-minute development, the only mystery is whether Beutner emerges with four or five votes from the boards seven members. Terms of his contract already have been under discussion, according to sources close to the process who requested anonymity because they are not authorized to speak. The selection of Beutner, 58, who has no experience managing a school or a school district, would be a signal that the board majority that took control nearly a year ago wants to rely on business management skills instead of insider educational expertise. Read More Facebook
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Teacher walkouts in Arizona and Colorado continue national debate on money for schools By Michael Livingston Following the lead of teachers who walked off the job in other states in recent weeks, thousands of teachers and their supporters took to the streets in Arizona and Colorado for the second day in a row to demand better pay and more funding for education. Read More Facebook
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Three decades before the #MeToo movement, UC San Diego led the way against sexual assault By Teresa Watanabe When Nancy Wahlig first started her fight against sexual assault, one company was marketing a capsule for women to stash in their bras and then smash to release a vile odor. Because of the very nature of society, the only person who can prevent rape is the woman herself, read a 1981 advertisement for the Repulse rape deterrent. Ideas about how to prevent sexual violence have come a long way since then, and Wahlig has helped lead that evolution on college campuses. In 1988, she started UC San Diegos Sexual Assault Resource Center (SARC), the first stand-alone program at the University of California. Today, she remains the systems most senior specialist. Read More Facebook
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Andres Alonso withdraws from consideration for L.A. schools job By Howard Blume Andres Alonso, believed to be one of three remaining finalists to lead the Los Angeles school system, has withdrawn from consideration. The remaining known candidates in the confidential search are former investment banker Austin Beutner and interim Supt. Vivian Ekchian. Alonso, 60, announced his decision on Twitter on Thursday night, saying he had notified the L.A. Unified School District on Monday. The exit of Alonso, the former Baltimore schools chief, seems to solidify the front-runner status of Beutner, who also was a former L.A. Times publisher and a Los Angeles deputy mayor. He held each of those positions for about a year. Read More Facebook
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Heres why the apparent increase in autism spectrum disorders may be good for U.S. children By Karen Kaplan The prevalence of autism spectrum disorder among American children continues to rise, new government data suggest. And that may be a good thing. Among 11 sites across the U.S. where records of 8-year-olds are scrutinized in detail, 1 in 59 kids was deemed to have ASD in 2014. Thats up from 1 in 68 in 2012. Normally, health officials would prefer to see less of a disease, not more of it. But in this case, the higher number is probably a sign that more children of color who are on the autism spectrum are being recognized as such and getting services to help them, according to a report published Thursday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Read More Facebook
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UC shelves tuition increase for now, in hopes of getting more state funding By Teresa Watanabe University of California regents will not vote on a tuition increase next month, shelving the plan for now in hopes that state lawmakers will come through with more funding. Raising tuition is always a last resort and one we take very seriously, UC President Janet Napolitano said Thursday in a statement. We will continue to advocate with our students who are doing a tremendous job of educating legislators about the necessity of adequately funding the university to ensure UC remains a world-class institution and engine of economic growth for our state. Last week, Cal State Chancellor Timothy P. White said the 23-campus system no longer would consider a plan to raise tuition for the 2018-19 academic year. But unlike Cal State, UC officials have not taken a tuition increase off the table entirely. Read More Facebook
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A chemical spill, unchecked eyewash stations, poor training: Audit details Cal States lax lab safety By Joy Resmovits In May 2016, two bottles tumbled off a poorly supported shelf and broke, leading to a chemical spill in a Sacramento State University lab. The liquid got onto one students legs and soaked anothers feet. Five employees cleaned up the mess, even though no one knew for sure what it was and whether it was dangerous. They called fellow employee Kim Harrington, their union representative, to let her know what happened. Read More Facebook
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After blackface incident, minority students at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo say they dont feel welcome By Hailey Branson-Potts Aaliyah Ramos was walking through the Cal Poly San Luis Obispo campus last year when a prospective student approached her. Ramos was the only black person, the young woman said, that she and her mother had seen that day. They asked about the quality of education and the diversity of the student body. Ramos, a mechanical engineering student, didnt want to sugarcoat the truth: Cal Poly long has been predominantly white. But she told the young woman who also was black that she didnt want to discourage her from applying, because that wouldnt help with diversity at a school where only 0.7% of students are African American the lowest percentage of any university in the California State system. Read More Facebook
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El Camino Real Charter High School in Woodland Hills wins the 2018 U.S. Academic Decathlon By Carlos Lozano El Camino Real Charter High School in Woodland Hills has won the 2018 U.S. Academic Decathlon, officials said. The winner was announced early Saturday at a ceremony in Frisco, Texas. More than 600 students from the U.S., Canada, China and the United Kingdom gathered there over the last three days to compete in the 37th annual U.S. Academic Decathlon. Congratulations to El Camino Real Charter High School for another impressive victory, said Vivian Ekchian, interim superintendent of the Los Angeles Unified School District. Your academic stamina and competitive spirit to win is remarkable. The entire L.A. Unified family is so proud of you. Read More Facebook
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Anticipation mounts as L.A. school board meets over superintendent selection By Howard Blume L.A. schools superintendent candidate Andres Alonso got an endorsement Friday, but Austin Beutner and Vivian Ekchian also have supporters. (Elizabeth Malby) The Los Angeles Board of Education is reconvening in closed session Friday at noon as anticipation mounts about the choice of the next leader of the nations second-largest school system. The presumed front-runner is former investment banker and philanthropist Austin Beutner, but interim Supt. Vivian Ekchian and former Baltimore Supt. Andres Alonso also are in the running. Most district insiders appear to be rooting for Ekchian, who has spent her entire career in education within the school system. After her 10 years as a teacher, her roles have included head of human resources, chief labor negotiator and regional administrator for campuses in the west San Fernando Valley. Shes managed the district since September, when then-Supt. Michelle King went on medical leave and chose Ekchian to fill in for her. King, who is battling cancer, never returned and announced her retirement in January. Numerous influential civic leaders have urged and pressured the board to select Beutner. Also lending their weight have been advocates for charter schools, which are independently operated, growing in number and competing for students with district-operated campuses. Four of the seven board members enough to control the outcome were elected with major financial support from charter supporters. Beutner has two ongoing connections with the L.A. Unified School District. The first is his leadership of an outside task force that is making recommendations on how to improve the school system. The second is his charity, Vision to Learn, which supplies glasses to low-income students. The charity and the school system are in a dispute at the moment over who is responsible for delays in providing services to students as part of a $6 million contract, half of which is paid for by L.A. Unified. Unlike Ekchian and Buetner, Alonso, who currently teaches at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, has no deep-seated local constituency, but the prospect of his selection has generated some excitement. While in Baltimore, Alonso was recognized for pushing for progress at low-performing schools, and for being willing to take strong action. While in Baltimore, he also weathered a test-score cheating scandal and occasionally rocky relations with the teachers union. But by the time he resigned, after six years, he and union leaders seemed to be working together without rancor. Leaders of some community groups have split from the pro-Beutner camp. They worry that Beutners approach to confronting the districts financial problems could shut out their voices or involve severe economic cutbacks that would undermine programs that are helping students. Some prefer Ekchian; some Alonso. Theyve been reluctant to speak out publicly because theyll have to work with whoever is selected, but they have tried to get the ear of board members. On Friday morning, one leader of a community group decided to come out in favor of Alonso. L.A. Unified has the opportunity to bring in an instructional leader of color with a history of success, said Alberto Retana, president and chief executive of Community Coalition, which works on behalf of low-income students and families in South Los Angeles. If we have a shot at that, we should go for it because its in the best interests of our kids and of our community. Retana said his statement was not meant to criticize Beutner or Ekchian but to alert board members that there also is community support for Alonso. Facebook
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Cal State leader shelves proposed tuition hike: Its the right thing to do, but its not without risk By Joy Resmovits Cal State, the nations largest public university system, will no longer consider a plan to raise tuition for the 2018-19 academic year, Chancellor Timothy P. White announced Friday. The decision is a bet that Sacramento will come through in the end. If Cal State loses that bet, it could mean cuts to campus programs. White said in an interview that Californias economy is strong enough that families should not be shouldering the burden of higher college costs. Read More Facebook
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L.A. students to participate in national walkout activities on Friday By Joy Resmovits (Los Angeles Times) Students are taking to the streets again Friday to protest gun violence on the 19th anniversary of the Columbine school shooting. Starting at 10 a.m., students at many schools will spend 13 seconds honoring the 13 people 12 students and one teacher killed on that day in Littleton, Colo. After that, theyll participate in a host of different activities. Within L.A. Unified, one school is having an open-mic event for students to talk about school violence, and lawmakers are visiting campuses to hear students thoughts. According to a central hub for organizing the protests written by the students of Ridgefield High School in Connecticut the walkouts are intended to drive the political change necessary to curb school violence. The day is also a time for students to interact on an elevated platform they have never had before, the site states. It is a day of discourse and thoughtful sharing. Bringing together communities and students to get a national discussion rolling. Organizers have suggested using the event to convey the importance of curbing gun violence to legislators. They are encouraging students to push legislation that would ban assault weapons and tighten up rules around who can buy guns and how. Over 2,500 schools nationwide are expected to participate. In L.A., some students at campuses including Eagle Rock High School, the Ramon C. Cortines School of Visual and Performing Arts and Bravo Medical Magnet plan to walk out. Students from various schools expect to join area marches, including those in Santa Monica and Huntington Park. Other schools are hosting career days and voter registration drives. At 1 p.m., students plan to start a rally in front of L.A. Unified headquarters. For the record: An earlier version of this article stated that 12 teachers and one student were killed in the Columbine shooting. The opposite is true: twelve students and one teacher died. Facebook
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Stabbing of popular student devastates South El Monte High School; teen friend suspected in slaying By Sonali Kohli When administrators at South El Monte High School called Jeremy Sanchezs parents to say he never showed up for class Wednesday, his father began to worry. It was unusual for the 17-year-old junior to miss school, so his father filed a missing persons report and assembled two of Jeremys close friends to look for the popular student-athlete. Their search took them to a scenic stretch of the San Gabriel River Trail, where one of the friends a 16-year-old boy made a tragic discovery. Among the bushes in the riverbed near Thienes Avenue and Parkway Drive was Jeremys body, punctured with stab wounds, according to Lt. John Corina of the Los Angeles County Sheriffs Department. Read More Facebook
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Racist fliers spark outrage at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo By Alene Tchekmedyian Soon after Neal MacDougall arrived on the Cal Poly San Luis Obispo campus Tuesday, the professor noticed university police standing outside a restroom near his office. A racial slur against African Americans had been scrawled in red marker on a stall wall. Later, he discovered a series of racist fliers pinned up next to his door. Someone had also slashed posters hed hung outside his office supporting students in the country illegally. The discovery was the latest controversy on the prestigious campus which the president said is less than 55% white that MacDougall said demonstrates a culture of racism at the university. Last week, photographs emerged of white fraternity members, including one in blackface, flashing gang signs. Read More Facebook
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The superintendent waiting game, paying for L.A.'s College Promise, Princetons slave history: Whats new in education By Joy Resmovits Acting LAUSD superintendent Vivian Ekchian is a finalist for the permanent job. (Gary Coronado / Los Angeles Times) In and around Los Angeles: The L.A. Unified school board spent 10 hours interviewing and discussing candidates for superintendent. When they adjourned after 10 p.m., they said they would reconvene on Friday. Who is paying for Mayor Eric Garcettis much-touted College Promise, a program that promises two years of community college for LAUSD grads? In California: The Legislature is considering a proposal that would boost K-12 education funding for black students. When the cost of living is taken into account, California has the highest rate of child poverty. Nationwide: The families of two children killed at Sandy Hook Elementary School are suing Alex Jones and Infowars for saying the school massacre never occurred. Princeton will name two spaces an arch and a garden after slaves who lived or worked on the campus. Facebook
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L.A. school board meets privately with finalists and debates choice for school district leader By Howard Blume The Los Angeles Board of Education adjourned late Tuesday after spending more than 10 hours interviewing candidates and trying to reach a decision on who would be the next leader of the nations second-largest school system. When the meeting finally recessed at 10:11 p.m., a spokesman announced only that the school board would reconvene Friday at noon. Going into the days meetings, there were apparently four finalists, according to sources who could not be named because they were unauthorized to speak. Read More Facebook
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Two Sandy Hook families sue Alex Jones and Infowars for saying the school massacre never happened By David Altimari Families of two children killed at Sandy Hook Elementary School have filed lawsuits in Texas against controversial radio host Alex Jones for continually claiming the massacre never happened. Neil Heslin, the father of Jesse Lewis, and Leonard Pozner and Veronique De La Rosa, whose son Noah Pozner died in the massacre, filed separate lawsuits late Monday in Travis County, Texas. The lawsuits allege that Jones defamed the parents by constantly calling them crisis actors and insisting the shooting was a false flag operation; they also claim Jones accusations have led to death threats against the Sandy Hook families by Jones followers. Read More Facebook
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Beutner emerges as a top pick for L.A. schools superintendent amid last-minute jockeying By Howard Blume Austin Beutner has emerged as a leading contender to run the Los Angeles school district, with backers saying he is smart enough and tough enough to confront its financial and academic struggles. Though he does not have a background in education, the former investment banker has in the last year examined some of the districts intractable problems, serving as co-chair of an outside task force with the support of then-Supt. Michelle King. Sources inside and outside the school district said Beutner appears to have more support on the seven-member board than other finalists, and his name could come up for a vote as early as Tuesday. Read More Facebook
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Challenge at Chicago school construction site: Watch for 38,000 unmarked graves By Nereida Moreno A 15-year effort to build a school in Chicagos Dunning neighborhood is underway with an unusual complication: Construction workers are taking careful steps to avoid disturbing human remains that may lie beneath the soil. The $70-million school is to be built on the grounds of a former Cook County Poor House, where an estimated 38,000 people were buried in unmarked graves. Among the dead are residents who were too poor to afford funeral costs, unclaimed bodies and patients from the countys insane asylum. There can be and there have been bodies found all over the place, said Barry Fleig, a genealogist and cemetery researcher who began investigating the site in 1989. Its a spooky, scary place. Read More Facebook
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Oklahoma teacher walkout winds down despite lawmakers failure to meet demands By Washington Post Oklahomas largest teachers union has announced an end to a walkout that has drawn thousands of educators out of classrooms and to the state Capitol demanding greater investment in the states schools, which have endured the nations steepest funding cuts. The announcement Thursday from the Oklahoma Education Assn. does not necessarily end the protests at the Capitol, as teachers not affiliated with the union vowed to stay longer. Instead of a walkout, the union and school districts across the state have said they plan to send delegations of teachers to Oklahoma City to keep the pressure on lawmakers. Teachers and their supporters have also promised to push education issues to the forefront of November elections, when the state chooses a new governor. As school districts begin to reopen, the protests may lose steam. The Legislature is not in session Friday, and observers are waiting to see what happens Monday, when lawmakers return. Read More Facebook
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Most Californians are worried about school shooting threats and oppose arming teachers, survey finds By Joy Resmovits Hamilton High School student Aiyana Dabriel holds a sign during a March 14 walkout in support of the Parkland shooting victims. (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times) Most Californians are worried that a school shooting like the one that occurred in Parkland, Fla., in February could shed blood closer to home, a new survey found. Some 73% percent of adults and 82% of public school parents said they were very concerned or somewhat concerned about school shootings. The Public Policy Institute of California surveyed 1,704 adults in the state by phone just after the March for Our Lives protest against gun violence. Latino and black respondents were significantly more likely to be concerned about school violence than white or Asian respondents, the institute found. Two-thirds of adults and public school parents said they opposed letting more educators carry weapons in school. The response differed across party lines, with 86% of Democrats and 69% of independents voicing their opposition, while 60% percent of Republicans said they would support a measure to arm educators. The poll, which had a margin of error of 3.2% in either direction, also asked Californians about school funding, educational issues in the governors race and the impact of immigration enforcement on students. You can find the full results here. Facebook
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Californias largest virtual charter school network agrees to contract with its teachers By Anna M. Phillips Nearly four years after teachers at Californias largest online charter school voted to unionize, they have reached a deal to increase pay and create job protections, according to a spokesman for the California Teachers Assn. The contract, which is still tentative and subject to ratification, is a victory for the teachers union. Although charter schools are publicly funded, most are privately managed and their employees arent protected by labor contracts. Under the terms of the contract the result of years of negotiation and legal wrangling approximately 500 teachers working for California Virtual Academies will no longer be at-will employees who can be dismissed for almost any reason. Their average salary will rise to just over $45,000, according to union estimates, a figure that remains far below the norm for traditional public school teachers. Still, it is an improvement over the previous average of $38,000. The accord also places a limit on the number of students each teacher is responsible for monitoring in online homeroom classes. Were very satisfied with the gains we made, said teacher Brianna Carroll, president of California Virtual Educators United. I think were going to see some extraordinary changes in our schools. According to Carroll, teachers at California Virtual Academies better known as CAVA had grown frustrated with the organizations foot-dragging and were making preparations to go on strike when CAVAs leadership agreed to the deal. CAVA and K12, the Virginia-based for-profit company linked to its schools, did not immediately respond to an email Tuesday asking for comment. The network currently operates nine virtual charter schools across California. In 2016, the charter network agreed to pay $8.5 million to settle claims of false advertising, misleading parents and inadequate instruction. The state attorney generals office had also accused K12 of controlling the charters for its own financial benefit. Neither CAVA nor K12 admitted to wrongdoing in the settlement. A year later, the state imposed a $2-million fine on CAVA after an audit found that it had misspent public funds. The network disputed the findings. Facebook
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School board approves a new formula for funding high-need schools By Sonali Kohli L.A. schools will soon get more money if they are located in neighborhoods with such problems as high levels of gun violence and asthma. The Los Angeles Unified school board voted unanimously Tuesday to adopt a new formula to determine how to dole out some funding to schools, based not only on the characteristics of the student populations but on the traumas that affect the communities around campuses. The new formula will be applied to $25 million in funding next fiscal year and about $263 million annually in future years a small part of the districts $7.5 billion annual budget. Read More Facebook
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Protesters demand Ref Rodriguez resignation outside school board meeting By Sonali Kohli Students, parents, teachers and UTLA marching outside the board meeting chanting "Ref resign" pic.twitter.com/W0LRWZSIXY Sonali Kohli (@Sonali_Kohli) April 10, 2018 A few dozen parents, students and teachers marched outside the Los Angeles Unified School Board meeting Tuesday, some calling for board member Ref Rodriguez to resign the week after news broke that he was taken into custody on suspicion of being drunk in public at a Pasadena bar and restaurant. Rodriguez was not cited or charged in that incident, but was held for more than five and a half hours before being released. The school board member faces felony and misdemeanor charges for political money laundering. He is accused of getting more than two dozen people people to donate to his campaign for his school board seat with the understanding that he would reimburse them. He stepped down from his post as school board president after he was charged last fall, but he did not give up his seat on the board. He has pleaded not guilty to three felony counts of conspiracy, perjury, and procuring and offering a false or forged instrument, as well as 25 misdemeanor counts related to the alleged campaign money laundering. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for May. He cant give his full focus to our students, said Rebecca LaFond, a Highland Park parent whose three children marched with her as she chanted, Ref resign. One daughter marched in front of her, using a drum stick to hit the bottom of a gallon-size empty water jug. Our kids deserve someone who has the utmost ethical standards representing them, LaFond said. The protests continued into the board meeting, where some addressed Rodriguez directly, calling on him to step down during public comment portions of the meeting. Rodriguez, through his chief of staff, declined to comment. Some parents outside the board meeting did not know about the charges against Rodriguez but came out to protest the possibility of sharing their school campuses with charter schools. Protesters also oppose colocation not all of the parents are here to ask Ref Rodriguez to step down pic.twitter.com/1Co8zQ9zSi Sonali Kohli (@Sonali_Kohli) April 10, 2018 Cynthia Martinez said her son, who goes to Christopher Dena Elementary School in Boyle Heights, has been bullied in the past by students from a charter school sharing the campus. She said she didnt know who Rodriguez was. Some parents and teachers are worried about losing computer labs, robotics rooms and fitness centers if they are required to share their campus with charter schools, said Ilse Escobar, a parent community organizer for United Teachers Los Angeles. The issues of Rodriguez and colocation are related, Escobar said. Rodriguez is part of a majority on the school board elected with financial backing from charter school supporters, and many parents, she said, feel that the school board is compromised if he is a part of it. Staff reporter Howard Blume contributed to this post. Facebook
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Delaine Eastin tries to gain momentum in the California governors race, one voter at a time By Seema Mehta Delaine Eastin was a sophomore in high school when a drama teacher urged her to try out for a part in The Man Who Came to Dinner. She hesitated until he told her: This is a metaphor for your whole life. If you never try out, you will never get the part. Eastin auditioned and won the role. Decades later, the advice sticks with the former state schools chief, this time in her unlikely run for governor. Despite calls for more women in leadership roles in state politics following sexual misconduct allegations in Sacramento, Eastin has been largely overlooked in the race, lagging far behind her Democratic rivals in fundraising and the polls. Read More Facebook
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Arizona high court rejects in-state tuition for DACA recipients By Associated Press Young immigrants granted deferred deportation status under a program started by President Obama are not eligible for lower in-state college tuition, the Arizona Supreme Court ruled Monday. The unanimous ruling will affect at least 2,000 students attending the states largest community college district and hundreds more at other colleges and the states three public universities. The Maricopa County Community Colleges District and state universities said they would begin raising tuition immediately for the coming school year. Read More Facebook
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New York high school students injured when bus strikes overpass By Associated Press A charter bus carrying teenagers returning from a spring break trip Sunday night struck a bridge overpass on Long Island, seriously injuring six passengers and mangling the entire length of the top of the bus. The crash happened shortly after 9 p.m. Sunday on the Southern State Parkway in Lakeview, according to New York State Police. One of the six injured passengers had very serious injuries, said State Police Maj. David Candelaria. Thirty-seven other passengers suffered minor injuries. Read More Facebook
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Some good news for California in national student test scores By Joy Resmovits National test scores for fourth- and eighth-graders were generally flat from 2015, but eighth-grade reading scores showed some improvement. Every two years, the nations fourth- and eighth-graders are tested in math and reading and newly released results from last years tests give California at least a little reason to be pleased. The 2017 results out Monday night were mostly flat nationwide compared with 2015, though the average score in eighth-grade reading went up. But while that improvement largely came from the increased scores of the highest-performing students, California eighth-graders showed some reading progress from the lowest levels to the highest. Read More Facebook
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Under state control, Inglewood school districts financial picture worsened By Anna M. Phillips When Eugenio Villa agreed to return to the Inglewood schools for a second tour last summer, he knew the district remained one of Californias most troubled. Inglewood Unified had been nearly insolvent when it was taken over by the state Department of Education in 2012. Six years later, its enrollment was still declining. Its school buildings were tired some edging into decrepitude. Its test scores and graduation rates were still below the state average. And the public was out of patience. Still, Villa, who had signed back on as the districts chief business official, was shocked at what he found when he arrived in June 2017. Two years earlier, he had left the school system on what he thought was firm ground. Read More Facebook
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Charter school group drops two lawsuits against L.A. Unified By Howard Blume A charter schools advocacy group last week announced that it would end two long-running lawsuits in which it was seeking more classroom space and construction money from the Los Angeles school district. The decision, the California Charter Schools Assn. said, reflects better relations between charter schools and the L.A. Unified School District. But the move also suggests that the litigation, which already contributed to significant gains for area charters, was unlikely to produce much more. It takes time, money and effort to litigate, said Ricardo Soto, general counsel for the charter group. Maybe its better to see if we can find the time and opportunity for collaboration. Read More Facebook
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L.A. school board member Ref Rodriguez is arrested on suspicion of public intoxication By Richard Winton Los Angeles school board member Ref Rodriguez was arrested recently on suspicion of being drunk in public at a Pasadena restaurant, the latest trouble for an elected official who faces political money-laundering charges. Pasadena police took Rodriguez into custody on March 16, according to city spokeswoman Lisa Derderian. Officers arrested Rodriguez at about 4:30 p.m. at the Yard House restaurant and bar at the Paseo Mall and held him in jail for more than five-and-a-half hours. Rodriguez was ultimately released without being cited or charged, Derderian told The Times. Other details about the arrest were not available, she
One of President Trumps main campaign platforms was to build a border wall. Now at the beginning of his second year in office, Congress is locked in a stalemate over funding the wall and providing a pathway to citizenship for so-called Dreamers.
Meanwhile, the Border Patrol last week touted a new 30-foot structure replacing a little over two miles of decades-old barriers in Calexico as part of the border wall. News media announced the development as the first installation of Trumps wall.
Plans for the project began in 2009, according to Border Patrol agent Justin Castrejon, well before Trump as a candidate began calling for a border wall.
Congress has not passed any bills specifically funding Trumps border wall.
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Money for the Calexico project came in Trumps first year in office with the Department of Homeland Security Appropriations Act, according to a spokesman for Customs and Border Protection. That legislation gives CBP about $260.9 million for procurement, construction, and improvements.
The Calexico project contract will cost about $18 million, Castrejon said.
Agents generally use the term fence to refer to barriers that were in place prior to the Trump administration. With the announcement of this project, that seems to be changing.
We are calling this a border wall, Castrejon said. It is not a new wall. Its a replacement wall.
The new barrier is made of bollards posts placed close together so that people cant get through but agents can see if anyone is on the other side. The posts are thicker and taller than the 15- to 20-foot bollards erected in the 2000s in other parts of the El Centro Sector.
The new project is replacing old Vietnam War-era landing mats that were put up in the 1990s.
Ken Walsh, professor of construction engineering at San Diego State University, said the difference between a fence and a wall is that fences can be seen through and have posts.
Walls, he said, are opaque and have a continuous base instead of posts. Height doesnt make a difference in the terminology, he said.
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That would mean the new structure going up in Calexico is a fence, and the landing mat barrier that its replacing is actually a wall.
On Thursday, the second day of construction, workers used a large Caterpillar machine to pull down a few pieces of old landing mat.
Mexican authorities patrolled in a shade of trees south of the border to keep anyone from trying to cross through the gap. One paused to record on his phone as workers plucked one of the large metal sheets out of the ground with construction equipment.
Workers hadnt yet started putting up the new bollards. They lay in a stack nearby.
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Pieces of the new structure will go up before more of the old material comes down, Castrejon said, to keep security risks to a minimum.
He said the barrier is not an end all, but a force multiplier.
It will run from the banks of the New River on the west side of downtown Calexico past Gran Plaza Outlets to a stretch of fields lined with crops, solar panels and, in some cases, just dirt.
The area has been problematic for agents, Castrejon said, both in terms of crossings and assaults on Border Patrol agents. Agents in El Centro apprehended about 18,500 people illegally crossing the border in fiscal 2017, according to data from CBP.
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Known as one of the most polluted rivers in the nation, the New River causes particular trouble, Castrejon said, because smugglers often encourage immigrants to use the green, smelly water to swim into the U.S.
Agents are instructed not to go into the water unless theres a life-or-death emergency. They consider someone trying to splash them with the polluted water as an assault.
Agents hope the updated barrier will prevent people from trying to cross the river. Castrejon was unable to give details about plans for the river itself.
The El Centro Sector of the Border Patrol has several types of barriers that vary based on geography and how much action agents see in a particular area.
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The westernmost part of the sector begins in the mountains, where geography acts as the only deterrent to people crossing into the U.S. without authorization.
Where Highway 98 stretches from Interstate 8 through the desert toward the city of Calexico, a low, airy fence lines the border. It doesnt block people from crossing on foot, but it keeps cars from driving through low brush to the highway, where they can disappear into traffic.
Though drive throughs, as agents call them, were a big problem for the area in the past, the sector didnt have any last year, Castrejon said, and he attributed that to the fencing.
Infrastructure it helps. It works, he said.
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The sector doesnt need to spend resources on more elaborate barriers in that area, he said.
Agents have camera towers to watch for pedestrians in the desert, and they periodically drag old tires to smooth the soil so they can track footprints. Because it can take hours to hike from the border to the highway on foot, Castrejon said, agents have time to catch unauthorized immigrants before they get away.
Closer to Calexico, where the new project is located, agents have less time to catch border crossers before they make it to roads or residential areas. Agents rely on barriers that block pedestrians to help them with their work.
In the 90s, the landing mats were installed along the two-mile stretch leading west out of Calexico where the new structure is now going up.
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After the opaque metal sheets were in place, the Calexico Arts Council commissioned a mural along part of the barrier, a friendship bracelet to affirm a close relationship between the two countries that the landing mats separated. A few of the painted sections will be kept in a museum after they come down.
In the 2000s, a barrier made of bollards went up both in downtown Calexico and between the landing mats and the vehicle fence in the desert.
San Diego also has sections of barrier made of old landing mats. In places that kept agents busy with frequent crossings, the federal government built a second row of fencing.
Because much of the land near the border in Calexico is private property, Castrejon said, secondary fencing was not a viable solution to give agents there more support.
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Morrissey writes for the San Diego Union-Tribune.
Its a rivalry teetering on mutual disgust.
The battle between the prosecution and the high-priced legal team defending New York real estate scion Robert Durst in his Los Angeles murder case has frequently devolved into accusations of misconduct, incompetence, bullying and, after one ugly hallway confrontation between two of the attorneys, even slander.
For the record: An earlier version of this article misstated the breed of the 170-pound dog that Lewin said slept in his bed with him. It was a Great Dane, not a basset hound.
Nothing is too small to bicker about. Not who should pay for a retired detectives pet sitter while he testifies. Not who gets more minutes to talk in court.
The tension escalated earlier this month when Dursts lawyers said theyre considering making a highly unusual request for the judge to remove one of the lead prosecutors, who has repeatedly clashed with the defense team.
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Dursts life and legal battles have long set the benchmark for bizarre. The multimillionaire born into a New York real estate empire disguised himself for a while as a mute woman in a blond wig while living in a $300-a-month apartment in Texas (Durst said he moved to escape media attention after New York authorities reopened an investigation into his first wifes disappearance). While in Texas, Durst admitted to chopping up his neighbors body and dumping the parts into Galveston Bay (a jury acquitted him of murder). Years later, a security camera caught footage of him urinating on candy at a pharmacy near his Houston condo (his attorney attributed the urgency in urination to recent surgeries).
The drama has continued since Durst was extradited to Los Angeles about a year ago, but this time with the attorneys in the spotlight.
In the middle, trying to defuse the tension, is Superior Court Judge Mark E. Windham, a former defense attorney who often sounds like an annoyed-yet-slightly-amused schoolteacher trying to keep students on task.
All right, the judge asked the attorneys at a recent hearing, cant we all get along?
During hearings in the Robert Durst murder case, Judge Mark E. Windham finds himself in the middle, trying to defuse the tension. (Mark Boster / Los Angeles Times )
A certain level of courtroom sparring between legal adversaries is routine even intentional. A curt interruption, a well-timed sigh or a dramatic eye roll often serve as theatrics for a jury as much as genuine expressions of dislike for a rival. But in a court system where opposing attorneys more often exchange jokes than jabs, the Durst case has begun to rival some of L.A.s most rancorous court battles.
In the 2013 civil trial over Michael Jacksons death, an attorney refused to shake anothers hand and complained that his rival had flipped him off. And during O.J. Simpsons televised murder trial more than 20 years ago, the country got an up-close view of the conflict between Marcia Clark and Robert L. Shapiro a battle that devolved into requests for sanctions and a call to involve the State Bar.
Having a largely out-of-town defense team in the Durst cases probably exacerbates the drama, said Santa Clara University School of Law professor Gerald Uelmen, noting that the lawyers are less likely to face off again on another case in the future.
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Uelmen, a member of Simpsons defense team, characterized the bickering in that case as a real disappointment. At the start of the case, he recalled, the judge said, I hope when this is all over we can all sit down to dinner and be friends.
It never happened, Uelmen said.
The showdown in Dursts case began three years ago, when he was arrested and charged with the murder of his best friend, Susan Berman, who was found dead in her Benedict Canyon home on Christmas Eve in 2000. Durst, now 74, was taken into custody by FBI agents in a New Orleans hotel, where authorities found guns, cash, a fake ID and an old-man mask.
I think we can all do a little bit better with decorum. Superior Court Judge Mark E. Windham to attorneys on the Robert Durst case
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Before Durst had met with his attorneys, Deputy Dist. Atty. John Lewin a prosecutor who specializes in handling cold cases interviewed him for nearly three hours, asking questions about his childhood and about Berman. The prosecutor often built up to his questions by sharing personal tidbits with Durst his 170-pound Great Dane sleeps in bed with him, his wife tells him hes pushing obese, and he, like Durst, doesnt have good hearing.
But Lewin also asked direct questions, at one point saying, If you had killed Susan, would you tell me?
No, Durst replied.
Soon after the interview, Dursts lawyers filed court papers criticizing Lewins interrogation as improper and deceptive. Prosecutors defended the interview, saying Durst hadnt been charged with Bermans murder at the time and voluntarily waived his Miranda rights.
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The accusation of misconduct, which he called slanderous, exasperated Lewin, who brought it up at a hearing in April.
For the 75th time theyve alleged I committed misconduct, Lewin said. Ive had it with the allegations. Either put up or shut up!
The prosecutor also complained that defense attorneys had improperly filed a motion for a delay, adding that maybe they shouldnt be practicing law.
At the defense table, David Chesnoff a tall, barrel-chested Las Vegas attorney whose long list of celebrity clients includes Paris Hilton, Martha Stewart and Shaquille ONeal shook his head.
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This guys nuts, he muttered.
The judge tried to soothingly reassure Lewin that he had a fine reputation, encouraging the prosecutor not to let the issue get under your skin.
Deputy Dist. Atty. John Lewin, pictured here at another trial, is now leading the prosecution of Robert Durst. Dursts defense team has said they may ask to have the prosecutor recused. (Jabin Botsford / Los Angeles Times )
At another hearing in July, Lewin questioned Emily Altman, a longtime friend of Durst. The prosecutor grew increasingly agitated with the witness, who often answered his questions with I dont know and backtracked on bombshell testimony. Altman cried on the stand and said she wanted to go home a rather consistent theme among witnesses. (A friend of Berman who took the stand said shed rather have her teeth drilled all day.)
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Under cross-examination by one of Dursts lawyers, Altman whom the judge deemed as a hostile witness, saying she identified more closely with the defense said she felt bullied by Lewin. At one point, Windham leaned into his microphone and took a loud, deep breath. Everyone else, he suggested, should follow his lead.
I think we can all do a little bit better with decorum, the judge later added.
The friction peaked at a hearing a month later where Lewin turned to Chesnoff and asked why he was staring at him.
Keep staring, Lewin said, lifting his eyebrows. Keep it up.
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Moments later, Chesnoff muttered, seemingly to himself, but loud enough to be heard: Im going to bust his balls now.
During a break later that day, screaming could be heard in the hallway. When Chesnoff walked back into the courtroom, he was shaking his head. Lewin returned a few minutes later, red-faced.
Thats slander, John. ...You came screaming at me in the hallway, Chesnoff said to Lewin, adding that the prosecutor had made a comment in front of law students about Chesnoff committing a sex act.
I made a joke, Lewin said.
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Deputy Dist. Atty. Habib Balian another prosecutor on the case whose low-key, self-deprecating style often helps defuse strained moments put his hand on Chesnoffs back.
I think tensions run high, Balian said.
Moments later, Lewin and Chesnoff apologized to each other.
When asked about the back-and-forth recently, Chesnoff declined to comment. Lewin said he has endured repeated personal attacks on what I have done as a lawyer.
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Obviously, as lawyers, we are human beings, he said, and sometimes in the heat of battle things will be said, which, in hindsight, were better left unstated.
Durst, who listens to the hearings using noise-amplifying earphones, generally appears unfazed by the wrangling.
In a recent court filing, his attorneys returned to Lewins jailhouse interview of Durst in New Orleans, characterizing it as an example of prosecution trickery. Explaining why they may eventually ask Windham to recuse Lewin, the lawyers criticized the prosecutors style of interviewing witnesses, saying he berated them and asked leading questions that drew inaccurate answers.
Prosecutors filed a motion calling any request to recuse Lewin frivolous, noting that the defense hasnt identified conduct that would justify such a rarely used and extraordinary sanction.
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In court, Lewin expressed frustration, telling the judge he believed the defense lawyers hadnt properly supported their arguments with the correct legal citations. If the prosecution filed such a motion, Lewin said, he believed the judge would come down on us like a ton of bricks.
The judge raised his eyebrows, smirked and sipped from his mug.
Moments later, Windham ruled that Dursts 6th Amendment right to counsel hadnt been violated during the interview by Lewin.
The courtroom discussion then shifted to the timing of Dursts preliminary hearing, which is slated for April 16. It was previously scheduled for last October but was pushed back to accommodate the Houston-based members of Dursts defense team who sustained damage to their homes and offices during Hurricane Harvey.
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One of them, Dick DeGuerin, told the judge he would soon be starting a federal trial in Texas. Moments later, Lewin added that he hadnt learned about the potential conflict in DeGuerins schedule from the attorney, but from monitoring DeGuerins caseload online.
I have to track him, Lewin said, like Im hunting coyotes.
marisa.gerber@latimes.com
For more news from the Los Angeles County courts, follow me on Twitter: @marisagerber
On Saturday night, residents of Oakland received an urgent message from Mayor Libby Schaaf.
Schaaf said she had heard from multiple sources that immigration agents would be conducting enforcement operations starting as soon as within the next 24 hours and urged those here illegally to take precautions.
The message stunned many. On Monday, some of that surprise turned to confusion and anger as large-scale immigration sweeps did not materialize.
Schaafs action has sparked debate about what role politicians and city governments should play in spreading information both confirmed and unconfirmed about possible federal immigration sweeps.
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Like many California cities, Oakland has declared itself a sanctuary for those here illegally, and officials there have vowed to fight President Trumps promised immigration crackdown. Tensions have heightened in recent weeks as administration officials have talked about targeting California for increased immigration enforcement. Trump last week also said he was thinking of withdrawing Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents from the state, predicting it could cause a wave of crime.
While Schaaf said she was trying to help those who might be arrested, some advocates said it had a different impact.
The main reaction that people have had has been fear, unfortunately, said Eleni Wolfe, immigration program director at Centro Legal de la Raza, an Oakland-based advocacy group. Its terrifying to hear about the potential of increased enforcement action, and unfortunately thats the main message that they heard.
Across California, leaders said they find themselves in a difficult position as they fight federal law enforcement actions. Typically, they said, local and federal officials work in concert. But on immigration, they are at odds.
Broad pronouncements about raids in a city and across a region generate an enormous amount of fear andgenerally dont help families understand exactly what they need to do to protect themselves and their loves ones, San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo said.
On the other hand, the former prosecutor said, providing specific information about how, when and where ICE might be engaged could lead to charges of obstruction of justice.
I think every local leader is walking a tightrope trying to ensure that residents are well informed within the bounds of the law, he said.
Liccardo said he exchanged text messages with Schaaf over the weekend regarding the possible immigration sweeps. A few hours after she issued her statement, he issued one of his own explaining that while his office had been unable to confirm rumors of imminent raids, San Joses immigrant residents should know that we have your back.
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The statement included the phone number for a hotline to report ICE activity and links to legal resources.
Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti said Monday that he personally has not known about pending ICE sweeps and believes that is a problem when it comes to the Los Angeles Police Department. He said its important for local law enforcement to be aware of the raids because oftentimes there is support that is needed if situations turn bad.
Ive always said to our federal law enforcement officials, you need local law enforcement, Garcetti said. You cant ignore or disregard or as were seeing from our commander-in-chief defund and disparage our local law enforcement.
Garcetti said that while he supports Schaaf, he was unsure how he would react if he had information about pending ICE enforcement.
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Its a hypothetical. I havent gotten that. To me, its very important to know the particulars of situations. And Im not going to give a heads-up to people who are the traffickers of women that there is going to be a raid on them. It depends on the situation.
Garcetti said Los Angeles police will continue to work with federal officials to go after gangs and human traffickers.
Thats important work to do. But the indiscriminate ICE raids, like 7-Eleven raids and things like that? When we have dangerous criminals, why would we use resources to go after 7-Eleven clerks? Garcetti said.
Tony Bell, spokesman for Republican Los Angeles County Supervisor Kathryn Barger, said elected officials shouldnt create hysteria or panic.
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A better approach would be to provide information about their rights and available resources, Bell said.
Others were quick to defend Schaaf.
In this particular case, in this day and time, we need to tell people that they got to keep their families whole, Assemblyman Miguel Santiago (D-Los Angeles) said. Thats what it really comes down to.
ICE officials did not respond to a question about whether a Bay Area operation had been planned this weekend. In a statement, ICE spokeswoman Lori Haley said only that immigration agents conduct targeted enforcement operations on a daily basis in Northern California and across the nation.
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She said that while agents focus on individuals who pose a threat to national security, public safety, and border security, others who do not fall into those categories are also arrested and deported.
Haley noted, as ICE officials have in the past, that cities that consider themselves sanctuaries, like Oakland, face an increase in arrests in the community.
While the vast majority of cities in America do cooperate with ICE, others force ICE to assign additional resources 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, she said.
Ira Mehlman, spokesman for the Federation for American Immigration Reform, which advocates for stricter immigration enforcement, echoed that statement, saying it was the policies of sanctuary cities that are creating the need for ICE to go into these communities.
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Schaafs statement, he said, was a deliberate move to create a sense of hysteria, he said.
Most elected officials in California seem to think that any form of immigration law is somewhat draconian, Mehlman said.
A coalition of immigrant advocates said it had confirmed a number of ICE arrests throughout Northern California on Sunday, including five arrests in Merced County, two arrests each in Contra Costa and Sacramento counties, and one each in Monterey and Napa counties.
Maricela Gutierrez, executive director of the Services, Immigrant Rights, and Education Network in San Jose, said her organization received dozens of calls from people concerned about the potential for raids after the mayor issued her statement.
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On Sunday morning, the group sent know your rights information by text to thousands of subscribers to its rapid response network, which serves to inform people about ICE activity and their legal rights.
They also alerted hundreds of advocates who have been trained as legal observers to be on standby.
Gutierrez said she is happy to see city leaders warning residents about pending ICE actions, as long as those warnings come with offers to help.
Any announcement like that, when you hear families might be separated, is going to cause anxiety and panic. But if you follow that up with a lot of information and resources it reduces that fear and panic, she said.
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Schaafs warning also allowed advocates to organize in anticipation of ICE operations, people were having calls, there were emails going on. People were on high alert, Gutierrez said.
Schaaf faced a sea of angry calls over her message. In a news conference on Sunday, she said her priority is to keep this community safe.
It is not my wish to panic people but to ensure that they are prepared with information. That they know their rights as well as their responsibilities and know about the resources that this community offers, she said.
Schaaf said she weighed whether to issue the release because in the past, rumors about immigration enforcement activities have caused widespread panic in immigrant communities.
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Spreading rumors of ICE activities has been used as a tactic to strike fear and paralysis in the immigrant communities, she said. This is something I thought about very carefully before bringing this information forward; but due to the reliability of my sources and the fact that I received this from multiple sources, I felt that it was my duty to share the information.
paloma.esquivel@latimes.com
For more Inland Empire news follow me @palomaesquivel.
dakota.smith@latimes.com
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Twitter: @dakotacdsmith
Actress Heather Locklear was arrested at her Thousand Oaks home Sunday night on suspicion of domestic battery and assault of a peace officer, according to the Ventura County Sheriffs Department.
Deputies were called to Locklears house at 9:42 p.m. in response to a domestic incident involving the 56-year-old actress boyfriend, said sheriffs Sgt. Eric Buschow. Authorities did not identify her boyfriend.
She was extremely hostile and uncooperative and at one point became combative with the deputies and impeded their investigation, Buschow said.
Additional deputies were called to the scene after Locklear started trying to fight with the law enforcement officers, he said. She physically resisted arrest, and deputies struggled to get her into a patrol car.
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Locklear was arrested at 10:27 p.m. on suspicion of one felony count of domestic battery. For a felony charge to arise, there must be physical evidence of an altercation or a complaint of pain, Buschow said.
She also was booked on suspicion of three misdemeanor counts of battery of a peace officer.
Locklear claimed an injury prior to our arrival and was taken to a hospital before she was taken to the Ventura County Jail in Ventura. She had been released by Monday morning, according to county inmate records.
Buschow said she posted $20,000 bail.
The actress longtime publicist, Cece Yorke, said in an email to The Times on Monday that she was on hiatus with Heather.
Locklear, who is best known for such television shows as Melrose Place and Spin City, was arrested by the California Highway Patrol in 2008 on suspicion of driving under the influence of a controlled substance. She was seen acting bizarrely in a Montecito parking lot driving back and forth over a pair of sunglasses and revving her engine before driving away and stopping her car in the street.
A CHP officer found Locklears car parked on State Route 192, partially blocking a lane, with her disoriented behind the wheel. The DUI charge was dismissed as part of a plea deal.
hailey.branson@latimes.com
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Twitter: @haileybranson
UPDATES:
1:20 p.m.: This article was updated with a response from Locklears longtime publicist.
9:00 a.m.: This article was updated with information from Sgt. Eric Buschow.
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This article was originally published at 7:50 a.m.
The California Supreme Court decided Monday that juveniles may not be sentenced to 50 years or longer in prison for kidnapping, rape and sodomy.
In a 4-3 ruling, the state high court said a 50-year sentence for minors was functionally equivalent to life without parole.
A young person who knows he or she has no chance to leave prison for 50 years has little incentive to become a responsible individual, wrote Justice Goodwin Liu, citing a 2010 U.S. Supreme Court decision that severely restricted life sentences for juveniles.
The California court ruled in favor of Leonel Contreras and William Rodriguez, who were 16 when they attacked two teenage girls in San Diego County in 2011.
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Rodriguez was sentenced to 50 years to life and Contreras to 58 years to life.
The court majority said the sentences constituted cruel and unusual punishment by depriving the inmates of a chance of parole until their senior years.
The U.S. Supreme Courts observation that juveniles have limited ability to consider consequences when making decisions applies to a sentence of 50 years to life just as it does to a sentence of life without parole, Liu wrote.
A judgment that a juvenile offender will be incorrigible for the next 50 years is no less questionable than a judgment that the juvenile offender will be incorrigible forever, Liu continued, citing the high court.
He was joined by Justices Ming W. Chin, Mariano-Florentino Cuellar and Leondra R. Kruger.
Liu said the decision did not minimize the gravity of defendants crimes or their lasting impact on the victims and their families. Rodriguez and Contreras have plenty of work to do if they want to persuade a parole board some day to release them, the court said.
Chief Justice Tani Cantil-Sakauye, in a dissent, argued that lengthy sentences for juveniles are lawful as long as there is a chance for parole within their lifetimes.
Profound life experiences still may lie ahead of someone released from prison at age 66 or 74, she wrote.
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She also argued that Rodriguez and Contreras might be able to obtain parole at the age of 60 under Californias Elderly Parole Program, designed to release aged inmates to save the state the costs of their healthcare.
Even without that program, she said, Rodriguez might be eligible for parole at the age of 57 by earning credits for good conduct.
A sentence affording an opportunity for parole at age 60 offers a juvenile offender a substantial likelihood of spending not just a few, but many productive years outside of custody, if he or she demonstrates sufficient maturity to secure parole, wrote Cantil-Sakauye.
She was joined by Justice Carol A. Corrigan and Los Angeles-based Court of Appeal Justice Sandy R. Kriegler, filling in because of a vacant seat on the state high court.
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maura.dolan@latimes.com
Twitter: @mauradolan
A Los Angeles police officer shot and killed a suspect after responding Sunday morning to a report of a burglary at a marijuana dispensary in a strip mall, authorities said.
Officers in South L.A. received a call about 7:30 a.m. of a burglary alarm in the 2100 block of West Century Boulevard, near the citys border with Inglewood, said Officer Mike Lopez, an L.A. Police Department spokesman.
Police arrived at the strip mall, which includes a Dominos Pizza and the dispensary, and confronted an armed Latino male. At least one officer opened fire, killing the suspect, Lopez said.
Authorities said a weapon was recovered at the scene but did not identify the type of weapon.
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Paramedics pronounced the suspect dead at the scene. His name was withheld pending notification of family members.
No officers were injured.
The incident is under investigation by the LAPDs Force Investigation Division, the inspector general and the Los Angeles County district attorneys office, which is standard practice for police shootings.
matt.hamilton@latimes.com
Twitter: @MattHjourno
UPDATES:
5:35 p.m.: This article was update to reflect that the burglary occurred at a marijuana dispensary.
This article was originally published at 3:30 p.m.
Los Angeles police fatally shot a man armed with a weapon Monday in Panorama City after responding to a call about a subject who was possibly mentally ill, authorities said.
The shooting happened shortly before 9 a.m. in the 9100 block of Kester Avenue, said Officer Norma Eisenman, a spokeswoman for the Los Angeles Police Department. When officers arrived in the residential neighborhood, she said, a man exited a home armed with a 16-inch edged weapon.
Police tried to use a Taser and a bean-bag shotgun, Eisenman said, but ultimately shot the man. Details about what prompted police to fire were not immediately available.
The man, who police guessed was in his 20s, died at the scene. No other injuries were reported, Eisenman said.
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The officers were wearing body cameras and had a camera in their patrol car, Eisenman said. Members of the departments Force Investigation Division, which investigates all shootings by LAPD officers, were examining the cameras to see if they captured the deadly encounter, she said.
Mondays shooting was the second by Los Angeles police in just over a 24-hour span.
On Sunday, police shot and killed a person described only as a male after responding to a burglary alarm at a South L.A. marijuana dispensary. Authorities said a weapon was recovered at the scene but did not identify the type of weapon.
Both shootings will also be reviewed by the district attorneys office, the civilian Police Commission and its inspector general, standard practice for all shootings by Los Angeles police.
kate.mather@latimes.com
@katemather
Two Los Angeles police officers pleaded no contest Monday to sexually assaulting multiple women, often preying on victims while one partner served as the lookout as the other carried out an attack in their unmarked police car.
In a downtown L.A. courtroom, Officers Luis Valenzuela and James C. Nichols entered their no-contest pleas to two counts each of forcible rape and two counts each of forcible oral copulation. The officers appeared in court in orange, jail-issued jumpsuits and were shackled at the waist.
This hurts, Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Ronald S. Coen said as he alluded to his own career in law enforcement and handed each man a 25-year term in state prison. The judge also ordered the officers to register as sex offenders.
If tried and convicted, the men had faced a maximum penalty of life in prison.
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The Los Angeles County district attorneys office had filed more than a dozen felony counts against the men in 2016, alleging they targeted four women from 2008 to 2011 by forcing them to have sex. Valenzuela was also accused of assaulting one woman with a gun. Most of those charges were dismissed as part of Mondays plea deal.
The victims were women ages 19 to 34 who were informants for drug investigators or had been recently arrested on suspicion of drug-related crimes. Some of the women said they feared arrest if they did not obey Nichols and Valenzuelas orders. The Times does not generally identify victims of sexual violence.
How dare they. They wore a badge to protect people and instead they terrorized them, Det. Carla Zuniga, one of the lead investigators in the case, said outside the courtroom. They tarnished the public trust. People trust the police. Every time something like this happens, we have to walk into the community and say, No, thats not us.
Nichols, 46, and Valenzuela, 45, were put on unpaid leave from the Los Angeles Police Department in 2013 and had been relieved of duty. Mondays plea deal clears the way for their formal termination. They have been jailed since early 2016, when LAPD detectives arrested them on felony charges.
Stewart Powell, Nichols defense attorney, said his client was looking forward to his day in court but accepted the plea so the case could close.
It gives him a chance to get out and have a life after this case, Powell said.
Valenzuelas defense attorney, Bill Seki, said the plea deal allowed his client to one day reunite with his kids outside prison. Valenzuela, he said, was pretty somber before entering his plea.
As the cases go, these times are tough for police officers, Seki added.
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The Times first reported on the misconduct allegations in 2013, when detectives sought a search warrant to seize computers and phones, part of an exhaustive investigation that involved scouring the officers work with drug informants in the Hollywood area.
Prosecutors sought to identify every possible woman who encountered the two.
We do believe there may have been additional victims who chose not to cooperate with the investigation, said Deputy Dist. Atty. Ann Marie Wise.
The first woman to accuse Valenzuela and Nichols came forward three years earlier. She said that the officers picked her up in December 2008 for her work as an informant, where shed score drugs and in exchange receive $40.
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While in the back seat of the officers Volkswagen Jetta, she testified at a 2017 court hearing, Nichols exposed himself and asked that she touch him. Then, he pushed her head into his lap, she said.
Another woman said that after she was arrested in 2009 on suspicion of dealing heroin, the officers transported her from Hollywood to the LAPD jail in Van Nuys. She testified that Nichols and Valenzuela took a detour and stopped in an alley.
Valenzuela informed her that there was a way she could stay out of jail, and he had sex with her in the back seat of the Jetta, she testified. Nichols waited outside the car.
I was in a dark alleyway with a guy with a gun, she testified. I didnt really feel like I had a choice.
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She was subsequently released and did not have to post bail.
LAPD Sgt. Greg Bruce said at a 2016 court hearing that another woman had sex with the officers several times in a bid to earn points and have a drug case dropped.
He told her if she had sex with him, it would count towards her working off her case, Bruce said on the witness stand.
The woman obeyed out of fear that shed end up again behind bars.
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Whats clear from all of the witnesses that the court heard is that these officers placed these women in a situation where they were extremely vulnerable, said Wise, the prosecutor. Theyre in a situation where they dont have a choice. They have the threat of either going back to jail or somehow being penalized by these officers if they dont comply.
All four women who accused the men of forcing them to have sex filed civil lawsuits, and so far the city has agreed to pay a total of more than $1.8 million in settlements to three of the women.
The fourth womans case is still pending.
The directors of the Los Angeles Police Protective League, the union representing rank-and-file officers, called both officers actions disgusting and said there was zero tolerance for officers who use their position to take advantage of others.
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We are sorry these women were let down and hope they are healing as best they can, the union leaders said in a statement.
Before the sentencing Monday, one of the victims stood before the judge and spoke of her difficult road to recovery. She said she was unable to trust others or feel safe.
Some of her worst panic attacks, she said, had two triggers: the sight of a police car or a Volkswagen Jetta.
Los Angeles Times staff writer Alene Tchekmedyian contributed to this report.
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matt.hamilton@latimes.com
Twitter: @MattHjourno
UPDATES:
4:55 p.m.: This article was updated with comments from one of the victims and a statement from the union representing LAPD officers.
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11:25 a.m.: This article was updated throughout with comments from defense attorneys Stewart Powell and Bill Seki, Judge Ronald S. Coen and Det. Carla Zuniga.
This article was originally published at 10:30 a.m.
A Los Angeles County investigation into possible corruption in Maywood has set its sights on a broad swath that includes four current and former council members, 13 companies, five current and former city administrators and one activist who dresses up as a clown.
Investigators were authorized to search nearly two dozen vehicles, according to a search warrant obtained by the Los Angeles Times. Investigators also descended on City Hall, the homes of council members and a city contractors office, seizing computers, videos and boxes containing documents ranging from personal bank statements to City Council agendas, a spokesperson with the district attorneys office confirmed.
The warrant suggests the wide-ranging investigation dovetails with the suspicion many Maywood residents have had about politics in the city for years.
It shows that prosecutors are looking at political recall efforts from 2015 through 2017, a city maintenance contractor and a deal involving city properties and plans for a 24-hour charitable bingo.
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A percentage of the profits from the planned bingo, according to emails obtained by The Times, was slated to go to a nonprofit organization owned by Edwin T. Snell, an activist who shows up at City Hall meetings in a clown outfit.
Maywood is one of Southern Californias smallest and most densely packed cities 1.18 square miles with nearly 30,000 people squeezed into an industrial zone south of downtown Los Angeles.
But for its tiny size, Maywood has suffered oversized problems for more than a decade. Seemingly always on the brink of financial collapse, the town played a role in a huge corruption investigation in neighboring Bell.
Maywood officials had hired Bell to manage key city functions, an arrangement that fell apart when that city became entangled in a scandal involving over-the-top salaries for council members and city administrators.
Maywood once had a police department that became a haven for many cops who had been forced out of previous jobs or had brushes with the law. A 16-month investigation by the attorney general revealed that the culture at the department was permeated with sexual innuendo, harassment, vulgarity, discourtesy to members of the public as well as among officers, and a lack of cultural, racial and ethnic sensitivity and respect.
Two years ago, a state audit found Maywood was more than $15 million in debt and owed money to its creditors. The City Council raised ire by hiring a city manager whom the mayor met through his auto mechanic shop and who had no government experience.
Whats happened in Maywood is like a battle between the forces of today and yesterday, said Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon (D-Paramount), whose district includes Maywood. Its like a zombie coming out of the grave that just wont die.
Southeast Los Angeles County cities, including Maywood, have been mired in municipal corruption for decades. The collection of small cities along the 710 Freeway Vernon, Bell, Huntington Park, Cudahy have faced generations of political upheaval, with prosecutors claiming politicians take advantage of electorates who are not always plugged in to whats going on.
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Despite having arguably the most consistently tumultuous City Hall in the area, Maywood officials have rarely found themselves facing criminal charges, at least for political malfeasance.
If folks are eventually arrested, that will be six of the nine cities that I represent that have had former council members in prison, Rendon said. Six of the nine, which tells us something about the depth of the problems.
A spokesman for the district attorneys office could not comment on the ongoing investigation in Maywood. But sources familiar with the investigation told The Times that one aspect of the inquiry involves votes made by elected officials that could pose conflicts of interest.
In an odd twist, when investigators showed up at the city to serve multiple search warrants more than two weeks ago, investigators discovered about 40 roosters nestled in the corner of Mayor Ramon Medinas mechanic shop. They called animal control to take the birds away.
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Medina said his 20-year-old son raised roosters.
Photos of marijuana plants taken in September 2017 from Maywood Mayor Ramon Medinas mechanic shop, R&M Auto Service. (Handout )
Medina said his 20-year-old son was growing the plants and had asked him to remove them. (Handout )
The same day, photos emerged of marijuana plants growing at his auto shop. Investigators found no plants when they searched the business. The mayor said his son had been growing the plants and that he asked him to remove them.
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Roosters and marijuana plants were not mentioned in the search warrant, and there is no apparent link with the birds or the pot to the investigation.
A week after the raids, angry residents packed into City Hall to chastise the council members. Resident Lilia Mariscal, 63, didnt speak but held a sign that read, You Bring Maywood Shame.
Nothing is going to change here, said 75-year-old Salvador Romero. I want to know whats going on. Is it corruption?
Rendon said a lack of civic engagement and low voter turnouts, as well as dwindling media outlets to keep watch over elected officials, have contributed to some of the problems in cities like Maywood. The city has a large population of Latino immigrants, many of whom cant vote.
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In addition to the mayor, other officials named in the search warrant include Maywood City Atty. Michael Montgomery, Building and Planning Director David Mango and Reuben Martinez, the acting city manager.
Also listed are Vice Mayor Ricardo Villarreal and Sergio Calderon, a former councilman who resigned in January to settle a conflict-of-interest lawsuit filed by county prosecutors.
Among the companies listed on the warrant is ECM Group Inc., which was the subject of a federal corruption probe in South El Monte that ended with the criminal conviction of that citys mayor in 2016.
The city of Maywood hired ECM Group that same year, despite repeated warnings from Councilman Eduardo De La Riva, who said that the firms contract in South El Monte had ended because of questionable billing practices.
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The month after Maywood hired the firm, South El Monte released an audit that accused ECM of submitting false time sheets and billing reports to the city. The audit said workers were reporting 27-hour workdays.
Also named in the warrant is V&M Iron Works, the citys maintenance contractor, which has made close to $1 million in a year, according to city records.
The latest investigation raises a larger question about how Maywood can turn itself around.
In 2016, the state auditor found that Maywood had a flawed governance and fiscal mismanagement that prevented Maywood from recovering its financial health and made it susceptible to corruption.
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The city council has made wasteful spending decisions that advanced the council members personal interests to the detriment of Maywoods residents, the auditors report said.
The problems at City Hall frustrate and embarrass residents, many of whom said they are not sure how to change things.
Maywood is 98% Latino, and 46% of the citys residents are foreign-born. It garnered national headlines a decade ago when it was one of the first in the country to declare itself a sanctuary city for those here illegally. Many residents are proud of this distinction and note that many other cities have since followed Maywoods lead.
The city also received positive notoriety for supporting immigrant youth arts and culture, including a music festival.
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Part of the reason why we cant get rid of these bad politicians is because they have a grip on the city and they have that grip because no one has gone down for wrongdoing, De La Riva said. If the district attorney does come and finds wrongdoing and files charges, then I think it will help the city get rid of opportunists who get on the council for the wrong reasons.
De La Riva said ultimately, the citizens need to show up, demand better leaders and hold them accountable.
I think people need to understand that they can change things and that they need to stop accepting things as they are, he said. The power lies with them.
To read this article in Spanish, click here
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ruben.vives@latimes.com
Twitter: @LATVives
adam.elmahrek@latimes.com
Twitter: @adamelmahrek
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Los Angeles Times staff writer Richard Winton contributed to this report.
A cold winter storm is expected to bring light rain and low-elevation snowfall to Southern California beginning Monday evening, forecasters said.
The system is expected to bring only about a quarter-inch of rain or less to the region, but driving conditions in mountainous areas could be precarious with snow levels potentially dropping as low as 1,700 feet in some areas, said Andrew Rorke, a senior forecaster with the National Weather Service in Oxnard.
The big story with this storm is the low snow levels, Rorke said. Not only will all the mountain pass roads be affected by snow, but some areas in the foothills of the Santa Clarita Valley and San Fernando Valley could see snow.
Motorists driving along the 5 Freeway through the Grapevine on Tuesday really need to stay abreast of current weather conditions, he said. That area could get up to two inches of snow, Rorke said.
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A winter weather advisory is in effect for the Antelope and Cuyama valleys, as well as the mountains in Santa Barbara, Ventura and Los Angeles counties.
Icy roads could possibly affect travel along Highway 33 in Ventura County, Highways 14 and 138 in Los Angeles County and Highway 166 through Cuyama in Santa Barbara County, according to the Weather Service.
Most areas will see only 0.2 to 0.4 inch of rain, but there is a slight chance of thunderstorms that could result in debris flow and flooding to fire-ravaged portions of Santa Barbara, Ventura and Los Angeles counties, Rorke said.
The chances are quite low, but theres a possibility for it, Rorke said.
Authorities are on alert. Residents who live below mountains burned by the Sherpa, Whittier, Thomas and Alamo fires were warned late Sunday to prepare in case they are ordered to evacuate Monday night.
Forecasters said rain will be the heaviest in the late morning and early afternoon hours on Tuesday.
In Santa Barbara County which is still recovering from mudslides in Montecito last month that swept away homes and killed 21 people officials advised residents to flee to higher ground if they feel threatened during the storm and prepared an interactive map showing which areas are most at risk.
Do not wait for a notification, county officials said in an advisory issued Sunday night. If an individual or family has access or functional needs, or has large animals to move, consider leaving well in advance.
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The storm, which is coming from Canada without passing over warm Pacific Ocean water, will bring temperatures 12 to 15 degrees below normal, Rorke said. High temperatures will struggle to even reach 60 degrees, he said.
A second, wetter storm is expected to move into Southern California on Thursday night and Friday morning that will pack a little better punch, Rorke said. The storm could bring more rain and a higher chance for flooding and debris flow, forecasters said.
hailey.branson@latimes.com
Twitter: @haileybranson
A 2-year-old boy was shot and wounded during a road rage incident near the 118 and 210 freeways after a driver opened fire on the victims vehicle, a California Highway Patrol spokesman said.
CHP investigators are searching for the suspect who wounded the boy, who was riding in his familys vehicle when the shooting occurred about 12:53 a.m. Sunday, CHP Sgt. Mario Lopez said.
This is a very dangerous individual, Lopez said of the gunman. He fired at a moving vehicle without any consideration for life.
The boys family was driving westbound on the 210 and transitioning onto the 118 Freeway in the Sylmar area when a conflict began and escalated to gunfire, Lopez said.
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Lopez said the shots penetrated the car and hit the boy twice in the legs. The boys family immediately rushed him to a nearby hospital, and he has since undergone surgery for his wounds, Lopez said.
Lopez said the suspect remains at large. He was described as a bald Latino, 25 to 45 years old, wearing glasses and driving a silver sedan.
richard.winton@latimes.com
Twitter: @lacrimes
Several men in green L.A. County Jail jumpsuits stood behind bars and listened to Esther Lim speak about this years elections.
How many here didnt know they could vote? Lim asked them. Some men came out of their cells or turned around as Lim explained their voting rights.
Later, in the day room of the Mens Central Jail downtown, a line of inmates eager to register had formed.
In one of the largest efforts aimed at registering eligible incarcerated individuals in Southern California, dozens of volunteers this month are going inside jails in Los Angeles and Orange counties as part of the American Civil Liberties Unions Unlock the Vote campaign to educate inmates about their rights.
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In California, individuals awaiting trial, in jail for misdemeanors or probation violations or serving a county jail sentence for a low-level offense are eligible to vote. Those in state or federal prison or found to be mentally incompetent are ineligible.
The American Civil Liberties Union of Southern California visit Mens Central Jail in downtown Los Angeles to register eligible incarcerated Californians to vote. Many have never been registered to vote. (Maria Alejandra Cardona / Los Angeles Times )
The goal is to have thousands of inmates registered for the June 5 primary and Nov. 6 general elections. The last day to register for the primary is May 21 and for the general election is Oct. 22. Besides local bond measures and initiatives, races include that for L.A. County sheriff, with contenders seeking to unseat incumbent Jim McDonnell.
You have a say in how that happens, Lim, who directs the jails project for the ACLU of Southern California, told the men.
After decades of laws that advanced felony disenfranchisement, many states California, Colorado, Connecticut and New York have begun to lift some restrictions.
Locally, the ACLU, politicians and community organizations are fighting the misconception that incarcerated Californians, who are disproportionately African American and Latino, are locked out of the voting process.
[Were] opening up those avenues of education and engagement so they do participate and do share their voice, Lim said at a recent training session for volunteers.
The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors this month approved a countywide initiative to promote voter education and registration for current and former offenders.
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Volunteer Elizabeth Garcias-Bynum, right, assists an inmate. So far 388 people from Mens Central Jail and womens facility in Lynwood have registered. (Maria Alejandra Cardona / Los Angeles Times )
No one should be denied their constitutional rights, Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas, who co-authored the plan. I think voter registration efforts in the jails ought to be viewed as a significant piece to anti-recidivism and reentry.
Tim Kornegay shook hands with Ridley-Thomas after the motion passed. In 1995, Kornegay, 55, was sentenced to 27 years in prison for receiving stolen goods. While locked up, Kornegay said he started seeing the impact of how not being knowledgeable harmed him.
I did my transformation into a better man in there, so when I came out I could be ready to serve, he said.
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Since his release in 2015, Kornegay has been involved with L.A. Voice, a faith-based community organization, as a voter engagement organizer.
Voting for us is critically important, Kornegay said.
The day I got off probation, I registered to vote, said Tiffany Johnson, associate director and community organizer for A New Way of Life Reentry Project.
Registering herself and others to vote made me feel for the first time in my life that I wanted to be a part of that process, said Johnson, who served 16 years for a second-degree murder conviction before her release in 2010.
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The current L.A. County jail population is nearly 17,500 inmates, sheriffs officials said. According to Jeff Klein, manager of voter education and outreach the Los Angeles County registrars office, more than 600 jail inmates registered to vote in 2016.
During the February drive so far, Lim said, 338 inmates from Mens Central Jail and Century Regional Detention Facility, the womens jail in Lynwood, have registered.
Many inmates listed their home address or an address on the outside on their application. Others were already registered to vote before their incarceration.
Voter registration in the jails gained momentum in 2016 after passage of Assembly Bill 2466, which clarified voting eligibility.
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Assemblyman Matthew Harper (R-Huntington Beach) opposed the measure and granting voting rights to inmates altogether, calling the efforts a very specific political drive so Democrats can stifle any political change in California.
It dilutes the vote of the law-abiding citizen, Harper said.
Assemblyman Jim Patterson (R-Fresno) said these efforts send the signal that the consequences of a felony are being removed.
Do your time and pay your debt, thoroughly, Patterson said. Show a change of heart, a change of life for a substantial time, and then rights can be restored, he said.
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During the recent registration at Mens Central Jail, inmates sat two at a time at silver octagon tables, under the watchful eye of sheriffs deputies.
Volunteers helped applicants complete voter registration forms and vote-by-mail-ballot applications. For their mailing address, applicants can use that of the jail or one outside. Homeless inmates are able to use cross streets of locations where they live.
Inmates lifted their hands to show the booking number on their white wristbands. The booking number is necessary so that if an inmate transfers to another facility, his ballot can still be mailed to him.
The voting process in jail is very secure, Los Angeles sheriffs Sgt. Kevin Unland said.
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Deputies receive a ballot box from the registrars office and begin handing out ballots a day or two ahead of the election. Ballots are delivered to the registered inmates in their housing quarters, placed in a sealed envelope, and then handed back to the deputies. The deputies place the sealed votes in the ballot box, which is sent back to the registrars office.
Its a very interesting partnership, with two government entities working with the community to try and engage with inmates, Lim said at the training session.
Deputies didnt interact during the application process but monitored the door as inmates entered and left the day room.
I got the sticker. Im a registered voter now, one inmate said, placing his Unlock the Vote sticker on his chest.
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In all, volunteers helped to register more than 50 individuals.
Elizabeth Garcia-Bynum said three of the initial four inmates she helped were registering for the first time.
Eleven for my first day is pretty good, she said.
michael.livingston@latimes.com
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Four months after a disturbed man killed six UC Santa Barbara students and wounded 13 others, Gov. Jerry Brown on Tuesday signed legislation allowing the temporary seizure of guns from people determined by the courts to be a threat to themselves or others.
The Isla Vista massacre in May occurred even though the family of Elliot Rodger had sought help because of concerns about his strange behavior before the shootings.
The legislation approved by the governor allows law enforcement officers or family members to ask a court for a restraining order against a person believed to be a threat, barring his or her possession of firearms for 21 days.
Democratic Assembly members Das Williams of Santa Barbara and Nancy Skinner of Berkeley introduced the measure with support from family members of some of the students who were killed.
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Family members are often the first to spot the warning signs when someone is in crisis, Skinner said in a statement. AB 1014 provides an effective tool to get guns out of the hands of loved ones to avoid these tragedies.
As a result of the action the Governor has taken today, we are able to say that the rampage in Isla Vista produced not just terrible tragedy but also positive changes for our state and our community, state Sen. Hannah-Beth Jackson (D-Santa Barbara), a supporter of the measure, said in a statement.
The measure was opposed by groups including the National Rifle Assn. and Gun Owners of California. The groups objected that the gun owner would not get a hearing before the restraining order is issued. Under the new law, a hearing must be held within 21 days of the order being issued.
Without a doubt, AB 1014 is one of the most egregious violations of civil liberties ever introduced in the California Legislature, wrote Charles H. Cunningham, a director with the NRAs Institute for Legislative Action.
The governor also signed a bill requiring BB guns to have bright colored markings so law enforcement officers do not mistake them for real firearms. Sen. Kevin De Leon (Los Angeles) introduced SB 199.
Brown vetoed another bill by De Leon that sought to deal with ghost guns, firearms assembled at home from multiple parts so they cannot be traced. The measure would have required the gun owners to obtain a serial number and register the firearm with the state.
I appreciate the authors concerns about gun violence, but I cant see how adding a serial number to a homemade gun would significantly advance public safety, Brown wrote in his veto message on SB 808.
Responding to complaints about partisan gerrymandering, a significant number of states this year are considering changing the criteria used to draw congressional and state legislative districts or shifting the task from elected officials to citizen commissions.
The proposals, being advanced both as ballot initiatives and legislation, are part of a larger battle between the political parties to best position themselves for the aftermath of the 2020 Census, when more than 400 U.S. House districts and nearly 7,400 state legislative districts will be redrawn.
Since the start of this year, more than 60 bills dealing with redistricting criteria and methods have been introduced in at least 18 state legislatures, already equaling the total number of states that considered bills last year, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.
The Ohio Legislature already has placed a redistricting measure on the states primary ballot in May. Citizen efforts are underway to get redistricting measures on the November ballot in a half-dozen other states, which would mark the greatest number of such initiatives in decades.
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Supporters already have submitted thousands of petition signatures in Michigan and South Dakota. Petitions are currently being circulated in Missouri and Utah. Colorado has two groups working on potential ballot initiatives. And an Arkansas attorney launched an initiative effort last week.
The basic bottom line is people want fairness, and they want balanced government, said Chuck Parkinson, a retired congressional staffer and customs official under Republican Presidents Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush.
Parkinson is chairman of a group pushing a South Dakota ballot measure to remove legislative redistricting from the hands of lawmakers and create a nine-member redistricting commission.
Although many redistricting proposals tout at least some bipartisan support, progressive activists and Democratic-aligned donors have helped fuel some of this years measures.
In South Dakota, where voters defeated a similar measure in 2016, the second attempt listed just four donors as of the start of this year former Democratic U.S. Sen. Tim Johnson, who gave $50,000, and three unions that contributed a combined $18,500.
The top donor to Utahs redistricting initiative through the end of last year was former Democratic gubernatorial nominee Michael Weinholtz, who had given $200,000.
The president of the Michigan redistricting initiative was a supporter of Democrat Hillary Clintons unsuccessful 2016 presidential campaign, and the spokesman for Missouris initiative is a Democratic consultant.
The Missouri measure requiring a nonpartisan demographer to draw districts has taken in more than 16,000 individual donations of $25 or less, but much of the campaigns money has come from groups aligned with Democrats. That includes about $800,000 from unions and $250,000 from an organization founded by billionaire liberal philanthropist George Soros.
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Matt Walter, president of the Republican State Leadership Committee, contends the initiatives are merely politics wrapped in some sort of illusion of citizen-participated good government.
What were seeing here right now is an organized, orchestrated effort by the progressive left to rig the system to their advantage, Walter said.
Democrats say its just the opposite that Republicans rigged the system after the 2010 Census to expand the partys grip on political power and are trying to hold on to it. They often cite North Carolina, which has been subject to multiple lawsuits over how the GOP redrew the political boundaries. Democrats have a voter registration edge over Republicans in the state, yet Republican legislators drew congressional districts in a way that gave them a 10-3 edge in U.S. House seats.
Across the country, Republicans currently control 33 governorships and about two-thirds of all legislative chambers. Democrats contend they want redistricting processes that are fair to voters, no matter which party is in power.
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One of Democrats top targets has been Pennsylvania, where the state Supreme Court redrew congressional districts last week after ruling that the 2011 boundaries drawn by the GOP-led Legislature were unconstitutionally gerrymandered. Statistical voting models of the courts new plan show Democrats could significantly cut into the GOPs 13-5 seat advantage in a state where registered Democrats outnumber Republicans.
The U.S. Supreme Court is expected to rule this year on cases alleging illegal partisan gerrymandering by Republicans in Wisconsin and by Democrats in Maryland.
An AP analysis of 2016 election data found four times as many states with Republican-skewed state House or Assembly districts than Democratic ones, based on a statistical formula cited in recent court cases. Among the two dozen most populated states that determine the vast majority of Congress, there were nearly three times as many with Republican-tilted U.S. House districts.
Democrats have since made redistricting a bigger priority. Former U.S. Atty. Gen. Eric Holder is heading the National Democratic Redistricting Committee, which is targeting or watching governors races, legislative elections and ballot issues in about 20 states.
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Democrats want to end or diminish the legislatures role in redistricting in several Republican-led states and shift those duties to independent or bipartisan commissions, similar to the processes in place in Arizona and California. The roles are reversed in Maryland, where Republican Gov. Larry Hogan is proposing an independent redistricting commission in a state where registered Democrats outnumber Republicans 2 to 1 and have long controlled the redistricting process.
By and large, if a commission draws the map, it is going to be a more fair, less political, less-partisan-driven map, and thats a good thing, said Kelly Ward, executive director of the National Democratic Redistricting Committee.
But Republicans contend that even independent commissions typically are filled by people with partisan preferences.
Arizonas Republican legislative leaders have advanced a proposed constitutional amendment to give lawmakers greater say in appointing the states redistricting commission.
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A compromise plan placed on the ballot by Ohios Republican-led Legislature would continue to give lawmakers the primary responsibility of congressional redistricting but would limit partisan gerrymandering by requiring a significant percentage of yes votes from the minority party to approve a 10-year map.
In Indiana, the Republican-led Senate voted along party lines last month to defeat a Democratic amendment that would have created a commission to recommend congressional and legislative districts. The Senate instead passed a bill setting criteria for lawmakers to consider. That bill is now in the House.
Indiana state Sen. Greg Walker, a Republican who sponsored the pending measure, said he hopes to eventually incorporate statistical analyses of partisan advantages into the Legislatures redistricting procedures.
If we can demonstrate that we have made a good faith effort to not eliminate political bias 100% but certainly minimize it ... ultimately I dont think it matters who draws the maps, because the process will fine-tune itself, Walker said.
Many people think of homelessness as a problem of substance abusers and mentally ill people, of chronic skid row street-dwellers pushing shopping carts. But increasingly, the crisis in Los Angeles today is about a less visible (but more numerous) group of economically homeless people. These are people who have been driven onto the streets or into shelters by hard times, bad luck and Californias irresponsible failure to address its own housing needs.
Consider Nadia, whose story has become typical. When she decided she had to end her abusive marriage, she knew it would be hard to find an affordable place to live with her three young children. With her husband, she had paid $2,000 a month for a three-bedroom condo in the San Fernando Valley, but prices were rising rapidly, and now two-bedroom apartments in the area were going for $2,400 an impossible rent for a single parent who worked part time at Magic Mountain.
For months she hunted while staying with family and friends. She qualified for a unit in a low-income housing project, but the waiting list was two years long. She obtained a federal Section 8 voucher to subsidize the rent in a market-rate apartment, but landlord after landlord refused to accept Section 8, or charged a rent that was too high to meet the federal governments unrealistically low fair-market rent limit.
Nadia and her rambunctious young kids eventually wore out their welcome at the houses where they were staying. They found themselves left with little choice, with neither a place of their own nor a friend to fall back on. Last summer, they took refuge at San Fernando Valley Rescue Missions shelter for homeless families.
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Top, Nadia reads a bedtime story to her son, Sebastian. Bottom, Nadias children in the dining room of the San Fernando Valley Rescue Missions shelter for homeless families. (Los Angeles Times) Left, Nadia reads a bedtime story to her son, Sebastian. Right, Nadias children in the dining room of the San Fernando Valley Rescue Missions shelter for homeless families. (Los Angeles Times)
Nadia and her children are among the economically homeless men, women and, often enough, families, who find themselves without a place to live because of some kind of setback or immediate crisis: a divorce, a short-term illness, a loss of a job, an eviction. In many cities across the nation, these are not necessarily problems that would plunge a person into homelessness. But here they can. Why? Because of the shockingly high cost of housing in Los Angeles.
For decades, Southern California stuck in a low-density, single-family, not-in-my-backyard 20th century mindset has failed to build enough housing to keep up with population growth and demand. Rents are at an all-time high. Stagnant incomes and a shortage of middle-class jobs mean there are more people struggling. The government safety net hasnt grown to catch all the people in need, nor has public sympathy always been on their side. In 2006, Los Angeles voters rejected a $1-billion bond to create 10,000 residential units for low-income and homeless people, thus exacerbating the housing shortage.
Without a Home Theyre part of the Los Angeles streetscape, as familiar as the swaying palm trees and idling traffic, living under freeways, alongside riverbeds and on canyon hillsides. The mentally ill, the drug addicts, the economically disadvantaged, many with their life belongings in a backpack or shopping cart. In this ongoing series, Without a Home, The Times is examining the crisis of homelessness in our region. Full coverage
Today, we are paying the price: The economically homeless are now estimated to make up more than half of L.A.s unhoused and it is their rising numbers that are fueling the unprecedented growth in that population. More than half of the people surveyed by the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority last year said they were homeless because of an eviction, foreclosure, unemployment or financial reasons.
In just six years, the median rent for a one-bedroom apartment in Los Angeles County has increased 67%, from about $1,200 to $2,000, according to Zillows Rent Index. The median household income during the same period increased only 23%, from $52,280 in 2011 to $64,300 in 2017.
Today, 1 in 3 renters in the Los Angeles metropolitan area is considered severely rent burdened, meaning they spend at least half their income on housing. Los Angeles County is the most unaffordable region in the country for the poorest renters, according to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Department. To understand just how thin the line is between those with a place to live and those without, consider a study conducted by Zillow estimating that a rent increase of 5% in Los Angeles County would push 2,000 people into homelessness.
Guadalupe Linares is an example of someone who teeters on the edge. She and her two children moved out of a $600-a-month illegally converted garage after a rat bit her son. But the one-bedroom she found cost twice as much, forcing her to take on long hours in multiple jobs, including cleaning houses and working in restaurants. Her 17-year-old daughter, Mariana, who had been thinking about a career in medicine, began missing school to help her mom clean houses from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. which required her to transfer to an independent study program through the school district. She quickly learned that the program is full of kids putting their ambitions on hold while they work to help keep their families housed.
This cannot be Los Angeles future.
Top, Guadalupe Linares prays with her children before bed. Bottom, her 17-year-old daughter Mariana cleans a home for extra income. (Los Angeles Times) Left, Guadalupe Linares prays with her children before bed. Right, her 17-year-old daughter, Mariana, cleans a home for extra income. (Los Angeles Times)
To end the housing shortage that is driving rents to unaffordable levels, Los Angeles County and its cities have to allow construction. A lot of it. Were not talking, in this instance, about permanent supportive housing for chronically homeless people that sort of housing (which includes access to social services and substance abuse and mental health treatment) is absolutely essential and is being built under Measure HHH in Los Angeles. The economically homeless need something else: affordable housing that offers below-market rents for low-income people. And regular market-rate housing as well that will increase the supply and help bring down rents for everyone.
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Since 1980, far fewer homes have been built than are needed to meet population growth in the county, according to the Southern California Assn. of Governments, and now the county has a deficit of nearly 1 million housing units. The vast majority of the 88 cities in the county are not adding enough market-rate and affordable housing to meet their fair share of the regions growth.
Sure, there are some legitimate excuses land costs are high and environmental concerns have slowed development. But far too often, residents and elected officials act on their worst NIMBY instincts to block or restrict housing in the name of preventing traffic and density and protecting neighborhood character. One Torrance city councilman argued against building new homes, saying, A city should be allowed to say were full.
No a city cannot say its full. Too many people are clinging to an old vision of Southern California, when orange groves were plowed under for single-family subdivisions, wide avenues and freeways. Today, those ranch homes cost $1 million and more, the roads are clogged and working-class families can end up living in their cars. The region must build denser and taller to make space for the people who are already here. That doesnt require Dubai-style skyscrapers; it can mean more townhomes and four-story apartment buildings and high-rises near transit.
A city cannot say its full. The region must build denser and taller to make space for the people who are already here.
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The state passed new laws last year to pressure cities to accommodate more housing and to streamline approvals in communities that have failed to keep up with population growth. California lawmakers also approved new funding for affordable housing and gave cities the authority to enact inclusionary zoning laws, which require that affordable units be built in market-rate housing developments. These are positive steps, but the state should adopt even more aggressive mandates if cities continue to throw up hurdles. In some cases, this will change the look, feel and character of cities. But thats an inevitable result of population growth.
Of course, it will take years to catch up on housing construction. In the meantime, rent hikes and evictions will continue. Thats why policymakers must make the prevention of homelessness a cornerstone of their efforts. To that end, Los Angeles County plans to use Measure H funds to provide temporary rental assistance to help people on the brink of losing an apartment. Its easier and cheaper to keep people in housing than to help them off the street after the fact.
The county is also funding legal services to help poor renters fight eviction or to help them qualify for relocation assistance. Fewer than 1% of renters facing eviction have lawyers. Cities should also consider passing laws to require that landlords show just cause to evict.
The federal government has not done enough. HUD should significantly increase funding for the Section 8 voucher program in Los Angeles County, taking into account the high cost of housing here. Section 8 rental vouchers are pegged to HUDs fair-market rents, which are often substantially less than actual market rents.
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Ultimately there has to be a recognition that every new apartment unit rejected is a family denied an affordable place to live. Just as Los Angeles voters were willing to say yes to higher taxes for homeless housing and services, they have to be willing to say yes to the housing construction in their neighborhoods. That will, over time, alleviate the shortage.
Nadia and her children head back to their room at San Fernando Valley Rescue Mission. Los Angeles Times
Nadia notes that it is not laziness or drinking or drug abuse thats plunging so many people into homelessness. Its the lack of affordable housing.
After moving into the shelter she began working full time at a big insurance company doing data entry to save money for an apartment. Few co-workers knew she was living in a shelter.
Nadia said, Nobodys probably looking at me and saying, That woman is homeless. And Im willing to bet a lot of them would be surprised.
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This is the second in a series.
Set aside what you think of guns or immigration as a matter of public policy or even morality. Instead, think of them as dye-markers of how our cultural politics and the nature of the two parties have changed over time.
In the 1990s, it was common for Democrats to fret over both illegal and legal immigration. All Americans, President Clinton said in his 1995 State of the Union Address, are rightly disturbed by the large numbers of illegal aliens entering our country.
Barbara Jordan, the civil rights icon and former Democratic congresswoman, headed a commission which concluded that legal immigration rates should be modestly cut.
Meanwhile countless Republicans championed immigration. Im hard pressed to think of a single problem that would be solved by shutting off the supply of willing and eager new Americans, then-House Majority Leader Dick Armey said in 1994. If anything, we should be thinking about increasing legal immigration.
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After a meeting with the National Restaurants Assn., newly elected House Speaker Newt Gingrich said, I think we would be a very, very self-destructive country if we sent negative signals on legal immigration.
Back then, boosting legal immigration was seen by many on the left as a sop to big business. The ruling industrial class allegedly wanted a reserve army of cheap labor. As recently as 2015, the avowed socialist Sen. Bernie Sanders sounded downright Bannonesque in telling Vox.com that open borders was a Koch brothers proposala right-wing proposal, which says essentially there is no United States.
Republicans support gun rights because their voters tell them too, just as Democratic voters tell their representatives the opposite.
Sanders is an intriguing example of how political and cultural currents swirl around us. He won his first bid for Congress in 1990 in part because he received the full-throated endorsement of the National Rifle Assn. Sanders, then the mayor of Burlington, Vt., opposed an assault-weapon ban while his GOP opponent supported one.
It is not about Peter Smith vs. Bernie Sanders, the NRAs Wayne LaPierre explained. It is about integrity in politics.
This history was just one reason why it was amusing to listen to LaPierre at the Conservative Political Action Conference last week railing against the socialists determined to grab everyones guns. The man who helped launch the most prominent American socialist since Norman Thomas suddenly thinks socialism is an existential threat to liberty.
Whats going?
On the immigration front: Democrats are increasingly invested in permissive policies in large part because theyve bought into the theory that diverse populations are their key to electoral victories going forward. In dialectic fashion, Republicans are increasingly invested in restrictive policies in large part because theyre chasing after ever-larger segments of the white vote.
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As for firearms: Democrats passed an assault-weapons ban in September 1994. Even Bill Clinton credited that decision as one of the chief reasons the GOP took back the House two months later.
True or not, the more important consequence was that gun rights increasingly became a partisan issue, and the NRA had little choice but to become an adjunct of the GOP. The dynamic became centrifugal, with Democrats and Republicans becoming ever more defined by the issue.
All of these changes were driven by facts on the ground. To listen to Democrats, Republicans support gun rights because the NRA tells them to. In reality, Republicans support gun rights because their voters tell them to, just as Democratic voters tell their representatives the opposite.
But guns and immigration are not simply drivers of polarization, they are examples of its power. Politics has become a lifestyle, part of the big sort driving so much in our culture. Thats why the NRAs marketing these days has so little to do with gun policy and so much to do with smash-mouth cultural resentments.
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These days, if youre a Democrat, youre likely to be a down-the-line Democrat on a host of unrelated issue. Same if youre a Republican. Like our representatives, many of us wont buck party orthodoxy on any matter of importance.
Liberals like Sanders have talked about two Americas for generations, but they worked on the assumption that this divide was class-based. Its not. Its cultural, and the divide is becoming a chasm.
jgoldberg@latimescolumnists.com
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Gavin Newsom releases ad that highlights his push to allow same-sex couples to marry By Phil Willon A new ad from Democratic gubernatorial candidate Gavin Newsom features Phyllis Lyon, who with her partner, Del Martin, received the first marriage license after Newsom vowed to allow same-sex couples to marry when he was mayor of San Francisco in 2004. The current lieutenant governors push for marriage equality thrust him into the national spotlight and he has emphasized that effort to portray himself as a bold, progressive leader. Facebook
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Failed California housing bill was not a bad idea, Gov. Jerry Brown says By Liam Dillon Gov. Jerry Brown (Rich Pedroncelli / Associated Press) Earlier this month, high-profile housing legislation that would have allowed for four- to five-story apartments and condominiums near transit stops failed to advance in the state Legislature. But had it reached his desk, would Gov. Jerry Brown have signed it? Maybe. I think that was not a bad idea, Brown said of Senate Bill 827 at a meeting with business leaders from the Bay Area Council on Monday afternoon. The bill, written by Sen. Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco), attracted national attention and a maelstrom of opposition in part because it would have eliminated single-family zoning near transit stops in favor of apartments or condominiums. Brown said that a relative of his who lives in West Portal, a low-density neighborhood in San Francisco, told the governor he was horrified by the bill. Brown also lamented dramatically rising housing costs. He said he bought his first house in Los Angeles in 1973 for $75,000 at a time when his salary as secretary of state was $35,000. Now, he said, buying a house for a little over twice ones annual salary is virtually impossible anywhere in the state. FOR THE RECORD
May 1, 9:32 a.m.: This post originally misstated the year Brown purchased his house as 1970. It was 1973. Facebook
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John Cox begins California barnstorm with the delivery of gas tax repeal signatures By Javier Panzar Gubernatorial candidate John Cox, left, and Assembly candidate Bill Essayli load boxes of signatures for the gas tax repeal initiative. (Francine Orr) GOP gubernatorial candidate John Cox strolled up to the stack of 12 boxes in front of the Los Angeles County registrar-recorders offices in Norwalk on Monday and placed his hands on top of his partys hope for success in 2018. The boxes, stacked four across and three high, contained 211,000 signatures for an initiative to repeal recent increases in Californias gas tax and vehicle fees. Cox says the effort has gathered more than 940,000 signatures from registered voters to put the measure on the ballot far more than the 585,407 signatures that are required. The aim: to bring out the partys base to the polls this November and help candidates in tough congressional and legislative races down the ticket. A USC Dornsife/Los Angeles Times poll in November found 54.2% of registered voters surveyed said they would repeal the tax and fee hike, but a survey a month earlier by another group said a majority would vote to keep the higher taxes. Cox was flanked by Bill Essayli, a former federal prosecutor who is challenging Democratic Assemblywoman Sabrina Cervantes of Riverside in the June primary. Cervantes voted for the gas tax and Essayli plans to use that vote against her. He even launched his campaign at a 76 gas station in Norco. This is a central issue in my campaign, he said. Cox also submitted signatures in San Diego on Monday and is headed to Bakersfield, Fresno and Sacramento, as well as Shasta and Butte counties in coming days. We are going all across the state, Cox said. The whole state is paying this tax and the whole state wants it gone. Facebook
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All Californians would be able to serve on state boards even people in the U.S. illegally under new bill By Jazmine Ulloa Sen. Ricardo Lara (D-Bell Gardens) (Rich Pedroncelli / Associated Press) State lawmakers on Monday introduced legislation that would allow all Californians to serve on state boards and commissions regardless of immigration status. Senate Bill 174, by Sen. Ricardo Lara (D-Bell Gardens) and Assemblywoman Wendy Carrillo (D-Los Angeles), comes as the state is locked in a broader legal battle with the Trump administration over state immigration laws and his call for mass deportations. Lawmakers point to what they say is the states own discriminatory history as their basis for introducing the legislation. The proposal would amend an 1872 provision that was first adopted to exclude Chinese immigrants and other transient aliens from holding appointed civil positions. At the time, antipathy toward the Chinese had been building in California, though, Chinese immigrants opened hundreds of businesses across the state and would play a critical role in building the transcontinental railroad. The Senate bill would delete the phrase transient aliens from the government code and make clear that any person, regardless of citizenship or immigration status, can hold an appointed civil office if they are at least 18 years old and a resident of the state. That would allow any Californian to serve on hundreds of boards and commissions that advice in an array of policy areas, including farm labor, history and employment development. Californias two million undocumented immigrants are a source of energy for our state, Lara said in a statement. It is shocking to read the words of fear and exclusion that are still in California law but belong in historys trash can. Facebook
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Tony Mendozas fundraising dries up after resignation amid harassment inquiry By Patrick McGreevy Former state Sen. Tony Mendoza (D-Artesia). (Steve Yeater / Associated Press) Political contributions to Tony Mendoza, who resigned from the state Senate under pressure amid sexual harassment allegations, have nearly dried up. New documents he filed with the state in his bid to reclaim the seat he once held show that his support has eroded. As a result, five other candidates for the 32nd District senate seat in the June 5 election have raised more than Mendoza so far this year. With the June 5 election approaching, Mendoza has reported raising just $7,750 in cash from six supporters during the nearly four-month period from Jan. 1 to April 21. Mendoza, a Democrat from Artesia, went on a leave of absence from the Senate Jan. 3 and resigned a month later under the threat of expulsion from colleagues. An investigation ordered by the Senate found a pattern of unwanted flirtatious or sexually suggestive behavior based on testimony from six women. Mendoza has denied wrongdoing. Last year, Mendozas reelection campaign raised $412,600, or an average of about $34,000 per month, from more than 350 supporters. Most of Mendozas 2018 total was contributed by the political arm of the Southern California Pipe Trades District Council 16 on Jan. 22, a month before Mendoza resigned. Mendoza also reported that his campaign loaned $125,000 this year to his legal defense fund. That left him with $446,600 in his campaign account at the end of April. Mendoza is running against eight Democrats and two Republicans. Democrat Bob J. Archuleta, a Pico Rivera city councilman, raised the most, $210,000, during the period. On Monday, Mendoza suffered another setback when the State Legislative Womens Caucus endorsed Democrat Vicky Santana, a member of the Rio Hondo College Board. Facebook
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Newsom and Villaraigosa affairs coming to TV ads in California By Phil Willon An independent political committee backing Republican John Cox for governor released an ad blasting both Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom and former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa for their past sexual affairs. The California Deserves Better ad, which was first reported by Politico, criticizes Newsom for having an affair with a woman on his staff in 2005 while he served as mayor of San Francisco. It also goes after Villaraigosa for having an extramarital affair with a television reporter in 2007 while he was mayor of Los Angeles. The ad, which begins airing on Fox stations in the states top media markets Monday, links Newsom and Villaraigosa to the men accused of sexual impropriety in the #MeToo movement, including movie mogul Harvey Weinstein and disgraced Today show veteran Matt Lauer. Powerful men are finally being held to account, punished for inappropriate sexual conduct with women over whom they exercise power, the ad begins. Newsom and Villaraigosa think the rules shouldnt apply to them. The independent campaign committee, called Restore Our Values, already has raised more than $100,000, said Leigh Teece of Emeryville in Northern California, co-founder of the group. Teece, the CEO of a nonprofit that helps line up students with professional mentors, said the campaign will actively support Cox. She called him a true conservative and noted that he supports cutting taxes and opposes Californias sanctuary state policy. John is a business person who has demonstrated integrity, Teece said. Facebook
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Was that Cisneros in the voicemail? Dispute is latest espisode of Democratic infighting in crowded primary races By Christine Mai-Duc Gil Cisneros speaks during a forum at Fullerton College in January. (Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times) With less than five weeks to go before Californias primary, insults and accusations are flying with abandon in the most crowded races Democrats hope to ultimately win. The latest example of this is in the 39th Congressional District, where a half dozen Democrats are vying for a chance to replace Rep. Ed Royce, whos retiring. Its one of several California contests where Democratic leaders are already worried that divisions could ultimately split votes and shut Democrats out of key pickup opportunities. In that race, millionaires Gil Cisneros and Andy Thorburn are going negative about going negative. Cisneros was recently elevated to the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committees Red to Blue program in hopes it would serve as a signal to Democratic activists and donors that his campaign was the most viable. But both Cisneros and Thorburn have poured millions into the race, which promises to be a knock down, drag out fight through June 5. At the center of the latest controversy is a voicemail, allegedly left by Cisneros on Thorburns home answering machine earlier this month. The recording, which the Thorburn campaign turned over to media outlet The Intercept, lasts less than 10 seconds. Hi Andy, its Gil Cisneros. Im gonna go negative on you, a mans voice is heard saying. Cisneros campaign manager Orrin Evans denied the candidate made the call, posting a cease and desist letter to The Intercept on Twitter. The letter, sent by a Cisneros campaign attorney, called the voicemail fabricated and demanded that the story be taken down, calling it defamatory. It gave the publication until 3 p.m. Friday to take down the story before they pursue all legal rights and remedies. An attorney for The Intercept, in a letter to Cisneros, said the publication confirmed with multiple sources familiar with Mr. Cisneros that his voice was on the recording, and that it stands by its reporting. Thorburns camp says it flatly rejects Cisneros denial, and that the timing of a negative website filled with unflattering background on Thorburn, released three days later, suggests it was him. Track the California races that could flip the House According to The Intercepts report, Cisneros campaign manager did not respond to initial inquiries about the voicemail, calling its questions ridiculous. In a follow-up statement Friday, Evans said called the episode a dirty, desperate trick by the Thorburn campaign and said they are readying to pursue legal action for defamation and false light against both him and the publication. It sounded like him to me! said Thorburns wife, Karen, in a statement released by the campaign. She was the one who first heard the voicemail, they said. Thorburn campaign manager Nancy Leeds called Cisneros threats Trump-like tactics and accused the candidate of trying to harass and intimidate anyone who stands in his way. Its not the first time candidates from the same party have clashed in the lead-up to the June 5 primary, and its all but certain to not be the last. Cisneros sued two of his opponents, Thorburn and Sam Jammal, over their ballot descriptions until they had to change them. Earlier this month, Democrat Bryan Caforio asked his opponent, Katie Hill, to sign a pledge rejecting the use of independent expenditure committees, entities that neither of them can legally coordinate with, in the race to unseat Rep. Steve Knight (R-Lancaster). Hill refused and called the attempt hollow and likened it to political theater, while Caforio accused her of empty campaign promises. Facebook
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California Politics Podcast: The money raised in the race for governor hints at a race thats now red hot By John Myers With less than six weeks before election day, the cash raised in the California governors race mirrors the overall dynamics: one major front-runner and a heated race for second place. This weeks podcast episode offers a glimpse into those cash reports and how the Republican field seems more settled in a new statewide poll than the battle between Democrats. We also examine the reasons why a nationally talked-about housing bill in Sacramento was killed by the Democratic authors own allies. Im joined by Times staff writers Melanie Mason and Liam Dillon. You can subscribe to the podcast on iTunes, SoundCloud and Stitcher. Facebook
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L.A. County politician sexually assaulted woman when she was 16, lawsuit claims By Dakota Smith A woman sued an unnamed politician in Los Angeles County on Friday, alleging the man sexually assaulted her when she was a teenager after he gave her an unusual-tasting drink. The politician, identified as John Doe, was in his early 40s and a public figure at the time of the 2007 assault, according to the lawsuit filed in Los Angeles Superior Court. The man is an elected official today and lives in Los Angeles, said attorney Lisa Bloom, who is representing the woman identified in the lawsuit as Jane Doe. Bloom declined to say what branch of government the man represents. Read More Facebook
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Villaraigosa touts his working-class upbringing, accomplishments as mayor in first TV ad By Phil Willon Democrat Antonio Villaraigosa released his first TV ad in the governors race Friday, touting his record and accomplishments as mayor of Los Angeles when up against the economic downturn during the recession. The 30-second television spot opens with a sweeping shot of Los Angeles and cuts to Villaraigosa sitting on a bus. In kindergarten, my sister and I took three buses to get to school. As mayor, I remembered that, Villaraigosa says into the camera. And despite the recession, we built more new schools and rail lines than any city in America, added 200,000 living wage jobs, built 20,000 units of affordable housing and nearly doubled graduation rates. Campaign spokesman Luis Vizcaino said the ad will air statewide over the next week at a cost of approximately $1 million. The commercial will being airing Saturday. Two Democratic rivals in Californias race for governor, Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom and state Treasurer John Chiang, also launched ads this week, signaling the biggest ramp-up of the campaign as the June 5 primary approaches. Newsom is the front-runner, while Villaraigosa is battling for second place with Republican John Cox. One recent poll has Villaraigosa trailing both Cox and Republican Assemblyman Travis Allen of Huntington Beach. Chiang has been stuck in the single digits in almost all polling in the race. Last week, an independent expenditure group called Families and Teachers for Antonio Villaraigosa for Governor, funded largely by a trio of wealthy charter school backers, launched a spot in support of the former mayor of Los Angeles. That ad campaign is focused on increasing Villaraigosas chances of coming in second in the June 5 primary and moving on to the general election. Villaraigosas ad, titled Three Buses, emphasizes the struggles he faced growing up in East Los Angeles and addresses one of his central campaign themes that hes the candidate best suited to help working-class Californians. I know how far a bus can take you, Villaraigosa says in the ad. Facebook
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Sen. Dianne Feinstein wont participate in pre-primary debate By Sarah D. Wire (Tom Williams / CQ Roll Call) California Sen. Dianne Feinstein will not participate in a proposed pre-primary debate because there are too many candidates in the race, her campaign spokesman said Thursday. Political activists with the group Indivisible Los Angeles said they had a venue and date May 5 reserved for a debate with four of the Senate candidates. But they said if Feinstein does not participate, it will be canceled. Feinstein faces 31 primary opponents in her bid for a fifth full term representing California in the Senate. Feinstein staffers initially said she had a prior commitment on May 5 in San Francisco. When organizers offered to let her campaign pick another date, her campaign said it wasnt fair for the group to invite only some of the candidates when there is such a big field, said Tudor Popescu, volunteer community organizer with Indivisible Los Angeles. The invited candidates, all Democrats, were Feinstein, state Sen. Kevin de Leon, political action committee director Alison Hartson and lawyer Pat Harris. They were selected based on fundraising and poll numbers. There are 11 Republicans, 10 Democrats, nine independents and 2 third-party candidates running for Senate on the June ballot. Indivisible Los Angeles is still hoping Feinstein will pick another date, Popescu said. Feinstein spokesman Jeff Millman pointed to a San Francisco Chronicle endorsement of Feinstein, which indicates that she told the editorial board she would be willing to have a debate ahead of Novembers general election. Senator Feinstein looks forward to debating her opponent in the general election, Millman said in an email. Feinstein holds a substantial lead in both fundraising and in the polls. Front-runners in statewide races have routinely declined to debate their challengers, knowing that its free publicity for candidates who dont have the cash to increase their name recognition on their own. De Leon spokesman Jonathan Underland said the state senator has done candidate forums before, but planned to attend the May 5 debate only if Feinstein did. We basically said well clear his calendar 100%, well clear his calendar if Feinstein shows up, Underland said. Wed love to make it happen, but we want her to be there. Facebook
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NRA, Olympic shooter sue California over its restrictions on ammunition sales By Patrick McGreevy Olympian Kim Rhode is a plaintiff in a lawsuit filed by the NRA and its state affiliate against California. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) The National Rifle Assn. and its state affiliate have filed a fourth lawsuit against California over its gun control laws, this time challenging new restrictions on the sale and transfer of ammunition. The NRA and the California Rifle and Pistol Assn. filed a challenge in federal court to a requirement that ammunition sales and transfers be conducted face to face with California firearms dealers or licensed vendors, ending purchases made directly from out-of-state sellers on the internet. The lawsuit in the United States District Court for the Southern District of California also challenged a requirement starting next year for background checks for people buying ammunition. The lawsuit was filed in the name of Kim Rhode, a six-time Olympic medal-winning shooter, and others. It challenges Californias new ammunition sales restrictions as a violation of the 2nd Amendment and the commerce clause of the United States Constitution. Restrictions on ammunition purchases were included in Proposition 63, approved by voters in 2016, and in bills approved by the Legislature. As a result of these laws, millions of constitutionally protected ammunition transfers are banned in California, Chris W. Cox, executive director of the NRAs Institute for Legislative Action, said in a statement. Californias law-abiding gun owners are sick of being treated like criminals and the NRA is proud to assist in this fight. Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom, who is running for governor, defended his initiative and vowed to fight the NRA lawsuit. We wrote Proposition 63 on solid legal ground and principle: If youre a felon banned from possessing guns in California, then you should not be able to purchase the ammunition that makes a firearm deadly, Newsom said in a statement. California voters said loudly and clearly that guns and ammunition do not belong in the hands of dangerous individuals but once again, the NRA has prioritized gun industry profits over the lives of law-abiding Californians. Facebook
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Republicans hope to ride a gas-tax repeal to victory By Patrick McGreevy In a Central Valley barn decked out in red, white and blue, dairyman and state Senate candidate Johnny Tacherra drew cheers from a crowd of fellow farmers when he said he opposes the California Legislatures hike on gas taxes and vehicle fees. I would not have voted for that. It is not the time to be voting on (raising) the gas tax, said Tacherra, a Republican running against Democratic Assemblywoman Anna Caballero, who voted for the tax increase last year. Three hundred miles away the same week, a campaign mailer arrived at homes in Orange County from an Assembly candidate with a message blaring from the cover in bold type: Republican Greg Haskin tough enough to stand up to Jerry Brown and repeal the gas tax. Read More Facebook
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Treasurer John Chiang launches ad in governors race touting his record as a fiscal steward By Seema Mehta In his first television ad in the governors race, state Treasurer John Chiang touts his record on fiscal issues as California faced the recession. Some thought we were done, Chiang says in a voiceover in the 30-second spot he released Thursday, with images of him standing seriously at a lectern and complimentary headlines about his work as controller and treasurer. But I knew better. I made the tough calls. And brought California back from the brink of financial disaster because you trusted me to manage our economy. Chiangs campaign is spending about $500,000 to air the ad in Los Angeles and San Diego in coming days. That buy is dwarfed by seven-figure purchases for ads supporting Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom and former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa. Newsom is the front-runner, while Villaraigosa is battling for second place with Republican businessman John Cox. Chiang has been mired in the single digits in almost all polling in the race. His ad, called Quiet Storm, tries to portray Chiang as a progressive who is effective and can move policy in Sacramento. Chiang points to his work challenging Wells Fargo before arguing that he could accomplish what doubters say is impossible to improve the states healthcare, housing and schools. I say, we got this, Chiang concludes. Facebook
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Been ignoring the race for California governor? Thats OK, in some ways its just starting By Mark Z. Barabak On a recent trip to Iowa, Eric Garcetti the mayor of Los Angeles and a possible 2020 White House contestant raised eyebrows with a bit of exuberant outreach. Los Angeles and Iowa, Garcetti insisted, have a ton in common, and he didnt simply mean both are inhabited by carbon-based life forms needing oxygen to survive. Urban or rural, farmer or fashion plate, all of us harbor the same hopes and dreams, the mayor suggested, and if it wasnt a terribly original thought it also wasnt the most egregious sort of political pandering like, say, ordering that every home in Los Angeles be powered by Iowa-produced ethanol. Read More Facebook
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California voters should expect to decide on an $8.9-billion water bond in November By Liam Dillon (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times) A proposal to borrow $8.9 billion for improvements to Californias water quality systems and watersheds and protection of natural habitats is eligible for the statewide ballot in November, Secretary of State Alex Padilla announced in a press release Wednesday. Padilla said the measure, which is backed by agricultural interests, had exceeded the 365,800 valid signatures it needed to qualify for the general election ballot. The bond measure will appear on the ballot unless proponents withdraw it by June 28, the release said. The bond is one of many voters could decide on in 2018. A $4-billion bond for parks and water infrastructure improvements will appear on the June 5 ballot. State lawmakers approved it last year. Facebook
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They came for Darrell Issa. They stayed with their inflatable chicken, blue wall and signs for political therapy By Christine Mai-Duc (John Gibbins / San Diego Union-Tribune) A mother of two turned ringleader of the resistance and more than a hundred of her faithful followers gathered on Tuesday morning outside Rep. Darrell Issas office in a northern San Diego County suburb. Across the street was her foil, a wedding DJ in a red Make American Great Again cap, setting up hefty speakers for an upcoming war of words. For about 65 weeks the deep divide in America played out along this 100-yard stretch of road in Vista. Here, at 10 a.m. every Tuesday, passersby found signs, chants, songs and, if they were lucky, sometimes a 20-foot-tall inflatable chicken with a Trump-esque coif. Theyd also glimpse the state of the body politic in 2018, a time when shock has turned to anger and post-2016 calls for reconciliation have morphed into grudging acceptance that each side might be better off in their respective corners. Or in this case, their sides of the street. On Tuesday, the anti-Issa, anti-Trump contingent fought this particular battle for the last time, declaring it their final protest at the congressmans office. They said they planned to use their energy to knock on doors and get out the vote, with an occasional protest on the side. Their pro-Trump rivals vowed to show up wherever they do. Read More Facebook
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Efforts to regulate bail companies have some unlikely allies: bail agents By Jazmine Ulloa Jane Un, chief executive and founder of Abba Bail Bonds, works with a client. ( Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times) In recent years, the seriousness and number of official complaints related to the bail industry in California have significantly increased while bail agents and bounty hunters face limited oversight, putting vulnerable communities at risk of fraud, embezzlement and other forms of victimization. This year, as Gov. Jerry Brown has pledged to work with lawmakers in a push to overhaul how courts assign defendants bail and to better regulate bail agencies, even some who profit from the court practice admit its time for regulation. These bail and bail-recovery agents could become unlikely allies, saying they advocate for change because theyve seen the system abuse the poor. Read More Facebook
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California voters: Get ready for an onslaught of television ads By Seema Mehta After a sleepy campaign, California voters are now being bombarded with television advertisements in the governors race, an onslaught that is expected to ramp up in coming weeks. The ads most frequently seen on television are those promoting Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom, the front-runner in the race, and former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, who is trying to secure the second spot in the June primary. Newsoms campaign and an outside group backing Villaraigosa are spending seven figures weekly on these efforts, according to filings with the California secretary of states office and a media buyer who asked not to be identified in order to freely discuss the ads. Other gubernatorial candidates are expected to hit the airwaves soon, the media buyer said. State Treasurer John Chiang has reserved a half-million dollars in the coming days in the Los Angeles and San Diego markets, and Villaraigosas campaign has requested availability in at least five of the states biggest TV markets. The GOP candidates in the race, who will be seeking the state Republican Partys endorsement at its convention next weekend, have been much less active. Businessman John Cox in recent weeks has been spending about $90,000 per week, but doubled that this week in Los Angeles and added small buys on KFI-AM radio and cable in markets including Fresno, Bakersfield and Salinas. State Assemblyman Travis Allen of Huntington Beach, who has been scooping up Republican Party endorsements across the state, has yet to make a notable television or radio buy, though he and Cox have received some attention as commentators on Fox News. Facebook
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Republicans ready to turn in signatures for ballot measure to repeal California gas-tax increase By Patrick McGreevy A Chevron gas station in Sacramento shows prices last year. (Rich Pedroncelli / Associated Press) Republican activists said Tuesday that they have collected at least 830,000 signatures for an initiative to repeal recent increases in Californias gas tax and vehicle fees, more than enough to qualify the measure for the November ballot. The activists need 585,407 signatures of registered voters to qualify the ballot measure. Because signatures are still being processed and counted by the campaign, backers hope to have 900,000 by the time they begin turning them in to the counties on Friday, according to Carl DeMaio, a former San Diego City Council member and organizer of the drive. The breadth and depth of voter anger over the car and gas tax hikes is just amazing, said DeMaio, who hosts a radio talk show. We are seeing Democrats, independents and Republicans sign the petition and volunteering to carry the petition, people from all walks of life. The initiative targets a law approved in April 2017 by the Legislature and Gov. Jerry Brown that is expected to raise $5.4 billion annually for road and bridge repairs and improvements to mass transit. The money comes from a recent 12-cents-per-gallon increase in the gas tax, a 20-cent increase in the diesel fuel excise tax and a new annual vehicle fee ranging from $25 for cars valued at under $5,000, to $175 for cars worth $60,000 or more. The petition drive raised more than $2 million with significant contributions from the California Republican Party and Republican members of Congress from California, including House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy of Bakersfield and Reps. Ken Calvert of Corona and Mimi Walters of Irvine. Republicans hope the issue will help their candidates for office in this years election and hurt Democrats who support the higher taxes. I think this is going to put Democrats in real bad spot, DeMaio said. A spokesman for Brown declined to comment until the signatures are filed. DeMaio said there were approximately 20,000 volunteer petition circulators who brought in more than 250,000 signatures, with the rest collected by paid circulators who received $1 to $2.50 per signature. Its a pretty comfortable margin [of signatures] that we have been able to hit here, DeMaio said. Opposition will grow, he said, as more Californians get their annual vehicle registration notice. The repeal campaign hopes to raise $5 million for the campaign to pass the constitutional amendment, which would not only repeal the increase in the gas tax and vehicle fees but require future increases to be submitted to voters. We know that Gov. Brown and his cohorts are going to spend an amazing amount of money to mislead voters, DeMaio said. But I feel pretty confident that we will repeal the gas tax. Read More Facebook
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Rep. Duncan Hunter sets up trust to raise money for legal expenses amid ongoing criminal investigation By Morgan Cook Rep. Duncan Hunter, R-Alpine, has filed paperwork to establish a legal expense fund amid an ongoing federal criminal investigation into misused campaign cash. Hunter filed the required paperwork March 27, seeking a rarely granted Legal Expense Fund through which members of Congress under investigation or being sued in connection with doing their jobs or running for office can raise money for their legal expenses. Such funds are administered by an independent trustee and allow donors to give above the maximum amount they can contribute a candidates campaign. Hunter has spent more than $600,000 of campaign money on lawyers. Read More Facebook
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Kamala Harris says she wont take corporate donations anymore By Sarah D. Wire (Jose Luis Magana / Associated Press) California Sen. Kamala Harris says she will no longer accept money from corporate political action committees. In an interview with WWPM-FMs The Breakfast Club, in New York that aired Monday, the senator said she wasnt expecting a question at a town hall this month about whether she would accept money for corporations or corporate lobbyists. At the time, Harris said it depends, but she said on Monday that she had reflected on the matter and changed her mind. Money has had such an outside influence on politics, and especially with the Supreme Court determining Citizens United, which basically means that big corporations can spend unlimited amounts of money influencing a campaign, right? Harris said. Were all supposed to have an equal vote, but money has now really tipped the balance between an individual having equal power in an election to a corporation. So Ive actually made a decision since I had that conversation that Im not going to accept corporate PAC checks. I just Im not. You can watch the video of the interview here. (Harris corporate money comments come about 30 minutes in.) Harris wouldnt be on the ballot for a second Senate term until 2022, though its widely believed that she is planning a presidential bid in 2020. Other potential 2020 presidential candidates, including Sens. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Cory Booker (D-N.J.) and Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), have also ruled out taking corporate PAC money. Soon after Mondays show aired, Harris campaign sent out a fundraising request noting her new stance. As corporate PACs continue to corrupt our politics and twist Congress priorities at your expense, were going to focus on raising money from small-dollar, individual donors like you, the email says. Facebook
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With money tied up in court, California lawmakers try again with new plan to spend $2 billion on homeless housing By Liam Dillon A man sleeps on the sidewalk in front of the Union Rescue Mission in the skid row neighborhood of Los Angeles. (Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times) A measure to spend $2 billion on housing homeless Californians could be on the November statewide ballot. State Sen. Kevin de Leon (D-Los Angeles) is pushing the idea to deal with what he said was a burgeoning humanitarian crisis whose epicenter is here in California. De Leons new measure is a do-over for a 2016 plan passed by the Legislature to redirect $2 billion toward building homeless housing from a voter-approved 1% income tax surcharge on millionaires that funds mental health services. A Sacramento attorney sued over that decision, arguing that the move violated constitutional rules on approving loans without a public vote and that lawmakers shouldnt take money away from mental health treatment. The case remains active in Sacramento Superior Court and its unclear when, or if, the state will be able to spend the $2 billion. De Leons Senate Bill 1206 would put the $2-billion loan on the ballot in November, freeing up the money if voters approve the measure. De Leon said had he been able to predict the 2016 plan would end up in court, he would have sought a ballot measure at the time. We thought this was like apple pie and baseball and puppies, De Leon said. Who would oppose the idea of repurposing the dollars to build immediate housing as a permanent solution for homelessness? Obviously with a crystal ball, had I anticipated the litigation, I would have worked to place it on the ballot. De Leon noted that the 2016 plan had bipartisan supermajority support in the Legislature, something his new bill also will need to get on the ballot. Sen. John Moorlach (R-Costa Mesa) is a coauthor of the plan. SB 1206 is scheduled for its first hearing in the Legislature on Wednesday. Should De Leons measure be approved, it will join a crowded list of housing issues before voters in November. Californians will decide on a separate $4-billion bond to help finance new low-income housing and home loans for veterans. De Leon said hes not worried those two measures will compete against each other because voters are aware of the scale of the states housing problems and the proposed homeless housing bond redirects existing dollars instead of raising taxes. Once [voters] know that the impact on their pocketbook is not existent, Im confident that theyll join me and my colleague John Moorlach in support of this measure, De Leon said. Facebook
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California lawmakers say too many former felons are being denied professional licenses By John Myers Assemblyman David Chiu (D-San Francisco) along with supporters of bills to allow more former felons to receive professional licenses. (John Myers/Los Angeles Times) A trio of California Assembly members urged colleagues on Monday to pass legislation that would prohibit state commissions and agencies from rejecting a professional license for those who were once convicted of less serious crimes. We cant say we want to rehabilitate people, and then block them from getting the jobs that they need when theyre released, said Assemblyman David Chiu (D-San Francisco). That leads to more recidivism and to more crime. The bills, scheduled to be heard in Assembly committees Tuesday, would ban the use of arrest or conviction records as the reason for denying a professional license. The bill would not apply to Californians who served time for any of the offenses on the states list of violent crimes. The authors, all Democrats, said that a government-issued professional license is required for some 30% of all jobs in the state. Their bills would change the licensing process at the California departments of Consumer Affairs and Social Services and agencies that certify emergency medical technicians. The bills would block prior convictions from leading to the delay or denial of a license unless that crime is directly related to the profession the person intends to pursue. Two of the bills also specifically say convictions less than 5 years old could continue to play a role in licensing decisions. Last year, Gov. Jerry Brown signed a law that keeps private sector employers from inquiring about a job applicants conviction history prior to an offer of employment. Advocates joined the lawmakers at a press conference in Sacramento to point out that limits on awarding licenses should focus only on those whose prior criminal activity could pose a threat to consumers. Continuing to hold people back for crimes that are 6, 7, 8, 10, 20 years old does not actually make sense if youre looking at public safety, said Jael Myrick of the East Bay Community Law Center. One of the proposals, Assembly Bill 2293, seeks to make it easier for ex-felons to get a license allowing a job with the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection the same agency that often uses prison inmates to battle blazes around the state. If a person is good enough to risk their life fighting fires for the state of California as an inmate, said Assemblywoman Eloise Gomez Reyes (D-Grand Terrace), their previous actions should not prevent from having a job utilizing the skill set that they learned. Facebook
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Assembly speaker rebukes building trades union after it targets Assemblywoman Cristina Garcia By John Myers ( (Rich Pedroncelli / Associated Press)) The decision by a politically powerful labor group to openly campaign against an embattled Los Angeles-area lawmaker drew a sharp rebuke on Friday from Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon. The Lakewood Democrat lashed out hours after the State Building and Construction Trades Council of California filed paperwork for a political action committee to defeat Assemblywoman Cristina Garcia (D-Bell Gardens). Garcia, whos seeking her fourth term, took an unpaid leave of absence in February following allegations of sexual misconduct. She has denied the reports and an Assembly investigation remains underway. Rendon didnt criticize the labor group by name, insisting instead that the decision was driven by oil and gas industry interests. This is a thinly veiled attempt by Big Oil and polluters to intimidate me and my members. It is an affront to my speakership, Rendon said in a statement. We are proud of the work that the Assembly has done to increase jobs and wages while defending our environment. We will vigorously defend the members of our caucus from any ill-advised political attack. A statement from the labor group, which sparred with Garcia last year on her effort to link new climate change policies with a crackdown on air pollution, said it had decided to reverse past support for her. The Trades have thousands of hard working members in Garcias district, and we look forward to lifting up another Democrat in the 58th Assembly to better represent them and their families, said the statement. The political action committees campaign finance filing on Friday listed nonmonetary in kind contributions from Erin Lehane, a public affairs consultant aligned with the building labor group. Lehane said she had begun researching Garcia in November. In January, a former legislative staffer accused her of groping him in 2014. Lehane, who identified herself as a spokesperson for the labor groups political action committee, said on Friday that she believed Garcias hypocrisy threatened a movement that will dictate how much harassment and abuse my daughter will face in her work life. Garcia, who has been an outspoken advocate for women in the #MeToo movement, has complained that her political opponents helped fan the flames of the accusations. Through a campaign consultant, she declined to comment on Friday. Rendons critique came on the heels of a full-page ad in The Times on Friday, partly paid for by the Trades Council, that criticized well-funded ivory tower elites who push proposals that hurt the oil and gas industry. We are the real jobs that fuel the real California economy, read the advertisement. Facebook
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Legal tiff breaks out over independent committees ad backing Antonio Villaraigosa for governor By Phil Willon An attorney representing Gavin Newsoms campaign for governor is demanding that California television stations cease airing an ad by an independent political committee supporting his Democratic rival Antonio Villaraigosa. Attorney Thomas A. Willis, in a letter to the stations, said the ad is false and misleading and violates California law because it uses snippets of video footage from Villaraigosas own campaign ads. Willis called that illegal coordination between the campaign and PAC. Under California law, advertisements made by entities other than a candidate are presumed to be coordinated and thus not independent expenditures when the advertisement replicates, reproduces or disseminates substantial parts of a communication, including video footage, created and paid for by the candidate, the letter states. A representative for the independent expenditure committee Families & Teachers for Antonio Villaraigosa for Governor fired back. Attorney Brian T. Hildreth says those allegations have no merit and accused the Newsom campaign of being misleading. Hildreth sent a letter to the television stations in response, urging them to ignore the Newsom campaigns accusations. He said the Newsom camp appears to intentionally misrepresent the law and that the video use was permissible. He said only six seconds of video from Villaraigosas campaign ads was used, which is well within the legal limits. The independent committee is sponsored by the group California Charter Schools Assn. Advocates, according to the California secretary of states office. The ad is airing on broadcast and cable stations statewide. The committees ad is focused on Villaraigosas record as Assembly speaker and as mayor of Los Angeles when there was a drop in crime. Facebook
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Governors race snapshot: Californians are generally upbeat but not focused on the campaign By Mark Z. Barabak Armand Werden, a 29-year-old community college student who works the taps at Dust Bowl Brewery in Turlock, said the state is on the upswing. (Phil Willon / Los Angeles Times) As California chooses a new governor one of just a handful in the last 40 years not named Jerry Brown the state seems to be enjoying something unusual in these tumultuous political times: a feeling of relative contentment. Not to say things are perfect. Still, more than 100 random interviews conducted over the length and breadth of the state from Redding in the north to Santee in the south, from the Pacific coastline to the edge of the Sierra Nevada found most saying things are looking up, at least so far as Californias direction is concerned. Read More Facebook
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Sierra Club backs Gavin Newsom for California governor By Phil Willon Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom speaks with members of the public following a debate at USC in January. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times) The Sierra Club endorsed Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom in the race for California governor, with officials in the established environmental group praising the Democrats record on climate change and clean energy. He has a proven record for leading on environmental protection, public health and clean energy, Kathryn Phillips, director of Sierra Club California, said in a statement released by the Newsom campaign. He understands that we are feeling the effects of climate change and that California must reduce carbon emissions and reach 100% renewable energy to achieve our climate goals. Phillips said the Sierra Clubs extensive network of volunteers will campaign for Newsom as the June 5 primary approaches. Sierra Club executive director Michael Brune also praised the Democrat, saying he will protect California from Donald Trumps attacks on our clean air and water. The Sierra Club joins a series of other influential groups in California that have backed Newsom. The California Medical Assn., the powerful state doctors lobby, announced its endorsement of Newsom on Thursday. The California Nurses Assn. and the Service Employees International Union, one of the most powerful labor unions in the state, also support Newsom. Newsom is the races front-runner in polls and fundraising. A poll released earlier this month by the nonpartisan Public Policy Institute of California found that 26% of likely voters backed Newsom. John Cox, a Republican from Rancho Santa Fe, was favored by 15% of likely voters and former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, a Democrat, by 13%. Facebook
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Californias GOP House members are taking their challengers more seriously and the numbers show it By Christine Mai-Duc For much of last year, consultants and campaign managers for some of Californias most vulnerable Republican incumbents maintained a bullish tone on the prospect that the GOP would hold the House in this years midterms. The National Republican Congressional Committee insisted that longtime Republican incumbents in California had built up reputations as effective champions of local issues that would help them weather a flood of Democratic enthusiasm. Since then Rep. Ed Royce (R-Fullerton) and Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Vista) have decided not to seek reelection and the NRCC has opened a West Coast headquarters in Orange County. Read More Facebook
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California officials say Pentagon has confirmed National Guard funding despite Trump threat By John Myers (Evan Vucci / Associated Press) The awkward dance between Gov. Jerry Brown and the federal government over the National Guard jerked back toward discord on Thursday, when Trump said he would refuse to pay for a new deployment of troops just hours after his administration said otherwise. And a few hours later, California officials said they had received written confirmation from the Pentagon that the mission would indeed be funded. Trump had earlier called Browns decision to approve 400 troops for a mission focused on combating transnational crime and drug smuggling a charade in a tweet. We need border security and action, not words! the president wrote. Governor Jerry Brown announced he will deploy up to 400 National Guard Troops to do nothing. The crime rate in California is high enough, and the Federal Government will not be paying for Governor Browns charade. We need border security and action, not words! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 19, 2018 A spokesman for Brown pointed to a tweet written Wednesday night by Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen, thanking the California governor for his efforts. Trump was meeting on Thursday with Nielsen at his Mar-a-Lago estate not long after his tweet was posted. A tweet later posted by the California National Guard said that almost three hours after Trumps comment, the state received written confirmation from the Pentagon to fund the mission as outlined by Brown the day before. In short, nothing has changed today, said a subsequent Guard tweet. Just spoke w @JerryBrownGov about deploying the @USNationalGuard in California. Final details are being worked out but we are looking forward to the support. Thank you Gov Brown! Secretary Kirstjen M. Nielsen (@SecNielsen) April 19, 2018 Brown was the last of the nations border governors to respond to Trumps insistence earlier this month that National Guard troops were needed to assist with immigration-related duties at the U.S.-Mexico border. And he has consistently refused to allow California troops to engage in any mission related to federal immigration law. This will not be a mission to build a new wall, Brown wrote last week to Nielsen and Defense Secretary James N. Mattis. It will not be a mission to round up women and children or detain people escaping violence and seeking a better life. Exactly what the California operations will cost remains unclear, as state officials have said it will depend on decisions made once the mission begins. The funds would not be transferred to the state, but instead would be paid directly by the Department of Defense. Trump has critiqued California several times over the past few days, often writing tweets that embrace the actions by some cities and counties to join his administrations lawsuit against the states sanctuary immigration law. He made similar comments to reporters on Thursday afternoon. If you look at whats happening in California with sanctuary cities people are really going the opposite way, Trump said. They dont want sanctuary cities. Theres a little bit of a revolution going on in California. 2:26 p.m.:This article was updated with additional information from the California National Guard and with remarks from Trump. This article was originally published at 9:51 a.m. Facebook
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Gay conversion therapy services would be banned under measure advancing in California By John Myers (Rich Pedroncelli / Associated Press) The California Assembly voted Thursday to add gay conversion therapy to the states list of deceptive business practices, following a debate that focused on the personal experiences of several lawmakers and hinted at potential lawsuits to come. It is harmful and it is unnecessary, Assemblyman Evan Low (D-Campbell), the bills author and one of the Legislatures most vocal LGBTQ members, said of the practice. Low, who told Assembly members that he explored conversion therapy as a teenager and suffered depression over his sexual orientation, insisted that the bill would be limited to efforts that involve the exchange of money. Theres nothing wrong with me, he said in an emotional speech on the Assembly floor. Theres nothing that needs to be changed. The bill, which now heads to the Senate, has become the focal point of intense debate on social media. Some religious groups have said that such a law would be a violation of their constitutional rights, while advocates insist the provisions are narrow and theres no credible evidence that the services work. One key part of the debate centers on whether Assembly Bill 2943 would stretch beyond businesses that charge for these programs and extend to printed documents, even Bibles. An analysis by the Assembly Judiciary Committee says the bill would apply only to services that purport to change a persons sexual orientation and offered on a commercial basis, as well as the advertising and offering of such services. Lawmakers who spoke in support of AB 2943 also made clear that they believe those kinds of services have been discredited. This is fraudulent, it should not be occurring, said Assemblywoman Susan Eggman (D-Stockton). But you can still try to pray the gay away, if you like. Assemblyman James Gallagher (R-Yuba City), who said the bill addresses a difficult issue, nonetheless said that its important to ensure laws dont tamper with religious freedom. We have to think about the legitimate experience of people who have gone through conversion therapy and said this was a good thing for them, Gallagher told his colleagues. California law already bans the use of conversion therapy by mental health professionals on those under age 18. Lows bill would expand the states efforts beyond minors. It would join a list of commercial activities deemed unfair or deceptive acts or practices and therefore banned under state law. Facebook
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Gavin Newsom gets backing from doctors group, despite differences over single-payer healthcare By Melanie Mason Gavin Newsom speaks at the California Democrats State Convention in San Diego on Feb. 24. (Kent Nishimura) Californias doctors are siding with Gavin Newsom in the governors race, even though they dont see eye-to-eye on a defining issue of the campaign: single-payer healthcare. The California Medical Assn., the state doctors lobby and a political heavyweight, announced its endorsement of the lieutenant governor on Thursday. Gavin is a lifelong champion for health care in California, and we know he will continue to fight for pragmatic solutions to our most crucial health care challenges, including working to achieve universal access and tackling our states physician shortage, CMA President Theodore M. Mazer said in a statement. Newsom has made his support for state-financed healthcare a centerpiece of his campaign, and he earned the early backing of the most ardent single-payer supporters, the state nurses union. The doctors, meanwhile, oppose the nurses bill, SB 562, which emerged as a flashpoint in the healthcare debate last year. The CMA said the bill would dismantle the healthcare marketplace and destabilize Californias economy. Newsom has said SB 562 should advance in the Legislature, but also said it has open-ended issues that still need to be addressed. The doctors group is also battling with another prominent Newsom endorser, the Service Employees International Union, over a new measure that would impose price caps on an array of medical services paid for by commercial health insurers in the state. The SEIU is a leading sponsor of the proposal; the doctors fiercely oppose it. Newsom and the physicians group have a history of political alignment. Newsom was the first statewide official to support Proposition 56, a 2016 tobacco tax pushed by the CMA that raised revenue in part to increase money for doctors who saw Medi-Cal patients. That year, the association also endorsed two initiatives championed by Newsom: Proposition 63, which imposed new gun control measures, and Proposition 64, which legalized recreational marijuana. Facebook
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Independent committee backing Antonio Villaraigosa for governor hits the airwaves with first ad By Phil Willon Antonio Villaraigosa speaks at the 2018 California Democratic Party Convention in San Diego in February.. (Denis Poroy / Associated Press) A well-financed independent committee backing Antonio Villaraigosas bid to be Californias next governor released its first television ad Thursday, praising his record for working with Republicans and as a candidate for all of California. The ad, which is to air statewide on broadcast and cable stations, is focused on Villaraigosas record as Assembly speaker and mayor of Los Angeles, including on education and a drop in crime while he was at City Hall. To move California forward, we need to help more Californians get ahead, the ad says. Thats why Antonio Villaraigosa brought both parties together to balance the state budget with record investments in public schools and new career training programs. The independent expenditure committee behind the ad campaign, Families & Teachers for Antonio Villaraigosa for Governor 2018, is sponsored by the California Charter Schools Assn. Advocates, according to the California secretary of states office. The committee is spending seven figures per week on the ad buy, said Josh Pulliam, a political consultant for the committee. As mayor of Los Angeles, Villaraigosa clashed with teachers unions, starting with his failed attempt to take political control of the Los Angeles Unified School District. His fight with those unions continued after he left office in 2013. Money has poured into the committee this month from wealthy charter schools supporters: Reed Hastings, chief executive of Netflix, donated $7 million, and Los Angeles billionaire and philanthropist Eli Broad donated $1.5 million. On Wednesday, former Los Angeles Mayor Richard Riordan donated $1 million. The independent expenditure committee is expected to provide a boost to Villaraigosas campaign. Democratic front-runner Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom has a major advantage in fundraising over all other candidates in the race and has received the backing of the California Teachers Assn. and other education unions. A recent Public Policy Institute of California poll also showed Villaraigosa lagging in third place in the race, trailing Newsom and Republican businessman John Cox. The candidates who finish in the top two in the June 5 primary will advance to the November general election, regardless of their party affiliation. Facebook
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Gov. Jerry Brown says Trump administration will fund his National Guard mission without immigration duties By John Myers (Alex Wong / Getty Images) Gov. Jerry Brown formally mobilized 400 California National Guard members Wednesday for transnational crime-fighting duties, thus preventing any effort by President Trump to have the troops focus on immigration enforcement on the Mexican border. The governor announced that federal officials have agreed to fund the plan he announced last week a mission to combat criminal gangs, human traffickers and illegal firearm and drug smugglers in locations around California, including near the border. The order Brown signed makes clear that the troops will not be allowed to perform a broader set of duties as envisioned by Trumps recent comments. California National Guard service members shall not engage in any direct law enforcement role nor enforce immigration laws, arrest people for immigration law violations, guard people taken into custody for alleged immigration violations, or support immigration law enforcement activities, the order read. The cost of the mission, a spokesman for Brown said, will be paid directly by the federal government. No initial estimate has been made, as the exact amount will depend on exactly how the troops will be used. Though the duties of California Guard members were outlined last week, the state had been waiting for an agreement by federal officials to pay for the operations. Since that time, the president has taken Brown and the state to task over its decision to avoid any immigration-related duties at the border. On Wednesday morning, Trump tweeted, Jerry Brown is trying to back out of the National Guard at the Border, but the people of the State are not happy. Want Security & Safety NOW! There is a Revolution going on in California. Soooo many Sanctuary areas want OUT of this ridiculous, crime infested & breeding concept. Jerry Brown is trying to back out of the National Guard at the Border, but the people of the State are not happy. Want Security & Safety NOW! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 18, 2018 Looks like Jerry Brown and California are not looking for safety and security along their very porous Border. He cannot come to terms for the National Guard to patrol and protect the Border, Trump tweeted Tuesday. There was no immediate reaction from the White House to Browns announcement. On Tuesday, Brown told reporters in Washington that his plan was consistent with a safer border. That sounds to me like fighting crime, the governor said. Trying to catch some desperate mothers and children, or unaccompanied minors coming from Central America, that sounds like something else. The order Brown issued Wednesday after returning from a brief trip to talk climate change in Toronto and to speak to a national trade union and visit with reporters in Washington is set to expire at the end of September. It specifically says no Guard service member may participate in a mission that would exceed the mission scope and limitations related to transnational crime activity. It also says troops cannot help build any new border barrier. 5:27 p.m.: This article was updated with information related to the cost of the Guard mission and Browns trip to Washington. This article was originally published at 5:13 p.m. Facebook
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California bill aims to end practice that keeps workplace misconduct cases out of court By Melanie Mason A California bill would prohibit employers from requiring workers to use private arbitration to settle disputes, a practice that critics say shields improper workplace conduct from public view. The bill by Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez Fletcher (D-San Diego) would bar businesses from making employees, when they are hired, waive their future rights to take any harassment, discrimination or other claims to court. Arbitration can be a highly effective dispute resolution method when both parties can choose it freely, when both parties are equal, Gonzalez Fletcher said at a news conference on Wednesday. It is far less successful when the more powerful party forces the other to accept those terms, especially as a condition of employment. Forced arbitration has come under increasing scrutiny since the #MeToo movement, with high-profile figures such as former Fox News anchor Gretchen Carlson pointing to the practice as shielding workplace abusers from public disclosure because arbitration resolutions often include nondisclosure agreements. Last year, a bipartisan bill was introduced in Congress to end mandatory arbitration in employment agreements. Gonzalez Fletcher said she was pursuing an unusual tool to draw attention to the issue a subpoena issued by the Legislature to compel testimony from a worker bound by a nondisclosure agreement as a result of arbitration. The Legislature has subpoena power but it is rarely used. The bills sponsors believe lawmakers last issued a subpoena in 2001 while investigating price manipulation by Enron. Gonzalez Fletcher said she has requested Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon (D-Lakewood) to issue the subpoena to require Tara Zoumer, who sued the company WeWork in 2016 for overtime pay, to testify before the Assembly Judiciary Committee next week. Zoumers suit was moved to arbitration and resolved. She is now subject to a nondisclosure agreement and could face a financial penalty for speaking publicly about her case. A spokesman for Rendon said the subpoena request is under consideration. Business groups oppose the bill, AB 3080. The California Chamber of Commerce has dubbed it a job biller, claiming it would dramatically increase legal costs for businesses. Banning such agreements benefits the trial attorneys, not the employer or employee, the group said. The bill must first advance from the Assembly Labor Committee on Wednesday. Facebook
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At least 240 House lawmakers want a vote on immigration. California supporters say they arent ready to force one By Sarah D. Wire Rep. Jeff Denham (R-Turlock), flanked by Rep. Pete Aguilar (D-Redlands) and Rep. Will Hurd (R-Texas) speak about DACA legislation (Bill Clark / CQ Roll Call) Rep. Jeff Denham says at least 240 of the 430 current House members have signed onto his resolution to hold votes on four immigration bills, and he hopes House Speaker Paul D. Ryan (R-Wis.) and President Trump are paying attention to the show of support. But, the Republican from Turlock and his allies said Wednesday that they are not yet willing to commit to forcing Ryans hand through a little-used procedural move called a discharge petition; they acknowledged theres no guarantee that all of 47 Republicans and 193 Democrats House co-signers will back them up if they try to force the issue. Im sure that it is something that will be discussed in the coming weeks. You should not need a discharge petition. When you can show the overwhelming majority of the House, the support of it, you should not need a discharge petition, but it is something we would talk about in the future, Denham said. It is far too early to talk about next steps. Ryan said last week that he opposes Denhams effort, saying its a waste of time for the House to vote on bills the president might veto. Denhams resolution would prompt debate and votes on four very different immigration bills: one favored by the Trump administration, one preferred by Democrats, one bipartisan proposal and another immigration bill of Ryans choice. Whichever got the most votes would move forward to the Senate. All four bills would help Dreamers to differing degrees and include varying levels of border security or immigration enforcement. For example, the Trump-backed bill would also dramatically reduce legal immigration, while the Democrats would only deal with legal status for Dreamers. Democrats say they dont expect the show of support will sway Ryan. Congressional Hispanic Caucus Chairwoman Rep. Michelle Lujan Grisham (D-N.M.) said Tuesday night she expects Ryan will have to be forced into allowing a vote. It doesnt matter how many signatures we get. We could have every signature, technically, except his, on the floor of the House and... if he doesnt want to, it doesnt happen, Lujan Grisham (D-N.M.) said. Rep. Pete Aguilar (D-Redlands), who gathered the Democratic co-sponsors for Denham, also wouldnt give a deadline for House leaders to act, but said the co-sponsors are only willing to wait weeks not months. We do want to give them an opportunity to bring up the rule and to use whatever process they want, Aguilar said. They do have options, but I think they need to understand that we have options too. Facebook
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Billionaire Democratic activist Tom Steyer endorses Kevin de Leon in his insurgent bid against Sen. Dianne Feinstein By Seema Mehta Tom Steyer, left, and California state Sen. Kevin de Leon (D-Los Angeles). (Getty Images; Los Angeles Times) Billionaire Democratic activist Tom Steyer is endorsing state Sen. Kevin de Leon in his insurgent challenge to Sen. Dianne Feinstein, and did not rule out funding an outside effort to boost De Leons chances. I think hes the kind of young progressive that reflects California and would be a very strong advocate for our state nationally, Steyer said in an interview on Tuesday, pointing to De Leons efforts on issues such as immigration, climate change and gun control while he was the state Senate leader. I know him well and hes a friend. We share a lot of values. Steyer, who flirted with running for the Senate seat, did not criticize Feinstein as he has in the past. Sen. Feinstein has been an outstanding public servant who has dedicated the bulk of her adult life to the service of our state and the country, he said. These are two strong, very good Democrats. I just believe Kevin is the true progressive and he reflects something we need representing California going forward. I have nothing bad to say about Dianne Feinstein. I have a lot of good to say about Kevin de Leon. De Leon faces enormous odds as he tries to oust Feinstein, who has served in the Senate for a quarter-century, is well known to the states voters and has daunting leads in polls and fundraising. But De Leon has gained notable endorsements, most recently from the 2.1-million-member California Labor Federation last week. Campaign finance reports released this week show that Feinstein has more than $10 million in the bank, while De Leon has just more than $670,000. Feinstein, a multimillionaire and one of the wealthiest members of the Senate, has already lent her campaign $5 million and could easily write another check. But Steyer, a billionaire former hedge fund manager, could write a larger one. He is among the largest Democratic donors in the nation and has already committed more than $50 million to push for the impeachment of President Trump and to register young voters. He was noncommittal when asked if he would fund an independent expenditure group on behalf of De Leon. I dont have any concrete plans for that, he said. Read More Facebook
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Californias largest pension fund sends next years invoice to state government: $6.3 billion By John Myers The California Public Employees Retirement System building (Max Whittaker / Getty Images) As part of a shift toward less optimistic expectations for investment returns to pay for government worker pensions, board members of the California Public Employees Retirement System voted Tuesday to require an almost $6.3-billion payment from the state budget in the fiscal year that begins on July 1. The action, which could receive final approval on Wednesday, reflects a gradually higher annual contribution to public employee pensions by the state and from local governments across California. In 2016, CalPERS approved a half-percentage point decrease in its official estimate of the long-term investment return on its $353.3-billion portfolio. That shift was designed to happen over several years, in hopes it would lessen the financial shock of shifting more of the costs onto government employers. The highest costs are also, in part, a reflection of increases in the size of the states payroll. The states CalPERS payment will be about $450 million more than the total paid in the current fiscal year and more than double what it was only a decade ago. CalPERS board members voted on Tuesdays staff proposal with little discussion, save for a question about the increase in contributions also required from workers hired after a pension overhaul that took effect in June. It seems like it will be a ding on peoples salaries, said Theresa Taylor, the chairwoman of CalPERS finance committee and a member of SEIU Local 1000, the union that represents some 96,000 state employees. The $6.299-billion payment required from Californias state government must now be factored into the budget crafted by the Legislature and signed into law by Gov. Jerry Brown in late June. Brown had already assumed a similarly sized payment in his budget proposal unveiled in January. In February, a coalition representing city governments warned about the effects of rising pension costs under the expectations of less money from Wall Street investments. The report issued by the League of California Cities projected an average increase of more than 50% in annual pension payments made by the states largest cities over the next seven years. A CalPERS staff report notes that the net return on all of the funds investments for the fiscal year that ended in July was 11.2%. But expectations on profits over the next 30 years remain significantly more modest, and theres long been a robust debate about how to properly set those future expectations. The lower the rate of projected investment return, the larger the share of pension costs that must be covered by taxpayers and some employees. Overall, CalPERS officials believe the system has assets to cover 71% of its long-term obligations. Facebook
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California warns legal pot sellers not to participate in unlicensed 4/20 events By Patrick McGreevy Marijuana on display at a dispensary in Los Angeles. ( (Frederic J. Brown / AFP/Getty Images)) The state issued a warning Tuesday that businesses holding licenses to sell marijuana could face penalties if they participate in unlicensed temporary events away from their stores, including on Friday, April 20, which has become an annual celebration for counterculture groups. The warning was issued ahead of 4/20 by the state Bureau of Cannabis Control. Since Jan. 1, the bureau has issued more than 700 state licenses to sell marijuana for medical or recreational use. The bureau has issued 47 temporary event licenses to groups that are limited to holding the marijuana celebrations on county fairgrounds that have authorized such events with city approval. Any bureau licensee participating in an unlicensed cannabis event may be subject to disciplinary action, the warning said, adding that lawful participation by bureau licensees in any temporary cannabis event that allows sales and/or consumption is dependent upon issuance of the appropriate licenses from the bureau. While many Californians have been issued medical approval to sell or use marijuana, the law does not allow them to participate in unlicensed events, also referred to as Proposition 215 events after the ballot measure that legalized medical pot two decades ago in the state. Participation in such events may lead to civil penalties for unlicensed commercial cannabis activity, the warning said. Meanwhile, a survey of some 1,000 marijuana users that was released Tuesday by the firm LendEDU found that the average 4/20 participant plans to spend $71 on marijuana to celebrate the unofficial holiday, and about 35% of respondents are planning to take off work Friday. Facebook
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California police groups shift position on officer discipline records, now consider support for making some of them public By Liam Dillon Los Angeles Police Department recruits at a graduation ceremony in April (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times) Some major law enforcement groups signaled Tuesday they are willing to support making part of police officer disciplinary records public, a dramatic departure from their past positions. Local and national attention on police shootings and misconduct has led law enforcement organizations to reconsider their blanket opposition to proposals that would give public access to some internal disciplinary investigations of officers. Were going to be open to supporting efforts that would allow for some records to be released, said Ryan Sherman, a lobbyist with the Riverside Sheriffs Assn. Debate over secrecy provisions in officer disciplinary files came during a legislative hearing on Senate Bill 1421 from Sen. Nancy Skinner (D-Berkeley). Skinners bill, which advanced out of the Senate Public Safety Committee on Tuesday, would require public disclosure of all internal officer shooting investigations and confirmed cases of sexual assault and lying while on duty. Currently, all police discipline information is confidential outside of a courtroom in California, which has some of the nations strictest standards against public disclosure. Unfortunately, the fact that we have such strict restrictions on any access to public records has affected certain communities trust towards our law enforcement, Skinner said during the hearing. Prior to Skinners effort, other have tried to loosen these rules, some of which date back 40 years. Most recently in 2016, a bid by then-Sen. Mark Leno (D-San Francisco) failed in a Senate committee. In debate two years ago, no major law enforcement groups indicated they would accept changes to state laws that would make individual internal investigations public, saying they were essential to protect officer privacy and safety. But Tuesday, Sherman and other lobbyists including those representing the states largest police labor organization, signaled they might be willing to entertain changes. They said they were negotiating with Skinner on the bills details. Law enforcement groups still have major concerns about SB 1421 as written. Ed Fishman, an attorney for the Police Officers Research Assn., told legislators that the bill would wrongfully expose police officers who acted within departmental policy to invasions of their privacy. It has unintended consequences that are extreme and will hurt the public, Fishman said. Tuesdays hearing featured testimony from many who have had relatives killed by police officers in recent years advocating for the bill. Senators on the Public Safety Committee also gave public rebukes to law enforcement lobbyists, criticizing them for a lack of diversity and insensitivity to concerns raised by communities of color. I think that you are completely and utterly out of touch with the realities of how those you are representing are perceived by major segments of California, said Sen. Holly Mitchell (D-Los Angeles). You are not going to be able to continue to lobby your way out of it. The bill faces at least one more committee hearing in the Senate before reaching the floor. It will have to pass both houses of the Legislature by the end of August. Facebook
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Newest member of the California Assembly arrives ready to work on criminal justice issues By John Myers Assemblywoman Sydney Kamlager-Dove prepares for the oath of office from Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon with her husband, Austin Dove. (California Assembly Democrats) Two weeks after winning a Los Angeles special election, the newest member of the California Assembly says she hopes to focus on reforms to the states criminal justice system during her time in Sacramento. Assemblywoman Sydney Kamlager-Dove (D-Los Angeles) took the oath of office on Monday, filling one of three vacant seats representing Los Angeles County in the lower house. The Democrat, a former community college trustee and legislative staffer, thanked her mentors in remarks from the Assembly rostrum. So many women, and in my life so many black women, have paid in giving me the kind of morals and integrity and grit that is required to fight on behalf of people that you know, and people that you dont know, she said. Kamlager-Dove won handily on April 3, receiving 70% of the votes cast in the 54th Assembly District which encompasses communities west of downtown Los Angeles, from Crenshaw to Culver City and as far north as Westwood. She will serve the remaining eight months of the term of former Assemblyman Sebastian Ridley-Thomas, who resigned last year citing health concerns. She has said she hopes to focus her attention on poverty issues and on reform of the states criminal justice system. I think we have an opportunity to really push the needle in terms of how we look at rehabilitation, how we look at incarceration, and how we look at changing the lives oftentimes of poor men and women of color, Kamalager-Dove said on Monday in a video released by Assembly Democrats. Facebook
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Survivors of violent crime raise their voices in California to call for a new approach to criminal justice By Jazmine Ulloa Aaliyah Smith marches with her cousins. (Jazmine Ulloa / Los Angeles Times) Her father, uncle, a cousin and two older brothers. Those are some of the family members 16-year-old Aaliyah Smith has lost to gun violence. Then there are her friends. Jermaine Jackson Jr., 27, was shot and killed in 2016 while he painted over graffiti in San Francisco. Toriano Tito Adger, 18, was shot there a year later at a bus stop. He called Smith, who was nearby, and warned her to run. She made it inside a library moments before the crack of gunfire. Last week, Smith was among hundreds who gathered in Sacramento for annual National Crime Victims Rights Week events, where calls were issued for a new approach to criminal justice and public safety in California, one that puts survivors at the center of policy. But a debate is brewing over what that entails. Read More Facebook
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California expects $14 billion in tax payments this month By John Myers State workers handle income tax returns at the California Franchise Tax Board offices. (Laura Morton / For The Times) Gov. Jerry Browns proposed state budget is built on what taxpayers might find an audacious assumption: almost $14 billion in tax payments in the month of April, an average of $83 million collected per hour on every business day of the month. Most of that money will come from the taxes Californians pay in advance of Tuesday nights filing deadline for income tax returns. If history is any guide, the rate of payment could quadruple by weeks end. While tax rules have shifted some of the payment schedules to other months, April remains a vitally important month to the fiscal health of state government. The state controllers office reports more than 15% of all personal income tax revenues in 2017 were collected in April. In the recession years of a decade ago, tax revenue predictions were frequently off the mark by hundreds of millions of dollars. The last two state budgets have seen significant windfalls of personal income tax revenue, thanks in part both to an improving economy and to the continuation of a temporary surcharge on the wealthiest taxpayers extended by voters in 2016. In the budget plan he sent to lawmakers in January, Brown projected a $6.1-billion windfall and proposed using a sizable amount to top off Californias rainy-day fund ahead of schedule. The independent Legislative Analysts Office reports that through the end of last week, the months income tax tally stood at $3 billion, slightly ahead of projections. By the end of the current week, a single days total could be almost that large. Lawmakers began reviewing the governors $190.3-billion spending plan during the winter, but few decisions are made until they get a look at Aprils tax revenues. The governor will release a revised plan based on the new data next month; lawmakers are required to send him a completed budget no later than June 15. Facebook
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Feinstein war chest tops $10 million while Kevin de Leon struggles to keep pace By Sarah D. Wire Sen. Dianne Feinstein widened her already-massive fundraising advantage in the run-up to Junes primary, raising twice as much in the first quarter than her strongest Senate challenger has sitting in the bank. Feinstein raised $1.3 million between January and March, bringing her war chest to just over $10 million as Californias U.S. Senate race begins in earnest, according Federal Election Commission reports. Former state Senate leader Kevin De Leon, the best known of the more than 30 people who will appear with Feinstein on the June primary ballot, raised just $575,991 in that same period, bringing his cash on hand to $672,331, according to his quarterly FEC report. Read More Facebook
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Trump has met his match, says Gov. Jerry Brown in promoting climate action on a quick trip to Canada By John Myers (Rich Pedroncelli/Associated Press) Gov. Jerry Brown told a Canadian audience Monday that he believes President Trumps efforts to reverse course on climate change policy are a momentary deviation as others in the United States seek limits on greenhouse gas emissions. Thats very temporary, I can assure you, Brown said at a joint event in Toronto with Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne. The governors quick international trip, announced only late last week, comes as Wynnes Liberal Party faces a stiff challenge in Junes election from the Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario and its leader, Doug Ford. Critics of Wynnes party have called for Ontario to pull out of the Western Climate Initiative, a cooperative agreement between three Canadian provinces and California on efforts to limit greenhouse gases. Brown sought to link the efforts of Canadian conservatives with Republicans in the United States who oppose existing climate change programs. In contrast, he told the audience, several GOP lawmakers voted last summer to renew Californias cap-and-trade program. I would say to the conservatives of Canada, wake up and see what your friends in California are doing, he said. The Democrat took particular notice of Trumps efforts to shift away from climate change policies from the administration of former President Obama, as well as a push by the Environmental Protection Agency to cancel Californias strict limits on automobile emissions. If Trump tries to change that, well have litigation well beyond his term in office, Brown said while also noting Chinese government efforts to produce more low-emissions vehicles. Between California and China, Trump has met his match. What hes saying is not going to happen. Many of the governors remarks, though, were aimed at the tough political situation in which Wynne finds herself with seven weeks to go before Ontarios parliamentary elections. Dangers abound, but success is right in our hands, Brown said. So dont blow it! Facebook
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California voters are getting to know the states attorney general through his aggressive stance challenging Trump By Patrick McGreevy Less than two months from his first statewide election, California Atty. Gen. Xavier Becerra has become adept not only at challenging President Trump but at using the bully pulpit of his office to raise his profile with voters. The aggressive effort may help boost the former Los Angeles congressmans chances at winning a full term in office this fall, almost two years after he was appointed to replace Sen. Kamala Harris in 2017. Appointed by Gov. Jerry Brown, Becerra took office as attorney general four days after Trumps inauguration. Thats afforded him an opportunity to get in front of Californians and potential voters on an array of issues including immigration, healthcare and the environment. Read More Facebook
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Gov. Jerry Brown forms commission for 2020 census outreach By Melanie Mason In an effort to make sure California has a strong showing in the next national census, Gov. Jerry Brown on Friday established a state commission to prepare outreach for the decennial count. It is vitally important for California to do everything it can to ensure that every Californian is counted in the upcoming census, Brown said in a prepared statement. The commissions formation comes on the heels of a Trump administration plan to ask about citizenship status as a part of the census. State officials fear that such a question, which has not been asked in a census since 1950, could chill participation among California residents. That could result in the state losing billions of dollars in federal funds and a seat in Congress. The 23-member panel, appointed largely by Brown as well as picks by legislative leaders, comes from private- and public-sector backgrounds, including civil rights groups, religious institutions and educational institutions. Facebook
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Garcetti kicks off Iowa visit with 2020 on his mind and a hardhat on his head LA Mayor - and 2020 prospect - Eric Garcetti makes his Iowa debut at the Carpenters Union Training Center. Fearlessly flaunts the never be photographed in head gear/safety glasses rule. pic.twitter.com/14bUOPXMvF Mark Z. Barabak (@markzbarabak) April 13, 2018 Facebook
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Asm. Rocky Chavez takes the lead in race to replace Issa, while Doug Applegate slips By Joshua Stewart A new poll shows that Republican Assemblyman Rocky Chavez has taken a clear lead over 15 other candidates running to replace Rep. Darrell Issa in Congress and has overtaken Democrat Doug Applegate, the previous frontrunner. In a SurveyUSA poll by 10News and The San Diego Union-Tribune, Chavez, R-Oceanside, has support of 16 percent of likely voters, putting him ahead of Applegate, a lawyer, who was favored by 12 percent of voters and is in second place. The top two vote-getters in June, regardless of party, will proceed to a November runoff election. Competing with Applegate for the No. 2 spot is Democrat Mike Levin, also a lawyer, with support of 9 percent of voters. Several other candidates were right at his heels. Democratic Businessman Paul Kerr and Board of Equalization Member Diane Harkey, R-Dana Point, were tied for fourth at 8 percent each. Read More Facebook
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Pro-Kevin de Leon group launches ad castigating Dianne Feinstein By Seema Mehta A group that is supporting Kevin de Leons bid for the U.S. Senate launched a blistering ad against Sen. Dianne Feinstein on Thursday, questioning her progressive principles and tying her to President Trump. The ad buy from A Progressive California is minuscule $10,000 to air it in Los Angeles for one day on CNN and MSNBC during programming such as The Rachel Maddow Show, Hardball with Chris Matthews and Anderson Cooper 360. The minute-long ad features news clips about Feinstein not getting the California Democratic Party endorsement earlier this year, as well as footage of Feinstein saying that Trump can be a good president and appearing to share a laugh with Trump. That moment actually came during a White House meeting in the aftermath of the Parkland, Fla., school shooting when the president suggested an assault weapons ban should be included in a bipartisan bill to expand gun background checks. It also features extensive clips of de Leons speech at the state partys convention. De Leon, who just ended his final term as leader of the state Senate, announced last year he would run against fellow Democrat Feinstein as she seeks her fifth full term. Feinsteins longtime political advisor dismissed the ad, noting the size of the buy. Its not really a buy, said Bill Carrick. Ten thousand dollars in cable in L.A. Poof, its gone. Still, he said he planned to have the campaigns lawyers review the ad to see if it violates campaign law that limits what outside groups like A Progressive California can do. Such groups cannot coordinate with campaigns or candidates, and are limited in how much their messages can support a candidate. Ann Ravel, the former chair of the Federal Election Commission and the California Fair Political Practices Commission, said if the ad was in a state race, she is certain that the state commission would open an investigation into potential coordination with de Leons campaign because of the messaging and the types of footage in the ad. But the bipartisan federal commission cant agree on how to enforce the federal regulations, she said. The problem is [outside groups] understand that given the lack of very strong enforcement at the federal level, theres the ability to stretch the law, she said. A spokeswoman for the FEC declined to comment. Dave Jacobson, a spokesman for A Progressive California, disputed the suggestion that the ad violated campaign law. This frivolous allegation shows that Sen. Feinstein is afraid of the public seeing an ad which showcases her own words, that Donald Trump can be a good president, he said. Facebook
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Dispute over money emerges in campaign to repeal Californias gas tax increase By Patrick McGreevy A motorist prepares to gas up her vehicle in San Rafael, Calif., in 2015. (Justin Sullivan / Getty Images) A proposed initiative to repeal hikes to Californias gas tax has been caught in the middle of a dispute involving Republican rivals in the governors race. Assemblyman Travis Allen, a Republican candidate for governor, decided in January to drop plans for his own initiative and said he would urge supporters to sign a separate petition being supported by several Republican members of Congress. Then last week, the committee Allen formed to finance his ballot measure reported a $300,000 contribution from PISF Inc., a Novato, Calif., real estate firm. Now, an organizer of the still active Give Voters a Voice committee is urging the Allen committee to immediately donate their funds in support of the ongoing signature gathering efforts. There is only one gas tax repeal measure currently in circulation and that is the measure sponsored by the Give Voters a Voice Committee, said Dave Gilliard, a consultant to the group. PISF Inc., he said, gave to repeal taxes a
The Supreme Court handed President Trump a significant defeat Monday, turning down the administrations plea for a quick ruling that would have upheld the presidents power to end special protections for so-called Dreamers.
The courts decision keeps in place a legal shield for nearly 700,000 young immigrants for the rest of this year, and perhaps longer, allowing people who have been covered by the Obama-era Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program to continue living and working legally in the U.S. Those whose existing DACA permits expire this year will also be allowed to apply for another two-year permit.
Although the courts action removes for now the threat of job loss and deportation, it also will extend the long-term uncertainty for the Dreamers young immigrants who were brought to the U.S. illegally as children. Congress has been stymied on a legislative solution to their situation, and without an immediate deadline to force action, lawmakers almost certainly will not try again to forge a compromise on immigration before this falls midterm elections.
Last September, Trump announced that he would end the DACA program and gave Congress until March 5 to pass legislation to resolve the legal status of the Dreamers. Then, in early January, U.S. District Judge William Alsup in San Francisco ordered the government to keep the DACA program running until legal challenges could be fully aired, ruling that Trumps order had been based on a flawed legal premise. A district judge in New York this month issued a similar ruling.
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In seeking to get Alsups order overturned, the Justice Department sought to leapfrog the U.S. appeals court in California, asking the Supreme Court to grant an immediate review of Alsups nationwide order.
The action the administration sought was rare. It has been nearly 30 years since the Supreme Court granted review of a district judges ruling before an appeals court could weigh in. And the court said Monday it had no interest in following that course in the DACA case.
The justices, without dissent, turned down the administrations petition without prejudice, meaning that the government could return to the high court once the appeals court rules.
It is assumed that the Court of Appeals will proceed expeditiously to decide this case, the justices noted in a brief order.
Even though the action by the high court was procedural in nature, not a ruling on the substance of the case, it has significant impact because it keeps in place Alsups injunction for as long as the case wends its way through the judicial system, which could be quite a while. In their appeal to the high court, administration lawyers said the injunction would likely last well into 2019 if the appeals run their normal course in the lower courts.
Thats a significant victory for the Dreamers and a defeat for administration hard-liners, led by Stephen Miller, Trumps domestic policy advisor. They have tried to use renewal of DACA as a bargaining chip to get Congress to adopt new policies to restrict legal immigration.
With DACA now effectively off the congressional agenda for this year, the possibility of new immigration restrictions is also much less likely. Democrats hope to regain control of at least one house of Congress in the midterm elections, which would give them considerably more of a say in any legislation.
Even if the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals does act expeditiously, as the justices suggested, a ruling from the appeals court would be unlikely before summer. That would mean the earliest the case could return to the Supreme Court would be in the fall, with a ruling possible by the end of the year.
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Thats assuming a speedy path for the litigation. A scenario in which the case doesnt return to the high court until a year from now is quite possible.
Speaking to a group of the nations governors on Monday, Trump complained about once again facing a case in the 9th Circuit, which hears appeals in federal cases from California and eight other Western states. A majority of the courts active judges were appointed by Democratic presidents.
I mean, its really sad when every single case filed against us this is in the 9th Circuit we lose, we lose, we lose, and then we do fine in the Supreme Court. But what does that tell you about our court system? Its a very, very sad thing. So DACAs going back, and well see what happens from there, Trump said.
The Justice Departments reaction was more measured, acknowledging that the administrations request for the court to take up the case and bypass the appeals court had been a long shot.
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While we were hopeful for a different outcome, the Supreme Court very rarely grants certiorari before judgment, said spokesman Devin OMalley. We will continue to defend [the Department of Homeland Securitys] lawful authority to wind down DACA in an orderly manner.
Los Angeles attorney Theodore Boutrous Jr. , who represented DACA recipients who challenged Trumps order, praised the courts decision.
DACA is a lawful and important program that protects young people who came to this country as children and who know this country as their only home. The Dreamers have relied on DACA to make decisions about their education, jobs, and families and to make valuable contributions to society as doctors, lawyers, teachers, and members of the military, he said.
Two federal district courts have now recognized that the Trump administrations abrupt decision to end the program was unlawful. We are confident that the court of appeals will reach the same conclusion, he added.
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This was clearly the correct result to let the judicial process work in the orderly manner, said Mark Rosenbaum, another Los Angeles lawyer who worked on the case. The larger message is also clear: that for the 700,000 Dreamers who continue to work and study every day to make our nation a better place, the responsibility rests with Congress to do the right thing.
The administrations legal strategy in the case was consistent with Trumps approach to DACA since he was elected: He has not wanted to keep the program but has also not wanted to be blamed for deporting Dreamers, who enjoy widespread public support.
After Alsup issued his order, U.S. Solicitor Gen. Noel Francisco could have asked the high court for a stay, which would have put the order on hold and allowed the administration to end DACA. Instead, he surprised many observers by, instead, asking the justices to hear arguments in the case this spring.
Francisco asserted that a stay would result in an abrupt shift in the enforcement policy, while the administration favored an orderly wind-down of the DACA policy.
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At the same time, he insisted that the court order was doing serious harm to the government. The district judges unprecedented order requires the government to sanction indefinitely an ongoing violation of federal law being committed by nearly 700,000 aliens, Francisco wrote, referring to the DACA recipients.
In his ruling, Alsup said Trumps advisors, led by Atty. Gen. Jeff Sessions, had been wrong when they decided President Obama lacked the authority to extend relief to the Dreamers.
Alsup agreed a new administration is entitled to replace old policies with new policies, but nonetheless concluded that the flawed legal premise set out by Sessions could not serve as a basis for ending DACA now.
His preliminary injunction required the administration to maintain the DACA program on a nationwide basis. However, he said nothing in his order would prevent federal authorities from removing any individual, including any DACA enrollee, who it determines poses a risk to national security or public safety.
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Major questions before the Supreme Court this year
david.savage@latimes.com
On Twitter: DavidGSavage
UPDATES:
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3:20 p.m.: This article was updated with reaction to the courts decision and additional analysis of the impact.
7:30 a.m.: This article was updated with additional information on the impact of the courts decision.
This article was originally published at 6:39 a.m.
The Supreme Court debated Monday whether to allow more than 5 million public employees to stop supporting their unions, casting doubt on the future strength of organized labor in California, Illinois and more than 20 other states.
The outcome may turn on how closely the courts newest member, Justice Neil M. Gorsuch, follows the words of his judicial hero, the late Justice Antonin Scalia.
A defeat for the public-sector unions would undercut their financing, weaken their political clout and perhaps trigger a sharp drop in their membership.
If the high court rules that no public employee may be required to pay a fee to support the union, labor leaders worry that many workers may opt to quit paying. Because public-sector unions provide major support to the Democratic Party, weakening them has been a longtime goal of conservative groups.
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During Mondays argument, the justices appeared split along the usual ideological lines.
Four of the courts conservatives, including in this instance Justice Anthony M. Kennedy, made clear they want to strike down the forced fees.
They agreed with a lawyer for Mark Janus, an Illinois state employee who objects to paying $45 a month to support his union, the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees. Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner launched the lawsuit challenging the forced fees as unconstitutional, and Janus became the plaintiff after a court dropped the governor from the case because he did not have personal legal standing to fight the fees.
William Messenger, an attorney for the National Right to Work Foundation, argued that no government worker should be forced to support a union and its political demands as a condition of holding his job. Here, collective bargaining is core political activity, he said, since unions are seeking higher wages and more public spending.
Kennedy said he agreed. What were talking about here, he said, is compelled subsidization of a private party that expresses political views constantly.
Because the employer is a government agency, that violates the 1st Amendment, which forbids the government to compel speech, Janus and his lawyers argue.
The four liberal justices sounded deeply disturbed that the court was on the verge of overturning a 41-year-old precedent that said union contracts could require all the employees to pay a fair share fee to cover the cost of collective bargaining.
Fair-share provisions have been written into thousands of contracts for teachers, transit workers, municipal employees and others, said Justice Elena Kagan.
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She and others noted that the court in the past has said public employees did not have even limited free-speech rights to criticize their agencies or their supervisors. Whistle-blowers can be demoted or fired, the court said in 2006 in an opinion written by Kennedy.
If we can permit the government as employer to do something as dramatic as firing someone, asked Justice Sonia Sotomayor, how can the government not be permitted to require them to pay a fair share fee?
Currently, the states like the justices are sharply split on unions. In 28 states, right to work laws generally forbid requiring employees to join or support a union. But in 22 states and the District of Columbia, mostly those with Democratic majorities, unions may negotiate contracts with school boards, transit districts or state agencies that require all employees to help cover the cost of collective bargaining.
The Supreme Court gave its blessing to this arrangement in a 1977 case, Abood vs. Detroit Board of Education. The justices said then that while teachers and other public employees may not be forced to pay for the unions political activity, they may be required to pay a lesser fee to cover the unions core expenses. Typically, the fees are about three-fourths of full union dues.
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Janus lawyers are urging the Supreme Court to overrule the Abood decision and hold that forced fees violate the free-speech rights of public employees.
Gorsuch, President Trumps appointee to fill Scalias seat, has been seen as providing the fifth vote for the conservatives, but he was uncharacteristically quiet during Mondays argument.
The attorney for the union, David C. Frederick, was a law partner of Gorsuchs when he was in private practice. He was joined by Illinois Solicitor General David L. Franklin, and both of them stressed that Scalia had upheld the principle that public employees could be required to support their unions.
In 1991, Scalia wrote an opinion holding that if the law requires unions to provide certain services for all employees, it can also require all of them to pay for those services. Where the state creates in the nonmembers a legal entitlement from the union, it may compel them to pay the cost, he wrote in Lehnert vs. Ferris Faculty.
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Citing Scalias words, Frederick said the law imposes on unions a duty of fair representation to all employees. And thats where you get the compelling interest in agency fees, he said.
In his legal brief, he included a passage that was directed at Gorsuch, who believes in following the original meaning of the Constitution. As written in the late 18th century, the document was not seen as according constitutional rights to government employees.
The core principle, from the founding to today, is the government has a free rein in regulating expressive rights in the workplace, he said.
Frederick also cited a 1983 opinion by Justice Byron White, a native of Colorado and another of Gorsuchs heroes. Justice Whites opinion in that case says you cant run the government if every grievance, every employment issue, becomes a constitutional issue, Frederick said.
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Gorsuch intently followed the back-and-forth argument and gave no indication of how he will vote in the case of Janus v. AFSCME.
david.savage@latimes.com
Twitter: DavidGSavage
UPDATES:
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2 p.m.: This article was updated with additional quotes from the argument at the Supreme Court and reaction.
The article was originally published at 9:45 a.m.
Allies balk at Trump administration bid to block Chinese firm from cutting-edge telecom markets By David S. Cloud Britain and Germany are balking at the Trump administrations call for a ban on equipment from Chinese telecommunications giant Huawei, threatening a global U.S. campaign to thwart Chinas involvement in future mobile networks. Both countries are expected to limit Huawei and other Chinese companies from providing core components including routers. But other types of Chinese equipment for next-generation, high-speed communications could still be installed on British and German networks, officials and analysts say. The U.S. push to ban Huawei has provoked a global dispute in recent weeks, with senior U.S. officials, including Secretary of State Michael R. Pompeo, publicly urging NATO allies in Europe to exclude the company and warning that the United States might limit its military presence in countries that did not do so. Read More Facebook
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Confucius Institutes: Do they improve U.S.-China ties or harbor spies? By Don Lee Hanging red lanterns welcome visitors to the University of Marylands Confucius Institute, the oldest of about 100 Chinese language and cultural centers that have popped up over the last 15 years on American campuses, subsidized by millions of dollars from Chinas central government. But last fall, when four U.S. Senate investigators walked into the Confucius offices in Maryland and spent hours questioning staff, they werent looking for an educational exchange. The committee has been seeking detailed information from the university about the program, including contracts, email exchanges and financial arrangements that school administrators have kept under wraps since it started in 2004. American colleges once viewed these jointly funded institutes as an economical way to expand their language offerings one that could also bring warmer ties with China and, importantly, an influx of Chinese international students paying full tuition. Read More Facebook
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Watch Live: White House holds surprise news briefing amid government shutdown Facebook
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U.S. policy toward China shifts from engagement to confrontation By David S. Cloud For decades, China had no closer American friend than Dianne Feinstein. As San Francisco mayor in the 1970s, she forged a sister-city relationship with Shanghai, the first between American and Chinese communities. As U.S. senator, she dined with Chinese leaders at Mao Tse-tungs old Beijing residence. And in the 1990s, she championed a trade policy change that opened a floodgate of Western investment into China. Today the Democratic senator sees China as a growing threat, joining a broad array of Trump administration officials, national security strategists and business executives who once favored engagement with Beijing and now advocate a confrontational approach instead. Read More Facebook
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Mnuchins attempt to calm markets backfires as Trump takes another shot at the Federal Reserve By Jim Puzzanghera An attempt by Treasury Secretary Steven T. Mnuchin to calm plunging financial markets backfired Monday, further rattling investors with new fears about whether major U.S. banks have enough cash on top of worries about interest rates, political instability in Washington and a slowing global economy. Adding to the volatile mix was a fresh attack on the Federal Reserve by President Trump, who declared that the central bank was the U.S. economys only problem and that it didnt have a feel for the market. The Fed is like a powerful golfer who cant score because he has no touch -- he cant putt! Trump said on Twitter. Read More Facebook
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He speaks to Democratic hearts. But is Beto ORourke a serious White House contender? By Mark Z. Barabak Hes a failed U.S. Senate candidate with an undistinguished congressional record who, for the moment, is a blazing-hot 2020 presidential prospect despite the fact that he may not run and faces long odds if he does. Beto ORourke suggests the will-he-or-wont-he speculation is something he himself cant quite fathom. I think thats a great question, he responded in a Dallas Morning News interview when asked whether his unsuccessful November Senate bid merited a promotion to the White House. I ask that question myself. Read More Facebook
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Russian disinformation teams targeted Robert S. Mueller III, says report prepared for Senate By Craig Timberg, Tony Romm, Elizabeth Dwoskin Special counsel Robert S. Mueller III. (Associated Press) Months after President Trump took office, Russias disinformation teams trained their sites on a new target: special counsel Robert S. Mueller III. Having worked to help get Trump into the White House, they now worked to neutralize the biggest threat to his staying there. The Russian operatives unloaded on Mueller through fake accounts on Facebook, Twitter and beyond, falsely claiming that the former FBI director was corrupt and that the allegations of Russian interference in the 2016 election were crackpot conspiracies. One post on Instagram which emerged as an especially potent weapon in the Russian social media arsenal claimed that Mueller had worked in the past with radical Islamic groups. Such tactics exemplified how Russian teams ranged nimbly across social media platforms in a shrewd online influence operation aimed squarely at American voters. The effort started earlier than commonly understood and lasted longer while relying on the strengths of different sites to manipulate distinct slices of the electorate, according to a pair of comprehensive new reports prepared for the Senate Intelligence Committee and released Monday. Read more Timberg, Romm and Dwoskin report for the Washington Post. Facebook
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President Trump announces Mick Mulvaney as acting White House chief of staff By Associated Press President Trump says budget director Mick Mulvaney will serve as acting chief of staff, replacing John F. Kelly in the new year. I am pleased to announce that Mick Mulvaney, Director of the Office of Management & Budget, will be named Acting White House Chief of Staff, replacing General John Kelly, who has served our Country with distinction. Mick has done an outstanding job while in the Administration.... Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 14, 2018 Facebook
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It aint over when its over: In Michigan, Wisconsin and elsewhere, losers seek to undermine election results By Mark Z. Barabak Democrat Gavin Newsom has yet to become California governor, but already a candidate for state Republican Party chairman is promoting a recall effort. In Michigan and Wisconsin, GOP lawmakers have rushed through legislation to thwart their incoming Democratic governors and hamper others in the opposing party from doing the jobs voters chose them to do. In Congress, GOP leaders have echoed President Trump and sought to undermine the legitimacy of Democrats strong midterm performance, raising unsubstantiated allegations of fraud and political malfeasance. Read More Facebook
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New CFPB Director Kathy Kraninger says she wont be a puppet of Mick Mulvaney By Jim Puzzanghera On her first full day leading the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, Kathy Kraninger said she wont be a puppet of Mick Mulvaney, the controversial acting director whom she replaced in the powerful regulatory position. To underscore that point, the former White House aide said she would even reconsider a Mulvaney action that critics saw as a gratuitous jab at Democrats who championed the agencys creation: changing its name to the Bureau of Consumer Financial Protection. Kraningers declaration during a meeting with reporters Tuesday addressed one of the main criticisms of her selection. She is considered a protege of Mulvaney, her boss at the White House Office of Management and Budget who has executed a dramatic, industry-friendly shift at the watchdog agency. Read More Facebook
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Trumps pick for chief of staff, Nick Ayers, out of running By Associated Press Nick Ayers, right, with Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch, at the funeral service for George H.W. Bush on Dec. 3. (Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post via Associated Press) President Trumps top pick to replace John F. Kelly as chief of staff, Nick Ayers, is no longer expected to fill that role. Thats according to a White House official who is not authorized to discuss the personnel issue by name and spoke on condition of anonymity. Ayers is Vice President Mike Pences chief of staff. The official says that Trump and Ayers could not agree on Ayers length of service. The father of young children, Ayers had agreed to serve in an interim capacity though the spring, but Trump wanted a two-year commitment. The official says that Ayers will instead assist the president from outside the administration. Trump announced Saturday that Kelly would be departing the White House around the end of the year. Thank you @realDonaldTrump, @VP, and my great colleagues for the honor to serve our Nation at The White House. I will be departing at the end of the year but will work with the #MAGA team to advance the cause. #Georgia Nick Ayers (@nick_ayers) December 9, 2018 Facebook
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U.S. hiring slows to 155,000 jobs, unemployment rate holds at 3.7% By Jim Puzzanghera Job growth slowed significantly in November but still was solid, indicating the economy remains in good shape but not expanding so quickly that it will lead to sharply higher interest rates. U.S. employers added 155,000 jobs last month, well below analyst expectations and a steep decline from Octobers strong 237,000 figure, the Labor Department reported Friday. Still, monthly job gains are averaging 206,000 this year, the best since 2015. Even the slower pace of 170,000 over the last three months is close to last years average of 182,000 and well above the amount needed to keep up with population growth. Read More Facebook
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Trump is expected to pick State Department spokeswoman for U.N. ambassador By Associated Press Heather Nauert at a briefing at the State Department on Aug. 9, 2017. (Alex Brandon / Associated Press) President Trump is expected to nominate State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert to be the next U.S. ambassador to the United Nations. Two administration officials confirmed Trumps plans. A Republican congressional aide said the president was expected to announce his decision by tweet on Friday morning. The officials were not authorized to speak publicly before Trumps announcement. Trump has previously said Nauert was under serious consideration to replace Nikki Haley, who announced in October that she would step down at the end of this year. Trump has been known to change course on staffing decisions in the past. Nauert was a reporter for Fox News Channel before she became State Department spokeswoman under former Secretary Rex Tillerson. Facebook
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Senate confirms new consumer financial protection chief: Kathy Kraninger, protege of industry-friendly Mick Mulvaney By Jim Puzzanghera The Senate, in a party-line vote Thursday, confirmed White House aide Kathy Kraninger to head the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and experts predicted a continuation of the industry-friendly shift it has taken since President Trump installed an acting director last year. Kraninger is a protege of acting director and White House budget chief Mick Mulvaney, an outspoken critic of the agency that was created in the aftermath of the 2008 financial crisis to prevent predatory lending and other abuses that led to it. Democrats and consumer advocates have denounced him for sharply departing from the aggressive watchdog role the bureau had pursued under its first director, Obama-appointee Richard Cordray, including scaling back enforcement and moving to reassess tough new rules on payday loans and narrow the definition of abusive practices by banks and other firms. Read More Facebook
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Shutdown postponed by two weeks under plan approved by Congress By Erik Wasson Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.), shown at the Capitol on Tuesday, says President Trumps border wall is a waste of money. (J. Scott Applewhite / Associated Press) Congress passed a two-week stopgap spending bill that will delay the chance of a partial government shutdown until Dec. 22 as lawmakers and President Donald Trump negotiate over his demands to pay for a wall on the southern border. The House and Senate passed the measure Thursday without dissent, and Trump has indicated hell sign the bill before the current shutdown deadline of midnight Friday. Negotiations were delayed by memorial services this week for former President George H.W. Bush. The temporary measure gives Democrats and Republicans more time to find a resolution to their biggest hurdle: funding a wall on the U.S. Mexico border wall. Trump says he wants $5 billion for parts of a concrete wall on the southern border and is willing to shut down the government if he doesnt get it. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York has said Democrats will provide no more than $1.6 billion for border security, because the wall is a waste of money. The presidents demands for wall funding from Congress come after he said during the campaign that Mexico would pay for it. This week he said on Twitter that a $25 billion border wall would pay for itself in two months, without providing evidence. Most of the U.S. governments $1.2 trillion discretionary budget has been appropriated already by Congress for the fiscal year that began on Oct. 1. Departments at a risk of a partial shutdown late this month include the departments of State, Interior, Agriculture, Commerce, Justice, Treasury and Homeland Security. Talks to resolve the differences have been on hold since a meeting among Trump, Schumer and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi of California originally slated for Dec. 4 was postponed due to Bush memorial events. The three are scheduled to meet on Tuesday, according to a person familiar with the matter. Senate Appropriations Chairman Richard Shelby of Alabama told reporters the rest of the seven-bill spending package being negotiated is basically done. Shelby in recent weeks had tried to broker a compromise in which Trumps $5 billion request would be split over two years, but Schumer has rejected that. Some Democrats have been willing to trade border wall funding for deportation protections for young undocumented immigrants. Pelosi ruled out such a deal in remarks to reporters Thursday. The stopgap government funding measure also would extend the National Flood Insurance Program, which provides subsidized coverage for homes in flood-prone areas, to Dec. 21. Facebook
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Bipartisan Senate group wants to formally blame Saudi crown prince for journalists killing By Karoun Demirjian Saudi Arabias Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman at the G-20 summit in Buenos Aires. (Associated Press) A bipartisan group of senators filed a resolution Wednesday condemning Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman as responsible for the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, directly challenging President Trump to do the same. This resolution -- without equivocation -- definitively states that the crown prince of Saudi Arabia was complicit in the murder of Mr. [Jamal] Khashoggi and has been a wrecking ball to the region jeopardizing our national security interests on multiple fronts, Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) said in a statement accompanying the release of the resolution. It will be up to Saudi Arabia as to how to deal with this matter. But it is up to the United States to firmly stand for who we are and what we believe. The resolution put forward by Graham and Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), who are expected to lead the Judiciary Committee together next year, comes just one day after CIA Director Gina Haspel briefed leading senators about the details of the agencys assessment that Mohammed ordered and monitored the killing and dismemberment of Khashoggi in the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul, Turkey. Senators emerged from that closed-door briefing furious not only with Saudi Arabia, but Trump as well for dismissing the heft of the CIAs findings. You have to be willfully blind not to come to the conclusion that this was orchestrated and organized by people under the command of MBS and that he was intricately involved in the demise of Mr. Khashoggi, Graham said following the briefing, referring to Mohammed by his initials. He added that Secretary of State Michael R. Pompeo and Defense Secretary James N. Mattis, who briefed senators last week, were at best being good soldiers and at worst were in the pocket of Saudi Arabia for presenting the evidence of Mohammeds involvement as inconclusive. The release of the resolution condemning Mohammed also comes as the Senate is preparing to move ahead with debate on a resolution to curtail U.S. support for the Saudi-led military campaign in Yemen. Though the Yemen resolution does not directly address Khashoggis murder, its popularity is a sign of how strained the United States patience with Saudi Arabia is on multiple fronts, including its role in worsening the civilian cost of the war in Yemen, cited by the United Nations as the worlds worst humanitarian crisis. Last week, the Senate voted 63 to 37 to advance the Yemen resolution past an opening procedural hurdle. But Graham and Feinsteins resolution on the crown prince has the potential of drawing broader support, especially from Republicans, who are deeply divided about how fiercely to punish Saudi Arabia over Khashoggis killing. Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), who has been an outspoken advocate for human rights and is seen as one of the more influential foreign policy voices in the GOP, did not vote for the Yemen resolution last week or sign on to a bipartisan measure last month to sanction Saudi officials and cease weapons transfers to the kingdom. But he is an original co-sponsor of the resolution condemning Mohammed over Khashoggis death. So is Sen. Todd Young (R-Ind.), who represents the other end of the GOP spectrum in terms of recent Saudi-related votes and endorsements. Young was an initial co-sponsor of the bill Graham wrote with Sen. Robert Menendez (D-N.J.) to sanction Saudi officials deemed responsible for Khashoggis killing and stop the sale of anything but exclusively defensive weapons to the kingdom until it ceased hostilities in Yemen. Young also voted to advance the Yemen resolution something Graham did as well, though Graham has signaled he will not be lending any similar support to the measure, fearing it may establish a precedent of invoking the War Powers Act too broadly. Sens. Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) and Chris Coons (D-Del.) are listed as original co-sponsors of the resolution condemning Mohammed, which also urges Saudi Arabia to negotiate with Houthi rebels to end the Yemen war, work out a political solution to its standoff with Qatar and release political prisoners. But how much sway the resolution has probably comes down to how forcefully the administration decides to heed it -- and thus far, Trump has not shown any interest in condemning the crown prince the way the senators hope he will. Demirjian reports for the Washington Post. Facebook
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Los Angeles County offices and U.S. Postal Service closed Wednesday in honor of George H.W. Bush By Brian Park The Honor Guard carries the casket of former U.S. President George H. W. Bush following his funeral on Dec. 5 in Washington, DC. (Doug Mills - Pool/Getty Images) The U.S. Postal Service will suspend regular mail delivery Wednesday, which President Trump has declared a national day of mourning in honor of former President George H.W. Bush. All retail postal outlets will be closed, and package delivery will be limited. In Los Angeles, all nonessential county departments, offices and libraries will be closed for the day, L.A. County officials said. The Los Angeles County Library said no overdue fines will be assessed for books, and due dates will be moved forward one week. Los Angeles County Department of Public Health offices also are closed Wednesday. The Sheriffs Department, Fire Department, clinics and hospitals will continue to operate, the county said. The Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health clinics are being operated with reduced staffing, and the department asked patients to confirm or reschedule any appointments. All county courts and the disaster recovery centers for the Woolsey fire in Malibu and Agoura Hills will remain open. Larger federal government operations will be closed Wednesday. To honor the life and legacy of President Bush, the Postal Service will observe the National Day of Mourning. Learn how Postal operations will be affected. https://t.co/Mffch7bPCh pic.twitter.com/vG46BsIOpm U.S. Postal Service (@USPS) December 4, 2018 L.A. County offices and libraries will be closed tomorrow (Dec 5) in observance of the #NationalDayOfMourning for President George H. W. Bush.
The Countys Disaster Recovery Centers in Malibu & Agoura Hills will remain open from 10 a.m. - 8 p.m. pic.twitter.com/Sv1J7GoJ7T Los Angeles County (@CountyofLA) December 4, 2018 @LAPublicHealth offices will be closed tomorrow December 5 in observance of the national Day of Mourning for President George H. W. Bush. Essential Services including clinics and other services will remain open: https://t.co/tZGoGGHRlg pic.twitter.com/ypXsV6vlYY LA Public Health (@lapublichealth) December 4, 2018 Facebook
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Former Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick to skip 2020 White House race, sources say By Associated Press Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick speaks during an interview in Boston on Dec. 15, 2014. (Elise Amendola / Associated Press) Former Gov. Deval Patrick of Massachusetts will soon announce he wont launch a 2020 presidential campaign, according to three sources familiar with his plans. They did not say why the Democrat decided against a run. A formal announcement was delayed as the country observed a day of mourning for President George H.W. Bush, one source said. News of Patricks plans was first reported by Politico. Patrick, 62, served two terms as governor, from 2007 to 2015, was assistant attorney general for civil rights in the Clinton administration and since leaving the governors office has been a managing director for Bain Capital. Patrick traveled the country in support of Democratic candidates in the recent midterm election. Earlier this year, some of Patricks supporters and close advisors started the Reason to Believe political action committee, a grassroots organization dedicated to advancing a positive, progressive vision for our nation in 2018 and 2020. Reason to Believe PAC had been holding meetups across the country, including in early presidential primary states. While Patrick is opting against a 2020 run, dozens of Democrats are considering jumping in, including nearly a half-dozen members of the Senate, several House members, and other Massachusetts politicians. On Tuesday, Michael Avenatti, the attorney for adult film star Stormy Daniels and a vocal critic of President Trump, said in a statement that he would run. Patrick had previously expressed some concerns about breaking through if he sought the nomination, telling David Axelrod, a former advisor to President Obama, that he wasnt sure he could stand out in such a large field. Its hard to see how you even get noticed in such a big, broad field without being shrill, sensational or a celebrity, and Im none of those things and Im never going to be any of those things, Patrick said in a September interview with Axelrod. Facebook
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Former Trump adviser Roger Stone invokes 5th Amendment right and wont testify before Senate Judiciary Committee By Associated Press Roger Stone in 2017. (Joe Raedle / Getty Images) Roger Stone, an associate of President Trump, says he wont provide testimony or documents to the Senate Judiciary Committee. An attorney for Stone said in a letter to Sen. Dianne Feinstein, the committees top Democrat, that Stone was invoking his 5th Amendment right against self-incrimination in refusing to produce documents or appear for an interview. Stone has been entangled in investigations by Congress and special counsel Robert S. Mueller III about whether Trump aides had advance knowledge of Democratic emails published by WikiLeaks during the 2016 election. Stone has not been charged and has said he had no knowledge of the timing or specifics of WikiLeaks plans. In the letter to Feinstein, Stone said the committees requests were far too overbroad, far too overreaching and far too wide-ranging. Facebook
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Watch live: Vice President Pence and lawmakers honor George H.W. Bush at the U.S. Capitol before he lies in state Facebook
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Rebuilding crumbling infrastructure has bipartisan support. But who gets to pay for it? By Jim Puzzanghera The grades for major U.S. infrastructure would give any parent indigestion if they were on a childs report card. Roads: D; bridges: C+; dams: D; ports: C+: railways: B; airports: D; schools: D+; public transit: D-. The nations overall grade: D+, which translates to being in fair to poor condition and mostly below standards with significant deterioration and a strong risk of failure, according to an evaluation last year by the American Society of Civil Engineers. Read More Facebook
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Trump calls former lawyer Michael Cohen a weak person who is lying By Associated Press President Trump says his former lawyer Michael Cohen is lying to get a reduced sentence. The president is reacting to Cohens guilty plea Thursday to lying to Congress about work he did on a Trump real estate project in Russia. During a surprise court hearing, Cohen admitted to lying in testimony to the Senate Intelligence Committee about a plan to build a Trump Tower in Moscow. Cohen in his guilty plea said he made the false statements to be consistent with Trumps political message. Cohens lawyer says he continues to cooperate with special counsel Robert S. Mueller IIIs investigation into Russian election interference and possible coordination with Trump associates. Facebook
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As California Republicans confront a congressional wipeout, GOP leader Kevin McCarthy faces a reckoning By Mark Z. Barabak When the House voted to repeal the Affordable Care Act, Kevin McCarthy trooped with other Republican lawmakers to a splashy Rose Garden celebration, smiling alongside President Trump as they celebrated the moment. As majority leader, McCarthy had helped round up the votes to narrowly pass the hard-fought legislation, convincing 13 other California Republicans to go along, even though several faced tough reelection fights. Fewer than half will be returning in January. Read More Facebook
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As California Republicans confront a congressional wipeout, GOP leader Kevin McCarthy faces a reckoning By Sarah D. Wire When the House voted to repeal the Affordable Care Act, Kevin McCarthy trooped with other Republican lawmakers to a splashy Rose Garden celebration, smiling alongside President Trump as they celebrated the moment. As majority leader, McCarthy had helped round up the votes to narrowly pass the hard-fought legislation, convincing 13 other California Republicans to go along, even though several faced tough reelection fights. Fewer than half will be returning in January. Read More Facebook
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Michael Cohen, President Trumps ex-lawyer, pleads guilty to lying to Congress about Trump real estate project in Russia By Associated Press Michael Cohen, President Trumps former personal lawyer, pursued a Russian real estate project on candidate Trumps behalf well into the 2016 campaign, he said Thursday while pleading guilty to lying to Congress. Cohen had previously said that the project was abandoned in January 2016, but he now admits he continued to pursue a deal and says he updated Trump and members of his family about the negotiations, according to a new court document. Read More Facebook
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James Comey says acting Atty. Gen. Whitaker may not be the sharpest knife in our drawer By John Wagner Acting Atty. Gen. Matthew Whitaker speaks at the Justice Department in Washington on Nov. 14. (Pablo Martinez Monsivais / Associated Press) Former FBI Director James B. Comey apparently isnt too impressed with the mental prowess of President Trumps acting attorney general. Matthew Whitaker may not be the sharpest knife in our drawer, Comey said during a radio interview on Monday night in which he sized up the man Trump installed this month to replace ousted Atty. Gen. Jeff Sessions. Comey was asked by WGBH News in Boston if he thinks Whitaker could derail the investigation of special counsel Robert S. Mueller III into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election. Whitaker has spoken critically of the probe, and Trump as recently as Tuesday continues to call it a witch hunt. I think its a worry, but to my mind not a serious worry, Comey said. The institution is too strong, and [Whitaker], frankly, is not strong enough to have that kind of impact. He may not be the sharpest knife in our drawer, but he can see his future and knows that if he acted in an extralegal way, he would go down in history for the wrong reasons, and Im sure he doesnt want that, added Comey, who was fired by Trump last year and later wrote a book that portrays the president as an ego-driven congenital liar. Whitaker, a former U.S. attorney in Iowa, was Sessions chief of staff before being picked by Trump to lead the Justice Department. Trump has called Whitaker a very smart man. Earlier this year, Trump called Comey an untruthful slime ball. Wagner writes for the Washington Post. Facebook
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Interior Department watchdog clears Zinke in investigation of Utah national monument By Juliet Eilperin Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke, third from the left, and Gov. Jerry Brown tour fire damage in Paradise, Calif., on Nov. 14. (Rich Pedroncelli / Associated Press) The Interior Departments Office of Inspector General has cleared Secretary Ryan Zinke in a probe of whether he redrew boundaries of a national monument in Utah to aid the financial interests of a Republican state lawmaker and stalwart supporter of President Trump. In a Nov. 21 letter to Zinkes deputy, David Bernhardt, Deputy Inspector General Mary Kendall wrote that her office found no evidence that the secretary or his aides changed the boundaries of Utahs Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument in an effort to help former Utah state representative Mike Noel, who serves as executive director of the Kane County Water Conservancy District. Last December, Trump shrank the monument, first established by President Clinton in 1996, by 46% based on Zinkes recommendation. Noel owns 40 acres that had been surrounded by the monument, but now lies outside its boundaries. The new boundaries also would make it easier to construct the proposed Lake Powell Pipeline, which would deliver water to sites in Kane County that include Noels property. Earlier this year, the Interior Department had proposed selling off 120 acres of federal land from the former monument that lay adjacent to some of Noels land holdings, but later reversed the plan. We found no evidence that Noel influenced the DOIs proposed revisions to the [monuments] boundaries, that Zinke or other DOI staff involved in the project were aware of Noels financial interest in the revised boundaries, or that they gave Noel any preferential treatment in the resulting proposed boundaries, Kendall wrote. Neither the Interior Department nor the inspector generals office would release the actual investigative report. In the letter, Kendall writes that her office will provide the report to Congress no sooner than 31 days from Nov. 21, when it is provided it to Zinkes office. The Associated Press first reported the inspector generals conclusions Monday night, but did not provide details from the report itself. Noel emailed Zinke about the effort to alter Grand Staircase-Escalante, according to emails released by Interior under the Freedom of Informational Act. But those emails do not make references to Noels land holdings. Noel also pushed to rename a Utah highway in honor of Trump, but abandoned that effort in March after some of his fellow Republicans objected to the idea. Noel did not respond to requests for comment Tuesday. The inspector generals office still has at least two ongoing probes of the secretary, including one focused on his real estate dealings in Whitefish, Mont., and another regarding his decision to deny a permit to two Connecticut tribes who were hoping to jointly run a casino after MGM Resorts International lobbied against it. Interior Department spokeswoman Heather Swift welcomed the watchdogs conclusions. The report shows exactly what the secretarys office has known all along that the monument boundaries were adjusted in accordance with all rules, regulations and laws, she said in an email. This report is also the latest example of opponents and special interest groups ginning up fake and misleading stories, only to be proven false after expensive and time consuming inquiries by the IGs office. But Kendalls spokeswoman, Nancy DiPaolo, defended the inquiry, even though she said the report has not been publicly released and we will not be speaking specifically about the matter at this time. The OIG opens investigations based on credible allegations and reports our findings objectively and independently, DiPaolo added. Any time or resources spent investigating conduct or activity that may be a violation of law, regulation or policy is a service to the public, Congress and the Department. Rep. Raul Grijalva of Arizona, the top Democrat on the House Natural Resources Committee, said in a statement that he still intended to investigate the way Zinke and his colleague redrew the boundaries for Grand Staircase-Escalante and another Utah national monument, Bears Ears, next year. I have great respect for the inspector general, and I accept these findings, but Secretary Zinke should have known the people he listened to while destroying our national monuments had disqualifying conflicts of interest, he said. Should I chair the Natural Resources Committee in the next Congress, the process he and President Trump used to destroy Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante will be front and center in our oversight and investigations efforts. We need to know why they ignored overwhelming public expressions of support for both Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante, why they ignored Native American tribes throughout their decision-making, and why they removed protections on parcels of land with known mineral deposits. Eilperin and Rein report for the Washington Post. Facebook
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Trump advisor Larry Kudlow says China must do more to end trade war By Jim Puzzanghera Larry Kudlow, President Trumps top economic advisor, said Tuesday that Chinas response to U.S. efforts to rework the two economic superpowers trade relationship has been extremely disappointing but the planned meeting this weekend between the nations leaders is an opportunity for a breakthrough. They have to do more. They must do more, Larry Kudlow, director of the White House National Economic Council, told reporters ahead of a Saturday dinner between Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping at the Group of 20 Summit in Argentina. I think the president is exactly right to show strong backbone when prior administrations did not, to break through these Chinese walls, Kudlow said. Theyre so resistant to change. We have to protect the country. We have to protect our technology, our inventiveness, our innovation. Read More Facebook
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Watch live: White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders holds a media briefing amid tensions at the border By Los Angeles Times Staff Facebook
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Democrat TJ Cox grabs lead over Republican David Valadao in nations last remaining undecided House race By Maya Sweedler Democrat TJ Cox slipped past Republican incumbent David Valadao on Monday to take the lead in the countrys sole remaining undecided congressional race, positioning Democrats to pick up their seventh House seat in California and 40th nationwide. Cox, who trailed by nearly 4,400 votes on election night, has steadily gained as ballot counting continues nearly three weeks after the Nov. 6 election, a pattern consistent with the states recent voting history. On Monday, he pulled ahead by 438 votes after Kern County updated its results. Read More Facebook
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Former CIA director Michael Hayden hospitalized after suffering a stroke By Deanna Paul Then-CIA Director Michael Hayden testifies before a Senate committee in 2008. (Saul Loeb / Getty Images) Former CIA Director and retired Air Force Gen. Michael Hayden has been hospitalized after suffering a stroke, his family said Friday. He is receiving expert medical care for which the family is grateful, according to a statement issued by his namesake organization. The General and his family greatly appreciate the warm wishes and prayers of his friends, colleagues, and supporters. Hayden, 73, served as director of the CIA and National Security Agency during the George W. Bush and Obama administrations. He retired from the CIA in 2009. Hayden has been a vocal critic of Donald Trumps campaign and presidency. Earlier this year, after Trump decided to revoke the security clearance of former CIA director John Brennan, Hayden was one of several former intelligence leaders who signed a statement in opposition. Criticizing the president for crossing a line, he quickly became one of the individuals whose security clearance Trump threatened to review. Deanna Paul writes for the Washington Post. Facebook
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Trump tells troops hes thankful for what hes done for the U.S. and rails against courts and migrants By Associated Press President Trump talks with troops via teleconference from his estate in Palm Beach, Fla., on Thanksgiving. (Susan Walsh / Associated Press) President Trump used his Thanksgiving Day call to troops deployed overseas to pat himself on the back and air grievances about the courts, trade and migrants heading to the U.S.-Mexico border. Trumps call, made from his opulent private Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach, Fla., struck an unusually political tone as he spoke with members of all five branches of the military to wish them happy holidays. Its a disgrace, Trump said of judges who have blocked his attempts to overhaul U.S. immigration law, as he linked his efforts to secure the border with military missions overseas. Trump later threatened to close the U.S. border with Mexico for an undisclosed period of time if his administration determines Mexico has lost control on its side. The call was a uniquely Trump blend of boasting, peppered questions and off-the-cuff observations as his comments veered from venting about slights to praising troops You really are our heroes, he said as club waiters worked to set Thanksgiving dinner tables on the outdoor terrace behind him. It was yet another show of how Trump has dramatically transformed the presidency, erasing the traditional divisions between domestic policy and military matters and efforts to keep the troops clear of politics. You probably see over the news whats happening on our southern border, Trump told one Air Force brigadier general stationed at Bagram Airfield in Afghanistan, adding: I dont have to even ask you. I know what you want to do, you want to make sure that you know who were letting in. Later, Trump asked a U.S. Coast Guard commander about trade, which he noted was a very big subject for him personally. Weve been taken advantage of for many, many years by bad trade deals, Trump told the commander, who sheepishly replied, Mr. President, from our perspective on the water we dont see any issues in terms of trade right now. And throughout, Trump congratulated himself, telling the officers that the country is doing exceptionally well on his watch. I hope that youll take solace in knowing that all of the American families you hold so close to your heart are all doing well, he said. The nations doing well economically, better than anybody in the world. He later told reporters, Nobodys done more for the military than me. Indeed, asked what he was thankful for this Thanksgiving, Trump cited his great family as well as himself. I made a tremendous difference in this country, he said. Facebook
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Trump contradicts CIA assessment that Saudi crown prince ordered Jamal Khashoggi killing By Josh Dawsey | Washington Post (Susan Walsh / Associated Press) President Trump on Thursday contradicted the CIAs assessment that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman had ordered the killing of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi, insisting that the agency had feelings but did not firmly place blame for the death. Trump, in defiant remarks to reporters from his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida, defended his continued support for Mohammed in the face of a CIA assessment that the crown prince had ordered the killing. He denies it vehemently, Trump said. He said his own conclusion was that maybe he did, maybe he didnt. I hate the crime .... I hate the cover-up. I will tell you this: The crown prince hates it more than I do, Trump said. Asked who should be held accountable for the death of Khashoggi, who was killed at the Saudi Consulate in Turkey, Trump refused to place blame. Maybe the world should be held accountable because the world is a very, very vicious place, the president said. He also seemed to suggest that all U.S. allies were guilty of the same behavior, declaring that if the others were held to the standard that critics have held Saudi Arabia to in recent days, we wouldnt be able to have anyone for an ally. Trumps remarks came after he held a conference call with U.S. military officers overseas, during which he repeatedly praised his administration and sought to draw the officers into discussions of domestic policy. Facebook
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Former FBI Director James Comey gets subpoena from House Republicans By Bloomberg Former FBI Director James B. Comey said he has received a subpoena from House Republicans, according to a Twitter post on Thursday. Bloomberg News reported last week that Comey would be receiving a subpoena alongside former Atty. Gen. Loretta Lynch as part of continuing probes into their handling of investigations into Hillary Clinton and Russian election meddling, according to a top House Democrat. Happy Thanksgiving. Got a subpoena from House Republicans. Im still happy to sit in the light and answer all questions. But I will resist a closed door thing because Ive seen enough of their selective leaking and distortion. Lets have a hearing and invite everyone to see. James Comey (@Comey) November 22, 2018 Read More Facebook
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Republican David Valadaos lead slips to 447 votes over Democrat TJ Cox in still-undecided Central Valley House race By Mark Z. Barabak Rep. David Valadao (R-Hanford), right, finds himself in an increasingly harrowing cliffhanger against Democrat TJ Cox. (Bill Clark / CQ Roll Call) On election night, it looked like Rep. David Valadao had survived a close shave and was destined to return to Washington for his fourth term. But on Wednesday, when Fresno County announced its latest vote totals, the Hanford Republican found himself in an increasingly harrowing cliffhanger against Democrat TJ Cox, with his lead in the Central Valley district shrunken to 447 votes. Thousands remain to be counted. Valadao, a repeated Democratic target, finished election night with a lead of nearly 4,440 votes. Cox, an engineer and a business owner who unsuccessfully ran for Congress in 2006, has steadily gained ground in the 21st Congressional District ever since. The trend is consistent with historic patterns showing Republicans in California tend to vote early and Democrats later, meaning their mail ballots continue to stream in past election day. Under California law, ballots postmarked up to midnight on Nov. 6 will be counted. Democrats have already picked up six House seats in California. They ousted Reps. Dana Rohrabacher, Mimi Walters, Steve Knight and Jeff Denham and won the seats of retiring Reps. Ed Royce and Darrell Issa. All six represented districts that backed Hillary Clinton over Donald Trump in 2016. Valadao was the seventh California Republican in a district Clinton won, though his previous successes he last won reelection by a 14-point margin suggested his ouster was a longer shot for Democrats. If Cox prevails, it would give Democrats a 40-seat gain nationwide, far more than the 23 seats needed to take control when Congress reconvenes in January. Facebook
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Trump says no new punishments against Saudi Arabia in Jamal Khashoggi murder By Eli Stokols In this Oct. 25 photo, candles are lit in front of a photo of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi. (Lefteris Pitarakis) President Trump made it clear on Tuesday that he does not intend to punish Saudi Arabia or Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman for the murder of dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi, an American resident killed by Saudi officials in Turkey in October. In a remarkable statement replete with exclamation points, Trump cast doubt on the CIAs reported conclusions that it has a high degree of confidence that the crown prince ordered Khashoggis murder and sent his closest allies to Saudi Arabias consulate in Istanbul to carry it out. Read MoreThis article has been updated with staff. Facebook
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Sixteen House Democrats vow to oppose Nancy Pelosi as next speaker By Mike DeBonis | Washington Post House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (J. Scott Applewhite / Associated Press) Sixteen House Democrats said Monday that they will vote to deny Rep. Nancy Pelosi another stint as House speaker, a show of defiance that puts her opponents on the cusp of forcing a seismic leadership shake-up as their party prepares to take the majority. Their pledge to oppose Pelosi (D-San Francisco), both in an internal caucus election and a Jan. 3 floor vote, delivered in a letter sent to Democratic colleagues, comes as Pelosi has marshaled a legion of supporters on and off Capitol Hill to make her case. But her opponents said Monday they are convinced it is time to select a new leader. We are thankful to Leader Pelosi for her years of service to our Country and to our Caucus, they wrote. However, we also recognize that in this recent election, Democrats ran on and won on a message of change. Pelosi has expressed complete confidence that she will retake the speakers gavel in January eight years after she lost it following massive Republican gains in the 2010 midterms and 16 years after she was first elevated to the top Democratic leadership post in the House. Come on in, the waters fine, she said Friday about a potential leadership challenge. The signers might not be able to force Pelosi out themselves. The size of the Democratic majority remains in flux, but Democrats have already won 232 seats, according to the Associated Press, with five races still undecided. All those races have Republican incumbents, but the Democratic challenger is ahead in only one of them. If the leads hold in the uncalled races, Democrats would have won 233 seats, a 16-seat majority. That means Pelosi could lose as many as 15 Democratic votes when she stands for election as speaker on Jan. 3. Read More Facebook
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Democratic senators sue over Whitakers appointment as acting attorney general By Associated Press Acting U.S. Atty. Gen. Matthew Whitaker (Nicholas Kamm / AFP/Getty Images) Three Senate Democrats filed a lawsuit Monday arguing that Acting Atty. Gen. Matthew Whitakers appointment is unconstitutional and asking a federal judge to remove him. The suit, filed by Sens. Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut, Mazie Hirono of Hawaii and Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island, argues that Whitakers appointment violates the Constitution because he has not been confirmed by the Senate. Whitaker was chief of staff to Atty. Gen. Jeff Sessions and was elevated to the top job after Sessions was ousted by President Trump on Nov. 7. The Constitutions Appointments Clause requires that the Senate confirm all principal officials before they can serve in their office. The Justice Department released a legal opinion last week that said Whitakers appointment would not violate the clause because he is serving in an acting capacity. The opinion concluded that Whitaker, even without Senate confirmation, may serve in an acting capacity because he has been at the department for more than a year at a sufficiently senior pay level. President Trump is denying senators our constitutional obligation and opportunity to do our job: scrutinizing the nomination of our nations top law enforcement official, Blumenthal said in a statement. The reason is simple: Whitaker would never pass the advice and consent test. In selecting a so-called constitutional nobody and thwarting every senators constitutional duty, Trump leaves us no choice but to seek recourse through the courts. The lawsuit comes days after a Washington lawyer challenged Whitakers appointment in a pending Supreme Court case dealing with gun rights. The attorney, Thomas Goldstein, asked the high court to find that Whitakers appointment is unconstitutional and replace him with Deputy Atty. Gen. Rod Rosenstein. Rosenstein, the second-ranking Justice Department official, has been confirmed by the Senate and had been overseeing special counsel Robert Muellers Russia investigation. Whitaker is now overseeing the investigation. The Justice Department issued a statement Monday defending Whitakers appointment as lawful and said it comports with the Appointments Clause, the Federal Vacancies Reform Act and legal precedent. There are over 160 instances in American history in which non-Senate confirmed persons performed, on a temporary basis, the duties of a Senate-confirmed position, Justice Department spokeswoman Kerri Kupec said. To suggest otherwise is to ignore centuries of practice and precedent. Facebook
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Gov. Rick Scott says Sen. Bill Nelson concedes Florida Senate race By Associated Press Republican Senate candidate Rick Scott speaks with his wife, Ann, by his side at an election watch party in Naples, Fla., on Nov. 7. (Wilfredo Lee / Associated Press) Floridas Republican Gov. Rick Scott says incumbent Democratic Sen. Bill Nelson called him to concede defeat in their extremely tight race. Scott issued a statement Sunday saying Nelson graciously conceded their Senate race shortly after the states recount ended. The final results show Scott defeated Nelson by just over 10,000 votes out of 8 million cast. Nelson is scheduled to release a videotaped statement later Sunday. The defeat ends Nelsons lengthy political career. The three-term incumbent was first elected to the U.S. Senate in 2000. Before that he served six terms in the U.S. House and as state treasurer and insurance commissioner for six years. Scott spent more than $60 million of his own money on ads that portrayed Nelson as out-of-touch and ineffective. Nelson responded by questioning Scotts ethics and saying he would be under the sway of President Trump. Facebook
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Orange County goes blue, as Democrats complete historic sweep of its seven congressional seats By Michael Finnegan Gil Cisneros defeated Republican Young Kim on Saturday in the last of Orange Countys undecided House races, giving Democrats a clean sweep of the states six most fiercely fought congressional contests and marking an epochal shift in a region long synonymous with political conservatism. With Cisneros victory, Democrats will constitute the entirety of Orange Countys seven-member congressional delegation, the first time since the 1930s that the birthplace of Richard Nixon, home of John Wayne and spiritual center of the Republican Party will have no GOP representative in the House. Sitting back in the 1960s, I would never have believed this would happen, said Stuart K. Spencer, a party strategist who spent more than half a century ushering Republicans, including President Reagan, into office. Read More Facebook
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Going, going ... with midterm wipeout, California Republican Party drifts closer to irrelevance By Michael Finnegan For a party in freefall the last two decades, California Republicans learned that its possible to plunge even further. The GOP not only lost every statewide office in the midterm election again, in blowout fashion but Democrats reestablished their supermajority in Sacramento, allowing them to legislate however they see fit After major defeats in Orange County and the Central Valley, two longtime strongholds, Republicans will have a significantly smaller footprint on Capitol Hill. (Democrats hold both Senate seats.) When the vote-counting is finished, the GOP may not even have enough lawmakers in Californias 53-member House delegation to field a nine-person softball team. Read More Facebook
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Congresswoman-elect Katie Porter says she will support Rep. Nancy Pelosi for speaker By Maya Sweedler Democratic Rep.-elect Katie Porter is congratulated by volunteers at her campaign headquarters in Irvine. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times) Congresswoman-elect Katie Porter said she plans to support Rep. Nancy Pelosis bid for speaker of the House and will make campaign finance reform her top priority when she enters the chamber in January. Im going to continue to have conversations, but so far I feel like Leader Pelosi is definitely making the things that were a priority to the families that elected me her priorities, including announcing her support for campaign finance reform and anti-corruption as HR1, Porter said in her first public appearance since being declared the winner in Californias 45th Congressional District on Thursday evening. It means a lot to me that she is a Californian. She understands our state, Porter added. When we talk about environmental protections, this is a person who understands as a Californian how fragile our environment is and whats at risk in things like drilling off our coasts. Porter, a law professor at UC Irvine, defeated two-term Republican Rep. Mimi Walters. The 45th District, covering inland Orange County, has never been represented by a Democrat. Porter became the third Democrat to claim a Republican-held seat in Orange County, following the victories of Harley Rouda in the 48th District and Mike Levin in the 49th. A fourth, Gil Cisneros, is running slightly ahead of his Republican opponent in the race for the open seat in the 39th District, which extends into Los Angeles and San Bernardino counties. Porter attributed the massive political shift in the county, for decades a conservative stronghold, to increased levels of political engagement. Folks here care about education, they care about the environment, they believe climate change is real, they want healthcare that protects preexisting conditions, they want a tax system that doesnt punish California, they want our schools and places of worship to be safe from gun violence, she said. Those are the issues we campaigned on, and to the extent that Donald Trump and Mimi Walters were on the wrong side of those issues, the voters have made clear what direction they want us to go. Porter was flying back from the East Coast when her race was called, she said. She turned on her phone to find 167 text messages from friends and supporters. Among them was Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), who was one of Porters teachers in law school and with whom she has remained close. The pair spoke via FaceTime this morning, she said. Facebook
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Bitter battle for Senate seat in Florida goes to hand recount By Associated Press Employees look through damaged ballots during a recount Thursday in West Palm Beach, Fla. (Wilfredo Lee / Associated Press) Floridas acrimonious battle for the U.S. Senate headed Thursday to a legally required hand recount after an initial review by ballot-counting machines showed Republican Gov. Rick Scott and Democratic Sen. Bill Nelson separated by less than 13,000 votes. But the highly watched contest for governor between Republican Ron DeSantis and Democrat Andrew Gillum appeared to be over, with a machine recount showing DeSantis with a large enough advantage over Gillum to avoid a hand recount in that race. Gillum, who conceded the contest on election night only to retract his concession later, said in a statement that it is not over until every legally casted vote is counted. The recount so far has been fraught with problems. One large Democratic stronghold in South Florida was unable to finish its machine recount by the Thursday deadline due to machines breaking down. A federal judge rejected a request to extend the recount deadline. We gave a heroic effort, said Palm Beach County Supervisor of Elections Susan Bucher. If the county had three or four more hours, it would have made the deadline to recount ballots in the Senate race, she said. Meanwhile, election officials in another urban county in the Tampa Bay area decided against turning in the results of their machine recount, which came up with 846 fewer votes than originally counted. Media in South Florida reported that Broward County finished its machine recount but missed the deadline by a few minutes. Counties were ordered last weekend to do a machine recount of three statewide races because the margins were so tight. The next stage is a manual review of ballots that were not counted by machines to see whether there is a way to figure out voter intent. Scott called on Nelson to end the recount battle. Its time for Nelson to respect the will of the voters and graciously bring this process to an end rather than proceed with yet another count of the votes which will yield the same result and bring more embarrassment to the state that we both love and have served, the governor said in a statement. The recount has triggered multiple lawsuits, many of them filed by Nelson and Democrats. The legal battles drew the ire of U.S. District Judge Mark E. Walker, who slammed the state for repeatedly failing to anticipate election problems. He also said the state law on recounts appears to violate the U.S. Supreme Court ruling that decided the presidency in 2000. We have been the laughingstock of the world, election after election, and we chose not to fix this, Walker said during a morning hearing. Walker vented his anger at state lawmakers and Palm Beach County officials, saying they should have made sure they had enough equipment in place to handle this kind of a recount. But he said he could not extend the recount deadline because he did not know when Palm Beach County would finish its work. This court must be able to craft a remedy with knowledge that it will not prove futile, Walker wrote in his ruling turning down the request from Democrats. It cannot do so on this record. This court does not and will not fashion a remedy in the dark. The overarching problem was created by the Florida Legislature, which Walker said passed a recount law that appears to run afoul of the 2000 Bush vs. Gore decision by locking in procedures that do not allow for potential problems. A total of six election-related lawsuits are pending in federal court in Tallahassee as well at least one lawsuit filed in state court. Walker also ordered that voters be given until 5 p.m. Saturday to show a valid identification and fix their ballots if they have not been counted due to mismatched signatures. Republicans appealed the ruling, but an appeals court turned down the request. State officials testified that nearly 4,000 mailed-in ballots were set aside because local officials decided the signatures on the envelopes did not match the signatures on file. If those voters can prove their identity, their votes will be counted and included in final official returns due from each county by noon Sunday. Walker was asked by Democrats to require local officials to provide a list of people whose ballots were rejected. But the judge appointed by President Obama refused the request, calling it inappropriate. Under state law, a hand review is required with races that have a margin of 0.25 percentage points or less. A state website put the unofficial results showing Scott ahead of Nelson by 0.15 percentage points. The margin between DeSantis and Gillum was at 0.41 points. The margin between Scott and Nelson had not changed much in the last few days, conceded Marc Elias, an attorney working for Nelsons campaign. But he said that he expected the vote tally to shrink due to the hand recount and the ruling on signatures. The developments fueled frustrations among Democrats and Republicans alike. Democrats want state officials to do whatever it takes to make sure every eligible vote is counted. Republicans, including President Trump, have argued without evidence that voter fraud threatens to steal races from the GOP. Facebook
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Democrat Gil Cisneros pulls ahead of Republican Young Kim as more votes are tallied in Orange and San Bernardino counties By Michael Finnegan Congressional candidate Gil Cisneros (Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times) Democrat Gil Cisneros pulled ahead of Republican Young Kim in one of Californias undecided congressional races Thursday, an ominous sign for a GOP already reeling from its loss of four House seats in the state. In updated vote counts released by the registrars for Orange and San Bernardino counties, Kim fell 941 votes behind Cisneros in the contest to succeed Republican Rep. Ed Royce in Californias 39th Congressional District. The 39th straddles Los Angeles, San Bernardino and Orange counties. In another unresolved House race, Democrat Katie Porter pulled further ahead of Republican incumbent Mimi Walters in the 45th District, which includes Mission Viejo, Tustin, Irvine, Rancho Santa Margarita and Laguna Hills. Porter, a consumer attorney and UC Irvine law professor, is now 6,203 votes ahead. The Nov. 6 midterm election has been devastating to Republicans in California. If Cisneros and Porter win, the party will have lost six of its 14 House seats in the state, essentially a wipeout in every contest that both parties spent heavily to win. The three Republicans already bounced from Congress are Reps. Dana Rohrabacher of Costa Mesa, Steve Knight of Palmdale and Jeff Denham of Turlock in the San Joaquin Valley. Democrat Mike Levin won the seat of retiring GOP Rep. Darrell Issa of Vista in the fourth district flipped so far. Facebook
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Florida Senate race likely headed to second recount By Associated Press A Palm Beach County Sheriffs deputy walks past boxes of ballots before a recount on Nov. 15 in West Palm Beach, Fla. (Wilfredo Lee) Unofficial Florida election results show that the governors race seems to be settled after a machine recount but the U.S. Senate race is likely headed to a hand recount. Republican Ron DeSantis is virtually assured of winning the nationally watched governors race over Democrat Andrew Gillum. Florida finished a machine recount Thursday that showed Gillum without enough votes to force a manual recount. Unofficial results posted on a state website show the margin between U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson and Gov. Rick Scott is still thin enough to trigger a second review. State law requires a hand recount of races with a margin of 0.25 percentage point or less. Counties have until Sunday to inspect the ballots that did not record a vote when put through the machines. Those ballots are re-examined to see whether the voter skipped the race or marked the ballot in a way that the machines cannot read but can be deciphered. The election will be certified Tuesday. Read More Facebook
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Pelosi says she has the votes to become the next House speaker By John Wagner Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi speaks during a news conference in Washington on Nov. 14. (Susan Walsh) House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi insisted Thursday that she has the votes to become the chambers speaker despite solid opposition from more than a dozen Democrats who want fresh leadership when the party takes control next year. I have overwhelming support in my caucus to be speaker of the House, the San Francisco lawmaker told reporters. I happen to think at this point, Im the best person for that. A vote within the Democratic caucus is scheduled for Nov. 28. The full House votes on Jan. 3 to elect a new speaker. During her remarks, Pelosi touted the size of the Democratic victory in the midterms, which she called almost a tsunami. With a few races still to be decided, Democrats are poised to pick up close to 40 seats in the chamber. Pelosi called that the biggest victory for the Democrats since 1974, when the Watergate babies came in. Pelosis comments come as she faces solid opposition from at least 17 Democrats, setting the stage for a battle over who will ascend to one of the most powerful positions in Washington. After a campaign in which some Democrats prevailed in competitive districts by promising to oppose her, a coalition of incumbents and newly elected members has denied her a smooth path to the speakership. The defections, if they stand, would leave Pelosi, who has led the Democrats for more than 15 years, several votes short of the 218 she would need when the full House votes for speaker Jan. 3. However, no Democrat has stepped forward to run against her for a job she held from 2007 through 2010. Rep. Marcia Fudge (D-Ohio) told reporters Wednesday that shes being encouraged to stand for speaker if Pelosi doesnt have the votes. In an interview with the Washington Post on Thursday, she said she has been overwhelmed by the support from many of her colleagues for her possible entry into the race for House speaker. Over the last 12 hours, Ive been overwhelmed by the amount of support Ive received, Fudge said, adding that there are probably closer to 30" Democrats who have privately signaled that they are willing to oppose Pelosi. Things could change rapidly, Fudge said. Fudge, 66, a former chair of the Congressional Black Caucus, said she is building a diverse coalition as she mulls a speaker run, talking with allies in the caucus, moderate Democrats and newly elected members. To this point, Pelosi has enjoyed the strong backing of the Congressional Black Caucus. On Thursday, Rep. Bobby Rush (D-Ill.), one of its members, wrote a letter to colleagues praising her insight, fortitude and strategic thinking and urging support for her speakership bid. Former Atty. Gen. Eric H. Holder Jr., an African American who is contemplating a 2020 presidential bid, also voiced support for Pelosi, praising her in a tweet as an architect of the recent midterm success. Rep. Seth Moulton (D-Mass.), a leader of the resistance to Pelosi, said during an interview on CNN on Thursday that Fudge is the kind of new leader that we need in this party. Shes in touch with middle America. She understands what the American people want. Shes a next-generation leader that people will look to and say, Thats the future of our party, thats the future of our country, and thats exactly the kind of leader that I want to see as our next speaker. Wagner reports for the Washington Post. The Posts Robert Costa, Erica Werner, Mike DeBonis, Paul Kane and Elise Viebeck contributed to this report. Facebook
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GOP Rep. Jeff Denham concedes to Democrat Josh Harder in Central Valley race By Maya Sweedler Rep. Jeff Denham (Bill Clark / CQ Roll Call) Republican Rep. Jeff Denham has conceded to Democrat Josh Harder in the race to represent Californias 10th Congressional District in the San Joaquin Valley. It has been an absolute honor to serve our community and represent the Central Valley in Congress over the past eight years, the 51-year-old congressman said. The enormity of the responsibility was never lost on me. My wife Sonia and I look forward to starting the next chapter of our lives. Harder said he had spoken with Denham and the two were committed to a productive transition. Denham, an Air Force veteran, previously represented the region in the state Senate for eight years and founded a company specializing in plastic packaging used in agriculture. While a member of Congress, he sat on the Transportation and Infrastructure, Veterans Affairs and Agriculture committees. First-time candidate Harder was born and raised in the district. After graduating from Stanford University, he served as vice president of a Silicon Valley venture capital firm. Since moving back, he has been teaching at Modesto Junior College. Denhams House seat is one of four in California that Republicans lost in the Nov. 6 election, with two contests in Orange County still undecided as of Thursday morning. Jeff Denham called me this morning and we had a very productive conversation. I'm honored that I've been chosen to serve our community in Congress, and we're both looking forward to a productive transition that best serves the people of District 10. Josh Harder (@JoshHarder) November 14, 2018 Facebook
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Democrat Katie Porter now nearly 3,800 votes ahead of GOP Rep. Mimi Walters By Maya Sweedler Rep. Mimi Walters thanks all of her supporters as she watches election results in Irvine on Nov. 7, 2018. (Alex Gallardo / Associated Press) Democrat Katie Porter opened a 3,797-vote lead Wednesday over Republican Rep. Mimi Walters in Orange Countys 45th Congressional District. In the neighboring 39th, Democrat Gil Cisneros has nearly tied the race against Republican Young Kim. Cisneros now trails Kim by a razor-thin margin of 122 votes. The 39th District straddles Los Angeles, Orange and San Bernardino counties; Wednesdays updated ballot counts came from the latter two. There are more than 202,000 ballots left to count in Orange County, which includes parts of seven congressional districts. The 45th is entirely in inland Orange County. In California, the ballots counted first tend to lean Republican and those tallied later skew Democratic. In the Central Valleys 21st Congressional District, Democratic challenger TJ Cox has pulled within 2 percentage points of Rep. David Valadao, who is serving his third term. The Associated Press had projected a win for Valadao on election night, but his 4,839-vote advantage has shrunk to 2,090. Back in CA-21, Valadao (R) wins a batch of ballots from his stronghold in Kings Co., but by a considerably smaller margin (14 points) than his previous ~30-point margin in the county. We're moving to Lean R from Likely R; today a bit scary for Valadao.https://t.co/WqJVUVkqGW Nate Silver (@NateSilver538) November 15, 2018 A spokesman for Valadao told the Fresno Bee that the changes were expected and that [s]tatistically, David Valadao has won this race. Democrats in California have already flipped four House seats, defeating three Republican incumbents and claiming an open seat previously held by the GOP. Reps. Steve Knight of Palmdale, Dana Rohrabacher of Costa Mesa and Jeff Denham of Turlock have already lost their races, and retiring Rep. Darrell Issas San Diego County seat was claimed by Democrat Mike Levin. Facebook
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Trump aide departs West Wing after rebuke from Melania Trump By Associated Press First Lady Melania Trump. (Alain Jocard / AFP-Getty Images) Deputy national security advisor Mira Ricardel is leaving the White House, one day after First Lady Melania Trumps office issued an extraordinary statement calling for her dismissal. No replacement was named. Aides said Ricardel clashed with the first ladys staff over her visit to Africa last month. Yet it is highly unusual for a first lady or her office to weigh in on personnel matters, especially the presidents national security staff. White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said Ricardel would have a new role in the administration. On Tuesday, Stephanie Grisham, the first ladys spokeswoman, released a statement saying, It is the position of the Office of the First Lady that she no longer deserves the honor of serving in this White House. President Trumps White House has set records for administration turnover. Ricardel was the third person to hold the post under Trump. An ally of national security advisor John Bolton, Ricardel began her service in the Trump administration as associate director in the White House Office of Presidential Personnel, then moved to the Commerce Department last year. Bolton brought her into the West Wing shortly after taking the job in April. He is traveling in Asia this week alongside Vice President Mike Pence. Facebook
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Race for House Minority Leader is Kevin McCarthys to lose By Associated Press (Bill Clark / CQ Roll Call) House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy is running to take over next years shrunken caucus in closed-door elections that will set the tone for the new Congress. The race for minority leader is McCarthys to lose Wednesday. But the California Republican, who is an ally of President Trump, must fend off a challenge from conservative Jim Jordan of Ohio. Jordan is a leader of the House Freedom Caucus. The two encountered questions and finger-pointing during a private meeting with lawmakers Tuesday night as the GOP sorted through the midterm defeat that put Democrats in the majority next year. Elections Wednesday will also determine party leadership in the Senate. Voting for the biggest race, Nancy Pelosis bid to return as the Democrats nominee for speaker, is later this month. Read More Facebook
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Melania Trump calls for the firing of deputy national security advisor By Justin Sink First Lady Melania Trump arrives at the Chateau de Versailles outside Paris on Nov. 11. (Alain Jocard / AFP/Getty Images ) First Lady Melania Trumps office said she wants Mira Ricardel, the deputy national security advisor, ousted from the White House. It is the position of the Office of the First Lady that she no longer deserves the honor of serving in this White House, Trumps spokeswoman, Stephanie Grisham, said in a statement in response to a question about reports the first lady had sought Ricardels removal. Ricardel is the top deputy to national security advisor John Bolton. She drew the first ladys wrath after threatening to withhold National Security Council resources during Melania Trumps trip to Africa last month unless Ricardel was included in her entourage, one person familiar with the matter said. Grishams statement comes as several media outlets have reported that President Trump is considering a broader shakeup of his administration, including ousting Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen. Sink and Jacobs report for Bloomberg. Read More Facebook
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CNN sues Trump over the suspension of Jim Acostas White House press credentials By Jim Puzzanghera CNN said Tuesday that it is suing President Trump and other administration officials over the decision to suspend the White House press credentials of correspondent Jim Acosta after a conflict at a news conference last week. The suit, to be filed in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, escalates an ongoing battle between Trump and the cable news outlet that he frequently accuses of disseminating fake news for its aggressive coverage of him and his administration. The wrongful revocation of these credentials violates CNN and Acostas 1st Amendment rights of freedom of the press, and their 5th Amendment rights to due process, CNN said in a written statement. If left unchallenged, the actions of the White House would create a dangerous chilling effect for any journalist who covers our elected officials. Read More Facebook
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Maxine Waters to take aim at Wells Fargo and Deutsche Bank as new head of House Financial Services Committee By Jim Puzzanghera Rep. Maxine Waters plans to zero in on two big banks Wells Fargo & Co. and Deutsche Bank when she becomes head of the powerful House Financial Services Committee. The Los Angeles congresswoman, now the committees top Democrat, is widely expected to gain the gavel after her party won control of the House in last weeks elections. While Waters has outlined a wide-ranging agenda, she said her focus on bank oversight will target two large institutions she has been tangling with for a while including one, Deutsche Bank, that spills into her bitter feud with President Trump. With Trump in the White House, I know that our fight for Americas consumers and investors will continue to be challenging. But I am more than up to that fight, Waters wrote in a letter last week to her Democratic colleagues on the committee that was obtained by The Times. Read More Facebook
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Heres how a controversial voting system will decide a congressional race in Maine By Kurtis Lee For the first time in U.S. history, a controversial voting system known as ranked choice is being used to decide a federal election. Its happening in Maine, which adopted the system in 2016. Rather than marking a single candidate, each voter ranks them all, assigning a first-place vote, a second-place vote and so on down the ballot. Read More Facebook
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ACLU files suit to stop Trumps new asylum limits By Associated Press A group of Central American migrants march to the office of the U.N.'s humans rights body in Mexico City on Nov. 8. (Rebecca Blackwell / Associated Press) The American Civil Liberties Union has filed a legal challenge to President Trumps order denying asylum to migrants if they cross the U.S.-Mexico border illegally. The lawsuit was filed Friday in federal court in San Francisco and argues the new rules are against the law. Attorney Lee Gelernt said the regulations will put families in danger. The suit seeks to declare the regulations invalid and wants a judge to stop the rules from going into effect while the litigation is pending. The new rules were spurred in part by caravans of Central American migrants slowly moving north on foot, but officials say they will apply to anyone caught crossing illegally. Officials say about 70,000 people who enter the country illegally claim asylum. The order invoked the same national security powers Trump used to push through his travel ban. Read More Facebook
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Trump on new acting AG: I dont know Matt Whitaker By Associated Press President Trump talks with reporters before departing for France on the South Lawn of the White House on Nov. 9. (Evan Vucci / Associated Press) President Trump is moving to distance himself from Matthew Whitaker as he faces criticism over his choice for acting attorney general. Trump told reporters Friday that I dont know Matt Whitaker and said he didnt speak with Whitaker about special counsel Robert Muellers Russia investigation. Whitaker has made public comments critical of Muellers investigation, and critics have called on Whitaker to recuse himself from oversight of the inquiry. Under former Atty. Gen. Jeff Sessions, the investigation was overseen by Deputy Atty. Gen. Rod Rosenstein. Of the scrutiny Whitaker is facing, Trump said: Its a shame that no matter who I put in they go after. He also called Whitaker a very highly respected man. Whitaker was Sessions chief of staff before Trump made him Sessions interim replacement. Facebook
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Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg out of hospital after fall By Associated Press The Supreme Court says 85-year-old Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is home after being released from the hospital. She had been admitted for treatment and observation after fracturing three ribs in a fall. The court said Ginsburg was released Friday. Supreme Court spokeswoman Kathy Arberg says she is doing well and working from home. The court had previously said the justice fell in her office at the court on Wednesday evening and went to George Washington University Hospital in Washington early Thursday after experiencing discomfort overnight. Ginsburg broke two ribs in a fall in 2012. She had two prior bouts with cancer and had a stent implanted to open a blocked artery in 2014. Facebook
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Gun-control activist Lucy McBath defeats GOP Rep. Karen Handel in Georgia By Associated Press Lucy McBath speaks during a rally for Democratic gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams on Nov. 2 at Morehouse College in Atlanta. (Alyssa Pointer / Atlanta Journal-Constitution via AP) Democratic gun-control activist Lucy McBath has defeated Republican Rep. Karen Handel of Georgia in a suburban congressional district long considered safe for the GOP. Handel had to seek reelection after winning her seat last year in a close special election race against Democrat Jon Ossoff. McBath became an advocate for stricter gun laws after her son, Jordan Davis, was fatally shot at a Florida gas station in 2012 by a man angry over loud music the teenager and his friends were playing in a car. McBaths margin of victory was narrow enough for Handel to have requested a recount. The Associated Press declared McBath the winner Thursday after Handel conceded. Handel conceded in a statement Thursday morning, stating that after reviewing all of the election data, its clear she came up a bit short in Tuesdays vote. Handel congratulated McBath, offering good thoughts and much prayer for the journey that lies ahead for her. McBath, who is African American, declared victory Wednesday. Facebook
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Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg hospitalized after fracturing 3 ribs in fall By Associated Press Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg (Jacquelyn Martin / Associated Press) The Supreme Court says 85-year-old Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg fractured three ribs in a fall in her office at the court and is in the hospital. The court says the justice went to George Washington University Hospital in Washington early Thursday after experiencing discomfort overnight. The court says the fall occurred Wednesday evening. Ginsburg was admitted to the hospital for treatment and observation after tests showed she fractured three ribs. Ginsburg broke two ribs in a fall in 2012. She has had two prior bouts with cancer and had a stent implanted to open a blocked artery in 2014. Facebook
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White House suspends press pass of CNNs Jim Acosta after heated exchange with Trump By Associated Press The White House on Wednesday suspended the press pass of CNN correspondent Jim Acosta after he and President Trump had a heated confrontation during a news conference. They began sparring after Acosta asked Trump about the caravan of migrants heading from Latin America to the southern U.S. border. When Acosta tried to follow up with another question, Trump said, Thats enough! and a female White House aide unsuccessfully tried to grab the microphone from Acosta. White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders released a statement accusing Acosta of placing his hands on a young woman just trying to do her job as a White House intern, calling it absolutely unacceptable. The interaction between Acosta and the intern was brief, and Acosta appeared to brush her arm as she reached for the microphone and he tried to hold onto it. Pardon me, maam, he told her. Acosta tweeted that Sanders statement that he put his hands on the aide was a lie. CNN said in a statement that the White House revoked Acostas press pass in retaliation for his challenging questions Wednesday, and the network accused Sanders of lying about Acostas actions. This conduct is absolutely unacceptable. It is also completely disrespectful to the reporters colleagues not to allow them an opportunity to ask a question. President Trump has given the press more access than any President in history. Stephanie Grisham (@PressSec) November 8, 2018 Contrary to CNNs assertions there is no greater demonstration of the Presidents support for a free press than the event he held today. Only they would attack the President for not supporting a free press in the midst of him taking 68 questions from 35 different reporters... Stephanie Grisham (@PressSec) November 8, 2018 As a result of todays incident, the White House is suspending the hard pass of the reporter involved until further notice. Stephanie Grisham (@PressSec) November 8, 2018 Sanders provided fraudulent accusations and cited an incident that never happened. This unprecedented decision is a threat to our democracy and the country deserves better, CNN said. Jim Acosta has our full support. Journalists assigned to cover the White House apply for passes that allow them daily access to press areas in the West Wing. White House staffers decide whether journalists are eligible, though the Secret Service determines whether their applications are approved. Facebook
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Trump spars with reporters at post-election news briefing, ordering several to sit down By Associated Press President Trump assails CNNs Jim Acosta at a White House news conference. President Trump sparred with reporters at his post-election news conference, ordering several to sit down and telling another hes a rude, terrible person. He told another reporter hes not a fan of yours, either. The presidents mood turned sour Wednesday after reporters pressed him on why he referred to a migrant caravan making its way to the U.S. on foot through Mexico as an invasion. Trump ramped up his anti-immigrant rhetoric against the caravan in the final days of the midterm elections. Trump was also pressed on why his campaign aired an ad featuring a Mexican immigrant convicted of killing American police officers and linking the mans actions to the caravan. Several television networks pulled the ad after airing it or declined to air it at all. Facebook
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Im living one hour at a time at this point By Christine Mai-Duc Republican congressional candidate Young Kim and gubernatorial candidate John Cox campaign in Rowland Heights. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times) Republican congressional candidate Young Kim greeted gubernatorial candidate John Coxs giant campaign bus, the words HELP IS ON THE WAY emblazoned across it, as it rolled into the parking lot outside her Rowland Heights field office. Standing beside Cox on Saturday, Kim predicted that a string of GOP victories Tuesday would start with voters repealing the gas tax hike. Can you imagine Gavin Newsom being our governor? Can you imagine Gil Cisneros being your representative? Kim asked the crowd, to loud boos and cries of Nooo! The former state assemblywoman who worked for retiring Rep. Ed Royce (R-Fullerton) is vying for his seat with Democrat Gil Cisneros. She led the crowd in chants of Enough is enough! and, though short-lived, Drain the swamp! Ive served you in Sacramento and Ive seen dysfunction personally, Kim continued. We cannot continue that route. She urged her supporters to stay and help make phone calls or walk neighborhoods. Lets get out there the 72 hours is really critical. Its all going to come down to a few votes, it could be your vote, she said pointing to her left, then pivoting right, it could be your vote. So dont sit back and do nothing. Every night I go to sleep thinking, OK, how many more votes can I get or how many more people can I call tomorrow? Kim said. It can be physically exhausting but Im mentally, emotionally very energized. She listed off her events so far that day and the next one she was heading to. Thats just what I can remember, she said. Im living one hour at a time at this point. Kims campaign invited press to two of her events on Saturday. After she was whisked away to her next event a high tea fundraiser in Walnut, a couple dozen volunteers remained. John Freeman, a statewide field manager for the state Republican Party, tried to pump them up. This is the Super Bowl. Were not in an NFL stadium, were not getting paid millions of dollars, but you know what? Freeman said. Were walking on the field right now. This is that high-stakes-level game. Facebook
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Its going to be tough out there Democratic candidate Katie Porter speaks to volunteers in Mission Viejo. Jon Bauman, Bowzer from the band Sha Na Na, is in the background. (Victoria Kim / Los Angeles Times ) Judging from the cheers in the crowd, about half those assembled at Katie Porters campaign headquarters in Mission Viejo Sunday morning were old enough to remember 70s rock n roll star Bowzer from the band Sha Na Na. Jon Bauman, as Bowzer is known off stage, said it was her position on senior issues including retirement and social security that has him out supporting Porter over her opponent, incumbent Rep. Mimi Walters. I want you to make sure every phone is called and every door is knocked, he told the crowd of about 80 volunteers. There has never been a more important election. Both Bauman and his nephew, California Democratic Party Chairman Eric Bauman, were interrupted by yells from Trump supporters coming from an adjoining hillside. We love Trump, the voice cried out. We love him too, he makes great fodder, the younger Bauman retorted, before introducing Porter. Porter, a UC Irvine law professor and first-time candidate, acknowledged the uphill battle some of her canvassers might face in this more conservative end of the long-red Orange County district. I know its going to be tough out there, she said, motioning to the hillside. But she said the attacks meant the other side viewed her campaign as a significant threat. This election is going to be close, she said. If we dont fight all the way to the finish line, until 8 oclock on Tuesday, this could slip away. Bowzer then took to a keyboard piano to lead the crowd in a reworded rendition of the song Good Night Sweetheart: Good night, Mimi Walters, he crooned. A woman in a black tank top, jeans and flip flops holding a cup of coffee later joined the crowd with her two sons, 17 and 14, the younger one wearing a Trump 2016 T-shirt. She declined to give her name, saying she was concerned about being attacked, but said she lived up the hill and said she had been the one yelling. She said she was encouraging her sons to talk to people on both sides and make up their own minds. We need to have a government that runs the way government teachers are telling kids its supposed to be run, said the woman, a retired registered dental assistant who voted early for Mimi Walters. Referring to Democrats, she said: Theyve had control over all these years and Californias gone to crap. Among those canvassing was Stacie Campbell, 37, who was at the launch with her husband Jerome and three children, the youngest of whom was 2 months old. Campbell, a Mission Viejo resident who runs a business, had never canvassed or volunteered for campaigns before, and her husband is a French citizen and unable to vote. She said they had been talking to their children the older ones are 5 and 2 about the presidency and the government since Trumps election. Together, they worked on homemade Katie Porter lawn signs and put them up around town. This is the first time its felt like a big deal and there isnt a president up for election, she said. Because her city is a mix of conservatives and liberals her next-door neighbor is an NRA-supporting Republican she the race felt m
California Democrats emerged from their annual convention Sunday with a unified enemy in President Trump and congressional Republicans, but remained divided on how to topple either from power. Some called for impeachment. Some said the party must be more progressive. Some said single-payer healthcare would forge the path forward.
Perhaps the biggest news to come from the convention was Sen. Dianne Feinsteins inability to convince delegates she should earn the party endorsement. Senate President Pro Tem Kevin de Leon managed to earn nearly 500 more votes than the veteran senator, who hasnt needed to rely much on the establishment in previous campaigns.
The convention also illustrated how concerned Democrats are about crowded fields of candidates splitting the votes in the June 5 top-two primary and landing two Republicans on the November ballot. Such a result in any of the competitive races would make it that much more difficult for the Democrats to reclaim control of the U.S. House in the midterms.
For a sense of the tension, consider this quote from Daraka Larimore-Hall, vice chair of the state party.
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To candidates polling under 10%, he said he has a message: If you step aside today to make sure we dont send two Republicans to the general, you will be my hero. He added that if candidates put their career before the party, he wouldnt support them for dog catcher.
Christine Mai-Duc explains how fears about the top-two primary are well-founded, and what Democrats are trying to do about it.
ACTION-PACKED POLITICAL WEEKEND
California Democrats overwhelmingly decided not to endorse Feinstein, an embarrassing rebuke of a party icon who has represented California in the Senate for a quarter-century. The snub is thanks, in part, to her asking for help after not needing it previously. We have not seen her in 25 years, Latino caucus chairman Carlos Alcala said at the convention.
In an expected split, California Democrats declined to endorse anyone running for governor.
Before the vote, the top Democratic candidates made their official pitches from the stage. We also have the details on how the hopefuls did their best to woo party loyalists with T-shirts, tacos, free breakfasts and other goodies.
Former L.A. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa had a rough go at the weekend convention. Not only did he he finish last in the endorsement vote, he also was heckled at a press conference he staged to announce the endorsement by the United Farm Workers.
CONVENTION LIGHTNING ROUND
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-- After a late-night signature-gathering effort by opponents and an intense few minutes on the convention floor, Dave Min got the state party endorsement in the 45th Congressional District. Heres a rundown of how the rest of the state party endorsements in key House races shaped up this weekend.
-- Rep. Maxine Waters took the stage Saturday to reclaim her time after a kerfuffle that cut off her microphone at the last California Democratic Party convention. Spoiler: She was no-holds-barred, and she was a hit.
-- Eric Garcetti and Nancy Pelosi rallied their troops around trying to win back House seats this year, a major focus of the convention.
-- California Democrats got a glimpse Saturday of four up-and-comers considered potential contenders for the White House in 2020, and each talked of ending what they described as the dark era of President Trump.
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-- And supporters of Kimberly Ellis failed bid for party chair last time have switched gears and were asking for major changes to the state partys bylaws this weekend.
For in-the-moment news on California politics, keep an eye on our Essential Politics news feed.
MENDOZA SHOWS UP IN SAN DIEGO
It was an eventful week for Tony Mendoza. After an investigation concluded last week the state senator likely made unwanted sexual advances on six women during his tenure as a legislator, his colleagues in the Senate were left to determine what, if any, discipline he should face. As John Myers and Melanie Mason report, moments before the Senate was poised to expel him, Mendoza abruptly resigned, making him the third lawmaker to step down due to sexual harassment allegations.
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Mendoza surprised Democrats by attending the state convention in San Diego, where he confirmed he will run for his seat again. Delegates from his district voted to block the party from endorsing him.
ANOTHER GUILTY PLEA IN THE RUSSIA PROBE
Special counsel Robert S. Mueller III has proven adept at securing guilty pleas and cooperation agreements from targets of the Russia investigation. The latest domino to fall was Richard W. Gates III, Trumps former deputy campaign manager, who pleaded guilty to conspiracy and lying to investigators on Friday.
Gates is expected to testify against Paul Manafort, his former business partner and Trumps campaign manager during the Republican National Convention. The two men had earned millions by advising Ukraines pro-Kremlin government, but prosecutors say they evaded taxes, ran an undisclosed lobbying effort and committed fraud to obtain bank loans.
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The plea deal revealed Friday was the product of months of negotiations with the special counsels office, but Gates made more trouble for himself during those conversations. He lied to investigators about the contents of a meeting between Manafort and California Rep. Dana Rohrabacher by saying it didnt involve Ukraine.
Rohrabacher has long been a proponent of friendlier ties between the U.S. and Russia, and his name has repeatedly popped up on the fringes on the investigation.
If youre trying to keep up with who has been charged so far in the Russia probe, check out our new graphic. Well be updating it throughout the investigation.
On Saturday the House Intelligence Committee released a 10-page Democratic memo Saturday that staunchly defends the decision by U.S. law enforcement to start eavesdropping on a former Trump campaign advisor three weeks before the 2016 election, countering Republican charges that abuses tainted the process.
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The dueling conclusions about the surveillance reflect the bitter partisan divide on the House committee and within Congress over how to view the broader criminal investigation into whether Trump or his aides assisted in Russian meddling in the campaign or obstructed justice in the White House.
Two Californians are central to the memo fight.
Columnist George Skelton raised the idea of Rep. Adam Schiff, the Democratic ranking member of the Intelligence panel, running for president.
Rep. Devin Nunes, the Tulare Republican who chairs the House Intelligence Committee, earned praise from Trump on Fox News after the Democratic memo was released.
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I really think some day hes going to be greatly honored for his service, Trump said. Hes been very, very brave.
Get the latest about whats happening with the investigation on Essential Washington and make sure to sign up for breaking news alerts.
NATIONAL POLITICS LIGHTNING ROUND
-- The NRA rejected Trumps calls for raising the age limit for gun purchases.
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-- The Mexican presidents planned visit to the White House has officially been scrapped as the two leaders sparred over Trumps calls for Mexico to pay for the border wall.
-- Trump claimed credit for rising stock prices. Now he owns their fall and a possible recession.
-- Admitting his prepared CPAC remarks were boring, Trump talked about his efforts to conceal a bald spot and read a poem from his campaign trail days considered to have an anti-immigration message.
-- Stormy Daniels brought her exotic dancing performance, and the political drama that comes with it, to Los Angeles over the weekend.
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-- With time ticking away, here is a quick political guide to whats next for the Dreamers.
-- Members of the first generation to grow up with social media at its fingertips have launched a gun control movement. The students of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School arent backing down. Matt Pearce explains what happens when teenagers make gun control their cause.
-- There was a security breach and brief lockdown at the White House on Friday.
-- A new memoir from Michelle Obama will be out in November.
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Get the latest about whats happening in the nations capital on Essential Washington.
NO FIRM RULES FOR PUNISHING POLITICIANS
As legislators in Sacramento weigh changes to the institution of the Legislature amid the #MeToo movement, few are talking about better defining the punishment for politicians.
In his weekly column, Myers looks at how rare it is for a member of the state Senate or Assembly to be formally rebuked and whether the traditional response of let the voters make that decision should still apply.
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TODAYS ESSENTIALS
-- Why did the mayor of Los Angeles visit one of the states that will hold an early primary in 2020? Eric Garcetti is starting to test the presidential waters.
-- The debate among Californias top four Democratic candidates for governor Thursday night in San Diego was unlike most of their recent match-ups, with long stretches of broad agreement and few, if any, fireworks.
-- Mayors in Californias 11 largest cities were in Sacramento last week to fight homelessness. One of those mayors, Darrell Steinberg of Sacramento, is the guest interview on the most recent Gimme Shelter: The California Housing Crisis Podcast. Steinberg talked about his homelessness pitch and the struggle for low-income housing.
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-- Skelton explains why the time is right for bail reform.
-- Lawmakers will consider adopting a measure so the state would have the same zero tolerance policy for pot that it has for those under 21 who drive under the influence of alcohol.
-- California Democrats werent happy with Trumps threat of removing ICE agents from California.
-- Rep. Duncan Hunter actually was regularly present, with his family, when improper campaign spending happened, the Union-Tribune reported.
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-- An abortion rights group endorsed congressional candidate Katie Hill, who talks about her own unplanned pregnancy.
LOGISTICS
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You can keep up with breaking news on our politics page throughout the day for the latest and greatest. And are you following us on Twitter at @latimespolitics?
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California is moving toward ending its unjust pretrial bail system, a four-decade effort begun by Gov. Jerry Brown when he was governor the first time.
Brown actually started crusading for bail reform before most current Californians were born.
In his 1979 State of the State address, Brown called the California bail system an unfair tax on poor people [who] languish in the jails of this state even though they have been convicted of no crime. Their only crime is that they cannot make the bail that our present law requires.
The governor urged the Legislature to find a way that more people can be put on a bail system that is as just and as fair as we can make it.
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The Legislature ignored him. If anything, relatively fewer people are able to make bail today than 40 years ago.
But the old speech excerpt is still alive. It was resurrected recently by a former top aide whom the governor appointed as a judge during his first term. Hes J. Anthony Kline, Browns legal affairs secretary in the 1970s and now presiding justice of the 1st District Court of Appeal in San Francisco. Kline used the excerpt prominently in a landmark opinion he wrote that almost guarantees the enactment of a bail overhaul.
More from George Skelton
The ruling involved Jeffrey Humphrey, 63, a retired shipyard worker and lifelong drug addict. Theres nothing particularly sympathetic about the guy. He was charged with mugging a 79-year-old man who uses a walker and lives in the same apartment building. Prosecutors say the suspect slipped into the victims room, threatened to put a pillow case over his head, was given $2, stole another $5 and lifted a bottle of cologne.
Bail was assessed at $350,000. The standard 10% fee to a bail bond agent would have cost $35,000 out of pocket. No way. Humphrey was locked up for months pending trial.
The three-judge appellate court unanimously ruled that by setting bail in an amount it was impossible for [Humphrey] to pay, it in effect amounted to a violation of due process protections guaranteed by the Constitution.
The judges said the suspect was entitled to a new bail hearing at which the court must consider his ability to pay and nonmonetary alternatives to money bail.
The problem this case presents, the panel observed, stems from the enduring unwillingness of our society, including the courts, to correct a deformity in our criminal justice system that close observers have long considered a blight on the system.
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Legislation is desperately needed, the judges asserted.
Next up was state Atty. Gen. Xavier Becerra. The Democrat announced last week that hed let the appellate ruling stand and not appeal it to the state Supreme Court.
I am doing what I can to add to that movement of bail reform, Becerra told reporters. Todays bail system doesnt make you safer because if youve got the money and youre dangerous, you still get out.
Bail decisions should be based on danger to the public, not dollars in your pocket, the attorney general added.
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This is one of the few issues that separate the leading Democratic candidates to replace Brown, who will be termed out after this year.
Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom is a loud advocate for bail reform.
Cash bail insidiously exacerbates our criminal justice systems class and racial disparities by creating a cascade of devastating effects for poor people and their families who often lose jobs, homes and even their children before a court even considers their guilt or innocence, Newsom wrote in an opinion column for the Daily Breeze last year.
But former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa is cozy with the bail bond industry and law enforcement groups that object to proposed reforms. That has helped him gain recent endorsements from the California Police Chiefs Assn. and the Peace Officers Research Assn.
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Coverage of California politics
Villaraigosa supports reforming not ending cash bail, says his campaign spokesman, Luis Vizcaino. Cash bail does have a place in keeping our communities safe.
State Treasurer John Chiang advocates for major change. California should reform our for-profit bail system for those who dont pose a public safety risk, he says.
Theres a good chance therell be a major overhaul this year while Brown is still governor. He hasnt been saying much. But last year he pledged to work with legislators and state Supreme Court Chief Justice Tani Cantil-Sakauye on ways to reform the system in a cost-effective and fair manner, considering public safety as well as the rights of the accused.
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The chief justice created a work group of judges that recommended several things. Californias pretrial release and detention system must be reformed, it concluded.
That effort in the Legislature is being spurred by Sen. Bob Hertzberg (D-Van Nuys) and Assemblyman Rob Bonta (D-Oakland). A Hertzberg bill passed the Senate and is stuck in the Assembly Appropriations Committee. A Bonta bill died on the Assembly floor.
The cost of bail has skyrocketed since Jerry was governor the first time, Hertzberg says.
David Quintana, the lobbyist for bail bond agents, agrees that bail is too high. It doesnt work for us if its too high for people to pay, he says. They stay in jail.
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Other states are far ahead of California on reform. For a change, were trying to play catch-up.
Pretrial release should be based on a suspects flight risk and danger to the public. We shouldnt be requiring a payment for freedom. Isnt that extortion? It sure seems un-American.
george.skelton@latimes.com
Follow @LATimesSkelton on Twitter
Oprahs Book Club will come to life aboard Holland America ships, featuring author discussions as part of Os Reading Room. First up is Southern author Tayari Jones, who wrote the latest book club selection, An American Marriage.
The cruise line will roll out the program to all 14 ships in its fleet by May.
Author Tayari Jones will sail on a Holland America cruise March 3 as part of the O's Reading Room program. Nina Subin/Holland America Line
Jones will sail on the O, The Oprah Magazines Adventure of Your Life Cruise March 3 to the Caribbean aboard the Nieuw Amsterdam. She will join O magazines editors and others who will share stories and participate in a discussion of the novel.
Featured guests include magazine staff such as beauty editor Brian Underwood and books editor Leigh Haber. The O cruise emphasizes events and activities centered around wellness and personal growth.
Meditations and yoga, fashion advice, healthful dining and even an on-board O Shop are special tof the cruise. Prices start at $699 per person, based on double occupancy, for an interior cabin.
Other O weeklong cruises include an Alaska sailing on Aug. 11 and an Eastern Caribbean sailing on Oct. 28. (Passengers on non-author cruises may bring the book aboard and participate in a discussion led by a member of the ships staff.)
Last year, Winfrey spent two days aboard the Eurodam on an Alaska cruise. CBS This Morning co-host and Oprah bestie Gayle King also was aboard ship.
Info: Holland Americas O, The Oprah Magazines Adventure of Your Life Cruise, (877) 932-4259 or contact a travel agent
Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday ordered a daily cease-fire in eastern Ghouta, the Syrian rebel-held enclave near the capital Damascus and the target of a ferocious government assault that has turned life in the region, according to the U.N., into hell on Earth.
As ordered by the Russian president, a daily humanitarian pause from [9 a.m. to 2 p.m.] is being introduced starting Feb. 27 to avoid civilian casualties in East Ghouta, the Russian defense ministry said in a statement released Monday, according to a translation by the English-language news broadcaster Russia Today.
Russia is the top international supporter of Syrian President Bashar Assad. Its warplanes and special forces troops, which first deployed in the country in 2015, are credited with turning the tide of the war in Assads favor.
The pause in the fighting, the statement continued, would allow civilians to leave the area through special humanitarian corridors, whose coordinates have been prepared and will soon be announced. It would also facilitate the delivery of humanitarian assistance in the enclave, which has suffered severe shortages of food and medications under a years-long siege by government forces.
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The U.N. estimates there are some 393,000 residents in eastern Ghouta, a grouping of 23 Damascus suburbs under the control of a mix of opposition factions, including both Al Qaeda-affiliated Islamists and mainstream rebel groups supported by the West.
Moscow proposed a similar arrangement near Tanf, a desert region near the countrys southeastern tip where tens of thousands have fled violence and gathered near the border of Jordan. U.S.-led coalition forces are also stationed in the area.
Putins announcement comes two days after the U.N. Security Council, despite last-minute wrangling by Russia and Iran (another staunch Assad backer), unanimously adopted a 30-day truce in Syria in a bid to end the latest round of violence in eastern Ghouta, where a Russian-backed offensive has killed some 561 people since last week, activists said, when the offensive first began.
Yet on Sunday, fighting continued unabated as pro-government troops began a ground assault on five fronts to breach rebel lines. And on Monday, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a pro-rebel monitor based in the U.K with a network of activists in Syria, said 22 people were killed.
Pro-opposition activists also accused government forces of deploying chlorine gas in Shayfoniyeh, a town roughly eight miles northeast of central Damascus, after an airstrike in which victims exhibited symptoms including eye irritation and breathing difficulties.
Syrian children and adults receive treatment for a suspected chemical attack at a makeshift clinic in the rebel-held village of al-Shifuniyah in the eastern Ghouta region on the outskirts of Damascus, Syria, on Feb. 25, 2018. (Hamza al-Ajweh / AFP/Getty Images )
Damascus has long denied using any chemical weapons, though it stands accused of using Sarin gas on the Ghouta in 2013. That attack brought the U.S. to the brink of attacking Damascus until an 11th hour deal struck with Russia saw Assad give up his chemical weapons arsenal.
Security council resolutions are only meaningful if implemented. As I had the opportunity to say in the Security Council itself a few days ago, in particular eastern Ghouta cannot wait., said Antonio Guterres, the U.N.s secretary general in remarks to the bodys human rights council in Geneva on Monday. He added that the U.N. was ready to deliver assistance.
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It is high time to stop this hell on earth, he said.
ALSO
Guilty by association: Families of suspected Islamic State members pay a steep price
Date of U.S. Embassy move to Jerusalem shows how even the calendar is complicated in the Middle East
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Its a catastrophe: Almost 200 killed in multi-day bombardment of Syrian suburb
Bulos is a special correspondent.
Twitter: @nabihbulos
Aliya Mohammed begged her son not to get mixed up with Islamic State. Now she is paying the price for his decision to defy her.
Last year, as Iraqi forces were liberating the city of Mosul and surrounding areas from a three-year occupation by the extremists, pro-government militiamen carried away her carpets, furniture and plasma television. Then they set her house on fire.
Neighbors and a nephew assisted in the destruction. The word Daesh a derisive Arabic acronym for Islamic State was left scrawled across a charred wall.
Why did they do this? asked Mohammed, who was recently widowed. I know that my boy was at fault, but my husband didnt do anything wrong. He just did his work.
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Today, months after the fighting ended, she is trapped in a camp for the displaced in the town of Hamam Alil one of thousands of people, the majority of them women and children, who fled their homes during the war and now cannot return because relatives are said to have a connection to Islamic State.
Many are afraid to leave the camps. But even if they want to do so, they often find it impossible to get the necessary paperwork. The craving for revenge against Islamic State runs deep as does the fear that the militants could make a comeback.
A camp in the Iraqi town of Hamam Alil is home to many families who cannot return to their areas because of a relatives suspected ties to Islamic State. (Alexandra Zavis / Los Angeles Times )
In and around Mosul, local leaders have drawn up lists of families they say are no longer welcome. Threatening letters have been slipped under their doors and posted in mosques. Names have been stricken from aid distribution lists. Grenades have been tossed through windows. Homes have been bulldozed.
The families present a dilemma for the Shiite Muslim-led government, which has called for reconciliation between the countrys warring sects, ethnicities and tribes. Iraqi officials say they worry for the safety of the families. But they also worry that some harbor sympathy for the Sunni extremists and would help them regroup if given the chance.
Daesh controlled the city for three years, so for sure, people were affected by their ideology, said Nuraddin Qablan, deputy president of the provincial council in Mosul and surrounding Nineveh.
He would like to see the families go through some form of rehabilitation, but said there is no money for such a program. So local security authorities frequently impose stringent requirements before they will allow the families to return to their areas.
The families must obtain security clearance. They may need to find a sponsor to take responsibility if they break the law. They may also have to supply proof that the locality where they intend to go is willing to accept them.
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All that is hard to do from the confines of a camp. There are families in Iraqs central Anbar province who have been waiting for permission to return home since mid-2016.
Complicating matters further are the many different security forces including tribal and sect-based militias now deployed in former Islamic State areas, each with its own opinions about who poses a threat. Some, for example, will allow the widows of dead militants to return to their fathers homes, but not their children.
The war against Islamic State was officially declared over in December, but camp managers say families continue to arrive from areas where the militants imposed their brutal reign.
In January, during an operation to clear Islamic State remnants from the Hawija area in nearby Kirkuk province, Iraqi soldiers and allied militiamen rounded up at least 235 people believed to have relatives among the militants and brought them to camps, according to the New York-based advocacy group Human Rights Watch. Police confiscated their identity documents so they wouldnt leave.
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Rights activists and humanitarian workers recognize the potential security concerns posed by such families. But they say keeping the families in camps amounts to collective punishment and risks alienating Sunni Arabs in a region that has proved fertile ground for extremism since U.S.-led forces toppled the late strongman Saddam Hussein in 2003.
There has to be reconciliation, there has to be reaching out, said Jan Egeland, head of the Norwegian Refugee Council, which runs the camp south of Mosul where Mohammed and four of her children have been living since July. These children should not grow up with bitterness in their hearts.
Patrick Hamilton, the International Committee for the Red Cross deputy director for the Near and Middle East, said he worries that recriminatory measures could increase.
Some communities may be feeling emboldened to take matters into their own hands. There is also a risk that families and tribes will try to prove their loyalty to the government or settle old scores by driving out anybody who has been labeled a Daeshi.
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There is a need for there to be a strong, objective application of the law and due process to try and ensure that only those that need to be prosecuted are indeed imprisoned and prosecuted, Hamilton said. Otherwise you just end up generating a sense of injustice that breeds another round of violence.
Mohammed, 50, traces her sons radicalization to the last time a major offensive was waged against Sunni extremists in the Mosul region, over a decade ago. She shared the story on the condition that neither her son nor their town be identified, to avoid drawing attention to the family.
Mosul was then home to many high-ranking members of Saddams military who joined Al Qaeda when the interim administration led by L. Paul Bremer III disbanded the Iraqi armed forces in a purge of regime loyalists.
Police accused Mohammeds son, then about 15, of providing medical treatment to insurgents at his fathers pharmacy. Imprisoned for nine months, he emerged a changed person.
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He was so angry, his mother said.
Hoping that he might experience a spiritual rebirth amid the holy sites of Mecca, the couple sent their son on the hajj, a five-day pilgrimage that is one of the central pillars of Islam. Later they found him a nice girl to marry. But nothing seemed to assuage his bitterness.
His father told him, I dont want you getting involved in anything, Mohammed said.
But when Islamic States black-clad fighters stormed into Mosul in 2014, her son offered his services to the group as a medic. His father threw him out of the house, she said.
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Last year, as government forces were approaching, Islamic State militants ordered the family to leave their area, on the southern outskirts of Mosul, and move into the city.
Mohammeds sister promised to keep an eye on her house. But according to Mohammed, her sisters son joined in the looting. Her sofas and television now sit in her sisters living room, Mohammed said.
Over the summer, Mohammed received word that the son who joined Islamic State had been killed in an airstrike.
Another strike destroyed the house where the rest of the family was staying in west Mosul, killing two other sons and nine grandchildren. Mohammed and her younger children had been out collecting water at the time. Her husband also survived, but died of a heart attack soon afterward.
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Mohammed spent months trying to replace ID cards that were lost in the airstrike. A city employee eventually told her that he was not authorized to provide the documents to Islamic State families.
Without them, she said, she could not persuade a local hospital to release the bodies of her dead family members. She finally asked her 30-year-old daughter the only close relative with identification to collect the bodies and take them to a graveyard.
The daughter sent photographs of the graves to her mother via cellphone text message. Without identification, Mohammed cant visit them. There are too many checkpoints to get through.
So she sits on a foam mattress in an almost empty tent and scrolls through photos of her loved ones on her phone. Then she kisses the phone and weeps.
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Her only wish is to find a safe place to raise her four youngest children far away from Mosul. Otherwise, she fears they too could fall prey to the cycle of violence and revenge that claimed their older brothers.
The childrens anger is plain. When their mother was asked which of the many local security forces destroyed their home, her 15-year-old son answered for her.
The Iraqi army didnt do anything when they came, he said. It was the people from the neighborhood who did this to us.
alexandra.zavis@latimes.com
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Twitter: @alexzavis
Hours after the United Nations Security Council called for a 30-day halt to the fighting in Syria, government forces attacked a rebel-held eastern suburb of Damascus from the air and the ground Sunday, and rebels lobbed shells at the capital, residents and activists said.
One child died after suffering symptoms consistent with a chlorine attack, according to the Syrian American Medical Society, which said the child was among 16 patients admitted to a hospital it supports in eastern Ghouta with those symptoms. There was no immediate response from the Syrian government to the report.
The continued bombing of eastern Ghouta came as a bitter, although not unexpected, disappointment to residents who have endured one of the bloodiest assaults in seven years of civil war. More than 500 civilians were killed in eight days of airstrikes and artillery fire, according to opposition activists. Nearly a quarter of the dead are children.
Although the shelling of residential areas seemed less intense Sunday, at least eight more people were killed, including three children, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a pro-opposition monitoring group based in Britain.
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Activists on both sides also spoke of a multi-pronged ground offensive, resulting in fierce clashes between government and rebel forces on the enclaves western and southern edges.
Omar, 10, receives treatment at a makeshift hospital Sunday after an airstrike that killed several members of his family. (Amer Almohibany / AFP/Getty Images )
There is no cease-fire at all, said Firas Abdullah, an opposition activist reached in the city of Duma, as explosions reverberated in the background.
Sunday brought some relief, however, to central neighborhoods of Damascus, where at least 16 people died in rebel shelling over the past week, according to state media reports. Schools opened and residents ventured from their homes for the first time in days.
But their freedom was short-lived. Police told the state-run Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) that rebels fired 21 rocket shells on government-held areas in and around the capital. One civilian was wounded.
The Security Council resolution, which was approved unanimously Saturday after repeated delays, called on all parties in Syria to cease hostilities without delay to permit the delivery of humanitarian aid and the evacuation of critically sick and wounded civilians from besieged communities. But exceptions were made for military operations against Islamic State, Al Qaeda-affiliated groups and other groups designated as terrorist organizations.
Irans military chief of staff, Gen. Mohammad Baqeri, whose government has provided critical backing to Syrian President Bashar Assad, said the cease-fire does not apply to parts of the Damascus suburbs held by the terrorists, according to Iranian news reports.
The Turkish deputy prime minister, Bekir Bozdag, said the U.N. resolution also would not affect his countrys offensive against Kurdish fighters in Syrias northwestern Afrin region. Turkey regards the Syrian Kurds as an extension of a group that has waged a decades-long insurgency on its side of the border.
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Nicola Zahr, a Damascus-based political activist, said the aim of the governments ground offensive in eastern Ghouta was to rout fighters linked to the one-time Al Qaeda affiliate known as the Committee for the Liberation of Syria.
However, rebels say the group accounts for just a few hundred fighters in the enclave. The main rebel factions, the Army of Islam and the Rahman Corps, contend that the government and its allies are using the presence of small numbers of fighters with links to Al Qaeda as a pretext to continue their campaign against the last major rebel stronghold near the capital.
Today, Assad, Russia and Iran are throwing the resolution out the window, said Wael Olwan, a spokesman for the Rahman Corps.
Government officials counter that the other factions in the region are effectively allied with Al Qaeda-linked ones.
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Conditions in eastern Ghouta, a collection of towns and farms that is home to nearly 400,000 people, have grown increasingly desperate since pro-government forces surrounded the enclave in 2012. The region has some of the highest malnutrition rates recorded among Syrian children since the start of the conflict in 2011.
The intense bombardments of the past week drove much of the population underground, into crowded basements and makeshift shelters that many feared would become their graves.
The number of wounded more than 2,500, according to medical relief groups overwhelmed rescue workers and health facilities, some of which have themselves become targets.
News of the Security Council resolution raised hopes for a possible reprieve.
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Early in the morning, around 5 a.m., people went above ground to see what was happening, but they barely had a chance to check on their houses and clean up before the shelling came back, said Bayan Rehan, who heads a womens affairs office at a local council in Duma, the regions main city. By 7 a.m., the first shells fell.
Ingy Sedky, a spokeswoman for the International Committee for the Red Cross, said the organization was ready to deliver much needed medicines, food and other aid to the enclave but had not yet received a green light from the warring parties.
So far, I have to say it doesnt look promising at all, she said by phone from Damascus.
Bulos is a special correspondent.
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alexandra.zavis@latimes.com
Twitter: @alexzavis
A man interrupted while he tried breaking into a car pulled what appeared to be a handgun and pointed it at a couple, Easton police said.
Toney Reed-Ennis, the 600 block of Ontario Street in Bethlehem, was arrested after a chase with an officer, and charged with robbery, theft, possession of an instrument of a crime and two counts of making terroristic threats.
The 19-year-old Reed-Ennis was sent to Northampton County Prison in lieu of $50,000 bail.
The victims reported they were pulling into their driveway off East Burd Street on Friday night, when they saw a man later identified as Reed-Ennis pulling on the handles of their parked Subaru Forrester.
One victim got out of the car and confronted Redd-Ennis, police said.
Reed-Ennis allegedly yelled "Come at me" while pulling what appeared to be a gun from his waistband.
Reed-Ennis walked to the passenger side of the car, where the second victim was sitting, and pointed the gun at the window, then did the same at the driver's side, police sad.
Reed-Ennis then ran away, police said. An officer searching the neighborhood spotted Reed-Ennis, who ran away again, but was eventually caught in a backyard, where he dropped an airsoft gun, police said.
Sarah Cassi may be reached at scassi@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow her on Twitter @SarahCassi. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook.
The National Transportation Safety Board is examining the Lehigh Tunnel after a deadly accident last week in which an electrical conduit fell from the tunnel ceiling and crashed through a windshield, killing a 70-year-old driver.
The Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission on Monday announced in a news release that it is cooperating with the federal investigation.
"We are eager to understand exactly what caused this tragedy so we can work to ensure it doesn't happen again," turnpike CEO Mark P. Compton said in a statement.
The accident happened Feb. 21 in the southbound tube of the Northeast Extension tunnel through Blue Mountain, near Slatington. Howard M. Sexton, a trucker from East Greenwich Township in southern New Jersey, died of blunt force head injuries, according to the Lehigh County coroner.
A witness told lehighvalleylive.com that he saw a wire as thick as a person's wrist hanging from the ceiling, then passed a stopped tractor-trailer in the tunnel and called 911.
The investigation is focusing on conduits and support system, the turnpike commission said.
The tunnel was deemed safe for travel and reopened a day after the accident.
NTSB investigators were on-site Friday and are expected to complete their inspection by Wednesday, the commission said. A preliminary report should be released in a few weeks, though the final report and its conclusions on the cause could take up to a year.
In December, the commission sought bids to replace the lighting in both tubes. A contract is scheduled to be awarded at the commission's March 6 meeting, with work expected to begin in spring, the turnpike said in a statement last week.
The Lehigh, like all turnpike tunnels, is inspected every two years, the last one being in September 2016. The next was scheduled for this September.
The Lehigh Tunnel's southbound tube was opened in 1991, ridding the four-lane turnpike of its last two-lane stretch. For more than three decades prior, all traffic was routed through the two lanes in the first tube, which opened in 1957.
Steve Novak may be reached at snovak@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow him on Twitter @type2supernovak and Facebook. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook.
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This content is from: Copyright
A ruling that embedding a tweet containing a copyrighted image on a website amounts to direct infringement changes the well-established regime of the server test. Ellie Mertens asks copyright lawyers how big a deal this is
Palakkad: The police detained five people in connection with the brutal murder of Youth League worker Safeer at Mannarkkad on Sunday night.
Safeer, 22, hailing from Kuthippuzha was stabbed to death by a group of assailants who barged into his textile shop.
The police made it clear that those arrested were the followers of Communist Party of India (CPI). According to the police, personal grudge led to the murder.
The IUML is observing a hartal in Mannarkkad area on Monday.
As the clock ticks down to a crucial EU summit next month, the crisis that permanently surrounds British Prime Minister, Theresa Mays government, and its Brexit negotiations has entered into a new phase.
The agreement reached in December is already in tatters, with one senior EU diplomat saying the fudge will not survive. Now, with businesses in Britain considering withdrawing investment for fear of a no-deal scenario, May is being told to make a choice.
The latest impasse in the tortuous Brexit negotiations has emerged over the terms of the transitional arrangements, following the UKs official departure in March 2019. It had been assumed that these would be the continuation of the status quo, except with the loss of the UKs voting rights. But no one can even agree what the status quo would look like.
Brussels has stipulated that if the UK violates any terms of its transition agreement, the EU would be able to cut off Britains access to the Single Market. Such a proposal has provoked fury from within the Tory Party, not to mention the cabinet.
Furthermore, the EUs lead negotiator, Michel Barnier, has also stated that the transition is not a given and that If these disagreements persist, there will undoubtedly be a problem. The UK is being made an offer it cant refuse: accept, or face the apocalyptic scenario of a cliff-edge Brexit.
Ireland
The major flashpoint has been the question of the Irish border. Agreement was reached in December with both sides promising to avoid any hard border in Ireland. But neither explained how this could be achieved. Now the EU is demanding clarityand it is not alone. Irelands Europe Minister, Helen McEntee has urged May and her team to start looking at and...letting us know what the proposals are.
If May persists with leaving the Single Market and Customs Union, a hard border in Ireland is a real possibility / Image: Tiocfaidh ar la 1916
The solution put forward by the EU is to be a fallback that guarantees full alignment of all regulations across the border: in effect the retention of the North in the Single Market and Customs Union regardless of the rest of the UK. However, this would produce different regulatory regimes in the North of Ireland and the rest of the UK, which the DUP has already rejected.
Since the DUP emerged from the last general election with the power to bring down the current Tory minority government, this position is effectively binding on Theresa May. As long as May persists with her commitment to leave the Single Market and Customs Union, a hard border and an even harder Brexit are very real possibilities.
Tory crisis
That a party of 10 Northern Irish MPs has more power in Westminster than it does in Stormont (which is presently without a government) is a powerful testimony to the deep crisis into which British capitalism has plunged. But this is only part of a bigger picture of decline, not least within the governing Tory Party itself.
Over decades the membership of the Tory Party has declined - not only in number, but also in composition. A survey reported in The Economist found
Some 44% are over 65 and 71% are men. They think austerity has been a good thingThey love Brexitand not just any old Brexit, but the full-strength sort, leaving both the Customs Union and the Single Market.
It is no surprise then that Jacob Rees-Mogg is the favourite amongst members to succeed Theresa May, with 21% of Tory members vote.
With so much of her party, including her MPs, demanding a hard Brexit, May must directly appeal to this layer. One need only look at the vitriol thrown at Philip Hammond for his softer approach to see what kind of rebellion the Prime Minister would face if she were to commit to a soft Brexit, or BRINO (Brexit In Name Only).
However, the pressures of British big business, the avoidance of a hard border in Ireland and the bargaining power of Brussels are relentlessly pushing her in the opposite direction.
As we have explained many times, since Theresa May came to power, her only choice has been between calamity and disaster. Either she substantially accepts the EUs demands and opens up a conflict that could end not only her government but also the Tory Party as we know it. Or she can guarantee an economic and social crisis without precedent. Experience suggests that she will try to do neither and both at the same time.
A new alliance?
For the British ruling class, only one thing is worse than the current government: one led by Jeremy Corbyn. This prospect is the only thing that prevents a bloody civil war inside the Tory Party. It should not be surprising, therefore, that a section of capitalisms most faithful representatives are looking for some kind of Macron moment to save them from both May and Corbyn.
The latest to look in this direction was Anna Soubry, a Tory MP who warned that if May did not sling out the hard-line Brexiters, she would have to leave and set up some new alliance.
In the Financial Times, Soubry spelled out the desperate need of British business for a safe ship they can jump aboard, with a firm pair of hands on the wheel and land in sight. Making her pitch for the softest of Brexit, she warned that if business leaders are not heard in time, we will all be marching off the gangplank.
One MP who certainly agrees with Soubry is Chuka Umunna, a prominent Blairite. Accompanying her on the Andrew Marr show, Umunna was in complete agreement with everything Soubry had to say, adding, The national interest has to come first. Despite quipping with a smile that on the small issue of deadly NHS cuts he and Soubry had voted differently, he was quick to emphasise that this is bigger than anything.
Labour should not manage the bosses' Brexit. The Corbyn movement should counter the Blairites' intruiges with a vision of socialism / Image: Socialist Appeal UK
This has become an all too familiar refrain. In reality, the alliance of so-called moderates in both the Tory and Labour parties is not new at all. Throughout Corbyns leadership it has been clear that a section of the Parliamentary Labour Party has much more in common with pragmatic Tories than with their own side, and will do whatever it takes to preserve the interests of British capitalism, even against a Corbyn government.
Those in the Corbyn movement must be clear on what a Labour government should stand for and how it can be protected against the intrigues of those MPs who share Umunna and Soubrys aspirations.
That is why we give our full support to the campaign to reintroduce the pre-Blairite Clause 4 of the Labour Party constitution. Rather than managing the bosses Brexit, we should commit the party to the socialist transformation of society.
It is for this reason also that we call for the democratic right of Labour Party members to choose their parliamentary candidates, so that we can send socialist class fighters to parliament instead of careerists. If you agree with us, we urge you to join us in this fight.
Originally published on Socialist Appeal.
SOUTHBRIDGE -- Schott North America grew its businesses here by 10 percent in 2017 and executives say the company could do the same in 2018.
But Schott -- which continues the pioneering work in fiber optic glass once done here by American Optical Co. -- is having trouble trying to hire the people it needs to fill new jobs and to backfill jobs vacated by retiring employees. The German company has two businesses in Southbridge: lighting and imaging and electronics packaging.
"We have to be able to match the pace of work in order to meet the demand," said Robert W. Brisard, director of operations at Schott Lighting and Imaging.
That's because another supplier is competing for every order, Brisard said. Customers can't wait for their fiber optics and they don't have to wait.
"If we can't do the work, someone else will," he said. "I want young people in school to see manufacturing as a viable career path. You can come here and make a good living. Support your family."
Schott bought American Optical's fiber optic business in 1986. Schott is a global company with $2.26 billion in sales last year and 15,100 employees worldwide. In the United States, it has 2,000 employees and $532 million in annual sales. Schott AG is solely owned by the Carl Zeiss Foundation, which also owns Carl Zeiss AG.
Brisard and his team met recently with U.S. Rep. Richard E. Neal, D-Springfield, and officials with Springfield Technical Community College in hopes that the college could boost recruiting. Southbridge is on the eastern edge of Neal's district, about 40 miles from Springfield.
There are 18k manufacturing jobs that go unanswered in New England. I was happy to visit @schottusa in #Southbridge today with @S_T_C_C to discuss ways in which we can try to bridge that gap. pic.twitter.com/SDU9PLjhor Rep. Richard Neal (@RepRichardNeal) January 23, 2018
"We are looking for those middle-level skills," said Vicki Winger Shrewsbury, human resources manager at Schott. "Someone with a technical education. We need people with technical skills."
Schott already goes to the manufacturing technology programs at Quinsigamond Community College and technical high schools like nearby Bay Path Regional Vocational High School in Charlton.
A city of about 17,000 people, Southbridge has an unemployment rate of 4.6 percent. That's lower than Springfield's 5.9 percent but higher than the statewide average of 3.1 percent.
At its height, American Optical had 6,000 employees and Southbridge was a company town. It's gone now; the main factory site south of town has a hotel, conference center and an industrial park.
But "the AO's" presence is still felt in this part of southern Worcester County where many companies in addition to Schott are carrying on its work with technologies it developed.
Brisard said that heritage makes Southbridge a great place for Schott to do business.
"It's the expertise," he said. "We have people who are experts at what they do. Some of them have been working in this one place for 40 years. That's rare."
Schott Lighting and Imaging in Southbridge makes fiber optics used in the medical device industry -- think of the endoscopes surgeons use to work inside the body through a small incision. Schott makes the lighting fiber optics that illuminates the surgeons' work and the imaging fiber optics that let surgeons see their work.
Schott's technology goes into X-ray equipment, said vice president and general manager James P. Gareau.
Schott also supplies fiber optics for night vision equipment used by all branches of the military.
The Southbridge plant gets glass from a sister Schott facility in Pennsylvania, heats it and draws it - pulls it like taffy - Gareau said. As long as the tension is consistent, the glass retains its shape.
Schott employees repeat this process over and over again, turning the glass into long strands of fiber optics. They keep repeating the process until a section of fiber optic cable the size of an index card can have 92 million separate strands.
Schott spent $750,000 renovating and upgrading its offices and conference rooms to better pitch its goods to visiting buyers. The plant has $2 million worth of new equipment either recently installed or on order.
Brisard said Schott's been on a lean manufacturing program for eight years. A process that used to take 15 people in three buildings is now seven people in one building.
Adding more automation and getting more efficient helps Schott get more business and drives the need for more staffers to do the work.
Shrewsbury said Schott has between the two businesses about 300 employees in Southbridge. The company hired 45 people in 2017.
But there are 25 open positions right now and about 50 Schott employees are eligible for retirement. All told, Shrewsbury said she expects to need to hire 80 to 100 new workers in 2018.
The company offers benefits and the average wage is $18.20 an hour. Wages range from $14 an hour to $28 an hour.
There is a background check and drug testing, she said. Also, employees must be what's called a US person -- either a citizen or be in possession of a green card -- because the plant does defense work.
Brisard said it takes too long to get those workers hired, averaging about two months per open position. Add to that the two months or so it takes to train an employee at Schott before they can work on their own.
What Schott does is pretty specialized. Even its CNC machine operations are different from what a manufacturing technology student, or a machinist at most other workplaces, would learn.
"They teach machining on metal," Brisard said. "That's not machining glass. The two things are very different. No one else can teach you that. We have to teach you that."
What he does need are workers with good technical skills and the ability to understand that at Schott there is only one set of procedures toward completing a task.
Because while the company has gotten efficient, there no shortcuts.
"Because then we have a product that doesn't meet specifications," he said. "Then we have scrap."
Although I enjoy one occasionally, I'm usually not a huge fan hefeweiss brews overall.
Of course, they can be really good on a hot afternoon, and there are certain ones that really hit the spot. I have my favorites, but I don't anticipate releases of the style the way I do with, say, Octoberfest beers. (Although you hardly have time to "anticipate" Octoberfests anymore, since they now come out way too early in the year.)
But a collaboration that just occurred involved the world's oldest brewery, Weihenstephan of Bavaria, and one of the oldest craft breweries in the U.S., Sierra Nevada, has me a little excited about a new hefeweissbier. These two longstanding beer powerhouses joined forces to create Braupakt just in time for spring.
"This is the first time Sierra Nevada chose to partner with a long-established brewery," Weihenstephan brewmaster Tobias Zollo said in a press release. "Both breweries had something to glean and gain from the other. We came in with high standards for the Hefeweissbier style. Sierra Nevada, who is world-renowned for the pale ale style, came in with the discerning palettes for fruity and aromatic-bodied beers. With Braupakt, we were able to exceed the expectations of both breweries."
Brewmasters from the two breweries spent the better part of 2017 on recipe development, ultimately creating Braupakt, brewed with Hallertauer Tradition hops and refined with American West Coast Amarillo and Chinook hops. Braupakt (literally translated; "brewery pact") combines old world purity standards and brewing methodologies with newer innovation and hop flavors.
The name plays on America's "bro pact" vernacular for fraternal allegiances, and the label features the imperial Bavarian bear sporting a "hang loose" gesture.
"We are extremely excited to share our Braupakt collaboration with the beer community. When we look to create these partnerships, rarely do you get to work with breweries of [Weihenstephan's] stature and we were blown away by the process," noted Scott Jennings, brewmaster of Sierra Nevada. "Not only are we blown away by the finished beer... we learned a lot on this journey as well from one of the original visionaries in our industry."
The brewers described the beer as pouring a naturally cloudy amber with a creamy head. Aromatic notes include peach, apricot and citrus fruits with a fine banana yeast aspect as well as a refreshing grapefruit note from the Chinook hops. The fruity peach and apricot taste of the Amarillo hops is complemented by the mild sweetness of the used caramel malt, according to the brewers.
Weihenstephaner Braupakt will be available nationwide just in time for the warmer weather to hit in April.
SPRINGFIELD - Sinai Temple has a new rabbi who will be installed later this year.
The announcement of the selection of Rabbi Jeremy Master, who has been the spiritual leader at Temple of Israel in Greenville, S.C ., culminates a nearly two-year process that began in the summer of 2016.
The Reform Congregation installed Interim Rabbi Howard A. Kosovske at that time to ponder its future as it moved toward selecting a settled rabbi.
Rabbi Mark Shapiro, who led the congregation for nearly 28 years, retired in June 2016.
Steve Sussman, who served as co-chair with Jackie Neiman of the Rabbinic Search Committee, said the 15 candidates interviewed "had an array of wonderful qualities," but that Master "matched our highest rated criteria."
"We wanted someone who would appeal to young families and be able to take an active role in our religious school and Rabbi Master has experience with reaching out to children, and leading the creation of a new vision for the religious school in Greenville," Sussman said.
"Sinai wants to continue its focus on social action, and we saw that he was instrumental in starting and growing a city-wide effort to help homeless people, housing and feeding them, and helping them to find work. We need someone who will build on our congregants' sense of community, and we saw that he had many initiatives in Greenville to bring people together. He and his wonderful wife - Rabbi Alana Wasserman - frequently opened their home to congregants for social occasions and holidays."
Sussman added that the "feedback we got (from members) was overwhelmingly positive."
"We were told, 'Don't let him get away!,'" Sussman said.
Master said he was "eager" to start his new position in July.
"Sinai feels similar to my current congregation in that people feel a genuine desire to connect with each other through their Judaism," he said.
"I feel one of the skills I have gained that I hope to bring to Sinai Temple is the important work of helping create community and bringing people together."
Master added, "What made me interested in applying to Sinai is that I grew up on Long Island and my family still lives on Long Island and I went to school at Wesleyan University in Connecticut."
"At this point in my career I felt ready for a new professional challenge and as part of that I wanted to be in the Northeast near family and where I went to school," Master said.
"I look forward to the challenge of leading Sinai Temple into the future and returning to be a rabbi in the Northeast will feel like a homecoming to me."
The 23-year-old Winchester resident accused of killing a former classmate has been ordered held without bail.
Jeffrey Yao was arraigned in Woburn District Court Monday morning where a plea of not guilty was entered on his behalf on the charges of assault with intent to murder and one count of murder.
Yao is accused of approaching 22-year-old Deane "Kenny" Stryker from behind at the Winchester Public Library on Sunday morning as she sat at one of the library's tables.
Police say Yao stabbed Stryker several times in the head and torso with a hunting knife. A 77-year-old man who attempted to intervene was also stabbed, suffering non life-threatening injuries.
Stryker died of the wounds, the medical examiner ruled late Sunday.
The attack remains under investigation.
Both Yao and Stryker attended Winchester High School but if the two knew each other well remains unclear.
Neighbors of Yao told the Boston Herald he had become concerning in recent months.
"We warned them. We warned them. I can't believe this," a neighbor who did not want to be identified told the Herald. "This whole thing could have been avoided, all of it."
The Middlesex County District Attorney's office said Yao was known to police.
Stryker was a first-year student in University of New England's College of Osteopathic Medicine.
She was an active member of the college community, serving as an orientation leader and an advocate for domestic violence survivors and mental health awareness, UNE President James Herbert said in a statement.
A Randolph man who was shot by a Massachusetts State Police trooper and six other suspects face charges Monday morning in connection with the group of bikers who caused a chaotic scene on Route 93 this weekend.
Massachusetts State Police responded to a group of 25-35 bikers who stormed I-93 southbound in Boston with their motorcycles and ATVs Saturday afternoon. Police officers were called to the scene by multiple drivers who reported the group of riders as driving erratically and dangerously on the highway around 5 p.m. on Saturday.
Seven people were arrested on the scene while the other riders dumped their bikes and escaped. When state officers caught up with the bikers near Exit 18, one trooper opened fire and shot 28-year-old Randolph man Aderito Monteiro, who was transported to Boston Medical Center with non-life-threatening injuries.
At Boston Municipal Court on Monday, Monteiro will face charges of disorderly conduct, negligent operation, a marked lanes violation, failure to stop for police, driving an unregistered all-terrain vehicle and driving an uninsured ATV, according to a statement by the Suffolk County District Attorney's Office.
In addition to Monteiro, another biker -- who was not shot -- and a state trooper were transported to local hospitals as well. The trooper suffered a knee injury during the response, and the biker complained of having pain, according to Mass. State Police.
The incident remains under investigation by state police, the Suffolk County District Attorney's Office and Boston Police. The D.A.'s office is in charge of investigating police officer-involved shootings. The suspects are all scheduled to be arraigned in Boston Municipal Court this week.
Massachusetts State Police are investigating an incident in Boston Saturday night in which dozens of people drove off-road bikes down Interstate 93 and a police officer opened fire.
State troopers responded to reports of "erratic and dangerous" behavior by a group of bikers on Route 93 southbound in Boston around 5 p.m. on Saturday. A statement by Mass. State Police say approximately 25-35 individuals were "recklessly operating off-road bikes," including all-terrain vehicles and motorcycles.
When police caught up with the bikers near Exit 18, toward Massachusetts Avenue, state police say a trooper opened fire and struck a 28-year-old Randolph man. He was transported to Boston Medical Center for a non-life-threatening injury, according to state police.
A trooper was transported to Mass General Hospital for a knee injury, and another biker, who was not shot, was transported to a local hospital for pain.
A few riders drove off and escaped police during the exchange. Troopers arrested and charged only five suspects with "various offenses," and the two people transported to hospitals are also likely to be charged. State police said they seized nearly 20 of the motorcycles and ATVs on the scene.
The incident remains under investigation by state police, the Suffolk County District Attorney's Office and Boston Police. The D.A.'s office is in charge of investigating police officer-involved shootings. The suspects are all scheduled to be arraigned in Boston Municipal Court this week.
This is part of an ongoing series from the MassLive Unsolved Case Files, a look at families of victims and the investigators who continue to dig for answers.
_________________
Authorities released facial reconstruction images of a woman found killed in Massachusetts nearly 20 years ago.
A forensic artist for the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children created the images.
The woman was found dead in a parking on Crest Avenue in Chelsea on Nov. 13, 2000. She had been dead for roughly 24 hours.
According to NCMEC, Massachusetts State Police identified and arrested a suspect in the killing.
"The suspect stated that the victim was involved in sex trafficking at the time of her death, claimed she identified herself as 'Lisa', and was from Philadelphia, PA," authorities said.
The woman is described as a medium-to-light-skinned black female who may be Asian, Cape Verdean or Indian. She was around 17 to 25 years old at the time of her death.
The woman was about 5-foot-2-inches to 5-foot-5-inches tall and weighed about 100 to 130 pounds. She had short black hair with a reddish tint and had no obvious tattoos, scars or identifying marks were found on her body
Authorities note the woman had purple polish on her toenails and had a slight overbite.
The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children is asking anyone with information to call 1-800-THE-LOST.
AMHERST -- Eduardo Samaniego, a third-year Hampshire College student, is taking the semester off to devote his attention to advocating for passage of DREAM Act (Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors) legislation.
Samaniego, 25, an undocumented immigrant, wants to be able to apply for a path to citizenship under a DREAM Act bill and ensure that others like him can too.
He and 10 others are in the midst of a 250-mile march from New York to Washington as part of the National Walk for the DREAM Act, calling for legislation that can protect him and hundreds of thousands of others from deportation.
Samaniego and his group rallied in Battery Park, New York, Feb. 15 and took the ferry to New Jersey, where they began the first leg of their walk.
Attorney General Jeff Sessions on Sept. 5 announced the end of the DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals) policy, which had allowed some minors who entered or stayed in the U.S. illegally to have their deportation deferred. That left the fate of of approximately 800,000 beneficiaries in limbo. The Trump administration has set a March 5 deadline to end the program unless Congress acts on immigration.
A bipartisan group of senators reached a deal on immigration two weeks ago, but it fell apart. Legislators continue to work on a deal.
Samaniego, who was not protected by DACA but considers himself a Dreamer, said as Congress debates the future of Dreamers, "it is imperative we share our story and call attention to the public, to continue make the case why this is urgent."
The walk is co-sponsored by the Pioneer Valley Workers Center, the Seed Project and Our Dream National Coalition
"We're highlighting we're here and we're part of the country. We want to be visible at this moment," Samaniego, a leader with the Pioneer Valley Workers Center, said.
"We're real. If people don't know the stories, it's easier for others to dismiss us," he said.
Although he graduated high school with honors as president of Junior Achievement of Georgia, President of the Hispanic Honor Society and the only National Society of High School Scholars gold medal winner in his class, Samaniego couldn't go to college because he didn't have a Social Security number.
He worked two jobs for two years and in 2013 met Dreamers advocating for immigration reform. He traveled across the country advocating for equal access to education for DACA students.
He started applying to college again, and in 2014 Hampshire gave him a four-year scholarship.
Along the way to Washington, he said the marchers will visit local houses of worship, staying with families and telling their stories and stories of others, he said. He said he expects many to join them on their way.
Samaniego said even if Congress resolves the issue by the time they arrive in Washington, making the case is imperative.
"Ultimately, this walk is also to claim our place in this country," he said. "For all intents and purposes, we have become part of the fabric of this country. We are not strangers to this country asking to be let in. We want to take our dignity back."
In a Facebook post last week, he wrote, "In the past couple of days I've been reminded of what community looks like at the deepest level, I have no doubt this experience will give me a new family and in the end that will make it all worth it.
"We will forever be grateful to the many who've welcomed us along the way, the love and support has been overwhelming," he wrote.
Massachusetts marijuana regulators decided against immediately moving forward this year with cannabis cafes and home delivery of the controversial substance.
Retail pot shops are still slated to open later this year.
The Cannabis Control Commission voted 4 to 1 on Monday to put off allowing home delivery and "social consumption" - basically consuming marijuana inside someplace other than a primary residence - and they agreed to look into issuing rules on those types of licenses next year.
Shaleen Title, the only member of the commission to publicly favor the marijuana legalization law passed by voters in November 2016, offered up the proposal to delay home delivery and "social consumption" in exchange for exclusivity on those future licenses for minorities, small businesses and farmers.
Home delivery of medical marijuana, which is under a separate structure, is still allowed.
Commissioners agreed to come up with a new timeline for "social consumption" and home delivery regulations. That includes collecting research and information on those types of licenses, re-starting conversations in October 2018 and considering allowing the exclusivity, and then issuing draft rules in February 2019.
Kay Doyle, a former state Department of Public Health official, was the sole commissioner to vote against the delay.
The move came after Gov. Charlie Baker, Attorney General Maura Healey and local prosecutors urged commissioners to take their time setting up the industry and initially limit themselves to focusing on the opening of retail pot shops.
"The pressure campaign conducted by the governor, attorney general and others proved difficult to overcome," Jim Borghesani, a spokesman for marijuana legalization advocates, said in an email.
"The larger issue is getting the application process up and running for the July sales start date. Additional delays would be an embarrassment for the state and a gift to black market dealers," he added.
Commissioners are working through draft rules for oversight of the new industry that is set to grow this year.
In November 2016, Massachusetts voters passed a law broadly legalizing recreational marijuana use for adults ages 21 and over.
By RUTH EGLASH
The Washington Post
JERUSALEM - The doors of Jerusalem's sacred Church of the Holy Sepulchre remained shuttered Sunday amid a growing dispute between Christian leaders in the Holy Land and Israel over the future of multiple church-owned properties and lands they say should be protected by international law.
The unprecedented move at the site that each day draws thousands to the place that Christians believe Jesus was crucified, buried and later resurrected comes after the Jerusalem municipality took steps to start taxing church properties in the city.
It is also a response to proposed legislation that could block the churches from making commercial deals with investors on land they leased long-term to the Israeli government nearly 70 years ago.
At a news conference in front of the church's bolted wooded doors and in a joint statement that followed, the leaders of the Greek Orthodox, Catholic and Armenian churches said Israel was waging a "systematic campaign against the churches and the Christian community in the Holy Land, in flagrant violation of the existing status quo."
"Recently, this systematic and offensive campaign has reached an unprecedented level as the Jerusalem municipality issued scandalous collection notices and orders of seizure of Church assets, properties and bank accounts for alleged debts of punitive municipal taxes," wrote the church leaders.
They said that the step breached agreements and international obligations by Israel toward the church and that it "seems as an attempt to weaken the Christian presence in Jerusalem."
Closing the church's doors comes at a highly sensitive time after a potentially destabilizing decision by President Donald Trump to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and move the U.S. Embassy to the sensitive city. Local Muslims and Christians have said that such a move could upset the religious balance in Jerusalem, a city holy to all three Abrahamic religions.
Palestinians have also said that the formal recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital and transferring the embassy there makes it impossible for the United States to be a fair broker in any future peace process.
Further alienating the Palestinians, the U.S. State Department confirmed on Friday speculation that the U.S. Embassy would move from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem in May, in time for Israel's 70th anniversary.
During his Dec. 6 speech, Trump lauded Israel for building a country "where Jews, Muslims, and Christians, and people of all faiths are free to live and worship according to their conscience and according to their beliefs."
The latest dispute between the church and Israeli lawmakers appears to be a litmus test for that.
After the news conference on Sunday, the Israeli parliament agreed to hold off discussing the legislation to "ease tensions with church leaders in Jerusalem and find a compromise."
But Saeb Erekat, secretary general of the Palestine Liberation Organization, said the dispute showed the "dramatic reality of the Palestinian people in Jerusalem, and particularly of our churches."
Most of the Christian population in Jerusalem, Israel and the West Bank are of Palestinian heritage.
"It's time for President Trump and his administration to realize the consequences of their encouragement for the Israeli policies of occupation and exclusivity in Jerusalem," Erekat said.
Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat said the new taxation policies would not affect the churches and cover only properties belonging to the church that are used for commercial purposes.
"In Jerusalem, all are equal under the law - Christians, Muslims, and Jews alike. The Church of the Holy Sepulchre - as is the case for all of Jerusalem's churches, synagogues, and mosques - is exempt from municipal taxes," he said in a statement.
But he said hotels and office spaces owned by the various churches "are not exempt from municipal taxes, regardless of their ownership."
The churches owe the municipality more than $185 million in back taxes on such properties, the mayor's office said.
Rachel Azaria, the Israeli lawmaker behind the legislation, also said her bill was not designed to take away property belonging to the church but focuses on large tracts of land leased by the church to Israel not long after the state's creation in 1948.
Several years ago, it was revealed that the land, upon which sit hundreds of residential apartment blocks and national institutions, was sold by the church in million-dollar commercial deals to private developers. If approved by parliament, the law will confiscate the lands sold by the church in private deals and prevent similar transactions in the future.
"This is not about religion, this is about money," said Fleur Hassan Nahoum, a member of the Jerusalem City Council, who helped draft the legislation. "The church is trying to profit in the millions on the back of thousands of Jerusalem residents who might lose their homes."
Greek Orthodox Church leadership in Jerusalem also has been at odds with its own followers, who have accused Patriarch Theophilos III of selling off church property without their consent.
A document put together by the Orthodox Central Council shows that at least 20 tracts of land or properties were sold or leased by the church synod over the past 10 years, garnering an estimated $101,114,285 for the church.
In an interview for a previous story, Theophilos said he has had no choice but to sell or lease land held by the church to finance its day-to-day business in Israel and the Palestinian territories, as well as in Jordan and Qatar - all areas under his jurisdiction. He also had to pay off debts left over from bad real estate deals executed by his predecessors, he said.
SPRINGFIELD -- After three years of discussion and delays, a developer on Monday withdrew plans for a 14-unit townhouse project at the former Russell's Restaurant property on Boston Road -- for now.
Nicholas Graham, of Houston, said he withdrew his application for a special permit and zone change at the advice of his lawyer, but is not giving up on the housing plans. The project is proposed at the now-vacant site at Boston Road and Lamont Street.
The City Council granted permission for the withdrawal Monday night, which allows him to reapply at any time. A scheduled hearing was cancelled.
If the permit was denied, Graham would not be able to seek reconsideration for two years under council rules.
"Mr. Graham intends to reapply for the special permit and cone change after he has had an opportunity to address the concerns raised at the recent Pine Point Community Council meeting and by certain neighborhood residents," said Ellen W. Freyman, Graham's lawyer, in a letter to the council.
The withdrawal follows two delayed hearings at Graham's request in recent months. Residents said they were concerned that the apartments would not be suitable in that area near single-family homes.
"I believe the best and only feasible usage for my property is residential development," Graham said in the email to The Republican. "I certainly hope to receive support from the city at some point and will not give up trying to build the first new construction market rate rental complex of this scale in Springfield in over 30 years."
Twice in the past year, the Pine Point Community Council has been opposed to the project. The city Planning Board, however, voted 7-0 in favor of the zone change request in June.
Graham had torn down the vacant restaurant building after buying the property in 2015. In response to neighborhood complaints, Graham leveled a large pile of asphalt and dirt on the property this winter.
Some residents, however, have said that a apartment complex is not appropriate in that area near many single family houses.
The City Council postponed two hearings in recent months, as requested by Graham, to give him opportunities to discuss the project further with the neighborhood council.
Graham, after announcing plans for the project in 2015, did not move forward at the time.
Graham said it took 14 months of submissions to gain approval of his water and sewer permit. At the time, a Springfield Water and Sewer Commission spokeswoman defended the commission's process, saying it had a responsibility to ensure that projects meet commission policies and safety regulations.
Graham said that after that delay, the plan was to break ground in the spring of 2017.
In January of 2017, Graham said he was notified by the city that a change in the city's zoning ordinances required him to go through a special permit process.
Graham was critical of the change in the zoning ordinances, saying it blocks residential development on land that is zoned business and industrial.
"Considering the vast majority of blighted or unused land is zoned in this manner, the new bylaws have essentially outlawed multi-family development citywide without a special permit," Graham said. "It doesn't make sense to me that Springfield can market itself as being amidst a resurgence while outlawing the construction of badly needed rental housing to attract those filling the new jobs created in the city."
In other action at Monday's meeting, Merylina Santiago Asselin was granted permission to withdraw her request to take over a special permit for a used car dealership at 145 Armory St., in the McKnight neighborhood.
The current permit holder is listed as Northeast Auto Depot by Patrick K. Asselin, who was granted a permit for no more than 30 cars in 2016.
The 22-year-old woman fatally stabbed inside the Winchester Public Library Saturday morning has been identified by authorities as Deane Kenny Stryker.
The Middlesex County District Attorney's office released Stryker's name Sunday night.
Boston 25 News said Stryker was a medical student at the University of New England and leaves her mother and two siblings.
Police say 23-year-old Jeffrey Yao approached Stryker from behind as she sat at a table in the library sometime after 10 a.m. Saturday. Yao is accused of stabbing the young woman several times in the head and torso with a hunting knife.
Stryker died from her injuries. A 77-year-old man who tried to help her was stabbed in the arm. Yao was arrested and will face murder and assault charges in court.
Police are still investigating the killing. They are trying to determine if Yao knew Stryker.
Yao's neighbors told the Boston Herald he was aggressive and became more violent over the past few months. One neighbor told the newspaper he warned authorities that Yao would kill someone.
By Nicholas Kristof
New York Times News Service
Before I tell you about my urine, let me stress that it should have been clean.
Almost a decade ago, I was shaken by my reporting on a class of toxic chemicals called endocrine disruptors. They are linked to cancer and obesity, and also seemed to feminize males, so that male alligators developed stunted genitalia and male smallmouth bass produced eggs.
In humans, endocrine disruptors were linked to two-headed sperm and declining sperm counts. They also were blamed for an increase in undescended testicles and in a birth defect called hypospadias, in which the urethra exits the side or base of the penis rather than the tip.
Believe me, the scariest horror stories are found in urology journals. If you're a man, you don't wring your hands as you read; you clutch your crotch.
So I've tried for years now to limit my exposure to endocrine-disrupting chemicals. Following the advice of the President's Cancer Panel, I eat organic to reduce exposure to endocrine disruptors in pesticides. I try to store leftover meals in glass containers, not plastic. I avoid handling ATM and gas station receipts. I try to avoid flame-retardant furniture.
Those are all common sources of toxic endocrine disruptors, so I figured that my urine would test pristine. Pure as a mountain creek.
Silent Spring Institute near Boston, which studies chemical safety, offers a "Detox Me Action Kit" to help consumers determine what harmful substances are in their bodies. Following instructions, I froze two urine samples (warning my wife and kids that day to be careful what food they grabbed from the freezer) and Fed-Exed them off for analysis.
By the way, the testing is for women, too. Men may wince as they read about miniaturized alligator penises, but endocrine disruptors have also been linked to breast cancer and gynecological cancers. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists warns women that endocrine disruptors can also cause miscarriages, fetal defects and much more.
As I waited for the lab results, I continued to follow the latest research. Laura Vandenberg of the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, sent bizarre video of a mouse exposed to a common endocrine disruptor doing back flips nonstop, as a kind of nervous tick.
Finally, I heard back from Silent Spring Institute. I figured this was a report card I had aced. I avoid all that harmful stuff. In my columns, I had advised readers how to avoid it.
Sure enough, I had a low level of BPA, best known because plastic bottles now often boast "BPA Free."
But even a diligent student like me failed the test. Badly. I had high levels of a BPA substitute called BPF. Ruthann Rudel, a toxicologist who is the head of research at Silent Spring, explained that companies were switching to BPF even though it may actually be yet more harmful (it takes longer for the body to break it down). BPF is similar to that substance that made those mice do back flips.
"These types of regrettable substitutions - when companies remove a chemical that has a widely known bad reputation and substitute a little-known bad actor in its place - are all too common," Rudel told me. "Sometimes we environmental scientists think we are playing a big game of Whack-A-Mole with the chemical companies."
Sigh. I thought I was being virtuous by avoiding plastics with BPA, but I may have been causing my body even more damage.
My urine had an average level of an endocrine disruptor called triclosan, possibly from soap or toothpaste. Like most people, I also had chlorinated phenols (perhaps from mothballs in my closet).
I had a high level of a flame retardant called triphenyl phosphate, possibly from a floor finish, which may be "neurotoxic." Hmm. Whenever you see flaws in my columns, that's just my neurotoxins at work.
Will these endocrine disruptors give me cancer? Make me obese? Make my genitals fall off? Nobody really knows. At least I haven't started doing random back flips yet.
The steps I took did help, and I recommend that others consult consumer guides at ewg.org to reduce their exposures to toxic chemicals. Likewise, if I had downloaded the Detox Me smartphone app, I would have known to get rid of those mothballs, along with air fresheners and scented candles. (Science lesson: A less fragrant house means cleaner pee.)
Yet my takeaway is also that chemical-industry lobbyists have rigged the system so that we consumers just can't protect ourselves adequately.
"You should not have to be a Ph.D. toxicologist to be safe from so many of the chemicals in use," Dr. Richard Jackson of UCLA told me. "So much of what we are exposed to is poorly tested and even less regulated."
The Trump administration has magnified the problem by relaxing regulation of substances like chlorpyrifos, Dow Chemical's nerve gas pesticide. The swamp has won.
So the saddest lesson is that even if you understand the peril and try to protect yourself and your family - as I strongly suggest you do - your body may still be tainted. The chemical companies spend tens of millions of dollars lobbying and have gotten the lightest regulation that money can buy.
They are running the show, and we consumers are their lab mice.
In January 1998, after a trip he took to Cuba with then-Cardinal Bernard Law, Rep. Richard Neal (D-Springfield) said that Cuba would have to ease the "political, economic and religious restrictions" on Cuban citizens before he would consider voting to lift the trade embargo.
Now, in light of the major progress in U.S.-Cuba relations made under former President Obama and a Texas A&M University study which showed that the export value of American agricultural, fisheries and forest products would be $1.24 billion annually (of which $891 million would be in Massachusetts) and create more than 31,000 jobs nationally, I wonder if Rep. Neal is still in favor of the trade-embargo mandate that denies Cuba the capability to purchase U.S. farm products on credit?
If he does not support the embargo, why has Rep. Neal not co-sponsored H.R. 525, the Cuba Agricultural Exports Act, filed by Rep. Rick Crawford (R-AR)? The bill currently has the support of 43 Republicans and 19 Democrats from 28 states including Rep. Seth Moulton, the Democrat from Salem, MA.
Intentionally excluding an export market 90 miles from our shores, which is hungry for Arkansas rice, North Carolina poultry, and Massachusetts dairy products, apples and cranberries is not a smart position for a congressman who considers himself an expert on trade policy.
If Rep. Neal is not willing to help push for bilateral trade agreements with Cuba that can help us keep good jobs at places like the Agri-Mark butter and milk plant in West Springfield, then he should be replaced in Congress come the September 4 Democratic primary.
Charles J. Dudek, Williamsburg
BOSTON - U.S. Sens. Elizabeth Warren and Ed Markey, D-Massachusetts, joined union leaders and workers at a rally in Boston on Monday to support unions as the U.S. Supreme Court heard a case that could significantly diminish union power.
"For years, big corporations and billionaire donors and their Republican allies have launched one assault after another against unions and against working people," Warren said. "Corporations and anti-union forces are doing everything they can to tilt the scales in their favor....We're here today because we have not given up. We're ready to fight back."
The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday heard arguments in Janus vs. American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, Council 31. The case could decide the legality of "fair share" or "agency" fees, which are fees that workers whose workplaces are unionized must pay even if the workers choose not to join the union. The ruling could have a major financial impact on unions around the country.
Lee Saunders, president of AFSCME International, came from Washington, D.C. to speak at the Boston rally. "This case isn't about free speech," Saunders said. "This case is about political power. This case is about those who have wealth and power in this country, they want more wealth and power at the expense of all of you. They can go straight to hell, because we're fighting back."
In 1977, in the landmark case Abood v. Detroit Board of Education, the Supreme Court ruled that government employees can be forced to pay a fee to a union to cover the cost of negotiating a contract. The logic was that since the union contract covers all workers, everyone should have to pay for the cost of negotiations, even if an employee chooses not to join the union.
Slightly less than half the states allow unions to collect fair share fees, while slightly more than half of states prohibit the practice.
In this case, Mark Janus, a public employee in Illinois, has asked the Supreme Court to overturn Abood and prohibit unions from collecting fees from non-members.
Janus argues in a court brief that agency fees violate employees' First Amendment rights to free speech. He says imposing the fees requires employees to fund political speech, since unions are trying to influence government's personnel policies.
"It permits the government to compel employees to subsidize an advocacy group's political activity: namely, speaking to the government to influence governmental policies," Janus's attorneys wrote in a court brief.
AFSCME argues that Abood was correctly decided, and fair share fees are important for labor relations and fairness. The union cites previous decisions to argue in a brief that "collection of the fees is justified by States' strong interest in promoting labor peace through collective bargaining and in avoiding the 'free rider' incentive that would arise if non-member employees could avoid paying any dues while nevertheless retaining the benefits of representation by an informed and expert negotiator."
The sides also dispute whether unions can appropriately distinguish which expenses should be considered when calculating non-member payments.
The Trump administration filed a brief supporting Janus. Lawyers for the United States argue that issues like merit pay, state employee tenure and the size of the workforce relate to the proper structure and operation of government. "To compel a public employee to subsidize his union's bargaining position on these questions is to force him to support private political and ideological viewpoints with which he may strongly disagree," attorneys for the United States wrote in a court brief.
The New York Times reported that conservative donors have been bankrolling an effort, which led to this court case, to limit unions' power, since unions tend to back Democrats.
"This case is an attack on working people brought by billionaires," Markey said at the Boston rally. "Donald Trump and his Republican Party want to break every single union that exists today and make sure that no one can organize tomorrow."
More than a dozen union leaders addressed a crowd of union workers in front of a Boston firehouse. The noon rally was part of a day of action organized by unions, which includes a 5 p.m. rally in Springfield and other events throughout the state.
"This is an attack on working people," said Steven Tolman, president of the Massachusetts AFL-CIO. "They're trying to divide us. We're going to work hard to make sure that's not the case."
"This is a case that is about freedom to unite for better jobs, for a better country, for a better life," Tolman said.
Johnny McInnis, political director for Boston Teachers Union and a Boston music teacher, said he used to teach in North Carolina, a state that does not require non-union members to pay a fee. There, he said, there was no union, pay was low, and it was hard to push for better working conditions. He said he worked as a part-time UPS driver while teaching, because that job was unionized so the benefits were better.
When McInnis came to Boston, he said he learned the benefits of a union in pushing for better working conditions and better conditions for students.
Boston Mayor Marty Walsh said his father was a union member, and so was he, and that allowed him to access critical health care benefits. "I have a union book in my pocket, I'm proud of that book," Walsh said.
"This court case is all about dividing workers," Walsh said. "It's about driving down wages, it's about eliminating benefits, it's about eliminating work rules."
Mingling with the rally crowd were Democratic gubernatorial candidates Setti Warren and Jay Gonzalez.
Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey, a Democrat who filed an amicus brief in the case supporting the union, is in Washington, D.C. for the National Association of Attorneys General's winter meeting.
FORT MYERS, Fla. - Brian Johnson faced six batters and retired them in order on Sunday in his first start of the spring for the Red Sox.
The 27-year-old left-hander is out of options and if he doesn't make the Red Sox roster at the end spring training, he'll have to be designated for assignment where another team is likely to pick him up.
Johnson, a 2012 first-round pick of the Red Sox, made five starts in Boston last season posting a 4.33 ERA. In Triple-A Pawtucket, he had a 3.09 ERA over 17 starts. He's at a point in his career where he feels confident he can contribute consistently at the major-league level.
"I'm just taking it like another spring honestly," Johnson said after Sunday's game against the Orioles. "I know it's a different situation for me, but I'm not treating it any differently."
Over the offseason, the Red Sox floated the idea of using Johnson in the bullpen as as way to keep him on the roster. Now with Eduardo Rodriguez and Steven Wright expected to miss the start of the year as they rehab surgically repaired knees, Johnson has a real shot at making the rotation.
"If it's a starter or a reliever, I don't really care to be honest," he said. "I just want to be on this team. Whatever it takes."
Johnson said he's a quick worker when warming up in the bullpen, so even though he hasn't pitched in relief since college, he feels he could adjust to the role quickly.
"In my bullpens, they usually have to slow me down instead of speed me up," he said. "I'm not worried about that. A lot of my stuff in the bullpen is really just mechanical and just feeling my pitches out because you're trying to have the endurance to go the whole game."
A month from now, Johnson will likely know more about his situation. Sunday was the first step this spring in proving he's capable of helping the major-league roster.
--
Follow MassLive.com Red Sox beat reporter @jcmccaffrey on Twitter. She can be reached by email at jmccaffr@masslive.com.
As part of a recent push to increase rural broadband access in the U.S., Microsoft announced today that it will partner with Michigan-based Packerland Broadband. The goal is toprovide internet access to 82,000 people living in rural regions of northern Wisconsin and the upper peninsula of Michigan over the next four years. The partnership is the first of its kind between Microsoft and a regional broadband provider like Packerland.
Anna [email protected]
Bert Mooney just cut the red ribbon on its new $10.5-million terminal, but in a time when the airport has seen a decline in boarding and regional airlines are feeling the pinch from a nationwide pilot shortage, will there be any planes at the gates of the new terminal? Meanwhile, airport officials are seeking to bring a Denver flight to Bert Mooney, but the airport will need to get its boarding numbers up first if its to achieve this aspiration and more.
ANNIE PENTILLA [email protected]
http://mtstandard.com/news/local/as-regional-airlines-struggle-with-pilot-shortages-butte-airport-officials/article_0f6f3e91-f26a-5aa7-b93d-22e6d6201d5c.html#tracking-source=home-top-story
When the city started running advanced life support calls out of Station 2 in 2000, Great Falls Fire Rescue had five paramedics.
In 2001, 2002 and 2004, the department was able to train 22 firefighters as paramedics thanks to funding from the Carrico Foundation. The first class of eight firefighters in 2001 completed the paramedic program at what was then known as MSU College of Technology and the initiative was the first of its kind statewide, according a history of GFFR.
by Jenn Rowell
BCC School, Pailles has celebrated Eid Day on the 16th July 2019 at Municipal Council hall, Guibies, Pailles. Kids of different age groups took part in different cultural programs.
The program started by the message of the founder and director of the school Mr. Muhammad S.U. SARDAR. Afterwards there was the speech of the students of grade 6. The students of Tweet Tweety (Day care section) gave an Eid message to the audience
Cute Nemo 1 (Pre-primary section) performed an Eid song, giving details of Eid and how it is celebrated. Cute Nemo 2 performed a poem to wish everyone Eid Mubarak. Students of Smart Dora (Last year of pre-primary section) performed a drama on importance of helping the needy and poor, an eid song on happiness on the day of Eid and recited Surah Al- Aadiyaat from the Holy Quran.
Happiness and information were shared with the kids and staff of other communities. T-shirts and wall clocks were given as gifts to one and all irrespective of religious background. Also to give students a proper taste of the eid celebration, lunch was served to all the students and staff of the school.
Madrassah Classes have performed the followings-
1. Madrassah Abu Bakr Surah Al Quraish
2. Madrassah Umar 1 Surah Az-Zalzallah
3. Madrassah Umar 2 Song La priere pour les petits
4. Madrassah Uthmaan Song A is for Allah
5. Madrassah Ali
Hadith on Politeness of speech by AULLYAR Najihah
Hadith on Muslims must love each other by LUTTOO Eiliyah & Surah Al Maarij
Afterwards there were the performances of primary sections.
Grade 1 Song Happy Eid, Happy Eid
Grade 2 Drama on Islam, a complete way of life .
Grade 3 Poem- The Holy Month of Ramadan
Grade 6-
Girls- Islamic Song- Amantu Billah
Grade 4- Arabic Song on Eid
Grade 5- Drama on Hadiths on the day of Eid.
Grade 6- Islamic Fashion Show
We have celebrated this day with the objectives to teach our kids how to live in peace and harmony by sharing our happiness, Said the founder and director of the school Mr. SARDAR. A special Eid poem which was written and shared by BCC School this year was-
Eid Mubarak, Eid Mubarak, the Eid has come
We say bye, we say bye, we say bye Ramadan
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Based on data available for all four quarters of 2020, GDP at market prices contracted by 14.9%, as opposed to a growth of 3.0 % in 2019.
Year 2021 (Forecast)
On the basis of information gathered on key sectors of the economy, performance observed in the first quarter of 2021, recent free trade agreements, measures announced in the budget 2021/2022 and uncertainties in international travel due to sanitary conditions, GDP at market prices is forecasted to grow by 5.4% compared to a decline of 14.9% in 2020.
GVA at current basic prices is forecasted at around R 407.2 billion and GDP at current market prices at around R 463.7 billion in 2021.
The main assumptions used to work out the forecast of 2021 are as follows:
a) Sugarcane/sugar milling: a sugar production of around 275,000 tonnes and expected increase in production of special sugar for exports.
b)Textile manufacturing to bounce back by 18.5%, after a decline of 28.6% in 2020;
c) Construction: to augment by 25.2% after a decline of 25.8% in 2020, based on expected pick-up of private construction projects such as smart city projects, morcellement projects, Property Development Scheme (PDS) projects and construction of new/renovation of hotels during the second semester of 2021, coupled with ongoing and upcoming public projects such as Metro Express, decongestion programme, drain projects, new hospital at Flacq, construction of Mediclinics, construction of Cruise Terminal and Data Technology Park at Cote DOr.
d)Wholesale & retail trade; repair of motor vehicles and motorcycles: to grow by 4.1% in contrast to the contraction of 12.0% in 2020.
e) Accommodation and food service activities: to increase by 4.0%, based on expected tourist arrivals of around 325,000 in 2021 with the reopening of borders in July 2021, compared to 308,980 in 2020.
f) Information and communication: to grow at a higher rate of 7.0% compared to 5.9% in 2020.
g) Financial and insurance activities: to grow by 3.8%, higher than the 1.0% growth in 2020.
Consumption and Saving
Final consumption expenditure of households and general government is expected to grow by 1.4% against a drop of 15.7% in 2020
Gross Domestic Savings (GDS) as a percentage of GDP at market prices for 2021 would reach 11.4 from 8.2 in 2020.
Investment
Investment, as measured by Gross Fixed Capital Formation (GFCF), would grow by 11.3% in 2021, compared to a contraction of 26.2% in 2020.
Private sector investment would grow by 14.1% in 2021 as opposed to a 23.2% decline in 2020 and public sector investment would grow by 2.4% in 2021, versus the contraction of 34.1% in 2020.
Investment rate is expected to increase to 19.3% in 2021, from 17.9% in 2020. Private investment rate would be 15.1% compared to 13.6% in 2020 and public investment rate would be 4.2% compared to 4.3% in 2020.
The share of private sector investment in GFCF would reach 78.0% in 2021 from 76.0% in 2020, while that of the public sector would decrease to 22.0% from 24.0% in 2020.
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Consultant for Business Review
The World Wide Fund for Nature, the Global Conservation Organization, through its office in DRC is seeking to recruit a consultant to undertake a business review.
Location :Kinshasa
Duration: 3 months
Deadline for Application:20 March 2018
I. Background
The World-Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) is one of the leading conservation organizations in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The Office is one of the largest in the world, implementing a large number of projects under four main strategic pillars, namely i) Wildlife & Protected Areas (PA), ii) Forest & Agriculture, iii) Energy & Infrastructure and iv) Governance, the later being crosscutting.
In January 2017, the Regional Office for Africa has formally approved WWF-DRC Country Strategic Plan for the period 2017-2021, although its implementation started in July 2016. This strategic plan has been a tremendous work involving all WWF network and external partners in the definition of the country programme identity in full connection with the network global goals framed under nine practices and three drivers. Concurrently, it is fully aligned with the changes in Africa spelt out as Africa Vision, which outlines the key theory of change for WWF Conservation work in Africa from 2014 till 2020. It has therefore captured evolving changes in the region and in the overall WWF.
To this dynamic, it is worth mentioning the WWF culture of continuing re-creation of itself that opened on-going discussions around the Network Development Strategy aiming at confirming WWF as truly Go to Agency that deliver lasting conservation impact, leading WWF-Africa to adopt a vision that is to be an influential and respected conservation organization in Africa; making Africa a model in demonstrating a sustainable relationship between humans and nature.
To deliver conservation impact to the desired ambition, WWF took into account main features of DRC known to be a very vast country with 2.3 million sq km and a population of over 70 million inhabitants. The socio-economic infrastructures are limited though. The road network leaves much to be desired and make trips and travels very challenging. WWF-DRC Landscapes and hubs are located at very remote places. Some of these places that can be reached after one to two-hour flights actually take a full day. Other places can be reached only by canoe or boat and are very time consuming. In this context, WWF-DRC cannot afford operating effectively through one single Concentrated office. Rather we operate through a combination of Light-program structure and Disperse-hub-and-spoke structure. The country office is based in Kinshasa, the capital city of DRC and the hubs are located in Goma, Mbandaka, Boma and Monkoto. In the context of the Strategic Plan 2017-2021, these hubs will be properly materially and administratively equipped, and strengthened in their overall capacity to become fully operational and deliver Conservation outcomes fully.
Based on the above and motivated by its naturally perceived leadership in conservation that puts the expectation from the office by both the network and external partners very high, WWF-DRC would like to pause a bit and revisit its general structure both for Conservation and Operation at country management team level, and clarify further the best way of powerfully operationalizing it to meet and adapt to the fast evolving WWF network ambitions and to galvanize its Strong Office assets. The review will extend to the Conservation delivery model, learning from the strengths and weaknesses of the existing model especially in how WWF-DRC works with local partners, individual consultancies and governmental bodies in the delivery of the conservation work.
II. Objective of the Business Review
The Africa vision for 2020, the evolving network development strategy and the country programmatic ambition consider a WWF-DRC strong office as imperative for lasting transformational conservation. They also demand greater organizational efficiency and effectiveness on the part of the Country Programme, hence, the need for a thorough organization development review. This business review, focused on WWF-DRCs Business Model and Structure operationalization, is expected to analyse and make recommendations on how to improve the efficiency of the organization all in a bid to support further the delivery of the strategic plan.
III. Key activities:
Business Model
Review the business model and assess its alignment with the strategic plan;
Review the strengths and weaknesses of the current model and check the opportunities and threats in regard to the country context.
Assess the quality of implementing partnerships through focus on the local organizations, consultancies and governmental bodies.
Analyze the opportunity and scope of outsourcing of Conservation works by WWF-DRC in the context of DRC.
Betterment of WWF-DRC Structure operationalization
Diagnose and analyze organizational functions efficiency and effectiveness in line with the Organizations expectations;
Develop further and document the roles and responsibility of each strategic position at Country Management Team level.
Assess the required competencies for SMT and key positions against exiting competencies, develop SMT capacity building plan in order to close gaps
Assess the financial sustainability of the current structure (core) and if not fit, propose effective and efficient adjustment measures with focus on options for cost optimization at the Coordination and field level. In other words, the assignment should suggest a soft structure for the Coordination Office.
Analyze operations (finance, logistics and HR) work process, tools, procedures and transactions and their relevance to the conservation delivery context of DRC.
Propose an implementation roadmap including communication and change management plans if change is concluded as an option.
Develop a narrative that defines functional and hierarchical relationships
Update job description and leadership role for each SMT and CMT member including accountability level.
Assessment of internal communication needs / against current communication mechanism and give recommendations on how to improve
Iv. Expected outputs
The following are the key outputs and deliverables:
Work plan and review design/methodology as part of the Consultant application
Job Audit Report
Conservation delivery model review plan
Conservation delivery model review report with concrete recommendations including a focus on optimization at the Coordination and field level. In other words, the assignment should suggest a soft structure for the Coordination Office.
Organization Review and Development Plan
Document explaining functional and hierarchical relations in connection with the approved organizational chart.
Clear and systematic TOR for all leadership positions
Most effective administrative circuit to implement WWF-DRC CSP developed
Internal communication mechanism developed
(SMT) capacity building plan developed and approved
V. Profile
The study is opened to a consultant firm, which will send a pluridisciplinary team or an independent senior consultant.
Required Qualifications include:
University degree in Management
Management and development, organization development or other related Discipline is essential. A relevant post-graduate degree is preferred.
Relevant professional experience of at least ten (10) years in the different areas of human resource/organizational design and development
Actual exposure to organizational reform development and management is strongly desired
Professional working knowledge on local government processes and structure is essential
Professional experience in foreign-assisted development projects is preferred
Knowledge in real property appraisal is an advantage
Required Skills and Competencies
Strong interpersonal skills, with ability to function in a multi-cultural environment
Exceptionally strong analytical skills with ability to set priorities, complete work with minimal supervision, and meet deadlines
Aptitude for clear and concise oral and written communication
Fluency in English and French
Adheres to WWFs values, which are: Knowledgeable, Optimist, Determined and Engaging.
VI. Communication
Improving an organization structure operationalization can be a sensitive subject. It is important to communicate clearly that this organisational development enquiry is to explore the issues and options around optimization, efficiency and sustainability, with the aim of providing a good baseline of information to the management of Africa Office, WWF donors supporting the OD process and WWF-DRC. This will help avoid any perceptions that there is a pre-determined outcome to the organizational development process.
VII. How to Apply
Interested and suitably qualified firms are invited to send a letter of motivation outlining the proposed methodology for achieving the overall outputs mentioned above. Detailed CV of the firms experts and references from at least 3 organizational consultancies carried out within the past 10 years not later than March 20th, 2018.
Applicants should include an estimate of time needed to fulfil the obligations outlined in their methodology and a daily rate. The estimated end date of the assignment will be 30th May 2018. All application should be sent to recruit-wwfdrc@wwfdrc.org
JACKSON, Miss.
Feb. 26, 2018
Laurel
Nichols Middle School
Canton
Baldwyn Middle School
Baldwyn
Mississippi
Aaron Sisk
Mississippi
Mississippi
Mississippi
/PRNewswire/ -- A positive prevention initiative designed to promote inclusion in middle schools was celebrated at multiple schools statewide.Magnolia Health hosted an assembly in honor of, created by the non-profit Beyond Differences. Assemblies were held across the state throughout February at Oak Park Elementary School inin, andin. Over 1,220 students participated in activities designed to teach about social isolation and the negative impact it can have on a student's health and academic performance. Students put the lesson into action by sitting with students at lunch who they don't know, or who may feel left out. They were given ice breaker topics to discuss to highlight their commonalities.Social isolation has been identified as a precursor to bullying, self harm and community violence. Students have shown that given the tools, they will stand up for others as empathetic and caring activists, not passive bystanders."Magnolia Health is proud to partner with Beyond Differences to bring light to social issues that affect students in," said, plan president and CEO of Magnolia Health. "We know that social isolation cannot only affect mental health, but their physical health as well. This event helps us to foster positive behavior to improve the health of children in our state.""Social isolation is a preventable public health problem affecting millions of children every day who suffer in silence," says Laura Talmus, co-founder and executive director of Beyond Differences. "We've learned through teachers and families that No One Eats Alone is a powerful step and positive initiative that can change the culture in schools to be a more welcoming place for all."Theseschools were part of more than 2,000 schools across the country that celebrated. The initiative reached more than 1 million students.is sponsored by the Centene Charitable Foundation.Magnolia Health is a long-term solution to help the state ofenhance care for Medicaid and Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) recipients, while most effectively managing taxpayer dollars. A physician-driven,-based Coordinated Care Organization (CCO), Magnolia is backed by its parent company, Centene Corporation (Centene). Centene has more than 30 years of experience in Medicaid, CHIP and other government-funded programs such as Supplemental Security Income (SSI) and long-term care. For more information about Magnolia, visit www.magnoliahealthplan.com.
View original content:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/mississippi-schools-and-magnolia-health-celebrate-national-no-one-eats-alone-day-300604050.html
SOURCE Magnolia Health
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The study, published in the February issue of the Journal of Hospital Medicine, is based on data from 52 hospitals around the state of Michigan taking part in a massive quality improvement and patient safety effort. It's a detailed analysis of records from 15,397 PICC placements over a two-year period from 2014 to 2016, just before and after guidelines for safe and appropriate PICC use made their debut.The study is a large-scale examination of real-world use of PICCs, or peripherally inserted central catheters, and the factors associated with their short-term use.It highlights the need for efforts to reduce short-term use of PICCs and help medical care teams understand current practice and consider other alternatives for short-term IV access that pose less risk."When PICCs first came out, they became an 'easy button' for vascular access, and the safety issues weren't recognized," says David Paje, M.D., M.P.H., the University of Michigan hospitalist who led the research team. "Now the dynamics have changed, and we need to be more thoughtful with their use."Paje, an assistant professor of internal medicine, also helps lead the Medical Short Stay Unit at Michigan Medicine, U-M's academic medical center.For the new study, he worked with senior author and Division of Hospital Medicine chief Vineet Chopra, M.D., M.Sc., and co-author Scott Flanders, M.D., who directs the Michigan Hospital Medicine Safety Consortium that provided the data for the study. Colleagues from several Michigan hospitals are co-authors.Based on previous studies of PICC-associated risks, the team assembled an expert panel that developed a guideline for choosing IV devices appropriately, called MAGIC. They unveiled it in 2015, and turned into a mobile and web app in 2017.Hospitals in the Michigan consortium, which is funded by Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan, began receiving training in MAGIC during the study period, but were still implementing it.MAGIC guides clinicians to the appropriate option for the individual patient they're treating. For instance, instead of a PICC, it recommends that patients who will need intravenous access for less than five days should receive a different form of IV device, such as a midline or peripheral IV."This study helps illustrate how medical devices such as PICCs can be both helpful and harmful," says Chopra, who led the development of MAGIC and is a member of the U-M Institute for Healthcare Policy and Innovation. "Understanding how best to balance appropriate use - using tools like MAGIC - is the way to safe and better patient care."As part of the study, Paje and his colleagues looked at which patients were more likely to receive a PICC for short-term use.The strongest factor was difficult vascular access - a catch-all phrase that means it had been hard to start an IV in the patient in previous visits or earlier in the hospital stay.Clinicians may default to choosing a PICC in these patients in order to keep an intravenous access point open, rather than having to find a vein each time, Paje says. Or, some experienced patients may even ask for a PICC to avoid so many "pokes."Patients whose physicians ordered a multilumen IV device, to avoid contact between different medications or nutrition solutions, were also more common among short-term PICCs. But Paje notes that few of the patients' records actually said that they were receiving multiple IV substances that had to be kept separate. And patients who had a short-term multilumen PICC were much more likely to suffer a complication.Interestingly, patients treated in teaching hospitals were more likely to receive a short-term PICC than those treated in non-teaching hospitals. This could actually be seen as an opportunity to address the issue of inappropriate short-term PICC, if hospitals make a plan to teach their residents about the risks and benefits of PICCs and other IV devices.A recent paper by members of the consortium showed that at one hospital that implemented MAGIC, inappropriate PICC use decreased compared with hospitals that didn't implement it, and PICC-related complications also decreased modestly.Paje notes that the body's own reaction to foreign material, and the mechanical stress put on veins when a PICC is inserted, can combine to damage veins and increase the risk of clots or scarring. The damage can keep a dialysis candidate from being able to successfully establish a vascular fistula, which would have been the preferred way to receive long-term dialysis.In all, 9.6 percent of the short-term PICC patients experienced a complication, including 2.5 percent who experienced a blood clot forming in their vein that could have broken off and caused more serious consequences, and 0.4 percent developing a CLABSI, or central line associated blood stream infection."The use of PICCs exploded because the safety issues were not initially recognized, including those associated with clots and infections," says Paje. "Now we're coming back full circle, and we need to adapt and implement quality improvement processes to be more judicious with their use. We need to recognize that PICCs are not without any consequence, even for short-term use."He notes that most of the reasons cited for PICC use in the patient records used in the study - such as delivering antibiotics -- do not require the deep access to the central bloodstream that PICC provides.Even as clinicians get the word about the MAGIC guidelines and implement measures to right-size PICC uses, Paje calls on patients and family members to speak up and ask questions before a PICC gets placed."Patients or their representatives should be actively engaged, and informed," he says. "Find out what lines they're putting in, and ask questions."Source: Eurekalert
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According to IDF Atlas 8th edition, 72.9 million people have diabetes in India and over 58% people have undiagnosed diabetes.In his opening address at the symposium, Anil Kumble said: "Diabetes in India is on the rise. I am glad that I have the opportunity to be a part of the Changing Diabetes mission spearheaded by Novo Nordisk India. To manage diabetes, it is essential that one gets timely diagnosis and early initiation of treatment combined with simple lifestyle modifications. As physicians, I urge you to motivate people to recognize the need to know their risk at the earliest for managing diabetes better."The workshop conducted by leading city-based diabetologists focused on increasing the participating physicians' knowledge about the progression of diabetes, the physiological effects of insulin, and tools for successfully initiating insulin in patients with type 2 diabetes. Approximately 300 doctors benefited from this.said: "Novo Nordisk is committed towards creating awareness about diabetes and ensuring people with diabetes are provided with best-in-class quality medication. APICON is the right platform for healthcare professionals to congregate and converse on the latest in diabetes care treatment and best practices. We are happy to support API Karnataka Chapter in their endeavour to create a platform to ideate, debate and share scientific updates on diabetes."said: "API was established in 1944 with the aim of promoting collaboration, enabling knowledge sharing, advancing treatment practices and skills, and supporting academic endeavour in the field of medicine in India, by conducting its annual national conferences in various cities of India."APICON 2018 being held in Bengaluru is one of the largest conferences with the registered delegates tally of around 10,000 The conference featured lectures, interactive workshops and discussions with many prominent and renowned physicians.Source: Medindia
Highlights:
Diplomate of National Board (DNB) doctors received a setback with a judgment from the Supreme Court dismissing their plea for equivalence of their degree to the MD/MS degree in academics.
The Sankalp Association, which represents the DNB doctors, is likely to refile the case against the Medical Council of India (MCI) after correcting the technical issues.
A recent judgment by the Supreme Court dismissed the petition filed by the Sankalp Association of DNB Doctors, Delhi which demanded that the DNB degree be considered equivalent to the MD/MS degree while recruiting a candidate for the post of teaching faculty in an MCI-recognized hospital. The Supreme Court's dismissal stated that:
"We find no ground to entertain this petition filed under Article 32 of the Constitution. The writ petition is dismissed accordingly."
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The tussle between Diplomate of National Board (DNB) doctors and the MCI continues with the doctors receiving a setback in the latest judgment pronounced by the Supreme Court of India.
Are Diplomate of National Board (DNB) Qualified Doctors Compromised Specialists from India?
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Mixed phenotype acute leukemia is two forms of leukemia combined: acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). The term "mixed phenotype" means "both types."Leukemia is a type of cancer that attacks blood-forming cells in the bone marrow. Leukemias that spread quickly are called acute leukemias. The fast-moving nature of mixed phenotype acute leukemia means it is especially crucial for people who are newly diagnosed to be treated quickly.Mixed phenotype acute leukemia is rare, representing just 5% of all acute leukemia cases. It is more common in adults than children, but it can occur at any age.Luckily, she found a match through 'Datri', India's adult unrelated blood stem cell donors' registry. The procedure was performed, giving her a new lease on life. Garima, full of gratitude said, "Special thanks to the donor who donated a life to me and my family. Today I am living a second life."Gurumoorthi, a 27-year old mechanic by profession, registered as a donor in October 2016 at the 'Masonic Clinic Coimbatore'.As per the registry protocol, the identity of donors and recipients are kept anonymous for one year. Both the recipient and donor expressed their desire to meet each other. So when the doctors declared that the patient was completely cured, 'Datri' facilitated a meeting between the two and their families. The event was to celebrate and acknowledge the 'selfless giver' and the 'courageous spirit' of the recipient who waded through all adversities.Present on the occasion, Ms Vinita Srivastava, coordinator, National Blood Cell, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, said, "Government of India is determined to take up this cause. We are already working towards helping children with sickle cell disease, thalassemia, and aplastic anemia. Till date, we have supported 61 such cases. We plan to collaborate with existing registries in the country like Datri."Raghu Rajagopal, co-founder and CEO 'Datri', stressed the need to expand the registry and said that "there are over 1,800 patients on Datri's waiting list, anticipating a match."Source: Medindia
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Gupte was feted for his outstanding contribution to a global programme on elimination of leprosy whereas Shah was lauded for humanitarian services to alleviate the suffering of leprosy patients, an official statement said.Pointing out that Gandhi's thoughts and actions are relevant even today, Naidu said that Gandhi ji took a keen interest in leprosy patients and leprosy work even when there was no specific cure for the disease."Today, there is a lot of fear, superstition and stigma attached to leprosy," he said.Naidu stressed the need to intensify efforts towards early detection of leprosy, provide equitable access to appropriate treatment and provide integrated leprosy services."There is need to empower the socially discriminated against through advocacy and information dissemination," Naidu said."Over the years, the scourge of leprosy has remained a blot on humanity... more than the medical condition, the social stigma attached to the disease is a cause for concern," Naidu said."There is also need to conduct research on developing diagnostic tests and new vaccines," the Vice-President said."... until April 1, 2012, as many as 33 states and Union Territories had attained leprosy elimination of less than 1 case per 10,000 population. As many as 542 of the 640 districts achieved this distinction by March 2012," he added.Source: IANS
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Key immune cells involved in causing this damage are macrophages (literally 'big eaters'), which ordinarily serve to attack and rid the body of unwanted intruders.A particular type of macrophage known as microglia are found throughout the brain and spinal cord in progressive forms of MS, they attack the CNS, causing chronic inflammation and damage to nerve cells.Recent advances have raised expectations that diseases of the CNS may be improved by the use of stem cell therapies. Stem cells are the body's 'master cells', which can develop into almost any type of cell within the body.Previous work from the Cambridge team has shown that transplanting neural stem cells (NSCs) stem cells that are part-way to developing into nerve cells reduces inflammation and can help the injured CNS heal.However, even if such a therapy could be developed, it would be hindered by the fact that such NSCs are sourced from embryos and therefore cannot be obtained in large enough quantities. Also, there is a risk that the body will see them as an alien invader, triggering an immune response to destroy them.A possible solution to this problem would be the use of so-called 'induced neural stem cells (iNSCs)' these cells can be generated by taking an adult's skin cells and 're-programming' them back to become neural stem cells. As these iNSCs would be the patient's own, they are less likely to trigger an immune response.Now, in research published in the journalresearchers at the University of Cambridge have shown that iNSCs may be a viable option to repairing some of the damage caused by MS.Using mice that had been manipulated to develop MS, the researchers discovered that chronic MS leads to significantly increased levels of succinate, a small metabolite that sends signals to macrophages and microglia, tricking them into causing inflammation, but only in cerebrospinal fluid, not in the peripheral blood.Transplanting NSCs and iNSCs directly into the cerebrospinal fluid reduces the amount of succinate, reprogramming the macrophages and microglia in essence, turning 'bad' immune cells 'good'. This leads to a decrease in inflammation and subsequent secondary damage to the brain and spinal cord."Our mouse study suggests that using a patient's reprogrammed cells could provide a route to personalized treatment of chronic inflammatory diseases, including progressive forms of MS," says Dr Stefano Pluchino, lead author of the study from the Department of Clinical Neurosciences at the University of Cambridge."This is particularly promising as these cells should be more readily obtainable than conventional neural stem cells and would not carry the risk of an adverse immune response."The research team was led by Dr Pluchino, together with Dr Christian Frezza from the MRC Cancer Unit at the University of Cambridge, and brought together researchers from several university departments.Dr Luca Peruzzotti-Jametti, the first author of the study and a Wellcome Trust Research Training Fellow, says: "We made this discovery by bringing together researchers from diverse fields including regenerative medicine, cancer, mitochondrial biology, inflammation and stroke and cellular reprogramming. Without this multidisciplinary collaboration, many of these insights would not have been possible."Source: Eurekalert
Hyundai is recalling more than 40,000 of its 2018 Santa Fe SUVs due to the potential risk the steering wheel could detach while in use.
The recall includes 43,941 Santa Fe and Santa Fe Sport SUVs that were manufactured between July and October 2017 at Hyundai's Alabama-based manufacturing plant. The automaker reports in National Highway Traffic Safety Administration documents that these SUVs could have been manufactured with "defective steering wheel" parts an that no other models from Hyundai or Genesis were affected.
Hyundai notes in the documents filed with the NHTSA that it estimates 1 percent of the recalled vehicles were equipped with the defective parts. It reports it is aware of two incidents where the steering wheel detached, but is not aware of any related crashes or injuries.
"The subject vehicles are equipped with steering wheel assemblies that could have been manufactured with insufficient breakage strength, increasing the risk that the steering wheel could separate from the steering column while driving," Hyundai reports in the documents.
"The mold temperature may have increased during the molding process resulting in damage to certain steering wheel hub assemblies."
Affected owners should receive recall notification in the mail starting on March 16. Dealers will make necessary repairs and changes free of charge.
ANN ARBOR, MI - An Ann Arbor company that makes pins with political messages has a new design featuring the face of a high school student whose passionate words at a gun control rally sparked debate in the aftermath of the Florida school shooting.
The specially-designed pin displays the words and likeness of Emma Gonzalez, a senior at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, who has been speaking out and for gun control after 17 people were killed in a mass shooting at the school on Valentine's Day.
A statement emblazoned on the pin, "No more thoughts. No more prayers. It's time for action," came from a speech by Gonzalez three days after the school shooting.
Around 800 of the "Time for Action" pins have already been purchased, said Kate Lind, co-founder of the company called Pincause.
"She is saying what a lot of adults were too afraid to say," Lind said. "She's challenging politicians and the NRA head on. I think everyone is drawn to that. She is definitely not alone."
The pins, designed by Arizona designer and illustrator Sheriden VanHoy, cost $5, with $2 from each sale going to the Stoneman Douglas Victims' Fund.
The victims' fund already has raised more than $2.2 million of its $2.5 million goal in 10 days, with donations contributed from more than 30,000 people to "provide relief and financial support to the victims and families of the horrific shooting," the website said.
Lind and fellow Pincause co-founder Nate Stevens had been discussing an anti-gun violence campaign since the start of 2018. When news of the Florida school shooting broke, they saw people respond to VanHoy's print of Gonzalez and knew they had to contact the artist.
"We wanted to make sure we had something that was powerful and also something we could get to them as soon as possible," Lind said about customers, who immediately began clamoring for a pin and a way to show their support when it comes to gun control.
More designs are in the works, she added, like a pin from Penelope Dullaghan to be revealed this week. The Indianapolis-based artist has worked with Pincause on designs for the Women's March in 2017, March for Science events and an anti-puppy mill campaign with The Humane Society of the United States.
Lind and Stevens are also working with a University of Michigan student on a pin to commemorate national school walkout events on March 14.
Pincause has contacted Gonzalez about the pins and have not heard back from the high school student, though Lind said they understand she has "bigger and more important things going on" taking on politicians and the NRA.
"She's taking it out of this philosophical realm... and just demanding action now," Lind said. "You can't argue her feelings, because those are her feelings about it. She was there."
ANN ARBOR, MI - Representatives of the Rover Pipeline are visiting three Michigan counties this week to present donations to local emergency management departments.
Rover Pipeline is donating $10,000 to counties from West Virginia through Michigan that are traversed by the 713-mile natural gas pipeline, for a total of $270,000. Representatives will be in Livingston, Lenawee and Washtenaw counties on Wednesday, Feb. 28, to present the checks.
A statement from Rover Pipeline said the donations are offered in goodwill and can be used to "purchase new equipment, perform additional training, or for any needs that benefit the first responders in each perspective county."
Expected to be complete in 2018, the Rover Pipeline website said it will transport 3.5 billion cubic feet of natural gas from processing plants in West Virginia, Ohio and Pennsylvania with about 68 percent of the gas delivered to U.S. markets.
Some gas would be delivered to distribution companies and storage fields in Michigan, according to the Rover Pipeline website, while the remainder would travel to the Dawn Hub in Ontario, Canada.
One phase of the project would bring 80 miles of the gas line through Lenawee, Washtenaw and Livingston counties to meet up with the Vector Pipeline located near Howell.
That has angered some Michigan residents, who have asked the Army of Engineers to revoke the Rover gas pipeline project's permit and led protests at Ann Arbor YMCA's Camp Birkett in Dexter Township because of the proximity of the pipeline to the property and nearby residences.
The Rover Pipeline received a violation notice in October from the Michigan Department for Environmental Quality after area residents reported water that smelled like gasoline spilling over the sides of a dewatering enclosure into the wetlands.
In November, the DEQ said there was a "high possibility" the gasoline in the water came from underground storage tanks at a former gas station on nearby Cedar Drive.
GRAND RAPIDS, MI - The 24-year-old North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) may need a tune-up, but Michigan will suffer if President Donald Trump follows through his threats to cancel the agreement or impose tariffs, a Canadian trade representative told local business leaders.
Canadian Consul General Douglas George carried that message to about 150 Michigan business leaders who met with him in a closed-door session at Grand Valley State University on Monday, Feb. 26.
The meeting, sponsored by The Right Place economic development agency and the Van Andel Global Trade Center, was aimed at bolstering support for NAFTA, the trade agreement between the United States, Canada and Mexico that has been attacked as a jobs killer by Trump.
In fact, all three countries have benefited from NAFTA, said George, noting that Michigan and Canada manufacturers work closely together to produce finished goods that are exported around the globe.
Inhibiting that cooperation would harm their ability to sell in other markets, said George, a career diplomat and trade policy expert who is based in Detroit and is responsible for Michigan, Kentucky, Ohio and Indiana.
If NAFTA disappears, "there would be severe damage to all three economies," said George, adding that the trade agreement has benefited the three countries by more than $1 trillion.
Birgit Klohs, president and CEO of The Right Place, said the meeting with business leaders was a rare foray into politics for the economic development agency.
But changes to NAFTA could inhibit job growth or trigger a recession in West Michigan, where food processors, farmers, auto parts manufacturers and office furniture makers rely on trade with Canada, Klohs said.
Michigan companies get $24 billion in economic activity and 50,000 jobs from NAFTA, Klohs said. In West Michigan, NAFTA has a $6 billion impact, she said.
Klohs said one West Michigan, manufacturer, which she did not identify, has lost customers and laid off workers after an American tariff on German steel forced him to raise prices on a product that can only be made with a specific type of steel that's only made in Germany.
Recently, the Trump Administration has threatened to impose tariffs on Canadian steel and aluminum.
Klohs said West Michigan companies are working through their trade associations to warn Congress and the Trump Administration about the benefits of NAFTA.
AUGUSTA TOWNSHIP, MI - Two fires in a 24-hour span ultimately destroyed an Augusta Township home in mid-February.
Authorities, however, don't believe the two incidents are tied to a series of fires being investigated at a nearby mobile home park.
Between January of 2016 to January of 2017, four fires were reported at the Whittaker Oaks Manufactured Housing Community. Two additional fires were reported in the same span at a pair of barns that sit next to the park.
State police have been investigating the fires and believe a handful are suspicious.
Three of the incidents, at 348 English Oak Lane, 313 Scarlett Oak Lane and 497 Spanish Oak Lane, are still being investigated, while the other cases were closed.
No arrests have been made.
Augusta Township Fire Chief Dave Music said the two fires at 5340 Bemis Road on Feb. 14-15 aren't believed to be suspicious.
"At this point, I don't think this was anything malicious or anything to do with those fires," Music said. "Every time we have a fire in that area we do an investigation because of the past history there."
The first fire started due to a candle hitting a blanket in an upstairs bedroom on Feb. 14, Music said. The blaze caused extensive damage to the second floor, but the house was believed to be repairable.
However, the second fire, on Feb. 15, burned down most of the home. That fire is believed to have started in the basement, Music said.
Authorities are still investigating the incident and the family is staying in a local motel in the meantime.
"There's a lot of damage and it's going to be hard to determine the cause of this fire," Music said. "It may go as undetermined."
ANN ARBOR, MI - Residential and commercial real estate development giant McKinley, Inc., has called upon Washtenaw Community College to help train building maintenance professionals for employment at the company's apartment and housing units around the Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti area.
Applicants are sought to fill a three-week paid maintenance apprenticeship program that begins on Monday, April 16. The training program was designed by the WCC Workforce Development department and will be led by WCC instructors on-site at McKinley properties.
Those selected to join the program will transition into a maintenance tech role with McKinley upon successful completion. The starting wage for the positions is approximately $13.50 per hour, plus a benefits package for those who meet minimum qualifications.
"McKinley is excited to join with Washtenaw Community College for our Maintenance Apprenticeship Program," said Will Epps, associate vice president of operations at McKinley, in a news release. "This partnership will allow us to cultivate and grow talent in our workforce and, at the same time, give back to our community that we are invested in by providing education and careers."
Those interested in joining the program should attend one of three informational sessions at the Glencoe Hills Apartments clubhouse, located at 2201 Glencoe Hills Drive in Ann Arbor. The two-hour informational sessions are set for 10 a.m. to noon on Monday, Feb. 26; noon to 2 p.m. Wednesday, March 7; and 2 to 4 p.m. Monday, March 12.
The program includes 20 hours of WCC instructor-led classes per week that will focus on grounds maintenance, appliance repair, drywall installation and patching, basic plumbing and electrical repair and painting.
"Our Workforce Development team has put together 60 hours of professional-level classroom instruction that we're eager to take out to McKinley properties," said Niko Dawson, WCC's Dean of Economic and Community Development. "We believe we've put together a program that will develop the solid roster of maintenance professionals that McKinley needs to provide high-quality maintenance services to its residents and give job seekers in our community a jumpstart to finding a long and successful career."
Interested candidates:
Must be 18 years old or able to obtain a work permit.
Must have access to a vehicle and have a valid driver's license
Does not use illegal drugs and must pass a drug screen and background check
Must have good fine motor skills, like using hand/power tools and have the willingness to learn on the job
Must adhere to McKinley dress code policies, which does not allow visible tattoos or piercings
For more information or to ask questions about the maintenance apprenticeship program, call 734-747-2936.
BEAVER TWP, MI -- Police are looking for a hit-and-run driver who crashed into a pedestrian and left him with severe injuries on a stretch of road in rural Bay County.
Bay County Sheriff's deputies at 11:14 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 23, were dispatched to the scene on Doud Road near South Eight Mile Road in Beaver Township. They arrived to find 25-year-old Zachary S. Fisher in the roadway.
Fisher's girlfriend, Hope Barringer, told The Bay City Times-MLive that the couple had recently left Barringer's mother's house. The two had an argument and Fisher opted to exit the vehicle Barringer was driving, she said.
On exiting the vehicle, Fisher dropped his glasses in the road and began looking for them as Barringer drove away. A short time later, Barringer's mother drove near the scene to pick up Fisher.
Before Fisher could get in Barringer's mother's car, another vehicle approached.
"It came up at 60 mph and totally smashed him," Barringer said. "He flew 120 feet through the air."
Barringer had turned around and was driving back toward where she had dropped off Fisher when the collision occurred. She left her vehicle and ran up to Fisher, who by then was unconscious, she said.
As her mother stayed with Fisher and called 911, Barringer returned to her vehicle and pursued the one that had struck her boyfriend. She followed the vehicle, which she described as a light tan SUV, until about Nine Mile Road, when she said her engine blew.
Fisher was transported via ambulance to Mid-Michigan Medical Center in Midland. He was later transferred to Beaumont Hospital in Royal Oak.
Fisher suffered four skull fractures and breaks in his hip, collar bone, and femur. He also sustained a brain bleed in two spots, Barringer said.
He'll be hospitalized for at least two weeks, Barringer said.
"He won't be able to walk for the next two months, if ever again," she added.
Deputies were unable to locate the vehicle that had struck Fisher.
Fisher's family is offering a reward of $300 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the hit-and-run driver. Those with information regarding the incident can contact the Bay County Sheriff's Office at 989-895-4050.
George Anthony Davis Jr. MDOC photo
Anthony George Davis Jr., a 27-year-old parolee accused of fatally shooting three people at a gas station and his own cousin at a Detroit home Monday morning, is dead after a police chase that ended near I-75 and I-280 outside Toledo on Monday afternoon, WTOL-TV, Channel 11 CBS News reports.
Police haven't revealed how Davis died.
Among those Davis is suspected of fatally shooting are the mother of Davis' child and Citadel of Praise Deacon Raphael Hall, according to Detroit Police Commander Jacqueline Pritchett.
Also killed at the gas station was a woman who was being driven to work by the pastor and the mother of Davis' child, Pritchett said.
It is with an extremely heavy heart that I announce the sudden and tragic loss of our members, Deacon Raphael Hall,... Posted by Citadel of Praise on Monday, February 26, 2018
Pritchett said Travis fired at two women sitting in a vehicle at the gas station, as well as Hall, who was pumping gas.
He unloaded his gun and then reloaded, or grabbed another gun, from another vehicle and fired more gunshots at the women, Pritchett said.
Posted by Detroit Police Department on Monday, February 26, 2018
After killing the three people at the gas station, Davis went to a home on Faust in Detroit and killed his cousin, who was shot twice, and fled in a 2007 Nissan Altima, police said.
Pritchett said the suspect's mother had been talking to Davis and urged him to turn himself over to police.
"Guys in the neighborhood" indicated to police that Davis made previous statements that he planned "to kill some people" he felt were "out to get him," Pritchett said.
According to Michigan Department of Corrections records, Davis was released on parole Oct. 4, 2016 and was scheduled to be released from parole on April 4.
He has felony convictions for second-degree home invasion, carrying a concealed weapon and receiving a stolen vehicle.
Among the tattoos listed in corrections department records describing Davis is one that reads, "father forgive me," on his left forearm.
OAKLAND COUNTY, MI - Oakland County sheriff's deputies last week handled several incidents involving threats at schools. All were less severe than they initially might have seemed and none resulted in serious injury.
Deputies were called Tuesday to the Pontiac Arts and Technology Academy because a student there might have had a gun with "15 clips" inside a vehicle. The 18-year-old suspect allowed police to check his vehicle and a search revealed an unloaded gas-operated BB gun but no handgun, according to the sheriff's office.
Police determined the student had made threatening comments to a friend about his ex-girlfriend, also a student. The friend told the girlfriend, who notified school personnel. The teen was released pending further investigation and the case will be reviewed by the county prosecutor's office to determine whether it warrants criminal charges.
Days later, a Milford High School student was charged with a county of malicious destruction of a building for writing "Don't come to school Tuesday" inside a restroom, above a urinal. Police were contacted about 9:20 a.m. Thursday. The student said he wrote the statement in jest and meant no harm. A search of his home, at his mother's consent, revealed nothing suspicious, the sheriff's office reported.
Also on Thursday, a deputy learned an 18-year-old threatened to shoot a 15-year-old Pontiac High School student and any deputy he saw at the school. Not a student at the high school, the teen was located at his home on Mohawk Street and arrested and jailed, according to the sheriff's office. He had air soft guns in his room. Two of them had the orange safety tips removed from their fronts.
In Orion Township on Thursday, police investigated pictures of firearms posted on social media by a Lake Orion High School student. The images, linked to domestic relationship between several students, had been randomly taken from other websites, police determined, and there was no evidence of a viable threat. "The purpose of the images was to escalate an on-going cyber bullying incident with another student," According to the sheriff's office. The incident remains under investigation and will be presented to the prosecutor's office for review. The three suspects are two 17-year-old boys and a 15-year-old girl. The victim is a 15-year-old girl.
GENESEE COUNTY, MI -- Fenton Township fire Chief Ryan Volz is pleading with residents to stay off the ice on 18 lakes in the area after a pair of men plunged Sunday evening into Silver Lake.
Firefighters and members of the Fenton Township dive team responded along with police shortly before 6:30 p.m. Feb. 25 to the 16000 block of Silver Lake Drive for a water rescue after two people were spotted in the water.
The men -- one in his 50s and the other in his 20s -- and a deputy with the Genesee County Sheriff's Office that responded to the scene were pulled from the lake by dive team members.
Both men were taken Genesys Regional Medical Center in Grand Blanc Township for treatment and are expected to be OK, Volz said. A firefighter is also being treated for a twisted ankle sustained during the rescue effort.
He cautioned residents to be extremely cautious on lakes in the area where ice has become unstable due to warmer temperatures and Sunday's high winds that gusted above 40 miles per hour at times.
"It's a nasty black ice right now. You need to stay off the ice," said Volz of conditions on the lakes. "You may be able to walk on it for 10 feet and the next 10 feet you'll fall right in."
Officers with the Fenton, Argentine Township, and Linden police departments also responded to the scene.
FLINT, MI -- Special Flint water prosecutors have said they are ready to rest their preliminary examination case against Nick Lyon, director of the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services.
But first, they have to get their last witness -- a Genesee County Health Department official -- off the witness stand, and attorneys for Lyon weren't inclined to let him go Monday, Feb. 26.
Lyon is charged with involuntary manslaughter and misconduct in office for his role in the Flint water crisis, and his preliminary examination has now stretched 16 days.
It's scheduled to resume in Genesee District Court in Flushing on Tuesday, Feb. 27.
The last time Lyon had been in court was Feb. 16, and special prosecutor Todd Flood told Judge David Goggins then that he was ready to rest his case in the initial exam.
But Larry Willey, an attorney for Lyon, continued to question Flood's last witness, Jim Henry, an environmental health division director for the county, about his recollection of events.
The questioning is expected to continue Tuesday.
Henry answered many questions after long pauses Monday and said, "I don't know," or "I don't recall" at least 20 times, unable to verify he had seen certain documents or attended specific meetings as Legionnaires' disease outbreaks unfolded in the Flint area in parts of 2014 and 2015.
Henry has been a prosecution witness in preliminary exams against both Lyon and Dr. Eden Wells, the state's chief medical executive.
He has testified that his agency lacked the staff and expertise to investigate outbreaks of Legionnaires' disease in the Flint area during parts of 2014 and 2015 and received little help from DHHS.
But on Monday, Willey raised examples of assistance DHHS provided or offered to the county as the Health Department struggled to identify the cause of the Legionnaires' outbreaks.
Neither the county nor DHHS warned the public of the surge in Legionnaires' cases here until 2016, more than a year after officials with both agencies recognized the spike and some suspected it was triggered by the use of the Flint River for drinking water.
At the end of the preliminary exam, Goggins must decide whether there is probable cause to believe that the crimes Lyon is accused of have been committed and that he is the one who committed them.
It's not known whether Lyon's attorneys will put on a defense during the preliminary exam before Goggins decides whether enough evidence has been presented to bind Lyons' case over to Genesee Circuit Court for trial.
SAGINAW TWP, MI -- A 71-year-old Catholic priest has been arrested on allegations of sexual assault and other crimes.
The priest was arrested at his condominium in Saginaw Township after police in Saginaw and Tittabawassee townships conducted a six-month investigation, according to the Tittabawassee Township Police Department.
A sexual assault complaint was filed in August 2017, and claimed the incident happened inside the priest's condo.
Five additional reports were filed with the Tittabawassee Township Police Department from November 2017 to Sunday, Feb. 25, and claim the priest engaged in gross indecency, sexual assault, furnished alcohol to minors and bought the drug ecstasy, police said.
The priest was under police surveillance from November 2017 until the time of his arrest and at no time were students or others at risk, the statement from Tittabawassee police said.
Police said the investigation is ongoing and once it is complete the findings will be turned over to the Saginaw County Prosecutor's Office.
The priest's name was not released by police.
MLive.com could not reach Catholic Dioceses of Saginaw for comment.
THREE RIVERS, MI - One Indiana woman is dead after a two-vehicle crash in Three Rivers Sunday morning.
Marshall Post Michigan State Police troopers were dispatched to a crash that occurred around 11:15 a.m. at an intersection between U.S. 131 and M-60, according to a release.
Linda Howard, a 69-year-old Granger, Indiana woman, was eastbound when she failed to yield at a stop sign to a southbound semitrailer, police said.
Police said the truck driver was unable to avoid the crash and Howard was pronounced dead at the scene.
Police did not identify the name or condition of the truck driver.
Anyone with information about the crash is asked to call the Michigan State Police Marshall Post at 269-558-0500 or Crime Stoppers at (574) 288-STOP.
GRAND RAPIDS, MI -- As flood waters continue to recede, Kent County is beginning to assess the financial impact last week's near-record flooding had on government and private property alike.
Kent County Board of Commissioners Chairman Jim Saalfeld signed an official "state of emergency" declaration for the county Saturday, Feb. 24.
Though several rivers crested at near-historic levels, most just below the high-water mark of 2013 flooding, Kent County Emergency Management Coordinator Jack Stewart said the declaration does not indicate Kent County is currently in "crisis."
"Think of this really as a tool in our toolkit," Stewart said. "We want to be sure our communities have access to resources and potential reimbursement for municipal property damage for Kent County and our townships."
It is the second such declaration in five years for Stewart, with the first being the historic flooding of 2013.
He explained a formal declaration of emergency is a necessary step for Kent County and its local municipalities to be eligible for any future state or federal grant funding to help alleviate the costs of dealing with the severe flooding.
"If there is an avenue for our jurisdictions to get some relief, some reimbursement for this event, we want to make sure we are eligible for it," Stewart said.
The installation of sand bags to reinforce permanent flood protections, constant monitoring of flood-prone areas and pumps to keep crucial areas dry are just a few of the expenses already being incurred, he said. It will take days, perhaps weeks, after flood waters completely recede to fully assess damages and put a price tag on the flood's impact on public property in Kent County, Stewart said.
"We have equalization teams in the field right now beginning the work to assess the damage," he said.
Though the full scope of flood damage remains unclear, Stewart said they determined it met the relatively high threshold necessary to trigger the emergency declaration.
"We can't get a definitive assessment until the waters come down," he said.
The teams assess damage to government property and some private property, Stewart said. Though emergency grant funds are typically restricted to use by government entities to reimburse and repair, he said they track damage to business property as well since, in the past, the Small Business Administration has offered low interest loans to help companies rebuild in the wake of natural disasters.
Individuals and property owners impacted by flooding are encouraged to contact their insurance company.
One major area of concern over the weekend involved the 117-year-old LaBarge Dam along the Thornapple River in Caledonia Township.
But the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, which monitors and licenses hydroelectric facilities like LaBarge Dam, inspected the structure Saturday, Feb. 24, and determined it stable, Stewart said.
The Grand River in downtown Grand Rapids crested at 20.67 feet Sunday, Feb. 25, the highest since 2013 but lower than National Weather Service predictions. As of 11 a.m. Monday, the level had fallen to about 20 feet, still significantly above the river's flood stage of 18 feet.
Kent County is one of nine communities that have made formal declarations of emergency as a result of recent flooding, according to the Michigan State Police's Emergency Management and Homeland Security division.
Michigan communities that have declared a state of emergency since flooding began include:
Berrien County (Feb. 20)
Clare County (Feb. 20)
Lansing (Feb. 21)
Ionia County (Feb. 21)
Newaygo County (Feb. 21)
Ingham County (Feb. 22)
Niles (Feb. 22)
Ottawa County (Feb. 23)
Kent County (Feb. 24)
The city of Grand Rapids and Kent County alike have credited lessons learned from the 2013 floods and preparations early last week for minimizing the impact of rising water this year.
"We started planning for this event early Monday morning before it started raining," Stewart said. "I think that has been the big difference."
With dozens of road closures still in place and many low-lying areas still underwater, officials remind homeowners and motorists to be vigilant and cautious as floodwaters recede.
The Kent County Health Department reminds residents to avoid contact with floodwater and throw away any human or pet food that came in contact with it. Officials also remind motorists to be aware of the danger posed water over roads, and to turn around if they see flooding or barricades.
Anyone in immediate danger is encouraged to call 911, and those in need of shelter should contact the American Red Cross at 616-456-8661.
HOLLAND TOWNSHIP, MI - Police say a robbery victim was stabbed Sunday, Feb. 25, in one of two reported holdup attempts.
Ottawa County sheriff's deputies believe that the same man is responsible the stabbing and robbery tries, which happened near Butternut Drive and James Street.
The first incident occurred around 5:35 p.m. at the Speedway gas station at 461 Butternut Drive. The victim said he pulled in to the gas station parking lot where he was approached by a man, armed with a knife, demanding money.
The victim got into his car, drove away and called police.
The stabbing happened around 10:40 p.m. The victim said he was walking on the sidewalk near Butternut and James when a robber approached from behind and demanded money.
When the victim said he had no money, the robber lunged at him and stabbed him.
The victim suffered minor injuries and was treated at Holland Hospital and released.
Anyone with information is asked to call the Sheriff's Department at 738-4000 or Silent Observer at 877-88SILENT.
WAYLAND, MASS - A team of firefighters in Wayland, Mass. is being commended for coming to the aid of a woman in the Michigan city of the same name more than 800 miles away.
According to a Facebook post by Wayland Firefighters, Local 1978, on-duty staff received a Facebook message around 10:30 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 24 from a Michigan woman who needed help because her son was choking.
The woman, who indicated she didn't have a phone, mistakenly thought she was contacting emergency personnel in the Allegan County city.
The Associated Press reported that firefighters Dean Casali and William Tyree knew something was wrong because they didn't recognize the address, but that didn't stop them from jumping into action.
While one of the Massachusetts firefighters did a search for the woman's address, another stayed with her on Facebook, and a third called the Michigan community's fire department, which sent an ambulance.
The 16-year-old boy survived, according to the Facebook post.
The AP noted that the Massachusetts department's Facebook page isn't monitored 24/7, but firefighter Patrick Walkinshaw happened to be looking at it when the crisis occurred.
In general, the department said, Facebook should not be used in emergency situations.
LEONI TWP., MI - East Jackson Community Schools is moving ahead with the sale of a former elementary school building to a marijuana management company.
During a special meeting on Tuesday, Feb. 20, the district's seven-member Board of Education unanimously approved selling the former Bertha Robinson Elementary School, 5400 Seymour Road, to The Dromos Group of Waterford.
In its resolution, the board directs Superintendent Steve Doerr to work with legal counsel to close the deal, which could take up to 180 days.
The Dromos Group agreed to the full asking price of $900,000 and has said the building would be used for state-licensed medical marijuana growing and processing operations.
The sale agreement includes deed restrictions limiting use of the property in perpetuity only to these operations and prohibits the sale or dispensing of marijuana at the site, regardless of future state or local law changes, Doerr has said.
Doerr has been directed by the board to work with the district's bond counsel and the East Jackson Bond Steering Committee to use the funds from the sale on projects that meet the immediate needs of students and align with the bond debt attributable to the property.
This means that the money will be in a restricted fund like a bond, Doerr said. While it can go toward paying off debt service, it also can be used for building renovations and upgrades, bus purchases and educational technology, he said.
Only projects that align with what voters approved in school bonds that passed in 1996, 2005 and 2009, which included Robinson Elementary, can be done with the sale money, Doerr said.
The money will not go into the district's general fund and cannot be used for supplies or employee salaries and benefits, Doerr said.
Both Robinson and Memorial elementary schools were closed at the end of the 2014-15 school year. East Jackson's kindergarten through sixth-grade students are now consolidated in East Jackson Elementary School in what was the district's former middle school.
In January 2015, both schools were listed for sale with the Thomas A. Duke Company.
While Robinson is vacant, Memorial Elementary School, 345 N. Dettman Road, which has an asking price of $3 million, is 60 percent occupied by Jackson County Intermediate School District personnel, Great Start Readiness Program classes and East Jackson's W-A-Y alternative school.
CONSTANTINE, MI -- Constantine Public Schools were locked down today after a student made a threat on social media, according to the district.
About noon on Monday, Feb. 26, all Constantine Public Schools buildings went into "inside threat" lockdown, and at about 12:25, all buildings with the exception of the high school went into "outside threat" lockdown, as the issue was isolated to the high school only, according to a statement emailed to MLive and the Kalamazoo Gazette from Superintendent Steve Wilson.
A student is in custody related to the threat, Wilson said.
"We received a swift response from several police agencies for which we are grateful and all staff and students were safe and secure in accordance to our safety plans and procedures," the statement reads.
All lockdowns were lifted at 1:25 p.m. from all buildings as police rendered the situation safe to proceed with normal operating procedures, the school district said.
"We understand that times like this are very stressful and frightening and we appreciate the diligence that our staff and students showed during this time and appreciate our community support in keeping our kids safe," the school said in a news release.
"I would like to add to this that NO weapons were found anywhere on campus and this was in response to social media threats being made by a single student," the statement reads.
KALAMAZOO, MI -- April Washburn wiped a mop across the floor of Cash NA Flash, soaking up what was left from the floodwaters that had inundated the businesses along Riverview Drive.
Cash NA Flash, one of the many businesses in Kalamazoo impacted by historic flooding, on Monday was beginning the process of cleanup now that the waters have begun to recede.
Washburn wasn't having a normal Monday morning at her job at the pawn shop, instead she spent her time trying to soak up the remaining water with an old mop. The 60-year-old, who moved to Kalamazoo from Grand Rapids only a year ago, said she had never seen flooding as bad as what came this past week.
"You hear about flooding," she said. "But, us, here in Michigan?"
The Kalamazoo River reached a historic crest of 11.69 feet over the weekend and has since been dropping. But the water remains on the streets, and in homes and businesses.
Cash NA Flash owner Travis Compton said the store was able to save almost all of their merchandise, but he expected continued damage to the electronics because of the high humidity.
Most of the merchandise was shelved above the six to seven inches of floodwater that filled the entire store. But larger items, like a red moped were unable to be moved, he said.
Compton said the flooding began in the street and within two to three hours Friday it had reached the store. "It took us over," he said about the floodwaters.
Compton, along with other nearby business owners, said they expect some flooding to occur in the area but it has never been this bad. "I wish there would have been more warning," Compton said.
But the business owner did acknowledge one sliver of blessing Monday in that he was able to go home to a dry home, he said.
"If I had to pick, I'd rather it be my business than my house," Compton said. "To not be able to go home and sleep at night, just terrible."
At MVP Auto Sales, owner Deon McKinley wasn't as concerned with the office building as the 15-plus cars for sale sitting in the lot of the business at 717 Riverview Drive.
McKinley said the water by Monday morning had receded "a couple of feet" since Sunday, but that there was still a lot of work to be done.
He said tax season is a "crucial time of year, like Christmas" for dealers, so the timing of the flooding hurt his business greatly.
McKinley expressed frustration that there wasn't earlier notification that such high waters were coming. Officials "did a poor job of notifying us," he said. "We didn't know."
Monday, McKinley said he would try and start each of his cars on the lot to make sure they didn't suffer too much damage.
"Hopefully, it ain't too bad," McKinley said. "But I'll deal with it. I don't have a choice."
CASS COUNTY, MI -- A 24-year-old man has pleaded guilty to second degree murder in the stabbing death of a coworker, the Cass County Prosecutor's Office reports.
About 3:30 p.m. Monday, Feb. 26, William L. Henderson, 25, pleaded guilty to second degree murder, admitting that he stabbed Jan Mendez in the neck, killing him at Ameri-Kart, according to a news release from Cass County Prosecutor Victor Fitz.
As part of a plea agreement the defendant will receive a minimum sentence of 30 years in prison, the prosecutor's office said. The court will set the maximum.
The defendant is also required to plead guilty to armed robbery in Elkhart County as part of the plea. Sentences in Michigan and Indiana will be served concurrent, according to the news release.
Investigators believe the men, coworkers at Ameri-Kart, 13900 Grange Street in Mason Township, were on break at 5:26 a.m. Wednesday when a fight broke out between the two, according to a news release from the Cass County Sheriff's Office.
Mendez was pronounced dead at the scene.
Mendez, 25, the victim, had lived in the Elkhart, Indiana, area as well as in Puerto Rico.
Sentencing is scheduled for 8:30 a.m. Friday, April 6.
Mike Krebs
Mike Krebs | mkrebs@mlive.com
Tacitus Bailey-Yabani washes dishes in his kitchen on Thursday, Jan. 25, 2018 in Muskegon, Michigan. Bailey-Yabani moved the United States from Ghana 2011 to be with his now wife, Jessica Bailey-Yabani. Tacitus is a lawful permanent resident of the United States and plans to attain citizenship. He has built a life in America by sharing Ghanian culture through art and food in a time where the Americans question why immigrants should be allowed to immigrate to the United Sates.
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Tacitus reaches for a piece of meat while cooking with his wife, Jessica Bailey-Yabani, in their home. "The biggest challenge [moving to America] is food because I've never eat those kind of foods before. So, I started cooking at home," Bailey-Yabani said.
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Tacitus reads to his son, Damian, 3, at their home. Tacitus takes care of Damian during the day. The two spend their day playing, reading, listening to music and practicing pre-school lessons as Damian is being homeschooled.
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Tacitus leans down to give his son a kiss while preparing for food for a tasting station at the Muskegon Farmers Market. Jessica assisted Tacitus with the preparation and serving of the tasting station.
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Tacitus works on a necklace in his basement. He learned how to cook, make jewelry and run a business from his grandmother.
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Tacitus takes a picture of a completed set of jewelry with his iPhone. Tacitus uses social media to promote his lifestyle and work.
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Tacitus and Damian play a drum in their living room. "I chose homeschool for my son is that I have never had a father. That is my life. My mom died at an early age when I was like 4. Grandma took care of me," Tacitus said.
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Family photos hang on the Bailey-Yabanis' refrigerator. Jessica and Tacitus met in Ghana in 2011 while Jessica was studying abroad in Ghana. "The idea I have is like that you meet someone and see that this person you want to be around with because the energy that the person have and the energy that you have is like too much. It's too much. You can see that this person and you fall in love that first time. Yes, I fell in love that first time. Yes, she fell in love at that particular moment," Bailey-Yabani.
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Tacitus prepares [food] at Kitchen 242 at the Muskegon Farmers Market. He was preparing food for his second tasting station at the market. Kitchen 242 Manager Renae Hesselink said that Tacitus's tasting stations have been "very well received" by market-goers.
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Tacitus hands Cindy Johnson a sample of Ghanaian cuisine at the Muskegon Farmers Market. "We're telling the people of Muskegon that we are here for them. Once we are here for them they do not have any problem. I love the people," Bailey-Yabani said.
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Cameron Taylor hugs Tacitus at the Muskegon Farmers Market. Taylor officiated Tacitus and Jessica's wedding. "What he is bringing to us is what, I think, many of us have forgotten. He shakes hands, hugs, loves. He is not afraid to talk to any person, from anywhere. What is he doing? He is sharing something that he worked hard to make. To encourage people to learn about who he is," Taylor said.
OTTAWA COUNTY, MI - Ottawa County officials are urging residents to stay away from the flooded Grand River due to public health concerns.
The county issued a "no body contact" advisory on Monday afternoon, which is to remain in place until further notice or until flood waters recede, said Communications Specialist Kristina Weighmink with the Ottawa County Health Department.
"From a public health perspective, we want to make sure people don't get in contact with pollution or contaminants, especially if the river came into contact with any chemical runoff or sewage," Weighmink said. "There's also a risk that the river may contain garbage or debris like glass or metal."
The Grand River began flooding last week and reached its peak midday Monday. The Grand River in Robinson Township, in the western part of Ottawa County, was at 16.1 feet and still rising around 9:15 a.m. on Monday, Feb. 26.
The section of the Grand downriver from and well west of Grand Rapids is expected to reach its crest later Monday, according to the National Weather Service.
The 16.1-foot level is 1.1 feet higher than the moderate flood level of 15 feet, according to Grand Rapids National Weather Service meteorologist Wayne Hoepner.
Kent County issued a similar warning last week, prompting Ottawa County to get out their own public health message.
Both Ottawa and Kent counties, along with seven other communities, signed official "state of emergency" declarations over the weekend as a result of recent flooding, according to the Michigan State Police's Emergency Management and Homeland Security division.
SAGINAW, MI -- A Saginaw-area Roman Catholic priest has been arraigned in Saginaw County District Court on three charges related to sexual assault.
The Rev. Robert DeLand, 71, known as Father Bob, was arraigned by Judge M. Randall Jurrens on one count of attempted second-degree criminal sexual conduct/personal injury, one count of second-degree criminal sexual conduct and a count of gross indecency between male persons, all felonies.
DeLand appeared via video and is being represented by attorney Alan Crawford.
Crawford asked for a personal recognizance bond for DeLand, stating the multiple decades he has been a pastor and the thousands of people he has helped.
Jurrens released DeLand on GPS tether and restricted him from having contact with the victims or anyone under 21 years old.
DeLand asked Jurrens when he will find out who his accusers are, to which Jurrens informed him to speak with his attorney concerning the matter.
The alleged sexual assaults occurred in Tittabawassee and Saginaw townships, according to police. He was arrested following a six-month investigation.
One of the last images made by NASA's Cassini spacecraft not only shows the location where it would meet its fiery demise in Saturn's atmosphere, but a natural color view of the massive planet.
The U.S. space agency reports in a news release that the area circled in the image below is where the spacecraft entered Saturn's atmosphere hours after making this photo. NASA says the photo was taken Sept. 15, 2017 using red, green and blue filters to show Saturn in its natural color from 394,000 miles away:
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The Cassini spacecraft ended its 20-year mission, and 13-year mission touring Saturn when it purposefully crashed into the planet's atmosphere. Before it dove to its fiery demise, Cassini sent back data from eight of its instruments that will help NASA study new insights on Saturn, its formation, evolution and atmosphere.
The U.S. space agency reports that Cassini was rocking back and forth by fractions of a degree as it started its final descent. During this time, it was using its thrusters to keep its antenna pointed at Earth even though it was basically in a vacuum.
The spacecraft originally launched in 1997 from the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. The U.S. space agency says it extended Cassini's mission on two occasions; once for two years and another time for seven more years.
WASHINGTON -- In recent months, President Donald Trump has made several comments regarding the opioid epidemic, even going so far as to claim it a public health emergency in October.
As he continues to talk about this issue, a plan has yet to be released to combat the epidemic, which kills thousands of Americans a year according to estimates. However, Sunday night it was reported by Axios that the president's true feelings on how to deal with the issue involve the death penalty for drug dealers who peddle hard narcotics in communities across the U.S.
Citing a senior administration official who has spoken to President Trump about the issue and White House adviser Kellyanne Conway, the report claims the president believes stricter penalties for drug dealers in foreign countries are the reasons why drug use is lower in those nations as well.
"He says that a lot," said the source. "He says, 'When I ask the prime minister of Singapore do they have a drug problem [the prime minister replies,] 'No. Death penalty'."
The report also says President Trump knows that passing legislation that would require the death penalty for all drug dealers would be extremely difficult. Still, the president often finds himself discussing why he thinks drug dealers should face death if convicted.
Conway says the president's belief is not targeted at smaller drug offenses.
"The president makes a distinction between those that are languishing in prison for low-level drug offenses and the kingpins hauling thousands of lethal doses of fentanyl into communities, that are responsible for many casualties in a single weekend," Conway said.
What do you think about the idea of passing legislation that would allow for the death penalty to be a punishment for people convicted of trafficking drugs?
[February 25, 2018] Mobile First Performance Marketing Company TAB Opens a New Office in South Korea SEOUL, South Korea, February 25, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- TAB has started 2018 with exciting news of the opening of its new office in Seoul, South Korea. Sooah Lee has been announced as Senior Account Manager and started the growth of the new office. TAB is already present in Berlin, Santa Monica and India, a move into South Korea was a natural progression as it already has several clients in the region. (Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/645135/TAB_Logo.jpg ) TAB has big plans to expand the new office and create a new hub for widening operations in Asia. Sooah is proud of making ood progress and taking on the responsibility. Being the first employee in a new country is always a challenge but she expects TAB and herself to grow exponentially, and is excited to work with global intelligence. Sooah has already started with the expansion of local business and clientele, additionally in getting general things ready - translations, back and forth emails, and most importantly building a positive relationship with future and current partners. To make the opening of the new office as smooth as possible, Scott Park, the Co-Founder & Chief Revenue Officer in TAB's Santa Monica office visited Seoul during one of the coldest weeks in South Korean history. Scott had this to share about the recent expansion - "South Korea has understandable, clear and orderly regulations familiar to the Western world and it was safest to start from there due to cost and productivity." Some of the noticeable things he experienced during his visit were the high usage of mobile phones, some carrying two phones around as well as Apple launching their first store in Seoul. If you are interested in working with TAB or joining the company you can email korea@tab.company and the team will be happy to meet you in Seoul. Vera Belinskaya
vera.belinskaya@tab.company
+49-17684914809
[ Back To www.mobilitytechzone.com\LTE's Homepage ]
The United Forum of Bank Emplyees Unions (UFBU) today said they withdrew the nationwide strike call on March 15, citing the present situation in the banking system following the massive fraud at Punjab National Bank and the overall vitiated atmosphere in the sector.
"The forum met over the weekend and decided to withdraw the strike called on March 15," CH Venkatchalam, general secretary of the All-India Bank Employees Association (AIBEA) said in a statement today. The statement furtehr said the forum is seriously concerned over the manner in which a mega fraud has taken place at PNB and the way banks stand exposed to such unthinkable risks.
"However, the meeting also noted that instead of a full-scale investigation, attempts are being made to single out a few lower level employees as if they alone are responsible for the fraud."
The forum also quetioned the efficacy of the bank's monetoring system saying, "no one can hide the fact that there is gross negligence of control, supervision and monitoring as well as possibilities of complicity at various higher levels of management including the top PNB officials."
They also demanded the ascertain the role of the Reserve Bank's monetoring system saying "equally, one cannot absolve RBI for its failure to play its role and responsibilities which would have otherwise unearthed these irregularities much earlier," the statement said.
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The race for Bhushan Power & Steel has just got longer, and possibly more competitive.
In a surprise for its competitors, Liberty Houses bid for Bhushan Power & Steel has got a fresh lease of life after the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) today accepted an appeal against the rejection of its proposal.
The resolution professional (RP) and Committee of Creditors had last week rejected Liberty Houses bid for Bhushan Power as it was submitted after the deadline had passed, on February 8.
But the UK-based company had approached the NCLT on February 23, asking that its bid should be considered.
According to sources, Liberty House on Monday backed its appeal with a proposal to turnaround the operations of Bhushan Power & Steel. It also contended that its bid was higher than that of Tata Steel.
Till now, Tata Steel had been leading the race, with a bid of Rs 17,000 crore against JSW Steels Rs 13,500 crore.
Not surprisingly, Tata Steels counsel told the NCLTs Principal Bench in Delhi hearing the appeal that Liberty Houses case should be dismissed prima facie. But the judge ruled that the Bench would like to hear in detail what each respondent has to say.
The Bench will now hear the three stakeholders resolution professional, Liberty House and Tata Steel - on March 5, after asking them to file submissions through an affidavit.
The matter is sub-judice, a spokesperson of Liberty House told Moneycontrol.
The Tribunal has heard us and heard the RP's counsel as well as Tata's counsel, who intervened. The Tribunal has deemed it fit that the respondents put their submissions on affidavit explaining conduct of the insolvency process. The parties will now be heard on the 5th. We are hopeful that our bona fide will stand out, added the spokesperson.
Industry executives said the development was unprecedented and would have bearing on rest of the auctions. This is surprising. Almost everyone expected Libertys appeal to be dismissed, said an official from a steel company.
Bhushan Power & Steel had accumulated nearly Rs 50,000 crore in debts and was referred to the NCLT last year.
Apart from the Bhushan company, Liberty House is also in contention in the auction of Amtek Auto and ABG Shipyard.
Interestingly, the company owned by billionaire businessman Sanjeev Gupta had been a savior for Tata Steel in the UK. It had bought some of the facilities of the erstwhile Corus in the UK, reducing the debt burden of Tata Steel. The Indian company had acquired Corus in 2007.
State owned telecom firm BSNL today signed a pact with Finnish telecom gear maker Nokia to roll out 4G services in 10 telecom circles covering western and southern regions in India.
"We are really proud to have technology partner like Nokia with whom we are working in South and West Zone of the country, rolling out the latest single RAN Technology, and further moving towards 5G...," BSNL CMD Anupam Shrivastava said in a statement.
Nokia will deploy the technology in 10 telecom circles in India - Maharashtra, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Chattisgarh, Goa, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala and Telangana - serving large cities, businesses, technology and tourist hubs and nearly 38 million BSNL subscribers.
The network technology that will be deployed by Nokia will help BSNL to save operational costs while supporting 2G, 3G and 4G subscribers in a single radio unit, the statement said.
"New VoLTE services will allow BSNLs 4G subscribers to experience HD-quality voice and faster call connections," it added. As per Nokia MBiT Index 2018, released last week , 4G contributed to 82 per cent of data traffic in 2017 and the monthly 4G data usage per user was nearly 11 GB per user per month in India.
In 2017, Nokia and BSNL signed an agreement to explore and develop the applications of 5G for the India market. "We are pleased to continue our longstanding relationship with BSNL on this important project in India.
The deployment of our technologies will enable BSNL to launch exciting new voice and data services, satisfying growing demand in India," Sanjay Malik, head of India Market at Nokia, said.
Mitessh Thakkar of miteshthacker.com told CNBC-TV18, "Bharat Electronics is a buy with a stop loss of Rs 152 for target of Rs 164. Tata Motors is also a buy with a stop loss of Rs 365 for target of Rs 384."
"Buy Lupin with a stop loss of Rs 812 for target of Rs 840. Buy L&T Finance Holdings with a stop loss of Rs 164 for target of Rs 170," he said.
According to the EOW, the accused colluded with the former promoters of Religare Enterprises, Malvinder Mohan Singh and Shivinder Mohan Singh. (Image: Reuters)
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In a major blow to Singh brothers the promoters of Fortis Healthcare and Religare Enterprises the Delhi high court in its interim order on Monday attached all assets of RHC Holdings and Oscar Investments.
RHC Holdings and Oscar investments are privately-held holding companies that own assets of Malvinder Singh and Shivinder Singh referred as Singh brothers.
The case is related to the enforcement of a foreign arbitration award of Rs 3,500 crore by Daiichi Sankyo in a case related to the sale of Ranbaxy Laboratories by Singh brothers.
The court directed the Singh brothers to submit list of unencumbered personal assets that need to be valued and liquidated.
The court also restrained RHC Holdings and Oscar Investments from operating bank accounts, however, it allowed RHC and Oscar Invests to operate bank accounts for salary and statutory dues.
The court said that each day's delay costs Singh brothers Rs 50 lakh in interest payments.
In April 2016, an arbitration tribunal in Singapore had ruled in favour of Daiichi, directing the Singh brothers to pay around Rs 2,563 crore in damages, plus interest of 4.44 percent per year from November 7, 2008 till the date of the award.
The tribunal found the brothers guilty of making false claims in a self-assessment report and of fraudulently misrepresenting and concealing the genesis, nature and severity of the US regulatory investigations of Ranbaxy when Daiichi bought their 34.82 percent stake for USD 2.4 billion in 2008.
"Looks like all their legal options in India are exhausted and they may have to pay up the arbitration award," said Shriram Subramanian, Founder and Managing Director of proxy advisory firm InGovern Research.
Subramanian said the order may not impact the efforts of Fortis Healthcare to bring in a strategic investor as Singh brother hold little over 3 percent stake.
Shares of Fortis Healthcare declined 1.06 percent and were trading at 158.25 on BSE at 2.45 pm, while the benchmkark Sensex gained 0.94 percent to 34,463.95 points.
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) questioned Punjab National Banks (PNBs) Executive Director of Finance KV Brahmaji Rao on Monday in connection with the Rs 11,400 crore Nirav Modi scam. The economic intelligence agency had also called on the banks current Managing Director Sunil Mehta, but he could not be present due to some official work.
The ED is the third agency to have questioned the executive director of finance after the Income Tax department and the Central Bureau of Investigation. A senior ED official told Moneycontrol, Today we called Managing Director Sunil Mehta and KV Brahmaji Rao. However, only K V Brahmaji Rao came and the MD informed us that he could not be present due to some official work. We expect to meet the MD in the next day or two.
Another source at the agency told Moneycontrol, Our main focus will remain on examining how it was possible for the senior management not be aware of such large funds being transacted especially the executive director of finance who is responsible of checking inflow and outflow of funds from the bank. A third source said, Questioning could continue for a couple of days.
An official, who did not wish to be named said, We can give the benefit of doubt to the current MD as he is new into PNBs system. Sunil Mehta [the current MD] joined the bank only in May last year. So we may end up calling former MD Usha Ananthasubramanian as well as she had handled the finance department of the bank for a couple of years.
On Monday, the Special PMLA court in Mumbai allowed the ED's plea to issue letters rogatory to six countries in the case that include Hong Kong, US, UK, UAE, South Africa and Singapore.
Letters rogatory are a request from a court to a foreign court seeking judicial assistance, service of process and probing evidence.
Maharashtra Governor Ch. Vidyasagar Rao today said the state government has a vision to turn the state into a one trillion dollar economy by 2025.
"This will be achieved by increasing growth in sectors like agriculture, textile, tourism," Rao said in his address to the Maharashtra Legislature.
He also said the government has increased investment in infrastructure and agriculture which has resulted in GSDP growing at 8.5 per cent in 2015-16 and 9.4 per cent in 2016-17.
"To usher in one trillion dollar economy, the government has leveraged international funding and alloted substantial state budgetary resources to give a massive push to augment public infrastructure," Rao said, adding to accelerate the high growth rate the government continues to back infrastructure-led growth policies.
Rao further said the state government inherited a crisis-laden agriculture sector.
"From a negative growth of minus 0.5 per cent in 2012-13, the growth rate has increased to 12.5 per cent in 2016-17. This momentum will be sustained in 2017-18. This growth was achieved by making heavy investment in agriculture sector. From Rs 29,000 crore in 2013-14, it grew by 280 per cent to Rs 83,000 crore in 2017-18," the Governor said.
According to the Governor, under the flagship programme of 'Jalyukt Shivar' scheme, nearly 15,000 villages are being made drought-proof by May 2018.
He said 6.1 crore ration card holders have been linked to 'Aadhar' under the National Food Security Act.
"Through this process about 92 lakh people who were earlier not covered under the Act are provided 2kg rice at Rs 3 per kg and 3 kg wheat at Rs 2 per kg. About 10 lakh ineligible ration cards were eliminated," he informed.
According to Rao, 22,670 out of 22,793 gram panchayats and 212 blocks out of 351 have been declared open defecation free.
He also said construction of the first Marina project on the coast will soon be taken up in Panvel creek at Belapur. and in the first phase berthing facilities for 30 boats will be created.
Rao also said to promote innovative financial services particularly to the poor who are not fully served by the formal banking sector and provide employment to educated youth, the government has decided to launch an innovative Fintech policy.
"It provides for setting up Fintech hub in Mumbai with additional FSI, a capital support for setting up common facilities and partnership with banks like the State Bank of India," he signed off.
The government will shortly move a new lawthe Fugitive Economic Offenders Billto impound and sell assets of Nirav Modi-type escapees, a move that will allow quicker recovery of dues through a special court from absconding corporate defaulters.
In September, the Union Law ministry had approved the finance ministrys draft of Fugitive Economic Offenders Bill, 2017, and its passage into law is now being expedited as part of the Modi governments response to the PNB scam.
The Bill is likely to be introduced after Parliament reconvenes on March 6 for the second the part of the Budget session. It defines fugitive economic offender as a person who has an arrest warrant issued in respect of a scheduled offence and who leaves or has left India so as to avoid criminal prosecution, or refuses to return to India to face criminal prosecution.
The draft Bill covers a wide range of offences including wilful loan defaults, cheating and forgery, forged or fraudulent document of electronic records, duty evasion and non-repayment of deposits among others.
Also read: ED to seek info from over dozen countries on Nirav Modi, Choksi's assets
Once voted into law the new legislation will empower investigating agencies to confiscate, and vest with themselves, any property of the absconding offenders without an encumbrances.
Also, at the discretion of any Court, such person or any company where the absconder is a promoter or key managerial personnel or majority shareholder, may be disentitled from bringing forward or defending any civil claim.
IN PICS: A look at Nirav Modis luxury cars that were seized by ED
This could effectively take away the fugitive offenders rights to reclaim the assets.
The proposed law comes in the backdrop of the alleged Rs 11,400 crore defrauding of Punjab National Bank (PNB)Indias second largest public sector bankby diamond merchant Nirav Modi and his uncle Mehul Choksi.
Also read: Nirav Modi & Mehul Choksi's web of LLP firms under scanner Full List
Both Modi and Choksi have left the country and are believed to be somewhere in Europe. They have joined a growing list of economic offenders including liquor baron Vijay Mallya who is facing charges of bank loan defaults worth an estimated Rs 9,000 crore.
Also read: ED hopes to recover Rs 3,000-4,000 cr by attaching properties of Nirav Modi, Mehul Choksi
The Bills provision is compatible with the provisions of United Nations Convention against Corruption (ratified by India in 2011) that recommends non-conviction-based asset confiscation for corruption-related cases.
In order to ensure that courts are not over-burdened with such cases, only those cases where the total value involved in such offences is Rs 100 crore rupees or more, is within the purview of this Bill. The Bill makes provisions for a court of lawa Special Court under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA)to declare a person a fugitive economic offender.
It is widely felt that the spectre of high-value economic offenders absconding from India to defy the legal process seriously undermines the rule of law in India. It is necessary to provide an effective, expeditious and constitutionally permissible deterrent to ensure that such actions are curbed. To serve these ends, this Bill is being proposed, a government source said.
While the PMLA allows the Enforcement Directorate (ED)the governments main agency that tracks foreign exchange movementsto seize an accused, the law did not allow complete non-conviction based asset attachment without any encumbrances.
Under current rules, the ED is entitled to provisionally attach a defaulters property pending trial subject to confirmation by the adjudicating authority and appeal. On conviction in the trial, the property stands confiscated, free from all encumbrances, to the central government.
However, the provision for confiscation being available consequent to the conclusion of trial can rarely be used expeditiously. Further, the purpose for such confiscation is as punishment for the offence committed, and not strictly as a deterrent for any absconding accused to return to India, the source said.
This existing provisions have drawbacks when applied to high-value economic offenders. In large defaults, criminal proceedings are likely to be in several criminal courts across the country where assets are located. This multiplicity of proceedings may lead to conflicting orders of attachment by different courts.
Also, a court is unlikely to attach property outside its jurisdiction in the first place without the procedure for endorsement being followed. As a result of such delays, such offenders can continue to remain outside the jurisdiction of Indian courts for a considerable period of time.
The Fugitive Economic Offenders Bill is aimed at addressing these drawbacks. It will allow quicker attachment and disposal of property and assets helping recovery of defrauded or defaulted amount. It will also act as a deterrent for offenders to flee the country.
India's export growth has been largely stagnant over the last eight years. Here are some hard facts.
Six years ago we exported goods and services worth nearly USD 250 million and this has largely been the range since 2012. Last year, Indias exports amounted to USD 243 billion.
On a monthly basis, the numbers are volatile. For January exports dropped to USD 24 billion. In September last year it was just under USD 29 billion.
In a bid to shore up exports and lift domestic manufacturing, the government hiked customs duties on a slew of products in the Budget. The Centre has defended the move saying it's not protectionist and that the government is well within the conventions of the world trade organisation.
So is customs duty hike the best way to bolster Make in India. In an interview to CNBC-TV18, Montek Singh Ahluwalia, Former Deputy Chairman of the erstwhile Planning Commission discussed it at length.
(Representat
The chief executive of Huawei said on Monday the pace of commercialisation for next-generation 5G wireless network is picking up pace as the Chinese telecom equipment giant has begun pre-commercial development with more than 30 network operators.
Speaking to reporters at the annual Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, CEO Ken Hu also said he welcomed "factual debate" about any security concerns governments or network operators may have about security threats arising from its products.
Huawei is forging closer commercial ties with big telecom operators across Asia, the Americas and Europe, putting the company in prime position to lead the global race for future 5G networks, despite US allegations it poses a security threat.
The Chinese equipment maker, which derives roughly half of its revenue from its home market, is conducting pre-commercial 5G trials in many of the world's biggest cities, including Seoul, Tokyo, London, Milan and Vancouver in Canada, Hu said.
Potential commercial benefits aside, these agreements indicate that many countries allied to the United States do not share Washington's security concerns.
Asked about reports that the US government has raised security concerns with the Australian government over Huawei's role in building communications in the country, Hu said the company is willing to work with authorities to ease any fears.
"We are very happy to conduct open and transparent discussion with the Australian government and telecom operators."On this issue we stay very positive and open".
A bill introduced in the US Senate this month would bar equipment from Huawei from any US government networks to prevent Chinese spying. Hu dismissed Washington's concerns that its products pose security threats as "groundless suspicions".
Huawei has signed 5G field trial agreements with 45 operators in total, the CEO said. Around 25 of those pre-commercial testing and field trial agreements have been publicly announced in recent years, according to Reuters data.
2018 will mark the first year of commercialisation for 5G, the CEO the maker of fixed line and mobile network equipment and the world's No.3 smartphone maker told reporters. "We have seen the emergence of real demand for 5G technologies," Hu said.
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HG Infra Engineering is into infrastructure construction, development and management with extensive experience in its focus area of road projects, including highways, bridges and flyovers. Cos main business operations include (i) providing engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) services on a fixed-sum turnkey basis and (ii) undertaking civil construction and related infrastructure projects on item rate and lump sum basis, primarily in the roads and highway sector.
Co have executed or are executing projects across various states in India covering Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh Haryana, Uttarakhand, Maharashtra and Arunachal Pradesh.
Valuation
Company is bringing the issue at price band of Rs 263-270/sh at p/e ratio of 30. Co being established roads and highways sector focused construction developer with efficient business model has healthy order book which provides strong revenue visibility in future. Hence we recommend Subscribe on issue.
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Gems/Jewellery | Imports from China, 2019: 6 percent. (Image: Moneycontrol)
Kalyan Jewellers is looking to file papers for an Initial Public Offering (IPO) next month, according to a Mint report citing sources.
The Kerala-based company is considering raising around Rs 2,500 crore from the issue, a source told Mint.
"The IPO is a mix of primary fundraise that the company will use to fund expansion of its domestic and new overseas markets and a secondary share sale, primarily by private equity investor Warburg Pincus, which will be selling part of its stake in the company", the source added.
Private equity firm Warburg Pincus invested Rs 500 crore in Kalyan Jewellers last year, according to the report.
Kalyan Jewellers declined to comment on the IPO, the report said.
Axis Capital, UBS and ICICI Securities will manage the initial share sale, according to the report.
The proposed IPO comes at a time when the jewellery industry is facing negative sentiment following the alleged fraud worth Rs 11,400 crore by jeweller Nirav Modi and Gitanjali Gems from Punjab National Bank (PNB).
Media reports say Joyalukkas is also considering an IPO.
3:30 pm Market at Close: The market ended the day on a strong note, marking a continuity in its upward trend for March series, but the Nifty ended below 10,600.
The Sensex is up 303.60 points or 0.89% at 34445.75, while the Nifty is up 91.60 points or 0.87% at 10582.60. The market breadth is narrow as 1606 shares advanced, against a decline of 1159 shares, while 222 shares are unchanged.
Tata Motors, Larsen & Toubro, Axis Bank and UPL gained the most on both indices, while Sun Pharma, Infosys, and Tech Mahindra lost the most.
At 3:20 pm Berger Paints has considered setting up an integrated paint plant in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh
At 3:05 pm Lupin launches Testosterone topical solution: Lupin announced the launch of its Testosterone Topical Solution, 30 mg per actuation having received an approval from the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) earlier.
At 3:00 pm Reliance Infra wins arbitration award: Shares of Reliance Infrastructure rose 4 percent intraday Monday as the company won arbitration award against Goa government.
The company has won an arbitration award of Rs 292 crore against Government of Goa.
The Arbitration Tribunal, in its award on February 16, 2018, has ordered Government of Goa to pay Rs 292 crore to Reliance Infrastructure by April 15, 2018.
The Tribunal has also ordered payment of interest at 15 percent p.a. on the total award amount if Government of Goa fails to pay the entire award amount by the deadline.
2:50 pm PFC inks MoUs: State-run Power Finance Corporation (PFC) today said that it has inked memorandums of understanding (MoUs) with Uttar Pradesh power utilities for providing financial assistance of Rs 50,200 crore.
The PFC has executed MoUs with Uttar Pradesh state sector power utilities - UPRVUNL, UPPTCL and UPPCL - for providing required financial assistance of Rs 50,200 crore, a PFC statement said.
2:35 pm Management Speak: In an interview to CNBC-TV18, Harshil Mehta, Joint MD & CEO of Dewan Housing Finance Corporation (DHFL) spoke about the latest happenings in his company and sector.
According to statement, these funds would be used for upcoming greenfield and extension of thermal power generation projects at Jawaharpur, Panki, Harduagunj, Anpara and Obra; development of coal mines; Integrated Power Development Scheme, Saubhagya, DDUGJY (rural electrification); and for strengthening of transmission and distribution network in the state.
As far as the Bandra Kurla Complex (BKC) property is concerned the management stand is absolutely very clear that either we would like to put it out on lease or once the lease transaction is done sell it to an investor, said Mehta.
Talking about disbursements, he said its on higher side and is predominantly driven from our retails strategy which is in the tier 2, tier 3 markets driven by organic growth coming in from those markets in the affordable housing segment.
2:15 pm ONGC deadline: Oil producer ONGC has said it may miss the June 2019 target for starting production from its Krishna Godavari basin block due to new policies like GST and local purchase preference rules, including the one that mandates state-owned firms to source domestic iron and steel for infrastructure project.
Clarifying on its last week's filing to stock exchanges, Oil and Natural Gas Corp (ONGC) said the new policies it had cited for a possible delay pertained to local purchase preference policy, steel policy and GST policy.
"The new policies concerning oil and mining sector, as referred in the reply of ONGC to NSE and BSE, though not amply clarified in the reply, were pertaining to policies like purchase preference policy, steel policy, GST policy etc. and not regulatory policy," ONGC said in a statement.
1:55 pm Sun Pharma observations: Shares of Sun Pharma fell around 3 percent intraday as investors turned wary of observations issued to its Halol plant by the US drug regulator.
US FDA issued three Form 483 observations for its Halol site in Gujarat.
The company didn't disclose the nature of these observations.
A Form 483 is issued by the US FDA inspectors at the end of the inspection outlining any deviations from GMP.
The US FDA conducted Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) inspection of Sun Pharma's Halol facility from February 12 - 23.
1:31 pm Jhunjhunwala speaks: After a euphoric rise seen in the calendar year 2017, the Indian market is not ready to go down that is the word coming from the big bull, Rakesh Jhunjhunwala on the sidelines of Trust India Debt Capital Market Summit which was held in Mumbai on Friday.
After the recent fall that was seen in India equity markets, Jhunjhunwala said that he is in a dilemma in which technically the market is not prepared to go down and you have the highest PEs in the history at the lowest level of profits-to-GDP.
The question Jhunjhunwala put across to the panelist is has the market priced itself for the increase in profit growth? This is something which all of us has to mull.
1:21 pm Brokerage view: Global research and broking firm HSBC has initaited a coverage on ICICI Lombard with a 'Reduce' rating. According to the firm, the stock looks expensive on multiple counts and has a target of Rs 610 per share.
ICICI Lombard has been able to generate an average investment yield of 10 percent in last three years, it said. The research firm feels that non-life insurance industries' gross written premium can rise at CAGR of 19 percent in five years.
The company last month on January 16, 2018 reported a 5.2 percent increase in profit after tax (PAT) at Rs 231.76 crore for the quarter ended December 31, 2017. Total income rose to Rs 2,019.77 crore from Rs 1,842.93 crore in the year-ago period, ICICI Lombard said in a BSE filing.
1:10 pm Asian markets: Asian markets rose, tracking gains seen on Wall Street as U.S. bond yields receded from recent four-year highs. Meanwhile, the dollar slipped against a basket of currencies and investors await a testimony from the new Federal Reserve chair.
Japan's Nikkei 225 advanced 244.11 points, or 1.12 percent, after recording gains of more than 300 points earlier in the day. Technology stocks, financials and automakers traded higher on the day. Among index heavyweights, SoftBank Group jumped 1.57 percent and Fast Retailing rose 1.38 percent.
12:55 pm SBI bad loans: In an interview to CNBC-TV18, Rajnish Kumar, Chairman of State Bank of India (SBI), from the sidelines of the conference, spoke about the latest happenings in SBI and also shared his views on the fraud at Punjab National Bank (PNB).
Kumar said that we have clearly communicated our claim to PNB with regards to Nirav Modi fraud.
He further said that PNB fraud seems to be confined to a specific branch.
We can confirm there is no such case in relation to SBI, he added.
12:35 pm Management Outlook: Commenting on the National Health Protection Scheme (NHPS), Biocon Managing Director Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw said that the scheme has not been given full thought.
"If the government wants to start from scratch and build it up ground up, its going to take a lot of time because I feel that its not been thought through fully", the Biocon chief told Mint in an interview.
The Biocon CMD said partnering with companies is a faster way of rolling out the scheme instead of the government building it from scratch.
Mazumdar-Shaw welcomed the healthcare plan but said it is not viable unless it is integrated with primary healthcare.
12:15 pm Economic Growth prospects: India's economy grew at its fastest pace in a year in the October-December quarter as consumers, businesses and the government stepped up spending, a Reuters poll predicted.
This suggests that disruptions from a shock ban on high-value currency notes in November 2016 and the chaotic launch of a goods and services tax (GST) in July are fading.
Gross domestic product grew 6.9 percent in the October-December quarter from a year earlier, according to the poll of more than 35 economists, taken over the past week.
12:00 pm Market Expert: The market is likely to consolidate in a narrow range of 10,350-10,600 but there is one sector which is likely to remain in limelight which is the metal sector, Gautam Shah, Associate Director & Technical Analyst at JM Financial said in an interview with CNBC-TV18.
In the last 1-1/2 years, the metal index has exceeding well. It is trading around 15,300-15,400 on the BSE and our near-term target for the index is close to 17,000 but for 2018 our target is about 21,000 which translates into an upside of 20-25 percent over the next 9-12 months, he said.
The way metal stocks have handled themselves in the last 2-weeks that is quite commendable. It is a place in which investors should allocate 20-30 percent of your portfolio, added Shah.
11:45 am Expert Speak: I think the market is trying to consolidate right now. We have had a fairly significant fall, the biggest of the last 12-14 months on the way down from 11,200 to about 10,300 levels, Udayan Mukherjee said in an interview to CNBC-TV18.
We could try and work within a range of maybe 10,300 as the base, 10,700-10,800 as the top end of the range and see if we can consolidate for a few weeks after the first big draw-down because markets never fall in a single line, they will give you bounce back and consolidation phases, he added.
I am not terribly comfortable or confident that 10,300 is the final bottom for the year. We may see darker periods coming but that depends also on how the global story plays out, said Mukherjee.
11:32 am Kalyan Jewellers IPO: Kalyan Jewellers is looking to file papers for an Initial Public Offering (IPO) next month, according to a Mint report citing sources.
The Kerala-based company is considering raising around Rs 2,500 crore from the issue, a source told Mint.
"The IPO is a mix of primary fundraise that the company will use to fund expansion of its domestic and new overseas markets and a secondary share sale, primarily by private equity investor Warburg Pincus, which will be selling part of its stake in the company", the source added.
11:15 am Market Check: Shares are trading strong on Monday, with the Nifty eyeing 10,600-mark.
The Sensex is up 271.23 points or 0.79% at 34413.38, while the Nifty is up 81.50 points or 0.78% at 10572.50. The market breadth is negative as 1572 shares have advanced, against a decline of 740 shares declined, while 197 shares are unchanged.
IndusInd Bank and Tata Motors are the top gainers, while Dr Reddys and Sun Pharma were the top losers.
11:00 am Market Outlook: In an interview with CNBC-TV18, Sanjeev Prasad, Managing Director and Co-Head of Kotak Institutional Equities shard his views and outlook on the market. He was speaking from the sidelines of the Kotak Institutional Equities - Chasing Growth Conference.
It looks like earnings growth is coming back fairly strongly, he said.
We are looking at about 25 percent growth for the Nifty-50 index, about 28 percent for entire coverage universe which is slightly above 200 stocks. So looks like there is earnings recovery, he added.
We are also seeing turnaround in infrastructure sector, said Prasad.
10:45 am Buzzing Stock: Shares of A2Z Infra Engineering gained 4.3 percent intraday Monday as the company has entered in to one time settlement with Standard Chartered Bank.
The company approved one time settlement (OTS) with Standard Chartered Bank towards debt settlement of Rs 344.93 crore, for a total consideration of Rs 120 crore.
It has also approved the allotment of shares to Standard Chartered Bank.
10:30 am Market Outlook: The market is likely to consolidate in a narrow range of 10,350-10,600 but there is one sector which is likely to remain in limelight which is the metal sector, Gautam Shah, Associate Director & Technical Analyst at JM Financial said in an interview with CNBC-TV18.
In the last 1-1/2 years, the metal index has exceeding well. It is trading around 15,300-15,400 on the BSE and our near-term target for the index is close to 17,000 but for 2018 our target is about 21,000 which translates into an upside of 20-25 percent over the next 9-12 months, he said.
The way metal stocks have handled themselves in the last 2-weeks that is quite commendable. It is a place in which investors should allocate 20-30 percent of your portfolio, added Shah.
Commenting on the global markets, Shah is of the view that US markets have made a multi-month top for the US market. If that is the case, Indian markets will be impacted.
10:15 am Pharma stock in focus: Pharmaceutical names have witnessed a weak 2018 so far, with sectoral index down around 5 percent so far. On Monday too, led by cuts in heavyweight names such as Dr Reddy's and Sun Pharmaceuticals, pharma indices were trading lower. Here is a list of other such scrips in focus.
10:10 am New Listing: Market debutant Aster DM Healthcare listed at a discount of around 4 percent on the exchanges on Monday.
The stock listed at Rs 183 on the National Stock Exchange against the upper band of its issue price of Rs 190.
The healthcare services providers issue was oversubscribed 1.3 times on the last day, as per data available on the NSE website.
10:05 am Market Check: The market has extended its gains from opening tick and is witnessing an upmove of over half a percent.
The Sensex is up 185.56 points or 0.54% at 34327.71, while the Nifty is up 56.00 points or 0.53% at 10547.00. The market breadth is positive as 1432 shares have advanced, against a decline of 537 shares, while 158 shares are unchanged.
Dr Reddys Labs and Sun Pharma are the top losers on both indices, while gains are seen in auto stocks such as Bajaj Auto and Tata Motors.
9:57 am Sterlite Tech gains: Share price of Sterlite Technologies added more than 10 percent in the early trade on Monday on the back of order win worth Rs 3500 crore.
The company has been awarded Rs 3500 crore advance purchase order to design, build and manage the Indian Navys communications network.
This will give the Indian Navy digital defence supremacy at par with the best naval forces globally.
9:42 am Simbhaoli Sugars, OBC plunger 9-20%: Shares of Oriental Bank of Commerce and Simbhaoli Sugars lost 9-20 percent intraday on Monday as investors turned cautious post developments of a likely fraud involving the sugar firm.
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) said on Sunday it had filed a fraud case against executives of Simbhaoli Sugar for causing alleged losses of Rs 1.09 billion to state-run Oriental Bank of Commerce, reports Reuters. The bank alleged that the sugar refiner dishonestly and fraudulently diverted a Rs 1.48-billion-loan sanctioned in 2011 for financing cane farmers for private use, a statement issued by CBI said.
This is the second case in three days registered by the CBI upon complaints from the Oriental Bank of Commerce. The police has registered a case against several top officials of Simbhaoli Sugar, including its chairman and managing director, chief executive and chief financial officer, some unknown bank officials, and other private persons
9:30 am Buzzing Stock: Shares of Dr Reddy's Laboratories slipped 4 percent in early trade on Monday after the USFDA maintained OAI status for the company's Srikakulam plant.
The company received the establishment inspection report (EIR) from the US Food and Drug Administration for its API manufacturing plant in Srikakulam, Andhra Pradesh.
"FDA has asked us for more details. We are providing those details and continuing to engage with FDA for resolution of pending issues," company said in press release.
9:15 am Market Opens: Equity benchmarks began the week on a positive note, tracking positive global cues.
The Sensex is up 109.15 points or 0.32% at 34251.30, while the Nifty is up 33.30 points or 0.32% at 10524.30. The market breadth is positive as 510 shares advanced, against a decline of 123 shares, while 102 shares are unchanged.
Nifty Pharma is likely to be witnessing some profit booking after days of upmove last week. All other sectoral indices are trading in the green, with financials and auto leading the pack.
Dr Reddys and Sun Pharma are the top losers on both indices, while Tata Steel, Adani Ports and Vedanta have gained the most.
The Indian rupee opened higher by 8 paise at 64.65 per dollar on Monday versus 64.73 Friday.
Pramit Brahmbhatt of Veracity said, "The rupee will see marginal positive impact in today's session on back of positive cues from the domestic equity market."
"We expect the USD-INR pair to trade in a range of 64.50-65," he added.
Asian markets rose early on Monday, tracking gains seen on Wall Street as US bond yields receded from recent four-year highs in the last session.
Japan's Nikkei 225 soared 292.69 points, or 1.34 percent, with technology stocks, financials and automakers higher on the day. Among index heavyweights, SoftBank Group jumped 1.79 percent and Fast Retailing rose 1.34 percent.
Elsewhere, South Korea's benchmark Kospi added 0.42 percent while the junior Kosdaq saw more significant gains, climbing 1.05 percent in early trade.
BSE
The bulls carried forward the momentum seen on Friday as Nifty managed to hit another ton on Monday and reclaimed crucial moving averages which is a positive sign for the bulls. The index made a strong bullish candle on the daily charts and now the next target of 10,900 looks possible.
The Nifty index opened positive and witnessed sustained buying interest for the second consecutive trading session. It rallied by more than 200 points from 10400 to 10600 zones in the last two sessions and finally managed to close above its 50EMA.
The Nifty broke above its crucial 50-days exponential moving average (DEMA) placed around 10,560 on closing basis which is a positive sign for the bulls. Traders can create long positions on the index now with a stop loss below 10,500 markets.
The Nifty which opened at 10,526 rose to an intraday high of 10,592. It slipped marginally to 10,520 before closing the day at 10,582, up 91 points.
It was heartening to see the Nifty witnessing a follow-through buying with a strong gap up opening which sustained throughout the trading session before bulls signed off the day in style with a strong bullish candle near to intraday high, Mazhar Mohammad, Chief Strategist Technical Research & Trading Advisory, Chartviewindia.in told Moneycontrol.
Moreover with a close above 50-Days EMA, which offered resistance twice to the index, it appears that bulls are positioning themselves for a bigger upmove towards 10900 levels for which a confirmation will come once they conquer immediate hurdle of 10630 levels on closing basis, he said.
Mohammad is of the view that on the downside it looks imminent for bulls to sustain above Mondays gap zone of 10520 - 499 levels on a closing basis to retain bullish bias.
Hence, traders are advised to make use of dips, if any, to create fresh longs with a stop below 10500 and look for bigger targets as a close above 10630 will force the bears to run for cover, he said.
India VIX fell down by 3.57% at 13.69. Falling VIX is providing stability to bulls in the market. On the options front, maximum Put open interest is seen at 10000 followed by 10400 strikes while maximum Call open interest is at 10700 followed by 11000 which is shifting its support higher.
We have collated the top fifteen data points to help you spot profitable trade:
Key Support & Resistance Level for Nifty:
The Nifty closed at 10,582.6. According to Pivot charts, the key support level is placed at 10,537.53, followed by 10,492.47. If the index starts to move higher, key resistance levels to watch out are 10,610.33 and 10,638.07.
Nifty Bank:
The Nifty Bank closed at 25,687.9. Important Pivot level, which will act as crucial support for the index, is placed at 25,472.0, followed by 25,256.1. On the upside, key resistance levels are placed at 25,813.0, followed by 25,938.1.
Call Options Data:
Maximum call open interest (OI) of 30.46 lakh contracts stands at strike price 10,700, which will act as a crucial resistance level for the index in the March series, followed by 11,000, which now holds 30.25 lakh contracts in open interest, and 10,600, which has accumulated 24.84 lakh contracts in OI.
Call writing was seen at a strike price of 10,700, which saw the addition of 19.36 lakh contracts, followed by 10,900, which added 15.53 lakh contracts and 10,800, which added 14.73 lakh contracts.
There was hardly any Call unwinding seen.
Put Options Data:
Maximum put OI of 34.04 lakh contracts was seen at strike price 10,000, which will act as a crucial base for the index in March series; followed by 10,400, which now holds 32.21 lakh contracts and 10,500 which has now accumulated 29.96 lakh contracts in open interest.
Put Writing was seen at the strike price of 10,400, which saw addition of 20.12 lakh contracts, along with 10,300, which added 18.20 lakh contracts and 10,200, which added 14.40 lakh contracts.
There was hardly any Put unwinding seen.
FII & DII Data:
Foreign institutional investors (FIIs) sold shares worth Rs 1,119.51 crore, while domestic institutional investors bought shares worth Rs 1,409.45 crore in the Indian equity market, as per provisional data available on the NSE.
Fund Flow Picture:
Stocks with high delivery percentage:
High delivery percentage suggests that investors are accepting the delivery of the stock, which means that investors are bullish on the stock.
149 stocks saw long build-up:
14 stocks saw short covering:
A decrease in open interest along with an increase in price mostly indicates short covering.
43 stocks saw short build-up:
An increase in open interest along with a decrease in price mostly indicates short positions being built up.
4 stocks saw long unwinding:
Long unwinding happens when there is a decrease in OI as well as in price.
Bulk Deals:
Coffee Day Enterprise Ltd: KKR Mauritius PE Investments II Ltd sold 90,00,000 shares at Rs 324.25 per share while Malavika Hegde bought 55,00,000 shares at Rs 324.00 per share.
Fortis Healthcare Limited: BNP Paribas Arbitrage bought 40,20,000 shares at Rs 157.59 per share and ECL Finance Ltd sold 41,95,754 shares at Rs 155.81 per share.
(For more bulk deals click here)
Analyst or Board Meet/Briefings:
Sadbhav Engineering is likely to meet investors at Kotak Securities Investors Conference on February 28.
Manpasand Beverages is likely to meet investors at Kotak Institutional Equities conference on February 28.
Greaves Cotton met representatives of HDFC Securities at February 26, 2018.
Stocks in news:
Indian Overseas Bank: The bank has approved the convening of EGM and to seek the approval of shareholders for issue of equity shares of face value of Rs 10 each to the government on preferential basis, aggregating upto the extent of Rs 4,694 crore plus Rs 173.06 crore.
Tata Power: Skill development institute given global HR skill development award 2018.
Torrent Pharma: The company plans to raise approx Rs 2,000 crore through a QIP.
Berger Paints: The company is planning setting up an integrated paint plant in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh
Jain Irrigation subsidiary invests in Innova Food NV Belgium. CY17 turnover of the acquired co - Euro 23.6mn
Mahindra & Mahindra collaborates with LG Chem to for Lio-on battery technology to support EV revolution in India
ACC says there are constraints in implementing merger between the Company and Ambuja Cements
IOB approves preferential issue of shares to GoI upto Rs 4694cr
Music Broadcast - Radio city and Apple music launch Bollywood countdown show
LT Foods - CRISIL upgrades long term and short term ratings of the Co
Sagar Cements board approves acquisition of hydel power plants (capacity of 4.3 MW and 4 MW) for a sum of 26.9cr
USL - ICRA upgrades ratings of various debt instruments
HDFC Bank says will work closely with SEBI in relation to whatsapp data leak
Simbhaoli Sugar says that in relation to the fraud case registered by OBC- co is in process of submitting the information and clarifications to the investigating
agencies
PNB says quantum of unauthorized transactions can increase by USD 204.25 mn Clarifies that govt hasnt asked PNB to pay the fraud liabilities
Indiabulls Real Estates EGM on March 23 to seek shareholder approval for divestment of stake in Indiabulls Properties
3 stocks under ban period on NSE
Security in ban period for the next trade date under the F&O segment includes companies in which the security has crossed 95 percent of the market-wide position limit.
Securities which are banned for trading include names such as Fortis, JP Associates and Oriental Bank of Commerce.
It's raining allegations with Rotomac and Simbhaoli Sugar joining the alleged fraudster list. The political verbal battle has already started adversely affecting banking sector reforms.
A Business Standard report says that the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party and its allies are expected to be close to 100 seats in the Rajya Sabha in April, well short of the halfway mark of 123. Given the acrimonious environment, it is unlikely that the government can rely on Opposition support to get the Bills cleared.
This would impact passing of the Bill needed to pass relevant amendments to the Bank Nationalisation Act (BNA), which will be required to set up a bank-holding company. The holding company concept was first tabled by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley in his 2015-16 Budget speech.
A precursor for setting up the holding company was the Banks Board Bureau (BBB), headed by Vinod Rai. Reports have already emerged talking about the possibility of BBB being dismantled post-Rai's tenure.
With eight state elections scheduled to be held during the year, the political din is unlikely to come down and it means that most of the Bills which require structural changes are unlikely to see the light of the day.
It means the bank holding company, a revolutionary idea, will also be stuck in limbo. Let's look at what the bank holding company would have done to boost the sector.
Apart from being the holding company of government investments in banks, it would also be responsible for allocating money to banks according to their performance. It was also expected to, with the help of BBB, choose heads of public sector banks. These are not something that cannot be done in the present setup.
The question is, could a bank holding company, had it been in existence, prevented the current mess? The answer is a clear no.
There are two issues that are plaguing the banking system. First is the problem of bad loans and second is the recently exposed frauds.
The first issue is because of flawed government policy while the second one is on account of human greed.
Unless the government gives up its control over public sector banks, setting up the bank holding company would mean one more layer of bureaucracy. Selecting chairmen of banks and expecting them to tow the government line is an exercise in futility.
A big reason behind public sector banks not reporting toxic assets earlier is that an employee's career is connected to the loan. A non-performing asset is thus avoided as far as possible by ever-greening the account by giving additional loans through another route.
Giving a loan is a business call, which a banker gives after the project has been approved by the external rating agency and the internal research team. It is a business call which is taken taking into account the environment at the time of assessing the project. As external environment changes the prospects of the companies changes. The worst affected are those projects which are under construction and do not have too much room to fight the external environment. No amount of ever-greening such account will revive the project unless the environment improves.
As for human greed, the three different cases of Nirav Modi, Rotomac and Simbhaoli Sugars show that they would not have occurred had there been checks and balances in place.
But why mainly public sector employees fall into the trap of fraudsters and not private sector ones? Salary disparity is the first thing that comes to mind and rightly so. Private sector banks incentivise their employees through better salary packages, bonuses and the most importantly - e-sops (employee stocks). The bank employee knows his wealth unlocking will happen through these esops and knows that he would be deprived of the benefit if a scam rocks the bank.
Jaitley, as expected, shied away from the industry associations' call of privatising banks. Jaitley said that privatising public sector banks was a challenging decision and would involve a very large bipartisan political consensus.
Privatising public sector banks does not necessarily mean reducing governments stake. It could be done by giving the public sector banks more leg room. Some of the best banking talents reside in public sector banks who are working with their hands and legs tied. Incentivising them, trusting them and keeping the government away from banks will clean the system faster than any other act or a holding structure.
Mahavir Chopra
The obvious answer is YES, and theres no doubt about that. Even if your brain says otherwise, read on to justify this honest decision made by your heart!
The depth of love your parents have for you can never be measured. They have always been your backbone and you have always been proud of them. Now, it is time for you to become their backbone and make them feel proud of you.
You can start by getting them covered under a health insurance plan. This simple decision will ensure that you or your parents do not face any hardship when your parents fall ill. The best way to achieve it is by including them in the group health insurance provided by your employer.
Yes; you read it right, remember those communications from your HR department asking you to choose whether you would like to include your parents in the group health insurance (GHI) scheme of the organization for an extra premium. And, you passed that opportunity just to save a little money. You did so, as your parents are not covered for free unlike yourself, your spouse and your children.
Well, after reading this, you would definitely sign up and would not mind paying the premiums too. So, lets start with knowing a little more about GHI.
What is a GHI?
Companies and firms offer health insurance coverage to employees, their spouses, and their children. The primary reason being, the creation of a loyal and motivated workforce for the organization. The premium for this scheme is paid by the company. However, some firms also extend this benefit to the employees parents for free or may ask the employee to bear the additional premiums.
Advantages of including parents in employers GHI
The group insurance policy works under certain terms & conditions which are applicable to the entire group insured. Lets have a look at how it works in your favour:
1. No medical examination
Under an employer offered GHI plan, you are not required to go for any medical check-ups. You and your family members get automatic coverage from Day one without any hassle or paperwork.
2. Low-cost affair
The premiums applicable to a GHI policy are 30-35% cheaper against the amount payable for individual health plans. So, if you compare the premiums payable on individual health insurance plans for your parents against employers GHI plans, you would end up saving a lot more than expected.
3. No waiting period concept
Another important benefit of group health insurance is that there is no specific waiting period for any illnesses. All the illnesses are covered right from Day 1. Lets say, cataract treatment has a waiting period of 24 months under an individual health insurance policy. The same illness is covered right from Day 1 under a group health insurance plan.
4. Pre-existing diseases covered
The pre-existing diseases are also covered by the group health insurance right from Day 1. So, if your parents are already diagnosed with health conditions like diabetes or heart ailments or any other illness, there is no need to worry. On the other hand, individual health insurance plans have a waiting period of 48 months. This benefit can only be enjoyed under a group health insurance plan.
5. Adding top-up or super top-up
The coverage offered under a GHI plan is for a small amount say Rs. 5 lakh. However, there is no need to worry. You can increase the coverage to even higher levels by attaching a top-up or super top-up plan to your employer-provided GHI plan. You can use the group insurance sum assured to cover your hospitalization expenses till the deductible limit. And once you breach the deductible limit, the coverage from top-up or super-top will come into effect. However, do remember that under a super top-up plan, the deductible amount has to exceed over the entire policy year. On the other hand, under a top-up, the deductible must be breached in a single hospitalization.
Hence, even if your employer is not providing health insurance coverage to your parents free of charge, you should definitely apply for it, even if you have to pay the premiums yourself.
Though the GHI scheme provides a host of benefits, it only acts as a temporary cover.
The following are the two major drawbacks:
1. Discontinuation of scheme by the employer
Yes, your employer may choose to discontinue the scheme anytime. This is the case especially with the private limited companies in India. They can also choose to reduce the coverage provided under the scheme anytime they want. They may also stop extending this benefit to your parents. This can have a major impact on your and your familys health coverage.
2. Discontinuation due to change of job
Another major disadvantage is the automatic termination of the policy on changing your job. The reason being the GHI is valid only until such time you are part of the group i.e. the company or firm you are employed with. Once you leave your job and are no longer associated with the company, the policy you have enrolled under will come to an end, and along with it, the benefits would come to an end as well. If your new employer provides a policy with same benefits you should definitely opt for it. However, you would be left on your own without any cover during the transition period i.e. until the time, the new GHI plan comes into effect.
One should compulsorily have an independent health insurance plan for his parents, and use the group health insurance as a backup for the main policy. The group health insurance plan can be used till the completion of the waiting period applicable for the pre-existing diseases and other specific diseases and surgeries. Post this the group health insurance plan can be used as a backup plan.
What did we learn?
Whatever, the drawbacks may be, a GHI policy is an excellent choice to take care of the medical expenses during your entire working life.
Thus, this scheme is a win-win situation for the employee. You get free health cover along with getting all the members of your family insured under one health insurance policy. Even if you have to pay premiums for including your parents from your pocket, the amount would be quite less, as against an individual insurance policy bought on your own. The cost-effectiveness and conveniences offered by a GHI plan definitely has advantages that are hard to ignore.
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State-run Power Finance Corporation (PFC) today said that it has inked memorandums of understanding (MoUs) with Uttar Pradesh power utilities for providing financial assistance of Rs 50,200 crore.
The PFC has executed MoUs with Uttar Pradesh state sector power utilities - UPRVUNL, UPPTCL and UPPCL - for providing required financial assistance of Rs 50,200 crore, a PFC statement said.
According to statement, these funds would be used for upcoming greenfield and extension of thermal power generation projects at Jawaharpur, Panki, Harduagunj, Anpara and Obra; development of coal mines; Integrated Power Development Scheme, Saubhagya, DDUGJY (rural electrification); and for strengthening of transmission and distribution network in the state.
The financial assistance will support the state in capacity addition of 4,760 MW; and in achievement of the objective of power for all and 24x7 quality and reliable power supply in Uttar Pradesh.
The MoUs were executed for extending financial assistance to state power utilities for next four years with cumulative amount of Rs 50,200 crore.
The MoUs were executed on the sidelines of UP Powering New India Investor Summit 2018 recently held in Lucknow, in presence of Alok Kumar, Principal Secretary (Energy), Government of Uttar Pradesh, Rajeev Sharma, CMD, PFC and other senior officials from states power utilities and PFC.
SBI Chairman Rajnish Kumar in Mumbai
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SBI Chairman Rajnish Kumar today said he expects PNB to clear the bank's USD 212 million (Rs 1,360 crore) dues in the Nirav Modi case. "I am very much confident that things will get sorted out between PNB and other banks," Kumar said in an interview to CNBC TV18.
"As far as our exposure is concerned on PNB, that number is very much confirmed, calculated and advised to PNB," Kumar said.
He said the exposure of SBI to Gitanjali Gems - one of the companies involved in the scam - has also been crystallised and there was no issue on that.
"So our numbers, our claim is clear because there are some secondary market purchases, so double counting has to be avoided," the SBI Chairman and MD told the news channel.
When asked if banking sector would see more skeletons tumbling out of the closet, Kumar said it looks like the case is confined to a particular branch of PNB.
"At least for SBI, I can confirm that there is no such issue, no such problem. And I am sure that by now all other banks also would have reviewed their portfolios and would have arrived at the similar conclusion because if something was wrong somewhere, by now, I presume, it could have come out,"Kumar said.
When asked if regulator RBI has issued any other instruction to banks other than integrating the core banking solution with the SWIFT system, Kumar said he has no further knowledge on the issue. He said RBI has instructed the banks to put in place the safety mechanism with respect to global money transfer software SWIFT and the banks are in a position to comply with that by April.
Kumar also said the PNB case is more of operational risk and not related to credit risk.
"Whatever has gone wrong, it is about the operational weakness and we have to keep that segregated from the credit risk."
Other than SBI, lenders like Union Bank of India(UBI) and Allahabad Bank also have exposure to PNB to grant loans on the basis of LoUs that were issued fraudulently to Modi and his uncle Mehul Choksi.
Allahabad Bank has an exposure of about USD 366.87 million in the case to PNB through its overseas branch in Hong Kong. UBI has exposure of nearly USD 300 million through its foreign branches.
On February 14, PNB had informed the stock exchanges that the bank was defrauded to the tune of USD 1.77 billion (nearly Rs 11,400 crore) by Modi and his associate companies by getting loans through illegal LoUs for over seven years.
The Indian Railways is trying to fill up close to 89,500 positions by opening up several entry level positions.
According to a Times of India report, the move is set to be the largest recruitment exercise. This will include the hiring for positions such as gangmen, switchmen, trackmen, technicians, cabinmen, welders, assistant loco pilots, helpers and porters.
Close to 1.2 lakh jobs are left vacant in the railways, many of which are ground-level positions that play a role in the safety of passengers.
Following the recent train accidents, Railways Minister Piyush Goyal had promised filling up of these vacancies to boost safety. The railways board has also seen members being let go, on account of being top heavy.
Close to 63,000 vacancies are in the group D category - that is assigned to gangmen and trackmen. Another 26,500 personnel are also being hired as loco pilots and assistant loco pilots.
The report quoted an official saying that the exercise was given its due as close to 40,000-45,000 employees retire every year.
The move also relaxed the minimum qualification needed to apply to these posts to clearing Class X instead of an Industrial Training Institute (ITI) certificate for 62,907 vacancies of trackmen.
Younger people can also apply as the railways reduced the minimum age qualifications by two years across all categories.
The NDA government was recently under flak by the opposition for encouraging jobless growth.
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Shares of Welspun Enterprises rose over 5 percent intraday Monday as company emerged as lowest bidder for a project in the state of Tamil Nadu.
National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) has, on February 23, 2018, made public opening of the bids for a project for six laning of Walajapeth to Chinnaiyan section of NH-4.
The company has emerged as the lowest bidder (L-1) at bid price of 1,536.39 crore.
The project is on hybrid annuity mode in the state of Tamil Nadu under NHDP phase-V.
At 11:03 hrs Welspun Enterprises was quoting at Rs 172.05, up Rs 6.70, or 4.05 percent on the BSE.
Posted by Rakesh Patil
A designated PMLA authority has held that a Delhi farmhouse, attached by the ED in the name of RJD chief Lalu Prasad's daughter Misa Bharti and her husband, is "involved" in money laundering and ordered that the attachment of the asset should continue.
The central probe agency had provisionally attached the immovable asset, located on a 12-bigha land in south Delhi's Bijwasan area, in September last year under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).
"Considering the material (filed) in the original complaint (by the Enforcement Directorate). I find the property provisionally attached is involved in money laundering. I, therefore, hereby confirm the attachment of the property...and order that the said attachment shall continue during the pendency of the proceedings related to the offence under the PMLA before a court and become final after an order of confiscation is passed by the special court," the recent order issued by Member (Law) of the Adjudicating Authority of the PMLA, Tushar V Shah, said.
The ED has now seized the property, agency sources said. The property belongs to Misa Bharti and husband Shailesh Kumar and is held in the name of Ms Mishail Packers and Printers Pvt Ltd, the central probe agency had said. The agency had said that its investigation found that the farmhouse was purchased "using Rs 1.2 crore involved in money laundering in the year 2008-09."
The ED is probing Misa Bharti, an RJD MP in the Rajya Sabha, and her husband as part of its criminal probe in a Rs 8,000 crore alleged money laundering case involving shell or bogus companies and two Delhi-based alleged entry operators Surendra Jain and Virendra Jain.
Jains were brothers and had been arrested by the ED in this case in the past. It had also arrested an accountant, Rajesh Agrawal, who mediated and provided a cash amount of Rs 90 lakh to the Jain brothers in advance so as to invest in Ms Mishail Packers and Printers Pvt Ltd as share premium".
One of the firms that the Jain brothers dealt with was Mishail Printers and Packers Pvt Ltd. Bharti and her husband had been directors of this firm in the past. The company, Mishail Packers and Printers, was registered at the address 25, Tuglak Road, New Delhi till the shares were bought by Misa Bharti.
It was only during the year 2009-10 that the address was changed to farm no 26 Palam Farms, VPO Bijwasan, New Delhi. Bharti and Kumar were the directors of the company during the relevant period, the ED had claimed.
The couple have been interrogated and their statements recorded by the ED. The agency said the Jain brothers, accountant Agrawal and the daughter and the son-in-law of the former Bihar chief minister were the key persons behind the money laundering of Rs 1.20 crore.
The ED had also conducted raids at the farm house and few other locations linked to Misa Bharti, her husband and others in July last year. The accused can appeal against this order, issued by the authority, before the Appellate Tribunal of the Act.
Representative image
Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar has said sought cooperation from the Centre and the governments of Delhi and Uttar Pradesh to make joint efforts to combat the Yamuna river pollution.
Khattar was speaking yesterday during the inaugural ceremony of Rangotsav in Barsana. The UP government organised the Rangotsav (festival of colours) in Barsana to commemorate the traditional Latthmaar Holi.
With the joint efforts of the Union government, Delhi government and the Uttar Pradesh government, efforts would be made to overcome pollution of holy Yamuna", Khattar said.
He also dropped a hint to provide water for irrigation to farmers.
Reacting to Khattar's remarks, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath exuded confidence that the cooperation of both the states would bring a change "beyond expectations".
President Ram Nath Kovind will arrive in Chandigarh tomorrow to attend the golden jubilee celebrations of the MCM DAV College for Women on February 28.
This will be President Kovind's maiden visit to the Union territory after assuming office last year.
The president will arrive here tomorrow afternoon, officials said, adding he will stay at Punjab Raj Bhawan.
Sri Devi | She was a veteran actress and India's first female superstar. Sri Devi's demise came as a shock to the country. On February 24, Sri Devi was found dead in a hotel bathtub in Dubai. She was only 54.
People took to social media to express their grief and shock after the news of the death of the legendary actress of the yesteryears Sridevi came in. Numerous film stars, politicians & people from around the country expressed shock at the sudden demise of the loved-by-all roop ki rani.
Amid this, a tweet by the main opposition party in the parliament, Congress, did not go down well with the public and they called out the insensitivity. Consequently, the grand old party of India had to delete the questionable tweet.
The tweet posted on Sunday read: "We regret to hear about the passing away of Sridevi. A legend who will continue to live in our hearts through her stellar body of work. Our deepest condolence to her loved ones. She was awarded the Padma Shri by the UPA govt in 2013.
A screengrab of the tweet in question
The backlash was over the last line of the tweet which highlighted the fact that she was awarded the Padma Shri by the UPA government in 2013.
Remembering Sridevi: Some unknown facts about the legendary actor
The tweet was later deleted and a series of tweets praising Sridevi and her work was posted by Congress. The next tweet read: We regret to hear about the passing away of Sridevi. An actor par excellence. A legend who will continue to live in our hearts through her stellar body of work.
We regret to hear about the passing away of Sridevi. An actor par excellence. A legend who will continue to live in our hearts through her stellar body of work.
Our deepest condolences to her loved ones. pic.twitter.com/RPagwsnX9h
Congress (@INCIndia) February 25, 2018
Our deepest condolences to her loved ones, it added.
Minutes later, another tweet was posted which mentioned the awards she received in her career, including the Padma Shri. "She received a multitude of awards including the fourth highest civilian award the Padma Shri in 2013 by the Govt of India & 6 Filmfare awards, the first at the age of 14. Sridevi started her career at the age of 4 in 'Thunaivan'. Her Bollywood debut was in 'Julie' at 12, the tweet read.
The tweet included a picture of former President Pranab Mukherjee conferring the Padma Shri to the actress.
However, Congress' 'course correction' tweets could not stop the criticism from its followers on Twitter. Is it necessary to mention she got Padma Shri award by UPA government hopeless person who is handling this account, a user asked. Congress has PhD in playing politics over dead bodies - didn't even spare #Sridevi, another user wrote.
In 1997, Sridevi ji took a break from bollywood because she knew that BJP govt will be coming in centre next year. A tight slap on communal politics of BJP. Her comeback came 15 years later in 2012 with movie 'English Vinglish' under UPA govt. Rahul Ji zindabad. THE SKIN DOCTOR (@theskindoctor13) February 25, 2018
After much flak, @INCIndia deleted the tweet mentioning 'PadmaShri by UPA', but now replaced with photo of PadmaShri ceremony. Changed from UPA to 'Govt-Of-India'.
What a Shameful scavenging on the dead when #Sridevi isn't even cremated yet@OfficeOfRG @divyaspandana pic.twitter.com/ijMxsGCLYg
#Intolerant (@goyalsanjeev) February 25, 2018
Actually they want to tell that #Sridevi was one of few non-congressis ever awarded by UPA govt.
Lord of the Drinks (@koolsandy6) February 25, 2018
Sridevi passed away at the age 54 in Dubai after a massive cardiac arrest on Saturday night. She was the first female superstar of Bollywood, having worked in movies like Sadma, ChaalBaaz, Lamhe, Khuda Gawah and Judaai.
Two top American business advocacy groups are in an advance stage of launching a US-India IP dialogue to address bilateral concerns and identify best practices and expertise in the innovation sector.
The US has been bilaterally pushing India to tighten its Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) regime for a couple of years and said that India remains a challenging market for IP- intensive investment.
India has over the years maintained that it is fully compliant with multilateral IP regulations.
There is enthusiasm among all stakeholders on both the sides in trying to find constructive ways not only to address concerns but also to reflect best practices, president of the US India Business Council (USIBC) Nisha Desai Biswal told PTI.
This may usher in the kind of innovation that India seeks not only in terms of investment but also in terms of domestic innovation that it wants to protect, safeguard and allow to flourish, she said.
The USIBC and the Global Innovation Policy Centre (GIPC), that are parts of the US Chambers of Commerce (USCC), are in advance stages of launching a US-India bilateral IP dialogue.
An informal meeting of the various stakeholders is scheduled this week and the dialogue could be launched as soon as in March.
This would include not only corporate stakeholders but also representatives from the governments of India and the US.
"These areas that had in the past been sources of tension can actually be sources of strength in the relationship. There is a tremendous amount of expertise that the chamber brings to the table," Biswal, the former assistant secretary of state for south and central Asia, said.
The GIPC has had a similar very successful bilateral dialogue with China, she said.
"For India, we see a particular opportunity for it to emerge as a real driver in the global economy. We have seen the US play that role after World War II for several decades and in the last couple of decades, China has been a global driver. It seems to me that there is an opportunity now for India to take on that role," the GIPC's Patrick Kilbride said.
Noting that the global economy has changed and the import substitution model no longer seems to be available, he said that the export, lead manufacturing and the way that China did, does not seem to be the model for the future.
The answer lies in the knowledge economy, he said.
Both Kilbride and Biswal argued that competitiveness, going forward, is really rooted in innovation.
India, Kilbride said, has an opportunity to get ahead and make that the basis on which it can drive not only the domestic growth, but also be an engine for global economic growth.
If India succeeds in becoming a leader in the global knowledge economy, US industries will benefit too, he said.
"We can both contribute to the success and benefit from the success," Kilbride said.
The IP dialogue is aimed at not only identifying shortcomings or problems, but also the solutions, best practices, technical knowledge and expertise that can be brought to bear to ultimately create for India the state of the art ecosystem that allows an innovation economy to grow, thrive and flourish, Biswal said.
For several years, the USCC and the GIPC have led a US-China IP-cooperation dialogue, which brought together very senior experts from both the countries to have relatively informal but very substantive conversations about the issues that are driving or impeding innovation in both countries, Kilbride said.
These dialogues and reports resulted in China making relatively big leaps in terms of its own domestic innovative capacity in a way it governs innovative industry and sort of setting a bar for IP-led innovation in the global space that might look like in the future, Kilbride said.
"We think this is a very timely conversation to have with India to make sure that countries like the US and India who are like-minded in terms of approach to democratic governance, market economics, are working together just as closely as we have been doing with China in the past," he said.
"What we know is that innovation cannot flourish if that innovation is not protected," Biswal said, adding that India is innovating.
"Aadhaar is the massive innovation that India has put on the table. India has created an intellectual property that should be protected," she said.
India has shown how it has really revolutionised the way governments can provide not only a universal ID, but an ID that actually then engages a whole host of different areas of service, Biswal said.
The USIBC and the GIPC is working with Indian School of Business in Hyderabad, which could be a venue for having discussion on this bilateral initiative in a public setting.
"What you're seeing here is an approach by both the governments and industries to actually be focused on solutions rather than problems; to create dialogue around best practices and to be looking for opportunities to actually create win-win situations," Biswal added.
BJP chief Amit Shah today hit out at the Congress over an alleged bank fraud case in which Amarinder Singh's son-in-law has been booked, saying it is shameful that the Punjab chief minister's relative pocketed the money meant for hardworking farmers.
Shah questioned why the Congress deleted a tweet about a news report on the alleged bank fraud.
"Punjab CMs son-in-law pockets money meant for Indias hardworking farmers. What can be more shameful than this ! #CongressLootsFarmers," he tweeted.
"Why delete this tweet highlighting the loot of @capt_amarinders son-in-law. Congress has always been at the forefront of highlighting their own robberies such as the NPA mess, bad loans, the free hand they gave to Vijay Mallya and Nirav Modi," Shah wrote on Twitter. The BJP chief shared the news story about the alleged bank fraud at Oriental Bank of Commerce (OBC) on the microblogging website.
The CBI had on February 22 registered a case against Simbhaoli Sugars Limited, its Chairman Gurmit Singh Mann, Deputy Managing Director Gurpal Singh and others in connection with an alleged bank loan fraud of Rs 97.85 crore at the bank.
Simbhaoli Sugars Limited is one of the largest sugar mills in the country. Gurpal Singh is the son-in-law of the Punjab chief minister.
Searches were carried out at eight premises including the residences of directors, factory, corporate office and registered office of the company in Delhi, Hapur and Noida in connection with the case yesterday.
PM Modi
Senior Nationalist Congress Party leader Tariq Anwar claimed that the Prime Minister has been selling the dreams of 2022 forgetting that he has to face the general election in 2019.
The Narendra Modi government has projected a vision for a 'New India' that would be free of poverty, corruption, communalism, casteism and terrorism by 2022, three years beyond the NDA government's tenure.
"The PM is showing the dream of 2022 to the people, but he must understand that there will be a new mandate in 2019 itself," Anwar told reporters.
Both the central and state governments have lost popularity and support base among the people, the NCP general secretary claimed.
Anwar also claimed that by-elections for three seats in the state next month will follow the Rajasthan pattern.
The Congress had won all three by-polls in Rajasthan and snatched Ajmer and Alwar Lok Sabha seats and Mandalgarh Assembly seat from the BJP by huge margins earlier this month.
Similarly, the ruling JD(U)-BJP coalition would lose the by-elections for Bhabhua and Jahanabad Assembly seats, and Araria Lok Sabha constituency to be held on March 11.
Anwar demanded that Joint Parliament Committee be set up to investigate the bank scam.
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Congress president Rahul Gandhi today accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of favouring the "super rich" and questioned why he had still not appointed a Lokpal to fight corruption. Gandhi, who has been targeting Modi in all public rallies in poll-bound Karnataka, also quizzed Modi over his "silence" on issues such as the Punjab National Bank fraud.
"In Gujarat, Modi ji did not implement Lokayukta. It has been four years since he became prime minister... He did not implement Lokpal even in Delhi," he said.
The Congress president said Modi, who had described himself as the country's "chowkidar" (watchman), was silent on the fraud and the alleged increase in the turnover of a company owned by BJP president Amit Shah's son, Jay Shah.
"The country's chowkidar comes to Karnataka and speaks about corruption with his chief minister (former chief minister Yeddyurappa) who had been to jail on one side and on the other side four ministers who also went to jail during the BJP rule," he said, addressing a rally here.
"Nudidante nade" (practise what you preach)," he urged Modi, quoting 12th century social reformer Basaveshwara from Karnataka. Gandhi, who is on the second leg of his three-day tour of the northern parts of Karnataka, said, "Modiji... nudidante nade. The country has not made you prime minister just to give speeches."
Gandhi said diamantaire Nirav Modi had taken away crores of rupees "belonging to" India's poor. "Nirav Modi took away Rs 22,000 crore belonging to India's farmers, labourers and the poor, but our chowkidar does not utter a word," he said.
In his first remarks on the Rs 11,400-crore fraud in India's second-biggest PSU bank, Prime Minister Modi had on Friday warned of strict action against those involved in financial irregularities and said the loot of public money would not be tolerated.
Attacking the prime minister on GST, which the Congress president has been calling "Gabbar Singh Tax", Gandhi said whatever was in the common man's pocket had been taken away, lakhs of businesses shut and lakhs of people had suffered losses.
"But one person runs a magical new business... Amit Shah's son Jay Shah within three months converts Rs 50,000 to Rs 80 crore, but the chowkidar does not utter a word," he alleged.
The BJP chief has rejected allegations of corruption against his son, who has filed a criminal defamation suit against a news portal which claimed his business fortunes had zoomed after the BJP came to power in 2014. Hitting out at the prime minister over issues such as employment generation and for not announcing loan waivers for farmers, Gandhi said, "Mod ji... learn a bit from (Karnataka Chief Minister) Siddaramaiah."
"Whatever you do, you do it for people like Nirav Modi. You give thousands of crores money to super rich people in the country; while in Karnataka we give seven kg rice at free of cost to the poor," he said.
Alleging that money power, marketing, television and the media were on the side of the BJP, Gandhi said despite all these, the Congress would win the Assembly polls in Karnataka because the party had the "strength of the poor and weaker sections".
"Whether they like it or not, Siddaramaiah and I, along with the Congress party, will work for weaker sections, the poor. We will take every one together for the progress of Karnataka," he said. State Assembly polls are expected to be held in April/May.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi speaks in the Rajya Sabha, at the Parliament in New Delhi on Wednesday. (PTI)
Continuing to target the Prime Minister in his campaign in poll-bound Karnataka, Congress president Rahul Gandhi today asked why Narendra Modi, who had described himself as the country's "chowkidar", was "silent" on the PNB fraud.
He also asked Modi as to why he was not taking any action regarding the alleged sudden increase in turnover of a company owned by BJP president Amit Shah's son Jay Shah.
"Modi ji comes to Karnataka and speaks about corruption. He had told the country not to make him Prime Minister but make him the chowkidar (watchman) of the country," he said at party rallies in Vijapura and Bagalkote districts in north Karnataka. Gandhi said, "On one side there is his party's (former) chief minister (B S Yeddyurappa) who had gone to jail and on the other side are the other four former ministers of the BJP government who had gone to jail; sitting in between them, Modi speaks about corruption."
"Shah's son converts Rs 50,000 to Rs 80 crore in three months and the chowkidar of the country doesn't get it enquired and doesn't even utter a word," he alleged.
The BJP chief has rejected allegations of corruption against his son Jay Shah, who has filed a criminal defamation suit against a news portal which claimed his business fortunes had zoomed after the BJP came to power in 2014.
Gandhi is on the second leg of his three-day tour of northern parts of Karnataka. This is his second visit to the state in less than a fortnight. Karnataka is slated to go to the polls in a few months.
At all rallies, Modi has remained the focal point of speeches by Gandhi, who, on the other hand, is projecting Siddaramaiah as party's face to take on Modi in the state, on whom BJP is banking heavily to boost its electoral fortunes.
Hitting out at Modi on demonetisation, the Congress president said, "Modiji told the country to stand in line (queues at banks) for the fight against corruption.You would have not seen a single rich person or someone wearing suit-boot in the line." He alleged that all the "thieves" in India had converted their black money into white with the help of Modi.
Attacking the Prime Minister on the Punjab National Bank (PNB) fraud issue involving jewellery designer Nirav Modi, Gandhi questioned his silence. "Nirav Modi has indulged in the theft of Rs 22,000 crore, he runs away from the country, but the chowkidar of this country does not even utter a word," he said.
Breaking his silence over the Rs 11,400-crore fraud at India's second-biggest PSU bank, Modi on Friday had warned of strict action against those involved in financial irregularities and said loot of public money would not be tolerated. "Nudidante Nade" (practise as you preach), Gandhi told Modi, invoking 12th century social reformer Basaveshwara from Karnataka.
Basaveshwara is revered by the dominant Lingayat- Veerashiva community,who are predominantly present in northern parts of the state and form a major support base for BJP,which is projecting Lingayat strongman Yeddyurappa as its Chief Ministerial candidate.
Gandhi also accused the Prime Minister of "failing" to fulfil the election promise of providing two crore jobs to youths in the country every year. He said despite schemes such as Make in India, Start-up India and Stand-up India, "whatever you buy, from watches to shirts to shoes, every thing is Made in China".
Gandhi said the biggest reason for the progress that India has made during the last 70 years was democracy. "People of the country, Congress party, Ambedkar together gave this country this Constitution," he said. Noting that democracy came into practise in Britain and America about hundred or two hundred years ago, he added, "but Karnataka taught the world about democracy 900 years ago."
"When BJP people talk about changing the Constitution, when they try to invade democracy, they have to remember that they are working against Basavanna, his teachings and principles," Gandhi said. Anubhava Mantapa, located at Basavakalyan in Bidar district,was founded by Basaveshwara as a religious parliament where spiritual issues could be debated leading to a caste less society and bring about equality.
"When any BJP worker assaults any adivasi or Dalit or anyone from the minority community, he is working against Basavanna, Akkamahadevi and Rani Chennamma," Gandhi said. Saint Akkamahadevi was a 12th century Kannada poet, saint and mystic of the Veerashaiva Bhakti Movement. Chennamma was the queen of Kittur, best known for leading an armed rebellion against the British East India Company in 1824.
Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak, who was in India for The Economic Times Global Business Summit, told reporters that he doesnt believe artificial intelligence (AI) will end up taking away peoples jobs.
Speaking to The Economic Times, the 67-year-old Wozniak said that over a period of time, people end up losing jobs because of phenomena like stock market crashes and market bubbles. These things come and go. But its not like the world is ruined, he said.
Woz, the nickname by which he is widely known, pointed out that no machine ever sits down and says Humm, what should I work on? It is always humans that tell machines what to do. He added that humans are just building technology that will make things easier for them in the future.
Brushing aside negative comments about artificial intelligence made by other big names in the industry like Elon Musk and Bill Gates, Woz said that the machines we have now are not even close to human intelligence.
Stephen Hawking said the same thing. I was saying the same things for almost two years before they were. Then, I thought a lot about it, what is intelligence. These machines are not even close to intelligence. They dont work like the human brain. I studied human brain deeply, almost got my degree in psychology. There is no machine which sat down and said what should I do today? Machines dont think that way, he said.
Wozniak gave an example of a search engine like Google going through 80,000 pictures of a dog and still getting it right only some of the time. In contrast, if one shows the picture of a dog to a one-year-old child, he or she will be able to recognise a dog for the rest of their lives.
German auto major BMW, which is the second largest luxuty car maker in the country, today rolled out the first 6 Series Gran Turismo from its Chennai facility.
The petrol variant of the BMW 630i Gran Turismo Sport Line was unveiled at the recent Auto Expo.
"The Chennai plant is proud to roll out the first-ever BMW 6 Series Gran Turismo. It will create a novel segment and set new benchmarks in the luxury car segment in the country," Chennai plant managing director Jochen Stallkamp said in the release on Monday.
The company plans to launch the diesel variant of the new vehicle later in 2018.
The Chennai plant also locally produces the 3 Series, 3 Series Gran Turismo, 5 Series, 6 Series Gran Turismo, 7 Series, the X1, the X3 and the X5.
It has already announced that Chennai facility will commence production of the Mini Countryman as well from June.
The company has already strengthened its long-term commitment to this market by increasing the level of localization up to 50 percent.
A banner of the Mobile World Congress is seen in Barcelona, Spain, February 24, 2018. REUTERS/Yves Herman - RC1ECC2EAD00
One of the largest annual mega exhibition and conference of mobile phones, the 2018 World Mobile Congress (MWC), is slated to begin in Barcelona, Spain on Monday.
About MWC
The GSMA Mobile World Congress is not only one of the world's largest exhibition for the mobile industry but also a conference featuring executives representing mobile operators, manufacturers, technology providers and content owners.
The event was earlier called the GSM World Congress and was later renamed as the 3GSM World Congress.
First such congress happened in 1987 and now it happens annually at Barcelonas Fira de Barcelona.
Catch all the latest updates from the 2018 Mobile World Congress here.
What has happened so far
Large technology companies generally launch their new products a day ahead of the event. Samsung, LG and Nokia were the three leading companies to reveal their new smartphones and other products on Sunday. Here are some of the key launches:
South Korean technology giant Samsung unveiled its latest flagship model in the smartphone segment Galaxy S9 and S9+.
Nokia launched its new flagship smartphone Sirocco. The phone has a 5.5-inch display which stretches to all sides of the phone by curving at the edges. It has a stainless steel frame.
The company also launched the new 8110 4G, an updated version of Nokia's classic 20-year-old phone. The tech giant also unveiled Nokia 7 plus, new Nokia 6 and Nokia 1.
Nokia unveils curved glass flagship phone Sirocco, revamps classic 8110. Read more here.
Another South Korean tech giant LG has also revealed a new smartphone. LG has unveiled the V30S ThinQ, an upgraded version of the V30, which the company had launched last year. The V30 was launched as LGs flagship phone.
Huawei launched its Matebook X Pro which is said to be the worlds first FullView touchscreen notebook. It has a 91 percent screen-to-body ratio and has a 13.9-inch 3K display. The front camera has been integrated into the keyboard.
Samsung launches Galaxy S9 & S9 plus at the Mobile World Congress. Read more here.
What happens next
Sony is yet to reveal that they have go in their kitty. Reports suggest that the Japanese tech company could unveil Xperia XZ2 and XZ2 Compact, which will be direct successors of Xperia XZ1 and XZ1 Compact.
Meet Sony's first full screen smartphones: Xperia XZ2 and XZ2 Compact https://t.co/8nDL6zuUKc pic.twitter.com/8dMPfB7kze
Evan Blass (@evleaks) February 23, 2018
In fact, Sony may be moving towards an 18:9 screen ratio and may be doing away with their large bezels.
India at 2018 MWC
India is planning to highlight its readiness for the 5G services and technology leadership including its numero uno position globally in terms of mobile data usage. For that, India has sent one of the largest delegations at the Congress.
The Indian government has set up a high-level committee to work on 5G technology roadmap for India including participation in global standards, test facilities etc.
Union Minister for Telecom, Manoj Sinha is leading a 90-people strong delegation at MWC.
Aruna Sundararajan, Telecom Secretary said, We want to position ourselves not as a recipient of 5G technology but active contributor of the 5G technology. Whether it is core network technology, all services of application ecosystem."
Sundararajan added that most of the used cases being showcased for 5G services at present are largely for the developing advanced economies.
"We want to make sure that we start building in developmental used cases particularly in the field of health, agriculture etc. We should be an integral part of standards," she said.
20:36 That's all for the day. Thanks for staying tuned.
18:30 Vivo showcases concept smartphone Apex with in-display fingerprint scanner
MWC 2018 has seen its share of interesting devices from the stables of Samsung, Nokia, Lenovo and Huawei. One of the most-interesting ones is a concept from Chinese smartphonemaker Vivo the Apex.
The most important feature of the Apex is the half-screen in-display fingerprint scanning technology. It allows users to unlock the phone by touching the screen, unlike other smartphones which have a separate fingerprint sensor. Also, another exciting innovation is the 8-megapixel pop-up camera, a periscope-like module. While taking selfies the module pops out in under a second to take pictures.
15:51 Lenovo adds Yoga 530 and Yoga 730 to its Yoga series laptops
The two are one of the first laptops to feature have Amazons voice-controlled Alexa virtual assistant and can support Cortana too.
The laptop can be used in three more ways tablet, stand and tent thanks to the 360-degree rotatable hinge.
Yoga 530 has a 14-inch UHD IPS touch-enabled display and has 10 hours of battery life. You can configure the laptop with Intel 8th-gen Core i7 series processor, accompanied by up to 16 GB of RAM.
Price: Lenovo Yoga 530 is priced at Euro 549 in Europe, the Middle East and Africa. 13-inch Yoga 730 will go on sale starting at Euro 999. The 15-inch Yoga 730 will start at Euro 1,099. Both the Yoga 730 variants come along with Active Pen 2.
15:00 Huawei unveils world's first 5G commercial modem
Chinese telecom gear firm Huawei unveiled world's first commercial 5G modem with claim that it can deliver peak speed of over 2,000 megabit per second on next generation network on Sunday.
"Huawei Balong 5G01 is world's first 3GPP 5G commercial chipset with peak rate of 2.3 GBPS (gigabit per second)," Huawei CEO, Consumer Business Group, Richard Yu said while unveiling the new technology.
Yu said Huawei is collaborating with 30 operators, including Vodafone, globally to deploy product based on this chipset.
The company unveiled world's first 5G CPE (consumer premise equipment or router) with the promise of delivering broadband speed of up to 2 Gbps on 5G network. The CPE will also support 4G network, as per the details shared by Yu. The announcement assumes significance for India, which is looking to highlight readiness for 5G and is working on spectrum auction plan to support 5G.
Besides the chipset, Huawei unveiled full touch screen enabled notebook Huawei Matebook X Pro with 13.9-inch display, pop-up camera on the keyboard with price range started Euro 1,399.
The company unveiled three 4G tablet models in Mediapad M5 series with dual use as tablet and notebook at starting price of Euro 349.
14:40 Sony has come up with XZ2 Compact. With a 5-inch screen, it is truly compact.
XZ2 Compact has a Snapdragon 845 processor and has the same camera features as the XZ2. However, it does not have the Dynamic Vibration System.
The rear side of the phone has plastic instead of glass. XZ2 Compact lacks the wireless charging.
13:56 Both XZ2 and XZ2 Compact phones now sport shrunken bezels, but not as much as Samsung LG or OnePlus.
They are powered by Qualcomms Snapdragon 845 processor. The XZ2 has a 5.7-inch 4K HDR display which has a 2:1 aspect ratio and resolution of 21601440. The ultra-slow-mo mode can record 960fps footage at a higher 1080p resolution.
Pricing and release of the two phones will be announced later.
13:30 Sony Xperia Ear Duo ear buds arrive in May for USD 280
Price and sale date: USD 279.99 and will be available from May. However, pre-orders for these open ear ear buds start today on Amazon.
Ear Duo aim at delivering a dual listening experience which combines users music with the environmental sounds.
Audio notifications of your calendar, news headlines, among others can also be heard on the headset. Sony has built in Siri and Google Assistant integration.
13:16 As expected, Sony had unveiled the new Xperia XZ2 and XZ2 Compact smartphones.
Sony Xperia XZ2 offers Dynamic Vibration System, which gives users haptic feedback when they are watching a video or playing a game.
Xperia XZ2 can shoot videos in 4K HDR.
13:15 Sony is working with Qualcomm and Ericsson to add and optimise 5G. The company has already got a variety of carriers on board.
Talking about their collaboration with Sony and the Spadragon 845 processor Qualcomm's Cristiano Amon has said, "We're very excited about what the two companies can do."
13:05 Sony event has begun at the 2018 MWC. The Japanese tech company is expected to launch three smartphones, amongst others.
12:10 Sony is expected to reveal three new smartphones at 1 pm today.
11:39 Vivo showcases Apex: Worlds first in-display fingerprint scanner concept phone
Chinese smartphone maker Vivo had earlier showcased a prototype phone which had the worlds first in-display fingerprint scanner.
The tech a method of biometric authentication that could result in dropping of screen bezels, rear-mounted sensors altogether. Now, Vivo has come out with a concept phone at the 2018 MWC which has the in-display fingerprint scanner at its heart.
The concept phone is tagged Apex is Vivos main product on display this time. Vivo calls it the Half-Screen In-Display Fingerprint Scanning Technology and the idea here is for users to be able to place their finger on a large area of the display screen instead of the thumbnail-sized icon to unlock the phone.
11:00 Huawei launches world's first bezel-less notebook Matebook X Pro
Huawei launched its Matebook X Pro which is said to be the worlds first FullView touchscreen notebook.
The Matebook X Pro has a 91 percent screen-to-body ratio and has a 13.9-inch 3K display. It has a metal unibody design.
The notebook is powered by Windows 10 and has up to 8th gen Intel Core i7 processor. It features a 2-in-1 power button with a fingerprint sensor.
There are quad speakers on the notebook for audio while the camera has been integrated into the keyboard.
10:25 Nokia revamps classic 1996 model 8110
The original 8110 was first launched in 1996 and was popular for having a "slider". The 8110 also appeared in the science-fiction movie The Matrix in 1999.
Nokia has not revamped this phone again. This time, it is 4G-enabled.
You can answer calls on the new 8110 4G by simply sliding the case open and also cutting the call by snapping the slider shut.
08:15 India at the Mobile World Congress: To highlight 5G readiness, tech leadership
With one of the largest delegations at the Mobile World Congress, India plans to highlight its readiness for 5G services and technology leadership including its numero uno position globally in terms of mobile data usage.
"We want to position ourselves not as a recipient of 5G technology but active contributor of the 5G technology. Whether it is core network technology, all services of application ecosystem," Telecom Secretary Aruna Sundararajan told reporters about India's participation in MWC 2018.
Telecom Minister Manoj Sinha will lead a 90-people strong delegation at the annual event.
The Indian government has set up a high-level committee to work on 5G technology roadmap for India including participation in global standards, test facilities etc.
Sundararajan said that most of the used cases being showcased for 5G services at present are largely for the developing advanced economies.
"We want to make sure that we start building in developmental used cases particularly in the field of health, agriculture etc. We should be an integral part of standards," she said. (PTI)
08:06 Nokia 8 Sirocco Specs:
The new Sirocco has a 5.5-inch 2K display. The smartphone is 7.5 mm thick and is IP67 rated waterproof till 1 metre for up to 30 minutes.
The phone will run on Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 processor. It has 8GB RAM and 128GB storage with an expandable microSD card slot. It will feature dual cameras 12 megapixel and 13 megapixel (rear) and a 5 megapixel front camera.
Nokias latest flagship device will run on Android Oreo One and will have a 3,260 mAh battery.
Nokia has set the price for this phone at Euros 749, which is roughly USD 925. While the release date for United States and rest of the world has not been announced, the phone is expected to hit European stores in April, we have learned.
07:53 Galaxy S9 and S9+ Specs:
Samsung has not revealed the price yet.
The Galaxy S9 comes with 4GB RAM and with internal memory options of 64GB, 128GB and 256GB along with an external memory slot, which can support capacity of up to 400GB. It has put 3,000 mAh battery for the 5.8-inch screen.
The Galaxy S9+ comes with 6GB RAM and would also have memory options of 64GB, 128GB and 256GB along with an external memory slot of 400GB. The S9+ has a 3,500 mAh battery for its 6.2-inch screen.
Samsung has incorporated several advanced features like the built in live automatic translator in its camera app, which can translate over 50 languages, the company claims.
This includes several Indian languages such as Hindi, Urdu, Bengali, Telugu, Tamil, Punjabi and Marathi.
Both smartphones will operate on Android 8 Orio and will give options to users to create their own emojis with their faces while chatting.
Both these phones will have a front camera which is 8 mega pixels and the rear will be 12 mega pixels. The phones will also have features like rear finger scanning and wireless charging system. (With PTI inputs)
07:45 Nokia launches new flagship phone Sirocco
Nokia launched its new flagship smartphone Sirocco. The phone has a 5.5-inch display which stretches to all sides of the phone by curving at the edges. It has a stainless steel frame.
Sirocco has 2K resolution and functions on the Qualcomm 835 processor. It comes 6GB of RAM and 128GB of storage.
The smartphone can be charged wirelessly and is waterproof till 1 metre for up to 30 minutes.
07:37 Samsung launches Galaxy S9 & S9 plus
South Korean technology giant Samsung has unveiled its latest flagship model in the smartphone segment Galaxy S9 and S9+, a day before the Mobile World Congress 2018.
Atmos
The phones have dual aperture and slow motion video options similar to iPhone X and the Google Pixel 2 series. It also have features like dual-stereo speakers and Dolbysurround sound.
This three-image mosaic handout photo is the highest resolution view ever obtained of the north polar region of Saturn's moon Enceladus. The view looks southward over cratered plains from high above the north pole of Enceladus. Cassini spacecraft took the image on March 12, 2008, when it flew over the surface of the moon as part of a joint U.S.-European mission. The view was obtained at a distance of approximately 20,000 miles (32,000 km) above Enceladus. REUTERS/NASA/JPL/Space Science Institute (UNITED STATES). NO COMMERCIAL SALES.. FOR EDITORIAL USE ONLY. NOT FOR SALE FOR MARKETING OR ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS.. - GM1E43E0V9B01
Hoping that their efforts will one day help create outposts on the Moon, Indias premier space exploration body, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), has started working on building igloos on the lunar surface, according to a report by The Times of India.
The space research organisation is planning to build the lunar habitats by sending robots and 3D printers to the Moon and by using the soil there, among other material.
According to the report, ISRO has made progress with a working model of the 3D printer that they plan to use during the mission, in the terrain test facility.
Although there is no mission plan ready yet, ISRO hopes to have the technology ready soon. Their scientists have already chalked out five designs of the habitats.
M Annadurai, Director, ISRO Satellite Centre (ISAC) told the newspaper, We are planning to use the Moon as an outpost - like missions in Antarctica. In the long run, the space station is likely to be scrapped. Many countries, including the US, are considering building more permanent structures on the Moon and working out of there. When that happens, we want India to have contributed."
Annadurai said that astronauts going to the Moon in the future will spend more than a few hours there.
"To keep them safe and help them work from there, we need smart materials, which is what we are focusing on building," he added.
The Director at the Satellite Centre also said that agency has mastered the process of creating lunar simulant (material that is similar to the properties of the lunar soil), and has about 60 tonnes of it. The simulants properties match around 99.6 percent with the samples brought from the Moon by National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)s Apollo missions.
Sri Devi | She was a veteran actress and India's first female superstar. Sri Devi's demise came as a shock to the country. On February 24, Sri Devi was found dead in a hotel bathtub in Dubai. She was only 54.
Veteran actor Sridevis mortal remains will arrive in India from Dubai, her family said in a statement. Some reports suggest the mortal remains are likely to be flown in a private jet and estimate the time of arrival in Mumbai at around 3.30 PM.
Sridevi, who was in Dubai to attend the wedding of her nephew Mohit Marwah, died late Saturday night reportedly due to a cardiac arrest. She was 54 years old.
Boney Kapoor, Jhanvi, Khushi and the entire Kapoor, Ayyappan and Marwah family is deeply bereaved and shocked with the untimely loss of Sridevi Kapoor," the statement, issued this evening by the Yash Raj Films (YRF) on behalf of the family, said.
"They thank the entire media for their prayers, support and sensitivity during their time of grief. Late Sridevi Kapoors body will arrive in India today, it said. The mortal remains are expected to be brought by a chartered flight.
Earlier, media reports in the UAE had also said her body would be brought to India tomorrow. The Khaleej Times reported, citing UAE officials, that Sridevi's autopsy had been completed and the family is now awaiting laboratory reports conducted by the General Department of Forensic Evidence.
(With inputs from PTI)
Ruchi Soya is close to NCLT resolution. Ruchi Soya is one of few companies in India with backward integration and is largest player in oil seed extraction in the country with capacity of 3.72 mtpa.
The company has presence in both branded and non-branded segments with participation in domestic and international markets. The company is one of the largest exporters of value-added soy products like Textured Soy Protein, Toasted/ Un-toasted/ White Soy Flakes and Soy Lecithin segment. Indias No.1 Food and Agri Products company as per Fortune India 500 Rankings - 2016 and Turnover of USD 3 billion (FY 2016-17)
The company had announced sale of 51% stake and since then there have been bids ranging between Rs 8,000 and10,000 crore for a majority stake in the company. The deal is likely to be completed by June 2018. Large FMCG players such as Patanjali, Godrej, Emami, Adani, large Malaysian players, etc., are bidding for 51% stake in the company.
This is likely to be a game changer for the company as it has being impacted badly due to deteriorating financials. As per the estimates, there would be 30-40% haircut by various banks in this deal.
This would reduce the debt to Rs 4, 000 crore, approximately. It is believed that post completion of deal, the debt would fall from Rs 5, 900 crore to Rs 2, 000 crore and would lead to interest cost saving of Rs 500-550 crore savings for the company. The interest cost would fall from Rs 830 crore to nearly Rs 250 crore, post this deal.
Ruchi Soya has leading brands such as Nutrela, Mahakosh, Sunrich, Ruchi Gold and Ruchi Star and largest player in the cooking oil and soy foods categories of India.
The company has strengthen its relationship with Patanjali Ayurveda and became close with transformation from B2B to BTC segment. The company was earlier involved in processing and packaging agreement with Patanjali for Madhya Pradesh & Rajasthan.
To extend this relation, the company announced MOU signing with Patanjali Ayurved Ltd. for an exclusive sales and distribution arrangement for the entire range of Patanjali edible oil in large packs.
Under the MOU, Ruchi Soya would use its own extensive distribution network to sell the complete range of Patanjali edible oils in large packs across all regions of India.
Meanwhile, as per analysts view the Company expects to post Rs 25, 000 crore and 4% consolidated margins for the company by FY20. Analyst expects Rs 11, 000 crore of branded business with 6% margins on conservative basis. If we assume branded business only .4x of sales this would result into market cap of Rs 5500 crore. The residual business topline could be of Rs 14000 crore and EBIDTA of Rs 420 crore. We are assuming 6x EV/EBIDTA for the residual business and arrived at EV value of Rs 2520 crore for the company. This would lead to EV value of Rs 8020 crore (reduce debt of Rs 2000 crore) which would lead to equity value of Rs 220 per share for the company which makes this company potential 12x candidate in next two years. Assuming current EV value of Rs 6600 crore, we arrived at price target of Rs 60 per share in our base case scenario for the company.
Ruchi Soyas utilisation had suffered due to low exports, bad crop and demonetisation and hit as low of 10-15% due to these factors. We believe worst is over for the company and we believe would improve utilisation level of capacity from 40% to 75% going ahead. The utilisation is likely to improve by increase in refining capacity, change in product mix, pick up in exports and improved performance by brand business. the company stated.
The increase in capacity utilisation is in turn expected to boost the topline by around 15% on an annualised basis. This will enable company to regain market share of packed oil sales back from importers and traders of refined oil and will also improve bottomline by 15 to 20%
Meanwhile, the company stated that the GST and hike in import duties were positive for company. We believe GST and government recent hike in import duties are key trigger for company as it would boost a shift from unorganised to organised players. The recent increase in import duty on edible oils which is a big positive for organised edible oil players. The stable rupee and low international edible oil prices combined with the earlier duty differential which was favouring import of refined edible oils had led to immense pressure on the domestic industry with many refining facilities on the verge of closure, however higher import duties would be big boon to domestic players, the company stated.
Disclaimer : This article is generated under featured post to create awareness among readers.
China sought to dismiss the worldwide concerns over the prospect of President Xi Jinping becoming the "emperor for life", saying a strong and consistent leadership is needed for the country at this crucial stage of the country's modernisation. The Communist Party of China, (CPC), which is in power since 1949, yesterday proposed to amend the country's Constitution to remove the two-term limits for the President and Vice President, potentially allowing Xi to rule for life.
The CPC move triggered concerns as 64-year-old Xi would remain a single leader doing away with collective leadership system followed by the party to prevent a dictatorship of an individual emerging from the ranks.
The party opted for a two-term rule of the leadership after extensive deliberations over some of the disastrous policies pursued by party founder Mao Zedong like the infamous decade-long Cultural Revolution in 1966 in which millions of people were killed.
Asked about the global concerns over the spectre of authoritarian rule returning to haunt China with the elimination of the two-term rule for the top leader, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang said the media should stop guessing and speculating and put the constitutional amendment in proper perspective. He said China's Constitution evolved "little by little" since it came into force in 1954. "We hope that you can put the revision of the Constitution in perspective in the context of the development of China," he said.
The global concerns also arise from Xi's ambitious modernisation of military, expansion of Chinese naval power into the disputed South China Sea, acquisition of naval logistic bases including in Sri Lanka, Djibouti and Gwadar in Pakistan under his first term.
Last October, Xi started his second five-year-term with a focus on transforming China, now the world's second-largest economy, into "a mighty force" that could lead the world on political, economic, military and environmental issues. Since he took over in 2013, Xi launched the multi-billion dollar Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) which also included the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) which traverses through Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir (PoK) to expand China's influence worldwide.
In China too, the removal of the two-term rule is seen as a perpetuation of Xi's rule.
Deng Yuwen, the former editor of the Study Times newspaper affiliated with the Central Party School of the CPC, said the proposed change was a strong signal that Xi planned to stay on.
"This is a very clear sign that the president will remain in office beyond the existing term limit. We dont know if it could be life tenure at this stage," Deng told Hong Kong-based South China Morning Post.
Willy Lam, an adjunct professor at the Chinese University of Hong Kong who is the author of a 2015 biography of Xi, said that Xi is susceptible to making big mistakes because there are now almost no checks or balances.
"Essentially, he has become emperor for life," Lam was quoted as saying by the New York Times. While the official media harped on the need for strong leadership for China's rise as a global power, the party's theoreticians defended the move to transform the one-party rule into one leader rule by saying that such a move is the need for CPC's rule.
Party theoreticians say as the CPC set to celebrate its seven decades in power next year, the fall of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union and disintegration of the powerful Soviet socialist empire weighs in heavily in the minds of party leadership.
Removing the constitutional restriction to two terms is a significant decision made by the CPC to serve its historic mission in the new era of Socialism with Chinese Characteristics, Su Wei, a professor at the Party School of the CPC, told the Global Times yesterday.
"Especially in the period from 2020 to 2035, which is a crucial stage for China to basically realise socialist modernisation, China and the CPC need a stable, strong and consistent leadership. So removal of the section of the clause about the presidency in the Constitution is serving the most important and fundamental national interest and the Party's historic mission," Su said.
"The decision has been made after careful consideration, and this is an adjustment to serve China's current situation and future development, which is consistent with Chinese political characteristics and goals," an unnamed Chinese scholar told the Global Times.
The trinity of Xi being the general secretary of the CPC Central Committee, the president and chairman of the Central Military Commission has a positive meaning, he said.
"In order to achieve the great goal from 2020 to the middle of the 21st century, China needs a centralised and unified leadership; otherwise the decentralisation of authority will impact realisation of the great goal,"CPC's official newspaper the People's Daily said in its editorial.
The choice of when to leave for Xi to make. "He will be judged not by how long he stays but by how well China does while he is at the top," a commentary in the Post said.
China's ruling Communist Party on Sunday set the stage for President Xi Jinping to stay in office indefinitely, with a proposal to remove a constitutional clause limiting presidential service to just two terms in office.
Since taking office more than five years ago, Xi has overseen a radical shake-up of the party, including taking down top leaders once thought untouchable as part of his popular war on deep-rooted corruption.
Sunday's announcement, carried by state news agency Xinhua, gave few details. It said the proposal had been made by the party's Central Committee, the largest of its elite ruling bodies. The proposal also covers the vice president position.
Xi, 64, is currently required by China's constitution to step down as president after two five-year terms. Nearing the end of his first term, he will be formally elected to a second at the annual meeting of China's largely rubber-stamp parliament opening on March 5.
There is no limit on his tenure as the party and military chief, though a maximum 10-year term is the norm. He began his second term as head of the party and military in October at the end of a party congress held once every five years.
Zhang Lifan, a historian and political commentator, said the news was not unexpected, and it was hard to predict exactly how long Xi could stay on in power.
"In theory he could serve longer than Mugabe but in reality, no one is sure exactly what will happen," Zhang said, referring to Zimbabwe's former president whose four decades in office ended in November, after the army and his former political allies moved to force him out.
Though positive remarks filled the comments section under the pages of main state media outlets like the People's Daily, the move was not welcomed by everyone on China's Twitter-like Weibo service,
"If two terms are not enough, then they can write in a third term, but there needs to be a limit. Getting rid of it is not good!," wrote one Weibo user.
EMPEROR XI
Constitutional reform needs to be approved by parliament, which is stacked with members chosen for their loyalty to the party - meaning the reform will not be blocked.
There has been persistent speculation that Xi wants to stay on in office past the customary two five-year terms.
The October party congress ended without appointing a clear eventual successor for Xi.
However, the role of party chief is more senior than that of president. At some point, Xi could be given a party position that also enables him to stay on as long as he likes.
Xi is currently the party's general secretary, but not chairman. China's first three leaders after the founding of the People's Republic in 1949 all carried the title party chairman -Mao Zedong, Hua Guofeng and then Hu Yaobang. It has not been used since.
"Whether Xi ends up being Party Chairman or just remains Party Secretary doesn't really matter. What matters is whether he holds onto power," said Zhang Ming, a professor of political science at Renmin University of China in Beijing.
"Titles don't matter as much in China as they do in the West. Here what matters is whether you are the emperor," he added. "In China, ordinary people already consider Xi Jinping to be the emperor."
EYES ON VICE PRESIDENT
Mao, the founder of Communist China and still held in god-like awe by many Chinese, died while still Communist Party chairman in 1976, having never retired.
State media has also increasingly been using the term "lingxiu" to refer to Xi, which means "leader". Distinct from the standard usage of "lingdao" for leader, "lingxiu" evokes grander, almost spiritual, connotations.
Mao, for example, was referred to as "lingxiu", but Xi's two immediate predecessors, Hu Jintao and Jiang Zemin, were not.
In a Sunday commentary on its WeChat account, state television said: "The people love the people's 'lingxiu'!", above a picture of Xi being greeted by an adoring crowd in Sichuan province earlier this month.
The move to lift the presidential term limits is not unexpected. The party has been laying the groundwork for Xi not to have to go.
One of Xi's closest political allies, former top graft buster Wang Qishan, stepped down from the party's Standing Committee - the seven-man body that runs China - in October.
Aged 69, Wang had reached the age at which top officials tend to retire. But he has been chosen as a parliament delegate this year and is likely to become vice president, sources with ties to the leadership and diplomats say.
The move is significant because if Wang does not retire, that would set a precedent for Xi to stay on in power too after he reaches what is normally considered retirement age.
The Central Committee also proposed other changes to the country's constitution, including inserting "Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era" into the constitution, referring to Xi's rather wordy guiding political thought that is already in the party constitution.
The constitution will further ensure that party control over the country is not in any doubt, too, strengthening existing clauses about the leading role of the Communist Party in China.
"The leadership of the Communist Party of China is the defining feature of socialism with Chinese characteristics," Xinhua cited one of the proposed new clauses as saying.
HMD Global Product Officer Juho Sarvikas presents the new Nokia 8110 during the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain. The iconic "banana phone" became popular in its traditional black avatar close to 20 years ago in the film TheMatrix (REUTERS.)
The new Nokia 8110 is displayed during the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain. It comes with 4G connectivity and a 2.4-inch QVGA display (REUTERS)
HMD Global Chief Executive Officer Florian Seiche and Product Officer Juho Sarvikas present the new Nokia 8110 during the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain. The phone goes back to its origins with 2 megapixel rear camera. (REUTERS)
And yes, it comes with 25 days worth of battery, and the latest version of Snake. (REUTERS)
With Chinas Communist Party planning to remove a two-term cap set in its constitution for the President, speaks volumes of the ruling partys faith in its current president.
Although Xi Jinping did pay his dues before he got to the top, it did help that he is a princeling a term used for the informal group of second generation office holders since the Mao Zedong era.
Xis father was Xi Zhongxun, who was the party propaganda minister under Maos rule. He was also famously known to have been purged off his power by his government many times in his career.
Xi started off by joining the Students Union of the Communist party in the 70s. He slowly worked his way up through the ranks, eventually becoming a member of the powerful Politburo Standing Committee of the Communist Party of China in 2007. This is a committee of the senior most posts in the country.
His accession has a lot to do with his tough stance on corruption and his views coinciding with that of the party central leadership, as well a career that was relatively unmarked by scandal or any serious political contenders.
His career began to accelerate on the municipal level after becoming the party head in Shanghai, where his predecessor fell from grace after being implicated of a large social security scam in 2006 .
Xi became the Vice President in 2008 and was elected President of the People's Republic of China in 2013 after getting elected as the General Secretary of the Communist Party of China in 2012.
After becoming the President, an Economist report tracked Xi's promised to root out corruption on all levels. He formed the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection in 2012, which held 120 high-level officials on several counts of corruption. This cemented his cult status as a leader according to a Guardian report, immortalised in song,dance and art.
One the economic front, Chinas economy is expected to grow at slower rate. This is due to Xis administration focusing on growth while minimising the impact on social equality, the impact of the environment and financial risk.
The Chinese Navy under Xi has also flexed its muscles. A Vox report states that China has been trying to secure maritime control over the South China Sea region.
This is a region where 10 percent of the worlds fisheries and 30 percent of the worlds shipping trade sails through in between destinations.
China has been following an aggressive policy to rein emissions and the reckless flow of credit in the last two years. This has affected growth rates, a hit which the Chinese are willing to take in line with Xis line of thought.
An important project under Xi that has also wooed the Chinese is the massive Belt and Road initiative. This is a project was conceived as a USD 5 trillion project that will span across more than 60 countries. This would replicate the connectivity between Asia, Europe and Africa along the lines of the ancient silk road.
To maintain the progress of the nation on all this fronts could be a possibile reason for extending Xis leadership. A CNBC report quoted an expert saying that this was a movie to ensure the smooth transition of a political economy to the internal, consumption led economy and that political stability was a necessity for the same.
As the saying goes:"If it isn't broke, don't fix it" and that's the road the Chinese seem to want to take.
February 26, 2018 State Department Troll Farm Receives Huge Cash Infusion The U.S. State Department will increase its online trolling capabilities and up its support for meddling in other countries. The Hill reports: The State Department is launching a $40 million initiative to crack down on foreign propaganda and disinformation amid widespread concerns about future Russian efforts to interfere in elections. The department announced Monday that it signed a deal with the Pentagon to transfer $40 million from the Defense Departments coffers to bolster the Global Engagement Center, an office set up at State during the Obama years to expose and counter foreign propaganda and disinformation. The professed reason for the new funding is the alleged but unproven "Russian meddling" in the U.S. election campaign. U.S. Special Counsel Mueller indicted 13 Russians for what is claimed to be interference but which is likely mere commercial activity. The announcement by the State Department explains that this new money will not only be used for measures against foreign trolling but to actively meddle in countries abroad: Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs Steve Goldstein said the transfer of funds announced today reiterates the United States commitment to the fight. This funding is critical to ensuring that we continue an aggressive response to malign influence and disinformation and that we can leverage deeper partnerships with our allies, Silicon Valley, and other partners in this fight, said Under Secretary Goldstein. It is not merely a defensive posture that we should take, we also need to be on the offensive. The mentioning of Silicon Valley is of interest. The big Silicon Valley companies Google, Facebook and Twitter were heavily involved in the U.S. election campaign. The companies embedded people within the campaigns to advise them how to reach a maximum trolling effect: While the companies call it standard practice to work hand-in-hand with high-spending advertisers like political campaigns, the new research details how the staffers assigned to the 2016 candidates frequently acted more like political operatives, doing things like suggesting methods to target difficult-to-reach voters online, helping to tee up responses to likely lines of attack during debates, and scanning candidate calendars to recommend ad pushes around upcoming speeches. In May 2016 the Hillary Clinton campaign even set up her own troll farm: Hillary Clinton's well-heeled backers have opened a new frontier in digital campaigning, one that seems to have been inspired by some of the Internet's worst instincts. Correct the Record, a super PAC coordinating with Clinton's campaign, is spending some $1 million to find and confront social media users who post unflattering messages about the Democratic front-runner. In effect, the effort aims to spend a large sum of money to increase the amount of trolling that already exists online. Clinton is quite experienced in such issues. In 2009, during protests in Iran, then Secretary of State Clinton pushed Twitter to defer maintenance of its system to "help" the protesters. In 2010 USAid, under the State Department set up a Twitter-like service to meddle in Cuba. The foreign policy advisor of Hillery Clinton's campaign, Laura Rosenberger, initiated and runs the Hamilton68 project which falsely explains any mentioning of issues disliked by its neo-conservative backers as the result of nefarious "Russian meddling". The State Department can build on that and other experience. Since at least 2011 the U.S. military is manipulating social media via sock puppets and trolls: A Californian corporation has been awarded a contract with United States Central Command (Centcom), which oversees US armed operations in the Middle East and Central Asia, to develop what is described as an "online persona management service" that will allow one US serviceman or woman to control up to 10 separate identities based all over the world.
...
The Centcom contract stipulates that each fake online persona must have a convincing background, history and supporting details, and that up to 50 US-based controllers should be able to operate false identities from their workstations "without fear of being discovered by sophisticated adversaries". It was then wisely predicted that other countries would follow up: The discovery that the US military is developing false online personalities known to users of social media as "sock puppets" could also encourage other governments, private companies and non-government organisations to do the same. Israel is long known for such information operations in which its paid trolls not only comment on issues on social media but actively manipulate Wikipedia entries. Such astroturfing has since become a common tool in commercial marketing campaigns. With the new money the State Department will expand its Global Engagement Center (GEC) which is running "public diplomacy", aka propaganda, abroad: The Fund will be a key part of the GECs partnerships with local civil society organizations, NGOs, media providers, and content creators to counter propaganda and disinformation. The Fund will also drive the use of innovative messaging and data science techniques. Separately, the GEC will initiate a series of pilot projects developed with the Department of Defense that are designed to counter propaganda and disinformation. Those projects will be supported by Department of Defense funding. This money will be in addition to the large funds the CIA traditionally spends on manipulating foreign media: Weve been doing this kind of thing since the C.I.A. was created in 1947, said Mr. Johnson, now at the University of Georgia. Weve used posters, pamphlets, mailers, banners you name it. Weve planted false information in foreign newspapers. Weve used what the British call King Georges cavalry: suitcases of cash.
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C.I.A. officials told Mr. Johnson in the late 1980s that insertions of information into foreign news media, mostly accurate but sometimes false, were running at 70 to 80 a day. Part of the new State Department money will be used to provide grants. If online trolling or sock puppetry is your thing, you may want to apply now. Posted by b on February 26, 2018 at 19:02 UTC | Permalink Comments next page next page
New World South City in Christchuch has gone viral online after sharing a video of their latest toy.
The newly installed machine skins and decores pineapples in just 20 seconds and is a first for New Zealand.
A video of one of the staff members giving a tutorial on how the machine works has been viewed over 1.5 million times in just a couple of days.
We are maintaining our fair value estimates, moat ratings, and moat trend ratings for all utilities after Environmental Protection Agency head Scott Pruitt announced plans to repeal the Clean Power Plan, promulgated in 2015.
We don't expect this move to have any impact on the utilities sector. We forecast U.S. carbon emissions will fall 28% from 2005 levels by early next decade, based on renewable energy and natural gas generation displacing coal generation. Low natural gas prices and gas turbine efficiency improvements are forcing coal plant shutdowns and reduced run times. Additionally, most uneconomic coal plants retired before complying with the EPA's Mercury and Air Toxics Standards.
We continue to forecast U.S. renewable energy capacity will double during the next eight years based on state renewable energy portfolio standards and improving economics. We think the move to abandon the CPP could even embolden states to strengthen renewable energy standards, similar to moves made by politicians and corporations following the administration's announcement to withdraw from the Paris climate agreement. Corporate renewable energy purchases have also shown to be material source of renewable energy demand. We expect this to continue to grow as businesses realize the economic and public perception benefits.
Utilities operating in states with constructive regulation and environmental policy support could realize 7%-9% annual earnings and dividend growth the next three to five years. Best positioned are utilities like Dominion Energy, (D) Duke Energy, (DUK) American Electric Power, (AEP) and CMS Energy, (CMS) which are investing billions of dollars in new gas infrastructure and transmission infrastructure supporting renewable energy development. NextEra Energy (NEE) and Xcel Energy (XEL) should maintain their lead as the top U.S. renewable energy companies.
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Note: This article is part of Morningstar.com's 2018 Guide to IRAs special report. A version of this article appeared on March 10, 2016.
Every year you resolve, "never again." And every year, you're rushing in an IRA contribution for the previous year at the eleventh hour, just before the mid-April deadline. (It's April 18 in 2018.)
You're far from alone: Vanguard found that more than double the amount of contributions are made at the last moment as at the first opportunity.
Certainly, waiting until the last minute to make an IRA contribution is better than not making one at all. But Vanguard's study demonstrated that investors who wait until the last minute to contribute to their IRAs year in and year out hurt their long-term results because their assets have less time to grow in the market. Moreover, many IRA contributors rush in a contribution but leave the money to lie fallow in cash, Vanguard found.
So, avoiding last-minute IRA contributions and getting that money invested as soon as possible are two traps to avoid. If you're rushing in a last-minute contribution for the 2017 tax year, here are 10 more mistakes to step around.
1. Making the wrong contribution type.
There are two main IRA types: traditional and Roth. And traditional IRA contributions are further subdivided into those that are deductible and those that are not.
To help home in on the right IRA type, you need to consider two sets of questions. First, what type of IRA do you qualify for? And if you can make more than one type of IRA contribution, which of them is best?
Answering the first question is fairly straightforward. If your 2017 modified adjusted gross income as a single filer is less than $120,000 ($189,000 for married couples filing jointly), you can make a full Roth IRA contribution for the 2017 tax year. You can make a partial Roth IRA contribution if your income as a single filer is between $120,000 and $135,000; married couples filing jointly can make partial Roth IRA contributions for 2017 if their 2017 modified adjusted gross income is between $189,000 and $199,000.
Anyone can make a traditional IRA contribution, regardless of income. And those contributions can be deducted on your tax return, regardless of income, if you don't contribute to a retirement plan at work. Income limits apply, however, if you contribute to a company retirement plan and want to make a traditional IRA contribution that you can deduct on your tax return. In that instance, single filers' modified adjusted gross income must be below $63,000 for their 2017 contributions to be fully deductible; married couples filing jointly must have modified adjusted gross income of $101,000 or less to make a fully deductible IRA contribution. Those contributions are partially deductible for single filers earning between $63,000 and $73,000 and for married couples filing jointly with incomes between $101,000 and $121,000.
So, of those choices, what's the "right" one? For investors who earn too much to make either a Roth contribution or a traditional IRA contribution that's deductible, a nondeductible IRA is their only option. The tax advantages are limited, but such an account can be used as a conduit to a Roth IRA via "the backdoor," as discussed here.
For investors who qualify for both a deductible traditional IRA contribution and a Roth, the answer boils down to when taking the tax break is more advantageous. Are you better off getting the tax break now, because your income is high relative to where it's likely to be when you're retired? If so, make a deductible IRA contribution and call it a day: You'll be able to deduct your contribution, though you'll pay taxes on your withdrawals. This is often a good strategy for people getting close to retirement who haven't yet saved much. If your taxable income is at a low ebb relative to where it will be in the future, the Roth will be the better bet: You're better off making a contribution of aftertax money in exchange for tax-free withdrawals in retirement. This is often a sound strategy for young earners who aren't earning much at the moment but whose careers are on an upward trajectory.
2. Not splitting between contribution types if you're not sure.
Investors might throw up their hands after reading the above. How on earth are you supposed to know what your taxable income looks like now relative to what it will be in the future? If you're eligible to make either a traditional deductible IRA contribution or a Roth IRA contribution, there's a workaround: Divide your contributions between both account types in whatever proportion you like. Assuming you plan to contribute $5,500 to your IRA for 2017, you could steer $2,750 to a traditional IRA (an amount that you'll deduct on your tax return) and the other $2,750 to a Roth. This strategy can also make sense for investors who are "on the bubble"--who earn too much to make a fully deductible traditional IRA contribution but who can contribute to a Roth.
3. Assuming IRA choice is irrevocable.
If you goof and choose the wrong IRA type, there's a workaround. Though Congress clamped down on IRA recharacterizations with the new tax laws, an investor who inadvertently contributes to the wrong account type can still fix the mistake, as discussed here. For example, if you funded a Roth IRA but later found out that you earned too much to make a contribution, you can recharacterize into a traditional IRA instead. It wouldn't be deductible because if you earn too much to contribute to a Roth, you automatically earn too much to make a deductible IRA contribution.
4. Making a traditional nondeductible IRA contribution and leaving it be.
As noted above, individuals of any income level who are also contributing to a company retirement plan can make a traditional IRA contribution; they just can't deduct it on their tax returns. But whether you'd want to make such a contribution and leave it be is debatable: As this article discusses, the modest tax benefits of holding a traditional nondeductible IRA don't necessarily make up for the strictures it entails--notably, required minimum distributions post age 70 1/2. Instead, a better avenue for high-income folks shut out of the other IRA types is to use the nondeductible traditional IRA as a conduit to a Roth--that is, fund the traditional IRA, and then convert those assets to Roth later on. There are no income limits on conversions. This is called a "backdoor" Roth IRA.
5. Executing a backdoor Roth with other taxable IRA assets in the picture.
But the backdoor Roth isn't for everyone. Specifically, investors who have other IRA assets that have never been taxed (they've been rolled over from an employer's 401(k) plan, for example) will find that a big share of their backdoor Roth IRA assets will be taxable due to the pro rata rule, discussed here.
6. Forgetting about spousal contributions.
For married couples with just one partner earning a salary, it's easy to get caught up in retirement planning for the earning spouse alone. But couples with the wherewithal to do so can make contributions on behalf of both partners, provided the earning partner has made enough to cover both contributions.
7. Misunderstanding the rules about IRA contributions later in life.
A septuagenarian once told me about his wily plan to reinvest his required minimum distributions from his IRA into a Roth IRA. (Roth IRA holders don't have to take RMDs.) That seems like a great idea; but remember, to make an IRA contribution, you or your spouse must have enough earned income--that is, not from your investments or Social Security--to cover the contribution amount.
But nor should seniors reflexively rule out Roth IRA contributions: If they can cobble together enough earned income via consulting or other part-time work, or their spouse is still working and has enough earned income to cover the contribution, they may be able to make at least a partial Roth contribution. This article discusses the ins and outs of IRA contributions for older adults.
8. Not using your IRA to address portfolio issues.
In contrast with 401(k)s, IRA investors have carte blanche on the investment front--with just a few notable exceptions. That can lead to analysis paralysis, and probably explains why so many newly arrived IRA investors hang out in cash for too long. One easy way to determine what to invest in is to take a look at your portfolio today, using Morningstar's X-ray functionality. How does your stock/bond/cash mix look relative to some reasonable target, whether Morningstar's Lifetime Allocation Indexes or a good target-date fund like the Vanguard or BlackRock Index series? Does your portfolio skew heavily (and perhaps dangerously) toward a handful of sectors or a specific section of the Morningstar Style Box? You can use your contributions to an IRA to help correct any unintended bets. For example, adding a core bond fund can help a 55-year-old get closer to an age-appropriate investment mix, while adding a value ETF can help smooth out the risks in a growth-leaning portfolio.
9. Not taking advantage of the IRA's tax-saving features.
The sole benefit of investing inside of an IRA versus investing in a plain-old brokerage account is that you pick up tax benefits--tax-deferred compounding, at a minimum, plus a possible tax break on your contributions (traditional deductible IRA) or on your withdrawals (Roth). Thus, in addition to using your IRA to address portfolio issues or fill holes, it's a great idea to make sure you're taking maximum advantage of the tax breaks the IRA offers. All IRAs--regardless of type--provide an ideal way to shelter investments that kick off a lot of income and/or capital gains on a year-to-year basis (especially short-term gains). That makes them ideal receptacles for assets like high-yield bonds, REITs (whose dividends are taxed at ordinary income levels), and high-turnover equity funds. And because Roth IRAs allow tax-free withdrawals and are generally last in the distribution queue, they're the best holding pens for your highest-returning assets, especially stocks.
10. Going out of your way to find tax-inefficient assets.
Yet, even as you seek to take maximum advantage of the IRA's tax-saving features, you needn't actively seek out tax-inefficient investments that don't mesh with your plan. Young people should generally use their IRAs to hold stocks, even though stocks are more tax-efficient than bonds, and devotees of passive management shouldn't go out of their way to add investment types that aren't as tax-efficient as index funds. Equity index funds and ETFs are indeed tax-efficient, but they're also ideal IRA holdings.
Three New Panels for Marketagent.com
Austria-based online panel and behavioural data specialist Marketagent.com has launched three new ISO-certified panels, covering Finland, Denmark and Greece.
The company was established seventeen years ago by current CEO Thomas Schwabl (pictured), and has around 25 staff, with headquarters in Baden bei Wien, Austria; and offices in Zurich, Switzerland; and Maribor, Slovenia. Its panel of almost one million members was the first in the German-speaking D-A-CH region to be certified in accordance with the ISO 26362 standard.
Schwabl says of the latest expansion: 'With Finland, Denmark and Greece we now provide information about consumers in 45 countries across the globe'.
Web site information in English is here .
Burke/Triolo Productions/Thinkstock Newcomer Mitchell Tenpennys self-titled debut EP is available now. It features his first single, Drunk Me.
The Outlaw Country Cruise 4 will set sail from Tampa next January 27 - February 1 on the Norwegian Pearl, with participating artists to be announced soon
Celebrity trainer Erin Oprea will lead the first-ever ACM Workout for a Cause Saturday, April 14 at 9 a.m. PT at Stoneys Rockin Country in Las Vegas, Nevada. Youve probably heard of Erin through her big-name clients, particularly Carrie Underwood and Kelsea Ballerini.
Opry Country Classics kicks off a new season Thursday, March 1 with a tribute to Johnny Cashand June Carter Cash, on what wouldve been their 50th wedding anniversary. Larry Gatlin hosts the weekly show at Nashvilles Ryman Auditorium, which will run through May 31, with a special June 9 outing set for the week of CMA Music Festival.
Copyright 2018, ABC Radio. All rights reserved.
In Focus with Allison Walker is a 30-minute public affairs program, featuring a roundtable of newsmakers representing a range of perspectives, including local officials and expert analysts as they tackle topical issues of importance to Floridians.
In Focus airs Sundays at 11:30 a.m. and 8:30 p.m., right after Political Connections.
The possibility of stricter gun laws cast a shadow on this weekend's Florida Gun Show in Tampa.
Thousands attend Florida Gun Show
Gov. Rick Scott has outlined a plan for tightening gun laws
On Friday, Gov. Rick Scott outlined a plan for tightening gun laws to the Florida Legislature.
The plan includes raising the age on gun sales to 21, banning the sale of bump-stock attachments, and keeping people who have been involuntarily hospitalized for mental health issues from owning a gun.
"Change needs to happen," said Jason Walker, a gun owner. "I don't see why not try something, because doing nothing is not working."
Eric Oyola, a gun show vendor and owner of Class 3 Outbreak disagrees with Gov. Scott's proposal.
"They're just taking the rights from the law-abiding citizens because of people who are going to do it anyways," he said.
Garrett Harkins, 18, says he's a second amendment right supporter and gun owner himself, but feels that owning a high-powered rifle at his age is not necessary.
"I don't think that I should be able to walk into a gun shop and walk out the same day with these federal laws, and take home an AR-15," he said.
A big source of discussion from gun show attendees was the question of if the government can succeed in keeping guns from falling into the wrong hands.
"It's going to be a hard thing to do because people at any time can flip out, whether they're under the radar or not," Walker said.
On Saturday, the Florida Gun Show had more than 7,000 visitors, while thousands more attended on Sunday. The firearms safety classes were also packed.
The Florida Gun show had an event scheduled for March 17-18 in Fort Lauderdale, but at the request of city officials that event has been canceled.
The show will go on as planned next weekend in Lakeland.
The man accused of killing a 65-year-old man at a Cocoa motel has been extradited to Brevard County.
Joshua Keravuori, 19, turned himself into police in Georgia last week.
He was extradited from Georgia to the Brevard County Jail on Saturday.
During his first appearance before a judge, Keravuori was denied bail.
Keravuori is accused of killing Terry Scott Hilliard at the Dixie Motel earlier this month. A nationwide manhunt was issued the 19-year-old before he turned himself in.
Keravuori faces charges of first-degree murder and grand theft. His next court appearance is set for March 22.
A big win for science and the University of Central Florida was announced this week.
UCF to manage Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico
It's the most powerful single-dish radio telescope in the world
Radar system gathers information about planets, moons, asteroids
Starting in April, UCF will manage the most powerful single-dish radio telescope in the world and its located in Puerto Rico.
The process to manage the Arecibo Observatory started months ago. Led by Dr. Ray Lugo, director of Florida Space Institute at UCF, staff submitted a proposal to the National Science Foundation which was currently in charge of the observatory.
For Lugo, this win is personal.
"I was actually living probably less than 15 miles from Arecibo when it was being built, he said.
The Arecibo Observatory first opened in 1963 just north of the island. Almost 50 years later, Lugo is back in Puerto Rico with UCF as they transition into managing the 1,000-foot radio telescope.
"The plan we have is to try to find what are some opportunities, some new science that we can perform with that incredible instrument, said Lugo.
The observatory's radar system gathers information about planets, moons, asteroids and comets.
Prior to Hurricane Maria, many thought the observatory would shut down due to lack of funding and resources. Thats when the National Science Foundation decided to open it up to proposals and UCF stepped right in.
"We hope that our students will be able to go there and use the observatory and that students from Puerto Rico will be able to come here and that will have a good exchange of students and information and resources, said Dr. Elizabeth Klonoff, UCF Vice President for research.
After Hurricane Maria, the observatory suffered some damage but nothing that couldnt be fixed. Lugo says there's much to do with what people know as "El Radar de Arecibo."
"It's a 50 year old diamond in the rough and you know we got lots of opportunities to polish this diamond and really create something different and better and still support the primary mission it was built for, Lugo said.
UCF will partner with the Universidad Metropolitana de Puerto Rico and the engineering company Yang Enterprises based in Oviedo, Florida, to manage the site starting April 1.
Police in Cocoa found themselves helping to wrangle an unwelcome visitor to an area apartment complex Monday.
Alligator found at apartment door in Cocoa
Police contacted a trapper to remove it
FWC: Gators may roam in search of water
Officers responded to a call along University Lane from neighbors worrying about an alligator in the neighborhood.
Cocoa police says the officers found a 9-foot alligator at the door of one of the apartments.
The officers reached out to the state for a gator trapper, then helped the trapper remove the gator.
According to Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, gators may roam during warm weather in search of water.
Next time this reptile might want a better navi-gator.
If you see an alligator outside its normal habitat, do not go near it or feed it. Call FWC at 1-888-404-3922.
Orlando has passed an emergency ordinance that makes social media threats illegal, falling under disorderly conduct.
The City Council passed the motion unanimously during a meeting Monday.
I also understand that this is a misdemeanor at a local level. ... I dont know if Tallahassee is going to make it a felony; hopefully so, District 2 Commissioner Tony Ortiz said.
However, others on the council disagreed, saying a misdemeanor was enough of a penalty.
I am concerned that 8 year-old and 9-year-olds in school that make subtle threats get a felony, and we ruin their lives for the rest of their lives, District 5 Commissioner Regina Hill said.
Orlando Police Chief John Mina spoke on behalf of the ordinance, saying social media has outpaced Florida law, and the department has been working on this for some time.
Not in every situation do we put handcuffs on a juvenile. We are looking at the best interest of a trial. Is it just proper to give that child a juvenile civil citation or just release them to their parents, because of the young age of a child? Like you said, we are going to take all of that into account, Mina said.
But since the Parkland mass shooting almost two weeks ago, Orlando and other areas in Central Florida have seen an increase in threats being made. Many of those threats are being made through social media.
Currently, there is what Mina called a loophole in state law, and threats on social media are not recognized fully as a criminal act if it is toward an entity. The ordinance passed Monday allows officers to charge people with a misdemeanor if they make a threat on social media.
. @citybeautiful council unanimously passed the emergency ordinance that would make social media threats fall under disorderly conduct as a misdemeanor. @OrlandoPolice @ChiefJohnMina spoke on behalf of the ordinance. @MyNews13 pic.twitter.com/IQV5dhzcRG Erin Murray News 13 (@emurray1) February 26, 2018
District 4 City Commissioner Patty Sheehan said something needed to change.
I wish there was more that we could do, because I am tired of kids getting shot up and people getting shot up in night clubs and movie theaters, and it is just absurd," Sheehan said. "And I hope that we can somehow stem the madness and listen to some of these kids that are amazing, and passionate, and want to see change in our community and in our state.
The Florida Legislature also working to enact similar legislation at the state level, he said. If passed, that would not go into effect until after the school year on July 1.
There will be a second reading on the social media threat ordinance in two weeks, though it is technically in effect.
CHESHIRE Police arrested and charged a Cheshire High School student with first-degree threatening and will increase their presence at the school Monday.
Police Lt. Jeffrey Sutherland said the student was remanded to custody and was arrested based on comments made by this student. The departments investigation is ongoing.
In a message to parents posted on social media, Superintendent Jeff Solan said the student charged with threatening made serious but generic threats that didnt identify other students or schools. He said more police would be at the school.
Threats against schools have caused alarm and increased security following the Parkland, Florida school shooting.
Last week, an inappropriate message found written on a Sheehan High School whiteboard in Wallingford prompted a police presence at the school. In an email to parents Wednesday, Sheehan Principal Rosemary Duthie said school officials and police investigated and found no reason for concern.
Authorities were also at Southington High School last week after someone posted a statement on social media saying they will bring a gun to SHS tomorrow.
Police investigated the post and determined the threat was not credible, School Superintendent Tim Connellan said police believe the post originated somewhere in the Midwest and was attaching to schools in a number of areas of the country with the SHS abbreviation, therefore the connection to Southington High School.
The name of the person who posted the threat does not match any current student enrolled in the Southington Public Schools, Connellan wrote.
jbuchanan@record-journal.com
203-317-2230
Twitter: @JBuchananRJ
PLAINVILLE The district is reviewing safety and security protocols following last weeks shooting at a high school in Parkland, Florida.
Plainville High School Principal Roberto Medic sent a letter Thursday to students, parents and faculty addressing school safety, including monthly drills.
I write to share with you the measures we take, and will take to ensure the safety of those on our campus, he said. Following each drill we will meet to review how the drill progressed, and will use any new learnings to continually update and ensure that we practice our drill with precisions, effectiveness, and without incident.
His letter comes a week after Superintendent of Schools Maureen Brummett sent a letter about school security measures following the shooting in Florida, which killed 17 students and teachers.
I wish this letter could definitively state that this would never happen here, but in Connecticut we know better than that...I give you my commitment that we are doing everything we can to make sure that your children and our staff are safe while in our schools, Brummett said.
The administrators said they will be meeting with public safety officials and school staff in the next few weeks to further review safety and security protocols.
This has really been something weve been working on since Columbine, said Police Chief Matthew Catania, referencing the 1999 high school shooting in Columbine, Colorado.
After the shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary school in 2012, protocols became even more advanced.
Catania said the department works with the schools continuously to prepare for and prevent emergencies.
Town schools do not have a dedicated police officer, also called a school resource officer.
I endorse it and I support the concept, Catania said.
On Feb. 12, he made a presentation to the education board on a proposal to add a school resource officer. The board ultimately adopted a budget that did not include the officer.
Brummett said in the wake of the Florida shooting she is continuing discussions with town officials on the need for a school resource officer.
akus@record-journal.com
203-317-2448
Twitter: @KusReporter
WALLINGFORD Two Sheehan High School students have been charged following separate incidents at the school last week.
A 15-year-old female student was charged after allegedly writing an inappropriate message on a classroom whiteboard last week. Police say she confessed to writing the message out of frustration, and she was writing her personal feelings out.
The student was issued a summons to appear in New Haven Superior Court and was suspended from school.
Police learned the threatening whiteboard message was written after school on Tuesday, Feb. 20, in a classroom used for media students. The message was seen by several students, but not reported and erased prior to the start of school Wednesday morning, police said. The message was not directed to anyone in specific.
Police also arrested a 16-year-old Sheehan High School male student for breach of peace on Monday, Wallingford Police Lt. Michael Colavolpe said in a statement. The student yelled an alarming statement while walking by a classroom at dismissal time Friday, police said. The comment, alleged to be take cover, disrupted a class and caused students to secure the classroom door.
Menzo said in a statement to parents, I am pleased that in collaboration with the Wallingford Police Department, we have resolved the issues of last week at Sheehan High School. While no educator enters the profession with the goal of disciplining students, we must always balance this need with our ultimate goal to help all students learn from such circumstances.
As we continue to reflect on what happened in Parkland, Florida, I want to ask that all families please share with your children the severity of making comments or posting anything that may appear to be a threat and result in a significant disruption to the school environment, Menzo said in an email to parents. He said incidents will continue to be investigated by the school district and the police, so if culpability is found, the highest level of consequence is enforced which could include expulsion for an entire school year.
Sheehan High School Principal Rosemary Duthie informed parents and students of the incident Friday, adding that the incident would be pursued to the maximum extent allowable and was being taken very seriously by both the administration and the police.
Cheshire Police arrested a Cheshire High School student last week with first-degree threatening and increased their presence at the school this Monday. Superintendent Jeff Solan said the student charged with threatening made serious but generic threats that didnt identify other students or schools.
bwright@record-journal.com
203-317-2316
Twitter: @baileyfaywright
Jeremy Wade searches for answers in the most remarkable rivers, lakes and seas on the planet to reveal the secrets of these extraordinary places.
Tuesdays from 9pm AEST.
By Online Desk
The Dubai police on Sunday evening completed the autopsy on actress Sridevi who died of a cardiac arrest. Before this unfortunate incident, Sridevi along with her husband and producer and younger daughter Khushi was attending her nephew Mohit Marwah's wedding in Dubai.
After the initial reports came out about the untimely death of the actress, some netizens raised concerns on social media. These speculations caught their attention especially after the Dubai authorities asked for an autopsy.
According to Khaleej Times, Sridevi fainted in her hotel bathroom and was rushed to Rashid Hospital in Dubai, UAE. However, conducting a postmortem of a deceased person from a different country is a routine. This invariably caused a delay in bringing back the celebrated actress' remains to India. The remains are expected to be brought by a chartered flight on Monday.
We have been receiving several queries regarding the sad untimely demise of the noted actor Sridevi Boney Kapoor in Dubai last night. Consulate is in constant touch with high authorities of Dubai police to expedite formalities so that the mortal remains can depart for India ASAP. India in Dubai (@cgidubai) February 25, 2018
Many, including Sridevi's brother-in-law Sanjay Kapoor, had shared that the actress was not known to have a history of heart disease.
It must be noted that The New Indian Express cannot verify the circumstanes and does not support any rumours surrounding the actress' death.
READ: Actress Sridevi passes away at 54 in Dubai; film fraternity, politicians and sportspersons mourn
The rumours attributed the cause for her death to the multiple cosmetic surgeries the actor had allegedly undergone.
I'll remember #Sridevi as THE early exponent of cosmetic surgery. Gave Michael Jackson a serious run on the nose front. Won't be surprised if her demise was caused by Botulinus poisoning. Abhimanyu Singh Rana (@abhimanyusrana) February 25, 2018
Sridevi, Boney and their younger daughter Khushi. (Instagram)
While some of her family members returned from Dubai after the wedding, Sridevi, Boney and their younger daughter Khushi stayed back.
Her elder daughter -- Janhvi -- had not travelled with the family because of the shooting schedule for her upcoming Bollywood film 'Dhadak', her first in the industry.
Sridevi, known for her versatility as an actor, made her Bollywood debut in 1978 with "Solva Sawan".
But it was only after five years with Jeetendra-starrer "Himmatwala" that she gained commercial success.
Before her entry into Bollywood, the actor had been a known face in South Indian films.
ALSO READ: From Sridevi to Kareena to Anushka, unrealistic beauty standards fuel a disturbing trend
While films like "Mawaali" (1983), "Tohfa" (1984), "Mr India" (1987) and "Chandni" (1989) kept her at the top in the box-office game, her outings like "Sadma" (1983), "ChaalBaaz" (1989), "Lamhe" (1991), and "Gumrah" (1993) earned her critical acclaim.
She went on a hiatus for 15 years after starring in home production "Judaai", co-starring her brother-in-law Anil Kapoor and Urmila Matondkar.
The actress marked her comeback with the bilingual movie 'English Vinglish' in 2012. Her last appearance was a cameo in Shah Rukh Khan's 'Zero'.
By Associated Press
PARKLAND, FLORIDA: Students at a Florida high school where 17 of their classmates and staff members were killed returned Sunday to gather their belongings thrown down in panic during the school shooting nearly two weeks ago.
Thousands of students joined their parents in walking past the three-story building at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School where the Feb. 14 massacre took place. It is now cordoned off by a chain link fence that was covered with banners from other schools showing their support.
"Just seeing the building was scary," freshman Francesca Lozano said as she exited the school with her mom. Still, she was happy to see her friends. "That made it a lot better."
Seventeen people dressed in white costumes as angels stood by a makeshift memorial outside the school before moving near the entrance. Organizer Terry Decarlo said the costumes are sent to mass shootings and disasters so the survivors "know angels are looking over them and protecting them." Many of Sunday's angels were survivors of the 2016 Pulse nightclub shooting in Orlando where 49 people died, Decarlo said.
READ: US President Donald Trump suggests arming teachers as he meets Florida school shooting survivors
The school reopens Wednesday and administrators said families would get phone calls about details later. Sunday was a day to ease into the return.
IN PICTURES | Students return to Florida school where 17
were killed
"Two of my best friends aren't here anymore," said freshman Sammy Cooper, who picked up the book bag he had dropped as he saw the accused gunman, 19-year-old Nikolas Cruz, begin shooting. "But I'm definitely going to school Wednesday. I will handle it."
Junior Sebastian Pena said the gathering was a chance to see friends and his teachers, and to "come together as a family."
Earlier Sunday, Florida Gov. Rick Scott's office said he had asked Florida Department of Law Enforcement Commissioner Rick Swearingen to investigate the law enforcement response to the shooting. The agency confirmed it would start the investigation immediately.
ALSO READ: Students head to Florida capital to press for gun law change
Broward County Sheriff Scott Israel has come under withering scrutiny after the revelation last week that deputy Scot Peterson who was on the scene did not go in to confront Cruz during the attack. His office is also facing backlash for apparently mishandling some of the 18 tipster calls related to the suspected shooter. The tips were among a series of what authorities now describe as the clearest missed warning signs that Cruz, who had a history of disturbing behavior, posed a serious threat.
Israel defended his leadership Sunday and said investigators were looking into claims that three other deputies were on the scene but failed to enter the school when the chance to save lives still existed. To date, the investigation has pointed to only one deputy being on the grounds while the killer was present, he told CNN.
Pulse survivor India Godman, left, hugs Wendy Garrity at Marjory
Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla., Sunday,
Feb. 25, 2018, for an open house as parents and students returned
to the school for the first time since a shooting took place at the
high school on Feb. 14. (David Santiago/Miami Herald via AP)
Israel also labeled as "absolutely untrue" reports that the deputies waited outside even though children were inside the building needing urgent medical treatment.
ALSO READ: Survivors of deadly Florida school shooting lash out at Donald Trump
State Rep. Bill Hager, a Republican lawmaker from Boca Raton, has called on Scott to remove Israel from office because of the missed red flags.
Israel vowed not to resign, saying Hager's letter "was full of misinformation" and "shameful, politically motivated."
House Speaker Richard Corcoran stepped up the pressure Sunday, calling on Scott to suspend the sheriff.
"In the years leading up to this unspeakable tragedy, Sheriff Israel, his deputies, and staff ignored repeated warning signs about the violent, erratic, threatening and antisocial behavior of Nikolas Jacob Cruz," Corcoran said in a letter signed by more than 70 lawmakers.
Israel insisted that lapses were being investigated. He told CNN that a deputy who responded to a Nov. 30 call referring to Cruz as a "school shooter in the making" was being investigated by internal affairs for not filing a report and had been placed on restrictive duty.
Parents and students walk by the memorial for the victims of the
shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School on Sunday,
Feb. 25, 2018, for an open house as parents and students returned to
the school for the first time since seventeen victims were killed in a
mass shooting at the school in Parkland, Fla. on Feb. 14.
(David Santiago/Miami Herald via AP)
"There needed to be report. And that's what we are looking into that a report needed to be completed, it needed to be forwarded to either Homeland Security or a violent crimes unit," Israel said.
The FBI has acknowledged that it failed to investigate the tip about Cruz that the agency received on Jan. 5.
The Associated Press obtained a transcript of the more than 13-minute phone call. During the call, the woman described a teenager prone to anger with the "mental capacity of a 12 to 14 year old" that deteriorated after his mother died last year. She pointed the FBI to several Instagram accounts where Cruz had posted photos of sliced-up animals and rifles and ammunition he apparently purchased with money from his mother's life insurance policy.
"It's alarming to see these pictures and know what he is capable of doing and what could happen," the caller said. "He's thrown out of all these schools because he would pick up a chair and just throw it at somebody, a teacher or a student, because he didn't like the way they were talking to him."
By AFP
DOUMA: Fresh regime air strikes and heavy clashes shook rebel-held Eastern Ghouta on Sunday despite a UN demand for a ceasefire to end one of the most ferocious assaults of Syria's civil war.
After days of diplomatic wrangling, the Security Council on Saturday adopted a resolution calling for a 30-day ceasefire in Syria "without delay" to allow for aid deliveries and medical evacuations.
President Bashar al-Assad's forces launched a major bombing campaign against the enclave on the edge of Damascus a week ago, and have since killed more than 500 people.
The United Nations resolution raised hopes of stemming the bloodshed but it remains unclear when or how broadly the ceasefire could be implemented.
Russia is a key ally of Assad's regime. In a phone call on Sunday, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Emmanuel Macron urged President Vladimir Putin to use his influence to reach a truce.
They called on Russia "to exercise maximum pressure on the Syrian regime to achieve an immediate suspension of air raids and fighting," Merkel's office said.
In Douma, the main town in Eastern Ghouta, fresh air raids and artillery strikes could be heard, an AFP correspondent said.
Ground fighting intensifies
At least 14 civilians including three children were killed in strikes on Sunday, said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitor, bringing the total number of dead in the week to 530, among them over 130 children.
VIEW GALLERY: Syria toll touches 500 as eastern Ghouta bombing continues, 130 children amongst dead
A child died and at least 13 other people suffered breathing difficulties after a suspected chemical attack on Sunday in a Syrian rebel enclave under intense regime bombardment, said the Observatory and a medic who treated those affected.
Russia's defence ministry said "leaders of armed groups are preparing a provocation to use toxic substances to accuse the regime of using chemical weapons", in a statement that also said the situation in Eastern Ghouta "continued to worsen".
An aid worker in Douma, quoted by British charity Save the Children said a brief pause in bombing had prompted people to emerge after a week sheltering in basements.
WATCH VIDEO: Airstrikes continue battering Syria
"Some people spent these past seven days sitting on the ground. Some people had no food to eat for two or three days," the unnamed aid worker said.
Observatory chief Rami Abdel Rahman said there appeared be fewer air strikes but that fighting had intensified on the ground.
Heavy clashes erupted in southern areas of Eastern Ghouta, killing at least 13 members of pro-regime forces and six fighters from the Jaish al-Islam rebel group, he said.
The Britain-based group uses a network of sources across Syria to monitor the country's conflict.
Mohamed Alloush, a key figure in Jaish al-Islam, tweeted that the rebels were "resisting" bids by regime forces to enter the region.
Eastern Ghouta, home to some 400,000 people, is surrounded by government-controlled territory and its residents are unwilling or unable to flee.
The two main rebel groups controlling the enclave -- Jaish al-Islam and Faylaq al-Rahman -- welcomed the Security Council demand, but vowed to fight back if there were renewed attacks.
VIEW GALLERY: Stop bombing Ghouta: People throng outside Russian Consulate in Istanbul to protest against Syrian airstrikes
UN diplomats say the resolution was watered down to ensure it was not vetoed by Russia, which has provided diplomatic and military support to Assad's regime.
Language specifying that the ceasefire would start 72 hours after adoption was scrapped and the term "immediate" was dropped in reference to aid deliveries and evacuations.
In another concession, the ceasefire would not apply to operations against the Islamic State group or Al-Qaeda, along with "individuals, groups, undertakings and entities" associated with the groups.
Syria's former Al-Qaeda affiliate is present in Eastern Ghouta.
The head of the army in Iran, another key Assad ally, said the Syrian military would continue to target "terrorist groups" in Eastern Ghouta.
Assad's regime and its allies routinely describe all opposition forces as "terrorists".
"The zones on the periphery of Damascus... are not covered by the ceasefire and the offensives and clearing operations by the Syrian army will continue," said Mohammad Bagheri, according to the official IRNA news agency.
UN chief Antonio Guterres, who has described Eastern Ghouta under the bombardment as "hell on Earth," said the ceasefire must be "immediately" implemented.
'Used to betrayals'
In the enclave, news of the UN vote made little impact.
"I don't think this decision will be implemented. It will be respected neither by the regime nor Russia," said Douma resident Abu Mazen.
"We can't trust Russia or the regime. We are used to their betrayals."
Rebels in Eastern Ghouta have also been firing into Damascus.
Around 20 people have been killed in eastern districts of the capital since February 18, according to state media.
A total of more than 340,000 people have been killed and millions driven from the homes in Syria's war, which next month enters its eighth year with no diplomatic solution in sight.
Living kidney donor to come to Newport Sunday to raise awareness
Two men walked into a bar in Natchitoches, Louisiana. One needed a kidney transplant, the other had a kidney to spare.
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Secretary for Home Affairs Lau Kong-wah (left) meets Cambodian Minister of Culture & Fine Arts Phoeurng Sackona in Phnom Penh.
Secretary for Home Affairs Lau Kong-wah met Cambodian Minister of Culture & Fine Arts Phoeurng Sackona in Phnom Penh today.
During their meeting they discussed how to strengthen cultural connections between Hong Kong and Cambodia.
Mr Lau then visited cultural facilities and met Hong Kong people living in Phnom Penh.
Over the years, Cambodian cultural representatives have attended the Asia Cultural Co-operation Forum hosted by the Home Affairs Bureau.
The Royal Ballet of Cambodia also performed in Hong Kong last year to celebrate the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region's 20th anniversary.
Mr Lau will depart for Bangkok tomorrow to meet the Thai Minister of Culture and sign a memorandum of understanding.
German premium carmaker BMW and China's Great Wall Motor Co have signed a letter of intent to jointly produce electric Mini vehicles in China, BMW said on Friday.
If successfully concluded, the BMW-Great Wall talks could yield a first foreign manufacturing partner for Great Wall and a first Mini assembly site outside Europe for the German group.
"Next steps will be to agree on the details of a possible joint venture and cooperation agreement and clarify aspects such as the choice of production location and concrete investments," BMW said.
Great Wall said in a separate statement that a joint venture with BMW would greatly improve its technology level and brand premium, better meet the needs of consumers and further tap into the new energy vehicle market at home and abroad.
Automakers and suppliers are scrambling to meet tough new Chinese quotas for less polluting cars, which call for electric and rechargeable hybrid vehicles to account for a fifth of total sales by 2025.
According to analysts at Bernstein, the Chinese electric Mini will be built on a new platform to be developed by the joint venture rather than on the same basis as the battery-powered Mini that will enter production at BMW's British plant in Oxford from 2019.
The Chinese venture could start making the electric Mini around 2021 or 2022, they said, adding it would also produce models under an own brand.
But they were "puzzled" why BMW would have only a minority stake in the venture, less than the 50 percent it holds in its existing Chinese manufacturing venture with Brilliance, as that would give Great Wall rights to the intellectual property the two companies develop together.
Neither BMW nor Great Wall commented on the details of the planned venture, saying details still needed to be worked out.
BMW also said it would further expand its venture with Brilliance, and that it had no plans to set up an additional sales organisation in China.
Rival Audi last year grappled with a dispute with dealers in China who were worried they could lose business to Audi's local partner, SAIC Motor Corp.
Also Watch
German auto giant BMW said Friday it plans to build an electric version of its compact Mini in China, in a possible joint venture with local partner Great Wall.
The Munich-based group is in "advanced discussions" aimed at "a new joint venture in China", it said in a statement, adding that the two firms had signed a so-called letter of intent about the project.
If plans to build the Mini in China go ahead, it would be the first time the unmistakeable cars -- originally created by a British company -- have been built outside Europe.
But BMW and Great Wall have yet to agree on important details like where to build a factory and how much to invest.
China is the fourth-largest market for the Mini after Britain, the United States and Germany.
Some 35,000 were sold there in 2017, or around one in ten sales worldwide.
BMW follows a maxim that "production follows the market", making China ripe for investment in local manufacturing.
Reaching 560,000 units in 2017, Chinese sales of BMW-brand cars -- produced locally under a joint venture with carmaker Brilliance -- outweighed shipments in other major markets the United States and Germany combined.
"A similar growth strategy could accelerate development of the Mini brand significantly," BMW said.
It added that it would continue talks with Great Wall "without questioning BMW Group's commitment in the UK," where production of electric Minis is slated to begin at an Oxford plant next year.
The firm added that it would "further expand" its joint venture with Brilliance, but did not offer further details.
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Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau who was on a visit to India to strengthen bilateral relations between the two countries made headlines in India mostly for his over-the-top choice of clothing.
Initially smitten by glittery sherwanis, Trudeau was then widely criticised on social media for being "too choreographed" and his exaggerated traditional Indian attires reminded people of Manyavar commercials.
Amidst all the flak that Trudeau faced, not everyone was unimpressed.
In a heartfelt post, Facebook user Kuljeet Kaila expressed how Trudeau and his family's desi avatar gave her a sense of joy.
Growing up in an area largely influenced by the racist, ultra-conservative organization-- Klu Klux Klan (KKK), she describes how her parents were not allowed to step out in their traditional clothing when they migrated to Canada 40 years ago.
While the Sikhs in Canada now enjoy a very comfortable lifestyle and are an integral part of their economy as well as the political scenario with Jagmeet Singh leading Canadas left-leaning New Democrats, life hasn't always been a bed of roses for the Sikhs in Canada.
Photo credits: PTI
In the early 1900s, due to the stringent immigration laws of the country, the non-whites migrating to Canada were unable to bring their families along with them, and in certain cases were themselves sent back.
It was only in the year 1947 when the Sikhs gained voting rights. However, they still had to confine their religious beliefs to their respective homes as they had to cut off their hair and give up on their religious clothing to be able to secure jobs and to avoid racial slurs and violence.
Now that this is all in the past, read how Kuljeet Kaila's parents were left teary-eyed after seeing Trudeau's photographs.
Meerut: Days after claiming that the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh could mobilize men faster than the Army, RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat has courted another controversy after he said that a teen cadre activist was martyred while helping BSF during the 1971 India-Pakistan war.
Back in 1971, a 15-year-old tribal boy, studying in class XI, was asked by the personnel of Border Security Force to carry cartons of gunpowder to the forward post till the rest of the battalion arrived. History is witness that the boy, who was also a Swayamsevak, was shot by an enemy bullet while helping the country during times of trouble, RSS Sarsanghachalak Bhagwat said on Sunday while addressing nearly a lakh cadre members at the the RSSs Rashtroday Sammelan in Meerut.
Narrating the incident, Bhagwat said that the 15-year-old boy used to stay very close to the then-Pakistan border and informed the BSF jawans about the activities near the border.
One day, he saw that troops had started to cross the border from East Pakistan to India. Showing his presence of mind, the teen ran to the jawans and informed them about the Pakistanis trying to enter India. There is even a shaheed smarak in West Bengals Raiganj district to commemorate his efforts, the RSS chief said.
The RSS said that to make Sundays event a hit, swayamsevaks had gone to each of the western UPs 10,500 villages to request people to attend the event. The exact number of people who signed up for the event was over 3.11 lakh. However, the total number of swayamsevaks at the venue was just over a lakh.
New Delhi: BJP chief Amit Shah attacked Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh after the CBI registered a case of fraud against his son-in-law.
Shah alleged that the CMs son-in-law has pocketed money meant for farmers.
Why delete this tweet highlighting the loot of @capt_amarinders son-in-law. Congress has always been at the forefront of highlighting their own robberies such as the NPA mess, bad loans, the free hand they gave to Vijay Mallya and Nirav Modi. #CongressLootsFarmers pic.twitter.com/b7WS3MnIfp Amit Shah (@AmitShah) February 26, 2018
The CBI has registered a case against Simbhaoli Sugars Limited, its Chairman Gurmit Singh Mann, Deputy Managing Director Gurpal Singh and others in connection with an alleged bank loan fraud of Rs 97.85 crore. Gurpal Singh is the son-in-law of Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh.
Simbhaoli Sugars Limited is one of the largest sugar mills in the country.
The company's Chief Executive Officer G S C Rao, CFO Sanjay Tapriya, Executive Director Gursimran Kaur Mann and five non-executive directors have also been booked by the agency.
The CBI on Sunday carried out searches at eight premises, including residences of the directors, factory, corporate office and registered office of the company in Delhi, Hapur and Noida, CBI spokesperson Abhishek Dayal said.
The probe focuses on two loans Rs 97.85 crore which was declared fraud in 2015 and another corporate loan of Rs 110 crore which was used to repay the previous loan.
The second loan was declared NPA on November 29, 2016, nearly 20 days after scrapping of Rs 1,000 and old Rs 500 notes was announced, according to the CBI FIR.
The bank was allegedly cheated to the tune of Rs 97.85 crore, but the loss incurred by the bank is Rs 109.08 crore, the FIR read.
The lender, Oriental Bank of Commerce, complained to the CBI on November 17, 2017, but the agency registered a case of criminal conspiracy and cheating under the Prevention of Corruption Act on February 22.
According to the FIR, OBC sanctioned a loan of Rs 148.60 crore to the company in 2011.
The loan was sanctioned for financing 5,762 sugarcane farmers based on a tie-up agreement under an RBI scheme for supplying sugar produce to the company from January 25, 2012, to March 13, 2012.
The loan money was "dishonestly and fraudulently diverted by the company for its own needs", Dayal said.
According to an MoU, out of the price to be paid by Simbhaoli Sugars Limited to the farmers, loan liabilities were to be adjusted and the remaining amount was to be paid by the company to the growers, according to the FIR.
The account turned NPA on March 31, 2015, and was declared alleged fraud by the bank to RBI on May 13, 2015 for an amount of Rs 97.85 crore.
OBC alleged that in addition to the existing NPA, the bank, under multiple banking arrangements, sanctioned another corporate loan of Rs 110 crore to the company on January 28, 2015, to pay its outstanding loan of Rs 97.85 crore.
The bank adjusted the total liability of Rs 112.94 crore towards the company by way of deposit of the new corporate loan. "The corporate loan, too, turned NPA on November 29, 2016," Dayal said.
New Delhi: Noted architect Hafeez Contractor has offered to design free of charge 19 stations across the country, including several in Mumbai, as part of a redevelopment project being rolled out by the Railways.
Sanjeev Kumar Lohia, Managing Director and Chief Executive officer of the Indian Railway Stations Development Corporation Limited (IRSDC), the nodal agency for redeveloping 600 railway stations, said Contractor was among four who had offered to design railway stations free of cost.
Among the stations Contractor has offered to redesign are Dadar, Parel, Wadala, Bandra and Khar in Mumbai. "We had an open invitation for professionals to work pro-bono for developing concepts and master plans for redevelopment of stations. Hafeez Contractor has shown an interest in 19 stations," Lohia said.
He said the corporation had received such offers from another noted architect and two firms. However, we have not finalised any of the designs yet. It is at a preliminary stage," he said.
Contractor, who recently had discussions with Railway Minister Piyush Goyal, told PTI that the pro-bono offer was his way of "helping my country".
"The very reason that we (he and his firm) are doing it for free is to show them (the government) what can be done," the Padma Bhushan awardee said.
He said the country suffers when a "lousy job" is done. "Normally, what happens is that all government jobs are given to those who quote the lowest tenders, who then do a lousy job. That way both the government and the country suffer. This is my way of helping the country and to tell them what standards have to be to be met," said Contractor, known for his eclectic style and iconic buildings.
Among the others who have offered to do pro-bono work is architect-activist, P K Das, one of the foremost voices on preservation of open spaces in Mumbai. Two other architecture firms have also shown an interest.
Lohia said the IRSDC has also started the process of empanelling architects who are experienced designers for the transport sector - metro, airports, bus terminals etc -- and have an expert on the railways working with him.
"We need architects as we have to redevelop as many as 600 stations. Designing for railways is different from any other modes of transport. One design error could cost lives. As of now, we have empanelled 11 architects/agencies," Lohia said.
Railway minister Goyal is also slated to hold an architects' meet soon to discuss ways to take the project further. After redevelopment of stations, the railways plans to remain in the business of only running trains, leaving the management of stations to private players.
Under the current station redevelopment plan, the railways allocates operation and maintenance of stations to the developers, including of toilets on platforms, vendors, food stalls, parking and waiting rooms.
The Railway Board had recently also approved plans for giving out railway land on lease for 99 years, allowing construction of residential complexes, and also handing over revenue and operations of platform tickets stations to the developers who undertake station re-development.
Uri: It took a while for Mohammad Irshad, a middle-aged man, to realise that the continuous roaring noise in his village Silikote, near the LoC, was that of gunshots. He had dismissed the first few shots like an everyday affair but when the firing continued and became intense, it dawned on him that perhaps the pre-ceasefire era had returned to torment the border villages of Uri.
His fears soon turned true as villagers of seven LoC hamlets soon had to abandon their houses and take shelter in a school building in Uris main town and its already been five days since then.
Irshad said the firing on Thursday morning was unexpected. There has been a ceasefire in the Hajipir Mountains since November 2003 when the Indian and Pakistani armies decided to give peace a chance in these border areas where Kashmir has been divided into two.
He said he could not move when the firing intensified in his village Silikote. It soon spread to the neighbourhoods of Balakote, Hatlanga, Shoura, Tilawari and Churanda. Irshad told News18 that the firing started at 8am on Thursday when he, along with his wife and children, was preparing for the noon chia (salted pink tea).
It was raining heavily but we rushed out of the house and hid ourselves behind the boulders. We remained there for half an hour and then reached Uri town, he recalled, adding that some of the other villagers could not even wait to wear slippers.
Lag raha tha qayamat barpa ho rahi hai (it seemed like it was the doomsday), he said. But thank God everyone is alive. But I have not been able to find out what happened to the cattle as the firing continued. Today, there was some lull, Irshad added.
Irshad and his family of six are putting up at a government higher secondary school in Uri, where hundreds of displaced villagers have joined them. Authorities and philanthropic organizations are providing food to these villagers.
Gas heaters, blankets, quilts and mattresses have also been laid out in the rooms to accommodate the women and children who look tired and petrified.
Villagers told us that there are hundreds of people who could not come out of their homes because they did not get the time. I guess hundreds are still trapped in Hatlanga, Balkote and Shoura, but now they have moved to safer places behind the mountains. Even the Army has taken shelter in some homes, the sheltered villagers said.
The LoC have been fenced by the Army in such a way at places that some residents have been left outside and they will have to cross a gate that is manned by the Army. These people are at a disadvantage to move to safety when there is firing, a villager said.
Mohammad Yousuf of Balkote village said inmates from the 12 houses outside the fence were trapped and could not move due to non-stop firing.
We tried to bring them out on Saturday when some villagers from here went up to feed the cattle, but the Pakistani troops fired several rounds and the villagers are still struck, Yousuf said. He even displayed a piece of shell and a few bullets to officials.
However, this is for the first time that have I noticed Pakistani troops using loud speakers to warn civilians to get out of the villages. The situation is very bad this time. It is much worse than in the early 90s, said Lal Hassan Kohli of Churanda village.
The Army said that around a dozen villages along the LoC in Uri have been targeted by Pakistani shelling since Thursday, forcing many families to flee. He said that the Indian Army is effectively retaliating the firing.
Brigadier YS Ahlawat of the 12 Indian Infantry Brigade told mediapersons in Uri that the Pakistani Army has been continuously violating the ceasefire and has been indiscriminately using shelling to target civilians.
Barring a few incidents of fidayeen attacks and the Army going after infiltrators over the last few years, Uri has remained largely peaceful with Indian and Pakistani troops restraining themselves. As compared to Uri, the border areas in Poonch and Rajouri on the other hand have faced more pounding on both sides, almost every day. The international border (IB) in the Jammu plains also sees a lot of action.
Last year, the Union Home Ministry said that close to 900 ceasefire violations had been recorded along the LoC and IB while within the first 45 days of 2018, ceasefire has been violated by Pakistani troops on 220 occasions. The Indian Army has said that the unprovoked firing is mostly to provide cover to the infiltrating militants who move along the LoC.
Srinagar: Mohammad Maqbool (18) relentlessly made calls to his parents. He and his four siblings had been living in a temporary camp for the people affected by cross-LoC shelling in Uri. His parents were in Silikote village situated on the zero-line 10 km away.
On February 22, as the shelling started, Maqbools father Abdul Qayoom, and mother Akhter Begum asked their children to leave, but stayed put themselves. We have cattle and we survive on them. They didnt want to abandon the cattle, thats why my parents did not leave home, said Maqbool.
On the third day, Maqbool called his mother Akhter Begum over phone, pleading her to leave home. We cant leave. There is respite in the exchange of fire, Begum answered, adding that a nearby house had been hit by a mortar shell.
Relentless and angry, Maqbool sat down on the porch of a school building doubling up as a relief camp. The temperature plummetted further due to the odd spell of showers. But Maqbool was sweating.
I told them to leave with us. A bullet has no sight and these old people have no mind, said Maqbool in utter frustration.
Most of the families from Maqbools village left their houses and were living in the camp, erected in a school building. But many were stuck in the village as the shelling intensified. I have never seen such a situation in my life, he said. My Class 12 examinations are three days away, but I dont care about it now. I want my parents to be safe.
Around half-past 11, Maqbools phone rang. It was his mother on the other side. There are announcements from Pakistani side that they are going in for heavy shelling. Evacuate us!
Now clearly panicking, Maqbool rushed towards an officer. He requested for an ambulance to evacuate his parents. Dont worry sir, I will accompany the driver. If he is not willing to go, I will drive, he said, making frantic appeals to the government medical official.
He ran, with his cousins Shabir and Tariq in tow, in rain to a nearby hospital. The medical officer at the hospital gave him the contact number of the ambulance driver, who was on his way from a nearby health centre.
Maqbool agreed to take this reporter along. We ran towards the main road and in the next five minutes, got in the ambulance, which was basically a shabby mini-bus with a siren and a beacon.
The ambulance driver was a 40-year-old man called Mohammad Ashraf Ganie from nearby hamlet of Garkote. As we reached the muddy road, crisscrossing the mountainous terrain, we actually began to spot shells flying all over. Every bang of mortar and artillery shelling shook the ambulances window panes.
As we turned past another curve promptly, the deep gorge on our right side was terrifying. But more horrific was the road ahead. It had just started to pour heavily when Ashraf hit the brakes. Suddenly, we could see bullets piercing the road ahead.
Maqbool and his friends shouted in unison, directing Ashraf not to stop: We are in open zone, move.
As we drove, the bangs intensified and the targets were evident now. Everyone was scared, but there was no going back.
After half-an-hour, we halted near Balkote, when a bearded man in his 50s came out of his house and stopped the ambulance. He was Farooq Ahmad, a retired soldier who took us into his home, advising us not to move ahead.
He was staying put with his mother, wife and brother. I will not leave. Somebody has to be here, he said, maintaining his composure while bullets and mortar shells could be heard going off in the background.
It seemed as though the shells were landing just a few meters away. He took us into his private bunker, a concrete room built in his house on a hilly slope.
By now, Maqbool jumped out and directed Ashraf to take the ambulance back by at least half a km towards safety. But Maqbool started in the opposite direction, towards his village which was now just a kilometre away.
Meanwhile, in the bunker, Basheer showed us holes made by high-caliber bullets, which pierced even through the concrete of his bunker. There was no respite from the rains either. Everyone in the house began praying fervently.
After a couple of minutes, an elderly man came running towards Bashirs house, weeping inconsolably. My house has been struck by a shell. Khudaya, main kaha javo. Sab barbad ho gaya (God where will I go, everything is ruined).
Farooq and his brother showed us photographs on their mobile phones. The bullets had pierced walls. Some bullets had landed in their kitchen. He said we were not safe even in the bunker. It can get destroyed if a mortar shell lands on it.
Despite repeated requests, neither Farooq nor family agreed to come with us.
Meanwhile, Maqbool called us with the good news that he had found his parents. Farooq bid us farewell with an advice run up to the ambulance. Whatever happens, dont stop. You can become targets of a sniper, he said.
It was still raining heavily as we ran for our lives. The run to the ambulance appeared to be the longest ever. But we made it. As we stepped in, we found everyone in the ambulance crying. Maqbools mother Akhter Begum was sitting right in front.
She was lying unconscious when I entered the house, said Maqbool, who had met his father on the way.
Maqbool also managed to rescue two more families in the neighbourhood. We drove past, but Akhter Begum was crying. Her mother and brother were still stuck in another house which couldnt be reached.
Ashraf drove the jam-packed ambulance through the same treacherous road. A father of four children, Ashraf said he had never been on such a daredevil mission in his seven years as an ambulance driver.
Maqbools father raised his hands in the air and said prayers: Thank God, we are alive!
As we reached the relief camp, everyone broke down and the people who had assembled there started hugging us. It was a rescue from death.
Unnao: Attired in crisp formals, a prospective groom and his parents stand at the gate of a womans house in Uttar Pradeshs Unnao district. As nervous, trembling hands reached out to press the doorbell, thoughts of dowry, kundali matching and desirable personality traits cloud the familys mind. While the meeting between the families went off well, a strange demand left the man biting his nails.
The womans family had asked the man to get a No HIV certificate. Thats the new match-making chart for us to ensure couples here have a happy married life, a resident of Unnao districts Prem Ganj said.
The new method to check compatibility was invented after at least 58 people were tested positive for HIV in three pockets of Bangarmau town of Unnao recently.
According to a Times of India report, when Muneeshwar (name changed) visited his fiancees house in Tirwa area of Kannauj district last Monday, the womans parents asked the mans family to abide by their condition prior to the marriage.
Despite the families giving nod for their marriage, the womans family was a little jittery as the man hailed from Prem Ganj, one of the three blocks where people were tested positive for the deadly disease after a quack had allegedly used infected syringes to treat scores of his patients.
"On Saturday, after getting the test report, Muneeshwar and his family members heaved a sigh of relief as he had tested negative for HIV. The doctors report confirmed that he is not an HIV carrier," a relative of Muneeshwar, who played the role of a mediator between families, informed TOI.
When the parents and siblings of the bride were informed about the report, they too were elated and gave their final consent, asking the boy's family to come with baraat on March 4.
"People, who are coming here with marriage proposals, have started insisting the locals to get a No HIV certificate. Most of the residents, however, seem to have accepted the demand and go for HIV test to avoid hurdles in future," confirmed Sunil Kumar, a local corporator.
This unusual demand might upset some people in our traditional society who may even call off a marriage, but both the sides are praiseworthy, said Dr IS Gilada, President, AIDS Society of India.
New Delhi: Amid a rising graph of crime against women in the country, they constitute just 7.28 per cent of the police force in India and at 2.47 per cent, their presence is the lowest in Naxal-hit Telangana, according to government data.
In militancy-affected Jammu and Kashmir, there are just 3.05 per cent women in the police force which has a sanctioned strength of more than 80,000 police personnel, Union home ministry statistics said.
The government data comes amid an increasing graph of crime against women in the country where overall crimes against them rose from 3,29,243 incidents in 2015 to 3,38,954 incidents in 2016.
The situation is pathetic despite the Union home ministry sending advisories in 2009, 2012 and 2016 to all the state governments and Union territories to increase the strength of women police personnel to 33 per cent, a senior ministry official told PTI.
All state and UTs have also been requested to create additional posts of women constables and sub-inspectors and fill up vacancies by recruiting them, the official said.
As on January 1 last year, Telangana had just 2.47 per cent women in the rolls of its police force which has a sanctioned strength of 60,700 personnel, the data said.
In Uttar Pradesh, the country's most-populous state, the police force have only 3.81 per cent women. It has a sanctioned strength of around 3,65,000 personnel.
The percentage of women in police forces in Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Meghalaya was also low, the statistics showed.
While Tamil Nadu has the highest number of women police personnel, the situation in Himachal Pradesh, Maharashtra and Goa was relatively better.
Among the Union territories, Chandigarh has the highest number of women personnel while the Delhi Police, with a sanctioned strength of around 85,000 personnel, had just 8.64 per cent women in its roll as on January 1 last year.
The home ministry has taken a number of steps for increasing the strength of women in paramilitary forces, another official said.
Women are expected to soon account for one-third of constable-rank personnel in the Central Police Reserve Force and around 15 per cent in the border guarding forces Border Security Force (BSF), Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) and Indo Tibetan Border Police (ITBP), he said.
These forces together comprise around nine lakh personnel of whom only around 20,000 are women now.
The CRPF, considered to be world's largest paramilitary force, is mostly deployed for law and order duties and the anti-Naxal operations.
The year 2015 saw the registration of 34,651 cases of rape in the country and the figure increased to 38,947 in 2016.
Overall crimes against women also rose from 2015 to 2016, according to the data of the National Crime Records Bureau.
The majority of cases categorised as crimes against women were reported under cruelty by husband or his relatives, followed by an assault on a woman with intent to outrage her modesty, kidnapping and abduction and rape.
The highest number of rapes have been reported from Madhya Pradesh followed by Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra in 2016.
Bhubaneswar: A student from Jammu and Kashmir, studying at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), has been missing for over a fortnight.
Suhail Aijaz, a resident of Kupwara district in the northern state and pursuing MBBS at the institute since 2016, left his hostel on February 9, and has been missing since then, said police on Sunday.
The second-year student had informed the authorities of the institute that he was going to Chandigarh with his friends to attend a wedding ceremony there and would be back on February 17, Commissioner of Police Y B Khurania said.
The authorities had lodged a missing complaint with the police on February 18, a day after the student's scheduled date of returning to the institute.
A note has been recovered from the hostel, Khurania said, without elaborating on its content.
"Efforts are on to trace the student. We are questioning the institute officials and the friends of the missing student," Khurania said.
He said the youth's last known location was somewhere in Howrah in West Bengal.
"We are in contact with the Howrah police and the CID West Bengal. The particulars of the student have also been shared with them," he said.
Meanwhile, Suhail's father Aijaz Ahmed reached here and met senior police officials seeking their help in tracing his son.
Ahmed told reporters that he had spoken to Suhail over the phone for the last time on February 7.
He also said that the institute authorities were the first ones to tell him that his son had gone missing.
New Delhi: Even as a three-judge bench contemplates referring the contentious land acquisition ruling to a larger bench, Chief Justice of India Dipak Misra has constituted a five-judge bench to decide the legal conundrum which has seen a split between the Supreme Court benches.
By an administrative order, the CJI has set up the Constitution Bench, headed by himself, to determine whether a three-judge bench could have invalidated another three-judge bench ruling by 2:1 majority.
The five-judge bench is likely to hear the matter on Tuesday next week, immediately after the Holi vacation, in view of the fact that adjudication of land acquisition cases, on the point of compensation and possession, across the country has come to a standstill due to an interim restraint order by the three-judge bench in the top court.
The CJI's fresh directive has come after a bench, led by Justice Arun Mishra, sought an appropriate bench to decide whether the cases of land acquisition could be decided as per the new ruling or not.
In effect, the CJI's order frustrates the pending March 7 hearing by the three-judge bench, comprising Justices Madan B Lokur, Kurian Joseph and Deepak Gupta, which was to consider whether the issue required a deliberation by the larger bench.
The new controversy, which has erupted a month after the unprecedented press conference by four senior-most judges, finds its roots in the February 8 judgment on land acquisition.
The new ruling was by a bench of three judges, in which Justices Arun Mishra and Adarsh K Goel ruled by majority that a 2014 judgment by another three-judge bench should be declared 'per incuriam' invalid for having ignored law and antecedents.
The 2014 judgment, declared invalid, was by a bench of Justices RM Lodha, Madan B Lokur and Kurian Joseph.
After February 8, when a land acquisition matter came up before a three-judge bench, which included Justices Lokur and Joseph, issues of "judicial discipline, propriety and consistency" were dwelled upon following the question whether it was appropriate for a bench of equal strength to invalidate a judgment by some other bench.
Justice Joseph minced no words in expressing his discontent as he repeatedly observed that the Supreme Court, as an institution, could not look like 14 different courts and that all should work together to make it look like one to upkeep the holy principles of judicial discipline and propriety.
Since the arguments on the point of referring the issue to a larger bench could not be completed in a day's hearing, this bench requested the other Supreme Court benches and high courts not to decide any land acquisition case under the new ruling.
But when one such matter was heard by Justice Arun Mishra's bench the next day, the judge remarked that in his opinion his judgement in the land acquisition case on February 8 was legally tenable. But since the interim order by a three-judge bench was placed before him, he referred the case to the CJI for setting up an appropriate bench.
Acceding to the request, CJI Misra has now constituted the larger bench, which renders the hearing before the other bench, comprising Justices Lokur and Joseph, infructuous as far as reference is concerned. The Constitution Bench does not include either of these two judges.
It could be apt to recall that while Justices Lokur and Joseph were two of the four dissenting judges who held the press conference in January, Justice Mishra was dragged in the controversy over complaints of posting of cases of national importance before some selective benches, which included his court too.
What the Controversy is About
2014: A ruling by a three-judge bench of Justices RM Lodha, Madan B Lokur and Kurian Joseph comes on land acquisition cases
All land acquisition cases, on points of compensation and possession, were decided as per this ruling.
January 2018: Four senior-most judges, including Justices Lokur and Joseph, hold an extraordinary press conference. Apart from the CJI, Justice Arun Mishra also becomes a target over posting of politically sensitive cases before his bench.
February 8: A three-judge bench, headed by Justice Arun Mishra, declares the 2014 ruling to be 'per incuriam'. This decision is by 2:1 majority, comprising Justices Mishra and Goel. Justice MM Shantanagoudar dissents.
February 10-20: Some land acquisition cases get decided as per new ruling.
February 21: A three-judge bench, including Justices Lokur and Joseph who were part of the 2014 ruling, questions the February 8 verdict on point of judicial discipline and propriety. This bench issues the interim restraint order and posts the case to March 7 for deciding whether a five-judge bench should examine the contentions.
February 22: When one land acquisition comes up before Justice Arun Mishra's bench, the restraint order is shown. Justice Mishra observes it is only for a larger bench to examine questions of judicial discipline. He refers the matter to the CJI.
February 24: Even as the other three-judge bench keeps the matter pending, the CJI constitutes a five-judge bench, headed by himself. The case is listed on March 6.
Bhopal: The Madhya Pradesh Assembly's Budget Session began on Monday amid ruckus with the address of Governor Anandiben Patel amid ruckus by Congress MLAs.
In her speech, Anadiben briefed the House on policies and works of the state government. She touched upon topics such as power supply to farmers, 3350km Namami Narmada Yatra, Ekatm Yatra, skill development courses.
Patel also discussed mega solar power project of Rewa which has been developed as a model project in the country.
During her address, the Congress MLAs created a ruckus over the farmer's issue, delay in payments and water crisis. However, Anandiben continued with her address.
Leader of the Opposition Ajay Singh accused Anandiben of not completing her speech.
Finance Minister Jayant Malaiya will present his fifth and last budget on Wednesday.
Among other things, she highlighted the development of irrigation facilities, development and maintenance of roads including new roads of 6537 km of new projects, sanction to 7.56 lakh houses under PM Gramin Awas Yojana and other initiatives.
This is the first session to be chaired by Patel after she took over as Governor in January. The session culminates on March 28.
The budget session comes days after the closely contested bypolls in Mungaoli and Kolaras Assembly constituencies held on February 24.
An epitome of beauty and grace, an actor par excellence and a style icon beyond compare, Sridevis unfortunate and untimely death due to a massive cardiac arrest, had the entire nation grieving as the news of her demise on late Saturday night in Dubai spread.
As an actor who has inspired thousands of girls and women across generations, by way of her acting skills, impeccable style and infectious and charming persona, Sridevi ruled the hearts of millions of fans for over five decades.
Aged 54, Sridevi turned heads every time she made an appearance in public and set hearts a-flutter with her sparkling smile. She was not just a brilliant actress with an extraordinary body of work including films like Lamhe, Chalbaaz, Mr. India, Sadma and Chandni among others as her legacy, but was also a fashion icon who many designers felt honoured and humbled to have worked with.
And at this hour of grief, as the entire nation mourns her death, the film and fashion fraternity too feel a void that can never be filled.
Fashion designer, and a close friend of Sridevi, Manish Malhotra was among those with the actress in Dubai where she was attending husband Boney Kapoors nephew Mohit Marwahs wedding, accompanied with her younger daughter Khushi.
Recalling his first meeting with Sridevi and speaking about his association with her, in an e-mail exchange, designer Malhotra told News18.com, Sridevi and I first met in 1990 when she was already a superstar and I was beginning my career. Working with an icon I always called Maam was a turning point in my career, as it was the beginning of many associations and a longstanding friendship beyond work. We have seen each other grow professionally and personally - it was amazing to see the roles she blossomed into, her passion for painting, and the doting wife and mother she was.
I met Sridevi very recently in Dubai and we just had so much to share. The news that she is no longer with us comes as a shock. I will always cherish the precious memories of a friend who was an iconic superstar. At this point, all my thoughts are with Sridevi's family and I request for privacy as we honour a friend and we grieve her loss, he added.
A post shared by Manish Malhotra (@manishmalhotra05) on Feb 20, 2018 at 7:14am PST
Ace designer Gaurav Gupta says he still in shock and that he shall be in shock for a very long time to come. Describing what he thought of Bollywoods first female superstar Sridevi, he told News18.com, She was and will always be light, celebration, hope, electricity, grace, woman, fighter, mother, dedication, peace, saint, omnipresent. She was life itself, art itself. She was everything good that could be.
A performer of all performances lived life with a flare of giggles and humour despite acting for 50 years out of her 54, he added.
Expressing his thoughts on Sridevi as a style icon, the designer said, A true icon, an artist in every way, she inspired generations of women to liberate themselves and be Indian yet individual. She was fearless in her style, an awe enchanting enigma with utmost dignity which inspired and would inspire generations of all artists, designers and individuals alike. The ultimate muse for any artist. A true mother of creative spirits. Joy to millions. She will always be everywhere. She must be inspiring more universes now. The legend lives! Forever, he added.
Several other designers took to social media to express their condolences to Boney Kapoor and his two daughters and mourn Sridevis demise.
Ace couturier Sabyasachi wrote, We are extremely saddened by the sudden demise of Sridevi. We extend our deepest condolences to her family at their hour of bereavement. May her soul rest in peace.
Designer Tarun Tahiliani wrote took to Instagram to pay his homage to the veteran actor. He wrote, Saddened by the untimely demise of Indias greatest actor, Sridevi. An epitome of beauty and grace. We would like to express our deepest condolences to the family. May her soul rest in peace.
A post shared by Tarun Tahiliani (@taruntahiliani) on Feb 24, 2018 at 10:52pm PST
In a detailed post on Instagram, designer Nikhil Thampi wrote, "One of the biggest reasons why I chose my career path was my fascination with Bollywood and this gorgeous woman, she made every character immortal and memorable. I was convinced that one can dance in a chiffon saree on the snow peak mountains of Switzerland or when she made the colour white immortal which became a very integral part of my body of work or when she danced on the sand-dunes in a bright yellow which made that colour one of my favourites till date.You are, and will be, my muse and inspiration for life! RIP Sridevi, thank you for the eternal inspiration."
A post shared by Nikhil Thampi (@nikhilthampi) on Feb 25, 2018 at 11:27am PST
Sridevi was last seen in Ravi Udyawar directed Mom as Devki Sabharwal. But, that wouldnt be her last on-screen appearance. Fans will get to see the iconic star for the final time in Anand L Rai directed Zero, starring Shah Rukh Khan, Anushka Sharma and Katrina Kaif, in a special appearance.
Apart from helping you to find a partner, dating app Tinder may also increase the chances of getting you caught if you are cheating on your partner, revealed a study.
According to the researchers from Texas Tech University, US, many participants said they were not sure if Tinder was a good way to do so, as they saw a few profiles of people on the dating app who were already in a relationship.
"The participants are quite mixed though as to whether Tinder is an effective way to meet extradyadic partners," said co-author of the study Dana Weiser from Texas Tech University in the US.
"This may be because, while it is easy to meet individuals via Tinder, it may also be very easy to get caught, as a percentage of our participants also indicated they saw people who they knew were in relationships on Tinder," Weiser added.
For the study, published in the journal Personality and Individual Differences, researchers examined 550 undergraduate students who participated in the study.
Among the participants, 12.5 percent had spent time with someone they met on Tinder, 17.1 percent had messaged someone on Tinder, 8.9 percent had been physically intimate and 7.2 percent reported having sexual relations with someone they met on Tinder while in an exclusive relationship.
The researchers found two personality traits they said could predict a person's likelihood to cheat on a partner: willingness to engage in sex outside of a committed relationship and intention to engage in infidelity.
"We expected these same personality traits that predict in-person infidelity would also be associated with engaging in infidelity via Tinder," Weiser said.
"We found those traits were more important for predicting infidelity than gender. Basically, men and women looked very similar when we accounted for personality," Weiser added.
Mathura: Actor-turned-politician Hema Malini today condoled the death of Sridevi, saying she had achieved the highest position in Bollywood because of her dedication to her work.
"I value her for her sanskars as in spite of achieving the highest position of 'superstar' in Bollywood, she never compromised with the south Indian sanskars inculcated in her," Hema Malini said.
Malini said she couldn't believe Sridevi was no more as the late actor was healthy and energetic when Sholay star had met her recently.
Sridevi achieved the highest position in Bollywood because of her work and dedication, Malini said.
The actor died reportedly due to cardiac arrest in Dubai, where she had gone along with her family to attend her nephew Mohit Marwah's wedding. Her mortal remains will arrive in India from Dubai today, her family said in a statement.
"Boney Kapoor, Jhanvi, Khushi (daughters) and the entire Kapoor, Ayyappan and Marwah family is deeply bereaved and shocked with the untimely loss of Sridevi Kapoor," the statement, issued this evening by the Yash Raj Films (YRF) on behalf of the family, said.
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Sridevi Cremated With State Honours As India Says Farewell To its First Female Superstar Sridevi funeral LIVE updates: Sridevi's final journey has begun with a decorated truck carrying the iconic actor's mortal remains to the Vile Parle crematorium, where the final rites will take place at 3:30 pm. News18.com | February 28, 2018, 18:03 IST
Sridevi's nephew Mohit Marwah, for whose wedding the veteran actor was in Dubai, posted a heartfelt tribute for the late star on Instagram. Marwah shared Sridevi's still from her 2012 comeback film "English Vinglish" and wrote, "You were more than a legend. Your vacuum will always be felt."
Sridevis mortal remains will arrive in India from Dubai in a few hours from now and the cremation will be held later in the day in Mumbai. Sridevi died late on Saturday reportedly due to cardiac arrest in Dubai, where she had gone to attend the wedding.
The body could not be repatriated yesterday as the final investigation reports from Dubai Police were not ready last evening. The remains would reportedly be brought back onboard a chartered aircraft.
The loss of the actor is being felt by each and every actor in the film industry. While many took to social media to express their grief, close friends rushed to Anil Kapoor's residence to pay their respects.
Rishi Kapoor, who co-starred with Sridevi in films like Chandni, Nagina and Banjaran, took a dig at media houses for referring to the late actors mortal remains as a mere body.
Sridevi, 54, died late Saturday night reportedly due to a cardiac arrest in Dubai, where she had gone along with husband Boney Kapoor and daughter Khushi to attend the wedding of her nephew Mohit Marwah.
Kapoor on Sunday took to Twitter to express his displeasure over the media coverage of the actor's death and said: "How has Sridevi all of a sudden become the 'body'?"
How has Sridevi all of a sudden become the body? All television channels reporting the body will be brought to Mumbai in the night! Suddenly your individuality gets lost and becomes a mere body?? Rishi Kapoor (@chintskap) February 25, 2018
Kapoor also offered his condolences on the death of the evergreen queen of Indian cinema and shared a picture of the late actor from the film Chandni.
Henceforth no more Moonlit nights! Chandni gone forever. Alas! pic.twitter.com/VUuO3dQebL Rishi Kapoor (@chintskap) February 25, 2018
In another tweet he wrote, "Woken up to this tragic news. Absolute shock. Sad. Heartfelt condolences to Boney and their two daughters!"
Mumbai: Pakistani actor Adnan Siddiqui, who essayed the role of Sridevi's onscreen husband in Mom, says people in Pakistan are going to miss her as much as the people in India.
"I am in Dubai. I was invited for Srideviji's nephew's wedding. She was there smiling dancing looking as beautiful and healthy as ever. Who would believe that she wouldn't be here just four days later? I met her husband Boney Kapoor saab last (February 17)," Adnan said.
"I just couldn't bear to see him looking so devastated...I am really saddened. I was honoured to have worked with her in 'Mom'," he added.
The actor also said: "I am truly saddened that she is no more with us and we won't see her again. The people in Pakistan are going to miss her as much as the people in India. God give strength to her family."
The actress died on Saturday night at around 11 p.m. after suffering cardiac arrest in Dubai.
Sridevi was in Dubai to attend the marriage function of actress Sonam Kapoor's cousin Mohit Marwah, along with husband Boney Kapoor and younger daughter Khushi. Her elder daughter Janhvi, who is due to make her Bollywood debut, was in Mumbai.
Mumbai: Veteran actor Sridevis mortal remains will arrive in India from Dubai on Monday morning and the cremation will be held later in the day in Mumbai.
Sridevi, 54, died late Saturday night reportedly due to a cardiac arrest in Dubai, where she had gone to attend the wedding of her nephew Mohit Marwah.
Boney Kapoor, Jhanvi, Khushi and the entire Kapoor, Ayyappan and Marwah family is deeply bereaved and shocked with the untimely loss of Sridevi Kapoor," a statement, issued on Sunday evening by Yash Raj Films (YRF) on behalf of the family, said. "They thank the entire media for their prayers, support and sensitivity during their time of grief. Late Sridevi Kapoors body will arrive in India tomorrow, it said.
The mortal remains are expected to be brought by a chartered flight.
The Gulf-based Khaleej Times had reported that Sridevi's autopsy had been completed and the family was now awaiting laboratory reports conducted by the General Department of Forensic Evidence.
Sridevi, a Padma Shri awardee, made her Bollywood debut in 1978 with Solva Sawan. But it was only after five years with Himmatwala, co-starring Jeetendra, that she attained commercial success.
Before her entry into Bollywood, the actor had been a known face in South Indian films. She made her debut as a child artist in in Tamil film Thunaivan in 1969. She also worked in Malayalam, Telugu and Kannada films.
Sridevi's beguiling eyes, scintillating screen presence and acting prowess soon made her one of the most sought-after actors in the Hindi film industry.
While films such as Mawaali (1983), Tohfa (1984), Mr India (1987) and Chandni (1989) kept her at the top in the box-office game, her outings in Sadma (1983), ChaalBaaz (1989), Lamhe (1991), and Gumrah (1993) earned her critical acclaim.
She went on a hiatus for 15 years after starring in home production Judaai, co-starring her brother-in-law Anil Kapoor and Urmila Matondkar. It was director Gauri Shinde's English Vinglish in 2012 that marked Sridevi's comeback.
Her nuanced performance as a middle-class woman, learning to speak English to feel accepted by her family, won accolades, and the film was also a commercial success.
Last year, she was seen in revenge-drama, Mom, opposite Nawazuddin Siddiqui and Akshaye Khanna. She also shot for a special appearance in superstar Shah Rukh Khan's upcoming film, Zero, which releases in December.
Sridevi was awarded the Padma Shri, the fourth highest civilian honour, in 2013.
Minutes after the news of her death broke, many Bollywood actors such as Amitabh Bachchan, Priyanka Chopra, Sushmita Sen, Sidharth Malhotra and Riteish Deshmukh took to Twitter to offer their condolences.
Personalities such as Lata Mangeshkar, Kajol, Hrithik Roshan and South superstars Rajanikanth, Kamal Haasan, Chiranjeevi, Nagarjuna Akkineni and Baahubali director SS Rajamouli also offered their condolences on the death of the legendary actor.
Director-producer Karan Johar recalled having a fan moment when he first met the superstar on the sets of his father's film Gumrah.
President Ram Nath Kovind, Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Information and Broadcasting Minister Smriti Irani and Congress president Rahul Gandhi also condoled her death.
"Shocked to hear of passing of movie star Sridevi. She has left millions of fans heartbroken. Her performances in films such as Moondram Pirai, Lamhe and English Vinglish remain an inspiration for other actors. My condolences to her family and close associates #PresidentKovind," a tweet from the official Twitter handle of the President said.
Naidu tweeted, "Felt very sad over the sudden demise of popular actress Sridevi. She was an extremely versatile and talented film star, who had acted in Telugu, Hindi and other South Indian languages."
Modi said he was saddened by Sridevi's untimely demise.
"She was a veteran of the film industry, whose long career included diverse roles and memorable performances. My thoughts are with her family and admirers in this hour of grief. May her soul rest in peace," the PMO tweeted.
Irani, in an emotional letter published by News18, remembered the actor as her "favourite star who defined joy in my childhood".
Cameron Bailey, Artistic Director, Toronto International Film Festival, tweeted, "Shocked to hear of the passing of Indias legendary Sridevi. Honoured to have been in her presence in 2012 when she visited Toronto for English Vinglish. She made countless millions fall in love with her characters."
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Diva Sridevi: From the Covenant of Madrasi Magic
A still from the Sridevi-starrer Himmatwala.
They make you laugh, they make you cry. They bedazzle you with their eyes, smack you with an inviting pout. They seduce you, they charm you into slavery, they drive you mad. They are the temptresses, the Divas of filmdom.
They have so much in common. They are bound by a common code of the Migrant Madrasis. Beauties beyond imagination. As good actors as they are stars. Made their careers in the south before conquering the north.
Sridevi was one of them. But she was neither the first. Nor is she the last.
There were days when the only thing south Indian known to Bollywood and the north was the Madrasi character that Mehmood parodied in Hindi films a loud chap wearing a veshti, a horizontal white tilak on his forehead, the head half-shorn and with a tuft, the atrocious Hindi mouthed in an unintelligible accent, back half bent as if in perennial supplication.
Amid the laughs that Mehmood commanded, there came about, unnoticed, a steady infusion of southern talent into Bollywood. It worked its magic into the skin of the Mumbai film industry and settled down there for all times. It was the female Madrasi that slithered her way from down south.
Literally slithered her way. Like what Vyjayanthimala did in her first foray into Bollywood with Nagin in 1954. In no time, she could name her price and her co-star, and actually replaced perhaps Indias first superstar, Madhubala. Even Dilip Kumar and Raj Kapoor came under her spell.
Waheeda Rehman was waiting in the wings as Guru Dutt transported her from Hyderabad to Mumbai and OP Nayyar made her dance maddeningly to the tune of Kahin pe nigahen, kahin pe nishana in CID in 1956. Dev Anand wooed her in film after film. Guru Dutt lived for her.
Then another talent from the south suddenly burst over Mumbai. Padmini. A famous actress of the south. Known for her depth of acting with a figure to boot. Nobody imagined she would become Raj Kapoors muse in Mera Naam Joker. Only he could have convinced her to bare her voluptuous self as she danced to Shankar-Jaikishans seductive Ang lag ja balma.
The picturisation ranks up there with Satyam shivam sundaram and Roop tera mastana. Padmini left her memorable image in Kaajal, as she danced to Meena Kumari singing Chun chun ghungroo bole with Raj Kumar and Dharmendra losing their senses.
Then, of course, theres the Dream Girl Hema Malini. You simply cannot have enough of her, even if it means watching her in a water filter ad! You could have asked Raj Kapoor who agreed to star in Sapno Ka Saudagar, her debut movie. You can ask Dharmendra. Ask any top hero of the time. Ask Lalu Yadav, who told Bihars roads department to make roads as smooth as Hema Malinis cheeks.
Chal Dhanno... aaj teri Basanti ki izzat ka sawaal hai Audiences still bite their nails and sit on the edge of their seats as Dhanno tries to save Basanti in Sholay. The southern accent had come a long way by then!
The diminutive Laxmi introduced the rest of India to the struggles of an unwed mother in Julie, though the 1975 film is often talked about in the context of sex, and an English song My heart is beating. It was a milestone in tackling taboo issues.
Whos this, they asked, of the dusky and doe-eyed Rekha who received the best actress nomination at the Filmfare Awards for her 1978 portrayal of a gang-rape victim in Ghar. Indian viewers realised that here was a woman from Madras with good acting calibre. Little did they know then that in a few months, before the end of 1978, she would truly siren her arrival with Amitabh Bachchan in Muqaddar Ka Sikandar.
Madrasis, as they were called, come in pairs! As Rekha made her mark, Sridevi made her entrance, not resting till her audience called her Indias first woman superstar. There was a time when producers and heroes had only a south Indian actress to choose from Hema Malini, Rekha, Sridevi, Jayaprada.
In course, it was time for the next generation to take over. Meenakshi Sheshadri filled the gap with Hero. Zarina Wahab chipped in with Gharonda and Chit Chor.
GenNext arrived with Madhavi, Madhoo, Bhanupriya, Rambha, Ramyakrishnan.
But Bollywood had to wait for a while for the southern magic of 1950s-1980s. They came, one by one, slowly but surely, and enveloped Bollywood Suchitra Krishnamoorthi, Suman Ranganathan, Shobhana. Then came the blockbuster bunch of Tabu and Aishwarya Rai.
The next generation from the south is there too in Deepika Padukone, Aditi Rao Hydari and Shruti Haasan. And as we remember the chirpy Madrasi Diva, Sridevi, we come a full circle with her daughter Janhvi, wholl debut later this year in Dhadak.
New Delhi: Bank frauds, which have been tumbling out of the cupboard almost at the rate of one a day recently, have lead to persistent calls for privatisation of public sector banks (PSBs).
Business chambers, CII and FICCI, have suggested that the government should bring down its stake in PSBs so that they can function efficiently. The chambers have also suggested that the total number of such banks be reduced, by merging some, to create less number of such banks but stronger banks. The governments own chief economic advisor Arvind Subramanian has earlier called for greater private sector participation in PSBs.
We currently have 21 PSBs, against 13 old private sector banks and 7 new private sector banks, according to data available with the Department of Financial Services.
Not just the business chambers, other stakeholders also seem to suggest that the problem lies in government control of these behemoths, which lack proper regulatory oversight and become hubs for rampant siphoning off of lakhs of crores of taxpayers money.
So, when corporates take large loans and begin to default on repayments, it is the government, and by extension, you and me, who ultimately foot the bill since the state is the majority owner in PSBs. Whether privatization is the panacea to cure all that ails public sector banking in India, is a question worth pondering.
CII has said the first step should be for the government to reduce its stake to 52% and then devise a roadmap to bring down its stake in PSU banks to 33% in three to four years. And a Business Standard piece this morning speaks of revival of an earlier idea a bank holding company which will house all the shares the government owns in PSBs. Such a holding company could be managed by competent individuals, and decide when to lessen government holding in various PSBs and how much money to infuse in such banks.
Whether this is a first step towards eventual (even if long term) privatisation of PSBs is any bodys guess. But the idea has gained currency at just the right time, as the government readies for an improved showing in Rajya Sabha to be able to push this initiative, amid growing clamour for wide ranging banking reforms.
Why does private banking inspire more confidence in banking sector analysts than PSBs? Public sector banks are being funded by the government through tax payers money. This straight away means when large scams or frauds get unearthed, the taxpayers feel cheated. The Nirav Modi case, where there has been alleged siphoning off of over Rs 11,000 crore, is neither the first nor perhaps the last in a series of such cases where corporate loans turn bad and the defaulter flees India, never to return. PSBs then become punching bags of the aam aadmi, who feels betrayed.
A piece in the New Indian Express quotes government data to say that public sector banks restructured loans worth Rs 6,09,661 crore in last three years (2014-15, 2015-16 and 2016-17) meant for the industry sector alone (excluding agri lending). So if government were to reduce its stake in PSBs progressively, this automatically means its liability in cases of fraud or default in repayments comes down and by extension, protects the tax payer from sustaining further losses.
Or does it? The reason for persistent calls for privatization is also the perception that private banks (private enterprise wherever and in which ever sector) is better managed and therefore less likely to look the other way when large scale bad loans are burdening the banks books. This, however, has not been conclusively proved anywhere in the world.
The global financial crisis in 2008 showed how private banks can very well become targets of deep financial frauds. Even then, following the financial crises, the US government had to step in to hand bail outs to banks that were too big to fail. Effectively, for a time they became nationalized and so did their losses. Then what is the sense in seeking greater private sector participation while merging smaller banks to create larger entities, if government will eventually have to again prop them up in times of crises? Anyway, given PSBs role in serving farmers or MSMEs sometimes even in remote areas, privatization seems like a half baked idea to tackle the current mess.
Besides, even in India, the record of private banks is far from blemishes. According to a written reply in Lok Sabha last month, while PSBs reported 8,622 cases of fraud between 2014-15 and 2016-17, private sector banks reported 4256 cases of fraud during the same period. So, while PSBs were dealing with frauds at roughly twice the rate at private banks, the latter were also significantly troubled with fraud cases.
The CEA Arvind Subramanian has been advocating greater private sector role in PSBs but not in all such banks. In this piece from the Hindu Business Line, Subramanian has said that The question is, are we getting enough value for this taxpayer money and will this taxpayer money be better protected in the current government ownership structure or will it require a different policy structure. The government also realises that some banks are unviable and need to be shrunk. There are three strong cases which have emerged for private participation in public sector banks. I am not saying all public sector banks should be privatized.
All this brings us to the unavoidable truth: banking sector reforms are the need of the hour and a receding government role in running some PSBs is only part of the solution.
(The author is senior journalist. Views are personal)
New Delhi: A week after Delhi Chief Secretary Anshu Prakash alleged assault by two Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLAs at the Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwals residence, the Delhi government is mulling a plan to broadcast live stream all meetings with bureaucrats.
According to a Delhi government source, the move is aimed at creating greater transparency in the inner workings of the government and a way for the Kejriwal-led outfit to avoid any further allegations from bureaucrats. The meetings are likely to be live streamed on the Delhi government site.
A source added, We are also considering a move to put all files online so that people can know who has signed on the file, who has not, who is the next person who has to sign the file etc. They will know who has raised what objections to which move of their government.
The Delhi state budget is expected in the month of March. If the Kejriwal cabinet approves the decision to live stream meetings and live track the movement of internal files, the budget is likely to provide a separate allocation for this move.
Chief Secretary Anshu Prakash Prakash alleged that at a meeting at Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwals residence on Monday evening, AAP MLAs Prakash Jarwal and Amanatullah Khan physically assaulted him. Both the MLAs are now in police custody.
The Chief Ministers office has denied the allegations and said the incident never took place. Delhi CM office strongly denies allegations by the Chief Secretary. There was no incident of assault or attempted assault by any AAP MLAs, a statement from Kejriwals office said.
On Wednesday, Aruna Asaf Ali Government Hospital issued a medical certificate detailing the physical symptoms that Prakash was showing when brought to the hospital.
The symptoms, according to the report, were more or less consistent with his claims of having been assaulted at the meeting. The Chief Secretary, the report said, complained of painful neck movements, pain behind both ears and pain behind right eye. Doctors also noticed other physical markers of assault on Prakash.
Hyderabad: Three Rajya Sabha seats in Andhra Pradesh will go to polls on March 23. Going by the numbers, Telugu Desam Party (TDP) should grab two seats while main opposition YSR Congress may clinch the remaining one. But defections of MLAs mean that the picture might not be that clear.
The YSR Congress has alleged that the TDP is trying to lure its MLAs by offering a huge amount of money to win the third Rajya Sabha seat also. The numbers explain why there is a tough fight for the third Rajya Sabha seat.
Andhra Pradesh has 175 MLAs and to win each Rajya Sabha seat parties need the support of 44 legislators. After 2014 elections, the TDP won the majority with 103 seats and the YSR Congress bagged 67 seats. But in past few months, 23 YSR Congress MLAs have defected to the ruling TDP, bringing down the strength of the Jagan Reddy led outfit to just 44 MLAs.
The TDP can easily win two seats with 88 MLAs. But for the third seat, the Chandrababu Naidu led party is short of only one MLA, with the support of 43 legislators.
Speaking to CNN News18, YSRCP MP and general secretary Vijay Sai Reddy said, "In the current scenario, YSRCP is winning one Rajya Sabha seat with 44 MLAs. But the TDP is trying to lure our MLAs by offering huge money. The TDP has already defected 23 of our MLAs unconstitutionally. If they continue with their tactics, we will teach them a lesson this time."
The YSR Congress has officially declared industrialist Vemireddy Prabhakar Reddy as its candidate. The party is confident that the remaining 44 MLAs will not switch sides.
Despite several complains by the YSR Congress, no action has been taken against the illegal defections in the state till now.
At a time when YSRCP is making all efforts to mount the pressure on the ruling TDP over the issue of "special status", winning the Rajya seat has become important for it to send out a strong message.
The TDP is yet to officially announce their Rajya Sabha nominees. The decision will depend on the future course of TDP-BJP alliance also. TDP has given March 5 as a deadline to the BJP to fulfil promises it made in AP Reorganization Act.
It will be interesting to see, whether TDP announces two or three candidates.
Lucknow: Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya on Monday expressed confidence that the BJP would sweep the March 11 bypolls to the Gorakhpur and Phulpur Lok Sabha seats.
The bypolls were necessitated after Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and Maurya vacated the Gorakhpur and Phulpur seats respectively, following their election to the Uttar Pradesh Legislative Council.
"The lotus (BJP's poll symbol) will bloom in both the seats. I have no doubt about this. The very fact that people are talking mostly about the BJP's winning margin is itself an indicator that the party is going to win. "You can be rest assured that we are going to improve our margin in both the seats," Maurya told PTI in an interview here on Monday.
Taking a jibe at the opposition, he said, "As soon as the by-elections were announced, the opposition parties started discussing the victory margin. This is a clear indication that the lotus will bloom in Gorakhpur and Phulpur."
The deputy chief minister, a former president of the state BJP, said as far as the vote-share was concerned, "60 per cent is ours and the rest is for the others to share".
On whether he wanted one of his family members to contest from Phulpur, Maurya said, "Party workers, owing to their affection towards me, floated the idea that someone from my family should contest the bypolls
.
"However, I am a kaaryakarta-waadi (workers-centric) person, and not a parivaar-waadi (believer in dynastic politics). I am a member of the BJP's big family."
Referring to the BJP's winning show in the 2014 general election and 2017 Uttar Pradesh Assembly polls, he expressed confidence that the "lotus will bloom in 2018 (bypolls) and it will lay a strong foundation for the 2019 Lok Sabha election".
The by-elections are expected to witness a triangular contest between the ruling BJP, the Samajwadi Party (SP) and the Congress. The saffron party has fielded Kaushalendra Singh Patel from Phulpur and Upendra Dutt Shukla from Gorakhpur against the SP's Pravin Nishad and Nagendra Pratap Singh Patel respectively.
Sureetha Kareem is the Congress candidate from Gorakhpur. The party has fielded Manish Mishra from Phulpur.
"Voters are very clear as regards which party can usher in development, provide jobs, ensure safety and a robust law-and-order situation in the state. They know that it is the BJP, which is a pro-poor political party, is working to ensure that the benefits of development reach the last person, and also that it can take a tough stand against corruption," Maurya said.
For the BJP, Gorakhpur is significant as it is the bastion of the chief minister, who has represented the seat in the Lok Sabha five times. Prior to Adityanath, the seat was thrice represented in Parliament by his mentor Avaidyanath.
Phulpur, on the other hand, was once the bastion of the Congress and represented by India's first prime minister, Jawaharlal Nehru. It had, for the first time, witnessed a saffron surge in the 2014 Lok Sabha election, when Maurya won the seat.
Voting for the bypolls will be held on March 11 and the results will be declared on March 14.
New Delhi: Rahul Gandhi appears to be less angry. He doesnt strut and fret much. He doesnt fold his kurta sleeves as much. His pinned tweet gives the impression of an ordinary Twitterati who is making light of PM Narendra Modis tweet asking for ideas for his monthly Mann ki Baat radio address. He raises questions on the Nirav Modi scam and Rafale fighter planes deal. You ask for ideas when in your heart you know what every Indian wants to hear you speak about, he says.
But what do Indians really want to hear? Is Rahul Gandhi actually being heard or is the impact of his words only limited to social media and news headlines? Is he moulding his politics on the lines of the Arvind Kejriwal of 2015-2017, picking noise over substance?
Arvind Kejriwal borrowed a leaf from Narendra Modis social media playbook, and now so has Rahul Gandhi. From aggressive Twitter usage to puns and Pidi videos, Rahul has been grabbing eyeballs, but has failed to convert the interest into votes. Like Kejriwal in Punjab, Rahul suffered defeat in Gujarat. This, ironically, when the BJP seems to be slipping on the virtual platform where it had the first-mover advantage.
Sanjay Kumar of the Centre for the Study of Developing Societies feels there is a difference in the noise being made by Rahul and Kejriwal. I dont see any similarity in Rahul Gandhis politics and Arvind Kejriwals politics. Kejriwal has always tried to create noise by making allegations, even if there was no evidence. I think Rahul Gandhi is also trying to create noise, but by asking more relevant and carefully crafted questions. Kejriwal seems to be in haste all the time, but Rahul seems to be the opposite.
His sharp questions on the Rafael deal did send the BJP scurrying for cover.
The differences between the two leaders can also be seen in the way they lead their parties. In January 2013, when he was anointed as the party vice-president, Rahul showed an infectious impatience to cut the Congress to size. Four years on, he has slowly worked his way to effect changes, appointing general secretaries in states, but not going in for a shock overhaul of the Congress Working Committee.
Appointing Ashok Gehlot as election in-charge in Gujarat and little-known Avinash Pandey in Rajasthan, infusing new blood in Mahila Congress with Shobha Ojha and Sushmita Dev were Rahuls choices. A Congress source said Rahul is operating with a velvet glove, hinting to the old guard that they are valued and that the old and new can co-exist.
This has not been Arvind Kejriwals motto. He went in for the kill by throwing out AAP co-founders Yogendra Yadav and Prashant Bhushan.
Itll be interesting to see what shape Rahul gives to the Congress Working Committee in the party plenary next month. After the debacle in Delhi Assembly Polls in 2013, Rahul had said that the Grand Old Party needed to learn a thing or two from Kejriwal.
Image guru Dilip Cherian, too, feels the two leaders are diametrically opposite. Rahuls political imagery is that of someone who is not focused on political change, but on internal change. He is showing far greater patience in immediate political outcomes, and the process is far more important for him. Kejriwals approach has been that of get the political change first and the process will follow. They are diametrically opposite, said Cherian.
While the urgency and impatience dented AAPs electoral fortunes outside Delhi, the lack of it may prove detrimental to the Congress.
Rahul did emerge as Narendra Modis challenger in Gujarat, awakening a comatose Congress machinery with his temple yatras. But these temple runs yielded limited dividends. The Congress tally increased to 77 Assembly seats from 61 seats in 2012, but the BJP retained power for the sixth consecutive term in Modis home state.
While it may be alright for Rahul to claim moral victory to boost cadre moral, sooner or later he has to conjure up a BJP-like hunger for victory.
Does Rahul Gandhi have the political instinct to build up the organisation? Without an organization, you cannot win elections. Politics is not about rallies. Politics is about winning elections, a Congress leader, who did not wish to be named, said. The leader added that Rahul must, like his grandmother Indira Gandhi, look at everything from an electoral point of view.
Political scientist AK Verma sees Rahul Gandhi as a natural competitor to Modi, but says the formers leadership style isnt convincing. Rahul Gandhi is into the jibe game like Kejriwal. He is making things light. He is pursuing a negative politics.
Different as they may be, Rahul and Kejriwal face a common question what is their agenda and model of governance?
The Congress is ruling just two big states today Punjab and Karnataka. Poll-bound Karnataka registered the sharpest jump in farmer suicides from 321 in 2014 to more than 1,300 in 2015, the third-highest among all states. Capital Bengaluru could go thirsty any day. The infrastructure in the state is bad and power cuts of 8-9 hours are normal. In Punjab, Captain Amarinder Singh is yet to give shape to his nine-point remedy to problems of drug addiction and unemployment.
These are the same issues Kejriwal faced. While putting out attacking tweets against Modi did position him as a potential challenger, that alone was not sufficient to win in Punjab and Goa.
After Punjab elections, Kejriwal realised that he was not unpopular by himself. He invited social media abuse from the middle class when he directly criticised Narendra Modi in terse terms, an AAP leader close to Kejriwal said.
Kejriwal since seems to have mellowed down. A study of his tweets by news agency IANS shows the former IRS officer has used Modi in his tweets in 11 months. In 2016, he had mentioned Modi 124 times and 33 times in 2017.
While he has kept up his Twitter attack on Modi, Rahul is yet to spell out his model of governance. All regional leaders have some sort of a model Nitish Kumar talks about a collegial model, Mayawati displays a bureaucratic model parallel to Modi, Akhilesh Yadav showed a watered-down family model, while Sharad Pawar is an old school-agrarian engine in financial packaging.
In comparison with the regional satraps, Rahul faces the dilemma of shedding multiple images associated with him. He maybe positioning himself well for 2019, but faces an uphill task. The Congress is currently at 44 seats (in Lok Sabha) and has to win over 200 seats in 2019 to come to power. Even if we lose 100 seats, we will still be forming the government in 2019, said a BJP leader.
Bengaluru: Congress president Rahul Gandhi seems to have discovered the power of Vachanas after Prime Minister Narendra Modi discovered its author Basavanna to take on Nehru in Parliament two weeks ago.
Gandhi, who travelled across the Lingayat-dominated Mumbai-Karnataka region for the past three days, extensively quoted the Vachanas of Basavanna, the 12th century social reformer and the founder of Lingayat religion or sect.
Buoyed by the good public response he is getting across the region, the Congress chief did not forget to use Basavannas Vachanas (preachings) to counter Modi in all his public meetings.
On Saturday, his first day in the region, Gandhi quoted Basavannas most famous Vachana Ivanaarava Ivanaarava Endenisadirayya, Iva Nammava Iva Nammava Endenisirayya (Dont ask who is he. Say he is one among us, he is one among us) to take on what the Congress calls Modis divisive politics.
But Rahul Gandhis rendition of the Vachana in anglicised Kannada set the internet on fire, with BJP poking fun at him. Since this particular Vachana is a tongue twister for him, the next day Gandhi decided to quote less complicated Vachanas.
On Sunday and Monday, he used Nudidanthe Nade (walk the talk) to hit back at Modi. In the last two days, he used Nudidanthe Nade and Kaayakave Kailasa (work is worship) more than three dozen times in his public meetings in Bijapura, Bagalkote, Belgaum and Dharwad districts. He accused Modi of going back on his 2014 election promises and demanded that he walk the talk as preached by Basavanna.
Carefully quoting lines from Basavannas Vachanas is serving two main purposes for the ruling Congress in this election. Mumbai-Karnataka is a Lingayat dominated region and considered a BJP stronghold. By using Basavannas name, Rahul Gandhi is trying to endear himself to the powerful caste, which is mostly with the BJP. Secondly, he is turning the tables on Modi by using the Vachanas to attack him.
Two weeks ago, thanking President Ram Nath Kovind for his address to Parliament, PM Modi had invoked Basavanna to counter Congress claim of Nehru being the father of democracy in India.
Modi had said that Anubhava Mantapa founded by Basavanna was Indias first experiment with democracy and Nehru was not the father of Indian democracy. After that, almost all top leaders of the Congress in Karnataka have been using Basavannas name and Vachanas to hit back at the BJP and Modi.
Vachana, which means speech, is a form of rhythmic writing in simple Kannada that dates back to the 11th century. Anubhava Mantapa was a forum founded by Basavanna to debate and discuss socio-political issues of his time. It was the most secular forum which gave equal rights to Dalits and women 800 years ago.
The MumbaiKarnataka region, formerly a Kannada speaking part of Bombay presidency under the British rule, has seven Lok Sabha seats and 56 Assembly seats.
Even though the Congress did quite well in the 2013 Assembly elections, the BJP swept the region in 2014 Lok Sabha polls by winning six seats and the Congress managed to win just one seat.
The BJP claims that in 2013 the region voted against them mainly because the Lingayat face, BS Yeddyurappa, had fielded his own candidates under the Karnataka Janatha Party (KJP) banner. This time they are hopeful of winning the region back under his leadership.
Speaking to News18, Yeddyurappa said, We welcome Rahul Gandhi quoting Vachanas. Instead of telling us to follow Basavannas Vachanas, he should tell his own party men in Karnataka to follow Basavanna. Because the Congress leaders and their children are into goondagiri. They need to be educated about Basavanna more than us.
The Congress has countered him, saying the party has taken swift and strict action against MLA NA Haris son Mohammad Nalapad for an alleged attack on a youth, and that Yeddyurappa should rein in criminals in his own party.
The Congress believes that MumbaiKarnataka is supporting a separate religion tag for the Lingayats and it wont be easy for the saffron party to win the region back. Water Resources Minister MB Patil, who is spearheading the movement, is from Bijapura district in the same region and he appears to have emerged as the new face of Lingayats in the state.
The Congress, which had no big face from the politically and economically strongest community, is using him to take on Yeddyurappa.
Like his previous HyderabadKarnataka region tour, Rahul Gandhi visited several Hindu temples even in the MumbaiKarnataka region.
Taking on Apple and Google, Microsoft and Chinese electronics major Xiaomi have signed Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to develop Artificial Intelligence (AI)-powered budget speakers and smartphones. The companies would work closely in Cloud computing, AI and hardware. Since they have chosen to sign a memorandum, their partnership is not legally binding and it is unclear if any financials are involved, the Verge reported late on Friday.
Microsoft is planning to allow Xiaomi to use its Cloud computing products, including Azure, to develop upgraded phones, laptops and smart devices. At the same time, the partnership will also give Microsoft more reach and access to the Chinese market. According to the Chinese player, it stands to benefit from "Microsoft's globally leading technologies in Cloud computing and AI."
Xiaomi might also integrate Microsoft Cortana with the Mi AI speaker -- a budget speaker with a modern look. So far, Microsoft has only developed one Cortana smart speaker "Harman Kardon Invoke" that has struggled to compete with other popular digital assistant speakers from Amazon, Google and Apple. Microsoft and Xiaomi are also in talks about projects that will use several Microsoft AI technology, including conversational AI and speech and services like Bing, Edge and Skype, the report said.
Microsoft and Xiaomi have ties that date back to 2015, when they signed a deal to test Windows 10 on Xiaomi devices. Last year, Xiaomi was the world's fifth most popular smartphone company, shipping 92.4 million phones, trailing the likes of Apple, Samsung and Huawei, according to numbers released by market research firm International Data Corporation (IDC).
Watch: Tech and Auto Show Ep 31 | Auto Expo 2018 Special | Unveilings & Launches
Samsung Electronics Co. has announced that it will cooperate with Qualcomm Technologies to produce 7-nanometre chips for fifth-generation (5G) network service amid rising demand for semiconductors. The two companies will expand their decade-long cooperation into Extreme Ultra Violet (EUV) lithography process technology, including the manufacture of future Qualcomm Snapdragon 5G mobile chipsets using Samsung's 7-nanometre Low Power Plus (LPP) EUV process technology, said the South Korean tech giant.
Samsung and Qualcomm have been maintaining close ties with foundry business in the production of 10 nm and 14 nm technologies, Yonhap News Agency reported. "We are pleased to continue to expand our foundry relationship with Qualcomm Technologies in 5G technologies using our EUV process technology," Charlie Bae, Executive Vice President of the Foundry Sales and Marketing Team at Samsung Electronics, said in a statement.
He added that the collaboration is an "important milestone" for the firm's foundry business. Foundry business refers to making chip designs for other companies that do not have a semiconductor fabrication plant. Using the 7LPP EUV process technology, Snapdragon 5G mobile chipsets will offer a smaller chip footprint, giving more usable space inside upcoming products to support larger batteries or slimmer designs, it said.
Samsung introduced 7LPP EUV, it's first semiconductor process technology to use an EUV lithography solution, in May 2017.
Watch: Tech and Auto Show Ep 31 | Auto Expo 2018 Special | Unveilings & Launches
Sydney: A conservative rural politician who once expressed strong anti-gay views was Monday chosen to replace scandal-plagued Barnaby Joyce as Australia's deputy prime minister after he resigned over an affair with his now-pregnant aide.
Michael McCormack, 53, was chosen by the Nationals the junior partner in the governing Liberal-National coalition to take over as leader and deputy PM in a party-room vote.
"We are the party for small business and farmers and we want to make sure that continues and that can only continue with a close relationship with the Liberals," McCormack told reporters in Canberra after winning the vote.
"Look forward to having a good discussion with (Prime Minister and Liberals leader) Malcolm Turnbull in a few moments," he added.
McCormack, who had been serving as veterans' affairs minister, was widely expected to win the leadership role after other Nationals MPs withdrew from the race.
Maverick Queensland MP George Christensen launched a late bid for the leadership, but was defeated. The vote count was not released.
McCormack is not as well-known as Joyce, who made international headlines for threatening to euthanise Hollywood star Johnny Depp's dogs over a quarantine violation.
But he is seen as a safe pair of hands as the Liberal and National parties seek to repair their relationship after the Joyce scandal.
Tensions between the two parties rose after 50-year-old Joyce's affair with ex-staffer Vikki Campion, 33, was splashed across the frontpage of Sydney's Daily Telegraph in early February.
Revelations about the affair and allegations that Joyce breached ministerial rules made daily headlines, prompting Turnbull to harshly criticise his deputy's behaviour and impose a formal ban on sex between ministers and their staff.
Joyce in turn slammed Turnbull's comments as "inept" and initially refused to step down, before resigning Friday after a separate sexual harassment complaint was lodged against him. He denied the allegation.
Turnbull welcomed McCormack's appointment, saying he expected the more than 70-year coalition between the two parties would continue under his leadership.
McCormack was first elected to the lower House of Representatives in 2010 representing Riverina, a rural region in southwest New South Wales state.
More than two decades ago as a local newspaper editor he wrote a column in which he described homosexuality as "sordid behaviour".
In August, as he oversaw a voluntary nationwide postal vote on same-sex marriage as the minister in charge of the government agency running the poll, he "apologised wholeheartedly for the comments at the time".
McCormack later voted in parliament in support of amending the Marriage Act to legalise gay unions.
Beijing: China's Communist Party has handed President Xi Jinping an open path to indefinite rule -- a move analysts warn carries enormous risks by abandoning a succession model that brought stability after turbulent decades under Mao.
Xi, who has concentrated power, accumulated titles and purged potential rivals since becoming head of state in 2013, could remain president for life after the party proposed abolishing a rule limiting the top leader to two five-year terms.
But giving all the levers of power to one man could further erode human rights, unsettle other nations and even set up traps for Xi's rule at home, analysts warn.
"The two-term limit was supposed to increase stability. By ruling beyond the standard 10-year tenure, Xi will be subject to much closer scrutiny by Chinese citizens and the political elite," said Simone van Nieuwenhuizen, Sydney-based co-author of "China and the New Maoists".
The announcement made abruptly on Sunday further chips away at the era of "collective" leadership that was championed by reform leader Deng Xiaoping to prevent the return of another Mao-like cult figure.
Xi's two predecessors, Jiang Zemin and Hu Jintao, both served two five-year terms, providing a smooth succession that accompanied China's rise to become the world's second-largest economy.
But Xi, 64, has adopted Mao's playbook, tightening his grip with a relentless crackdown on civil society and corruption, enshrining his name in the party constitution and building his own personality cult.
Remaining in power beyond 2023 gives Xi a chance to push through his vision of a rejuvenated China with global clout, a prosperous society, a revived Silk Road trade route and a powerful military.
China's rubber-stamp legislature is expected to give Xi his second term and remove the 10-year limit at its annual meeting opening on March 5.
"Term limits were a crucial part of the institutionalisation of the leadership transition, something that has plagued Communist parties leading to both tyrannical reigns and catastrophic party decline," said Jonathan Sullivan, director of the China Policy Institute at Nottingham University.
The rule enabled smooth transitions and preserved party unity, he said.
"The removal of term limits is a rejection of all this and it comes with real risks for stability in the long term."
- Great leap backwards? -
Xi provided a major hint that he intended to stay in power when no heir apparent was anointed at the five-yearly party congress in October.
The state-run Global Times tabloid said the Central Committee's proposed amendment to lift term limits would "improve" leadership.
"From the anti-corruption campaign to comprehensively advancing the rule of law to profound economic restructuring, the CPC Central Committee with Xi at the core has sturdily opened a new era for a hopeful China," the daily said in an editorial.
Sam Crane, a Chinese history expert at Williams College in the US, expressed scepticism about reforms. "I strongly doubt he will use his political power to force economic reform because that would require empowering non-party economic agents," Crane said. "His chief focus I suspect will be further repression of civil society, a continuation of his political orientation since 2012."
Susan Shirk, chairwoman of the 21st Century China Center at the University of California in San Diego, said there are "acute" risks. "One is the risk of making bad decisions while surrounded by sycophants," Shirk said. "One of the bad decisions is to control information and to control civil society to an extreme extent that the Chinese talent and the middle-class ultimately will find incompatible with their ambitions for their children."
- 'Elite rebellion' -
On Twitter, Hong Kong activist Joshua Wong, who has been fighting off jail terms over his role in pro-democracy protests, declared "the era of Emperor Xi". Some people on China's Twitter-like Weibo website said they were "witnessing history" but others were critical, with one commenter saying "now I really feel like I'm living in North Korea".
Censors quickly struck down unfavourable comments and blocked users from reposting an image of Winnie the Pooh hugging a giant jar of honey and the message "Find the thing you love and stick with it" -- Xi has been compared to the portly cartoon bear.
On the diplomatic front, Shirk said Xi could get bad advice at a time when China is asserting its territorial claims in the South China Sea and East China Sea, which several Asian nations contest. "It's a risk because of China's international overreaching, more aggressive actions in the South China Sea or handling crises in a way that's immoderate," she said.
Xi's concentration of power could also face opposition within the party, which has seen a relentless crackdown on corruption that has punished more than a million officials.
"The other risk is some form of elite rebellion because it puts all the other politicians at great risk. There's no real power-sharing," Shirk said.."
New Delhi: The Communist Party of China revealed on Sunday that its Central Committee, which comprises 200 elite members of the worlds largest political organisation, had proposed a change to its constitution.
The new proposal would scrap the limit of two consecutive terms for both the President and Vice President of China. This proposal will be put to vote in the upcoming National Peoples Congress which is Chinas version of a parliament and which meets for two weeks every year in March. Given the kind of unbridled power that Xi enjoys within the party, these proposals are expected to sail through.
Not since Mao Zedong has a Chinese President served more than two consecutive terms in office. Deng Xiaoping had introduced this clause in the 80s to ensure that power is not concentrated in one persons hands for too long.
Xi has already acquired unrestricted power by becoming not just General Secretary of the party, but also Chairman of the Central Military Commission. And now the Xi Jinping Thought will officially be part of the Chinese constitution.
So why should this matter to India or to other neighbours of China? Ever since Xi assumed office in 2012, China has shown increasingly aggressive behaviour towards its neighbours, especially those with whom it has a territorial dispute; cases in point being Philippines, Vietnam, Japan and, of course, India.
Xi not only launched an aggressive anti-corruption campaign at home, but also clubbed it with a muscular, expansionist policy in Chinas neighbourhood. China has not only aggressively changed the status quo in the South and East China Seas, it is also now projecting itself as the defender of globalisation at a time when US President Donald Trump and Brexit are fanning insular flames in the western world.
Even with India, there was Depsang in 2013, Chumar in 2014 and the prolonged Doklam face off in 2017. By all indications, these provocations are only going to increase and perhaps be more intense in the years ahead.
What Xi is trying to do is build a new Chinese order. And that begins by establishing Chinas supremacy in its immediate neighbourhood. The One Belt, One Road plan is Xis equivalent of the Marshal Plan. Xi is convinced that United States rise after World War-II was on the back of virtually no challenge to American military power on either of its oceans. China is hoping to establish a similar military superiority in the waters of South and East China Seas, and now increasingly in the Indian Ocean.
Its worth reiterating that there will be more Doklams. If not in the same spot which flared up last year, it could be in other vexed spots along the 3,500-km long disputed Line of Actual Control. For India, the response must not only be militarily strong (as was shown in Doklam) but also one that establishes that India is no pushover geopolitically and strategically.
It may also mean making some concessions. For example, becoming part of the Maritime Silk Road in exchange for Chinas support at the Nuclear Suppliers Group or on Masood Azhar at the United Nations Security Council.
As per the Chinese Lunar calendar, the Year of the Dog started last week. May it bring good tidings for the worlds two most populous countries.
London: Britain's Indian-origin "chicken king" is planning to sell off his Irish fish supplying business to consolidate his food empire following a hygiene scandal at one of his chicken plants in the UK last year.
The 2 Sisters Food Group, owned by Ranjit Singh Boparan, is believed to be working with corporate finance advisers from Clearwater International on a possible disposal of the business, The Sunday Times reported.
An undercover investigation last year had showed workers appearing to change the dates on food labels and picking up dead poultry from the floor and returning it to the production line at a plant in West Bromwich. The company has since put a series of safety measures in place at all its chicken production units.
Earlier this month, 2 Sisters said it would close three of its factories, threatening the future of nearly 900 jobs. Last month, Boparan sold the pizza brand Goodfella's to the owner of Birds Eye for 200 million pounds in cash.
The 51-year-old tycoon, based in the Midlands region of England, left school at 16 and turned 2 Sisters into Britain's largest poultry supplier through a series of acquisitions, including a 342-million-pounds takeover of quoted rival Northern Foods in 2011. He also acquired turkey business Bernard Matthews and restaurant chains FishWorks, Giraffe and Harry Ramsden's.
According to the newspaper, the deal spree left 2 Sisters with debts of 824 million pounds at the end of last year, 5.4 times its underlying earnings although the Goodfella's sale will reduce that total. The company has 250 million pounds of bonds that will need to be repaid next year.
In November last year, the credit ratings agency Moody's downgraded its debt rating deeper into junk territory on fears over meagre profit margins and huge debts. Boparan is also shouldering heavy pension payments after acquiring Northern Foods' final-salary pension scheme. The plan has about 17,000 members and had a 541 million pounds shortfall in March 2015, its most recent disclosures show.
2 Sisters has reportedly also held talks about merging its Fox's Biscuits brand with the Jammie Dodgers maker Burton's Foods, which is owned by a Canadian pension fund.
Johannesburg: South African special police unit Hawks have arrested an Indian-origin woman and her partner, both allegedly linked to ISIS, on charges of abducting a British couple. Fatima Patel and Safydeen Aslam Del Vecchio also face charges of robbery and theft after they went on a spending spree using the couples credit cards, building up a stash of jewellery, camping equipment and electronic devices which were found at a remote location where an ISIS flag was being flown.
The Hawks declined to provide any further information due to the sensitive nature of the case as the search continues for the couple whose vehicle was found abandoned more than 300 kms away from where they were last seen on February 9. But the weekly Sunday Times, quoting a charge sheet after their court appearance, reported that Patel and Del Vecchio also stand accused of contravening the Protection of Constitutional Democracy Against Terrorism and Related Activities Act by hoisting an ISIS flag at a modest homestead in a rural area.
Del Vecchio also faces another terrorism-related charge for allegedly participating in "extremist web forums that support ISIS and offering to supply phone numbers and sim cards that are not traceable."
Yousha Tayob, the lawyer representing Patel and Del Vecchio, confirmed that the pair had appeared in the court and were remanded in custody at Westville Prison in KwaZulu-Natal province.
The incident had prompted the British government to issue a travel advisory about possible terrorist attacks on foreign nationals in South Africa, but local Muslim organisations have dismissed this as an "overreaction".
Ebrahim Deen of the Afro-Middle East Centre told the weekly that South African Muslims posed no threat to travellers and that the incident was more related to crime than an ISIS attack.
"Muslims are largely integrated in (South African) society, are not disillusioned and they face little discrimination like in Europe and elsewhere," he said.
Martin Ewi of the Institute for Security Studies said South Africa was regarded as a "logistics base" for terror cells in transit, and is not traditionally a target for attacks, although the arrests of Patel and Del Vecchio confirmed the presence of an active terror cell in South Africa.
"We in the counter-terror fraternity suspected that they were working as members of an active cell, and the kidnapping will confirm the presence of an active IS cell," Ewi said.
THE family of three women in Bulawayos New Magwegwe suburb who were recently fatally shot by a soldier who later turned the gun on himself in a suicide attempt, is demanding $40 000 as compensation for the killings, lobola and pain caused to them.
Initially the family had demanded $12 000 for funeral expenses. Carlos Tinashe Chapeyema (23), who is based in Gweru and attached to the Zimbabwe National Army Infantry Battalion Brigade in Battlefields, Kwekwe, allegedly fired about 20 shots, killing his wife, her two siblings and injuring his 18-month- old daughter before shooting himself in an alleged suicide attempt following an infidelity row. The Chapeyemas managed to pay part of the money before burial.
A relative who spoke on condition of anonymity, said part of the initial demand was paid and families had agreed on a payment plan for the remaining balance.
The family of the deceased women demanded a total of $40 000, including the initial $12 000 that was demanded before burial. The demanded money covers lobola and compensation for the killings. The Chapeyemas have paid about $5 000 and nine beasts, which am not sure how they were valued, said the relative.
A payment plan of not less than $200 per month was agreed on. We are glad the families are in good books and all went well at the burial of the victims and negotiation meetings.
Chapeyema and his daughter Tlowi Chapeyema, whom he shot once on the leg, are still admitted to Mpilo Central Hospital. His wife, Ashley Phiri (21) and her siblings, Nkosivumile Ncube (16) and Rita Nkomo (23) died on the spot. The incident occurred in the early hours of February 1. Mpilo Central Hospital Clinical Director Dr Solwayo Ngwenya said the father and daughters conditions had greatly improved.
Chapeyema is stable now and had a speedy recovery although he is still undergoing specialist treatment for some serious injuries that he had incurred. His daughter is stable and fully recovered now. Doctors are contemplating on discharging her now, he said.
A relative to the deceased women, Ms Idah Mutasa, said to be taking care of Tlowi in hospital, declined to comment on the compensations. She said she has been confined to hospital since day one of the shooting incident and is not aware of what was agreed between the families. I have been in hospital since the day of the incident, hence, cant comment on any other details. The baby is doing fine now, she said.
Members of the bereaved family refused to comment. Chapeyema, who is facing murder and attempted murder charges, was on Friday further remanded in custody in absentia to March 2. He initially appeared before Bulawayo magistrate Mr Franklin Mkhwananzi during a court conducted at his bedside at Mpilo Central Hospital. Chapeyema allegedly went to his wifes house armed with an AK 47 assault rifle, which was loaded with a magazine of 20 rounds.
He was arrested at the scene and the weapon used in committing the alleged offences was also recovered. The couple lived in Mutare but the accused persons wife is alleged to have returned to her parents, accusing Chapeyema of physically abusing her. Chronicle
FORMER president Cde Robert Mugabe was not removed from office by the army but he was pressured to resign by Zanu-PF, a senior party official has said.
Addressing scores of supporters at Nemamwa in Masvingo West on Saturday, Masvingo Senator Cde Clemence Makwarimba said the former president had been surrounded by rogue elements in the form of members of the G40 cabal.
This, he said, prompted the army to launch Operation Restore Legacy but the party remained responsible in pushing Cde Mugabe out of power.
There are some who are lying that Cde Mugabe was removed from power by the army. It is the Zanu-PF Central Committee, which dismissed him as leader of the party, said Cde Makwarimba.
He said there was no way Cde Mugabe was going to withstand the pressure that the people of Zimbabwe had mounted on him, led by war veterans.
The war veterans called for a solidarity march and you saw that there was a sea of people in Harare in November last year. The people from all walks of life, even threatened to go to Cde Mugabes blue roof residence as his resignation took long.
After Zanu-PF Central Committee had dismissed him from the party, we then decided to move a step further and remove him as Head of State. We then teamed up as parliamentarians from MDC-T and Zanu-PF to do the process of impeaching him, he said.
The former President, then wrote a letter to the Speaker of Parliament Advocate Jacob Mudenda announcing his resignation and Parliament could not progress with the process of impeachment.
Cde Makwarimba said a majority of legislators wanted Cde Mugabe to leave office as soon as possible and they had unanimously agreed. He said the problem with Cde Mugabe was that he had allowed his powers to be usurped by his wife, Grace, who was also dismissed from the party.
Speaking at the same event Zanu-PF provincial chairman Cde Ezra Chadzamira called on women in the party not to behave like the former First Lady.
Cde Mugabe did a lot for us until he was surrounded by criminals in the form of G40 cabal members. His wife proved to be a destructive woman and I do not expect Zanu-PF women here to be like her. She wanted to impose herself as Vice President of this country then President later and you saw how our President Emmerson Mnangagwa was humiliated and subsequently fired from his post as Vice President, said Cde Chadzamira.
He called for members to vote resoundingly for President Mnangagwa in the harmonised elections expected sometime in July this year. Herald
ZANU-PF Womens League has pledged to regain the respect of the electorate that was lost during the past years due to mistakes made by former president Robert Mugabe.
Speaking at a meeting held in Mutare last Thursday, secretary for administration Cde Monica Mutsvangwa said there was need to be humble and respectful to win over new members.
In the past, support for Zanu-PF had gone down, especially in rural areas. But under the new dispensation, we need to show people that this is a party that respects people, she said.
We might love our party regalia, but there are times when you need to remove it to get into church and pray with the people. There are times when you see that if you chant slogans, people will not be happy. So just be humble and people will see how wonderful your party is.
She said President Emmerson Mnangagwa had been preaching a message of love and peace across the political divide and as such, the Womens League was keen to engage the church for spiritual guidance.
The spiritual element is required if we are to walk together because whoever you pray for does not forget you. Every one of you is a leader, you need to show people your best personality for them to respect you and your party, said Cde Mutsvangwa.
She said investors preferred to put their money where there was peace, which was all the more reason for women in the province to sow love everywhere.
The President has on numerous occasions declared that Zimbabwe is open for business and promised to implement key reforms that will ensure that the operating environment is conducive for investment.
We need investors and when they come, they should see that Zimbabwe is peaceful, it has people who work together despite their differences, said Cde Mutsvangwa.
The Womens League has already embarked on an initiative to recruit new members in the province. To date, the Manicaland Womens League has held voter education meetings in Makoni, Mutasa, Zimunya and Marange.
Manicaland Womens League chairperson Cde Happiness Nyakuedzwa said the meetings would continue in all districts.
We are mobilising women to vote. We have been explaining the new dispensation to people in the remote areas. We are now reaching out to them in their constituencies. We will have four meetings in each constituency, as we continue with mobilisation at village level, she said.
One of Only 11 Early Copies
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(Newser) The inside story of one of the US' most famous prison breaks is told in a new book from New York Daily News reporter Chelsia Rose Marcius, who spent more than 100 hours interviewing surviving inmate David Sweat, who was shot and captured three weeks after escaping from New York's Clinton Correctional Facility. In an excerpt from Wild Escape published in the Daily News, Marcius recounts how Sweat's escape partner, Richard Matt, noticed prison seamstress Joyce Mitchell seemed to have feelings for Sweat. He saw her crying what Marcius describes as "uncontrollable tears" after Sweat was removed from working in her tailor shop, and asked her what she would do if Sweat ever kissed her. She said she probably wouldn't report Sweat if that happened, and Matt decided the men should use her in their escape plot.
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"She's f---ing nuts," Matt reportedly told Sweat. "She'll bring us whatever we want." And thus Mitchell was roped into the plan, smuggling in items including hacksaw blades, a chisel, drill bits, and a steel punchby hiding them in two pounds of raw hamburger meat she brought in to work. As Marcius explains, prison employees often brought in food and it was not subject to search, so even a tub of raw meat did not raise suspicions. Marcius' book also delves a bit into Mitchell's motivationsshe was looking for an escape from her monotonous life, and Sweat, who was the most talented employee she'd ever worked with, "stirred something in her she had long suppressed"and Sweat's relationship with Matt, who was ultimately killed by authorities. The two bonded, among other things, over art, with Matt inspiring Sweat to take up painting. Click for the full excerpt, which begins on the morning of the escape. (Read more David Sweat stories.)
(Newser) A well-prepared California hiker missing for six days in the backcountry of Yosemite National Park has been found. The National Park Service tells KTVU that Alan Chow of Oakland was found hydrated and in good health. A ranger in a helicopter spotted him Friday after an extensive search. Chow planned an overnight backpacking trip alone and was last seen Feb. 17, the AP reports. He wasn't officially noticed to be missing until three days later. Yosemite park ranger Scott Gediman says Chow got lost, then set up his tent and stayed put until he was found. Officials say that was the right thing to do.
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Gediman says Chow had food, warm clothing in preparation for the cold temperatures, and used melted snow for drinking water. "The lesson here is for everybody, is that if you're out in the back country and you fall, you hurt yourself, you get lost, just stay put and don't try to walk around and get even more lost," Gediman says. He says the 36-year-old Chow has been reunited with his family and did not require hospitalization. (In December, a lost 92-year-old hunter in Virginia was rescued after a drone joined the search.)
(Newser) Scores of Republican lawmakers in Florida are calling for a suspension of the sheriff who oversaw the response to the Parkland school shooter. Florida House Speaker Richard Corcoran and 73 other Republicans, most of the caucus, have signed a letter accusing Broward County Sheriff Scott Israel, a Democrat, of "incompetence and neglect of duty" in the months before the shooting, when police received multiple warnings about alleged gunman Nikolas Cruz, the Washington Post reports. "Sheriff Israel failed to maintain a culture of alertness, vigilance, and thoroughness amongst his deputies," the letter states. "As a result of Sheriff Israels failures, students and teachers died."
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Florida Gov. Rick Scott says he has called for the Florida Department of Law Enforcement to investigate the response for the shooting but will not be suspending Israel at this time, the Sun Sentinel reports. Scott says he has spoken to Corcoran and "like me, he wants the families to have answers and for there to be full accountability." In a CNN interview Sunday, Israel said he had provided "amazing leadership" and it wasn't his fault that deputy Scot Peterson had failed to enter Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School during the shooting. Politico reports that the sheriff's office's active shooter protocol does not require a deputy to engage the shooter. A sheriff's office spokeswoman declined to explain why. (Read more Parkland school shooting stories.)
(Newser) The Supreme Court heard arguments Monday in one of the biggest cases of the term, one that could prove devastating to public-sector unions. The issue revolves around an employee for the state of Illinois who objects to having $45 a month taken out of his paycheck to support the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees, explains SCOTUSblog. Mark Janus doesn't belong to the union and doesn't think it's fair he has to pay those dues. If his argument prevails, it could wipe out a vital source of funding tor public unions. Details and developments:
The key vote: In this case, all eyes are on Neil Gorsuch, not Anthony Kennedy. Why? This same issue came before the court two years ago and seemed certain to end in a 5-4 defeat for the unionsuntil Antonin Scalia died, resulting in a 4-4 deadlock instead. Gorsuch is the only newcomer since that 4-4 result. A problem for readers of tea leaves: On Monday, he asked no questions during arguments, reports the AP.
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The current law: Back in 1977, the court ruled in Abood v. Detroit Board of Education that non-union workers can be required to pay such dues because, even though they aren't union members, they still benefit from collective bargaining and such, explains NPR. However, their money can't be used toward the union's political activities. Monday's case could overturn the 1977 decision.
Back in 1977, the court ruled in Abood v. Detroit Board of Education that non-union workers can be required to pay such dues because, even though they aren't union members, they still benefit from collective bargaining and such, explains NPR. However, their money can't be used toward the union's political activities. Monday's case could overturn the 1977 decision. One prediction: Barring a "shocking pro-union" stance from Gorsuch, the court will likely rule for Janus and ring in "a new, weaker era for the unions that represent teachers and other public-sector employees," writes Sam Baker at Axios.
Barring a "shocking pro-union" stance from Gorsuch, the court will likely rule for Janus and ring in "a new, weaker era for the unions that represent teachers and other public-sector employees," writes Sam Baker at Axios. Two justices: Conservatives hoping to deal a setback to unions seemingly have nothing to fear from Kennedy. On Monday, he was downright "strident" in his criticism, per Politico. "What we're talking about here is a captive audience [being] compelled to subsidize a private party to express its view publicly," he said. Sonia Sotomayor, on the other hand, complained at one point, "You're basically arguing to do away with unions."
Conservatives hoping to deal a setback to unions seemingly have nothing to fear from Kennedy. On Monday, he was downright "strident" in his criticism, per Politico. "What we're talking about here is a captive audience [being] compelled to subsidize a private party to express its view publicly," he said. Sonia Sotomayor, on the other hand, complained at one point, "You're basically arguing to do away with unions." Two views: Dueling opinion pieces at the Nation (a ruling against the unions "would turn First Amendment law on its head") and from the Wall Street Journal editorial board ("Correcting Aboods 40-year-old mistake is long overdue") make their cases.
Dueling opinion pieces at the Nation (a ruling against the unions "would turn First Amendment law on its head") and from the Wall Street Journal editorial board ("Correcting Aboods 40-year-old mistake is long overdue") make their cases. The backers: Janus is backed in his fight by deep pockets on the right, including the Koch Brothers and the Bradley Foundation, reports the Guardian. In fact, the case "illustrates the cohesiveness with which conservative philanthropists have taken on the unions in recent decades," per the New York Times.
Janus is backed in his fight by deep pockets on the right, including the Koch Brothers and the Bradley Foundation, reports the Guardian. In fact, the case "illustrates the cohesiveness with which conservative philanthropists have taken on the unions in recent decades," per the New York Times. Also at stake: A ruling for Janus would hurt unions financially and politically. But the Washington Post sees an "under the radar" effect, as well. The case "could affect an important state government obligation: paying post-employment benefits other than pensionsprimarily health-care coverageto retired public workers." That is, with weaker unions, states might be able to cut benefits or ask workers to pay more to their health plans.
(Read more US Supreme Court stories.)
(Newser) When the execution of Doyle Lee Hamm was called off last week, the Alabama Department of Corrections said it was because it didn't have time to prepare the inmate before a midnight death warrant expired. "I wouldn't necessarily characterize what we had tonight as a problem," claimed prison commissioner Jeff Dunn early Friday, saying it had only been a "time issue." A lawyer for the 61-year-old inmate, however, says the state is actually talking about a "gory, botched execution" that made a bloody mess of the death chamber and the inmate himself, Reuters reports. "They gave up when they could not find a vein," says Columbia Law School professor Bernard Harcourt. He says two sets of medical personnel worked on Hamm at the same time, trying to find a usable vein in his legs or groin.
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The lawyer says an IV team almost certainly hit Hamm's bladder, and probably "hit his femoral artery as well, because suddenly there was a lot of blood gushing out," NBC News reports. "There were multiple puncture wounds on the ankles, calf, and right groin area, around a dozen." In recent court filings, Harcourt argued that terminal cancer, hepatitis, and prior drug use would make it difficult and painful to execute Hamm, who was sentenced to die for killing a motel clerk during a 1987 robbery, the AP reports. He says he warned that it would be "tortuous and bloody and they wouldn't succeed." The incident is being reviewed by a federal court and a judge has ordered the state to preserve evidence, including Hamm's bloodied clothes. Alabama hasn't said whether it will seek a new execution date. (Read more execution stories.)
(Newser) A day after she was escorted out of the Conservative Political Action Conference for her own safety after taking conservatives to task for supporting politicians accused of sexual misconduct, including Roy Moore and President Trump, Mona Charen doubled down in an op-ed for the New York Times. "I'm glad I got booed at CPAC," the conservative columnist wrote Sunday, noting she was initially wary at accepting the invite to speak at a conference that has, like the GOP, "become heavily Trumpified." She noted how it's felt like a "Twilight Zone episode" for old-time conservatives since Trump emerged, and that many have "succumbed with numbing regularity" to the new order. But Charen, who was asked to sit on a #MeToo panel addressing sexual misconduct, isn't willing to let "bad actors take control"and so even though she anticipated her audience would be "hostile," she accepted the invite.
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The moment Charen said she'd been "dreading for days" came when she was asked about "feminist hypocrisy" by the panel's moderator. She answered by saying that conservatives' credibility on sexual ethics is rightly challenged when they don't stand up against people like Trump and Moore, and the boos started flying almost immediatelybut, despite her initial fears, Charen actually found it "freeing." "It must be done, again and again, by those of us who refuse to be absorbed into this brainless, sinister, clownish thing called Trumpism, by those of us who refuse to overlook the fools, frauds, and fascists attempting to glide along in his slipstream into respectability," she writes. Amid the boos, Charen reveals one woman said to her as she was ushered out: "That was so brave!" "She was one of my fellow panelists," Charen writes. "I hope she's encouraged. I am." Her op-ed is here. (Read more CPAC stories.)
(Newser) The public library in Winchester, Mass., is closed until at least Tuesday, per a Facebook post, for a reason both unexpected and horrifying: On Saturday morning, a woman was fatally stabbed with a hunting knife there in what authorities are calling an unprovoked attack. Boston.com quotes Middlesex District Attorney Marian Ryan as saying Deane Kenny Stryker, 22, was in a reading room adjacent to the lobby "apparently studying or doing work" when she was attacked from behind. Jeffrey Yao allegedly slashed her head and upper torso some 20 times with a 10-inch blade, and also attacked a 77-year-old man who tried to help Stryker; that man's injuries were not life-threatening. Patrons restrained the 23-year-old Yao until police arrived. More on the crime:
The court appearance: Yao was arraigned Monday in Woburn District Court on one count of armed assault with intent to murder and one count of murder, reports NECN. A not guilty plea was entered, and he was held without bail. His next court date is April 11.
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The victim: Stryker was a first-year student at the University of New England's College of Osteopathic Medicine, reports the Boston Globe. The university's president says she "was just beginning her journey toward becoming a physician, and showed great promise. ... She was an advocate for domestic violence and mental health awareness. ... [She] was part of a student organization that provides confidential peer support to other students who need a place to turn when they are struggling."
Stryker was a first-year student at the University of New England's College of Osteopathic Medicine, reports the Boston Globe. The university's president says she "was just beginning her journey toward becoming a physician, and showed great promise. ... She was an advocate for domestic violence and mental health awareness. ... [She] was part of a student organization that provides confidential peer support to other students who need a place to turn when they are struggling." "Severe mental illness": The Globe reports Yao is being represented by JW Carney Jr., who has been attached to high-profile cases like James "Whitey" Bulger and Brookline clinic shooter John C. Salvi III. In comments to the Globe, Carney called the attack "completely random" and "unquestionably related to [Yao's] severe mental illness," though he didn't provide specifics. Though Yao and Stryker attended Winchester High School around the same general time, they did not know each other, Carney said.
The Globe reports Yao is being represented by JW Carney Jr., who has been attached to high-profile cases like James "Whitey" Bulger and Brookline clinic shooter John C. Salvi III. In comments to the Globe, Carney called the attack "completely random" and "unquestionably related to [Yao's] severe mental illness," though he didn't provide specifics. Though Yao and Stryker attended Winchester High School around the same general time, they did not know each other, Carney said. Missed warnings? "We warned them. We warned them. I can't believe this. This whole thing could have been avoided, all of it." So says one of Yao's neighbors to the Boston Herald. The unnamed man says Yao tried to smash his family's door in at 3am one night in late 2017. The neighbor says he not only alerted police but told them point-blank, "He will kill someone."
"We warned them. We warned them. I can't believe this. This whole thing could have been avoided, all of it." So says one of Yao's neighbors to the Boston Herald. The unnamed man says Yao tried to smash his family's door in at 3am one night in late 2017. The neighbor says he not only alerted police but told them point-blank, "He will kill someone." Another neighbor's fear: He wasn't the only neighbor who was scared of Yao, who had allegedly been slashing tires and doing other damage in the neighborhood; one woman says residents had started keeping bats near their beds for protection. She says police told her they were tracking Yao at night.
(Read more murder stories.)
(Newser) A climber who abandoned a Polish team following a dispute with fellow mountaineers to attempt a solo ascent of K2, the world's second-highest peak, returned to base camp on Monday because of bad weather, reports the AP. The news dispelled concerns expressed by the other climbers after Denis Urubko walked away from the team on Sunday to attempt a summit on his ownsomething that Pakistani climber Mirza Ali Baig tells the BBC is "completely suicidal." Urubko, a Russian-Polish national, had reportedly argued with team members. He left base camp on Sunday without informing the expedition management, and an expedition spokesman later tweeted they had no radio communication with him. Asghar Ali Porik, chief of Jasmine Tours, which organized logistics for the Polish K2 expedition, said Urubko returned to base camp 2, located at an altitude of 21,982 feet.
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"He is known as the 'Himalayan expert' among the mountaineering community ... but his decision is not correct and does not suit someone of his stature," mountaineering pal Karim Shah says. Urubko was part of last month's mission, along with Adam Bielecki, that rescued French mountain climber Elisabeth Revol from Nanga Parbat, another Himalayan peak in Pakistan. Her climbing partner was injured and is presumed to have died during that summit. Ashraf Aman, the first Pakistani who climbed K2 in 1977, spoke highly of Urubko's skills and rescue of Revol. "He is the star of this era of mountaineering ... he has done the Broad Peak (another Himalayan summit) as a solo climber in 36 hours and just recently rescued (Revol) by climbing without a rope in the night," Aman said. Per Porik, Urubko will wait at base camp for the weather to improve and ascend the summit with the other team members.
(Read more mountain climber stories.)
(Newser) Last-ditch efforts to save The Weinstein Company have failed and bankruptcy is now the only viable option, the company's board of directors says. The studiofounded by disgraced producer Harvey Weinstein and his brother Bob in 2005says that while "this is an extremely unfortunate outcome for our employees, our creditors, and any victims," it has no choice after the collapse of efforts to sell its assets to an investor group, the Los Angeles Times reports. Talks to sell TWC to a group led by former Obama administration member Maria Contreras-Sweet came to a halt earlier this month after New York's attorney general filed a lawsuit against the company and the Weinstein brothers.
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The lawsuit accused the company of ignoring evidence of Harvey Weinstein's sexual misconduct and other mistreatment of employees. In a strongly worded letter, the board slammed investors Contreras-Sweet and Ron Burkle, whose plan involved buying 51% of the company, introducing a majority-female board of directors, and creating a $40 million fund to compensate the scores of women who say they were sexually assaulted or harassed by Harvey Weinstein. After they presented a plan with "no viable option for a sale" following the lawsuit, "we must conclude that your plan to buy this company was illusory and would only leave this company hobbling toward its demise to the detriment of all constituents," the board wrote, per the Hollywood Reporter. (Read more The Weinstein Company stories.)
(Newser) China's Xi Jinping was set to step down in 2023, his presidency curtailed by a two-term limit. Now, with the news that China's ruling Communist Party has proposed scrapping the clause that president and vice president "shall serve no more than two consecutive terms" from the constitution, a path may be opening that would allow Xi to rule for life. Five takes on the news:
Bloomberg, Brendan Scott: "The move shows the speed with which Xi has consolidated power over a fifth of humanity, sidelining rivals and silencing dissent. And it provides short-term stability to investors who have come to view Xi as a steadyif heavyhand as China manages slowing growth, increasing middle-class demands and expanding global clout."
New York Times, Chris Buckley and Keith Bradsher: "The timing of the announcement startled even experienced observers of Chinese politics: Mr. Xi completes his first term as president next month and could have waited until late in his second term to act. He also could have stepped down after his second term and run the country from behind the scenes, as some of his predecessors have."
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Blog of China expert Jerome Cohen: "Term limits for the leadership are not usually found in dictatorships. The ... proposed abolition of Chinas presidential term limit means that it has forgotten one of the main lessons of Maos long despotism. The two-term limit ... reflected a widespread desire to prevent the return of one-man dictatorship. Its abolition signals the likelihood of another long period of severe repression. ... Xi decided to strike while the iron is hot rather than wait for later in his new term when increasing problems might have made the change more difficult."
Guardian: "Bill Bishop, the publisher of the Sinocism newsletter on Chinese politics, said the move confirmed Xi's mutation into a species of 'Putin-plus'only Xi was 'much more effective, much more powerful and, frankly, much more ambitious' than his Russian counterpart."
Washington Post, Simon Denyer: In an otherwise critical piece, Denyer sees "a potential upside to all of this. Xi has already used his power to implement a far-reaching crackdown on corruption, even if it has also been used to instill obedience and eliminate rivals. He is equally determined to improve the way the party governs China, eliminate poverty and even improve the country's poisoned environment."
(Read more Xi Jinping stories.)
(Newser) Some good news for "Dreamers," though it could prove temporary: The Supreme Court has rejected the Trump administration's highly unusual bid to get the justices to intervene in the controversy over protections for hundreds of thousands of young immigrants. The justices on Monday refused to take up the administration's appeal of a lower court order that requires the administration to continue accepting renewal applications for the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program. What made the appeal unusual is that the administration sought to bypass the federal appeals court in San Francisco and go directly to the Supreme Court, per the AP.
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Trump announced last year that he wanted the DACA program to expire on March 5 unless Congress came up with some kind of alternative, notes the Washington Post. Congress has not done so, but lower courts have essentially blocked Trump's order from taking effect. However, no appeals court has yet weighed in on the issue, and the White House wanted the Supreme Court to skip that step. The justices' decision means the matter probably won't reach the Supreme Court until the next term. (Read more DACA stories.)
(Newser) When a call alleging domestic violence came in Sunday night to the police department in Thousand Oaks, Calif., cops headed over to a private residence and made an arrestand the person arrested was Heather Locklear. TMZ reports a 911 call was apparently placed by Locklear's brother when he arrived at her home and allegedly found Locklear and her boyfriend fighting. Law enforcement officials tell TMZ that when they arrived, they spotted a mark on the boyfriend, and that when they tried to take Locklear into custody, the 56-year-old Melrose Place actress became "combative, flailing [and] kicking and [striking] three deputies."
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Locklear was charged with a felony count of domestic violence and three counts of battery on emergency personnel, which are misdemeanors. Both TMZ and Page Six note Locklear's previous battles with substance abuse, as well as her involvement in past domestic violence incidents. TMZ notes a 2011 incident between herself and former boyfriend Jack Wagner, in which they allegedly got physical with each other (neither pressed charges). A Thousand Oaks Police Department spokesman tells the Hollywood Reporter that Locklear is no longer in custody after being booked at the Ventura County Jail. (Read more Heather Locklear stories.)
(Newser) A Slovak investigative reporter and his girlfriend were shot dead in their home in an attack likely linked to his reporting on tax evasion, Slovakia's top police official said Monday. The bodies of 27-year-old Jan Kuciak and his partner were found on Sunday evening in their house in the town of Velka Maca, east of the capital, Bratislava, after police went to the house at the request of a worried family member. National police force president Tibor Gaspar said the slayings "likely have something to do with his investigative activities." He declined to elaborate. Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico said if that if that were the case, it would be "an unprecedented attack on freedom of the press and democracy in Slovakia" and announced his government was offering $1.23 million to anyone who helped the authorities find the people responsible, reports the AP.
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Gaspar said the reporter was shot in the chest and his girlfriend was shot in the head sometime between Thursday and Sunday. Kuciak was working for Aktuality.sk news website. His latest story reported on a businessman suspected of selling flats in an apartment complex to his own companies. The reporter questioned the business reason for doing that, and speculated that it could be a method of avoiding taxes. Last year, Kuciak alleged that the businessman, Marian Kocner, threatened him following publication of a previous story. The reporter said he filed a complaint with police and alleged they failed to act. Reporters Without Borders, a watchdog group based in Paris, noted that Kuciak was the second journalist killed in the European Union in five months. Daphne Caruana Galizia was killed in October by a bomb that destroyed her car.
(Read more journalists killed stories.)
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A man leaps from the top of an overturned vehicle at the scene of a multi-vehicle accident scene in the northbound lane of the Richardson Highway between North Pole and Fairbanks Monday morning, February 26, 2018.
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New Delhi:
Rajasthan's Gandhinaagar Railway station is all set to be operated by women staff from the ticket collector to the station superintendent, from the enquiry counter to the station master and even pointsman. This is countryas second railway station which will be managed by women, first being Matunga railway station in Mumbai.
Of 40, four will look after train operations, eight will do bookings, six will handle reservations, six will check tickets and make an announcement, 10 will look after RPF while remaining six will take up other small work.
The staff will work in three shifts of eight hours. Neelam Jatav will be Gandhi Nagar's first woman station superintendent (SS).
This is a good step for Rajasthan. It would have been even better had this been started earlier. We are working in shifts. Booking & ticket cancellation continue even at night & being handled by women: Santosh Saini pic.twitter.com/ZRzFBolN7r a ANI (@ANI) February 25, 2018
A staff-member, Santosh Saini, lauded the step and said, aThis is a good step for Rajasthan. It would have been even better had this been started earlier. We are working in shifts. Booking & ticket cancellation continue even at night & being handled by women.a
In a tweet, Railway Minister Piyush Goyal said, aRailways is leading by an example to empower women and bring positive change in the society.a
Gandhi Nagar Railway Station in Jaipur, Rajasthan becomes India's first non-suburban station fully operated 24x7 by women staff, which includes station operations & Railway Protection Force. Railways is leading by an example to empower women & bring positive change in the society pic.twitter.com/8eKUegsMoP a Piyush Goyal (@PiyushGoyal) February 21, 2018
In another tweet, posted by the Ministry of Railways, it was informed that the station staffs Government Railway Police (GRP) and women traffic police officials too.
CCTV cameras and sanitary napkin vending machines have also been installed at the all-women railway station.
New Delhi:
Itas very hard to believe that Bollywoodas first female superstar Sridevi has left for her heavenly abode. The beautiful actress impressed millions of fans with her performances in Hindi, Telugu, Tamil and Malayalam cinema.
The diva breathed her last on Saturday in Dubai after suffering a cardiac arrest. A She was 54.
Fans are in a state of shock hearing the news of untimely demise and have expressed their grief on social media.
Sridevias strong screen presence, mesmerising dancing skills and flawless acting made her the empress of Bollywood in the 80s and 90s. The actressa last outing on the silver screen was Mom, where she played of the role a mother.
Pakistani actress Sajal Ali who played Sridevias on-screen daughter in the thriller posted a heart-breaking message for the ageless beauty. She shared a picture with the Sadma actress and captioned it as ,''Lost my mom againa'.
Lost my mom again... A post shared by Sajal Ali Firdous (@sajalaly) on Feb 24, 2018 at 11:51pm PST
Sajal who is a popular actress in Pakistan lost her mother during the shoot of Mom and it was reported that Sridevi comforted her.
"Sajal was very close to her mother, who she lost recently. It shattered the young girl. Sri took Sajal under her wings after that tragedy and treated her like her own. After the tragedy, Sajal called Sri from her hometown in Pakistan and broke down, saying the whole experience was too close to her to be treated just as a film", a source had told Deccan Chronicle.
Sajal had last year shared a video where Sridevi can be seen getting emotional and saying, aaSajal, I Love you bachaaa. The Zindagi Kitni Haseen Hay captioned the video as aa I love you Shrimaaaa.A
Various Pakistani actors mourned the sudden demise of the talented actress on social media.
So grateful to have grown up and lived in the times of #sridevi . Thank you for the movies, thank you for the magic. You shall live on forever.. pic.twitter.com/jS2YJU1zoq a Mahira Khan (@TheMahiraKhan) February 25, 2018
My condolences to @BoneyKapoor Ji and the Kapoor family. Deeply saddened to loose an icon like #Sridevi Ji. a Rahat Fateh Ali Khan (@RFAKWorld) February 24, 2018
Rest in peace #Sridevi ji. You have left us with great memories of joy and tears. a Ali Zafar (@AliZafarsays) February 25, 2018
Indeed, it is a great loss to the industry and we express her condolences to Sridevias family.
For all the Latest Entertainment News, Bollywood News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.
New Delhi:
The Central government on Monday decided to reimburse the payments made by the victims of cross-border firing living in bordering areas of Jammu and Kashmir.
The decision of reimbursement was made after a request by Ministry of Home Affairs, said Union Minister Jitendra Singh.
Singh further added that the fund paid as compensation by the Jammu and Kashmir government will be reimbursed to the state government by the Centre through Security Related Expenditure (SRE).
The Centre will also pay relief and compensation for housing damages, crop or livestock losses, relief for stay at camps and displacements at the rates equal to NDRF recommendation.
The new orders also directs the state government to submit details from time to time in order to seek timely reimbursement from the Centre.
The communique also advises the State Government that item-wise claims and compensations paid by the State Government to the victims of cross-border firing may be submitted along with details, from time to time, in order to seek timely reimbursement from the Centre.
Also read: BSF foils infiltration bid along IB in Jammu and Kashmir's Samba district
The incessant ceasefire violations by Pakistan have resulted in loss of human lives and mass scale displacement in Kashmir valley along the Line of Control (LoC) and International Border. According to government figures at least 20 people have been killed including 11 security personnel and nine civilians and over 75 others were injured in Pakistani shelling and firing along the LoC in the last 56 days.
For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.
New Delhi:
India has once again tried to bring a calming influence to soured relations with its neighbour Pakistan by inviting their Commerce Minister, Pervaiz Malik, to participate in the informal WTO ministerial meeting taking place in Delhi on March 19-20.
As per reports in Indian Express, Malik is said to have confirmed his attendance. The move has left many political pundits surprised as the timing of the invitation comes amid the heightened tension between Indian and Pakistan due to ceasefire violations along the International border and Line of Control.
The invitation to Malik comes in the wake of the late-December secret back-channel negotiations between the two national security advisors, Ajit Doval and Nasser Janjua, first reported in The Indian Express, and takes place after the global Financial Action Task Force (FATF) threatened to isolate Pakistan over the weekend if it didnt stop using terrorism as an instrument of state policy.
As the decision to participate in the SAARC summit, to be held in Pakistan, comes up again for consideration by the Centre India and several other South Asian nations had refused to go last year, ensuring a cancellation of the summit Delhi is planning a more nuanced Pakistan policy than it has been seen since the Pathankot attacks two years ago.
Diplomatic sources from India and Pakistan have confirmed that the two sides have decided to undertake an exchange of all their prisoners in their respective jails. They will soon begin this exercise by releasing the most vulnerable, that is, women and children and mentally disturbed prisoners, some of whom languish behind bars after long outliving their original sentence.
As many as 50 vulnerable prisoners are said to be living in pitiful conditions in Indian and Pakistani jails.
This most obvious of humane steps will now be carried out alongside targeted measures already being undertaken to control militancy inside Jammu & Kashmir as well on the Line of Control and the international border.
However, under pressure by the international community to reach out to the Pakistani government and its civil society, Delhi has withdrawn its objections to participating in multilateral meetings with Pakistan.
As reported by The Indian Express, Delhi even hosted a four-member team from the Pakistani security and intelligence establishment including its director-general in charge of counter-terrorism in the Pakistan foreign ministry from January 31 to February 2 in Delhi, along with similar delegations from other SCO participating nations.
The invitation to the Pakistani Commerce Minister should be seen in that light, diplomatic sources said. Sartaj Aziz, then foreign affairs advisor, was the last Pakistani leader to visit India in December 2016 for the Heart of Asia conference on Afghanistan in Amritsar.
Malik will, of course, meet his host, Commerce Minister Suresh Prabhu, but it isnt clear yet whether he will also be received by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj.
For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.
Shillong:
A constable of Railway Protection Force (RPF) shot dead his senior, an assistant commandant rank officer, and injured three other personnel at Mawkyrwat camp of the paramilitary force in the poll bound Meghalaya on Sunday, state police said on Monday.
The Meghalaya Police during investigation have learnt that the constable opened fire at the assistant commandant and three others after an altercation over sanctioning of leave.
The deceased assistant commandant has been identified as Mukesh C Tyagi and the accused constable as Arjun Deshwal.
Police said, Deshwal pumped in 13 rounds of bullet from his rifle into Tyagis body after altercation on leave.
Also read: BJP's Bhagalpur district SC, ST cell president murdered by miscreants
Three other RPF personnel identified as Constable Joginder Kumar, Sub-inspector Om Prakash Yadav and Inspector Pradeep Meena were rushed to North East Indira Gandhi Regional Institute of Health and Medical Science for medical attention.
We have arrested the accused constable, said Police.
Meghalaya goes to polls on Tuesday, with voting in 59 of 60 assembly constituencies.
For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.
New Delhi:
Former Cabinet secretary T S R Subramanian has passed away, officials said on Monday. He was 79.
Extremely shocked to hear the sad news of the demise of T S R Subramanian. He was the tallest amongst all and is a big loss for the IAS fraternity and the nation. Deepest condolences to all family members. We hope and pray that your ideas and thoughts will continue to guide us, the IAS association said in a tweet.
His cremation will take place at the Lodhi Road crematorium here at 5.30 pm, the association said.
Subramanian was the Cabinet secretary from August 1, 1996, to March 31, 1998.
The cause of death and other details were immediately not known.
Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, Minister of State (MoS) for Personnel Jitendra Singh and other senior IAS officers have condoled his death.
Former Cabinet Secretary T S R Subramanian is no more. Saddened by the news. He was affable, full of ideas and energetic. In many a debate on TV channels, shared thoughts with him. Condolences to his family and his fraternity, she said.
Also Read: Modi govt opens coal mining for private companies, Coal India to lose monopoly
The MoS said, "Saddened by news of the demise of former Cabinet Secretary T S R Subramanian. My condolences to the entire IAS fraternity and his family."
Secretary, Department of School Education and Literacy, Anil Swarup, said, Bichde sab bari bari (all left one by one)."
One of the most outstanding officer T S R Subramanian is no more. Rest in Peace. RIP, he said on Twitter.
For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.
New Delhi:
China's attempt to increase its economic and military might in the Indian Ocean came to light once again with East Asian nation's plan to establish a Joint Ocean Observation Station in the Maldives.
China's Joint Ocean Observation Station is seen by strategic experts as a major security challenge for the Indian government with the Maldivian opposition leaders claiming that the observatory will also have a military application with provision even for a submarine base.
The observatory location in Makunudhoo, the westernmost atoll in the north (not far from India), will allow the Chinese a vantage point of an important Indian Ocean shipping route through which many merchant and other ships pass, said political sources in Male. It will be uncomfortably close to Indian waters and test red lines with regard to ties with the Maldives.
Indian officials confirmed that an official agreement titled Protocol on Establishment of Joint Ocean Observation Station between China and the Maldives was finalized last year around the time the countries also controversially signed a Free Trade Agreement (FTA). They, however, said theyll have to check the specifics of the agreement before offering a comment.
For all the Latest World News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.
Washington:
A former top adviser to President Donald Trump's election campaign pleaded guilty to federal conspiracy and false-statements charges in the special counsel's Russia investigation.
The plea by Rick Gates revealed that he is planning to cooperate with special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation as it continues to probe the Trump campaign, Russian election interference and Gates' longtime business associate, Paul Manafort.
Gates, 45, of Richmond, Virginia, made the plea at the federal courthouse in Washington. He admitted to charges accusing him of conspiring against the U.S. government related to fraud and unregistered foreign lobbying as well as lying to federal authorities in a recent interview.
With his cooperation, Gates gives Mueller a witness willing to provide information on Manafort about his finances and political consulting work in Ukraine, and also someone who had access at the highest levels of the Trump campaign.
Gates' plea came a day after a federal grand jury in Virginia returned a 32-count indictment against him and Manafort, Trump's former campaign chairman, accusing them of tax evasion and bank fraud.
The indictment in Virginia was the second round of charges against Gates and against Manafort, who has denied any wrongdoing. The two men were initially charged last October with unregistered lobbying and conspiring to launder millions of dollars they earned while working on behalf of a pro-Russian Ukrainian political party.
Gates' decision marks the fifth publicly known guilty plea in the special counsel probe into possible collusion between the Trump campaign and the Kremlin during the 2016 campaign.
The plea also comes quickly on the heels of the stunning indictment last week that laid out a broad operation of election meddling by Russia, which began in 2014, and employed fake social media accounts and on-the-ground politicking to promote Trump's campaign, disparage Hillary Clinton and sow division and discord widely among the U.S. electorate.
The charges to which Gates is pleading guilty don't involve any conduct connected to the Trump campaign. They largely relate to a conspiracy laid out in his indictments, but they do reveal that Gates spoke with the FBI earlier this month and lied during the interview. That same day, his attorneys filed a motion to withdraw from representing him for "irreconcilable difference."
The court papers accuse Gates of lying about a March 19, 2013, meeting involving Manafort, a lobbyist and a member of Congress. Gates said the meeting did not include discussion of Ukraine, when in fact prosecutors say it did.
The charges don't name the lobbyist or the lawmaker but filings with the Justice Department show Manafort and lobbyist Vin Weber of Mercury Public Affairs met with Rep. Dana Rohrabacher, R-Calif., on that date as part of a lobbying campaign on behalf of Ukrainian interests.
On Friday, Manafort said in a statement that he maintains his innocence.
"I had hoped and expected my business colleague would have had the strength to continue the battle to prove our innocence. For reasons yet to surface he chose to do otherwise," Manafort said. "This does not alter my commitment to defend myself against the untrue piled-up charges contained in the indictments against me."
In court filings over the past few months, Gates gradually began to show the strain the case was placing on him and his family.
For all the Latest World News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.
Johannesburg :
South African special police unit Hawks have arrested an Indian-origin woman and her partner, both allegedly linked to ISIS, on charges of abducting a British couple.
Fatima Patel and Safydeen Aslam Del Vecchio also face charges of robbery and theft after they went on a spending spree using the couples credit cards, building up a stash of jewellery, camping equipment and electronic devices which were found at a remote location where an ISIS flag was being flown.
The Hawks declined to provide any further information due to the sensitive nature of the case as the search continues for the couple whose vehicle was found abandoned more than 300 kms away from where they were last seen on February 9.
But the weekly Sunday Times, quoting a charge sheet after their court appearance, reported that Patel and Del Vecchio also stand accused of contravening the Protection of Constitutional Democracy Against Terrorism and Related Activities Act by hoisting an ISIS flag at a modest homestead in a rural area.
Del Vecchio also faces another terrorism-related charge for allegedly participating in "extremist web forums that support ISIS and offering to supply phone numbers and sim cards that are not traceable."
Yousha Tayob, the lawyer representing Patel and Del Vecchio, confirmed that the pair had appeared in the court and were remanded in custody at Westville Prison in KwaZulu-Natal province.
The incident had prompted the British government to issue a travel advisory about possible terrorist attacks on foreign nationals in South Africa, but local Muslim organisations have dismissed this as an "overreaction".
Ebrahim Deen of the Afro-Middle East Centre told the weekly that South African Muslims posed no threat to travellers and that the incident was more related to crime than an ISIS attack.
"Muslims are largely integrated in (South African) society, are not disillusioned and they face little discrimination like in Europe and elsewhere," he said.
Martin Ewi of the Institute for Security Studies said South Africa was regarded as a "logistics base" for terror cells in transit, and is not traditionally a target for attacks, although the arrests of Patel and Del Vecchio confirmed the presence of an active terror cell in South Africa.
"We in the counter terror fraternity suspected that they were working as members of an active cell, and the kidnapping will confirm the presence of an active IS cell," Ewi said.
For all the Latest World News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.
The Japanese government says it will issue the J-ALERT nationwide emergency warning system in multiple languages.
The system urges the public to evacuate when North Korea launches a ballistic missile and the missile is on course to fly over or fall onto Japanese territories.
J-ALERT messages are currently available only in Japanese. Foreign missions in the country have been asking for multilingual messages. More travelers are expected to visit Japan in the run-up to the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics.
The government will utilize the Tourism Agency's "Safety Tip" smartphone app and provide J-ALERT service in English, Chinese and Korean starting next month at the earliest.
Japan earned a total of 13 medals, including four golds, in the Pyeongchang Olympic Games, which ended on Sunday, with the total number marking a record high for the country in the history of the Winter Olympics.
One of the four golds was won by Yuzuru Hanyu in men's singles figure skating. Hanyu defended the title he gained in the 2014 Sochi Olympics, becoming the second man in 66 years to clinch two consecutive Olympic golds in the sport.
The three other golds were won in speed skating events for women. Nao Kodaira scored a victory in the 500-meter sprint with an Olympic record time of 36.94 seconds, becoming the first Japanese female speed skater to win an Olympic gold.
The Japanese squad of Nana Takagi, her younger sister Miho Takagi, Ayano Sato and Ayaka Kikuchi won the team pursuit event.
Nana Takagi claimed her second gold at the Pyeongchang Games, in the mass start event, which was newly added to the Winter Olympics. She is the first Japanese female athlete ever to claim multiple gold medals in a single Winter Olympics.
Kanagawa Prefectural Police have arrested a 29-year-old man for allegedly stabbing his male roommate at their residence in Yokohama early Saturday, reports TV Asahi
At around 1:45 a.m., Hiroyuki Baba telephoned emergency services to report that he had killed his roommate at the residence, located in Isogo ward.
Officers arriving at the scene found Mizuho Kojima, a 33-year-old elementary school teacher in Yokosuka City, collapsed face-down and bleeding from his chest in a room.
Kojima was transported to a hospital where he is in serious condition.
At the time police arrived, Babaas hands were covered in blood. A knife that is believed to have been used in the crime was also found at the scene.
Baba, who has been accused of attempted murder, admits to the allegations, police said.
Police are now seeking the motive for the crime.
A 47-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of kidnapping a 17-year-old high school girl after he took her to his home in Tokyoas Setagaya Ward and kept her there for six days following an online correpondence, police said Sunday.
According to police, Masakatsu Yamaguchi, an employee of a game development company, has admitted to the charge and quoted him as saying, aI was hoping for a sexual relationship if all went well,a Fuji TV reported.
Police said Yamaguchi invited the girl, who lives in Utsunomiya, Tochigi Prefecture, to his residence after reading a message she posted on a social networking site that said, aIam thinking about running away from home.a
Yamaguchi suggested she come and stay with him. He drove to Utsunomiya early on the morning of Feb 18 and picked up the girl who stayed at his place until Feb 23.
Her parents reported her missing on Feb 18 after finding a message in her room, saying she was running away from home. Although the girl appears to have gone with Yamaguchi willingly, he has been charged with kidnapping, as she is a minor.
A police officer spotted her getting on a shinkansen train bound for Hakata, Fukuoka Prefecture, on Feb 23. She was taken into protective custody when the train arrived in Hiroshima. She was not harmed, police said.
Yamaguchi surfaced as a suspect after street surveillance camera footage showed the girl getting into his car in Utsunomiya. His name was also obtained from correspondence with the girl online.
Ishikawa Prefectural Police on Thursday found the body of a 36-year-old woman inside her residence in Kanazawa City after her husband apparently attempted to commit suicide, the Sankei Shimbun
At just past 8:00 a.m. on Thursday, officers working off a tip from Niigata Prefectural Police found the body of Naoko Hashimoto, the 36-year-old manager of a clothing store, inside her residence in the Yonaizumimachi area.
According to police, the results of an autopsy revealed the cause of death to be suffocation. About one week had passed since she died.
About 90 minutes before the discovery, Hashimotoas husband, 48, told police in Myoko City, Niigata that he had akilled a family membera in Kanazawa.
Niigata police later arrived at the location of the husband and discovered that he had consumed a large quantity of tranquilizers prior to making the call.
After he received treatment at a hospital, police arrested him suspicion of murder on Friday.
COOPERSTOWN, NY -- The hottest ticket in the annual line-up of Upstate New York beer festivals has a theme this year that may help answer a question.
What does "Ommegang' mean, anyway?
The hot ticket is to the annual Belgium Comes to Cooperstown festival, held in early August each year at Brewery Ommegang, just south of Cooperstown.
Online tickets go on sale at noon April 1. Typically, they sell out in minutes. This year's BCTC is Aug. 3 and 4.
The fest always has a theme, often tied to movies or some other bit of pop culture. But for 2018, the theme is Ommegang itself.
Ommegang is a street fest or pageant held each year in the Belgian capital of Brussels. It's dates back to at least 1549, when the first Ommegang was held to celebrate a visit by Emperor Charles V. In Dutch, the word "ommegang" means, roughly, "walk around." There are Ommegang pageants held throughout Belgium and the Netherlands, but the one is Brussels is among the largest.
The original owners chose the name Ommegang for the Belgian-style brewery they opened in late 1997. Soon after, they began an annual beer fest, in which they celebrated all things Belgian, served their own Belgian-style beers and invited others to do the same.
Crowds for Belgium Comes to Cooperstown started to get out of hand, so several years ago Brewery Ommegang started the online sales to limit the number of attendees. The 3,000 people who score tickets will be able to sample beers from about 100 Belgian or Belgian-style brewers (or breweries who make a Belgian just to get into the fest). There's also food, activiites and music. Camping on the grounds is available.
Events include a five-course beer dinner Aug. 3 for VIP tickets holders only. Brewery Ommegang is partnering in the dinner with food from Beekman 1802 of nearby Sharon Springs (made famous in TV's "Fabulous Beekman Boys"). The main Belgium Comes to Cooperstown event is the 2:30 to 7 p.m., on the Ommegang grounds. More information.
Don Cazentre writes about craft beer, wine, spirits and beverages for NYup.com, syracuse.com and The Post-Standard. Reach him at dcazentre@nyup.com, or follow him at NYup.com, on Twitter or Facebook.
Borno State Governor, Kashim Shettima on Sunday paid sympathy visit to Governor Ibrahim Gaidam in Yobe State.
Borno State Governor, Kashim Shettima on Sunday paid sympathy visit to Governor Ibrahim Gaidam in Yobe State.
He came with a message meant to strengthen his host following recent attacks on Government Girls Science Technical College (GGSTC), Dapchi, headquarters of Bursari local government area in Yobe State, where schoolgirls are suspected to have been abducted.
Shettima said during his visit that the unfortunate incident in Dapchi reminds him of conspiracy theories regarding the Chibok abduction, cautioning that politicians should learn a lesson on the need to separate politics from issues of security.
Your Excellency (Gov. Gaidam), I have been in your shoes since 2014 when schoolgirls were abducted in Chibok. I know exactly how you feel. When our daughters were abducted in Chibok, only God understood how I felt and I can imagine how you also feel, and the trauma you are going through.
The parents of these girls would always look up to you with hope in the midst of agony. I know you are pained but I also believe that insha Allah, these girls will be rescued very soon. It is unfortunate that we have faced yet another abduction but that only reminds us about the difficulties of fighting insurgency.
LOftentimes, they strike where you least expect. Before Boko Haram attacked Chibok, that Chibok had the least threat of Boko Haram in the northeast. No one expected them to even think about Chibok because it a mostly Christian community where Boko Haram was hardly an issue there. If the parents thought Chibok wasnt safe, I dont think they would allow their children to be there.
Of course, as Government we wouldnt dare do so. In the same vein, I dont think anyone ever expected an attack in Dapchi. This incident however, reminds all of us not only in Borno and Yobe but perhaps across the northern Nigeria to be on guard.
I think the difference between the Chibok incident and this one, is that the Federal Government didnt react in denial, doubt or formed a conspiracy theory.
The Federal Government assumed responsibility which we hope will lead to rescue of the schoolgirls.
When schoolgirls were abducted in Chibok, some people said there was no abduction because Borno was in the opposition.
Those who admitted there was abduction, came up with a conspiracy theory that the APC leaders perpetuated it in order to win the 2015 elections.
Now, this abduction took place in an APC controlled State under an APC led federal government. What this reminds us, in very painful way, I should add, is that as political actors, we should learn to separate politics from issues of security. Human lives are very precious in the sight of Allah, Shettima said.
The Governor said he was in Yobe not only as Governor of Borno but also to represent the Northern Governors Forum.
I am here as Governor of a sister State, because Borno and Yobe are like siamese twins; what affects Yobe invariably affects Borno.
I am also here as representative of the Northern Governors Forum. I am used to traveling all the way to the south to represent our forum over sensitive issues, particularly on security.
I felt it would be an irony if I go to far places and I dont come to neighboring Yobe State at a time like this. Your Excellency (Gaidam), our colleagues have mandated me to tell you that we stand by you at this difficult time.
We share the grief of parents whose daughters are affected by this unfortunate incident. They are not their daughters alone, they are our daughters as well.
I know that Your Excellency has been supportive of the military over the years with other security establishments in the State. I know you are working closely with them to have this resolved.
This period requires us to be stronger, more united and more focused. We should remain in prayers with a strong hope that these girls are rescued as quickly as possible.
We should remain in prayers that insha Allah, insha Allah enduring Peace will return to Yobe, Borno, Adamawa, the entire north and Nigeria. I am an eternal optimist. I see optimism in Your Excellency every day. I believe that these trying phases shall pass, inshaAllah. Bi iznillah, Yobe and Borno will gain lasting Peace, tranquillity and prosperity and this, we pray and hope, will happen soon, Shettima said.
The Nigerian Air Force (NAF) has deployed additional air assets, including Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) platforms...
The Nigerian Air Force (NAF) has deployed additional air assets, including Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) platforms, to the Northeast in a renewed effort at locating the missing Dapchi girls.This was made known via a statement issued by the Air Vice Marshal, OLATOKUNBO ADESANYA the Director of Public Relations and Information Nigerian Air Force.Before now, following confirmation of reports that some of the girls were yet to be accounted for, the NAF had deployed some ISR platforms and helicopters to search for and possibly locate the missing girls as well as the rogue Boko Haram Terrorists (BHTs). Although these search operations were conducted in a covert manner, for obvious reasons, the efforts did not yield the desired results.Accordingly, the Chief of the Air Staff (CAS), Air Marshal Sadique Abubakar, directed the immediate deployment of additional air assets and NAF personnel to the Northeast with the sole mission of conducting day and night searches for the missing girls. It is noteworthy that the renewed efforts at locating the girls are being conducted in close liaison with other surface security forces.While the NAF will spare no efforts at possibly locating the girls via its air operations, it also seizes this opportunity to call on anyone, especially the locals, who might have any useful information that could lead to the location of the girls to bring such information forward to NAF authorities through any of the following GSM numbers: 08122557720, 08035733438, 08172843484 or 08058419128.Such useful information could also be forwarded to other relevant security agencies. You are please requested to use your medium to disseminate this information for the awareness of the general public. While thanking you for your usual support and cooperation, please accept the assurance of my best regards.
The minister of Information, Alhaji Lai Mohammed has said that the Federal Government in collaboration with Yobe State Government will s...
The minister of Information, Alhaji Lai Mohammed has said that the Federal Government in collaboration with Yobe State Government will set up a Situation room to coordinate all information and progress report on efforts geared towards the rescue of Dapchi School Girls.Alhaji Lai Mohammed who was fielding questions from journalists in Damaturu after a closed door meeting with Governor. Ibrahim Gaidam and other stakeholders on the Dapchi attack, also informed that the Federal Government through the ministry of Interior would ensure the parents of the missing girls get sucour while the search and rescue lasts.Yes, the Federal Government will ensure the parents get succor. The Hon. Minister of Interior made it clear that we will bring succor to the parents but we need to work with the parents, security, state government and everybody. That is why a kind of situation room is being put together now that will comprise of traditional rulers, the parents, local people, representatives of the parents, and all the security agencies, Alhaji Mohammed said.The minister also disclosed that the Federal government is very serious over the unfortunate incident at Dapchi, saying, The fact that the federal government has sent a delegation to Yobe State twice in less than four days underscores the importance the Federal Government has attached to the unfortunate incident in Dapchi.We have come here to meet with all the stakeholders, the security outfit, the governor, reps of the parents, Local government Chairman not just to get first hand information of what happen but also to get progress report of what is being done to rescue the girls, he said.Speaking on the actually number of girls that are yet to be accounted for and as to whether there was an abduction, the minister replied; There is no doubt that the insurgents were in Dapchi and as at today, we cannot account for 110 girls. Because the total register of the students that came to school that day was 906 but as at today(Sunday,25 February, 2018) about 110 of them cannot be accounted for and that is the situation.But far reaching decision were taken here today: one, is that henceforth, the police and the civil defense corp will ensure that their presence is strong in every school to serve as a deterrent to the insurgents, secondly, the security agencies and outfits are working together and synergizing to ensure that these girls are recovered as fast as possible. We are working on very important things that would not be very impudent to talk about but we want to assure Nigerians that no stone will be left unturned in our determination to rescue these girls.Mohammed explained that his earlier statement in Dapchi on Thursday that Boko Haram is looking for oxygen to breath is not trivializing the abduction but rather to underscore the major success the government has achieved against the insurgents in the last few years.If we you look at what this government has done in containing the Boko Haram insurgency, you will agree with me that this is actually looking for attention. It is actually more like oxygen. Just one life is very important. We are not making it look trivia but we are just saying that we must remain focused. It is a very huge task and we want to assure Nigerians that the days of Boko Haram is almost at an end, he explained.
Some students of Ekiti State University, Ado Ekiti, have appealed to the Academic Staff Union of Universities and the university authorities to resolve the lingering industrial crisis in the institution.Some of the students told the News Agency of Nigeria on Monday in Ado Ekiti that they had become uncomfortable as the strike has entered the third month.The university lecturers embarked on an indefinite strike at the end of December 2017, on issues bordering on staff welfare and under-funding.A cross-section of the students, some of who should have graduated, as well as returning and newly-admitted students, said they were tired of staying at home.A student, Mr. Solomon Adewale, said except the matter is settled on time, there is a tendency that the students might miss a whole semester.Another student, Mr Gboyega Akinola, urged ASUU and the school authorities to shift ground.Akinola said both the school authorities and the lecturers should consider the future and plight of the students who bear the consequence of the strike.The chairman of ASUU in the university, Prof. Olufayo Olu, said the strike was embarked upon as a result of unpaid salaries and poor funding by the state government.Olu said that only N260m was released as monthly subvention to the institution, as against the about N500m required.According to him, efforts made by the unions to make the state government understand the financial position of the institution and the need to be pro-active about it did not yield positive result.For instance, our several demands for increased subvention to the university and improved welfare of workers have always been treated with disdain.As I speak with you, we have not received Academic Allowances for six years.The management, at a time, paid some of us the allowances of 2011 to 2014 by borrowing N200m from the bank. I do not know how others will get theirs with this paucity of fund.The university currently has a wage bill of N455m, so there is little we can do with a paltry sum of N260m monthly subvention from the government.Our university has not got any of such subventions for some months. As a result, the university has always been borrowing to pay net salary.To further compound our situation, within the last one year, the total number of additional workers has almost caught up with total number of employees of the institution since its inception in 1982.This is without increase in budgetary allocation to the institution.The consequences of poor funding and such unregulated employment have contributed largely to irregular payment of salaries, poor research, and poor learning environment.Other consequences are increased health casualties, epileptic power supply, inability to pass accreditation, staff and students increased agitations, among others.He said ASUU and other unions of the university would not return to work until all the demands are met.According to him, the strike began after ASUU and other unions of the university lost four of their members due to unpaid salaries and inability to maintain their families.Olu sympathised with the students for missing classes, saying the unions had, in the past, cooperated with the management, thinking that the opportunity offered by the unions would be well appreciated.Reacting, the Vice-Chancellor of the university, Prof. Samuel Oye-Bandele, said the management was not losing sight of the plight of the students.Oye-Bandele gave an assurance that everything humanly possible was being done to bring the strike to an end.NAN reports that the Non Academic Staff Union of Universities, Senior Staff Union of Nigerian Universities, National Association of Technologies and Allied Matters had earlier embarked on strike.The strike became effective in December 2017 when ASUU joined the other three unions to press home their demands.
Controversial on-air personality (OAP), Daddy Freeze, has attacked the late Archbishop Benson Idahosa over his doctrine on Anointing with...
Controversial on-air personality (OAP), Daddy Freeze, has attacked the late Archbishop Benson Idahosa over his doctrine on Anointing without money is annoyance.
Freeze took to his Instagram page to share a photo of the late Idahosa, which had the inscription: Anointing without money is annoyance.
Reacting to it, Freeze said the doctrine is false.
He wrote: This is a FALSE doctrine! Benny Hinn confessed that he was schooled in error, we were ALL schooled in error.
John the Baptist didnt need money to baptize, Moses didnt need money to deliver Israel, Jesus and the apostles didnt have and didnt need money!
Over the years, different narratives of how ex-President Goodluck Jonathan became running mate to late President Musa YarAdua in the 2007...
Over the years, different narratives of how ex-President Goodluck Jonathan became running mate to late President Musa YarAdua in the 2007 elections, have surfaced.
Ahmadu Ali, national chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) at the time, has given his own version of the story in an authotised biography.
According to excerpts published in THISDAY, Jonathan initially turned down the offer of vice-president because he was more comfortable being governor of Bayelsa state.
YarAdua would later die three years into his first term and Jonathan automatically became president, going on to rule the country for five years in total.
There had been a planned 24-hour delay in naming YarAdaus running mate after the nomination convention.
The name Peter Odili, then-governor of Rivers state, had been tabled before YarAdua but the then-Katsina governor was not well disposed to it.
The vacuum led to intense intrigues among PDP governors, Ali revealed, forcing then-President Olusegun Obasanjo to summon YarAdau for an emergency meeting.
As soon as YarAdua arrived, Obasanjo told him without any preamble: Now, name your running mate, now, now. We dont have twenty four hours.
Goodluck Jonathan, he said without hesitation. He had obviously thought about it or tutored to mention the name.
Immediately, they sent for Jonathan.
When Jonathan arrived a little later, the president said, We have summoned you here to offer to you the position of Vice President. What do you think?
Jonathan was stunned. He was obviously not expecting this and had not remotely considered the possibility. He opened his mouth as if to say something but nothing came out.
The president seeing his discomfiture added helpfully, This decision was taken after a long process. We just want to know what your opinion is.
Finally, Jonathan found voice, although he was disconcerted by this development as if proposing to his sweetheart.
Well, Jonathan began tentatively, If I had a choice, I would prefer to remain as governor. I know the job. I know where I stopped. But this VPI dont know what it entails. After a look of disapproval from the chairman and the president, he added quickly, but if you want me to serve in that position, I accept.
YarAdua turned to Jonathan and asked him, Would you like to be my running mate?
Yes sir.
Obasanjo turned to the chairman and said, Amadu, take him to my parlour. The television crew are on their way for a press conference. You and Chief Anenih should stand on either side of him and let him announce the name of his running mate.
WHY WAS THE DECISION RUSHED?
According to Alis biography, Obasanjo got wind of plan by the partys governors to hijack the VP position and quickly moved to stop the plot.
Ali said in the book that he, Obasanjo and Tony Anenih, a former PDP board of trustees chairman, had considered Jonathan to replace Peter Odili, former governor of Rivers, to contest the election alongside YarAdua, after the partys governors rejected Odili.
YarAdua, who was not comfortable with the choice of Odili as his running mate, was reported to have said in reaction: Thank you sir, but I would request
But Ali cut him short, saying You request what? The party produced you and the party will also produce the VP! thundered the chairman.
Obasanjo, who was present at the unfolding of the drama, asked Ali to give YarAdua time to digest the news.
But Ali said there was no time, and directed YarAdua to write his acceptance speech and include Odilis name in it.
The book said Obasanjo later got wind of the governors plan to influence the choice of the candidate for vice-president, and quickly arranged a meeting for YarAdua to announce his candidate on national television.
Amadu, come quick! Come, please and dont argue. Quick, quick!, Obasanjo was quoted to have said.
We must act quickly or the governors will hijack this thing. Anenih is on his way and I have already summoned YarAdua. If he hasnt thought of a running mate, then we must impose one on him.
The Minister of Information, Culture and Tourism, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, has sparked a slew of controversy on the Nigerian social media afte...
The Minister of Information, Culture and Tourism, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, has sparked a slew of controversy on the Nigerian social media after he was pictured wearing a jacket atop agabda.
Agbada is one of the names for a flowing wide sleeved robe worn by men in mostly West Africa region.
The minister, who paid a guided tour to Real Madrid Stadium, Santiago Barnabeu, Madrid, Spain was lensed wearing a flowing skyblue cloloured agbada with a dust grey jacket on top and a traditional cap.
Some Nigerians, who were stunned at the ministers sense of dressing, called for immediate psychiatrist test on him.
Some reactions below.
@ nkuuse lol this man is good at disgracing Nigerians, sir its not funny
@thesiciliannA top government official with a conscience will not be doing this just days after such a massive kidnap of school children.Newpride(m): 9:43pm On Feb 25
When lies supercedes and precedes everything he does, the he must dress this way.
wearing a coat (that one no be suit) on top agbada. grin grin grin
I leave the rest for nairalanders
@adecz: A whole Minister of the FRN, so excited & behaving like one common tourist because
he is visiting Real Madrid Stadium.
See him testing all the seats like one village man from. Where sef??
PMB & his Charlie, Charlie ministers sef. See dressing like Jagwa or Wizard Of Oz..
@Hokafor Lie lie Mohammed you look haggard. After all the Moines you have been stealing you still look like my gateman.
@aspirebig: Suit on top Agbada..
When you wear cloth like you cant tell which country jollof rice sweets better because your subconscious mind is battling with the wrong cloth combination.
Why not wear English though as a pure liar wey im be, the lies will not be flowing wellor you wear just native so when doing your lie lie (work),you can easily cover the truth well with the Agbada
Shioor.misplaced priorities every where
You dress how you want to addressed.
Do these guys even think about their image as Nigeria government at all?
@knightsTemplerSuit on top agbada hehehe.Nigeria don really enter one chance.
His dressing is a reflection of how the country is govern. That is anyhow anyhow lol
@roffeluczy1 For Gods sake what has he gone there to do? instead of looking into Nigeria predicament as to sort things out, there he is at the pitch.
Nigerians, shine your eyes come 2019.
@Eaa247 were there no police officers in the stadium to stop a mad man from entering there? This must b a porous stadium.
Some of the students kidnapped from Government Girls Technical College, Dapchi, Yobe state, have been taken to Niger Republic, according t...
Some of the students kidnapped from Government Girls Technical College, Dapchi, Yobe state, have been taken to Niger Republic, according to Daily Trust.
Quoting a source, the newspaper said the girls were split into two groups; with some kept in Borno state.
The Musa Albarnawi faction of Boko Haram is suspected of being behind the kidnap. The Albarnawi faction is loyal to the Islamic State of West Africa.
The group was responsible for the kidnap of some University of Maiduguri lecturers who were conducting an oil research in Borno state last year.
While some were killed, those abducted regained freedom, earlier in the month.
The newspaper mentioned the location where the girls are reportedly kept.
The girls ferried across a shallow river and are held in the border town of Duro in Niger Republic, the source was quoted to have said.
Tumbun Gini area of Abadam LGA of Borno. The second batch has been moved toTumbun Gini area of Abadam LGAof Borno.
President Muhammadu Buhari has described the abduction as a national disaster, urging security agencies to ensure that the 110 girls are found.
During a visit to Yobe, Ibrahim Shetimma, governor of Borno, expressed worries that the Dapchi incident is a sad reminder of the Chibok schoolgirls saga of 2014.
Shetimma urged residents to cooperate with the security services to unravel the mysterious Dapchi kidnap.
Neither denial, nor conspiracy theory as was done in the case of Chibok girls abduction under PDP-led Federal Government. We should learn to separate politics from human lives, he said.
Despite the crisis within All Progressives Congress, APC, in Ondo State, Governor Rotimi Akeredolu, weekend, said the reconciliation committee led by Asiwaju Bola Tinubu has no business in the state, saying Ondo is at peace and does not need any troubleshooter.His submission, however, did not go down well with an aggrieved party member in the state, who said the governor is afraid of his own shadow and is vindictive.Governor Akeredolus position was made known during a programme tagged Meet the Governor, which was part of the governors first-year anniversary celebration.Asked to comment on the reconciliation moves led by Tinubu, the governor declared that the former governor has no business coming to Ondo State since there was no crisis.Governor Akeredolu said: All is well with APC in Ondo State; we are waxing stronger. Olusola Oke has just returned to stay longer, so Asiwaju Tinubu has no reason to come here.Where there is peace, you dont need a peacemaker so you dont create more problems. The Presidential reconciliation committee is not needed here in Ondo State; there is peace in Ondo APC.Opposing the agitation for local government autonomy, Akeredolu said: On local government autonomy, I campaigned and I have not forgotten what I said about local government autonomy; there was not a time that I spoke about supporting local government autonomy.I am a lawyer and I know what is called federating units of a federal government. Nigeria cannot be the only place where we would bastardise the institutions. We copy something and make it totally dysfunctional.Akeredolu explained that there cannot be three federating units in a federation, but two and that there was no need agitating for autonomy for the local government.His words: Federation is made of a federal unit and a federating unit. There are no three federating units in any federation. The federal unit is the Federal Government and other federating units are states.There is no way I will stand anywhere and put my weight behind local government autonomy. I am never in support local government autonomy, I never said so.An aide to the factional state chairman, Isaac Kekemeke, said: Governor Akeredolu is afraid of his shadow.The aide, who pleaded anonymity, told Vanguard that the governor should come down from his high horse and carry everybody along and stop nursing the wounds of over one year.He will do the party and state good by showing some level of maturity, which his office deserves and stop being vindictive.
President Muhammadu Buhari on Monday promised that his administration would ensure the safe return of all those abducted by the Boko Haram sect, including the 110 students of the Government Science and Technical College in Dapchi, Yobe State.Buhari made the promise at the Presidential Villa, Abuja while receiving three University of Maiduguri lecturers, one policewoman and nine other women rescued from the insurgents.In a series of messages he posted on his Twitter handle, @MBuhari, the President said he assured his guests that nobody would be left behind in captivity.I cant fully express the joy I felt this afternoon, as I received our citizens recently released from Boko Haram captivityfathers, mothers, sons, daughters. We will go to any length to ensure that no one is left behind in the hands of terrorists. Every Nigerian life matters, he wrote.The President added, There were the University of Maiduguri lecturers, abducted while on service to their fatherland, and also the women abducted from a funeral procession.Today they are safely back home, and Nigeria rejoices with them and with their families.They told me that they had given up all hopes of ever coming back alive. I assured them that we will never give up on any of our citizens.I have asked the security agencies to ensure that every abducted personincluding the Dapchi girlsis safely released.
UPDATE:
Authorities
of a Dumont High School student who was taken into custody after a shooting threat led officials to lock down the borough school Monday, police said.
Police removed the student, a 15-year-old boy, from a classroom without incident during the lockdown, around 1:15 p.m., WABC-TV reported.
Dumont police Chief Michael Conner said his department received word around 11:50 a.m. of a "possible threat" on social media of a shooting at the school.
"The threat just simply stated, something to the effect of ... someone was going to shoot up the school," Conner told a crowd gathered outside the school.
"We did respond to the suspect's home and retrieve a long gun, a rifle, from that home," the chief added.
Conner said the student was being interviewed by investigators with the Bergen County Prosecutor's Office and his parents were cooperating with law enforcement. Police conducted a sweep of the complex and found nothing harmful.
Borough police, school officials and the prosecutor's office did not immediately respond to calls and emails seeking more information Monday afternoon.
Bergen County SWAT officers and local police entered the building shortly after 12 p.m., according to witnesses and photos from the scene posted to social media.
MaryBeth Iacono said her daughter Gianna, 16, texted her that the school was on full lockdown and that students were ordered to shelter under their desks.
"I tried to call her but she didn't answer. She texted me that they were told to put their phones on mute," said MaryBeth, who left her job and drove to the school.
"They were all hiding under their desks," Iacono said.
Dumont High School is on lockdown. I'm at work freaking out. I called LeAnn's school and they are fine. Please pray everyone is ok Posted by Lisa Leon Morales on Monday, February 26, 2018
NBC New York reported the student was escorted from the school in handcuffs and taken to a police car.
MaryBeth Iacono said students were patted down about 1:45 p.m. and allowed to leave the school.
Anthony G. Attrino may be reached at tattrino@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @TonyAttrino. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
Noah Cohen contributed to this report.
The 26-year-old woman killed in a crash Friday in South Jersey has been identified as a Vineland resident who was on her way to work for the New Jersey State Police, officials announced Monday.
Renee Wright was killed when a 17-year-old driving on Flyatt Road in Tabernacle failed to yield to traffic and struck her Hyundai, police said.
The impact caused Wright's vehicle to spin, and it then was hit by a vehicle traveling southbound on Route 206, according to police.
Renee Wright. (New Jersey State Police)
New Jersey State Police announced in a Facebook post Monday that Wright worked for the department.
"It is with deep regret that we announce the passing of Public Safety Telecommunicator, Renee Wright, who was tragically killed in a motor vehicle crash on Friday, February 23 as she was traveling to work to begin her shift," the post said.
One other driver sustained injuries that weren't considered life-threatening, police said.
Wright had graduated as a public safety telecommunicator in March 2017. She had previously participated in a state trooper youth program, graduating in 2009, according to authorities.
"Renee and her family will forever be a part of the Blue and Gold family," police said in the post.
The crash remains under investigation.
Amanda Hoover can be reached at ahoover@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @amandahoovernj. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
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With the Atlantic Ocean serving as a backdrop, a mixture of Atlantic and Cape May county officials gathered on the boardwalk in Ocean City to oppose a proposal that would allow oil and gas drilling off the coast of New Jersey.
Their combined voices, along with the feedback from the public which must be submitted to the federal government next week, is what U.S. Rep. Frank LoBiondo is hoping will draw attention to their position against putting New Jersey's tourism and environment at risk.
The federal Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) has a proposed lease agreement for up to 26 planning areas for the drilling of oil and gas along the United States shores. According to the proposed plan, areas off the New Jersey coast, which resides in the proposal's North Atlantic Zone, would be auctioned off in 2021 and 2023 to companies wishing to set up and drill off those areas. New Jersey is hoping to receive a waiver from drilling just as Florida, citing that the tourism industry is as vital to the state as its southern counterpart.
The proposal has been met with resistance by government officials, businesses and environmental groups in an area that relies heavily on tourism.
"I think it is critically important to be able to show strong, complete bi-partisan support in opposition to the proposal and a cross section of chambers of commerce, environmental organizations and fishing organizations which will make our point that it just doesn't make sense to gamble with this off the Jersey coast," said LoBiondo.
"Oil and gas exploration in the Mid-Atlantic region puts at risk some of the nation's most sensitive coastal and marine resources," LoBiondo wrote in an official statement. "The State of New Jersey and the waters off its shores are home to more than 300 species of fish, 350 different species of birds, 5 species of sea turtles and over 20 different species of whales and dolphins. If this current plan moves forward, it could cause significant harm to this valuable ecosystem."
Two candidates vying for the LoBiondo's seat in the upcoming mid-term elections, Democratic candidate State Senator Jeff Van Drew and Republican candidate Robert Turkavage were also present and both liked the display of bipartisanship displayed at the event.
"This is about everyone coming together to do what is best for our people in our region and I hope we see more of that in our future in a variety of stuff," Van Drew said.
"Whether you are a Democrat or a Republican, it is important to realize that intended offshore drilling is completely unacceptable here in South Jersey where we depend so much on the commercial fishing industry and tourism for jobs," Turkavage added.
Assemblyman Bob Andrzejczak, D-1, also liked seeing elected officials from both sides of the aisle and come together in agreement that he says is "terrible for the state of New Jersey."
"With offshore drilling, it's not a matter of if something will happen but when something happens," Andrzejczak said. "It's not really worth the risk of when it will happen. It took us years to recover (from) Hurricane Sandy and now you are talking about doing something that is completely preventable to begin with is offshore drilling. It's simple. Just don't do it."
On Jan. 23, Cape May County Freeholders unanimously passed a resolution opposing any type of offshore oil and gas activity. In federal testimony, Cape May County Freeholder Director Gerald 'Jerry' Thornton used the Deepwater Horizon rig accident as an example of why drilling should not be allowed. In 2010, an oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico operated by British Petroleum (BP) exploded and killed 11 workers. The ensuing spill affected wildlife and tourism in the area. Thornton does not want to see a similar disaster happen to Cape May County.
"I have really fought against offshore drilling because of the impact it will have on the county of Cape May and the potential threat it has," Thornton said Monday. "The one thing people do not realize is the onshore problems that they eventually will have to create because they will have to pump the oil onshore someplace."
He added that "hundreds of millions of dollars" have been spent to "make sure we have pristine ocean water here in Cape May County with our municipal utilities authority. Now all of a sudden after spending that money and spending millions of dollars a year, we are going to have them pumping oil off shore? Not likely."
Residents have the opportunity to comment in favor or against the proposed offshore drilling proposal. All comments must be submitted to the federal administration by Mar. 9.
Chris Franklin can be reached at cfranklin@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @cfranklinnews. Find NJ.com on Facebook. Have a tip? Tell us. nj.com/tips
Stacey Dash may not be a Fox News contributor any longer, but she's just propelled herself back into the headlines by filing papers to run for Congress, CNN reports.
On Monday, Dash, a Republican, filed paperwork to run in California's 44th district, which includes South Los Angeles and is represented by Rep. Nanette Barragan, a Democrat, CNN says.
Dash, 51, who is best known for starring alongside Alicia Silverstone in the 1995 movie "Clueless," once attended Paramus High School. Her entry to the political space came in 2012, when she drew widespread criticism for tweeting her support of Mitt Romney in the presidential election.
As as Fox News contributor, Dash, who joined the cable network in 2014, was a constant source of controversy for her often incendiary comments. She once called sorority members who would go to parties, including potential victims of sexual assault, "naughty" and "bad girls," and on another occasion expressed her view that there shouldn't be a Black History Month.
In 2016, Dash, who rejected a boycott of the Oscars in the wake of the #OscarsSoWhite controversy, starred in a Chris Rock bit at the awards show. Rock, the show's host, introduced her as "the new director of our minority outreach program," minting the ultimate cringeworthy moment for celebrities in the audience and everyone on social media.
"I cannot wait to help my people out," Dash said. "Happy Black History Month."
Fox suspended Dash for on-air profanity in 2015 after she used explicit language when talking about President Barack Obama. In 2017, Fox decided not to renew Dash's contract.
A number of people online and off have suggested I run for political office. I wanted to see what my online community thinks of this idea as I mull the possibilities. Thoughts? pic.twitter.com/L71fF0NnXR -- Stacey Dash (@REALStaceyDash) February 9, 2018
In 2016, Dash launched a political website called Dash America (the URL is now defunct) that she touted as "an exhilarating political movement that focuses on unity, faith, family values, and feminism." The website's logo was a feminine silhouette crossed by two rifles (Dash, who says a gun saved her life, is a staunch supporter of the Second Amendment).
"I believe we can and must return to Reagan's Hollywood, a time when movies were pro-America, pro-freedom, and pro-family values," she wrote at the time.
But Dash also tweeted about running for office this month, alongside a logo that said "Dash to D.C." (She pinned the tweet.)
"A number of people online and off have suggested I run for political office," she tweeted on Feb. 9. "I wanted to see what my online community thinks of this idea as I mull the possibilities. Thoughts?"
"Things are taking shape," she tweeted on Feb. 22, followed by "Soon" on Feb. 23.
According to papers filed with the Federal Election Commission, Dash is registered to run under the same "Dash to D.C." name from an address in Newport Beach, California.
If Dash won the seat, she'd be representing North Long Beach, Watts, Compton and San Pedro.
As is the custom with Stacey Dash-related developments, Twitter bubbled with critical tweets.
Hell will freeze over before I let Stacey Dash represent Compton. Whatever the maximum donation I can give to her opponent, consider it done! https://t.co/zcRfLAymIQ -- Travon Free (@Travon) February 26, 2018
only thing I want to see Stacey Dash running for is her plane in the All Falls Down music video am I right folks -- Hanif Abdurraqib (@NifMuhammad) February 26, 2018
Wait... Stacey Dash is running for Congress... as a Republican... for Watts and Compton? pic.twitter.com/2e2vTub6TB -- Wakandan-American (@JdotMurray) February 26, 2018
"Stacey Dash is running for Congress" pic.twitter.com/Wlm4uWoy0q -- Robert Kessler (@robertkessler) February 26, 2018
Stacey Dash is running for Congress in a district that includes Compton and Watts. She couldn't even convince someone to give her extra jelly for her biscuit out that way. Bless her heart. (blame @XavierDLeau for sharing this news.) https://t.co/Xq4T7odtWV -- Michael Arceneaux (@youngsinick) February 26, 2018
Amy Kuperinsky may be reached at akuperinsky@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @AmyKup or on Facebook.
Two juveniles were charged after a threat was made to students and staff at Abundant Life Academy, a private Christian school on Washington Avenue in Nutley, authorities said Sunday.
The threat occurred about three weeks ago. But school officials did not learn of it until speaking with students after the Feb. 14 school shooting in Parkland, Florida, Nutley Commissioner Alphonse Petracco and police Chief Thomas Strumolo said in a statement.
Once becoming aware of the threat, school officials notified police and closed the school on Friday, police said.
"Two juveniles were quickly identified and cooperated with police. One juvenile is a former student and the second is currently a student at the school," the statement said.
The two were charged with third-degree false public alarm and released to their parents. Their names were not released because they are under 18.
Students in pre-K through grade 12 are enrolled at the private school.
Police and detectives from the Essex County Prosecutor's Office investigated the threat.
"We will not tolerate anyone making threats to any of our schools," Petracco and Strumolo said. "The protection of our school children is our number one priority and we will use all available resources to ensure they are safe."
Officials did not release further details or describe the the nature of the threat. School officials did not immediately return a call seeking comment.
Police said the school reopened Monday with an increased police presence.
There were also increased patrols at all Nutley Public Schools following a threatening post on Instagram.
In that incident, Joseph Rafanello, 18, was charged with third-degree false public alarm, police said.
The Instagram video was posted Feb. 15 -- one day after a former student gunned down 17 people at his former high school in Parkland, Florida - and shows teens apparently shooting a handgun and rifle at a firing range. A still photo of Nutley High School was included in the video.
In the nearly two weeks since the mass shooting in Florida, there have been numerous threats to schools across New Jersey, prompting daily police investations and, in some cases, criminal charges.
Anthony G. Attrino may be reached at tattrino@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @TonyAttrino. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
They've taken buses to their state capitol, flights to meet with the president and now they've come to New Jersey.
Student survivors of the mass shooting at a Parkland, Florida, high school brought their message of gun control to the Temple B'nai Abraham in Livingston on Sunday.
"This is an issue of lives," said David Hogg, a student at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School who has become a high-profile voice for survivors of the attack. "This is a non-partisan issue that we need to work together to solve,"
The rally comes more than a week after a 19-year-old former student turned gunman mowed down 17 students and teachers at the campus on Valentine's Day.
Since the rampage, student survivors have mobilized to force a conversation and change around access to high-powered assault-style rifles, such as the AR-15 used in the massacre.
Hogg said he was in his AP science class when he heard a pop that sounded like a gunshot. At first, students thought it was a drill but learned it was "life or death."
"I'm here, I'm alive and and we have to change something about this," Hogg said.
The students, as well as leaders from local religious and advocacy groups, met with U.S. Sen. Robert Menendez, D-N.J., as he led a rally for gun reform legislation.
Officials at the temple where they rallied had to repeatedly fold back temporary walls to make the room bigger. Even still, it was standing room only and the rally started late to make sure all the people who were standing outside in the rain were able to come in.
"How high must the body count climb before Congress puts the safety of our families ahead of the gun industry," Menendez remarked.
The senator called for universal background checks to be completed before guns are sold. He spoke highly of the Parkland students, who sat behind him, saying they had turned their grief "into a movement."
Those students have made national news, appearing on nightly cable news shows, marching to Florida's state capital to demand change and posting online using the hashtag, "#neveragain."
"They have seen the blood of their classmates and they are not standing still," said Rabbi Avi Friedman, of the Temple Ohr Shalom.
The actions of the Parkland students have inspired their contemporaries across the country, including in New Jersey, as the shootings became a flashpoint in the nation's long-simmering gun control debate.
Last week, hundreds of students walked out of school in solidarity with their Parkland peers.
Parkland shooting survivors speak in Livingston 29 Gallery: Parkland shooting survivors speak in Livingston
Two New Jersey high school students were among those who came to Sunday's rally to be a part of the conversation. They said they are both planning walkouts at their schools as part of a larger, national walkout set for March 14.
"We want our government to see that we're more than just teenagers," said Darcy Schleifstein, a sophomore at Randolph High School. "We want change and we mean business."
Schleifstein said she and other high school students have banded together in light of the shooting earlier this month, checking in to make sure everyone's ok and talking about what they can do to bring action.
"It's been an enlightening process," said Samantha Levy, a sophomore at Columbia High School. "Some kids are kinda clueless about what's going on in the world. But, there's much-needed change."
The Parkland students return to class on Wednesday, where they will be greeted by hand-painted hearts made by Newark students.
Behind the microphone on Sunday, the students encouraged everyone in the room to stand up and join their efforts to continue the conversation about gun control and bring about change.
"Stay woke and get out and vote," Hogg said.
Sara Jerde may be reached at sjerde@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @SaraJerde.
A teacher at a school in Gloucester County for children with special needs has been charged with vehicular homicide after he allegedly struck and killed a woman after falling asleep behind the wheel, and then fled the scene.
Nicholas Jahn. (Salem County Correctional Facility)
In a statement Sunday, Washington Township police said Nicholas Jahn, 34, was arrested Saturday afternoon on charges stemming from the death of Jawana Wilcox, who was killed earlier that morning.
Police said investigators believe Wilcox, 44, was approaching a bus when Jahn fatally struck her on the shoulder of state Route 42 near its intersection with Ganttown Road. Her body was found by a resident of a nearby motel.
Jahn, of Washington Township, is a teacher at the Durand Academy in Woodbury, according to police. Jahn's employment status was not immediately available Sunday evening.
Authorities said officers found the Honda SUV believed to have struck Wilcox when they arrived at Jahn's home.
In addition to vehicular homicide, police said, Jahn is charged with leaving the scene of a fatal crash and endangering a victim.
Records show Jahn is being held at the Salem County Correctional Facility. Police said he will remain jailed pending the outcome of a detention hearing. It was unknown Sunday evening whether Jahn had retained an attorney who could comment on the charges.
Thomas Moriarty may be reached at tmoriarty@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter at @ThomasDMoriarty. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
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JERSEY CITY A small group of people gathered at a Bramhall Avenue church on Sunday afternoon to pray for the victims and families of the deadly shooting at a Florida high school earlier this month.
During the service, hosted by House of the Lord Church and held at St. John's Baptist Church, the roughly dozen people who attended reflected on the efforts of young adults to push for stricter gun laws.
"In Florida there is a lot of hope," the Rev. Herbert Daughtry said. "Because these youth, they are really taking up the fight."
The Feb. 14 shooting killed 17 people at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, and injured 15 others. Students at the school have been rallying at state offices and urging elected officials to do everything they can to make going to school safe.
School districts across the country have been making security changes since Nikolas Cruz, 19, opened fire inside his former school. Closer to home, one Hudson County district revamped its security policy for visitors arriving at schools.
During Sunday's service, attendees also reflected on gun violence in Jersey City and racial divides in the state's second largest city.
Caitlin Mota may be reached at cmota@jjournal.com. Follow her on Twitter @caitlin_mota. Find The Jersey Journal on Facebook.
Secaucus announced on Friday the town will assign police officers to patrol the district's schools while it provides firearms training to the schools' currently unarmed security guards.
The announcement came nine days after a school massacre in Parkland, Florida left 17 dead, and in the wake of security scares at schools in Nutley and Bayonne. The Florida killings led President Trump to suggest arming teachers to avoid future massacres.
Secaucus Mayor Michael Gonnelli told The Jersey Journal the town will pay between $500 and $900 a day for each officer assigned to patrol buildings. The 2,100-student district has four schools and a preschool.
The district's 15 security guards are all retired police officers and will undergo psychological evaluations and other testing so they can possess firearms inside schools, Gonnelli said. He estimates the process will take about two or three weeks. While costly for the town, Gonnelli said town and school officials agreed having armed guards "had to happen."
"In this day and age, we need to do something," he said.
School officials did not return a request for comment. The town's police department directed questions to the mayor's office.
Secaucus' school district reported seven instances of violence in the 2015-16 school year, up from four the year before, and zero incidents of weapons possession both years, according to a report submitted by the state Department of Education.
Hudson County school and law enforcement officials are panning Trump's suggestion that teachers start packing heat. Robert Zywicki, Weehawken's schools superintendent, called the idea "ridiculous."
"Teachers are not law enforcement officers," Zywicki said. "Their only concern should be educating and caring for the kids. This shouldn't even be on their radar."
Trump first suggested arming teachers following the Feb. 14 massacre at Parkland's Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. On Thursday he said teachers could get "a little bit of a bonus" plus firearms training and turn schools into a "hardened target."
Armed Educators (and trusted people who work within a school) love our students and will protect them. Very smart people. Must be firearms adept & have annual training. Should get yearly bonus. Shootings will not happen again - a big & very inexpensive deterrent. Up to States. Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 24, 2018
Hoboken Police Chief Ken Ferrante said police officers get extensive training on using firearms that he worries teachers wouldn't receive. Hoboken has four full-time police officers assigned to its high school, in addition to the district's unarmed security personnel.
"We do not want schools to become the O.K. Corral," he said. "We want to try to prevent shooters from getting into the school."
It's no surprise that liberal Hudson County opposes a Trump idea. In November 2016, just 23 percent of voters here supported Trump, while 74 percent voted for Hillary Clinton. In New Jersey, Clinton's share of the vote in Hudson was second only to her share in Essex County.
Jersey City's 29,000-student district has 15 full-time cops assigned to schools. Four travel among elementary schools and the others are posted at high schools. Another eight off-duty cops patrol outside high schools during lunch.
"We know that at this moment, after the horrific events in Florida, people feel vulnerable, even helpless," Jersey City schools spokeswoman Maryann Dickar said. "However, we do not believe that arming teachers will solve the issues of gun violence. We support the solutions presented by students across the country and in Jersey City, that we need better and saner gun laws, not more guns."
Journal staff writer Caitlin Mota contributed to this article.
Terrence T. McDonald may be reached at tmcdonald@jjournal.com. Follow him on Twitter @terrencemcd. Find The Jersey Journal on Facebook.
A small group of people gathered at a Bramhall Avenue church yesterday afternoon to pray for the victims and families of the deadly shooting at a Florida high school earlier this month.
During the service, hosted by House of the Lord Church and held at St. John's Baptist Church, the roughly dozen people who attended reflected on the efforts of young adults to push for stricter gun laws.
"In Florida there is a lot of hope," the Rev. Herbert Daughtry said. "Because these youth, they are really taking up the fight."
The Feb. 14 shooting killed 17 people at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, and injured 15 others.
Students at the school have been rallying at state offices and urging elected officials to do everything they can to make going to school safe.
School districts across the country have been making security changes since Nikolas Cruz, 19, opened fire inside his former school. Closer to home, one Hudson County district revamped its security policy for visitors arriving at schools.
And it has spurred debate and controversy on national gun control laws.
During yesterday's service, attendees also reflected on gun violence in Jersey City and racial divides in the state's second largest city.
PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. -- Mets' manager Mickey Callaway preaches a pitching philosophy of getting ahead of hitters. He must have used the phrase 1,000 times with the media alone since pitchers and catchers reported to spring training and countless other times with his staff and, you know, the actual pitchers.
Robert Gsellman could be a case study in this approach. Falling behind was his downfall in 2017. Even when he was good, he always had to use too many pitches and was often pulled early. He made it through seven innings only three times in 22 starts.
This came after a breakout year in 2016 when he went 4-2 with a 2.42 ERA in seven major league starts.
So what changed? Gsellman said his sinker wasn't sinking, instead it had too much run from side-to-side. He couldn't get a feel for it in a bad season and he wasn't sure why until it ended, when he returned to Los Angeles and saw the Kerlan-Jobe clinic physical therapist who had rehabbed his non-throwing shoulder after labrum surgery.
She changed the way he was working out and he changed the way he viewed his body. He paid more attention to it and loosened up his shoulder and upper back with deep tissue therapy, which has allowed him to throw more downhill and get the sink back on the sinker.
"I learned my body this offseason," Gsellman said Sunday, after the Mets defeated the Miami Marlins 10-3 in Grapefruit League play. "I know where my trigger points are and when they're tight and when they're loose. I just go in and keep my arm prepared and get that action. Last year, it was a little tight and it moved side-to-side instead of down."
Gsellman tossed two shutout innings against the Marlins, striking out two and allowing only one hit -- a chopper off the end of the bat that looped fair. The sinker was, in fact, sinking and he was doing exactly what Callaway has preached all spring: He attacked hitters with the off-speed and got ahead of them.
"We want guys to get ahead with their main pitch," Callaway said. "It's his key pitch. He can't ever not have it and not throw it. Even if he's not on with it that day, he's got to continue to throw it because it's his best pitch."
Yogi bombs
Yoenis "The Yogi" Cespedes showed off his winter work with a 2-for-3 performance Sunday, smashing a homer run off of Tyler Cloyd and over the left field fence and into one of the back fields. It was the first spring training homer for Cespedes as well as his first spring start, playing as the designated hitter.
Ty Kelly manned Cespedes' territory in left field, making a great play to end the second inning. Kelly snared a sinking liner hit by Braxton Lee over his shoulder and on the run.
Training room
Dominic Smith (straight right quad) will undergo an MRI on Monday and Jay Bruce (plantar fasciitis) will DH on Tuesday. There is no timetable for Tim Tebow (ankle) or Juan Lagares (strained left hamstring).
Callaway seems unfazed by the early injuries.
"It would bother me if we hadn't taken precautionary measures to try and prevent some of these things," he said. "Injuries are going to happen no matter what you do, but as long as we are doing the right thing and trying to prevent them it's not going to bother you as much."
What's next
The Mets will play their first road game of the spring exhibition slate, heading to West Palm Beach to play the first of two straight games against the Houston Astros.
Abbey Mastracco may be reached at amastracco@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @abbeymastracco. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
Karon Council. (Monmouth County Prosecutor's Office)
Hours after authorities announced charges against him Sunday evening, a Neptune Township man was arrested by the U.S. Marshals Service in Florida in connection with the fatal shooting of a 10-year-old boy in Asbury Park last week.
In a statement, the Monmouth County Prosecutor's Office said Karon Council, 18, was arrested in Pompano Beach by personnel from the Marshal's Service's regional fugitive task forces from both Florida and New Jersey.
US Marshals JUST arrested Karon Council in Deerfield Beach. Investigators say he shot and killed a 10-year-old in New Jersey last week. They say he is a known member of the "the bloods" gang and came to South Florida to hideout with his girlfriend. @wsvn pic.twitter.com/ohvuu3Or1B Brian Entin (@BrianEntin) February 26, 2018
Earlier Sunday, the prosecutor's office had announced murder, conspiracy, assault and weapons charges against Council in the death of Yovanni Banos-Merino, who was fatally shot at his home in the 400 block of Ridge Avenue on Wednesday night.
Merino's 38-year-old mother, Lilia Merino, also was injured by gunfire but was released from a local hospital after treatment, authorities said.
The prosecutor's office has not publicly alleged a specific motive for the shootings.
A 16-year-old boy, also of Neptune Township, was arrested Thursday on the same charges and is being held at the Middlesex County Juvenile Detention Center pending further court proceedings.
The prosecutor's office said Council will be held at the Broward County, Florida, jail awaiting extradition to New Jersey.
Thomas Moriarty may be reached at tmoriarty@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter at @ThomasDMoriarty. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
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A survivor of the mass shooting at a high school in Florida is calling for tourists to cancel their plans to visit the state unless gun legislation is passed.
David Hogg, a student at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, renewed his request Sunday night while attending a gun reform rally in Livingston.
Survivors of the attack have become high-profile, strong voices leading the charge to reform gun laws in the days that followed the incident in Parkland, Florida.
On Valentine's Day, a 19 year-old former student student at the school went on a rampage there and ultimately killed 17 people at the school's campus.
Alongside leaders of local religious and advocacy groups, U.S. Sen. Robert Menendez, D-N.J., and his fellow classmates, Hogg encouraged everyone to help fight to reform gun control and to get out and vote.
"They refuse to take action to save our lives, so we have to," Hogg said in one-on-one interviews. "We are taking action and asking people not to come to Florida until reasonable gun legislation is passed."
He questioned whether the tourists who were coming to the state were actually "safe" and wondered if the lawmakers would be swayed by losing money from the tourism industry.
Just last week, days after the mass shooting, Florida lawmakers refused to further move a motion to ban assault rifles.
Hogg also put out his call online to keep tourists from visiting Florida, using the hashtag popularized in the movement following the Parkland shooting, #neveragain.
Let's make a deal DO NOT come to Florida for spring break unless gun legislation is passed. These politions won't listen to us so maybe the'll listen to the billion dollar tourism industry in FL. #neveragain David Hogg (@davidhogg111) February 24, 2018
Better Idea: Spend your spring break in Puerto Rico, it's a beautiful place with amazing people. They could really use the economic support that the government has failed to provide. #SpringBreak2018 #SBinPurtoRico #itsspelled PUERTO RICO David Hogg (@davidhogg111) February 24, 2018
Sara Jerde may be reached at sjerde@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @SaraJerde.
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A passenger who said he boarded the wrong United Airlines flight exited the plane in an unconventional way -- by opening the emergency door and zipping down the inflatable chute.
Troy G. Fattun
Troy G. Fattun, 25, of Micronesia, made the mad dash off flight 1640, Port Authority police said. He was arrested when after he reached the ground and charged with criminal trespass, criminal mischief and interference with transportation, a Port Authority police spokesman said.
"While Flight 1640 was parked at the gate at Newark Liberty International Airport, a passenger opened the emergency exit door and departed the aircraft using the slide," United airlines spokeswoman Maggie Schmerin said in a statement.
The stunt delayed the flight to Tampa about five hours as passengers had to deboard after the incident and then reboard a different aircraft. Scheduled to leave at 7 p.m, the flight departed Newark at 12:09 a.m. Monday and landed in Tampa at 2:51 a.m, according to United.
A passenger told NBCNewYork.com that passengers heard a commotion in the back of the plane and first thought a fight had broken out.
The Associated Press contributed to this report. Jeff Goldman may be reached at jeff_goldman@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @JeffSGoldman. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
Although Hudson County wisely disentangled itself from the New Jersey Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals almost two decades ago, the organization remained strong elsewhere.
Seventeen years ago a blistering state report showed the NJSPCA didn't fulfill its mission to protect animals but abused its powers by acting unreasonably to enforce made-up regulations.
NJSPCA members promised to clean up their act. But they didn't. Now they'll have no more chances.
The first report described waste, abuse, fraud, and criminal activities. The second said in 17 years the situation had grown even worse.
Created in 1868, the NJSPCA was established as a statewide law enforcement agency to investigate complaints of animal abuse and neglect, and if warranted, to charge individuals with criminal or civil violations of state statutes. Despite similar names, the NJSPCA had no connection to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.
The New Jersey group was organized as a charity, relying on donations and the collection of fines for its funding. On paper it had a 15-member board of trustees, but in reality a few members ran everything. They seldom spent energy or funds on public education about animal treatment but focused solely on enforcement of regulations. They hired 55 investigators, including 20 humane law enforcement officers authorized to carry firearms.
According to the latest report, enforcement officers often took weeks to respond to even the most egregious complaints and often those were not investigated or mitigated properly.
Somehow they accumulated more than $775,000 in legal bills in the past five years, more than eight times the amount spent on direct animal care. Most of the legal bills resulted from battles they started themselves, such as fights between members, failure to enforce their own policies, and citizen complaints against their officers.
They purchased 30 vehicles, equipped with lights, sirens and radios, for use by officers, some of whom flaunted their NJSPCA badges during unauthorized traffic stops. Some members even carried badges identifying themselves - inaccurately - as prosecutors. In 2014 alone they spent more than $25,000 on ammunition, and almost $100,000 on promotional items such as tee shirts and logoed paraphernalia.
Despite some really shoddy record-keeping, the State Commission of Investigation was able to pinpoint these and many other instances of malfeasance and mistreatment of individuals with whom members had a beef.
After the second report was issued, legislators decided they had to act. S-3558 was introduced to abolish the NJSPCA over a 13-month period and turn animal law enforcement over to municipalities.
Then, believe it or not, the NJSPCA managed to make things worse.
They strongly opposed S-3448, of course, and enlisted NJSPCA members and friends to call legislators urging them not to support it. However, the emails directed them not to identify themselves as NJSPCA members in those phone calls, even if asked, but merely to state they were NJSPCA supporters. When they were found out, the author of the emails said he did that to protect members who feared for their lives if their identities were known or disclosed by the legislators.
When the deception was revealed and the explanation discounted, the NJSPCA called for an investigation of how the emails became public.
By that time, legislators had had it. The bill passed both Houses and was signed by the Governor with an even shorter time for the organization to be disbanded. Each county prosecutor now has six months to create an animal cruelty task force, engage at least one investigator, and designate an organization to oversee animal protection efforts.
A former Assemblywoman from Jersey City, Joan Quigley is the president and CEO of North Hudson Community Action Corp.
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By Ronen Kauffman
For many teachers, the existence of classroom guns would feel anathema to why we chose this work.
Teaching is a calling that goes well beyond math and reading -- we work to grow a society that values inquiry, constructive critical thinking, and the belief that we can always be better. Parents give us their children for eight hours a day and trust us -- not only to educate, but to feed, comfort, and nurture.
And that trust -- the same I place in my own son's teachers -- demands that we advocate forcefully for our students. To advocate for a better world for them and their children. To advocate for love over fear.
President Trump says that armed teachers will act as a deterrent to potential shooters, while also providing schools the ability to fire back immediately. Like the NRA, he wants us to think that "the only way to stop a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun."
Yet during the recent mass shooting in a Florida school, multiple good guys with guns not only failed to stop the shooter -- they didn't even enter the building. Perhaps they didn't like the odds of their handguns against an AR-15. And had they engaged the shooter, what would have been the likeliest outcome?
An NYPD officer only has an 18 percent chance of hitting his or her target in a gun fight. Why would anyone expect an armed teacher - trained or not -- to do any better? And what if police arrived on the scene of a school shooting to find multiple people wielding firearms? How would they know which gun-wielding person was the bad guy?
For these reasons and many more, arming teachers is simply a terrible idea. But beyond the lack of merit, we should be equally or more concerned with the spirit of this grotesque proposal.
We teachers know well the churn of trends, fads, and "bold" new ideas in education. In fact, teaching is often two jobs: one is navigating the changes, pushing paper around, and other sorts of work nonsense that's part of just about any profession.
The other job -- the real job -- is to teach and love our students. And as such, many of us have developed a healthy skepticism for non-educators who want to change our classrooms. We know learning, and we also know that there is plenty of money to be made for anyone who can sell an idea to schools. So teachers are both bridge and buffer between your children and the ideas of those who claim to know what's best for them.
Except this time, instead of dry erase markers or smart boards, they want to give us guns. And we do not want them.
Armed teachers and metal detectors won't address the systemic causes of these shootings -- namely, the widespread availability of high powered firearms, and an unchecked gun industry whose lobbyists leave a trail of blood leading out from American classrooms. The gun industry has just one priority -- to sell more guns. Any call to curb gun sales is a nonstarter for them, as well as for the elected officials they control -- grieving families, friends and communities be damned.
We must defend our children against shooters. But we must also defend them against a mentality that says weapons can solve a society's problems. Our survival as a species depends entirely on rising above fear and violence, not leaning into it.
The idea that we can end gun violence with more guns is the fakest news.
Let us show grace under pressure. Let us teach our children that while we cannot prevent every act of violence, ideas are bulletproof. We must aspire toward a more peaceful society, and our actions - and policies -- must reflect our values. Teachers across the country want children to be safe -- physically, psychologically, emotionally, and intellectually safe. But arming teachers will not provide any of that. It will, in fact, be a dark step backward.
The president is wrong. Let us not harden our schools. Instead, let us soften the world.
Ronen Kauffman is an elementary school teacher in Jersey City.
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Pass the 2018 Democracy Act so more people can vote
We are alarmed that only an estimated 39% of the eligible population in New Jersey voted in our November 2017 election. It is imperative that we modernize its voter registration and increase participation. We call upon the NJ Legislature and Gov. Phil Murphy to pass and sign into law the Democracy Act proposed in bills A488 and S543. The bills contain a number of commonsense and efficient proposals to expand the opportunity to vote, including automatic voter registration through the Motor Vehicle Commission (MVC), online voting registration, early in-person voting, streamlined uniformed military and overseas voting, and pre-registration of 17-year-olds. Many of the changes the bill proposed were echoed exactly in Gov. Murphy's campaign platform.
These bills were previously passed in the Assembly and Senate in June 2015, only to be vetoed by former Governor Christie in November 2015. Christie claimed concerns of voter fraud and cost increases in his veto, ignoring the fact that the bill strengthened the process to challenge illegal voting, mandated periodic reports of any suspected voting fraud, banned deceptive voting practices and saved money through automatic MVC registration and by eliminating special elections. Especially in the wake of the failure of President Trump's Commission on Voter Fraud to find any evidence of actual voting fraud, we cannot let the politicians use this false threat as an excuse to maintain barriers to voting any longer.
Voter turnout may be considered a measure of the success of our democracy. People participate in elections when they are confident their voices matter and when the electoral process is free of unnecessary hindrances. These two conditions are not mutually exclusive; a frictionless electoral process is more inclusive, increasing the importance of every vote and motivating participation.
Please, NJ legislature and Governor Murphy, pass and sign the Democracy Act.
Signed:
Martha Howlett, Angela Danica Mustac, Claire Nuchtern, Crystal Miranda, Ivanka Zic, Jacob V. Hudnut, Jessica George, Jim Lane, Mallory King, Max Gray, Meesha Diaz Haddad, Meghan Howard-Noveck, Neil Glassman, Rebecca Missel, Sue Nilsson, Tiziana Nin, all Jersey City; Antonio Guzman and Roger Quesada, North Bergen; Nicole Plett, Lawrenceville; and Caitlin Sherman, Weehawken.
Changes have reaped less discipline in schools
Due to "Diversity," it's much more difficult in being an educator than yesteryear!
Yesteryears' teachers had not only students respect, but also parents respect as well. Today's teachers are dealing with disrespectful students and irate parents whose children can do no wrong. Teachers ask, [why is Cathy Coyle still here?] Those that ask that question either never worked under her or those that did were too dumb to realize that [she] taught in a "safe-haven" atmosphere. While other schools reported violence towards teachers and security by students and parents, Cathy Coyle had "zero tolerance" control. What's misunderstood is her "toughness" was aimed to benefit the students.
Vicky Dee, Jersey City
By Michael Merrill
On Monday, the Supreme Court will hear arguments in what may be the most significant labor case since 1937, when it ruled the National Labor Relations (Wagner) Act constitutional in NLRB v. Jones & Laughlin Steel Corporation. The stakes in Janus v. AFSCME are at least as high, not just for public sector unions and their members, but for all of us.
Everyone should be paying attention. Janus is a libertarian extremist assault on freedom, which raises fundamental questions about the legitimacy of collective representation and local democratic governance.
Janus seek to overturn Abood v. Detroit Board of Education (1977), which held that requiring all members of a public sector bargaining unit to pay dues to support the union's collective bargaining and representative functions is constitutional. The plaintiffs in Janus argue that Abood was badly reasoned and that mandatory fees to support the union in its role as the exclusive bargaining agent of covered employees violates both the First and the Fourteenth Amendments of the Constitution.
To make their case, the plaintiffs do not claim that public workers are compelled to belong to a union they do not wish to join. There is no hint that the mandatory fees violate an individual's right to freedom of association. The plaintiffs in Janus even insist that unions continue to represent everyone in the designated bargaining units, whether the individual wants them to or not.
Instead, the plaintiffs argue that mandatory agency fees to support public sector unions violate First and Fourteenth Amendment protections of freedom of speech. Mandatory fees, they argue, require that public employees "as a condition of their employment ... subsidize the speech of a third party that they may not support, namely a government-appointed exclusive representative."
The argument is specious. Janus is an attempt to find a side door ("freedom of speech") with which to challenge the legitimacy of collective representation in the public sector. Unions are not "third parties," imposed from the outside. They are democratically-elected, legitimately designated, exclusive representatives of a given community of workers, just as boards of freeholders and town councils are democratically-elected, legitimately designated, exclusive representatives of a given community of residents. They are no more -- and no less -- third parties to their members than local institutions of democratic governance are third parties to their constituents.
The comparison makes plain the underlying intent of Janus. It is specifically intended as an attack the principle of collective public representation. It is of a piece with attacks on the collective representation of all employees, private as well as public, championed by such groups as the National Right to Work Foundation and the Center for Individual Rights, which joined one of the amici curiae briefs filed in support of the plaintiff.
Like freeholders and councilors, union leaders are democratically-elected precisely in order that they might speak on behalf of the whole in what the whole, to the extent possible, takes to be its best interests. They become designated exclusive bargaining agents if and only if they have won a certified representation election in which all potential members are allowed to participate. They also may lose that status in a decertification election, which can be called upon the petition of the members.
As such, unions are the legitimate collective representative of the community of workers, not some "third party" imposed on the community from the outside.
Interestingly, the side door that the plaintiffs in Janus want to use to attack public sector collective representation and undermine the "actual liberty of contract" that the Wagner Act sought to protect for private sector employees is the same side door used by the plaintiffs in Citizens United to undermine what we might call "actual freedom of speech" in the political arena. Citizens United challenged FEC limitations on political spending, which it was claimed were in effect limitations on free speech. Spending money in support of speech, it was argued, is a fundamental First Amendment right, which both Congress and the states are barred from "abridging" or limiting.
In 2010, the Supreme Court narrowly agreed with this reasoning in a 5-4 decision and, in effect, opened the door to the buying and selling of government, not in the old-fashioned way of corrupting the politicians themselves, but in a new-fashioned way of corrupting the entire arena of political debate. It is now possible for those with enough money to buy as much of the available airtime as they desire, even to the point of drowning out all other points of view with a relentless cacophony of bogus claims and outright lies.
Janus threatens a similar undermining in public sector employment relations. Just as the public has an interest in "good" (i.e., sincere and honest) rather than "bad" (insincere or dishonest) political speech, it has an interest in public sector as well as private sector collective representation. Collective representation protects both public and private sector workers from employer abuses and ensures that the public can enjoy the benefits of free-flowing commerce and good government without disruption or taint.
With respect to the latter, collective representation helps to ensure that public sector workers are paid and treated fairly. When they are paid fairly and treated well, they can more reliably be counted upon to perform their duties expeditiously and disinterestedly. It is the least they--and we--can expect. Asking respect from those who are disrespected is asking too much. Only by treating with respect, can we reasonably expect to be treated with respect.
More generally, if the Supreme Court finds collective representation illegitimate where we work, how long before it finds it illegitimate where we live? Not that long, I submit.
Indeed, communities are already being denied the right to pass local ordinances on a range of issues from the environment to immigration by so-called "pre-emption laws," which are championed by the same forces that are championing Janus. This does not end well.
Michael Merrill is a Professor of Professional Practice and Director of the Labor Education Action Research Network (LEARN) at the Rutgers School of Management and Labor Relations.
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A man who gunned down his girlfriend in an execution-style slaying six years ago in Elizabeth has been sentenced to 50 years in prison, prosecutors said Monday.
Under the sentence imposed by Superior Court Judge John M. Deitch, Abdul Shahid Aziz must serve at least 42 years before he is eligible for parole, the Union County Prosecutor's Office said in a statement.
Aziz's conviction in December on murder and weapons charges in Ramona Jackson's July 11, 2011, killing came despite a ruling by a state appeals court that blocked his videotaped confession from being used as evidence at trial.
In a statement, Assistant Prosecutor Melissa Spagnoli said Aziz, now 51, drove Jackson, 40, of Staten Island, to railroad tracks at the end of Schiller Street before fatally shooting her in the forehead as she covered her face. Her body was found approximately 12 hours later by workers installing billboards along the railroad tracks.
Aziz's flight from the scene in his 2002 Ford Explorer was captured on surveillance video, the prosecutor's office said, and he surrendered to homicide detectives four days later.
Aziz, whom records show was represented by defense attorney Christopher Dunn, confessed to killing Jackson, prosecutors said, but an appeals court in April 2016 ruled it inadmissible at trial on procedural grounds.
After a three-week trial, the jury in December deliberated for two days before returning a guilty verdict.
Thomas Moriarty may be reached at tmoriarty@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter at @ThomasDMoriarty. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
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Six years after former Jefferson Parish President Aaron Broussard and three employees pleaded guilty to political corruption charges, his ex-wife is facing a lawsuit from his ex-parish attorney not paying her fair share of the restitution. Tom Wilkinson, who now has a private law practice in Gretna, seeks $30,431 from Karen Parker.
Wilkinson's suit says he and Broussard each were responsible for paying $66,937 of the restitution ordered in their federal criminal cases, and that Parker, who held a deadhead job in the administration, and former chief administrative officer Tim Whitmer each were liable for $40,108. Yet Wilkinson paid $97,427 while Parker put up only $4,600, his suit says. Because U.S. District judges Hayden Head Jr. and Mary Ann Vial Lemmon made them "jointly and severally" responsible, it was up to the four defendants to work out who paid what.
Parker's attorney, David Courcelle, did not respond to requests for comment Monday (Feb. 26).
Broussard's 35-year political career flamed out when he resigned the parish presidency Jan. 8, 2010, amid the FBI inquiry into his administration. Two and a half years later, he pleaded guilty to theft and conspiracy to commit bribery, wire fraud and federal program fraud. Parker, Whitmer and Wilkinson pleaded guilty to conspiring to cover up corruption, part of which involved putting Parker on the public payroll even though she did little to no work.
Parker, Whitmer and Wilkinson were placed on probation. Broussard was sentenced to three years, 10 months in prison. Another defendant, contractor Bill Mack, was sentenced to one year, eight months in prison for conspiring to bribe Broussard for parish business.
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Wilkinson's suit was filed Jan. 11 in Louisiana's 24th Judicial District Court in Gretna. But there is some question as to which of the 16 judges will hear it.
The clerk's office randomly assigns new suits among the judges, and six of them in succession have stepped aside: Henry Sullivan Jr., John Molaison Jr., Donnie Rowan Jr., Glenn Ansardi, Ray Steib Jr. and Adrian Adams. All cited a personal connection to Wilkinson, Parker or both, except for Rowan, who was not specific in his recusal notice. The suit now resides in Judge Scott Schlegel's division.
. . . . . . .
Drew Broach covers Jefferson Parish politics and Louisiana interests in Congress, plus other odds and ends, for NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune. Email: dbroach@nola.com. Facebook: Drew Broach TP. Twitter: drewbroach1. Google+: Drew Broach.
New Orleans police have named the man they believe fired into a group of people near the parade route on Mardi Gras (Feb. 13), striking two teenagers.
Police have obtained an arrest warrant for Jerald Bordere, 18, and he is wanted for two counts of attempted second degree murder, illegal carrying of a firearm at a parade/during commission of a violent crime, and illegal use of a firearm.
The shooting occurred at about 3:17 p.m. on Mardi Gras, in the 700 block of Union Street, about half a block from the parade route. Police said a fight broke out among a group of about 10 people, and one person fired a gun into the group. Two teenagers, ages 15 and 16, were struck by gunfire: One was shot in the head, and one was hit in the leg.
The teen who was shot in the head is still unconscious and in the intensive care unit, according to NOPD 8th District Commander Nicholas Gernon, so investigators have yet to be able to interview him.
Three men were seen on surveillance camera near the scene, and police have been seeking them for their involvement in the shooting. Police say Bordere was one of the men, wearing a blue shirt in the image.
Police had already arrested 17-year-old Kentrell Howard on Feb. 22, and he was booked with two counts of principal to attempted murder. The third suspect pictured is still being sought by police, who are working to determine his involvement, Gernon said.
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Gernon said in a Monday press conference that investigators believe Bordere may have fled New Orleans or is being assisted in an attempt to flee, possibly to Texas.
"He can continue to run, but eventually he will be found," Gernon said.
Police have found no connection between the suspects and victims, Gernon said.
"We don't have any information that tells us that they knew one another, that there was connections before, that there was an ongoing beef," he said. "It appears there was a fight that broke out, and somebody had a gun on him and they chose to end that fight by shooting."
Anyone with information regarding the whereabouts of Jerald Bordere and/or the third suspect, or anyone with additional information on this incident is asked to contact Eighth District detectives at 504-658-6080. Citizens with information that can help solve crimes are asked to call Crimestoppers at 504-822-1111 or toll-free at 1-877-903-STOP.
The Army Corps of Engineers will start monitoring levees in the New Orleans area more closely as the Mississippi River water level approaches its annual spring crest. The river is expected to crest March 18.
The corps said Monday (Feb. 26) the Carrollton river gauge had reached 11 feet, prompting twice-weekly patrols along the river. The corps will be coordinating patrol efforts with local levee authorities.
"The increased patrols ensure our ability to respond quickly to any problem areas that may develop along the levee system because of the elevated water levels," a release said.
In addition to regular patrols, the corps and the state of Louisiana prohibits certain river activities when the Mississippi River reaches 11 feet and is expected to continue rising. That includes transport of heavy loads over the levee and disturbing grass cover or subsurface work within 1,500 feet of a levee.
The latest National Weather Service forecast shows the river cresting March 18 at 16 feet, according to the release. The crest is expected to last for two days at the Carrollton gauge, before receding March 20.
The official flood stage at the Carrollton Gage is 17 feet, but floodwalls protect the city of New Orleans to water levels of 20 feet.
A month-long investigation into a suspected Lacombe drug dealer by the St. Tammany Parish Narcotics Task Force culminated Friday (Feb. 23) with the arrest of seven people, including the target of the investigation, as well as a teacher and three Mandeville residents who were caught up in the drug bust, authorities said.
Detectives with the task force executed a search warrant at 24622 Esquinance St. in Lacombe, a residence where 20-year-old Quinten Casnave, the focus of their investigation, had been living, the St. Tammany Parish Sheriff's Office reported in a news release. Casnave was arrested and booked on narcotics and weapon charges.
The Sheriff's Office reported that the home was that of Melissa Pattison, 51. She was listed on social media sites as a teacher at Lyon Elementary School in Covington.
When the detectives arrived at the Lacombe residence to execute the search warrant, they witnessed several people driving away in a pickup truck, which was later stopped by Sheriff's Office patrol units. The three occupants, Austin Folse, 20, and two teens, were found to be in possession of ecstasy and marijuana, the Sheriff's Office reported. They were subsequently arrested.
The search warrant of the residence resulted in the seizure of ecstasy, LSD, marijuana, a suspected marijuana oil lab, Xanax and two firearms, authorities said.
In addition to Casnave, two others in the Esquinance Street home were arrested. They were identified as Caleb Pattison, 19, of Lacombe, and Devin Aucoin, 20, of Mandeville, according to the news release. The elder Pattison, who is the owner of the home, was later located at her place of employment and taken into custody.
St. Tammany Parish public school district spokeswoman Meredith Mendez said Monday that Pattison is no longer an employee of the St. Tammany school system. She declined to answer other questions, citing personnel issues.
Pattison's webpage says she has a master's degree in curriculum and instruction and has been a teacher for 27 years.
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All of the suspects were booked into the St. Tammany Parish jail.
The suspects and their charges are:
Quentin Casnave was booked with possession of LSD, possession of Xanax, possession of a firearm in the presence of a controlled dangerous substance, illegal use of a controlled dangerous substance in the presence of persons under 17.
Caleb Pattison was booked with creation or operation of a clandestine lab, possession of marijuana, possession of drug paraphernalia and illegal use of a controlled dangerous substance in the presence of persons under 17.
David Aucoin was booked with possession of ecstasy, illegal use of a controlled dangerous substance in the presence of persons under 17.
Melissa Pattison was booked with possession of methamphetamine, possession of marijuana, possession of a legend drug, possession of drug paraphernalia and possession of a firearm in the presence of a controlled dangerous substance.
Austin Folse, one of the pickup truck occupants and the two teenagers in the vehicle were each booked with possession of ecstasy.
The St. Tammany Parish Narcotics Task Force is comprised of members from the Sheriff's Office and the Mandeville and Slidell police departments.
A Washington Parish parents group will be raffling 30 guns in March - including two AR-15 rifles like the one used in the recent mass killing at a Florida high school - to raise money for a Project Graduation event for seniors at Bowling Green School in Franklinton.
Tickets for the raffle, dubbed "30 Days /30 Guns" cost $30 each, with 1,000 tickets to be sold, according to a school Facebook post that was published more than a week before the Florida school massacre but was recently taken down. The Feb. 5 post, sent to NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune, said a gun would be awarded as a prize each day starting March 1.
"Support BGS Project Grad!" it said. "Only a few gun raffle tickets remaining - call the school to secure yours before they're gone!"
The guns to be raffled include pistols, rifles and shotguns, but also two AR-15 rifles, the type a former student used in a Feb. 14 rampage at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla. Seventeen people, mostly students, were killed. The weapon has also been used in other mass shootings in recent years, stirring controversy over gun control laws.
Beverly Young, principal of the small private K-12 school in Franklinton, could not be reached by phone for an interview about the raffle. However, she emailed a statement Monday that said, "Bowling Green School is neither selling guns nor raffling guns. What you may be referring to is a 'Project Grad' fundraiser that started in early fall."
Such graduation events are held at schools across the country, providing a fun and safe, alcohol-free post-graduation environment for seniors.
In the statement, Young acknowledged that parents of this year's class have undertaken as one of their fundraisers a raffle in which the winners will receive credit for the purchase of a gun from a licensed local dealer. The winners must take their credit to the dealer and must comply with all applicable laws, including age requirements and background checks, in order to receive their prize.
"Bowling Green School, while not directly involved with this activity specifically or as a party to Project Grad in general, is profoundly grateful to our parents and individual and business donors who care so deeply about supporting our young people by providing them with safe alternatives to drinking and driving in order to celebrate their accomplishments and the milestone of high school graduation," Young's statement said.
Young, in a subsequent email, identified the gun dealer as H&H Gun Shop in Franklinton. She decline to identify leaders of the Project Graduation parents' group so they could be contacted for comment.
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Gun store owner Brent Hoggatt said the fundraiser has been in the works since last summer. "It's a first-time thing for this part of Louisiana," he said, noting that similar raffles have been held in many other parts of the country.
Hoggatt said the local community has not raised concerns about the gun raffle and the inclusion of the AR-15 rifles.
"Nobody has said a word about that," he said.
"It's mostly your uneducated, your uninformed that are blowing this out of proportion."
He said of the AR-15: "The firearm is legal to own. It's a semi-automatic. There's nothing different between it and another other semi-automatic firearm other than the way it looks. It looks mean."
Hoggatt said he is not a member of the parents group, which approached him about getting involved in the raffle. He also declined to offer a contact to seek comment from those involved in the Project Graduation organization.
Hoggatt said only about 70 tickets remained unsold for the raffle.
The raffle was first reported by The Advocate, and Hoggatt said the story has done nothing but generate interest.
"I have had people from Baton Rouge drive here, after the original story, to buy tickets," he said.
Melissa Messina shakes her head whenever she tries to understand the last 18 months of her life. She reasons there's only one way to explain it: "It's all God."
All God, and some help from "angels.''
Messina's life has circled back to a place where she's again deeply involved in the horrors of substance abuse and addiction. But this time, she's on the other side - helping others who aren't as far along in their non-stop, lifelong struggle to stay clean.
A recovering addict, Messina and her family recently opened "The Freedom House,'' a nine-bed "sober living house'' in the Covington area. It's a place where recovering addicts can stay after detox, working at jobs and getting their lives in order before moving back to their families or their own homes.
Messina said her family helped her purchase the 1,900-square-foot house. She lives there and runs it with the help of her sister, Michelle Sclafini.
Messina, now 39, became an addict at age 28. She grew up in a middle class family and graduated from college. She drank alcohol and dabbled in drugs recreationally, but says she was hooked the first time she tried crack cocaine.
Crack soon became what she lived for, her two sons, the college marketing degree and her job all taking a back seat to her addiction. As crack took control of her life, Messina's days and nights became a blur of getting high and desperately searching for the next fix.
That's where, she says now, the angels stepped in.
The Covington Police Department, through its chief, Tim Lentz, had spearheaded a local version of the "Operation Angel'' program. That initiative, started in Massachusetts, seeks to help treat addiction rather than toss addicts in jail.
Lentz said more than 200 addicts in St. Tammany Parish have sought help in the past two years. He said a quarter of them are clean today.
"They're not in jail. They don't get the 'convict' label on top of the 'addict' label,'' he said. "That's what this is all about.''
Numerous times, a Covington police officer found Messina on the streets in an obvious search for drugs. But each time the officer chose not to arrest her. Instead, he talked with her about Operation Angel and offered help.
"He just kept telling me there was help, planting a seed,'' she said. "But I wasn't ready to listen.''
Her family had never left her side. "I have the most amazing family in the entire world,'' she said. "My sister was begging me to stop, for my sons.
"But when that drug gets in your body . . .''
But Messina finally reached a breaking point. She hadn't slept in days. She was exhausted. She wanted to try, again, to get to clean.
She showed up at the Covington police station and asked for help. The department steered her to a Baton Rouge detox facility.
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"That was 18 months ago Friday (Feb. 23),'' she reminded Lentz during a tour of The Freedom House last week.
He nodded.
"You were a shell of a person,'' he replied.
A year after the department helped her find a spot in The Grove, a Baton Rouge detox facility, Messina showed back up at the station, a changed person.
"We just became friends,'' Lentz said. "She said she wanted to open a sober-living place. God bless her, she's done it.''
The amount of time the women spend in sober living depends largely on their own recovery, Messina said. She was a year in a sober house after her detox, she said.
Lentz said the house was one of several sober living facilities in St. Tammany Parish.
The women must have jobs and must pay their share of the bills, she said. They must remain clean and sober and attend Alcoholics Anonymous or Narcotics Anonymous meetings. Six of the nine beds in the house are currently occupied, she said.
"They have to change their lives,'' Messina said. "You can't just do this (get clean and sober) a little bit.
"I need this as much as they do. This is my passion. The point is to give them what someone gave me.''
As Messina continued showing the house to reporters, the tour stopped in one of the rooms, clean and plain and stocked with three single beds. Bibles sat atop dressers and nightstands.
"In my 35 years (in law enforcement) this is by far the highlight of my career,'' Lentz offered.
"Operation Angel?'' someone asked.
"And Melissa,'' he replied.
Messina seemed taken aback. Her eyes misted over.
"I love this man,'' she said with a smile.
He was the 49-year-old president of the United States, arguably the most powerful man in the world. She was a 22-year-old White House intern recently graduated from Lewis & Clark College, a small liberal arts school in Portland Ore.
Twenty years ago, Bill Clinton, the president, and Monica Lewinsky, the intern, became forever linked in a scandal -- of the sex or political variety, depending on how you look at it -- that continues to reverberate through our society and culture.
Clinton and Lewinsky's lies to cover up their relationship would eventually lead to impeachment charges against Clinton in the U.S. House, acquittal in the U.S. Senate and a fissure that continues to widen in American politics between Democrats and Republicans, liberals and conservatives.
The debate at the time hinged on the argument of whether Republicans were using a private, consensual sexual relationship between Clinton and Lewinsky for political gain or whether the president's behavior and subsequent lie under oath merited the months-long legal and political battle that ended with Clinton in office and the electorate deeply divided.
Today, the issue takes on an even different dynamic in the wake of the #MeToo movement of women speaking out against men who have mistreated, abused and oppressed them in various ways, not only doing mental or physical harm but often damaging them economically or derailing their careers.
Lewinsky, herself, provides a poignantly insightful analysis of what that means in a personal essay published Sunday (Feb. 25) in Vanity Fair. Lewinsky, now 44, reexamines her experiences and her outlook in light of the many women who have come forward with their stories.
"Until recently (thank you, Harvey Weinstein), historians hadn't really had the perspective to fully process and acknowledge that year of shame and spectacle" of 1998, she writes. "And as a culture, we still haven't properly examined it. Re-framed it. Integrated it. And transformed it. My hope, given the two decades that have passed, is that we are now at a stage where we can untangle the complexities and context (maybe even with a little compassion), which might help lead to an eventual healing -- and a systemic transformation."
Lewinsky, who says she was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder from the events of 1998 and after, said she was compelled to look at her experiences in a new light after receiving a simple message from a leader of the #MeToo movement: "Im so sorry you were so alone."
"And yet I don't believe I would have felt so isolated had it all happened today," Lewinsky says. "One of the most inspiring aspects of this newly energized movement is the sheer number of women who have spoken up in support of one another.
"If the Internet was a bete noire to me in 1998, its stepchild -- social media -- has been a savior for millions of women today (notwithstanding all the cyberbullying, online harassment, doxing, and slut-shaming). Virtually anyone can share her or his #MeToo story and be instantly welcomed into a tribe."
Lewinsky notes that just four years ago, she wrote a very different essay in Vanity Fair.
"Sure, my boss took advantage of me, but I will always remain firm on this point: it was a consensual relationship," she wrote then. "Any 'abuse' came in the aftermath, when I was made a scapegoat in order to protect his powerful position."
She now sees "how problematic" that is.
"Now, at 44, I'm beginning (just beginning) to consider the implications of the power differentials that were so vast between a president and a White House intern," she writes now. "I'm beginning to entertain the notion that in such a circumstance the idea of consent might well be rendered moot. (Although power imbalances -- and the ability to abuse them -- do exist even when the sex has been consensual.)"
The definition of consent, she writes, is "To give permission for something to happen."
"And yet what did the 'something' mean in this instance, given the power dynamics, his position, and my age? Was the 'something' just about crossing a line of sexual (and later emotional) intimacy? (An intimacy I wanted -- with a 22-year-old's limited understanding of the consequences.) He was my boss. He was the most powerful man on the planet. He was 27 years my senior, with enough life experience to know better. He was, at the time, at the pinnacle of his career, while I was in my first job out of college. (Note to the trolls, both Democratic and Republican: none of the above excuses me for my responsibility for what happened. I meet Regret every day.)"
Lewinsky says, "I -- we -- owe a huge debt of gratitude to the #MeToo and Time's Up heroines. They are speaking volumes against the pernicious conspiracies of silence that have long protected powerful men when it comes to sexual assault, sexual harassment, and abuse of power."
Embracing the #MeToo movement without condemning Clinton's behavior with Lewinsky has always represented a huge contradiction. Lewinsky has it right.
Tim Morris is an opinions columnist at NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune. He can be reached at tmorris@nola.com. Follow him on Twitter @tmorris504.
The people of Louisiana should know that when the Zombie apocalypse comes, Baton Rouge offers the best chance of survival in this state, according to an analysis of a report by the federal Centers of Disease Control and Prevention.
Background
Within the framework of the Organization of American States (OAS) some extremely useful and significant progress has been made in improving and strengthening legal and judicial cooperation among the states of the Hemisphere. One major success is that efforts in this area have led to real cooperation processes that are ongoing and are intended to be permanent and that in no instance was it therefore a matter of simple, isolated, one-shot, or unconnected actions. The processes initiated in this area have, instead, been consolidated through institutionalization as real mechanisms for legal and judicial cooperation that enable follow-up on progress made, give them continuity, and move forward in establishing new cooperation agreements or measures within the framework of said mechanisms.
Prominent among these legal and judicial cooperation mechanisms is the process of Meetings of Ministers of Justice or Other Ministers or Attorneys General of the Americas (REMJA), including working groups and technical meetings operating under their purview.
The proposal to establish, within the framework of the OAS, a hemispheric forum for dealing with issues related to justice and legal and judicial cooperation through the REMJA was introduced to the Organization in 1996. Until that time, unlike other areas, these particular subject areas had no hemispheric forum whatsoever for bringing together ministers and top officials. Not only was this a serious gap but it was a significant and costly weakness, because these are areas that undoubtedly call for joint efforts and coordinated action among states, if they are to be efficient and effective.
The idea of bringing together the Justice Ministers of the Americas found immediate and warm welcome from the OAS member states, with the General Assembly, at its twenty-seventh regular session held in June 1997, deciding to that end to convene and organize the first meeting of those authorities (REMJA I). Thanks to the offer by Argentina, that meeting was held in Buenos Aires, in December 1997.
This first meeting attested to the advisability and importance of continuing to hold these meetings on a regular basis, which was so acknowledged and mandated immediately afterwards by the Heads of State and Government at their Summit of the Americas in Santiago, Chile, and reiterated at subsequent Summitsin Quebec City, Monterrey, and Mar del Plata.
REMJA meetings have thus been held eight times since the Buenos Aires gatheringin Lima, Peru, in 1999 (REMJA II); in San Jose, Costa Rica, in 2000 (REMJA III); in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago, in 2002 (REMJA IV); at OAS headquarters in Washington, D.C., United States, in 2004 (REMJA V); in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, in 2006 (REMJA VI); in Washington, D.C., United States, in 2008 (REMJA VII); in Brasilia, Brazil, in 2010 (REMJA VIII), and again in Quito, Ecuador, in 2012 (REMJA IX).
The REMJA process has become the foremost hemispheric policy and technical forum for issues related to the strengthening justice and international legal cooperation. So important and far-reaching are its concrete results that they have exceeded expectations articulated at the time the proposal to promote this type of meetings was originally put forward. It is now clear that the OAS member states recognize the benefits and usefulness of this process and how important it is to continue consolidating and strengthening judicial cooperation within its framework.
Yasin Sentumbwe (L) and Simon Ssemuwemba
Uganda Christian University (UCU) guild president Duncan Barasha has advised students to pay more attention to their education and avoid situations that may otherwise steer them away from it.
Barasha said this in reference to the expulsion and subsequent law suit concerning two UCU students, Yasin Sentumbwe and Simon Ssemuwemba, all stemming from indiscipline.
Education is our key goal while at the university; let us keep the focus and not be derailed, Barasha said.
The said students dragged UCU to court after they were expelled for leading a strike protesting tuition hike, hence violating the institutions policy on demonstrations.
Regulations require students intending to demonstrate to notify the university to ensure that they are guided, and that their activities do not interrupt other businesses.
The university alleged the students did not notify it while the students said they were not given a fair hearing prior to their expulsion.
Unhappy with the biased manner of their expulsion, the students filed a court case on May 25, 2016, which won them back their place at the institution, compensation from the university of Shs 10 million for damages to each of them and, for the rest of the students, a constant tuition price from their first year of joining the university to the last.
Despite this development, Barasha said the university has a known code of conduct availed to every student upon admission and that it is every students duty to observe and adhere to their provisions.
The rules are meant to create harmonious and orderly living within the UCU community, he stated.
He, however, thinks the court made a fair ruling because, ultimately, justice is what both parties seek. He is positive about the students return, and hopes they are able to resume their studies competently.
They are our fellow students and we welcome them with open hands as our brothers in Christ. We shall make every effort to settle them in, and help them to re-assimilate so they can achieve their academic goals, Barasha said.
Besides the tuition increment scandal, the guild president is happy that the university is on the right track, and there are less chances of another student demonstration.
The university placed a freeze on the tuition increment and no fees have been added onto what we are paying, at least since I joined the university. There is minimal friction," Barasha remarked.
"That is expected in every society. We make every effort to leave harmoniously and we continue to have a fruitful relationship between the student community and the administration with aid from the student leadership.
Isaac Rubangakene, a third-year civil engineering student at UCU, shares the guild presidents opinion about the fair court ruling.
He thinks it was not proper for the university to expel these students, since they had organised a peaceful protest against the hiking of tuition fees, a move more than half of the students population were against.
It is great that the students get to come back and pick up from where they were made to stop; however, their coming back to the university puts them in the spotlight and can be vulnerable to attacks from the big people of the university, which could hinder their progress, Rubangakene said.
He advises his fellow students to know their rights, and not to settle for less, for only then can change occur.
Michael Kazibwe, a second-year bachelor of Economics and Management student, advised that students should always air out their views peacefully so that they are not caught up in such situations as expulsion. They can opt for round-table discussions so that a win-win situation is reached.
triumpdk@gmail.com
The commission of inquiry into land matters has pinned a lawyer for forging land titles and illegally evicting residents in Kyenjojo.
The commission headed by Justice Catherine Bamugemereire heard that Vincent Mugisha a businessman who claims to work in Office of the President, is in possession of three forged land titles. The forged titles are for 1,500 hectares of Matiri central forest reserve and land in Ganyinayo village in Kihuura sub-county, Kyenjojo district.
Vincent Mugisha (L) after he was handed over to police
John Bosco Suza, the commission's assistant lead counsel told Mugisha that they received 27 complaints from residents of Ganyinayo accusing Mugisha of illegal evictions and harassment.
Suza also said that attempts by National Forestry Authority (NFA) to evict Mugisha from the forest reserve was met with resistance from Mugisha's agents who included armed police officers.
Bamugemereire asked Mugisha to explain how he acquired the land and avail the commission with copies of the land titles, Mugisha submitted copies he claims are genuine.
However upon scrutiny of the titles by the investigators attached to the commission, it was discovered that the titles were forged.
Bamugemereire ordered police officers to detain Mugisha and hand him to detectives for further investigations. Mugisha was also accused of intimidating witnesses who had appeared before the commission to testify against his alleged illegal acts.
"You will go with our investigators and explain why you threatened two witnesses who have appeared before this commission and actually even threatened them inside this commission. To one of them you said; 'you will see me'. To the other, you said; you will kill him. Now, these are very serious allegations. youre yet to defend yourself against them but they are serious allegations, and they are criminal and they not only offend criminal justice but they also offend the Commission of Inquiries Act," said Bamugemereire.
The commission also heard that after encroaching on the forest reserve, he sold the timber illegally from Matiri central forest reserve. Mugisha however declined to reveal how much he realized from the sale.
The commission ended the public hearings in Kabarole which started on Monday. Some of the cases the commission investigated include the controversial leasing out of crater lakes and complaints against Mugisha.
Bamugemereire said that some of the cases that the commission was supposed to investigate in Fort Portal will be heard from Kampala. She mentioned cases such as evictions by Tooro Queen Mother Best Kemigisa and evictions of communities by TAMTECO tea factory, among others.
Sudhir Ruparelia
While giving his expert opinion on the Crane bank takeover in January 2017, the chairman of Uganda Bankers Association, Fabian Kasi, asked dfcu managers to ensure that what they were taking over did not affect their operations.
One year since this prophetic speech, dfcu bank faces an uphill task to defend suits filed against it by businessman Sudhir Ruparelia, through his Meera Investments Ltd.
At the end of last year, Sudhir went to the Commercial Court seeking an order to dfcu to return 42 properties currently occupied by the bank.
In that suit, the businessman said dfcu and the commissioner for land registration illegally took possession of his 42 properties, initially Crane bank branches, currently occupied by Dfcu.
In another suit last week, through Meera Investments Limited, Sudhir wants dfcu to pay him Shs 32bn plus interest for breach of tenancy agreements in respect to Plot 38 Kampala road (former Crane Chambers) and Plot 40A on Kampala road.
On account of being the successor in title to Crane bank (in receivership), dfcu expressly inherited all tenancy agreements and, therefore, assumed the rights and obligations under the tenancies in respect of the suit properties.
The case stems from a December 16, 2014 tenancy agreement in which Meera Investments let out the basement, ground, 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 7th floor of Plot 38 Kampala road (Crane Chambers) and all of Plot 40A Kampala road to Crane bank for a period of 10 years.
Under clause 3(c) of the tenancy agreement, it was specifically agreed by the parties (Crane bank and Meera) that the tenancies shall remain firm and binding on them until the expiry of ten years, reads part of the plaint filed by Meera.
In the above tenancy agreement, Crane bank would pay $46,980 (Shs 171m) in rent and $46,980 (Shs 171m) in ground rent per month with a seven per cent annual increment for Plot 38 Kampala road and $9,890 (Shs36m) in rent and $9,890 (Shs 36m) in ground rent for Plot 40A Kampala road.
Both rents were payable a year in advance.
What went wrong?
At the time of the takeover, dfcu inherited the entire premises previously rented by Crane bank and rebranded the entire premises. Dfcu also undertook to pay to Crane Management Services (managers of Meera) $531,000 (Shs 1.93bn) in restoration costs and arrears in utility bills.
According to the Meera plaint, Dfcu, in February 2017, entered into a revised contract in respect of the basement and ground floors of Plot 38 Kampala road for a fixed period of three years.
Dfcu, however, reportedly continued to occupy 1st, 2nd 3rd and 7th floors of Plot 38 Kampala road and Plot 40A Kampala road under the terms and conditions of the tenancy agreement dated December 16, 2014 until April 30, 2017, when it opted to vacate them.
According to Meera, this constituted a breach of clause 3(c) of the surviving tenancy agreement, that covenanted that the tenancies shall remain firm and binding on them until the expiry of ten years and for this breach, dfcu is liable to pay the plaintiff the sum constituting rent for the unexpired period of 84 months being $8,660,462.34 (Shs 31.6bn).
Meera, read Sudhir, now wants this money plus interest at the prevailing commercial rate from the date the defendant was in default until payment in full.
An official from dfcu, who did not want to be quoted, said the bank has been summoned to file its defence.
Yes, dfcu is in receipt of the plaint and is yet to file its defence, the official said.
As dfcu prepares her defence, questions linger as to why they only renegotiated part of the rental agreement but, one month later, decided to relinquish the 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 7th floors of Plot 38 Kampala road as well as the entire Plot 40A before the expiry of the 10 years and without attempting to renegotiate with Meera.
According to the central bank, 13 institutions bid for Crane bank takeover and dfcu emerged overall winner after vetting. In exercise of its powers as receiver under section 95(1) (b) of the Financial Institutions Act (FIA), Bank of Uganda also transferred the liabilities (including deposits) of Crane bank to dfcu.
In exercise of its powers under Section 87(3), 88(1) (a) & (b) of the Financial Institutions Act (FIA) 2004, Bank of Uganda, on October 20, 2016, took over the management of Crane bank.
Crane bank, which was the biggest traditional bank in Uganda, was progressed from statutory management to receivership by Bank of Uganda on January 24, 2017.
jolanyo@gmail.com
When thinking of ways to assist the poor, offering free breast augmentation or reduction surgery is probably not the first thing to come to mind, but that didnt stop health department officials in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu from doing it.
Most governments are tackling poverty problems the old fashioned way, trying to make sure that unprivileged citizens have access to food, water, a place to live and basic healthcare. The Indian state of Tamil Nadu, on the other hand, is taking a slightly different approach, becoming the first state in the world to offer free cosmetic breast surgery to both impoverished women and men. These procedures are currently funded by the state health department, but authorities are trying to get health insurance providers on board to cover them as well.
Photo: FDA/Wikimedia Commons
Why should beauty treatment not be available to the poor? Health Minister C Vijaya Baskar asked Times of India. If we dont offer they may opt for dangerous methods or take huge loans for it.
Poor men and women who cant afford the breast augmentation or reduction surgery theyve longed dreamed of, can have it done for free at a state-run clinic in Chennai, the capital of Tamil Nadu. The clinic had already been providing breast reconstruction surgery for cancer patients, but it has recently received requests from patients wanting to either reduce their breast size to alleviate back and shoulder pain, or get implants to boost their self-confidence.
There is a psychological benefit. Many girls who have larger breasts dont like to go out. There is no reason this surgery should be restricted from the poor, said Dr V Ramadevi, head of plastic surgery at the clinic, who added that such procedures would also be available to poor men.
The government of Tamil Nadu has become somewhat famous for it generosity, offering free wedding jewelry and venues to the poor, as well as free food canteens, in the past. Now, free cosmetic breast surgery is on the menu too.
However, this new method of helping the poor has been met with criticism. Dr S Elango, a former state health director told reporters that the scheme is a populist waste of money.
[It] sounds populist, but it is not an ideal public health programme, Elango said. State funds are required for emerging non communicable diseases and communicable diseases. It is sad that we are now focusing on beauty instead of life-saving surgeries.
Im sure recipients of the offer feel very differently.
Mercury Public Affairs has inked a two-month deal through May 15 to represent the Turkey-US Business Council in its effort to increase trade and investment volume between the countries.
The Omnicom unit will provide PR counsel to TUSBC and conduct outreach to American policymakers.
Though TUSBC is an association of private businesses, Mercury registered the work with the Justice Dept. out of an abundance of caution.
TUSBC operates under the Foreign Economic Relations Board, which in turn operates indirectly under the auspices of the Turkish Ministry of Economy, according to the filing.
US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson met with Turkeys president Recap Tayyip Erdogan earlier this month in a bid to improve relations between the two nations.
The US has criticized Erdogan for his crackdown on the media and political opponents. Turkey is upset with US support for Kurdish fighters in Syria.
Following the meeting with Erdogan, Tillerson said the US and Turkey will now lock arms to work together to improve ties.
Finn Partners has been selected by Belong, the worlds largest social network for cancer patients and caregivers, as its marketing and communications agency of record. Finn Partners will support Belong with a multinational team based in New York and Israel. Belong, which currently has partnerships with the American Cancer Society and Colorectal Cancer Canada, is a free app that provides improved access to such life-saving information as real-time forums with doctors, professionals and other patients as well as updates on new clinical trials and suggestions on how to address social and professional issues. Finn Partners is a key partner in helping us to support more and more Belongers, by extending the growth and reach of our fast-growing, life-changing community, said Belong co-founder and CEO Eliran Malki.
rbb Communications has been named the agency of record for insurance intermediary Brown & Brown, Inc. The agency will design and manage a strategic communications program engaging its PR, digital, social media and creative practices to help further Brown & Browns growth plans and build its brand. Brown & Brown offers insurance products and services for business, public entity, individual, trade and professional association customers, with over 230 locations in 40 states, as well as in England, Canada, Bermuda, and the Cayman Islands. Over the past 12 months, rbb has introduced the Reputation & Risk Advisors division, formalized its global healthcare practice and added a presence in the New York and Los Angeles-metro areas.
Hemsworth Communications has been named agency of record by Sefira Capital, Oasis Travel Network and Smart Cruiser. Sefira Capital is a Miami-based investment boutique platform focused on acquiring/developing commercial real estate in the United States. Hemsworth will work to raise Sefira Capitals profile in South Florida as well as nationally. Oasis is a leading travel agency and major seller of cruises and its sister company, SmartCruiser.com, is a full-service online retail travel company. Hemsworth will manage national PR for Oasis with a focus on travel and cruise trade outlets, travel agent media and national business press, while its efforts for SmartCruiser.com will focus on national consumer media.
UPDATED Tuesday, Feb. 27, 2018: Officials on Tuesday identified the guard as 83-year-old Benjamin O. Lyons of Vancouver.
* * *
An on-duty security guard was found dead early Monday in an apparent Vancouver homicide, police say.
The guard, a man who hasn't been publicly identified, was found dead "from what appears to be homicidal violence" in the 2800 block of Southeast Columbia Way, Vancouver police said in a news release. The guard had been with KnightHawk Protection, a private security business, for about a year, according to owner Rusty Rice.
Rice believed the guard was in his 70s.
The guard was patrolling at a business center that Rice described as an approximately 250-acre complex with warehouses and some retail buildings. He was not armed, Rice said.
Rice said the man wasn't guarding anything particularly valuable, such as money. The guard was healthy, active and well-liked, he said.
His death is under investigation, according to police. Police initially responded about 12:15 a.m. Monday. They didn't immediately release any additional details about the circumstances of his death.
KnightHawk Protection is a private security business that has offices in Portland and Vancouver.
-- Jim Ryan
jryan@oregonian.com
503-221-8005; @Jimryan015
A federal judge on Monday declined to dismiss any of the five charges against indicted FBI Agent W. Joseph Astarita, who is accused of lying about firing two shots at Oregon standoff spokesman Robert "LaVoy" Finicum's truck in early 2016.
U.S. District Judge Robert E. Jones said no evidence at this point justifies dismissal of any of the counts. He called the defense motion to throw out four of the five counts premature.
Astarita's lawyers had argued that the three counts of making a false statement and two counts of obstruction of justice are needlessly repetitive and will prejudice Astarita and confuse a jury. Astarita has pleaded not guilty to all charges.
Meghan Ferguson, a Washington, D.C.-based lawyer for Astarita, called the indictment an "impermissible five-count pileup'' by the government stemming from one alleged lie and one alleged harm that should amount to one alleged crime.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Gary Sussman countered that Astarita, a member of the FBI's elite Hostage Rescue Team, lied five different times to three supervisory FBI agents and in two interviews with Oregon State Police detectives.
"Defendant told different lies at different times to three different FBI supervisors with different roles and responsibilities,'' Sussman argued.
An investigation found that only Astarita could have fired two rounds shortly after Finicum stepped out of the cab of his pickup truck after he swerved into a snowbank to avoid a police roadblock on U.S. 395 on Jan. 26, 2016, the prosecutor said. Astarita's first rifle shot missed Finicum's truck, but the second entered the truck through the roof and blew out the left rear passenger window, Sussman told the court.
The shooting came as the FBI and state police moved to arrest the leaders of the armed occupation of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge as they drove to a meeting in John Day. State police shot and killed Finicum, 54, a short time later at the scene after he walked away from the truck and reached into his jacket towards his left inner pocket, where he had a loaded gun, investigators said.
At the scene shortly after the shooting, an FBI supervisory agent, identified by the initials "I.M.,'' responded to find out if any of the hostage team agents had fired their weapons.
He asked each of the agents, "Are you OK? Did you shoot?'" Sussman said. "Everyone answered except one.''
Astarita didn't directly respond, instead replying, "You don't got to ask me that, bro,'' or "You can't ask me that, bro,'' Sussman said.
When the FBI supervisor I.M. asked him again, Astarita responded, "No, bro, we're good,'' according to Sussman.
Astarita's lawyers argued that their client's "flippant remark'' can't be construed as a lie, since his answer wasn't responsive to the question. They urged the court to dismiss that count, for example.
They also argued that the government could only identify one single harm that resulted from any alleged lie: the failure of the FBI to call out its Shooting Incident Response Team immediately to initiate a shooting investigation, seize the agent's rifle and collect evidence.
Astarita is accused of telling two different FBI supervisors on the night of Jan. 26, 2016, that he hadn't fired any gunshots. Later that night, state police detectives interviewed the five FBI Hostage Rescue Team agents separately, and none said they had discharged their weapon.
Sometime between Jan. 26 and Feb. 6, 2016, Astarita was asked by another FBI supervisory agent, with the initials "T.S.,'' if he had fired his rifle that night, and he said no. By then, the local investigators had alerted the FBI that there were two unaccounted gunshots, that they appeared to have come from an FBI agent, that bullet casings were missing and aerial video showed Hostage Rescue Team agents looking around on the ground and under Finicum's truck after the shooting, Sussman said.
Astarita was interviewed a second time by state police on Feb. 6, 2016, this time with two other FBI agents who were also present at the shooting scene. It appears Astarita didn't speak during this February interview, as all the agents were represented by a lawyer and state police were told the agents wouldn't answer any questions previously asked.
Ferguson said the Oregon State Police detectives during this last interview were hoping for a confession, "which they never got.''
Whether a bullet or a metal fragment is lodged in the shoulder of Ryan Bundy, who was hunched down in the back seat of Finicum's truck, remains a mystery to prosecutors.
"Bundy thinks so,'' Sussman told the judge. "We're not sure. He hasn't been cooperative. We do know the bullet blew out the back window of the truck. Unfortunately we don't have it.''
The judge asked prosecutors why they didn't restrict the charges to their strongest evidence, such as Astarita's flat-out denials of firing any shots?
"Why are you muddying up the waters with these soft counts?'' Jones asked. "Why are you preceding with weaker evidence when you got such strong evidence?''
Sussman said the grand jury returned the five-count indictment based on the five separate circumstances of Astarita's alleged lies.
"The jury should be hearing how the whole story unraveled,'' Sussman said.
The judge said he believes it's better to "simplify'' rather than "amplify'' charges for a jury.
"But that is a strategy that is not my job,'' Jones said. "That's up to the prosecution.''
The judge left open the possibility that he could dismiss some of the counts during a trial upon hearing the evidence, before sending the case to a jury for deliberations.
Ferguson argued that waiting until trial would unfairly prejudice the defendant and imply to the jury that the other counts that remain "are good.''
In related action, defense lawyers in their motion to dismiss wrote that prosecutors had conceded the bullet trajectory analysis of the shooting by a Deschutes County sheriff's deputy and the Tri-County Major Incident Team was somehow flawed. They noted that the government hired new experts for trial.
Sussman refused to let those sentences stand. "That, Your Honor, is pure fiction. We never conceded that the original analysis was flawed,'' he said. "We did hire new experts. We didn't concede anything. We just wanted to make the evidence stronger.''
Astarita waived his appearance at Monday's hearing.
The two sides are expected to return to court in May to determine what expert testimony will be admissible at trial, which is set for July 24.
-- Maxine Bernstein
mbernstein@oregonian.com
503-221-8212
@maxoregonian
Correction appended.
SALEM Oregon lawmakers gave final approval Monday to a bill that would allow Portland officials to break up homeless camps on Oregon Department of Transportation property within the Portland urban growth boundary.
Senators approved House Bill 4054 unanimously Monday after representatives unanimously approved it last week.
Supporters of the bill have said it would bring state and city policy in line, resulting in a clear and consistent approach to removing illegal campsites. Current law only allows Portland officials to clear camps on city land not state property, too. Others have said they worry the bill will cause more sweeps of homeless camps.
The bill passed Monday also affects timelines for removing homeless camps. Currently, the Oregon Department of Transportation gives campers 10 to 19 days to clear out before the camp is removed and any leftover property seized. Under House Bill 4054, a camp on state property may be removed two days after a notice is posted near the campsite.
For its part, the city is firmly in support of House Bill 4054. Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler and all other city commissioners submitted a letter to the Legislature supporting the proposal. They said it would undo "statutory barriers" that make it tough to apply a consistent approach to removing homeless camps on state land versus city land. They said the bill would help the city address "the causes and symptoms of homelessness with compassion."
Opposite the city are several civil rights groups, including the Oregon wing of the American Civil Liberties Union. Its lobbyists were officially neutral on the bill, but said sweeps of homeless camps are "not the answer we should be searching for." An ACLU representative testified that, instead of more sweeps, the state should develop safe places for the homeless to camp and build more housing among other measures.
House Bill 4054 now heads to Gov. Kate Brown who can make it law with her signature.
-- Gordon R. Friedman
503-221-8209; @GordonRFriedman
Correction, Feb. 27: An earlier version of this story inaccurately stated that the ACLU of Oregon opposed House Bill 4054. In fact, the ACLU of Oregon was neutral on the bill.
Passengers were told to take off scarves and heavy necklaces. They were instructed to return their seat to the upright position. They were to cross their arms, place them on the seat in front of them and put their heads down.
They were told to steel themselves for impact.
And they sat in silence as the airplane descended.
The pilot and flight attendants yelled for passengers to brace as the ground approached.
But amid the scary descent, Deborah Chapman remained calm. After a bit of bumping and rattling, the plane came to a halt Sunday night. Everyone was safe.
Chapman was among the 122 passengers aboard United Airlines Flight 1551, which blew a tire while taking off in Newark, New Jersey, en route to Portland, according to a United spokeswoman.
A sea of emergency responders met the plane, but passengers were able to deplane normally at the gate.
"I felt that the crew was totally on top of it and had prepared us," Chapman said.
She said an odd sound was heard when the plane lifted off in Newark, but she thought it was overhead bins rattling. The crew didn't initially acknowledge the noise, she said, but the pilot later said he was concerned a front tire blew.
Flight attendants told everyone to get out their safety cards, and they led passengers through emergency evacuation preparations.
But the odds were in their favor. The pilot said there was only a 1-in-100 chance that would be necessary.
Chapman had flown east to return her visiting grandsons to their parents in Boston. She stopped in New York City on the way home to visit her daughter, then flew from Newark to Portland and went back to her Lake Oswego home.
The 59-year-old worked as usual on Monday morning. In a phone interview with The Oregonian/OregonLive, she recalled the experience as a bit surreal.
But it won't keep her from flying again. She has a vacation planned in two weeks.
And she'll return on United Flight 1551.
Jim Ryan
jryan@oregonian.com
503-221-8005; @Jimryan015
The Supreme Court on Monday declined to enter the national controversy over the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program (DACA), turning down the Trump administration's request to immediately review lower court decisions that keep in place the program that protects undocumented immigrants brought here as children from deportation.
President Donald Trump announced in September that he would let the program expire in March, unless Congress acted. Efforts on Capitol Hill to revive DACA as part of a broader deal on immigration policy have failed.
Federal district judges in California and New York have issued nationwide injunctions against ending the program, siding with states and organizations challenging the administration's rescission. The court orders effectively block the Trump administration from ending the program on March 5, as planned.
No appellate court has reviewed those decisions, and it would have been exceedingly rare for the Supreme Court to take up a case without that interim step. In the past, the court has granted such cases only in matters of grave national importance, such as the controversy over President Richard Nixon's White House tapes or solving the Iranian hostage crisis.
The litigation now will take its usual course, and it will likely be next term before the issue could return to the Supreme Court. The White House and Congress in the meantime can continue to search for a political resolution.
The Trump administration skipped the more usual procedure of asking the high court to stay the lower court decisions. Instead, it said the court should accept the case now because it raised such important legal questions about presidential authority.
"The district court's unprecedented order requires the government to sanction indefinitely an ongoing violation of federal law being committed by nearly 700,000 aliens - and, indeed, to confer on them affirmative benefits," Solicitor General Noel Francisco wrote in the government's brief to the court.
U.S. District Judge William Alsup in San Francisco ruled in December that challengers are likely right that the way the administration is ending the program violated the Administration Procedure Act, because it is arbitrary and capricious.
A nationwide injunction is warranted, Alsup said, because "our country has a strong interest in the uniform application of immigration law and policy." Earlier this week, a district judge in New York came to an almost identical conclusion.
The solicitor general told the court that the administration was ending the program because of the threat of legal challenges from a coalition of states led by Texas, and a belief that the program instituted during the Obama administration could not be successfully defended in court.
The Department of Homeland Security, Francisco said, "opted to wind down DACA after reasonably concluding that the policy was likely to be struck down by courts and indeed was unlawful."
The administration had proposed to end the program next month. But the injunctions require the department to continue to accept renewal applications from those protected from deportation. The administration is not required to accept new applications.
Challengers, led by California Attorney General Xavier Becerra, D, and the board of regents of the state's universities, said the current administration was ignoring past findings by the government that the program was legal.
"Without the injunction, thousands of DACA recipients would lose their work authorization and deferred action status in March 2018 - and thousands more the next month, and each succeeding month, until nearly three-quarters of a million young Americans would be shunted back into the shadows of our society," Becerra wrote in his brief.
And a separate brief from the California Board of Regents noted how unusual it would be for the court to accept the case without the benefit of review from lower courts, a process called "certiorari before judgment."
"In the very rare instances - the last almost 30 years ago - in which the court has granted certiorari before judgment in this situation, it has done so in response to an urgent, overwhelming need for immediate resolution of a legal issue," the brief said.
The case is Department of Homeland Security v. California Board of Regents.
Over the course of its seven-season run, "Pretty Little Liars" built a devoted fan base who tuned in to follow every twist and turn of the melodramatic mystery about a group of girls and their secrets.
Though "Pretty Little Liars" ended its run on Freeform in 2017, there's more "PLL" TV on the way. A new "PLL" spinoff pilot, called "The Perfectionists," will film in Portland in March, and is looking for extras.
Like "Pretty Little Liars," "The Perfectionists" is executive produced by I. Marlene King, and is based on a book series by Sara Shepard. The synopsis for the proposed new series reads like this: "Everything about the town of Beacon Heights seems perfect, from their top-tier college to their overachieving residents. But nothing in Beacon Heights is as it appears to be. The stress of needing to be perfect leads to the town's first murder. Behind every Perfectionist is a secret, a lie and a needed alibi."
The characters of Alison (played by Sasha Pieterse) and Mona (Janel Parrish) will make the jump from "Pretty Little Liars" to the new series. Sofia Carson, who played Evie in the Disney Channel hit, "Descendants," is also on board, playing the character of Ava, which a Deadline report describes as "a trendsetting blogger and coder who strives to be a fashion icon."
"A Bit Extra Casting" is looking for locals to fill background roles for the pilot, which is filming in the Portland and Forest Grove area in March.
According to the notice on the site of "A Bit Extra Casting," the company is seeing twenty-somethings who look college-aged, but "there will be roles available for people of all ages."
Extras will be paid $11.25 per hour, with possible extra pay if their car is used. For more information, follow the "A Bit Extra Casting" Facebook page: facebook.com/ABitExtraCasting
The application form asks a variety of questions, including applicant availability from March 12 through March 30, which is when filming is scheduled to happen.
Here's a link to the application form: http://abitextracasting.com/theperfectionists/
-- Kristi Turnquist
kturnquist@oregonian.com
503-221-8227
@Kristiturnquist
Tuesday 27 February 2018 10:09am
Members of the Pacific community presented Pro-Vice-Chancellor Health Sciences, Peter Crampton, with a traditional vaa (waka) at a welcoming function for Pacific Island students into the Division of Health Sciences on Friday. Photo: Sharron Bennett.
The University of Otago continues to lead the way in education for Pacific peoples with the development of Vaa o Tautai, the Pacific entity within the Division of Health Sciences.
Vaa o Tautai provides strategic leadership within the division bringing together the Office of the Associate Dean (Pacific), the Pacific Islands Research and Student Support Unit and a new centre for research and teaching, the Centre for Pacific Health.
Through Vaa o Tautai, health science students will have increasing exposure to Pacific health teaching.
This years official welcome for Pacific students in the Division of Health Sciences last Friday, 23 February, was significant in that it incorporated the formal introduction of Vaa o Tautai and the cultural acknowledgment for a number of staff who are retiring who have contributed significantly to Pacific developments.
Faumuina Associate Professor Faafetai Sopoaga says the University of Otago is leading the way in Pacific education among New Zealand universities. For example, Pro-Vice-Chancellor Health Sciences, Professor Peter Crampton, strongly supported development of an inaugural Pacific Strategic Framework (2011-2015) for the division and this has since been replaced by a University-wide Pacific framework (2013-2020).
Associate Professor Sopoaga was appointed to her role in 2009 and established the Pacific Islands Research and Student Support Unit in 2010. Following her appointment, new Associate Dean (Pacific) roles were established at the Wellington and Christchurch campuses and in the Dunedin School of Medicine. Other similar roles have since been established University-wide.
More recently, the School of Pharmacy has appointed a Pacific Adviser, Wellington Hospital Clinical Pharmacist and Otago alumna, Kasey Brown.
Associate Professor Sopoaga says she is grateful to the Universitys visionary leaders, former Vice-Chancellor Professor David Skegg, current Vice-Chancellor Professor Harlene Hayne and Professor Crampton in her division, who have led and supported Pacific strategies.
Im very proud of this University and its visionary leaders.
University settings are unfamiliar environments for Pacific communities, she explains. The University has established the welcoming Pacific Islands Centre with manager Tofilau Nina Kirifi-Alai. Pacific families are now increasingly choosing to bring their children to Otago University.
To come to this prestigious University with its proud history, yet one which has also adopted a social accountability agenda that is inclusive of everyone who wants to come here, is wonderful.
The immersion programme for fourth year medical students at the Dunedin Campus, whereby they spend a weekend living with a Pacific family, is now compulsory and will be rolled out in Christchurch this year, with discussions underway for the Wellington campus next year.
Its about training health professional students to integrate clinical and cultural competencies in a way that translates to positive outcomes for their patients, Associate Professor Sopoaga says.
Professor Crampton, who is later this year stepping down from his role, was formally recognised by the Pacific community at Fridays ceremony, with the presentation of a traditional vaa (waka), symbolising the Pacific journey he has enabled in the Division of Health Sciences.
Associate Professor Sopoaga says the Universitys Pacific Island community is indebted to Professor Crampton who has worked tirelessly to improve Pacific representation within the Health Sciences Division.
The total numbers of Pacific students enrolled in Health Professional Programmes has been steadily increasing since 2009. The total number enrolled in Health Professional Programmes has increased by 20% to 157 this year, up from 130 in 2017. This is more than twice the number enrolled in 2012.
A team of three traditional master carvers from Samoa was brought to Dunedin for three weeks by Vaa o Tautai to build a double hulled waka, with one presented to Professor Crampton and his family, and the other to remain at Vaa o Tautais offices.
Professor Crampton told those gathered on Friday that it was an incredibly humbling experience to be presented with such a remarkable, beautiful and unique gift.
While stepping down from his current roles later this year, Professor Crampton says he will continue working at the University and is committed to working with his Pacific colleagues in the future.
We are all in the same waka together and paddling in the same direction.
Associate Professors Pat Cragg, David Perez and Jonathan Leichter, who are retiring this year, were also acknowledged for their excellent services to Pacific students, staff and communities.
Associate Professor Sopoaga is excited to be part of the Pacific journey in the Division of Health Sciences. Its a journey into unchartered waters, she says.
For further information please contact:
Faumuina Associate Professor Faafeti Sopoaga,
Associate Dean (Pacific)
Division of Health Sciences
Mob: +64 21 268 2244
Email: tai.sopoaga@otago.ac.nz
Professor Peter Crampton,
Pro-Vice-Chancellor Health Sciences
Telephone: +64 3 479 7413
Mob: +64 27 455 0147
Email: peter.crampton@otago.ac.nz
Liane Topham-Kindley
Senior Communications Adviser
Telephone: +64 479 9065
Mobile: +64 21 279 9065
Email: liane.topham-kindley@otago.ac.nz
Tuesday 27 February 2018 12:00pm
Professor Mark Richards, Christchurch Heart Institute Director and Heart Foundation Chair of Cardiovascular Studies
Thousands of New Zealanders can look forward to improvements in treatment and care of heart failure following new research findings that look set to alter the clinical approach and health care planning for heart failure globally.
The findings of a New Zealand-led international research collaboration, recently published in the European Heart Journal, set out how two distinct forms of heart failure previously considered similar in prevalence and risk of death, are in fact very different.
Professor Rob Doughty, NZ Heart Foundation Chair of Heart Health at The University of Aucklands Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences, led New Zealands participation in the seven-year collaborative study of more than 2000 patients from Singapore and New Zealand. It involved expertise in heart health from four major centres in New Zealand (Christchurch, Auckland, Middlemore and Waikato), and all six main hospitals in Singapore.
Heart failure is a common and serious condition affecting around 80,000 New Zealanders. In many people with heart failure the heart muscle is stretched and weakened and does not pump properly.
However, in other cases of heart failure, the heart may have near normal pumping function but the muscle is stiff and often thicker than usual and the heart cannot fill properly between beats. These two types of heart failure were thought to be equal in occurrence and risk of death.
However, our new findings reveal that the stiff heart muscle is less common than originally thought, affecting about three out of every 10 heart failure patients, and there is less risk of dying from this type compared with heart failure where the heart is not pumping properly, says Professor Doughty.
Two percent of New Zealands population live with heart failure, and the studys findings provide greater accuracy about their risk of dying.
Based on our new findings from this study, the global approach and treatment of patients with heart failure, based on measures of heart pump function, may need to be reviewed. This information will influence clinical thought and health-care planning of heart failure around the world, and provide more precise treatment, Doughty said.
Professor Mark Richards, Christchurch Heart Institute Director and Heart Foundation Chair of Cardiovascular Studies, provided overall international leadership and coordination of the work between the two countries.
Our findings are pivotal to the understanding of occurrence, death rates and risk prediction within different classes of heart failure, Professor Richards says.
Professor Richards won research funding and supervised execution of the study in Singapore, where he is also Director of the Cardiovascular Research Institute of Singapore. A total of 16 distinguished heart doctors and researchers have been involved, including Professor Carolyn Lam of the National Heart Centre in Singapore and Professor Richard Troughton of the Christchurch Heart Institute.
We are particularly proud to have proven these findings, with identical procedures executed simultaneously in two countries, 5000 miles apart, Richards says.
In addition, we demonstrated that the worlds most successful-ever cardiac biomarker, NT-proBNP, (discovered and validated in the Christchurch Heart Institute) is similarly prognostically powerful in both types of heart failure in both Singapore and New Zealand. Overall, this will exert major influence on clinical thinking and planning.
Funding for the research came from multiple Singapore and NZ sources including the Heart Foundation of NZ, Health Research Council of NZ, Singapore National Medical Research Council and other smaller contributors.
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Over the last year, there has been a lot of discussion about what is data science and who are data scientists. There are those that think ...
McKinley Paper Puts Machine Conversion on Hold at Port Angeles Mill
Photo courtesy: Peninsula Daily News.
Feb. 26, 2018 According to a news story in the Peninsula Daily News, McKinley Paper Company has indefinitely postponed plans to convert its Port Angeles paper mill in Washington to the production of linerboard. The mill, which McKinley Paper acquired from Nippon Paper Industries in March of 2017 for $20.6 million, previously produced paper used primarily for newsprint and telephone directories. A cogeneration facility was also included in the sale.
McKinley had planned to have one of the mill's two machines converted for the production of linerboard and ready for start-up by December of this year, but Herb Baez, vice president of McKinley told the Peninsula Daily News, That's not going to happen.
We are taking it a day at a time, Baez added.
Baez said he hopes the plant can begin production in 2019 but could not be more definitive.
Right now, we don't have anything specific, he said.
I don't want to raise expectations.
Things are happening in the market.
McKinley Paper Company has operated as a subsidiary of Mexico-based Bio Pappel since 1997.
Bio Pappel is an integrated producer of containerboard, uncoated free sheet, newsprint, corrugated boxes, cut size paper, notebooks, paper sacks, and other specialties. The company operates 30 production facilities and 13 recycled fibers collection centers in Mexico, the U.S. and Colombia. Currently, Bio Pappel employs 11,068 people and produces approximately 3.2 million metric tons per year of paper and packaging grades.
SOURCE: Peninsula Daily News, and Bio Pappel
Alice Glass wrote on Twitter that she won the defamation case set against her by former Crystal Castles bandmate Ethan Kath (real name Claudio Palmieri). Back in October, Glass made accusations against Kath on her website about her years spent with him in the band. She detailed allegations of physical, emotional and sexual abuse starting from when she first met him at the age of 15. Glass left Crystal Castles in 2014, a decision she now says was due to the abuse she suffered by Kath.
"Claudio was very manipulative towards me. Over a period of many months, he gave me drugs and alcohol and had sex with me in an abandoned room at an apartment he managed," Glass wrote at the time. "It wasn't always consensual...He forced me to have sex with him or, he said, I wouldn't be allowed to be in the band anymore."
I won in court today!! the defamation lawsuit against me was dismissed !
thank you so much for the love and support throughout this ugly process
ALICE GLASS (@ALICEGLASS) February 23, 2018
this is a victory for survivors of abuse and sexual misconduct in countries where abusers use the court system to further victimize and keep people silent. WE WILL NOT BE SILENCED
ALICE GLASS (@ALICEGLASS) February 23, 2018
Kath denied Glass' allegations in a statement, writing that she was "still bitter about breaking up" and alleging that she left Crystal Castles due to substance abuse and mental health issues.
"We are extremely pleased with the Court's decision to grant our motion to strike, which effectively dismisses Palmieri's complaint in its entirety," Glass' lawyer Vicki Greco told The Star. Pitchfork confirmed with the Los Angeles Superior Court that Glass' "motion to strike" was granted.
Image via Getty
The legendary, late Spanish surrealist Salvador Dali is most famous for his otherworldly paintings and delightfully nutty persona. Warped landscapes, unusual quotes, and avant-garde film and sculpture make up his rich, constantly unfolding archive. Now, almost 30 years after his death, a forgotten Dali painting has been found and added to the lot. The work will soon be on display in New York.
Related | Miguel Channels Salvador Dali
According to Artnet, material and signature analysis indicates that Dali painted this piece in 1932 during his first months living in Spain. "With a forgery, there is always a mistake you can track somewhere. This one, no mistake," Nicolas Descharnes, a Dali scholar, told Artnet. The painting pays tribute to the artist's wife Gala via its signature, which reads "Gala Salvador Dali."
The untitled work highlights iconic Dali motifs that he started incorporating in 1932; a window and a pole. It's seemingly inspired by Dali and Gala's shared home in Spain where they lived from 1932 to 1982. Descharnes surmises that the painting was a study, a point proven by Dali's following work, Morphological Echo (193436), which uses the same imagery.
The painting is on display by appointment at New York's Heather James Fine Art Gallery.
Photo via Getty
In January Patently Apple posted a report titled "Apple Disturbingly Announces that their Chinese Partner for iCloud Services will have equal access to Chinese Customer data." On Saturday, we posted a follow-up report titled "Those who Trusted Apple's iCloud in China lost big Time, as the Government prepares to access iCloud data on Demand." The bottom line is that Chinese authorities will now have far easier access to text messages, email and other data stored in iCloud. The promise of privacy via iCloud is toast in China. At the end of our weekend report we noted that it's now clear that this is the route that any foreign government could take in the future in order to break Apple's privacy policies. Pandora's Box has now been opened and other foreign governments with any clout are likely to adopt China's policy to gain access to data on demand.
While that may have sounded a little draconian to some, we learn today that indeed the EU is about to take a similar stance. Reuters is reporting that "The European Union is preparing legislation to force companies to turn over customers' personal data when requested even if it is stored on servers outside the bloc, a position that will put Europe at loggerheads with tech giants and privacy campaigners."
The EU push comes as a landmark legal battle in the United States nears its climax. The U.S. Supreme Court will this week hear oral arguments in a case pitting Microsoft against U.S. prosecutors, who are trying to force the company to turn over emails stored on its servers in Ireland in connection with a drug-trafficking investigation.
Many law enforcement officials argue such powers are necessary for crime-fighting in the digital age. But campaigners say giving governments so-called extra-territorial authority to reach across borders and access data would erode individuals' privacy rights. Technology firms like Microsoft, Apple and IBM say it would undermine consumer trust in cloud services.
The planned law, which would apply to all companies around the world that do business in the European Union, is an apparent shift in position for the European Commission, the EU executive, which has stood on the side of privacy advocates in the past.
The proposed law would apply to the personal data of people of all nationalities, not just EU citizens, as long as they were linked to a European investigation, one of the sources said.
The legislation is still in the drafting stage and is expected to go before lawmakers and member states at the end of March. It can take up to two years for a law to be finally agreed. "Read the full Reuters report for more.
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Iran Arrests Three More Environmentalists For Spying
02/26/18
Source: RFE/RL
Iran has arrested three more environmentalists on spying charges, the country's powerful judiciary has said. The arrests on February 25 came weeks after a wave of detentions and the death of a well-known Iranian-Canadian environmentalist who died in Iranian custody. Judiciary spokesman Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei, quoted by the semi-official Fars news agency, said on February 25 that three people were recently arrested in the southern province of Hormozgan.
Iranian judiciary spokesman Gholamhossein Mohseni-Ejei speaking on February 25, 2018
"There is no doubt that infiltration by the United States and Israel is a serious matter," the spokesman said, without offering further details on the arrests.
Iranian officials have said the activists who have been arrested were gathering sensitive information under the guise of scientific and environmental activities on behalf of the CIA and Israel's Mossad.
The arrests come after the death of Kavous Seyed-Emami, the Iranian-Canadian managing director of the Persian Wildlife Heritage Foundation and a lecturer in sociology in Tehran, who was arrested on January 24 and died in prison two weeks later.
The judiciary said Seyed-Emami, 63, had committed suicide.
The Center for Human Rights in Iran (CHRI), a non-profit organization based in New York, said at least nine other members of Seyed-Emami's organization had been arrested on the same day as him.
Seyed-Emami's death along with other inmate "suicides" have sparked a government probe and fueled tension between Iran's dominant hard-line institutions and its president, a relative moderate.
Former Intelligence Minister Ali Yunesi, an advisor to Rohani, criticized the handling of Seyed-Emami's case and suggested the public did not believe the official explanation for his death.
"Given the events that have occurred, if a competent and legal agency does not intervene and doesn't give its opinion on the dead individual or those under arrest, public opinion will not believe they are spies even if they are convicted," he said in an interview with the daily Iran newspaper published on February 25.
Yunesi, who was a minister under reformist President Mohammad Khatami, said the case should be handed to the Intelligence Ministry.
Seyed-Emami's case is said to have been handled by Iran's powerful Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), which runs an intelligence service that is separate from the government's Intelligence Ministry.
Human rights activists have reported that at least six detainees have died in prisons in the last two months in Iran. The judiciary has confirmed three deaths in custody but said all three were suicides.
With reporting by Fars and Reuters
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.
Government is engaged in necessary stakeholder consultations to equip universities to tackle expected increase in the number of tertiary students in the next three years, as a result of its flagship Free Senior High School Programme, Education Minister, Dr. Matthew Opoku-Prempeh has assured.
We are committed to ensuring that all higher education institutions in the country get their fair share of development projects to enable them all meet their obligations more effectively.
To this end, government is committed to providing the needed infrastructure and equipment to enable the universities absorb the expected increase in the number of potential students that will be graduating from governments flagship Free SHS programme.
The Minister gave the assurance at the official launch of the 70th Anniversary celebration of the University of Ghana, held at the schools main campus in Accra.
Dr. Opoku-Prempeh congratulated the school for how far it has come since its inception, urging managers of the institution to continue working hard to improve on achievements made so far.
He also called on all tertiary institutions to present to his ministry, their plans on how the expected increase in student numbers will be handled, as well as their expectations of government in that regard.
In his address at the event, Prof. Ebenezer Oduro Owusu, Vice- Chancellor of the University reiterated the institutions vision of transforming into a world-class research-intensive university that serves the growing needs of Ghana and Africa at large, urging all to support in their own ways towards the achievement of same.
He also outlined a number of strategies that his outfit seeks to adopt to generate additional funds to effectively run the school, as governments financial support remains inadequate.
The university has strategized to generate income to cover teaching, research, infrastructure, maintenance, and development, as well as service and administration. The challenge is how to diversify the sources of internally generated funds and reduce the burden of students even as they make fair contribution, he said.
Source: thebftonline.com
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The President of the Republic, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, has urged Governors of the United States of America not to ignore Africa, stating his belief that this can be Africas century.
According to President Akufo-Addo, growth in Africa, in 2015 was second only to that of Asia, adding that six of the world's ten fastest growing economies, this year, are in Africa.
We are rich in natural resources, and in possession of nearly 30 percent of the earth's remaining mineral resources. We have a vibrant young population, and, though we still have important security challenges, we are more at peace than before, he said.
The President noted that with the historic decision of the African Union to bring into being, on 21st March, 2018, the Continental Free Trade Area, the agenda of regional integration, which will establish a market of some 2 billion people in 20 years, presents immense opportunities to bring prosperity to Africa with hard work, enterprise and creativity.
This is the time to look at Africa, he added.
President Akufo-Addo made this known when he delivered the keynote address at the National Governors Association 2018 Winter Meeting, in Washington DC, United States of America, on Sunday, 25th February, 2018.
Whilst acknowledging the disheartening spectre of African youths crossing the Sahara desert on foot and drown in the Mediterranean Sea, in a desperate bid to reach the mirage of a better life in Europe, President Akufo-Addo explained that the current structure of African economies, which are dependent on the production and export of raw materials, cannot create prosperity.
These economies cannot produce wealth and prosperity for the masses on the continent. It, therefore, drives the determination to seek a much better standard of living out of Africa, thereby, fuelling the refugee crises and the numerous counts of illegal migrations, he said.
The large wave of migrations into the United States from Ireland and Italy, in the 19th century, the President added, has completely subsided because the economies of the two countries are working properly.
It is for this reason that President Akufo-Addo stated that the only way to ensuring prosperity in Africa and jobs for our young populations is through value addition activities, in a transformed and diversified, modern economy, in which we take full advantage of the digital revolution.
He continued, In other words, the industrial development of our continent, and we are determined to ensure the realisation of this, so that our young people can stay and devote their great energies to the building of a great Africa.
The President was confident that it is only Asians who can engineer, in a generation, their transition from poverty to prosperity.
We are determined to do that in our generation in Ghana, on the continent, and ensure that succeeding generations will be neither victims nor pawns of the global order, he added.
This, the President indicated, will serve as the impetus for re-shaping the continent and charting a new path of growth and development in freedom, which will lift the long suffering African masses out of poverty into the realms of prosperity and dignified existence.
Source: Peacefmonline.com
Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.
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Audio Attachment: Listen to Dr. Matthew Opkoku Prempeh on Peace FM's 'kokrokoo' programme..
The University of Ghana (UG), Legon, stands the risk of losing most, if not all of its assets, in the not-too-distant future.
That is if the premier public university fails to payback a loan of $64m.
This was disclosed by the Minister of Education, Mathew Opoku-Prempeh, Monday.
The amount was borrowed from Africa Integras, a private firm to construct Faculty offices on campus but it cannot be accounted for.
The University, back in 2015, entered into a Public Private Partnership (PPP) agreement with Africa Integras to invest US$64 million in the construction of 1,000 new students hostel beds for undergraduate and post-graduate students on the Legon campus. The project was structured as a 25-year Build, Operate and Transfer (BOT) contract.
The BOT agreement was signed by Professor Ernest Aryeetey, then Vice-Chancellor of the University of Ghana, on behalf of the University, while Ms Andrea Pizziconi, Managing Partner at Africa Integras, initialed for her Organization.
Some have raised questions about the deal, particularly relating to the overall cost to the University.
Speaking to Kwami Sefa-Kayi in a one-on-one interaction on Peace FMs morning show, Monday, the Education Minister disclosed that the amount was borrowed about two or three years ago according to Legonthe council has described it ($64m) as the worst contract the school had gone for and they didnt even inform government before going for the loan.
UG needs to pay 10million dollars for 25 years and by the time they redeem themselves, they would have paid 250million. If they are not able to pay, their assets will be confiscated."
The Minister therefore wished public universities would involve government in its decision-making on such matters.
Asked if it will not be considered as interference on the part of government in the administration of the university, since the universities are considered to be autonomous, he said: "it is about time we realize that Management of a university is different from academic freedomuniversities need to be open to governmentthey are not autonomous
Background
In July 2014, under the leadership of Prof. Ernest Aryeetey, the UG entered a contract with Africa Integras, a private investment company with headquarters in New York, to construct five buildings for the university on a Build Operate and Transfer (BOT) basis.
The project was to consist of the construction of an expanded facility for the College of Humanities, a complex for the new College of Education, a new building complex for the College of Basic and Applied Sciences, a complex to house the Institute of Technology and Applied Science and a building for the College of Health Sciences to aid the university in relocating the medical school to the UG campus from its present location in the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital.
Graphic.com.gh reported in 2017 that the project has come to a standstill due to disagreement between the current Vice Chancellor (VC) of the University, Prof. Ebenezer Oduro Owusu, and his predecessor, Prof. Ernest Aryeetey, over the viability of the project.
Source: Rebecca Addo Tetteh/Peacefmonline.com
Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.
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Security expert Dr Kwesi Aning has expressed that, the recall of some Ghanaian police contingent on un mission in South Sudan over sexual abuse is a dent on Ghanas reputation.
The information received indicates that some members of the FPU (Formed Police Unit) allegedly engaged in transactional sex. This is a clear breach of the U.N. and UNMISS Code of Conduct which prohibits sexual relationships with vulnerable individuals, including all beneficiaries of assistance, the UN statement said.
It added: UNMISS has informed U.N. headquarters in New York of the allegations, which in turn notified the Member State that the matter was being investigated by the United Nations. There is no indication that this behavior is more widespread within the Mission.
Dr. Aning said Ghana should ensure that the probe into the matter is thorough.
I dont think this would hinder our relations with UN peacekeeping but theres going to be a reputation damage to Ghana where fingers would be pointed anytime our people are on missions. Ghana has really world class reputation when it comes to peacekeeping so we need to handle this so well that it wont dent our reputation, he said.
He also called for a tighter background search into officers selected for peacekeeping operations.
The security personnel are aware transactional sex is a no go area during peacekeeping. Because the UN and the whole frowns on it, Ghana must insist that the results that would come of this investigations are absolutely true. From September I want to introduce a check on peacekeeping recruitment as to whether individuals have any traces of sexual abuses.
Source: ghanacrusader.com
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Member of Parliament (MP) for Odododiodio, Edwin Nii Lante Vanderpuye, has indicated the resolve of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) to win the general elections in 2020 and ensure the release of former fellow NDC MP, Abuga Pele.
Mr. Vanderpuye stressed the NDCs morale remains high ahead of the 2020 elections despite the incarceration of Pele, adding that the party was on course to regain power.
It is unfortunate but I can only say that this will not dampen the spirit of the NDC. Between 2001 and 2004, they sentenced Tsatsu Tsikata, Dan Abodakpi, Ibrahim Adam and Kwame Peprah. It did not stop us from winning elections in 2008. We are going to win the elections and bring Abuga Pele out, the MP told Citi News after the parts Unity Walk in Eastern Region at Somanya.
Abuga Pele, the former National Coordinator of the Ghana Youth Employment and Entrepreneurial Agency (GYEEDA), was sentenced alongside the Chief Executive Officer of Goodwill International Group, Philip Assibit, to a combined jail-term of 18 years on various counts, including willfully causing financial loss to the state.
Pele was handed a four and six-year sentence which will run concurrently whilst Assibit got concurrent sentences of 12 and four years on different counts.
The court also ordered the state to recover all assets and money belonging to the state from the convicts. Philip Assibit has since served notice will be appealing his 16-year jail term alongside an application for bail.
Victims of broken system
Another NDC MP, Mahama Ayariga, put up somewhat of a defence for Abuga Pele and Philip Assibit saying they were only victims of agencies that were allowed to operate without any checks.
Responding to their conviction on The Big Issue, Mr. Ayariga said he was not going to abandon his comrades just because they had broken the law.
MP for Bawku Central, Mahama Ayariga
These comrades fell because we operated a legal regime that left cracks that became the holes that devoured them. The cracks include the tolerance of unfettered discretionary power in the management of our public affairs and the permissiveness of sole sourcing and other negative practices of allowing institutions to exist without an appropriate legal framework, Mr. Ayariga said.
Threat of legal action
Mr. Ayariga also said he was going to give some state agencies an ultimatum to present to Parliament, reforms of their regulations or face action at the Supreme Court.
He said he will move against every state agency exercising unfettered discretionary power without clear non-discriminatory non-arbitrary regulations approved by Parliament governing the exercises of their discretionary power.
I shall in the coming week write to each and every agency of government concerned and demand that the regulations be brought to Parliament within 30 days otherwise I will proceed to the Supreme Court to seek an injunction against all that they are doing in violation of the law.
Source: Citi News
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Former President, John Dramani Mahama has called for a stakeholders conference to address challenges associated with the implementation of the free Senior High School(SHS) policy.
He said the current implementation if not properly handled could derail the entire purpose of the free SHS programme.
It will do the government good, if we have a stakeholders conference and agree on the pace of implementation to free funds for other important projects like the one district one factory and the one village one dam programmes, he said.
He accused the government of pushing all available resources into funding the free SHS programme to the extent that government now had no funds for the District Assemblies common fund, National Health Insurance Scheme, GETFUND and other statutory payments.
Former President Mahama said the strategy adopted in the implementation of the free SHS programme had raised issues of inadequate dormitories to house the students, classrooms, textbooks laboratories, dining halls and other facilities for effective teaching and learning.
The former President made these statements when he addressed the party faithful at the Sixth National Democratic Congress (NDC) unity walk at Somanya in the Eastern Region.
The 16-kilometre walk started from Kpong Junction, through the principal streets of Agormenya, Odumase and ended at the Somanya lorry park.
The walk drew thousands of party faithful across the length and breadth of the Eastern Region as well as some leading members of the party.
He said his pronouncement about the Free SHS was not from a partisan interest, but in the interest of the programme and the country.
Former President Mahama explained that the NDC strongly agree with the Free SHS concept, but disagrees on its implementation strategy.
He called for the review of the strategy for implementation to give the opportunity to families that could afford to pay for their wards, while students from homes that could not afford to pay were given bursaries to ensure long term sustainability of the programme .
Source: GNA
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President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has revealed that Special Prosecutor Martin Alamisi Amidu is very tenacious in holding on to his views.
He said he has known him for this for several years to the extent that they were opponents on many landmark constitutional cases in the early 1990s.
The president expressed fond memories of him and Mr Amidu on Friday, when he swore him in as the Special Prosecutor. Mr Amidu is expected to help government in the fight against corruption with his new role.
As the President once put it, he is expected to the fear of God in public servants.
He assured the National Democratic Congress (NDC) member that the Executive, and for that matter, the Attorney General, respects the independence of the Office of the Special Prosecutor.
[We] will also provide [Mr Amidu] with whatever assistance is required to enable him discharge his high duties effectively, in the interest of the Ghanaian people.
He said the tenacity with which the former Attorney General advocated his cases in court should be made to benefit Ghanaians in this new position.
I have known Martin Amidu for several years.
Indeed, I was his opposing counsel in many of the landmark constitutional cases in the early years of the 4th Republic in the 1990s, and can personally testify to the tenacity with which he holds onto his views.
That tenacity has now to be exercised in favour of the Ghanaian people in his new office.
Mr Amidu assured the president, and the nation, by extension, of fairness.
I will treat crime as crime and nothing else.
Source: 3news.com
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Audio Attachment: Listen to Dr. Mathew Opoku-Prempeh
Minister of Education, Mathew Opoku-Prempeh has fired salvoes at former President John Dramani Mahama.
The former President on Saturday criticised the Akufo-Addo led government for implementing a broad Free Senior High School (SHS) policy in haste.
He urged government to call for a stakeholders meeting to address challenges facing the Free SHS policy because it is stifling other developmental projects.
The problem this government is facing and it is in their own interest, is that, Free Senior High School is absorbing all the fiscal space they have and so almost every money you have, you are having to put it into Free Senior High School. So you cant pay District Assemblies Common Fund, you cant pay NHIS (National Health Insurance Scheme), you cant pay GETFund (Ghana Education Trust Fund), you cant pay other salaries and things because all your money is going into Free Senior High School, Mahama said this weekend, during the Unity Walk organised by the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) at Somanya in the Eastern region.
But interacting with Kwami Sefa-Kayi in an exclusive interview on Peace FM's morning show Kokrokoo Monday, the Education Minister sharply disagreed with the former President.
According to him, if he wishes us bad, it will fall back on himwhat does he want us to call a stakeholders meeting for?
While in office, he never bought one text for any school. Ask him where his policy document or guideline for his progressive free SHS is?.there was nothing like that. You were not able to do it in your time and now that we have implemented it, you are complaininghe should tell NDC members not to take their children to school to enjoy the free SHS because it is not good he added.
Source: Rebecca Addo Tetteh/Peacefmonline.com
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Information Minister, Mustapha Hamid says he finds it difficult to tag former President John Dramani Mahama as a liar even though he is.
In our culture, its hard to tag an elderly as a liar knowing very well that the person is, he said.
His comment comes after John Dramani Mahama lashed out at the government for what he describes as the slow pace of development, saying the Nana Addo-led government has failed majority of its promises to the citizenry.
Addressing a gathering of NDC members at Somanya after the partys 6th 'Unity Walk' aimed at reorganizing the party ahead of the 2020 elections, the former President said the government had failed in fulfilling its promises on many levels, including paying road contractors working on various projects across the country.
NPP promised the moon but has not even delivered clouds and so it makes your goodwill dwindle so fast . . . I know that when we were here, we were working on asphalt upgrading roads in Somanya and Odumase. I saw the contractors asphalt plants parked by the roadside and you will be surprised that for nearly two years the contractors have not been paid their money and so the work has come to a standstill, the former President complained.
Mahama also criticized the Akufo-Addo government for its inability to stabilize the price of petroleum products to the satisfaction of Ghanaian consumers.
Ex-president Mahama warned that the high price of fuel, particularly Liquefied Petroleum Gas, had long-term degrading effects on the environment because of the cheaper, but more destructive alternative of charcoal.
We were told that it [petrol] was too expensive and that 50 percent of the petrol was made up of taxes alone and that when they win and come into office, they would remove the taxes so that petrol will [be cheaper]. Today petrol is selling at GHc 22 per gallon.
I am even more concerned about LPG because LPG was about GHc40 before December 7. Today LPG is more than GHc80. What it means is that for those who cannot afford LPG, they will go back to using charcoal and we all know the implications of using charcoal. When you use charcoal, it degrades the environment and so government should do something about the price of LPG particularly, the former President stated.
Speaking on NEAT FMs morning show Ghana Montie, Mustapha Hamid described the former first gentlemans utterances as unfortunate.
Its just a year after former President Mahama left government. Ghanaians still remember his style of leadership. People havent forgotten, he claimed Ghanaians have short memory but that is not true. 2016 elections should teach him a lesson, he noted.
It is very terrible for someone like him to say things which are not true about the Nana Addo government just to win political points. Its terrible, its not right. His mindset of governance dragged Ghana behind, he told host Akwasi Aboagye.
Source: King Edward Ambrose Washman Addo/Peacefmonline.com/ Twitter: @Washman5/ Instagram: Ambrose_wash
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
Audio Attachment: Listen to Education Minister, Dr. Mathew Opoku-Prempeh
Education Minister, Dr Mathew Opoku-Prempeh has described former President John Mahama as the worst head of state in the annals of the country's political history.
He said the country is suffering because of the bad governance of the Mahama administration.
His comment comes on the heels of various comments made by the former President over the weekend.
Mr Mahama, after a Unity Walk in the Eastern Region, criticized the Free SHS policy of government. He also chastised the ruling government for its inability to stabilize the price of petroleum products.
We were told that it (petrol) was too expensive and that 50 percent of the petrol was made up of taxes alone and that when they win and come into office, they would remove the taxes so that petrol will (be cheaper). Today petrol is selling at GHC 22 per gallon. I am even more concerned about LPG because LPG was about GHc40 before December 7. Today LPG is more than GHc80. What it means is that for those who cannot afford LPG, they will go back to using charcoal and we all know the implications of using charcoal. When you use charcoal, it degrades the environment and so government should do something about the price of LPG particularly, the former President stated.
Speaking on the Free SHS Policy, he urged government to call for a stakeholders meeting to address challenges facing the Free SHS policy because it is stifling other developmental projects.
According to him, the Free Senior High School is absorbing all the fiscal space they have and so almost every money you have, you have to put it into Free Senior High School. So you cant pay District Assemblies Common Fund, you cant pay NHIS (National Health Insurance Scheme), you cant pay GETFund (Ghana Education Trust Fund), you cant pay other salaries and things because all your money is going into Free Senior High School.
Addressing these issues in a one-on-one interview with Kwami Sefa Kayi on Peace FM's "Kokrokoo" show on Monday, the Education Minister, who is also the Member of Parliament for Manhyia South, wondered why the former President did not do his best to put the economy on a higher pedestal when he had the opportunity to be in office as president.
Mahama is the worst president in historywe are suffering because of President Mahama. His actions resulted in the country being saddled with corruption; create loot and share he noted.
The Education Minister, popularly known as Napo, wondered why the former President is not wishing the ruling government well on the Free SHS policy but rather engaging in criticisms.
I will prefer my children to study on the floor than to sell by the road, he indicated and urged the former President to advise NDC members not to take their children to school if he feels the Free SHS policy is so bad.
Source: Rebecca Addo Tetteh/Peacefmonline.com
Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.
Featured Video
Education Minister, Matthew Opoku Prempeh has disclosed that as part of government's commitment to enhance Ghana's education system, 30 percent of poor people will be admitted into best schools in the country.
According to him, this is to bridge the gap between the privileged and underprivileged in the education sector.
Speaking in an exclusive interview on Peace FM's "Kokrokoo", Hon. Opoku Prempeh, affectionately called Napo, said the government has implemented its free SHS policy to absorb every student in the country.
Therefore, one of his top priorities of ensuring that the free SHS policy becomes beneficial, is to have these 30% poor people enrolled in the 52 best acclaimed schools across the country.
The 52 schools considered to be our best schools, whether they like it or not, 30% of your admission will go to poor people. Those who from a difficult background had 26, 24.....If you claim youre a good school, get them better, he stated.
He also told host Kwami Sefa Kayi that, his outfit will ensure that women receive the best of education to bridge the gender balance gap for the simple reason being that "when women become successful, the country will be successful. So, nobody should sit somewhere and think the only benefit of women to society, is to marry them off....No successful woman will allow her child to live a wayward lifestyle, but there are several successful men who dont even take care of their children. So, I want women to be great in Ghana.
He further stated that the government has realized that one of the biggest challenges facing the education sector is the lack of teacher empowerment.
He revealed that under the erstwhile Mahama administration, no graduate teacher was employed, while only Teachers with Diploma Certificates always had automatic appointments, a situation he described as wrong and unacceptable.
To remedy the situation, he noted that all teachers must be given a basic education qualification so that the country employs as much of teachers as it can.
He further revealed that as part of the NPP administrations programme of empowering the teacher to give off his or her best, the government will soon upgrade all Colleges of Education into Degree awarding Universities.
In the last 5 years, between 2012 and 2016 - that four-year period till we came in 2017, no graduate had been employedI think it is wrong. We should let all teachers have some basic education, qualification which is the degree and employ as much as we can employ.....Currently when a student does a Diploma Course he or she spends 3 years and does a top up course of 2 years spending 5 years to become a full degree teacher. But government says no, it will upgrade Colleges of Education to Universities Colleges of Education to ensure that all the Colleges are attached directly to the University as University Colleges. Youll start and end with a degree within 4 years," he stated.
Source: Ameyaw Adu Gyamfi/Peacefmonline.com/Ghana
Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.
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Georgia Lt. Governor Casey Cagle threatened Delta Airlines today over their decision to cut ties with NRA. In a tweet published to Twitter, he said, I will kill any tax legislation that benefits @Delta unless the company changes its position and fully reinstates its relationship with @NRA. Corporations cannot attack conservatives and expect us not to fight back.
The tweet comes at a time when multiple companies (at least 20 at the time of this article) are ending relationships with the NRA over their decision to thwart sensible reforms that curb gun violence.
The Tweet & Its Implications
I will kill any tax legislation that benefits @Delta unless the company changes its position and fully reinstates its relationship with @NRA. Corporations cannot attack conservatives and expect us not to fight back. Casey Cagle (@CaseyCagle) February 26, 2018
While he may later attempt to backtrack on his threat after being warned of its ethical and constitutional implications, Cagles tweet threatening to harm Deltas bottom line if they dont support his political allies is still up as of the writing of this article.
It should be noted that Delta Airlines corporate headquarters are based in Atlanta meaning they should take any threat from Cagle seriously, even if that threat and any subsequent action would violate constitutional law.
In his current role as Lt. Governor, Cagle acts much like the Vice President does as he can affect legislation making its way through the state legislature.
According to Business Insider, The Georgia legislature is considering a broader tax reform bill that includes a provision to exempt Deltas purchases of jet fuel from the state sales tax, a move that could potentially save the airline around $40 million. The exemption was originally offered by Georgia in 2005 when the airline was struggling, but was repealed in 2015.
They added, According to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Cagles opposition effectively blocks the tax break from becoming law. Several other Georgia GOP lawmakers suggested they would not support the tax change until Delta reversed its decision.
After critical reaction, Cagle who is running for Governor of Georgia decided to double down tweeting:
Discriminating against law-abiding gun owners will not solve the problem #2A #gapol pic.twitter.com/DqR6PePBd7 Casey Cagle (@CaseyCagle) February 25, 2018
Reaction
While party-line Republicans like state Senator Rick Jaffares support Cagles threats against the airline, most responses to the threat have been cautionary and negative. Heres a sampling:
No big deal. Just an elected official corruptly threatening to use his official position to retaliate against companies that dont do favors for his political supporters.https://t.co/F0KUMWGrCC Ian Millhiser (@imillhiser) February 26, 2018
So youre not a big believer in the free market and capitalism, huh? Tom Bonier (@tbonier) February 26, 2018
Also, as an elected official do you consider it your job to only protect the financial interests of conservatives? Can you note an occasion that you stood up to protect the interests of liberals who were under attack? Tom Bonier (@tbonier) February 26, 2018
So your trying to threaten a company & its employees In your state to give a specific special interest group a discount? Or else? Patricia Arquette (@PattyArquette) February 26, 2018
True. Patricia Arquette (@PattyArquette) February 26, 2018
The Lt. Governor of Georgia is threatening to punish a business that takes a political stance he doesnt like. https://t.co/N8PC3d7wQv Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1) February 26, 2018
bye-bye Amazon headquarters. (Atlanta was on the short list) https://t.co/DwjYpLQJSS Eric Boehlert (@EricBoehlert) February 26, 2018
Georgias Lt. Gov. is threatening to make tax policy on the basis of whether a single private company maintains commercial arrangements with his favored political group. Deeply unhealthy in a democracy. Usually only authoritarian regimes target companies for not bending the knee. https://t.co/N8PF9w02Qg Brian Klaas (@brianklaas) February 26, 2018
extortion (noun)
1. the practice of obtaining something, especially money, through force or threats. https://t.co/WlVLovsVyV William Cancel Amazon Prime Today LeGate (@williamlegate) February 26, 2018
Sounds like maybe its time for @Delta to move its HQ to somewhere else. Im sure a number of states would be glad to have the boost to their economy and might offer them some tax breaks to entice them. https://t.co/7zDpXbOD5u Asha Rangappa (@AshaRangappa_) February 26, 2018
The Lt. Governor of Georgia saying that if Delta does not extend discounts to the NRA that he will kill their tax breaks. Is that legal? https://t.co/536QhpIEm6 Shaun King (@ShaunKing) February 26, 2018
Those last two tweets make important points. The legality and intelligence of the decision to use taxpayer-funded public office to threaten a private business to coerce them into making a decision that aligns with your personal politics raises a lot of ethical and legal questions.
Citizens United
Believe it or not, Citizens United plays a big role in why Cagles threat is wholly unconstitutional. Should he carry through with that threat, Delta citing that precedent could sue the state for unconstitutionally censoring their corporate free speech.
Citizens United guarantees corporations the same free speech rights including receiving monetary donations speech all individuals enjoy. Because of that, using the power of government to threaten or censor the free speech of a corporation that disagreeable expresses views violates their constitutional free speech rights.
Writing for ThinkProgress, Ian Millhiser pointed out:
The First Amendment requires heightened scrutiny whenever the government creates a regulation of speech because of disagreement with the message it conveys, the Court explained in Sorrell v. IMS Health. Cagle plans to punish Delta because he disagrees with the political message Deltas decision to no longer offer a discount to NRA members conveys.
He added:
That all said, courts may be reluctant to intervene when a government official blocks legislation for impermissible reasons, rather than causing legislation to be enacted for a similar reason. Though Cagle may act with unconstitutional motives, it is difficult to predict whether a bill that did not become law would have been enacted or whether it would have been enacted with amendments if Cagle hadnt engaged in illegal retaliation.
Even if they tried and failed to sue Cagle and the Georgia state government for punishing their constitutionally-guaranteed free speech, they have another important option: relocation.
Location Location Location
With Amazon seeking a location for its new headquarters and the movie industry ferreting out the best tax breaks and perks for television and movie filming, 2018 isnt the best year to threaten financial ruin to a company if they speak out in a way thats disagreeable to conservative lawmakers particularly when those same lawmakers are support laws that would allow businesses to discriminate against customers based on politically motivated religious beliefs.
Little is stopping Delta from taking their business to a more friendly city that doesnt punish companies for engaging in corporate citizenship.
Peacock Panache readers:
Tim Peacock is the Managing Editor and founder of Peacock Panache and has worked as a civil rights advocate for over twenty years. During that time hes worn several hats including leading on campus LGBTQ advocacy in the University of Missouri campus system, interning with the Colorado Civil Rights Division, and volunteering at advocacy organizations. You can learn more about him at his personal website.
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Good Monday Morning, Fellow Seekers.
Officially, Gov. Tom Wolf has tried to stay above the fray in Pennsylvania's ongoing redistricting saga. In tweets and official statements, the York County Democrat has stressed his commitment to "fair and equal" elections.
Pennsylvanians want fair and equal elections. The old gerrymandered districts were neither fair nor correct" Pennsylvania's highest court found them unconstitutional. Now my administration is focused on ensuring fair and secure elections. We can't go backwards. https://t.co/sR28PJuW4T Governor Tom Wolf (@GovernorTomWolf) February 20, 2018
He's also tried to offer handy advice to Pennsylvanians who might be understandably confused about the state's redrawn political topography"
.@PAStateDept responded immediately to @SupremeCtofPA's decision and is implementing its response plan for a new congressional map. Over the next few days, updated info and support will be provided to local elections officials & candidates to ensure a smooth and orderly process. https://t.co/eeSUWtpylk Governor Tom Wolf (@GovernorTomWolf) February 20, 2018
For the most part, the administration has publicly tried to draw a bright-line distinction with Republican leaders, whom it believes is engaging in sharp-elbowed partisanship, upping the rhetorical ante as the fight over Pennsylvania's redrawn Congressional map heads to the U.S. Supreme Court.
That's officially. When it comes to Wolf's re-election campaign, that's another matter entirely.
There, Wolf's camp isn't above scaring the bejeezus out of loyalists, raising the specter of Republicans "rigging" elections, and arguing that if Wolf loses in November "we could be stuck with unfair maps for years to come."
In a fundraising email sent to supporters on Sunday, Wolf's campaign manager, Jeffrey Sheridan, raises all those nightmare scenarios in a push to raise $15,000 by this coming Wednesday.
Here's the email in full:
"Pennsylvania Republicans spent years rigging our electoral maps. And after the state Supreme Court ruled their congressional map unconstitutional, they tried to draw another designed to benefit them. Governor Wolf fought back and rejected their maps.
"And last week, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court drew maps that would finally give Pennsylvania voters a fair chance to make their voices heard. But now Republicans are suing to bring back the rigged maps -- and they're backed with President Trump's support.
"If they defeat Tom in November and win in court, we could be stuck with unfair maps for years to come. We can't let them win. We need to raise $15,000 by Wednesday to show that we have Tom's back so he can keep fighting for fair elections. Will you chip in now?"
As we've noted before, it's nearly impossible to cleave the politics out of redistricting, which is an inherently political process.
Take Republican gubernatorial candidate Scott Wagner, for instance, he's using the redistricting fight as a campaign issue as well.
In an email to supporters sent out last week, Wagner urged Wolf to "to stand up to the national, liberal special interests that are trying to carve up Pennsylvania and keep the 2011 map in place."
And if he were governor, Wagner would "refuse to implement the Pennsylvania Supreme Court's remedial map and I would instruct the Secretary of the Commonwealth to oversee the 2018 elections under our old map - the map that was created by bipartisan, elected representatives of the people," the email reads.
And for good measure, Wagner adds, "this redistricting fight was never about fair maps. This fight is about Tom Wolf enabling a politically-motivated Court to do the bidding of Barack Obama, Eric Holder, Nancy Pelosi and George Soros in exchange for their campaign contributions. It's nothing less than a quid-pro-quo."
Which doesn't mean that Wagner isn't above shaking the money tree either.
In a Sunday email, the York County pol urged supporters to help him close a $50,000 fund-raising goal by Wednesday. The campaign boasted it had received more than $19,000 in contributions by Friday, but still needed help.
"We've got three days left to prove we have what it takes to win the tough fights -- all the way to victory in November," the email reads.
All this is just another reminder that there's some serious political stakes to a fight that's being publicly framed like it's a high school civics class.
The rest of the day's news starts now.
Keeping things on the gubernatorial tip, GOP hopeful Paul Mango is out with a clumsily green-screened spot where he hammers Scott Wagner for missing Senate votes and talks about what he'd do to fix state government.
Here's the script:
"I'm Paul Mango, and I'm running for Governor to fix Harrisburg. I think any Harrisburg politician convicted of corruption should lose his state pension. There should be zero tolerance for sexual harassment by any Harrisburg politician. And if there's a settlement, they should pay it, not the taxpayers. And any Harrisburg politician skipping work shouldn't get paid. I'm hoping if a few of you agree you'll stand with me, or a lot of you."
Here's the spot:
Meanwhile, Wagner's campaign head, John Kennedy, has been tied to an email attacking state GOP leaders, and urging party loyalists to cut off their cash and support, City & State Pa. reports.
Wagner is the featured speaker at today's Pennsylvania Press Club luncheon at the Harrisburg Hilton. The festivities get underway at high noon.
State Sen. Daylin Leach has officially ended his suspdended congressional bid, The Inquirer reports.
Pennsylvania Auditor General Eugene DePasquale holds a 10 a.m. newser at the Capitol to talk about his own ambitions in Dauphin County's redrawn 10th District.
More than 100 people picketed frosh U.S. Rep. Lloyd Smucker, R-Whatever It Is Now, for not holding a town hall and for taking NRA money, Lancaster Newspapers reports.
Uncertanity over state funding has some state-related universities, including the University of Pittsburgh, debating whether they should go private, The Post-Gazette reports.
Philly will hold its own 'March for Our Lives' rally to protest the lack of action on gun violence, BillyPenn reports.
Here's your #Harrisburg Instagram of the Day:
Has Philly's Manayunk Bike Race run out of road? WHYY-FM takes up that very question.
A new bail policy has opened the door for Philly's pre-trial inmates, The Associated Press reports (via WITF-FM).
What Goes On.
Budget hearings roll on in the state House and Senate Appropriations committees this Monday morning. Here's your handy clip-and-save schedule:
Senate:
10 a.m.: Dept. of Labor & Industry
1 pm.: Dept. of General Services
3 p.m.: PennDOT
House:
10 a.m.: Dept. of Environmental Protection
1 p.m.: Career & Technical Education (Thaddeus Stevens College of Technology, Lancaster County Career & Technology Center, PA Association of Career & Technical Administrators & Community Colleges).
3 p.m.: Dept. of Agriculture
What Goes On (Nakedly Political Edition)
11:30 a.m.: Luncheon for Dave Reed for Congress
11:30 a.m.: Luncheon for state Rep. Ryan Mackenzie's Congressional campaign
5:30 p.m.: Reception for Sen. Bob Mensch
Ride the circuit, and give at the max, and you'll be out a mere $12,700 today.
You Say It's Your Birthday Dept.
Best wishes go out this morning to Christian Alexandersen of Pa. Senate Democrats, who celebrates today. Congrats and enjoy the day, sir.
Heavy Rotation.
Here's a 1970s British pub rock obscurity we discovered over the weekend. It's a fun way to start your Monday morning.
And now you're up to date.
More and more alleged heroin addicts who are also parents could be facing charges for endangering their children.
Case in point is a 29-year-old mother in western Pennsylvania who is now facing charges after allegedly overdosing last month, passing out and exposing her 5-year-old son to a syringe.
The mother was revived. But first responders and police also noticed the alleged danger the mother's OD posed to her young son, prompting a month-long investigation that culminated last week.
As the Butler Eagle reports, the mother, Christine R. Banfield, 29, of Valencia, Pa., was charged last week with misdemeanor endangering the welfare of children in the Jan. 12 incident that occurred in her residence.
Police told the newspaper that Butler County Children and Youth Services was consulted during the investigation and was aware of the incident involving the child.
However, information regarding custody of the child was not immediately available.
Mardi Gras may have been weeks before, but that didn't stop the folks in Manayunk.
The Philadelphia neighborhood welcomed in the Mummers for its annual Mardi Gras Parade on Main St. Mummer String Bands strutted down the street in elaborate costumes.
Among the mummers?
Philadelphia Eagles center Jason Kelce.
Kelce was playing with the Avalon String Band, which provided him the mummer suit he wore for the Eagle Super Bowl Parade earlier in February. Kelce's outfit was noticeably different from the rest of his mummer brethren -- his costume was from the band's 2008 year rather than the 2018. That's because they could not find a costume from this year that would fit him.
Kelce is a dues-paying member of Avalon and plays baritone sax with the band. The group got its start in 1938 as the 12th Ward String Band. In 1944, it took on the Avalon String Band. But the Avalon String Band that exists today really came out of the 1982 revival of the band, which had dismantled years before due to financial problems.
The Mummers Mardi Gras Parade is one of many opportunities to see the mummers throughout the year. Of course, the signature event is the Mummers New Year's Parade down Broad St. in Center City Philadelphia. The bands also do various charity and other performances throughout the year.
You can see photos from the Mummers Mardi Gras Parade in Manayunk at the gallery at the top of this post.
Stay up-to-date with all of PennLive's Philadelphia Eagles coverage by clicking here. Want more stories about Philly in general? Click here for all our coverage of the City of Brotherly Love.
At 12:17 p.m. Feb. 26, 1993, a 1,200-pound bomb in a rented truck exploded in the parking garage of the North Tower of New York's World Trade Center, killing six people and injuring more than 1,000 others.
The explosion knocked out the World Trade Center's power - which disabled the sprinklers, generators, elevators, public address system and the emergency command center.
In March 1994, terrorists Mohammad Salameh, Ahmad Ajaj, Nidal Ayyad and Mahmoud Abouhalima were convicted of the bombing and sentenced to 240 years in prison. Their sentences are later reduced to 100 years.
The man allegedly behind the plot to blow up the World Trade Center, Ramzi Ahmed Yousef was later captured, convicted and sentenced to 240 years in prison. The driver of the van, Eyad Ismoil also was captured, convicted and sentenced to 240 years in prison.
The FBI also uncovered plots to blow up the George Washington Bridge, the United Nations and other New York landmarks.
The attack also had a local connection. In 1993, the FBI raided the home of Kelvin E. Smith near New Bloomfield, Perry County, saying he allowed Muslim fundamentalists to receive military-type training at a public shooting range on his property.
While the three did fire weapons at Smith's range, Smith said he had no idea who they were.
Smith had said he thought the men were mercenaries who planned to help the Muslims in Bosnia.
Smith pleaded guilty in September of 1999 to three counts of making false statements to the FBI and one count of destroying evidence - he dumped four semiautomatic assault rifles in the Delaware River. In 1999 he was sentenced to 366 days in prison.
At the time, the World Trade Center bombing was one of the worst terror attacks in United States. Eight years later on Sept. 11, 2001, the United States faced the worst when Al Qaeda terrorists hijacked airplanes and flew them into the World Trade Center, bringing down both towers and killing thousands of people.
PARKLAND, Fla. -- Students at a Florida high school where 17 of their classmates and staff members were killed returned Sunday to gather their belongings thrown down in panic during the school shooting nearly two weeks ago.
Thousands of students joined their parents in walking past the three-story building at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School where the Feb. 14 massacre took place. It is now cordoned off by a chain link fence that was covered with banners from other schools showing their support.
"Just seeing the building was scary," freshman Francesca Lozano said as she exited the school with her mom. Still, she was happy to see her friends. "That made it a lot better."
Seventeen people dressed in white costumes as angels stood by a makeshift memorial outside the school. Organizer Terry Decarlo said they try to go to every mass shooting and disaster so the survivors "know angels are looking over them and protecting them."
The school reopens Wednesday and administrators said families would get phone calls about details later. Sunday was a day to ease into the return.
"Two of my best friends aren't here anymore," said freshman Sammy Cooper, who picked up the book bag he had dropped as he saw the accused gunman, 19-year-old Nikolas Cruz, begin shooting. "But I'm definitely going to school Wednesday. I will handle it."
Junior Sebastian Pena said the gathering was a chance to see friends and his teachers, and to "come together as a family."
READ MORE: Florida school shooting prompts several governors to consider gun law changes
Earlier Sunday, Florida Gov. Rick Scott's office said he had asked Florida Department of Law Enforcement Commissioner Rick Swearingen to investigate the law enforcement response to the shooting. The agency confirmed it would start the investigation immediately.
Broward County Sheriff Scott Israel has come under withering scrutiny after the revelation last week that deputy Scot Peterson who was on the scene did not go in to confront Cruz during the attack. It is also facing backlash for apparently mishandling some of the 18 tipster calls related to the suspected shooter. The tips were among a series of what authorities now describe as the clearest missed warning signs that Cruz, who had a history of disturbing behavior, posed a serious threat.
Israel defended his leadership Sunday and said investigators were looking into claims that three other deputies were on the scene but failed to enter the school when the chance to save lives still existed. To date, the investigation has pointed to only one deputy being on campus while the killer was present, he told CNN.
Israel also labeled as "absolutely untrue" reports that the deputies waited outside even though children were inside the building needing urgent medical treatment.
State Rep. Bill Hager, a Republican lawmaker from Boca Raton, has called on Scott to remove Israel from office because of the missed red flags.
Israel vowed not to resign, saying Hager's letter "was full of misinformation" and "shameful, politically motivated."
House Speaker Richard Corcoran stepped up the pressure Sunday, calling on Scott to suspend the sheriff.
READ MORE: 'A shameful display of political and civic cowardice': NRA responds to corporate backlash
"In the years leading up to this unspeakable tragedy, Sheriff Israel, his deputies, and staff ignored repeated warning signs about the violent, erratic, threatening and antisocial behavior of Nikolas Jacob Cruz," Corcoran said in a letter signed by more than 70 lawmakers.
Israel insisted that lapses were being investigated. He told CNN that a deputy who responded to a Nov. 30 call referring to Cruz as a "school shooter in the making" was being investigated by internal affairs for not filing a report and had been placed on restrictive duty.
"There needed to be report. And that's what we are looking into-- that a report needed to be completed, it needed to be forwarded to either Homeland Security or a violent crimes unit," Israel said.
The FBI has acknowledged that it failed to investigate the tip about Cruz that the agency received on Jan. 5.
The Associated Press obtained a transcript of the more than 13-minute phone call. During the call, the woman described a teenager prone to anger with the "mental capacity of a 12 to 14 year old" that deteriorated after his mother died last year. She pointed the FBI to several Instagram accounts where Cruz had posted photos of sliced-up animals and rifles and ammunition he apparently purchased with money from his mother's life insurance policy.
"It's alarming to see these pictures and know what he is capable of doing and what could happen," the caller said. "He's thrown out of all these schools because he would pick up a chair and just throw it at somebody, a teacher or a student, because he didn't like the way they were talking to him."
___
Terry Spencer of the Associated Press wrote the story. AP writers Gary Fineout in Tallahassee, Florida, Adriana Gomez Licon in Miami and Jeffrey Collins in Columbia, South Carolina, contributed to this report.
Norwegian-born journalist Vegas Tenold spent six years embedded with three of America's most ideologically extreme white nationalist groups: the KKK, the National Socialist Movement, and the Traditionalist Workers Party. At the time, these groups were mostly disorganized counterculture fringe elements, far from the mainstream.
Vegas Tenold
But the pendulum has swung and now their militant ideologies have gained political traction. Tenold, whose work has appeared in The New York Times, Rolling Stone, and Al Jazeera America, last year penned his experience with these groups in his book, "Everything You Love Will Burn: Inside the Rebirth of White Nationalism in America." Ahead of his appearance on Tuesday at the Midtown Scholar, Tenold sat down with PennLive for a Q&A.
Q: How has this movement changed since 2016 when the nation saw a resurgence of these groups?
A: In terms of the politics of it all, I don't see there being much of a difference. We call them the alt-right, which I don't think is a very helpful term because it implies there is something new and different about them. What they believe, to a large degree, is the same as we have seen several incarnations throughout recent decades .... the same old-fashioned white supremacy. I think we are doing ourselves a disservice when we treat something as new. Yes, this is first time they've gained this quote unquote power that they have, but their ideas are nothing new.
Q: Do you agree with the assessment that one of the big differences between groups like the KKK of yesteryear vs. the modern-day white nationalism movement is that the latter, unlike the former, has political power?
A: Many congressmen in 1924 election owed their seats to the KKK. They were huge power players back then. They are not anymore... but if not they themselves, then certainly their ideas and rhetoric have bled through to mainstream politics, which I think is a scary proposition.
Vegas Tenold: 'If I were a Republican, a Reagan Republican, I would be concerned that my party is being hijacked by this very calloused, opportunistic worldview.'
Q: Do you think there is more sympathy for this movement, even from people who wouldn't normally subscribe to this rhetoric?
A: I think that for years we thought we were doing better as a country than we really were. We had managed to trick ourselves. We felt we had moved past it and I think the election of Donald Trump showed us just how wrong we were. I'm not saying everyone who voted for Trump or everyone who is a Republican is a racist, but it showed the issue of race is something that can still rally voters, that can still sway elections. I was somewhat surprised to see how salient that point still is.
Q: How did you gain access?
A: I was always very up front about who I was and what I wanted to do. There was never any talk of going undercover. I'm a white, bald man. I could certainly fit into these groups, but I wanted them to know who I was and I what my agenda was. I'm a Norwegian socialist. I have voted socialist for as long as I could. I managed to turn that into a positive. By all measures, I should have been their ideological enemy but I was able to discuss things with them and we talked. That became a plus that I was able to be honest and upfront and we could talk and argue.
Q: Was there anything of merit in their arguments?
A: There are smart people on the far right and we need to recognize that. I don't think their theories hold water at all, but they are certainly not blathering idiots. I think we need to recognize that their views aren't bullet-proof and we shouldn't be afraid to hear what they have to say, only then can we arm ourselves against that rhetoric. You can have a conversation with them and see that what they say isn't true and it doesn't hold water.
Norwegian-born journalist Vegas Tenold spent six years embedded with three of America's most ideologically extreme white nationalist groups - the KKK, the National Socialist Movement, and the Traditionalist Workers Party.
Q: Why should the average American be concerned about the resurgence of this movement and not think that it's just another wave that will fade?
A: We should and shouldn't be afraid. The movement won't become what it was in 1920s, I don't think. We won't have a Neo-Nazi president anytime soon but as a movement they are capable of spreading fear and violence. I don't see them becoming a major societal force but on the other hand the things they have been telling me for years are things we are hearing from the Oval Office. Things we hear from Rep. Steve King [Iowa] saying way-out far-right stuff or Paul Nehlen, who wants to unseat Paul Ryan, is a raging anti-Semite and very public about it. Their talking points have leaked in. Sure the Klan won't march by the thousands down the streets of D.C., but they don't have to because they made their points heard.
Q: Where we are today with rallies such as the one in Charlottesville and the violence, did you see this coming?
A: I was fully prepared to have no one care about my book after the election. I was so sure this would go away when Hillary became president. No I didn't see it coming at all.
Q: Is Trump unfairly blamed for emboldening this movement?
A: No. He must know. He should know. He hasn't endorsed a neo-Nazi group but he has worked very hard not to denounce them. Trump and the people around him are smart in that they recognize that for an increasing number of Americans this is not a deal breaker. If I were a Republican, a Reagan Republican, I would be concerned that my party is being hijacked by this very calloused, opportunistic worldview.
Q: You say that being a Neo-Nazi entails certain social sacrifice and that it's not easy. Do these individuals have a change of heart?
A: It happens all the time, which is one of the few things that gives me joy about all this. I just got a message the other day from one the sources in my book who has been a skinhead for a long time that he left the movement. It is possible to turn these people around to have them come back to us and rejoin us. As much as we hate this ideology and abhor it, people can renounce this bigotry and come back to us.
Q: How do you turn them around?
A: I don't know but I think a lot of it is you talk to them as a person. You try to remind them that although I'm your ideological enemy and find your politics wrongheaded, I'm willing to listen to you and maybe you listen to me as well.
Vegas Tenold: 'We should and shouldn't be afraid. The movement won't become what it was in 1920s, I don't think.'
Q: Hate groups are still predominantly populated by young, white males, but is there anything about the women that stands out as any less or militant?
A: So many of these groups have a reactionary and traditional view on gender roles. They see a woman's role in the movement as carriers of one's children. That not only speaks to how they view women but how they view themselves. These guys like to believe they are warriors fighting not only for their race but for their women - fighting marauding hordes of rapists of other color. I think they need to give themselves import they need to feel they are warriors...because if they are not warriors what are they?
Q: Did your physical appearance help you gain access to these groups?
A: Obviously the way I look was a big deal and I don't think it's a good thing. I'm the last person in the world to be a victim of racism or sexism or bigotry. I think we would benefit by another perspective on this but it would be a lot harder to get this kind of access.
Vegas Tenold will be at the Midtown Scholar in Harrisburg, 7-9 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 27. The event is free and open to the public.
A former co-owner of the Fairgrounds Diner in Carlisle is urging a federal judge not to send him to prison in a $139,000 tax fraud case.
Atef Hussein made that plea to U.S. Middle District Judge John E. Jones III in a sentencing memorandum filed by his lawyer, Peter R. Willis.
Hussein, 49, a native of Egypt who is a naturalized U.S. citizen and a father of five, is too important to the financial health of his family to be locked up, Willis argued.
He claimed Hussein's physical health is in jeopardy due to kidney disease that may not be adequately managed in prison.
Hussein is in this legal predicament because federal investigators determioned he used his position as the co-owner/manager of the eatery to secretly siphon money from the business and wire it to his family in Egypt. He didn't report that cash to the IRS.
The feds charged Hussein with income tax evasion in September. He pleaded guilty the following month. Jones is to sentence him in April.
Hussein bought the Fairgrounds Diner with his brother. His conviction has forced Hussein to sell his share of the restaurant, Willis wrote. He said Hussein now manages a diner in Hagerstown, Md.
It would be financially catastrophic for Hussein's family if he lost that job because he had to go to prison, Willis argued. He urged Jones to sentence Hussein to probation instead.
The sudden death of a 13-year-old Harrisburg student has prompted immediate action from friends, residents, and a state representative.
Mylinh Nguyen died Feb. 15. Details about her death have not been publicly released. She attended a middle school in the Harrisburg School District.
Since Mylinh loved to roller skate, friends are holding a "Let's roll" fundraiser from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Tuesday at the Olympic Skating Center, 60 E. Shady Lane in Enola to raise money for her family.
City residents, meanwhile, immediately formed a community action group focused on addressing bullying and finding ways to provide more support for students and families.
State Rep. Patty Kim also hosted a community meeting Feb. 19 including grandparents, Mylinh's school bus driver, former school administrators, a suicide prevention volunteer, community activists and former school resource officer to talk about bullying prevention programs, school safety and educating teachers and students about the signs of depression.
"It makes me so sad to know that we may have missed some of Mylinh's signs for help," Kim said. "Middle school is difficult for all students especially with social media today."
Kim said she is convinced the school district needs more mental health counselors and she is searching for funding sources.
"A number of students have endured some type of trauma like homelessness or "couch surfing," a sudden death of a family member, an incarcerated parent, or some type of verbal, physical or mental abuse," she said. "I think it's important that we have experts available at the school for students who need counseling and an outlet. For far too long, we've seen negative, disruptive behaviors from students who struggle to deal with their trauma and it affects the entire classroom. We need to support these students and work with their parents."
The death of Mylinh shocked and devastated neighbors who were used to seeing her smiling face on the block.
Friends are selling these wristbands for $3 as part of the fundraiser.
Mylinh had a gorgeous smile, a generous heart and an affinity for her elders. She adopted elderly residents on her block as "grandmom and grandpa," said Maria Vargas, whose son was friends with Mylinh since they were young.
Mylinh enjoyed creating videos and selfies and having friends over. She was extremely close to her younger brother, Vargas said.
"This has been a true struggle," she said.
For Tuesday's fundraiser: Admission is $4 and skate rental cost an additional $1. Wristbands that say: "Love hope courage, in memory of Mylinh," also will be sold in addition to raffle tickets to win prizes donated by area businesses.
People interested in donating to the cause, even if they don't want to roller skate, can drop off donations at the rink or contact organizers at lillex8299@gmail.com.
Kim said she wants to keep the conversation about student peace and safety going. She said the residents who started the "call to action" community group created subcommittees to tackle different issues and they have planned regular meetings, which will be posted on the Concerned Citizens of the Hbg Community Facebook page.
"I'm hopeful that we can come around as a community and support our students," Kim said, "so that this type of incident will never happen again."
A 27-year-old man died Sunday afternoon in a one-vehicle crash that ended on Interstate 81 in Schuylkill County, according to state police.
The crash started at about 1:17 p.m., along Route 901, about 150 feet from Interstate 81 in Foster Township, police said.
The victim was identified as Adam Gregory Ould, 27, of Pottsville, police said.
Investigators said Ould was driving his 2000 Jeep Cherokee along the northbound lanes of Route 901, when he crossed into the southbound lanes "for unknown reasons."
His Jeep then struck a guard rail along Route 901, went down an embankment and struck a concrete barrier along the shoulder of I-81, then entered the interstate "where it came to a final rest position on its roof in the right lane" of the northbound lanes, police said.
Ould, who was not wearing a seatbelt, was pronounced dead at the scene by the coroner's office.
Interstate 81 was closed for more than three hours after the crash, police said.
State police in Lebanon County are looking for a man accused of molesting a teenage girl and trying to photograph her in the nude.
An arrest warrant has been issued for Jose Sierra-Troche, 39, of Lebanon, on charges of aggravated indecent assault, attempted creation of child pornography, child endangerment, corruption of minors, indecent assault and invasion of privacy.
Trooper Daniel Womer reported the charges stem from the 15-year-old's claims that Sierra-Troche touched her genitals numerous times at a home in Richland. In January, Sierra Troche hid his cell phone in a pile of laundry with the video function on to try to film the girl taking a shower, the trooper said. Womer said the girl found the phone before undressing.
Sierra-Troche is known to have ties to Florida and Puerto Rico, Womer said.
A central Pennsylvania restauranteur convicted of scamming an elderly couple out of $319,500 has failed to convince a state appeals court to grant him a new trial.
Instead, the Superior Court panel upheld Alfonso Picone's theft and receiving stolen property convictions and the 1 1/2- to 5-year jail term served up by Schuylkill County President Judge William E. Baldwin. It also refused to overturn Baldwin's demand that Picone, 47, of Tamaqua, repay every penny he stole.
The state court denied Picone's appeal in an opinion by Judge Alice Beck Dubow.
Dubow agreed with prosecutors, and a county jury, that Picone took advantage of the failing mental capacities of the victims, who were both in their 90s, to siphon money from their financial accounts.
Investigators from the state attorney general's office contended Picone used a friendship he struck up with the couple, who were regulars at his La Dolce Casa restaurant, to rip them off. The couple didn't know what Picone was really up to when they agreed to let him help them with paying their bills, prosecutors said.
Picone insisted before and during his 2016 trial that the couple willingly gave him financial gifts and loans. On appeal, he argued the $319,500 in restitution he was ordered to pay the Rush Township couple was "entirely speculative."
Authorities began investigating Picone in late 2014 after a caseworker for the county's Office of Senior Services probed a report that the victims were being exploited financially. Dubow cited investigators' findings that Picone diverted the couple's money to his personal use and to pay operating expenses for his restaurant.
Among other things, Picone contended on appeal that he wasn't given an adequate chance to confront the couple in court.
The man and his wife didn't testify during Picone's preliminary hearing. The wife died before Picone went to trial. Although the husband did testify during the trial, Picone claimed Baldwin improperly limited his lawyer's ability to cross-examine the man.
Dubow found no flaw with Baldwin's action, concluding the county judge merely prevented Picone's lawyer from asking the frail victim questions that already had been asked by the prosecution.
Picone's claim that the money he received from the couple was knowingly and gladly given gained no traction with Dubow. The evidence, she wrote, clearly shows "all of the money transferred to (Picone) was transferred as a result of his criminal conduct."
By Raymond L. Gover
It was almost four years ago that I wrote an "As I See It" column about a legislative process that had passed in Colorado, Mississippi and Louisiana and was ready for submission to a state referendum in Arizona that passed with a resounding majority.
Raymond L. Gover
The law was tagged "right to try" and gave terminally ill patients an opportunity to be given experimental drugs that were in the process of evaluation by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), were considered safe but not ready for the market.
My suggestion at that time was that this would be a worthwhile law for our legislature to explore because it offered hope to those stricken with incurable diseases and willing to take one more shot at either cure or extending life with a degree of quality.
I recently had the pleasure of meeting with state Sen. Mike Regan, R-Cumberland, over breakfast. And he asked if there were any legislative issues that concerned me. I told him about "right to try."
The concern has been personal because one of our sons was afflicted with glioblastoma, a deadly brain cancer that caused his death complicated by spinal meningitis over five years ago.
This is the same cancer that U.S. Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., battles today and took the lives of U.S. Sen. Ted Kennedy, and Beau Biden, the son of former Vice President Joe Biden.
Legislation emerged last year and I am happy to say that Regan was an early co-sponsor in the Senate. The law passed both Houses and was signed by Gov. Tom Wolf in October.
Pennsylvania joined 37 other states in making this their law, providing terminally ill patients with consensual support of their physicians a chance to take that "one more shot."
Of course, the law provides legal protection for drug makers as well as physicians but it gives the patient and his family one more option. In my son's case, I am sure both he and his wife would have signed off for the opportunity of continued life with some semblance of quality---even for a few more months.
Similar legislation has passed the U. S. Senate and is now before the House Energy and Commerce Committee.
In his State of the Union address, President Donald Trump addressed the issue, saying "patients with terminal illnesses, and terminal conditions, should have access to experimental treatment immediately that could save their lives."
The bill brought forward by Sen. Ron Johnson, R.-Wisc., says government should not get in the way of a patient with life-threatening disease who wants to take a flyer on a treatment not approved by the FDA.
Rep. Walden's position as the committee chairman reviewing the bill is that he is concerned that the legislation likely would give the patient "false hope."
I understand the congressman's concern but would remind him that hope is a four-letter word with many connotations.
A period of time at the bedside of one who has no hope would convince him, I am sure, the person deserves that "one last shot."
Raymond L, Gover retired as president and publisher of The Patriot-News in 2001. He writes from Lower Allen Township.
By Marc A. Thiessen
When the Republican-controlled Congress first approved its tax bill in December, most Democrats believed it would be a political loser for the GOP.
Indeed, a New York Times poll found that just 37 percent of Americans approved of the plan. "To pass a bill of tax cuts and have it be so unpopular with the American people is an amazing achievement for the Republicans -- it's never been done before," Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.) crowed.
Marc Thiessen (Washington Post photo)
He's not crowing any more. In January support had risen to 46 percent, and this week it reached a 51 percent majority. Meanwhile, disapproval has dropped from 57 percent in December to 45 percent today. That is a swing of 26 points.
Why the change? Because taxes are personal. The tax bill is extremely complicated, and when it was passed, many Americans were confused about how it would affect them.
A December poll found that only 17 percent believed they would pay less in taxes, while 32 percent thought they would pay more. In fact, about 80 percent of taxpayers will receive a tax cut this year averaging about $2,100, according to the nonpartisan Tax Policy Center. For the middle class, an even larger share benefit: More than 90 percent of taxpayers in the middle income quintile will receive a tax cut.
It is taking time for voters to figure this out. In 2001, when President George W. Bush passed his across-the-board tax cuts, his message was simple: Every American who pays taxes will get a tax cut.
But in 2017, Republicans overhauled more of the entire tax code. They cut tax rates and doubled the standard deduction but also eliminated many traditional deductions for those who itemize. As a result, a lot of taxpayers didn't know whether they would end up winners or losers.
Now, more Americans are starting to discover that they are winners. Millions are starting to receive their Trump tax cuts as employers lower their tax withholdings, leaving more money in their paychecks.
And the bill will become more popular as more people learn the good news. Even now, only one-third of Americans think they will see an income tax cut. Many voters are going to be pleasantly surprised when they discover their taxes are being reduced thanks to President Trump and Republican lawmakers.
And that does not take into account the bonuses and raises that many Americans are receiving from their employers because of the corporate tax cuts -- or the wage increases they will get from the economic growth that tax reform unleashes in the months and years ahead.
When House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) dismissed these tax saving as "crumbs," she came off as an elitist. A couple of thousand dollars a year may be crumbs to a San Francisco multi-millionaire, but to most hard-working Americans that is real money. Indeed, Pelosi is getting slammed by her fellow Democrats for her out-of-touch response.
Rep. Emanuel Cleaver II (D-Mo.) warned that "language is important" and "we cannot be seen as patricians," while Joseph Crowley (N.Y.), a member of the House Democratic leadership, said, "I think for people making $40,000 a year, any increase in their take-home is significant for them."
Democrats are in a bind because they voted against that increase in take-home pay. The growing public support for tax reform is especially a problem for the five vulnerable Senate Democrats running for reelection in states that Trump won by double digits. All of them will have a hard time explaining why they sided with the "resistance" and opposed giving their constituents a tax cut.
The success is already bolstering GOP candidates. In North Dakota, a state Trump won by 36 points, the success of the tax bill has drawn Sen. Heidi Heitkamp (D) a strong challenger in Rep. Kevin Cramer (R). Just last month, Cramer had announced that he was not going to run. Why did he change his mind? The Post reports that one reason was Cramer's belief that Heitkamp's vote against the tax bill was "fatal" for her.
Expect to see a lot of other GOP challengers -- and purple-state voters -- come to the same conclusion.
Marc Thiessen writes a twice-weekly column for The Washington Post on foreign and domestic policy and contributes to the PostPartisan blog. He is a fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, and the former chief speechwriter for President George W. Bush. His work appears frequently on PennLive Opinion.
By Jennifer Rubin
Recently, Timothy K. Lewis, a former judge with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 3rd Circuit, wrote:
Since then, matters have gotten considerably worse. Sen. Patrick J. Toomey (R-Pa.) started hinting about impeaching the state court justices last week.
He phrased it as beginning a "conversation," but the notion that judges should face impeachment when their decisions don't line up with politicians' partisan wishes is a dangerous one, contrary to our system of checks and balances.
That Toomey, a U.S. senator, would go after a state court in such a manner also defies what used to be a conservative principle, federalism.
(The state court ruled on the basis of the state constitution; for that reason, the U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear the case. For the same reason, Toomey would be well advised to butt out.)
"Look, I think it's inevitable that that conversation's going to take place," Toomey said. "I think state House members and state senators are going to be speaking amongst themselves and their constituents, and the fundamental question is does this blatant, unconstitutional, partisan power grab that undermines our electoral process, does that rise to the level of impeachment?" Inevitable? Well, sure, when partisans start suggesting that impeachment is an appropriate remedy, conversations have been known to start.
Renato Mariotti, a former federal prosecutor and a Democratic candidate for Illinois attorney general, tells me: "The Pennsylvania Constitution permits impeachment for 'misbehavior in office.' The Pennsylvania Supreme Court didn't engage in misbehavior -- the justices did their jobs." He adds: "The reason Pennsylvania Supreme Court justices serve lengthy terms is so they're focused on doing their jobs, not partisan outcomes. Impeachment shouldn't be used as a tool to punish judges for decisions we don't like."
The urge to retaliate against judges, Lewis suggests, smacks of Southern defiance of Brown v. Board of Education. ("The late Strom Thurmond's 'Southern Manifesto', drafted in opposition to the Supreme Court's landmark ruling in Brown vs. Board of Education, also accused the Court of a 'clear abuse of judicial power.'") We are also reminded of right-wing pols who threatened to remove state court judges or defy decisions on gay marriage.
"Impeachment is a severe remedy to be used for serious misconduct. It would be really abusive to impeach judges because we don't like the decisions they make, especially the partisan implications of that decision," says Michael Waldman, president of the Brennan Center for Justice at New York University. "I have a hard time believing they would actually go ahead with this. But a United States senator, when asked, should say 'No, impeachment for partisan reasons is inappropriate,' not 'Hmm, let's think about it.' "
As Lewis points out, there is a pattern here, not only in the states but also in rhetoric emanating from the White House:
He also took on President Trump, who "has repeatedly attacked the federal judiciary, including personal attacks on judges overseeing cases in which he is a party."
Beyond judges, Trump, of course, has sought to discredit the entire notion of nonpartisan administration of justice. He has made wild accusations against the FBI. He reportedly told the FBI to lay off Michael Flynn and has been publicly baiting the Justice Department to investigate Hillary Clinton and the Obama administration. He pardoned former sheriff Joe Arpaio, who had been convicted of criminal contempt.
In every instance, Trump has sought to break down the arm's-length relationship with the Justice Department that other presidents have adhered to and/or sought to undermine the legitimacy of the courts. Waldman notes of the attack on the courts: "This is all part of the erosion of vital democratic norms. Everything gets reduced to brute politics."
In short, once the president sets the pattern, others will follow, whether it is in attacking federal judges ("so-called" judges, as Trump would say) or state judges. Judges must resist the urge to slap back, and thereby reduce themselves to the level of political street-fighter.
That then requires other government officials, the organized bar and ordinary citizens to defend the apolitical administration of justice and the independence of the courts. (The American Bar Association, which has a "rapid response" manual to address attacks on the independent judiciary, had no comment on Toomey's remarks at this time; its president, who would normally be the one to comment, is traveling. We have not seen anything from the state bar of Pennsylvania.) So far, Trump has not hit a speed bump in his quest to mow down the judiciary, so he and other Republicans will continue to run roughshod over one of the jewels of our constitutional system.
Hilarie Bass, president of the ABA, has provided a statement, which reads: "The Pennsylvania Constitution specifies that public officials shall be liable to impeachment 'for any misbehavior in office.' In this case, there is no allegation of misbehavior. Rather, one party to the dispute believes the Supreme Court has overstepped its authority in deciding the case. The remedy is appeal. Above all else, our American democracy rests on the rule of law and the independence of the judiciary to interpret the law free from political interference or threat."
Jennifer Rubin writes The Right Turn blog for The Washington Post, which presents reported opinion from a conservative perspective. Her work appears frequently on PennLive Opinion.
A deer living in the big woods of northern Pennsylvania generally roams a home range more than twice the size of a similar deer living in the urban, suburban and agricultural areas of the state.
Duane Diefenbach, adjunct professor of wildlife ecology at Penn State, documented the disparity through five years of monitoring dozens of deer fitted with GPS tracking collars in Penn State's Deer-Forest Study. But, with a focus on the application of his research in deer management, he did not consider potential implications for other mammal species.
More recently, however, German researchers asked him to contribute data to a worldwide study of mammal movement.
He noted, "In Pennsylvania, we can go from contiguous forests to highly fragmented landscapes that are dominated by agriculture with small wood lots, and I noticed that when we had highly fragmented landscapes, home ranges of deer were much smaller, and the deer we studied in contiguous forest and undisturbed areas had larger home ranges.
"I attributed it to a couple of things. The fragmentation leads to many different types of plants available to deer, so they do not have to travel as far in search of food. Also, people tend to live in areas with better-quality soil, because crops grow better, which also provides more food for deer."
The Deer Forest Study found that the home range of deer in the big woods of northern Pennsylvania, the home range of male and female deer outside the breeding season is about a square mile. But in the agricultural areas, a deer's home range is more likely to be half of a square-mile or even a third of a square-mile. In the rut, males generally have twice the home range size of females, he noted, but outside the breeding season they have essentially the same home range size.
And, it turns out, wildlife researchers around the world have made similar discoveries about other mammal species.
On average, mammals move distances 2-3 times shorter in human-modified landscapes than they do in the wild. That was reported by the international team of researchers in the January 26 in the journal "Science," with Diefenbach as a co-author.
Most mammals are on the move every day while searching for food, to find a mate or to seek shelter. Some larger mammals, such as zebra, generally move longer distances, while smaller mammals, such as hares, usually cover shorter distances.
Lead researcher Marlee Tucker, a biologist with Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre and Goethe University Frankfurt, has shown that the extent of these movements is significantly reduced in human-modified areas. In these areas, mammals move distances that are only half to one third of what they cover in more natural areas.
Tucker and 114 coauthors from various institutions collated movement data from 803 individuals across 57 mammal species from around the globe.
"Our study looks at everything from hares to wild boars to elephants," Tucker said. "The scientists in our team equipped individual animals with a GPS tracking device that recorded each animal's location every hour for a period of at least two months."
The researchers then compared these data to the Human Footprint Index of the areas where the animals were moving. The index measures how much an area has been changed by human activities such as infrastructure, settlements or agriculture.
In Pennsylvania, Diefenbach has seen the effect that human-built structures such as roads and pipelines have on both deer home ranges and movement. Deer tend to avoid areas where there are few roads, he explained, but in areas with a high density of roads, that behavior flips and they are actually more likely to be associated with roads and spend time along them.
"I can't explain why they have shown that pattern," he said. "When yearling deer disperse from where they were born, we know they are less likely to cross a busy highway and they are more likely to disperse away from a busy highway.
"We know that when they set up home ranges, things like roads, pipelines, streams and physical changes in the landscape will help define the boundaries of where they spend their time, their home range. So when humans build roads and pipelines, animals will naturally use those landscape features as boundaries of their home range," which may be another reason why deer home ranges are smaller in fragmented landscapes.
FILE - In this Aug. 22, 2017, file photo, Bill Cosby departs after a pretrial hearing in his sexual assault case at the Montgomery County Courthouse in Norristown, Pa. Bill Cosby's 44-year-old daughter Ensa Cosby died Friday, Feb. 23, 2018, in Massachusetts from kidney disease, a spokesman for the comedian said Monday. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke, File)
ExxonMobil misleading Guyana with ad
ExxonMobil misleading nation By Kaieter News
GEORGETOWN
Petroleumworld 02 26 2018 In an advertisement published on page two of today's edition, USA oil giant, ExxonMobil attempts to mislead the citizenry on several aspects of oil deal it has with Guyana.
In the ad, ExxonMobil says that its US$460M bill for pre-contract costs is not a trap; that it is invested in discovering Guyana's oil future. Yet, other nations like Chad, Tanzania, Ghana, Indonesia and Uganda have strongly rejected such bills as well as prevented oil companies like Exxon from recovering costs prior to the date of discovery.
Many nations have also guarded against the costs of unsuccessful exploration through the use of adequate ring-fencing provisions. Guyana does not have this in place.
The company went on to state that it enjoys limited Duty free concessions. But this is far from the truth. The company enjoys duty free concessions galore. It does not have this privilege in other countries.
Further, ExxonMobil says that the Government of Guyana has extensive rights to visit its operations. But what it fails to mention is that there are other nations which do not have to provide notice at all. Uganda for example, retains the right to visit the operations of oil companies at any time. This is also the case in Ghana, where ExxonMobil recently signed an oil deal.
ExxonMobil also says that Government has strong audit rights. What it fails to tell Guyanese is that the Government can only conduct one audit per year. It also fails to state that Guyana is not able to access documents about operations here which may be in nations with nondisclosure laws. Other countries have guarded against being prevented from accessing information in such jurisdictions.
What is also worse is the fact that Guyana's royalty, rental and training fees, signature bonus and fees for an environmental fund represent a gross insult when compared to what ExxonMobil has given to other frontier nations.
Additionally, ExxonMobil continues to state that the contract does not exempt it from any new laws or otherwise. This is false. The oil contract specifically states, After the signing of this agreement the Government shall not increase the economic burdens of the Contractor under this Agreement by applying to this agreement or the operations conducted there under any increase of or any new petroleum related fiscal obligation, including but not limited to, any new taxes whatsoever, any new royalty, duties, fees, charges, VAT or other imposts.
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Guyana's Government not actively considering funding Auditor General's scrutiny of oil sector
By Kaieter News
GEORGETOWN
Petroleumworld 02 26 2018 The Government of Guyana is not currently looking to see how it can make finances available to the Office of the Auditor General to carry out additional investigations, particularly in the oil sector.
Guyana is yet to begin audits of the sector in keeping with the country's petroleum laws.
At the most recent post-Cabinet press briefing, the media asked Minister of State, Joseph Harmon about special considerations for additional funding for the Audit Office.
Harmon responded saying that Auditor General, Deodat Sharma has to make his case.
Harmon said that the state does not interfere with or dictate the work of the Audit Office, therefore the Auditor General must know how he is to fashion his application for funding for the work which he has to do; he has to identify in his framework what it is he needs to do. If he (Sharma) needs to be auditing a new industry, then he has to make a case for new funding for that.
Harmon also said, we were in an economy which was based on a few items and now we are moving to another type of economy and therefore all entities including the Auditor General must recognise that and make their application at the appropriate time.
Auditor General Sharma is on record saying that the shortfall in the cash he requested will stymie the work of the office.
This was following the approval of the annual allocations for constitutional agencies by Parliament's Committee of Supply.
The National Assembly approved a $783M allocation for the Audit Office for 2018. Sharma lamented the loss of more than $63M in requested funds for that Constitutional Agency, since it will hinder the preparation of the Office to audit the emerging Oil and Gas sector.
The reduced funds will directly affect my office since we have to shift to doing more work in the Oil and Gas Sector if you cutting us, you affect us in doing our work including carrying out audits in the new sector.
Story from Kaieter News
Kaieteurnewsonline.com 02 26 2018
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ExxonMobil getting pay to exploit Guyana and its resources Nigel Hinds
By Kaieter News
GEORGETOWN
Petroleumworld 02 26 2018 Chartered Accountant, Nigel Hinds said that ExxonMobil has been able to outsmart Guyana.
He said that the company is now making Guyana pay it to exploit its resources when the company should be the one paying.
Guyana is now hurrying to put measures in place to monitor and assess cost recovery claims. However, it has already tied itself to the repayment of US$460,237,918. This is according to the 2016 Petroleum Sharing Agreement (PSA) that Minister of Natural Resources, Raphael Trotman, signed with ExxonMobil. Annex C of the PSA deals with Cost Recovery.
One of the many expenses that Guyana will have to stand is what is referred to as pre-contract cost.
Hinds recently told Kaieteur News that one of the most wholly unacceptable features of the PSA that Guyana signed with ExxonMobil is the pre-contract cost of US$460,237,918. He said that the quoted sum should be absorbed by ExxonMobil.
The pre-contract cost is referred to in the contract as the cost incurred by contractor with petroleum cooperation carried out pursuant to the 1999 Petroleum Agreement. This pre-contract cost being foisted on our Government by Exxon in the form of an invoice is fantastical and absurd.
Was Exxon late in their billing? Is the invoice period from 1999 to 2015/2016/2017? Has there ever been such a first invoice covering seventeen years?
Hinds said that from the look of things, it seems as if Guyana is being asked to pay ExxonMobil a special Oil Discovery Bonus.
Things seem upside down here and the back is now the front, the payee is now the payer.
In previous commentary, the chartered accountant said that it is simply unheard of for a company to just quote a figure to be paid, whether by another company, a person, or a government, without at least giving a breakdown of the expenses.
There seems to be no science in the mathematics used to arrive at these figures; it's more like numbers sourced from an alternate universe.
The accountant said, too, that he is sure that most right thinking Guyanese would like to see a breakdown of the pre-contract cost or have an explanation on how the amount was determined.
Hinds noted that US$18 million identified post-investigation by Christopher Ram amounts to four percent of the US$460M pre-contract costs.
He described the money as a slush fund (money used for illicit purposes, especially political bribery).
Hinds said, Considering the billions ExxonMobil will spend in post-contract costs, the slush fund signing monies will be less than one-hundredth of one percent. What a tragedy!
The quoted US$460M may very well be just part of the pre-contract cost.
The PSA said that this sum shall be included in the pre-contract cost. The PSA states that the pre-contract cost shall include four hundred and sixty million, two hundred and thirty seven hundred thousand and nine hundred and eighteen United States Dollars (US$460,237,918) in respect of all such costs incurred under the 1999 Petroleum Agreement prior to the year ended 2015,
and (2) such cost as incurred under the 1999 Petroleum between January 1, 2016 and effective date which shall be provided to the Minister on or before October 3, 2016 and such number agreed on or before April 30, 2017.
For purposes of this paragraph, the term pre-contract cost includes contract costs, exploration costs, operating costs, service costs, and general and administrative costs and annual overhead charge as those terms are defined in the 1999 Petroleum Agreement.
According to ExxonMobil's website, even though the agreement was signed since 1999, the company only initiated oil and gas exploration activities in Guyana in 2008, collecting and evaluating substantial 3-D seismic data that led to the company safely drilling its first exploration well in 2015.
The PSA also ensures that Guyana stands the cost of even the interest added to loans taken by ExxonMobil for the purpose of the operation.
Story from Kaieter News
Kaieteurnewsonline.com 02 26 2018
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ExxonMobil-Guyana oil agreement does not provide for additional revenue to country if oil prices increase
By Kaieter News
GEORGETOWN
Petroleumworld 02 26 2018
ExxonMobil Oil Agreement
Not a cent more
That's what Guyana will be getting if international oil prices rise, thanks to the Production Sharing Agreement (PSA) the Government has signed with ExxonMobil.
That agreement prevents the Government from taxing higher than expected profits, which is likely to occur when international oil prices are high.
The contract's stabilization clause' is what prevents Guyana from securing
such windfall profits in the future. This clause insulates ExxonMobil from any new taxes or laws or fees not agreed to in the contract.
But while the nation is prevented from fully benefitting from higher than expected revenues, ExxonMobil gets to profit from favourable changing conditions in the oil market. This was also confirmed by Chartered Accountant and anticorruption advocate, Chris Ram.
The question of whether there should be a windfall or normal profit tax really revolves around the issue of the fiscal regime and the level of the government take But the tax you talk of is prevented by the stabilization clause, Ram said.
We lost out on that because of the stabilization clause
STRANGULATION CLAUSE?'
Ram in his recent writings has also deemed the Stability Clause to be a Strangulation Clause'. The columnist said it is unthinkable that any government would sign on to an agreement which insulates an operator from any new law or tax that the Parliament approves. He also noted that the clause can even be deemed as anti-Constitution.
Additionally, the Chartered Accountant said that when one compares the Janet Jagan Agreement to the 2016 Trotman Agreement, one notices several worrying additions in the Trotman Agreement.
Ram said that additions to the 2016 Agreement only serve the interest of ExxonMobil, as it limits the role of the government in applying new laws made in the petroleum sector. Ram revealed that if Guyana were to amend any of its laws which would affect the entity's operations then the Government would have to restore the benefits that are lost.
Ram noted that the Stability Clause provides, inter alia, that any delay by the government to respond to any notification from the contractor that they may have suffered any adverse effects can result in the contractor taking the matter to arbitration.
The Chartered Accountant added, In such a case, the arbitral tribunal is authorised to modify the agreement to re-establish the economic benefits under the Agreement to the Contractor. Where such restoration is not possible, the tribunal has the power to award damages to the Contractor that fully compensates for the loss of economic benefits under the Agreement, both for past as well as future losses.
While ExxonMobil was able to get Guyana to sign a contract with such rigid stabilization provisions, it was quite comfortable signing on to a deal with the African state, Ghana which had none.
Brazil's President Temer says he will not run in October presidential election
By Reuters
BRASILIA
Petroleumworld 02 26 2018 Brazil's President Michel Temer said on Friday that he will not run in the October 7 election and denied that a federal security intervention in Rio de Janeiro state was designed to improve his low approval ratings. I am not a candidate and I won't be a candidate, Temer, a former vice president who took office when leftist Dilma Rousseff was impeached in 2016, said in an interview with Radio Bandeirantes.
Reporting by Anthony Boadle Editing by Chizu Nomiyama from Reuters.
reuters.com 02 23 2018
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U.S. ready for high-seas crackdown on N.Korea sanctions evaders-sources
By Matt Spetalnick, Phil Stewart and David Brunnstrom
WASHINGTON
Petroleumworld 02 26 2018
The Trump administration and key Asian allies are preparing to expand interceptions of ships suspected of violating sanctions on North Korea, a plan that could include deploying U.S. Coast Guard forces to stop and search vessels in Asia-Pacific waters, senior U.S. officials said. Washington has been talking to regional partners, including Japan, South Korea, Australia and Singapore, about coordinating a stepped-up crackdown that would go further than ever before in an attempt to squeeze Pyongyang's use of seagoing trade to feed its nuclear missile program, several officials told Reuters.
While suspect ships have been intercepted before, the emerging strategy would expand the scope of such operations but stop short of imposing a naval blockade on North Korea. Pyongyang has warned it would consider a blockade an act of war.
The strategy calls for closer tracking and possible seizure of ships suspected of carrying banned weapons components and other prohibited cargo to or from North Korea, according to the officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity. Depending on the scale of the campaign, the United States could consider beefing up the naval and air power of its Pacific Command, they said.
The U.S.-led initiative, which has not been previously reported, shows Washington's increasing urgency to force North Korea into negotiations over the abandonment of its weapons programs, the officials said.
North Korea may be only a few months away from completing development of a nuclear-tipped missile capable of hitting the U.S. mainland, despite existing international sanctions that, at times, have been sidestepped by smuggling and ship-to-ship transfers at sea of banned goods, according to officials. There is no doubt we all have to do more, short of direct military action, to show (North Korean leader) Kim Jong Un we mean business, said a senior administration official.
The White House declined official comment.
The effort could target vessels on the high seas or in the territorial waters of countries that choose to cooperate. It was unclear, however, to what extent the campaign might extend beyond Asia.
Washington on Friday slapped sanctions on dozens more companies and vessels linked to North Korean shipping trade and urged the United Nations to blacklist a list of entities, a move it said was aimed at shutting down North Korea's illicit maritime smuggling activities to obtain oil and sell coal.
Tighter sanctions plus a more assertive approach at sea could dial up tensions at a time when fragile diplomacy between North and South Korea has gained momentum. It would also stretch U.S. military resources needed elsewhere, possibly incur massive new costs and fuel misgivings among some countries in the region.
BOARDING SHIPS
The initiative, which is still being developed, would be fraught with challenges that could risk triggering North Korean retaliation and dividing the international community.
China and Russia, which have blocked U.S. efforts at the United Nations to win approval for use of force in North Korea interdiction operations, are likely to oppose new actions if they see the United States as overstepping. A Chinese official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said such steps should only be taken under United Nations auspices.
But Washington is expected to start gradually ratcheting up such operations soon even if discussions with allies have not been completed, according to the senior U.S. official.
U.S. experts are developing legal arguments for doing more to stop sanctions-busting vessels, citing the last U.N. Security Council resolution which they say opened the door by calling on states to inspect suspect ships on the high seas or in their waters.
Washington is also drawing up rules of engagement aimed at avoiding armed confrontation at sea, the officials said.
Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin told reporters in Washington on Friday the United States does not rule out boarding ships for inspections.
But U.S. officials said privately that such actions, especially the use of boarding crews, would be decided on a case-by-case and with utmost caution.
Some U.S. officials believe the risk could be minimized if Coast Guard cutters, which carry less firepower and technically engage in law-enforcement missions, are used in certain cases rather than warships.
The Coast Guard declined to address whether it might deploy ships to the Asia-Pacific region but acknowledged its ties to countries there. Future ship deployments would depend on U.S. foreign policy objectives and the operational availability of our assets, said spokesman Lieutenant Commander Dave French.
THE MORE PARTNERS WE HAVE'
A senior South Korean government official said there had been discussions over intensified maritime interdictions, including at a foreign ministers' meeting in Vancouver last month where U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson pressed counterparts on the issue.
We are discussing with various countries including the U.S. and South Korea how to fully implement the sanctions but I have not heard talk of creating a framework or a coalition, said a Japanese defense ministry official involved in policy planning.
The Trump administration has also sought greater cooperation from Southeast Asian countries, which may have little military capability to assist but are seen as sources of intelligence on ship movements, U.S. officials said.
The more partners we have, the more resources we have to dedicate to the effort, said Chris Ford, assistant secretary of state for international security and nonproliferation. He declined to talk about discussions with specific countries.
Washington is especially interested in detecting of ship-to-ship transfers at sea of banned goods, something North Korea has increasingly resorted to as vessels have faced greater scrutiny of their cargo in Asian ports, the officials said.
Reuters reported in December that Russian tankers had supplied fuel to North Korea at sea in a violation of sanctions. Washington also said at the time it had evidence that vessels from several countries, including China, had engaged in shipping oil products and coal. China denied the allegation.
U.S. interception of ships close to Chinese waters is something likely to be avoided, in favor of informing Chinese authorities of banned cargo onboard and asking them do the inspection, one official said.
It's probably impossible to stop everything, but you can raise the cost to North Korea, said David Shear, former deputy secretary of defense for Asia under President Barack Obama.
Warren Buffett attends "The Post" premiere on December 14, 2017 at the Newseum in Washington, D.C. Read more
Shares of Israeli drugmaker Teva slipped briefly in pre-U.S. market trading Monday, after investor Warren Buffett told the cable TV network CNBC he wasn't sure why staff at his Berkshire Hathaway Corp. had bought 18.6 million shares of the company. The stock quickly returned to the level it has traded at since Buffett's company disclosed the Teva investment Feb. 15.
Teva employs more than 1,000 at its North American headquarters in North Wales, Pa., and other suburban Philadelphia locations.
Buffett's company bought the shares and became a nearly 2 percent owner of Teva earlier this month after cutting his stake in General Electric Corp. and expressing disgust at GE's insurance write-offs.
Teva shares rose on that news Feb. 15, as commentators speculated that maybe Buffett saw hidden value in the stock. Teva has lately hovered around $20 a share, after tumbling from more than $30 last Spring to as little as $11 in November on disappointing sales and profits.
Berkshire Hathaway owns almost 2 percent of Teva, according to SEC data collected by Bloomberg LP. The company's largest shareholders is the management group that buys stocks for the Los Angeles-based American mutual funds, which owns around 12 percent. Wellington Management Co., whose clients include Malvern-based Vanguard Group, owns around 4 percent.
U.S. Marines watch during the change of command ceremony at Task Force Southwest military field in Shorab military camp of Helmand province, Afghanistan. Read more
If you're a veteran or the spouse of a vet you may qualify for a scholarship at the American College Penn Mutual Center for Veterans Affairs, established to help vets and their spouses can transition into the world of finance.
The Center in Bryn Mawr, just surpassed $2 million in scholarships awarded to more than 360 military veterans, active duty, and their spouses since its founding in 2012.
Jonathan Childs, a West Point graduate, is taking coursework to receive his CFP designation, or Certified Financial Planner.
"Especially since the Great Recession in 2008, people are understandably nervous. They respect the CFP designation, and it gives me a broader base of knowledge so I can help my clients and not just push a life insurance policy or an annuity," he said.
Childs, 37, and his business partners last year founded New Perspective Financial Group in Warrington, after working several years for Prudential. With a full scholarship to the veterans program, he's taking his third course in estate planning, after completing the investments and retirement planning courses over the past nine months.
"They let you do it on your own time, which is great," he added.
Tamra Ivanoff, wife of an active duty Army officer, lives on base with her family in Carlisle. She was a stay-at-home mom until 2010, when she applied for the Military Spouse Financial fellowship through FINRA (www.militaryspouseafcpe.org).
"FINRA pays for military spouses to become an AFC, or accredited financial counselor. As part of that, I worked in Army community service for 1,000 hours of internship time," paid for by FINRA, a Wall Street regulator.
Through that, she heard about the American College veterans scholarship. The 49-year-old currently works educating active-duty officers and enlisted servicemen and women from all military branches at Naval Operational Support Center in Mechanicsburg, and won a full scholarship to study at the American College for her CFP designation.
Would she recommend it?
"Yes, particularly for veterans who wonder what they're going to do next. They may qualify for the scholarship or they may have education benefits through the military that pay for it. The program is an easy transition."
Ivanoff also just got linked up with a mentor in financial services who's based in Lancaster, through the American College veterans center.
Bryan Eberly, 30 and a Naval Academy graduate, said the scholarship covered what would have cost between $6,000 and $8,000 in tuition.
"The CFP program is awesome for guys like me without a finance background who get out of the military. It's like a mini-MBA," said Eberly, who works now as a financial adviser associate with Janney Montgomery Scott in Bryn Mawr. The American College also offers a Retirement Income Certified Professional designation (RICP), which focuses on optimizing Social Security benefits. For more information visit the website: https://veterans.theamericancollege.edu.
Due diligence on your adviser
Does a certification mean your adviser is pure as snow? Of course not.
Here are some resources to do a background check:
A church in the Poconos has the community on edge as it plans to bless couples toting an AR-15. Read more
A Pennsylvania school district will be moving its elementary students for the day on Wednesday due to a nearby church's decision to bless couples carrying AR-15 rifles.
The Wallenpaupack Area School District will move students out of Wallenpaupack South Elementary School in Newfoundland due to its proximity to the World Peace and Unification Sanctuary church, where couples will be blessed alongside their semi-automatic rifles.
The district in the Poconos sent letters to parents on Friday notifying them that students would attend class at another elementary school further from the church on Wednesday. Students who miss school that day will be marked as excused. The move will impact about 260 students.
Both the Pennsylvania State Police and the Wayne County Sheriff's Office will have a presence at the school to protect the maintenance and support staff remaining behind, assistant superintendent Keith Gunuskey said. An extra school resource officer will also be deployed at the school. No other schools in the district, which spans parts of Wayne and Pike counties, are moving students.
Gunuskey said parents were rattled by the news of the gathering, particularly since three years ago the district was forced to shutter classrooms during the manhunt for Eric Frein, who gunned down two state troopers outside their Pike County barracks in 2014, killing 38-year-old Corporal Bryon K. Dickson.
"It has definitely had put some parents on edge," Gunuskey said of the church's ceremony. "For us, there are no templates to follow, so it does cause some anxiousness within the community, which is understandable."
The church, which strongly supports the Second Amendment, has said it planned the Feb. 28 ceremony months ago, well before this month's massacre in a Florida high school that left 17 people dead. Authorities say the alleged Parkland gunman used an AR-15 during the attack, a gun the church believes symbolizes the "rod of iron" mentioned in the Bible's apocalyptic book of Revelation.
>> READ MORE: Survivor of Fla. school shooting urges Main Line students to fight for change
>> READ MORE: Everyday gun violence must be part of gun control reckoning | Helen Ubinas
The church's leader, Rev. Sean Moon, is the son of Rev. Sun Myung Moon, who proclaimed himself as a messiah and founded the Unification Church, which has been referred to as a cult by several former members.
"If unable to purchase and legally transport such a 'rod of iron' because of laws barring the purchase of such weapons, or other reasons, couples are invited to purchase a $700 gift certificate from a gun store, as evidence of their intent to purchase a 'rod of iron' in the future," the church says on its website.
The ceremony follows a "President Trump Thank You Dinner" the church organized last Saturday night in nearby Matamoras, Pa. The dinner, a fundraiser for the group Gun Owners of America, was co-sponsored by Kahr Arms, a guns manufacturer based in Greeley, Pa., and founded by Moon's brother, Justin Moon.
Last week, Pennsylvania State Police trooper Mark Keyes told the Associated Press that there were no plans to send any troopers to the event, since the church isn't breaking any laws.
"It's something I would consider keeping my child home," parent Liz Zoccola told WNEP-TV last week. "It's scary."
Gayle Isa talks about the beginnings of the Asian Arts Intitative in the main exhibit space of their building on Vine Street. Isa is leaving after 25 years at the helm. MICHAEL BRYANT / Staff Photographer Read more
When Gayle Isa, a fourth-generation Japanese American, arrived on the Swarthmore College campus in the late 1980s, she felt like a stranger in a strange land.
"I come originally from Southern California and found an environment in Swarthmore College that was really different from the place where I'd grown up," she said recently. "All of a sudden, Asian Americans were almost invisible and it became important for me to try and reach out and connect. That had never been something I craved or needed before."
Isa didn't care for invisibility, nor was she someone to accept it easily. Instead, she reached out to a number of Asian American groups, on and off the campus, and in her senior year, in 1992, she worked as an intern with the Painted Bride Art Center's tiny new Asian Arts Initiative, a program formed in the wake of flaring tensions between the city's African American and Asian communities.
The next year, after the departure of the initiative's curator, Isa applied to run the whole show and got the only job she's had in her life.
Now, a quarter of a century later, she's leaving.
After overseeing countless community workshops and meetings, performances and readings, after moving the growing initiative out of the Bride and into more expansive and useful digs, after moving and moving again, and finally establishing a home on Vine Street, Isa has decided to call it a day.
She will remain through the end of June as the organization's first and only executive director. She shepherded the initiative from a small community project under the wing of the Bride into a full-fledged independent community organization with a palpable impact on the face of the city.
The Asian Arts Initiative is about exhibitions and workshops, still, but it is also seeking to transform four blocks of bedraggled Pearl Street into a jewel of diversity, among other things, and boasts an operating budget of about $1.5 million a year.
"Now it's a great time, with it being our 25th anniversary and with there being strong leadership on our staff," she said. "It's a good time. If not now, when?"
"Community activism is what initially attracted me," Isa said. "The Painted Bride's mission statement says that it is the power of the arts to bring people together, the healing and transformative power of the arts that drew me."
(A number of exhibitions, performances, and gatherings of all kinds are scheduled to mark the anniversary, May 3-6. Details are at asianarts25.org.)
At 46, Isa, a diminutive, direct woman, wants to take some time and maybe not be an activist for a few months, anyway. The initiative has launched a national search for her successor.
Gerry Givnish, a cofounder of the Painted Bride and a member of the initiative's board, said that even when Isa was fresh out of Swarthmore, she knew what she wanted to do.
"She was very, very strong for a young woman," Givnish recalled. "There were confrontations. I said, 'This is what I want.' She said, 'This is what I want.' I knew I was dealing with someone strong."
Isa worked with kids and adults from all ethnic backgrounds, always seeking ways to bring communities together, Givnish said. There was violence in West Philadelphia. There was violence in South Philadelphia.
"She empowered people," Givnish said. "She brought high school kids into school programs [helping create] a generation of kids who see art as a way to empower."
In 1997, growing in ambitions, the initiative moved completely out of the Bride and into the old Gilbert Building on Cherry Street, what Isa calls "our first apartment." That space lasted about a decade before expansion of the Convention Center led to demolition of the Gilbert Building.
The initiative found itself forced out of the Gilbert by the Redevelopment Authority and subsequently parked by the RDA in a building with no heat.
"We had students there who'd wear gloves," she recalled. "They'd take their gloves off and blow on their hands. You could see their breath in the air and then they'd do a quick sketch and put their gloves back on. That was a very challenging space."
Eventually, the initiative managed to identify what had once been a Warner Bros. screening and booking building at 1219 Vine St. And with the help of the city, it managed to acquire it in 2006.
The first floor had to be reconstructed, and access was through the basement and up a ladder. But it was home.
The floor has long since been rebuilt, and multicultural workshops and performances have been going on daily. In recent years, Isa has been absorbed by her vision of a diverse, invigorated Pearl Street, a small street that runs from Broad to 10th just north of Vine.
Pearl embodies the high and low of the city the abandoned properties and the soaring real estate valuations, the homeless and the luxury condo dwellers, the hapless and the Chinese Christians.
It's a bedraggled patchwork that Isa wants to transform, a project that could easily last a lifetime or two.
Yet its possibilities intrigued her, its contradictions became a challenge. Isa thrives on fusing contradiction. She jumped in.
"She's really made a successful effort at forging an identity and a place at 12th and Vine," said John Chin, executive director of the Philadelphia Chinatown Development Corp. "Pearl Street is a very, very challenging project. But AAI remains an art-focused organization. Pearl Street is something they ventured into. Their bread and butter is arts and culture, particularly for the younger generation."
For Isa, however, the arts and the development and the strengthening of the diversity of the community are all of a piece.
"When I think back over the history of the organization, the most important thing has been those times when we've literally served as a bridge or as a convener," she said. "Especially when we're able to do that with people who would not otherwise come in contact with each other."
Add the longhorned tick to the growing list of invasive species farmers, foresters and officials are confronting.
The Rutgers Center for Vector Biology published a study last week confirming an infestation by Haemaphysalis longicornis at one farm in Hunterdon County, N.J. Previously, the tick wasn't known to have made it into the U.S., though animals carrying the tick have been stopped at borders.
The longhorned tick, which originates in East Asia, was first discovered in New Jersey in November. The arachnid was found on a 12-year-old Icelandic sheep on the farm, in the northwestern part of the state. Rutgers worked with Monmouth and Hunterdon counties to examine how many of the ticks there were, using DNA analysis to identify them.
They found a large number of the critters, in all life stages, on both the sheep and its paddock. The sheep had never been outside the U.S. so how the tick got there is unknown. The sheep has has since died, most likely from an unrelated cause.
Scientists are concerned whether the infestation survived the winter, said Dina M. Fonseca, a professor and director of the center at Rutgers. Results might not be known until May so it remains unclear whether the tick has established a permanent presence.
Rutgers' scientists do not believe climate change provided a path for the pest to New Jersey. However, they note its survival in the U.S. could be affected by increasingly warm temperatures. The tick adds to the number of destructive invasive species from Asia that New Jersey and Pennsylvania are already dealing with, including the spotted lanternfly, southern pine beetle, and hemlock woolly adelgid, among others.
The longhorn tick, also known as the bush tick, poses a threat to livestock such as cattle, horses, goats and sheep. It is a major problem in New Zealand and transmits a disease in animals called Theileriosis that leads to anemia and sometimes death. The impact on humans is less clear. In other parts of the world, the tick has been associated with diseases that are found rarely in people, such as spotted fever rickettsiosis.
Andrea M. Egizi, the senior author of the tick study, said scientists need more information before they can assess whether the new tick poses a threat to local residents.
She said the tick transmits human pathogens in its native range in Asia, but only on occasion and usually affects those that are in contact with livestock. Those pathogens are not normally present on U.S. soil. The question, she said, is whether the longhorned tick can transmit pathogens native in the U.S.
"So the potential for human health impact is unknown at this point," Egizi said. "What we do know is that it can definitely be a problem for livestock."
The species is dark brown and grows to about the size of a pea when engorged on the blood of its hosts. Nymphs emerge in spring but are hard to spot with the naked eye. They become adults in the summer.
Officials say have treated the New Jersey property and animals where the tick was found. However, the N.J. Division of Fish and Wildlife and Department of Environmental Protection are watching to see if the tick has spread. Farmers are encouraged to monitor livestock for anemia.
Researchers from Penn and Columbia identified a drop in crime rates in neighborhoods surrounding trash-strewn vacant lots that were transformed into mini parks. This lot at the corner of N. 7th and West Boston Streets was not part of the study but underwent the same treatment. Read more
As the United States once again debates how to combat gun violence, criminologists say they have had trouble determining which measures will actually work.
That is partly due to congressional restrictions on research funding passed under pressure from gun-rights advocates such as the National Rifle Association. Also there are so many guns in the U.S. that certain efforts, if they work at all, do little to move the needle.
But a new Philadelphia study, financed by the National Institutes of Health, finds evidence for a gun-violence remedy few would argue with: clearing trash and debris from vacant lots.
Researchers selected 541 blighted parcels to receive one of three treatments from the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society: a full-scale makeover with grading, planting, and fencing; a basic intervention with just clearing and mowing; and no treatment at all. When study authors analyzed crime rates in the areas surrounding these lots for 18 months before and after treatment, they found that both kinds of "greening" appeared to reduce gun assaults, burglaries, and overall crime.
The biggest decrease was seen in the rate of shootings in neighborhoods where the median income was below the poverty line. When compared to the areas surrounding untreated lots, gun assaults dropped by 17.4 percent near lots that received the full makeover and by 29.1 percent near lots that got any kind of greening either the full treatment or basic clearing and mowing.
If the city were to clear all of its blighted lots a total currently close to 30,000 the researchers estimated that the number of fatal and nonfatal shootings could go down by as much as 350 each year. In 2016, there were 1,279 shootings in Philadelphia.
Study authors said greening vacant lots would not prevent mass shootings such as the Parkland, Fla., slaying of 17 teens and adults on Feb. 14. But it could reduce the day-to-day urban gun violence that accounts for the bulk of U.S. homicides, said lead author Charles C. Branas, chair of the epidemiology department at Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health.
"We have an area the size of Switzerland in our cities that's been abandoned like this," said Branas, also an adjunct professor at the University of Pennsylvania. "This is an opportunity for the U.S."
Branas, his colleagues, and others have previously studied the potential of green space as a crime-prevention tool. But the new study, published Monday in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, was unusual in its scope, said Medical College of Wisconsin researchers Sandra Bogar and Kirsten M. Beyer. The two were not involved in the new study but reviewed research on the topic in 2015.
"The implications of this study are particularly exciting because they can support the generalizability of findings across both large spaces and diverse urban populations," Bogar and Beyer said in an email.
What's more, the decline in crime near the greened land parcels was not accompanied by a corresponding increase in nearby neighborhoods, said Penn criminology professor John M. MacDonald, who worked with Branas on the study.
"It was a strong sign that it was not just getting pushed a few blocks away," MacDonald said.
The study authors, who included researchers from the University of California Los Angeles, Rutgers University, and the U.S. Forest Service, randomly selected which plots of land would get the green treatment. The goal was to eliminate bias and to ensure that any drop in crime was indeed linked to the greening and not some other factor.
"This is the same procedure that the Food and Drug Adminstration requires before it'll approve a drug for market," Branas said.
Another plus: the intervention is inexpensive, as the Horticultural Society has been doing similar work on a large scale for more than a decade, primarily funded through the city Division of Housing and Community Development.
The full makeover described in the study required an initial cost of about $5 per square meter and just 50 cents per square meter each year after for maintenance, authors said.
The Horticultural Society program, called LandCare, is currently maintaining about 12,000 cleared parcels, said society president Matt Rader. At least 1,200 other parcels were cleaned through the program but are no longer part of it because they were redeveloped.
The broader goal of LandCare is urban revitalization, not specifically crime prevention, but its overseers welcome that benefit. Another goal is jobs. The full makeover was undertaken by contractors, most of them minority-owned, and the basic clearing and mowing of other lots was supervised by nonprofit partners who hired neighborhood residents. Each year LandCare also trains and hires several dozen former prison inmates.
"We're trying to figure out how to apply horticulture and greening to address as many needs as exist in Philadelphia's neighborhoods," Rader said.
In a 2011 study of green space and crime, Branas and MacDonald hypothesized that clearing vacant lots reduced gun violence because there were fewer old couches and other debris under which drug dealers could hide guns.
But for the new study, several of the researchers lived for months in two communities Point Breeze and West Kensington interviewing residents and observing the impact of lot-clearing. It turns out guns are too valuable to be hidden in vacant lots, and that drug dealers hide them instead in the trunk or behind a hidden panel of a car parked in front of a vacant lot, said UCLA anthropologist Philippe Bourgois, one of the study authors.
Once a lot was cleared, residents began to use it and felt empowered to shoo away criminals and their cars.
"What we think is that it made people invested in that space," Bourgois said. "People got hope."
The lot-clearing was not universally popular in Point Breeze, where economic development has given rise to fears that long-term, lower-income residents will be pushed out. But residents were all for the lot-clearing in Kensington, Bourgois said.
"The lots were no longer no-go zones," he said. "It basically gave people the courage to start hanging out."
Aaron Carter is releasing his first album in 15 years, but you wouldn't know his hiatus had been so long if you were just paying attention to just the celebrity magazines, where he has been a regular presence since he was a kid pop sensation in the late 1990s/early 2000s with his debut single "Crush on You." The brother of Backstreet Boy Nick Carter famously declared bankruptcy (he settled with the IRS for back taxes at the ripe old age of 16), and has since acknowledged an eating disorder and bisexuality.
With his new EDM-tinged LVe, featuring singles "Sooner or Later" and "Fool's Gold," Carter, 30, is embarking on a tour of intimate venues that includes a stop at Voltage Lounge on Tuesday. He's also talking with legislators about his proposed "Carter law" that would require child entertainers to attend business school and receive incremental payouts so they don't blow through their earnings.
Youve spent half of your life apart from what you do best. Did you pressure yourself into cramming every bit of growing up into this new album?
I don't think so. I just dove in wholeheartedly, writing and producing the project. If I was going to wait that long, I needed to make it count. During the time that I wasn't in the industry, or on the radio, I wanted to be. There were, however, things that held me back psychological problems, bankruptcy. I had to go through a lot of crazy stuff in my 20s that most people don't have to do in their lifetime.
But few of us get the opportunity to sing in front of millions of screaming German children or open for the Backstreet Boys at their first gig. What do you remember about that?
I did "Crush on You" and got a record deal right after that show. I was off to the races.
When you were a child singer, did you have dreams or foresight to know what sort of artist you might want to be?
That's a good question. The experiences I had all surrounded by adults and musicians who were with me forever shaped me as I went along. I believe I was developing into becoming a real artist. Not that I wasn't then at least I was an entertainer whose songs were written for him. I did get that I wanted more. I knew I wanted to write, control some aspects of my output. I did know that I wanted to have that clout. I wanted the credit for being a good artist for being authentic. I just didn't want to be a voice on a track. There's nothing wrong with that I just wanted more.
You are open about what you want, who you are, the issues you have dealt with from bisexuality to bulimia.
Being in the biz for so long and told to put on personae you see the outcome. Personally, I developed my own brand of honesty, one that I have to say can sometimes be too revealing. I don't want to be caught not being true or authentic. This is my life. Not everyone has to dig it. I'm in a good place.
Do you feel as if by coming out as bi discussing your sexuality you have connected with a broader audience?
That wasn't my intention. I just wanted to discuss something that happened; that I could find both men and women attractive. Now, moving forward, I foresee myself being with a woman and having children with a woman. That doesn't mean I couldn't if I was with a man. But that's not the case with my future.
What was the first song you wrote and produced for LVe that gave it direction?
"Fool's Gold" was really the starting point of the whole thing. I released it independently. It charted and it got the attention of Sony, who signed me. But I had already finished the entire album on my own before they got hold of it that was a nice feeling. I brought them a whole project a whole story, mine that I had done. That was a very therapeutic project to get through, especially after my last two relationships went wrong. "Don't Say Goodbye" also focused on the most recent relationship I had. I'm proud of being able to fit that in there. It's very present.
This new album is less glossy pop how we remember you first and harder-edged EDM and trap. Why did that sound suit your new songs, and is this where we want to nestle for a bit?
EDM was what I heard as a kid when I was touring in Europe. Growing up in Florida, my siblings were all about Miami hip-hop: Juvenile and Trick Daddy. It's a hybrid I believe suits where I'm going. It's pop music and it's organic in that it comes straight from me. Then again, my evolution and the evolution of music itself moves quickly. Who knows where I could go?
Jared Block, a sophomore at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, who was at the Parkland, Fla., school when the mass shooting took place Feb. 14, speaks with his mother Gayle, in a Skype session with students and their parents at Har Zion Temple in Penn Valley on Sunday, Feb. 25, 2018. Read more
On Valentine's Day, Jared Block, a sophomore at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, who was born and raised in Cherry Hill, heard gunshots, then took cover in a large storage closet with his other drama-class schoolmates until a SWAT team freed them 90 minutes later, urging them to run out of the building.
The 16-year-old survived that deadly day when a former classmate fatally shot 17 students and faculty members at the school in Parkland, Fla. and unleashed an extraordinary movement by young people for changes to gun laws.
"Be the voice for those who don't have one," Jared said during a CNN town hall meeting in Florida after the shooting.
On Sunday, he brought his call-to-action to Lower Merion Township via Skype.
"If it can happen in Parkland, it can happen anywhere," Jared, at home in Parkland, said to about 90 Hebrew school students and their parents at the Har Zion Temple in Penn Valley. The students are part of the Lower Merion Area Hebrew High program for teens.
Jared was joined by his parents, Gayle and Josh. Together, they urged action regardless of political persuasion. Marches. Calls to elected officials. Continued speaking about Parkland until someone finally does something, they said.
"Please be the voices behind all these kids in Parkland," said Gayle Block, a Huntingdon Valley native and former Philadelphia School District teacher at Harding Middle School in Frankford for six years.
The Blocks moved to Florida in 2012, where they were living in a "bubble" in the small, tight-knit community of Parkland before the shooting at Marjory Stoneman, she said.
"We are now part of that bubble that burst," Gayle Block said.
Days later, sadness turned to anger "at what this monster has done not only to Parkland but to my little family of four my kids who were scared to walk into a dark room I had to lay with them in bed until they fell asleep," she said.
The shooting suspect, Nikolas Cruz, 19, has been jailed on 17 counts of murder and has admitted the attack, authorities said. Warnings to authorities that he was a danger capable of shooting up a school went unheeded.
"Hug your kids," Josh Block told the gathering at Har Zion, where his sister, Kami Verne, is a congregant.
Norman Einhorn, director of the Lower Merion Hebrew school program and of member engagement at Har Zion, organized the hour-long event to emphasize the importance of taking action and speaking out. In an earlier interview, he noted that the post-shooting hashtag, #neveragain, was the rallying cry among Jews following the Holocaust.
Also joining the Skype conversation were U.S. Rep. Ted Deutch, a Florida Democrat who represents Parkland and who has been outspoken about a ban on assault-style weapons, and John Wood Jr., director of media development for the nonpartisan group Better Angels, which seeks to unify people from different parts of the political spectrum.
From a large projection screen at Har Zion, Jared described practicing a song for the spring musical, "Yo Vikings," in his drama class on Feb. 14 when he heard a fire alarm. As he and his classmates started heading toward the door, Jared said he heard "hollow" and "ricocheting" sounds "like a trash can was falling over," which he later realized were gunshots from the next building over.
"My teacher was screaming at us, like, 'Go in the closet. Go. Go. Go!" he recalled. About 60 to 70 in all would huddle in that closet, getting only snippets of information on cell phones.
Jared was able to text his mother. His parents rushed to the school, but were kept outside for hours before they could be reunited.
"What keeps me motivated is that I'm still alive," he told Tes Goldman, 16, when the Lower Merion High School sophomore asked how he stays strong. "I'm going to be the voice for the 17 people They're looking down now on us, telling me, 'You need to fight for this so I'm the last person.'"
After the Skype session, Sydney Schur, 15, a sophomore at Lower Merion High School, said she will tell classmates in morning announcements:
"We need to take advantage of this opportunity to make a change and make our voices heard."
Michael DeMasi Jr., 4 (left) will donate his bone marrow to his twin baby brothers on March 8. Read more
Four-year-old Michael DeMasi Jr. knows about the needle.
"Yeah, it's a big, giant needle," he said.
He knows it will be plunged into his back on March 8, so doctors at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia can extract bone marrow, which will then be transplanted to save the lives of his twin 4-month-old brothers, who suffer from a rare immune disease.
DeMasi's parents, Michael DeMasi, 35, and Robin Pownall, 31, of South Philadelphia, call their quiet, shy boy "a superhero" for what he's about to do. But Michael Jr. just considers himself a good big brother.
"I want to help them," he said. "I'm not scared."
DeMasi and Pownall, who have been together for 11 years, have four children: Dominick, 9; Michael Jr., 4; and the 4-month-old fraternal twins: Santino, who goes by "Sonny," and Giovanni, who's called "Gio."
The twins were a surprise, to say the least. The couple wasn't planning on getting pregnant, and when they found out they were having twins, it was a curveball.
"God's a good pitcher, I'll tell you that," Pownall said. "He threw us a good one."
It's not the first curveball the family's been thrown. The couple's first son, Dominick, was diagnosed with a rare immune disease called Chronic Granulomatous Disease (CGD) and spent nearly his entire first year of life at CHOP before an umbilical cord donation from a stranger gave him the stem cell transplant he needed to survive.
According to Pownall, who's had to become an armchair expert on CGD, it is a disease that affects the immune system, making it impossible for the body to fight infection.
"It's like the bubble-boy syndrome," she said. "If we don't do a transplant, they can get very sick from a small infection. A cut can be fatal."
But eight years after his transplant, Dominick is a healthy, high-energy, fast-talking kid. He is, essentially, cured.
CGD is hereditary, and Pownall found out she was a carrier. Only one in 500,000 people is diagnosed with CGD every year and it tends to affect boys at a higher rate than girls, she said.
Michael Jr. wasn't born with the disease, but when Pownall found out she was pregnant with twins, she feared the worst. The twins were born on Oct. 14 at 33 weeks, and spent the first five weeks of their lives at the neonatal intensive care unit of a local hospital. They were home for only 10 days, during which time they tested positive for CGD, and Santino developed an infection from his circumcision.
Both boys were then taken to CHOP, where they've lived since November. Pownall sleeps next to them in a cot in their room. She must wear a face mask and gown at all times when with her baby boys, so she doesn't pass along any infections.
"I have to sneak kisses," she said. "They're my babies. How am I not going to kiss them?"
>> Read more: Pennsylvania doesn't really know how many babies are born dependent on opioids. That's a big problem.
The family knew a transplant was the only way to give the twins a shot at a normal life. A perfect sibling bone marrow transplant match is even better than an umbilical cord stem cell match, Pownall said, so when Michael Jr. tested as a match for both boys, his parents asked him if he wanted to donate his bone marrow. They explained to him what he would have to do.
"We wanted to give him that option. People think he doesn't realize what's happening, but he knows what's going on and he's on board," she said. "He's so brave. He is our courageous boy."
Citing hospital privacy rules, a spokeswoman for CHOP declined to offer any comment on the case.
On Monday, the twins who only weigh 11 and 12 pounds will begin 10 days of chemotherapy before the transplant.
"They wipe their immune systems entirely and then give them the bone marrow," Pownall said. "It's a very serious, scary operation for all three, actually."
Michael DeMasi Sr., the boys' father, said he tries to keep a clear mind in order to cope.
"I try not to think about it," he said. "There is that risk they could not make it, and I don't want to think about that."
Pownall, whose positive and calm demeanor belie her emotional and physical exhaustion, said she has moments where the reality of what's happening crashes upon her.
"Sometimes I just break down. I'll be in the shower, and it will just all come out," she said. "And then I'll meet a mom at CHOP whose daughter just got diagnosed with stage-four cancer and it brings me back, and I remember how grateful I am that there is hope for my situation."
If the transplant goes well, Michael Jr. will be able to leave the hospital the same day as the operation, and the twins should be able to head home four-to-six weeks later.
When they are reunited, their first wish is a simple one to go camping and fishing together as family.
"I'm so grateful for all the support we've received. I'm so grateful CHOP is right here," Pownall said. "And I'm so grateful that this can be a positive story."
A GoFundMe page has been has been set up to help the family with expenses.
Larry Krasner supporters shortly after Krasner won the primary for District Attorney. The Campaign Workers Guild seeks to unionize teams running campaigns, like Krasners primary run. Read more
Every time she worked on a campaign, often pulling more than 80 hours a week for little pay, Julia Ackerly told herself she'd never do it again. And as soon as the campaign ended, sure enough, she'd suffer from a sort of willful amnesia. "OK," she'd ask herself, "what's the next campaign I'm going to work on?"
The last one was different.
After a three-month local campaign many considered a long shot, Ackerly's slate of candidates won. But the victory party was bittersweet, tainted by what she called a toxic culture in which her manager had guilted staffers into working long hours, saying that if they didn't, they must not truly care.
On top of that, Ackerly was broke.
No win bonus, no gas reimbursement, no pay through the end of the month. The checks they got two weeks before Election Day, it turned out, were their last. No one had prepared the team for that.
The experience was a wake-up call for Ackerly, 27, who declined to identify the campaign in question.
It wasn't just about the money but also the message: that campaign workers weren't valued; that once they finished the job, they were disposable.
Political veterans may be thinking: Yup. Welcome to the business.
But Ackerly and a growing chorus of millennial campaign workers are refusing to accept the status quo.
She is one of 17 campaign staffers running a new nationwide union called the Campaign Workers Guild, which aims to combat what they describe as the exploitative nature of the work. The movement, which went public just ahead of the midterm elections, intersects with the current cultural and economic moment: the way millennials are leading the growth in unionization, the fight for worker rights in the gig economy, and #MeToo.
"We want to set a precedent for what campaign culture can be," said Ackerly, of West Philadelphia, who has worked on several Democratic campaigns, including District Attorney Larry Krasner's primary race.
The point, she said, is to build a more sustainable career path for those who go into this industry. Instead of working young campaign staffers to the bone, only to have them burn out in a few years, why not develop practices that will support them and encourage them to stay in the political arena?
The union's goal is a collective-bargaining agreement that covers all Democratic campaign workers the party that already leans pro-labor but right now, the group is proceeding campaign by campaign. So far, three staffs have reached such agreements with their employers, including two Democratic congressional candidates: the eight-member team running the campaign for Randy Bryce, the pro-union challenger to Speaker of the House Paul Ryan in Wisconsin's First District, and the three-member team behind Jess King in Lancaster, who is running in Pennsylvania's 16th District. More are in the works, according to guild spokeswoman Meg Reilly, though she declined to identify them until the deals are finalized.
"I believe all work has value and all workers have rights," candidate King said. "So I was excited that we could embody that in our campaign."
The agreements include a salary floor ($2,500/month for King's, $3,000/month for Bryce's), health-care reimbursement, and a sexual harassment policy particularly important, Ackerly said, in a workplace that often lacks a formal HR policy, where the next gig relies heavily on networking and connections, and where it's drilled into staffers that they must not do anything to jeopardize the campaign, which can lead to sexual harassment and discrimination going unreported.
Lauren Hitt, who left her post as Mayor Kenney's communications director to join Bryce's campaign in January and is now a member of the Guild, said a union contract with salary floors could help diversify campaign staff.
If the industry is peopled only by those without student debt or who can afford low pay, "then we're really going to have a divide in how campaigns are run," she said, adding that she might not have considered campaign work right out of school if she had college loans to repay.
This is also the first year that Hitt, 26, cannot be on her parents' health insurance. So the health-care reimbursement in the agreement is "a huge relief."
Democratic political consultant Aren Platt says the philosophical reasons for working on a campaign can create an environment ripe for exploitation.
"When I was doing it, everyone was doing it for the greater good," Platt said. "It's very hard to separate out the work that you do from this place of emotion, from trying to change the world."
If you're sitting down the hall from the candidate who's spending all day fund-raising, he said, it can be hard to ask for more money. You know it could be spent on mailers or granola bars for volunteers.
Political consultant Dan Fee says he agrees with the union's insistence on living wages, but he thinks salary floors could do campaigns more harm than good.
"It'll chase true grassroots candidates out of the races because they simply can't raise enough money," Fee said. "It'll make the impact of big money even more outsized."
He also warns against salary ceilings, contending that they could make campaigns less competitive.
But Jessica Cosme, a political consultant and former Democratic staffer, pointed out that the salary floor on Bryce's campaign is "very obtainable" and pretty much the going rate.
"Money is always important in every race, and every cycle, more is required to compete," she said. "This wouldn't have much of an impact."
The organizing effort has left some local veteran politicians scratching their heads. They point out that campaigns are short-term positions without many of the benefits of more traditional jobs, and that's explained upfront.
"The hours these people work are crazy, but that's what the business is," said former State Sen. Vince Fumo, who was incredulous that such a union would exist. "That's just what it's been forever."
He added, "Unions have their place. I don't think this is one of them."
Former Gov. Ed Rendell said it would be difficult to negotiate a contract covering all workers because of the variables involved: the size and length of a campaign, but especially the money behind it, given the unpredictability of fund-raising.
"You're talking to someone who's been pro-union all his life," Rendell said. "But it doesn't lend itself to commonsense negotiation because the biggest variable is missing: the resources."
His suggestion to campaign workers who feel they're being exploited?
"Move carefully at the beginning," he advised, "and if the conditions are lousy, then don't sign up."
Besides, he said, most people don't get into this for the money.
On that, the Campaign Workers Guild agrees. A living wage is important, Ackerly said, but it's not the sole issue in the fight.
The union leaders want training and reporting procedures around sexual harassment. They want open dialogue between management and staff. They want that elusive concept, one that might sound a touch too millennial to old-school ears: respect.
That kind of work environment, they say, would only benefit candidates.
"The stakes have never been higher to elect progressive candidates," Ackerly said. "Now is the time to lay the groundwork. This is our moment."
Nina Ahmad speaks with members of the media in Philadelphia, Wednesday, Jan. 31, 2018. Read more
Nina Ahmad, a former aide to Mayor Kenney who had been campaigning for a Philadelphia congressional seat, is now jumping into the race for lieutenant governor.
The move comes a week after the Pennsylvania Supreme Court imposed a new congressional map, changing district lines and scrambling U.S. House races across the state. The court had ruled that the previous map was an unconstitutional partisan gerrymander drawn to favor Republicans.
"Harrisburg has been male-dominated for too long, and its culture won't change without new voices," Ahmad said in a statement Monday. "I will partner with Governor Wolf to help stamp out sexism and sexual harassment that holds us back."
She said she would push for a tax on natural gas drillers to pay for schools, something Gov. Wolf has advocated but which the GOP-led legislature has blocked.
Ahmad announced in November that she would quit her job as deputy mayor for public engagement to challenge longtime U.S. Rep. Bob Brady (D., Pa.) in the First Congressional District's Democratic primary. Brady said last month he would not seek reelection.
The new map left Philadelphia with one fewer congressional seat by effectively displacing Brady's district. Another former First District candidate, pastor Kevin Johnson, said Monday he will run against U.S. Rep. Dwight Evans in the newly configured Third District, which now will be in Philadelphia. Willie Singletary, a former Traffic Court judge who was convicted of lying to the FBI and who had been challenging Brady, has also said he will run against Evans.
Ahmad loaned her campaign $450,000 and had about $560,000 on hand as of Dec. 31, according to records filed with the Federal Election Commission.
Ahmad, former president of the Philadelphia chapter of the National Organization for Women, has told friends that she has spoken with EMILY's List regarding her prospective candidacy for lieutenant governor, according to a person familiar with the matter. The group works to elect Democratic women who support abortion rights.
About a half-dozen other candidates are seeking the Democratic nomination for lieutenant governor, including the incumbent, Mike Stack III of Philadelphia. Gov. Wolf, a Democrat, hasn't endorsed a candidate in the May primary. The governor yanked Stack's security detail last year amid allegations that the lieutenant governor and his wife had mistreated staff.
Stack "has failed to provide the leadership we need," Ahmad said. "I will bring fresh new energy to serve all of our families better."
Marty Marks, a spokesman for Stack's campaign, called Ahmad "another ambitious newcomer who has zero experience in state government and no statewide accomplishments."
Stack, he said, is an "accomplished leader" who has implemented "nationally recognized reforms at the Board of Pardons."
In another sign of the Supreme Court's impact on the political landscape, State Rep. Madeleine Dean decided last week to drop out of the lieutenant governor's race to run in the newly configured Fourth Congressional District in Montgomery County, where she lives.
Staff writer Holly Otterbein contributed to this article.
State Auditor General Eugene DePasquale announced Monday that he will not run for Congress, ending about a week of speculation. Read more
HARRISBURG Auditor General Eugene DePasquale announced Monday morning that he won't run for U.S. House, ending days of speculation.
DePasquale, a Democrat from York County, said many people contacted him after the Pennsylvania Supreme Court issued a new congressional map last week and asked if he would be interested in running in one of the newly revised districts; his home district was drawn in a way that made it more competitive for Democrats than before.
DePasquale said he seriously considered a run because he's frustrated with dysfunction in Washington and felt an obligation to the country. But, he said, he ultimately felt he needed to fulfill a campaign promise to complete his term as auditor general and that he still has work to do in that office. He was elected to a second four-year term in 2016.
"Everything I would do for the next nine months, instead of being viewed as how it's going to make Pennsylvania better, would be viewed through the political lens," he said. "So, I think it would take away nine months of critical work."
AFSCME DC47 president Fred Wright is worried about what the outcome could mean for public-sector unions. Read more
Generations of Pennsylvanians have built better lives here in our commonwealth because of the work unions have done to improve working conditions, increase economic security, and ensure workers are treated fairly.
But this week, the Supreme Court of the United States will hear opening arguments on Janus v. AFSCME, a case that could take our nation backwards by undoing this progress.
The case aims to reverse the work done by school workers, sanitation workers, teachers, mine workers, carpenters, telecommunications workers, nurses, firefighters, law enforcement and many more to make sure they had the opportunity to work together and improve their conditions and pay.
As this case attempts to take us backwards, we must charge in the opposite direction and make the economy work for all Pennsylvania. If the Janus case is decided against workers, they could lose the right to have their voices heard in their workplace.
This doesn't just impact unions.
Unions have done more than protect their own members: They have consistently raised health and safety and wage standards for everyone. When unions are strong and workers are heard, everyone benefits. And when workers are silenced, we just have to look to recent history to see how it impacts all families.
Our nation is not far removed from a time when workers died by the thousands each year in industrial accidents. Children as young as four were put to work in factories. This is not ancient history or an abstraction. This was the reality of our grandparents and their parents who sometimes gave their lives, or their children's lives.
Today, American children do not work in factories, deaths on the job are thankfully rare, and 15 hour days are no longer the norm. But we did not get here by accident. Our workplaces are better, fairer, and safer because unions fought for all of us.
Unfortunately, for special interests that are driven by profits, Janus v. AFSCME is part of decades-long effort to destroy unions. Special interest groups have formed throughout the country with the goal of weakening unions, and making it easier for their donors to make money at the expense of working families.
Janus v. AFSCME is just the next step in their efforts to make it more difficult for all workers to be heard, paid fairly, or treated with respect. Instead of seeking to destroy unions, our efforts should focus on growing them
We need unions because the American Dreamonce a promise for those who work hard and play by the ruleshas become elusive for far too many Americans. The pathway to the middle class provided by unions has never been more important. A recent study by researchers at Harvard, Wellesley and the Center for American Progress, finds that children born to low-income families are much more likely to raise themselves into the middle class in areas where the union membership is higher. The study also finds that not only does more union membership secure the wages necessary to raise a family; unions prove effective at helping all workers.
Here in Pennsylvania we are going to fight for working families. That means pushing for policies that benefit all working people like raising the minimum wage, sick days and education funding. It also means fighting for the right to organize and join a union that will make sure your voice is heard.
A living wage and strong unions for workers will allow our economy to grow and strengthen Pennsylvania's middle class. As the Supreme Court hears this case, we will do everything in our power to make sure Pennsylvanians can join together to fight for the good, union jobs our communities need.
Tom Wolf is governor of Pennsylvania. Jim Kenney is mayor of Philadelphia. Bill Peduto is mayor of Pittsburgh.
By deciding last week to force its own congressional map on the people of Pennsylvania, our Supreme Court made an unprecedented and reckless ruling that could have drastic implications for years to come.
If I were governor, I would refuse to implement the Pennsylvania Supreme Court's remedial map and I would instruct the secretary of the commonwealth to oversee the 2018 elections under our old map the map that was created by bipartisan, elected representatives of the people.
Not only did the court make a deliberate political move to implement a map designed to get more Democrats elected to the U.S. House of Representatives the very definition of gerrymandering but it overstepped its constitutional authority in order to do so.
It is impossible to reflect on the commonwealth's redistricting saga and not conclude that the Pennsylvania Supreme Court and Gov. Tom Wolf are working in tandem to circumvent the will of Pennsylvania voters and advance their radical, liberal agenda.
If the court really wanted to create fair districts, why did it give the legislature such a short time to draw new maps? Why would it implement such drastic changes in the midst of the 2018 primary election? Why did the court not issue its full opinion and provide the criteria it wanted for a new map until it was too late?
If the governor really wanted a fair map, why did he refuse to come to the table and negotiate with the legislature after he rejected the Republican leadership's proposal?
The answer to these questions is that the redistricting fight was never about fair maps.
This fight enables a politically motivated court to do the bidding of Barack Obama, Eric Holder, Nancy Pelosi, and George Soros who have stated that their goal is to install progressive power in the states starting with Pennsylvania.
The Supreme Court issued an initial order to draw new maps. Wolf ran out the clock to thwart any effort by the legislature to have a say in the process. A liberal, out-of-state professor was invited to step in and carve up our commonwealth. In turn, Democrats will dump millions into their 2018 campaigns in Pennsylvania.
This redistricting disaster was nothing less than a quid pro quo.
Now the Pennsylvania Supreme Court has issued the final order in its takeover scheme, and has directed the executive branch to implement its remedial map for the 2018 congressional elections.
Wolf should not comply. Rulings by the Supreme Court only have weight if a governor chooses to implement them. That's the entire purpose of separation of powers. If a governor can't stand up to an order he deems unconstitutional, then he is a subordinate of the court.
I invite people all over Pennsylvania to take a stand with me against national interest groups, against George Soros and his permanent progressive power, against having your voice drowned out by a corrupt state Supreme Court, and against a governor who is complicit in ignoring the Constitution and rigging the electoral system.
Wolf's lack of leadership has delivered to us a constitutional crisis. Stand with me, and let's give him an electoral one.
Scott Wagner, a Republican state senator from the 28th district, is running for governor of Pennsylvania. @SenScottWagner
Name change aside, there are also some significant LOP-G updates in this budget. First of all, LOP-G has its own line item, with $504 million proposed for 2019 and $2.7 billion total penciled in over the next five years. That means LOP-G is officially happening, and it would take Congressional intervention to stop the program at this point.
Theres also some information about LOP-G components, launch dates, and operation plans. Recall that sizewise, LOP-G is a far cry from the ISS. The working design calls for a power and propulsion element (PPE), a habitation element, a logistics element, and an airlock. Some proposed add-ons also include a robotic arm and fancy glass cupola. (Side note: since the LOP-G will probably be positioned in a near-rectilinear halo orbit, a glass cupola would offer incredible, sweeping views of the Moon and Earth together. NASA, I urge you to make that happen!) The PPE isnt habitable, so astronauts will be confined to just two modules, a visiting Orion spacecraft, and an airlock. The longest crews would stay at the LOP-G in this configuration is a month; NASA might increase that duration if more pieces are added later.
The PPE will be launched first. It uses solar electric propulsion, and incorporates a lot of the technologies NASA was working on for the now-defunct Asteroid Redirect Mission. SEP engines provide low thrust over very long periods of time, and require very little propellant, making them ideal for transitioning LOP-G between various orbits to support different types of missions. The SEP system is expected to be around an order of magnitude more powerful than the ones used on missions like Dawn. Humans-to-Mars transportation systems may need to be yet another order of magnitude more powerful, so the PPE provides a good intermediate testing platform.
NASA plans to award the PPE contract by the end of this fiscal year (September 30), and launch it in 2022. By NASA standards, for a human spaceflight vehicle, that's soon! And theres another twist: Instead of launching the PPE on SLS with the first crewed Orion capsule, NASA will use a commercial launch vehicle.
At first, I took that as a shot across the bow of SLS. The whole point of SLS is, after all, deep space exploration. If the PPE is small and light enough to fit on a commercial launch vehicle, why can't NASA do the same for the other LOP-G components? Then, after more research and some helpful conversations on Twitter, I realized that the reason the LOP-G components are launching on SLS with Orion is so that Orion's thrusters can be used to insert them into the correct lunar orbit. The PPE is an exception because it has its own propulsion system, but the other modules cant just be lobbed solo at the Moon with a rocket like Falcon Heavy. The modules need a way to slow down when they get to the Moon, and rocket stages that use cryogenic propulsion wont work because the propellant wont stay stable during a multi-day coast to the Moon. (Thats why United Launch Alliance is working on a new upper stage technology called ACES to keep cryogenic propellants stable for longer.)
After the PPE, the next LOP-G component launched would be the habitat element. Through a program called NextSTEP, six companies are already developing ground prototypes for future deep space habitats. Those prototypes will help NASA decide on a final design for the actual hab element, with a contract for that to be awarded in fiscal year 2019.
However, the new NASA budget also says the agency is entertaining the idea of having international partners contribute the hab element if they are interested in teaming up on the LOP-G. Perhaps one of those partners will also contribute a better name!
Republican state lawmakers in Florida called on Sunday for the suspension of Broward County Sheriff Scott Israel, accusing him of incompetence and neglect of duty in the months before the Feb. 14 mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School.
Florida House Speaker Richard Corcoran and 73 Republican colleagues urged Gov. Rick Scott (R) to suspend Israel, a Democrat who was reelected in 2016 and has said he would not resign over his agencys handling of one of the countrys deadliest school shootings.
Sheriff Israel failed to maintain a culture of alertness, vigilance and thoroughness amongst his deputies, Corcoran wrote in a letter released Sunday. As a result of Sheriff Israels failures, students and teachers died.
The sheriff has faced intensifying questions about his offices response to the massacre after the revelation that an armed deputy on the scene did not enter the school while the shooter was inside. That deputy, Scot Peterson, retired last week after being suspended.
Israel said Sunday that he should not be faulted for Petersons actions. You dont measure a persons leadership by a deputy not going in, he said.
State Rep. Bill Hager (R-Boca Raton) sent a letter to Gov. Scott on Saturday accusing Israel of neglect and incompetence and calling for his removal.
Israel said Sunday, Of course I wont resign, adding that Hagers letter was shameful and politically motivated, The Washington Post reports.
The Pennsylvania Department of Corrections said an officer at State Correctional Institute-Somerset died Monday from injuries sustained in an attack earlier this month at the hands of a 22-year-old inmate, Penn Live reports.
Paul Jawon Kendrick is accused of fatally beating Sgt. Mark Baserman just before 7 p.m. Feb. 15, which led to Baserman's hospitalization for 11 days. Corrections Secretary John Wetzel reported Baserman's death in a news release Monday afternoon.
"The minute we learned of this unprovoked, brutal attack on Sgt. Baserman and another officer who came to his aid our hearts sank," Wetzel said in the news release. "We are greatly saddened by Sgt. Baserman's death and our thoughts are with his family at this time."
The Tribune-Democrat obtained charging documents in the assault and reported that the men were talking when Kendrick suddenly lashed out and struck Baserman in the face 8 to 10 times. Baserman fell to the ground, which is when Kendrick began kicking him in the head with his heavy Timberland boots. Kendrick's motive for the attack was because Baserman had confiscated a towel earlier in the day Kendrick was using to block other's view of his bunk, according to the report.
Bitcoin: not black, not white (x)
While more and more people all around the world are being bitten by the bitcoin bug, tax authorities are subjecting transactions executed with the cryptocurrency to ever closer scrutiny. Meanwhile, it is increasingly obvious that the world of bitcoin is starting to give shape to a new form of tax haven - comments Akos Barati, tax advisor at Jalsovszky Law Firm.
Bitcoin and offshore Since 2008, the Western World has been more and more assertive in taking steps to reduce the damage caused by international tax avoidance. Various international treaties, including European Union rules, treaties on international information exchange, and even the USAs FATCA system, all aim to curtail the efforts of taxable persons to hide their wealth in offshore companies. The pressure exerted on tax havens is visibly yielding better results all the time. All these efforts could be undermined, however, by the mass adoption of bitcoin and similar means of payment. Owing to the nature of the blockchain technology on which bitcoin is based, these transactions involve no central clearing house between the parties (such as the financial institution in the case of a bank transfer). Instead, due to the use of a public register, they are supervised by the whole community. But unlike conventional transactions, in the blockchain system the participants in individual transactions are protected by encryption and anonymity. The absence of central supervision, and the encryption, can facilitate the movements of whole fortunes between individual players in the economy, without the authorities finding out. At the moment, cash is one of the mainstays of the black economy because on the one hand its an internationally accepted means of payment, and on the other its movements are essentially untraceable. It isnt too much of an exaggeration to say that bitcoin is like cash, but can be mobilised more easily and in greater quantities: unlike cash, huge amounts can be shifted in bitcoin with an anonymous transfer over the internet, or on a USB drive. And whats more, while in the past bitcoin was used to pay for illegal services, today there is a growing number of legal and everyday places that accept it - even in Hungary, in some places you can now use bitcoin to pay for a haircut, or even for legal services. And because bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies are perfect for hiding transactions from the state authorities, its also well-suited for tax avoidance and the accumulation of large fortunes. Tax havens, therefore, could be replaced by cryptocurrencies in a few years. Whats in a name? Naturally, none of this takes away from the fact that the taxation of transparent bitcoin transactions is an increasingly hot topic. But the authorities are divided about how bitcoin should be treated. Bitcoin is a payment instrument, or at least that was the conclusion reached by the European Court of Justice, when it examined the nature of the cryptocurrency from a VAT perspective, and decided that transactions carried out with bitcoin are VAT-exempt. The courts judgment is of great import, because it was the first public position statement on the nature of bitcoin from a taxation perspective. Meanwhile, member states are falling over themselves to declare that bitcoins classification as a payment instrument only determines the VAT implications, and this has no effect on other tax types. With regard to income taxes, the individual member states usually treat bitcoin as a promise of payment, or a receivable, and determine the consequences of its mining, sale or use as a payment instrument accordingly. The Hungarian tax authority takes a similar line: in its practice, within the corporate tax system, the tax authority classifies gains generated from bitcoin as income from financial transactions and taxes them accordingly. The personal income tax treatment of income generated from bitcoin throws up a number of dilemmas. But because income of this type cannot be treated as either a trading gain (as bitcoin isnt a security) or as the income from a regulated capital market transaction, it is taxed as other income, so in addition to the personal income tax liability a healthcare contribution of 19.5% is also payable. What does the future hold? Its a safe bet that cryptocurrencies will soon come under strict regulation all around the world, and this will probably also settle the taxation issues, and attempt to eliminate the anonymity and prevent its use as a means of digital tax avoidance. The ball is currently in the court of domestic and European decision makers. Some, however, believe that any restriction or ban will be as ineffective as prohibition in 1920s America. This would result in cryptocurrency trading being forced underground" rather than ceasing, and continuing to provide a fertile ground for tax avoidance. (x)
Thinking of collecting Coca-Cola memorabilia? There are many ways to do it today.
My first suggestion is to check out the history, people and places within the history of Coca-Cola. A book on the topic is " The Coca-Cola Trail," by Larry Jorgensen.
"I am not a Coca-Cola collector," Jorgensen recently told me. "But folks sure like my book. I feel that this book provides the reader both history and a travel adventure, as it visits locations throughout the United States where pioneering entrepreneurs believed in a new product and successfully created a business network for generations to follow."
Jorgensen will be speaking at the annual Coca-Cola Atlanta banquet in March, and plans to attend the national convention, June 26-30 in Davenport, Iowa.
Winonas Coca-Cola bottler ceased production of returnable glass bottles in 2012. "I believe they are the last to bottle the small bottle," Jorgensen said.
Where to find them
Commemorative bottles usually sell for a few dollars each at the time theyre issued. Collectors also find pleasure in finding the 6-ounce bottles, distributed at sporting events, that are considered souvenir bottles, though more recently cans have replaced the bottle. If you find a souvenir bottle, they can sell in the $3-$10 range and probably wont increase much in value for quite some time. You can also find vintage ad pages from old magazines at antique shops and flea markets selling for about $2-$5 apiece. Some collectors even trade single vintage playing cards from beautifully illustrated decks.
Neil Hunt, of A-Z Collectibles, Winona, said, "I have Coca-Cola trays from the 50s and newer bottles, including Winona and La Crosse. Some newer Coke toy trucks mostly small ones. When I opened, I chose to go soft drink, not beer, so I have a wall of different soft drink bottles. Also some paper Coke items."
Churn Dash Antiques in Rochester has Coke collectibles, says Ann Collins. So does Old River Valley Antiques in Stewartville.
"We have a large variety of Coca-Cola advertising collectibles, from bottles, glasses, trays, crates and playing cards, all the way up to high-end signs," said Chris Rand Kujath. "Prices range from $2 on up. Prices vary by age of items."
Angie Pehler, of Angies Vintage Rust at Treasures Under Sugar Loaf, Winona, said, "Vintage paper advertisements (are) $1-$4, Coca-Cola cooler, a neat piece along with trays, glasses and more since a lot of people collect and are buying. I even have old Coke crates priced around $18-$25."
Joan Thilges, of New Generations of Harmony, said, "We have Coke collectibles scattered throughout the mall, with one of our vendors that specializes in Coke."
Sarah Kieffer, Sarahs Uniques, St. Charles, said, "I always try to have Coca-Cola items in the shop since I seem to have all age groups interested, and older folks remember sitting at the soda fountain having a cherry Coke. The younger generation has grown up as well with Coca-Cola surrounding them. Seems with the nostalgia, the availability, the diversity, and the fact that theres so much still around today its a great collection to start to have, or to continue to grow with. Yes, I have it all including a light up neon, and many old Coca-Cola bottles. Some of the signs, as you know, can be quite expensive! The ones in my shop range from $40 to about $350."
A few tips
Arm yourself with knowledge by studying up on reproductions and fantasies before you go shopping. Buy from reputable dealers. Since there is no exact, "what is it worth" book, I use, like many dealers and appraisers, the "Antique Trader 2018 Antiques & Collectibles Price Guide," by Eric Bradley, as this book shows you the value to help you estimate the value of your own items. I also use "Petrettis Coca-Cola Collectible Price Guide," 12th edition, by Allan Petretti.
"I dont claim to be an unbiased observer," writes activist and photographer David Bacon, who has documented migrant farmworkers in Californias breadbasket for 30 years. "I am on the side of immigrant workers and unions in the United States and share their struggle for rights and a decent life."
His book, "In the Fields of the North / En los campos del norte," combines black and white portraiture with interviews and oral histories of his subjects to reveal the reality of laborers.
"Photographers must be objective and neutral, the word goes," writes Bacon, who was a factory worker and union organizer for two decades. "But I believe our work gains visual and emotional power from its closeness to the movements we document."
His photographs, which are strong and intimate taken alone, are ultimately not designed to speak for themselves: The impact of "In the Fields of the North" arises from the accompanying text, in which workers tell their own stories. The text appears in both English and Spanish, and the book is organized geographically, with chapters devoted to Californias Imperial Valley and Sonoma, as well as Washington and North Carolina.
Farmworkers face visceral hardship. Lorena Hernandez, a single mother from Oaxaca living in Madera, Calif. , describes taking salt tablets in order not to faint from the heat while working in the fields. Lucrecia Camacho, who speaks Mixtec, an indigenous language of Mexico, recounts being detained by immigration authorities in Oxnard, a town known for its strawberries.
Stories like these remind us to consider where our food comes from. Workers are paid roughly 20 cents to fill a box of strawberries. "If the price of a clamshell box increased by 5 cents," Bacon writes, "the wages of the workers would increase by 25 percent" and most consumers wouldnt notice the change in price.
Exploitative wages and living conditions are the norm for migrant farmworkers, but the book does search for solutions. In the final chapter, Rosario Ventura describes becoming a striker. "We cant leave things like this," she says. "I want a little house and to stay in one place with my kids."
Threaded throughout stories of picking olives and peaches, of poverty and backbreaking labor, are also the stories of families parents left behind in Mexico, children born in the U.S. and of the intersection of lives.
"Migration creates communities," Bacon writes. "The function of these photographs, therefore, is to help break the mold that keeps us from seeing this reality." His book aims not merely to show but to tell. "I believe documentary photographers stand on the side of social justice; we should be involved in the world and unafraid to change it."
LONDON Queen Elizabeth II has always dressed with style and flair but Tuesday marked her first visit to the showy catwalks of London Fashion Week.
The monarch squeezed in the front row, chatting with American Vogue editor Anna Wintour who wore her trademark sunglasses and presented an award recognizing British design excellence.
It was an unusual outing for the 91-year-old monarch, who seemed totally at ease at the type of event usually frequented by stars like Kate Moss and Sienna Miller.
She was elegant in an Angela Kelly duck egg blue tweed dress and jacket detailed with tiny aquamarine Swarovski crystals set off by formal black gloves.
Elizabeth carried a matching handbag of course and wore her mostly white hair swept back.
The queen didnt bother with the statement stiletto heels favored by many of the younger fashionistas, opting for sensible dark low-heeled court shoes for the awards presentation.
"As a tribute to the industry, and as my legacy to all those who have contributed to British fashion, I would like to present this award for new, young talent," she said.
The royal family has often hosted Fashion Week receptions for top designers and journalists, but the new award and the queens personal visit have added a new dimension to its support for the industry.
The lucky recipient was Richard Quinn, a recent fashion graduate of Central Saint Martins who started his own label in 2016 and has quickly earned recognition as part of the next wave of talented young British designers.
The London-based Quinn received the first Queen Elizabeth II Award for British Design. The British Fashion Council chose him for the prize.
His provocative show included a model wearing what looked to be a decorated green motorcycle helmet with a dark visor along with black and white polka dot leggings and a gauzy top with different size dots.
The queen, who has maintained an active schedule even as her 96-year-old husband Prince Philip has stepped back from public life, took to the catwalk to address the crowd and praise Britains fashion heritage.
"From the tweed of the Hebrides to Nottingham lace, and, of course, Carnaby Street, our fashion industry has been renowned for outstanding craftsmanship for many years, and continues to produce world-class textiles and cutting edge, practical designs," she said.
She also toured showrooms before presenting the award on the final day of fashion week, which brought hundreds of designers, buyers and journalists to London for a series of catwalk displays highlighted by Christopher Baileys farewell show at Burberry.
The queens visit followed a Buckingham Palace fashion reception hosted Monday night by Catherine, the Duchess of Cambridge who is expecting her third child in April and Sophie, the Countess of Wessex.
The gala was attended by Wintour, model Naomi Campbell, designer Stella McCartney and other luminaries of the fashion scene.
Johns CPAC wrap-up post included a discussion of Mona Charens contribution to a panel on feminism. I didnt see the panel (or attend CPAC). However, according to Yuval Levins account, Charen criticized CPAC for inviting Marion Marechal Le Pen to speak at the convention. She stated:
[T]here was quite an interesting person who was on this stage the other day. Her name is Marion Le Pen. Why was she here? Shes a young, no longer in office politician from France. I think the only reason she was here is that shes named Le Pen. And the Le Pen name is a disgrace. Her grandfather was a racist and a Nazi. She claims that she stands for him. The fact that CPAC invited her was a disgrace.
Im not sure Le Pens name was the only reason CPAC invited her. Shes a physically attractive, talented, fiery speaker and an ardent nationalist. She earned the admiration of Steve Bannon, who featured prominently at last years CPAC (how quickly they forget).
But I agree with Monas conclusion. Inviting Marion Le Pen was a disgrace.
Le Pen does, indeed, stand with Jean-Marie Le Pen. She told the Washington Posts James McAuley that she is his political heir.
Is Jean-Marie Le Pen a racist and/or a Nazi? Close enough. He has defended the French governments collaboration with the Nazis during World War II and he seems unsure whether the Holocaust occurred. If it did, Le Pen considers it a mere detail in the history of World War II. The political party he founded, which his daughter Marine Le Pen took over, expelled him for these and other sickening views.
In her speech to CPAC, Marion Le Pen did not echo the worst views of Jean-Marie. However, she did say that the France of today, with its political correctness and large-scale influx of immigrants, is not the France our grandparents fought for.
But her grandfather, a paratrooper, fought for a vision of France that American conservatives should reject to a significant degree. Inviting his like-minded granddaughter to speak at CPAC implies too much comfort with that vision.
Therein lies the disgrace.
In a sign of the times, the California Democratic Party has declined to endorse the states senior senator in her bid for reelection. In fact, Dianne Feinstein lost to her Democratic opponent in a vote at the states Democratic convention. Hard left-winger Kevin de Leon received 54 percent of the vote, compared to Feinsteins 37 percent.
De Leon fell short of the 60 percent support required to get the Partys official endorsement. Nonetheless, Feinsteins poor showing is an embarrassment to her and a clear indication of her partys leftward lurch. De Leon is said to favor universal medicare and free college tuition, among other forms of free stuff.
He faces an uphill battle with actual Democratic voters, though perhaps not an impossible one. A recent PPP poll found him running 29 points behind Feinstein, but with 37 percent of voters undecided.
California leftists understandably believe their ultra-Blue state should be represented by someone more extreme than Feinstein. Its the same kind of thinking many conservatives subscribe to purify the party by defeating non-hardliners in safe states and districts.
This approach has had mixed results on the Republican side. The GOP membership in Congress has become more conservative, but safe seats have been lost e.g. in Indiana and Alabama.
Democrats probably face less risk than Republicans of losing seats when they they try to replace incumbents with ideologically pure outsiders. The mainstream media isnt likely to dig up 40 year-old stories about the dating practices of Democrats; nor, I suspect, are Democratic voters likely to be as finicky as their Republican counterparts.
The danger for Democrats is less about losing seats than about losing the electorate. The more the Democrats become the party of handouts and the party of special treatment for minority group members and illegal immigrants, the more they will be abandoned by white voters, both working and upper middle class. Stated differently, it will be difficult for the party to thrive in states like Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Wisconsin if its congressional delegation is driven too hard by leftists from California, New York, and Illinois.
Hang around a campus long enough and youll soon get wind of the great bete noir of the left these days: Neoliberalism. When I first started hearing the term, I thought back to the early 1980s, when old line liberals like Charlie Peters of the Washington Monthly were trying to work out a neoliberal manifesto to go up against the highly successful neoconservatism. In fact Peters and Philip Keisling produced a book in 1985 entitled New Road for America: The Neoliberal Movement. (This was really just about finding a program for Gary Hart, whose famous new ideas and new leadership theme in 1984 turned out to consist of no more than his name change and self-assertion.)
Youd think neoliberalism would be something people on the left would embrace, but today neoliberal is a term of supreme hatred for the campus left, and it refers to any kind of market-friendly policieslike low taxes and deregulated marketsand restraints on social spending. The lefts critique of neoliberalism naturally hates Reagan, Thatcher, and other governments that adopted market-friendly policies (China?thats less clear to me, because I think the left still likes Chinas one-party authoritarianism). Milton Friedman always comes in for a heavy slagging. But above all the left really hates the liberal politicians who embraced neoliberal policies, like Bill Clinton and Tony Blair. Theyre even worse than Reagan and Thatcher, because they are traitors to the people, or something.
One nation comes in for particular scorn: Chile, because of the Pinochet dictatorship that succeeded the coup that toppled leftist hero Allende back in 1973. Milton Friedman and other free marketeers advised the Pinochet government about how best to get their economy going again, but Friedman also advised China around this same time, and somehow that never draws a complaint from the left. Anyway, Pinochet ultimately relinquished power and re-established free elections (anyone think Allende would have ever done that?), and today Chiles economy is one of the strongest in the world.
How strong is it? The New York Times reported recently: The Chilean government, facing skyrocketing rates of obesity, is waging war on unhealthy foods with a phalanx of marketing restrictions, mandatory packaging, redesigns and labeling rules aimed at transforming the eating habits of 18 million people.
Contrast this with Venezuela, where the equivalent of the Allende government has held power for nearly 20 years now, and the population is on the verge of starvation. Think Venezuelans might want a bit of neoliberalism right about now?
The New York Review of Books has a long piece by Enrique Krauze about Venezuela in its most recent edition, and it makes for bracing, but at times comical, reading. The bracing part is how thoroughly the Chavez-Maduro regime has botched the economy (especially the cash cow of the nationits oil industry), and how completely they have suppressed political opposition:
This is a humanitarian crisis of immense proportions. By May 2017, Venezuelas minimum monthly wage wasnt enough to meet even 12 percent of a single persons basic food needs.2 A survey of 6,500 households by three prestigious universities showed that 74 percent of the population had lost on average nineteen pounds in 2016. Infant mortality in hospitals has risen by 100 percent. Diseases nearly eradicated in many countries, like malaria and diphtheria, have flourished; illnesses largely new to the area, like Chikungunya, Zika, and dengue, have spread. Caracas is now the most dangerous city on the planet. All this is happening in a country that has one of the largest oil reserves in the world. None of the present crises seemed likely in 2007 and 2008, when I made a number of visits to Venezuela. Caracas was seen as the new Mecca for the European, Latin American, and American left. Progressive news organizations, magazines, and newspapers including The Guardian, The New Yorker, and the BBC reported favorably on Hugo Chavez, whose presidency lasted from 1999 until 2013. They mentioned the dangers of his cult of personality but yielded to it all the same.
Actually these crises were entirely predictable to anyone not lost in the fever swamps of paranoia about neoliberalism. Theres a clear lesson in the contrast between Chile and Venezuela. And no doubt to the pains of the NYRBs left-leaning readership, it even gets the fundamental cause right:
It became common to call Chavez the soul of the fiesta. The people of Venezuela hung on his every declaration. In December 2007 he scheduled a referendum that proposed dozens of constitutional changes meant to consolidate the Venezuelan socialist state: unrestricted presidential terms, limitations on private property, a new political geometry (which in practice would become a form of gerrymandering), the consolidation of his personal guard as a kind of army parallel to the countrys military, suppression of the autonomy of the Central Bank, direct access for the president to the countrys international monetary reserves and the license to use them however he pleased, and the establishment of a popular power based on the creation of communes. . . To become a political heir to Castro, Chavez aspired to transform himself into the leader of twenty-first century socialism, to become everything.
Im still waiting for an instance where this kind of government worked out well for the people. The article concludes, In one of the countrys hellish hospitals, a woman told a reporter for El Nacional: So rich a country. We had everything and they destroyed it. And the future.'
Read the whole thing if you have a moment. The NYRB offers better reporting on Venezuela than the New York Times or Washington Post.
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CAPE TOWN, South Africa, Feb. 26, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Advanced technologies, digitisation, and changing consumer demands are leading financial services companies to adopt a more consumer centric approach. As a result, many companies have launched innovative products, services, and solutions. The use of advanced technologies - which include cloud, platforms, Internet of Things (IoT), artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML), Blockchain, and application programming interfaces (APIs) - impact operations of companies and customer experience. The application of technologies enhances the outcome of services and sub-segments like fintech platforms, Robo-advisory, InsurTech, RegTech, and PayTech, which are expected to grow rapidly. While it is early days for Quantum Computing, the use cases and experiments are extremely encouraging.
The latest Frost & Sullivan analysis, FinTechGrowth Opportunities in the Global Market, highlights emerging products and services, technology-enabled sub-segments, new business models, and innovations that are set to disrupt the industry.
To access more information on this analysis, please visit: http://frost.ly/28c
"With the number of connected devices expected to reach 40 billion by 2022, Big Data will significantly increase the need for cloud storage, analytics, AI, and ML within the financial sector. The impact will be seen across banking, wealth management and insurance, and we can expect a significant shift in how the industry operates," said Frost & Sullivan Information and Communication Technology Senior Industry Analyst Deepali Sathe. "New business models and innovative products and services from neo-banks, InsureTech, and WealthTech companies will drive the change in the entire industry."
The report covers many aspects across the global FinTech sector; namely, BaaS, InsurTech, WealthTech, RegTech, PayTech, and provides forecasts as well as regional trends. The trends are further illustrated with examples of successful implementation. Factors driving growth within the global financial services market include:
Financial services companies that are adopting a consumer centric approach to provide personalised services and an enhanced customer experience;
An increase in partnerships between incumbents and start-ups to promote rapid innovation and achieve faster time to market; where start-ups contribute agility and incumbents provide scalability;
The application of technology and enhanced outcomes across different areas within FinTech are driving growth opportunities across BaaS, RegTech, InsurTech, PayTech and WealthTech.
A technology-enabled omnichannel approach, which enables a consistent and seamless experience for consumers across different channels, devices, and multiple touchpoints;
Anytime, anywhere access to financial services is critical for success.
"Alternatively, factors hindering market growth include issues related to security of data, the regulatory environment and prevailing confusion, lack of skilled personnel to apply advanced technologies, and a slow pace of change," said Sathe. "The industry is gearing up to meet these challenges by working together in order to create a more cohesive ecosystem, including liaising with regulators to ensure greater clarity."
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TIRUPATI, India, February 26, 2018 /PRNewswire/ --
Government of India's Category - I, BRICS 122 Ranked, Asia's 223 Ranked, NAAC A+ Category Andhra Pradesh State Government True Multi-Disciplinary University: 'SVU - Sri Venkateswara University, Tirupati' is rolling out FREE Smart Phone Application 'Digital SVU' for all of its about 2 hundred thousand students spread across UG / PG / Diploma/ Professional/ Pharmacy/ Engineering & M.Tech of campus and that of 247 affiliated colleges and also of distance education of entire SVU periphery. 'Digital SVU' enable students to avail every single service of university right at their fingertips. Be it student profile, examination applications, digital fee Payments & receipts, hall tickets, results and even their digital education certificates / memo's, students can avail all these 24x7 through 'Digital SVU'. Students can read the complete list of benefits, do-how guide here: https://www.svuniversity.edu.in/DEES/students . SVU has been able to bring this world class innovation into reality through 7+ Crore CSR given by KOTII GROUP OF TECHNOLOGICAL VENTURES P. LIMITED.
Through the 'Digital SVU' initiative, the university can make its services transparent, efficient, precise and democratized. The university anticipates to empower its students to avail the digital services without any delay. Through this app students can greatly reduce unnecessary time, overhead of university personnel and enable this great deal of time in advancing quality of academics.
'Digital SVU' has been made available across all the Google Android mobile via PlayStore and made available across all the Apple iPhones via AppStore. Sri Venkateswara University is the first ever public university in the country, probably in Asia to empower their entire student fraternity with a digital initiative.
The 'Digital SVU' is one of the many resultants of Sri Venkateswara University's implementation of world-class international EduTech innovation 'DEES - Digital Education Eco System[TM]' for the recent couple of years. Through DEES, SVU has digitalized academics, examinations, finance and is moving forward to digitalize establishments as well to offer world-class international quality education and serve more students within or at the lesser cost per student than ever before.
The app was launched by Hon'ble Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh, Shri. Nara Chandrababu Naidu, Minister of Higher Education, Shri. Srinivasa Rao . Ganta 'DEES - Digital Education Eco System[TM]' is a multi-patented innovation, the first integrated EduTech Platform built by 'DEESPL - Digital Education Eco System P. LIMITED' [UIN: U74999TG2017PTC117135], Govt. of India's StartUpIndia awardee organization [DIPP: DIPP5312]. DEESPL is a part of the prestigious Kotii Group of Technological Ventures P. LIMITED [UIN: U74999TG2016PTC113061].
This multi-patented integrated EduTech Platform- Digital Education Eco System[TM] of DEESPL is of more than seven crore worth which was given to SVU by KGVPL at no cost under CSR. DEES has since then been empowering SVU to innovate future of Higher Education for people, region and mother nation.
About Sri Venakteswara University:
Sri Venkateswara University, Tirupati , is established in 1954 in the world famous holy temple town of Tirupati on the sprawling campus of 1000 acres with a panoramic and pleasant hill view. Read more at https://www.svuniversity.edu.in
About Digital Education Eco System P. LIMITED :
Inventors of only-of-its-kind patented, integrated EduTech Platform 'Digital Education Eco System[TM]' addressing academics, examinations, establishments. DEES empowers public universities transform into digital universities, reach the unreached - enhance industry connect & employability. Digital Education Eco System P. LIMITED [UIN: U74999TG2017PTC117135], Govt. of India's StartUpIndia awardee organization [DIPP: DIPP5312]. If you are interested in the platform, want to know if your university is eligible for CSR program, reach out to: [email protected] or +91-9618008811
About Kotii Group of Technological Ventures P. LIMITED:
Kotii Group of Ventures [P] LIMITED is the parent organization for most respected group of 14 Technology R&D organizations. Purposed to be part of the 784 crore people's lives across 238 countries and make this world a better place through innovative technology products within EduTech, HealthTech, FinTech, ConstructionTech, AgriTech & MediaTech.
Founded by engineers those who have architected world's best operating system, we are 100% employee owned Innovative, Research & Development organization, having our internationally patented technology products in diversified verticals empowering people and businesses around the world to make this world a better place.
Over 47 million real people across 160+ countries already being benefited with 5+ billion tech instances of ours, delivered through 20+ years of state-of-art technological expertise. We have been contributing in the successful growth of largest governments, high scale organizations, improving efficiency, delivery times, overall customer & employee satisfaction levels, Get the most for your investment, We would love to be part of your esteemed organization successful growth. See more details at http://www.kgvpl.com
33% of our earnings are committed for Corporate Social Responsibility [Under Privileged Children Education, Elderly People Medication, Widowed Mother Empowerment, Feeding people with lack of food on the name of almighty through our SEVA Foundation, Kotii Foundation]. Kotii Group of Technological Ventures P. LIMITED is the parent organization for DEESPL is part of prestigious Kotii Group of Technological Ventures P. LIMITED [UIN: U74999TG2016PTC113061].
For more information please visit, web site: https://www.kotiigroupofventures.org/
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Media Contacts:
Sreenivas Kavali
Email: [email protected]
Tel: +91-40-42601008
SOURCE KOTII GROUP OF TECHNOLOGICAL VENTURES R&D P. LIMITED
ALBANY, New York, February 26, 2018 /PRNewswire/ --
Albeit there are few players that dominate the global market for plant growth regulators, nature of the market is highly competitive on account of numerous small vendors that hold significant market shares. The intense competition in the market can be mainly attributed to the widespread foothold of leading market players coupled with their huge production facilities globally. These players compete on the basis of product innovations, cost and quality. A new report of Transparency Market Research identifies key players underpinning growth of the global plant growth regulators market that include WinField Solutions, Dow Chemical Company, Valent Bioscience Corporation, Nufarm Limited, Syngenta AG, Xinyi Industrial Co., Ltd., Somitomo Chemicals Company LTD, Bayer Cropscience, FMC Corporation, and BASF SE.
According to the report, an impressive expansion will be reflected by the global market for plant growth regulators between the forecast period 2017 and 2026. Sales of plant growth regulators around the world are poised to bring in more than US$ 3,000 Mn revenues by 2026-end.
Get PDF Brochure for more Professional & Technical industry insights: https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=B&rep_id=1314
Adoption of New Farming Methods to Drive Adoption of Plant Growth Regulators
In a bid to curtail production costs and ensure crop protection, farmers are being prompted to employ new methods such as utilization of agrochemicals and organic farming, driven by increasing profitability concern. Adoption of these farming methods will create significant demand for the plant growth regulators, especially in agriculture-driven nations. In contrast, robust use of fertilizers in agriculture sector will constrain adoption of plant growth regulators upto a certain extent. Stricter regulations associated with use of pesticides will further restrain demand by shifting focus of farmers toward bio-based alternatives that are cost effective. Plant growth regulators seek extensive adoption in modification of the plant physiological processes, which include regulation of the plant metabolism and inhibition or stimulation of enzyme systems. Growth in textile industry in countries such as Turkey, India, Germany, Bulgaria, and China, will create high demand for cotton. Plant growth regulators are extensive used for the regulation of cotton metabolism, which in turn will augment the market expansion.
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Tremendous surge in expansion of the organic industry is considered to be a major factor fuelling demand for plant growth regulators. Soaring awareness on health hazards apropos to utilization of chemicals in household and food products has been impelling individuals in shifting their preference toward organic food products. In addition, there has been a rapid growth of the pharmaceutical sector in the recent past, driven primarily by rising prevalence of chronic diseases, growth in aging population, unhealthy consumption patterns of consumers, and their changing lifestyles. Growing pharmaceutical industry entails the requirement for herbal medicines, owing to rising prices of their allopathy counterparts. Leading pharmaceutical companies have been making huge investments in research and development of plant-derived medicines for coping up with growing demand for herbal medicines. These instances will further create demand for plant growth regulators in the foreseeable future.
Purchase this Premium Research Report at https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/checkout.php?rep_id=1314>Watch a livestream of the talk.
Wells' talk, entitled "Sparking Curiosity: Genetics, Big Data & Our Human Story" will examine how our DNA informs the way our ancestors populated the planet and how research can change industry and perceptions.
A Q&A with Wells will follow the talk. Audience members may submit their questions via Twitter using the hashtag #utsageno.
During his decade-long tenure as an Explorer-In-Residence with the National Geographic Society, Wells initiated and directed the Genographic Project, a multi-year genetic anthropology study that aims to map historical human migration patterns by collecting and analyzing DNA samples. This massive worldwide research initiative and citizen science project effectively launched the consumer genomics industry as we know it today.
Wells graduated Phi Beta Kappa from the University of Texas at Austin, received his Ph.D. from Harvard University and conducted postdoctoral work at Stanford and Oxford. He has appeared in numerous documentary films and is the author of three books, The Journey of Man, Deep Ancestry and Pandoras Seed.
His work has taken him to more than 100 countries, where he has collaborated with everyone from heads of government and Fortune 500 corporations, to tribal chieftains eking out a precarious living in places as remote as Chad, Tajikistan and Papua New Guinea.
He lives in Austin,where he is founder and CEO of consumer genomics startup Insitome, an adjunct professor at the University of Texas and owner of the iconic blues club Antones.
UTSA's Faculty Center fosters the professional development of the universitys researchers and professors. The Center is a partnership between the Office of the Senior Vice Provost for Academic and Faculty Support, UTSA Office of the Vice President for Research and UTSA Libraries.
Nominations for UW Women in STEM Own It! Awards Accepted
Nominations are now being accepted for the third annual Own It! Awards for women in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) at the University of Wyoming. The deadline is Friday, March 23.
Winners who have made contributions to the STEM fields will be honored during the Own It! Awards ceremony Wednesday, April 4, in the Michael B. Enzi STEM Facility.
Researchers are nominated for their outstanding scientific and scholarly achievements. Many will receive awards in categories for undergraduate and graduate students, STEM professionals, pre-tenured and tenured faculty members, and community members.
Awards nomination criteria are developed by Wyoming EPSCoR (Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research) and partners. Nominations are for women who exemplify the following:
-- A woman student, STEM professional, faculty or community member who has made significant contributions to her field of research.
-- A woman who demonstrates service, leadership and mentoring among her peer group.
-- A woman who inspires teaching and learning among her community.
-- And, a woman who is deserving of celebration.
We will honor the work of women in STEM from across campus as well as within the community of Laramie, says Emily Vercoe, Wyoming EPSCoR education, outreach and diversity coordinator. This recognition helps to increase the visibility of an often-overlooked group in STEM, which can be fundamental in encouraging young women to participate in science.
To view the nomination rubric for this years event, click here.
For more information, call Wyoming EPSCoR at (307) 766-3545, visit www.uwyo.edu/epscor/events/own-it-2018.html, or email Vercoe at evercoe@uwyo.edu.
UW-Casper Changes End-of-Year Celebration
The University of Wyoming at Casper will host a Celebration of Excellence this spring, featuring graduating seniors as guests of honor.
This is a change from the traditional commencement ceremony to a more intimate celebration of student accomplishments.
The event will take place Thursday, May 10, at 4 p.m. at the Nicolaysen Art Museum.
We aim to include scholarship and award recipients in the celebration, while featuring our graduates, says UW-Casper Dean Jeff Edgens.
The graduation recognition will begin with a student and faculty keynote speaker. Then, a faculty member from each graduates program will call the student to the stage, noting his or her achievements.
Our graduates will receive their diplomas and a memento from UW administration on the stage, and we will have professional photographers there to capture it all, Edgens says.
Billions of US dollars have been invested in Vietnam in the first two months of the year
A week ago, Japanese newswire Nikkei reported that the Japanese government and more than 20 large Japanese firms including Sumitomo, Mitsubishi, Panasonic, and Tokyo Metro are planning to join a gigantic project worth over $37 billion to build a smart city project in northern Hanoi.
The 310-hectarea project, with property developer BRG being the Vietnamese partner, is expected to be completed in 2023. It is also expected that in October 2018, construction of about 7,000 buildings and commercial works will begin. This may be completed in late 2019.
Early this month, private firm Hoa Phat Dung Quat Steel JSC, part of leading steel maker Hoa Phat Group, teamed up with Italys Danieli, one of the worlds largest suppliers of metallurgical equipment, on a giant stainless steel production project. The project will have a designed capacity of 600,000 tonnes per annum, which could be increased to one million tonnes per annum.
Located at the Hoa Phat Dung Quat iron and steel production complex in Dung Quat Economic Zone in the central province of Quang Ngai, the project will be completed by 2020 and will seek to help the country reduce its reliance on imported stainless steel products. Stainless steel importation came to 560,000 tonnes in 2017, up 10 per cent against the previous year.
In a meeting with Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc on February 8, Cho Hyun Joon, chairman of leading South Korean textile and chemical firm Hyosung, said that the group commits to strengthening co-operation with Vietnam, not only in processing spandex and yarn for automotive tyres, but also in chemicals and heavy industries.
The group is showing a keen interest in Vietnams power projects, particularly the supply of various kinds of transformers that are in dire need in the Vietnamese market.
Last year, Hyosung poured a total of $1.3 billion into a polypropylene manufacturing plant and liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) underground storage facility in Cai Mep Industrial Zone in the southern province of Ba Ria-Vung Tau.
In 2007, Hyosung invested $1.5 billion in a plant at Nhon Trach 5 Industrial Zone to produce textiles and core industrial raw materials.
Early this year, Japanese industrial giant Mitsubishi Motors unveiled a plan to build its second automotive manufacturing facility in Vietnam, valued at $250 million in total investment capital. The plant is slated to be completed in 2020 with an annual production capacity ranging from 30,000 to 50,000 car units, serving both domestic and export markets.
According to a recent Dong Nai Department of Planning and Investment report, the southern province solicited $62.2 million in foreign direct investment (FDI) capital in the first month of the year, a 50 per cent jump on-year. The sum came from four newly-committed projects valued at a total of $22.7 million in combined investment value, and three existing projects which sought $39.5 million in combined supplemental capital.
This year, Dong Nai aims to attract $1 billion in FDI capital, focusing on priority fields such as high-tech, supporting industries, and environmentally-friendly projects.
Representatives from a slew of foreign-invested enterprises based in the southern province of Binh Duong also revealed intentions to continue investment expansion this year.
Ricardo Vasques, Southeast Asia director of major US brewer AB Inbev, said in a recent meeting with Binh Duong leaders that the company will increase investment this year to boost production at its factory based in My Phuoc 2 Industrial Park (IP), and will launch a new beer brand, Hoegaarden.
AB Inbev currently runs two breweries based in My Phuoc 2 and VSIP 2 IPs, which produce the Budweiser beer brand serving the domestic and the export market.
A gigantic smart city project in Hanoi may have to wait for specific criteria, Photo: Le Toan
Tran Quoc Thai, vice head of the Ministry of Constructions (MoC) Urban Development Agency, told VIR that the implementation of a 4 trillion yen ($37.3 billion) synchronous smart city in Hanois Dong Anh district may not be easy because of a lack of specific criteria, and would need thorough studies.
The Japanese government and more than 20 large Japanese firms, including Sumitomo, Mitsubishi, Panasonic, and Tokyo Metro, are reportedly planning to jointly construct this smart city.
Mitsubishi will provide unmanned buses and power charging stations, Panasonic and telecom developer KDDI will supply smart equipment which helps save energy, and Daikin will install smart air conditioning systems.
The 310 hectare project will be designed by Nikken Sekkei Group and is expected to be completed in 2023.
It is also expected that in October 2018, construction of about 7,000 buildings and commercial works will begin. This may be completed in late 2019.
If completed, the colossal project will be Japans largest project in Vietnam, as well as the first synchronous smart city project in Vietnam, Thai said. However, we have yet to receive sufficient information and investment proposals for this project, and we also dont know what will be done within it, while related ministries are devising rough criteria for this type of project.
We only know that the investors are working with Hanoi authorities. However, I would say that this type of project will need very careful consideration because it is quite new to Vietnam, the official continued. Of course, in order to be implemented, the investors must seek approval from MoC and other related ministries.
According to the Ministry of Information and Communications, the government has set a target of creating five smart cities by 2020, and is designing
criteria for such cities, making it more convenient for foreign investors to invest in building them.
Many provinces and cities are compiling their own schemes for developing smart urban areas, focusing on a number of sectors including health care, environment, e-government, traffic, and security, said a ministry representative at a recent Vietnam-France smart city seminar in Hanoi. Many big local and foreign firms have engaged in these schemes, especially European firms who have decades of experience in operating smart cities.
In late 2017, 20 Slovak firms operating in high technologies came to Vietnam in search of opportunities. They plan to work with the government, ministries, and many local partners to introduce their smart urban technologies.
Asseco Central Europe, one of the biggest software developers in Central and Eastern Europe, signed a memorandum of understanding with the Hanoi Peoples Committee on a project supplying smart software sets, which will help the city improve its planning in land, governance, and lighting.
Aside from Hanoi, we are also seeking other partners in Vietnam, including ministries, enterprises, and organisations, said Asseco representative Andrej Zmecek. We can provide all types of smart software for all sectors of the economy.
Another tech firm, the information and aviation specialist Virtual Reality Media (VRM), said that it is working with Vietnamese partners on plans to distribute its software and industrial modelling solutions in Vietnam. These products are focused on
simulation systems for vehicles, aeroplanes, and helicopters, as well as automated transport systems.
Vietnams urbanisation is booming, with growing demand for these solutions. We really want to meet with those who are interested in our solutions, said Eduard Cristea, a representative from VRM.
The rate of workers returning on time after the holidays is higher than ever in Ho Chi Minh City Photo: Le Toan
On February 21, most firms in the citys industrial parks (IPs) and export processing zones (EPZs) resumed normal operations. Compared to previous years, they were faced with less difficulty in recruiting new workers and trying to bring current ones back to work post-holiday.
Over 1,000 workers returned to work at Truong Thanh Garment and Textile in Linh Trung IP 1 in Thu Duc district. Truong Thi Tham, the firms deputy director, stated that 95 per cent of workers are now back, compared with a figure of 70 per cent this time last year.
As the company has been receiving large amounts of orders, we have taken measures to ensure that workers leaving for their hometowns for the holidays are going to come back. The company has arranged buses to take them home as well as saved part of their Tet bonuses for after they have returned to work, she said.
In Linh Trung IPs 1 and 2, only 20 companies registered to resume operation on February 21; the majority are to do so five days later, so their staff can be back on time.
According to Nguyen Van Hung, HR manager of a seafood processing company in District 7s Tan Thuan EPZ, the number of workers returning on time has increased sharply this year.
90 per cent of our 650 workers have come back after the festive period, up 30 per cent against the previous year, he said, attributing the high rate to the firms supportive policies as well as workers awareness of workplace discipline.
Tran Cong Khanh, head of the Labour Department under the Ho Chi Minh City Export Processing and Industrial Zones Management Authority, said that the returning rate in the city were at 70 per cent as of February 21. Most companies in IPs have given lucky money to their staff as a means of encouragement on their first day back at work.
According to a survey carried out by VIR, the returning rate has indeed increased significantly in Ho Chi Minh City and neighbouring provinces. The Duc Hoa and Xuyen A IPs in the southern province of Long An have seen 80 per cent of workers back after Tet, constituting the highest such rate in recent years.
Similarly, the situation has been much improved in both Binh Duong and Dong Nai. In the latters Amata IP, over 30 companies have now resumed their operations, with 90 percent of staff having returned.
According to Tran Thi Anh Dao, director of the Dong Nai Human Resources Forecast and Labour Market Information Centre, the rate of worker shortage in the province after the holidays remains low at 3-5 per cent, compared to 10 per cent the previous year. This rate stands at 8-10 per cent for labour-intensive businesses.
Dao noted that there has been a tendency in recent years for workers to secure and stick with stable jobs. At the same time, in order to retain staff, companies have introduced more incentives and supporting policies regarding wages and bonuses.
Damaged cars and buildings are seen in the besieged town of Douma, Eastern Ghouta, Damascus, Syria February 25, 2018. Source: REUTERS/Bassam Khabieh
UN chief Antonio Guterres praised the adoption of a Security Council resolution on Saturday calling for the truce but underscored, "Security Council resolutions are only meaningful if they are effectively implemented.
"That is why I expect the resolution to be immediately implemented and sustained," he told the opening of the 37th session of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva.
Addressing the rights council after Guterres, UN human rights chief Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein said that Syria - and other conflict zones - had "become some of the most prolific slaughterhouses of humans in recent times".
On the proposed Syria truce, Zeid warned that "we have every reason to remain cautious".
The resolution "must be viewed against a backdrop of seven years of failure to stop the violence, seven years of unremitting and frightful mass killing".
Fresh bombardment by the Syrian regime killed at least 10 civilians in Eastern Ghouta on Monday, including nine members of a same family, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitor group said.
Air strikes destroyed a building in Douma, the main town in the Eastern Ghouta area east of Damascus, and buried alive an entire family, according to the Observatory.
More than 500 civilians have been killed in regime and Russian bombardment on the enclave, which is controlled by Islamist and extremist fighters, since Feb 18, the Observatory further said.
Zeid has repeatedly and forcefully chastised the Security Council throughout the Syrian conflict for failing to refer the case to the International Criminal Court in The Hague.
He has blamed the council's inability to act on Syria on the veto power held by several permanent members.
On Monday, Zeid blasted veto-wielding members for the council's intransigence on Syria and other conflicts, saying they bore "responsibility for the continuation of so much pain".
"It is time, for the love of mercy, that China, Russia and the United States ... end the pernicious use of the veto," he told the rights council.
Did you visit New York City this month? Health officials would like a word
Sheriff, facing questions about school-shooting response, says he has given 'amazing leadership'
Eleanor Langhoff, age 95, of Villard, formerly of St. Paul, died Monday, September 6, 2021. A memorial service will be held at 11 AM, Wednesday, September 22, 2021 at First Lutheran Church in Alexandria. Visitation will be from 10 to 11 AM Wednesday at the church. Arrangements are with the A
Government Responds to Dastis' Comments
Government have this morning issued a statement in which it confirms that the Sovereignty of Gibraltar is not a matter for discussion.
"Gibraltar and the United Kingdom continue to work closely together as we prepare to leave the European Union. The longstanding position of Her Majesty's Government of Gibraltar is that it remains ready to engage in technical discussions with all interested parties, including Spain, in this regard. The sovereignty of Gibraltar is not a matter for discussion.
The joint management of the air terminal, on a purely commercial basis, between Gibraltar and Spanish business interests was provided for in the agreement signed at Cordoba in 2006 between the then Governments of Gibraltar, the United Kingdom and Spain.
This did not happen because Spain has not yet given effect to this and other relevant parts of the agreement."
The relevant clause in the 2006 Cordoba Agreement on Gibraltar Airport reads as follows:
All passenger and flight services including all facilities and functions relating to airside and aircraft services, passengers check-in, baggage handling and passenger and baggage security will be provided in and by the terminal. Subject to EU directives, the Government of Gibraltar will grant a contractual concession to operate the terminal and provide these services on a commercial basis to a joint venture company owned by Gibraltar and Spanish commercial interests.
Homeland Standoff Season 7 Episode 3 Editors Rating 4 stars * * * * Previous Next Photo: Antony Platt/SHOWTIME
The third episode of Homeland season seven is designed to show the precariousness of Carrie Mathisons life, while also amplifying the tension between Brett OKeefe and the rest of the world. Despite a few head-scratching choices by White House chief of staff David Wellington, its ultimately a solid hour because of the great work of the cast, particularly Claire Danes, as Carrie is forced into a fragile, emotional place for almost its entire length.
It opens with Carrie rocking, looking nervous, breathing heavily. Its the morning after she assaulted the troll who was holding her computer ransom and she still has blood on her forehead. Shes in her doctors office, realizing that, as she says, Impulse control is becoming a problem. She agrees that perhaps the lithium has stopped being effective in treating her bipolar disorder. Think about what she did in last weeks episode: her quickness to post the pic from Davids house, deciding to download a file from 4Chan, taking off her shirt, almost killing her troll. As she says, shes not as risk averse as she should be. Danes is very good in this scene, showing the fragility of Carries situation.
Meanwhile, Saul Berenson and a cadre of FBI agents head to the remote house where Brett OKeefe has been secretly broadcasting. Theyre greeted by a man with a big dog thats apparently trained to eat government agents. Saul demands to see Brett and refuses to leave. Not much later, the talk-show host comes out with four armed men. Tensions are high. Saul insists that they just talk through the options in plain sight. While David pressures President Keane to drop the charges, it feels like something bad is bound to happen. But when? And how?
Carrie comes home during all of this and has a heart-to-heart with her sister. She knows she needs help, and her doctor has given her a new prescription to break her out of her manic cycle. After a few days of sleep, they can figure out what to do next. She insists that Franny never be allowed to see her in a psych ward. Does this feel like ominous foreshadowing to anyone else? Again, its nice to see Danes dig into the emotion of a character she knows so well.
While Carrie is sleeping and Saul is negotiating, Keane goes to an important meeting with her military advisors. They want to hit a convoy of weapons going from Iran to Syria, and they keep encouraging the POTUS to authorize it, but she campaigned on the promise of a military drawdown. Shes incredibly defensive throughout the meeting, accusing her advisors of trying to use her national vulnerability against her. Theres a nice edit here to OKeefe trying to figure out his next move as well; they couldnt be more politically different, but these are two people trying to figure out how to use their power.
Carrie tries to go into her medical haze, but gets shaken out of it by a loud knock on the door. Its Dante Allen, one of her few remaining connections in a position of power. Although he told her to go to hell in last weeks episode, hes back on her side. He decided to look into the photo of the woman Carrie spotted in Davids kitchen, and hes found something out: She works for the International Democracy Foundation, and she got a parking ticket near the prison that was going to process General McClendon the next day. The theory, is seems, is that she went there to coordinate his murder. Lets just process that for a second, though. Would David Wellington use someone like this to coordinate a hit ordered by the president of the United States? Someone whos careless enough to get a parking ticket?
Anyway, Carrie takes an upper to offset her downer and shes off on an adventure with Dante. They stake out the womans house and when Dante goes to follow her, Carrie breaks in through an open window. She takes some pictures of the ticket and personal photos, and she downloads the hard drive. But it all goes very wrong shortly thereafter when shes picked up on the street by local cops. She knows that if shes processed, it could put her custody of Franny in jeopardy, so she refuses to even give her name to the arresting officers. Uh oh.
While Carrie is making risky decisions, Brett OKeefe seems to be doing a lot of the same. Saul tells him that hes the most urgent national-security issue right now. Brett blathers on about his First Amendment rights and the anger of the country while Saul accuses him of poisoning the conversation. Ignoring a bit of nasty transphobia by Brett, they both have some salient points. Saul reminds him that hes in the best negotiating position. Whats it going to take to get everyone out of this standoff safely? Saul informs the POTUS that Brett wants amnesty for everyone who has aided him, and that he wants a televised trial. But somethings wrong: Brett tells his girlfriend not to go anywhere. Something is definitely about to happen.
As weve seen the last few episodes, Bretts girlfriend wants this nightmare to end. She runs to the FBI and tells them that more armed men are coming to the house. Suddenly, trucks pull up and the armed OKeefe supporters grab Saul, threatening to kidnap him. The FBI pull their guns and it looks like it could all go very wrong, but cooler heads prevail. For now.
While Carrie gets released due to Dantes political power he even gets any evidence of her detainment stricken from the record tension rises across the country. David is convinced that the way to distract people from the OKeefe story is to do what the military advisers want so badly: bomb the convoy. It will control the news cycle. Keane refuses, but David goes over her head, calling in the attack anyway. Its terrifying to think that a chief of staff could go over a presidents head and order a military strike, and you have to wonder how David will talk his way out of this one.
As armored vehicles approach Bretts compound, we see Carrie and Dante developing a deeper relationship. She tells him about the issues with Franny last year and cries. (Anyone else think Showtime and Danes will submit this episode for Emmy consideration?) Carrie sits with Dante on a curb as soothing music plays on the score. Its a moment of peace and quiet for Carrie Mathison. She could definitely use a few more.
Other Notes
Are the new faces making you forget the fan favorites from seasons past? Is Dante the new Quinn? Is Brett the new Dar?
The opening credits continue to fascinate me, especially the imagery of armed policemen, rallies, and the American flag in this chaotic year. Plus the line, The White House is in crisis mode.
Im starting to think this will be a purely American-set season, given were a quarter of the way through and only have seen hints of Middle Eastern action. Will you be satisfied if thats the case?
Homeland has a history of shaking it up at this point each season, so a major revelation or even a death is probably on the horizon. Any guesses about what might happen next week?
In Black Panther, Michael B. Jordans villainous Killmonger said he was going to burn it all down. Lucky for us, HBOs Fahrenheit 451 lets him make good on that promise: I want to burn, he seethes. As Guy Montag, MBJ plays a dystopian fireman charged with burning all books. When Guys neighbor Clarisse McClellan (the ill-fated Dark Universes Sofia Boutella) opens his mind to the idea that books might actually be valuable, he starts questioning everything about his reality. Michael Shannon plays Beatty, the gung-ho fire chief who is suspicious of Guys new ideas. The Ray Bradbury adaptation is directed by Ramin Bahrani (99 Homes). See it this May.
Seacrest. Photo: Dan MacMedan/WireImage
New details about the sexual-assault allegations against Ryan Seacrest have emerged. E! ended its investigation into the claims by a former wardrobe stylist at the network earlier this month citing lack of evidence, but Variety has obtained a damning letter from the accusers attorney that was sent to E!s parent company NBCUniversal last November. In it, the accuser, Suzie Hardy, outlines years of sexual abuse and harassment committed by Seacrest starting in 2007, including alleged incidents where he grinded his erect penis against her while clad only in his underwear, groped her vagina twice on set, requested she nap with him, and once slapped her so hard on her butt that it bruised. She claims Seacrest gave her unwanted hugs in his underwear more than ten times, and allegedly asked after the first groping incident if she would sue him. Not if I stay employed, she responded, according to the letter. Hardy claims she reported his behavior to HR at E! in 2013 and was subsequently let go.
Her letter urged E! to come up with a plan to address the treatment of all women at the networks and to take responsibility for the wrongful treatment or risk more formal action from Hardy. Seacrest then made Hardys claims public in a November statement that preemptively denied them and announced his cooperation with the investigation. Hardy now claims E!s investigation was biased and that four witnesses were not interviewed. It was obvious the investigator was whitewashing it for Seacrests side, she tells Variety. E! has responded in a statement to Variety calling Hardys suggestion that the investigation was flawed completely baseless. Seacrests attorney also tells Variety that Hardy asked Seacrest to pay her $15 million or she would go public with her claims, which an attorney for Hardy has denied. Hardy claims her last contact with Seacrest was two months after she was let go from E! when he called her to reassure her about future employment with him, but then never followed up on the offer.
Update February 27: Seacrest denied the allegations in a statement to Entertainment Weekly. The television host explained that the investigation into the accusations was performed by a third party and involved dozens of interviews with him, the accuser, and witnesses. He wrote, Ultimately, my name was cleared. I eagerly participated in the investigation in order to demonstrate my innocence because I know my truth, and I believe in due process. He added:
This person who has accused me of horrible things offered, on multiple occasions, to withdraw her claims if I paid her millions of dollars. I refused. I have worked extremely hard to achieve my success and I dont take my opportunities for granted. I dont want to accuse anyone of not telling the truth but in this case, I have no choice but to again deny the claims against me, remind people that I was recused of any wrongdoing, and put the matter to rest.
The lengthy statement can be read in full here.
Steve Harvey. Photo: Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images
Steve Harvey, the Reynolds Woodcock of our time, was the only person letting out a sigh of relief one year ago today, when Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway wrongly declared La La Land Best Picture. In The Hollywood Reporters oral history of the snafu, many of the major players host Jimmy Kimmel, La La Land producer Jordan Horowitz, publicist Mara Buxbaum, A24 head of publicity Nicolette Aizenberg, and more recounted the night La La Land was mistakenly handed Moonlights Best Picture Oscar. And then theres Steve Harvey, who makes a brief appearance to say, basically, thank God people could stop talking about his 2015 Miss Universe flub, where he gave the wrong contestant the crown.
I was watching live and I probably knew what had happened before anybody else cause I saw the panic-stricken look on the producers face. When [Horowitz] walked out there and snatched that card out of Warrens hand, thats when I knew redemption was mine, Harvey told THR. I was finally off the hook. Yeah, OK, I had to live that down: Oh, how could he, Thats a bonehead, Nobodys ever done that in the history of Miss Universe. But the Oscars is the biggest night in Hollywood, and when they did it, I lit a cigar and drank a glass of scotch and celebrated. I was free! Thank you, God!
The Chi The Whistle Season 1 Episode 7 Editors Rating 4 stars * * * * Previous Next Photo: Parrish Lewis/SHOWTIME
The Whistle is an episode about employment, and what a job reveals about a persons character and the world at large. In the eyes of the enigmatic Quentin who relays to Emmett the story of his father, a porter for the Elgin, Joliet and Eastern Railway Company who was struck by a train and murdered on the job those revelations are practically an origin story. It was his fathers dedicated service to the railway company that allowed his family a bit of upward mobility: Upon his death, the mans family was given $500 in remuneration and his porter whistle. The tale is an encapsulation of what Quentin sees as the thankless, futile nature of corporate employment and class aspirations, and it is a nice peek into the mind of a character who has not revealed much of himself so far. Quentin had fallen into the role of bitter, straw-hat toting old-timer, a symbol of the old guard of kingpins who hold staunch ideas about honor and decency in their varied fields. This is a bit weve seen in many stories before The Chi, and his calls to a long-expired street code of conduct of course rang hollow: He did, after all, kill an entire room of Reg and Trices accomplices in last weeks episode.
Exhausted of options and struggling to pay for his sons day care, Emmett falls into being Quentins accomplice. Their first stop is turning in the guns stolen from Trices men. But when Quentin turns in literal boxes filled with semiautomatic weapons, the on-duty officers barely grill him. Wouldnt the cops have at least questioned him? The repartee between Emmett and Quentin falls into a pleasant rhythm in these scenes, with the older man looking out for the younger one. And like it or not, their partnership looks set to continue in future episodes: Emmetts mother loses her job for stealing medical supplies to patch up Ronnies gunshot wound, so at least for now, Emmetts income will be the only one in the household.
As we know, Quentin was able to rob and murder Trices men because Reg was off his post, fooling around with a girl. Its a decision Reg pays dearly for, with Trice showing up to his apartment to drink his fruit juice and pummel him. When Trice threatens him in his kitchen, Reg displays an emotion beyond contempt for the first time; he finally seems more than a stock character, more than the violent, mindless dealer weve seen again and again. As the beating goes on, the camera stays focused on Regs disfigured, bloody face for what feels like an unnecessary amount of time. The scene is a little bit nauseating, a reminder that The Chi is a show claiming to humanize a demographic that it constantly abuses.
At the gun turn-in, Tracy stumbles onto a meeting for grieving mothers, held inside of a community center. One of them expresses her anger that Tracys son, a star athlete and A student, was granted news coverage and a commemorative mural while her son was not. The scene is a painful reminder of the community of families, lots of them women, who constantly deal with the aftermath of gun violence. Much like last weeks depiction of Jada masturbating in the tub, it is a rare chance to see The Chis female characters spend time with themselves. But its far from enough. Its simply too hard to gleam an idea of the inner workings of their lives when they just arent granted the space.
Later, Ronnie accosts Tracy, who insults him, per usual. She has not said a kind word to him in at least four episodes. This time, she tells him that Jason had no desire to be in his life. The Whistle intends this to be a testament to her bitchiness, but it really makes Ronnie seem as if he has no respect for the boundaries and wishes of a woman grieving her son. Again, we would have a better sense of her feelings if we spent more time with her.
Meanwhile, Brandon quits his job because he doesnt want to snitch on a fellow employee. This is a decision that makes no sense: Previously, Brandons employment at the West Loop eatery was an indicator of the chasm between himself and his family. He was a do-gooder, employed in an industry which they didnt really understand. His job as a chef was used to indicate both his ambitions and his familys confusion about that desire. The idea that hed quit his job because he didnt want to snitch is so juvenile and implausible that Im guessing one of his bosses will reach out and offer his position back to him soon. (Also, Im sure the employee still lost his job.) For now, Brandon heads back to Jerrika, who is still hesitant to allow him in her house.
Week after week, one of the pitfalls of The Chis bloated cast is that there simply is no room for all of them. The previous episode neglected the younger boys, so when theyre reintroduced in The Whistle, its a task to kickstart their respective story lines. Aside from the issue of time, it just feels like too much has happened especially to Kevin and Jake to jump back into regular childhood activities like a skate party. The show is attempting a realistic, verisimilitudinous approach to the boys lives, demonstrating how some children are forced to deal with adult traumas during their adolescence. Jake carries a gun now, with a scowl and a necklace just like his older brother. Kevin shot a man three weeks ago. And yet, Kevin is still a little boy with a crush on a girl he wants to skate with. Its a jarring return to a false normalcy.
Deputies have arrested a Franklin County man after a standoff in the Halltown community near Vina. Sheriff Shannon Oliver told WAAY 31 News Roger Nelson, Jr. surrendered about 2 oclock Sunday afternoon.
The call for help came in about 10 Sunday morning.
Deputies responded to the domestic disturbance at a mobile home on Dees Road.
Sheriff Oliver says Nelson, 31, was holding his girlfriend against her will. After about 45 minutes, Nelson released the woman. She did not have any visible injuries, according to the Sheriff.
Oliver tells us Nelson then went through the floor of the mobile home and holed up underneath.
Deputies were able to coax Nelson out and take him into custody.
Nelson was charged with Domestic violence suffocation, Unlawful imprisonment, resisting arrest and attempting to elude law enforcement.
Star Port Adelaide forward Robbie Gray could miss the start of the AFL season through suspension after unleashing a dangerous bump on West Coast defender Jeremy McGovern in
Eagles speedster Lewis Jetta kicked a 55m goal in the dying minutes to lift West Coast to a two-point win, 8.8 (56) to 8.6 (54).
Gray collected McGovern with a glancing blow to the head late in the first quarter after electing to bump instead of going for the ball.
McGovern had his head over the ball at the time, and lay dazed on the ground for a short time after before being helped off the ground.
He failed to take part in the remainder of the match.
Washington DC: Americas tortured debate on gun control has no easy answer for Brian Sandoval, the Nevada state governor who saw the horrific scene in Las Vegas after a shooter killed 58 people and wounded 500 at a music festival just six months ago.
"What happened in Vegas was devastating," says Sandoval. "As somebody who was there the next day, who spoke to victims' families, who was on the site well, it has made a massive impression on me and changed me."
Sandoval is the chairman of the peak group of governors who welcomed Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull and Australian premiers to Washington DC on the weekend. While the Australian mission was all about business, it came at a time when the gun control debate was everywhere.
Nevada governor Brian Sandoval. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen
Two blocks away from the National Governors Association meeting, school student Makenzie Hymes was holding a placard outside the White House with a message for politicians: "Be like Australia."
I just want to take an opportunity to renew a request I made a couple of weeks ago.
Our long-running live blog has a loyal and switched-on audience. And we want your feedback on how we are doing it at the moment.
These are the sorts of questions I'm thinking about:
How important to you is detail and analysis to provide context behind the day's developments?
Are there any formatting or style improvements that you think could be made?
How important to you is it that our posts are published as quickly as possible? Would you like them to be more rapid or would you like a bit more time to be taken in order to provide more information?
Do you want more photos?
Any other thoughts and suggestions along those lines are very welcome as well.
We are rolling out the upgraded websites at the moment as well so I am keen on any feedback from you on the changes to the blog that are flowing from that.
And if you're utterly impressed and satisfied with every facet of what we are doing, do feel free to say that as well!
Please send your comments through to me at fergus.hunter@fairfaxmedia.com.au with "blog feedback" as the subject line.
Washington: Donald Trump gave Malcolm Turnbull an impressive welcome to the White House last Friday, but we are starting to see what the US President wants in return.
First, he wants Australia by his side as he bulks up military capacity in the western Pacific. Joe Dunford, the chairman of the joint chiefs of staff, is eager to ramp up the number of US Marines in Darwin in order to send a message about American power to friends and foes around the region. This will go ahead because it steps up the pace on an agreement between Julia Gillard and Barack Obama from 2011.
Second, he wants Australian support for tougher action against North Korea. The new US sanctions against the rogue state are a serious challenge to Kim Jong-un because they suggest the US is willing to intercept shipments of oil, perhaps turning the measures into a blockade. That requires ships. Turnbull has offered verbal support for the sanctions but must choose whether to offer more.
Third, Trump would love to see Australia mount a freedom-of-navigation operation through the South China Sea to send a message to Americas strategic competitor about its island bases in contested waters. Turnbull will not say whether this will happen, a big difference from Britains public statement of intent to send one of its ships through the sea. Should he adopt the British approach?
The proportion of Australian 15-year-olds who are reaching international baseline levels in maths, reading and science has fallen significantly over a decade, and federal Education Minister Simon Birmingham says parents need to start doing more to stem the country's declining performance.
Only 79 per cent of year 10 students reached the international baseline level for maths in 2015, compared with 87 per cent of students in 2006, according to a new report released on Sunday by the Australian Research Alliance for Children and Youth (ARACY).
About 82 per cent of students reached the benchmark in reading in 2015, down from 86 per cent in 2006. Baseline proficiency in science also fell, with 82 per cent of students reaching the benchmark in 2015, compared with 87 per cent in 2006.
"If there are an increasing number of students not meeting those benchmarks in any subjects, we'll find they're likely to struggle in life, find it hard to get a job and, statistically, they are more likely to get in trouble with the law," Grattan Institute's school education program director Pete Goss said.
The hunt is on for a vandal believed to have cut the torso off the iconic C.Y. O'Connor statue off the coast of Coogee.
The City of Cockburn called for help solving the suspected crime on Monday afternoon, after they received reports about damage done to the statue.
The damage done to the statue. Credit:Hannah Barry
"The City is investigating how Tony Jones' famous bronze sculpture of celebrated 1800s engineer C Y O'Connor at North Coogee Beach came to be damaged over the weekend," the city said in a social media post.
"We have received numerous reports of the damage which has left the 19-year-old statue cut-off at the torso with the rider's hips and the horse still in place, 30 metres offshore."
Bangkok: Australia and East Timor will sign a landmark agreement aimed at opening the way to share revenue from the $50 billion Greater Sunrise oil and gas field in the Timor Sea at the United Nations next week.
But intense negotiations have so far failed to settle how the field could be exploited by a Woodside Energy-led consortium.
Recommendations by the Permanent Court of Arbitration at The Hague, which has overseen negotiations between the neighbouring countries, on how the dispute should be settled are expected to be released in mid-April.
East Timors former prime minister and president Xanana Gusmao, who has led his country's negotiations, has insisted the gas to be piped to East Timor. Credit:AP
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio is set to witness the signing of a new Maritime Boundaries agreement in New York on March 6.
WCO Secretary General Kunio Mikuriya met with high level officials of the World Bank in Washington DC, United States, on Friday 23 February 2018 to discuss the World Banks Doing Business Index and the trade facilitation agenda, including the use of technology. In meetings with Ms. Caroline Freund, Director, Macroeconomics, Trade and Investment Global Practice, Mr. Jose Guilherme Reis, Practice Manager, Global Trade and Ms. Rita Ramalho, Manager, Doing Business Unit and her experts, wide ranging discussions took place across a broad spectrum of Doing Business and performance measurement topics.
As regards Doing Business in particular, the discussions addressed the quality and sources of data; the methodology, including how best to convey information on process changes; the measurement of the use of means of transport (land, sea and air); the treatment of commodities (agricultural and industrial); and the impact of intra-Member trade by Customs Unions.
It was agreed to continue cooperating on and further discussing these matters and other areas. The WCO Secretariat and the World Bank's Doing Business Unit will inform WCO Members, at a suitable opportunity, about the Doing Business process with a view to Customs taking a more active role in the process to ensure that sufficient account is taken of Customs point of view.
Secretary General Mikuriya will invite Members to express their concerns about Doing Business and will provide WCO contact points through whom issues may be raised and comments provided.
While the ranking of countries draws adverse comment, Doing Business provides strong arguments that may be used by Member Customs administrations to lobby for enhanced legal scope and greater resources. In addition, Members can look beyond the actual ranking and study the impact of their modernization programmes on the underlying score, given that such programmes often result in enhanced performance that is not necessarily reflected in the comparative ranking.
Both parties agreed to hold further dialogue with a view to ensuring better and more accurate measurement of Customs activities.
Phillies win wild one on passed ball in 9th; top Cubs 6-5
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Jonathan Hyde has had a remarkable career in film, stage and TV, including in films such as Richie Rich, Titanic, Jumangi and The King's Speech. He's worked extensively at the NT, the Almeida and the RSC where he starred opposite actors such as Ian McKellen, Frances Barber, Romola Garai and Sylvester McCoy. Since 2014, he has starred in Guillermo Del Toro's FX TV series The Strain, which he had a break from last year to return to the stage in the UK in Julius Caesar. He's now back in Sheffield, this time to star in Robert Hastie's revival production of Frost Nixon.
The impression of Frost/Nixon is that it's just two guys sitting chairs. But actually it's a ten hander. There are scenes in all sorts of places: cars, an aeroplane, hotel rooms: it's anything but static. It's filmed too, with a huge cube above us that projects images of what's being filmed on three sides.
When you compare him with what we have today, Nixon was a paradigm of political acumen and skill. What we're faced with now is lumpen idiocy or rank foolishness. The Watergate scandal did blow the lid off an awful lot of presidential misbehaviour. From that side of things he was frightening in so many ways but on the other hand he had a tremendous vision of opening a lot of doors that had been slammed shut.
I want to get close to a pencil portrait of Nixon without actually having to clamp my head to make it look like a pear. I've made one or two decisions around eyebrows but I've decided I don't want to replicate every last detail of the man and how he sounded.
After downing about a gallon of wine at university, I once managed to give an almost flawless performance in a Euripides play. I have no memory of the performance whatsoever, but someone said afterwards I seemed to be in control of myself and didn't fall over, so from then on I thought I might train to be an actor.
I came to England from Australia to train because I had been conscripted to fight in the Vietnam War. Australia and the US were allies and Australia had a one-in-eight conscription system, so men who turned 21 were selected to go and fight. My marble was picked, but I had read up on the war and was so opposed to it, I thought it was an aberration that we were involved. I was discharged, because back then I had a personality problem, and then Europe beckoned.
When you're inside, covered with glitter and wearing make-up, the weather doesn't really feature. So when I worked in Glasgow with the Citizens Theatre early in my career it wasn't a shock being there after Australia. I loved the Citz, it was really quite shambolic, but they had a wonderful team. Everyone was a star at Glasgow Citz.
Frost/Nixon runs at Crucible Sheffield until 17 March.
By Jina Belcher Ground zero for federal efforts to boost communities reeling from the downturn[Read More]
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Donald Trump campaigning for president in 2016. His campaign is at the center of the House investigation into Russian interference in last year's U.S. presidential race.
As protests continue to erupt in the streets of Kenosha, Wisconsin, and across the world in outrage against the horrific shooting of Jacob Bla Read more
Top Republicans on Capitol Hill have made a concerted decision in their Russia inquiries: They are staying away from digging into the finances of President Donald Trump and his family.
Six Republican leaders of key committees told CNN they see little reason to pursue those lines of inquiry or made no commitments to do so -- even as Democrats say determining whether there was a financial link between Trump, his family, his business and Russians is essential to understanding whether there was any collusion in the 2016 elections.
Republicans have resisted calls to issue subpoenas for bank records, seeking Trump's tax returns or sending letters to witnesses to determine whether there were any Trump financial links to Russian actors -- calling the push nothing more than a Democratic fishing expedition.
While the top Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee has acknowledged that his panel lacks the resources of special counsel Robert Mueller to dig deeply into financial matters, several Democrats on committees with financial experts on their staff have sought such records. In the House Intelligence Committee, for instance, Democrats have asked for subpoenas to Deutsche Bank, the institution that has been a major lender to the Trump Organization as well as Jared Kushner, Trump's son-in-law and senior adviser.
"I think the allegations on money laundering are credible enough that we ought to, in the exercise of due diligence, see if this was one of the other vectors of the Russian active measures campaign," California Rep. Adam Schiff, the top Democrat on the House Intelligence panel, said earlier this month. "To me, that is far more potentially compromising than any salacious video would be."
Republicans have rebuffed them, arguing that falls outside the scope of the committee's probe.
"I don't see the link at this stage," Rep. Mike Conaway, the Texas Republican leading the House Russia investigation, told CNN. "Deutsche Bank is a German bank -- I don't see the nexus."
Asked about exploring Russian-Trump business transactions, Conaway was not moved. "I bet every big bank has a Russian customer somewhere," he said.
The partisan dispute over the Trump finances is a clear sign that Democrats plan to pursue these questions if they retake either chamber of Congress in this year's midterms. And it underscores how Republicans on the Hill have, for the most part, stayed away from vigorous oversight of the Trump administration -- something that is common when either party controls both Congress and the White House.
'Isn't that what Bob Mueller is doing?'
Some Democrats have concluded that Mueller's probe is their best hope for getting to the bottom of the Russian collusion question, though Trump himself has warned Mueller from crossing a red line into his family's finances.
House Oversight and Government Reform Chairman Trey Gowdy, who is also a top Republican on the House Intelligence Committee, has yet to issue a subpoena as chairman since he took the oversight gavel last June. The South Carolina Republican also brushed off calls by Democrats to pursue the money trail as part of the Russia investigation.
"Isn't that what Bob Mueller is doing?" Gowdy told CNN when asked about the matter.
On the House Financial Services Committee, the panel's ranking Democrat, Maxine Waters of California, for nearly a year has called on the committee's chairman, Jeb Hensarling of Texas, to issue subpoenas to Deutsche Bank and help pressure the Treasury Department to cough up documents from its Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) over any of Trump's past financial dealings.
Hensarling has resisted, citing investigations in other House committees, saying doing another one in his panel would be "redundant." And Deutsche Bank has ignored Waters' letters asking for a range of Trump-related information, suggesting it would not disclose confidential information, particularly without a subpoena.
Hensarling spokeswoman Sarah Flaim pointed to the inquiries that are ongoing in the House and Senate intelligence panels and by Mueller.
"Those investigations should be allowed to go forward," Flaim said. Hensarling's committee, she said, "will certainly review whatever information the investigations produce."
Foreign transactions
In addition to the calls for subpoenaing Deutsche Bank, Democrats point to the comments from Fusion GPS co-founder Glenn Simpson, who told the House Intelligence Committee last year that it should probe Trump's real estate deals in Florida and New Jersey, as well as Kushner's real estate dealings in New Jersey.
Democrats have also raised an interest in foreign transactions in places that include the Cayman Islands and Cyprus, particularly surrounding former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort. In April 2017, Rep. Mike Quigley of Illinois traveled to Cyprus to investigate how Russians used money laundering, a trip that came following an Associated Press report that Treasury officials obtained information regarding financial payments Manafort may have received through Cypriot banks.
Mueller's latest charges against Manafort and his former deputy Rick Gates on Thursday accused them of laundering $30 million and fraudulently securing more than $20 million in loans through real estate holdings. Some of the allegations occurred while Manafort and Gates worked on the Trump campaign, according to the indictment, although none of the activities were tied to their work on the campaign.
But those areas have gone largely unpursued on Capitol Hill.
Sen. Ron Wyden, ranking Democrat on the Senate Finance Committee and senior member of the Senate Intelligence Committee, has for months been frustrated with the lack of access to Treasury FinCEN documents. The Oregon Democrat recently fired off a letter for more Treasury documents, this time to obtain records about a lucrative 2008 real estate deal between Trump and a Russian billionaire that raised questions among Democrats about potential money laundering and suspect business dealings.
But Utah Sen. Orrin Hatch, the chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, has declined to join Wyden in these efforts. And he has rejected Wyden's requested to review Trump's tax returns in a private session.
"We're not going to do that," Hatch said in the Capitol. "He doesn't want to give up his tax returns, and I believe he's right."
'A policy dispute'
In an interview, Wyden said the Senate Intelligence Committee, under the chairmanship of Sen. Richard Burr, has shown little willingness to pursue these lines of inquiry as well.
"This is a policy dispute," said Wyden, who also sits on the Intelligence Committee. "The chairman does not believe that this is really the focus of the committee's work. I, on the other hand, say counterintelligence is right at the heart of our obligations. Counterintelligence 101 is following the money, because following money is how you compromise people."
Burr, a North Carolina Republican, pushed back at Wyden's assertions that the committee wasn't "following the money," but he declined to provide any details.
"Nothing has precluded him from digging further than what we've dug," Burr said of Wyden. "We've had access to whatever financial records we asked for."
Asked if that meant the panel has asked for Trump financial records, Burr said: "I'm not going to get into everything we've asked for. The investigation has explored all the areas we thought were pertinent."
Last year, Burr and the committee's ranking Democrat, Sen. Mark Warner of Virginia, did obtain some FinCEN documents amid threats to hold up a Treasury nominee. In an interview last month, Warner suggested that their panel didn't have the resources compared to the special counsel to dig through financial matters, saying Mueller has "tools we don't have" on financial issues.
The Senate Judiciary Committee has also investigated Russia's role in the 2016 elections -- and any ties with Trump associates. But the GOP chairman of the committee, Chuck Grassley of Iowa, made clear that investigating finances would not be part of the inquiry.
"That's not part of what we're doing," Grassley said.
ROME, NY- The weather was positively beautiful for Positively Romes 4th annual Moonlight Trail Night Saturday.
Hundreds of people took advantage of the more than 400 lanterns that lit the trail at Delta Lake State Park.
There was also plenty of food and hot chocolate to keep you warm, and if you didnt feel like walking you could catch a quick horse and buggy ride.
Chris Lambe of Positively Rome says people will usually snow shoe or cross country ski on the trail, but not this year.
"Most years it's a little bit snowier, but this year we had to roll with the punches. It's hard to argue with a 70 degree day in February, but here we are, we got a beautiful night for this and everybody is having a great time."
Each year Positively Rome donates the money raised from the event to different caused in the city.
This year the money raised will go to the Zagster Bike Share program in Rome.
ONEIDA Holy Cross Academy in Oneida hosted a unique guest Monday morning with an incredible story.
Magda Brown is a 90-year-old Holocaust survivor who lives in Chicago. One Holy Cross student, Claire Breckenridge, lead a fundraiser and accrued $1,500 to fly Brown from the windy city to Oneida.
"I was looking up Holocaust survivors living in the United States, and her name just popped up," Breckenridge said. "She could be angry, she could hate, but she doesn't, she just loves everybody and wants peace."
"She had heard some people say that they felt the Holocaust wasn't real, it didn't really happen," Marnie Martin, Breckenridge's aunt said. "That bothered her because she knew that it had, so she wanted to bring a concrete story here."
The principal of the school says the students effort to bring Brown to Holy Cross shows how dedicated she is to understanding history.
I just think its wonderful for someone to take charge like that and for others to join with her, and [its] something that will obviously affect our students for the rest of their lives, said Teri Maciag, principal of Holy Cross Academy.
Brown spoke about her time as a 17-year-old Hungarian teenager, who was sent to Auschwitz with her family. She never saw the majority of her family again after arriving at the camp.
Brown was able to escape the Nazis during a death march.
"We were given flip-flops, except they had wooden soles, it was the most difficult thing to try to walk in," Brown said.
Brown crawled the distance of three city blocks with a group of prisoners, hiding in a barn for days.
"It's remarkable how much you want to live," Brown said. "While I can stand on my two feet, I feel responsible to tell."
"She walked through that journey, and she's telling us that we can walk our journeys too," Kat Wojsiat, a 10th grade student said. "You know, she's here speaking in our chapel and she probably thought that she wasn't going to do anything one day."
"Her family, to never see them again, that's like really hard and I couldn't imagine losing my family," Caroline Denney, an 11th grade student said.
While Brown inspired the students with her story, she didn't leave the school unmoved by the child who championed her visit.
"I'm very proud of her," Brown said. "This is what I'm looking for, a future with smart people of good thinking, doing the right thing."
UTICA, NY Dominicans around the world are celebrating 174 years of independence.
And that includes Dominicans right here in Utica.
Local Latinos gathered at the Mohawk Valley Latino Association on Sunday for the 5th Annual Dominican Independence Heritage Celebration.
The day included a reading of the history of the Dominican Republic, the singing of the American and Dominican national anthems, as well as plenty of traditional Dominican food and music.
Comite Dominicano de Uticas Raquel Tavarez says its very important for their young people to know their history.
Its very important. We need to keep our roots, and we need to show them where they came from so they will know who they are. They will be proud, the same way we are.
On Tuesday the celebration continues with a flag ceremony at Utica city hall at noon.
UPDATE: Frankfort police say the missing teen, 14-year-old Giovanni Pacciarelli, has been found.
Pacciarelli was reported missing after he ran away from his foster family on Friday. On Monday afternoon, Frankfort police confirmed that Utica police found him on James Street in Utica.
Utica police were able to track Pacciarelli by his cell phone. He was then transferred to Frankfort police, who then turned him over to the foster agency.
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FRANKFORT- Local and State law enforcement are searching for a runaway boy named Giovanni Pacciarelli, 14, of Frankfort. The young teenager ran away from his foster family on Friday.
On Sunday, WKTV spoke with Pacciarellis foster family. They said their foster child left the house Friday morning, riding a black Mongoose bicycle. The fourteen year old boy is a liver transplant patient who just underwent surgery a few months ago in New York City.
Pacciarellis foster mother is worried about his medicine count. She told WKTV he left the house with only enough medicine to last him five days. According to the family if he doesnt take his medicine he could become violently ill or potentially die.
The family also tells us he could be in Utica, since he has family ties there.
The Frankfort Town Police has confirmed they are in search of the runaway boy. They have issued a statewide missing person report to every agency in New York State.
If you have any information on Giovanni Pacciarellis whereabouts you are urged to contact the Frankfort Town Police Department at (315)-894-3594.
POLAND New York State Police were at Poland Central School Monday morning, but it was not related to any perceived threat.
In the wake of a high school shooting in Florida that left 17 people dead, state police were meeting with Poland Central School District officials to discuss safety.
On Sunday, Superintendent Laura Dutton sent out a letter to parents, guardians, staff and the school community regarding additional safety precautions that are being enacted, and additional resources for parents and guardians.
Dutton says that she and Principal Greg Cuthbertson have reviewed the districts School Safety Plan, and state police will have a presence on campus this week as they did before students went on mid-winter break.
District officials have met with our BOCES Safety Office Coordinator; we have requested a review of campus signage and district arrival and dismissal procedures, Dutton said in the letter. We expect to participate in a regional safety meeting for Herkimer school leaders and law enforcement this week. On Monday, the student advisory council will meet with Poland administrators to share ideas for improving campus safety, security, and culture.
The district has added a page called Student Safety to its website under the Community section, and some of the resources and information that can be found there include, Talking to Children About Violence, When Information in the Media Is Scary, and Internet Safety. The website says that additional resources will be added periodically for the community to use.
As high school students throughout the country are participating in walk-outs to advocate for stricter gun laws and action to prevent mass shootings, Duttons letter states, We ask parents of secondary students to remind their children that learning is our purpose, that our Code of Conduct is always in place, and some media details and topics may not be appropriate for school.
To view the full letter, click here.
ROME The Rome Police Department is asking for the publics help locating a suspect for this weeks Warrant of the Week.
Dean Armstrong, 41, is wanted on a warrant from Rome City Court for second-degree criminal contempt, violating a court order and menacing with a weapon.
Police believe Armstrong still lives in the city of Rome, and hes frequently in the area of West Embargo Street. Hes described as being 5 feet 8 inches tall, weighing 190 pounds.
Any information about Armstrongs whereabouts can be sent to Rome police anonymously on the departments website. You can also call 911 or call Rome police at 315-339-7780.
TIPPECANOE COUNTY, Ind. (WLFI) Indiana code defines different punishments for a person who communicates a threat verses a threat to commit a forcible felony.
"If it's intimidation saying 'I'm going to get you get you for that statement you made' then it's a Class A misdemeanor," said State Rep. Sheila Klinker. "So there is a charge. When it's a forcible situation, then it's a level 6 felony which can be 2 years in prison."
If a person is under 18 years old, Rep. Klinker said there is usually there is a probation period and the person is treated but in many cases, not sent to jail.
In the 8 school days since the Florida shooting there has been at least 14 threats and 21 arrests made across the state.
"You might see a strong amendment added to a bill that's going through now that will take the threats, violence, and the threats of young people buying guns more seriously," said Klinker.
As far as what bill that is, she isn't sure just yet but she says it could be coming to one dealing with bullying or intimidation.
"If something does not get added this year, I guarantee something will be added next year," said Klinker.
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Above, Vincent Le hangs out in the kitchen of China Star while prep work is being done. Below, Le stands in front of the renovated building that will soon house four different restaurants.
Tepco sets sights on global expansion
26 February 2018
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Japan's Tokyo Electric Power Company (Tepco) aims to become an innovative global energy and technology company, according to its president, Tomoaki Kobayakawa. He stressed the company will continue providing strong support for the restoration of Fukushima.
Tepco is Japan's largest power company, supplying energy to the greater Kanto area, including the country's two biggest cities, Tokyo and Yokohama. As well as the damaged Fukushima Daiichi plant, Tepco also owns the Fukushima Daini and Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear power plants.
Speaking at a press conference held on 16 February at the Federation of Electric Power Companies of Japan, Kobayakawa said Tepco faces challenges posed by the deregulation of Japan's energy markets, the country's declining population, and the need to continue clean-up work in Fukushima Prefecture.
Tepco will continue its transformation from a local utility into an innovative global energy and technology company, partnering with other leaders around the world, Kobayakawa said.
Tepco aims to increase its revenue by JPY500 billion (USD4.7 billion) per year, generating a total of JPY450 billion in profit over the next decade.
Kobayakawa said this would be achieved through streamlining businesses and cost reduction, reorganisation and integration of nuclear power and distribution, as well as forming alliances with partners. Tepco will create businesses in new areas, which will create a value chain from fuel upstream to thermal generation and bundling the sale of electricity and natural gas.
Kobayakawa said Tepco's parent company - Tepco Holdings - will create a management committee during the coming fiscal year to formulate a detailed plan for achieving its aim.
"Our main mission is guaranteeing the delivery of a stable supply of low-cost electricity to customers," he said. "Within that mission, nuclear power is not everything. Thermal power, the procurement of renewable energy, and hydropower all play a part."
"Renewables are an essential component of our future," Kobayakawa said. "We believe we can scale up our renewables business to create a new source of revenue comparable to JERA."
JERA is a 50/50 joint venture formed between Tepco and Chubu Electric Power Company in April 2015. The main business areas of JERA are: upstream fuel investments; fuel procurement; fuel transportation; fuel trading; replacement and construction of domestic thermal power plants; overseas power generation and energy infrastructure.
However, Kobayakawa stressed the focus on the future will not come at the expense of Tepco's obligations to its past. Noting the steady improvement of the situation both inside the damaged Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant and in the surrounding area, Kobayakawa affirmed the corporate mission to rebuild communities and restore the trust of the residents, including efforts to support the sale of products from Fukushima Prefecture.
In May 2012, the Japanese government approved amendments to Tepco's ten-year special business plan which effectively puts it under state control. Under the amendments, the government provided Tepco with JPY1 trillion in state funds in return for a 51% stake in the company.
In 2014, Tepco was reorganised into two main sections: a power generation business and a separate division dedicated to decommissioning the Fukushima Daiichi site.
A further reorganisation followed in April 2016, with Tepco being structured under Tepco Holdings. Its fuel and thermal generation operations were placed in a subsidiary called Tepco Fuel and Power Incorporated; its power transmission and distribution business became Tepco Power Grid Incorporated; and its electricity retail operations became Tepco Energy Partner Incorporated. Its nuclear-related operations remained within the holding company.
Researched and written
by World Nuclear News
Related topics
Investigators who were looking for a missing woman were shocked to find her head in the suitcase of a tourist, according to police in Japan.
Osaka police said that they have arrested 26-year-old Yevgeniy Vasilievich Bayraktar from New York after being accused of kidnapping a woman and cutting off her head.
Bayraktar is facing numerous charges, including murder.
He denied the allegations.
According to the police investigation, Bayraktar came to Japan for sightseeing.
He did not need a visa as he planned on staying in the country for less than 90 days.
After the family of the 27-year-old woman reported her missing, police launched a massive search.
Police obtained surveillance video, showing that the woman went out on a date with Bayraktar.
The video showed the two going into his apartment and she never left.
Police suspect that the American tourist killed the woman and then cut off her head.
He then placed her head in his suitcase.
Police do not know why Bayraktar placed the womans head in his suitcase.
The victims friends told police that woman boasted about going out on a date with an American man before she disappeared.
It will be cold tomorrow morning but will there be snow?
This article is old - Published: Monday, Feb 26th, 2018
Update 10:20pm: Met Office has downgraded us down to 60% chance of light snow 7am-11am , rather than the 90% chance of heavy snow.
Headline update from the 90% prediction of heavy snow, to something more firm, that it will be another really cold start!
Original information below from earlier this evening
The Met Office are as of 8:30pm predicting a 90% chance of heavy snow between 8am-10am tomorrow morning.
The full yellow warning reads: Further snow showers are expected through Tuesday, with the potential for a more organised area of snow to push southwest across parts of England and Wales. There is the potential for 5-10 cm of snow in places though nearby locations may see only small accumulations of 0-2 cm. The warning area has been adjusted to take into account latest indications. Strong winds may lead to drifting of lying snow (and severe wind chill) especially over hills, with lightning perhaps an additional hazard near North Sea coasts.
Using often accurate forecasters, it appears we will be due a dusting of snow early tomorrow, of course higher ground getting the larger amounts:
Wrexham Council have said: Like all other local authorities We dont grit or plough every road but we do make sure that our main roads are cleared as soon as possible. This can sometimes be difficult particularly if snow continues to fall.
You can see the Councils gritting routes here.
The Council added: Snow and ice can also cause disruptions to your bin service as driving a huge vehicle on narrow roads can be dangerous to both the crew and also the public. Occasionally bin collections will be stopped in a particular area for this reason. When we can we send the gritter out before the bin wagon to make sure we can continue for as long as possible.
Cllr Joan Lowe, Lead Member for Health and Adult Social Care, said: There are many people in our communities who struggle during the colder months, and we shouldnt underestimate just how much of a difference a small thing can make to someones life.
There are so many easy ways to help help with the shopping, taking a hot meal or just calling in for a chat. We are asking that residents take just a couple of minutes to check on neighbours, friends and relatives.
This morning we asked Wrexham Council if the Severe Weather Emergency Protocol/Plan had been activated, and if there was any detail on what that meant in practical terms. Much like when we asked last time there was cold weather, we have not had a reply.
The aim of the plan is to minimise the risk to damage to health or death as a result of overnight exposure to cold, and in theory means Welsh Government funding means emergency accommodation can be provided to homeless vulnerable people.
We are unofficially told it has been activated, and help for those homeless in Wrexham this evening is underway formally.
As above, Wrexham is due to dodge the worst of the snow around the UK however with London and the south east of England being hit it could be portrayed as the end of the world
As always forecasts change, and are often wrong, but we will be doing our best to keep the area informed whatever happens
Rossett to Gresford A483 resurfacing to take place weather permitting
This article is old - Published: Monday, Feb 26th, 2018
Resurfacing works on the A483 southbound carriageway junctions 7 to 6 are taking place overnight over the next few days if the weather allows it.
Junction 7 is Rossett, and Junction 6 is Gresford and drivers on that route will be aware of the poor quality, verging on dangerous, quality of some of the road surface.
Previously patched areas have deteriorated over the last few periods of bad weather with potholes now visible on the carriageway where recent Go Safe data show speeds of over 100mph have been recorded.
The works will mean the southbound carriageway will be closed between 8pm and 6am.
There may be speed limits in place along this stretch of road during the day times and a diversion will be in place via the B5102/B5445 in Marford.
The works are being undertaken by the North Wales Trunk Road Agency and the Welsh Government although this closure has been communicated to us via Wrexham Council, as both the North Wales Trunk Road Agency and the Welsh Government appear to be silent over the works!
The Socialist Equality Party (Australia) is holding a public meeting in Melbourne to mobilise workers and young people of all backgrounds against an ongoing government-media provocation over alleged African gangs. The meeting will be held this Saturday 2.30 p.m., March 3, at the Meat Market Conference Centre, 5 Blackwood St, North Melbourne.
On January 1, Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull denounced African gang crime, alleging that it was responsible for growing lawlessness in the state of Victoria. The government has promoted a lurid media campaign, led by the Murdoch press, which has sought to elevate a few instances of petty crime into a virtual national security threat. The Labor Party is fully complicit. The federal opposition leadership has criticised Turnbull only for not giving more money to the Australian Federal Police, while the state Labor government has stoutly defended its law and order credentials, including a multi-billion dollar expansion of the police force by 20 percent.
The Socialist Equality Party meeting will outline the class issues underlying this campaign.
Around the world, crisis-stricken capitalist governments are systematically targeting working class immigrant communities. In the US, President Trumps denunciations of Mexicans, Muslims, and Africans are a central part of his right-wing agenda. Immigrants in Europe, Australia and New Zealand, are being scapegoated for an escalating social crisis for which the ruling classes have no solution. Staggering social inequalitybetween a super-wealthy few and the working class majority that confront mounting financial hardshiphas created a political powder keg. The aim of racist and anti-immigrant campaigns is to sow divisions within the working class.
The African gangs campaign also serves as a deliberate diversion from the governments preparations for war. The Australian ruling elite is marching in lockstep with Washingtons aggressive confrontation of North Korea and China. As prior to the previous two world wars, the promotion of nationalism is the ideological mechanism for smothering working class opposition to militarism and lining it up behind the war agenda of the capitalist class.
Capitalism is a failed social and economic system. The public meeting on Saturday will outline a socialist and internationalist perspective necessary to combat the official promotion of racism and anti-immigrant sentiment, and to fight for the social rights of the entire working class. We urge workers and young people to attend.
Meeting details:
Saturday 2.30 p.m., March 3
Meat Market Conference Centre
5 Blackwood St, North Melbourne
Melway Reference: 2B A9
For those taking public transport to the meeting from the western suburbs, one option is to take the 402 bus, departing from outside Footscray Railway Station at 1.50 p.m. or 2.10 p.m., and then get off on Wreckyn Street, North Melbourne.
Last Friday, February 16, Brazilian president Michel Temer (MDB) decreed a federal intervention in the law enforcement system of Rio de Janeiro, expected to last until the end of this year. Tapped to lead the intervention is Army General Walter Souza Braga Netto, who has been given absolute powers over the states civil (investigations) and military (patrolling) police forces and prison system, empowered to overrule any decisions by elected officials, including the governor and mayors, and even to change law enforcement agencies internal regulations.
Gen. Braga Netto is the commander of the Eastern military division in Brazil, which includes Rio, and was responsible for the military operations in Rio de Janeiro during the Summer Olympics in 2016. With the military intervention, Rio de Janeiros law enforcement secretary, Roberto Sa, resigned on the same day. It is the first time since the promulgation of the 1988 Constitution that such an ostensibly legal federal intervention has been triggered and the first time since the end of the Brazilian military dictatorship in 1985 that an Army General has assumed a civil position.
The immediate pretext for the military intervention was a combination of armed conflicts between the drug trafficking factions and the police and the wave of robberies and assaults on tourists and residents of the city of Rio de Janeiro during the world-famous Carnival, a period in which the city receives more than 1 million tourists and street parties are estimated to attract 6 million.
Moreover, Folha de Sao Paulo estimated on February 17 that violent crime in Rio was back at the level that existed before the high-profile military and police operations that followed the victory of the citys bid to host the 2016 games back in 2008. This is largely due to the deepening of the economic crisis in Brazil and in Rio de Janeiro in particular, the first state to both decree financial collapse in 2016 and to adhere to a federal recovery plan in 2017. The number of deaths per 100,000 inhabitants increased from 29 in 2012 to 40 in 2017.
The number of conflicts between drug traffic gangs and the police and between each other has also increased since the deepening of the economic crisis in the state. In January of this year, the Cidade de Deus and Rocinha favelas [shanty towns] had 41 and 32 armed conflicts between the police and the drug traffic, respectively, closing schools, blocking streets and leading to deaths of drug soldiers, as well as local residents struck by stray bullets.
The fact is, however, that Carnival violence was 35 percent lower than was reported in 2016. Nonetheless, partly in an attempt to change the subject from some of the most politicized parades since the 1980s, the corporate media, particularly Rede Globo, the largest media group in Brazil, sought to whip up public fear over the violence in Rio de Janeiro, which they covered extensively.
While Rios Carnival contest vice-champions, Paraiso do Tuiuti, made harsh criticism of Temers government, comparing the reforms to the legalization of slave labor, and featuring as one of its main parade components an actor dressed as Dracula wearing Brazils presidential sash, depicting Temer as a neoliberal vampire, Globo worked to create an atmosphere of hysteria that was used to justify the military intervention, without any concern for the mortal threat to democratic rights it represents.
Gang violence in Rio is being used as a pretext for an increasing presence of the military in Brazilian political life, in anticipation of a massive reemergence of class struggle. Operations are effectively following the strategy laid out by far-right Army Gen. Hemilton Mourao in a September address to far-right supporters last September, according to which the presence of the military should increase through successive approximations. The address was marked by the chilling warning that if the judiciary does not remove individuals involved in corruption from public life, we will have to impose it, an explicit reference to the charges of corruption against Temer rejected by the national congress last year.
Gen. Mouraos words prepared the way for an article in Brazils oldest daily, Estado de Sao Paulo, by reserve Gen. Luiz Eduardo Rocha Paiva last October, in which he openly defended a military intervention, even without legal basis, in case the deepening of the moral, social, economic and political crises result in the breakdown of the federal powers.
The intervention is, accordingly, only the latest step in a protracted process. Last May, 1,000 troops from the Workers Party-created Gendarmerie (Forca Nacional de Seguranca) and the Federal Highway Corps were sent to the state as part of a new national security plan, in which Rio de Janeiro designated as its laboratory.
Then in July of last year, the federal government issued a Guaranty of Law and Order decree, which allowed Rio de Janeiro to be policed by 8,500 Army and Navy troops deployed along with armored cars and tanks.
Last September, 1,000 Army and Navy troops and 10 tanks blocked the main accesses to Rocinha, laying siege to the favela as the state police went in looking for drug trafficking leaders. Army troops were seen with their faces covered by skull-painted masks along the with the Armys Police Corps, the trademark repressive force of the countrys last military dictatorship (1964-1985).
The next step taken by Temers government was revealed on Monday, February 19, by defense minister Raul Jungmann, who said that the military operations in Rio de Janeiro will require the issuance of collective search and seizure warrantsa pseudo-legal cover for arbitrary mass detentions and house-to-house searches. This measure, along with a law issued last October that gives exclusive power to military courts to judge crimes committed by members of the military against civilians during emergency operations, amount to a carte blanche for wholesale military repression.
The corporate media, for its part, is asking for more: a day after the intervention was unveiled, Merval Pereira, one of Globos most prominent pundits, approvingly quoted comparisons made by army officials between the situation in Rio and that which the Brazilian Army faced in Haiti, where it led a United Nation Peace Mission for 13 years, committing or covering up widespread, colonial-style abuse against the local population.
Workers must have clear understanding that, under the pretext of fighting gang violence, nothing less than a path to dictatorship is being opened up. House Speaker Rodrigo Maia has withdrawn the governments most important project, the arch-reactionary Pension Reform from consideration for a vote by the federal legislature because it is understood that a constitutional amendment cannot be voted on under conditions of a suspension of civil rights. It is inevitable to ask: with the intervention set to last at least until December, what about an even more important vote, the October general elections? Are they going to be canceled as well?
As with the Russian interference in the United States, the terror threat in France, and immigrant violence in Germanyand the MeToo hysteria more broadlyunsubstantiated allegations regarding gang influence will be increasingly used to condition public opinion to the drive toward dictatorship.
Since September 2016 during the mayoral elections, the Electoral Courts then-president and Supreme Court Justice Gilmar Mendes has made gang influence a central issue in the 2018 elections. On January 11, BBCs Brazilian edition ran an interview with former Drug Control Secretary Walter Maierovitch, highlighting his claim that PCC [Brazils largest gang], finances churches and may influence elections, quoting similar claims by Temers Intelligence chief, the far-right General Sergio Westphalen Etchegoyen. Once more such declarations beg the question: what would stop mass warrantless searches from massively targeting political opposition?
Against such a backdrop, the attitude of the Workers Party (PT) and its pseudo-left satellites is nothing less than politically criminal. The intervention and the subsequent cancellation of the Pension Reform vote in the Lower House of Congress presented the opportunity to demobilize whatever passed for preparation by the union apparatus for a supposed day of struggle set for February 19.
Accordingly, the first reaction of the PTs mouthpiece CartaCapital was to highlight technical issuessuch as arguments that The army is not prepared to deal with urban crimeand and to counsel caution by the government with pieces like the one titled, Intervention causes discomfort among police ranks, says former commander-general.
The pseudo-left, for its part, treats the intervention as inefficient and populist, in the lowest bourgeois political terms, even to the right of the bourgeois pundits.
In a typical pro-repression statement on January 17, the PSOL (Socialism and Liberty Party, a parliamentary split-off from the PT in which both Pabloite and Morenoite tendencies are active) blamed the federal government, which fails in its constitutional duty to patrol the borders, and called for more integration between security agencies, investment in technical police (partnering with universities) and, the fulfillment by the federal government of its obligations in curbing the international drugs and arms traffic.
In the aftermath of the Grenfell Tower fire, hundreds of residential blocks around the UK were found to be clad in the same flammable material that caused a devastating inferno which resulted in the loss of at least 71 lives.
Around the country 262 blocks have the same combustible cladding, including 161 social housing blocks and 26 student halls of residence. It is not known exactly how many residential blocks owned in the private sector have such cladding, as the government has not compelled owners to provide samples.
One of the private residential towers found to have the same combustible cladding is the Citiscape complex in Croydon, south London. The owners of the block, Proxima GR Properties, are trying to force leaseholders to pay at least 2 million for replacing the cladding.
In addition, since the building was deemed a fire hazard, fire marshals have been assigned for the last 35 weeks at a cost of more than 130,000. Proxima GR Properties plans to pass all these costs onto leaseholderstotalling 31,300 per apartment.
Proxima GR Properties is owned by the Tchenguiz family trust. Property magnate Vincent Tchenguiz is a trust beneficiary, the owner of 300,000 freeholds in the UK, including 10 Hilton hotels. In 2009, the Sunday Times Rich List estimated the wealth of Vincent and his brother, Robert Tchenguiz, to be 850 million.
Citiscape is managed by FirstPort, a property management firm with 185,000 homes in 3,700 developments.
FirstPort took the case to a property tribunal, held this month. A judgement is due on March 16. Around 10 residents attended the hearing with some presenting written submissions. One told the tribunal that his 95-year-old father had to be taken to hospital after being told he would have to pay a share of the repair works.
Anuj outside the Citiscape apartment block
The World Socialist Web Site spoke to two Citiscape leaseholders, Anuj and MJ. Both are senior engineers and have helped establish a residents association.
I moved in here in November 2016, so for me it was a big, big blow, because in less than a year I heard the news about the cladding, Anuj explained.
I am the only person from my family, all my family live in India. When the Grenfell fire happened, the news spread very fast, everywhere, all around the world. I started getting calls from my family in India, everyone started asking, where are you, what happened, where are you living in London?
You can see the extent of people affected by incidents that governments are ignoring, or that builders are completely ignoring as their responsibility. My family lives more than 7,000 kilometres away from here So how many people are being affected worldwide?
MJ discussed the impact of the revelations since Grenfell on those living in housing blocks covered in the same cladding: When we saw the news, it was just terrible. When Grenfell Tower was still burning up, you put yourself in the shoes of people living in there.
When you start learning about the reason why the fire spread so fast, its such an unfair situation. You are supposed to be living in a place that was safe. These people, from what I have read, raised quite a few concerns about the safety of the building.
It shows many of the issues residents are having with managing agents. It sometimes feels that they are just in it for the money, and they say all the right words and they always operate in strict legal terms. But when you see for what you are paying, the reality is they are only in it for the money.
We know that the [Citiscape] building was finished around 2002-2003. But we dont know who the contractor was that put the cladding up. We only know the builders were Barratt Homes, Anuj said.
The tribunal decides, based on the lease contract, if passing the costs of the claim onto the leaseholders is reasonable, and the amount they want to charge us is reasonable as well.
We are not the owners of the flats. The owner of the flat is the landlord, MJ noted. We have to pay him ground rent and ask his consent if we want to rent out, change layout, etc, and you have to pay a fee.
Anuj explained that service charges are already high for the average resident: The service charge, without the cladding [repair fee], without the fire marshals [fee], is 2,400 annually for a one bed apartment. The chairman of the residents association has a three-bedroom flat and his service charge a month is nearly 500.
MJ reviewed the financial hit that residents will take with the expected cost of covering repairs and continuing safety measures. The bill well be presented with will definitely be larger than the estimate we have now. The fire marshals will need to be here, at least based on what FirstPort says, probably until September or October. That will be at the very least at 240,000 a year, so just for that its around 2,000 or 3,000 per flat.
On top of that it is only an initial estimation. It hasnt gone to tender. Then theres the scarcity of cladding panels, because many, many blocks throughout the country have to change the cladding, so prices are going up. Were afraid that the final quote may be 3 or 4 million.
The other issue is that FirstPort have said that they will not start replacing the panels until they have all the money. So lets say that if six or seven flats are not able to pay the 30,000 or 40,000, then well still be living in an unsafe place.
Anuj and MJ also explained that the refusal of the owners to carry out the essential repairs to the block is having a detrimental effect on the buildings overall maintenance.
What is happening is that whatever funds they have to fix the lift or the main entrance or other work, they have diverted towards paying for the fire marshals, Anuj noted. Other issues are being neglected. You cannot have a building where the front door lock is not working, the lift is not working, and the other issues that can be resolved with the reserve funding they have. So unless and until we pay them, we are having problems with the building.
To justify their case, FirstPort told the tribunal that they were unable to get bank lending to cover the cost of repairs, claiming that their bank said it would instead lend to individual leaseholders.
Thats nonsensethey have the professional indemnity as insurance and they can use it, Anuj explained. They are a service management company and it is a condition that they have insured themselves for this situation. It is nonsense also when they say they have no resources. All of that is rubbish.
Anuj and MJ pointed out that a nearby privately-owned tower block, Centrillion Point, is also partially clad in flammable material. However, more than eight months after the fire, the government has yet to release figures on how many privately-owned buildings are affected nationwide and unsafe. Anuj said he had made Freedom of Information requests trying to find out.
Why is no one talking about private buildings, colleges, schools, hotels. Why are they not talking about that, Anuj demanded.
Anuj and MJ have set up a petition to parliament demanding that central government rule formally that freeholders are responsible for costs of ensuring the safety of our buildings and provide economic support to guarantee prompt implementation of whatever measures are needed.
The petition can be signed here.
In response to public outrage over the school shooting tragedy in Parkland, Florida, federal and state authorities, along with the media, are calling for increased police powers, particularly in the nations schools. On February 14, Nikolas Cruz, 19, entered Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School and proceeded to kill 17 people and injure 14 others with a semi-automatic assault rifle.
Protests by students broke out at many high schools and middle schools across the country last week in response to the latest in a string of school shootings in the US. According to the group Everytown for Gun Safety, so far this year there has been on average one school shooting every 63 hours, more than double the rate for the previous three years.
Students are seeking a political road to address one of the most malignant expressions of the social breakdown in America. Stoneham Douglas pupils have been particularly outspoken in their anger over the inability of the authorities to protect students. They traveled to the state capital Tallahassee last week to lobby lawmakers and have made numerous television appearances.
Parents, students and teachers are asking why the shooter, despite numerous tips to the FBI and local police and run-ins with school officials, was allowed to obtain weapons and carry out the horrific attack. The calls of grief-stricken parents and classmates of the victims for a ban on assault rifles and checks on the ability of the mentally unstable to obtain weapons are entirely understandable.
However, these calls are being exploited by the Trump administration, Florida Governor Rick Scott and politicians of both-big business parties to demand an increased police presence on school grounds. Left in the hands of the parties of the ruling class, gun control, if enacted, will serve as a cover for increased militarization of the schools and society at large.
What is not being addressed in the official debate are the social issues that lie at the root of repeated eruptions of mass violence in America.
President Trumps proposal, thrown out last week at a White House listening session, that teachers be armed has been met by widespread opposition from educators and students. Speaking later in the week at the Conservative Political Action Conference, Trump repeated his call for the elimination of the federal gun-free zone law, which makes it a crime for anyone who does not have authorization to carry guns into schools or other public buildings.
Governor Scott, a Republican endorsed by the National Rifle Association (NRA), released a plan on Friday that also called for beefing up the police presence in schools. It would mandate the presence of one police officer in every one of the states public schools, and one additional officer at large schools for every 1,000 students.
Much has been made of the apparent inaction of Broward County Sheriffs Deputy Scot Peterson, who was stationed outside the Parkland high school as a school resource officer. Video shows him remaining outside the school as the shooter was firing inside. His actions are under investigation by the Broward County Sheriffs Office and he has retired.
Police from the neighboring city of Coral Springs have reported to the media that when they responded to the shooting, they saw, in addition to Peterson, three other Broward deputies waiting behind cars outside of the school. These assertions are also being investigated.
Jake Tapper, the host of CNNs Sunday interview program State of the Union, grilled Broward County Sheriff Scott Israel on his offices response to the shooting. Tapper challenged Israel on the inaction of Deputy Peterson and possibly others, as well as the sheriffs offices failure to follow up on repeated police calls made to the Cruz residence concerning Nikolas Cruzs behavior.
Tapper also criticized the PROMISE program put in place by the Broward County School Board, saying it encouraged warnings, consultations with parents and programs on conflict resolution, instead of arresting students for crimes.
Florida House Speaker Richard Corcoran and 73 state Republican lawmakers have called on Governor Scott to suspend Israel. Israel, a Democrat, has rebuffed calls for his resignation.
Details continue to emerge of the multiple warning signs pointing to the potential for Cruz to carry out a deadly shooting. The Broward County Sheriffs Office received a call in November warning that Cruz was collecting guns and knives and could be a school shooter in the making. The previous year, another tip to the sheriffs office warned that Cruz planned to shoot up the school.
Acting FBI Deputy Director David Bowdich said this week that the agency made mistakes in its handling of a January warning about Cruz. The FBI failed to investigate a tip from an individual who was concerned that Cruz wanted to kill people, owned guns and could carry out a school shooting. This person told the FBI that she worried Cruz was going to explode.
Months earlier, the FBI was alerted to a YouTube comment in which someone using the screen name nikolas cruz wrote, Im going to be a professional school shooter. The agency said it was unable to verify at the time the identity of the poster.
The Broward County Sheriffs Office reported Thursday that it had received 23 calls relating to Cruz or his family dating back to 2008, when he was only nine years old. In a 911 call to the Palm Beach County Sheriffs Office, a woman said that her son and another young man, reportedly Cruz, got into a fight and she was afraid hes coming back and he has a lot of weapons.
The Florida Department of Children and Families opened a file on Cruz in 2016 after being alerted to his Snapchat posts showing him cutting his arms and saying he wanted to buy a gun, according to a state report obtained by the South Florida Sun-Sentinel. Agency investigators who visited Cruz at his home ultimately identified him as a vulnerable adult due to mental illness, including depression, autism and attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, for which he was receiving medication.
Despite this, state investigators closed Cruzs case two months after opening it, determining that the final level of risk is low, as Cruz resides with his mother, attends school and receives counseling. Ms. Cruz died this past November, apparently from the flu, leaving the young Cruz devastated.
One of the reasons Cruz may have flown under the radar was that his case is not particularly unusual. Teenagers in cities and towns across the US are part of a generation that was born into a world in which mass shootings are the norm. They have known nothing but constant war, the glorification of the military, police brutality and worsening economic inequality.
From start to finish, Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbulls three-day visit to Washington, which ended on Saturday, was dominated by the Trump administrations preparations for war against North Korea and, ultimately, China.
Behind all the smiles, platitudes and mutual back-slapping between President Donald Trump and Turnbull, the prime minister was clearly under intense pressure to intensify Australias participation in US military operations, and to align the country economically more closely to the US.
Turnbulls trip, and his obsequious praises for Trump, came just a month after the unveiling of a new US National Defense Strategy, that signals direct military confrontation with nuclear-armed Russia and China. The document accuses China of seeking Indo-Pacific regional hegemony in the near-term and displacement of the United States to achieve global pre-eminence in the future.
This looming conflict has enormous implications for the Australian corporate and financial elite, which depends heavily on China, by far its largest export market, but relies overwhelmingly on the US for military and geo-strategic support, as well as on American corporate finance and investment.
The pressure on Turnbull was all the greater because his precarious Liberal-National Coalition government, torn by factional rifts, shows signs of unraveling. On the very eve of his arrival, it was further destabilized by the forced removal of Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce.
Turnbull set the tone by beginning his trip at the Arlington national war cemetery. Accompanied by the head of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff General Joseph Dunford, he paid tribute to Americas war dead, declaring they had paid the supreme sacrifice for American and Australian freedom. Turnbull insisted that this was a reminder of the 100 years of military mateship, dating back to a World War I battle in France, between the two countries. This partnership would continue, he assured his audience, for another 100 years.
On day one, Turnbull also received briefings from US security and economic chiefs, including National Intelligence Director Dan Coats, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell, underscoring the intimate intelligence, military and economic ties enjoyed by Canberra and Washington.
At a joint media conference on the second day, both Trump and Turnbull described the US Australia alliance as closer than ever. Its been incredible and its only getting better, Trump intoned. Turnbull added that the US was Australias most important strategic and economic partner and the alliance is as close as it possibly could be and yet keeps getting closer.
Trump used the media conference to menace North Korea with crippling economic sanctions and a military onslaught. Turnbull not only welcomed Trumps threats. He committed his government to deploy naval ships to enforce the sanctions by intercepting vessels allegedly carrying North Korean cargo, thus placing Australia on the front line of any conflict. He also pledged to do everything we can to tighten the vice of those sanctions.
Trump declared publicly that he wanted Australia to join the US in conducting provocative freedom of navigation operations, aimed at challenging Chinese territorial claims in the South China Sea. We would love to have Australia involved and I think Australia wants us to stay involved, he declared. Trumps call followed an announcement by the May government that Britain would undertake such an exercise.
While Turnbull declined, for now, to speculate on such operations, against which Beijing has sharply warned, todays Australian confirmed that military plans for similar exercises are being considered. The Turnbull government faces a difficult decision, the newspapers editorial emphasised.
Trump also identified China as a threat to US capitalism. He pointed out that, while he had developed a great relationship with China, theyve been killing us on trade for the last long period of timekilling us, absolutely killing the United States on trade.
In their closed-door talks, Turnbull and Trump struck several agreements directly related to the US-China conflict. Both leaders referenced a lot of deals made during their meeting, with Trump saying Australia had agreed to purchase additional military equipment. Australian purchases of US weaponry already total $10 billion every four years.
This commitment has not passed unnoticed in China. In its otherwise muted report on Turnbulls trip, the official Chinese news agency Xinhua noted a White House statement citing Australia as being among the top 10 purchasers of US-sourced defence equipment.
Another agreement sealed between the two countries was to foster infrastructure investment between them and across the Indo-Pacific region. Its specific purpose is an attempt to counter Chinas ambitious One Belt One Road plan to develop transport and infrastructure projects throughout the region, which would link China directly to the major European powers. According to the Australian Financial Review, the infrastructure initiative would also involve Japan and India, as quadrilateral security partners with Australia and the US against China.
A further pact, according to a White House press release, was made to collaborate in strategic mineral projects, particularly related to rare earths, which are critical for technology and military purposes. Over the past year, US media reports have complained of Chinas alleged dominance in rare earth elements.
Trump and Turnbull also discussed further unspecified cooperation in the US-led interventions in Iraq, Syria and Afghanistan, where the danger of war with Iran and Russia is growing.
On day three, addressing a US state governors convention, Turnbull directly linked calls for closer economic ties to military calculations. Suggesting that Washington should reconsider Trumps decision to withdraw from the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP) economic bloc, he noted that the new US Ambassador to Australia, Admiral Harry Harris had said the TPP was as valuable as another aircraft carrier group.
Turnbull hailed Harriss appointment as a message that the US national defence strategy signals a reinvestment in American hard power and the alliance system which amplifies its reach.
Harris, a notorious anti-China hawk, who recently called publicly for war preparations against China, is being sent to Australia to quash any dissent within ruling circles over the prospect of war with their largest customer, and to insist on the suppression of anti-war opposition among workers and youth.
Turnbull linked the TPP to the infrastructure pact, saying: What is lacking is the legal framework whereby or wherein that capital can be safely invested. The TPP was essential to setting the rules of the road in trade and investment, he remarked.
Trump, however, stood by his dumping of the TPP, in line with his America First platformthe pursuit of US capitalisms unilateral interests, including against erstwhile allies. Despite intensive lobbying by Turnbull, Trump also refused to give him any guarantee that Australian corporations would be exempted from punishing tariffs on steel and aluminium imports, which are under consideration by the White House. These responses contain thinly veiled threats of economic consequences if the Australian ruling class were to waver in its unconditional military alliance with the US.
In a desperate effort to woo US powerbrokers, Turnbull brought with him the largest-ever delegation of Australian business and political leaders, including 22 CEOs and five state or territory leaders. Among them were Commonwealth Bank chief Ian Narev, Seven West Media chairman Kerry Stokes, Visy chief Anthony Pratt, Rio Tinto boss Jean- Sebastian Jacques, Wesfarmers chairman Michael Chaney, Qantas chairman Leigh Clifford and Fortescue mining founder Andrew Forrest.
Turnbulls address to the National Governors Association declared that peace and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific depended on the sheet-anchor of American commitment and strategic power. He pledged: American commitment has come at a costpaid in blood and treasureand we understand that the American people expect others to pull their weight. As we do, and always have.
The Australian prime ministers visit amounted to an unconditional vow of support for US war plans, with incalculable consequences for the Australian population. And he rounded off his trip by inviting Trump to Australia. Despite the US presidents effusive acceptance of the offer, however, his implied threats of retaliation remain, in the event of any deviation by Turnbull or any future Australian government.
Arang Keshavarzian, associate professor of Middle Eastern Studies at New York University (NYU), was denied the security clearance and work visa needed to teach at NYUs campus in Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), last semester. Along with Keshavarzian, Mohamad Bazzi and a third, unnamed professor were denied entry.
Keshavarzian and Bazzi are both US citizens born overseas with Shia Muslim backgrounds, and had to report this information to UAE authorities to be authorized to work at NYUs Abu Dhabi campus (NYUAD).
For years, the United States has forged an anti-Iranian alliance with reactionary Sunni Persian Gulf oil monarchies, including Saudi Arabia and the UAE. The Trump administration has intensified this strategy.
The UAEs alliance with Saudi Arabia and the US government is exemplified by the Saudi-led, US-backed war in Yemen, which has led to a humanitarian catastrophe, including famine and a cholera epidemic in the impoverished country. One of the stated aims of the war is combating Iranian influence in the region. The UAE has contributed troops and air support to this near-genocidal war that has left millions on the brink of starvation.
Bazzi has criticized the Saudi-led war in Yemen, and Keshavarzian has written on the politics of Shia-led Iran. It is almost certain that their scholarly and journalistic publications, their family religious backgrounds or some combination was behind the refusal of UAE authorities to allow them to teach in the country.
When the World Socialist Web Site first reported on the visa denials, several NYU departments, along with the Middle East Studies Association and the NYU chapter of American Association of University Professors, had issued statements condemning the attack on academic freedom and/or encouraging a faculty boycott of NYUAD.
Since then, the following departments have issued similar statements: Cinema Studies; History; Media, Culture, and Communication; Performance Studies; and Social and Cultural Analysis. The WSWS also interviewed Professor Bazzi in January.
Additionally, NYU President Andrew Hamilton sent an all-faculty email February 9 admitting that NYU was deficient in our communications to the individuals involved. He also agreed to limited communication reforms suggested by the Faculty Committee.
The belated and cowardly email, which did not even suggest that Bazzi and Keshavarzian experienced religious, national or political discrimination, committed NYU to nothing beyond notifying faculty promptly when they are denied visas.
In a statement to NYU Local, Bazzi said, Im disappointed that Hamilton and the Faculty Committee avoided addressing two of the core issues behind these visa denials: the threat to academic freedom and the Abu Dhabi governments pattern of religious (and national-based) discrimination.
The WSWSs Josh Varlin recently interviewed Professor Keshavarzian on the visa denials.
JV: What was the visa application process like, and how did you find out you were denied a security clearance to get a visa to teach in the UAE?
AK: In April of last year I was sent some forms from someone who functions as NYU Abu Dhabis liaison to facilitate the security clearance process and ultimately getting a residence visa. One document was a UAE governmental form and the other was an NYU Abu Dhabi human resources form. They had the normal battery of questions about personal information and history such as place of birth and parents names, but both forms had a question about your religion and your sect.
At that point I reached out to a senior member of the NYU Abu Dhabi administration and asked if I could not answer those questions and I was told that I should fill them out.
They initially told me that it would take six weeks to two months. I submitted the documents in April, by late June or July I hadnt heard anything so I sent out an email. There wasnt much of a response until August, and at that point I emailed again asking if they had any additional information. At that point I did receive an email from the main liaison between NYU Abu Dhabi and NYU and he informed me that he would like to talk to me on the telephone and we had a brief conversation in which he told me for the first time that my security clearance was rejected, and then NYU decided to appeal the rejection and this was rejected too. They hadnt informed me about the initial rejection, and they hadnt asked me if I actually wanted to appeal the rejection. NYUAD went ahead and did it without my approval, but the appeal was also rejected. I was told that at this point all paths were closed and he was informing me that it didnt seem likely that Id be able to go to NYU Abu Dhabi.
JV: The UAE, working with Saudi Arabia, is quite opposed to Iran, even justifying its intervention in Yemen on the basis of supposedly countering Iranian influence in the region. Youre a US citizen, but you were born in Iran. Do you think that played a role in the visa denials?
AK: It could have. The UAE wont inform us why the security clearance was rejected. As you point out, given the regional political context at this moment and the strained relations between the UAE and Iranto say the leastbeing Iranian in any form, even if I am a US citizen, is probably treated as a red flag. Having said that, there are many Iranians who live and work in the UAEthe majority of them in Dubai. I do not know of any Iranians who teach or work at NYUAD.
JV: Do you think the fact that youve written on Iran and Iranian society in your capacity as an academic played a role in the visa denials?
AK: I hope not, because that would be a pretty straightforward case of violating fundamental academic freedoms. But its clear to me that some people at NYUto my face and behind my backhave contemplated or thought that the reason I didnt receive my security clearance or that Professor Bazzi didnt was because of the kind of work, writing, teaching that we do that focuses on Middle East politics. If Emirati officials had investigated my writings and if that was the grounds for not allowing me to teach at NYU Abu Dhabi thats deeply troubling.
JV: Could you speak on the international religious or sectarian context of the visa denials?
AK: What was striking to me, especially after the fact, was that even the NYU Abu Dhabi human resources form has these questions about religion and sect. Ive asked a few times in these past few months why they ask these questions, Ive never received an answer. Ive pointed out that if NYU Abu Dhabi is collecting all this data and information about the faculty and students going to NYU Abu Dhabithey know how many Christians, Muslims, Jews, Shias, Sunnis are therethey could actually look and then see if those who have been rejected over these past seven-eight years are disproportionately Shia Muslims or another religious group. I find it disconcerting that theyre collecting this information on the one hand and then doubly so that they deny that its happening on religious grounds without evaluating their assertion.
The other issue thats troubling is that in the process of filling out the security clearance forms the senior NYU Abu Dhabi official with whom I was in contact asked me if my name divulges my religious identity, which clearly indicates that he was thinking in those terms and was wondering if through my name my religious identity would be signaled. So this notion that weve been hearing the past few months from NYU President Andrew Hamilton and others that its absolutely not the case that religion and sect is relevant in this case rings hollow to me. NYU officials are clearly concerned with peoples religious background.
JV: Could you also speak on the geopolitical context of the visa denials?
AK: Its clear for anyone who follows the news from the region that, as you just pointed out, this very close relationship between Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates has deepened in the last five or six years, especially after the Arab uprisings in 2011, which threatened to disrupt authoritarianism in the region. Obviously they have a sense of threat from Iran has added to this, and in the last few years, the UAE and Saudi Arabia together have taken a very strong and belligerent stance vis-a-vis regional shifts and struggles. You see it most notably in the case of Yemen, but we also see it in various other areas.
Whats equally troubling is that, within the UAE, as well as in Saudi Arabia, we see a pretty staunch crackdown on any dissident voices, whether its activists in the UAE who are mobilized around human rights, labor issues and so on.
JV: Much of the media coverage of the visa denials has been focused on the religious aspect, with both you and Professor Bazzi being of Shia Muslim background. Do you think the possible political factors have been understated in the discussion?
AK: Yes, to some extent. To me theyre not mutually exclusive. I think this is a bit of a false binary, clearly both of these issues could have been related in the minds of the immigration offices.
It points to the basic fact that, for many decades, even going back before the creation of the United Arab Emirates, mobility into and out of the UAE has been used as a form of control, whether its been deporting people out of the country, removing peoples citizenship and expelling them, or highly regulating the movement of people into the countryfor political or social reasons. Movement and mobility is a key political instrument of the UAE government.
This is nothing new, weve known this when the campus was created, everyone knew thisor should have known when they began this enterprise of creating a Global Network University. I dont think pleading ignorance is an option for decision makers at NYU.
JV: Even at the beginning of the Abu Dubai project, many people raised questions of academic freedom, as well as labor abuses in the building of the campus, which was built with a large grant from the UAE government, and you have Khaldoon Khalifa Al-Mubarak on the NYU Board of Trustees. Do you think that these issues are connected, in terms of the labor issue, the academic freedom issue, as well as the way the campus was proposed and eventually built?
AK: I think that these are all interrelated, in that we are talking about an absolute monarchy thats illiberal in many senses, and it uses movement and mobility as a form of control.
Id argue the reason that the US is heavily involved in these monarchies and has been for many decades is not despite them being illiberal but because they are illiberal. NYU got a huge plot of land on an island for free and without any consultation with the citizens of the UAE, it received funding, and it had this campus built incredibly quickly and cheaply, because of a highly exploitative labor regime.
In these past few months I have heard of many other cases at NYU, happening to non-tenured faculty, to non-US citizens, to graduate students, all people who are so vulnerable that they cant speak out. So the reason that Mohamad Bazzi and I felt that we should speak out about this is because we are US citizens and we have tenure; it provides us a degree of protection where we can actually share our story with the broader campus. These sorts of things have been happening for several years, but people have been less secure in publicizing them, or even talking and trying to take their cases to NYUs administration.
JV: What has the response of the NYU administration been?
AK: This, for me, has been fundamentally whats disappointing: the NYU administrations responseand lack thereof. Its been five to six months, and to this day Andy Hamilton has never picked up the phone or emailed me or Mohamad Bazzi. He writes that he supports our scholarship and so on, but hes had five to six months to just reach out and talk to us about what we experienced and learn about the consequences for us, our research, and our families. And if he feels sorry he could say something, but hes never once reached out directly.
There are actual implications for me when it comes to having my security clearance rejected. At this moment, its not clear if Im on some sort of UAE blacklistwhich by definition would mean not just a UAE blacklist, but a Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) blacklist; and if I am, what that would mean for my ability to fly to or even through Dubai, Kuwait, these sorts of places. I have not tested this at this point, but it has real implications for me and for my research. Im working on a project on the politics and history of the Gulf, so at this point, its not clear if Im able to go to the UAE or any of the other GCC countries. I have family members who live in the GCC. So there are real concrete implications for me that the university has not even tried to learn or acknowledge, let alone address them.
JV: In our view, attacks on academic freedom are bound up with broader attacks on democratic rights, including the Trump administrations attacks on immigrants as well as measures by Facebook and Google to censor opposition, such as Facebook deleting the accounts of Palestinian activists at the request of the Israeli government. Do you see the visa denials as connected to other issues of democratic rights?
AK: I absolutely agree that these issuesthe movement of ideas, the movement of peoplefundamentally touch on the ability of people to govern themselves, think for themselves and gain access to informationand ultimately to organize. This issue is a microcosm of these larger regulations that you have pointed to.
Since you raised the issue of rights of Palestinian activists, another challenge for the Global Network University is NYU Tel Aviv. We know that the Israeli government has announced that it has a list of 20 organizations that are viewed as supporters of BDS [Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions] and deemed them as threats, and we know we have many studentsundergraduates, graduates and even facultywho are members of these organizations and contribute to these organizations. I would be surprised if, in the next four to five years, we dont have cases where a student or faculty from NYU trying to travel to teach at NYU Tel Aviv does not run into problems gaining entry.
JV: What do you think about the recent protests in Iran? The World Socialist Web Site has analyzed these protests as part of a broader process of working-class resistance internationally.
AK: These protests are significant because many of the people who took to the streets, who protestedmany of the towns that saw the fiercest clashes between protesters and the security forceswere in smaller towns that are usually off the radar and not heard from. But these people and their demands are part of a large and growing set of movementsand Ill put that in plural, movementsof different segments of Irans society, including the working classes, that have, over the past 15 years, continuously tried to challenge various aspects of what we would call this neoliberal turn in the economy that is accompanied with a hollowed-out state. Whether its people in the industrial working class whove challenged their employers not paying them or being shifted into temporary contract workers, whether its teachers and nurses, more professional groups who have organized and mobilized around various workplace issues, these movements have often morphed into demanding the creation of independent, autonomous associations and unions. It is fundamentally about people seeking to represent themselves and using that to hold their rulers accountable.
How far this will go? Its too soon to tell, but the sorts of demands that theyre making are fundamental, they would fundamentally transform power in Iran. These are not simple matters for the political elite to paper over.
JV: Do you have anything else you would like to share with our readers?
AK: The very phenomenon of the Global Network University is part of the transformation of higher education into a profit-making enterprise. And that transformation has a whole series of contradictions. On the one hand it wants to hold onto some kind of these norms of transparency, exchange, freedom of expression, but its driven by an interest in the bottom-line, and there are fundamental tensions there. In some cases, the challenges that NYU is facing and these sites are facing are a byproduct of the tensions and paradoxes that are baked into this attempt to take American universities and internationalize them with an eye toward moving capital and labor around in certain ways that benefit certain groups rather than others.
On Saturday, the US House Intelligence Committee released a redacted version of a memo written by the committees ranking Democrat, Representative Adam Schiff of California. It purported to rebut the memo released three weeks ago by the Republican chairman, Devin Nunes, accusing the Federal Bureau of Investigation of carrying out an illegal and politically motivated surveillance of former Trump campaign aide Carter Page.
The Nunes memo was part of a bitter political conflict between two equally reactionary factions within the American ruling class and statea conflict that has only underscored the descent of the entire US political system into criminality and antidemocratic conspiracies against the broad mass of the people.
The Republican memo, released over strident opposition from the Democratic Party and the US intelligence agencies, whose authority the Democrats unquestioningly uphold, exposed the fact that the Obama administration Justice Department violated legal procedures in obtaining a warrant from the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court in October 2016 to wiretap Page.
In its warrant application to the secret court, the FBI used information alleging Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election and collusion by the campaign of then-candidate Donald Trump that was solicited by the Hillary Clinton campaign and the Democratic National Committee, without informing the court that the source for the information, former British spy Christopher Steele, had been paid by Trumps election opponents.
This revelation was highly damaging to the fabricated narrative of Russian meddling in the election in support of Trump. This unsubstantiated claim has become the axis of the Democratic Partys efforts to whip up anti-Russian hysteria in preparation for war with Moscow, and to oppose Trump not from the standpoint of his warmongering, his tax windfall for the rich or his attacks on democratic rights and social programs, but rather for his insufficiently aggressive posture toward the regime of Russian President Vladimir Putin.
The Nunes memo, notwithstanding the partisan motives of its authors and the absurdity of the attempt by Trump to posture as a defender of due process and democratic rights, exposed the partisan and politically motivated basis of the entire anti-Russia campaign and the investigation by Special Counsel Robert Mueller into Russian meddling and alleged collusion by Trump officials.
It documented the existence of a conspiracy between the Obama administration, the Clinton campaign and the FBI, using the Star Chamber auspices of the FISA court, to manipulate the election in support of Clinton, the favored candidate of Wall Street and the dominant factions of the military and intelligence establishment.
The Schiff memo released Saturday is in every respect a right-wing document. It graphically illustrates the fact that the Democratic Party has shifted so far to the right that it has become the most subservient defender of the Pentagon, the CIA, the NSA, the FBI and the entire repressive apparatus of the American capitalist state.
The New York Times, which has served as the chief mouthpiece for the Democratic Party-led anti-Russia campaign, published an unvarnished piece of propaganda in the guise of news as its front-page lead article on Sunday. Carrying the secondary headline A Forceful Defense of an FBI Under Attack From the GOP, the article declared:
For weeks, instead of focusing its full energy on investigating an attack on the American democratic system, the [House Intelligence] committee has been pulled into a furious effort by Mr. Trump and his allies to sow doubts about the integrity of the special counsel inquiry and the agencies conducting it. The Democratic memo amounted to a forceful rebuttal to the presidents portrayal of the Russian inquiry as a witch hunt being perpetrated by politically biased leaders of the FBI and the Justice Department.
Along the same lines, the Schiff memo begins with a condemnation of the Republican majority on the House Intelligence Committee for criticizing the FBI, the Justice Department, the Special Counsel and the FISA court. It calls the Nunes memo a transparent effort to undermine these agencies and refers to the FISA court as a vital tool.
These are agencies that throughout their history have engaged in mass surveillance, conspiracy, frame-up and assassination directed against the working class and socialist opponents of the capitalist system. The FISA court, supposedly a pillar of American democracy, rejected a total of 12 out of 34,000 surveillance warrant requests between 1970 and 2013.
The Democratic memo does not, in fact, refute the basic charge in the Nunes memo that the Obama Justice Department failed to inform the court in its warrant application that the information in the anti-Trump Steele dossier was paid for by the Democrats. Instead, it engages in sophistry and evasion centering on the claim that the Steele information was only a part of the FBI submission and the agency had been tracking Carter Page as a suspected Russian agent for a number of years.
Page, a right-wing Republican, headquartered his business operations in Moscow for a period and has had many contacts with Russian business and political figures. The basic premise of the FBI allegations against him, reported uncritically in the Schiff memo, is that any contact with Russians is tantamount to treasonous collusion with a foreign enemy.
Thus the memo imparts a sinister significance to the fact that, according to the Steele dossier, in July of 2016 Page met separately in Moscow with Igor Sechin, the head of the state-owned oil company Rosneft, and Igor Divyekin, described as a senior Kremlin official. Divyekin allegedly offered to supply Page with compromising information on Hillary Clinton, but the document does not stipulate that Page actually received any such information.
The memo cites as additional incriminating evidence the fact that while in Moscow, Page gave a commencement address.
Given the fact that Page is a US citizen who has not been charged with any crime, Schiffs statements regarding him in an official government document can be described only as a witch hunt. The Democratic memo cites FBI reports that Russian intelligence agents attempted to recruit Page, but says nothing about him accepting their offers. Nevertheless, it employs language designed to convey the notion that he is a Russian spy. This includes references to Pages history with Russian intelligence and Pages suspicious activities in 2016, including in Moscow.
The memo asserts that the wiretap of Page allowed the FBI to collect valuable intelligence, as though this alleged fact renders any legal violations in obtaining the warrant irrelevant. It goes on to argue that the decision of the FISA court to renew the warrant on Page three times is proof that the FBI collected important investigating information and leads by conducting court-approved surveillance.
Schiffs memo is notably silent on one of the most damning allegations from the Nunes document: That acting FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe told the House Intelligence Committee in December of last year that no surveillance warrant would have been sought from the FISC without the Steele dossier information.
Nazif Mujic, winner of a Silver Bear award for Best Actor at the Berlin Film Festival in 2013, has died aged just 48. According to the first accounts of his death, Mujic died in extreme poverty in the hamlet of Svatovac in Bosnia. Mujic starred in the film An Episode in the Life of an Iron Picker by Danis Tanovic at the Berlin Film Festival.
Mujic plays himself in the film, which recounts his real-life struggles as a scrap-iron collector whose wife suffers a miscarriage. The family seeks to obtain medical help, but are turned away from Bosnian hospitals because they are Roma. Tanovics film shone a spotlight on the extent of the persecution and discrimination of Roma in Bosnia after the break-up of Yugoslavia and the reintroduction of capitalism.
Following his success at the Berlin festivalIron Picker won two Silver Bears, for Mujic as best actor and for the film itselfand after failing to find proper work after returning to Bosnia, Mujic lodged a claim in 2014 to reside in Germany with his family. Explaining his claim at the time, Mujic declared: I dont want to be rich. I just want an ordinary job, a chance to feed my family. Expressing his disenchantment with Bosnia, he said, Bosnia betrayed meI will not go back. I would rather hang myself.
An Episode in the Life of an Iron Picker
Around 75,000 Roma live in Bosnia, but according to the local NGO Atlantic Initiative just five percent have official employment.
In 2016, Human Rights Watch stated that Roma remain the most vulnerable group in Bosnia, facing widespread discrimination in employment, education, and political representation.
Germany rejected Mujics application for asylum, declaring cynically that, for humanitarian reasons, the government would not deport Mujic and his family until after the Bosnian winter. Back in Bosnia, Mujic was forced to resume his former work of gathering scrap metal for a few euros a day.
Unable to pay for his familys basic needs, Mujic sold his Silver Bear to a local tavern owner for 4,000 ($US4,930). First I sold an old car, then some personal items, and then it was the Bears turn, Mujic said at the time. He said the decision to sell the trophy was very difficult but my children had eaten almost nothing for three days.
According to the actors brother, Suljo Mujic, Mujic had been suffering from ill health in recent months and was very worried because of his financial situation. In January of this year, he tried to find a way to enter Germany again, but came back, the brother said.
Using some of the money he made from the sale of the trophy, Mujic purchased a bus ticket to Berlin, but was forced to return to Bosnia after being informed he was liable for a fine that he could not afford to pay, dating back to the time he and his family had applied for asylum in Germany.
An Episode in the Life of an Iron Picker
It is clear that the inhumane asylum policy of the German government and the Berlin Senate, formerly a coalition of the Social Democratic Party (SPD) and the Christian Democratic Union (CDU), and since December 2016 a so-called red-red-Green coalition (SPD-Left Party-Greens), contributed to Mujics early death.
In a typical case, in mid-January 2016, the Berlin police deported eight-year-old Denica, who suffers from a heart condition, and her father back to Bosnia. The boys mother and Denicas brother, who also has a heart condition, had received temporary permission to stay because of the severity of his condition, but then decided to travel back to Bosnia voluntarily.
In 2017, 2,028 refugees were deported from Berlin, of which more than 80 percent were sent back to Balkan countries, including 254 to Bosnia.
At the end of December, the Senate Department for Integration, Labor and Social Affairs assessed that there was a total of 11,754 migrants who had been denied asylum and were legible for deportation.
South Korean President Moon Jae-in met Sunday with a North Korean delegation that traveled across the Demilitarized Zone to attend the closing ceremony of the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics. The three-day visit takes place as the Trump administration in Washington continues to threaten the impoverished North with complete destruction.
The Norths eight-member delegation is led by Kim Yong-chol, a high-ranking military official and chief for inter-Korean affairs. It includes Choe Kang-il, deputy director-general for North American affairs, responsible for negotiating nuclear issues and diplomacy with the United States.
During Sundays meeting, the two sides reportedly discussed the prospects for North Korean-US talks. Moons spokesman Kim Eui-gyeom told the media: President Moon pointed out that US-North Korea dialogue must be held at an early date, even for an improvement in the South-North Korea relationship, and the fundamental resolution of Korean Peninsula issues.
The response from the visiting Pyongyang officials was positive, according to the spokesman, who said: The North Korean delegation also agreed that North Korea-US relations must develop along with the South-North Korea relationship while noting (the North) has enough intention to hold North Korea-US dialogue.
White House press secretary Sarah Sanders quickly issued a noncommittal response, saying: We will see if Pyongyangs message today, that it is willing to hold talks, represents the first steps along the path to denuclearization. The Trump administration has insisted that North Korea show signs that it is committed to giving up its nuclear arsenal before negotiations can start. Last Friday, the US imposed a new round of sanctions and Trump again threatened North Korea with war if it did not denuclearise.
Sundays meeting was the second between Moon and high-level figures in the Pyongyang regime in recent weeks. The president earlier met with North Korean leader Kim Jong-uns sister, Kim Yo-jong who passed on a letter from her brother calling for an inter-Korean summit. However, Moon ruled out an early meeting, saying on February 17 that people expecting talks soon might be a little too anxious.
Moon has also emphasized that the South Korea-US relationship remains as strong and robust as ever, reflecting fears in US and South Korean ruling circles that Pyongyang is trying to drive a wedge between the allies. Moon stressed that Trump supports him 100 percent.
For all the talk of peace during the recent Olympic Games, the Moon administration remains firmly tied to the US alliance. It is trying to balance between its commitments to US imperialism and hopes of exploiting economic relations with China and low-paid labor in the North, all while trying to defuse growing social tensions domestically.
However, Washington has pressed Seoul not to hold talks with Pyongyang. Following in the footsteps of Vice President Mike Pence, Trumps daughter and advisor Ivanka Trump attended the closing ceremony of the Winter Olympics where she pointedly did not talk to North Korean officials. The official purpose of her four-day trip was to reaffirm the maximum pressure campaign to ensure that the Korean Peninsula is denuclearized.
Trumps administration, like those of George W. Bush and Barack Obama, has regularly scuttled any attempts at diplomacy with Pyongyang. On Friday, Trump announced the heaviest sanctions ever imposed on a country before. He warned that if North Korea did not bend to Washingtons will, the next phase of US aggression would be very, very unfortunate for the world. Pyongyang denounced the sanctions as an act of war.
Despite its bluster at times against the United States, Pyongyangs main aim is to push for a peace treaty with the US to formally end the Korean War, hoping that would allow access to international markets for its young, emerging capitalist class. In the past, North Korea has offered up its workers as a source of ultra-cheap labor, most notably at the Kaesong Industrial Complex on the border with the South.
Far from preparing to talk, the Trump administration is gearing up for a conflict that would not only destroy North Korea but could draw other major powers such as China and Russia into a world war fought with nuclear weapons.
The US rationale for launching a criminal war of aggression on North Koreaa conflict that would likely kill hundreds of thousands, if not millions, in just the opening daysis the unsubstantiated claim that Pyongyang is only months away from obtaining long-range ballistic missiles capable of delivering a nuclear warhead. Even if true, North Koreas limited nuclear arsenal pales into insignificance compared to the thousands of US nuclear weapons and sophisticated delivery systems at Trumps disposal to inflict fire and fury on North Korea.
The US military build-up and threats against North Korea is part of a far broader strategy aimed against China, which Washington regards as its chief obstacle to global hegemony. Trump is continuing the pivot to Asia policy, begun under the Obama administration, aimed at undermining Chinese diplomatic and economic influence in the region, and ultimately preparing for war with Beijing.
In April, massive Foal Eagle/Key Resolve war exercises between the US and South Korea are scheduled to take place. They will undoubtedly raise tensions with the North once again. Hundreds of thousands of troops will participate, likely including those tasked with assassinating key North Korean leaders. South Korean Defense Minister Song Young-moo will join his US counterpart James Mattis to announce plans for the war games before the end of next month.
Australias Fair Work Ombudsman (FWO) has intervened directly into the long-running dispute at Glencores Oaky North coal mine at Tieri, Queensland. Over 170 workers have been locked out since last July, when they took limited industrial action over a new enterprise bargaining agreement.
The FWO informed the Construction Forestry Mining and Energy Union (CFMEU) last month that it had begun a formal investigation into an ongoing roadside protest by the locked-out workers near the mine site.
The FWO and the Fair Work Commission (FWC) industrial tribunal were established in 2009 as part of the former Labor governments Fair Work Act. The draconian and pro-business industrial legislation was fully endorsed by the trade unions.
These laws virtually ban all strikes and industrial action, except those occurring during enterprise agreement negotiations, and then only after workers conclude a lengthy process, including secret ballots. Majority votes for industrial action must be ratified by FWC to allow what is deemed protected action. Companies, however, can lock out workers at any time during a dispute.
The FWO told the CFMEU it is assessing whether sections of the Fair Work Act have been, or continue to be, contravened by the union and the locked out workers.
The legislation bans adverse action, coercion, undue influence or pressure, coercion relating to industrial activities. In other words, workers cannot take any action against company strike-breaking, including, in the case of Oaky North dispute, replacing locked-out workers with contract labour.
The FWO has ordered the CFMEU to provide all documents relating to the protest, along with video and audio recordings of shouting and chanting, spray painting the road, holding up signs, videotaping workers, displaying images of Scabby the Rat or RIP, blowing whistles and gesturing at workers and security staff. Scabby the Rat is a plastic blow-up figure that was displayed at the roadside protest.
The CFMEU has also been instructed to hand over all correspondence, including emails, texts and other messaging applications, between union officials, delegates and workers related to the dispute.
It must also surrender minutes of union meetings, diary entries and the GPS records from vehicles used by CFMEU officials involved in the picket, as well as all details relating to the provision of food, electricity, tents, portable toilets, signs and T-shirts worn by the protestors.
This unprecedented intervention will be used by the CFMEU as part of its efforts to pressure the workers into accepting the sort of regressive company-union enterprise agreements imposed at other Glencore mines.
From the outset, the CFMEU, which has 19,000 members in the Australian coal industry, utilised Fair Works anti-strike provisions, which outlaw all solidarity industrial action by other workers, to isolate the Oaky North miners. The union has ensured that production continues unhindered at Glencores other coal mining operations.
During the long-running negotiations with Glencore, the CFMEU has brokered several retrograde agreements but, in the face of rank-and-file resistance, has been unable to push them through.
Last month Oaky North workers voted downby 164 to 11another in principle agreement negotiated by the company and the union at the FWC. It was the third time that workers rejected offers that erode conditions relating to severance and retrenchment, dispute procedures, casual hire, workplace representation and rosters.
The FWOs investigation is a fishing expedition, primarily aimed at intimidating the locked-out workers. The agency will no doubt attempt to claim that the protesting workers are breaching the Fair Work laws and could be subjected to individual fines as high as $10,800 for each breach.
Glencore management this week issued disciplinary notices against 10 locked-out workers, alleging they engaged in misbehaviour while protesting. The accusation could lead to their dismissal.
Early this month, the company applied to the FWC to have the current enterprise agreement terminated. This application would mean that even if the lockout were lifted, workers would be employed under an industry award, on inferior pay and conditions.
In response, the CFMEU last week applied to the FWC to suspend all protected action at Oaky North and impose a cooling off period while the commission considers Glencores application.
If the union is successful, the lockout could be lifted. This does not mean, however, that Glencore would drop its application or misbehaviour allegations against the protesting workers. The cooling off period, moreover, bans all industrial action during this time. The company and union could then string out negotiations, with production continuing unhampered.
The CFMEU has sold out numerous disputes in the mining industry, facilitating highly regressive work agreements. Most recently at Griffin Coal in Queensland, the union imposed a deal that slashed pay rates by 25 percent and ripped up many conditions. These betrayals have set new exploitative benchmarks that companies will use throughout the sector and in other industries.
The Oaky North miners have taken a courageous stand against the corporate drive to dismantle all past gains. They cannot be left to fight the combined forces of the company, the CFMEU, the capitalist courts and political establishment alone.
Miners and other workers must defy the unions and organise action to break the isolation of the Oaky Creek workers as an important step toward initiating a unified campaign across the entire working class against the employers offensive.
Such a struggle necessarily means breaking out of the grip of the unions and Labor, which act at all times to defend the capitalist profit system, and developing new organisations of struggle, including rank-and-file committees under the democratic control of workers.
Above all, what is required is a socialist perspective and the fight for a workers government that would dismantle all laws restricting workers rights and place all key industries, including the mining, oil and gas corporations, under public ownership and workers control.
The Trump administration has asserted the power to expand the US war in Syria and effectively annex and occupy significant portions of the country without even the pretense of international authorization, congressional sanction or public debate.
The New York Times reported the position, laid out in letters to Senator Tim Kaine from the Pentagon and the State Department, in a news article buried in its inside pages on Friday under the headline Administration Says Syria Forces Dont Need New Approval. The letters underscore the dimensions of the assault on the Constitution by the White House, which is asserting inherent executive power to wage war not only in Syria, but by implication all over the world.
Kaine, a Democrat from Virginia, has advanced a pro forma and hypocritical call for passage of a new Authorization for Use of Military Force (AUMF) to provide a legal fig leaf for war in Syria directed at bringing down the government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
The current US military escalation in Syria is the realization of a principal demand of the Democratic Party. It was at the center of the foreign policy agenda of the Hillary Clinton presidential campaignKaine was Clintons vice-presidential running mateand would have been one of Clintons first acts as president. Just this past week, the Times published an editorial demanding an escalation of the war, complaining that Syria, Russia and Iran have exploited the battlefield successes against ISISas the leaders of the United States and other world powers largely stand by, unwilling or unable to do anything to stop it.
According to the Pentagon letter, ongoing operations in Syria still fall within the framework of the supposed campaign to defeat ISIS, even though all cities and towns controlled by ISIS have been retaken. The Trump administration, as with the Obama administration before it, advances the absurd claim that the war against ISIS is justified by the 2001 AUMF against Al Qaeda, adopted more than 16 years ago, providing congressional sanction for the invasion of Afghanistan.
The campaign to defeat ISIS is transitioning to a new phase in Iraq and Syria, the letter asserts. The US military is optimizing and adapting our military presence to maintain counterterrorism pressure on the enemy, while facilitating stabilization and political reconciliation efforts needed to ensure the enduring defeat of ISIS.
These assertions are so sweepingand subject to such arbitrary and subjective interpretationas to justify an indefinite US military occupation of Syria.
The Pentagon and State Department letters concede that neither Syrian government forces nor their allies such as Hezbollah and Iran can be considered associated forces of ISIS or Al Qaeda, as required under the 2001 war resolution. Instead, US attacks on Syrian government forces and their allies are characterized as acts of self-defense by American military forces, even though the US is in Syria in the first place in violation of its sovereignty and without the consent of its government.
Even more ominous is the legal justification advanced for the missile strike Trump ordered against a Syrian airbase last April, after a US-led media campaign claiming that the Syrian government had used nerve gas on a town in Idlib province held by anti-Assad forces. According to the Pentagon letter, the President authorized that strike pursuant to his power under Article II of the Constitution as Commander in Chief and Chief Executive to use this sort of military force overseas to defend important US national interests.
This language is entirely open-ended and makes a mockery of the US constitutional structure, under which the power to declare war is reserved to Congress, while the president serves as commander-in-chief to direct the military operations authorized by the legislature. This constitutional separation of powers has fallen into disuse over a protracted period, as American democracy has drastically eroded. It is more than 75 years since the last congressional declaration of war, following the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in December 1941.
However, even during the last quarter century of nearly continuous US warfare, it was felt necessary, for the purposes of manipulating public opinion, to obtain congressional sanction for a major US military commitment. Congressional debates and votes, not on a formal declaration of war, but to authorize the president to use military force, preceded the Persian Gulf War of 1990-1991, the US invasion of Afghanistan in 2001 and the US invasion of Iraq in 2003.
Significantly, it was two Democratic administrations that engaged in full-scale war without even a pretense of congressional approval. President Bill Clinton ordered the US-NATO bombing of Serbia in 1999 but failed to win the support of a Republican-controlled Congress. President Barack Obama launched the US-NATO bombing of Libya in 2011 without even attempting to secure a vote in the Democratic-controlled Senate. Both Democrats claimed inherent presidential powers.
Now, behind the cover of lying phrases about human rights and cynical denunciations of the butcher Assad (identical to earlier denunciations of the butchers Milosevic, Saddam Hussein and Gaddafi), the United States is carrying out what amounts to the annexation of a strategically significant section of Syria. This is only a preliminary step, to be followed by the transformation of the entire country into a de facto colony of the United States.
These actions of the United States vindicate Lenins statement, written in 1916, that imperialism is characterized by the striving to annex every kind of country (Imperialism and the Split in Socialism, Collected Works, Moscow, 1977, Volume 23, p. 107).
Moreover, as Lenin warned, the process of colonial enslavement of weaker countries by the imperialist powers is inexorably linked to the obliteration of democratic forms of rule at home. Political reaction all along the line is a characteristic feature of imperialism, he wrote. Corruption, bribery on a huge scale and all kinds of fraud (ibid, p. 106).
That a major military occupation can be launched without any public debate and with no opposition within the political establishment reveals the terminal rot of American democracy. Decisions are made unilaterally by the military and intelligence agencies with the most far-reaching consequences for the population of the Middle East, the United States and the entire world.
The absence of organized opposition to the military occupation of Syria also exposes the role of the organizations of the pseudo-left, groups claiming to be socialist that are nothing more than apologists and advocates for imperialist butchery. Groups such as the International Socialist Organization operate as appendages of the Democratic Party. They have backed the US military intervention in Syria, only bemoaning the supposed reluctance of Obama and now Trump to carry out all-out war against Damascus.
The Syrian civil war has metastasized into a conflict drawing in regional and global powers, including Russia, Iran, Turkey, Iraq, Saudi Arabia and Israel, in addition to the United States. Earlier this month, under circumstances that remain murky, US warplanes attacked a pro-Syrian government force comprised of Russian mercenaries or soldiers, killing as many as 200 men. If the Putin government has not made a serious protest, it is only because Moscow fears the explosive consequences of a full-scale military conflict between American and Russian forces, with the potential for escalation into a broader war between the worlds two most heavily armed nuclear powers.
The Syrian powder keg is only one of a number of conflicts that can rapidly become the occasion for an explosion of imperialist war, including North Korea, Iran, the South China Sea, Ukraine and the Baltic states, to name only the most obvious. There is an urgent necessity to build an independent movement of the international working class against the war drive of the imperialist powers, above all the United States. This is the task being undertaken by the International Committee of the Fourth International and its sections, through the building of revolutionary parties of the working class in every country.
Quebec Solidairethe pseudo-left party that has three legislators in the Quebec National Assemblyvoted by a majority of more than 80 percent at its congress late last year to join forces with Option Nationale (ON). The latter is a small right-wing nationalist party formed in 2011 at the initiative of former Parti Quebecois (PQ) Members of the National Assembly who deemed the PQ too soft in its advocacy of Quebec independence.
Subsequently confirmed by a 90 percent vote in favour by Option Nationale members, the merger between QS and ON is part of Quebec Solidaires longstanding efforts to bring together the so-called sovereignist [pro-Quebec independence] family. Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois, Quebec Solidaires co-leader and official male spokesperson, was euphoric. We are going to invite Quebeckers to take back Quebec, he declared, and join the great family of independent nations during the first term in office of the unified party.
Quebec Solidaires sovereignist family is neither new nor progressive. It is the same reactionary coalition of professionals, trade union bureaucrats, academics, small business owners, and other middle class elements who have moved in the PQs orbit for decades, while claiming to be left, even socialist. Its goal has always been to divide Quebec workers from their class brothers and sisters in Canada, the US and overseas; and to subordinate them to the faction of the Quebec ruling elite that wants to increase the powers of the Quebec state with the aim of reinforcing their political-ideological control over the working class, creating a more globally competitive Quebec, and asserting their predatory economic and geostrategic interests on the world stage.
Relations between QS and ON have not always been so cordial. Beginning with Jean-Martin Aussant the former investment banker and PQ legislator who founded and led Option Nationale for its first two yearsON leaders long reproached Quebec Solidaire for putting too much emphasis on the social question. According to Nic Payne, another founding member of ON who was chairman of its national council and opposed the merger, Many separatists will continue to see in this party [QS] a sort of left that is sometimes doctrinaire and disconnected.
With its merger with Option Nationale, Quebec Solidaire is tightening its embrace of Quebec nationalism and tilting still further right with the aim of convincing Quebecs ruling elite it is ready to play a larger role in establishment politicsincluding by participating in, or even leading, a capitalist government.
Under conditions where Quebecs two traditional parties of government, the Liberals and the PQ, are popularly discredited after decades of imposing capitalist austerity and criminalizing social opposition, QS is seeking to exploit its undeserved left reputation to gain access to the corridors of power.
With the danger of imperialist war, the accelerating assault on democratic rights, and the immense rise in social inequality provoking a leftward shift of workers and youth all over the world, QS wants to convince the ruling class that its progressive posture makes it an ideal tool to block any revolutionary threat to the profit systemin the manner of Syriza in Greece, Podemos in Spain, or Jean-Luc Melenchon and his France Insoumise.
As a pledge of loyalty to the existing social order, QS is moving to water down, if not outright jettison, its vague promises of social reform and adopt an even more explicitly right-wing formulation of its program for Quebec independence.
Merger on a right-wing program
Even though Option Nationale is by far the smaller of the two parties, both in terms of membership and electoral influence (less than 1 percent of the vote in the last Quebec election as compared to more than 7 percent for Quebec Solidaire), the merger took place largely on ONs terms.
It demanded and obtained from QS a commitment to put more emphasis on Quebec independence and to more explicitly tie separation from Canadas federal state to the needs of big business. Urged to put aside its pseudo-democratic phrases touting independence as a social project of a free people, QS agreed to more forthrightly articulate the views of the faction of Quebecs ruling elite that sees the creation of a capitalist Republique du Quebec as a better guarantor of the interests of Quebec Inc.
Under the pretext of defeating Philippe Couillards Liberals and the right-wing populists of the Coalition Avenir Quebec (CAQ) in the provincial election of 2018, QS is already preparing its next movean electoral alliance with the PQ. The PQ is a big-business party that has slashed social spending whenever in power and is now spreading virulent anti-immigrant, and especially anti-Muslim, chauvinism. Alongside its sister party in federal politics, the Bloc Quebecois, the PQ has also supported every imperialist intervention Canada has carried out over the past three decades as a loyal ally of Washington and NATO.
As a prelude to the merger, the leaders of Quebec Solidaire and Option Nationale submitted to their respective memberships an agreement in principle with instructions to take it or leave it. It reads like the legal text of a political takeover, with QS committing to a host of political and organizational concessions to the right-wing nationalists of ON, including:
the adoption of large sections of the program of Option Nationale (The congress to follow the 2018 election will focus on a review of the entire program, in particular... with a view of aligning it with the program of ON)
a commitment to maintain pro-business fiscal and economic policies (The unified party will present... a financial portrait demonstrating the financial viability of an independent Quebec)
the sidelining or abandonment of Quebec Solidaires timid social demands in favor of a message centered on nationalism (Among the sources of oppression to be denounced by the unified party... the Canadian colonial regime will be placed at the same level of importance as neoliberalism)
the strengthening of political ties with the PQ through an umbrella group of sovereignist parties dominated by the PQ (The unified party will continue its participation in the OUI-Quebec [Yes Quebec] coalition)
the promise to recognize Option Nationale as a political club within QS with a privileged status and to promote its explicitly pro-business agenda by reprinting and developing the book entitled Le livre qui fait dire oui.
This last condition refers to a pamphlet produced by Option Nationale, the title of which can be roughly translated as The book that makes one say yes to independence.
The ON pamphlet highlights the real class content of the program of Quebec independence. It develops the perspective historically associated with Jacques Parizeau, who as Quebecs PQ premier called the second referendum on Quebec independence in 1995, and who until his death in 2015 led the hardline separatist faction within the PQ, even while acting as patron of Option Nationale.
In line with the views of Parizeau, who himself hailed from one of Quebecs wealthiest families, Le livre qui fait dire oui argues that an independent Quebec would be better placed to take aggressive measures to promote the interests of Quebec capitalism and without having to accommodate the interests of other factions of Canadian big business. The state, it declares, must defend its strategic interests, that is, the competitive advantages it has over other states in certain industries.
In another significant passage, the ON pamphlet declares, With the savings generated by independence, our room for maneuver will be greater, which will allow us choices. A more interventionist government will be able to invest in our strategic sectors, for example. A more right-wing government will be able to lower our taxes, while a government leaning more to the left will be able to reinvest in health and education.
The last scenario, that of a left government ready to reinvest in health and education, only serves to throw sand in the eyes of workersespecially under conditions of a systemic crisis of world capitalism. The independent Quebec envisaged by Option Nationaleand now explicitly endorsed by Quebec Solidairewould have as its main objective to reorganize the state apparatus so as to better serve the independent interests of the Quebec bourgeoisie in the global commercial and military-strategic struggle for profits, markets and resources. This would go hand in hand with a more pronounced promotion of Quebec nationalism, including through chauvinist language laws, so as to even more systematically promote the lie that Quebec workers have more in common with their Quebecois bosses than with workers in the rest of Canada and internationally.
This would lay the political ground for an intensified ruling class offensive aimed at gutting what remains of the public and social services won by previous generations of workers through bitter social struggle. The subsequent savings would give an interventionist, more right-wing government of an independent Quebec the room for maneuver needed to grant billions in subsidies to the strategic jewels of Quebec industry like Bombardier and Quebecor and further slash the taxes of the richest 1 percent and their hangers-on in the managerial and professional elite.
Towards an alliance with the big business PQ
What has prepared Quebec Solidaire for its recent merger with Option Nationale is its entire evolution since its founding more than 10 years ago by community, feminist, and pseudo-Marxist activists and a smattering of union bureaucrats. They came together to revive the discredited program of Quebec independence and prevent workers and youth from drawing revolutionary socialist conclusions from the emergence of the PQ as the most ruthless enforcer of capitalist austerity. The social composition of QS and the main axes of its developmentparochialism, subservience to the trade union bureaucracy, economic nationalism and an orientation to the PQliterally threw it into the arms of Option Nationale and its explicitly right-wing Quebec nationalism.
The relationship between QS and the PQ is being continuously discussed in mainstream media circles. How much do you see yourself offering an alternative to the PQ? a reporter asked a QS spokesperson in the days leading up to the merger with ON. Our goal is not to provide an alternative to the Parti Quebecois, said Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois, who was visibly anxious to avoid anything that could look like a criticism of the PQ. Its the Liberals who are in power, it is the CAQ that is leading the polls, he insisted. It is an alternative to these parties that we propose.
At its congress last December Quebec Solidaire all but avoided any mention of the PQ, although the focus of debate at its previous congress, just six months earlier, had been a proposal, strongly supported by the QS leadership for an electoral alliance with the PQ. Ultimately, that proposal was rejected because a majority of delegates feared QS would be badly discredited if it so openly aligned with a big-business party identified by broad sections of the working class with brutal social spending cuts and xenophobic appeals.
The December Congress left the strong impression that the QS leadership is seeking to ban all criticism of the PQ, while throwing a political bridge toward its sister sovereignist party by merging with Option Nationale. (The latter is known to be favorable to an electoral understanding with the PQ, especially if it commits to calling an independence referendum in its first term of government.)
One of the principal architects of the QS-ON merger and a supporter at last Mays QS congress of an electoral alliance with the PQ, Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois, has despite his young age a long experience in the political subordination of workers and youth to the PQ. As the principal spokesperson for the student association (CLASSE) which led the Quebec student strike in 2012, Nadeau-Dubois helped the union bureaucracy divert this movement behind the PQ, precisely at the moment when it threatened to become the catalyst for a broader working-class challenge to the entire austerity agenda of the ruling class in Quebec and Canada. For its part, QS urged the PQ in June 2012 to form an electoral alliance with it; then on the eve of the September 2012 election promised unconditional support to a minority PQ government for at least one year.
Another highlight of Quebec Solidaires December Congress was when Nadeau-Dubois blamed workers for the rise in the polls of the right-wing populist CAQ by pointing to the desperation of some that does not always lead to good decisions. This is a slander. As a close ally of the union bureaucracy and the PQ, it is Quebec Solidaire that bears a heavy responsibility for the rise of right-wing forces that benefitin Quebec as in Europe and the United Statesfrom the association of Social Democracy, the unions, and other left establishment forces with austerity and war.
Through its shift to a more aggressive nationalism and its support for the xenophobic agenda of the PQ and the entire ruling class, Quebec Solidaire is facilitating the rise of chauvinist sentiments that feed the most right-wing forces. QS long described the reactionary ruling-class debate over excessive accommodation of immigrants and religious minorities and the PQs abortive Charter Of Quebec Values as legitimate. And it kept silent last October when the Liberal majority in the National Assembly passed Bill 62, which targets Muslim women by denying those wearing a religious face-covering access to essential public services such as health care, education or public transit.
As an ally and accomplice of the trade union bureaucracy, QS also bears political responsibility for the suppression of the class struggle, thereby opening the door for far-right forces to exploit mounting social anger. In 2015-16, for example, when more than a half-million Quebec public sector workers mobilized to fight for better working conditions and public services, QS assisted the unions in containing their opposition within a bogus negotiating process predicated on acceptance of the governments lie that there was no money for improving wages and benefits or public services.
As a petty-bourgeois nationalist party of the privileged middle class, QS demonstrated at its December congress, once again, a total lack of interest for any issue beyond Quebecs borders. As geopolitical tensions around the world are reaching explosive levels and Washington threatens to wipe North Korea off the map, QS has nothing to say about preparations by Justin Trudeaus federal Liberal government to participate in this criminal enterprise and the close ties it maintains with the Trump administration on all military and security matters.
After supporting the Anybody but Harper trade union campaign for the Liberals in the 2015 federal election, and then welcoming the return to power of the Canadian ruling class traditional party of government, Quebec Solidaire observed a complicit silence on the Liberals plans to increase military spending by 70 percent over the next decade, Canadas increased role in the latest US war in the Middle East and its spearheading of NATOs military mobilization on Russias borders.
Support for bankrupt Catalan nationalism
The world capitalist crisis did intrude on the deliberation of QS congress in the form of the participation of two delegates from the CUP (Popular Unity Candidacy), the so-called left wing of the Catalan separatist movement, whose actions were hailed as a model for QS.
What the CUP and its delegates in fact provided was an object lesson of the class character of left nationalism. Following in the train of the big bourgeois Catalan nationalist parties, the CUP has opposed any attempt to mobilize Spanish and European workers against the dictatorial methods of the Rajoy government and instead made pathetic appeals for intervention by a European Union that strongly supports Madrid in preserving the territorial integrity of capitalist Spain.
Upon arrival in Canada, the CUP delegates appealed, not to Canadian workers to oppose the repression of the Spanish state, but rather to the Quebec Liberal government of Philippe Couillard. I hope we will have the chance, said Anna Gabriel and Eulalia Reguant of the CUP, to meet the Premier of Quebec to discuss the role that Western democracies can play in protecting democracy within Europe itself.
Quebec Solidaire took a similar position. Not only did it refuse to strongly condemn Ottawas support for the brutal repression of the Catalan referendum by the Spanish government. It also painted as fighters for democracy the Liberals who now form the governments in Ottawa and Quebecthe very same federalist forces that have prepared the legal ground for their own anti-democratic measures against any future referendum on Quebec secession with their 2000 Clarity Act and threats to ethnically partition Quebec.
Mr. Trudeau and Mr. Couillard, said QS legislator and female co-leader Manon Masse, must immediately do their duty as democrats by putting pressure on Madrid to abandon the legal proceedings that weigh on Catalan independence leaders.
In their presentation before the Quebec Solidaire congress, CUP delegates defended their partys decision to support a right-wing Catalan nationalist government and vote for its budget in 2017. They neglected to mention that this government has attacked workers by imposing savage austerity measures and breaking strikes by metro (subway) drivers and airport workers.
Its merger with Option Nationale leaves no doubt that Quebec Solidaire is preparing to play a similar role in Quebec and Canada as CUP has done in Catalonia and Spain.
Fighting continued in Syria over the weekend despite the latest United Nations Security Council ceasefire resolution that is supposed to allow for the evacuation of Ghouta, the eastern suburb of the capital, Damascus.
The draft resolution urging a 30-day ceasefire throughout Syria was delayed from Thursday to Saturday due to Russian objections. Russia argued that the United States had forced delays by opposing amendments allowing for a continued military offensive against Islamist forces loyal to Islamic State and pro-Al Qaeda groups.
Washington has relied on these forces to wage war against the Syrian government of Bashar al-Assad.
Saturdays resolution calls on UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres to report back to the council in two weeks on whether the terms of the ceasefire have been implemented. However, not only will the Syrian military campaign continue, but so too will fighting throughout the country.
The ceasefires failure will again be attributed to the Assad regime and its main backer, Russia and used to demand a military response by the Western powers. But Syrias terrible fate has been sealed by the escalating proxy war for its territorial division that has emerged from the civil war instigated by the United States.
Syria continued its Ghouta offensive yesterday, taking advantage of the resolutions failure to state when the 30-day ceasefire, across the whole of Syria, was meant to begin. The Chief of Staff of Iranian Armed Forces, Maj. Gen. Mohammad Hossein Baqeri, has said that Iran and Syria are committed to the UN ceasefire resolution, but the truce does not cover eastern Ghouta and that mop-up operations would continue.
Damascus cannot afford to relent on Ghouta and has put the operation under the control of Assads brother Maher and top Colonel Soheil Hassan. Not only does it lie close to the capital, but victory there would clear the path for opposition forces to be routed elsewhere.
Newsweek cited reports that Damascus had a plan to evacuate children under the age of 12, men over the age of 60 and all women via recently established safe passages, while planning to go on fighting ISIS, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham and their allies.
The ceasefire doesnt apply to Syrias offensive against al-Qaeda-linked groups, as all individuals, groups, undertakings and entities associated with ISIS or al-Qaeda have been exempted from the truce.
In any event, the Islamist opposition has no intention of leaving Ghouta and likely couldnt even if it wanted to. As Syria expert Haid Haid wrote in the Middle East Monitor, there is no convenient exile for its inhabitants.
The collective hypocrisy over the tragedy of Ghouta cannot conceal the fact that Syria is in the grip of a war that has now claimed 400,000 lives and left the entire country decimated. The brutal struggle for strategic dominance over Syria ensures that the UN resolution will be ignored by all concerned.
Russias Permanent Representative to the UN Vassily Nebenzia warned, We will not countenance any subjective interpretation of the resolution that has just been adopted and insisted that this meant Turkey must end its operation in Afrin, near the Turkish border.
However, Turkey has made clear that it does not accept any such cessation. Referring to the Kurdish Peoples Protection Units (YPG), linked to the separatist Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), Turkeys Foreign Ministry said Ankara will remain resolute in fighting against the terrorist organizations that threaten the territorial integrity and political unity of Syria.
Above all, Washington will continue its seven years of military violence and political skulduggery aimed at taking control of Syria that has had such devastating consequences.
Amid the UN Security Council discussions, President Donald Trump felt obliged to claim that the only US goal in Syria was to defeat ISIS. This directly contradicted statements made last month by US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson that US war aims include combating Iranian influence and bringing down Assad and that its forces will now be stationed permanently.
Tillersons statements followed the unveiling of a new US security doctrine acknowledging that great power rivalries, rather than terrorism, are viewed by Washington as its main national security threat. It also followed a request from the Pentagon for $1.8 billion in arms to wage war in Syria and Iraq20 percent more than the entire arms budget for Middle East operations in 2017.
Tillerson boasted during a February 13 visit to Kuwait, The United States and the coalition forces that are working with us to defeat [IS] today control 30 percent of the Syrian territory and control a large amount of [the] population and control a large amount of Syrias oil fields.
Moves taken in line with the new US posture have accelerated the conflict in Syria and beyond.
The creation of a 30,000-strong border force for Syria including Kurdish YPG militias prompted Turkeys launch of Operation Olive Branch against Afrin on January 20, which also threatened the Aleppo Governate city of Manbij. Ankara feared that the US was announcing its de facto military backing for a future Kurdish state as a base for the re-division of the region in its interests that would threaten the territorial integrity of Turkey.
The US also greenlighted Israeli bombing raids and missile attacks on Syrian military facilities on February 10 that Tel Aviv made clear were targeted at Iranian personnel. Since then, Israel has threatened to launch military strikes on Lebanon, while escalating demands for action by the US against Iran.
Friday also saw the US announce that it will bring forward to May 14, 2018 the planned relocation of its embassy to Jerusalem. This is the most provocative date imaginable, marking the 70th anniversary of Israel declaring independence and what the Palestinians know as the Naqba, or "day of catastrophe."
Washingtons efforts to preserve its global hegemony are now threatening open conflict with Russia in the Middle East and Europe, as well as with China due to US aggression against North Korea.
In bitter exchanges at the UN Security Council, Nebenzia said of the ceasefire resolution, The aim of fighting with terrorists should not become a disguise for solving this or that geopolitical issue of doubtful legitimacy, which is exactly what the United States is currently doing in Syria We insist that the so-called coalition stop its occupational ambitions we see perfectly well that the propaganda scenario surrounding Eastern Ghouta fully corresponds to the campaign launched during the counter-terrorist operation to liberate East Aleppo in late 2016.
Potential sparks for broader regional war and direct military conflict between the US and Russia are numerous.
In Afrin, Assad has dispatched pro-government militias to back the YPG against an imminent ground invasion by Turkish troops. Here the US finds itself in a position where its Kurdish ally is allied in turn with pro-Assad forces aligned with Russia. The spread of fighting to Manbij could directly involve US Special Forces.
On February 7, the US launched a devastating attack involving Apache helicopters, an AC-130 Spectre gunship, F-15 fighter jets and artillery batteries on a Syrian column in eastern Deir Ezzor. The Russian government admitted last week that the casualties from the US barrage had included dozens of Russian nationals.
The US media has claimed that the bombing was a response to planned advance by Russian mercenary forces on headquarters of the US-proxy Syrian Democratic Forces, made up overwhelmingly of the YPG militia. The Russian mercenaries were said to be employed by Wagner PMC, which reportedly has as many as 2,500 men in Syria.
Details of the incident remain unclear, and Moscow has so far downplayed the clash. But over the weekend, Russia deployed Su-57 fifth-generation fighters to Syria for the first time, sending a signal that it may retaliate against future US airstrikes.
25 Years Ago | 50 Years Ago | 75 Years Ago | 100 Years Ago
25 years ago: Terrorist bombing of World Trade Center in New York
On February 26, 1993, far-right Islamic terrorists detonated a 1,336-pound bomb in a parking area beneath the North Tower of the World Trade Center in New York City, causing six deaths and over 1,000 injuries and sicknesses. The terrorists aim was to topple the North Tower into the South Tower, bringing both down.
Among the six dead were three maintenance workers: Robert Kirkpatrick, 61, Stephen Knapp, 47, and Bill Macko, 57; a secretary, Monica Rodriguez Smith, 35, who was seven months pregnant; Wilfredo Mercado, 37, a restaurant worker; and John DiGiovanni, 45, a dental products salesperson.
Following the explosion, the absence of adequate fire and safety devices in the 30-year old buildings, in combination with the knockout of both power supply systems, resulted in thousands of workers having to make their way to safety in total darkness through smoke-filled stairways. Workers, left isolated as high as the 110th floor, complained that they received no instructions, calls to emergency numbers within the building went unanswered, there were no emergency lights in the halls, the ventilation failed, and magnetic doors did not work and had to be broken down after the power failed. Smoke was sucked up within minutes through the skyscraper, which operated as a giant chimney.
Ultimately six men, of Middle Eastern or Pakistani origin, were convicted of charges relating to the bombing: Ramzi Yousef, Mahmud Abouhalima, Mohammad Salameh, Nidal A. Ayyad, Ahmed Ajaj, and Eyad Ismoil. The plot was partially funded by Yousefs uncle, Khaled Sheikh Mohammed. Mohammed and Abouhalima had been among the CIA-funded Mujahadeen who fought against the Soviet Union in Afghanistan in the 1980s.
The Immigration and Naturalization Service (INSforerunner to Immigration and Customs Enforcement or ICE) had caught Yousef and Ajaj, the two ringleaders, six months before the attack, when the pair attempted to enter the United States with fake passports and false names on the same flight, on September 1, 1992. Ajaj was captured with a bomb-making instruction kit. Nonetheless, Yousef was released on his own recognizance. Ajaj was imprisoned for six months, but from federal jail made frequent communications to Yousef to coordinate the plot.
Another conspirator, Abdul Rahman Yasin, was interviewed immediately after the attack by the FBI, but was released and the next day departed the US for Iraq. One month after the September 11, 2001 terrorist attack, once again on the World Trade Center, the FBI finally placed Yasin on its most-wanted terrorists list. One year later, the George W. Bush administration rejected an offer from the Iraqi regime of Saddam Hussein to turn him over to US authorities. Yassin vanished in Iraq some time around the US invasion.
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50 years ago: Kerner Commission issues report on US riots
On February 29, 1968, the National Advisory Commission on Civil Disorders, headed by Governor Otto Kemer of Illinois, issued a summary of its report. The panel was appointed in July 1967 by President Johnson to study the causes of the urban riots.
The commission rejected Johnsons contention that the wave of uprisings by impoverished inner city workers and youth were the product of a organized plan or conspiracy. It laid the blame for the disorders on grinding poverty, police brutality and white racism. The report warned, Our nation is moving toward two societies, on black, one whiteseparate and unequal.
Several commission members admitted to being shocked by the conditions they found in the inner cities during the course of their seven-month investigation. The commission, however, claimed that the horrific conditions facing black workers and youth could be overcome within the framework of capitalism. It advanced a series of proposals for social reforms that wentbeyond Johnsons Great Society programs.
Among the measures proposed by the commission were:
The immediate creation of 2 million new jobs; 1 million by federal, state and local governments, and 1 million by private industry.
Bringing 6 million new and existing housing units within the reach of low and middle income families over five years and 600,000 low income units in the next year.
Expanding the welfare system to make more persons eligible and to raise the level of benefits.
Noting that incidents of police brutality sparked many of the uprisings, the commission called for the expansion of the role of the black petty bourgeoisie in administering the ghettos. It recommended the hiring of more black police officers and journalists and the expansion of the number of black elected officials.
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75 years ago: American Communist Party defends murders of Polish socialists
On February 27, 1943, the Daily Worker, newspaper of the American Communist Party, came to the defense of Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin for his 1941 murder of two prominent Polish socialists. The CPUSA charged that Heinrich Erlich, leader of the Jewish Socialist Bund of Poland, and Victor Alter, president of the Polish National Council of Trade Unions, were Nazi agents who agitated among Red Army soldiers for a separate peace between the USSR and Germany, following Hitlers invasion of the Soviet Union in June 1941.
Alter and Erlich were first taken prisoner when the USSR occupied eastern Poland in September 1939. Their 1941 execution did not come to light until two years later, when the Roosevelt administration passed on the information to the American Jewish Labor Committee, which in turn released the information on February 25, 1943.
The charge that the two Jewish labor leaders were agents of Hitler was obscene. Erlich and Alter had organized workers battalions to fight against the 1939 German invasion of Poland. They were temporarily released to organize Polish prisoners of war into an army with its own officers under the command of the Red Army. They were then rearrested and shot.
The two were murdered not because they were pro-Hitler, but because they were anti-Stalin. Alter and Erlich, while never being revolutionary Marxists, had a history of opposing Stalinism. Under their leadership the Jewish Bund had branded the Moscow Trials as frame-ups and declared its belief in the revolutionary integrity of Trotsky. This was their crime, in Stalins eyes.
Roosevelt hid the news of the murders of Alter and Erlich during the period when the Red Army was in retreat before the Nazi army. But as the Red Army went onto the offensive and its military victories began to generate revolutionary stirrings within the international working class, Roosevelt sought to use Stalins crimes to discredit socialism.
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100 years ago: Bolsheviks sign Treaty of Brest-Litovsk, ending war on Eastern Front
On March 3, 1918, a representative of the revolutionary Bolshevik government, G.Y. Sokolnikov, signed the Brest-Litovsk treaty on terms dictated by German imperialism, officially ending Russias participation in World War I.
The terms imposed by the Germans included the loss of more than one-quarter of the population, railways and cultivated land of the former Russian empire; half of its industrial plants and equipment; three-quarters of its iron and steel capacity; and 90 percent of its coal production. The treaty meant abandoning Poland, Lithuania, the Ukraine, the Baltic Provinces, Finland and Transcaucasia. The Munich Post exulted, If the German emperor had demanded Moscow as his capital and a summer residence in the Ural Mountains, the Russians would have signed without batting an eyelash.
The Bolshevik regime was obliged to sign the treaty, on Lenins insistence, in order to preserve the revolution itself. The Russian army had collapsed, the population was exhausted and a revolutionary war, as advocated by Bukharin and the Bolshevik Lefts, was out of the question. Lenin commented, We have nothing to fight with.
All factions in the leadership counted on the German Revolution to relieve the beleaguered Russian proletariat, but Lenin was implacably opposed to any revolutionary romanticism. The Russian workers government had to hold out as long as possible, and this required making the most painful concessions.
In order to provide itself with a granary in the Ukraine, as well as to deliver a blow against the revolution, German imperialism occupied Kiev (March 3), Odessa (March 13), Nikolaev (March 17), Kharkov (April 8), and then invaded the Crimea. At the same time, the Germans occupied the Aaland Islands (March 2) and intervened in the Finnish civil war, in support of the White forces who massacred about a quarter of the countrys proletariat.
According to Trotskys My Life, Lenin responded with great emotion to the attacks on the Finnish workers. Nevertheless, he was obliged to conclude, Military action on our part would not be able to save the revolution in Finland, but it would most certainly ruin us. We must help the Finnish workers in every way we can, but we must do it without abandoning peace.
Only the outbreak of the German Revolution in November 1918, eight months after Brest-Litovsk, forced the withdrawal of the German military.
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Last Thursday, the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), the main agency tasked with helping immigrants move towards citizenship, changed its mission statement without any notice or fanfare. The new statement is notable primarily for the fact that it dropped the phrase nation of immigrants to describe the United States, and instead highlights the law enforcement aspects of the agencys functions.
The mission statement now available on the agencys webpage reads: US Citizenship and Immigration services administers the nations lawful immigration system, safeguarding its integrity and promise by efficiently and fairly adjudicating requests for immigration benefits while protecting Americans, securing the homeland, and honoring our values.
Prior to last Thursday, the statement available on the agencys homepage read: USCIS secures Americas promise as a nation of immigrants by providing accurate and useful information to our customers, granting immigration and citizenship benefits, promoting an awareness and understanding of citizenship, and ensuring the integrity of our immigration system.
Anticipating protests, the White House declared that the change in the mission statement did not originate from the President. This was reiterated by a USCIS official, who told the Washington Examiner in an email: The White House did not direct USCIS to change its mission statement. It was developed and debated within the agency by USCIS Director Cissna during his first senior leadership conference with USCIS staff, and reflects the directors guiding principles for the agency. The new mission statement also has the support of the secretary of Homeland Security.
Frank Cissna was appointed to the post of director by Donald Trump in October 2017. Since taking office, Cissna has overseen changes in the USCISs operations including increased security checks for foreign workers applying for visas, higher threshold for asylum application in order to discourage people from seeking sanctuary in the US, and a more complicated process for Green Card applications.
In a memorandum sent to the USCIS staff, Cissna explained the reason for the new mission statement claiming that it was simple and straightforward, and that it clearly defined agencys role in our countrys lawful immigration system and the commitment we have to the American people.
Cissna focused on the fact that the earlier mission statement had described those accessing the USCISs services as customers to reiterate his claim that it did not quite capture the spirit of the agencys function: The American people, through Congress, have entrusted USCIS with the stewardship of our legal immigration programs that allow foreign nationals to visit, work, live, and seek refuge in the United States. We are also responsible for ensuring that those who naturalize are dedicated to this country, share our values, assimilate into our communities, and understand their responsibility to help preserve our freedom and liberty...Use of the term [customers] leads to the erroneous belief that applicants and petitioners, rather than the American people, are whom we ultimately serve.
The change in the mission statement does not automatically imply a complete overhaul in the way the agency is supposed to work. However, it illustrates the further intensification of the anti-immigrant offensive being waged by the Trump administration.
In a statement to the New York Times, Leon Rodriguez, who headed the agency under Barack Obama from 2014 to 2017, a period in which more than a million immigrants were cruelly deported from the United States, said that the new mission statement marked a particularly sad turn of history.
We should not forget that under the discarded mission statement, the integrity and national security functions of U.S.C.I.S. grew dramatically so showing that we could be both a welcoming nation and a safe one, Rodriguez said. We should stop to reflect about the many opportunities that America will lose because of the attitudes reflected in this statement, and ask ourselves whether this is really the country we want to be.
The new mission statement does not stop at removing the long-used phrase nation of immigrants, it also removes all mention of citizenshipinstead of immigration and citizenship benefits, USCIS now just provides immigration benefits, and it completely drops the phrase promoting an awareness and understanding of citizenship. And its distinction between the American people and those who apply for its services basically obscures the fact that the overwhelming majority of petitioners for immigrants are US citizens petitioning for family members, albeit naturalized citizens.
Historically, the USCIS, known from 1933 until 2003 as the Immigration and Naturalization Services, has been the one arm of the three immigration agencies under the aegis of the Department of Homeland Securitythe other two being Customs and Border Patrol (CBP), and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)that is not supposed to deal with the enforcement aspects of immigration. However, with the increased militarization of the immigration policies and the criminalization of immigrants, the new mission statement of USCIS makes it evident that the agencys function will soon be akin to that of the CBP and ICE.
With Trumps speech last week to the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in National Harbor, Maryland, serving as a guidepost, this is just the beginning.
In a rambling address that is quite extraordinary in its ignorance, bigotry and distortion of reality, Trump presented a world in which the United States was under attack by swarms of criminals, rapists, hit-and-run drivers, human traffickers, all of whom are aliens who have been let into the country because our immigration laws are so bad. In a particularly vile and repellant manner, he compared immigrants to a vicious, poisonous snake that kills a foolish, yet tender woman who provides it shelter.
Trump claimed that the country was over-run by animalswho cut [people] into little pieces and who apparently were protected by laws that favored them, and provided them with safe harbor. The laws are just against uswe are letting people in, and its going to be a lot of trouble. But, his administration was up to the task of protecting like never before: In 2017, our brave ICE officers arrested more than 100,000 criminal aliens who have committed tens and thousands of crimes. And that was just the beginning. Trump ominously promised that his administration is going to take care of the country. Okay? Were going to take care of the country.
Recent reports have revealed that the Trump administration has been ramping up its anti-immigrant drive through the casting of wider dragnets, the systematic separation of undocumented migrant families and the establishment of border checkpoints that violate Fourth amendment rights far from Americas borders. In this context, the promise to take care of the country can only be interpreted as a threat to intensify the persecution of working class immigrants, many of whom are already victims of violence and poverty, and who come to the United States in a desperate search for a better life for themselves and their children.
Additionally, the change in the UCIS mission statement ultimately reflects the bipartisan drive to slash legal immigration. Trump has recently come out in support of a proposal by Iowa Senator Charles Grassley to cut 20 million family-based petitions over the next few decades.
Around 120 detainees at Yarls Wood immigration detention centre in Bedfordshire, England are entering the fourth day of a hunger strike, protesting inhumane conditions at one of Europes largest detention facilities.
The mainly women detainees are demanding an end to indefinite detention, describing systematic torture by the Home Office and the private security firm, Serco.
In a statement posted yesterday evening on Twitter, the detainees announced, After an initial three-day hunger strike where the Home Office refused to acknowledge the hunger strike, it is clear that they are not listening to us. On Monday 26/02/18, we will cease to participate in detention, we will not eat, use their facilities or work for them.
The hunger strikers launched their action with a handwritten statement last Wednesday, condemning the Home Office for offensive practices including violation of habeas corpus.
The majority of detainees are not detained by a judge, they wrote. Instead, detainees were presumed guilty and deprived of liberty by a person (Serco, which runs the facility), whose vocational success is based on how many people they removea situation they described as an obvious conflict [and] morally bankrupt.
Indefinite detention, they wrote, amounted to a form of torture: At any point an officer could turn up and take your room-mate; youre constantly on edge, not knowing what will happen next.
The UK is the only country in the EU European Union with no time limit on detention, they noted.
Under Rule 35, an amendment to the Detention Centre Rules 2001, introduced in September 2016, vulnerable adults, including victims of torture, should not be detained, or only as a last resort. But Rule 35 is consistently flouted. Victims of torture, human trafficking, modern slavery, asylum seekers and sick and disabled people continue to be detained, they wrote.
On Thursday, detainees issued a list of 15 demands, including right of access to a bail hearing within three to five days (a legal right); the ending of indefinite detention and re-detention; no detention of people who came to the UK as children; and an amnesty for those who have lived in the UK for 10 years or longer.
Many of the Yarls Wood detainees have British husbands and children they are prevented from seeing, a situation that infringes their Article 8 rights under the European Convention on Human Rights, the detainees explained, including their right to a private and family life.
Detainees condemned slave labour in detention, whereby they are forced into menial work for 1 per hour and have called for an end to forced removal by flights from Britain: We want an end to charter flights and the snatching of people from their beds in the night and herding them like animals.
On Friday, Labours Shadow Home Secretary Dianne Abbott met with a group of about 30 detainees at Yarls Wood, along with shadow attorney general and former human rights lawyer, Shami Chakrabarti. The group included a Nigerian woman who had lived in the UK for 30 years, has five British children, and has been detained for seven months, according to the Guardian. Another woman had been detained for nine months.
These women were clearly desperate. Indefinite detention, with no release date, is just wrong, Abbott told journalists. Many of them are released to the community after spending time at Yarls Wood, so why do they need to be in detention?
Abbott is reported to have responded emotionally to the plight of detainees, but this was political theatrics.
The Labour Party has played a central role in erecting the current punitive regime against immigrant detainees. Yarls Wood was opened by the Labour government in September 2001, with control handed to private security contractor, Group 4 Falck. It was one of a number of facilities seen as rich pickings by private contractors who swooped in on lucrative contracts offered up by the Labour government of Tony Blair. Group 4 Falck was replaced by Global Services Limited (GSL) in 2004, and by Serco in 2007. G4S, the worlds largest security company, with a declared net annual income of 220 million, presently delivers healthcare services at Yarls Wood.
Abbott and Chakrabarti were silent on the real history of Yarls Wood, where repeated hunger strikes have taken place over the past 17 years, most of these, again, under Labour.
The first hunger strike by 25 Roma detainees occurred just weeks after the facility opened and another, by ethnic Albanian Gjevat Cerkini, began in December 2001. In July 2005, 30 Ugandan women launched a hunger strike protesting cruel treatment by staff and inadequate healthcare, followed by a hunger strike of 100 women just two years later. In February 2010, a hunger strike against indefinite detention saw around 70 women protestors locked in an airless corridor without water or toilet facilities, according to a report at the time by the Guardian.
Beyond Labours complicity in the conditions faced by detainees at Yarls Wood is the broader anti-immigrant chauvinism the party has helped stoke. During the 2015 general election, Labour pledged to control immigration, echoing the campaigns of both the Conservatives and UK Independence Party. The party even issued a red campaign mug, emblazoned with the slogan, Controls on Immigration. Im voting Labour.
The Brexit referendum the following year saw both the Leave and Remain camps promote anti-immigrant measures, with Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn making an explicit connection between uncontrolled immigration and the lowering of wages, echoing the nationalist campaigns led by the trade unions.
Labours current manifesto (For the Many Not the Few) calls for a fair immigration system, which is based on our economic needs, balancing controls and existing entitlements. It states, We will take decisive actions to end the exploitation of migrant labour undercutting workers pay and conditions.
The manifesto makes no call for the closure of Yarls Wood and other immigrant detention centres where men women and children are incarcerated for the sole crime of having been born in another country.
Yarls Wood is part of a broader system of incarceration of immigrants in the UK. According to the Inspector of Prisons, in the year ending December 2016, 28,908 people entered immigration detention. At any time, more than 3,500 people are in immigration detention in the UK. They are held mainly in one of the nine Immigration Removal Centres, three Short Term Holding Facilities or in prisons. On October 3, 2016, prisons held 442 people detained under immigration powers.
There are currently 60 million refugees worldwidevictims of the endless wars and devastation inflicted by the United States, Britain and other imperialist powers on the peoples of the Middle East and Africa. The anti-immigrant measures promoted by governments throughout Europe and the US are aimed at dividing the working class.
The Socialist Equality Party calls for the immediate closure of all immigration detention centres and upholds the right of all workers and young people to live in the country of their choice, with full citizenship rights and access to welfare, housing, healthcare and education.
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When Ael left home to go to school in Jakarta, his parents warned him to be careful in the big city. "Be a kind person," his mother told him.
He worked hard and found a good job as a teacher in the sprawling Indonesian capital, but seven years later the 23-year-old is fearful for his future as a young gay man in a country which increasingly views homosexuality as a sin and, potentially soon, a crime.
"Many people don't like us ... they don't like us being more visible, so they are preparing laws that can criminalize us," Ael, who asked for his surname to not be used, told CNN.
Within weeks, lawmakers could vote on a new law that looks set to criminalize sex outside of marriage and homosexual sex in Indonesia, as part of wide-reaching changes to the country's criminal code.
"If the penal code is approved, I don't know our future in Indonesia," Ael said.
It is just the latest move in a widespread crackdown on Indonesia's gay and lesbian community since 2015, which has shocked and horrified the country's LGBT population.
Indonesia is the world's largest Muslim-majority country, home to hundreds of millions of followers of the Islamic faith, but until recently it was relatively tolerant, if not exactly accepting, of its LGBT population.
But in the last decade a conservative strain of Islam, quietly tolerated by presidents past and present, has gained sway, with conservative Muslim leaders and groups intimidating lawmakers, holding mass rallies in Jakarta and targeting prominent Christian and LGBT minorities.
"(Recently) when LGBT Indonesians open our social media, quickly we find there are lots of people speaking hatefully about us," Ael said.
"As a gay person and a young person in Indonesia this issue has actually become dangerous for us."
The local LGBT community isn't alone in worrying about the developments. UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein said at a press conference in Jakarta on February 7 he was "greatly concerned" about the proposed revisions of the penal code.
He said the proposed amendments were "discriminatory" and appeared to be planned for "cynical political purposes."
'Indonesian values and culture'
In one of the latest drafts of the bill seen by CNN, committing an "obscene act" with someone of the same gender is punishable by a fine and up to 18 months in jail, if the act is public. It doesn't detail what could constitute an obscene act.
If the acts are "publicized in the form of pornography," the sentence could be up to nine years.
Activists had breathed a sigh of relief in December 2017, when Indonesia's Constitutional Court narrowly voted down a call for the criminalization of LGBT relations brought by a group of conservative Muslims. But the court's decision now appears to have only been a temporary reprieve.
No date has been set for the vote on the new criminal code, but a conservative lawmaker told CNN strict new restrictions against same sex-relations and extramarital sex will be included, no matter what.
"Basically all factions in the Parliament agree on the expansion of extra-marital sex articles and the inclusion of certain deviating acts of LGBT," said Arsul Sani, a politician with the conservative Islamic United Development Party (PPP).
Sani, who has a seat on the influential law and human rights panel that will approve the draft criminal code, said criminalizing sex outside marriage and same-sex relations will bring Indonesia's outdated criminal code in line with the rest of the country's "religious values."
"Those who oppose (the law) base their perspectives on Western cultures and values, whilst we propose this new criminal code upon Indonesian indigenous values and culture," he said.
While many conservative Islamic Indonesian politicians would like same-sex relations to be banned entirely, the existence of large, secular majority parties could lead to the compromise of seeing it only outlawed "in public."
Sani's fellow panel member Ichsan Soelistio, lawmaker with the secular Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDIP), said while it was true there was majority support for the new criminal code, full criminalization of same-sex relations is out of the question.
"We (will) still protect their private lives, including their sex life, as long as they don't do it in a public area," he told CNN.
Soelistio said the law couldn't reach into people's private lives if there was no complaints from the parties involved.
"This will go to a vote maybe around one or two months after our recess, which ends on March 4 ... I believe (the new code) will be good for Indonesia," he said.
Despite its widely held Muslim beliefs, Indonesia's population didn't always openly discriminate against LGBT people.
"Indonesia has a long history of tolerance towards queer communities. It's always been described as one of the most tolerant countries in Southeast Asia to its queer population," Tim Lindsey, director of the Center for Indonesian Law, Islam and Society at the University of Melbourne, told CNN.
But a recent poll by Saiful Mujani Research and Consulting released in January found 87.6% of Indonesians believed LGBT people were a threat to Indonesia, while a 2013 Pew Research poll found 93% of Indonesians thought homosexuality was "morally unacceptable."
However despite many citizens' deeply-held Islamic beliefs, not everyone is in favor of the complete criminalization of homosexuality.
Jakarta resident, Viana, told CNN that while her Muslim faith prohibited homosexuality she didn't want LGBT people to be sent to jail.
"I don't want homosexuality to spread (but) I think it should not be criminalized. Rather people should get better religious education," she said.
More than 70,000 people have signed a petition, started by women's rights activists, calling for lawmakers to throw out the new draft but experts say that secular politicians are unlikely to take up the cause.
'Sissies'
In recent months Indonesian authorities have grown bolder in their attacks on the country's LGBT population.
Before dawn on January 28, police raided beauty salons in conservative Aceh province, dragging 12 transgender women out to the streets. The women were then shaved, taken into custody and forced to act as men.
In a video taken shortly after the raid, North Aceh Police Chief Ahmad Untung Surianata speaks to a crowd that gathered to watch the arrests, describing the group of women as part of a "disease."
"This "disease" is contagious and growing ... It is inhumane if I let the number of sissies increase in this area," he tells the crowd.
Speaking to CNN days after the incident, Surianata insisted it had not been an anti-LGBT operation but instead a drug raid to investigate reports of crystal meth being circulated in the area.
Jakarta-based activist Kate Walton said the violence shocked and horrified Indonesia's already nervous LGBT community.
"One concerning element was that the police chief said he had the right to do this because he had consulted with Islamic leaders beforehand," she said.
"So people are starting to ask -- who is really in charge in Aceh? The government or the religious leaders?"
The rise of powerful Islamic conservatives in Indonesia, mostly unopposed by senior politicians, has emboldened authorities with a low opinion of LGBT people to act against them.
Hundreds of Indonesian men have been arrested by police in raids on gay saunas and private events across Java, ostensibly for breaking pornography laws, while local media reported more than a dozen LGBT apps have been made unavailable inside the country at the government's request.
UN Human Rights head Zeid said he found the recent "extremist views" playing out across Indonesia "deeply worrying," during his visit in February.
"Accompanied as they are by rising levels of incitement to discrimination, hatred or violence in various parts of the country, including Aceh," he said.
"Islamophobia is wrong. Discrimination on the basis of religious beliefs and color is wrong. Discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation or any other status is wrong," he said.
'We should fight together'
It's no coincidence the brutal crackdown on LGBT Indonesians and the showdown over the criminal code comes just before a series of national elections, set to take place over the next 14 months.
Local elections for governors and mayors across Indonesia's dozens of provinces are due to take place in June 2018, while Indonesian President Joko Widodo faces a battle for re-election in April 2019.
Indonesian politicians are scared to oppose conservative Muslim groups after they were instrumental in the toppling and imprisonment of once-popular Jakarta governor Basuki Tjahaja Purnama, also known as Ahok, in May 2017, Human Rights Watch researcher Andreas Harsono said.
"Many Islamist leaders are going to put pressure on every politician (to pass the criminal code) ... Many politicians in a conservative country like Indonesia will think twice before standing up for an LGBT individual," he said.
It isn't unusual for harsh rhetoric against minorities such as LGBT Indonesians to be used prior to an election to gain votes, but unlike in previous political cycles, experts believe the current hostile environment could be here to stay.
There is no confirmed date for when the final vote on the criminal code will come, or what form the final legislation might take. A vote was postponed in mid-February and activists say it could take place in April, when the next plenary session in Indonesia's parliament is scheduled.
Despite the looming possibility of criminalization and even a jail sentence, Ael said he had never for a moment thought about leaving Indonesia, despite the growing hostility towards LGBT people such as himself.
"I've never imagined that situation because we should fight for this issue. Who will work for this issue if all of us young people go out from this country?" he told CNN.
"We are the future of this country so we should fight for this issue. We should fight together."
16 Turkish women were found guilty of terrorism and sentenced to death by an Iraqi court on Sunday.
Iraq's Central Criminal Court issued the sentence after "it was proven they belong to ISIS terrorist group," Judge Abdul Sattar al-Beeraqdar, the High Judicial Council's spokesman, said in a statement.
16 Turkish women sentenced to death by Iraqi court The women were found guilty of joining ISIS and of terrorism
"The convicted women had confessed during the investigation they joined ISIS, marrying ISIS members and providing logistical aid to the group," al-Beeraqdar added.
Since the Iraqi military announced in December 2017 that the nation was "fully liberated" of ISIS, the government has faced the dilemma of prosecuting former ISIS members. This includes the hundreds of women from around the world who flocked to the Islamic caliphate -- drawn by the promise of a new life and marriage to strong, devout men.
Several women who surrendered to Iraqi forces alongside defeated ISIS fighters have already been sentenced to death or life in prison, according to Human Rights Watch. The humanitarian organization warns that these women are receiving unfair trials due to their perceived collusion with ISIS.
"In these cases, the women are getting the harshest possible sentences for what appears to be marriage to an ISIS member or a coerced border crossing. The Iraqi courts need to redirect their priorities," Belkis Wille, a senior Iraq researcher at Human Rights Watch, said in a statement released last week.
The Iraqi court said the death sentence of the 16 Turkish women can be appealed.
(CNN) -- A Florida state representative is calling on Gov. Rick Scott to remove Broward County Sheriff Scott Israel from his post for his deputies' "incomprehensible inaction" during the high school massacre.
"An investigation into the incomprehensible inaction of these deputies by Sheriff Israel will do nothing to bring back the 17 victims," Bill Hager said in a letter to the governor, referring to the students and teachers confessed shooter, Nikolas Cruz, killed.
"The Sheriff was or should have been aware of the threat Cruz presented to his community and chose to ignore it."
In his letter, Hager cites Florida statute 112.52, which he says gives Scott "removal authority for neglect of duty and incompetence."
His call came after Marjory Stoneman Douglas' armed school resource officer, Deputy Scot Peterson, resigned Thursday after he was suspended amid accusations he did nothing to stop the massacre.
Israel says Peterson never went into building where the shooter was firing at students, instead taking a position outside.
In a letter of response to the governor, Israel said he was proud of the work that many of his deputies and other agencies did the day of the shooting and that he was appalled by Hager's "need to engage in disingenuous political grandstanding, perhaps in the hope he will garner some headlines, at the expense of the truth."
He also said that Hager's letter "was riddled with factual errors, unsupported gossip, and falsehoods."
Deputy suspended
Israel made the decision to suspend Peterson -- who was armed and in uniform at the time of the shooting -- after interviewing the deputy and reviewing footage and witness statements, he said.
"What I saw was a deputy arrive at the west side of building 12, take up a position," Israel said of the video. "And he never went in."
Israel told reporters Peterson should have "[w]ent in. Addressed the killer. Killed the killer." Instead, the deputy waited outside for about four minutes.
During that time, Israel said, Peterson got on his radio and took a position where he could see the western entry of the building.
Officers from the nearby Coral Springs Police Department who also responded to the shooting say they were surprised to find three other Broward County deputies had also not entered the building when they arrived, sources tell CNN.
Other deputies may have also been outside school
The deputies had their pistols drawn and were behind their vehicles, the sources said. None of them had gone into the school.
With direction from the Broward deputies who were outside, Coral Springs police soon entered the building. Additional Broward County sheriff's deputies arrived on the scene, and two of those deputies and an officer from the nearby Sunrise Police Department joined the Coral Springs police as they went into the building.
It's unclear whether the shooter was still in the building when they arrived.
Sources cautioned that tapes are under review and official accounts could ultimately differ from recollections of officers on the scene.
TM & 2018 Cable News Network, Inc., a Time Warner Company. All rights reserved.
Esmond Allcock has six children, 17 grandchildren, 36 great-grandchildren and 12 great-great-grandchildren.
But to his dismay, none of them were named for him.
That finally changed last year when his great-granddaughter Jenna Lehne decided to name her second son Esmond, prompting a tender moment when Allcock met his namesake for the first time.
"As he held my son, he kissed his head and said over and over again, 'You don't know what this means to me. You don't know what this means to me,'" Lehne wrote in a post published last week on Love What Matters, a site that celebrates real-life stories of love and compassion.
At 108, Allcock is one of Canada's oldest residents. The widower lives in an assisted-living facility in Kerrobert, Saskatchewan.
"When I got pregnant with my second, he mentioned to my grandmother that he was responsible for 71 descendants and no one had named their son after him," Lehne wrote in her post. "My husband and I had wanted to name our new son after family, and that just sealed the deal."
Lehne and her family live about five hours away in Okotoks, Alberta.
When little Esmond was born on January 11, 2017 -- nearly 107 years after his great-great-grandfather -- Canada's bitter winter weather made a visit difficult. But once the snow started to melt last spring, Lehne decided to travel to Kerrobert to surprise Allcock and introduce him to his namesake.
"He takes such joy in his family and his decedents. He's met all of his great-great-grand-kids and he loves each and every one of them," she told CNN.
It's not clear why it took so long -- 78 years -- for Allcock to get a namesake.
According Lehne, some of her family members carry Esmond as a middle name. His was mentioned in a pool of family names that relatives could choose from in naming their children, she said.
When they arrived in Kerrobert, Allcock didn't recognize them at first. But he quickly became attached to young Esmond. And when he finally recognized them and learned the baby's name, his reaction was truly priceless, Lehne said.
"I wish I could fully explain how much it meant to me," she wrote.
Lehne told CNN she was inspired to write the blog post to showcase her family's joy and to update the rest of her relatives on the happy news.
"Our family tree is more like a family forest," she said. "We're spread out all over the country, but social media makes it easy for us to share family updates and keep in touch."
Now the family will have to wait and see if little Esmond's name gets passed along again someday.
ZIONSVILLE, Ind. (AP) Matt White remembers that day in September 2016 when a mystery began to unravel that would change his life.
It started when White read a news report that Dr. Donald Cline, a retired Indianapolis fertility specialist, faced charges for lying when he denied hed inseminated unwitting patients with his own sperm decades earlier. He searched out Clines address online, recognizing it as the location of his mothers former doctor. Then he Googled the doctors name. When a photo popped up, he was stunned: He looked like Cline.
It was just too similar to be coincidental, he says. White had long known he was a donor baby, but that day, he had an eerie feeling he was staring at the man who was likely his biological father.
Around the same time, Julie Harmon saw a TV news story about Cline. Shed discovered years earlier that her blood type indicated she was not the child of both her parents. She didnt follow up to find out why, but the report about Cline, her mothers fertility doctor, was unnerving.
In the pit of my stomach, she says, I knew something was wrong.
The TV story featured Jacoba Ballard, whose mother had also gone to Cline and whose complaint to the state helped launched an investigation. Harmon contacted Ballard through Facebook, and they traded photos. There were striking similarities.
I looked at pictures of her, and I knew, Harmon says. We even part our hair the same.
These two women and White recently crowded into an Indianapolis courtroom to hear Cline receive a one-year suspended sentence for lying to investigators when he denied wrongdoing; DNA tests determined he is the biological father of Ballard and another woman whose mother was his patient. Cline apologized for the pain my actions have caused but didnt specify how often he used his own sperm in procedures court documents say he told Ballard about 50 times.
Clines sentencing, though, was not the end of this story. Instead, in an extraordinary epilogue, three one-time strangers White, Harmon and Ballard have forged a kinship as brother and sisters, even as they wrestle with the revelation about their identities. Theyve also reached out to 21 other men and women, all in their 30s, whove been identified through DNA tests as half-siblings evidence, they say, that Cline is likely their father, as well. About a half-dozen of them live in central Indiana.
Many stay in touch through a private Facebook page, and several gathered last fall for a cookout with their spouses, children and three mothers whod been Cline patients. Others have gone on social outings, shared childhood photos, taken note of similarities (most of the men are over 6 feet tall) and, at times, confided in one another private details of their lives.
Its a very surreal experience, White says. Ive shared personal stories that I havent shared with anyone but my wife. You have almost this instant bond with people who are not only part of this horrible situation, but you can relate to them on an intimate level in a way you cant with anyone else.
White says theyve joked about having a ready pool of possible bone marrow and transplant donors. But this DNA discovery has left emotional scars, too. For the three public faces of this unique club, it has been a wrenching experience.
___
Jacoba Ballard was angry when she sat in court in December, describing a three-year ordeal that determined Cline is her biological father.
There has not been one part of my life that has not suffered, she told the judge. I find myself mentally drained by thinking of this constantly. I now have anxiety, panic attacks. I isolate myself from family and friends.
Ballard, 37, says Cline told her mother he used donor sperm from medical residents. Shed known since she was 10 that she was a donor child, but in 2014, Ballard grew curious about her family history and thought she might be able to track down some brothers and sisters. She took a DNA test from 23andMe.com, a biotech company that uses saliva samples to determine ancestry and identify distant and close relatives, health risks and physical traits.
Clients can choose whether to be identified in a DNA relatives tool that connects them to others. When Ballards results came back, they listed seven half-siblings, all but one identified by name. Ballard and two others got together, assembled a family tree and realized one common thread: Their mothers had gone to Cline for fertility treatments.
Ballard and a half-sister arranged to meet with two of Clines adult children. At first, she says, they denied their father had been a donor, then said hed done so in a small number of cases. About a month later, Ballard and a group of the half-siblings met with Cline himself, and she says he told conflicting stories, finally saying hed donated sperm about 50 times to help unknowing patients who desperately wanted children.
When Ballard filed a complaint with the Indiana attorney generals office, Cline responded in a letter that anyone accusing him of being a donor was guilty of slander and/or libel. At his sentencing, he acknowledged using his sperm. I was foolish in my actions, and I should not have lied, he said.
Ballards DNA match to Cline was 99.9997, court records show.
The case wasnt the first of its kind. In Virginia, Dr. Cecil Jacobson was convicted in 1992 of fraud and perjury for using his sperm to impregnate patients without telling them. Cline was convicted of obstruction of justice for lying to investigators, but a measure pushed by Ballard and others was introduced in the Indiana Senate this year to make it a crime for doctors to treat patients for infertility by using their own sperm or egg without consent. The measure didnt receive a hearing, so its dead for this session; its sponsor has not yet decided if hell reintroduce it.
I feel like our mothers were violated, Ballard says. He has torn all of our lives apart.
If there is any comfort, she says, its in the camaraderie thats developed among several half-siblings. Theyve gotten together for concerts, an occasional softball game for one of their kids and a few Christmas celebrations. White and Harmon attended the high school graduation ceremonies of Ballards two children, and the two women speak every day. They laugh about their similar tastes; they even prefer the same order at McDonalds no onions.
But Ballard has regrets, too. He cheated himself out of knowing his children. Thats what we are.
As for her half-siblings: We also feel cheated that we didnt get to know each other growing up.
___
Julie Harmon always believed she had a biological bond with her father.
I grew up thinking I had these characteristics of my father his eyes, his skin tone. Im flat-footed; my dad was, too. But then, 35 years later, for that to be ripped away from you its really hard. I see a counselor to help with it, but I still cry about it every day.
Harmons mother, Dianna Kiesler, says that based on discussions with Cline, she thought her husband was her donor, and after many years of trying, she was able to conceive with the help of drugs Cline prescribed. After Julies birth, her mother was so thrilled she visited the doctor to show her off.
Then decades later, Harmon took a 23andMe test at Ballards urging. The results that identified her as a half-sibling were devastating.
Ive lost my entire identity, says the 36-year-old nurse. Everything that Ive known up until this point is not there.
Barry Starr, a Stanford University geneticist, says if two people are identified as half-siblings from a DNA test and they dont have the same mother, they will share the same father, assuming they arent grandparent and grandchild, uncle and niece or, in rare cases, first cousins.
Harmon says her father was crushed by the news. He doesnt talk about it to me, she says. He was very worried my kids would think he wasnt their grandpa anymore. Hes very angry.
Her mother, though, says: No matter what happened, our daughter is our daughter. I carried her for nine months. He has helped her for 36 years. She knows who her real parents are.
Harmon says whenever she receives an online notification that a DNA test has identified another half-sibling, either she, Ballard or White will check Facebook to see if they have mutual friends who can explain the situation. If not, one of the three will try.
Most of these people who are taking these tests have no idea that they have just opened up Pandoras box, she says. They have no idea how their lives have changed.'
Some prefer no further contact, but Harmon has formed deep friendships with others.
I consider all of them my brothers and sisters, she says. I have all these siblings that I can talk to and spend time with and rely on. I couldnt imagine going through this on my own. At least we all have each other, because no one truly understands this unless youve been through it. Were all in this together.
___
The day after Matt White first saw a photo of Cline, he embarked on his own search for answers.
He contacted Ballard and took a 23andMe test, constantly checking for results. Hed known since he was a teen that he was conceived through a donor and had no interest in finding his biological father. Cline, he says, had told his mother her donor was a medical student the same explanation hed offered to many fertility patients.
I went from not having a care to wanting to know everything, says the 34-year-old White. He tracked down a medical school graduation photo of Cline and studied photos of Clines son online, noticing similar facial traits a round face and high forehead.
Hes also detected a strong resemblance to Ballard.
When I first met Jacoba, even to this day, I have a hard time not staring at her, he says. I see so much of my face in her.
The connection, though, goes beyond appearances. White says he clicked instantly with another half-sister who was a 99.998 DNA match to Cline. At their first meeting, White says, they talked for five hours, developing an instant rapport.
White, a biologist, says hes been able to open up with his new half-siblings, even discussing his own infertility problems, something hes spoken about with very few people. White and his wife have two children conceived through in vitro fertilization.
Ive pretty much given up all my lifes secrets, he says.
For a time, White says everywhere hed go in the Indianapolis area, hed be searching for anyone who resembled him, wondering: Are they my brother? Are they my sister?
With DNA tests becoming more popular, White believes their group will grow. As recently as a few weeks ago, he learned of another half-sibling. All were born between 1979 and 1987, and considering thats a long span, he says:
To think weve found all of us in a two-year period? Thats not likely. Theres got to be many more children out there.
___
Sharon Cohen, a Chicago-based national writer, can be reached at scohen@ap.org or http://twitter.com/@scohenAP
TERRE HAUTE, Ind. (WTHI)- A large crowd turned out for the second Vigo County cracker barrel session. Citizens like Becky Buse is no stranger to these sessions.
Others like Buse came to discuss with these public officials about a proposed food and beverage tax for Vigo County.
"It would make such a difference especially with Hulman Center coming on and we have such a good clear plan what we would do with the money," said Buse.
Senator Jon Ford who sponsored Senate Bill 35 has been all for this extra income. Though some people raised concerns for the tax Senator Ford has been very happy to see such support from the community.
"This was a local government issue that they brought. They got businesses together. They galvanized our community and its going to help us in the general assembly long term because they haven't seen that from Terre Haute," said Senator Ford.
One thing ford wanted to stress is it wouldn't immediately go into effect if it is passed. The county would have the power to impose the tax when needed.
"Its not an automatic if we get it through the general assembly that its going to be an instant tax. If you look at Bloomington for example, it took them seven years before they really needed to implement it. Its just another tool for the local government," said Senator Ford.
For many they used this crackerbarrel session as a way to not only express their concerns to public officials but also to educate themselves on what could come to be in the future.
"I would urge all people to come to these. Its just a teaching tool that's what it is," said Buse.
Senate Bill 35 which is the Vigo County food and beverage tax has been sent to the house but it may be sometime before we learn the fate of the bill.
INDIANA (WTHI) - Indiana's Governor has declared a state of emergency for parts of the state hit hardest by Mother Nature.
This declaration will allow Emergency Management to mobilize resources and it is a step the state is required to take to request federal assistance.
Right now, 11 counties are included. None in the Wabash Valley. However, more counties may be added in the coming days.
The complete list of counties include:
Carroll
Dearborn
Elkhart
Fulton
Lake
Marshall
Perry
St. Joseph
Starke
Switzerland
White
Benton
Clark
Crawford
Floyd
Jefferson
Spencer
Warrick
In addition to the Indiana Department of Homeland Security, other agencies providing services include the Department of Natural Resources, Indiana State Police, Indiana Department of Transportation, Indiana Department of Corrections, Indiana National Guard and the American Red Cross.
WASHINGTON (AP) The Supreme Court is rejecting the Trump administrations highly unusual bid to get the justices to intervene in the controversy over protections for hundreds of thousands of young immigrants.
The justices on Monday refused to take up the administrations appeal of a lower court order that requires the administration to continue accepting renewal applications for the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, or DACA. What made the appeal unusual is that the administration sought to bypass the federal appeals court in San Francisco and go directly to the Supreme Court.
In a brief unsigned comment, the justices they assume the court of appeals will proceed expeditiously to decide this case.
A judge in New York also has ruled in favor of immigrants challenging the end of DACA, and that case is expected to proceed to the federal appeals court in New York.
President Donald Trump had set March 5 as the end date for the DACA program. The court order says applications must be accepted indefinitely. DACA has provided protection from deportation and work permits for about 800,000 young people, many who were brought to the U.S. illegally.
Its unclear how the courts action Monday will affect efforts in Congress to come up with a legislative fix. The Senate recently failed to pass an immigration bill.
The Supreme Court rarely hears a case before a lower appeals court has considered it. The fight over whether President Richard Nixon had to turn over the Watergate tapes is one such example.
AMORY, Miss. (WTVA) - Three men face felony charges in two separate Amory cases.
On February 21, Amory police responded to a call at an apartment complex in Amory about shots fired.
Officers contacted Gary Jernighan, 29, of Amory. He was arrested without incident and charged with the possession of a weapon by a felon. His bond was set at $3,000.
He's being held in the Monroe County jail for the Mississippi Department of Corrections (MDOC) for parole violation.
TUPELO, Miss. (WTVA) - Tupelo water residents may return to normal water usage now.
Earlier Monday, the City of Tupelo asked water customers to conserve water for 24 hours because of a water line problem in Mooreville. The 36-inch line came part in two locations when a big gash opened in a section of Highway 178 over the weekend.
This water line provides water to Tupelo.
Crews were able to repair the damage. Since full pressure was not lost, the city says a boil water notice is not necessary.
JACKSON, Miss. (WTVA) - University of Mississippi Medical Center and Vanderbilt University Medical Center have reached an agreement to help one another.
allows the two institutions to jointly collaborate on medical innovation programs and clinical research opportunities; and
provides a pathway for UMMC and VUMC to formally collaborate on a broad range of health and wellness initiatives and clinical services;
allows the two institutions to form and to share new clinical programs and services;
"VUMC and UMMC share the common goal of improving the health of the populations we serve through outstanding patient care, biomedical research and teaching," O'Mara said. "As the leading academic medical centers in our respective adjoining states, we also face many of the same or similar opportunities and challenges in today's changing health care landscape.
CLEVELAND, OH (WOIO) - Broward County Sheriff Scott Israel is facing increasing scrutiny after several of his deputies reportedly failed to engage with the gunman at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla.
Florida Republican lawmakers sent a letter to Gov. Rick Scott on Sunday calling on the state leader to suspend Israel for "incompetence and dereliction of duty."
Today I sent the following letter to @FLGovScott Asking that he suspend Broward County Sheriff Scott Israel for incompetence and dereliction of duty. I was honored to be joined by 73 Republican colleagues. You can read the letter attached here. pic.twitter.com/exZVwGQ3DR Richard Corcoran (@richardcorcoran) February 25, 2018
According to CBS News, Sheriff Israel said that armed security officer Scot Peterson had a chance to stop the shooting that left 17 students and faculty members dead and 14 others injured. Peterson failed to enter the building where 19-year-old Nikolas Cruz opened fire with an AR-15.
Peterson has since resigned, while two others are on restricted duty during a review into their actions during the mass shooting, according to CBS News.
Sheriff Israel told CNN during an appearance on "State of the Union" that he is disgusted, but says he will not step down.
"Of course I won't resign," said Sheriff Israel.
Students are scheduled to return to Stoneman Douglas High School on Wednesday, two weeks after the mass shooting.
Copyright 2018 WOIO. All rights reserved.
PARKLAND, FL (HawaiiNewsNow) - Over 4,800 miles from the islands, Hawaii's spirit of Aloha was felt at the scene of the nation's latest mass school shooting.
On Sunday afternoon, half of the two and a half-mile-long ti leaf lei woven by hands of volunteers all around the state made it to Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland FL.
It was an emotional ceremony filled with native Hawaiian protocol, chants and song.
The lei, which represents Hawaii standing strong with the Parkland community, was draped over a fence alongside other memorials for the victims.
Some 26 schools and hundreds of volunteers from Hawaii contributed to the act of aloha by donating ti leaves and twisting them into lei.
On Monday, the other half of the lei will be presented at a memorial site near the campus.
Organizers of the "Lei of Aloha" project have previously sent similar leis in the wake of other tragedies around the world.
They've sent leis to Paris after a terror bombing, Orlando after a shooting at the Pulse nightclub and Las Vegas following another deadly shooting.
"When will enough be enough? We can no longer just offer up the lei and our aloha, our message must be stronger," organizer Ron Panzo said.
Since the shooting, thousands of students have spoken up nationwide, planning walkouts to protest gun violence in America.
The Lei of Aloha organizers have neared their online fundraising goal, and are expected to return to Hawaii on Wednesday.
The lei reinforces the group's message, "#WeAreOne.
A volunteer with the Hawaii chapter of the American Red Cross is also heading to Florida to help survivors and families cope with the tragedy.
"We deal with a lot of trauma and helping families, not only to work with their loved ones, but to also help process a plan on how to move forward," volunteer Ryan Yamane said.
The Red Cross will continue their efforts in helping those affected this week.
Copyright 2018 Hawaii News Now. All rights reserved.
COLQUITT CO., GA (WALB) - Extra security was on campus Friday at Willie J. Williams Middle School in Colquitt County after a written threat prompted an investigation and eventually the arrest of a student.
This happened Thursday during school hours.
A 7th-grade student was taken into custody and charged after deputies said he wrote a threatening message.
Deputies said they found a note in a book written by a student. That is where the threat sourced from. They said they take every threat seriously, with 8th resource officers they are able to investigate them fully.
Just a little over a week after 17 students were killed in a horrendous mass shooting at a South Florida high school, many people across the US are worried about safety in the schools.
Thursday, according to school officials a threatening note was found in a book referencing "shooting up a school".
Superintendent Doug Howell said the incident was investigated by school administration and the Colquitt County Sheriff's Department. There is a full-time Deputy (SRO) on campus at Williams Middle School.
"Our number one priority is the safety of our students and staff and the security of our campuses," said David Kent, SRO for CCSO.
Several students were questioned about the writing and the 7th grader was identified as the student who had written the statement. Authorities said that the student confessed to the writing in the book.
Howell released a statement in part saying: "There were no weapons involved or found at the school. The student was arrested by the authorities, charges were pressed."
School resource officers in Colquitt County said they took this threat seriously just as they do every other threat at one of their schools.
"We didn't do anything differently, every threat that comes in no matter how small it comes in no matter how big or small it may seem we do our due diligence. Each time we take it very very seriously," said Kent.
The student is not at school, he has been suspended for 10 days and is also facing charges.
Copyright 2018 WALB. All rights reserved.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-02-26 03:44:38|Editor: yan
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CAIRO, Feb. 25 (Xinhua) -- The Egyptian prosecution froze the funds and assets of former presidential candidate and opposition figure Abdel-Moneim Aboul-Fotouh over his involvement in terrorist activities, the public prosecutor's office said in a statement on Sunday.
Aboul-Fotouh, the head of Strong Egypt Party, was arrested on Feb. 14 and was later enlisted by a criminal court, along with 15 other defendants, as terrorist.
His arrest came one day after his return from London where he gave interviews critical of the Egyptian government.
He also joined an opposition call in Egypt to boycott the 2018 presidential election scheduled for late March, where incumbent President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi is expected to make an easy win due to the lack of strong challengers.
Held in custody pending investigation, the ex-presidential candidate is accused of having links with the currently outlawed Muslim Brotherhood group of former Islamist President Mohamed Morsi, who was ousted by the military in July 2013 in response to mass protests.
Aboul-Fotouh also faces charges of cooperating with blacklisted group members in exile to spread false news that would threaten the country's national interests, undermine the state institutions and harm national unity and social peace.
The politician was once a Brotherhood leading member, but he quit the group in 2011, following the ouster of veteran President Hosni Mubarak, and ran as an independent candidate in the 2012 presidential polls.
SKOPJE, Feb. 25 (Xinhua) -- Macedonia is on the right track towards the opening of accession talks with the European Union (EU), the President of the European Commission Jean-Claude Juncker told a news conference here Sunday.
Juncker, who is accompanied by EU Enlargement Commissioner Johannes Hahn, said Macedonia had made impressive progress, but it had to take more steps on its path to the EU.
Meanwhile, he noted that the EU would reach decisions about the countries separately, based on their individual merits.
However, he explained that he hadn't come to Skopje to announce an exact date for the opening of EU negotiations.
"We haven't come here to announce a date, we are here to tell you that you're on the right track, and if you continue taking this path, within months you will give an opportunity to the European Commission to propose opening of talks to the Council of the EU," Juncker told a joint news conference in Skopje with Macedonian Prime Minister Zoran Zaev.
Further, he called on Macedonian authorities to solve the name issue with Greece while he praised the progress made in the process.
He considered the Macedonian government's decision to rename the Alexander the Great airport as a sign of concession in the negotiating process.
On his part, Zaev said that Macedonia put an emphasis on building new bridges of cooperation and opening dialogue based on mutual respect.
Zaev stressed that for the government, a name with a geographical qualifier was acceptable as a solution that would make a distinction between Macedonia and the region in Greece, which is also called Macedonia.
However, Zaev stressed that Macedonia opted for a solution that would respect the dignity and protect the identity of the two countries.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-02-26 04:59:54|Editor: Zhou Xin
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BARCELONA, Feb. 25 (Xinhua) -- Chinese telecommunications companies Huawei and ZTE on Sunday presented several mobile devices on the eve of the opening of the 2018 Mobile World Congress (MWC) in Barcelona.
Huawei, who apparently will not use this year's MWC to launch any new smartphones, presented the slimline Huawei MateBook Pro X, a high end touch-screen laptop with a 13.9 inch screen, a 3000 x 2000 resolution and a 92 percent screen to body ratio.
The company also presented the MediaPad M5, a new range of tablets with 8.4 and 10.8 inch screens
ZTE meanwhile presented its mid-range Blade V9 smartphone, which has a 5.7 inch Full HD screen and which comes in three different versions with 4GB RAM and memories of between 16GB to 64GB, which can be extended by the use of external memory cards.
The Blade V9 will cost between 269 euros and 299 euros and contains a camera which allows for clearer shots in the dark. It also has a 16 megapixel camera in its rear and a 5 megapixel camera in its face.
ZTE also introduced its ZTE Blade V9 Vita, a smartphone with 2GB RAM and 16GB storage.
Finally, Alcatel, whose hardware is made by the Chinese Company TLC, presented its Series 5, Series 3 and Series 1 phones on Saturday, as well as two tablets and a series of routers.
The MWC is expected to attract 108,000 visitors from over 200 countries with 2,300 companies exhibiting in Barcelona.
CHICAGO, Feb. 25 (Xinhua) -- Dozens of people line for photos with Chinese dancing lions as thousands of visitors attending free program of Chinese New Year Celebration by municipal government in Navy Pier of Chicago this weekend.
Not only traditional Chinese lion dance, four-hour intermittent performance of Chinese drum and music, Kong Fu, Chinese dance and Chi Pao (a body-hugging one-piece Chinese dress for women) fashion show by Chinese Fine Arts Society staged at Grand Ballroom of Navy Pier, one of the most visited attractions in U.S. Midwest.
"The Chinese lions are so cute and my baby just cannot help touching," Julie Scott, mother of a three-year-old baby, told Xinhua. For Julie and many other visitors, having selfies with Chinese lions is a must-do for the event.
Themed "Global Connections: Chinese New Year," the city government sponsored activity offers visitors colorful experience, you can either have a taste of Chinese dim sum, or learn about Chinese medicine, paper cutting. On the two sides of the central stage, there are many stalls selling Chinese handicrafts.
"I love Chinese food, and I always have dinners with my good friends in Chinatown," said Sierra Nicole. She and her boyfriend bought a box of craft chopsticks from the vendors.
Chicago is the first city in the U.S. to launch Chinese New Year celebration in the name of city government, and 2018 will be the fifth year for the City of Chicago to mark Chinese New Year.
Chicago has paid much attention to obtain Chinese investment and attract more Chinese tourists. There is a huge potential to expand the market.
Thanks to all efforts made, total domestic and oversea visitors to Chicago reached 53.91 million in 2016, an increase of 2.5 percent from record 52.59 million in 2015. To be specific, domestic visitation was a record 52.35 million, an increase of 2.7 percent from 2015; overseas visitation is estimated at 1.466 million, according to statistics provided by Choose Chicago.
HOUSTON, Feb. 25 (Xinhua) -- Natural gas will continue to replace coal due to its competitive edge in prices, according to energy experts on Sunday.
Frank Felder, director of Center for Energy, Economic and Environmental Policy in Rutgers University's Energy Institute, told Xinhua that natural gas "has been, is and will continue to replace coal. Depending on how aggressive the Texas state renewable policy is, wind, then solar are also doing so."
As the price of natural gas maintains a competitive edge over coal for fueling power plants, three coal-fueled power plants have retired in the Texas so far this year.
However, Felder said the retirement of the three coal-fueled power plants would not lead to shortage of available electricity in the hot summer months.
"This does not mean there cannot be shortages, but unless there is a fundamental problem with the market, one would not expect there to be a problem," Felder said.
The Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) manages the flow of electric power to 24 million Texas customers -- representing about 90 percent of the state' s electric load. As the independent system operator for the region, ERCOT schedules power on an electric grid that connects more than 46,500 miles of transmission lines and 570-plus generation units.
Felder said, "I do not follow ERCOT on a daily basis, but if plants are retiring due to low prices (for sale), it may suggest an overall surplus (of electricity)."
ERCOT has forecast the reserve margin during the 2018 summer peak season to be 9.3 percent with a forecast peak demand of under 73,000 megawatts with capacity of just over 78,000 megawatts. Last year it was 12.3 percent with 82,000 megawatts of capacity.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-02-26 06:05:06|Editor: yan
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ANKARA, Feb. 25 (Xinhua) -- The UN Security Council's ceasefire decision in Syria would not have impact on Turkey's ongoing military operation in Afrin, Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Bekir Bozdag said Sunday.
"When we look at the UN Security Council resolution, we see that fight against terror organizations is outside its scope. Therefore, it will not affect Turkey's ongoing operation," Bozdag was quoted by state-run Anadolu Agency as saying.
Earlier on Sunday, Turkey Foreign Ministry welcomed the resolution in a written statement, noting that Turkey would continue its military operation in Syria's Afrin.
"We welcome the resolution adopted by the UN Security Council in response to the worsening humanitarian situation all across Syria, particularly in Eastern Ghouta," read the statement.
Turkey will at the same time "remain resolute in fighting against the terrorist organizations that threaten the territorial integrity and political unity of Syria," it added.
The UN Security Council on Saturday adopted a resolution calling for a 30-day ceasefire in Syria to allow for humanitarian aid deliveries.
On Jan. 20, Turkey launched Operation Olive Branch to clear the People's Protection Units (YPG) militia from Syria's Afrin. Ankara sees YPG as the Syrian affiliate of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), a terrorist organization listed by Turkey.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-02-26 06:05:07|Editor: yan
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LONDON, Feb. 25 (Xinhua) -- There are no early indications that the late Sunday explosion in Leicester City was connected to terrorist activity, reports said.
Carlisle Street and part of Hinckley Road have been closed and police are asking people to avoid the area.
University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust tweeted that four patients taken to Leicester Royal Infirmary from the scene of the explosion are in a "critical condition."
Six fire engines were at the scene, Leicestershire Police said. Pictures showed flames rising from a building.
Earlier, local police declare a "major incident" after reports of an explosion in the Hinckley Road area of Leicester.
Leicester Police said on Twitter this evening: "There has been a major incident in the Hinckley Road, Leicester. All emergency services are currently dealing with this."
At around 7:03 p.m., Leicestershire Fire and Rescue received calls from the public who said they had heard a blast in the Hinckley Road.
Dramatic pictures and video shared on social media show flames erupting from a property in the Hinckley Road in Leicester City, which, located in England's East Midlands region, is about 140 kilometers from London.
Australian PrimeMinister Malcolm Turnbull (L) speaks during a joint press conference with U.S. President Donald Trump at the White House in Washington D.C., the United States, Feb. 23, 2018. U.S. President Donald Trump on Friday met with visiting Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull here on closer economic and security relations between the two countries. (Xinhua/Ting Shen)
WASHINGTON, Feb. 24 (Xinhua) -- Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull wrapped up a four-day visit to the United States on Saturday after failing to woo U.S. President Donald Trump back to the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) negotiations.
According to a list offered by the White House after Friday's Trump-Turnbull meeting, the two nations announced a commitment to further cooperation on areas such as energy, infrastructural construction, health security and anti-terrorism.
Despite a wide range of consensus reached in Turnbull's visit, it is believed one of the biggest challenges in his visit to Washington was to persuade the U.S. president to soften his stance on the TPP, a trade pact Trump tore up last year.
The Australian prime minister offered to invest Australian pension money into U.S. infrastructure to make U.S. rejoin the group while Trump was not nudged.
The TPP "was a very bad deal for the United States. It would have cost us tremendous amounts of jobs, would have been bad," Trump said in the joint press conference with Turnbull.
"Mateship" was the word intentionally picked by Trump and Turnbull to term the bilateral relations with a rocky start featuring Trump's abrupt ending of his phone call with Turnbull in Jan. 2017 over their clash on an asylum receiving agreement, and Turnbull's parody imitation of Trump's way of speaking and his link with the Russian government in June.
That word, however, did not make Trump greenlight the U.S. re-entry into the negotiations of the TPP.
"I like bilateral deals much more than multilateral. I like to be able to negotiate with one country, and if it doesn't work out, you terminate ...When you get into multi, you can't do that," Trump added.
"The U.S. no longer is pursuing TPP so that framework is dead as far as America is concerned," said Brookings Institution Senior Fellow Darrell West.
West added that the two countries have differences of opinion on immigration policy, climate change, and trade issues. "This is surprising because historically the two nations have been very close and worked well together."
Negative buzz against China has become more frequent than ever recently both in the United States and Australia.
At the joint press conference when two Turnbull-picked Australian journalists asked Trump his opinion of China's rising regional influence, they received unexpected answers.
"We have developed a great relationship with China; probably closer than we've ever had," said the White House host.
For his part, Turnbull said the China-U.S. ties are "the most -- single most important relationship" and "clearly very respectful, very frank, very clear-eyed."
"For our own part, we see China's rise as being overwhelmingly a positive for the region and for the world," the Australian leader also said.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-02-26 06:35:10|Editor: yan
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by Xinhua writer Gu Zhenqiu
LONDON, Feb. 25 (Xinhua) -- A new and colorful door is open to welcome the arrival of 2018, the Year of the Dog on the lunar Chinese calendar, with happy dogs just about to move into their symbolic house, while a next door, which is drab and dull, is already closed after a farewell to 2017, the Year of the Rooster, with chicken paw tracks announcing the recent departure of roosters.
Four red Chinese lanterns are hanging down from the new door, each bearing a Chinese character jointly to express "Happy New Year" greetings.
This is the picture, which illustrates a vivid transition between a new year and an old one in the Chinese culture, was painted by a ethnic Chinese child, winner of the poster drawing contest organized by the Real Chinese Academy, a Chinese-teaching weekend school in southeastern London.
After a strict selection, 13 winners of varying prizes came out of 113 candidates, most of whom are aged from four to seven years old. The award ceremony was held on Sunday to celebrate the Chinese New Year, which began on Feb. 16 according to the lunar Chinese calendar.
Many candidates are from non-Chinese families living in Bromley, a London district which is about one hour driving from the central part of the British capital.
"Children love drawing and painting," Xu Zhi, head teacher of the Real Chinese Academy, told Xinhua. "A painting is a universal language, it is a very effective vehicle to promote Chinese culture in the outside world."
"We launched the poster drawing a few weeks before the Chinese New Year, so the ethnic Chinese children can learn to draw something about the tradition Chinese festival in their paintings while non-Chinese children can have a better understanding of Chinese culture by drawing the posters and participating in the competition."
"For the ethnic Chinese children, this is the way to help them hold on to their cultural root," Xu said, adding that most of her students are all born and raised in Britain.
Han Dong, chief executive officer of the London-based Creative Time Media, told Xinhua that the candidates are very creative in their paintings.
"The posters vary in different styles," Han said. "They show you many things which are very Chinese, culturally."
"For example, the use of bright color and the poster layout give you a feeling that a high-speed Chinese train is travelling across Asia and Europe along the Silk Road," Han said. "Some posters show the children's love of China and Chinese culture."
Learning to write and read Chinese characters is the first step to understand Chinese culture, he said.
"It is very important to learn Chinese because Chinese is the language of the 21st century," Kim Botting, councillor from Orpington Ward in the London borough of Bromley. "I will continue to encourage more and more British children to learn Chinese."
The Real Chinese Academy was founded in 2006 and it has been dedicating to teaching children Chinese and spreading Chinese culture in London.
LONDON, Feb. 25 (Xinhua) -- Leicestershire Police said Sunday night that there are currently no indications of terrorist activity and businesses and homes close to the scene of an explosion have been evacuated.
"The incident will be the subject of a joint investigation with the fire service," the local police said on Twitter. "At this stage there is no indication this is terrorist related."
The blast destroyed a convenience store and a home in the downtown are of Leiscester City.
Carlisle Street and part of Hinckley Road in Leiscester City have been closed and local police asked people to avoid the area.
University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust tweeted that four patients taken to Leicester Royal Infirmary from the scene of the explosion are in a "critical condition."
Six fire engines were at the scene, Leicestershire Police said. Pictures showed flames rising from a building.
Residents living near a row of shops in the Hinkley Road, about 1.6 kilometers from the city centre, reported their houses shaking with force from a blast.
Leicester City is located in England's East Midlands region and about 140 kilometers from London.
Earlier, local police declare a "major incident" after reports of an explosion in the Hinckley Road area of Leicester.
At around 7:03 p.m., Leicestershire Fire and Rescue received calls from the public who said they had heard a blast in the Hinckley Road.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-02-26 07:15:16|Editor: Liangyu
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RIO DE JANEIRO, Feb. 25 (Xinhua) -- Argentina's Diego Schwartzman won his second ATP tour title by defeating Spaniard Fernando Verdasco 6-2, 6-3 in the Rio Open final on Sunday.
Schwartzman hit 15 winners and 15 unforced errors, securing the biggest victory of his career so far in the ATP 500 clay court event at the Jockey Club Brasileiro.
"This title is for my family, my friends and my aunt who is having a hard time," said Schwartzman, who is guaranteed to break into the world's top 20 for the first time this week.
Verdasco broke Schwartzman's serve in the first game before unravelling with a series of unforced errors.
Schwartzman breezed through the first set but encountered resistance early in the second, saving five break points. The 25-year-old broke Verdasco in the next game and didn't look back.
Verdasco, who won the doubles title with compatriot David Marrero on Saturday, refused to blame fatigue despite playing 11 matches in seven days.
"Diego played amazingly during the week. You deserve the title," the 34-year-old said. "It was a special week for me, I really wanted to come to Rio. It was almost a perfect week."
Source: Xinhua| 2018-02-26 09:00:33|Editor: Zhou Xin
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CARACAS, Feb. 25 (Xinhua) -- Venezuela is holding military defense drills this weekend motivated by a "deeply hostile" environment generated by a "world power to the north of the continent imposing sanctions against it," according to political observer Luis Quintana.
The drills are justified by the fact that the "United States is threatening military intervention, and financing and organizing the Venezuelan opposition against the ruling socialist party (PSUV)," said Quintana, a professor of international geopolitics with the Bolivarian Military University of Venezuela.
The United States has "very close allies" in some regional countries that are very like-minded," said Quintana.
He also noted that Washington is also trying to prevent Venezuela from being able to "renegotiate its debt," and "imposes illegal unilateral sanctions on high-level officials."
The observer said Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro's notion of "civic-military" drills is unique to the country.
The concept entails "the participation of the people, of social and civic organizations, in the strategic and tactical operations proposed by the armed forces," he explained.
Earlier this week, Venezuelan Defense Minister Gen. Vladimir Padrino Lopez told reporters that 1 million people will be taking part in the drills.
"Venezuela is facing a direct and frontal imperial ambush that is historically unprecedented. That is why, once again, all patriots, in perfect civic-military union, will join the exercise," Padrino said.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-02-26 09:35:40|Editor: Zhou Xin
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by Xinhua writers Jin Jing, Zhang Dailei
LONDON, Feb. 26 (Xinhua) -- The Communist Manifesto provides "an overarching sweeping" system of analysis and a perspective of how the Western society can change itself and serve the interests of the majority of people, the general secretary of the Communist Party of Britain (CPB) has said.
The fundamentals of the Western Capitalist society have remained the same as a "class divided society" since Karl Marx's days, said Robert Griffiths in an interview with Xinhua ahead of the 170th anniversary of The Communist Manifesto's publication.
"It's the vast majority of people who still have little or no option but to work for a living, and in effect to work under the direction of those who own and control not just large parts of the economy, but therefore control really the whole direction in which the society moves," said Griffiths.
The Communist Manifesto, written by Marx and Friedrich Engels, was published in London in February 1848. The political pamphlet proclaimed that "the history of all hitherto existing society is the history of class struggles" and that the inevitable victory of the proletariat, or working class, would put an end to class society forever.
RENEWED INTEREST IN SOCIALIST AND MARXIST IDEAS
The CPB chief said the West has witnessed a renewed interest in socialist and Marxist ideas as capitalism continues to fail to provide solutions to even the most basic problems of many millions of people in Britain, and billions of people around the world.
The global financial crisis and economic recession resulted from the rampant greed of corporations and the neo-Liberalism experiment have helped raise the question of what the Western society can do better to heed wider public concerns, he said.
"There are so many people who believe quite rightly that this cannot be the best that we can do. It must be possible to organize our society and our economy on a basis that would serve the interests of the vast majority, and not just the interests of a small wealthy and privileged and powerful few," said the party chief.
One of the great values of The Communist Manifesto is that it provides an overall analysis of human history, and how and why societies have changed and what the Western world can do to address the problem of great inequality, not just in terms of wealth but in terms of power, he said.
"That means that the Manifesto is still relevant today and what it proposes is still relevant," he said.
The CPB chief said he had been to China four times and the scale of what is being done and what has already been achieved in China is "phenomenal."
CHINA'S "UNEQUALLED" ACHIEVEMENT AND MARXIST IDEOLOGY
He said China's achievement in poverty alleviation is "unequalled in human history."
The party chief said he was impressed by an enormous process of modernization that China is undergoing with growing attention to the environment, to the needs of the poorest people, and to the poorest regions in the inner land.
"It is a change for the better. I don't think anybody, whatever their political views, could dispute that," he said.
What China has achieved does involve capital and the use of markets but essentially the changes are happening within the context of economic planning, large-scale public ownership and Communist Party rule, said Griffiths.
The Communist Party of China (CPC) is motivated by a desire to serve the interests of the mass of the people with a people-centered approach to development, to the environment, to all kinds of questions in China, said Griffiths.
"Of course all of those things are rooted in a Marxist conception of how society can be changed, and how it can be changed in the interests of the vast majority, in the interests of people and humanity as a whole," he said.
What the Chinese Communists are doing is applying the principles of Marxism to Chinese specific conditions and China's specific needs, he said, adding that the profound impact of Marxism in China is absolutely undeniable.
Marxism, though not a majority view in Britain, has always played a role as a system of analysis in the organized working class movement, policies of the Labour Party, in intellectual life and in the trade unions, said Griffiths.
"So Marxism has always been here in Britain. There is nothing alien about Marxism," he said.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-02-26 09:55:47|Editor: Zhou Xin
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HAVANA, Feb. 25 (Xinhua) -- On a November day in 1492, Spanish conquistadors Rodrigo de Xerez and Luis de Torres spied several natives in what is now Cuba smoking some dried leaves that gave off a "peculiar aroma."
They soon acquired a taste for "cohiba," the native term for tobacco, sparking a trend that would spread throughout the European continent and lay the foundations for Cuba's thriving cigar-making industry.
A close friend of Christopher Columbus, De Xerez soon returned to Spain aboard the caravel La Nina, taking the habit of smoking with him.
At first the unusual sight of De Xerez lighting up and exhaling swirls of smoke irked his neighbors. They denounced him to the Inquisition, which had him imprisoned for his "pagan and diabolic" habits.
De Xerez was accused of witchcraft, since "only the devil could give a man the power to smoke through his mouth," but by the time he was released from prison seven years later, smoking was widespread.
Today, Cohiba is Cuba's best-selling premium cigar brand, and as such will be featured at the 20th Habanos Festival starting Monday in Cuba's capital.
Although tobacco is grown in several Cuban provinces, it is in westernmost Pinar del Rio where the best leaves are harvested, especially in the area of Vueltabajo.
The region is considered the heart of Cuba's tobacco country, accounting for nearly 70 percent of national production.
Local "vegueros," as tobacco farmers are called, come from families who have been in the business for generations.
The late Alejandro Robaina became the only Cuban "veguero" to have a prestigious cigar named after him, while he was still living.
Robaina, a lifelong tobacco farmer, said the secret to a quality cigar was in "having good land and pampering it."
A cigar roller may tell you the secret also lies in the rolling.
Over the years, Cuban cigars gained quite a fan base that included such personalities as former British Prime Minister Winston Churchill and U.S. President John F. Kennedy, and of course, Cuba's legendary revolutionary Fidel Castro.
Cuban cigars acquired a certain mystique that made them all the more prized after Kennedy imposed a trade embargo against Castro's Cuban government that put Cohibas and other brands beyond the reach of American consumers.
Despite the embargo, Cuba's cigar industry continued to thrive, today selling to more than 150 nations, and generating more than 400 million U.S. dollars in revenue in 2017.
MEXICO CITY, Feb. 25 (Xinhua) -- The 7th round of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) negotiations began in Mexico City on Sunday, with hopes of finalizing more sections.
Negotiators from Canada, the United States and Mexico held a closed door meeting at a hotel in the city's upscale Polanco neighborhood.
Mexico said the first day of talks will see 27 different working groups hold discussions on agriculture, good regulatory practices and rules of origin, among others.
Mexico's Economy Minister and head negotiator Ildefonso Guajardo said this round is to conclude on March 5 and could see up to seven sections or chapters finalized.
"It is a matter of making the necessary decisions, of which there are not too many, to close topics that have not been updated in 22 years," Guajardo told reporters on Friday.
Guajardo's remarks echoed those of Moises Kalach, coordinator of the strategic advisory board to international negotiations at Mexico's Business Coordinating Council (CCE).
Kalach said in mid-February that this round could see six to 10 chapters finalized, including those on telecommunications, e-commerce and energy.
According to the agenda, also on the table are labor issues, pharmaceutical transparency, financial services and intellectual property rights.
Among the issues, the three NAFTA partners have been unable to agree on is rules of origin in the automotive sector, which stipulates what percentage of a vehicle should be regionally manufactured.
The United States has proposed raising it to a minimum of 85 percent within the NAFTA region, and at least 50 percent from the United States. However, Mexico and Canada want the rate to remain at 62.5 percent.
YANGON, Feb. 26 (Xinhua) -- The Myanmar government and the Myanmar Rice Federation have donated 300 tons of rice to Sri Lanka's flood victims, the official Global New Light of Myanmar reported Monday.
The donation is made as humanitarian aid for victims of the flood and landslide in Sri Lanka in May 2017, which killed more than 200 people and left 600,000 homeless.
The shipment of aid from Yangon Port is expected to reach Sri Lankan port in early March.
Myanmar and Sri Lanka have been engaged in economic, social and cultural exchanges and there is business-to-business cooperation besides a government-to-government agreement between the two countries.
Bilateral trade between Myanmar and Sri Lanka reached 36 million U.S. dollars and the volume is on the rise annually.
TOKYO, Feb. 26 (Xinhua) -- A Malaysian budget carrier AirAsia X plane made an emergency landing Monday at Okinawa's Naha airport following engine trouble, the transport ministry here said.
According to the ministry, none of the 379 passengers and crew members aboard the flight bound for Kuala Lumpur were injured in the emergency landing.
The transport ministry's local office said that the plane's right engine indicated problems at around 2:15 a.m. local time, forcing the captain to shut the troubled engine down and declare an emergency landing.
The plane touched down at Naha airport at round 3 a.m. local time. The plane had initially departed from Tokyo's Haneda airport, the ministry said.
SEOUL, Feb. 26 (Xinhua) -- South Korea's unification ministry on Monday expressed its anticipation of the launch of "constructive" talks between the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) and the United States as Pyongyang showed willingness to talk with Washington.
Baik Tae-hyun, unification ministry spokesman, told a routine press briefing that South Korea anticipated the start of constructive talks between Pyongyang and Washington through an appropriate opportunity.
The comment came a day after the high-ranking DPRK delegation to the closing ceremony of the Winter Olympics said Pyongyang had enough willingness to hold talks with Washington.
The willingness was shown during a closed-door meeting between the DPRK delegation and South Korean President Moon Jae-in in PyeongChang where the closing ceremony was held Sunday night.
The DPRK delegation, led by Kim Yong Chol, a vice chairman of the Central Committee of the ruling Workers' Party of Korea, came via land route to South Korea Sunday to stay here till Tuesday.
Also included in the delegation were Ri Son Gwon, chairman of the Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of the Fatherland, and six other support staff.
Regarding schedules for the DPRK delegation during its stay here, the spokesman said he had nothing to tell yet.
SEOUL, Feb. 26 (Xinhua) -- South Korean prosecutors on Monday raided the home and office of the son-in-law of former President Lee Myung-bak, who had served his five-year term from 2008 to 2013, for alleged bribery charges, multiple local media said.
Investigators from the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office stormed the home and office of Lee Sang-joo, who is married to Lee's eldest daughter and works as a senior executive for Samsung Electronics.
Lee was suspected of receiving bribes from an unidentified third party on behalf of the former president.
The prosecution's investigation into former President Lee has been underway over corruption allegations involving DAS, a domestic auto parts manufacturer which was alleged to be owned by the former president.
Lee Si-hyung, the son of the former leader and a DAS executive, was summoned and grilled Sunday by prosecutors as part of the prosecution's probe into the corruption allegations.
Prosecutors reportedly planned to summon the former president early next month.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-02-26 12:36:26|Editor: Zhou Xin
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HAIKOU, Feb. 26 (Xinhua) -- The emergency response has ended as ferry services on the Qiongzhou Strait in south China's Hainan Province returned to normal Monday, according to local authorities.
Rare heavy fog that started on Feb. 18 had triggered multiple suspensions of ferry services, stranding over 20,000 vehicles lined up to 20 kilometers with nearly 100,000 passengers at peak times, the provincial government said.
As of Sunday night, nearly 140,000 vehicles and 720,000 passengers had been sent for Guangdong Province via the strait since the emergency response was triggered seven days ago.
The city government of Haikou, the provincial capital, dispatched over 58,000 employees from various departments to maintain traffic, distribute food and clean highways in its three ports 24 hours a day.
Hainan, known for its tropical climate and clean air, is a popular destination for Chinese tourists in winter. According to the local government, about 90,000 vehicles containing over 400,000 tourists had arrived on the island during this year's Spring Festival holiday lasting from Feb. 15 to Feb. 21.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-02-26 12:41:28|Editor: Yurou
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Bob Stewart, who runs the Stewart Farms Partnership, does winter maintenance on farm machinery at a garage in Yorkville, Illinois, the United States on Feb. 12, 2018. For the Stewart family who has farmed for three generations on this vast stretch of farmland in the northeastern part of Illinois in the United States, farming is an important career rather than just livelihood and trade disputes with China need to be avoided for the prospect of agricultural exports. (Xinhua/Wang Ping)
By Xinhua writers Xu Jing, Miao Zhuang and Wang Ping
CHICAGO, Feb. 25 (Xinhua) -- For the Stewart family who has farmed for three generations on this vast stretch of farmland in the northeastern part of Illinois in the United States, farming is an important career rather than just livelihood and trade disputes with China need to be avoided for the prospect of agricultural exports.
The family moved to Yorkville in the 1940s, about 80 kilometers southwest of Chicago, and has be devoted to farming ever since. Today, the Stewart Farms Partnership operates about 9,000 acres of farmland in northern and central Illinois.
Bob and Brad Stewart, the third-generation members of the family, now run the farm, supervised by their father Craig Stewart, who has more than 40 years of farming experience.
On a snowy day in February, Bob and Brad were busy doing winter maintenance on farm machinery in the workshop. Farming has kept the brothers fit and energetic. They took off the side board of a tractor and screwed it back on after attentively examining every piece of the interior layout.
Different from their parents and grandparents, the Stewart brothers has received college education. After graduating with a bachelor's degree and a master's degree both in agricultural economics from the University of Illinois, he had worked for Centrec Consulting for 10 years before coming back to the farm.
Brad received a bachelor's degree in agricultural economics from the University of Illinois, and worked in the area of logistics management in a Wal-Mart distribution center before returning to the farm.
"I guess when you are raised around it, it is something that is always in your blood. When you go out, you work outside of the farm, and that something can always draw you back to it," said Brad.
"When I grew up, I never thought I was going to be a full-time farmer. But after you get away from it, it is something that pulls you back to it. You don't realize that freedom you have growing on a farm until you get away from it and it pulls you back to it," he added.
Challenges farming brings are what the brothers need to face. Today, farming is far from just about manual labor but a combination of technology, science, computing, planning and logistics.
"Farming is one of the most rewarding careers I could think of. It's challenging and rewarding all the same," said Brad.
Bod hopes the next generation of the family will continue to engage in agriculture. "I am proud to be an American farmer," he said.
Though the brothers have limited knowledge of China, since Bob had never been to China and Brad has stayed in Beijing for only four days in 2012, their daily life is closely tied to the Chinese market.
Statistics of Illinois Soybean Association show that Illinois farmers produced a total of 611.9 million bushels of soybeans in 2017, and China, a top location of Illinois soybean exports, received about 1.1 billion bushels, over 63 percent of all Illinois soybean exports.
Illinois is the largest soybean producing state in the United States, and roughly exports 60 percent of its soybean production.
Since 2013 when China became the biggest export destination for Illinois, the state's agricultural exports to China averaged 1.85 billion dollars per year, or an annual market share average of 25 percent of all Illinois agricultural exports.
Recent trade friction between China and the U.S. has caused worry among U.S. farmers. If any trade war happens, "it would hurt us," said Brad.
"They (trade disputes) would increase the price and hurt the demand, so I can make speculations that price will go down. It would impact us, impact our profitability, and soybean prices would drop .... It could be significant," said Bob.
Tom Watkins, former president and chief executive officer of Michigan Economic Council who has studied China for more than 30 years, quoted an African proverb -- "When elephants fight, it is the grass that suffers."
"A trade war between our two countries would be unproductive and hurt the Chinese and American people and needs to be avoided at all costs," he told Xinhua.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-02-26 13:11:36|Editor: Xiang Bo
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BEIJING, Feb. 26 (Xinhua) -- With coordinated reform, China can achieve more inclusive and sustainable development, according to the World Bank Group's latest Systematic Country Diagnostic for China.
The report, subtitled "Towards a More Inclusive and Sustainable Development," highlighted China's rapid growth that has resulted in a decline in poverty "unprecedented in its speed and scale".
"Rapid growth was made possible by a wide range of reforms, which transformed a state-dominated, planned, rural, and closed economy to a more market-based, urbanized, and open economy," it said.
This is not the first time the World Bank has praised Chinese reforms. Early this month, Ayhan Kose, director of the World Bank Development Prospect Group, said he was impressed by Chinese leaders' determination.
"Managing the economy begins with recognizing risks and challenges," he said.
As long as China continues to reform itself, he said, the World Bank is confident that the country will remain a major contributor to the global economy.
Over the past five years, China's GDP rose from 54 trillion yuan (8.2 trillion U.S. dollars) to over 80 trillion yuan, contributing more than 30 percent of global economic growth.
China's real income per capita increased 16-fold from 1978 to 2014, while the extreme poverty rate fell from 88.3 percent in 1981 to 1.9 percent in 2013, a shift in status and lifestyle for more than 850 million people.
"China's remarkable progress in reducing extreme poverty has significantly contributed to the decline in global poverty," said Hoon S. Soh, World Bank program leader for economic policy for China.
The challenge, the report said, will be to target assistance to the remaining poor while paying attention to those who are vulnerable to falling back into poverty.
The report said reform of the inter-governmental fiscal system and household registration system could reduce income disparities by closing the rural-urban gap and ensuring equal access to education and health services.
Noting that economic rebalancing is under way, the bank said managing the transition in an "orderly" fashion will be critical to achieving the country's development goals.
"Policies to increase productivity-led growth by promoting innovation, market competition and the private sector would support the achievements of these goals," it said.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-02-26 14:21:51|Editor: pengying
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KUNMING, Feb. 26 (Xinhua) -- A new air route opened between Kunming, capital of southwest China's Yunnan Province, and Mandalay in Myanmar on Sunday.
The round-trip flights by Sichuan Airlines' Airbus A320 aircraft fly every Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday. The flying time lasts about 90 minutes each way.
With over 130 Airbus aircraft, Sichuan Airlines is the largest all-Airbus-fleet carrier in China, and operates over 270 domestic and international routes, according to its website. =
SEOUL, Feb. 26 (Xinhua) -- The high-ranking delegation from the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) met Monday with the top national security advisor for South Korean President Moon Jae-in, according to local broadcaster YTN and Yonhap news agency.
Chung Eui-yong, head of the National Security Office of the Blue House, lunched at a hotel here with Kim Yong Chol, a vice chairman of the Central Committee of the ruling Workers' Party of Korea from the DPRK side.
Kim came here Sunday leading the DPRK delegation to attend the closing ceremony of the 23rd Winter Olympics.
Also attending the closed-door meeting was Ri Son Gwon, chairman of the Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of the Fatherland of the DPRK.
From the South Korean side, Vice Unification Minister Chun Hae-sung and Lee Do-hoon, special representative for the Korean Peninsula peace and security affairs at the foreign ministry, participated in the lunch meeting.
Lee represents South Korea at the long-stalled six-party talks to denuclearize the Korean Peninsula, which involved South Korea, the DPRK, China, the United States, Russia and Japan. The six-way dialogue has been halted since late 2008.
The lunch meeting was a follow-up step to the closed-door meeting Sunday in PyeongChang, east of Seoul, between President Moon and the high-ranking DPRK delegation.
The DPRK delegation told Moon that Pyongyang had enough willingness to hold talks with Washington.
Moon has held to a position that dialogue between the DPRK and the United States should be held to fundamentally resolve the Korean Peninsula issues.
LONDON, Feb. 26 (Xinhua) -- At least four people were killed and four others injured in an explosion at a building in the central English city of Leicester on Sunday evening, police said on Monday.
"There are four confirmed fatalities at this stage and four people remain in hospital, one with serious injuries," Leicestershire police said in a statement.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-02-26 15:47:12|Editor: Xiang Bo
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by Zhang Mengxi,Yang Shilong
NEW YORK, Feb. 26 (Xinhua) -- It's rare to see a single lawsuit spotlight David vs.Goliath, potential discrimination, and financial crisis altogether, on top of being five years in time and 10 million U.S. dollars in cost.
But Thomas Sung's Chinatown Abacus bank vs New York Manhattan District Attorney is exactly like that.
With the documentary of the lawsuit -- Abacus: Small Enough to Jail -- nominated for Oscar, Sung's story got more attention across the globe.
Sung, 83-year-old, laughed warmly at the first question as being interviewed by Xinhua by phone: "Chinese or English? Whichever suits you."
TO BRING THEM TO COURT IS ONE THING, TO CHAIN THEM UP IN HANDCUFFS IS ANOTHER
Sung came to the United States at 16 and earned degrees in economics and law before going into real-estate investment. He was an immigration lawyer before he funded Abacus Federal Reserve Bank in 1984 in Manhattan's Chinatown.
The Abacus' goal is to serve the Chinese immigrant community, who had no place to get a loan to buy houses, start up small businesses, and build a family.
Sung's story has so much resemblance to the 1946 classics film "It's a Wonderful Life" and the beloved character George Bailey.
Just like Bailey's Building and Loan in Bedford Falls, Abacus has always been a small bank. Growing over the years to six branches, it is nothing compared to those on the Wall Street.
So not many outside the Chinese community knew about Abacus, until it became the only U.S. bank ever indicted for mortgage fraud in the 2008 financial crisis, and 13 of its employees were handcuffed, chained up, and escorted through a hallway in the Manhattan Criminal Courthouse in a staged perp-walk before the national news media in May 2012.
Sung still felt angry as he recalled that episode.
"To bring them to court is one thing; to chain them up in handcuffs is another," he told Xinhua.
Many journalists and lawyers observed that nothing like that had happened before, not to any other minorities like African Americans. "I was very much offended," Sung said, "This is discrimination."
Looking back, Sung said the Manhattan District Attorney's (DA) office probably wanted to convict Abacus for fraud, as a way to threaten the big banks and fine them more.
Sung said that in banking, reputation is very important; no bank wants to get involved in civil or criminal cases like fraud.
In Chinese idioms, it's called to kill a chicken to terrify the monkeys; in other words, it's small enough to jail, too big to fail, Sung added.
YOU CANNOT SINGLE OUT CHINESE AND SAY THEY ARE BAD
Abacus became the only U.S. financial institution to be indicted in the wake of the financial crisis.
The DA's choice of Abacus itself was odd, as many observers pointed out. With 300 million dollars in assets, Abacus made only plain-vanilla housing loans requiring down payments of at least 20 percent.
It never offered subprime residential mortgages. Nor did the bank dabble in mortgage derivatives -- the complex financial instruments that blew up in the housing crisis and caused so many banks to require bailouts.
However, the DA office probably shouldn't have picked on Abacus to set an example -- if Sung were right about its plan.
Abacus and the Sung family are not an easy target at all. At the age of 83, Sung still explains the complicated legal process clearly, speaking with clarity and confidence that only a lawyer has.
Both Jill Sung and Vera Sung, daughters of Sung who serve as the CEO and director of Abacus respectively, had graduated from law schools. It was Vera Sung who caught one employee in the middle of fabricating loan application.
Sung said the lawsuit against Abacus had more implications. "It threatened the community as a whole. It attacked the Chinese way of conducting business."
Living a culture based on cash transactions, immigrants in Chinatown usually lack credit history. But running successful businesses like full-house restaurants, they regularly earn enough money in cash for Abacus to give them loans.
In fact, Sung said, not just the Chinese, all immigrants lean heavily on cash. "You can't single out Chinese and say they are bad."
For many, the lawsuit has become a quest to seek a voice for the minority, not just for the innocent. For Sung, although he understood from the beginning the government had much more resources than civilians, he never thought of giving up. "I'm willing to sacrifice and fight. It is a mission always in mind."
I BELIEVE IN THE U.S. SYSTEM BUT IT NEEDS TRUE REFORM
Every year, Sung and his wife spend winter in the southernmost state of Florida in the continental United States. But in 2015, they didn't go. It was about time for the lawsuit to wrap up.
Back then, no one had 100 percent of confidence that the Sung family could win. After all, there were more than 200 items of indictments, and Abacus had to be "Not Guilty" for every one of them.
On June 4, 2015, after several rounds of discussions and delays, the jury finally decided Abacus is not guilty. When Sung read the daily paper the next day, as shown in the documentary film, he almost cried.
Despite the verdict, the case exacted Sung and his family a heavy cost.
"We lost a lot of business opportunities because of this investigation and trial," Sung said, "And defending this case cost us about 10 million dollars."
Some Americans tend to criticize other countries' legal systems, "but look at the United States," Sung said, "The DA system, for example, needs real changes, It didn't have third-party supervision."
After the release of the documentary, many Chinese Americans who used to be treated unfairly called up Sung to express their gratitude, according to Sung. The case is included in America's law school curriculums too.
"I believe in the U.S. system, but it needs true reform," Sung said.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-02-26 15:47:12|Editor: Xiang Bo
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SEOUL, Feb. 26 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping's special envoy Liu Yandong here on Monday met with South Korean President Moon Jae-in, urging efforts to boost ties consistent with the original aspiration to establish bilateral diplomatic relations.
China and South Korea should take the opportunity of the 10th anniversary of the establishment of their strategic cooperative partnership to earnestly implement the consensus reached by the two heads of state.
Members of Bring Back Our Girls (BBOG) movement protest along the streets of Abuja, capital of Nigeria, Jan. 8, 2017. The protesters on Sunday marked 1,000 days since the abduction of the Chibok School Girls by Boko Haram militants in Nigeria's Borno State on April 14, 2014. (Xinhua/Olatunji Obasa)
ABUJA, Feb. 26 (Xinhua) -- The Nigerian government on Sunday said that 110 schoolgirls are unaccounted for following an attack by terror group Boko Haram on an all-girl college in the northeastern state of Yobe.
The figure was confirmed by Minister of Information and Culture Lai Mohammed after a meeting with parents, security agencies and local government representatives, who gathered in the Yobe State capital Damaturu to discuss last Monday's incident at the Government Girls Technical College, in the state's Dapchi area.
"Out of the total register of 906 students in the school that day, 110 students are unaccounted," Mohammed said.
The official said no stone will be left unturned as the government is determined to rescue every missing student.
In a statement on Friday, Nigerian leader Muhammadu Buhari described the incident as a "national disaster," saying "the entire country stands as one with the girls' families."
The tragedy of the missing girls has brought back memories of a similar occurrence four years ago in Africa's most populous country when more than 200 schoolgirls, also from an all-girl college, were abducted by Boko Haram in the northeastern town of Chibok.
The outlawed Boko Haram group has been trying since 2009 to establish an Islamic state in northeastern Nigeria. They have killed some 20,000 people and displaced millions of others.
Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa (Front) speaks during a ceremony to rename the country's army and air force headquarters, in Harare, capital of Zimbabwe, Dec. 6, 2017. (Xinhua/Shaun Jusa)
HARARE, Feb. 26 (Xinhua) -- Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa, who is just a few days shy of marking his first 100 days in office, over the weekend outlined some of his new administration's achievements and promised more reforms to improve the economy.
Mnangagwa, who took over from former president Robert Mugabe on Nov. 24, following military intervention, said in an audio message posted on social media that the task ahead needed concerted effort from everyone.
It would take time before the fruits of reforms could be harvested, he said.
Mnangagwa said the government passed a bold and responsible budget that cuts unnecessary expenditure, including luxuries previously enjoyed by high-ranking public officials.
The new administration has scaled down the indigenization law to make it only applicable to investments in diamond and platinum mining, as it seeks to attract more foreign direct investment, he said.
Prior to his taking over from Mugabe, the law required indigenous Zimbabweans to have majority ownership across most sectors of the economy, a situation foreign investors frowned upon.
"On corruption, the phrase zero tolerance approach has been backed up by action," he said. "We instituted a three-month amnesty to get back stolen funds, mandated all cabinet ministers to declare assets, created dedicated anti-corruption courts in all provinces and clamped down on police roadblocks."
"Internationally, we have been working hard to build our international relations and bring in investment and so far we have secured 3 billion U.S. dollars worth of investment commitments from some of the biggest companies in the world."
Mnangagwa added that the government had directed all public health institutions to scrap treatment fees for vulnerable groups, including children under the age of five, pregnant women and senior citizens above 65 years.
He said the government had also facilitated greater use of mobile money to combat the cash crisis and cut excise duty on petrol, which resulted in the reduction of fuel prices.
"We must of course be realistic and recognize that it takes more than 100 days to recover an economy," he said. "Real change takes time."
"I know there are those among you who are frustrated at the pace of change and I understand that, but let me assure you that though we have had some major achievements, this is just the beginning.
"After 100 days of action we are on the right path and will keep working to increase that pace of reform," Mnangagwa said.
Zimbabwe is due to hold presidential and general elections later this year, but no specific date has been set.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-02-26 16:22:19|Editor: Xiang Bo
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SEOUL, Feb. 26 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping's special envoy Liu Yandong met here on Monday with South Korean President Moon Jae-in, reiterating China's call for a peaceful solution of the Korean Peninsula issue through talks.
Liu expressed hope that the South Korean side will build up confidence, overcome disturbance and facilitate the improvement of inter-Korean relations so as to secure progress in peace talks.
LONDON, Feb. 26 (Xinhua) -- At least four people were killed and four others injured in an explosion at a building in the central British city of Leicester on Sunday evening, police said Monday.
"There are four confirmed fatalities at this stage and four people remain in hospital, one with serious injuries," Leicestershire police said in a statement.
Police said the toll may rise further as a number of people were still unaccounted for.
Firefighters worked around the clock to put out the blaze ignited by the powerful blast.
Leicestershire police said Sunday night that there are currently no indications of terrorist activity linked to the explosion.
"The incident will be the subject of a joint investigation with the fire service," local police said on Twitter, "At this stage there is no indication this is terrorist related."
The blast destroyed a convenience store and a home in the downtown. Residents living nearby reported their houses shaking with force from the blast.
Leicester City is located in England's East Midlands region and about 140 kilometers from London.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-02-26 16:27:21|Editor: Xiang Bo
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NEW YORK, Feb. 26 (Xinhua) -- To ring in the Year of the Dog, the Fourth Annual Chinese New Year Spectacular concert was held at Carnegie Hall here Saturday, featuring a young Chinese pianist's special solo performance using a piano to imitate a variety of traditional Chinese musical instruments.
The concert was opened by Tian Jiaxin, a rising Chinese pianist born into a musical family in Beijing. Having earned praise for her solo recital debut at Carnegie Hall back in 2013, Tian returned to the musical hall for the fifth time.
This time she included two pieces of traditional Chinese music in her performance, i.e. Liuyang River -- a very famous Chinese song in praise of Chairman Mao Zedong's great contribution to China -- and the Music at Sunset, better known as Spring Blossoms on the Moonlit River, a classical piece rooted in Chinese poetic culture.
"I tried to use the piano to imitate a variety of traditional Chinese musical instruments, such as Pipa, Guqin, drum, and traditional Chinese bamboo flute," Tian told Xinhua after the show, "I hope the sound will give the audience really amazing imagination."
Tian displayed such innovative performing skills after she presented renowned classical pieces of Mozart and Beethoven in the first half of the concert.
"I try to present one or two Chinese pieces whenever I perform, because I really hope the audience from all over the world can listen to my performance and thus know more about the Chinese culture and our history," said Tian, adding that she is ready to bring more different Chinese stories in upcoming concerts in her own way.
Other performers at the concert included British pianist Simon Mulligan, Chinese opera tenor Dr. William Weimin Cai, American violinist Deni Bonet and former Mayor of New York City, David Dinkins.
As his second time addressing at the Chinese New Year Spectacular, Dinkins said the evening was a wonderful opportunity to celebrate the variety of cultures on the occasion of the Chinese Lunar New Year.
The annual Spectacular has been co-produced by Premier Event Management Inc. and Harvard Wealth Strategy & Management, two U.S. organizations sharing the common goal of bridging the cultural gap between China and the United States.
"This is the strongest assemblage of talent we have ever had in the history of the Spectacular series. We're honored to be able to create this tradition, showcasing diverse talent to our multi-cultural audience," said Lily Li, one of the co-producers.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-02-26 16:57:31|Editor: Yurou
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RAMALLAH, Feb. 26 (Xinhua) -- Palestinian sources said Monday that Israeli occupation forces arrested 10 members of the Tamimi family from Nabi Saleh village during overnight raids throughout the West Bank.
The village has been witnessing intensive night raids by Israeli army, said the village head, since the detention of the Palestinian resistance icon, 16-year-old Ahed Tamimi on Dec. 17, after a video of her slapping an Israeli soldiers who stormed her home went viral on the internet.
There are altogether 20 Palestinians arrested during the raids, including minors and an injured boy.
Among those arrested was 15-year-old Mohammad Tamimi, who was critically injured due to an Israeli gun shot in the face last December. He was still under treatment and scheduled for surgery in March.
Ahed Tamimi was arrested four days after the confrontation, and Israeli forces stormed her home again. Her mother and cousin were also arrested the next day.
Currently, Ahed Tamimi and her mother Nariman Tamimi, 42, were still in custody and undergoing military court trials.
The next hearing for Tamimi is expected in March.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-02-26 16:57:33|Editor: Lifang
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DAMASCUS, Feb. 26 (Xinhua) -- Airstrikes of the U.S.-led anti-terror coalition against an area in Syria's eastern province of Deir al-Zour have killed 25 civilians, a monitor group reported on Monday.
The airstrikes targeted the last Islamic State (IS) pocket on the eastern bank of Euphrates River on Sunday, said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.
The London-based watchdog group said half of those killed were children.
Meanwhile, Syria's state news agency SANA said 29 people were killed and tens of others wounded by the U.S.-led airstrikes on the towns of Shufeh and Zahrat Aloni in the eastern countryside of Deir al-Zour.
Last week, SANA said 15 civilians were killed by U.S.-led airstrikes on Deir al-Zour.
The U.S.-led coalition has been backing the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in their push to dislodge IS from the eastern bank of the Euphrates, where major oil and gas fields are located.
In the process, dozens of civilians have been killed by the U.S.-led coalition airstrikes in northern and eastern Syria.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-02-26 17:12:35|Editor: Lifang
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BEIJING, Feb. 26 (Xinhua) -- At the invitation of the U.S. government, senior Chinese official Liu He will visit the United States from Feb. 27 to March 3, a Foreign Ministry spokesperson said here Monday.
Lu Kang told a daily news briefing that the two sides will exchange views on China-U.S. relations and bilateral cooperation on economy and trade during Liu's visit.
Liu is a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and director of the General Office of the Central Leading Group for Financial and Economic Affairs.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-02-26 17:52:42|Editor: Yamei
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A high-ranking delegation led by Kim Yong Chol(C), vice chairman of the Central Committee of the ruling Workers' Party of Korea, arrives at the inter-Korean transit office in Paju, South Korea, on Feb. 25, 2018. The high-ranking delegation from the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) arrived in South Korea Sunday to attend the closing ceremony of the 23rd Winter Olympics. (Xinhua/Newsis)
SEOUL, Feb. 26 (Xinhua) -- Kim Yong Chol, chief delegate of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) who came here Sunday to attend the closing ceremony of the Winter Olympics, said Monday that doors are open for a dialogue with the United States, according to Yonhap news agency and Newsis news agency.
Kim made the remark during a closed-door meeting with Chung Eui-yong, top national security advisor for South Korean President Moon Jae-in, saying Pyongyang repeatedly showed its willingness to hold talks with Washington.
Kim, a vice chairman of the Central Committee of the ruling Workers' Party of Korea and leading the high-ranking DPRK delegation to the Olympic closing ceremony, had a lunch meeting with Chung for two hours from 12:30 p.m. local time, according to the Blue House of South Korea.
The lunch meeting was a follow-up step to the closed-door meeting Sunday in Pyeongchang, east of Seoul, between President Moon and the high-ranking DPRK delegation.
Moon told the DPRK delegation that talks between Pyongyang and Washington should be rapidly held to improve inter-Korean relations and fundamentally resolve the Korean Peninsula issues.
In response, the DPRK delegation said Pyongyang had enough willingness to hold talks with Washington.
During the Monday meeting, both sides agreed to cooperate, after the Olympic period, in making a balanced advance to build a lasting peace on the Korean Peninsula, and enhancing inter-Korean ties in a sustainable manner, the Blue House said in a press release.
Attending the Monday luncheon, which was allegedly held at an unidentified hotel in the capital Seoul, was Ri Son Gwon, chairman of the Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of the Fatherland, from the DPRK side.
Attendees from the South Korean side were Vice Unification Minister Chun Hae-sung and Nam Gwan-pyo, a deputy director of the presidential National Security Office, as well as Lee Do-hoon, a special representative for the Korean Peninsula peace and security affairs at the foreign ministry.
Lee represents South Korea at the long-stalled six-party talks to denuclearize the Korean Peninsula, which involved South Korea, the DPRK, China, the United States, Russia and Japan. The six-way dialogue has been halted since late 2008.
The DPRK delegation was scheduled to stay in South Korea till Tuesday.
PUTRAJAYA, Malaysia, Feb. 26 (Xinhua) -- Malaysia's conglomerate Naza Corporation Holdings on Monday inked a deal with French car maker Groupe PSA to establish a shared manufacturing hub in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).
Both parties signed a share sale agreement and a joint venture agreement to establish shared operation of Naza Automotive Manufacturing (NAM) plant in Gurun, Kedah, which will be the first manufacturing hub in ASEAN for Groupe PSA.
Under the agreements, Groupe PSA and Naza will jointly produce Groupe PSA branded cars such as Peugeot, Citroen and DS Automobiles for Malaysia and other ASEAN markets.
Groupe PSA's investment in the NAM plant will also see the implementation of its Efficient Modular Platform (EMP2) dedicated to C (medium cars) and D segments (large cars).
Although Groupe PSA's China and South-East Asia chief executive officer Carlos Tavares declined to reveal PSA's investment details, Naza's chief operating officer Samson Anand George said that Groupe PSA will own up to 56 percent stake at the plant.
The plant is expected to produce Groupe PSA's cars by the end of this year and export to the region next year, Carlos Tavares said.
"The creation of the ASEAN hub is a significant leap forward for Groupe PSA which will lead to the development of a profitable business in the region as part of our Push to Pass strategic plan," he added.
The NAM plant, which has been operational since 2004, has a workforce of close to 450 people and boasts a 50,000-vehicle production capacity.
When attending the signing ceremony, Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak said he expects Malaysia to benefit from the deal as it will lead to 70 extra local vendors over the next five years, and would create an additional 1,200 jobs in Kedah.
The NAM plant is forecast to produce 18,000 units of cars in 2019, and another 21,000 units in 2020, generating revenues of 724 million ringgit (185 million U.S. dollars) and 967 million ringgit (248 million U.S. dollars) respectively, according to Najib.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-02-26 18:07:47|Editor: Lifang
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BEIJING, Feb. 26 (Xinhua) -- The government will explore ways to create new jobs to ensure employment of various groups, a senior official said Monday.
More than 15 million people will enter the urban labor market this year, including 8.2 million college graduates, Zhang Yizhen, deputy minister of human resources and social security, told a press conference.
Despite the large influx there will also be structural imbalances, she said.
Zhang said the working-age population will remain above 800 million until 2035, compared with more than 900 million in 2017.
Ensuring employment is a priority and the government will explore ways to ensure high quality and full employment of various groups, she said.
By the end of 2017, China's unemployment rate in urban areas stood at 3.9 percent, the lowest since 2002.
From 2013 to 2017, more than 13 million jobs were created each year in urban areas, despite the negative effect of economic restructuring and slowing growth.
In 2017, 13.5 million new jobs were created in urban areas, overshooting the official target of 11 million.
LONDON, Feb. 26 (Xinhua) -- At least four people were killed and four others injured in an explosion at a store in the central British city of Leicester on Sunday evening, police said Monday.
"There are four confirmed fatalities at this stage and four people remain in hospital, one with serious injuries," Leicestershire police said in a statement.
Police said the toll may rise further as a number of people were still unaccounted for.
The blast took place around 1900 GMT in a residential street near the city center, destroying a convenience store, which, according to witnesses, was a Polish supermarket, and a two-storey apartment above it.
Residents living nearby reported their houses shaking with force from the blast.
Firefighters worked around the clock to put out the blaze ignited by the powerful blast.
Leicestershire police said Sunday night that there are currently no indications of terrorist activity linked to the explosion.
"The incident will be the subject of a joint investigation with the fire service," local police said on Twitter, "At this stage there is no indication this is terrorist related."
Leicester City is located in England's East Midlands region and about 140 km from London.
Britain was hit by a series of major terrorist attacks last year, among which a suicide bombing at a pop concert at the Manchester Arena last May killed 22 people.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-02-26 18:37:55|Editor: Xiang Bo
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PHNOM PENH, Feb. 26 (Xinhua) -- China donated nine types of medical equipment and devices to the Preah Ket Mealea Hospital here on Monday, officials said.
They included a CT scanner for cardiac, brain or peripheral vascular examination, four anesthesia machines, blood pressure monitors, ventilators, among others, according to the hospital's director.
The director said China has also sent its medical experts to train Cambodian doctors on how to operate those equipment and devices.
"These high-tech medical equipment will be used for diagnosing diseases such as brain tumors, cerebral infarction, cerebral aneurysms, cerebrovascular accidental diseases, and vascular diseases," he said.
"I believe that the equipment will further enhance the quality of medical services in our hospital," he added.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-02-26 18:52:58|Editor: Xiang Bo
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URUMQI, Feb. 26 (Xinhua) -- China's National Development and Reform Commission has allocated 2.65 billion yuan (420 million U.S. dollars) to upgrade the power grid in rural Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region this year.
According to the regional government Monday, substations and transmission lines will be built or renovated to support rural development and electric heating.
Power grid upgrades have benefited over 4 million farmers and herders in Xinjiang over the past five years. Industries such as fruit processing, ethnic handicrafts and stock farming have since thrived.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-02-26 19:08:02|Editor: Xiang Bo
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BEIJING, Feb. 26 (Xinhua) -- At the invitation of Chinese President Xi Jinping, Tonga's King Tupou VI will pay a state visit to China from Feb. 28 to March 8, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lu Kang said Monday.
This year marks the 20th anniversary of diplomatic relations between China and Tonga, Lu told a regular press briefing.
Both Xi and Premier Li Keqiang will meet the king during his visit, Lu said.
King Tupou VI will also visit Zhejiang, Hainan and Guangdong provinces, Lu said.
In November 2014, the leaders of China and Tonga reached consensus on a strategic partnership, Lu said, noting that bilateral ties have made rapid progress since then.
Both countries have had frequent high-level visits and close contacts at all levels, Lu said, noting cooperation in trade, agriculture and fisheries, infrastructure, people-to-people and local exchanges.
Lu said China and Tonga also coordinate in international and regional affairs.
China is willing to work with Tonga to enhance political trust, expand pragmatic cooperation to benefit the two peoples, Lu said.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-02-26 19:18:05|Editor: Xiang Bo
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BEIJING, Feb. 26 (Xinhua) -- The China Coast Guard solved 91 human smuggling cases and participated in 349 maritime search and rescue missions in 2017, the coast guard said.
The coast guard also handled 891 smuggling cases involving a total of 4 billion yuan (about 631 million U.S. dollars) last year, including cases in refined oil, sugar, cigarettes, alcohol, frozen goods and rare wild animals.
About 3,000 fishing boats were fined for violations of fishing laws and regulations, such as fishing without license, using prohibited fishing tools and fishing in closed seasons. About 209 people faced criminal penalties.
The coast guard also spent a lot of resources cracking down on offenses compromising the maritime environment, investigating 702 cases last year.
The coast guard, which merged the maritime law enforcement functions of four agencies responsible for fishery administration, maritime surveillance, customs enforcement and border control, formally began operation in July 2013.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-02-26 19:18:05|Editor: Yurou
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TEHRAN, Feb. 26 (Xinhua) -- Iran's Foreign Ministry on Monday welcomed the recent UN Security Council decision on a cease-fire in Syria.
The death of the innocent people is never welcomed by anybody, the Foreign Ministry Spokesman Bahram Qasemi said, expressing the hope that the UN Security Council's recent resolution would establish cease-fire in every part of Syria.
"We hope that this (truce) will pave the ground for the delivery of humanitarian aid to the Syrian people," Qasemi said in his weekly press briefing.
"The implementation of the truce will hopefully reduce the violence in Syria," he added.
On Saturday, the UN Security Council adopted a resolution to establish a 30-day nationwide cease-fire in Syria "without delay" to ensure the delivery of humanitarian aid to the affected people in Eastern Ghouta and other hotspots across the country.
The resolution, however, excluded the military operations against Islamic State group and the al-Qaida-linked Nusra Front from the cessation of hostilities.
Iran's Chief of Staff Major General Mohammad Baqeri said Sunday that Tehran and Damascus would honor the cease-fire resolution in Syria that the UN Security Council approved unanimously.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-02-26 19:23:06|Editor: Xiang Bo
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Chinese President Xi Jinping's special envoy Liu Yandong (L) meets with South Korean President Moon Jae-in in Seoul, South Korea, on Feb. 26, 2018. (Xinhua/Ju Huanzong)
SEOUL, Feb. 26 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping's special envoy Liu Yandong met here on Monday with South Korean President Moon Jae-in, urging efforts to boost ties consistent with the original intention of both sides in establishing diplomatic relations.
China and South Korea should take the 10th anniversary of the establishment of their strategic cooperative partnership as an opportunity to earnestly implement the consensus reached by and between the heads of state of the two countries, Liu said.
Liu met with Moon after attending the Feb. 25 closing ceremony of the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics. She noted that the attendance to the Feb. 9 opening ceremony by Xi's special envoy Han Zheng, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, and her presence at the closing ceremony well reflect China's support for the PyeongChang games and the importance China attaches to its relations with South Korea.
During the meeting with Moon, Liu said China and South Korea should keep boosting mutual trust, launch mutually beneficial cooperation, strengthen exchange in education, science and technology, culture, sports, public health and other fields of humanities, and properly handle sensitive issues, in order to consolidate the political basis and the basis of public opinions for long-term stable development of relations between the two countries.
On the Korean Peninsula issue, Liu recalled that South Korea and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) took the PyeongChang Olympics as an opportunity to restart dialogue and interaction, revealing the common aspiration for peace of the people on the Korean Peninsula.
China is dedicated to peaceful solution of the Korean Peninsula issue through dialogue and consultation, Liu said.
Liu expressed the hope that the South Korean side will enhance confidence, eliminate interferences, keep promoting continued improvement of relations between the south and the north, and keep the current momentum of detente, in striving to make progress in peace talks.
China will continue to play a positive and constructive role on the issue, she added.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-02-26 19:28:09|Editor: Yamei
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Photo taken on Feb. 24, 2018 shows the United Nations Security Council voting on a resolution demanding ceasefire in Syria at the UN headquarters in New York. The UN Security Council adopted a resolution demanding ceasefire in Syria on Saturday. (Xinhua/Li Muzi)
GENEVA, Feb. 26 (Xinhua) -- U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Monday urged all parties involved in the Syria conflict to observe Security Council Resolution 2401 to have at least a 30-day truce in the conflict-ridden country.
"Security Council resolutions are only meaningful if they are effectively implemented," Guterres said in his speech at the opening of the 37th session of the U.N. Human Rights Council.
"It is high time to stop this hell on earth, in particular eastern Ghouta cannot wait," he said.
"I expect the resolution to be immediately implemented and sustained, particularly to ensure the immediate, safe, unimpeded and sustained delivery of humanitarian aid and services, the evacuation of the critically sick and the wounded and the alleviation of the suffering of the Syrian people," he stressed.
The U.N. chief also reminded all parties of their absolute obligation and international humanitarian and human rights law to protect civilians and civilian infrastructure at all times.
"Efforts to combat terrorism do not supersede these obligations," he said.
Resolution 2401 was adopted unanimously by the Security Council on Saturday after two weeks of tough negotiations against the backdrop of escalating violence in Syria, particularly in eastern Ghouta, the last major rebel enclave near Damascus.
The resolution demands an immediate cessation of hostilities for "a durable humanitarian pause for at least 30 consecutive days throughout Syria."
Source: Xinhua| 2018-02-26 19:33:11|Editor: Xiang Bo
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ISLAMABAD, Feb. 26 (Xinhua) -- Pakistani Foreign Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif said on Monday that the Belt and Road Initiative is an extraordinary venture, which will change the landscape of the world through its development agenda and win-win cooperation.
The minister made the remarks during a photo exhibition on the Chinese New Year in the ministry and said that the initiative signals the hope and spirit of South-South Cooperation.
Asif said the visionary concept of the initiative is a harbinger of shared dreams, common prosperity and win-win cooperation among the people of the world.
"The Belt and Road Initiative is the most significant transformative initiative in recent human history," said Asif, adding that "through a focus on the connectivity of infrastructure including roads, rail links, sea routes, ports, connectivity of policy, trade and finance, we are observing a phenomenon."
The minister was also satisfied over the practical implementation of the Belt and Road Initiative in Pakistan through its pivotal project of China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).
"CPEC is making excellent progress and is rapidly transforming the infrastructure and energy landscape of the country,"said the minister, hoping that CPEC will further strengthen the relations between Pakistan and China for the prosperity of the region.
LONDON, Feb. 26 (Xinhua) -- British opposition leader Jeremy Corbyn said on Monday that it makes no sense for his country to abandon EU agencies and tariff-free trade which have served Britain well, marking an obvious shift in the party's Brexit policy.
The leader of the Labor Party stressed in a long-awaited speech on Brexit that Labor will want to remain part of agencies such as Euratom.
He also ruled out any deal that would risk the Good Friday Agreement.
In 1999, the Good Friday Agreement achieved peace in Northern Ireland after decades of unrest, in part by ensuring an open border and freedom of movement between the British-ruled North and the Republic of Ireland.
Maintaining the Agreements was set out by the EU as one of the three priorities for the first phase of Brexit talks.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-02-26 20:38:25|Editor: Yamei
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Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang (Photo source: fmprc.gov.cn)
BEIJING, Feb. 26 (Xinhua) -- China hopes the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) and the United States can make progress in dialogue to promote settlement of the Korean Peninsula nuclear issue, a Foreign Ministry spokesman said Monday.
A high-ranking DPRK delegation showed readiness to talk with the United States when meeting with Republic of Korea (ROK) President Moon Jae-in Sunday in PyeongChang, saying Pyongyang was willing to hold talks with Washington, and held that inter-Korean relations and DPRK-U.S. ties should progress together.
Regarding the reports, Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang said at a daily news briefing that China welcomes the progress the DPRK and ROK have made in carrying out dialogue and improving relations.
"The core of the Korean Peninsula nuclear issue is a security issue," Lu said, adding settlement of the core issue relies on the DPRK and the United States.
When asked for comment on the news that the DPRK and ROK may discuss resuming regular reunions of families separated by the 1950-53 Korean War, Lu said, "For both countries in the region and the international community, it will be one thing that makes them pleased if the DPRK and ROK hold family reunions once again."
"It is encouraging that the two sides have released a series of positive signals recently in improving their relationship," Lu said.
China hopes the two sides will seize the opportunity, continue to show goodwill toward each other, and maintain the momentum of cooperation and dialogue, Lu said, adding both sides should make concrete efforts to further improve their relationship, ease regional situation and maintain peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-02-26 20:38:25|Editor: Yamei
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(Xinhua file photo)
LONDON, Feb. 26 (Xinhua) -- Jeremy Corbyn, the leader of Britain's main opposition Labour Party, said Monday he backed a Brexit deal that maintains the benefits of the European single market and the customs union.
In what was billed as his most important Brexit speech so far, he said Britain needs a bespoke, negotiated relationship of its own with the EU with no new impediments to trade and no reduction in rights, standards and protections.
In a keynote speech in Coventry, Corbyn set out details of Labour's Brexit policy and what the future relationship should be between Britain and the remaining 27 EU member states. He said he will also press for the British parliament to have a vote on the final deal with the EU.
Political commentators say that if pro-Remain MPs from the governing Conservative Party back Labour's approach, it could spell trouble ahead for Prime Minister Theresa May.
A defeat in the House of Commons could even lead to a vote of no confidence in the government, and an early general election, some commentators have speculated.
Corbyn said in his speech: "Labour would seek a final deal that gives full access to European markets and maintains the benefits of the single market and the customs union.
"Labour would seek to negotiate a new comprehensive UK-EU customs union to ensure that there are no tariffs with Europe and to help avoid any need for a hard border in Northern Ireland."
Corbyn said Labour was also clear that the option of a new UK customs union with the EU would need to ensure Britain has a say in future trade deals.
He said: "A new customs arrangement would depend on Britain being able to negotiate agreement of new trade deals in our national interest. Labour would not countenance a deal that left Britain as a passive recipient of rules decided elsewhere by others."
Corbyn said Labour respected the leave decision taken in the June 2016 referendum, adding: "We are leaving the European, but we will still be working with European partners in the economic interests of this country."
He added: "When 44 percent of our exports are to EU countries and 50 percent of our imports come from the EU, then it is in both our interests for that trade to remain tariff-free. So we will remain close to the European Union, that's obvious."
Corbyn said every country, whether it's Turkey, Switzerland, or Norway that is geographically close to the EU, without being an EU member state, has some sort of close relationship to the EU. Some more advantageous than others, he added: "Britain will need a bespoke, negotiated relationship of its own."
The Labour leader concluded his speech saying: "The EU is not the root of all our problems and leaving it will not solve all our problems. Likewise, the EU is not the source of all enlightenment and leaving it does not inevitably spell doom for our country. Brexit is what we make of it together, the priorities and choices we make in the negotiations."
Source: Xinhua| 2018-02-26 20:43:26|Editor: Yurou
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JERUSALEM, Feb. 26 (Xinhua) -- Israeli troops have arrested nine Palestinians from the village of the jailed teen, Ahed Tamimi, including a cousin shot by the army in December, the military and local media said Monday.
The pre-dawn arrests took place in Nabi Saleh in the central Israeli-occupied West Bank, one of the main sites of struggle against the Israeli occupation.
A military spokesperson confirmed in a statement that nine residents of Nabi Saleh were arrested overnight. "The detainees are suspected of involvement in terrorist activities, popular terror and violent disturbances against civilians and security forces," the spokesperson added in a statement.
According to Palestinian media, armed forces raided the village and arrested four minors and other relatives, including Mohammed Tamimi, a 15-year-old cousin of Ahed Tamimi.
In December, Israeli forces shot him in his head with a rubber-coated bullet, causing a permanent to his skull.
Shortly after he was shot, Ahed Tamimi was caught on a video kicking two soldiers outside her family home. The video became viral, leading to her arrest.
She became an icon of the Palestinian resistance against the occupation and an international campaign is calling for her release.
Tamimi is facing 12 counts of charges, including assault, incitement, and throwing stones. Her trial in an Israeli military court is being held behind closed doors.
Israel seized the West Bank and the Gaza Strip in the 1967 Middle East war and has held them ever since, despite international criticism and a persistent Palestinian struggle.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-02-26 20:43:26|Editor: Yurou
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BEIRUT, Feb. 26 (Xinhua) -- Lebanese President Michel Aoun said Monday that Lebanon sought stability in the south, but was ready to defend itself if attacked by Israel, in a meeting with the top UN peacekeeper Monday at the presidential palace in Baabda.
United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations Jean-Pierre Lacroix over the weekend made his first visit to UN peacekeeping forces in south Lebanon since taking up his position last April.
Aoun pointed to Lacroix Israel's near-daily violation of UN Security Council Resolution 1701, which ended the 2006 war between Israel and Hezbollah, in addition to Israel's use of Lebanese airspace to bomb Syria on multiple occasions, according to the president's official Twitter account.
After the meet, local media reported that Lacroix reaffirmed the UN role as a vehicle for communication and dialogue between Lebanon and Israel through the regular tripartite meetings that are mediated by United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL).
Lacroix reportedly said the meetings calmed tensions, "especially in the issue of the construction of the wall," in reference to the concrete border wall that Israel started building recently, leading to increased tension at the border.
"The commander of the international forces plays a role in calming tensions and preventing any incidents that could lead to the deterioration of the situation," he was quoted as saying.
Lacroix also reportedly said the forces, known as UNIFIL, cooperated well with Lebanese authorities.
His visit comes after a report in Le Journal du Dimanch contained allegations that the Lebanese Army was failing to cooperate well with UNIFIL, adversely impacting their ability to fulfill their duties in south Lebanon.
ZAGREB, Feb. 26 (Xinhua) -- The High Misdemeanor Court of Croatia has ruled that Uber is operating illegally in the country, daily newspaper Vecernji list reported on Monday.
According to Vecernji list, the court rejected Uber's appeal against the first-instance verdicts by the Split County Court which accused the company of illegally providing taxi services to the public.
In one case, the company was fined 10,000 Croatian kuna (around 1,655 U.S. dollars) and the driver 1,800 kuna, while in another case the company was fined 25,000 kuna, while the driver was hit with a 20,000 kuna fine.
According to the court, Uber was providing a taxi service without a necessary taxi license. However, Uber insisted it didn't offer public transportation because their service was not available to all people under the same conditions, but only those who use the Uber application.
The court rejected such claims, arguing that as anyone could download Uber's application, this therefore constitutes public transport.
Uber has been operating in the southeastern European country since 2015. According to the latest survey in Nov. 2017, 86 percent of Croatian citizens support Uber, while taxi drivers have been protesting Uber by blocking traffic near airports during tourist season or rallying in front of the parliament buildings.
The Croatian government is still working on the new Road Traffic Act which should liberalize the taxi market in Croatia and regulate the work of Uber.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-02-26 21:03:29|Editor: Xiang Bo
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BEIJING, Feb. 26 (Xinhua) -- China's central bank on Monday announced a decision to abolish five regulations in the latest step to cut red tape for a better business environment.
The annulled items include management of foreign exchange registration of foreign-invested businesses, management of foreign currency banknote transactions of domestic institutions, and settlement of domestic letters of credit.
The revisions have been taken in accordance with government requirements to reform administrative approvals and delegate power to lower levels, said the People's Bank of China.
Facing a complicated global landscape and pressure from an economic slowdown at home, the central government has made transforming government functions a top priority.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-02-26 21:08:30|Editor: Yurou
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TEHRAN, Feb. 26 (Xinhua) -- Iran's Foreign Ministry on Monday asked the U.S. officials to drop "psychological and propaganda war" against Iran.
The United States pursues this policy to prevent the global community and the Europeans from forging closer relations with the Islamic republic, Iran's Foreign Ministry Spokesman Bahram Qasemi said.
However, "the Americans policy vis-a-vis Iran has been exposed to everybody and the global community decides based on their own interests," Qasemi said in his weekly press conference.
The U.S. reiteration of their anti-Iran rhetoric is a sign of defeat in its policies, said Qasemi.
"We are in negotiations with a number of countries for the expansion of economic ties," he said, adding that in the meantime "we advise the Americans to drop such (hostile) policies and incorporate wisdom in their policy-making."
Trump has constantly criticized the nuclear pact inked between Iran and Russia, Britain, France, China, the United States and Germany in 2015, which promised to relieve sanctions on Tehran in exchange for a halt in Iran's efforts to develop nuclear program.
U.S. President Donald Trump has laid out areas where he wants cooperation with the Europeans to put together a united front on demanding what he has called "the change of behavior of the Iranians."
The areas include alleged human rights violations, cyber threats and financial activities of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps.
Trump had earlier demanded the nuclear deal be altered to eliminate sunset clauses for some of the restrictions it places on Iran, and harden the inspection rules and to limit development of Iran's long-range missiles.
On Sunday, Iranian foreign minister rejected as "improper" the conditions set by the United States for upholding Iran's international nuclear agreement.
The United States as a party to the multilateral 2015 agreement cannot reset conditions for the deal, Mohammad Javad Zarif said.
"They have previously set some conditions that were improper. Their new conditions are improper as well," Zarif said.
The United States is attempting to elude its commitments through making such demands, Zarif said.
Iran said it would not take any measures beyond its commitment to the JCPOA (or the nuclear deal), nor will it accept changes to this agreement.
Iran has threatened to likely withdraw from the nuclear deal if it cannot receive economic benefits.
BUJUMBURA, Feb. 26 (Xinhua) -- A local official of Burundian ruling party was killed early Monday by two soldiers in a village of Gitega Province in central Burundi, said a provincial official and the police.
Evariste Ngenzi, secretary of the National Council for the Defence of Democracy-Forces for the Defence of Democracy (CNDD-FDD) of the Mutoyi village in Bugendana district, was shot dead when taking drinks along with his party mates in a bar at the village by two soldiers based at the Mutoyi military post around 2:30 a.m., said Beatrice Bukuru, administrator of Bugendana district.
Early investigations show that one of the soldiers found Ngenzi and his party mates by midnight upon the latter arriving at the bar, said Bukuru. People at the bar heard that the soldier said the latter were members of ruling party's youth league Imbonerakure who were coming from the party activities and vowed to kill one of them, she said.
She added that the soldier then went to the military post and came with his colleague to the bar. The two soldiers then urged people at the bar to lie down, said the administrator.
Ngenzi refused, arguing that they had done nothing wrong, she said, adding that the soldiers who had a stick began to beat him. Ngenzi attempted to run and they shot him 15 bullets and he died on the spot, according to her.
Burundian Police Spokesman Pierre Nkurikiye said that the two soldiers have been arrested for further investigations.
DAR ES SALAAM, Feb. 26 (Xinhua) -- A Tanzanian opposition member of Parliament was on Monday jailed for five months after he was convicted of delivering a hate speech against President John Magufuli.
Michael Mteite, a Senior Resident Magistrate for the Mbeya Resident Magistrate's Court in southern Tanzania, jailed Joseph Mbilinyi, an MP for opposition party Chama Cha Demokrasia na Maendeleo (CHADEMA) and the party's secretary for southern highlands zone, Emmanuel Masonga.
Magistrate Mteite said it was proven in court beyond reasonable doubt that the duo were guilty of delivering a hate speech against Magufuli at Mwenge primary school grounds in Mbeya city on December 30 last year.
On Sunday, the two politicians urged their supporters to remain calm as they awaited the ruling.
"All you need to do is be calm and wait for the court's decisions. This isn't the time of mourning. We need to evaluate where we are taking the region to for the interest of the people," he told residents of Mbeya region.
Mbilinyi was elected by the highest number of votes out of all the 264 elected MPs during the 2015 general election.
He gathered 108,566 votes, and all the other applicants for the constituency shared only 57,690 votes.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-02-26 21:18:35|Editor: pengying
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People visit ZTE's booth during the first day of the 2018 Mobile World Congress (MWC) in Barcelona, Spain, on Feb. 26, 2018. The four-day 2018 MWC opened its doors on Monday. (Xinhua/Joan Gosa)
BARCELONA, Feb. 26 (Xinhua) -- The Mobile World Congress (MWC) opened its doors in the city of Barcelona on Monday following a ceremony attended by King Felipe VI of Spain.
The MWC has been held in Barcelona since 2006, growing in importance every year with the 2018 edition predicted to attract 108,000 visitors from over 200 different countries to see stands by 2,300 exhibitors
The 2018 MWC has as its motto "Creating a Better Future" to demonstrate its commitment to the 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and the benefits offered by mobile technology, such as eradicating poverty, improving education and aiding gender equality are reflected in 17 personalities on display at the MWC.
As in 2017 the event will continue to focus on the latest developments in 5G networks and their implication for the Internet of Things, Smart Cities, Big Data, virtual and augmented reality, healthcare, drones, driverless cars and the rise of Artificial Intelligence, all of which will play an ever increasing role in everyday life.
The 2018 MWC is home to the Women4Tech section, which aims to close the gender gap in the world of technology. GSMA, the association which represents the interests of the mobile industry and organizes the WMC, has said that it hopes that this year women make up 25 percent of attendees, improving on the 18 percent in 2016 and 23 percent last year.
The 2018 MWC focuses on youth with the YoMo Festival (Youth Mobile Festival) which is aimed at adolescents and educators throughout Spain, while the 4 Years From Now zone looks to connect star-ups and entrepreneurs with potential investors.
Of course the MWC is also about mobile phones and devices and the Congress is a launch-pad for the world's major telecommunications companies to present their new products and ideas.
Huawei is not launching a smartphone at this year's MWC, but on Sunday presented its MateBook X Pro laptop, while ZTE presented the Blade V9 and the Blade V9 Vita smartphones.
Meanwhile major players such as Samsung, Sony and Nokia will all present new devices in the coming days.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-02-26 21:23:36|Editor: Yurou
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MOSCOW, Feb. 26 (Xinhua) -- A ceasefire in Syria proposed by the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) is possible if all parties involved come to terms, which is a complicated process, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Monday.
Lavrov told a press conference that he saw many obstacles to the implementation of UNSC Resolution 2401, which requires all parties in Syria to immediately cease clashes and provide a sustained humanitarian break for at least 30 days.
The top Russian diplomat said that new attempts were undertaken to tarnish the Syrian Armed Forces which were accused of using chemical weapons in Eastern Ghouta, the last major rebel enclave near Damascus.
Lavrov said he suspected that behind such activities could be a plan of the United States and its allies to create a "quasi state" in the eastern part of Syria in spite of the UNSC's demand to preserve the country's sovereignty and territorial integrity.
He also said that the ceasefire regime would not apply to the Islamic State, the Nusra Front and other terrorist groups who support their peers, continue shelling parts of the Syrian capital controlled by the government, and send car-bombs and dig tunnels to carry out terrorist attacks.
"We will never support any action aimed at saving terrorists from legitimate strikes," Lavrov said.
GENEVA, Feb. 26 (Xinhua) -- The International Air Transport Association (IATA) said Monday it is aiming for one billion passengers to fly on flights powered by a mix of jet fuel and sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) by 2025.
This aspiration was identified on the 10th anniversary of the first flight to blend sustainable aviation fuel and ordinary jet fuel, said IATA.
On Feb. 24, 2008, a Virgin Atlantic Boeing 747 flew from London to Amsterdam with sustainable aviation fuel in one of its engines.
The flight demonstrated the viability of drop-in biofuels, which can be blended with traditional jet fuel, using existing airport infrastructure, IATA said in a statement from Geneva.
"The momentum for sustainable aviation fuels is now unstoppable. From one flight in 2008, we passed the threshold of 100,000 flights in 2017, and we expect to hit one million flights during 2020," said Alexandre de Juniac, IATA's Director General and CEO.
A flight completely powered by sustainable fuel has the potential to reduce the carbon emissions of that flight by up to 80 percent.
De Juniac said IATA realizes that achieving a tally of one billion passengers flying on flights powered by a mix of jet fuel and sustainable aviation fuel will not be easy to achieve.
"We need governments to set a framework to incentivize production of SAF and ensure it is as attractive to produce as automotive biofuels," he said.
The push to increase uptake of SAF is being driven by the airline industry's commitment to achieve carbon-neutral growth from 2020 and to cut net carbon emissions by 50 percent compared to 2005.
Airlines, including Cathay Pacific, FedEx Express, JetBlue, Lufthansa, Qantas, and United, have made significant investments by forward-purchasing 1.5 billion gallons of SAF, said IATA.
The air transport group said that on the present trajectory it is anticipated that half a billion passengers will have flown on a SAF-blend powered flight by 2025.
But, IATA said, if governments, through effective policy, help the sustainable fuel industry to scale-up its production, it is possible that one billion passengers could experience an SAF flight by 2025.
SOFIA, Feb. 26 (Xinhua) -- Bulgaria's exports exceeded 52 billion Bulgarian lev (32.8 billion U.S. dollars) last year, a double increase compared to 2007, a report revealed here on Monday.
According to the report, released by the Bulgarian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the country's imports in 2017 amounted to 59 billion lev, an increase of 38 percent on 2007.
Bulgaria's trade balance has been negative for years, and the deficit in 2017 was nearly seven billion lev, mainly due to the large import of petroleum products and gas, the report said.
"It is encouraging that Bulgaria's trade deficit declined compared to 2007 when it stood at 16 billion lev," the report said.
Exports to European Union (EU) countries made up 66 percent of national exports last year, it said.
Meanwhile, Bulgaria's exports to China grew by 36 percent in 2017 to 1.2 billion lev. Refined copper, copper products, and electrical parts were among the leading products in exports to China, it added. (1 U.S. dollar = 1.59 Bulgarian lev)
TRIPOLI, Feb. 26 (Xinhua) -- The Libyan conference of national reconciliation kicked off Monday in Tripoli with over 100 tribal leaders and elders participating, under the slogan "security, peace, reconciliation."
The Minister of the Interior Abdassalam Ashour and the Minister of State for and Displaced People's Affairs, Yousuf Jalal, also attended the conference.
The two-day conference discusses importance of reconciliation and its role in the stability of Libyan society, as well as the role of the tribal leaders and elders in promoting reconciliation in Libya.
More than 40 academic pieces were presented in the conference by a number of experts and academics.
"The large number of elders and leaders of Libyan tribes from different cities in the east, south and west of the country reflects the awareness among the Libyans of the importance of reconciliation and overcoming differences to promote peace and security in Libya," Emhemmed Al-Busefi, head of the conference's preparatory committee, told Xinhua after the first session.
"The conference was preceded by preliminary meetings in a number of cities and regions," Al-Busefi added.
The tribal elders are highly respected in Libya. They contribute to social reconciliation efforts in the war-torn country.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-02-26 22:03:43|Editor: Xiang Bo
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BEIJING, Feb. 26 (Xinhua) -- The China Coast Guard participated in 272 maritime rescue operations in 2017, saving 62 ships and 425 people.
The coast guard said that it had also conducted patrols to safeguard China's maritime rights, with total voyages reaching nearly 1 million nautical miles last year.
The patrols covered all the sea areas under China's jurisdiction as well as the western Pacific and the Indian Ocean, according to the coast guard, under the State Oceanic Administration.
Formed in 2013, the coast guard has accomplished a series of tasks for safeguarding China's maritime safety and stability, and maintaining the country's territorial sovereignty.
Russia's Ambassador to the UN Vasily Nebenzya speaks as US Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley listens after a Security Council vote during a United Nations Security Council meeting on a ceasefire in Syria February 24, 2018 in New York. (AFP PHOTO)
MOSCOW, Feb. 26 (Xinhua) -- A ceasefire in Syria proposed by the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) is possible if all parties involved come to terms, which is a complicated process, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Monday.
Lavrov told a press conference that he saw many obstacles to the implementation of UNSC Resolution 2401, which requires all parties in Syria to immediately cease clashes and provide a sustained humanitarian break for at least 30 days.
The top Russian diplomat said that new attempts were undertaken to tarnish the Syrian Armed Forces which were accused of using chemical weapons in Eastern Ghouta, the last major rebel enclave near Damascus.
Lavrov said he suspected that behind such activities could be a plan of the United States and its allies to create a "quasi state" in the eastern part of Syria in spite of the UNSC's demand to preserve the country's sovereignty and territorial integrity.
He also said that the ceasefire regime would not apply to the Islamic State, the Nusra Front and other terrorist groups who support their peers, continue shelling parts of the Syrian capital controlled by the government, and send car-bombs and dig tunnels to carry out terrorist attacks.
"We will never support any action aimed at saving terrorists from legitimate strikes," Lavrov said.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-02-26 22:08:45|Editor: Yurou
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ANKARA, Feb. 26 (Xinhua) -- Turkey has officially submitted documents to the Czech authorities requesting the extradition of the former leader of a Syrian Kurdish party, Deputy Prime Minister and government spokesman Bekir Bozdag said Monday.
Speaking on broadcaster NTV in capital Ankara, Bozdag said Muslim had been plotting terrorist attacks against Turkey and the Turkish Justice Ministry had delivered extradition request to Czech authorities.
Salih Muslim, former co-chair of the Democratic Union Party (PYD), was detained in Prague on Feb. 24 upon Turkey's request and detention order.
Muslum was expected to appear before a court in Prague on Monday, which would decide if he will remain in detention; however, his court hearing was postponed.
Muslim was listed as Turkey's most-wanted terrotist earlier in February with a 1 million USD reward.
The PYD is a leading Kurdish political party in northern Syria. On Jan. 20, Turkey launched military operation against the Kurdish militia People's Protection Units (YPG) in northern Syria. The YPG is the armed wing of the PYD.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-02-26 22:08:45|Editor: Mengjie
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Equatorial Guinea's President Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo (1st R) meets with the Chinese State Councilor and Defense Minister Chang Wanquan (1st L), who arrived here Sunday for a two-day visit, in Malabo, Equatorial Guinea, on Feb. 25, 2018. (Xinhua/Qiao Benxiao)
MALABO, Feb. 26 (Xinhua) -- Equatorial Guinea's President Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo met Sunday in the capital Malabo the Chinese State Councilor and Defense Minister Chang Wanquan, who arrived here Sunday for a two-day visit.
Obiang hailed the steady development of the traditional friendship between the two countries since the establishment of their diplomatic relations.
He stressed that there has been fruitful bilateral cooperation in the political, economic and cultural fields, and that in international and regional affairs, the two countries have worked closely together, putting forward mutual support.
According to the president, Equatorial Guinea attaches significant importance to the traditional friendship between the two countries, and is ready to strengthen political, economic and security cooperation with China in order to deepen their comprehensive cooperative partnership.
For his part, Chang said the friendship between the two countries has been steadily consolidating since the establishment of diplomatic relations 48 years ago.
Chang recalled that in 2015 Obiang and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping jointly established a comprehensive cooperative partnership of mutual trust and win-win cooperation, providing a roadmap for the development of bilateral relations.
Chang said he was pleased with the strengthening of the pragmatic cooperation between the two armies over the years, and reaffirmed that China is willing to strengthen the friendly and pragmatic cooperation and work together to maintain peace and security in the region.
Equatorial Guinean Vice President Teodoro Nguema Obiang Mangue attended the meeting. Chang then met with Equatorial Guinea Defense minister Leandro Bacale Ncogo Ayingono on Monday.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-02-26 22:13:46|Editor: Yurou
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ADDIS ABABA, Feb. 26 (Xinhua) -- The African Union (AU), the European Union (EU), and the United Nations (UN) have vowed to further enhance cooperation with Libyan authorities in the joint response to migration and protection challenges.
The three organizations have urged improved conditions of migrants and refugees in detention centers in Libya, including by providing unhindered access to UN agencies and humanitarian actors, as well as ensure the protection and release of vulnerable people, according to a joint statement through AU on Monday.
A high-level mission of AU, EU, and UN made a visit to Libya last Friday as a follow-up to the meeting of the joint AU-EU-UN task force in Brussels, Belgium, in December 2017.
Members of the joint mission have met with the Libyan Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mohammed Sialla, and other Libyan officials including the Deputy Minister of Interior, and the Director of the General Directorate for Combatting Illegal Migration, and they have visited a detention center for migrants and a shelter for internally displaced people.
The joint mission has welcomed progress achieved with the Voluntary Humanitarian Return of 19,370 migrants back to their countries of origin in 2017, and 9,379 since the 28th November 2017 to date. In parallel, 1,211 refugees have been evacuated from Libya to Niger in view of their resettlement since December 2017.
The joint mission has called for additional efforts to ensure the protection of refugees, including by allowing the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) to work beyond the seven official nationalities recognized by the Libyan government in the framework of their evacuation out of Libya for their resettlement.
The mission has also underlined the need to implement a comprehensive and systematic registration at disembarkation points and in detention centers by Libyan authorities, with the support of International Organization for Migration (IOM) and UNHCR, to ensure the safety and traceability of all refugees and migrants.
It further highlighted the importance of improving the conditions of migrants and refugees in detention centers.
The joint mission has acknowledged that re-opening of the IOM shelter for vulnerable migrants must be a priority and the progress in establishing a transit and departure centre for refugees.
In the coming weeks, the Operational Level of the Task Force will continue to engage and collaborate with the Libyan authorities in order to consolidate the progress that has already been made, according to the statement.
ADDIS ABABA, Feb. 26 (Xinhua) -- Foreign ministers of Ethiopia and Venezuela expressed their respective country's deep interest in bolstering bilateral relations through ways of South-South cooperation.
The two countries' foreign ministers announced their respective countries' commitment during their meeting in Ethiopia's capital Addis Ababa over the weekend, according to the Ethiopian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Ethiopian Foreign Minister, Workneh Gebeyehu, in his meeting with the visiting Venezuelan Minister of Foreign Affairs, Jorge Alberto Arreaza Montserrat, in Addis Ababa said that the huge commitment aspired by the two countries "could be accomplished under the aegis of the spirit of South-South cooperation."
Gebeyehu further noted his country's commitment to enhance its bilateral ties with Venezuela in a number of areas, which include cooperation in the aviation diplomacy, tourism, oil industry, media and education sectors.
According to Gebeyehu, cooperation on aviation industry, in particular, is one of the most important areas where Ethiopia is ready to work closely with Venezuela and other Latin American countries via the East African country's flag carrier the Ethiopian Airlines group.
Montserrat, who commended Ethiopia's readiness and commitment to the principles and philosophy of South-South Cooperation, further expressed "Venezuela's interest to strengthen the diplomatic ties with Ethiopia, and boost cooperation in bilateral, regional and international areas of common concern," according to the statement by the ministry.
Gebeyehu also reiterated that Ethiopia, as a chair of the East African block IGAD, "is striving hard to bring about peace and stability in the region, particularly in South Sudan and Somalia," which, he said, is an area that Venezuela could demonstrate its solidarity and support.
Montserrat is the first Venezuelan Foreign Minister to pay official working visit to Ethiopia.
NAIROBI, Feb. 26 (Xinhua) -- The United Nations on Monday urged Kenya to advance gender equality in order to boost economic growth.
UN Resident Coordinator in Kenya Siddharth Chatterjee told a women forum in Nairobi that Kenya has already made strides in reducing gender inequality but more progress is required.
"Kenya needs to fully empower women so that the country can realize high economic growth and development," Chatterjee said during the Timeless Women Conference.
The three-day event aims to connect women enterprises in Africa with global and industry players.
Chatterjee said an economy cannot perform at optimal levels if half of the population is excluded from gainful economic activity.
He noted that it is crucial for governments to ensure that women are fully involved in the workforce by removing barriers that hold back women from achieving their full potential.
He called on men to fight for the advancement of women rights for the betterment of society.
Chatterjee, who is also the UN Development Program (UNDP) Resident Representative to Kenya, added that women have to be empowered from the national level to the household level.
He noted that every year, sub-Saharan Africa loses 95 billion U.S. dollars due to gender inequality.
The UN official added that when women and girls are empowered they have control over their bodies and can decide when to have children.
"This is fundamental as it enables women to gain skills and join the labor force so as to contribute to the economic well-being of society," he said.
MOGADISHU, Feb. 26 (Xinhua) -- The Somali government has ordered security operation in Mogadishu and its environs after Friday's twin explosions that killed at least 32 people and injured several others, local media reported on Monday.
Prime Minister Hassan Ali Khaire and Security Minister Mohamed Abukar Islow on Sunday evening directed police and intelligence agents to conduct house-to-house operation in parts of the restive Mogadishu where they detained several suspects in the night-long swoop.
Khaire said security is the government's priority and warned that the Horn of Africa nation will not tolerate the killing of innocent lives and ordered the forces to rid the city of terror suspects.
"We have directed security forces to deal with the public in a humane way and the terrorists brutally. It's important that security forces end insecurity in Mogadishu and we will not be demoralized by one or two explosions," he added.
Al-Qaeda allied militant group, Al-Shabaab has claimed responsibility for the latest twin blasts in the capital targeting the presidential palace and the intelligence headquarters.
Two vehicles loaded with explosives detonated near the intelligence headquarters and Villa Somalia and Al-Shabaab elements started firing at innocent civilians.
The first explosion went off at around 6 p.m. local time when a vehicle loaded with explosives hit the newly opened Dorbin hotel near the intelligence headquarters then shortly followed by the second one near Villa Somalia.
All the five militants were killed by security forces in the attack which has been roundly condemned by the international community.
Those arrested on the Sunday night crackdown are being interrogated by the security forces. The authorities promised to release suspects found not guilty.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-02-26 22:33:50|Editor: yan
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BAGHDAD, Feb. 26 (Xinhua) -- Iraq has extended ban of international flights imposed earlier on airports of the semi-autonomous region of Kurdistan for three months, a Kurdish media said on Monday.
The Iraqi federal authorities extended the suspension of international flights to and from the Kurdish airports to May 31, as the ban was supposed to expire on Wednesday, the Kurdish Rudaw media net quoted Talar Faiq, head of Erbil International Airport, as saying.
The ban on international flights on the region's international airports of Erbil and Sulaiymaniyah forced passengers to apply for an Iraqi visa to transit through Baghdad and Basra international airports to go or leave the Kurdish region.
Omid Mohammed, Minister of Transportation of the Kurdish region, told Rudaw that his regional government "did not expect the Iraqi authorities to extend the ban on international flights."
In late September, the Iraqi federal government adopted the ban decision on the Kurdish region as part of a package of punitive measures that also included blocking all the border crossings which are outside the control of the federal authorities.
Tensions have been running high between Baghdad and the region of Kurdistan after the Kurds held a controversial referendum on the independence of the Kurdistan region and the disputed areas on Sept. 25.
Baghdad government repeatedly expressed its stance that the Kurdish region must recognize Iraq's national sovereignty and abides by preserving its unity.
The independence of Kurdistan is opposed not only by the Iraqi central government, but also by other countries as it would threaten the integrity of Iraq and undermine the fight against IS militants.
Iraq's neighboring countries, especially Turkey, Iran and Syria, fear that the Iraqi Kurds' pursuit of independence threatens their territorial integrity, as large Kurdish populations live in those countries.
BUSIA, Kenya, Feb. 26 (Xinhua) -- Quinto Okitwi has a strong attachment to his ancestral village in Western Kenyan county of Busia thanks to its tranquil weather and fertile soils that have shielded local communities from vagaries of hunger.
The 56-year-old father of seven has been a farmer since the days of his youth and has no plans to abandon this vocation given that it has fed and educated his offspring without hassles.
Okitwi's one-acre farm that is near Kenya-Uganda border is a case study in diversification thanks to encouragement from local agricultural extension officers and a private company that exports fresh produce to regional markets.
Recently, Okitwi and hundreds of smallholder farmers in his locality have embarked on cultivation of chillies for export in a bid to broaden their revenue streams.
"I planted chillies late last year after undergoing training on how to tend to this delicate crop. Toward the end of January, I managed to harvest 28 kilograms that fetched me 57 U.S. dollars," Okitwi told Xinhua in a recent interview at his farm.
His ancestral village has not escaped the wrath of erratic weather patterns that have affected production of key staples like maize, sorghum, beans and millet.
According to Okitwi, depressed rains coupled with voracious pests and diseases are to blame for food insecurity and poverty affecting the majority of smallholder farmers in the low lying plains of Busia County in western Kenya.
"Farmers in this region have grappled with declining productivity linked to erratic weather patterns. This dry spell in particular has not been favorable for planting maize but our chillies have reached maturity without disruption," said Okitwi.
He set aside half an acre to plant chillies in November last year and has benefited from training offered by a local grassroots empowerment agency which also helps small scale farmers export the famous pepper to regional markets.
Okitwi and his wife Margaret Barasa were optimistic that cultivation of chillies alongside other fast maturing vegetables will offer them additional income amid rising cost of living.
"We were excited when a charity organization introduced chili farming in this region and look forward to higher incomes in future," remarked Barasa, adding that tending to chillies is not a demanding task.
Grassroots empowerment lobbies have been encouraging smallholder farmers in western Kenya to diversify as a means to shield them from hunger, malnutrition and financial stress.
Gordon Kapudiaka, the Busia County Manager of Joyful Women Organization (JOYWO), said chilies have presented a viable alternative to small-scale farmers.
"We have partnered with several organizations to help farmers grow and export different varieties of chillies. So far, cultivation of chillies has been realized in 60 acres of land in the larger Busia County," Kapudiaka told Xinhua.
He revealed that small-scale farmers growing chillies in Busia County are grouped in clusters to enhance their bargaining power in the local and foreign markets.
"Our farmers are encouraged to form clusters to enable them to sell the produce in bulk. However, payments are made to the individual farmer through mobile money transfer service," said Kapudiaka.
His organization has partnered with the Nairobi-based trade facilitation agency, Trade Mark East Africa, to help chili farmers in Busia sell the produce to buyers in Uganda.
Kapudiaka hailed the Feb. 24 launch of Busia One Stop Border Post (OSBP) by Kenyan and Ugandan presidents saying it will open new markets for Kenyan chili farmers in neighboring Uganda.
Small-scale chili farmers in Busia too said they were excited by the prospect of unfettered access to markets in Uganda, saying it will motivate them to work harder.
David Echuli, a 63-year-old father of twelve, said he is keen to scale up cultivation of chillies now that it is easy to sell the produce in regional markets that promise higher returns.
"Since I started cultivating chillies on a quarter acre farm late last year, the benefits have started trickling in and I look forward to expanding land under cultivation of this crop," said Echuli.
He harvested 20 kilograms of chillies recently and earned 50 dollars that he spent on clearing outstanding debts and purchasing household items.
Echuli noted that chillies have guaranteed financial security to smallholder farmers unlike traditional staples whose productivity is on a decline due to loss of soil fertility and climatic stresses.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-02-26 22:48:52|Editor: yan
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ADEN, Yemen, Feb. 26 (Xinhua) -- The Yemeni government forces launched on Monday a new military operation against hideouts of the Yemen-based al-Qaida branch in the southeastern province of Shabwa, a military official told Xinhua.
The anti-terror campaign was dubbed "Operation Decisive Sword," targeting key al-Qaida-held areas in Shabwa province, the military source said on condition of anonymity.
He said that the newly-recruited forces in Shabwa largely participated in the anti-terror operation and engaged in armed confrontations with al-Qaida militants in Yashbum area.
The United Arab Emirates organized the military campaign in addition to using its military vehicles and helicopters to support the Yemeni troops, according to the local officials.
Tribal sources in Shabwa said that al-Qaida militants launched an attack against the UAE-backed Yemeni troops in an attempt to impede the on-ground progress.
Witnesses said the Yemeni soldiers were deployed around the main entrances leading to the al-Qaida-held areas amid sporadic fighting with the militants there.
There were no immediate reports of the exact number of casualties from the two-warring sides.
On Friday, the Yemeni government forces backed by the UAE took over a strategic valley in the southeastern province of Hadramout, kicking scores of terrorists out from their last bastion after several days of fighting.
Observers said that the latest anti-terror operations supported by the UAE resulted in killing key local commanders of the terrorist group, pointing out that the remaining militants are unlikely to launch any attack against the Yemeni forces.
Local activists published on their social media networks images of scattered bodies, saying they belong to terrorists who have been killed during the fighting with the Yemeni troops in Hadramout.
Al-Qaida militants are intensifying their drive-by attacks on security checkpoints in the Yemeni southern provinces as UAE-backed government forces increase military operations against their hideouts in the war-plagued Arab country.
During the past months, Yemeni government forces and the UAE armed forces operating in the southern province of Aden launched a new anti-terror offensive "to root out al-Qaida militants from their strongholds in neighboring southern province of Abyan."
Thousands of southern recruits joined the campaign after receiving military training and financial support from the UAE forces.
The UAE-backed anti-terror campaign has dislodged al-Qaida militants from several villages in Abyan and in the neighboring southeastern province of Shabwa, with more than 50 of them arrested and moved to prisons in Aden.
The Yemen-based al-Qaida branch, seen by the United States as the global terror network's most dangerous branch, has exploited years of deadly conflict between Yemen's government and Houthi rebels to expand its presence, especially in Shabwa and Abyan provinces.
WINDHOEK, Feb. 26 (Xinhua) -- Namibia will amend the Public Enterprises Governance Act in a bid to turn around state-owned enterprises that cost about one billion U.S. dollars to run in 2017/18.
There are more than 300 state-owned enterprises in Namibia categorized as non-commercial, commercial and financial.
In 2017/18 alone, the state-owned enterprises had a wage bill that topped 6 billion Namibian dollars (520 million U.S. dollars) per year and accrued a debt of more than 43 billion Namibian dollars (3.7 billion U.S. dollars).
One of the amendments is meant to punish state-owned enterprises' board of directors to account for poor performance.
Public enterprises minister Leone Jooste said Monday that the board's accountability as a collective and individual board members would enjoy particular attention.
"In cases where reckless trading or gross negligence can be determined, board members will be held personally liable with associated unpleasant consequences," Jooste told the annual stakeholders meeting in Windhoek.
Jooste also said they would also develop the public enterprises' performance and remuneration framework and an integrated performance system that requires state-owned enterprises to have fully functional performance management systems.
"This is a simple but fundamental requirement to cultivate a performance culture within the public enterprises," Jooste said.
According to Jooste, the government had already finalized the new recruitment guidelines for recruiting board members.
The guidelines that will be presented to Cabinet, Jooste said, introduce a new thorough recruitment process to ensure the best possible people are identified transparently.
"One of the factors we will have to pay particular emphasis on is to ensure that sector-specific skilled board members are appointed," Jooste added.
The minister further said that state-owned enterprises boards should meet not more than four times per year and that in case there is need to meet more, then they have to apply for permission.
Jooste explained that guidelines on how to recruit, suspend and dismiss state-owned enterprises chief executive officers would be issued this quarter.
DHAKA, Feb. 26 (Xinhua) -- Bangladesh's tax collection body, the National Board of Revenue (NBR), Monday asked all commercial banks to freeze the accounts of the country's second largest mobile operator Robi, a joint venture of Axiata Group Berhad (Malaysia), Bharti Airtel Limited (India) and NTT DoCoMo Inc. (Japan).
NBR asked banks to freeze Robi's accounts for three working days alleging evasion of nearly 190 million taka (about 2.29 million U.S. dollars) as value added tax (VAT) and supplementary duties.
A letter, issued from the NBR's Large Taxpayers Unit (LTU), was Monday sent to chief executives of all commercial banks in the country with the instruction to suspend withdrawal and depositing of money from all of the bank accounts of the operator, NRB said in a press release.
"Legal steps against the company will be taken," said the release.
A Robi spokesman was not immediately available for comment.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-02-26 22:58:54|Editor: yan
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TEHRAN, Feb. 26 (Xinhua) -- Iran's Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) has sent medical practitioners to Syria and Iraq to treat the injured in war against terrorism, Tasnim news agency reported on Monday.
The doctors have been sent at the request of the Iraqi and Syrian governments, IRGC Deputy Commander for Health and Medical Education General Ahmad Abdollahi told Tasnim.
IRGC has set up medical units and temporary hospitals in the two Arab countries to help treat those injured in the battle against terror groups, Abdollahi said.
So far, scores of Syrian and Iraqi fighters have received free medical services from the Iranian medical experts, he added.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-02-26 23:03:54|Editor: yan
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ANKARA, Feb. 26 (Xinhua) -- Turkish police and gendarmerie special forces have entered the Afrin region in Syria in "new phase" of operation against People's Protection Units (YPG), Deputy Prime Minister and government spokesman Bekir Bozdag said Monday.
The deployment is a sign of preparations for a new struggle looming ahead, Bozdag said on a television interview, adding that Turkey's operation will move to urban areas from rural villages.
Bozdag said the special forces from police and gendarmerie are deployed in Afrin to avoid civilians casualty. They have experience on conducting anti-terror fight in residential areas without harming civilians.
A total of 2,059 militants had been neutralized by Turkish army since the beginning of the operation, Turkish military said on Monday.
On Jan. 20, Turkey launched "Operation Olive Branch" to clear YPG militants from Afrin in northwestern Syria. Turkey considers the YPG to be the Syrian affiliates of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK).
Source: Xinhua| 2018-02-26 23:03:54|Editor: yan
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KAMPALA, Feb. 26 (Xinhua) -- leaders of countries contributing troops to the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) will meet in Kampala to discuss the process of handing over security responsibilities to the Somalia National Security Forces.
A statement released by Uganda's ministry of foreign affairs on Monday said the meeting will be convened by President Yoweri Museveni and will be attended by "representatives of the African Union Commission, UN Secretariat, the European Union Commission, Regional & Sub-Regional organizations, and representatives of the Five Permanent Members of the UN Security Council".
"The Summit is being convened within the framework of conclusions of the September 2017 meeting hosted in New York by President Yoweri Museveni on the margins of the United Nations General Assembly. The New York Summit was called to exchange views on the situation in Somalia," the statement signed by the ministry spokesperson, Alfred Nnam, said.
AMISOM was created by the African Union's Peace and Security Council in 2007 with an initial six month mandate on a peacekeeping mission. The aim of the peacekeeping mission was to support a national reconciliation congress. Later, the mandate was extended as terrorists loyal to Al-Shabaab continued attacking different countries in the east African region, with strong bases in Somalia.
In November, AMISOM announced that it would withdraw 1,000 of the 22,000 fighters from the Horn of Africa nation and that all foreign peacekeepers would have withdrawn by the end of 2020.
Countries which contribute peacekeepers to AMISOM include Uganda, Burundi, Ethiopia, Kenya and Djibouti.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-02-26 23:08:56|Editor: pengying
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The 7th Ambassadors Conference of the Sudanese ambassadors abroad is held in Khartoum, Sudan, Feb. 26, 2018, to enhance Sudan's external relations. (Xinhua/Mohamed Khidir)
KHARTOUM, Feb. 26 (Xinhua) -- The 7th Ambassadors Conference of the Sudanese ambassadors abroad kicked off sessions Monday to enhance Sudan's external relations.
Addressing the conference's opening sitting, Sudan's First Vice-President Bakri Hassan Saleh, expressed Sudan's willingness to enhance its external relations with all countries in the world, particularly within its Arab and African surroundings.
"Sudan has been exerting all efforts to bring the situation in the South Sudan, Libya, and Somalia to normalcy. We have been trying to narrow the gap between Ethiopia and Egypt views on the establishment of the Ethiopian Renaissance Dam," said Saleh when addressing the conference.
"We continue dialogue with the United States and European countries to fully normalize relations," he added.
Ghandour, for his part, said "the Sudanese diplomacy has worked to establish relations with all neighboring countries on bases of common interests and mutual respect, so that the borders would be places for cooperation and exchange of interests instead of disputes and conflicts."
The conference tends to discuss economic issues and enhance Sudan's efforts to attract investments and increase the volume of trade exchange with the world.
Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir is expected to address the closing session of the two-day conference.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-02-26 23:13:56|Editor: yan
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BEIRUT, Feb. 26 (Xinhua) -- UN peacekeeping top official welcomed Monday the increasing Lebanese army presence in southern Lebanon during a meeting with Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri.
"We had a very good discussion with the Prime Minister. I thanked him for the very good relation we have with the Lebanese government in fulfilling UNIFIL's mission," said UN Secretary General for Peacekeeping Operations, Jean-Pierre Lacroix.
"We mentioned particularly the cooperation we have with the Lebanese armed forces and the fact that the Lebanese armed forces strengthened their presence in Southern Lebanon and this is something that we welcome," he added.
Lacroix said that the UNIFIL's role in defusing tensions at the border "has a very important preventative role, which is very important particularly in a time where tensions arise, including verbal tensions, and UNIFIL is very, very present in this area of operation."
"We agreed that this role is very crucial and we take it very seriously," he said.
Lacroix touched on the importance of UNIFIL's role in mediating talks between Lebanon and Israel, known as tripartite meetings, at the southern-most point of Naqoura.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-02-26 23:24:01|Editor: Lu Hui
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BEIJING, Feb. 26 (Xinhua) -- China is expected to unveil some action plans to build a "great modern socialist country" at the upcoming annual sessions of its top legislative and political advisory bodies.
The first sessions of the 13th National People's Congress and the 13th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, also known as the "two sessions," are scheduled to convene in March.
The two sessions, to be attended by more than 5,000 lawmakers and political advisors, will be the first national assembly after a two-step blueprint for China to become a "great modern socialist country" was announced last October at the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC).
According to the blueprint, socialist modernization will be basically realized from 2020 to 2035. From 2035 to the middle of the century, China will become a great modern socialist country that is prosperous, strong, democratic, culturally advanced, harmonious and beautiful.
Major theoretical achievements, principles and policies adopted at the CPC congress, particularly Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, are expected to be reflected in state plans at the two sessions.
"As the target of Xiaokang will be achieved in the near future, a further goal is needed to be put into action for China's development in the long run," said Jia Hongtao, a national lawmaker.
China has set 2020 as the target year to finish building a moderately prosperous society (Xiaokang) in all aspects, with poverty eradicated, and GDP and per capita income doubling the 2010 levels.
Jia, a village Party chief in Suihua City, northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, has witnessed great changes at his village in recent years.
Villagers moved from their shabby houses to apartment buildings, with a kindergarten and a primary school nearby.
During the two sessions, China will have a new state leadership lineup for the coming five years, who will lead the nation to fulfil the 2020 target.
Stable growth, among the fastest in the world, is anticipated as China deepens its supply-side structural reform for quality growth.
New measures supporting innovation, rural vitalization, integrated regional development and opening up are to be rolled out, all of which are key aspects in developing a modern economy.
This year marks the 40th anniversary of China's reform and opening-up drive. People expect the country to open wider to the outside world as "a new pattern of all-round opening up" has been announced at the tone-setting central economic work conference in December 2017.
In addition to economic plans, key political moves are also expected at the legislative session, including establishment of the national supervision commission.
These moves, which are important to modernize China's system and capacity for governance, will lay a solid foundation for realizing the goal of building a great modern socialist country, analysts have said.
Su Quanke, a national political advisor, said he is confident about realizing the goal, considering the remarkable progress made so far.
Su is the chief engineer of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge (HZMB), the world's longest sea bridge. The 55-km-long bridge took six years of preparation and eight years to build.
Su said that 10 years ago, China had only one 2,000-tonne floating crane for building the Hangzhou Bay sea bridge. The number of large floating cranes was five for the HZMB project, including one of 12,000 tonnes. All the five cranes were domestically built.
He said the achievement has shown the advantages of socialism, which pools national resources to solve major problems.
"We have achieved a lot in technological innovation, which will further drive the economy in the future," he said.
Ye Hailin, an international relations researcher with the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, said that building a great modern socialist country is not just a goal, but a process which will bring opportunities to the rest of the world.
China's economic development contributes more than 30 percent of global economic growth, which will generate a spillover effect. Through international cooperation mechanisms such as the Belt and Road Initiative, China will share its economic benefits with other countries and regions.
"A successful China will set an example for a large number of developing countries and help upgrade the industrial chains of its neighbors," Ye said.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-02-26 23:24:03|Editor: yan
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AMMAN, Feb. 26 (Xinhua) -- Saudi Arabia's embassy in Amman on Monday rejected as baseless the reports on the robbery of two Saudi citizens in northern Jordan.
Abdul Salam Bin Abdullah Al Enzi, official spokesperson of the embassy, said the embassy did not receive any notification of such an incident.
"Jordan is a safe and secure country thanks to its wise leadership as well as efficiency of its security agencies, which provide full services to Jordanians and non-Jordanians alike in the kingdom," he said.
"Such rumors aimed at sowing sedition and propagating lies and fabricated stories are being disseminated and promoted by parties hostile to both brotherly kingdoms," he added.
The spokesperson pointed out to cooperation between the embassy and the security agencies to solve problems facing Saudis visiting Jordan or those who seek medical treatment or study in Jordan.
Some media reports claimed recently that the two Saudis were robbed while picnicking in the touristy Wadi Al Rayyan region and that the perpetrators were not arrested.
ULAN BATOR, Feb. 26 (Xinhua) -- Mongolian quarantine officials have had 3,268 domestic animals slaughtered since the beginning of this year in the country to contain the spread of the deadly foot-and-mouth disease (FMD), Mongolia's Food, Agriculture and Light Industry Ministry said Monday.
Currently, there have been outbreaks of the FMD in nine provinces including its southeastern Dornogobi province.
A martial law has been declared in 19 soums (administrative subdivisions) in the nine provinces to control the FMD.
In addition, Mongolia has bought 500,000 doses of vaccine from Russia to fight the disease.
The FMD is a viral infectious disease that spreads between cloven-hoofed animals such as cattle, sheep and pigs. The main symptoms of sick animals are increased body temperature, blisters and ulceration in the mucous membranes and hoofs in the mouth.
The foot-and-mouth disease is rarely transmitted to humans, but humans may also be infected if exposed to the virus.
MOSCOW, Feb. 26 (Xinhua) -- Russian President Vladimir Putin has ordered daily "humanitarian pauses" in Syria's Eastern Ghouta to allow evacuation of civilians from the zone held by militants, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said Monday.
He said in a statement that the humanitarian pause will be in force from 9 a.m (0700 GMT) to 2 p.m. (1200 GMT) every day starting Tuesday.
The location of the humanitarian corridor is to be announced later, the statement said.
Moscow also proposed creating in the nearest future an international humanitarian appraisal commission under the aegis of the United Nations, "which could assess what is happening in Raqqa, to which neither mass media nor humanitarian organizations have access."
The United Nations Security Council adopted on Saturday Resolution 2401, which requires all parties in Syria to immediately cease clashes and provide a sustained humanitarian break for at least 30 days.
Earlier in the day, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said that the ceasefire in Syria could be possible if all parties involved came to terms, but he also admitted that there are many obstacles.
LONDON, Feb. 26 (Xinhua) -- About 150 Chinese academics and professors working at top British universities gathered Sunday at the Chinese embassy here to celebrate the Chinese New Year, during which they agreed to facilitate and enhance UK-China cooperation in educational and research sectors.
Professor G.Q. Max Lu, vice-chancellor of University of Surrey, told Xinhua that overseas Chinese academics should give full play to their advantages to promote the exchange between China and the West.
As a world-renowned academic, Lu joined Surrey as president and vice-chancellor in 2016, becoming the very first Chinese principal in Britain's higher education history.
Born to a poor Chinese family in northern China, he caught up with the opportunity of China's reform and opening up since late 1970s and went abroad for study.
"University education changed my life and gave me more opportunities to help change other people's lives," he said, "I believe every academic elite present here today is also bringing changes to young people's lives and even the whole world, through their teaching and study. We are the lucky ones in this great era, and we are the beneficiaries of China's reform and opening up. We should do our best to work as a bridge and ambassador for the exchange between China and the West."
Currently, there are over 6,000 Chinese scholars working in more than 150 British universities, with over 500 professors and several fellows, said Wang Yongli, minister counselor for education of the Chinese embassy in the UK. But only 20 years ago, it was hard to find even one Chinese professor in the UK, Wang said.
Chinese ambassador Liu Xiaoming hailed the professors' academic achievements in Britain, expressing the wish they would continue contributing to the development of China as well as to enhance China-UK educational cooperation.
He encouraged the Chinese academics in Britain to continue fostering young talent, promoting the establishment of innovative science and technology centers, building joint laboratories, conducting cutting-edge scientific cooperation research and participating in China's national talents schemes.
ADDIS ABABA, Feb. 26 (Xinhua) -- A group of 113 Eritrean, Somali and South Sudanese refugees who were living in Ethiopia's refugee camps have left here for Italy on Monday through a relocation program.
The 113 refugees, who are relocated to Italy as part of a the "Humanitarian Corridor" initiative, include 88 Eritreans, 22 South Sudanese and 3 Somalis, who had resided in Ethiopia's refugee camps for some time.
The Humanitarian Corridor program, which envisages rebuilding the lives of a total of 500 refugees, is an initiative established by the Italian Government in partnership with several humanitarian and faith based- organizations, the Ethiopian refugee agency (ARRA) and the United Nations refugee agency (UNHCR).
Zeynu Jemal, Deputy Director of Ethiopian Administration for Refugee and Returnee Affairs (ARRA), said the initiative is an important step forward in "changing the lives of refugees as it also gives them hope and one way of curbing illegal secondary movements out of camps."
"We value and greatly commend the Government of Italy's contribution to creating a world more open to refugees and to the advancement of comprehensive responses to refugee situation," Jemal added.
According to ARRA, half of the 113 refugees that were relocated to Italy are minors, including South Sudanese children born in Pugnido's Refugee Camp in Ethiopia's Gambela Regional state.
Some 25 refugees from Somalia, Eritrea and South Sudan left for Italy as part of the initiative's first round of relocation program in December last year.
The humanitarian corridor initiative is designed through a personalized method of accompaniment and integration with an Italian host family and community, it was noted.
The initiative is said to be a response mechanism as refugees often risk their lives crossing the Sinai desert, Libya and the Mediterranean Sea with the aim of reaching Europe through the support of illegal human smugglers and traffickers.
ISLAMABAD, Feb. 26 (Xinhua) -- Pakistan will not force some 2 million Afghan refugees in the country to leave but encourages voluntary repatriation, a Pakistani cabinet minister said Monday, as the legal stay of around 1.4 million registered refugees in Pakistan will end on March 31.
Pakistan Minister for States and Frontier Regions Abdul Qadir Baloch told members of the Pak-Afghan Track II Dialogue in Islamabad that Pakistan is treating refugees issue purely on humanitarian grounds, separating it from the security or political domain.
Pakistan also hosts nearly 1 million unregistered Afghan refugees in the country, whose documentation is currently underway across the country.
On Jan. 31, the Pakistani cabinet extended the stay of the registered Afghan refugees in the country for 60 days.
"The refugees have nothing to do with security situation. Also there is no serious law and order issue or conflict witnessed between the local communities in Pakistan and Afghan refugees," the minister said as Pakistani leaders routinely cite the longer stay of refugees as one of the security issues.
The minister said Pakistan is working in close coordination with the UN refugee agency and the Afghan Embassy to deal with the refugees' dignified return.
Afghan delegates at the track II initiative "Beyond Boundaries" earlier said the Afghan government will not be able to accommodate millions of refugees if they are forced to leave Pakistan.
"We also dealt with it as our international responsibility. The educational and health facilities in Pakistan were available to the Afghan refugees. I am glad to find out that 50,000 people educated in Pakistan are serving in Afghanistan presently," he said.
The UNHCR representative Ruven Menikdiwela told the participants that the refugee agency is "encouraging voluntary return of Afghan refugees and support Pakistan's idea that those who want to stay in Pakistan should get Afghan passports first and then stay there (in Pakistan) with a valid visa."
"Pakistan has been providing access to schools and hospitals which is an in-kind contribution," she said, adding that "we cannot vouch for every individual refugee. We say if there are bad guys, deal with them according to law but don't bracket every one with terrorists."
"We would request the Pakistani government to give all stakeholders sufficient time ahead to prepare for implementation of repatriation plans. The Afghan government should prioritize building capacity of authorities in Kabul for issuing passports if it is ready to launch its resettlement program for the returning refugees," said the UN refugee agency representative.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-02-27 00:09:11|Editor: yan
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KUWAIT CITY, Feb. 26 (Xinhua) -- The Kuwaiti Emir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah on Monday sent his greetings to the Kuwaiti people and residents on the country's 57th National Day and 27th Liberation Day.
The emir called on the Kuwaitis to work harder to maintain the country's security and national unity, and to carry on the path of development and revival.
He highly appreciated the overwhelming vigor displayed by the Kuwaitis during the nationwide celebrations well-organized by the public and private bodies to mark the national occasions.
They have formed a "national epic" reflecting loyalty to the nation and strengthening a "cohesive one Kuwaiti family," the emir said.
The emir also greeted leaders of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) members for their participation in Kuwait's National Days, both on the official and the popular levels and stressed the deep-rooted bond between the bloc's peoples.
He also thanked leaders of the Arab and other friendly countries for sharing Kuwait's national celebration.
Kuwait National Day and Liberation Day are celebrated on Feb. 25 and 26 respectively.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-02-27 00:19:16|Editor: Mengjie
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BEIJING, Feb. 26 (Xinhua) -- The Ministry of Public Security has called for investigations into 45 pollution cases in provinces to crack down on pollution in the Yangtze River.
Vice minister Huang Ming stressed "zero-tolerance" to pollution in the river as well as strong efforts to solve the cases, at a Monday meeting attended by officials from the office of the leading group for Yangtze River Economic Belt development, the Ministry of Environmental Protection and the Ministry of Transport.
Huang called for thorough digging into old cases, the timely dealing of new cases, firmly destroying criminal networks and cutting off illegal profit chains.
Huang also asked public security organs at all levels to cooperate to crack down on environmental pollution crimes along the river.
ADDIS ABABA, Feb. 26 (Xinhua) -- Ethiopia on Monday reaffirmed its open-door policy for refugees that are flocking into the East African country mainly from its unsettled neighboring countries.
The Ethiopian refugee agency (ARRA) said on Monday that even though the country presently shelters more than 900,000 refugees, it will maintain its open door policy towards refugees and "continue to receive new arrivals from several of its neighbors, notably from South Sudan, Somalia, Eritrea, Sudan and Yemen."
Ethiopia, which is home to the second largest refugee population in Africa next to Uganda, further affirmed its commitment to improving refugee lives through the Comprehensive Refugee Response Framework (CRRF) and the Nine Significant Pledges it has made in September 2016.
"As a country proud for its long-standing history of hosting refugees and home to the second largest refugee population in Africa, our commitment to improving refugee lives will continue unabated in light of the CRRF and the Nine Significant Pledges we made in September 2016," Zeynu Jemal, Deputy Director of Ethiopian Administration for Refugee and Returnee Affairs (ARRA), told journalists on Monday.
Jemal also revealed Ethiopia's plan to formulate a strategic plan that envisaged to help refugees both through support packages and prevention of challenges towards bringing lasting solution.
"We are now in the process of formulating a Ten-Year Strategic Plan to comprehensively respond to the multifaceted needs of refugees that is creating strong linkages between humanitarian assistance, development and of course peace-building," Jemal said.
The Ethiopian government, through ARRA and other governmental institutions, is currently implementing a program of protection and hospitality of refugees in several refugee camps across the country.
The protection program guarantees, among other things, education for children and youth, health services and the distribution of basic needs, food and security.
Filippo Grandi, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, in his recent visit to Ethiopia's Gameblla regional state, which is housing most of the South Sudanese refugees, had praised efforts made by the Ethiopian government in handling the regional refugee crisis.
"Ethiopia is a very good model of how a country with a limited resources and a great challenge of its own keeps its doors open, its arms open to people from neighboring countries that are in trouble and seek protection here," Grandi said during his visit.
HARARE, Feb. 26 (Xinhua) -- The Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) said Monday a provisional voters roll for the upcoming poll is expected to be out in six weeks.
This follows the completion of the mobile bio-metric voter registration exercise that ended on Feb. 8.
ZEC chairperson Priscilla Chigumba told a parliamentary committee on justice that the elections body was currently in the process of cleaning up voter registration data after which it would carry out a de-duplication exercise to weed out double registrants.
She said the de-duplication process was expected to take time.
"The credibility of the elections hinges on the authenticity of the voters' roll. We are not going to hurry the (de-duplication) process because we need to produce a credible voters' roll. So a provisional voters' roll may only be out after about six weeks from now," she said.
About 5.3 million people have so far registered to vote in the polls that are set for mid this year.
Chigumba decried limited funding, saying this could hamper the elections body from effectively discharging its mandate.
Out of the 148 million U.S. dollars requested by the elections body, the government has so far released only 98 million U.S. dollars, she said.
She said contrary to opposition claims that ZEC was staffed by many military personnel, only 15 percent were former members of the military. These had been recruited more than six years ago, she said.
The opposition in the country has been calling for de-militarization of ZEC, alleging that many of its workers were members of the security forces.
Chigumba said ZEC was not prohibited by law from recruiting retired, former members of the security forces.
The opposition has also voiced concern on what it calls militarization of the whole electoral process but Chigumba refuted this, saying it had not recruited any serving members of the security forces in recent times due to a government freeze on new recruitment.
On the Diaspora vote that the opposition is clamoring for, Chigumba said this will not be possible because the law does not cater for the vote.
"There is no discrimination against people living in the Diaspora. What is there is a new constitution whose provisions have just come into force with the implementation of our first biometric voter registration.
"What that constitution provides for is this; the constitution has now provided for polling station, specific ward-based registration and voting. So somebody in the Diaspora will not be able to vote from there because they will not have been allocated a polling station for them to vote here in Zimbabwe," she said.
She said the country was in the pre-election phase and that most electoral processes will be triggered by the proclamation of the election date by the president.
Chigumba said according to law, the elections must be held between July 31 and Aug. 31, unless Parliament is dissolved earlier in terms of the constitution.
BERLIN, Feb. 26 (Xinhua) -- The German Bundesbank cast doubt on Monday on the desirability of crypto-currencies such as Bitcoin.
Speaking to press in Hannover, Bundesbank executive Carl-Ludwig Thiele highlighted that conventional instant payments were "faster, only use a fraction of the energy consumed by Bitcoin, and are additionally much cheaper."
As a consequence, Thiele said he saw little demand for crypto-currencies "in general and specifically in the context of digital central banking."
Instant payments have been introduced in Europe as of 2018 and enable customers of banks which have signed up to the system to transfer funds across the continent in real-time.
According to Thiele, most of the around 1,000 financial institutions which have committed to offering instant payments would begin doing so as of the second half of the year.
Aside from its less-than-clear commercial benefits and extreme fluctuations in value, several critics of crypto-currencies such as Bitcoin have complained that the anonymous character of transfers with these payment forms is highly-attractive for criminal organizations seeking to launder money and complete illicit transactions.
NEW DELHI, Feb. 26 (Xinhua) -- India's famous Bollywood actress Sridevi died due to "accidental drowning," India's state-run broadcaster All India Radio (AIR) reported on Monday.
AIR quoted a forensic report released by UAE government saying that the 54-year-old veteran actress died of accidental drowning in the bathtub of her hotel apartment after losing consciousness.
An autopsy report that refers to the actor as "Sreedevi Boney Kapoor Ayyappan" reads the cause of death is "accidental drowning."
Initial reports suggested that she died of cardiac arrest.
AIR said traces of alcohol were also found in the blood of veteran cine actress.
Sridevi died on Saturday night in Dubai city where she had gone to attend a family wedding.
According to AIR, Indian Consulate in Dubai was working closely with the local authorities to expedite the repatriation procedures.
The news of Sridevi's death came as a huge shock to the entire film fraternity and to her fans.
Meanwhile on Monday Bollywood actors made a beeline to Anil Kapoor's residence (brother-in-law of Sridevi) to express their sympathy with the bereaved family.
The actress has acted in over 300 films during her career.
She rose to fame not only in Hindi film industry (Bollywood), but also was acknowledged for her acting in Tamil, Telugu and Kannada cinema. Of late she had started a comeback in the industry in 2012, followed by another film "Mom" in 2017.
JOHANNESBURG, Feb. 26 (Xinhua) -- The Pan-African Parliament (PAP) will this week host a regional seminar with the Parliamentary Forum on Small Arms and Light Weapons (SALW) in Johannesburg to curb the illicit trade in firearms in Africa.
The seminar, scheduled for March 2-3, is meant to increase parliamentary engagement, understanding and ownership of regional and international arms control instruments.
PAP President, Roger Nkodo Dang said there is a need for the continent to fight the illicit trade in firearms in the continent.
"As a continental Parliament, the PAP needs a strengthened mandate in order to effectively facilitate and provide a platform for continuous parliamentary action and engagement on the risks posed by SALW," he said.
Many African countries have not ratified the Malabo Protocol which will give PAP legislative powers.
"Without full legislative powers, it will be challenging to effectively harmonize and coordinate national and regional efforts and legislations for silencing the guns in Africa by 2020," he said.
Karin Olofsson, secretary general of the Parliamentary Forum on SALW said violence and prolonged conflicts in several African countries are fuelled by the availability and misuse of illicit SALW.
"Illicit arms flows negatively affect sustainable development and pose a threat to human security and sustainable peace. Effective steps to tackle the uncontrolled proliferation of SALW are crucial to prevent and reduce armed violence, hence the need to empower law-makers to reinforce their legislative, oversight and awareness-raising functions for national implementation of international arms control frameworks," Olofsson said.
Legislators from South Africa, Zimbabwe, Cameroon, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Malawi will take part in the seminar with other PAP members.
LAGOS, Feb. 26 (Xinhua) -- Organized bodies of teachers and students in Nigeria on Monday condemned the abduction by insurgent groups of some school girls from the Government Girls Science Technical College, Dapchi in the country's northeast Yobe State on Feb. 19.
The Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT), in a statement issued by Mike Ike-Ene, the union's Secretary-General, said with the development, it had become evident that students, teachers and the academic activities within the north-eastern part of Nigeria remain helpless.
He said the NUT is distressed by the news of the terrorist attack on the school, with the resultant missing of 110 female students of the school.
"We are not happy with the security operative's inability to gather enough intelligence to avert the situation," he said, adding that they were also not happy with the failure on the part of the security operative to quickly move into rescue of the female students from the fleeing terrorists a week after the school was attacked.
According to him, the 110 missing female students from the school have brought about fresh memories of the Chibok school girls, 113 of whom remain in Boko Haram's captivity since their abduction in April 2014.
Ike-Ene, however, called on President Muhammadu Buhari to ensure the safe return of the Dapchi and Chibok school girls.
Similarly, President of the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS), Chinonso Obasi, in a statement, urged the relevant authorities to ensure the immediate rescue of the girls.
Obasi said kidnapping innocent students was a threat to national development.
The NANS president said students were joining the parents of the abducted school girls in prayers and urged the authorities to protect Nigerian students.
Meanwhile, Lai Mohammed, Minister of Information and Culture, said the government had directed the police and civil defence authorities in Yobe to immediately deploy their personnel to all the schools in the state in order to ensure security.
The minister told reporters that the government had stepped up efforts to rescue the girls and return them safely to their parents, saying the security agencies were working on many leads regarding the whereabouts of the girls.
No fewer than 110 schoolgirls in Dapchi are still unaccounted for after a raid by Boko Haram insurgents on Feb. 19.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-02-27 00:59:29|Editor: Mengjie
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BEIJING, Feb. 26 (Xinhua) -- The third circuit court of the Supreme People's Court (SPC) imposed a 80,000 yuan fine (about 12,680 U.S. dollars) for malicious litigation on a case concerning a private lending dispute, the SPC said Monday.
In the case, a person surnamed Hong offered a loan to Fanhua company and a debtor surnamed Lin to establish Yuanhua company, with Hong holding 90 percent of Yuanhua's stock rights.
Hong then invested 30 million yuan in Yuanhua company, but later filed a lawsuit in 2015, asking Lin and Fanhua company to pay back the principal and interest.
Both the first and second trials supported Hong's claim, which resulted in Lin's application to the SPC for a retrial.
The retrial found that Hong had transferred most of the 30 million yuan investment to other companies and to his own account, and the top court ruled to fine Hong 80,000 yuan for malicious litigation.
In the meantime, Lin and Fanhua company are not responsible for repayment, according to the court.
Jiang Bixin, vice president of the SPC and also presiding judge of the third circuit court, said that the lender had breached the principle of good faith, hidden relevant evidence, and violated the Civil Procedure Law.
"Those who bring lawsuits by fabricating information and falsifying or hiding evidence should be punished," Jiang said. "Such behavior hurts the lawful rights and interests of other parties, disturbs litigation procedures and impairs judicial authority and credibility."
NAIROBI, Feb. 26 (Xinhua) -- The Kenyan government on Monday denied allegations by the UN special advisory on genocide that Kenya has been trafficking large quantities of weapons and ammunition into South Sudan.
Monica Juma, Cabinet Secretary in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Trade said Nairobi is distressed by the recent comments published in the international media attributed to Adama Dieng, the UN Special Advisor for Prevention of Genocide, alleging the Kenya role in the prolonging of the conflict in South Sudan.
"The allegations by the senior UN official insinuating Kenya's complicity in trafficking large quantities of weapons and ammunition into South Sudan, are not only unfortunate and misguiding, but lack facts," Juma said in a statement issued in Nairobi.
Juma said the allegations came at a time when all regional countries have embarked on rigorous process of revitalization of the Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in the Republic of South Sudan signed in August 2015.
Dieng was quoted in the media accusing both Kenya and Uganda for contributing to the conflict, saying that large quantities of weapons and ammunition are flowing into South Sudan through the two countries.
The UN special advisory said peace will be achieved in South Sudan only "if we have concerted regional and international efforts to leave no further options to the South Sudanese leaders to stop and start negotiating."
Juma said the situation in South Sudan remains extremely complex and such unhelpful statements must be avoided at this critical time in pursuit of a credible and all-inclusive peace process.
"Guided by its principles of peaceful co-existence with its neighbors and other nations, and the resolution of conflicts/disputes by peaceful means, Kenya's record is clear with regards to efforts in search for peace and stability in the Horn of Africa," the statement said.
Juma reaffirmed Kenya's longstanding commitment in search for stability and lasting peace in South Sudan as a precondition for economic, social and political prosperity.
She said Kenya's relations with South Sudan and her role in the Peace Process are of utmost interest to the mutual well-being of the peoples of the two countries, and to the regional peace, security and economic prosperity.
"Kenya remains committed to peaceful resolution of the South Sudan conflict and will continue to play its rightful mediation role bilaterally and within the framework of Inter-Governmental Authority on Development (IGAD)," she said.
Juma said Nairobi was instrumental in the establishment of the IGAD initiative to contain the situation and persuade the Parties to settle their differences peacefully following the outbreak of the conflict in South Sudan on December 15, 2013, and the ensuing political and security crisis.
She said Kenya has relentlessly engaged the political leadership in South Sudan besides asking the two main warring factions of SPLM in Government and SPLM/A-IO to end hostilities, enforce the ceasefire, and resume the implementation of the peace process.
"These efforts paid off with the de-escalation of violent hostilities, intermittent ceasefires and tranquility within the capital Juba and other areas in the country, offering an opportunity for political dialogue among the Parties," Juma said.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-02-27 01:09:32|Editor: yan
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ISTANBUL, Feb. 26 (Xinhua) -- Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Monday that he discussed the ceasefire issue in Syria's Eastern Ghouta region with French President Emmanuel Macron over the phone.
"We have scrutinized the issue with Mr. Macron in detail," Erdogan told reporters in Istanbul before leaving for a five-day visit to Africa.
The UN Security Council on Saturday adopted a resolution demanding a ceasefire for at least 30 days across Syria to allow humanitarian access and urgent medical evacuations.
Erdogan said that despite the UN decision, ceasefire was not implemented in Eastern Ghouta, a besieged rebel-held district east of the Syrian capital of Damascus.
"The process is going on with all its brutality there," the Turkish leader said.
A day earlier, the Turkish government argued that the Security Council resolution did not cover Turkey's ongoing military operation in Syria's Afrin on the grounds that "it is being conducted against terrorists."
Turkey launched its military offensive against Afrin on Jan. 20 with a view to driving out Kurdish militia known as the People's Protection Units (YPG), which is regarded by Ankara as a terror group allied with the Kurdistan Workers' Party fighting against the Turkish state.
According to the French presidency, Macron told Erdogan that "the humanitarian truce applies to all of Syria, including Afrin, and should be implemented everywhere and by all without any delay to stop the ongoing spiral of violence."
Erdogan said "UN Resolution 2401 is related to a process that comprehends the ceasefire in Eastern Ghouta in Syria."
According to Resolution 2401, the ceasefire does not apply to military operations against the Islamic State, al-Qaida and Al Nusra Front and their associates, and other terrorist groups as designated by the Security Council.
The United States has trained and armed the YPG as a reliable ground force against the Islamic State, infuriating Turkey and chilling bilateral ties.
JAKARTA, Feb. 26 (Xinhua) -- Indonesia on Monday strongly condemned the United States' plan to start moving its embassy to Jerusalem in May, saying that the move would violate United Nations resolutions and derail the peace process based on two-state solution.
Indonesia's foreign ministry made the remarks in its twitter following the meeting of Indonesian Deputy Foreign Minister A.M. Fachir with U.S. Ambassador to Indonesia Joseph R. Donovan, who was summoned to the ministry on Monday.
During their meeting, Fachir conveyed to Donovan Indonesia's disapproval over the U.S. latest policy.
The U.S. State Department said on Feb. 23 that the country is planning to open its embassy to Israel in Jerusalem in May, earlier that what has been expected.
U.S. Vice President Mike Pence said last month during his visit in Israel that the relocation would take place by the end of 2019.
Despite global opposition, U.S. President Donald Trump delivered one of his major campaign promises in December by recognizing Jerusalem as the capital city of Israel and demanded the State Department develop a plan to move the U.S. embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.
Indonesia then called an extraordinary meeting between leaders of the Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC), which was held in Turkey shortly after Trump's announcement.
After the meeting, the OIC called for Trump to reconsider the plan as it would endanger the ongoing peace process to settle the prolonged disputes between Israel and Palestine.
Indonesia is a steadfast supporter for the establishment of independent state of Palestine with its capital in East Jerusalem. The nation with the world's largest Muslim population supports two-state solution that enables Israeli and Palestinian people live harmoniously side by side.
"Any change in the status of Jerusalem would endanger the peace process and peace itself," Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi said earlier.
KATHMANDU, Feb. 26 (Xinhua) -- Nepalese Prime Minister K.P. Sharma Oli on Monday expanded his cabinet inducting four new ministers including the minister for finance and home affairs, putting the total number to seven.
Nepali President Bidhya Devi Bhandari administered the oath of office and secrecy to the newly-appointed ministers at a ceremony held at the Presidential Palace Sheetal Niwas in the capital, amidst the presence of top government officials and leaders from different political parties.
The new ministers sworn in include Ram Bahadur Thapa, minister for home affairs; Yubaraj Khatiwada, minister for foreign finance; Matrika Yadav, minister for industry; and Ishwar Pokharel, minister for defence.
Of the newly appointed ministers, Thapa and Yadav belong to the CPN (Maoist Center), a partner under the Oli-led coalition government. Newly appointed Defence Minister Pokharel is a leader of the Communist Party of Nepal (United Marxist Leninist, UNL). The new finance minister is a veteran economist of Nepal, who had served as the governor of the central bank and the vice-chairman of National Planning Commission in the past.
The prime minister had formed a small cabinet on the day of his election on Feb. 15 inducting Lal Babu Pandit as the minister for environment and Tham Maya Thapa as the minister for women and social welfare. Pandit and Thapa both belong to the CPN (UML) party.
Nepali President Bhandari had appointed Oli, the chairman of the CPN (UML) party, as the 41st prime minister of the Himalayan nation, on Feb. 15. Oli succeeded Sher Bahadur Deuba of Nepali Congress Party, who had been in power since June 7, 2017.
This is the first government elected in Nepal after the CPN (UML) emerged as the largest political party in the landmark elections held in November and December last year, which were billed as a turning point for the country.
An electoral alliance of the Oli-led CPN (UML) and the CPN (Maoist Center) had trounced Deuba-led Nepali Congress party in last year's polls, the first under the country's new constitution promulgated in 2015.
ADDIS ABABA, Feb. 26 (Xinhua) -- The Ethiopian government on Monday said 46 Ethiopians that had been imprisoned in Zambia for illegal entry will arrive in Ethiopia on Tuesday morning.
Speaking exclusively to Xinhua, Meles Alem, Spokesperson of Ethiopia Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said the 46 Ethiopians were en-route to South Africa under the arrangement of traffickers before they were detained.
The 46 will be repatriated with the help of Ethiopian embassy in Harare, Zimbabwe which also covers Zambia where Ethiopia doesn't have an embassy.
"Ethiopia has formed a national steering committee to combat human trafficking chaired by Deputy Prime Minister Demeke Mekonnen," Alem said, adding the committee comprises of religious figures, NGOs and regional governments to educate the community on the dangers of human trafficking.
He said Ethiopian migrants pay up to 5,000 US dollars to human traffickers to reach South Africa.
Despite a growing economy and public awareness campaigns on the dangers of human trafficking by the Ethiopian government, it is estimated that thousands of Ethiopians are trafficked to South Africa annually where they are mainly engaged in the informal economy.
LONDON, Feb. 26 (Xinhua) -- British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson claimed Monday that Britain would become a colony of the European Union (EU) under a potential trade deal outlined Monday by Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn.
The Brexit-supporting cabinet minister joined a chorus of what was divided opinion after Corbyn, leader of Britain's main opposition party, outlined Labour's Brexit strategy.
Corbyn, in a key-note speech in Coventry, said Labour would seek to negotiate a new comprehensive UK-EU customs union to ensure that there are no tariffs with Europe and to help avoid any need for a hard border in Northern Ireland.
Under current EU rules, membership of the customs union and the European single market would mean Britain having to accept free movement of people across the 500-million population bloc. Prime Minister Theresa May has consistently rejected such a deal.
The Guardian, in its commentary, said Corbyn has not given a speech on Brexit for about a year, and in the House of Commons he often avoids the subject.
"But today's speech was well-crafted and substantial, and could potentially have a decisive impact on UK Brexit policy," said the commentary.
Johnson did not mince his words, attacking Corbyn's proposals: "Crumbling Corbyn betrays Leave voters, and all because he wants to win a commons vote. Cynical and deluded."
Johnson said remaining in a customs arrangement would make Britain a colony of the bloc.
International Trade Secretary Liam Fox said: "Labour's confused policy would be bad for jobs and wages, it would leave us unable to sign up to comprehensive free trade deals, and it doesn't respect the result of the referendum. This is another broken promise by Labour."
Carolyn Fairbairn, Confederation of British Industry (CBI) Director-General, said the Labour leader's commitment to a customs union will put jobs and living standards first by remaining in a close economic relationship with the EU.
"It will help grow trade without accepting freedom of movement or payments to the EU," said Fairbairn.
"Growing trade is not an 'either or' question... Many thousands of ambitious UK firms are looking to break into new markets. These companies need government to focus on making access to markets simpler, not putting up barriers to our most important trading partner."
Fairbairn added that businesses have their eyes wide open on Labour's overall rhetoric on re-nationalisation.
She said: "If Labour turns its back on good collaboration between the government and the private sector -- putting vital sectors solely in the hands of politicians -- public services, infrastructure and taxpayers will ultimately pay the price. The CBI will continue to engage with the Labour Party to find better solutions to the shared challenges we face."
Stephen Martin, director general of the Institute of Directors (IOD), said Labour had widened the debate and manufacturers would be particularly pleased that a customs union was staying on the table.
Adam Marshall, Director General of British Chambers of Commerce, said: "Corbyn's position on the customs union, like the governments, is more political than practical for business. The priority must be to delve far more into the detail and negotiate pragmatic deal on customs and regulatory recognition."
Veteran Labour MP Frank Field described Corbyn's UK-EU customs union plan a non-starter, saying Brussels would never go along with such an idea that flies in the face of its long-standing rules.
Downing Street was saying little in response to Corbyn's speech, with a one-line comment from a spokesperson for Theresa May.
"The government will not be joining a customs union. We want to have the freedom to sign our own trade deals and reach out to the world," said the spokesperson.
The focus will now switch to a keynote speech by May due Friday which will focus on the government's vision of a new UK-EU post-Brexit relationship.
LAGOS, Feb. 26 (Xinhua) -- There was fiasco in the sleepy community of Dapchi, in restive northeast Nigeria's Yobe State in the evening of Feb. 19, 2018, as the community's Government Girls Technical College was overrun by suspected Boko Haram insurgents.
The militants reportedly invaded the town in 18 gun-trucks and headed straight to the school, where they shot indiscriminately before making for the hostels to capture hapless students.
While some of the students and their teachers fled into the bush for dear life, others were rounded up, unable to escape.
While the marauders herded the mostly boarding students and their foodstuffs into their trucks, they ran after those who tried to escape, shooting while the chase lasted.
At least four bodies of students were recovered from the bush in the nearby town of Kusur, a day after. And as the smoldering smoke subsided, a headcount followed, to reveal that over 100 students were missing.
Barely a day after the incident, authorities in Yobe State put out the news that the Nigerian troops had rescued 50 abducted schoolgirls in Yobe, a report that was soon to be tacitly dismissed by the Nigerian Army, which said it could not confirm if any of the students had been rescued from their abductors. The state's governor, Ibrahim Gaidam, later came out to deny the news of any rescue.
The abduction of school children whose exact figure is still subject to controversies at press time, has come as sheer antithesis to the Federal Government's claim that it had completely defeated Boko Haram and that only its remnants were frustrated afield where they engaged in isolated attacks on soft targets.
The latest attack on the school will surely also make it hard for the government to explain over the invasion of a crisis-prone community with 18 gun-trucks of the Boko Haram militia, without either prior intelligence that could have thwarted the attack or timely intervention by the military that could have limited the damage on civilians.
Already, the Buhari administration has committed itself to negotiating with the militants to free Nigerian captives in their dungeon, while the militants in turn, insist on their deadly commanders in the Nigerian custody, and huge sums of money, as barter.
There is also growing concern that the capturing of the school children is another window of opportunity for the terrorists to negotiate for more money and the release of some of their key leaders captured in the heat of hostilities.
What is left, no doubt, is to either devise ways of rescuing the hapless girls and thus comfort their agonized parents, or return to the booby trap of bartering with the militants.
Analysts say the way out for the Nigerian government and the military authorities in nipping the Boko Haram blight in the bud, is to retreat to the drawing board, and fashion out ways of manning strategic locations across the country's North-East borders.
The local troops in charge of the communities should also get new orientation and motivation as it is now crystal clear that the war against insurgency is far from being won.
A picture taken on February 20, 2018 shows smoke from Turkish artillery fire near the northern Syrian city of Afrin. (AFP photo)
ANKARA, Feb. 26 (Xinhua) -- Turkish police and gendarmerie special forces have entered the Afrin region in Syria in "new phase" of operation against People's Protection Units (YPG), Deputy Prime Minister and government spokesman Bekir Bozdag said Monday.
The deployment is a sign of preparations for a new struggle looming ahead, Bozdag said on a television interview, adding that Turkey's operation will move to urban areas from rural villages.
Bozdag said the special forces from police and gendarmerie are deployed in Afrin to avoid civilians casualty. They have experience on conducting anti-terror fight in residential areas without harming civilians.
A total of 2,059 militants had been neutralized by Turkish army since the beginning of the operation, Turkish military said on Monday.
On Jan. 20, Turkey launched "Operation Olive Branch" to clear YPG militants from Afrin in northwestern Syria. Turkey considers the YPG to be the Syrian affiliates of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK).
HARARE, Feb. 26 (Xinhua) -- Zimbabwe's National Peace and Reconciliation Commission (NPRC) on Monday deplored political and pubic violence that engulfed the nation in the past week.
In a statement, the Commission urged the nation to shun political violence and desist from victimizing and discriminating against women and other people along ethnic lines.
The Commission also urged police to desist from using excessive and inappropriate force against unarmed civilians.
The remarks by the Commission comes after opposition Movement for Democratic Change leaders Thokozani Khupe and Douglas Mwonzora were attacked last Tuesday by party supporters at the burial of their leader Morgan Tsvangirai.
Some have said the attack on female leader Khupe, who belongs to the minority Ndebele tribe, was tribal and sexist.
Two days later on Thursday, two people died and three police officers were injured after clashes between civilians and the police in Harare over the government's ban on commuter omnibuses in the central business district.
"Law enforcement officers are implored to desist from the use of excessive and inappropriate force against citizens but use dialogue as a means of achieving a lasting peaceful resolution of disputes," said the NPRC.
On political violence, the NPRC said: "Political party leaders are urged to desist from inciting their members to engage in violence and criminal activities. The nation has to have a culture of resolving conflicts and disputes peacefully."
Zimbabwe is due to hold national elections mid this year and President Emmerson Mnangagwa has implored the nation to uphold peace and ensure the elections are held in a peaceful environment.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-02-27 02:34:51|Editor: Lifang
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Greek Shipping Minister Panayiotis Kouroumblis (front) speaks during a ceremony for the welcome of the maiden call of China's COSCO Shipping Taurus and the inauguration of the 3rd berth for 20,000 plus twenty-foot equivalent unit (TEU) vessels at Piraeus Container Terminal (PCT) of Piraeus port, Greece, Feb. 26, 2018. Piraeus port, the largest harbor in Greece, entered a new era of handling 20,000 plus TEU vessels on Monday when China's COSCO Shipping Taurus giga container vessel, one of the biggest worldwide, docked here. The 400 m Taurus is the largest vessel to berth at PCT, opening a new chapter in the history of the port. (Xinhua/Marios Lolos)
ATHENS, Feb. 26 (Xinhua) -- Piraeus port, the largest harbor in Greece, entered a new era of handling 20,000 plus twenty-foot equivalent unit (TEU) vessels on Monday when China's COSCO Shipping Taurus giga container vessel, one of the biggest worldwide, docked here.
The 400 m Taurus is the largest vessel to berth at Piraeus Container Terminal (PCT), opening a new chapter in the history of the port.
Several officials and shipping industry representatives attended a ceremony for the welcome of the maiden call of the ship -- which set sail from China with a final destination of Rotterdam -- and the inauguration of the 3rd berth for 20,000 plus TEU vessels at PCT.
IMAGE CHANGE
Piraeus port, where the modern maritime Silk Road connects with the land route, has changed impressively since the COSCO Shipping Corporation subsidiary PCT took over the management of the site eight years ago for a span of 35 years.
The terminal has been extended and upgraded with new infrastructure projects. It has been linked with the Greek railways since 2013, and new gigantic cranes have been installed, while efforts are underway to transform the wider area into a major logistics centre as well.
Two years ago, following an international tender, COSCO also took over the management of Piraeus Port Authority (PPA), pledging to further invest in the Greek port and Sino-Greek win-win cooperation.
As part of the Belt and Road initiative, the port is being transformed into a significant transit hub for rapidly growing trade between Asia and Europe.
"It is evidence that the Silk Road, which links the two countries and consequently China to Europe, is progressing and marks the dynamic development of cooperation between the two nations in many sectors," Greek Shipping Minister Panayiotis Kouroumblis said addressing the event.
"Today is a big day for PCT Piraeus port and the Greek shipping industry. It is a very clear signal to prove that Piraeus is a port for world trade," Zhang Anming, PCT managing director, told Xinhua.
BIG AMBITIONS
Built in China and delivered to COSCO in January, Taurus boasts a length of about five Airbus A380 and maximum speed of 22.5 knots (41 kmh).
The Greek port welcomed her at the newly constructed western third berth of PCT which is about 800 meters long. Sea depth here reaches up to 19.5 meters, allowing the docking of giga carriers.
Currently, PCT can service in parallel three such gigantic vessels at berths 2 and 3.
The works are part of the 230 million euro (283 million U.S. dollars) investment project PCT undertook. PPA has committed to invest another 300 million euros at the port by 2021.
PPA CEO Fu Chengqiu, while delivering a speech during the event, stated China COSCO Shipping intends to make Piraeus the top port in the Mediterranean in the next two to three years and one of the 30 largest worldwide.
ROBUST GROWTH
Currently Piraeus is the 6th largest port in Europe and the third in the Mediterranean.
In 2010 when PCT took over from the Greeks the management of Piers II and III at PCT, roughly 900,000 containers passed through the terminal.
In 2016, the number had reached 3.7 million containers and last year over 4.1 million TEUs. An additional one million containers pass through Pier I which is managed by PPA.
COSCO Shipping wants to boost the port's overall container traffic to over 6 million TEUs by 2019.
With all these that have been going on here in the past few years, Piraeus has shot up world rankings of container ports to 38 in 2017 from 44 in 2015 and 93 in 2010, according to Lloyd's List.
"With the container business booming, the call of COSCO Shipping Taurus will bring more business to Piraeus port. The dream of becoming one of the biggest ports in the Mediterranean with 10 million TEU annual capacity will come true soon," Fu said.
KIEV, Feb. 26 (Xinhua) -- The Ukrainian Defense Ministry on Monday started preparations for the Sea Breeze-2018 international military exercises due to be held in the Black Sea in southern Ukraine later this year.
The main preparatory conference for the drills, which are co-hosted by Ukraine and the United States, kicked off in Ukraine's southern Odessa city with the participation of representatives of 16 countries, the ministry said in a statement.
Apart from Ukraine and the United States, the four-day conference is attended by military officials from Bulgaria, the United Kingdom, Greece, Georgia, Denmark, Estonia, Canada, Lithuania, Moldova, Norway, Romania, Poland, Turkey and Sweden, the statement said.
According to the statement, this year's Sea Breeze drills will focus on the management of the naval, air and land forces directly from the sea.
However, the ministry did not give the exact date of this year's drills.
The Sea Breeze exercises, which started in 1997, are an annual military event involving the NATO and its partner countries, which are aimed at strengthening cooperation among allies to ensure stability in the Black Sea region.
Last year's maneuvers, which were held on July 10-23 in Ukraine's southern Odessa and Mykolaiv regions, involved more than 3,000 military personnel from 16 countries.
BRATISLAVA, Feb. 26 (Xinhua) -- Investigative reporter for Slovak news website Aktuality.sk, Jan Kuciak, 27, whose focus was mainly on suspicions of major tax frauds, was shot and killed along with his girlfriend in his house in Velka Maca, western Slovakia, Slovak police confirmed on Monday.
The police found the couple dead on Sunday night after being alerted by relatives who hadn't heard from them for about a week.
"His murder was most probably related to his journalist activities," Slovak Police Corps President Tibor Gaspar told a press conference.
Kuciak was killed by a single shot to his chest, while a single shot in the head killed his girlfriend and the murder took place between Thursday and Sunday. Police will provide more informations later.
Slovak politicians condemned this act and urged the police to find the murderer. Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico said that the murder of two young people shouldnt have place in Slovak society under any circumstances.
"If the death of investigative reporter Kuciak had been linked to his journalistic work, it would be an unprecedented attack on freedom of the press and democracy in Slovakia," Fico said.
Slovak Justice Minister Lucia Zitnanska said: "This brutal act shocked me. I consider every murder a huge tragedy, both human and social."
Fico, Interior Minister Robert Kalinak, Police Corps president Gaspar, Prosecutor-General Jaromir Ciznar and Slovak Intelligence Service director Anton Safarik also hold an extraordinary meeting on Monday to discuss the murder of the journalist and his girlfriend.
MOSCOW, Feb. 26 (Xinhua) -- The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)'s increasing military activity near Russian borders undermines strategic stability and general trust in Europe, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Monday.
He made the remarks at a news conference after a meeting with visiting Portuguese Foreign Minister Augusto Santos Silva, according to an official transcript.
Earlier this month, NATO allies participated in the interoperability training exercise Real Thaw 2018 in Portugal, mobilizing more than 1,500 personnel and 35 aircraft from Denmark, France, The Netherlands, Spain and the United Sates.
More military drills are planned for 2018 as NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said the bloc has to be stronger to cope with a "more dangerous" world.
Despite these maneuvers, Lavrov and Silva at Monday's meeting expressed an interest in the recovery of relations between Russia and the European Union, which would "benefit the entire European continent and Eurasia as a whole."
Lavrov said he told Silva about Russian efforts to ensure the full and consistent implementation of the Minsk agreements on the settlement of the Ukrainian crisis.
The two top diplomats also exchanged views and assessments on the situation in the Middle East and North Africa, including in Syria and Libya.
TIRANA, Feb. 26 (Xinhua) -- Albania has been gripped by freezing temperatures and heavy snowfalls in the last two days, with many villages and roads being blocked, Albania's Civil Emergency Department said Monday.
Temperatures in the north of Albania fell down to minus 8 degree Celsius on Monday, while temperatures are expected to reach minus 12 degrees in the coming days, according to meteorologists.
The roads in the southeastern Albania were covered by ice, creating difficulties to traffic circulation.
The border-crossing point between Albania and Macedonia in Qafe Thana, southeast Albania, had been blocked for a few hours until the situation was normalized.
Civil Emergency Department called on drivers and citizens to be cautious on national roads due to the icing conditions.
HELSINKI, Feb. 26 (Xinhua) -- A nationwide hunt for wild boars was arranged in Finland over the weekend, it was reported Monday, with the aim of reducing the risk of African swine fever reaching Finland and to reduce the damage the animals cause to arable areas.
Wild boars entered Finland via the land border with Russia by the early 1970s. The current stock is estimated to be around three thousand animals.
Twenty-five hunting associations took part in the national campaign over the weekend, but they have so far reported only seven killings.
Vesa Rusila, head of the wild animal section of the Ministry of Agriculture, noted in a ministry statement that wild boars are "intelligent animals and they try to avoid contact with people" and "training the hunters is now key."
Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Agriculture Jaana Husu-Kallio said the African swine pest is the main reason for the current official effort in Finland to reduce the wild boar stock. She thanked the hunters for their efforts.
The swine pest has not been observed in Finland. However, experts have said the disease could spread to Finland either through animal contacts via the land border with Russia, or "reach pork farms on the shoes of agricultural workers".
Any entry of the disease in Finland would cause huge economic loss to pork farms and the meat industry, which have been renowned for its cleanness so far.
Besides encouraging hunting, Finnish authorities launched late last year a campaign in Finnish ports, urging cruise passengers not to bring any wild boar meat or food made of wild boar to Finland.
Wild boars can be hunted year round in Finland. However, the female animals are protected from March till July.
Wild boars can be dangerous to humans, if hurt. Drivers have been told an injured wild boar is comparable to a bear and a human is unlikely to be able to run away if pursued by a wild boar. In the event of a collision, drivers have been told to remain in their cars and call the police, and not to try to approach the animals.
Hunting is a popular pastime in Finland and hunters can get licenses for purchasing long pipe weapons. Based on 2016 police statistics, there were 1.3 million civilian weapons suitable for hunting in Finland.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-02-27 04:00:09|Editor: pengying
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Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic (R) shakes hands with European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker in Belgrade, Serbia on Feb. 26, 2018. The European Union is "keen" to receive Serbia and other Western Balkans countries as members when they meet preconditions, Juncker told Serbian president Aleksandar Vucic on Monday. (Xinhua/Predrag Milosavljevic)
BELGRADE, Feb. 26 (Xinhua) -- The European Union is "keen" to receive Serbia and other Western Balkans countries as members when they meet preconditions, European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker told Serbian president Aleksandar Vucic on Monday.
"Relations with the Western Balkans are a priority for the EU. I always thought that Serbia and the region must become a part of the EU because the union is not complete without them," Juncker said at a press conference after meeting Vucic in Villa Mir in Belgrade.
At the same time, Juncker stressed that rule of law, judiciary and bilateral relations remain the toughest challenges.
He added that the strategy for Western Balkans recently adopted by the EU contains concrete instruments to speed up Serbia's EU path, but reminded that year 2025 envisaged by the strategy is not a definite date, but "a perspective, an indicative date".
"It takes time to implement key reforms so that they would become rooted in our societies and lives. As soon as it meets these preconditions, Serbia will become a member country," Juncker said.
Juncker continued that Serbia made the biggest progress in the process of European integration compared to other candidate countries from the region, but that problems still exist when it comes to rule of law and the judiciary system.
Juncker agreed with Vucic about the necessity to find a solution for the southern Serbian province of Kosovo that unilaterally declared independence in 2008.
He reminded that EU expects the two sides to reach a legally binding agreement about the normalization of their relations before Serbia becomes an EU member country. He said the EU is only a mediator in these negotiations, and that the two sides must agree about the character of their future agreement.
Vucic said that Serbia is looking for a way to achieve a compromise with Kosovo Albanians, but that the both sides will have to make compromises in order to achieve a solution adequate for both.
He said that the recently adopted EU strategy for the Western Balkans motivates Serbia to implement necessary reforms and prepare for the perspective of gaining full membership in the EU in seven years.
UNITED NATIONS, Feb. 26 (Xinhua) -- The UN Security Council on Monday condemned in the strongest terms the two terrorist attacks of Feb. 23 in Mogadishu that killed 38 and injured dozens innocent Somalis.
In a press statement, the members of the Security Council expressed their deep sympathy and condolences to the families of the victims, as well as to the people and Government of Somalia. They wished a speedy recovery to those injured.
They reaffirmed that terrorism in all its forms and manifestations constitutes one of the most serious threats to international peace and security.
"The members of the Security Council underlined the need to bring perpetrators, organizers, financiers and sponsors of these reprehensible acts of terrorism to justice and urged all states, in accordance with their obligations under international law and relevant Security Council resolutions, to cooperate actively with the Government of Somalia and all other relevant authorities in this regard," according to the statement.
They paid tribute to all Somali and international actors working to bring peace and stability in Somalia. "The members of the Security Council reiterated their determination to support peace, stability and development in Somalia. They underlined that neither this nor any other terrorist attack would weaken that determination," it said.
Two suicide car bomb blasts in Mogadishu on Feb. 23 had left at least 38 people dead and dozens others injured.
Seventeen-year-old Palestinian Ahed Tamimi (R), a well-known campaigner against Israel's occupation, arrives for the beginning of her trial in the Israeli military court at Ofer military prison in the West Bank village of Betunia on February 13, 2018. (AFP photo)
RAMALLAH, Feb. 26 (Xinhua) -- Palestinian sources said Monday that Israeli occupation forces arrested 10 members of the Tamimi family from Nabi Saleh village during overnight raids throughout the West Bank.
The village has been witnessing intensive night raids by Israeli army, said the village head, since the detention of the Palestinian resistance icon, 16-year-old Ahed Tamimi on Dec. 17, after a video of her slapping an Israeli soldiers who stormed her home went viral on the internet.
There are altogether 20 Palestinians arrested during the raids, including minors and an injured boy.
Among those arrested was 15-year-old Mohammad Tamimi, who was critically injured due to an Israeli gun shot in the face last December. He was still under treatment and scheduled for surgery in March.
Ahed Tamimi was arrested four days after the confrontation, and Israeli forces stormed her home again. Her mother and cousin were also arrested the next day.
Currently, Ahed Tamimi and her mother Nariman Tamimi, 42, were still in custody and undergoing military court trials.
The next hearing for Tamimi is expected in March.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-02-27 04:25:19|Editor: yan
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DAMASCUS, Feb. 26 (Xinhua) -- Two days after the UN Security Council adopted a resolution for a month-long humanitarian ceasefire in Syria, the Russians have called for a daily "humanitarian pause" to take place in the capital Damascus' Eastern Ghouta region amid reluctance of the rebels.
On Monday, Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered daily "humanitarian pause" in Syria's Eastern Ghouta to allow evacuation of civilians from the zone held by militants, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said.
He said in a statement that the humanitarian pause will be in force from 9 a.m. (0700 GMT) to 2 p.m. (1200 GMT) every day starting Tuesday.
The location of the humanitarian corridor is to be announced later, the statement said, but local sources said the corridor will be the Wafidin crossing between areas under the rebels' control in Eastern Ghouta and government-controlled areas.
The announcement comes just a couple of days after the United Nations Security Council adopted on Resolution 2401, which requires all parties in Syria to immediately cease clashes and provide a sustained humanitarian break for at least 30 days.
The UN resolution has excluded terror-designated groups such as the Islamic State (IS) and the al-Qaida-linked Nusra Front, as the battles against those groups have continued.
The Russian announcement on Monday didn't seem to fully resonate with the Islam Army, the major rebel group in Eastern Ghouta, as the head of its political body, Mohammed Alloush, said that the Islam Army doesn't reject the Russian proposal of ceasefire but doesn't accept the evacuation of civilians through the humanitarian corridors, saying it wasn't included in the UN Security Council resolution.
He, however, said that the wounded and those in urgent conditions can evacuate, but the civilians, in general, will not leave Eastern Ghouta, according to Russia's Sputnik news agency.
Meanwhile, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Monday that "the situation in Syria... causes extreme concern. The terrorists who are in Eastern Ghouta, do not lay down their arms, they keep the local population hostage, and this is the reason for the very tense situation."
This comes as the battles in Eastern Ghouta haven't stopped as the army kept on pounding the areas under the control of the Nusra Front and its allies in that region, which explains the daily specified humanitarian pause.
The rebels' mortar shells that target Damascus haven't stopped as well, with 48 mortar rounds slamming several parts of Damascus on Monday.
Meanwhile, the oppositional Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said that the Syrian forces' bombardment continued to target areas in Eastern Ghouta after the adoption of the UN resolution, saying that a total of 561 people have been killed over the past nine days, when the situation got tense between the rebels and the government forces in Eastern Ghouta.
Inji Sedki, a spokesperson of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), told Xinhua on Monday that no aid convoy has moved toward Eastern Ghouta after the UN resolution.
She added that the situation is not clear yet and it's hard to know when the convoys will start entering Eastern Ghouta.
Sedki noted that the ICRC hasn't entered Eastern Ghouta since November, adding that the medial situation was very bad then.
"Of course the medical needs and the entry of medicine are the most urgent thing in Eastern Ghouta," Sedki said, expecting the situation to be much worse than it was last November.
She added that the fighting should stop and guarantees should be made in order for the ICRC to carry out its humanitarian work on ground.
BELGRADE, Feb. 26 (Xinhua) -- Serbia and Iran should strengthen their relations and engage in a more significant economic cooperation, the foreign ministers of the two countries agreed during their meeting here on Monday.
Serbian foreign minister Ivica Dacic and his Iranian counterpart Mohammad Javad Zarif met at the foreign ministry here and talked about the prospects for increasing cooperation in different areas.
Zarif said that the two countries will continue to cooperate in areas of agriculture, construction, energy, health services, tourism and the defense industry.
"I hope that the trend of development of good relations will continue," Zarif told Dacic.
Dacic replied that he is satisfied that a large number of Iranian businessman arrived together with their foreign minister to look for business opportunities. He recalled that since the liberalization of visas last September between the two countries, around 6,000 Iranians came to visit Serbia.
He said the number of visitors from Iran would further grow with direct flight between Belgrade and Teheran to be established next month.
"Traditionally, we have friendly relations with Iran. We wish to deepen these relations and to grow our cooperation in all areas," Dacic said.
VILNIUS, Feb. 26 (Xinhua) -- Lithuanian President Dalia Grybauskaite on Monday said that Lithuania attaches great importance to Lithuania-China relationship and practical cooperation with China.
Grybauskaite made the remarks after Shen Zhifei, the newly-posted Chinese ambassador, presented his credential at the presidential palace in Vilnius.
"I am very happy to see the development of bilateral relations, especially the increasing of trade, particularly the agricultural products export to China," said the president while welcoming the Chinese ambassador.
She said Lithuania highly appreciates China's great achievements in the past five years and its great potentials, and supports all-round cooperation between China and Europe.
"We know China is playing an important role in the world. Europe wants to be part of the Belt and Road Initiative," said the president.
She stressed both countries should continue enhancing practical cooperation in various fields such as trade and economy, logistics, agriculture, education and tourism.
The Chinese ambassador said China attaches great importance to the ties with Lithuania, and he will make joint efforts with Lithuania to promote bilateral relations to develop on a healthy and solid basis, expecting bilateral cooperation under the framework of the Belt and Road Initiative and the "16+1" cooperation to yield more pragmatic results.
China and Lithuania established diplomatic relations in 1991.
KAMPALA, Feb. 26 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Ambassador to Uganda Zheng Zhuqiang said that the Chinese-proposed Belt and Road initiative will bring about peace and development in Africa.
"The policies of all countries must be coordinated and more economic factors and development resources around the globe must be integrated so that they work together to promote world peace and common development," said Zheng while explaining the initiative.
He was speaking at the opening ceremony of a seminar on the vision of China-Africa relationship under the Belt and Road here on Monday.
Zheng said China is willing to connect the development of itself with helping Uganda to develop and transform from farming to a modern setting.
The seminar which attracted over 100 participants was co-organized by Confucius Institute at Makerere University and the Law School of Xiangtan University.
Zheng said he was impressed to see Chinese and Ugandan scholars discuss the Belt and Road initiative in an academic perspective during the seminar.
Eng. Ayub Sooma, Chairman of Uganda-China Friendship Association applauded the government of China for the vision of the Belt and Road initiative.
He said that the teaching of Chinese at Makerere University is one way of implementing the initiative. Eng. Sooma also challenged Makerere University to increase its friendship with Chinese universities to teach Chinese, do research and also come up with innovations.
The Vice Chancellor of Makerere University, Prof Barnabas Nawangwe said that they have already signed MOUs with five Chinese universities including China University of Petroleum.
"We believe that Uganda should benefit from the one belt and one road initiative because it will connect us better to the people of China," he said.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-02-27 05:05:35|Editor: yan
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BAGHDAD, Feb. 26 (Xinhua) -- The Iraqi government spokesman Monday said that lifting ban of international flights imposed earlier on airports of the semi-autonomous region of Kurdistan only depends on the security administration which must be subject to authority of the federal government.
The federal government confirms that the two airports (Erbil and Sulaimaniyah) are part of Iraq's sovereignty and thus they are part of the border crossings, which must be subject to the federal authority, the government spokesman Saad al-Hadithi said in a statement issued by the office of Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi.
Hadithi revealed that there is a negotiation going on in this regard, asserting "once this issue is resolved the ban will be cancelled and international flights will return to normal," according to the statement.
As for the three-month extension of the ban of international flights, Hadithi said "specifying a period of time is not problem, as once the negotiating teams between the federal government and the region reach to a final solution to the security administration of the two airports, the international flights will return as usual."
Earlier in the day, Talar Faiq, head of Erbil International Airport, told Kurdish Rudaw media net that the Iraqi federal authorities extended the suspension of international flights to and from the Kurdish airports to May 31, as the ban was supposed to expire on Wednesday.
The ban on international flights on the region's international airports of Erbil and Sulaimaniyah forced passengers to apply for an Iraqi visa to transit through Baghdad and Basra international airports to go or leave the Kurdish region.
In late September, the Iraqi federal government adopted the ban decision on the Kurdish region as part of a package of punitive measures that also included blocking all the border crossings, which are outside the control of the federal authorities.
Tensions have been running high between Baghdad and the region of Kurdistan after the Kurds held a controversial referendum on the independence of the Kurdistan region and the disputed areas on Sept. 25.
Baghdad government repeatedly expressed its stance that the Kurdish region must recognize Iraq's national sovereignty and abides by preserving its unity.
The independence of Kurdistan is opposed not only by the Iraqi central government, but also by other countries as it would threaten the integrity of Iraq and undermine the fight against IS militants.
Iraq's neighboring countries, especially Turkey, Iran and Syria, fear that the Iraqi Kurds' pursuit of independence threatens their territorial integrity, as large Kurdish populations live in those countries.
DUBLIN, Feb. 26 (Xinhua) -- Asset manager Aberdeen Standard Investments (ASI) will establish a business hub in the Irish capital in a bid to meet the needs of its customers across Europe after Britain leaves the European Union, local media RTE reported Monday.
"The Irish hub, which will contract directly with European clients and oversee our European branches, complements our Luxembourg hub which manages funds across Europe," said Gary Marshall, head of the Europe, the Middle East and Africa division of ASI.
"These two businesses, working together and with our German business based in Frankfurt will ensure that we continue to meet the needs of our customers and clients across Europe, after the UK leaves the European Union," said Gary.
ASI has appointed the head of its Dublin office and the number of its Dublin office staff will eventually reach 20, said the report, adding that ASI's Dublin office is yet to be subject to regulatory approval.
Irish Minister for Business, Enterprise and Innovation Heather Humphreys described ASI's decision as "a great win for Ireland" as Ireland has been trying to attract more financial services firms to set up operations in Dublin in light of Britain's withdrawal from the EU.
Martin Shanahan, CEO of Industrial Development Authority Ireland, a state agency responsible for attracting foreign direct investment in Ireland, hailed the move as a notable endorsement for the Irish investment funds industry.
ASI is an investment arm of Standard Life Aberdeen, a leading investment company headquartered in Britain. In Europe alone, the amount of total assets managed by ASI reportedly stands at over 70 billion euros (86 billion U.S. dollars).
TRIPOLI, Feb. 26 (Xinhua) -- The Head of the UN Support Mission and Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General in Libya Ghassan Salame discussed the return of the displaced people of Tawergha with the mayor of Misurata city Mustafa Kurwad.
"They discussed three principles: Misurata-Tawergha agreement shouldn't be reopened; the right of internally displaced people (IDPs) to return quickly; preparation for safe and dignified return," the Mission said.
The return of Tawerghans, which was scheduled on February 1, was halted after armed groups from nearby Misurata District denied them entry into the town.
A day earlier, the city of Misurata demanded the postponement of the return of IDPs from Tawergha.
During the 2011 uprising, some residents of Tawergha allied with the forces of former Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi against the rebels of the nearby city of Misurata.
After Gaddafi's regime was toppled, those residents, accused by Misurata of actively participating in the fighting against them, fled their homes to other cities in Libya. Since then, they have been internally displaced.
TUNIS, Feb. 26 (Xinhua) -- Eight bilateral cooperation agreements were signed between Tunisia and Spain Monday in the economic and security sectors, during the state visit of Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy to Tunisia.
Rajoy and his Tunisian counterpart Youssef Chahed co-chaired the eighth session of Tunisian-Spanish high-level joint meetings in which the cooperation agreements were signed.
Among the agreements, there is one on fight against organized crime, one partnership deal in higher education and scientific research, one partnership agreement in agriculture, water, environment and climate change, and a memorandum of understanding (MoU) for the cooperation in informations technologies and communications.
The two countries also signed a partnership deal on civil protection and a MoU of combating violence against women.
"This meeting held under the sign of an innovative strategic partnership comes 10 years after the last session of 2008," said Chahed, adding it is "a timely opportunity to expand our bilateral partnership in all areas."
"The high-level meeting has been crowned by a joint declaration that aims, mainly, at promoting Tunisian-Spanish cooperation in all fields," said Chahed.
For his part, Rajoy said that there is a potential growth in trade between the two countries.
"Spanish companies are becoming more global, and Tunisia benefits from its comparative advantage of strategic geographical position," said Rajoy.
"Spain invests nearly 1.3 billion dinars (500 million U.S. dollars) in Tunisia, and it is Tunisia's fifth largest exporter and sixth largest importer," said the Spanish prime minister.
According to official figures, by 2016, 64 companies with Spanish participation operated on Tunisian territory, generating 6,554 jobs. And no less than 4,000 Spanish companies engaged in trade with Tunisia.
Rajoy also reiterated his country's support for the success of the democratic and economic transition in Tunisia.
"Tunisia has been able to realize the structure of a pluralist democracy based on dialogue, consensus, the supremacy of the law and the enhancement of the role and rights of women," he said.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-02-27 05:40:45|Editor: yan
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UNITED NATIONS, Feb. 26 (Xinhua) -- The Security Council on Monday adopted a Russian-drafted resolution on a technical rollover of the Yemen sanctions regime.
The unanimous vote followed a Russian veto of a UK-drafted text that contained language of Iranian "non-compliance" with the UN sanctions regime against individuals and entities deemed to be engaging in or providing support for acts that threaten the peace, security or stability of Yemen.
In the vote on the UK-drafted text, 11 members of the council were in favor, Russia and Bolivia were against, and China and Kazakhstan abstained.
Since Russia is a permanent member of the Security Council, the UK draft failed to be adopted.
The council then put to vote the Russian text, which won unanimous support of the 15 members of the council.
ALGIERS, Feb. 26 (Xinhua) -- Chinese exhibitors have shown great interest in Algeria's automotive market in the 12th international fair of automotive equipment and aftermarket services held in Algeria, said the event organizer Nabil Bey Boumezrag Monday.
There were 100 Chinese exhibitors attending the fair, representing the largest and more than a third of the total number of exhibitors, Boumerzrag told Xinhua.
"This proves the interest of the Chinese companies in this promising segment of automotive industry in Algeria," said Boumezrag.
The Chinese companies at the exhibition covered specialties in bodywork, tires, batteries, braking systems and electrical harnesses.
Emma Jiang, representative of the Chinese tire brand Best Choice, told Xinhua that the Algerian tire market is very promising. "Within five years, we have gained market share with our Algerian partners, especially in the tire component truck."
Chinese companies have also expressed their desire to set up partnership ventures with Algerian operators to start manufacturing, given that the Algerian government wants to develop the automobile industry to curb dependence on oil revenues.
The international fair, known as Equip Auto Algeria, has been organized annually since 2006, in the Pins Maritimes Exhibition Centre in eastern Algiers.
This year, the event brings together more than 300 exhibitors including 73 percent from some 20 countries, while 15 percent are Algerian and 12 percent are foreign manufacturers established in Algeria, according to Boumezrag.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-02-27 05:45:46|Editor: pengying
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U.S. President Donald Trump (Xinhua file photo)
WASHINGTON, Feb. 26 (Xinhua) -- The U.S. Supreme Court refused on Monday to take up the Trump administration's appeal of a lower court ruling that requires it to continue a program that protects hundreds of thousands of young immigrants from deportation.
"The petition for a writ of certiorari before judgment is denied without prejudice," said a court filing. "It is assumed that the Court of Appeals will proceed expeditiously to decide this case" on the Obama-era Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, or DACA.
In an unusual move, the Trump administration has asked the Supreme Court to intervene in the case before a federal appeals court had ruled.
U.S. President Donald Trump announced an end to the program in September last year, but gave Congress six months to find a legislative alternative.
While protections for the "Dreamers" were due to start phasing out in March, Congress has so far failed to pass legislation to address their fates.
Last month, San Francisco-based U.S. District Judge William Alsup ruled that the government must continue to process renewals of existing DACA applications. A second judge in New York issued a similar injunction earlier this months.
The injunctions are due to be heard by federal appeals courts but the process could take months or years, prompting the Trump administration's move to take it directly to the Supreme Court, which rarely accepts appeals asking them to bypass the lower courts.
Following the court's decision, Trump told a White House meeting that "We'd like to help DACA" and criticized the lower court.
The White House issued a statement accusing the district judge in the case of having "unwisely interviewed in the legislative process" by acting while Congress in debating the policy.
House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi said in a statement that the Supreme Court's action shows that "rescinding DACA was not only legally questionable, but also unjust and cruel."
DACA, established by former U.S. President Barack Obama in 2012, was an immigration policy that allowed some individuals who entered the United States as minors, mostly illegally, to receive a renewable two-year period of deferred action from deportation and to be eligible for a work permit.
PARIS, Feb. 26 (Xinhua) -- French President Emmanuel Macron has accepted the invitation of his American counterpart Donald Trump to visit the United States from April 23 to 25, the French presidency announced on Monday evening in a press release.
It noted that this will be the first state visit of a foreign leader to the United States since the election of Trump.
"This invitation reflects the depth of the historical ties between our two countries, friends and allies, and the strength of the relations between the two presidents," the French presidency said.
The program of the state visit is under preparation. It will include a work meeting at the White House, a joint press conference, several formal ceremonies and a state dinner, according to French presidency.
CHICAGO, Feb. 26 (Xinhua) -- Tens of thousands of local residents crowded the streets in Chicago's Chinatown Sunday to attend the Chinese New Year celebration, which culminated in a grand parade in the busy 30-block commercial area near downtown.
The 2018 Chinatown Lunar New Year Parade in Chicago featured marching bands, colorful floats, traditional lion dance and a special appearance by lovely dogs with their owners as 2018 marks the Year of Dog according to Chinese lunar calendar.
In Chinese astrology, each year is related to a Chinese zodiac animal according to the 12-year cycle.
"Chinese dragon and lion dance is interesting, especially you see American kids perform Chinese Kong Fu in the parade, so cool." Albert Payton told Xinhua.
Chinese Consul General in Chicago Hong Lei said Chinese community has done very well during the past year, "from the parade, we can feel the spirit and energy of Chinatown and its inheritance of traditional Chinese culture."
Apart from the parade, citywide Chinese New Year Celebration themed activities had been already organized by Chicago Cultural Center, Chicago Symphony Center, Art Institute of Chicago during the two-week long festival.
Chicago is the first city in the United States to launch Chinese New Year celebration in the name of city government, and 2018 will be the fifth year for the City of Chicago to mark Chinese New Year.
LONDON, Feb.26 (Xinhua) -- The head of counter terrorism policing in Britain revealed for the first time on Monday night that in the past 12 months police have thwarted four extreme right-wing terror plots.
London Metropolitan Assistant Commissioner Mark Rowley highlighted in a keynote speech how Islamist and right-wing extremists were both intent upon creating hatred, intolerance and division within British communities.
Ten well publicized terror plots by Islamists, including the attack last March on Westminster, had highlighted the danger to the public, but Rowley used a speech in London to warn about the dangers of extreme right wing plots.
He said: "It is important we make these figures public in order to illustrate the growth of right-wing terrorism. For the first time we have a home-grown proscribed white-supremacist neo-Nazi terror group, which seeks to plan attacks and build international networks."
"The right-wing terrorist threat is more significant and more challenging than perhaps the public debate gives it credit for. Right-wing terrorism wasn't previously organised here," he said.
Rowley declined to give details of the four cases he revealed for legal reasons, but added that they had represented a combination of "organised and individual" action.
Rowley was delivering the seventh Colin Cramphorn Memorial lecture entitled "Extremism and Terrorism: The need for a whole society response". His lecture came as he prepares to retire from policing after 31 years.
Speaking about his own reflections during his tenure, Rowley said the acute threat from terrorism could only be tackled when the whole of society responded to the chronic threat from extremism.
Describing 2017 as an extraordinary and most challenging of years, Rowley said it saw five terror attacks in Britain, four Islamist and one extreme right wing. A total of 36 people died and hundreds more were injured in the attacks.
Rowley paid tribute to colleagues in policing and the security services for their extraordinary efforts over the past four years in confronting the threat.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-02-27 06:30:59|Editor: yan
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BOGOTA, Feb. 26 (Xinhua) -- Colombia's National Liberation Army (ELN) guerrilla group announced Monday that it had declared a ceasefire during the legislative elections in the country on March 11.
"As a show of respect for the Colombians who go to cast their vote, the ELN will realize a halt in offensive military operations, between the 9-13 March," it said in a statement.
On March 11, Colombians will vote for both chambers of Congress, ahead of presidential elections on May 27.
The guerrilla group expressed the importance of moving forward on the agreement struck in March 2016, which led to peace talks in Ecuador, and which was suspended in January by President Juan Manuel Santos.
Santos' decision came after the guerrilla took responsibility for attacks on police stations in northern Colombia, which killed a number of officers.
In the statement, the ELN said it was willing to begin new peace negotiations in the fifth round of talks, expressing its hope for an evaluation of the past ceasefire and the beginning of a new one.
Chinese company signs cooperation deal with Microsoft China's Xiaomi Corporation and Microsoft Corporation Friday signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to further deepen the partnership between the two companies.
Chinese automaker BAIC to open first plant in Mexico Chinese automaker Beijing Automotive Industry Corporation (BAIC) on Wednesday unveiled a plan to build its first factory in Mexico for the North and South American markets.
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Omaha, Nebraska - A violent member of the Omaha, Nebraska area Crips Gang was found guilty of participating in a racketeering conspiracy involving acts of violence, including attempted murder and assaults, witness tampering and drug distribution.
Acting Assistant Attorney General John P. Cronan of the Justice Departments Criminal Division and Acting U.S. Attorney Robert C. Stuart for the District of Nebraska made the announcement.
Jerell Haynie aka Bootie, 35, of Omaha, was found guilty today by a jury following a two-week trial of one count of racketeering conspiracy.
U.S. District Joseph F. Bataillon of the District of Nebraska scheduled Haynies sentencing for June 1.
According to the evidence presented at trial, from 2008 to 2016, Haynie conspired to conduct and participate in the affairs of the Omaha-area chapter of the Crips, known as the 40th Avenue and 44th Avenue Crips, through a pattern of racketeering activity. As a long-standing gang member, Haynie engaged in cocaine trafficking and personally committed acts of violence for the gang in furtherance of the racketeering conspiracy. These acts of violence included the shootings and attempted murders of a fellow gang member suspected of cooperating with the police and a confidential police informant.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Omaha Police Department are investigating the case. Trial Attorney John S. Han of the Criminal Divisions Organized Crime and Gang Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew Molsen of the District of Nebraska are prosecuting the case.
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Phoenix, Arizona - The United States has asked a federal court in Phoenix, Arizona, to permanently bar Alfred George Decker and his business Accountable Business Services Inc. (ABS), located in Gilbert, Arizona, from preparing federal income tax returns for others, the Justice Department announced Friday. The complaint alleges that the defendants unlawfully understate their customers income tax liabilities and overstate their customers refunds.
According to that complaint, Decker and ABS have continually and repeatedly prepared returns that claimed deductions to which their customers were not entitled, ignored basic principles of tax law by claiming personal expenses as business deductions, ignored limitations on certain types of deductions by identifying the expense incorrectly on the return, and manipulated different entities tax returns to try to hide or eliminate income and zero-out customers tax liabilities. As alleged in the complaint, Decker engages in this conduct despite the fact that he has previously pleaded guilty to fraudulently preparing an income tax return in Arizona State Court.
The IRS has a list of steps on their website that you can take now in anticipation of filing your 2017 federal income tax return and ten tips for choosing a tax preparer. Return preparer fraud was one of the IRSs Dirty Dozen Tax Scams for 2017 and taxpayers seeking a return preparer should remain vigilant. The IRS has some information on their website about selecting a return preparer and has launched a free directory of federal tax preparers.
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Washington, DC - Attorney General Jeff Sessions and law enforcement partners announced Thursday the largest coordinated sweep of elder fraud cases in history. The cases involve more than two hundred and fifty defendants from around the globe who victimized more than a million Americans, most of whom were elderly. The cases include criminal, civil, and forfeiture actions across more than 50 federal districts. Of the defendants, 200 were charged criminally. In each case, offenders engaged in financial schemes that targeted or largely affected seniors. In total, the charged elder fraud schemes caused losses of more than half a billion dollars.
The Department coordinated its announcement with the FTC and state Attorneys General, who independently filed numerous cases targeting elder frauds within the sweep period.
Attorney General Sessions was joined in the announcement by FBI Acting Deputy Director David Bowdich; Chief Postal Inspector Guy Cottrell; FTC Acting Chairman Maureen Ohlhausen; and Kansas Attorney General and President of the National Association of Attorneys General Derek Schmidt.
The Justice Department and its partners are taking unprecedented, coordinated action to protect elderly Americans from financial threats, both foreign and domestic, said Attorney General Sessions. Todays actions send a clear message: we will hold perpetrators of elder fraud schemes accountable wherever they are. When criminals steal the hard-earned life savings of older Americans, we will respond with all the tools at the Departments disposal criminal prosecutions to punish offenders, civil injunctions to shut the schemes down, and asset forfeiture to take back ill-gotten gains. Today is only the beginning. I have directed Department prosecutors to coordinate with both domestic law enforcement partners and foreign counterparts to stop these criminals from exploiting our seniors.
The actions charged a variety of fraud schemes, ranging from mass mailing, telemarketing and investment frauds to individual incidences of identity theft and theft by guardians. A number of cases involved transnational criminal organizations that defrauded hundreds of thousands of elderly victims, while others involved a single relative or fiduciary who took advantage of an individual victim. The schemes charged in these cases caused losses to more than a million victims.
"Winners. Thats what so many of the people who received these solicitations in the mail thought they were. But theyre not. They are victims (link is external) of scams that Postal Inspectors have seen and investigated for decades. In fact, some of the same operators we encountered 20 years ago are back. But so are we. Yesterday, Postal Inspectors around the country executed search warrants on 12 locations that some of these same operators used to run their scams. Were letting the American public know and especially our vulnerable older Americans that Postal Inspectors are working hard to protect them and ensure their confidence in the U.S. Mail, said Chief Postal Inspector Cottrell.
Over the last year, the FBI has initiated more than 200 financial crimes cases involving elderly victims who were devastated financially, emotionally, mentally and physically. Picking up the pieces of these fraud schemes can be equally as traumatizing for the caregivers of these elderly victims, said Acting Deputy Director Bowdich. The FBI reminds seniors and their caregivers to be vigilant. If any person believes they are the victim of, or have knowledge of fraud involving an elderly person, regardless of the loss amount, they should report it to the FBI.
Actions against mass-mailing fraud industry
As part of the initiative, the Departments Consumer Protection Branch, working with the U.S. Attorneys Office for the Eastern District of New York and others, brought numerous cases this past week in a coordinated strike against more than 43 mass-mailing fraud operators, including criminal charges against six individuals. In addition, law enforcement agents executed 14 premises search warrants from Las Vegas to south Florida, served numerous asset seizure warrants, and coordinated with the Vancouver Police in Canada, who executed over 20 warrants, including search warrants on business premises.
The defendants targeted elderly and vulnerable consumers both in the United States and abroad, using U.S. addresses and the U.S. mails to try to legitimize their fraudulent schemes, said U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York Richard P. Donoghue. They sold false promises of life-changing prizes that never came true. We will pursue the perpetrators of these mail schemes wherever they are located, and hold them accountable.
These recently filed cases particularly targeted transnational criminal actors who collectively defrauded at least a million victims out of hundreds of millions of dollars. Indeed, just one of the schemes prosecuted criminally by the Consumer Protection Branch operated from 14 foreign countries to cost American victims more than $30 million. Click here for map showing a transnational, single fraud scheme.
Mass-mailing fraud inflicts hundreds of millions of dollars in losses to elderly U.S. victims each year. Department prosecutors and U.S. Postal Inspectors have taken a comprehensive approach to combatting this fraud, disrupting and prosecuting individuals who manage the schemes, artists who draft the fraudulent solicitations, list brokers who supply victim lists, and individuals who collect victim payments. Click here for fact-sheet with cases on mass-mailing fraud.
Actions against other elder fraud schemes
Prosecutors across the country from the Criminal Divisions Fraud Section, the Consumer Protection Branch and the U.S. Attorneys Offices have heeded the call to focus resources on elder fraud cases. Over 50 U.S. Attorneys Offices and Department Components filed elder fraud cases in the last year. A list of Elder Fraud cases is provided on this interactive map.
Some examples of the elder financial exploitation prosecuted by the Department include:
Lottery phone scams, in which callers convince seniors that a large fee or taxes must be paid before one can receive lottery winnings;
Grandparent scams, which convince seniors that their grandchildren have been arrested and need bail money;
Romance scams, which lull victims to believe that their online paramour needs funds for a U.S. visit or some other purpose;
IRS imposter schemes, which defraud victims by posing as IRS agents and claiming that victims owe back taxes;
Guardianship schemes, which siphon seniors financial resources into the bank accounts of deceitful relatives or guardians.
Many of these cases illustrate how an elderly American can lose his or her life savings to a duplicitous relative, guardian, or stranger who gains the victims trust. The devastating effects these cases have on victims and their families, both financially and psychologically, make prosecuting elder fraud a key Department priority.
Public education
The Department has partnered with Senior Corps, a national service program administered by the federal agency the Corporation for National and Community Service, to educate seniors and prevent further victimization. The Senior Corps program engages more than 245,000 older adults in intensive service each year, who in turn, serve more than 840,000 additional seniors, including 332,000 veterans.
Using its vast network operating in more than 30,000 locations, Senior Corps volunteers will communicate about elder fraud to potential victims across the country and will use their skills, knowledge and experience to educate their peers and caregivers about the most prolific types of schemes and how to avoid them. Click here for information on Senior Corps efforts to reduce elder fraud.
Coordination with state officials
Kansas Attorney General Schmidt highlighted the cases filed by state Attorneys General targeting elder frauds within in the sweep period, and he emphasized efforts at the state level to combat elder abuse and protect seniors from fraud and exploitation. He encouraged all of the state Attorneys General to devote enforcement and public education resources to preventing financial exploitation of senior citizens.
Coordination with foreign law enforcement
Exceptional assistance from foreign law enforcement partners amplified the effectiveness of the Departments initiative. The sweep announced today benefited greatly from the work of the International Mass-Marketing Fraud Working Group (IMMFWG), a network of civil and criminal law enforcement agencies from Australia, Belgium, Canada, Europol, the Netherlands, Nigeria, Norway, Spain, the United Kingdom and the United States. The IMMFWG is co-chaired by the U.S. Department of Justice and FTC, and law enforcement in the United Kingdom, and serves as a model for international cooperation against specific threats that endanger the financial well-being of each member countrys residents. Attorney General Sessions expressed gratitude for the outstanding efforts of the working group, including law enforcement action taken as part of the sweep by the Vancouver Police Department in Canada to halt mass mailing schemes that defrauded hundreds of thousands of elderly victims worldwide.
Elder fraud complaints
Elder fraud complaints may be filed with the FTC at www.ftccomplaintassistant.gov or at 877-FTC-HELP. The Department of Justice provides a variety of resources relating to elder fraud victimization through its Office of Victims of Crime, which can be reached at www.ovc.gov .
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Washington, DC - Eliu Elixander Lorenzana-Cordon, 46, previously residing in La Reforma, Guatemala, was sentenced to life in prison following a trial in March 2016, where he was found guilty of conspiring to illegally import into the United States and distribute multi-ton quantities of cocaine.
Acting Assistant Attorney General John P. Cronan of the Justice Departments Criminal Division and Special Agent in Charge Raymond P. Donovan of the Drug Enforcement Administrations (DEA) Special Operations Division made the announcement.
The sentence was issued by U.S. District Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia.
Lorenzana-Cordon was a leader of a major international drug trafficking organization with close ties to the Sinaloa Cartel, one of the most violent and sophisticated transnational criminal organizations operating in the world today, said Acting Assistant Attorney General Cronan. In that capacity, Lorenzana-Cordon was responsible for receiving and distributing tons of cocaine destined for the United States, where it would be sold on our streets, causing untold harm to our communities and the lives of our citizens. This sentence sends an unmistakable message that the Department will continue to relentlessly pursue and prosecute international drug traffickers who endeavor to send drugs to the United States, wherever they may be.
Global criminal networks operate every day through drug trafficking and violence to assault the rule of law in the United States and around the world, said Special Agent in Charge Donovan. DEA and our foreign counterparts have worked tirelessly to ensure that Lorenzana-Cordon would spend a significant portion of his life in a U.S. prison cell for his crimes against our great country.
The defendant was convicted on one count of conspiring to unlawfully distribute cocaine for illegal importation into the United States. As proven at trial, the defendant along with his brother, co-defendant Waldemar Lorenzana-Cordon, established himself as a leader of an international drug trafficking organization with close ties to the Sinaloa Cartel. Between 1996 and 2009, the defendant and his co-conspirators received, stored and distributed multi-ton quantities of cocaine from Colombia at their properties in Zacapa, Guatemala, for importation into Mexico and then ultimately into the United States. The cocaine delivered to the defendants properties during the course of the conspiracy arrived via extensive and varying means, including the use of go-fast boats, non-commercial light aircraft, and vehicles with hidden compartments. The defendant and his associates also used firearms during their criminal activity, and relied on threats of violence to promote their drug trafficking objectives.
On April 27, 2010, the Department of Treasurys Office of Foreign Asset Control designated the defendant and his brother, Waldemar Lorenzana-Cordon, as Specially Designated Narcotics Traffickers pursuant to the Foreign Narcotics Kingpin Designation Act due to their significant roles in international narcotics trafficking and their ties to the Sinaloa Cartel.
The DEAs 959/Bilateral Investigations Unit and Guatemala City Country Office led the investigation, which was supported by the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force program, the Criminal Divisions Office of International Affairs, the Chicago Police Department and the governments of El Salvador and Panama provided support and assistance. Finally, and in particular, the Justice Department wishes to convey its gratitude to the government of Guatemala for its steadfast commitment, collaboration and assistance in the investigation, extradition and prosecution of this case.
Trial Attorneys Michael Lang, Stephen Sola and Emily Cohen of the Criminal Divisions Narcotic and Dangerous Drug Section are prosecuting the case.
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Washington, DC - An Arkansas man was sentenced today to 33 months in prison for aiding and abetting computer intrusions by selling malicious software, or malware, to individuals who used the malware to steal sensitive information, surreptitiously activate webcams, and conduct other illegal intrusions.
Acting Assistant Attorney General John P. Cronan of the Justice Departments Criminal Division, Acting U.S. Attorney Tracy Doherty-McCormick for the Eastern District of Virginia and Assistant Director in Charge Andrew W. Vale of the FBIs Washington Field Office, made the announcement.
Taylor Huddleston, 27, of Hot Springs, Arkansas was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Liam OGrady. Judge OGrady also ordered the defendant to serve two years of supervised release following his prison sentence. Huddleston pleaded guilty on July 25, 2017.
According to court documents, Huddleston developed, marketed, and distributed two products that were extremely popular with cybercriminals around the world. The first is the NanoCore RAT, a type of malware that is used to steal information from victim computers, including sensitive information such as passwords, emails, and instant messages. The NanoCore RAT even allowed users to surreptitiously activate the webcam on the victim computers in order to spy on the victims. Huddlestons NanoCore RAT was used to infect and attempt to infect tens of thousands of computers. Huddlestons other product, Net Seal, was licensing software that he used to distribute malware for co-conspirators for a fee. For instance, Huddleston used Net Seal to assist Zachary Shames in the distribution of malware to 3,000 people that was in turn used to infect 16,000 computers. In his guilty plea, Huddleston admitted that he intended his products to be used maliciously.
The case was prosecuted by Senior Counsel Ryan K. Dickey of the Criminal Divisions Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Kellen S. Dwyer of the Eastern District of Virginia.
by Mahmoud Fouly
CAIRO, Feb. 18 (Xinhua) -- The ongoing political unrest in Ethiopia is likely to affect the pace of its negotiations with Egypt on the technical studies related to Ethiopia's under-construction giant dam on their shared Nile River and its post-construction filling process.
While Ethiopia and Sudan eye massive benefits from the construction of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), Egypt is concerned it might affect its 55.5-billion-cubic-meter annual share of the Nile River water.
"Flexibility of Ethiopia's dam talks with Egypt depends on the degree of political instability there," said Amany al-Taweel, director of the African Unit at Cairo-based Al-Ahram Center for Political and Strategic Studies.
She explained that the situation regarding the dam issue will remain the same as long as the Ethiopian government is able to handle the unrest and restrict it to the level of ineffective protests, even if they continue for a long time.
"If protests escalate to a point of overwhelming the state institutions, this will surely affect the dam talks and the GERD construction rate might slow down due to possible disorder and confusion," the expert told Xinhua.
Egypt's ties with Ethiopia have seen ups and downs since the latter started the dam project in April 2011 while Egypt was suffering turmoil following an uprising that toppled veteran President Hosni Mubarak.
When Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi took office in 2014, he showed understanding of Ethiopia's aspiration for development through the GERD that would produce around 6,000 megawatts of electricity to the country.
In March 2015, the leaders of upstream Nile Basin country Ethiopia and the two downstream partners Egypt and Sudan signed an initial cooperation deal on the principles of sharing the Nile River water and the construction of the GERD, which will be Africa's largest dam upon completion.
"Since Sisi came to office, he has adopted a cooperative, win-win approach of handling the GERD issue," said Taweel, citing the positive results of the latest visit of Ethiopia's outgoing Prime Minister Hailemariam Dessalegn to Cairo and the convention of the Ethiopian-Egyptian joint cooperation committee.
"So, we cannot describe the bilateral relations between Egypt and Ethiopia as tense in general, but they are just at odds when it comes to the dam issue," she added, describing the Ethiopian position regarding the dam negotiations as "ambiguous and evasive."
Ethiopia's current protests have been triggered by the country's two biggest ethnic groups Oromia and Amhara who say that they have for years been marginalized by the government.
The presidents of Ethiopia, Egypt and Sudan have recently met in Ethiopia's capital Addis Ababa on the sidelines of the 30th African Union summit and agreed to avoid misunderstandings by joint cooperation on common interests.
The meetings of a tripartite technical committee on the GERD have been fruitless over the past sessions and a new ministerial meeting scheduled for Feb. 24-25 in the Sudanese capital Khartoum has been delayed upon Ethiopia's request due to its current political instability.
Egypt expressed understanding of Ethiopia's request to delay the upcoming tripartite negotiations, yet the Egyptian Foreign Ministry urged for immediate address of the GERD issue "to reach solutions that maintain the interests of all."
"The Ministry looks forward to the adherence of the timeframe determined by the three leaders to settle the existing technical disputes; especially as the Renaissance Dam issue affects the interests of the peoples of the three nations," said Egyptian Foreign Ministry spokesman Ahmed Abu Zeid in a statement Sunday.
Egyptian veteran diplomat Ahmed Haggag, former assistant secretary-general of the Organization of African Unity (OAU), explained that Ethiopia hosts several ethnic groups with different languages, which makes it difficult to run the country's affairs from the center in Addis Ababa.
Ethiopia has been facing incessant protests since 2016, especially in the three most populous regional states of Oromia, Amhara and Southern Nations, Nationalities and Peoples (SNNP).
"Oromia constitutes to about 40 percent of Ethiopia's population and Amhara to some 25 percent and they feel marginalization by Dessalegn's government," Haggag, also Egypt's former ambassador to Kenya, explained.
Haggag believes that the ongoing political instability in Ethiopia is likely to delay the pace of negotiations regarding the dam.
"Dessalegn's resignation may lead to delaying the GERD negotiations, as upcoming tripartite ministerial and technical meetings to be held in Khartoum have already been delayed as per Ethiopia's request." the ex-diplomat told Xinhua.
Washington: Michelle Obama, the former First Lady of the United States, will soon share her first memoir BECOMING, which is a work of deep reflection and mesmerizing storytelling.
Michelle said on Monday that she is pretty excited about it and can't wait to share her memoir with people.
Michelle, who is regarded as one of the most iconic and compelling women of the present times, has revealed to the media that writing BECOMING has been a deeply personal experience for her.
"I talk about my roots and how a girl from the South Side found her voice. I hope my journey inspires readers to find the courage to become whoever they aspire to be. I can't wait to share my story," Michelle, who was the first African-American to serve as the US First Lady, had tweeted.
Writing BECOMING has been a deeply personal experience. I talk about my roots and how a girl from the South Side found her voice. I hope my journey inspires readers to find the courage to become whoever they aspire to be. I can't wait to share my story. https://t.co/d7DxEG85NK Michelle Obama (@MichelleObama) February 25, 2018
The former First Lady has established herself as a powerful advocate for women and girls in the US and around the world, dramatically changing the ways that families pursue healthier and more active lives.
The memoir addresses readers' world, chronicling the experiences that have shaped her-from her childhood on the South Side of Chicago to her years as an executive balancing the demands of motherhood and work, to her time spent at the world's most famous address.
Michele's memoir BECOMING is set to be released on November 13, 2018.
BECOMING will be published globally in 24 languages by Penguin Random House, which acquired world publishing rights to both Michelle and Barack Obamas memoirs in a deal rumoured to be worth USD 65 million.
The book will be released in the UK, Australia, New Zealand, India and South Africa in print and digital formats by Viking, an imprint of Penguin Books at Penguin Random House UK.
In the US and Canada, it will be released by Crown Publishing Group.
(With ANI inputs)
DERA GHAZI KHAN: The District Council of Dera Ghazi Khan district in Pakistan's Punjab province has passed a resolution demanding a ban on shaping beards in fashionable styles.
Asif Khosa, who tabled the resolution, said, "Youngsters make different designs of beard in the name of fashion that was against the teachings of Islam," reported The Express Tribune.
The resolution demanded that Dera Ghazi Khan Deputy Commissioner should be directed to impose the ban on the trend that was popular among the Pakistani youth.
It also called for strict action against those "who make fun of beards" by styling them.
The resolution was passed by a majority and sent to the Deputy Commissioner for further action.
PATNA: An FIR has been lodged on Monday against Sitamarhi BJP leader Manoj Baitha in connection with the hit-and-run case that claimed the lives of nine school children.
Meanwhile, Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad announced the cancellation of Holi celebrations at PNT Community House in Patna slated to take place on March 1.
Nine people were killed and 20 were injured after they were run over by a speeding vehicle in Bihar's Muzaffarpur district. The incident took place on Saturday afternoon.
The car had lost control and ploughed through them outside Dharmpur Government School building.
The children were returning from the school located in Meenpur police station area when the accident happened.
Muzaffarpur Senior Superintendent of Police Vivek Kumar had said the speeding vehicle mowed down the children when they were crossing the road.
Angry over the death of school children, local residents had vandalised the school, beat up teachers and set ablaze chairs and benches there.
Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar had expressed sorrow and grief over the incident. The state government has announced a compensation of Rs 4 lakh to the next of kin of each victim.
Following the incident, RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav had visited the hospital to meet the injured and the families of the deceased.
PATNA: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Manoj Baitha has been suspended from the party's primary membership on Monday in connection with the hit-and-run case that claimed the lives of nine school children in Bihar's Muzaffarpur district.
Earlier in the day, an FIR was lodged against the BJP leader who has been suspended from the party for six years.
Nine people were killed and 20 were injured after they were run over by a speeding vehicle in Bihar's Muzaffarpur district. The incident took place on Saturday afternoon.
The speeding car belongs to Manoj Baitha - a BJP leader from Sitamarhi district. The car had lost control and ploughed through them outside Dharmpur Government School building. The children were returning from the school located in Meenpur police station area when the accident happened.
Meanwhile, Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad announced the cancellation of Holi celebrations at PNT Community House in Patna slated to take place on March 1.
Muzaffarpur Senior Superintendent of Police Vivek Kumar had said the speeding vehicle mowed down the children when they were crossing the road.
Angry over the death of school children, local residents had vandalised the school, beat up teachers and set ablaze chairs and benches there.
Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar had expressed sorrow and grief over the incident. The state government has announced a compensation of Rs 4 lakh to the next of kin of each victim.
Following the incident, RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav had visited the hospital to meet the injured and the families of the deceased.
PATNA: Any political link, either with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) or the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), will not save the accused in the Muzaffarpur hit-and-run case, said Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Modi.
No question of saving the person because of relations with BJP/RJD, said Modi.
I called Muzaffarpur Superintendent of Police (SP) yesterday and said strictest action should be taken. Innocent children were killed and there is no bigger crime than this, he added.
Earlier today, RJD leaders protested outside the Bihar Assembly over the incident.
Patna: RJD leaders protest outside Bihar Assembly over #Muzaffarpur hit and run incident in which 9 children died. pic.twitter.com/gBUKPmbA5l ANI (@ANI) February 26, 2018
Nine people were killed and 20 injured after a speeding car belonging to Manoj Baitha, a BJP leader from Sitamarhi district, run over them a vehicle in Muzaffarpur district on Saturday afternoon.
The car lost control and plowed through them outside Dharmpur Government School building.
The children were returning from the school located in Meenpur police station area when the accident happened. Their age is said to be between eight to 10 years.
Muzaffarpur Senior Superintendent of Police Vivek Kumar said the speeding vehicle mowed down the children when they were crossing the road.
Hitting out at the Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and Deputy CM, Tejashwi Yadav said, "CM and Sushil Modi Ji are nowhere to be seen. Both of them are trying to shield the culprit. Where did the driver get the liquor from when there is a ban on liquor in the state."
New Delhi: Bollywood lost its 'Chandni' on February 24, 2018. Legendary actress Sridevi's sudden demise came as a shock for the entire nation and the news was hard to believe at first. The actress died following a cardiac arrest in Dubai, around midnight. She was 54.
Bollywood celebs took to social media to express their grief upon hearing the terrible news.
Director Hansal Mehta took to Twitter and wrote that he had approached the iconic actress for a film. Now, however, that film will be dedicated to her, only if it finds an actor.
Here's what he wrote- There will never be another #Sridevi. I was about to approach her for a film. That film will now be dedicated to her. If it finds an actor.
There will never be another #Sridevi. I was about to approach her for a film. That film will now be dedicated to her. If it finds an actor. Hansal Mehta (@mehtahansal) February 25, 2018
Sridevi's mortal remains will be brought back to Mumbai on Monday by a chartered flight.
As per reports, Anil Ambani has sent an aircraft to Dubai to bring back Sridevi`s body to India. The 13-seater private jet, (Embraer-135BJ) belonging to Reliance Transport and Travel Ltd, is said to have left for Mumbai for Dubai around 1.30 pm on Sunday.
Boney Kapoor, Jhanvi, Khushi and the entire Kapoor, Ayyappan and Marwah family is deeply bereaved and shocked with the untimely loss of Sridevi Kapoor," the statement, issued by the Yash Raj Films (YRF) on behalf of the family, had said on Sunday.
"They thank the entire media for their prayers, support and sensitivity during their time of grief. Late Sridevi Kapoor's body will arrive in India on Monday, it had added.
New Delhi: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has sought from the chief vigilance officers of five banks the details of financial transactions in the Nostro accounts of Punjab National Bank (PNB) on the basis of 293 fraudulent Letters of Undertaking issued by it to jewellers Nirav Modi and his maternal uncle Mehul Choksi, officials said.
The overseas branches Canara Bank, Bank of India, State Bank of India, Allahabad Bank and Axis Bank had credited over Rs 11,400 crore into the Nostro account of PNB on the basis of the guarantees (LoUs) given by to Nirav Modi and Mehul Choksi, they said.
The Nostro account refers to an account that a bank holds in a foreign currency in another bank overseas to enable foreign trade by its clients.
The CBI has now written to these five banks, having branches in Antwerp, Frankfurt, Mauritius, Hong Kong and Bahrain to provide details of all such transactions to dig out a clear money trail of Rs 11,400 crore.
The fraud, by far the biggest ever detected by an Indian bank, comes to light at a time when lenders - especially state-run banks - are hobbled by $147 billion in soured loans on their books, a problem that has slowed lending and hurt the economy.
On January 29, PNB filed a criminal complaint with India's central investigative agency against three companies and four people, including billionaire jeweller Nirav Modi and his uncle Mehul Choksi, the managing director of Gitanjali Gems, saying they had defrauded PNB and caused a loss of RS 280 crore.
In a regulatory filing on February 14, the bank updated the sum involved in the fraud to Rs 11,400 crore ($1.77 billion), which it said was determined after further investigation.
The bank alleges that two junior employees at its Brady House branch in Mumbai colluded with companies belonging to Modi and Choksi, and issued fraudulent "letters of undertaking", or LoUs, without asking for any margin money as security, even though the firms did not have any pre-approved credit limit.
The firms, PNB says, raised short-term credit from overseas branches of other Indian banks based on these LoUs, and in some instances fraudulent foreign letters of credit (FLCs) in favour of foreign suppliers.
(With agency inputs)
New Delhi: The Delhi Government Employees Joint Forum on Monday alleged that Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia were part of a conspiracy that led to an alleged attack on Chief Secretary Anshu Prakash by two AAP MLAs.
Pooja Joshi, one of the members of the forum, said, "The Chief Minister and Deputy CM are in denial. This shows they are part of the conspiracy."
"We request the LG and Commissioner of Police to take action as per law against CM and DyCM," she added.
Joshi also said that they would continue to not meet the Chief Minister, Deputy Chief Minister and MLAs for meetings or talk over the phone and will keep contact through notes and file notings only.
On Tuesday, the Chief Secretary alleged that he was beaten up by AAP MLA Amanatullah Khan and another AAP MLA in the presence of Arvind Kejriwal at the CM's residence here on February 19 night, where he had been called for a meeting.
Meanwhile, Delhi government is planning to live stream all official meetings, an official said on Monday.
The official told IANS that the government was planning to make available live feed of meetings on a website, which can be viewed by everyone.
"People will know who spoke what in the meeting, be it the elected representative or officials," the official said. If the plan is approved, the upcoming budget will have allocation for its implementation.
(With IANS inputs)
NEW DELHI: IAS officers in Delhi wore black bands to a press conference while protesting against the alleged assault of Delhi Chief Secretary Anshu Prakash by Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLAs. Hitting out at Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, the IAS Joint Forum said that he should apologise for the incident.
"We want a written apology from the Chief Minister. Instead of apologising for the incident the CM and the Deputy CM are in denial. This shows they are part of the conspiracy," IAS Joint Forum Pooja Joshi said.
Meanwhile, the Delhi Police has revealed discrepancies in timings in the CCTV footage obtained from Kejriwal's residence. The police will be sending the recorded footage to the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) to examine it.
Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Harendra Singh told the court hearing the case on Monday that the meeting between the Delhi Chief Secretary and the AAP MLAs was not held in the camp office but in the drawing room of the CM residence.
The Delhi Police had on Friday visited Kejriwal's residence and seized a hard disk of the CCTV camera system installed to probe the case of alleged assault of the Chief Secretary by AAP MLAs on the intervening night of February 19-20. Police had claimed that it had to go to the CM house to collect the CCTV footage after its request for the same was not met.
A total of 21 CCTV cameras and a hard disk were examined by the police. Fourteen CCTV cameras were running while seven were not working at the time of the incident. The police had said that there was no CCTV camera in the room where the alleged incident took place and no footage was obtained.
NEW DELHI: The Delhi Police on Monday said that the CCTV footage obtained from the residence of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's residence reveals discrepancies in the timing. The police will be sending the recorded footage to the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) to examine it.
Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Harendra Singh told the court hearing the case on Monday that the meeting between the Delhi Chief Secretary and the Aam Aadmi Party MLAs was not held in the camp office but in the drawing room of the CM residence.
Delhi Police had on Friday visited Kejriwal's residence and seized a hard disk of the CCTV camera system installed to probe the case of alleged assault of the Chief Secretary by AAP MLAs on the intervening night of February 19-20. Police had claimed that it had to go to the CM house to collect the CCTV footage after its request for the same was not met.
"We had asked for the CCTV camera footage and hard disk on February 20 itself but there was no response. So, we decided to come down and examine it," the Additional DCP had said. He had also said that the in-charge of maintenance at the Chief Minister's residence had been intimated about the police visit.
A total of 21 CCTV cameras and a hard disk were examined by the police. Fourteen CCTV cameras were running while seven were not working at the time of the incident. The police had said that there was no CCTV camera in the room where the alleged incident took place and no footage was obtained. "We believe the incident occurred between midnight of February 19 and 12:15 AM on February 20," the police had said.
New Delhi: In a major crackdown on black money in the country, the Narendra Modi government has categorised 9,491 non-banking financial companies (NBFCs) in India as "high risk" prone as they have not complied with a stipulated provision of the anti-money laundering law.
The Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU) that works under the Union Finance Ministry to check crimes in the Indian economy and alert enforcement agencies against such instances has published a list of 9,491 "high risk financial institutions".
The list, containing the names of the firms, has been updated till January this year. One can click here to know the names of these 9,491 identified NBFCs.
Under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), the NBFCs, which includes cooperative banks, are required to furnish details about their financial operations and transactions to the FIU.
The FIU processed the data of these companies and found that they did not comply largely on one stipulated condition of appointing a principal officer who is responsible to check and report suspicious transactions and cash transactions of Rs 10 lakh and above, and report it to the agency, sources said.
The activities of these institutions post the demonetisation of large currency notes of Rs 1,000 and Rs 500 in November 2016, were under the scanner of the FIU and it published their names after analysing their data from various information sources, they said.
"The publication of names is primarily a step by the FIU to make aware the public that these NBFCs are not law compliant and that they should refrain from indulging into transactions with them," a senior official was quoted as saying by news agency Press Trust of India.
NBFC is defined as a company registered under the Companies Act which is engaged in the business of loans and advances, acquisition of shares, stocks, bonds, debentures and securities issued by the government or local authority or other marketable securities.
NBFCs lend and make investments and hence, their activities are akin to that of banks, however, there they cannot accept demand deposits and do not form part of the payment and settlement system and cannot issue cheques drawn on itself.
(With PTI inputs)
New Delhi: Fitch Ratings on Monday said Indian asset-backed securities (ABS) transactions are unlikely to be affected by the Rs 11,400 crore fraud at Punjab National Bank (PNB).
PNB, it says, still remains eligible as an account bank for Indian ABS transactions rated at 'BBB-sf'.
ABS are bonds or notes backed by financial assets. Typically, these assets consist of receivables other than mortgage loans, such as credit card receivables, auto loans, manufactured-housing contracts and home-equity loans.
"The recent banking fraud at Punjab National Bank, uncovered on February 14, 2018, is unlikely to affect the Indian ABS transactions rated by Fitch," the rating agency said in a statement. "Our view takes into account the replacement triggers for the transactions' counterparties; a stable performance; and significant build-up of credit enhancement (CE)."
Fitch said, should PNB be downgraded to below 'BBB-', it expects the replacement triggers will be executed, and the account bank will be replaced with another eligible entity.
"Four Fitch-rated transactions had exposure to PNB as an account bank as of February 21, 2018," it said without giving details. "However, all have amortised by at least 70 per cent since closing, resulting in available CE (as a percentage of the notes outstanding) at least 3.5x the closing CE (as a percentage of the closing notes' amount)."
The transactions' performance has also been relatively stable, with reported 90+days past due (dpd) delinquencies (as of the February trustee reports) only around or less than 1 per cent of the closing notes' balance.
"The transactions are likely to suffer only a minimal impact, if any, even if the entire CE with PNB were to be written off. The current available CE, excluding the portion with PNB, is at least 3.25x the closing CE for three out of four related transactions, and around 0.8x for the fourth transaction," Fitch added.
Panaji: Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar, who has been unwell for days, was once again hospitalized on Sunday late.
The 62-year-old Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader was admitted to Goa Medical College after he complained of dehydration and low blood pressure in the night.
Earlier, reports suggested Parrikar may have to be flown to the USA for treatment. Owing to the rumors, the hospital had to issue a statement saying the CM was doing well.
"The Chief Minister had dehydration and was advised to get himself admitted to the GMC. He is well and responding to treatment," said the Chief Minister`s Office.
"We have posted specialist doctors who are monitoring his health continuously," said Goa Health Minister Vishwajit Rane reported the Press Trust of India.
Parrikar was brought to the hospital in a wheelchair and was accompanied by a family member.
In a statement issued here, the Chief Minister's Office said that Parrikar was admitted to the Goa Medical College near here.
On February 15, Parrikar was admitted to Lilavati Hospital in Mumbai and treated for mild pancreatitis. He later returned to Goa on Thursday, February 22 and presented a truncated budget.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who was in Mumbai to inaugurate 'Magnetic Maharashtra' Global Investors Summit in suburban Bandra, had also visited the Lilavati Hospital to inquire about Parrikar's health last time Parrikar was hospitalized.
PANAJI: A day after Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar was re-admitted to hospital with complaints of uneasiness, the Chief Minister's Office on Monday clarified that Parrikar was rushed to the hospital because of mild dehydration and is now recuperating.
The CM is likely to be discharged soon and will resume work thereafter, added the CM's office.
On Sunday, Parrikar was admitted to the state-run Goa Medical College and Hospital and brought to the GMCH on a wheelchair. He was accompanied by a family member.
"Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar had slight dehydration, he was taking treatment at home. Doctors at GMC advised to treat him in GMC, he is responding well to the treatment and is under observation," CMO, GMC hospital had said.
The Chief Minister had arrived in Goa on Thursday after he was discharged from Mumbai's Lilavati Hospital. On the same day, Parrikar reached the state assembly and presented the budget.
When contacted, Goa Health Minister Vishwajit Rane said Parrikar was suffering from dehydration but was responding to treatment at the GMCH. "We have posted specialist doctors who are monitoring his health continuously," Rane had said.
The 62-year-old had been in the hospital since February 15 for a pancreas-related ailment. He was rushed to the Lilavati Hospital after he complained of food poisoning.
There had been reports that he may have to be flown to the USA for treatment. Owing to the rumours, the hospital had to issue a statement saying the CM was doing well.
The Chief Minister's Office has throughout maintained that he was suffering from a pancreas-related ailment.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who was in Mumbai to inaugurate 'Magnetic Maharashtra' Global Investors Summit in suburban Bandra, had also visited the Lilavati Hospital to enquire about Parrikar's health.
New Delhi: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Monday issued a lookout circular (LOC) against more than 10 executives of the firms linked to Nirav Modi and Mehul Choksi in connection with its ongoing probe into Rs 11400 crore PNB scam.
The CBI also reportedly questioned Punjab National Bank (PNB) Executive Director KV Brahmaji Rao, two General Managers and a retired official in connection with its probe into the Rs 11,400 crore fraud.
A CBI team questioned Rao for the third consecutive day at its Mumbai branch.
On Sunday, too, Rao was questioned for over eight hours. He was quizzed along with PNB Managing Director-cum-CEO Sunil Mehta on Saturday.
The others quizzed were three General Manager-rank officials of the PNB Treasury Division and International Banking Division, including a retired official.
The Income Tax Department also said it had attached 66 more bank accounts related to accused Mehul Choksi of the Gitanjali Group.
"After Friday, 66 more bank accounts of the group have been attached with a total credit balance of Rs 80.07 crore," an IT Department official said.
It was reported earlier that the passports of Modi and Choksi were revoked as they failed to respond to the show-cause notice on Ministry of External Affairs.
Gitanjali Gems Chairman and Managing Director Mehul Choksi and his nephew, famous jeweller Nirav Modi, are the prime accused in the Punjab National Bank (PNB) scam.
The duo, whose locations are not known, is wanted in India for their alleged involvement in siphoning off money from the PNB to the tune of more than 11,400 crore rupees.
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) provisionally attached 21 immovable properties, worth Rs 523.72 crore, of Nirav Modi and companies controlled by him.
The scam, which allegedly started in 2011, was unearthed last month after which the PNB officials reported it to the concerned agencies
(With Agency inputs)
Saundatti: In yet another scathing attack on the BJP-led NDA government, Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Monday said that former defence minister Manohar Parrikar was unaware about Prime Minister Narendra Modi changing the 'Rafale' contract.
The Congress chief claimed that Parrikar was 'buying fish' in Goa at that time.
The Gandhi scion made these remarks while addressing a public rally in Saundatti ahead of state assembly elections.
"The former defence minister was in Goa buying fish from a shop ... he did not even know that Modi ji had changed the contract of the Rafale deal," he said.
Defense Minister Goa mein tha, machhi (fish) ki dukan mein machhi khareed raha tha... usko pata bhi nahi tha ke Modi Ji ne #Rafale ka contract badal dia: Rahul Gandhi in #Karnataka's Saundatti pic.twitter.com/v2Ei1wJOjx ANI (@ANI) February 26, 2018
Rahul had earlier slammed Defence Minister Nirmala Sithraman for changing her stance on revealing the cost of Rafale fighter jets.
Q. Why did the Raksha Mantri change her stance from :
I will reveal the price of the RAFALE planes in Nov 2017 to the price is a state secret in Feb 2018 A. Corruption
B. To protect Modiji
C. To protect Modiji's friend
D. All of above #TheGreatRafaleMystery Office of RG (@OfficeOfRG) February 8, 2018
In a snide tweet, Gandhi wrote, "Tweet- Q. Why did the Raksha Mantri change her stance from :
I will reveal the price of the RAFALE planes in Nov 2017 to the price is a state secret in Feb 2018
A. Corruption
B. To protect Modiji
C. To protect Modiji's friend
D. All of above."
The Congress president has also addressed the issue while interacting with reporters and informed that he had asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi three questions in connection with the Rafale deal during the parliamentary session.
"I asked the Prime Minister three questions - cost of jets, if they asked Cabinet Committee on Security about it and why was the contract snatched from Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) and given to a businessman? But got no answers," he told reporters.
Gandhi further said that the Prime Minister gave a long speech in the Rajya Sabha, "but wasn't interested in answering fundamental questions."
?#PradhanMantriJawabDo Office of RG (@OfficeOfRG) February 7, 2018
Intensifying his attack on the NDA government, Rahul had earlier said that the Rafale fighter jet deal was the "biggest issue" of corruption in the country now.
Congress president also recently listed out three Parliamentary replies filed by the former United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government on the details of pricing of defence deals.
Asserting that the replies show that there was 'full transparency' in defence deals during the UPA regime, Rahul asked the NDA government to reveal the real cost of the deal.
Rahul's replies came after FM Arun Jaitley accused the Congress of "seriously compromising" country's security by seeking details of the Rafale deal from the Centre.
"I charge the Congress of seriously compromising India's security... Mr Modi has run a clean government for last 4 years, so let us, manufacturer, a crisis, let us manufacture an issue. And the manufactured issue is, please tell me the details of the Rafale deal," the Finance Minister had said in Lok Sabha after Congress demanded the Centre to make public the details of the government-to-government deal to buy 36 Rafale fighter jets from France.
Elections in Karnataka are scheduled to be held in April and or May this year to elect members from 224 assembly constituencies.
(With ANI inputs)
Meerut: RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat has said that only India can show the right path to the world and Hindus need to unite.
Addressing the 'Rashtroday Sammelan' in western Uttar Pradesh, Bhagwat had said on Sunday that everyone will have to unite for the country. He had added that there had been and there will be conspiracies against India's unity, but everyone will have to remain united.
Union ministers from western Uttar Pradesh Mahesh Sharma, Gen VK Singh, Satyapal Singh, and state ministers Chetan Chauhan and Dharam Singh Saini were present at the programme.
"All Hindus are one, say with pride we're one. Hindus must unite, this is our duty," Bhagwat had said and had stressed that if the country remains united, "we can cut through a lot of barriers."
"If we don't remain united, the whole world can take advantage of that," he had said. Praising RSS workers, he had pointed out that more than 1,70,000 volunteers are doing social service and they are willing to lay down their lives in the service of the nation.
Earlier, on February 11, 2018, a controversy had erupted the RSS chief had reportedly said Bihar, "Sangh will prepare military personnel within three days which the Army would do in 6-7 months. This is our capability," as per PTI.
However, the RSS had clarified that he had not compared the Army with Sangh volunteers and his remarks on the matter were "misrepresented."
"Bhagwat's remarks were made as a comparison between common people and sangh swayamsevak (volunteers) and were in "no way a comparison" with the Indian Army, RSS Akhil Bhartiya Prachaar Pramukh Manmohan Vaidya had said in a statement, seeking to douse the controversy.
"Bhagwat ji had said that if the situation arises and the Constitution permits, Indian Army would take six months to prepare the society whereas sangh swayamsevak can be trained in three days as swayamsevak practice discipline regularly. This was no way a comparison between the Indian army and the Sangh swayamsevaks but it was a comparison between general society and swayamsevaks. Both are to be trained by the Indian Army only," the statement had said.
(With Agency inputs)
New Delhi: The syllabus of NCERT textbooks in the coming two to three years will be changed, Union Human Resource Development Minister Prakash Javadekar said on Monday.
The HRD minister, while addressing a media conference in the national capital, said that the idea to have quality education in the country was predominant at the six workshops held by the ministry as well as during meetings with state education officials.
"A large number of NGOs, education experts, state government officers, and many teachers took part in these meeting," he informed.
Javadekar, however, stressed that plenty of information is not education.
The minister further cautioned against treating students as the data bank.
"Students are not data banks. The main aim of education is to bring out a good human being. It is the need of the hour to inculcate value education, life skills, experiential learning and physical fitness in our daily life," the minister said.
He added that the idea to change the NCERT syllabus is to reduce the burden on students and to make them learn the basic principles of various subjects.
"We have asked the NCERT (National Council of Educational Research and Training) to evaluate the present curriculum and decide what can be done away with and what should be retained," he said.
Javadekar also said that the ministry will put out this week on its website the request for suggestions from teachers, parents, educational experts, students and stakeholders concerned in the field of education on reducing the syllabus of NCERT.
He said that after two months, he will review the suggestions and will accordingly take measures to reduce the syllabus.
(With IANS inputs)
Here is what is making headlines today
Sridevi was preparing for a surprise 'dinner date' minutes before her death
Minutes before her death, superstar Sridevi and husband Boney Kapoor were planning to go out for a dinner date. Read more.
Fans throng Sridevi's residence; Bollywood superstar's body to arrive in Mumbai today
Sridevi's mortal remains will arrive in India from Dubai on Monday, her family said in a statement. Read more.
Mohan Bhagwat urges Hindus to unite, says only India can show right path to the world
Bhagwat said that everyone will have to unite for the country and that there had been and there will be conspiracies against India's unity, but everyone will have to remain united. Read more.
Now, a blue coloured 'Baal Aadhaar' for children below 5 years
Children below the age of five years can get Aadhaar without any biometric details but they have to complete the mandatory verification process when they turn five. Read more.
WhatsApp users receive 'invitation' to join LeT group: UP Police
The Uttar Pradesh Police today said members of a WhatsApp group have received an "invitation" to join another group named "Lashkar-e-Toiba" on the messaging platform, allegedly created by a schoolboy in Rajasthan. Read more.
New Delhi: Reacting to the recent changes made by Donald Trump administration on H-1B visa programme, a senior US diplomat said in an event in Nagpur on Monday that it has not undergone any fundamental change.
There is no change in the processing of H-1B visas from the (US) Consulate (in Mumbai), USA' Mumbai-based Consul General Edgard D Kagan told media persons, seeking to allay the apprehension among Indians that amendments to it would harm their interest.
"There is a sense in India that the changes in H-1B can have a big impact in India. We understand that and we have heard that message from the Indian government and recognized that it is important here," he said.
"We would ask Indians to recognize that this is not about India and it is not about US-India relationship. This is about broader policy that affects countries around the world from American perspective and therefore it is very important to get it right," he added.
The H-1B programme offers temporary US visas that allow companies to hire highly skilled foreign professionals working in areas with shortages of qualified American workers.
Last week, the Donald Trump administration had announced a new policy that makes very tough the procedure of issuing H-1B visas to those to be employed at one or more third-party work sites, a move that will hugely impact Indian IT companies and their employees.
Under the new policy, a company would have to go the extra mile to prove that its H-1B employee at a third-party work site has specific and non-qualifying speculative assignments in speciality occupation.
"Clearly, India is the largest single beneficiary of the programme. But I think when Indians look at H-1B and look at the changes of the programme they believe this is about US-India relationship. But I can assure you from American perspective that is not the case," Kagan said.
The US Consul General was responding to a query regarding concerns over changes in the H-1B visa programme.
"There is a misconception about H-1B programme. People in India believe that H1B programme is about India. For America, it is a global programme. So H-1Bs are not just for Indians, it is a programme accessible and open to people from around the world," the diplomat said.
He said the H-1B programme in the US is viewed as a global programme and the concerns are about making it sure that the companies do not abuse people who receive H-1B visas.
"So tightening of some of the procedures to make sure the people who receive the H-1B visas are being treated as they are supposed to by the companies. And also making it sure the programme is working as it was intended to work," Kagan said.
"To be fair, we have always looked very closely and made sure that there is no fraud and that the people meet right qualification for the H-1B.
"There have been adjustments on how programme is implemented and designed to ensure that there is no fraud and abuse in US. But what media has focused is on changes having to do with how the petitioning process has been handled in the US.
"However,we are not having details about it as we do not handle it at the consulate. But the continuing goal of the programme is that it works as it was designed to address the real needs in the US," the Consul General said.
NEW DELHI: Vinayak Damodar Savarkar, fondly known Veer Savarkar, is being remembered on his 52nd death anniversary on Monday. Tributes were paid to the great freedom fighter and who recalled him as the epitome of selflessness, patriotism and courage. Savarkar died on this day in 1966.
He was involved in the political murder of three British officials. An Indian pro-independence activist, he advocated the reconversion of the converted Hindus back to Hindu religion. he coined the term Hindutva to create a collective "Hindu" identity.
Here is how is he being remembered on Twitter:
Tributes to the great revolutionary Vinayak Damodar Savarkar on his death anniversary. When many called 1857 a Sepoy Mutiny, Veer Savarkar called it the 'First War of Indian Independence'. He ignited the spark of nationalism in several lives! pic.twitter.com/nr8RPN67ko B.S. Yeddyurappa (@BSYBJP) February 26, 2018
Remembering the versatile political philosopher Shri Vinayak Damodar Savarkar ji on his Punyatithi. He was well known for his positivism & altruism. His written works have inspired the nation during our independence movement & beyond.#VeerSavarkar pic.twitter.com/do3RIpcXXd Manohar Lal (@mlkhattar) February 26, 2018
Remembering great Freedom Fighter Veer Savarkar on his Death Anniversary. A devout patriot & profound scholar, his courage evokes the spirit of nationalism even today! pic.twitter.com/vFBFFEAJfQ Harsh Sanghavi (@sanghaviharsh) February 26, 2018
#VeerSavarkar
Aged 22,student Savarkar had organised first public bonfire of foreign clothes in Pune in 1905. This historic event was attended by #Tilak. His hostel room still preserved as memorial at #FergussonCollegePune Tarun Vijay (@Tarunvijay) February 26, 2018
Remembering Swatantrya Veer Savarkar, the epitome of selflessness, patriotism & courage, on his Martyrdom Day today! ! pic.twitter.com/oyVdDyPyXw Priti Gandhi (@MrsGandhi) February 26, 2018
#VeerSavarkar was admirer of Jewish Nationalism. He was completely against Gandhi's views on Palestine. He was the one who opposed Nehru for India's vote against formation of Israel. And Savarkar was right. Look Reality now, Palestine supports Pakistan & Terrorists against India. Anshul Saxena (@AskAnshul) February 26, 2018
Veer Savarkar is more than an idol for me. Ive never got inspired so much by any leader other than Savarkar. Only Leaders photo that adorns my house & only Leaders quote that adorns my cards & letterpads other than Bharathiyar. #SavarkarTamilBookBySGSuryah (1) pic.twitter.com/pQzOzNYb82 SG Suryah (@SuryahSG) February 26, 2018
Savarkar was also chargesheeted in the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi but was exonerated later on as there was no evidence to back the claim.
In 1910, he was arrested for his links with the revolutionary group India House. He tried to escape from custody when he was being transported from Marseilles, and was thereafter sentenced to two life terms of imprisonment. He was moved to the Cellular Jail in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands for his term of 50 years but was released in 1921.
KALABURAGI: Bharatiya Janata Paty President Amit Shah on Monday attacked the ruling Siddaramaiah government in Karnataka claiming that the cases of corruption are on the rise in the state. "Karnataka government has failed on all fronts. Corruption cases are on a rise. Corruption and Siddaramaiah government have become synonymous," the BJP President said Kalaburagi in Karnataka.
The BJP which has been demanding a ban on the Popular Front of India (PFI) and its political arm Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI) accused the Siddaramaiah government to be protecting the outfits. "The manner in which all cases against PFI and SDPI have been withdrawn shows the unidirectional action by Siddaramaiah government," Shah said. The BJP has been accusing the PFI of murders of BJP and RSS workers in the state.
Shah had on Sunday claimed that the current government is going to sink after the results of the state assembly elections. "In the upcoming elections result, the boat of Chief Minister Siddaramaiah government is going to sink. By 2022, not only poor of Karnataka but every poor of India will have a 'pucca' house. This is a promise by Narendra Modi government," Shah had said while addressing a public gathering.
He had also claimed that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has always been concerned about the sugarcane farmers. "The first thing he did after coming to power was to stop the import of raw sugar. Also, whatever raw sugar was imported for industrial purposes, an import duty of 40 percent was levied on it," he said.
The Congress government in the state fears that it may lead to further rise in Modi's popularity, Shah claimed.
Shah is on a three-day visit to north Karnataka region, during which he met party workers in Bidar, Kalaburagi and Yadgiri districts. He visited the historic Gurdwara Nanak Jhira Sahib in Bidarand also went to the home of Shivaraj Basalingappa Alreddy, a farmer who committed suicide, at Mangalgi village in Bidar.
Bengaluru: Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Monday sought blessings at the Godchi Temple in Ramdurg, Karnataka.
Rahul is on the second leg of his three-day tour of northern parts of Karnataka. This is his second visit to the state in less than a fortnight.
Congress President Rahul Gandhi interacted with local farmers Bhimayya and Shakuntala at Sunnal, Karnataka. #JanaAashirwadaYatre #NavaKarnatakaNirmana pic.twitter.com/R5yQ9Y1sF2 Congress (@INCIndia) February 26, 2018
Congress President Shri Rahul Gandhi and Karnataka Congress leaders addressed a massive gathering at Ramdurga, Belagavi District. #JanaAashirwadaYatre pic.twitter.com/GdBRo6lb76 Karnataka Congress (@INCKarnataka) February 26, 2018
Karnataka is slated to go to the polls in a few months.
Meanwhile, on Sunday, the Congress president continued to target the Prime Minister in his campaign in poll-bound Karnataka and asked why Narendra Modi, who had described himself as the country's "chowkidar", was "silent" on the PNB fraud.
"Modi ji comes to Karnataka and speaks about corruption. He had told the country not to make him Prime Minister but make him the chowkidar (watchman) of the country," he had said at party rallies in Vijapura and Bagalkote districts in north Karnataka.
Rahul had added, "On one side there is his party's (former) chief minister (BS Yeddyurappa) who had gone to jail and on the other side are the other four former ministers of the BJP government who had gone to jail, sitting in between them, Modi speaks about corruption."
Further, hitting out at PM Modi on demonetisation, the Congress president had said, "Modi ji told the country to stand in line (queues at banks) for the fight against corruption.You would not have seen a single rich person or someone wearing suit-boot in the line."
He had alleged that all the "thieves" in India had converted their black money into white with the help of PM Modi.
On the other hand, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) President Amit Shah on Monday said the present Karnataka government had failed in all fronts.
Offered prayers at Sri Kshethra Malakheda Temple in Kalaburagi, Karnataka. pic.twitter.com/prytinnxOb Amit Shah (@AmitShah) February 26, 2018
Addressing the media in Kalaburagi, Shah stated that corruption and Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah government have become synonymous.
"Karnataka government has failed in all fronts, be it law and order or development, it has failed. Corruption cases are on a rise. Corruption and Siddaramaiah government have become synonymous," he said.
The BJP president also alleged the Siddaramaiah government for showing insensitive attitude towards families of the farmers who committed suicide.
"The insensitive attitude of the Siddaramaiah government towards families of the farmers who committed suicide is deplorable," he said.
Shah added that withdrawing all the cases against the Popular Front of India (PFI) and Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI) has shown the unidirectional action by Siddaramaiah.
(With PTI and ANI inputs)
Mumbai: Fire broke out in a chawl in Thane's Sainath Nagar following an LPG cyclinder blast on Monday morning. No casualties or injuries have been reported so far.
Three fire tenders are present at the spot and operations are currently underway.
Few huts were completely gutted.
The fire broke out after one Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) cylinder started leaking. Minutes later the cylinder exploded and the fire spread in 10 hutments in the chawl.
Fire broke out in a chawl in Thane's Sainath Nagar, 3 fire tenders present at the spot. More details awaited. #Maharashtra pic.twitter.com/4ngQ8HHcDz ANI (@ANI) February 26, 2018
Initially, four fire tenders, one rescue vehicle and one water tanker were pressed at the spot.
On February 11, a major fire broke out at a scrap market near Maya Hotel in suburban Kurla in Mumbai Mumbai near Ghatkopar-Mankhurd link road on Sunday. No casualties were reported.
On December 29, a massive fire had broken out at Kamla Mills Compound in the Lower Parel locality of Mumbai killing 14 people and injuring another 30.
Shillong: With Meghalaya all set to vote on Tuesday to elect a new assembly, both ruling Congress and BJP have exuded confidence of their victory in the crucial polls.
While Congress is sure of retaining power, the BJP and regional parties were equally gung-ho about unseating the ruling party in the northeastern state.
The Congress - ruling the state for a decade - has fielded candidates in all 60 seats, of which 59 will go to polls. Seven of its legislators have since quit and jumped on to the bandwagon of the Bharatiya Janata Party, National People's Party (NPP) and newly floated People's Democratic Front (PDF).
Chief Minister Mukul Sangma, the chief architect of the Congress's win on 29 seats in the 2013 elections, said that he was confident of increasing the number of its MLAs in the new house.
"We (Congress) are confident of coming to power again for the third consecutive time," Sangma, Meghalaya's longest serving Chief Minister, was quoted as saying by IANS.
Sangma also ruled out any anti-incumbency. Instead, he said that there was so much of pro-incumbency since the people of the state have faith and confidence in the Congress dispensation here.
Congress President Rahul Gandhi, who visited Meghalaya twice in the past one month and campaigned in Khasi Hills, Jaintia Hills and Garo Hills regions, had too expressed confidence of his party winning the elections.
The BJP, fighting the polls alone by fielding 47 candidates, is equally confident of winning a good number of seats and forming a non-Congress government.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, BJP chief Amit Shah, Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and Tourism Minister KJ Alphons were among a host of top BJP leaders, apart from Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal, who campaigned in the state.
"Meghalaya is also getting ready for change. People have grown wary of misdeeds and misrule of the Congress and pinning their hopes on change," BJP's election strategist and Assam Finance Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said.
The NPP, an ally of the BJP with two MLAs, is hopeful of increasing the numbers as five former Congress legislators are contesting on NPP symbol this time.
"People's voice is for change. We are hopeful to emerge as the single largest party in the Assembly and form the government," NPP President Conrad K. Sangma said.
The combined regional alliance comprising United Democratic Party, Hill State People's Democratic Party and Garo National Council also was gung-ho about electoral victory.
The HSPDP and the UDP forged a pre-poll alliance in 36 seats in Khasi and Jaintia Hills, while the UDP tied up with the Garo National Council for 24 seats in the Garo Hills.
"I hope people will reject the Congress, which even its own people have rejected by not contesting," UDP leader Bindo Mathew Lanong said. He said he is hopeful of the regional alliance leading in the new government.
Voting to 59 of the 60 constituencies will be held between 7 a.m. and 4 pm. The counting of votes will take place on March 3, Chief Electoral Officer Frederick Roy Kharkongor said.
The killing of Nationalist Congress Party candidate Jonathone Sangma in an IED blast at Sawilgre area in East Garo Hills district on February 18 had cast a shadow on polling in Williamnagar seat.
A total of 18,09,918 electors, including 9,13,701 females, will be eligible to exercise their franchise to decide the fate of 361 candidates - including 32 women - across 3,025 polling stations.
As many as 340 polling stations have been categorised as 'critical' and 580 'vulnerable'.
Balloting in 183 polling stations will be webcast, to be made available at the offices of Chief Electoral Officer or District Electoral Officer and the Election Commission of India, Kharkongor said
As many as 66 all-women polling stations and 61 model polling stations have been set up.
Mawlai constituency in East Khasi Hills district has the highest voters at 42,670, and Dalu in West Garo Hills the lowest 18,640 voters.
In all, 106 companies of central armed police forces have been deployed to ensure peaceful polls, he said.
(With IANS inputs)
New Delhi: Repolling is being held on Monday in Dhanpur, Sonamura, Teliamura, Kadamtala-Kurti, Ampinagar and Sabroom Assembly constituencies in Tripura.
The voter turnout by 11 am was 37.07 percent.
The total voter turnout stood at 74 percent in the single-phase Tripura Assembly polls on February 18, 2014, 17 percent less than the last Assembly election when the polling percentage was recorded at 91.82.
Voting was held in 59 of the total 60 seats as polling could not be held in the Charilam constituency due to the death of CPI(M) candidate Ramendra Narayan Deb Barma last week.
The constituency will go to polls on March 12, 2018.
The BJP is making a determined bid to demolish the red bastion of 25 years, with stalwarts like Prime Minister Narendra Modi and party president Amit Shah leading the charge.
The saffron party, which had forged a pre-poll alliance with tribal outfit Indigenous People's Front of Tripura (IPFT), had fielded 51 candidates. The IPFT, an anti-Left party, contested from the remaining nine seats.
The Congress went it all alone in Tripura this time and contested from 59 seats. The party had not fielded a candidate from the Kakrabon constituency in Gomati district.
There are 25,73,413 registered voters - 13,05,375 male and 12,68,027 female - in the state.
The number of voters under the third gender category in the state is 11 and that of the new voters 47,803.
(With PTI inputs)
New Delhi: Sridevi's sudden demise has come as a major blow to the nation. From celebs to fans, everybody is in a state of shock and still finding it hard to come to terms with the fact that she is not with us anymore. The actress suffered a cardiac arrest on Saturday night in Dubai, where she had gone to attend the wedding of her nephew Mohit Marwah along with her husband Boney Kapoor and younger daughter Khushi Kapoor.
Actors who have worked with her found it even more difficult to cope up with the news. Saddened by his death, veteran actor Rishi Kapoor changed his Twitter bio to "Sridevi RIP" and removed his DP (display pic).
Rishi had earlier expressed his displeasure over Sridevi being addressed to as a "body". Taking to Twitter, he wrote, "How has Sridevi all of a sudden become the body? All television channels reporting the body will be brought to Mumbai in the night! Suddenly your individuality gets lost and becomes a mere body??."
Here's the tweet:
How has Sridevi all of a sudden become the body? All television channels reporting the body will be brought to Mumbai in the night! Suddenly your individuality gets lost and becomes a mere body?? Rishi Kapoor (@chintskap) February 25, 2018
Rishi Kapoor and Sridevi were one of Bollywood's most loved on-screen couples. Together they have given some of the hit films like 'Chandni', 'Nagina', 'Banjaran'.
Mumbai: The mortal remains of legendary actress Sridevi, who breathed her last on Saturday at around 11 pm in Dubai, is likely to arrive in Mumbai on Tuesday. The body of the veteran Bollywood actress will undergo embalming by Tuesday noon, said reports emerging from Dubai.
Sridevi - Indias first female superstar - died of ''drowning in the bathtub'' of room number 2201 of Jumeirah Emirates Towers Hotel after ''loss of consciousness'', the Dubai Police stated on Monday following the completion of post-mortem autopsy conducted on the late actress.
The case of Sridevi's death has been referred to the Dubai Public Prosecution for further investigation, UAE media reported.
Further delay in return of mortal remains of Sridevi is expected because the Dubai police await clearance from Prosecution magistrate. Police reportedly informed Indian authorities the body can only be handed over after a clearance from prosecution magistrate, sources told ANI.
India's Ambassador to UAE, Navdeep Suri took to Twitter Monday evening to post:
The media interest in untimely demise of #Sridevi is understandable. But the frenzy of speculation does not help. Imp to note that:1. We are working with local authorities to ensure that mortal remains can be sent to India at the earliest. We are on the job. (sic)
2. We are in regular contact with the family of #Sridevi and other well- wishers. We share their pain.3. Our experience in similar cases tells us that it does take 2-3 days to complete processes 4. We leave it to the experts to determine cause of demise Let's be responsible (sic).
The media interest in untimely demise of #Sridevi is understandable. But the frenzy of speculation does not help. Imp to note that:
1. We are working with local authorities to ensure that mortal remains can be sent to India at the earliest. We are on the job.
1/2 IndAmbUAE (@navdeepsuri) 26 February 2018
2. We are in regular contact with the family of #Sridevi and other well- wishers. We share their pain.
3. Our experience in similar cases tells us that it does take 2-3 days to complete processes
4. We leave it to the experts to determine cause of demise
Let's be responsible IndAmbUAE (@navdeepsuri) 26 February 2018
According to the Gulf News, a chief prosecutor said, In such accidental death incidents, the results of the post-mortem and forensic examination reports are referred to the Public Prosecution as part of ordinary law enforcement procedures. The papers are revised by the prosecutors of the jurisdiction where the incident happened. An official order to hand over the body of the deceased to the family or relatives is issued shortly after that.
In case of any suspicious foul play, prosecutors would carry out further detailed investigations and decide on any future law enforcement procedures accordingly, said the chief prosecutor.
According to a report in Gulf News, Sridevi, who was under the influence of alcohol, lost her balance and fell into the bathtub and drowned.
Sridevi was in Ras Al Khaimah in UAE last week, along with husband Boney Kapoor, daughter Khushi and other relatives to attend nephew Mohit Marwahs wedding ceremony.
She had posted pictures of her family from the ceremony just a few days before she passed away.
Born in Sivakasi in Tamil Nadu on August 13, 1963, Sridevi began her career at the age of four in the devotional film Thunaivan in which she played Lord Murugan.
Besides Tamil,Sridevi worked in Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam and Hindi productions. She went on to become one of the most formidable actresses of the 1980s and 1990s in Hindi cinema. From a child artiste, she became Indian cinemas first female superstar.
She is remembered for her spellbinding performances in some of the iconic Bollywood films like Mr. India, Nagina, Lamhe, Sadma, ChalBaaz, Chandni, Khuda Gawah, among many others in different Indian languages.
Sridevi, who made a comeback to Bollywood in 2012 with English Vinglish after a long break of 15 years, was last seen in Mom in 2017. She shot for a cameo appearance in October for Shah Rukh Khans upcoming film Zero which is expected to release in December this year.
New Delhi: Minutes before her death, superstar Sridevi and husband Boney Kapoor were planning to go out for a dinner date, according to UAE-based newspaper Khaleej Times. The newspaper has reported details of what happened inside Sridevi's room in Dubai's Jumeirah Emirates Tower hotel quoting a source. Around midnight she suffered a cardiac arrest following which she fell unconscious inside the hotel bathroom. Reports suggest, soon after that she was rushed to Rashid Hospital where she was declared dead.
The 54-year-old Sridevi breathed her last around midnight on February 24, 2018. Her sudden and untimely death not only shook the entire nation but also created a void which can never be filled. Khaleej Times quotes a source close to the family as saying that Boney Kapoor flew back from Mumbai to Dubai just to surprise his wife. He went to her room at the Jumeirah Emirates Towers Hotel around 5:30 pm to 'surprise' her with a dinner date.
Boney Kapoor woke her up and the couple chatted for about 15 minutes before he invited her for dinner. The Chandni-fame star then went to the washroom. After 15 minutes passed and Sridevi did not come out, Kapoor knocked on the door to check on her. When he got no response, he forced open the door to find the legendary actor lying motionless in the bathtub full of water. "He tried to revive her and when he could not, he called a friend of his. After that, he informed the police at 9 pm," said the source.
Soon afterwards, the police and paramedics rushed to the site, but she was pronounced dead. Her body was taken to the General Department of Forensic Medicine for an autopsy, reportedly.
Sridevi's mortal remains will be brought back to Mumbai on Monday by a chartered flight. Reliance Group chairman Anil Ambani has sent an aircraft to Dubai to bring back Sridevi's body to India. The 13-seater private jet, (Embraer-135BJ) belonging to Reliance Transport and Travel Ltd, and reportedly left Mumbai for Dubai around 1.30 pm on Sunday.
Boney Kapoor, Jhanvi, Khushi and the entire Kapoor, Ayyappan and Marwah family is deeply bereaved and shocked with the untimely loss of Sridevi Kapoor," the statement, issued by the Yash Raj Films (YRF) on behalf of the family, had said on Sunday. "They thank the entire media for their prayers, support and sensitivity during their time of grief. Late Sridevi Kapoor's body will arrive in India on Monday, it had added.
New Delhi: Bollywood superstar Sridevi's untimely death sent a shock wave across the nation. The noted actress breathed her last in Dubai where she had flown to attend actor-nephew Mohit Marwah's wedding.
The shocking incident took place around midnight in Dubai after the actress suffered a cardiac arrest on February 24, 2018. Several celebrities have already rushed to Anil Kapoor's residence to pay their last respects to the actress.
The mortal remains of the noted actress are likely to reach Mumbai today and the cremation is also expected. ANI quoted local media reports stating that the Dubai Police have released the forensic report on Sridevi's death to her family and the Indian Consulate representative.
Sources have said that Dubai Police have released the forensic report on Sridevi's death to her family and the Indian Consulate representative: Local media reports #Sridevi ANI (@ANI) February 26, 2018
ANI reported that the authorities at the United Arab Emirates (UAE) are expected to release the death certificate of the noted Indian actress Sridevi, who died in Dubai late on Saturday. It was originally attributed to Khaleej Times.
Boney Kapoor, Jhanvi, Khushi and the entire Kapoor, Ayyappan and Marwah family is deeply bereaved and shocked with the untimely loss of Sridevi Kapoor," the statement, issued by the Yash Raj Films (YRF) on behalf of the family, had said on Sunday.
"They thank the entire media for their prayers, support and sensitivity during their time of grief. Late Sridevi Kapoor's body will arrive in India on Monday, it had added.
Sridevi was staying in Jumeirah Emirates Tower hotel. Around midnight she suffered a cardiac arrest following which she fell unconscious inside the hotel bathroom. Reports suggest, soon after that she was rushed to Rashid Hospital where she was declared dead.
Sridevi, originally named Shree Amma Yanger Ayyapan featured in Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Hindi and Kannada movies. Her rich filmography got her the title of first 'superstar' actress of Hindi cinema. She had a huge fan following which increased by manifolds over the years.
She married producer Boney Kapoor in 1996 and the couple is blessed with two daughters, Janhvi and Khushi.
A diva in every sense of the word, Sridevi became a huge name in a span of some years. She not only evolved as an actor but also carved an indispensable place for herself in cinema.
Recently when I was in Chennai to cover the acquittal of DMK leaders Kanimozhi and A Raja's acquittal in the 2G scam case, there were celebrations outside Kanimozhi's house in CIT Colony in Chennai. After finishing my shoot, as I was proceeding for lunch from location, the cab driver slowed down in front of a house and said, "This is Sridevi's house." My natural reaction was Oh! But as our car passed that bungalow, memories of her films flashed through my mind.
By now, everyone knows Sridevi was born in Sivakasi in Tamil Nadu, started with Tamizh (Tamil is pronounced this way) films and went on to become a diva of the Hindi Film industry. However, in between, she had her tryst with the Telugu film industry a.k.a Tollywood where she acted in more than 70 films and with heroes who were in their sixties when she was just in her teens.
But what makes Sri (as she is fondly called and remembered) special in the Telugu speaking land?
It was "Padaharella Vayasu" (a 1978 Telugu film starring Sridevi Kapoor, Chandra Mohan, and Mohan Babu) directed by Kovelamudi Raghavendra Rao or popularly known as K Raghavendra Rao (BA) as he suffixes his degree in title rolls in films he directs. Sridevi was her in her teens and this particular film caught the imagination of discerning Telugu movie buffs, followed by Akali Rajyam opposite Kamal Haasan which cemented her place as a heroine to reckon with.
Even when she was a teenager, Sridevi acted as heroine opposite heroes like the late NT Rama Rao (Vetagaadu, Bobbili Puli, Justice Chowdhary), late Akkineni Nageswara Rao (Premabhishekam), who were in their 60s, and many of those films were super hits. Interestingly, with Ghattamaneni Krishna, known as Superstar Krishna, Sridevi acted both as a child artist as well as a heroine opposite him.
Though Tamizh was her mother tongue, Sridevi was equally at ease with Telugu because the erstwhile Madras (now Chennai) was home of the Telugu film industry too before it shifted to Hyderabad. During the late 1970s and 80s, the Telugu film industry was hero-oriented with 60 plus superstars like NTR and ANR ruling the roost and dancing and romancing with heroines like Sridevi, who were of their granddaughters' age.
Even during such times, Sridevi held her ground perfectly and complimented beautifully opposite these superstars with her talent and hard work.
If Hindi film audiences remember her first for "Himmatwala" opposite Jeetendra, she had already done the Telugu version "Ooriki Monagaadu" opposite Telugu hero Krishna. The second film which caught attention was Tohfa (Devatha in Telugu). Though she entered the Hindi film industry with a bang, she never turned her back to Telugu films. At the peak of her career in the Hindi film industry, she came back to do Telugu films with Ram Gopal Varma's "Kshana Kshanam" opposite Venkatesh which was a massive hit and later with Chiranjeevi in "Jagadeka Veerudu Athiloka Sundari", a blockbuster directed by K Raghavendra Rao.
Later, Sridevi got married and shuttled between Chennai and Mumbai but never severed her relations with the Telugu film industry. On and off she would attend functions and get-togethers whenever she was invited. Megastar Chiranjeevi, who starred with her in "Jagadeka Veerudu...." also recollected how she came for his 60th birthday along with husband Boney Kapoor and made the function special.
The Telugu film industry and the Telugu film goers will forever remember and cherish Sridevi's films for a very long time to come.
By Prasad Bhosekar, Associate Editor, ZMCL
The forensic report of actor Sridevi, who died in a hotel in Dubai on Saturday night, has revealed that traces of alcohol were found in her body, UAE media reported on Monday. As per a report in UAE's Gulf News, Sridevi lost her balance under the influence of alcohol, fell into the bathtub and drowned.
Dubai Media office has stated that the case file has been forwarded to the Dubai Public Prosecution to take the necessary legal steps. "Following completion of the post-mortem, Dubai Police said that the death of the actress occurred due to drowning in her hotel apartment's bathtub following the loss of consciousness. Dubai Police confirms that the case file has been forwarded to the Dubai Public Prosecution to take the necessary legal action as is the case in such cases," Dubai Media Office tweeted.
Following completion of post-mortem analysis, Dubai Police HQ today stated that the death of Indian actress #Sridevi occurred due to drowning in her hotel apartments bathtub following loss of consciousness: Govt of Dubai Media Office ANI (@ANI) February 26, 2018
The autopsy report of the actor given by the Ministry of Health of UAE has given 'accidental drowning' as the reason for Sridevi's death. It had earlier been reported that Sridevi died due to cardiac arrest.
The process of embalming has begun and her mortal remains are likely to be brought back to Mumbai on Monday. Indian officials and family members of Sridevi are awaiting necessary certificates from the Dubai authorities to start the process of repatriating her body.
The superstar was found unconscious in the bathroom of her room at Jumeirah Emirates Towers Hotel late on Saturday night and was declared dead by the doctors. Her death had sent shockwaves across the nation.
She had flown to Dubai to attend actor-nephew Mohit Marwah's wedding along with husband Boney Kapoor and daughter Khushi. The entire Kapoor family was there last week except for her elder daughter Janhvi, who could not attend the wedding due to prior work commitments.
Jaipur: Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje Scindia on Sunday expressed grief at the sudden demise of renowned actress Sridevi, saying the country has lost one of the most talented female stars who mesmerised all with her acting skills.
Sridevi will always be remembered by the nation for her strong acting skills through which she earned new heights and brought fame to Indian cinema, said Raje in her condolence message.
New Delhi: Central government employees eagerly waiting for the implementation of enhanced pay scale and fitment factor hike under 7th Pay Commission, may hear some good news in April.
As per media reports, the government may however implement the arrears to the employees.
The Finance Ministry also reportedly has set up a panel that will take a final call on demands of these employees by April this year.
Reports have also added that the central government is working on a strategy to accomodate the concerns of lower-level employees of pay matrix between level 1 and 5 with reports coming in that it is contemplating hike in pay with fitment formula 3.00 times of basic pay of 6th pay commission.
The new scales of pay provide for entry-level basic pay going up from Rs 7,000 per month to Rs 18,000, while at the highest level i.e. Secretary, it would go up from Rs 90,000 to Rs 2.5 lakh. For Class 1 officers, the starting salary will be Rs 56,100.
However, the central government employees unions had demanded for hiking minimum pay of Rs 18,000 to Rs 26,000. They also demanded that fitment factor be raised from 2.57 times to 3.68 times.
The Union Cabinet had in June approved recommendations of the CPC with 34 modifications, which will mean an additional annual burden of Rs 30,748 crore on the exchequer.
All allowances are given effect from July 1, 2017.
The recommendations benefit over 1 crore employees. This includes over 47 lakh central government employees and 53 lakh pensioners, of which 14 lakh employees and 18 lakh pensioners are from the defence forces.
The Narendra Modi government has vowed to resolve all the payment, arear, hiked allowances and fitment formula related issues rising out of the recommendation of the 7th Pay Commission.
NEW DELHI: The counting for Ludhiana Municipal Corporation election results will be held on Tuesday. The voting for the Ludhiana civic polls took place on Saturday, recording a voter turnout of more than 59 per cent.
While the female turnout was 57.66 percent, the male turnout was 59.70 percent and the third gender turnout was recorded at 4.17 percent.
According to election commission officials, the voting began at 8 am and it continued till 4 pm.
A total of 494 candidates are in fray and there are 10.50 lakh voters. Of the 95 wards going to polls, 56 have been reserved and 39 are in the general category. 40 are reserved for women, seven for SCs, another seven for SC women and two for Other Backward Class (OBC).
The largest civic body of Punjab had witnessed clashes between contesting party workers while campaigning. Owing to reports of clashes, the Election Commission officials had declared 284 out of 1,153 polling station as sensitive and heightened security in these areas.
Ludhiana is witnessing a triangular contest for the first time with Lok Insaaf Party-AAP alliance, SAD-BJP alliance and Congress in competition. MLA Simarjit Bains Lok Insaaf Party (LIP) will contest for the first time as an Independent front in alliance with the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP).
Civic issues like water supply, lack of cleanliness, pollution, bad roads and infrastructure and poor sewerage are the main issues for common people in the election.
The Congress, which runs the government in Punjab since March 2017, had won the municipal elections in the municipal corporations of Amritsar, Jalandhar and Patiala in December.
The Congress party had also emerged victorious in 20 out of 29 Municipal Councils and Nagar Panchayats.
New Delhi: With an aim to monitor symptoms of depression in astronauts and provide real-time feedback to improve the atmosphere of the spacecraft as well as boost the occupants' mood, scientists are in the process of developing 'happy space suits'.
Astronauts in space are prone to depression due to factors like insufficient exercise, excessive exposure to light and lack of sleep, according to researchers from Florida Polytechnic University in the US.
The technology, called Smart Sensory Skin (S3), will detect emotional and physical deficiencies in astronauts through wireless sensors that will then send an immediate response to improve the "atmosphere" and adjust the astronauts' environment to fit their individual needs.
The adjustments include changes in temperature, light exposure, light colour, and oxygen levels.
"It's vital for astronauts to be mentally healthy during missions and right now there's no active, real-time solution to help them when they feel stressed or anxious," said Arman Sargolzaei, professor of at FPU.
"This technology would provide them with immediate relief to their state of mind," Sargolzaei added.
The eventual product will incorporate the wireless sensors into astronaut clothing so that physicians on Earth can also monitor the person?s pulse rate, blood pressure, and joint angles.
Similar technology already exists, but it is cumbersome, often uncomfortable, and data collection is passive.
This means the data must be reviewed by a physician and the user can only make appropriate actions after his or her recommendation.
The S3 will be a step forward by making it an active technology, also lighter and more ergonomic, increasing mission effectiveness by reducing distractions.
(With PTI inputs)
NEW DELHI: Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLA from Bairia Surendra Singh has yet again stoked a controversy after saying that he does not consider those people Indians who refuse to say 'Bharat mata ki jai'. "I call those people Pakistani who shy away from saying Bharat Mata ki jai. "Ballia: Bairia BJP MLA Surendra Singh said 'aise logon ko Pakistani kehta hun jo Bharat Mata ki jai bolne se katrate hain'," he said.
He made the statement on Sunday, the video of which has gone viral.
#WATCH Ballia: Bairia BJP MLA Surendra Singh said' aise logon ko Pakistani kehta hun jo Bharat Mata ki jai bolne se katrate hain' (25.02.18) pic.twitter.com/lZX3D3MIZ2 ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) February 26, 2018
This is not the first time that Singh has given such controversial statements. Earlier in January 2018, he had claimed that India would become a Hindu nation by the year 2024. "There are a very few Muslims who are patriotic. Once India becomes a Hindu 'rashtra' (Hindu nation), Muslims who assimilate into our culture will stay in India. Those who will not are free to take asylum in any other country," Bairia MLA Surendra Singh had said.
Singh had then described Prime Minister Narendra Modi as an 'avatari purush' (reincarnation of a deity). "By the grace of God, India is going to be a global superpower thanks to the leadership of PM Modi and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath. Not only will India become a 'vishwa guru', it will also become a Hindu 'rashtra' by 2024," he had said.
He had also attacked the Congress and its chief Rahul Gandhi saying, "There are two sets of values in Rahul Gandhi - one is Italian, while the other one is Indian...He can never become the torchbearer of the Indian thought."
The BJP lawmaker had said that Gandhi scion could coin any slogan to become the prime minister of the country, but he lacked the strength and values to make India strong.
Ballia: Uttar Pradesh BJP MLA Surendra Singh has triggered a fresh controversy by saying that those who desist from saying "Bharat Mata ki Jai" are Pakistanis.
The BJP legislator made this remark while speaking at a function in Ratsad last evening.
During his speech, Singh stressed that those Pakistani sympathisers should not be given the permission to enter politics.
"Those who have a reservation in saying 'Bharat Mata Ki Jai' and 'Vande Matram' are Pakistanis and they have no right to live in the country," the MLA from Bairia said.
"People who do not give the status of mother to their motherland, their patriotism is doubtful... Those who have a problem in saying Bharat Mata ki Jai and 'Vande Matram' should not have the permission to do politics," he said.
Singh had last month said that India would become a Hindu nation by 2024.
Speaking on illegal mining, the MLA advised people "to give two slaps to the police (personnel)" if they are stopped by them for taking sand for their personal use.
"If the police can catch hold of a thief and humiliate him, people can also give the same treatment to the police," Singh told reporters.
(With PTI inputs)
MALDIVES: Amidst the state of emergency in the Maldives, the police here issued a curfew in an attempt to stop an opponent's gathering, said a Maldivian Democratic Party member.
Taking to Twitter, Maldivian Democratic Party member Abdulla Shahid wrote, "Police issues 10:30 pm curfew in an attempt to halt opposition`s gathering momentum.
The opposition has been holding large anti- Yameen demonstrations throughout the country.
More illegalities by Yameen."On February 20, Maldives Parliament approved the extension of the State of Emergency by 30 days, a day after President Abdulla Yameen sought the extension citing threat to national security and the constitutional crisis in the country.
The opposition leaders boycotted the session and called the extension illegal and unconstitutional.
The Maldives is facing political unrest since President Yameen imposed emergency after refusing to implement a Supreme Court order of freeing imprisoned opposition leaders.
On February 2, the Maldivian Supreme Court acquitted former Maldivian President Mohamed Nasheed, former Maldivian Vice President Ahmed Adeeb and ordered the reinstatement of 12 other parliamentary members.
The political unrest in the country deepened further when the police used force to crack down on the Maldivian opposition leaders, who continued to hold anti-government protests.
NEW DELHI/ISLAMABAD: Pakistan's luck might soon run out as it continues to support and finance terrorist organisations and individuals. Days after receiving the temporary relief of being put on the 'grey list', Pakistan is likely to be blacklisted by the global money-laundering watchdog in next four months.
Pakistan may find itself on the blacklist of a global financial watchdog if it does not prepare a comprehensive action plan to eradicate terrorist financing by June, reported the country's national daily Dawn.
Last week, Pakistan received a temporary reprieve after the 37-nation Financial Action Task Force (FATF) put the nation on its 'grey list' instead of a blacklist. The anti-money-laundering monitoring group maintains grey and black lists for identifying countries with weak measures to combat money laundering and terror financing.
Pakistan is yet to work out the proposed plan with the FATF, which is why its not on the list yet.
Between now and June, Pakistan will have to work out the details of the evaluation process with the FATF and a failure to do so could trigger another process, which may push Pakistan on the blacklist of wilful violators, said the article.
US, along with its European allies which includes UK, Germany and France nominated Pakistan to be put on Financial Action Task Force's (FATF's) list in mid-February. Last week, China, Turkey, and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) who had initially been opposing the US-led move against Pakistan also dropped their opposition.
Unhappy with Pakistan's attitude to terrorism, the United States froze a $2-billion military aid in January 2018. US President Donald Trump accused Pakistan of giving nothing to the US but "lies and deceit" and providing "safe haven" to terrorists in return for $33 billion aid over the last 15 years.
US openly blamed Pakistan for sheltering Mumbai attack mastermind Hafiz Saeed a globally designated terrorist who co-founded Lashkar-e-Toiba and is the chief of Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD).
Being on FATF's blacklist will mean a serious impact on Pakistans economy, with a risk of being downgraded by lenders such as IMF, World Bank and ADB.
Under pressure, Pakistan has now started seizing the charities and charity-owned properties and vehicles of Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD) and Falah-e-Insaniat Foundation (FIF).
However, the sheer scale and diversity of the charities founded by Hafiz Saeed, who is designated a terrorist by the United Nations, shows how difficult it will be for the government to even run the network, let alone track and take control of all their sources of income and funding.
JOHANNESBURG: South African special police unit Hawks have arrested an Indian-origin woman and her partner, both allegedly linked to ISIS, on charges of abducting a British couple.
Fatima Patel and Safydeen Aslam Del Vecchio also face charges of robbery and theft after they went on a spending spree using the couples? credit cards, building up a stash of jewellery, camping equipment and electronic devices which were found at a remote location where an ISIS flag was being flown.
The Hawks declined to provide any further information due to the sensitive nature of the case as the search continues for the couple whose vehicle was found abandoned more than 300 kms away from where they were last seen on February 9.
But the weekly Sunday Times, quoting a charge sheet after their court appearance, reported that Patel and Del Vecchio also stand accused of contravening the Protection of Constitutional Democracy Against Terrorism and Related Activities Act by hoisting an ISIS flag at a modest homestead in a rural area.
Del Vecchio also faces another terrorism-related charge for allegedly participating in "extremist web forums that support ISIS and offering to supply phone numbers and sim cards that are not traceable."
Yousha Tayob, the lawyer representing Patel and Del Vecchio, confirmed that the pair had appeared in the court and were remanded in custody at Westville Prison in KwaZulu-Natal province.
The incident had prompted the British government to issue a travel advisory about possible terrorist attacks on foreign nationals in South Africa, but local Muslim organisations have dismissed this as an "overreaction".
Ebrahim Deen of the Afro-Middle East Centre told the weekly that South African Muslims posed no threat to travellers and that the incident was more related to crime than an ISIS attack.
"Muslims are largely integrated into (South African) society, are not disillusioned and they face little discrimination like in Europe and elsewhere," he said.
Martin Ewi of the Institute for Security Studies said South Africa was regarded as a "logistics base" for terror cells in transit, and is not traditionally a target for attacks, although the arrests of Patel and Del Vecchio confirmed the presence of an active terror cell in South Africa.
"We in the counter-terror fraternity suspected that they were working as members of an active cell, and the kidnapping will confirm the presence of an active IS cell," Ewi said.
He serviced in the terrorist group Vostok in spring of 2015
Security Service officers and police forces arrested ex-militant of the so-called Donetsk Peoples Republic in Dnipropetrovsk region, as Security Service press office reported.
Law enforcers found, that the inhabitant of the Donetsk region joined the group of militants in summer 2015. He was on duty at terrorists checkpoints.
The man was disappointed by republics ideology and left militants. He was hiding at his relatives in Pokrovske district in Dipropetrovsk region, where security servants arrested him.
The ex-militant was informed that he was suspected of committing a crime set in the Criminal Code of Ukraine. Now they are deciding on the preventive punishment for the offender.
Since March 2016, the communication between mainland Ukraine and occupied Crimea has been lying through three checkpoints: Kalanchak, Chaplyanka, and Chongar. The journalist of 112.ua has passed through Kalanchak and Armiansk motor vehicle crossing points to understand how people get to the peninsula
Read the original text at 112.ua.
The Kalanchak and the Armiansk motor vehicle crossing point (MVCP) are separated by some 500 m. "I have counted, these are some 600-650 steps," the driver of the minibus, who is driving people from Kalanchak to Kherson, told me. I take out my passport and turn to the pedestrian walkway, separated by a metal fence, painted with the colors of Ukraines flag; together with other people, I go to occupied Crimea. As soon as I do it, I immediately lose all the privileges that I had a moment ago, moving with a flock of fellow journalists who are visiting the checkpoints on the administrative border with Crimea together with representatives of the State Border Service, the Ministry for Temporary Occupied Territories and internally displaced persons, representatives of Kherson regional administration.
From this moment, I should obey the norms and the rules actual for usual people, why daily cross the administrative border. Put away the cell phone. The checkpoint is not the right place for taking photos or video. What is the purpose of your visit to occupied Crimea? " strictly and clearly asked Ukrainian border guard. I give him my passport: "I am a journalist. I want to cross the administrative border in a way the other citizens do it." The border guard for several seconds looks at me embarrassed. Then he puts a loose leaf in the passport and returns it back to me. Literally in ten meters the tall guys in warm camouflage, armed with "Kalashs," took it away. The border guards at the checkpoints with occupied Crimea go on duty with four complete magazines of 30 cartridges each and with a signal pistol.
Quite a shabby billboard "See you in Kherson region", coils of barbed wire, covered with a camouflage net, shelter, concrete blocks with a red marking on them in the form of a Christmas tree, a tower in the window of which one sees a person in a pea coat. The journalists ask whether this person is a sniper, border guards say that this is representatives of the State Border Service serve, and information about snipers is classified.
The distance between Ukraines and Russias flags is about several meters. A "neutral zone" begins here. Here are that 500 m, or 650 steps, to Armiansk MVCP, behind which the territory of the occupied Crimea begins.
People are walking through the paved neutral zone, carrying their bags, bales, and shopping strollers. Several cars are passing by. The road to Armiansk MVCP has six lanes: three for entry and three for an exit. In addition, there is a pedestrian crossing. I have learned from the show on the Russian channel, that there is an armored capsule in the entrance direction of the checkpoint near the barrier. One more is on the exit. The representative of "Rosgranstroy" told that "in case of emergency, the fifth class of bulletproofness allows one to hide alongside and to fire back too". The show also said that along the perimeter of the MVCP, special floodlights have been installed, which make it possible to illuminate the territory in 50 m behind the checkpoint.
By the way, speaking about shopping strollers and bags. You can bring up to 10 thousand euros or Russian rubles in equivalent up to 10 thousand UAH trough Kalanchak, Chaplynka, and Chongar checkpoints. Goods and material values at a value of up to 10 thousand euros.
Foreigners who legally leave for the occupied peninsula must show the thumb of their right hand to be scanned (fingerprint) to verify their identity. By the way, they can pass to the occupied peninsula only through Armiansk MVCP. It is impossible to go to the occupied peninsula or drive it by car with transit car plates: none of the three MVCP will let you go through the Ukrainian administrative border.
So I am going through the neutral zone. There is a new sign in front of me: a warning that "when traveling from the state border of the Russian Federation to the checkpoint, it is prohibited to go outside the road (adjacent roadsides), disembark people, unload cargo, goods, and animals. Responsibility in accordance with the requirements of the legislation of the Russian Federation."
By the way, it is dangerous to leave the roadside: Ukrainian border guards do not hide that "the entire administrative border with the occupied Crimea is mined."
I was the only member of my group, who decided to go through the checkpoint of the occupational authorities. Did I understand that all the risks..? Apparently, not fully. After all, ordinary life in Ukraine...
Clearly visible complex faced with gray slabs is ahead of me. The inscription: Russia: Armiansk MVCP. A billboard:" Welcome to Crimea." Before entering the checkpoint, two armed men in the form of Russian border guards check me. "Your residence permit?" one of them asks me. I am a journalist, I just want to pass through the checkpoints." The border guard looks perplexed. "What is your residence permit?" I am registered in Kyiv, but I am a journalist. That is clear. Will you cross the border?
In order to move on, I need to fill in the declaration. "Surname, name, date of entry, date of departure, passport number, date, the purpose of visit, signature". "And how can I indicate the purpose of my visit, I am a journalist? Should I underline work? "Please underline private purpose," the border guard advises.
It was also necessary to specify the type of baggage. I have a tiny backpack with me. "Please underline, hand luggage," he said. "May I take a picture of this declaration? " I asked, taking out the phone from my pocket. "Put the phone away. Taking photo and video at the checkpoint are prohibited," he snapped.
After that, I find myself in a rather long and narrow corridor, formed by a green metal fence. In parallel to it, one more green corridor is on the way out. Perhaps, I would not manage to climb: the wall of the corridor is high. And what would happen if I run back to neutral zone? I go forward.
I am waiting in a queue and reading a set of rules written on the stand. It is prohibited to cross the checkpoint with forged documents, insult obscenities and use obscene gestures.
I go into the room. I present two passports at the front desk: internal and foreign one, as well as the 112.ua journalist ID. I keep the drivers license and the accreditation card to the Verkhovna Rada in my passport too. Frankly speaking, I am just a journalist, I want to leave the checkpoint in the direction of Armiansk and go back.
Take off the cover from your passport! - The border guard became irritated. - Tell me the purpose of your visit!
I repeat.
She turns to the employee in the form of a border guard standing behind. I understand that she needs help: the situation is really unusual. The man asks me to wait and goes out. Then he returns and suggests following him. We enter a tiny room with several chairs, tables, and two monitors (at that time non-working). A portrait of Russian President Vladimir Putin is on the wall.
A man in the blue uniform of a Russian border guard is polite and friendly. He looks at my documents.
How can I refer to you? he asked. Aliona. Just Aliona, I said. He became embarrassed: "Sorry, I cannot refer to you like this." He opens my passport: Yelena Nikolayevna, I replied. Yelena Nikolaevna. Good.
He calls his name and patronymic, without calling his surname and position.
He asks whether I have equipment for photo, video or sound recording. I get the phone out of my pocket. My interlocutor asks me to turn it off and put it on the table. And I do this. I patiently explain the purpose of my visit, adding that I have only twenty minutes to find out all that I need crossing Armiansk MVCP. Soon it became clear to me that twenty minutes would not be enough. I had to repeat the same thing to several other interlocutors dressed in camouflage uniforms without identification marks.
They behaved very politely and calmly, but I felt the tension in the air. No, it is difficult to understand in Ukraine, in the usual reality. And there you can feel literally with your skin, you carefully chose every word, how you are afraid to say or do something wrong. My interlocutors felt tensed too. There was a feeling that they were just wasting time. I thought that, apparently, the issue was solved elsewhere, and they simply waited for a decision: the situation was really unusual.
I was politely asked to show the contents of my bag. They have found a pen and asked me, what kind of pen was that? An ordinary ballpoint pen from some presentation. I wanted to give them my pen, but they refused. They ask me what aspects of Armiansk MVCP am I interested in, what do I write as a journalist, the purpose of my visit there. They also asked whether my relatives were somehow connected with the Security Services. I asked for water - they brought it for me. And the more polite and friendly my interlocutors were, the stronger and clearer was the feeling of my own helplessness, of understanding that I was in a foreign jurisdiction. And have realized that we are representatives of the warring countries. This awareness becomes so clear. And it is so incomprehensible and painful. You understand that you just have no experience, no knowledge of how to behave. What is right and what is not? What is moral and what is not? What can I do? What is not allowed? Many questions do not have an answer because there are no precedents in the past.
I am denied the opportunity to complete the procedure and leave the checkpoint (in the direction of Armiansk). I apologize for taking so much time. They explain that if I moved like an ordinary citizen of Ukraine without the goal of writing for the media, the whole procedure would take no more than a few minutes. They say that it is necessary to apply to the press service of the Border Guard Service of the Russian Federation.
After turning to the Ukrainian side, I have walked no more than 50 m and made a few photographs of the neutral zone. The guys were waiting for me at the there. "How would they see from this distance that I am taking a photo?" I ask the border guards. "Just look. The video cameras are situated some ten meters from the place where we stand."
I was also explained that I have got a "double-crossing", and I should fill in the customs declaration. The line The country youve arrived from has really astonished me. "Is this a provocation?" I have yelled. No, the employee said: "Just write Crimea Free economic zone."
After that, the SBU representative came to the checkpoint to have a conversation with me. But I will not disclose its details.
This column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the editorial board or 112.International and its owners.
The Israeli mass media reported that Poland came under pressure from Israel and froze the law
Open source
The Justice Ministry of Poland belied the information of the Israeli mass media that Poland froze the law on the Institute of National Remembrance as Polske Radio reported.
The Israeli mass media reported on February 24 that Poland came under pressure from Israel and froze the law on the Institute of National Remembrance. Today, Yan Kantak, the representative of the Polish Justice Ministry belied this information.
The norms acting in Poland say that it comes into force after the adoption and signing of it by the president, Kantak claimed.
According to him, the renewed law on the Institute of National Remembrance will come into force on March 1. The Constitution Court of Poland will consider the renewed law no sooner than in two months.
Earlier Stanisaw Karczewski claimed that the law on the Institute of National Remembrance will act until the decision of the Constitution Court on it.
As we reported Polish leader Andrzej Duda has signed the bill with amendments to the law about the Institute of the National Memory in Poland. They stipulate criminal responsibility for denial of the Volyn Massacre of the 1940s and forbid the propaganda of the 'Banderite ideology'.
It also provides the criminal penalty for public accusations of Poland of crimes during Holocaust, of helping Nazi Germany, of military crimes or crimes against humanity. The bill forbids to use the combination of words Polish death camp when describing concentration camps that were on the territory of Poland. Any citizen of the country, including foreigners that breached the law will have to pay a fine or imprisoned for up to three years.
A man, who was carrying a Ukrainian flag, was arrested during the memorial event dedicated to murdered Russian opposition politician Boris Nemtsov in Saint Petersburg. Russian Dozhd TV channel reported this on February 25.
The policemen approached the man, when people were dispersing. They took him into their car without any explanation. According to the news agency, the memorial walk dedicated to Nemtsov was reconciled with municipal authorities.
As we reported earlier, at least three persons were arrested in Moscow during the memorial walk dedicated to Nemtsov in Saint Petersburg. Police arrested two followers of the Vesna movement, who planned to go to the memorial meeting dedicated to Nemtsov.
Boris Nemtsov, Russian opposition politicianwas murdered on February 28, 2015 in Moscow downtown. Moscow District Military Court declared two people involved in the murder of the politician and sentenced them to 11 20 years of imprisonment in high-security prison. As to the prosecution, Ruslan Mukhudinov, former officer of the Sever battalion is believed to be a person who ordered and organized the crime. He is charged in absentia. Mukhudinov is in the international search from November 2015. The investigation of this case is a separate proceeding.
Open source
The U.S. Treasury will consider the possibility of imposing sanctions on 13 Russians, against whom the Justice Ministry earlier pressed charges in the case of interference in the presidential election of 2016. This was stated by the head of the U.S. Treasury Steven Mnuchin, Interfax-Ukraine reports.
"We continue to study the interference in the elections. I can only add that we are working closely with the FBI on information on the recent lawsuit and, if necessary, we will consider imposing sanctions against individuals on the basis of information that they have, "he said.
Earlier, State Department spokesman Heather Neuert did not exclude the possibility of imposing sanctions against 13 Russian citizens.
"Sanctions are something that we usually do not predict, but potentially we can consider it," she said.
As it was reported earlier in the framework of the investigation of Russia meddling in the U.S. presidential election in 2016, the U.S. has accused 13 Russian citizens.
The statement accuses Internet Research Agency also known as Russian troll factory. There are 13 people on the list who are believed to have aided the organization in spreading propaganda: Mikhail Bystrov, Mikhail Burchik, Aleksandra Krylova, Anna Bogacheva, Sergey Polozov, Maria Bovda, Robert Bovda, Dzheyknuh Aslanov, Vadim Podkopaev, Gleb Vasilchenko, Irina Kaverzina, and Vladimir Venkov, and Evgeniy Prigozhyn.
The ministry of education and science of Ukraine forecasts the start of universities receiving basic financing for science since 2019.
"The ministry is keen on the idea that, apart from the competitive financing, universities will receive also basic financing of science based on independent evaluation, - the ministrys press service citing the minister Liliya Grynevych informed, Interfax-Ukraine reports.
The ministry points out that currently the guidance on government certification of universities is waiting to be approved. It is going to serve as a basis for the basic funding of science.
We expect universities to begin receiving funds already in 2019, while the certification itself is going to be conducted in various scientific areas, as opposed to an institution as a whole.
Also, the ministry of education and science has signed an agreement with Plagiat.pl, which provides Ukrainian universities with an opportunity to use the international plagiarism detection system within 5 years. The memo does not assign Plagiat.pl with any monopoly right or any other preferences, however, Ukraines universities will acquire an extra tool for grading academic texts.
Ukrainian universities will enjoy the freedom to use the tool whenever they see fit, and such usage is governed by a separate agreement between the university and Plagiat.pl. Universities are supposed to be able to enter into such agreements within three months.
The ministry of education and science is calling for more software providers like Plagiat.pl to cooperate with the institution in the area of enhancement of anti-plagiarism measures. We expect other corporations to approach the ministry with similar or even better terms of business, - the message reads.
Plagiat.pl provides software for the support of plagiarism detection predominantly in Poland and Romania.
The consul succeeded to visit them only once
Ihor Dzyubak and Bogdan Martsonia, the border guards of the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine who were abducted in Sumy region in October 2017 were transferred to Bryansk. Mariana Betsa, the spokeswoman of the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry as Ukrayinska Pravda reported.
They were detained in Lefortovo, the court process will take place in Bryansk so they were transferred to Bryansk, she claimed.
According to Betsa, the consul succeeded to visit them only once.
But we constantly communicate and appealed in the end of January and February, she added.
Oleg Slobodyan, the spokesperson of the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine reported that the court session that should take place in February was postponed for one month.
At the moment the negotiations process on the return to the motherland continues. I cannot tell more yet. We should be careful to not harm the process. Unfortunately, we do not know on the issue of their talk with the consul but we are sure that they were abducted, he said.
As it was reported earlier two employees of the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine disappeared in October, in Sumy region near the border with Russia.
Russia officially confirmed the detention of two officers of the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine that earlier disappeared near the border with Russia.
Lefortovo district court of Moscow left in the pretrial detention center the abducted Ukrainian border guards Bohdan Martsonia and Ihor Dziubak on November 30, 2017.
The advocate filed the appeal and waits for the pardon by the president
The defense of Viktor Ageev, the Russian army serviceman sentenced to ten years in prison for the participation in the terrorist organization filed an appeal. Viktor Chevguz, the advocate of the Russian claimed this as Ukrainian News reported.
I filed an appeal, the advocate claimed. As the result, the sentence of Ageev did not come into force when 30-days-term after the pronouncement of the verdict.
Supposedly, the second consideration will take place in the mid of March.
According to Chevguz, ten years of the imprisonment for Ageev is the excessive term. He asks to reclassify the accusation from the terrorist activity to the participation in the illegal armed formation. At the same time, he does not deny the accusation of the illegal storage of the arms and ammunition.
Also, Chevguz expressed the confidence that his client will be pardoned by the order of Petro Poroshenko, the president of Ukraine despite the results of the appeal due to the fact that Ageev was in the list of the prisoners exchange with Russia.
He will be pardoned by the order of the president, it is definitely so, Chevguz is sure.
He called the three accomplices of Ageev as an example. They were the citizens of Ukraine, became the militants of the self-proclaimed Luhansk Peoples Republic and they were pardoned at the end of December 2017 and exchanged.
Viktor Ageev was detained in Donbas and he confirmed that he was in the military of the Russian Armed Forces. At the moment Ageev is detained at the Starobelsk detention center. His mother came to Ukraine and was allowed a meeting with her son. He is accused of terrorism and faces 8-15 years of the imprisonment.
The organizer of the international criminal cyber network Avalanche was detained in Kyiv. This was reported by the press service of the Ministry of Internal Affairs.
As reported, the creator of the platform, which infected up to half a million computers around the world every day, was detained in the Ukrainian capital with a passport for someone else's name. Today in Poltava city, the court will choose a preventive measure for him.
During the searches in the apartment rented by the offender, a laptop, flash cards and money were seized.
The Avalanche network existed for about 7 years. Law enforcement officers from 30 countries of the world were involved in the operation to eliminate it. In 2016, on November 30, as a result of an international special operation, the cyber-net was liquidated, and in Poltava, a 33-year-old local resident, the organizer of Avalanche, was detained.
On December 1, 2016, the Prosecutor General's Office appealed to the Oktyabrsky District Court of Poltava with a request to put the perpetrator under arrest, but the court refused. After that, the suspect disappeared from the courtroom. Later he was declared wanted man internationally.
For today, in addition to the Ukrainian prosecutor's office, criminal cases against him are conducted by the Verdun prosecutor's office and the police of Luneburg (Germany). It is reported that in Germany, the activities of Avalanche caused damage for 6 million euros. Altogether, according to preliminary estimates, the cyberattacks of Avalanche caused damage up to hundreds of millions of euros around the world.
Polish President stated this on the 74th anniversary of the tragedy in the village of Huta Pieniacka
President of Poland Andrzej Duda on the 74th anniversary of the so-called genocide against Poles in the village of Huta Pieniacka said that Poland seeks a good relationship with Ukraine, but stressed that "the responsibility for those events lies on the Ukrainians." This was reported by the press service of the President of Poland.
"The crime of genocide committed here by Ukrainian soldiers and policemen in the service of Hitler's Third Reich and Ukrainian nationalists, led to the annihilation of about a thousand people," Duda said.
He noted that the events in the village of Huta Pieniacka "frighten with their cruelty" and called on the Poles not to forget about them.
Nevertheless, Duda said that the Poles are striving for a good relationship with the Ukrainians:
"Our countries need each other so that both our countries are strong and secure, so we also need a memory and the truth about what happened here on February 28, 1944. So that nothing like this happens again, and that our relations are based on a solid foundation and mutual trust. "
As it was reported earlier Deputy Marshal of the Polish Sejm Ryszard Terlecki says that amendments could be made to the controversial law on the Institute of National Remembrance and notes that with the Ukrainian issue, certain moderation is needed.
At the same time, he says, the Ukrainian part of the law may be amended. Thus Ukrainian part, truth be told, most of all needs certain moderation. The law was dragging along for a year because of expenditure of categories, adding words, increasing the legal confusion. It seemed that at the end of this process, the document will be very sensitive, but thus Ukrainian part is hard for Ukrainians. But Ukraine adopted a similar law, although it doesnt specify the measure of punishment, it is about crimes when someone doubts the accomplishments of those who fought with communists, despite the fact that they also committed crimes against Poles, Ryszard Terlecki noted.
The term of the authority of Ukraine in the council since 2018 until 2020
Ukraine begins the three-year chairmanship at the UN Human Rights Council on February 26 as Petro Poroshenko, the President of Ukraine reported on Twitter.
The protection of the human rights all over the world, including temporary occupied Crimea and Donbas is our priority, the president emphasized.
Ukraine was elected a member of the United Nations (UN) Human Rights Council for 2018-2020 in October 2017. Ukraine used to be the nonpermanent member of the UN Security Council before.
The UN Human Rights Council consists of 47 members elected for three-year by the UN General Assembly. The government of Ukraine thinks that the participation in the council will allow to fight against the violations of the human rights in occupied territories more effective.
Open source
The students and the labor collective of the Bogomolets National Medical University of Ukraine called the termless strike since February 26. All academic buildings will be closed, excluding the hospitals were the patients get the treatment as the university reported on Facebook.
The strike is called due to the unprecedented rude and illegal interference by the direction of the Health Ministry of Ukraine into the independence and self-management of the Bogomolets National Medical University, the message said.
It is noted that the direction of the Health Ministry systematically provided the written orders to the university in 2017-2018 to violate the law at the threat of the dismissal, to commit the embezzlement of the public funds in the especially big amount beyond the obligatory bidding procedure provided by the law.
The strike committee demands from the president to immediately interfere in the situation and from the Chairman of the Ukrainian Parliament and the prime minister to immediately create the commission on the investigation of the malversation by the direction of the Health Ministry and to temporary suspend Ulana Suprun, the acting Health Minister from the duty for the time of the investigation and also to suspend her deputies from the duty.
They also demand from Suprun to annul the order on the deprivation of Kateryna Amasova, the rector of the Bogomolets National Medical University, the appointment of Mykhailo Zaharash as the acting rector and to immediately provide the holding of the integrated license examination STEP-1. Dentistry.
The Health Ministry urges to not respond to the provocations and to not disrupt the educational process after the calling of the termless strike as the ministry reported on Facebook.
The intentionally false information is spreading on the blocking of the payment of the studentship and wages in the Bogomolets National Medical University. We appeal to the students and the labor collective to not respond to the provocations and manipulations of the universitys direction and to not disrupt the educational process, the message said.
It is noted that according to the principles and practice of the university autonomy, the university itself holds the particular payments from the treasury accounts. The procedure of the transfer of the money is performed by the accounting department of the university. The direction of the university in the name of the prorector has all necessary authority to hold the payments.
According to the press service of the Health Ministry, Kateryna Amosova is temporarily suspended from the duty on the post of the rector of the Bogomolets National Medical University for the term of the check of the facts towards the non-holding of the integrated license examination STEP-1. Dentistry for the students.
At the moment, the commission for the check works on the materials provided by the Bogomolets University and Testing Center. Also, it is reported that Amosova systematically does not attend the sessions of the commission despite the invitations.
The Health Ministry of Ukraine suspended Kateryna Amasova, the rector of the Bogomolets National Medical University from the duty on February 20. The decision was made due to the so-called disruption of the obligatory integrated license examination STEP-1. Dentistry for the third-year students.
Amosova thinks that she was suspended due to her refusal to commit the illegal actions, particularly to spend the funds without a tender. According to her, the disruption of the testing was made artificially and the university could not transfer the funds to the Testing Center of the Health Ministry without a tender.
The direction of the university is accused of the use of the administrative resource
The Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine urged the direction of the Bogomolets National Medical University to organize the classes for the students who do not want to participate in the universitys strike and do not use the administrative resource as the press service of the ministry reported.
The students of the Bogomolets National Medical University were deprived of the opportunity to continue the education by the administrative way, through the closing of the buildings. The Education Ministry, as the main central executive body responsible for the education and science, thinks that the disruption of the educational process that takes place by the administrative way in the Bogomolets National Medical University that is in the management sphere of the Health Ministry, the Education Ministry claimed.
According to the ministry, the students claimed that they saw the closed buildings with the chains and confused lecturers when they came for the classes to the universities. In the result, even the students who wanted to learn could not get the proper serviced from the establishment.
The students also claimed that the strike was announced without the consideration of the opinion of both students and labor collective, the ministry claimed.
The Education Ministry that the conditions for the normal educational process should be created for the students who want to learn. The students cannot and they should not suffer from any conflicts, including the administration argues.
The Ministry of Education and Science also reminded that article 44 of the Constitution of Ukraine clearly determines that anybody can be forced to the participation or non-participation in the strike.
The Education Ministry appealed to the direction of the university with the demand to fulfill their commitments and renew the educational process, creating the conditions for the education of the students who want to learn.
As we reported the students and the labor collective of the Bogomolets National Medical University of Ukraine called the termless strike since February 26. All academic buildings will be closed, excluding the hospitals were the patients get the treatment.
The strike committee demands from the president to immediately interfere in the situation and from the Chairman of the Ukrainian Parliament and the prime minister to immediately create the commission on the investigation of the malversation by the direction of the Health Ministry and to temporary suspend Ulana Suprun, the acting Health Minister from the duty for the time of the investigation and also to suspend her deputies from the duty.
They also demand from Suprun to annul the order on the deprivation of Kateryna Amasova, the rector of the Bogomolets National Medical University, the appointment of Mykhailo Zaharash as the acting rector and to immediately provide the holding of the integrated license examination STEP-1. Dentistry.
The Health Ministry of Ukraine suspended Kateryna Amasova, the rector of the Bogomolets National Medical University from the duty on February 20. The decision was made due to the so-called disruption of the obligatory integrated license examination STEP-1. Dentistry for the third-year students.
Amosova thinks that she was suspended due to her refusal to commit the illegal actions, particularly to spend the funds without a tender. According to her, the disruption of the testing was made artificially and the university could not transfer the funds to the Testing Center of the Health Ministry without a tender.
The man participated in the events of spring 2014 in Odesa on the side of the anti-Maidan
Oleksandr Lutsenko, Ukrainian handed over to the militants as a part of prisoner exchange in Donbas on Dec. 27, 2017, decided to come back from the so-called DNR to his family, as he alleges they are being threatened in Ukraine, as he said in a briefing, according to one of the militant media.
The man from Odesa said that while he was in the DNR, his family in Ukraine was threatened on multiple occasions, so he decided to come back. I have children and a wife in Ukraine, he said.
He also said that the court hearing on his case is underway in Odesa.
I made this decision because, at the last hearing in Ukraine, the judge said I have to come back to finish the court hearings so that there are no tails left If I dont show up, theyll put me on an international wanted list, he said.
Lutsenko was detained by the SBU in April 2015 for separatism. He had participated in the events of spring 2014 in Odesa on the side of the anti-Maidan - the movement that tried to oppose the EuroMaidan movement in Ukraine and reinstate notoriously known former President Yanukovych and pro-Russian policies.
As we reported earlier, the last big exchange of prisoners took place in Donbas on Dec. 27. Then, 73 Ukrainians were released in exchange for 233 militants. The parties discussed the possibility of the next one and submitted the lists of individuals on Jan. 18 in Minsk.
Representatives of Ukraines Hydrometeorological Centre inform, that two cyclones will come to Ukraine
Open source
A storm warning is announced in three regions in Ukraine on March 1. Mykola Kulbida, the Head of the Hydrometeorological Centre said it during the meeting of Ukraines State Commission on anthropogenic and ecological security and emergency, 112.ua reports.
We expect the wind gusts to 25-27 m/s in Priazovia in Zaporizhia, Donetsk, and partially Dnipropetrovsk regions, he said.
Besides, according to Kulbida, two cyclones are approaching Ukraine. First one will come on February 27-28, the second on March 1.
The first cyclone on February 27-28, which will move from the Black Sea towards Kharkiv, and it will bring slow and heavy snow, snowstorm, and wind gustsNext cyclone will come to us from Turkey by the Black Sea on March 1. During the day it will be located in the central part so that 25-30 mm of precipitations will occur, he said.
As we reported earlier, the temperature in Kyiv will drop to -17-22 degrees on February 25-27 (from -16C to -19 C in Kyiv), and to -24 C in some parts of the region. In Volyn, Lviv, Ternopil, Rivne, Zhytomyr, Kyiv, Cherkasy, Chernihiv, Sumy, Poltava, Kharkiv regions temperature will drop to -25 C.
A meditation and sharing support group focused on the practice of Buddhist teachings and the 12 steps of recovery while integrating the Dharma and the basic goodness of meditation.
The Heart of Recovery is a meditation and sharing support group with the purpose of bringing together the practice of meditation, the Shambhala and Buddhist teachings, and the Twelve Steps of Recovery with the goal of integrating the basic sanity of the Dharma and the basic goodness of meditation with our commitment to abstinence. We welcome all those who wish to share in these common interests.
The Heart of Recovery is a meditation and sharing support group with the purpose of bringing together the practice of meditation, the Shambhala and Buddhist teachings, and the Twelve Steps of Recovery with the goal of integrating the basic sanity of the Dharma and the basic goodness of meditation with our commitment to abstinence. We welcome all those who wish to share in these common interests.
PLEASE NOTE!
Due to the March 23, 2020 NM DOH Public Health Order, These Event Listings Are Not Accurate!
All non-essential businesses are closed, public gatherings are prohibited!
(One day some of these events will be rescheduled or will resume, but they are not happening now!)
Dan Crawford | February 25, 2018 7:28 pm
by David Zetland (reposted from Aguanomics)
What went wrong in Capetown?
I asked that question of Mike Muller, who has been working on water issues there for decades. He referred me to this op/ed he wrote and more important the inadequate response from a local city councillor.
[Tl;dr: Failure to invest against risk from inadequate rain a problem that climate change will exacerbate.]
Taps are running dry and we are all to blame
Water supply needs to become a substantive item on corporate boards agendas, writes Mike Muller
19 APRIL 2017 07:11 MIKE MULLER
Dry taps in two Southern African cities tell a worrying story about the failure of public officials to take a long-term view of water supply. But is it their fault alone? Or are citizens failing to hold them to account? And why is the business community, whose board agendas always include a risk-management item, not playing a more active role?
Many Capetonians just cant wait for winter to arrive this year. Its not just to get rid of the Gauteng tourists (although more and more summer visitors are escaping from a miserable Europe to take advantage of, for them, our low prices). Indeed, whats wanted are more black southeasters. Thats not migrants from the Eastern Cape but the winds that, if accompanied by a stray low-pressure pattern, would bring some rain and fill the dams.
Told that there is less than 100 days of water in their dams, the locals can be forgiven for worrying. However, they have made their (dry dam) bed and must now lie in it. This years crisis has been predicted for at least a decade and they failed to act.
It will rain again in Cape Town, we just dont know exactly when. Johannesburg went through this recently. My November 2015 prediction that the Vaal system drought would be broken by the remnants of a cyclone from Mozambique was accurate. Sure, it happened in 2017 not 2016, but the dams are now full.
Windhoek, Namibia, has just had a similar experience. In January, residents were told that there was only 30 days of water left in the local reservoirs. After that, there would not even be enough waste water to recycle in their world-famous treatment plant, which turns sewage into drinking water.
Coca-Cola had already shut its canning plant; a local abattoir closed its doors; Namibia Breweries shifted even more production of Windhoek lager to Johannesburg. Things looked grim. And then, at the last minute, it rained. Not a lot, but in March when I visited the Von Bach reservoir, their equivalent of Cape Towns Theewaterskloof Dam, it was almost 50% full. That will get them through one more season. More important, the crisis has triggered action. Long-postponed plans are now being dusted off to ensure that the city has the resources to meet its growing demands.
Cape Towns story is almost exactly the same. Ten years ago, the Department of Water Affairs and Forestry published a reconciliation study to show how Cape Town could get the water needed to meet rising demand. The Berg River Dam, just completed outside Franschhoek, would ensure that the city and surrounds would have enough water until about 2015. After that it would need new sources. More than 20 options were ranked in order of cost and readiness. Various Cape Town organisations were represented in the study team, including metro officials. And the information is on a public website, so no one can claim ignorance.
Unfortunately, projects take time to prepare and they dont get implemented unless someone takes the decision, blows the whistle and signs the documents. That has not yet happened. Cape Town seemed determined to live up to its laid-back reputation the feasibility study for the immediate option, to increase the volume of water in the existing Voelvlei Dam, is apparently almost ready.
The lack of urgency reflects, in part, officials overambitious estimates of how much water could be saved by better water management. This informed the 2012 update of the reconciliation study, encouraged by earnest environmentalists who believed that fixing leaks (and cutting down alien trees that supposedly dry up rivers) could delay the need for new infrastructure. And city politicians were happy to spend money elsewhere and keep tariffs down. But Windhoek and Cape Town both have to supply rapidly growing populations and economies. They also share a region where there is a rare scientific agreement that climate change will reduce rainfall and water availability.
That should concentrate the minds of politicians, business people and citizens in general. But laid-back Capetonians and dour Namibians have a common inability to think about their water futures. In Windhoek, Pierre van Rensburg, an engineer brought in from the private sector a few years ago to fix the citys infrastructure management, got little support from either city leaders or the water ministry. Desperate for action, he doorstopped new President Hage Geingob, who was convinced.
A crisis committee was established to oversee emergency water-saving measures and a feasibility study is being fast-tracked, around two long-term options a desalination plant on the coast and pipeline to Windhoek or (the 1974 proposal) extending the Eastern National Water Carrier to bring water from the Okavango River on the Angolan border.
The question is why this experience is so often repeated. If Cape Town was just a refugee settlement for doddery white retirees who trusted their DA administration to keep the taps running, they could perhaps be forgiven. But what have all those commuting captains of industry and assorted sirens of sustainability been doing? Where has the research community been? And what is the point of having Parliament in the city if even the political class doesnt look after itself?
Since they generally agree that water is important, it must be too complicated for simple leaders, in business or politics. In my experience, they glaze over after the first few slides that outline challenges of uncertainty, risk and probability. Surely, the thought process goes, I dont need to worry about a once-in-50-year drought during my term of office? They fail to understand that inaction very quickly turns a one-in-50-year risk to one-in-20 years or sooner.
Windhoek faces some real challenges if it has a drought in the next five years, the time it will take to get major new sources into the system. A new report by the Institute for Public Policy Research warns that restrictions on water use will have to be intensified. Cape Town is more fortunate since action now could take the city out of the danger zone by 2019.
Cape Towns case highlights the need for greater public engagement with the plans, that are apparently only being discussed in the recesses of Cape Town city hall and the Department of Water and Sanitation in Pretoria.
This challenge has been aggravated by Water and Sanitation Minister Nomvula Mokonyane, who has now become Mama Inaction. She recently slashed her departments planning budget, canning, among other things, the consultative committee that was reviewing progress on Cape Towns supply future.
So, rather than engaging in media-friendly water-stewardship activities to pretty up its sustainability reports, business should treat water seriously and put it on board agendas as a substantive item.
Boards must ask: how much water do we have? How much will we need? Who is ensuring it will be available when we need it? If they fail to do this, water crisis will appear on agendas and shareholders will hold them to account for its effect on their bottom lines.
Muller, a professor at the Wits School of Governance, recently visited Windhoek to review the management of the Namibian capitals water crisis
LETTER: No shortage of planning
24 APRIL 2017 05:51 XANTHEA LIMBERG
The City of Cape Town feels strongly that, despite Prof Mike Mullers assertions to the contrary, we have prioritised long-term water security over the past 10 years (Lack of urgency over water crisis a critical concern as the taps run dry, April 19).
Since 2006, we have achieved much success in positioning Cape Town as an attractive destination for local and foreign direct investment, and much of this success can be attributed to the resource efficiency and security that we can offer. We dispute the argument that the city failed to act despite warnings of a potential drought crisis and that water-demand management and the conservation interventions that have been favoured over investment in new infrastructure have not been effective.
The city agrees that a secure water supply is one of the keys to continued improvement of Cape Towns economic prospects, but one cannot look at this issue in isolation. There are other crucial municipal functions (electricity supply, refuse disposal, waste water processing) that have also needed to be prioritised. At the time the study to which the author refers was conducted, we identified significant potential to reduce demand via pressure reduction schemes, proactive reticulation maintenance programmes, effluent reuse and public education initiatives at a much lower cost, and this route was favoured.
Muller underplays the success of these initiatives, when in fact they were so successful that the Department of Water and Sanitation was prompted to update its strategic water resource plan in 2016 to indicate that the need for additional supply schemes for the region would now be required only by 2021. Both the national and municipal spheres, therefore, again pushed back plans for alternative supply schemes so that funds could be used for other pressing needs.
At the time these plans were being updated, or whenever this kind of planning is undertaken, it is done based on historical rainfall patterns. We acknowledge that these are inherently unreliable, but in our context, it is not practical to ring-fence billions of rand for the possibility of a drought that might not come to pass. In addition, it is impractical to fast-track supply schemes of sufficient scale quickly enough to compensate for a drought. We are given licence to implement restrictions where necessary to conserve supply during these times.
In other words, the fact that there is a shortage of water does not necessarily indicate a planning deficit, but rather that there is a degree of inherent insecurity in relying heavily on more affordable surface water schemes.
Xanthea Limberg is Cape Town mayoral committee member for water and waste services
LETTER: Learn from mistakes
28 APRIL 2017 05:44 MIKE MULLER
Cape Towns mayoral committee member for water and waste services, Xanthea Limberg, responds to my criticism of her citys planning by saying that in our context, it is not practical to ring-fence billions of rand for the possibility of a drought that might not come to pass (No shortage of planning, April 24). But that is exactly what the city should be doing. It is easy to supply enough water when there are good rains. The job of the water managers and their political heads is to ensure water security in times of drought.
Limberg is right that it is impractical to fast-track supply schemes of sufficient scale quickly enough to compensate for a drought. That is why it is necessary to plan and build sufficient infrastructure ahead of the drought.
Of course, water restrictions are an option. But restrictions affect the economy and can damage infrastructure due to pressure surges when pipes are refilled. Often, these effects will cost the city more than the cost of building the right infrastructure at the right time. By now, Limberg and her council should have learnt that restrictions are hard to enforce and relying on them has created that inherent insecurity for its citizens. Their real planning failure was to believe their own propaganda that reductions in consumption in 2013 and 2014 were the result of water-conservation campaigns. They happened to coincide with two years of good rainfall. Over the following two dry years, consumption returned to previous levels, hence the current shortages.
If the DA wants to be taken seriously as a future national government, it must show that its administrations can learn from their mistakes, rather than try to excuse them.
Mike Muller is at the Wits School of Governance, Johannesburg
" " An injured ant is carried back to the nest for treatment by a comrade. Erik T. Frank
Each day in sub-Saharan Africa, a bloody battle rages. This never-ending war has killed thousands, perhaps millions, and left many scarred for life. In the middle of this carnage is a group of brave soldiers who risk everything to pull injured comrades out of harm's way so they can receive much-needed medical attention.
But these brave soldiers will never receive any medals, parades or commendations for their heroism. They belong to a group of warrior ants, a species called Megaponera analis, termite-hunting ants that scientists say not only rescue injured comrades, but also treat their wounds. The survival rate among the injured in this combat is remarkable up to 90 percent. These findings were published in the Feb. 14, 2018 issue of Proceedings of the Royal Society B.
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M. analis live in colonies that average nearly 1,000 members. The ants wage war on termites, raiding their nests and dragging the dead back behind the lines as a source of food. These raids, however, often come at a heavy price. The termites bite and crush the ants, ripping off limbs and snapping off heads.
Erik Frank, a scientist at the University of Lausanne in Switzerland, has studied these ants and seen the two insects do battle at a research station in the Comoe National Park, one of the largest protected areas in West Africa, in northern Cote d'Ivoire. He would watch the ants drag the injured back to their nest, but because the ants make their homes underground, it was difficult to divine exactly what happened next.
So Frank and his team set out to discover what was happening inside the nest. First, they captured entire ant colonies and squirreled them away in artificial nests. They then hooked up infrared cameras to keep tabs on the insects. The scientists then captured termites and allowed the ants to stage a raid. Many ants were gravely injured during the melee. Many lost limbs. Their able-bodied comrades responded by staging a battlefield triage, separating the gravely wounded from the slightly wounded.
The seriously injured those who lost at least five limbs often died on the battlefield, because, as the researchers noted, they did not seem to want to be helped. Those who had been badly bludgeoned bent and distorted their mangled bodies, making it difficult for their brothers-in-arms to carry them to safety. Those whose wounds were less serious, however, allowed themselves to be cared for.
Once back at the nest, the healthy ants set up an aid station, where they tended to the wounded, licking their injuries. Ants who did not receive this treatment had an 80 percent chance of dying within 24 hours after the battle. Those who were treated had a survival rate of up to 90 percent and lived to fight another day, to the benefit of the whole community. Frank and his team theorize that the licking saves lives by preventing the onset of infection.
Now That's Interesting Because Megaponera analis are fierce raiders, scientists gave them the easier to pronounce name, Matabele, in homage to the Matabele tribe, who were fierce African warriors that bested many tribes in battle during the 1800s.
YEREVAN, JULY 11, ARMENPRESS. Armenpress presents the latest article of Harut Sassounian, publisher and editor of The California Courier.
A stunning investigation by Bulgarian reporter Dilyana Gaytandzhieva revealed that Azerbaijans state-run Silk Way Airlines has shipped under diplomatic cover 350 planeloads of heavy weapons and ammunition to terrorist groups around the world in the last three years! Azerbaijan asked the Foreign Ministries of various countries to issue a diplomatic exemption for these flights, allowing civilian planes to carry weapons which would normally be prohibited by the International Air Transport Association.
The reporters information is based on a large number of emails sent to her by an anonymous source: The leaked files include correspondence between the Bulgarian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Embassy of Azerbaijan to Bulgaria with attached documents for weapons deals and diplomatic clearance for overflight and/or landing in Bulgaria and many other European countries, in addition to Syria, Iraq, the United States, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Turkey, and Israel, to name a few.
According to documents obtained by Gaytandzhieva, Silk Way Airlines offered diplomatic flights to private companies and arms manufacturers from the US, the Balkans, and Israel, as well as to the militaries of Saudi Arabia, UAE, and US Special Operations Command (USSOCOM), and the military forces of Germany and Denmark in Afghanistan and of Sweden in Iraq. Diplomatic flights are exempt of checks, air bills, and taxes, meaning that Silk Way airplanes freely transported hundreds of tons of weapons to different locations around the world without regulation.
The leaked documents also reveal that American weapons manufacturers had shipped over $1 billion of weapons through Silk Way Airlines. These were non-US standard weapons which means that they were not intended for use by U.S. forces. When Silk Way Airlines did not have enough available planes, Azerbaijans Air Force jets would transport the military shipments, Gaytandzhieva reported.
According to the U.S. federal contracts registry, in December 2014, the U.S. Special Operations Command signed a $26.7 million contract with the American company Purple Shovel. Bulgaria was listed as the country of origin for the shipped weapons and Azerbaijans Defense Ministry as the consignee. Another US company, Orbital ATK, received a contract for $250 million of non-US standard weapons.
Amazingly, the daring Bulgarian reporter went to Aleppo, Syria, in December of last year where she found and filmed 9 underground warehouses full of heavy weapons with Bulgaria as their country of origin. They were used by Al Nusra Front (Al Qaeda affiliate in Syria designated as a terrorist organization by the UN).
Gaytandzhieva discovered that just in April and May of 2017, Azerbaijans Air Force jets transported 282 tons of grenades on 10 diplomatic flights.
Another major purchaser of non-US standard weapons is Saudi Arabia which cannot use these weapons for its own defense as they are not compatible with its arsenal of western weapons. In 2016 and 2017, there were 23 diplomatic flights carrying weapons from Bulgaria, Serbia and Azerbaijan to Jeddah and Riyadh. These weapons were transported to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia through Silk Way Airlines and ended up in the hands of militants in Syria and Yemen that Saudi Arabia officially admits supporting, according to Gaytandzhieva.
On April 28 and May 12 of this year, Silk Way Airlines carried out two diplomatic flights from Baku to Burgas-Jeddah-Brazzaville (Republic of Congo). The military cargo on board both flights was paid for by Saudi Arabia. The aircraft was loaded with mortars and anti-tank grenades. These very same weapons were discovered by the Iraqi army a month ago in an Islamic State warehouse in Mosul. It is not surprising that Islamic State terrorists have displayed these weapons in their propaganda videos, according to Gaytandzhieva.
The same situation existed with the shipment of Coyote machine guns which appeared on propaganda videos posted online by militant groups in Syria. These weapons were transported on a diplomatic flight via Turkey and Saudi Arabia a few months earlier. There are many other examples of such shipments that ended up in the hands of terrorists, including some shipments sponsored by United Arab Emirates.
In February and March 2017, Saudi Arabia received 350 tons of weapons on Silk Way Airlines diplomatic flights originating from Baku. The cargo included 27,350 pieces of 128-mm rockets and 10,000 pieces of 122 mm. Grad rockets.
Some of these shipments were paid in cash which may account for the huge amount of wealth accumulated by Pres. Aliyev and his family.
Just as concerning are the shipments of large quantities (around 200 tons) of white phosphorus which could be deadly. Ironically, Azerbaijan, which possesses white phosphorus, accuses Armenia of using it in the Artsakh conflict.
This is not just another article which should be read and forgotten! The US Congress and European governments should hold hearings and investigate these huge shipments of weapons, most of which are destined for terrorists in the Middle East and elsewhere, the article reads.
YEREVAN, AUGUST 24, ARMENPRESS. The statements made before and after the meeting of Armenian and Russian Presidents Serzh Sargsyan and Vladimir Putin show that the Armenian-Russian relations are at a rather high level, political scientist Hrant Melik-Shahnazaryan told Armenpress.
The talk concerns the economic, military cooperation and issues of forming a policy in the region in general. I think yesterdays meeting is one of the best proofs of that close relationship, he said, adding that the statements of the heads of the two countries give optimistic moods.
Commenting on the Presidents discussion over the Nagorno Karabakh conflict settlement, the political scientist said that issue could not be missed from the meeting agenda. According to him, this is the major issue in South Caucasus.
This issue concerns not only Armenia, Artsakh and Azerbaijan, but also the regional security in general. It somehow affects also the ongoing regional developments. The stability in South Caucasus enables Russia to feel more confident in its actions in the Middle East and act with a safer back there, he said.
Melik-Shahnazaryan added that the discussions didnt focus on solutions, rather, at the moment its necessary to ensure calm situation and predictability of stability.
The discussions, most probably, were focused on this direction so that situation in the border will be calm and this dangerous situation will be somehow overcome, he added.
Within the frames of the working visit to Russia, President of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan met with President Vladimir Putin in Sochi on August 23. The Presidents discussed a number of issues, including the Nagorno Karabakh conflict settlement.
YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 14, ARMENPRESS. Although over 30% growth of trade turnover volumes with China is impressive for Armenias commercial attache to China, the active works will continue this year as well.
Hrant Abajyan, commercial attache of Armenia to China, gave an interview to ARMENPRESS, presenting the works done so far and the future activities.
-Mr. Abajyan, China is one of Armenias key economic partners and targeted markets. What steps were taken in 2017 aimed at strengthening the Armenian-Chinese economic ties, attracting Chinese investments, as well as increasing our export volumes to China?
-Undoubtedly today China is one of Armenias key commercial partners. Last year different events were held both in the Chinese capital of Beijing and in other cities and provinces aimed at developing and deepening the Armenian-Chinese economic ties, meetings were held with different public and private companies which we introduced on Armenias economic situation, investment field and attractions. Substantive discussions were held on developing the commercial relations at various directions. We tried to provide the Chinese businessmen with comprehensive and accurate information on the economic-political situation in Armenia and the region, taking into account that sometimes the Chinese businessmen are not informed about the country, or have inaccurate, distorted information from different sources on our country and the region which can hinder the development of commercial and investment relations.
In addition to this, separate meetings, discussions and exchange of experience were held with the Chinese companies aimed at launching mutually beneficial cooperation in different spheres of Armenias economy. Thanks to this last year more than 30% growth in the Armenian-Chinese trade turnover was recorded. This is an impressive figure, but we will not be satisfied with this. The efforts of the ministry of economic development and investments and in particular the trade representation are aimed at constantly increasing this figure. In 2018 we will also take active steps to attract investments from China to Armenia and finding entry opportunities for Armenian goods to this targeted market.
-Last year the cooperation office opened in China with your and the Armenian Ambassadors presence. To what extent the Armenian business is presented there and how are you going to engage the Armenian exporters to use this platform?
-Yes, as we said for many times, on November 17, Armenias cooperation office opened in Qingtao, China by the proposals and financing of the One Belt One Road innovative cooperation center which enables the businessmen to open the branches of their enterprises, present and sell their products. During the past weeks I have initiated meetings with representatives of different Armenian companies in Yerevan, discussed the opportunities and obstacles to enter the Chinese market. During the meetings with Armenian companies, operating in wine and alcoholic drinks production, agricultural canned food and chocolate production, we have tried to present in-detail the opportunities provided by the cooperation office.
The Armenian businessmen are highly interested in the Chinese market, but the risks on entering that market are also high, and due to this the Armenian businessmen still are cautious on using the existing opportunities.
Taking into account this, we, cooperating with the Chinese and Armenian public and private circles, constantly try to do everything to make the Chinese market more accessible and understandable for the Armenian business. As for Armenias cooperation office, I want to state that there is also an interest from the Armenian companies in this regard, and we hope the representations of Armenian companies will open in Qingtao as a result of working discussions in the near future, and thanks to this platform their products will be presented at the Chinese market.
-Recently, there are numerous talks on the Chinese market as a targeted tourism market. Are steps being taken to increase the number of Chinese tourists to Armenia?
-Today the Chinese market is the most important tourism market not only for Armenia, but also for the whole world. In this regard last year we tried to disseminate comprehensive information on Armenias tourism attractions and features. Here as well among the key problems is the presence of inaccurate and distorted information among the Chinese people. Works are being done at respective Chinese online information platforms aimed at spreading information on Armenia, as well as videos depicting Armenias tourism attractions. Its worth mentioning that the videos made by the ministry of economic development and investments, the State Tourism Committee and the Development Foundation of Armenia were translated in Chinese for the Chinese audience. These activities will also continue this year. Moreover, this year we have launched with the Tourism Development Fund of Armenia a more targeted work with tour-operators actively operating in the Armenian and Chinese tourism markets. We will try to boost the number of Chinese tourists visiting Armenia. Armenias participation in a number of exhibitions on tourism and export fields is also expected.
Armenia-Chine trade turnover comprised 604 million 486.6 thousand USD in 2017 which increased by 33.3% compared to 2016. China is 2nd in Armenias foreign trade turnover structure.
YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 16, ARMENPRESS. Vardges Petrosyans Years Lived and Not Lived is again at the top of Yerevan Bestseller project an ARMENPRESS exclusive brining the top ten weekly bestselling books.
Mark Arens Where Wild Roses Bloom this week is ranked 2nd.
The story describes the inner world of an Armenophobic Turkish former serviceman, when he, already an old man, suddenly hears a lullaby song that reminds him of his mother and later finds out that the song is in Armenian: realizing his parents were Armenians. He spends his remaining life searching the graves of his parents, without knowing that it was a misunderstanding.
Edgar Harutyunyans Unfound Chamomiles comes next. The book is about human relationship, love, friendship and betrayal.
The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas is ranked 4th in the list. It is a 2006 Holocaust novel by Irish novelist John Boyne. Unlike the months of planning Boyne devoted to his other books, he said that he wrote the entire first draft of The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas in two and a half days, barely sleeping until he got to the end.
Three Comrades by German author Erich Maria Remarque is a novel first published in 1936. It is written in first person by the main character Robert Lohkamp, whose somewhat disillusioned outlook on life is due to his horrifying experiences in the trenches of the First World War's French-German front. He shares these experiences with Otto Koster and Gottfried Lenz, his two comrades with whom he runs an auto-repair shop in late 1920s Berlin. Remarque wrote the novel in exile. The book is again ranked 5th in the list.
Milan Kunderas The Unbearable Lightness of Being returns to the list and is ranked 6th. It was published in 1984. The book chronicles the fragile nature of an individual's fate, theorizing that a single lifetime is insignificant in the scope of Nietzsche's concept of eternal return. In an infinite universe, everything is guaranteed to recur infinitely. In 1988, American director Philip Kaufman released a film adaptation.
Jonathan Livingston Seagull by American writer Richard Bach captures the 7th place. The book tells the story of Jonathan Livingston Seagull, a seagull who is bored with daily squabbles over food. Seized by a passion for flight, he pushes himself, learning everything he can about flying, until finally his unwillingness to conform results in his expulsion. An outcast, he continues to learn, becoming increasingly pleased with his abilities as he leads a peaceful and happy life. The book has been translated by Naira Harutyunyan.
Steppenwolf novel by German-Swiss author Hermann Hesse is 8th. Originally published in Germany in 1927, it was first translated into English in 1929. Combining autobiographical and psychoanalytic elements, the novel was named after the lonesome wolf of the steppes. The story in large part reflects a profound crisis in Hesse's spiritual world during the 1920s while memorably portraying the protagonist's split between his humanity and his wolf-like aggression and homelessness. Hesse would later assert that the book was largely misunderstood.
1984 by George Orwell is 9th in the bestselling list of the week. The book is labeled as banned in many countries of the world.
Oscar Wildes The Picture of Dorian Gray concludes this weeks list. Dorian Gray is the subject of a full-length portrait in oil by Basil Hallward, an artist who is impressed and infatuated by Dorian's beauty; he believes that Dorian's beauty is responsible for the new mode in his art as a painter. Through Basil, Dorian meets Lord Henry Wotton, and he soon is enthralled by the aristocrat's hedonistic worldview: that beauty and sensual fulfillment are the only things worth pursuing in life.
The following bookstores took part in a survey for the bestseller project: Bookinist (53-74-13), Hay Girk (54-07-06) and Zangak (23 26 49).
Yerevan Bestseller project presented by Angela Hambardzumyan
YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 22, ARMENPRESS. Prime Minister of Armenia Karen Karapetyan received on February 22 Foreign Minister of Madagascar Henry Rabary-Njaka.
As ARMENPRESS was informed from the press service of the Government of Armenia, the Premier noted with satisfaction that bilateral political dialogue has activated in the recent years in different international platforms, and particularly in the International Organisation of La Francophonie and efforts should be made to transfer this positive tendency also to trade and economic relations. In this context Karen Karapetyan highlighted the participation of the businessmen from Madagascar in the business forum on October 11-12 in the sidelines of the Francophonie summit. The PM noted that a very favorable economic situation for investments has been established in Armenia and there are good opportunities not only for the Armenian market, but also for entering to the 3rd markets.
The Foreign Minister of Madagascar thanked for the cordial reception and noted that he is impressed by the visit to the 1st Christian country. According to him, Madagascar welcomes and has maximally supported the idea of holding the Francophonie summit in Armenia. Henry Rabary-Njaka noted that in the sidelines of the visit of the president of his country to Armenia in October, the opportunities for developing bilateral economic relations will also be discussed. Henry Rabary-Njaka also suggested viewing Madagascar as a platform for entering the African market.
The Armenian Premier welcomed the first visit of Madagascars governmental delegation to Armenia and expressed readiness to actively work for the development of cooperation between the two countries.
English translator/editor: Tigran Sirekanyan
YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 23, ARMENPRESS. Minister of economic development and investments Suren Karayan held a meeting on February 23 with Ambassador of Belarus H.E. Igor Nazaruk, the ministry said.
During the meeting the sides discussed issues related to developing economic cooperation, as well as the process of the agreements reached at the Armenian-Belarusian intergovernmental commission session.
The minister namely discussed cooperation over assembly plants of transportation vehicles. A Belarusian task force will soon arrive in Armenia to strengthen partnership in the transportation and logistic sector.
The sides also addressed issues of forming tools for substituting imports of products within the EEU.
The importance of strengthening cooperation with the Development Bank of Belarus was also discussed.
English translator/editor: Stepan Kocharyan
YEREVAN, 23 FEBUARY, ARMENPRESS. The Central Bank of Armenia informs Armenpress that today, 23 February, USD exchange rate is up by 0.06 drams to 480.63 drams. EUR exchange rate is up by 0.84 drams to 591.51 drams. Russian Ruble exchange rate is up by 0.05 drams to 8.52 drams. GBP exchange rate is up by 3.83 drams to 671.20 drams.
The Central Bank has set the following prices for precious metals.
Gold price is down by 30.65 drams to 20526.48 drams. Silver price is up by 0.50 drams to 254.43 drams. Platinum price is down by 121.69 drams to 15298.09 drams.
YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 24, ARMENPRESS. The Armenian economy had the highest growth among EEU countries in a number of important economy branches, coordinator of the Eurasian Expert Club Mr. Aram Safaryan told a press conference.
The year was generally good for EEU countries, after the difficult 2015 and partly also 2016 Russia has more than 1% economic growth and is on a sustainable development path, which has the most positive impact for small economies of the EEU territory. The economies of Armenia and Kyrgyzstan had the highest development indicators. While Armenias [indicator] is simply the highest, he said.
He mentioned that their earlier forecast on Armenia recording more than 4% GDP growth in 2017, which was contrary to what international structures were predicting, eventually became true.
Armenias economy displayed double digit growth tendencies in several important branches of the economy such as industry, trade, exports and imports, the construction growth indicators have been restored totaling 3%, Safaryan said.
Commenting on the 7% growth of transfers to Armenia, the expert says transfers from Russia have a big share in this growth.
This is very important to understand because this speaks about Russias appeal for Armenian outgoing workforce. There is 1 billion 200 million dollar in transfers from Russia. 63% of transfers come from Russia, 14% from the USA, while the Ukraine is third with 5,5%, he said.
Speaking on 2018 forecasts, he said they predict that the volume of investments which existed in 2017 with the announced indicator will be maintained in 2018, the year will be good because the growth tendencies can be continuous.
English translator/editor: Stepan Kocharyan
YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 24, ARMENPRESS. Statements by Azerbaijans president calling for a return to historical lands in Armenia have landed Baku in hot diplomatic water, with Russia and France pointedly calling out Baku for the provocative comments, writes Bradley Jardine for Eurasianet information platform in an article titled Azerbaijani Presidents Claims on Armenia Spark International Backlash.
Jardine mentions how Ilham Aliyev referred to the Armenian capital Yerevan as part of Azerbaijans historic land during a speech at his ruling partys congress.
[To return Azerbaijanis there] is our political and strategic goal, and we need to work step-by-step to get closer to it, Jardine quoted Aliyev as saying.
The article then mentions that Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan was quick to respond:
Until Azerbaijanis reject their maximalist, unrealistic expectations about the negotiations, but instead rave about seizing Yerevan or Zangezur, we will not harbor much hope that the issue will be resolved, he said at a press conference on February 12.
The international community also waded in.
Reports about Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyevs speech at a congress of the ruling party have certainly been seen in Moscow, the Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman, Maria Zakharova, said. We are well aware that Azerbaijans relations with neighboring Armenia are extremely tense. The comment in question will clearly not help to reduce the tensions, Bradley Jardine writes.
The article mentions that afterwards the French foreign ministry warned Azerbaijan to refrain from such statements which will harm the NK conflict peaceful settlement process.
Jardine notes that Armenia however found the international communitys response to be not enough.
Armenian MFA spokesman Tigran Balayan said the international response was insufficent and may jeopardize regional security.
Absence of an adequate reaction by the international community toward President Ilham Aliyevs territorial claims on Armenia have encouraged [Azerbaijani Defense Minister Zakir] Hasanov to reiterate the threat to use force, he said.
The statement refers to a February 19 meeting with Tovio Klaar, EU Representative for the South Caucasus, in which the Azeri defense minister warned that a war may break out at any moment.
Aliyev has made similar public statements in the past. Commentators link the recent surge in hostile rhetoric to Aliyevs electoral campaign. The president will be seeking a fourth term in office in a snap presidential election slated for April 11, Jardine writes.
The author also draws attention to the fact that the Azeri presidential election will be held two days after Armenian President Serzh Sargsyans term in office ends.
The Armenian leader is widely expected to become prime minister immediately after the country adopts a new parliamentary system in April.
Both leaders have pledged to intensify the Karabakh peace process.
English translator/editor: Stepan Kocharyan
YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 26, ARMENPRESS. Armen Sarkissian, candidate for the President of Armenia, attended the opening ceremony of photo exhibition of Zohrab Margaryan dedicated to the 30th anniversary of the Artsakh liberation movement in Lebanon on February 24, Sarkissians Office told Armenpress.
The exhibition has been organized by the Armenian Embassy in Lebanon and Artsakhs representation in the Middle East.
In his remarks Armen Sarkissian touched upon the key significance of the Artsakh fight on the restoration of the Armenian statehood. He appreciated the heroic self-sacrifice and dedication of the volunteers to the implementation of the ideas of freedom and independence of the Armenian people.
The presidential candidate stated that despite the victories reached, there are still numerous challenges facing Armenia and Artsakh, and a daily consistent work and collective efforts are needed for overcoming them.
The elections of the 4th President of Armenia will be held on March 2, 2018. According to the Constitutional changes, the 4th President will be elected by Members of Parliament.
English translator/editor: Aneta Harutyunyan
YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 26, ARMENPRESS. A record number of people attended the exhibition dedicated to the 200th anniversary of Ivan (Hovhannes) Aivazovsky which was held in the National Gallery of Armenia from September 14 to February 15.
The exhibition, titled Hovhannes Aivazovsky: Creation, was attended by 56.000 visitors.
52 paintings, 26 graphical, one decorative-applied and 20 documentary works were displayed at the exhibition. Chaos: Creation of the World was also displayed.
Arman Tsaturyan, director of the National Gallery of Armenia, gave an interview to ARMENPRESS talking about the exhibition.
-Mr. Tsaturyan, many people say that the Creation exhibition was exclusive. In your opinion, what was the reason of its exclusivity?
-Have you heard about any exhibition in Armenia which had 56.000 visitors? This speaks about the exhibition being as unprecedented. We managed to do what for half a century any of the museums in our country didnt. I dont know whether it will be possible to repeat or exceed our record, but we definitely showed that it is possible to hold a good, beautiful and profitable exhibition with minimal investments. The exhibition is already over, but believe me, if it continued, the flow of people would not stop. For me and the people who participated in holding this exhibition, its a great excitement: success is that promotes people and leads to both professional and financial satisfaction.
By this exhibition we showed that the cultural field has changed. Its good from the one hand, and bad from the other, since always much is expected from the winner.
-Who among the visitors were prevailing?
-Everything on us is differentiated. For already three years the Gallery sells tickets online, and we know how many students, pensioners and school children visited us. Last time we have checked the data two months ago. The number of school children reaches 18.000. I am confident their number will increase within the course of time.
-A large number of art-lovers visited the Gallery to see the Chaos: Creation of the World renowned painting from the collection of the Mekhitarist Congregation in Venice. How do you characterize this mysterious work of art?
-As people live a mysterious life, their works do the same. The concept of the exhibition was as follows: Chaos: Creation of the World and Noah goes down from Ararat. The second birth of the world began from Ararat. The exhibition was such as well. I would state that the Chaos: Creation of the World is a virtuous work. Aivazovsky is an author of more than 6000 paintings, but not all of them are masterpieces. Our exhibition displayed wonderful works, and the Chaos: Creation of the World was one of them, a masterpiece that enriched the exhibition.
-Once you said that the success of the exhibition was also linked with the use of latest PR technologies. Will you talk about this in more detail?
-It is very important that all components of the exhibition are at a high level, starting from visualization that are ensured by respective devices, up to the color scheme of walls. While organizing an exhibition everything is important, such as the hall light, shadow and sound. When you reach the good level of all of these, its already success. Of course, the exhibitions advertisement was also well thought and was implemented correctly. The video clip of the exhibition received two awards by the Adobe company.
In the future we plan to organize the exhibition of paintings by Pablo Picasso. For this purpose we are holding talks with our foreign partners so that the best paintings in their collection will be displayed at our Gallery.
I want to inform that the art-lovers can online acquire the copies of the best paintings presented in the Gallerys collection which are on high-quality. In the near future we also plan to open a cafe named after French-Armenian famous painter Carzou in the Gallerys foyer which will be a favorite place for all art-lovers.
Interview by Angela Hambardzumyan
English translator/editor: Aneta Harutyunyan
YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 26, ARMENPRESS. At least 19 people have been injured in rallies protesting against Spanish King Felipes visit to Barcelona, local media reports.
The King of Spain arrived in Barcelona on February 25 for the inauguration of the Mobile World Congress. This is the first visit to Catalonia of King Felipe after the 2017 referendum.
The protest was organized by the Republican Protection Committee, a pro-independence group.
According to reports, despite the individual clashes with police, the rally was generally peaceful.
English translator/editor: Stepan Kocharyan
YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 26, ARMENPRESS. Debates on the church-owned properties in Jerusalem have been postponed for a week in the Knesset (Israeli parliament), chancellor Vardapet Koryun Baghdasaryan of the Armenian Patriarchate of Jerusalem told ARMENPRESS.
Although the bill debate was postponed, it doesnt satisfy us. We demand that the bill doesnt enter the Knesset, that such a law doesnt pass. Therefore our protest actions is continuing and the Church of The Holy Sepulcher remains closed, he said.
The chancellor said that under the bill the government will be able to expropriate all properties owned by the churches. Meaning, if these properties will be leased to individuals, the government will be entitled to expropriate them, is the lease process isnt proceeding under governmental endorsement.
This means the government must approve the lease transaction. This is unacceptable for us. Our protest is also directed at the City Hall decision. It related to charging taxes from churches, monasteries. For many centuries monasteries and churches have been exempt from taxes in the Holy Land. Church-owned properties which generate profit already pay taxes, however this decision covers simply churches and monasteries. This is why it is unacceptable for us, Baghdasaryan said.
He said that city officials are still silent over the protest.
Christian churches who hold custody over Jerusalems Church of The Holy Sepulcher shut it down on February 25 as a sign of protest over the city authorities decision and the new bill.
English translator/editor: Stepan Kocharyan
YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 26, ARMENPRESS. Ivanka Trump, the daughter and advisor of US President Donald Trump, has expressed uncertainty whether or not her fathers latest initiative on arming teachers will help in keeping children safe at school.
The US President made the suggestion earlier after the latest fatal school shooting in Florida.
Honestly, I dont know, she said during an interview with NBC. Obviously those who will be enabled to carry firearms in school must have unbelievably high standards, Ivanka Trump said.
She said that President Trumps suggestion isnt a bad idea but it needs discussion.
English translator/editor: Stepan Kocharyan
YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 26, ARMENPRESS. Minister of economic development and investments Suren Karayan received Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Iran to Armenia Seyed Kazem Sadjadi in order to discuss the Armenian-Iranian economic cooperation prospects, the ministry told Armenpress.
During the meeting the minister and the Ambassador touched upon the results recorded in the bilateral economic ties last year and the steps taken, as well as discussed the future activities.
The Iranian Ambassador said the elimination of visa regime by the two countries contributes not only to tourism growth, but also to visits of businessmen by boosting the business ties. According to him, the elimination of fees for passenger vehicles entering Armenia is also a beneficial factor.
The officials discussed the prospects of expanding the Iranian business in Armenia, as well as the options of attracting and promoting the Iranian business in the Meghri Free Economic Zone. It was stated that its important to guide the Armenian producer to enter the Iranian market.
Suren Karayan thoroughly introduced the Ambassador on all steps that will be taken for Iranian tourists in Armenia during the Nowruz (Iranian New Year) holidays.
We have always supported intensification of the Iran-EAEU economic ties. At present as well we continue the works on this path. I want to reaffirm that we are ready to act as an effective platform for the Iranian businessmen towards the Eurasian Economic Unions market, the minister said.
English translator/editor: Aneta Harutyunyan
YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 26, ARMENPRESS. Armen Sarkissian, candidate for the President of Armenia, sets the principle of Armenians becoming a world nation on the basis of strengthening the Armenia-Diaspora ties, reports Armenpress.
In an interview to the Public TV, asked with which model the Armenia-Diaspora relations should develop, the presidential candidate said: It is the model by which we, as Armenians, are going to live in this world. This model is an open, rather than a closed model for me. I want to imagine that all Armenians should live in a situation where there is a small state, but a world nation. We all, as Armenians, regardless of our place of residence, should fulfill our civil duty to the Republic of Armenia and the Republic of Artsakh based on this principle.
The next important precondition for the presidential candidate for strengthening the Armenia-Diaspora ties is not to put a difference between the Armenians and Diaspora-Armenians, as well as the contribution of the Diaspora-Armenians in developing the homeland. He also highlighted the need to look into the future and use the tools of the 21st century.
While building the Armenia-Diaspora relations we should look into the future, the youth and the 21st century. The tools we have used previously for strengthening the Armenia-Diaspora ties, today should be different as it is the 21st century, Armen Sarkissian said, adding that the key on strengthening the ties between the homeland and the Diaspora is in the hands of youth with free thinking.
English translator/editor: Aneta Harutyunyan
YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 26, ARMENPRESS. The website of the state revenue committee (SRC) will soon feature an automatic customs value calculator for vehicles.
SRC First Vice President Samvel Avetikyan told a press conference that presently the customs clearance process for vehicles lasts just 20 minutes on average.
A fundamentally new approach for evaluation of imported vehicles is being used since 2017. As you know, the prices of new cars exist, while the values of cars of different year production are calculated through the formula. Soon the automatic calculator of customs values of vehicles will be available, he said.
The website, www.petekamutner.am, is being updated constantly.
English translator/editor: Stepan Kocharyan
YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 26, ARMENPRESS. President of the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) Guido Raimondi has praised the Armenian Ombudsmans activities in a formal letter to Ombudsman Arman Tatoyan.
The ECHR president particularly highlighted the Armenian Ombudsmans practice of presenting special opinions (amicus curiae) to the Constitutional Court under suits and designing draft normative legal acts, stressing that it is completely stemming from the priorities of the Council of Europe, which is the subsidiary principle directed at more compliance with the European Convention of Human Rights.
The Ombudsmans Office said that the ECHR president also emphasized that the Armenian Ombudsmans reports are acknowledged to be an important source which are being cited while delivering judgments relating to Armenia.
English translator/editor: Stepan Kocharyan
YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 26, ARMENPRESS. Scholars have positive expectations from presidential candidate Armen Sarkissian in the cultural life, president of the Union of Writers Edward Militonyan and president of the Union of Painters Karen Aghamyan told a press conference.
I find Armen Sarkissians meetings with scholars, conversations and getting to know their issues to be a correct approach. He is willing to get acquainted with the situation. These meetings are also a chance to present his approaches. He has experience in working with different international organizations. And, I think it will be useful for Armenia, Edward Militonyan said.
Speaking about the current problems of the sphere, Militonyan mentioned the little publication that modern literature gets.
Armen Sarkissian is capable of leading and clarifying a number of issues. His experience and skills will be useful for Armenia. I hope that the problems will be fixed in the future. New changes, new governance principles and new people are expected, Karen Aghamyan said.
Earlier in January Armen Sarkissian, Armenias Ambassador to the United Kingdom, was offered by incumbent President Serzh Sargsyan, who also serves as President of the countrys ruling Republican Party, to be the partys candidate for the upcoming presidential elections. Sarkissian initially requested a brief period of time for pondering the offer, and in the meanwhile held various meetings with political parties, civil society representatives, Diaspora structures and others, and subsequently agreed to be nominated. Few days later the HHK officially nominated Sarkissians candidacy for the presidential election.
The 2018 presidential elections of Armenia will take place March 2. Under the amended Constitution, the 4th President of Armenia will be elected by Members of Parliament.
English translator/editor: Stepan Kocharyan
YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 26, ARMENPRESS. Seven people have been charged amid an ongoing drug trafficking criminal investigation, the Yerevan investigative committee department told ARMENPRESS.
Earlier it was reported that a large amount of narcotics had been discovered and seized as result of the investigation, and seven people involved in the trafficking were identified and charged.
Preliminary investigation concluded that the narcotics have been smuggled from Iran. The smugglers, citizens of Iran, used various methods to smuggle the drugs, namely by hiding the packages in household equipment on board of passenger buses en route to Armenia. The smugglers also used body packing, a method whereby the smuggler is transporting the narcotics inside his/her body. The contraband was later transported to a rented apartment in Armenia and sold to a group of Armenian citizens.
3 Iranians and 4 Armenians have been indicted.
2 of the Iranians and 3 of the Armenians have been remanded in custody.
Police seized different types of narcotics, including Marijuana, methamphetamines, psychotropic substances from raided apartments. Officers found more than 381 grams of meth, with the street value of 1 gram being 100,000 drams.
The criminal case has been transferred to the prosecution.
English translator/editor: Stepan Kocharyan
YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 26, ARMENPRESS. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Artsakh highly appreciates the decision of the parliament of the Netherlands regarding the Armenian Genocide.
As ARMENPRESS was informed from the press service of MFA Artsakh, the statement runs as follows, We highly appreciate the decision of the Parliament of the Netherlands, by which the country's legislative body confirms its position on the recognition of the Armenian Genocide of 1915.
This step is another voice in support of the international community's efforts to fight against impunity and to prevent such crimes in the future.
The parliament of the Netherlands adopted on February 22 two resolutions on the Armenian Genocide authored by MP Joel Voordewind from Christian Union party with the absolute majority of the votes.
Almost all the factions voted in favor of the resolutions. Only one small faction voted against, the tree members of which are Turks, President of the Federation of Armenian Organizations of the Netherlands Mato Hakhverdyan told ARMENPRESS, adding that 142 MPs voted in favor.
The first resolution reaffirms the decision of the Netherlands in 2004 to recognize the Armenian Genocide, while by the second resolution the foreign minister of the Netherlands will be obliged to visit Armenia and pay tribute to the victims of the Armenian Genocide at Tsitsernakaberd memorial complex each 5th year.
English translator/editor: Tigran Sirekanyan
YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 26, ARMENPRESS. The International Raoul Wallenberg Foundation expressed deep disappointment in the Knessets rejection of a bill to recognize the Armenian Genocide earlier this month, ARMENPRESS reports, citing The Jerusalem Post.
Deputy Foreign Minister Tzipi Hotovely said that while Israel had sent a parliamentary delegation to the 100th anniversary event in Yerevan, it will not take an official stance on the matter, in light of its complexity and diplomatic repercussions, and because it has a clear political connection.
The Raoul Wallenberg Foundation sent a letter on Thursday to Knesset Speaker Yuli Edelstein, with a copy to Hotovely and Yesh Atid leader MK Yair Lapid, who sponsored the bill.
Edelstein called on the government in 2015 to change its stance, and in 2016 the Knesset Education Committee recognized the genocide.
However, any motion for official state recognition of the genocide has failed to go through.
Regrettably, this voting down has been repeating itself, time and again, for the last few years, as a constant ritual, read the letter, signed by foundation chairman Eduardo Eurnekian and founder Baruch Tenembaum.
With all due respect, we are not able to understand, let alone justify this stance, they said. Israel is the national home of the Jewish people, who suffered an indescribable plight during the Shoah [Holocaust].
Twenty-five-years earlier, the Armenian people endured another unspeakable tragedy, which, in light of the worlds silence, many believe has encouraged the Nazis to perpetrate their atrocities against the Jews during World War II.
The foundation believes that of all the nations in the world, the Jewish state should have the intellectual honesty and the spiritual generosity to recognizing the horrific tragedy of the Armenian people. Alas, the Israeli government and its Knesset have lost this opportunity time and again. There is no political reality that could provide a reasonable excuse for that.
Eurnekian and Tenembaum observed a deep connection between Jews and Armenians. The NGO, which works to recognize Righteous among the Nations, notes that 24 Armenians have officially received that title so far, which is a large number in relation to the size of the population.
Mr. Edelstein, we know your personal support for the recognition of the Armenian Genocide, as is the case of your predecessor, President Reuven Rivlin, the letter concluded. We feel that the Knesset would be praised around the world for taking a bold ethical stance, regardless of any short-term political considerations. We regret that this has not happened yet.
English translator/editor: Tigran Sirekanyan
YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 26, ARMENPRESS. Azerbaijan again distorts the reality. The European Parliament has not adopted any document over Khojaly. ARMENPRESS reports 22 MEPs representing the Club of Azerbaijan`s Friends in the European Parliament have signed a declaration where nothing is mentioned about genocide, or Armenians or Armenia.
A day before the Azerbaijani mass media spread information that allegedly the European parliament has adopted a declaration over the Khojaly events.
Earlier, in a meeting with Azerbaijanis in the Georgian city Marneuli, President of Georgia Giorgi Margvelashvili did not yield to the provocation of one of the participant young men, who asked the President to honor the memory of the victims of the so-called Khojaly events with a minute of silence.
Azerbaijani media outlets note that the ceremony of the one-minute silence did not take place, instead Margvelashvili noted that he follows Nagorno Karabakh conflict settlement process.
Georgia is against the escalation of Nagorno Karabakh conflict, he said
English translator/editor: Tigran Sirekanyan
DUSSELDORF, GermanySatisfyer issues a statement about a recent court hearing in Germany:
In front of Dusseldorf District Court, Novoluto GmbH (Womanizer) brought to the judge's attention their concerns that an old version of the Satisfyer Pro 2 (now discontinued) was infringing their patent. Satisfyer has filed an appeal against it so the legal action is still pending.
Also EIS GmbH ceased manufacturing and selling this old and prior version of the Satisfyer Pro 2 long before the issuance of this decision and long ago implemented an improved own technology in the new Satisfyer Pro 2 within Europe, North and South America, Asia and Pacific (patent pending P 3 228 297 A1, US 2017/0281457 A1, CA 2 943 097 A1, WO2017/174607 A1, AU 2016208327 A1, JP 2017-185220 A, MX 2016015501 A, CN107280939 A, BR 10 2016 023617 7 A2, registered German Utility Model DE 202016 008 435 U1).
This Satisfyer technology never been subject to any court proceedings of any kind anywhere from anyone (also not in Germany), the company said. This new technology which makes evident our innovative strength and even has a still greater commercial success on the market is used for the Satisfyer Pro 2 Next Generation and also without any exception in all other Satisfyer models like Satisfyer Pro Deluxe, Pro 4 Couples, Pro Plus Vibration, Pro G-Spot Rabbit, Pro Traveler, Pro Penguin and Satisfyer 1 plus 2.
Satisfyers new technology being fully different to Novoluto's patent is shown in patent applications we have filed in USA, Canada, Mexico, China and Hong Kong, Japan, Russia, Brazil, and also Europe, Mexico, Australia and South Africa, and a utility model has already been registered in Germany. The new Satisfyer technology never been subject to any court proceedings of any kind anywhere from anyone!
For more, visit Satisfyer.com.
BELGRADE, SerbiaThe European Summit is headed for beautiful Cascais, Portugal on March 2, and IT solutions company Quantox Technology has signed on as a Gold Sponsor. Company spokespeople indicated that Quantox is excited to attend the event, as the Summit's schedule is packed and the attendee list is a virtual Whos Who of both the European and North American market.
The European Summit is Europes leading B2B conference that continues to see attendance growth, in part for its role in assisting companies such as Quantox with a reliable foundation to continue to build strong business relationships while enabling potential for new introductions.
Show coordinators Andreas and Walter are always so well organized and accommodating when it comes to sponsoring their events, stated Quantox founder Vuk Popovic. Furthermore, The European Summit is a conference where there is never a dull moment; hence, our support as a Gold Sponsor.
Popovic will be one of the well-informed panelists on the Outsourcing Panel, which is being held on Saturday, March 3 at 5 p.m. in Room 4, and he invites attendees to partake in this discussion, which is aimed at providing solutions for all businesses regardless of size.
The European Summit takes place March 2-5 and it has distributed its attendee list online, acknowledging over 1,000 registered participants at this time, which is a collaboration of both affiliates and webmasters.
Quantox Technology is an IT solutions provider offering an array of outsourcing solutions including but not limited to programming, development, customer support, design, marketing and much more, a company spokesperson said.
Those who wish to meet with a Quantox representative during the European Summit may drop an email to [email protected] or visit Quantox.com to learn more about what solutions it can provide to a companys IT problems.
Staceys Bakery has rolled out a limited-edition bread loaf using an 80-year old recipe as part of Real Bread Week (24 February 4 March).
Described as the Original Loaf by the Derbyshire-based bakery, the bread will be on sale today (26 February) until the 4 March throughout its shops in Ilkeston, Heanor and Eastwood.
Bakers across the UK have been gearing up for Real Bread Week, which marks its tenth anniversary this year.
The loaf contains only flour, water, salt and yeast, and is made using a recipe created by the great grandfather of bakery owner David Stacey that dates back to 1934.
Stacey said he hopes the loaf will reignite peoples passion for traditional bread.
Before all the modern bakery equipment and bread improvers, the only way to make bread was to ferment the dough overnight, typically for 14 hours, said Stacey. Now its made so quickly, and the only dough like that of the traditional loaves we used to make is sourdough.
Only a limited number of the loaves will be made due to the nature of the dough and because it takes longer to make.
Staceys Bakery recently revealed they will be investing in new bakery equipment at its main site in South Street, Ilkeston.
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In this politically polarized moment in our history, what unites us? Surely one value nearly all of us have in common is a belief in the importance and power of donating our time, expertise, and dollars to worthy organizations and causes that serve our communities.North Carolina has a long tradition of charitable giving and volunteering. When measured as shares of household income, North Carolinians give to charity at a rate significantly above the national average - and Americans, in turn, are among the most generous people on the planet. Charitable giving accounts for just over 2 percent of the gross domestic product in the U.S. , compared to 1.2 percent in Canada, .8 percent in Britain, .3 in France, .2 percent in Japan, and .1 percent in Germany.Why is there such a gigantic disparity? Most scholars of philanthropy would attribute our relative generosity to distinctive public attitudes. We tend to be more religious, which correlates with higher giving to both religious and non-religious institutions. And much more so than our international counterparts, we tend not to believe that government is the only important means of addressing matters of common concern.My favorite definition of philanthropy as a social institution is simple: "voluntary action for the public good." That distinguishes it from government, which shares philanthropy's intention to do good but is inherently coercive rather than voluntary. The definition also distinguishes philanthropy from business, the conduct of which is voluntary but not necessarily intended to advance the public good - although, as the first modern economist Adam Smith reminded us more than two centuries ago, public good frequently comes as an unintended but significant benefit when people engage in commerce.Two scholars, University of Southern California professor Michael Moody and the late Robert Payton of Indiana University, explored in detail this notion of "voluntary action for the public good" in their invaluable 2008 book Understanding Philanthropy . Surveying the "history of the social imagination," as Moody and Payton described it, they identified two different historical traditions that form modern philanthropy.The compassion tradition, which in the West had its origins in Jewish and Christian history, reflects our efforts to alleviate suffering, save lives, foster virtue, and restore what is broken. The community tradition, which in the West had its origins in the city-states of the Greek and Roman world, reflects our efforts to elevate communities, enrich lives, foster new intellectual and artistic achievements, and preserve what is great and beautiful.Many charitable givers follow both traditions. They give to their local churches, free clinics, or homeless shelters while also supporting local arts groups or their favorite universities. At the John William Pope Foundation , the Raleigh-based grantmaker for which I serve as president, we have a long history of following both traditions, as well. Three years ago, we created a program, the Joy Pope Memorial Grants in the Arts and Human Services, to honor one of the foundation's early leaders and benefactors. Scores of North Carolina nonprofits apply to receive one of the two $100,000 Pope Memorial Grants we award each year The 2018 recipient in human services is the Haywood Pathways Center in Waynesville, which supports men, women and children during periods of crisis with services that include emergency housing, a soup kitchen, and employment training. The Pope Memorial Grant will help fund its shelter for homeless women with children, to be housed in a former jail.The other Pope Memorial Grant recipient, the Stokes County Arts Council in Danbury, is expanding the Arts Place of Stokes to add classroom and meeting space, a pottery studio, a prep kitchen, a reception area, artist studios, a rooftop patio, and a wheelchair lift.said executive director Eddy McGee after receiving the grant.Joy Pope believed strongly in both the compassion and community traditions of philanthropy. She and her family have clearly translated their beliefs into voluntary action for the public good.
Tom Campbell
"Prayers and condolences are no longer enough," chanted students gathered in Raleigh to protest gun violence. Their message was clear: Our nation has seen too many incidents of school shootings and violence and too little has been done about it. 17 students from 17 different schools lit candles, spoke aloud the names of those killed, then the estimated 500 marched a mile and a half to place those candles on the steps of the State Capitol.After every incident like the Valentine's Day massacre there are immediate cries for gun control, followed just as quickly by responses saying this time of mourning is no time to be discussing such things. But this time students are asking, "If not now, when?" They are hurt, angry, motivated and they are organized.Author Malcolm Gladwell, in his book The Tipping Point, says that before an idea can "tip" into widespread acceptance it must reach a moment of critical mass, a threshold, a boiling point. It is too soon to tell but early signs indicate the anti-violence movement might reach that critical mass. Daily we are learning of students and parents around the country joining the effort. Cameron Kasky, one of the Parkland leaders said on ABC,Students are taking control of the conversation and demanding action. Their plan is two-pronged. On March 14th, the one month anniversary of the Parkland shooting, every student, teacher and administrator in every school in the country is being asked to walk out of their schools for 17 minutes at 10 a.m. A "March for our Lives" will follow on March 24 in Washington or towns and cities across the land. The leaders intend to "shame" every politician who has accepted money from the National Rifle Association.There is almost universal consensus that the NRA has impeded any reasonable discussions and actions regarding gun control. They pivot the conversation by saying that guns don't kill people, people do. While true, there are too many who should not be allowed to own guns, especially the assault weapons so frequently used in these shootings. One sign at the Raleigh rally said, "Hey Tillis and Burr. If guns are not the problem then why is your office behind metal detectors?" For the record, Senator Burr has received $6.99 million in contributions for the NRA, with Senator Tillis recording $4.42 million.But the NRA is only a symptom; the real problem is elected officials who don't stand up to the intense lobbying efforts the group applies. Our elected representatives essentially are bought and paid for by such groups, neglecting the common good in favor of a loud few. Their immediate response when anyone suggests gun controls, tighter background checks or any restrictions is to claim the "boogeyman" wants to take your guns away from you. Now they're claiming the students areMost of us steadfastly believe in a citizen's right to bear arms, but also believe that doesn't mean unlimited rights to anyone using any weapon. There must be a place where reasonable people, removed from the heated rhetoric, can come to some common sense solutions that will make our schools and our people safer.The spark has ignited the tender and the fire is lit. Time will tell whether or not it becomes a blazing fire that provokes a tipping point.
Now that it is fully apparent, to all who have the ability to pay some modicum of attention, that Imposter President Biden has extreme cognitive issues, in addition to being an inveterate liar: Can OUR Republic continue with this Executive Office that has completely failed, so many times, on far too many issues here at this early date in this abysmal presidency?
No, Joseph R. Biden is completely unqualified, morally and cognitively, to represent real Americans, and lead this Republic of disparate peoples.
Yes, Joseph R. Biden has started whispering again, even softer now than before; so, I know he still cares, plus, OUR media will soon stop reporting on Afghanistan in favor of OUR Socialist issues.
Debate centers over whether, and how much, notice legislature must give before passing legislation during 'extra session'
They are four words among many in the state constitution. But their meaning could invalidate all laws passed in a 2016 special session of the General Assembly if a three-judge Superior Court panel decides they enshrine fundamental right predating the American Revolution.Lawyers for Republican legislative leaders who are defendants in a lawsuit brought by Common Cause North Carolina and 10 citizens say the constitutional phrase "to instruct their representatives" is a legally obsolete historical artifact. They insist it doesn't mean what plaintiffs' lawyers claim - defendants had a constitutional obligation to give sufficient public notice of the times and purposes of a special session.Both sides argued their case Wednesday, Feb. 21, that the judges should summarily dismiss the case in their favor. The hearing was held at Campbell Law School in downtown Raleigh before an audience of law students.At stake is the possible revocation of House Bill 17 and Senate Bill 4 . The General Assembly went into session Dec. 14, 2016, and passed the bills Dec. 16 in the fourth of five special sessions that year. Gov. Roy Cooper and the State Board of Education have filed lawsuits against those bills.The three-judge panel hearing the case comprises Judge Wayland Sermons, a registered Democrat whose multicounty district includes Beaufort County, where he lives, and registered Republican Judges Martin McGee of Cabarrus County, and W. Todd Pomeroy, whose district covers Cleveland and Lincoln counties.All three judges quizzed the opposing lawyers what they believed "to instruct their representatives" means, but it didn't appear the answers satisfied them.Plaintiffs' lawyer Burton Craige said the language was in use in North Carolina legal documents before the Revolutionary War, and has been included in versions of the state constitution since 1776.Craige said it should be interpreted to mean legislators have a constitutional obligation to meet citizens' constitutional rights to have meaningful advance notice of when legislative sessions are to commence, and what bills will be taken up. Asked by Sermons what meaningful meant, Craige didn't have an answer. He suggested the court should create some time element without defining a specific limit.Special Deputy Attorney General Matthew Tulich represents Republican Lt. Gov. Dan Forest, Senate leader Phil Berger, R-Rockingham, and House Speaker Tim Moore, R-Cleveland, the defendants. He said the plaintiffs were inventing a constitutional right that is not spelled out anywhere in the constitution, and offered two alternative explanations.He called the language a function of the times in which it was enacted. It enshrined a right for residents of the new state to tell their representatives to oppose a powerful, overreaching federal government. He also said it was included to preserve the right of citizens to remove representatives they opposed at the next election.Tulich also noted the difference in two constitutional provisions involving special sessions. When the governor calls them, Article III says the governor must state By contrast, Article II merely says the legislature can call a session anytime three-fifths of the members of the House and the Senate request one. No reason required.The judges huddled briefly at the conclusion of the two-hour hearing. They said they hoped to render a ruling quickly, but didn't suggest a target date.Both sides asked for a summary judgment, declaring instant victory without the need to proceed to a full-blown, fact-gathering trial with witnesses. The verdict could - and many expect would - be appealed.Craige said. Unlike the previous 30 special sessions dating to 1940, the defendants didn't give citizens advance notice a special session would be held, or advise them of legislation to be considered. He said they radically altered normal legislative rules for conducting business.Craige said.H.B. 17 removed power from the governor's office to make appointments to boards of trustees at UNC campuses, reduced the number of gubernatorial political appointments, required Cabinet nominees to get Senate confirmation, and transferred authority to the state Department of Public Instruction and its elected superintendent from the appointed State Board of Education.The most controversial provision of S.B. 4 merged the state elections board and ethics commission. It's been challenged in court several times, and it's still unresolved. The bill also changed Supreme Court and Court of Appeals elections from nonpartisan to partisan.Craige said.The plaintiffs are unhappy with two laws, and the process used to enact them, Tulich countered. That's a policy dispute rather than a legal one. The court would violate the constitutional separation-of-powers principle if it invalidated the laws, telling the General Assembly how to conduct its business.He refuted Craige's contention there was no advance notice of session business. Lawmakers knew about the bills 44 hours before voting. The bills were posted on legislative websites when introduced, and the record shows citizens not only knew about the measures, but viewed them there.Hundreds of people showed up at the General Assembly to protest the special session.Tulich said.Pomeroy noted it is not unusual for legislation to be marked up many times before it becomes law, and amendments can be inserted throughout the process. He wondered if lawmakers had to notify citizens for every one of those actions if legislative business might grind to a halt.Tulchin said bills frequently are amended in the flurry of activity to beat the end of legislative sessions, and even lawmakers don't receive notice when that happens.He dismissed the plaintiffs' complaint many normal rules of legislative operation were changed for the special session. The constitution gives the General Assembly power to establish procedural rules, subject to revisions of its choosing, at the outset of any new session, he said.
Pangolins, poached to meet a demand for their scales and meat in Asia, are a protected species and are considered the most trafficked mammals in the world. Photo by Tikki Hywood Trust
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In December, Humane Society Internationals Africa Wildlife Program Manager Nicci Wright received a call about a pangolin, named Ivory, rescued from traffickers who were attempting to sell him. Pangolins, poached to meet a demand for their scales and meat in Asia, are a protected species and are considered the most trafficked mammals in the world. Fortunately, law enforcement officers retrieved Ivory in a sting operation and the pangolin found his way to HSI staff members who took him into their care.
Pangolins seized from traffickers are usually kept in captivity with no food or water for weeks, but luckily Ivory had no severe injuries. He did smell strongly of bleachhis captors had likely soaked him in a bucket of it to disguise his natural scent and avoid detection by sniffer dogs. Once Ivorys condition had stabilized, he was released to a carefully selected conservancy area. A South African court sentenced the poacher to seven years in prison the highest sentence ever obtained in that country for a pangolin poacher.
In another part of the world, the staff members of HSI/India were busy at work monitoring traffickers of another kind of ivory elephant ivory. After months of chasing a lead, and with police assistance, four suspects were apprehended with two pieces of ivory and other protected materials. With a lead from the ivory case, HSI helped nab three more criminals who had poached a tiger and were trying to sell the animals skin. In just the past few weeks, our staff in India also conducted rescues of birds, including falcon chicks and owls, from traffickers and hunters.
These are just a few glimpses into the hands-on work our team members around the world have been doing in the last two months to save wildlife. Here are a few other recent wildlife victories:
HSI Canada led a public outcry against a hunter who speared a bear and posted a video on YouTube, following which trophy hunting with spears was banned in Alberta. We have also been lobbying in Canada to end the cruel practice of shark finning, and from March the Canadian Government will require that sharks be landed with fins attached at Canadian ports.
HSI Africa rescued, rehabilitated, and released back to the wild four pangolins confiscated from illegal trade.
HSI U.K. exposed the sale of fake faux fur real animal fur mislabeled as fake fur in British shops, markets, and online in a series of high profile investigations with major media partners, which led to the announcement of a parliamentary Inquiry into the matter; also in the U.K., the Labour Partythe lead opposition party to the governmentannounced its support for a ban on the import of fur.
HSI Vietnam, along with the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, held two trainings for 150 wildlife enforcement officers on how to tackle wildlife crime using the countrys newly strengthened penal code.
HSI India increased protection in the state of Assam for small birds, called bulbuls, who are used for fighting events. We also successfully ended sales of wildlife, including elephants, reptiles, and birds, at Indias Sonepur Fair, a thriving hub for the illegal wildlife trade.
HSIs global wildlife team helped achieve greater protection for polar bears, sea turtles, whales, and dolphins. We advocated for porpoiseshundreds of thousands of whom die cruel deaths each year due to bycatchby helping to establish the first-ever Bycatch Mitigation Coordinator in the International Whaling Commission.
Hong Kong agreed to a three-year phase-out of its domestic ivory trade, as well as import and export of ivory.
Two of the largest pro-trophy-hunting membership organizations in the United StatesSafari Club International and Dallas Safari Clubreleased statements and policies against canned lion hunting which will greatly reduce the number of American hunters who engage in this activity.
No creature is too big or small to protect from traffickers, poachers, and others who abuse animals. Our staff members are at work each day to to ensure not only that criminals do not get the upper hand in the race to protect endangered and threatened animals, but that animals in all kinds of jeopardy get the help and support that they need and deserve.
Yahoo! JAPAN
Yahoo! JAPAN
In a letter to the Koch network a group of evil billionaires who chip in to buy politicians the Koch brothers crowed about how Donald Trump (whom they considered replacing with Paul Ryan in a backroom deal at the 2016 RNC) has been a pliable servant to them and their political goals during his year in office.
The Kochs cheered Trump's withdrawal from the Paris Accord on climate change; his evisceration of the EPA Clean Power Plan; his plan to gut the inheritance tax; the GOP's tax bill and its transfer of billions from the poorest Americans to the very wealthiest few 13 points in all.
To win support for the Republican tax legislation, the Koch network claims that it organized over 100 rallies in 36 states, contacted over 1.8 million activists, and knocked on over 33,000 doors. The group also spent freely on digital and television advertisements, with $1.6 million in TV spots to support the legislation in Wisconsin alone. As The Intercept previously reported, the Koch network told its surrogates to downplay concern over the deficit, a major issue they raised during the Obama administration, in order to convince lawmakers to support the package. Days after the tax bill passed, Charles Koch and his wife donated $500,000 to Speaker Paul Ryan's joint fundraising leadership PAC, which has a heightened threshold for donations.
Koch Document Reveals Laundry List of Policy Victories Extracted from the Trump Administration [Lee Fang and Nick Surgey/The Intercept]
(Images: Donkey Hotey, CC-BY-SA; Trump's Hair)
Every American 16-year-old enrolled in high-school has to learn civics, with extensive instruction on the more confusing aspects of the American electoral system, such as the Electoral College; they are also required to study current affairs so why not let them vote?
16 year olds were given the right to vote in the Scottish independence referendum, an election with far greater consequences for the nation than any mere presidential election or midterm.
When my grandmother was 16, she was already a veteran who had served in the military for three years, and she was a mother. Can't think of a single reason she shouldn't have gotten the vote back then.
1. People who are 16 and 17 are as qualified to vote as anyone in the 80s or 90s.
The Republican Party likely would crumble as a national force tomorrow if seniors in nursing and retirement homes stopped voting. Meanwhile, their their entire agenda serves to undo the biggest victories of the "War on Poverty" which primary benefited the elderly. You can argue that teens cognitive abilities on average do not match adults in their "peak" years, but you could make the same case against some older voters. The difference is, only one group has to live with the consequences of their current choices for generations.
Any argument against teens voting makes more sense when applied against older seniors voting.
Don't think a 16 year old has enough "life experience" to vote? Put her up against twenty 78-year-olds and let's see who figures out which stories in their Facebook feed are real first. You could easily argue that Americans who grew up without computers and smartphones are not equipped to participate as citizens in this society.
2. We are looting this generation of kids who will have to live with the horrible choices we're making.
Why are we running a massive deficit now, as unemployment is at two-decade lows, but had to fight to keep Republicans from defaulting on our debt during the aftermath of the worst recession in 60 years? Why are we intent on making the two worst crises of our time wealth inequality and climate change worse? Why are we proposing cuts to a safety net that's already the flimsiest in the developed world? Probably because the people who'd have to bear the brunt of these horrible choices cannot vote yet.
3. Expanding democracy is the only solution to the right's attack on democracy.
Trump's Nazi-like slurs against immigrants and immigration policies straight out of the Second Klan stir up his base's well nurtured resentments, but there is also some conniving practicality to this agenda. Trump's GOP is trying to gerrymander states and the nation the way they've gerrymandered Congress to keep 95 percent of GOP House districts majority white. America's voters become more diverse every year. The future has never been so clear, yet so far away, with GOP policies determined to keep majority white districts and states punching above their weight for decades. In addition to all the practical steps Democrats need to take to make sure the electorate better reflects the population, we need to send a clear message to the next generation of voters not only do we want you, we need you.
In a new article for GQ, writer Zach Baron profiles the late 1990s/early aughts superstar Brendan Fraser, who all but disappeared from the public eye over the past decade. It turns out a combination of personal, physical, and professional stressincluding experiencing sexual harassmentcaused Fraser to step away from the limelight almost entirely. But Fraser's now making a career comeback as a prestige TV character actor, and this profile is an intimate, poignant look into his journey. Here's an excerpt:
Movie stardom is a phenomenon even movie stars can't reliably explain. Some executive or a director puts your face on a screen in a theater, and there's something about your features or the way your parents raised you or the decade you happened to arrive in Hollywood, some ineffable thing that goes beyond acting that you have no conscious control over, and millions of people respond to it. Fraser was gentle and eager and apparently guileless, and we as a country decided that was something we wanted as frequently as he would provide it, and so he spent some of the best years of his life doing his best to do just that. []
The films, in addition to having diminishing returns, were causing a physical toll: He was a big man doing stunts, running around in front of green screens, going from set to set. His body began to fall apart. "By the time I did the third Mummy picture in China," which was 2008, "I was put together with tape and icejust, like, really nerdy and fetishy about ice packs. Screw-cap ice packs and downhill-mountain-biking pads, 'cause they're small and light and they can fit under your clothes. I was building an exoskeleton for myself daily." Eventually all these injuries required multiple surgeries: "I needed a laminectomy. And the lumbar didn't take, so they had to do it again a year later." There was a partial knee replacement. Some more work on his back, bolting various compressed spinal pads together. At one point he needed to have his vocal cords repaired. All told, Fraser says, he was in and out of hospitals for almost seven years.
He laughs a small, sad laugh. "This is gonna really probably be a little saccharine for you," Fraser warns. "But I felt like the horse from Animal Farm, whose job it was to work and work and work. Orwell wrote a character who was, I think, the proletariat. He worked for the good of the whole, he didn't ask questions, he didn't make trouble until it killed him. I don't know if I've been sent to the glue factory, but I've felt like I've had to rebuild shit that I've built that got knocked down and do it again for the good of everyone. Whether it hurts you or not."
We've certainly heard plenty of reporters and cable news talking heads marble-mouthing their way through "Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School" over the past week. It definitely doesn't want to roll off of the tongue. But who exactly is the school's namesake, Marjory Stoneman Douglas?
Turns out, Marjory Douglas was a bit of a badass in her own right, a writer of some repute who became a relentless advocate for preserving the Florida everglades. She was also an outspoken suffragist and civil rights advocate. She died in 1998 at the age of 108.
These kids didn't choose this tragedy, but it sounds like they have a worthy predecessor and inspiring icon in their school's colorful namesake. Here's a piece from the Chicago Tribune which offers a thumbnail bio of Ms. Douglas:
But before Marjory Stoneman Douglas was a school, before the school was the latest symbol of the country's gun violence and woefully weak gun laws, Douglas was a person, a fighter, a legend. [] She was a writer and editor there [Miami Herald] for a while, then moved on to writing short stories for such prestigious magazines as Harper's and The Saturday Evening Post. Money from those jobs helped her finance the cottage on a shady street in the Coconut Grove neighborhood. [] She had battled governments, developers, engineers, sugar cane industrialists and the apathy of normal people. She had pushed so hard and for so long that the state had finally committed to preserving one of the world's great wetlands. We have her to thank for Everglades National Park. Had she ever been discouraged, I asked? "What does it matter if I've been discouraged or encouraged over the years?" she said, brusquely. "This thing's got to be done. It's not a question of how I feel from moment to moment." [] One Florida environmentalist described her to me as "that tiny, slim, perfectly dressed, utterly ferocious grande dame who can make a redneck shake in his boots." "When Marjory bites you," he added, "you bleed."
Marjory Stoneman Douglas's Wikipedia page has more.
[H/t to my short-suffering agent, Laurie Fox, for posting the Tribune article on Facebook]
[Photo: "Photographed at the naming of the Department of Natural Resources administration building in her honor. Douglas, an environmental activist and popular author, was inducted into the Women's Hall of Fame in 1986 and awarded the Presidential Medal of Honor by President Clinton in 1993 for her conservation efforts." Via Wikicommons.]
News / National
by Staff reporter
The country is poised for better fortunes and economic recovery under the new political dispensation and members of the Zimbabwe National Army entrusted with maintaining peace and national integrity should remain patient and focused, a senior army official has said.Speaking during the hand-over-take-over of the command of 53 Infantry Battalion in Battle Fields near Kwekwe recently, the outgoing Commanding Officer, Lieutenant-Colonel Munyaradzi Marimbindi said soldiers should remain loyal to their commanders. He said the new political dispensation was promising a bright future for the nation.Lt-Col Marimbindi, who is assuming the new post of Commanding Officer Cadet Wing at the Zimbabwe Military Academy, handed over the reins of the battalion to Lieutenant-Colonel Tendai Mahuvava after a three and half year stint at the helm.Lt-Col Marimbindi said the economic hardships faced by the country would soon be a thing of the past as the new administration was making positive re-engagements with the international community."Let me urge you to remain vigilant, loyal and patriotic," he said."Never let the detractors sway your allegiance. Be assured that the economic hardships currently being experienced by our nation is just but a passing phase. Together we shall enjoy the new political dispensation."Lt-Col Marimbindi said the ZDF was always ready to assist the Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) whenever the need arose."On security matters, the area of responsibility remains relatively calm and the Battalion continues to assist the Zimbabwe Republic Police and other security organs in maintaining peace law and order," he said."I hope and trust that you will continue to cement the relationship that is in existence with all security organs in the tactical area of responsibility."Lt-Col Marimbindi said he was pleased to have been associated with the 53 Battalion that played a critical role during Operation Restore Legacy that ushered in the new Government led by President Mnangagwa.In his acceptance speech, Lt-Col Mahuvava said: "I undertake to finish all the programmes that are in progress and will endeavour to perfect them. It is my desire to maintain and improve on this high level proficiency."Lt-Col Mahuvava called on all the officers to support him in his endeavour to overcome challenges that may be lying ahead.Commander 5 Brigade, Colonel Simon Maseko, witnessed the handover-takeover, which was attended by Joint Operation Committee (JOC) members, senior staff officers, traditional leaders and business community, among others.
News / National
by Staff reporter
FORMER president Robert Mugabe was not removed from office by the army but he was pressured to resign by Zanu-PF, a senior party official has said.Addressing scores of supporters at Nemamwa in Masvingo West on Saturday, Masvingo Senator Clemence Makwarimba said the former president had been surrounded by "rogue elements" in the form of members of the G40 cabal.This, he said, prompted the army to launch Operation Restore Legacy but the party remained responsible in pushing Mugabe out of power."There are some who are lying that Mugabe was removed from power by the army. It is the Zanu-PF Central Committee, which dismissed him as leader of the party," said Makwarimba.He said there was no way Mugabe was going to withstand the pressure that the people of Zimbabwe had mounted on him, led by war veterans."The war veterans called for a solidarity march and you saw that there was a sea of people in Harare in November last year. The people from all walks of life, even threatened to go to Mugabe's blue roof residence as his resignation took long."After Zanu-PF Central Committee had dismissed him from the party, we then decided to move a step further and remove him as Head of State. We then teamed up as parliamentarians from MDC-T and Zanu-PF to do the process of impeaching him," he said.The former President, then wrote a letter to the Speaker of Parliament Advocate Jacob Mudenda announcing his resignation and Parliament could not progress with the process of impeachment.Makwarimba said a majority of legislators wanted Mugabe to leave office as soon as possible and they had unanimously agreed. He said the problem with Mugabe was that he had allowed his powers to be usurped by his wife, Grace, who was also dismissed from the party.Speaking at the same event Zanu-PF provincial chairman Ezra Chadzamira called on women in the party not to behave like the former First Lady."Mugabe did a lot for us until he was surrounded by criminals in the form of G40 cabal members. His wife proved to be a destructive woman and I do not expect Zanu-PF women here to be like her. She wanted to impose herself as Vice President of this country then President later and you saw how our President Emmerson Mnangagwa was humiliated and subsequently fired from his post as Vice President," said Chadzamira.He called for members to vote resoundingly for President Mnangagwa in the harmonised elections expected sometime in July this year.
News / National
by Staff reporter
NEW MDC-T leader Nelson Chamisa cannot talk about democracy and constitutionalism after "illegally" grabbing power in the opposition party, war veterans' leader Victor Matemadanda has said.Addressing liberation war fighters in Mutare last week, Matemadanda, who is also a member of the ruling Zanu-PF party's politburo, said the MDC-T had been hijacked by power hungry young turks who lacked the vision of founding leader Morgan Tsvangirai.Tsvangirai recently succumbed to a long battle against colon a cancer. He was promptly replaced as party leader by Chamisa in a controversial process that is bitterly contested by rivals Thokhozani Khuphe and Elias Mudzuri.Matemadanda said it was unacceptable for MDC-T youths to disparage Khuphe as a "dissident"."We will ask those in Matabeleland North, where we are going to address (war veterans), how they feel when one of their own is labelled a dissident."That's why we said it is called Movement for Destructive Change," said Matemadanda.He urged war veterans to mobilise people in their respective districts to vote for President Emmerson Mnangagwa in general elections due later this year.
News / National
by Staff reporter
MDC-T vice-president Thokozani Khupe has claimed that she now fears for her life, hence her decision to boycott all meetings held at the opposition party's Harvest House headquarters in Harare, as she continues to receive threatening messages from youths from a rival camp.Khupe's personal assistant, Witness Dube, said the culture of violence that has pervaded the MDC-T had made it impossible for her to attend last Friday's standing committee meetings and any other party activities before and after the death of party leader Morgan Tsvangirai early this month."This is a group of people who are now determined to use violence as a way of out-manoeuvring and outflanking Dr Khupe. Right now Dr Khupe as acting president had given direction that we hold a standing committee meeting, but there arise serious questions to do with her security. She is not guaranteed to make it to those meetings. Meanwhile, this isolation, this use of violence is meant to isolate her from party activities so that people can go ahead and claim whatever position and whatever leadership action they want," he said.Khupe has since the launch of the MDC Alliance not been attending MDC-T standing committee, national executive and national council meetings, citing security concerns since her assault by suspected rowdy party youths in Bulawayo last year.She even refused to meet Tsvangirai at his Highlands home to discuss the matter in September last year.Dube defended his boss, saying she was not opposed to the MDC Alliance and was not boycotting meetings of the party, but instead was opposed to dictatorship exhibited by her late boss in inking the alliance deal."What Dr Khupe is against is the unilateralism in decision-making. In principle, she has agreed to the alliance, but this needed to be thrashed by parties. There was no need for people to go under the cover of darkness and thrash out a document without involving everyone. That document by now is still not in the public and has never been discussed by the MDC-T national council," he said.Party secretary-general Douglas Mwonzora confirmed Khupe's security fears."I am aware that she has been receiving threatening messages and she told me as the administrator of Harvest House unfortunately the events in Bhurea lead credence to this claims and until and unless we deal with these elements as a party without fear or favor, then it is difficult to guarantee anyone safety including our leaders," said Mwonzora.He said Khupe was not boycotting meetings but was staying away for her safety, saying he hoped that this would be dealt with by the party.But, youth leader Happymore Chidziva said Khupe should not paint the party as a violent institution which did not respect its leaders."We are not aware as to who is after our vice-president, we respect her and are also worried on her absence at crucial party meetings. Nobody wants to beat out the vice-president, that is not the culture of this party and the youths, let her give other reasons," he said.
News / Press Release
by Fanuel Chinowaita
MDC-T Students Council totally denounces the unlawful arrest of about 60 Students of NUST including Pashor Sibanda who is the Secretary for Education Bulawayo Province Youth today.The students have been arrested just for demonstrating demanding lecturers who have been on strike since January 29 to start working.Students' Council totally condemns such an idiotic and diabolic action by the unconstitutional junta administration of Emerson Mnangagwa.ED has promised to restore democracy in his hundred days in office but we have noted that he is not ready to follow the constitution and respect human rights laws.Students have every right for education, and if it is not given, they have every right to demonstrate. However, the illegitimate junta government has dicided to violate the constitution of Zimbabwe.Students' Council demands the immediate release of all who have been arrested. It also demands NUST lecturers to start executing their duties immediately.Fanuel ChinowaitaNational SpokespersonMDC-T Students' Council
News / Regional
by Stephen Jakes
Mthwakazi activists in Lupane have disrupted anothjer National Peace and Reonciliation Commission meeting in Lupane disputing the composition of the comittee members who majority are honas.The activists refused to be addressed by the Shona member committee saying the decision to appoint Shona committee members to seek views from the victims was contrary to their expectations.Zimbabwe Peace Project has re[ported that there was drama as the activists resisted to be addressed by the committee."Another NPRC meeting disrupted in Lupane. Among the grievances are that Chief Mabhikwa was not invited for the meeting and that the meeting was not adequately publisized. Members of civil society group Mthwakazi are said to have disrupted the meeting. However some residents are at loggerheads with the group arguing that they have a right to be heard by the NPRC," reported the ZPP.
Opinion / Columnist
My stomach churned as I watched the video, of Home Affairs minister and former Mines and Mining Development minister Obert Mpofu causing a ruckus in Parliament last Thursday when he refused to answer questions about the alleged missing $15 billion of diamond revenue during his tenure at the Mines ministry.Here was an MP with the audacity to show defiance, contempt and disrespect to a sub-organ of Parliament, the Portfolio Committee on Mines and Energy (PCME). It was shockingly shameless, as it was unbelievably ungracious.People marched for real change in November 2017Many marched for genuine change in November 2017.We walked from Highfield township to the central business district side by side with young people who are desperate, hungry and angry.The atmosphere was characterised by thrilling excitement.It was electric. Optimism and expectation were in the air.There was hopefulness for a better season, for a new order that would change the fortunes of both country and folk.We could almost touch it.The arrogance displayed Mpofu shows that as things appear like they are changing, they have remained the same.Personally, the hope that I had, that the new dispensation was going to deliver back to the nation, at least double old, the 27 years that was squandered by the previous order, simply vanished.How could I have been this foolhardy to trust those that stand accused, by the court of public opinion, blamed to have looted Zimbabwe to ruins, now being the champions of change that will bring us prosperity?Respect for others start with respect for selfWatching that video reminded me of American Poet, Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882) stating, "There are other measures of self-respect for a man, than the number of clean shirts he puts on every day."But more apt is the quote by Irish Novelist, Laurence Sterne (1713-1768), when he suggested that, "Respect for ourselves guides our morals, respect for others guides our manners."No one is above the rule of lawPower is divided within the government of Zimbabwe in three locations namely: the Executive (the Presidency and Cabinet), the Legislature (Parliament), and Judiciary (the courts).These three organs of power operate independently, but in concert, to uphold the Constitution, the supreme law of Zimbabwe.No one single entity or person is above this law.By deliberately disrespecting parliamentary processes, to which he swore allegiance, the Mpofu was sending a message that he is untouchable, like in the previous order and above the law.As members of the citizenry, it is none of our business that there are personal vendettas between Mpofu and chairperson of the portfolio committee on mines Themba Mliswa.Questions were tabled and answers were expected in line with accountability to Parliament.There were allegations from Mpofu that MP Mliswa was conflicted. These allegations ought to have been stated in writing, before the hearing and submitted to the Speaker of Parliament.We all have wisdom in hindsight.The ideal situation should have been for the minister to politely excuse himself from the meeting for reasons he was going to provide later, in writing, through the Speaker of Parliament and then proceed to submit the allegations through the right channels. The dramatic exchange and commotion that ensued was unnecessary.What does Zimbabwe is now open for business really mean?Not so long ago on January 18 2018 President Emmerson Mnangagwa launched the country's investment policy statement entitled, Investment Guidelines and Opportunities in Zimbabwe (Investment Guidelines).Soon after the launch, on January 24 2018 he announced to delegates at the World Economic Forum in Davos that "Zimbabwe is now open for business".Being open for business is a portrayal and a statement of commitment that Zimbabwe is now welcoming investors from around the world to participate in various sectors of the economy under an enabling environment.But the invitation to transact based on well drafted investment guidelines are an insufficient condition to lure desired investors.The conduct of those in our leadership, past and present, is instructive.The behaviour of Mpofu in Parliament, disrespecting the Legislature where he is supposed to be serving, at the pleasure of his constituency and the nation at large, with honour and dignity is unfortunately now an inconvenient laceration on the new order.The citizenry, together with the global investing public are watching and taking notes.The testimony of Lovemore Kurotwi at the same hearing, testimony which still needs to be tested, is revealing.Here is a country claiming to be "open for business" when it is failing to account for over $15 billion of its own proceeds.We do not need to be begging for foreign direct investment (FDI).Mining is one of the bedrocks of our economy. We require full disclosure on previous mining activities and where crimes were committed, the law must take its course.For current activities, we must utilise a mixed approach where we beneficiate where we can, export raw product where we cannot and reinvest the mining proceeds in our own economy.FDI is discerning and mobile. Like flowing water, FDI ultimately follows the path of least resistance.Zimbabwe is competing with more desirable destinations across the globe.White-washing the investment pitch by announcing the re-integration of white commercial farmers in order to boost agricultural productivity will get Zimbabwean whites back on the land but will not be enough of a sweetener to get the kind of investment Zimbabwe requires right now.Insisting that there would be no immunity for members of the previous administration headed by former president Robert Mugabe, when many are still holding top positions in government serves to unmask our half-hearted stance towards attracting FDI.Tax incentives no matter how attractive, are considered as a package with other factors such as ease of doing business, labour laws, governance issues, rule of law, infrastructure, political stability etcetera.Do we even understand what is at stake?In a recent Facebook rant on January 25 2018, a US-based tech innovator and disruptive thinker, Freeman Chari, declared that, "it will take decades for Zimbabwe to have a functional and prosperous economy if you give this government a chance."He insisted, "Zimbabwe is rich only if taken in isolation.We are poor."Poor, I gasped! This is a rebuttable presumption, I thought to myself.My first instinct was to challenge him based on the fact that he was a fatalist-peddling pessimist.I restrained myself and listened. Chari continued to argue that, on the agricultural front, tobacco was a dying industry and yet we continue to escalate our commitment to this sector. On agriculture, he said, "We are trying to compete with a world that is comfortable eating GMOs with only 0,001% of American households caring if their chicken is free range or GMO.Our tomatoes have a 3-4 days shelf life and genetically engineered ones in Wal-Mart have a 2-week shelf life."On the mining front, Chari insisted, "Ziscosteel will never be able to compete globally with Chinese steel delivered to your door step at a fraction of the price."He further argued that, "precious minerals without the infrastructure nor the leverage to add value to them" would not trigger the growth we are desirous of.The tirade ended by him stating that, "unless drastic, efficient and tech intensive processes are adopted, which need huge investment upfront, there is no hope."Chari's observations underscore the same sentiments I have written about before in this column.Zimbabwe started its decline 27 years ago.This decline heightened during the last 17 years. What this means is, the business we are calling for now when we say, "Zimbabwe is open for business" is in fact, business unusual.Narrow-mindedness, short-sightedness and myopic attitudes will only make us linger longer in a subsistence economy.We need champions with a deeper comprehension of the modern world, foresight and unselfishness to champion our renaissance to the Promised Land.Looting and corruption on a grand scale must be eliminated.The judiciary must not be compromised otherwise the corrupt will not be convicted.The bloated army and civil service must be reduced.The current cabinet must be changed because it is a reflection of the old cabinet and therefore cannot be trusted to spearhead the change processes required.The police service must be restrained and not go about unexpectedly shooting innocent civilians like they did last Thursday.The infrastructure must be maintained and rebuilt.Zimbabwe Inc. needs a viable and sustainable monetary system with its own currency that is readily available and convertible with other currencies.The labour laws ought to be revamped.Most importantly, there has to be a deeper comprehension of the strategic direction of the economy and how we are going to achieve prosperity.So when we say, Zimbabwe is now open for business, we must understand that both the tangibles and intangibles matter and have equal weight.That which appeals to the foreign investor must first appeal to the local investor too.The local investor is key during this transformation.Without the requisite collective mental aptitude, commitment and political will to deal with the red herring issues and blind spots, Zimbabwe could very well be headed south, towards further ruin.---------Gloria Ndoro-Mkombachoto is an entrepreneur and a regional enterprise development consultant. Her experience spans a period of over 25 years. She can be contacted at totemshumba@gmail.com
Updates throughout the day at http://calevbenyefuneh.blog spot.com. If you enjoy "Love of the Land", please be a subscriber. Just put your email address in the "Subscribe" box on the upper right-hand corner of the page.Twitter updates at LoveoftheLand as well as our Love of the Land page at Facebook which has additional pieces of interest besides that which is posted on the blog. Also check-out This Ongoing War by Frimet and Arnold Roth. An excellent blog, very important work.
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..Gatestone Institute..26 February '18..No doubt Ismail Radwan is a terrorist, but, unlike other Palestinian leaders and spokesmen, he is at least an honest one.At a time when most Palestinian leaders are telling the world that settlements are the real "obstacle" to peace, Radwan, a senior Hamas official, last week made it clear that the conflict with Israel is not about Jews living in a settlement in the West Bank. The truth is that the Palestinians see Israel as one big settlement that needs to be uprooted from the Middle East.The Palestinians do not differentiate between a Jew living in a settlement on the outskirts of Bethlehem, in the West Bank, and a Jew living in the cities of Haifa, and Tel Aviv and Eilat. All the Jews, they say, are "occupiers" and "settlers" who need to "go back to where they came from."For the Palestinians, the real "occupation" began with the establishment of Israel in 1948.
MONDAY, Feb. 26, 2018 (HealthDay News) -- If you think that "vaping" is a safe alternative to smoking, new research suggests you might be inadvertently inhaling unsafe levels of toxic metals.
Scientists say the tiny metal coils that heat the liquid nitrogen in e-cigarettes may contaminate the resulting vapor with lead, chromium, manganese and nickel. The finding raises the possibility that e-cigarettes are not harmless to users.
"We analyzed 15 metals in e-liquid from the refill dispenser -- before the liquid meets the heating element -- in the vapor, and in the remaining e-liquid in the tank after vaping," explained study author Pablo Olmedo. He's an assistant scientist with the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health's department of environmental health and engineering, in Baltimore.
"We found that the metal concentrations were generally higher in the tank and aerosol compared to the refill dispenser," said Olmedo. That suggests that the heating coil is the smoking gun, he added.
But study co-author Ana Maria Rule pointed out that their team also found "the presence of some metals in some of the liquids even before they are in contact with the coil."
That could mean that "in addition to the metal coil, other factors could play a role in e-cigarette metal exposure, such as the voltage used to heat the coil," said Rule, also an assistant scientist at Hopkins.
Unlike traditional smoking, vaping works by heating liquids that contain nicotine. The liquid passes through a heating coil, producing a vapor that proponents claim is free of much of the carcinogens associated with burning tobacco leaves.
Given that a recent U.S. National Institute on Drug Abuse survey found that one in six high schoolers has vaped in the past month, the finding could have broad public health implications, the researchers said.
In the Hopkins study, published Feb. 21 in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives, investigators recruited 56 vapers in the Baltimore area to see whether the heating process introduces toxins into what is inhaled.
The researchers used the vapers' own e-cigarette devices when examining the chemical content of e-liquid, vapor and residue.
Tested chemicals included: aluminum, antimony, arsenic, cadmium, chromium, copper, iron, lead, manganese, nickel, titanium, tungsten, uranium and zinc. Prior research has linked prolonged inhalation of such metals to lung, liver, heart and brain damage. Chronic exposure may also depress immune system function and raise the risk for certain types of cancer, the researchers said.
The team found that e-liquid exposed to heating coils produced a vapor containing significant amounts of chromium, lead, manganese, nickel and zinc.
Highly toxic arsenic was also found in both the e-liquid and the heated vapor among a subset of 10 vapers, though how that metal got into the unheated e-liquid remains unclear.
The team also noted that toxic metal levels seemed to be higher among vapers who changed their heating coils more often, suggesting that new coils may produce more toxins than older ones.
Regardless, Rule said, vapers should know that "as far as we know, all current electronic cigarettes use a metallic coil to generate the vapor, so not vaping is the only way to avoid or mitigate this [toxic] exposure."
As for whether vaping is safer than smoking or worse, Rule said the team "did not set out to compare e-cigarettes to cigarettes."
But Stanton Glantz, a professor of medicine with the University of California, San Francisco's Center for Tobacco Control, Research and Education, said it's important to understand that e-cigs "have an entirely different toxicological profile" than cigarettes.
"So the risk profile is going to be different," Glantz said. "The assumption has been that at least e-cigarettes aren't worse. But this suggests they have something in them that isn't even in standard cigarettes that's worth being worried about."
That worry was echoed by Patricia Folan, director of the Center for Tobacco Control at Northwell Health in Great Neck, N.Y.
"Considering the list of metals, toxic materials and lung-damaging materials found in e-cigarettes, these products are not a healthy product for teen consumption," she said.
"I guess the question is, do we really want to promote and advertise these products and take a chance on damaging the health of our youth, without knowing their health effects and without regulation?" Folan asked.
More information
There's more on e-cigarettes at the U.S. National Institute on Drug Abuse.
Here are some of the latest health and medical news developments, compiled by the editors of HealthDay:
New FDA Guidelines to Expand Medication-Assisted Treatment for Opioid Addiction
New guidelines to expand medication-assisted treatment for opioid addiction will be introduced by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, according to a senior official.
The agency will issue draft guidelines in the next few weeks, the official told The New York Times.
Changes will include allowing the sale of medications that ease opioid cravings, even if they don't halt addiction.
In remarks Saturday to the National Governors Association, Health and Human Services Secretary Alex M. Azar II said the FDA intended "to correct a misconception that patients must achieve total abstinence in order for MAT (medication-assisted therapy) to be considered effective," The Times reported.
In 2016, there were nearly 64,000 opioid overdose deaths in the U.S., including from prescription painkillers and heroin.
Federal data shows that only one-third of specialty substance abuse treatment programs offer medication-assisted treatment, Azar noted.
"We want to raise that number -- in fact, it will be nigh impossible to turn the tide on this epidemic without doing so," he said, The Times reported.
Currently, there are three FDA-approved drugs for opioid treatment: buprenorphine (brand name Suboxone); methadone; and naltrexone (brand name Vivitrol). These drugs are safe and effective when combined with counseling and other support, according to the agency.
But the FDA plans to publish new recommendations for drugmakers on the issue, The Times reported.
One will promote the development of new, longer-acting forms of existing drugs for opioid treatment, and the other says new drugs that don't stop opioid addiction but help ease it will be eligible for FDA approval.
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Tourist With Measles Visited Numerous Sites in New York: Health Officials
An Australian tourist with the measles recently visited the Metropolitan Museum of Art, as well as hotels and health care facilities in and around New York City, potentially exposing other people to the measles, state health officials say.
They added that the risk of developing measles is low, especially for people who have been immunized.
The tourist was part of an Oasis Bible Tour group traveling between Feb. 16-21. Anyone who visited the following locations may have been exposed to the measles, the New York State Department of Health said.
The locations include:
La Quinta Inn, 31 W. 71st Street, New York, NY, between Feb. 16 and the morning of Feb. 19;
Oasis Bible Tours at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1000 5th Avenue, New York, NY, the morning of Feb.16 and the evening of Feb. 17;
Watchtower Educational Center, 100 Watchtower Drive, Patterson, NY, between 12:30 p.m. 6:30 p.m. on Feb.19;
Best Western Hotel, 1324 Atlantic Avenue, Brooklyn, NY, from Feb. 19 until 12:00 p.m. on Feb. 20;
Comfort Inn & Suites Goshen Middletown, 20 Hatfield Lane, Goshen, NY, from 4:30 p.m. on Feb. 20 until 10:30 a.m. on Feb. 21;
Excel Urgent Care, 1 Hatfield Lane, Goshen, NY, between 8:00 a.m. 11:30 a.m. on Feb. 21;
Orange Regional Medical Center, Emergency Department, 707 E. Main Street, Middletown, NY, between 9:00 a.m. 4:00 p.m. on Feb. 21.
The measles infection rate is 90 percent for nonimmunized people who come near an active spreader, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Washington Post reported.
"Those individuals lacking immunity or who are not sure if they have been vaccinated, should contact their health care provider if they develop measles symptoms. Symptoms include a fever, rash, cough, conjunctivitis or runny nose. Symptoms usually appear in 10-12 days after exposure. Individuals who may have been exposed and who lack immunity could begin experiencing symptoms at this time," the state health department news release said.
"To prevent the spread of illness, the Department is advising individuals who may have been exposed and who have symptoms consistent with measles to contact their health care provider, a local clinic, or a local emergency department before going for care. This will help to prevent others at these facilities from being exposed to the illness."
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Reward Offered in Case of Missing CDC Employee
A $10,000 reward is being offered for information leading to an arrest and indictment in the case of a missing U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention employee.
Police say Timothy Cunningham, 35, was last seen on Feb. 12, The New York Times reported.
Last July, Cunningham was promoted to commander in the United States Public Health Service, according to his family. They have teamed up with Crime Stoppers of Greater Atlanta to offer the reward.
"As of today we have been unable to locate Mr. Cunningham and we are seeking the assistance of the public with this case," Officer Donald Hannah of the Atlanta Police Department said in an email on Saturday, The Times reported.
Police have found no evidence of foul play, according to Hannah.
Terrell Cunningham told The Times his son had "a lot going on" personally and professionally.
The CDC website says Cunningham has been deployed for public health emergencies such as outbreaks of Ebola and the Zika virus.
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Iceland Bill Would Ban Circumcision of Boys
A proposal to ban the circumcision of boys for non-medical reasons is being considered in Iceland. If passed, it would be the first such law in Europe.
Circumcision of boys is typically performed on newborns, and the proposed law says this is a violation of human rights "since boys are not able to give an informed consent of an irreversible physical intervention," the Associated Press reported.
"This is fundamentally about not causing unnecessary harm to a child," said Silja Dogg Gunnarsdottir, of the centrist Progressive Party, who introduced the bill this month.
Under the bill, circumcision of boys would be considered the same as female genital mutilation and punishable by up to six years in prison, the AP reported.
Some religious leaders in Iceland and other parts of Europe say the proposed ban is an attack on religious freedom. Male circumcision is traditionally practiced by Jews and Muslims.
The bill appears to have little support in the Iceland parliament, but is backed by 422 Icelandic doctors who favor outlawing the practice, the AP reported.
In a joint statement, the doctors said circumcision violates the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child and also the physicians' Hippocratic Oath that states: "First, do no harm."
"In Western societies, circumcision of healthy boys has no significant health benefits," according to the statement, citing a 2013 paper in the American Academy of Pediatrics journal, the AP reported.
MONDAY, Feb. 26, 2018 (HealthDay News) -- Despite some promising reports in recent years, it seems the U.S. childhood obesity problem is not turning a corner.
That's the finding of a study published online Feb. 26 in Pediatrics showing that hopes of a turnaround may have been premature.
Over the past few years, studies have found that childhood obesity rates seemed to be leveling off -- and even decreasing among preschool children. Based on the new study, however, the good news was short-lived.
Looking at the years 1999 to 2016, the researchers found no evidence of any sustained improvements in childhood obesity rates, for kids of any age. Instead, the long-range view showed a "continued upward trend."
And what of the decrease in obesity among the nation's youngest children? That seems to have disappeared. In 2015-2016, almost 14 percent of 2- to 5-year-olds were mildly obese -- up from 9 percent in 2013-2014.
"So maybe it was going down before, but now it's increasing again," said lead researcher Asheley Skinner, an associate professor at Duke University in Durham, N.C.
The study highlights the pitfalls of putting too much stock in short-term changes, according to Dr. David Ludwig, co-director of the New Balance Foundation Obesity Prevention Center at Boston Children's Hospital.
"We need to avoid overinterpreting short-term trends," said Ludwig, who wrote an editorial published with the study.
More important, broad efforts are clearly needed to address the childhood obesity problem, both Ludwig and Skinner said.
On the policy level, some steps have been taken -- such as better nutritional standards for the national school lunch program.
"But no one measure, alone, is going to make a big difference," Skinner said. "It takes a little bit of everything, on all levels."
Encouraging parents to make changes -- such as buying more fruits and vegetables, and replacing sugary drinks with milk -- is necessary. But the onus cannot be on parents alone, according to Skinner.
For one thing, there are racial and ethnic disparities in the national rates of childhood obesity. Nearly half of all Hispanic children are now overweight or obese. Similarly, black children have higher rates of obesity -- including severe obesity -- than either white or Asian-American kids.
"I just don't believe that's because half of those parents are doing a bad job of feeding their kids," Skinner said.
Instead, she said, some families may not be able to get affordable healthy food, for example. Or, kids may lack safe places to play and be physically active.
Ludwig agreed, and added that factors such as chronic stress and poor sleep can help "drive" obesity, too.
With all of those things coming into play, addressing the issue may be daunting, according to Ludwig. But, he said, it's also doable with the "political will."
The new findings come from an ongoing health and nutrition study run by the U.S. government. Every couple of years, researchers conduct home interviews and physical exams with a nationally representative sample of Americans.
By 2015-2016, the study found, 35 percent of all U.S. kids ages 2 to 19 were overweight or obese. That included more than 41 percent of 16- to 19-year-olds.
About 18 percent of girls and 19 percent of boys fell into the mildly obese category -- compared with just under 15 percent in 1999-2000. About 2 percent of boys and girls fit the definition of the most severe stage of obesity, which was roughly double the rate in 1999-2000.
Looking at the long term, there were no signs of a sustained improvement in any age group, the researchers said.
But Skinner cautioned against a doomsday interpretation. It's not that there's no way to stem the tide, she said.
There's evidence that certain policies, like more physical education in schools, do help -- but they may not have reached enough kids yet, according to Skinner.
Ludwig agreed. "Let's adequately fund physical education and school lunches," he said. "And let's make sure food policy is aligned with public health."
That, Ludwig said, would include subsidizing fruits and vegetables, rather than solely "commodity" crops such as corn and rice.
As for parents, they too need to eat healthfully and exercise -- to instill those habits in their kids, Skinner said.
"That's critical," Ludwig agreed. "Keep the junk food out of the house."
More information
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has advice on helping kids maintain a healthy weight.
MONDAY, Feb. 26, 2018 (HealthDay News) -- There's no evidence of a link between hormonal birth control and depression in women, researchers report.
"Depression is a concern for a lot of women when they're starting hormonal contraception, particularly when they're using specific types that have progesterone," study lead author Dr. Brett Worly said in a news release from Ohio State University's Wexner Medical Center.
"Based on our findings, this side effect shouldn't be a concern for most women, and they should feel comfortable knowing they're making a safe choice," Worly said. He's an assistant professor of obstetrics and gynecology at Ohio State.
"Adolescents and pregnant moms will sometimes have a higher risk of depression, not necessarily because of the medicine they're taking, but because they have that risk to start with," he said. "For those patients, it's important that they have a good relationship with their health care provider so they can get the appropriate screening done -- regardless of the medications they're on."
The researchers said they searched thousands of studies and focused on 26 involving progestin-only hormonal contraception (such as the so-called mini-pill, which contains no estrogen) and depression. The studies included women of all ages, including those who did and did not have a history of depression.
"We live in a media-savvy age where if one or a few people have severe side effects, all of a sudden, that gets amplified to every single person," Worly said. "The biggest misconception is that birth control leads to depression. For most patients, that's just not the case."
Nearly 37 million women in the United States currently use birth control, according to the researchers. About 67 percent of them use hormonal methods.
Women need to have open and honest discussions with their doctors about which birth control options work best for them, Worly advised.
The study findings were published online Feb. 26 in the journal Contraception.
More information
The U.S. Office on Women's Health has more on birth control.
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Berlin, February 26, 2018 The Committee to Protect Journalists calls on authorities in Slovakia to quickly and effectively investigate the killing of Slovak investigative journalist Jan Kuciak and hold all the perpetrators to account. Kuciak and his girlfriend, Martina Kusnirova were on Sunday found shot to death in his house in Velka Maca, Slovakia, local media reported.
Police president Tibor Gaspar said that the murders were most likely linked to the work of the journalist, Reuters reported. Kuciak worked for the news website Aktuality, where he investigated tax fraud associated with individuals close to the ruling social democratic party Smer, according to Reuters. His last story for Aktuality, on February 9, looked at suspected tax fraud linked to a luxury apartment complex in Bratislava, Reuters reported. Kuciak had previously reported to police that was threatened because of his journalism, according to The Associated Press.
Slovak authorities must swiftly deliver justice for Jan Kuciak, which will only occur when all parties involved in his murder are prosecuted to the full extent of the law, said CPJ Deputy Executive Director Robert Mahoney in New York. This killing is a grim reminder that when journalists are threatened because of their work, the threats must be taken seriously.
If CPJ confirms that Kuciak was murdered because of his reporting, he will be the first journalist killed in relation to their work in Slovakia. According to CPJ research, at least 251 journalists worldwide who covered corruption have been singled out for murder in reprisal for their work since 1992.
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New York, February 26, 2018Yemeni authorities should immediately release Awad Kashmeem and stop arbitrarily detaining critical journalists, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. Authorities on February 21 detained Kashmeem, the former governor of the board of directors for the government-aligned newspaper November 30, in Mokalla, Hadramout Province, according to Yemeni Journalists Syndicate co-chair Nabeel Alosaidi and news reports.
Alosaidi told CPJ that members of the Yemeni Armys elite security forces detained Kashmeem on the orders of Hadramout Governor Faraj al-Bahasni. The syndicate co-chair said he received reports that Kashmeem is being held at military intelligence headquarters in Mokalla, though Alosaidi added that authorities deny that the journalist is being detained there.
Yemeni military forces operating in Hadramout answer to United Arab Emirates military authorities, which are part of the Saudi Arabia-led coalition backing the internationally recognized Yemeni government based out of Aden fighting against the Ansar Allah rebel movement, commonly known as the Houthis.
Awad Kashmeems arbitrary detention by Yemeni authorities, with the backing of the coalition, shows that there is truly no safe space for journalists in Yemen, CPJ Middle East and North Africa Program Coordinator Sherif Mansour said from Washington D.C. Authorities in Hadramout should release Kashmeem immediately and set an example for Yemen as a whole by allowing journalists to do their work unencumbered.
CPJ contacted Hadramout Governor Faraj al-Bahasni via email but did not immediately receive a response. CPJ also left a voicemail with the media office of the UAE Embassy in Washington D.C. but did not immediately receive a response.
CPJ was unable to determine if Kashmeem had been charged with a crime.
On February 20, Kashmeem announced his resignation from the board of the Baktheer Foundation, which prints and publishes November 30, in a post on his Facebook page, and wrote that the provincial government withheld support for the publication after it reported on alleged corruption and other problems in the governorate. The same day, also on Facebook, Kashmeem criticized the conduct of the coalition forces ongoing military campaign in the province.
Kashmeem also wrote for the Aden-based newspaper and website Aden al-Ghad, and his last column for the newspaper on February 7 similarly criticized the military campaign in the province for arming and empowering different militias and splintering the governorate, according to Alosaidi.
Additionally, the journalist worked as a regional representative for the Yemeni Journalists Syndicate, Alosaidi told CPJ.
At least one journalist has been killed in Yemen this year, according to CPJs research.
The Indian Navy is going to host 16 countries for multi-national 2018 MILAN exercise at Port Blair in Andaman and Nicobar (A&N) islands from March 6 to 13, 2018. The eight-day mega naval exercise will be held under aegis of Andaman and Nicobar Command with theme of Friendship Across the Seas.
Key Facts
Milan 2018 will witness diverse mix of professional exercises and seminars, social events and sporting fixtures. The interactions at event encompass sharing of views and ideas on maritime good-order and enhancing regional cooperation for combating unlawful activities at sea.
16 countries participating in this edition of exercise include Australia, Malaysia, Maldives, Mauritius, Myanmar, New Zealand, Oman, Vietnam, Thailand, Tanzania, Sri Lanka, Singapore, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Kenya and Cambodia.
The social interactions planned in Milan 2018 include display by bands of the Indian Navy and Indian Army, ship visits and colorful cultural evenings. Milan 2018 aims to showcase the rich heritage and pristine natural beauty of A&N Islands to foreign visitors.
MILAN Exercise
MILAN is congregation of littoral navies conducted biennially by Indian Navy under aegis of the Andaman and Nicobar Command. It was first held in 1995. In the first edition, only four littoral navies had participated in it. Now it has now grown into prestigious international event and encompasses participation by maritime forces from not just Bay of Bengal and South East Asia but larger Indian Ocean Region (lOR). It provides effective forum to participating navies to come together to discuss common concerns in the Indian Ocean Region and forge deeper cooperation among friendly navies.
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Andhra Pradesh: Fishermen call off hunger strike
February 26,2018 | Source: The Hindu
Fishermen, who have been agitating for the last 75 days demanding inclusion of their community in Scheduled Tribes, called off thier protest on Friday following an assurance from Minister K. Atchannaidu. In his presence, MP Kinjarapu Rammohan Naidu offered lime juice to the protesters who were at hunger strike camp at Srikakulam Collector's office.
He said the government was taking all the steps for ensuring ST status for them while protecting the interests of tribals. The agitation assumed significance recently with the attack of hunger strike camp during the protests of tribals who strongly opposed inclusion of other castes in ST category fearing that it would affect their reservations.
Pakistan: Illegal Fishing in Balochistan Coast Causes Catches to Fall Faster
by Mariyam Suleman
February 26,2018 | Source: The Balochistan Point
The Balochistan governments failure to take steps against illegal fishing vessels in Balochistan coast, prevent the growth of fisheries industry in Balochistan, causing severe damage to marine life and rise economic crisis for local fishermen. The ongoing disputes raised in the Balochistan coast beginning in early 2000, are often portrayed as being centered to fishermen community only. However, the current statistics and facts show, how the absence of government action has declined the fish stocks and raised economic crisis for seven in every ten people living in Balochistan coast.
Illegal Fishing Vessels of Sindh: A Major Threat
Since 2014, Balochistan is experiencing decrease in its annual catch, starting with a decrease of 7%, it continues with more according to Balochistan Fisheries Department Data. On the other hand, although Balochistan accounts for two-thirds of Pakistans coastline, it shockingly contributes one-third to the countrys marine fish production, what concerns even more is, the continuous decline. In the past, we would come back with lots of fish after spending an entire day or night at sea but now, we hardly come back with enough to feed our families, explained Asif Baloch, a local fisherman.
With many other issues, according to local fishermen, illegal fishing vessels sailing all the way from Sindh are a major cause for this decline. Forty-year old Azghar Baloch, another local fisherman is concerned over losing the battle to earning a living and supporting his family, With the continuous decease in fish stocks, we may have to find other ways of earning in coming years. We have done enough of protesting in the last 16-17 years but now it seems clear that government and fisheries department have no interest in our concerns whether our livelihood or our lives are under threat.
Despite the EPA (Environmental Protection Act) allowing fishing only within the 12 nautical miles of coast, Balochistan coast is still home to three out of every ten fishing crafts of Pakistans coastline according to Balochistan Fisheries Data. But what this data also shows is that the large fishing vessels sailing within the 12 nautical miles in Balochistan coast and violating the jurisdictional law, belong to Sindh. According to the fishermen, these large vessels do not only illegally sweep away the sea-floor taking everything along with fish and sea corals but they also tear apart and take away the fishing nets of the local fishermen. While in sea, when local fishermen protest seeing the vessels, those mafias in response pour hot water and sometimes physically torture our fellow fishermen, Azghar Baloch further explained.
Ghost Employees in Fisheries Department and Absence of Government Steps
In January 2018, Chief Minister Balochistan Mir Qudos Bezenjo, visited Gwadar and talked to the local fishermen about their concerns. The Chief Minister Balochistan heard our issues, and assured us to take a tougher line on banning illegal fishing, but we still see the illegal vessels sailing in our coast, complained the local fishermen. Illegal fishing is hard to eliminate when government does not seem interested to solve the issue and the Balochistan Fisheries Department fails to remain totally functional.
Eight out of every ten employees of Balochistan Fisheries Department do not give duty but receive salaries without having to work the entire month, revealed one of the senior officers of Balochistan Fisheries Department. In response to fishermens complains about ghost employees of Balochistan Fisheries Department, the Chief Minister Balochistan ordered dismissal of Director, Deputy Director and patrolling staff of Fisheries Department in Gwadar. However, according to fishermen, this does not solve the entire issue since absence of employees is just one part of this complex issue. They (the ghost employees) are backed by the political parties, whether the trawler-mafia plunder our marine stocks or they dump us into the sea, with limited number of fisheries department employees giving duty, what happens at sea cannot be controlled, complained Asif.
While only few of the employees are needed and actually work at department, each station of fisheries department is still crowded with ghost employees, said one of the senior officers and further added, For instance, in Gwadar we only need 4-5 patrolling inspectors but government has deliberately hired 47 employees. Similarly, in Turbat an in-land station of fisheries department, only 2-3 patrolling inspectors give duty but they have hired 25. The situation may had differed if all the employees had given duty specially at the coast, preventing illegal fishing and giving protection to local fishermen. On the other hand, EPA (Environmental Protection Act), also gives authorities to assistant director of fisheries department to detain anyone involved in illegal activities within 12 nautical miles of shore but according to the officers of Fisheries Department political interference snatches all authorities of senior officers.
Increase in Fisheries Department Spending Makes No Difference
The government of Balochistan spends 1 in every 50 rupees from the economic services for fisheries department. Since 2013, with every new budget presented for the province, spending for fisheries department showed significant increase. The increase in budget makes no difference for the fishermen. Since 2004, Meed Itehad (a local fishermen group working for fishermens rights) had actively raised the issues of fishermen but apart from more spending for mega-projects in Gwadar, government did not pay slightest attention toward management for the rights of local fishermen but supported the illegal trawler mafia in plundering the marine stocks, said Khudad Waju, a representative of Meed Itehad. In contrast, the local people indirectly connected to fishery industry, claim that the government only intervenes to solve the issue when fishermen sit on strike, and even then, the government does not offer any sustainable solution. There was a time, when Balochistans fish catches rose but as fishing fleets of Sindh discovered new fish stocks to exploit in Balochistan, and our government failed to end this cycle of exploitation, keeping the budget to feed the ghost employees of fisheries department, the issue worsened, explained Khudad Waju.
Implementation of Policies to End Exploitation of Marine Stocks & Fishermens Rights
Balochistan coast has always been home to fishermen communities, according to the local fishermen from the last 30-40 years the sea had got much busier. After the population ballooned in the last one decade, many people from the in-land villages of Balochistan that had never seen the sea also flooded in, forming the bulk of the workforce, said Asif. Despite a larger population at the coast being direct and indirect beneficiary of the fisheries, there are hardly any new laws to ensure safe fishing.
Act and policies for fisheries were first made in 1970s, since then there has only been few amendments but not a single new policy has been introduced to address todays issues, suggested a senior officer in Fisheries Department. Formal legislation for reservation of provincial territorial water was first introduced in 1972 for the protection of marine stocks and fishermens rights, however, these policies could not help Balochistan coast in the last twenty years since the problems have changed. Policies alone arent enough, but without new policies to meet todays needs and their proper implementation, there would be nothing left. There has to be new policies to encourage a total ban on illegal vessels and ghost employees of fisheries department, said Khudadad Waju.
Armed with a court order, a doctor will examine an Alabama death-row inmate on Sunday for signs of injury or suffering sustained during an aborted execution last week.
Prison officials said they called off a lethal injection for Doyle Lee Hamm, convicted in the 1987 murder of a hotel clerk, on Thursday night because they didn't have enough time to carry it out before a death warrant expired at midnight.
"I wouldn't necessarily characterize what we had tonight as a problem," Corrections Commissioner Jeff Dunn told reporters, blaming last-minute appeals for the delay.
But Hamm's attorney said the execution attempt was badly botched, with the prison team repeatedly jabbing the cancer survivor in the legs with needles in a futile effort to find a usable vein.
The 2 members of the IV team - each working on a different side of the body - flipped Hamm onto his stomach to search for access points on the back of his leg, lawyer Bernard Harcourt said a statement.
When that failed, Harcourt said in court papers, the IV team tried to place what's known as a central line into a larger vein.
"Multiple times, they tried to insert a catheter into Doyle Hamm's right groin, causing severe bleeding and pain," Harcourt wrote.
When Harcourt was able to meet with his client Friday afternoon, Hamm was bruised and limping, the lawyer said.
"This went beyond ghoulish justice and cruel and unusual punishment," Harcourt, a Columbia Law professor, said in a statement. "It was torture."
Harcourt went to federal court and convinced a judge to order a medical exam for Hamm, who has been on death row for 30 years.
The lawyer also wanted to examine the execution chamber and the notes prison workers took during the procedure, but the judge turned him down.
She did, however, order the Department of Corrections to preserve the notes and any other material from the execution try, including the clothing Hamm was wearing.
All prisoners have a constitutional protection against cruel and unusual punishment, with the courts deciding if a particular execution is likely to violate that.
Before Thursday, Harcourt had warned that due to Hamm's history of drug abuse and his illnesses, it would be impossible to find good veins to deliver the deadly drugs.
A judge ruled the execution could proceed as long as the IV wasn't inserted in Hamm's arms. The U.S. Supreme Court, with three justices dissenting, then declined to stop the lethal injection.
Prison officials have given few details about what went on in the death chamber before Hamm got a reprieve, and they did not respond to a request for comment this weekend.
A new execution date has not been set, but Dunn told reporters Thursday that he did not think the trouble the team had finding a vein would prevent the state from killing Hamm in the future.
"The only indication I have is that in their medical judgement it was more of a time issue, given the late hour," he said.
3 months ago, Ohio called off the execution of Alva Campbell after the medical team tried for 30 minutes to find a good vein without success.
And in 2009, another Ohio inmate, Romell Broom, was spared after the execution worked for two hours to insert a needle. In appeals, he's argued a second attempt would constitute cruel and unusual punishment.
Death row inmate's lawyer calls execution attempt 'botched'; judge cancels Monday review
The attorney for a death row inmate who was set to be executed Thursday night is calling the attempt "botched," and a federal judge has cancelled a hearing she had set up to review what happened.
Court records entered Friday show a hearing was set for Monday in U.S. Chief District Judge Karon O Bowdre's court.
She ordered Doyle Lee Hamm to undergo a full medical examination on Saturday, and those results must be given to the court by Monday morning. The judge also ordered the state to preserve all evidence that could be relevant to the matter, including the clothing Hamm was wearing Thursday night when he was preparing to be executed.
But on Friday afternoon Bowdre partially rescinded her order, canceling Monday's hearing and lifting the requirement for the doctor conducting the examination to file a written report by 9 a.m. Monday.
Doyle Lee Hamm was set to be executed Thursday at 6 p.m. by lethal injection. He was granted a temporary stay by the U.S. Supreme Court before 6 p.m., but that stay was vacated just after 9 p.m. and the court cleared the way for 61-year-old Hamm to be put to death. At approximately 11:30 p.m., Alabama Department of Corrections Commissioner Jeff Dunn announced they wouldn't be executing Hamm that night, because medical personnel would not be able to prepare him for the procedure by midnight when the death warrant expired.
Death warrants expire at midnight, meaning no execution can be started past 11:59 p.m. on the date specified on the warrant.
Dunn did not specify what exactly the problem was and what medical personnel had been doing for more than 2 hours between when the stay was lifted and when medical personnel advised officials on the situation.
Bernard Harcourt, Hamm's longtime attorney and a professor of law and political science at Columbia University, said on Twitter Thursday night, "they probably couldn't find a vein and had been poking him for over 2 1/2 hours.... as I had told them since July! Unconscionable. Simply unconscionable."
Harcourt had argued to courts that Hamm had cancer and his veins could not support the lethal injection. A federal judge in Birmingham on Tuesday issued an order saying the execution could proceed, provided the state used veins in Hamm's lower extremities and did not attempt to use veins in his arms - a procedure the state had never tried before. The U.S. 11th Circuit Court of Appeals upheld that order.
During the arguments the Alabama Attorney General's office stated an independent medical examiner's report showed that, contrary to claims made on Hamm's behalf, the veins in his legs were suitable and and presented no obstacle to the execution.
Early Friday morning, Harcourt called the execution attempt "botched." He said, "The Alabama attorney general, the Alabama Governor, the Governor's General Counsel, and the Alabama Commissioner of Corrections, should resign. Look at their statements before the attempted execution, and compare that to what happened with the botched attempted executions. They should assume responsibility, or resign."
His comment referred to AG Steve Marshall, Gov. Kay Ivey, her counsel, and Commissioner Jeff Dunn. While several organizations and lawyers wrote to Ivey asking her to grant clemency for Hamm, Ivey did not respond to the requests.
Marshall issued a video on social media Wednesday, confirming he received the same letters. "Tomorrow I will not request that Doyle Hamm's execution be stopped, but instead I will ask that justice be served," he said in the video.
Tuesday's order from U.S. Chief District Judge Karon O Bowdre comes after months of a legal battle over whether Doyle Lee Hamm is too sick to be executed by lethal injection.
Marshall read a quote from the United Nations letter, asking the state to spare Hamm's life. "That petition attempts to paint a very sympathetic picture of Doyle Hamm," he said. "What I'm most convinced by is not the words of that petition, but instead what it doesn't tell you. Because it doesn't tell you the circumstances of the crime... and it gives you no understanding of the victim and the consequences to the victim's family of this heinous act."
Hamm was convicted in the 1987 murder and robbery of Patrick Cunningham, a clerk at Anderson's Motel in Cullman. Cunningham was shot execution style and found dead behind the reception desk of the motel. He was a husband and father of 2 children.
"Doyle Hamm received due process and more," Marshall stated in the video.
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"One is absolutely sickened, not by the crimes that the wicked have committed,
but by the punishments that the good have inflicted." -- Oscar Wilde
: NBC News, February 25al.com, February 25, 2018
People
DIUx searching for Raj Shah replacement
After almost two years at the helm of the Pentagon's innovation shop, Raj Shah is returning to the private sector.
Shah, whose background is in venture capital, served as managing director of the Defense Innovation Unit Experimental, known as DIUx, as the office expanded and transitioned to the Trump administration. Shah joined DIUx in May 2016, and oversaw the expansion of DIUx from a single Silicon Valley outpost to an effort with offices in Boston and Austin, Texas. A DOD spokesperson confirmed the departure on Feb. 23.
"The nature of warfare is changing, and it's being driven by technologies that whose development is being led in the commercial center," Shah said at the 2017 Reagan National Defense Forum. "The Pentagon used to be a monopsony buyer buying bespoke stuff for ourselves that world is changing."
Shah stressed that as technologies with military applications become more and more available, the onus is on the U.S. to take a lead role in funding and shepherding startups because potential adversaries are all too willing to take on that role themselves.
"The challenge and driver here is that our adversaries are not waiting," Shah said at the Reagan Forum. He noted that Chinese sovereign wealth fund investment in robotics and other technologies is accelerating.
"You can makeobservations of why they're doing it," he said. "But if we think these things are going to be military-relevant in the future, then [China's] getting a seat at the table earlythat's a big deal"
Current focus areas for DIUx include artificial intelligence, space, IT, autonomous systems and countering biological threats. The innovation shop already has awarded in excess of $100 million in contracts for more than 45 pilot projects. The agency is expected to be funded at $54 million in 2018 and the Pentagon is seeking $71 million for DIUx in 2019.
"There is no doubt in my mind that DIUx will not only continue to exist, it will actually grow in its influence and its impact on the Department of Defense," Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said in an August 2017 visit to the unit's Silicon Valley office.
During the Obama administration, the DIUx chief reported directly to the secretary of defense. Under a recent reorganization mandated by the 2017 National Defense Authorization Act, DIUx leaders will now report up to DOD's undersecretary for research and engineering.
Shah's exit comes just weeks after one of its funded companies, REAN Cloud, scored a major cloud contract with the Pentagon. DoD signed a five-year $950 million cloud deal with the Amazon reseller, enabling DOD agencies to quickly onboard cloud services using "other transaction authority," a process that streamlines acquisition speed. The OTA contract between REAN and DOD was modeled after a $6.6 million DIUx cloud migration pilot in 2017 conducted on behalf of the U.S. Transportation Command.
Shah's departure has been long expected, two Silicon Valley sources told FCW, and the Pentagon is in the midst of a search for a new managing director. The DOD spokesperson declined to tell FCW how close the unit is to landing a replacement.
Navy Capt. Sean Heritage, the DIUx military deputy, is serving as acting managing director while a replacement is sought.
PM Groysman on promises to cut gas prices by 50-80%: Populists not going to fulfill their promises
Setting market prices of natural gas is a prerequisite for further cooperation between Ukraine and the International Monetary Fund.
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EBRD supports Ukraine's strategy for state-owned banks
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Dos and Don'ts for the Pension Committee
Charles Blahous, E21 The recently-enacted federal government spending law established a select congressional committee to craft a federal response to the escalating crisis of multiemployer pension underfunding. The committee has its work cut out for it with a particularly thorny policy challenge. The failure of too many multiemployer plan trustees to fund their pension promises adequately threatens both the retirement income security of millions of workers and the solvency of the nation's pension insurance system. Read more here....
The United States Agency for International Development, or USAID, is partnering with the Government of Pakistans Sindh province on a childrens anti-typhoid campaign by donating 250,000 medical disposable syringes.
After the Sindh Department of Health noticed a recent rise in the number of drug-resistant typhoid cases, it asked USAID for assistance. The syringes USAID is supplying will help immunize 250,000 children against a drug-resistant strain of typhoid reported in Latifabad and Qasimabad, two sub-districts of Hyderabad, Sindh.
Oghale Oddo, USAIDs Acting Deputy Mission Director for Sindh and Balochistan, said, Our support for the governments Typhoid outbreak control activities exemplifies the strength of our ongoing partnership. USAID will continue to support the Government of Sindh in their efforts to institutionalize evidence-based care.
The U.S. Government, through USAID, has supported the Government of Sindh for over five years to save the lives of children by ensuring that they have improved access to basic health services.
Since the inception of this program, USAID has partnered with the Government of Pakistan to save lives, strengthen families and communities, and develop a healthier workforce. Over the last five years alone, USAID has provided over 9.4 million women and children with life-saving maternal, child, and reproductive health care services; trained more than 50,000 people on evidence-based health care interventions for women and children; and supported the governments of Sindh, Punjab, Balochistan, and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to meet womens family planning needs.
The United States partners with Pakistani officials to help protect the children of Pakistan from the deadly threat of multi-drug resistant typhoid.
Former Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has warned the Supreme Leader that that the ruling system in the Islamic Republic has lost its legitimacy and said its leaders should be replaced through free and fair elections.
In a text published February 25 on Dolat-i Bahar (The Government of Spring), a website that supports Ahmadinejad, he expanded on what he had earlier suggested in an open letter to the Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
He called on Khamenei to dismiss the head of judiciary, Ayatollah Sadeq Amoli Larijani, and hold free presidential and
In the current situation, keeping the heads of the three powers of the regime (executive, judiciary, and legislative branches) in their positions is facing big challenges that need to be tackled.
Directly addressing the heads of the three branches of power and their supporters Ahmadinejad asked Is there any better way to tackle the current challenges than referring to the popular vote and holding new elections? Or perhaps they believe that they should remain in power at any cost and the people and the country should endure them until their terms are over?
In addition to free elections, Ahmadinejad also demanded fundamental reforms in the three branches of government, as well as the office of the Supreme Leader, but did not elaborate on what sort of reforms he had in mind.
The former presidents explicit criticism of the ruling system has been widely circulated in social media.
Ahmadinejads controversial reelection as president in 2009 lead to massive protests known as the Green Revolution. His main challengers in that election, former Prime Minister Mir Hossein Mousavi and former parliament speaker Mehdi Karroubi have been under house arrest since 2011 for describing his reelection as engineered and rigged.
In his letter to Khamenei, Ahmadinejad further insisted that free elections should be held without any interference from the Guardian Council, a powerful 12-member body that has the constitutional authority to disqualify anyone running for president or a seat in parliament. He also said the Supreme Leader should forbid the military institutions, including the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) from interfering in the electoral process.
An essential necessity is the holding of immediate and free elections for the presidency and the parliament, of course without the engineering of the Guardian Council and interference of military and security institutions, so the people have the right to choose, the vociferous former president wrote to Khamenei.
In addition to the accusations from his challengers in the 2009 elections, Ahmadinejad has been repeatedly criticized by his mainly reformist opponents as a president who came to power through the intervention of the Supreme Leader, IRGC influence, and vote rigging.
Nevertheless, Ahmadinejad maintained, One of the internationally recognized ways of meeting the peoples demands is either the resignation of the managers, whose performance has been unsatisfactory, or the holding early elections.
Ahmadinejads headline-grabbing comments have elicited derisive responses even from his former allies.
The hardline conservative daily Kayhan, which was a staunch supporter of Ahmadinejad during his two-term presidency wrote, Are those who say everybody should resign and let us to control everything again unaware of the fact that people laugh at them?
The outspoken deputy parliament speaker and MP from Tehran, Ali Motahari, remarked, Calling for free parliamentary and presidential election without the Guardian Council and military interference means that recent elections, particularly the 2005 and 2009 presidential elections (Ahmadinejads two terms), were rigged and engineered.
Meanwhile, Motahari has challenged Ahmadinejad by asking him why he kept silent while he was in power.
Supreme Leader Khamenei has so far not responded directly to Ahmadinejads comments, though he has implicitly admonished him in speeches on at least two occasions.
Political analysts inside Iran are unsure how to account for why the former president seems to have suddenly turned on a system that supported him while he was in power.
Iran has arrested three more environmentalists on spying charges, the country's powerful judiciary has said.
The arrests on February 25 came weeks after a wave of detentions and the death of a well-known Iranian-Canadian environmentalist who died in Iranian custody.
Judiciary spokesman Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei, quoted by the semi-official Fars news agency, said on February 25 that three people were recently arrested in the southern province of Hormozgan.
"There is no doubt that infiltration by the United States and Israel is a serious matter," the spokesman said, without offering further details on the arrests.
Iranian officials have said the activists who have been arrested were gathering sensitive information under the guise of scientific and environmental activities on behalf of the CIA and Israel's Mossad.
The arrests come after the death of Kavous Seyed-Emami, the Iranian-Canadian managing director of the Persian Wildlife Heritage Foundation and a lecturer in sociology in Tehran, who was arrested on January 24 and died in prison two weeks later.
The judiciary said Seyed-Emami, 63, had committed suicide.
The Center for Human Rights in Iran (CHRI), a non-profit organization based in New York, said at least nine other members of Seyed-Emami's organization had been arrested on the same day as him.
Seyed-Emami's death along with other inmate "suicides" have sparked a government probe and fueled tension between Iran's dominant hard-line institutions and its president, a relative moderate.
Former Intelligence Minister Ali Yunesi, an advisor to Rohani, criticized the handling of Seyed-Emami's case and suggested the public did not believe the official explanation for his death.
"Given the events that have occurred, if a competent and legal agency does not intervene and doesn't give its opinion on the dead individual or those under arrest, public opinion will not believe they are spies even if they are convicted," he said in an interview with the daily Iran newspaper published on February 25.
Yunesi, who was a minister under reformist President Mohammad Khatami, said the case should be handed to the Intelligence Ministry.
Seyed-Emami's case is said to have been handled by Iran's powerful Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), which runs an intelligence service that is separate from the government's Intelligence Ministry.
Human rights activists have reported that at least six detainees have died in prisons in the last two months in Iran. The judiciary has confirmed three deaths in custody but said all three were suicides.
With reporting by Fars and Reuters
The Islamic Republic of Iran has recently raised the prospect of designing and building nuclear reactors for merchant ships and submarines.
This is not the first time Iran claims to have such an intention.
In 2012 also Tehran raised the prospect of maritime nuclear propulsion. But on that occasion, tensions between Iran and the P5+1 (the UN Security Councils five permanent members plus Germany) over its nuclear program was quite high.
Irans latest declaration that it intends to build nuclear reactors for ships while staying within the limits set by its nuclear deal with the P5+1, is tantamount to firing a diplomatic warning shot at Washington when a dark cloud is hanging over the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).
It is Irans reaction to President Trumps stance, who in January this year said that he was extending sanctions relief for Iran for one last time unless Europe and the US can fix the nuclear deals terrible flaws.
Talking to ISNA, Behrouz Kamalvandi, the spokesman for Irans Atomic Energy Organization, said that expediting the work on nuclear propulsion is linked to the US stance towards the JCPOA.
However, prior to starting work on nuclear propulsion by Iran, as noted by the IAEA, the country is required to submit its plan for building such reactors and their use, as well as acquiring the IAEAs agreement.
Building reactors in itself is not in contradiction of the JCPOA. However, Iran has not yet responded to the IAEAs request for further clarifications and amplifications.
In spite of this, under the current circumstances, the application of nuclear reactors by Iran in the military domain, being ships or submarines, would be problematic.
Moreover, building seaborne reactors by Iran while its economy is in such a dilapidated state and its shipbuilding industry totters towards the precipice makes no sense. Only last year the Islamic republic signed a contract with South Koreas Hyundai Heavy Industries for delivery of 10 commercial ships to Iran.
Building nuclear-powered merchant ships and their maintenance is costly and the specter of environmental damage always counts against them. The insurance for such ships are quite high as well.
In the past, several industrial countries made nuclear-powered cargo-passenger ships, but in the end due to a plethora of factors they opted for non-nuclear means of propulsion.
Germany commissioned the Otto Hahn nuclear-powered cargo vessel in 1970, but after nine years, it deactivated the ship and removed its nuclear propulsion. It was replaced with standard marine diesel.
The use of nuclear propulsion in submarines, as declared by some Iranian officials including Rear-Admiral Gholam-Reza Khadem-Bigham, the then deputy commander of the regular navy in 2012, is unlikely for many years to materialize, due to technological reasons, as well as the high cost of building marine nuclear reactors.
In addition, Iran is at the early stage of building submarines. So far, the country has been able to make a number of 120-ton mini-submarines, derived from the North Korean Yono class, specifically designed for cruising within the shallow waters of the Persian Gulf.
Based on satellite imagery, Irans biggest achievement in this respect has been the launching in 2013 of a semi-heavy submarine with a displacement of no more than 600 tons (Fateh class) for coastal defence. A second one is under construction at Bandar Anzali Naval Base on the Caspian Sea.
Iran has the ambition of becoming a blue-water navy in a not too-distant future, but it has a very long way to go before it can make submarines powered by nuclear reactors.
In a joint statement, five Iranian trade unions have lambasted the current monthly minimum wage as not enough to cover a familys living expenses for ten days, and demanded an increase to 50 million rials (roughly $1,050), which they say is in line with internationally recognized cost of living calculations.
The trade unions say $1,050 per month would be sufficient for the Minimum Expenditure Basket (MEB), defined by the United Nations as the goods a household requires to meet basic needs.
The current monthly minimum wage in Iran is roughly $200 per month and was set two years ago.
The statement was signed by the Iran Free Trade Union, the Trade Society of Kermanshah Metal and Electricity workers, the Painters Syndicate of Alborz province, the Center for Defenders of Labor Rights, and the Follow-up Committee for the establishment of independent trade unions.
The group of independent unions accused their public-sector counterparts, unions controlled by the government, of forcing a minimum wage far below the poverty line, and said this causes all workers to suffer.
Meanwhile the Ministry of Cooperatives Deputy for Labor Affairs Ahmad Moshirian said February 13 that a family of three and a half needs roughly $600, three times the current minimum wage, to cover its monthly expenditures and make ends meet.
The joint statement also pointed out that The value of U.S. dollar in recent months has shown a more than 30 percent increase against the rial, which will have a negative impact on the spending power of Iranian laborers.
The Union of Workers of Tehran and the Suburbs Bus Company (UWTSBC) and the Haft Tapeh Sugar Mill union have also declared that the minimum monthly wage for the workers should be raised to $1,050.
However, parliament has set the maximum increase for public sector employees, whose salaries influence private sector workers, at 20 percent in the next fiscal year beginning March 21, according to the Persian calendar.
The government of President Hassan Rouhani wants to unblock the social media website Twitter.
Without providing details, Mohammad Javad Azari Jahromi, Minister for Telecommunications, said February 25 that the government had sent the High Council for Cyberspace a proposal for allowing public access to Twitter.
The council, which consists of the president, the speaker of the parliament, the head of the judiciary, the commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), and several others who are all appointed by the Supreme Leader, is in charge of deciding about major policies regarding the Internet, including whether or not to block websites.
Jahromi had spoken out against the blocking of social media websites even before joining Rouhanis government, saying that access should be allowed to all social media sites unless they violate the cultural principles of the Islamic Republic, which he said was not the case with Twitter.
Though Twitter and other social media cites are blocked in the country, Iranians are adept at using anti-filtering software to circumvent the blockages and access sites like Twitter, which is very popular among Iranians. Some Iranian politicians and officials even like to Tweet.
Prior to being blocked in 2009 following the failed Green Revolution, Twitter was among the five most popular websites in the country. In the summer of 2009, the platform was used widely by the Green Movement and those protesting the controversial re-election of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
In their Tweets, Iranian users questioned the election results, criticized the regimes brutality in suppressing the protestors, published photos and videos of demonstrations and clashes with the police and security forces, and mobilized people for more rallies. The government reacted to that development by blocking Twitter and other social media sites.
However, an official poll published in December 2015 showed that 2.8 percent of Iranians (more than 2 million) were still using Twitter despite the blockage.
The platform is especially popular among Iranian journalists and social and political activists. Twitter becomes the go-to for news and information for the Iranian public whenever anti-regime protests break out and are ignored or misrepresented by state media, which is the main reason the High Council for Cyberspace has still not lifted the block despite repeated requests from Rouhanis government over the past few years.
Conservatives and security officials describe the site as a weapon for terrorists. In July 2017, Kamal Hadianfar, the head of Irans cyber police, the FATTA, described Twitter and Telegram as major telecommunication tools in the hand of terrorist groups, and supported their continued blocking.
I told the Twitter manager in a conference in Spain that currently 750,000 people support ISIS around the world and are ISIS terrorist agents, and all their activities take place in Twitter, Hadianfar told the ISNA News Agency.
The judiciary reiterated in August 2017 that accessing blocked social media websites like Twitter is a crime and violators will be punished. Of course, it goes without saying that the punishment does not apply to regime officials, only to ordinary citizens, journalists, and activists.
Russia has vetoed a UN Security Council draft resolution on Yemen which would have called out Iran for failing to stop the supply of Iranian-made missiles to Huthi rebels.
The text, drafted by Britain and backed by the United States, received 11 votes in favor and two abstentions but was blocked by Russia's veto.
China and Kazakhstan abstained, while Bolivia also voted against the measure.
The 15-member council, however, did unanimously adopt a Russian-proposed resolution that did not mention Iran and that extended a targeted sanctions regime related to Yemens civil war.
Since 2015, Shi'ite Huthi rebels backed by Iran have been battling Yemen's government, which has been supported by Saudi Arabia.
Britain had sought to include in its draft resolution an expression of "particular concern" from the council over a UN report that found Iran had violated the 2015 arms embargo on Yemen.
The report by a UN panel of experts in January concluded that Iran was in violation after finding that missiles fired by the Huthis at Saudi Arabia last year were made in Iran.
After the Russian veto, U.S. Ambassador Nikki Haley released a statement accusing Russia of protecting "the terrorist-sponsoring regime in Iran" and warned of further action targeting Iran.
Based on reporting by AFP and Reuters
Baku, Azerbaijan, Feb. 26
Trend:
Representatives of the Azerbaijani and Turkish communities in Chicago, Illinois organized a rally to commemorate the 26th anniversary of the Khojaly genocide.
The rally participants, who gathered in the Michigan Avenue, voiced the slogans Justice for Khojaly, Do not forget Khojaly and others, Azerbaijans Embassy in the United States said.
Turkeys Consul General in Chicago Umut Acar also joined the rally.
Furthermore, the U.S. Azeris Network (USAN) has organized a protest rally outside the Armenian Embassy in Washington to commemorate the 26th anniversary of the Khojaly genocide. The rally involved the Azerbaijani communities living in Washington and nearby areas.
The protesters held posters highlighting the truth about the Armenian aggression against Azerbaijan and the Khojaly genocide. They chanted slogans such as Condemn Armenian terror!, Khojaly massacre must not be repeated!, Armenia is to blame for ethnic cleansing!, Shame on Armenia!, Armenia get out of Karabakh!, Ohanyan and Sargsyan are criminals.
On Feb. 25-26, 1992, the Armenian armed forces, together with the 366th infantry regiment of Soviet troops, stationed in Khankendi, committed an act of genocide against the population of the Azerbaijani town of Khojaly. As many as 613 people, including 63 children, 106 women and 70 old people were killed in the massacre. Eight families were totally exterminated, 130 children lost one parent and 25 children lost both. Some 1,275 innocent residents were taken hostage, while the fate of 150 people still remains unknown.
The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. As a result of the ensuing war, in 1992 Armenian armed forces occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts.
The 1994 ceasefire agreement was followed by peace negotiations. Armenia has not yet implemented four UN Security Council resolutions on withdrawal of its armed forces from the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding districts.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Feb. 26
Trend:
A protest rally took place in front of the Armenian Consulate General in Ukraines Odessa on the occasion of the 26th anniversary of the Khojaly genocide, the Azerbaijani Embassy in Ukraine told Trend.
The protest rally was jointly organized by the Azerbaijani Embassy in Ukraine and the United Congress of Azerbaijanis of Ukraine.
After holding a protest ride in their cars under slogans Khojaly genocide!, Criminals must be punished!, Justice for Khojaly! in the central part of the city, the protesters gathered in front of the Armenian Consulate General in Odessa.
Participants of the protest rally demanded the Armenian authorities to withdraw their troops from the occupied Azerbaijani territories and stressed that Armenia will answer for its every committed crime.
The protest rally ended after a resolution addressed to the criminal authorities of Armenia was read out and black balloons were released to the sky to commemorate the victims of the Khojaly genocide.
On Feb. 25-26, 1992, the Armenian armed forces, together with the 366th infantry regiment of Soviet troops, stationed in Khankendi, committed an act of genocide against the population of the Azerbaijani town of Khojaly. As many as 613 people, including 63 children, 106 women and 70 old people were killed in the massacre. Eight families were totally exterminated, 130 children lost one parent and 25 children lost both. Some 1,275 innocent residents were taken hostage, while the fate of 150 people still remains unknown.
The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. As a result of the ensuing war, in 1992 Armenian armed forces occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts.
The 1994 ceasefire agreement was followed by peace negotiations. Armenia has not yet implemented four UN Security Council resolutions on withdrawal of its armed forces from the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding districts.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Feb. 26
Trend:
The International University of Sarajevo (IUS), Bosnia and Herzegovina, hosted an international conference to commemorate the 26th anniversary of the Khojaly Genocide, Eurasiareview reported.
Furthermore, on this occasion was promoted a unique book translated into Bosnian language, entitled: The children that did not grow up, written by Elshad Eyvazli, a distinguished European author. The conference was organized thanks to the strategic cooperation between IUS and the Embassy of the Republic of Azerbaijan in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
This international conference was attended by academicians, prominent international law experts, public figures, members of the parliaments of Bosnia and Herzegovina and Azerbaijan, as well as by representatives of NGOs, members of diplomatic corps and the mass media from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Serbia, and Azerbaijan.
Some of the keynote speakers of this conference were Azerbaijan's Ambassador to Bosnia and Herzegovina Eldar Hasanov, Chancellor of IUS, Prof. Dr. Tahsin Erkan Ture, author of the book Elshad Eyvazli; Member of the National Assembly of Azerbaijan, Head of the working group on inter-parliamentary relations between Azerbaijan and Bosnia and Herzegovina Mr. Chingiz Ganizade; Member of the Writers Association of BiH, Serbia and Montenegro; Member of Circle 99, Assoc. Prof. Dr. & Dr. Honoris Causa Sabahudin Hadzialic; Professor of the Sarajevo University, Doctor of Law Edin Halapic; and eyewitnesses of the Khojaly Massacre Sabina Maharramova and Murad Huseynov.
The panelists spoke about the attack committed by the armed forces of Armenia on the city of Khojaly in the Nagorno-Karabakh region of Azerbaijan in the night from February 25 February 26 in 1992, as well as the cruel and merciless killing, severe wounding, taking hostages, torturing and disappearance of the civilian population in the city of Khojaly.
The keynote speakers underlined that the crimes perpetrated in Khojaly were part of the systematic violence policy of Armenia against Azerbaijanis.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Feb. 26
Trend:
Azerbaijani students studying in Scotland held a rally on the 26th anniversary of Khojaly genocide in the center of Aberdeen city.
Azerbaijans State Committee on Work with Diaspora told Trend that along with the Azerbaijani students, other Azerbaijanis living in the city also participated in the rally. The participants shouted different slogans by holding the Azerbaijani flag and placards about about the Khojaly genocide in their hands.
During the rally, brochures about the Khojaly genocide and Armenian aggression were distributed to local residents and guests.
They gave detailed information about the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, the consequences of the war, the problem of refugees and IDPs, as well as the painful destiny of Khojaly and its Azerbaijani inhabitants.
The rally ended with the reading of an appeal addressed to international organizations and states. The appeal calls for recognition of the Khojaly genocide and giving legal assessment and putting pressure on Armenia to end its aggressive policy.
The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. As a result of the ensuing war, in 1992 Armenian armed forces occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts.
On Feb. 25-26, 1992, the Armenian armed forces, together with the 366th infantry regiment of Soviet troops, stationed in Khankendi, committed an act of genocide against the population of the Azerbaijani town of Khojaly. As many as 613 people, including 63 children, 106 women and 70 old people were killed in the massacre. Eight families were totally exterminated, 130 children lost one parent and 25 children lost both. Some 1,275 innocent residents were taken hostage, while the fate of 150 people still remains unknown.
The 1994 ceasefire agreement was followed by peace negotiations. Armenia has not yet implemented four UN Security Council resolutions on withdrawal of its armed forces from the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding districts.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Feb. 26
Trend:
A commemorative event dedicated to the Khojaly genocide was organized by the United Congress of Azerbaijanis of Ukraine in Kyiv, capital of Ukraine.
Azerbaijans State Committee on Work with Diaspora told Trend that the event, organized in the building of the Ukrainian state news agency Ukrinform, was attended by Ukrainian MPs, political and public figures.
Addressing the event, Rovshan Tagiyev, chairman of the United Congress of Azerbaijanis of Ukraine, spoke about the genocide committed by Armenians against Azerbaijanis in Khojaly town on Feb. 26, 1992, and the occupation of 20 percent of Azerbaijani territories by Armenia.
The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. As a result of the ensuing war, in 1992 Armenian armed forces occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts.
On Feb. 25-26, 1992, the Armenian armed forces, together with the 366th infantry regiment of Soviet troops, stationed in Khankendi, committed an act of genocide against the population of the Azerbaijani town of Khojaly. As many as 613 people, including 63 children, 106 women and 70 old people were killed in the massacre. Eight families were totally exterminated, 130 children lost one parent and 25 children lost both. Some 1,275 innocent residents were taken hostage, while the fate of 150 people still remains unknown.
The 1994 ceasefire agreement was followed by peace negotiations. Armenia has not yet implemented four UN Security Council resolutions on withdrawal of its armed forces from the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding districts.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Feb. 26
Trend:
Numerous events dedicated to the 26th anniversary of the Khojaly genocide are being held in Germany, the Azerbaijans embassy to Germany told Trend.
According to the information, one of the events was held in Berlin on Feb. 24, 2018 jointly by the Ataturk Think Association, the Azerbaijani Science Workers and Students Union, the Azerbaijani House and the TurkeyAzerbaijan Union.
The event was opened by Ambassador Ramin Hasanovs speech, who spoke about the Armenian occupation of Azerbaijans territories and deep scars the Khojaly genocide has left on Azerbaijani peoples conscience.
He noted that the Azerbaijani government and the Heydar Aliyev Foundation are working on bringing the truth about Armenian violence to the world community.
The ambassador underlined the importance of the Justice to Khojaly campaign initiated by the Foundations vice-president Leyla Aliyeva and its results.
Ramin Hasanov said that Azerbaijani and Turkish diasporas have to work together to remember the tragedy, bring it to the world communitys attention and called representatives of the diasporas to be even more active in the future.
Turkish Consul to Berlin Muhammet Mustafa Celik said that the occupation of Azerbaijani territories and the expulsion of Azerbaijanis from their homeland are very concerning and it is very unfortunate that a number of states and media resources stay silent about the tragedy.
He mentioned the necessity of Turkish and Azerbaijani diasporas actively working together on informing the world community about the occupation.
Azerbaijans MP Rovshan Rzayev, former German MP, currently chairman of TurkeyAzerbaijan Union Haqqi Keskin and Turkish historian Kemal Ari participated in interactive discussions afterwards.
The participants exchanged views on the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and reasons of the Khojaly genocide.
A short film about the Khojaly genocide was shown during the event.
Representatives of Azerbaijani and Turkish diaspora organizations, students educating in Germany and employees of the Azerbaijans embassy to Germany also participated in the event.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Feb. 26
Trend:
Turkish news agency TRT World twitted a video material regarding the 26th anniversary of the Feb. 26, 1992 massacre in Khojaly city of Azerbaijan.
The author of the material retold the history of Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and the Khojaly tragedy, comparing it with other mass-murders of the modern history.
No one has been held accountable for any murders. So, why hasnt anyone heard of this? the author asked.
The video referred to numerous attempts to highlight the tragedy in the western media and reasons for their failure.
The massacre was soon forgotten. Many Western politicians and media outlets turned their attention to other conflicts. Azerbaijani media claims that mainstream media ignored it because of the strong political influence of Armenians in the West, the author noted.
He underlined that although the UN passed resolutions against the Armenian occupation and the European Court of Human rights recognized the Khojaly massacre, no actions have ever been taken.
The video said that expelled Azerbaijanis still hope that one day the world will accept the truth about Khojaly.
Will their call ever be answered? concluded the author.
The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. As a result of the ensuing war, in 1992 Armenian armed forces occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts.
On Feb. 25-26, 1992, the Armenian armed forces, together with the 366th infantry regiment of Soviet troops, stationed in Khankendi, committed an act of genocide against the population of the Azerbaijani town of Khojaly. As many as 613 people, including 63 children, 106 women and 70 old people were killed in the massacre. Eight families were totally exterminated, 130 children lost one parent and 25 children lost both. Some 1,275 innocent residents were taken hostage, while the fate of 150 people still remains unknown.
The 1994 ceasefire agreement was followed by peace negotiations. Armenia has not yet implemented four UN Security Council resolutions on withdrawal of its armed forces from the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding districts.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Feb. 26
Trend:
An event dedicated to the Khojaly genocide was held in Melbourne city of Australia.
Azerbaijans Honorary Consulate in Australia told Trend that the event organized by the Consulate was attended by Azerbaijanis living in Melbourne, public figures, media representatives and residents of the city.
Participants of the event first observed a minute of silence to honor the memory of the victims of the Khojaly genocide.
During the speeches, it was noted that the Khojaly genocide is one of the most terrible tragedies of the 20th century and the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict is a major threat to the region.
It was also noted that Armenian nationalists continue their dirty deeds and increase the tension on the line of contact, violate the ceasefire regime regularly.
The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. As a result of the ensuing war, in 1992 Armenian armed forces occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts.
On Feb. 25-26, 1992, the Armenian armed forces, together with the 366th infantry regiment of Soviet troops, stationed in Khankendi, committed an act of genocide against the population of the Azerbaijani town of Khojaly. As many as 613 people, including 63 children, 106 women and 70 old people were killed in the massacre. Eight families were totally exterminated, 130 children lost one parent and 25 children lost both. Some 1,275 innocent residents were taken hostage, while the fate of 150 people still remains unknown.
The 1994 ceasefire agreement was followed by peace negotiations. Armenia has not yet implemented four UN Security Council resolutions on withdrawal of its armed forces from the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding districts.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Feb. 26
Trend:
Members of the newly created Friends of Azerbaijan Club in the European Parliament adopted a statement on the 26th anniversary of the Khojaly genocide.
The Azerbaijani parliament told Trend that the initiative on adopting the statement was made by Andrejs Mamikins, a member of the European Parliament and a member of the European Parliaments Foreign Relations Committee, and co-chair of the Friends of Azerbaijan Club. The statement is the first document adopted by the European Parliament on Khojaly massacre.
The statement says that the Azerbaijani people faced a brutal crime committed in Khojaly on Feb. 25-26, 1992, as a result of which 613 civilians, including 106 women, 63 children and 70 old people were killed, hundreds of people were seriously injured and 1,275 were taken hostage. Members of the European Parliament extended their condolences to relatives of those who lost their lives in the Khojaly massacre, expressed their sympathy, and emphasized that the Khojaly massacre should be remembered in order to prevent such crimes against humanity from happening again.
Commenting on the statement, co-chairman of the EU-Azerbaijan Parliamentary Cooperation Committee Javanshir Feyziyev said the adoption of the statement is an important step taken by international organizations in assessing the genocide committed by Armenians in Khojaly 26 years ago.
The European Parliament regularly comments on developments in both Europe and the world as a whole, and it is, of course, important that its 22 members focus on the Khojaly genocide, a political assessment is given to the committed crimes, and those who lost their lives and their families are remembered, Feyziyev said.
Currently, 28 countries are represented by 8 political groups in the European Parliament, he noted.
It is also important that members who signed the statement represent 13 out of 28 countries and 6 out of 8 political groups, he added.
A member of the EU-Azerbaijan Parliamentary Cooperation Committee and Azerbaijani MP Azar Karimli, who praised the statement adopted by members of the European Parliament, said the statement is the result of an intensive and purposeful work carried out with members of the European Parliament after restoration of relations and another success of Azerbaijans parliamentary diplomacy.
Noting that the statement was put forward by members of the newly created Friends of Azerbaijan Club in the European Parliament, the MP stressed the importance of creating a friendship group within the European Parliament.
He added that the document will become a basis for more important documents to be adopted in the future, and it is important to work more closely and to establish closer ties with international parliamentary institutions.
The statement on Khojaly genocide was signed by 22 members of the European Parliament: Andrejs Mamikins (Latvia), Norica Nicolai (Romania), Iveta Grigule-Peterse (Romania), Ramona Manescu (Romania), Javier Nart (Spain), Tomas Zdechovsky (Czech Republic), Hannu Takkula (Finland), Ivo Vajgl (Slovenia), Angelo Ciocca (Italy), Lorenzo Fontana (Italy), Marc Tarabella (Belgium), Cristian-Silviu Busoi (Romania), Alberto Cirio (Italy), Boris Zala (Slovakia), Aldo Patriciello (Italy), Yana Toom (Estonia), Ilhan Kyuchyuk (Bulgaria), Franz Obermayr (Austria), Valentinas Mazuronis (Lithuania), Heidi Hautala (Finland), Angel Dzhambazki (Bulgaria) and Salvo Poglieze (Italy).
They represent 13 countries (out of 28) and 6 political groups (out of 8), including the organizations vice-president.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Feb. 26
By Rufiz Hafizoglu Trend:
Perpetrators of the Khojaly tragedy should answer before the law, Turkey's Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said in a statement on the 26th anniversary of the Khojaly genocide, Turkish media reported Feb. 26.
Despite that 26 years pass since the Khojaly massacre, those who committed this bloody tragedy havent yet answered before the law, he added.
Armenias occupation policy has driven more than one million people out of their homes, he said.
We strongly condemn the occupation of Azerbaijans territories by Armenia and once again stress that we are always with Azerbaijan.
On Feb. 25-26, 1992, the Armenian armed forces, together with the 366th infantry regiment of Soviet troops, stationed in Khankendi, committed an act of genocide against the population of the Azerbaijani town of Khojaly. As many as 613 people, including 63 children, 106 women and 70 old people were killed in the massacre. Eight families were totally exterminated, 130 children lost one parent and 25 children lost both. Some 1,275 innocent residents were taken hostage, while the fate of 150 people still remains unknown.
The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. As a result of the ensuing war, in 1992 Armenian armed forces occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts.
The 1994 ceasefire agreement was followed by peace negotiations. Armenia has not yet implemented four UN Security Council resolutions on withdrawal of its armed forces from the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding districts.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Feb. 26
By Rufiz Hafizoglu Trend:
Turkey hasnt forgotten the Khojaly tragedy and will never allow such a tragedy happen again, Foreign Minister of Turkey Mevlut Cavusoglu twitted Feb. 26.
Hundreds of Azerbaijanis were violently killed in Khojaly, he noted.
The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. As a result of the ensuing war, in 1992 Armenian armed forces occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts.
On Feb. 25-26, 1992, the Armenian armed forces, together with the 366th infantry regiment of Soviet troops, stationed in Khankendi, committed an act of genocide against the population of the Azerbaijani town of Khojaly. As many as 613 people, including 63 children, 106 women and 70 old people were killed in the massacre. Eight families were totally exterminated, 130 children lost one parent and 25 children lost both. Some 1,275 innocent residents were taken hostage, while the fate of 150 people still remains unknown.
The 1994 ceasefire agreement was followed by peace negotiations. Armenia has not yet implemented four UN Security Council resolutions on withdrawal of its armed forces from the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding districts.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Feb. 26
By Rufiz Hafizoglu Trend:
Turkey strongly condemns the Khojaly massacre and the continuing occupation of the Azerbaijani territories by Armenia, Turkeys Foreign Ministry said in its statement on Feb. 26.
On Feb, 26, 1992, hundreds of Azerbaijani citizens, including women and children were massacred and wounded by the Armenian troops during their attack on Khojaly town in Azerbaijan's Nagorno-Karabakh region, the statement noted.
The fate of the missing people is still unknown today. This inhuman aggression against civilians was engraved in the memories of the international community and deeply wounded the common conscience."
Turkey commiserates deeply with Azerbaijani brothers and sisters over this brutal attack and massacre, which they suffered 26 years ago, and shares their pain, the statement concluded.
The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. As a result of the ensuing war, in 1992 Armenian armed forces occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts.
On Feb. 25-26, 1992, the Armenian armed forces, together with the 366th infantry regiment of Soviet troops, stationed in Khankendi, committed an act of genocide against the population of the Azerbaijani town of Khojaly. As many as 613 people, including 63 children, 106 women and 70 old people were killed in the massacre. Eight families were totally exterminated, 130 children lost one parent and 25 children lost both. Some 1,275 innocent residents were taken hostage, while the fate of 150 people still remains unknown.
The 1994 ceasefire agreement was followed by peace negotiations. Armenia has not yet implemented four UN Security Council resolutions on withdrawal of its armed forces from the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding districts.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Feb. 26
Trend:
President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev phoned Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Feb. 26.
The head of state congratulated President Erdogan on his birthday and wished him good luck and success in the presidential activities for the sake of well-being of the Turkish people.
The president of Turkey expressed gratitude to President Aliyev for his attention and congratulations.
President Erdogan once again condemned the murder of innocent people by Armenians in the Khojaly genocide and extended condolences to the president and people of Azerbaijan.
The two presidents also expressed their confidence that friendly and fraternal relations between the two countries will continue to develop successfully in all spheres in the future.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Feb. 26
Trend:
On Feb. 26, 2018, 26 years passed since the Khojaly genocide, one of the most terrifying tragedies of the 20th century, the crime carried out by the Armenian armed forces against Azerbaijani people. Russian media remembers the tragic events that happened on Feb. 2526, 1992, and calls the international community for precautions to never allow such acts of terror to happen again.
On Feb. 25-26, 1992, the Armenian armed forces, together with the 366th infantry regiment of Soviet troops, stationed in Khankendi, committed an act of genocide against the population of the Azerbaijani town of Khojaly. As many as 613 people, including 63 children, 106 women and 70 old people were killed in the massacre. Eight families were totally exterminated, 130 children lost one parent and 25 children lost both. Some 1,275 innocent residents were taken hostage, while the fate of 150 people still remains unknown.
It should be noted that many Russian media sources published articles regarding the tragedy that struck Azerbaijan back in 1992.
The Argumenty Nedeli agency wrote in its Remember Khojaly article about the civilians being shot to death that cold and dark night, with many people drying from frost.
The social-political newspaper Tribune in its All against all article wrote that the world community must carry out certain lessons from this tragedy to prevent such atrocities from happening again, such as Armenias authorities being occupiers, a danger of flirting with them for the international community and a possibility of historical karma towards aggressors.
The author noted that the Khojaly genocide could never happen if the world community played fair.
The online agency FederalPress underlined in its Anniversary of Khojaly massacre: terrifying page of history which shouldnt be forgotten article that the Khojaly genocide, which is considered to be one of the most cruel acts of violence in the 20th century, was aimed not only against Azerbaijan, but the whole humanity.
An author of the article noted that the tragedy terrified Russian, Georgian, English, French, German, American and other journalists and publicists and was noted by use of the prohibited 5.45 caliber bullets and chemical weapons.
The social-political newspaper Trud in its Unlearnt lessons of Khojaly article wrote that the world community hasnt had enough diplomatic will and coherence in its attempts to resolve the conflict.
The Infox.ru informational agency asked What Khojaly civilians died for? in its same-named article.
The article underlined that there are many trying to silence down this crime, because the organizers of the mass-murder are still holding high positions in the Armenian government.
An author of the article described the violence with which the population of the city was slaughtered and quoted the incumbent Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan saying that before Khojaly, the Azerbaijanis thought that they were joking with us, they thought that the Armenians were people who could not raise their hand against the civilian population; we were able to break that stereotype.
The internet newspaper Dni.ru in its Khojaly Tragedy: Remember Forever article wrote that armed people of one nationality shooting the civilians of other nationality is called genocide.
An author of the article cited Human Rights Watch calling the Khojaly events the largest massacre of the Karabakh War.
The author then wrote about the events in Azerbaijans cities dedicated to commemoration of the tragedy.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Feb. 26
By Rufiz Hafizoglu Trend:
Khojaly massacre is one of the bloodiest tragedies of the 20th century, Turkish Armed Forces tweeted on Feb. 26.
Turkey hasnt forgotten the Khojaly tragedy and wont let it be forgotten, said the Turkish Armed Forces.
Turkey commemorates Azerbaijanis brutally murdered by Armenians in 1992, said the tweet.
On Feb. 25-26, 1992, the Armenian armed forces, together with the 366th infantry regiment of Soviet troops, stationed in Khankendi, committed an act of genocide against the population of the Azerbaijani town of Khojaly. As many as 613 people, including 63 children, 106 women and 70 old people were killed in the massacre. Eight families were totally exterminated, 130 children lost one parent and 25 children lost both. Some 1,275 innocent residents were taken hostage, while the fate of 150 people still remains unknown.
The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. As a result of the ensuing war, in 1992 Armenian armed forces occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts.
The 1994 ceasefire agreement was followed by peace negotiations. Armenia has not yet implemented four UN Security Council resolutions on withdrawal of its armed forces from the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding districts.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Feb. 26
Trend:
A tree-planting event has been held under the Justice for Khojaly campaign in Baku.
Vice-President of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation, founder and head of IDEA Public Union Leyla Aliyeva attended the event, which saw the planting of 63 trees to commemorate the 63 children killed by the Armenians in Khojaly genocide.
The event was co-organized by IDEA Public Union and the State Committee for Family, Women and Children's Affairs in partnership with the Ecology and Natural Resources Ministry and the Sabunchu District Executive Authority.
Participants of the event first observed a minute of silence to honor memory of the victims of the Khojaly genocide.
Leyla Aliyeva and others then planted 63 evergreen cypress trees to pay tribute to the 63 children who were massacred by the Armenians in the town of Khojaly 26 years ago.
Among the participants of the event were 120 children who attend the Fourth Nationwide Children`s Forum, as well as foreign children studying and living in Azerbaijan.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Feb. 26
By Rufiz Hafizoglu Trend:
If Turkey had its current power in 1992, the Khojaly tragedy would not have happened, Head of Turkey-Azerbaijan Interparliamentary Friendship Group Necdet Unuvar told Trend.
He said Armenians killed hundreds of innocent Azerbaijanis in 1992.
Unfortunately, the West does not want to see the criminals guilty of committing the Khojaly tragedy, he added.
On Feb. 25-26, 1992, the Armenian armed forces, together with the 366th infantry regiment of Soviet troops, stationed in Khankendi, committed an act of genocide against the population of the Azerbaijani town of Khojaly. As many as 613 people, including 63 children, 106 women and 70 old people were killed in the massacre. Eight families were totally exterminated, 130 children lost one parent and 25 children lost both. Some 1,275 innocent residents were taken hostage, while the fate of 150 people still remains unknown.
The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. As a result of the ensuing war, in 1992 Armenian armed forces occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts.
The 1994 ceasefire agreement was followed by peace negotiations. Armenia has not yet implemented four UN Security Council resolutions on withdrawal of its armed forces from the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding districts.
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Follow the author on Twitter: @rhafizoglu
Baku, Azerbaijan, Feb. 26
By Elchin Mehdiyev Trend:
Chairman of the Azerbaijani Parliamentary Committee on international and interparliamentary relations Samad Seyidov, MPs Sevinj Fataliyeva, Asim Mollazade and Javanshir Feiziyev will be in Ankara to participate in the trilateral meeting of the parliamentary committees on foreign relations of Azerbaijan, Turkey and Georgia from Feb. 26 to March 1, the Azerbaijani parliament said in a message Feb. 26.
A number of regional issues will be discussed at the meeting. The MPs will also exchange views on development of mutual relations of delegations within international organizations.
Following the meeting, a protocol on cooperation among the foreign relations committees of the legislative bodies of the three countries will be signed.
Furthermore, meetings are planned to be held with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Prime Minister Binali Yildirim, Chairman of the Turkish Grand National Assembly Ismail Kahraman and Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Feb. 26
By Samir Ali Trend:
The Khojaly genocide is an example of cruelty, ruthlessness and impunity in the modern world, Azerbaijani MP Elman Nasirov told Trend Feb. 26.
He added that the Armenians have not been punished for the committed atrocities yet.
"The Khojaly tragedy showed that at the end of the 20th century the Armenian executioners purposefully committed this crime against the Azerbaijani population because they were Azerbaijanis, Khojaly people, Nasirov said. Therefore this genocide is a crime. Khojaly residents were killed because they were Azerbaijani Turks.
The Azerbaijani government worked much to update the world about Khojaly genocide, as well as realized various projects to recognize it.
"To recognize this tragedy, after coming to power in 1993, Azerbaijani national leader Heydar Aliyev immediately appealed to the UN Security Council, disclosed the essence of the Khojaly genocide and called on the entire world community to take actions against the occupiers," he said. In February 1994, the Azerbaijani parliament assessed this tragedy politically and legally.
In 1998, Heydar Aliyev signed a decree on the Khojaly genocide, Nasirov said. Later, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and First Vice President Mehriban Aliyeva worked much in this sphere.
In particular, "Justice for Khojaly!" campaign, which started on the initiative of Vice President of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation Leyla Aliyeva, which was launched in 2008, caused great resonance worldwide, he said. Thanks to this campaign, the parliaments of ten countries, 22 US states recognized the Khojaly tragedy as genocide."
Nasirov said that sooner or later the perpetrators of the Khojaly genocide will be punished.
The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. As a result of the ensuing war, in 1992 Armenian armed forces occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts.
On Feb. 25-26, 1992, the Armenian armed forces, together with the 366th infantry regiment of Soviet troops, stationed in Khankendi, committed an act of genocide against the population of the Azerbaijani town of Khojaly. As many as 613 people, including 63 children, 106 women and 70 old people were killed in the massacre. Eight families were totally exterminated, 130 children lost one parent and 25 children lost both. Some 1,275 innocent residents were taken hostage, while the fate of 150 people still remains unknown.
The 1994 ceasefire agreement was followed by peace negotiations. Armenia has not yet implemented four UN Security Council resolutions on withdrawal of its armed forces from the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding districts.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Feb. 26
Trend:
Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev has sent a congratulatory letter to President of the Dominican Republic Danilo Medina Feb. 26.
"I extend my heartfelt congratulations to you and your people on the occasion of the national holiday of the Dominican Republic," President Aliyev said in his congratulatory letter.
"On this remarkable day, I extend my best regards to you, and wish the friendly people of the Dominican Republic lasting peace and prosperity," added President Aliyev.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Feb. 26
Trend:
President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev has been interviewed by the Russian Rossiya-24 TV channel`s correspondent on Feb. 26.
The interview was featured in the channel`s story on Khojaly genocide on Feb.26.
Correspondent: Ilham Heydar oglu, it is a gruesome morning. What were your thoughts when you came here? What were your thoughts when you woke up today? I should say that Russians in Russia recall this tragedy and commemorate this day with great reverence. What were your thoughts when you came here?
President Ilham Aliyev: First of all, I would like to thank your television channel for coming to Baku on a day like this to be with us and to express your position on the tragedy of the Azerbaijani people. I appreciate this so much and I am grateful to you for this.
Today marks one of the bloodiest pages in the history of the Azerbaijani people, the day of genocide of Azerbaijanis. 26 years ago Armenia committed genocide against Azerbaijanis. As a result of this, 613 civilians were killed, 106 of them were women, 63 were children. More than 1200 civilians were captured and tortured, nearly 500 became disabled, and there is no any information about 150 civilians. They are considered missing, but there is a high probability that they were killed. There are a lot of footages and images on that terrible day, on that bloody tragedy and witnesses who miraculously survived. This was manifestation of the Armenian fascism. This was manifestation of barbarism.
Justice for Khojaly campaign is today spreading at a rapid pace all over the world. These days commemorative ceremonies are being held in many countries of the world. These days the Azerbaijani diaspora organizations, society are holding round tables, presentations and exhibitions. All the photo and video documents bore evidence of this large-scale tragedy. We remember this. We will never forget it. Azerbaijan must become stronger so that this tragedy is never repeated. You asked about my feelings today. My feelings are those that every Azerbaijani has it is grief and distress for the innocent people who were killed, pain for the victims, at the same time, determination to strengthen our country. We must strengthen economic, military potential of our country so that the people of Azerbaijan never again face a tragedy like that.
Correspondent: Ilham Heydar oglu, thank you for this interview and for finding time to meet with us.
President Ilham Aliyev: Thank you.
Correspondent: This is extremely sad for the state.
President Ilham Aliyev: I would like to once again thank you for being with us here today. Thank you very much.
Correspondent: We were pleased to be involved.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Feb. 26
Trend:
Baku Higher Oil School (BHOS) organized a special event dedicated to 26th anniversary of the Khojaly massacre. At the beginning, one minute's silence in remembrance of Khojaly tragedy victims was observed.
In his introductory speech, BHOS rector Elmar Gasimov said that the Khojaly genocide, which, sadly, was not the only military crime committed against Azerbaijani people, would remain in the memory and history of the Azerbaijani people as one of most cruel crimes against humanity. The rector emphasized that great efforts were taken based on the forward-looking policy of the President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev to inform the world community about the tragedy. Elmar Gasimov also told that all Azerbaijani people including young generation should support these efforts to bring to justice those who are responsible for Khojaly genocide.
Associate professor of the BHOS English Language and Humanitarian Disciplines Centre Alemdar Shahverdiyev told about historical contest of the Khojaly tragedy and the special place it occupies in the Azerbaijani history. BHOS third-year Petroleum Engineering students Fardin Vatani and Ramal Nadirov made presentations about the Khojaly massacre and its consequences, and reminded of the tragic statistical data of the event. As the result of this act of genocide, 613 Khojaly residents were killed including 106 women, 63 children and 70 elderly. Eight families were completely annihilated, 130 children lost one parent, while 25 lost both parents; 487 people including 76 children became disabled, 1275 residents were taken hostage and 150 civilians went missing. The students called on all Azerbaijan youth to join efforts in order to bring Armenian fascists, who committed the Khojaly genocide, to justice.
On February 26, 2018, the management, staff members and students of the Baku Higher Oil School visited the memorial complex on the Khojaly avenue in Baku and laid flowers to the monument Cry of mother (Ana fryad) dedicated to the memory of the victims of the Khojaly genocide.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Feb. 26
Trend:
A helicopter of Azerbaijans Ministry of Emergency Situations and two coast guard vessels of the State Border Service have started searches for a missing crew member of the TARADIS cargo vessel, sailing under Iran's flag in the Caspian Sea, the Ministry of Emergency Situations said in a message Feb. 26.
On Feb. 25, the Crisis Management Center of Azerbaijans Ministry of Emergency Situations received report from the Ports and Maritime Organization of Iran that the crew member went missing in the Azerbaijani sector of the Caspian Sea.
Details added (first version posted on 11:08)
Baku, Azerbaijan, Feb. 26
By Anvar Mammadov - Trend:
Protection of environment must become a common cause for Azerbaijans entire population, Minister of Ecology and Natural Resources Huseyngulu Bagirov told reporters in Baku Feb. 26.
Law enforcement officers and employees of our ministry carry out protection measures, but this is not enough, the minister said. The population should also understand that they harm themselves by cutting down forests.
He said some citizens themselves are engaged in illegal deforestation.
Bagirov noted that entrepreneurs shouldnt carry out work in the territories with green spaces.
Over the past few years, we have repeatedly encountered such facts, the minister said. This causes irreparable harm to nature.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Feb. 26
Trend:
A commemorative event dedicated to the 26th anniversary of the Khojaly genocide was held at the Azerbaijani embassy in Argentina.
Azerbaijans Foreign Ministry told Trend the event was attended by representatives of public and political circles of Argentina, diplomatic missions accredited in the country, various youth and non-governmental organizations, scientific and academic circles and local media.
Participants of the event first observed a minute of silence to honor memory of the victims of the Khojaly genocide.
Addressing the event, Ambassador Rashad Aslanov gave information about the genocide act committed brutally by Armenian armed forces against civilians in Khojaly town.
He said that this is one of the most terrible tragedies of the 20th century.
Speaking about the Justice for Khojaly campaign being conducted at the initiative of Heydar Aliyev Foundations Vice-President Leyla Aliyeva, the ambassador noted the importance of giving the political and legal assessment to this cruel massacre at the international level.
He also spoke about the occupation of 20 percent of Azerbaijani territories by Armenia, and that more than one million Azerbaijanis became refugees and IDPs, and resolutions were adopted by the UN Security Council, the UN General Assembly, the OSCE and other international organizations in connection with the conflict.
Later, a documentary film dedicated to the Khojaly genocide, Running from the Darkness, was shown to the events participants.
Addressing the event, researcher at the Institute for International Relations of the University of La Plata and Associate Professor of the Catholic University of Argentina Ariel Levaggi said that the tragedies such as the Khojaly genocide were committed against all humanity, not just one country, and that the world community should always be vigilant to prevent such incidents.
At the end of the event, the guests were provided with materials on the Khojaly genocide and the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Feb. 26
By Ali Mustafayev Trend:
Air Astana, the Skytrax award-winning national carrier of Kazakhstan, will offer daily non-stop flights from the Nazarbayev International Airport in Astana to London Heathrow, effective June 1.
The additional frequencies, on Wednesdays and Fridays, are already available for sale, the press service of Air Astana said in a message.
We are delighted to have finally secured daily flight status on what is such a prestigious and popular route the only direct service linking the UK to Kazakhstan, said Air Astana CEO and President Peter Foster.
He added that London has consistently grown in significance, with both business and leisure travelers, and it comes at an opportune time too for the airline strategically, as Air Astana starts to plan for an IPO listing in both London and Kazakhstan.
Passengers flying direct with Air Astana also benefit from seamless immediate connections to Kazakhstans second city Almaty and excellent onward connections via the airlines domestic and international network. From Astana, passengers can benefit from convenient international connections to Urumqi, northwest China; Delhi, India; and the Russian cities of Novosibirsk, Omsk, Tyumen and Yekaterinburg.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Feb. 26
By Anvar Mammadov Trend:
The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) will provide technical assistance to further development of the Energy Regulatory Agency of Azerbaijan, EBRD Press Secretary for Eastern Europe, Caucasus and Central Asia Anton Usov told Trend Feb. 26.
Usov reminded that the relevant protocol on intent was signed between the Azerbaijani Energy Ministry and the EBRD in September 2017 during the visit of EBRD President Suma Chakrabarti to Baku.
This protocol, in particular, envisages the provision of assistance to the ministry in creating an independent energy regulator. This will be consistent with the road map for reforming the state infrastructure, which was approved by President Ilham Aliyev in 2016, he noted.
Usov said that the cooperation on this issue has been successfully launched, and last week a seminar was held on energy regulation issues in Europe, which was attended by representatives of the Council of European Energy Regulators (CEER), the Netherlands, Latvia and Austria.
The EBRD, for its part, will provide technical assistance in this issue, which will be aimed at preparing a law on the regulator in Azerbaijan, as well as on building the capacity of the Energy Regulatory Agency established by the decree of the President of Azerbaijan, dated Dec. 22, 2017, he added.
Azerbaijan has been cooperating with the EBRD since 1992.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Feb. 26
By Rufiz Hafizoglu Trend:
As many as $1.1 billion will be allocated for the construction of a cruise port in Turkey, a source in the Ministry of Transport, Maritime Affairs and Communications of Turkey told Trend Feb. 26.
The ports construction started in 2016, and the total length of the port is 1.2 kilometers, according to the source.
The cruise port will become one of the most important ones in Istanbul.
Earlier, a source in the countrys Ministry of Transport, Maritime Affairs and Communications told Trend that more seaports will be built in Turkey as part of the government plan titled "2023 Vision".
"Currently, Turkish ports can handle up to 15,000 yachts. It is expected that by 2023, after modernization of these ports, they will be able to receive around 50,000 yachts," the source noted.
Under the government plan, 210 fishing ports in Turkey will be upgraded to handle yachts.
Eleven ports, designed for organizing cruises, will also be built in Turkey by 2023, according to the source.
Turkey plans to reconstruct a number of important ports in the coastal provinces to develop marine tourism.
Certain ports in the Istanbul, Antalya and Izmir cities will be reconstructed in the first place.
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Follow the author on Twitter: @rhafizoglu
Baku, Azerbaijan, Feb. 26
By Anvar Mammadov Trend:
In January 2018, investment company Unicapital led the ranking of brokers in the Azerbaijani market of public and corporate securities, said the Baku Stock Exchange on Feb. 26.
The investment company provided brokerage services worth 622.37 million manats during the reporting period.
PASHA Capital took second place with the rendered services worth 535.64 million manats.
PASHA Capital is followed by InvestAZ, which rendered services worth 483.18 million manats in January 2018.
Below is the ranking of brokers in Azerbaijans securities market in terms of services rendered in January 2018:
Brokers name Value of brokerage services (AZN) Brokers current place in terms of services volume Unicapital 622,367,042.08 1 PASHA Kapital 535,640,547.3 2 Invest-AZ 483,182,460.32 3 AzFinance 368,976,804.42 4 Xalq Kapital 90,010,329.36 5 PSG Kapital 58,015,632.19 6 Kapital Menecment - 7
(1.7001 manats = 1 USD on Feb. 26)
Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, Feb. 26
By Huseyn Hasanov - Trend:
A solemn opening ceremony of the international airport was held in Turkmenabat city, the administrative center of Turkmenistans Lebap province.
The airport built by Gundogdy local company is located 13 kilometers from the city in close proximity to the Ashgabat-Turkmenabat highway and the Ashgabat-Kerki railway.
The capacity of the complex is 500 passengers per hour. A new runway with a length of 3,800 meters long and 65 meters width is equipped with state-of-the-art ground support facilities - light-signal and meteorological systems, which allows servicing aircraft of all types.
The cargo terminal with storage facilities is designed to handle 200,000 tons of cargo per year.
The automated meteorological system, radio engineering, light-signal and ornithological equipment have been installed in the aerodrome.
In 2013 it was reported that Turkmenhowayollary State National Service (Turkmen Airlines) intends to conclude a contract with Altcom Road Construction LLC (Ukraine) for the construction of a new international airport in Turkmenabat city.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Feb.26
By Leman Zeynalova Trend:
The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) is providing 60 million euros loan for the construction of a new gas pipeline between Romania, Bulgaria, Hungary and Austria (BRUA), said a message from EBRD.
BRUA can ensure transmission of gas from the Southern Gas Corridor to Austria through the section on the territory of Romania.
The pipeline will ensure the integration of the Southern Gas Corridor sources into the Central and Western European markets.
With a total length of 1,318 km, the so-called BRUA gas corridor will offer better interconnection between the countries along its route. It will boost the energy market by enabling new links with major gas infrastructure projects such as the Southern Gas Corridor, through Trans Adriatic Pipeline (TAP) and Trans Anatolian Natural Gas Pipeline (TANAP), other central European gas hubs and future offshore production sites in the Black Sea, saud the message.
The EBRD funds will be extended to Romanias Transgaz which is building the Romanian section of the pipeline.
The total project cost is 479 million euros.
The Southern Gas Corridor, worth $41.5 billion, is considered as one of the priority energy projects for the EU, which strives for diversification of gas sources. The project envisages the transportation of gas from the Caspian region to the European countries through Georgia and Turkey.
At an initial stage, the gas to be produced in the Stage 2 of development of Azerbaijan's Shah Deniz field is considered as the main source for the Southern Gas Corridor projects. Other sources can also connect to this project at a later stage.
As part of the Shah Deniz Stage 2, the gas will be exported to Turkey and European markets by expanding the South Caucasus Pipeline and the construction of Trans-Anatolian Natural Gas Pipeline (TANAP) and Trans Adriatic Pipeline (TAP).
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Follow the author on Twitter: @Lyaman_Zeyn
Baku, Azerbaijan, Feb. 26
By Maksim Tsurkov Trend:
Commodities traded flat on the week with the Bloomberg Commodity Index showing gains in energy being offset by losses across both industrial and precious metals, Head of Commodity Strategy / Saxo Bank Ole Hansen told Trend Feb. 26.
Hansen said that the agriculture sector traded flat following a month of strong gains, particularly among key crops.
The latest weekly report from the US Energy Information Administration delivered a triple dose of bullish news with WTI surging to resistance at $63.15/barrel, he said. This followed a surprise counter-seasonal drop in stocks driven by surging exports while production was flat following a recent jump.
Hansen said that gold, meanwhile, endured its worst week since early December on the back of a stronger USD, a hawkish Federal Open Market Committee, and the US 10-year government bond yield approaching 3% a level not been seen since it was rejected back in December 2013.
The fifth consecutive failure (since 2014) in breaking higher has also helped raised short-term concerns about a deeper correction, Hansen added.
The motto of this years annual Munich Security Conference, held last week, was "To the Brink and Back", Hansen said. All indications unfortunately pointed towards further conflicts as the conference laid bare the major lack of trust among world powers.
It highlighted multiple geopolitical risks ranging from US versus Russia, The West versus North Korea, Europe versus Turkey, and a messy Middle East where Russia and Iran are up against Israel and the US in Syria, he said.
Other threats being discussed and worried about were cyber threats and not least the rise in global trade tensions, especially between the US and China, he said. The US Commerce Department recently released its recommendations for restricting imports of steel and aluminium. The proposal, which now awaits a response and approval from President Trump, could potentially slap punitive tariffs on imports from five major suppliers including China and Russia.
From a global perspective the impact is likely to be limited with the biggest being the risk of tit-or-tat retaliation on US imports, not only from China but also from other countries singled out by the proposal, he said. The stock prices of US steel and aluminium producers are likely to receive a boost while US manufacturers making products from the two metals could suffer a competitive disadvantage given the impact of higher prices for domestically produced steel and aluminium.
Industrial metals in general traded lower as Chinese investors returned from their New Year holiday, he said. The weakness was driven by a recovering dollar, increased expectations for further FOMC rate hikes, and China's quest to deleverage in order to achieve a more sustainable growth trajectory.
Hansen said that while investors await an expected post holiday pick-up in Chinese demand, the downside risk for now seems limited with HG Copper currently trading within a $3 to $3.3/lb range.
Overall the agriculture sector led by grains seems to have woken up from a multi-year snooze with record high stock levels increasingly being challenged by an uncertain production outlook, he said. During the past month, a rising weather premium has emerged after extreme heat in the Southern Hemisphere and extreme cold across the Northern hemisphere impacted a variety of food commodities from soybeans to wheat and cocoa.
Additional support has come from the weaker dollar, strong demand, and rising energy prices as well as short covering from hedge funds who have been reducing a record grain short back to neutral during the past four weeks, he said.
The recent rally in key crops led by soybeans due to lower output from Argentina may now pause ahead of the crucially important month of March, he said. This is when the size of the Latin American harvest will become known while the US planting season begins, and with that news about what and how much US farmers intend to plant.
During the past week oil and gas operators as well as traders and ministers descended on London for the biggest annual gathering of oil executives at the IP Week, Hansen said. While the consensus was for higher prices due the successful and ongoing production cuts from Opec and friends, some uncertainty with regard to surging non-Opec production was also seen.
Hansen said that this was highlighted by the International Energy Agency which is forecasting that global demand growth in 2018 and 2019 can be met by rising non-Opec production.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Feb. 26
By Huseyn Valiyev - Trend:
Azerbaijans Taxes Ministry selected the winner of the tender for provision of information and communication services, the State Service for Antimonopoly Policy and Consumer Rights Protection of Azerbaijan said in a message Feb. 26.
In accordance with the decision of the tender commission, Azerbaijans Caspel IT company won the tender announced earlier by the Taxes Ministry.
The contract worth more than 2.69 million manats was signed with the company on Feb. 15.
Caspel company will provide technical support for server and telecommunications equipment, equipment of Call Center 195, access control systems, uninterruptible power supplies and software.
(1.7001 manats = 1 USD on Feb. 26)
Barama Innovation and Entrepreneurship Center of Azercell Telecom LLC continues to provide support to the development of local startups. This time, the Center acts as a main partner of Startup for the Future project organized by Youth Achievement Public Union. The project is aimed to raise the interest of the youth on innovation, direct them in the development of startup projects and foster the development of startup ecosystem in Azerbaijan.
The intensive training and innovation conference to be held under the project which will take place on March 2, 5 and 6 at ADA University will provide further opportunities for the participants to develop a real startup project from the very first stage idea development. During the training event scheduled for March 2, the participating fellows aged 16-25 will be encouraged to exchange ideas and develop a business projects on education, environment, energy, food and tourism industries. The conference on March 5 will be open to any individual who show interest to entrepreneurship, innovation and startup project. International expert Tal Katran who was involved in the development of startup ecosystem in several countries will also join the conference and share his professional experience with the audience.
In order to join the conference, please follow the link below to get registered: http://events.ja-azerbaijan.org/register.php
Barama Innovation Center was founded in 2009 by Azercell with the aim to support entrepreneurship in Azerbaijan. The Center generally supports IT projects and emerging start-ups operating in this industry and helps them become successful businesses. Barama Center has made a number of achievements during nine years of its activity. More than 70 projects were launched at the center and 40 of them completed successfully. Currently, there are companies established at Barama that successfully run operations.
The leader of the mobile communication industry, the largest taxpayer and the biggest investor of the non-oil sector of Azerbaijan Azercell Telecom LLC was founded in 1996. With 48% share of Azerbaijans mobile telecom market Azercells network covers 80% of the territory (excluding 20% of the occupied territories) and 99,8% of population of the country. Currently, 4,5 million subscribers choose Azercell services. Azercell has pioneered an important number of innovations in Azerbaijan, including GSM technology, advance payment system, mobile internet services, Metro coverage, 24/7 call centre service, 7 day/week Front Office service, M2M services, one-stop-shopping approach Azercell Express offices, Online Customer Care and Social Media Customer Care services, Mobile Customer Care office, mobile e-signature service ASAN Imza etc. Azercell deployed first 4G LTE services in Azerbaijan in 2012. According to the results of mobile network quality surveys of Global Wireless Solutions company and international systems specialized in wireless coverage mapping such as Opensignal and Testmy.net, Azercells network demonstrated the best results among the mobile operators of Azerbaijan.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Feb. 26
By Anvar Mammadov Trend:
Bahrains Gulf Air is planning to launch regular flights to Baku, the company said in a message posted on its website.
According to the message, the airline plans to significantly expand its activities this year and open a big number of new direct flights. One of these destinations is Baku.
Gulf Air, the national carrier of the Kingdom of Bahrain, commenced operations in 1950, becoming one of the first commercial airlines established in the Middle East. Today, Gulf Air is a major international carrier serving 42 cities in 25 countries spanning three continents.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Feb.26
By Nigar Guliyeva Trend:
Uzbekistan and Georgia have agreed on cooperation in the field of winemaking and viticulture.
As part of the visit of Uzbek working group led by Deputy Minister of Foreign Trade Relations Sahib Saifnazarov to Tbilisi, the parties signed a memorandum, under which leading Georgian experts will visit Uzbekistan to study the raw materials base and winemaking potential .
Furthermore, the parties intend to actively cooperate in the field of growing and importing scientifically-adapted grape seedlings.
The sides also considered ways of export promotion of wine products.
Following the meeting at the National Wine Agency under the Georgian Agriculture Ministry, an agreement was reached on the exchange of experience, development of partnerships in viticulture and winemaking and certification of wine and vodka products.
The Georgian side also showed a keen interest in the products of the Uzbek automobile and agricultural machinery industry, proposed to take an active part in tenders for the supply of buses for municipal needs and equipment for agricultural enterprises
Last year Uzbekistan produced 20.7 million liters of grape wine (an increase of 0.7 percent), 63.6 million liters of vodka and liquor products (1.4 percent), 789,500 liters of cognac (4.6 percent ) and 70.9 million liters of food alcohol (3.9 percent).
Presently, 43 varieties of grapes are grown in the republic, including 17 wine varieties. Today, grape plantations occupy an area of more than 140,000 hectares, of which 45,000 hectares accounted for wine grapes.
The main export markets for Uzbek wine are Russia and Kazakhstan, which jointly occupy about 80-90 percent of all exports. Uzbek wines are also exported to Turkmenistan and Kyrgyzstan, while pilot shipments have been carried out to the US, China, Japan, Latvia, Israel and other countries during the past two years.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Feb. 26
Trend:
Uzbek government has approved the opening of a number of checkpoints on the border with Tajikistan, TajikTA agency reported.
The government approved the resumption of operations of a number of checkpoints on the border with Tajikistan in a decree dated Feb. 21, 2018.
It is planned to create roadside infrastructure that meets modern standards, as well as the necessary social and living conditions for citizens along the roads adjacent to the checkpoints.
Uzbekistan Railways JSC was instructed to reconstruct the Galaba-Khoshadi railway section in Uzbekistan by March 1 and to create the necessary servicing and living conditions for the state control bodies at checkpoints.
Previously, various disagreements arose between Tajikistan and Uzbekistan, including on the demarcation of the state border. However, Uzbekistans President Shavkat Mirziyoyev has started to reset the relations with the countrys neighbors in the region, in particular, with Tajikistan.
The parties resumed the dialogue on border, water and energy issues, launched air communication between the capitals, and intend to abolish the visa regime.
The Uzbek president is expected to pay a state visit to Tajikistan in the first decade of March 2018.
Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, Feb. 26
By Huseyn Hasanov Trend:
An agreement on cooperation between Russia and Turkmenistan in the fight against drug trafficking has come into force, according to the official legal information website of the Russian Federation.
Under the five-year agreement, the parties will exchange information on crimes related to drugs, as well as people and organizations suspected of involvement in drug trafficking.
The sides will also cooperate as part of activities aimed at preventing and detecting such crimes, as well as exchange experience and provide assistance in the training of personnel.
The document was signed by President of Russia Vladimir Putin and his Turkmen counterpart Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov in Ashgabat in October 2017.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Feb. 26
Trend:
An Uzbek delegation will participate in a meeting of foreign ministers of the Visegrad Group and Central Asia, the press service of the Uzbek Foreign Ministry said in a message Feb. 26.
The meeting will be held in Budapest on Feb. 27, says the message.
During the visit, the Uzbek delegaition is also expected to hold several bilateral meetings, according to the message.
The Visegrad Group includes four countries: Hungary, Poland, Slovakia and the Czech Republic.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Feb. 26
By Fikret Dolukhanov Trend:
Most people are used to seeing or hearing about mass murders in media reports, movies or documentaries. The tragedies feel like something distant, though they are actually much closer than we suppose.
In his book I film a war A school of survival, famous Russian journalist Yuri Romanov talks about various hot spots across the ex-USSR territory. In the following excerpt from his book, we feel on our skin the chilling horrors of the massacre committed in the Azerbaijani town of Khojaly by the invading Armenian troops.
I look through the window of the helicopter and the unbelievably frightening sight that opens in front of my eyes literally traumatizes me. Bodies of dead people are lying on the yellow grass lawn at the shadowy foothills of a mountain, where pellets of snow and hoar-frosts deposited in winter are melting. The entire vast area is strewn with the corpses of women, elderly men and women, boys and girls of all ages, from infant to teenager. My eyes pick out two bodies in this mess a grandmother and a little girl. The grandma, with grey hair uncovered, lying face down next to the tiny girl in a blue hooded jacket. Their feet for some reason are tied with barbed wire. The grandmother's hands are also tied up. Both shot in the head. In her last gesture, the small, four-year-old girl stretches her arms out to her dead grandmother. Stunned, I did not even think of the camera ...
The Russian journalist arrived in Khojaly in a helicopter along with Azerbaijani reporter Chingiz Mustafayev two days later after the terrifying February 26, 1992 events. Romanov described in his memoir how he literally jumped back from an incredibly horrible view, because the scene was too gross for something that can or may happen during a war. It looked like a mass-murder from the Middle Ages, when occupying forces used to slaughter citizens of invaded settlements. Among the numerous corpses there was one of a six-year-old girl whose eyes had been burned out with cigarette stubs.
During his latest speech at the Munich Security Conference, Armenias President Serzh Sargsyan talked about war victims as of something inevitable, because, as he claimed, no one serves pilaf in a war. Yes, wars may lead to casualties, but the death of the six-year-old Khojaly girl wasnt caused by a stray bullet or a bomb fragment. She was killed violently and intentionally, just as the other residents of the city.
There is no doubt that the city population was subjected to carnage. It is obvious both from the disfigured corpses and statements of Armenians.
For instance, Markar Melkonian, brother of the infamous Armenian terrorist Monte Melkonian, in his book My Brother's Road: An American's Fateful Journey to Armenia, which describes the life of his thug brother, admits that the date of the Khojaly massacre had been chosen intentionally and it had been carried out as a retribution to the 1988 Sumgayit events.
We prefer not to speak about that aloud But the main point is quite different, I believe. Before Khojalu [Khojaly], the Azerbaijanis thought that they were joking with us, they thought that the Armenians were people who could not raise their hand against the civilian population. We needed to put a stop to all that. And thats what happened. And we should also take into account that amongst those boys were people who had ed from Baku and Sumgait, Sargsyan, a field commander back then, said in his interview to British journalist Thomas de Waal.
Years later the Armenian side will claim that the quote was cut out of the context and Sargsyan wanted to say something different. They will even call Markar Melkonians book a fake produced by the Turkish and Azerbaijani special agencies. The tragedy itself is called in Armenia merely Khojaly events. Armenian media tends to write about anything on February 26, but the massacre. Their preference is articles defaming neighboring Turkey and Azerbaijan, and trying to prove that the truth is with Armenia.
But how can the truth side with those who justify killing of 613 civilians by a necessity to put a stop to a belief that Armenians could not raise their hand against civilians. The Armenian authorities can try to assert just anything, but one thing is obvious: on February 26, 1992, a crime was committed, the biggest massacre in the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and one of the most terrifying tragedies of the modern history. Incumbent ruling circles of Armenia were personally involved in the atrocities.
Questions arise: how come that for the 26 years since the bloodbath none of the human rights organizations have thought about condemning Serzh Sargsyan and his criminal entourage for the atrocities? How come that such a person became a head of state and is allowed to speak on world tribunes in fruitless attempts to excuse the 30-year aggression? Are the international political circles really so blind and unprincipled to feel no difference who they are dealing with as long as he is obedient enough?
Former president of Yugoslavia, Slobodan Milosevic, was tried in Hague tribunal and declared an enemy to the whole humanity in spite of the numerous evidences he had brought to prove the unfortunate role the NATO played in developments on the Balkans. Nobody listened to him and his accomplices, because killing civilians has no excuse. The Balkan operation of the Western forces had been presented fair at the time and their efforts looked plausible.
But where had these champions of justice and defenders of the infringed been during the real ethnic cleansing in Karabakh? Where they are now and why their voices arent heard?
One of the founders of the unified German state Otto von Bismarck in a speech made on September 30, 1862, at the time when he was Minister President of Prussia, about the unification of the German territories said: The position of Prussia in Germany will not be determined by its liberalism, but by its power [...] Prussia must concentrate its strength and hold it for the favorable moment, which has already come and gone several times. Since the treaties of Vienna, our frontiers have been ill-designed for a healthy body politic. Not through speeches and majority decisions will the great questions of the day be decided that was the great mistake of 1848 and 1849 but by iron and blood.
The speech doesnt call for a war or bloodshed as one may think. It simply expresses the understanding of a mere political truth that hasnt changed since then, it seems: a power decides.
The most powerful nations of our time decide who is right and who is wrong, whom to condemn and whom to have mercy on.
Two centuries ago power was shaped by the actual iron and blood, but the time passed and the power changed its form. Today, it resides in economic strength, human resources, role on international scene, and dominance in information war. Azerbaijan is confidently developing in all these directions from year to year.
The negotiations under the aegis of the OSCE around the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict have been underway for more than two decades already. The negotiations are fruitless so far. But 613 lives, lost that cold and dark night 26 years ago, are not to be brought back neither by the OSCE Minsk Group, nor by the UN, which is unable to solve just anything for a long time considering the current developments in Syria.
Justice will prevail only when all the criminals answer at an international tribunal. That day is nigh, for Azerbaijanis are closer to return to their lands than ever. And murderers will pay for every life they took.
Britain should stay in a customs union with the European Union even after it leaves the bloc, opposition leader Jeremy Corbyn said on Monday, setting up a possible parliamentary defeat for Prime Minister Theresa May, Reuters reports.
As May tries to strike a divorce deal with the European Union by October, she faces a rebellion by a small group of pro-Europeans inside her Conservative Party that Labour Party leader Corbyn hopes to use to undermine her authority.
May has ruled out any customs union with the EU after Brexit because it would prevent Britain from striking new trade deals with fast-growing economies including as China and India.
Corbyn explicitly backed a customs union in a speech on Monday, setting the stage for Labour lawmakers to join Conservative rebels in supporting the necessary amendments to trade legislation.
Labour would seek to negotiate a new comprehensive UK-EU customs union to ensure there are no tariffs with Europe and to help avoid any need whatsoever for a hard border in Northern Ireland, Corbyn said in the central English city of Coventry.
But the veteran left-winger disappointed some anti-Brexit politicians in his party by indicating he, like May, favors Britain leaving the EUs single market - the only way it would be able to prevent unlimited immigration from Europe.
In a bid to win over rebels in Mays party, Corbyn appealed to members of parliament of all parties and said Labour would not support any deal that would do lasting damage to jobs, rights and living standards.
I appeal to MPs of all parties to be prepared to put the peoples interests before the ideological fantasies, he said.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Monday a new governing coalition she is seeking with the center-left Social Democrats would not allow new taxes or new public debt, Reuters reports.
Merkel, seeking to stem growing criticism about her longtime leadership, underscored the core focus of her Christian Democratic party on economic conservatism, individual liberties and Christian humanism, while calling for efforts to recapture voters after heavy losses in the September national elections.
We need orientation for our country, orientation for our party, Merkel said, citing public concerns about globalization, digitalization and unease about establishment political parties. It is our continuing responsibility as a party to give answers to these questions.
The chancellor, who needs approval from both political blocs to secure a fourth term in office, said her party would stick to its hardline stance against new tax increases and government debt, both at home and within the European Union.
Reliability means being sensible with how you treat the money of the citizens, she said. So we will stick to the clear line of the (conservatives): No new debts, no tax increases and at the same time, record investments in the big future areas.
CDU members are expected to later on Monday to endorse a renewal of the grand coalition that has ruled Germany since 2013. Around 464,000 SPD members will complete a far more uncertain, but binding, mail ballot on Friday, with results due out on Sunday.
Merkel also called for a renewal of Europe, saying the EU was vital to ensure that German interests were addressed globally, but was too weak and too slow at present, and urgent work was needed to address the current patchwork of different regulations on border security, defense and capital markets.
We need more commonality, the chancellor said.
She said Europes largest economy would continue to show solidarity with those EU members who did their homework on financial matters, but not with those who relied on others to carry their burdens. It will not be possible ... that others take a rest at our cost, she said to loud applause.
Merkel also underscored Germanys commitment to a strong EU defense union and the NATO alliance. We need to pick up the pace, we need a new dynamic. If Europe wants to be a global player, then it has to act like a global player.
The downing of an Israeli F-16 fighter jet earlier this month by a Syrian anti-aircraft missile resulted from a professional error by the crew, the Israeli military said, Reuters reports.
Its investigation found that an anti-aircraft missile shot down the Israeli warplane while it was returning from a bombing raid on Iran-backed positions in Syria on Feb. 10. It was the most serious confrontation yet between Israel and Iranian-backed forces in Syria.
The chain of events began, Israel says, when an Iranian drone was launched from within Syria and crossed into Israeli airspace. It was shot down by an Apache helicopter, and Israel swiftly launched warplanes to target its mobile control ground station in Syria.
A senior Israel Air Force officer told reporters that of a number of aircraft that took part in the mission one plane did not deploy countermeasures and was hit. It crashed in northern Israel./
In the operational theatre, there were a number of planes that did indeed defend themselves against the Syrian launchings while completing their mission. One of the planes that did not defend itself, was hit, the officer said.
A summary of the investigation released by the military said that the crew had chosen to complete the mission and not defend themselves sufficiently. Their actions did not correlate with standard procedure while under enemy fire.
The pilot suffered serious injuries during the ejection from the U.S.-built jet and the navigator, who was also hurt, has returned to active duty, the officer said.
The crew should have defended themselves as a priority over completing the offensive mission, the officer said, adding that the intelligence to hand was sufficient for carrying out the mission successfully.
He said the heart of the event was the hiatus between their completing the mission successfully and taking defensive measures and ensuring survivability.
The mission was completed successful and still, the plane should not have been downed, that is the standard we expect and we train for this, he said.
The Russians, with whom Israel frequently communicates in order to avoid aerial confrontations over Syria, had no connection to the launching of the drone, the officer said.
There was no Russian involvement in the incident, he said.
The Finnish Foreign Ministry has decided to dismiss Finland's Honorary Consul in Barcelona Albert Ginjaume Egidon, local media reported Sunday, Sputnik reports.
The Spanish government demanded the dismissal due to the lack of trust and inappropriate behavior of the diplomat, Helsingin Sanomat reported.
Spain believes that he has been acting improperly, ministrys spokeswoman Meira Pappi said, as quoted by the media outlet.
The Spanish government has not provided any specific explanations, but the Finnish Foreign Ministry has confirmed that the diplomats inappropriate behavior was related to the issue of Catalonias autonomy.
The Foreign Ministry asked for this further clarification, but so far we have not received a response, Pappi said.
The decision on the consuls dismissal has been made immediately, because under the law consulates can act only with the mutual consent of the two countries.
According to Finnish Ambassador to Spain Tiina Jortikka-Laitisen, the Spanish authorities were displeased with the high political activity of the consulate in Barcelona.
The [Spanish] government expressed the concerns that honorary consuls may not maintain neutrality, the ambassador said.
On October 1, Catalonia held a referendum on the region's independence from Spain. The vast majority of voters backed secession. The plebiscite was not, however, recognized by Madrid, which subsequently imposed direct rule over the autonomous region and dismissed its government. Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy also called a snap parliamentary election that took place on December 21, with the region's pro-independence bloc winning an absolute majority in the parliament.
The Lithuanian government has increased its support of NATOs Operation Resolute Support mission in Afghanistan following requests from NATO and other allies, the countrys Ministry of National Defense announced February 22, Sputnik reported.
An unspecified number of Lithuanian troops from Special Operations Forces will join the 21 Lithuanian soldiers currently serving in Afghanistan with NATO in April, the ministry noted.
"Lithuania receives strong support from our allies, therefore we have to contribute according to our means to fight against issues of global character by helping prevent expansion of terrorism," Raimundas Karoblis, Lithuanian minister of national defense, said in the news release.
US President Donald Trump has increased the US troop presence in Afghanistan by about 3,000 service members since taking office.
Despite Washington and NATO's extensive military incursion in Afghanistan "there are 21 terrorist groups acting in the country," Afghanistan President Ashraf Ghani told reporters in mid-February.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Feb. 26
By Rufiz Hafizoglu Trend:
Turkey's Armed Forces took control of almost all settlements along the borders of Syrias Afrin, Turkish media reported Feb. 26 citing military sources.
Fights are underway over control of a 7.8-km stretch in the west of Afrin, according to the report.
A total of 112 settlements were liberated from terrorists as part of the Operation Olive Branch.
On Jan. 20, the Turkish Armed Forces, together with the Free Syrian Army, launched the Operation Olive Branch in Afrin, Syria.
F-16 fighters of the Turkish Air Force are involved in the operation, inflicting strikes on the positions of PYD/YPG on the Syrian-Turkish border.
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Follow the author on Twitter: @rhafizoglu
Baku, Azerbaijan, Feb. 26
By Rufiz Hafizoglu Trend:
Since the beginning of the Operation Olive Branch, 2,059 terrorists have been killed in Syrias Afrin district, the Turkish General Staff said in a message Feb. 26.
In particular, 41 members of Kurdish Democratic Union Party (PYD), Peoples Protection Units (YPG) and the Islamic State (IS) terrorist organizations were killed in Afrin on Feb. 25.
A total of 112 settlements were liberated from terrorists as part of the Operation Olive Branch.
On Jan. 20, the Turkish Armed Forces, together with the Free Syrian Army, launched the Operation Olive Branch in Afrin, Syria.
F-16 fighters of the Turkish Air Force are involved in the operation, inflicting strikes on the positions of PYD/YPG on the Syrian-Turkish border.
---
Follow the author on Twitter: @rhafizoglu
Baku, Azerbaijan, Feb. 26
By Rufiz Hafizoglu Trend:
Turkey is developing new technology for Ejder Yalcin 4x4 armored combat vehicles that will make their operation possible without a driver and crew, Nurol Makina, the manufacturer company of the armored combat vehicles, said in a message.
Armies of several countries use the Ejder Yalcin 4x4 armored combat vehicles. In particular, 400 such armored combat vehicles were previously supplied to Qatar.
From 2011, Turkey has set up the production of mobile outposts that proved useful in fights against the militants of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), and also the Canik TP9 handguns, unmanned ANKA aircraft and other military equipment to strengthen the domestic defense industry.
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Follow the author on Twitter: @rhafizoglu
Baku, Azerbaijan, Feb. 26
By Rufiz Hafizoglu Trend:
Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim and Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu are expected to visit Azerbaijan in mid-March, a source in the Turkish government told Trend Feb. 26.
According to the source, Yildirim and Cavusoglu are expected to take part in the 6th Global Baku Forum, to be held March 15-17. The event, organized by the Nizami Ganjavi International Center, will be supported by the Azerbaijani State Committee on Work with Diaspora.
According to the source, Yildirim and Cavusoglu are also expected to meet with Azerbaijani officials.
Albanian President Ilir Meta, Montenegrin President Filip Vujanovic, member of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina Mladen Ivanic and presidents of other countries, prime ministers, ministers, former heads of state and government, members of the Nizami Ganjavi International Center, about 500 guests, including prominent public and political figures, are expected to participate in the 6th Global Baku Forum.
Such global issues as peace and security in the Middle East region, the existing geopolitical situation in the Balkan region, the growing role of youth in public and political life in the modern period are planned to be discussed during the event.
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Follow the author on Twitter: @rhafizoglu
Baku, Azerbaijan, Feb. 26
By Rufiz Hafizoglu Trend:
Chief of the General Staff of the Turkish Armed Forces Hulusi Akar has reviewed the Operation Olive Branch, the General Staff said in a message Feb. 26.
Reportedly, for this purpose Akar arrived in south-western Hatay province.
Battles are currently underway to establish control over a 7.8-kilometer-section in Syrias western Afrin district.
To date, 112 settlements have been liberated from terrorists within the Operation Olive Branch.
On Jan. 20, the Turkish Armed Forces, together with the Free Syrian Army, launched the Operation Olive Branch in Afrin, Syria.
F-16 fighters of the Turkish Air Force are involved in the operation, inflicting strikes on the positions of PYD/YPG on the Syrian-Turkish border.
---
Follow the author on Twitter: @rhafizoglu
A total of 24 entities, seven vessels and six individuals connected to Libya are facing sanctions from the United States, the US Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control said in a press release on Monday, Sputnik reported.
"The US Department of the Treasurys Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) today sanctioned six individuals, 24 entities, and seven vessels for threatening the peace, security, or stability of Libya through the illicit production, refining, brokering, sale, purchase, or export of Libyan oil or for being owned or controlled by designated persons," the release said.
The release added that the goal of the sanctions is to end fuel smuggling and other actions by individuals and entities who are exploiting Libyan natural resources for their own personal gain.
A UN Security Council resolution condemned the exploitation of Libyan oil in both 2014 and 2017, the release said.
KYODO NEWS - Feb 26, 2018 - 21:48 | Sports, All, News
The Japanese Olympic team returned home Monday after claiming a record 13 medals at the Pyeongchang Winter Games.
Team captain Nao Kodaira and men's figure skating champion Yuzuru Hanyu were among the 78 athletes who arrived at Narita airport, east of Tokyo, aboard a chartered jet.
Hanyu smiled and posed for photos alongside 500-meter speed skating gold medalist Kodaira, while the Takagi sisters, Miho and Nana, who together won gold as part of the women's pursuit team, also appeared relaxed.
Speaking at a press conference following the team's arrival, Hanyu, who entered the games under an injury cloud, credited his fans for spurring him to a second straight gold medal.
"Winning two consecutive Olympic championships was really challenging, but I think having so much support is what made it possible," the 23-year-old said.
Miho Takagi, who also won silver and bronze in the 1,500 meters and 1,000 meters, respectively, expressed gratitude to the many people who helped her succeed at the games.
"A lot of people gave me strength, which allowed me to achieve these results. I'm very grateful," she said.
At the Feb. 9-25 Winter Games, Japan won four gold, five silver and four bronze medals, breaking its previous record medal haul of 10 at the 1998 Nagano Games.
The medal haul in South Korea surpassed the target set by the Japanese Olympic Committee of nine medals in Pyeongchang, one better than the eight won at the 2014 Sochi Games.
Hanyu became the first figure skater in 66 years to win back-to-back golds in the men's event. In addition to her 500-meter gold, Kodaira secured silver in the 1,000 meters.
After entering the games with less media attention than her accomplished younger sister, Nana Takagi emerged from the shadows by winning the inaugural women's mass start to become the first Japanese woman to win multiple gold medals at a Winter Olympics.
Popular stories from the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics:
Olympics: As promised, Hanyu steals Olympic show with gold
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The Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, together with European and African collaborators (including the Institut Pasteur in Paris), carried out a mass dog vaccination in Chad and determined its effect on human rabies exposure. The study employed a bio-mathematical method for estimating the transmission dynamics of rabies. The researchers conclude that with political will and the necessary funding, elimination of rabies is possible in Africa.
Rabies is a viral disease that kills tens of thousands of people every year, predominantly in Africa and Asia. The disease is transmitted through the bites of infected dogs and foxes (read the disease fact sheet concerning rabies). In West- and Central Europe, rabies was eliminated some 20 years ago. Switzerland was declared free of rabies in 1999 after implementing a strategy targeting foxes.
"If you want to prevent humans from dying from rabies in Africa and Asia, you need to eliminate dog rabies," said Jakob Zinsstag from the Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute (Swiss TPH), first author and principal investigator of a study in Science Translational Medicine. Swiss TPH, together with collaborators in Europe and in Africa (including support from the Institut Pasteur in Paris, France, and ETH Zurich in Basel, Switzerland, for genetic analyzes of collected rabies viruses), demonstrated the proof-of-concept that elimination of rabies is feasible. "We have shown that African teams in one of the poorest countries can eliminate human rabies through mass vaccination of dogs.
What is needed next is additional funding and a concerted political will," said Zinsstag, an epidemiologist and veterinary public health expert. The investigation was carried out in N'Djamena, the capital of Chad where 1.1 million people live alongside some 30,000 dogs. In 2012 and 2013, 20,000 dogs were vaccinated each year against rabies. Hence, more than 65% of the city's estimated dog population participated in the intervention, "an excellent coverage rate," said Zinsstag. "We mobilised the neighbourhood chiefs and they in turn mobilised the people and their dogs."
Further insights through phylodynamics
The study is one of the first research projects to apply a rigorous phylodynamic method to dog rabies, and hence, it expands upon the normative phylogenetics (i.e. assessing the genetic relatedness of virus strains) with the dynamics of transmission over time. This made it possible to calculate the reproductive number of rabies among the dogs after the first mass dog vaccination in 2012.
"Dog rabies was likely re-introduced through the import of dogs by humans from outside N'Djamena after the rabies elimination had been achieved," Zinsstag explains. The phylogenetic analysis supports this finding, since the sequence of nucleoprotein of the new viruses showed a different genetic structure. "The molecular method ascertained the results put forth by the mathematical model through an independent approach," said Zinsstag. "Therefore eliminating rabies is not a technical problem, but a matter of political will and sufficient financial resources."
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The Swiss TPH study was financially supported by the UBS Optimus Foundation in Switzerland (vaccine, epidemiological field work and laboratory investigations). The Chadian government covered other costs (logistics and personnel).
Eliminating dog mediated human rabies by 2030 is part of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Notes to editor:
Read the disease fact sheet concerning rabies here: https://www.pasteur.fr/en/medical-center/disease-sheets/rabies
Read the article from Swiss TPH here: https://www.swisstph.ch/en/news/20171220-one-health/
Description
"Winner of 8 Tony Awards, including Best Musical, ONCE is a truly original Broadway experience. Featuring an impressive ensemble of actor/musicians who play their own instruments onstage, ONCE tells the enchanting tale of a Dublin street musician whos about to give up on his dream when a beautiful young woman takes a sudden interest in his music. Emotionally captivating and theatrically breathtaking, ONCE draws you in from the very first note and never lets go. Its an unforgettable story about going for your dreams and the power of music to connect us all."
By Balazs Koranyi and Gederts Gelzis
FRANKFURT/RIGA (Reuters) - Latvia's ABLV Bank is failing or likely to fail and will be wound up as saving it is not in the public interest, the European Union's Single Resolution Board and the European Central Bank (ECB) said separately on Saturday.
Accused by U.S. authorities of large-scale money laundering, ABLV failed this week to come up with a survival plan as customers fled and management could not come up with sufficient cash, despite offers of emergency central bank liquidity.
Privately held ABLV, Latvia's third-biggest bank, has been in focus since U.S. authorities accused it of covering up money laundering, bribing officials and facilitating the breach of sanctions against North Korea.
"Due to the significant deterioration of its liquidity, the bank is likely unable to pay its debts or other liabilities as they fall due," the ECB, ABLV's supervisor, said. "The bank did not have sufficient funds which are immediately available to withstand stressed outflows of deposits before the payout procedure of the Latvian deposit guarantee fund starts," the ECB added.
Latvian Prime Minister Maris Kucinskis said the country's authorities would gather for an emergency meeting on Monday following the failure as they keep watch for any fallout on other banks.
Kucinskis said Latvian authorities and local and international experts need to agree on steps to improve financial supervision.
"Thats why the emergency meeting of the Financial Sector Supervision Council has been called on Monday ... and this question has also been put on the agenda of the government (next week)," Kucinskis said in an emailed statement to Reuters.
"I am convinced both about the stability of the Latvian financial sector and the ability to take significant steps so that the banking sector could regain its reputation," Kucinskis added.
Latvian Finance Minister Dana Reizniece-Ozola told a news conference depositors with ABLV were entitled to have their funds guaranteed. "From this moment, or from the 7th March, the banks clients, depositors, are able to have the payment of guaranteed deposit during eight working days, Reizniece-Ozola said.
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CRITICAL FUNCTIONS
The U.S money laundering accusations, denied by the bank, destabilized the lender and around 600 million euros worth of deposits left within days, forcing the ECB to suspend all payments on Monday to prevent a disorderly collapse.
The Resolution Board noted ABLV does not provide critical functions and its failure is not expected to have a significant adverse impact on financial stability.
ABLV said it had fulfilled its regulatory requirements but was not allowed to resume operations due to "political considerations."
"The bank emphasizes: the amount of its assets is sufficient to satisfy demands of all clients and creditors. All deposits guaranteed by the Deposit Guarantee Law shall be disbursed with the funds of ABLV Bank," it said in a statement.
The bank, like many others in Latvia, has sizable deposits from foreign clients, many from Russia and Ukraine. Around 40 percent of all bank deposits in the Baltic country are from non-residents, and international agencies have long warned that some are related to illegal activities.
To combat money laundering, Latvia announced plans on Friday to gradually halve the share of bank deposits held by non-residents. But that was not enough to save ABLV, which had until Friday to present the ECB with a credible survival plan or face closure.
Hinting at its eventual fate, Latvian Finance Minister Dana Reizniece-Ozola said the state would not step in to rescue ABLV if it were about to collapse.
"ABLV is not regarded as a systemic bank, which means the government would not rescue it because its exposure to the Latvian economy is low," Reizniece-Ozola said. "There is some systemic importance (but) ... it is not crucial or critical."
($1 = 0.8129 euros)
(Reporting by Balazs Koranyi; Additional reporting by Helena Soderpalm in Stockholm; Editing by Leslie Adler and David Holmes)
FILE PHOTO: The General Electric logo is pictured on the General Electric offshore wind turbine plant in Montoir-de-Bretagne, near Saint-Nazaire, western France, November 21, 2016. REUTERS/Stephane Mahe/File Photo
By Jessica Toonkel
(Reuters) - General Electric , the United States' largest industrial conglomerate, will restate its earnings for 2016 and 2017 as it adopts a new accounting standard, according to a regulatory filing on Friday.
The updated accounting standard, which will take into account revenue from long-term contracts, will result in a 13 cent cut in reported earnings per share for 2016 and a cut of 16 cents per share for 2017, according to the company's 10-K filing.
GE is adopting the new accounting standards as the Securities and Exchange Commission investigates the company over its accounting for long-term service contracts.
The changes also come as the company struggles to reverse steep declines in some of its businesses and is looking to sell off $20 billion of assets.
It will restate earnings when it reports 2018 results, GE said in the filing. GE reports first-quarter earnings on April 20.
GE is also facing potential legal action by the U.S. Department of Justice over allegations that its GE Capital unit and now-defunct WMC Mortgage Corp unit violated U.S. law in connection with subprime mortgages, according to Friday's filing.
In January, the company reported a $10 billion loss in the quarter, hurt by a $6.2 billion charge to increase insurance reserves, and steep declines in profit in its power and transportation divisions.
Over the last year, GE's stock has fallen more than 51 percent and is trading around $14.49.
The Financial Times first reported that GE plans to restate earnings.
(Reporting By Jessica Toonkel; Editing by Susan Thomas)
BEIRUT, Feb 25 (Reuters) - Iran said attacks would continue on rebel-held areas near Damascus, where clashes were reported on Sunday between insurgents and government forces despite a U.N. resolution demanding a 30-day truce across Syria.
Warplanes and artillery hit some towns in the eastern Ghouta enclave, said residents, rescuers, and the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. The Observatory, a UK-based war monitoring group, said Sunday's bombing was less intense than the attacks over the past week.
Rebels said they clashed with government forces on several frontlines in the early hours of Sunday. There was no immediate comment from the Syrian military.
Iranian General Mohammad Baqeri, whose government backs Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, said Tehran and Damascus would respect the U.N. resolution.
But the Iranian military chief of staff also said the truce did not cover parts of the Damascus suburbs "held by the terrorists", the Tasnim news agency said.
Several previous ceasefires have unraveled quickly in the seven-year war in Syria, where Assad's military has gained the upper hand with the help of Iran and Russia, its key allies.
The U.N. Security Council resolution on Saturday followed seven straight days of bombing by pro-government forces on the besieged eastern suburbs, in one of the deadliest offensives of the war.
The Council voted unanimously to demand the truce to allow for aid access and medical evacuations. Yet while Moscow supported adopting the resolution, Russian U.N. Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia cast doubt on its feasibility.
The ceasefire resolution does not include militants from the Islamic State, al-Qaeda, and the Nusra Front.
Baqeri said Iran and Syria would adhere to it. But "parts of the suburbs of Damascus, which are held by the terrorists, are not covered by the ceasefire and clean-up (operations) will continue there," Tasnim quoted him as saying.
The latest escalation by Damascus and its allies has killed more than 500 people in the enclave over the last week, the Observatory has said. The dead included more than 120 children.
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Air strikes and shelling on Sunday killed four people in eastern Ghouta and injured 27 others, it said.
The Syrian government and Russia deny hitting civilians. Moscow and Damascus have said they seek to stop mortar attacks by militants injuring dozens in the capital.
The United Nations says nearly 400,000 people live in eastern Ghouta, a pocket of satellite towns and farms under government siege since 2013. It is the only remaining big rebel bastion near Syria's capital.
Jaish al-Islam, one of the two major Islamist factions in Ghouta, said fierce battles raged on along several frontlines of Sunday.
Hamza Birqdar, the military spokesman, said the insurgents had thwarted attacks by pro-government forces trying to advance. Rebels and troops have clashed with each others around the enclave in recent weeks.
Russia said it was counting on foreign supporters of anti-government forces in Syria to ensure that the ceasefire was observed, the foreign ministry said on Sunday. (Reporting by Ellen Francis in Beirut and Dubai newsroom; Editing by Tom Perry and John Stonestreet)
RIGA (Reuters) - Latvian authorities will gather for an emergency meeting on Monday following the failure of the country's third-largest bank, the Prime minister said on Saturday, as the country kept watch for any fallout on other banks. ABLV Bank is failing or likely to fail and will be wound up as saving it is not in the public interest, the European Union's Single Resolution Board and the European Central Bank (ECB) said separately on Saturday. Accused by U.S. authorities of large-scale money laundering, ABLV scrambled this week to come up with a survival plan, but failed as customers fled and management could not come up with sufficient cash, despite offers of emergency central bank liquidity. Latvia's Finance Minister Dana Reizniece-Ozola said the situation in other banks was stable and that the level of deposits at around 20 billion euros ($25 billion) had not changed significantly. Reizniece-Ozola added that the regulator was demanding and receiving regular information from private Latvian banks. Other banks at risk in Latvia are those that, like ABLV, specialize in accepting foreign deposits, Reizniece-Ozola told Reuters on Friday. She said she had a list of more than a dozen lenders that fitted this description and could therefore be affected in some way. Prime Minister Maris Kucinskis said Latvian authorities and local and international experts need to agree on the next step in order to improve financial supervision. "Thats why the emergency meeting of the Financial Sector Supervision Council has been called on Monday ... and this question has also been put on the agenda of the government (next week)," Kucinskis said in an emailed statement to Reuters. Privately held ABLV, Latvia's third-biggest bank, has been in focus since U.S. authorities accused it of covering up money laundering, bribing officials and facilitating the breach of sanctions against North Korea. The money laundering accusations, denied by the bank, destabilized the lender and around 600 million euros worth of deposits left within days, forcing the ECB to suspend all payments on Monday to prevent a disorderly collapse. "I am convinced both about the stability of the Latvian financial sector and the ability to take significant steps so that the banking sector could regain its reputation," Kucinskis said. ($1 = 0.8135 euros) (Reporting by Gederts Gelzis; Writing by Helena Soderpalm; Editing by David Holmes)
SINGAPORE, Feb 15 (Reuters) -
* Malaysia will export 10 Kimanis crude cargoes in April, down two cargoes from the previous month, several trade sources said on Thursday, based on the monthly loading programme for the grade
* Malaysia's Petronas has four cargoes while Royal Dutch Shell and ConocoPhillips will have two cargoes each, the sources said.
* Petroleum Brunei and Murphy Oil will have a cargo each, the sources added. (Reporting by Jessica Jaganathan Editing by Christian Schmollinger)
Feb 26 (Reuters) - Southern California Gas pulled natural gas from the Aliso Canyon storage facility in Los Angeles several times over the past week as consumers cranked up their heaters to escape unseasonably cold weather, SoCalGas said Sunday in a note to pipe customers.
Those were likely the first withdrawals from Aliso Canyon since state regulators allowed the utility to start injecting fuel back into the facility in July after it shut following a massive leak from October 2015 to February 2016.
SoCalGas also warned electric generation customers about gas supply curtailments over the past week and urged homes and businesses to conserve the fuel to avoid straining energy supplies.
SoCalGas is a unit of California energy company Sempra Energy.
Temperatures in Southern California were expected to remain below normal for a second week in a row this week with highs in Los Angeles forecast to reach the low 60s Fahrenheit (about 16 Celsius), according to meteorologists at AccuWeather.
That compares with a normal high for this time of year of around 70 Fahrenheit.
State energy regulators allowed SoCalGas to start injecting gas into Aliso Canyon in July after the utility upgraded the facility to meet stricter safety requirements. The state, however, limited the amount of fuel the company could store and withdraw to protect public safety.
Several community groups want the state to shut Aliso Canyon but SoCalGas says it is needed to keep the gas system reliable, especially on the coldest days.
Limitations at Aliso Canyon, coupled with outages at three gas pipelines, caused state regulators in November to express concern about the utility's ability to meet customer demand this winter.
One pipeline (Line 235-2) ruptured in October, damaging a second pipe (Line 4000) nearby. Another pipe, Line 3000, was out of service last winter and SoCalGas said it is expected to remain out until May 1.
SoCalGas returned Line 4000 to service in December but flows through the line remain restricted.
Story continues
State regulators said SoCalGas should be able to support about 4.1 billion cubic feet per day (bcfd) of system capacity without pulling gas from Aliso Canyon after Line 4000 returned to service.
One bcfd is enough gas to fuel about 5 million U.S. homes.
When SoCalGas started pulling gas out of Aliso Canyon last week, it forecast usage would top 4.0 bcfd on Feb. 20 and 21. Actual usage last week, however, peaked at 3.9 bcfd on Feb. 19 (Reporting by Scott DiSavino in New York; Editing by Lisa Shumaker)
united airlines
Kamil Krzaczynski / Reuters
A passenger on United Airlines flight 1640 from Newark to Tampa Bay deployed and used the emergency exit slide while the flight was boarding at Newark Liberty International Airport, NBC New York first reported.
The man claimed that he had boarded the wrong flight before he was arrested, but United confirmed the man had boarded the correct flight.
The plane was evacuated after the incident and passengers were moved to another plane.
A passenger on United Airlines flight 1640 to Tampa Bay deployed and used the emergency exit slide while the flight was boarding at Newark Liberty International Airport on Sunday evening, NBC New York first reported.
According to the Port Authority, the man, Troy Fattun, told flight attendants he was on the wrong flight after boarding it, though United confirmed that Fattun was ticketed for the flight. The flight attendants then asked him to show them his boarding pass, but Fattun said he didn't have it and attempted to enter one of the plane's bathrooms. After he was told they were unavailable at that time, he opened an emergency exit and deployed and used the emergency slide.
troy fattun mugshot
The Port Authority of New York & New Jersey
He was arrested by the Port Authority on the tarmac and charged with criminal mischief, criminal trespass, and interference with transportation. He is currently being held at Essex County Jail. No one was injured during the incident.
According to a Twitter user, the flight was delayed for three hours before the man used the emergency slide. The flight was delayed for a little over five hours total, according to Flightaware.com. After the incident, the plane was evacuated and passengers were moved to another plane.
united emergency slide
Twitter / j_illibean
In January, a passenger on a delayed Ryanair flight also climbed onto a wing before the plane deboarded the plane in Malaga, Spain. The passenger was reportedly frustrated by having to wait to get off the plane. He was also arrested after the incident.
Story continues
NOW WATCH: Ken Rogoff on the next financial crisis and the future of bitcoin
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SEE ALSO: Terrifying video shows jet engine falling apart mid-flight on its way from San Francisco to Honolulu
In this latest episode of the Majlis podcast, we returned to northern provinces of Afghanistan that border Central Asia. Information about the presence of militants from the so-called Islamic State extremist group continues to be reported and it appears China is playing a greater role in the Afghan area near the Chinese border, which is also near the Tajik and Pakistani borders.
With the cast of players increasing in northern Afghanistan, Muhammad Tahir, RFE/RL's media relations manager, moderated a discussion on the increasingly complicated landscape in the area.
Participating in the discussion was Michael Semple, a professor in the George Mitchell Institute for Global Peace, Security and Justice at Queen's University Belfast, and a person with decades of experience in Afghan affairs. From Vietnam, we were joined by Jacob Zenn, a fellow of African and Eurasian Affairs for the Jamestown Foundation and a consultant on countering violent extremism. And from Istanbul, Josh Kucera, a freelance writer and editor at Eurasia Net who specializes in international relations and military affairs, made his long-awaited debut on the Majlis (weve been trying to get him on for years). I had a few things to share also.
Audio of the Majlis session can be heard here:
Connecticut agencies hit with WannaCry
The WannaCry ransomware virus made its way onto about 160 computers in 11 different Connecticut government agencies, according to Mark Raymond, the states CIO.
The states security monitoring system alerted officials of the breach Friday afternoon. IT staff worked through the weekend and were able to contain the malware by Sunday night, Jeffrey Beckham, a spokesman for the states Department of Administrative Services, told the Connecticut Post.
Early reports placed the number of affected agencies at 12, but there was one false positive, Raymond told GCN.
Most of the state government's computers were safe thanks to regular patching and antivirus protection. Generally were doing a very good jobs of installing patches and antivirus software on the states more than 30,000 devices, Raymond said. But this attack highlighted the fact that some devices have fallen through the cracks, he said.
Finding out how that happened will be part of an investigation, he said. The state is currently in the recovery phase, which involves quarantining the affected machines and rebuilding them with the appropriate patches and antivirus in place.
We havent handled something like this before, Raymond said.
The state will review its network logs and detection systems to determine how it entered the network and how it spread from machine to machine.
The WannaCry virus showed itself to the world for the first time on May 12, 2017, and has hit hundreds of thousands of computers globally, according to the security research firm Symantec. It exploits a vulnerability in Windows that a 2017 update will patch.
Once on a system, WannaCry will lock users out of their files and ask for payment, usually in bitcoin, to get the files back. So far, thought, there are no reports of lost data as a result of the breach in Connecticut.
Connecticut is not alone in its fight against cyberattacks. The Colorado Department of Transportation and the city of Allentown, Pa. experienced large breaches earlier this month, according to SC Media.
CDOT was able to restore its system from backups. But the malware attack in Allentown could cost the town $1 million, according to the Allentown Morning Call.
Social Media
The 'fake news' challenge for first responders
In addition to fires, floods, active shooters and other natural and manmade crises, first responders often must deal with misinformation about breaking events polluting social media and putting people at risk.
A federal advisory group based at the Department of Homeland Security's Science and Technology Directorate has been studying the problem of fake news as it pertains to first responders.
A report approved Feb. 22 by a working group of the Homeland Security Science and Technology Advisory Committee lays out best practices for using and monitoring Twitter, Facebook and other social media platforms during an ongoing disaster or event.
The Social Media Working Group for Emergency Services and Disaster Management report noted that bad actors with malicious agendas often use hashtags and other links to divert social media traffic toward advertising or coordinated social media phishing scams.
Sometimes, according to the report, even well-intentioned social media posts wind up misleading people. It mentions a Facebook post about the 2015 Nepal earthquake that asked for help for a village that was devastated in the event. That village, however, had been helped by a non-governmental organization before the post went out. The post reached 350,000 people around the world in just a few days on, but the need was no longer there and the social sharing wound up wasting time and resources.
Another cautionary tale involved the Oroville, Calif., dam that developed structural problems in 2017, threatening the Sacramento area with flooding. Areas near the dam were under an evacuation order, but a map tweeted by the National Weather Service showing the entire potential flooding area was misinterpreted as showing the evacuation area. That misunderstanding led to many unnecessary 911 calls from local residents. Sacramento area emergency services however, quickly did a Facebook Live broadcast and Periscope video to counter the misinterpretation.
One tip, gleaned from the Oroville dam episode, is to leverage support from a trusted volunteer to minimize rumors. Other best practices include training emergency responders to recognize misinformation or bad information; working with local broadcast media to disseminate accurate information; actively calling out disinformation and rumor on social media platforms; and making sure new information is identified and tagged so that users understand they are getting the most recent news.
VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Feb. 22, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Cuba Ventures Corp. (TSX-V:CUV) (Frankfurt:IJA2) (OTCBB: MPSFF ) (the Company) Cuba Ventures appoints current advisory board member, Bernard Lonis, as a new director of the Company. Bernard is the founding owner of Adonis Resorts and numerous technology focused companies. Bernard is a hospitality & tourism specialist with over 3000 hotel beds currently under his companys control. He is an expert in emerging travel markets and the unique complexities these present. Bernard is a distinguished member of European hotel associations, honorary consul to Senegal, owner of the European School of Management (ESM) and, a prolific trilingual entrepreneur. Bernard brings a wealth of knowledge to the company of over 25 years of serial entrepreneurship.
Cuba Ventures Closes Private Placement
As per the news releases on October 13th and October 19th , the Company has received acceptance from the TSX Venture Exchange and closed the second tranche of $495,000 of the $750,000 Private Placement financing. The Company has issued 9,000,000 units (described below) to the subscriber, Vesilen Investment SL (Vesilen), a company controlled by Bernard Lonis. The closing had been pending approval of Mr. Lonis PIF to become an insider and director of the company, which process is now complete. Each of Vesilen and Mr. Lonis are a Related Party to the Company, as both are Insiders of the Company.
About Cuba Ventures Corp.:
Cuba Ventures Corp. is a publicly traded Canadian company capitalizing on the growth and unique opportunities in the USD 3.5 billion per year Cuban travel and tourism industry. Travelucion, a wholly owned subsidiary, is a digital media and marketing company which owns a vast portfolio of Cuba related websites and online portals providing Cuba travel information in up to six languages, featuring individual web assets for Cuba's popular cities and towns, online booking solutions and online reservations through proprietary software, catering to international visitors to Cuba. Travelucion's online travel division is a duly licensed retail travel supplier handling millions of dollars in sales annually which was recently awarded an Amadeus GDS distribution license.
Cuba Ventures Corp has acquired an equity interest in a Florida, the USA domiciled, licensed and bonded travel agency which specializes in travel to Cuba. This equity ownership permits the company and, its subsidiary Travelucion, to promote U.S compliant travel packages to Americans citizens through its equity partner International Business & Travel Opportunities, LLC, Fort Lauderdale, Florida, USA.
Travelucion's 432 Cuba focused multilingual websites generate over 35 million page-views per year, directing traffic to the company's online booking and e-commerce sites. These online websites cover all facets of Cuba including over 80 travel destinations, hotels & resorts, bed & breakfast, tours, car rentals, restaurants, as well as Cuban culture, history, music, celebrities, sports, medical treatments and more.
Cuba Ventures FinTech division is embracing world renowned entities to bring together a global force to stimulate Cubas archaic economic systems. Financing of both internal and external debt, CU Coin Cryptotoken and Revolupay blockchain deployment - across the all important private enterprises and remittance industry are primary objectives of this division. Finally, bridge loans for foreign enterprises who receive Cuban bank payment instruments will enable faster transactions and rapid advances in the economy.
Cuba Ventures consulting division harnesses over 80 years of combined advisor experience in submitting and, obtaining approval, for joint ventures, joint production agreements, and import/export permits for foreign enterprises. More recently the company has taken a royalty approach for future agreements between third parties anxious to begin comercial operations with Cuba and, the companys Cuba Consulting Unit. Current contractual partnerships include Tyrval, a worldwide hotel industry supplier. Cuba Ventures intends to augment the amount of financially beneficial consulting related businesses.
Cuba Ventures Corp. has neither assets nor physical presence in the Republic of Cuba.
For further information on Cuba Ventures Corp. (TSX-V:CUV) or Travelucion visit the Companys website at www.cubaventures.com or www.travelucion.com. The Company has approximately 109,000,000 shares issued and outstanding.
CUBA VENTURES CORP.
JAMES PETTIT
______________________________
James Pettit
Chairman
For further information contact myself or:
Nick Findler
Cuba Ventures Corp.
Telephone: 604-639-3850
Toll Free: 800-567-8181
Facsimile: 604-687-3119
Email: info@cubaventures.com
NEITHER THE TSX VENTURE EXCHANGE NOR ITS REGULATION SERVICES PROVIDER ACCEPTS RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE ADEQUACY OR ACCURACY OF THE CONTENT OF THIS NEWS RELEASE.
CHARLOTTE, N.C., Feb. 26, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Extended Stay America, Inc. (the Company) (NYSE:STAY) today announced that Ellen Keszler has been appointed to its Board of Directors as an independent director on February 23, 2018. Ms. Keszler is the President and Chief Executive Officer of Clear Sky Associates, a management and strategy consulting firm focused on the technology and travel industries since 2008. . Previously, Ms. Keszler served as President of Travelocity Business from 2003 to 2007. From 2000 to 2003, Ms. Keszler served as Senior Vice President - North American Division of Sabre Travel Network. From 1987 to 2000, Ms. Keszler held various finance roles at Sabre Holdings, American Airlines and JCPenney. These functions included financial planning, strategic analysis, treasury, mergers and acquisitions, and financial operations. She currently serves on several boards, including the board of directors, as well as the audit and nominating/governance committee of PROS Holdings, Inc.
Extended Stay Americas President and Chief Executive Officer, Jonathan Halkyard said, We are pleased to welcome Ellen Keszler to our Board of Directors. The board conducted an exhaustive search for someone who would further strengthen our boards breadth of talent and background, and we are delighted to have identified such an outstanding individual. Ellen is a nationally renowned industry leader, with over 25 years of experience in travel distribution technology, finance and both online and corporate travel agencies. We appreciate her willingness to serve as a director and look forward to her making an important and positive impact on our company as she helps us further drive shareholder value.
Forward Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the federal securities laws. Statements related to, among other things, goals, plans, objectives and future events, as such, may involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the Companys actual results or performance to differ from those projected in the forward-looking statements, possibly materially. For a description of factors that may cause the Companys actual results or performance to differ from any forward-looking statements, please review the information under the headings Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-looking Statements and Risk Factors included in the Companys and ESH Hospitality, Inc.s (ESH, and together with the Company, STAY) combined annual report on Form 10-K filed with the SEC on February 28, 2017 and other documents of STAY on file with or furnished to the SEC. Any forward-looking statements made in this press release are qualified by these cautionary statements, and there can be no assurance that the actual results or developments anticipated by the Company will be realized or, even if substantially realized, will have the expected consequences to, or effects on, the Company or its business or operations. Except as required by law, the Company undertakes no obligation to update publicly or revise any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future developments or otherwise. We caution you that actual outcomes and results may differ materially from what is expressed, implied or forecasted by the Companys forward-looking statements.
About Extended Stay America
Extended Stay America, Inc., the largest owner/operator of company-branded hotels in North America, owns and operates hotels in North America and employs over 8,000 employees at its hotel properties and headquarters. The Companys core brand, Extended Stay America, serves the mid-priced extended stay segment. Visit ESA.com for more information about the Company and its services.
Contacts
Investors:
Rob Ballew
(980) 345-1546
investorrelations@extendedstay.com
Media:
Terry Atkins
(980) 345-1648
tatkins@extendedstay.com
English Latvian
Riga, 2018-02-26 13:43 CET (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Group's performance during the year 2017 was as planned. The total revenue compared to the corresponding period of the previous year has increased by 17%, while profit has increased by 308%.
The Group's turnover has increased in all quarters of 2017 compared to 2016, and year 2017 has been the best in the Group's history in terms of turnover and profitability.
In November 2017, following a predefined strategy, the company started offering its customers distance loans, thus significantly expanding its range of services. Consequently, ExpressCredit customers can now conclude a loan agreement either through branches or through a developed customer portal, which offers, among other things, to manage customer obligations. Introduction of distance lending gives access to a larger market segment where the Group has not worked so far. As at 30 June 2017, the non-bank lending portfolio in Latvia was EUR 109.9 million. Management believes that the new service will bring additional benefits to our existing customers, and will attract new customers who value the benefits of new technologies.
In 2017 the company has continued to strengthen the reputation of the brand name Banknote and has become one of the most recognizable consumer credit brands in Latvia.
By expanding the range of services offered, the Group has clarified the mission, values and vision of the Banknote brand. The mission, values and vision are as follows:
Mission - Provide simple and valuable financial services to people.
Values -
Simplicity We always stand for simple and clear services; Accessibility - We are available to everyone and everywhere; Respect - We always treat everyone with respect, we are honest and open; Progress - We seek and find ways how to improve our performance.
Vision To achieve the highest level of evaluation.
The company informs that by the end of 2017, the investor website www.expresscredit.lv has been redesigned, where the current corporate information will be posted on a regular basis.
The company continues to streamline its internal processes to ensure the operations according to expected changes in the Law on Anti Money Laundering and Combating the Financing of Terrorism, as well as adaptation of its activities according to General Data Protection Regulation, which will come into force on May 25, 2018. The Group is also constantly improving its customer solvency assessment. The company informs that only 25.8% of new customer loan applications are approved, while for the repeated customers - 81.3%.
By implementing business strategy and all planned activities the following financial results of the Group were achieved in year 2017 compared to year 2016:
Position EUR, million Change % Net loan portfolio 13.9 +44.8 Assets 21.3 +33.4 Net profit 2.97 +308.7
The Group's loan portfolio growth was financed from the profit, cooperating with the mutual lending platform, and during the year 2017 financing was raised by EUR 2 599 000 from closed issue bonds. Bonds were issued in 2016 for EUR 5 million with an annual return of 14%, organized by BlueOrange Bank. As of the end of the period, new bonds have been sold for a total amount of EUR 3 573 000.
SIA ExpressCredit submits unaudited interim consolidated financial statement for the year 2017.
SIA ExpressCredit submits investor presentation for the operational results of 4th quarter of 2017.
__________________________________________________________________
SIA ExpressCredit is a licensed consumer lending company founded in 2009. The Group is represented by the brands "Banknote", "MoneyMetro" and "Riga City Pawnshop". The Group's core services are consumer loans, distance loans, pawn broking loans and money transfers in partnership with Western Union. In total, the Group operates in 39 Latvian cities and populated areas, a total of 90 branches, employs more than 270 professionals and has paid 2.4 million euros in taxes for the year 2017. SIA ExpressCredit is a member of LAFPA and LTRK.
OTTAWA, Ontario, Feb. 26, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Rising government costs, the burden of inefficient regulations, and the lack of infrastructure to move Canadian energy to growing markets are all undermining investor confidence in Canada and negatively affecting the countrys ability to attract the capital needed to create jobs and national prosperity, according to A Global Vision for Canadian Oil and Natural Gas, the first in a series of economic reports to be released by the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers (CAPP) in 2018.
Around the world capital investment in the oil and natural gas sector increased globally in 2017, but was down in Canada. Total capital spending on Canadian oil and natural gas was $45 billion in 2017, down 19 per cent from 2016 and 46 per cent from 2014. In comparison, capital spending on oil and natural gas in the United States last year increased by 38 per cent to $120 billion. Its taken Canada 150 years to grow its oil and natural gas production to current levels and only eight years for the U.S. to accomplish the same.
Capital investment in Canadas energy sector generates economic activity across the country, spurring job creation and growth for all levels of government including about $19 billion in annual government revenues in 2015 and 533,000 jobs across the nation in 2017.
The International Energy Agency (IEA) forecasts that although renewable energy is on the rise, oil and natural gas will continue to make up the largest part of the total energy mix with increased urbanization and population growth, accounting for 52 per cent of the total energy demand by 2040.
This analysis leads CAPP to call on the federal government to establish a four-part vision for the oil and natural gas sector that creates jobs for Canadians and national prosperity.
Global connection for Canadas oil and natural gas resources is essential.
Globally competitive policies that increase the countrys ability to attract capital are needed to create jobs and national prosperity.
Any climate plan must be comparable to other jurisdictions competing for the same global capital.
Government policies must spur and accelerate innovation and technology in the oil and natural gas sector.
A Global Vision for Canadian Oil and Natural Gas can be downloaded at www.capp.ca/economicseries
Canadian Association of Petroleum Producer quotes: Tim McMillan, president and CEO
Canada is falling behind other countries in attracting oil and natural gas investment to create job and national prosperity for Canadians.
We want to see governments at all levels take real steps to attract investment, create jobs and build prosperity across the country.
Across Canada, government costs and regulatory barriers are on the rise making it harder to grow our industry and create and support jobs for Canadians.
Energy jobs and investment will leave Canada for other countries unless there are changes to encourage growth the industry can build on.
Today Canadas No. 1 energy customer the U.S. has become our No. 1 energy competitor.
If we do not export Canadian energy, we will just be exporting Canadian jobs.
In Canada we need pipelines not barricades to supply the world with more Canadian energy.
We operate in one of the worlds most stringent regulatory environments. Its important that we have a robust regulatory framework that meets environmental goals, but not one that creates additional costs, delays and inefficiencies.
The world wants more Canadian energy, now and for the future. In an international survey of citizens from more than 30 countries, Canada was ranked No. 1 as the global supplier of choice for energy.
Supporting information
In 2015, Canada generated 1.54 per cent of the worlds total greenhouse gas emissions, while the U.S. contributed 14.34 per cent, making the U.S. the worlds second largest emitter.
Since Canadas Oil Sands Innovation Alliance (COSIA) was launched in 2012, its oil sands members have investment more than $1.33 billion to develop 936 distinct technologies to improve tailings management and reduce impacts on air, land and water.
At present, our four million barrel-per-day (bpd) pipeline network is full and will continue to see increased constraints by 2030 when Canadian oil supply is expected to grow to 5.4 million bpd.
At one time there were more than 20 liquefied natural gas export projects proposed in British Columbia. To date, only one small-scale project has come to fruition.
Canada imports 600,000 bpd to Eastern Canada from the U.S., Africa and the Middle East. Another 2.4 billion cubic feet per day of natural gas is imported to Eastern Canada.
In 2015 and 2016, about $3.3 billion was invested in 396 Indigenous businesses across 66 communities.
The Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers (CAPP) represents companies, large and small, that explore for, develop and produce natural gas and crude oil throughout Canada. CAPPs member companies produce about 80 per cent of Canadas natural gas and crude oil. CAPP's associate members provide a wide range of services that support the upstream crude oil and natural gas industry. Together CAPP's members and associate members are an important part of a national industry with revenues from crude oil and natural gas production of about $110 billion a year. CAPPs mission, on behalf of the Canadian upstream crude oil and natural gas industry, is to advocate for and enable economic competitiveness and safe, environmentally and socially responsible performance.
For additional information:
Chelsie Klassen
Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers
(P): 403 542 4115
(E): chelsie.klassen@capp.ca
LAGOS, Nigeria, Feb. 26, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Resort Savings & Loans PLC (RESORTS:NL) (http://www.resortng.com/), a Nigerian Stock Exchange quoted mortgage bank that is headquartered in Lagos is pleased to announce that it has executed a $250 million financing facility term sheet and a binding commitment letter with Milost Global Inc (the "Investor"). The financing is comprised of $100 Million equity and $150 million debt. On the sourcing of the financing, Resorts Savings & Loans was advised by Palewater Advisory Group Inc as a sole transaction advisor and financing facilitator.
The Chief Executive Officer of Resort Savings & Loans PLC, Mr. Olayemi Rabiu, stated that, The investment will enable us to assume the leadership role in the mortgage banking business in Nigeria, the West African sub-region and Africa as a whole as well as contribute excellently to the growth in African economies.
Kim Freeman, Managing Partner & CEO of Milost Global Inc also stated, We are very pleased to have executed the term sheet and commitment letter with Resort after our recent trip to Nigeria. The impressive Resort team led by Mr. Olayemi Rabiu and Senator Fajinmi were very enthusiastic and will do a great job growing the Resort business which will enable more home ownership in Nigeria.
Senior Partner & CIO of Milost Global Inc, Solly S. Asibey stated, This investment ties in very well with our vertical integration strategy. When it comes to human settlements and housing, one of the main stumbling blocks experienced in Africa at large other than the development aspect is the issue of Mortgage Banking. Resort has proven itself to be amongst the leaders in the provision of mortgage Banking in Nigeria, and in tandem with Milost, they will gain more traction within this market and beyond. We are therefore very excited about this venture moving forward.
Senator Sunday Olawale Fajinmi, Chairman of the Board of Resort Savings & Loans PLC, also had this to say, "Our Board is excited about the prospect of transforming Resort Savings & Loans Plc and creating a huge value for shareholders as well as meet the expectations of our other stakeholders.
About Resort Savings & Loans PLC
Resort Savings & Loans PLC is licensed and authorized to receive Deposits and maintain accounts for their customers for the purpose of providing banking services, creating mortgage assets and providing other credit facilities. It is a mortgage bank, listed on the Nigerian Stock Exchange, with a good spread of offices across Nigeria.
Resort Savings & Loans Plc plans to use the funds to recapitalize its business, upgrade her ICT infrastructure, grow market share in all relevant segments and embark on a productive and strategic positioning with the view of becoming the leader in the mortgage financing industry in Africa.
About Palewater Advisory Group Inc.
Palewater Advisory Group is a multinational corporate and public affairs advisory firm with headquarters in New York. We specialise in cross-border and M&A transactions, financing, public affairs, political campaign capital raising and strategy. Collectively as the team, we have had an excellent track record with more than 1000 references in our line of advisory work. We have a robust and yet solid network of contacts with a specific focus on certain core industries, investment and banking communities. Our directors, leaders, professionals, and senior advisors collectively provide access to senior industrial, political, economic, government and financial decision-makers throughout the world.
We provide individual and personal advice and react swiftly to our clients needs, while always providing direct access to the team, including the partners involved. As a professional services firm, we provide the best possible advice based on confidentiality and total discretion. We are committed to the principles of integrity and client service, and operate free from any conflict of interest. www.palewateradvisory.com
About Milost Global Inc
Milost Global Inc is an American Private Equity firm that is headquartered in New York City, with more than $25 billion in committed capital. Milost is at the intersection of creative investing and value creation. Milost is also a provider of alternative capital, mezzanine finance, and alternative lending to a broad range of industries across the globe including Technology, Transport, Cannabis, Education, Distribution, Mining, Oil & Gas, Financial Services, Healthcare, Pharmaceuticals, Real Estate, Alternative Energy and Infrastructure Development. www.milostglobal.com
For more information
Aristacus Forster
Aristacus.forster@palewateradvisory.com
Quote:
Advocates insist that health savings accounts are an efficient method to reduce medical expenses. However, widespread adoption of these accounts will soon undermine the publics health. One reason for this is that most people will be reluctant to deplete their accounts to pay for regular preventive examinations, so that in many cases a serious illness will go undetected until it is far advanced. Another reason is that poor people, who will not be able to afford health savings accounts, will no longer receive vaccinations against infectious diseases.
argha wrote:
The conclusion states that widespread adoption will undermine public health. However, how is the 2nd premise(poor people not being able to afford health savings accounts related to the conclusion? Not being able to afford is the opposite of adoption. I would have been convinced if the conclusion stated that widespread dependence(instead of adoption) on health savings accounts will undermine public health. Look forward to some explanation...
However, my objection still remains valid. Wealthy people paying into their own savings accounts, rather than the alternative (public health care) thereby making it less difficult to cover the poor(then there is less money to cover the poor) seems too far fetched and out of scope(strictly IMO).
Type: inferenceClaim (later disputed): Advocates insist that health savings accounts are an efficient method to reduce medical expenses.Conclusion: Widespread adoption of these accounts will soon undermine the publics health.Premise 1: Most people will be reluctant to deplete their accounts to pay for regular preventive examinations, so that in many cases a serious illness will go undetected until it is far advanced.Premise 2: Poor people, who will not be able to afford health savings accounts, will no longer receive vaccinations against infectious diseases.(A) Wealthy individuals will not be affected negatively by health savings accounts.(B) Private health insurance will no longer be available.(C) Most diseases are detected during regular preventive examinations.(D) Some people without health savings accounts are likely to contract infectious diseases.(E) The causal relationship between an individuals health and that persons medical care has been adequately documented.I chose D because it is supported by the argument, which states: "Either because they will not want to use their account, or they cannot afford it, many people will not take preventative exams or vaccinations. Both preventative exams and vaccinations help stop illnesses from occurring. Thus, public health is undermined."Most people seem torn between C and D.I believe C is incorrect because it is making an unwarranted assumption, like many before me have stated -- nothing in the argument tells us that most diseases are detected during preventative examinations, just that many serious illnesses may go undetected. Even if C said "most serious illnesses are detected during exams", it would still be an assumption.If you don't mind me commenting: I agree with you. We cannot infer about what wealthy people are doing and how that affects others. Nothing in the argument sheds light on this.The argument is just saying "adoption" to mean that many places will now use this type of health provision, and thus, people will end up using it. I don't think it means to say that people will be adopting it, as if they are choosing to; just that it will be adopted, and many people will end up having to use it -- we must accept that people are using the account (regardless of adoption or dependance), simply because this is given in the argument.The 2nd premise is used to support the conclusion to say that if this account is adopted, then poor people will not be able to afford it, and thus, cannot pay for vaccinations -- if they cannot be vaccinated, they are more susceptible to disease, and thus, public health has been undermined in this way. Why poor people cannot afford it is not stated; all we know is that many people will have trouble financing medical procedures based on the way this account works. Hope that clears things up!
New York, Dec 26 (IBNS): The ocean around the Galapagos Islands has been warming since the 1970s, according to a new analysis of the natural temperature archives stored in coral reefs.
The finding surprised the University of Arizona-led research team, because the sparse instrumental records for sea surface temperature for that part of the eastern tropical Pacific Ocean did not show warming.
"People didnt know that the Galapagos or eastern Pacific was warming. People theorized or suggested it was cooling," said lead author Gloria Jimenez, a UA doctoral candidate in geosciences.
Scientists thought strong upwelling of colder deep waters spared the region from the warming seen in other parts of the Pacific, she said.
"My colleagues and I show that the ocean around the northern Galapagos Islands is warming and has been since the 1970s," Jimenez said. The research is part of her doctoral work.
Jimenez studied cores taken from coral heads in the uninhabited northern part of Ecuador's Galapagos National Park. The cores represented the years 1940 to 2010. Corals lay down seasonal growth layers that serve as a natural archive of ocean temperatures.
Her analysis revealed that from 1979 to 2010, regional ocean temperatures increased almost 0.4 degrees F (0.2 degrees C) per decade about 1.1 degrees F (0.6 degrees C) overall.
The very strong El Nino of 1982-1983 temporarily warmed the surrounding ocean so much that most of the corals in the southern part of the Galapagos died, said co-author Julia Cole, who collected the coral cores while she was a faculty member at the UA.
Warming Is 'Particularly Disturbing'
She is concerned about ocean warming around the northern Galapagos and parts of the eastern tropical Pacific.
"Warming in this area is particularly disturbing, because it's the only place that reefs have persisted in the Galapagos. This suggests those reefs are more vulnerable than we thought," said Cole, who is now a professor of earth and environmental sciences at the University of Michigan.
The research paper, "Northern Galapagos corals reveal twentieth century warming in the eastern tropical Pacific," by Jimenez, Cole and their co-authors, Diane M. Thompson of Boston University in Massachusetts and Alexander W. Tudhope of the University of Edinburgh in the UK, was published in Geophysical Research Letters on Wednesday.
The National Science Foundation, the UK Natural Environment Research Council and the Philanthropic Education Organization Fellowship funded the research.
For 30 years, Cole, a paleoclimatologist, has been studying climate change and the El Nino/La Nina climate cycle.
In 1989, she went to the Galapagos hoping to use the natural climate archives stored in corals to develop a long-term record of El Nino, but found that none of the large, old corals others reported had survived the intense warming of the 1982-1983 El Nino.
"We went from site to site and they were all gone," Cole said. "One of my co-workers said, 'There used to be corals here, and now all I see is sand.'"
Years later, she heard large corals were still alive near Wolf Island in the remote northern part of the Galapagos archipelago, so in 2010 she followed up on the tip with a team that included co-authors Tudhope and Thompson, then a UA geosciences graduate student.
The team members dived to the reef and took several cores from large, blobby dome-shaped Porites lobata corals using an underwater hydraulic drill powered by vegetable oil. The 3 1/2-inch (8.9 cm) diameter cores ranged from 2 to 3 feet long and had annual bands 0.4 to 0.8 inch (1-2 cm) wide. Each core showed damage from when the coral stopped growing during the 1982-1983 El Nino and then started growing again.
Jimenez used chemical analysis to tease temperature information out of two of those coral cores.
Coral skeletons are made mostly of calcium carbonate. However, corals sometimes substitute the element strontium for the calcium. Corals substitute more strontium when the water is cold and less when the water is warm, so the strontium/calcium ratio of a bit of skeleton can reveal what the water temperature was when that piece of skeleton formed.
Small Samples and a Big Picture
Jimenez used a little drill bit to take a tiny sample every millimeter for the length of each core. She took 10 to 20 samples from each annual band of each core and analyzed the samples for the strontium/calcium ratio using atomic emission spectrometry.
She then used that information to create a continuous record of the region's ocean temperature from 1940 to 2010.
Because the El Nino/La Nina climate cycle generates large fluctuations in ocean temperatures around the Galapagos and in the eastern tropical Pacific, long-term changes can be hard to spot.
Jimenez wanted to determine whether the region's ocean temperature changed significantly from 1940 to 2010. Therefore, she analyzed her Galapagos coral temperature chronologies alongside published coral temperature chronologies from islands farther north and west and instrumental sea surface temperature records from the southern Galapagos town of Puerto Ayora and the Peruvian coastal town of Puerto Chicama.
Jimenez said her research convinces her that the ocean around the Galapagos and much of the eastern tropical Pacific is warming. She is concerned about the effect of warming seas.
"The Galapagos National Park has been designated a World Heritage Site because it's a special and unique place," Jimenez said. "Losing the corals would be an enormous blow to the underwater biodiversity."
Jimenez's next project involves analyzing an 8-foot-long Galapagos coral core she collected in 2015 that goes back to about 1850.
Photo: Jenifer Suarez, courtesy of the Cole lab
Kabul, Feb 26 (IBNS) : At least 14 militants were killed in a series of airstrikes in southern Helmand and western Farah provinces of Afghanistan.
Local Khaama Press quoted the Ministry of Defense of Afghanistan (MoD) as saying that at least ten of the militants were killed in Bala Bolok district of Farah while 14 more were wounded.
According to MoD, at least four others were killed in an airstrike in Nahr-e-Saraj district of Helmand province.
A vehicle and a motorcycle belonging to the insurgents were also destroyed in the same airstrike, MoD added.
The anti-government armed militant groups including the Taliban insurgents have not commented regarding the report so far.
Both Farah and Helmand provinces are among the relatively volatile provinces in South and West of Afghanistan.
The anti-government armed militant groups often carry out insurgency activities in some districts of the two provinces.
The latest deadly attack by the Taliban group in Farah province was carried last week after a group of insurgents launched a coordinated attack on a army base that resulted into the martyrdom of 18 soldiers.
Ex-intelligence minister Ali Younessi, who was intelligence minister under Iranian reformist president Mohammad Khatami between 2000 and 2005, criticized the handling of an environmentalists death in prison, last Sunday, saying the public would not believe Emami was a spy unless the case was handled by a competent agency. His comment spotlighted the turf war between Irans multiple security agencies.
Younessi, who now serves as an advisor to President Hassan Rouhani on religious minority affairs, added, Unfortunately the intelligence ministry has no jurisdiction over this case. I believe the case should be given to the intelligence ministry Given the events that have occurred, if a competent and legal agency does not intervene and doesnt give its opinion on the dead individual or those under arrest, public opinion will not believe they are spies even if they are convicted.
While authorities claim Emami committed suicide, his family have questioned the verdict and allege that they have been threatened by security forces.
Younessi did not name the agency running the case, and Iran has several security agencies, who often act independently of each other. Of note is that the Revolutionary Guards run a powerful intelligence service that is separate from the governments intelligence ministry, as well.
Also pointing out the infamous case of Zahra Kazemi, an Iranian-Canadian photographer who died from head injuries after being arrested for taking photos outside Evin prison in 2003, Younessi stated, The prosecutor at the time insisted she was a spy. He was referring to the notorious Tehran prosecutor Said Mortazavi, who was imprisoned last year for involvement in another custodial death during protests in 2009.
Younessi explained, We sent two counter-espionage experts from the ministry to investigate this woman in a hotel. After the interview, the two experts concluded that from a technical and scientific standpoint, Zahra Kazemi was not a spy. He then said that Mortazavi refused to listen to their verdict, and handed the case back to the police.
According to Younessi, contrary to a statement from the reformist government at the time, which said Ms. Kazemi was violently beaten in prison, she instead died from a brain hemorrhage that was caused at the moment of her arrest. She was beaten because she refused to hand over her items and her head hit a concrete road divider, which caused a hemorrhage, he said. However, her family and their lawyer believe that she was tortured and sexually assaulted in prison.
Initially, the judiciary claimed she died of a stroke, but later admitted that she was injured in a fall.
In November 2005, intelligence agent Mohammad Reza Aghdam Ahmadi, was acquitted of her murder, and subsequent trials have failed to find anyone accountable. Additionally, Canada blocked an attempt by the family to sue the Iranian government.
The handling of the case had damaged Irans international reputation, Younessi said, adding, For having reacted badly, with stubbornness, and for accusing others and politicizing the affair, the Islamic republic of Iran imposed a heavy political cost on itself.
Canada withdrew its ambassador following Irans refusal to release Kazemis body for an independent post-mortem. This let to Canada severing diplomatic relations entirely in 2012 and soured relations with Canada for many years.
Lawmakers were outraged, as were pro-Israel groups, and and later, the Trump administration declared the IRGC a terror organization.
Now, a congressional bid that attempts to revise the standard for IRGC control by reversing a portion of the sanctions relief, is already said to be gaining support from the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, or AIPAC. With their tens of thousands of supporters, AIPAC will help lobby in favor of the legislation, as well as other related efforts to constrain Irans growing influence in the region.
This has been a long time coming, said a source familiar with the situation, who added, AIPAC and Congress both called out the back-door sanctions relief at the time and said theyd pursue legislative fixes. A few months later the Trump transition team started taking over and pursuing fixes, and now its back over to Congress to put everything into law. AIPAC knows where the bodies on this one are buried, and will be providing invaluable policy and political advice.
However, AIPAC did not confirm that the push to revise standards for control by the IRGC will be on the agenda.
A senior Trump administration official stated, What we saw in Iran in late December and early January was the extreme dissatisfaction of the Iranian people with an economy thats being run to service the military, not to help the Iranian people, the official said. What tightening this will do is make it clear the U.S. stands with the people with Iran, not the IRGC.
He added that European allies should be cautious about entering the Iranian economy. Our friends and allies who are doing business with this regime should think about who they want to interact with: Do they want to interact with the IRGCwhich is spreading violent mayhem throughout the Middle Eastor do they want an Iran thats postured to create economic growth, thriving business, and authentic, transparent partners we can work with?
In Munich this month, National Security Adviser H.R. McMaster warned companies that doing business with Iran would enrich the IRGC and risked going against Washington. In response, Iranian officials accused McMaster and the United States of violating the nuclear deal.
Dont do business with the IRGC; dont enrich the IRGC; dont enable their murderous campaign; dont enable their threat to our friends in the region and toespecially Israel but also Saudi Arabia and others, McMaster said. Its in everyones interest to really work hard on business intelligence to understand who are the beneficial owners of these companies who were, you know, opening up checkbooks and doing business with in Iran.
As well, in recent weeks, CIA Director Mike Pompeo has also cautioned the international community, saying that doing business with Iran could make it a party to the IRGCs continued terror operations.
* Brazils justice ministry has asked for Frederik Barbieri to be extradited back to Brazil after he was jailed in the US state of Florida for arms trafficking on 25 February. Barbieri, a Brazilian national, is wanted by local police for helping to smuggle 60 automatic rifles in to the South American country last May by hiding them in swimming pool heaters. The rifles were allegedly sent on to Brazils largest favela, Rocinha in the southern state of Rio de Janeiro, where traffickers from rival factions have been at war since September 2017.
Members of Hong Kongs Roman Catholic community are worried about a possible deal between the Catholic Church and Chinas leaders.
Many Catholics are unhappy with the churchs recent efforts to set up relations with the Chinese government at a time when it continues to silence critics.
In the nearly 70 years since its establishment, the People's Republic of China has never had diplomatic ties with the Vatican. One reason is the Vatican's tradition of appointing bishops around the world. The mainland Chinese leadership considers this interference in the country.
China's Catholics have been permitted to attend religious services under a government-supervised organization called the Patriotic Catholic Association. As part of its duties, the government officially names church leaders, some of which have been quietly approved by the Vatican.
The Vatican leadership considers religious services administered in the patriotic church unacceptable. But the government's tight control of the group has led many observant Catholics to go elsewhere. Some have turned to an "underground" Catholic church. The Chinese government says the underground church is illegal. Its members have been arrested and treated unfairly. However, the members see themselves as true followers of the church.
Critics say an agreement between the Vatican and the Chinese government would enable the Vatican to operate more openly in China. But they fear it would give China greater control over the church's decisions.
Hong Kong Catholics condemn
Cardinal Joseph Zen is the retired bishop of Hong Kong. In recent weeks, he has criticized any deal that would permit Chinese control over the church as "evil."
News reports have said the agreement would legalize the government-appointed bishops and force those in the underground church to retire. The reports say Pope Francis would have the final word on the approval of bishops. Zen has voiced concern that the Chinese government would only name bishops loyal to the communist leadership.
"It's something important for the whole church, this attitude of fidelity and disrespect [of] our faith. It's a very serious matter to disregard centuries of doctrine," Zen said.
"They want everybody to come into the open and obey the government. They never say how they would deal with bishops in the underground. It's obvious what they are going to do They will not only eliminate bishops, but in some dioceses have no bishop, but some kind of [government] delegate."
Vatican officials have asked Catholics for time to work out details on the agreement.
In Hong Kong, several Catholics have also said the move comes at a time when the Chinese government has grown more forceful under the leadership of President Xi Jinping.
On Sunday, China's ruling party announced it would end presidential term limits. Under the proposal, Xi could serve the rest of his life as president.
During his first five years in office, Xi's policies have attacked economic corruption as well as the work of human rights lawyers, labor organizers and investigative reporters.
Losing moral and spiritual appeal
In December, the Vatican asked two bishops in the underground church in China to give their duties to men approved by the government. In the past, the Vatican had said that both men had been appointed illegally by the government.
Government critics see this as an unusual interference, even violation, of the church's power. They are also concerned about signs that the government has restricted religious customs, such as orders that followers not bring children to worship.
News of the Vatican's negotiations led several professors to launch a petition against any agreement that would give control of the church to the Chinese government. More than 2,000 people have signed the document.
"We think the Catholic Church has appeal (for) the Chinese people exactly because it has refused to compromise with the Chinese authority," said Joseph Cheng Yu-shek, one of the organizers of the petition. He added that "If the Vatican makes a compromise with Beijing, the Catholic Church loses that moral and spiritual appeal. And it doesn't benefit the church."
Im Phil Dierking.
Suzanne Sataline reported this story for VOAnew.com. Phil Dierking adapted her report for VOA Learning English. George Grow as the editor.
Do you think Its okay to let the Chinese government have more control of the church in China, in exchange for more open religious practice? We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section or on our Facebook page.
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Words in This Story
attitude n. the way you think and feel about someone or something
bishop n. an official in some Christian religions who is ranked higher than a priest and who is usually in charge of church matters in a specific geographical area
diocese n. the area that is controlled by a bishop in a Christian church
doctrine n. a set of ideas or beliefs that are taught or believed to be true
eliminate v. to get rid of something
fidelity n. the quality of being faithful to your husband, wife, or sexual partner
Vatican n. the government of the Roman Catholic Church
From VOA Learning English, this is the Health & Lifestyle report.
Tobacco is the only legal drug that kills many of its users when used exactly as intended by manufacturers.
That is the first sentence of the World Health Organizations 2015 global report on smoking trends around the world.
Smoking around the world
On its website, the World Health Organization says that in 2015, over 1.1 billion people smoked tobacco. The organization also states that while tobacco use is decreasing in many countries, it appears to be increasing in WHO Eastern Mediterranean Region and the African Region.
The WHO lists on its websites these three important facts about tobacco use:
Tobacco kills up to half of its users.
Tobacco kills more than 7 million people each year. More than 6 million of those deaths are from direct tobacco use. Around 890, 000 non-smokers die from second-hand smoke.
Nearly 80% of the world's more than 1 billion smokers live in low- and middle-income countries.
In 2016, the World Bank report The global state of smoking in 5 charts, said that from 2000 to 2015 smoking rates went up in 27 countries. The report said most of them were low and middle-income countries.
The report added that in Indonesia, the rate went up by almost 30 percent. It said more than 70 million people smoke in Indonesia.
The WHO says there is a tobacco crisis. Experts say that if we do nothing to change this trend, the number of people who die from tobacco each year worldwide will rise to 8 million by 2030.
The article also states that in every country, the smoking rates for men are much higher than those for women.
U.S. smoking rates at historic low
The American Lung Association (ALA) says fewer Americans smoke cigarettes now than before tobacco control policies were established.
In its yearly report, the ALA says smoking rates among adults and teens are at historic lows. It says a little more than 15.5 percent of American adults, and eight percent of high school students, smoke cigarettes.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in the U.S. also researches smoking rates. It says the rates in the U.S. decreased from 20.9 percent in 2005 to 15.5 percent in 2016.
Connie Graffunder is director of the CDC's Office on Smoking and Health. She says "more people are quitting, and those who continue to smoke are smoking less."
However, CDC research also shows that almost 38 million American adults still smoke. And the American Lung Association says tobacco use and exposure to second-hand smoke affects some groups and areas of the United States more than others.
Thomas Carr is the Director of National Policy for the American Lung Association and writer of its 2018 report, The State of Tobacco Control.
Carr says smoking rates are close to 30 percent or higher among poor people, less educated people, Native Americans and some other ethnic groups.
Carr says that "the tobacco industry advertises more to some of these groups." He adds that often there are more tobacco products available in stores in low-income areas.
Teenagers are more likely to smoke if their friends or parents smoke. Studies show that most people who smoke start before they are 18. Some start as young as age 11, according to The Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids.
Carr calls it a childhood disease. "It starts in your teens and then once you're hooked, you can't get off of it."
What can countries do to stop people from smoking?
The American Lung Association advocates for the U.S. government to make buying tobacco products for those under age 21 illegal. The group says this would lead to a drop in the number of young smokers.
The ALA says if middle and high school students cannot get cigarettes, they are less likely to start smoking. To date, five states in the U.S. -- California, Oregon, Maine, Hawaii and New Jersey -- have raised the age to 21.
The WHO says that there are other things countries can do to limit tobacco use.
Experts at the WHO experts say studies show that anti-tobacco advertisements can reduce the number of children who smoke. This is especially true if the advertising uses picture warnings on the packaging.
The WHO adds that bans on tobacco advertising can reduce the use of tobacco products. Higher taxes can also lower the number of people who use tobacco. This is especially true with young and poor people.
The CDC says smokers die, on average, 10 years earlier than non-smokers.
And that's the Health & Lifestyle report, I'm Anna Matteo.
Anna Matteo wrote this story for Learning English with additional reporting from Carol Pearson. Caty Weaver was the editor.
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QUIZ
Quiz - Smoking Rates Around the World Start the Quiz to find out Start Quiz
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Words in This Story
intend v. to have in mind as a purpose or goal
manufacturer n. a company that makes a product
second-hand smoke n. tobacco smoke that is exhaled by smokers or is given off by burning tobacco and is inhaled by persons nearby
income n. money that is earned from work, investments, business, etc.
trend n. a general direction of change : a way of behaving, proceeding, etc., that is developing and becoming more common
exposure n. the fact or condition of being affected by something or experiencing something : the condition of being exposed to something
advertise v. to make the public aware of something (such as a product) that is being sold
hooked v. addicted to a drug : usually used with on : She is hooked on cigarettes.
advocate v. to support or argue for (a cause, policy, etc.)
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is on a five-day trip to Northern and Western Africa.
The trip will take him to four countries: Algeria, Mauritania, Senegal, and Mali.
His visit is the latest effort by Turkey to project its influence across the continent and strengthen its presence worldwide.
Since 2005, as then-prime minister, Erdogan has been working to deepen ties with Africa.
Emre Caliskan is with the Department of Politics and International Relations at Oxford University in Britain. He says Erdogan has been to Africa 12 times since 2009. He notes his trips had several objectives, such as economic growth, expanding Turkeys influence in the world and the use of Islam.
Earlier this month, Turkey welcomed a group of African ministers for a week of meetings. Such gatherings are part of a Turkish effort to improve contacts with African leaders.
Over the past 10 years, Turkey has tripled the number of embassies across Africa. Even with all the Turkish investments, the economic returns have been less than what the government expected. And that has led Turkey to reconsider its priorities, says Mehmet Arda. He studies Africa for the Istanbul-based public policy center Edam.
"When you look at the Turkish trade with Africa, its basically the same as it was about 10 years ago. So it is more a way of projecting itself as a power in the world. Moreover, Turkey puts itself as the friend, at least, of the countries which are left behind, the destitute and all that. So I think from that point of view, as well, it fits with that the model of Turkey projecting itself on the world stage."
Islamic influence
In his recent visits to Africa, President Erdogan has added Islamic subjects to his message. His speeches have sometimes been colored with criticism of the West and talk of its colonial past. At one time, the Turkish Ottoman Empire also extended to Africa.
Caliskan says that appealing to African Muslims offers Turkey a chance for important diplomatic gains, as well as risks.
"Fifty percent of African countries come from Muslim backgrounds and this gives leverage for Turkey in the eyes of Europe, in the eyes of the West, and in the eyes of Africa.
But he notes a competition among Islamic groups and countries such as Iran, Saudi Arabia, and Egypt. Historically, he says, these nations are very influential among Africas Muslim communities. Caliskan describes Turkey as a new comer, and says the country wants to expand its influence.
Last September, Turkey opened its largest overseas military base in Somalia. Some observers say the opening of the base is a sign that Turkish officials have aspirations for the area.
The Turkish navy is expanding, with the government planning to build an aircraft carrier. Egypt has expressed concern about Turkeys agreement with Sudan to redevelop the Sudanese island of Suakin. The island was once home to the Ottoman Empires main naval base. The Turkish government says it has no plans to develop Suakin for military purposes.
But Caliskan says such denials will do little to reduce tensions given the level of mistrust between Erdogan and Egypt's President Abdel Fattah el Sissi.
Observers warn the competition in the Middle East is already spilling into Africa. They say this process is likely to continue because of Turkeys growing commitment to the continent and its effort to become a global player.
I'm Jonathan Evans.
Dorian Jones reported this story for VOANews.com. George Grow adapted his report for Learning English. Hai Do was the editor.
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Words in This Story
triple v. to make three times as big; to increase by 200 percent
priority n. a goal; something that is more important than other things
destitute adj. lacking possessions or what is needed
background n. the ground that is behind an object
leverage n. influence or effectiveness
aspiration n. a strong desire to do something
commitment n. an agreement or promise to do something
global adj. of or involving the whole world
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Turkeys offensive against a Kurdish militia in Syria shows the growing expertise of Turkish arms manufacturers.
In recent years, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has sought to reduce his countrys dependency on imported arms.
Erdogan spoke recently about the military operation in the Afrin area of northwestern Syria.
Almost all of the armored carriers ((operating)) in Afrin are domestically produced. I thank our friends who produced them, he said.
The Turkish military is working with Syrian rebels to seize Afrin from a Kurdish militia that Turkey calls a terrorist group. Turkish officials say its fighters are linked to Kurdish separatists in Turkey.
Erdogan also blamed the deaths of Turkish soldiers in Afrin on countries that did not sell Turkey complex weapons, including armed drones. He did not name any countries.
Last year, Erdogan took direct control of Turkeys arms industry. The government has invested billions of dollars in the defense industry. Further investments are planned.
A total of 55 projects worth $9.4 billion were evaluated, said a presidential statement in January at a meeting of Turkeys Undersecretariat for Defense Industries.
Atilla Yesilada watches Turkey for Global Source Partners, a business advisory service. He says the defense industry has grown in large part because of Turkeys Justice and Development Party, the AKP.
Yesilada said, In the past there was no money, but now there is a lot of money slushing around, and the AKP has the vision to realize this project."
"This is a success story of the AKP, he added.
He said that Turkey once bought 80 percent of its weapons from overseas. Today, Turkey manufactures its own rifles, simple drones and armored vehicles.
Reducing dependency on imported arms is a goal of the government. The current Afrin operation shows Turkish officials the problem of depending on other countries. Germany is currently blocking improvements to Turkish-owned, German-made Leopard tanks because of their use in the Afrin operation.
But the Afrin campaign is also showcasing Turkeys armaments industry.
There are many new military technologies, noted defense expert Metin Gurcan, who once served in the Turkish military. Turkey has developed armed drones, helicopters, smart munitions and for the first time, they are all being tested in action abroad, he added.
Along with developing arms independence, the Turkish government has an eye on the often profitable international arms market. Experts suggest Turkey is unlikely to try to compete with the world's major players, but instead will try to find an area of specialization.
Gurcan said, Turkey has been trying to become a very important player in the arms exports market, in the region of the Middle East, Central Asia, Africa. He noted that the government is using close diplomatic ties, with central Asian countries and Qatar, to secure several arms agreements.
I'm Caty Weaver.
Dorian Jones reported this story for VOANews.com. George Grow adapted his report for VOA Learning English. Caty Weaver was the editor.
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Words in This Story
domestic adj. of or relating to a country, especially ones own country
evaluate v. to consider the condition or value of something
vision n. something seen in a dream; a thought or idea
abroad adj. or adv. overseas; to or in a foreign country
We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section.
Chinese media say the Communist Party has proposed lifting term limits for the office of president from Chinas Constitution. Under the proposal, party leader Xi Jinping could continue serving as president after the year 2023.
Chinas official Xinhua news agency published a report on the proposed constitutional amendment package Sunday. It said the Communist Party of China (CPC) supported plans to drop the two consecutive terms" limit to the offices of the President and Vice-President. Term limits have been part of the constitution since 1982.
The communist party also proposed adding Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era to the Constitution. This will make Xi the third Chinese leader to have such an honor. In the past, the constitution was amended to include Mao Zedong Thought and Deng Xiaoping Theory.
Xi is expected to be elected to a second five-year term as president at a meeting of the National Peoples Congress. The proposals will likely be approved at that meeting, which opens on March 5.
Willy Lam is with the Chinese University in Hong Kong. He told the Associated Press, Xi Jinping has finally achieved his ultimate goal when he first embarked on Chinese politics that is, to be the Mao Zedong of the 21st century.
In 2012, Xi became general secretary of the Chinese Communist Party, chairman of the Politburo Standing Committee, and head of the countrys armed forces. He was elected to his first five-year term as president in March 2013.
Shortly after his election, Xi said, I believe that realizing the great revival of the Chinese nation is the greatest dream of the Chinese nation in modern times.
As Chinas leader, Xi launched an anti-corruption campaign targeting powerful officials. He has increased defense spending and claimed sovereignty over a large part of the South China Sea. He also started the Belt and Road development program to build infrastructure-related projects in Asia, Africa and Europe.
Chinas Communist Party has required leaders who are 68 or older to leave office. But the party has yet to name a successor to the 64-year-old core leader another title given to Xi in 2016.
At the 19th Communist Party Congress last October, Xi promised that China would become a modern socialist country by 2035. He also said by 2050, it would be a leading world power.
Willy Lam suggested the partys justification for removing term limits is that China requires a visionary, capable leader to see China through this multi-decade grand plan.
Hu Xingdou is a Beijing-based political commentator. He said while Xi Jinping might need an extra five-year term or two to carry out his plans, China is unlikely to return to lifetime tenure for heads of state.
Hu added that China has learned lessons from the unrest of the Cultural Revolution under Mao Zedong.
Im Mario Ritter.
Hai Do wrote this for Learning English with additional report from the AP. George Grow was the editor.
________________________________________________________________
Words in This Story
ultimate adj. the most extreme or best of its kind
embark - v. to make a start; to begin a trip
politburo n. the main policy-making committee of a Communist party
revival n. a return of strength or importance
sovereignty n. unlimited power over an area; the right of an to govern itself
infrastructure n. the system of public works; the personnel, buildings or equipment required for an activity
visionary n. someone having an imagination or ideas
grand adj. very large or great
tenure n. the amount of time that a person holds a job or office
lesson n. a reading or other exercise for a student; something learned by experience
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Jones Energy, Inc., an independent oil and gas company, engages in the acquisition, exploration, development, and production of oil and natural gas properties in the mid-continent United States. It owns leasehold interests in oil and natural gas producing properties, as well as in undeveloped acreage located in the Anadarko Basin in Oklahoma and Texas. As of December 31, 2017, the company's total estimated proved reserves included 104.8 million barrels of oil equivalent. Jones Energy, Inc. was founded in 1988 and is headquartered in Austin, Texas.
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Brookdale Senior Living, Inc. engages in the operation of senior living communities. The firm manages independent living, assisted living and dementia-care communities and continuing care retirement centers. It operates through the following segments: Independent Living Assisted Living & Memory Care, CCRCs, Health Care Services and Management Services. The Independent Living segment is primarily designed for middle to upper income seniors who desire an upscale residential environment providing the highest quality of service. The Assisted Living & Memory Care segment offer housing and 24-hour assistance with ADLs to mid-acuity frail and elderly residents. The CCRCs segment offers a variety of living arrangements and services to accommodate all levels of physical ability and health. The Healthcare Services segment provides home health, hospice and outpatient therapy services, as well as education and wellness programs, to residents of many communities and to seniors living outside communities. The Management Services segment composes of communities operated by the company pursuant to management agreements. The company was founded in 1978 and is headquartered in Brentwood, TN.
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The following companies are subsidiares of Boston Scientific: 34 Biomedical Merger Corp., 9357-1867 Quebec Inc., Acurate Industria e Comercio Ltda., Advanced Bionics, Advanced Stent Technologies, American Medical Systems, American Medical Systems Europe B.V., Apama Medical, Apama Medical Inc., Asthmatx, Atritech, Augmenix, Augmenix Inc., Augmenix K.K., BSC International Medical Trading (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., BSC Medical Device Technology (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., BTG, BTG Australasia Pty Ltd, BTG Europe B.V., BTG IM Holdings Ltd., BTG International (Holdings) Limited, BTG International Asia Limited, BTG International Canada Inc., BTG International Germany GmbH, BTG International Healthcare Inc., BTG International Healthcare LLC, BTG International Healthcare Limited, BTG International Inc., BTG International Limited, BTG Limited, BTG Management Services Limited, BTG Medikal Limited Sirketi, Bard Electrophysiology, Barosense, Biocompatibles Inc., Biocompatibles International Limited, Biocompatibles UK Limited, Boston Scientific (Malaysia) Sdn. Bhd., Boston Scientific (South Africa) Proprietary Limited, Boston Scientific (Thailand) Ltd., Boston Scientific (UK) Limited, Boston Scientific AG, Boston Scientific Argentina S.A., Boston Scientific Asia Pacific Pte. Ltd., Boston Scientific Benelux NV, Boston Scientific Canada Limited, Boston Scientific Ceska republika s.r.o., Boston Scientific Chile SpA, Boston Scientific Colombia Limitada, Boston Scientific Comercial de Costa Rica BSCR S.R.L., Boston Scientific Far East B.V., Boston Scientific Gesellschaft m.b.H., Boston Scientific Group plc, Boston Scientific Hellas S.A., Boston Scientific Hong Kong Limited, Boston Scientific Iberica S.A., Boston Scientific India Private Limited, Boston Scientific International B.V., Boston Scientific International Finance Limited, Boston Scientific International S.A., Boston Scientific Israel Ltd., Boston Scientific Japan K.K., Boston Scientific Korea Co. Ltd., Boston Scientific Lebanon SAL, Boston Scientific Limited, Boston Scientific Ltd., Boston Scientific Medical Device, Boston Scientific Medical Device Limited, Boston Scientific Medizintechnik GmbH, Boston Scientific Middle East FZ-LLC, Boston Scientific Middle East SAL, Boston Scientific Nederland B.V., Boston Scientific Neuromodulation Corporation, Boston Scientific New Zealand Limited, Boston Scientific Nordic AB, Boston Scientific Peru S.A.C., Boston Scientific Philippines Inc., Boston Scientific Polska Sp. z o.o., Boston Scientific Portugal - Dispositivos Medicos Lda, Boston Scientific Pty Ltd, Boston Scientific Romania S.R.L., Boston Scientific S.A.S., Boston Scientific S.p.A., Boston Scientific Scimed, Boston Scientific Scimed Inc., Boston Scientific Services Private Limited, Boston Scientific TIP Gerecleri Limited Sirketi, Boston Scientific Technology & Engineering Services Private Limited, Boston Scientific Uruguay S.A., Boston Scientific Vietnam Company Limited, Boston Scientific de Costa Rica S.R.L., Boston Scientific de Mexico S.A. de C.V., Boston Scientific del Caribe Inc., Boston Scientific do Brasil Ltda., Bravo Bidco Limited, BridgePoint Medical, Cameron Health, Cardiac Pacemakers Inc., Cardiac Pathways Corp, Catheter Innovations, Claret Medical, Claret Medical Inc., Cosman Medical, Cosman Medical LLC, CryoCor, Cryterion Medical, Cryterion Medical Inc., Cryterion Medical Ireland Limited, EKOS LLC, EMcision, EMcision International Inc., EP Technologies, EP Technologies Inc., Electron Acquisition Corporation, EndoChoice, EndoChoice Holdings Inc., EndoChoice Inc., EndoChoice Innovation Center Ltd., EndoChoice Israel Ltd., Endotex, Enteric Medical Technologies, Galil Medical Inc., Galil Medical Ltd., Galil Medical UK Limited, Guidant, Guidant Delaware Holding Corporation, Guidant Europe NV, Guidant Puerto Rico B.V., Hong Kong Medtech Trading Limited, Intelect Medical, Millipede, Millipede Inc., NXT Merger Corp., Notebook Merger Sub Ltd., Novate Medical Limited, NxThera, NxThera Inc., PT Boston Scientific Indonesia, PneumRx GmbH, PneumRx LLC, PneumRx Liimited, Protherics Medicines Development B.V., Protherics Medicines Development Limited, Protherics UK Limited, Provensis Limited, RMI Acquisition Corp., Remon Medical Technologies, Rhythmia Medical, Robert S. Smith M.D. Inc., Roxwood Medical Inc., SNS Merger Corp, Sadra Medical, Sadra Medical Inc., Securus Medical Group, Securus Medical Group Inc., Special K Merger Corp., StarMedTec, Stream Enterprises LLC, Symetis, Symetis SA, Target Therapeutics, Target Therapeutics Inc., The LumenR Tissue Retractor System, Veniti, Veniti Inc., VertiFlex, Vertiflex Inc., Vessix Vascular, Xlumena, Zuma Investment Pty Ltd, iogyn, nVision Medical, and nVision Medical Corporation.
6 hours ago
3 Semi Stocks Shrugging Off Market Weakness
They say that semiconductors are the heartbeat of the tech sector, which is why it's nice to see that semi stocks have been holding up well during the recent market pullback. The ongoing chip shortage should benefit the majority of these companies for the foreseeable future, while demand is expected to remain strong even after the supply chain issues have been resolved.
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Bristow Group Inc. provides industrial aviation services to the offshore energy companies in Europe Caspian, Africa, the Americas, and the Asia Pacific. The company offers helicopter charter services to transport personnel between onshore bases and offshore production platforms, drilling rigs, and other installations, as well as to transport time-sensitive equipment to these offshore locations. It also provides search and rescue services for the oil and gas industry, and governmental agencies; and aircraft support services. The company was formerly known as Offshore Logistics Inc. and changed its name to Bristow Group Inc. in February 2006. Bristow Group Inc. was founded in 1955 and is headquartered in Houston, Texas.
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Koninklijke Philips N.V. is the Netherlands-based health technology company. The Company's segments include Personal Health businesses, Diagnosis & Treatment businesses, Connected Care & Health Informatics businesses, HealthTech Other and Legacy Items. The Personal Health businesses segment is engaged in the health continuum, delivering integrated, connected solutions that support healthier lifestyles and those living with chronic disease. The Diagnosis & Treatment businesses segment delivers precision medicine and treatment, and therapy. The Connected Care & Health Informatics businesses segment provides consumers, care givers and clinicians with digital solutions that facilitate care by enabling precision medicine and population health management. The HealthTech Other segment comprises such items, as innovation, emerging businesses, royalties, among others. The Legacy Items segment consists mainly of separation costs, legacy legal items, legacy pension costs, among others.
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Wall Street analysts have given Enel Generacion Chile a "N/A" rating, but there may be better buying opportunities in the stock market. Some of MarketBeat's past winning trading ideas have resulted in 5-15% weekly gains. MarketBeat just released five new stock ideas, but Enel Generacion Chile wasn't one of them. MarketBeat thinks these five companies may be even better buys.
View MarketBeat's top stock picks here.
The following companies are subsidiares of Exxon Mobil: AKG Marketing Company Limited, Aera Energy LLC, Al-Jubail Petrochemical Company, Ampolex (Cepu) Pte Ltd, Ancon Insurance Company Inc., Barnett Gathering LLC, Barzan Gas Company Limited, Caspian Pipeline Consortium, Celtic Exploration Ltd., Coral FLNG S.A., Cross Timbers Energy LLC, Ellora Energy Inc., Esmeroon Oil Transporta Imperial Oil Limited, Esso (Thailand) Public Company Limited, Esso Australia Resources Pty Ltd, Esso Deutschland GmbH, Esso Erdgas Beteiligungsgesellschaft mbH, Esso Exploration Angola (Block 15) Limited, Esso Exploration Angola (Block 17) Limited, Esso Exploration and Production Angola (Overseas) Limited, Esso Exploration and Production Chad Inc., Esso Exploration and Production Guyana Limited, Esso Exploration and Production Nigeria (Deepwater) Limited, Esso Exploration and Production Nigeria (Offshore East) Limited, Esso Exploration and Production Nigeria Limited, Esso Exploration and Production UK Limited, Esso Global Investments Ltd., Esso Italiana S.r.l., Esso Nederland B.V., Esso Norge AS, Esso Petroleum Company Limited, Esso Raffinage, Esso Societe Anonyme Francaise, Exxo Holdings Inc., Exxon Azerbaijan Limited, Exxon Chemical Arabia Inc., Exxon International Finance Company, Exxon Luxembourg Holdings LLC, Exxon Mobile Bay Limited Partnership, Exxon Neftegas Limited, Exxon Overseas Corporation, Exxon Overseas Investment Corporation, ExxonMobil (China) Investment Co. Ltd., ExxonMobil (Taicang) Petroleum Co. Ltd., ExxonMobil Abu Dhabi Offshore Petroleum Company Limited, ExxonMobil Alaska Production Inc., ExxonMobil Asia Pacific Pte. Ltd., ExxonMobil Australia Pty Ltd, ExxonMobil B Resources Company, ExxonMobil Capital Finance Company, ExxonMobil Capital Netherlands B.V., ExxonMobil Central Europe Holding GmbH, ExxonMobil Cepu Limited, ExxonMobil Chemical France, ExxonMobil Chemical Gulf Coast Investments LLC, ExxonMobil Chemical Holland B.V., ExxonMobil Chemical Services (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., ExxonMobil China Petroleum & Petrochemical Company Limited, ExxonMobil Development Africa B.V., ExxonMobil Development Company, ExxonMobil Egypt (S.A.E.), ExxonMobil Exploracao Brasil Ltda., ExxonMobil Exploration and Production Malaysia Inc., ExxonMobil Exploration and Production Norway AS, ExxonMobil Exploration and Production Romania Limited, ExxonMobil Exploration and Production Tanzania Limited, ExxonMobil Finance Company Limited, ExxonMobil Financial Investment Company Limited, ExxonMobil France Holding SAS, ExxonMobil Gas Marketing Europe Limited, ExxonMobil General Finance Company, ExxonMobil Global Services Company, ExxonMobil Golden Pass Surety LLC, ExxonMobil Holding Company Holland LLC, ExxonMobil Holding Norway AS, ExxonMobil Hong Kong Limited, ExxonMobil International Services SARL, ExxonMobil Iraq Limited, ExxonMobil Italiana Gas S.r.l., ExxonMobil Kazakhstan Inc., ExxonMobil Kazakhstan Ventures Inc., ExxonMobil LNG Services B.V., ExxonMobil Lubricants Trading Company, ExxonMobil Oil Corporation, ExxonMobil PNG Limited, ExxonMobil Petroleum & Chemical BVBA, ExxonMobil Petroleum & Chemical Holdings Inc., ExxonMobil Pipeline Company, ExxonMobil Production Deutschland GmbH, ExxonMobil Production Norway Inc., ExxonMobil Qatargas (II) Limited, ExxonMobil Qatargas Inc., ExxonMobil Ras Laffan (III) Limited, ExxonMobil Rasgas Inc., ExxonMobil Research and Engineering Company, ExxonMobil Russia Kara Sea Holdings B.V., ExxonMobil Sales and Supply LLC, ExxonMobil Technology Finance Company, ExxonMobil Ventures Finance Company, ExxonMobil Ventures Funding Ltd., Fujian Refining & Petrochemical Co. Ltd., Golden Pass LNG Terminal Investments LLC, Golden Pass LNG Terminal LLC, Gulf Coast Growth Ventures LLC, Imperial Oil Limited, Imperial Oil Resources Limited, Imperial Oil Resources N.W.T. Limited, Imperial Oil/Petroliere Imperiale, Infineum Italia s.r.I., Infineum Singapore Pte. Ltd., InterOil Corporation, Jurong Aromatics Corporation Pte Ltd, MPM Lubricants, Marine Well Containment Company LLC, Mobil Australia Resources Company Pty Limited, Mobil California Exploration & Producing Asset Company, Mobil Caspian Pipeline Company, Mobil Chemical Products International Inc., Mobil Corporation, Mobil Equatorial Guinea Inc., Mobil Erdgas Verwaltungsgesellschaft mbH, Mobil Exploration & Producing Australia Pty Ltd, Mobil International Petroleum Corporation, Mobil Oil Australia Pty Ltd, Mobil Oil Exploration & Producing Southeast Inc., Mobil Oil New Zealand Limited, Mobil Producing Nigeria Unlimited, Mobil Producing Texas & New Mexico Inc., Mobil SerLimited, Mobil Venezolana De Petroleos Inc., Mobil Yanbu Petrochemical Company Inc., Mobil Yanbu Refining Company Inc., Mountain Gathering LLC, Mozambique Rovuma Venture S.p.A., Palmetto Transoceanic LLC, Papua New Guinea Liquefied Natural Gas Global Company LDC, Permian Express Partners LLC, Phillips Exploration LLC, Qatar Liquefied Gas Company Limited, Ras Laffan Liquefied Natural Gas Company Limited, Ras Laffan Liquefied Natural Gas Company Limited (II), SPI Limited, Saudi Aramco Mobil Refinery Company Ltd., Saudi Yanbu Petrochemical Co., SeaRiver Maritime Inc., South Hook LNG Terminal Company Limited, Tengizchevroil LLP, Terminale GNL Adriatico S.r.l, Trend Gathering & Treating LLC, Wolverine Pipe Line Company, XH LLC, XTO Delaware Basin LLC, XTO Energy Canada, XTO Energy Inc., and XTO Holdings LLC.
Jumei International Holding Limited operates as an online retailer of beauty products in the People's Republic of China. The company offers beauty products, such as cosmetics, skin care, cosmetic applicators, fragrance, and body care products; and beauty products for men, and baby and children. It also provides apparel and other lifestyle products, including women's wear, footwear, lingerie, handbags and luggage, men's wear, sportswear and sporting goods, accessories, home goods, and other lifestyle products, as well as baby, children, and maternity products; and snacks, cereals, and health supplements. The company sells its products through Jumei.com and Jumeiglobal.com Websites, mobile platform, and physical stores. Jumei International Holding Limited was founded in 2009 and is headquartered in Beijing, the People's Republic of China.
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Randgold Resources Limited is engaged in gold mining, exploration and related activities. The Company's activities are focused on West and Central Africa. The Company operates through the gold mining segment. The Company operates various mines, such as Morila, Loulo, Gounkoto, Tongon and Kibali. The Company is exploring in African countries, such as Mali, Senegal, Cote d'Ivoire and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The Company also holds an interest in the Massawa project. The Company holds Morila Limited, which holds interests in the Morila mine in Mali. As of December 31, 2016, Morila mine has produced 122,370 ounces (oz) of gold. The Company holds a controlling interest in the Loulo mine, located in Mali, through Societe des Mines de Loulo SA (Loulo). The Loulo mine is mining from over two underground mines. As of December 31, 2016, Loulo mine has produced 350,604 oz of gold. It has a controlling interest in the Gounkoto mine through Societe des Mines de Gounkoto SA.
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Schlumberger NV engages in the provision of technology for reservoir characterization, drilling, production and processing to the oil and gas industry. It operates through the following business segments: Digital and Integration; Reservoir Performance; Well Construction; and Production Systems. The Digital and Integration segment combines the company's software and seismic businesses with its integrated offering of asset performance solutions. The Reservoir Performance segment consists of reservoir-centric technologies and services that are critical to optimizing reservoir productivity and performance. The Well Construction segment includes the full portfolio of products and services to optimize well placement and performance, maximize drilling efficiency, and improve wellbore assurance. The Production Systems segment develops technologies and provides expertise that enhances production and recovery from subsurface reservoirs to the surface, into pipelines, and to refineries. The company was founded by Conrad Schlumberger and Marcel Schlumberger in 1926 and is headquartered in Houston, TX.
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Lenovos latest Chromebooks for the education market include an entry-level Lenovo 100e Chromebook thats coming in March for $219, and the $269 Lenovo 300e Chromebook and $309 Lenovo 500e Chromebook, which are both already available.
Interesting sidenote: Lenovos press release says prices start at $279 for the 300e and $349 for the 500e, but theyre both selling for less at Lenovo.com.
Anyway, while all three laptops feature 11.6 inch displays, the 100e is a clamshell-style device while the other two models both feature 360-degree hinges, touchscreen displays, and pen support.
The Lenovo 500e is the only model of the bunch that actually comes with an EMR stylus for on-screen inking. Theres also a slot in the case for storing the pen when youre not using it.
But the Lenovo 300e supports AnyPen technology, which basically means you can use any pen, pencil, or other object to write or draw on the screen. It probably wont be as precise as using an active pen, but it should come in handy if you want to write with an object that has a finer tip than your finger.
Each laptop has a spill-resistant keyboard and a ruggedized case to help protect the computers from drops, bumps, and scratches.
Heres an overview of the specs for each model:
Lenovo 500e Chromebook
11.6 inch, 1366 x 768 pixel IPS multitouch display (250 nits)
360 degree hinge
Intel Celeron N3450 quad-core processor
4GB or 8GB of RAM
32GB or 64GB of eMMC storage
3.5mm audio jack
720p webcam
2 USB Type-C ports
2 USB 3.0 Type-A ports
802.11ac WiFi
Bluetooth 4.2
microSD card reader
42 Wh battery (up to 10 hours)
MIL-STD-810G
11.4 x 8 x 0.8
3 pounds
Available now for $309 and up
Lenovo 300e Chromebook
11.6 inch, 1366 x 768 pixel IPS multitouch display (250 nits)
360 degree hinge
MediaTek MTK8173C processor
4GB of RAM
32GB of eMMC storage
3.5mm audio jack
720p webcam
USB Type-A and Type-C ports
HDMI
802.11ac WiFi
Bluetooth 4.0
microSD card reader
45 Wh battery (up to 10 hours)
MIL-STD-810G
11.5 x 8 x 0.8
3 pounds
Available now for $269 and up
Lenovo 100e Chromebook
11.6 inch, 1366 x 768 pixel TN display (250 nits)
clamshell design
Intel Celeron N3350 dual-core processor
4GB of RAM
32GB of eMMC storage
3.5mm audio jack
720p webcam
2 USB Type-C prots
2 USB 3.0 Type-A ports
802.11ac WiFi
Bluetooth 4.2
microSD card reader
42 Wh battery (up to 10 hours)
MIL-STD-810GW
11.4 x 8 x 0.8
2.8 pounds
Coming in March for $219 and up
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A cat injury could be either mild or more severe as in traumatic injuries. Its important to know a few first aid procedures to perform in the case of common cat injuries. Some injuries such as fractures or wounds that are bleeding profusely may require emergency medical help and first aid shouldnt replace medical assistance.
Choking on foreign objects
If your pet is choking on an object you should promptly help her as the cat could pass out very quickly or suffocate. The cat will exhibit signs of gagging, coughing and wheezing. The first thing to do is call your vet or animal emergency care service. You may alternatively try to help your pet by opening the mouth wide and holding the tongue down with one hand. Look for the object and try to gently remove it with tongs if you spot it. If you cannot see the object, avoid further discomfort to your pet and seek medical help. The Heimlich maneuver is used to remove lodged objects. You may perform the Heimlich only if trained to do so.
Broken legs or limbs
Cats with broken bones may be unable to walk or stand. Before taking the cat to the vet, examine the site and check for protruding bones, open cat wounds or swelling. If your pet has an open wound along with the fracture, gently wash the wound with water. Without applying any medication, hold the wound down with a clean cloth. Its important to minimize movement in pets with broken bones. Hold a folded towel under the broken limb and transport your pet to a doctor. Consider asking friends or neighbors for help as it could be a challenging experience.
Injuries from falling from high places
If your pet has just fallen from a high ledge or a height, examine your pets body and look for open wounds. If you notice cat blood on the ground where youre pet fell, its likely your cat is bleeding. The cat may be agitated and suffering from nervousness. Speak to your pet in a reassuring tone and if you notice any broken bones follow the same procedure as you would for fractures.
Cat poisoning
Due to the curious nature of cats, accidental ingestion of poisonous or toxic substances may be fatal. If you suspect poisoning in your cat, look for the type of poisonous or toxic substance that youre pet may have ingested or come in contact with through the skin. If its a skin related toxin, wash the site with plenty of water to prevent further absorption. Poisonous substances that are ingested are generally removed with induced vomiting. Call our 24Hr Clinic for poisoning emergency care. Follow the instructions to either induce vomiting or provide aid. Although vomiting is the best first aid treatment, it shouldnt be performed on pets showing signs of difficulty breathing.
Seizures or convulsions
Dogs suffering from seizures show uncontrolled body movements like shaking or leaping in the air. When your pet suffers from a seizure avoid sticking a spoon or objects in his mouth. Often several seizures occur consecutively. Remove all objects around your dog that may harm him during the seizure. Note down how long the seizure lasts and the various symptoms exhibited. Since seizures cut off oxygen from your pets brain, diagnosis and medication is vital. Dont panic as the cat may already be in a state of fright and requires a calm environment.
Injury from cat fights or bites
Cleaning cat wounds after a cat fight is necessary to prevent infection. If the wound is minor, carefully clip the fur around the wound and flush it with water and 3 percent hydrogen peroxide. Avoid applying any medication. Hold the wound down with a clean napkin to stop bleeding. Take your pet to the doctor as open wounds require both cat medication and dressing. Stitches are necessary for deeper wounds.
Remember to stay calm and contact your vet if youre in doubt. Always keep animal emergency and vet numbers at hand and ask friends for help if you cant handle the situation alone.
Hope this info helps
Till next week,
Dr Ruan Bester
Ask the Vet:
Royal Veterinary Centre
Tel: +853 28501099, +853 28523678
Emergency: +853 62662268
Email: royalveterinary@gmail.com
Chinas ruling Communist Party has proposed removing a limit of two consecutive terms for the countrys president, the official news agency said Sunday, appearing to lay the groundwork for party leader Xi Jinping to rule as president beyond 2023.
The partys Central Committee proposed to remove from the constitution the expression that Chinas president and vice president shall serve no more than two consecutive terms, the Xinhua News Agency said in a brief report. It provided no further details.
The announcement came before the Central Committee was to begin a three-day meeting in Beijing today to discuss major personnel appointments and other issues.
Xis status as the most powerful Chinese leader in a generation was cemented at last years party congress, where he was given a second five-year term as general secretary.
Ahead of the party congress, Xi had been shoring up his authority and sidelining rivals, leaving him primed to press his agenda of tightened state control and muscular diplomacy. That included a push to insert his thoughts on theoretical matters into the party constitution and further cultivate a burgeoning cult of personality that could allow him to hold on to power beyond his second term.
The son of a famed communist elder, Xi rose through the ranks to the position of Shanghais party leader before being promoted to the all-powerful Politburo Standing Committee in 2007.
When Xi did assume the top spot in 2012, it was as head of a reduced seven-member committee on which he had only one reliable ally, veteran Wang Qishan. He put Wang in charge of a sweeping anti-corruption crackdown that helped Xi eliminate challengers, both serving and retired, and cow potential opponents.
Xi, whose titles include head of the armed forces, has lavished attention on the military with parades and defense budget increases. But hes also led a crackdown on abuses and a push to cut 300,000 personnel from the 2.3 million-member Peoples Liberation Army, underscoring his ability to prevail against entrenched interests.
At the same time, Xi has added to his resume additional titles as leader of more than a half dozen special commissions overseeing areas from national security to foreign policy.
In a move carrying enormous symbolic weight, Xi last year took on the mantle of core of the party leadership, elevating him above his peers in a manner redolent of communist Chinas founder, Mao Zedong. Gillian Wong, Beijing, AP
The Kuwaiti capital has been liberated by the Gulf War Allies after 208 days of Iraqi occupation.
Thousands of Iraqi troops began leaving the city after an order from President Saddam Hussein, broadcast this morning, to withdraw immediately.
He said he was ordering the retreat because of the aggression of 30 countries against Iraq and the economic blockade led by the US.
The first group of Allies into the city centre was a reconnaissance team of 12 US marines who arrived in the capital this evening, ushered in by some Kuwaiti resistance forces.
To the north of the city a trail of abandoned Iraqi T-55 tanks were scattered along the main highway into town, as well as transport trucks and smaller vehicles.
US pilots said the Iraqi troops, deserted by officers and in disarray, left the city bumper to bumper.
They made an easy target for the American fighter jets which carried out repeated air strikes on the retreating troops, saying they would continue to attack until ordered not to. They reported only light anti-aircraft fire.
The main resistance came from Iraqi armoured units trapped at the international airport on the southern outskirts of the city, but the US Marine 2nd Division was reported to have the upper hand.
Kuwaiti radio, run by the government-in-exile, urged people not to take revenge on the retreating troops.
But there were claims that the Iraqis took many prisoners as they left as hostages. Reports say up to 5,000 people were captured as the troops retreated.
Families told reporters their sons had been taken from them, ordered into the retreating Iraqi army buses as they walked to work.
During the last days of Iraqi occupation there were widespread reports of torture, rape and execution.
Colonel Abu Fahad, an officer with the Kuwaiti resistance, told The Guardian newspaper: I have seen a lot of my friends and some of our guys executed in front of their families for nothing, just being in the country. In the past few days, we didnt even leave our houses.
Much of the city has been destroyed, with 200 buildings set on fire. Hotels, parliament buildings and government offices have been attacked.
The manager of the Sheraton hotel, Mohammed Mousa, told reporters he had been given an hour to clear the building and then Iraqi soldiers had looted it, taking everything from video recorders to the piano.
They then poured petrol over the ground floor, mined it and blasted it with tank fire.
The university, museum, schools and hospitals have all been looted and soldiers have taken whatever they could find from shops and homes.
Even clothes and mattresses lie scattered around the streets, stolen, but too bulky to take away.
Courtesy BBC News
In context
President George Bush announced his intention to press on with undiminished intensity to complete a rout of Iraqi forces.
Apart from liberating Kuwait, he said the Allies wanted to secure large parts of southern Iraq and defeat Saddam Husseins elite Republican Guard.
Two days later the president announced a ceasefire after Iraq accepted all 12 resolutions laid down by the United Nations.
Two of the main conditions were the return of all allied prisoners of war and Kuwaitis taken hostage and also the renunciation of all claims to Kuwait.
Saddam Hussein remained in power until George Bushs son, George W Bush, mounted another attack on Iraq in March 2003.
With the backing of British and Australian forces, he succeeded in toppling Saddam Hussein, who fled into hiding.
He was eventually captured in December 2003 put on trial by an Iraqi court, sentenced to death and executed on 30 December 2006.
The sons and daughter of Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte visited Macau on Saturday to meet with hundreds of migrant workers as part of the Tapang at Malasakit campaign, which translates to courage and care.
This is the first time that family members of a Philippine president have visited the region.
Groups of Filipino migrants turned up to show their support for the controversial president.
The majority of Filipino migrants in both SARs voted for Duterte during the May 2016 elections, hoping to see radical change happen in their home country.
Davao City mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio thanked the Filipino workers for their support of her fathers campaign, pledging that the government would ramp up its outreach to migrant workers abroad.
She was joined by her brothers Paolo Duterte and Sebastian Duterte, along with other city mayors and officials.
We thank them for helping and supporting the campaign and election of our president. We also thank the continuous support and commitment in his administration, Duterte-Carpio told the press on the sidelines of the event.
She formed the Tapang at Malasakit campaign, which calls on Duterte supporters to band together and champion the Duterte administration.
We volunteered to help our country grow and progress; and to [help] develop our respective communities. [Lets not] forget to help our communities and districts because if the community gets better, that is one less of a problem the president will think of, Duterte-Carpio said.
She reiterated that the president has recently launched the Overseas Filipino Bank, three months after signing the executive order to establish the scheme.
The Overseas Filipino Bank provides financial and remittance services that are tailored to the needs of the migrant workers and their families.
Duterte-Carpio also recalled her fathers support for migrant workers and the Duterte administrations establishment of a new one-stop center for workers to access frontline government services.
I salute the Overseas Filipino Workers for their courage and care because I cannot do what you are doing for your families. We just want you to know that we admire you for your bravery, Duterte-Carpio told the audience.
Filipino migrant workers were largely joyful and supportive during the event, but exhorted the administration to listen to the pleas of their compatriots who are at risk of domestic abuse, particularly in countries like Kuwait.
The body of a Filipino maid was found stuffed in a freezer in a flat in Kuwait, which sparked an outrage in the Philippines.
The incident prompted President Duterte to ban the deployment of new Filipino workers to Kuwait, where many cases of abuse had been recorded.
Regarding the Philippines democracy, influential political blogger RJ Nieto better known by his pen name ThinkingPinoy noted that democracy is alive and well in the country despite the negative publicity.
This president despite all his flaws we know hes not a sweet talker, but he delivers results. And the results are felt by all classes of society. Even his detractors cannot deny the fact that there [have] been so many reforms happening in the Philippines in the past two years, Nieto told the press.
Questioned by the Times whether press freedom is under fire, Nieto replied, Theres this bunch of people complaining about the press freedom being threatened, but the fact of the matter is theyre very noisy.
Press freedom does not exist when youre being silenced. But the fact that theyre being so noisy is a testament that press freedom is alive and well in the Philippines, he added.
Tapang at Malasakit was also held in Hong Kong yesterday.
Duterte-Carpio hopes to extend the alliance to more migrant workers overseas.
We spend our own money for things like these but when there are opportunities, well take the chance to [visit and] thank the overseas Filipino workers, she added.
For years, Russia has worked to gain influence in Southeast Europe, using Serbia as a foothold to establish a friendly pocket on a hostile continent.
The European Union finally is pushing back. European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker is embarking on a seven-nation Balkans tour Sunday to promote the EUs new eastward expansion strategy.
Russia mainly wants to discourage the Western Balkan countries Albania, Bosnia, Macedonia, Montenegro, Kosovo and Serbia from joining NATO. But Moscow also is trying to deter them from joining the EU.
The EU sees the prospect of membership as an incentive for reform in the volatile Balkans region, which was torn apart by war in the 1990s. Its expansion strategy puts Serbia and Montenegro in position to join should the bloc open its doors to more members, tentatively by 2025.
Serbia is a major target of Moscows anti-Western activities in Europe because the two Slavic and predominantly Eastern Orthodox Christian nations share deep cultural and historical ties. Their bonds also have experienced lows and highs, especially since the former Yugoslavia refused to join the Soviet bloc in 1948.
The Kremlin is so concerned about losing its ally that Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov repeatedly argued while in Serbia last week that EU membership isnt all its cut out to be.
Lavrov also gave a warning; the EUs repeated calls for Serbia to align its foreign policies with the bloc as a precursor to membership and to impose sanctions on Russia, he said, are the same mistake the West made by pressuring war-torn Ukraine to choose between it and Russia.
Lavrov told Russias Rossiya 1 TV on Saturday that both Serbia and Russia are the object of the Wests overt pressure to turn Serbia against Russia.
We love our countries, and the Serbs love Russia, and the Russians love Serbia, he said.
Serbian political analyst Bosko Jaksic thinks the Russians are getting increasingly nervous as they lose allies one by one in the Balkans.
Its not clear how far they are willing to go to preserve their interests here, but judging from what they did in Ukraine, they are willing to go far, Jaksic said, referring to Russias annexation of Crimea and support for pro-Russian rebels in eastern Ukraine.
Lavrov also said that Europe is facing an unhealthy situation because of NATOs eastward expansion. Montenegro joined the Western military organization last year despite Moscows strong opposition. He praised Belgrade for maintaining military neutrality and refusing to join NATO.
We are convinced that this status is one of the main factors ensuring stability in the Balkans and the European continent in general, Lavrov said.
There have been mounting fears in the West that Russia is using Serbia to foment tensions in the Balkans by arming its ally with warplanes and tanks while working to destabilize neighboring Bosnia, Montenegro and Macedonia.
The European Unions foreign and security policies grew out of Europes failure to respond to the wars in the Balkans that accompanied the breakup of Yugoslavia. The bloc remains wary that some of the ethnic cleavages that sparked the conflicts of the 1990s persist.
Three countries have become EU members: Bulgaria and Romania in 2007, and Croatia in 2013. The rest either are candidates for membership of potential candidates.
Although Serbia formally has declared its interest in joining the EU, the right-leaning leadership now running the country repeatedly has expressed anti-Western sentiments.
Investing in the stability and prosperity of the Western Balkans means investing in the security and future of our Union, Juncker said ahead of the trip.
Junckers tour of the Balkans, which starts in Macedonia on Sunday and ends with an EU summit in Bulgaria on March 1, is seen as the EUs belated attempt to counter Russias reach.
Paradoxically, the Russians and their policies in the Balkans have triggered alarm bells that woke up the European Union into action, Jaksic, the analyst, said. Dusan Stojanovic, Belgrade, AP
The Mozambican governments reluctance to ensure the transparency of public finances is expected to result in direct support for the State Budget remaining at pre-2016 levels in the medium term, the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) said in its latest report on Mozambique.
However, donors will continue to finance some development projects, provided that funding is able to bypass the Mozambican Treasury, said the report, which adds that the Mozambican government will continue to work towards strengthening its relationship with the countries of Asia, particularly China, its largest creditor, as well as the coal and natural gas importing countries.
The document said that the hidden debt crisis has no end in sight and that the most likely solution will be to merge the three commercial loans (a bond issue and two syndicated loans) into a single instrument, since the possible repudiation of the two loans in favor of bonds would result in the lifting of the State guarantee and direct exposure to legal proceedings of the individuals who approved the loans.
The EIU analysts also said that another possibility would be the Mozambican government preferring to pay bonds over loans, but given that they are not expected to be declared illegal, this scenario also seems unlikely.
However, ongoing investigations in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Switzerland into the commercial banks Credit Suisse and VTB of Russia could lead to a legal battle, regardless of the efforts of the Mozambican government to try to avoid it.
The state budget for 2018 includes expenditure of 300.7 billion meticals (USD4.4 billion, 10.5 percent more compared to 2017) and revenues of 223 billion meticais (20 percent more), with the government predicting that the resulting deficit will be covered by external ($620.3 million) and internal (277 million meticals or $4.5 million) debt.
We believe that this scenario is unrealistic, as tax revenue should disappoint in view of the economic downturn and that the government remains sidelined from international capital markets, the EIU said, adding that the most realistic solution is to cut in both current and investment spending.
Economic growth will continue at a slower pace than in the past, with the EIU forecasting GDP growth of 3.2 percent this year, followed by 3.6 percent growth in 2019 before jumping to values between 5.3 percent and 5.6 percent between 2020 and 2022. MDT/Macauhub
Historical details of the creation, development and decline of the Yat Yuen greyhound racetrack have been splashed across the pages of the New York Times (NYT).
The report concerns the rise and fall of interest in the dog races, as well as the efforts of local groups and international animal rights organizations to put an end to an activity that many consider to be cruel to the animals.
The NYT report highlights the lack of interest in the activity after the huge growth in the casino sector, following the gaming liberalization that left little room for small betting activities.
In the stands, about two dozen men watched as the greyhounds were led to their starting positions and then released to sprint after a rabbit-shaped lure around a ring. If any of the men had placed bets, none of them showed elation, the newspaper wrote.
In an otherwise empty betting hall, a security guard patrolled listlessly as staff members sat behind glassed-in counters, napping or tapping away on their smartphones, the report continues.
The report also delves into the fears of animal rights organizations such as Anima, which claims that after the track closes, its greyhounds will be sold to illegal racing tracks, auctioned off to breeders or even sold for their meat.
The same organizations have long called for the closure of the space, which they say makes no sense in this current age, claiming that it is informed by a decadence grounded in Macaus transformation [] from a colonial backwater into a popular tourist destination for Chinas fast-growing middle class, with gambling revenue once five times that of Las Vegas.
The Canidromes revenues have been stalling for several years, the paper added, referring to the racetrack operators annual reports.
The NYT goes into detail about the history of dog racing in Macau, which began in the 1930s but failed after a few years because it was not widely affordable, according to the papers source, a local veteran journalist.
When the track reopened in the mid-1960s, the same source said, all of Macau was crazy about it [] Every weekend, the ferries from Hong Kong to Macau were filled with dog racing fans eager to see the grand event.
The NYT, back in 1969, had suggested a visit to the dog races in a travel guide to the tranquil, low-priced Mediterranean-style enclave on the coast of turbulent China.
Half a century later, it changed tack, saying that the fascination has faded and even turned into disapproval.
The NYT also quotes Anima president Albano Martins, who noted that the Canidrome does not fit in with the current idea of a modern economy built on tourism that relies on a clean environment [] for families.
Also quoted in the report was Desmond Lam, a professor at the University of Macau who studies gambling and tourism, who said that a growing awareness of animal rights helped explain the decline in the tracks revenues.
With the closure announced, animal rights organizations are turning their efforts to the fate of the greyhounds.
We are concerned, because if they didnt care about animals beforehand, why would they care about them now? said Martins about the estimated 650 dogs about 45 of them puppies currently living in the Canidromes kennels.
Martins is asking the government for permission to take over the kennels for one year so he can find people to adopt the dogs.
The track is due to close this July. RM
Their houses are often made of plastic sheets. Much of their food comes from aid agencies. Jobs are few, and there is painfully little to do. The nightmares are relentless.
But six months after their horrors began, the Rohingya Muslims who fled army attacks in Myanmar for refuge in Bangladesh feel one immense consolation.
Nobody is coming to kill us, thats for sure, said Mohammed Amanullah, whose village was destroyed last year just before he left for Bangladesh with his wife and three children. They now live in the Kutupalong refugee camp outside the coastal city of Coxs Bazar. We have peace here.
On Aug. 25, Rohingya insurgents attacked several security posts in Myanmar, killing at least 14 people. Within hours, waves of revenge attacks broke out, with the military and Buddhist mobs marauding through Rohingya villages in bloody pogroms, killing thousands, raping women and girls, and burning houses and whole villages. The aid group Doctors Without Borders has estimated at least 6,700 Rohingya were killed in Myanmar in the first month of the violence, including at least 730 children younger than 5. The survivors flooded into Bangladesh.
Six months later, there are few signs Rohingya are going home anytime soon.
Myanmar and Bangladesh have signed an agreement to gradually repatriate Rohingya in safety, security and dignity, but the process has been opaque and the dangers remain. New satellite images have shown empty villages and hamlets leveled, erasing evidence of the Rohingyas former lives. And with 700,000 having fled Myanmar since August, more Rohingya continue to flee.
So for now, the refugees wait.
If they agree to send us back thats fine, but is it that easy? asked Amanullah. Myanmar must give us citizenship. That is our home. Without citizenship they will torture us again. They will kill us again.
He said he would only return under the protection of U.N. peacekeepers: They must take care of us there. Otherwise it will not work.
Buddhist-majority Myanmar doesnt recognize the Rohingya as an official ethnic group and they face intense discrimination and persecution.
The children in the camps face a particularly difficult time. The U.N. estimates children are the heads of 5,600 refugee families.
A survey of childrens lives inside the camps showed they faced an array of terrors, from girls reporting concerns of harassments near the camp toilets to fears that elephants and snakes could attack them as they collect firewood.
We cannot expect Rohingya children to overcome the traumatic experiences theyve suffered when exposed to further insecurity and fears of violence in the camps, Mark Pierce, country director for Save the Children in Bangladesh, said in a statement.
The study was prepared jointly by Save the Children, World Vision and Plan International.
The overwhelming message from these children is that they are afraid, Pierce said. This is no way for a child to live.
The situation will worsen soon. Seasonal monsoon rains will begin pounding the refugees plastic-and-bamboo city in April. Julhas Alam, Dhaka, AP
The Syrian capital and its embattled eastern suburbs were relatively calm yesterday, following the U.N. Security Councils unanimous approval of a resolution demanding a 30-day cease-fire across Syria, opposition activists and residents of Damascus said.
The activists reported few violations, including some clashes, on the southern edge of the rebel- held suburbs, known as eastern Ghouta, and two airstrikes late on Saturday night, shortly after the resolution was adopted.
The calm came after a week of intense airstrikes and shelling that killed more than 500 people in eastern Ghouta and left dozens dead or wounded in the government-held Damascus, which rebels pelted with mortar shells.
This has been the calmest night since last Sunday, said Rami Abdurrahman who heads the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, referring to the start of the bombing campaign on Feb. 19. He said there have been no deaths reported since the resolution passed.
Ghouta-based opposition activist Anas al-Dimashqi said the night was calm but warplanes and drones were flying over rebel-held areas. He said several explosions were heard yesterday in Ghouta.
Dr. Sakhr al-Dimashqi, a surgeon at a clinic in Ghouta, told The Associated Press that several shells hit some towns in the suburbs, adding that they received six wounded people at the clinic where he works.
The shelling today is not as intense as over the past week, he said.
The two largest and most powerful rebel factions in Ghouta, Failaq al-Rahman and Army of Islam issued statements saying they will abide by the cease-fire unless they are forced to fire in self-defense. Both called for the immediate delivery of emergency aid.
The resolution excludes members of the Islamic State group and al-Qaida-linked fighters. Ghouta is also home to a few hundred members of the al-Qaida-linked Levant Liberation Committee.
Damascus residents said theres more traffic in the streets, compared to previous days and most schools and universities were open yesterday. They said some private schools were still closed, especially those close to the front lines with Ghouta.
Saturdays vote at the United Nations came after the vote was delayed from Friday. Russias U.N. Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia had repeatedly called an immediate cease-fire unrealistic.
In a bid to get Russian support, sponsors Kuwait and Sweden amended the draft resolution late Friday to drop a demand that the cease-fire take effect 72 hours after the resolutions adoption.
After two hours of additional negotiations on Saturday, the Security Council unanimously approved the resolution demanding a 30-day cease-fire across Syria without delay to deliver humanitarian aid to millions and evacuate the critically ill and wounded.
After the vote, many council members urged stepped-up efforts to ensure a cease-fire and get assistance to millions in need.
Russia has been a main backer of Syrian President Bashar Assad since the countrys conflict began seven years ago. In 2015, Moscow joined the war on Assads side tipping the balance of power in his favor. AP
President Xi Jinpings top economic adviser Liu He will head to the U.S. this week in a sign of an expanded role managing the mounting trade tensions between the governments in Beijing and Washington, said a person familiar with the matter.
As President Donald Trump considers harsh tariffs on steel and aluminum imports from China, Lius visit could mean yet another mandate for the Harvard-educated adviser whose understanding of the U.S. and ties to local business leaders could help ease friction between the governments.
Expected to be appointed vice premier in charge of financial policy by the National Peoples Congress next month, Liu, 66, also has been named by analysts as a possible candidate to head Chinas central bank.
Liu is scheduled to arrive in Washington on Tuesday, said the person who asked not to be identified because the trip hasnt been announced. He will be the second member of the powerful 25-member Politburo to travel to the U.S. this month.
Chinas top diplomat Yang Jiechi visited earlier in February, an indication of how much attention China is giving to ties with the U.S. as the rhetoric out of Washington becomes more pointed.
Earlier this month, Chinas ambassador to Washington warned the Trump administration against adopting a confrontational approach toward China. In December, Trump called Russia and China rival powers when he unveiled his first national security strategy.
Lius U.S. visit, which was reported earlier by Axios, will come a day after a planned meeting of the Communist Partys Central Committee starts in Beijing, and before legislators gather early next month to approve new government leaders. Bloomberg
Chinese police have ordered two men detained for 15 days after they posted pictures on the internet of themselves wearing Japanese World War II army uniforms at the site of one of the wars worst atrocities.
Nanjing police said the sentences were imposed following widespread outrage online, underscoring the enduring sensitivity among Chinese over Japans invasion and occupation of much of the country in the 1930s and 1940s.
The men, aged 22 and 25, were ruled guilty on the broadly defined charge of picking quarrels and provoking trouble and sentenced to administrative detention, a punishment short of jailing for which no trial is required.
Individual actions of citizens should not challenge the dignity of the nation and its people, police said in a statement. No behavior in public settings or in cyberspace can cross the bottom line of the law.
One of the two had been tracked to the southwestern province of Sichuan. The statement, dated Tuesday, didnt say how they were identified, although social media and government databases may have offered clues.
The police statement said the two traveled to Nanjing over the Lunar New Year holiday and the pictures were taken in front of a bunker used by Chinese defenders during the 1937 Japanese assault that ended in the notorious Rape of Nanking.
It said they distributed the photos on the popular QQ messaging service, from where they were reposted around the internet, stirring extreme rage and severe condemnation.
Pictures of the two with faces obscured were posted on websites. One wore an officers uniform and carried a samurai sword, while the other wore puttees and carried what appeared to be a replica rifle.
More than 70 years after the war ended, Japans relations with China remain fraught.
Chinas ruling Communist Party derives much of its legitimacy to rule from its much-mythologized role fighting the Japanese, who were opposed mainly by Chiang Kai-
sheks Nationalists. Many Chinese also believe Japan has never showed sincere contrition for the conflict, in which an estimated 15 million to 20 million Chinese were killed.
A memorial hall and museum now stand at the site of a mass grave in the Yangtze River city and annual commemorations in December have been attended by President Xi Jinping and other high-ranking leaders.
In 1937, Nanjing was Chiangs capital, to which he and his army had retreated following the Japanese occupation of Shanghai to the east after dogged fighting by the Chinese defenders.
After entering the city on Dec. 13, Japanese imperial troops went on a six- week-long rampage, raping and murdering civilians and disarming soldiers, looting and setting much of the city aflame. China puts the number of dead at 300,000, although other estimates place the number considerably lower. AP
The National Rifle Association, and now the State of Florida, faced a growing backlash Saturday as companies cut ties to the gun industry following the latest school massacre, and student survivors called for tourism boycotts of their home state until gun control measures are enacted.
The latest companies to end their ties with the NRA were Delta and United Airlines, two of the three largest U.S.-based airlines.
Corporate ties to the NRA arent the only elements undergoing scrutiny after a shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, that left 17 dead on Valentines Day. Broward County Sheriff Scott Israel said hes investigating claims that some Coral Springs police officers saw several of his deputies outside the building after the shooting began.
On Thursday, Scot Peterson, the schools resource officer, resigned under fire from the sheriffs office for failing to enter the building where police say former 19-year-old student Nikolas Cruz was gunning down students with an AR-15 assault-style rifle.
On Saturday, both Delta and United said Saturday they will no longer offer discounted fares to NRA members to attend their annual meetings, and both have asked the gun rights group to remove any references to their companies from the NRA website.
A growing number of large companies have announced they are cutting or reducing ties with the association. Rental car company Hertz will no longer offer a discount program to NRA members and First National Bank of Omaha, one of the nations largest privately held banks, said it will not renew a co-branded Visa credit card it has with the NRA. Most of these companies do promotional tie-ins with groups to spur customer loyalty to NRA members, and do not receive money directly from the NRA.
The moves have come as petitions circulated online targeting companies offering discounts to NRA members on its website. #BoycottNRA was trending on Twitter.
In an email Saturday, the NRA called the companies actions a shameful display of political and civic cowardice and said the loss of corporate discounts and other perks will neither scare nor distract NRA members.
In time, these brands will be replaced by others who recognize that patriotism and determined commitment to Constitutional freedoms are characteristics of a marketplace they very much want to serve, the NRA statement said.
The State of Florida also was facing some backlash. One of the survivors of the Florida school shooting suggested Saturday on Twitter that tourists stay away from the state. He got an immediate response.
Lets make a deal, tweeted David Hogg, a Stoneman Douglas student who has been a major player in the #neveragain movement. DO NOT come to Florida for spring break unless gun legislation is passed.
Wendy Glaab, 60, of Fonthill, Ontario, Canada, was among the first to respond. I like many Canadians travel to Florida from time to time to escape our winter. I cant speak for others but I will not be returning until meaningful gun control legislation is in place.
Glaab told The Associated Press on Saturday that her sister owns property in Fort Lauderdale and she is able to visit any time she chooses.
Members of the NRA have access to special offers from partner companies on its website, ranging from life insurance to wine clubs. But the insurance company MetLife Inc. discontinued its discount program with the NRA on Friday. Symantec Corp., the software company that makes Norton Antivirus technology, did the same. Insurer Chubb Ltd. said it is ending participation in the NRAs gun- owner insurance program, but it provided notice three months ago. The program that provided coverage for people involved in gun-related incidents or accidents had been under scrutiny by regulators over marketing issues.
Car rental company Enterprise Holdings, which also owns Alamo and National, said it was cutting off discounts for NRA member, as did Hertz.
Other companies, including Wyndham Hotels and Best Western hotels, have let social media users know they are no longer affiliated with the NRA, though they did not make clear when the partnerships ended.
The swiftness of the corporate reaction against the NRA has differed from that of past shootings, including the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre that claimed 26 lives, and the killing of 58 people in Las Vegas last fall, said Bob Spitzer, a political scientist at SUNY Cortland and a scholar on gun politics. Spitzer said the reaction was likely a reaction to the student mobilization that followed the Florida shooting, but he said it was too soon tell how significantly it will sway the countrys wider gun debate.
NRA Executive Vice President Wayne LaPierre said this week at the Conservative Political Action Conference that those advocating for stricter gun control are exploiting the Florida shooting.
President Donald Trump has aligned himself with the NRA, suggesting some teachers could be armed so that they could fire on any attacker. However, Trump has also called for raising the minimum age for purchasing semi-automatic rifles, a move the NRA opposes. AP
The Trump administration is considering an offer from Republican mega-donor and Sands China chairman Sheldon Adelson to pay for at least part of a new U.S. embassy in Jerusalem, four U.S. officials told The Associated Press.
Lawyers at the State Department are looking into the legality of accepting private donations to cover some or all of the embassy costs, the officials said. The discussions are occurring as the administration plans a ribbon-cutting for a scaled-down, temporary embassy that will open in May more than a year ahead of schedule.
In one possible scenario, the administration would solicit contributions not only from Adelson but potentially from other donors in the evangelical Christian and American Jewish communities, too. One official said Adelson, a casino magnate and staunch Israel supporter, had offered to pay the difference between the total cost expected to run into the hundreds of millions of dollars and what the administration is able to raise.
Under any circumstance, letting private citizens cover the costs of an official government building would mark a significant departure from historical practice. In the Jerusalem case, it would add yet another layer of controversy to Trumps politically charged decision to move the embassy, given Adelsons longstanding affiliation with right-wing Israeli politics.
The move of the embassy from Tel Aviv to the disputed holy city cleared a final bureaucratic hurdle this week when Secretary of State Rex Tillerson signed off on the security plan. In a letter sent to Congress, the State Department said the interim facilitys inauguration will coincide with the 70th anniversary of Israels independence on May 14.
Its the right thing to do, Trump said Friday of the embassy relocation.
Adelsons unconventional offer, made around the time Trump announced in December that the embassy would move, would address the presidents stated distaste for shelling out eye-popping sums for overseas diplomatic facilities. Although Trump has promoted the Jerusalem move as fulfilling a key campaign promise, he also was outspoken last month in blasting the $1 billion price tag for a new embassy in London.
How quickly to move the embassy has been a source of intense debate within Trumps administration, said the officials, who werent authorized to discuss the issue publicly and demanded anonymity.
Tillerson, who opposed moving the embassy in the first place, advocated a go-slow approach and said it could take years. But Ambassador David Friedman, who lobbied Trump to recognize Jerusalem as Israels capital, has pushed to move it sooner.
To enable a May opening, the administration settled on a phased approach to building out the embassy at an existing U.S. facility in Jerusalems Arnona neighborhood that currently handles consular affairs like passports and visas.
Initially, the U.S. will merely retrofit a small suite of offices there to accommodate Friedman and one or two top aides. The rest of the staff will remain at first in Americas current facility in Tel Aviv.
The Arnona facility will be expanded accommodate a regular contingent of embassy personnel by the end of 2019, and ultimately is likely to spill into an adjacent U.S.-controlled property that currently houses a home for senior citizens, officials said. The State Department said a separate search was starting in parallel to eventually plan and build a permanent embassy.
Israels government hailed the impending move, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu saying on Twitter that it would turn Israels anniversary into an even greater national celebration. But Palestinian chief negotiator Saeb Erekat said the move showed Trump was determined to destroy prospects for a two-state solution and provoke the feelings of the Palestinian people.
Retrofitting just a few offices can be accomplished at minimal cost. But expanding to allow the bulk of Americas diplomatic staff in Israel to work out of Jerusalem would easily cost more than USD500 million dollars, officials familiar with the process said. Particularly pricey are the strict security requirements for embassies that are written into U.S. law.
Its unclear how much of the cost Adelson might be willing to cover. The White House declined to comment. An Adelson spokesman didnt respond to multiple requests for comment.
The State Department said it had nothing to announce and no confirmation or details about this hypothetical proposal. Undersecretary of State Steve Goldstein added that there had been no formal talks with private citizens about funding.
Its not clear if there is any precedent, nor whether government lawyers would give the green light to accept Adelsons or anyone elses donations.
Kathy Bethany, the former cost management director for the State Departments Bureau of Overseas Building Operations, said she couldnt recall the U.S. government ever accepting donations to build embassies during her tenure, which ended in 2014.
I dont know how well that would work, Bethany said. Would we be beholden to putting their name on the building? Ive never heard of that.
There are several ways, in theory, that it could work. Citizens could cut a general check to the U.S. Treasury and unofficially earmark their dollars as being intended to offset the embassys cost. The State Departments Foreign Affairs Manual also lays out a formal process for accepting gifts, including real estate, requiring a rigorous review to ensure the gift would not give the appearance of a conflict of interest.
Adelson, who donated $5 million to Trumps inaugural committee, is one of the Republican Partys biggest donors and a major Netanyahu supporter. Adelson also finances Israel Hayom, a pro-Netanyahu newspaper that is distributed free throughout Israel.
Allowing donations from Adelson or others would come with significant political risk for Trump. The president already faces major criticism from Palestinians and others who say his decision to move the embassy to Jerusalem also claimed by the Palestinians for the capital of their future state tipped the scales unfairly in Israels favor.
Mort Klein, president of the pro-Israel group Zionist Organization of America and a close associate of Adelson, said accepting donations would be ill-advised. Klein said he knew Adelson was deeply interested in seeing the embassy relocate to Jerusalem but didnt know whether the casino mogul had offered to help pay for it himself.
This is a government project. Its a government-run embassy, Klein said. I dont want people to be able to say it was Jewish money. MDT/AP
KOREA A North Korean envoy making a rare visit to South Korea said yesterday that his country was willing to open talks with the United States, a rare step toward diplomacy between enemies after a year of North Korean missile and nuclear tests and direct threats of war from both Pyongyang and Washington.
MYANMAR One of several bombs targeting government offices and other places in Myanmars troubled Rakhine state exploded on the weekend, injuring a police officer.
INDONESIA Heavy rains hampered the weekend search for victims of a landslide on the Indonesian island of Java as authorities raised the death toll to seven.
AUSTRALIA-US Australias prime minister has urged the United States to maintain its global leadership role and spoke out against a growing sentiment of isolation in America and elsewhere.
ISRAEL The leaders of the major Christian sects in Jerusalem closed the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, built on the traditional site of Jesus crucifixion and resurrection, for several hours yesterday to protest an Israeli plan to tax their properties.
LEBANON Authorities in Beirut are interrogating a man suspected in the death of a Filipina maid whose body was found stuffed in a freezer in Kuwait, security and judicial officials said Saturday.
NIGERIA Parents in Nigeria have released a list of the 105 young women they say are still missing nearly a week after Boko Haram militants attacked a northern town, demanding that residents direct them toward the school for girls.
RUSSIA has worked to gain influence in Southeast Europe for years, using Serbia as a foothold, to discourage Western Balkan countries from joining NATO and the EU. The European Union finally is pushing back.
CZECH REPUBLIC Authorities detained a former leader of a Syrian Kurdish political party under an Interpol red notice that was based on Turkeys request for his arrest, Turkish and Syrian Kurdish officials said yesterday.
BRAZIL The public defenders office for Brazils Rio de Janeiro state is complaining that a military-led crackdown on crime there is violating constitutional rights.
COLOMBIA A suspected drug chief known as the Pablo Escobar of Ecuador was extradited to the United States on Saturday, Colombias chief prosecutors office announced. U.S. officials accuse Prado, also known by the alias Gerald, of shipping more than 250 tons of cocaine to the United States.
Tim Schack (on the left) and Michael Muma. Credit: Claus Volker
There are currently an estimated 1.8 million people in Germany who have atrial fibrillation but do not know it. Now a Dutch company has developed an app with which a smartphone can be used to detect this dangerous cardiac arrhythmia. Scientists at the TU Darmstadt are helping to ensure the recorded data is interpreted correctly and efficiently.
Atrial fibrillation means that the heart loses its rhythm and is unable to perform its essential pumping function as it should. Some patients realise this is happening if their heart starts to beat very fast (palpitations), their pulse starts to race and becomes irregular, or if they feel exhausted after exertion. However, the pernicious thing about it is that lots of people are not aware that they have a problem with their heart. Atrial fibrillation causes the blood to flow irregularly. It pools in the atria, may clump and form clots. If the clots then travel into the brain in the bloodstream, there is a very real risk of blockages and stroke.
Atrial fibrillation must be diagnosed by a doctor. The Dutch company Happitech is now working on an app that can be used on a normal smartphone to identify arrhythmia and provide apparently healthy people with unmistakable advice: Go and see a doctor without further delay.
The technology used is photoplethysmography (PPG). The user places a finger on the phone's camera. The smartphone light illuminates the blood vessels, and the camera takes a diffuse reddish picture. As the blood flow pulsates, the red colour changes slightly. Specific irregularities that would indicate atrial fibrillation also leave their traces. This is where the co-operation between the scientists in the Signal Processing Group of the Department of Electrical Engineering and Information Technology at the TU Darmstadt and the experts at Happitech starts.
Together, they first of all optimised a method which uses the pictures taken with the camera of the mobile phone to produce a one-dimensional signal. This is then processed and classified by algorithms, which were also jointly developed by the TU and Happitech: the technology can distinguish between atrial fibrillation, a normal sinus rhythm and artefacts caused, for instance, by moving the finger around too much on the camera. "How can we extract the cleanest possible, conclusive signal, and with what means can we then classify these signals?" sums up Dipl.-Ing. Tim Schack, who conducted the research and development at the TU together with his colleague, Dr.-Ing. Michael Muma.
The algorithms are subject to a test and development process. They have already examined and classified many thousands of heart signals, parallel to the evaluation, undertaken by cardiologists. Using a data set recorded under optimum conditions in hospitals, they have already achieved a success rate of almost 100 percent. "However, the algorithms have to be trained and tested on as large an amount of data as possible in order to then be able to work on a medically accurate app that is suitable for large-scale use," says Tim Schack.
This contribution towards the detection of atrial fibrillation is a step forward in the field of biomedical engineering that is one of the areas to which the Signal Processing Group is committed: the processing of photoplethysmographic signals. They are obtained by screening perfused tissue and the photoelectric registration of blood flows.
In the past, the scientists at Darmstadt have worked on estimating the heart rate at the wrist during physical exercise, and they are currently working on methods to determine the blood pressure and to diagnose arterial stiffness. "We are well-positioned in PPG processing," says Michael Muma.
Explore further Public awareness of atrial fibrillation is low
Scientists at Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health developed a system to accurately predict the geographic spread of seasonal influenza in the United States, as reported in a paper published in the journal PNAS.
For the public, the flu forecast may promote greater vaccination, the exercise of care around people sneezing and coughing, and a better awareness of personal health. For health officials, it could inform decisions on how to stockpile and distribute vaccines and antiviral drugs, and in the case of a virulent outbreak, whether other measures, like closing schools, are necessary.
In a retrospective test for the 2008-2009 through 2012-2013 influenza seasons in 35 states, the Mailman School researchers found their forecasting system accurately predicted local onset of flu six weeks ahead of time. Compared to the previous version of the system, the new version improved forecasting accuracy with regard to onset, by 35 percent; peak timing, by 31 percent; and intensity, by 13 percent. Similar improvements were seen at the county level in a test using data from Virginia.
The researchers expect to use the system in their online forecasts for the 2018-19 flu season. Currently, it is being employed as one of the Mailman School entries in the 2017-18 Center for Disease Control and Prevention flu forecast challenge, which the research team previously won outright in 2014 and tied for first in 2015 and 2017.
"The system could also be adapted for use with other respiratory viruses, and with some modification, for infectious diseases more broadly," says lead author Sen Pei, a postdoctoral scientist in Environmental Health Sciences at Columbia's Mailman School of Public Health.
The forecasting system employs techniques used in modern weather prediction to generate local forecasts. It starts with data from the Department of Defense on local incidence of influenza-like illness combined with laboratory-verified cases of influenza and adds a spatial element by incorporating information from Census data on commuting patterns. The system accounts for differences in population location between day and night and irregular travel such as for business trips and vacations.
"Influenza, like many infectious diseases, is spread from person-to-person and as people move from place to place," says Jeffrey Shaman, the study's senior author and associate professor of Environmental Health Sciences at the Mailman School. "By assimilating information on commuting patterns, we've taken a big step forward and improved our ability to accurately forecast where the flu might crop up next."
Explore further Flu forecasting website posts first predictions
More information: Sen Pei el al., "Forecasting the spatial transmission of influenza in the United States," PNAS (2018). Journal information: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences Sen Pei el al., "Forecasting the spatial transmission of influenza in the United States,"(2018). www.pnas.org/cgi/doi/10.1073/pnas.1708856115
"Is there a doctor on board?" Hearing this call go out at 36,000 feet can be anxiety-provoking for any physician and may trigger a dilemma of whether to respond, or wait to see if anyone else will offer their expertise.
That's why physicians at St. Michael's Hospital have developed practical recommendations for in-flight medical emergencies for healthcare professionals, published online today in the journal CMAJ.
More and more people are travelling by plane each year, with approximately 2.75 billion passengers flying on commercial airlines annually, according to the authors. In Canada, there were 133.4 million airline passengers in 2015, a 27 per cent increase from 2009, they said.
This increase in patient traffic, along with longer flights that increase the stress of flying on the body and a greater proportion of older passengers and those with pre-existing medical conditions, have led to an increase in in-flight medical emergencies in recent years, according to the authors.
"Every health-care professional is likely to hear this call at some point while flying, but for most of us, treating patients on a plane is a completely unfamiliar scenario," said Dr. Alun Ackery, an emergency physician at St. Michael's Hospital and senior author of the recommendations. "We wanted to provide a better understanding of what to expect and how to respond if you're called to assist in one of these emergencies."
The recommendations, developed in collaboration with Air Canada and WestJet, provide an overview of the available medical equipment, the environmental challenges of treating patients on a plane, the airlines' policies and procedures as well as the legal and ethical duties of physicians to respond to a call for assistance.
Every plane with at least 100 passenger seats is legally required to carry a medical kit, according to Transport Canada. Although Transport Canada also outlines the minimal requirements the medical kit must contain, individual airlines have the flexibility to enhance the contents as they see fit, the authors said.
In a video accompanying the recommendations, the authors unpacked Air Canada's medical kit to help health-care professionals further understand what resources will be available during an in-flight emergency.
"Each airline's kit is going to look different, and the contents aren't always going to be familiar, which adds another layer of complexity to an already stressful situation," said Dr. David Kodama, an emergency resident at the University of Toronto and lead author of the recommendations.
In Canada, Quebec is the only province that imposes a legal duty on physicians to come to the assistance of a person in a life-threatening emergency, the authors said. All jurisdictions, however, have legislation that protects physicians who voluntarily provide emergency medical assistance at the scene of an accident or in an emergency, they said.
The Canadian Medical Association and the Canadian Medical Protective Association both suggest physicians have an ethical obligation to provide their best assistance during an emergency, according to the authors.
"We recognize that hearing the call go out for a physician on board a flight can be unexpected, but we do have an obligation to respond," said Dr. Ackery. "We hope these recommendations will provide healthcare professionals with enough knowledge to make that call a little bit less anxiety-provoking in the future."
Explore further Are physicians obligated to help on planes?
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Daycares and early childhood education programs frequently apply sunscreen to children, but still have room for improvement in sun safety, according to a new Northwestern Medicine study published in JAMA Dermatology.
First-year medical student Megan Perez was the first author of the study, which was led by principal investigator June Robinson, MD, research professor of Dermatology and a member of the Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center of Northwestern University.
In the study, the investigators assessed sun protection behaviors and attitudes in programs for children aged two to six, as sun safety practices in childhood can reduce lifetime UV radiation exposure and risk of skin cancer.
"From a dermatological perspective, we need to continue to raise awareness that sun protection is very important, and starting those behaviors as a child is really going to carry throughout your lifetime," Perez said.
Currently, because sunscreen is considered an over-the-counter medication regulated by the FDA, the Illinois State Board of Educationsimilar to many other statesrequires a physician's prescription and application by a nurse in schools. Although these regulations do not apply to daycares, there are still concerns that sun safety is not adequately practiced.
In the study, Perez surveyed more than 200 administrators and teachers at Illinois Head Start/Early Head Start and daycare centers throughout the state about a variety of sun safety attitudes and practices.
The survey results demonstrated that few respondents considered sun protection to be a top health habit for children, unlike brushing teeth or exercise, indicating the need to improve attitudes about sun protection.
However, program staff did frequently provide sunscreen for children, especially in the form of spray sunscreen.
"It's wonderful that so many Head Start and Early Head Start programs are taking care of children by applying sunscreen," Robinson said. "I am especially encouraged by the programs' innovative use of spray sunscreen to avoid touching the children. In the past, touching children, which is prohibited out of concerns about child abuse, prevented the application of lotion sunscreen."
The study also noted that although early childhood education programs frequently followed heat index guidelines to determine scheduling outdoor activities, the UV index was rarely taken into account.
"Daycares and Head Start programs were great about following the heat index; if it was too high, they weren't going outside. So if we could promote the UV index as well, that could be a great way to regulate when kids are exposed to potential damage from the sun," Perez said.
Perez conducted the research the summer before her first year of medical school, after contacting Robinson about her interest in dermatology research.
"Simply stated, this work could not have been done without Megan," Robinson said. "It takes a special kind of person to make hundreds of telephone calls, engage people to have meaningful conversations, and extract new findings from all those conversations. Megan has those special qualities."
This summer, Perez will begin a second study with Robinson, as part of her Area of Scholarly Concentration (AOSC) project. The team will assess whether health education about melanoma and skin cancer screening incorporated into the mammogram experience increases awareness and action among women.
"I owe a lot to my mentor," Perez said. "Dr. Robinson is a great teacher and was essential in mentoring me in how to write a research paper. She was always there to support me, and her passion for this topic is inspiring. I feel very grateful."
More information: Megan Perez et al. Sun Protection Behaviors in Head Start and Other Early Childhood Education Programs in Illinois, JAMA Dermatology (2018). Journal information: JAMA Dermatology Megan Perez et al. Sun Protection Behaviors in Head Start and Other Early Childhood Education Programs in Illinois,(2018). DOI: 10.1001/jamadermatol.2017.5257
...if not Calabria...
On Sunday, a 27-years-old Slovak investigative journalist Mr Jan Kuciak and his roughly 23-year-old girlfriend Martina Kusnirova (who planned a wedding) were found dead in his home in Velka Maca, a village in the center of Western Slovakia.
The journalist employed by the web Aktuality.sk (owned by Ringier Axel Springer) was shot into his chest, she was shot into her head (after she tried to run away and hide). Cartridges were arranged around the dead woman to suggest a Mafia-style assassination it's a message to others, "don't look into it again". The bodies were found last night after the dead woman's mother complained to the police that she hadn't come home and she's probably in her BF's home. But the murders took place on Thursday night or so.
A police boss has already confirmed that the double murder was related to Kuciak's work although I am not 100% sure what kind of evidence they may have to be sufficiently certain about this (likely to be true) statement.
In recent two years, Kuciak was writing about apparent frauds involving real estate by Mr Ladislav Basternak, a rich entrepreneur, and about tax evasion and similar acts by Marian Kocner, a very influential oligarch. I am sure that most people who have thought about the possible culprits have thought about these names.
Aside from various asset transfers linked to Mr Kocner etc., the journalist has also written about strawpersons ("white horses" in Czech and Slovak), Panama Papers, and various suspicious tenders (ultrasound for the Kosice hospital). His first article was about the role of a Slovak company in some Ukrainian military funding scandal. But don't focus excessively: he has written about 150 articles in a few years.
The Slovak prime minister Robert Fico has promised 1 million for the information that will lead to the capture of the killer and his puppet master. I am not sure whether the previous paragraph is enough for that but if no one else wants the reward, I do volunteer.
In the past, Kocner has explicitly threatened Kuciak but they weren't death threats, they were threats that Kocner would find some dirty materials about Kuciak's relatives somewhere.
What's unpleasant and subtle is that while Basternak, the guy whose suspicious real estate operations were also covered by the dead journalist, owns a building where the current Slovak prime minister Robert Fico lives right now. Obviously, we may have some worries whether justice will have enough freedom to find itself.
The general prosecutor has promised to launch "the hell" in Slovakia if it's confirmed that the murder is related to the journalist's work. And because the police boss has apparently confirmed it, Slovakia should become "the hell".
Are the obvious suspects investigated and is their availability secured? Won't Slovakia allow them to escape?
There are lots of statements that are almost certainly unrelated to the double assassination that are being talked about and abused in various ways. Slovak prime minister Fico has criticized many Slovak journalists as "anti-Slovak prostitutes". That's similar to the Czech president Zeman who has joked, in front of Putin, that some journalistic hyenas should be shot dead. Calm Putin corrected him by saying that they should only be regulated in some peaceful way. ;-)
Needless to say, Zeman's critics immediately try to link him to the murder by vague comments. That's sort of understandable but I still think it's vastly more important to find and punish the actual killer and the person who hired him if this is what has happened.
Kocner is using two addresses in the same street of Bratislava in the business database a fact that has been criticized by the dead journalist, too. On top of that, Kocner has gone through a huge number of scandals. His name is one of the 321 names on the list of "Mafia members" in Slovakia.
Some clues seem to suggest a totally obvious theory. Investigators should be vigorous and fast, I think, but they need to be careful as well. Some additional suspects and suspicious relationships between people have been mentioned by other journalists.
The actual explanations could be very different in details than what we think. For example, Canadian journalist Tom Nicholson who has been in touch with Kuciak argues that the Italian mafia with links to Slovak politicians may be behind the murder because the EU funds are being stolen in some way through Slovakia and sent backwards to Italy. Yes, Kuciak has written about the Italian organized crime, too (Ndrangheta from Calabria in particular it's claimed that its revenue is 3.5% of Italy's GDP! Calabria are the tip/toes of the Italian shoe on the map, a triangle symmetrically located across and next to Sicily).
The Calabrian Mafia has had contacts with politicians of many flavors and assets especially in Eastern Slovakia. You can recognize a Slovak person connected to the Italian mafia because he either grows organic food or fights global warming. The first step in "the hell" should involve the preemptive arrest for all organic food growers and climate alarmists in Slovakia, along with the cancellation of free motion for Italian citizens.
Another journalist was recently murdered in Malta. I don't follow whether it's been explained and whether the culprits might be the same.
My condolences to the relatives and friends of the two victims.
Gauteng Premier David Makhura has asked South African-born Elon Musk to extend a helping hand to South Africa.
Makhura was honouring local technology entrepreneurs during his State of the Province address when he made the remark.
After mentioning the entrepreneurs and their companies, Makhura congratulated Elon Musk on the launch of the first of nearly 12,000 Starlink satellites which will offer Internet access around the world.
Musk has stated that the satellite networks name was inspired by The Fault In Our Stars, a book by John Green.
Elon is very proud of his link with our country, our province, and our capital city, Tshwane, said Makhura.
Elon, please lend a hand in linking our economy to some of the worlds best innovation ecosystems so that we are not left behind.
Now read: SpaceX almost pulled off its ambitious fairing recovery
For over 45 years, costume- and doll-maker Martuhi Sargsyan presents Armenian national costumes of different regions and times through doll-making.
Sargsyan, who has been honored with the title of National Master, noted that when creating these costumes she studied the works of ethnographers and specialists.
Also, the master depicts Armenian peoples occupations through these dolls.
Sargsyan has created over 100 such dolls, and they have occupied all the possible places in the small apartment of this doll-maker from Vanadzor.
Now, the distinguished doll-maker dreams about having her own studio and make her artwork accessible to everyone.
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Home | News | General | Ugbor Gas explosion: Panel visits scene of incident, hospitalised victim
The Justice Peter Isibor-led Administrative Panel of Inquiry on the February 4 Gas Explosion in Ugbor area, in Benin city, has visited the scene of the explosion, a gas station, on a fact-finding mission to unravel the cause of the fatal incident.
Hon. Justice Peter Isibor (left, standing) and other members of the Administrative Panel of Inquiry on the February 4 Gas Explosion in Ugbor during the visit of the Panel to Michael Adeleye, a victim of the gas explosion, at the University of Benin Hospital (UBTH), in Benin City, Edo State
The Panel was set up by Governor Godwin Obaseki to investigate the immediate and remote causes of the fire incident and prevent a reoccurrence of the incident in future.
During the Panels visit to the gas station at Ugbor in Benin City, Managing Director of the Gas Plant, Idemudia Osagie, told members of the Panel that the management of the gas plant suspected that the fire started at the generator house and spread to other facilities within the premises.
Osagie said, The gas station received supply of gas on Saturday, a day before the incident. The truck, which delivered the product could not leave the plant until Sunday, which is a non-working day at the plant. It was on that fateful day that the explosion occurred.
He admitted that there was no fire hydrant at the plant when the explosion occurred.
Recall that the gas explosion led to the death of three persons, while one person who suffered burn injuries was hospitalised.
Members of the Panel also examined relics from the explosion, which littered the premises of the gas station.
Chairman of the Panel, Hon. Justice Peter Isibor said, The visit to the scene of the explosion is to enable the Panel collect first-hand information relating to the incident and ascertain the extent of damage.
Members of the Panel also visited a victim of the explosion, Michael Adeleye at the University of Benin Teaching Hospital (UBTH).
Adeleye, a staff at the gas station, told members of the Panel that the explosion killed the manager of the gas station and two other staff.
Hon. Isibor said Adeleyes testimony was expedient considering that he was an eyewitness to the explosion, noting that it will assist the Panel in its investigations.
Members of the Administrative Panel also visited gas stations in Benin City to monitor compliance with safety measures guiding sales of gas in the state.
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Home | News | General | I killed my wife because she was sleeping around
By Evelyn Usman
A bricklayer, Akinyemi Edgar Koja , who had been on the run after allegedly strangling his wife , Ajoke, to death in their apartment in Agemowo area of Badagry, last December, has been arrested by the Police in Lagos.
Akinyemi Koja
Vanguard learned that he was picked in an undisclosed area around Lagos Island , where he took refuge since the incident occurred.
However, during interrogation, the suspect stated that he carried out the act out of jealously , following what he described as his late wifes adulterous acts.
Recall that after allegedly killing his 28-year-old wife who was a graduate, he dumped her corpse inside a well within his area , before taking to his heels. It was gathered that there had been a lingering quarrel between the couple until the unexpected occurred.
In a move to arrest the fleeing husband, the Lagos State Police Command declared him wanted . Police sources hinted that he was traced to his hideout through his telephone calls .
Sources further hinted that the suspect contacted some of his relatives to plead with his in-laws on his behalf, so that the matter could be settled amicably.
Report had it that Ajokes murder could not have been unconnected with her intention to travel out of the country.
But the suspect alleged during interrogation at the State Criminal Intelligence and Investigations Department , SCIID that his late wife was having an extra marital affair.
How she was killed
Explaining how she was killed , the suspect said: I strangled her at night while she was sleeping. She was sleeping around with other men because she felt I am a poor man and she did not hide it. That fateful night, I suffocated her with pillows . When I discovered she was dead, I dumped the body inside a well close to our apartment . I ran away to make it look like I was not around when the incident happened.
The suspect was Tuesday charged before Magistrates Court 12, Ebute Meta, for murder, from where he was remanded in prison custody by the Magistrate, Mrs Bola Folarin Williams, with the case adjourned to March 28 for hearing.
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Home | News | General | Dapchi attack evokes memories of conspiracy theories over Chibok Gov Shettima
110 Yobe girls confirmed missing LAI MOHAMMED
By Bala Ajiya, Joseph Erunke, Ndahi Marama & Dirisu Yakubu
DAMATURUThe Federal Government yesterday finally confirmed that 110 students of Government Girls Technical School, Dapchi, Yobe State, were missing.
The Chairman of the Northern Governors Forum, and Borno State Governor, Kashim Shettima paid a sympathy visit to the Yobe State Governor, Ibrahim Gaidam over thekidnap of Government Girls Science Technical College (GGSTC), Dapchi
Governments confirmation came barely 24 hours after parents of the missing students gave a figure of 105.
Boko Haram insurgents had attacked the school last Monday night, taking away some of the students, whose number had now been confirmed to be 110.
Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed gave the confirmation after meeting with Governor Ibrahim Geidam, parents of the students, security agents, officials of Bursari Local Government and authorities of the school at Government House in Damaturu.
Alhaji Mohammed and Minister of Interior, Lt. General Abdulrahman Dambazau, had arrived Damaturu as members of the second Federal Government delegation to the state, with the Information Minister earlier on Thursday on the first delegation to the location of the school at Dapchi.
110 girls unaccounted for
After the meeting with the stakeholders, Alhaji Lai Mohammed in a statement issued by his media aide, said:
The Federal Government has confirmed that 110 students of the Government Science and Technical College in Dapchi, Yobe State, are so far unaccounted for, after insurgents believed to be from a faction of Boko Haram invaded their school on Monday (19 February, 2018).
The Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, announced the figure after a meeting between a Federal Government delegation and representatives of key stakeholders, including the state government, the college, the parents, security agencies and Bursari Local Government, where Dapchi is situated, in Damaturu on Sunday (yesterday).
He said, based on the briefings from the principal of the college, Adama Abdulkarim, and the state Commissioner for Education, Mohammed Lamin, 906 students, out of whom 110 have not been accounted for, were in the school on the day of the attack.
Mr. Mohammed also announced that the Federal Government has directed the police and civil defence authorities in Yobe State to immediately deploy their personnel to all schools in the state in order to ensure security and safety of students and their staff.
The minister disclosed that the Federal Government has stepped up efforts to rescue the girls and return them safely to their parents, and that security agencies are working on many leads regarding the whereabouts of the girls.
This is the second time in four days that a Federal Government delegation would visit Yobe State since the unfortunate incident. This is a measure of the seriousness with which we are addressing the issue. The security forces are leaving no stone unturned in their search for the girls.
We are back here in Yobe as part of efforts to provide some succour to the parents of the girls, to let them know that they are not alone and also to reassure them that we will not rest until we have found the girls. We will carry the parents along on the efforts we are making.
Speaking after the meeting, Minister of Interior, Lt. General Abdulrahman Dambazau, retd, said the delegation embarked on the trip in order to get the facts right, so the approach to the solution could be correct.
We must get back the girls and also ensure that this does not happen again, Dambazau said.
Borno gov pays sympathy visit
Meanwhile, Borno State governor, Kashim Shettima, yesterday paid sympathy visit to Governor Ibrahim Geidam in Damaturu over the attack.
Shettima, who is also chairman of Northern Governors Forum, said during his visit that the unfortunate incident in Dapchi reminded him of conspiracy theories regarding the Chibok abduction, and cautioned politicians to learn a lesson on the need to separate politics from issues of security.
He said: Your Excellency (Gov. Geidam), I have been in your shoes since 2014 when schoolgirls were abducted in Chibok. I know exactly how you feel. When our daughters were abducted in Chibok, only God understood how I felt and I can imagine how you also feel, and the trauma you are going through.
The parents of these girls would always look up to you with hope in the midst of agony. I know you are pained but I also believe that insha Allah, these girls will be rescued very soon.
It is unfortunate that we have faced yet another abduction but that only reminds us about the difficulties of fighting insurgency. Oftentimes, they strike where you least expect. Before Boko Haram attacked Chibok, that Chibok had the least threat of Boko Haram in the North East.
No one expected them to even think about Chibok because it is a mostly Christian community where Boko Haram was hardly an issue. If the parents thought Chibok wasnt safe, I dont think they would allow their children to be there.
Of course, as a government, we wouldnt dare do so. In the same vein, I dont think anyone ever expected an attack in Dapchi. This incident, however, reminds all of us not only in Borno and Yobe but also perhaps across Northern Nigeria to be on guard.
I think the difference between the Chibok incident and this one, is that the Federal Government didnt react in denial, doubt or formed a conspiracy theory. The Federal Government assumed responsibility which we hope will lead to rescue of the schoolgirls. When schoolgirls were abducted in Chibok, some people said there was no abduction because Borno was in the opposition.
Those who admitted there was abduction came up with a conspiracy theory that the APC leaders perpetuated it in order to win the 2015 elections. Now, this abduction took place in an APC-controlled State under an APC-led Federal Government.
What this reminds us, in a very painful way, I should add, is that as political actors, we should learn to separate politics from issues of security. Human lives are very precious in the sight of Allah.
The governor said he was in Yobe not only as governor of Borno but also to represent the Northern Governors Forum.
He said further: I am here as governor of a sister state, because Borno and Yobe are like siamese twins; what affects Yobe invariably affects Borno. I am also here as representative of the Northern Governors Forum.
I am used to travelling all the way to the south to represent our forum over sensitive issues, particularly on security. I felt it would be an irony if I go to far places and I dont come to neighbouring Yobe State at a time like this. Your Excellency (Gaidam), our colleagues have mandated me to tell you that we stand by you at this difficult time.
We share the grief of parents whose daughters are affected by this unfortunate incident. They are not their daughters alone, they are our daughters as well. I know that Your Excellency has been supportive of the military over the years with other security establishments in the state.
I know you are working closely with them to have this resolved. This period requires us to be stronger, more united and more focused. We should remain in prayers with a strong hope that these girls are rescued as quickly as possible.
We should remain in prayers that insha Allah, enduring peace will return to Yobe, Borno, Adamawa, the entire north and Nigeria. I am an eternal optimist. I see optimism in Your Excellency every day. I believe that these trying phases shall pass, inshaAllah. Bi iznillah, Yobe and Borno will gain lasting peace, tranquility and prosperity and this, we pray and hope, will happen soon.
Air Force deploys assetsIn a similar development, the Nigerian Air Force, NAF, said it has deployed additional air assets, including Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance, ISR, platforms to the North East in its renewed effort at locating the missing Dapchi school girls.
NAF in a statement by its spokesman, Air Vice Marshal Olatokunbo Adesanya, said before now, following confirmation of reports that some of the girls were yet to be accounted for, it deployed some ISR platforms and helicopters to search for and possibly locate the missing girls as well as the rogue Boko Haram terrorists.
The statement read: Although these search operations were conducted in a covert manner, for obvious reasons, the efforts did not yield the desired results.
Accordingly, the Chief of the Air Staff, CAS, Air Marshal Sadique Abubakar, directed the immediate deployment of additional air assets and NAF personnel to the Northeast with the sole mission of conducting day and night searches for the missing girls.
It is noteworthy that the renewed efforts at locating the girls are being conducted in close liaison with other surface security forces.
While the NAF will spare no efforts at possibly locating the girls via its air operations, it also seizes this opportunity to call on anyone, especially the locals, who might have any information that could lead to the location of the girls to bring such information forward to NAF authorities or other relevant security agencies.
Dapchi girls : Your tears not enough, PDP tells FG, APC
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has charged the All Progressives Congress (APC)-led Federal Government to stop shedding crocodile tears and instead, provide answers to urgent questions surrounding the recent abduction of schoolgirls in Dapchi, Yobe State.
The party, in a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan, yesterdday, said the Buhari Presidency has a lot of questions to answer regarding the alleged complicity of security agencies around the area coupled with misleading reports that frustrated immediate rescue of the abducted girls.
The PDP and indeed all well-meaning Nigerians are appalled by the crocodile tears being shed by the incompetent and deceptive APC-federal government instead of scaling up actions on the matter.
Nigerians have been in shock over revelations by the Yobe State governor, Alhaji Ibrahim Gaidam, that the abduction was preceded by withdrawal of troops around Dapchi, thereby rendering the area defenceless and paving the way for insurgents to attack and abduct our girls.
We challenge the Presidency to come out clean on issues surrounding this abduction. Who authorized the said withdrawal of troops from the area and for what purpose? What alternative security measures were put in place to protect the people after the troops were withdrawn? Who controls security intelligence gathering and consequential protection action and what action was taken to guarantee adequate security in the area?
We charge the Federal Government to open up on who scripted and released the false rescue report which frustrated prompt action that would have led to the recovery of our innocent girls? Why was that misleading report issued and whose interest did it serve?
Indeed, from all indications, every right-thinking Nigerian has deduced that there are more than meet the eyes in this ugly episode for which those in authority have a lot of questions to answer.
We invite the world to note that after exposing the community to harm and frustrating prompt rescue, the incompetent APC-controlled Federal Government has not taken any concrete step to give the abductors the desired chase to recover our girls.
Rather, they sent a delegation of persons with no knowledge of security to Dapchi on fact-funding missions, the statement read.
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Home | News | General | NSEs corporate governance index to aid companies in raising funds Oscar Onyema
By Peter Egwuatu
THE Nigerian Stock Exchange, NSE, said that the introduction of corporate governance index will aid companies rated successful on corporate governance to easily raise capital either locally or internationally.
The Chief Executive Officer, NSE, Mr. Oscar Onyema, stated this during the certification ceremony for 35 companies and 437 directors that made it over the 70 percent threshold for the Corporate Governance Rating System (CGRS) process held in Lagos.
Mr Oscar Onyema, CEO, NSE
According to him, The launch of the corporate governance Index is an important milestone to strengthening listed companies by tracking their corporate governance practices.
This index will increase transparency in our market and provide investors additional data points upon which to make sound decisions. I congratulate the companies that have successfully completed the process and I expect that they will be more positively looked at whilst trying to raise and access capital within or outside of our jurisdiction.
The corporate governance Index, is expected to track the performance of the 35 rated companies using their market capitalization, free float and corporate governance rating scores.
The Index, according g to the NSE, will be reviewed on a bi-annual basis at which point other companies that have become CGRS rated in the interim may be added to the Index or companies that have had their ratings suspended or withdrawn may be removed. The Index is expected to be an important tool for investors keen on investing in well governed companies as well as corporates eager to distinguish themselves on the ground of corporate governance.
Speaking at the event, Soji Apampa, Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer, The Convention on Business Integrity (CBi) said : This is a triumph for collective action in the fight against corruption and unethical practices. I congratulate the companies and directors being honoured today and I urge them not to relent in their efforts to sustain the high level of corporate governance that has brought them thus far. Todays celebration is not a destination but a continuous process that should be consistently maintained and further improved upon. I encourage other listed companies still on this evolutionary process to keep at it and conclude the process during this new review period which is now open.
The CGRS was launched on November 3, 2014 after a successful pilot phase involving a number of companies listed on the NSE some of which are now listed on the Premium Board. The CGRS was designed to rate companies that are listed on the NSE based on their corporate governance and anti-corruption culture. The process comprises three segments: an independently verified, self-assessment by the company; a certification of director awareness of their fiduciary duties; and, a corporate integrity assessment where feedback on actual company behaviour is sought from internal and external stakeholders. Combinations of the 3 segments with attendant weighted scores are collated and companies with a score of 70% and above accorded the CGRS certification celebrating the degree to which they have evolved the quality of their corporate governance.
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Home | News | General | Legislators commend CBNs intervention project
By Elizabeth Adegbesan
THE House of Representatives Committee on Banking and Currency has commended the intervention project of the Central Bank of Nigeria at the Administrative Staff College (ASCON), Topo, Badagry, Lagos.
Speaking during the oversight visit of the Committee to CBN intervention projects in the South West geo-political zone, the Committee Chairman, Hon. Jones Onyereri, who led other members of the Committee, said that the Committee was impressed with the progress made in delivering on the project and the use of Nigerian contractors in the project.
House of Representatives
We are impressed because we didnt think we can get this kind of outcome judging from our first visit which shows that it will be indeed nice to patronize Nigerian contractors.
Hon. Onyereri also commended the quality of job done by the contractors and noted that the CBN interventions at ASCON would create a conducive environment for learning, stating that they are worthwhile. Also in the inspection team were CBNs Ag. Director, Corporate Communications Department, Mr. Isaac Okorafor, and the Deputy Director in charge of the Projects, Mr. Oluwole Owoeye.
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Home | News | General | Thoughts of a Unionist as NLC turns forty
By Owei Lakemfa
THE Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, turns forty on Wednesday, February 28. As I ruminate over this, I came to a painful realisation; the pinnacle it attained, was under Alhaji Hassan Adebayo Sunmonu its founding President. Since then, the quality of Congress leadership seems to diminish with each succeeding administration including the two I served in; this is to the extent that today, forty years later, the difference in leadership quality is like viewing a mountain top from the valley.
My thoughts on this occasion, are not different from those I expressed at the Dr. Kolagbodi Memorial Lecture I delivered on November 7, 2013.
NLC
My position is that the world is ruled by ideas while vision propels institutions; therefore, any trade unionist with no ideas or vision, is a danger to the Labour Movement. Such a unionist is an unguided missile; a fake drug merchant who will ultimately harm those he professes to serve. Also, trade unions cannot just disagree with government or protest against given policies; they must posit an alternative.
To me, trade unionism is a call; the unionist must choose who to serve for he cannot serve the worker and the employer (including government) equally. He must always be loyal to the worker.
While in the overall interest of the work place, the trade unionist must work with employers to promote industrial peace and harmony, he must never forget that workers and employers have fundamentally divergent interests. The primary interest of the worker is to sell his physical and mental labour as high a price as is possible, while the basic interest of the employer is to make as much profit as possible even if as in most cases, he has to undercut labour.
I hold that principles and values should rule the Labour Movement; to hold a leadership position, is service. A labour leader with no commitment to the cause of the Working Class is no better than a one-armed bandit, and obviously, the trade union is not the place for him.
My tutelage under unionists like Comrade Wahab Goodluck and Dr. Lasisi Osunde taught me that a unionist must have moral authority. Mobutu Seseseko, former life President of the Democratic Republic of Congo, DRC, was one of the richest men in the world. But he died unsung in Rabat, Morocco, and even his corpse could not be interred in the country he ruled for decades. In contrast, Mother Theresa was not wealthy, but when she died, the world mourned her. There was even a tussle between countries in Europe and Asia over who should have the honour of burying her.
Again, take Nelson Mandela; his power was not based on material wealth, but his moral authority. In the Movement, we also had a legend, Michael Imoudu who despite having led Nigerian workers in one form or another from 1940 to 1976, could not afford to build a house; his only house in the village, was built by the Nigeria Union Of Railwaymen.
For me, a labour leader without moral authority, is like a carpenter passing off as a surgeon. Let the labour leader be said to be stubborn or uncompromising, but never that he is a sell-out, or is on the payroll of any government or employer. That was why when I was a labour leader, I could hold my head high, and look any employer or anybody in government, straight in the eye without blinking. For me, there was no doubt who my principals were or to whom I owed my loyalty.
Trade unionism is a collective, it is basically about unity and solidarity, therefore, the culture of collective leadership should be a given. Unionists have no basis sinking into the morass of individualism or the cult of a strong leader.
Trade unionism is voluntary and intrinsically democratic, therefore, unions need to deepen internal democracy which should include respect for union constitution and rules, holding regular organ meetings, conferences, elections and respecting terms in office as constitutionally stipulated. They must be transparent and accountable to the members. In all cases, members, not labour leaders, should have supreme authority over unions.
Unions must ensure workers right to unionise which is being observed in the breach in a number of cases. There should be no business without union business. They need to enforce the right to Collective Bargaining and ensure that Collective Agreements are implemented. If this is not done, the whole concept of Social Dialogue is compromised.
They need to combat Child Labour and Discrimination at the work place whether on the basis of gender, health status or for whatever reason.
Trade unions are also a social movement for development, so they need to agitate for the right of all Nigerians to education, full employment or unemployment benefits, pension and social security.
There can be no true democracy without the democracy of the stomach, so food should be a right, as should shelter. They should fight for Nigerians right to water and good sanitation so they can live healthy lives.
Today, Labour is negotiating a new National Minimum Wage and general wage increase, but these will be meaningless if the worker spends 40 per cent or more of his income on transportation. So there should be mass, accessible and cheap transportation.
The formalisation of the Informal Economy where over 60 per cent of the working people make a living, is an urgent task. That sector needs protection and unionisation.
Nigerians have been subjected to all manner of economic manipulations, exploitation and maladjustment, to survive, the unions need to return to the culture of organising especially as more workers lose their jobs in the formal economy.
There were lots of challenges in what many perceive as the good old days. In the colonial, and immediate post-colonial period, trade unionism was a risky business. Also, there was no compulsory recognition of unions by employers, no automatic check off deductions, no GSM that could aid organising and communication, no e-mail that could transmit messages in seconds, no Facebook, twitter or internet chat rooms where conversations can flow, yet there is a general consensus that they were far better unionists than those of the present generation.
Todays unionists need to link up with the trade union traditions of the past. Such traditions include labour leaders demonstrable and clear commitment to members and workers cause and strong connection between leaders and members rather than the prevailing atmosphere of alienation. Unions also need to return to the old culture of mass meetings, mass mobilisation and mass rallies, continuous and permanent organising. The unions also need to adopt the old tradition of mass workers education based on trade union values and ideology. The next forty years should be different.
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Home | News | General | Dangote Cement awards scholarship to 115 host communities
Dangote Cement Plc, Ibese Plant has announced a multi-million naira scholarship award to 115 students from its 15 host communities for the 2017/2018 academic session.
Alhaji Aliko Dangote
The company said the scholarship had become an annual event meant to contribute to the educational development of the people and area and position them in right place in the scheme of things in Ogun State and Nigeria in general.
Acting Plant Director of Dangote Cement, Ibese, Mr. Louis Raj, while speaking during the presentation of cheques to the beneficiaries at Ibese Plant, explained that the management decided to increase the number of beneficiaries to 115 from the previous 80 so that more children of the area could benefit.
He also said the decision was meant to encourage the young ones to go to school as a sure way of building them mentally and morally so that they be good to themselves and the society.
The General Manager, Government and Community Relations, Joseph Alabi, while giving the breakdown of the scholarship, said the award covered 115 students of Yewa origin studying various courses across several higher institutions of learning in the country.
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Home | News | General | Bayelsa: Six years of Dicksons magic wand
By Lawson Hayford
SIX years ago, exactly on February 14, 2012, Chief Henry Seriake Dickson was sworn in as governor of Bayelsa State. Dicksons ascension came at a time that the state was enmeshed in self-abnegation, a construct that almost pushed it to the brim of anarchy.
Riding on the populists agenda of restoration, Dickson sought to restore the dignity and self-esteem that has been the hallmark of Bayelsans; by instituting accountability and transparency in governance. In this, the monthly accountability briefings have set a standard which has been replicated across states in Nigeria. At these briefings, Bayelsans are kept abreast of how their government is being run.
Dickson
It can be said that in the six years of Dicksons administration, the signature of his government has been transparency and accountability. This sign post has seen the states local government system streamlined, the payroll system sanitised and the structure of the civil service modernised to enforce basic ethics in governance, best practices and the delivery of dividends of democracy to the people. The restoration planks also revived the culture of dignity and patriotism among Bayelsans, with the high point being the launching of Bayelsa States emblems, upon which all look up to for inspiration.
Perhaps the midpoint of the restoration agenda is in the educational sector which forms the fulcrum of Dicksons performance rating in the six years he has been in office. Prior to his coming on board, the educational sector was almost at a standstill.
Infrastructure were decaying; human resources need in a questionable state, human capital allocation poorly distributed and most school children stayed out of school. Dicksons arrival changed the narrative. His government introduced a comprehensive free education policy across board in the state with a declaration of a state of emergency in the sector.
The yield has been in the provision of remarkable infrastructure, quality education which has seen schools upgraded and with the reintroduction of the culture of boarding schools in all senatorial districts in the state.
A further yield from the priority given to education by the Dickson administration was on the heels of the states high ranking performance in the annual West African School Certificate Examination, WASCE, where the state has consistently remained among the six best states in the country, since 2013. This major turning point is a success for the restoration administration six years going. Much of this, is that the Governor and indeed the administration, has remained resolute in the implementation of all its policies in the education sector, taking into account the massive decay of infrastructure and the disadvantaged position of the state.
Since 2012, over 500 infrastructure have either been developed or renovated with massive increase in public primary and secondary schools intake; the iconic Ijaw National Academy, Kaiama and the others, spread across the eight local government council areas in the state have also raised the bar for education in the state and are seen as special centres of excellence.
Dicksons government has moved Bayelsa State and the Ijaw Nation to the very top of Nigerias educational chart, as well as setting the bar that would position future generations of Bayelsans to be competent and competitive with their contemporaries in other parts of the world.
There are other narratives in the Dickson six years administration. These are in the building of roads and bridges with the focus of opening up the state for rapid socio-economic development. Bayelsa State is recognised as a civil service state.
There is therefore, the need for accelerated economic diversification of the state so that it would join the comity of economic centres in the country. In this, Dickson is encouraging private sector participation in oil and gas, building power-generating companies and investing in the long proposed LNG in Brass, urea fertilizer production plant and free trade Agge deep seaport.
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Home | News | General | Nigeria needs wealth creators in government, not wealth sharers Peter Obi
LAGOSFORMER Governor of Anambra State, Mr. Peter Obi, has said that Nigeria needs to have wealth creators managing her affairs and not wealth sharers, if the country is to make any meaningful progress. He made this submission during a recent media chat in Lagos, during which he was asked to share his thoughts on the future of Nigeria.
Ex-governor of Anambra state, Mr. Peter Obi
Obi said: Countries today are run like big business. If a man has not created wealth, he cannot manage wealth. We need wealth creators in government and not wealth sharers. We need somebody to unite this country. It is critical. I have lived in many different parts of Nigeria as a businessman. I have invested and served in several corporations without knowing where my co-investors or partners or those that I conducted businesses with came from.
The former governor dismissed the often repeated excuse by those in power that they are unable to keep their election campaign promises because they do not have enough resources to work with. Which country or where in the world do you have enough resources? he asked and quickly added: What you do when in office is to manage the resources at your disposal to keep your election promises. If you cannot deliver what you promised, then you have no business wanting to continue in office.
Asked whether he is vying for any position, Obi said his preoccupation now is to be a small person in a great Nigeria and not a great person in a failed Nigeria. He, however, stressed that he is ready to serve in any capacity to make Nigeria great and that he is doing that now without being in office.
Obi went further to say that the discussion now should not be who is contesting or occupying any office but how Nigeria moved from 35 per cent under-employment and unemployment to 40 per cent. Four million Nigerians lost their jobs last year. Our joblessness has increased from 14.8 per cent to 18.4 per cent, and 10 million Nigerians are out of school. These are what should worry us, not who is coming to continue the next stage of the drama, he said.
Obi further noted: The country needs people with competence and capacity at all levels of governance. We need people who are entrepreneurs. Yesterday I analysed all the expenditure in education. Nigerias budget for education is 1.7 billion dollars 0.4 per cent of our GDP. South Africa is spending 10 times that amount. We are among the MINT countries. Mexico is spending 60 billion dollars. Indonesia is spending 28 billion dollars, Turkey is spending 24 billion dollars and we are spending 1.7 billion. How can you compete? We need to change the conversation.
The former Governor appealed to Nigerians to stop being docile but to ask questions and to actively engage in the debate about the present and future of the country so as to make Nigeria a better place.
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Home | News | General | Nigeria records 43 deaths from Lassa Fever
By Gabriel Olawale
The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control, NCDC, yesterday disclosed that 43 persons have died from Lassa fever outbreak in less than two months.
According to information made available on its website, the government agency disclosed that out of the 615 suspected cases reported across 17 states, 193 have been confirmed positive to the Lassa fever virus. 43 deaths were recorded in confirmed cases giving a case fatality rate of 23.9 percent.
Lassa-fever
It was noted that since the onset of the outbreak, there has been a high case identification rate through the use of standard case definition employed via the integrated disease surveillance and response (IDSR) strategy.
The agency explained that high case identification was an indication of an active and improved surveillance system, adding this in itself, is a part of the case detection process as all cases have to be subjected to laboratory test for further classification and disease burden estimation.
Currently, Lassa fever test is carried out across three laboratories in Nigeria. The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control, NCDC has provided support for all testing laboratories with provision of reagents and other consumables. It is hoped that in the near future, states are able to build and support laboratories to carry out Lassa fever tests.
Investigation and active case search are ongoing in affected States with coordination of response activities by the NCDC and support from partners. National Lassa Fever Working Group has been escalated to National Emergency Operations Centre on the 22nd January 2018.
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Home | News | General | Suspected Boko Haram commander remanded for allegedly killing police officer
- Ado-Ekiti magistrate court has remanded a Boko Haram suspect in jail
- The suspect, a 36-year-old man, Abdulsalam Adinoyi, is on trial for killing a police officer
- He has also admitted his involvement in several attacks launched by the sect in Kogi state
Ado-Ekiti Magistrates has remanded a 36-year-old suspected Boko Haram commander, Abdulsalam Adinoyi, for allegedly killing a police officer, Sergeant Gana Jiya, in Oye-Ekiti, Ekiti state at 11pm, on February 2, 2017.
The suspect is facing a three-count charge of murder, terrorism and robbery according to police prosecutor, Oriyomi Akinwale.
READ ALSO: PDP rejects INEC investigative committee on alleged underage voting
The Nation reports that Akinwale told the court that the suspect has confessed to being a member of the dreaded sect and being involved in several attacks conducted by the Boko Haram sect in Kogi state.
The accused, however, pleaded not guilty to the charge and his counsel asked the court to release him on bail.
The Magistrate, Dupe Afeniforo, denied the request and ordered that the accused be remanded, pending a legal advice from the Directorate of Public Prosecution (DPP).
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NAIJ.com earlier reported that troops in Borno killed five Boko Haram insurgents and captured a top commander of the group in the ongoing operation in Sambisa Forest and the Lake Chad basin.
Deputy director, army public relations of operation Lafiya Dole, Onyeama Nwachukwu, in a statement in Maiduguri, said troops also rescued three civilians, recovered vehicles and high calibre ammunition in various operations in the past two days.
Nigerian Air Force operations against Boko Haram - on NAIJ.com TV:
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Source: Naija.ng
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Home | News | General | Tension as APC national caucus, NEC, meets this week amidst crisis
- The national caucus of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) will meet today, Monday, February 26 at the presidential villa
- The National Executive Committee (NEC) will also meet tomorrow, Tuesday, February 27
- The meetings are holding at a time the arty leaders at different levels are at loggerheads
The national caucus of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) will meet today, Monday, February 26, at the presidential villa, Abuja ahead of the party's National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting scheduled for Tuesday, February 27.
According to Daily Trust, todays meeting would receive an interim report from the Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu-led committee on consultation, reconciliation and confidence - building that was recently constituted by President Muhammadu Buhari.
President Buhari and Vice President Osinbajo are expected to attend today's meeting. Photo credit: State House
READ ALSO: You are sabotaging my assignment - Tinubu tells Oyegun
The meeting would also ratify a comprehensive programme with dates on continuous nationwide membership registration exercise, ward congresses, local government area congresses, state congresses and national convention.
NAIJ.com gathered that the APC secretariat had told the caucus last year that the tenure of all officers elected into the ward, local government, state and national organs of the party would be expiring in the second quarter of 2018 in line with the provisions of Article 17 (1) of the partys constitution.
In a memo, the party secretariat told the caucus that it had begun preparations for the conduct of congresses and national convention in line with the provisions of the partys constitution.
The APC national chairman, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, had said on Saturday, January 6 that the meetings of national caucus and NEC would hold to endorse the timetable for congresses and national convention.
He added that the congresses and convention would hold between January and June this year.
The report of Governor Nasir El-Rufai committee on true federalism was also expected to be considered at todays meeting.
Meanwhile, the entire members of the Adamawa state House of Assembly on Thursday, February 22, passed a vote of confidence on the APC national executive led by Chief Odigie-Oyegun.
Led by its speaker, Rt. Hon. Kabiru Mijinyawa, on a visit to the partys National Working Committee (NWC) at the national secretariat in Abuja, the Adamawa lawmakers particularly hailed the leadership style of the APC national chairman.
Mijinyawa said: It is a great pleasure for us members of the Adamawa state House of Assembly to be in your midst to deliver our solidarity message. There is a tendency to have divisions and criticisms amongst ourselves at this crucial time. But most of the criticisms are not constructive and they hold no weight.
That is why today we are here to register and show our appreciation and support to our state executive, the governor of Adamawa state and the national executive of our great party led by our national chairman, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun.
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EXCLUSIVE: Be patient with President Buhari, Femi Adesina tells Nigerians on NAIJ.com TV
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Home | News | General | Stop washing our party's dirty linen in public, APC chieftain to Tinubu, Oyegin
- The disagreements between two leading figures of the All Progressives Congress (APC), is still generating reactions
- The national chairman of the party, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, and its national leader, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, are at loggerheads again
- A chieftain of the party is of the opinion that issues be settled away from the prying eyes of the Nigerian media
A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Chief Sam Nkire, has advised the national chairman of the party, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, and its national leader, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, who are at loggerheads again, not to resort to washing the partys dirty linen in public.
Chief Nkire, who gave the advice on Sunday, February 25 in Abuja, urged the partys leaders, to perish the idea of taking issues to the press.
According to him, this can only make our opponents giggle at our misfortune.
Tinubu (middle) and Oyegun (right), have had disagreements in the past. Source: Twitter
READ ALSO: You are sabotaging my assignment - Tinubu tells Oyegun
He said party administration was like any other corporate management effort which required that its image be considered as important as the product of the corporate entity, if not more.
He went on to say that party administration was not a task for a select few or sole administrators but that it was a team work which involved more public participation than what was available in some of the worlds largest public-quoted companies.
He noted that excluding the opinion of other leaders and members of the party in decision making was bound to inflict internal injury, adding that, if care is not taken, it could develop into a noticeable external sore.
Making reference to his experience as a politician of note, Chief Nkire added that theshortest route to achieving cohesion in any political party was inclusiveness.
He however assured Nigerians that there was no cause for alarm in the APC, stressing that the main reason why party administrations were set up was solely for solving problems within and outside the party.
Meanwhile, the entire members of the Adamawa state House of Assembly on Thursday, February 22, passed a vote of confidence on the APC national executive led by Chief Odigie-Oyegun.
Led by its speaker, Rt. Hon. Kabiru Mijinyawa, on a visit to the partys National Working Committee (NWC) at the national secretariat in Abuja, the Adamawa lawmakers particularly hailed the leadership style of the APC national chairman.
Mijinyawa said: It is a great pleasure for us members of the Adamawa state House of Assembly to be in your midst to deliver our solidarity message. There is a tendency to have divisions and criticisms amongst ourselves at this crucial time. But most of the criticisms are not constructive and they hold no weight.
That is why today we are here to register and show our appreciation and support to our state executive, the governor of Adamawa state and the national executive of our great party led by our national chairman, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun.
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EXCLUSIVE: Be patient with President Buhari, Femi Adesina tells Nigerians on NAIJ.com TV
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Home | News | General | Patience Jonathan asks court to jail three banks' executives for refusing to unfreeze her accounts
- Patience Jonathan has filed a lawsuit against the managing directors of First, Sky and Diamond banks
- The former first lady is asking the court to jail the three MDs for refusing court orders to unfreeze her bank account
Former first lady of Nigeria, Dame Patience Jonathan has filed a law suit against the managing directors of the First bank Plc, Diamond bank and Skye bank.
The former first lady is asking the court to sentence the three MDs to court for allegedly refusing a previous court order to unfreeze her bank accounts containing aggregate sums of $5.8million and N3.5billion.
Vanguard reports that those listed in the lawsuit are the Group Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of Fitst Bank Nigeria Plc, Dr. Adesola Adeduntan, the Chief Executive Officer of Skye Bank Plc, Mr. Tokunbo Abiru and the Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of Diamond Bank Plc, Uzoma Dozie.
READ ALSO: Federal government confirms 110 Dapchi schoolgirls missing
A court had previously on December 5, 2017, which lifted a Post-No-Bill order the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) placed on 16 separate accounts that were linked to her.
However, in a counter suit, the three banks filed preliminary objections to challenge the jurisdiction of the court to hear the contempt proceeding Jonathan and her firms initiated against their CEOs.
The banks applied for an order suspending any further proceedings in the suit, as well as an order striking out or dismissing the committal proceedings for want of jurisdictional competence.
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Meanwhile, NAIJ.com previously reported that the EFCC has rejected former Patience Jonathans offer to settle out of court the brewing dispute over the strange payment of $11,489,069.03 into her domiciliary accounts.
The anti-graft agency asked the ex-first lady to, instead, come before a court by entering into a plea bargain in line with the laws of the land, saying that it would only accept a plea bargain in which the court is carried along, the Nation reports.
The EFCC stages a walk against corruption - on NAIJ.com TV
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Home | News | General | PDP draws battle line with INEC, accuses commission of being under APC control
- The PDP has rejected the in-house investigative committee set up by INEC to look into the alleged under age voting in Kano state
- The party accused the commission of deferring to the opposition party, the APC
- The party also accused the commission of refusing to look into its register in Katsina state
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has rejected the eight-member in-house committee constituted by Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to investigate reports of under-age voters in Kano state.
In a statement by its national publicity secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan, on Sunday in Abuja, the PDP said the panel lacked credibility as it comprised officials of INEC, which had been accused of complicity in the issue, NAN reports.
It said that the panel had been detailed to arrive at pre-determined findings and recommendations to exonerate the commission and play down on the electoral implications of the existence of under-age voters.
The party said that the scope of the inquest, particularly the exclusion of Katsina state from the probe in spite of vast evidence of under-age voters in that state, was not acceptable.
READ ALSO: Federal Government confirms 110 Dapchi schoolgirls missing
It alleged that the fact that the All Progressives Congress (APC) rose in staunch defence of INEC over the existence of minors as voters further confirmed that the ruling party had more than vested interests in the illegality.
Nigerians have been wondering why INEC is afraid of looking at its register in Katsina state.
Is it because Katsina is the home state of President Muhammadu Buhari and a probe is likely to expose cans of worms?
Is INEC afraid that a sanitised register would lead to a massive drop in the voting population in the state and cripple APCs rigging plan?
Nigerians are also wondering why INEC has vehemently refused to include other stakeholders, including political parties, credible NGOs and Civil Society Organisations in this important assignment to guarantee its credibility, it stated.
The party alleged that by excluding other stakeholders, INEC was definitely not sincere with the sanitisation of the voter register in Kano, Katsina and other states.
INEC, under Prof. Mahmood Yakubu is already manifesting weaknesses and bias, which further confirms why it should not be trusted in the conduct of the 2019 general elections.
Consequently, the PDP and all aligning stakeholders will not accept any findings or recommendations from INECs in-house committee as such will not reflect the reality on the ground regarding the contaminated register, it added.
The party insisted that INEC must be bold enough to extend the inquest to Katsina state as well as other states where minors were registered.
According to it, failure by the commission to do so implies that it has already caved in to pressure ahead of the 2019 elections.
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The PDP charged the INEC chairman to quickly redeem the image of the commission by immediately disbanding the flawed committee.
It advised the commission to set up a more credible and transparent panel made up of political parties, credible NGOs and CSOs, and extend the inquest to Katsina and other states.
It said Nigerians would not accept anything short of a credible, free and fair general elections in 2019, adding that any attempt by anyone to subvert the will of the people would have himself to blame.
Meanwhile, the PDP has urged the federal government to provide answers to urgent questions surrounding the abduction of schoolgirls in Dapchi, Yobe.
It said in a statement by its national publicity secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan, on Sunday in Abuja, that the Presidency needed to react to the allegation that security was compromised around the school.
The party said that the federal government should account for all the misleading reports that frustrated the immediate rescue of the girls.
Nigerians have been in shock over revelations by the Yobe Governor Alhaji Ibrahim Gaidam, that the abduction was preceded by withdrawal of troops around Dapchi, thereby paving the way for insurgents to attack and abduct the girls.
NAIJ.com previously reported that unknown gunmen have shot former Kano state chairman of the now defunct All Peoples Party (APP) Ibrahim Little.
The attack occurred at Kidan-Dan town, near Birnin Gwari in Kaduna state on Sunday, February 25.
An aide of the former Kano state chairman of the APP, which later metamorphosed into All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP), said the gunmen opened fire at Little and his driver while they were about entering into his car after coming out from the farm.
How workaholic Governor Ganduje is transforming Kano state - on NAIJ.com TV
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Source: Naija.ng
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Home | News | General | Nigeria police denies withdrawing special forces deployed to Benue state
- The Benue police command has denied that special forces have been withdrawn from the theatre of operation in the state
- The command said the news making the round about the withdrawal is false
- The command said instead, the Inspector General of Police has continued to reinforce the command with personnel and material resources to boost its operations
The Benue police command has debunked an online newspaper report that special forces have been withdrawn from the theatre of operation in the state.
In a statement sent to NAIJ.com on Sunday, February 25, the commissioner of police in the state, Mr Fatai Owoseni, described the report as false.
He said, rather, the Inspector General of Police has continued to reinforce the command with personnel and material resources as it becomes operationally expedient.
The IG of Police had assured the Benue people of the special forces deployment during his visit to the state. Photo credit: NPF
READ ALSO: Human rights group expresses concerns over Exercise Ayem a Kpatuma
With the reinforcement, the command has been able to increase its visibility in the state. This is aimed at encouraging speedy return of displaced persons to their respective communities.
While the situation is relatively calm, the police will continue to partner with well meaning members of the society and sister security agencies to ensure security of life and property, the statement said.
Meanwhile, the Tor Tiv, Professor James Ayatse, has pledged the support of the traditional rulers and the entire people of Benue to the Nigerian army as it conducts Exercise Ayem Akpatuma - Cat Race in the state.
We welcome the exercise. We believe it will help peace to return to Benue which has suffered series of attacks from herdsmen," the traditional ruler said as he received the Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant-General Tukur Buratai, on Monday, February 19.
He, however, said the people were apprehensive of the exercise, recalling the clashes between the army and Tiv people at Zaki biam in the past and called for adequate enlightenment on the exercise.
READ ALSO: Benue Youth Forum expresses concerns over Exercise Cat Race
Victims of Herdsmen killing buried in Benue state on NAIJ.com TV
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Home | News | General | Govt admits fraud in SIP: Matters arising
If you shut up truth and bury it underground, it will but grow and gather to itself such explosive power that the day it bursts through, it will blow up everything in its way Emile Zola, 1840-1902
By Dele Sobowale
ONE unpleasant truth has recently blown up in the faces of President Buhari and Vice President Osinbajo. On May 29, 2015, President Buhari announced the Social Intervention Programme, SIP, which was called the most audacious attempt by any government in Nigeria to address the issues of poverty and joblessness.
Buhari
The four components of SIP included: employment of 500,000 teachers; payment of N5000 per month to five million poor Nigerians; ICT Training designed to turn trainees into entrepreneurs and employers of others and the feeding of 5 million school children.
If it had succeeded, it would have been Buharis legacy project which would have also made him Nigerias greatest leader of all time.
Unfortunately, for Buhari and Nigeria, STP was a product of more wishful thinking than effective planning. It never had a chance for success as conceived. But, Buhari, never a methodical planner, and appointing people based on sentiments rather than competence, planed the seeds of failure and fraud even as he sent in the first budget in 2016 to kick-start the SIP.
In the 2016 Budget, SIP was allocated a mind-boggling N500bn; it was the largest allocation. It was even bigger than what Fashola got as Super Minister of Power, Housing and Works.
Few people, except Senator Danjuma Goje and me questioned the allocation of so much money to a totally new programme whose detains were still to be worked out.
Buhari did not fall into this trap all by himself. Perhaps knowing his own limitations when it comes to understanding complex programmes, the President relied on the Vice President a Professor of Law. Osinbajo also was keenly aware of his own deficiencies in such matters. So, he turned to one Mr Laolu Akande his Senior SpecialAdviser whose tissue of lies on SIP has finally blown up in everybodys faces.
When the 2016 Budget estimates reached the Joint Appropriation Committee, Senator Goje made this observation.
There is no detailed and clear-cut structure being laid down for the implementation of this project because what we have in the budget is N300bn recurrent and N200bn capital. We had to push hard to get some details which were not convincing. For instance, the explanation we got is that N5000 will be given to one million Nigerians. Who will choose the one million? (Sen. Goje, March3, 2016).
The Joint Appropriation Committee, at first deleted that amount from the 2016 budget and advised the Federal Government to go and do its homework before re-presenting the SIP in the 2017 budget. But, those who were hell-bent on taking Nigeria to the cleaners would have none of that patriotic advice. They must have their scam ratified by the National Assembly. Pressure was brought to bear on the NASS and N500bn was appropriated for a project that has never been tried.
That was almost double what was allocated to Education or Health the operations of which were well-known to all. It never made sense and will never make sense. In no country does a good government allocate more funds to an untried project.
Senator Danjuma was not alone in raising alarm. In August of 2016, I wrote as follows about SIP.
That was the first of at least twelve articles written about SIP warning Nigerians that SIP, under VP Osinbajo has become a den of corruption. On each occasion, I had challenged Mr Laolu Akande and the VP to substantiate their claims that SIP was achieving results. For instance, the article Fooling Nigerians on N5000 payment was written in January 2017, after traveling to nine states and finding no single official recipient of the money. Questions on FGs School Feeding appeared in August. It detailed all the lies which were being reported from the VPs office by Mr Laolu Akande who has refused to disclose the list of schools benefiting from the School Feeding Programme. All to no avail.
Just as I was about to give up; thinking the wicked have done their worst about SIP and Nigerians dont seem to care about the swindles involved in SIP, Mrs Maryam Uwais, Senior Special Adviser to the VP and the person directly in charge of SIP suddenly opens up and vindicates me. On February 16, 2018, THISDAY on page 10 had a story titled: NEC: Social Investment Programme Marred by Fraud, Corruption.
The Guardian made it front page news. Govt Admits Fraud in N1th Social Investment Fund. Mrs Uwais, tired of the cover-up of monumental fraud under the SIP, located in the VPs office is letting us into the dark secrets which had characterized Buharis pet project. Me Laolu Akande, predictably, is now difficult to reach by media
To be continued
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Home | News | General | Ogbe-Ijoh/Aladja crisis: Militants threaten to bomb oil facilities in Delta
By Emma Amaize
WARRIA militant group, Supreme Egbesu Council, has warned that it will start bombing oil facilities in Warri North, Warri South and South-West Local Government Areas, Delta State, should Governor Ifeanyi Okowa of the state implement his proposed plan to share Ogbe-Ijoh land to Aladja community.
The group, in a statement by General Ebi and others, said: If the Okowa- led Delta State Government goes ahead to share Ijaw land, which is in trust of the Ogbe-Ijoh people, we will use all that is within us to claim back that land because the Ogbe-Ijoh land forms part of the Ijaw Republic that we are working hard to achieve.
Okowas decision to share Ijaw land in Ogbe-Ijoh will be greeted with Operation Red Economy in Warri South-West, Warri North and parts of Warri South councils. Governor Okowa must be reminded that similar oppressive actions of government as regards the political survival of the Ijaws of Warri led to the famous Warri crises, the group said.
It urged the National Boundary Commission to intervene and interpret the relevant boundary laws to avoid Operation Red Economy in the Niger Delta.
Meanwhile, the group has directed all unit heads to commence mapping of all oil facilities and blow same after Wednesdays Security Council meeting if Okowa is bent on sharing Ijaw land to Aladja, instead of acquiring and holding the land in brief for government.
The statement read: The attention of Supreme Egbesu Council has been drawn to an attempt by Delta State Government to share over 1,236 hectares of land belonging to Ogbe-Ijoh with Aladja community getting 50 per cent of the land.
This, to us, is an oppression to the Ogbe-Ijoh people because the land in question has been long legislated upon by the government of Nigeria in 1955 via Gazette No 176 of 1955, which places the boundary between Aladja and Ogbe-Ijoh somewhere around the round-about in Aladja community as identified by the Ekoko -led panel.
At an enlarged Security Council meeting held at the Unity Hall, Government House, Asaba, attended by all Ijaw and Urhobo traditional rulers in Delta State, Delta State Advisory Council, head of security agencies, select top government functionaries and members of the Ekoko- ledpPanel on December 20, 2016, Prof. Ekoko briefed the governor and others of their findings where the disputed land between the two communities was discovered to be 289 hectares.
Further claims by parties amount to 1,236 hectares of land. The governor after due consultations pronounced 289 hectares of land as the parcel of land government of Delta State intends to acquire.
The failure of Delta State Government to stand by its pronouncements is responsible for the crisis between the communities in the last two years.
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Home | News | General | No nation in the world has grown outside its culture Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi, Ooni of Ife
By Osa Amadi, Arts Editor & Chris Onuoha
Ile-Ife is widely believed to be the cradle of mankind, and the throne of the Ooni, revered para-mount king of the Yoruba and representative of Oduduwa, progenitor of the Yoruba race, has seated mystifyingly powerful kings for centuries. In this exclusive interview with Vanguards Arts & Reviews, the Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi, the Ojaja II, imperially reaches into one of the remotest histories of the crown and the kingdom with the skills of a griot, revealing the relics, treasures, and heroic deeds of her revered kings. He also talked passionately about Nigerias problems and the intellectual war he is waging. The interview was conducted in his Palace at Ile-Ife. Enjoy this illuminating trip into history.
Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi Ooni of Ife
Your highness, the last Ooni from your family, Derin Ologbenla, reigned 124 years ago (1880-1894). How do you feel being selected by God to be the next Ooni of Ife after 124 years?
Well, everything lies in the hand of God, and God understands and knows the beginning from the end. Before any human being was created, God actually knows how that human being will be created, what that human being will be, and what the human being will do to the entire land. The Almighty, the King of Kings said the hairs on our heads are numbered that He knows each strand of the hairs on our heads. But you, the owner of the head cannot count your hairs. Thats the mystery of our Creator.
So its a good development for the family, the Giesi ruling house. It is a welcome development for Ife and the entire Yoruba race that spans across various continents of the world.
So, I have to do my best; I have to do my very best, and I am doing my best.
Kabiyesi, we know that you are a Christian. How do you handle some conflicts that naturally arise between some traditional practices associated with your office and the Christian faith?
There is this saying that my people perish because of lack of knowledge. It is One God. It is One King of Kings. It is One Creator. Nothing compares to that Creator. But the route through which you get to the Creator differs. I am a Christian, and I will still stand as a Christian. But as a traditional ruler, I have to embrace all religions. The depth of the stool of the Ooni lies with traditional heritage of God. I cannot shy away from that; it is not possible. But if God gives you the innermost depth of understanding, you can see between the lines, the grey areas, the dotted lines and connect it, and realise that it is the same thing across board absolutely the same thing. But Christians would want to say I am better than Moslems and Moslems would want to say I am better than Christians. Traditional worshippers would want to say I am better than the others. The oldest religion is Traditional Religion. Christianity and Islam came from it.
Our progenitor, Oduduwa, has a strong link with the world of Islam. The Yoruba people that left Ife during the Third Dynasty of Ife (we have three dynasties) built Mecca the linage of Nimrod. They migrated to Mecca from here and came back to Ife, the source of mankind.
So in terms of religion, everything is inter-woven. If you have that innermost depth of understanding, you will see the similarities. To the glory of God, traditional belief has to do with nature. Everything we use is nature-based. Who can survive without nature? Its not possible. What do we use (in traditional religious ceremonies?) Water, chicken, goat all nature-based. What do Christians use during Christmas? Chicken. What do Moslems use during Ileya? Ram. What do the traditional believers use? Chicken, Ram the same thing.
But they will say one is fetish. How? Are they not using the same natural things the other religions use? So if you have that innermost depth of understanding, you will be able to decipher that it is One God; that it is One King of Kings; that it is One Allah; that it is One Lord. The King of Kings is the Lord of Lords. And you have to be Christ-like behave like Christ and follow the ways of the Lord Almighty holiness, holiness all the way.
You can be a Christian and not be holy. On the other hand, you can be holy without being a Christian. Jesus Christ was not a Christian. He wasnt born a Christian. It was when his disciples started preaching about Him and started behaving like Him that they were called Christians first in Antioch. So Jesus Christ was not a Christian, but He was holy. So, it is possible for you not to be a Christian but holy. You can also be a Christian and be holy at the same time.
So, it doesnt affect my religion. We just had the Aje Festival. Some people may believe it is fetish, but it is not. What did we use? Salt. Who does not eat salt? It is one of the sweet things in this world. Its part of your life and existence. Too much of it is bad. But if you dont eat salt at all, you cant survive. (We used) sugar, honey, and dove. We all know dove to be a very peaceful bird clean and peaceful bird. We used white doves.
The dove is even a symbol of the Holy Spirit in the Bible
Exactly! You see what I am saying. The dove is a symbol of the Holy Spirit for many churches. I held unto doves today. And some people would say I am fetish. What else did I use? So, it is a very sensitive discussion but it is one of my callings on the throne for me to let people know that we are all interwoven. It is One God. So gradually, we will get there.
They also call our ancestors idol worshippers; that they are fetish people. I dont belong to that school of thought. So it is a work in progress. We cant know it all today. Gradually, we will get there.
Your Highness, permit us to go back in history. We are still fascinated with that Ooni from your family, Derin Ologbenla, who reigned 124 years ago (1880-1894). As a custodian of the peoples history, have you heard story of any spectacular thing about him? Perhaps the traditional seers may have said you are a re-incarnation of Derin Ologbenla, you know?
Absolutely! Derin Ologbenla, one of my forebears, one of my ancestors, my blood Ologbenla Ayamoparakogi, Osokoetutu, Osokoakoko.
What does that mean? It means he was a very powerful king who ruled Ife remotely. Nobody in the history of this nation ever ruled this nation in a remote manner. He lived in Oke-Igbo for 14 years. Before then, he was the Balogun to one of the Oonis.
I am Ojaja II. Ojaja I was Ooni of Ife for three years before Derin Ologbonla came. So my family ruled 124 years ago, and ruled 127 years ago. One hundred and twenty seven years ago till 124 years ago, Ojaja I (Ojaja Oraigba) ruled and Derin Ologbenla took over. Derin Ologbenla was like a father to Ojaja I. He trained him. And the father of Ojaja I was Ooni Krumbusu. Ooni Krumbusu passed on, then Ojaja I became Ooni of Ife for three years. Then another family member, a blood member, Derin Ologbenla became Ooni of Ife for 14 years. And Derin Ologbenla and Ooni Krumbusu were blood brothers.
So whats my point? I am a student of history. I am very passionate about history. My name is Enitan the child that was actually brought forth with a lot of mysteries and histories behind him that is the meaning of my name. So, I have a lot of similarities with my ancestors, no doubt. Our root is Oke-Igbo. It is part of Ife. I still go there. That time, they were fighting wars. But this time around, we are no longer fighting wars; what we are fighting now are intellectual wars.
My ancestor, Derin Ologbenla used to disappear a lot at the warfront. And he never lost a battle. He was a very powerful king you have never seen that kind of power in the history of Yorubaland, and the history of the world. He was very powerful, very on point, never lost a single battle in those days.
Ife is known not to capture and conquer territories. Ife has always been a much secured ancestral home. We dont build Empires. But when push comes to shove, everybody runs back to Ife to come and save the day for them. The king system in Benin started from Ife. The king system in Oyo started from Ife. Those were major Empires in the entire black race powerful Empires. And in Yoruba land, weve had three dynasties: the 1st Dynasty is Ife Odaye. The 2nd is Ife Oyelagbo, and the 3rd is Ife Yoruba, that is Oduduwa.
So, I am in the 3rd Dynasty. I am actually the 51st Ooni of Ife in the 3rd Dynasty. Weve had three clear dynasties and those dynasties were the end of different worlds. The 3rd Dynasty was when the language changed. And that has been the source of the mix-up, when people say we are superior to this and this people. But no, we are not talking about superiority here. At some point, the world converged at a point: it has been proven scientifically that everybody came out of Africa, and where in Africa? tropical Africa. Where is the heart of tropical Africa? Yoruba land.
So I know history to a large extent, as far as the history of Ife kingdom and the history of my direct ancestors are concerned. So for me, it is intellectual war war to better the lot of the youths of this country and the entire black race, a war of emancipation, economic emancipation and youth emancipation. And for us to progress in all ramifications, thats the kind of war I am reincarnated to fight.
Talking about emancipation, Your Royal Majesty, when the people are afflicted with hunger, diseases, or with some other social and economic problems, they run to their king for solution. Nigeria as a country now is afflicted. What can you do with your influence to deliver the land and the people?
Thank you very much. Our problem is very simple. The sooner we know that, the better for us. We have forgotten our roots, our heritage, our culture, and our tradition. We cant survive without our heritage and culture. It is not possible. Look at the history of any nation. There is no nation in this world that has grown outside its heritage, tradition and culture there is no such nation. Go and read the history of the world if you are passionate about history. Which nation has grown outside its heritage and culture and tradition? You cant grow on borrowed culture. You cant grow on borrowed heritage; that is the major problem we have. That is our fundamental problem as a nation. And we are in a country of diversified culture, very diverse. And that should be our strength, but we are not tapping into our strength.
As a result, we are not catering for the youths who are the future of our country. Seventy per cent of the population of Nigeria is youth. What programme does the government have for them? Who is giving them sense of direction? Who is mentoring them, and what is the best way to mentor youths? Its through cultural heritage and tradition.
People cannot differentiate between culture, tradition, and religion. You cant mentor people through religion. Religion is dogmatic, it is one-way. It is not diverse. Culture is very diverse. Culture will teach you to prostrate like this, kneel down like this; it will teach you to say good morning, good afternoon, good night. Culture will teach you to wash your clothes in a particular way, clean the house in a particular way. That is the heritage; that is your culture.
But religion is very one-sided. It does not preach that diversity. And that is a mistake. We go to churches and mosques in this country more (than other people) and pray more (than other people). But we have abandoned our culture, our roots. So the solution to our problem is very simple we need to go back to the basics our culture. We need to understand that our strength is our culture, our diversity. We need to use our culture to mentor our youths. The sooner we know this, the better for our country.
We are just sitting on a keg of gunpowder, because Nigerian youths are getting wilder and wilder every day. Seventy per cent of our people are youths, and we are not even talking about birth control. Every weekend you will be getting invitations for weddings, and after wedding, children will come. Nobody is talking about these things. So it is about time we used our culture, heritage and tradition to mould and mentor the up-coming ones.
In the Yoruba traditional political structure, there was the Alafin (political head), Iya Loja, Balogun, etc. It was a neatly arranged political structure, and even economic structure, and everything worked neatly. Are you saying that success will come to us as a country if we return to those traditional political and socio-economic rhythms?
That is exactly what I am saying! Look, the Yoruba, for instance, are the first to smelt steel. We are the first in bronze casting. It has been proven. Even the Greeks and the Romans placed the Yoruba bronze and the Greeks and Romans bronze side by side and they said the Yorubas are the best and oldest. This is known all over the world. This is how it was when we used to be together all the way to Benin.
Bronze casting started from Ife, and we taught everybody all over the world. Benin as an Empire used palm oil to generate electricity electricity, which we are now crying that we dont have. Oyo Empire was known to be the best in terms of governance, political and military might. And Ife was the ancestral heritage; it is like a spiritual hub for the race.
And we lived together and we were the best in the world, not only here. There was nothing like Nigeria then. The colonial masters came and learned all those things from us. They realised we had a structure.
How did we do it? It was by upholding our heritage, culture and tradition. And we were able to grow. Ring roads and roundabouts had been made in Benin many centuries ago. We first did pavement of roads in the 5th and 6th centuries. Paving of roads was started by a female Luwogbagada! She started pavement of roads, solid roads. And we are still doing pavement of roads till date.
How did they do it in the 4th, 5th, and 6th centuries? We were even doing it years Before Christ (BC). We had our structures. So where did we get it wrong? It was when we started borrowing other peoples cultures, and look at where it has landed us.
Kabiyesi, we learnt you have lent your support to the demand for a restructured Nigeria.
Yes I belong to that school of thought. Thats the way forward.
But in a situation where those in custody of Nigerias guns and bombs do not want a restructured Nigeria, what should we do?
Well, I am not a politician. I am a natural ruler; I am a monarch. I can only advise. Its a very political question. But what is ideal for us is for every region to focus on their comparative advantage. Competition is the best. You thrive in a healthy competition. If one region does better than the other regions, the other regions can come and borrow from that region. It is still Nigeria first. Nobody is saying it shouldnt be Nigeria. So let us create competitions in different regions.
Again, it worked before.
It worked before! It will work again! There is too much power at the center. Again I say: I am not a politician. I can only advise.
Lets talk about arts (and culture). The Tutu fever is all over the world now, and the source of that painting is this kingdom. How do you feel about it?
It is among the riches from us to the world. It is among our rich heritage now in the hands of the Western world. That masterpiece emanated from this kingdom several decades ago. And it has been scheduled for auction. They should credit us. They should credit the Ademiluyi family. The Ademiluyi family is a very reputable family all over the world; they should carry them along.
Yes, the Princess Tutu painting is buzzing everywhere. I will advise them not to do things in isolation. Let them come to the Palace and ask questions. We still have our links and records. It is a family tree. We have four ruling families and I belong to one. We can easily link it up. As Yoruba people would say: Okun O ki gun gun, ko ma nibi ti o ti wa (a rope cannot be so long that it will be endless and you wont know where it came from).
Would you like the Tutu painting to return to your Palace?
Not necessarily. But it will be good if they carry the royal institution along. Let them give us that credit. It is important. We should not, and will not struggle for such credit. We belong to the lineage of kingship monarchy. And its time for all of us to redefine that and hold unto things that belong to us.
Your Highness, The Ife Grand Resort & Leisure which you are building here in Ile-Ife is a huge investment in the countrys tourism industry. Could you let us in on the things going on in the project?
As you can see, domestic tourism in Nigeria has very huge potentials. Tourism is about movement. You (OSA AMADI and Chris Onuoha) have come to Ife now from Vanguard in Lagos. It is part of tourism. You have moved. You might see something you like in Ife and it will make you decide to stay forever. It happens. Some would just go for a tourism trip and meet their wives or future husbands and they decide to settle down there.
So, domestic tourism in Nigeria is very huge. But if you are not comfortable, you wont have that feeling to come back. So we need to create the environment, the good ambience required for them to come back. By the time you get there (at the Ife Grand Resort), you will understand what we are trying to do. Ife is the source of mankind we have our facts. Some might dispute it. But truth is constant. We have a lot of archeological facts, physical material facts, to back it up.
People need to come and check all these things. But they need to be comfortable when they come. So, thats the reason the Ife Grand Resort came to be, and so far, so good. When you get there, you wont believe it. Its Pan-African, very Pan-Nigerian. Everything we use there is indigenous.
Sir, could you talk a bit about the Aje Festival?
The Aje Festival is a festival of wealth and prosperity. What do we celebrate? We celebrate prosperity, and we use peaceful animal and nature to celebrate it. Its very important. Every human being wants to prosper in life. So we have to pray for the nation. Pray for this town. Pray for the entire Yoruba race. It has never failed us, and it will never fail us. Last year when we had the festival, we prayed and we told the entire media world that within the next seven days, dollar will crash. It happened. It was recorded. We have the same festival every 3rd Monday in the month of February.
Last year when we had it, the rising of dollar against naira was alarming. There was a lot of tension in Nigeria, and we said to everyone: let us go back to our festival of wealth. And we celebrated it big time. And we said; let us pray for this country. We want dollar to come down. We prayed and the next Thursday, it started dropping. Today, dollar is between 350 and 360 naira. Thats the black market. The official rate is about 300 or something like that.
So these things work, very clearly. And some people will say we are fetish. This time around, this year again, we have prayed. The vibes of Nigerian investment hasnt been very good. A lot of foreign investments, even local investments are not hooked up to the economy. There is so much tension in the land. We have prayed: Let investment flow in this country. Go and write it down again: within the next two or three months in Nigeria, you will see the body language of the world towards Nigerian investment. You will see everything start to boom markets, proceeds from agriculture, domestic investments; things will change because we want our youths to be empowered. So it is like a vicious cycle. So I believe it will definitely happen.
Kabiyesi, before we met you today, we had a different notion about you
What notion did you have about me?
Your Highness, we had expected to meet a king sitting on a very high throne; a king who would not allow anyone to come near him. But your simplicity and your ability to make people relax in your presence are amazing. You have a mysterious way of disarming everyone with your kindness. How did you become like this?
Can anything be greater than God the Almighty? Can anything be greater than the King of Kings? For the mere fact that God puts you in a position, you should not forget your Creator and where you are coming from. It is not by your power or might. So, we should try as much as possible to live a simple life. Put love first. Love people. Care for them. The greatest commandment of God, both in Islam and Christianity, is love. Peace, Love, Peace.
How many people have you made to smile today? It is not money all the time. Have you made some people to smile? Have you made them to laugh? You dont know the good you have done to people by just making them to laugh. So, I like to live a very simple life. Simplicity is my watchword. As a spiritual leader of the Yoruba race, to the glory of God, I dont joke with my spirituality. Simplicity is my watchword. Thank you.
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Home | News | General | Jonathan didnt want to be YarAduas running mate Ahmadu Ali
Over the years, different narratives of how ex-President Goodluck Jonathan became running mate to late President Musa YarAdua in the 2007 elections, have surfaced.
Ahmadu Ali, National Chairman of Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, at the time, has given his version of the story in an authorised biography.
Ex-President Goodluck Jonathan and late president, Alhaji Umaru Musa YarAdua
According to the book, Jonathan initially turned down the offer of vice-president because he was more comfortable being governor of Bayelsa State.
There had been a planned 24-hour delay in naming YarAdaus running mate after the nomination convention.
The name Peter Odili, then governor of Rivers State, had been tabled before YarAdua but the then Katsina governor was not well disposed to it.
According to Ali, the vacuum led to intense intrigues among PDP governors, forcing then President Olusegun Obasanjo to summon YarAdau for an emergency meeting.
He said as soon as YarAdua arrived, Obasanjo told him without any preamble: Now, name your running mate, now, now. We dont have 24 hours.
Ali said Obasanjo immediately sent for Jonathan, adding that when he (Jonathan) arrived a little later, the President said we have summoned you here to offer to you the position of Vice President. What do you think?
He said Jonathan was stunned, since he was obviously not expecting this and had not remotely considered the possibility. He said Jonathan opened his mouth as if to say something but that nothing came out of it.
He said the president, seeing his discomfiture, added helpfully, This decision was taken after a long process. We just want to know what your opinion is.
Finally, Jonathan found voice, although he was disconcerted by this development as if proposing to his sweetheart.
Well, Jonathan began tentatively, if I had a choice, I would prefer to remain as governor. I know the job. I know where I stopped. But this VPI dont know what it entails.
After a look of disapproval from the chairman and the president, he added quickly, but if you want me to serve in that position, I accept.
YarAdua turned to Jonathan and asked him, Would you like to be my running mate?
Yes sir, he replied.
Obasanjo turned to the chairman and said, Amadu, take him to my parlour. The television crew are on their way for a press conference. You and Chief Anenih should stand on either side of him and let him announce the name of his running mate.
The biography, entitled, The many colours of a rainbow: A biography of Senator Amadu Adah Ali by Gideon Tseja, a professor, will be launched in Abuja on Thursday to mark Alis 82nd birthday.
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Home | News | General | Steer clear of OML11, Ogonis warn RoboMichael, SPDC
By Davies Iheamnachor
PORT HARCOURTThe Ogoni ethnic nationality at their General Assembly, has warned RoboMichael Nigerian Limited, Shell Petroleum Development Company, SPDC and Nigerian Petroleum Development Company, NPDC, to steer clear the Oil Mining Lease, OML11, adding that the call was in the interest of peace.
The assembly which was convened weekend in Bori, Khana Local Government Area of Rivers State, by Ken Saro-Wiwa Associates, KSWA, also noted that Ogoni stakeholders were not opposed to the resumption of oil exploration in the area.
In a communique by Teeh Kabari, Chairman, Communique Drafting Committee and adopted at the meeting, the assembly urged the Federal Government not to renew the licence it issued SPDC to operate OML11, adding that Shell must accept and apologise to Ogoni people for their complicity in human rights violation in the area.
The communique read in part: The Ogoni people are not opposed to oil production in Ogoniland but RoboMichael Nigerian Limited, NPDC, SPDC, should steer clear of Ogoni land in the interest of peace.
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Home | News | General | Conference on African origins heralds new beginning
By Chris Onuoha
The month of February has witnessed series of activities including the celebration of Black consciousness. It is a month the Americans declared as special with a holiday to remember prominent black figures that did marvelously well to put in print the image of black people in America and across the globe called Black History Month.
*From left: His Royal Majesty, King Jaja of Opobo, King Dandeson Douglas Jaja V; Chief Eduhu Obasoke rep Oba of Benin;His Imperial Majesty, Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Enitan Babatunde Ogunwusi, Ojaja II and His Royal Majesty, Attah of of Igala, His Royal Majesty, Dr. Michael Ameh Oboni at the event. Photo: Chris Onuoha.
Subsequently, other activities are carried out in tandem with the vision of Black African celebration. As a sequel to this, a special gathering of black conscious minds was held at the MUSON Centre in Lagos to chart a new course for identification of true origin of Africans with the theme: Conference on African origins: New scientific evidence on origins of Nigerian peoples.
The House of Oduduwa, Genetics Society of Nigeria and Adulawo Media deemed it wise and initiated the move especially at this time in history when economic, social and political values in Africa is questionable. Strife and disunity among Africans have raised concerns that prompted historians to look inwards to untangle where and how the challenges started and proffer solutions to the situation ravaging African countries.
The Conference on African Origins is the beginning of an extensive public awareness programme to enlighten and empower the Black African race with its true genetic and cultural history. At this all important conference, royal fathers, traditional rulers and the general public trooped in to be part of this history-making event.
The roll call of prominent citizens in no particular order include His Imperial Majesty, Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Enitan Babatunde Ogunwusi, Ojaja II; His Royal Majesty, King Jaja of Opobo, King Dandeson Douglas Jaja V; Attah of of Igala, His Royal Majesty, Dr. Michael Ameh Oboni. Others are Oba of Benin, His Royal Majesty, Omo NOba NEdo, Uku Akpolokpolo, Oba Ewuare II, represented by High Chief Eduhu Obasoke; Obi of Onitsha, His Royal Majesty, Igwe Nnaemeka Alfred Ugochukwu Achebe, represented by Chief Nnia Nwodo, President-General, Ohaneze Ndi Igbo and others.
Starting off the symposium, an incisive and lengthy lecture delivered by Professor E.H Kwon Ndung, President, Genetic Society of Nigeria, focused on the true nature of black history and its affinity with civilisation.
In the second lecture by Professor Agbakoba from University of Nigeria Nsukka, his theories were also based on the black race of Nigeria. He dwelt extensively on Christianity and modernity as it has affected Africans. With a citation of Ali Mazruis theory, he recognised various descents of Africa in the evolutionary trend. He talked about the traditional way of genetics knowledge system of traditional society. He also expatiated on Igba Agu and Ibia Uwa within Igbo traditional evolutionary trend, saying it is different from reincarnation.
In his explanation, he disclosed that similarities between Afa and Ifa are very obvious as basic words used by both tribes, Igbo and Yoruba, are the same to an extent. His analysis was based on basic similarities that united the indigenous people of Africa. In conclusion, he said we have huge communalities in Africa, advising that we cannot throw away things that have come to us but to combine and utilise them for our benefit.
The convener, Prince Justice Faloye, took time out to explain the essence of convening the all-important conference. At first, he clarified the origins of the original Africans and Afro-Asian Africans. Western Academia prefers to say we come from East Africa which is not true. With graphic illustrations of the true identity of the peoples evolutionary trend, archeology is not a uniform tool to determine the true identity of a race. There was an argument that Yoruba has the oldest deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) in the black history which has been proved to an extent, Justice argued.
Culture is the way we do things while politics is how we do things and so on. He vehemently argued over many assumptions of origins of various people of Africa, saying that 70 per cent of Nigerians are original Africans. Early Africans are made up of real statue figures and pygmies living among us today. Our culture in all has an underlined platform. For the fact that we have not defended our culture, it takes us backwards according to western assertions. But it is not so because computer has computed what was fused into it for that period. He also said we need to understand they dont want us to unite.
His Imperial Majesty, Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi, in his short address to the audience inspired a feeling of newness, rebirth, and self-consciousness. Above all, he chanted one strong slogan that reverberated with applause from the elated audience: United we Stand, Divided we fall. With several repetition of that slogan, the atmosphere was charged.
What I want to say is its time for us to unite and be one and speak with one voice. Socially, we the aborigines have a lot of similarities in our culture, tradition and heritage. Let us put supremacy aside. We have common ancestral background and common ancestors and it is very evident. United we stand, divided we fall.
Supporting the Ooni of Ifes ideological statement, the Attah of Igala, His Royal Majesty, Dr. Michael Ameh Oboni, called the gathering a new beginning. This is the beginning of the beginning for us the black people. Recalling history, Nigeria spent a lot of money celebrating the black festival called FESTAC. I know of a colloquium held at that time when I was young, something as important as this was not on discourse then.
We succeeded in conquering our territories and lived in peace. But when the colonial masters came, we became divided and remained divided since then. We should retrace our steps. It is better late than never. Black man has suffered and we should not continue to suffer.
I am leaving here with my head held high. Do you know that according to the speakers assertion of two types of people that make up the black African descents, in my place in Igala land, we have pygmies in one of the local government areas? They live in the forest and speak Igala language with their agricultural equipment like ours. This conference is very vital for the survival of black man and should be held biannually because our salvation lies in this.
His Royal Majesty, Jaja of Opobo, King Dandeson Douglas Jaja V, equally brought to the fore vital issues that need to be looked into in the study of history in our schools. What I came in here to hear about the DNA and origin of black man is quite fascinating. I will leave this hall with the impression that our people are taking the bull by the horn. We are now taking our destiny in our hands, trying to find our roots, our origin and I think that is the best thing we can do now. According to what my friend, Ooni of Ife just said, nobody can tell or talk about our history better than ourselves. It is very clear that Western historians who came into Nigeria came with a purpose to promote their own identity and play down on ours.
This is the best thing we are doing now to promote our culture, our homogeneity and to try as much as possible so that we have come of age and do things for ourselves. Let us try to convince the government that a country without history has nowhere to go to. When you let people to tell you about your history, they will tell it the way they like. History is no more taught in schools. Most of us who read history of Nigeria in school have something to tell about our people but some young people currently do not know or have anything to tell about our history now. We should all come together and tell the government that Civic Science introduced in schools cannot replace history subject that history as a subject must come back. I hope that this lecture could be put together as a compendium to serve as history book for others to learn from.
These, among other comments made by various speakers who represented other guests, all focused on re-awakening the black consciousness and correcting the black mans understanding of his origin.
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Borno State Governor, Kashim Shettima on Sunday paid sympathy visit to Governor Ibrahim Gaidam in Yobe State.
He came with a message meant to strengthen his host following recent attacks on Government Girls Science Technical College (GGSTC), Dapchi, headquarters of Bursari local government area in Yobe State, where schoolgirls are suspected to have been abducted.
Shettima said during his visit that the unfortunate incident in Dapchi reminds him of conspiracy theories regarding the Chibok abduction, cautioning that politicians should learn a lesson on the need to separate politics from issues of security.
Your Excellency (Gov. Gaidam), I have been in your shoes since 2014 when schoolgirls were abducted in Chibok. I know exactly how you feel. When our daughters were abducted in Chibok, only God understood how I felt and I can imagine how you also feel, and the trauma you are going through.
The parents of these girls would always look up to you with hope in the midst of agony. I know you are pained but I also believe that insha Allah, these girls will be rescued very soon. It is unfortunate that we have faced yet another abduction but that only reminds us about the difficulties of fighting insurgency.
LOftentimes, they strike where you least expect. Before Boko Haram attacked Chibok, that Chibok had the least threat of Boko Haram in the northeast. No one expected them to even think about Chibok because it a mostly Christian community where Boko Haram was hardly an issue there. If the parents thought Chibok wasnt safe, I dont think they would allow their children to be there.
Of course, as Government we wouldnt dare do so. In the same vein, I dont think anyone ever expected an attack in Dapchi. This incident however, reminds all of us not only in Borno and Yobe but perhaps across the northern Nigeria to be on guard.
I think the difference between the Chibok incident and this one, is that the Federal Government didnt react in denial, doubt or formed a conspiracy theory.
The Federal Government assumed responsibility which we hope will lead to rescue of the schoolgirls.
When schoolgirls were abducted in Chibok, some people said there was no abduction because Borno was in the opposition.
Those who admitted there was abduction, came up with a conspiracy theory that the APC leaders perpetuated it in order to win the 2015 elections.
Now, this abduction took place in an APC controlled State under an APC led federal government. What this reminds us, in very painful way, I should add, is that as political actors, we should learn to separate politics from issues of security. Human lives are very precious in the sight of Allah, Shettima said.
The Governor said he was in Yobe not only as Governor of Borno but also to represent the Northern Governors Forum.
I am here as Governor of a sister State, because Borno and Yobe are like siamese twins; what affects Yobe invariably affects Borno.
I am also here as representative of the Northern Governors Forum. I am used to traveling all the way to the south to represent our forum over sensitive issues, particularly on security.
I felt it would be an irony if I go to far places and I dont come to neighboring Yobe State at a time like this. Your Excellency (Gaidam), our colleagues have mandated me to tell you that we stand by you at this difficult time.
We share the grief of parents whose daughters are affected by this unfortunate incident. They are not their daughters alone, they are our daughters as well.
I know that Your Excellency has been supportive of the military over the years with other security establishments in the State. I know you are working closely with them to have this resolved.
This period requires us to be stronger, more united and more focused. We should remain in prayers with a strong hope that these girls are rescued as quickly as possible.
We should remain in prayers that insha Allah, insha Allah enduring Peace will return to Yobe, Borno, Adamawa, the entire north and Nigeria. I am an eternal optimist. I see optimism in Your Excellency every day. I believe that these trying phases shall pass, inshaAllah. Bi iznillah, Yobe and Borno will gain lasting Peace, tranquillity and prosperity and this, we pray and hope, will happen soon, Shettima said.
Over the years, different narratives of how ex-President Goodluck Jonathan became running mate to late President Musa YarAdua in the 2007 elections, have surfaced.
Ahmadu Ali, national chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) at the time, has given his own version of the story in an authotised biography.
According to excerpts published in THISDAY, Jonathan initially turned down the offer of vice-president because he was more comfortable being governor of Bayelsa state.
YarAdua would later die three years into his first term and Jonathan automatically became president, going on to rule the country for five years in total.
There had been a planned 24-hour delay in naming YarAdaus running mate after the nomination convention.
The name Peter Odili, then-governor of Rivers state, had been tabled before YarAdua but the then-Katsina governor was not well disposed to it.
The vacuum led to intense intrigues among PDP governors, Ali revealed, forcing then-President Olusegun Obasanjo to summon YarAdau for an emergency meeting.
As soon as YarAdua arrived, Obasanjo told him without any preamble: Now, name your running mate, now, now. We dont have twenty four hours.
Goodluck Jonathan, he said without hesitation. He had obviously thought about it or tutored to mention the name.
Immediately, they sent for Jonathan.
When Jonathan arrived a little later, the president said, We have summoned you here to offer to you the position of Vice President. What do you think?
Jonathan was stunned. He was obviously not expecting this and had not remotely considered the possibility. He opened his mouth as if to say something but nothing came out.
The president seeing his discomfiture added helpfully, This decision was taken after a long process. We just want to know what your opinion is.
Finally, Jonathan found voice, although he was disconcerted by this development as if proposing to his sweetheart.
Well, Jonathan began tentatively, If I had a choice, I would prefer to remain as governor. I know the job. I know where I stopped. But this VPI dont know what it entails. After a look of disapproval from the chairman and the president, he added quickly, but if you want me to serve in that position, I accept.
YarAdua turned to Jonathan and asked him, Would you like to be my running mate?
Yes sir.
Obasanjo turned to the chairman and said, Amadu, take him to my parlour. The television crew are on their way for a press conference. You and Chief Anenih should stand on either side of him and let him announce the name of his running mate.
WHY WAS THE DECISION RUSHED?
According to Alis biography, Obasanjo got wind of plan by the partys governors to hijack the VP position and quickly moved to stop the plot.
Ali said in the book that he, Obasanjo and Tony Anenih, a former PDP board of trustees chairman, had considered Jonathan to replace Peter Odili, former governor of Rivers, to contest the election alongside YarAdua, after the partys governors rejected Odili.
YarAdua, who was not comfortable with the choice of Odili as his running mate, was reported to have said in reaction: Thank you sir, but I would request
But Ali cut him short, saying You request what? The party produced you and the party will also produce the VP! thundered the chairman.
Obasanjo, who was present at the unfolding of the drama, asked Ali to give YarAdua time to digest the news.
But Ali said there was no time, and directed YarAdua to write his acceptance speech and include Odilis name in it.
The book said Obasanjo later got wind of the governors plan to influence the choice of the candidate for vice-president, and quickly arranged a meeting for YarAdua to announce his candidate on national television.
Amadu, come quick! Come, please and dont argue. Quick, quick!, Obasanjo was quoted to have said.
We must act quickly or the governors will hijack this thing. Anenih is on his way and I have already summoned YarAdua. If he hasnt thought of a running mate, then we must impose one on him.
The biography, titled The many colours of a rainbow: A biography of Senator Amadu Adah Ali by Gideon Tseja, a professor, will be launched in Abuja on Thursday to mark Alis 82nd birthday.
An aide to the National Chairman of All Progressives Congress, APC, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, Mr Sunny Idahagbon, has described the letter written by the partys National Leader, Asiwaju Ahmed Tinubu, to President Muhammadu Buhari as unfortunate, noting that the said letter was supposed to be a private one but was leaked to the media.
Asiwaju Tinubu was said to have claimed in the letter to the President that the partys National Chairman was frustrating his peace efforts in the reconciliation of aggrieved party members.
However, Idahagbon, said that Chief Oyegun held the APC National Leader in high esteem, adding that he shouldnt have leaked the letter to the media which made it a public issue instead of passing information privately to Mr. President.
He said: Such public issues do not really bug Chief Odigie-Oyegun, rather they make him strong and focused on issues bordering on the economic enhancement of the country.
Remember, the NEC of APC recently passed a vote of confidence in Chief Odigie-Oyegun which is an indication that he is piloting the affairs of the party very well. The only thing I observed from my boss is that people like Ahmed Tinubu are not too comfortable with Oyegun due to his total loyalty to the President, he said.
He said Chief Odigie-Oyegun cannot be accused of misappropriation of funds, either as a Permanent Secretary, as a governor or as National Chairman of the party.
Ibrahim Gaidam, Yobe governor, says the withdrawal of troops from Dapchi paved way for an attack on the Government Girls Science Technical College in the town.
The governor said soldiers were withdrawn from Dapchi barley a week before the insurgents struck.
Gaidam said this on Sunday when he received Kashim Shettima, his Borno state counterpart, in Damaturu, the state capital.
A total of 110 students of the school are reportedly missing after the insurgents attacked the town last week.
I blame the whole attack on Dapchi on the military and the defence headquarters who withdrew troops from Dapchi, Gaidam said.
The attack occurred barely a week after the military withdrew the soldiers from there.
Before then, Dapchi has been peaceful, there was never such incident. But just a week after they withdrew the troops, Boko Haram came to attack the town.
When I met the theater commander on why the military where withdrawn, he said they have shortage of manpower. To me, it is not an excuse because its duty bound for the FG to recruit and bridge the gap.
He likened the incident to a Boko Haram attack on Federal Government College, Buni Yadi, also in Yobe, during which some students were killed.
He said if the troops were on ground, both attacks would not have occurred.
The governor said: Let me be quoted anywhere, the military must take blame for the attack on Dapchi.
The same thing happened in 2013 when the military suddenly removed troops guarding the town and a week later Boko Haram went there to attack the town and the secondary school there killing 29 students.
President Muhammadu Buharis Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina has spoken on when the President will visit Government School in Dapchi where 111 girls were abducted by Boko Haram.
Adesina speaking on Channels Tv said Buhari is the president of the nation and would visit Yobe when the need arose.
He stated that there was no need at the moment for the president to visit the state as the two delegates sent by the president would report back to him on the development.
The attack should not have never happened after what the country experienced in Chibok but the best thing to do now that it has happened is how do we redress it and that is what government is working at.
I want to appeal to parents of those young girls to bear with the government and trust that the government will do the needful to bring them back.
The president is the father of the nation,he can visit anywhere at anytime
If anyone is enjoying that Nigeria has dropped (in the anti-corruption war) it is not just the government, its also the people.
The delegations will bring reports, if he needs to go he will. He can go anywhere when he needs to go.
The president can visit anywhere at anytime as soon as its needful, Adesina said
The federal government earlier confirmed that 110 students of the Government Science and Technical College in Dapchi, Yobe State are missing.
Home | News | General | Oyegun's aide blames Tinubu for leaking letter to Buhari
- An aide to the national chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has accused Bola Tinubu of leaking his supposed private letter to President Buhari
- Sunny Idahagbon described the action as unfortunate
- He said John Oyegun held Tinubu in high esteem
An aide to the national chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), John Oyegun, has described the letter written by the national leader of the party, Bola Tinubu, to President Muhammadu Buhari as unfortunate.
Sunny Idahagbon said the letter was supposed to be a private one but was leaked by the national leader and his team.
While stating that the letter should not have been leaked to the media, Oyegun's aide said his principal held Tinubu in high esteem.
READ ALSO: Man stabs 4 children to death, takes own life over wife's infidelity
Idahagbon: Such public issues do not really bug Chief Odigie-Oyegun, rather they make him strong and focused on issues bordering on the economic enhancement of the country.
Remember, the NEC of APC recently passed a vote of confidence in Chief Odigie-Oyegun which is an indication that he is piloting the affairs of the party very well.
The only thing I observed from my boss is that people like Ahmed Tinubu are not too comfortable with Oyegun due to his total loyalty to the President, Idahagbon said.
READ ALSO: JAMB begins mock examination, warns candidates against cheating
He added that Oyegun cannot be accused of misappropriation of funds, either as a permanent secretary, as a governor or national chairman of the APC.
NAIJ.com earlier reported that a chieftain of the APC, Sam Nkire, had warned both parties to stop exposing the party flaws in public.
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Nkire urged Tinubu and Oyegun never to resort to washing the party's dirty linen the media.
He said such actions by the parties who are at loggerheads would only strengthen the opposition.
EXCLUSIVE: Be patient with President Buhari, Femi Adesina tells Nigerians on NAIJ.com TV
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Source: Naija.ng
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Home | News | General | Former chief of army refunds N1.7bn to EFCC
-Gen. Kenneth Minimah (retd), a former Chief of Army Staff, has refunded about N1.7 billion to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC)
- The money is believed to be part of the $2.1 billion allegedly misappropriated by the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) under Col. Sambo Dasuki (rtd)
- The Presidential Committee on Audit of Defence Equipment Procurement (CADEP) had uncovered irregularities in the procurement and award of contracts in the army during Minimahs tenure
A former Chief of Army Staff, Gen. Kenneth Minimah (retd) has refunded about N1.7 billion believed to be part of the $2.1 billion allegedly misappropriated by the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) under Col. Sambo Dasuki (rtd) to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), The Nation reports.
NAIJ.com gathered that Minimah, who was the army chief from January 2014 to July 2015, returned the money following an extensive investigation by the anti-graft agency on the report and recommendations of the Presidential Committee on Audit of Defence Equipment Procurement (CADEP).
During Minimahs tenure CADEP had uncovered irregularities in the procurement and award of contracts in the army and suspicious transactions in the accounts of the Defence Industry Corporation of Nigeria (DICON).
READ ALSO: Patience Jonathan drags 3 banks MDs to court
A top source, who spoke in confidence, said: We have interrogated Gen. Minimah and he has started refunding some funds. So far, he has refunded about N1.7billion in two tranches to the EFCC.
So far, he has cooperated with us and we are hopeful that he will still make more refunds, in line with some contracts awarded by the Army.
But we are likely to arraign another Chief of Army Staff and some ex-military officers in court soon following the conclusion of a comprehensive investigation on them. We are expecting relevant advice from our legal unit.
About 42 units of Armoured Personnel Carrier(APC) which was uncovered by the panel and was rejected by Iraq were later sold to Nigeria to fight Boko Haram insurgents.
It added: The Committee observed that one of the new equipment SEI procured for the Nigerian Army from Ukraine was BTR-4E APC.
However, according to the Ukraines State Enterprise Lviv Armour Repair Plant, the designers of the equipment, some of the products sold to Nigeria in 2014 were actually among 42 units designed for Iraq which subsequently rejected them due to poor performance rating.
The Nigerian Army did not also undertake the mandatory pre-shipment inspections provided for in the contract agreements. Instead, the NA deployed an Infantry officer, who lacked the technical knowledge to assess the capabilities and shortcomings of the equipment, to oversee the shipment of the items for the Nigerian Army from Ukraine.
Additionally, the two weeks training availed the technicians and operators was inadequate for them to comprehend the technical workings of the newly introduced equipment.
The Committees interactions with the field operators revealed that although the platforms and ammunition procured by SEI were deployed for the NE operations, some of them were aged or expired, lacked spares and prone to breakdown without immediate recovery equipment.
Therefore, failure to carry out pre-shipment inspection and inadequate training resulted in procurement of some unreliable equipment that reduced the capacity of the Nigerian Army in the North East Operations and resulted in the loss of lives and equipment.
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According to an earlier report by NAIJ.com, an estate, belonging to a former Chief of Army Staff was reportedly seized by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
The estate, allegedly valued at over N4 billion was confiscated on account of the ongoing probe of the ex-Army Chief over $2.1 billion arms deals.
The estate, which contains more than 30 duplexes built to taste, has been placed under Interim Asset Forfeiture, The Nation reports.
The estate is said to be located between Jabi and Life Camp in Abuja and EFCC Keep Off sign has already been pasted on the estate.
The EFCC stage a walk against corruption on NAIJ.com TV.
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Source: Naija.ng
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Home | News | General | Lassa fever spreads to 17 states leading to 73 deaths; Ondo and Edo get hit harder
- The dreaded Lassa fever disease has spread to 17 states, with Ondo and Edo bearing 75 percent of the burden which has led to 73 deaths
- The disease is said to be spreading rapidly due to the high cost of ribavirin, the drug which is used for treatment when the virus is detected early
- The facilities in Edo and Ondo states are said to be overstretched; and the numbers are expected to rise further
17 states have been hit with the Lassa fever disease which has led to 73 deaths, with 913 suspected cases.
According to The Guardian, Edo and Ondo states have borne 75 percent of the burden.
READ ALSO: Police to use communications outfit to tackle herdsmen/farmers crisis - IGP Idris
NAIJ.com gathers that data published by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) showed that in just days (from 615 on February 13 to 913 on February 23), cases of the disease had skyrocketed to nearly 50 percent.
A major factor for the wide spread of the disease has been identified as the high cost of ribavirin, the anti-retroviral drug used to treat it, which costs N500, 000 per patient.
This means that in order to treat the 913 suspected cases, the federal government would need more than N456.5 million.
If given early in the course of clinical illness, ribavirin seems to be an effective treatment; however, there is currently no vaccine that protects against Lassa fever.
Accordingly, the only thing that can save patients lives is prompt detection and early onset of treatment.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has included the virus in its list of pathogens that pose the most urgent threat to human existence.
Reacting to the development, the national coordinator and chief executive officer of NCDC, Dr Chikwe Ihekweazu, said: The numbers are still increasing. We are doing everything possible to contain the situation.
The facilities in the two states with 75 per cent of the burden are overstretched; that is Irrua Specialist Hospital, Edo state, and Federal Medical Centre (FMC) Owo, Ondo. The situation is also bad in Ebonyi.
We have to focus on prevention; especially the health workers who are very vulnerable. They have to always use universal precaution.
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Meanwhile, NAIJ.com previously reported that the federal government, through the health minister, Professor Isaac Adewole, reportedly decried the alarming increase in the cases of Lassa fever across the country as he warned health workers to adhere to universal precautions.
Adewole said there were 77 recorded suspected cases of the disease in Nigeria as at January 2018, adding: 15 states are already affected while Edo state has the highest number of those people infected, followed by Ondo State and Bauchi state has the lowest number of those infected.
Speaking at the emergency national council on health meeting in Abuja, the minister lamented that this is the first time the country would witness such number of cases in the last 30 years.
What is working well and what needs improvement in Nigeria? - on NAIJ.com TV:
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Source: Naija.ng
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Home | News | General | Police nab 13 robbers in Niger
By Wole Mosadomi
Niger State Police Command has arrested 13 suspected robbers alleged to have been terrorising residents of Suleja and its environ.
The suspects, as gathered, had attacked residents of the area, including motorists plying the Suleja axis, dispossessing them of cash and other valuables.
Luck, however, ran against the gang after it attacked one Tuheed Isyaku of Lambata area of Gurara Local Government Area in his shop, during which they made away with his telephones, bags and other valuable items.
An alarm raised by the victim alerted some policemen on patrol, who went on the trail of the suspects.
The Commands Public Relations Officer, Muhammad Abubakar, told Vanguard that the suspects were eventually arrested from their different hideouts, based on a tip-off, adding that a total war had been declared against criminals in the state.
Identities of the arrested suspects are Saidu Kabiru, 21; Abubakar Sadiq, 22; Usman Ali, 20; Bala Abdullahi, 28; Lukman Abubakar, 25; Mohammed Mohammed, 21, and Hussaini Ibrahim, 21.
Others are Zaharadeen Adam, 19; Abdullahi Yahaya, 22; Aliyu Sani, 21; Abubakar Shehu, 20; Hassan Ibrahim, 21, and Abdulmalik Usman, 22.
According to commands imagemaker, Niger State Police Command has declared war on crime, with a view to reducing crime rate in the state; we urge the public to report any suspicious person to the nearest police station.
For the criminals, they have no hiding place, because the law will soon catch up with them and they will be dealt with.
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Home | News | General | Southern, Middle Belt leaders warn FG against state of emergency in Benue
call for probe of DSS allegation on herdsmens arms
By Dapo Akinrefon
THE Southern and Middle Belt Leaders Forum has warned the Federal Government against declaring a state of emergency in Benue State and also called for the arrest and prosecution of culprits in the killings in Benue and other places.
President Buhari meets Governor Ortom of Benue State.
The leaders made this known after a meeting of Southern and Middle Belt Leaders in Abuja.
The meeting had in attendance Chief E. K. Clark, who led the South-South delegation; Chief Ayo Adebanjo, at the head of South-West delegation; Chief John Nwodo, South-East, and Dr. Bala Takaya, Middle Belt.
The leaders reviewed events after its visit to Benue over the January 1 killings, expressing regret that President Muhammadu Buhari has not lived up to the expectations of his office by keeping mute on the killings, visiting neighbouring Nasarawa and Adamawa states, while ignoring Benue.
A communique
In a communique by Mr. Yinka Odumakin, the forum said it was disturbed by the allegation that soldiers drafted to Benue State under Operation Cat Dance, were allegedly circulating leaflets calling Tiv cattle rustlers, which clearly suggests that the operation is ostensibly meant to turn victims into villains and decimate their capacity for self-defence.
In its resolution, the leaders called on President Buhari to stop the killings in Benue and other parts of the country by disarming herdsmen and fishing out culprits for prosecution.
It also warned against any plot to declare a state of emergency in Benue State, as being canvassed by some sponsored group, as such a move in the Western Region had dire consequences in the past.
The forum also called for a probe into the statement credited to the Director General of Department of State Services, DSS, at the Senate security meeting that sophisticated weapons being used by herdsmen are from the armouries of security agencies.
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Home | News | General | Benue crises, other caused by long years of poor governance, structural imbalances Group
By Joseph Erunke
ABUJA-A coalition of Civil Society Organizations under the aegis of Gender Advocacy for Justice Initiative, GAJI, has attributed the cause of insecurity in Benue State and other parts of the country to long years of poor governance and structural imbalances.
File: Clash in Plateau
It expressed dissatisfaction with the practice of federalism in the country, saying it was enveloped with what it called ethnic and sectional ideologies even within the public service.
The group also said as the Nigerian Army begins full special operations in Benue State with a view to curbing the incessant clashes between farmers and herdsmen in the state, troops deployed in the state must not only be neutral but also respect the rules of engagement in the operation.
On the other hand, it called on the citizens of the state to cooperate with the operators of the Operation Cat Race Exercise,so that they can achieve their aim of restoring peace in the state.
The Gender Advocacy for Justice Initiative, GAJI, comprising members of Civil Society Organizations, mid level professionals, members of the academia, practitioners in peace and conflict resolution and retired public servants,in a statement Sunday, by its Chairman, Cliff Gai and Secretary, Tersoo Agera, respectively, insisted that long years of poor governance and structural imbalances fueled current insecurity in the country.
The groups positions, according to the statement, were the fall-out of a meeting it convened in Abuja on Friday February 23, 2018, to identify the immediate, medium and long term strategies in response to the recent developments in Benue State, Middle Belt, of Nigeria.
The long years of poor governance and structural imbalances are responsible for the insecurity situation in Benue and other parts of the country, it said while adding: We observe with dismay the lacklustre response of the Federal Government of Nigeria towards the security situation in Benue State and many parts of the country and condemn it in the strongest terms.
We decry the nature and practice of our federalism and the noticeable rise in ethnic and sectional ideologies even within the public service, the security forces and the implications this has on national unity and integration, it further said.
While it acknowledged what it described as the critical, responsive and sustained role of the media in creating awareness on the security situation in Benue State, the coalition said: However and strangely too, we observe with great concern the lack of interest of the national civil society groups and networks regarding the situation in Benue State.
Commenting on the Open Grazing and Prohibition and Ranches Establishment Law in Benue State, GAJI, while throwing its weight behind the law, asked the state government not to shirk in its responsibility of protecting the citizens of the state.
We observe that the Open Grazing Prohibition and Ranches Establishment Law is a product of a legitimate process and reaffirms commitment and support to its full implementation.
We, however, observe with dismay the tendency for otherwise well respected international organizations not only taking sides in the Benue situation but also yielding their platforms for inciting and misleading publications capable of escalating an already bad situation, it further said.
While it welcomed the deployment of the Army troops under exercise Cat Race to Benue State, saying it hoped that this will facilitate the immediate return of internally displaced persons to their ancestral homes, the group tasked the troops deployed in the state to operate strictly according to rules of engagement just as it tasked citizens to fully cooperate with the troops with a view to bringing peace and order to the state.
We call on the citizens of Benue State to cooperate with the operators of the Cat Race Exercise and recommend too, that the Army should exhibit a high sense of neutrality and responsibility as well as respect the rules of engagement, the statement said.
The group observed that, the security situation in Benue State has created a catastrophic humanitarian crisis with attendant consequences on livelihoods, healthcare delivery, and access to education, nutrition and social integration, which could lead to the non attainment of the Sustainable Development Goals, SDGs in Benue State.
Among other challenges, the citizens are not only displaced and uprooted but also going to be disenfranchised from exercising their political rights of voter registration.
To this end, it demand that, security agencies and INEC should ensure that displaced people have opportunity to register and also vote in the upcoming elections.
The group observed with deep concern, the utterances of some elder statesmen, particularly from the northern part of the country regarding the herder farmer relationships in Benue State.
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We cautions that, some of the utterances are inciting and capable of deepening rather healing wounds. Therefore, we encourage that, the same way young people are required to respect their elders, the same way we demand that elder statesmen respect constituted authority irrespective of their locations, it said.
It also tasked the federal government to ensure that Internally Displaced Persons, IDPs were not only registered but also vote in the 2019 general elections.
We call on government and other responsible organizations to relocate the displaced populations taking up shelter in schools and consequently causing secondary displacement of school children, it added.
The group which decried what it referred to as the sudden silence of civil society organizations in the Benue crisis, called on the Civil Society Organizations to step-up their commitment to defending the rights of the generality of the Nigerian citizenry.
There is an urgent need for critical consideration of the security situation in Benue State and the implication this poses on democracy and development in our country Nigeria
Since the colonial era, Benue State has played a strategic role in projecting the position and agenda of minority groups in Nigeria and must continue to effectively and efficiently discharge this responsibility.
We acknowledge the decision of the Federal Government to reconstruct affected communities, however; we recommend that the process should be comprehensive, inclusive and gender responsive, it said.
It further added: We invite the United Nations and other international agencies to support the process of reconstruction and rehabilitation in Benue State.
The statement said at the meeting, the group reviewed the security situation in Benue State and the level and quality of response from various tiers and agencies of government.
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Home | News | General | Tinubus letter to Buhari unfortunate Oyeguns aide
By Gabriel Enogholase
BENINAN aide to the National Chairman of All Progressives Congress, APC, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, Mr Sunny Idahagbon, has described the letter written by the partys National Leader, Asiwaju Ahmed Tinubu, to President Muhammadu Buhari as unfortunate, noting that the said letter was supposed to be a private one but was leaked to the media.
Oyegun, Tinubu and Buhari
Asiwaju Tinubu was said to have claimed in the letter to the President that the partys National Chairman was frustrating his peace efforts in the reconciliation of aggrieved party members.
However, Idahagbon, said that Chief Oyegun held the APC National Leader in high esteem, adding that he shouldnt have leaked the letter to the media which made it a public issue instead of passing information privately to Mr. President.
He said: Such public issues do not really bug Chief Odigie-Oyegun, rather they make him strong and focused on issues bordering on the economic enhancement of the country.
Remember, the NEC of APC recently passed a vote of confidence in Chief Odigie-Oyegun which is an indication that he is piloting the affairs of the party very well. The only thing I observed from my boss is that people like Ahmed Tinubu are not too comfortable with Oyegun due to his total loyalty to the President, he said.
He said Chief Odigie-Oyegun cannot be accused of misappropriation of funds, either as a Permanent Secretary, as a governor or as National Chairman of the party.
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Home | News | General | Well use police owned radio, TV stations to tackle herders, farmers clashes, says IGP Idris
By Joseph Erunke
ABUJA THE Inspector General of Police, Ibrahim Idris, has said that the radio and television stations intended to be launched soon by the Nigeria Police Force would be used mainly to tackle the ceaseless clashes between herdsmen and farmers in the country.
Ibrahim Idris, IGP
He said when operational, the communication outfits which will also include on an online platform and Police Emergency Command and Control Communication Center, would take care of general security information on air, land and sea, including homeland security policing, boarder policing and airport policing as main areas of concern.
Idris spoke as he inaugurated a 16-member board of the Nigeria Police Broadcasting Service, NPBS, in Abuja with a charge on it to fashion out modalities that could enable the organisation to immediately commence operational activities across the country.
The NPBS, according to the police boss will police the nation through effective communication.
He added that with the help of Nigerians assisting the Nigeria Police and security agencies, the outfit will lay criminal activities to rest.
We will tackle security challenges such as terrorism, oil bunkering, ethnic tension, herders/farmers clashes through the use of our radio and television network.
It will enable the police to tell its story and set the record straight by telling positive stories and correcting distorted information about the police.
It will be used to build community relations and enhance positive relations with members of the public and also advance the community policing course of the Nigeria Police Force,he said while elaborating on the essence of the stations.
He said that the NPBS was not established for money making, but for the advancement of the function of the Nigeria Police Force as stipulated in Section 4 of the Police Act.
Earlier, in his remarks, the MD/CEO of the Nigeria Police Broadcasting Service, Edirin Jerry Wesley, said the absence of an information outfit contributed to the low successes recorded by the Police in tackling crime in the country.
It is an established fact that no nation can confront crimes headlong without credible means of factual and valid information dissemination and the absence of this over the years has been one basic defect in the fight against crime by the Nigeria Police Force.
It is therefore my pride that after painstaking efforts made since 2012, the Management Team of the IGP Ibrahim Idris-led Nigeria Police Force and Skytick Group of Companies, are gathered here today for the inauguration of the board, for the take-off of the Nigeria Police Broadcasting Service, which will ensure the smooth take-off of a television, radio broadcast in indigenous languages, as well as other social means of communication and information dissemination,he said.
Wesley further said that the inauguration of the board came at the right time due to the myriads of misinformation about the performances of the police in circulation, saying that the quick take-off of the NPBS will refute some of the misinformation.
One of the basic truths about the inadequacies of the Nigeria Police Force is its inability to tell its own story and I think with the establishment of its mass media outfit, the tendency to deny them right of showing and telling the road of its performance will be eliminated, he added.
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Home | News | General | My critics have been away from Delta Okowa
Governor Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta State is unarguably one of the countrys more sturdy political office holders having learnt the ropes as a local government secretary, local government chairman, commissioner, state government scribe, senator and now governor.
It is against the background of his wealth of experience that much hope is on him to successfully navigate the governance of Delta State towards impactful service delivery.
Okowa, a product of Edo College, Benin; University of Ibadan Medical School, in this interview responds to a variety of issues affecting the country even as he takes on his local political traducers frontally with his narrative of his strides and successes in governance. Excerpts:
By Johnbosco Agbakwuru
What do you think is the solution to the problem resulting from herdsmen attacks?
Gov. Okowa
I think that the security agencies must stand up to this very wrong approach to the issues of cattle rearing with guns; I dont think that that was what used to happen in the past. In the past we used to see herdsmen, they come in, they relate to the people in the various villages, (but) that is not the position at the moment.
When you just stroll into peoples farms, stroll into peoples lands and continue to do all manner of things, it is not right. I believe that there has to be a strong statement coming out from the presidency and such strong statements will possibly spur the security agencies to take appropriate actions.
First, every herdsman must be disarmed; no Nigerian is empowered to carry such rifles except security agents. And I think that the Federal Government itself must come up with a strong policy and that policy will be on the issue of trying to encourage cattle ranching in one manner or the other.
I believe there is enough land within the various northern parts of the country and the suggestion by the Minister of Agriculture at the onset of this administration where he intended to import the fast-growing grass that could be used. Yes, that could cost some money, but there is nothing that is done at this moment in terms of spending money to avert all forms of crisis and all manner of unspeakable deaths that will be too expensive for us.
Will Delta State concede land for the colonies?
In the first instance you know that Delta State is possibly half of water, half of land. So, obviously we are in dire need of land. We dont have land for that purpose, that is the truth. It is a growing state, and because of the very coastal areas and the exploitation of oil, most of our lands are destroyed, and we dont have enough arable land, and the pressure is now coming because we are encouraging our people to go to the farm.
So, we need quite some lands; we do not even have enough of it because, beyond the waters, most of the creeks and even a lot of land we have within the upland area are also encumbered because of the oil exploitation and oil spillages that have taken place in the last several years. So, we wont have land at all in Delta State, obviously not for cattle colonies.
The opposition in the state has alleged that the recent local government elections were marred by irregularities?
When you talk about the opposition, I think it is only one party that made that complain because the other parties that participated didnt speak in the same manner. I believe too that if you try to follow up several weeks to the elections, I was out there on campaign. I went to the entire 25 local government areas campaigning, and after that, after giving our candidates flags, they went to every ward and every unit campaigning; we took it very seriously.
Throughout the time through to the elections, I did not see any other political party truly campaigning. Those that complained we never saw them campaigning anywhere!
So, I do not know how people want to win elections. If you do not campaign, you do not go to the people; you do not go there to ask for their votes, I dont know how you are going to get their votes. I think that that was exactly what they did and the statement that they did make, I believe that it was like when you fail an exam, you find a reason to give.
I think that was exactly what happened because they did not actually come out to campaign and if some people gave them money for the elections, I dont think they spent those monies campaigning, I dont know what exactly they expected.
We were ready for the elections, unfortunately, the APC that complained, they were not ready for the elections. So what they tried to do was on the Election Day they came with violence in some local governments, and you are aware of the Ughelli office that was burnt down. We hope that Police is investigating it because we know those who burnt it down; the particular person that led them to burn that place down is known. He ran for the House of Reps in 2015; he led them to burn down the place.
But on our own, we are convinced that we did the right thing, and I dont think we owe any apologies because we were ready for the elections but they were not ready for the elections.
The former governor of Edo State, Adams Oshiomwhole was reported to have threatened that APC will take Delta State in 2019, what is your reaction?
I didnt listen to him, but I read him in the papers if he said they would take it by hook or crook, I think that will be irresponsible. If it is by a normal process he believes they can take over Delta State through a democratic process; it will be very, very difficult. I think that will be a very tall assignment that he is giving himself.
Delta State is essentially PDP, and we are doing our best despite the economic difficulties and challenges that we find ourselves. We are doing a lot, and our people are happy with us, and I do believe that the APC in Delta State as at today is not strong, they are not united, they are busy fighting themselves. I think they are just hoping that the Federal Government will just come in and install somebody, so they are busy fighting among themselves and politically we are doing the best that we can.
And I dont think Oshiomhole has any influence in Delta State. In his Edo State, he just managed to win an election while on his way out, and I think too that he was able to win that election probably because Godwin Obaseki was also a good candidate coming from the background that he came from. I have a warm relationship with Governor Obaseki, and I criticise him not, he is a responsible personality, and I want to give that to him.
Whats your assessment of the Buhari government so far and can you put that in percentage, so we are clear?
Well, the government both the APC and the PDP governments and the APGA government both at the federal and state levels came in at very challenging times. There is no doubt that with the very challenging times with the oil economy there are definitely some setbacks and many of the things that we did promise, we may not be able to fulfill them. But I will rather not want to directly score it because in scoring a government you need to look at a whole lot of things but what I think I will like to see a little more is the development of infrastructure.
But one thing I find they have not been able to do well is the issue of the management of the budget. Because in every process, you must manage the budget in such a manner that you will be able to utilize the dry season which you need for the development of infrastructure. But unfortunately, in the two years going to the third one now, the national budget is usually passed late in the year, and you have already crossed the dry season. So, if funds are not released appropriately because the budgets also have not been passed, you may not be able to achieve a lot.
I think in terms of infrastructure development there is still a lot that needs to be done.
Are you happy with the state of things in your party, the PDP and how prepared are you to take over in 2019?
Yes the PDP is getting stronger. We had challenges, but by Gods grace, we were able to conduct a none elective convention in August 2017 and in December we conducted an elective convention. Because we put the right processes in place, we were able to tackle the issues that came off it. We foretold that and we had the Siriake Dicksons Reconciliation Committee headed by the governor of Bayelsa State.
We had a good enough convention by our assessment. Yes, there could always be one challenge or the other, it is normal. But I think the reconciliatory process went very fast, the last pockets of reconciliation are being sealed at the moment. The faction that was about breaking away is already talking with the Uche Secondus-led National Working Committee, and everything is being worked out properly. I think we have gone passed any real challenge as a party at the moment; it is for us to consolidate the processes of our party governance and prepare ourselves to take in a large chunk of people who may not feel happy with where they are.
We are preparing ourselves for that. We are also preparing ourselves to begin to reach out to all Nigerians on the need for them to support the PDP because what we have is actually a reformed PDP with a renewed focus and I believe too that by the time we go on to our presidential primaries at the presidential convention, we are going to be very fair to all and with that fair contest that we are going to provide, whoever emerges will actually be an acceptable candidate, and we go out there to campaign to Nigerians. We have strengthened the party, and we believe we are on course to election victory.
So how will you appraise your performance in the last two and half years because the opposition in the state is alleging no work on ground?
You know when people speak from Abuja and Lagos and fail to come to Delta State, they can say all manner of things. Some people have not gotten home. Even recently, one of the governorship hopefuls on the other side, spoke and I read in the papers that Okowa has not done anything meaningful, he does not have any star project.
When he used the language star project; I dont know want he means by star projects, you have to do things that the people need. It is not an illusion; it is not an ego thing that I must do things just to make some noise. Unfortunately for him, the same governorship aspirant that spoke from their party, in his local government in this very hard time, we are constructing five roads including the road to his village.
And two of them are fully completed, and the remaining three have gone very far. In one local government alone out of 25, we have five roads being constructed. So you see people just have to talk because if you dont say anything, it will look like the party does not exist. I think that is exactly what they are doing.
But for us, we came in at a very difficult time no doubt about that. If you go into the allocation that comes to here, you will find out that Delta State was actually very exposed. We had to restructure. Thank God because the presidency did cooperate with us, we had to restructure our debts. And even with that restructuring, N2.3 to N2.5 billion is taken from us from Abuja every month.
Then we also have some exposures through the banks that we also pay. So the initial months were very difficult through to February 2016. In February 2016 we went into a very difficult time when the Focados trunkline was blown; for 16 months, 55 percent of the oil exports from Delta State was shut in, that ran till June 2017. You can imagine the pain that it did cost us.
We met seven months of salaries and pensions, and we pay about N7.4 billion monthly. Apart from Lagos State with their huge resources, I doubt if there is any other state that has anything near that at all.
We are doing something already to bring down the amount of money that we pay without sacking workers. We are doing our biometric system, we have decided at the moment not to employ. But if you dont employ because the government is already saturated, you have to create an avenue for the youths to be able to get themselves gainfully employed. So we started our wealth creation programme, and it is doing quite a lot. It is coming up in different aspects; we have skills and entrepreneurship programme where we are training selected youths and after that establish them fully. We have a mentoring and mentorship unit that continues to follow up.
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Home | News | General | Unravel Kanos underage voters outrage
IT is gratifying to note that the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, headquarters has accepted the challenge of probing the alleged underage voters scandal, videos of which went viral after the recent local government polls in Kano State.
Chairman of the Kano State Independent Electoral Commission, KSIEC, Professor Garba Sheka, had expressed his Commissions readiness to cooperate in any investigation of the incident. Professor Mahmood Yakubu, the National Chairman of INEC quickly empanelled the eight-man committee led by Abubakar Nahuche, an engineer, to ascertain if the voter register requested by the Kano State Independent Electoral Commission, KSIEC, was actually used in the election, and make any other recommendations towards unravelling the affront to our democracy.
Confusion arose following the broadcast of the videos showing scores of children well under ten queuing to vote in the election. INECs spokesman, Oluwole Osaze- Uzzi, had distanced the Commission from it, blaming the KSIEC and adding that the Commission has no power to conduct local government elections.
At a public function however, the Kano State Commissioner for Information, Mr Mohammed Garba, reported that the pictures and videos of the underage voters were captured during the 2015 elections which incidentally brought President Muhammadu Buhari, Governor Abdullahi Ganduje and other currently serving elected officials to power.
All these disclosures make the investigation even more crucial because if it is credibly conducted, it will unravel a lot of truths hitherto hidden about the fidelity of our elections in the past and present, with a view to correcting them in the general elections which come up a year from now.
This issue might even necessitate an indepth probe on the circumstances leading to the death of the Kano State Resident Electoral Commissioner, Alhaji Mukaila Abdullahi, who after conducting the 2015 polls perished along with his family in a mystery fire which the police blamed on electric surge.
We call on the National Assembly, the media, civil society groups and the general public to keenly track this probe and ensure that the whole truth about it is unravelled to maintain the integrity of our electoral process and bring justice to those who might have been injured or cheated.
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Some parents in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) have admitted that they pay extra fees for their children to learn how to speak with British accent.
The parents, who spoke in separate interviews with News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), gave several reasons why they felt having British accent would help the children, with some regarding it as proper education.
Investigations in schools around Garki, Gwarimpa, Wuse, Asokoro and Maitama in FCT revealed that the teaching of British accent had been included in the curriculum.
The classes, developed to satisfy parents, were named Phonics, Elocution, Enunciation and Diction.
These classes were most times separated from the normal English and Literature lessons commonly found in schools and were allocated special times in the timetable.
Classes in the schools go for cumulative prices between N10,000 and N25,000 per term, added to the standard school fees.
Some schools visited by NAN said such classes were optional but pressure from some parents was gradually making it popular.
According to some parents, having their children speak in British accent gives them a feeling that they are receiving proper formal education; unlike the standard they (parents) had in their time.
They said since English originated from Britain, it was important that children learned to speak it in the proper accent, adding that it would help the children to relate better with people abroad.
Mrs Christina Ayuba, a businesswoman with four children said she was glad that her children were being taught British accent in school.
She said although she did not fully understand the way the children speak lately, she was proud that they speak that way, as it made
her feel like she was giving them the best education.
I feel the pride of a parent when my children go to Church and people envy the way they speak smartly, at least I wont be bothered if they go abroad.
They will be able to interact with white people and understand them when they talk. It is something every parent should pay for to improve the childrens English language.
Another parent, Mr Oyietari Oboro, an engineer with two children told NAN that he hired a tutor to teach his children the accent at home; in addition to lessons they receive in school.
He added that it was a necessary skill as the world was going global and people needed to be armed with the right conversational skills; noting that British accent had become an added advantage.
We did not have these kind of lessons growing up and it affected us. When you hear people speaking with British accent, you start to feel your grammar isnt correct.
We dont want our children to suffer these things and so these lessons are important as part of equipping them for the future.
Most of us do not want our children to stay in this country for long and also do not want them to feel left out when they go abroad.
The practice led to a surge in private diction tutors who teach children in their homes or act as resource persons to schools.
Some of the tutors told NAN that they charge between N15,000 and N30,000 per month, depending on the intensity of the lessons.
Mr Charles Ajobi, a tutor, said he started the business in 2017 after a friend told him that his British accent could fetch him money.
He works as a private tutor in homes and also acts as resource person in schools, after interaction with other tutors led him to develop a complete course curriculum.
He said parents pay a lot and teaching this accent is the thriving business in Abuja now. The craze is very high and it is almost like competition.
Some of these children have poor grammatical structure and you have to work on that before you start to teach the accent properly, Ajobi added.
However, some other parents were against the teaching of British accent to children; saying it was another form of neo-colonialism and now a status thing among parents.
They insisted that learning proper grammar was essential and not English flavours.
Mrs Vera Alikan, a mother of two, said she was contented with proper English taught to her children and would not force them to take on any accent.
She added that it was preferable for children to learn foreign languages rather than accent.
My children are normal and speak good English without an accent and I am okay with it. The situation is alarming as parents are competing with it, even in Churches.
You hear some parents bragging that their children can speak in British accent, to them, education is complete.
It just shows that our mentality is still very low in this part of the world. I see it as inferiority complex.
Mrs Abiola Kayode-Apampa, an Educationist with over 20 years experience and a school administrator, said the trend had heightened as parents continued to pressurise schools on British accent lessons.
She said the trend was creating more room for inferiority complex among children and parents who could not afford the extra charge.
She said parents encourage the teaching of British accent and most schools have to take this into consideration so as to maintain the relationship.
However, teaching should be focused on imbibing the right grammatical structure so the students can speak well.
Most schools are trying to copy and pander to pressure, without focusing on impacting real knowledge that the children can become better with, Kayode-Apampa said.
She added that an accent could be cool but it was not a yardstick for grading the intelligence of a child as erroneously done today by parents and schools.
Kayode-Apampa hoped that educational priorities should be set straight so that things like accent and cosmetic teaching do not take over proper academics.
The House of Representatives on Sunday faulted the no-case submission the Attorney General of the Federation, Mr. Abubakar Malami, made to President Muhammadu Buhari on the lingering Oil Prospecting Licence 245 deal.
Otherwise known as Malabu Oil deal, about $1.1bn share of the Federal Government in the controversial sale was said to have been diverted by officials who handled the transaction.
The senior officials, who were frequently mentioned, included a former Minister of Petroleum Resources, Mrs. Diezani Alison-Madueke, and a former Minister of Justice and Attorney General of the Federation, Mr. Mohammed Bello-Adoke.
They served in the administration of former President Goodluck Jonathan.
But, Malami in a recent letter to Buhari sought to withdraw any case against the former officials on the grounds that there was no evidence to initiate a successful prosecution.
The AGF added that prosecuting the case would make Nigeria a laughing stock before the international community as a country with questionable integrity in business transactions.
Malamis advice came even as the House of Representatives was investigating the matter.
Reacting to the AGFs position, the House, however, vowed to carry out its investigations to a logical conclusion.
The Chairman of the House ad hoc committee investigating the deal, Mr. Razak Atunwa, told newsmen that lawmakers were surprised by the AGFs letter.
Atunwa, a member of the All Progressives Congress from Kwara State, said the position of the AGF raised concerns over the anti-corruption war of the present administration.
I am worried that the AGF would write such a letter to Mr. President, that there is no evidence. It is a serious matter, he observed.
The Atunwa panel had tried unsuccessfully in the last eight months to get former President Goodluck Jonathan to testify on his role in the deal.
Atunwa, who is also the Chairman, House Committee on Justice, confirmed to The PUNCH that the former President, had yet to respond to inquiries as of Friday last week.
He said, What is important is that we will do our work as an independent arm of government.
Hopefully, by March, the report will be ready. It is for Nigerians to know that we did our job. Whatever the executive arm of government or the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission choose to do with it is their business.
So, while we are worried by the AGFs letter, our investigations as a House will continue. Again, whether Jonathan comes to testify or not, we will have a report ready by March.
The panel had invited the former President on July 5, 2017 to clarify certain issues.
But, up to February 23 this year, Jonathan had not responded to inquiries by the panel.
In making the panels decision to invite Jonathan public last July, Atunwa had stated that certain information in the public domain had made the need to hear from the former President necessary, before the probe could be considered conclusive.
He explained that hearing from Jonathan was also an indication that thoroughness, natural justice and fair play was applied to the investigation.
Atunwa said, Mr. Jonathan was the President at the material time that (his cabinet) ministers brokered the deal that led to the allegation of $1bn diversion of funds.
Mr. Jonathans name features in the proceedings initiated by the Public Prosecutor of Milan in Italy. A United Kingdom court judgment in relation to an application to return part of the money being restrained, castigated the Jonathan administration as not having acted in the best interest of Nigeria in relation to the deal.
The Attorney-General of the Federation at the material time, Mohammed Bello-Adoke, has recently instituted proceedings in court wherein he pleads that all his actions were as instructed by former President Goodluck Jonathan.
The Minister of Information, Culture and Tourism, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, has sparked a slew of controversy on the Nigerian social media after he was pictured wearing a jacket atop agabda.
Agbada is one of the names for a flowing wide sleeved robe worn by men in mostly West Africa region.
The minister, who paid a guided tour to Real Madrid Stadium, Santiago Barnabeu, Madrid, Spain was lensed wearing a flowing skyblue cloloured agbada with a dust grey jacket on top and a traditional cap.
Some Nigerians, who were stunned at the ministers sense of dressing, called for immediate psychiatrist test on him.
Some reactions below.
@ nkuuse lol this man is good at disgracing Nigerians, sir its not funny
@thesiciliannA top government official with a conscience will not be doing this just days after such a massive kidnap of school children.Newpride(m): 9:43pm On Feb 25
When lies supercedes and precedes everything he does, the he must dress this way.
wearing a coat (that one no be suit) on top agbada. grin grin grin
I leave the rest for nairalanders
@adecz: A whole Minister of the FRN, so excited & behaving like one common tourist because
he is visiting Real Madrid Stadium.
See him testing all the seats like one village man from. Where sef??
PMB & his Charlie, Charlie ministers sef. See dressing like Jagwa or Wizard Of Oz..
@Hokafor Lie lie Mohammed you look haggard. After all the Moines you have been stealing you still look like my gateman.
@aspirebig: Suit on top Agbada..
When you wear cloth like you cant tell which country jollof rice sweets better because your subconscious mind is battling with the wrong cloth combination.
Why not wear English though as a pure liar wey im be, the lies will not be flowing wellor you wear just native so when doing your lie lie (work),you can easily cover the truth well with the Agbada
Shioor.misplaced priorities every where
You dress how you want to addressed.
Do these guys even think about their image as Nigeria government at all?
@knightsTemplerSuit on top agbada hehehe.Nigeria don really enter one chance.
His dressing is a reflection of how the country is govern. That is anyhow anyhow lol
@roffeluczy1 For Gods sake what has he gone there to do? instead of looking into Nigeria predicament as to sort things out, there he is at the pitch.
Nigerians, shine your eyes come 2019.
@Eaa247 were there no police officers in the stadium to stop a mad man from entering there? This must b a porous stadium.
Last year, the minister sparked a major online frenzy after he said the best jollof rice is made in fellow West Africa
Home | News | General | Why many Nigerians are imprisoned in China - Envoy reveals
- An envoy, Wale Oloko, has stated that many Nigerians are locked up in jails in China for overstaying their visas and for committing other offences such as drug trafficking
- Oloko further disclosed that some of the Nigerian nationals currently in Chinese prisons were being prepared for deportation to Nigeria
- The envoy enjoined Nigerians desirous of visiting any part of China to always obey the Chinese immigration and general laws
Mr Wale Oloko, the consul-general of the Federal Republic of Nigeria in Guangzhou, China, on Monday, February 26, said that many Nigerians were in various prisons in Guangdong Province for overstaying their visas.
Oloko told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos that some other Nigerians were also arrested for engaging in drug trafficking and other criminal offences that had led to their detention.
READ ALSO: Dapchigirls abduction is a national disgrace - Isha Sesay
NAIJ.com gathers that Oloko disclosed that there are currently about 600 Nigerians arrested for overstaying their visas and in detention for other offences.
There is no doubt that there are currently a number of Nigerians in various Chinese prisons, at least those under our consular jurisdiction in Guangzhou.
These our nationals are in different Chinese prisons for various offences.
There are those that were arrested for overstaying their visas, while others were convicted for drug trafficking and other offences, he said.
Oloko also said that some of the Nigerian nationals currently in Chinese prisons were being prepared for deportation to Nigeria.
The consul-general, therefore, enjoined Nigerians desirous of visiting any part of China to always obey the Chinese immigration and general laws when in the province or other provinces in China.
Any Nigerian wanting to visit any part of China must first know something about the countrys immigration requirements, and should be ready to obey laws in such places when they eventually arrive there.
It is not advisable for any Nigerian to overstay his or her visa in any part of China or engage in any form of criminal act, he said.
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Meanwhile, NAIJ.com previously reported that a report revealed that over 2,000 Nigerians were languishing in various Chinese prisons.
A fresh deportee from China, who had a brief stint in the Dong-guan Prison and managed to hide dozens of prison notes scribbled on tissue papers in his anus, was quoted as saying the prison facility alone where he was held for over three months had more than 2,000 Nigerians detained for various reasons, mostly drug-related.
According to him, many Nigerians had been incapacitated owing to the daily torture meted out to them by prison officials, while a lot more were on death-row waiting for the hangman.
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Home | News | General | Just in: Buhari receives freed UNIMAID lecturers, 10 police wives
- President Buhari has hosted the three UNIMAID lecturers and ten police wives to Presidential Villa, Abuja
- The lecturers were abducted by suspected Boko Haram terrorists while the women were kidnapped in a raid by the militant group
- Their release followed series of negotiations as directed by the president and was facilitated by the International committee of the red cross
The abducted three lecturers of the University of Maiduguri (UNIMAID) and ten women released recently by the Boko Haram sect arrived the the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
They have been scheduled to be received by President Muhammadu Buhari by 12 noon on Monday, February 26.
READ ALSO: Dasukigate: Ex-army chief Kenneth Minimah refunds N1.7bn
The lecturers were abducted by suspected Boko Haram terrorists in Magumeri, Borno state, while the women were kidnapped in a raid by the militant group on a military/police convoy on Damboa road, near Maiduguri.
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Their release followed a series of negotiations as directed by President Buhari and was facilitated by the International committee of the red cross.
Meanwhile, NAIJ.com had reported that three lecturers of the UNIMAID and policewomen abducted by Boko Haram the terrorist group in Magumeri and Damboa road, near Maiduguri, Borno state have been released.
That this was made known in a series of tweet on Saturday, February 10, by the senior special adviser to the president on media and publicity, Garba Shehu, on his official and verified handle.
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Home | News | General | Opinion: Judges, the law and our democracy By Reuben Abati
Editor's note: An aide to the former president, Goodluck Jonathan has reviewed the happening in Nigeria since President Muhammadu Buhari assumed office in May, 2015.
Reuben Abati also compared the Nigerian governments - the period when the country was under the leadership of military leaders and the current administration.
To expand the democratic space in Nigeria and to ensure the legitimacy and stability of our democratic process, the rule of law, perhaps the supremacy of the law, anchored on constitutionalism and a progressive, liberal and developmental construction of the law, may be our best bargain, the latter in particular in the face of a seeming conversion of the democratic dispensation to a military regime.
The judiciary, I mean the judex, is at the centre of this proposition.
In more direct language, what I am trying to draw attention to is how in recent times, despite the fact that we are under a democratic dispensation, there has been a seeming militarization of the political space, by the incumbent political administration at the centre.
The scope for human freedom has been reduced, the government of the day complains about hate speech but it is, ironically, the main author of hate language against the same people whose welfare and security it is supposed to safeguard.
It is a government that is intolerant of the opposition and which has shown an inordinate capacity for malice, hypocrisy, and intimidation.
This more or less sets the tone for everything else. This is the reason it has lost so much goodwill and why many of its committed supporters who dreamt of its potential messianism are regretting their own initial optimism.
READ ALSO: 2019: GEJs ex-aide passes tough message to Buhari; opposes APC governors
The last time Nigerians found themselves under this kind of siege was under military rule, and particularly under the rule of the same man who is now Nigerias incumbent President, a soldier turned civilian President.
The militarization of the state in whatever form, compromises democratic ethos. We are in a democracy but the relevant institutions seem to be in disarray. The executive is at loggerheads with the legislature in Abuja.
The judiciary has been harassed so much many of its members have been accused of corruption and thrown into the dock or disgraced out of service.
We are therefore, in a local season of McCarthyism whereby every possible opposition figure is labeled a witch, a thief, and harassed or blackmailed.
The only saints in Nigeria at the moment are those who join the ruling party, or who go to great lengths to heap the blame for all problems on the immediate past administration.
In this typical season of opportunism and sycophancy, saints may become devils and vice versa, throwing the country into the vortex of a moral turpitude.
But I single out the judiciary for qualified praise. The countrys judiciary has not escaped the harassment by an Executive wielding near-monarchical powers, even beyond the letters of the Constitution.
READ ALSO: Former chief of army refunds N1.7bn to EFCC
Its members have been targeted for intimidation and harassment, and whereas it is true that there are bad eggs in every sector and that there are indeed rogue judges, the pattern of intervention in the judiciary on the grounds of the anti-corruption campaign smacks of a witch-hunt.
But whereas legislators are divided, politicians are rushing to the ruling party in search of protection, and the civil society has been weighing its options, and everyone else seems to be seeking protection, the judiciary in spite of its travails remains, in our estimation, the only institution that is still relatively standing firm.
When a proper stock-taking of this period in Nigerian history is done, it may well be discovered, that the judiciary was foremost in standing firm against intimidation.
I once wrote a Man-of-the-Year piece in which the judiciary was specially commended for its efforts in protecting Nigerian democracy and the rule of law.
This was during the tumultuous season of the protest against the annulment, by military fiat, of the outcome of the 1993 Presidential election, and the aftermath. Before then, the Nigerian judiciary during the Fatayi-Williams-Eso-Irikefe-Oputa-Karibi-Whyte era had spoken the truth from the Bench and sought to protect Fundamental Human Rights against assault by the then military establishment.
Under the present dispensation, we may well be facing the third critical era of the judiciary in terms of its willingness or otherwise, to resist military-era like intimidation.
Our emphasis is on the appellate courts, and the principle: judicia posteriori sunt in lege fortiori, that is the later decisions are the strongest in law.
Whereas the High Courts of Nigeria have acquired a reputation for recklessness, and lack of thoroughness, the appellate courts have most recently served as a good advertisement for the appellate structure of the Nigerian judicial system.
For a fact, the most celebrated cases relating to the nation-building and democratic system in recent times have been cases dealing with corruption and the travails of politically connected and exposed persons. Many of these cases, perfunctorily treated at the inferior courts level, have been thrown out at the appellate level, and in most instances what is projected is the supremacy of the law, even if the grounds may be technical.
A rigorous review of such cases may slip into the error of pedantry and seem unsuitable for journalistic commentary but I find particularly interesting a recent case at the Court of Appeal, Lagos Judicial Division, re: Adaoha Ugo-Ngadi vs Federal Govt of Nigeria, presided over by their Lordships: Mohammed Lawal Garba JCA, Joseph Shagbaor Ikyegh, JCA, and Yargata Byenchit Nimpar, JCA.
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The appellant had been charged before and tried by the High Court of Lagos State, along with two others on an eight-count charge including conspiracy to obtain by false pretence, obtaining by false pretence, conspiracy to forge documents, forgery, altering a false document, conspiracy to alter a false document and so on.
On January 13, 2017, the applicant, who was 2nd defendant, along with the 1st defendant, was convicted of the offences charged while the 3rd defendant was discharged and acquitted. They were sentenced to a total of 69 years imprisonment to run concurrently in respect of each term for the respective offences.
They were also required to return to the Federal Government of Nigeria the sum of N754.9 million being an overpayment for oil subsidy, purportedly due to their company, Ontario Oil and Gas Limited.
The gravamen of this case is in relation to the right to fair hearing, as guaranteed in Section 36(1) and (4) of the 1999 Constitution.
The right to fair hearing is a fundamental right in court proceedings and a major plank of our constitutional order.
The apex court had however since ruled that it is nonetheless not a right that can be resorted to in a frivolous manner or as a magic wand.
Having taken this into consideration, the Court of Appeal Lagos Division, in determining the merit of other issues in the case, upheld the rulings of the lower court on Counts 2-4, and duly found the applicant guilty, but the court raised a major constitutional issue when it turned the eyes of the law on the propriety of proceedings, and whether or not this constituted a breach of the Appellants right to fair hearing.
Delivering the lead judgment, concurred to by his brother Justices, Mohammed Lawal Garba, JCA, observed: The issue of the right of a party to fair hearing in a case is so fundamental and crucial in the conduct of all judicial proceedings of a court of law and the administration of justice generally because of its constitutional guarantee and so a substantive issue of law that can be raised in an appeal against the final and interlocutory decision of a High Court, sitting at first instance, as of right by dint of the provisions of Section 241(1) (a) and (b) of the Constitution as altered.
READ ALSO: Parents disagree with FG on number of missing Dapchi school girls
The key issue in this instance about the propriety of proceedings and fair hearing is whether or not a defendant must be present in court throughout the whole of his trial, and whether his or her absence in the event of a joint defendant would amount to a breach of the principle or right of fair hearing.
The applicant argued that the absence of her co-defendant at the lower court throughout the whole trial amounted to a denial of her right to fair hearing.
The Court then held, relying on the decided cases of Adeoye vs State; State vs Lawal, Asakipiti v. State and Ogujubu v. State as well as Section 208 of the ACJL, 2011 to the effect that it is mandatory that a Defendant shall be present in court throughout the whole of his trial including the delivery of judgement and sentence by a trial court.
Our take is that their Lordships in this case have taken a courageous stand in defence of the purity of the law, and in upholding the spirit of the law, and the constitution as the controlling force of state actions.
Emotional and moralistic responses are beyond the purview of the law. When the judex insist on legal purity, especially under the prevailing circumstances in Nigeria, the standard response is for them to be exposed to blackmail and name-calling.
But the judex would fail in their duty, in the face of routine assault on fundamental rights, if they submit to the logic of the herd.
Where fundamental rights are involved, it is better and more useful for the purpose of expanding the democratic space to intervene on a positive note. The case cited is not the only one of its type under the present dispensation; consider for example, the Orubebe case, the El Zakzaky case and the Dasuki case.
Here as in other cases, we see the judiciary, as the Third Estate of The Realm, resisting the attempt to cage and intimidate it by a partisan Federal Establishment.
The grant of bail in the last two cases for example have been recklessly ignored nonetheless, and this is one other reason I speak of qualified praise. It is the duty of judges to always stand up against the pretensions of the King, particularly as the prosecutorial agencies appear to be busy dancing to the body language of the King.
While the judiciary may be making some effort, more at the appellate level, in reaffirming its independence, even if through the protection of the purity of the law, the same cannot be said of the lawyers in the court of law. Every lawyer is expected and enjoined to be an officer in the temple of justice.
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But sadly, Nigerian lawyers either due to lack of diligence or slavishness to other interests beyond equity and justice, compromise the propriety of proceedings.
It is the reason judges must remain vigilant, to avoid interpreting the law after the fashion of the moment and to state the general principles of the law in accordance with the facts of every case and to refuse to be intimidated.
They must be mindful all the same of the boundaries between equity and the threshold of substantial justice.
The case under review sheds more light on the existing jurisprudence on the constitutional right to fair hearing. It remains to be seen whether or not the Federal Government will further challenge it at the apex court.
Whatever happens, our qualified praise need not be limited to the Appellate Courts, it is the entire judiciary despite the limitations of the moment, that must rise above the routine handling of cases, narrow-mindedness and other constraints to fully demonstrate its independence, on the Bench and away from it.
Elections are around the corner; certainly there will be Constitutional issues ahead that will seriously test the integrity of our courts.
The ordinary man will expect that our judges will deliver justice without being intimidated by anyones body language.
The views and opinions expressed here are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of NAIJ.com.
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Home | News | General | Benue killings: Nasarawa does not harbour killer herdsmen - Al-Makura insists
- Nasarawa state governor said the state did not harbour killer herdsmen as alleged by Governor Ortom of Benue
- He said the allegations that herdsmen met in Nasarawa before attacking Benue were not true and unfair
- He appealed to the federal government to train more personnel in order to ensure that the country is effectively secured
The Nasarawa state government has reacted to the allegations levelled against it by the Benue state governor, Samuel Ortom stating that herdsmen meet in the state (Nasarawa) before launching attacks in Benue.
In an interview on Channels Televisions Question Time on Sunday, February 25, Governor Tanko Al-Makura described the allegations as very unfair.
He said: It is not true at all, there is none that I know of any kind of bandits or militants lurking anywhere in Nasarawa State with the intention of attacking Benue or any other state.
READ ALSO: 2019: GEJs ex-aide passes tough message to Buhari; opposes APC governors
Recall that last month, Benue state government held a mass burial of over 70 victims of the herdsmen attacks that were killed in the state in the early hours of the New Year.
Following the attacks, Governor Ortom said that information at his disposal indicated that the herdsmen allegedly met in Nasarawa before inflicting mayhem in his state.
Governor Al-Makura, however, insisted that the allegations were untrue deny, insisting that security reports do not in any way suggest the existence of herdsmen attackers wanting to inflict harm on Benue state met in Nasarawa.
He added: One thing I can say categorically is that I have never had any report by administrative officers in Tunga and Awe, neither have I got any security report by security operatives, the presence of any kind of bandits staying anywhere in that area.
Regretting the inability of security operatives to effectively contain the crisis, Al-Makura said that more personnel should be trained in order to effectively secure the territorial zones of the country.
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He also appealed for more military presence, especially in areas that are challenging for the police officers, so as to forestall a reoccurrence of such ugly incidence.
NAIJ.com previously reported that Ibrahim Idris, the inspector general of police, stated that the Nigeria Police Force would use the radio and television stations it intends to launch to tackle the incessant clashes between herdsmen and farmers in the country.
Idris made his comment during the inauguration of the 16-member board of the Nigeria Police Broadcasting Service (NPBS) in Abuja, the nations capital.
The IGP disclosed that the communication outfits will also include an online platform and Police Emergency Command and Control Communication Center when it becomes operational.
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Home | News | General | You must be determined to help transform our nation - Pastor Kumuyi tells graduates
- Pastor William Kumuyi tasks graduates to transform Nigeria into a global economic powerhouse with their knowledge
- The general superintendent of Deeper Life Bible Church told graduating students of University of Abuja, to remain undaunted and focused
The general superintendent of Deeper Life Bible Church, Pastor William Kumuyi, recently tasked Nigerian graduates to use their knowledge acquired to transform Nigeria into a global economic powerhouse, The Independent reports.
NAIJ.com gathered that Kumuyi speaking over the weekend at the 22nd convocation ceremony of the University of Abuja, urged the graduating students to remain undaunted and focused, in spite of the plethora of challenges facing the country.
He said: Nigeria has many opportunities despite the challenges we face as a nation today. You must be determined to use the knowledge that you have gained at this university to help transform our nation into the global economic powerhouse that it is destined to be.
READ ALSO: Dasukigate: Ex-army chief Kenneth Minimah refunds N1.7bn
You have now been inducted to a lifetime of learning by means of your education in this university.
As you go on to broaden your knowledge, skills and experiences in the course of life, you will soon discover how immensely rewarding the competencies you began to nurture from your university days can become.
All hands should be joined together to provide lacking structures and indispensable facilities required for academic excellence. We must focus on our vision and have faith. With our belief, ambition, determination and the fear of God, we can make University of Abuja better.
In a previous report by NAIJ.com, Alhaji Ibrahim Gaidam, the Yobe state governor, on Saturday, February 24, offered automatic employment to 38 graduates of the state university who graduated with the first class degree.
Daily Trust reports that the governor announced this at the maiden convocation ceremony of the university, which was held in Damaturu.
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A total of 2,290 students from five academic sets beginning from 2012/2013 to 2016/2017, received various degrees and diploma certificates from the institution.
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Home | News | General | Ondo inaugurate N42b Egg Powder Plant
Dayo Johnson Akure
A N42 billion Egg Powder Plant has been inuagurated in Ondo state under a Public Private Partnership (PPP) arrangement between the State government and Greenfield Assets Limited.
The plant which is to be situated at Emure-Ile, near Owo will provide 25,000 new jobs, a foreign exchange earnings of $1 billion in addition to increased incomes for poultry farmers in Nigeria.
Mr Godwin Emefiele
The factory sits on a 150 Hectares of land and will produce 10 million broilers per annum with a 4,000 birds per hour meat processing plant; a 600,000 layers farm for the production 100 million eggs per annum; two 20 tons per hour Feed-mill and a 500,000 Eggs per day.
Chief Executive Officer of Greenfield Asset Limited, Dr Paul Obanua while speaking at the ceremony expressed joy over the citing of the factory in Ondo state and noted that within a year, the first phase of the project will be commissioned.
Obanua who noted that the plant can process over one million eggs on daily basis stressed that the the product after being processed into liquid form will last for 18 months.
Speaking at the event, the Central Bank Of Nigeria CBN Governor, Godwin Emefiele expressed delight that the ondo state government is implementing appropriate measures to make the state a viable destination for local and foreign investment.
Emefiele expressed the readiness of the bank to support the state government to promote small scale entrepreneurs.
He maintained that the project will in no small measure drive the economic growth of the state and by extension the nation, reduce unemployment and increase social cohesion.
The CBN governor said that the project will also help to support the Buhari led governments determination to increase local production of critical agricultural produce and reduce drastically importation of items that the country can produce.
He lauded efforts of Governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu for looking beyond oil and embracing agriculture to drive and change the economic status of the state.
Governor Akeredolu said the powdered egg factory would have great economic impact on state and the nation at large as the only producer of such product in West Africa.
He said the project attests to his administrations determination to industrialise the state.
The governor added that the project is a clear demonstration of his campaign promises to the people and charged the political class in the state to be resolute in effecting positive change in the lives of the people.
The Elemure of Emure Ile, Oba Adedubaje Adeyefa thanked the governor and the company for bringing such huge investment to his domain and pledged their full loyalty to the Akeredolu led government. End
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Home | News | General | Why many Nigerians are in Chinese Prisons Envoy
Mr Wale Oloko, the Consul-General of the Federal Republic of Nigeria in Guangzhou, China,on Monday said that many Nigerians were in various Prisons in Guangdong Province for overstaying their visas.
Oloko told Newsmen in Lagos that some other Nigerians were also arrested for engaging in drug trafficking and other criminal offences that had led to their detention.
Prison
According to him, there are currently about 600 Nigerians arrested for overstaying their visas and in detention for other offences.
There is no doubt that there are currently a number of Nigerians in various Chinese prisons, at least those under our consular jurisdiction in Guangzhou.
These our nationals are in different Chinese prisons for various offences.
There are those that were arrested for overstaying their visas, while others were convicted for drug trafficking and other
offences, he said.
Oloko also said that some the Nigerian nationals currently in Chinese prisons were being prepared for deportation to Nigeria.
The consul-general, therefore, enjoined Nigerians desirous of visiting any part of China to always obey the Chinese immigration and general laws
when in the province or other provinces in China.
Any Nigerian wanting to visit any part of China must first know something about the countrys immigration requirements, and should be
ready to obey laws in such places when they eventually arrive there.
It is not advisable for any Nigerian to overstay his or her visa in any part of China or engage in any form of criminal act, he
said.
Guangdong is a province in South China, located on the South China Sea coast.
The province surpassed Henan and Sichuan to become the most populous province in China in January 2005, registering 79.1 million permanent residents and 31 million migrants.
The capital and largest city is Guangzhou and it has a GDP (2016): of 1.2 trillion US dollars.
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Home | News | General | Stranded Ebonyi students in abroad appeal to Governor Umahi for assistance
they are adequately taken care off Ebonyi government
By Peter Okutu
ABAKALIKI-EBONYI State Students under the States Overseas Scholarship scheme pursuing various PhD degrees at different Universities in Diaspora especially in the United Kingdom, weekend, appealed to Governor David Umahi to disentangle them from the clutches of debts and embarrassment facing them in the foreign land.
The Governor had been assisting the students with their tuition fees and other logistics to ameliorate their condition since he assumed office in 2015.
In a statement tagged A passionate appeal for an urgent intervention to salvage the deteriorating conditions of the abandoned Ebonyi state government sponsored PhD students in the Diaspora and signed by Chuku Ejike, Enyita Clifford Iteshi and Jude Ogbodo of University of Bradford, Lancashire, University of Salford, Manchester and University of Central, Preston, respectively, on behalf of their colleagues, the trio explained how they have unavoidably accumulated huge debts through house rent, feeding and other miscellaneous expenditures in order to support ourselves aboard.
According to them, many of us in the final years of our research are perching precariously on the precipice and without paying up our bills; all our efforts and steadfastness for the past three years will be in vain.
The statement read in part: Your Excellency can recall that your administration had approved about 5,500 for each of the beneficiaries of this scholarship scheme on two different occasions. This money was tagged our School fees but we want to bring to the notice of Your Excellency that the approved fund could not pay our school fees to say the least.
Having been abandoned for so long, we have unavoidably accumulated huge debts through house rent, feeding and other miscellaneous expenditures to support ourselves. This should not have been the case if we are allowed unlimited hours to work. However, as students under the Tier 4 students visas, there are limitations that affect our willingness to work. Based on this reason, we used the part payment we received earlier to offset some of our accumulated bills in order to guarantee our survival to continue with our studies and with the hope that Your Excellency will approve our fees and stipends at the appropriate time.
Unfortunately, our conditions have gone from bad to worse. Ordinarily, PhDs in most of our universities should only last for 3-4 years if the students are comfortable, but when we are regularly locked out of the school resources, the duration of the programme is affected. Many of us in the final years of our research are perching precariously on the precipice. Without paying up our bills, all our efforts and steadfastness for the past three years will be in vain. We appeal to Your Excellency to approve the release of our tuition fees to guarantee the completion of our programmes in order to come home and contribute to the manpower needs of our dear state.
It may interest Your Excellency to know that we have previously written reminders to you regarding all our outstanding tuition fees. Having exhausted their patience because of our nagging excuses about our inability to pay our tuition fees, the next option for our universities would be to commence legal actions against us. We have all received first and second warnings from our various institutions and the third one may involve the Debt Collectors Management who shall commence legal actions in this regard.
The legal proceedings will be initiated against each of us in accordance with the laws of the land as well as those of our institutions of study. This shall involve the candidate and the sponsor as the defendants knowing that the contract was established between Ebonyi State Government and our various institutions.
Reacting to the development, the State Commissioner for Education, Prof John Eke who stated that the present administration was doing its best to ensure that these categories of foreign students were adequately provided for explained that the state government had recently paid their tuition fees to enable them conclude their educational pursuit abroad without stress.
According to him, despite the harsh economic situation in the country, Ebonyi State government has made a tradition not to owe workers salaries as payment of fees for the overseas students is usually done immediately after salaries of worker are paid in the state. Ends
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Home | News | General | Re- Ordering of elections sequence by NASS constitutional Atunwa
By Demola Akinyemi
The Chairman, House of Representatives Committee on Justice, Hon Razak Atunwa, on Sunday rose in stout defence of the National Assembly on its decision to re- order the sequence of holding of 2019 general elections,saying that its constitutional.
Atunwa who said there was nothing unconstitutional about the decision of National Assembly on the issue urged Nigerians to dismiss contrary views being raised on the issue.
NASS
He, however, clarified that the re- ordering of election sequence was not targeted at President Most Muhammadu Buhari or any personality for that matter.
The lawmaker,former Speaker in Kwara state house of assembly said the idea was to separate the mandate of the people from that of the executive, State Assemblies and National Assembly.
Atunwa who represents Asa/Ilorin West Federal Constituency at the House of Representatives bore his mind on the contentious issue while speaking with newsmen in Ilorin, Kwara state shortly after the disbursement of N60 million worth of empowerment materiala to his constituents.
He argued that there was nothing sinister about the amendment to the election timetable as the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) still has about one year to conduct the 2019 general elections.
Atunwa, posited that the amendment was not new in the electoral process and it is within the powers of the National Assembly.
According to him,There is nothing unconstitutional about amending Electoral Act, the Electoral Act itself was a creation of the National Assembly. The Electoral Act talks about more than seven orders within which to carry out certain activities for INEC.
So, having an order for the general election is not unconstitutional; it is nothing new. It is well within the powers and the purview of the National Assembly, and we have done that. That is what we have. I dont see why anyone should be crying foul over it. Nothing unconstitutional about it.
When you practice democracy, you learn from it. What we have learnt is that we need to separate the mandate of the people, so lumping together mandate of the people, as we have seen, hasnt generated much accountability as possible.
So, let the National Assembly have its mandate, let the State Assembly and the Governors have their mandate, let the President have his mandate. So, lets know what the colour of the House of Representatives will be, lets see what the colour of the Senate will be, lets see what the colour of the Presidency, the governorship and the State House of Assembly will be.
What we have effectively done is to separate the mandate so that we will know this is the colour of the Parliament and the colour of the executive. In America for example, we have the President being mayor of the party then the majority either in the Senate or the Representatives, may be another party. It is good for our democracy
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Home | News | General | Yobe parents threatened to withdraw their wards from school
By Bala Ajiya
DAMATURU Parents of kidnapped school girls in Dapchi, headquarters of Bursari local government area of Yobe state have threatened to withdraw their children from Government Girls Science Technical School to safer schools .
Soldiers (R) drive past a signpost leading to the Government Girls Science and Technical College staff quarters in Dapchi, Nigeria, on February 22, 2018.
Anger erupted in a town in remote northeast Nigeria on February 22 after officials fumbled to account for scores of schoolgirls from the college who locals say have been kidnapped by Boko Haram jihadists. Police said on February 21 that 111 girls from the college were unaccounted for following a jihadist raid late on February 19. Hours later, Abdullahi Bego, spokesman for Yobe state governor Ibrahim Gaidam, said some of the girls had been rescued by troops from the terrorists who abducted them. But on a visit to Dapchi on Thursday, Gaidam appeared to question whether there had been any abduction. / AFP PHOTO /
In a separate interview with the parents in Dapchi town, they expressed their dismay and lack of responsibility on the side of government, who had earlier told them that their children had been found and kept under the custody of the Nigerian Army which later proved to be false
Mallam Modu Mustapha, a resident of Dapchi whose two daughters were abducted lamented the inability of security personnel in recovering the girls on time.
He advised government to always verify its facts before informing the public to avoid misleading information on the part of the abducted girls
However, a federal government delegation which includes the Minister of Defence, Abdulrahaman Danbazau, Information Minister, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, External Affairs Hajiya Khadija Bukar Abba Ibrahim were in Damaturu, the Yobe state capital to liase with state government and stakeholders on how best to recover the abducted girls.
More details soon
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Home | News | General | President Buharis railroad to Maradi
By Albert Akanbi
THE construction of a $6.7 billion Ibadan to Kaduna rail line was among some of the projects reported to have been approved by President Buharis Federal Executive Council meeting that took place this week. Minister Rotimi Amaechi announced that the project is expected to last three years.
Now this piece of news may appear like some positive news until one realises that, going by the antecedent of this government, this may just end up being what it is:another piece of news.
One would wonder why it took 33 months for this government to make this approval, and what has happened to the famed Lagos to Kano line and countless other projects across the country like it, that have all been trending for quite sometime now, and have all fallen to ill attention.
Cant I be excused therefore if I say this government is just chasing shadows and pursuing propaganda, a thing which many say it is very good at?
I will explain why I believe this is the case shortly, but not before sharing my opinion on the kind of projects that I think are important to this president, this government, than Nigerias development.
I made the point recently that if this government and indeed the APC, were really serious about developing this great giant with feet of clay; they knew exactly what to do from the onset. But alas, it appears their intentions are of a different kind.
Although I supported President Buhari in 2015 a thing I deeply regret today his actions since has proven beyond doubt that just as a rightist cannot learn the use of his left hand at old age, a leopard does not change its spots.
It is on record that in 1984, as then Head of State, President Buhari promoted his Daura tribe to the most powerful force in Doddan Barracks, Lagos, which was then the seat of power.
To the utter disappointment of those who argued that the man has indeed changed, all the evidence today suggests that, far from a genuine interest in development, the real intention is to promote and entrench the power of a certain group. Some have even argued that tribe and religion have once again taken over.
Far from Minister Amaechis announcement, recently our president made what many believe was a real announcement when he said that Negotiations are also advanced for the construction of a rail line, firstly from Kano to Maradi in Niger Republic passing through Kazaure, Daura, Katsina, Jibia to Maradi
For those who may gloss over this information, how many realise that Maradi is the third largest city in Niger Republic with a predominantly Fulani population?
A close friend from the north once told me of how, with just less than a thousand naira, one could literarily evaporate in Daura, Nigeria and recondense in Niger Republic.
In fact, Daura Emirate stretches deep into Maradi and Zinder, both of them populated with the Fulani, a people that many have argued are a tiny percentage in the Nigerian population demographics.
During the 2015 general elections, there were reports of thousands of people crossing from Niger Republic, many of whom were under-aged voters as was recently reported in Kano elections, through our extremely porous borders to vote in our elections in favour of a particular candidate, without questioning from INEC officials.
As if to buttress this fact, recall how President Buhari, upon achieving his lifelong ambition, was received like a triumphant son of the land who just returned from a war, when he visited Niger Republic, as his very first foreign trip after he was sworn in.
How many of us know that in 2016, the president of Niger Republic emblazoned Buharis photograph beside his own on campaign vehicles during his campaign?
Any wonder then why some have argued that the planned railway network is a selfish project that has nothing to do with the interest of Nigerians?
What is so urgent about a rail line from Nigeria to Niger when as we speak, our education system is in a shambles? We need not look far than the dilapidated infrastructure in our universities and the fall in standard of our morals and educational values in our pupils to know see this.
I am in my mid-thirties, and as I write, I have hardly witnessed a day without power outage in this country since I was born. And there are many more who go for months without it at a time where South Africa which is four times less than our population is generating four times megawatts more than us.
There are no roads, no security. God forbid that one is caught in an emergency situation and then one will know the bitter truth of this fact. Many times, we have seen how, in road accidents, our Road Safety officials piled human bodies in rickety wagons like meat sellers coming from their abattoirs.
As we speak, Nigeria does not have a standard airport, when the country actually deserves two airports of international standard, one in the north and the other in the south, both serving the entire West African sub-region. Only one trip to a decent country, even South Africa, is enough to show us how much of a junk all our airports are.
If the president is so interested in connecting Nigeria to another country, what stops him from initiating the process of building world class roads, connecting Nigeria, all the way from southern Nigeria, through coastal cities like Calabar and so on, through Lagos to economically viable places like Port Novo, Lome to Abidjan? We are not saying Buhari should wave a magic wand and change the rot that have plagued this nation overnight, No. The point is that he should have started the process of healing, of accountability, of a massive investment in infrastructure, and opening up of the economy of this great country.
But what do we get instead from this president who swore an oath to uphold the constitution of Nigeria and look out for the best interest of her people at all times?
In the face of the satanic killings that is going on all over the country, biting hardship, an economy in downward spiral, the suffering of the people emanating from increase in price of virtually every commodity in the market, and recent negative ratings coming from reputable international bodies like Transparency International etc, our president has displayed his belief in acute tribal and religious politics.
Where does the APC hope to get the funds to execute the rail project to Maradi if not from borrowing or from an impoverished Southern region whose people continue to be marginalised as we speak?Nobody, no matter how highly placed, should be allowed to take what belongs to all of us for himself and his kinsmen alone.
I was moved when I saw this same president cry in front of the cameras and promised he would not contest elections again if he failed in the 2011 election, and was even more touched when he told a pressman that at over 70, he had less years to spend in Nigeria compared to the young man, in case Nigeria was not fixed. That was when I said to myself, this had to be the man. So what is the point of the tears? Clannishness, tribalism and religious bigotry?
I wont be fooled a second time
*Mr. Akanbi, a novelist, wrote from Abuja.
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Home | News | General | Order of elections: Pro-Buhari Senators face one year suspension
As Anyanwus Ethics Committee meets this week, Saraki impeachment plot fades
By Henry Umoru
ABUJA- STRONG indications have emerged that the ten pro- Muhammadu Buhari Senators who had last week Wednesday, kicked against the new sequence of elections adopted by the apex legislative chamber, following amendment of the 2010 Electoral Act, will be suspended for one year.
Senators Abdullahi Adamu, Abu Ibrahim, Ali Wakil, Abdullahi Gumel, Ovie Omo-Agege, Binta Garba MasiYahaya Abdullahi, Andrew Uchendu
Umar Kurfi and Benjamin Uwajimogu MasiYahaya Abdullahi, Andrew Uchendu
Umar Kurfi and Benjamin Uwajimogu[/caption]
According to a source in the Senate, the Senator Samuel Anyanwu, PDP, Imo East led Committee on Ethics, Privileges and Public Petitions is set to meet this week on the matter, just as the source said that the 10 senators who opposed the bill could be placed on one year suspension.
Vanguard gathered yesterday that the one year suspension is coming not withstanding apologies rendered on the floor of the Senate on Thursday by Senator Ovie Omo- Agege, APC, Delta Central.
It would be recalled that on February 14, and angered by what happened at the Senate chamber and while sitting was still on- going, ten Senators of the All Progressives Congress, APC walked out on the Senate President, Senator Bukola Saraki while he was still presiding, went straight to the Senate Press Corps Centre to address Journalists, expressing their reservations and vehemently kicked against the bill.
According to them, the action was not only a trash, but a rush, self-serving and targeted at the President Muhammadu Buharis re-election bid, adding that the amendment was carried out in very bad faith which will not stand.
The ten aggrieved Senators were led by the immediate past Chairman of Northern Senators Caucus and former governor of Nasarawa State, Senator Abdullahi Adamu whose argument against the bill was truncated at the plenary session by Saraki.
Other Senators that joined Senator Abdullahi Adamu in the protest were Abu Ibrahim (Katsina South); Ali Wakil (Bauchi South); Abdullahi Gumel (Jigawa North West); Umar Kurfi (Katsina Central); Yahaya Abdullahi (Kebbi North); Binta Garba Masi (Adamawa North); Ovie Omo-Agege (Delta Central); Andrew Uchendu (Rivers East); and Benjamin Uwajimogu (Imo North).
The protesting senators who had claimed to be 59 in number, said that others could not join them because they were attending to some official matters at different locations.
Also recall that despite the apology, the Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu, who presided over the session asked Omo-Agege to make his case before the Committee.
It has, however, emerged that any indicted Senator on account of that investigation would be suspended for one year.
Also recall that outside Omo-Agege, Senator Abdullahi Adamu, who was last week relieved of his position as Chairman of Northern Senators Forum was said to have turned down the option of apologising to the Senate in plenary.
He was said to have met with Senate President Bukola Saraki and the latter was said to have advised him to follow the footsteps of Omo-Agege.
Sources, however said that the Sarakis camp has linked the impeachment plot being orchestrated against him to the uprising of February 14.
According to sources in the chamber, loyalists of the Senate President have decided to nip the uprising by dealing with anyone who erred and linked to the plot.
The source said, Recall that earlier in the year, some top members of the ruling party met at different locations to plan the removal of the Senate President. At least two of those who staged the walkout have been linked to the assignment and that is why a decision has been taken to deal decisively with anyone harbouring the operation of axis of evil in this Senate.
It was gathered that unless the culprits are able to convince the Senate Committee that they never meant to bring Senate into disrepute any of those indicted would serve a one year suspension.
But the said impeachment plot appears to have collapsed following indications that the numbers are not adding up.
It was also gathered that the plan was to secure as many senators required to remove the Senate President by presenting the plot as an APC agenda, unfortunately, many of the Senators approached were said to have backed out, while the Senators of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) have opposed the plot.
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Home | News | General | No factions in Abia APGA, says party chieftain
By Anayo Okoli
UMUAHIAAHEAD of 2019 elections, a board of trustee member, BoT, and chieftain of the All Progressive Grand Alliance, APGA, in Abia State, Chief Ahamdi Nweke has declared that the party has no factions in the state, saying that the party is rather stronger now with new members decamping from other parties.
He also said that the party has restrategized and was working hard to take over the governorship of Abia State to give the people good leadership as its neighbouring Anambra.
APGA-Logo
Nweke spoke on the heels of the intervention of the National Working Committee, NWC, over the internal disagreement in the leadership of the party in the state, directing the state working committee elected in 2015 to remain intact and work in harmony.
The BoT member who was earlier rumoured to have been suspended and also decamped to the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, spoke to journalists in Umuahia, weekend, flanked by members of the State Working Committee.
According to him, APGA is the party to beat in Abia State in 2019 as the people are fed up with the poor leadership they have been getting from the PDP in the past 18 years.
I want to state without prevarication that there is no faction whatsoever in APGA, Abia State chapter. The state party is stronger today than ever, as it has continued to receive mass defection of members from other political parties into its fold.
What is being mistaken or perceived as a faction arose because some party members insisted that the party must encourage well meaning Abians to join the party and be able to put themselves forward to contest elections subject to outcome of primary election in line with the partys constitution and the provisions of the Electoral Act, he said.
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Home | World | Africa | Mugabe exposes Mnangagwa over killings
Former president Robert Mugabe yesterday opened up about his ouster last year by the army, disclosing for the first time that some people were allegedly killed and others tortured as the 94-year-old politician piled up pressure on his successor, President Emmerson Mnangagwa.
Mugabe told close relatives and friends at a private birthday party at his Harare mansion, known as Blue Roof, that the army chose to side with Mnangagwa in what was essentially a Zanu-PF dispute.
He disclosed that Mnangagwa had called him yesterday requesting that they meet urgently to discuss his situation but the deposed Zanu-PF leader vowed to tell it as it is. This will be the first meeting between the two since Mugabe's ouster.
Before narrating events leading to the dramatic military takeover on November 15 and his life after leaving office, Mugabe asked "the weak" to leave the venue as he was about to give graphic details of the fierce power struggles.
"Those who are afraid please leave.
This is an important issue and I will not mince my words," the former Zanu-PF leader said.
He said Mnangagwa wanted to meet him on his return from a state visit to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
It was not immediately clear when the president will leave for the DRC.
"He told me this morning that he was going to the DRC where he has been invited by (President Joseph) Kabila, the son of the late leader Laurent Kabila," he said.
He requested for a meeting and said he will bring along other leaders so that we could talk.
I said well, you can come. And he said he will do so when he returns from the DRC."
Mugabe promised not to hold back during the meeting with Mnangagwa, saying the new rulers need to know that the takeover of power with the help of the military was illegal and detrimental to democracy.
"I will tell them the truth that what you did was illegal.
You abused the people, beat up people," he told the crowd that was stunned into silence.
"I know you were told not to talk about this, but I will say it because it is the truth.
"People were injured, some were killed. They came here with bruises; some with their heads injured, and told us that some of them had been killed.
"I will tell them the truth."
He said Vice-President Constantino Chiwenga, who was the army commander at the time, took sides with Mnangagwa in the Zanu-PF factional wars and "rolled out tanks against the people."
"Because we had a misunderstanding with one of my vice-presidents, Emmerson, the army with Chiwenga decided to take out tanks into the streets.
This is not what we fought for," he charged.
"We did not fight for people to be threatened like what happened, it's sad.
"Those tanks you saw, I last saw them in 1939-1945 during the war period.
I asked, are we in a war period, why go to war against your own people?
Why do that? Because of power!'"
Mugabe said during the negotiations with the military commanders after they had placed him under house arrest, they claimed that people were on the streets demanding his ouster.
"They said to me people have marched, they want you to go.
They said they have filled the stadium demanding that I should go, I said: Which people, MDC people?
"What about those in Kadoma, what about those in Mutare, did you ask them? People were being beaten; the soldiers were beating up our intelligence guys saying you are paid higher than us," he added.
"You wear good suits, hence you are protecting Mugabe.
Ahh, they don't know that you don't need to be educated to be a soldier; normally soldiers are recruited from Grade Seven or Form Two while the intelligence team is recruited from those who are educated.
"It should follow that when one is educated with a degree or A' Level you should be paid higher than those who are just recruited as long as they can be trained."
Mugabe said contrary to claims by Mnangagwa that he was being treated with respect, his family was being abused.
"They say Mugabe is a legend.
What legend are you talking about when you are busy taking away the vehicles?
They say they want to protect my legacy, which legacy are they talking about? Doing the opposite of what we fought for," he charged.
"The boys and girls who used to work with us have been withdrawn, vehicles being taken from us.
"What legacy when they have expelled me from the party?
This girl here, my wife, is no longer a member of Zanu-PF, so what legacy are you talking about?
Why fear this girl (pointing at Grace)? She is just young, but they took the tanks to fight her," Mugabe said before breaking into laughter.
"When Mnangagwa called, I addressed him as president and he said no, don't address me as president, call me by my first name, Emmerson'. I said no you are the president, this is what you are.
"Isn't this what you wanted?" (Laughs).
He then pleaded with me and I said anyway, I will call you ED since this is what newspapers call you.'"
He said the new administration was persecuting Grace by charging people linked to the awarding of her alleged fake Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) degree.
"They are busy fighting the degree which we all helped her achieve," Mugabe said.
"Even if you were to withdraw the degree, does it change anything?
She will remain Mai Mugabe. That will not change."
Mugabe said during the standoff with the military last November, Chiwenga tried to reconcile him with Mnangagwa to no avail.
"Let me give credit to Chiwenga, he tried to have me engage Mnangagwa, but [Mnangagwa] said, the people have spoken', I am quoting what he said.
"Which people? MDC people? What about those not in Harare? So today the people we must listen to are opposition supporters? What happened to congress?
"They now want to work with me for elections, can they be trusted again?
Ohh, can our people trust them again? Can our people vote for such a Zanu-PF, a Zanu-PF which shredded the constitution?
I don't know.
"What are we going to tell them? Are they going to convince them that this is what we did? "Speak the truth that people died, that people were intimidated by the gun? I don't know."
Mugabe said Zanu-PF's chances of winning this year's elections were slim following the military takeover.
"We are sorry, we misled our people. We are sorry we deceived them.
I am talking even on behalf of Emmerson who does not want to be called president by me, we deceived our people," he added.
"We need to apologise and say the truth to them.
I don't know with the time left whether we are able to do that and unite the people.
But first things first, they must accept and apologise that what they did was wrong.
"It is not what we fought for.
Then we can start to talk on the way forward.
But I doubt if our people will forgive us. I doubt if they will be trusted again."
The party, whose theme was "celebrating our hero", was organised by Mugabe's family after they spurned an offer from Zanu-PF to host the celebrations.
Guests, who included former Cabinet ministers, captains of industry and fired Zanu-PF officials, went through thorough searching at the gates of the imposing mansion.
Mugabe ended his address by chanting a slogan "Pamberi nekubatana, pamberi nebirthday, pamberi navaMugabe, pasi nevanoda kuvanetsa [Forward with unity, forward with the birthday, forward with Mugabe, down with those who want to trouble him]."
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Home | World | Africa | Family of 3 sisters shot dead demand $40,000 compensation
THE family of three women in Bulawayo's New Magwegwe suburb who were recently fatally shot by a soldier who later turned the gun on himself in a suicide attempt, is demanding $40 000 as compensation for the killings, lobola and pain caused to them.
Initially the family had demanded $12 000 for funeral expenses. Carlos Tinashe Chapeyema (23), who is based in Gweru and attached to the Zimbabwe National Army Infantry Battalion Brigade in Battlefields, Kwekwe, allegedly fired about 20 shots, killing his wife, her two siblings and injuring his 18-month- old daughter before shooting himself in an alleged suicide attempt following an infidelity row. The Chapeyemas managed to pay part of the money before burial.
A relative who spoke on condition of anonymity, said part of the initial demand was paid and families had agreed on a payment plan for the remaining balance.
"The family of the deceased women demanded a total of $40 000, including the initial $12 000 that was demanded before burial. The demanded money covers lobola and compensation for the killings. The Chapeyemas have paid about $5 000 and nine beasts, which am not sure how they were valued," said the relative.
"A payment plan of not less than $200 per month was agreed on. We are glad the families are in good books and all went well at the burial of the victims and negotiation meetings."
Chapeyema and his daughter Tlowi Chapeyema, whom he shot once on the leg, are still admitted to Mpilo Central Hospital. His wife, Ashley Phiri (21) and her siblings, Nkosivumile Ncube (16) and Rita Nkomo (23) died on the spot. The incident occurred in the early hours of February 1. Mpilo Central Hospital Clinical Director Dr Solwayo Ngwenya said the father and daughter's conditions had greatly improved.
"Chapeyema is stable now and had a speedy recovery although he is still undergoing specialist treatment for some serious injuries that he had incurred. His daughter is stable and fully recovered now. Doctors are contemplating on discharging her now," he said.
A relative to the deceased women, Ms Idah Mutasa, said to be taking care of Tlowi in hospital, declined to comment on the compensations. She said she has been confined to hospital since day one of the shooting incident and is not aware of what was agreed between the families. "I have been in hospital since the day of the incident, hence, can't comment on any other details. The baby is doing fine now," she said.
Members of the bereaved family refused to comment. Chapeyema, who is facing murder and attempted murder charges, was on Friday further remanded in custody in absentia to March 2. He initially appeared before Bulawayo magistrate Mr Franklin Mkhwananzi during a court conducted at his bedside at Mpilo Central Hospital. Chapeyema allegedly went to his wife's house armed with an AK 47 assault rifle, which was loaded with a magazine of 20 rounds.
He was arrested at the scene and the weapon used in committing the alleged offences was also recovered. The couple lived in Mutare but the accused person's wife is alleged to have returned to her parents, accusing Chapeyema of physically abusing her.
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welp: Wes Anderson took best director, but top prize went to TOUCH ME NOT, which was almost dead last in @Screendailys critics poll (and which screened after I left Berlin). pic.twitter.com/oXC09ot61A david ehrlich (@davidehrlich) February 24, 2018
Berlin 2018: shallow, silly Golden Bear winner Touch Me Not is a calamity for the festival https://t.co/6ElDCKQebU Guardian Film (@guardianfilm) February 25, 2018
The Golden Bear (top prize) went to Romanian filmdirected by Adina Pintilie. She is only the 6th woman to win the Golden Bear and her win marks the first time two women have won consecutively (after Hungarian director Ildiko Enyedi won for her (now Oscar nominated) filmlast year).The film was also the (or one of the) worst reviewed films of the festival. Critics are already having full meltdowns:Wes Anderson also won Best Director for
Winners of the 2018 Berlin International Film Festival
Golden Bear for Best Film: Touch Me Not, Adina Pintilie
Silver Bear Grand Jury Prize: Twarz (Mug), Magorzata Szumowska
Silver Bear Alfred Bauer Prize: The Heiresses, Marcelo Martinessi
Silver Bear for Best Director: Wes Anderson, Isle of Dogs
Silver Bear for Best Actress: Ana Brun, The Heiresses
Silver Bear for Best Actor: Anthony Bajon, The Prayer
Silver Bear for Best Screenplay: Manuel Alcala and Alonso Ruizpalacios, Museum
Silver Bear for Outstanding Artistic Contribution, Costume or Set Design: Elena Okopnaya, Dovlatov
Audi Short Film Award: Solar Walk, Reka Bucsi
Silver Bear for Short Film Jury Prize: Imfura, Samuel Ishimwe
Golden Bear for Best Short Film: The Men Behind the Wall, Ines Moldavsky
Best First Feature: Touch Me Not, Adina Pintilie
Berlinale Glashutte Original Documentary Prize: The Waldheim Waltz, Ruth Beckermann
B less Canada for gifting us this television treasure and comedy gold known as Schitt's Creek.
Best Moment from S02E02 - "Family Dinner"
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Best Moment from S01E01 - "Our Cup Runneth Over"
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Best Moment from S03E01 - "Opening Night"
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Best Moment from S03E01 - "Family and Friends"
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Best Moment from S02E05 - "Bob's Bagels"
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Best Moment from S01E06 - "Wine and Roses"
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Best Moment from S04E03 - "Asbestos Fest"
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Best Moment from S04E05 - "RIP Moira Rose"
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Best Moment from S02E13 - "Happy Anniversary"
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Best Moment from S03E02 - "The Throuple"
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Bonus: Inside Schitt's Creek - Cafe Tour
The television sitcom, created by father and son duoand, premiered on CBC Television (and airs in the United States on) on January 13, 2015 and is on its curent fourth season. The show stars Legendas Moira Rose,as Johnny Rose,as Alexis Rose andas David Rose. Eugene's daughter (and Dan's sister), is also on the show as Twyla Sands, the waitress at Cafe Tropical. Inspired by franchise and , Dan developed an idea for a sitcom inspired by those shows and thought what would happen to a family like this if the money was stripped away? Dan approached his father with the idea and from there they created the show. The show centers around the Rose family when they lose everything and are forced to live in a motel in Schitt's Creek, a small town Johnny Rose purchased for his son David as a joke. What unfolds are hilarious and touching moments as a wealthy family adjusts to their new lives and are forced to connect with each other in ways they hadn't when money was no object. Since its premiere and thanks to Netflix, the show has slowly garnered a loyal following worldwide and especially here on(thank youand- gif game too strong). Let us take a look at some of the best moments from this show, and please take it easy on this OP if your favorite moment isn't included, this is only Part I .: David helps Moira cook dinner. Johnny looks for an office for his consulting business and Alexis comes clean with Ted about their engagement.: After their business manager steals all of their money, the once-wealthy Roses are forced to move to the town of Schitt's Creek, which Johnny bought in 1991 as a joke gift for David; they take up residence in the town's motel.: Johnny struggles to get a new business venture off the ground while dealing with unwelcome competition at Bobs Garage. Moira makes a splash at her first Town Council meeting, but quickly encounters roadblocks from the other councillors. Meanwhile, David and Stevie are shocked to learn that their romantic lives are intersecting. Alexis receives a generous offer from Mutt, but has to deal with Mutts new girlfriend.: Johnny and Moira have trouble trying to find a location for their large family portrait. David launches a soft opening for his new store.: Johnny is dismayed to learn of the lack of local bagel producers. When asked about business ideas, he throws out a bagel shop as an example. The mayor and Bob take it seriously, and they end up getting a guy to build a brick oven for him. Alexis gets sick and Moira ends up going shopping for her medicine but is upset when Mutt is already taking care of her. David has difficulty applying for a job at the clothing store he had previously insulted owner Wendy Kurtz when taking the mayor there to buy clothing for his wife.: A winery hires Moira as its commercial spokesperson; David suffers a panic attack; David and Alexis attend a partner yoga class with Jocelyn, Mutt, and Twyla.: Moira prepares for her headline debut at the Asbestos Fest; David deals with some loitering teens in the apothecary.: A rumour appears on line that Moira died; Roland asks Johnny to be the godfather of his child.: While celebrating their anniversary at an elegant restaurant, Johnny and Moira encounter a couple from their previous life. Meanwhile, Alexis and David are enjoying themselves at Mutt's annual party in his barn.: Johnny offers to help out an injured Twyla by waiting tables at the cafe, but soon gets in over his head. Alexis and Moira make a plan to have lunch, despite the fact that theyre both anxious about spending time alone together. David and Stevie try to figure out the boundaries of their three-way relationship with Jake.This is not an episode, but it was a hilarious short promoting the first season of the show.Watch as waitress Twyla Sands explain Cafe Tropical and its massive menu to Alexis.
Yeah this is over.
Young fuckboys are for sex and pick me ups on those lonely or self deprecating nights in your flat after a bad day at work. They are not for marrying or booing up to until they get to their mid to late 30s and their looks begin to fade after years of living fast and loose.
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he has never once been a fuckboy. he's just young. do ya'll keep up with him at all or just agree with the few things you read about?
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i mean, never say never.
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hold my drink while i laugh hard at the thought of a young, famous musician never once being a fuckboy!
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he has never once been a fuckboy
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shocking
who could have ever seen this coming
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terrible source. terrible clickbate headline. the text says they're looking for a place closer to her home and to London, which I also think isn't true. last article said they were last seen together in August. it was November. it said she never commented to his last IG post, which she did. anyone can see it. it must suck to be a woman with a few failed relationships to be hated for it in the UK.
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Girl you are worrying to much about this. You don't know them, go outside. Go get touched.
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you talking to a commenter when people out here keep making posts
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I'm so glad we have a delusion Liam man-child stan now! These posts are gonna be so much more fun.
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Whoooooo are youuuuuu?
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She's nothing even like hated in the UK, no need for the melodrama.
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Blessed gif
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oh god she is so beautiful
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i just found out this girl i've been working with, is her DAUGHTER wtf
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That is some literal twin peaks shit, tbh.
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Nadine won! Nadine won!
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Yass rise Tesco kween!
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Wow at this cheryliam GOSSIP
Now available on iTunes, Apple Music, Spotify, Google Play, Tidal, and Tesco.
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Cheryl needs to stop being a stay at home mom and GO TO WORK to bring us some good songs again
Now available on iTunes, Apple Music, Spotify, Google Play, Tidal, and Tesco.
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Was she the one in CBBUK?
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Your gifs always kill me
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Lmaoo this fucking gif!!!
Nadine is too professional and successful for a show like CBB, youre probably thinking about the ugly ginger one.
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Time for Cheryl Tweedy Cole Fernandez-Versini Payne to become Cheryl Tweedy Cole Fernandez-Versini Payne Walsh!
On the real tho, watching Cheryl's relationship with Liam gives me such second hand embarrassment. It should have ended before it started.
Edited at 2018-02-26 07:35 am (UTC)
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omg I was scrolling down and literally stopped to check what Eva Longoria had to do with any of this
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I was just saying yesterday that Chezza would be an even bigger mess if it weren't for Kimberley. #Chim
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I couldn't agree more! I think her relationship with Kimberley has been a real saving grace for her.
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pr bs lbr
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well, he is 14.
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he's a rich man with an alleged blossoming solo career.
Of course this was doomed from the start.
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Wow! I hope he gets child support!
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Not surprised. I guess that's what happens when you marry a guy 10 years younger.
Edited at 2018-02-26 07:50 am (UTC)
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They're not married.
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*get impregnated by*
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shakira disagrees?
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Lmao as if he aint cheating
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Cheryl is leaving him for that Haim sister
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omg queen
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what sort of bs campaign rally will 45 be at instead? something with the nra?
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It would be so awesome if they invited HRC to be the main guest instead, as a "look at what the election _should_ have resulted in!" dig.
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fire and fury said that they had to convince trump not to go lol he actually had wanted to attend
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I mean why is this surprising? He believes his own bs and he has yet to meet publicity he doesnt like.
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Learn more about LiveJournal Ratings in Hello! Your entry got to top-25 of the most popular entries in LiveJournal!Learn more about LiveJournal Ratings in FAQ
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edit- i believe this is it:
https://www.facebook.com/thedailyshow/videos/10154713542531800/
Edited at 2018-02-26 02:07 pm (UTC) i remember the night trump won she was on the daily show telling jokes about the election and was like, "you don't grab a pussy! even if it's consensual, you just don't!" and everyone was laughing and it was all good fun until the end when i could tell she had tears in her eyes :(edit- i believe this is it:
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I love her!! I saw her at the comedy cellar a few years ago and she was so so funny, I'm excited that she seems to be getting more well known.
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i can't be the only one who thought that was a pic of carrot top on first glance.
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Nah, her eyebrows are too good for that.
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She's great. I wish she was hosting a big event like this under better circumstances. I hope she tears the fucker apart and fingers crossed for some wonderful Mueller news just in time to make the event extra special.
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my fave
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No journalist should show up to this given how the Trump admin has treated them and protestors. I'm sure they will tho since most of them are suck ups. The whole thing has been a bad idea long before Trump tho imo.
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I miss the good ol' days of the Nerd Prom.
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Maybe they've got an issue with a gun nut sending "thoughts and prayers", but it's not like Kevin was hospitalized from a gunshot wound or that chris shot him.
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Yeah I don't disagree with that at all, but I'm not surprised that people are ready to jump on the phrase.
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Is Chris a gun nut because he's a gun owner? Is he an NRA supporter?
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Not every hunter is a gun nut. My Uncle is hunter and he makes jokes about idiots who need to own AR1-15s all the time.
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he devoted way too many tweets to this
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he saw the opportunity and took it.
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over-tweeting is how he chooses to navigate his navigation
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He alllllllways does. I had to unfollow him because Gunn is super up his own ass and thinks everything he says is 100% correct at all times.
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ia
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lol he really did
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I don't wish Kevin Smith ill, but everyone involved in this is a messy douche. Clearly ONTD isn't the only place that is at Bitch Eating Crackers levels with Pratt.
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idgaf about chris's republican ass but as an atheist who is well past her edgy phase, there's nothing wrong with people sending out their support and thoughts and hopes that you will get better. like, this is a case where intent DOES matter.
like, when i'm grieving i don't want to be told my loved one is with god now, or it was part of god's plan, etc. but someone's heartfelt expression that they are glad you made it through and hope you recover quickly is not worth sneering over imo.
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Totally agree. Its not a good look for us non-religious folks to lose our sense of humanity.
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omg i literally grew out of my atheist edgy phase this year and i'm loling at myself
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proud of you for coming out of the other side haha, some of us never do.
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lol irl at atheist edgy phase...been there and ia with everything else.
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Yeah, same. My friend was recently putting in an offer on a house and she was like "I know you're not the praying type but can you send good thoughts my way?" Of course I can, darling. There's not much else I can do so if it calms someone down to know others are rooting for them, I'll do it.
I don't think I was ever an edgy atheist. I knew enough shitty atheists from a young age to know that religion doesn't make someone shitty, lmao. You can be a dickish atheist or a dickish Christian or a dickish whatever. Take away religion, and people are still dicks. They'll just find a different reason to be dicks.
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yes, exactly.
i'm not particularly religious, but 19/20 times someone says "You're in my prayers" after some bad news - they genuinely just mean they're hoping for the best for you in a way that aligns with their beliefs. It's meant well. Do people sometimes say it in a snarky way? And do some shitty people want to pray to heal your sins or some bullshit? Sure...but when someone genuinely is just wishing you well, why does it matter how they say it?
Same with the whole Merry Christmas/Happy Holidays thing.
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Yup, basically this.
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he's a Republican?
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I was a cradle catholic from a small catholic city. I no longer identify as catholic or really any religion, but may still be spiritual. Neither here nor there.
My dad got sick about 7 years ago and there is something highly comforting knowing so many people are pulling for you. His mom was saying rosaries alllllll the time and had him on 284729 prayer lists.
A lot of lifes problems are bigger than you and its nice knowing you arent alone.
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MTE. He specifically said he believes in the healing power of prayer and actually came across as completely genuine. This definitely wasn't an empty platitude.
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yeah when you literally can't do anything else then thoughts & prayers really are the way to go. I don't pray but I recognize that
totally different situation from politicians etc who DO have power to effect change
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mte
He even gave spiel about how important Kevin's movies were to him. It wasn't just a generic "thoughts and prayers."
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Mte! People are doing the most.
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ITA
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This so much. I don't understand ONTD's level of bitch eating crackers hatred for particular celebrities just because they said one wrong thing or did one wrong thing in the past.
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thank you, people were doing the most
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fellow atheist here and I agree. I don't like him, I think he's shown his republican, conservative ass way too many times but if the love/concern is there, in whatever capacity, I can't be mad.
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I don't know what that guy's heart attack has to do with school shootings. I don't see anything wrong with Chris' tweet tbh. I know it's been tough the last couple of weeks, but some people need to chill a little bit.
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I honestly don't get it either. That is way too many tweets from this guy. whoever he is. Chris Pratt is a conservative dude bro of course he's sending prayers.
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i'm not religious in any way really...but if something was up w/my health (or my mum or something) i'd happily ask/accept people's prayers, good vibes...good wishes. it's just a way for people to ask and receive emotional support.
i think people responding to pratt in some kind of negative way is stupid. and i hate standing up for chris pratt
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very little even in the replies, but its gunn and he just wants to grandstand for rts and faves.
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lmao @ both of them
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lol basically
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Honestly, I'm with him on this one. Not to mention that Kevin is pretty spiritual. In situations like this, even if you don't believe in prayer, it's nice to know that someone cares enough about you to spend some of their time praying for you. Obviously just my opinion, but really, people need to calm down and take it for what it is, care and thought for Kevin.
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Prayer is stupid, but getting mad on Kevin Smith's behalf about someone praying for him is probably even more stupid.
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Of all the bullshit Pratt has done this is what is outraging people? If I had a heart attack I'd love some thoughts and prayers. If I was gunned down at school or a public event I'd want action.
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Lol there's nothing wrong with Chris's tweet.
ETA: Also I don't blame James Gunn for having to spell it out for people when it should be obvious.
Edited at 2018-02-26 06:18 pm (UTC)
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James Gunn is just too fucking much.
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my parents always want to pray with me before/after big things in my life. sometimes i do and sometimes i tell them i'd rather they do it without me. but i'd never tell them not to pray at all. people can be such assholes when it comes to religion(both atheists and practicing people). just let people do whatever brings them emotional peace even if it's not your thing.
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of all things to come after pratt for.
if only chris would stop praying he totes would find the cure for heart disease.
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Commerce Secretary Promises 'One-Stop Shop' for Space Commerce
"The rate of regulatory change must match the rate of technological change," Wilbur Ross said during the second meeting of the re-activated National Space Council. "The government must not stand in the way of this progress, as it so often does. It is time to unshackle business activity in space."
U.S. Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross told the re-activated National Space Council that his department will create a "one-stop shop" for space commerce. Speaking at the council's second meeting on Feb. 21 at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, he praised the recent successful test launch of Space X's Falcon Heavy rocket and discussed the department's vision for the future of space commerce. Space is already a $330 billion industry supporting 211,000 U.S. jobs, he said, but at least 70 countries are trying to make their way into space and the U.S. share of the 1,700 new companies created worldwide last year was only 45 percent -- "far lower than our share of launches."
Since the council first met last October, the Department of Commerce has identified regulatory barriers to commercial space activity and developed a vision for the future of space commerce, he said. "Commerce's review of the outdated regulatory framework, discussions with an ambitious but frustrated space industry, and meetings within the [Trump] Administration have made one thing clear: The rate of regulatory change must match the rate of technological change," he said. "The government must not stand in the way of this progress, as it so often does. It is time to unshackle business activity in space."
With the council's direction, he said he will move the Office of Space Commerce and the Commercial Remote Sensing Regulatory Affairs office from their present location in the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to his direct oversight in the Office of the Secretary, in order to provide increased access, increased efficiency, and swift regulatory decision making.
The Office of Space Commerce will coordinate all space-related functions at the department, and he promised to soon name a director of the office.
Cleaning up beaches could boost local economies in addition to preserving natural treasures and animal habitats.
In southern California's Orange County alone, the economic benefits of beach cleanup could range from $13 per resident in a three-month period if debris were reduced by 25 percent to $42 per resident with a 75 percent drop in plastics and other trash along the oceanfront, according to a new study. That could mean up to a $46 million boost to the county's economy in just one summer.
This is the first study to compare the amount of ocean debris with the behavior of beachgoers and to calculate an economic benefit to cleaning up those beaches, said Tim Haab, a professor of agricultural, environmental and development economics at The Ohio State University.
To come up with an estimated benefit, Haab and his co-authors embarked on a two-part study, which appears online in the journal Marine Resource Economics. The work was done in collaboration with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's marine debris program.
The researchers evaluated the amount of ocean debris on 31 California beaches and found that some were much dirtier than others. Debris includes plastics that wash in from ships, trash that finds its way to shore from rivers and the litter that beach visitors leave behind.
The research team also mailed surveys to 4,000 randomly selected Orange County residents to learn about which beaches they frequent and what they look for in a good sun-and-surf spot. They heard back from 36 percent of those households and analyzed their 1,436 completed surveys. Some people visited the beach often, others less frequently. Information from thousands of beach trips went into the analysis.
Overall, the Californians ranked absence of marine debris and good water quality as key characteristics when deciding on a beach to visit - 66 percent of those surveyed called those factors "very important." Those qualities ranked above scenic beauty, convenient parking and sandiness.
The researchers were able to take information about the participants' beach-use patterns - and how far they travel to get to a desirable beach - to calculate a travel cost linked to skipping nearby dirty beaches in favor of longer jaunts to cleaner coastline. They took other influences on beachgoer behavior, such as availability of trash cans and beach congestion, into account when analyzing the data.
"A lot of work has been done to quantify the physical costs of ocean debris, but until now we haven't been able to quantify the economic benefit of cleaning up the beaches and preventing the problem in the first place," Haab said.
"We were able to correlate ocean debris with trip patterns and arrive at potential cost savings if people went to closer beaches."
Estimated savings ranged from $29.5 million ($12.91 per Orange County resident) to $46.5 million ($42.30 per Orange County resident) in a three-month period. The lower-end estimate was based on a 25 percent reduction in debris; the higher-end estimate on a 75 percent reduction.
"Given the magnitude of these benefits, a variety of marine debris abatement activities is likely to prove cost effective," the researchers wrote.
"In 2016, outdoor recreation accounted for $374 billion, or 2 percent, of the gross domestic product in the United States. This shows that improving environmental quality can benefit the economy," Haab said.
He said the savings could be even greater than outlined in the study. It did not take into account travelers from outside Orange County, for instance, nor did it consider benefits beyond those afforded to beach visitors, such as a healthier habitat for marine life.
The study could serve to inform policy decisions by showing that there are economic reasons - in addition to the environmental ones - to look for ways to prevent ocean debris and clean up the plastics and other litter on beaches.
"We put a dollar value on beach cleanup efforts. This is important because it helps government agencies quantify the benefits of efforts to keep marine debris out of our waterways and off of our beaches," said study co-author Christopher Leggett of Bedrock Statistics.
Haab would like to work on a larger-scale evaluation of the economic impact of ocean debris to better understand differences in coastal communities around the U.S. and abroad, he said.
Explore further NOAA economic study shows marine debris costs California residents millions of dollars
Mohammad Taha shows off the ultra-thin coating developed at RMIT University. Credit: RMIT University/James Giggacher
Researchers from RMIT University in Melbourne Australia have developed a new ultra-thin coating that responds to heat and cold, opening the door to "smart windows".
The self-modifying coating, which is a thousand times thinner than a human hair, works by automatically letting in more heat when it's cold and blocking the sun's rays when it's hot.
Smart windows have the ability to naturally regulate temperatures inside a building, leading to major environmental benefits and significant financial savings.
Lead investigator Associate Professor Madhu Bhaskaran said the breakthrough will help meet future energy needs and create temperature-responsive buildings.
"We are making it possible to manufacture smart windows that block heat during summer and retain heat inside when the weather cools," Bhaskaran said.
"We lose most of our energy in buildings through windows. This makes maintaining buildings at a certain temperature a very wasteful and unavoidable process.
"Our technology will potentially cut the rising costs of air-conditioning and heating, as well as dramatically reduce the carbon footprint of buildings of all sizes.
"Solutions to our energy crisis do not come only from using renewables; smarter technology that eliminates energy waste is absolutely vital."
Smart glass windows are about 70 per cent more energy efficient during summer and 45 per cent more efficient in the winter compared to standard dual-pane glass.
New York's Empire State Building reported energy savings of US$2.4 million and cut carbon emissions by 4,000 metric tonnes after installing smart glass windows. This was using a less effective form of technology.
"The Empire State Building used glass that still required some energy to operate," Bhaskaran said. "Our coating doesn't require energy and responds directly to changes in temperature."
Co-researcher and PhD student Mohammad Taha said that while the coating reacts to temperature it can also be overridden with a simple switch.
"This switch is similar to a dimmer and can be used to control the level of transparency on the window and therefore the intensity of lighting in a room," Taha said. "This means users have total freedom to operate the smart windows on-demand."
Windows aren't the only clear winners when it comes to the new coating. The technology can also be used to control non-harmful radiation that can penetrate plastics and fabrics. This could be applied to medical imaging and security scans.
Bhaskaran said that the team was looking to roll the technology out as soon as possible.
"The materials and technology are readily scalable to large area surfaces, with the underlying technology filed as a patent in Australia and the US," she said.
The research has been carried out at RMIT University's state-of-the-art Micro Nano Research Facility with colleagues at the University of Adelaide and supported by the Australian Research Council.
Their findings have been published in Scientific Reports - Nature: http://dx.doi.org/doi:10.1038/s41598-017-17937-3
How the coating works
The self-regulating coating is created using a material called vanadium dioxide. The coating is 50-150 nanometres in thickness.
At 67 degrees Celsius, vanadium dioxide transforms from being an insulator into a metal, allowing the coating to turn into a versatile optoelectronic material controlled by and sensitive to light.
The coating stays transparent and clear to the human eye but goes opaque to infra-red solar radiation, which humans cannot see and is what causes sun-induced heating.
Until now, it has been impossible to use vanadium dioxide on surfaces of various sizes because the placement of the coating requires the creation of specialised layers, or platforms.
The RMIT researchers have developed a way to create and deposit the ultra-thin coating without the need for these special platforms - meaning it can be directly applied to surfaces like glass windows.
Explore further A coating that blocks 90 per cent of the heat from sunlight could be used to develop smart windows
More information: Mohammad Taha et al, Insulatormetal transition in substrate-independent VO2 thin film for phase-change devices, Scientific Reports (2017). Journal information: Scientific Reports Mohammad Taha et al, Insulatormetal transition in substrate-independent VO2 thin film for phase-change devices,(2017). DOI: 10.1038/s41598-017-17937-3
WWF International's new president Pavan Sukhdev has refocused his talents from banking to rescuing Natureand is encouraging corporations to work to that end
A generation ago, the idea of a veteran international banker leading a global organisation charged with saving the planet's dwindling and besieged wildlife would have seemed far-fetched.
For some, it still does.
Even Pavan Sukhdevrecently appointed president of World Wildlife Fund International after a quarter century at ANZ Banking and Deutsche Bank, followed by a decade working with the UNdidn't see it coming.
"Today, I realise this is a natural place for me to be," he told AFP during an interview at the headquarters of WWF France, on the outskirts of Paris.
"Ten years ago, I didn't".
Sukhdev, 57, no longer manages money markets or conjures up derivatives, but he has not turn his back on the business world. Indeed, the Indian-born economist is convinced that it holds the key to saving the environmentand our place in it.
"Corporations are the single most important institution of our times," he said, noting they account for two-thirds of global economy, and an equal share of jobs.
"Their leadersCEOs, CFOs, CMOs, the 'C-suite' generallyare setting the direction in which we are driving."
Up to now, Sukhdev acknowledges, that direction has mostly taken us down the road to environmental ruin.
Our species is emptying the sea of fish, disgorging 40 billion tonnes of planet-warming CO2 into the atmosphere each year, and relentlessly polluting soil, sea and air.
Humanity's expanding footprint heightens the risk of environmental damage and the WWF chief says corporations should recognise the need to act to turn the tide
When it comes to wildlife, humanity's appetites and expanding footprint have triggered the first mass extinction event since a giant meteorite wiped out terrestrial dinosaurs more than 65 million years ago.
Beyond profits
These "externalities"in the bloodless lingo of economistsof sustained growth have mushroomed into an existential threat for many species, including homo sapiens.
"Today's corporations inflict significant negative externalities on the planet," said Sukhdev. "They need to recognise that responsibility."
If C-suite executives are only now beginning to think that way, it's party because of the "conventional wisdom" that a corporation is merely a machine to make money for shareholdersa notion he rejects.
"It's purpose goes way beyond profit. It's purpose is societalsolving problems, adding value, serving society."
Just as humans are not defined by their need to breathe, Sukhdev argued, corporations should not be limited to the drive for profits.
WWF International, he said, is a powerful platform for nudging business in the right direction.
"Shaming is not outside of our remit. But neither is encouragement," he said. "We need both. And 'we' is not just WWFit is also the hundreds of millions of people that, under our compact, 'we shall engage, inspire and mobilise'. It involves all of us."
As Sukhdev transitioned from banking to environmental economics, he was commissioned in 2007 by the "G8+5" forum of nations, which included China and India, to investigate the economics of biodiversity.
Scientists estimate humanity uses nearly twice as much "natural capital" as can be replenished by Earth each year, creating an ever deeper "ecological debt"
His highly influential report developed the concept of "ecosystem services" long taken for grantedmangroves protecting coastal communities during storms, aquifers providing drinking water, bees pollinating commercial crops.
'Natural capital'
The value of these vanishing resources, he concluded, must be entered into society'sand corporatebalance sheets.
"It's not about putting a price on nature," as critics of the concept contend, Sukhdev said. "It's for recognising the value, and that it has a public benefit."
Scientists estimate that humanity uses nearly twice as much of this "natural capital" as can be replenished by Earth each year, creating an ever deeper "ecological debt".
Founded in Switzerland in 1961, the World Wildlife Fund adopted the iconic giant panda as its logo and quickly spawned autonomous chapters in Britain and the United States.
Today, it has 34 national organisations and 50 project offices under its umbrella, run by a staff of 6,700 and supported by a membership 5.4 million strong. It is present in more than 100 countries.
During its first four decades, the WWF raised money and worked with governments in Latin America and Africa to create and expand wildlife refuges.
As the ecological crisis grew in scale and complexity, however, it became apparent that carving out new marine and forest protected areaswhile essentialwas not enough.
Today, WWF International and its national branches work in six distinct but intertwined areas: wildlife, oceans, forests, freshwater, food and climate change/energy.
Explore further How much is nature worth?
2018 AFP
An image of a fossilised goat hair (left) compared to a modern Finnish Landrace goat hair (right). Both images are taken with a scanning electron microscope. Credit: Krista Vajanto & Tuija Kirkinen
Researchers report the first concrete evidence found in Finland of a goat dating back to the Neolithic Corded Ware period (in Finland ca. 2800-2300 BCE). The 4000-year-old animal was identified by its fossilised hair, which was found in an archaeological soil sample.
The research finding reveals evidence about the mortuary practices of the Corded Ware culture. The soil sample under investigation originated in a grave structure discovered in the 1930s in Kauhava, western Finland. The grave and its perimeter were encircled by a layer of dark soil resembling the dimensions of an animal skin. Since the hairs were found in the sample collected from this feature, the researchers believe that they are connected with a goat skin placed in the grave.
The identification is based on images taken with a scanning electron microscope. The fibres included in these images were identified on the basis of their structure, typical to goat hair. "Our study proves that completely new knowledge of our past can be gained by using microscopes to study organic material in advanced states of degradation. Now that we know to look for them, hairs have been found in other soil samples as well," says Tuija Kirkinen.
In the light of these new findings, it is reasonable to assume that domestic animals and a herder identity constituted a significant part of the belief system of the Corded Ware culture. This interpretation is also supported by objects made of domestic animal bones and pottery that might have been used for storing and drinking milk found in Corded Ware graves.
"Even though Corded Ware graves found elsewhere in Europe are generally better preserved, no equivalent evidence of skins placed in the grave have been found. As our findings show, the placement of the skin of an important domestic animal in the grave produces entirely new notions on the burial rituals and belief system of the Corded Ware culture," says Marja Ahola.
Oldest animal hair found in Finland
From the perspective of Finnish prehistory, the finding supports the evidence of animal husbandry practised during the Corded Ware period. In the field of Finnish archaeology, it has long been assumed that people also kept domestic animals during the Corded Ware period. This conclusion is based on the fact that during the period, people often lived in meadow environments suited to animal husbandry. Milk residues have also been found in Corded Ware pottery. It has been difficult to prove the practice of animal husbandry, since in the acidic Finnish soil, unburnt bone is preserved only for about 1000 years. Therefore, Finland has little osseous material preserved from the Stone Age. The oldest domestic animal bones known here, for example, date back only to the later part of Stone Age in ca. 2200-1950 BCE.
"The hairs found in the Corded Ware grave in Kauhava are the oldest animal hairs found in Finland and the first evidence of goats. Our finding does indeed prove that goats were known already at that early period as far up north as Finland," says Krista Vajanto.
Explore further Women in southern Germany Corded Ware culture may have been highly mobile
More information: Ahola, M., Kirkinen, T., Vajanto, K. & Ruokolainen, J. 2017. On the scent of an animal skin: new evidence on Corded Ware mortuary practices in Northern Europe. Antiquity Vol 92, Issue 361, 118-131. Journal information: Antiquity Ahola, M., Kirkinen, T., Vajanto, K. & Ruokolainen, J. 2017. On the scent of an animal skin: new evidence on Corded Ware mortuary practices in Northern Europe.Vol 92, Issue 361, 118-131.
Betul Kacar in her lab at the University of Arizona. Credit: Betul Kacar
A team of scientists from the University of Arizona have engineered an instant replay switch for evolution. The technique, known as ancestral gene resurrection, inserts ancient genes into modern E. coli bacteria. It gives researchers the opportunity to watch evolution unfold again and again, providing insights into how life evolved on early Earth, and what it might potentially look like on other planets.
"Organisms can function just fine even when they've been engineered with an essential gene that is over 700 million years old," the study's lead author Betul Kacar, an astrobiologist at the University of Arizona, tells Astrobiology Magazine. "This work is a proof of concept. The next questions are: How far back can we go? And would we expect the sequences to evolve and function the same way that they did? Just because sequences are similar doesn't mean that the gene will function in the same way."
Kacar and colleagues published their work in the Journal of Molecular Evolution.
In 1989, famous evolutionary biologist Stephan J. Gould proposed a thought experiment: if you could rewind time and let evolution happen all over again, would the end result resemble life on Earth as we know it? For decades, the idea of 'replaying life's tape' remained purely a theoretical question and fodder for endless debates among scientists. At the heart of the debate is the tension between chance and determinism in trying to understand how an organism's past constrained its future.
The development of recombinant DNA technology taking a gene from one organism and inserting it into the genome of another began to provide opportunities for researchers to answer Gould's question experimentally. Kacar worked with her postdoctoral advisor Eric Gaucher at Georgia Tech on a NASA-funded project to replay evolution again and again with the laboratory workhorse bacterium E. coli. Kacar wouldn't be evolving E. coli from scratch, but rather rewinding the evolution of a specific key protein that the bacteria needed to survive.
Credit: National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health
An ancient tool for building proteins
In 2008, Kacar reconstructed the 500-million-year-old sequence of an important bacterial gene called Elongation Factor-Tu (EF-Tu), which helps to string together amino acid building blocks into fully formed proteins. This version of EF-Tu emerged just after the Cambrian explosion, when life began growing ever more complex. As a ribosomal protein, it sat at the heart of the cell, which depended upon the functioning of this protein for its very survival.
The ancient EF-Tu gene differed from its modern counterpart in E. coli at 28 spots. Since these bacteria can't survive without EF-Tu, Kacar's first task was to see if the archaic gene could even function in modern E. coli. She replaced the bacterium's two copies of EF-Tu with a single ancient version and waited.
"The gene was like Rip Van Winkle it had to learn to adjust when everything around him had changed," Kacar says.
The ancient-modern hybrid bacterium was able to grow, but its time travel came at the cost of a two-thirds drop in evolutionary fitness, as measured by the bacterium's growth rate. With this dramatic decline, Darwinian evolution could take the stage and start tinkering with the thousands of genes in the bacteria. Kacar created six different populations of these hybrid bacteria and then let them grow in the lab for 2,000 generations. Each of these populations provided a potential new ending for evolution.
At top is a comparison of the amino acids in the modern EF-Tu gene compared to the ancient version. The small differences between the two are highlighted. At bottom left is a ribbon visualization of the ancient EF-Tu gene, and at bottom right we see the EF-Tu gene attached to a 70S ribosome (which links amino acids together for protein synthesis). Credit: Betul Kacar et al/CC BY 4.0
In all but one of Kacar's populations of bacteria, the E. coli evolved with their interloper EF-Tu gene in an identical fashion. Rather than changing the EF-Tu gene itself, the cells increased the amount of EF-Tu protein they produced to cope with the reduced function. Of all of the millions of possible solutions that the bacteria could have found, they largely seemed to settle on the same one. Kacar calls this increase in production of inferior proteins the "emergency response system" of an organism. Regardless of its simplicity, the change worked. Increasing the amount of the ancient EF-Tu protein helped to restore bacterial fitness.
But that doesn't mean that these are the only possible solutions to the problem. Kacar began her experiments with only six different populations of E. coli. In the wild, natural selection would have been able to mold the descendants of millions of different organisms. Also, 2,000 generations are an evolutionary blink of an eye. Because all six lineages of bacteria happened upon this solution, Kacar believes that increasing the amount of misfit protein might be a temporary measure until a better mutation comes along.
Expanding the research
Kacar has continued growing her lineages to see what evolution might come up with next. She has also begun performing similar experiments in cyanobacteria and proteins central to photosynthesis, including Rubisco, which transforms atmospheric carbon dioxide into glucose. Kacar's work on Rubisco was previously covered here by Astrobiology Magazine.
The importance of this work, Kacar says, isn't just relevant to life on this planet. Knowing how life is or isn't constrained by its starting materials could tell scientists a lot about what life might look like on other planets, she tells Astrobiology Magazine. Ancient gene resurrection may also tell scientists how life might adapt in the future to a shifting climate and other anthropogenic changes.
"This work will help us in understanding the limits of life by combining synthetic biology and evolutionary biology," she says. "In this way, we can approach wider problems in astrobiology concerning the distribution of life."
Explore further This enzyme enabled life to conquer a hostile earth
More information: Betul Kacar et al. Experimental Evolution of Escherichia coli Harboring an Ancient Translation Protein, Journal of Molecular Evolution (2017). Betul Kacar et al. Experimental Evolution of Escherichia coli Harboring an Ancient Translation Protein,(2017). DOI: 10.1007/s00239-017-9781-0
This story is republished courtesy of NASA's Astrobiology Magazine. Explore the Earth and beyond at www.astrobio.net .
Moving to a new home is usually accompanied with a long to-do list, from painting the walls to unpacking boxes. For young queen Azteca ants however, one important job is to start growing fungus. Many tropical ant species are famous for their mutualistic relationship with fungi, carefully cultivating and farming different fungi species to use as food or building materials or even to trap prey. However, when and how the fungiculture is started is still a mystery. Do new queens culture fungi that just happen to be around in their new home at the time of colonization? And how soon after their arrival do queens start flexing their agriculture prowess? To answer these questions, Veronika Mayer from the University of Vienna and some of her colleagues set off to the tropics of Costa Rica in the hunt of young Cecropia plants that make ideal new homes for young queen ants.
In total they sampled 64 plants finding 212 foundress queens at various stages of colonizing small chambers within the plant stem. In two instances, the researchers were lucky enough to catch the colonization process from start to finish. They watched as the young queens bored their way into the hollow stem of the Ceropia trees and then scrap away the white parenchyma lining the stems to plug the hole. In addition to using the parenchyma to patch up the hole, the team also observed the queens carefully amassing little piles of parenchyma within the cavity itself.
To see if these piles contained fungus and if so, what type of fungus, the researchers collected 52 samples of the parenchyma to look for traces of fungal hyphen and to extract DNA. They found that fungus was only present in parenchyma samples taken from chambers where a queen was also present. Unfortunately, the researchers couldn't trace foundress ants back to their mother colonies to directly compare the fungal species but they were able to compare DNA sequences obtained from new colonies to DNA sequences obtained from a sample of established colonies. The team found a great deal of overlap between the two, suggesting that the new queens used very similar fungal species as used as in established colonies. Given the similarity with established colonies and the fact the fungi found only represent a small percent of all fungi species, it seems likely that fungi are transported in some way by queens from their mother colony. When Mayer and her colleagues examined the contents of the infrabuccal cavity of four foundress ants they also found traces of fungal spores and hyphens. Like a hamster, it's possible that these ants can squirrel away and transport fungal elements that could be useful for setting up a little fungi farm.
Azteca ant caught in the process of colonizing a Ceropia plant.
Next, the researchers labelled the fungiculture patches with 15N isotope to trace who exactly was eating the fungal crop. Interestingly, the team didn't find any trace of 15N in the foundress queens but they did find an accumulation of 15N in the larvae of future worker ants. It seems that queens aren't directly profiting from their farming skills but are using the fungal food to feed their future workforce instead. Setting up a new colony is a dangerous experience for foundress queens as it requires a lot of energy. Without her workers, the queen herself has no way to replace her energy and risks her own death, so making sure her larvae are well fed to support their growth and development is a high priority for any new queen.
Overall the team's observations have helped unravel the mystery behind fungiculture in Azteca ants. Their research suggests that fungal growth doesn't occur serendipitously from fungal spores or hyphen already present in the plant cavity, but because foundress ants bring fungi with them from their home nest. The fact that new queens start stockpiling parenchyma straight away is testament to fungiculture's importance in the colony's survival. So, next time you're moving house and bemoaning your to-do list, spare a thought for the Azteca ant farming away to ensure her survival, when you can just order a take-away pizza.
Piling up parenchyma in the cavity of the Cecropia plants (panels A & B) Evidence of fungus (panels B, D & C)
Evidence of fungal spores and hyphen from the infrabuccal cavity of foundress queen Azteca ants
Explore further Temporary infidelity may contribute to the stability of ancient relationships
More information: Veronika E. Mayer et al. Transmission of fungal partners to incipient Cecropia-tree ant colonies, PLOS ONE (2018). PLOS ONE (2018). Journal information: PLoS ONE Veronika E. Mayer et al. Transmission of fungal partners to incipient Cecropia-tree ant colonies,(2018). DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0192207 Veronika E. Mayer et al. Transmission of fungal partners to incipient Cecropia-tree ant colonies,(2018). DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0192207
Provided by PLOS Blogs
This story is republished courtesy of PLOS Blogs: blogs.plos.org.
Credit: Vilem Skarolek/public domain
Most election polls take the political pulse of a state or nation by reaching out to citizens about their voting plans. Santa Fe Institute Professor Mirta Galesic says pollsters might also ask: how do your friends plan to vote?
In a new paper published in Nature Human Behavior, Galesic and co-authorsincluding Wandi Bruine de Bruin (Leeds Business School), former Santa Fe Institute Omidyar Fellow Marion Dumas (London School of Economics), and researchers from University of Southern California Dornsifecompared the results of these two polling methods from data gathered during the most recent presidential elections in the United States and France. They tapped into existing polling efforts to ask questions about an individual's friends alongside the traditional questions about themselves. In both countries, responses people gave about their friends led to more accurate predictions for the election outcomes than the information people gave about themselves.
"It is often assumed that people are biased in their evaluations of others, for instance thinking that your friends have the same opinions as you do," says Galesic. "We think that's not necessarily true, at least when it comes to people's close social contacts. Our other ongoing research shows that people know their family and friends quite well. After all, they depend on them for cooperation, learning, and all kinds of support."
Polls that ask people to comment on their social circles can improve prediction results for several reasons, says Galesic. They provide information about people who aren't explicitly included in the sample, like people who may not choose to participate. These questions also help anticipate the processes of social influence. If a person is surrounded by people who are planning to vote differently from them, that person might well be swayed by their friends by the time the election rolls around.
Social-circle questions also allow people to be more honest. "People can be embarrassed to admit if they plan to vote for a less-popular candidate, but they are less embarrassed to say it about their friends," says Galesic. And their answers enable scientists to learn more about the existence and size of echo chambersgroups of people who share the same opinionsamong voters for different candidates.
Explore further Americans more likely to vote in times of uncertainty
More information: M. Galesic et al, Asking about social circles improves election predictions, Nature Human Behaviour (2018). Journal information: Nature Human Behaviour M. Galesic et al, Asking about social circles improves election predictions,(2018). DOI: 10.1038/s41562-018-0302-y
Three transmission electron microscope images of nitrogen-doped graphene show the relative presence of manganese atoms, contaminants from graphite precursors or reactants believed responsible for the material's ability to catalyze oxygen-reduction reactions, according to Rice University scientists. The top image shows many manganese atoms (white) remain on graphene that has been washed once; few on twice-washed graphene in the center image; and none on graphene washed six times at bottom. Twice-washed graphene with a scattering of manganese atoms proved best for catalysis. Credit: Tour Group/Rice University
Detective work by Rice University chemists has defined a deception in graphene catalysts that, until now, has defied description.
Graphene has been widely tested as a replacement for expensive platinum in applications like fuel cells, where the material catalyzes the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) essential to turn chemical energy into electrical energy.
Because graphene, the atom-thick form of carbon, isn't naturally metallic, researchers have been baffled by its catalytic activity when used as a cathode.
Wonder no more, said Rice chemist James Tour and his crew, who have discovered that trace quantities of manganese contamination from graphite precursors or reactants hide in the graphene lattice. Under the right conditions, those metal bits activate the ORR. Tour said they also provide insight into how ultrathin catalysts like graphene can be improved.
The research appears in the journal Carbon.
Because the contrast between carbon and manganese atoms is so slight, trace atoms of the contaminants can't be seen with traditional characterization techniques like X-ray diffraction and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS).
"Labs have reported 'metal-free' graphene catalysts, and the evidence they've gathered could easily be interpreted to show that," Tour said. "In fact, the tools they were using simply weren't sensitive enough to show the manganese atoms."
A more sensitive tool, inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS), clearly saw the interlopers among samples made by the Rice lab.
Nitrogen-doped graphene test samples were reduced from graphene oxide and then acid-washed between one and six times. With each wash, the ICP-MS scan showed fewer manganese atoms and detected none in graphene samples washed six times. By the fifth wash, the catalytic activity totally changed and showed the former activity had been due to those residual metal atoms.
The lab reported no manganese atoms were observed in any of the same samples using conventional analytical tools, including XPS or transmission electron microscopy.
The researchers characterized the samples' ORR activity and found twice-washed nitrogen-graphene was most effective. These samples tended to incorporate single atoms of manganese into the graphene structure, which facilitated full reduction of oxygen through a four-electron process in which four electrons are transferred to oxygen atoms, usually from hydrogen.
"In a four-electron process, oxygen is reduced to water or hydroxide," said Rice graduate student Ruquan Ye, the paper's lead author. "However, peroxide is formed in a two-electron process, which results in a lower diffusion-limited current density and generates hazardous reactive oxygen species." Ye said that without metal, the ORR in graphene is far less efficient.
Tour said the results should lead to investigation of the role of trace metals in other materials thought to be metal-free.
"Single-atom catalysts can hide among graphene, and their activity is profound," he said. "So what has sometimes been attributed to the graphene was really the single metal buried into the graphene surface. Graphene is good in its own right, but in these cases, it was being made to look even better by these single metal-atom stowaways."
Co-authors are graduate students Luqing Wang and Yilun Li and Boris Yakobson, the Karl F. Hasselmann Professor of Materials Science and NanoEngineering and a professor of chemistry; Ruben Mendoza-Cruz of Rice and the University of Texas at San Antonio; Miguel Jose Yacaman of the University of Texas at San Antonio; and Juncai Dong, Peng-Fei An and Dongliang Chen of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing.
The research was supported by the Air Force Office of Scientific Research, the Office of Naval Research, the National Center for Research Resources, the National Science Foundation-Partnerships for Research and Education in Materials, the National Institutes of Health's National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities, the National Natural Science Foundation of China and the Jianlin Xie Foundation of the Institute of High Energy Physics, Chinese Academy of Science.
Explore further Ruthenium rules for new fuel cells
More information: Ruquan Ye et al, Manganese deception on graphene and implications in catalysis, Carbon (2018). Journal information: Carbon Ruquan Ye et al, Manganese deception on graphene and implications in catalysis,(2018). DOI: 10.1016/j.carbon.2018.02.082
Credit: Queensland University of Technology
QUT scientists have found an exciting new way to manipulate and design materials of the future at the atomic level and change the way they behave at a larger scale that opens the way to new applications such as early cancer biomarkers.
They have illustrated their findings with the creation of nano 'sieves' that can help separate molecules down to an unprecedented size 10,000 times finer than a human hair.
The research, Superplastic nanoscale pore shaping by ion irradiation, was published in Nature Communications today and authored by Dr Morteza Aramesh, Dr Mayamei Yashar, Dr Annalena Wolff, and Professor Kostya (Ken) Ostrikov.
Professor Ostrikov, from QUT's Science and Engineering Faculty and Institute of Health and Biomedical Innovation, said this was one example of the possibilities of using helium ion beams generated in a helium ion microscope to change the behaviour of atoms and create new materials.
"We discovered that a beam of energetic helium ions generated in a helium ion microscope rearranged a nanoporous anodized alumina material on the atomic scale and shrank its pores to various, unprecedented tiny sizes," Professor Ostrikov said.
"These tiny pores mean scientists could potentially 'sift' molecules into different sizes to study them individually. It could open the way to early detection of cancer, for example, through a blood test that could detect DNA produced by a cancer before the tumour developed.
Credit: Queensland University of Technology
"This new ion-assisted manipulation of matter on the tiniest of length scales completely changed the behaviour of the aluminium oxide: when we applied moderate exposure to helium ions, its pores shrank, when we increased exposure to the ions this normally brittle and porous ceramic turned into a superplastic and gained the ability to stretch more than twice without breaking."
Dr Wolff, from QUT's Central Analytical Research Facility in the Institute for Future Environments, said the discovery would allow scientists to play with materials and see the materials' properties change in real time.
"We can now play with atomic bonds and see how we can use them to influence the manipulation of matter on the nanometric scale," Dr Wolff said.
Dr Aramesh, the lead author of the study, said that for researchers and engineers this finding offered potential new methods to engineer future smart materials.
"This new way of re-designing materials will help researchers and engineers to create novel smart materials with different functions, for example, new pharmaceuticals, disease diagnostics and quantum computing," Dr Aramesh said.
"We can use helium ion microscopes to image almost any material and to build structures that are as small as a DNA strand, so small that you could fit 64 billion of them in a single raindrop.
"Now we can see and manipulate matter on the nanometre scale we are limited only by our imagination in material design."
Explore further How deadly dragonfly wings bust up bacteria
More information: Morteza Aramesh et al. Superplastic nanoscale pore shaping by ion irradiation, Nature Communications (2018). Journal information: Nature Communications Morteza Aramesh et al. Superplastic nanoscale pore shaping by ion irradiation,(2018). DOI: 10.1038/s41467-018-03316-7
A new study links doing one's homework, being interested and behaving responsibly in high school to better academic and career success as many as 50 years later. This effect, reported in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, holds true even after accounting for parental income, IQ and other factors known to influence achievement, researchers report.
"Yes, intelligence is important to life success and so is family socioeconomic status; we've known this for a while," said University of Illinois psychology professor Brent Roberts, who conducted the study with Rodica Damian of the University of Houston and Marion Spengler of the University of Tuebingen. "Studies have shown that personality traits such as conscientiousness, agreeableness and openness also correspond to higher academic and career achievement. But these are traits you're more or less born with. We wanted to know if factors under the control of the individual at a young age might also play a role."
The study analyzed decades of data collected by the American Institutes for Research beginning in 1960 and continuing to the present. The original data set included more than 370,000 students. High school participants were originally tested on academic, cognitive and behavioral characteristics in 1960 and also responded to follow-up surveys in later years. The new analysis looked at the initial student tests and their responses 11 years and 50 years later.
Of the 1,952 participants randomly selected from those who responded to surveys 50 years later, "those who showed more interest in high school and had higher writing skills reported earning higher incomes," said Spengler, who led the study. "They also tended to have higher occupational prestige than their peers when they showed responsible behaviors as a student." This was in addition to the gains associated with IQ, family income and personality traits such as conscientiousness, she said.
Further analyses revealed that education was likely the factor mediating the relationship between high school behavior and later success in life.
"It seems that these early individual differences are relevant across the life span through the lens of education," the researchers wrote.
While the study kept track of participants over a period of 50 years, the methods used only point to an association between factors and outcomes and do not prove that good behavior in high school inevitably leads to career success later in life, Damian said.
"This study does, however, highlight the possibility that certain behaviors at crucial periods could have long-term consequences for a person's life," she said.
Explore further Personality outsmarts intelligence at school
More information: How you behave in school predicts life success above and beyond family background, broad traits, and cognitive ability, Journal of Personality and Social Psychology (2018). Journal information: Journal of Personality and Social Psychology How you behave in school predicts life success above and beyond family background, broad traits, and cognitive ability,(2018). DOI: 10.1037/pspp0000185
Nanomushroom biosensors can be used to count dividing cells and detect biomolecules. Credit: OIST
A small rectangle of pink glass, about the size of a postage stamp, sits on Professor Amy Shen's desk. Despite its outwardly modest appearance, this little glass slide has the potential to revolutionize a wide range of processes, from monitoring food quality to diagnosing diseases.
The slide is made of a nanoplasmonic materialits surface is coated in millions of gold nanostructures, each just a few billionths of a square meter in size. Plasmonic materials absorb and scatter light in interesting ways, giving them unique sensing properties. Nanoplasmonic materials have attracted the attention of biologists, chemists, physicists and material scientists, with possible uses in a diverse array of fields, such as biosensing, data storage, light generation and solar cells.
In several recent papers, Prof. Shen and colleagues at the Micro/Bio/Nanofluidics Unit at the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology (OIST) described their creation of a new biosensing material that can be used to monitor processes in living cells.
"One of the major goals of nanoplasmonics is to search for better ways to monitor processes in living cells in real time," says Prof. Shen. Capturing such information can reveal clues about cell behavior, but creating nanomaterials on which cells can survive for long periods of time yet don't interfere with the cellular processes being measured is a challenge, she explains.
Counting Dividing Cells
One of the team's new biosensors is made from a nanoplasmonic material that is able to accommodate a large number of cells on a single substrate and to monitor cell proliferation, a fundamental process involving cell growth and division, in real time. Seeing this process in action can reveal important insights into the health and functions of cells and tissues.
Schematic illustration of cells (blue mountain-like shapes) on top of nanoscale mushroom-like structures with silicone dioxide stems and gold caps, which have the potential to detect cell proliferation in real-time. Credit: OIST
Researchers in OIST's Micro/Bio/Nanofluidics Unit described the sensor in a study recently published in the journal Advanced Biosystems.
The most attractive feature of the material is that it allows cells to survive over long time periods. "Usually, when you put live cells on a nanomaterial, that material is toxic and it kills the cells," says Dr. Nikhil Bhalla, a postdoctoral researcher at OIST and first author of the paper. "However, using our material, cells survived for over seven days." The nanoplasmonic material is also highly sensitive: It can detect an increase in cells as small as 16 in 1000 cells.
The material looks just like an ordinary pieces of glass. However, the surface is coated in tiny nanoplasmonic mushroom-like structures, known as nanomushrooms, with stems of silicon dioxide and caps of gold. Together, these form a biosensor capable of detecting interactions at the molecular level.
The biosensor works by using the nanomushroom caps as optical antennae. When white light passes through the nanoplasmonic slide, the nanomushrooms absorb and scatter some of the light, changing its properties. The absorbance and scattering of light is determined by the size, shape and material of the nanomaterial and, more importantly, it is also affected by any medium in close proximity to the nanomushroom, such as cells that have been placed on the slide. By measuring how the light has changed once it emerges through the other side of the slide, the researchers can detect and monitor processes occurring on the sensor surface, such as cell division.
"Normally, you have to add labels, such as dyes or molecules, to cells, to be able to count dividing cells," says Dr. Bhalla. "However, with our method, the nanomushrooms can sense them directly."
Using their innovative printing technique, the Micro/Bio/Nanofluidics Unit at OIST has developed a nanoplasmonic material containing millions of mushroom-like structures covered with a uniform layer of biomolecules. Credit: OIST
Scaling Up
This work builds on a new method, developed by scientists at the Micro/Bio/Nanofluidics Unit at OIST, for fabricating nanomushroom biosensors. The technique was published in the journal ACS Applied Materials and Interfaces in December 2017.
Producing large-scale nanoplasmonic materials is challenging because it is difficult to ensure uniformity across the entire material surface. For this reason, biosensors for routine clinical examinations, such as disease testing, are still lacking.
In response to this problem, the OIST researchers developed a novel printing technique to create large-scale nanomushroom biosensors. With their method, they were able to develop a material consisting of approximately one million mushroom-like structures on a 2.5cm by 7.5cm silicon dioxide substrate.
"Our technique is like taking a stamp, covering it with ink made from biological molecules, and printing onto the nanoplasmonic slide," says Shivani Sathish, a Ph.D. student at OIST and co-author of the paper. The biological molecules increase the sensitivity of the material, meaning it can sense extremely low concentrations of substances, such as antibodies, and thus potentially detect diseases in their earliest stages.
"Using our method, it is possible to create a highly sensitive biosensor that can detect even single molecules," says Dr. Bhalla, first author of the paper.
Plasmonic and nanoplasmonic sensors offer important tools for many fields, from electronics to food production to medicine. For example, in December 2017, second year Ph.D student Ainash Garifullina from the Unit developed a new plasmonic material for monitoring the quality of food products during the manufacturing process. The results were published in the journal Analytical Methods.
Prof. Shen and her unit say that, in the future, nanoplasmonic materials may even be integrated with emerging technologies, such as wireless systems in microfluidic devices, allowing users to take readings remotely and thereby minimizing the risk of contamination.
Explore further New printing technique uses cells and molecules to recreate biological structures
Data collected from Dec. 21, 2017 to Feb. 23, 2018 in this NASA TMPA rainfall anomaly analysis indicated that parts of the upper Midwest have had 5 mm (0.2 inches) of precipitation per day above normal so far this winter. Credit: NASA/Hal Pierce
Much of the U.S. Midwest has received above normal precipitation this winter. A NASA rainfall analysis provided a look at the precipitation that contributed to current flooding.
Recent heavy rainfall and melting snow has caused flooding from eastern Texas to Michigan. Major flooding is expected along the Ohio River in Illinois and Kentucky. On Feb. 23, the National Weather Service noted that several locations along the Ohio River near Louisville were under flood warnings. Parts of Arkansas and Indiana are also preparing for major flooding.
At NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, in Greenbelt, Maryland, a rainfall anomaly analysis was made by comparing rainfall data compiled during the twelve year period from 2001 to 2012 to "near real-time" Multi-satellite Precipitation Analysis (TMPA-RT 3B42RT) data collected from December 21, 2017 to February 23, 2018.
This TMPA rainfall anomaly analysis indicated that parts of the upper Midwest have had 5 mm (0.2 inches) of precipitation per day above normal so far this winter. Much of the U.S. southwest and west were found to have lower than normal amounts of precipitation. Experimental Multi-satellite rainfall anomaly analyses have been automatically calculated and those data shared with the public for over a decade.
The National Weather Service noted on Feb. 23, "The heavy rainfall that began last week and continued over the weekend has brought widespread flooding to the central and southern U.S., from the Gulf Coast to the Great Lakes. Numerous river systems will remain in flood stage this week. Another round of rainfall is forecast across the Lower/Mid-Miss. and Tenn. River Valleys Tuesday into Wednesday, which will exacerbate the ongoing flood threat."
Explore further NASA analyzes US midwest heavy rainfall, severe storms
Credit: SETI Institute
Unistellar is proud to announce the first real scientific result obtained with our eVscope prototype. On Jan, 27, after designing a special observing mode for this purpose, we viewed an occultation of a magnitude-11 star by the main-belt asteroid 175 Andromache . By combining our observations, which we made in Marseille, France, with others taken in France and Italy, the IOTA team was able to derive an estimated shape for the asteroid. In the future, eVscope users will be able to participate in observation campaigns just like this, helping scientists directly measure the shape and size of asteroids.
Thanks to its enhanced vision, the eVscope provides great image qualitybut from day one we also knew it could also contribute to cutting-edge science in many areas, one of which is the study of asteroids.
Astronomers are very interested in the shape and the size of asteroids because this helps them understand how they formed. Unfortunately, most main-belt objects are too small to be imaged directly using a telescope, even a 8m-class one in an ideal location like Chile or Hawaii. But astronomers have discovered a trick that helps them measure the size of asteroidsone that relies on the fact that asteroids move with respect to stars and sometimes even occult a star. Because the orbits of several asteroids are well known, it's possible to predict where and when such occultations can be seenthat is, where a shadow equal in size to the asteroid will move across the Earth (see the diagram below from IOTA). Observers located inside the shadow will see an event (or a drop in the brightness of the star).
If many observers are in the path of the shadow, astronomers can derive the size and shape of the asteroid by combining the timing of these occultations (including their beginning and end time, and the precise location of the telescope). This is also the way astronomers detect the presence of small moons around some of the largest asteroids in the main belt.
Credit: SETI Institute
On Jan. 27, scientists predicted that asteroid (175) Andromache would occult TYC 1399-01064-1, a V=11.3 star. Centrality (i.e., the path of the shadow) was predicted to be a few-km-width line that started in south Japan, crossed into China, Kazakhstan, and Romania, and ended in Spain. Of special interest to Unistellar was the fact that the asteroid would occult the star not too far from Marseille, our headquarters city. That made us wonder if we could somehow use the eVscope to observe this event.
And so we went to work. Our R&D and Science team raced to integrate a special observing mode into the eVscope that would allow it to record both the event and the necessary metadata. Our eVscope is equipped with an IMX detector, and so has the sensitivity to record observations of an 11th-magnitude star with a short exposure time and reduced latency. And the location and time of the eVscope's observations can be collected directly from a user's phone. The R&D team quickly completed work on our new observing mode and traveled to Cuges-les-Pins, a small village 30 km from Marseille, which is right on the centrality path.
Thanks to cooperative weatherit was a cold but exceptionally clear nightthe team quickly pointed the eVscope to the correct field of view using Automatic Field Detection, and at 18:30 UT (so in less than 5 min) started observations using a newly implemented fast-frame recording capability with an individual exposure time of 100 ms (which gives us 10 images per second). At 18:37 UT, our team noticed the disappearance of the star for about eight seconds, very close to the predicted time and duration predicted on the IOTA web site. The movie below shows what we saw in the eyepiece. Did we in fact observe the blinking of the star due to the passage of the asteroid?
Credit: SETI Institute
A posteriori analysis made using our science pipeline quickly confirmed that we had indeed seen the occultation in the eyepiece of the eVscope. We extracted the lightcurve, or flux of the occulted star w.r.t to time, which reveals an obvious drop in brightness by almost 1 mag as shown in the figure below.
After filling out a report, we submitted our first occultation measurement to IOTA and learned that two other people attempted to observe the event. Pietro Baruffetti reported an occultation of 5.76 s from Italy but Patrick Sogorb did not see the occultation from his location in the south of France. By combining these three chords (shown in the figure below) we get a good estimate of the shape and size of the asteroid (175) Andromache. Eric Frappa, who maintains the Euraster.net web site and represents IOTA in Europe, managed to fit the three chords by a slightly elongated ellipsoid with a major axis of 124 km and a minor axis of 105 km, probably close to the shape of (175) Andromache.
Surprisingly, we don't know much about main-belt asteroid (175) Andromache. It's been observed by the space infrared telescope IRAS, which estimated its size to be ~101 km. From a previous occultation in January 2012, astronomers concluded that it was slightly elongated (125 x 94 km). It's classified as a C-type asteroid, which means it has a primitive composition. Our occultation brought another piece of information about this asteroid to lightinformation that may be used to derive its pole orientation. Because the occultation succeeded, we can use an astrometric position of the asteroid to refine its orbit and better predict its future location. And so, with one single observation, our eVscope has begun what we hopeactually, what we expectwill be the first in along and rewarding list of contributions to science and astronomy.
Credit: SETI Institute
What's next for Unistellar? We've shown that our small, portable, and smart eVscope can participate in an occultation campaign. Our team will probably observe more occultations in the future, refining our software along with our data-processing pipeline as we do it. We have a lot to learn, but we're confident that we will include an occultation mode in the first release of our eVscope software.
This is exciting news for future users, because it proves something we have said all alongeVscopes will allow people to participate in real, cutting-edge science. Every year, an average of three to five occultations can be observed from any one location on Earth, and that number becomes much higher if people are willing to travel no more than 100 km from home. We can imagine a future when you, our eVscope users, will receive smartphone notifications of projected visible occultations. Working with IOTA and the SETI Institute, we can then organize large observing campaigns in which eVscope users record not only two or three, but hundreds of chordsthe more, the merrier! This will allow astronomers to determine the shape of asteroids with a high degree of precision, including small features like surface craters or moons.
Credit: SETI Institute
Credit: CC0 Public Domain
A team of researchers from NASA and several other institutions in the U.S. and Europe has found evidence of ice melt accelerating in some western parts of Antarctica. In their paper published in the journal Cryosphere, the group describes the new technology they used to study ice melt in Antarctica and what they found.
As the planet continues to warm, and humans continue to pump greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, scientists are finding more climatic, geographic and biologic changes that are taking place. One of those changes is ice melt in the colder parts of the planet, including Antarctica, of course. In this new effort, the researchers used what they describe as cutting-edge technology to process multiple thousands of images from satellites and used the data to chart ice-sheet motion with more precision than other technologies. The images produced by the new system show ice-sheet movement using colorsfrom reds to yellowsthe lighter the yellow, the faster the ice was seen to move.
The researchers noted that several parts of western Antarctica are experiencing acceleration of ice loss, rather than the consistent ice loss seen on the eastern parts of Antarctica. In practical terms, this means that each year, less ice that melts in the summer is replaced by winter snows, leaving less ice in totaland the pace of this process is speeding up. They note also that this is particularly alarming because prior research has shown that much of the ice in the western part of Antarctica is unstable, which means that large swaths could slip into the sea, causing a dramatic and relatively speedy rise in worldwide ocean levels. If the whole western ice sheet goes, they further note, the world could see ocean levels rise as much as three meters.
Some of the areas identified in the new images are the same parts of western Antarctica that have made headlines in recent years as major calving events have occurred, highlighting changes taking place. An increase in calving, the researchers note, can be problematic, placing large regions of ice at increasing risk of melting.
Explore further Stronger winds heat up West Antarctic ice melt
More information: Alex S. Gardner et al. Increased West Antarctic and unchanged East Antarctic ice discharge over the last 7 years, The Cryosphere (2018). Alex S. Gardner et al. Increased West Antarctic and unchanged East Antarctic ice discharge over the last 7 years,(2018). DOI: 10.5194/tc-12-521-2018
2018 Phys.org
Ball-and-stick model of carbon dioxide. Credit: Wikipedia
Forests across the United Statesand especially forest soilsstore massive amounts of carbon, offsetting about 10 percent of the country's annual greenhouse gas emissions and helping to mitigate climate change.
But for more than 20 years, experts have warned that the strength of this carbon "sink" is declining and will level off around mid-century. One way to compensate for the declining sink strength of U.S. forests is to add more treesby actively replanting after disturbances like wildfires or by allowing forests to retake marginal croplands, for example.
A study scheduled for online publication the week of Feb. 26 in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences provides the first empirically based, published estimate of the total amount of carbon currently accumulating in the topsoil of U.S. forests undergoing these two types of reforestation.
The University of Michigan-led research team also looked at the potential to expand carbon sequestration in reforesting areas.
"Where reforestation is happeningeither through planting of trees or through encroachmen t these lands are actively adding carbon to a large pool that will continue to grow for many decades," said U-M ecologist and biogeochemist Luke Nave, the study's lead author.
"The topsoils of reforesting lands provide a significant long-range solution to the problem of the declining carbon-sink strength of U.S. forests, and they help to mitigate climate change. Even modest increases in the amount of land being reforested would have a multiplicative impact on nationwide carbon sequestration."
The researchers found that reforesting topsoils across the country are currently adding 13 million to 21 million metric tons (13-21 teragrams) of carbon each year, an amount equivalent to about 10 percent of the total U.S. forest-sector carbon sink and offsetting about 1 percent of all U.S. greenhouse gas emissions.
Over the next century, reforesting U.S. topsoils will sequester a cumulative 1.3 to 2.1 billion metric tons (1.3-2.1 petagrams) of carbon, accounting for nearly half of the soil-carbon gains occurring on U.S. forestland, said Nave, an assistant research scientist at the U-M Biological Station and in the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology.
And the amount of stored carbon could increase dramatically if the nation's reforesting acreage, currently at nearly 200,000 square miles, grows.
As part of the study, the researchers looked at U.S. forestlands that have experienced major disturbances, such as intense wildfires or severe insect outbreaks, using National Forest Inventory data from the last several decades. They found that only about 7 percent of the forestlands available for replanting have been replanted.
When they looked at marginal croplands undergoing reforestation, they found that carbon-storage gains to date are only about 10 percent of their potential. That finding highlights "the substantial C-sink capacity of this land-use transition if these lands are allowed to continue returning towards a natural forest condition," the authors wrote.
For their study, the researchers combined satellite imagery with some 15,000 on-the-ground measurements of topsoil carbon from two national-level databases. One of the databases, from the International Soil Carbon Network, includes soil-carbon measurements at the U-M Biological Station near Pellston.
Explore further Strongest sinks of carbon are in dynamic landscapes
More information: Lucas E. Nave el al., "Reforestation can sequester two petagrams of carbon in US topsoils in a century," PNAS (2018). Journal information: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences Lucas E. Nave el al., "Reforestation can sequester two petagrams of carbon in US topsoils in a century,"(2018). www.pnas.org/cgi/doi/10.1073/pnas.1719685115
Sorghum grains are produced in clusters of flowers that develop from an elaborately branched structure at the top of the plant called a panicle. Each panicle can produce hundreds of flowers. There are two types of flowers. In the plant one finds in the wild (left), only one of these, the sessile spikelet (SS), is fertile. The other type, pedicellate spikelets (PS), do not make seeds. In a modified version of the plant (right) both sessile and pedicellate spikelets produce seeds, tripling each plants grain number. Credit: Ware Lab, CSHL
A simple genetic modification can triple the grain number of sorghum, a drought-tolerant plant that is an important source of food, animal feed, and biofuel in many parts of the world. In new research reported today in Nature Communications, scientists at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (CSHL) have figured out how that genetic change boosts the plant's yield: by lowering the level of a key hormone, generating more flowers and more seeds. Their discovery points toward a strategy for significantly increasing the yield of other grain crops.
Doreen Ware, Ph.D., a CSHL Adjunct Associate Professor and research scientist with USDA's Agricultural Research Service (ARS), led the research, together with ARS colleague Zhanguo Xin, Ph.D. Their study was focused on high-yield strains of sorghum that were generated several years ago by Dr. Xin. An unknown genetic mutation introduced by chemical mutagenesis - a method used for many decades by breeders and researchers to induce genetic variations in plants - resulted in an increase in the number of grains, i.e., seeds contained within fruits, that each plant produced.
Like many cereal crops, sorghum's grains are produced in clusters of flowers that develop from an elaborately branched structure at the top of the plant called a panicle. Each panicle can produce hundreds of flowers. There are two types of flowers, and usually only one of these, known as the sessile spikelet (SS), is fertile. The other flower type, called pedicellate spikelets (PS), do not make seeds. In the modified plants Dr. Xin produced, however, both sessile and pedicellate spikelets produced seeds, tripling each plant's grain number.
Evidence of the teams success: the left image shows a terminal spike with several sessile spikelets (round) which contain seeds, and several pedicillate spikelets (white arrows), narrow oblong compartments which don't fill with seeds and dont form grains. In a genetic variant (right) all the spikelets are sessile and contain grains. Credit: Ware Lab, CSHL
Ware and her team wanted to understand what caused this dramatic change. By completely sequencing the genomes of the modified plants, they found that the key mutations affected a gene that regulates hormone production. Plants carrying the mutation produce abnormally low levels of a development-regulating hormone called jasmonic acid, particularly during flower development.
Through subsequent experiments, the team learned that jasmonic acid prevents pedicellate spikelets from producing seeds. "So when the plant hormone is low, we get seeds set on every single one of the flowers. But when the plant hormone is high, we have a reduced number of fertile flowers, ending up in a reduced number of seeds," explains Dr. Yinping Jiao of the Ware lab, co-first author on the new paper.
Now that the team has uncovered the biological changes that triple sorghum's grain production, they hope to apply the same strategy to increase grain production in related plants that are vital in the global food supply, such as rice, corn, and wheat. The knowledge will help guide crop improvement through traditional breeding practices as well as approaches that take advantage of genome editing technologies, Ware says.
Explore further Gene that determines floral sex may be key to new hybrid seeds
More information: Yinping Jiao et al. MSD1 regulates pedicellate spikelet fertility in sorghum through the jasmonic acid pathway, Nature Communications (2018). Journal information: Nature Communications Yinping Jiao et al. MSD1 regulates pedicellate spikelet fertility in sorghum through the jasmonic acid pathway,(2018). DOI: 10.1038/s41467-018-03238-4
Crushed dentine from a Woolly Mammoth for DNA extraction. Credit: JD Howell, McMaster University
An international team of researchers has produced one of the most comprehensive evolutionary pictures to date by looking at one of the world's most iconic animal families - namely elephants, and their relatives mammoths and mastodons-spanning millions of years.
The team of scientists-which included researchers from McMaster, the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Harvard Medical School, Uppsala University, and the University of Potsdam-meticulously sequenced 14 genomes from several species: both living and extinct species from Asia and Africa, two American mastodons, a 120,000-year-old straight-tusked elephant, and a Columbian mammoth.
The study, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Science, sheds light on what scientists call a very complicated history, characterized by widespread interbreeding. They caution, however, the behaviour has virtually stopped among living elephants, adding to growing fears about the future of the few species that remain on earth.
"Interbreeding may help explain why mammoths were so successful over such diverse environments and for such a long time, importantly this genomic data also tells us that biology is messy and that evolution doesn't happen in an organized, linear fashion," says evolutionary geneticist Hendrik Poinar, one of the senior authors on the paper and Director of the McMaster Ancient DNA Centre and principal investigator at the Michael G. DeGroote Institute for Infectious Research.
"The combined analysis of genome-wide data from all these ancient elephants and mastodons has raised the curtain on elephant population history, revealing complexity that we were simply not aware of before," he says.
A detailed DNA analysis of the ancient straight-tusked elephant, for example, showed that it was a hybrid with portions of its genetic makeup stemming from an ancient African elephant, the woolly mammoth and present-day forest elephants.
"This is one of the oldest high-quality genomes that currently exists for any species," said Michael Hofreiter at the University of Potsdam in Germany, a co-senior author who led the work on the straight-tusked elephant.
Researchers also found further evidence of interbreeding among the Columbian and woolly mammoths, which was first reported by Poinar and his team in 2011. Despite their vastly different habitats and sizes, researchers believe the woolly mammoths, encountered Columbians mammoths at the boundary of glacial and in the more temperate ecotones of North America.
Strikingly, scientists found no genetic evidence of interbreeding among two of the world's three remaining species, the forest and savanna elephants, suggesting they have lived in near-complete isolation for the past 500,000 years, despite living in neighbouring habitats.
"There's been a simmering debate in the conservation communities about whether African savannah and forest elephants are two different species," said David Reich, another co-senior author at the Broad Institute who is also a professor at the Department of Genetics at Harvard Medical School (HMS) and a Howard Hughes Medical Institute Investigator. "Our data show that these two species have been isolated for long periods of time - making each worthy of independent conservation status."
Interbreeding among closely related mammals is fairly common, say researchers, who point to examples of brown and polar bears, Sumatran and Bornean orangutans, and the Eurasian gold jackal and grey wolves. A species can be defined as a group of similar animals that can successfully breed and produce fertile offspring.
"This paper, the product of a grand initiative we started more than a decade ago, is far more than just the formal report of the elephant genome. It will be a reference point for understanding how diverse elephants are related to each other and it will be a model for how similar studies can be done in other species groups," said co-senior author Kerstin Lindblad-Toh, a senior associate member of the Broad Institute and Director of the Science for Life Laboratory at Uppsala University in Sweden.
"The findings were extremely surprising to us," says Eleftheria Palkopoulou, a post-doctoral scientist in at HMS. "The elephant population relationships could not be explained by simple splits, providing clues for understanding the evolution of these iconic species."
Researchers suggest that future work should explore whether the introduction of new genetic lineages into elephant populations-both living and ancient-played an important role in their evolution, allowing them to adapt to new habitats and fluctuating climates.
Explore further Genetic study shakes up the elephant family tree
More information: Eleftheria Palkopoulou el al., "A comprehensive genomic history of extinct and living elephants," PNAS (2018). Journal information: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences Eleftheria Palkopoulou el al., "A comprehensive genomic history of extinct and living elephants,"(2018). www.pnas.org/cgi/doi/10.1073/pnas.1720554115
Waste not, want not. Credit: Benjamin Jones
At least 7.3m tons of fish (usually dead or dying) are thought to be discarded each year from marine fisheries around the world. But these estimates come mostly from observations of large-scale industrial fisheries. Limited attention has been paid to small-scale fisheries, which are assumed to have low discard rates some estimate as little as 3.7% total catch, compared to more than 60% for some large-scale shrimp trawlers.
Small-scale or artisanal fisheries for which there is no universal definition are generally considered more sustainable than their large-scale industrial counterparts, but there is increasing evidence that shows this is not always the case. They employ more than 99% of the world's 51m fishers and likely account for more than half of the total global fisheries catches.
One of the biggest problems for both large and small-scale fisheries around the globe is bycatch fish and other marine organisms caught when the fishers are targeting something else. Powerful images of turtles and dolphins caught in fishing gear have caught the sympathy of the general public, but unintentional landings of fish aren't as evocative. The truth is, however, that fish bycatch is a big issue.
Progress is being made in Europe within large-scale fisheries thanks to campaigns such as the Fish Fight. But small-scale fisheries though there is increasing recognition outside that they are "too big to ignore" are only just beginning to recognise the fish bycatch and discard problem.
A Sri Lankan fisherman. Credit: Benjamin Jones
Our newly published research has found that artisanal fisheries in Sri Lanka are throwing away more marine species than they keep. For every fishing trip in one of Sri Lanka's largest lagoons, Puttalam Lagoon, fishermen could be throwing away more than 50 fish. What's more, of the 62 species recorded in the survey, more than 80% were routinely discarded. The reasons for this practice are unclear but sometimes it is because the individual fish are too small or they are species without a high market value.
We found that fishers targeting shrimp in particular caught more non-target species and had higher discards than those targeting fish. This is particularly worrying at a time when Sri Lankan shrimp exports are increasing, after the EU granted the country improved access to its market.
Potentially 90% of the world's fish stocks are threatened by over-fishing when more fish are caught than the population can replace. And the "tell-tale" signs of over-fishing are now being observed in Sri Lanka and across other research sites in the Indo-Pacific region. Fishers in these locations have told us and other researchers that they are catching much less fish than they were five years ago.
But this is not just an ecological issue, it is a social one too. In this era of increasing food insecurity, our findings highlight a serious concern for Sri Lanka. This unwanted seafood could be used to provide protein for the poorest in society. Instead, we found that fish with high nutritional value is being eaten by feral dogs and birds.
Unwanted fish end up as quick and easy meals for animals. Credit: Benjamin Jones
Billions of people worldwide rely daily on fish for protein, while 50m people also rely on catching fish for work. But, if the levels of bycatch and discard continue, the livelihoods and food security of the people that depend on these fisheries will be under threat. If the problem is not managed, there won't be any fish left in the waters.
There is one ray of hope for Sri Lanka, however. There are some small-scale fishery cooperatives which maximise long-term community benefits by dealing with the threats of fisheries mismanagement, livelihood insecurity and poverty. Communities with successful and inclusive cooperatives are better off than those without. Cooperatives have the potential to empower small-scale fishers against environmental and socioeconomic shocks, but the problem in Puttalam Lagoon is that these cooperatives are not operating across all levels of society.
If the bycatch and discards issue is going to be solved over the long-term, we need to look at combining sustainable management practices with community schemes to reduce unnecessary seafood waste all over the world. Together the millions of small-scale fishers all over the world have an immense amount of power, they just need to realise it.
Benjamin L. Jones, Research Associate, Cardiff University; Leanne Cullen-Unsworth, Research Fellow, Cardiff University, and Richard K.F. Unsworth, Research Officer, Swansea University
Explore further Ten million tonnes of fish wasted every year despite declining fish stocks
This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article.
The Fourmile Canyon fire was most destructive wildfire in Colorados history. Here it is seen burning just a few miles outside Boulder in September, 2010. Credit: Bo Insogna/Striking Photography
The most destructive wildfire in Colorado's history began on Sept. 6, 2010. For four days, it burned an area roughly 10 square miles around Fourmile Canyon. It destroyed 168 homes, more than any previous fire in Colorado's history. Insurance claims totaled an estimated $217 million, making it the state's most expensive wildfire.
But it wasn't the fire that made James Kaste, associate professor of geology at William & Mary, want to study Fourmile Canyon. It was the heavy rains that followed it.
"There was this intense wildfire," Kaste said. "But following it was years of increased rainfall. They had strong thunderstorms in 2011 and 2012and then there was a massive flood in 2013. So several scientists began to try to understand how the soils responded to that one-two punch."
The summer after the flood, Kaste and undergraduate geology major Edward Abrahams '15 traveled to Fourmile Canyon to collect soil samples. The study of soil at the site later became Abrahams' senior thesis project. The William & Mary team was joined by researchers from Williams College and the University of Connecticut.
Supported by the Keck Geology Consortium, a multi-college undergraduate research initiative, the project was aimed at understanding the geomorphic effects of extreme wildfires followed by catastrophic floods. Abrahams and Kaste's research will be published in Earth Surface Processes & Landforms, the journal of the British Society for Geomorphology, later this year.
William & Mary geology major Edward Abrahams '15 (right) conducts fieldwork at Fourmile Canyon in the summer after the wildfire. Credit: James Kaste
"Our focus was to describe the soil erosion after this fire-flood scenario," Kaste said. "Precipitation hit the landscape relatively evenly in our study area, so all of the soil had been hit by strong rains, but not all of the soil had been hit by the fire. We analyzed soils from the non-burned and burned areas and used isotopic signatures of erosion to measure how much soil was lost."
What they found was a relationship between fire and flooding that "has the potential to substantially change future erosion rates" in the region, they later wrote in the study. Their research showed areas that burned hottest experienced an erosion rate around a hundred times higher than the region's longer-term natural erosion rate.
"The fires change the soil properties," Kaste explained. Areas with dense vegetation, such as the north-facing slopes of Fourmile Canyon, provide more fuel for wildfires, making the fires burn hotter and faster. An intense, fast-moving fire will burn the organic layer at the soil surface, Kaste said, which effectively makes the soil water repellent. Instead of water soaking the ground, it cuts into it.
"The soils become hydrophobic," Kaste said. "So the water does not seep into the ground. When the rains followed that fire, the soils were not able to absorb the water and so it ran off into rivers and roads. Houses were destroyed, property was damaged and cars became part of the sediment load of the rivers."
Both wildfires and heavy rainstorms are expected to increase in frequency and severity with changing climate conditions, Kaste said. Since 1970, the region's wildfires have increased fourfold in both frequency and magnitude, while the area burned has increased more than sixfold.
The burn area of the Fourmile Canyon fire was roughly 10 square miles. Pictured is damage at Upper Emerson Gulch in Boulder County. Credit: John G. Elliott/U.S. Geological Survey
"This is going to be happening a lot more and with a lot more intensity," Abrahams said. "That's one of the bigger takeaways I got from this whole experience. It's important research in terms of looking forward to the future and knowing what the effects will be and how that can help us prevent, or in the very least, mitigate them."
Kaste says those looking to build homes in the area should keep in mind their proximity to dense forest and running water.
"If you were going to construct a house there," Kaste said. "You wouldn't want a forest around you and you would want to be well above the stream valley."
If not, the homeowner is at risk of experiencing floodingeven if their property survives a wildfire, he said.
"It definitely left me with an appreciation for the effects that fire can have and what the implications are for people living in those places," Abrahams said. "It gives you an appreciation of the cost of living in such a beautiful place."
Explore further Increases in wildfire-caused erosion could impact water supply and quality in the West
The Toronto-Dominion Bank, together with its subsidiaries, provides various personal and commercial banking products and services in Canada and the United States. It operates through three segments: Canadian Retail, U.S. Retail, and Wholesale Banking. The company offers personal deposits, such as chequing, savings, and investment products; financing, investment, cash management, international trade, and day-to-day banking services to businesses; and financing options to customers at point of sale for automotive and recreational vehicle purchases through auto dealer network. It also provides credit cards; real estate secured lending; auto finance; consumer lending; point-of-sale payment solutions for large and small businesses; wealth and asset management products, private banking, investment advisory, and trust services to retail and institutional clients; and property and casualty insurance, as well as life and health insurance products. The company also provides capital markets, and corporate and investment banking services, including underwriting and distribution of new debt and equity issues; advice on strategic acquisitions and divestitures; and trading, funding, and investment services to companies, governments, and institutions. It offers its products and services under the TD Bank and America's Most Convenient Bank brand names. The company operates through a network of 1,085 branches, 3,440 automated teller machines, and 1,223 stores, as well as offers telephone, digital, and mobile banking services. The Toronto-Dominion Bank was founded in 1855 and is headquartered in Toronto, Canada.
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This year, everyone on the planet was plunged into a brave new world, as the coronavirus pandemic
Booming of beech trees is affecting forest and the people dwelling or working in those forests. Yes, a new study has revealed that under the influence of climate change, the population of beech trees have increased and there a now dominating the woodlands of the northeastern United States. The study was carried out by a group of researchers from the University of Maine and Indianas Purdue University.
According to the researchers, the dominance of beech trees in forests has occurred due to the increasing temperatures and precipitation. The study was carried out for 30 years and is one of the first to look at such huge changes over a long period of time in the regions of North-eastern U.S. as well as southeastern Canada. Lead Author Aaron Weiskittel of the University of Maine said that such broad changes might have affected the forest ecosystem badly and also the industries associated with it.
Beech trees do not carry any commercial significance and are mostly used for firewood. These are less valuable than some species of maple and birch trees that can be used in making furniture and flooring. Scientists are quite worried about this growing population of beech trees and want the problem to be fixed as quickly as possible. Weiskittel said, Theres no easy answer to this one. It has a lot of people scratching their heads. Future conditions seem to be favoring the beech, and managers are going to have to find a good solution to fix it.
The scientists looked at data collected by the U.S. Forest Service from the year 1983 to 2014 from the states of New Hampshire, Maine, New York and Vermont to gather information about the change in forest composition in those years. The scientists found out that there was a substantial increase in the abundance of American beech trees in those years. Also, at the same time, the population of sugar maple, red maple, and birch trees got decreased. This decline of other trees and increasing dominance of beech trees has occurred due to higher temperature and precipitation in forests, as revealed by the study. Scientists are not worried about the lower value of those beech trees rather they are worried about the spread of beech bark disease that kills the young trees and also the new trees that replace them. This can hamper the forest ecosystem immensely and hence it becomes important to find a solution to this dominance of beech trees.
2018 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming Digest #8
Posted on 25 February 2018 by John Hartz
Story of the Week... Editorial of the Week... Toon of the Week... Quote of the Week... SkS in the News... SkS Spotlights... Video of the Week... Coming Soon on SkS... Poster of the Week... Climate Feedback Reviews... SkS Week in Review... 97 Hours of Consensus...
Story of the Week...
Dirty industry undermines push to curb global warming - ex-UN climate chief
"The United States is in a whopping collection of one country"
Industry's dependence on polluting fossil fuels is at odds with a "revolution" in transport and renewable energy, and could stop the world doing a crucial U-turn on rising emissions of climate-changing gases by 2020, a former U.N. climate chief warned.
Christiana Figueres, who oversaw work on the 2015 Paris Agreement to tackle global warming, now leads "Mission 2020", an international initiative that seeks to put greenhouse gas emissions on a downward path by 2020.
"We're definitely not on track with everything to do with heavy industry that continues to depend on intense, high-carbon electricity, and we're not on track with land use," said Figueres, former executive secretary of the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change.
"So what happens if we don't get there is we increase our risk and increase the exposure to extreme weather events," she told the Thomson Reuters Foundation in an interview.
Dirty industry undermines push to curb global warming - ex-UN climate chief by Sophie Hares, Thomson Reuters Foundation, Feb 23, 2018
Editorial of the Week...
We Cant Engineer Our Way Out of Climate Change
Nope, that won't do it. Photographer: Carlos Becerra/Bloomberg
Could the problem of global warming become so desperate that humans would be willing to take the vast risk of re-engineering our environment? Its far from a desirable or lasting solution. Yet some scientists have thought deeply about it and concluded thats what well probably do. The human response to global warming has been so slow that it may be too late to avoid serious consequences just by reducing future emissions. This means tough decisions. Rapidly rising temperatures could so damage supporting ecosystems that well be forced to cool the planet with technological tricks for example, injecting sulfate aerosols into the atmosphere to block the suns rays. Such geoengineering is risky. For one, a single nation might be able to do it on its own, changing global patterns of weather that harm people elsewhere, and inciting conflict. Also, aerosols stay suspended in the atmosphere only for a year or so. If carbon emissions keep rising, well be locked into continuing the treatment forever, lest we face much faster warming and biological disaster.
We Cant Engineer Our Way Out of Climate Change, Opinion by Mark Buchanan, Climate Change, Bllomberg News, Feb 22, 2018
Toon of the Week...
Hat tip to Stop Climate Science Denial.
Quote of the Week...
The Holocene climate system is unraveling, Jason Box, an ice researcher at the Danish Meteorological Institute, told Earther in an email. We should not be surprised if/when ongoing de-glaciation of the Arctic combined with global (and Arctic) atmospheric heating and humidification causes climate shifts that appear to be step changes.
Has the Arctic Finally Reached a Tipping Point? by Brian Kahn, Science, Earther, Feb 23, 2018
SkS in the News...
In his article, How to Inoculate the Public Against Fake News (Defense One), Patrick Tucker wrote:
Inoculation is the key to countering disinformation, said George Mason University researcher John Cook, whose work on inoculation theory was cited by the Cambridge paper. There are a number of ways to approach inoculating people against disinformation. For example, general inoculation warns people against the general threat that they might be misinformed. However, this can potentially backfire by making people cynical about all forms of information, eroding belief in facts as well as falsehoods. When examining misinformation used in the climate change debate, Cook found that more targeted inoculations dont reduce trust in scientists, indicating that we need to be more strategic in how we counter disinformation.
The link embedded in the above are to: Neutralizing misinformation through inoculation: Exposing misleading argumentation techniques reduces their influence, Cook et al, Plos One, May 5, 2017
An excerpt from the book Unprecedented Crime: Climate Science Denial and Game Changers for Survival, by Dr. Peter Carter and Elizabeth Woodworth (Clarity Press, 2018) posted on Alternet includes the following:
The real failure here is not that CNN and CBS chose to air falsely balanced opinions. Or that they aired sensational, outrageous views to attract viewers. As Bill Nye said to his CNN host reflecting the overwhelming percentage of scientists who believe that climate change is real youre doing a disservice by having one climate change skeptic and not 97 or 98 scientists or engineers concerned about climate change.[29]
Reference [29] is an article by Bill Nye about:
Consensus on consensus: A synthesis of consensus estimates on human-caused global warming., Cook et al, Environmental Research Letters, April 13, 2016
The Gizmodo AU article, How To Debunk A Climate Change Skeptic, by Rae Johnson explains the findings contained in Deconstructing climate misinformation to identify reasoning errors, Cook et al, Environmental Research Letters, Feb 6, 2018 and extensively quotes John Cook.
SkS Spotlights...
The Polar Portal is an arctic monitoring web-site created and maintained by three Danish Arctic research institutions to present updated knowledge on the condition of two major components of the Arctic: The Greenland Ice Sheet and the sea ice.
Video of the Week...
New study finds sea level rise accelerating
The rate of global sea level rise has been accelerating in recent decades, rather than increasing steadily, according to a new study based on 25 years of NASA and European satellite data.
This acceleration, driven mainly by increased melting in Greenland and Antarctica, has the potential to double the total sea level rise projected by 2100 when compared to projections that assume a constant rate of sea level rise, according to lead author Steve Nerem. Nerem is a professor of Aerospace Engineering Sciences at the University of Colorado Boulder, a fellow at Colorado's Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences (CIRES), and a member of NASA's Sea Level Change team.
Global sea level rise is accelerating incrementally over time rather than increasing at a steady rate, as previously thought, according to a new study based on 25 years of NASA and European satellite data.
New study finds sea level rise accelerating by By Katie Weeman, Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences, and Patrick Lynch, NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, Feb 13, 2018
Coming Soon on SkS...
Impact of climate change on health is the major threat of 21st century (Daisy Dunne)
(Daisy Dunne) Cutting carbon pollution is urgent to limit Antarctic ice sheet loss and sea level rise (Dana)
(Dana) There will be consequences (Riduna)
(Riduna) Sea level rise is accelerating (John Abraham)
(John Abraham) New research this week (Ari)
(Ari) 2018 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #9 (John Hartz)
(John Hartz) 2018 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming Digest #9 (John Hartz)
Poster of the Week...
Climate Feedback Reviews...
Breitbart repeats bloggers unsupported claim that NOAA manipulates data to exaggerate warming
CLAIM
"NOAA has adjusted past temperatures to look colder than they were and recent temperatures to look warmer than they were."
VERDICT
SOURCE
Delingpole: NOAA Caught Adjusting Big Freeze out of Existence by James Delingple, Breitbart News, Feb 20, 2018
DETAILS
Misleading:Some scientifically necessary data adjustments in some places do have the effect of producing a stronger warming trend than would be seen without adjustments, but others do the opposite. Together, these adjustment actually reduce the overall global warming trend.
Inadequate support: The article is based on a blog post, but does not explain how well-researched issues with past temperature data should be corrected, if not by the methods scientists currently employ.
KEY TAKE AWAY
Temperature measurements made with different instruments and methods over time must necessarily be adjusted to ensure high-quality records of temperature that reliably represent changes. The adjustments needed for land stations in the United States often increase the apparent long-term warming, but overall, adjustments actually reduce the global warming trend.
Breitbart repeats bloggers unsupported claim that NOAA manipulates data to exaggerate warming, Climate Feedback, Feb 23, 2018
SkS Week in Review...
97 Hours of Consensus...
Myles Allen's bio page and quote source.
High resolution JPEG (1024 pixels wide)
For many years, the National Rifle Association has offered its members discounts on services like car rentals, flights, and insurancethe same kind of benefits youd get for signing up with bland organizations like AAA. But last week, as fury raged over the school shooting in Parkland, Florida, angry Twitter users brandishing the hashtag #BoycottTheNRA started confronting companies for doing business with the gun rights group. Many brands quickly decided it was better to walk away than stick out the controversy. Delta and United Airlines cut bait, as did MetLife. Hertz, Alamo, Enterprise, and National Car Rental all sped off too.
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By the weekend, a long list of companies had severed their ties, and Twitter users were busy harranguing holdouts like Amazon (which streams NRA TV) and FedEx. The NRA could do little in response but defensively puff out its chest.
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Let it be absolutely clear. The loss of a discount will neither scare nor distract one single NRA member from our mission to stand and defend the individual freedoms that have always made America the greatest nation in the world. #StandandFight #NRA #2A https://t.co/4kzNq9GDLq NRA (@NRA) February 25, 2018
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The NRA is probably right about its members, who tend to view themselves as devoted gun rights crusaders and likely wont stop paying their dues just because theyve lost a few travel perks. But thats largely besides the point. Successful symbolic campaigns like #BoycottTheNRA are important because they give causes a sense of momentumand right now, gun control advocates need all the momentum they can get.
On the surface, #BoycottTheNRA looks a bit like the campaigns that convinced advertisers to pull their support from right-wing cable-news shows like Hannity and The OReilly Factor, the latter of which ultimately resulted in Bill OReilly getting kicked off Fox News. Both efforts use consumer activism to cut off conservative organizations from their business partners. But beyond that similarity, theyre pretty different efforts. Chasing off Foxs ad partners was a way to hit the networks finances directly and force it to make programming changes. Stripping the NRA of its Hertz discount isnt likely to hurt the organizations revenues. As long as several million Americans are convinced that New Yorkers want to confiscate their guns and melt them into statues of Barack Obama, theyll probably keep renewing their memberships.
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A more apt comparison might be corporate divestment campaigns, in which activists try to convince big investors like college-endowment and pension funds to pull their money from companies in order to protest their business practices. Divestment campaigns are famously ineffective at bringing down stock values; if someone decides to take a moral stand by selling off all their shares in oil companies, for instance, bargain hunters who are not targeted by any campaign will start buying until the price goes back to where financial math says it belongs. However, divestment can sometimes be a useful tool for stigmatizing industries, especially because it tends to generate lots of press coverage and give activists a goal thats more easily achievable than passing legislation.
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Convincing companies to bail on the NRA is a similar exercise. It may seem a little bit like internet slacktivism. But it does send a message that the organization is no longer politically mainstream, which might ultimately matter to some politicians. And even if its not actually moving any important needles in the short term, it gives people a sense that they can make a difference, however marginal, which matters a lot in the long term for any movement trying to keep up its energy.
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Of course, there are downsides to trying to stigmatize gun groups. After all, the NRA has spent years convincing its members that their way of life is under threat from coastal elites who want to take away their cherished freedom to tote 30-round magazines. When a bunch of corporations cut ties to the group in response to a celebrity-backed Twitter campaign, it reinforces that message pretty neatly.
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But aside from a stray New York Times columnist here or there, I dont think anybody is banking on winning over the NRAs hardcore members to the cause of better gun laws. At this point, the only hope is creating a sustained movement that will make it clear that getting weapons of war off store shelves is a serious priority for Democratic voters should the party ever retake power in Congress, and not just a fleeting interest that comes into focus when tragedy strikes. Turning the NRA into a pariah is a useful moral-boosting mission for gun control advocates, even if all its doing right now is denying some gun owners cheap car rentals.
Saturday marked the four-year anniversary of Late Night With Seth Meyers: 1,461 days in which Meyers oversaw the rise of late night television to a position of unprecedented prominence on the national stage, even as the nation unilaterally demolished itself on the global stage. But while Meyers public story is about professional success amidst national collapse, he has carried a deep personal sorrow throughout his tenure. This wont be a surprise to Late Night aficionados, who have long speculated over the reason for the ineffable sadness in Meyers eyes. To commemorate the four-year anniversary, Late Night writer Ben Warheit revealed Meyers tragic backstory on Twitter:
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Today marks the 4-year anniversary of Late Night with @sethmeyers! Thats a whole freshman-year-to-graduations worth of show! To commemorate this, here are some gentle pranks from the office. pic.twitter.com/RY5yqAcjb7 Ben Warheit (@benwarheit) February 24, 2018
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An ordinary man would have retired after a disaster of this magnitude, but Meyers is an extraordinary man. And an extraordinarily trusting man, at least when it comes to toothpicks, toothpick containers, and Ben Warheit:
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The beauty of the gentle pranks is that it takes time to earn back Seths trust that the toothpick holder wont spill out all the toothpicks again. It can take months, sometimes years for you to rebuild that trust. You must be patient. pic.twitter.com/oKPs4bxhuG Ben Warheit (@benwarheit) February 24, 2018
O Fortuna! But if you think two humiliating failures to successfully take a toothpick from the office toothpick container are enough to stop Seth Meyers from trying to take a toothpick from the office toothpick container, you have a very flawed understanding of the relative value Meyers gives to humiliation (very low value) and toothpicks from the office toothpick container (very, very, very, high value). So this was only a matter of time:
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And so time moves on as it always does. Fresh wounds become old scars. You forgive but you dont forget. You tuck away your painful memories and believe you know enough to not get hurt again. But youre older now, and your wits arent what they once were. And so, again, you fall. pic.twitter.com/20Xp7opKyA Ben Warheit (@benwarheit) February 24, 2018
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Has any man ever borne such a cruel fate as silently and heroically as Seth Meyers? And whats the deal with Warheit, the Cenobite-like figure offering the hapless TV host the otherworldly pleasures of the toothpick container before sweeping him off into a world of pain and suffering? This segment offers some clues:
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Meyers is clearly dealing with one of those vengeful god overseeing an eternity of torment type situations, vis-a-vis Mr. Warheit and the toothpick container. Its a difficult burden, especially when youre producing a daily television show, and we wish him all the best. But I think of Meyers not in the moment of collapse, as toothpicks fly across the office and his employees sharpen their laughter once more. Consider, instead, the peaceful hour when Meyers, against all evidence and experience, decides to try to extract another toothpick from Warheits diabolical puzzle box. In that moment, his fate belongs to him. The struggle itself towards the office toothpicks is enough to fill a mans heart. One must imagine Seth Meyers happy.
Better Life Lab is a partnership of Slate and New America.
Wendy R. Anderson spent years navigating leadership in largely male environments, working six to seven days per week. As a deputy chief of staff in the Department of Defense, she found herself chronically stressed and ultimately made the difficult decision to leave government after taking a senior role that wasnt the right fit in another department.
Anderson is now a high-profile national security sexual harassment advocate who has helped build the momentum of the #MeTooNatSec movement. One of the most positive outcomes of the painful experience of leaving government has been an emerging sense of strength that has been foundational to her decision to contribute to #MeTooNatSeca group of what is now more than 200 women from diplomats to ambassadors to present and former service members increasing awareness of sexual harassment and assault of women in the national security community.
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Im just not afraid anymore. To me the most important things I have to lose are less important than what I have to gain by speaking out, Anderson says. The group of women at #MeTooNatSec state that a culture of sexual misconduct has held them back or forced them from their jobs. Anderson herself says that in order to feel she would be taken seriously, she had to consistently ignore sexist remarks and jokes and situations that created an unsafe environment for women. It was always a set of trade-offs that seemed patently unfair, very unjust, and violating.
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After years of ignoring signs of stress and burnout, she used the break she took when she left her job to measure new professional opportunities. Through a period of transition, she reflected with family, friends, mentors, and colleagues, sought out counseling, and experimented with different types of work while cultivating the skills that would allow her to grow from these difficult times.
Wendy has now reached out to 4060 women in the national security executive branch to garner their support and has brought new public awareness to the issues she experienced alone for so long. And she has supported other women like Jenna Ben-Yehuda, the co-author of the #MeTooNatSec letter, and helped secure opportunities like a recent invitation to the State of the Union to increase the profile of the platform.
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I dont just speak for myself. I speak for a whole community of people, says Anderson. This includes female family members who have not been able to speak up in other circumstances. Every time one of us speaks out, another woman feels empowered and confident to do the same.
Groups with a Type R outlook are able to reframe impediments and the stresses they face and incorporate them into their own process of growth and problem-solving while continuing to advocate for change.
In our new book, we identify the individuals, leaders, businesses, and groups that exhibit transformative resiliencethe ability to transform challenge into opportunities, innovation, and growth. We call them Type Rs. By drawing on our own decades of professional and personal experience and numerous years of research across psychology, sociology, behavioral economics, neuroscience, business, and current affairs, we have come to believe that though resilience or the notion of bouncing back is important, its not enough. Returning to where we once were is not only a poor choiceits often not possible. This makes transformative resilience the new paradigm for our time. And it makes the Type R skillsfrom finding a healthy relationship to control to continually learning, adapting, calling upon a sense of purpose, leveraging the support of others, and actively engaging in problems we faceall the more critical.
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Even with growing public awareness and decades of advocacy for gender equality, progress has been uneven. Up to 85 percent of women in the American workplace face sexual harassment. And research at the University of Minnesota suggests that women in positions of authority may face it more often to put them in their place. These behaviors are associated with absenteeism and poor mental health among female workers. This comes atop the fact that working women continue to juggle the additional pressures of our increasingly accelerated and turbulent world. It couldnt be a more important time for women to cultivate transformative resilience and create shared progress.
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While women and their male allies have to continue to address structural inequities and the root causes of harassment and discrimination, a collective ability to reframe has made groups of women not only able to contextualize the challenges they face but more able to transform them into opportunities to grow, cultivate resilient mindsets, and create positive change.
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Research suggests theyre not alone. Take for instance the research that Carol Dweck undertook at universities in the Northeast investigating how negative assumptions about young womens skills impacted their performance and desire to remain in mathematics programs. Over the course of a semester, the researchers interviewed the female students about their sense of belonging in the math program as well as their thoughts about their own abilities and about stereotyping.
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After surveying the women and separating them into groups with rigid thinking about the ability for growth and those with more robust mindsets, they found that the young women with a fixed, less resilient mindset and those seemingly with less support became increasingly alienated.
In comparison, the women with a more resilient and growth-oriented mindset were disturbed by the stereotypes they faced about women and math. But they reframed and separated the discriminatory behavior of certain professors and others from their own abilities and continued to thrive. They maintained a sense of belonging and as such had better grades and planned to continue studying in the mathematics programs even when facing prejudice and setbacks that were devastating for others.
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In complementary and parallel ways, groups with a Type R outlook are able to reframe impediments and the stresses they face and incorporate them into their own process of growth and problem-solving while continuing to advocate for change. They also often find that these challenges serve to create greater cohesion, support, and understanding among themselves.
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Type Rs ask, what can I learn from this difficult experience? How does it provide opportunities for building new skills or connecting with others? What doors does it open to make change in myself and advocate for change in the larger world? It isnt simply what happens to us but how we respond to what happens that has the greatest effect on the trajectory of our lives following adversity.
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We would never ask for adversityparticularly sexual harassment, assault, or discrimination, which cant be condoned and that often leave significant emotional and physical injuries that must be attended to. That said, research across thousands of individuals of varying ages shows that exposure to some adversity ranging from moderate stressors to severe hardships allows us to continue to evolve and develop our skills and that those resilience skills carry over from one circumstance to another. It may be that experience with a moderate number of hardships strengthens a belief in ourselves, or in a group of which we are a part, and in our ability to cope with the challenges the world presents us. Additionally, how we analyze the causes and outcomes of adversity, how we shape our stories, and whether we can find meaning in them affect our capacity for transformative resilience.
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Given ongoing research that shows the extent to which we influence the emotions and behaviors of those in our immediate and extended social networks, our own ability to transform challenges has a significant impact on others. A groups ability to shift toward Type R can be as simple as having one person introduce a new compelling frame for addressing adversity that others can build upon, whether theyre leaders, followers, agnostics, or supporters of the shared will of the group. With the challenges we face, we must learn to adapt, mobilize our inner strength, and cultivate clear judgment amid the uncertainty, change, and stress that we face.
That recognition may seem daunting at first, particularly given that were often blindsided and catapulted into it by uncomfortable circumstances. But with the support of the Type R mindset and skills and the ability to harness the power of the storms on the horizon, we can create significant new opportunities for ourselves. Much of the #MeToo moment has been about just that. What opportunities it will open for the future of women at work is still yet to be seen. But we are hopeful.
On Sunday, Chinas Communist Party declared that the country was doing away with term limits for the presidency. The clear driver of the move, and the man who currently runs the party and the country, is Xi Jinping, currently finishing up his first term as president (which began in 2013) and now able to rule well past the end of what would be his second term, in 2023. Xi has already taken command of the country like no other Chinese leader since at least Deng Xiaoping, spearheading an anti-corruption drive at home and asserting Chinese power abroad. And now, like many leaders around the world, he is dispensing with his countrys norms, and strengthening his own power.
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To discuss Xis move, and Chinas future, I spoke by phone with Richard McGregor, the author of The Party: The Secret World of Chinas Communist Rulers and Asias Reckoning: China, Japan, and the Fate of U.S. Power in the Pacific. He is also a senior fellow at the Lowy Institute in Sydney. During the course of our conversation, which has been edited and condensed for clarity, we discussed how Xi amassed so much power so quickly, the enemies he has made along the way, and the prospects for political reform in this new Chinese era.
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Isaac Chotiner: Could any post-Mao Chinese leader have done this? If the answer is yes, why didnt they? And if the answer is no, what made Xi able to pull it off?
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Richard McGregor: Well I guess the answer would have to be no. The best guide for that is that he has done it and they didnt. I think there are a couple of things that would explain it. The first is Xi himself. He is from a particular pedigree in the Communist Party. I think he has a sense of hereditary right to rule. He has deep red blood, as the Chinese would say, running in his veins. His father was a revolutionary hero.
I guess the second thing is that you could argue also that he is a man of his time. The previous 10 years under Hu Jintao, even though the economy grew rapidly during that time, was considered to be a time when little else got done. The consensus system in the Politburo, which built up under Jiang Zemin to an extent that it really ruled the roost under Hu, had sort of calcified decision-making. And the time was ripe for somebody to come in and shake the place up.
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The third point is that Xi Jinping, to hark back to the past again, has a particular view about how to get things done in China. He looks back to Mao Zedong and Deng Xiaoping and sees that the only way to get things done in both a good and bad way in the Chinese systemthis vast continental system with multiple interlocking bureaucraciesis to be dictatorial. Otherwise you will be lost in the bureaucracy. So those three things: His political personality, his political views, and the time in which he came to power make him stand out.
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Can you explain more about what it is about his standing and his relationship to the party that has allowed him to take these steps? How is he respected or feared?
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I think he was respected and feared in equal measure when he came to power. Now I guess maybe more feared than respected. The thing about the leader of the Chinese Communist Party is that they have enormous executive power if they use it. In other words, they are the head of the anti-corruption bureauor their nominee is. They are head of the military. They control, one way or another, all major appointments in the country. So if you have conviction and ruthlessness and confidence, all of which Xi has and Hu didnt have, then you can wield dictatorial powers.
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Do you think that the impact of this move is going to be felt more in foreign or domestic policy?
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I think the main impact is domestic, on two levels. I think it does mean for the moment that he is unassailable and all-powerful that hes able to push this through. But I think in the longer term he might be generating a massive backlash. His anti-corruption campaign has made him a legion of powerful enemiesfamilies who were once powerful and may come back and will never forget what he has done to them. But the second thing is that there are many Chinese officials and scholars who believed in the system as it was evolving, meaning institutional checks and balances, a system for an orderly transition of power, no more leaders for life, no more dictators, and I think they are already very angry about the Xi era, and will be even angrier now. So, in that sense, the biggest impact of this will be inside China and domestic politics.
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I wouldnt say Xi is a new Mao. Xis China is not Maos China. But he has gone back to a period of strongman rule. Richard McGregor
Foreign policynot so much.
China wasnt a democracy, but what does this say about the long-term future of political reform in China?
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Its undoubtedly a setback. We are not talking about China morphing into a Western-style democracy in five to 10 years, but we had seen, over many years, many people pushing reforms, most notably in the legal system. China has trained lots of lawyers who want to have the country run by law. Thats going backwards under Xi. China has a professional class, or did have a professional class of journalists who were gradually making more room for them to do their jobs. Thats gone backwards under Xi. I would say even under one of the areas that has been one of Chinas greatest successes, economic policymaking and policymaking in general, it is much more difficult to be an adventurous bureaucrat now and put forward risky policies. So in terms of China becoming more democratic, its going backwards.
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When did your book on the Communist Party come out?
2010.
Whats the biggest difference between the party then and now?
One thing I did get wrong was that I described a system moving into a much more consensus-based decision-making polity. The era of strongmen rule was over, I said. That looks embarrassing in retrospect, but it was also a reasonable and probably broadly consensus position at the time.
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I wouldnt say Xi is a new Mao. Xis China is not Maos China. But he has gone back to a period of strongman rule, and I missed that.
Do any institutional forces stand in his way?
Thats a very good question. I think he has cowed most of the institutions at the moment. He has strong control of the military with the latest round of personnel appointments late last year, and coming in the following weeks after the National Peoples Congress he will have more of his acolytes and loyalists in positions. So when people like me say there is a backlash coming, others will counter and say, Well where is it coming from? And its a good point. Its very hard to see right now. But I just think that Xi Jinpings current governing style is not Chinas future. I think China will have a more open and democratic future, even if not a Western-style democracy. And he is holding back all those forces right now.
Stacey Dash, an actress known for her role in the 1995 teen classic Clueless and for her conservative politics, has filed paperwork to run for Congress.
The 51-year-old actress announced earlier in the month she was considering a bid for a California seat in the House of Representatives in response to numerous calls for me to run for office, she tweeted. Monday she submitted the official FEC filing to create her campaign committee, Dash to DC, to run as a Republican in the 44th House District . The district runs through South Los Angeles and the Los Angeles Harbor areas and includes the towns of Compton and North Long Beach. It is currently held by Democratic Rep. Nanette Barragan and has been held by Democrats since 2012.
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Dash joined Fox News as a commentator in 2014 until she was suspended in 2015, for using profanity on the air, after saying Obama didnt give a shit about terrorism. She returned to the network but stopped appearing on air in September 2016, according to the Hollywood Reporter. Her contract with the network was not renewed.
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Dash has accumulated a sizable record of ignorant and offensive comments on the air, in interviews, and in her book, There Goes My Social Life: From Clueless to Conservative. She said transgender people should go in the bushes rather than use the bathroom that matches their gender identity; she blamed the Pulse nightclub shooting on Obama and his tolerance for Islamic terrorism; she said that Democrats have a plantation mentality and that the minority community in Louisiana feel[s] worthless because theyre getting money for free; she called Black Lives Matters advocates racists; and she called Black History Month and the BET Networks a form of segregation.
What is Ivanka Trump doing in the White House?
We know what she is literally doing. At this moment, she is in South Korea, where she led the U.S delegation to the Winter Olympics and briefed South Korean President Moon Jae-in on the administrations new economic sanctions against North Korea. Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin said the first daughter has been part of the team on North Korea receiving briefings and sensitive information.
But describing her duties is just another way of asking the question. Ivanka Trump is a senior adviser to the White House with an office, a staff, and a wide portfolio of issues, from education and veterans affairs to restructuring the federal bureaucracy and working with foreign leaders around the world. And her only qualification is that shes the presidents daughter. If the Trump family were possessed of public spiritedness and a commitment to transparency, this might be a forgivable instance of nepotism. But those qualities, alas, are in short supply.
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The extent to which Ivanka Trump has no particular expertise is staggering given her apparent responsibilities. Take her trip to South Korea. Trump has no experience in international diplomacy, nuclear proliferation, or the history of the Korean Peninsula. Likewise, she had no particular competency when she stood in for the president at a forum in Saudi Arabia on tackling expertise, or when she traveled to India to head the U.S delegation at a summit on global entrepreneurism.
Each of those would constitute a surprising and difficult assignment for someone whose resume consists of managing a small apparel line and appearing on The Apprentice. And while the same might be said for Donald Trump, who entered the White House with no experience in public service, he at least has the consent of the governed. Ivanka Trump, by contrast, did not appear on any ballot line and even appeared to rule out a prominent role in the White House. Im going to be a daughter, she said in an interview just after the election. Now, the presidents oldest daughter receives sensitive intelligence information without a proper security clearance and does work that is typically the province of experienced officials.
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Donald Trump isnt the first president to place family members in high-level positions. John F. Kennedy nominated his brother, Robert Kennedy, to serve as attorney general, though that position required confirmation by the Senate, giving him an important stamp of legitimacy. More comparable are appointments by Dwight Eisenhower and Franklin D. Roosevelt, who hired their sons as White House aides: John Eisenhower served as assistant staff secretary, while James Roosevelt served as secretary to the president, in a role not unlike the modern-day chief of staff. But there are significant differences. The younger Eisenhower had served as an intelligence officer in World War II, relevant experience for a job involving document flow and classified information. And the younger Roosevelt was a longtime political deputy for his father, relevant experience for a highly political position.
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What makes Ivanka Trumps lack of knowledge and experience so galling is that she is trying to have it both ways, acting in a high-level role within the White House while presenting herself as just a daughter when pressed on sensitive questions about the president. On Sunday, in an interview with NBC News Peter Alexander, she was asked if she believes President Trumps denials of sexual assault and misconduct. I think its a pretty inappropriate question to ask a daughter if she believes the accusers of her father when hes affirmatively stated theres no truth to it, said Ivanka Trump. I dont think thats a question you would ask many other daughters.
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It simply isnt true that media outlets wouldnt ask other prominent daughters that questionChelsea Clinton fielded it during two separate presidential elections, and that was without any permanent post in her fathers administration. Ivanka Trump isnt just a daughter: Shes a senior White House official speaking to NBC News in her role as a senior White House official. To plead family when faced with a difficult question about her father is to demonstrate why we have nepotism laws to begin with. Either Trump is a representative of the White House, and thus should expect to be asked difficult questions about the president she serves, or shes simply a relative of the president with no particular obligation to the public, in which case, she ought to resign her position in the administration.
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Ivanka Trump is attempting a similar two-step with her business. Both she and her husband, White House adviser Jared Kushner, remain beneficiaries of their real estate and investment businesses, with stakes in properties like the Trump International Hotel in Washington, D.C., a favorite spot of lobbyists and foreign governments attempting to curry favor with the administration. Its a clear conflict of interest and only reinforces the extent to which Ivanka Trump seems to want power without accountability, the benefits of being close to the president of the United States without the obligations to the public shes supposed to serve.
What is Ivanka Trump doing in the White House? It seems shes following her fathers footsteps in using the privilege of high office to bolster her brand, with little concern for the actual tasks and responsibilities of governance.
In an interview that aired on the Today show Monday morning, NBC News Peter Alexander asked Ivanka Trump, the senior White House adviser who has positioned herself as a leading voice in the administration on policies related to womens issues, whether she believed the more than a dozen women who have accused the president of sexual misconduct.
Here is how she responded:
I think its a pretty inappropriate question to ask a daughter if she believes the accusers of her father when he has affirmatively stated that theres no truth to it. I dont think thats a question you would ask many other daughters. I believe my father, I know my father. So I think I have that right as a daughter to believe my father.
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Do you believe your fathers [sexual misconduct] accusers? -@PeterAlexander
I think its a pretty inappropriate question to ask a daughter if she believes the accusers of her father when hes affirmatively stated theres no truth to it. -@IvankaTrump pic.twitter.com/23AVPgcOdE TODAY (@TODAYshow) February 26, 2018
Trump was being interviewed before the closing ceremony of the Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, where she represented the United States and was seen with South Korean President Moon Jae-in (and where American Olympic skier Gus Kenworthy praised everyone in the closing ceremony except Ivanka). Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin also announced Monday that Ivanka Trump had briefed President Moon about the new North Korea sanctions the administration announced Friday. When asked about her security clearance for the task, according to CNN, Mnuchin said she has the appropriate access to brief the president.
At least 15 women have come forward accusing Donald Trump of sexual misconduct. These accusations include allegations of assault and harassment, as well as lewd comments.
Ivanka Trump also called her fathers remarks in the Access Hollywood tape offensive and inappropriate but defended him against accusations of sexism regardless.
If you believe the accounts of a few anonymous members of Donald Trumps presidential campaign, Ivanka Trump cried when her father refused to apologize for saying he groped womens genitals. Frustrated by the then-candidates blase response to the Access Hollywood grab em by the pussy comments, Ivanka rushed out of the campaign war room, red-faced and weepy-eyed.
At the time, many news outlets interpreted the story as evidence that Ivanka and her father diverged on issues of sexual assault and basic respect for women. New York Times reporter Jodi Kantor, who co-wrote the piece detailing Ivankas reaction, told a Times podcast host that Ivanka wants to sand down the edges of her fathers most harmful policies. Axios reported that the crying anecdote showed that Ivanka is clearly more emotional and compassionate than her father has been publicly.
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But tears dont always indicate compassion, and there is good reason to doubt the testimony of anonymous Trump officials who have every reason to portray the presidents daughter as a sane, humane presence in a White House thats anything but. This morning, Ivanka herself laid waste to the enduring fiction that she cares for the people her father harms. I think its a pretty inappropriate question to ask a daughter if she believes the accusers of her father when he has affirmatively stated that theres no truth to it, she told NBC News Peter Alexander when asked about the more than 20 women whove accused Donald Trump of sexual harassment or assault. I believe my father, I know my father.
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Journalists have every right to question Ivanka, a White House policy adviser on womens issues, on her fathers history as an alleged sexual abuser. Her platform and portfolio have grown exponentially with her fathers rise to powerjust a few days ago, the administration dispatched her to brief the South Korean president on new North Korea sanctionsand, as an official White House employee, she should have to explain why she continues to support her boss. If Ivanka is going to try to use her meager child care policy efforts to paint a woman-friendly gloss on an anti-woman administration, she needs to be able to speak to the concerns women have about the harassment-endorsing man in the Oval Office.
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Alexanders question tied a perfect bow around the conundrum of being Ivanka Trump. With her lifestyle brand focused on working mothers and her nonthreatening, apolitical womens empowerment shtickto say nothing of her reputed presidential ambitionsit might have behooved her as a future businesswoman/candidate to acknowledge the bravery and credibility of Donald Trumps accusers. Ivanka knows this. Its why she tweeted that Oprahs speech about sexual assault and marginality at the Golden Globes was inspiring and encouraged everyone to come together & say #TIMESUP. Its why she told the Associated Press, of accused child molester Roy Moore, that theres a special place in hell for people who prey on children and said, I have no reason to doubt the victims accounts. Popular opinion has turned ever so slightly against men who use their power to sexually exploit women, and that category includes Donald When Youre a Star, They Let You Do It Trump.
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But any hint of an admission that the president actually did grab womens genitals and leer at half-naked teenagers, as many women say he did, would trigger Ivankas immediate excommunication from her privileged stature in the Trump family. As long as her biggest achievement consists of grimacing and shrugging every time her father does something horrible, like recommending the discharge of all transgender soldiers (while Ivanka was wishing everyone a joyful #Pride2017) or complimenting the character of white nationalists, Ivanka gets to keep her unearned position of power. If she ever actually stood up for the casualties of her familys cruelty, instead of merely marshaling anonymous sources to tell the press she isnt as evil as her dad, Ivanka would be banished to wherever Tiffany lives.
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It is possible that, somewhere in her heart, Ivanka believes the women who have courageously continued speaking about Trumps alleged assaults while he threatens them with lawsuits and calls them too ugly to assault. Ivanka, too, has been subjected to what I would call verbal abuse from her father, who has repeatedly suggested, in public, that he would like to have sex with her. Perhaps admitting that her father has sexually abused women would force Ivanka to internally reckon with her own victimization; perhaps shes not ready or willing to do that. Or maybe shes just playing good politics: Defend Trump now, when he holds the keys to her public platform, and gently change her tune in a few years when shes back in the private sector or runs for officeor dont, and bank on Trump fans being ready to back one of the few women who think hes a stand-up gentleman.
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Either way, Ivanka will be answering this question for the rest of her career. Like Hillary Clinton before her, Ivanka has chosen to support the presidency of a family member who has committed sexual improprieties at best and sexual assault at worst. Like Clinton, Ivanka has tried to preserve the presidents status and her own dignity by using her gender in his defense, at the expense of the women he allegedly abused. And if, like Clinton, Ivanka tries to become president someday, she will be forced to answer over and over again for the deeds of the lecherous man she championed. To the extent that people still care about keeping sexual abusers out of public office, Ivankas failure to cut ties with her father may threaten her future endeavors the way Bill Clintons history threatened Hillarys.
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But the Clinton presidency was not the threat to women that Trumps has been. In some circles, Hillary Clintons commitment to advocacy for women and girls overshadowed her commitment to Bill. Ivanka has no such record of public service to promulgate. Every ostensibly pro-woman remark she makes directly conflicts with the actions of the administration she serves to beautify. For instance: the Oprah speech Ivanka praised invoked the memory of Recy Taylor, a black woman who was gang-raped in 1944 in a brutal act of racial and sexual violence. Meanwhile, Ivanka stands as a proud representative of an administration that has emboldened white supremacist violence more openly than any in modern history while holding a megaphone to the most misogynist leaders of the alt-right. The contrast between Ivankas purported values and her lived ones is so stark, it seems like the setup for a terrible joke.
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When it comes to her father, though, Ivanka is remarkably steadfast. If the defense she gave to NBC Newshe has affirmatively stated that theres no truth to itsounds familiar, its because its almost identical to the argument Donald Trump made for Roy Moore: He says it didnt happen, the president said. You have to listen to him, also. After Moores loss, Trump said hed known all along that Moore didnt stand a chance, which is why he initially backed the Republican who lost the primary to Moore. If additional evidence against Moore ever crops up, the president could simply say he was giving the guy due process. Thats the good thing about hanging support for an alleged abuser on a thin denial: When the political winds shift, its easy enough to play dumb.
On Monday, the Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in Janus v. AFSCME, a challenge to the idea that public-sector unions can collect fees from nonmembers in 22 states. The court may as well skip the charade of arguments altogether. There is simply no question how the justices will rule in Janus: After Justice Antonin Scalia died in 2016, they divided 44 on this exact question. Since then, Republicans installed Justice Neil Gorsuch on the court, and no one seriously doubts that he will come through for the party that kept his seat open for a year.
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Whats interesting about Janus, then, is not its inevitable outcome, but the role that it will play in furthering the Republican agenda. Public-sector unions have long helped Democrats win elections and implement progressive policy, counteracting the influence of conservative corporate electioneering. Legislative assaults on unions helped weaken the Democratic Party. The judicial blow could cripple it.
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Janus marks the logical endpoint of a laughably spurious constitutional theory. In 1977s Abood v. Detroit Board of Education, the Supreme Court upheld agency fees in public-sector employment. Unions collect these fair share fees from nonmembers to support collective bargaining and cannot use them to subsidize political activities. The Abood court held that it is perfectly constitutional for public-sector unions to compel nonmembers to pay these fees: Because they benefit from the contracts that are achieved through collective bargaining, the court reasoned, they can be forced to help cover the costs of those negotiations.
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Today, 22 states and the District of Columbia permit public-sector unions to collect agency fees. But in recent years, the Supreme Courts conservatives have declared war on the decision. In 2014, Justice Samuel Alito essentially declared in Harris v. Quinn that Abood was wrongly decided and should be overturned. Alito asserted that mandatory agency fees constitute compelled speech and therefore violate the First Amendments guarantees of free expression and association. According to Alito, bargaining for a labor contract is actually political activity, because nonunion workers may hold an ideological opposition to benefits like health insurance and overtime pay.
This framing of unions reflects a profoundly cynical vision of workers rights, turning free riders into compelled riders who are forced to accept benefits that they reject on political grounds. It also has no real constitutional basis. Eugene Volokh, a right-leaning libertarian who generally opposes unions, contributed to an amicus brief explaining why Alitos theory is completely incorrect under an originalist understanding of the First Amendment. Compelled subsidies of others speech happen all the time, the brief explains, and are not generally viewed as burdening any First Amendment interest. The government can spend tax dollars on speech with which taxpayers disagree; it can compel lawyers to pay state bar dues, then use the money to promote messages that some lawyers detest; it can even collect a special assessment on teachers to promote education policies that some teachers dislike. Of course it can also let unions collect fees from nonmembers to cover contract negotiations.
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Conservative originalist scholar Michael Ramsey agrees with Volokh. The Supreme Court will not. Shortly before Scalias death, the court took a case identical to Janus designed to outlaw agency fees in public-sector unions. After he died, the court deadlocked. Months after Gorsuch replaced him, the court agreed to hear Janus. The Trump administration has weighed in against unions. We know how this case will end; the dark-money group that spent $17 million to put Gorsuch on the court will receive a return on its investment.
While the legal theory upon which Janus is based is specious at best, the political theory is brilliant. The Republican Party has done an excellent job persuading the courts conservative appointees that the thrust of the First Amendment is that constituencies who do not support the Republican Party should not have political power. In Shelby County v. Holder, the court paved the way for massive voter suppression throughout the South by gutting the Voting Rights Act; Republican legislatures quickly passed voter suppression laws, and black turnout dropped dramatically. In Citizens United v. FEC, the court unleashed hundreds of millions of dollars in super PAC spending, paving the way for Republican electoral victories. That decision claimed to benefit both corporations and unionsbut ever since, the court has further empowered corporations while continually hobbling unions.
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Republicans have long acknowledged that they see public-sector unions as a key threat to their political agenda. The conservative American Legislative Exchange Council has seen teachers unions as a major impediment to their agenda for nearly half a century, complaining that the most effective lobby in the state legislatures was the National Education Association. ALEC has worked to undermine teachers unions with paycheck protection laws, which require unions to keep separate funds for political activities. ALECs model governor, Scott Walker, famously worked to limit collective bargaining, and as soon as Republicans gain political power in statehouses, unions come under fire. Recent research on ALECs war on public-sector unions suggests that it has indeed been effective. The onslaught of conservative attacks has reduced union dues, demobilized public-sector union workers, and even led to lower expenditures on education.
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New research by political scientists James Feigenbaum, Alexander Hertel-Fernandez, and Vanessa Williamson gives us an idea of what will happen when the Supreme Court imposes so-called right-to-work laws from the bench. Right-to-work laws allow workers to benefit from unions collective bargaining without having to pay any union dues at all and are often paired with limits on public-sector organizing. (A recent right-to-work law in Kentucky also banned public sector workers from striking, an infringement on constitutional rights the courts have not seen fit to strike down.) The Janus decision, which would bar mandatory agency fees in all public sector unions, is basically a right-to-work law for public employees in every state.
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To study the effect of these laws, Feigenbaum, Hertel-Fernandez, and Williamson examined counties that share a border between two states, one with right-to-work laws and one without. These county pairs share demographic, political, and economic similarities. The authors found that the passage of right-to-work measures decreased Democratic vote share by 2 to 3 percentage points in both presidential and down-ballot electionsenough to have swung Michigan and Wisconsin to Trump in 2016. They also found that these laws reduce turnout and demobilize blue-collar workers, with blue-collar workers less likely to report receiving a contact about voting in right-to-work states.
Right-to-work laws also increase Republican power in state legislatures and shift policy to the right. Using historical data, Feigenbaum, Hertel-Fernandez, and Williamson estimate that right-to-work laws lead Democrats to control fewer seats than they otherwise would, by 5 to 11 percentage points. In addition, the authors find that after the passage of right-to-work laws, state policy shifts to the right, even when Democrats control the legislature.
Combine these political ramifications with the astoundingly weak constitutional arguments, and Janus looks like a flagrantly partisan vehicle through which conservatives can kneecap the Democratic Party. With Gorsuchs fifth vote, the court will reverse a 41-year-old precedent that has allowed progressives to mount meaningful opposition to GOP voter suppression and corporate electioneering. Janus isnt really a case about the First Amendment. Its a test to see how far certain justices will go in carrying out the Republican Partys agenda.
In the latest charming story to come out of the larger narrative of Modern American Conservatism, the conservative syndicated columnist Mona Charen was booed by activists at the Conservative Political Action Conference for stating, in the course of a panel about feminism, that I am disappointed in people on our side for being hypocrites about sexual harassers and abusers of women, who are in our party, who are sitting in the White House, who brag about their extramarital affairs, who brag about mistreating womenand because he happens to have an R next to his name we look the other way. Charen, who had to be escorted out by security (though she says she never felt threatened), also criticized the events organizers for inviting Marion Le Pen, niece of the far-right French politician Marine Le Pen.
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I spoke by phone with Charen, who is also a senior fellow at the Ethics and Public Policy Center and a prominent anti-Trump conservative, the day after she appeared at CPAC. During the course of our conversation, which has been edited and condensed for clarity, we discussed her CPAC experience and whether #NeverTrump Republicans have faced up to the pre-Trump history of their party.
Isaac Chotiner: Why did you feel like it was so important to say what you said, and specifically to that audience?
Mona Charen: OK, let me unpack that: Why is it important to say that in general? Its important to say it because we traditional conservatives who have watched the Trump phenomenon for two years often feel like we are in the Twilight Zonethis bizarre world where people pretend that everything that we know is not true, and that even people that we once respected seem to be falling prey to the cult of personality. And so its necessary for those of us who have not been cajoled or otherwise swayed by the joys of winning, and who recognize Trump for what he is, to just say it out loud. To just say it.
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I know how much it encourages meand gives me faith and spiritwhen I see somebody say something that is just transparently obvious and true. And you cant take for granted that those things will be said in this atmosphere.
That is what I wanted to do alsoto give other people a little bit of hope. I believe there are many, many conservatives who are not happy about Trump. And they need a voice.
Did you know you were going to say something when you decided to attend the conference?
Yes. I was surprised by the invitation because CPAC has become very Trumpified and I have been very open about my skepticism, to put it mildly, about Trump. I was surprised they invited me and decided this would be an opportunity to say exactly what I think.
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It was also so highly relevant to the topic that was under discussion: Namely, where do conservative women fit in with the #MeToo movement. And they wanted us to talk about the hypocrisy of the left on the subject of sexual harassment. By the way, I am very happy to talk about that subject. I have written about it extensively.
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I can talk about feminist hypocrisy, but I wanted to get to the topic of our own hypocrisy because it is very easy to call out the other side, and much harder to call out your own side. And you cannot talk about sexual harassment or issues of sexual ethics when you are providing cover for one of the most flagrant, proud adulterers and also sexual abusers.
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I was talking to my editor about possible questions to ask you, as I always do. And she said I should ask you about whats going on with that wing of the Republican Party, referring to the CPAC wing. But then I thought to myself, Donald Trump is at 8090 percent approval or higher among Republicans. He is getting patted on the back by basically every wing of the congressional GOP. To what degree does talking about CPAC as a wing even make sense anymore and how do you, as an anti-Trump conservative, think about that?
Look, Trump is having a good moment now. They passed the tax reform and he has been laying off the personal attacks to some degree on Twitter. The economy is roaring, and the party is coalescing. Parties usually do coalesce around their presidents, and once again I have to say that I remember when Bill Clinton was credibly accused of some really serious stuff, I was dismayed by the degree to which the Democrats just rallied around him. You may say its not the same, but in any event, parties do do that. Lets take that as the premise. They do. Nevertheless, the underlying unpopularity of Donald Trump is there, and furthermore, the more that the party and the leaders within it just fold and cease standing up for basic decency, for integrity, for honoryou know one of the things that Trump did at this CPAC conference was to encourage the audience to boo John McCain, who is a war hero who is fighting for his life
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He was also captured.
I prefer people who have bone spurs myself.
OK, but does this make you think differently about American conservatism, or perhaps that this is a version of what it always was?
Look, youd be crazy not to have to reconsider some things and look back and challenge some certain assumptions. And I have been doing that over the past two years. But I think that it is way, way too simplisticwhich is the attitude you see very often on the liberal websites like ThinkProgress and Vox and so forth where they say, Aha! You see now we know for sure. The conservatives were always racist and now its just out there in the open and thats what this is all about. I just think that is way oversimplified, and I am sure you have seen this but lots and lots of people voted for Obama twice and voted for Trump. He was the change guy. Hillary was truly hated to a degree a lot of liberals have not processed. Justly or unjustly is not the point; she was.
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But having said all that, I am still sort of thinking this all through. And I will say that the whole phenomenon of Trump and what has become of the Republican Party, a lot of the ugliness that has reared its head on my side, which I had not seen before, has made me question certain things, and made me much more skeptical of everybody. But it has not had the effect of making me say, Yep, every accusation that was ever made against Republicans by Democratsaha, we know its true. Because I really dont believe that. I know too many fantastic public-spirited conservatives who were not racist and genuinely wanted school reform, and put their money where their mouth was to give scholarships to inner-city kids and all that, you know?
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I do think that very often just legitimate and genuine policy differences and policy approaches were smeared as racism because that was politically effective by Democrats. And by the way, one of the things Democrats have to cope with too is that by being so promiscuous throwing around the label racism, they have made it lose its sting, and a lot of people on the right just reacted by saying, They are never going to believe us. Its the Boy Who Cried Wolf problemthey arent going to believe any accusation of racism. Arguably now we really are dealing with racism.
Voting for a racist is a strange way to respond to that.
No, the fact is that there are people out there, people of good will.
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I am not denying that its objectively possiblethat Boy Who Cried Wolf problem. Its still a strange way to respond.
I understand what you are saying, but I will just tell you that there are people I know of good will who are not racist who say, Oh, I dont believe Trump is a racist, only because they have become so rigid about constantly rejecting any accusation of racism. Do you see what I mean?
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You said something earlier about how Trump doesnt mean every past Republican policy was racist. I agree, but dont you think its worth looking, as a Republican like yourself, at ways that the party, pre-Trump, paved the way for some of this? For example, the way establishment Republicans went along with and supported state laws about voter IDs and the voter rolls that had racial intent. They did play into the themes Trump picked up. I think thats worth examining.
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Yeah, well, maybe. I would have to look into it case-by-case. I know having looked into some of the voter ID issues, I reject [what youre saying] with regard to those. I think thats just insulting to say that certain people are unable to get voter IDs because they are black. I think thats just nuts. But, anyway.
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I mean, the intent of those laws
Um, look, I would say Im not sure. Look, I love finding common ground. I really do. Both parties attempt to increase their own votes, suppress the other guys vote. They both engage in gerrymandering. Thats not necessarily racism. You have to be super careful, obviously, because of our horrible history, and so that is something you have to be super sensitive about. I get that. I agree with that. But again, I would have to look at it. I am open to it, but I would have to look at it on a case-by-case basis.
But there are other things. I will tell you this: The way the immigration debate has been goingthat went off the rails at least a decade ago. Before that, it was this kind of, Well, we are just not assimilating people as well as we once did, which was a reasonable argument, OK? And so we need to rededicate ourselves to good assimilation policies and maybe take a little bit of a slowdown on the huge influx of immigrants and so on. And then it started to get truly racist, with this stuff about These are all criminals pouring across our borders trying to rape our nice white women. On that one, I will wholeheartedly agree that that predated Trump, and he of course took disgusting advantage of it and moved it way beyond where it had been before.
But it was already starting.
On Monday, the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that federal law already prohibits anti-gay employment discrimination. Its 103 decision in Zarda v. Altitude Express is a landmark victory for gay rights, affirming the growing judicial consensus that sexual orientation discrimination constitutes discrimination because of sex.
In his opinion for the court, Chief Judge Robert Katzmann provided three reasons why Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964which prohibits sex discrimination in the workplaceprotects gay employees. First, Katzmann explained that sexual orientation discrimination is motivated, at least in part, by sex and is thus a subset of sex discrimination. To identify the sexual orientation of a particular person, an employer must know the sex of the person and that of the people to whom he or she is attracted. He continued:
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Because one cannot fully define a persons sexual orientation without identifying his or her sex, sexual orientation is a function of sex. Indeed sexual orientation is doubly delineated by sex because it is a function of both a persons sex and the sex of those to whom he or she is attracted. Logically, because sexual orientation is a function of sex and sex is a protected characteristic under Title VII, it follows that sexual orientation is also protected.
To bolster his conclusion, Katzmann deployed the comparative test, which asks whether an employees treatment would have been different but for that persons sex. Here, the plaintiff, Donald Zarda, was allegedly fired after he revealed his sexual orientationthat is, his attraction to other men. If Zarda were a woman, he presumably could have kept his job. But because he was a man, his sexual attraction led to his termination. Thus, but for his sex, he would not have suffered discrimination.
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Katzmann then turned to a second justification for his decision: the sex stereotype theory. The Supreme Court has held that Title VII bars employers from punishing workers for their failure to conform to gender norms. For instance, a manager cannot reprimand a female employee because he deems her insufficiently feminine in her demeanor and mannerisms. Homosexuality, Katzmann noted, represents the ultimate case of failure to conform to gender stereotypesthe expectation that men only date women, and women only date men. In this framing, discrimination against a gay employee on the basis of his sexual orientation constitutes sex stereotyping, a prohibited practice under Title VII.
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Finally, Katzmann explored perhaps the most persuasive theory of the case, the Loving principle. In Loving v. Virginia, the Supreme Court held that interracial marriage bans discriminated on the basis of race in part by punishing individuals for intimately associating with members of another race. Since then, the courts have extended this theory to the employment contextholding, for example, that a supervisor who fires a white employee for marrying a black person has engaged in unlawful racial discrimination.
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Discrimination on the basis of race and sex are equally forbidden under Title VII. So, Katzmann wrote, this principle of associational discrimination should apply to both traits, and an employee who suffers discrimination because of his associations with a partner of the same-sex has experienced illegal sex discrimination. If a male employee married to a man is terminated because his employer disapproves of same-sex marriage, Katzmann explained, the employee has suffered associational discrimination based on his own sex. Why? Because the fact that the employee is a man instead of a woman motivated the employers discrimination against him.
In all, ten judgesincluding two Republican appointeesagreed with Katzmann that Title VII forbids sexual orientation discrimination. Only three disagreed. Judge Jose Cabranes found the case so easy that he wrote his own one-page decision concurring in the judgment. His reasoning constitutes one brief paragraph:
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This is a straightforward case of statutory construction. Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibits discrimination because of sex. Zardas sexual orientation is a function of his sex. Discrimination against Zarda because of his sexual orientation therefore is discrimination because of his sex, and is prohibited by Title VII. That should be the end of the analysis.
With its Zarda decision, the 2nd Circuit has aligned itself with the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, both of which assert that Title VII bars anti-gay workplace discrimination. (So have dozens of lower courts.) Zarda vigorously rejects the position put forth by the Trump administration that Title VII does not protect all gay employees. (The 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has also adopted that position.) Attorney General Jeff Sessions Department of Justice took the unusual step of filing an unsolicited brief in Zarda against gay rights, then arguing against gay employees in court. Given Mondays lopsided outcome, the DOJ might as well have saved its breath.
Eventually, the Supreme Court will have to resolve the scope of Title VIIs protections for LGBTQ employees. But it is in no hurry to do so, and the defendants in Zarda have indicated that they wont appeal Mondays decision. For the foreseeable future, then, the ruling will remain the law of the land within the 2nd Circuit, which covers New York, Connecticut, and Vermont. And gay employees elsewhere can cite Zarda to demonstrate that, no matter what the Trump administration says, Title VII protects their right to work free from homophobia.
At CNNs town hall Wednesday night, which featured students, parents, and teachers who experienced the mass shooting at a Florida high school last week, the final question for the politicians in the first half of the event came from a sophomore named Annabel Quinn Claprood. She went straight to the heart of Americas mass shooting epidemic.
I just want to know, she asked Rep. Ted Deutch, the Broward County Democrat, Will my school campus be safe when I return? Because I plan to not return until I know that something is going to change. And Im not the only one.
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The otherwise tactful congressman mumbled his way through a response. He must know that a school cant be that much safer in a couple weeks while Americans still own more than 8 million AR-15s. Broward County Sheriff Scott Israel can order his deputies to carry rifles on campus, and the NRAs Dana Loesch can promise to support the military fortification of elementary schools, but the answer to Claproods question is a deeply uncomfortable No.
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Partly an intergenerational gun-policy debate, and partly a memorial service, the town hall was compelling television because simple questions kept overpowering evasive, technical answers. Over the last few days the public has been struck by the wherewithal of the Parkland studentstheir eloquence in the wake of tragedy, their good nature in the face of right-wing smear campaigns, their courage in confronting politicians and journalists on national television. Their efforts have been so extraordinary that some right-wing doubters assumed they were on the Soros payroll, an accusation to which 17-year-old Cameron Kasky retorted, If you had seen me in my schools production of Fiddler on the Roof, you would know that no one would pay me to act for anything.
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But what the students have in poise they lack in the sour experience of American politics, which led to productively raw questions like Kaskys to Sen. Marco Rubio: Can you tell me right now that you will not accept a single donation from the NRA in the future? The answer to this question, too, was an uncomfortable No, though earlier questioning had revealed daylight between Rubios position on mass shootings and that of the NRA. But Kasky was ready to jaw with the senator, and at the very least, the exchange forced Rubio to repeat this choice defense three times: People buy into my agenda. I dont quite know what it meant, but it effectively conveyed all the unseemly pay-to-play features of American politics that the Douglas students were young enough to question anew.
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Perhaps the most moving contrast of the night was seeing Emma Gonzalezwhose angry speech at a rally in Fort Lauderdale on Saturday captivated the nationconfront the slick NRA spokesperson Dana Loesch. Her question, like the other two, was not a point of policy but of right and wrong: Do you believe it should be harder to obtain semiautomatic weapons and modifying devices like bump stocks? Loeschs answer was the first of several disingenuous deflections and attacks she made over the course of the evening. After a while, Gonzalez interrupted to remind her what the question was.
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That the Parkland kids dont share the older liberal generations defeatism on gun control was evident. But the things they wanted to know reminded us that in a public forum, the answers dont matter as much as the questions. It was powerful to hear disbelief in the status quo expressed by young, frustrated people who havent yet learned thats the way things are. Together with the roars and jeers of the audience, the wrenchingly unassuming questions breathed new life into a debate that gun-control advocates have mostly convinced themselves theyve lost.
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The asymmetry of information helped Rubio and Loesch bury their views in the intricacies of semiautomatic rifle classification or the designs of crime-reporting systems. There were several points where the two Republicans got the best of their interlocutors. But the force of moral outrage has its own power, power over technicalities, power that can make teenagers and professional politicians seem for a moment like equals. Americas gun violence epidemic makes this countrys teens 82 times more likely to die from a bullet that their peers in the developed world. Its hard to make a moral case to justify the pain of those who have seen that data point lived out, and neither Republican could muster a pure defense of gun rights.
The kids also scored some points over Rubio, over Loesch, and even their Democratic representatives. But the biggest unanswered question was one they didnt have to ask: Why was Gov. Rick Scott, the Republican who has presided over the states dismantling of local gun laws, afraid to accept CNNs invitation to debate a bunch of kids? Maybe gun control isnt as closed an issue as we thought.
The Weinstein Company has said it will file for bankruptcy after talks for a sale with an investor group fell through, the company announced late Sunday.
An investor group led by Maria Contreras-Sweet had placed a roughly $500 million bid to buy the company that would have involved the assumption of $225 million in debt, Variety reported earlier in February. The talks between the Weinstein Company and the investor group halted abruptly, however, when on Feb. 11 the New York attorney generals office filed a lawsuit accusing the studio of creating a toxic environment that enabled Harvey Weinsteins sexual harassment of female employees. (Weinstein has repeatedly denied allegations of nonconsensual sex.)
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The Weinstein Company had floundered since allegations against Harvey Weinstein surfaced in October. According to the New York Times, the company had attempted to tide itself over until the sale through loans from private equity firms. That effort failed, and the company sold off North American distribution rights to the movie Paddington 2.
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In a sharply worded letter obtained by the Hollywood Reporter to Contreras-Sweet and Ronald Burkle, one of the investors backing the bid, the Weinstein Companys board said the deal had finally fallen through because Contreras-Sweets team had not produced the funding it promised to keep the studio operating while the deal was finalized. The Weinstein board also said that Contreras-Sweet had failed to provide any provision for the gold standard human resources policies [she] promised and laid out new conditions for the sale that could have added months to the process.
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Eric T. Schneiderman, New Yorks attorney general, had also called earlier this month for Contreras-Sweet to guarantee the deal would involve adequate financial compensation for Weinsteins victims, as well as protections for the employees who remained and a promise that those who enabled Weinsteins behavior did not profit from the sale. Contreras-Sweet and Burkle met with Schneiderman on Wednesday to discuss the terms of the sale, according to the Washington Post. In the letter obtained Sunday night, the Weinstein board wrote that Contreras-Sweets terms of the sale would not keep your promises with respect to the guiding principles set forth by the Attorney General.
We have believed in this Company and in the goals set forth by the Attorney General, the boards letter said. Based on the events of the past week, however, we must conclude that your plan to buy this company was illusory and would only leave this Company hobbling toward its demise to the detriment of all constituents.
Well, here we are 12 days* after the brutal massacre of 17 students and teachers at a Parkland, Florida high school, which was only the latest in a series of unprovoked mass public killings that have terrorized the United States. By now, youd think, the president would have formulated a plan of responsea set of legislative and administrative initiatives that he seeks to sell to voters and lawmakers as an effort to make the country less likely to suffer through another tragic and deadly day like Feb. 14.
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Haha, JK. Here is what Donald Trump is currently thinking about, mass shootingwise, according to his remarks Monday at a White House meeting:
You know, I really believe you dont know until youre tested, but I think II really believe Id have run in there even if I didnt have a weapon.
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Ah, yesthe always-germane policy question of whether a 71-year-old man who once applied to be excused from military service because of bone spurs would have taken on the job of disabling a violently angry 19-year-old armed with a powerful semiautomatic weapon.
Whats Canada like this time of year? No, thats not the right questionwhats Anywhere like this time of year?
Despite being the worlds premier space superpower, America hasnt launched astronauts into space from its own soil in seven years. For the 30 years before that, we launched astronauts from our own turf via our Space Shuttle program, but NASA retired the program in 2011 when the government decided it would be more cost-effective to outsource NASAs lowEarth orbit space travel needs to the commercial sector.
The only problem was the commercial sector wasnt ready yet. NASA, through its Commercial Crew Program, has been waiting on Boeing and SpaceX to put the finishing touches on their own crew vehicles designed to ferry U.S. astronauts to and from the International Space Station. There was always going to be a delay in U.S. soilbased sendoffsthe initial timeline was to have the vehicles ready to send astronauts to the International Space Station by 2017but that pause might prove more prolonged than government officials originally thought, in part because the government has inadequately funded the efforts. As a result, both companies have run into delay after delay, causing the U.S. Government Accountability Office to now predict that we might have to wait until 2020 before those vehicles are certified for crewed spaceflight.
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We found that the [CCPs] own analysis indicates that certification is likely to slip into December 2019 for SpaceX and February 2020 for Boeing, Christina Chaplain, GAO director of acquisition and sourcing management, told the House Subcommittee on Space last month. If those predictions hold true, NASA might be unable to send astronauts into space for at least a few months (and possibly longer), which could disrupt ISS operations and prolong our reliance on Russia for astronaut transport.
First established by NASA in 2009, the CCP was supposed to be a win-win situation for everyone involved. Private space companies in need of investment would finally have the opportunity and funding to develop and test human spaceflight technologies. Meanwhile, the government could divert some of the $1.5 billion spent on every space shuttle mission toward other projects, like developing a deep-space launch vehicle that could send finally send humans to Mars one day. The only rough patch would be relying on Russias Soyuz missions in the interim to get U.S. astronauts to the ISS.
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Unfortunately, Congress, in its wisdom, provided inadequate resources to the CCP in its early years, says John Logsdon, a professor emeritus at George Washington Universitys Space Policy Institute. Its Congress that put NASA and its partners behind the time curve.
Congress only allocated $270 million to the CCP in its 2011 budgetfar short of the $500 million initially requested. And then it continued to lowball budget requests over the next several years: in 2012, CCP received $406 million out a request for $850 million; 2013, $488 million of a $830 million request; 2014, $696 million out of $821 million requested. Finally, in 2015, Congress gave the CCP $805 million95 percent of an initial request for $848 million.
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Even this stopgap isnt going to work forever, because Russia doesnt have any more Soyuz flights on order past fall 2019.
But the damage was already done. NASA didnt award its final CCP contracts for launch services until September 2014. The companies selected, Boeing for its CST-100 Starliner and SpaceX for its Crew Dragon, started running behind schedule almost immediately. Test flight dates were repeatedly pushed back, as was the initial goal to start flying crews to the station by early 2017. Boeing and SpaceX now expect to attain certification by January and February 2019, respectively; although its clear from the Chaplains testimony that NASA has some doubts that it will happen. According to Chaplains testimony, out of 12 quarterly reviews held by CCP thus far, Boeing and SpaceX respectively reported schedule delays six times and nine times.
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But meanwhile, relations between the U.S. and Russia have cratered to all-time lows since the Cold War. Although NASA and Roscosmos (Russias space agency) have managed to remain partners, U.S. officials have always loathed the idea of the U.S. relying on Russia for its human spaceflight needs. The White House, Congress, the militaryeveryone wants to see the U.S. launch its astronauts from American soil once again.
The delays, now headed into their second year, have forced NASA to extend its agreement with Roscosmos and buy more Soyuz flight seats to the ISS, inhibiting the ability of American officials to put pressure on Putin and his government, in order to safeguard continued American access to the ISS.
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But even this stopgap isnt going to work forever, because Russia doesnt have any more Soyuz flights on order past fall 2019. It takes three years to produce a Soyuz spacecraft for launch, so even if the U.S. was willing to purchase more seats from Russia, it wouldnt see those launches occurring until years later. Which means that Boeing and SpaceX need to be certified by fall 2019 in order for the U.S. to avoid a gap in accesssomething the GAO is pessimistic will happen
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If the U.S. loses ISS access, it might force astronauts on board to lengthen their time of stay in order to keep long term experiments running and other operations on schedule. Or, in the event an astronaut is forced to come back to Earth early due to unforeseen circumstances (life in space is, after all, hell on the body and brain), the agency and its partners would have to downsize or cancel some of its other plans to retrieve them.
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A few months like this are likely navigable, but it could certainly exert some pressure on some of the research ongoing at ISS, including studies on how microgravity affects human health in the long run, how to grow vegetables in space, and other experiments critical to our understanding of how well one day live off the planet. The United States has spent tens of billions of dollars to develop, assemble, and operate the ISS over the past two decades, and NASA relies on uninterrupted crew access to help maintain and operate the station itself, Chaplain said.
NASA is pondering contingency plans, but theres no clear solution yet. Both companies intend to launch uncrewed test flights this year, with crewed test flights to begin in November. The agency could elect to turn those crewed tests into quasi-operational missions that flies up a NASA astronaut.
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That means NASA might have to take on a pretty significant amount of risk. The certification process requires Boeings and SpaceXs vehicles to guarantee a 1 in 270 chance for a loss of crew (compared to 1 in 90 for the space shuttle program). Putting a NASA astronaut in one of these ships before that safety threshold is satisfied basically violates the whole point of the certification processto ensure astronaut safetyin the first place.
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Boeing spokesperson Rebecca Regan offered the following statement on the companys progress:
We are well aligned with our customer on crew safety and mission assurance, making steady progress on the development and certification of Boeings CST-100 Starliner system. While were focused on meeting our 2018 forecast dates with the Orbital Flight Test in Q3 and Crew Flight Test in Q4, we are committed to performing those safely and at the right time in development.
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And a SpaceX spokesperson issued the following:
SpaceX continues to target 2018 for the first demonstration missions with and without crew under NASAs Commercial Crew Program. In 2017, significant progress was made towards the production, qualification and launch of Crew Dragonone of the safest and most advanced human spaceflight systems ever builtand we are set to meet the additional milestones needed to launch our demonstration missions this year.
For its part, Congress is proving as obstinate as ever, doubling down on the stinginess that put the CCP in this mess in the first place. In order to remedy these problems, NASA may seek additional funding or accept significant risks, said Texas Rep. Brian Babin, the chairman of the House Subcommittee on Space. Neither of those options is viable.
Why has support for gun rights become a hallmark of the Republican Party? There is nothing inevitable about the combination of economic and foreign policy conservatism with social conservatism. As late as the mid-1980s, conservative icons including Ronald Reagan supported gun control measures such as the Brady bill and a ban on assault weapons. Support for gun control legislation actually increased among Republicans in the 1980s. Unambiguous support for gun rights didnt appear in the Republican Party platform until 1988. Even the National Rifle Association did not become fanatically opposed to any and all gun regulations until the late 1970s.
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During his 2008 primary campaign against Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama famously proposed a crude psychological explanation for why traditionally Democratic-leaning groups of voters were being drawn to Republican positions on social issues. Industrial jobs had disappeared from the small towns of Pennsylvania and the Midwest, he noted, and Republicans and Democrats alike had failed to address the distress of these communities. So, he said, its not surprising that they get bitter, they cling to guns or religion.
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Obamas explanation was superficially plausible (and has been widely adapted to explain the appeal of Donald Trump), but the facts provide little support for it. For one thing, the increase in attachment to guns that Obama lamented never actually happened. The percentage of American households owning a gun has declined steadily since the mid-1970s. For another, support for gun rights is actually stronger among more affluent Americans than among poorer Americans, the very ones who are supposed to be bitter.
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Nothing is intrinsically bad or intrinsically good in the characteristics typical of either camp. But conservatives tend to lean one way, liberals the other.
In any case, events do not precede their causes. It is hard to find much evidence of the Great Bitterness before the past two decades, long after the decline in manufacturing and agricultural employment was already underway and long after the Republican Partys shift to strong opposition to gun control.
A more workable psychological explanation begins by noting that psychologists have found consistent differences between conservatives and liberals in personality traits, attitudes, and moral stances. To summarize some of the research findings, conservatives tend to be more likely than liberals to accept or even embrace authority that is perceived to be legitimate. Conservatives tend to be more moralistic and more conventional than liberals. They tend to have a stronger need for order and control and stability and a greater dislike of change.
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Conservatives also tend to value equality less than liberals. They have less empathy and are more likely to see human nature as bad. Compared with liberals, their moral sense is less centered on fairness and kindness and more on loyalty, deference to authority, and moral and sexual purity. Conservatives also show a greater tendency than liberals toward dichotomous thinking and have a stronger need for certainty and cognitive consistency. (I dont do nuance, George W. Bush famously told Joe Biden. )
The differences are not universal, of course, and there is nothing intrinsically bad or intrinsically good in the characteristics typical of either camp. But conservatives tend to lean one way, liberals the other.
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And some of these differences appear to be directly expressed in divergent beliefs relevant to the gun control debate. For example, conservatives greater need for social order and greater acceptance of aggression as intrinsic to human nature may lead to their taking a more punitive stance with respect to crime, including support for longer prison sentences and for capital punishment. Similarly, the lower value placed by conservatives on empathy and on equality, combined with their greater resistance to change, may lead to their having less sympathy toward the argument that inequality and poverty are breeding grounds for crime and gun violence.
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But the connection between personality and political beliefs and beliefs about gun control is not entirely straightforward. If conservatives respect authority and rules more than liberals and have a greater need for order, why wouldnt they demand gun control rather than gun rights?
A more complex exploration of the relationship between personality characteristics and political beliefs begins with the observation that all human beings, conservative and liberal alike, feel anxiety. And both conservatives and liberals have plenty of things to be anxious about, including financial worries, conflicts in interpersonal relationships, and concerns about physical health or mortality.
Concern about violent crime, terrorism, and school shootings is legitimate, of course. Crime and terrorism are real sources of potential danger, and individual cases of illegal immigrants committing crimes are not fiction. But people tend to wildly exaggerate the frequency of crime and of terrorism, and the costs and dangers posed by immigrants. The exaggeration stems from several factors. First, we all overattend to especially salient events (and what could be more salient that school children getting mowed down?). We also all tend to overexaggerate the frequency of dangerous events. Second, the media have a profit-based incentive to sensationalize, and social media tends to amplify the panic.
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We all exaggerate risk, but conservatives are especially prone to exaggerate risks. For one thing, conservatives generally tend to see the world as a more dangerous place than liberals do, so they are especially vulnerable to these distortions. They also tend to repress their own aggressive and sexual impulses more and to identify with aggressors. These forbidden impulses may be projected onto others, justifying the decision to see others as a source of danger and legitimizing aggressive responses.
Anxiety about personal danger may resonate with other sources of anxiety. Conservatives are disproportionately concentrated in rural areas and small towns. These are the places that have been most hit by the decline in industrial and agricultural employment of recent decades, with concomitant economic insecurity and community disruption and breakdown. A brooding sense of grievance over no longer being central to American society and culture and a pervasive sense of disempowerment add to the feelings of anxiety.
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Intense feelings of anxiety are intolerable, so people use various overlapping and intersecting strategies to assuage these feelings, to soothe themselves.
Regardless of whether or not the sense of threat is realistic, intense feelings of anxiety are intolerable, so people use various overlapping and intersecting strategies to assuage these feelings, to soothe themselves. The healthiest response to realistically based anxieties and other negative feelings would be to address the external sources of the uneasy feelings. As the Injury Control Research Centers director David Hemenway wrote in his book Private Guns, Public Health, Within the United States, a wide array of empirical evidence indicates that more guns in a community leads to more homicide. Contrary to widespread public belief, the high rate of gun violence in the U.S. has little to do with mental illness. Conversely, an enormous body of evidence shows that gun controlserious, sustained gun control, not merely banning bump stocks or closing the gun show loopholeeffectively and quickly reduces the rate of gun violence of all kinds.
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But it is hard for conservatives to accept these arguments. The interaction between characteristic conservative personality patterns and universally shared patterns of cognition leads to conservatives being disproportionately skeptical of evidence provided by experts and scholarly studies. So conservatives turn to other means to soothe their anxiety. Some project their own anger onto others, fantasizing that people of color, immigrants, and feminists are the cause of their own inner torments. Anger, if nothing else, makes them feel bigger and more powerful.
Others, as NYU social psychologist John Jost and his co-authors have pointed out, adopt beliefs that soothe. The beliefs any particular individual adopts must meet several criteria: First and foremost, they must be consistent with the individuals own particular personality structure, which, in turn, has been shaped by genetics and by the individuals upbringing and experiences of the world.
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But as I have already observed, personality patterns are not randomly distributed among the population. The patterns typical of conservatives and liberals tend to diverge. And so the beliefs that can soothe anxiety systematically differ between the two groups.
Second, the beliefs an individual uses to deal with negative self-feelings must be consistent with already-held beliefs and values and with the need to sustain a positive self-image and a stable sense of identity. That is, we seek to avoid what psychologist Leon Festinger called cognitive dissonance. And an individuals beliefs are ideally also consistent with preserving their relationships with peers, family, and community. As Yale psychologist Dan Kahan puts it, Forming beliefs contrary to the ones that prevail in ones group risks estrangement from others on whom one depends for support, material and emotional.
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Finally, another particular source of peoples beliefs may be identification with a charismatic political figure, such as a Ronald Reagan or a Donald Trump, who proclaims himself to be fighting the dragons on their behalf. Or they may reflect the shared beliefs of a specific organization or movement, in this case perhaps the Moral Majority and the Tea Party. These provide both a language and a narrative for beliefs.
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Sharing in expressions of anger reduces anxiety and shame, validates ones own otherwise possibly unacceptable urges and feelings, and provides social validation for ones beliefs. But then the need for cognitive consistency takes over: Once you identify with figures or movements, their issues become your issues, regardless of their independent appeal. In any case, a strongly held belief about a specific issue such as gun rights can help assuage the anxiety that arises directly or indirectly from a felt sense of danger.
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Theres another element of the conservative movement that has primed this shift toward gun rights. Historically, the first line of defense against danger is the state. But the rise in individualism of recent decades, the growing paralysis of our national government over recent decades, and intense conservative campaigns to sow mistrust of government as too big, too bureaucratic, and too incompetent combine to make the government an uncertain ally. A superficially realistic and healthy response is for individuals to take matters into their own hands and arm themselves to protect themselves and their families.
And then, when that same government that cant be relied on for protection seems about to remove our right to protect ourselves, it becomes yet another source of pseudorealistic anxiety. Anger and commitment to gun rights are a sure way to soothe oneself, and it becomes quickly fused with the rest of the conservative agenda.
There are only eight hours in the traditional work day, and for your business to remain as profitable as possible, you need to make the most of those hours. Productivity is typically defined as how much work, or how many tasks, you and your employees can do within a given timeframe.
Businesses attempt to optimize this by hiring more talented workers, buying better tools and equipment, and improving internal processes. But how many of those daily hours are wasted, and whats causing your employees to waste them?
Top Time Wasters at Work
Though organizations and individuals vary, these are the most common time wasters youll need to watch out for:
1. Email
How many emails seem to drone on and on, with no meaningful information contained in them? You spend countless minutes a day wading through unnecessary information, like all your coworkers, and on top of that, your original senders are spending even more time writing those emails. The majority of employees are careless with how they organize, write and send emails, and ultimately, this adds up to hours of wasted time per day.
Correcting this problem starts with understanding it. Use an email analytics tool like Gmail Metrics to analyze your company email usage and come up with an action plan for how to improve it.
2. Social Media
It should come as no surprise your employees are likely using social media at work, whether reading the news or messaging their friends and family members. According to a recent study, two-thirds of American emloyees log into social media at least once per day while at work, with 20 percent of survey respondents spending an hour or more of their workday on social media.
Considering self-reporting bias may be in play here, the numbers may be even more higher than this. Whats worse, theres no easy way to prevent this. You may block social media websites on your company internet, but it will be tough to block employees from using their personal devices to access social media.
3. Meetings
Meetings may not initially seem like time wasters. They may seem like vital components of a businesss success. But theyre dangerous for many reasons, including the fact they include multiple people at the same time and generally require prep time in advance of the meeting. As an illustrative example, consider a case study by Bain, of one large (unnamed) company, where a single weekly meeting ended up costing the company 300,000 man-hours every year.
The numbers add up quickly, especially when your meeting discussions can be replaced with email, or when you include people who dont need to attend. Getting your meetings under control, by reducing your total number and your meeting time, can help you avoid this waste. Meetings, for many organizations, are a necessary evil, so rather than eliminating them, you can work to make them as productive as possible. Make sure you have a clear agenda before every meeting.
4. Talking and Texting
Non-work related communication is another major cause of wasted time at work. Employees gossip and chat with their coworkers, and spend time talking and texting on their phones, presumably with friends and loved ones. According to a Harris survey, talking and texting on a phone was the leading self-reported cause of wasting time, with 50 percent of respondents claiming it as a cause of time waste. The second-highest cause was gossiping, with 42 percent of respondents admitting to it on a regular basis.
Again, consider self-reporting bias here, meaning the real numbers may be even higher. This is another mode of time waste thats difficult to correct. You dont want to prevent employee communication, or you could damage the teamwork dynamics and morale of your organization. You also cant easily confiscate your employees phones when they come into work.
Why Wasting Time Isnt Always a Bad Thing
After reading this article, you might consider time waste to be one of your businesss top concerns. You might be tempted to start policing your employees, monitoring their use of social media and personal devices, and ensuring they remain as productive as possible. However, dont venture into micromanagement. Studies show micromanaging your employees has a negative effect on productivity and also lowers morale.
Besides, some time wasters may actually be productive in the long run. For example, taking a five minute break on social media could help employees relieve stress and feel closer to their family and friends. The proper approach, then, is to be aware of these potential time wasters and guard against them but not too strictly.
Productivity may be a bit of a numbers game, but not everything about employee effectiveness can be reduced to numbers.
Manipulated photo shows soldier beating a migrant
This is one of the hoaxes that appeared on the internet this past week.
A hoax slammed the photo allegedly cropped by media, in which a police officer was beating a migrant but in reality, he was only defending his colleague who was being attacked by the migrant.
This photo, published on Facebook by Evropa Evropanum (Europe for Europeans), was shared by more than 1,100 people and received more than 500 likes. The picture tries to portray the media as a pro-migrant and manipulative organization. The paste-up itself is the epitome of a hoax, however. Even the Dezinformacie Hoaxy Propaganda / Disinformation Hoaxes Propaganda) website took notice.
Intifada fifteen years old
Unlike videos, it is usually easy to track down the origin of a photograph; it is enough just to search for it on Google Images.
After a few clicks, it's clear the photo dates back to November 2005 and documents an incident from the times of Palestinian Intifada, i.e. the revolt of Palestinians against the state of Israel. The image comes from Ramallah and it captures the clashes between Israeli soldiers and Palestinian protesters. Its original author is a photographer of the Associated Press newswire.
The photo has nothing to do with the migration crisis and no media have ever published it in this context.
Xenophobia and tabloids
The Facebook site, Evropa Evropanum, publishes contents typical of disinformation sources. Apart from hoaxes, it also publishes true but carefully selected items of news with negative messages towards migration and the West, and also with positive messages towards Russia, or Hungarian Prime Minister, Viktor Orban.
The allegedly manipulated photo is a hoax in itself. (Source: Facebook)
It also builds up its reader base by publishing click-bait articles with viral videos. According to the metrics published by the Blbec.online website, almost three-quarters of the contents comes from the Fresher.sk website.
The Sigismund of Luxemburg quote on Ottomans is a hoax
All of us Christians, however different views we may have concerning some issues of Mother Church, have one common duty: to protect Christs truth from Muhammadans. Followers of Allah are the biggest enemies of our faith. These are just a few sentences from a full page of text that has been spread on some internet sites.
It is the alleged address of Sigismund of Luxemburg from December 1437. The Manipulatori.cz website noticed the pamphlet, which was spread by the esoteric site, Pozitivni svet. Its text is fully fabricated, however.
A fighter against Ottomans
Manipulatori.cz pointed out that no such statement by Sigismund of Luxemburg can by found in available historical sources, such as books or internet sources. Not even the document itself states where the text can be checked.
With a specific date and place (December 6, 1437, Znojmo) the document tries to make a trustworthy impression. However, it failed the test of historical accuracy. Although Sigismund really fought against the Ottomans, his campaign did not coincide with the date of the alleged address.
On that specific day, Sigismund of Luxemburg was not in Znojmo, as claimed by the document. He was not worried about Ottomans who were the relatively far away (annexing Serbia), but rather by the conspiracy orchestrated by his wife who tried to deprive him of his throne.
Hoax on Sigismund of Luxemburg and his anti-Ottoman speech. (Source: Manipulatori.cz)
Also, the word Muhammadans (machometani, in Czech) does not make historical sense. And to make the defects of the text complete, the sentence let yourselves not be tricked by Poles or shameless Germans is unhistorical, too. The text further calls on Czech, Moravians and Austrians to cooperate mutually. The quote does not correspond with the facts of the 15th century, archaeologist Lubos Rypka wrote on Manipulatori.cz. There was nothing like Austrians in the 15th century, and Sigismund would hardly warn against Germans, as he himself was German. By that time, Poles had rather friendly, or neutral relations with the Luxemburgs.
Thus, the fabricated address of Sigismund of Luxemburg, by mentioning shameful Germans, Austrians and enemies of the faith coincides with current times and contributes to disinformation on the migration crisis.
Fake statements
The fabricated texts ascribed to famous personalities are a separate genre on the disinformation scene. Disinformation websites have already spread on Facebook an adapted address of former Czechoslovak/Czech president. Vaclav Haver, or of performing artist, Jiri Suchy. Slovak actor Milan Lasica also had to disprove a totally fabricated text, and nationalist groups spread a fake statement of former US president, Ronald Reagan.
26. Feb 2018 at 9:14 | Compiled by Spectator staff
Ivan Miklos (r) has adopted several important tax changes in the Mikulas Dzurinda (l) cabinet. (Source: SME)
Slovakia as a separate, independent country has already existed for a quarter century. During this period, it had to adapt to a new capitalist structure that completely changed its economy, administration of public affairs and tax system.
So far, the changes in taxation seem to be successful and the tax system and policy are now widely considered in the world as modern. However, it has gone through a challenging development, say experts who have experienced many system changes.
Experts disagree, however, when evaluating the result of each change. While VUB bank chief analyst, Zdenko Stefanides, notices a high focus on direct and a relatively low one on indirect and property taxes, former finance minister, Brigita Schmognerova, considers the system unilaterally deflected with a low share of direct and property taxation and a high share of indirect taxes.
Though the system is set up to motivate the business sphere, it has elements deepening the income inequality in society, Schmognerova told The Slovak Spectator.
Each government presented new tax items in order to achieve its goals. The development of income tax in 1993, when the country emerged, has gone through three laws and 124 amendments, or five amendments per year, said Rudolf Marec of the Slovak Chamber of Tax Advisors (SKDP). VAT as a representative of indirect taxes has also been changed through three laws and 58 amendments, or 2.3 amendments per year.
The beginnings
The foundations of the Czechoslovak, and later Slovak tax system stem from the tax reform in 1952 that culminated in the creation of the new socialist system. Other changes came at the turn of the 1950s and 1960s.
In 1968, the ruling party adopted an important constitutional law for the Czechoslovak federation, which changed legislative competence in the matters of taxes and fees, according to Marec.
The change allowed some differences in the Czech and Slovak tax systems for the future, Marec told The Slovak Spectator.
One of the interesting taxes of communist Czechoslovakia was the so-called oslovska dan (bachelor tax), which taxed people over 25 who did not have children, the Aktualne.sk website reported.
The independent Slovak tax system began to take shape right after the fall of communism during the Velvet Revolution in 1989. The governments focused mainly on consolidation of public finances, said Radoslav Kratky of PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC).
Kratky pointed out that from 1990, Slovaks paid a 50-percent levy on wages, a 55-percent levy on profits, progressive income tax up to 55 percent and turnover tax, which was the predecessor of the VAT and passed changes.
In 1993, a new act on income tax introduced the progressive rate of income tax for natural persons of 15-47 percent and income tax on profits of legal persons of 45 percent. Under the new VAT act, people paid for goods and services in taxes up to 25 percent, Kratky said.
(Source: SKDP)
Interest in the EU
After the emergence of independent Slovakia, accession to the European Union became one of the priorities of the countrys foreign policy, and later tax policy. Hence, three key trends characterise the period between 1993 and 2004.
Jan Kuciak was writing, among other issues, about tax frauds concerning the Five Star Residence block of flats.
The Interior Ministry confirmed on the morning of February 26 that the investigative journalist of the Aktuality.sk website, Jan Kuciak, was found dead in his house, obviously murdered, the Sme daily wrote.
Kuciak, aged 27, graduated from the Department of Journalism of the Constantine the Philosopher University in Nitra (where he was also a postgraduate student), and had previously worked for the Hospodarske Noviny daily.
Later, he started to work for the Aktuality.sk website where he focused on investigative journalism, according to Sme.
Work as a motive?
Police President, Tibor Gaspar, confirmed the death of Kuciak and his partner Martina Kusnirova at a press conference. He added that their murder was probably connected to Kuciak's investigative work. Gaspar noted that Slovakia has never experienced such an attack on a journalist.
Kuciak wrote about investigative stories such as tax frauds connected with the Five Star Residence block of flats and shady businessman Ladislav Basternak, a crony of top politicians of the ruling Smer party.
Second journalist killed in Europe in last five months
The murder has become international news. Reporters without Borders (RSF) condemned the murder and called on the authorities to ensure that those responsible are punished.
He is the second journalist to be murdered in a European Union country in the past five months, RSF wrote in a press release.
An investigative reporter has yet again been murdered in a European Union country, said Ades-Mevel, the head of RSFs EU-Balkans desk. We call for an investigation in order to establish the exact circumstances of Jan Kuciaks death and we demand that the authorities shed all possible light on this case, especially as he and those close to him had been threatened in recent months.
This is the fifth case of a journalist or journalists being murdered in an EU country in the past 10 years, RSF pointed out. Investigative reporter and blogger, Daphne Caruana Galizia, was murdered in Malta on October 16, 2017. Seven Charlie Hebdo journalists were massacred in Paris on January 7, 2017. Greek radio station manager, Socratis Guiolias, was gunned down with an automatic weapon outside his home in 2010. And Croat newspaper editor, Ivo Pukanic, was killed outside his newspaper by a bomb planted next to his car in 2008.
Slovakia is ranked 17th out of 180 countries in RSFs 2017 World Press Freedom Index, five places lower than in 2016.
Editors-in-chief of major Slovak newspapers and news broadcasts also condemned the deed. They promised to continue reporting on topics covered by Kuciak, and at the same time called on the state to create safe working conditions for journalists.
The murder of a journalist is a serious sign that crime is turning against one of the most important pillars of freedom: freedom of speech and the right of citizens to control those in power and those who disrespect the law, reads the joint statement.
Other news organisations shocked, too
The International Press Institute (IPI) also expressed its shock over the brutal crime.
This killing, which comes so soon after last years assassination of Maltese journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia, is a terrible sign for journalism in the EU and underscores the risks that journalists continue to face, even in democratic states such as Slovakia, said IPI Executive Director, Barbara Trionfi. We must now double down on our efforts to protect the safety of journalists.
The murder of a journalist is a crime not only against the victim, but also against society as a whole, she continued.
It is the most direct way of silencing critical voices and depriving the people of their right to information, especially about the activities of those in power, Trionfi added. The Slovak authorities must immediately investigate this horrendous act and send a clear message that attacks against journalists are unacceptable and that those responsible will be brought to justice.
The Slovak Syndicate of Journalists (SSN) considers the crime not only an effort to stop Kuciaks work, but also an unprecedented attack on independent journalism in Slovakia.
SSN told the criminal prosecution bodies and independent media not to be intimidated and continue in their work.
This is the only way to send a message to the culprits of this horrific crime, SSNs statement reads, as quoted by the SITA newswire, adding we cannot let terror and violence win and push us several years backwards. All of Europe is watching us and we have to prove that we are here to protect our rights that anyone tries to take away from us.
Politicians call for punishing culprits
Meanwhile, Slovak politicians have also expressed their sympathy for the families of the murdered journalist and his fiancee.
Im shocked and horrified that something like this happened in Slovakia, President Andrej Kiska wrote on Facebook.
In his opinion, this cold-blooded murder needs to be punished.
We have to find the culprits as soon as possible and secure the safety of journalists, Kiska stressed.
The murder of these two young people should not have a place in society, said PM Robert Fico in his statement. If it is proven that the real motive of Kuciaks murder was his investigative work, it would be an unprecedented attack on the freedom of the press and democracy in Slovakia.
Since 1998, all Slovak governments have respected the role of media in Slovak society and considered freedom of the press an irreplaceable part of democracy, Fico said, as quoted by Sme.
He also called for an immediate investigation of the murder and subsequent punishment of the murderers.
We cant be a country where journalists are killed, Justice Minister Lucia Zitnanska said in her statement, adding she considers every murder a big tragedy, both personal and societal.
Interior Minister Robert Kalinak said he was unhappy and crushed by the murder. He even interrupted his official programme and activities and returned to Bratislava.
The Interior Ministry and the security forces will do everything to reveal the culprits of this horrific crime as soon as possible, he said, as quoted by Sme.
Reward for catching the culprits
Moreover, Fico announced at the February 26 press conference that the government has allocated 1 million for information that will help catch the murderers.
The Interior Ministry has established a special line for people to report the information. People will also be able to call 158, anonymously.
Anything that would help catch the culprits might be valuable, regardless of the motive it reveals, Fico said. He also called on the opposition to stop abusing the case.
They will also compose a special team of employees of the General Prosecutors Office, Special Prosecutors Office, the Interior Ministry and the Slovak Information Service (SIS) intelligence agency, Fico said.
Kuciak was threatened
Last September, Jan Kuciak filed a criminal motion against another businessman, Marian Kocner, for threatening him, Sme wrote. Kocner owned a flat in the Five Star residence but later sold it.
Read also:
Read also: Police recommend that Basternak faces charges Read more
Already, 44 days have passed since I filed the criminal motion against MK for threatening me, Kuciak wrote on Facebook in autumn. And still, my case has probably not even been allocated to a specific officer yet.
The journalist also wrote about the suspicious subsidies of a Smer crony, businessman Miroslav Bodor, the Slovak part of the Panama Papers, etc.
Most recently, Kuciak wrote that the Real Studio K.F.A company, which built the Five Star Residence and in which Kocner had a share, will soon disappear without the debt being repaid. He also revealed information on Ladislav Basternak after information on an unjustified VAT return worth two million euros, which the businessman required to be repaid by state for the transfer of seven flats in this residence, worth 12 million, was leaked
No murders of journalists in modern history
Read also:
Read also: Businessman Kocner sold his flat in Bonaparte Read more
The murder took place in the journalists house in the village of Velka Maca near Trnava, some time between February 22 and 25. Kuciak was shot in his chest and his partner was shot in the head, the Dennik N daily wrote.
Slovakia has no experience with the murder of a journalist in its modern history, although some journalists have disappeared and have yet to be found, Sme sums up.
Meanwhile, an initiative was created on Facebook, organising a march to commemorate Kuciak and protest against corruptive practices that still persist in society. The date is yet to be confirmed.
Two more events are planned for February 26, inviting people to light candles for Kuciak and Kusnirova. One will be held in front of the Aktuality.sk's publishing house, and the other on SNP Square in Bratislava. Candles will also be lit in Prague.
26. Feb 2018 at 11:37 | Compiled by Spectator staff
Former Drukos head Mojzis released on parole
The former head of a non-banking company that deprived thousands of people of their savings was released from prison after serving two thirds of his sentence.
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The February 23rd release of Frantisek Mojzis, former head of the Drukos non-banking company, from prison on parole has re-opened the case which was one of the first and biggest in modern Slovakia.
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Read also: Supreme Court confirms prison sentence for Ponzi scammer Read more
The Martin District Court decided to release Mojzis from jail where he was serving an 8.5 year sentence for fraud, the TASR newswire wrote. He asked to be released after serving two thirds of his sentence, with the judge giving him a six year probationary period.
Of course, Im glad, Mojzis said shortly after emerging from the courtroom, as cited by TASR. I regret everything bad that Ive done in my life. But I would never say that I regret the actions that got me here in the context that they were necessary. It was never my intention to cause anyone pain.
Where has the money gone and will it ever re-surface?
When asked whether his former clients will ever see their money back, he replied that he has filed an appeal.
Read also:
Read also: Mojzis ditches Drukos fund Read more
In essence, nothing is over yet, the former businessman answered, as quoted by TASR. It will be challenging, though, as even my health is now worse by six years, and whether or not this will be possible remains to be seen. They say that hope dies last, but its slim. Lets be frank here those who promised to compensate [the clients] have been against this.
The former head of Drukos maintains that he never wanted to cheat the victims out of their money.
And I havent cheated them, Mojzis insists, as quoted by TASR. There is evidence for this. My thoughts go out to these people every day.
Mojzis claims not to know where the money of his former clients ended up.
Read also:
Read also: Drukos boss Mojzis charged with fraud Read more
Ive asked about this at various courts and demanded further investigations, he stated, as quoted by TASR. Theyve been turned down every time.
Some 25,000 people were conned out of their savings when they fell for Drukos promises of enormous returns on their deposits. He adds that he will just live off his pension, amounting to 635 per month, as reported by the Plus Jeden Den Daily and other Slovak media, .
26. Feb 2018 at 13:28 | Compiled by Spectator staff
Castle for sale
Four investors have shown interest in buying the castle ruin.
The remains of Sklabinsky castle in the north of Slovakia have been on the market for several weeks now, as real estate agent Lukas Majercik confirmed for the My Turiec portal. The price starts at 250,000 euros, meaning 26.04 euro per square metre of land, including the castle.
Four potential buyers have contacted us so far, two from abroad and two from Slovakia. We are preparing a tour at the end of the month, said Majercik for My Turiec.
Castle with dragons
The advertisement selling the castle appears also on a Slovak discount portal. The ad says that the castle is for sale for the same price of a 4-bedroom flat in Bratislava.
Ten out of ten kings recommend it, declares the ad, with dragons photoshopped into pictures of the castle. Before contacting the broker, potential buyers should prepare his or her title of nobility for verification, jokes the ad.
In the reality, the new owner does not have to be of noble blood. The current owner of the castle is a businessman from Kysuce. He wants to sell it because of family issues, reported My Turiec portal.
Tourism potential
The village Sklabinsky Podzamok, the closest village to the castle, used to own a share of the castle, however, it sold the share two years ago due to finances.
We had no money for castle renovation. If we had tried, it would have been at the expense of citizens of the village and ordinary life, said Bozena Drobkova, mayor of Sklabinsky Podzamok, for My Turiec.
She added that she would be happy if the new investor would at least try to preserve the current condition of the castle.
The castle is still visited. After reconstruction, it could influence tourism positively, opined the mayor.
Sklabinsky castle looks more like a ruin now and entrance to the site is at ones own risk. It was built in the 13th century; the first mention of the castle is from the year 1242. After 1320, it became the seat of the county administration of Turiec. In 1630, the family of Revay adapted it and built a Renaissance manor house in the courtyard.
Fascists burnt it down at the end of WWII and it has fallen into disrepair since then. Sklabinsky castle is a national cultural monument. Volunteers have tried to partially preserve it in the last few years.
video //www.youtube.com/embed/TEX82mEaHhQ
26. Feb 2018 at 21:06 | Compiled by Spectator staff
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LLC, Delaware CVS Pharmacy L.L.C., Delaware Physicians Care Incorporated, Digital eHealth LLC, District of Columbia CVS Pharmacy L.L.C., E.T.B. INC., Echo Merger Sub Inc., Eckerd Corporation of Florida Inc., Employee Assistance Services LLC, Enloe Drugs LLC, Enterprise Patient Safety Organization LLC, EntrustRX, Evergreen Pharmaceutical LLC, Evergreen Pharmaceutical of California Inc., Express Pharmacy Services of PA L.L.C., FOCUS HealthCare Management Inc., First Health Group Corp., First Health Life & Health Insurance Company, First Script Network Services Inc., Florida Health Plan Administrators LLC, Garfield Beach CVS L.L.C., Generation Health L.L.C., Geneva Woods Health Services LLC, Geneva Woods LTC Pharmacy LLC, Geneva Woods Management LLC, Geneva Woods Pharmacy Alaska LLC, Geneva Woods Pharmacy LLC, Geneva Woods Pharmacy Washington LLC, Geneva Woods Pharmacy Wyoming LLC, Geneva Woods Retail Pharmacy LLC, Georgia CVS Pharmacy L.L.C., German Dobson CVS L.L.C., Goodhealth Worldwide (Asia) Limited, Goodhealth Worldwide (Global) Limited, Goodyear CVS L.L.C., Grand St. Paul CVS L.L.C., Grandview Pharmacy LLC, Group Dental Service Inc., Group Dental Service of Maryland Inc., Health Care Management Co. Ltd., Health Data & Management Solutions Inc., Health Re Inc., Health and Human Resource Center Inc., HealthAssuance Pennsylvania Inc., Healthagen LLC, Highland Park CVS L.L.C., Holiday CVS L.L.C., Home Care Pharmacy LLC, Home Pharmacy Services LLC, Hook-SupeRx L.L.C., Horizon Behavioral Services LLC, Idaho CVS Pharmacy L.L.C., IlliniCare Health, Indian Health Organisation Private Limited, Innovation Health Holdings LLC, Innovation Health Insurance Company, Innovation Health Plan Inc., Interlock Pharmacy Systems LLC, Iowa CVS Pharmacy L.L.C., JHC Acquisition LLC, Kansas CVS Pharmacy L.L.C., Kentucky CVS Pharmacy L.L.C., LCPS Acquisition LLC, Langsam Health Services LLC, Lo-Med Prescription Services LLC, Lobos Acquisition LLC, Longs Drug Stores, Longs Drug Stores California L.L.C., Louisiana CVS Pharmacy L.L.C., MHHP Acquisition Company LLC, MHNet Life and Health Insurance Company, MHNet Specialty Services LLC, MHNet of Florida Inc., Managed Care Coordinators Inc., Managed Healthcare LLC, Martin Health Services LLC, Maryland CVS Pharmacy L.L.C., Med World Acquisition Corp., Medical Arts Health Care LLC, Medical Examinations of New York P.C., Melville Realty Company Inc., MemberHealth LLC, Mental Health Associates Inc., Mental Health Network of New York IPA Inc., Meritain Health Inc., Merwin Long Term Care LLC, MetraComp Inc., Minor Health Enterprise Co Ltd., MinuteClinic, MinuteClinic Diagnostic of Alabama L.L.C., MinuteClinic Diagnostic of Arizona LLC, MinuteClinic Diagnostic of Florida LLC, MinuteClinic Diagnostic of Georgia LLC, MinuteClinic Diagnostic of Hawaii L.L.C., MinuteClinic Diagnostic of Illinois LLC, MinuteClinic Diagnostic of Kentucky L.L.C., MinuteClinic Diagnostic of Louisiana L.L.C., MinuteClinic Diagnostic of Maine L.L.C., MinuteClinic Diagnostic of Maryland LLC, MinuteClinic Diagnostic of Massachusetts LLC, MinuteClinic Diagnostic of Nebraska L.L.C., MinuteClinic Diagnostic of New Hampshire L.L.C., MinuteClinic Diagnostic of New Mexico L.L.C., MinuteClinic Diagnostic of Ohio LLC, MinuteClinic Diagnostic of Oklahoma LLC, MinuteClinic Diagnostic of Oregon LLC, MinuteClinic Diagnostic of Pennsylvania LLC, MinuteClinic Diagnostic of Rhode Island LLC, MinuteClinic Diagnostic of South Carolina L.L.C., MinuteClinic Diagnostic of Texas LLC, MinuteClinic Diagnostic of Utah L.L.C., MinuteClinic Diagnostic of Virginia LLC, MinuteClinic Diagnostic of Washington LLC, MinuteClinic Diagnostic of Wisconsin L.L.C., MinuteClinic L.L.C., MinuteClinic Online Diagnostic Services LLC, MinuteClinic Physician Practice of Texas, MinuteClinic Telehealth Services LLC, Mississippi CVS Pharmacy L.L.C., Missouri CVS Pharmacy L.L.C., Montana CVS Pharmacy L.L.C., NCS Healthcare LLC, NCS Healthcare of Illinois LLC, NCS Healthcare of Iowa LLC, NCS Healthcare of Kansas LLC, NCS Healthcare of Kentucky Inc. (Oh, NCS Healthcare of Montana LLC, NCS Healthcare of New Mexico LLC, NCS Healthcare of Ohio LLC, NCS Healthcare of South Carolina LLC, NCS Healthcare of Tennessee LLC, NCS Healthcare of Wisconsin LLC, NIV Acquisition LLC, Navarro Discount Pharmacy, Nebraska CVS Pharmacy L.L.C., NeighborCare Holdings Inc., NeighborCare Inc., NeighborCare Pharmacy Services Inc., NeighborCare Services Corporation, NeighborCare of Indiana LLC, NeighborCare of Virginia LLC, New Jersey CVS Pharmacy L.L.C., Niagara Re Inc., North Carolina CVS Pharmacy L.L.C., North Shore Pharmacy Services LLC, NovoLogix LLC, OCR Services LLC, Ocean Acquisition Sub L.L.C., Ohio CVS Stores L.L.C., Oklahoma CVS Pharmacy L.L.C., Omnicare, Omnicare Holding Company, Omnicare Inc., Omnicare Indiana Partnership Holding Company LLC, Omnicare Pharmacies of Pennsylvania East LLC, Omnicare Pharmacies of Pennsylvania West LLC, Omnicare Pharmacies of the Great Plains Holding LLC, Omnicare Pharmacy and Supply Services LLC, Omnicare Pharmacy of Tennessee LLC, Omnicare Pharmacy of the Midwest LLC, Omnicare Property Management LLC, Omnicare of Nebraska LLC, Omnicare of Nevada LLC, Omnicare of New York LLC, Oregon CVS Pharmacy L.L.C., PE Holdings LLC, PHPSNE Parent Corporation, PP Acquisition Company LLC, PRN Pharmaceutical Services LP, PT Aetna Management Consulting, Pamplona Saude e Beleza LTDA, Part D Holding Company L.L.C., PayFlex Holdings Inc., PayFlex Systems USA Inc., Pennsylvania CVS Pharmacy L.L.C., Performax Inc., Pharmacy Associates of Glenn Falls LLC, Pharmacy Consultants LLC, Phoenix Data Solutions LLC, Precision Benefit Services Inc., Prime Net Inc., ProCare Pharmacy Direct L.L.C., ProCare Pharmacy L.L.C., Prodigy Health Group Inc., Professional Risk Management Inc., Pt. Aetna Global Benefits Indonesia, Puerto Rico CVS Pharmacy L.L.C., Red Oak Sourcing LLC, Resources for Living LLC, Rhode Island CVS Pharmacy L.L.C., Roeschens Healthcare LLC, RxAmerica, Schaller Anderson Medical Administrators Incorporated, Scrip World LLC, Sheffield Avenue CVS L.L.C., Shore Pharmaceutical Providers LLC, Silverscript Insurance Company, Soma Intimates, South Carolina CVS Pharmacy L.L.C., South Wabash CVS L.L.C., Specialized Pharmacy Services LLC, Spinnaker Bidco Limited, Spinnaker Topco Limited, Stadtlander Drug Company, Stadtlander Pharmacy, Sterling Healthcare Services LLC, Superior Care Pharmacy LLC, Sutter Health and Aetna Administrative Services LLC, Sutter Health and Aetna Insurance Company, Sutter Health and Aetna Insurance Holding Company LLC, T2 Medical Inc., TCPI Acquisition LLC, TargetPharmacy, Tennessee CVS Pharmacy L.L.C., Texas Health + Aetna Health Insurance Company, Texas Health + Aetna Health Insurance Holding Company LLC, Texas Health + Aetna Health Plan Inc., The Vasquez Group Inc., Thomas Phoenix CVS L.L.C., Three Forks Apothecary LLC, U.S Healthcare Holdings LLC, U.S. Healthcare Properties Inc., UAC Holding Inc., UC Acquisition LLC, UNI-Care Health Services of Maine LLC, Universal American - Medicare Part D Business, Utah CVS Pharmacy L.L.C., VAPS Acquisition Company LLC, Value Health Care Services LLC, Vermont CVS Pharmacy L.L.C., Virginia CVS Pharmacy L.L.C., Virtual Home Healthcare L.L.C., Warm Springs Road CVS L.L.C., Washington CVS Pharmacy L.L.C., Washington Lamb CVS L.L.C., Weber Medical Systems LLC, Wellpartner LLC, West Virginia CVS Pharmacy L.L.C., Westhaven Services Co LLC, Williamson Drug Company LLC, Wisconsin CVS Pharmacy L.L.C., Woodward Detroit CVS L.L.C., Work and Family Benefits Inc., ZS Acquisition Company LLC, Zinc Health Services LLC, Zinc Health Ventures LLC, bSwift LLC, and iTriage LLC.
Ormat Technologies, Inc. operates as a holding company. The firm engages in the provision of geothermal and recovered energy power business. It operates through the following segments: Electricity, Product and Energy Storage. The Electricity segment focuses in the sale of electricity from the company's power plants pursuant to PPAs. The Product segment involves in the manufacture, including design and development, of turbines and power units for the supply of electrical energy and in the associated construction of power plants utilizing the power units manufactured by the company to supply energy from geothermal fields and other alternative energy sources. The Energy Storage segment consists of battery energy storage systems as a service and management of curtailable customer loads under contracts with U.S. retail energy providers and directly with large commercial and industrial customers. The company was founded in 1965 and is headquartered in Reno, NV.
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The following companies are subsidiares of The Sherwin-Williams: Acquire Sourcing LLC, CTS National Corporation, Comex North America Inc., Compania Sherwin-Williams S.A. de C.V., Contract Transportation Systems Co., Deep Pride Limited, Dongguan Lilly Paint Industries Ltd, Duron, EPS (Shanghai) Trading Co. Ltd., EPS B.V., EPS Polidrox Industria e Comercio de Resinas Ltda, Geocel Holdings, Geocel Limited, Guangdong Valspar Paints Manufacturing Co Ltd., Guangdong Yuegang Dadi Paints Company Limited, Guardsman Australia Pty Limited, Guardsman Industries Limited, Inver East Med S.A., Inver France SAS, Inver GmbH, Inver Industrial Coating SRL, Inver Polska Spoka Z O.O, Inver Spa, Invercolor Bologna Srl, Invercolor Ltd, Invercolor Roma Srl, Invercolor Torino Srl, Invercolor Toscana Srl, Isocoat Tintas e Vernizes Ltda, Isva Vernici Srl, Jiangsu Pulanna Coating Co. Ltd., Leighs Paints, M.A. Bruder & Sons, Omega Specialty Products & Services LLC, Oy Sherwin-Williams Finland Ab, PT Sherwin-Williams Indonesia, PT Valspar Indonesia, Paint Sundry Brands, Pinturas Condor S.A., Pinturas Industriales S.A., Plasti-Kote Co. Inc., Plasti-kote Limited, Productos Quimicos y Pinturas S.A. de C.V., Quest Automotive Products UK Limited, Quetzal Pinturas S.A. de C.V., Resin Surfaces Limited, Ronseal (Ireland) Limited, SWIMC LLC, SWIPCO Sherwin Williams do Brasil Propriedade, Sayerlack, Sherwin Williams Colombia S.A.S., Sherwin-Williams (Australia) Pty. Ltd., Sherwin-Williams (Belize) Limited, Sherwin-Williams (Caribbean) N.V., Sherwin-Williams (Ireland) Limited, Sherwin-Williams (Malaysia) Sdn. Bhd., Sherwin-Williams (Nantong) Company Limited, Sherwin-Williams (S) Pte. Ltd., Sherwin-Williams (Shanghai) Limited, Sherwin-Williams (South China) Co. Ltd., Sherwin-Williams (Thailand) Co. Ltd., Sherwin-Williams (Vietnam) Limited, Sherwin-Williams (West Indies) Limited, Sherwin-Williams Argentina I.y C.S.A., Sherwin-Williams Aruba VBA, Sherwin-Williams Automotive Mexico S.de R.L.de C.V., Sherwin-Williams Balkan S.R.L., Sherwin-Williams Bel, Sherwin-Williams Benelux NV, Sherwin-Williams Canada Inc., Sherwin-Williams Cayman Islands Limited, Sherwin-Williams Chile S.A., Sherwin-Williams Coatings India Private Limited, Sherwin-Williams Coatings S.a r.l., Sherwin-Williams Czech Republic spol. s r.o, Sherwin-Williams Denmark A/S, Sherwin-Williams Deutschland GmbH, Sherwin-Williams Diversified Brands (Australia) Pty Ltd, Sherwin-Williams Diversified Brands Limited, Sherwin-Williams France Finishes SAS, Sherwin-Williams Italy S.r.l., Sherwin-Williams Luxembourg Investment Management Company S.a r.l., Sherwin-Williams Norway AS, Sherwin-Williams Paints Limited Liability Company, Sherwin-Williams Peru S.R.L., Sherwin-Williams Pinturas de Venezuela S.A., Sherwin-Williams Poland Sp. z o.o, Sherwin-Williams Protective & Marine Coatings, Sherwin-Williams Realty Holdings Inc., Sherwin-Williams Services (Malaysia) Sdn. Bhd., Sherwin-Williams Spain Coatings S.L., Sherwin-Williams Sweden AB, Sherwin-Williams Uruguay S.A., Sherwin-Williams do Brasil Industria e Comercio Ltda., Spanyc Paints Joint Stock Company, Syntema I Vaggeryd AB, TOB Becker Acroma Ukraine, Taiwan Valspar Co. Ltd., The Sherwin-Williams Acceptance Corporation, The Sherwin-Williams Headquarters Company, The Sherwin-Williams Manufacturing Company, The Sherwin-Williams US Licensing Company, The Valspar (Asia) Corporation Limited, The Valspar (Australia) Corporation Pty. Ltd., The Valspar (Finland) Corporation Oy, The Valspar (France) Corporation S.A.S., The Valspar (France) Research Corporation SAS, The Valspar (Germany) GmbH, The Valspar (Malaysia) Corporation Sdn Bhd, The Valspar (Nantes) Corporation S.A.S., The Valspar (Singapore) Corporation Pte. Ltd, The Valspar (South Africa) Corporation (Pty) Ltd, The Valspar (Spain) Corporation S.R.L., The Valspar (Switzerland) Corporation AG, The Valspar (Thailand) Corporation Ltd., The Valspar (UK) Corporation Limited, The Valspar (Vietnam) Corporation Ltd., The Valspar Corporation, The Valspar Corporation Limitada, UAB Sherwin-Williams Baltic, Valspar (India) Coatings Corporation Private Limited, Valspar (Shanghai) Management Co. Ltd., Valspar (Uruguay) Corporation S.A., Valspar (WPC) Pty Ltd, Valspar Aries Coatings S. de R.L. de C.V., Valspar Automotive (UK) Corporation Limited, Valspar Automotive Australia Pty Limited, Valspar B.V., Valspar Coatings (Guangdong) Co. Ltd., Valspar Coatings (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Valspar Coatings (Tianjin) Co. Ltd, Valspar D.o.o Beograd, Valspar Inc., Valspar Industries (Ireland) Ltd., Valspar Industries (Italy) S.r.l., Valspar Industries GmbH, Valspar LLC, Valspar Mexicana S.A. de C.V., Valspar Paint (Australia) Pty Ltd, Valspar Paint (NZ) Limited, Valspar Powder Coatings Limited, Valspar Rock Company Limited, Valspar Specialty Paints LLC, Vantaco Oy, and ZAO Sherwin-Williams.
Police say a crash that blocked State Highway 2 at Whakamarama for two hours on Sunday afternoon was caused by a driver swerving across the centre line to avoid a car turning right into Parklands Produce.
Western Bay of Plenty road policing manager acting Senior Sergeant Wayne Hunter says the offending driver was possibly speeding and distracted.
They lost control, crossed the centre lane impacting with an eastbound van.
All occupants of both vehicles were transferred to Tauranga hospital.
Injuries of those involved have been downgraded from serious to moderate, says Wayne.
Diversions for light vehicles were in place for two hours while oil and debris was cleaned up.
At 7.50pm on SH36, a car U-turning between Williams Road and Taumata Road was involved in a collision with an oncoming vehicle. A woman passenger was taken to hospital.
There will be a statement from police later about that accident, says Wayne.
Also on Sunday evening a motorcyclist suffered minor injuries in a collision with a ute on the Golden Sands Drive and Wairakei Avenue roundabout after 8pm.
On Saturday afternoon police were called to a two car collision in Taniwha Place near the Wairoa River where a tourist driver was on the wrong side of the road. No one was injured.
Groupe Renault has announced a program where it will show how re-employing second-life batteries can support a local "smart island" ecosystem.
The announcement translates to an automaker and a utility company transforming an island into what edie.net referred to as a "Smart Fossil Free Island" that treats electric vehicles as aids to renewable energy.
EVs and battery storage are key features in this 'smart island' project.
"Our aim is to build a model that can be carried over to other islands, eco-districts and cities, said Eric Feunteun, Electric Vehicles and New Business Program Director at Renault.
Kyle Hyatt, News and Features Editor, Roadshow, similarly wrote, "We'd love to see this trial succeed and be rolled out at scale to other municipalities around the world, particularly those in economically challenged areas where other larger-scale investment might not be financially attractive to companies."
Renault announced the island of Porto Santo, a small Portuguese island, is getting a pilot program by Renault, teaming up with EEM (Empresa de Electricitade da Madeira) and the Madeira Regional Government.
EEM produces and sells electricity on the Portuguese islands of Madeira and Porto Santo. EEM chose Groupe Renault as partner for electric mobility solutions.
Cars will serve as temporary energy storage units, weighing needs of the vehicles and needs of the grid.
Later this year, said Kyle Hyatt, News and Features Editor, Roadshow, the cars as energy storing devices will be used "to provide energy back to the grid during times of peak consumption, essentially serving as big, wheeled backup batteries that will stabilize the whole system."
The potential can be better power consistency to benefit the island's residents, via a smart electric ecosystem that includes new cars, stored energy and second-life batteries.
The batteries from Renault EVs will be used to store renewable energy produced by the island's solar and wind farms, said edie.net.
FutureCar wrote about the business case for a second life for EV batteries:
"As electric vehicles (EVs) continue to enter the market in increasing numbers, their batteries can be utilized for other purposes when not powering the vehicle. The batteries used in EVs typically last about 8-10 years when used for propulsion, yet these batteries still have significant capacity remaining for alternative uses. Finding secondary uses for the EV batteries reduces their up-front cost and provides benefits to consumers and utilities, such as demand charge management, renewable energy integration and regulation energy management."
What's in the fleet: 14 Renault Zoe EVs and six Kangoo electric vans. "Renault will provide vehicles to 20 volunteers and work with the Madeira archipelago power authority (EEM ) to install 40 public and private charging stations on the island," said Hyatt.
This is how the project will be deployed. Renault Groupe described it in three phases.
"Firstly, 20 volunteer users in Porto Santo will drive 14 ZOEs and six Kangoo Z.E.s for their everyday use. These vehicles will be able to benefit from smart charging thanks to the 40 connected public and private charging points set up by EEM and Renault on the island.
Secondly, by the end of 2018, the vehicles will step up their interaction with the grid by providing it with electricity during peak hours. In addition to being smart charged, the electric vehicles will therefore also serve as temporary energy storage units.
Thirdly, second-life batteries from Renault electric vehicles will be used to store the fluctuating supply of energy produced by Porto Santo's solar and wind farms. Stored as soon as it is produced, this energy is recovered by the grid as and when needed to meet local demand."
Matt Mace, edie.net, commented, "Islands are becoming ideal testing grounds for companies to integrate energy storage techniques."
2018 Tech Xplore
Many automobile makers have announced plans to increase investment for vehicles manufactured or assembled in Vietnam as stricter import rules continue to prevent them from shipping completely built-up products to the Southeast Asian country.
Vietnams car imports have dropped significantly since the governments Decree 116, which requires all models of imported vehicles to obtain a Vehicle Type Approval certification issued by authorities in the exporting country, took effect on January 1.
Few shipments have since been eligible for customs clearance to Vietnam as most countries that sell cars to the nation do not use such a document and it will take time for exporters to enact measures to meet those requirements.
In the week ending February 1, only 23 automobiles, including 20 tractor trucks and three cars with fewer than nine seats, were imported into Vietnam, a clear example of Decree 116 impacts.
In the same period, Vietnam imported nearly US$15.2 million worth of automobile parts and components, compared to the mere $1.66 million value of the 23 car shipments.
While automobile producers have announced that they would cease exports to Vietnam for good and called on relaxing the regulations, they have also silently prepared to boost their assembly operations in the country as a temporary solution to the issue.
Workers are seen at a car assembling plant in Vietnam. Photo: Tuoi Tre
Last resort
Toyota Vietnam is considering a plan to assemble several product lines, particularly the Fortuner, in Vietnam instead of Indonesia if the situation in the wake of Decree 116 remains unchanged.
The automaker has had to resort to this option as it is cheaper to sell imported products than the domestically assembled ones, Pham Anh Tuan, head of strategy planning with Toyota Vietnam, admitted to Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper on Sunday.
We are still watching market development and will only start assembling domestically if we can no longer import the products, he said.
In January, Mitsubishi Motors notified different local regulatory agencies of their plan to build the second automobile plant in Vietnam.
Last year the existing Mitsubishi Motors factory sold 6,672 units, making up nine percent of Vietnams market share.
The second $250 million facility, with a total capacity of 50,000 units a year, is expected to start production by 2020 and generate some 1,000 jobs.
Workers are seen at a car assembling plant in Vietnam. Photo: Tuoi Tre
During the introduction of its Ford Ecosport 2018 model earlier this month, Ford Vietnam also confirmed that it is studying the market to start manufacturing and assembling two new product lines in the country.
Even the Ford Ecosport may be assembled in Vietnam so the automobile can enjoy a zero tariff for imported spare parts as per Decree 125.
A carmaker must have a total production of 16,000 units, including 6,000 cars with nine seats and fewer, to be eligible for the zero percent tax.
Vietnams automaker Truong Hai is also speeding up construction for a $528.63 million facility to make Mazda-branded cars.
Planned for commission late next month, the plant is capable of producing 50,000 units a year during its first phase, and is said to be Mazdas most modern facility in Southeast Asia.
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MEXICO CITY -- One of the leading opposition contenders for the Mexican presidency in Julys election on Sunday rejected corruption allegations against him, and accused the government of trying to smear his campaign, which is running second in most polls.
Ricardo Anaya, candidate of a right-left coalition, presented the attorney generals office with a letter denying allegations by rivals that he had benefited from illicit property deals in Queretaro, his home state in central Mexico.
At the center of the dispute is the purchase and sale of real estate in an industrial park in Queretaro between 2014 and 2016. Anaya said the deals were completely legitimate, setting out the various transactions in a video posted on social media.
Everything Ive done has been legal, and above all, 100 percent transparent, Anaya said in the video.
On Wednesday, the attorney generals office issued a short statement saying that a complaint had been filed last October by an unnamed party about suspected operations involving illicit funds, prompting an investigation to be launched.
The statement did not detail who was involved. However, Anaya said that the investigation targeted his property deal and was an attempt to damage his reputation and help the candidate of the ruling Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI).
The PRIs presidential candidate is former finance minister Jose Antonio Meade, but his campaign has struggled to gain traction. Recent polls have shown Meade losing ground to Anaya and the leftist front-runner, Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador.
Tit-for-tat accusations of corruption between the government and the opposition have been intensifying in recent months.
Much of the attention has focused on media investigations showing how federal auditors over several years detected irregularities worth millions of dollars in the accounts of ministries run by Rosario Robles, the minister for agrarian, land and urban development.
Robles has denied any wrongdoing, but the allegations have hurt the PRI, which has long been tainted by corruption.
On Sunday, congressman Jesus Zambrano of the center-left Party of the Democratic Revolution (PRD), which forms part of Anayas coalition, urged the finance ministry to explain the irregularities that occurred under Robless watch.
The run-up to the election has also been marred by violence, with deadly attacks on several local politicians and activists.
The PRI on Sunday condemned the killing in Guerrero state of Dulce Rebaja Pedro, a contender for the state congress whose body was found near the city of Chilapa, local media said.
The traditional act of burning joss paper has evolved and is currently facing disapproval from a number of Vietnamese people.
The custom of burning joss paper is guided by the belief that as the dead and gods are endowed with human qualities, they have the same needs and desires as the living.
Purposes of the practice vary, ranging from expressing ones gratitude and respect to the spirits of relatives and gods, to asking them to facilitate the attainment of good fortune and wealth.
Joss paper, usually burned at pagodas and funerals, is extremely popular in the lead up to folk or religious celebrations.
Visitors burn joss paper at a famous pagoda in An Giang Province, southwestern Vietnam, during Tet. Photo: Tuoi Tre
For instance, many residents in Ho Chi Minh City bought this kind of offering in the event honoring the Vietnamese God of Wealth, which was due on Sunday.
Sellers at a shop specializing in joss paper on Le Quang Sung Street in District 6, Ho Chi Minh City, were doing a brisk trade.
A shop selling joss paper in Ho Chi Minh City. Photo: Tuoi Tre
The wisdom amongst such buyers is that the more joss paper is burnt for the God of Wealth, the greater private affluence they receive in return.
But the practice has transformed in noticeable ways.
Its location is no longer limited to supposedly holy places like temples, but has included government offices and companies alike.
Almost every ceremony marking the beginning of construction of a building and bridge involves joss paper.
The type of item can take various forms bearing the mark of modern life, from yachts, multistory buildings, cars, to banknotes (especially U.S. ones) and even long-legged women.
Places across Vietnam have differing degrees of using joss sticks and one location can see the practice wane over time.
During a famous festival held between February 25 and 27 at Ong Pagoda in Bien Hoa City, Dong Nai, joss paper burning has nearly disappeared, according to Tran Quang Toai, vice-chairman of the provinces federation of science and technology societies.
The popularity of joss paper has diminished considerably at the majority of the pagodas in Ho Chi Minh City visited by Pham Thi Cat, a resident in Dong Nai.
In late February, the Buddhist Sangha of Vietnam issued an official internal document urging the religions followers nationwide to consign joss paper burning to the past, primarily on the ground that the Buddha did not mention such an action.
The proposal has been greeted with general approval recently, and is expected to herald a time when worldly spirit money falls from grace.
Some people suggested that the government should introduce a ban, or even a blanket one, on the use of joss paper.
A man carries joss paper items on Vo Van Kiet Street, District 5, Ho Chi Minh City. Photo: Tuoi Tre
Vietnamese men burn joss paper offerings at a residential area. Photo: Tuoi Tre
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Police officers in Vietnam have busted an illegal ring that smuggled over 100 kilograms of heroin from Laos into Vietnam before attempting to distribute the stimulant in China.
The anti-drug unit under the Ministry of Public Security confirmed on Sunday they had broken up the transnational drug ring run by Tran Van Bang, who resides in the northern Vietnamese province of Vinh Phuc.
After gathering enough information, officers under the anti-drug division, in coordination with the Department of Police in the northern provinces of Cao Bang and Hoa Binh, initiated their investigation in January.
On the night of February 23, a team of law enforcers spotted two automobiles driven by Bang and his cousin, Tran Tien Thanh, in Hoa An District, Cao Bang Province, before signaling them to pull over.
Tran Van Bang at the police station. Photo: Tuoi Tre
The two did not comply with the request and instead sped up toward the officers.
The police unit had to fire warning shots and managed to apprehend the suspects, confiscating several suitcases and handbags containing drugs on their vehicles.
A total of 288 bricks of heroin, weighing 100.8 kilograms and costing about VND57 billion (US$2.5 million), were discovered inside the bags.
Competent authorities check the confiscated drugs. Photo: Tuoi Tre
Following a search of Bangs house, officers found another 100 pills of synthetic drug and VND1 billion ($43,973).
Three other members of Bangs ring, Phan Van Hien, Nong Van Hoan, and Nong Tai Kinh, were arrested within the following day.
According to his statements, Bang is the leader of the drug ring, which often smuggled narcotics from Laos into Vietnam before transporting them to China for distribution.
Smuggling drugs is punishable by death in Vietnam, according to local laws.
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For the past seven years, doctors at the National Institute of Hematology and Blood Transfusion (NIHBT) in Hanoi have taken it upon themselves to provide haircuts to their cancer patients.
The weekly hairdo session starts at 4:30 pm every Thursday afternoon, when dozens of doctors, nurses and patients at NIHBT transform one of the buildings hallways into a makeshift barber shop filled with joy and laughter.
The tradition was initiated by Dr. Vu Quang Hung, deputy head of the institutes chemotherapy department,whose eyes still showed hints of regret when he talked about what had prompted him to come up with the idea.
Seven years ago when Hung was still a junior doctor at NIHBT, a 23-year-old female patient with leukemia had killed herself due to depression over the loss of her beautiful long hair as a result of chemotherapy.
The girls death pained the young doctor so much that he vowed not to allow any other patients to end up with the same fate just due to the lack of mental support.
These hairdo sessions, he explained, not only served a cosmetic purpose but also created an opportunity for doctors and nurses to bond with patients and to improve morale.
A leukimia patient, who has lost his hair due to chemotherapy, smiles as he shows his painting during a cancer awareness event at the National Institute of Hematology and Blood Transfusion in Hanoi, November 21, 2017. Photo: Tuoi Tre
Dr. Nguyen Anh Tri, who was head of the NIHBTs chemotherapy department at the time, recalled how he and other colleagues had jumped on Hungs proposal in an instant.
According to Tri, getting a haircut is a challenging and sometimes humiliating task for leukemia patients, as most barber shops are reluctant to welcome them for fear of causing accidents.
Those with leukemia can suffer from serious bleeding from just a small cut due to their low platelet count, while infection is also an ever-present threat with a weakened immune system.
From amateur barbers, doctors at NIHBT have honed their skills over the past seven years to become quite good at their side job, being now able to satisfy any hairstyle requests from patients, Tri said.
A positive outlook can be as effective in fighting cancer as any medicine or chemotherapy, Tri said, adding that over 5,000 patients had received free haircuts by doctors at NIHBT since the initiative started.
But we still have so much more work to do to really take care of the patients mental health, Hung said.
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New UK miniseries Collateral, starring Carey Mulligan, scripted by much-lauded writer David Hare (The Hours, The Reader) launches globally outside of the UK on Netflix on March 9.
Directed by SJ Clarkson (Marvels Jessica Jones, The Defenders), this is a 4 part drama which also features John Simm, Nicola Walker and Billie Piper.
This premiered in the UK earlier this month.
In Collateral, a young man is shot dead delivering a pizza in South London. The detective in charge, DI Kip Glaspie (Carey Mulligan), quickly discovers that the pizza manager inexplicably sent Syrian refugee Abdullah Asif (Sam Otto) instead of the regular delivery driver.
The killing seems professional but the only witness, a young woman strung out on drugs on the street corner, gives the police a false name and address. Kip tracks down Abdullahs home, a set of garages, to find his sisters. They are scared and Kips convinced theyre hiding something.
Set over the course of four days, the spiraling repercussions surrounding Abdullahs murder are explored. Politician David Mars (John Simm) becomes instantly embroiled in the drama through his turbulent relationship with his ex-wife Karen who took delivery of the pizza. While Jane Oliver (Nicola Walker), a compassionate vicar, struggles to conceal her affair with the sole witness to the crime.
Refusing to accept this is a random act of senseless violence, Kip is determined to discover if there is a darker truth, as the death of one individual, who has lived out of the sight of respectable society, begins to resonate through the institutions that shape our lives.
Friday March 9 on Netflix.
Seven looks set to be screening all-Manu-Wednesdays when Manus American Road Trip premieres next week.
Following his Euro-sojourns, the MKR judge now travels through the American South on a cuisine cross-country trip.
Manu kicks off his epic road trip across the Deep South of America in Miami where he heads to Little Havana to find the best Cuban food in the US. In Floridas Everglades, he puts a new twist on salt & pepper calamari by using alligator. From there he drives north to Georgia to take part in a civil war re-enactment where he uses turn of the century cookware to bake a peach & pecan pie. In the ultimate eating challenge, Manu takes on a giant burger in Atlanta and discovers the delights of Soul Food in Sweet Home Alabama. He heads to biscuit capital of the world in Mississippi and learns to hand grab catfish Redneck style.
9pm Wednesday 7th March on Seven.
The Good Doctor fans will no doubt be pleased to hear Freddie Highmore is confirmed for a promotional tour down under.
He arrives on Friday March 9 ahead of a New Zealand visit.
With this being my first trip to Australia, Im very much looking forward to exploring a country that I have always dreamed of visiting, says Highmore.
I am likewise excited to meet all those who have so warmly embraced The Good Doctor. Thanks for having me!
Expect to see him appearing on Sunrise amongst other public appearances.
Former Melrose Place guest star Heather Locklear has been arrested on suspicion of domestic violence and assault.
Locklears brother called to say the actress and her boyfriend had been fighting. Police in California observed that her boyfriend had a visible mark, and when officers tried to put her in custody, she became combative, flailing, kicking and struck three deputies, TMZ said.
She was arrested on three counts of misdemeanour battery on a police officer. The actress was then handcuffed and taken to the hospital for evaluation.
Locklear was booked into the Ventura County jail but is no longer in custody.
A court date is set for March 13.
Source: Hollywood Reporter, EOnline
Major media organisations have backed Bauer Medias challenge to the massive $4.5m in damages following Rebel Wilsons defamation win last year.
Bauer is not contesting the verdict, but the amount of damages, normally capped at $389,500.
ABC, Fairfax Media, News Corp, Seven, Nine, and Macquarie Media are all seeking to have their say in Bauer appeal of the decision, arguing the payout could have an unwanted effect on public interest journalism. They are seeking leave to address to court.
Nine is also the company which featured Wilson as a Stan brand ambassador while Seven paid Wilson $200,000 to appear in 2 recent recordings of The Big Music Quiz.
Justice John Dixon awarded Wilson $3.9 million in special damages, and $650,000 of general damages.
Media lawyer Justin Quill wrote in the Herald Sun on behalf of the six.
The fact six media companies have combined demonstrates how serious the issue is, Quill said.
She was awarded more than $3.9m in special damages for what she claimed were her lost earnings. It seems like a lot to most of us but Wilson is a movie actor getting some good roles. On top of her special damages, she also received $650,000 in general damages.
Hang on a minute, I hear you saying. Isnt the most you can get $389,500? Well, in my opinion, yes. But Justice Dixon found the cap doesnt apply because his Honour had awarded Wilson aggravated damages in the circumstances of publication because Bauer was found to have aggravated the hurt feelings she had suffered.
Bauer Medias general counsel Adrian Goss welcomed support from the media companys rivals rivals: Bauer isnt surprised to see Australias largest media organisations supporting its position in relation to the cap on defamation damages. That aspect of the courts decision has significant consequences for all media.
Rebel Wilson has promised to donate her defamation payout to charity, scholarships or the Australian film industry.
The matter goes to court on April 18.
Source: Mumbrella, Pedestrian TV
In a significant decision, today the Church won a major victory when the Central District Court of Buda declared that the raid on the Church by the National Bureau of Investigation (NNI) was unlawful.
As a result, the National Bureau of Investigation (NNI) has to return hundreds of boxes of unlawfully seized documents and IT tools.
Court found raid violated rights
The Court found that the raid and seizure conducted on October 18, 2017, violated the constitutional rights of the Church by being coercive and restrictive.
The Church Of Scientology and its legal representatives filed legal objections which were first rejected by the Capital City Prosecutor's Office but overturned by the Court today which annulled the decision of the NNI and the Public Prosecutor's Office.
The court emphasised that the investigating authority fundamentally violated the principle of necessity and proportionality as laid down the law. Therefore this court decision may also be of value to other authorities who made the same violations in regards to the Church of Scientology, says lawyer Istvan Szikinger.
"We are very pleased with the court's decision and we are confident that the entire procedure will be resolved rapidly in our favour, with our constitutionally protected rights fully restored", said Attila Miklovicz, spokesperson of the Church.
Peaceful demonstrations
Scientologists and friends from all over Europe and including the United States have done many peaceful demonstrations in Budapest, reminding the Hungarians the different atrocities that specific people using the power of governments have done throughout the Hungarian history.
The European Office of the Church of Scientology for Public Affairs and Human Rights, directed by the Ivan Arjona-Pelado, has also been denouncing the situation at the OSCE in Warsaw and to the Human Rights Council of the United Nations, explaining and providing data and facts of the different discrimination acts of which Scientologists have been subject by very specific people within the Hungarian government including from the one who should have been protecting the privacy of Scientologists and all citizens.
The Scientology religion in Hungary was first recognised as such since the beginning of its existence and is one of the very few religions that has managed to survive and keep growing despite the repressive changes that the authorities have done with their law enacted on 2011. Its growth in Europe and worldwide is non-stop and keeps adding new churches and charitable activities all over the world.
The Law on the Right to Freedom of Conscience and Religion was adopted on 12 July, recognising only 14 out of the more than 300 groups that were previously properly registered in Hungary.
Actor Martin Sheen is familiar with the US political system. He portrayed a President of the United States for years on television in The West Wing, and aside from that, hes particularly an expert on John F. Kennedy. He played Kennedy in a TV miniseries and narrated the voiceover for Oliver Stones JFK oh, and hes also a close friend of the Kennedy family. Hes weighed in on the gun debate recently and commented on US President Donald Trumps handling of the recent school shooting in Florida.
According to Sheen, JFK wouldve handled the NRAs meddling very differently from the way that Trump is handling it.
The actor said that Kennedy wouldve confronted those b*****ds at the NRA, instead of conceding to their demands (like Trump). He added that JFK would have an even and direct response to the Florida school shooting that would be both human and compassionate, rather than Trumps response, which was all over the place making it about himself, then listening to the victims, then listening to the NRA, then calling for teachers to be armed with guns, and so on.
Sheen predicts an alternative history if Kennedy had survived
If JFK had survived his assassination in 1963, Sheen predicts, then we would be living in a very different America today one were those weapons would not be in the hands of stark raving mad people. The crazy people he is referring to are the likes of Nikolas Cruz, the 19-year-old kid who went into his high school a couple of weeks ago, opened fire, and killed 17 people. Sheen called the NRA a bullying organisation and said that Kennedy would not have rolled over to their will, like Trump has.
Enrique Pena Nieto, the President of Mexico, has cancelled his visit to the United States after an intense row with US President Donald Trump over the phone. By the end of the call, Nieto had called off his trip to America, which was in an official capacity and wouldve probably mended some of the nations tensions if it had gone well, and the two world leaders had fallen out. The Washington Post broke the story first, and the media have been going crazy about it.
Basically, Nieto wants Trump to tell everyone that the Mexican government will not be paying for his proposed wall along the southern border between the US and Mexico, and Trump doesnt want to do that.
So, the two have reached an impasse and theyre no closer to repairing their tensions. To be fair, its a long road back from some of the things that Trump has said about Mexico and its people, and hes not helping himself by being so stubborn.
This phone call between Trump and Nieto took place on 20 February, but it has only just been confirmed by officials from each nations government. The Washington Post was told by these officials that Nieto called off his plans to visit the White House after the US President refused to publicly affirm Mexicos position that it would not fund construction of a border wall. How stubborn is this guy? He still thinks theyre going to pay for the wall? Is he high?
White House official says things are awkward between the US and Mexico
According to an official from the White House who spoke to CNN, any potential meeting between the US and Mexican Presidents right now would be really awkward and only serve to make things worse as the yelling would continue. The White House official said that the phone call between Trump and Nieto recently was less hostile than the one they had a year ago (which was right after Trump was inaugurated and therefore quite a trying time for Mexico), but no more productive.
A Mexican political official, whose identity was kept anonymous by the Post, said that Trump lost his temper during the conversation with Nieto, while American officials have said that he got frustrated and exasperated when the Mexican leader requested that he tell the people that Mexico might not pay for the border wall.
Its the one campaign promise that Trump has managed to cling onto. It pleased the conservative crowds on the trail in 2016, and if he concedes to Mexico, then his credibility will pretty much disappear.
The wall has always been a point of contention between Trump and Nieto
Ever since Trump was elected, the border wall that he promised the American people that he would get Mexico to pay for the border wall that was designed to keep Mexican people, who he generalised as being rapists, out of America has always been an awkward spot that divided the two nations.
Nieto has always maintained that Mexico will not pay for the construction of the wall, and Trump has always maintained that through the art of negotiation, he would get them to pay, so throughout The Donalds entire Presidency, this has been a point of contention and it looks like it still is, as its the reason that Nieto has cancelled his visit to the US.
According to the officials who have been talking to the press, a considerable portion of this years phone call between Trump and Nieto was dedicated to talking about the proposed border wall, which is no closer to being a reality than it was during Trumps campaign speeches two years ago. The Mexican officials say that Nieto cancelled the visit to avoid public embarrassment (since his approval from his own people is on the rocks), and when Trump refused to accept that Mexico wouldnt be paying for his wall, that proved to be the deal breaker.
What is Global warming? The dinosaurs or even the mammoth might have something to say about that as the definition really does not explain the event in enough detail. "Global warming is an increase in the earth's average atmospheric temperature that causes corresponding changes in climate," according to the Collins English Dictionary This is very basic. The term has changed to climate change due to it being too basic. The causes and how the event occurs are a lot more complicated.
Ozone
The atmosphere of Earth is a multilayered ocean of different gases having different effects on the incoming electromagnetic rays of solar energy constantly bombarding our little blue planet.
One of the most important gases is an oxygen-based atom called ozone which has three atoms of oxygen. This gas forms a protective layer over the atmospheric surface preventing many rays passage through the atmosphere.
Carbon Dioxide
Another important gas is carbon dioxide which forms a part of the atmosphere and helps the planet maintain its temperature at a nice range for the life on our planet to thrive. This same attribute of carbon dioxide and its sister gas carbon monoxide, are partially what cause global warming.
Greenhouse gases
Other gases produced during farming and industrial production such as methane displace oxygen in the lower atmosphere causing the composition of breathable air to be changed.
Contributors to climate change
According to Climate NASA, all these things contribute to this phenomenon. Human activities such as industrial production, farming, and internal combustion engines release trapped carbon into the atmosphere. Coal and petroleum are the remains of millions of years of global animal life at a time when the world supported many times the living carbon base it now can support.
These deposits are being mined and released into the atmosphere in decades rather than millennia. The consequences of this may be disputed by the corporations and politicians, but the results are obvious. There is no disputing the climate of the planet has changed over the last 100 years and continues to change.
Mitigation of this catastrophe
Ways to reduce our carbon load on this planet are quite extensive. Using public transportation rather than multiple vehicle families is one way. Converting to solar-powered vehicles, and homes is another way to affect change in this area. Reducing the amount of processed foods, plastics, and synthetic chemicals used in the home and workplace is another set of changes to reduce carbon load on the planet.
Reversal
Reducing impact is not enough. Humanity has already produced a carbon load that this planet is struggling to support. Reversal is now required. The screams of reason from the scientists fall on the deaf ears of corporations and politicians, so the changes must come from the consumer.
Protecting old growth forests all over the world from deforestation, planting and replanting in areas already deforested, growing food and meat at home and buying naturally grown food rather than depending on big business agriculture to provide the world's food are a few of the things the consumer can do. Something that seems to be forgotten in this world is social responsibility. In addition to reducing the gases we emit to the atmosphere, we can also increase the amount of gases we take out of the atmosphere.
Plants and trees absorb CO2 as they grow, sequestering carbon naturally. Increasing forest lands and making changes to the way we farm could increase the amount of carbon we're storing.
Corporations have lost all culpability in the race to gain the almighty dollar. The people of this world need to force those actually in control to clean up their acts by returning to world health conscious practices such as returnable bottles in the soda industry.
Support of corporations that actively reverse the carbon impact of their actions with responsible practices is obvious. Boycotting against those who are not responsible are other ways to make this effort work on a more global scale. Education of the people to actively work together to twist the arm of the corporate world to make responsible use of the world's resources is one of the most important steps to controlling this coming crisis.
Alexander Mining s subsidiary MetaLeach Limited has been granted an African Regional Intellectual Property Organisation patent in Zambia, the company announced on Monday.
The patent concerns the companys method for leaching cobalt from oxidized cobalt ores and has a standard term of 20 years from 6 August 2010 when the initial filing for the patent was made.
Martin Rosser, chief executive of Alexander Mining, said: "The technology described in the patent has potential application for the extraction of cobalt from a range of oxidised or non-sulphide deposits. Cobalt, an essential component of lithium ion batteries, is a core target metal for the commercialisation of our intellectual property and we now have patent protection coverage in Zambia, one of the world's most prospective countries of patent use."
Production of the metal from Zambia, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Madagascar, South Africa and Zimbabwe accounts for more than 71% of the worlds cobalt.
Further to the new patent, the AIM-listed mining and mineral processing firm entered into an agreement with Turkish mineral processing specialist Proses Muhendislik last week to investigate commercial opportunities for MetaLeach's technology in Turkey, Iran and the rest of the Middle East.
"We are delighted with this partnership agreement with Proses. Proses is a highly regarded mineral processing consultancy with a strong presence in a part of the world that is highly prospective for our technology," said Rosser of the agreement.
As of 1638 GMT, Alexander Minings shares were up 2.22% at 0.12p
Geotechnical solutions specialist Keller Group boosted pre-tax profit by 50%, as turnover grew to more than 2bn thanks to the firm's execution of more than 6,300 projects around the world.
Keller proposed a 20% increase in its full-year dividend for the twelve months ended 31 December to 34.2p, as underlying earnings per share picked up 35% to 102.2p after the December amendments to US tax laws, that were pegged to lead to a reduction in the firm's future effective tax rate, resulted in a one-off tax credit of 9.7m.
In 2016, the company paid out a dividend of 28.5p per share.
The London-based group saw its underlying operating margin decrease from 5.4% to 5.2%, principally due to lower margins in North America that offset improved profitability witnessed in Europe, the Middle East and Africa.
Underlying operating profit moved ahead 14% to 108.7m.
Keller's improved results were largely the result of two major projects, the Caspian project and Zayed City in Abu Dhabi, which between them accounted for around 100m of revenue and 30m of operating profit in 2017.
In the UK, Keller saw its order intake slow down in recent months and expects 2018 to be "a challenging year," but noted that with several major infrastructure projects, like the problematic HS2 project, set to come to fruition in the immediate future, the UK market for geotechnical work should pick up in 2019 and 2020.
Alain Michaelis, chief executive, said, "Overall Keller has had a positive year with good growth in group revenue and profits. The results were extremely strong in EMEA and solid in North America, but disappointing in APAC. Ongoing operational improvements, strengthened leadership and market recovery should lead to APAC returning to profitability in 2018. Our confidence in group fundamentals and the recent US tax changes have allowed us to significantly raise the dividend to shareholders."
Underlying earnings per share increased 35% to 102.2p, in part due to a one-off tax credit of 9.7m
As of 1200 GMT, shares had wound back 0.43% to 936.00p.
Vehicle telematics services supplier Quartix Holdings announced its audited results for the year ended 31 December on Monday, with group revenue increasing 5% to 24.5m.
The AIM-traded firm said fleet revenue was up 14% to 17.0m, while insurance revenue declined 12% to 7.5m.
Its operating profit improved 1% to 6.6m, while earnings before interest, tax, depreciation, amortisation and share-based payment expense rose 6% to 7.2m.
The companys profit before tax increased 1% to 6.6m.
Quartix said diluted earnings per share fell 4% to 12.21p.
Looking at cash, the companys free cash flow increased 5% to 6.3m, while cash inflow before tax rose 3% to 7.0m.
Net cash was up at 7.3m, compared to 6.2m a year earlier.
The board proposed a final dividend payment of 11.1p per share - up from 9p in the prior year - including 6.8p for supplementary dividend, giving a total dividend for the year of 13.5p per share
On the operational front, the board reported strong progress in the main fleet business during the year, with a 20% increase in its subscription base to 105,314 units and a 20% increase in its customer base to 10,961.
Unit attrition was consistent at 10.1%, up very slightly from 10.0% in the prior year, which the board said compared favourably with its estimate of the industry average of around 14.5%.
The firm saw 23% growth in new fleet installations, and reported strong growth in France, which ended the year with 1,776 customers and 13,131 vehicles under subscription - an increase of 24% and 32% respectively.
During its third full year of trading, the US division grew its customer base to 1,460 - up from 1,075 - with 8,973 vehicles under subscription - rising from 6,191.
The company said it saw the anticipated decline in the lower-margin insurance telematics business, with a 17% drop in insurance installations to 57,826.
We are delighted with the progress made in 2017, commented chief executive Andy Walters.
New fleet installations increased by 23% to 27,250 and the client base grew by 20% to just under 11,000.
As announced a year ago, investment has been made in the development of the Group's fleet business in the United States.
To date, that included further local recruitment, product development and a new sales and marketing automation platform, Walters explained, with the group now able to build on those foundations.
We achieved satisfactory margins in our insurance business, in keeping with the group's stated strategy of focusing on only those insurance opportunities which are closely aligned to the group's fleet business.
Walters said Quartix made a good start to the year, in line with the boards expectations.
The high levels of recurring revenues and opportunities to grow our fleet business in the UK, France and the US combined with continued progress in our insurance business underpin our confidence for the rest of the current financial period and beyond.
Regenerative medical devices company Tissue Regenix Group announced the launch of a new operating division on Monday - TRX BioSurgery.
The AIM-traded firm said DermaPure, a decellularised, room-temperature stable dermal allograft, would be the flagship product under the TRX BioSurgery division.
Currently commercialised under Tissue Regenix Wound Care, which would begin operating as 'TRX BioSurgery', DermaPure had proven successful in multiple surgical applications.
Due to DermaPure's impressive single application clinical outcomes, the board said it had been adopted by surgeons within the acute surgical, wound reconstruction, and traditional advanced wound care markets.
In particular, DermaPure said it had seen significant uptake in the orthopaedic trauma and urogynaecology segments, where treatment innovation was in high demand.
In order to further expand the opportunity, Tissue Regenix said it had entered an exclusive distribution partnership with ARMS Medical - a specialist distributor in the urogynaecology segment.
The multi-year agreement would give ARMS Medical exclusive rights to distribute DermaPure to hospitals and surgeons throughout the United States for use in urology and gynecology procedures.
Tissue Regenix said the partnership would allow its direct sales force to maintain their focus on soft tissue regeneration in the wound, plastics, orthopaedics and general surgery markets.
We are excited to announce the launch of the BioSurgery division, said CEO Steve Couldwell.
Progressing from traditional wound care clinical settings to surgical applications is a natural evolution for DermaPure, which has proven to be clinically efficient in just a single application.
Our partnership with ARMS Medical, who are known for bringing innovation to women's pelvic health solutions, allows us to leverage their strong relationships with key opinion leaders in the urogynaecology space to further access this market, whilst also maintaining commercial focus in our other key areas.
Analysts at Canaccord reiterated their recommendation of 'buy' on shares of semiconductor developer IQE on Monday and dismissed claims that the company had misled investors.
Commenting on the recent accusations from short-sellers Muddy Waters and ShadowFall, Cannacord analysts said they "dont subscribe to the view that the joint ventures (JVs) were created to 'deceive investors' and that IQE's accounts are entirely consistent with those of its JVs."
The Canadian broker added: "Recent weakness caused by the short sellers has created an attractive entry point which offers substantial upside to our unchanged target price of 190p."
In a research note sent to clients, the broker further argued that it believes IQEs margins for the second half of 2017 will be strong after a company trading update on 20 December said that revenues would not be less than 150m.
Canaccord analysts also stated that Muddy Waters and ShadowFall had failed to note IQEs potential after focusing on its JVs, stating that the company has seen "no change of accounting policy" and that its figures are "entirely consistent with the JV accounts."
Speaking of IQEs realistic potential, the analysts argued that "it is unrealistic to expect a JV created just two years ago to have either filed any patents or generated a profit" and that there are "many other mass-market opportunities for compound semiconductors (CS), whose superior properties make them preferable to silicon for many applications."
IQE has identified CS wafer markets that it expects to be worth $4.1bn in 2022 and as such Canaccord has projected increasing year on year sales for the company, up 13% to 150.5m in 2017 and a further 15% to 173m in 2018.
Aside from the companys CS development, IQEs VCSEL wafers were used in the latest iPhone and Canaccord analysts noted that "applications beyond smartphones are extensive and we believe IQE can now look forward to a prolonged period of rapid growth."
Canaccord does not expect IQE to pay out any dividends in the near future.
"In short, we believe this note demonstrates that IQE did not create the JVs in order to inflate short-term revenues and cash flows, as the bear reports have suggested. More importantly, we believe that IQE is at the beginning of an exciting journey and has the potential to become a leading global player in the fast evolving compound semiconductor industry."
As of 1345 GMT, IQEs shares were down 6.4% at 130.10p.
The Weinstein Company is set to file for bankruptcy in the following days after talks to sell assets to an investor group collapsed.
The company has been wading through financial problems since dozens of actresses and employees came forward to accuse co-founder Harvey Weinstein of sexual misconduct, intimidation and worse.
The firm was planning on reaching a sale deal with a group led by Maria Contreras-Sweet, who ran the Small Business Administration under President Barack Obama. The group had proposed to pay $275m for Weinstein Co and cover $225m in debt.
Talks collapsed two weeks ago when the New York State filed a lawsuit against the Weinstein Company.
"While we recognize that this is an extremely unfortunate outcome for our employees, our creditors and any victims, the Board has no choice but to pursue the only viable option to maximize the company's remaining value: an orderly bankruptcy process," the board said in a statement.
The US Supreme Court dealt a blow to the Trump administration on Monday as it declined to take up a lawsuit concerning the citizenship status of the children of illegal immigrants, known as 'dreamers'.
The Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) programme protects young undocumented immigrants against deportation through means of work permits and deportation relief and was set to conclude on 5 March after President Trump rescinded it in September 2017.
But the administration is now all but certain to miss this self-imposed deadline.
The Supreme Courts decision concerns a California lawsuit, one of a number alleging that the White Houses attempts to end DACA violates federal law, after San Francisco US District Judge William Alsup ruled the DACA programme must remain in place while the lawsuit is resolved.
Devin OMalley, department spokesman for the Department of Justice, said: "While we were hopeful for a different outcome, the Supreme Court very rarely grants certiorari before judgement, though in our view it was warranted for the extraordinary injunction requiring the Department of Homeland Security to maintain DACA. We will continue to defend DHS lawful authority to wind down DACA in an orderly manner."
Earlier this month, Brooklyn District Judge Nicholas Garaufis ruled that the White House had relied on flawed legal positions in its attempts to rescind the programme.
Roughly 700,000 people, primarily Hispanic, young adults are currently enrolled in the DACA programme, and roughly 1.8m of the 11m illegal immigrants in the US are eligible for protection under the legislation.
Meanwhile, Congress has repeatedly failed to pass alternate legislation to protect dreamers and others who are eligible for the programme.
Turnaround specialist Melrose Industries said on Monday that its 7.4bn hostile bid for engineer GKN has received clearance from US and Canadian authorities.
The Federal Trade Commission has granted early termination of the applicable waiting period under the Hart Scott Rodino Act, while in Canada, the Competition Bureau has confirmed the completion of its review and effective clearance of the deal.
However, Melrose - which is due to report full-year results on Thursday - will still need to get approval from the Committee on Foreign Investment in the US as GKN is a supplier of components to the US and British military.
GKN has been engaged in a bitter battle with Melrose since it made its hostile approach to the company back in January, dismissing the bid as "derisory" and saying it fundamentally undervalues the group and its prospects.
Chief executive Anne Stevens accused Melrose of trying to buy GKN "on the cheap" just at the point when the engineer is starting to reap the benefits of its long-term investments.
On Wednesday, GKN workers will take to the streets outside Westminster to lobby MPs and demand that the government stop Melrose's bid.
Union Unite said that the workers from the South West, West Midlands and South of England believe a takeover by Melrose could lead to the company being sold off piecemeal and jobs cut or shipped abroad.
Unite's assistant general secretary for Aerospace, Steve Turner, said: "There is mounting concern across political parties and business over Melroses debt-laden bid and the risk it poses to UK jobs and defence interests.
"GKN will be saddled with over 1.3bn of debt if Melrose succeeds with its bid, while its advisors will pocket upwards of 140m in fees. This is a deal that would have The Wolf of Wall Street licking his lips and leaves workers fearful that they will ultimately pay for this debt-fuelled bonanza with their jobs.
"Technology and jobs risk being shipped abroad and because of GKNs defence work our national security is at risk. The message from our members is clear. Theresa Mays government must use its power to block the bid to protect jobs, communities and our national security."
Unite is urging the secretary of state for business Greg Clark to use his powers under the Enterprise Act (2002) to block Melroses bid in the public interest.
At 1250 GMT, Melrose shares were up 0.1% to 227.10p and GKN was 1.2% higher at 431.50p.
London's FTSE 100 was up 0.6% to 7,289.51 in afternoon trade on Monday, with AB Foods leading the gains.
Associated British Foods was the standout gainer after it reported a rare decline in sales at its Primark retail arm in the first half of the year but said its full year outlook was unaltered.
In a pre-close trading update ahead of its 3 March half-year results, the FTSE 100 group said adjusted operating profits were looking to be "in line" with the 652m produced a year ago, with earnings per share improving on that period thanks to lower net financial costs and a lower effective tax rate.
Anglo American was higher as it announced the completion of the sale of its interest in the Drayton thermal coal mine in Australia.
British Airways and Iberia parent International Consolidated Airlines Group was up, recovering from losses at the end of last week after its full-year results failed to impress.
On the downside, distribution and outsourcing group Bunzl retreated even as it posted a 13% jump in full-year pre-tax profit thanks to recent acquisitions and a weaker pound. The company said it remains positive it can growth both organically and with M&A. However, UBS said that having spent a record 616m on 15 deals in FY17, the pace may slow from here.
Hammerson was weaker as the property development and investment company - which announced a 3.4bn takeover of Intu Properties in December - reported a rise in full-year pre-tax profit as net rental income jumped 7%. "It was a strong set of results from the real estate investment trust (REIT), but the industry as a whole is suffering from the rise in online shopping, as major retail parks are starting to become less relevant," said David Madden at CMC Markets.
Risers
Associated British Foods (ABF) 2,713.00p 2.57%
Kingfisher (KGF) 361.90p 2.52%
Anglo American (AAL) 1,832.00p 2.44%
Unilever (ULVR) 3,848.50p 2.34%
BAE Systems (BA.) 577.20p 2.16%
WPP (WPP) 1,382.25p 1.97%
Pearson (PSON) 713.80p 1.97%
International Consolidated Airlines Group SA (CDI) (IAG) 598.60p 1.94%
Compass Group (CPG) 1,556.00p 1.93%
Ashtead Group (AHT) 2,091.00p 1.85%
Fallers
Evraz (EVR) 428.00p -0.97%
Standard Life Aberdeen (SLA) 372.60p -0.93%
Mediclinic International (MDC) 603.00p -0.89%
TUI AG Reg Shs (DI) (TUI) 1,534.00p -0.78%
Bunzl (BNZL) 1,995.50p -0.77%
Hammerson (HMSO) 473.90p -0.48%
Shire Plc (SHP) 3,009.50p -0.48%
Relx plc (REL) 1,511.00p -0.46%
SEGRO (SGRO) 586.40p -0.17%
Standard Chartered (STAN) 828.50p -0.13%
Multinational provider of precision, minimally-invasive leak detection and remediation solutions, Water Intelligence , announced a contract between its Sydney, Australia corporate location and Hunter Water Corporation, a state-owned water company, on Monday.
The AIM-traded firm said the multi-year contract should add at least AUD 0.3m to its location's sales for 2018, with similar amounts expected over each of the next two years.
It said there were also opportunities to increase the scope of work and income to the Sydney operation.
The board said the contract was an illustration of both Water Intelligence's multinational growth strategy, and its increasing ability to unlock cross-sales opportunities across corporate, franchise and municipal lines of business.
Water Intelligence explained that the contract with Hunter Water also continued the momentum for layering-on of municipal work to American and Australian leak detection locations, after the 2016 acquisition of NRW, a UK-based municipal leak detection business with multinational execution experience.
For example, it said that in Miramar, Florida during 2017, a municipality that was already using American Leak Detection for residential leaks drew upon added professional skills and leverage afforded by Water Intelligence International / NRW, to meet the municipality's asset survey needs.
Sydney represented the largest cross-selling achievement to date, the board claimed.
With the contract, its Australian Leak Detection corporate store was accelerating its growth plan of providing both an expanded range of residential and commercial leak detection services as well as municipal leak detection services to Sydney Water and now Hunter Water.
As part of the companys growth plan, Water Intelligence said it would also be working with its Australian franchisees to extend a cross-selling model much like it was doing with its US franchisees.
We are pleased with this win, commented executive chairman Dr Patrick DeSouza.
It is a reminder of the global addressable market for our expanded range of solutions and our ability to leverage the synergies of our expanding managerial capabilities and our multinational sales footprint in the US, UK and Australia.
According to the letter obtained by CNN, the majority shareholder of a hotel in Panama claims the president's Organization has been misleading the hotel's staff.
New owner is determined to end the management contract with the Trump organization
Orestes Fintiklis is a prominent investor in Miami who recently bought the Trump-branded hotel's majority shares. The letter obtained by CNN is only the latest twist in the investor's attempt to remove the president's brand. The Trump Organization licensed its brand to the hotel ten years ago. Fintiklis, who now owns majority units, claims the hotel has been losing money over the past years and has ended up last among other luxury hotels.
In the lawsuit filed by Fintiklis' investment company, Fintiklis says the hotel has been receiving a low number of clients which has a direct effect on the hotel's profits.
Trump's attorney, Alan Garten said since buying majority units, Fintiklis has ignored every agreement to by the two parties including one that restricts him from terminating the organization's management contract. The management agreement gives Trumps organization exclusive rights to hire, fire and supervise employees of the hotel.
Since October the two organizations have been working out their differences in court until last week. The disagreement was heated up by a confrontation between the two parties. According to Fintiklis attorney, they were denied access to the hotel's administration office when Finktiklis went to deliver dismissal notices to hotel employees.
Garten also confirmed the reports but refused to give more detailed information about the incident.
In his letter, Fintiklis told the employees they were being lied to, and cheated by the Trump Organization. He also wrote that the organization was using the employees which put their employment and the Hotel at great risk. He also blamed the organization for recently firing some employees.
Other projects dropping the Trump brand
Since his election, the presidents organization has been taking hits as this might be the third Trump-branded project to lose the Presidents name. Just last year, the owner of Trump International Hotel and Tower Toronto terminated the hotels contract with the organization after reaching an agreement.
Another Trump-branded building in Manhattan also struck a similar deal to drop the presidents name.
The high-end seventy-story building includes residential units, casinos, and office space. The hotel has been struggling and is near-drowning, according to media reports. Last year Fintiklis company bought three-quarters of the total units together with hotels amenities from its creditors. In spite of the change in ownership, the Trumps management agreement signed in 2008 still holds
Despite a wide-range of issues facing his administration, Donald Trump is still dealing with multiple reports that he's been unfaithful to his wife, as well as allegations of sexual assault and harassment. During a recent interview, Ivanka Trump was asked to speak about the allegations against her father.
Ivanka on her dad
It kicked into gear just one month before Election Day in 2016 when the "Access Hollywood" tape was released. After the contents of the tape revealed Trump's thoughts about using his fame to touch women, over a dozen women came forward to accuse the former host of "The Apprentice" of sexual misconduct.
Trump has denied each of the claims, though recent reports have doubled down with new information. The highest profiled report details the alleged affair between Trump and adult film star Stormy Daniels that reportedly took place while his wife was pregnant back in 2006.
Ivanka Trump: It's "inappropriate" to ask if I believe my father's accusers https://t.co/AXLssxJOBw pic.twitter.com/dL3iDUJwNH The Hill (@thehill) February 26, 2018
With the rumors and reports continuing to leak out, Ivanka Trump was pressed on the issue during a February 26 interview with NBC News. "I think its a pretty inappropriate question to ask a daughter if she believes the accusers of her father," Ivanka said to Peter Alexander, citing that her dad has "stated theres no truth to it."
Do you believe your fathers [sexual misconduct] accusers? -@PeterAlexander
I think its a pretty inappropriate question to ask a daughter if she believes the accusers of her father when hes affirmatively stated theres no truth to it. -@IvankaTrump pic.twitter.com/23AVPgcOdE TODAY (@TODAYshow) February 26, 2018
"I don't think that's a question you would ask many other daughters," Ivanka Trump said.
"I believe my father, I know my father," she continued, while noting, "I think I have that right as a daughter to believe my father." Ivanka has been consistently by the side of her dad through all the scandals and controversies since he announced his campaign for president back in the summer of 2015. While the number of female accusers continues to grow, it looks like Ivanka will remain by her father's side for the foreseeable future.
Trump's silence
Unlike other allegations against him, Donald Trump has not said much about the Stormy Daniels allegations. The reports also note that Trump's lawyer, Michael Cohen, paid Daniels $130,000 during the 2016 election to stay quiet about her alleged relationship with the former host of "The Apprentice."
Melania's move
Following the scandal becoming public, First Lady Melania Trump has not made a comment, though her actions have raised speculation about the martial status of the first couple. Melania recently canceled a planned appearance to join the president on a trip to Switzerland, while the two failed to acknowledge each other during their wedding anniversary
The National Rifle Association has drawn the ire of several critics due to their response (or lack thereof) and lack of remorse on their behalf concerning the recent Stoneman Douglas High School shooting in Parkland, Florida. In both public appearances and on social media, representatives of the NRA have been on the defense concerning the sanctity of gun laws.
To clear some things up and answer questions from the high school shooting survivors, students, and faculty, official NRA spokeswoman, Dana Loesch, was one of the NRA members there in attendance at the CNN Town Hall meeting.
The NRA was anxious to give Loesch a hearty thank you for representing them on their behalf. To do so, the NRA posted this tweet featuring a GIF of Leslie Knope from "Parks and Recreation."
The tweet
.@DLoesch thank you for being the voice of over 5 Million #NRA members. pic.twitter.com/WDz7vujXfM NRA (@NRA) February 22, 2018
"Parks and Recreation" was a comedy that aired on the NBC network from 2009 up until 2015. The show focused on Leslie Knope, played by Amy Poehler, an over-achieving but wholly passionate Deputy Director turned Governor who believes highly in the importance of bringing together her fellow townspeople as one big community. Every chance she had, Knope promoted the ethics of and importance of civic engagement.
The NRA thought that Leslie Knope would make the perfect figurehead for a GIF tweeting to Loesch. They thanked her for "being the voice of over 5 million NRA members." What appeared to be an innocent exchange proved to draw the ire from both the fans of the show and the cast members themselves.
The response
Hey @nra please stay the fuck away from Leslie Knope. https://t.co/Lr2HCeN7qp Adam Scott (@mradamscott) February 22, 2018
Adam Scott--who played the television love interest and future husband of Leslie Knope, Ben Wyatt--was the first to condemn the "Parks and Recreation" co-sign from the NRA.
To summarize a more PG version of what Scott said, he told the NRA to stay away from Leslie Knope. Left and right, several of those who worked on the show took to Twitter to chime in on the NRA's tweet. Then, Michael Schur--the co-creator and open anti-gun critic--had this to say to condemn the NRA for using one of his characters for their "pro-slaughter agenda."
Hi, please take this down. I would prefer you not use a GIF from a show I worked on to promote your pro-slaughter agenda.
Also, Amy isn't on twitter, but she texted me a message: "Can you tweet the NRA for me and tell them I said fuck off?" https://t.co/YXSdzCdvdd Ken Tremendous (@KenTremendous) February 22, 2018
The one tweet response we never did get was from the show's lead star, Amy Poehler, but that is only because she herself does not have a Twitter account.
However, Michael Schur did make sure to include in his own tweet response that he did actually receive a text from Poehler. She personally asked Schur to "tweet the NRA for [her] and tell them [she] said f**k off." As we can see, he was happy to oblige.
According to "E! News", Rachel McAdams is expecting a baby. Rachel McAdams, the star from the movie, The Notebook is expecting a baby with her boyfriend Jamie Linden. According to InTouch Weekly magazine, she is said to be already seven months pregnant. E! Online and UsWeekly also claim to have sources that confirm that Rachel is expecting a baby.
Rachel expecting a baby at 39 years old
Rachel and Jamie met in 2016 and have kept a very low-key relationship. Rachel dated several famous actors since 2005. She dated her 'Notebook' co-star, Ryan Gosling, from 2005 until 2007.
After that, she dated Michael Sheen from the film Midnight in Paris in 2010. Michael and Rachel split up in 2013, ending their two-year relationship.
Rachel and Jamie have not made a debut on the red carpet as an official couple yet. They rarely show up together for public appearances. Rachel did not show up on Wednesday, February 21, in Los Angeles for her new dark comedy premiere, Game Night. Costars Jason Bateman, Kyle Chandler, and Michael C. Hall all showed up to the premiere. Even Jennifer Aniston, attended the premiere to support her friend, Jason Bateman after her break up with Justin Theroux. Rachel was last spotted in November at the Pearson International airport in Toronto. It has been speculated that Rachel wore baggy clothes to hide the baby bump.
Her absence to the premiere fueled even more speculations about the news of the pregnancy.
Is Jamie the father?
Rachel expressed to Instyle magazine in 2010 that, Part of me is very attached to the idea of having children. Itll depend on if I find the person I want to do that with. Rachel wants to have a family and magazines have confirmed that she is fond of the idea of having children.
However, with whom and when is still unclear.
In 2009, Rachel told People magazine that she couldnt wait to become a mother. In 2015, Marie Claire magazine also noted that Rachel says she would like to have kids at some point. Rachel McAdams also told People magazine that "My mom is a great inspiration to me...She's a nurse and very nurturing and gentle.
She lets me be who I am. Hopefully I can take on those qualities and be as great as her." Now, Rachel is possibly going to be a mom and will be able to nurture her first child like her mom.
While it is uncertain if Jamie is the father of Rachels first baby, many believe it is his baby. Rachels representative could not be reached for any confirmation. We still need to await news on whether Jamie is or isn't the father of the baby, why Rachel was absent from the premiere, and how she feels about having her first baby?
Over the weekend, Donald Trump stopped by the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) and addressed those in attendance. After giving yet another controversial speech, Stephen Colbert's new cartoon show decided to poke fun at the president.
Trump's CPAC mocked
For the last 45 years, conservatives have gathered together each year for CPAC, with activists, right-wing media pundits, and politicians all celebrating their conservatism. For the 2018 event, Donald Trump decided to attend, making it his second appearance as commander in chief. During his speech, the president hit most of his talking points, getting strong support from the right-wing audience.
The annual CPAC straw poll found that 93 percent of those at the event were in support of Trump's presidency, much to his delight.
While Donald Trump and conservatives appeared to enjoy themselves, the president's speech quickly came under fire by critics. In addition, Stephen Colbert, host of "The Late Show," recently put together a new cartoon series for Showtime called "our cartoon president" which takes a satirical look at the current administration. During the February 25 edition, Trump's cpac speech was taken to task. "Welcome to my endorsement club, Mitt. Youre seated next to Roy Moore and his nieces," the mock cartoon Trump said in reference to Mitt Romney's recent announcement to run for a Senate seat in Utah.
"I want to make sure that only stable-minded people can buy a gun that would have single-handedly brought the Roman Empire to its knees," the cartoon Trump went on to say.
"Australia banned big guns and now its overrun with scorpions and crocodiles," he went on to add. "Speaking of reptiles, NRA sweetheart Wayne LaPierre is here. You know how complicit Wayne LaPierre is? He's so complicit that Poland made it illegal to talk about him!" Trump noted. The cartoon Trump continued his mockery, even taking a shot at Rep.
Devin Nunes for being a "putz."
Moving forward
"Our Cartoon President" mocking Donald Trump doesn't come as a big surprise as the billionaire real estate mogul has been the hottest topic for humor since he announced his campaign for president back in the summer of 2015. Whether it's late night talk shows, cartoon programs, sketch comedy like "Saturday Night Live" or even stand up comedy shows, the former host of "The Apprentice" has become an easy target, and it doesn't look to be coming to an end at any point in the near future.
ConocoPhillips engages in the exploration, production, transportation and marketing of crude oil, bitumen, natural gas, natural gas liquids, and liquefied natural gas on a worldwide basis. It operates through the following geographical segments: Alaska; Lower 48; Canada; Europe, Middle East and North Africa; Asia Pacific; and Other International. The Alaska segment primarily explores for produces, transports and markets crude oil, natural gas and natural gas liquids. The Lower 48 segment consists of operations in the U.S. and the Gulf of Mexico. The Canada segment is comprised of oil sands development in the Athabasca Region of northeastern Alberta and a liquids-rich unconventional play in western Canada. The Europe, Middle East and North Africa segment consists of operations and exploration activities in Norway, the United Kingdom and Libya. The Asia Pacific segment has explorations and product operations in China, Indonesia, Malaysia and Australia. The Other International segment handles exploration activities in Columbia and Argentina. The company was founded in 1875 and is headquartered in Houston, TX.
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12 Wall Street analysts have issued "buy," "hold," and "sell" ratings for Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy in the last year. There are currently 1 sell rating, 8 hold ratings and 3 buy ratings for the stock. The consensus among Wall Street analysts is that investors should "hold" Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy stock. A hold rating indicates that analysts believe investors should maintain any existing positions they have in GCTAF, but not buy additional shares or sell existing shares.
View analyst ratings for Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy or view top-rated stocks.
The following companies are subsidiares of American Tower: 10 Presidential Way Associates LLC, 3267351 Nova Scotia Company, 3286208 Nova Scotia Company, 3298099 Nova Scotia Company, 52 Eighty LLC, 52 Eighty Partners LLC, 52 Eighty Tower Partners I LLC, ACC Tower Sub LLC, AT Kenya C.V., AT Netherlands C.V., AT Netherlands Cooperatief U.A., AT Sao Paulo C.V., AT Sher Netherlands Cooperatief U.A., AT South America C.V., ATC Africa Holding B.V., ATC Africa Shared Services (Pty) Ltd, ATC Antennas Holding LLC, ATC Antennas LLC, ATC Argentina C.V., ATC Argentina Cooperatief U.A., ATC Argentina Holding LLC, ATC Asia Pacific Pte. Ltd., ATC Atlantic C.V., ATC Atlantic II B.V., ATC Atlantic III B.V., ATC Backhaul LLC, ATC Brasil Servicos de Conectividades Ltda., ATC Brazil Holding LLC, ATC Brazil I LLC, ATC Brazil II LLC, ATC Burkina Faso S.A., ATC CSR Foundation India, ATC Chile Holding LLC, ATC Colombia B.V., ATC Colombia Holding I LLC, ATC Colombia Holding LLC, ATC Colombia I LLC, ATC EH GmbH & Co. KG, ATC Ecuador Holding LLC, ATC Edge LLC, ATC Ethiopia Infrastructure Development Private Limited Company, ATC Europe B.V., ATC Europe LLC, ATC European Holdings Inc., ATC Fibra de Colombia S.A.S., ATC France Cooperatief U.A., ATC France Holding II SAS, ATC France Holding SAS, ATC France Reseaux SAS, ATC France SAS, ATC France Services SAS, ATC GP GmbH, ATC Germany Holdings GmbH, ATC Germany Services GmbH, ATC Ghana ServiceCo Limited, ATC Global Employment B.V., ATC Heston B.V., ATC Holding Fibra Mexico S. de R.L. DE C.V., ATC IP LLC, ATC India Infrastructure Private Limited, ATC Indoor DAS Holding LLC, ATC Indoor DAS LLC, ATC International Cooperatief U.A., ATC International Financing B.V., ATC International Financing II B.V., ATC International Financing II Holding LLC, ATC International Holding Corp., ATC Iris I LLC, ATC Kenya Operations Limited, ATC Kenya Services Limited, ATC Latin America S.A. de C.V. SOFOM E.N.R., ATC MIP III REIT Iron Holdings LLC, ATC Managed Sites Holding LLC, ATC Managed Sites LLC, ATC MexHold LLC, ATC Mexico Holding LLC, ATC Niger Wireless Infrastructure S.A., ATC Nigeria C.V., ATC Nigeria Cooperatief U.A., ATC Nigeria Holding LLC, ATC Nigeria Wireless Infrastructure Limited, ATC On Air + LLC, ATC Operations LLC, ATC Outdoor DAS LLC, ATC Paraguay Holding LLC, ATC Paraguay S.R.L., ATC Peru Holding LLC, ATC Polska sp. z o.o., ATC Ponderosa B-I LLC, ATC Ponderosa B-II LLC, ATC Ponderosa K LLC, ATC Ponderosa K-R LLC, ATC Sequoia LLC, ATC Sitios Infraco S.A.S., ATC Sitios de Chile S.A., ATC Sitios de Colombia S.A.S., ATC Sitios del Peru S.R.L., ATC South Africa Investment Holdings (Proprietary) Limited, ATC South Africa Services Pty Ltd, ATC South Africa Wireless Infrastructure (Pty) Ltd, ATC South Africa Wireless Infrastructure II (Pty) Ltd, ATC South America Holding LLC, ATC South LLC, ATC Spain LLC, ATC TRS I LLC, ATC TRS II LLC, ATC TRS III LLC, ATC TRS IV LLC, ATC Tanzania Holding LLC, ATC Telecom Infrastructure Private Limited, ATC Tower (Ghana) Limited, ATC Tower Services LLC, ATC Uganda Limited, ATC Uganda ServiceCo (SMC) Limited, ATC Watertown LLC, ATC WiFi LLC, ATS-Needham LLC, ActiveX Telebroadband Services Private Limited, Adquisiciones y Proyectos Inalambricos S. de R. L. de C.V., Agile Airband Ohio LLC, Agile Connect LLC, Agile IWG Holdings LLC, Agile Network Builders LLC, Agile Networks Indiana LLC, Agile Networks Site Development LLC, Agile Towers LLC, Alternative Networking LLC, American Tower Asset Sub II LLC, American Tower Asset Sub LLC, American Tower Charitable Foundation Inc., American Tower Delaware Corporation, American Tower Depositor Sub LLC, American Tower Guarantor Sub LLC, American Tower Holding Sub II LLC, American Tower Holding Sub LLC, American Tower International Holding I LLC, American Tower International Holding II LLC, American Tower International Inc., American Tower Investments LLC, American Tower LLC, American Tower Management LLC, American Tower Mauritius, American Tower Servicios Fibra S. de R.L. de C.V., American Tower Tanzania Operations Limited, American Tower do Brasil - Cessao de Infraestruturas Ltda., American Tower do Brasil Communicacao Multimidia Ltda., American Towers LLC, BR Towers, Blue Sky Towers Pty Ltd, Blue Transfer Sociedad Anonima, Broadcast Towers LLC, CNC2 Associates LLC, California Tower Inc., Cell Site NewCo II LLC, Cell Tower Lease Acquisition LLC, Central States Tower Holdings LLC, Colo ATL LLC, Colo Atl, Communications Properties Inc., Comunicaciones y Consumos S.A., Connectivity Infrastructure Services Limited, DCS Tower Sub LLC, Eaton, Eaton Towers (Lilongwe) Limited, Eaton Towers Ghana (M) Limited, Eaton Towers Ghana Limited, Eaton Towers Holdings Limited, Eaton Towers Kenya Limited, Eaton Towers Limited, Eaton Towers Niger S.A., Eaton Towers Uganda Limited, Essar Telecom Infrastructure, Eure-et-Loir Reseaux Mobiles SAS, GTP Acquisition Partners I LLC, GTP Acquisition Partners II LLC, GTP Acquisition Partners III LLC, GTP Costa Rica Finance LLC, GTP Infrastructure I LLC, GTP Infrastructure II LLC, GTP Infrastructure III LLC, GTP Investments LLC, GTP LATAM Holdings B.V., GTP LatAm Holdings Cooperatieve U.A., GTP Operations CR S.R.L., GTP South Acquisitions II LLC, GTP Structures I LLC, GTP Structures II LLC, GTP TRS I LLC, GTP Torres CR S.R.L., GTP Towers I LLC, GTP Towers II LLC, GTP Towers III LLC, GTP Towers IV LLC, GTP Towers IX LLC, GTP Towers V LLC, GTP Towers VII LLC, GTP Towers VIII LLC, GTPI HoldCo LLC, Ghana Tower InterCo B.V., Global Tower Assets III LLC, Global Tower Assets LLC, Global Tower Holdings LLC, Global Tower LLC, Global Tower Partners, Global Tower Services LLC, Gondola Tower Holdings LLC, Grain HoldCo LLC, Grain HoldCo Parent LLC, GrainComm I LLC, GrainComm II LLC, GrainComm III LLC, GrainComm LLC, GrainComm Marketing LLC, GrainComm V LLC, Haysville Towers LLC, IW Equipment LLC, IWD Equipment LLC, IWG Holdings LLC, IWG II Holdings LLC, IWG II LLC, IWG Miami LLC, IWG Towers Assets I LLC, IWG Towers Assets II LLC, IWG-TLA Australia Pty Ltd., IWG-TLA Canada Corp., IWG-TLA Encanto 1 LLC, IWG-TLA Encanto 2 LLC, IWG-TLA Encanto 3 LLC, IWG-TLA Encanto LLC, IWG-TLA Holdings LLC, IWG-TLA Media 2 LLC, IWG-TLA Media LLC, IWG-TLA Telecom LLC, IWL-TLA Telecom 2 LLC, Idaho Tower Company LLC, InSite (BCEC) LLC, InSite (MBTA) LLC, InSite Borrower LLC, InSite Co-Issuer Corp., InSite Guarantor LLC, InSite Hawaii LLC, InSite Issuer LLC, InSite Licensing LLC, InSite Towers Development 2 LLC, InSite Towers Development LLC, InSite Towers International 2 LLC, InSite Towers International Development LLC, InSite Towers International LLC, InSite Towers LLC, InSite Towers of Puerto Rico LLC, InSite Wireless Development LLC, InSite Wireless Group, InSite Wireless Group LLC, Insite Wireless LLC, Invisible IWG Holdings LLC, Invisible Towers LLC, JT Communications LLC, LAP Inmobiliaria Limitada, LAP Inmobiliaria S.R.L., LL B Sheet 1 LLC, Lap do Brasil Empreendimentos Imobiliarios Ltda, Lease Advisors-AU PTY LTD, Loxel SAS, MATC Digital S. de R.L. de C.V., MATC Infraestructura S. de R.L. de C.V., MATC Servicios S. de R.L. de C.V., MC New Macland Properties LLC, MCSU Properties LLC, MHB Tower Rentals of America LLC, MIP III Iron Holdings LLC, MIP III U.S. Iron LLC, Microwave Inc., Municipal Bay LLC, Municipal-Bay Holdings LLC, New Towers LLC, PCS Structures Towers LLC, R-CAL I LLC, RSA Media Inc., Repeater Communications Group I LLC, Repeater Communications Group II LLC, Repeater Communications Group III LLC, Repeater Communications Group IV LLC, Repeater Communications Group LLC, Repeater Communications Group V LLC, Repeater Communications Group VI LLC, Repeater Communications Group of New York LLC, Repeater IWG Holdings LLC, Richland Towers LLC, Signum/IWG Tower Corp., Southeast Network Access Point LLC, SpectraSite Communications, SpectraSite Communications LLC, SpectraSite LLC, T8 Ulysses Site Management LLC, TLA PR-1 LLC, TLA PR-2 LLC, Telecom Lease Advisors Management 2 LLC, Tower Management Inc., Towers of America L.L.L.P., Transcend Infrastructure Holdings Pte. Ltd., Transcend Towers Infrastructure (Philippines) Inc., Turris Sites Development Corp., Turris Sites IWG Corp, Tysons II DAS LLC, UNIsite, Uganda Tower Interco B.V., Ulysses Asset Sub I LLC, Ulysses Asset Sub II LLC, UniSite LLC, UniSite/Omnipoint FL Tower Venture LLC, UniSite/Omnipoint NE Tower Venture LLC, UniSite/Omnipoint PA Tower Venture LLC, Vangard Wireless LLC, Verus Management One LLC, Viom Networks, and Virdi IWG Holdings LLC.
Rogers Communications Inc. operates as a communications and media company in Canada. It operates through three segments: Wireless, Cable, and Media. The company offers mobile Internet access, wireless voice and enhanced voice, device and accessory financing, wireless home phone, device protection, text messaging, e-mail, global voice and data roaming, bridging landline, machine-to-machine and Internet of Things solutions, and advanced wireless solutions for businesses, as well as device delivery services; and postpaid and prepaid services under the Rogers, Fido, and chatr brands to approximately 10.9 million subscribers. It also provides Internet and WiFi services; smart home monitoring services, such as monitoring, security, automation, energy efficiency, and smart control through a smartphone app. In addition, the company offers local and network TV; on-demand television; cloud-based digital video recorders; voice-activated remote controls, and integrated apps; personal video recorders; linear and time-shifted programming; digital specialty channels; 4K television programming; and televised content on smartphones, tablets, and personal computers, as well as operates Ignite TV and Ignite TV app. Further, it provides residential and small business local telephony services; calling features, such as voicemail, call waiting, and long distance; voice, data networking, Internet protocol, and Ethernet services; private networking, Internet, IP voice, and cloud solutions; optical wave and multi-protocol label switching services; IT and network technologies; and cable access network services. The company also owns Toronto Blue Jays and the Rogers Centre event venue; and operates Sportsnet ONE, Sportsnet 360, Sportsnet World, Citytv, OMNI, FX (Canada), FXX (Canada), and OLN television networks, as well as 55 AM and FM radio stations. Rogers Communications Inc. was founded in 1960 and is headquartered in Toronto, Canada.
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Merria Dearman gets emotional about wigs not just because it's been her profession for 13 years, but because of the journey she takes with her clients. She experiences the highs of a client elated over a new wig and, sometimes, the lows of losing a client to cancer. Overall, shes grateful to provide high-quality, personalized solutions to her clients suffering from hair loss some of whom are dealing with life-threatening illnesses.
According to the American Hair Loss Association, women account for 40 percent of hair loss sufferers in the U.S. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that 650,000 people undergo chemotherapy in the United States a treatment that often leads to hair loss. With millions of women suffering from hair loss due to heredity, aging, hormones, stress, medical conditions or medications comes a plethora of options. One tried-and-true remedy remains a popular alternative: wigs.
Enter Merria (pronounced Mariah) Dearman, a master wigmaker in New York. Dearman honed her craft with top-tier wig masters from across the country, including Amanda Miller of Saturday Night Live and Jeanna Hurd of the American Conservatory Theater and San Francisco Opera and Ballet.
Ask Dearman how long it takes her to complete her masterpieces, and she recalls the time she spent 70 hours creating a 40-inch hair addition for a photo shoot for model Naomi Campbell. (Her standard time line is 40 to 50 hours.) While Dearman can certainly drop a few celebrity names, its her work at her salon, Har by Merria Dearman, with clients that include women who are losing their hair because of cancer, that brings her the most satisfaction. Dearman also is doing her part to ensure that the craft will continue with future generations. She works with the University of North Carolina School of the Arts, which has a highly regarded wig-making program, to train students via internships.
Read more about Dearmans wig master journey.
How did you get into wig-making?
I was an award-winning hairdresser, and I wanted to explore my hairdressing talents, and I also did makeup, so I went into film school in Vancouver [Vancouver Film School]. Part of the course curriculum was hand-making mustaches and wigs for character design, so I began learning to ventilate [tying strands of hair into a lace base] and to make traditional wigs.
When did you decide to become a wig master?
I spent a long time unconsciously working toward it because I had a passion for it. What happened in film school was I saw the wigs and was sort of like, I cant believe these things are so realistic. Why arent they available to the public, and why as a hairdresser have I never seen something this real? I didnt know about the craft. Then toward the end of my schooling my aunt got cancer, and we fixed a wig for her. I did all these things to it and she wore it to a party. She said it was comfortable; she didnt feel like it was going to fall off her head. She said this is what you have to do with your life. That was my aha moment.
You offer transformative hair care. What does that mean?
Transformative means its so hyperrealistic that we can take [clients] back to looking the way they looked before their hair thinned. Not take them and make them look like Jane from a wig off the wall, but actually take Sarah and turn her into Sarah five years prior to her hair loss. And thats something really powerful.
You work with women of all ages. Do your clients over 50 have specific concerns?
Everyone that suffers from hair loss feels that same feeling of insecurity, despair and same struggle. My clients over 50 have struggled with finding a solution.... Theyve tried a lot of things that havent worked before they get to me. My older clients are so grateful to have found something that works, because the hair loss industry is so hard to navigate. I find them to be more confident in terms of walking out the door and wearing it, because maybe theyve worn a wig before or they know a little bit more. Theyve been on the planet a little bit longer. They know that Ava Gardner wore a wig!
Where to Watch: Hulu
Premiere: Feb. 28 (streaming anytime)
Stars: Alec Baldwin, Jeff Daniels, Peter Sarsgaard
First, upstart network Hulu launched The Handmaids Tale, last years most-buzzed and socially relevant show. Now it may top itself with The Looming Tower, a gripping 10-part adaptation of the Pulitzer Prize-winning book by Lawrence Wright that explains how 9/11 happened, going all the way back to 1949, when an Arab student named Sayyid Qutb was so shocked by the sight of young Americans at a Colorado church social dancing to the sexy tune Baby, Its Cold Outside that he went home and joined the Muslim Brotherhood, and his Islamist writings helped inspire the rise of al-Qaida.
Hulus series has a narrower focus, on the battle royal between the FBI and CIA, starting in 1998, when al-Qaida bombed the U.S. Embassy in Nairobi, Kenya. The agencies had clashing missions and failed to share information that could have stopped the attack of Sept. 11, 2001, a tragedy dazzlingly dramatized by two of the best actors now working, Jeff Daniels as two-fisted FBI counterterrorism boss John ONeill and Peter Sarsgaard as CIA analyst Martin Schmidt. Sarsgaard plays him like a pot forever about to boil over with bile, a know-it-all who wont let the FBI know what he knows.
You know what ONeill will do! Schmidt complains. Hell arrest the first suspects he comes across and blow our chance of flipping them so that we can work our way up the chain of command and then well just end up with a bunch of low-level turds in custody, and meanwhile the leadership of al-Qaida is walking blissfully around!
The CIA guy is frustrated because the president wont authorize a bomb strike against Osama bin Laden that would kill under 1,000 people, mostly innocent. This is exactly what al-Qaida wants us to do, overreact to slaughter innocent Muslims, shouts ONeill, who privately refers to Schmidts CIA team as the Manson Family.
Crush the head and the snake dies, says Schmidt.
What are you, a f------ Gypsy? retorts ONeill. Find [bin Laden], arrest him, put him on trial, then in jail. Treat him like a criminal, not a hero.
Don Bayley/Getty Images
If you need more incentive to go for a walk or join an aerobics class, consider this: New research suggests that being out of shape will harm your brain and bring changes linked to dementia.
In a study published in the Journal of Alzheimers Disease, researchers focused on the impact of poor cardiovascular fitness on white matter, the bundles of nerve fibers that enable neurons to communicate within the brain.
They studied 81 patients, ranging in age from late 50s to early 70s. Fifty-five of the participants had memory loss and mild cognitive impairment, putting them at a higher risk of developing Alzheimers disease or another form of dementia.
Snyder says she and her husband, Michael Snyder, a part-time mechanic, can now fulfill their dream of traveling U.S. Route 66 from Chicago to California.
Jo-Ann Snyder will get to choose an heir who'll also get $5,000 a week for the rest of his or her life.
The retired optical company worker had only one gripe during the excitement. She says it would have been nice to have some advance notice so she could have done her hair.
Online orders to Fred Coffee Co. bring whole beans to local customers
Looking for a new cup of coffee in Aberdeen? Check out Fred Coffee Company, which sells their own roasted beans.
Copyright 2018 Albuquerque Journal
Albuquerque native Matthew McCarthy, 29, kicked around in a number of odd jobs since graduating high school, with stints in retail outlets and a call center.
But since September, hes been working full time as a computer and networking specialist at LDD Consulting, a small information technology firm that builds and manages IT systems for schools, organizations and businesses in Albuquerque.
LDD hired him as an apprentice through Central New Mexico Community Colleges Information Technology Apprenticeship Program, a novel initiative that the college launched in 2016 with a $3 million grant from the U.S. Department of Labor. The program places IT trainees directly in paying jobs with participating employers, who provide on-the-job training with experienced mentors. CNM provides free classroom instruction for the apprentices and pays for all their learning materials and certification exams to qualify them as trained professionals in their chosen IT fields.
McCarthy always wanted to break into IT, but until applying for CNMs program last August, he had only dabbled in some computer classes. In fact, he was unemployed before joining LDD, the first company to offer him a professional-level job.
Its hard to find a real job like this for someone like me without an education or a degree, McCarthy said. This program opened the door. Its giving me on-the-job training and experience with official certifications under my belt when I graduate, and that means a lot in the IT world enough to start a good career.
For LDD and other employers, the program is helping to find talented workers for skilled positions. Thats the No. 1 challenge for IT firms today, said LDD owner David Luft.
Its incredibly difficult in New Mexico, because were all competing for the same base of talent, Luft said. This program provides us with people who can start with entry-level stuff while they get subsidized education through CNM. With the right person like Matthew, we get a great employee who is excited about IT and who will give 110 percent while we train him in the way we like to do things.
Unusual approach
Apprenticeship programs are nothing new for the construction and manufacturing industries, but its unique in the IT field, and quite novel for a community college to manage it rather than an industry trade association or a union, said CNM program Director Sue Buffington. CNM is the first college in New Mexico to do it.
Theres only a handful of community colleges in the nation running or sponsoring apprenticeship programs, Buffington said. Its practically unheard of.
Its part of a new, national emphasis on building the mid-level skilled workforce needed to fill critical jobs in IT and other emerging digital industries, such as advanced manufacturing, which face chronic labor shortages, Buffington said.
Nearly 7 million people remained unemployed across the country in 2017, despite Labor Department reports of some 6 million unfulfilled positions. And much of that gap is in the mid-skill arena, where many people lack the knowledge or training to qualify, or where college graduates often still need real-world experience before getting hired.
Thats particularly true in IT and other technology fields, where many jobs require more than a high-school education but not a four-year degree.
We chose to focus on IT because of demand, Buffington said. We heard from many local employers that they cant find enough IT workers and they have to recruit from out of state and out of country.
Labor Dept. grant
CNM is one of 46 institutions nationwide to receive a grant under the Labor Departments American Apprenticeship Grants Initiative, launched in 2016. CNM expects to train 300 apprentices by 2020.
So far, its placed 28 people in apprenticeships with about one dozen participating employers. But many others will be hired in coming months since CNM has now qualified 250 more prospective trainees.
All participants must first pass the New Mexico Department of Workforce Solutions WorkKeys exam, which assesses things like problem-solving skills, basic math and reading and comprehension. CNM vets the applicants through interviews for acceptance to the program and potential placement with employers.
The college worked with Workforce Solutions, private employers and others to develop the training curriculum. Trainees can choose from seven different IT fields ranging from computer programming to network management. Two areas, cybersecurity and medical coding, were added in January to the programs initial five IT fields to provide more opportunities, Buffington said.
Once accepted by employers, apprentices earn lower starting wages than regular, fully trained new hires. But the positions include all benefits, and the salary grows throughout the yearlong apprenticeship as trainees achieve milestones. And most employers expect to retain apprentices at normal starting wages once they complete all program requirements and achieve their certifications.
Assessing success
Its still too early to assess program success, but CNMs effort inspired Sen. Martin Heinrich, D-N.M., to co-sponsor a CHANCE in Tech Act bill last year that would direct the Labor Department to organize more apprenticeship programs like CNMs, potentially providing ongoing funding.
Employers say its helping with recruitment. Health IT services company UnityBPO, for example, has 15 apprentices now and expects to hire five more, said Vice President for Global Service Delivery Abel Murrietta.
Programs like this are essential for growing companies like ours, Murrietta said. It creates a pipeline of people with the right character and talent.
At Presbyterian Healthcare Services, the program could help resolve a shortage of medical coders, said Director of Healthcare Information Management Tamara Hidalgo.
Certified coder positions are hard to fill across the U.S., Hidalgo said. Its a win-win for us, and for talented individuals interested in this field who we can train to our standards.
Apprentices say its setting them up for good-paying careers.
Its real hands-on learning that will make me hireable in many positions, said Sarafina Reza, a 23-year-old apprentice with CNMs IT Department.
UnityBPO apprentice Kelly Campbell, 33, called the program a golden opportunity.
For some companies, the experience and certifications Im getting mean more than a college degree, Campbell said.
Red River Networks apprentice Marcus Packer, 28, said the program should be expanded to include many more technology fields.
Theres a lot of poverty in New Mexico and many kids here leave high school and dont know what to do, Packer said. If this grows beyond IT, it can provide opportunities to build up the skilled workforce New Mexico needs.
Trainees wages start low, but rapidly climb
Mid-level IT jobs often start at around $50,000 a year, according to Sue Buffington, director of Central New Mexico Community Colleges Information Technology Apprenticeship Program.
But pay can vary widely between public and private sector positions and depends on an employees area of IT specialization, experience level and job responsibilities.
CNM apprentices start at much lower wages than regular, fully-trained new hires. But the salary climbs during the apprenticeship as trainees achieve milestones, and most likely will be hired later as regular employees with regular starting wages.
At Presbyterian Healthcare Services, newly-hired medical coders start at $17 per hour, or about $35,000 a year. An apprentice, however, begins training at $10.10 an hour.
CNM IT department apprentice Sarafina Reza started at $10 per hour in January 2017, but now makes $12.48. If she is hired later by CNM, her salary could begin at $17 an hour.
UnityBPO apprentice Kelly Campbell started at $13.75 an hour, but her salary would likely jump to about $30,000 annually or more if she is hired later by the firm.
Martin Hickey has a secret weapon, and it has a special spot in his Uptown office.
See that little rabbit sitting on the sofa?, he said. You know what that is? Its not because I cuddle up to it every afternoon. For Christmas, I gave everyone on the senior team a rabbit because we pull rabbits out of the hat.
There is no question that Hickey has been in need of rabbits lately.
Hickey, a doctor who has long been immersed in the world of health care insurance, headed the New Mexico Health Connections co-op until recently, when he took over a new for-profit insurer, True Health New Mexico. That entity is a subsidiary of Evolent Health.
Health Connections, one of the few remaining co-ops set up under the Affordable Care Act, had dire financial problems under Hickeys purview, and the board of directors resigned last year in an attempt to get the state to take control of the company.
That did not happen, and Health Connections now has a new head following Hickeys departure to oversee True Health. He said the co-ops future is now brighter, due to Evolents $10 million acquisition of Health Connections commercial customers.
Hickey sees the move as part of his longtime commitment to physician-led health care under a model that emphasizes prevention as a way to cut medical costs.
He sees his long career as an arc that started with his studies in medical anthropology, traveling to India, Nepal and an island in the Marianas in the western Pacific to research the relationship between patients and healers. He ended up spending seven years with the Indian Health Service, working with Navajos in Kayenta at the edge of Monument Valley in Arizona.
It was love at first sight, regarding both the work dealing with public health and the beauty of the area.
I used to spend 40 days a year, almost, on the (Colorado) river rafting or backpacking, he said.
Im so upset about the Bears Ears and the Escalante because thats so much of what I did, said Hickey, referring to the Trump administrations decision last year to shrink both national monuments in Utah.
Hickeys work on the reservation won a bit of unwanted acclaim, he said, after he treated Chevy Chase for a fall while the actor was shooting one of the Vacation movies in the area.
Hickey said as a young doctor, he let Chase talk him into a healthy supply of Valium, only to see Chase a year later on the Tonight Show talking about his addiction problems and how it all started when a doctor at a Navajo clinic prescribed too many drugs.
Chase didnt refer to Hickey by name, but Hickey knew just who the actor was talking about.
He blamed me for starting him on his drug addiction, Hickey said. Thats my funniest story.
What do you do in your free time?
A. Well, Im so excited about today its snowing in Telluride. And thats where Ive done most of my skiiing in my adult life. And I snowboard now because my kids taught me And if Santa Fes open. Ive got, you know, the senior pass and Ill do that. (Also) photography, and then just the outdoors. When I left Lovelace I said Im going to take a year off and I also bought an Airstream trailer. My wife, I dont think, has ever quite forgiven me, but I was like, Im out of here.
Where did you go?
My favorite part of the U.S. its so much ingrained because of being in the Navajo (region); southwestern, eastern Utah, Zion, Escalante, I could tell you about any canyon there where to put your tent, trailer or whatever. Really, the outdoors is my life.
Whats your favorite spot?
A. Its a place called Death Hollow in the Escalante not necessarily the name, but the beauty of that canyon. If you were blindfolded and dropped into it, you would say, Where did this come from? Its slickrock, water. curved walls going up three, four, 500 feet, lots of greenery because of the creek lots of poison ivy in some places, but its spectacular. That, and the other favorite place is on my seat rowing my raft down anywhere.
Most embarrassing moment?
Where do I start? Back in the day, I used to do a lot of speaking nationally So I was on the speakers circuit a fair amount, and they hook you up to mics. Yeah, it happened. I went to the bathroom with the mike on. About 200 people in the room
What would you say your weakness is?
This job in particular has taught me so much. Just things happen, and you have to deal with them and actually if you become reflective instead of reactive I would say if I had a weakness, I could be reactive without thinking a situation fully through before taking action on it. But theres just been so many things, and so its kind of like, well, get the hat. Theres a rabbit in there somewhere, and you know well figure it out.
What is something that no one knows about you?
Im pretty much a heart-on-the-sleeve guy. What Im surprised at is that people take me as seriously as they do when I dont.
You mean youre emotional? Give me an example.
Emotional. People know that my mind is cranking or something upset me, and Ill just walk down the hall at 10 miles an hour and no one can keep up with me or when things are great, Ill go, Yes! (pumps his fist) And I always tell my staff part of your job is to up-manage me. Usually, Im kind of like the weather here. If Im upset, it will change pretty quickly, so time yourself, but you know where Im coming from. Im not running with an agenda or play-acting. I love everyone, and I try and take things to a level where people can really understand, but I do get carried away. In my head, its really fascinating, wouldnt it be in yours? How come you dont get it?
Describe yourself in three words.
Passionate, persistent and, I like to think, pliable.
Favorite food?
Stuffed, baked lobster. My wifes influence. Shes from Boston.
Favorite books?
This is kind of an obtuse one. Michael Lewis who wrote The Undoing Project. It has changed the way I make decisions. Totally.
Authors the guy who wrote Hamilton, Ron Chernow? Im now reading Grant. I really like history as my kids say, You just like big white dudes, and I say, No, its just how do people under pressure react and their foibles. And then I have to confess to Lee Child. Every now and then, youve got to have a junk book.
THE BASICS
AGE: 69; born in Rockford, Ill.
EDUCATION: Johns Hopkins University, bachelors degree in social and behavioral sciences; Rutgers University, graduate program anthropology and pre-med courses; Rush Medical College, M.D., and extra year for graduate fellowship in medical anthropology; University of Rochester, Strong Memorial Hospital, three-year primary care internal medicine residency; University of Wisconsin, masters administrative medicine in first class of Executive Program for Physicians.
FAMILY: Married to Mary Cunnane, M.D., Oct. 6, 1982, for 35 years; two children, Ryan and Connor.
CURRENT JOB TITLE: CEO, True Health New Mexico
RECENT JOB HISTORY: New Mexico Health Connections, CEO, 2012-17; managing director, Navigant Consulting, 2010-12; Alegent Health, Omaha, Neb., chief accountable care officer, 2010, president and CEO of Alegent Health Clinic, 2008-10; Excellus Blue Cross Blue Shield, Rochester, N.Y., senior vice president, 2005-2008.
OUTSIDE ORGANIZATIONS: Board member of Lovelace Clinic Foundation, New Mexico High Risk Pool, Greater Albuquerque Chamber of Commerce and beWellnm; member of Rethink Healthcare initiative.
DID YOU KNOW
Hickey considers himself a recovering academic. He spent six years teaching medical economics and general medicine at the University of New Mexico, winning tenure before returning to the private sector.
Hickeys mother was an Illinois state senator. Hickey once considered running in New Mexico until he spent long hours waiting to testify before a standing committee on health care matters. And I just said, Wow, spending a lot of time doing that, I just dont know if I have the energy.'
NEW YORK Within three months, one of MacLaren Cummings staffers passed away from cancer and then both his own mother and the mother of an employee were diagnosed with breast cancer. Although he was the CEO, Cummings says, the last thing I could think about was work.
That painful stretch in 2011 planted the seeds for a paid family leave policy at Terakeet, his internet marketing company based in Syracuse, N.Y.
It changed my perspective on work/life balance and the importance of people being able to have time to spend with families and loved ones and not worry about a paycheck, Cummings says.
Paid time off to care for ill family members is a benefit many employees wish for, but its hard to come by especially at very small companies with limited financial resources. But a quarter-century after the Family and Medical Leave Act gave employees at larger businesses up to 12 weeks of unpaid time off for their medical needs or those of family members, a growing movement aims to help staffers at small businesses get paid leave.
Advocates for paid time off are lobbying for more states to get on board. Right now, paid family leave is the law in just four states, with one more and Washington, D.C., set to implement it in two years. Company owners elsewhere who can afford to provide it know its not only compassionate but also makes them more competitive in a tight labor market.
Paid leave for caregiving is separate from parental leave following a birth or adoption, a benefit more common at large corporations but that many small companies also struggle to provide. The FMLA requires employers with 50 or more workers to give them unpaid leave for their own medical needs, after the birth or adoption of a child or to care for an ill family member. Workers who take leave are guaranteed a job to come back to.
Some state and local laws allow workers at smaller companies to take unpaid time off for caregiving. Thirteen states and Washington, D.C., require employers to give parents and caregivers unpaid leave of varying lengths for different situations; the majority apply to businesses with under 50 employees.
But paid family leave, including time for caregivers, is the law only in California, New Jersey, New York and Rhode Island, which have employee- and/or employer-funded insurance pools to partially replace workers wages; Washington state and Washington, D.C., will do so starting in 2020. Workers in a growing number of states, cities and counties can accrue paid sick days that can be used to care for a relative; the city council in Austin, Texas, passed its sick leave law recently.
Campaigns are underway to enact similar paid family leave laws in other states including Massachusetts, Vermont, Connecticut, Oregon, Hawaii, Colorado and Minnesota, according to Ellen Bravo, co-director of Family Values at Work, an organization that advocates for paid leave.
It would likely be difficult to pass paid leave in Congress and in many conservative states, where lawmakers may believe such decisions should be made by company owners. President Donald Trump indicated support for paid family leave in his State of the Union address, but gave no details.
Many companies of all sizes offer paid parental leave; the amount offered varies widely, ranging from one or two weeks to 20 or more at big tech companies. Netflix offers 52 weeks. Paid caregiving leave is rarer in corporate benefits packages, although some big companies like Microsoft and Starbucks do offer it.
Terakeet gives staffers eight weeks leave at full pay and four weeks at half pay during a 12-month period for situations similar to those covered by the FMLA. Cummings began offering leave more than three years ago, before New Yorks family leave law was enacted in 2016.
Some small businesses offer caregiving leave because the owners have emotional ties to staffers, says Stephanie Sweitzer, an employment attorney with Morgan Lewis in Chicago.
They have a much more family-like atmosphere, she says. Economist Eileen Appelbaum, who has interviewed business owners to find out what kinds of benefits they offer, says many would provide leave if they could.
Most small employers told us regretfully, We value these employees, we know them, we know their families. We want to give them the time, but we dont have the ability to provide them with pay,' says Appelbaum, co-director of the think tank Center for Economic and Policy Research.
Forcing staffers to choose between caring for a family member and their paychecks doesnt make sense to Lisa Goodbee. She gives the 17 staffers at her civil engineering firm six weeks at full pay and 12 at half pay for parental or caregiving leave.
I spent a lot of time and energy in training people. When they have an incident, a new baby a dying parent or whatever it might be, I want to try and do whatever I can to keep them, says Goodbee, president of Goodbee & Associates in Denver.
It keeps my employees happy, and when my staff is happy, my clients are happy and it goes in the quality of the business and the bottom line.
Joe Gidjunis, owner of JPG Photography in Philadelphia, offers his 13 staffers five weeks of time for vacation, sick days and holidays, but isnt able to pay them while theyre on leave.
Its difficult to pass these extra fees on to my customers through higher prices, he says.
Copyright 2018 Albuquerque Journal
Both Bernalillo County and the city of Albuquerque have the authority to issue industrial revenue bonds, a complex tax break mechanism that proponents say spurs economic development. Over the past five years, the county has approved 26 such proposals, primarily from Albuquerque-based businesses or organizations looking to expand there. The city has approved none.
Those numbers, supplied by city and county staff, depict a major shift in the way IRBs have been administered within the state. As of 2011, Albuquerque was the largest issuer of such bonds in New Mexico, according to a city presentation made that year to state legislators.
So why have businesses turned to the county in recent years?
Alan Hall, an attorney with Rodey Law Firm who has represented various entities in the IRB process, said part of the answer is a simple calculation: The county typically takes eight to 10 weeks to approve a proposal, while the citys process has historically required an additional month and often much longer. After the county began issuing IRBs in the early 2000s, a growing number of businesses began working with the county to avoid procedures Hall called mechanical at the city.
For a business, time is money, he said. It would be almost malpractice for me to suggest to my clients that they go to the city council.
Synthia Jaramillo, who was recently named Albuquerques director of economic development, pointed out that the citys IRB review includes more opportunities for public input than that of the county. Still, she said Albuquerque is exploring ways to streamline the process, particularly for small businesses already located here.
County Commissioner Maggie Hart Stebbins, who has advocated for greater stringency in the process, described the countys rules as more permissive than that of the city.
I would even say we have lower standards, said Stebbins. Theres no prohibition against retail, for example, which is generally not bringing economic base jobs to the community.
Economic base jobs are positions that introduce new money to the state through exported goods or services. Bernalillo County is legally permitted to offer IRBs for retail or mixed-used projects; Albuquerque is not.
The 26 IRBs approved over the past five years by the county represent multiple industries, including retail.
In total, the packages reflect $441 million in privately-funded bonds from companies promising 2,022 jobs, according to county data. The county does not maintain a total of the tax abatements represented by those bonds, though the information is disclosed for each individual bond per year in an annual financial report.
Typically, the abatements are a fraction of the value represented by the entire bond package. In the case of the $20 million IRB for Verizon Wireless approved in 2006, the total tax abatement was $9.7 million over a 30-year period, according to economic incentive tracker Good Jobs First.
Verizon recently announced that it will close its brick-and-mortar call center operation in October 2019. The county said it is reviewing its agreement with the company to have a clear understanding of what commitments are remaining.
Debra Inman of the private, not-for-profit Albuquerque Economic Development Inc. called IRBs a critical tool for encouraging employers to relocate and expand in New Mexico, and said she encourages clients to go to both the city and county to understand their options.
Others, like the SouthWest Organizing Project, argue that IRBs are often inappropriately administered regardless of the entity overseeing the process.
Executive Director George Lujan said the group has held multiple Irby awards ceremonies beginning in the late 1990s, awarding satirical prizes to companies that benefited from lucrative IRBs. The logo for the event was an octopus, tentacles clutching dollar bills.
If you look at the original intention of these things, theyre supposed to be a way to expand whole industries and create exponential economic growth, said Lujan Instead, theyre often given to big companies offering low-paying, low-level jobs.
Hall argues that the public and governing bodies must take a measured approach in their analysis of IRBs.
If a company wants to develop an empty lot, he said, a property tax abatement must be viewed in light of the tax generated from an empty lot versus a building. He also said government entities tend to place too high a priority on the gross receipts tax generated by a project, instead of other measures like the quality of the position being offered by the employer.
The result, according to Hall, is a procedure that often comes up with the wrong answer.
In August, Bernalillo County approved a bill adding new requirements to their IRB review process, including one that requires commissioners to analyze the impact of the project on existing businesses in the community.
Deanna Archuleta, the interim director of economic development for the county, said she does not foresee the new guidelines significantly impacting how quickly the county reviews what she called an incredibly important economic tool.
I dont see it slowing down at all, she said.
Ins and outs of IRBs
Industrial revenue bonds have been used in New Mexico as an economic development incentive for decades. They are a financial mechanism for providing tax breaks typically property taxes, but in some cases also gross receipt or compensating tax to companies without violating the states anti-donation clause. Heres how they work:
First, a companys property is deeded to a public entity, like the city or the county.
Next, the entity issues bonds, which are then purchased by the company. The entity leases the property back to the company.
The lease payments are used to pay off the bonds, and once theyre paid off, ownership transfers back to the company.
Essentially, a company borrows money from itself during an IRB; the city or county assumes no liability for the bonds.
The value of the IRB reflects not the tax abatement offered to the company, but rather the assessed value of the property, equipment or other items of value. In many deals, the company makes payments in lieu of standard taxes over the course of the term of the bonds. Also common in recent years: clawbacks, which allow the government entity to take back some of abated taxes if an organization violates promises made during the deal, such as the number of jobs brought a community. Many New Mexico IRBs have a clawback period of around a decade.
Copyright 2018 Albuquerque Journal
Four-month-old Hazelnut, a black Australian Cattle dog, was considered too small to adopt from the Albuquerque Animal Welfare Department last September. So Christopher Ater put an interested person hold on the puppy until she gained more weight and he could adopt her.
I never received a call back from them, Ater told the Journal on Friday, so I assume the puppy was adopted.
Now Ater said hes annoyed to learn that, according to city records, Hazelnut was transferred to a private pet rescue, DMK Rehoming. The rescue was founded by the associate director of the Animal Welfare Department, Deb Brinkley.
Brinkley has been on paid city administrative leave since Jan. 29 and her actions have also been under scrutiny by the city of Albuquerques Office of Inspector General.
Animal Welfare records obtained by the Journal show that more than one dozen young dogs at city shelters, mostly highly adoptable puppies, were transferred over a two-month period last fall to Brinkleys rescue organization.
The nonprofit rescue is dedicated to saving Death Row dogs deemed dangerous or otherwise unadoptable but does sell puppies for $250 a piece, according to its website.
It isnt clear whether the DMK Rehoming is operating in Colorado or in Belen, where Brinkley moved after taking the city job a year ago.
Brinkley didnt return a Journal phone message seeking comment Friday. No one answered the Colorado phone number listed for DMK Rehoming on its website.
But in a Facebook post dated Wednesday, Brinkley wrote, So the toxicity at my job has boiled over to this rescue. Please do not believe the story that is going around about me and about my rescue. I have put up with a years worth of vile harassment from several co-workers, trying to get me to quit.
She was hired for the newly created position of associate director in late 2016 as city officials hoped to stabilize an agency that for several years has been roiled by controversy over the adoption of potentially dangerous dogs, low employee morale and top administrators overturning staff decisions on treatment and euthanasia.
Brinkley, who is paid $82,475 annually, has been the No. 2 person in the 140-employee department, working directly for then-Animal Welfare director Paul Caster. Both were active in volunteer animal rescue efforts prior to being hired by the city.
Caster, who was hired in 2015, left his job Nov. 30 just as incoming Mayor Tim Keller assumed office.
Brinkleys attorney, Thomas Grover, told the Journal on Friday, Everything she did was above board and consistent with city rules and procedures. It wasnt like she was sneaking them out the back door.
Brinkley got her classified job, which has due process protections, though she lacked the minimum college education requirements posted in the citys job description.
Brinkley had been running DMK Rehoming and a dog kennel in Aurora, Colo., when she was chosen from among five applicants. The city substituted her work experience to meet the minimum educational requirement.
City records show that the transfers of young dogs, including the puppy Hazelnut, occurred between Sept. 21 to Oct. 23. All were listed as being transferred to DMK Rehoming with an address in Belen.
Hazelnuts transfer came two weeks after Ater went to a city shelter hoping to adopt the pup as a friend for his 14-year-old dog, Lulu.
Along with Ater, records show, at least one other person expressed an interest in adopting one of puppies that later went to DMK Rehoming.
In late August, records show, shelter employees put a hold on a tricolor puppy named Monte for that man. He was described as an interested party and was to be contacted when the pup makes weight, records shows. Three weeks later, Monte was transferred to DMK Rehoming in Belen.
It wasnt clear whether the puppies were transferred to Colorado, although Keller said last week that the citys investigation into the matter shows city shelter dogs ended up in Colorado.
The puppy transfers came weeks before DMK Rehoming issued a series of fundraising pleas on its Facebook page, which also advertised adoption events in Colorado.
We have puppies and adult dogs looking for their forever homes, stated an Oct. 6 post.
A Nov. 28 post stated: In 2016 we helped over 500 dogs find forever homes. Help us do the same for 2017.
DMK Rehoming cited a Dec. 31 deadline in urgently seeking funding. If received by then, the DMK page stated, the donations were to be matched by an anonymous donor up to $15,000.
An online fundraising site showed that DMK made its goal, collecting more than $16,000.
Whether the Animal Welfare puppies were sold by Brinkley isnt clear. Asked to respond, Grover said, My understanding is if she did any of that, she did it above board.
No longer licensed
Its Facebook page states that DMK is a Colorado licensed, nonprofit rescue.
But, according to the Colorado Department of Agriculture, Brinkley submitted a closed business form on May 31, 2017. According to spokeswoman Christi Lightcap, DMK is no longer licensed by the state of Colorado and must re-apply for a new license if it reopens.
The nonprofit, which had been licensed by the state of Colorado for nine years, is under investigation by the Colorado agency, Lightcap told the Journal on Friday in an email.
DMK Rehomings website as of Friday showed four dogs up for adoption, apparently in Colorado. The Facebook page also shows numerous followers who offered support to Brinkley, some noting their successful adoptions of dogs from her agency in Colorado.
The nonprofits 990 income tax filing for 2016, the most recent available, showed about $75,864 in gross receipts for the year, with program services expenses of $73,903. It listed Brinkley as president and CEO, showing she and three directors as unpaid.
The Journal reported last year that Brinkley raised eyebrows among some animal welfare employees after acknowledging that she helped save a 120-pound mastiff mix breed dog named Onion, which made national news in 2012 after mauling a Nevada child to death.
Brinkley told Animal Welfare employees last year that she helped save Onion by taking him in at a sanctuary she used to run in Colorado, according to an internal city investigation.
Animal Welfare employees told investigators with the citys Office of Inspector General last year that Brinkleys past actions were alarming and epitomized how departments leaders prioritize live exits for animals over public safety.
This has been a very ugly year with a lot of lies and since that didnt work they are coming after this rescue, Brinkley said on the DMK Rehoming Facebook page last week. The battle at my job just went from cat people versus dog people to Pro Euthanasia versus No Killing Healthy dogs and cats the pro euthanasia people unfortunately are winning.
Experience vs. education
City officials last year conceded that Brinkley didnt have the required minimum education for the job. The job posting for associate director in July 2016 stated that related education may be substituted for experience on a year for year basis.
Instead, the city substituted experience for her lack of education. That option that wasnt mentioned in the public posting that was primarily circulated within city government.
Mary L. Scott, city Human Resources Director, responded to Journal inquiries last year stating in an email that it is our standard practice to augment education for experience for this position. She acknowledged that no one in Animal Welfare or Human Resources caught the fact that the language regarding qualifying in the job description was inconsistent with qualifying language in other Associate Director positions.
The job required a bachelors degree, with major course work in public administration, business administration, environmental science or a related field.
Brinkleys application stated that she attended Colorado Mountain College but didnt graduate. She completed 42 units toward an associate degree.
The city job description required at least eight years of managerial experience, including five years of direct supervisory experience in a management and/or administrative capacity.
Brinkleys application stated that she had 13 or more years of managerial experience.
Under experience, she listed herself as owner of a dog kennel, dog day care and dog boarding facility.
She listed DMK Rehoming, but said it had no employees and that she supervised 60 volunteers.
From 2008 to 2012, her application stated, she was director and owner of an assisted living home for people with dementia and Alzheimers disease.
Grover said his client proved to be the highest scoring applicant and the most competitive.
Brinkley scored the highest of the five candidates, two of whom work for the citys Animal Welfare Department. Caster sat on the three-person selection committee.
MUNICH The abiding image from the recent security conference here was of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu theatrically brandishing a piece of an Iranian drone shot down over Israel a week before and starkly warning Tehran: Do not test Israels resolve.
Are Israel and Iran heading toward war, in their new jockeying for influence amid the rubble of Syria? Probably not, but a delicate game of brinkmanship has certainly begun. Policymakers in Washington, Jerusalem, Moscow and Tehran are struggling to define and communicate the rules.
The Israel-Iran confrontation is the most dangerous new factor in Syria, which has become a gruesome cockpit once again after some months of relative quiet. The Syrian regime is now trying to crush resistance in Ghouta, east of Damascus, where rebels once had CIA support but are now struggling on their own. The bloodbath there has been horrific, and the U.N. Security Council just debated a resolution for a 30-day cease-fire. Russia resisted, evidently wanting to complete the bloody campaign.
This grim new phase of the Syrian conflict is a replay of the siege of Aleppo with the added new danger of a regional war between Israel and Iran. Its this latter problem that most concerns U.S. and Israeli officials, especially after the shootdown of an Israeli F-16 during a retaliatory strike after the Iranian drone incident.
A senior Trump administration official last week summarized the deterrence strategy against Iranian forces in Syria: Israel must maintain its freedom of action to strike Iranian threats anywhere in Syria; the U.S. and Russia should expand the buffer zone in southwest Syria where Iranian-backed forces arent allowed to operate. That exclusion zone is now about 10 kilometers; the U.S. wants to widen it to 20.
But this simple formula doesnt address the larger questions that are lurking in the new Israel-Iran standoff. Should Israel work more closely with Russia to decrease Iranian influence? And does Moscow have the power to deliver? Should America use its military presence in eastern Syria to check Iranian forces?
Theres also a controversial new twist thats being discussed quietly by some U.S. and Israeli officials. If its unrealistic to expect that U.S. military forces and their Syrian Kurdish allies will indefinitely occupy Syrian territory east of the Euphrates, then should the U.S. begin working to gradually restore the authority of the Syrian government to that part of the country?
Return of the state, not return of the regime is how some officials are describing this approach. Theres an important caveat: This strategy cannot mean restoration of power for President Bashar Assad, whose massacres of his people wont be forgiven by millions of Syrians. Assads toxic role was dramatized by last weeks slaughter in Ghouta.
Experts in Washington, Moscow and Tel Aviv are weighing whether there might be an eventual deal between Americas key ally in Syria, the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces, and a reformed Syrian army and state. That Kurdish-government alliance might be a better bulwark against Iranian influence than an unsustainable American occupation; it could also be the backbone of a reformed Syria.
To check Iranian influence in Syria, the U.S. needs a coherent strategy whose pieces fit together. The U.S. has leverage but appears unsure how to use it, which tempts rivals such as Russia, Turkey and Iran. The most expensive option in the Middle East is doing nothing. This simply imposes greater costs on future policymakers, argues Norman Roule, a former chief of Iranian operations at the CIA and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence.
Copyright 2018 Albuquerque Journal
Officials working to clean up groundwater contaminated by a decadeslong jet fuel leak on Kirtland Air Force Base hope a new extraction well will cut off the source of the contaminated plume that has spread thousands of feet off base.
The new well on southeast Ridgecrest Drive, just east of the San Pedro Drive intersection, is the closest of four extraction wells to the source of the spill on the northern edge of base boundaries.
The whole goal is to stop feeding this plume, said Kathryn Lynnes, the Air Forces senior adviser on the cleanup project.
The plume containing ethylene dibromide, a fuel additive used from the 1950s until the mid-1970s, spread much farther than other contaminants and has been the most urgent target of the cleanup effort.
Lynnes said the new extraction well will pump at a slower rate than the other three to avoid pulling other contaminants located near the source area including benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene and xylenes farther off base.
The Air Force worked with the U.S. Geological Survey, New Mexico Environment Department, Albuquerque Bernalillo County Water Utility Authority and others to determine the site of the new well.
We are certainly supportive of them putting in as many extraction wells as they need to get that EDB plume out of the groundwater in a reasonable amount of time, said Rick Shean, a water quality hydrologist with the water authority.
Lynnes said construction of the well was completed around a year ago but design of the pipeline transporting the water to the treatment facility and gaining proper approvals took several months.
The well went online earlier this month, Lynnes said.
Since the beginning of the cleanup effort, more than 330 million gallons of contaminated groundwater have been pulled from the plume and purified.
The Air Force is also working to replace some of its monitoring wells, which measure the plumes activity.
Many are now unable to measure EDB levels at the waters surface due to a rapid rise in the water table last year.
Of the 62 groundwater monitoring wells, nine were left after the water table rose.
Six new monitoring wells will be drilled, and Lynnes said the Air Force will repurpose 12 wells that were previously used to monitor soil vapor but now contain water due to the rising water table.
After eight cores are drilled in the source area of the leak to examine the extent of soil contamination, wells also will be built at those locations.
Lynnes said work plans for coring and six new wells have been submitted to the New Mexico Environment Department.
Lynnes said it wont be necessary to replace all of the submerged wells, as many were placed during the investigative phase of the cleanup and arent on or near the plumes present location.
Once you figure out where the plume is, you dont need to replace all of those wells, Lynnes said.
The spill was the result of a leaking, underground pipe used to transport fuel that was discovered in 1999.
Fred Harris is the only surviving member of the 11-person Kerner Commission, created by President Lyndon Johnson in 1967 to explore the causes of racial unrest that exploded in riots in numerous American cities that summer and to find solutions to the problems responsible.
The commissions report, released Feb. 29, 1968, stated that black frustration, caused by a lack of economic opportunity, and white racism were at the heart of the rioting and warned: Our nation is moving toward two societies, one black, one white separate and unequal.
New jobs, decent housing, better education and the elimination of segregation were among the solutions recommended.
And for nearly a decade we made progress on nearly everything in race and poverty, Harris, 87, said last week during an interview at his Corrales home.
Harris, born in a small Oklahoma town, has had a busy life on a big stage as a U.S. senator from Oklahoma, chairman of the Democratic National Committee, presidential candidate, author and political science professor at the University of New Mexico.
It keeps you out of the pool hall, as we used to say back home, he said.
Tuesday morning, at a press breakfast and follow-up national forum in Washington, D.C., Harris will be among those releasing a report card, in the form of a book titled Healing Our Divided Society, on where the country stands on race and poverty issues 50 years after the Kerner Commission delivered its findings and suggested fixes.
Are we better, worse, about the same? Thats tomorrow.
In Corrales last week, Harris took a look at yesterday.
A president calls
Early in the evening of July 27, 1967, Harris, then serving as an Oklahoma senator, was at his McLean, Va., home, preparing to watch Johnson address the nation on TV.
Harris, a Democrat, had suggested to the White House that a panel was needed to get at the bottom of riots that had ripped through Cincinnati, Detroit, Milwaukee, Newark and other cities, causing deaths, injuries and massive property damage. He expected Johnson to announce such a move during his TV talk.
Laura, my youngest daughter, in second grade at the time, came running out of the kitchen and said, Daddy, President Johnson is on the phone for you, Harris recalled. I said, Is it the president or a secretary? Laura said, Its President Johnson. He said he wanted to talk to my daddy.
Harris took the call on the wall phone in his kitchen.
The president said, Fred, I hope you are going to watch television tonight. Im going to appoint that commission youve been talking about, and Im going to put you on it. And Fred, remember youre a Johnson man, and if you forget it Im going to take out my pocket knife and cut your (expletive) off.
Thats how Harris, at age 37, came to be the youngest member of the 11-person Kerner Commission.
Others included the commissions chairman, Illinois Gov. Otto Kerner; Vice Chairman John Lindsay, mayor of New York City; Roy Wilkins, executive director of the NAACP; and the panels only female member, Katherine Graham Peden, Kentuckys commissioner of commerce.
The president told us, Let your search be free, find the truth and express it in your report, Harris said. And thats what we did.
Jobs, baby, jobs
Although they were from completely different backgrounds, Harris and Lindsay hit it off.
John and I knew from the very first moment that we were on the same wavelength on causes and remedies, Harris said.
When the commission split into teams to visit riot-torn cities, Lindsay and Harris went to Cincinnati and Milwaukee.
In Cincinnati, we met with a group of younger, educated black people, Harris said. They would not shake our hands or look at us. They said it was a waste of their time. You white politicians arent going to do anything. So then we went out on the (Cincinnati) streets and found young black men shooting craps in the middle of the day. Here we come in our suits, and they jump up and say, Who are you, the FBI?
Harris said when the young men found out what he and Lindsay were investigating, they started shouting, Jobs, baby, jobs. We need jobs.
Harris said they got the same message when they talked to black men in a Milwaukee barbershop.
After months of investigations and interviews, the commission spent 44 days, until well into February 1968, writing their report.
We read aloud and voted on every word in the report, Harris said. Some of the votes were 6-5.
In part, the report stated, It is time to make good the promises of American democracy to all citizens urban and rural, white and black, Spanish-surname, American Indian and every minority group.
But Harris said Johnson got false information that the report gave him no credit for his work to advance civil rights and erase poverty and that it would spell disaster for his presidency. Johnson believed that.
Turns out, he did think I forgot I was a Johnson man, Harris said. He rejected our report and refused to meet with us. And thats a shame, because Johnson did more to turn back racism and poverty than any president before or since.
UpFront is a front-page news and opinion column. Comment directly to Ollie Reed Jr. at 823-3916 or oreed@abqjournal.com. Go to www.abqjournal.com/letters/new to submit a letter to the editor.
The New York State Department of Health wants people in the New York City area to know that an Australian tourist confirmed to have measles visited numerous hotels and the Metropolitan Museum of Art from Feb. 16 to 21.
Measles is notoriously contagious for people without immunity to the disease, with a 90 percent infection rate for nonimmunized people who venture near an active spreader, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The virus latches onto the nose and throat mucus and proliferates through coughing and sneezing, with a life span of up to two hours in the open air.
About 9 out of 10 kids in the United States receive their measles vaccines, and the vaccines effectiveness rates above 90 percent, the CDC says.
In the United States, dropping immunization rates and bumps in infections have been tied to the anti-vaxxer movement, which believes that autism is caused by immunizations. That belief has long been discredited, but it has taken root in some communities.
State health officials on Friday advised people without immunizations to contact a health-care provider if they exhibit symptoms of measles, which include fever, rash, cough, pinkeye or a runny nose.
The Australian tourists travel route appears to show the contraction and progression of the disease, in a chronology provided Friday by state health officials:
Feb. 16-19: La Quinta Inn, 31 W. 71st Street, New York, New York.
Feb 16-17: Oasis Bible Tours at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1000 5th Avenue, New York, New York.
Feb. 19: Watchtower Educational Center, 100 Watchtower Drive, Patterson, New York.
Feb. 19-20: Best Western Hotel, 1324 Atlantic Avenue, Brooklyn, New York.
Feb. 20-21: Comfort Inn & Suites Goshen Middletown, 20 Hatfield Lane, Goshen, New York.
Feb. 21: Excel Urgent Care, 1 Hatfield Lane, Goshen, New York.
Feb. 21: Orange Regional Medical Center, Emergency Department, 707 E. Main Street, Middletown, New York.
There is some overlap, the state said, given the two-hour life span of the virus when airborne.
At this point, if you are digging into your vaccination records, immunization for the disease may show up as MMR the common cocktail immunization for measles, mumps and rubella.
The state is being proactive with the alert, as symptoms typically appear about 10 to 12 days after exposure. So if you checked into La Quinta Inn and enjoyed Central Park views on Feb. 16-17, then symptoms of the disease may begin to show if you were infected.
This episode is noteworthy, given New York Citys population density and the tourists path cutting through area hotels and probably subway and cabs. The Met notched a record-high 7 million visitors in fiscal 2017, the museum said in its annual review, drawing art enthusiasts and others from all over the world.
Children must be immunized against measles to enroll in schools and day care, New York state health officials said, and college students since 1990 have been required to furnish their immunization records for the disease.
Despite global efforts to combat the disease, measles has remained a serious threat, mostly to children in the developing world. In 2016, there were 89,780 measles deaths worldwide, the first year the figure dipped below six figures, the World Health Organization said. The World Bank found that Australia, at 95 percent, has a slightly higher rate of measles immunization than the United States, which stands at 92 percent.
The disease has sometimes roared back in the United States in incidents tied to anti-vaxxer efforts. For instance, MMR vaccines in Somali communities in Minnesota dropped 50 percent from 2004 to 2014 because of activist work there, sparking the worst measles outbreak in the state in three decades.
And in 2015, dozens of people at Disneyland contracted the virus in an outbreak that prompted state officials to warn nonimmunized people to stay away from the park. Disneyland is in Orange County, California, an anti-vaxxer hotbed.
WASHINGTON President Donald Trump, whos been highly critical of the law enforcement response to the Florida school shootings, says he would have rushed in, unarmed, if hed been there.
Speaking to a roomful of governors at the White House, Trump said Monday, You dont know until youre tested, but I think I really believe Id run in there even if I didnt have a weapon, and I think most of the people in this room would have done that, too.
Trumps heroic hypothetical vividly demonstrated his frustration at the way the deadly events unfolded at the school in Parkland, Florida.
His session with the governors, in Washington for their annual winter meeting, was heavily focused on finding ways to address the massacre of 17 students and teachers in a Valentines Day shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. It was the latest gathering in which the president spoke of a need to enact new gun-control measures as well as act to improve school safety.
Trump said his recent calls for the arming of many teachers wasnt a universal one, instead likening it to taking advantage of educators with athletic talents to provide additional protection within schools.
The headline was Trump wants all teachers to have guns. Trump wants teachers to have guns. I dont want teachers to have guns, the president said. I want highly trained people that have a natural talent, like hitting a baseball or hitting a golf ball or putting.
As for his statement about what he would have done personally, press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said, He was saying that he would be a leader and would want to take a courageous action, and a lot of the individuals that helped protect others that day werent carrying firearms, which I think shows that you can be helpful in that process.
Trump said anew that he was disappointed in officers who didnt stop the gunman, calling their performance frankly disgusting.
They really werent exactly Medal of Honor winners, Trump said.
He renewed his criticism of former Broward County Sheriffs deputy Scot Peterson, though Petersons lawyer said in Florida that accusations are untrue that he acted unprofessionally and cowardly during the shooting.
Lawyer Joseph DiRuzzo said Monday that the school resource officer didnt enter the high school because it sounded like the shooting was happening outside the building.
Trump wasnt impressed.
Look what he did in Broward where he thought he was probably a brave guy, but he wasnt a brave guy under pressure, the president said. He choked and other people choked. A lot of people choked in that case.
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Associated Press writers Zeke Miller and Darlene Superville contributed.
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Follow Thomas at http://www.twitter.com/KThomasDC.
LAS CRUCES Schools in the Las Cruces district are required to have lockdown drills, but most have yet to conduct one, leaving some students feeling like they arent prepared if something was to happen.
In the first six weeks of the new year, there have been six high school shootings that happened during school hours and resulted in the physical injury of someone, according to Everytown, a nonprofit that advocates for gun control and against gun violence.
And since Dec. 2012, when the Sandy Hook school shooting took the lives of 26 people including 20 first graders there have been 239 school shootings nationwide, where 438 people were shot, resulting in 138 deaths, according to the Gun Violence Archive said.
There was even a school shooting in Aztec, New Mexico, where two students and the perpetrator were killed in Dec. 2017.
But still LCPS high school students say they have no clue what to do if there was an active shooter on their campus, and thats because they dont do drills for it.
Weve been told what to do in some classes, but not in every class, said Klarysa Nunez, a sophomore at Mayfield High School.
Nunez added that it would depend where she was in the school such as a traditional classroom where she would know what to do versus other locations like the gym or the cafeteria where she wouldnt.
Mayfield has also had zero lockdown drills since the start of the school year, which Nunez said would be the first step in preparing students. She also recommended students receive clear guidelines on what to do, when and where.
Alex Garcia, a freshman at Centennial High School, said he, too, feels his school is lacking in preparing students for potential threats or risks.
Garcia said that he is bothered that the school doesnt hold more drills because if students are not prepared it could cause more panic. He added the school could make a better effort in making students aware of possible situations and what to do.
Recent events have also made students at Centennial uneasy about attending school, he said.
You can tell kids are nervous about (a potential threat), Garcia said. In class, everyone is talking about it.
District requirements
According to the LCPS Environmental and Safety Program, schools are required to have fire, evacuation and shelter-in-place drills throughout the school year, as well as two lockdown drills.
A lockdown is implemented in response to acts of violence, active shooter/killer, or police response to felony incidents, according to the program. It means the exterior and interior doors are locked, lights are off and students are to be out of sight and quiet.
But students at Centennial High School, Arrowhead Park Early College and Rio Grande Preparatory Institute have said they have not had any lockdown drills this school year. Students at Las Cruces High School said they have had one lockdown drill.
Todd Gregory, LCPS director of Public Safety, said the district recommends each school has a lockdown drill every semester, but they are not required. School administrators have discretion as to when those are held as long as it is done within the school year.
Students have now been in school roughly seven months this school year, and have two-and-a-half months remaining.
Gregory said it is the responsibility of the principal of each school to conduct the drills and the role of superintendent to keep the principals accountable. If the principal is not compliant, he said they could stand to lose their administrative/principal certification.
Employees of the district, particularly teachers, are also required by the district to take training courses to prepare in case of any emergency, Gregory said.
They have access to resources through the LCPS Operations Department to help improve on the carrying out of drills and are provided information in the 279-page New Mexico Public Education Department Planning for Safe Schools in New Mexico School Guide, he said.
And parents and students can read more in the Family and Student handbook.
The districts Department of Public Safety was implemented in October, and Gregory said they are only responsible for instructing school administrations on how to carry out drills or to improve the ones they have. He said they are not responsible for keeping a record of the drills each school conducts but does request schools to send the records in to his department if they can.
Spree of threats
In the 10 days following the Margory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting in Parkland, Florida, Las Cruces police have responded to several threats to LCPS schools on social media.
Las Cruces High School was placed on lockdown twice in two days for possible threats made by students to the school.
The first threat was made Wednesday after a student posted on Snapchat a photo of himself holding a rifle and referencing school shooter in the text.
The LCHS student, Ernest Padilla, 18, was found to be in possession of a butterfly knife and brass knuckles on the school campus, and was later charged with one count of unlawful carrying a deadly weapon on school premises. No firearm was found on Padilla or in his vehicle, Las Cruces police said.
The second incident was a false alarm that put the school on lockdown midday Thursday.
A rumor of a threat had been reported, causing law enforcement to take precaution, police said at the time of the incident. The treat was not found to be credible and the lockdown was lifted.
Centennial High School also received a possible threat Wednesday evening after false information about a conversation among students spread on social media. Police determined the threat was not credible.
Centennial Principal Michael Montoya said in a Facebook post Thursday morning, please know that we all take every threat seriously and will investigate every threat thoroughly. We will continue to be vigilant and take any precautionary measures to ensure the safety of our students, staff, and visitors.
The school district, in a release, didnt specify what threats had been lodged against which schools, but did state, none of the threats have been deemed credible, and noted all are being investigated.
Las Cruces is not the only city in New Mexico facing threats to high schools.
Since the Parkland shooting, threats have been reported in Santa Fe, Belen, Alamogordo, Farmington and Espanola. Most of the students who had made the threats have been arrested by local authorities and many have been charged.
On Friday, the Federal Bureau of Investigation charged two New Mexico men with using social media platforms to post school shootings threats. Sebastian Jarvison, 25, of Brimhall, and John Russell Williams, 19, of Farmington, have been charged with transmitting in interstate commerce communications containing threats to injure others.
According to Educators School Safety Network, since the Feb. 14 Parkland shooting, there have been 369 school-based incidents or threats in 47 states, where social media spread nearly 52 percent of those threats.
ESSN, a nonprofit that works to give educators a voice in critical school safety conversations, found that in the first half of the 2017-2018 school year from August to December 2017 there were more than 1,061 threats of violence, an average of 10.9 per day.
They also found that an average of one violent incident has occurred each day of the school year so far, nationwide.
Making changes
LCPS Superintendent Greg Ewing sent out an email on Feb. 15, following the school shooting in Parkland, encouraging principals to remain strong and vigilant.
It is imperative that your front office staff ensure that each individual sign in, have an educational need to be in the school building, show proper ID, and remain in secure areas of your school under the aegis of a faculty or staff member, Ewing said in the email.
Ewing also asked schools to lock all side entrances during school hours, allowing for only one main entrance.
In a release sent out Friday, Ewing said that the safety of the children is the districts greatest responsibility, and they are dedicated to their well-being.
In the past few days, isolated threats on social media have led to increased worry in our community. I wish to assure you that the Las Cruces Public Schools shares your concerns, he said.
And while most LCPS high schools have yet to have a lock down drill as of Thursday, Ewing said schools had begun reviewing safety drills with faculty, staff, and students, as it is most important that all individuals feel safe and that learning continue as normal in all school buildings.
The district has also been working to enhance security at every school.
In May, the LCPS school board OKd an update that allows school security guards to carry concealed weapons, if authorized by the superintendent to do so.
The district also added an additional 10 school resource officers, who are uniformed officers, and a sergeant to patrol the districts middle and high schools.
The SROs carry duty weapons like other police officers and also give presentations on topics such as drug and alcohol abuse and can refer students and families to resources in the community such as mental health clinics, according to the agreement.
Ive publicly said we dont like any weapons in schools or bullets flying; we want to teach. But we have armed Todd (Gregory), and we have our armed SROs (School Resource Officers) in each building, and even in this building, we have an armed officer in with us now, Ewing said at the time.
The district is also working to secure schools by implementing key cards that are required to access certain buildings.
Gregory said with the passing of the last school bond, he hopes to use some of the money to implement the key cards districtwide.
He added that schools are also working to have one main entrance and lobby area, as well as enclosing all playgrounds and courtyards with fencing or gates.
We just want to keep the environment safe and a better place to learn, Gregory said, adding that the district intends to do so even if it means adding extra physical measures.
Onate High School Active Shooter training
What: ALICE Alert, Lock down, Inform, Counter and Evacuate training is a program designed to teach individuals on how to interrupt a violent intruders decision making cycles.
When: March 14 at 6 p.m.
Where: Onate High School
Who: Parents, students, faculty and community members are invited
Gadsden Independent School District
Santa Teresa High School also had a recent threat scare.
On Tuesday, a student posted a photo on Snapchat of him posing with what appeared to be a large caliber pistol, which advised students not to go to school. The threat was later determined by Sunland Park police to not be credible, but Gadsden ISD Board of Trustees met Thursday to focus on district efforts to bolster security for all its schools, according to a press release Friday morning.
We have focused our efforts to maintain a great relationship with local law enforcement from the Sunland Park Police Department to the Dona Ana Sheriffs Office. Those officers continue to provide such a quick and effective response when our schools have an incident that require their assistance. And I cant underscore the importance of the presence of Border Patrol in various areas of our district and resource they provide for our security, said Superintendent Travis Dempsey.
Gadsden ISD high schools continue to maintain security guards to the entrance of their campuses and panic doors that are locked on the outside but can be opened from the inside, the release said. And all GISD elementary campuses have secured front entrances which require any visitor to use a buzzer before they are checked and cleared by front office personnel, it said.
We are looking to continue to upgrade our security procedures and look for the cooperation of our students and our parents. Students are experts in the social media and as such are a great resource when they see or read something on the various social media platforms that require our attention, Dempsey said.
The recent threats across the state and the country have people anxious, but the school district continues to ask community members to check on the districts website for any information and for users of social media to refrain from sharing or reposting false information that can create unnecessary fear and the rapid spread of misinformation.
Unfortunately, individuals have chosen to use the state of heightened tension in the wake the recent tragedy in Parkland, Florida in an attempt to spread fear and confusion locally and nationally, LCPS Superintendent Ewing said. We remain committed to ensuring the safety of our students and staff and we will continue to work with law enforcement to investigate any and all threats.
Ali Linan can be reached at 575-541-5476, alinan@lcsun-news.com or @Ail__Linan on Twitter.
2018 the Las Cruces Sun-News (Las Cruces, N.M.)
Visit the Las Cruces Sun-News (Las Cruces, N.M.) at www.lcsun-news.com
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The youngest baby boomers are now in their 50s; the oldest, their 70s.
That means they have likely confronted most of lifes toughest challenges: buying a house, raising kids, mourning significant loss, surviving wretched bosses.
Aside from perhaps a problem knee or moments of temporary memory mush, what other peril could be ahead?
Entrepreneurship, says Richard J. Anthony Sr.
I know of too many instances where older adults had an idea, a dream, a passion, committed their own personal resources, their pension plans, their IRAs, their personal savings, and had made mistakes that could have been avoided if they had somebody at the outset advising them, Anthony said.
He has launched Roadrunner50Plus a program designed to keep the wrong people from taking the entrepreneurial plunge.
Most of these guys come from corporate life and they really dont understand what it takes to do a startup, said Marc Kramer, executive director of Philadelphias Angel Venture Fair, the oldest and largest gathering of angel investors and entrepreneurs in the Mid-Atlantic region, and an executive in residence at St. Joseph Universitys Haub School of Business.
Anthony heard similar feedback on a recent morning at an event for more seasoned entrepreneurs a networking breakfast of The Entrepreneurs Network (TEN), a series of five meetings a year he has been holding for 17 years. Anthony founded TEN before the region had a thriving startup scene, when incubators were more commonly known as protective vessels for premature babies than as hatcheries for new businesses.
Through TEN, Anthony provides a venue for those with business ideas to meet prospective investors two hats he has worn for more than 25 years. In contrast, Roadrunner50Plus is designed to help a person assess whether he or she should even be considering entrepreneurship.
Everybody is talking about entrepreneurship, everybody, said Anthony, who contends that the term is widely misunderstood.
Its more often confused with innovation, and they are quite different, he said. You can be an innovator without being an entrepreneur. You can be an entrepreneur without being an innovator.
Both are vastly different from jobs familiar to boomers, he and others said.
Many of them are coming out of corporate America. This aint corporate America, said Lonnie Sciambi, managing director and CEO of Small Business Force, a consultant to small-business owners and entrepreneurs in Port Monmouth, N.J. When you need supplies, you dont go to the supply cabinet, you go to Staples. When you have to travel, you dont ask your (administrative assistant) to go make the travel arrangements. You get on Trivago and you find a cheap hotel.
RoadRunner50Plus lectures by a variety of business experts will address such questions as: Do you really need a patent? Do you really need to spend $15,000 to $20,000 on a digital marketing campaign and probably pay an agency to learn your business before they start producing anything?
The idea is to encourage aspiring entrepreneurs who are well-suited for the challenge, discourage those who are not, and, in the process, reduce the chances of bad experiences, Anthony said. Wincing, he spoke of baby boomers who kept pouring money into an idea that wasnt showing promise, only to lose retirement nest eggs at a time in life when restoring those funds was next to impossible.
I have a small group of people who would definitely be interested, Lynne Williams, who attended the Feb. 15 TEN meeting, said after Anthony revealed his Roadrunner50Plus plans there.
Williams is executive director of the Philadelphia Area Great Careers Group, a nonprofit that provides workforce development, including for career transition. A great majority of clients are boomers, typically downsized out of a job, Williams said. They are asking, do I want to be potentially downsized again or should I take charge of my own career and consider entrepreneurship? Its a process of exploration and assessments to find out if theyre really geared up and ready for this transition.
In other words, whether they are roadrunners.
The roadrunner has always symbolized for me the kind of agility, survival instincts, and savvy that entrepreneurs need, Anthony said.
2018 The Philadelphia Inquirer
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If you have a 401(k), youve probably invested in guns. And if that runs counter to your ethics, theres probably not much you can do about it, at least not yet.
Most large investment funds which manage millions of individual retirement accounts own stock in American gun-makers as part of their indexed funds, so avoiding that sector isnt easy. But money managers say a growing interest by younger investors in ethical investing, combined with a recent move by Blackrock, the worlds largest money manager, could lead to less investment in gun-makers.
Blackrock said last week that it wants to talk to major weapons manufacturers about their response to the shootings at a high school in Parkland, Fla., in which 17 people were killed. Its unusual for a money manager to take such a proactive approach.
Blackrock is the largest investor in Americas biggest gun-maker, Sturm Ruger, controlling more than 16 percent of its shares. The second-largest investor in Sturm Ruger is the investment company Vanguard Group, which owns over 9 percent. Blackrock and Vanguard are also among the biggest shareholders of Vista Outdoor, the parent company of firearms manufacturer Savage Arms, and American Outdoor Brands, formerly Smith and Wesson Holding.
Vanguard wont cherry-pick stocks for its index funds, which are designed to replicate the performance of a broad index, like the Standard and Poors 500-stock index, spokeswoman Carolyn Wegemann said. Only about 5 percent of Vanguards funds offered worldwide are invested in gun-makers, she said.
Since the Florida attack, Chicago-area investment advisers say they have not fielded questions from clients clamoring to get out of gun stocks. Thats because many people who invest only in retirement plans or other long-term funds are unaware of the particulars of where their money is invested.
I dont think it would occur to most mutual fund investors that they even have gun stocks, said Jon Hale, Morningstars director of sustainability research.
But Hale thinks that with the student-led uproar after the Florida shootings and the increasing pace of such attacks, the conversation around guns and investment in gun-makersmay change.
There appears to be something different about this, he said. Maybe weve reached a tipping point, he said.
When investors choose to let their values influence investment decisions, they often seek to exclude weapons manufacturers from their portfolios, said Andrew Denenberg, a wealth and retirement plan adviser with Strategic Wealth Partners.
How easy that is to do depends on the size of their portfolios.
If youre buying individual stocks, you can do that, but thats not most of the world, said Stephen Reiches, principal with Rappaport Reiches Capital Management.
Investors in mutual or index funds can generally figure out whether their fund invests in a firearms manufacturer by reading the funds prospectus. But that still gives only a snapshot of the funds holdings at a moment, and even if investors do find out that the funds hold shares of a company they dont support, they have no control over what the mutual fund buys and sells, Denenberg said.
Even when a socially responsible option is available, the mutual funds definition of socially responsibility might not be a perfect match for investors.
One socially responsible mutual fund Rappaport Reiches recommends avoids investing in companies that profit from gambling, nuclear weapons, pornography, land mines, tobacco and stem-cell research. But the fund doesnt specifically exclude firearms, or retailers that sell firearms.
Every person has ideas about whats responsible, and if you had 20 people in the room, youd get 20 different answers, Reiches said.
Wealthier individuals have more options and can hire a portfolio manager to buy and sell stocks in an account in which they can blacklist specific companies. But most such accounts require an investment of at least $100,000, Denenberg said.
One firm that does avoid weapons manufacturers is Domini Impact Investments. Dominis funds also avoid investing in retailers that garner a significant portion of their business from weapons sales, said Carole Laible, the firms CEO.
Paul Nolte, a senior vice president and portfolio manager at Kingsview Asset Management, said millennials are demanding a far stronger ethical lens on investments than baby boomers did.
And that trend may be in part a result of young people who believe in gun control but feel helpless in the battle to enact new laws to restrict gun sales. Nolte said the increasing pace of mass shootings has led more investors to seek those options.
Now people are asking questions that they never asked before, he said.
2018 Chicago Tribune
Visit the Chicago Tribune at www.chicagotribune.com
Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
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WASHINGTON Americas 21st century job market increasingly demands high-tech skills and knowledge. Yet consider this: Nearly half the new jobs the government foresees emerging by 2026 will require only a high school diploma or none at all.
Those jobs share something else in common, too: Hundreds of thousands of them will likely be taken by low-skilled immigrants who are willing to do work that many Americans wont.
Lost in the immigration debate raging in Washington is the vital economic role played by immigrants who dont have the education, training or skills that the Trump administration and many Republicans in Congress say should be a pre-requisite. Economists say that especially with unemployment at a 17-year low and the growth of the workforce slowing, immigrants skilled as well as unskilled are vital to the economy.
The idea that we only need people with certain degrees its never been true in America, and its less true now than it was in the past, said Michael Clemens, an economist and senior fellow at the Center for Global Development, a Washington think tank.
Sixty-three percent of current American jobs and 46 percent of jobs expected to be created between 2016 and 2026 require no more than a high school degree, according to the Labor Department. The new positions include low-paying jobs that most native-born Americans are loath to pursue an estimated 778,000 personal-care aides (median pay in 2016: $21,920), 580,000 food-service workers ($19,400), 431,000 home-health aides ($22,600).
Many of those jobs, Clemens says, will either be done by immigrants, or they will not be done at all.
Already, foreign-born workers about 17 percent of the overall workforce account for 52 percent of Americas maids, 47 percent of roofers and 40 percent of construction laborers and laundry and dry-cleaning workers.
Low-skilled immigrants harvest sweet potatoes and cucumbers in fields in North Carolina. They serve dementia patients in nursing homes. They vacuum offices. They are waiters, cooks and maids at President Donald Trumps Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida.
The Trump administration and many Republicans in Congress want to reduce the number of foreigners who can enter the United States and establish a merit system for those who do. They argue that restrictions on both legal and illegal immigration would protect Americans from potential criminals and from low-skilled immigrants who they say drive down wages for everyone.
Trump understands whats broken in our immigration system and whats holding down wages for American workers, Sen. Tom Cotton, an Arkansas Republican, has said. I stand ready to work with him and my colleagues to build an immigration system that supports the American worker and boosts our economy.
The presidents immigration plan, rejected along with similar measures by the Senate this month, would bar immigrants from sponsoring siblings, parents and adult children and end a visa lottery meant to increase diversity. It would also earmark $25 billion for the construction of a border wall to keep Mexicans and Central Americans from crossing illegally.
The administration has also endorsed legislation from Sens. Cotton and David Perdue of Georgia that would favor visa applicants who are well-educated, speak English well and meet other criteria designed to attract immigrants who possess high skills and weed out those who dont.
Yet the University of Pennsylvanias Penn Wharton Budget Model, which analyzes public policy proposals, has concluded that the Cotton-Perdue bill would reduce economic growth and eliminate 1.3 million jobs by 2027 and 4.6 million by 2040.
Many immigrants say they are confident or at least hopeful it wont come to that.
Im optimistic, says Amara Sumah, an immigrant from Sierra Leone who owns a West African restaurant in Washington D.C. The American people are generous. The president cannot change the country by himself.
The fear that immigrants will take the jobs of native-born workers is rooted in a time when most Americans were far less educated. Native- and foreign-born workers used to vie for low-skill jobs. Todays better-educated American-born workers are much less likely to compete with new arrivals with low skills. Twenty-five years ago, 46 percent of U.S. workers had no more than a high school degree. Only 28 percent had four-year college degrees; now, 40 percent do. Just 33 percent have only a high school diploma or less.
Many native-born Americans tend to shun low-paying, physically demanding work, even when good jobs are scarce. Consider what happened in North Carolina in 2011, when the state still bore scars from the Great Recession. Nearly 500,000 North Carolinians were jobless. The states farms needed 6,500 workers to plant and harvest cucumbers, sweet potatoes and tobacco.
Yet only 268 native-born unemployed North Carolinians sought the farm jobs, which paid $9.70 an hour. Of those, 245 were hired. Only 163 showed up on Day One. And just seven kept at the job until the growing season had ended.
Mexicans laborers, by contrast, took 6,474 of the jobs under temporary farm-worker visas, according to a study by Clemens, who concluded: It appears that nearly all domestic workers prefer almost any labor-market outcome including long periods of unemployment to carrying out manual harvest and planting labor.
Instead of competing with native-born workers, immigrants increasingly appear to complement them and make them more productive. Patricia Cortes of Boston University and Jose Tessada of Chiles Pontifical Catholic University have found that an increase in immigrant nannies and housekeepers from 1980 to 2000 drove down the price of household services and allowed American-born women to work longer hours on the job because they had less work to do at home.
The Pew Research Center last year reported that the U.S. workforce will grow only if new immigrants replace retiring baby boomers. Pew projects that the U.S. working-age (25-64) population would rise from 173 million in 2015 to 183 million in 2035 with immigrants or shrink to 166 million without them.
Still, some analysts reject the notion that few low-skilled immigrants take jobs from American-born workers. Daniel Stein, an immigration lawyer who leads the Federation for American Immigration Reform, which lobbies for limits on immigration, argues that low-skilled immigrant labor degrades the bargaining position of native-born workers and depresses wages.
Stein further contends that immigration helps explain why American workers seem reluctant to move from slow-growth parts of the country to faster-growing areas: They know they would have to compete there with foreign-born labor.
Clemens of the Center for Global Development counters that its unrealistic to assume that many employers would respond to reduced immigration by raising pay to attract native-born workers. They have other options: Some can replace workers with machines. Other employers would likely scale back or cancel plans to expand.
Clemens points to a paper he co-wrote last year that analyzed what happened in 1964 when the government reduced the number of seasonal Mexican farm workers entering the United States. Restricting the influx of Mexicans was supposed to create jobs for American farm workers and raise their wages. But the report found that farms instead either cut production or automated the work.
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Follow Paul Wiseman on Twitter at https://twitter.com/PaulWisemanAP
WASHINGTON From AT&Ts Alexander Graham Bell to Googles Sergey Brin, immigrants have long been more likely than native-born Americans to realize the dream of owning their own company.
Immigrants are about twice as likely as natives to start new businesses, says Arnobio Morelix, an analyst at the Kauffman Foundation, which promotes entrepreneurship.
Analysts note that that entrepreneurial drive has become a more critical need as the number of newly formed American businesses has declined to 414,000 in 2015 from a pre-recession average of 524,000 a year in 2002-2006, the Census Bureau reports.
Curbs on immigration pushed by President Donald Trump and his Republican allies in Congress alarm critics who regard foreign newcomers as a vital source of entrepreneurship.
It sends a very powerful negative signal to the rest of the world: Dont come to the United States. We dont want you, said John Dearie, president of the Center for American Entrepreneurship, a nonpartisan group that supports immigration. Thats terribly damaging.
In a report last year, the Kauffman Foundation concluded that in 2016 nearly 30 percent of new American companies were started by first-generation immigrants, up from 13 percent in 1996.
In Pittsburgh, Kenyan immigrants Lavender Wachira and May Lebo, who met as college students, started a cleaning business five years ago with an investment of less than $500. They hope to hire people to handle marketing, accounting and other administrative tasks that they now do themselves.
Immigrants have always been disproportionately entrepreneurial, in part because many cant find work that they qualify for on paper. Some U.S. employers dont know what to make of, say, a college degree from India or job experience in Lithuania. So they tend to pass over immigrants in favor of native-born applicants whose credentials they understand.
Brin, born in Russia, co-founded Google. South Africa-born Elon Musk created electric car maker Tesla. Three immigrants Peter Thiel of Germany, Luke Nosek of Poland and Max Levchin of Ukraine founded PayPal.
A study last year by the Center for American Entrepreneurship concluded that 43 percent of the companies in the Fortune 500 were founded by first- or second-generation immigrants.
Then there are the humbler ventures started by new arrivals Indian hotels, Korean groceries, Greek diners.
This country is just as full of promise as it was during the days of Ellis Island, says Alvaro Maurice, an immigrant from Venezuela who started the Dayton, Ohio-based management consulting firm in 2011.
For a quarter-century, Amara and Isata Sumah have been serving up jollof rice, hot pepper soup and other West African dishes from their eatery in Northwest Washington D.C. The husband-and-wife team puts in 12 to 14 hours daily at Sumahs West African Restaurant & Carry Out. They say they managed to save enough to buy a house in the Maryland suburbs and put two daughters through college.
The restaurant sits across the street from the $100-a-month apartment that Amara rented when he first arrived in America, when he worked in hotel restaurants and drove a cab to get by.
If you work hard, you can support yourself and your family, says Amara, who remembers the exact day (Nov. 28, 1978) he arrived in Washington without any money from impoverished Sierra Leone. You can make a better life for yourself and your kids.
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Follow Paul Wiseman on Twitter at https://twitter.com/PaulWisemanAP
WASHINGTON The Supreme Court on Monday rejected the Trump administrations highly unusual bid to bypass a federal appeals court and get the justices to intervene in the fate of a program that protects hundreds of thousands of young immigrants from deportation.
The announcement means the case affecting Dreamers will have to work its way through the lower courts before any Supreme Court ruling is possible. The case could also become moot if Congress takes action in the meantime. Right now, however, efforts to address the issue in Congress have hit a stalemate.
The Supreme Courts decision for now to stay out of the case on the Obama-era Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, or DACA, wasnt surprising. Its highly unusual for the Supreme Court to hear a case before a lower appeals court has considered it.
But DACA supporters hailed the decision as a significant if only temporary win. Trump said the case would now be heard by an appeals court and well see what happens from there.
You know, we tried to get it moved quickly because wed like to help DACA. I think everybody in this room wants to help with DACA, he said to visiting governors. But the Supreme Court just ruled that it has to go through the normal channels.
DACA has provided protection from deportation and work permits for about 800,000 young people who came to the U.S. as children and stayed illegally.
In September, Trump argued that President Barack Obama had exceeded his executive powers when he created the program. Trump announced he was ending the program effective March 5 and gave lawmakers until then to come up with a legislative fix.
But in recent weeks, federal judges in San Francisco and New York have made Trumps deadline temporarily moot for people who have sought and been granted renewals; the rulings do not extend to people who are applying for the first time. Judges issued injunctions ordering the administration to keep DACA in place while courts consider legal challenges to Trumps termination. As a result, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services resumed accepting and processing DACA renewals in January, just as it had before Trumps September announcement.
The Trump administration has not tried to block the injunctions that force it to continue operating the program. Though the March 5 date is now moot, Greisa Martinez, policy and advocacy director for United We Dream, said DACA supporters planned to demonstrate in Washington on that day in part to continue to pressure Congress to act.
The Senate two weeks ago blocked a bipartisan bill offering Dreamers potential citizenship and providing $25 billion for President Donald Trump to build his proposed border wall with Mexico. A more conservative House proposal that sharply reduces legal immigration and imposes other restrictions has languished short of the GOP votes it would need to pass, leaving its fate in question.
The Supreme Courts announcement Monday that it wouldnt step in to the case now means the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit will likely be the first appeals court to weigh in on the topic, the step before the case would return to the Supreme Court.
California Attorney General Xavier Becerra, who has led the multistate lawsuit in California to keep DACA in place, cheered the Supreme Court announcement Monday.
Its a victory for all Dreamers, certainly a great victory for California, Becerra said during a phone call with reporters. Its a victory for the rule of law and its a victory for our economy.
The Ninth Circuit has set no date to hear arguments but has given lawyers dates by which they must file briefs that run through April. Andrew Pincus, an attorney who represents more than 100 businesses that intervened in support of DACA, said June is probably the earliest that the court would rule.
Trump on Monday didnt seem to hold out much hope of winning at the Ninth Circuit, criticizing the liberal-leaning court by saying nothings as bad as the Ninth Circuit.
I mean, its really sad when every single case filed against us is in the 9th Circuit we lose, we lose, we lose and then we do fine in the Supreme Court, he said.
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Associated Press writers Elliot Spagat in San Diego and Jill Colvin, Mark Sherman and Alan Fram in Washington contributed to this report.
PEARLAND, Texas Authorities in a suburban Houston county say theyve arrested 50 people and have seized 165 birds in the bust of an elaborate, large-scale rooster fighting operation.
Brazoria County sheriffs officers say they also found as many as 50 dead birds believed to have been killed in the fights.
Sheriffs Lt. Varon Snelgrove says deputies responded Sunday to a call about a possible cock fighting operation in an unincorporated area of Pearland, immediately south of Houston, and found a large number of vehicles and people at the scene.
Snelgrove says 47 people have been jailed on pending misdemeanor charges of cock fighting while felony cock fighting charges are pending against three others.
Officers from the countys animal control division are caring for the birds that were seized.
Winning top honors in the American Advertising Federations New Mexico competition were 3 Advertising, with six golds and seven silver awards, and Esparza, which won two golds and four silvers.
RK Venture received five golds and three silvers and also won Best of Show for its ZeroProof Newsprint Posters, produced for the state Department of Transportation, and a judges choice award for its Horsemens Feed and Supply Poster.
In other awards DSO Creative took home two golds and a silver and the Client of the Year award for its nominee, CNM. Griffin and Associates took home one gold and one silver and the Advertising Works award for work done for the Anderson Air Corps.
ARCA received a Judges Choice award for its 2016-2017 Annual Report, and Tortilla Productions received a Judges Choice award.
The student Best of Show went to Derrick Lee for his Big River poster.
The next competition is at the district level, followed by the national ADDY awards.
The state District Court in Santa Fe has dismissed a health care companys lawsuit aimed at halting the Medicaid procurement process, according to the state Human Services Department.
In January, Molina Healthcare of New Mexico filed an injunction and restraining order against the department and its secretary, Brent Earnest, alleging the procurement process was unfair. The state did not choose Molina, an incumbent, for a five-year Centennial 2.0 contract that begins in 2019.
Molina understands the courts ruling to be a requirement that we exhaust administrative remedies before it will consider a temporary restraining order against the New Mexico Human Services Department, a company spokeswoman said in a statement.
The state has argued that Molinas lawsuit should not move forward because it is still reviewing protests submitted as part of the process, including one from Molina.
As weve made clear in our court filings, we believe that this contract decision will have a negative impact on our members, was unfairly administered with a flawed procurement process and involved an apparent conflict of interest, the Molina spokeswoman said. We will continue proceeding with our formal bid protest as we believe that New Mexicans deserve a thorough investigation into this procurement process, the results of which will have a profound impact on hundreds of thousands of our most vulnerable community members.
The state has denied there were any irregularities in its awarding of the five-year contracts for the program known as Centennial 2.0. It announced last month that the recipients of the Medicaid contracts were incumbents Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Mexico and Presbyterian Health Plan, as well as newcomer Western Sky Community Care, a subsidiary of the St. Louis, Mo.-based company Centene Corp. Neither Molina nor United Healthcare, another incumbent, had their contracts renewed.
Protests were filed by Molina and United, as well as WellCare of New Mexico and AmeriHealth Caritas New Mexico, according to the Human Services Department.
A spokeswoman with the department said the state was pleased with the decision and excited to move forward with the procurement process.
While Albuquerque is primed to welcome more retirees, millennials and investors in rental properties, it still needs to get more shovel-ready land onto the market for the kinds of mid-priced single-family homes that a cross-section of buyers can afford, several speakers told the crowd Monday at a NAIOP New Mexico luncheon.
John Covert, director of Metrostudys Colorado-New Mexico Region, said Albuquerques new home construction rate currently lags other Western cities where economies are more robust.
Covert, who lives in Denver, regularly meets and consults with many of the top home builders in the Albuquerque metro area, as well as with lenders, developers, investors, suppliers, utilities, school districts and local governments concerning trends in the local economy and their effects on the real estate market.
Covert said that of the 6,000 lots available for single-family home construction in the metro area, only 1,800 of the parcels fit the bill. Finding finished lots are a challenge, Covert told the crowd, which includes members of the citys commercial real estate development community. That means developers will more than likely build homes exceeding $250,000 in order for their investments to pencil out.
The upshot: as the supply of available homes tightens, prices rise and mortgage rates budge slightly, buyers will gravitate to existing homes, which are more affordable at the starter price points, said Covert.
The regional residential real estate update also featured Todd Clarke of New Mexico Apartment Advisors and Bob Grassburger, an assistant professor at UNM in organizational consulting and applied research.
Clarke detailed the growing interest in the multifamily housing market by local and out-of-town investors. He just accomplished a first: listing and selling a remodeled fourplex for over $500,000. He forecasts more transactions in 2018, as sellers of older apartment units look to cash in, especially in Nob Hill and Old Town, both popular rental areas. These areas, with high bike, walk and transit scores, rate well with both baby boomers and millennials, Clarke said.
Grassburger spoke of the benefits of attracting more retirees to New Mexico, especially those who are healthy, wealthy and wise.
His research, which focuses on the economic impacts of retirees, shows that every retiree household setting up in New Mexico creates half a job.
With stable mailbox incomes (money coming from pension or Social Security checks), retirees are strong contributors to to the states gross receipts tax fund and property tax rolls. Many retiring baby boomers, he said, also are twice as likely as other generations to launch businesses.
New Mexico is about 30 years behind Alabama, Arkansas and Texas states that have strong marketing efforts to attract retirees, said Grassburger.
The current state budget proposes that $150,000 be set aside to research the feasibility of a similar marketing program, Grassburger said.
Capital High Schools graduate rate is just barely more than 50 percent, according to the latest statistics compiled by the state Public Education Department.
Capitals 2010 cohort graduation rate intended to provide a look at how many students graduate four years after entering high school was 51.4 percent, down from just under 60 percent the previous year.
Santa Fe High Schools rate for 2010, the latest year for which numbers are available, was 63.2 percent, the PED says. Santa Fe High also showed a drop from 2009, when its cohort graduation rate was about 67 percent.
Both school had shown improvement in last years report.
Capital and Santa Fe high schools were among 73 New Mexico schools out of 209 reporting that found their graduation rates decline from 2009 to 2010. Fifty four of New Mexicos 89 school districts reporting improved figures.
The district still needs to look at it (the state report) to see if there are any discrepancies, Bobbie Gutierrez, Santa Fe Public Schools superintendent, said Wednesday. Its not uncommon to have the state report being lower than our data.
However, if it is confirmed that both Santa Fe and Capitals graduation rates are on the decline, Gutierrez said, then I would be very concerned. But Im not going to get too excited about it at this point. Having been through this process the past few years, we typically have to do a reconciliation.
New Mexicos statewide average has improved to a graduation rate of 67.3 percent, up by 1.2 percentage points from 2009.
In a news release, PED Secretary-designate Hanna Skandera noted that New Mexicos dropout stats are improving more slowly than the national average and that a recent Education Week report, based on numbers for the class of 2008, ranked New Mexico 49th, ahead of only Nevada and the District of Columbia.
The report also indicated that New Mexico lost, on average, 71 students per school day.
And what this report makes perfectly clear is that we need reform in New Mexico as soon as possible, Skandera said.
Santa Fe-area charter schools Academy for Technology and the Classics, and Monte del Sol are among the schools showing improvement, with graduation rates well above the state average. ATCs rate went up 6.19 percentage points to 79.7 in 2010, and Monte del Sol was at 78.7 percent, up 1.4 percentage points from 2009.
WARC, the international authority on advertising and media effectiveness, has released the results of the 2018 WARC 100, an annual global index of the worlds top marketing campaigns and companies based on their business impact.
WARC 100 tracks the performance of campaigns, brands and agencies in more than 70 of the most important global, regional and national marketing effectiveness and strategy competitions around the world. Now in its fifth year, the WARC 100 is based on a rigorous methodology developed in consultation with Douglas West, professor of marketing at Kings College London.
Top 10 worlds top effectiveness campaigns:
Rank Campaign title Brand Agency Points 1 Dads #ShareTheLoad Ariel BBDO India 127.1 2 The Swedish Number Swedish Tourist Association INGO Stockholm 95.4 3 Care Counts Whirlpool Ketchum Chicago 84.6 4 Meet Graham Transport Accident Commission Clemenger BBDO Melbourne 82.5 5= The McWhopper Proposal Burger King Y&R Auckland 80.7 5= Van Gogh BnB Art Institute of Chicago Leo Burnett Chicago 80.7 7 Hungerithm Snickers Clemenger BBDO Melbourne 78.9 8 John Lewis Christmas Campaigns John Lewis adam&eveDDB London 78.4 9 Reword Headspace National Youth Mental Health Foundation Leo Burnett Melbourne 72.2 10 Imagine the Possibilities Barbie BBDO San Francisco 70.0
The top-ranked campaign, Dads #ShareTheLoad by BBDO India for Ariel Matic, Procter & Gambles premium laundry detergent brand, built on its previous Share the Load campaign by persuading dads to do more laundry in order to promote gender equality. Ariel Matic generated a 42 per cent increase in unaided brand awareness, $12.3 million in earned media coverage, and conversations on social media and sales growth in excess of previous campaigns.
In second place is The Swedish Number by INGO Stockholm for The Swedish Tourist Association, which manages hotels and hostels across Sweden. The purely PR-driven approach saw more than 32,000 Swedes sign up to take more than 200,000 calls from abroad helping STF boost its renewal figures and attract new members.
Ranked third is the Care Counts campaign for Whirlpool by DigitasLBi Chicago. The appliances manufacturer installed washers and dryers in schools to give disadvantaged students access to laundry facilities, resulting in 90 per cent of the participants increasing their school attendance rate. The programme has been expanded to nearly 60 schools across the US.
Three themes have emerged from the worlds top effectiveness campaigns:
Purpose is effective when brands have a credible role . Three purpose-driven campaigns appear in the top 10. Dads #ShareTheLoad for Ariel, Whirlpools Care Counts and Imagine the Possibilities for Barbie are all examples of the commercial success that can be driven when a brands purpose is intrinsically linked to its product.
. Three purpose-driven campaigns appear in the top 10. Dads #ShareTheLoad for Ariel, Whirlpools Care Counts and Imagine the Possibilities for Barbie are all examples of the commercial success that can be driven when a brands purpose is intrinsically linked to its product. Strategies with PR baked in are becoming the norm . Three campaigns in the top ten used a PR-led strategy to drive brand awareness and increase sales: Meet Graham for Australias Transport Accident Commission, Burger Kings The McWhopper Proposal and Van Gogh BnB for the Art Institute of Chicago.
. Three campaigns in the top ten used a PR-led strategy to drive brand awareness and increase sales: Meet Graham for Australias Transport Accident Commission, Burger Kings The McWhopper Proposal and Van Gogh BnB for the Art Institute of Chicago. New takes on long-term ideas. Several of the highly effective initiatives ranked, such as Dads #ShareTheLoad, Hungerithm for Snickers, the John Lewis Christmas campaigns and Always Girl Emojis, show how blockbuster ideas can be intelligently followed up with brands investing in long-term strategies rather than quick wins for immediate gain.
Top 5 creative agencies for effectiveness:
Rank Agency Location Points 1 Clemenger BBDO Melbourne Melbourne, Australia 186.6 2 Colenso BBDO Auckland, New Zealand 174.2 3 BBDO New York New York, USA 139.8 4 BBDO India Mumbai, India 124.9 5 Droga5 New York, USA 114.9
Australias Clemenger BBDO Melbourne tops the creative agencies for effectiveness table for the first time having produced two top 10 campaigns: Meet Graham and Hungerithm. New Zealands Colenso BBDO follows in second place with work for Burger King and DB Export contributing to their score.
Starcom Chicago has returned to the top of the media agencies for effectiveness ranking with almost triple the points of the second-placed agency.
Eight of the top digital/ specialist agencies for effectiveness are from the US, with Chicago-based agencies making up the top three. DigitasLBi Chicago takes poll position.
BBDO Worldwide remains the most awarded network for the fifth year in a row, having retained this rank since WARC 100 began in 2014. Its agencies contributed to four of the top 10 campaigns and 19 of the top 100.
Andrew Robertson, President and Chief Executive, BBDO Worldwide, said, Smarter thinking unleashes the power of creativity to make greater impact. Thats why leading the WARC 100 is so meaningful.
Top 5 media agencies for effectiveness:
Rank Agency Location Points 1 Starcom Chicago, USA 269.6 2 Mindshare Istanbul, Turkey 86.3 3 Spark Foundry Chicago, USA 77.9 4 PHD Shanghai,China 76.4 5 Manning Gottlieb OMD London, UK 65.5
For the second time Omnicom Group is the most awarded holding company, having previously held top position in 2014. Omnicom Group owns four of the top 10 agency networks.
John Wren, President and CEO, Omnicom Group, said, Producing great work that drives results for our clients is why we come to work every day. It is especially gratifying to see Omnicom recognized by WARC as having five of the top ten individually ranked agencies, three of the top five networks, and being the top-ranked holding company. I could not be prouder of our teams.
Burger King improved its ranking by 30 places to reach the top brand for effectiveness, with the McWhopper Proposal campaign in the top 10 and Backyard Burger King in the top 100. The continuing performance of Ariels Share the Load campaign has contributed to the brand retaining its second place.
Unilever was the most effective advertiser for the third time, having previously held this top position in 2015 and 2014. Unilever has four campaigns in the top 100 Lifebuoys #HelpAChildReach5, Knorrs Love At First Taste, The Vaseline Healing Project and The radicalisation of Persil - with a further 50 campaigns across all competitions contributing to its tally.
Keith Weed, Chief Marketing and Communications Officer, Unilever, says: Its a great honour to be recognised by WARC as Most Effective Advertiser again. Im hugely proud of our marketers, working hard to drive campaigns with purpose that cut through to consumers and make a real impact.
USA retains its place as the top country in the world with 36 of the top 100 campaigns, compared to 12 from the UK and 12 from Australia.
Top 5 digital/ specialist agencies for effectiveness:
Rank Agency Location Points 1 DigitasLBi Chicago, USA 90.7 2 Ketchum Chicago, USA 84.6 3 Leo Burnett/Arc Worldwide Chicago, USA 79.9 4 Weber Shandwick New York, USA 54.4 5 Team Unilever Shopper New York, USA 51.1
Top 5 agency networks for effectiveness:
Rank Network Points 1 BBDO Worldwide 1454.9 2 Ogilvy & Mather Advertising 738 3 McCann Worldgroup 699.1 4 DDB Worldwide 553.4 5 OMD Worldwide 536.4
Top 5 holding companies for effectiveness:
Rank Holding company Points 1 Omnicom Group 3472.7 2 WPP 3220.6 3 Interpublic Group 2157.2 4 Publicis Groupe 1944.1 5 Dentsu 425.5
Top 5 brands for effectiveness:
Rank Brand Points 1 Burger King 153.3 2 Ariel 127.1 3 Mastercard 120.8 4 IBM 103.6 5 Vodafone 101.1
Top 5 advertisers for effectiveness:
Rank Advertiser Points 1 Unilever 505 2 PepsiCo 398.6 3 Mars 339 4 Procter & Gamble 327.9 5 Heineken 265.3
Top 5 countries for effectiveness:
Rank Country Points 1 USA 3360.1 2 UK 1478.3 3 Australia 949.9 4 India 630.8 5 New Zealand 531.8
The WARC 100 is now part of Gunn Report, which recently published Gunn 100, a ranking of campaigns and companies based on creativity.
Commenting on WARC 100, Emma Wilkie, Managing Director, Gunn Report, said, This years WARC 100 once again confirms that creative approaches to marketing translates into marketplace success, with nearly all the top 10 campaigns also recognised in Gunn 100. Long-term strategies continue to be an important element to long-term success but were also seeing a significant number of purpose-led and PR-led campaigns doing particularly well in achieving commercial objectives.
The Gunn media rankings will be released in March.
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On Saturday night, the nation lost one of the real maestros of Bollywood fraternity Sridevi when she was in Dubai. Sridevi died of a cardiac arrest at the age of 54. The sudden demise of the most talented veteran actress took the entire cosmos in weeping and grief. The entire industry was gutted with this sad and unpredictable departure of Chandni.
She had bolstered the entire film industry with over 300 hit films. She was one of the few actresses who could do justice with all the role like comedy, drama and dance with flair.
The unfortunate death of the Indian actress came as a shocking blow to millions of her fans around the globe as well as her colleagues in the Indian film industry.
Many took to Twitter and other social media sites to express their grief over the demise of the Bollywood diva.
"T 2625 - , !!#," Amitabh Bachchan tweeted.
"Shocked to hear about the sudden and untimely death of one of India's favourite actress, Sridevi. Sridevi was an incredibly talented and versatile actress whose vast body of work spanned a range of genres and languages. My condolences to her family. May her soul rest in peace," Gandhi tweeted.
"Anguished to learn of the sudden demise of veteran film actor Sridevi. She had a long and successful career in the film industry with several remarkable performances. Her demise is a big loss to the film industry. My thoughts are with her family and fans. May her soul rest in peace," Rajnath Singh said in a tweet.
I have no words. Condolences to everyone who loved #Sridevi . A dark day. RIP, Priyanka Chopra tweeted.
Heartbroken & shocked to hear that my all-time favourite #Sridevi is no more. May god give peace to her soul & strength to the family #RIP, Preity Zinta tweeted.
Shocked beyond words to hear about the sad and untimely demise of #Sridevi. A dream for many, had the good fortune of sharing screen space with her long ago and witnessed her continued grace over the years. Thoughts and prayers with the family. RIP, Akshay Kumar Tweeted.
This is how I will always want to remember #Sridevi - Happening, Vibrant, Brilliant, Beautiful, Bestest and Unique. #QueenOfIndianCinemaSridevi, Anupam Kher Tweeted.
"I'm shocked and very disturbed. I've lost a dear friend and the industry has lost a true legend. My heart goes out to her family and friends. I feel the pain with them. Sridevi, you will be missed," tweeted Rajinikanth, who featured with her in the memorable "ChaalBaaz".
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There is no denying, our phones have become an extension of ourselves. They entertain us, connect us, inform us, and enable us to explore our passions, relive our memories and communicate our deepest thoughts to the world. We love our smartphones, but when does the love for our phones supersede the relationships we hold most dear? When does time with our smartphone become more important than time with our parents, spouse, children, and friends?
As the creator of the first-ever mobile phone, we feel responsible to understand the impact of this rapidly-developing technology and the desire to have it support our lives without becoming the center of it a term we call phone-life balance.
In an attempt to create awareness amongst audiences around the mindless usage of phones and the impact it has on their lives, Motorola kick started the Phone Life balance campaign in India by urging audiences to take the quiz to assess their current state of mobile usage. The quiz, hosted on phonelifebalance.motorola.in, looked at how people perceive and prioritize smartphone usage over real life experiences. This threw up amazing data that showed how as a generation, we are losing control of our lives.
To gain further insights into this, we developed a global study in partnership with Dr. Nancy Etcoff, renowned expert in Mind-Brain Behavior and the Science of Happiness at Harvard University and Psychologist at Massachusetts General Hospital Department of Psychiatry. The study, issued by the independent research company, Ipsos, looks at behaviors and phone use habits across generations and seeks to understand the impact of smartphones on our relationships with ourselves, other people, and the physical and social environment.
Key Findings:
The study shows people are putting their phones before the people they care about, with the most alarming findings tied to younger generations who have grown up in a digital world. We also understand people recognize the need for balance and are raising their hands for help:
Phone Importance: Approximately 33% of respondents prioritize their smartphones over engaging with people they care about with India standing at the top with 47%
Generational Factors: Over half of the respondents (53%) describe their smartphones as their best friend and companion. India tops the chart with 65% of the respondents who perceive their phone as their best friend.
Over half of the respondents (53%) describe their smartphones as their best friend and companion. India tops the chart with 65% of the respondents who perceive their phone as their best friend. Help Wanted: 61% people agree that they need a better phone life balance.They want to get the most out of their life when they are not using their phones. India again came on top wherein 64% people want help with phone-life balance.
We pinpointed three key problematic smartphone behaviors that impact our relationships with others and ourselves, with the study showing that younger generations are more likely to adopt these problematic behaviors:
Compulsive Checking: Approximately 50% people agree that they check their phone more often than they would like and nearly 44% feel compelled to perpetually check their phones. India figures at the top with 65% and 57% respectively.
Approximately 50% people agree that they check their phone more often than they would like and nearly 44% feel compelled to perpetually check their phones. India figures at the top with 65% and 57% respectively. Excessive Phone Time: Almost 35% agree that they are spending too much time using their phones with 44% of Gen Z. India figures at the top with 48% and 55% respectively. Further to this, 53% Indians said that theyd be happier if they spent less time on their smartphones
Almost 35% agree that they are spending too much time using their phones with 44% of Gen Z. India figures at the top with 48% and 55% respectively. Further to this, 53% Indians said that theyd be happier if they spent less time on their smartphones Emotional Overdependence: 65% people panic when they think they have lost their smartphone. India stands at the top in emotional overdependence of phone with 77% of respondents admitting that they panic when they lose their phone. Even while not using their smartphones, 46% Indians were thinking about using it the next time that they got a chance.
What Were Doing:
Clearly there is a need for a better phone-life balance. Were working with like-minded third-party organizations as well as looking at our own behavior at Motorola to bring new initiatives and programs that help people strike a healthy balance.
Motorola is working with the SPACE Phone-Life Balance App , which offers a 60-day program to help smartphone users become more mindful of their phone usage. The app helps with things like screen dimming, notification blockers and more. This app is especially relevant for those exhibiting the problematic behavior for compulsive checking, as it helps people become more aware of their phone habits and learn how to find balance.
, which offers a 60-day program to help smartphone users become more mindful of their phone usage. The app helps with things like screen dimming, notification blockers and more. This app is especially relevant for those exhibiting the problematic behavior for compulsive checking, as it helps people become more aware of their phone habits and learn how to find balance. Through our Transform the Smartphone Challenge , developers can submit ideas via a partnership with Indiegogo for new Moto Mods which may help you use your phone more mindfully, or may help bring people together with experiences.
, developers can submit ideas via a partnership with Indiegogo for new which may help you use your phone more mindfully, or may help bring people together with experiences. Moto Experiences help support more intuitive mobile interactions. For instance, Moto Display lets you easily respond to notifications without going down the rabbit hole. Our innovative Moto Mods ecosystem allows you to do more with your phone with others around you. Were making devices that create social experiences.
help support more intuitive mobile interactions. For instance, Moto Display lets you easily respond to notifications without going down the rabbit hole. Our innovative Moto Mods ecosystem allows you to do more with your phone with others around you. Were making devices that create social experiences. Inside our walls, we are encouraging employees to practice phone-life balance in their own lives and are providing tips on how to achieve this balance.
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The state agency in charge of pesticide distribution and use is hosting an informational town hall in Aiken on Tuesday night.
The Clemson University Department of Pesticide Regulation a university off-shoot that works with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the S.C. Department of Agriculture will discuss how pesticide use is licensed, surveilled and enforced throughout South Carolina.
The town hall will take place at Oakwood-Windsor Elementary School, 3773 Charleston Highway. The session will start at 6 p.m.
Clemson determines pesticide application near Aiken County school performed in 'lawful manner' Clemson University has completed its investigation of a complaint involving a possible pesticide spray incident near Oakwood-Windsor Elementary.
Pesticide concerns are nothing new in this area: At the beginning of January, the Clemson pesticide department fined a Georgia crop duster $1,000 for illegally spraying chemicals in Aiken County. The department said the crop dusting took place during windy conditions, which is illegal.
Earlier this month, pesticide regulation was a hot topic during a S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control meeting. That meeting, though, was about groundwater consumption.
In 2017, state Rep. Bill Taylor, R-Aiken, filed legislation that would prohibit aerial pesticide spraying, dusting, seeding or pest control within 1,000 feet of a school during regular hours.
The bill, H4277, coincides with crop-dusting complaints near Oakwood-Windsor Elementary School. State regulators found the pesticide application in that case lawful, however.
Taylor said he met with the Clemson pesticide department "recently" and invited them to speak with Aiken County specifically Windsor-area residents.
The Clemson University Department of Pesticide Regulation is empowered by the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, Rodenticide Act and state law.
On 21 February, the US State Department has made a determination approving a possible Foreign Military Sale to Kuwait of King Air 350ER Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (ISR) aircraft for an estimated cost of $259 million. The Defense Security Cooperation Agency delivered the required certification notifying Congress of this possible imminent sale.
Kuwait will get its first ISR fleet thanks to four King Air 350ERs (Picture source: Beechcraft/Textron Aviation)
The Government of Kuwait has requested a possible sale of four King Air 350ER Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (ISR) aircraft with enhanced PT6A-67A engines and one engine spare; four AN/AAQ-35 Wescam MX-15HDi Electro-Optical & Infrared Imaging Sensor Turret; four Selex Seaspray 7500E Active Electronically Scanned Array Radars (AESA); AN/AAR-47 Missile Warning Systems (MWS); AN/ALE-47 Countermeasure Dispenser Systems; secure communications, cryptographic, and precision navigation equipment; Identification Friend or Foe (IFF) Systems; aircraft modification and integration for ISR mission systems; ground data processing systems and support equipment; spares and repair parts; support and test equipment; simulators, training and training equipment; U.S. Government and contractor engineering, technical and logistics support services; and other related elements of logistical and program support.
Additionally, one of the four aircraft will be further modified to accommodate VIP/senior leadership personnel for transport and Med Evac capability or command and control, and other related elements of logistical support. The estimated total case value is $259 million.
The proposed sale will enable Kuwait to gather its own airborne ISR data thanks to its first dedicated airborne ISR fleet.
The principal contractor will be Sierra Nevada Corporation, Hagerstown, MD. There are no known offset agreements proposed in connection with this potential sale. Implementation of this proposed sale will not require the long-term assignment of any additional U.S. Government representatives to Kuwait. There will be U.S. contractor field representatives relocating to Kuwait in order provide day-to-day maintenance and logistics support.
Like on 30 January 2015, Ilyushin Il-76MD (Candid in NATO code) airlifters accomplished a unique mission to drop bombs at a range in Tver region, the Russian Defense Ministry said. "Pilots of the military-transport aviation imitated the dropping of day and night flash bombs to mark the target area for airborne assault. They also fired from rear guns at ground targets comprising light armor and automobiles of the conditional adversary," it said.
The Ilyushin Il-76MD "Candid" was designed in 1967, during the Soviet era (Picture source: Wikipedia)
The flights took place at an altitude of 400-600 meters at a speed of over 500 km/h in low temperatures. Aircraft deployed in Tver, Pskov, Rostov and Orenburg regions participated in the drills which also engaged young pilots who graduated from military air schools in 2015-2016. The exercise engaged over 10 Il-76MD. Each crew made at least three sorties.
Using bombs with a transport aircraft is not a new idea and not a Russian monopoly: AC-130 gunships were fairly successful when employed as CAS (Close Air Support) platforms. U.S. Air Force has also used transport aircraft to drop GBU-43/B MOAB (Massive Ordnance Air Blast, also known as the Mother of All Bombs) thermobaric weapons. These were dropped with the use of C-130 Hercules aircraft, mostly the MC-130E Combat Talon I or MC-130H Combat Talon II variants. C-17 Globemasters are also said to be capable to deliver this armament.
To give some background information, the Il-76 Candid is a multi-purpose four-engine turbofan strategic airlifter designed by the USSRs Ilyushin bureau. It was first planned as a commercial freighter in 1967, as a replacement for the Antonov An-12. It was designed to deliver heavy machinery to remote, poorly served areas. Military versions of the Il-76 have been widely used in Europe, Asia and Africa, including use as an aerial refueling tanker or command center.
Lets remind that the Il-76 Candid was also designed in view of operating as a bomber, which its front bombardier station and rear gun demonstrate. However, heavy and poorly maneuverable aircraft carrying bombs can only be employed during low-intensity conflicts, in areas where virtually no air-defenses exist,otherwise, using a troop-carrier as a heavy bomber to drop dumb bombs through a SAM-infested airspace as enemy airfields are, would be nearly suicidal.
CAIRO An Egyptian lawyer has called for the establishment of a national council to advocate for mens rights. On the TV program Hona al-Kahera Feb. 14, attorney Essam Hajjaj said, The national council will aim to support men harmed by the personal status laws issued during the last 20 years and passed with the support of the National Council for Women.
He explained, The personal status laws proved to be biased toward women, especially Law No. 1 of 2000 known as the Khula Law [permitting no-fault divorce] that completely destroyed Egyptian families, with a divorce case occurring every four minutes. Egyptian divorced women get custody of their children until they turn 15 while fathers get limited visitation rights.
Article 20 of the Khula Law specifies that if two spouses do not mutually agree on divorce, the wife files a claim requesting khula, which waives all of her lawful financial rights. The provision has made it legally much easier for Egyptian women to get divorced, though they still risk losing everything.
On Feb. 10 on al-Ashira Masaan (Ten PM) on Egypts Dream 2 channel. Hajjaj had accused the National Council for Women (NCW) of harming mens rights through its positions and laws it has drafted and endorsed since its establishment. We have not seen a similar council for men's affairs, he said.
There will be no national council for the men, NCW director Maya Morsi responded during the show in a telephone interview.
The NCW was established by a presidential decree in 2000 and operates under the president's office. It proposes general policies on womens affairs to economically empower women, organize comprehensive development programs and submit proposals and observations to the administration.
Mona Ezzat, the director of the Women and Work Program at the New Woman Foundation, sees the call for a council for men as a response to women's issues having become so central to the public discourse. Some argue that men also have their rights trampled upon, and this is not true, she told Al-Monitor. Gender-based violence exists. Women suffer this violence in addition to other public issues affecting both men and women. For example, both men and women complain of lack of public rights such as the need for a minimum wage, but women only face a gender-based wage disparity in favor of men in many jobs.
Ezzat added, Egyptian women face a patriarchal culture and are barred from certain public positions, such as judicial posts. This has resulted in an unemployment rate among women of 24% compared to only about 8% among men. The NCW and womens associations are working to correct this injustice.
For example, qualified candidate Omnia Gadallah applied for a judicial position at Egypt's State Council. Though Article 11 of the 2014 constitution guarantees equality between men and women, her application was not accepted for consideration. On Nov. 11, 2017, the Board of Commissioners of the Second Chamber of the Supreme Administrative Court refused to hear a case brought for the appointment of women judges to the council.
The chairperson of the Women's Center for Guidance and Legal Awareness, Reda al-Danbouky, said Egyptian society is fundamentally a male-dominated one and discrimination always works in favor of men.
Calling for a national council for men cannot be serious, especially since women are still deprived of numerous rights, he told Al-Monitor. The penal code also discriminates against women in specific crimes concerning adultery and honor. Under the law, a man is only accused of adultery if his alleged act is committed within the marital home, while a woman can be accused of adultery regardless of the place."
Also in a phone interview on Hona al-Kahera, Alaa Abed, the head of the Egyptian parliament's Human Rights Committee, said, Women and men are two sides of a single coin, and stressed that women make up a crucial pillar of society.
Abed asked, Is the man oppressed or subject to injustice? Are we a matriarchal society or a patriarchal society? He said that the Egyptian street will not support such a council, adding, The idea is not constitutionally enforceable.
Article 214 of the constitution stipulates, The law provides for independent national councils including the National Council for Human Rights, the National Council for Women, the National Council for Childhood and Motherhood, and the National Council for Persons with Disabilities. The law sets out their structures, mandates and guarantees the independence and neutrality of their members. The constitution did not provide for the establishment of a similar council for men.
There are no statistics available from any government agencies or independent organizations on violations of mens rights in Egyptian society. Meanwhile, women in Egypt accounting for about 49% of the population clearly face difficulties that men do not.
The Women's Empowerment Strategy 2030 drafted by the NCW and issued in March 2017 noted that in 2016, women made up 24.2% of the workforce. In 2015, the unemployment rate among women was 24%, and in 2016, the percentage of women in administrative positions was just 6%. In 2014, 4.1% of Egyptian women have been subject to sexual violence from their husbands, and 25.2% have suffered physical violence at the hands of their husbands. Almost one in five women aged 20-29 were married before the age of 18.
Ali Akbar Velayati, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's top adviser on international affairs, paid an official visit to Iraq from Feb. 15-18. He made statements on issues related to Iraq's internal affairs, including the upcoming elections, which sparked controversy in the Iraqi political scene.
We will not allow liberals and communists to govern in Iraq, Velayati said during a speech Feb. 17 at the Founding Conference of the Iraqi Assembly of Islamic Unity in Baghdad.
It is clear that Velayati was referring to the electoral alliance between the Sadrist movement, the civil movement and the Iraqi Communist Party in the upcoming elections. Since the last elections in 2014, the leader of the Sadrist movement, Muqtada al-Sadr, has been adopting a stance independent of Iran. His followers have repeatedly shouted slogans against Iran and its regional symbols such as the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps' Quds Force commander, Maj. Gen. Qasem Soleimani.
Raed Fahmi, the secretary of the Central Committee of the Iraqi Communist Party, running in the elections with the Sairoun coalition allied with the Sadrist movement, saw Velayatis statement as an intervention in Iraqi affairs and against the Iraqi Constitution.
Velayatis statement stirred the ire of other civil entities, too. Faeq al-Sheikh Ali, a member of parliament with the civil movement, said in a Facebook post Feb. 17 that it expresses contempt for and disregard of the Iraqis. The civil movement, liberals, communists, nationalists, democrats and all the honorable people of Iraq will not allow Ali Akbar Velayati and other Iranians to interfere in Iraqi affairs, he wrote.
In turn, the Sunni currents were also disturbed by the statements of Velayati. Parliamentarian Abdul Karim Abtan, a prominent leader with the Iraqi National Movement, said in a TV interview, We do not work for Velayati or any other person. We are Iraqis. Our national project is an Iraqi project. Even if Velayati has power over one or two Iraqis, this power will not last. We will not allow anyone to have influence at the expense of the Iraqis and to intervene in Iraqi affairs.
In addition to his official meetings with President Fuad Masum and Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi, Velayati met with Shiite leaders close to Iran, such as former Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, head of the Wisdom Movement Ammar al-Hakim, head of the Badr Organization Hadi al-Amiri and Sheikh Humam Hamoudi, the head of the Islamic Supreme Council of Iraq.
The choice of the figures Velayati met with indicates that Iran is apprehensive about the state of political disintegration within Iraq's Shiite community, which could have serious post-elections repercussions that would result in the formation of an Iraqi government that is more distant and independent from Iran.
An official in the Iraqi National Dialogue Front, Haidar Nuri Sadeq al-Mulla, told Al-Monitor, Iran's tools in Iraq can no longer play the Iraqi sectarian card since the Iraqi people have become aware of such maneuvers. Therefore, Iran is trying to mobilize the Iraqi street from abroad so that the elections lead to results in favor of the blocs that still support its agenda.
Mulla pointed to other similar statements by Rahim Bor Azghadi, a member of the Iranian Supreme Council for the Cultural Revolution. Azghadi had said, We are intervening in the countries in the region that are close to the United States in order to bring down the ruling regimes in those countries and to be able to control them. There are five countries that are no longer controlled by Washington and currently under the control of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Mulla called upon the Iraqi Foreign Ministry to take a clear stance on Irans interference in Iraqs affairs, saying, Iraq will not be part of the sectarian axis policy that Iran seeks to create in the region.
"Iraq is not subject to the domination or control of any foreign country," Foreign Ministry spokesman Ahmed Mahjoub said Feb. 22 in response to Azghadi's statements that Iran controls five countries in the region, including Iraq, and that it was Iran (via its agents) that executed Saddam Hussein.
As usual, Velayati failed to meet with top Shiite cleric Ali al-Sistani and other religious authorities during his trip to Najaf, because of the policy of the citys religious figures not to receive Iranians who make inflammatory statements about Iraqi domestic affairs.
Lebanese Shiite activist Mustafa Fahs said that Velayati, in a statement at the Baghdad conference, called Khamenei the leader of the Islamic nation, without any mention of Sistani despite the latters major role in the stability of Iraq. Fahs said this is evidence of Irans resentment of Sistani.
Velayati also called on the Popular Mobilization Units to stand tall in the face of the American forces in Iraq. Americans are in the process of creating a NATO base in Iraq with the help of some Islamic countries to prevent unity among Muslims, Velayati said in his speech. He said Iran will not allow the American plan to see the light; he said the plan aims to block land passage between Tehran, Baghdad, Damascus and Beirut.
During his encounter with Maliki, Velayati said US troops should not be present east of the Euphrates. He added, The resistance front should not allow NATO to set up a base in western Asia.
Recently, NATO agreed to carry on with and expand its mission in Iraq to train Iraqi security forces, upon the request of the United States.
Pro-Iran Shiite militias promptly responded. The secretary-general of Harakat Hezbollah al-Nujaba, Sheikh Akram al-Kaabi, said Feb. 21 that his movement is making tremendous efforts to clean up Iraqi soil of any US presence and terrorist sleeper cells; we have warned against their being under US protection under different names and descriptions.
Parliamentarian Abdul Bari Zebari, the chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee, criticized Velayati's remarks, saying, Any remarks that do not come following coordination with the Iraqi government could influence Iraqi public opinion and have negative repercussions particularly as the election approaches.
Iran will continue to pressure its proxies in Iraq to set up a strong political alliance against their rivals in order to make sure they win a political majority that would enable them to form a government following the election.
Last week I wrote here about the arrest of two young Palestinians, sons of my friend M. from the West Bank city of Ramallah. M. told me that Israeli special forces burst twice into the family home within the space of two days. The first night they dragged his son Ahmed out of his bed. Two nights later, they returned and took his brother Yasser. The two boys were each arrested by the troops, and each time the family was herded into one room and told to wait there for the soldiers to leave. Almost three weeks have passed since these arrests, and the family still has no news about the brothers' situation.
Their father and I go way back. He and his family fled the Gaza Strip and took refuge in Ramallah when Hamas took control in 2007 because, as a journalist, he was considered an enemy. I dont know why the two sons were detained. I knew them as children when I covered the Gaza Strip for Israeli media outlets. I find it hard to believe they are suspected of membership in a terror organization. On the other hand, I also find it hard to believe they were arrested for no reason. However, all attempts to find out what has happened to them and what exactly they are suspected of have been so far unsuccessful.
These incidents and the fact that my friends children cannot defend themselves legally, or at least have the opportunity to try and clear their names, reveal a difficult reality. It made clear to the family, and also to me, that Palestinians detained by Israel are often denied access to legal counsel and banned from meeting with a lawyer for at least 30 days from the day of their arrest. The only possibility to meet a lawyer earlier is if the detainee confesses to the suspicions against him. But by that time a legal defense is almost useless. All that is left is to wait for the sentence to be pronounced.
Amnesty International referred to this issue in its annual human rights report published this week. According to the report, The authorities continued to substitute administrative detention for criminal prosecution, holding hundreds of Palestinians, including children, civil society leaders and NGO workers, without charge or trial under renewable orders, based on information withheld from detainees and their lawyers.
But these facts are not new. A comprehensive report issued in 2007 by the Israeli human rights organization Yesh Din defined the military court system in the occupied territories as backyard proceedings. The report was compiled by a leading Israeli human rights lawyer, Michael Sfard, with the help of a consultative panel of senior legal experts. International standards raise two principal requirements: the requirement that the prosecutor inform the accused immediately and in writing of the charges against him; and the requirement to give the accused the indictment in his own language, according to the report. In reality, security legislation does not meet either of these requirements.
Denying detainees the right to legal counsel and withholding information about the reason for their detention have two goals. One is to exert pressure on the detainee in order to extract a confession out of a good-faith effort to thwart planned terror attacks. The other reason is to prevent information from tipping off other suspects before they are arrested.
Sfard, whose new book, The Wall and the Gate: Israel, Palestine, and the Legal Battle for Human Rights, was published this month, told Al-Monitor that Israels security forces make sweeping use of this tool. In the past, we petitioned the Supreme Court and asked the prime ministers office, which is in charge of the Shin Bet security agency, for precise data on the number of cases in which detainees have been prevented from meeting lawyers," he said. "The office refused to divulge the information. We know that this occurs in most of the cases and security detentions.
Since its publication more than a decade ago, Yesh Din's report has been considered an unimpeachable source to all those who deal with military courts. But despite its publication, the situation on the ground has not changed. According to the law, the Shin Bet and other security forces, such as the police and army, can detain a person and deny them access to a lawyer for 30 days, said Sfard. He said preventing detainees from meeting lawyers is used administratively without judicial review. Also, the use of this tool is not limited to Palestinian members of terror cells that plan or carry out attacks against Israelis. Even membership in an organization is reason for detaining Palestinians and denying them a meeting with a lawyer, Sfard said.
Attorney Raslan Mahagna of the Arab-Israeli town of Umm al-Fahm specializes in the defense of Palestinian suspects. He told Al-Monitor that his office is currently handling some 300 administrative detention cases. Mahagna said that if investigators are unable to elicit a confession during the initial 30-day detention, the military prosecution can request an extension of up to 90 days, during which the suspect is still prevented from meeting with a lawyer.
The sentencing does not take place in court. It happens in the interrogation room.
Mahagna also said that in recent months there has been a disturbing rise in the number of Palestinians put on military trial. Of his office's 300 cases, some 100 involve Palestinians arrested in the recent raids conducted by Israeli troops in the West Bank town of Jenin in their hunt for Ahmed Jarrar, who headed a terror cell that murdered Rabbi Raziel Shevach of the Havat Gilad settlement last month. All the detainees are suspected of abetting Jarrar in evading arrest. Israeli forces eventually located Jarrar and shot him to death when he emerged armed from his hiding place Feb. 6.
Mahagna said that Israeli authorities use administrative detention and deny access to lawyers even for seemingly trivial suspicions. Theres a military unit that monitors Facebook posts, and many hundreds of Palestinians have been detained, Mahagna said. Membership in student bodies or social organizations, not necessarily armed ones, is a sufficiently valid reason for preventing legal representation until a confession. Preventing meetings with lawyers is a severe restriction that violates the detainees right to due process. The detention period is the most crucial in terms of a legal defense. Its a tool to exert pressure on a suspect to confess, and sometimes detainees confess to things they havent done because they cannot meet their lawyer.
The problem does not end once a lawyer is allowed to meet a client brought before a military court for a detention extension. You get to the court, and all the material is classified, Mahagna said. The prosecutor hands the judge the classified reports and the court does not allow him to answer a single question. You, as the lawyer, can only talk about nothing. You dont know what your client is suspected of, what hes being asked, what interrogation techniques are being used. So how can you defend him?
Mahagna said, All you know, as someone who comes to represent your client and is supposed to provide him with a legal defense, is something general and vague, such as suspicions of threatening local security or undermining public order. This is something so general that you cannot defend. You can only photocopy the [evidentiary] material and study it once an indictment is served. But by then, its a done deal. I view this as a very anti-democratic tool opposed to the [general worldwide] role of investigative authorities, whose duty is to get at the truth and not only to incriminate the suspect. Here, they do things the other way around. They want to incriminate the suspect at all cost.
Sfar said, The sentencing does not take place in court. It happens in the interrogation room.
On Feb. 25, a government panel approved proposed legislation that would transfer jurisdiction over certain petitions filed by West Bank Palestinians from the Israeli Supreme Court to the Jerusalem District Court. The bill, sponsored by Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked, is a precedent-setting move that would de facto impose Israeli law on the West Bank. It would validate the creeping imposition of Israeli law for the benefit of the hundreds of thousands of Israeli settlers living among the Palestinians. The settlers are currently governed largely by military law, which applies in the West Bank since it is legally considered occupied territory.
One Rule, Two Legal Systems, a 2014 report compiled by the Association of Civil Rights in Israel, provides an overview of the institutionalized judicial discrimination at play in the West Bank, where two different population groups live side-by-side but under unequal legal systems. Those who belong to one population enjoy human rights and civil liberties, while those who belong to the other population are not entitled to them, or entitled to them to a much lesser extent, the report states.
If the Knesset approves the law Shaked has been vigorously pushing since she took office in 2015, the lives of West Bank Palestinians will become even more complex. They will still be subject to Israeli military law, but only the Jerusalem District Court, rather than the Supreme Court, will be authorized to hear initial petitions against Israeli authorities on such issues as entry and exit from the West Bank and building and planning permits. Furthermore, Shaked is pushing for personnel changes in the district court.
Shaked brought the full power of her office to bear to appoint Haya Zandberg, her confidant and an attorney, as a Jerusalem District Court judge. Zandberg served in the State Prosecutors office as head of a panel tasked with legalizing wildcat settlement outposts in the West Bank. Zandbergs Feb. 22 appointment was part of Shakeds declared plan for sweeping reform of Israels legal and court system.
For Shaked and her party, HaBayit HaYehudi (Jewish Home), reform means appointing judges whose personal and judicial record ensures that they will be sympathetic to the settlement enterprise and not stand in its way. The rulings by these judges would be the opposite of various Supreme Court decisions mandating evacuating settlements such as Amona, the girls high school (ulpana) in the settlement of Beit El, and other structures and outposts deemed illegal.
Indeed, the most recent batch of judicial appointments, announced Feb. 23, included two new Supreme Court justices Professor Alex Stein and Judge Ofer Groskopf after which Shaked declared with great fanfare that her move to reform the countrys top court had been completed. Less than a week after this part of the judicial puzzle had been put in place, Shaked began the second phase of her grand plan transferring jurisdiction over Palestinian petitions from the Supreme Court to the Jerusalem District Court.
The move I lead now will channel the additional burden [on the Supreme Court] to the lower courts. Equally important is ending the discrimination currently practiced against the residents of Judea and Samaria [the biblical term for West Bank], she said, after her government colleagues green-lighted her bill. Their rights should be equal to those of any other citizen. In other words, Shaked claimed that she was motivated by a desire for greater efficiency in the work of the court rather than ideological issues.
The law must still pass three Knesset readings to be adopted, but given the current composition of Israels legislature, it is likely to be approved. This would validate the declared ideological principles of Jewish Home, which wants to annex the West Bank, turning them into binding legal statutes.
Gilad Grossman of the human rights organization Yesh Din told Al-Monitor that practically speaking, it does not matter whether the Supreme Court or the Jerusalem District Court adjudicates Palestinian land issue petitions, because the decision will generally be the same. Referring to his organizations petition to the Supreme Court on behalf of Palestinian landowners against the settlement of Amona, Grossman said the ruling would have been identical if the petition had been filed with the district court, as the state conceded that the land in question was privately owned by Palestinians. Nonetheless, he also asserted that the legislation being sponsored by the justice minister leads to annexation.
This bill is designed to indicate a kind of normalcy, Grossman said. [It is meant] to show that were not talking about an area conquered by one nation whose residents [Israelis] do whatever they want and no one enforces the law against them in an equal manner, but rather that these are conflicts between neighbors just like in Tel Aviv, Haifa or any other town within sovereign Israel.
The bill is largely aimed at swaying public perception, claiming that from a legal standpoint, the issue is one of equal rights rather than of Palestinians and Israelis living in contested territory under different legal systems, Grossman noted. In other words, the idea is to turn the West Bank into just another district in Israel, he said.
The new bill, if it passes, also has a psychological element. Aggrieved Palestinian landowners will hesitate to petition a lower Israeli court and become entangled in a lengthy legal process. Petitions to the Supreme Court, the countrys top adjudicator, are often accompanied by briefs from human rights organizations and have a high public profile. The rulings on them are almost always final (except for rare cases where an additional hearing is held by an expanded panel of judges). Rulings handed down by a district court are not final and can be appealed to the Supreme Court, entailing a lengthier, dragged out process.
Should the proposed bill become law and human rights organizations challenge its legality before the Supreme Court the justices will have an interesting decision to make regarding their own jurisdiction. In other words, they will have to decide whether to strip themselves of the right to hear petitions by Palestinians. The more complex question, however, is whether the settlers will be considered residents of Israeli territory or of territory governed by military law by virtue of its status as occupied land.
BEIRUT Israel started building a new wall along its border with Lebanon on Feb. 8. No official reason was given, but the last time Israel built a wall along the border in 2012, it was to avoid friction.
In 2012, the 2-kilometer (1.2-mile) wall was erected next to the village of Kfar Kila in Lebanon. This used to be a touristic area. People would come and take pictures of themselves in front of occupied Palestine, Abu Ali, a local from Kfar Kila, told Al-Monitor, pointing to the small replica of the Dome of the Rock that stands in the middle of the villages roundabout. Today, the wall, which is between 7-10 meters high (23-33 feet), completely obstructs the view of the Israeli town of Metulla. Several jeeps of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) patrol the area, and intelligence officers of the Lebanese army dressed in civilian clothes keep an eye on visitors.
Hezbollah, the powerful pro-Iranian Lebanese party headed by Hassan Nasrallah and whose power base lies in south Lebanon, has taken over the decoration of the wall. Drawings and graffiti are resolutely anti-Israeli: Palestine shines, The resistance is always ready, Nasrallah, we are with you. Others are more mundane: Malak, Ali loves you.
The centerpiece of the wall is covered with dozens of pictures of Hezbollah and Amal (another Lebanese Shiite party) martyrs. The biggest one, of Abdallah Mahmoud Atawi, a suicide bomber who drove a car packed with 500 kilograms (1,102 pounds) of explosives into two Israeli convoys in 1988, is nearly as high as the wall. A cease-fire has largely been maintained along the frontier since Israel fought a war against Hezbollah in 2006.
The setting of the more recent wall could not be more different. Roughly 500 meters (0.3 miles) long, it lies in an empty and wild stretch of land, in a military zone a few meters away from the sea, at Lebanons southeastern tip. A few Lebanese soldiers scattered along the border watch the construction site, close to the temporary Blue Line created by the UN to demarcate Israels military withdrawal from south Lebanon in 2000. If they cross into Lebanese territory, we will defend our country, one of the soldiers told Al-Monitor on condition of anonymity.
The wall was erected in one day, on Feb. 8, UNIFIL spokeswoman Andrea Tenenti told Al-Monitor. Since then, there have been ongoing engineering works south of the Blue Line around the same area. The digging was mainly done to prepare the installation of additional parts of the wall.
Should construction of the wall continue, the Lebanese government worries that it will pass through land that they believe belongs to Lebanon but lies on the Israeli side of the Blue Line. There are 13 reservation points along the Blue Line that still need to be demarcated, a government source, who requested anonymity, told Al-Monitor. Our position is that if Israel wants to build a wall on their side of the border, it is their business. But if Israel builds on the reservation points, the Lebanese government will not remain idle. We will take action because this is a violation of our sovereignty.
Nasrallah has publicly backed the governments position. Im telling Israel, take the warnings very seriously. Lebanon will be united behind the state and the army to stop the enemys action, and the resistance will take its responsibilities, Lebanese newspaper Al-Akhbar quoted him as saying in late January. Israel, on the other hand, maintains that the wall is entirely on its territory.
According to Tenenti, the situation is under control. The current building site is not in disputed areas. Lebanon and Israel have confirmed their commitment to the cessation of hostilities and to take advantage of UNIFILs liaison and coordination mechanism to find solutions aimed at preventing violations. The tripartite meetings, which include representatives from the Israeli army, the Lebanese army and UNIFIL, have been organized once a month near UNIFIL headquarters in Naqoura since 2006. These past few weeks, the meetings have been more frequent to address tensions caused by the new wall.
The border area near Naqoura has been relatively calm in the past few years, save for several incidents in 2013, including an explosion that wounded four Israeli soldiers in Labbouneh. In Alma Chaab, a Christian village nearby, the new wall fails to stir passions like in Kfar Kila. Israel is free to do what it wants on its territory, Jean Hanna, the owner of a small restaurant, told Al-Monitor. The most serious border fighting occurred back in 2010 in Adaisseh, a little under 60 kilometers (37 miles) from Naqoura. Clashes led to the death of a senior Israeli officer, two Lebanese soldiers and a Lebanese journalist.
Tensions between the two countries were already running high before the construction of the wall. Another border dispute, this time at sea, was brought back to the surface when Lebanon decided to sign its first offshore oil and gas exploration agreements on Feb. 9, which include a block disputed by Israel. However, the mediation conducted by David Satterfield, the acting assistant US secretary of state for Near Eastern affairs, has helped keep the situation under control. During one of his three visits to Lebanon in the past few weeks, he assured Lebanese officials that Israel does not want escalation, according to Reuters. In an interview with an Iraqi TV channel Feb. 23, Lebanese President Michel Aoun invited Israel to resort to arbitration to solve the border dispute.
Back in Beirut, member of parliament Bassem Chab, who sits on the parliaments National Defense, Interior and Municipal Affairs Committee, fears that Israel could try to push Lebanon toward a small, localized conflict similar to 2010. For Israeli hard-liners, the Lebanese army is a lost cause, as they think it is in cahoots with Hezbollah. Therefore, the army must be careful in not being lured into clashes at the border that would lead to a cut in American aid, the Lebanese armys main international backer, Chab told Al-Monitor.
The latest US military assistance package was valued at $120 million. On March 15, a conference will be organized in Rome to garner international support for the Lebanese army. The army denies any collaboration with Hezbollah, whose military wing never disarmed after the end of the Lebanese civil war (1975-1990) and has been fighting alongside President Bashar al-Assad in Syria.
These border disputes come among heightened regional tensions between Israel and Iran in Syria. According to Chab, If it were not for Syria, Israel would be more tolerant of Hezbollahs presence in southern Lebanon. They know that Hezbollah would not start a war there, as it would be devastating for the local Shiite population. But Hezbollah is less fearful of a confrontation in Syria. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has repeatedly warned that he would not tolerate Irans growing presence at its borders with Syria and Lebanon.
GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip More Gazans are seeking to flee to Israel in search of jobs in light of the high unemployment rate and the worsening economic conditions in the coastal enclave. On Feb. 16, Palestinian security forces stopped three young Gazans from crossing into Israel through the southern Gaza Strip. Four young men were also arrested Feb. 13 and interrogated by the Ministry of the Interior.
Despite a warning from the security apparatus in Gaza back in August that any Palestinian who attempts to cross over into Israel would be arrested and imprisoned, they keep trying.
Israeli concerns are also growing about the attempts by Gazans to sneak into its territory. The Israel Defense Forces arrested four young men attempting to cross into Israel Feb. 1 and another Feb. 2.
Al-Monitor contacted some of the young men who tried to sneak across the Israeli border with the Gaza Strip to learn their reasons for taking the risk.
Jamal (a pseudonym), 22, tried to cross with his friend for the first time in mid-2015 after fighting with his father over financial issues. But the Israeli forces arrested him upon crossing the eastern border of al-Maghazi governorate in central Gaza. After an interrogation, Israel determined him not to be a threat and sent him back to Gaza through the Erez crossing.
Jamal said, When I was released and returned to the Gaza Strip, I was arrested and interrogated by the security forces in Gaza after which they warned me about attempting to do it again.
He continued, I have been trying to do it again ever since, because I do not see a future for myself here in Gaza. My parents forced me to get engaged to a relative of mine so I would get the idea of crossing the border out of my head, but I am not ready to get married.
Ahmed (another pseudonym), 25, was arrested in 2015 by Israel for entering its territory without a permit and was released and returned to Gaza in late 2016 after serving two-thirds of a two-year sentence. He was freed for good behavior as part of an early release program for those believed not to pose a danger to Israels national security.
Ahmed told Al-Monitor, My friend and I decided to cross over. We moved at the break of dawn, but after we jumped over the separation fence east of Jabalya province and walked just a dozen of meters, we found ourselves surrounded by Israeli soldiers.
Ahmed noted that the soldiers insulted him and his companion, even though they explained that they had come in search of work in light of the difficult living conditions in the Gaza Strip. He said he would never think about attempting to enter Israel again unless he can be sure he will get away with it.
According to the Hebrew-language website Walla, 60 individuals attempted to sneak into Israel from Gaza in 2017, 10 of whom were planning to carry out armed attacks. Eight instances have been reported so far this year.
The spokesman for the Ministry of Interior in Gaza, Iyad al-Bozm, told Al-Monitor that most Gazans who attempt to escape to Israel are aged between 17 and 25, the category hardest hit by the economic conditions and blockade.
He said the ministry has made several efforts over the past few years to limit such incidents by increasing the number of border security points, intensifying national security patrols and issuing warnings that attempting to sneak into Israel will entail arrest, imprisonment or even being forced to work as Israeli spies.
Speaking about the obstacles complicating border control, Bozm said the national security forces are unable to get near the border fence between the Gaza Strip and Israel, where they risk being shot at by Israeli soldiers. Some border areas are agricultural or residential areas, creating opportunities to slip past troops deployed there.
He explained that if Israel arrests and releases these individuals first, the ministry will also pursue them and take appropriate measures such as sending them to prison, imposing fines or keeping a close eye on them. He acknowledged that while some young men do cross the border to provide intelligence to the Israelis, the majoritys goal is to find work. He said the ministrys mission is to maintain Gazas internal security regardless of political and economic considerations, and there is cooperation between the national security forces and all Palestinian resistance factions deployed on the border, which hand over anyone who approaches the border to the authorities.
Political analyst Akram Atallah told Al-Monitor that the main motivation for such attempts is to escape the harsh life in Gaza. He called on the government to actually facilitate their attempts for the purpose of breaking the blockade.
Hamas cannot play the role of security guard for Israel's borders, and we must encourage young people to sneak across and put pressure on Israel, Atallah said.
Political analyst and political science professor at Al-Azhar University Asaad Abu Sharkh told Al-Monitor that the government is ignoring Gazans needs, pushing them to escape. He called on the government to seek solutions and improve the living conditions in Gaza.
RAMALLAH, West Bank For five years now, Israeli authorities have prevented Umm al-Fahm, one of the largest Palestinian cities in Israel, from naming some of its streets as the municipality sees fit. While the Ministry of Interior recently approved some street names, it rejected others for their symbolism.
The Umm al-Fahm City Council is scheduled to hold a meeting with the Israeli Ministry of Interior at the end of February to push for approval on the rejected street names.
Umm al-Fahm, home to about 60,000 residents, extends over an area of some 10 square miles. The vast majority of its Palestinian Muslim population belongs to four large clans: Agbariya, Jabarin, Mahajneh and Mahamid.
The lack of street names means that many people do not have home postal addresses. There is also a shortage of mailboxes at distribution centers. According to Bilal Agbariya, the deputy head of the Umm al-Fahm municipality, a third of the mail arriving in the city does not reach the correct recipient. Thousands of people share the same first and last names, and homes are sometimes identified by landmarks.
In March 2013, Umm al-Fahm launched a project to issue more street names and allocate additional house numbers. It submitted a list of 300 street names to the Ministry of Interior, but according to Agbariya, the ministry has been procrastinating.
After a four-year delay, the Umm al-Fahm municipality held a meeting with the Israeli Ministry of Interior on Oct. 21 [2017] to learn the reason behind its rejection of the submitted names, Agbariya said. They told us that they had an objection to dozens of proposed names, and on Oct. 31 sent us a message approving 247 names while asking for the amendment of 13 and rejecting 40 altogether.
The names rejected by the Israeli Ministry of Interior are those of Palestinian national and political figures, including poets Mahmoud Darwish and Rashid Hussein Mahmoud and late Palestinian President Yasser Arafat, and leaders of the Arab revolt that began in 1936, including Sheikh Izz ad-Din al-Qassam and Yusuf al-Hamdan. They also rejected the names of Palestinian villages that were destroyed and abandoned in 1948 among them Sabarin, Khabiza, Tantura and Umm Hanoun and of former Umm al-Fahm leaders, including Tawfiq Asalieh, the first head of the municipality post-1948, and Ahmad Abu Hashsash, the second head.
While Palestinians see naming their city streets, towns and squares after nationalist leaders as affirming their national and Palestinian identity, Israel objects, deeming some selections as the glorification of terrorism. Meanwhile, it is not opposed to naming streets in predominantly Jewish cities after Israeli figures who have called for the expulsion or the killing of Arabs.
Nothing justifies their refusal to name a street after Yasser Arafat, Agbariya said. Didnt he win a Nobel Peace Prize? Didnt he sign the Oslo Accords and shake hands with both Yitzhak Rabin and Shimon Peres? Why does the Ministry of Interior allow the naming of several streets in Israel after the former Israeli Minister [Rehavam] Zeevi, who called for the expulsion of Arabs and described them as snakes? Route 90, the longest street in Israel, was named after him.
The lack of names and addresses causes serious problems for residents who fail to receive their mail. Agbariya said, For example, when residents are fined for committing a traffic violation, there are cases when their mail gets lost due to the confusing addresses. This leads to the accumulation of fines and penalties that can amount to tens of thousands of shekels.
Some residents are forced to use complicated references to landmarks, such as mosques and stores, in providing directions to their houses and shops. This also creates difficulties for the tens of thousands of visitors and shoppers who visit daily from neighboring villages and need to find their way around, according to Agbariya. Umm al-Fahm, as one of Israel's largest Arab cities, is an important commercial hub for surrounding Arab towns and villages.
Although the Israeli Ministry of Interior has approved some street names, the proposed new ones not approved are problematic in terms of moving on to the next stage on the ground. We are ready to allocate numbers for houses and names to streets, and we will start working as soon as we get a full approval, he said.
Agbariya further stated, If the Israeli Ministry of Interior insists on rejecting the suggested names, then a committee will be formed by the municipality to look into the matter and decide whether to insist on the proposed names and file a lawsuit against the Ministry of Interior near the Israeli courts or decide to change them.
Yousef Jabarin, an Arab member of the Knesset from Umm al-Fahm, told Al-Monitor, The naming of the streets of our cities is not a technical issue but one that reflects our history, our culture and our national identity. It is an important tool for consolidating the national memory of successive generations, and Israel is well-aware of that. However, it wants to deprive us of our right to name our streets after national symbols.
Jabarin continued, The Israeli rejection of this case is part of a policy aimed at denying us our Palestinian national identity and obliterating the Palestinian narrative with the names of Palestinian leaders to prevent future generations from learning about them.
Salih Muslim, a globally known Syrian Kurdish leader, was detained in the Czech capital city of Prague on Feb. 24 at Turkeys request. Ankara is now demanding that he be extradited to Turkey where he faces terror charges over his alleged links to a March 2016 car bomb attack in Ankara that left 37 people dead. It remains unclear what evidence if any Turkey has to prove Muslims complicity. The move is a further sign of how Turkeys ruling Justice and Development Party has abandoned efforts to make peace with its Kurds. It has reverted instead to its old, and so far unsuccessful, tactics of seeking to vanquish them militarily in Turkey and now in Syria while criminalizing their political leaders.
Between 2012 and 2015, Muslim was Ankaras top interlocutor within the Syrian Kurdish movement, which was inspired by Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) leader Abdullah Ocalan.
A chemical engineer by training who studied at Istanbul Technical University, Muslim was until recently the co-chair of the Democratic Union Party (PYD) and is not known to have been engaged in any armed activities. Muslim is a familiar face in European capitals where he is hosted by senior officials, including Washingtons previous Syria envoy, Michael Ratney. In February 2015, Muslim oversaw a critical operation carried out jointly between the Turkish military and the PYDs armed wing known as the Peoples Protection Units to transfer the remains of Suleyman Shah, the grandfather of the founder of the Ottoman Empire, from a shrine in northern Syria to a village near the Turkish border. Al-Monitor spoke to Muslim at length over Skype on Feb. 22 just two days before he was detained about his relations with Turkey. Muslim is expected to appear in court Feb. 27.
The following is a transcript of the interview that was conducted in the Turkish language, with slight edits for length and clarity.
Al-Monitor: A Turkish court has issued a warrant for your arrest on terrorism charges and Turkey has asked Interpol to issue a red notice against you. Has this affected your life?
Muslim: No, not in the least. At least not in Europe.
Al-Monitor: Do you travel on a Syrian passport?
Muslim: Yes. I am not a Turkish citizen. And everyone knows the issue is political. Interpol has certain criteria, and Turkeys demand does not fulfill it as far as I know.
Al-Monitor: When was the first time you had formal contact with Turkish officials. Who called who first?
Muslim: It started like this: We were in Damascus at the time. We were members of the [Syrian Opposition] National Coordination Committee for Democratic Change, led by Hassan Abdel Azim. We were told that a delegation wanted to meet with us.
Al-Monitor: Who was in the delegation?
Muslim: The [then] American Ambassador to Syria Robert Ford and the Turkish Ambassador Omer Onhon came to our office. Mr. Onhon stayed for a bit then left. I guess he couldnt deal with my presence. We spoke with Ford for around four hours. Then Mr. Onhon sent us word through someone saying he wanted to meet. They were in Cairo at the time. I was, too. We said, Fine, we are game. We are always ready to enter dialogue with Turkey. We met. This happened in 2012. I dont recall the exact date, but it was after July.
Al-Monitor: Why did they want to meet with you?
Muslim: The wanted to know why we werent talking to the [opposition] Syrian National Council and why we hadnt joined the opposition. We responded that We are in the opposition and we are ready to talk to them. The Syrian National Coalition had not yet been formed. Then Mr. Onhon called us again, saying there was someone he wanted us to meet. The person in question was a representative of one of the armed Syrian opposition groups. We agreed and met with him. He told us he had 90 fighters. He proved to be a charlatan. We concluded that he was useless. Then the issue of Istanbul came to the fore.
Al-Monitor: What was that about?
Muslim: All of these contacts were organized by Mr. Onhon. He was still formally the ambassador to Syria but had been withdrawn [after Turkey downgraded its mission in Syria and supported regime change]. I went to Istanbul. They introduced us once again to members of the Syrian opposition. Two men from the Muslim Brotherhood. Their [Turkeys] goal was for us to join the opposition under their umbrella. We said we were open to anything, but these people refused to acknowledge our existence, the Kurds existence. They refused to make any pledges with respect to our rights. Their mentality was identical to that of the regime. We demand our democratic rights. They could have offered something, at least on paper. We wanted them to say, There is a Kurdish problem in Syria and we are going to solve this Kurdish problem. Only then could we agree to work together with them. But they said, No, you dont exist. If I dont exist, how am I supposed to work with you? These talks took place in 2012 and 2013. Nothing came of them. They dont want to recognize us. They dont want to give us our rights.
Al-Monitor: You also had close contact with the former undersecretary of the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Feridun Sinirlioglu, who is now the Turkish ambassador to Turkeys permanent mission at the United Nations in New York. When did you meet?
Muslim: Around the same time [2012-2013]. We met in Istanbul. We met not only once, but once, twice, thrice! But Mr. Onhon was always present.
Al-Monitor: Around the same time, others from your movement were holding official meetings in Ankara, were they not? And if I am not mistaken, Ilham Ahmed, the co-chair of the Syrian Democratic Council, was among them?
Muslim: Yes, they were talking about Kobani, about the transfer of Suleyman Shahs remains. But I dont know who exactly from our side went, nor who they were meeting with from the Turkish side.
Al-Monitor: So were your own discussions with the Turks only about your role in the Syrian opposition?
Muslim: Yes. At that time they kept saying, Join the Syrian opposition. Thats all.
Al-Monitor: Did they not demand that you give up on autonomy, that you scrap your cantons?
Muslim: No, they never said anything like that. In any case, we explained what we were doing. There was an authority vacuum [after the regime withdrew from the mainly Kurdish areas in northern Syria] and we were filling it. They remained silent. They said nothing in response.
Al-Monitor: Around the same time, the government was holding peace talks with PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan. It was said that the government was demanding that he use his influence over you to get you to give up on autonomy in Syria and to join the fight to overthrow Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
Muslim: They never mentioned Mr. Ocalan during our conversations. What was said between them, I dont know.
Al-Monitor: Journalist Amed Dicle wrote in his recently published book that you had sought the Turkish authorities permission to visit Ocalan in prison while the discussions about Suleyman Shah were still ongoing.
Muslim: I merely said it would be nice if that could happen. But it was more a comment in passing.
Al-Monitor: How many times did you go to Turkey to meet with Turkish officials?
Muslim: Four times. I was in Istanbul when the Suleyman Shah operation took place. I traveled to Istanbul before the operation. There was a comrade from our movement with me. I stayed on and he went to Kobani. I remained in constant contact with him. There was also an operation center set up in Ankara for the Suleyman Shah affair. I was in touch with those [Turkish officials] as well. When it was all over, I spoke to one of the people at the operation center. The [mission] is complete. I said. They responded, The mission is complete. Everything is finished. I then contacted our comrade and asked them whether there were any loose ends that needed tying up. They said no, and I then left Istanbul. [Author's note: This was the last time he traveled to Turkey.]
Al-Monitor: Did you believe at the time that your cooperation in the Suleyman Shah operation marked the beginning of a new chapter in your relations with Turkey? Did it give you hope?
Muslim: By then the trust between us and Turkey had already been shaken. But we decided to show good will nonetheless. We did not want to be placed in the position of having been requested to do something and refusing to. We helped [Turkish forces] go 30 kilometers [19 miles] deep into Syria and through the city of Kobani [to get to the tomb]. We escorted them and protected them. We took them in and out safe and soundly. It was an act of good will.
Al-Monitor: Why was your trust shaken?
Muslim: Because Turkey was training groups like Jabhat al-Nusra and encouraging them to fight against us. Turkey was being two-faced. They [the Turks] were traveling back and forth to Suleyman Shahs tomb [where a tiny Turkish garrison was deployed to protect it] through Jarablus with the cooperation of those groups. They were going to [the tomb] via Jarablus rather than Kobani. This aroused our suspicions. We had never shut the route through our territory to them. But when they said they wanted to do this operation with us, we said fine. We hoped that this might help us establish new and healthier relations with [Turkey]. Besides, peace talks were still continuing with Mr. Ocalan.
Al-Monitor: If they could reach the tomb via Jarablus, why did they come to you for help in transferring it?
Muslim: I really dont know. Where did they relocate the tomb? To territory under our control. To Ashme. I guess they concluded it would be safer there. Our comrades secured the land where it was placed.
Al-Monitor: A Turkish soldier did die during the operation though?
Muslim: Yes. His death was accidental. It was an accident.
Al-Monitor: When you were in Istanbul overseeing the operation, did you meet with Sinirlioglu as well?
Muslim: Yes, I recall we did. Face to face.
Al-Monitor: How were your relations with him?
Muslim: He is an extremely thoughtful and polite person. He was always very understanding. I dont know who gave the orders, but our contact ended.
Al-Monitor: When your son Sirwan was shot dead by a sniper affiliated with jihadi groups, who called you to offer condolences from the Turkish government?
Muslim: Mr. Onhon did. On his own behalf and that of Mr. Sinirlioglu. You know my son used to train snipers. I spoke to his friends who witnessed his martyrdom. There was a sniper war going on in a small village east of Kobani.
Al-Monitor: Who was fighting?
Muslim: There was no Islamic State [IS] at that time. There was [Jabhat] al-Nusra and its extensions. They were all the same. They were positioned opposite our forces. One of our snipers killed several of their people. And they then shot my son, our martyr, Sirwan. It was in an area very close to the Turkish border. He was martyred on Oct. 9, 2013.
Al-Monitor: When you lost your son did you blame Turkey?
Muslim: No, not at all. I never did nor wanted to. At the time, several people asked me whether his killer had crossed in from Turkey. I said they hadnt. Others asked whether Turkey was responsible. I said no it was not and that the thought never crossed my mind even once.
Al-Monitor: Your relations with Turkey have changed dramatically. Turkey has issued a warrant for your arrest. They have even placed a $1 million bounty on your head. Turkey has launched a military offensive against you in Afrin. Why? How did it all come to this?
Muslim: I dont really understand. The Kurdish problem in Turkey and the Kurdish problem in Syria are two separate issues and will be resolved separately. To solve our problem in Syria, we have to sit down and talk with our fellow Syrians, with Arabs, Turkmens and others. Not with Turkey. But we can never break off our ties with Turkey. We share common borders, which separate members of the same families, of the same tribes. And of course we are influenced by Turkey and Turkey by us. The main reason for this situation is Turkeys Kurdish phobia. They dont want Kurds to gain their rights anywhere, not in Turkey, not in Syria and not in Iraq. When I look back, I conclude that Turkey was never sincere about wanting to make peace with the Kurds. Had Turkey reached out to the Kurds, worked with the Kurds, it would have become the most powerful country in the Middle East. Its attacking our people every day. In Afrin. In Kobani. Innocent people are being killed.
Al-Monitor: Can the United States do anything to help fix things?
Muslim: The Americans never made us any promises. We are fighting IS together. They are doing their part, and we are doing ours. But the United States never told us how to run our relations with Damascus. We are free to do as we choose. This should be known to all. If we cooperate with the United States against IS, this serves the interests of all. And the fight against IS is not over.
Al-Monitor: But the United States says it plans to remain in Syria, among other things, to counter Iranian influence.
Muslim: Iran cannot exert its influence in the regions that we run nor those run by our Arab allies. Neither Iran nor Hezbollah.
Al-Monitor: Is it possible for you to reach an agreement with the Syrian regime?
Muslim: Not if they dont change their outlook. But if they decide to embark on democratic change, then yes. The only project that can keep Syria united is ours. But if the regime persists in its dictatorial ways, nobody will accept that. That time has passed.
Al-Monitor: Do you think the regime understands this?
Muslim: Probably, yes. And if Turkey and Iran dont meddle in our affairs, I believe that an agreement can be reached. Getting back to the United States, it can tell Turkey to stop attacking us, to remain within its own borders. Forget re-opening borders and trade, which we of course would have wanted. For now, all we ask is that Turkey leaves us in peace.
Turkey may be preparing for a snap election this year to enshrine President Recep Tayyip Erdogans expanded powers and capitalize on the disarray of a splintered opposition enfeebled by a long crackdown that has jailed politicians, journalists and activists in the wake of a failed coup.
Moving up the date of the presidential and parliamentary votes, which are currently due to be held together in November 2019, will hasten the end of Turkeys century-old parliamentary system, eliminating the office of prime minister and concentrating vast executive powers in Erdogans office after he narrowly won a referendum on the controversial amendments to the constitution last year.
Publicly, the government insists it will not change the election date and Erdogan has long expressed disdain for early polls as a weakness and harmful to democracys honor.
But pundits and investors see signs he is readying for an early national ballot, pointing to recent legislation to perk up a sagging economy and change electoral rules, as well as Erdogans giving what resembles campaign speeches around the country.
Increased government expenditures spurred a post-coup economic recovery last year, but the expansion could slow later as stimulus spending tapers, pushing the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) to act sooner rather than later, analysts told Bloomberg News.
Policy-making has recently reverted to normal parliamentary procedures after the governments unpopular use of decrees to enact laws since imposing emergency rule in the wake of the abortive military coup, according to HaberTurk. More than 50,000 people have been jailed, 110,000 civil servants sacked and dozens of newspapers and civil society groups banned during the state of emergency, leading to charges that Erdogan is authoritarian.
The popularity of a Turkish military incursion launched last month in the Syrian province of Afrin to beat back a Kurdish militia may prove pivotal, said Soner Cagaptay, a senior fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy and the author of The New Sultan, a biography of Erdogan.
The mainstream press has already written the Afrin operation as a victory for Turkey, and that is something that Erdogan can use to catapult over the 50% threshold, Cagaptay told Al-Monitor. This narrative will be driven by Erdogans grip over the media in Turkey and civil society, and that could embolden him.
Already, Erdogan has announced an electoral alliance with the far-right Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), with which the AKP has been cooperating since the referendum campaign. Chairman Devlet Bahceli, likely aware of dwindling support for parliaments smallest party, has already declared his backing for Erdogans candidacy in the presidential election.
Parliaments busy agenda winds down in April, which HaberTurk said could mark the commencement of the 90-day pre-election period. The timeline is helping fuel rumors the government wants the vote held on July 15, two years to the day after the failed coup. Another date that has been floated is Nov. 4, one day after the 16th anniversary of the AKPs 2002 electoral victory that allowed it to rule as a single party ever since.
The government may be keen to hold national polls before the mayoral elections scheduled for March 2019, amid concerns about flagging support in metropolitan areas after Turkeys biggest cities of Istanbul, Ankara and Izmir voted against Erdogans referendum, said Soli Ozel, a lecturer at Kadir Has University in Istanbul.
The local elections are riskier for the government when we consider that the large cities voted no in the referendum. If the opposition puts forth strong candidates, there is a chance [the AKP] could lose these large cities, Ozel told Al-Monitor.
A loss in the number of municipal offices the AKP controls could then dampen its support in the parliamentary and presidential polls, said Adil Gur, who owns the A&G opinion-research firm.
We have seen that the parties outside of government typically garner between three and five more percentage points in local elections, and that can sometimes even reach 10 points, Gur told Al-Monitor last month. Entering a presidential election with that psychology would be a disadvantage for the governing party.
For Erdogan, the nightmare scenario becomes reality if he loses either the executive or the legislative branch, said Cagaptay. The constitutional changes were written with the president in full, complete control of all branches of government, he said, adding that falling short of that could lead to a regime or constitutional crisis.
Erdogans greatest advantage may actually be Turkeys opposition, comprised of competing camps of nationalists, secularists, Kurds and even Islamists with clashing interests and ideologies. They struggled to form a cohesive front in the four elections held in as many years in Turkey, and few see a new partnership emerging now.
Opposition parties have never been so desperate and uncertain, wrote columnist Ahmet Hakan in Hurriyet. Their best chance is to each nominate their own presidential candidate to deprive Erdogan of victory in the first round of voting and then hope the public will rally around his opponent in the second round, he said.
But who that candidate will be is still a mystery. The main opposition Republican Peoples Party (CHP) has not said it will nominate someone other parties can back and is still debating how it will choose a candidate, such as staging a primary process, HaberTurk reported.
Parliaments second-biggest opposition grouping, the pro-Kurdish People's Democratic Party (HDP), said last week it was preparing for an early election and was open to forming an alliance with other parties. But, Ozel said, the only party for the CHP to cooperate with is the HDP, and most CHP members cant even utter the HDPs name.
The oppositions divisions show that the momentum it fleetingly gathered last year, when it joined forces and nearly defeated the constitutional referendum, has dissipated, wrote Asli Aydintasbas in Cumhuriyet. She argued that Erdogan does not need to call an early vote with the opposition so weak.
The 49% [that voted no] genuinely posed a great threat to Erdogan. But since then, nothing is left of that 49%, she wrote. In the face of the governments fusillade, the no bloc has become an honorable losers club for those unable to muster the courage to stand together.
A photojournalist describes how she posed as a prostitute to follow the trade in human flesh.
Sometimes I wonder if I would do it again.
Thats the funny thing about life. Experience comes in random, sporadic servings. Its only years later that the story takes shape.
I didnt intend to spend more than a year covering human trafficking. It ended up taking a decade. I didnt intend on reporting in more than two countries. So, how did I end up in nine?
Before my trips, my mum used to ask: It took us so many years to get out of poverty, why do you keep returning there? I would sit in her kitchen and the only answer that would come to mind was: Its so damn familiar.
I can say the same about the Balkans. Each time the plane landed, I was home. It could have been Turkey, Greece, Albania, Bulgaria (my birth country), or Macedonia I wasnt an outsider. I understood the culture, the rawness of our ways, the dark humour of our days.
But there is one thing I couldnt understand. What had happened to us? How did we start selling our own girls? How did we make profit from deceit and violence?
At first, I was a photojournalist. I saw the world through the camera. And my idea was to return to my origins and find girls who had survived and escaped their traffickers and pimps.
I knew about the shame and stigma in our culture. I knew that once a girl was forced into prostitution, she could never return and expect her village to understand her ordeal. She was judged, trashed, discarded even by her own family.
The break down
If I had the chance to prevent it all, [to] stop someone from getting into this, if I could, I would help in every possible way. You just shouldnt be hot tempered and act out on impulse. Yes, there are moments when you want to run out of the house; there are times when you want to jump in front of a car. It happens not only with me but also with everyone. For some its worse, for some its better. Some people are weak, some stronger. Because of one wrong move, you suffer the rest of your life, said Vika, who was trafficked to Dubai when she was 19 Moldova, 2004 [Mimi Chakarova]
It took time to find women who had survived. I went to shelters; I met with lawyers and social workers. And when I finally sat there with one young lady, and took out my camera, I saw an indescribable terror in her eyes.
I assumed that she was afraid of being photographed and recognised by those whom she had escaped. But that was far from the truth.
The camera reminded many of the young women of their experience of being trafficked. They were often photographed by the pimps during what is known as the break down period days or weeks of torture and rape designed to break down the spirit and resistance of their victims. Some were videotaped while being gang-raped.
It was an effective method of control. If you ever try to run away, we have the photos here as proof. We know where you live. Well send them to your father, to your mother, they were told.
I understood that the camera had become my foe.
It would take time and trust. In some cases it took months, in some years.
I pulled out a notepad instead and listened to their stories. I returned whenever I could. And over time, I started piecing together the reality of sex trafficking. I began to understand what greased its wheels persistent poverty, demand and corruption.
Showing the faces of these young women was no longer enough of a testament to their courage and strength.
The missing piece of the puzzle was what happened to the women once they were sold in the countries that exploited them as sex slaves.
I decided to follow their route, making my way to the red-light districts and brothels of Istanbul, Athens, Dubai, Prague
The banality of evil
Natasha and her younger sister were trafficked to Turkey. The madam in Istanbul sold us for medicine and a pair of sneakers. Sometimes they [the clients] are dirty and smell of sweat. You have no choice. Moldova, 2005 [Mimi Chakarova]
It was dangerous. But there was another problem. As a woman, I couldnt pose as a client as many of my male investigative colleagues did.
I also had no budget for this work so coming up with a more elaborate undercover trafficking operation wasnt a viable option. I had to become one of the women. I had to devise a plan that could get me into these spaces. And I had to bring in hidden cameras and film what I was seeing.
The banality of evil helps its disguise.
Imagine this: an apartment in a regular neighbourhood in Istanbul with a fruit stand nearby. In it lives a husband, his wife and their two children. They have an extra room that is always locked.
Men ring the doorbell during the day. It gets very busy around lunchtime. The husband unlocks the door to the room, stands outside, then escorts the men to the front door when theyre finished, collects their money and tells them to come again.
All the while, the wife and children go about their daily routine of homework, dish-washing and soap-opera watching.
Inside the room are three trafficked girls from Moldova. There are dirty blankets on the floor. They sleep on those. The window is barred and locked. The girls wear T-shirts and panties. They havent showered for days.
The customer enters the room, chooses the girl he wants and forces himself on her. He pays by the minute.
The other two huddle in the corner and wait for it to be over. They often face the wall, but they no longer cry.
One of them has been looking for a sharp object with which to slit her wrists but finds nothing in the room.
She will have to steal something from a client. She hopes for a knife, but wonders how she will get it from his pocket.
Once a day, the door opens and the man the father of the children and husband of the wife throws a few bananas into the room, then quickly locks the door. They are nothing but filthy animals, he thinks to himself.
It eats at your dreams
Olesea, a 21-year-old Moldovan woman, who was trafficked to Turkey. Six months later and back in her village in Moldova, Olesea couldnt tell her mother the truth of how she was sold for sex in Turkey. She came home pregnant and had an abortion at a local clinic. If my mum finds out what really happened to me, it would kill her. Moldova, 2004 [Mimi Chakarova]
After we released the resulting documentary, The Price of Sex, I travelled with the film for two years and spoke to people all over the world. At the end of those two years, I counted how many cities and venues I had spoken at 67.
The questions that came up were often similar: How has this work changed you?; Dont you think that men are the reason this continues to exist?; Whats the solution? Do you think making a film about something so complex is enough?
Yes, this work has changed me. Ive seen some of the worst that we are capable of. Ive been in the presence of sadness that has no end.
Its a well without a bottom full of water as black as the darkest night.
Its a place you cant return from unharmed.
Once you enter this world, it consumes you and eats at your dreams. The images are most vivid at night.
But no, men are not the only reason why trafficking continues to happen all over our world. Women stand by and watch.
Women sell women. Women deceive women.
Anyone who oversimplifies how the system operates is doing a disservice to the many moving parts of this perfectly designed machine. It runs on profit.
It has nothing to do with human life. In fact, thats not even a discussion of concern.
All you have to do is spend enough time around traffickers and pimps to know how they perceive the women they sell.
They are cattle, cargo, a commodity to be used and resold as many times as possible.
If she starts acting up, if she gets sick, if she takes too long to complete the tasks she has been ordered to do, you beat or kill her, dump her in the sea, burry her in the backyard or toss her from a highrise. And you get another one in her place.
If she cuts herself too many times, you sell her to another brothel where they like scarred girls.
There is a market for everything. Pregnant? Even better. In Dubai, you can double the price. There are clients looking for pregnant girls.
There are clients looking for girls who are locked and forced into a life of prostitution. I know this because Ive seen it with my own eyes.
A girl unbuttons her shirt and tells me: Take a picture. Her chest is covered with cigarette burns.
They used me as an ashtray, she says.
I cant take the picture. I tell her to button her shirt. We sit in silence.
My only weapon is my work
I was 18 when I was sold by a woman in my village, said Katia, who was trafficked to Turkey. I was a virgin. I am so ashamed. I cant eat out of the same plate as my mother. Moldova, 2005 [Mimi Chakarova]
I was given an award for courage at the Lincoln Center in New York. I said they should have given me an award for anger instead. There is nothing courageous about what Ive done.
In fact, let me be honest. I never wanted to get on a plane. I was always scared.
I would wait until the last moment to pack. I would think of a million reasons to cancel or postpone a trip.
Its not courage that got me to the airport. Its the fact that I had promised to return and I had to keep that promise or everyone I had involved over the years would think I didnt care or that I had given up on them.
I had become a part of the lives of too many people.
I couldnt let down all the girls who had talked to me and eventually let me film them.
My only weapon is my work. My only way of seeking justice is through my reporting and filming. Everything I knew about trafficking went into the making of The Price of Sex .
But is one film enough to make a change?
Well, its a start.
The Price of Sex was used as a tool in anti-corruption police units in Serbia before we even released it.
Then several months later, the US State Department asked to use it as a training tool in embassies throughout the world.
Then I was invited by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime to discuss anti-corruption practices.
And after almost three years of this documentary being shown at film festivals, universities and on television screens throughout the world, I was finally able to get it in front of viewers in Turkey.
CNN Turk reached out and conducted an interview with me about my undercover work in Istanbul.
Turkeys largest daily paper also published a full spread on the film and the women trafficked and sold into prostitution in Istanbul.
READ MORE: Stories from the sex trade
Offering alternatives
A girl worries about the fate of her sister, who left for Turkey three years prior to this photo being taken. The family had only heard from her once a letter she sent to her home village. Her parents didnt know whether she was still alive. I travelled to Turkey and was able to find her. She had been trafficked for sex in Istanbul, but a client helped her escape. He married her, and they have a child together. She called her parents the day I found her to tell them she is alive but cant return home because the pimps kept her passport. She remains in Turkey as an illegal immigrant, and rarely leaves the house out of fear of being deported and losing custody of her son Moldova, 2004 [Mimi Chakarova]
People dont know.
Those of us who work in journalism assume that everyone has the information necessary to make the right decisions. But they dont.
The perfect example of this was the number of sold-out screenings I was personally present for.
I couldnt believe it when I would see hundreds of people waiting in line on a Friday or Saturday night to watch a documentary film about trafficking.
Wouldnt they rather watch a comedy, Id wonder. The film is 73 minutes long. So why did people stay for an additional two hours of Q&A? Because they want answers.
READ MORE: Inside Sonagachi, Asias largest red-light district
It is our job to connect the dots and to spend time investigating complex and dangerous issues. It is also our job to offer realistic solutions.
I know many of my colleagues would disagree with me on that last statement. But making the film was not enough. I had to ensure that I offered the knowledge I had gathered from the people who shared it with me over the years.
I also had personal insight into the way trafficking works in many different countries. And unless we address corruption in the police units and the judicial branches in the countries that benefit from trafficked flesh, unless we offer alternatives for those living in some of the poorest nations in this world, we will continue to see steady numbers of desperate young girls being sold into one of the darkest and most brutal industries of our time.
Education and awareness are not enough. What is required is unilateral action across borders.
Would I do it again?
Olesea comforts a friend who was also trafficked to Turkey. They met at the secret shelter for women in Moldova. Usually they see themselves as something dirty. It is very hard to make them understand that the soul and the body is a whole and not two separate things, says their psychologist Lilia Gorceag. They perceive themselves as having a dirty body and a noble soul that wants to escape. They cannot unify these two parts. Moldova, 2004 [Mimi Chakarova]
Sometimes I wonder if I would do it again. Would I risk my life knowing everything I know now? Would I pose as a prostitute? Would I enter these brothels again with the hope of finding a way out, and not show fear?
I would if I knew that the outcome would be as powerful as it has been.
Millions have seen the film. Minds have been changed. Young people have a tool they can use and learn from for years to come.
But here is the crazy part. Even if only 20 people got to see the film, I would still do it again. I couldnt let down all the girls who trusted me to take their stories and to do something good with them. I couldnt let them down.
For the past decade, photographer and filmmaker Mimi Chakarova has covered global issues examining conflict, corruption and the sex trade. Her film The Price of Sex , a feature-length documentary on trafficking and corruption premiered in 2011.
Chakarova has won numerous awards including the Nestor Almendros Award for courage in filmmaking, the prestigious Daniel Pearl Award for Outstanding International Investigative Reporting, the Magnum Photos Inge Morath Award for her work on sex trafficking, and a Peoples Voice Webby as well as a nomination for a News & Documentary Emmy Award. She is also the recipient of the Dorothea Lange Fellowship for outstanding work in documentary photography.
This article first appeared in the Al Jazeera Magazine.
La Paz, Bolivia Waving a big Bolivian flag on a wooden stick, 59-year-old Blanca Penaranda walks in front of thousands of people towards the Plaza San Francisco, the main square in the Bolivian capital, La Paz. More people join the protest from other streets, shouting: No means no!
Protestors took to the streets on Tuesday, exactly one year after Bolivia held a referendum on changing the constitution to enable President Evo Morales to seek a fourth re-election.
The No vote won by a small margin, a decision that prevents Morales from running in the 2019 elections. Later last year, however, the Movement for Socialism (MAS), the party led by Morales, announced they were considering putting him forward for candidacy again anyway. The ruling party are pursuing legal loopholes that allow Morales to run again.
This is not a democratic government. This man wants to stay in power with his corrupt government, without shame. They cant continue to violate the constitution, says Penaranda speaking amid the throng. We have helped Evo Morales before, because we believed he would be good. But he became crazy.
When Morales first became president in 2006, his presidency as Bolivias first indigenous leader was widely hailed as a turning point: years of colonial rule and military dictatorships had been followed by a series of unstable governments, which often collapsed within a year of inauguration. The colonial structures had left power with wealthy landowning families and to Spanish descendants. Thus, when a member of an indigenous tribe rose to the highest seat in the country, it was seen as a great victory in a country with an indigenous population of over 60 percent.
The socialist leader was an ally of Hugo Chavez and Fidel Castro. He nationalised the countrys gas industry and expelled the US Drug Enforcement Administration and its international development agency, USAID, from Bolivia. Morales, a former union leader for coca farmers, vowed to protect this community so that the traditional use of the coca leaf as a medicine against altitude sickness would not come under threat.
But corruption allegations began to surface, affecting Morales government and his ministers. Particularly damaging was a story from last year, news of which broke right before the referendum: Gabriela Zapata, a former girlfriend of the president, had used her presidential contacts to obtain construction contracts for the Chinese company, CAMC, where she worked as a manager.
In the ensuing months, a scandal emerged about a child of Zapata and Morales, who the president said had died in infancy, and Zapata claimed was still alive. The socialists believed the opposition fabricated this story and paid Zapata to lie. She recently withdrew her story.
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Referendum: People were confused
The MASs regional office is located in central La Paz, inside a run-down office building with broken windows and graffiti on the stairs. Juan Torrejon, the regional president, explains why they believe the government should ignore the referendum result.
During last years referendum, the political right the opposition manipulated the people, he says, referring to the story of Zapata. Therefore, the people were confused when voting. Besides, they only won the vote with 51 percent. Thats hardly a victory.
According to Torrejon, the MAS have not yet decided on how they plan to put Morales forward as a candidate. A new referendum might be an option, as might the president stepping down six months before the election. In the worst case scenario, the political party has other candidates to put forward, but Torrejon does not want to reveal those names just yet.
We will continue with Evo, he says.
Torrejon points out how poverty in the country declined under Morales presidency. If they win the next election, the MAS will succeed in completely eradicating poverty in the country by 2025, Torrejon says.
Juan Torrejon, a regional president for Evo Moraless ruling party MAS, speaks to a crowd of people who are in favour of the Bolivian presidents re-election [Eline van Nes/Al Jazeera]
On the same day as the protests against a possible re-election of Morales, thousands of people take to the streets to march in support of his re-election.
They have christened the day of the referendum the Day of the Lie.
Among them is 52-year-old Marcelino Calle who complained about the right-wing governments, which preceded the current one.
In that time, all our money disappeared to foreign countries. Now, we can see it stays in Bolivia: there are public works, life is improving. The referendum was part of a democratic process. But the vote for yes should have won, Calle says.
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Divided country
Morales government inherited a state apparatus strife with corruption, says professor of economics Carlos Rocabado, 39, in his house in the upscale neighbourhood, Sopocachi.
If you want to fight that corruption, as they promised, you have to fight yourself. They didnt manage to fulfil their promises. In some cases, corruption has even become worse: I know people who had to pay some 10 percent under the table for a contract, which has increased to 15 or 20 percent.
Over the past few years, the Bolivian president has lost some of his initial popularity.
Rocabado believes the socialists have had some great successes, as have other governments of the new left in Latin America, for example, Rafael Correas government in Ecuador.
But they have not managed to fulfil all their promises. With the oil prices declining, they have invested in more projects which are damaging to the environment, contradicting their claims of protecting Pachamama Mother Earth.
A man waves a Wiphala flag, which is a symbol for the indigenous tribes [Eline van Nes/Al Jazeera]
Protestors burn a doll that represents Evo Morales [Eline van Nes/Al Jazeera]
You have to realise this country is divided between the original indigenous population and the Spanish descendant elite, who have been in power for a long time, says Bolivian writer Fernando Molina over a cup of coffee on the morning of the protests.
With Evo Morales, the power changed hands. The main core of the people you will see protesting against his re-election are these elite who lost their power. Ex-politicians. Now, they are the ones who feel discriminated against in this country.
In front of one of the governmental buildings, Zoberto Menaza, 38, and a group of people set fire to a doll representing the president.
Menaza says he feels cheated.
Because of our protests against neo-liberalism in 2003, Morales could get to power. Now, he does the same: he sells our country off to the Chinese.
A few hours later, the sun sets behind the hills of El Alto, a new city connected to La Paz, which has grown over 30 years from almost zero inhabitants to a population of over one million residents of mostly indigenous origin. The main square has started to fill with people and fireworks are lit.
Among the protesters is 47-year-old Antonio Ochoa, a lawyer specialising in the constitutional law.
Its simple: the government asked if the people wanted to change the constitution, and they said they didnt want to. None of the other arguments make sense.
From leaving their children with family or at orphanages, struggling parents make tough choices as they seek employment.
Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan Klara Karybaeva is 56 years old and has three daughters, all in their early thirties.
They are all single mothers who receive no additional support from their respective childrens fathers.
In total, Karybaeva has seven grandchildren.
Two of Karybaevas daughters, Anara and Munara, moved to neighbouring Kazakhstan to work as a seamstress and a cook, respectively.
Her third daughter, Bakhtygul, works in Turkey as a domestic helper.
There are regular buses from Bishkek to Moscow at the local station as the majority of labour migrants choose Russia as the country of their destination [Nikolay Korzhov/Al Jazeera]
They have been working outside of the country for seven to eight years already, Karybaeva tells Al Jazeera.
They come to Kyrgyzstan every three months for a visa run, and the children dont leave the house even for a second when they are here, she adds.
The youngest child, age three, begs to go to Kazakhstan all alone by taxi to see his mummy in her absence.
Karybaeva doesnt have a pension as she is two years below the qualifying age, nor does she receive any social welfare.
In order to afford to raise the children, she works at the local market, however the family is still mainly dependent on the money sent home from her daughters.
The last remittance they sent was about KGS 10,000, or some $150, with more than half of that going towards rent.
It is difficult to raise children without additional support, Karybaeva says.
I was very nervous when they first left, and afraid of not being able to take care of them, she says. As I have high blood pressure, my doctor always tells me to give the children back to their parents, but I cant as theres no one to look after them.
Remittance is common in Kyrgyzstan, accounting for up to 32 percent of the countrys gross domestic product, mostly provided by migrant labour workers in Russia.
In 2017, $1.5bn was remitted in only eight months, according to the National Bank of the Kyrgyz Republic.
You work for 12 hours to get nothing
A recent report by Resource Centre for Elderly, a prominent NGO in Bishkek, says that migration in Kyrgyzstan is characterised by a stable outflow of population, with an estimated 710,000 citizens currently living abroad as labour migrants; of these, 86.8 percent of them are in Russia and 4.2 percent in neighbouring Kazakhstan.
Given that such a large share of the Kyrgyz population chooses to migrate, there are thousands of children left behind across the country.
My maximum salary in Kyrgyzstan would be $200. There's nothing to do here - you have to work for 12 hours to get nothing. Elvira Baysakova, 32-year-old mother of four who works in Russia
Many parents arent able to take their family with them because they fear difficulties in their countries of destination and do not have the financial means to cover living costs for them.
For 32-year-old Elvira Baysakova, to earn a living outside of the country is the only option. She has four children and has been working in Moscow for two years.
Although she initially moved with her husband, they divorced because he was physically abusing her.
Elvira Baysakova, 32, considers living outside of Kyrgyzstan to be the only option to support her four children [Nikolay Korzhov/Al Jazeera] Elvira Baysakova, 32, considers living outside of Kyrgyzstan to be the only option to support her four children [Nikolay Korzhov/Al Jazeera]
Every time she goes to Russia, she leaves her children with her mother. Her salary is barely enough to pay for an apartment in Moscow but its more than she could earn if she stayed.
My maximum salary in Kyrgyzstan would be $200, she says. Theres nothing to do here you have to work for 12 hours to get nothing.
Abandoning children in orphanages
Poverty drives people to move from their home country, even if it means leaving their children to relatives, neighbours or even social institutions.
Social workers from several NGOs in Bishkek confirmed that there has been an increase in children left at orphanages.
I often receive messages from single mothers who want to find a suitable orphanage for their children while they go abroad. Igor Belyaev, activist
There are 13,500 children living in orphanages in Kyrgyzstan, however 94 percent of them have at least one living parent.
I often receive messages from single mothers who want to find a suitable orphanage for their children while they go abroad, says Igor Belyaev, an activist who founded Rights for Children at Orphanages.
Belyaev was raised in an orphanage himself.
I understand the system from within. I know how it works, he says.
He started the NGO in 2012 and since then has collaborated with 118 orphanages across the country, providing psychological support and financial help for children.
Feruza Kenzhetaeva was left at an orphanage for children with disabilities as her parents cannot adequately look after her [Nikolay Korzhov/Al Jazeera] Feruza Kenzhetaeva was left at an orphanage for children with disabilities as her parents cannot adequately look after her [Nikolay Korzhov/Al Jazeera]
Belyaev is active on social media to attract peoples attention to this problem, although he focuses on positive things and hopeful posts.
He visits orphanages every week, bringing food, presents, and clothing to the institutions that dont receive regular financial aid from the government.
One of the orphanages he patrons accepts children with neurological disabilities from across the country.
An hours drive from Bishkek, it is isolated and direly in need of support, however it still treats 230 children and only 10 percent of them have lost both parents.
The challenges of disability are heightened when parents receive low income and are forced to work abroad.
The parents fear of stigma, as well as their inability to care for children with such special needs, drives the majority of these abandonments.
Despite the fact that we have the most caring staff here, nothing can replace a parent's love. Svetlana Takyrbashova, head of orphanage near Bishkek
Feruza Kenzhetaevas father left her here last year. Suffering from cerebral palsy, regular epileptic seizures and moderate retardation, her family was not prepared to care for her adequately.
She had been badly neglected, arriving malnourished and dirty, in threadbare clothes with her only vocabulary being expletives.
Svetlana Takyrbashova, the head of the institution, begs parents to come visit their children, often to no avail.
It makes the children so happy when someone comes to see them in the end they understand everything. Despite the fact that we have the most caring staff here, nothing can replace a parents love, she insists.
In part one of the series on North Korean defectors, Al Jazeera speaks to YH Kim who fled his country in 1988.
Seoul, South Korea Around 31,000 North Koreans have defected into South Korea since the end of the Korean War in 1953.
Almost 71 percent of those defectors are female, most in their 20s and 30s.
Only a few take the most dangerous route through the Korean Demilitarized Zone that a North Korean soldier took late last year.
Most of the North Koreans defect via the long and expensive journey that takes them into China after crossing the Yalu River.
This journey takes the individuals to Chinas southern border into Vietnam and Laos before they arrive in Thailand.
They are often flown into South Korea from Thailand. Some even opt to go to the US, according to Liberty in North Korea, an NGO based in the US and South Korea.
But their arrival into South Korea does not signal an end to their worries and problems.
In the first part of the series, Al Jazeera speaks to Kim Yong-hwa, 64, who fled North Korea in 1988, formed the North Korean Refugees Human Rights Association of Korea in Seoul to look after those who continue to arrive and face difficulties settling in and is hence called by some as the Father of Defectors.
I joined the Korean Peoples Army in 1970 but left to work on a railroad safety project a decade later.
In 1988, there was an accident and I was [accused] of not being loyal to the state. If I had stayed, I wouldve been shot in public just like the four others who were also blamed for the accident.
So I fled to China before going to Vietnam, where I was caught carrying a gun. I got help in escaping but was caught again by the police who put me in a detention centre. There were only two flights a month to North Korea, so, while at the centre, I assaulted an officer with a food tray and was sentenced to two years in prison.
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I spent almost two years there and then managed to escape by attacking a guard who came in to give me food.
If youre trained to be like a captain in the army, you have the basic navigation skills. I managed to arrive in Laos, where I was again caught and sent to a labour camp where I spent nine months, surviving only on sugarcane and bananas.
I managed to escape and entered China by crossing the Mekong River. I had no food and survived by eating snakes on the way. I then met a Korean couple which gave me money that enabled me to buy a boat and thats how I arrived in South Korea.
But then I was accused of being a spy and imprisoned again. I was then accused of being Chinese and managed to run away. In 1998, I escaped to Japan but was imprisoned because someone told the authorities I was a spy.
Park Jung-oh looks after the evening classes that take place for North Korean children [Faras Ghani/Al Jazeera]
I got very ill and kept fainting. Fortunately, there was a civil group that heard my story and helped me get released. I was then given Japanese residency and in 2001, I finally arrived back in South Korea.
The Korean government doesnt treat defectors as people and the society isnt interested in them.
I founded the North Korean Refugees Human Rights Association of Korea in 2005 after an incident in Gangwon province where a female defector died in a car accident and her body was placed in the refrigerator for 20 days and not given funeral. No one wanted to deal with that.
The Ministry of Unification gives around 200,000 Korean won ($188) as a funeral fee for each defector, but thats not adequate and extremely disrespectful because a lot of them dont have a family here. If they die, theyll die as mummies.
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Thats why I decided to make this organisation which also provides study space for young defectors or children born to North Koreans.
Our group sends money, clothes and medicine to defectors who are having a difficult time in China. There are a lot of young women in China who are sold in the sex industry or as wives. Men are also treated as slaves and theyll be forced to work on farms but wont be given any money.
Ive saved almost 6,000 defectors so far and the media calls me the Father of Defectors. But the job isnt done yet.
I dont know where my family is. I heard through people that they were killed after I fled. I didnt speak to them after I fled North Korea.
Its really hard to imagine that the situation in the North would change. Its not something that could happen in my lifetime. But if the Kim Jong-un regime was to fall, I would take my weapons across the border and take revenge. But for now, I dont think I will waste my time thinking about something that will probably never happen.
As told to Faras Ghani and Hae Ju Kang
Asylum seekers and activists tell Al Jazeera how government-linked translators have infiltrated the immigration system.
Rome, Italy It was a warm Mediterranean day in October 2013 when Meron Estefanos got the news.
A boat had sunk off the Italian island of Lampedusa and several hundred refugees had drowned. In the end, the death toll would rise to 360.
Most on board were Eritrean.
Estefanos, a Swedish-Eritrean journalist and activist, and Father Mussie Zerai, a Catholic priest, both well-known refugee advocates, rushed to Palermo central police station in Sicily.
There, they were told Italian authorities would help them identify the living and dead for the refugees families back home.
But when they entered the building, they were shocked to find it filled with representatives of the Eritrean government.
These people fled from that government, and there they are sitting there, Estefanos tells Al Jazeera.
People that we know, European leaders of Eritrean-affiliated organisations, were sitting at the [police headquarters] and registering peoples names.
The pair complained, and the representatives were eventually removed.
You are asking for protection from the government and you find somebody who is translating your story ... and you know that he is government himself. You understand how frightening is this? Siid Negash, Coordinamento Eritrea Democratica spokesperson
But five years on, Eritreans and activists say that President Isaias Afewerkis government has extended its tentacles into Europes immigration services.
Simon Rezene, an interpreter and spokesperson for the East African Refugees group, estimates that more than half of the interpreters working with Italys immigration services are allied to the Eritrean government.
Estefanos puts that figure at 80 percent, across Europe.
Human rights groups often compare the level of freedom in Eritrea to that of North Korea; both governments conscript citizens into indefinite military service and arbitrarily imprison and execute opponents.
When you arrive, you are asking for asylum, Siid Negash, a spokesman for the Coordinamento Eritrea Democratica NGO, tells Al Jazeera.
You are asking for protection from the government and you find somebody who is translating your story, everything you know, everything that you have to say about the government, and you know that he is government himself. You understand how frightening is this?
Interpreters are responsible for communicating refugees testimonies at Italian asylum hearings and at relocation interviews for transfer within the EU.
Relocation interviews are overseen by an EU agency, the European Asylum Support Office (EASO), and it is here that some Eritrean asylum seekers in Italy say they have experienced intimidation, threats against their family members in Eritrea, and mistranslation of their testimonies.
When translating, these interpreters leave out accounts of experiences such as torture, so that asylum seekers are awarded a lesser degree of refugee protection. This gives the Eritrean embassy greater control over their lives.
The Eritrean embassy in Rome refused Al Jazeeras request for comment.
The only choice is silence
Tesfahewet is a 40-year-old refugee in Sweden who escaped Eritrea in 2015 after 19 years of military service.
He says his suspicions about interpreters at his first two relocation interviews in Italy were confirmed when he researched the interpreters online and found that the translators had made statements in support of the government.
You maybe make a risk for your family inside Eritrea. The only choice is silence. Tesfahewet, Eritrean asylum seeker
At the time of the interviews, he followed his instincts and kept quiet, revealing as little information as possible.
Later, after making informal enquiries, he was put in touch with an interpreter who local activists said was trustworthy.
It was then that he gave his full testimony.
If you tell your story to an interpreter whose loyalties are unknown, you maybe make a risk for your family inside Eritrea, he says. The only choice is silence.
Campaigners say government-linked interpreters do little to hide their alliances, often posting photographs online of themselves attending European conferences organised by the youth branch of the ruling Peoples Front for Democracy and Justice party, or YPFDJ, and organising counter-protests when diaspora groups demonstrate against the Eritrean government.
Activists have reported the issue several times to Italian authorities, EASO, and NGOs, but their complaints have been ignored.
Most organisations do not employ interpreters directly but subcontract the work out to cooperatives such as the Interpreters and Translators Cooperative (ITC) in Rome.
This, campaigners say, makes it easy to pass the buck when it comes to vetting candidates.
In May 2016, Father Zerai and a colleague say they met with the Italian Interior Ministrys chief of staff, Mario Morcone, to highlight the problem and deliver a list of reliable interpreters.
But no changes were made and two follow-up emails in October 2016 went unanswered.
Morcones office did not respond to Al Jazeeras repeated requests for comment.
In a September 2017 meeting in Rome with EASO, Eritreans raised the issue of the agencys alleged use of government-linked interpreters, according to Rezene, the interpreter and activist.
At the agencys instruction, Rezene followed up by email shortly after, but by the start of 2018, he still had not received a response.
EASO told Al Jazeera that one interpreter subsequently resigned following an investigation, but added that this was not necessarily proof of the allegations.
The Interpreters and Translators Cooperative company told Al Jazeera that its contractors sign a code of conduct requiring them to declare conflicts of interest and agree to interpret faithfully.
Its interpreters have been cleared by the Italian police, ITC said.
EASO has asked ITC to investigate the matter in order to ensure that there are absolutely no violations of any rights, the agency said.
Europe-wide issue?
The governments network of interpreters is not confined to Italy, but is active across Europe, according to Father Zerai.
In 2016, it was reported that interpreters allied with the Eritrean government had infiltrated Germanys immigration services in Germany an allegation German authorities denied.
In 2015, Dutch immigration services were forced to reform after University of Tilburg international relations professor Mirjam van Reisen said in a radio interview that they employed two siblings of YPFDJ leader Meseret Bahlbi as interpreters.
Bahlbi sued the professor for defamation, but she won the 2016 court case and 2017 appeal.
In January of this year, the Netherlands expelled its top Eritrean diplomat for repeatedly breaking the countrys laws by extorting an illegal two percent diaspora tax from refugees.
Father Zerai says translators hold great responsibility for the future of asylum seekers [Elaine Allaby/Al Jazeera]
But Italy, as the gateway to Europe for increasing numbers of African asylum seekers and recipient of more than 59,000 Eritreans between 2015 and 2016 according to Ministry of Interior records, is in a conflicted position.
While Eritrea is widely regarded as a pariah state, in recent years both Italy and the EU have made concessions to the government in an effort to reduce mass emigration to Europe and keep anti-immigrant factions at bay.
In 2014, Lapo Pistelli, who was then deputy foreign minister, dismayed Eritrean advocacy groups by travelling to the countrys capital of Asmara to meet with President Afewerki in a stated bid to improve bilateral relations.
In late 2015, the EU approved a 200m-euro aid package to Eritrea on the basis that the government would limit its compulsory military service to 18 months and pay conscripts a living wage conditions Aweferki is said to have completely ignored.
If you are a translator, you have in your hand the life of that person. We can't joke with the life of the people. Father Zerai, priest and activist for refugees
All Western democracy is facing a huge crisis, says Martin Plaut, former BBC Africa editor and author of Understanding Eritrea.
They know perfectly well that its an utterly repressive regime. But you know, how important is all this information against the rise of the populist right, which is going to kick you out of office? he told Al Jazeera.
Against this background, Eritrean refugees in Europe are worried that their basic safety has been de-prioritised and the government has effectively been given free rein to spy on its people.
The authorities have a big responsibility in this issue, says Father Zerai.
In 2015, Father Zerai was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize for his role in assisting migrants and in 2017, Italian authorities suspected him of aiding and abbetting illegal immigration for his work.
If you are a translator, you have in your hand the life of that person. We cant joke with the life of the people.
Tehran and New Delhi sign nine pacts, including lease of Chabahar Port to Indian company, during Rouhanis India trip.
New Delhi, India Iran and India have inked nine agreements, including leasing part of the Iranian port of Chabahar to an Indian company, after substantive bilateral talks between the Indian prime minister and the Iranian president in New Delhi.
We had detailed discussions on ways to further deepen cooperation between India and Iran, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweeted on Saturday, after fruitful talks with President Hassan Rouhani.
Had fruitful talks with President @HassanRouhani. We had detailed discussions on ways to further deepen cooperation between India and Iran. pic.twitter.com/ocLQwCClU5 Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) February 17, 2018
A joint statement described the Chabahar Port, which is being developed with funding from India, as a golden gateway that will help in reaching out to land-locked Afghanistan and central Asia.
During the joint press conference, Rouhani spoke on the importance of rail links from Chabahar to Zahedan, near the Afghan border.
Last year, New Delhi successfully sent shipments of wheat assistance to Afghanistan through Chabahar Port, bypassing archrival, Pakistan. Islamabad does not allow New Delhi to use its land route to reach Afghanistan.
Chabahar offers India connectivity to Afghanistan and Central Asia. Along with Bandar Abbas port, it also offers India a means of multimodal connectivity all the way to Europe, said Manoj Joshi, senior analyst at Observer Research Foundation (ORF), a think-tank based in New Delhi.
This enables India to bypass the Pakistan blockade and play a significant role in Central Asia and Afghanistan. It also helps to keep Pakistan off-balance with regard to India, Joshi told Al Jazeera.
Belt and Road Initiative
New Delhi has already committed $500m to the Chabahar Port, outside of the Gulf of Hormuz site of one of the busiest shipping lanes in the world. The port is significant for India, as it would provide new sea-trading routes and connectivity to Afghanistan, aiming to parallel Chinas growing presence in the region.
Chabahar is located about 140km from Pakistans Gwadar port, which is being developed with Chinese help as part of the Belt and Road Initiative.
India's ability to forge independent bilateral relations sans overlapping interests should work here. The task before Indian diplomacy is to use its good offices and weight to promote political accommodation. Sujata Ashwarya, foreign policy expert
Hadi Haqshenas, deputy head of Irans Ports and Maritime Organisation, said, Chabahars development is the most important maritime connectivity cooperation between Tehran and New Delhi.
While, in Pakistan, the Chinese invested in the development of the Port of Gwadar; in Chabahar, part of the investment was brought by India. So these two ports, which are located at a short distance from each other, can help connectivity from India and China to Central Asia and vice-versa, Haqshenas told Al Jazeera.
On Saturday, Rouhani was accorded a ceremonial welcome at the presidential palace in New Delhi.
Both India and Iran want to see a peaceful, stable Afghanistan, Modi said at a joint press conference with Rouhani, underscoring New Delhis focus on Kabul.
An official joint statement also referred to strengthening India-Iran-Afghanistan trilateral consultations. The three nations had signed a trilateral transit agreement during Modis visit to Tehran in May 2016.
Trade ties between the two countries have been dominated by Indian import of Iranian crude oil. India is the second largest buyer of Iranian crude after China.
According to Indias Foreign Ministry, India-Iran bilateral trade during the fiscal year 2016-17 reached $12.89bn.
Uncertainty over the nuclear deal
Rouhanis three-day trip the first by an Iranian president in 10 years comes after his country witnessed one of its biggest protests in years over economic woes.
The uncertainty over the fate of the nuclear deal Tehran signed with the West in 2015 poses a big challenge to Indian foreign policy. Donald Trump, the US president, has decertified the deal that promised to lift crippling economic sanctions in return for limiting the countrys controversial nuclear programme.
In a big diplomatic boost, however, Tehran was able to get New Delhis backing on the nuclear deal, after India reaffirmed its support for full and effective implementation of the deal.
Speaking at an ORF event in New Delhi, the Iranian president took aim at the US, saying that haggling over the nuclear deal was ridiculous.
After the signing [of the Nuclear Agreement], there is no place for haggling. It is ridiculous, he said.
Experts warn that a US exit from the deal would affect Indias planned investments in Iran.
If the US pulls out, it will have many consequences. China and Russia wont accept it, and so India will have to carefully nuance its stand because it would not want to rub the US the wrong way either. It will also dampen Indias ardour to invest in Iran, Joshi said.
Israel, one of the closest US allies in the region, has also been vocal against the nuclear deal, and considers the Shia government in Tehran its biggest security threat. Last week, it bombed what it called Iranian military bases inside Syria.
But Sujata Ashwarya, author of India-Iran Relations, says Indias bilateral interests in the region serve distinct sets of interests.
Israel is a key partner for arms import and defence technology as well as in counterterrorism initiatives, said Ashwarya, Professor at the Centre for West Asian Studies of Jamia Millia Islamia University in New Delhi.
On the other hand, our relations with Iran, apart from being animated by the familiarity and stability of historical ties, are crucial for access to Afghanistan through the Chabahar port, and import of crude oil which is a significant seven percent and not immediately replaceable, she said.
Sectarian strife
Syria has been wracked by violence after a largely peaceful uprising against President Bashar al-Assads regime regressed into bloody conflict, involving regional powers and a proxy war.
Irans backing of Assad, Houthi rebels in Yemen and the armed Hezbollah group in Lebanon have heightened tension with Sunni countries in the region.
One of the biggest challenges for India is to negotiate the newly emerging faultlines in the region, said Aishwarya.
The Sunni Arab countries of the Gulf, especially Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain and Kuwait, are aligned against Shia-majority Iran, in cohort with Israel. India has a dynamic commercial partnership with Arab Gulf states. The region is also critical to Indias energy security.
Indias ability to forge independent bilateral relations sans overlapping interests should work here. The task before Indian diplomacy is to use its good offices and weight to promote political accommodation, she added.
The two leaders stressed the historic and cultural relations between the two countries.
Relations between the two countries go beyond trade and business; they go back in history, Rouhani said.
The Iranian president began his trip from Hyderabad, the largely Muslim capital of southern Telangana State, where he met religious leaders and visited Islamic sites.
He offered Friday prayers at a 17th-century Sunni mosque in the city, and later urged Muslim solidarity and compassion for humankind across the world.
They all can be compared to streams which come from a single spring and all these streams eventually into one ocean, he said, referring to sectarianism that divides the Muslim world into Shia and Sunnis a schism linked to the battle for power, resources and territory in the Middle East.
Ties with the OPEC producer have both economic and geopolitical significance for New Delhi.
India recognises Iran as a very major power in the Gulf, said Meena Singhroy, Coordinator at the West Asia Centre of the Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses in New Delhi.
Geographical proximity of Iran, its strategic location (for various connectivity projects in the region) and hydrocarbon resources make Iran an extremely significant country for India, she told Al Jazeera.
Zeenat Saberin reported from New Delhi and Saeed Jalili contributed from Tehran
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani was accorded a warm welcome [Adnan Abidi/Reuters]
Ahed Tamimis case has highlighted the dual legal systems Israel imposes in the occupied West Bank.
Nabi Saleh, occupied West Bank Across from the home of imprisoned Palestinian teen Ahed Tamimi in Nabi Saleh, the red-tiled roofs of Israels illegal Halamish settlement dot the adjacent hilltop.
Residents of Halamish, along with some 600,000 other Israelis, reside in the occupied West Bank in violation of international law. Despite living on occupied Palestinian territory, settlers are subject to Israeli civil law, while Palestinians to Israeli military law.
A persons nationality and ethnicity determines which set of laws applies to who in the West Bank, rights groups have noted.
Tamimis case has made headlines worldwide and has shined a spotlight on these inequalities, which many scholars and analysts have characterised as tantamount to apartheid.
The teen was arrested in December after a video of her slapping two Israeli soldiers outside of her home went viral. Shortly before, her 15-year-old cousin was severely wounded when Israeli forces shot him point-blank in the face with a steel-coated rubber bullet.
Her village of Nabi Saleh, known for its activism against the occupation, is a constant target of raids and arrests by Israeli soldiers.
Under a dual legal system, Palestinians facing Israels military courts run by Israeli soldiers and officers receive far harsher sentences than a settler who commits the same crime and is tried in a civil court; some are not punished at all.
Palestinians are tried in military courts as adults at the age of 16, while the majority of Israelis at 18.
Since 2000, at least 8,000 Palestinian minors, including 17-year-old Ahed, have been prosecuted in Israels military courts, according to Defense for Children International Palestine.
But is the unequal treatment of Israeli settlers and Palestinians the main point to take away from the case of Ahed and thousands of other Palestinians being tried in Israels military courts?
According to Aheds family and Palestinian experts, this deduction misses the point. Instead, the entire court system is illegitimate and is rooted in a decades-long process of colonisation, they say.
Our goal is not for Ahed to be treated the same as a settler, Bassem Tamimi, Aheds father explains.
These courts are just one component of Israels larger colonial system.
Humiliating charade
Saad Nimr, a Palestinian professor of cultural studies at Birzeit University in Ramallah, tells Al Jazeera that Israels court system is far from an impartial process.
In most cases, the convictions and sentencing have nothing to do with the actual allegations, but are instead dictated by Israeli secret service recommendations.
You have a trial where the judge and the prosecuting attorney are all Israeli army officials, he explains.
As a result of Israels more than half-century occupation of the West Bank, the officials deciding your fate are essentially your enemies, said Nimr.
Palestinians face a more than 99 percent conviction rate in Israels military courts.
Israel alternates between using its military and domestic legal systems to suit its political objectives, Ilan Pappe, a left-wing Israeli academic, tells Al Jazeera.
Under international law, Israel is permitted to use military courts in territories that it occupies. In the context of Israels occupation, however, the purpose of the courts is to create a facade and legitimise what they [Israelis] are doing, said Pappe.
While Palestinians in the occupied West Bank must pass through a military court system that almost guarantees their imprisonment, Israels political decisions in the West Bank such as building illegal settlements often occur within domestic Israeli law.
The courts are a humiliating charade, Pappe said. They are set up to create the illusion that Palestinians have the right to a trial and can defend themselves, he says.
But, really, its a sinister process that has absolutely no meaning apart from being a bureaucratic self-justification for the system to do what it wants to do.
A system of control
Israels establishment as a state in 1948 resulted in the displacement of more than 750,000 Palestinians and the deaths of hundreds more, referred to as the Nakba, or catastrophe, among Palestinians.
For 18 years, the Palestinians who remained in the territory that became Israel were subject to military law in the form of curfews, travel restrictions and arbitrary detention without fair trial.
These Palestinians, numbering some 120,000 at the time, were confined to their villages, according to Nimr, the Ramallah-based professor.
Much like the current reality in the occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip, they were forced to apply for Israeli permits to travel outside of their villages.
Israels military rule over Palestinian citizens of Israel was only lifted in 1966, a year before Israel transferred this system to the West Bank and Gaza to control the millions of Palestinians who reside there.
Israel has since established a complex policing system in the West Bank aimed at either downsizing the [Palestinian] population or reducing the area of space Palestinians can live in, while restricting their movement, Pappe says.
[Israel] listens constantly to peoples homes and conversations. You are being policed daily, sometimes hourly, in order to make sure that you cannot resist what any normal human being would not tolerate.
Break us from the inside
Like thousands of others before them, Ahed and her mother Nariman are being tried in a court in which the entire proceedings are in Hebrew, a language most Palestinians in the occupied territory are not taught and do not use.
The point of all of this is to make you feel completely powerless, Manal Tamimi, Aheds relative told Al Jazeera. Palestinians must put their full trust in a court-appointed translator.
Manal, who has been arrested three times by Israeli forces for her political activism, says that you can never be sure that the official is translating your words accurately.
It makes you feel lost and confused, she says.
In prison, it is even worse, Manal explains. The guards will be standing in front of you. You know that they are talking about you and that they could decide your fate, but you cant understand anything.
Its a way for Israel to break us on the inside, she said.
One of Israels most disturbing policing tactics used to control Palestinians, according to Manal, is the targeting of children of politically active families.
Much like other residents in Nabi Saleh, each time that Manal was released from prison, she emerged with the same determination she had before going in, she says.
However, when her sons Mohammad, 18, and Osama, 21 were arrested by Israeli forces last month, Manals world was turned upside down.
When [Israel] takes your children, you worry about them every moment. You are constantly thinking about whether they are being mistreated or if they are cold.
According to Pappe, these tactics are used to force Palestinians into behaving and no one is off-limits; the imprisonment and abuse of women, children, and the elderly are all part of Israels attempts to intimidate families, he says.
Palestinians are being told in many ways whether through physical or mental intimidation who is in control [] They are being sent this message through humiliation and abuse in order to tame Palestinians into accepting Israeli rule.
Osama and Mohammad are now facing the same ordeal as their relatives.
Theres no justice in these courts, Bassem, Aheds father, tells Al Jazeera, glancing to posters of his imprisoned wife and daughter in his home.
The goal [of the courts] is solely to show Palestinians that Israel has complete control over our lives.
Two NGO workers explain why, despite free tuition, some Ghanaian children still struggle to get an education.
Since gaining independence in 1957, Ghana has focused on improving access to education and achieving universal enrolment.
Primary education became free in 1961 and the 1980s saw major reforms swept through the education system, including restructuring primary and secondary education and introducing vocational classes.
In September 2017, the Ghanaian government made secondary education free, with President Nana Akufo-Addo reportedly saying: There will be no admission fees, no library fees, no science centre fees, no computer laboratory fees, no examination fees, no utility fees. There will be free textbooks, free boarding and free meals.
The benefits of the Ghanian governments focus on education are reflected in the countrys rising literacy rate. According to UNESCO statistics from 2010, the literacy rate among 15-24-year-olds is 85.72 percent, compared with 34.89 percent in those aged 65 or older.
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Despite these measures, many children, particularly those living in rural areas, struggle to stay in school.
Economic necessity forces children to drop out of school in search of work, and girls are often charged with looking after younger siblings and helping with domestic work.
NGOs are attempting to address these issues at the community level and ensure every child has access to education.
Johnson Ayonka is the director of the Grassroots Transparency Initiative at WillWay Africa, an NGO that supports low-income communities in health, education and economic empowerment.
Jo Hallett works with Ghana School Aid and Lets Read Ghana to provide grants to schools in rural communities and support the teaching of English in the far north of the country.
Al Jazeera spoke with Ayonka and Hallett about the realities of getting an education in Ghana today.
Al Jazeera: What effect has the recent removal of secondary school fees had on both children and schools?
Johnson Ayonka: It has had an impact, but because the national government is inefficient, the money from the central government doesnt always get to the communities. In the very poor communities, there is the wider problem of poverty thats forcing people to drop out, despite education being free and some schools are still charging fees because the money from the government didnt get to them.
Even though the intention behind the policy was good, the government was not well prepared to implement it to the fullest. They also tried to implement it from the centre, instead of from the local area and the money was not made available in advance. It was sort of putting the cart before the horse, instead of the money being there before the policy, the policy comes and then the money.
The policy is OK, the students have enrolled because they know that theyll get free education, but after that, we find out that nothing effective takes place because what is needed is not there because of bureaucracy and inefficiency.
Al Jazeera: What are the barriers still preventing access to education today?
Jo Hallett: In the last few years, there has also been quite a push on more school buildings and a big push on enrolment and I think that [the Ghanaian government has] done very well on getting the vast majority of children into school, [but] there are huge barriers to accessing education. Theres a serious lack of trained teachers. In many of the schools we go into, the majority of the staff are volunteers or student teachers.
Theres a lack of finance for schools in general, so although the children are there, the buildings are not there, although overall they have improved, lots of schools have either very poor buildings or no buildings at all; they call it under the tree so classes are taught under a tree. Theres a lack of equipment and a lack of books and resources, the training of teachers, finance of all sorts and that needs to be addressed.
Often the teachers dont get paid for several months because the District Education doesnt have the finance to pay them and, therefore, theres a lack of commitment on their part to some extent. Class sizes also vary enormously. A good teacher can manage quite a big class but sometimes its overwhelming: you go into a classroom and there are 70 pupils in there and one teacher who may not be trained, whos trying to manage them and its impossible really, its really difficult.
There's a lack of finance for schools in general, so although the children are there, the buildings are not there ... lots of schools have either very poor buildings or no buildings at all. Jo Hallett, NGO worker
Al Jazeera: How are rural communities affected?
Hallett: In many rural areas, the families are involved in subsistence farming or illegal mining and, with farming, the children get pulled out of school for harvest and sewing.
Another really significant thing that we see is the complete lack of spoken English in the rural areas. In school, after the first couple of years, the education is in English. There are 52 languages in Ghana, but the common language, and the language of government, [and] the language theyre expected to learn in is English.
If you live in a town, the chances are that you will see English sometimes and hear it, but out in the rural areas where we go in the far north, they speak a language called Guruni, which is spoken in a very small area, and its not written down at all so there arent any signposts or posters so [children] dont have text in the environment, either in their own language or in English.
Al Jazeera: Do girls face additional challenges to entering education?
Ayonka: At the primary level the gender gap is small, its very, very small, and that indicates that a lot of progress has been made in the education of girls. But as girls mature into their teenage years, they face a lot of challenges because theres a lot of gender disparity in terms of who should do house chores, so girls suffer more.
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When you get closer to higher levels of education, even though the gap has reduced over the years, its still there because cultural factors come into play and there are issues of early marriage and families spending more on boys than on girls.
We need something to address that gap because it will relieve the economic aspects of education and leave the responsibility to the government so that families dont have to decide: Are we going to educate the boy and leave the girl out? Or are we going to educate both?
Al Jazeera: What steps should the government take now?
Ayonka: What we see recently from the government is that a lot of policies and actions are done in isolation. Lets say you see an area where theres a high instance of teenage pregnancy and you dont also make arrangements for the education authorities to work with the healthcare authorities and social workers; even though theres free education, you are still going to get low enrolment because there is no coordination.
Another problem is the issue of access to the education infrastructure, theres free education on paper but the schools are few, especially in the rural areas. You can say you want to give free education to people but if you dont give them physical access to the schools by building more schools, then you still dont have free education I think communities need to be empowered to build their own schools, to recruit their own teachers, monitor the teachers and make sure that the standard of education is high.
Theres a big gap between what is happening at the government level and what is happening at the community level.
Hallett: There needs to be a bigger commitment to funding and a raising of the status of teachers. [The government] has done some really good things, some of the curriculum books are excellent, but they also need to have a bit of money and resources to back up that commitment, but I do think Ghana is trying hard.
Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani calls on international community to assume protection of civilians in Syria.
Qatars Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, has characterised the latest intensive bombardment of Syrias Eastern Ghouta as a crime against humanity.
In a comment posted on his official Twitter page on Saturday, Sheikh Tamim said protecting civilian lives in the opposition-held enclave remains the responsibility of the international community.
Irrespective of the political differences, whats happening in Eastern Ghouta is a crime against humanity. Protecting the civilians remains the responsibility of the international community. (@TamimBinHamad) February 24, 2018
Eastern Ghouta is a suburb of the Syrian capital of Damascus, where the government of President Bashar al-Assad resides.
The area, home to about 400,000 people, has been under a crippling siege by Assads forces since 2013 as they attempt to wrest control from the armed opposition operating there.
As one of the last remaining rebel strongholds, Syrian government and allied Russian forces have stepped up their bombardment of the territory in recent weeks, but the majority of losses has been civilian lives.
More than 500 people, including 123 children, were killed last week while 2,400 others were wounded in the shelling.
The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) passed a resolution on Saturday night calling for an immediate 30-day ceasefire in Syria to evacuate civilians and allow for food and medicine in to the enclave.
But activists and witnesses on the ground reported violations of the ceasefire soon after.
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Last week, Qatars foreign ministry also called on the international community to take the necessary measures to stop these crimes and protect the Syrian people and their future generations through transitional justice, and bringing war criminals to international justice.
The attacks on Eastern Ghouta are the latest in a seven-year long war that unfolded when peaceful protests broke out against President Assads rule.
At least 470,000 people have been killed, and over 12 million Syrians half the countrys prewar population have been driven from their homes since then.
Paoua, Central African Republic When rebels attacked her village, Delphine Lokaingoto was still too weak from childbirth to lift more than one of her children at a time.
As she snatched up her four-day-old baby, she told the others aged three, four and six to run to the fields.
Some of the Seleka were on horses, she said. We started to run away, and thats when they shot my children and my husband.
Lokaingoto then watched from the bush as the rebels, from the ex-Seleka led National Movement for the Liberation of the Central African Republic (MNLC), began burning the bodies and houses in her village, Beogombo IV.
Carrying nothing but her one remaining child, she walked for three days to reach Paoua town.
Forced displacement in the Central African Republic (CAR) has reached record levels as the countrys ever-expanding number of armed groups aggressively seek control of territory ahead of the April onset of the rainy season.
Paoua town is now hosting more than 65,000 displaced people since late December in rural Ouham-Pende prefecture near the Chad border, where the latest chapter in CARs five-year conflict is unfolding. The upsurge of violence in 2017-2018 has driven the number of internally displaced persons (IDPs) up to 688,700, the highest figure since the crisis began in 2013, with another 542,380 refugees hosted in neighbouring countries, according to figures from the UN.
Analysts see the increasing frequency of attacks on civilians and clashes between armed groups as a bellwether that could signal an expanding conflict across the country and a much larger humanitarian crisis on the horizon.
In 2015 and 2016 there was real space for optimism, there was a new government, and armed groups were decreasing their attacks on civilians, said Lewis Mudge, a senior researcher in the Africa Division of Human Rights Watch (HRW). This changed in 2017, and we are now seeing levels of violence tied to the crisis of 2013. Groups are more emboldened than ever to commit war crimes.
Things are moving very fast. The more area armed groups want to control, the more people are going to be displaced, said Joseph Inganji, the head of office for UNOCHA in CAR. And all of this is coming at a time when the government is still lacking the capacity to cater for the basic social services of its citizens.
Yale University professor Louisa Lombard, whose research focuses on CAR, said that the presence of a large UN peacekeeping mission will probably prevent a return to a full civil war but that attacks that can be quite devastating for people and that shift in terms of geography depending on which areas are not protected and/or provide other resources are likely to continue.
Indian-administered Kashmir Suhaib, a five-year-old boy, is unaware of the tragedy that befell him two years ago.
His father Aijaz Ahmad Thoker was killed by Indian forces in 2016 while returning home during protests following a prayer service for the slain rebel commander, Burhan Muzaffar Wani.
Thokers was the first killing in Kashmir following Wanis death.
My son has no idea about the death of his father. Hes too innocent to understand what death means, said Asifa, Suhaibs mother.
Whenever he asks about his father, I dodge (the issue) by saying he has gone to perform Hajj (the Muslim pilgrimage to Mecca).
According to Save the Children, the conflict is responsible for 37 percent of Indian-administered Kashmirs 200,000 orphans. As a result of the fighting, orphanages are appearing across the valley.
Kashmir is a Himalayan territory divided between Indian and Pakistani control, with both countries claiming the territory in full. The two states have fought three wars, of which two were exclusively over Kashmir.
An armed rebellion against Indian rule began in 1989 and has claimed thousands of lives.
Another 8,000 Kashmiris have been subjected to enforced disappearances and their fate cannot be confirmed.
Fierce gunfights between rebels and Indian forces are almost a daily occurrence and children often bear the brunt.
Inside orphanages children are continuously at risk of vicarious traumatisation, said psychiatrist Dr Arshid Hussain.
They see world through the prism of orphanages these children should be raised with their extended families and be enrolled in normal schools.
The suburb, 15km east of Damascus has an estimated population of 400,000, who have been under siege since 2013.
Eastern Ghouta, located just east of Damascus, has become the recent focus of a fierce offensive by Syrian President Bashar al-Assads forces.
In just over a week, more than 500 civilians have been killed, according to the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.
The rebel-held enclave, which was besieged by the government in 2013, is home to about 400,000 people.
READ MORE: Syria civil war map who controls what?
On February 24, the UN unanimously approved a resolution calling for a 30-day ceasefire in Syria. Hours later, Syrian government forces launched a ground and air offensive on the Damascus suburb.
Health officials have also accused the Syrian government of using chlorine gas in their aerial bombardment campaign on Eastern Ghouta.
The UN has called the situation in the enclave hell on earth.
Hundreds of thousands of people have died in fighting during Syrias seven-year civil war, and millions have been forced to flee the country.
In a January 19 article about the impacts of climate change in Bangladesh, New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof describes a coastal island on the verge of disappearance and farmers forced to marry off their underage daughters as a result of losses linked to sea level rise. This dystopic imaginary of Bangladesh in the time of climate change is well-worn territory. The key points in this ubiquitous narrative include: a land mass disappearing thanks to sea level rise, wretched and desperate inhabitants watching their land and livelihoods wash away, millions of climate refugees flooding out of the small countrys porous borders.
There is no question that climate change is happening with impacts being felt in Bangladesh as in the rest of the world. Coastal Bangladesh, like coastal Manhattan, will suffer. The inhabitants of both of these communities will have to grapple with an uncertain ecological future.
Yet in narratives like Kristofs, it is Bangladesh that is the climate sh**hole (albeit one that warrants our pity rather than scorn). These dystopic climate narratives share parallels with Donald Trumps already-fabled description of sh**hole countries migrants from which he believes are not desirable. Even in Kristofs more humanitarian guise, his narrative similarly conjures up a country defined by powerlessness, inferiority, dependency, and failure.
These sh**hole narratives have real effects. In Bangladesh, the imaginary of an impending (or already existing) climate dystopia has exacerbated the threats faced by coastal communities. It does this by facilitating adaptation interventions that seek to transition people out of rural communities, instead of supporting their continued livelihoods within them. As I document in a recently published study, these interventions depend upon a vision of development in which urbanisation and export-led growth are both desirable and inevitable. The narratives also ignore long histories of foreign intervention in this coastal ecology that have made Bangladesh exponentially more vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. This history helps us to see that climate crisis is not, and has never been, inevitable.
The global imaginary of Bangladesh as a dystopic climate 'sh**hole' not only anticipates a future climate crisis, it also produces it.
In the 1960s, US and Dutch engineers built a massive system of embankments across Bangladeshs coast that were intended to expand rice production by closing off the entire coastal estuary and protecting farmland from seasonal monsoon flooding. At the time, it was the pinnacle of experimentation in development engineering schemes.
Unfortunately, the designs created by foreign engineers were entirely unsuited to Bangladeshs tidal geography. The flawed designs resulted in chronic water-logging and land subsidence: essentially, rapid relative sea level rise. In the 1980s, urban elites in Bangladesh saw an opportunity for using these water-logged coastal lands to cultivate shrimp instead of rice. Responding to growing demand from the US and Europe, and with the support of foreign aid agencies such as USAID and the World Bank, the export industry for frozen shrimp grew quickly. The social and ecological impacts of this expansion have been similarly dramatic. The resulting soil salination has devastated local agricultural production, displacing countless sharecroppers and day labourers who depended on rice farming and subsistence production for their survival. This transition to shrimp cultivation was not inevitable; like the re-engineering of the coastal landscape, it was planned and carried out through outside intervention.
Today, many outside development experts believe that agriculture in the region is no longer viable due to climate change. Instead, shrimp aquaculture, which further increases soil salination, thus compounding the experience of climate change for remaining residents, is celebrated as a key strategy in climate change adaptation in coastal Bangladesh. These adaptation strategies reflect the dystopic visions of a climate-changed future in which rural agricultural production in this region is already doomed. They are predicated on the idea that rural livelihoods in this region may not be worth saving. The global imaginary of Bangladesh as a dystopic climate sh**hole not only anticipates a future climate crisis, it also produces it.
Despite the varied and extreme challenges faced by the farmers who inhabit this region, some residents have pursued an alternative vision of the future that challenges this bleak imaginary. Members of landless peasant collectives have mobilised to stem the transition to shrimp cultivation and return to farming rice. Their successes challenge the idea that agrarian production in this region is impossible in the time of climate change. Their efforts make plain that the residents of coastal Bangladesh are not helpless, and are as motivated to secure their own futures as communities in much richer waterfront areas like Manhattan. These residents deserve our solidarity, not our sympathy. Indeed, this solidarity is what climate justice demands of us.
The views expressed in this article are the authors own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeeras editorial stance.
By blocking a popular resolution on Palestine, Canadas NDP yet again proved that it is the party of pretend socialists.
The New Democratic Party (NDP) is Canadas pretend socialist party.
The pretend socialists got together at their biennial convention in Ottawa recently to chart policy for the upcoming federal election when, once again, the party vows not to utter the word socialist.
The pretend socialists are so afraid of being called socialists that they voted 960 to 188 to erase socialist from the partys constitution in 2013.
The pretend socialists say they abandoned the word to try to modernise the party so it could better resonate with Canadians. Translation: Socialism is for old farts and losers.
So, its not surprising that Canadas pretend socialist partys policy towards Israel and Palestine remains, in effect, a facsimile of Prime Minister Justin Trudeaus rather than, lets say, British Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyns.
Of course, Corbyn is a real socialist, not a pretend one. The real socialist got a loud and long standing ovation after he urged delegates at the Labour Party Conference last September to give real support to end the oppression of the Palestinian people and Israels 50-year occupation and illegal settlement expansion.
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Corbyn prefaced his remarks by insisting that they reflect the Labour Partys socialist values. We must put our values at the heart of our foreign policy. Democracy and human rights are not an optional extra to be deployed selectively, the real socialist said.
Alas, for Canadas pretend socialist party, its supposed values are all too malleable and, as such, human rights for Palestinians appear to be an optional extra and are indeed deployed selectively.
How else to explain the cynical, contrived, and ultimately successful gambit by Canadas pretend socialist party to scuttle a valiant attempt by mostly young, but apparently not modern enough NDP members, to put forward a resolution calling for the end of Israels illegal occupation and settlements, as well as the blockade of Gaza, while enshrining explicit support for economic pressure to end the occupation into the partys constitution.
The pretend socialists who run Canadas pretend socialist party employed every procedural gimmick in their censorious playbook to make sure that resolution didnt make it onto the convention floor during consideration of the NDPs foreign policy agenda, let alone into the constitution which, remember, bans the word socialist.
Former and current Members of Parliament from the pretend socialist party, including the NDPs foreign affairs critic, and their staffers, reportedly jammed the convention floor to make sure the pro-Palestinian resolution, and any attempts to bolster it, died before they were born and a watered-down, so-called balanced resolution on Palestine and Israel prevailed.
Mr Singh better summon a true, tangible measure of love and courage for Palestinians soon or he'll face the same ignominious fate as his predecessor who forgot that real socialists can always spot a pretend one.
The same powerful, exclusive band of pretend socialists pulled the same technical stunt at the NDPs convention in Vancouver in 2011 to bury a resolution supporting the Canadian Boat to Gaza.
The leaders of Canadas pretend socialist party with its pretend affinity for openness, transparency and democracy, set aside less than an hour for debate on the competing resolutions and assured the outcome by, in part, stacking the microphones on the convention floor.
As a result, the first 15 minutes of the debate featured several frustrated NDP members angrily complaining the proceedings had been rigged, while other NDP members angrily denounced their brothers and sisters for standing and carrying signs demanding Israel release Palestinian teenager, Ahed Tamimi, from custody, rather than Israels jailing and shooting of scores of Palestinian children.
One oh so fortunate delegate, however, was given carte blanche for several minutes to back the more balanced resolution that, she claimed, talks about both sides responsibilities and rights and that would allow NDP leader Jagmeet Singh to find common cause with our friends and allies in Israel and Palestine.
After another futile round of wrangling over rules, a vote was promptly taken and, you guessed it, the balanced resolution won the carefully engineered day.
Then, and only then, did Canadas pretend socialist party allow a solitary NDP member who is Jewish to oppose the just approved balanced resolution.
In his speech, the delegate excoriated the NDP for adopting a resolution that does nothing to address the two-tiered legal system that sees almost 700 Palestinian children languish behind bars in Israeli prisons each year. It does nothing to substantially address Israels human rights violations or its ongoing siege on Gaza. It offers mere platitudes rather than much-needed action.
Meanwhile, a smattering of other NDP members shouted: Shame.
It was a shameful, but not unexpected, exhibition by Canadas party of pretend socialists who feign respect for international law and human rights, as long as they dont apply to Palestinians.
Hyperbole? I dont think so. The former leader of the party, Thomas Mulcair, did not say a word publicly while the Israeli military invaded Gaza and killed and maimed thousands of Palestinians, including more than 500 children during what amounted to Israels turkey shoot by land, sea and air of a besieged people for week after week in 2014.
At the inhumane time, Mulcair hid behind a press release, where he affixed blame for the relentless horror on Hamas and Islamic Jihad militants, without so much as a syllable of condemnation for Israels indiscriminate and deadly volley after indiscriminate, deadly volley. He also suggested de-escalation might be useful. How nice.
That is Canadas pretend socialists balanced approach towards Palestine and Israel on pathetic, humiliating display.
Mulcair wasnt the leader of Canadas pretend socialists much longer after that because his balanced approach was largely identical to Trudeaus balanced approach which is a euphemism for: Israel can do anything, at any time, by any means, to imprison and kill Palestinians and occupy their land.
Canadas pretend socialists can rationalise and obfuscate until their partys signature orange colours turn blue, but balanced approach is also a polite euphemism for complicity.
In an odd, rambling 40-minute speech, Mr Love and Courage, Jagmeet Singh, tried, haltingly and rhetorically, to re-affirm his socialist credentials. Not once did he call for the end of the oppression of Palestinians. Not once did he call for the end to the brutal, illegal occupation of Palestinian land. Not once did he call for the end to the remorseless siege of Gaza. Not once did he call for the use of economic or diplomatic sanctions to censor Israel for its ingrained violations of international law and human rights. And not once did he mention the words Palestine or Palestinians.
Mr Singh better summon a true, tangible measure of love and courage for Palestinians soon or hell face the same ignominious fate as his predecessor who forgot that real socialists can always spot a pretend one.
The views expressed in this article are the authors own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeeras editorial stance.
The global humanitarian community is again in confusion. The Oxfam sexual misconduct scandal has made headlines. Policymakers and humanitarian leaders everywhere talk about the need for change. Over the last 30 years or so, there have been many scandals, and much demand for reform. However, business just continues as usual. According to Reuters, during the last year the Save the Children Fund claimed they fired 16 staff members over reports of sexual harassment and Oxfam reported it dismissed 22 of its staff. There are similar reports by various humanitarian agencies. What is terrifying is that the same person who quit his role with Oxfam 2011 after being accused of using sex workers while working in Haiti, was engaging in similar acts in 2006 during his time working for the charity in Chad. Oxfam knew about this but went ahead and sent this person to work in Haiti anyway.
Anyone connected to the humanitarian world knows about the scandals of sexual misconduct, corruption, discrimination, racism and many other issues in the system. In many ways, the Oxfam sexual misconduct scandal is just a symptom of the core illnesses that the humanitarian system is suffering from. Of course, the system is complex, and it is not easy to change.
It is one of the very few careers one could enter without any formal qualifications. A colleague from Afghanistan once told me international humanitarian workers comprise three categories: missionaries (those who come to help and change the affected communities), misfits (those who do not fit in their own societies, so they become humanitarian workers) and mercenaries (those who come for the money). Of course, there are honest, committed and genuine humanitarian workers, however, they are a minority and most of the time leave the field in frustration.
Since 2004, teaching in many higher education programmes in the UK on disaster management, humanitarian affairs, peacebuilding and sustainable development programmes, has brought me into contact with many young North American and European students who want to become humanitarian workers. They want to go to Africa, Asia and the Middle East to help people. Keeping in line with the Croatian Austrian philosopher Ivan Illich, I always suggest that they should think about helping the refugees, homeless and poor people in their own countries. Few decide to do so.
Regardless of all the issues, the humanitarian industry is growing. Since 1989, it has grown from some $0.5 bn to some $22bn in 2018. The responses to international crises are organised on a fast-phase, top-down and resource heavy basis. In a model of universal governance, the humanitarian responses are driven by specialised UN agencies and NGOs. In this specialisation, the responses are delivered within a medicalised approach diagnosis and intervention. At the same time, the humanitarian system is suffering from under capacity and many other problems within.
Keeping in line with the colonial project, the humanitarian system largely assumes affected populations are vulnerable and need assistance and deliver aid based on this assumption.
It is also common knowledge that contemporary humanitarian structures are shaped by the philosophical and value systems of Europe and North America, which are predominantly Christian. At the same time, a large proportion of humanitarian funding is channelled towards the Muslim world. According to the Global Humanitarian Overview (2018), the 2017 humanitarian response plans are dominated by Afghanistan, Syria, Yemen, Iraq, Somalia, occupied Palestinian territories, Libya and many other Muslim countries. It is also no secret that the United States uses humanitarian assistance as an extension of their foreign policy while the European Union use it as a substitute for foreign policy. In this, the contemporary humanitarian system is part of the global intervention to change the social, cultural, economic, political and environmental architecture of countries without the consent of the people. In my mind, this is a continuation of the colonial project. Support for regime changes, lack of accountability, and ongoing racism in the humanitarian system has helped destabilise countries in the grip of natural disasters such as Haiti and Nepal while at the same time it is estimated that only about one percent of humanitarian funds reach the affected populations as was the case in West Africa during the Ebola crisis.
Keeping in line with the colonial project, the humanitarian system largely assumes affected populations are vulnerable and need assistance and deliver aid based on this assumption. The reality is most disaster and conflict-affected populations in Asia, Africa and the Middle East have been experiencing these dangers for centuries. Most of them have been colonised by the European powers and still continued to be hampered by global economic interests. In this, most populations in disaster and conflict-affected countries in the world have developed sophisticated yet pragmatic approaches to effectively deal with uncertainty and danger. This is the type of wisdom and local knowledge of people which the humanitarian system has over and over failed to recognise.
The Tsunami Evaluation Coalition Report on the 2004 tsunami response by the International humanitarian system (TEC, 2007) heavily criticised the lack of genuine engagement and collaboration with the affected populations. It further recommended the international humanitarian agencies recognise the capabilities of affected populations and their skills and knowledge. The TEC Report strongly recommended the International humanitarian system establish formal performance feedback and begin to measure the improvements undertaken by International actors.
There was the expectation that the International humanitarian system would learn from their mistakes in their responses to the 2004 tsunami. However, we continue to hear the same narrations from Haiti, Nepal, Iraq, Syria, Yemen, South Sudan and many other countries. The current humanitarian system, which is embroiled in the global market, does not have space for affected populations. There are discussions, projects and interventions to professionalise the humanitarian system, but there is no understanding of care that the system should provide to the affected populations. The system, which is expected to care for affected populations, has forgotten, and in many cases, even harmed them.
While the international humanitarian system is busy dealing with scandals, developing policies such as the Grand Bargain and Charter for Change, hiring inexperienced and unqualified international staff, the affected communities continue to deal with disasters and conflicts. They do not come to New York, London, Geneva or Brussels to complain about the misconduct of the humanitarian agencies or to request funding. There are very few examinations of the power and corruption of the international humanitarian system Graham Hancocks 1989 book, Lords of Poverty, is still the most honest account of this. The humanitarian agencies come and go the long-term impact they make at community-level is never considered or examined. In the humanitarian programme cycle, there is no space for the long term it is fast-paced, top-down and resource-heavy. As one of the colleagues in Eastern Sri Lanka told an international humanitarian worker, Dear sir, this may be your project, but this is my life.
Unless, the humanitarian donors, policymakers and practitioners are ready to change their current attitudes and values, examine the ways to change the system itself and genuinely collaborate with affected populations as equal partners, the Oxfam sexual misconduct scandal will be another news item that will fade away into the background. This is the only way to change the colonial nature of the humanitarian system and make it relevant and effective for affected populations.
The views expressed in this article are the authors own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeeras editorial stance.
Robert Mueller has been a very busy man over the last week. The former FBI director and special counsel leading the investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 US presidential election and possible collusion between the Kremlin and the Donald Trump campaign has stepped up his operation in a big way. Dozens of charges have been issued, guilty pleas have been filed, deals have been made, and one trial is set to begin in a federal courtroom later this year.
On Friday, February 23, Mueller struck a plea bargain with Rick Gates, the former deputy campaign chairman of the Trump campaign, a deal that would trade a lesser prison sentence in exchange for full, complete, and unreserved cooperation on matters related to the special counsels inquiry. Based on the charges, Gates a father of young children could have spent decades behind bars if he refused to cooperate and if his case went to trial. That was more than enough incentive for the former Trump campaign official to take a deal with Muellers office, the fifth guilty plea agreement Mueller has struck over his nine months of work.
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Where all of this legal manoeuveing leaves President Donald Trump is still an open question. To date, Trump can take a marginal amount of comfort in knowing that none of the charges filed by Muellers prosecutors pertain directly to Trump campaign operations or touch Trump personally. The one man who presumably knows the most about the inner workings of the campaigns workings, former campaign chairman Paul Manafort, remains tight-lipped despite the bevvy of fraud, money laundering, and illegal lobbying charges filed against him. The question of collusion whether Trump ordered, tolerated, or knew about campaign staffers cooperating with the Russians to hurt Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton has still not been proven. Indeed, Trump himself never tires of mentioning this fact publicly: after Mueller indicted 13 Russians and three companies for attempting to influence the American political system, the president quickly tweeted that the special counsels office had yet to find members of the Trump campaign actively participating in the scheme. The results of the election were not impacted, Trump confidently declared. The Trump campaign did nothing wrong no collusion.
If President Trump genuinely wants the special counsel investigation to go away, he will need to turn an entirely new leaf and let his lawyers handle his defence.
Unfortunately for the president, possible collusion is only one part of the special counsels investigation. By virtue of Trumps own actions, from his firing of FBI Director James Comey and his thwarted termination of Robert Mueller last year to the presidents misleading statement about his sons meeting with a Kremlin-connected lawyer during the campaign, the investigation is as much about potential obstruction of justice as it is a grand Trump-Russia conspiracy. And that is where Trump could get into serious trouble; while there is no evidence yet of collusion, there is a lot of smoke on obstruction.
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When the pressure is on, Trump has demonstrated a unique ability to cause more legal and political problems for himself. Either due to his own lack of impulse control, his desire to cover up past sins, or loyalty to his own staffers, Trump has made one bad mistake after another. He has exhibited a pattern of straying into dangerous waters in order to shut down or discredit the investigation, in one instance even asking senior intelligence officials within the government to refute or disapprove any allegations of collusion with Moscow. And with every bad decision Trump makes, Robert Mueller is given that much more ammunition to continue his inquiry. Every statement issued or tweet written is a goldmine if information for prosecutors on the presidents state of mind and his motives. While they may not lead to anything, all of these comments provide the special counsels office with clues on which rock to turn over.
The prediction by Ty Cobb, one of President Trumps lawyers, that Muellers inquiry will be wrapped up in early 2018 appears to be dead wrong. Mueller, a diligent federal prosecutor with decades of experience, will not terminate his inquiry until every stone is turned, every lead is tracked down, and every witness that knows something is deposed. We can expect more subpoenas, more depositions and interviews, more guilty pleas, and more indictments in the weeks and months ahead. The longer the investigation proceeds, the more likely President Trump will make another mistake.
If President Trump genuinely wants the special counsel investigation to go away, he will need to turn an entirely new leaf and let his lawyers handle his defence. If the last nine months have proved one thing, it is that the last person Trump should be taking advice from is himself.
The views expressed in this article are the authors own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeeras editorial stance.
Russias attempts to whitewash the gravity of the situation in Eastern Ghouta are emblematic of post-truth logic.
Ladies and gentlemen, there is nothing to worry about in Eastern Ghouta.
Keep calm and carry on, we are being told. It is just a matter of mass psychosis.
Welcome to the post-truth age where there is an actual debate about whether or not we should rally around the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) (among other organisations) call for restraint and access to the wounded.
The ICRC called the situation madness that had to be stopped. Yet, we are being told that its mere fabrications, propaganda and mass delusions.
Before proceeding, it is worth noting that indiscriminate targeting of civilians on all sides of the conflict is reprehensible. The ICRC statement mentioned that, on the other side of the front line, people in Damascus are in constant fear that their children will be hit by falling mortars.
Why, then, a focus on Eastern Ghouta? What we are dealing with is more than 520 dead and 2500 wounded (according to Medecins Sans Frontieres ) in five days. And the numbers are seemingly set to rise.
Hell on earth or lice and rats?
Silence is a sign of consent, according to an Arabic expression. But when UNICEF issued a blank statement for lack of words to describe the suffering in Eastern Ghouta, it was anything but an expression of consent.
It does not take a genius to decipher its intended message. The appropriate words had already been used throughout the Syrian conflict.
Indeed, the situation is one of a deja vu, as a Syrian writer described it and a bleak reminder of what Bashar al-Assads victory in Syria has meant when it comes to the military strategies employed under the patronage of Vladimir Putin.
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Hell on earth, a living nightmare, exceptionally deplorable developments. The problem is not with finding the right words, but with a realisation that words have not helped.
UNICEFs statement had a footnote: Do those inflicting the suffering still have words to justify their barbaric acts?
Apparently, some do. And the chosen words were lice and rats written (later deleted from his Facebook page but still available here) by Nabil Saleh, a member of the Syrian parliament in reference to those the regime is fighting.
While some will argue that the words were exclusively in reference to the fighters, Saleh also considered the chorus of Ghouta is being annihilated as liars who are using pictures of Palestinians in the Occupied Territories.
It is thus not for sensationalism that I am highlighting these words. Rather, I refer to them as an example of a type of discourse that becomes acceptable and justified on account of the complexity of war zones.
Nothing complicated about targeting civilians
However, as we grapple with making sense of a complex situation, and in the midst of the foggy and tortuously complicated political and military scene in Syria, there is absolutely nothing complicated when it comes to indiscriminate targeting of civilians, hospitals, and blocking humanitarian aid.
Indeed, wars by their very nature bring about human casualties. And the argument on the part of the Assad regime is that it is a military battle of self-defense inside Syrias borders, as its UN envoy told the Security Council.
Thus, to use International Humanitarian Law (IHL) terminology, it is a battle justified on the grounds of military necessity.
However, and this is a point that is lost in said argument, military necessity has to be balanced by humanitarian considerations. As the International Court of Justice affirmed in the Advisory Opinion on Nuclear Weapons (1996), there are two cardinal principles that constitute the fabric of humanitarian law because they constitute intransgressible principles of international customary law one of them being the protection of the civilian population.
Now it is of course an issue that faces increased difficulties in the context of armed conflicts taking place involving non-state actors who make it harder to distinguish between military and civilian targets. But IHL provisions nonetheless apply in such circumstances, including to give examples relevant to Eastern Ghouta the protection of civilians (Article 13 of the 1977 Additional Protocol II to the Geneva Conventions), provisions against starvation (Article 14) and protection of the wounded and medical personnel (Article 7-11).
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The terminology of lice and rats and other calls for obliteration of a region that is inhabited by civilians is a reminder of the worst atrocities humanity has witnessed, where people were robbed of their humanity and their killing justified on ethnic, religious, or national grounds.
Indeed, it is easier to condemn war crimes, genocides and human rights violations in hindsight.
It is utterly depressing, albeit not surprising, that we have not witnessed an unequivocal condemnation of such vile language and in defense of human lives in Eastern Ghouta, regardless of ones position on the Syrian regime or the armed groups now in control of the territory.
One of the arguments presented by supporters of the Syrian regime is that the Armed Forces are providing civilians with a chance by dropping leaflets indicating evacuation routes. Without getting into a discussion about whether this is indeed a viable option, such leaflets are a clear indication that the Syrian government is aware of the presence of civilians in the targeted area who are caught up in the midst of the bloodshed; and as such, said warnings do not absolve its forces from responsibility vis-a-vis civilians.
The leaflets reminded me of the ones dropped in Eastern Aleppo (2016) by Syrian and Russian aircrafts: This is your last hope.Save yourselves. If you do not leave these areas urgently, you will be annihilated You know that everyone has given up on you. They left you alone to face your doom and nobody will give you any help.
And what Human Rights Watch noted at the time is applicable today in Ghouta, namely: telling civilians to leave does not give the military a carte blanche to attack as though they have left. With or without a warning, attacks may be carried out only on military objectives, and must be proportionate.
Two plus two equals five?
Vasily Nebenzya, Russias permanent representative to the United Nations, described the media coverage as propaganda-driven, a campaign of disinformation disseminating rumors and a condition of mass psychosis.
According to the Russian Federation, recent attention on Ghouta is meant to damage the reputation of Syria and Russia.
I do not contest the fact that political players and affiliated media do their utmost to embellish their own image and to besmirch their opponents. However, the use of the term psychosis is revealing and, in a sense, emblematic of post-truth logic.
It reminded me of George Orwells 1984 when he wrote that: In the end the Party would announce that two and two made five, and you would have to believe it.
In other words, we are being presented with two diametrically opposed conceptions of reality. On the one hand, we have the ICRC, UN agencies, human rights organisations and even the Catholic Pope! calling for a ceasefire and allowing humanitarian aid into the besieged territory. Conversely, we are being nudged to consider all those warnings as psychosis or propaganda simply because they happen to paint two leaders in a bad light.
The grave danger in Nebenzyas discourse is that it risks voiding any discussion of human suffering in the context of a political quagmire or armed conflict simply on account of one powerful country claiming that uncomfortable news is just #fakenews (and of course, it is not just Russia that is guilty of such behaviour in the Security Council).
Consequently, if we accept such argumentation, we are robbing ourselves from an indispensable tool for advocating for oppressed people and just causes, including Palestine the irony being that many pro-Palestine voices fall prey to such propaganda.
To be clear, I am not presenting a blanket defense of the UN and human rights/humanitarian agencies due to a belief in their infallibility or their ability to save the world. But a cursory look at the reports since 2011 categorically negates a prevalent view in some circles that such agencies/organisations only target Putin and Assad.
Just to give one example, an Amnesty International report on Ghouta accused the regime of committing war crimes but also said: non-state armed groups, particularly the Army of Islam, are guilty of an array of abuses including abductions, arbitrary detentions and indiscriminate shelling. Their use of imprecise weapons such as mortars and Grad rockets in populated areas amounts to war crimes.
In Orwells 1984, we also read how the heresy of heresies [for the Party] was common sense.
The question remains: Is it still possible to appeal to common sense amidst the madness we are witnessing that has made us numb to human tragedies? Or are we all victims of mass psychosis where two and two make five?
The views expressed in this article are the authors own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeeras editorial stance.
As we enter the sixth month since this crisis erupted, thousands of Rohingya children are still living in fear.
Fred Witteveen is a co-author of this article. He is the national director of World Vision Bangladesh.
Do you remember being a child, wide awake at night, breath drawn, every creak and whisper of breeze a monster under the bed, an intruder down the hall? Then as day breaks, childish fear evaporates and the nights terrors are forgotten.
For hundreds of thousands of children who are right now living in the sprawling refugee camps in southern Bangladesh, fear does not fade when the sun rises. The nights are long. And each day brings a new worry.
Today marks six months since these children were ripped away from the stability of their homes. Six months of trying to make sense of the horrors they have seen and this strange and often scary place.
In the words of a 12-year-old boy: We live a captive life here. There is not enough space for us to play. We cannot do anything we want to do.
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Almost 60 percent of refugees whove arrived in Bangladesh since August 25 are aged under 18, some 378,000 children. Many witnessed brutal violence and killing. Some saw their villages burned to the ground.
More than 2,680 children have been separated from their parents, either orphaned or lost in the chaos of escape from Myanmar. This is a childrens emergency of the highest order.
In December, Plan International, Save the Children and World Vision held a series of in-depth consultations with 200 children and 40 mothers affected by the crisis.
Childhood Interrupted: Voices from the Rohingya Refugee Crisis launches today so we can share their stories to create change. Its vital we hear what children have to say, because they are most affected by this devastating crisis.
When asked what they need to improve their lives, children were very clear: they want to learn and play, feel safe, eat and live healthily, and for their families to earn an income.
Children told us their worlds have been torn apart. Theyve gone from living in a community where they had close friends, a routine and safe places to play, to a chaotic, overcrowded and frightening place.
Many yearn for their homes and belongings, or grieve for dead or missing relatives. Some miss being warm at night and cool during the day.
The report reveals that fear is endemic, and many children spend their days on high alert. They are particularly fearful of being kidnapped, hearing tales of children who have been snatched in the dark.
We are aware of 32 recorded cases of trafficking in the camps to date, according to the International Organisation for Migration. However, the unrecorded number likely to be much higher. History reminds us that wherever children are caught up in an emergency, those who prey on the vulnerable are often nearby.
Girls told us they are scared to leave their tents to go to the toilet, especially after dark, for fear of being harassed or assaulted.
The nearby forest was also identified as a place to fear. Children reported being afraid to go there to collect firewood, worried that forest men would attack them.
An 11-year-old girl told us: We cannot go to [the] forest at night because it is very risky. There was a girl who was raped when collecting firewood at night.
And often, children get lost. Even experienced aid workers find these camps overwhelming. There are few directional signs in an endlessly sprawling labyrinth of tarp and bamboo. It is a confusing and massive place for an adult, and must feel infinitely more bewildering and enormous for a child.
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Children told us they feel unhealthy and worry about getting sick. They experience diarrhoea, coughs and colds, respiratory problems, eye problems and skin diseases. More than 5,000 cases of diphtheria have been reported, killing 24 children.
Food is a constant worry, too. Families are allocated 25kg of rice every 15 days. Many families reported having to ration. They eat the same meal of rice and lentils, and lack the nutritional variety to have energy and to grow. Children wish they had vegetables, fish and meat like they used to eat back home.
Few children here have access to education, one of the best forms of protection from abuse and exploitation like child labour or trafficking. Children told us they wanted to attend school, to learn and develop skills that will help them in the future.
For an adult, this place is tough. For a child, it is a waking nightmare.
But even in such an overwhelming place, there are small comforts. Children said the call to prayer five times a day helps them feel safe and connected to their host community. Theyve come to trust and even feel comforted by the presence of the Bangladesh military and they told us aid workers are kind to them and help them feel protected.
As we enter the sixth month since this crisis erupted, the priority now is to ensure children are safe and feel free to play, learn and live without fear.
When asked what they need to improve their lives, children were very clear: they want to learn and play, feel safe, eat and live healthily, and for their families to earn an income. Some suggested practical improvements like better lighting to make is safer to go to the toilet at night. Some wanted bigger shelters enabling greater privacy. Almost all wanted to go to school.
Its vital that, in the coming weeks and months, our resolve only strengthens to do more for these children. We cannot fail them. We must hear their voices.
The views expressed in this article are the authors own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeeras editorial stance.
By tearing down the walls that separate the causes and consequences of climate change we can force constructive action.
Europe is facing its biggest refugee crisis since World War II. What is new this time around is that many of the displaced are being driven from their homes by the destructive effects of climate change. And this is just the beginning.
As sea levels rise, swallowing island nations and swamping large parts of Bangladesh, and as droughts trigger food shortages across much of the global South, the refugee crisis will only worsen. And we can expect that Europes right-wing parties will respond by doubling down on their already-potent anti-immigrant rhetoric with a push to seal off the borders.
Pundits on the left denounce this as a craven, mean-spirited stance towards those who are suffering the most from our collective climate crisis. And theyre right: opening the borders to climate refugees is a matter of basic justice. We need to devise policies to ensure that all have the right to access safe and habitable parts of the planet we share.
But there is something more to be said here. An open border policy may also be the key to stopping climate change itself.
Scientists tell us that on our present trajectory we have only a 5 percent chance of keeping global warming below the danger threshold of 2 degrees, as our addiction to endlessly expanding economic growth and consumption is swiftly wiping out the gains were making through technology and renewable energy. As a recent op-ed in the New York Times put it, The climate crisis? Its capitalism, stupid. We need a new economic system one that does not require this mad rush up an exponential curve but our leaders are unwilling to take that step. There is a yawning gap between the threat posed by climate breakdown and how little we are doing to address it.
This is a puzzle. Why are we so willing to gamble thus with the fate of human civilization, with 95 percent certainty of catastrophe? Is it that were in denial? Are we just repressing a reality thats too traumatic to confront? Yes, probably. But its also something much simpler: a geography problem.
The great irony of global warming is that its causes and consequences are inversely distributed. The rich nations of the global North are responsible for 70 percent of historical CO2 emissions, but they bear only about 18 percent of the total costs. Its the South that takes the hit: according to the Climate Vulnerability Monitor, the global South loses nearly $600bn each year due to drought, floods, landslides, storms and wildfires. As climate change worsens, their losses will reach a staggering $1 trillion per year by 2030.
And then theres the human toll. Global warming claims some 400,000 lives each year worldwide many due to extreme weather events but most due to climate change-induced hunger and disease (pdf). Only 2 percent of these deaths occur in the North. The South suffers the rest, and the vast majority of climate mortality occurs in the countries with the lowest carbon emissions in the world.
Yes, Britain has its floods, southern Europe its droughts, and the United States its hurricanes. But as devastating as these are for ordinary peoples lives, those governments have so far absorbed the costs and kept chugging along with the status quo more growth, more consumption, more emissions, more capitalism. They are not acting on climate change because they have no real reason to care. The consequences of their industrial over-consumption are harming lands far beyond their borders.
Its a textbook case of moral hazard: they are willing to take the risk because someone else bears the cost. Of course, eventually, this will change. They will get serious when their coastal cities flood and their food imports dry up but by then it will be too late.
The solution is simple, at least conceptually: open the borders. By tearing down the walls that separate the causes and consequences of climate change we can force a more honest reckoning with reality. Once the victims of climate change have the right to seek refuge in Europe and North America, it will obliterate the moral hazard of global warming. As rich nations finally start to feel the heat, so to speak, you can bet theyll act fast, doing everything in their power to ensure that peoples home regions remain livable. Even if it means pushing for a new, more ecological, economic model.
This might seem unrealistic at a time of rising anti-immigrant sentiment. But either we do it now, finding orderly ways to integrate climate refugees and allowing ourselves to be spurred to action by the suffering were forced to confront, or down the road, were going to face a refugee crisis more severe, violent and destabilising than anything we can imagine. We have a choice.
The views expressed in this article are the authors own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeeras editorial stance.
Karim Wade, an ex-minister who had hoped to run for presidency in 2017, jailed for six years and fined more than $230m.
A special court in Senegal has sentenced the son of former president Abdoulaye Wade to six years in prison for corruption, dashing his hopes of competing in presidential elections due in 2017.
Karim Wade, a 46-year-old former minister who denies any wrongdoing, was found guilty of illicit enrichment and fined the equivalent of more than $230m.
In detention since April 2013, Karim was chosen by the main opposition party, the Senegalese Democratic Party (SDP), as its presidential candidate on Saturday, raising the stakes ahead of the verdict.
The crime of illicit enrichment being proven, Karim Wade: six years in prison and a fine of 138bn CFA francs, judge Henri Gregoire Diop said in the ruling, adding that Wade had hidden away funds in offshore companies in the British Virgin Islands and Panama.
Karim and his lawyers had boycotted the end of the trial after accusing judge Diop of bias, something he strongly denies.
Abdoulaye Wade left without making any comment to the media.
The streets of Dakar were calm immediately after the sentencing amid a heavy police presence to counter possible protests by Karim supporters.
Wade, who staged a four-day hunger strike in January to protest over the conditions of his detention, has repeatedly said he is the victim of a political witch hunt, something the government strongly denies.
This is a historic decision not only for Senegal but also for the whole of Africa and all those who defend responsibility, citizenship and good governance, said Simon Ndiaye, one of the states lawyers.
President Macky Sall, who ended Abdoulaye Wades 12-year rule in a hotly contested election in 2012, said last week his government would not tolerate any attempt to destabilise the West African country following the court ruling.
Prosecutors had demanded a seven-year prison term for Karim.
The next presidential election could come as early as 2017 if Sall wins approval in a referendum due next year on reducing the presidential term to five years from seven.
Minister of heaven and Earth
After a successful career in finance in the City of London, Karim returned to Senegal two years after his fathers 2000 presidential victory, and was soon tapped for a series of increasingly important public positions.
Those included simultaneous appointments to key ministerial portfolios, earning him the nickname minister of heaven and Earth.
Al Jazeeras Nicolas Haque, reporting from Dakar, said: He [Karim] was responsible for so many portfolios, so many lucrative deals, involving the port in Dakkas, which is a major, strategic port for West Africa.
He was also responsible for the construction of a new airport. These are multi-million if not billion dollar deals.
This is where the opposition, who is currently now in power, say he was involved in mass corruption.
Now, since this sentence, this prevents him from running in the next presidential elections.
The lack of water has sparked protests in Bolivia and forced President Evo Morales to declare a national emergency.
Bolivian President Evo Morales has declared a national emergency over a lack of water caused by a severe and prolonged drought.
Morales said on Monday, that national and local governments are authorised to use state resources to attack the problem.
Much of the high-altitude capital already receives water for just three hours every three days, because reservoirs serving the city are nearly dry.
Morales said Bolivians have to be prepared for the worst.
Weak La Nina conditions in the Pacific have exacerbated the drought, and the wet season isnt expected to start until early December.
On Sunday, authorities declared water rationing in La Paz to be a permanent measure as the drought in Bolivia worsens.
The three main dams that supply water to the city are almost dry.
The main Ajuan Khota dam is at one percent of capacity, while the other two dams are averaging eight percent capacity.
This has led to water cuts in some neighbourhoods for the first time. The Corque municipality has been hit particularly hard, according to a report from the Pan American Health Organisation, and 70 percent of the population lacks drinking water.
Protests
Across La Paz, residents have seen their taps dry up for 60 hours at a time, followed by 12-hour periods to replenish their supplies.
Morales sacked his top state water authorities and apologised for extended water rationing in the capital.
Protesters have taken to the streets to demand the government find a solution to the ongoing water problem [David Mercado/Reuters]
The neighbouring city of El Alto is also concerned about the lack of water. A week of protests by frustrated residents has escalated tensions.
On Thursday, leaders of the Federation of Town Councils, known as Fejuve, held officials and water authorities hostage after the minister of environment and water, Alexandra Moreira, failed to turn up for a meeting to report on a water supply project in the city of El Alto.
Police were eventually called to release the hostages, including Ruben Mendez, Bolivias deputy water minister.
Riots over water have broken out in Bolivia in the past. In 2004, riots resulted in the control of water being handed over from private companies to the state.
In recent decades, Bolivian glaciers have shrunk drastically and affected the lives of millions who depend on glacier melt for water.
Macron and his Malian counterpart discussed the fight against armed groups in the West African country.
President Emmanuel Macron visited French troops fighting armed groups in the West African country of Mali on Friday, during his first official visit outside Europe.
At the end of his first week in office, Macron flew into Gao, a city in Malis north, where political unrest and ethnic strife have raged for more than five years.
He was met by Malian President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita with whom he held talks on the fight against terrorism.
He also met some of the 1,600 French soldiers stationed there, on the largest French military base outside of France.
Macron called on the Malian government to implement the 2015 peace deal, which has repeatedly faltered in the face of inaction and ongoing rivalries between the patchwork of armed groups operating in the north who signed the accord.
My wish is for us to accelerate the deals implementation, Macron said at a press conference, describing the so-called Algiers Accord as the top priority to ensure Malis security.
Al Jazeeras Nicolas Haque, reporting from the capital Bamako, said the short visit is a sign from Macron of his commitment to the region
This visit to Mali is really to show to the French public, and also the people in West Africa and the rest of the world that he is not just the new president of France, he is also the commander-in-chief of an army thats currently fighting an insurgency across northern Mali and the Sahel, Haque said, referencing a politically fragile area that spans from Mauritania to Sudan and hosts a number of armed groups.
Haque added that Macron hopes to persuade European countries to join the fight in the region.
READ MORE: Mali president vows to keep fighting terrorist groups
France intervened in its former colony in January 2013 to drive out al-Qaeda-linked groups that hijacked a rebellion in 2012 by ethnic Tuaregs and attempted to take control of the central government in Bamako.
France has sent some 4,000 soldiers to the region, while United Nations peacekeepers have been deployed to ensure Malis stability.
However, the UNs forces have lacked equipment and resources, making a political settlement between Tuaregs and the government in Mali increasingly fragile.
Our objective in the short-term is to help the regional armies control their territory, especially the fragile border zones, a French diplomat told Reuters news agency.
The peace process is not going fast enough even if there is a glimmer of hope.
READ MORE: Tuareg factions to boycott Mali peace conference
In April, Keita vowed to continue fighting terrorist groups in the country until they engage in serious peace talks.
In recent months, joint patrols by fighters from the various armed factions and the Malian security forces have helped restore confidence, but tensions remain high.
French officials have acknowledged that Paris is likely to have to keep its forces in the region for an indefinite period.
Diplomats said Macron wants to fine-tune policy to ensure countries were also given more help to develop, rather than just focusing on security aspects.
Prime minister launches plan to grant residency rights and job permits to undocumented migrants after surge in racism.
Algeria plans to grant residency rights and job permits to illegal African migrants amid a shortage of workers in farming and construction and after a surge in racist sentiment across the country.
Prime Minister Abdelmadjid Tebbounes plan follows the launch of an anonymous online campaign that blames African migrants for taking jobs and spreading the HIV virus that causes Aids.
To determine the number of beneficiaries of the scheme, the interior ministry is organising a census while security services will screen potential residency candidates.
They will get a residency document which will allow them to get a job, Tebboune told politicians on Friday night.
He gave no further details on the scheme.
Thats great news, I will be happy if I can work under the framework of the law, a young Malian working illegally in a housing project as a mason in Ouled Fayet, west of Algiers, told Reuters news agency.
READ MORE: Algeria and Morocco urged to assist Syrian refugees
Youth unemployment is running at around 30 percent in Algeria, but the country also faces a shortfall of workers in some sectors as it tries to steer its economy away from overreliance on oil and gas production.
The online anti-migrant campaign has shocked many in Algeria, which sees itself as a leading influence in the Sahel region and more widely in Africa, for example negotiating a peace deal in 2015 in Mali.
Last month a hashtag No to Africans in Algeria was widely shared on Twitter and Facebook, calling for expulsions to protect Algerian families and prevent chaos.
Amnesty Internationals local representative, Hassina Oussedik, has urged the government to do more to protect African migrants.
There are unofficially an estimated 100,000 African migrants in Algeria, who have escaped acute poverty and conflict back home.
Most of the migrants are from Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso and some use Algeria as a transit country en route to Europe via neighbouring Libya.
New force, meant to be operational soon, will be deployed in the region along with a 12,000-strong UN mission in Mali.
Five African countries have launched a new multinational force to fight armed groups in the Sahel region, which Frances President Emmanuel Macron told a summit in Mali should be fully operational in a matter of weeks.
The new regional anti-terror force is set to include as many as 5,000 soldiers, with one battalion from each of the so-called G5 Sahel countries: Mali, Mauritania, Burkina Faso, Niger and Chad.
Our enemies are cowards, but they have determination. They want to destroy us, Macron said on Sunday, in a regional summit with the G5-Sahel leaders in the Malian capital, Bamako.
Frances president said his country would contribute $9m to the new force this year. He also mentioned a contribution of 70 vehicles, without saying whether that was included in the sum.
READ MORE: Malis Keita vows to keep fighting terrorist groups
The European Union has also pledged $57m towards the new force, and France is seeking additional financing from partners, including Germany and the United States.
The new force will operate in the region along with the 12,000-strong UN peacekeeping mission and the 5,000-strong French troops already in Mali, which obtained its independence from France in 1960.
In addition, Macron announced $228m in development aid to the Sahel region over the next five years.
We cannot hide behind words, and must take actions, he said.
Speaking at the same event, Malian President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita described al-Qaeda-linked fighters in the Sahel as without face and with no ethics.
They do not share our values, Keita said.
The fight against armed fighters is expected to focus on the border area between Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso, where attacks against military barracks have occurred recently.
A French military intervention in January 2013 turned back a separatist movement in Malis north, but various armed groups still stage attacks.
There are at least 12,000 UN peacekeeping troops and 5,000 French troops in Mali [Joe Penney/Reuters]
Key challenges
Macrons visit comes as al-Qaedas Mali branch released a proof-of-life video of six foreign hostages, including a French woman who was abducted in late 2016 in the northern Malian town of Gao.
On Sunday, Macron denounced the abduction of Sophie Petronin, vowing that his government will put all our energy towards eradicating the armed groups involved in the abduction.
Al Jazeeras Mohamed Vall, reporting from Bamako, said financing remains the crucial issue for the operations across the Sahel.
There are troops here and theyve been trying to solve the problem of insecurity in the region, but they havent been successful because the funding is at the heart of this situation, he said, adding that lack of money could cause the new initiative to fail.
The United Nations is struggling now with the approach of the US that the UN should reduce its security budget around the world, Vall said.
That US approach is touching this region.
Meanwhile, analysts said internal conflicts within Mali are complicating the fight against the armed groups.
What we see is a big focus on military, on equipment, on institutions that they are going to establish, Marie Roger Biloa, editor of the Paris-based Africa International, told Al Jazeera.
She said, however, that so far it has proved difficult to bring troops from different countries to effectively work together, and called for increased political efforts to address Malis very complicated situation.
The problem is that France wants to fight terror because terrorism is striking on French soil but also abroad but they fail to realise or to take into consideration that Mali, which is the heart of the problem, is having internal problems to solve, she said.
If you want to be efficient you also have to address that issue.
In 2015, an alliance of Tuareg-led rebels and Malis government signed a peace deal brokered by Algeria. The deal hands the Tuaregs greater autonomy of the northern region of Mali, in a bid to end a cycle of violence.
Since then, there has been sporadic fighting between pro-government militia and the coalition of Tuareg rebels, also known as the Coordination of Movements for Azawad.
You have a political situation with the Azawad pro-independence rebels who did not really sign the peace agreement they just initialed this, they refused to sign it. But you have a huge gap of trust between the government and the rebels, Biloa told Al Jazeera.
Mali has seen a series of attacks in recent months, including a deadly raid of a tourist resort in Bamako in mid-June.
More than 100 UN soldiers have also died in recent months, making it the most deadly UN mission to date.
Thousands gather in the town of Vallegrande to commemorate the revolutionarys life, death and legacy.
Vallegrande, Bolivia In the remote corner of eastern Bolivia where Ernesto Che Guevara died, thousands gathered to commemorate the 50th anniversary of his death at the hands of the CIA-trained Bolivian military.
All four of Ches children, along with Bolivian President Evo Morales and Vice President Alvaro Garcia Linera, and delegations from Venezuela and Cuba, came to pay their respects in the small town of Vallegrande on Monday.
This is a historic moment, not just for me personally, but for all peoples who struggle for their liberation, Morales told the crowd.
To remember the 50th anniversary of Ches death is to remember the struggle for dignity and national sovereignty, and against imperialism.
Visitors from all over the world attended the main event at the airport where the remains of Che and six comrades were found in 1997 and later repatriated to Cuba.
The nearby mausoleum and new museum show how the revolutionary icon transformed from being feared and hated by the Bolivian government to being praised by it.
Thousands from all over the world visit the Che Guevara Mausoleum at Vallegrande airport every year [Linda Farthing/Al Jazeera]
Mondays commemoration was part of five days of activities including film shows, theatre performances, photo exhibitions and talks.
We are showing that in Bolivia, Ches thought and his work are being kept alive and that our government follows his example, said Alfredo Rada, Bolivian vice-minister of coordination with social movements.
We wanted to fight with Che
Che saw Bolivia as a springboard to bring revolution to South America, and particularly to his homeland, Argentina.
But the ragtag band of revolutionaries he assembled misread the political moment in rural Bolivia.
Indigenous peasant farmers, released 13 years earlier from centuries of serfdom, supported a recently installed military dictatorship in exchange for guarantees that they would not lose their small parcels of land.
Nonetheless, some 20 Bolivian radicals joined his 52-member band.
Many of us wanted to fight with Che, but no one knew how to contact the guerrillas, retired mining leader Felix Muruchi told Al Jazeera.
Even though our union was outlawed by the military, we managed to assist them with a contribution from our salaries.
Fifty years on, Che has been turned into a marketable commodity from t-shirts to fridge magnets.
This transformation meant that tourism could not be far behind.
The Che Trail
In Bolivia, the Che Trail, a multi-day route, was created in 2004 by the lowland indigenous organisation Asamblea del Pueblo Guarani, ironically with the help of the Bolivian military.
Guarani indigenous leader Nelly Romero, one of the organisers, said she believes Che would have approved of it.
As Che fought for the poor, indigenous and peasants, I doubt it would have bothered him to have his name and sacrifice used by us, Romero told Al Jazeera.
The loosely defined 300km trail traces the increasingly beleaguered bands trip across densely forested Andean foothills.
The more popular northern route begins three hours west of the city of Santa Cruz in the picturesque tourist town of Samaipata, where Che received medicine.
It continues southwest to Vallegrande where his emaciated corpse was displayed in the local hospital and Tania, the only woman in the group, is buried.
The laundry room in Vallegrande where Ches body was displayed. The sign above the door reads, Che lives on in the hearts and faces of those who demand justice [Linda Farthing/Al Jazeera]
Those tourists, who travel the Ruta del Che, are people who share Ches ideals, local guide Adalid Balderrama to Al Jazeera.
The final destination is the impoverished hamlet of La Higuera, where he was captured and assassinated.
Local shopkeeper Irma Rosales met Ches group when she was 20.
We had no idea who they were, she said. We were afraid of them because they werent from around here.
Such distrust, combined with only token support from the Bolivian Communist Party, which favoured trade union and parliamentary work over armed struggle, ensured the groups downfall.
Che could never have envisaged that he would become a sort of local saint.
I come to light a candle and pray, Emiliana Gutierrez, a teacher, told Al Jazeera as she stood outside the mausoleum where his remains were found.
Che was a doctor and so his spirit has the power of healing.
Farmers in La Higuera pray to Che for help with their crops, and residents often hang his picture in their homes next to Jesus and the Virgin Mary.
Bolivias current government is working hard to keep Ches legacy alive, as are the people in this region.
People die but their ideas never do, said Morales as he walked to the site in La Higuera where Che was killed.
We are in different times now, times of democratic liberation, fuelled not by the bullet but by the ballot box and the vote.
Like 20 percent of Greeks, Iliodoros and Ioanna Filios cannot find work in the countrys austerity-ravaged economy.
Piraeus, Greece When Iliodoros Filios first ventured to a soup kitchen in 2012, he was consumed with shame. He waited idly outside while his wife and children went in to gather their portions.
With time, he says, their needs eclipsed grief. Within a year, the 52-year-old jobless painter was making the rounds each evening at bakeries, begging for stale leftovers: meat pies, pastries and an occasional loaf of bread.
Later, Filios and his 48-year-old wife, Ioanna, found help in vegetable markets, where they were able to get a handful of tomatoes, onions and cucumbers twice a week.
Without these handouts, the family wouldnt be able to bear the crushing weight of Greeces austerity-ravaged economy.
Lately, they say they dont have any more to give, Ioanna explains. They say they already gave to the orphanage or the church. But the rubbish cans are full of food at the end of the day.
Ioanna seeks vegetables and fruits from a vendor at an outdoor market [Yannis Kolesidis/Al Jazeera]
With two daughters, the couple struggles to make ends meet each month on a 466-euro welfare cheque.
The familys hardships are common. They were among the 20 percent of Greeks who were without work in December.
Although joblessness is down from the nearly 28 percent it hit in 2014, it still towers over the EUs 8.7 percent unemployment recorded by Eurostat at the end of last year.
Only enough for the basics
Inside their two-bedroom flat, where a local church organisation has set them up, books, suitcases and stuffed animals cramp the living room.
A photo of the Last Supper, which depicts a host of robed disciples flanking Jesus Christ at a long dinner table, is fastened on the wall.
After they received a larger welfare cheque for the holiday season, Filios bought a small plastic Christmas tree. Weeks later, the multi-coloured lights still blink in the living room corner as he speaks.
Christina, his 15-year-old daughter, sits on a small wooden box next to her father and listens, an austere expression on her face.
Filios waits outside a local bakery for a handout [Yannis Kolesidis/Al Jazeera]
Wrapped in blankets, she rubs her gloved hands on her legs. They cannot afford heating, even in winter.
Weve never even turned on that heater, says Ioanna, pointing to an electricity-powered radiator.
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While the church pays their rent, the family is responsible for utilities, food and other expenses.
We only have enough money for the basics, says Filios.
They could not survive on welfare cheques alone, without the help of friends, neighbours and the church, he explains.
The structure is still falling
For the Filios family, promises of politicians and policymakers ring hollow.
In January 2015, Syriza, a left-wing party, came to power after vowing to support the downtrodden and poor. Yet, with Greece teetering under the weight of debt, austerity only deepened.
Over the last three years, the once defiant leftist government has largely accepted creditors demands, including budget cuts and economic reforms.
The initially fierce disputes with Germany, which has overseen Greeces bailout, have given way to quiet acquiescence in Athens.
Crisis has led to turbulence on the streets, with strikes, protests and riots taking place to resist austerity.
In January, Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras addressed the Hellenic Parliament after legislators approved new austerity measures.
Outside, tens of thousands protested. Just days before the 1,500-page bill was passed, riot police fired tear gas at angry demonstrators in Athens, the capital.
Ioanna prepares a meal she put together from handouts [Yannis Kolesidis/Al Jazeera]
He proclaimed that Greece was a breath away from the end of the programme, adding: This gives hope and courage to millions of our citizens, who all these years have made large sacrifices and now finally see light and a way out.
Filios says he has yet to catch a glimpse of that light.
Despite the fact that Tsipras has almost destroyed the country, the government has helped people in need, he argues, but the structure is still falling.
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Against this backdrop, his days are dotted with what feel like pointless job applications and cold calls.
When he tells potential employers his age, they respond that the vacancies have been filled.
He is far from alone.
More than half of Greeks endured financial hardship in December 2017, according to a study published by the University of Macedonia in Thessaloniki.
That study found that less than seven percent of the respondents had experienced no financial problems that month.
Giorgos Kiritsis, a parliamentarian and Syriza member, defended the austerity measures, such as home auctions.
It was crucial for keeping the banks afloat, he tells Al Jazeera, insisting that the government has done its best to protect workers and the poor.
Meanwhile, frustration over the governments policies has come from across the political spectrum.
From the right, parties such as New Democracy have accused the Syriza-led coalition of worsening poverty.
Last month, New Democracy chief Kyriakos Mitsotakis said Greeks no longer trust the prime minister to solve the financial problems we face.
He promised to put an end to austerity and the old [establishment], he said in a video message. Instead he brought more poverty, the dissolution of the middle class and heavy taxation. He cut wages and pensions.
On the left, parties and critics have blasted the government for what they see as capitulating to the EU at the expense of Greeces struggling workers and pensioners, among other charges.
Greeces ongoing economic crisis has seeped into every crevice of society, penetrated every sector of the economy and affected almost every field of work.
Although economic growth has ticked up, high unemployment, crippling austerity measures and a lack of hope continue to stymy any benefits of that growth for most Greeks. The countrys bailout programme is slated to conclude in 2018.
Panic attacks
The Filios familys journey has been a long one, sprinkled along the way with bursts of hope and periods of distress, temporary moments of improvement giving way to what feels like epochs of stress.
Work has never been stable for the married couple.
However, back in Gargaliani, the southern town where they met and wed after Filios put out a love wanted ad in a local newspaper, they were able to get by with freelance jobs and short-term contracts.
Ioanna helps Christina with her homework [Yannis Kolesidis/Al Jazeera]
Things took a turn for the worse in 2008, when jobs dried up as the global economic crisis loomed. With fewer people renovating and making repairs to their homes, Filios couldnt find painting gigs.
In 2009, unable to afford renovations to their crumbling home, they sold the property, which Ioanna had inherited from her family.
With no options left, they packed their bags in their sedan and headed for Kalamata, the second-most populous city in Greeces Peloponnese region.
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For Filios, the new homes spacious balcony was symbolic of the hope the family harboured for the move.
We had only had a very small balcony in Gargaliani, he recalls.
I looked forward to us all spending time on the new balcony, which was much bigger.
But the years that followed were especially trying, as Filios realised he was the victim of a long-term crisis.
Thats when the panic attacks started, he recalls.
Thats when I realised it; we didnt have food, we didnt have food and I didnt know what to do. If you dont have a stable job to know youll make money every month. I realised that going to a bigger city and not finding a job meant there was a big problem.
Once more unable to afford the repairs to their home, they were forced to move out and search for another alternative.
The Filios family stands at the window of their flat in Piraeus [Yannis Kolesidis/Al Jazeera]
In the years that followed came a failed attempt at launching a mini-market business, eviction from one home to the next, and hundreds of unanswered job applications.
They eventually landed in Piraeus, the port city next to Athens, where the local Greek Orthodox church put them up in a flat.
Stung by luckless attempts to land a job, Ioanna has enrolled in night courses at the same school her daughter attends.
When we first got married, we had big dreams and hopes for our family and our future. We still have dreams, but says Ioanna, trailing off.
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Filios picks up where she left off.
But in the three years weve been here [in Piraeus], nothing has changed in Greeces reality. Youre not able to find a job. As more time passes, I am still trying; but I just cant find work.
Ioanna wraps herself tightly in a blanket.
We never imagined it would be long term, she says.
We didnt want to still be begging at bakeries and markets all these years later.
Follow Patrick Strickland on Twitter: @P_Strickland_
Ioanna takes an exam for her night school course, which is held at the same school her daughter attends [Yannis Kolesidis/Al Jazeera]
Earlier reports said 54-year-old actress died of heart attack but post-mortem says she fell into bathtub and drowned.
Bollywood actress Sridevi died from accidental drowning, according to the forensic report.
Dubai-based newspaper, Gulf News, reported on Monday that the iconic actress was under the influence of alcohol when she lost balance and fell into the bathtub of her room at Jumeirah Emirates Towers and drowned.
The paper quoting a police official said that investigation was still going on to determine the circumstances surrounding the accident.
The Dubai Police has transferred the case to the Dubai Public Prosecution, which will carry out regular legal procedures followed in such cases, the government of Dubai media office tweeted.
The report comes as preparations in Mumbai are under way for Sridevis funeral, which is to take place later on the day.
It was earlier reported that the actress, one of Indias most celebrated, died on Saturday morning of a heart attack while attending a family wedding.
READ MORE: A great loss to Indian cinema
She is survived by her husband, Boney Kapoor, and daughters Jhanvi and Khushi.
The funeral will take place Pawan Hans crematorium in Juhu after her remains are returned to India.
Local media are reporting several friends and family members have arrived at the home of Anil Kapoor, Sridevis brother-in-law.
Born Shree Amma Yanger Ayyapan in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu, Sridevi started acting at the age of four with a role in the Tamil language film, Thunaivan.
READ MORE: Sridevi Bollywoods first female superstar
Her starring role in the 1987 adventure film, Mr India, earned her superstar status in South Asia.
She went on to become a fixture of the Indian film industry, appearing in more than 300 movies, spanning five decades, and picking up scores of awards for her performances.
The Bollywood star was awarded the Padma Shri, Indias fourth-highest civilian honour, in 2013.
News of Sridevis sudden passing away led to shocked reactions, both from her colleagues and her fans.
A growing number of US companies have cut ties with the National Rifle Association (NRA) as the gun lobby comes under immense criticism following the last weeks mass shooting at a Florida high school.
Several car rental companies, hotels and banks have cancelled the special offers and discounts they have for NRA members.
On Saturday, Delta Air Lines and United Airlines became the latest companies to join the list.
The moves come amid widespread calls to boycott companies and groups that have ties to the powerful pro-gun group.
At least 17 people were killed last week when a gunman opened fire on students and teachers at the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida. According to police, 19-year-old Nikolas Cruz confessed to carrying out the shooting. He allegedly used an AR-15-style semiautomatic rifle.
Since the shooting, students and their families have organised near-daily protests, demanding gun control reform. Online, the #BoycottNRA campaign has gained momentum, with many pledging to stop doing business with companies that have ties to the NRA.
Under pressure, more than a dozen companies including car rental giants Hertz and Budget, First National Bank and MetLife insurance have ended their relationships with the NRA, according to progressive news site ThinkProgess.
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Car rental company Enterprise said on Twitter that discounts for NRA members would no longer be effective starting March 26.
Thank you for contacting us! All three of our brands have ended the discount for NRA members. This change will be effective March 26. Thank you again for reaching out. Kind regards, Michael EnterpriseRentACar (@enterprisecares) February 23, 2018
We have notified the NRA that we are ending the NRAs rental car discount program with Hertz. Hertz (@Hertz) February 23, 2018
First National Bank of Omaha, the largest privately held bank in the United States, said it would not renew its contract with the NRA. As a result, the bank will stop issuing NRA credit cards.
Customer feedback has caused us to review our relationship with the NRA. As a result, First National Bank of Omaha will not renew its contract with the National Rifle Association to issue the NRA Visa Card. FNBO (@fnbo) February 22, 2018
Insurance company MetLife and software company Symantec, known for the Norton antivirus program, also announced the cancellation of their NRA member discounts.
We value all our customers but have decided to end our discount program with the NRA. MetLife (@MetLife) February 23, 2018
Symantec has stopped its discount program with the National Rifle Association. Symantec (@symantec) February 23, 2018
This week, NRA Executive Vice President Wayne LaPierre called on every citizen who loves this country and treasures its freedom to stand and unflinchingly defend the Second Amendment, the one freedom that protects us all.
"I call on every citizen who loves this country and treasures its freedom to
stand and unflinchingly defend the Second Amendment, the one freedom
that protects us all." Wayne LaPierre @CPAC NRA (@NRA) February 22, 2018
LaPierre was speaking to participants of the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC), an annual politically conservative conference.
During that same conference, US President Donald Trump reiterated his proposal to arm teachers who are adept at firearms in an effort to stop school shootings.
Out of your teaching population, you have 10 percent, 20 percent, very gun adept people, Trump said.
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So this crazy man, who walked in, wouldnt even know who it is that has it, he added. Thats good. Thats not bad. Thats good. And the teacher would have shot the hell out of him before he knew what happened.
The proposal has been slammed by survivors of mass shootings and their families, as well as a number of teachers, who say having guns in the classroom will only create more problems.
On Friday, the investigation into the shooting revealed that an armed deputy was present at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School during the incident. According to Sheriff Scott Israel, the deputy waited outside the school for nearly four minutes while the shooting took place. That deputy has since resigned.
Central African Republic: Half the population needs aid
Thousands of people in CAR have had to flee their homes, and now half of the country is in urgent need of aid.
Unilateral US sanctions threaten to undermine cooperation efforts over North Korea, Chinas foreign ministry says.
China has demanded the US reverse its decision to impose fresh sanctions on North Korea, saying the unilateral actions could undermine cooperation between Beijing and Washington.
Chinas foreign ministry said it had lodged stern representations with the US over the measures which prohibit US citizens from dealing with more than 50 vessels and companies, and one person, located in countries including North Korea, China, Taiwan and Hong Kong in a statement on Saturday.
The Chinese side firmly opposes the US imposing unilateral sanctions and long-arm jurisdiction on Chinese entities or individuals in accordance with its domestic laws, Geng Shuang, foreign ministry spokesperson, said.
The Chinese government has been comprehensively and strictly implementing the Security Council resolutions on the DPRK and fulfilling its international obligations, and never allows any Chinese citizen or company to engage in activities in violation of the Security Council resolutions.
US President Donald Trump announced the heaviest ever sanctions against North Korea on Friday, as Washington seeks to prevent North Korea from further developing its nuclear programme.
The measures aimed at disrupting North Korean shipping companies and vessels will heighten pressure on North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, a US treasury department statement, said on Friday.
This will significantly hinder the Kim regimes capacity to conduct evasive maritime activities that facilitate illicit coal and fuel transports, and erode its abilities to ship goods through international waters, Steven Mnuchin, treasury secretary, said.
The president has made it clear to companies worldwide that if they choose to help fund North Koreas nuclear ambitions, they will not do business with the United States.
The new sanctions target almost all shipping currently being used by North Korea, Mnuchin said.
Trump cautioned the US will have to go to phase two if the sanctions dont have Washingtons desired effect, adding that may be a very rough thing very unfortunate for the world, Reuters news agency reported.
UN sanctions
The announcement comes two months after the UN Security Council said it was imposing its toughest sanctions yet on North Korea.
The Security Council unanimously voted to ban nearly 90 percent of refined petroleum exports to North Korea, and order North Koreans who work abroad to return to the country within 24 months, on December 22.
North Korea announced in November it had successfully conducted a new intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) capable of reaching the US mainland.
North Korean leader Kim Jong-uns government conducted several missile tests last year, drawing condemnation from the international community.
Tensions on the Korean Peninsula appear to have eased in the last few weeks, however, with South Korea expressing it was cautiously optimistic of making progress with inter-Korean relations in the wake of a visit by North Korean officials during the Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang.
US immigration agencies have kept a Congolese asylum seeker from her daughter for nearly four months, a lawsuit alleges.
US immigration authorities have held a Congolese asylum seeker and her seven-year-old daughter in separate detention centres for months, a new lawsuit alleges, stoking fears Donald Trumps administration plans to keep families apart in a bid to stem asylum requests.
In a claim filed on Monday in a US District Court in California, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) said the mother and daughter have been detained since they arrived and filed for asylum in San Diego in November of last year.
Known only as Ms L in the court filing, the woman fled violence in her native Democratic Republic of Congo, which has been wracked by political instability, armed clashes, and an increasing humanitarian crisis.
While the mother is being detained in the San Diego area, her child is held more than 3,000km away in Chicago, ACLU said.
The Trump administration is using this little girl and her mother as pawns in its draconian public policy experiment, said Lee Gelernt, deputy director of ACLUs Immigrants Rights Project, in a statement.
The lawsuit accuses US Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the Department of Homeland Security, among others, of violating the plaintiffs right to due process and violating federal asylum laws.
Not only is it horrific to rip this child from her mother, there is no legal justification for it, Gelernt said.
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News of the familys months-long separation comes only two months after US media reported the Trump administration was considering a plan to keep parents apart from their children when they are caught entering the US without visas.
The plan is intended to discourage undocumented migrants from crossing the border into the US, the New York Times reported in December.
Trump campaigned on a promise to build a wall on the US southern border with Mexico and crack down on undocumented immigration.
At least 200 US human rights groups recently condemned the forced separation policy, saying it would have significant and long-lasting consequences for the safety, health, development, and well-being of children.
Family unity is a foundational principle of child welfare law, MaryLee Allen of the Childrens Defense Fund said in a letter to US Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen in January.
In order to grow and develop, children need to remain in the care of their parents where they are loved, nurtured and feel safe The proposed changes to your agencys policies would eviscerate that principle.
Deadly air attacks pound Houthi-held Hodayda
Three days of air attacks by the Saudi-led coalition have pounded a rebel-held region in western Yemen, displacing thousands of people already in severe need of humanitarian aid.
Doraleh Container Terminal taken over by government, says Dubai-owned DP World has damaged national sovereignty.
The government of Djibouti has seized control of a container terminal operated by United Arab Emirates-based DP World, saying that the contract between the two parties was damaging the sovereignty of Djibouti.
The government announced the nationalisation of the Doraleh Container Terminal (DCT) in Djibouti on Thursday, placing the blame for the termination of its contract with DP World the worlds fourth largest port operator on the Dubai-owned companys refusal to settle amicably.
A statement on behalf of President Ismail Omar Guellehs office said the government had decided to proceed with the unilateral termination of the concession contract awarded to DP World.
DP World won a 30-year concession in 2006 to operate the DCT, which opened in 2009.
The Doraleh port is particularly crucial to its landlocked-neighbour Ethiopia: more than 95 percent of the countrys imports come through Djibouti, authorities say.
Despite being a tiny country, Djibouti has become a major strategic player because of its position on the Bab al-Mandeb Strait, the key shipping lane to Europe from the Gulf and Asia beyond.
Sources told Al Jazeera that the souring of relations between the two parties goes back to when Djibouti refused to allow the UAE to establish a military base on its territory.
For the UAE, Djiboutis location is ideal, along the Red Sea and close to Yemens Aden, one of the regions most important ports.
Somaliland connection
Sources tell Al Jazeera that matters took a turn for the worse when the UAE was seen as trying to undercut Djiboutis competitiveness by offering Ethiopia to use a facility in Somaliland at attractive rates.
DP World announced in November last year it would build an economic free zone in Somaliland to capitalise on strong growth at the Port of Berbera, which was already under the companys management.
DP World signed a 30-year concession agreement to manage the Port of Berbera in May 2016.
Announcing the DCT nationalisation decision on Thursday, Djiboutis transport ministry said that it was merely implementing a law adopted in November last year that sets a legal framework allowing for the renegotiation, if necessary, of contracts already concluded dealing with the management or exploitation of strategic infrastructure.
In the current case, the concession contract for Doraleh container terminal contains elements that are in flagrant contravention of state sovereignty and the higher interests of the nation.
The sources told Al Jazeera there was a heated meeting in Dubai in mid-February between Emirati and Djibouti officials where Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem, the chairman of DP World, said something to the effect that the UAE would send Djibouti back to the conditions in which it existed before 2005.
The threat prompted the Guelleh government to move to seize the DCT, the sources said. Al Jazeera could not independently confirm the account.
Incidentally, Abdourahman Boreh, the architect of the DCT concession, fell out with Guelleh and has been in exile in the UAE for the past 10 years.
Djiboutis account
In an official statement on Thursday, the Djibouti government announced that it has decided to proceed with the unilateral termination with immediate effect of the concession contract awarded to DP World.
The government made this decision in application of the law of November 8, 2017 which aims to protect, in the context of strategic infrastructure contracts, the best interests of the nation, especially those relating to the sovereignty of the state and the economic independence of the country, the statement said.
It should be noted that our country has terminated its collaboration with DP World as an extension of a continuing failure to comply that this economic partner would have opposed to all its efforts to settle amicably.
The statement said it should be noted that the DCT will now be under the authority of the Doraleh Container Terminal Management Company (SGTD), a company in which the state holds all the shares.
DP World, for its part, has accused Djibouti of illegally seizing the container terminal and said it is seeking international arbitration to protect its rights.
The illegal seizure of the terminal is the culmination (of) the governments campaign to force the DP World to renegotiate the terms of the concession, DP World said in a statement late on Thursday.
Those terms were found to be fair and reasonable by a London Court of International Arbitration tribunal.
It said DP World has commenced arbitration proceedings before the London Court of International Arbitration to protect their rights, or to secure damages and compensation for their breach or expropriation.
In 2014 the government of Djibouti had brought a legal challenge against DP World, accusing it of bribing the head of Djiboutis port authority and calling the overall agreement unfair.
DP World operates multiple related businesses from marine and inland terminals to maritime services across several continents.
The company was founded in 2005 by merging Dubai Ports Authority and Dubai Ports International, which had been founded in 1999.
It purchased P&O Group of the UK in 2006 for 3.9bn ($7bn), which was at the time the worlds fourth largest ports operator.
Antonio Guterres comments come as Russias Putin orders a humanitarian pause on Tuesday so civilians can escape.
Ongoing attacks by Syrian government forces and their allies has created hell on Earth for civilians stuck in a rebel-held Damascus suburb, the UNs chief said on Monday, as air strikes and ground operations continued despite a days-old ceasefire.
Russias President Vladimir Putin, meanwhile, ordered a humanitarian pause from 9am-2pm local time on Tuesday to allow civilians to evacuate Eastern Ghouta.
The bombardment of rebel-held enclave over the past week has been one of the heaviest of Syrias seven-year war, killing more than 550 people in eight days, according to a toll compiled by the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a UK-based war monitor.
Rebel shelling has caused 36 deaths and a number of injuries in Damascus and nearby rural areas in the last four days, Zaher Hajjo, a government health official, told Reuters news agency.
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called for an immediate implementation of Saturdays Security Council resolution for a 30-day ceasefire in Syria.
Speaking at the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva, Switzerland, Guterres described the situation in Eastern Ghouta as hell on Earth.
I remind all parties of their absolute obligation and international humanitarian and human rights law to protect civilians and civilian infrastructure at all times, he said.
Similarly, efforts to combat terrorism do not supersede these obligations, he added.
The remarks come as doctors in the enclave accused the Syrian government of launching a chlorine gas attack in the town of Al-Shifaniyah in Eastern Ghouta.
Gas attack?
Syrias Civil Defence rescue team, also known as the White Helmets, said on Sunday at least one child died as a result of suffocation.
According to the Syrian oppositions health officials, victims were showing symptoms consistent with exposure to toxic chlorine gas.
Russias foreign minister denounced the allegations that gas was used.
There are already bogus stories in the media that yesterday chlorine was used in Eastern Ghouta, citing an anonymous individual living in the United States, Sergey Lavrov said at a press conference.
On Sunday, President Bashar al-Assads forces launched a ground offensive against opposition groups from multiple fronts, in an attempt to penetrate into the besieged enclave, which has been under rebel control since 2013.
The two major rebel factions in Eastern Ghouta are Jaish al-Islam and Failaq al-Rahman. Tahrir al-Sham, an alliance of opposition fighters, also has a small presence there.
Al Jazeeras Zeina Khodr, reporting from Beirut in neighbouring Lebanon, said the government has not been able to take any inch of territory in Ghouta since the ground offensive began.
At least 16 people have been killed since Monday morning in Eastern Ghoutas Douma, local activist Alaa al-Ahmed told Al Jazeera from the enclave.
A day earlier, at least 27 people in the Damascus suburb died as a result of shelling by Russian-backed Syrian warplanes.
Last week, deadly air strikes and artillery fire launched by Syrian forces and their allies exacerbated a dire humanitarian crisis in the besieged enclave, home to some 400,000 people.
Fighting is raging elsewhere in Syria as Turkey presses its offensive against a Kurdish militia in Afrin, rival rebel groups fight each other in western Idlib province, and a US-led coalition targets Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant in the east.
Ethiopia is at a critical political juncture, analysts say, after the snap resignation of the countrys prime minister.
Some describe it as a transformational moment; others the result of an unprecedented wave of protests.
But whatever it is labelled, Ethiopian Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegns surprise resignation is setting the stage for a crucial succession race, that is likely to shape the future course of a country rocked by violent unrest and political instability.
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 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.
Awol Allo, a lecturer at Keele Universitys School of Law and an expert on Ethiopia, said the announcement was not entirely unexpected, as rumours that Hailemariam would step down after the ruling party congress next month were widespread.
But [the resignation] came sooner than most had expected, Allo told Al Jazeera.
Figures within the ruling Ethiopian Peoples Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF) have been at odds, he explained, and mass protests in the countrys restive Oromia region and elsewhere, calling for greater freedoms, have increased pressure on Hailemariams government.
The ruling coalition, which controls all seats in Ethiopias 547-strong parliament, is composed of four political parties delineated along ethnic lines: the Amhara National Democratic Movement (ANDM), the Oromo Peoples Democratic Organisation (OPDO), the Tigrayan Peoples Liberation Front (TPLF) and the Southern Ethiopian Peoples Democratic Movement (SEPDM).
The TPLF is perceived to be the most dominant group within the ruling coalition, even though Tigrayans make up only six percent of the countrys population. Members of the group also hold influential positions in the security forces and other sectors.
By contrast, the Oromo and Amhara people, who have long-standing grievances against the government and say they are politically, economically and socially marginalised, make up over 61 percent of the population.
Protests and strikes
Widespread protests broke out in the populous Oromia region, home to the Oromo, in 2015, after plans for a contentious development project in the capital, Addis Ababa, were unveiled.
But the demonstrations quickly spread to other parts of the country, including, most notably, the Amhara region, with protesters demanding wider political freedom and equality, as well as an end to human rights abuses.
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Hundreds of people were killed and thousands were arrested in a government crackdown that prompted condemnation from human rights groups.
Ethiopia also imposed a state of emergency, which was lifted after 10 months.
Still under pressure, the Ethiopian government announced plans last month to shutter an infamous prison in Addis Ababa and release thousands of prisoners, including journalists, political leaders and opposition figures.
The government has released more than 6,000 prisoners so far.
But this week, widespread youth-led protests broke out once more in Oromia and a three-day strike was declared, amid rising tension over what many viewed as the slow release of the prisoners.
The effect of these protests is unprecedented in the countrys history, according to Allo.
This is the same protest movement that forced this government to declare a state of emergency, forced it to release political prisoners, [and now] forced the prime minister to resign, he said.
This protest [is what] brought about this radical change.
Jawar Mohammed, a US-based Oromo activist and executive director of the Oromia Media Network, agreed that Hailemariams exit was a product of the demonstrations.
The resignation also reflects the governments inability to control or respond appropriately to the protesters demands, which include reforms to the democratic sphere and greater equality, he told Al Jazeera.
Befekadu Hailu, an Ethiopian writer and activist, echoed those sentiments, explaining that the states earlier tactics including the violent crackdown and the promise to release all political prisoners did not work in stemming the unrest.
I think the pressure from the popular movements and also the reformist members of the ruling coalition forced the resignation to come early, Befekadu said.
But, according to Mohammed, whoever is appointed the next prime minister must be a reformist with strong support to implement reforms.
The issue right now is timing, he said. How fast can they reform? The options right now are speedy reform, or a revolution where the regime will be completely swept away.
At a crossroads
The EPRDF accepted Hailemariams resignation Thursday morning, and the coalitions council of ministers is expected to convene on Friday to name his successor, according to local media reports.
Asafa Jalata, a professor of African Studies at the University of Tennesse-Knoxville whose research focuses on the Oromo, said many people in Oromia hope Lema Megersa, president of the regional government, may take on the duties of prime minister.
That could help ease ongoing political tensions in the short-term, until Ethiopians cast their votes in general elections, which are scheduled for 2020, he said.
Others have suggested that Ethiopian Foreign Minister Workneh Gebeyehu and Deputy Prime Minister Demeke Mekonnen could also be considered for the position.
Ethiopia is at a crossroads, Jalata told Al Jazeera.
One would wish that learning from the past crisis, different stakeholders, including the government, would facilitate a transformation to democracy.
But major questions remain.
If they choose a candidate from either of the two main groups who have been protesting for most of the past three years, the Oromo and the Amhara, then it will be interesting to see how they are going to appease the other group that they leave out of this coalition, Al Jazeeras Mohamed Adow, reporting from Doha, said.
For his part, Befekadu said that, while it is difficult to predict what will come next, he feared the most dominant group within Ethiopias ruling coalition, the TPLF, may take drastic measures to maintain its grip on power, including a potential coup.
That is my worst fear, Befekadu said, adding that he has not given up hope, however.
I hope there will come a person who will decide to reconcile the radicalised division in Ethiopia. Thats my hope.
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.
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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.
Will the appointment of a new Ethiopian prime minister only act to save the ruling party, or usher in deeper reform?
Hailemariam Desalegns snap resignation as Ethiopias prime minister in early February set off a dramatic chain of events in a country that has seen mass, anti-government protests for several years.
A state of emergency order soon followed the announcement, plunging Ethiopia even further into a state of political uncertainty.
As it prepares to replace Hailemariam as the head of the party, the ruling Ethiopian Peoples Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF) has been buying time to figure out its next move.
In a country where the chairman of the ruling coalition has historically also taken on prime minister duties, questions continue to swirl around who could step in for Hailemariam.
But any successor will have a difficult task ahead, and appointing a new prime minister will likely not be enough to satisfy Ethiopians demands for greater political reforms.
A change of guard is not what the people want, said Tsedale Lemma, editor-in-chief of the Addis Standard newspaper.
Instead, Ethiopians are demanding a fundamental change in the way the country is governed that would allow all interests to be heard and represented, she explained.
As a country, this is not going to make so much of a difference. EPRDF is EPRDF, she said.
The people of Ethiopia are not requiring a change of guard, they are requiring an overall change of the government a dynamic change, a fundamental change, [to] the way the EPRDF is considered so far.
Oromo candidates
The decision over who will succeed Hailemariam is vitally important, said Hassen Hussein, a writer and Ethiopia analyst based in the United States.
He said it could either [present] a narrow path away from the precipice, or lead [Ethiopia] right into it.
Hailemariam, who came to power after the death of his predecessor, Meles Zenawi in 2012, said he will stay on as a caretaker prime minister until a replacement is named.
But since the engine of the protest movement has been the marginalisation of the countrys largest ethno-national group, the Oromo, Hussein said that not appointing an Oromo would have a devastating effect.
If somebody from another [ethnic] group is installed, I think people will interpret that as, Well, there you go again. It will be deja vu, he told Al Jazeera.
Mass anti-government protests have been ongoing in Ethiopias Oromia region, home to the Oromo, since 2015.
The Oromo, who make up more than 34 percent of the population, have long complained about political and economic exclusion. One of the protesters central demands has been for greater political representation at the national level.
The EPRDF is composed of four political parties, mainly divided along ethnic lines: the Tigrayan Peoples Liberation Front (TPLF), the Amhara National Democratic Movement (ANDM), the Oromo Peoples Democratic Organisation (OPDO) and the Southern Ethiopian Peoples Democratic Movement (SEPDM).
The most prominent Oromo names being discussed to become prime minister are Lemma Megersa, president of the Oromia regional government, and his vice president, Abiy Ahmed, a leading figure in the OPDO.
On Thursday, the 81-member OPDO central committee named Ahmed as the new chairman of the party, taking over from Megersa, who will now serve as deputy chairman, the Addis Standard newspaper reported.
The move has been interpreted to mean that Ahmed will be the partys candidate for prime minister.
Terrence Lyons, an associate professor at the School of Conflict Analysis and Resolution at George Mason University in the US, said if someone like Deputy Prime Minister Demeke Mekonnen, who is Amhara, is chosen instead, that could add further fuel to the fire of the Oromo protests.
A divided coalition
Lyons told Al Jazeera the appointment of the next prime minister is most important, however, for what it will say about what is happening inside the ruling party, which controls all 547 seats in Ethiopias parliament and has been in power since 1991.
That year, the EPRDF originally formed as a collection of rebel groups fighting in a decades-long civil war overthrew a government headed by Mengistu Haile Mariam.
Meles, the former EPRDF chairman and prime minister, was in charge during a transitional period in the early 1990s, before being formally elected in 1995 as prime minister.
Hailemariam was a useful placeholder for the EPRDF after Meless death, Lyons said.
He said the political system the EPRDF brought into force was very centralised, very hierarchical [and] decisions were made at the top and communicated down to the grassroots.
But paradoxically, the coalition also granted local decision-making power and autonomy to newly formed regional governments, which were once again largely divided along ethnic lines.
The regional states controlled courts and universities and radio stations and bureaus of agriculture and water and so forth, and so the political life began to become decentralised, Lyons explained.
This kind of contradiction between centralising and decentralising [power] was always there, it was always going to be a problem, and now were seeing it.
The process
Many of the protesters have also complained in recent years about what they see as the disproportionate power wielded by the Tigrayan party within the coalition.
The TPLF has dominated the ruling coalition from the outset Meles previously headed both the TPLF and the EPRDF despite the fact that Tigrayan people constitute only six percent of Ethiopias more than 100 million citizens.
Both prime ministers since the party took power in 1991, Hailemariam and Meles, also chaired the coalition.
Whoever is chairing the EPRDF has traditionally been the prime minister, Lemma said.
This makes reforming the [political system] nearly impossible because party and government are one and the same and this is really what the Ethiopian people are fed up with, this blurred line.
The 180-member EPRDF council is expected to meet within the next week to choose a new leader, Hussein said, and that leader would then either be confirmed by parliament as Ethiopias next prime minister, or have to propose someone else.
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The EPRDF council is also expected to meet by early March to decide whether to formally accept Hailemariams resignation, Getachew Reda, a member of the bodys executive committee, recently told Bloomberg.
Any candidate for prime minister must be a member of Ethiopias parliament.
However, Getachew told Bloomberg that a candidate not currently sitting in parliament, like Oromo leader Megersa, could possibly be brought in after winning a special by-election.
Hailemariam 2.0
Making the new chair of the Oromo party, Ahmed, the next prime minister would be historic, said Mohammed Ademo, founder and editor of OPride.com, an independent news website on Ethiopia.
They could make history here by electing an Oromo for the first time and electing someone with a Muslim background, Ademo told Al Jazeera.
It would also showcase Ethiopias religious diversity, insomuch as the country has historically been known as a Christian island in a sea of Muslims, Ademo said.
The Oromo protests were preceded by widespread protests among Muslim Ethiopians who make up about 30 percent of the population in 2011 and 2012. They were angered by alleged state interference in their religious affairs. Several prominent Muslim leaders were arrested at the time.
Im hopeful that the ruling coalition will make the right choice. Im hopeful that they will see to it that the people have a voice, Ademo said.
For her part, the Addis Standards Lemma questioned how any new leader would be able to implement genuine reforms when Ethiopia remains strongly dominated by the security apparatus and business interests.
How is [somebody] going to be an independent prime minister? He is going to be Hailemariam 2.0, Lemma said.
She added that the government should allow opposition parties to participate in a snap election to establish a transitional government ahead of a scheduled vote in 2020, or launch an inclusive, national dialogue.
Both measures would show that the government is willing [to see] a genuine change, she said.
Opposition parties have been kept out of the Ethiopian parliament for decades and the government has used anti-terrorism legislation to arrest and detain several prominent opposition leaders.
It would give a [sense of] relief to the Ethiopian people, knowing that the people that they want to represent them, are representing them in the government. That kind of transitional government would save this party from collapse and hence the government at the same time, Lemma said.
But if the government only changes the person at the top, it will be a matter of when and not if the Ethiopian people revolt again.
Hailemariam Desalegns resignation comes amid political crisis and lingering unrest in the Horn of Africa country.
Hailemariam Desalegn says he has submitted his resignation as both Ethiopias prime minister and chairman of the countrys ruling coalition.
Hailemariams announcement comes amid a political crisis and lingering unrest in the Horn of Africa country, which has been releasing thousands of political prisoners to ease tensions.
Unrest and a political crisis have led to the loss of lives and displacement of many, Hailemariam said in a televised address on Thursday.
I see my resignation as vital in the bid to carry out reforms that would lead to sustainable peace and democracy, he said.
Hailemariam added, however, that he will stay on as prime minister in a caretaker capacity, until the ruling Ethiopian Peoples Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF) and the countrys parliament accept his resignation and name a new premier.
Al Jazeeras Mohammed Adow, reporting from Doha, said parliament will meet on Friday to choose Hailemariams successor and noted that Ethiopian Foreign Minister Workneh Gebeyehu is considered to be a leading candidate for the position.
If they choose a candidate from either of the two main groups who have been protesting for most of the past three years, the Oroma and the Amhara, then it will be interesting to see how they are going to appease the other group that they leave out of this coalition, he said.
Hundreds of people have died in a wave of violence across Ethiopia, initially sparked by an urban development plan in the capital, Addis Ababa, in 2015.
The unrest spread as demonstrations against political restrictions and human rights abuses broke out.
Prisoners released
Demonstrations demanding greater freedoms began in late 2015 and engulfed much of the restive Oromia and Amhara regions, Ethiopias most populous areas, before spreading to other parts of the country.
The unrest led to a months-long state of emergency that has since been lifted.
The government has long been accused of arresting critical journalists and opposition leaders.
Human rights organisations and opposition groups have called for their release, saying they were arrested on trumped-up charges and punished for their points of view.
In January, Hailemariam announced that his government would release detainees and so far 7,000 people either saw their charges dropped or were pardoned.
An academic-turned-politician, Hailemariam has led Ethiopia since 2012, after the death of former leader Meles Zenawi.
He served as deputy prime minister and foreign minister under Meles before assuming power, and he was also elected chairman of the African Union in 2013.
Defence minister says measure includes ban on dissemination of publications that could incite and sow discord.
A state of emergency declared in Ethiopia after the resignation of the countrys prime minister will last for six months, the minister of defence has said, as the government seeks to stem political unrest amid long-standing demands for greater freedoms.
The measure, which was first announced by state media after a cabinet meeting on Friday, includes a ban on protests and the dissemination of publications that could incite and sow discord, Siraj Fegessa told reporters on Saturday.
The government has previously made several efforts to curtail violence, but lives have continued to be lost, many have been displaced and economic infrastructure has been damaged, Fegessa said, as quoted by Reuters news agency.
The state of emergency order will be sent to Ethiopias parliament within 15 days for ratification, the minister also said.
It will give law enforcement officers the power to detain anyone suspected of violating the constitutional order and the ability to search houses, cars and individuals, all without a court warrant, state broadcaster FANA reported.
Displaying signs which could stir up violence is also prohibited, FANA said.
Mass demonstrations
On Thursday, Hailemariam Desalegn abruptly announced he would step 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, who has sat at the helm of the Ethiopian government since 2012, said he will stay on as prime minister in a caretaker capacity until the EPRDF and the parliament accept his resignation and appoint his successor.
This is the second state of emergency to be declared in Ethiopia in the last two years.
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.
The countrys Oromo and Amhara people who make up about 61 percent of the population have staged mass demonstrations since 2015 demanding greater political inclusion and an end to human rights abuses.
The protests have continued this month, with many people expressing frustration over a perceived slow government release of political prisoners.
In January, Ethiopia promised to free all political detainees in an effort to foster national reconciliation. More than 6,000 prisoners have been released so far, news agencies have reported.
On Saturday, the US embassy in Ethiopia said the state of emergency undermines recent positive steps toward creating a more inclusive political space, including the release of thousands of prisoners.
Restrictions on the ability of the Ethiopian people to express themselves peacefully sends a message that they are not being heard, the embassy said in a statement.
The Libyan commander is being treated in Paris.
Libyan commander Khalifa Haftar is being treated in Paris after feeling unwell during a foreign tour and is expected to return to Libya within days, a spokesman said.
French media reported that Haftar is receiving treatment at Val-de-Grace, a well-known military hospital near Paris.
This is what we know about him:
Who is Khalifa Haftar?
Born in the Libyan city of Ajdabiya in 1943, Haftar joined Benghazis military academy in 1961. At the age of 26, he took part in Muammar Gaddafis coup detat on King Idris in 1969.
In 1980, Gaddafi promoted Haftar to colonel and sent him to fight in Chad. Haftar was captured by the Chadians in 1987.
Upon release, Haftar defected from the Libyan army. Backed by the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), he formed the military wing for he National Front for the Salvation of Libya (LFD) to overthrow Gaddafi.
Haftar lived for a while in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), from which he travelled to the US.
Rise to power
In the US, Haftar settled in northern Virginia, close to the CIAs headquartes in Langley.
{articleGUID} He returned to Libya in 2011 after Gaddafis death. In February 2014,he called in a televised statement on Libyans to overthrow the elected parliament and the General National Congress (GNC).
Backed by UAE and Egypt, Haftar launched a military campaign against what he called terrorists in Benghazi and Tripoli.
On June 4, 2014, Haftar survived an assassination attempt and disappeared from sight.
In 2016, Haftar visited Russia who agreed to supply him with weapons and military equipment to fight ISILs branch in Libya.
Since 2015, Haftar has been visiting the UAE and Egypt, and in 2017 Emmanuel Macron hosted him in Paris alongside GNA head Fayez Seraj.
Libyan rivals
Fidesz suffered a loss in a party stronghold to a single opposition candidate. Some believe corruption is the cause.
Hungarys ruling party Fidesz suffered a surprise loss in a mayoral race in an election that some viewed as a sign the ruling party could be defeated in April elections.
Peter Marki-Zay, an independent candidate endorsed by the majority of Hungarys opposition parties, handily won Sundays election in southern Hodmezovasarhely against Fidesz candidate Zoltan Hegedus, garnering 57 percent of the vote to Hegeduss 41 percent.
Hodmezovasarhely has been run by Fidesz since 1990, two years after the party was founded.
Hungarian corruption
For many in Hungary, the vote was a referendum on Fidesz corruption.
Attila Vajnai, a left-wing politician from Budapest, told Al Jazeera, The people of Hodmezovasarhely voted for the elimination of corruption instead of Fideszs far-right rule.
The corruption is tied to high-ranking members of Fidesz in both Hodmezovasarhely and broader Hungary, Vajnai said.
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Janos Lazar, the man who has run the office of Prime Minister Viktor Orban since 2012, is a former mayor of Hodmezovasarhely.
He is currently embroiled in the Elios corruption scandal involving EU funds used to build public lighting in Hungary.
The scandal involves several Hungarian companies, including Elios, owned by Orbans son-in-law Istvan Tibocz, which made huge profits while installing subpar lighting in population centres across the country.
An investigation by the EUs anti-fraud agency OLAF found Elios was selling parts for the lighting projects at up to 50 percent markups.
OLAF has demanded that the EU commission retrieve 40 million euros (nearly $50m) in financing given to the Hungarian government for the project.
April elections
Corruption was fundamental in this election, Peter Kreko, director of the Political Capital Institute, a Hungarian think-tank, told Al Jazeera.
Hodmezovasarhely was directly impacted by the scandal. Lighting in the city is inadequate for its residents, Kreko said.
The Elios scandal and others impact voters across the nation, and discontent with corruption was enough to shield Marki-Zay from a smear campaign, analysts say.
The mayor-elect lived in the US for years, so pro-Fidesz media painted him as an American spy, Kreko explained.
There were also attempts to link Marki-Zay to George Soros, the Hungarian-American billionaire that has drawn the ire of Fidesz for his funding of progressive causes and support of refugees.
The Hungarian government has been accused of running an anti-Semitic campaign against Soros.
At the time of the election, bus stops and billboards across Hungary bore advertisements saying Soros wants to settle millions of Africans and Middle Easterners in the country.
Still, the Soros boogeyman wasnt enough to stop Mark-Zay, who is a well-known figure in Hodmezovasarhely, Kreko said.
After the defeat was announced, Orban said Fidesz must fight harder to win elections.
Slap in the face
Orban is credited with coining the term illiberal democracy. His right-wing party often quarrels with Brussels on refugee-related issues and civil liberties.
Fidesz is projected to win a majority of seats in parliament in the April 8 vote, but it could fall short of the numbers required to form a government on its own.
Polls show Jobbik, a populist party that many consider far-right, coming in second.
Hungary has more than 100 political parties and Jobbik, which called the results in Hodmezovasarhely a slap in the face for Fidesz, has only agreed to work in a coalition with three or four.
If the opposition learns a lesson from the shocking upset, corruption issues should be turned into easily understandable, local issues for opposition candidates with broad support to champion, Kreko said.
This strategy could stop Fidesz from winning a supermajority, or even enough seats to form a government.
If you have one serious candidate against the Fidesz candidate, then victory is doable but Hungarian opposition parties are stubborn. You never know what they will do, Kreko said.
Major corporations are learning to defend themselves against startups that threaten their business models, hitting back by adopting the disruptors playbook, according to a survey of top executives by computer services firm IBM.
The proportion of executives who thought competitors were set to flood into their industry has halved from 54 percent to 26 percent from two years ago, the broad-based poll of business decision-makers showed.
Theres been a feeling historically that the elephants cant dance, the incumbents will find it hard to respond and that everyone will be Uber-ed or Airbnb-ed out of existence, Mark Foster, senior vice president of IBM Global Business Services, told Reuters in an interview.
But what we are seeing is, actually, there is a limit as to how far that can go.
While some sectors had been hugely disrupted by new digital entrants and some intermediaries were pushed out, many of those changes were now being led by existing industry players, he said.
Disruption is a catch-all term for the use of digital technology to upend existing business models, for example, Ubers effect on the taxi industry by using smartphones to connect riders with drivers, and pricing according to demand.
But just 27 percent of the executives surveyed said they were experiencing significant disruption, an unexpected finding, given the deluge many predicted, IBM said. Only 23 percent said the big drivers of change were from outside their industries.
Digital giants, like Google, Apple and Facebook, continued to concentrate their power in some industries, but, according to the executives surveyed, they were not leading the disruption, and startups were increasingly quiescent, the survey found.
Instead, 72 percent said it was the most innovative incumbents who were leading the disruption, including in industries aimed at by startups, such as financial services.
IBM said the incumbents had become better at spotting and acquiring nascent disruptors. They had also realized the need to find partners, even sharing physical assets and people with them, to acquire new skills.
They are investing in the technologies that facilitate the sharing of data across organizations such as the Internet of Things, which bridges physical and digital assets, and blockchain.
Disruption hasnt gone underground, IBM said in its report, released before the start of the mobile industrys biggest event, the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona.
Instead, its emerging as a capability incumbents are ready to embrace.
IBM surveyed 12,854 top executives, such as chief executives and finance directors, from 112 countries for its report.
Who Says Elephants Cant Dance was the title of the memoir of 1990s era IBM CEO Lou Gerstner, who is credited with bringing the company back from a near-death experience by shifting it into software and services and exiting most hardware businesses.
Italy elections: Rival rallies spark tensions ahead of vote
Thousands of police have been deployed for protests in Rome, Milan and other Italian cities tasked with preventing clashes between anti-fascist and far-right protesters during an election campaign that has increasingly been marred by violence.
In a rare move, the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem has been indefinitely shut in protest against what church leaders say is discriminatory Israeli policy aimed at weakening Christian presence in the holy city.
In a statement released on Sunday, church leaders said Israel was violating the status quo at the site, which is one of the holiest in Christianity, at an unprecedented level.
The church is believed by many Christians to be the site of Jesus crucifixion and burial, and is a major pilgrimage site.
Referring to a bill recently introduced in Israels parliament that would allow the Israeli state to take over church properties leased to private companies, they said: The systematic campaign of abuse against Churches and Christians reaches now its peak as a discriminatory and racist bill that targets solely the properties of the Christian community
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The statement, signed by Roman Catholic, Armenian and Greek Orthodox church leaders, also condemned plans by the Israeli government to begin imposing taxes on church properties.
These actions breach existing agreements and international obligations, which guarantee the rights and privileges of the Churches, in what seems as an attempt to weaken the Christian presence in Jerusalem, the press release read.
The Church of the Holy Sepulchre is located in occupied East Jerusalems Old City.
In response to the decision, the Palestinian chief negotiator, Saeb Erekat, said the move should be a reminder of the need to end the Israeli occupation.
Marred by controversy
Jerusalems church authorities have been increasingly vocal in recent months, after leaders from the Greek Orthodox Church were accused of selling land to extremist Jewish settlers in prime locations of the Old City.
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In August, a Jerusalem court approved the purchase of the property by Ateret Cohanim a settler group that has been working for decades to evict Palestinians from their homes and shops in the Old City.
The Patriarch of the Greek Orthodox Church, Theophilos III, who is one of the statements signatories, is believed to have been behind the sale, which caused hundreds of Palestinians to call for his removal.
Aleef Sabbagh, a member of the Central Orthodox Council, said that while the move to close the church is welcomed, he believes it may be a charade.
The reaction against the taxes is part of a charade to sell Theophilos III as the face of nationalism and resistance to Israeli policies, he told Al Jazeera from Jerusalem.
It has always been our demand to close the church, but he always used to refuse, and would allege that he was under pressure from the Israeli authorities not to do so. Then, he would solve problems with Israel in a way that no one knows.
Sabbagh says that although Palestinian Christians support any moves to deter the Israeli occupations encroachment on their holy sites, there needs to be more transparency within the church.
The facts about what happens behind closed doors is not made public to us. We need to make everything public, so that we can defend ourselves properly against Israel.
In rare move, church leaders in Jerusalem close off one of Christianitys holiest shrines, citing discriminatory policy.
The Jordanian and Palestinian governments have expressed support for a decision by Christian leaders in Jerusalem to shut the doors of a major church in protest of what the latter described as discriminatory Israeli policies.
In a rare and sudden move, Roman Catholic, Armenian and Greek Orthodox leaders in Jerusalem closed the Church of the Holy Sepulchre indefinitely on Sunday, claiming there is a systematic campaign of abuse directed at the community.
The Church of the Holy Sepulchre, located in occupied East Jerusalems Old City, is one of Christianitys holiest sites. It is believed by many Christians to be the site of Jesus crucificion and burial, drawing millions of pilgrims every year.
Jordanian government spokesman Mohammad al-Momani
expressed his countrys full solidarity with the churches in Jerusalem.
Under a 2013 agreement signed between Jordan and the Palestinian Authority, Jordans King Abdullah II is the custodian of the Muslim and Christian holy sites in Jerusalem.
Al-Momani said Israels measures violate international and humanitarian laws and called on the Israeli government to immediately reverse the decisions taken against churches.
Church leaders said their decision was premised on several issues, including a bill recently introduced in Israels parliament that would allow the Israeli state to take over church properties leased to private companies.
Another development targeting churches, they said, was plans by the Israeli government to begin imposing taxes on church properties.
These actions breach existing agreements and international obligations, which guarantee the rights and privileges of the Churches, in what seems as an attempt to weaken the Christian presence in Jerusalem, church leaders said in a statement on Sunday.
A Palestinian government spokesperson, Yousif al-Mahmoud, said such steps constitute a new aggression targeting Jerusalem and the Palestinian people and their holy sites. He called on the international community to intervene to stop Israeli practices.
Church controversy
Jerusalems church authorities have been increasingly vocal in recent months, after leaders from the Greek Orthodox Church were accused of selling land to Israeli settlers in prime locations of the Old City.
In August, a Jerusalem court approved the purchase of the property by Ateret Cohanim a settler group that has been working for decades to evict Palestinians from their homes and shops in the Old City.
The Patriarch of the Greek Orthodox Church, Theophilos III, who announced the closure of the church, is believed to have been behind the sale, which caused hundreds of Palestinians to call for his removal.
Aleef Sabbagh, a member of the Central Orthodox Council, said that while the move to close the church is welcomed, he believes it may be a charade.
The reaction against the taxes is part of a charade to sell Theophilos III as the face of nationalism and resistance to Israeli policies, he told Al Jazeera from Jerusalem on Sunday.
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It has always been our demand to close the church, but he always used to refuse, and would allege that he was under pressure from the Israeli authorities not to do so. Then, he would solve problems with Israel in a way that no one knows, Sabbagh said.
He added that although Palestinian Christians support any moves to deter the Israeli occupations encroachment on their holy sites, there needs to be more transparency within the church.
The facts about what happens behind closed doors is not made public to us. We need to make everything public, so that we can defend ourselves properly against Israel, Sabbagh said.
US museum launches Poor Peoples Campaign exhibition
A museum in Washington, DC has dedicated an exhibition to an iconic human rights movement sparked by Martin Luther King 50 years ago.
Oxfam apologises to Haiti over sex abuse allegations
Oxfam issues its first direct apology to Haiti over prostitution scandal that has shaken the charity.
Papua New Guinea to host APEC, biggest event in its history
Despite significant financial help from foreign countries, there is concern the small Pacific nation will not be ready in time to host its biggest international event the APEC diplomatic summit.
President Rodrigo Duterte skips People Power commemoration as protesters denounce his authoritarian tendencies.
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Move is aimed at establishing control over Gazas Hamas-run police stations, leading PLO official asserts.
The Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) has called for the dispatch of 3,000 policemen from the West Bank to the Gaza Strip, a senior PLO leader has told Anadolu Agency.
The move is aimed at establishing control over Gazas [Hamas-run] police stations, Wasil Abu Yousef, a senior member of the PLOs authoritative Executive Committee, said Monday.
Cairo agreement
Late last year, the Hamas movement in Gaza and Fatah in the West Bank (which leads the PLO) signed a landmark reconciliation deal in Cairo aimed at ending a decade of bitter political division.
The agreement called for several confidence-building measures, including the dispatch of 3,000 policemen from the Ramallah-based Palestinian government to Gaza.
The measures, however, have yet to be implemented, due, primarily, to deep-seated differences between the rival factions over administrative and security-related issues.
Special panel
Following a meeting in Ramallah last month, the PLO Executive Committee drew up a special panel tasked with among other things following up on the stalled reconciliation process.
The panels recommendations are now expected to be presented at a meeting of the Executive Committee slated for next week.
It remains unclear, however, whether the Executive Committee led by Palestinian President and Fatah Chairman Mahmoud Abbas will implement the panels recommendations.
Hamas, for its part, which remains in de facto control of the Israeli-blockaded Gaza Strip, has yet to officially comment on the recommendations.
OHCHR must act against blockading countries and compensate victims, says Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani.
Qatars foreign minister urged the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) on Monday to take action and stop the blockade imposed on the Gulf nation by its neighbours nearly nine months ago.
I call upon the Human Rights Council and all its mechanism bodies to take up their responsibilities and stop the unilateral measures taken by some states against the population of Qatar, and put an end to this racist course of action, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani said.
Victims must be compensated and perpetrators be held accountable, he added.
Sheikh Mohammed made his remarks during the 37th regular session of the Human Rights Council in Geneva, Switzerland, where he spoke about the GCC crisis.
The dispute in the Gulf began in June 2017, when Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt and Bahrain cut diplomatic relations with Qatar and imposed a land, sea and air blockade, after accusing Doha of supporting terrorism.
Qatar has rejected the allegations as baseless.
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A November 2017 UNHCR investigation into the effects of the blockade concluded it has caused serious violations of human rights.
Referring to the report, Sheikh Mohammed said the position of the countries imposing the blockade is not compatible with their presence in the Human Rights Council.
There is serious contradiction between the position and conviction of these countries and their presence in the HRC. Their presence will eventually damage the councils reputation, the foreign minister said.
Other human rights crises
The Qatari foreign minister also called for an end to the siege of the Syrian enclave of Eastern Ghouta.
The Damascus suburb is home to some 400,000 people and is the last rebel-held region east of Syrias capital.
Sheikh Mohammed called on the international community to intensify its efforts to stop the killing of Syrian civilians by regime forces.
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There is a legal and moral responsibility of the international community to find a solution of the Syrian conflict based on the UN resolutions, he said.
More than 550 civilians have been killed since an aerial bombardment campaign began on February 18.
Last week, the UN Security Council voted unanimously in favour of a resolution calling for a 30-day ceasefire in Syria, including Eastern Ghouta.
However, air raids have continued since then. On Sunday, President Bashar al-Assads forces launched a ground offensive against opposition fighters from multiple fronts, in an attempt to penetrate the besieged enclave.
UN permanent members using vetoes during mass killings must answer to the victims, Zeid Raad al-Hussein says.
The outgoing UN human rights chief launched a rare tirade against veto-wielding members of the UN Security Council for failing to intervene in some of the most prolific slaughterhouses of humans in recent times.
Zeid Raad al-Hussein in a passionate reprimand of the Security Councils permanent member states said on Monday that responsibility for the continuation of so much pain lies in particular with Russia, China, and the United States, which he accused of misusing their veto power.
Speaking to the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva, Switzerland, in his last speech before his four-year term expires, Zeid did not mince words.
Second to those who are criminally responsible those who kill and maim the responsibility for the continuation of so much pain lies with the five permanent members of the UN Security Council, he said.
So long as the veto is used by them to block any unity of action when it is needed the most, when it could reduce the extreme sufferings of innocent people, then it is they the permanent members who must answer before the victims.
He said France and the United Kingdom had shown leadership in championing a code of conduct on the use of the veto, which is supported by 115 nations.
It is time for the love of mercy that China, Russia and the United States join them and end the pernicious use of the veto, said Zeid, whose expires in August.
Zeid also highlighted inaction in the most prolific slaughterhouses such as Syrias Eastern Ghouta; the Ituri and Kasai regions of the Democratic Republic of Congo; the embattled city of Taiz in Yemen; Burundi; and Myanmars Rakhine state.
The Rohingya
A crackdown by security forces in Myanmars northern Rakhine state has driven nearly 700,000 Rohingya people across the border into Bangladesh since last August, leading the UN to accuse the government of an ethnic-cleansing campaign against the Muslim minority who face acute discrimination in the mainly Buddhist nation.
Three Nobel Peace Prize winners have visited refugee camps in Coxs Bazaar, Bangladesh, and urged their fellow laureate Myanmars de facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi to acknowledge the atrocities against the Rohingya.
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This is genocidal rape, torture, murder of the Rohingya people, Mairead Maguire, the 1976 Nobel Peace Prize winner, told Al Jazeera.
I would like to ask our sister laureate to go to the villages that mostly have been flattened and destroyed. I would like Aung San Suu Kyi to accompany us to the villages of the Rohingya and actually acknowledge theyre human beings, said Maguire, breaking down in tears.
EU countries on Monday demanded sanctions against senior Myanmar military officers over serious and systematic rights abuses against the Rohingya.
EU foreign ministers meeting in Brussels said the situation in Myanmar was extremely serious, pointing to widespread abuses by the military, including rape and killings.
The ministers tasked the blocs diplomatic chief Federica Mogherini with making proposals for targeted restrictive measures against senior military officers of the Myanmar armed forces responsible for serious and systematic human rights violations without delay.
Barbara Bibbo contributed to this report from Geneva
UK-based activists, who hail from opposite sides of Myanmar conflict, on why Rohingya repatriation plan is not solution.
England, United Kingdom As Myanmars Rohingya continue to trickle into neighbouring Bangladesh, extending a six-month exodus, talk of repatriation simmers at the diplomatic level.
There are already about one million members of the persecuted, mostly Muslim minority struggling in overcrowded camps in the South Asian country.
They have fled what several international leaders have termed a genocide in Myanmar, their home country where they are not granted the simplest of rights including citizenship.
Victims and rights groups have provided evidence of a campaign of ethnic cleansing. Myanmar security forces are accused of raping Rohingya women, tossing babies into fires, burning down entire villages and slaughtering thousands.
In January, Bangladesh and Myanmar announced a repatriation deal, prompting concerns from rights groups and members of the Rohingya.
The Rohingya were not consulted about the agreement, which does not guarantee safety upon return or basic rights such as full citizenship.
Some people asked me how can we return to this place? says Tun Khin, a Rohingya activist and the head of the Burmese Rohingya Organisation UK, who visited camps in Bangladesh last week.
It is a joke. It is not the time to talk about repatriation, he adds.
On Thursday, Tun Khin will address students at the University of Oxford, a symbolic location.
Aung San Suu Kyi, Myanmars de-facto leader charged with complicity over killings of Rohingya, studied at the universitys St Hughs College.
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Students there, angered that Aung San Suu Kyi remained a revered figure across campus as the crisis unfolded in Myanmar, recently succeeded in removing her portrait from the entrance and name from a common room.
Tun Khin will be joined on the panel by Maung Zarni, a member of Myanmars Buddhist majority who hails from a military family. The scholar and activist, who is also based in the UK, says he is in complete opposition to what my own community is doing to Tun Khins community.
Al Jazeera spoke with Tun Khin and Zarni on plans to repatriate the Rohingya, the Wests role in ending persecution and the apparent failure of the UN Security Council to stop the bloodshed.
Tun Khin visited camps in Bangladesh last week [Courtesy: Tun Khin]
Al Jazeera: Earlier this month, Boris Johnson, the UKs foreign secretary, returned from Myanmar and Bangladesh and said there was no doubt industrial ethnic cleansing of Rohingya Muslims had been taking place. Does this statement from a Western figure mark some kind of a turning point?
Tun Khin: As a Rohingya myself, I am a victim of genocide. This is not something that is happening just right now, its been happening since 1978 when my mother was pregnant with me. I was born in Burma. My family fled to Bangladesh, and came back without any citizenship.
(Note: In 1978, Myanmar drove out illegal residents. Many Rohingya fled to Bangladesh but returned following international pressure. In 1982, Myanmars Citizenship Law deprived the Rohingya of citizenship.)
The West knows what has been happening. There are well documented UK and US embassies in Yangon they are all aware of whats been happening over many years to the Rohingya.
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Whats been happening since August is clearly a genocide, which they knew about.
Its good to see Boris Johnson visited, but we havent seen any significant action from the UK government to stop this genocide.
Maung Zarni: The Rohingya and Burmese Buddhists and other ethnic communities we belong in the same country. Tun Khins community has been singled out for, essentially, intentional destruction from its very root. This has been going on for 40 years since 1978 [and] the UN and its member states and the UK, US they know more than enough to determine that this is a classic case of a genocide.
The problem is members states of the UN, particularly the UN Security Council. The Security Council is essentially in a coma in the case of Rohingya, in the case of Syria, in the case of Yemen.
Before this exodus, Yangon was the place every world leader and delegation went they wanted to meet with Aung San Suu Kyi, they wanted to visit her home.
Now, Burma is no longer democratising, Burma is actually going backward and moving in the fascist direction.
Now, every single iconic figure with concerns about refugees is travelling to Bangladesh. Hollywood stars, heads of states, and Boris Johnson. I must say I am a little bit encouraged by the fact Johnson went there, he went strongly in support of the Rohingya and called it industrial ethnic cleansing.
Now, Burma is no longer democratising, Burma is actually going backward and moving in the fascist direction. Maung Zarni, member of Myanmar's Buddhist majority
But I am very concerned [the West continues to] express support for Aung San Suu Kyi and portray her as the only hope and prospect for democratisation.
She is part of this genocide.
Al Jazeera: As you have mentioned, the language used by some international figures refers to genocide, while rights groups have spoken of an apartheid. Why does action not match this rhetoric?
Zarni: As much as it sounds impractical, there needs to be a concerted push by four or five major governments. French President Macron called this genocide. Boris Johnson called it industrial ethnic cleansing. US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson called it ethnic cleansing.
These are three major permanent UN Security Council members. You cannot describe a situation like this and then not consider very forceful options, even if the Burmese government and its neighbours are unprepared to act.
[Then there are] Islamic countries such as Turkey and Egypt recognising this as a major atrocity and crime.
We need a coalition of seriously concerned governments deciding what to do to.
Tun Khin is the head of the Burmese Rohingya Organisation UK [Courtesy: Tun Khin]
Al Jazeera: What does concrete action look like to you?
Tun Khin: I met refugees who fled Myanmar as recently as last week. Its a joke to talk about repatriation. It is not the time to talk about repatriation from this government. Its time to see how we can use the International Criminal Court (ICC) to try [Myanmar military chief] Min Aung Hlaing and Aung San Suu Kyi. They joined together to commit genocide.
The Rohingya want safety and protection so we need a UN-protected area for their return.
Zarni: Before we can take any action, we need to accept the reality. The reality is that Burma the society and military and government of Aung San Suu Kyi has shown absolutely no indication that it will accept the Rohingya as an ethnic community who deserve full and equal citizenship as well as basic human rights, like everyone else in the country.
When you have a situation where the entire society and entire military and entire political class have rejected an ethnic community, then it is dishonest for any politician and any UN official leader to keep saying they want to see voluntary safe and dignified return.
What the Rohingya need is a piece of earth that they can call their home, where they don't need to worry about being slaughtered or their houses and villages being burned. Maung Zarni, member of Myanmar's Buddhist majority
Return is no longer an option. If the Burmese army or Aung San Suu Kyi said they want to receive the Rohingya back, that is simply a deception to try to defuse the international attention and get the international community off its back.
What the Rohingya need is a piece of earth that they can call their home, where they dont need to worry about being slaughtered or their houses and villages being burned.
What we need to see is a small number of genuinely concerned leaders around the world to call a special conference to create an autonomous region for the Rohingya, where they can feel safe and protected by the UN and neighbouring government of Bangladesh and others. I dont think any other solution will work.
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We are not talking about [for example, the] creation of a Jewish state out of Palestine where there were already pre-existing populations that got kicked out. We are simply looking at the land where Rohingya were kicked out from, where Rohingya belong.
Tun Khin: These people have been in trauma they are not talking about returning. Some people ask me, How can we return to this place? There is no way to return.
Some who fled recently told me the military came to their village and told them they needed to go to an immigration office. When they left, the military burned down their homes. When they got back, the military arrested them, claiming they had burned their own houses. They were arrested for 10 days until they could pay the military a big bribe.
The people want UN protection international protection. Everyone sees Rohingya as illegal immigrants, and says, Just kill them all.
Nobody will return unless there is forced repatriation.
Bangladesh and Myanmar announced a repatriation deal in January [Showkat Shafi/Al Jazeera]
Al Jazeera: While you both seek an autonomous region for the Rohingya, what other scenarios could be expected regarding repatriation?
Zarni: Its in the interest of the Bangladeshi government to try to get as many Rohingya as possible returned to Burma this is a large number of humans that Bangladesh is being burdened with. We need to understand frustrations and fears of Bangladesh of shouldering one million people on top of its 166 million.
From the Burmese militarys perspective, they would want this process of repatriation to be drawn out as much as possible.
[Repatriation] is like telling Auschwitz survivors to go back and make a living in Auschwitz.
Al Jazeera: In Bangladesh, as well as overcrowding issues in the camps, what other challenges do the Rohingya face?
Zarni: The danger here is that thousands of Rohingya are facing health and existential crises. In the next three to four months, there will be monsoon season.
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They are in a low-lying area and Bangladesh is flood-prone. They are facing the extremely dangerous prospect of being washed away.
The outbreak of infectious diseases, diarrhoea and what not [is also a concern].
And then you have another 500,000 trapped inside Burma, whose lives are squeezed by the Burmese military.
Al Jazeera: In a few days, you will speak at the University of Oxford, where Aung San Suu Kyi is a noted graduate. Why is the location important?
Zarni: Oxford University is playing this bystander role. It is looking on when genocide is happening under the watch of its most famous alumna.
The university maintains official ties with the University of Yangon, where genocidal views are espoused.
Oxford also has an exchange programme for Burmese scholars and researchers. They become more articulate and better educated and use the Oxford training to justify the genocide of the Rohingya and to cover up.
We want students to tell the Vice-Chancellor Louise Richardson to cut institutional ties with Yangon, to strip Aung San Suu Kyi of her doctorate. If the university doesnt have precedent, it should make an exception.
Tun Khin: As a Rohingya myself, I want to bring the messages of the victims to the University of Oxford.
This interview has been edited for clarity and length.
Nearly two-thirds of the countrys population need food aid to stave off starvation, government and UN officials say.
South Sudan is close to another famine, aid officials said on Monday, after more than four years of civil war and a number of failed ceasefires in the country.
Almost two-thirds of the population will need food aid this year to stave off starvation and malnutrition as aid groups prepare for the toughest year on record, members of a working group including South Sudanese and UN officials, said.
The situation is extremely fragile, and we are close to seeing another famine, Serge Tissot of the UN Food and Agriculture Organization in South Sudan said.
The projections are stark, he added.
If we ignore them, well be faced with a growing tragedy.
A total of 5.3 million people 48 percent of the population are already in a crisis or emergency situation, according to a survey published by the working group.
We are expecting to face the toughest year on record, UN Humanitarian Coordinator Alain Noudehou told reporters in the South Sudanese capital Juba.
The oil-rich east African nation, which gained independence from neighbouring Sudan in 2011, has been torn apart by an ethnically-charged civil war since late 2013, when troops loyal to President Salva Kiir and then-Vice President Riek Machar clashed.
Since then, more than four million people have been forced to flee their homes, creating Africas biggest refugee crisis since the 1994 Rwandan genocide.
Machar and Kiir signed a peace deal in August 2015 and formed a unity government the following April. It broke down three months later, and fighting has continued.
The conflict has resulted in the deaths of tens of thousands of people and left more than half of the countrys 12 million population in need of humanitarian aid, according to the UN.
The UN declared a famine in two districts in February of last year, but said that crisis had started to ease in June.
Sadness across Bollywood after one of the biggest names in Hindi cinema passes away from cardiac arrest in Dubai.
Tributes poured in from the world of Bollywood as the sudden death of Sridevi, one of Indias most celebrated actresses, left her loved ones shocked.
The news was described as unbelievable and tragic after the 54-year-old veteran actress died on Saturday from cardiac arrest, while attending a family wedding in Dubai.
Actor Kamal Haasan, her first ever co-star, who described Sridevi as a hardworking and talented actress, recalled his last meeting with her, in a statement sent to Al Jazeera.
Just one month before I met her. We both are not great at showing emotions but somehow we both hugged each other, Haasan said.
Sridevis talent was not luck, it was well deserved. She worked very hard since her childhood. She learnt every day. I was astounded by her growth as an actor. She worked very hard for it.
Sridevi's last dance with husband Boney Kapoor at Dubai pic.twitter.com/RhtVrhV02B NRays (@nraysnet) February 25, 2018
Sridevi, Kamal Haasan and actor Rajnikaant produced some of Tamil cinemas greatest hits in the 1970s, that include Gaayathri, Priya and Kaavikuyil.
Having known her for 40 years, Rajnikaant told Al Jazeera it was a great loss to Indian cinema.
I am shocked. I have lost a friend. She was very innocent off camera but in front of the camera she was the best professional. She is a born actress. She is one of the few close friends I had in the film industry, he said.
A noticeably leaner Sridevi made a successful return to the big screen 15 years later in Gauri Shindes English Vinglish (2012), after she took a break from films soon after she married producer Boney Kapoor in 1996. In the film, she played a role of a housewife taking English-language lessons.
Her last screen appearance was in Mom (2017) as a mother avenging her daughters rape.
Last pics of Sridevi with her family & husband at the Dubai wedding show a happy woman in love. https://t.co/cYz4ntgtGC #RIPSridevi ScoopWhoop (@ScoopWhoop) February 25, 2018
Sridevi was nominated for 10 Filmfare Awards and won five. The government of India awarded her Padma Shri, the fourth highest civilian honour, in 2013.
Sridevi didnt act for 15 years and when she returned with English Vinglish many felt she looked just as wonderful as she had in her youth, Rachel Dwyer, a professor in Indian cinema at SOAS, University of London, told Al Jazeera.
Even as a young star she certainly held her own against major stars including Rajnikant and Kamal Haasan, and later was well matched with Amitabh Bachchan, Rishi Kapoor and Anil Kapoor. Her roles across films also marked her as at least an equal of any of the top stars of her day.
Indian industrialist, Anil Ambani, sent an aircraft to Dubai to bring back Sridevis body to India later on Sunday, local media reported, adding the funeral will likely take place on Monday.
With reporting by Zeenat Saberin. Follow her on Twitter: @SaberinZe
Top court refuses to hear attempt by Trump administration to end deportation protection for undocumented youth.
The US Supreme Court has refused to hear an attempt by the Donald Trump administration to have it intervene in the legal fight over a programme that protects hundreds of thousands of young, undocumented immigrants from deportation.
The Supreme Court justices said on Monday they would not hear the governments challenge to a federal court injunction issued last month, blocking Trumps effort to end the Deferred Actions for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) programme.
Passed by the Obama administration in 2012, the DACA programme shields from deportation about 800,000 undocumented immigrants known as Dreamers who were brought to the US as children.
Trump promised to end the programme during his 2016 election campaign and the protections were set to begin to be phased out in early March.
The Supreme Courts ruling comes after a San Francisco court issued a countrywide injunction on January 9, ordering the programme to remain in place until all litigation is finalised.
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Instead of challenging that decision in a federal court of appeal, however, the Trump administration appealed directly to the Supreme Court.
Raj Shah, a White House spokesman, said DACA is clearly unlawful and accused the district court judge of unilaterally re-imposing a programme that Congress had explicitly and repeatedly rejected.
We look forward to having this case expeditiously heard by the appeals court and, if necessary, the Supreme Court, where we fully expect to prevail, Shah said in a statement after the US highest court delivered its decision.
In its ruling, the Supreme Court said it expects the lower court to proceed expeditiously to decide this case, The Associated Press news agency reported.
The issue is still being considered by a court of appeal in San Francisco.
A good day
Al Jazeeras Kimberly Halkett, reporting from Washington, said the decision is a setback for the Trump administration but its not a big surprise.
Usually you see this work through the lower courts and now that is exactly what the Supreme Court has said to the US government, is that youre going to have to go through the traditional appeals process.
In a statement, US Department of Justice spokesperson Devin OMalley said it would defend [the Department of Homeland Securitys] lawful authority to wind down DACA in an orderly manner.
Earlier this month, a second US judge in the state of New York issued another injunction to keep DACA in place.
In a statement, New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman said the Supreme Courts ruling ensures the preliminary injunctions we secured to block President Trumps DACA rescission will remain in place for now.
This is a win for the 42,000 New York Dreamers and over 700,000 Dreamers across the country, and for the millions of families, businesses, hospitals, and universities that depend on Dreamers every single day, he wrote.
BREAKING: #SCOTUS denies @realDonaldTrump's #DACA appeal which means lower court decisions in CA & NY are still in place. Most importantly, immigrant youth w/#DACA can renew . Today is a good day! #ProtectDreamers Marielena Hincapie (@MarielenaNILC) February 26, 2018
Karen Tumlin, legal director for the National Immigration Law Center, said the decision means the US government must continue to process DACA renewals. Permits issued under the programme must be renewed every two years.
The court orders blocking the Trump administrations attempt to end DACA remain in effect, Tumlin wrote on Twitter.
Today is a good day! added Marielena Hincapie, the organisations executive director.
The American Civil Liberties Union, meanwhile, called on DACA recipients to consider applying for renewal in the wake of the Supreme Courts ruling.
While this is an important development, it is not a long-term solution for all DACA recipients or Dreamers. We need to keep fighting, the group said on Twitter.
Lebanese citizen Nader Essam Assaf handed over to Lebanon after his arrest in Syria, Lebanese authorities say.
Lebanese authorities in Beirut are interrogating a man suspected in the death of a Filipina maid whose body was found stuffed in a freezer in Kuwait, security and judicial officials said.
A judicial official said on Saturday that Lebanese citizen Nader Essam Assaf was handed over by Syrian authorities to Lebanon on Friday.
The February 6 discovery of Joanna Demafelis body in the apartment in Kuwait City, where it had reportedly been kept for more than a year, spurred outrage and refocused attention on the abuse of Filipinas working as maids abroad and even prompted Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte to ban the deployment of new Filipino workers to Kuwait, where many of the abuses had been reported.
Nader Essam Assaf and his wife are suspects in Demafelis death. The judicial official said that it appeared that when Assaf felt that the case might be discovered in Kuwait, he fled to Syria along with his wife hoping that he would not be caught.
However, Syrian authorities detained Assaf and later handed him over to Lebanon, as he is a Lebanese citizen, the official said, while Assafs wife, a Syrian national, remains in Syria.
A senior official with Lebanons General Security Directorate refused to provide details other than that the man is being held by the agency and undergoing questioning.
Both officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to brief reporters.
Lebanese media outlets reported that Assaf is from the northeastern region of Baalbek, but he grew up in a neighbourhood south of Beirut.
On Friday, the Philippines foreign secretary had said that the suspect was under arrest in Lebanon.
The Philippine ambassador to Kuwait said he has received almost 6,000 complaints of abuse of Filipino workers last year and President Duterte has said Demafelis death highlighted the mistreatment of domestic workers in the Gulf.
However, Kuwaiti officials have criticised the Filipino worker ban, saying Dutertes statements have only served to complicate the situation further.
Rebel-held enclave near Damascus attacked from multiple fronts, hours after Security Council calls for 30-day truce.
Syrian government forces have launched a ground and air offensive in Eastern Ghouta, witnesses said, hours after the UN Security Council voted unanimously in favour of a resolution calling for a 30-day ceasefire in Syria.
President Bashar al-Assads forces began fighting opposition groups from multiple fronts in the rebel-held enclave near Damascus on Sunday morning, while Syrian warplanes continued to shell the besieged area for the eighth consecutive day.
Hayet Tahrir al-Sham, formerly known as al-Nusra Front, is one of the many opposition groups in control of some areas in the enclave.
The biggest group is Free Syrian Army-linked Jaish al-Islam that says it has captured and killed a number of soldiers as they tried to make their way inside the city, Al Jazeeras Osama Bin Javaid said.
Reporting from Gaziantep in neighbouring Turkey, Bin Javaid confirmed there were multiple attempts by the government to storm the area from several sides.
Rebel sources in control of the enclave were resisting the attacks, he reported, saying the fighters struggled to hold their positions on multiple fronts.
Opposition fighters say they will uphold the UNs ceasefire call, but will respond to any aggression as they reserve the right for self-defence.
The ceasefires aim was to evacuate residents of the Damascus suburb, which is under siege, and to allow for the flow of food aid and medicine.
Last week, deadly air raids and artillery fire launched by Russian-backed Syrian forces exacerbated a dire humanitarian crisis in the besieged enclave, home to some 400,000 people.
According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), more than 500 civilians were killed as a result of the aerial bombardment campaign that began on February 18.
It is worth noting that before this [ground offensive] began, there has been relentless bombardment in many of the places in Eastern Ghouta, where those rebel defence lines were, Bin Javaid said.
Eastern Ghouta is the last remaining rebel-held area east of Damascus and has been under siege by Assads forces since 2013, in an attempt to drive rebel forces out.
According to Bin Javaid, government forces have been specifically targeting underground tunnels and hideouts.
It seems that the government now is adamant to enter Eastern Ghouta.
Meanwhile, the head of Irans armed forces Mohammed Baqri, said on Sunday Syria will respect the UNs call for a ceasefire, but will continue attacks against what he called terrorists and on areas controlled by Hayet Tahrir al-Sham.
UN resolution ceasefire on Syria does not cover Eastern Ghouta; mop-up operations to continue in suburbs, Tasnim quoted Baqri as saying on Twitter.
Syria and its allies, Russia and Iran, are fighting against opposition groups in Idlib province as well one of the last remaining rebel-held areas in Syria.
Both Eastern Ghouta and Idlib were meant to be two of several de-escalation zones agreed upon a year ago by Russia, Iran both government allies and Turkey a backer of the armed opposition.
Lifesaving operations
Mohamad Katoub, advocacy manager on behalf of hospitals and medical facilities in East Ghouta, stressed that the biggest challenge is the shelling that is targeting humanitarian infrastructure.
Speaking to Al Jazeera from Gaziantep, Katoub noted rescue teams cannot move because of the destruction of the buildings and the continuous attacks.
In the last six days, we lost 40 percent of our capacity to respond to the injuries and to the people in need of medical services in this area, he said.
Without adequate sanitation or food, pregnant women, patients with chronic diseases and children in need of vaccination are at risk of disease, he further noted.
Now, we need lifesaving operations, Katoub said, referencing the thousands of civilians who are wounded.
We dont have high hopes from this UNSC resolution this is not the first UNSC resolution, which called for immediate aid inside Ghouta.
Security Council resolution
The vote on the UNSC resolution, sponsored by Kuwait and Sweden, had been delayed several times as council members tried to convince Russia to agree to its terms.
A meeting was originally scheduled for 11am local time (16:00 GMT) on Friday, but negotiations over the wording of the resolution had its sponsors make amendments to avoid a Russian veto.
As a result, the resolution did not specify a given time for the ceasefire to come into effect.
The UN special envoy for Syria, Steffan de Mistura, had stressed the urgent need for a ceasefire to stop the horrific heavy bombardment of Eastern Ghouta and the indiscriminate mortar shelling on Damascus.
And earlier this week, the UN and other international bodies expressed outrage at the number of civilian casualties.
Hundreds of thousands of people have died in fighting during Syrias seven-year civil war, and millions have been forced to flee the country.
Washington sets preconditions in response to North Korea indicating it is willing to have diplomatic talks.
The United States is willing to talk to North Korea, but only if those talks will lead to an end of the North Korean nuclear programme.
We will see if Pyongyangs message today, that it is willing to hold talks, represents the first steps along the path to denuclearisation, the White House said.
In the meantime, the United States and the world must continue to make clear that North Koreas nuclear and missile programmes are a dead end, the statement continued.
South Korea responded to the US by saying the country should lower the threshold for North Korea talks.
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Recently, North Korea has shown it is open to actively engaging the United States in talks and the United States is talking about the importance of dialogue, South Korean President Moon Jae-in said on Monday.
There is a need for the United States to lower the threshold for talks with North Korea and North Korea should show it is willing to denuclearise. Its important the United States and North Korea sit down together quickly, he added.
The US still wants South Korea to be part of a united front in dealing with what it sees as a potentially dangerous adversary.
Both the US and South Korean responses come a day after North Korean officials said they are willing to sit down with representatives from the US.
That invitation by North Korea was made during the closing ceremony of the 2018 Winter Olympics, attended by two high-ranking North Korean delegates, Kim Yong-chol, a high-ranking party official, and Choe Kang-il, a diplomat in charge of relations between North Korea and the United States.
Ivanka Trump, President Donald Trumps daughter, attended that ceremony for the US. However, according to several reports, she did not interact with the North Korean delegates.
During a meeting behind closed doors with South Korean President Moon Jae-in, the North Korean envoys voiced their willingness to sit down with the US.
Al Jazeera correspondent Rob McBride said that despite the rapprochement by North Korea over the last few weeks, the country has not changed its stance on its nuclear programme.
North Koreans have given no indication they are willing to any concessions on their missile or nuclear programmes, McBride said.
If talks are to proceed, the subject has to be addressed, he said.
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During their meeting with President Moon, the North Korean delegates also invited Moon to visit North Korea.
There is no indication yet of when Moon will travel to North Korea, but when he does, he will be the first leader to meet Kim Jong-un since Kim became the leader of North Korea seven years ago.
The invitation comes days after the United States announced it would implement new sanctions on North Korea, in what it calls the heaviest sanctions ever in an attempt to prevent North Korea from further developing its nuclear programme.
The measures aimed at disrupting North Korean shipping companies and vessels will heighten pressure on North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, a US treasury department statement said.
Those new sanctions were heavily criticised by North Korea, which called them an act of war.
In a plan thats unlikely to make it past Congress, Trump seeks to cut funds to UN missions across region and globally.
US President Donald Trumps administration is seeking to decrease its financial contributions to the Middle East in 2019, most notably to UN missions in Lebanon, the occupied Golan Heights, and Western Sahara.
The plan, revealed on Monday, is unlikely to make it past sceptical politicians in Congress, however.
Douglas Pitkin, the director of the state departments Bureau of Budget and Planning, told reporters on Monday that because [the department is] looking for greater cost containment at the UN more generally, [it does] have a lower funding level than the full peacekeeping estimate.
Pitkin added that these figures are subject to change.
Trumps plan includes slashing US contributions to the United Nations mission in Lebanon, as well as international peacekeeping missions worldwide.
The Department of State said earlier this week that it seeks a 42 percent cut for the UN Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), leaving the mission with $84.2m. The UNIFIL was established in 1978, and has been supporting the Lebanese army in maintaining calm in Lebanons south, where the country shares a border with Israel.
Cuts made to the UNIFIL may hinder its ability to perform its mandate of maintaining security and stability in the south along the border with Israel due to the fighting in neighbouring Syria.
The administration also revealed proposed cuts to missions in at least 10 other countries and regions.
This includes a 55 percent cut to the UN Disengagement Observer Force in the Golan Heights. The administration proposes the force receive $11.1m as opposed to the $24.6m it received in 2017.
In Western Sahara, the Trump administration wants to cut Department of State budget for the UN mission from $18.4m to $8.4m.
Trump had previously called for cuts to UN peacekeeping, including in his budget proposal for last year.
Under pressure from the US, the UN General Assembly voted last year to cut $600m from the bodys $8bn peacekeeping budget.
At the time, US Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley said, Were only getting started.
According to the Better World Campaign, an organisation working to improve the US-UN partnership, the Trump administration is proposing unwise and disproportionate cuts to US foreign affairs spending, which would undermine American leadership globally, including at the United Nations and its agencies.
The foreign affairs UN-related budget numbers are almost an exact replica of last years request, which was widely and wisely dismissed as harmful to US interests abroad, the organisation said in a statement.
In fact, over the past year, we have seen military voices, business leaders and leaders in Congress all stress the importance of robust foreign affairs funding and continued support for the UN.
The suggested cuts are part of a wider proposal that would slash the state department and US Agency for International Development budget by about 25 percent.
The plan is unlikely to make it past Congress, where cuts to diplomatic efforts and other aid programmes face strong opposition.
Trumps budget plan also increases military spending, while calling for cuts to domestic social programmes.
Prior to revealing his administrations plan, Trump said he wanted to spend more money at home.
This will be a big week for infrastructure, Trump said in a Tweet. After so stupidly spending $7 trillion in the Middle East, it is now time to start investing in OUR Country! he added, using a figure on US war expenditure in the region that is often disputed.
This will be a big week for Infrastructure. After so stupidly spending $7 trillion in the Middle East, it is now time to start investing in OUR Country! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 12, 2018
But the administration is requesting Congress approve $686bn Pentagon budget, one of the largest in US history. This includes an $800bn increase in military spending.
According to the Pentagon, the increase is aimed at countering increasing threats from China and Russia.
Salih Muslim, a former leader of Syrias Kurdish PYD, was arrested in Czech Republic on Saturday at Turkeys request.
Turkey has submitted a request to extradite a former Kurdish Syrian leader from the Czech Republic, with a file explaining the arguments for the request, Turkeys Deputy Prime Minister Bekir Bozdag said.
Salih Muslim, a prominent former leader of the Kurdish Democratic Union Party (PYD) in Syria, was arrested in the Czech capital of Prague on Saturday at Turkeys request.
Bozdag said in a televised interview on Monday that Muslim is in police custody and would appear before a court in Prague later in the day.
Turkey expects Salih Muslim who is a leader of a terrorist group and is still actively plotting terrorist attacks against Turkey to be extradited to our country in line with legal requirements between our countries, Bozdag was quoted as saying.
Czech authorities are to decide whether or not he would be remanded in custody, and returned to Turkey.
PYD officials in northern Syria confirmed his arrest to Al Jazeera on Sunday, saying that it was not clear if he would be handed over to Turkey.
Turkeys interior ministry had offered a bounty of nearly $1m for the arrest of Muslim, who is listed by Ankara as a most wanted terrorist.
Charges against Muslim
According to state-run Anadolu news agency, the file for extradition recalls that a high court in Ankara had filed a case against Muslim for a deadly attack carried out in the capital in 2016.
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The charges against him include damaging national unity and integrity, deliberate murder, damaging public property and transferring dangerous materials, according to Anadolu.
The March 2016 attack at a popular shopping area in central Ankara had been carried out by an explosive-laden vehicle, and left 37 people dead and dozens others injured.
The court had also issued an arrest warrant for Muslim, and asked the Interpol to issue a red notice against him.
Turkey considers the PYD and its armed wing, the Kurdish Peoples Protection Units (YPG) to be terrorist groups with ties to the banned Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) active in Turkey.
The PKK has waged a decades-long armed fight against the Turkish state that has killed tens of thousands of people.
The arrest came after Turkey called on the Czech Republic to arrest the former co-leader and sent warrants for his arrest to Prague, Turkish officials said.
Turkey together with the Free Syrian Army (FSA) rebel group last month launched an air and ground offensive into Afrin in the northwest of Syria to vanquish the US-backed YPG fighters near its border.
Judge rules it remains in public interest to enforce UK warrant against WikiLeaks founder for breach of bail conditions.
A judge has upheld a UK arrest warrant for Julian Assange, saying the WikiLeaks founder should have the courage to face the consequences of breaking the law.
The decision on Tuesday means the 46-year-old Australian could still be arrested if he left Ecuadors embassy in London, where he took refuge in 2012 to avoid being extradited to Sweden for alleged sex crimes.
Sweden later shelved its investigation, but Assange faces arrest by British authorities for skipping bail in the Swedish case.
Assange fears British authorities would then allow his extradition to the United States where he is wanted for the publication of classified information in 2010 by WikiLeaks.
Judge Emma Arbuthnot said that by jumping bail Assange had made a determined attempt to avoid the order of the court.
She added: He appears to consider himself above the normal rules of law and wants justice only if it goes in his favour.
In a post later on Twitter, Assange said he and his team were surprised by the judges decision, saying the court had made factual errors in its judgment.
https://twitter.com/JulianAssange/status/963452054273429504?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
Al Jazeeras Neave Barker, reporting from Britains capital, London, said the ruling, in essence, meant very little changes for Assange.
We can probably assume there will be an attempt to appeal this latest verdict by the Westminster Magistrate Court, Barker said.
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Tuesdays ruling was the second time in a week that a British judge had ruled against an appeal by Assange.
Last week, his defence team had argued there was no longer a need to have this warrant in place largely because Swedish authorities had scrapped their warrant for his arrest.
Immediately after that decision, they filed another appeal saying that it wasnt in the interest of justice to have this warrant remain in place, but the prosecution has always said he should not be rewarded for the Swedish investigation, and as a result, this warrant should remain in place, Barker said.
Assange and his defence team hoped the court would rule in their favour after a request under the Freedom of Information Act revealed that the British prosecutors had been in touch with the Swedish investigators.
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It appeared the prosecution here had tried to persuade the Swedish investigators not to scrap their investigation as far back as 2013, several years before they ended up doing so, Barker said.
Assange became known when he founded whistle-blower website WikiLeaks, which has, among other things, published documents about the killing of civilians and journalists by US soldiers in Iraq.
Before the 2016 US presidential elections, WikiLeaks also published a trove of private documents from the Democratic National Committee and John Podesta, campaign chairman for presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton.
Transportation Minister Saleh al-Gabwani denounces Abu Dhabis moves to set up tribal and regional armies.
More video clips from the story
Deputy prime minister invited for talks after PM Thabane fled amid reports that army had attempted to seize power.
Lesothos Deputy Prime Minister Mothet Joa Metsing says he has been invited to South Africa for talks after an alleged coup sent the countrys prime minister fleeing to the same country.
It is through the invitation of the South African president, Metsing told the AFP news agency about the planned meeting, adding that he did not have information about the agenda nor who else would attend.
Metsing has taken charge of the government after Prime Minister Thomas Thabane fled the country, accusing the army of staging a coup, a minister said on Sunday, according to the Reuters news agency.
Regional power South Africa condemned the armys actions and invited the deputy prime minister to talks there, Lesothos Minister of Communications, Science and Technology, Selibe Mochoboroane, told Reuters. He did not specify who the talks would be with.
Thabane, who has been in a fractious coalition government with his political rival Metsing, left for South Africa on Saturday after the army surrounded his residence and police stations in Lesothos capital, Maseru, and gunshots rang out.
One policeman was shot dead and four others were wounded during the confrontation, said police senior superintendent Mofokeng Kolo, according to Reuters.
Prime Minister Thabane told Al Jazeera on Saturday that the army was all over the streets, and had taken control of government buildings and key installations before he managed to escape. He added that he suspected Metsing was involved.
Military denies claims
The army denied trying to force the prime minister out of power, saying it had moved against police officers suspected of planning to arm a political faction in the small southern African kingdom.
Metsing also denied a coup. I would not still be a deputy prime minister; the prime minister would not still be the prime minister if a coup [had] taken place, he told Al Jazeera on Saturday.
Diplomats in Maseru told the Reuters news agency on Saturday that the army was largely seen as loyal to the deputy prime minister, while the police force largely supported the prime minister.
Since its independence from Britain in 1966, Lesotho has undergone a number of military coups. In 1998 at least 58 locals and eight South African soldiers died during a political standoff and subsequent fighting.
The landlocked countrys first coalition government was formed in 2012 after elections ousted the 14-year incumbent Pakalitha Mosisili.
Police in Ouagadougou fire tear gas at thousands protesting 27-year presidents attempt to hold power for another term.
Police fired teargas at rock-throwing protesters after tens of thousands marched through Burkina Fasos capital calling for President Blaise Compaore, already in power for 27 years, to scrap plans to change term limits to stay in power.
An early morning march on Tuesday through the heart of Ouagadougou was peaceful but clashes erupted later as protesters tried to advance towards the National Assembly.
Tuesday marked the start of a civil disobedience campaign by opposition parties after the government asked the National Assembly to order a referendum on changing the constitution to let Compaore seek re-election next year rather than step down.
Former colonial power France, which uses Burkina Faso as a base for its Special Forces soldiers operating across West Africa, urged Compaore to abide by an African Union charter stipulating that leaders should not change the law to try to stay in power.
The people have decided to start a general popular resistance. The first grievance is to get the withdrawal, pure and simple, of this legal project, Zephirin Diabre, head of the opposition delegation, told the crowd of demonstrators.
Protesters chanted Step aside! and Dont touch Article 37, referring to the clause in the constitution that now bars Compaore, in power for 27 years, from running again next year.
Others carried banners comparing Compaore to Ebola, the virus that has killed nearly 5,000 people in the nearby states of Liberia, Guinea, and Sierra Leone.
We must disinfect ourselves, one read.
There was no immediate figure for arrests or casualties, though Red Cross workers and emergency personnel took charge of some protesters injured during the demonstration.
Government sounds warning
In a statement issued late on Tuesday, the government congratulated the opposition leadership for what it said were largely peaceful demonstrations across the country. It said marchers in some towns had deviated from planned routes, however, leading to misbehaviour.
The government calls upon the sense of responsibility and restraint in order to avoid any act that might compromise the peace and stability our country holds so dear, the statement said.
Protesters in Ouagadougou who marched towards the National Assembly, where the law will be debated on Thursday, were blocked by security forces who fired volleys of teargas and used water cannons.
They responded by burning tyres and throwing rocks. A pocket of demonstrators gathered in a downtown square pledging to hold out until Compaore shelved his plan, but were peacefully dispersed by police in the early evening.
Its provocation. They [the authorities] want to set the country on fire, said a young protester. Even if Blaise Compaore burns the country down, he will depart all the same.
Demonstrators in Bobo Dioulasso, Burkina Fasos second biggest town, 330km to the southwest of the capital, pulled down a statue of Compaore, a witness said.
About the show
A weekly programme that examines and dissects the worlds media, how they operate and the stories they cover. Watch The Listening Post every Saturday at 0830GMT
Christophobic Nazism
Totalitarian systems are militantly Christophobic. The comments to some of my articles on the dangers of materialism or the ignorance of atheism try to prove that religion is as dangerous to goodness as atheism repeat the false "fact" that "Hitler was a Catholic." This is utterly untrue. Moreover, all Nazism was viciously Christophobic as well as Judeophobic. My American Thinker article of November 2007 covers some of the evidence found in old books about the hate all Nazis felt toward Christianity. My book, Swastika against the Cross: The Nazi War on Christianity, covers many more documentary sources that reveal Nazi persecution of Christianity and Christianity's lonely war against Nazism. Many writers at the time noted that Christianity was the only force resisting the Nazis in Europe.
Indeed, there were many books about the Nazi persecution of Christianity and hatred of religion published before the Second World War began with titles like The Nazi Persecution of the Catholic Church in the Third Reich and The Nazi Persecution of Christianity and The War against God and Nazism versus Religion. Hundreds of authors writing before and during the Second World War saw Nazism and Christianity as mortal enemies. These authors were Christians both Catholics and Protestants and Jews and agnostics. They were on the right and on the left. They were Frenchmen and Germans and Poles and Americans and Britons. The convenient rewriting of history that invents out of whole cloth the notion that Christianity and Nazism were in any way linked runs utterly contrary to the historical record of the time. But were any leading Nazis Christians in any sense of the word? Emphatically, no. Consider first Hitler himself. John Gunther noted as early as 1935 that "Hitler was born and brought up as a Roman Catholic. But he lost his faith early and attends no religious services of any kind[.] ... On being formed his government almost immediately began a fierce religious war against Catholics, Protestants, and Jews alike." Hitler before the Nazis came to power described himself to Martin Niemoller as "pagan to the core." Hitler stated, "Antiquity was better than modern times because it did not know Christianity and syphilis." In 1937, Goslin wrote in his book on church and state that "Hitler himself has openly stated the necessity of making war on Christianity in his autobiography called Mein Kampf." The next year, Hitler said: "[O]ur whole deformity and atrophy of spirit and soul would never have come into being except for this oriental mummery, this abominable leveling mania, this cursed universality of Christianity." Virtually every other Nazi leader Hess, Goering, Himmler, Goebbels, Rosenberg, von Shirach, Streicher, and Bormann expressed a profound disdain and hatred for Christianity. This was translated into action within the Third Reich in many ways and at many levels. All Catholic schools in the Catholic parts of Germany were closed. Thousands of Protestant and Catholic clergymen were arrested and sent to concentration camps. Parents were notified that their children could not be given biblical names or the names of Christian martyrs. The calendar was paganized under the Nazis, removing Christianity from it entirely. Boys were more or less compelled to join the Hitler Youth, which was violently opposed to Christianity and which disrupted church services and desecrated religious symbols. Its members sang songs with these lyrics: "Let Christ rot and the Hitler Youth march." The National Socialist Student Union in 1935 declared: "We discard not only the hundreds of various Christianities, but Christianity itself[.] ... Even the Christians who have the honorable will to serve the folk and there are such must be fought." The brave opposition of Christians to Nazism, and especially Nazi persecution of Jews, was widely applauded by Jewish leaders at the time. In 1934, Rabbi Stephen Wise wrote: "Hitlerism challenges civilization insofar as it is in truth the substitution of a new paganism, the paganism over which Christianity once triumphed, for Christianity itself[.] ... I thank God that in America and England above all and in other lands as well, the voices of Christians have been heard in protest against the unutterable wrongs of Hitlerism against the Jewish people." In 1938, Rabbi Morris Lazaron wrote: "Never in history has organized Protestantism throughout the world bestirred itself so in defense of the Jew and to protect the Jew. More Catholic leaders than ever before have lifted their voices in condemnation of the racial fixation that dictators have used to bait the Jew[.] ... No more glorious page is being written in Christian history than that which Christianity is writing in Germany today. Christianity may yet be the rock on which the German dictatorship will destroy itself." Albert Einstein, during the war, wrote: "Only the Church stood squarely across the path of Hitler's campaign for suppressing the truth. I never had any special interest in the Church before, but now I feel a great affection and admiration for it because the Church alone has had the courage and persistence to stand for intellectual and moral freedom." I could go on, for dozens of pages and hundreds of quotes, but the historical record is quite clear: Nazis hated and feared Christianity as much as any totalitarian regimes in modern history. Soviets, by the way, hated and feared Jews and Judaism about as much as the Nazis did. These two great religions have proven indigestible to all great evils.
Incompetence Wasn't the Problem in Broward County
No one who follows the blogging collective known as the "Conservative Treehouse" will dispute my claim that its most prominent blogger, "Sundance" by name, is America's best reporter. I got to know Sundance doing research for my book on the Trayvon Martin shooting, If I Had a Son. So instrumental was the research of Sundance and his colleagues that I made the "Treepers" the protagonists of the book. Sundance's research into the political dynamics of Martin's Miami-Dade school system led him to expand his research into neighboring Broward County years before the Parkland shooting. We communicated the day after that shooting. We had a shared sense of what had gone wrong. I detailed some of this last week in an article on what one public interest magazine called the "Broward County solution." In Broward County, they call it more modestly the "PROMISE Program."
In November 2013, Sundance first reported that Broward County was "willing to jump on the diversionary bandwagon." As an attached Associated Press article noted, "One of the nation's largest school districts has reached an agreement with law enforcement agencies and the NAACP to reduce the number of students being charged with crimes for minor offenses." The goal, as the article explained, was to create an alternative to the zero-tolerance policies then in place by giving principals, not law enforcement, the authority to determine the nature of the offense. In a collaborative agreement among school officials and law enforcement, the presence of the NAACP might seem anomalous, but not in the Obama era, where considerations of race routinely shaped educational policy. "One of the first things I saw was a huge differential in minority students, black male students in particular, in terms of suspensions and arrests," Broward's recently hired school superintendent, Robert Runcie, told the American Prospect. A black American, Runcie assumed that the differential was due largely to some unspoken institutional bias against minorities. As he saw it, these suspensions played a major role in the so-called "achievement gap" between white and minority students. The first two "whereas" clauses in the collaborative agreement deal with opportunities for students in general, but the third speaks to the motivating issue behind the agreement: "Whereas, across the country, students of color, students with disabilities, and LGBTQ students are disproportionately impacted by school-based arrests for the same behavior as their peers." The spurious "same behavior" insinuation would put the onus on law enforcement to treat black students more gingerly than they would non-blacks. To make the issue seem less stark, authorities cloaked the black American crime disparity with EEOC boilerplate about "students of color" and other presumably marginalized individuals. Although nonsensical on the face of it one is hard pressed to recall a crime spree by the disabled this language opened the door for Nikolas de Jesus Cruz. An adopted son of the late Roger and Linda Cruz, the future school shooter had a name that fit the "metrics" of the collaborative agreement, regardless of his DNA. It is not hard to understand why Broward County officials would be eager to adopt this program. Miami-Dade had been receiving all kinds of honors for its efforts to shut down the dread "school-to-prison" pipeline. On February 15, 2012, Miami-Dade County Public Schools put out a press release citing a commendation the Miami-Dade Schools Police (M-DSPD) had recently received. The Department of Juvenile Justice had singled out Miami-Dade for "dramatically decreasing" school-related "delinquency." Said M-DSPD Chief Charles Hurley, "Our mantra is education not incarceration." Seventeen-year-old Miami-Dade student Trayvon Martin got neither incarceration nor education. Eleven days after this self-congratulatory press release, Martin was shot and killed in Sanford, Florida, 250 miles from his Miami home. For all the attention paid to the case, the media have refused to report why Martin was left to wander the streets of Sanford, high and alone on a Sunday night during a school week. Sundance, who lives in South Florida, broke this story through old-fashioned gumshoe reporting. He writes, "Over time the policy [in Miami-Dade] began to create outcomes where illegal behavior by students was essentially unchecked by law enforcement." Sundance was alerted to the problem during the investigation into Martin's death when six M-DSPD officers blew the whistle on their superiors, the most notable of them being Chief Hurley. The whistleblowers told of cases of burglary and robbery where officers had to hide the recovered evidence in order to avoid writing up the students for criminal behavior. "At first I didn't believe them," writes Sundance of the whistleblowers. "However, after getting information from detectives, cross referencing police reports, and looking at the 'found merchandise' I realized they were telling the truth." One of those incidents involved Martin. Caught with a dozen pieces of stolen female jewelry and a burglary tool, Martin had his offense written off as entering an unauthorized area and writing graffiti on a locker. There could be no effort made to track the jewelry to its rightful owner, lest Martin's apprehension be elevated to the level of a crime. Instead, Martin was suspended, one of three suspensions that school year. When George Zimmerman saw him that night in the rain, Martin, now on his third suspension, was looking in windows of the complex's apartments. Zimmerman thought he was casing them. Given his history, Martin probably was. Zimmerman dialed the police. The rest is history or, more accurately, would have been history if the media had reported Martin's brutal assault on Zimmerman honestly, but they almost universally refused to do so. Broward County launched its "education not incarceration" experiment four months after Zimmerman was rightfully found not guilty in the Martin case. By this time, Sundance and his fellow Treepers had exposed the corruption that Miami-Dade's seemingly enlightened policy had wrought within its school police department. Given the mainstream media's failure to follow up on Sundance's work, even in Florida, it is likely that Broward officials did not know how deeply the policy had compromised police work in Miami-Dade. What Broward County authorities did know is that the best "school resource officers," the euphemism for in-school sheriff's deputies, were those most sensitive to the objectives of the PROMISE program. It is hardly shocking that in 2014, the now notorious Scot Peterson was named School Resource Officer of the Year by the Broward County Crime Commission for handling issues "with tact and judgment." The motto of that crime commission? "Evil triumphs when good people stand idly by." Yikes! Peterson, the commission noted, was also "active in mentoring and counseling students." It appears that Nikolas Cruz got counseled a lot. Better to educate him, after all, than incarcerate him. Although there are many details still to be known, the Miami Herald reported on Friday that, in November 2017, a tipster called the Broward Sheriff's Office (BSO) to say Cruz "'could be a school shooter in the making,' but deputies did not write up a report on that warning." The Herald added that this tip came just weeks after a relative called urging BSO to seize his weapons. Two years prior, "A deputy investigated a report that Cruz 'planned to shoot up the school' intelligence that was forwarded to the school's resource officer, with no apparent result." That school resource officer just happened to be Scot Peterson. He did not err by letting this misunderstood Hispanic lad go unpunished in any meaningful way. Peterson showed his award-winning "tact and judgment." He had to understand that to keep the PROMISE momentum going, the school would have to see fewer and fewer arrests each year. This meant excusing worse and worse offenses, especially for students who counted as minorities. As for the qualities real cops are expected to show courage under fire comes to mind those were obviously not Peterson's strong suit. "The school resource officer was behind a stairwell wall just standing there, and he had his gun drawn. And he was just pointing it at the building," said student Brandon Huff of Peterson. "And you could shots started going off inside. You could hear them going off over and over." In a surprisingly tough interview with Broward County Sheriff Scott Israel, CNN's Jake Tapper cited the 23 incidents before the shooting that involved Cruz and questioned whether the PROMISE program might have been responsible for the inaction by the sheriff's office. "It's helping many, many people," said Israel in defense of the program. "What this program does is not put a person at 14, 15, 16 years old into the criminal justice system." Said Tapper, "What if he should be in the criminal justice system? What if he does something violent to a student? What if he takes bullets to school? What if he takes knives to schools? What if he threatens the lives of fellow students?" As solid as these questions are, if CNN had raised comparable questions after the death of Trayvon Martin, 17 Parkland students might still be alive. Says Sundance in conclusion, "I will give testimony, provide names, outline dates, and give all prior records to any lawyer for use in a wrongful death lawsuit so long as their intent would be to financially ruin the entire system and personally bankrupt the participants."
Spies and Disinformation in the Internet Age
Please put on some speed and have someone watch over new technological developments. Almost 170 years ago in the 1840s, Countess Ada Lovelace, daughter of Lord Byron and a brilliant mathematician, pioneered and worked on a mechanical general purpose computer, considered to be the first computer program, invented even before computers existed. She died young, aged 36, but her influence is immense. She is a foremost role model for women in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. Equally important, she inspired computer pioneers, especially Alan Turing, considered to be the father of theoretical computer science and artificial intelligence, who helped break the Nazi ciphers code in World War II. One of the tributes to Lovelace is that the computer language "Ada," created in 1979 on behalf of the U.S. Department of Defense, was named after her. Lovelace may well have understood the astonishing potential for computers and their impact on our lives, but she might have been surprised by the revelations in recent weeks of Russians using various forms of cyberware to gain information and disseminate false information. So-called BlackEnergy malware is said to have been used by Russian cyber-espionage groups in Ukraine to target power facilities and other utilities as well as complex industrial operations.
That interference probably had little or no impact on the 2016 presidential election, nor does it suggest evidence of any Trump-Russian "collusion." But convincing revelations have been presented of the great extent of Russian attempts to gather intelligence and influence opinion in the U.S., as elsewhere not so much by human individual spies or agents as by other virtual methods, especially social media. Of course, spies and spycraft are not new. In World War II, various unusual devices were used to obtain information: ravens to deposit and retrieve objects, pigeons to warn of the enemy, cats with electronic transmitters to eavesdrop on conversations. Intelligence-gathering and subterfuge are familiar in history. The Greeks used the Trojan Horse to enter and destroy the city of Troy and win the ten-year-old war. Today, "Trojans " infect computers, collecting information or making changes in a security system, and have been inserted in the U.S. by hackers probably sponsored by Russian sources. Gathering intelligence and spying started early in the U.S., when the Second Continental Congress in 1775 set up the Committee of Secret Correspondence to attract foreign support for the American revolutionary cause. The committee, in which Benjamin Franklin was the most active member, employed secret agents abroad to gain intelligence and conduct undercover operations. Russian spying and attempts at disinformation are not new, but what is new is the sophistication and extent of the devices now employed. Starting in the late 1920s, the Soviet Union used Russian and foreign-born nationals, and U.S. and European citizens, to transmit information of political, military, and industrial nature. It is sufficient to mention a few Americans who acted on behalf of the USSR or were used by it: Earl Browder, general secretary of the U.S. communist party; the group controlled by J. Peters, who recruited agents, the "Ware group"; Alger Hiss; assistant secretary of state Harry Dexter White; assistant secretary of the treasury Elizabeth Bentley; and Julius Rosenberg, executed with his wife Ethel in 1953 for giving nuclear secrets, not to mention others who had infiltrated the U.S. atom bomb project. Similarly in Britain, the Soviet Union began in the 1930s recruiting communist sympathizers, bright graduates from elite universities. The most notorious were the Cambridge Five: Kim Philby, Guy Burgess, Donald Maclean, John Cairncross, and Anthony Blunt, a leading art historian and surveyor of the queen's pictures who confessed to being a Soviet spy. A rather enticing and intriguing story was published in February 2018 with allegations about Jeremy Corbyn, Labor Party M.P. for Islington in London since 1983 and now leader of the Labor Party, who met in 1986 and 1987 on at least three occasions with Czech communist "diplomats." The question is whether Corbyn was any kind of informer or simply naive and innocent in what John Le Carre has called "a cause the world barely remembers." Corbyn, given a code name, COB, was regarded by the Czech spies as a "person of interest" and was contacted by the Czech secret police, which organization was dissolved in 1990, after the Soviet Union ended as did the Czechoslovak Socialist Republic, a satellite state of the Soviet Union. Spies are still used, even if not as glamorous and notorious as Mata Hari, the Dutch exotic dancer, executed in 1917 as a spy for Germany in World War I, but new technology has replaced the once simple spying devices: invisible ink, secret codes, blind drops on park benches, or in hollow trees. They have been replaced by sophistication, doctored images, falsehoods posted on social media, documents intended to divide and sow discord and confusion among Americans, invention of fake personalities, use of bots, software application that performs an automated task over the internet, "troll farms," and state-sponsored commentators who post deliberately inflammatory or provocative comments. Noticeable in all this were fake impersonations such as Black Lives Matter activists and white supremacists, fake news, conspiracy theories, hacker attacks, dissemination of disinformation disguised as educational or scientific reports, activism in political blogs, participation in staged political rallies, posing as U.S. activists. Detection of these activities is obviously difficult. Evidence now available illustrates the role of the Russian organization called the Internet Research Agency. This agency, employing 100 persons and bankrolled by a shadowy figure the 56-year-old Yevgeny Prigoizhin, former small-time criminal, hot dog street vendor, now restaurant and catering businessman, known as "Putin's chef" has played a major role as an arm of Russian foreign policy, including financing a Russian "troll factory." IRA instructed its workers in the use of graphics and videos, employing people with coding and social media skills, and some English, to create fake personalities among other tasks. One of those tasks was a false video of a black American woman being killed by a white police officer in Georgia. A formidable task lies ahead for U.S. institutions, governmental and private. Official government bodies are concerned with protection of national security and the public interest to overcome the foreign targeting of groups, by demography, geography, gender, and political points of view. Perhaps an even greater role must now be played by private U.S. organizations. No one favors censorship or silencing of dissent, but it is wise to recognize that the internet is now a dangerous place, used for improper purposes, including organizing rallies, protests, and even distribution of bank cards and money transfers. Major companies Facebook with its 2 billon users, Twitter, and Alphabet's YouTube are reluctant to remove material, even if they contain falsehoods. They confine themselves mainly to those materials promoting hate speech or child pornography. However, they must do more, to vet their sites more carefully, to limit the use of propaganda tools, to prevent any financing by foreign interests, and to be held more accountable to prevent foreign disinformation campaigns.
The Politics of San Francisco's Homelessness Problem
About a year ago, in January 2017, Leilani Farha visited the city of San Francisco and was appalled at the extent of the substandard housing conditions suffered by San Francisco's homeless population. Leilani works for the United Nations as a special rapporteur on adequate housing. She travels around the world to investigate housing conditions and called the housing conditions of San Francisco's homeless "unacceptable." She concluded that California "is allowing, by international human rights standards," conditions are that "deplorable." This is particularly disturbing when one considers that California is the most populous and the wealthiest state in the wealthiest country in the world. San Francisco has made some effort to deal with homelessness. The city spent $275 million on homelessness in the fiscal year that ended in June 2017 and is expanding that to $305 million for the year that ends in June 2018.
But that is not enough, since there is a long waiting list for nighttime shelters. Visitors to San Francisco are appalled to see persons on sidewalks committing drug crimes such as injecting themselves with needles. And the city has areas now fouled by the smell of human waste. One has to wonder what San Francisco, which has some of the wealthiest citizens in the nation, is doing with all their money. After all, the major tenet of liberalism, which San Francisco declares is its guiding public policy, is to help the disadvantaged and poor. In order to understand the lack of financial commitment to helping the homeless, it may be helpful to review the salaries of San Francisco County "public servants." Their jobs, and their professed mission, is to devote themselves to helping the needy. There is no shortage of money, but there appears to be a shortage of commitment to allocating public taxes to helping the homeless. The money goes to those who are dedicated to helping the homeless. There are many examples of salary extravagance. For example, according to the website TransparentCalifornia. com, Madonna P. Valencia, the manager of the Dept. of Public Health, had a salary of $275,395.65 in 2016. In addition to that, she received benefits of $65,154.15 in that year for a total compensation package of $340,549.80. Another manager of public health, Theresa A. Dentoni, received $276,109.42 in 2016 and benefits of $64,073.87 for a total of $340,183.73. And this in a city that cannot afford to make portable toilets available to residents. The assistant medical examiner, Harminder S. Niarula, another person in public health, had a total salary in 2016 of $336,000. Stephen C. Wu, a senior physician specialist, earned $336,000 in 2016. Another supervising physician specialist, Catherine T. James, collected $333,000. And nursing supervisor Patricia Carr got $333,000. The list of those in public health working for the County of San Francisco goes on and on. It appears that $300,000 is a benchmark for the top officials. There are about 300 persons in San Francisco County's government who received a salary in the $300,000 to $400,000 area. Then there are over 2,300 people working for the County of San Francisco who earn between $200K and $300K a year. The point is, these people, numbering less than 2,300, took in about $575,000,000 in 2016 just in salary and benefits. If you add those who made from $300K to $400K in 2016, that's an additional $100 million. So in 2016, San Francisco County spent about $675,000,000 on just 2,600 salaried employees. That's over a half-billion dollars taken by less than 3,000 people while in 2017 at least 12,000 persons lived on the streets, and San Francisco couldn't afford to provide portable toilets to them or overnight sleeping facilities. This kind of economic argument is made all the time by Democrats, who say the top CEOs can afford to pay their employees more. The voters of San Francisco have the right to ask why, if the top officials of San Francisco make this amount of money, some can't be set aside for the homeless of San Francisco, especially since San Francisco likes to boast that it is the most liberal and accommodating city to those in need. Perhaps someone should sue the City of San Francisco, using the argument that the primary function of government is public safety and health. For once, a federal Judge might make a ruling to force pay cuts for these people and devote more of the county's resources to paying for facilities to meet the health needs of the homeless. So far, the liberal rhetoric of San Francisco has succeeded only in making public employees wealthy, not safeguarding the public health and safety of the residents. Amid the wealth and luxury of San Francisco, there is a growing population of poor and destitute residents. This argues more for the idea that liberalism is just good old-fashioned government greed: once in power, government employees make themselves wealthy at the expense of everyone else and create the traditional exploitive society where the few live by impoverishing the many. The facts are clear: in the most liberal and progressive and Democrat-controlled city in the country, one can find the largest homeless population living in the unhealthiest conditions of any city.
Abigail Hernandez, the DACA beneficiary arrested last Friday in Rochester, New York for making a terroristic threat, does not seem at all grateful for the special consideration afforded her by then-president Barack Obama.
Rochester Police have arrested a 21-year-old student in the Rochester City School District after they said she made a credible threat against East High School. Rochester Deputy Mayor Dr. Cedric Alexander and Deputy Chief La'Ron Singletary spoke at a news conference Friday afternoon. According to Alexander, police were notified on February 16 about the threat being made against East High School. Staff within the Rochester City School District called police at 5:08 p.m about a threat posted on the East High School Facebook page. The threat said, "I'm coming tomorrow morning and I'm going to shoot all of ya [b]."
Unlike Sheriff Israel in Broward County, Rochester Police took the threat seriously and tracked her down.
RPD Deputy Chief La'Ron Singletary said it took investigators days to arrest track down because she made the threats from a fictitious social media account. It took time for investigators to track down the person to whom the account belonged.
Now facing serious jail time if convicted, Hernandez demonstrates the absolute need to avoid blanket amnesty and the folly of Obama's blanket deferral of action. The excuse her parents are offering suggests she would be near the bottom of any ranking on desirability as an immigrant.
Justin Murphy of the Rochester Democrat & Chronicle:
Abigail Hernandez, the Rochester woman charged last week with making a terroristic threat in Rochester, has very low cognitive capability and is incapable of carrying out the sort of threat she's charged with making, her parents said Sunday. The 21-year-old woman is a student at Edison Tech High School. She came to the United States from Mexico at age 3 with her parents, they said, and qualifies for "dreamer" status under Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) rules. "She's not right mentally she doesn't pick up what people say," her mother, who asked not to be identified by name, said in Spanish. "She's very dependent on me."
Assuming we taxpayers avoid the burden of an expensive incarceration of Hernandez, we can anticipate paying subsidies for health care, food stamps, and various other forms of welfare for which a person unable to provide for herself qualifies. John Binder of Breitbart explains:
Under a DACA amnesty, American taxpayers would be left with a $26 billion bill. About one in five DACA illegal aliens, after an amnesty, would end up on food stamps, while at least one in seven would go on Medicaid. Since DACA's inception under Obama, more than 2,100 illegal aliens have been kicked off the program after it was revealed that they were either criminals or gang members. Also, as Breitbart News reported, only four percent of DACA illegal aliens have completed a college education, making the DACA population far less likely than the native American population to finish college with a degree. Another 25 percent of DACA illegal aliens, Breitbart News reported, are "functionally illiterate" in the English language, despite being touted by the open borders lobby as being highly-educated and highly-skilled.
By rejecting President Trump's generous offer of citizenship to DACA beneficiaries (and hundreds of thousands of others) who pass screening, the Democrats are in effect telling Americans that we must pony up vast sums of money to subsidize less rhetorically violent illegal aliens. Let them run on that.
Out in California, the party has refused to endorse incumbent Senator Dianne Feinstein. She lost to state senator Kevin de Leon (54-37%), a fellow referred to as a "progressive" by media reports:
Back in 2006, Ned Lamont, an anti-Iraq War activist , defeated Senator Joe Lieberman in the Democrat primary. It was all about the incumbent's support of the Iraq War. Thankfully, Mr. Lieberman ran as an independent and won .
Feinstein, the oldest member of the Senate at 84, is seeking a sixth term. Feinstein took heat last fall from some on the left after appearing to voice optimism about Trump becoming "a good president." Feinstein also recently said that former President Barack Obama's Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA, which Trump is ending, was on shaky legal ground. DACA provides a level of amnesty to certain illegal immigrants [sic] many of whom came to the U.S. as children. Still, Feinstein will be difficult to beat, considering her establishment support and standing among independents and women, two key voting blocs. "It will be tough to outflank her in that capacity," Ben Tulchin, a San Francisco-based pollster, recently said.
The article mentioned that she is leading in primary polls, so let's see what happens. She won't be forced to run as an independent to keep her seat, as happened with Senator Lieberman years ago.
The Democrats will try to put a happy face by saying this is about "change" or replacing the old with the new. In reality, this is about replacing moderates with insane lefties who will add little to the national debate except to be more irrationally critical of President Trump.
It's hard to see how any of this will be good for California.
In the meantime, we will likely see more talk of secession or the breakup of the state. We will continue to hear of prohibitive housing costs and more people packing up and going elsewhere looking for sanity.
PS: You can listen to my show (Canto Talk) and follow me on Twitter.
Isnt it peculiar that nobody in the media seems to mention this? Daniel Greenfield writes:
In the last decade, there were only 10 major mass shootings where the death toll went into the double digits. Three of those were carried out by Muslim terrorists. Thats all the more remarkable since Muslims make up less than 1% of the United States population, but account for 33% of major mass shootings. Proportional to their representation in the population, Muslims are responsible for far more mass shootings than Americans.
The trend is worrisome. Since 2015, not a single year has passed without a Muslim mass shooting. While 2017s Muslim mass shooter Kori Ali Muhammad only managed to kill three people in Fresno, his expressions of racial and religious hatred make it clear that we are dealing with a hateful pattern.
Muhammad had sought to kill "as many white males as possible". He shouted, Allahu Akbar when captured by the police. While the media has emphasized Dylann Storm Roofs racist attack on a black church in Charleston, he was only 1 of 3 racially motivated mass shooters in the past 5 years, 2 were African-Americans, Muhammad and Micah Xavier Johnson, the Black Lives Matter protester who murdered 5 Dallas police officers. Johnsons massacre of police officers and September 11 were the deadliest attacks on American police officers in this century. Both were carried out by Muslim attackers.
In the 2011-2012 school year , Broward County Public Schools had the highest number of school-related arrests statewide at 1,062. Newly hired Superintendent Robert Runcie, with strong connections to the Obama administration, teamed up with community organizations like the NAACP, local law enforcement, and government agencies to sign the Collaborative Agreement on School Discipline to eliminate the "schoolhouse to jailhouse pipeline" through programs such as PROMISE (Preventing Recidivism through Opportunities, Mentoring, Interventions, Support, and Education).
The net is widening in Broward County, ensnaring those who failed to stop Nikolas Cruz from killing 17 people. The Broward County School District's highly touted PROMISE program , initiated in 2012 and signed into policy in 2013, is coming under fire. It prevented Nikolas Cruz from getting arrested, which could have blocked him from purchasing his armory, if convicted.
One of the program's participants, Juvenile Court judge Elijah Williams, speaking at a 2013 signing ceremony for PROMISE, made it clear it was all about the stats:
We already bought the ticket. We are waiting for our numbers to come in. We know we have hit the jackpot when our school related arrests go down, down down.
The collaborative agreement, signed by Runcie; Sheriff Scott Israel, now fully embroiled in his agency's failure to get Cruz off the streets; state's attorneys; the president of the Broward chapter of the NAACP; and many others, has the fundamental goal of keeping minority students involved in various "transgressions" away from law enforcement and out of the courts.
In one feature of PROMISE, Judge Williams circumvents the criminal justice system by participating in a simulated court hearing called "The Juvenile Justice System of Care," where he encourages the delinquent student to participate in the program rather than risk arrest.
The Obama administration's Department of Education was also involved in implementing PROMISE. Obama, who routinely dangled carrots in the form of matching federal grants to local districts for their participation in Common Core and Race to the Top, doled out millions to Broward.
With the promise of federal monies, it's no surprise that Superintendent Runcie (annual salary: $335,000) was happy to oblige his friends in D.C. Within a year of Runcie's arrival, student arrest rates were down 66 percent, and Broward County Schools were about to hit the federal jackpot.
On October 5, 2016, the School Board of Broward County Public Schools and its community partners signed the PROMISE agreement for the second time. After the 2016 signing, it was announced a couple of weeks later on October 18, BCPS was the only large urban district in the country to receive a Teacher Incentive Fund (TIF) grant from the U.S. Dept. of Education totaling $53,808, 909. One of the TIF's grant priorities is listed as "improved life for students in poverty/students of color."
The February 14 Parkland school shooting is shedding light on PROMISE, and now some officials in Broward are speaking out about the school district's push to keep police out of the loop when crimes occur in schools.
On The Ingraham Angle Friday night, the president of the Broward County Sheriff Deputies Association, Jeff Bell, said the problem with PROMISE is that it "took all discretion away from law enforcement to effect an arrest if we choose to."
On Sunday, CNN's Jake Tapper grilled Broward County's Sheriff Scott Israel on the myriad complaints his department received concerning Cruz prior to the shooting. When Tapper brought up the Broward County School District's PROMISE program as a means to dish out the least punitive discipline against students who commit crimes, unlike Bell, Israel defended PROMISE, calling it "excellent" and saying it had nothing to do with the mass shooting.
Later, when Tapper pressed Israel on his lack of knowledge regarding specific complaints made about Cruz's violent behavior, saying there might be something "wrong with PROMISE" if a dangerous individual like Cruz is allowed to avoid an arrest after felonious behavior, Israel again said there's "nothing wrong with the program." Asked by Tapper if he will resign, Sheriff Israel said he has no intention of resigning. To date, no one has publicly asked Superintendent Runcie that same question.
Michelle Obama's upcoming memoir replicates Obama's road to power to a T
So Michelle Obama's got a coming-of-age memoir, titled Becoming, coming out? To be released just a few days after November's midterms? The ones in which Democrats expect to launch their Blue Wave and retake the House and the Senate? Thomas Lifson, writing in today's American Thinker, couldn't be more on target in writing that the book signals that she's running for president. What we are seeing here is not just a memoir for a million-dollar payday, as the Obamas have been so adept at gaining. (Michelle, after all, did make a heap from her book on vegetables as she tried to micromanage what Americans eat). This one is more than a memoir: it's a marketing of herself, her persona, as a "narrative" for something bigger, which in her case is a crack at the presidency. You don't win the presidency by talking about your ideas if your ideas (which are socialist) are unpopular. You win by talking about yourself.
Releasing the memoir with this calculated timing precisely mirrors strategy and tactics Barack Obama employed to win elections during his career. Apparently, Valerie Jarrett and the other Obamatons over at the Kalorama mansion, oh, so quiet all these months, have not been idle in plotting out this new "narrative." Michelle's new book has Team Obama's fingerprints all over it. Just take a look at what Obama did with his book strategy for winning higher office. Here's the first instance from Wikipedia: Dreams from My Father: A Story of Race and Inheritance (1995) is a memoir by Barack Obama, who was elected as U.S. President in 2008. It explores events of his early years, up until his entry into law school in 1988. Obama published the memoir in July 1995, when he was starting his political campaign for Illinois Senate. And then here's the second one from Wikipedia: The Audacity of Hope: Thoughts on Reclaiming the American Dream is the second book written by then-Senator Barack Obama. In the fall of 2006 it became number one on both the New York Times and Amazon.com bestsellers lists after Obama was endorsed by Oprah Winfrey. In the book, Obama expounds on many of the subjects that became part of his 2008 campaign for the presidency. The book advance from the publisher totalled $1.9 million contracted for three books. Obama announced his ultimately successful presidential campaign on February 10, 2007, a little more than three months after the book's release. The timing was right there in both instances, as is the timing in Michelle Obama's book. The Obamas know what works, and they are sticking to the formula. Given that Michelle Obama's Princeton thesis was barely literate, it makes one wonder who is helping her with the writing. Is it Bill Ayers, as Jack Cashill pretty well showed in Obama's case? Or is it someone else dispatched from the war rooms at Kalorama? One wonders. And while we are on the topic, does the fact that Obama still maintains the Kalorama mansion, despite his gallivanting around the world like a billionaire, as his operatives plot back home, say anything about new presidential ambitions? Via Michelle Obama? It would seem so. As Lifson notes, the Democrats are in bad shape, at least if they run on policies. But if they can galvanize the black vote, which is what they did with Obama, they are in a position to win. They are sure they can't win if they don't. What would be more logical than for Michelle Obama to write an identity politics book, in first person, Oprah-style, as a backdrop "narrative" to galvanize those voters? The Obamas always were about "narrative" as a means of concealing their policy objectives by promoting their personas. Obama's "mind-meld," and right hand man, after all, was fiction writer and major Ben Rhodes. Ol' Ben knew more than anyone about creating "narratives." What's more, the Democratic Party is run by gerontocrats, meaning that the path is wide open for an outsider in its next presidential contest. They don't really have anyone viable otherwise, and they have certainly noted the Trump example. The Obamas have a formula for winning the presidency, and obviously, they are using it. Barack Obama succeeded repeatedly in employing this memoirs-of-identity model as a prelude to more. What we should look to now is Michelle Obama making a major speech for the Democrats, which was Barack Obama's next step in getting out there in front of the Democratic pack, and then taking the lead. Look next Michelle Obama's big speech. After the book, it's coming.
But we no longer live in that kind of country. Public officials can now openly, brazzenly, defy federal authorities in their efforts to enforce immigration law.
In a nation where the rule of law governed public officials, Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf might be subject to arrest for obstruction after she issued a warning to the city's illegal alien community that there was a pending sweep by ICE.
SFGate:
The relationship between U.S. immigration officials and Californias liberal leaders soured long ago, but Oakland Mayor Libby Schaafs decision to warn potential targets of federal arrest that an immigration sweep could be imminent was an extraordinary escalation. Schaaf said she issued the alert Saturday night after receiving confidential tips from credible sources who revealed that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, known as ICE, was planning arrests across the Bay Area as soon as Sunday. She and Police Chief Anne Kirkpatrick discussed the reports before Schaaf concluded that the information was solid enough to warrant going public, according to people familiar with her thinking. Schaaf said she also conferred with legal counsel to make sure she wasnt opening herself up to federal prosecution. The news release that resulted which Schaaf said was intended not to panic our residents but to protect them was among the most assertive maneuvers by a local politician to counter the Trump administrations crackdown on undocumented immigrants. The message: Not only will Oakland and its police force not cooperate with ICE, but the city will actively seek to thwart efforts to detain and deport immigrants.
There's obviously a loophole in the law somewhere but I'm not seeing it. It may be that because she did not try to obstruct a specific ICE operation that she was absolved of any crime. Or it could be that ICE is avoiding that kind of confrontation and is turning a blind eye to the lawbreaking.
Either way, it's incredible. Local officials should not have the option of cooperating with federal authorities. Oakland is either part of the United States or it isn't. If it wishes to become an "open city" as New York declared itself during the Civil War, they should say so.
Schaff's justification for the warning is mindboggling:
At a news conference Sunday in the citys heavily Latino Fruitvale neighborhood, Schaaf said she had notified mayors of other Bay Area cities of the imminent sweep and felt confident that my sharing of this information, because I did not receive it through official channels, is legal. Asked why she would want to interfere in ICEs ability to make arrests in Oakland, Schaaf did not answer directly. She said only that she had been told the targets of the sweep were wanted for immigration violations, not as suspects in crimes. She referred to Oakland nurse Maria Mendoza-Sanchez, who with her husband was deported last year after more than two decades in the United States. The couple left behind four children who have legal status. Oakland is full of Marias, Schaaf said.
Oakland may also harbor some Jose Inez Garcia Zarates - the man who murdered Kate Steinle, the San Fransico area woman gunned down on a pier. But who cares if there are a few Kate Steinles when you can protect illegals who may or may not be law abiding?
I think we should open the borders and allow anyone who wants to come to the United States to be welcomed with open arms - as long as they settle in Oakland. We'll see how long Schaff continues to believe there is no difference between legal and illegal immigration.
Sheriff Scott Israel shoves aside NRA as scapegoat for Parkland massacre
Leftists love scapegoats when they get to choose them. But their narrative on the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School mass slaughter is crashing and burning. The statist gun-grabbers thought they had another golden opportunity when 17 people were massacred at a high school in an affluent suburb of Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Plenty of articulate student survivors and grieving parents to mobilize for kangaroo court town halls and to be bussed to Tallahassee and Washington, D.C. spelled good visuals and heartbreaking stories. The knee-jerk response of the left-media combine following a school shooting always is to blame the NRA, which stands in the way of dreams of tyranny. If only Americans didn't have access to guns, we'd all be safe, goes the familiar mantra, ignoring mass slaughters in gun-restrictive locales like the Bataclan in Paris.
But this time, it turns out that an armed responder was present joined by three colleagues from the Broward sheriff and all failed to take action as the carnage continued. It also turns out that federal funding and local policies prevented the arrest of the perp for crimes committed that would have prevented him from buying his armory. Existing laws could have prevented the problem, and existing personnel on the spot at the high school could have minimized casualties. But they didn't and one man stands at the center of both problems: Broward County sheriff Scott Israel. Over the weekend, Sheriff Israel moved aggressively to make himself the scapegoat for the outrageous slaughter. Two videos tell the story. First, if you have half an hour, treat yourself to the grilling administered by Jake Tapper on CNN's Sunday-morning interview show. Tapper was moderator at CNN's now notorious town hall where Israel berated NRA spokeswoman Dana Loesch while concealing the fact that his armed deputies stood by as the shooter finished his bloody mission. Perhaps Tapper doesn't appreciate being bamboozled this way. Israel, already in a hole, dug deeper a bit later in the day, claiming he was not responsible for his deputies' behavior: Broward County Sheriff Scott Israel refusing to resign telling @nbc6: "I gave him a gun. I gave him a badge. I gave him the training. If he didnt have the heart to go in, thats not my responsibility." Clip from our one-on-one interview below. #DouglasHighSchool pic.twitter.com/FV5Gn0ZEBY Erika Glover (@ErikaGloverNBC6) February 25, 2018 Apparently, Israel has never heard of Harry Truman's famous adage, "The buck stops here." Were he a military officer, he would be cashiered. Keep in mind that the tapes of cell phone or radio conversations with the four deputies who stood by have not been released. It is inconceivable that they did not contact their bosses and ask for guidance. When those tapes are released, we will understand what kind of orders they were under from the sheriff's office. Israel was a fervent supporter of Hillary Clinton's candidacy. He is even reported to have been a favorite of Clinton for appointment as director of the FBI. But he is now so radioactive that the #fireSheriffIsrael hashtag is trending, and Governor Rick Scott is pondering removing him from office, a move that is fully within Governor Scott's power. In the era of Trump, conservatives don't accept the media-generated memes as gospel. We fight back. And often enough, we win. This story is not going away, and it could get much, much worse for the party of statists who demand our guns while they prove they are unable to protect us.
The struggle for victimhood
Is it any wonder that the Parkland shooting has become a bandwagon onto which attention-seekers have climbed? The usual Hollywood celebrities, small-time politicos, and aspiring "activists" have scrambled to bask in the exposure that exploiting someone else's misfortune affords them. Sadly, these hangers-on have become a permanent fixture in the aftermath of disaster, natural or man-made. So, it is no surprise that NPR's Morning Edition Sunday broadcast a segment titled "People of Color Respond to Parkland." The broadcast featured a minister of indeterminate denomination with the added credential of "Director of Urban Strategies and Live Free at the 'People Improving Communities through Organizing' Network," located naturally in San Francisco. Leave it to NPR to inject a bit of levity into an otherwise horrific situation.
Reverend Michael McBride wasted not a minute expressing a thought or a prayer for the seventeen of God's children gunned down last week. Predictably, he launched into a semi-coherent tirade specifically against 1) "white males" and the "toxicity of masculinity they are drowning in" and 2) law enforcement officers gunning down innocent black men as the real causes for alarm. Never mind that it appears to be the failure of LEOs to draw their guns last week that in all likelihood cost some victims their lives. None of the victims was black, so perhaps the matter was of little concern. The interview with McBride continued for nearly four minutes, not once touching on the victims in Florida. In fairness, neither did he or squeaky-voiced show hostess Lulu Garcia Navarro talk about the gunplay that ensues on a daily basis in many urban black communities. As grotesque and gratuitous as school shootings are, their death toll pales in comparison to that of Chicago or Baltimore, where black males murdering one another drive the statistical probability of death into frightening territory. McBride, however, is not the only "person of color respond[ing] to Parkland." According a Vox headline, "Parkland is sparking a difficult conversation about race, trauma, and public support": [F]or some black racial justice activists, organizers, and public figures, the reaction to the students of Stoneman Douglas has also led to another truth: Organizing around Black Lives Matter and the larger Movement for Black Lives, another youth-led movement demanding policy change in the wake of trauma, was not and has not been as readily embraced. In other words, these obtuse activists are jealous of the attention the dead Parkland kids have received. Tweets one Charlene Carruthers, "I'm a bit taken aback (and a bit hurt) that those of us who were in the streets in the past five years for Black lives didn't receive this type of reception or public support." In the same Vox article, Black Lives Matter founder Patrisse McCullors goes even farther: "White people get to be everything. They get to victims, they get to be heroes." The Parkland victims were not all white. Not even close. It is beyond appalling that McCullors should express such naked envy of the victims of the Parkland shootings. In a sane universe, such a lack of empathy for murdered children and their grieving families and friends would be viewed as deeply troubling. Given the failure of Black Lives Matter to address or even call out the terrible carnage that exists within its own "community," this is perhaps not surprising. What it is is yet another divisive cut into the rent fabric of race relations. For whom should we have more contempt? Those who seek to publicize themselves by exploiting a tragedy or those who despise the victims for stealing the limelight? Tough call. Nancy Kelly is a writer for hire.
But the White House issued a statement saying that no talks would begin unless there was an understanding that they would lead to an end of the North Korean nuclear program.
North and South Korean officials met before the closing ceremonies of the Olympic Games and representatives of the Kim regime expressed their willingness to talk to the United States about the crisis on the Korean peninsula.
Reuters:
The North Korean delegation, in Pyeongchang for the closing ceremony of the Winter Olympics, met at an undisclosed location with South Korean President Moon Jae-in, and expressed a willingness to meet with the United States, Moons office said in a statement. The Pyongyang delegation said developments in relations between the two Koreas and between North Korea and the United States should go hand in hand, according to the statement. The Olympics gave a boost to recent engagement between the two Koreas after more than a year of sharply rising tensions over the Norths missile program and its sixth and largest nuclear test in defiance of U.N. sanctions. The United States announced on Friday it was imposing its largest package of sanctions aimed at getting North Korea to give up its nuclear and missile programs. On Sunday, North Korean state media accused the United States of provoking confrontation on the Korean peninsula with the sanctions. The White House said its sanctions would continue. We will see if Pyongyangs message today, that it is willing to hold talks, represents the first steps along the path to denuclearization, the White House said in a statement.
Kim Jong-un has repeated and emphatically made it clear that North Korea would never give up its nuclear program under any circumstances. So the idea of talks is a non-starter. North Korea knew this when they made the offer to talk. Not only that, they knew the US would respond to their offer by insisting they give up their nukes. And we knew they knew what the outcome would be.
So both sides played their little diplomatic game North Korea scored some propaganda points with their targeted audience - South Korean citizens. And the US maintained their hard line on the North's nuclear program.
But Kim's broader strategy of trying to drive a wedge between the US and South Korea appears to be working. President Moon has embraced the delusional notion that the visit by North Koreans during the Olympics was some kind of breakthrough. It isn't. Kim knows that as long as he appears to be talking to the South, Trump will almost certainly not attack. It is in Moon's interests to maintain this fiction because a US attack would almost certainly see North Korea retaliate against the South, causing widespread devastation.
The US just imposed more sanctions on North Korea and there's a pretty good chance that the US Navy is going to be stopping and boarding ships carrying anything to North Korea. Since most of the ships are Chinese, Beijing is not thrilled with this plan. But Trump seems determined to halt the two faced Chinese policy where they publicly support sanctions but try to get around them surreptitiously.
All of this leads where? I doubt that the president even knows that yet.
This will be a central issue this week as the U.S. Supreme Court takes up whether a government worker can be compelled to pay money to a public employee union. Although not strictly union dues, the "agency" fees required by such unions typically range from 50 percent to 100 percent of union member dues.
"To compel a man to furnish contributions of money for the propagation of opinions which he disbelieves is sinful and tyrannical," wrote Thomas Jefferson in the Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom.
In 1977, the high court's Abood decision allowed such coercive exactions on the assumption that unions act primarily as collective bargaining agents for government workers and serve their interests. But since the policies of any government employee union inevitably influence government policy, these unions are inevitably also political.
Moreover, as the Wall Street Journal's Dan Henninger notes, these "unions have become political parties," promoting their own far-ranging leftward ideological agendas to enlarge government and advance specific political causes, such as giving the right to vote to felons. Union members now provide both money and shock troops to the partisan left.
Most would agree that compelling a citizen to pay a hefty hunk of his or her wages to any political party violates that person's rights of free speech and free association. The very point of civil service reform more than a century ago was to remove government jobs from the corrupt old political "spoils" system, named after the saying "To the winner go the spoils," through which activists in either winning party were given government jobs to reward their partisan loyalty.
When public workers are forced to pay unions that have used their coerced money to become the biggest funders of Democratic Party candidates, this violates their rights and corrupts our democratic republic. A National Science Foundation-funded General Social Survey found that 32 percent of unionized government workers identify as Republicans or Republican-leaning independents. But at least 90 percent of all public employee union political contributions are given to Democrats.
Such de facto taxation of workers is all the more cynical because it funds a private union monopoly intertwined with a public government monopoly. The Progressive politicians empower public unions, then divvy up the money that fat-cat union bosses have squeezed from workers. Workers who should serve the public equally are exploited by unions to fund mostly one political party.
The politicians use such union money to get re-elected and then renew union power and move to make unionized government even larger. And unlike the private sector, where companies bargain to keep their own profits, in government, the unions often have helped elect the very politicians who now sit across the bargaining table politicians usually more than happy to give away to the unions dollars not earned by government, but simply coerced from taxpayers.
The workers lose, and so do taxpayers, who pay the cost of ever bigger, more corrupt government. We get "the best government money can buy," thanks to leftist campaigns lavishly funded with what in a free society would be defined as stolen money.
The leftist press is terrified that this week's court case, Janus v. American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees, Council 31 perhaps the most important landmark case in decades could put at risk nearly two thirds of public union campaign money ($166 million in 2016) that the four biggest public employee unions give the lion's share of to Democratic candidates. Could Democrats win without this extorted union money advantage? Perhaps not.
After World War II, more than a third of U.S. workers were union members. Today, only about 6.5 percent of private-sector workers are unionized. By contrast, federal, state, and local governments are typically 36 percent unionized.
But, as Craig R. Smith and I discussed in our book The Great Withdrawal, even in "Progressive" Wisconsin, unionized workers, "given a chance by a new law to leave their union without penalty, have been quitting in huge numbers" of nearly 50 percent. Two states that were key to President Trump's 2016 victory Michigan and Wisconsin over the past six years adopted "right to work" laws that at least partially ended compulsory payments to government unions. Workers now have a "right to work" in 28 of 50 states.
Public employee union extortion almost ended in 2016, but the sudden death of Justice Antonin Scalia removed a conservative vote from the Supreme Court and ended the case Friedrichs v. California Teachers Association in a 4-4 tie vote. President Trump's appointment of Justice Neil Gorsuch replaced Scalia with another conservative. Progressives are right to fear that the court ruling expected by June will take away much of their money and power by freeing their members.
Lowell Ponte is a veteran think-tank futurist and author or co-author of eight books. His latest, co-authored with Craig R. Smith, is Money, Morality & The Machine, available free and postpaid by calling 800-630-1492. Lowell can be reached for interviews by email at radioright@aol.com.
Belgian network equipment manufacturer Accelleran on Monday announced its latest small cells and other solutions meant to allow for the deployment of the fifth generation of mobile networks. The company arrived at the latest iteration of Mobile World Congress to showcase its virtual radio access network and slicing solutions on both the 2.6GHz and 3.5GHz band using its E1000-series small cell stations. The newly unveiled small cells are already being mass-produced and will be available to wireless carriers in the near future, with Accelleran claiming they offer full-fledged integration and aggressive cost optimization for a wide variety of use cases. The hardware is powered by the Antwerpen-based companys proprietary software which has been specifically designed to allow for virtual RAN architectures with slicing support.
The E3000 small cell lineup is another Accelleran-made product family being announced in Barcelona, Spain, with the series enabling high-capacity functions and carrier aggregation, as well as three-sector multicell solutions. The company is also unveiling its new RAN Controller at the mobile industrys largest annual trade show, being quick to point out that its Control Plane is not just entirely autonomous but also highly portable, having been specifically designed to enable contemporary virtualized network functions optimized for a broad range of use cases. One of the 5G demonstrations on the 3.5GHz band is being conducted in partnership with Spanish wireless giant Eurona Wireless Telecom which is providing the Belgian hardware maker with the spectrum needed for its trial. The company is holding four demonstrations in total, all of which are meant to illustrate the versatility of its offerings and their overall suitability for supporting 5G rollouts.
The E1000 series of small cells is being advertised as offering macro-quality performance despite having a physical footprint of a shoebox. Small cells are widely expected to serve as the backbone of most future 5G buildouts by virtue of the fact that many such solutions will rely on millimeter-wave spectrum which offers improved speeds and latencies but isnt suitable for traveling long-term distances due to its tendency to be absorbed by rain and foliage, as well as its inability to reliably penetrate walls. Large-scale 5G buildouts are expected to start in the United States and the Far East by early 2019, whereas European carriers should follow suit by 2020.
Connectivity company UROS took to Mobile World Congress 2018 to announce that it had struck a deal with US carrier AT&T to bring the carriers global Wi-Fi Hub network into the Goodspeed Roaming apps available network loadout. The Goodspeed Roaming app connects international travelers with high-speed Wi-Fi with transparent pricing that can be cheaper than paying roaming fees through most carriers, and with the signing of this deal, Goodspeed Roaming customers will now be able to use the service in 140 countries around the world. Adding in AT&T Wi-Fi Hubs brings the total number of hotspots up to well over 12 million. Customers who have the app and a compatible device can enjoy service anywhere an AT&T Wi-Fi Hub customer would have service, and since its directly through the Goodspeed Roaming app, the same pricing and terms are maintained, so the only thing that will change for customers is wider coverage and more available hotspots.
Goodspeed Roaming is separate from the Goodspeed Hotspot service, which requires buying a separate device and can be purchased daily or monthly. In all covered countries, the rate is $4.99 for a 24-hour pass that will get you enough mobile data for a day of medium usage. The app is only compatible with select devices for the time being, and sideloading the APK file will not necessarily get you service. Right now, the easiest way to get the Goodspeed Mobile app is to buy a specially pre-loaded ZTE Blade V8 Lite that UROS sells on the Goodspeed website. The mid-range device was released at last years Mobile World Congress, and will only cost you 144.35 ($177) from the Goodspeed website. Its not an award-winning flagship device by any means, but its a serviceable spare to take beyond your home countrys borders.
UROS-made Goodspeed Roaming solution boasts a large number of compatible countries and wide coverage, on top of flat, transparent, and economical pricing. While the major US carriers all offer some sort of international roaming deals for their customers, Goodspeed Roaming can be a good solution for those who arent customers of those major carriers, or who dont want to risk taking their daily driver out of the country.
First benchmark results of the Galaxy S9 model powered by Samsungs Exynos 9810 chip show a level of single-core performance thats unprecedented in the Android ecosystem. Ran by tech outlet AnandTech at MWC 2018, the initial synthetic tests Samsungs new flagship was put through still arent entirely indicative of massive improvements across the board compared to the ultra-premium solution offered by the companys foundry business last year.
The scores of the new quad-core cluster entailing four big Exynos M3 cores indicates that Samsung managed to exceed the single-core floating point performance by a factor larger than two, whereas its integer-based results were better by over 70-percent compared to the Exynos 8895 which powered the international variants of the Galaxy S8 lineup and the Galaxy Note 8. This essentially puts Samsungs latest piece of silicon on par with the single-core efficiency of Apples A10 powering the iPhone 7 lineup, though still noticeably below the A11 chip found inside the iPhone 8 and iPhone X series. While the Exynos 9810 is advertised as offering speeds of up to 2.9GHz, initial testing suggests the Galaxy S9 implementation of the chip tops out at 2.7GHz and is only reachable when just a single M3 core is active. The scalable frequency peaks of the big cluster see a dual-core configuration drop to 2.3GHz, whereas three or four cores working together wont run at more than 1.8GHz.
The new Mali G72MP18 GPU is operating at up to 572MHz, an incremental improvement over last years Mali G71MP20 whose larger configuration has a cap at 546MHz. Tests meant to evaluate real-world performance such as web browsing and writing showed some concerning results that were barely above those of the Exynos 8895 and noticeably below the Snapdragon 845 meant to power the Galaxy S9 models set to be sold in North America and China. Benchmarks designed to measure everyday usage never come with any claims of perfect accuracy and the software pre-installed on the devices being shown at the Barcelona-based trade show is still experimental, so the results in this segment may improve on the commercial variants of the Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9 Plus.
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While the overall CPU performance of the new chip was found to be superior to that of the Snapdragon 845, Qualcomms latest chip achieved more than 35-percent better results in GFXBenchs Manhattan GPU benchmark which the Exynos 9810 completed with around seven-percent better results than its direct predecessor. T-Rex results were much closer, though none of the differences imply owners of either model will be at a significant disadvantage compared to their peers, as was the case with every Galaxy S generation since the 2015 Galaxy S6 and the problematic Snapdragon 810 which was prone to overheating. Samsungs new Android flagships are being released globally on March 16.
During MWC 2018 HMD Global announced a number of new phones including the Nokia 1 and following the main announcement we were able to take a closer look at the phone to see how it shapes up and what you can expect if you do plan on picking one up in the near future.
The first thing to note is how apt the name Nokia 1 is as this is being positioned as a super-affordable entry-level phone considering it is expected to arrive to market starting in April priced at $85, on average. With its low-level status comes in an incredible small size making this one more akin to smartphones of old, due to the screen in use totaling 4.5-inches. Unlike the BlackBerry KEYone which boasts a similar-sized display along with a keyboard the display is the only aspect included with the Nokia 1 resulting in a very small phone overall, housed within a 5.25-inch frame. The difference in size between display and body will give you an idea of the level of bezels included. Another design point to take note of, in spite of the low price and largely plastic build quality, this is being positioned as a highly customizable phone. As the Nokia 1 features a swappable back cover with the current plan being a number of colored back covers available at launch. Best of all, in keeping with the rock-bottom price, these cases are expected to become available for $7.99 each. Making the ability to swap from the default Warm Red or Dark Blue covers to an Azure, Grey, Yellow or Pink color, a cheap one. On a more general design note, the Nokia 1 is very much in line with the latest batch of Nokia phones sporting the same overall look.
As is probably to be expected with a phone priced as cheap as this one, the display is not the best with it making use of a traditional 16:9 aspect ratio along with an 854 x 380 resolution. While inside, you can expect 1GB RAM, 8GB storage, and a MediaTek processor. While these numbers might be suggesting this is unlikely to be a great performing phone overall, things are not quite that simple. As not only does the Nokia 1 come running on Android 8.1 (Oreo), but Android Gos interpretation of Oreo. This is important as Android Go is designed to specifically cater to low-powered smartphones by offering users an OS purpose-designed to match the hardware. Therefore, the reduction in core specs is only a perceived reduction. Instead, the software in use offers one which can be considered Pixel or Nexus-like. That is not to say this is a fast-performing phone, as it is not, but it is also not meant to be. Yes, the speed and general load times will not be anywhere near a premium level and during our time with the early version of the software it was very slow. However, compared to any other phone at this price point (and a number of higher-priced ones for that matter) running on a tweaked version of Android, the general performance and user experience is considerably better. Resulting in a higher-usable phone when taking into consideration the asking price. No, this will not be a smartphone for everyone, but for those looking for a very affordable option which is not weighed down with unnecessary features or apps that are too demanding to run, this will be one to consider.
Finnish mobile OS developer Jolla is attending Mobile World Congress 2018 in Barcelona, Spain, where the company has officially announced Sailfish 3, the next-generation independent mobile OS built on a five-year software legacy. The company also announced a handful of new devices that have joined the Sailfish ecosystem and it revealed its plans for a new branch of its mobile operating system which was designed specifically for 4G-enabled feature phones as it sets out to allow select Android app access on low-spec hardware for consumers who dont need or want a full-fledged smartphone.
One of the biggest changes introduced with the latest Sailfish 3 OS lies in the way the software can be distributed through regional licensing, providing full support for regional infrastructure which should lead to steady upgrade releases and more. As for the mobile operating system itself, Sailfish 3 should provide 30-percent faster performance, improved multitasking with the ability to quickly switch between applications, as well as a redesigned top menu containing actions and settings. The mobile operating system employs a new visual style comprising new ambiances, light themes, and animations, while also offering new security solutions including revised architecture, fingerprint support, encryption, remote locking and wiping capabilities, as well as enablers for blockchain-based services. In terms of connectivity, the new mobile OS version provides VoLTE, Bluetooth LE, and USB On-The-Go, all while adopting full cloud integration with automatic syncing support. New APIs are provided for the Camera, Location, WebEngine, Crypto and other services, and businesses can take advantage of an integrated VPN, a redesigned Calendar and Email solution, Mobile Device Management, as well as encrypted user data and communications.
Jolla also announced a handful of new devices that have joined the Sailfish OS family, including the Sony Xperia XA2 along with the Gemini PDA and certain INOI tablets which are generally used in Russia by corporate customers. In addition, the new Sailfish branch designed specifically for feature phones includes a corresponding user interface, built-in support for hardware keyboards, and support for appropriate low-end hardware components. As far as availability goes, Sailfish 3 will be distributed in phases starting with the third quarter of this year and will gradually make its way to all eligible devices.
Lenovo introduced three new Chromebooks during CES 2018, the 100e, 300e, and 500e Chromebooks. At this years MWC event Lenovo is once again showing off these three new Chromebooks while also providing the latest availability information. On the latter point, the Lenovo 500e and 300e Chromebooks are both now available to buy in the US from Lenovos online store and starting from $349 and $279, respectively. While the Lenovo 100e Chromebook is due to become available in March and starting from $219. In addition, Lenovo has confirmed all three models are due to become available soon through third-party retailers in the US and the UK, as well as in Australia, Brazil, Germany, Italy, and Spain.
These three Chromebooks are designed to cater to different consumer needs, with the 100e designed as more of an affordable option compared to the 300e and 500e which both sport various premium design traits. For example, both the 300e and 500e models provide greater levels of flexibility, adopt more of a 2-in-1 design, and offer the option for use in multiple positions including a tablet mode, while the 100e is more of a traditional laptop-designed Chromebook. Although, all three do come with an emphasis on durability including a more rugged design in general, as well as rubber bumpers, reinforced elements, and a spill-resistant keyboard. Likewise, Lenovo states all three have been designed with a touch-first experience in mind. So while all three models will offer a premium touch experience when engaging with Android apps, the experience is heightened even further on the 300e and 500e models. As the 300e supports touch from a wide range of stylus-like items, while the 500e actually comes with its own stylus, along with the use of Google-provided code to offer a near lag-free writing and sketching experience.
As for the general specs, all three models feature 4GB RAM, and 32 GB storage, although the 500e model will also be available with 8GB RAM and/or 64GB storage. Processors are different with the 100e powered by an Intel Celeron N3350, the 300e powered by a MediaTek MTK 8173C, and the 500e powered by an Intel Celeron N3450. All three, however, are listed to offer up to ten hours of battery life, and all three do include an 11.6-inch display along with a 1366 x 768 resolution. It might be worth noting the displays on the 300e and 500e models are IPS displays while the 100e makes use of a TN display.
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Lenovo 500e Chromebook
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MediaTek at Mobile World Congress has just announced its newest system-on-chip that is destined to be in the mid-range segment of smartphones, the Helio P60. With this chipset, the company is looking to target the new premium smartphones. Those are defined as those that are priced between $200 and $400, but have most of the flagship specs and features of something that would cost about twice that. The Helio P60 is an octa-core chipset, with a quad-core A73 cluster clocked at 2GHz, and a quad-core A53 cluster clocked at 2GHz and there is also the Mali G72 MP3 GPU included, which is the newest GPU from ARM.
This chipset also has an AI Processing Unit or an APU. That is a feature that is becoming increasingly popular in newer chipsets, with artificial intelligence becoming such a big deal these days. It uses MediaTeks NeuroPilot technology, which is able to do things like facial recognition, object and scene recognition, and other augmentations. NeuroPilot does also work with the Android Neural Network (Android NN), as well as other AI frameworks like TensorFlow, TF life, Caffe and Caffe 2. By supporting these AI frameworks, developers are able to quickly bring artificial intelligence applications to market on this chipset.
Besides artificial intelligence, another big aspect of many newer chipsets is what it can do for the camera on the smartphone. Since the ISP or Image Signal Processor is built into the chipset. And the Helio P60 is no different. MediaTek has made the Helio P60 capable of handling dual-cameras of 20-megapixel and 16-megapixel or a single camera that is up to 32-megapixels. The ISP inside the Helio P60 also has hardware-driven enhancements, which make it easier to gorgeous photos, and also includes real-time bokeh effects, anti-bloom, noise reduction and AI-accelerated face and scene detection. MediaTek also touts that the three ISPs available in the Helio P60 are distinctly different, but also notes that it consumes about 18% less power, so that you can use the camera more without it depleting your smartphones battery. This is important since the camera usually uses the most juice, besides the display, due to all of the resources it is using.
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Now getting into more of the technical aspects of this new chipset, the MediaTek CorePilot technology is also included here. CorePilot is able to assign workloads to cores, making for a seamless user experience, while also saving some power on your device. MediaTek says that compared to the Helio P23, the Helio P60 is able to deliver 25 percent power savings for power-intensive applications. And a 12 percent power savings overall. MediaTek has been working on CorePilot technology for many years, but now feel that it is ready for primetime, and is now included in the Helio P60. As mentioned already, the Helio P60 has four Cortex-A73 cores and four Cortex-A53 cores all clocked at 2.0GHz, along with the Mali G72 graphics processing unit. The Helio P60 is also able to support displays up to a 20:9 aspect ratio at full HD plus resolution. It does also support WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, as well as Bluetooth 4.2 and GPS, GLONASS, and Galileo for location tracking. Theres support for Cat 7 download speeds and Cat 13 upload speeds, and finally, it is built on the TSMC 12nm fabrication process.
MediaTek says that it expects to see devices with the Helio P60 on the market, as early as the second quarter of this year. It has already been sampling the new processor to some of its partners. And while MediaTek would not state any names, its quite confident that there will be plenty of Helio P60-powered devices hitting the market in the near future.
Over the last few weeks and months Qualcomm has made a number of announcements including the launch of new products, services, and supports. At MWC 2018, however, the company has been making a number of announcements related to how its current portfolio of products, supports, and services are impacting on the market and on development of various industries. The latest of these announcements directly relates to the world of Wi-Fi.
Specifically, Qualcomm has announced how it is leading the way in terms of the market transition to mesh Wi-Fi. With Qualcomm stating that its Mesh Networking Platform is leading industry growth, creating new opportunities for partners and enabling todays smartest homes. On the last point, Qualcomm draws on data from NPD Group to highlight the importance of this newer and emerging market by explaining almost 40-percent of the home Wi-Fi retail market in the US is now mesh network-based. A figure which the same data suggests represents a very quick level of growth considering eighteen months before, the mesh side of the market occupied only five-percent of the overall Wi-Fi market. In addition to detailing the level of growth mesh networks have seen over the past year, Qualcomm pulls on the same data to identify how the companys solution occupies the largest market share to date, and by association, a leadership position within the sector. Further expanding on this point, Qualcomm highlights how OEMS such as ASUS, Belkin, D-Link, eero, Google, Linksys, Luma, Netgear, Samsung, TP-Link, and Ubiquiti Networks, are among those who already use Qualcomm solutions in their products. While also pointing out how it is working with various service provides to further make the most of mesh network features for consumers.
As part of the same announcement, and as a means to further explain Qualcomms value-added contributions to the world of Wi-Fi, the company referenced how it has continually helped to establish as well transition to and from Wi-Fi standards. Qualcomm first announced its Mesh Networking Platform back in May, 2017 and since then the company has made further announcements on the expansion of features offered through the platform. The most recent of which came through in January, 2018, during CES, when Qualcomm announced platform support for Microsofts Cortana.
Qualcomm on Monday sent yet another open letter to Broadcom, snubbing the recently lowered offer by once again asserting its materially undervaluing its assets. While the San Diego, California-based tech giant made the same claim on multiple occasions, its latest correspondence with its unsolicited suitor sheds more light on the matter, revealing that Broadcoms valuation of the firm is based on a period that saw Qualcomms valuable licensing business face temporary challenges that masked continued strong performance of its semiconductor division, according to the chipmaker. The setbacks Qualcomm is referring to recently came in the form of multiple clashes with antitrust authorities around the world, as well as its high-profile legal battle with Apple over patent royalties.
Qualcomm Chairman Paul E. Jacobs wrote that the company remains confident in the success of both its immediate and long-term business plans meant to create substantial shareholder value going forward. Broadcoms current $117 billion bid has hence been deemed insufficient, as was its previous $121 billion offer which was lowered after Qualcomm strengthened its acquisition agreement with Dutch NXP Semiconductors. Qualcomms antitrust issues, problems with Apple, and the prolonged nature of its NXP takeover are all believed to have played part in Broadcoms decision to attempt purchasing the chipmaker, according to some industry watchers who speculate the Singapore-based tech giant sensed the timing for doing so is right as Qualcomms troubles may have annoyed enough stakeholders to convince the majority to sell the firm.
Qualcomms investors will have a chance to do so next Tuesday when the companys annual shareholder meeting is scheduled to take place. Broadcom will attempt a coup of the firms board on the occasion by presenting six nominees meant to replace the majority of Qualcomms eleven-man leadership, all of whom are prepared to sell the chipmaker under the current proposal amounting to $79 per share, i.e. $57 in cash and a $22 equity payment from the combined entity. If completed, the deal would be by far the largest acquisition in the history of the technology industry, being nearly double the value of Dells $67 billion EMC purchase from 2015. Qualcomms latest letter acknowledged Broadcom made some additional concessions to lower the regulatory concerns surrounding the potential consolidation during the parties second meeting on Friday but reiterated the deal as a whole is still far from acceptable.
Qualcomm is simplifying the global implementation of gigabit-class LTE into the Xperia XZ2 series, the chipmaker announced Monday, shortly after Sony unveiled its latest Android flagships. Both the Xperia XZ2 and Xperia XZ2 Compact are powered by the companys Snapdragon 845 chip which includes its RF Front End (RFFE) modem-to-antenna solution which streamlines the technologies needed for enabling the next generation of wireless speeds, Qualcomm claims. The X20 LTE modem and other connectivity solutions integrated into the Snapdragon 845 should allow Sony to take the wireless performance of its new flagships to the next level, both in terms of speeds and energy efficiency, according to the San Diego, California-based tech giant.
Qualcomm is quick to point out that many models of the Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9 Plus will also be powered by its newest high-end chip, whereas about a dozen other original equipment manufacturers should utilize the same silicon in the near future. Most industry watchers are expecting the Snapdragon 845 to be found inside the vast majority of Android flagships released over the course of this year. The only high-profile mobile offerings that are set to circumvent the silicon are the international variants of the Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9 Plus and Huaweis 2018 flagships. In Samsungs case, the company will be equipping its devices sold outside of North America and China with the in-house Exynos 9810, whereas Huawei will likely integrate the Kirin 970 made by its subsidiary HiSilicon into the P20 and P20 Plus, both of which are set to be launched on March 27 in Paris, France. The Mate 11 or however the successor to the 2017 Mate 10 series ends up being called is expected to be the first device sporting the Kirin 980 when it debuts in late 2018.
Sony is likely to stick with Qualcomms ultra-premium chip for the remainder of the year and should utilize the silicon in all of its Android flagships. The Xperia XZ2 and Xperia XZ2 Compact represent a major departure from the firms symmetrical OmniBalance design which Sony used for over half a decade by featuring minimal bezels and 18:9 display panels. Both devices are set to be released on a global level this spring.
Qualcomm has been running a pair of simulations to show roughly what the real-world performance of future 5G networks will be, and the company is now prepared to share some of its findings. The tech giant has been running simulations in two different areas and has universally found that non-standalone 5G networks, the first type that most carriers will be deploying, will offer significant real-world improvements over current 4G LTE networks. One simulation has been running in Frankfurt, Germany, while the other has been running in San Francisco, California. Testing real-world use cases, Qualcomm found that the boost in speed, density, and capacity enabled by 5G networks will be able to increase downlink and uplink speeds drastically, and cut network latency, also known as ping, to close to nothing.
The San Francisco trial used 800MHz of mmWave spectrum for 5G and tied into existing 4G LTE networks. This network was able to provide download speeds around an average of 1.4Gbps per user, along with network ping on the order of about 4.9 milliseconds. File download speeds, meanwhile, exceeded 180 megabits per second in most use cases. This workload can be more intensive and slower than browsing due to the large amounts of data coming from the source, meaning that users can only download as fast as the source server can upload. Video streaming capacity shot up to 8K resolution, 120 frames per second, and 10-bit color depth. The trial in Frankfurt used vastly less spectrum, with only 100MHz used directly for 5G. There was, however, an underlying 5G network that used license-assisted access at a remote location. The rest of the network backhaul used for the trial was provided by local 4G LTE networks. Even then, browsing speeds soared to almost 500Mbps. Other speeds and metrics were close to equivalent to the San Francisco test, despite using less dedicated spectrum for 5G.
This test was conducted using existing 5G NR base stations, which means that the speed and reliability seen in these trials could potentially go live for all users in the very near future. In each trial, about 14,000 various network devices such as smartphones and tablets, were scattered around the coverage area. The trial equipment used Massive MIMO technology, along with beamforming.
The music playback times of the Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9 Plus received a significant boost compared to those of their predecessors, as revealed by the official battery specs and estimates Samsung published shortly after announcing its latest pair of Android flagships at Mobile World Congress 2018. According to the South Korean phone maker, the Galaxy S9 can allow for up to 80 hours of MP3 playback with the Always-On Display turned off, which is 13 hours longer than what its direct predecessor was rated for. Under ideal conditions, the Galaxy S9 Plus delivers around 94 hours of MP3 playback, 16 more than the Galaxy S8 Plus. The duo is capable of delivering 48 and 54 hours of playback with the Always-On Display enabled, which is a four-hour year-on-year improvement across both models.
Maximum video playback and Internet use times on a single charge are largely the same ones from last year, with owners of Samsungs new flagships still being able to expect around 12 or more hours of 4G activity and up to 16 or 18 hours of watching video content, depending on their brightness settings and model of choice. Talk times have been slightly upgraded and their maximum estimates are now well over the 20-hour mark; Galaxy S9 is estimated to allow for up to 22 hours of talk time on a single charge, whereas the Galaxy S9 Plus improves on that performance by three hours, at least in theory. Samsungs projections are based on in-depth testing in a controlled environment, so real-world stats of both devices may vary depending on how aggressively one is using them.
As was the case last year, the batteries powering the Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9 Plus have been based on Samsungs latest technology meant to combat performance degradation. While the average Li-Ion cell loses approximately 20-percent of its maximum capacity after 400 charging cycles which amounts to about a year of regular use, the cells found inside the Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9 Plus retain around 95-percent of their capacity over the same period. Samsungs latest Android flagships will officially become available for pre-orders on Friday and are set to start retailing on a global level on March 16.
The imaging sensor found inside the Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9 Plus may make its way to other Android smartphones in the near future, with Samsung confirming its now mass-producing its 3-stack ISOCELL Fast 2L3 module. While the current manufacturing run is expected to be targeted at the companys latest flagships, Samsung has a long history of making its imaging technologies available to third-party original equipment manufacturers and the latest offerings in the ISOCELL series may follow the same availability pattern.
The sensor itself has a pixel size of 1.4m and is of the 12-megapixel variety, capable of shooting super slow-motion videos at up to 960 frames per second. That feature is directly attributed to its integrated dynamic RAM which allows for readout speeds that are fast enough for capturing movement in such a manner while still being able to deliver a sharp image that isnt prone to visual artifacts like distortion and noise. The analog logic layer of the sensor is coupled with an LPDDR4 DRAM chip capable of achieving two-gigabit speeds which can be beneficial to mobile photography in a wide variety of use cases. Besides slow-motion functionalities that match those of Sonys most premium offerings, the use of dynamic RAM also allows the 3-stack ISOCELL Fast 2L3 sensor to capture full-frame stills at 1/120 of a second. The Seoul-based tech giant believes the unique feature set of its newest imaging module will allow consumers to record more dramatic videos, with the Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9 Plus being meant to serve as the first proof of its abilities. The same sensor may also make its way to the Galaxy Note 9 expected to launch in late summer.
Following months of rumors, leaks, and anticipation, Samsung officially announced its latest Android-powered flagships on Sunday, introducing a pair of devices that focus on improving the overall performance of the Galaxy S8 lineup while largely retaining its look centered around the 18.5:9 Infinity Display. The handsets will become globally available for pre-orders on Friday and are scheduled to hit the market on March 16. As was the case with all of Samsungs ultra-premium mobile offerings released in recent years, the Galaxy S9 lineup is expected to be one of the years best-selling smartphone series.
Wireless carriers in the United Kingdom announced the first availability details of the Xperia XZ2 and Xperia XZ2 Compact, shortly after Sony unveiled its latest Android-powered flagships at this years Mobile World Congress. No firm pricing information has yet been attached to either device, though all major mobile service providers in the country disclosed which models and color options consumers can expect to be able to purchase and when.
O2 will offer the Xperia XZ2 and Xperia XZ2 Compact on a number of its Refresh tariffs in the coming weeks. The company said it will be the only wireless carrier in the country to offer the White Silver variant of the Xperia XZ2 Compact, whereas the same smartphone will also be sold in Black. The larger Xperia XZ2 will be obtainable from O2 in Liquid Silver, Liquid Black, and Petrol Blue. By purchasing either device on one of the firms Refresh tariffs, consumers will be able to upgrade early by only paying off their previous device and not incurring any extra fees. Should they want to keep Sonys smartphone after their contract is up, theyll be able to do so by only paying the price of their monthly Airtime Plan after the 24-month mark. O2 will also be allowing its subscribers to recycle their old handsets in exchange for whats effectively a discount on the new phone and is given in the form of a cash payment.
BT Group-owned EE will only be selling the Xperia XZ2 Compact and is already accepting pre-registrations from customers until March 21. Pre-orders will start on March 22, whereas those who pre-register their interest in the device will automatically enter a raffle for a trip to Japan that includes a visit to Sonys Minato, Tokyo-based headquarters. The devices will be available on all of the carriers plans, including its high-end EE Max ones. Three UK is also set to only retail the Xperia XZ2 and will be offering it in Petrol Blue and Liquid Silver. The handset will be available on all of the companys plans, with its pre-orders being scheduled to open on March 16, while the device itself is planned for an April release. Vodafone UK only confirmed it will soon begin retailing both the Xperia XZ2 and Xperia XA2 announced last month at CES 2018, adding that the duos pricing details will follow shortly.
In the below-freezing morning hours, elements of the Battle Group Poland loaded up for the upcoming Exercise Puma, which aimed to test the broader capabilities of this multinational organization over the next four days.
U.S. Soldiers assigned to 3rd Squadron, 2nd Cavalry Regiment, are preparing for the PUMA exercise in Poland.
(Picture source: Capt. Gary Loten-Beckford, U.S. Army)
The Polish-based battle group consists of the U.S. Army's 3rd Squadron, 2nd Cavalry Regiment, the Balaklava Troop of British Light Dragoons as additional reconnaissance, and two batteries of air defense artillery provided by Romania and Croatia.
3rd Squadron, 2nd Cavalry Regiment deployed to Poland last October in support of Operation Atlantic Resolve, working alongside other units from Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania as a deterrence force to support NATO's eastern border.
As reported by US Army Capt. Gary Loten-Beckford on February 26, "The PUMA exercise provided an opportunity for the Battle Group to deploy according to a 15th Mechanized Brigade order," said Battle Group Poland Operations Officer, U.S. Army Maj. Ryan Duffy. "We deployed our forces into the training areas and were able to test the plans we made through combined planning and rehearsals."
Exercise Puma began with an alert to the troops and involved the entire battle group leaving the base and assembling outside of the traditional training area provided by the host nation, Poland. The culminating event consisted of a Battle Group Poland live fire exercise where respective nations of the battle group systematically launched fire sequences, maneuver operations and close-air support operations through the objective.
"The exercise provided us an opportunity to test our Tactical Operations Center, planning standard operating procedures and current operations tracking procedures," said Duffy. "Each iteration of combined training has resulted in a better understanding of our allies and their tactics, techniques, and procedures, and we have ended this exercise with an increased ability to fight together with our allies."
Once subordinate units of the Battle Group Poland departed the training area and established secure battle positions, the Polish 15th Mechanized Brigade acted as the higher command for the exercise and issued orders and key tasks for the exercise. Upon reception of these orders and key tasks, commanders and subordinate leaders initiated plans to accomplish the mission.
The U.S.-led squadron completes its final interoperability stress test with Bull Run IV next month, after which most of the multinational units of Battle Group Poland will redeploy to their home countries. The Battle Group Poland transfer of authority is scheduled in April. 1st Squadron, 2nd Cavalry Regiment will be the lead U.S. element replacing 3rd Squadron, 2nd Cavalry Regiment as they redeploy to Germany and prepare for Saber Strike 18 in the summer.
A newly launched digital signing tool is expected to benefit lawyers and conveyancers, as well as their clients.
GlobalX has rolled out SignMe, a digital signing tool thats now integrated with the legal technology giants portfolio of services in Australia, including Matter Centre and Open Practice. SignMe is being launched as a free tool until the end of March.
SignMe will deliver positive impacts for my employees and indeed our clients the property buyer and seller, said Santina Taranto, Geelong Conveyancing managing director.
Super-fast wagons are nothing new for the German auto industry. Only they know the secret formula for such 150,000 toys. However, there's something undeniably new and magical about the E63.It's got all-wheel-drive now, and not just any ordinary old system. This one can shuffle power around from one axle to the other, and if you engage drift mode, everything goes to the back for a magical sideways experience.We've seen quite a few of the previous generation S212 E63 T-Model fitted with custom wheels from Vossen. But a few days ago, the Miami specialists got hold of a beautiful S213 version with shiny black paint.The wheels that were chosen are called M-X2, and we haven't seen them before, but that's because they belong to the new M-X series. Besides the super-thin spokes, the other major highlight is the pentagonal badge in the middle.The gold finish in combination with the black paint of the Merc naturally reminds us of the STI, which is probably intentional.Size-wise, the fronts are 21x10-inch while the back alloys are 21x11-inch. Only the stance has been changed, but other than that, this 600+ horsepower wagon is completely stock.Based on the location this was shot at, we think this E63 is being handled by a particular dipping company. But we probably won't know for sure until it's ready to be revealed. Don't expect a body kit because nobody makes one yet.Vossen's new M-X2 wheels have also been added to an S63 Coupe. You can check it out at the end of the gallery. Unfortunately, it's black-on-black and not the latest model.
But what if an Android device were to be integrated into the frame of the scooter? How many Angry Birds records will you be able to break then? How many text messages will you be able to answer while riding down busy city streets? Archos , an electric scooter manufacturer from France, announced last week the introduction of the worlds first Android scooter to address riders connectivity needs. Called Citee Connect, it will be available starting this summer for 500 euro (616 dollars).So, what does an Android scooter means? Simply put, its your everyday electric scooter, only boasting an integrated multimedia dashboard. That is a 5-inch touchscreen functioning as your everyday smartphone, powered by a quad-core processor and fitted with 1 GB of RAM and 8 GB of flash memory.The device is 3G capable, meaning riders will have access on-the-go to online services, including Google Maps and, why not, Angry Birds. For useful riding information, the device will show speed, distance traveled and remaining battery level.As for the scooter itself, it is made of aluminum and equipped with large 8.5-inch wheels. Forward motion is made possible by a 250W motor, drawing power from a 36V battery. Fully charged, the battery is good for only 25 kilometers in urban areas (15.5 miles).Fortunately, the battery can be recharged for an extra 15 percent on the go as well, as the Citee uses a braking energy recovery system. The top speed of the scooter is 22 to 25 km/h (13 to 15 mph).
Daimler confirmed the news in a very short and concise statement but did not recognize Geely as a shareholder, but the companys leader, Li Shufu. Even so, shares in Geely Automobile rose on Monday by 6.5 percent.Also on Monday Daimler made another announcement, this time regarding its long-lasting partnership with another German company, BAIC. The Germans, together with their Chinese partners on the local market, will invest 1.5 billion euro ($1.85 billion) in the expansion of their Beijing Benz Automotive (BBAC) joint venture.The investment is supposed to support the establishment of new production lines for premium vehicles. The money will go to both modifying an existing BAIC production facility and building a new facility in Beijing.Local production is a strong pillar of our sustainable development in China. By deepening our cooperation with our local partner BAIC, BBAC will continue playing a key role for Mercedes-Benz in China, said Hubertus Troska, Member of the Board of Management of Daimler AG, responsible for Greater China.This production capacity expansion for BBAC will allow us to meet the expected growing demand for premium passenger cars in China, including for electric vehicles.China is Mercedes-Benz s largest market, having sold in 2017 430,000 vehicles. In the Asian country, the Germans together with their local partners manufacture several car models, including the C-Class, E-Class, GLA, and GLC. The BBAC joint venture is Mercedes-Benz's largest passenger car production plant worldwide in terms of output.Also in China Mercedes-Benz will produce starting 2019 the first electric vehicle from its EQ brand, the EQC , which will be unveiled in production-ready form at the Geneva Motor Show next month.
The first body-on-frame Nissan launched under the M.O.V.E. midterm plan, the Terra is nothing more than a Navara pickup truck with seating for seven people and a handful of different design elements. Going official in Beijing two months from now on, the Terra brings 4x4 capabilities to China and select markets across Asia.It remains to be seen if Nissan will extend availability to Europe, where the Navara is selling by the bucketload. Another possibility thats worth taking into account is the United States, which will soon see the Frontier welcome an all-new generation. With the Canton Vehicle Assembly Plant retooled for production of the NP300-based Frontier , its not that big of an effort to adapt the factory for the Terra as well."I'm very pleased to announce that the all-new Nissan Terra will soon arrive in China," commented Ashwani Gupta, senior vice president for Nissan's frame and light commercial vehicle business. "This rugged SUV is practical, authentic, and designed to go anywhere. Which it does without breaking a sweat, as you can tell from the teaser video.Although it arrived a little too late to the party, the Terra comes as a result of improving sales in frame and light commercial vehicles. Nissan sold 907,929 such vehicles in 2017, which represents an increase of 7 percent from the previous year.The automaker refused to detail the oily bits of the Terra, though Chinese media has some information in this regard. The engine, for example, is a 2.5-liter four-cylinder of the naturally aspirated type, packing 183 horsepower and an automatic transmission.In markets such as Australia, the body-on-frame utility vehicle is utmost certain to receive the 2.3-liter dCi from the Navara , packing 190 ponies and 450 Nm of torque in twin-turbo diesel configuration.
HP
AMG
First things first, 2017 is the strongest year in the history of Pagani, which dates back to 1992. The turnover increase of 29 percent from 2016 is expected to be surpassed in 2018, with the Modenese atelier delivering 40 new vehicles in 2017.The journey then gets even more exciting along the roads, says Horacio Pagani , the man behind the automaker and chief designer of Pagani. In Geneva, the Huayra Roadster debuts in U.S. specification (pictured), demonstrating the companys commitment to developing a global product that complies with applicable standards.Every single example of the 100 models of the Huayra Roadster breed are sold out, with pricing kicking off at 2,280,000 plus value-added tax. An evolution of the fixed-head Huayra presented at the 2011 Geneva Motor Show, the drop-top integrates know-how from the Huayra BC, tipping the scales at 1,280 kilograms.For this application, the Mercedes-AMG M158 engine is tuned to deliver 764 horsepower at 6,200 rpm and over 1,000 Nm of torque at 2,400 rpm. The 6.0-liter twin-turbo V12 of German origin has the cylinder banks angled at 60 degrees, benefits from dry-sump lubrication, and meets the Euro 6b and CARB regulations.The second exhibit of the Pagani stand is the Zonda HP Barchetta , which embodies Horacios vision of the perfect Zonda. 1,250 kilograms of awe-inspiring beauty, theBarchetta is the pride and joy of the Uno-di-Uno division, standing for one-of-one in English. The Argentinian engineers company will build three such bite-the-back-of-your-hand beautiful cars, the first going to the founder's personal collection.No pricing has been announced for the HP Barchetta , though dont expect it to be cheap. After all, it celebrates 60 years of Horacio Pagani, 18 years of the Zonda, and the 7.3-liter-sourced naturally aspirated V12 develops close to 800 horsepower on full song.
The joint venture builds on the existing partnership with Naza Corporation, a Malaysian conglomerate involved in anything from auto manufacturing to education. As per the terms of the agreement between PSA and NAZA, some of the European cars will be manufactured locally at the Naza Automotive Manufacturing (NAM) plant in Gurun, Kedah.The plant will be PSAs first dedicated attempt to produce cars for the ASEAN region as a whole, while Naza will become the sole distributor of the Peugeot and Citroen brands. The joint venture targets a huge automotive market, counting some 680 million customers.The first model to be produced in Malaysia will be the Peugeot 3008 , starting this year. From 2019, the Gurun facility will also begin assembling the C5 Aircross for Citroen . In all, the new plant will have a production capacity of some 50,000 vehicles a year.The facility was used until recently by Naza to produce several cars for the local market, including versions of the Peugeot, 206, and 407, or the Citroen C4.The creation of the ASEAN hub in Gurun, Kedah is a significant leap forward for Groupe PSA which will lead to the development of a profitable business in the region as part of our Push to Pass strategic plan, said Carlos Tavares, PSA Chairman of the Managing Board.We are pleased to partner with Naza Corporation Holdings and continue leveraging our historical relationship.According to data released by JATO Dynamics , Peugeot ranked 14th globally regarding cars sold in 2017, with a total of 1,590,300 cars. The other brand of the PSA group, Citroen, finished 23rd, with a little under 1 million new vehicles delivered.
An Indian airline captain and self-taughtaircraft designer who built an aircraft on the roof of a commercial building has reportedly parlayed the project into an industry. The Indian state of Maharashtra has reportedly signed a memorandum of understanding with 41-year-old Jet Airways Capt. Amol Yadav to turn his rooftop homebuilt into a 1,300-aircraft megaproject. Yadav, who has no engineering or manufacturing background, has been handed about $6 million to build two prototypes of a 19-seat commuter aircraft as the first step in the grandiose scheme. The wooden frame of the prototype is taking shape on the roof of his house. His first creation, a six-place single powered by an automotive V-8, has yet to fly.
Yadav, a self-described hobbyist, told BloombergQuint his lack of practical experience in the aerospace industry is no hindrance. I wouldnt say an official engineering background is required for this, he said as workers assembled the wood structure of the commuter aircraft on the roof. What you need is willpower. Money helps too and the deal involves building two prototypes to launch Thrust Aircraft Company. The goal is to eventually hire 10,000 people to build 1,300 aircraft at a factory on 157 acres in Palghar, about 90 miles north of Mumbai. Meanwhile, Indian civil aviation officials have demanded modifications to his homebuilt before theyll give it a flight permit. We have imported the material required, Yadav said. Hopefully, by the end of this month or next month, it will be ready to fly.
News site Axios is reporting that President Donald Trump is promoting his longtime personal pilot as the next administrator of the FAA. Quoting unnamed administration sources, Axios, a relatively new news service made up mainly of ex-newspaper staff, said John Dunkin, who flew Trumps personal Boeing 757 during the 21-month campaign, has been interviewed and impressed those doing the selection. Hes said to be up against GA caucus chairman Rep. Sam Graves, R-Missouri, and current Acting Administrator Dan Elwell. Trump has referenced Dunkins opinions on aviation matters in the campaign and after the election, particularly in regard to the function of the National Airspace System. Hes also being promoted by administration officials who cite his management experience.
Among the issues the next administrator will likely tackle is the possibility of turning over the air traffic control system to a not-for-profit corporation run by a board of directors appointed from various sectors of the industry. Trump is a proponent of the idea so it follows that his appointee for the FAA job would share that view. Trump has quoted his pilot as being dissatisfied with the current system. Graves, the chairman of the House General Aviation Caucus, outraged many GA groups last year when he threw his support behind a bill that would hive off ATC to a private entity. Some critics speculated at the time that Graves was then being considered as the next chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. Elwell is a former employee of Airlines 4 America, which represents airline interests in Washington and is a driving force behind the ATC initiative.
In Singapore, the death penalty is mandatory for drug trafficking offenses. And President Trump loves it. Hes been telling friends for months that the countrys policy to execute drug traffickers is the reason its drug consumption rates are so low.
"He says that a lot," said a source who's spoken to Trump at length about the subject. "He says, 'When I ask the prime minister of Singapore do they have a drug problem [the prime minister replies,] 'No. Death penalty'."
He often jokes about killing drug dealers... Hell say, 'You know the Chinese and Filipinos dont have a drug problem. They just kill them.'
A senior administration official to Axios
But the president doesn't just joke about it. According to five sources who've spoken with Trump about the subject, he often leaps into a passionate speech about how drug dealers are as bad as serial killers and should all get the death penalty.
Trump tells confidants a softer approach to drug reform the kind where you show sympathy to the offenders and give them more lenient sentences will never work.
He tells friends and associates the government has got to teach children that they'll die if they take drugs and they've got to make drug dealers fear for their lives.
Trump has said he would love to have a law to execute all drug dealers here in America, though he's privately admitted it would probably be impossible to get a law this harsh passed under the American system.
Kellyanne Conway, who leads the White House's anti-drug efforts, argues Trump's position is more nuanced, saying the president is talking about high-volume dealers who are killing thousands of people. The point he's making, she says, is that some states execute criminals for killing one person but a dealer who brings a tiny quantity of fentanyl into a community can cause mass death in just one weekend, often with impunity.
The substance: Trump may back legislation requiring a five-year mandatory minimum sentence for traffickers who deal as little as two grams of fentanyl. Currently, you have to deal forty grams to trigger the mandatory five-year sentence. (The DEA estimates that as little as two milligrams is enough to kill people.)
Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid, and much of it is manufactured in Chinese labs. It can be lethal in extremely small doses. Of the 64,000 people who died of drug overdoses in 2016, more than 20,000 overdosed on synthetic opioids like fentanyl, according to the National Institute for Drug Abuse.
Between the lines: Conway told me this kind of policy would have widespread support. There is an appetite among many law enforcement, health professionals and grieving families that we must toughen up our criminal and sentencing statutes to match the new reality of drugs like fentanyl, which are so lethal in such small doses, she said.
"The president makes a distinction between those that are languishing in prison for low-level drug offenses and the kingpins hauling thousands of lethal doses of fentanyl into communities, that are responsible for many casualties in a single weekend."
What's next: Trump wants to get tough on drug traffickers and pharmaceutical companies. Stay tuned for policy announcements in the not-too-distant future.
Trump and some of his advisers are discussing whether they might adopt other aspects of Singapore's "zero tolerance" drug policies, like bringing more anti-drug education into schools.
Both Conway and the First Lady Melania Trump, who has taken a strong interest in the administration's anti-drug policies, support getting better drug education and prevention into schools.
Get more stories like this by signing up for our weekly political lookahead newsletter, Axios Sneak Peek.
Women in seven regions will be permitted to serve in the security division of the Saudi Arabian military for the first time, Al Arabiya reports.
Why it matters: They appear to be non-combat positions and applicants must pass a series of tests and meet prerequisites in order to be eligible. Nonetheless, this is yet another reform ushered in by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who has pledged to return his country to "moderate Islam."
Go deeper: Big reforms are coming to Saudi Arabia this year
If public-sector unions have any hope of escaping a crippling blow at the Supreme Court, it will likely have to come from Justice Neil Gorsuch. He remained silent today while his conservative colleagues left little doubt that theyre headed toward a broad ruling against public unions and that theyre well aware of the political consequences.
Why it matters: State and local governments are one of the few remaining strongholds of union power, and those unions are a key piece of the Democratic partys base. A loss in todays case would cut off a key funding stream, rolling back unions' organizing power as well as their political muscle.
The issue: Public-sector unions collect dues from their members; they also collect so-called agency fees from employees who choose not to join the union. Those fees can only support contract negotiations that apply to the whole workplace not political actives for unions.
The court upheld that breakdown in the 70s, but now appears to be on the verge of overruling its earlier decision and striking down agency fees altogether.
Critics say that because these are government employees, even their collective bargaining is inherently political. Bargaining for higher wages, in this case, is bargaining for higher government spending.
And so, critics argue, forcing non-members to pay the unions a fee is forcing them to make a political statement, and a violation of their First Amendment rights. The justices heard an hour of oral arguments this morning on that question alone.
What theyre saying: Justice Anthony Kennedy, the courts traditional swing vote, took the hardest line against agency fees today, casting them as compelled subsidization of a private party that expresses political views constantly.
At one point, Kennedy asked whether a ruling against agency fees would diminish unions political power. The answer was yes. Isnt that the end of this case? he asked.
The odds: The court considered a nearly identical case in 2016. Due to the death of the late Justice Antonin Scalia, it deadlocked 4-4.
Liu He, a top economic adviser to Chinese President Xi Jinping, will visit the U.S. from Feb. 27 to March 3, to discuss economic and trade matters, the Foreign Ministry confirmed on Monday. This will be the second top emissary to visit the U.S. in a couple months.
Why it matters: Beijing is trying to figure out how to avoid a much more contentious phase of U.S.China relations. If China is serious about difficult financial reforms, then it needs to avoid risking its cleanup with significant economic friction with the U.S. The U.S. has leverage but so far I am hearing that the Trump administration has been unable to craft and implement a coherent strategy to use that leverage.
Timing: Liu's visit comes in the middle of the important Third Plenum meeting in Beijing, but that likely shows the Chinese Communist Party has already decided Liu's possible future roles (expected to be a Vice Premier with broad responsibility for Chinas economic and financial matters).
The oil and natural gas industry is running into a rough patch with President Trump.
Why it matters: A Republican president who promotes American energy dominance should be good for oil and gas producers. But instead, conflict is escalating over trade, ethanol and offshore drilling.
Now that Trump has tax reform, hes going to be doing things more unilaterally and the concern levels are starting to rise, said Bob McNally, president of the consulting firm Rapidan Energy Group and former adviser to President George W. Bush.
The conflicts:
Trump is getting ready to likely impose tariffs on steel and aluminum imports.
He's stuck between competing interests on the ethanol mandate.
U.S.'s main oil and gas group and administration are at odds over offshore leasing.
The intrigue:
This administration says it wants energy dominance, but its policies on trade and a number of other issues indicate otherwise, said one oil industry official.
Administration officials also privately complain about the industrys handling of certain issues, like its lack of unity on ethanol and methane regulations
The big picture: The tension threatens to override Trump's positive rhetoric and regulatory rollbacks elsewhere in the administration. Todays conflicts are more wide-ranging that last years main battleground: Energy Secretary Rick Perrys failed plan to boost coal and nuclear power plant revenues in the name of grid resiliency. Gas producers opposed Perrys proposal, fearing it would undercut their fuels advantage in power markets.
Trade
Trump is poised to impose steep tariffs on steel and aluminum imports by mid-April. It'd be a big defeat for major oil and gas companies that lobbied hard against the penalties. They say tariffs will raise pipeline costs because theres not enough domestic steel available.
"President Trump is committed to achieving fair and reciprocal trade relationships that protect the American worker and grow our economy," Raj Shah, principal deputy press secretary said in a statement to Axios.
The energy industry is also worried about what changes the administration is trying to make to the North American Free Trade Agreement. Causing the most anxiety: Reports that a provision allowing investors to sue countries for alleged discriminatory practices is being scrapped as part of negotiations, which are getting underway in Mexico City this week.
The provision, known as investor state-dispute settlement, is critical to encouraging American companies to keep investing in Mexicos burgeoning oil industry, according to industry lobbyists.
Eliminating it would stifle access to capital because people would be unwilling to underwrite transactions if two sides arent bound by a common understanding of how you resolve differences, said Scott Segal, a partner at Bracewell, a firm whose clients include pipeline developers and oil refiners.
In response to industry concerns over this provision, a White House spokesperson noted that NAFTA was put in place 24 years ago, and a lot has changed since then.
"Some sectors of the economy have gained, but others, such as manufacturing, have been harmed," the spokesperson said by email. "The President is committed to a fair deal for all Americans by improving market access in Canada and Mexico for U.S. manufacturing, agriculture, and services."
Ethanol
The Trump administration is caught in a seemingly endless firestorm over a federal ethanol mandate. The White House is expected to hold meetings this week, including with Trump, to discuss to what extent the oil and ethanol industries can agree on changes to the mandate.
The president has consistently expressed support for the policy, which provides jobs in the political battleground and corn-rich Iowa.
The intensity of the fight grew in the wake of a newly announced bankruptcy at a Philadelphia refinery, which is blaming the mandate for its financial woes. The development is pitting Trump between his ethanol allies in Iowa and blue-collar refinery jobs in Pennsylvania, another politically key state. He won both states in the presidential contest.
The policy, which Congress first passed in 2005, requires refineries to blend increasingly large amounts of biofuels, mostly corn-based ethanol, into the nations gasoline supply. The oil industry itself is internally divided over the mandate. Thats because some have made investments to comply with it over the past decade more than others.
The White House is frustrated by that lack of unity, which is a factor stalling any resolution to the issue, according to an administration official and multiple industry executives.
Theyre so sick of this issue. I dont blame them, said Stephen Brown, a lobbyist at refiner Andeavor. So is the Hill, reporters having to write the same story over and over, and the folks like us working it.
Offshore drilling
I wrote last month about how Interior Secretary Ryan Zinkes surprise reversal promising to rescind Florida from offshore leasing consideration was an early 2018 stumble for the Trump administration.
That kerfuffle also escalated simmering tensions between the White House and the American Petroleum Institute, according to multiple industry and administration officials. The administration believes the organization didnt do enough outreach to stakeholders in coastal states like Florida, while API criticized Zinke's reversal.
We appreciate everyones criticism, API President Jack Gerard told me in response to the administration's critique of API. The reality is, were the ones leading the effort and to date have had good, bipartisan and strong support.
White House spokespeople declined to comment on the ethanol and offshore leasing developments.
Whats next: More rough patches.
The tension from the Florida decision is likely to wear on as the Interior Department slogs through its multi-year offshore leasing process.
No one thinks the latest White House meetings on ethanol will spell the end of that dilemma.
Trump has until April 11 to decide whether to impose tariffs on steel imports.
Trump is picking amongst his children, and oil and gas comes last, said one industry official. Why is oil and gas the red-headed stepchild?
"The N.R.A. Lobbyist Behind Floridas Pro-Gun Policies: Marion Hammers unique influence over legislators has produced laws that dramatically alter long-held American norms," writes Mike Spies in The New Yorker.
The details: "Hammer is the National Rifle Associations Florida lobbyist. At seventy-eight years old, she is nearing four decades as the most influential gun lobbyist in the United States. Her policies have elevated Floridas gun owners to a uniquely privileged status, and made the public carrying of firearms a fact of daily life in the state ... She carries a handgun in her purse."
Production operations at a large copper mine in northern Armenia were halted last month because of its faulty waste disposal facilities, environment protection activists claimed on Monday.
A private mining company, Vallex Group, sent the vast majority of its 1,200 employees working at the Teghut deposit on indefinite leave on January 12, citing the need for planned prophylactic repairs. Vallex announced on February 2 that it will lay them off due to what it expects to be a prolonged stoppage of mining and ore processing at Teghut. It claimed that it needs time to commission feasibility studies on its plans to significantly boost production there.
In the months leading up to the shutdown, Armenian environmentalists repeatedly reported toxic leaks from Teghuts waste disposal reservoir contaminating a nearby river. Vallex denied those reports.
Rafael Afrikian of the Union of Informed Citizens (UIC) said on Monday that he and other members of the Yerevan-based civic group traveled to Teghut shortly after the announcement of the mass layoffs. He said they witnessed and documented evidence of Vallex of dumping industrial waste into the Debed river through a pipe during the night hours.
Levon Galstian, who leads the non-governmental Armenian Ecological Front, claimed that the pipe was secretly laid seven months ago in breach of the Armenian governments environmental regulations. He insisted that Vallex is not allowed to do that.
Artur Grigorian, another environmental activist, echoed the allegations, saying that his Ecological Right group has decided to sue Vallex.
Galstian also alleged that the Liechtenstein-registered company temporarily shut down the mine to avoid a bigger environmental disaster. The company stopped operations because the tailings dump could crumble at any moment, he told a joint news conference with the other activists.
Vallex declined to immediately comment on these claims. A spokeswoman said the company would only respond to written inquiries.
RFE/RLs Armenian service (Azatutyun.am)already sent such a request for comment earlier this month. Responding to it, Vallex did not clearly explain whether the Teghut shutdown had to do with its tailings dump.
Meanwhile, the Armenian Ministry for Environment Protection said it cannot comment on the claims before inspecting the site. A ministry spokesman acknowledged that no environmental inspections have been conducted at Teghut ever since operations there began in late 2014.
Lena Nazarian, an opposition parliamentarian who also spoke at the news conference, said that she was not allowed to enter the site when she travelled to Teghut recently. The lack of transparency in their activities raises many suspicions, she said of Vallex.
It remains unclear when Vallex plans to reopen the mine. The Teghut operator said on February 2 that it will keep a skeleton staff of around 300 employees who will guard the site and look after its industrial equipment. It also said that 200 other laid-off workers will be transferred to other mining enterprises belonging to Vallex. Those include a copper smelter in the nearby town of Alaverdi and metal mines in Nagorno-Karabakh.
Teghut generated over 42 percent of Vallexs total operating revenue which soared by about 32 percent to $358 million last year. The mining group benefited from increased international prices of copper and other non-ferrous metals.
By Ngaire Woods
After decades of serving as the backbone of a rules-based global order, the United States, under President Donald Trump, is touting an America First agenda that extols narrow economic nationalism and distrust of international institutions and agreements. But a new type of international cooperation may be emerging one that works around Trump.
To be sure, as the Trump administration continues to repudiate long-established patterns of cooperation, the risk to global stability is becoming increasingly acute. For example, at the World Economic Forums annual meeting in Davos last month, US Secretary of the Treasury Steven Mnuchin spoke positively about a weaker dollar as a way to boost US trade.
For a country that relies on foreign demand for strong dollars and Treasuries to finance its rapidly expanding deficit, this is a foolhardy perspective. Moreover, it amounts to a betrayal of the longstanding US commitment to uphold a rules-based monetary system that discourages competitive currency devaluation.
In foreign policy, US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson has endorsed the revival of the Monroe Doctrine the nineteenth-century assertion of US primacy in the Western Hemisphere that aimed to keep out European competitors in Central and South America, in order to curb Chinas growing influence. Tillersons nostalgia for 1823 was not shared south of the border, where, as one Mexican commentator pointed out, the Monroe Doctrine served to justify gringo interventions, and where Chinas increasing engagement is viewed as a counterweight to the US.
The Trump administration has also unveiled a new, more aggressive nuclear policy. Its Nuclear Posture Review proposes using nuclear strikes in response to non-nuclear threats, and deploying new low-yield nuclear devices that would deliver by submarine a nuclear bomb equivalent in power to those that destroyed Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945. This policy aimed, according to Defense Secretary James Mattis, at convincing adversaries that they have nothing to gain and everything to lose from the use of nuclear weapons amounts to a reversal of 40 years of US leadership on reducing nuclear stockpiles and encouraging non-proliferation.
Unsurprisingly, other countries are quickly losing faith in the US as a stable partner, much less a reliable leader. According to a Gallup poll, trust in US leadership across 134 countries has dropped from a median of 48% in 2016 to 30% in 2018, plummeting by 40 points (or more) in Canada, Portugal, Belgium, and Norway. Meanwhile, disapproval of US leadership has surged by 15 points, to a median score of 43%, compared with 36% for Russia, 30% for China, and 25% for Germany.
As faith in Americas international leadership declines, so may countries commitment to cooperation trends that could culminate in an economic race to the bottom or even violent conflict. After all, a country is unlikely to play by the rules if it does not believe that its opponents will do the same. Japan, for example, will more likely refrain from devaluing its exchange rate if it believes that the US will also refrain.
Of course, some of the Trump administrations declarations might turn out to be mere bluster. During President Ronald Reagans first term in the early 1980s, he also questioned the international monetary order; took a tougher line on Latin America; and expressed doubts about nuclear deterrence (preferring the idea of nuclear superiority). But, by his second term, Reagan had come to embrace international cooperation.
At that time, however, US leadership was virtually guaranteed, given that the only other global superpower the Soviet Union was in sclerotic decline. That is not the case today. But that does not mean that international cooperation is doomed.
In his 1984 book After Hegemony, the American scholar Robert Keohane argued that international cooperation could continue, even without US global dominance. Keohanes core insight was that the creation of institutions like the International Monetary Fund, the World Health Organization, and even ad hoc institutions like the G20 may require a clear leader, but running them may not.
Indeed, thanks to such institutions, the burden of leadership is now lighter. If governments seek to benefit from rules-based systems, such as those governing global trade, they can do so through existing multilateral institutions. This enables a more diverse array of governments to assume leadership in different areas.
In January 2017, after Trump announced that the US was withdrawing from the Trans-Pacific Partnership the ambitious US-led initiative to create a massive trade and investment bloc encompassing 12 Pacific Rim countries many assumed that the TPPs days were numbered. But a year later, the remaining 11 countries announced that they would be moving forward, based on the so-called Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for the TPP.
Likewise, after Trump announced last June that the US would withdraw from the Paris climate agreement, many observers feared the worst. By the end of last year, every other country in the world had become a signatory to the agreement. Moreover, 15 US states formed the US Climate Alliance, which is committed to upholding the objectives of the Paris agreement.
Finally, Trumps public questioning of NATO, the US-led security alliance, has spurred Europeans to forge ahead with their own common security plans. The US, fearing that it could be sidelined, has now raised objections to these moves.
That is not surprising. The form of international cooperation that is now beginning to emerge promises to reflect more diverse views and interests, with countries adjusting their policies based on a variety of international considerations, not just the preferences and interests of the US. The result could be new cooperative coalitions, along with updated global institutions. As for the US, the Trump administration may well find that America First really does mean America Alone.
Copyright: Project Syndicate: International Cooperation 2.0
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By Laman Ismayilova
An exhibition timed to the 26th anniversary of the Khojaly tragedy will open in the Art Tower Gallery on February 26.
The exposition will include works by French artist Renaud Baltzinger and national artist Nazim Mammadov, Trend Life reported.
The event is co-organized by the Office of the State Historical and Architectural Reserve "Icherisheher", Azerbaijan Ministry of Culture and Tourism and the NGO Arts Council Azerbaijan.
The exposition will last until March 3. Admission is free.
The Khojaly Genocide on February 25-26, 1992, is regarded as one of the bloodiest and most controversial incidents of the Nagorno-Karabakh War.
Some 613 civilians mostly women and children were killed in the massacre, and a total of 1,000 people were disabled. Eight families were exterminated, 25 children lost both parents, and 130 children.
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Laman Ismayilova is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @Lam_Ismayilova
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By Laman Ismayilova
Days of Iranian cinema solemnly opened at the Nizami Cinema Center in Baku on February 23.
The festival is co-organized by the Azerbaijan Ministry of Culture and Tourism and the Culture Center of the Iranian Embassy in Azerbaijan.
The festival's opening ceremony was attended by prominent public figures, representatives of diplomatic missions accredited in the country, cultural workers and artists.
The national anthems of Azerbaijan and Iran sounded at the beginning of the event.
Addressing the event, Azerbaijan's Minister of Culture and Tourism Abulfas Garayev said that friendly relations between Azerbaijan and Iran are successfully developing from year to year.
The Minister stressed that Azerbaijani cultural and art figures participate in events held in Iran, and representatives of Iranian art represent their work in Azerbaijan. He also noted that last year the Days of Azerbaijani Culture were successfully held in Iran.
It was stressed that the films filmed jointly by Azerbaijani and Iranian filmmakers were awarded international film festivals.
Speaking about the relations between the two countries in the sphere of culture, Chairman of Iran's Culture and Islamic Communications Organization Abuzar Ibrahimi Turkman expressed hope for further strengthening of ties in this field.
It was stressed that the work of Iranian cinematographers is known worldwide. Iranian films are represented at prestigious international film festivals, and are awarded with various prizes, including the Oscar.
In his speech, the Iranian Ambassador to Azerbaijan Javad Jahangirzade expressed confidence that the relations between the two countries will continue to develop in various fields.
Honored guests from Iran - actor of theater and cinema Babak Hamidian and actress Mina Sadati said that they are very happy to visit the capital city of Baku. The actors were delighted with the beauty of the city.
Then, guests enjoyed various music compositions.
The movie Bodyguard was screened on the first day of the festival.
The film is about a middle aged man who protects high-ranking political figures in Iran. The movie is directed by Iranian filmmaker Ebrahim Hatamikia. Bodyguard was first shown in the 34th Fajr International Film Festival.
Notably, Days of Iranian cinema will last until February 27.
Kiumars Pourahmads drama Where Are My Shoes? will be shown on the last day of the festival.
It's a movie adaptation of the American author Lisa Genovas debut novel Still Alice. The movie is about an elderly man and factory owner who suffers from Alzheimer's disease.
Azerbaijani and Iranian peoples have common cultural and religious traditions. Two countries successfully cooperate in many areas, including agriculture, transport, tourism, industry and other spheres.
In 2017, Baku hosted the Iranian Culture Days within the 4th Islamic Solidarity Games.
The events aroused big interest among Bakus residents. Representatives of the country performed at a series of concerts, featuring country's national songs and dance numbers.
The Days of Iranian and Azerbaijani cultures in 2010 and 2011 also kicked off with a great success.
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Laman Ismayilova is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @Lam_Ismayilova
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By Laman Ismayilova
February 26 marks the 26th anniversary of bloody tragedy, which went down in history of mankind in the 20th century as the Khojaly Genocide.
Genocide, which was committed by the Armenians in the Azerbaijani town of Khojaly in the late 20th century, is considered one of the gravest crimes against humanity.
Some 613 civilians mostly women and children were killed in the massacre, and a total of 1,000 people were disabled. Eight families were exterminated, 25 children lost both parents, and 130 children.
The Shusha branch of the Azerbaijan Carpet Museum hosted the event timed the 26th anniversary of the Khojaly genocide.
Addressing the event, the director of the museum, the chairman of ICOM Azerbaijan, the doctor of philosophy in art criticism Shirin Melikova said that the Khojaly genocide committed by Armenians is tantamount to such terrible tragedies of the 20th century as Khatyn masscacre, atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
"This genocide, committed with unprecedented cruelty, led to the mass extermination of hundreds of civilians in Khojaly. The Armenian occupiers not only occupied our lands but also usurp samples of Azerbaijan's cultural heritage and represent them on the international arena as their own. However, this cunning policy is prevented today. Thanks to the activities of our state, the rich culture of our country is widely propagandized. A great work is being done in this area, our national and cultural heritage and material wealth are protected," said Melikova.
She also spoke about the activity of the Azerbaijan Carpet Museum and adding that the museum displays a carpet "Bahchadagullar", which was taken by Armenians in Karabakh. The caret was exported abroad and presented at auction as "Armenian carpet". After a long time it returned to Azerbaijan.
The museum director stressed that during the large-scale events held within the framework of the international campaign "Justice for Khojaly" led by Vice-President of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation Leyla Aliyeva a number of world parliaments, as well as the Council of Foreign Ministers of the Member States of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), the Parliamentary Union of the OIC Member States (PUIC) recognized the Khojaly tragedy as a crime against humanity.
The director of Shusha branch of the museum Alisaf Nuriyev, the head of the Azerbaijani community of Nagorno-Karabakh region and executive power of Shusha Bayram Safarov, Deputy Head of Khojaly Executive Power Vahid Aliyev and Doctor of Arts Kubra Aliyeva said that Khojaly tragedy will remain forever in the memory of Azerbaijani people and Karabakh will be liberated from Armenian invaders.
Associate professor of the State Academy of Arts Samir Sadigov made a report on "Destroyed cultural heritage", while the head of Artists Union of Azerbaijan Aydin Radzhabov presented report "Khojaly genocide in works of art".
Then, a carpet of Aydin Radjabov "Mother's cry" woven by Karabakh carpet-weavers in the Agdam Association of Carpet Weaving by the order of Khojaly Executive Power.
At the end of the event, associate professor of the Azerbaijan National Conservatory, Honored Artist of Azerbaijan Anar Shushali and soloist of the Academic Opera and Ballet Theater Taleh Yakhyayev performed patriotic songs accompanied by the State String Quartet of the Azerbaijan State Philharmonic.
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Laman Ismayilova is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @Lam_Ismayilova
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By Trend
The Foreign Affairs Committee of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey has condemned the Khojaly Massacre in a statement released on the 26th anniversary of the incident, Turkish media reported on Feb.26.
"Turkey commiserates deeply with the Azerbaijani brothers and sisters over this violent attack and massacre, which they suffered exactly 26 years ago today in Khojaly and shares their pain wholeheartedly," the statement said.
"We vehemently condemn these massacres carried out by the troops of Armenia as well as the continued occupation of the Azerbaijani territories for years," it added. Calling on the international community to assign the necessary importance this massacre, the foreign affairs committee added: "We hereby reiterate our call for the perpetrators of this act to be brought to justice before international law and for Armenia to withdraw as soon as possible from the Azerbaijani territories it has occupied."
The committee also conveyed condolences to all the people of Azerbaijan.
On February 26, 1992, Armenian military committed an act of genocide against the 7,000 population of the Azerbaijani town of Khojaly.
As many as 613 people, including 63 children, 106 women and 70 old people were killed as a result of the massacre. A total of 1,000 civilians became disabled in the onslaught. Eight families were completely annihilated, 130 children lost one parent, while 25 lost both parents. Some 1,275 innocent residents were taken hostage, while the fate of 150 people still remains unknown.
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By Rashid Shirinov
Members of the newly created Friends of Azerbaijan Club in the European Parliament adopted a statement on the 26th anniversary of the Khojaly genocide.
The Azerbaijani parliament told Trend that the initiative on adopting the statement was launched by Andrejs Mamikins, who is a member of the European Parliament from Latvia, member of the European Parliaments Foreign Relations Committee, and co-chair of the Friends of Azerbaijan Club.
The statement is the first document the European Parliament adopted on Khojaly massacre. It says that the Azerbaijani people faced a ruthless crime committed in Khojaly on February 25-26, 1992, as a result of which 613 civilians, including 106 women, 63 children and 70 old people were killed, hundreds of people were seriously injured and 1,275 civilians were taken hostage. The document extends condolences to relatives of those killed in the Khojaly massacre and notes that the recurrence of such a bloody crime as the Khojaly tragedy is inadmissible.
Commenting on the statement, co-chairman of the EU-Azerbaijan Parliamentary Cooperation Committee Javanshir Feyziyev said that the adoption of the statement is an important step taken by international organizations in assessing the genocide committed by Armenians in Khojaly 26 years ago.
"The European Parliament regularly comments on developments in both Europe and the world as a whole, and it is, of course, important that its 22 members focus on the Khojaly genocide, a political assessment is given to the committed crimes, and those who lost their lives and their families are remembered," Feyziyev said.
The statement on the Khojaly genocide was signed by 13 of 28 countries and 6 of 8 political groups of the European Parliament, including its vice-president.
A member of the EU-Azerbaijan Parliamentary Cooperation Committee and Azerbaijani MP Azar Karimli, in turn, said that the statement is the result of an intensive and purposeful work carried out with members of the European Parliament after restoration of relations and another success of Azerbaijans parliamentary diplomacy.
Noting that the statement was put forward by members of the newly created Friends of Azerbaijan Club in the European Parliament, Karimli stressed the importance of creating a friendship group within the European Parliament.
The MP added that the document will become a basis for more important documents to be adopted in future, and it is important to work more closely and to establish closer ties with international parliamentary institutions.
The statement on Khojaly genocide was signed by 22 members of the European Parliament, including Andrejs Mamikins (Latvia), Norica Nicolai (Romania), Iveta Grigule-Peterse (Romania), Ramona Manescu (Romania), Javier Nart (Spain), Tomas Zdechovsky (Czech Republic), Hannu Takkula (Finland), Ivo Vajgl (Slovenia), Angelo Ciocca (Italy), Lorenzo Fontana (Italy), Marc Tarabella (Belgium), Cristian-Silviu Busoi (Romania), Alberto Cirio (Italy), Boris Zala (Slovakia), Aldo Patriciello (Italy), Yana Toom (Estonia), Ilhan Kyuchyuk (Bulgaria), Franz Obermayr (Austria), Valentinas Mazuronis (Lithuania), Heidi Hautala (Finland), Angel Dzhambazki (Bulgaria) and Salvo Poglieze (Italy).
Armenia committed the terrible genocide in Khojaly within its evil policy of occupation of Nagorno-Karabakh and separating the region from Azerbaijan. For over two decades, Armenia and Azerbaijan have been locked in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. Since the 1990s war, Armenian armed forces have occupied over 20 percent of Azerbaijan's internationally recognized territory, including Nagorno-Karabakh and seven adjacent regions.
The UN Security Council has adopted four resolutions on Armenian withdrawal from the occupied lands of Azerbaijan, but they have not been enforced to this day.
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By Rashid Shirinov
The negotiation process is the only and correct format for the settlement of the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.
A well-known Russian expert Vyacheslav Smirnov made the remarks in an interview with Day.Az on February 25.
He noted that certain intensification in the negotiation process has recently come from the international mediators of the OSCE Minsk Group.
The recent visit of the Minsk Group co-chairs to the region has showed that the member countries of the international structure are making efforts to give impetus to the negotiation process and direct it in a positive direction, the political scientist said.
He added that intensification in the negotiation process is necessary, and after the presidential elections in Azerbaijan and Armenia, the parties must continue constructive negotiations.
I believe that Russia, as the main moderator of the negotiation process, playing a leading role in the OSCE Minsk Group, will continue to take steps in this direction, urging the parties to effectively discuss the problem on the basis of the Madrid principles, Smirnov also noted, recalling the need for a phased solution to the conflict.
The Madrid Principles were proposed to Azerbaijan and Armenia by the OSCE Minsk Group back in 2007. The principles stipulate a gradual settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. In particular, they envisage the withdrawal of Armenian troops from the occupied areas adjacent to the Nagorno-Karabakh region of Azerbaijan, provision of an interim status for the region and future determination of its final legal status. Moreover, all internally displaced persons and refugees, who account for more than a million of Azerbaijans population, should return to their former places of residence, according to the Madrid Principles.
Smirnov also expressed his opinion on the change in the status quo on Nagorno-Karabakh, saying that Azerbaijan notes the inadmissibility of the status quo and the international mediators also consider this a necessary step for the settlement of the conflict.
I believe that the status quo must be changed, but for this the Armenian armed forces must be withdrawn from the territories of Azerbaijan in accordance with the requirements specified in the resolutions of the UN Security Council, the expert concluded.
Armenia broke out a lengthy war against Azerbaijan by laying territorial claims on the country. Since a war in the early 1990s, Armenian armed forces have occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan's territory, including Nagorno-Karabakh and seven surrounding regions. More than 20,000 Azerbaijanis were killed and over 1 million were displaced as a result of the large-scale hostilities.
To this day, Armenia has not implemented four UN Security Council resolutions on withdrawal of its armed forces from the Nagorno-Karabakh and surrounding regions.
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By Trend
There are several mechanisms for bringing those who committed the Khojaly genocide to justice, Aydin Safikhanli, head of Azerbaijans Ombudsman Office, told Trend Feb. 26.
One of them is the establishment of the international trial for the Khojaly genocide in order to investigate the Khojaly crime and bring the perpetrators to justice, he said.
Safikhanli noted that international trials are a mechanism for administration of justice on individuals and states accused of committing international crimes.
International trials were established on various occasions throughout history, he said, adding that for the first time after the Second World War, the Nuremberg and Tokyo Trials were established to punish those charged with crimes against peace and humanity.
Meanwhile, international trials were established for the administration of justice for individuals who committed genocide in the former Yugoslavia and Rwanda, and crimes against peace and humanity.
According to the Convention on the Non-Applicability of Statutory Limitations to War Crimes and Crimes Against Humanity, dated Nov. 26, 1968, irrespective of the time of committing a crime, the individuals who committed genocide can be a subject to criminal liability at any time, and this keeps the relevance of the problem permanently, said Safikhanli.
Another step towards the punishment of persons responsible for committing the Khojaly genocide is to achieve the international search of persons convinced of their involvement in committing this crime, and bring them to Azerbaijan in order to start prosecution, he added.
More than 7,500 investigative actions were carried out by the Military Prosecutors Office of the Republic of Azerbaijan in connection with the Khojaly genocide, and participation of 39 persons in the Khojaly genocide was fully proved.
According to the UN Resolution on Principles of International Cooperation in the Detection, Arrest, Extradition and Punishment of Persons Guilty of War Crimes and Crimes against Humanity, dated Dec. 3, 1973, there is special need to take international action aimed at ensuring the prosecution and punishment of persons guilty of war crimes and crimes against humanity.
Safikhanli believes that the practice of bringing the persons, who illegally cross the state border of Azerbaijan and show disrespect to the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Azerbaijan, to the country can be continued with respect to those responsible for committing the Khojaly genocide.
He reminded that 26 years ago, on Feb. 25-26, the Armenian aggressors together with the 366th Motorized Rifle Regiment of the Russian Army attacked the Khojaly town, committed the genocide and as a result, some of the families were totally exterminated, civilians were killed with unprecedented brutality and cruel torture.
The crimes committed deliberately during the Khojaly genocide, with the intention of mass killing of people due to their nationality, should be regarded as genocide according to both international and domestic laws, he continued.
According to international law, genocide is an act against peace and humanity and is considered as one of the most serious international crimes, Safikhanli said.
He went on to say that Azerbaijans national leader Heydar Aliyev announced the true essence of the Khojaly genocide and appealed to the UN Security Council to demand the punishment of perpetrators. For the first time in February 1994, the parliament of Azerbaijan issued a legal and political assessment of the Khojaly genocide on the basis of the national leaders appeal.
Azerbaijans President Ilham Aliyev, during his speeches at prestigious international events, has repeatedly noted the importance of bringing the perpetrators who committed the genocide against the Azerbaijani people to justice, strongly demanded international organizations to demonstrate a decisive position on this issue, and spoke about the importance of having a mechanism to implement the resolutions adopted by influential international institutions, and act in line with international law and norms without dual standards.
During his speech at the 72nd session of the UN General Assembly, President Aliyev resolutely emphasized that Armenians committed a war crime by killing 613 civilians, including 106 women and 63 children in Khojaly, said Safikhanli.
He added that one of the perpetrators of this terrible crime against humanity is the current president of Armenia.
Safikhanli also noted that at the initiative of Vice-President of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation Leyla Aliyeva, the Justice for Khojaly international campaign plays an important role in bringing the truth about the Khojaly genocide to the world community and achieving the recognition of this tragedy as an act of genocide committed against the Azerbaijani people.
As a result of this, relevant decisions are being made on this genocide act in several countries, said Safikhanli.
As a result of the successful foreign policy conducted over the past years, decisions were made on the Khojaly genocide in the parliaments of 15 countries and relevant resolutions were adopted in 22 US states, he added.
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By Trend
Azerbaijani students studying in Scotland held a rally on the 26th anniversary of Khojaly genocide in the center of Aberdeen city.
Azerbaijans State Committee on Work with Diaspora told Trend that along with the Azerbaijani students, other Azerbaijanis living in the city also participated in the rally. The participants shouted different slogans by holding the Azerbaijani flag and placards about about the Khojaly genocide in their hands.
During the rally, brochures about the Khojaly genocide and Armenian aggression were distributed to local residents and guests.
They gave detailed information about the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, the consequences of the war, the problem of refugees and IDPs, as well as the painful destiny of Khojaly and its Azerbaijani inhabitants.
The rally ended with the reading of an appeal addressed to international organizations and states. The appeal calls for recognition of the Khojaly genocide and giving legal assessment and putting pressure on Armenia to end its aggressive policy.
The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. As a result of the ensuing war, in 1992 Armenian armed forces occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts.
On Feb. 25-26, 1992, the Armenian armed forces, together with the 366th infantry regiment of Soviet troops, stationed in Khankendi, committed an act of genocide against the population of the Azerbaijani town of Khojaly. As many as 613 people, including 63 children, 106 women and 70 old people were killed in the massacre. Eight families were totally exterminated, 130 children lost one parent and 25 children lost both. Some 1,275 innocent residents were taken hostage, while the fate of 150 people still remains unknown.
The 1994 ceasefire agreement was followed by peace negotiations. Armenia has not yet implemented four UN Security Council resolutions on withdrawal of its armed forces from the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding districts.
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By Trend
He said Armenians killed hundreds of innocent Azerbaijanis in 1992.
Unfortunately, the West does not want to see the criminals guilty of committing the Khojaly tragedy, he added.
On Feb. 25-26, 1992, the Armenian armed forces, together with the 366th infantry regiment of Soviet troops, stationed in Khankendi, committed an act of genocide against the population of the Azerbaijani town of Khojaly. As many as 613 people, including 63 children, 106 women and 70 old people were killed in the massacre. Eight families were totally exterminated, 130 children lost one parent and 25 children lost both. Some 1,275 innocent residents were taken hostage, while the fate of 150 people still remains unknown.
The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. As a result of the ensuing war, in 1992 Armenian armed forces occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts.
The 1994 ceasefire agreement was followed by peace negotiations. Armenia has not yet implemented four UN Security Council resolutions on withdrawal of its armed forces from the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding districts.
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By Trend
Turkish Defense Minister Nurettin Canikli expressed condolences Feb. 26 in connection with the Khojaly tragedy.
On his Twitter account, Canikli wrote that he shares the pain of fraternal Azerbaijani people.
On Feb. 25-26, 1992, the Armenian armed forces, together with the 366th infantry regiment of Soviet troops, stationed in Khankendi, committed an act of genocide against the population of the Azerbaijani town of Khojaly. As many as 613 people, including 63 children, 106 women and 70 old people were killed in the massacre. Eight families were totally exterminated, 130 children lost one parent and 25 children lost both. Some 1,275 innocent residents were taken hostage, while the fate of 150 people still remains unknown.
The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. As a result of the ensuing war, in 1992 Armenian armed forces occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts.
The 1994 ceasefire agreement was followed by peace negotiations. Armenia has not yet implemented four UN Security Council resolutions on withdrawal of its armed forces from the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding districts.
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By Trend
A series of events was organized in Egypt by the Embassy of Azerbaijan and the Patriot union of diaspora organizations in connection with the 26th anniversary of the Khojaly genocide, the Embassy told Trend.
A commemorative event dedicated to the Khojaly genocide was held at the embassy in Cairo.
The event was attended by employees of the Embassy, Azerbaijanis living, studying and working in Cairo.
Addressing the event, Ambassador Tural Rzayev spoke about the genocide committed 26 years ago by Armenian militants and their patrons against the civilian population in Khojaly.
The first political assessment to the Khojaly genocide was given by national leader of the Azerbaijani people, Heydar Aliyev, he said.
Speaking about the existing dual standards in the world, the envoy stressed with regret that the criminals who committed the Khojaly genocide still remain unpunished.
Seymur Nasirov, head of the Azerbaijani diaspora in Egypt, advised the young people participating in the event to use the social networks more actively and to post materials about the important issues of the Azerbaijani people, including the Khojaly genocide.
He called for taking an active part in the Justice for Khojaly campaign initiated by Vice-President of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation Leyla Aliyeva.
The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. As a result of the ensuing war, in 1992 Armenian armed forces occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts.
On Feb. 25-26, 1992, the Armenian armed forces, together with the 366th infantry regiment of Soviet troops, stationed in Khankendi, committed an act of genocide against the population of the Azerbaijani town of Khojaly. As many as 613 people, including 63 children, 106 women and 70 old people were killed in the massacre. Eight families were totally exterminated, 130 children lost one parent and 25 children lost both. Some 1,275 innocent residents were taken hostage, while the fate of 150 people still remains unknown.
The 1994 ceasefire agreement was followed by peace negotiations. Armenia has not yet implemented four UN Security Council resolutions on withdrawal of its armed forces from the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding districts.
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By Trend
The memory of Khojaly genocides victims was honored with a minute of silence in Azerbaijan.
The movement of traffic and pedestrians in the country was stopped for a minute at 17:00 (UTC+4) to honor the tragedy victims, while the minute of silence was accompanied by horns of ships in the Bay of Baku, metro cars and railway trains.
The state flag was lowered in other cities and districts of the country, as well as at the diplomatic missions of Azerbaijan in foreign countries.
On Feb. 25-26, 1992, the Armenian armed forces, together with the 366th infantry regiment of Soviet troops, stationed in Khankendi, committed an act of genocide against the population of the Azerbaijani town of Khojaly. As many as 613 people, including 63 children, 106 women and 70 old people were killed in the massacre. Eight families were totally exterminated, 130 children lost one parent and 25 children lost both. Some 1,275 innocent residents were taken hostage, while the fate of 150 people still remains unknown.
The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. As a result of the ensuing war, in 1992 Armenian armed forces occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts.
The 1994 ceasefire agreement was followed by peace negotiations. Armenia has not yet implemented four UN Security Council resolutions on withdrawal of its armed forces from the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding districts.
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By Trend
On the night of February 25-26 1992, Armenian occupants committed one of the bloodiest crimes in the history of mankind in the Azerbaijani town of Khojaly. Thousands of Baku residents arrived at the Khojaly memorial on Feb. 26 to pay tribute to victims of the genocide on its 26th anniversary.
President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev and First Lady Mehriban Aliyeva have visited a monument to the Khojaly genocide victims in the Khatai district on the 26th anniversary of the tragedy.
A ceremonial guard of honor was lined up around the memorial.
President Ilham Aliyev put a wreath at the memorial and paid tribute to Khojaly victims.
First Vice-President Mehriban Aliyeva, Prime Minister Artur Rasizade, Speaker of the Parliament Ogtay Asadov and Head of the Presidential Administration Ramiz Mehdiyev laid flowers at the monument.
State and government officials, members of the Parliament, ministers, heads of committees and companies, representatives of the diplomatic corps, heads of religious confessions as well as Khojaly genocide survivors also placed flowers at the memorial.
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By Trend
President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev has received a delegation led by President of the American Jewish Committee John Shapiro.
Shapiro hailed very good conditions created for the Jewish community in Azerbaijan, describing this as an example to other countries.
President Aliyev described traditional meetings with the delegation of the American Jewish Committee as fruitful. The head of state said all conditions have been ensured in Azerbaijan for the Jewish community, along with representatives of other nations and communities, to enjoy freedom and prosperity .
President Aliyev said representatives of the Jewish community are active members of the Azerbaijani society. They are loyal to their traditions, and are contributing to the country`s development and promotion of Azerbaijan`s realities in the world, the head of state said. President Ilham Aliyev stressed that multiculturalism and tolerance reign in Azerbaijan and became the norm of life in the country.
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Azerbaijan is one of the steadily developing countries in the South Caucasus region and the Egyptian government is ready to cooperate with it in all areas, the Egyptian Minister of Investments and International Cooperation Sahar Nasr has told AZERTAC`s special correspondent.
Nasr noted that there is a great potential for boosting bilateral cooperation between the two countries in the fields of trade, industry, energy, agriculture,culture and tourism. She said this potential stimulates further development and expansion mutual relations with Azerbaijan.
Both countries have created a good investment environment and the businessmen of both countries can take advantage of this opportunity, she said.
Nasr hailed the mutual cooperation between Cairo and Baku within international organizations. She underlined that Egypt recognizes Azerbaijans territorial integrity and respects itssovereignty.
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Yarub Qudah, the Minister of Industry, Trade and Supply of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan has hailed Azerbaijans comprehensive and sustainable development in his interview with AZERTAC.
Qudah expressed the Jordanian governments readiness to cooperate with Azerbaijan in all areas.
Saying that he has visited Baku for several times, the minister noted that each time he witnessed new developments in the city.
He praised the fact that the number of tourists coming from Jordan to Azerbaijan has seen a 55%-increaseand explained it with traditions of rich hospitality of the Azerbaijani people and beauty of the nature, as well as the modernization of Baku.
He mentioned that friendly ties between the President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev and the King of Jordan Abdullah Al Hussein contribute to the developmentof bilateral relations between the two countries.
Noting the significance of opening direct flights between Baku and Amman, the Jordanian minister said that this issue will be resolved soon.
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By Rashid Shirinov
The Congress of Azerbaijanis in Sweden held a number of official meetings with the Riksdag (Swedish Parliament) MPs and representatives of the Swedish Foreign Ministry on February 22-23, where it again raised the issue of considering the genocide in the Azerbaijani town of Khojaly by the Swedish MPs and government.
At a meeting with the Alliance bloc MPs, the Congress again presented photos and materials proving the brutal acts of Armenian terrorists against the peaceful Azerbaijani population in Khojaly. The Congress representatives urged the Swedish politicians to raise the issue of the Khojaly genocide in the Riksdag.
Khojaly, the second largest town in the Nagorno-Karabakh region of Azerbaijan, came under intense fire by Armenia from the towns of Khankendi and Askeran already occupied by the Armenian armed forces on the night of February 25-26, 1992.
As many as 613 civilians, mostly women and children, were killed in the massacre, and a total of 1,000 people were disabled. Eight families were exterminated, 25 children lost both parents, and 130 children lost one parent. Moreover, 1,275 innocent people were taken hostage, and the fate of 150 of them remains unknown.
The Congress of Azerbaijanis in Sweden stressed that unlike the events of 1915 in the Ottoman Empire, the genocide against civilians of the occupied Azerbaijani lands is a fact, while the Armenian genocide still remains doubtful due to lack of evidence.
The Congress members expressed their dissatisfaction with the fact that some Swedish politicians, for gaining popularity among the Assyrians and Armenians in Sweden, use the Armenian genocide as a political tool, meanwhile ignoring the call of Ankara to open archives and to prove whether there was a genocide or not.
The aim of the Congress of Azerbaijanis in Sweden is to report the truth about Azerbaijan, its history and culture to the Swedish society, as well as the development of relations between Azerbaijani communes of Sweden, strengthening their capacity and joint solution of arising problems.
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Rashid Shirinov is AzerNews staff journalist, follow him on Twitter: @RashidShirinov
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By Trend
Ankara and Paris discussed the Operation Olive Branch during a telephone conversation between Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron, Turkish media reported Feb. 26.
The parties discussed the settlement of the Syrian crisis, as well as a number of other regional issues.
On Jan. 20, the Turkish Armed Forces, together with the Free Syrian Army, launched the Operation Olive Branch in Afrin, Syria.
F-16 fighters of the Turkish Air Force are involved in the operation, inflicting strikes on the positions of PYD/YPG on the Syrian-Turkish border.
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By Kamila Aliyeva
Chairman of the Board of Kazakh Invest National Company Saparbek Tuyakbaev paid a working visit to the Republic of Turkey on February 23-24, where he met with the leaders of six major Turkish companies - KOC Holding, YILDIZLAR SSS Holding, YILDIRIM Holding, KIBAR Holding, SABANCI Holding, DAL Holding Investment.
Turkish businessmen were offered 47 large investment projects in Kazakhstan's priority sectors of the economy from the side of Kazakh Invest, Kazinform reported.
These holdings are large transnational companies with a total annual turnover of about $150 billion. Turkish businessmen expressed interest in implementing investment projects on the territory of Kazakhstan, noting the country's strategic location for expanding its production facilities and sales markets to the EAEU countries and China.
For example, an agreement on the production of tomato and canned products in the Kyzylorda region with was reached with KOC Holding. The company also expressed interest to participate in the project to produce liquefied petroleum gas.
YILDIRIM Holding starts realizing projects on exploration of solid minerals jointly with Kazgeologia JSC for $10 million, as well as for the production of soda ash in Zhambyl region. The amount of investments will be $220 million.
Yildizlar SSS Holding has agreed to implement three projects in the first half of the year: the construction of a gas-piston power plant with a capacity of 138 MW jointly with Baikonur for $50 million, the production of ceramic slabs with a capacity of 10 million square meters for $128 million in Kyzylorda oblast, exploration of solid minerals in the East Kazakhstan region with an investment of $10 million.
Meanwhile, KIBAR Holding will participate in the project for the production of sandwich panels in Mangistau region.
The management of Dal Holding decided to participate in the project for the extraction and processing of barite ores and concentrates in Zhambyl region.
An investment forum with members of the Turkish Independent Association of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs (MUSIAD) was held in Ankara with the support of the Embassy of Kazakhstan in Turkey. This organization has an extensive business network inside Turkey and abroad. The total number of members is more than 11,000.
At the forum Kazakh Invest presented Kazakhstan's investment opportunities and measures of state support in the form of preferences for foreign investors.
The head of MUSIAD Ilhan Erdal stressed that Turkish business is interested in building close economic ties with Kazakhstan.
Kazakhstan and Turkey are reliable strategic partners that are systematically expanding political, economic and cultural ties. The trade turnover between the countries was estimated at $2 billion last year. This figure is planned to increase fivefold.
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Kamila Aliyeva is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @Kami_Aliyeva
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Here are the five most popular gastroenterology and endoscopy stories for the week of Feb. 19 to Feb. 23, 2018.
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In a recent meeting with the board of trustees, staff members from the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston said 13 employees were terminated in 2017 after administrators determined they had viewed patient records without permission, the Post and Courier reports.
The staff said hospital officials reported 58 patient privacy breaches to the federal government in 2017, 11 of which were categorized as "snooping," or a case in which an employee violated federal law by viewing patient records they were not authorized to access. For example, an employee may "snoop" in a patient record after a case makes the news or to view information on a former spouse.
"Some breaches are simply a case of information being faxed to the wrong clinic location, whereas others can involve misplaced curiosity or malice," MUSC spokeswoman Heather Woolwine told the Post and Courier in a statement.
At the meeting, a board member questioned whether the policy was "draconian," according to the Post and Courier. In response, hospital staff noted HHS has audited 100-plus healthcare institutions for potential HIPAA violations. Hospital staff emphasized the need to prepare for the possibility of an HHS audit, which would consider how MUSC officials address privacy breaches.
Hospital staff also stressed that in spite of the potential for "snooping," EHRs are arguably more secure than paper records, since the hospital is able to track which employees view which records. All providers at MUSC, including medical students, undergo annual training on when it's appropriate to view a patient record.
Cleveland Clinic is expected to admit its first patient to its 205-bed London hospital in 2021, according to cleveland.com.
The health system signed a 123 -year lease and received approval to begin renovations on a six-story, 198,000-square-foot structure in January 2017. Officials expect to finish construction by the end of 2020 and to officially open the hospital in early 2021.
"We'll be essentially taking our Cleveland Clinic culture and our Cleveland Clinic care model to London and working to integrate it with the local London healthcare dynamics," said Brian Donley, MD, who was named CEO of Cleveland Clinic London earlier this month. "A big part of this project is for us to attract the great talent in healthcare that exists in a worldwide fashion. The more international you are, the larger talent pool that you can pull from. ... The larger the talent pool we can pull from, the better caregivers we have."
Once completed, the hospital will host full imaging and neurological suites, contain eight operating rooms, and offer specialty services for general surgery, cardiology and neurology, among other features. Officials also reportedly plan to build a medical office building near the hospital in 2020 to house outpatient and physicians' visits, according to the report.
The London hospital will be Cleveland Clinic's third healthcare facility outside the U.S. The health system also maintains facilities in Toronto and Abu Dhabi, and is reportedly considering building a hospital in China.
Thirty-five state and regional hospital associations have filed a friend of the court brief urging the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia to reverse a lower court decision and grant a preliminary injunction to stop a Medicare payment reduction for many hospitals in the 340B Drug Pricing Program.
In November, CMS released its 2018 Medicare Outpatient Prospective Payment System rule, which finalized a proposal to pay hospitals 22.5 percent less than the average sales price for drugs purchased through the 340B program.
This change would reduce Medicare payments to hospitals by $1.6 billion. CMS said it would implement this policy in a budget-neutral manner by offsetting the projected $1.6 billion decrease in drug payments by redistributing an equal amount for non-drug items and services within the OPPS.
The American Hospital Association, Association of American Medical Colleges and America's Essential Hospitals sued HHS Nov. 13 in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia to halt the 340B payment reductions from taking effect Jan. 1, 2018. Three health system plaintiffs joined the associations in the suit: Eastern Maine Healthcare Systems in Brewer; Henry Ford Health System in Detroit; and Park Ridge Health in Hendersonville, N.C.
U.S. District Judge Rudolph Contreras dismissed the lawsuit Dec. 29, allowing CMS to proceed with the cuts. The judge said the associations' lawsuit was brought prematurely, but he did not rule on the merits of the case. The three associations appealed the court's decision in January.
"In evaluating the district court's denial of a preliminary injunction, this court must consider the extent to which an injunction is necessary to avert irreparable harm, the balance of the equities, and whether an injunction will serve the public interest," the 35 hospital associations wrote in the friend of the court brief. "It is difficult to imagine a case that more obviously satisfies those criteria. The new [CMS] rule will hobble the ability of hospitals throughout the United States to provide healthcare to vulnerable populations and, in turn, will jeopardize the lives and health of countless needy patients."
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The College of Healthcare Information Management Executives and the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society chose Randy McCleese, CIO of Henderson, Ky.-based Methodist Hospital, as the John E. Gall Jr. CIO of the Year for his "significant leadership and commitment to the healthcare industry."
"It is really hard to explain the feeling associated with this it is overwhelming, I don't know how to describe it," Mr. McCleese says of earning the award.
Mr. McCleese wasn't always in healthcare. Instead, he hails from the oil and gas industry, where he worked as a geologist for nearly 15 years. He taught himself IT to keep up with the demands of the job and earned a Masters in Business Administration. Mr. McCleese left his geology days behind to manage IT full time, ultimately taking on the roles of vice president of information services and CIO at St. Claire Regional Medical Center in Morehead, Ky., where he retired at the end of 2016.
That retirement was short-lived. In April 2017, Mr. McCleese joined Methodist, a system comprised of a 192-bed acute care hospital, a 25-bed critical access hospital and a 19-practice physician network, where he leads IT strategy.
"I have thoroughly enjoyed the last 22 years, and I've loved what I've done," he says. "I want to continue doing it for a few more."
Beyond serving as CIO, Mr. McCleese has been a CHIME member since 1998, where he is active in public policy. He has held numerous leadership positions within the organization, including CHIME board chair in 2014 and chair of the CHIME Policy Steering Committee in 2015.
Mr. McCleese also has an extensive background with HIMSS, beginning in 1997. He was elevated to fellow in 2005 and is particularly active in the Kentucky Bluegrass Chapter of HIMSS, where he served as president from 2004-05. In 2008, he introduced the chapter's Kentucky Advocacy Day, an annual visit to state legislators.
"It doesn't matter what size organization you come from, you can still have some input into what is going on in the industry," Mr. McCleese says. "Frankly, I come from a smaller organization, and I like to think that what I've had to say, some folks have listened to.."
Becker's Hospital Review recently caught up with Mr. McCleese to hear why health IT beckoned him out of retirement and his advice for other CIOs.
Editor's note: Responses have been lightly edited for clarity and brevity.
Question: What made you decide to come out of retirement to join Methodist?
Randy McCleese: I left St. Claire's at the end of 2016 when the opportunity presented itself to take an early retirement, but I quickly learned I was not ready for retirement. I felt like I had a lot more to contribute. At the beginning of 2017, right after I left St. Claire's, the position at Methodist was posted. It took about three months to go through the interviewing process, but they called and offered the position, and I readily accepted because I love the community hospital-type environment.
Q: What is your biggest accomplishment?
RM: My biggest accomplishment was being the chair of CHIME because as far as I know, I am the only person from a smaller hospital to ever chair CHIME. As I look back at those who have chaired the organization, most of them have been a CIO of a much larger organization. The same is true for CIO of the Year because the only other winner I have seen from a more community-type hospital was Chuck Christian, vice president of technology and engagement for the Indiana Health Information Exchange. The others have mostly come from larger organizations.
Q: What is the most pressing issue CIOs face today?
RM: Security. It could affect any of us. No one in the industry is immune to this. I may not be affected today, but it's going to hit at some point, and we have to be prepared when it does.
It comes down to risk. Somebody has to decide how much risk this organization can withstand. We could spend billions of dollars putting up a defense and somebody could still get through it.
Q: What advice do you have to other hospitals concerned about cybersecurity? What is Methodist doing in this space?
RM: Methodist has been hit by ransomware in the past, but effectively, we are preparing for when another cyberattack happens. We as CIOs have taken the stance that we cannot guarantee a cyberattack is not going to happen, so we have to be prepared for when it does. We have to harden our network as much as possible, both from a technology standpoint and a financial standpoint. Although we have multiple layers of security in place, we know at some point, somebody will figure out how to get through those. If that happens, we need to do our best to be prepared and bring the systems back up and make them operational.
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Franklin, Tenn.-based Community Health Systems needs to invest in more nurses and equipment for Fort Wayne, Ind.-based Lutheran Health Network rather than spending money to battle LHN's former CEO in court, a group of physician advocates wrote in a recent op-ed in The Journal Gazette.
The three physicians who wrote the article, William Cast, MD; Matthew Sprunger, MD; and J. Philip Tyndall, MD, are the founders of Northeast Indiana Citizens for Healthcare Excellence, a group focused on bringing information to the public and promoting discussion about healthcare equality.
The physicians provided an overview of CHS' recent legal battle with LHN's former CEO Brian Bauer. They argued CHS has little to gain through the litigation.
In November 2017, CHS sued Mr. Bauer, claiming he breached his contract with the health network by sharing confidential information with the system's competitors. Mr. Bauer was removed from his position at LHN in June after CHS rejected a buyout offer from a group of LHN physicians, but the lawsuit alleges he spread confidential and proprietary information about CHS' affiliates even after he was fired. In early February, a judge dismissed three of the six counts in CHS' lawsuit against Mr. Bauer.
"So where are we now? We are poorer for the exercise, and little has been gained," the physicians wrote.
Drs. Cast, Sprunger and Tyndall believe CHS needs to focus on improving the quality of care provided at Lutheran Hospital in Fort Wayne, rather than a lawsuit against a former executive.
"Federal Medicare Compare rates Lutheran Hospital as only a two-star facility. With the proper support from [CHS], Lutheran can become a five-star facility," the physicians wrote. We believe that more millions should not be spent on flying lawyers from New York to Tennessee but instead on more nurses and equipment. It is time for Community Health Systems to return to the business of healthcare excellence."
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Anthem Blue Cross is accusing Sonoma West Medical Center and the hospital's owner, Palm Drive Health Care District, both in Sebastopol, Calif., of fraudulently billing for toxicology testing services, according to The Press Democrat.
Here are nine things to know.
1. The insurance giant sent a letter to both entities Feb. 9, threatening to take legal action if it was not paid back the alleged $13.5 million it lost in fraudulent toxicology payments to SWMC.
2. In the letter, Anthem said the hospital "appears to have conspired with several third parties to fabricate or misrepresent claims for toxicology testing services that were improperly billed to Anthem," according to the report.
3. The Anthem letter specifically links the issue to SWMC's partnership with Durall Capital Holdings, a Sunrise, Fla.-based hospital and laboratory operator. Durall began managing the hospital's laboratory services in 2017. The hospital entered the partnership as a way to avoid closure. Durall provided the hospital with millions in capital funding in exchange for toxicology testing services, according to the report. Durall's testing lab, Reliance Laboratory Testing, passes on samples of patients' specimens to the hospital for testing.
"Reliance Labs keeps a portion of the specimen and conducts testing on it, while purportedly passing on a portion of the sample to Sonoma West for additional testing," Anthem's letter reads, according to the report. "Sonoma West bills Anthem for some or all of this testing representing that it had performed the services when, in fact, it had not."
4. John Peleuses, CEO of SWMC, told The Press Democrat the partnership has been financially beneficial for his organization, and denied allegations of improper billing.
5. Mr. Peleuses told Becker's Hospital Review via email Feb. 21: "Our governing board is meeting in closed session later this week to discuss our response. I am not able to respond prior to the meeting. I will say that we do not agree with the assertions."
6. Alanna Brogan, executive director of the Palm Drive Health Care District, echoed Mr. Peleuses, telling The Press Democrat, "There are a number of inaccuracies in the letter and we will be responding to Anthem."
7. Anthem asked the hospital and district to respond by Feb. 23. The insurance giant also asked for information about the hospital's toxicology testing arrangement and its contracts with Durall Capital, Reliance Labs and other entities, among various other information requests, according to the report.
8. Anthem spokesperson Suzanne Meraz declined Becker's Hospital Review's request for comment.
9. On Feb. 22, Allen Maines, an attorney with Atlanta law firm Holland & Knight, who represents the hospital and district, notified Anthem the entities received the letter and planned to respond prior to Feb. 23 as requested. The hospital confirmed Feb. 26 it has provided the four items of documentation requested in the Anthem letter.
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A man was arrested Friday for stabbing his mother to death while she was a patient at the Tallahassee, Fla.-based Capital Regional Medical Center, according to the Tallahassee Democrat.
Alexander Sparks, 22, snuck a knife into the hospital Friday night and stole a surgical mask and gloves from a supply closet before he went to his mother's hospital room and stabbed her in her bed. Mr. Sparks left the room and placed the knife on a nurse's desk on his way to the elevators, where he was confronted by security. Nurses found his mother, Liese Sparks, dead when they were alerted to her heart monitor beeping.
The only motive police have so far is that Mr. Sparks told them his mother was a bad influence on him. He has been charged with premeditated murder and is being held in Leon County Jail.
Volunteers at Salt Lake City-based University of Utah Hospital are serving as around-the-clock companions for patients in their final days of life an effort to ensure no patient dies alone, according to The Salt Lake Tribune.
A newly formed group of around 20 hospital volunteers, including nurse case manager Jim Geiermann, RN, and a number of hospital employees and medical students, recently met in the hospital's Serenity Room to learn about the program, called No One Dies Alone.
The volunteers sit with patients who are close to dying and hold their hands, read to them, talk about their lives or play music.
Although patients are frequently unable to respond, volunteers said it is important to make sure someone is present for their final moments. "You're not their nurse. You're not their doctor. You're not anybody else you're just there for them," social worker Heather Smith told the volunteers.
The NODA volunteer organization, which formed in 2001, has expanded to hospitals nationwide with locations in Singapore.
Sandra Clarke, RN, a nurse based in Eugene, Ore., sparked the idea for NODA after she encountered a patient during a night shift with a "do not resuscitate" order, who appeared to be close to death.
"He could barely speak, and he said, 'Will you stay with me?'" Ms. Clarke recalled. "And I said, 'Well, I can't right now. I've got to see my other patients first. But as soon as I get done, I'll come back and be with you.'"
But by the time Ms. Clarke returned to the patient, he was dead with his arm stretched out, as if he was reaching for someone.
"The sense of frustration and anger was overwhelming," Ms. Clarke said. "He had a simple wish that was easily granted, and I couldn't do it. "From that moment on, it became something important for me to find a way we could be with patients at the end of life."
Bayshore Medical Center in Holmdel, N.J., part of Edison, N.J.-based Hackensack Meridian Health, transferred patients to a nearby hospital after a fire began at the facility, according to the Asbury Park Press.
Hospital officials told the publication six patients were transferred to Red Bank, N.J.-based Riverview Medical Center, also part of Hackensack Meridian, after the fire began in a toaster oven inside the intensive care unit break room.
"While the fire damage was very limited, water from the sprinkler system damaged certain areas of the hospital," a Bayshore spokesperson said in a statement to the Asbury Park Press Feb. 25. "As a result, several patients were relocated to different parts of the hospital and six patients were transferred to Riverview Medical Center. Clean up is underway and we expect normal operations very soon."
The fire did not harm patients or employees, and a damage estimate was not yet known as of Feb. 25.
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Under new legislation, Wellmark Blue Cross and Blue Shield, Iowa's largest health insurer, may offer plans with the Iowa Farm Bureau Federation that skirt certain ACA requirements, the Des Moines Register reports.
Here are five things to know about the proposal, which is advancing in the Iowa legislature.
1. Iowa's Farm Bureau would provide a health insurance option to roughly 28,000 members with a lower price tag. However, that option would lack certain consumer protections under the ACA, like the inability for insurers to charge members more for pre-existing conditions. Wellmark BCBS would organize the plan.
2. Supporters of the proposal argue it would create a low-cost option for farmers who can't shoulder rising premiums and out-of-pocket costs on Iowa's individual market. Iowa Farm Bureau Federation President Craig Hill told the Des Moines Register some self-employed farmers are choosing to be uninsured rather than enroll in unaffordable plans.
3. Those against the measure fear it would further deteriorate Iowa's individual insurance market by bypassing federal law. Medica is the only option Iowans can choose subsidized individual health plans from under the ACA. If too many young and healthy consumers purchase a plan similar to what legislators are proposing, it could create an unsustainable individual market with no population to offset the cost of covering many older and sick individuals.
4. While the legislation only concerns Iowa Farm Bureau members, anyone can join the bureau by paying annual dues of $55 or less, according to the report.
5. Earlier this year, the Idaho Department of Insurance said it will allow insurers to offer "state-based plans," which would not be required to have all of the ACA's essential health benefits.
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As part of a plan to reduce its $32.5 billion debt burden, Teva Pharmaceuticals closed offices in New York City and Washington D.C., according to The Calcalist.
According to Teva's CEO Kare Schultz, the New York offices were too expensive and the Washington D.C., offices were mainly used by company lobbyists, which are not needed anymore. Since Teva belongs to the Generic Pharmaceutical Association, a lobby group that represents generic manufacturers, the drugmaker decided to eliminate the expense of employing their own lobbyists and holding those offices.
Teva's plan to reduce debt includes divesting non-core assets, slimming down its expenses and laying off 14,000 employees globally. Since announcing the restructuring plan in December 2017, the generic drugmaker has reduced its debt load by $3.3 billion, from $35.8 billion to $32.5 billion.
It is unclear how many employees are affected by the office closures.
The first glimpses of Vivegam that we caught were the on-set images of Thala Ajith. He looked stylish and sophisticated. We saw how he transformed himself for this film, physically, by stunning us with his six packs and inspiring all his fans, and unanimously, all his co-stars. The first look took social media by storm and gave a strong essence of an international film.
Completely shot in Bulgaria and its neighboring European countries, the film promises to be an entirely international premise. Director Siva strategically revealed many images from of Thala Ajith, one by one, on his Twitter page making sure that the fans are teased to the maximum level. Then came the teaser in which we saw a stylized AK. The cinematography, editing, and the locales were all ultra-modern and gave us a lot to expect. Anirudh Ravichander has been an important reason for the reach and the standard of this film to go one league higher. His music has been outstanding, and its paradigm has been thoroughly westernized.
The script seems to touch upon terrorism with some sequences involving military weapons and tanks, cyber-crime with space satellites, and it is widely discussed that it also includes the significance of time. Siva has taken a lot of effort in research to develop a storyline which would also showcase the mass side of Ajith, while also trying to deliver a classy script.
In the recently released trailer, we got a better view of the masterclass in Vetri's visuals and Ruben's cuts and every character's new avatar, making every element in this story, an important contributor to its pre-release success and rise in the expectation meter. With the film's release just two days away, will Ajith and team elevate Tamil cinema to international standards? We'll know soon.
BOOST TO BUSINESS: Gareth Hardy, managing director of County Antrim company Hardy Sales and Marketing Ltd (HSMNI), and Boost Energy founder and Managing Director Simon Gray.
BOOST TO BUSINESS: Gareth Hardy, managing director of County Antrim company Hardy Sales and Marketing Ltd (HSMNI), and Boost Energy founder and Managing Director Simon Gray.
BOOST TO BUSINESS: Gareth Hardy, managing director of County Antrim company Hardy Sales and Marketing Ltd (HSMNI), and Boost Energy founder and Managing Director Simon Gray.
Boost to business: Gareth Hardy, managing director of County Antrim company Hardy Sales and Marketing Ltd (HSMNI), and Boost Energy founder and Managing Director Simon Gray.
County Antrim-based company Hardy Sales and Marketing has signed an exclusive five year to distribute soft drink Boost.
The firm will provide warehousing, distribution, van sales and key account management across all the major symbol, cash & carry and delivered wholesalers within the NI convenience and food service sector.
The contract will see 150 million cans and bottles of Boost, with a retail value of approximately 75 million, distributed from HSMNIs new warehouse facility in Castledawson during the five year period.
We are delighted to have secured an exclusive five year contract with Boost in Northern Ireland, said HSMNI Managing Director Gareth Hardy.
Its fantastic news not just for us but for wholesalers, retailers and consumers who all love the brand.
Weve been working with the company since it first arrived in Northern Ireland 15 years ago, and the success it has enjoyed here since then has been nothing short of phenomenal.
"This new contract reinforces Boosts commitment to the Northern Ireland region and enables us to invest locally in the brand. In fact weve just moved into a new 30,000sqft warehouse with a full warehouse management system which will allow us to improve on our already comprehensive and reliable route to market.
We have a long term strategy for Northern Ireland which involves working closely with our wholesale and retail partners to ensure we keep the product moving off shelf, he added.
An artists impressions of the planned office building at the Sirocco Works in Belfast ELEMENT
An artists impressions of the planned office building at the Sirocco Works in Belfast ELEMENT
Detailed plans for the first phase of the 400m regeneration of Belfast Waterside, the site of the former Sirocco Works, have been submitted to Belfast City Council.
The first phase of the development, costing 50m, will see the creation 250,000 sq ft of grade A office space at the site, which is based close to the Short Strand.
The plans were submitted by Vanguard Real Estate, the development arm of Swinford (Sirocco) Ltd, a joint venture between the Corbally Group, Graftongate and Gulf Resources Development and Investment (GRDI)
The 400m masterplan for the overall project is designed by Danish architects Henning Larsen and is a mix of residential and office spaces, alongside food and retail outlets.
A pedestrian and cycle bridge, as well as community and cultural facilities, are also included in the plans.
And developers claim the project could create up to 5,000 jobs once completed.
Jim Osborne, director of Vanguard Real Estate, said they hope the new office space will attract "premium corporate occupiers".
"We are seeking to set a new benchmark for office space suitable for premium corporate occupiers," he said.
"Recent reporting has indicated Northern Ireland continues to attract foreign direct investment (FDI) occupiers but an ongoing lack of quality supply is holding back office rental growth; recent analysis from CBRE outlines that Grade A office space remains in high demand from FDI and local companies.
"We engaged with several prominent office requirements at the earliest opportunity as part of our innovative approach to providing frictionless solutions for tenants and talks are progressing well."
According to last year's 'Belfast Agenda' plan, the council hopes to create 46,000 new jobs by 2035.
Belfast Waterside planners hope the new office accommodation will provide workspace for 11.5% of these jobs.
Earlier this week, three Belfast city centre office buildings went on the market for more than 5m in total. Construction is also currently under way for another 40,000 sq ft grade A office building at Weaver's Court.
Mr Osborne said that more plans will be unveiled in the coming months.
"The residential and co-working elements of the scheme will be brought forward in the coming months, together with proposals for a new pedestrian and cycle bridge," he said. "Once completed, the 400m investment will reconnect this important city centre site to the rest of the city, and provide 1.7 million sq ft of mixed use development.
"A pre-application notification for residential development and co-working space - a new concept for Belfast - will soon be submitted to Belfast City Council as part of our wider plans to develop the rest of the site."
Vanguard will be showcasing the project at Cannes next month as part the Belfast delegation to the MIPIM property conference.
Anthony McPartlin and Declan Donnelly also pranked their Britain's Got Talent co-star Amanda Holden (Ian West/PA)
Ant McPartlin was left wincing and clutching his arm after crashing a monster truck on Ant And Decs Saturday Night Takeaway.
The presenter went head-to-head with Declan Donnelly in a live monster truck race as the programme returned to screens on Saturday night.
Ant surged over a ramp at the end of his final lap before crashing into two stationary cars.
Oh trucks, he's only gone and won!
Ant wins the first Ant V Dec of the series #Takeaway pic.twitter.com/pPUfcNBkTW Saturday Night Takeaway (@itvtakeaway) February 24, 2018
He labelled the race a tough, tough challenge as he emerged from the vehicle holding his left arm before joining Dec and fellow presenter Stephen Mulhern.
Ant who announced his split from wife Lisa Armstrong earlier in January won the first challenge of the series after Dec spun his truck in the wrong direction.
He appeared fine as he returned to perform alongside Dec and Kylie Minogue later in the programme as the pop star performed a medley of hits.
@antanddec Ant- is your arm ok? Looked like you gave it a proper bash.... great show otherwise Teri Mills (@Teedoubya) February 24, 2018
Fans on Twitter shared their concern for Ant following the crash.
@DHSyweirdo tweeted: Im worrying about Ants left arm right now.
@UlstermamaBear wrote: Hope Ants arm is ok from the monster truck! So concerned once he starting holding it.
Awww I hope Ant didnt hurt his arm to much! Great to have them back @itvtakeaway @antanddec Jo Munson (@Joiscool1) February 24, 2018
@LauraSBel posted: Eeeeee that #AntVsDec challenge was not good for my nerves. I dont know how @antanddec did it. Hope your arm is ok Ant.
The episode also saw the presenting duo prank their Britains Got Talent co-star Amanda Holden as they fooled her into being part of a fake TV broadcast before bringing her face-to-face with her celebrity impersonator.
Appearing on the show to reflect on the prank, she told Ant an Dec: I am still shocked.
Honestly, because I thought it was live television. Everybody is watching this, everybody is seeing this.
I was devastated, she added.
Greeting her lookalike, Holden joked: Do you wanna do the school run, I literally need another me.
Ant And Decs Saturday Night Takeaway returns next Saturday night on ITV.
The Rolling Stones will kick off their newly announced European tour in Dublin, it has been confirmed.
The iconic rockers will open their No Filter tour at Croke Park on May 17.
The Dublin venue will be the largest stadium the band will play during the tour.
The Rolling Stones have announced live shows throughout May and June, including two concerts in London as well as gigs in Manchester, Edinburgh, and Cardiff.
They will also make stops in Berlin, Marseille, Stuttgart, Prague and Warsaw.
The second part of the Stones - No Filter tour will see fans treated to hits such as Paint It Black and Brown Sugar and each night they will include a couple of unexpected tracks and randomly selected surprises.
Frontman Mick Jagger, 74, said: "This part of the No Filter tour is really special for the Stones.
"We are looking forward to getting back onstage in the summer and playing to fans in the UK and Ireland.
"It's always exhilarating going to cities we haven't played for quite a while and also some new venues for us like Old Trafford and The London Stadium."
Guitarist Richards, 74, added: "It's such a joy to play with this band. There's no stopping us, we're only just getting started really."
The Rolling Stones last played in the UK in the summer of 2013 when they headlined the Pyramid stage at Glastonbury, followed by two sold-out shows in London's Hyde Park.
Guitarist and bassist Ronnie Wood, 70, said: "When I look out at the sea of people when we play all I can see is smiles.
"It's heart-warming and I'm glad we make people happy. Music makes me happy, and it makes them happy... it's infectious."
Drummer Charlie Watts, 76, added: "The Stones' audience is the glue that keeps us together.
"The best and most satisfying moment is when you are reaching the end of the show and they are all going nuts."
Tickets for the Dublin show go on sale on March 23.
With her cool, jet black pixie crop and those amazing ice-blue eyes, is it any wonder Emma Willis was tapped up by Eylure to collaborate on a false lash collection?
We think not, and the TV presenter says she was thrilled to be asked. "I've been wearing lashes for about 10 years, but I'd never really designed anything before, especially not a lash. I jumped at the chance, but I was also quite nervous, because I didn't want it to go wrong," she explains.
The 41-year-old says she was given free rein by the brand, coming up with a trio of designs.
"They've given me full control and amazing guidance," she tells me at the launch event at a swanky London hotel.
"We had lots of prototypes and kept tweaking them until I got them exactly right.
"So it's incredible to see them today for the first time, all packaged up."
As a former model and now the presenter of Big Brother and The Voice, Willis has worked with make-up artists for years, but says the most important lesson she's learned about beauty is actually knowing when to stop.
"I think the biggest tip I've taken is 'less is more'," she insists. "It's easy to keep piling it on, but sometimes you need to stop, take a step back and say 'I've got enough on right now'.
"That, and learning how to put lashes on, that is a right old skill! Use tweezers on one end and a finger on the other, that's how you get them on the best. And let the glue go tacky before you put them on your eye, let it dry a bit."
As mum to three children with husband Matt Willis of Busted fame, Willis doesn't have time for a lengthy make-up routine in the morning, but she tries to make time for a quick skin zhuzh-up after she's got the children ready.
"I make sure I leave myself 10 minutes. I'll have the quickest shower in the world, probably not wash my hair! Then just make sure my skin is done. Cleanse it, tone it, moisturise it, and I'm out the door."
She also treats herself to a relaxing facial once a month - and is partial to a rather pricey day cream too. We asked the bubbly beauty for her five can't-live-without products, and this is what she said...
1. Eylure X Emma Willis Trix-a-Lashious, 6.95
"There would be a lash, obviously, one of mine with Eylure. There are three different lashes in the collection - a lighter weight one, a mid-weight one and then a slightly heavier one. There are also extra corners, so you can take any of the lashes from day to night. I'm not picky, I'll take any of the three. I just need to have more lash than I have naturally!"
2. Charlotte Tilbury Legendary Brows Super Model, 18.50
"I'm not gifted in the brow department, either. Charlotte Tilbury does this thing called Legendary Brows, it's fibre on a wand, so you build your brows up and it tints them slightly."
3. MAC Face and Body Foundation, 24.50
"It's not heavy. It just evens out your own skin tone, but it's really light. It doesn't feel like you've got make-up on, it doesn't look like you've got make-up on, but it's got enough coverage in it as well. My make-up artist mixes shades C2 and C3 but I just put C3 on, because I can't be bothered with all that mixing."
4. Malin + Goetz Vitamin B5 Body Moisturizer, 32, Space NK
"I'd have to have a body moisturiser for winter when your skin looks really dry. Malin and Goetz do a really great body moisturiser, it's quite citrusy, it's really nice."
5. Dr Frances Prenna Jones Fix Holiday, 245
"I've just started having facials once a month, I'm on my third month and I love it. I feel like it really gives my skin a boost, but also, it's a lovely hour just to switch off. I think that's better than the actual glow you get - your brain is finally relaxed. I go to Frances Prenna Jones. She does a moisturiser called Fix Holiday which is really good, I'm a fan of that - I use it morning and night."
Snow lies on Tan Hill in North Yorkshire, as others parts of the country are bracing themselves for wintry showers. Steve Parsons/PA Wire
Cars drive through snow on the A26 in Ballymena, Co Antrim, as blizzard conditions are set to sweep in, bringing "a real taste of winter to the whole of the UK". Niall Carson/PA Wire
A dog walker in the snow in Ballymena, Co Antrim, as blizzard conditions are set to sweep in, bringing "a real taste of winter to the whole of the UK". Niall Carson/PA Wire
Snow covers a road sign in Greenloaning, near Stirling, as blizzard conditions are set to bring "a real taste of winter to the whole of the UK". Andrew Milligan/PA Wire
Sheep in the snow in Ballymena, Co Antrim, as blizzard conditions are set to sweep in, bringing "a real taste of winter to the whole of the UK". Niall Carson/PA Wire
Drivers battle through the snow on the outskirts of Armoy in Northern Ireland. Photo Colm Lenaghan/Pacemaker Press
A farmer battles through the snow on the outskirts of Armoy in Northern Ireland. Photo Colm Lenaghan/Pacemaker Press
Walkers threw the Snow on the Outskirts of Armoy in Northern Ireland, as snow fall hits across the country with more expected. Photo Colm Lenaghan/Pacemaker Press
This is a view from my window in Rathfriland, the Mournes at the far back left of the picture. Submitted by Lucy Barry - January 2017
Loving the snow are my pups Murphy, Lexi and Dexter. Submitted by Kathy Mackin-Jackson, from Armagh. Jan 2017.
Loving the snow are my pups Murphy, Lexi and Dexter. Submitted by Kathy Mackin-Jackson, from Armagh. Jan 2017.
Snow begins to fall on the Stormont Estate in east Belfast. Picture by Jonathan Porter/Press Eye
Snow begins to fall on the Stormont Estate in east Belfast. Picture by Jonathan Porter/Press Eye
Snow begins to fall on the Stormont Estate in east Belfast. Picture by Jonathan Porter/Press Eye
Pacemaker Press 08/12/2017 Snow falls in Crumlin , as heavy snow falls across Northern Ireland on Friday morning, leaving difficult driving conditions for motorists and some schools closed. Pic Colm Lenaghan/ Pacemaker
Pacemaker Press 08/12/2017 Snow falls in Crumlin , as heavy snow falls across Northern Ireland on Friday morning, leaving difficult driving conditions for motorists and some schools closed. Pic Colm Lenaghan/ Pacemaker
Pacemaker Press 08/12/2017 Young Boys play in the snow in Crumlin , as heavy snow falls across Northern Ireland on Friday morning, leaving difficult driving conditions for motorists and some schools closed. Pic Colm Lenaghan/ Pacemaker
Pacemaker Press 08/12/2017 Salting the foot patch as Snow falls in Crumlin , as heavy snow falls across Northern Ireland on Friday morning, leaving difficult driving conditions for motorists and some schools closed. Pic Colm Lenaghan/ Pacemaker
Pacemaker Press 08/12/2017 Snow time in Crumlin , as heavy snow falls across Northern Ireland on Friday morning, leaving difficult driving conditions for motorists and some schools closed. Pic Colm Lenaghan/ Pacemaker
Pacemaker Press 08/12/2017 Snow falls in Crumlin , as heavy snow falls across Northern Ireland on Friday morning, leaving difficult driving conditions for motorists and some schools closed. Pic Colm Lenaghan/ Pacemaker
People make their way to work as snow falls over Belfast. Picture Colm O'Reilly
People make their way to work as snow falls over Belfast. Picture Colm O'Reilly
Snow has fallen over Belfast. Tourists have their pictures taken in the snow at Clarendon dock Belfast. Picture Colm O'Reilly
People make their way to work as snow falls over Belfast. Picture Colm O'Reilly
People make their way to work as snow falls over Belfast. Picture Colm O'Reilly
Pacemaker Press 08/12/2017 Eoin Donnelly plays football in Crumlin , as heavy snow falls across Northern Ireland on Friday morning, leaving difficult driving conditions for motorists and some schools closed. Pic Colm Lenaghan/ Pacemaker
Pacemaker Press 08/12/2017 Walking the dogs in Crumlin , as heavy snow falls across Northern Ireland on Friday morning, leaving difficult driving conditions for motorists and some schools closed. Pic Colm Lenaghan/ Pacemaker
Pacemaker Press 08/12/2017 Children Ruben and Zara McGlinchey , Nathan McCann and Shea McLaughlin enjoying the snow in Crumlin , as heavy snow falls across Northern Ireland on Friday morning, leaving difficult driving conditions for motorists and some schools closed. Pic Colm Lenaghan/ Pacemaker
Pacemaker Press 08/12/2017 A dog enjoying the snow in Crumlin , as heavy snow falls across Northern Ireland on Friday morning, leaving difficult driving conditions for motorists and some schools closed. Pic Colm Lenaghan/ Pacemaker
Pacemaker Press Belfast 08-12-2017: Heavy snow showers overnight have led to disruption across parts of Northern Ireland. Dozens of schools have been closed due to the wintery conditions. The snowfall means an unexpected day off for some young people. Police are advising road users to use extreme caution on the roads. Patrick Morgan pictured enjoying the snow. Picture By: Arthur Allison/Pacemaker.
Pacemaker Press 08/12/2017 Children Ruben and Zara McGlinchey enjoying the snow in Crumlin , as heavy snow falls across Northern Ireland on Friday morning, leaving difficult driving conditions for motorists and some schools closed. Pic Colm Lenaghan/ Pacemaker
Pacemaker Press Belfast 08-12-2017: Heavy snow showers overnight have led to disruption across parts of Northern Ireland. Dozens of schools have been closed due to the wintery conditions. The snowfall means an unexpected day off for some young people. Police are advising road users to use extreme caution on the roads. Patrick Morgan pictured enjoying the snow. Picture By: Arthur Allison/Pacemaker.
Pacemaker Press Belfast 08-12-2017: Heavy snow showers overnight have led to disruption across parts of Northern Ireland. Dozens of schools have been closed due to the wintery conditions. The snowfall means an unexpected day off for some young people. Police are advising road users to use extreme caution on the roads. Snow in North Belfast. Picture By: Arthur Allison/Pacemaker.
Pacemaker Press 08/12/2017 Battling threw the snow on Divis Mountain in Co Antrim , as heavy snow falls across Northern Ireland on Friday morning, leaving difficult driving conditions for motorists and some schools closed. Pic Colm Lenaghan/ Pacemaker
Pacemaker Press 08/12/2017 Children Ruben and Zara McGlinchey , Nathan McCann and Shea McLaughlin enjoying the snow in Crumlin , as heavy snow falls across Northern Ireland on Friday morning, leaving difficult driving conditions for motorists and some schools closed. Pic Colm Lenaghan/ Pacemaker
Pacemaker Press 08/12/2017 Battling threw the snow on Divis Mountain in Co Antrim , as heavy snow falls across Northern Ireland on Friday morning, leaving difficult driving conditions for motorists and some schools closed. Pic Colm Lenaghan/ Pacemaker
Pacemaker Press 08/12/2017 A Snow Man on Divis Mountain in Co Antrim , as heavy snow falls across Northern Ireland on Friday morning, leaving difficult driving conditions for motorists and some schools closed. Pic Colm Lenaghan/ Pacemaker
Pacemaker Press Belfast 08-12-2017: Heavy snow showers overnight have led to disruption across parts of Northern Ireland. Dozens of schools have been closed due to the wintery conditions. The snowfall means an unexpected day off for some young people. Police are advising road users to use extreme caution on the roads. Paul and Ollie Forbes pictured enjoying the snow. Picture By: Arthur Allison/Pacemaker.
Pacemaker Press 08/12/2017 A Snow Man on Divis Mountain in Co Antrim , as heavy snow falls across Northern Ireland on Friday morning, leaving difficult driving conditions for motorists and some schools closed. Pic Colm Lenaghan/ Pacemaker
Pacemaker Press 08/12/2017 A dog enjoying the snow in Crumlin , as heavy snow falls across Northern Ireland on Friday morning, leaving difficult driving conditions for motorists and some schools closed. Pic Colm Lenaghan/ Pacemaker
Pacemaker Press 08/12/2017 Children Ruben and Zara McGlinchey , Nathan McCann and Shea McLaughlin enjoying the snow in Crumlin , as heavy snow falls across Northern Ireland on Friday morning, leaving difficult driving conditions for motorists and some schools closed. Pic Colm Lenaghan/ Pacemaker
Pacemaker Press Belfast 08-12-2017: Heavy snow showers overnight have led to disruption across parts of Northern Ireland. Dozens of schools have been closed due to the wintery conditions. The snowfall means an unexpected day off for some young people. Police are advising road users to use extreme caution on the roads. Anne Curley pictured enjoying the snow. Picture By: Arthur Allison/Pacemaker.
Pacemaker Press 08/12/2017 A dog enjoying the snow in Crumlin , as heavy snow falls across Northern Ireland on Friday morning, leaving difficult driving conditions for motorists and some schools closed. Pic Colm Lenaghan/ Pacemaker
Press Eye Belfast - Northern Ireland 10th December 2017 Four-year-old Noah Adams enjoys the snow at Stormont in east Belfast as it continues to lie across Northern Ireland. Picture by Jonathan Porter/PressEye.com
Press Eye Belfast - Northern Ireland 10th December 2017 A view of Stormont from the Castlereigh Hills outside Belfast as snow continues to lie across Northern Ireland. Picture by Jonathan Porter/PressEye.com
Press Eye Belfast - Northern Ireland 10th December 2017 A view of Stormont from the Castlereigh Hills outside Belfast as snow continues to lie across Northern Ireland. Picture by Jonathan Porter/PressEye.com
Press Eye Belfast - Northern Ireland 10th December 2017 Faith Adams(4) and Gracie Worth(7) enjoy the snow at Stormont in east Belfast as it continues to lie across Northern Ireland. Picture by Jonathan Porter/PressEye.com
Press Eye Belfast - Northern Ireland 10th December 2017 Four-year-old Noah Adams enjoys the snow at Stormont in east Belfast as it continues to lie across Northern Ireland. Picture by Jonathan Porter/PressEye.com
Press Eye Belfast - Northern Ireland 10th December 2017 Snow continues to lie across Northern Ireland as this robin red breast is pictured in the Fourwinds area outside Belfast. Picture by Jonathan Porter/PressEye.com
Press Eye Belfast - Northern Ireland 10th December 2017 Children enjoy the snow at Stormont in east Belfast as it continues to lie across Northern Ireland. Picture by Jonathan Porter/PressEye.com
Press Eye Belfast - Northern Ireland 10th December 2017 A man walks his dog in Fourwinds outside Belfast as snow continues to lie across Northern Ireland. Picture by Jonathan Porter/PressEye.com
10/12/17 PACEMAKER PRESS People make the best of the snow in the grounds of Stormont. Brian Buckley with his two children Finn and Jenna take their sled out. PICTURE MATT BOHILL PACEMAKER PRESS
10/12/17 PACEMAKER PRESS People make the best of the snow in the grounds of Stormont. PICTURE MATT BOHILL PACEMAKER PRESS
10/12/17 PACEMAKER PRESS People make the best of the snow in the grounds of Stormont. PICTURE MATT BOHILL PACEMAKER PRESS
10/12/17 PACEMAKER PRESS People make the best of the snow in the grounds of Stormont. PICTURE MATT BOHILL PACEMAKER PRESS
10/12/17 PACEMAKER PRESS People make the best of the snow in the grounds of Stormont. PICTURE MATT BOHILL PACEMAKER PRESS
PACEMAKER, BELFAST, 9/12/2017: Teal-Bella Alexander from Bangor has fun in the snow at the Enchanted Winter Garden which opened on Saturday in Antrim's Castle Gardens. The annual Christmas event is now in it's fifth season. Enchanted Winter Garden is running to 20 December in Antrim Castle Gardens, Antrim. For event information and tickets visit www.enchantedwintergarden.com PICTURE BY STEPHEN DAVISON
PACEMAKER, BELFAST, 9/12/2017: Sarah and Ethan Gillespie from Limavady have fun in the snow at the Enchanted Winter Garden which opened on Saturday in Antrim's Castle Gardens. The annual Christmas event is now in it's fifth season. Enchanted Winter Garden is running to 20 December in Antrim Castle Gardens, Antrim. For event information and tickets visit www.enchantedwintergarden.com PICTURE BY STEPHEN DAVISON
PACEMAKER, BELFAST, 9/12/2017: Ella and Bobby McMullan from Aghalee have fun in the snow at the Enchanted Winter Garden which opened on Saturday in Antrim's Castle Gardens. The annual Christmas event is now in it's fifth season. Enchanted Winter Garden is running to 20 December in Antrim Castle Gardens, Antrim. For event information and tickets visit www.enchantedwintergarden.com PICTURE BY STEPHEN DAVISON
Presseye - Belfast - Northern Ireland - 9th December 2017 Children enjoy the recent snow fall at Stormont in east Belfast. Jack (5) sledges down the hill at parliament buildings. Mandatory Credit Matt Mackey / Presseye.com
Presseye - Belfast - Northern Ireland - 9th December 2017 Children enjoy the recent snow fall at Stormont in east Belfast. Jack (5) sledges down the hill at parliament buildings. Mandatory Credit Matt Mackey / Presseye.com
Presseye - Belfast - Northern Ireland - 9th December 2017 Children enjoy the recent snow fall at Stormont in east Belfast. Jack (5) along with his sister Mia (10) and friend Rachel (11) pictured at parliament buildings. Mandatory Credit Matt Mackey / Presseye.com
Presseye - Belfast - Northern Ireland - 9th December 2017 Children enjoy the recent snow fall at Stormont in east Belfast. Jack (5) sledges down the hill at parliament buildings. Mandatory Credit Matt Mackey / Presseye.com
Snow in Ballymena, Co Antrim, as blizzard conditions are set to sweep in, bringing "a real taste of winter to the whole of the UK". Niall Carson/PA Wire
Snow covers a fence in Greenloaning, near Stirling, as blizzard conditions are set to bring "a real taste of winter to the whole of the UK". Andrew Milligan/PA Wire
Pacemaker Press 08/12/2017 Snow time in Crumlin , as heavy snow falls across Northern Ireland on Friday morning, leaving difficult driving conditions for motorists and some schools closed. Pic Colm Lenaghan/ Pacemaker
Pacemaker Press 08/12/2017 Battling threw the snow on Divis Mountain in Co Antrim , as heavy snow falls across Northern Ireland on Friday morning, leaving difficult driving conditions for motorists and some schools closed. Pic Colm Lenaghan/ Pacemaker
Walkers trudge through the Snow on the Outskirts of Armoy in Northern Ireland. Photo Colm Lenaghan/Pacemaker Press
Press Eye - Belfast - Northern Ireland - 16th January 2018 Vehicles on the M1 outside Belfast as the Met Office upgrades its warning for snow and ice from yellow to amber across Northern Ireland. Picture by Jonathan Porter/PressEye
16/1/2018 A rear wheel drive BMW cant make its way through the icy roads in Lisburn. Mandatory Credit Stephen Hamilton
16/1/2018 Peter Wachs pictured at Divis mountain in Belfast during a heavy fall of snow with dogs Muppet and Lulu Mandatory Credit Stephen Hamilton
Press Eye - Belfast - Northern Ireland - 16th January 2018 Vehicles on the M1 outside Belfast as the Met Office upgrades its warning for snow and ice from yellow to amber across Northern Ireland. Picture by Jonathan Porter/PressEye
Heavy snow has caused widespread travel disruption in Northern Ireland, with bus and rail services affected and some roads closed.
Horses as Snow falls near Divis on the outskirts of West Belfast in Co Antrim on Tuesday , as heavy snow falls across the country. Pic Colm Lenaghan/Pacemaker
General view of a Transit van which skidded off the road on the Hannahstown hill. Mandatory Credit Stephen Hamilton
Rush hour traffic on the Ballygowan Road in east Belfast after snow fell across Northern Ireland overnight. - 17th January 2018
Press Eye Belfast - Northern Ireland 10th December 2017 A view of Belfast from the Castlereigh Hills as snow continues to lie across Northern Ireland. Picture by Jonathan Porter/PressEye.com
An army of road workers, council and agency staff and even farmers are on standby to battle the "beast from the east".
Northern Ireland is bracing itself for what could be the coldest spell to hit the region in a decade.
Overnight temperatures are forecast to plunge below freezing across the country as Arctic conditions, dubbed the Beast from the East, take hold.
The Met Office has again extended its weather warning for snow which now stretches from Wednesday to Friday.
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Some parts are set to feel colder than the Arctic Circle as freezing temperatures continue to the end of the week and the mercury drops five to 10 degrees lower than normal for this time of year.
Forecasters have also warned about the compounding problem of wind chill.
Click here for today's forecast
Expand Close Friday's Met Office warning for snow. Met Office graphic / Facebook
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Whatsapp Friday's Met Office warning for snow. Met Office graphic
Travel and power could be severely affected and some rural areas could be cut off, forecasters have warned.
On Monday senior civil servants held a multi-agency teleconference including Stormont departments, councils and utility companies for strategic planning.
The public have been asked to plan their journey, check in on elderly or vulnerable relatives and neighbours and take all necessary precautions to protect their property.
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The Department for Infrastructure has around 300 staff and 130 gritters available to salt main roads. Twelve specialist snow blowers have been prepared while farmers and specialist contractors have been readied to help shift snow.
John Irvine from the department said: Our winter service operation ensures that 7,000 kilometres of the road network are salted to keep traffic moving in wintry conditions. With a warning for snow and ice currently in place and some disruption on our roads likely, the departments winter service team is fully prepared.
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So far this year 86,000 tonnes of salt has been spread on our roads and a further 60,000 tonnes is stockpiled and ready for use. Five thousand salt bins and 50,000 grit piles are provided on a self-help basis on routes not included on the salting schedule."
He added: Despite our best efforts it is important to remember that we cannot guarantee ice free roads even after salting. We all need to be mindful of the changing conditions and adjust the way we drive, ride or cycle to ensure it is appropriate for the conditions. The best advice is in the Highway Code, take extra care even if roads have been salted, be prepared for road conditions changing over short distances and take care when overtaking gritters.
With very cold weather over the next few days, information and advice on staying as healthy as possible, and helping elderly or vulnerable neighbours: https://t.co/c1f4o66IqA #StayWellNI pic.twitter.com/z7zjQEBotX nidirect (@nidirect) February 26, 2018
In the Republic of Ireland a snow-ice alert has been issued for Dublin, Carlow, Kildare, Laois, Louth, Wicklow and Meath from Tuesday, with up to 6cm of snow expected to accumulate by Wednesday morning.
Met Eireann warned of widespread frost and icy conditions as it shifted its yellow status warning to orange, the next level.
As well as the warnings about snowfall, there is a low temperature warning, with lows of minus five degrees expected on Monday night.
Into Thursday potentially gale force winds, mixed with heavy snowfall, will ensure disruptive weather for many parts.
A weather system from the Portuguese Islands and known as Storm Emma is expected to bring blizzard conditions as it hits the cold air brought down by the Beast from the East.
Homeless charities have warned of the risk to life for rough sleepers while hostel beds in Dublin are to stay open 24 hours a day to help keep people off the streets.
Focus Ireland said it is working with all homeless organisations in the city to get beds for everyone on the streets.
The Simon Community appealed to people who see rough sleepers in Belfast to contact the charity.
#StormEmma to bring freezing weather to NI. If youre concerned about anyone #sleepingrough on the streets of Belfast please contact @homelessbelfast street outreach team on 07894931047. If you or anyone you know is at risk of #homelessness call our free helpline on 08001712222 pic.twitter.com/1s2ipmCUNN @SimonCommNI (@SimonCommNI) February 26, 2018
The threat of heavy snowfalls and subsequent frozen roads is a result of winds bringing freezing temperatures from Russia and the North Pole and precipitation from air moving north from the Bay of Biscay.
The Met Office forecasts said that by the end of Wednesday more than 20cm of snow may have accumulated in some parts of eastern England, Scotland and Northern Ireland.
Belfast International Airport has defended its decision to sponsor a DUP fundraiser, saying it is campaigning for the removal of air passenger duty which involves "engaging" with senior government figures.
The airport has come in for heavy criticism over its involvement with the annual North Antrim DUP dinner on Friday.
Among those attending were senior party figures including Ian Paisley and Sammy Wilson.
Eurosceptic Tory MP Priti Patel, who had to resign as International Development Minister last November after breaching the Ministerial Code by holding unauthorised meetings with Israeli officials, attended and was interviewed by Mr Paisley.
Sinn Fein MLA Declan Kearney criticised the airport, saying he was concerned about the "transparency of the event" and who was to benefit.
Tables of 10 at the Galgorm Resort dinner cost 1,500.
In a letter inviting Mid and East Antrim Council to take a table, organisers said it was to assess the "potential for local businesses to capitalise on (Brexit)".
It did not mention that it was the annual North Antrim DUP dinner. Yesterday the DUP's Audrey Wales took to Twitter to say councillors attending "paid their own tickets".
Former DUP MLA Phillip Logan tweeted a picture of himself with Ms Patel, describing it as a "great evening".
When challenged on the cost of seats, Mr Logan said it was "important the war chest is always ready for battle".
He tweeted: "There is no other show in town, therefore we need to be prepared. Fundraisers do help."
South Antrim MLA Mr Kearney said he intended to question the airport owners on whether they thought it "appropriate" to sponsor the event.
"It would raise questions and perceptions regarding partisan support for one political party," he said.
"I am also concerned that the International Airport may have been sponsoring an event which was positively promoting Brexit at a time when the Tory Brexit agenda poses one of the biggest threats to face the airport and the future of the regional and island economies, by putting jobs and workers' rights at risk."
The airport said: "Belfast International Airport is a privately owned company and doesn't receive Government subsidies or assistance.
"We support all our political parties where it is clear the events they organise, or are a part of, are to the benefit of the airport. We are currently campaigning for the removal of air passenger duty and that means engaging with senior Government figures to get our points across.
"We have created almost 1,000 jobs through attracting increased passenger numbers, but that is only a fraction of what we could achieve if we didn't have this tax." A number of DUP members tweeted pictures from the event.
Paul Frew MLA said: "Brilliant support for the annual North Antrim DUP dinner with guest speaker Priti Patel MP.
"Great to have you here in the great constituency of North Antrim Priti."
East Antrim MP Mr Wilson tweeted: "Great to have my friend Patel in Northern Ireland for the annual North Antrim DUP dinner.
"Priti is a strong ally as we continue the battle in parliament to regain control of our laws, our money and our borders."
Mr Paisley also tweeted: "Thanks to all our members, friends and supporters in North Antrim who made our annual dinner such a success. DUP thank you Patel for her participation enjoy NI."
A party spokesman said: "All income and expenditure arising from the event will be handled in accordance with our rules and regulatory obligations."
Jobs are set to be lost and an employment service for people with disabilities set to be axed due to the Stormont impasse. (Andrew Matthews/PA)
Four jobs will be lost and an employment service for people with disabilities set to be axed due to the Stormont impasse.
Action on Hearing Loss and the RNIB have both said services offered to their clients will stop at the end of next month as future funding cannot be guaranteed.
Action on Hearing Loss have been offering its Specialist Employment Service since April 2015, backed by funding from the European Social Fund (ESF) and the Department for Communities.
As it stands, 65% funding for the scheme from the ESF remains in place and has been secured for the next four years - but the charity has been waiting since December for the Department for Communities to give a commitment on its 35%.
If confirmation of the matched funding is not received by the end of March, four members of staff employed in the service will be made redundant.
Jackie White, NI Director for Action on Hearing Loss told the Belfast Telegraph: "Deaf people find it more difficult than hearing people to secure employment for a number of reasons, and our Specialist Employment Service has a successful track record of being able to secure quality jobs, and changing the lives of deaf people as a result.
In the past three years the service has supported 87 people, securing full-time employment for 19 and part-time employment for nine. The other 59 have either entered further education, accessed training programmes or taken up work placements.
A representative from the RNIB said matched government funding is "critical" to the delivery of a employment support programme for blind and partially-sighted people, set to begin in April.
A spokesman said: "Our planned programme is eligible for funding from the European Social Fund but without confirmation of match funding from the Department of Communities, we will be unable to proceed."
A spokesperson from the Department for Communities said: "Departments have not yet been allocated budgets for the new financial year starting in April.
Given the timescale for the commencement of the new phase of ESF from 1 April 2018, the Department for Communities has written to those organisations who identified the department as a potential match funder, asking them to submit further specific information. This will allow decisions to be made on applications as soon as an overall budget for the Department has been determined."
David Lidingtons offer to rewrite the flagship Brexit bill to address the concerns of the devolved administrations has been dismissed by the Scottish and Welsh governments.
Theresa Mays Government is at odds with Holyrood and Cardiff Bay about whether powers returned from Brussels after Brexit go to the devolved administrations or Whitehall.
Mr Lidington said the UK Government had made a considerable offer to the devolved administrations with a commitment that the vast majority of powers returning from Brussels will start off in Edinburgh, Cardiff and Belfast rather than Whitehall.
But Scotlands Brexit Minister Michael Russell accused the Tory government of trying to unilaterally rewrite the devolution settlement.
And Wales First Minister Carwyn Jones said further progress was needed that goes beyond warm words because the current version of the legislation was an unacceptable attack on devolution.
Expand Close David Lidington has called for unity over Brexit from the devolved administrations (Stefan Rousseau/PA) PA Wire/PA Images / Facebook
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Whatsapp David Lidington has called for unity over Brexit from the devolved administrations (Stefan Rousseau/PA)
Setting out his proposals, Mr Lidington said they would mean a very big change to the EU Withdrawal Bill that is before Parliament and a significant step forward in these negotiations.
If accepted, this offer puts beyond doubt our commitment to a smooth and orderly departure from the European Union, in a way that doesnt just respect the devolution settlements, but strengthens and enhances them, he said.
Speaking at Airbus in North Wales, Mr Lidington called for unity behind the approach to Brexit and warned that a divided country at home would be weaker, less secure and less prosperous overseas.
He said: Leaving the EU presents many challenges for our centuries-old union story and opportunities too.
Some want to use this as an excuse to loosen these ties that bind us together or even sever them completely.
I believe such an outcome would leave every one of our four nations both weaker and poorer.
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But Mr Russell said the UK Governments approach makes a mockery of claims to be a partnership of equals, complaining about a lack of engagement from Whitehall.
He said: However they try to dress this up, the reality is the UK Government is using Brexit to try to take control of devolved powers without the agreement of the Scottish Parliament.
It is totally unacceptable for the Tories to unilaterally rewrite the devolution settlement that the people of Scotland voted for so overwhelmingly.
We have always said we are not opposed to UK-wide arrangements on issues such as food labelling when they are in Scotlands interests but the fundamental point of principle is that any changes to the powers of the Scottish Parliament, permanent or temporary, can only be made with the agreement of Holyrood.
And it is only because Westminster wants to take control of devolved powers that there is any debate on this issue at all.
Expand Close Welsh First Minister Carwyn Jones said the UK Government needed to offer more than 'warm words' on post-Brexit devolution (Ben Birchall/PA) PA Wire/PA Images / Facebook
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Whatsapp Welsh First Minister Carwyn Jones said the UK Government needed to offer more than 'warm words' on post-Brexit devolution (Ben Birchall/PA)
Mr Jones said: I welcome the commitment of the UK Government to continue to work with us on their EU Withdrawal Bill.
However, as currently drafted, the Bill allows the UK Government to take control of devolved policy areas, such as farming and fishing, once the UK has left the EU.
This is an unacceptable attack on devolution in both Wales and Scotland.
We now need further progress that goes beyond warm words and I hope the very big changes promised in the speech equate to sensible amendments to the Bill which respect devolution.
We will continue to work with the UK and Scottish Governments to that end.
The family of a man who bravely fought against an aggressive form of brain cancer have told of how grateful they were to spend their last Christmas together as they hailed him as a "true gentleman" who never lost his positive outlook.
Ballymena father-of-two David McClean (53) passed away in January. His family were left heartbroken when he was diagnosed with a grade 4 glioblastoma in October 2016.
He was told by doctors in Belfast that his brain tumours were inoperable and he was given 12 months to live, but he refused to accept the bleak prognosis.
He travelled to University College London Hospital, where he underwent a seven-and-a-half hour operation. But the building contractor was then told that the tumours would start growing back immediately.
He knew his only chance was to receive immunotherapy treatment, which costs more than 200,000.
After a crowd-funding campaign he began treatment last February and it ended in May.
The family were told in August that the tumours had returned and on October 4 he was given three months to live.
He left behind his wife Dawn (50) and children Charlotte (24) and Christopher (22).
Dawn and David were childhood sweethearts and were married for 26 years. She told the Belfast Telegraph she misses his mischievous personality.
She said: "He was always laughing and he used to make us laugh with his laugh. He always saw the best in people."
Dawn recalled how David would always joke that she loved their three dogs more than him.
She said: "I'd say, 'Tell me you love them', and he'd say, "I like them, they are only dogs'.
"He always said, 'You love those dogs more than me'.
"One of the times near the end, I said, 'Do you know how much I love you David? More than Holly' - she's the wee one - and he said, 'That must be a wile lot'."
Daughter Charlotte said: "He had such a positive outlook on life, even when he was ill.
"He was always trying to help others, he had a really caring nature and was always telling us how much he loved us. He would do anything for anyone."
Dawn recalled how she never heard him complain once during his treatment and that all he wanted was to spend time with his family.
"That was all he wanted in the end - to spend time with me, Charlotte and Christopher," Dawn said.
Charlotte explained: "That's what happened when he did pass, it was just us there holding his hand. When it came to the end he only wanted the three of us with him, and the night he died there only was the three of us with him."
David wanted to have Christmas with his family and that was the last day he was out of bed before passing away.
Charlotte said: "We had him at the top of the table where he always was. He said he wanted to see Christmas and he did. So at least we were able to have him at home and have dinner with the family and just be together."
Asked what it was that helped David keep such a positive outlook, Charlotte said it was his family.
"It was us. He didn't want to leave us. He's a big family man, everything he's done, he did it for us.
"He was such a gentleman, that's what everybody said about him, he was one of life's true gentlemen," she said.
The family have been inundated with support and cards, with many sending heartfelt messages. Dawn added: "We really want to send our heartfelt thank you to everyone who donated to make David's treatment possible because it gave him extra time. And to all the medical staff connected with his care."
The couple are attempting to secure a declaration that their marriage remains fully constituted throughout the United Kingdom.
A gay couple whose marriage in England is only recognised as a civil partnership in their native Northern Ireland are suffering unlawful discrimination, the Court of Appeal heard on Monday.
Senior judges were told the situation amounts to a violation of the two men's human rights. Granted anonymity in the case, the petitioner 'X' and his husband wed in London in 2014.
But under current laws they can only be classified as civil partners in Northern Ireland, an alleged "downgrading" of their relationship.
They are attempting to secure a declaration that their marriage remains fully constituted throughout the United Kingdom.
In August last year a High Court judge dismissed the case after identifying no breach under European law.
He held that it was up to government and parliament to provide same-sex marriage rights, not the courts.
But Petitioner X is now seeking to have that verdict overturned.
His lawyers stressed the case was about the right to equal recognition of an existing marriage performed in the UK under the law of Northern Ireland, and the related entitlement to remain married throughout the UK.
Karen Quinlivan QC, for X, argued that any heterosexual couples who wed in England remain married if they move to Northern Ireland.
The current situation facing her client is "derogatory and undermines his marriage", she contended.
Explaining his status to people at work has caused him stress and uncertainty, the court heard.
The petition, backed by gay rights group The Rainbow Project, was taken against the Northern Ireland Assembly and the UK Government.
Legislation passed in the rest of the the UK and the Irish Republic allows same-sex couples to marry.
However, Stormont has repeatedly refused to introduce the same change in the law.
Lawyers for X and his husband claimed their rights to privacy and family life, religious freedom and entitlement to marry under the European Convention on Human Rights have all been violated.
They insist their case differs from the separate legal bid to have the same-sex marriage laws extended to Northern Ireland.
Downgrading a marriage validly recognised in England, Wales and Scotland to civil partnership status in Northern Ireland amounts to an unlawful interference, it was argued.
X and his husband were able to wed in England following the introduction of the Marriage (Same-Sex Couples) Act 2013.
But lawyers for UK's Government Equality Office (GEO) have countered that there was never intended to be a "one size fits all" approach to the issue across the regions.
A gay couple's ability to get married in England and Wales was a matter of policy rather than a legal obligation, according to their case.
The hearing continues.
An old family photo of Sarah, Pam (second from left in red dress), Stephen, Gillian and Jayne
Pam and Michael on their wedding day in New York in 2013
Pam and Michael on their wedding day in New York in 2013
Pam Cameron, South Antrim DUP MLA, on how love at first sight really can happen... and the Catholic voters who helped her get elected.
Q. You're 46 and married to former senior civil servant Michael Cameron, your second husband, who's 52. Love at first sight?
A. Absolutely. We met at Stormont on June 9, 2011, a month after I'd been elected. My world turned upside down. It was a very traumatic period of my life - the worst and the best days. We got married on Friday, December 13, 2013, in New York and honeymooned there. It was incredible.
Q. You have three children - IT student William (25), Daniel (24), who works at Bombardier, and psychology student Hannah (21), with your first husband Ian Lewis, and three stepchildren - Tesco employee Connor (22), Courtney (19), who works in fashion, and Jack, an A-Level student (17). You also have three dogs - Holly, Benny and Buddy. Tell us about home life.
A. William, Hannah and Jack live with us. We have a very busy house, with lots of friends and our dogs. It's crazy; every night you have to wear ear plugs.
Q. There was a lot of press coverage of the breakdown of your 20-year first marriage, which you ended just four days after meeting Michael (you were actually accompanied by your first husband that day in Stormont). Are you and Ian friends now?
A. We're not in contact but there's no animosity. Ian has moved on; he's remarried and has a stepdaughter. In hindsight, I got married too young. My first marriage was my children; that's what my whole life consisted of. Leaving wasn't a consideration because of my Christian upbringing, but then I met Michael. He's the reason I got the courage to leave, and for me it wasn't a choice because Michael's my absolute best friend, my soulmate and I couldn't not be with him.
Q. How did your children take the shock news? Wasn't one of your sons working in your office at the time?
A. It was really difficult. I'd caused incredible hurt to all of my family, not least Ian, who didn't deserve to be hurt in that way. My kids initially - the two boys - thought that Hannah should come with me and that's what happened but then, fairly quickly, they became very angry. They wouldn't see me or speak to me for 18 months. My son stopped working with me. It was a year and a half of absolute hell... but eventually we all started to talk again and patch things up.
Q. What do you say to cynics who don't believe it's possible to fall in love so instantaneously?
A. There was no affair. When I was Antrim mayor, the old courthouse was being refurbished and I wanted a royal to do the official opening. Someone had given me Michael's name as a contact in the NIO, so I rang him to ask if he could help. We had a 40-second conversation. A few months later - on the day I handed over the chain to the new mayor - I got a Facebook message saying he was still working on the royal visit. I replied 'Thanks, but you're too late'. That, however, started a conversation. We basically talked from then until we met on June 9 - and, four days later, wham! I changed my life for the better. I've absolutely no regrets at all, never a moment's doubt.
Q. Part of the coverage of your marriage breakdown mentioned you spending a lot of money on lingerie in your sister's shop in Comber.
A. The media coverage of that was incredibly inaccurate and unfair. A receipt described an item as lingerie but it was actually a two-pack set of vest tops. When I was mayor, some money was spent on clothing and then claimed back through mayoral expenses. (Someone insisted on hoking through my claims, although I actually spent less in total than this person did when they were mayor.)
Q. Did you feel that you were an easy target?
A. The Press feel I'm fair game because I'm a woman and because I represent the DUP. I was nicknamed 'Glam Pam' by a newspaper which then took photos of me walking across a car park and then printed one with a caption that said 'Not So Glam'. They decided to name me, then slate me. When is it ever appropriate to comment on a politician's appearance? When do they treat male politicians like that?
Q. Previously you have voiced your support for gay people. Do you see yourself as one of the fresh faces of the DUP, more liberal and less hardline? Are you pro gay marriage?
A. I'm not as liberal as some people think. Personally, I don't have an issue with gay marriage but I represent a party that does and I respect that and more importantly, the voters. I have really good gay friends; one couple believe in gay marriage and the other doesn't. We're not afforded a free vote on conscience issues in our party, but I absolutely believe in party strength and I'm prepared to go with the majority.
Q. Do you believe in God? Do you have a strong faith - or has that been shaken?
A. Very much so. I left the Free Presbyterian Church in 2011 and haven't been a regular church attender recently, but I believe in God and I have a strong faith.
Q. Have you lost anyone close to you and does death frighten you?
A. I was very close to my Gran (Isobel) Brown, who died on my 21st birthday. She was 88. She'd had five boys, all home births; the first time she was in hospital for herself was after she was diagnosed with bowel cancer, aged 87.
Death isn't something I think about or dwell on so no, it doesn't frighten me.
Q. Tell us about the best day of your life.
A. The births of my children and my wedding day to Michael in New York. We got married in City Hall. It was a 60-second service and I still managed to cry.
Q. And what about the worst day?
A. The day I made the decision to leave my first marriage.
Q. What's your favourite place in the world?
A. Rea's Wood at the Lough Neagh shore in Antrim. There's a beautiful bay there where the dogs can swim.
Q. So far, what is your greatest achievement?
A. The 2016 election, because things had changed - I was remarried and wasn't sure if people would endorse me to the same level, but they did, and more. I got a significantly increased vote, which was very touching.
Q. If there was one thing you could change about yourself, what would it be?
A. My greatest regret is not staying at school. I will always feel like a bit of a fraud, that I shouldn't be where I am, because I don't have a piece of paper that tells me I'm remotely intelligent.
Q. Who was your biggest inspiration growing up?
A. My mother, Heather Brown, who's now 70. I don't know anybody else who worked as hard as she has. She'd five children and was a full-time businesswoman. She had fantastic drive.
Q. You're the second youngest of five - Jayne (51), Gillian (49), Stephen (47) and Sarah (43). Tell us about your family.
A. My dad, Alan Brown (72), is a former milkman, and mum has been in retail all her life. When we were growing up she owned lots of shops through the worst of the Troubles. She's only now properly retiring.
Q. You live in Antrim but grew up in north Belfast and Glengormley. Happy childhood?
A. Very happy. There were five of us so there was always plenty going on. We'd a simple life but very content. We climbed trees. I was a tomboy.
Q. You attended Glengormley Primary and Glengormley High and then skipped university. Tell us briefly about your career to date.
A. I left school in 1988 when I was 16 and worked in a Ballyclare pharmacy for a year. Then I worked in one of mum's Belfast shops for three years until I was 20. I'd just turned 16 when I got engaged to Ian. I got married at 19, had my first baby at 20, second at 21 and finished at 24. I was a stay-at-home mum until 2000 when Hannah went to primary school, aged four, and then worked part-time for a year in a Magherafelt joinery. From 2001 until 2004 I worked for (DUP MLA) Wilson Clyde; then as (now DUP MP) Sammy Wilson's office manager until 2011.
Q. You first entered politics in 2005 when you were elected as a DUP councillor in Antrim. You were the first woman mayor from 2010-11. Why politics?
A. One evening in 1998 my dad told me we were going to join the DUP because someone had invited him along to a branch meeting. He never went back; I never left. At that time I was a stay-at-home mum and I loved being amongst adults. I loved the volunteering aspect of the work, the canvassing and fundraising. We were always politically aware as children, my parents followed politics in Northern Ireland. Very quickly I took on roles as branch secretary and assistant treasurer of the DUP South Antrim Association and just loved it.
Q. What's fellow DUP member Sammy Wilson like?
A. He's great. I used to get frustrated sometimes, however, because he loves to play the joker but he's probably one of the most serious politicians I've ever known. He's a workaholic. I've huge respect with how he interacts with people. Sammy's a great friend and a very supportive influence in my life; we could say anything to each other and no offence would be taken.
Q. You've said you attract a lot of support from Catholics. Why is that?
A, During my time as mayor (2010-11) I started raising money for charities and I chose two to support - Macmillan Cancer Support and Women's Aid ABCLN (Antrim, Ballymena, Carrickfergus, Larne, Newtownabbey). My good friend, Rosemary Magill, who's now chief executive of Women's Aid, was very supportive. When I was running for the Assembly a number of Catholics signed my nomination papers. In the previous election, when we'd run three candidates, there was not much difference between first preference votes in 2007 for the third candidate, who didn't get elected, and first preference votes that I got in 2011, but what changed was the transfers - it was the Catholic vote that put me in.
Q. Who would you say is your best Catholic friend?
A. I don't give my friends labels and don't approve of giving labels.
Q. Which politician from the so-called 'other side' do you most admire?
A. The SDLP's Nichola Mallon and Claire Hanna. They're young mothers and fearless in their attitude.
Q. How do you relax outside politics?
A. Spending time with Michael, socialising with our friends.
Q. If the Assembly collapses, what's next?
A. I'd go into working with the likes of Women's Aid.
Q. What's the craziest thing you've ever done?
A. Getting a tattoo of Michael's name [on the right inside wrist] four days after we met. I was so sure.
A Co Down pensioner has been injured in a "cowardly attack" which happened after he disturbed two burglars as they raided his sister's home
A Co Down pensioner has been injured in a "cowardly attack" which happened after he disturbed two burglars as they raided his sister's home.
The man, aged in his 70s, was confronted by two men after he entered the property in the Cloughmore Park area of Rostrevor on Friday evening.
He sustained a cut to his head in an altercation at around 7.15pm before the culprits made off on foot with a sum of money. His sister, who is also aged in her 70s, was not injured during the incident.
SDLP councillor Declan McAteer called on those responsible to "examine their consciences".
"This is another cowardly attack on an elderly gentleman and must be condemned in the strongest possible terms," he added.
"I would call on those who carried it out to consider how they would feel if this was visited upon their parents or grandparents."
Meanwhile, a man has been charged with attempted murder after a woman was tied up during a house burglary.
The 35-year-old man has also been charged with aggravated burglary with intent to steal, aggravated vehicle taking, arson endangering life with intent and false imprisonment on January 19.
The victim, aged in her 50s, was rescued by two members of the public after a fire was started in an upstairs room of the property in School Road outside Clough, in Co Down.
The 35-year-old man is also facing charges alongside two other men, aged 27 and 30, in connection with four burglaries in Ballyward, Belfast, Downpatrick and Ardglass between February 20 and 23. The men, who were arrested in Rathfriland on Friday, are due to appear at Downpatrick Magistrates' Court today.
These are just the latest in a series of violent incidents involving home intrusions.
An 83-year-old woman fell from a window during a break-in at her Aughnacloy home in late January.
Grandmother Pat Davidson (83) suffered a fractured skull, spine and pelvis after she was left for dead when four men gained entry to her home.
Days later, Robert Flowerday (64) was found dead at his home in Mill Road, Crumlin. A man has since been charged with the murder of the former teacher, as well as burglary.
And another alleged burglar has been accused of stealing a car belonging to a second former teacher found dead at her home. The body of 64-year-old May Stevens was discovered by police in Lismoyne Park in north Belfast as they were inquiring about her car which had allegedly been stolen hours earlier.
Police have appealed for witnesses to the Rostrevor incident.
A PSNI spokesperson said one of the men is described as being approximately 5ft 7ins tall, of stocky build, with short hair and clean shaven.
He was wearing a light blue zip up hooded top.
The second male was "taller and slimmer".
A Green Party councillor has said plans for a drive-through fast food restaurant close to a primary school are a "deep concern".
Georgina Mile has said she supports opposition from local residents, near Tesco Knocknagoney, where plans are in place to build a drive-through McDonald's restaurant.
A planning application for the site was submitted in December.
A spokesperson for the fast-food giant previously told the Belfast Telegraph it anticipated the restaurants would develop 65 full- and part-time jobs.
Last month notification letters were sent to residents in the area by the Belfast Planning Manager, with a request for feedback on the development to be given by the start of February.
This restaurant is of deep concern to residents as it backs directly onto homes and also lies within five to 10 minutes walking distance of a primary school, Councillor Milne said.
My objections to this planning application include concerns such as noise, litter, pollution and the scale of the development in a residential area.
However, this particular development will be within approximately 350m of Knocknagoney Primary School. This is of concern due to the mounting evidence indicating a link between obesity and access to fast-foot outlets.
Many councils have already chosen to ban fast-food outlets within 400 metres of schools.
Whilst no such regulations exist presently in Belfast, the city currently enjoys status as a part of the WHO European Healthy Cities network, which means that the health risks associated with such fast food outlets should be well understood."
In November last year Mayor of London Sadiq Khan laid out plans to tackle childhood obesity by banning fast-food outlets within 400m of schools in the capital.
McDonald's has operated in Northern Ireland for 23 years and has more than two dozen restaurants in the region.
In December 2016 plans for a new branch near Asda on Belfast's Shore Road were hit with objections due to the potential noise impact on local residents, the impact on building new homes, and concerns it could exacerbate an existing rodent problem in the area.
A decision was made by officials not to give the site the go-ahead.
A spokesperson for McDonald's said: In 2017 McDonalds held a pre-application meeting with Belfast City Council to discuss a number of points including residential amenities, transport and the local environment for a new restaurant at Knocknagoney. Following this meeting a planning application has been submitted to Belfast City Council for a new Drive Thru restaurant. If approved, the restaurant would create 65 full and part-time jobs.
Prosecutors are to appeal against the sentence of loyalist supergrass Gary Haggarty ( Liam McBurney/PA)
Prosecutors want to appeal the sentence of loyalist supergrass Gary Haggarty.
The former Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF) leader in North Belfast was handed a minimum six-and-a-half-year sentence at Belfast Crown Court after admitting more than 200 offences, including five murders.
The judge said he would serve six-and-a-half years in prison before he is entitled to consideration for release by the Parole Commissioners as part of the peace process deal involving a heavily-discounted sentence in exchange for giving information about his criminal colleagues.
Expand Close Director of Public Prosecutions Stephen Herron is referring the sentence to the Court of Appeal (PPS/PA) Press Association Images / Facebook
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Whatsapp Director of Public Prosecutions Stephen Herron is referring the sentence to the Court of Appeal (PPS/PA)
However, he has already served 1,186 days in prison on remand and is entitled to credit for that.
A statement from the Public Prosecution Service (PPS) said: The Director of Public Prosecutions, Stephen Herron, has today sought leave to refer the sentence imposed on Gary Haggarty to the Court of Appeal on the grounds that it is unduly lenient.
Haggartys evidence has led to one person being charged with murder.
His murder targets included:
John Harbinson, who was beaten to death with a hammer by a UVF gang in North Belfast in May 1997. Afterwards Haggarty went and had a drink in a nearby house, the trial judge said.
Catholic Sean McParland, who was shot dead in front of children in 1994. Haggarty volunteered to be the lead gunman to dispel UVF suspicions about informers, the judge said.
Catholic workmen Eamon Fox, 44, a father of six, and Gary Convie, 24, a father of one, were shot dead as they had lunch together in a car in Belfast.
Sean McDermott, a 37-year-old Catholic found shot dead in his car near Antrim in August 1994.
Haggarty admitted involvement in the killings as part of the deal to give evidence against criminals charged.
Most people named in his police interviews will not face prosecution amid state concerns about a lack of supporting evidence.
Families of his victims said he was allowed to kill at will.
The daughter of one of the last lighthouse attendants on Northern Ireland's Mew Island has urged the owners to ensure the historic buildings are preserved for future generations to enjoy.
The picturesque lighthouse off the Co Down coast has safely guided ships through the treacherous seas around the Copeland Islands for over a century.
Hannah McNamara, a Green Party representative for the area, said she was worried about the state of the lighthouse and its buildings now that it is deserted.
The issue is particularly personal for Ms McNamara, whose father was a lighthouse attendant, and she wants to see the old buildings made accessible for the public to enjoy.
"I am very concerned at the state of the Mew Island Lighthouse and its buildings, now that the lighthouse is unattended," she said.
"The contents of the former lighthouse keepers' houses have been removed and burnt, and all the daymarks (daylight aids to navigation) have been removed, so no one can navigate safely to land their boat at the island.
"My father Shane was the first lighthouse attendant at Mew Island in 1995/1996 around when the lighthouse became fully automated on March 29, 1996. The last lighthouse keepers left at this time.
"My family connection to this island also extended to two great uncles, Robert Allen and Walker Simpson (attendants), and my grandfather William Lennon was a local boat contractor who brought the keepers and attendants to and from the island.
"As children, we spent many summers as a family upon the island, climbing the steps to the top of the lighthouse and the watchtower, staying in the old-fashioned houses and lying on the heli-pad at night, watching the sweeping beam overhead.
"It really worries me that all those interesting and historic buildings have now been left to succumb to the harsh elements of the channel, despite being listed.
"I have been working with local campaigners to try and ascertain what responsibility the Irish Lights now have over the island and what can be done to preserve it. Other lighthouses around the island of Ireland have had their buildings retained and restored and some rented out as accommodation under the Irish Lights Great Lighthouses Of Ireland scheme.
"I would encourage the Irish Lights to do the same for Mew Island Lighthouse and urge them to listen to local voices on this issue."
Ms McNamara said there had also been anger in the community over a decision to remove the historic optic from the lighthouse. She said the Commissioners for Irish Lights - who own most of the lighthouses around the coast of Ireland - made the decision to update the workings of the lighthouse to solar-powered LEDs in 2014, and in the process "unnecessarily removed" the rare Fresnel-lens optic that had been in place since 1928.
The optic has now been installed at The Great Light exhibition at Titanic Belfast.
Ms McNamara urged the Titanic Foundation and Titanic Quarter to support the preservation of the lighthouse "to ensure that the history behind the great light does not end at Titanic Walkway".
She added: "I am glad that the optic could be saved and restored, and I am excited to see the history of the lighthouse and the lens brought to life in the new exhibition at Titanic Belfast - but this is not entirely the good news story as it is being portrayed."
A spokesman for Irish Lights said it was maintaining the property to meet the standards required by its listed building status.
He said the cross-border body had no objection to a heritage project at the island which would allow visitors to come and learn about the history of the lighthouse, but that the maritime authority would not have the funds to create that sort of facility itself.
He also explained that the historic optic light, which rested in mercury, was removed in 2014 and replaced with a new, energy efficient LED. He added that the new light on Mew Lighthouse serves both the mariner and the environment.
"The old light remained on the island until the organisation was approached about it being used in the exhibition in Belfast," he said.
Meanwhile, Irish Lights also revealed it was currently in discussion with local heritage interests regarding the permanent display of three foghorns dating from 1948.
The present lighthouse and fog signal on Mew Island was established on November 1, 1884, replacing an older one on Lesser Copeland Island.
It was then one of four cottage type coal burning lights around the Irish coast, along with others at Loophead, Old Head of Kinsale and Howth Head.
The Mew Island Lighthouse was extended later to include a 52ft tower and lantern.
Lighthouse keepers lived on the island until 1996, when it became automatic.
Protesting families of Troubles victims yesterday vowed to continue to take to the streets as part of a renewed campaign for information over their relatives' deaths.
Speakers at the #TimeforTruth march, which saw a crowd of thousands assemble in front of Belfast City Hall, demanded action on stalled efforts to deal with the legacy of the conflict.
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Several proposals on legacy issues are on hold due to the Stormont stalemate, such as an independent Historical Investigations Unit, a truth and recovery body, and increased funds for coroners' inquests and Police Ombudsman probes.
Yesterday's event was billed as being open to both sides of the community, but did not include any unionist speakers.
While organisers had urged victims from across the community to attend, most were from the nationalist community.
Sinn Fein deputy leader Michelle O'Neill and MLAs Gerry Kelly, Caral Ni Chuilin and Emma Rogan, whose father Adrian was shot dead in the 1994 Loughinisland massacre, attended the event.
Mrs O'Neill said the victims were "marching for truth" and wanted to "see the legacy mechanism implemented so these families can get access to inquests".
Hundreds of bereaved relatives carried photos of their loved ones through the streets while holding black flags and banners. A minute's silence was held outside City Hall.
John Kelly, whose 17-year-old brother Michael was shot dead on Bloody Sunday, told the crowd it was "outrageous that relatives who lost loved ones or people who were injured in the conflict have to take to the streets protesting for truth and justice".
"Today's march is open to all families, no matter their background, who lost loved ones or were injured in the conflict," he said. "Truth belongs to everyone, it does not belong to any one group or individuals.
"This is the start of a new campaign, this is the start of a campaign for Time for Truth, and hopefully in the future there'll be more marches like this."
Ciaran MacAirt, whose grandmother Kathleen Irvine died in the 1971 McGurk's Bar atrocity, told those assembled that the families had been fighting for the truth for over 46 years. He called for the implementation of the Stormont House Agreement, and to "properly resource its mechanisms for dealing with the legacy of the past, especially the proposed Historical Inquiries Unit". He also called for action to "properly resource the inquest system" and the Police Ombudsman's office.
Addressing the crowd was Briege Voyle, whose mother Joan Connolly, was shot dead by the Army in Ballymurphy in 1971.
She called for the coroner to assume responsibility for tracing the suspects, and for funding to be released for inquests. It makes me so angry that we have to take to the streets to get the truth," she said.
"Inquests are a crucial legal step for families faced with the loss of loved ones at the hands of the state."
Several speakers accused the Government of "blocking" families from "getting the truth".
However, Ulster Unionist MLA Doug Beattie said the march was "selective" as it had a "very pro-republican narrative".
"It may not have been meant to be selective, but it was," he said. "You need only look at the placards, which were primarily focused against victims of the security forces and the State.
"It does not question the IRA's part in creating the vast majority of the victims here.
"Those people marching deserve the truth. But I would not have felt comfortable holding up a placard to a murdered soldier or a victim of the IRA. In truth it was a republican march."
Ms Ni Chuilin called tweets from loyalists criticising the march "totally offensive and lacking in dignity".
Kenny Donaldson of Innocent Victims United said that the "prominent presence" of individuals such as Mr Kelly "politicised the issues".
"The march will therefore be understood by many as an anti-State march and therefore was attended by a very specific section of the population," he said.
"As an organisation, we are also clear that we support all innocents from across the community who pursue justice, truth and accountability.
"But we are clear there must exist equitable pathways with equitable levels of resource which means that all can advance their objectives."
Victims' campaigner Raymond McCord, whose son was murdered by the UVF, was present. He said he wanted more people to attend future similar events representing all victims.
The day after the latest talks collapsed, Sinn Fein president Mary Lou McDonald said the party had secured a commitment from the Government for a public consultation on stalled mechanisms to deal with the Troubles and to release funds needed to finance legacy inquests.
Mr Kelly claimed funding for coroners' probes into disputed deaths was agreed during the recent talks, although DUP leader Arlene Foster has said it would be "astonishing" if the Government granted funding for legacy inquests without an overall agreement.
London has said all discussions with Northern Ireland's parties were in the context of how it would respond if there was a deal.
A spokeswoman added that the Government had set out clear commitments to take forward the Stormont House Agreement legacy institutions, and to support inquest reform.
The Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall, pictured at Ascot Racecourse last year, will visit Australia in April for the opening of the Commonwealth Games. (Steve Parsons/PA)
The Prince of Wales tour of Australia will see him visit Vanuatu where some islanders revere the Duke of Edinburgh as a god.
As part of a trip to launch the Commonwealth Games on behalf of the Queen, Charles will also tour the South Pacific country to learn how inhabitants recovered from devastating Cyclone Pam in 2015.
Philip is worshipped as a deity by the people of Tanna, one of the many islands that make up Vanuatu.
Expand Close UK aid being delivered to Vanuatu by an RAF C-17 plane, at Bauerfield International Airport, after the region was battered by Cyclone Pam in 2015. (Sgt Neil Bryden RAF/MoD Crown Co) Press Association Images / Facebook
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Other highlights of the seven-day tour, which begins on April 4, will see the family of Australian wildlife expert Steve Irwin join Charles on a Great Barrier Reef island to highlight the plight of the worlds coral reefs.
Irwin, who was nicknamed the Crocodile Hunter, died in 2006 after being attacked by a stingray while filming footage for a documentary.
His daughter Bindi, 19, was eight when her father was killed but has continued his conservation work at Australia Zoo in Queensland and is expected to meet Charles with her mother Terri Irwin and brother Robert.
Happy Birthday to my dad and grandmother.
I wish so much that I could give you birthday hugs. You are both in my heart today and I hope you are celebrating together pic.twitter.com/jqeoetkVfI Bindi Irwin (@BindiIrwin) February 22, 2018
Australias Gold Coast is hosting the Commonwealth Games and the prince, joined by the Duchess of Cornwall, will read the monarchs message at the opening ceremony, calling on athletes to come together in the spirit of friendly competition.
During the visit Charles and Camilla will tour the athletes village and the prince will hold meetings with Australias prime minister Malcolm Turnbull, Commonwealth leaders attending the sporting tournament and present medals to swimmers.
The Duchess is only joining her husband for the first three days of the tour and during that time will host her own event, a reception for WOW, Women of the World, a global movement supporting women and girls pursuing action and change.
Delighted that Their Royal Highnesses The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall will open the XXI Commonwealth Games in Australia on behalf of Her Majesty The Queen https://t.co/SxltZEBEkT @ClarenceHouse @RoyalFamily #CommonwealthsYear
Photo: https://t.co/QLHcvnTQtl pic.twitter.com/PRULerEw4f Commonwealth Sport (@thecgf) February 19, 2018
Charles will carry out events in the cities of Brisbane, Cairns where he will visit one of the busiest centres of the Royal Flying Doctor Service and the communities of Darwin and Gove in the Northern Territories.
Scott Furssedonn-Wood, deputy private secretary to the prince and duchess, said about the visit: As well as being an opportunity to celebrate the Commonwealth, in the run-up to the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in London, this tour will focus on the themes of community, sustainability and disaster recovery and resilience.
And the programme will also reflect the princes strong relationship with the Australian armed forces and as well as the work of Princes Trust Australia.
Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn has said the Good Friday Agreement (GFA) should not be "sacrificed" on the altar of Brexit.
During a speech in Coventry on Monday morning the Labour leader outlined a policy shift which sees his party back the UK being in a permanent customs union with the EU following Brexit.
Mr Corbyn also pledged that a Labour government would not allow the return of a hard border in Ireland.
"No playing off the nations of the UK," he said. "No one should be willing to sacrifice the GFA, the basis of relative peace, development and respect for diversity in Northern Ireland.
"The GFA was a huge achievement and on this anniversary lets respect that and not allow that to be undermined during the Brexit process.
He added: "The devolution of the last Labour government completed the peace process in Northern Ireland, which we must cherish. The GFA was a great achievement and I pay tribute to the work done by Tony Blair, Mo Mowlam and all sides in Northern Ireland to secure that agreement.
"We must continue to support the restoration of the Northern Ireland Assembly and to ensure we maintain the situation of no hard border in Northern Ireland."
Prime Minister Theresa May has insisted the UK will leave the single market and the customs union, allowing Britain to negotiate its own trade deals with countries around the world.
However, Mr Corbyn today committed Labour to keep the UK in a European customs union and argued the move will enable Labour to secure "full tariff-free access" to the single market but without committing to all of its rules.
The Labour leader said: Labour would seek a final deal that gives full access to European markets and maintains the benefits of the single market and the customs union as the Brexit Secretary, David Davis promised in the House of Commons, with no new impediments to trade and no reduction in rights, standards and protections.
We have long argued that a customs union is a viable option for the final deal.
"So Labour would seek to negotiate a new comprehensive UK-EU customs union to ensure that there are no tariffs with Europe and to help avoid any need for a hard border in Northern Ireland."
Expand Close Britain's Labour Party Shadow Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union (Brexit), Keir Starmer listens to Labour party leader Jeremy Corbyn giving a speech on Brexit at Coventry University in Coventry on February 26, 2018. AFP/Getty Images / Facebook
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Whatsapp Britain's Labour Party Shadow Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union (Brexit), Keir Starmer listens to Labour party leader Jeremy Corbyn giving a speech on Brexit at Coventry University in Coventry on February 26, 2018.
DUP MP Sammy Wilson accused Mr Corbyn of "betraying" Labour voters.
He said: It is clear that Jeremy Corbyns speech today is driven by cheap political opportunism, completely overturns previous promises made by the Labour Party during the last General Election that it was opposed to membership of the customs union and is a blatant attempt to bring down the government rather than safeguard the interests of the UK or workers in industries across the United Kingdom who would benefit from the United Kingdoms freedom to make its own trade deals outside a customs union. "
The east Antrim MP added: "The DUP, as we have done already, will be giving our full support to the government to oppose this Brexit wrecking policy which regardless of the promises made by Corbyn will result in the UK still being tied to regulations, directives and diktats from the EU."
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David Cullinane TD, Sinn Fein spokesman for Brexit, welcomed Jeremy Corbyn's statement.
He said: "This is a welcome dose of reality to the debate after months of disarray and dithering from the Tories. Corbyn said that nobody should be willing to sacrifice the Good Friday Agreement. He rightly said it was a huge achievement and one that needed to be protected.
"Britain remaining in a form of customs union and single market with the EU will weaken the possibility of a hard border on the island of Ireland post-Brexit. It is a positive and welcome statement.
"The only way to ensure there is no border checks on the island is for the north to stay in the full customs union, the single market and the EU legal framework. Whatever this is called is immaterial - the need for it to happen is not."
UK holidaymakers were stranded at airports in the Canary Islands after flights were disrupted by a severe storm.
Many travellers expressed frustration that they were not provided with accommodation.
More than 70 flights were affected when the popular Spanish islands were hit by strong winds and heavy rain on Sunday, according to Spanish state broadcaster RTVE.
Because of limited diversion capacity in the Canary Islands, many flights are diverting to Faro in Portugal or Marrakesh in Morocco. pic.twitter.com/QmzlcBRiV9 Flightradar24 (@flightradar24) February 25, 2018
Aircraft were forced to divert to the Canary Island of Fuerteventura as well as Faro, Portugal and Marrakesh, Morocco as they were unable to land on Tenerife and Lanzarote.
Around 1,000 passengers spent the night at Fuerteventura airport, according to local media.
Jason Wilkinson, 30, from London, has been stranded at the airport for 21 hours with his pregnant girlfriend after their Thomas Cook Airlines flight to Lanzarote was diverted.
He said they slept on the floor in the terminal building among several families with babies and children.
There were lots of tears, he told the Press Association.
Live look in at Fuerteventura airport. Babies, pregnant women & pensioners sleeping on the floor. 14 hours & counting. No offer of a hotel/ferry/no access to our bags. Thomas Cook need to be hung out to dry for this. Absolutely disgusting. #thomascook #stranded @ThomasCookCares pic.twitter.com/0C6RaVhJmt Jason Wilkinson (@jpw_ff) February 26, 2018
Mr Wilkinson said he was able to book a hotel room nearby despite being told by Thomas Cook that none were available.
But he was unable to retrieve his bag and was not permitted to leave the airport.
I wasted my money, he said. I dont even know where to begin in terms of getting compensated for this utter mess.
He added that his girlfriend needed folic acid pregnancy tablets from her suitcase, while other families are being denied access to their medication and nappies for babies.
Tui customer Teri McGuinness has been stuck at Tenerife South Airport for more than 15 hours.
The hairdresser from Essex described the situation as an absolute joke, and complained that she was unable to find anyone representing the company.
Absolute joke. Been stuck at Tenerife airport for over 15 hours now, no reps in sight, not aloud to go get a hotel and still no information about our flight. Great work @TUIUKcares never again will I be flying with @TUIUK Teri McGuinness (@McGuinnessTeri) February 26, 2018
In a Twitter message to the firm, she wrote: Having your customers sleep on the floor rather that put them up in accommodation is shocking!
Thomas Cook Airlines said it was very sorry for the inconvenience caused by flights being diverted due to bad weather.
A spokeswoman for the tour operator said hotel accommodation could not be found for all affected passengers due to the large number of people at airports.
Customers who spent the night at the airport were given food and drink vouchers and the firms ground handling agents were there to provide support and answer questions, she said.
Thomas Cook Airlines expected Mondays flight schedule to operate as planned but warned small delays may occur.
A Tui spokesman apologised for the disruption to flights, adding: Due to the amount of flights disrupted in Tenerife we were unable to find accommodation for our passengers, so welfare was issued instead.
A spokesman for travel trade organisation Abta said: Where customers have been delayed or had their flights cancelled they will be entitled to welfare under EU regulation 261, which requires airlines to provide refreshments appropriate to the length of the delay and accommodation if required for longer delays.
Customers whose flights had been diverted will be entitled to the same welfare.
Jeremy Corbyn will set out Labours plans for a post-Brexit customs union and a new, strong relationship with the single market in a major speech.
The Labour leaders shift in position on a customs union with the European Union could leave Theresa May facing the prospect of Mr Corbyns MPs lining up with Tory rebels in an attempt to force a change in the Governments approach.
In a speech in Coventry, Mr Corbyn will say existing single market rights, standards and protections would be accepted by Labour.
But it would negotiate protections and exemptions that could help workers and industry, such as changing state aid restrictions to allow governments to intervene to help struggling sectors.
Brexit Secretary David Davis said Mr Corbyns plans breached the promises he made at the general election and accused him of selling snake oil.
Q. Can you name a single leader or country that backs a deal like this?
Barry Gardiner's answer to that on Corbyn's Brexit plan below #r4today pic.twitter.com/KD2EHr8uTE BBC Radio 4 Today (@BBCr4today) February 26, 2018
Setting out Labours approach, shadow international trade secretary Barry Gardiner said: We have said that we recognise the benefits of the customs union as it stands and we are now saying that a customs union between the EU and the UK, where we together decide those third-party countries where we will have common tariffs and common quotas, is of benefit.
Mr Gardiner, who has previously said a Turkish-style customs deal with the EU over customs would be a disaster, insisted Labours plans avoided some of the drawbacks of that approach by giving the UK a say over third countries access and the rules governing the arrangement.
What we are talking about is a customs union in which we, as the UK, would be negotiating with the EU about those third parties, we would not be in the situation of being a rule taker.
Tory rebels have backed a cross-party amendment to the Governments Trade Bill calling for a customs union, and Labours policy shift could see them share common ground on the approach.
Asked whether a defeat over such a key part of the Prime Ministers Brexit strategy could bring down the Government, Mr Gardiner told BBC Radio 4s Today: I dont know what it would lead to. I dont think anybody does.
We do have to get it right here leaving the EU was all about restoring sovereignty to the UK parliament.
It is right that the UK parliament as the sovereign body in this country determines the policy that our government has for what will be the future arrangements with the rest of the world for the next 40 or 50 years.
In his speech, Mr Corbyn will say Labours jobs first approach would include measures to stop employers being able to import cheap agency labour from abroad to undercut workers pay.
Mr Corbyn will say: Every country that is geographically close to the EU without being an EU member state, whether its Turkey, Switzerland, or Norway, has some sort of close relationship to the EU, some more advantageous than others.
Britain will need a bespoke relationship of its own. Labour would negotiate a new and strong relationship with the single market that includes full tariff-free access and a floor under existing rights, standards and protections.
The Labour leaders comments are set to upset some in the party who want the UK to remain in the single market.
But Mr Gardiner said British people who backed Brexit at the referendum wanted to make sure we were regaining what they saw as our sovereignty, that we were not paying money into the budget of the European Union and that we had the ability to control our own borders.
All of those things are things which we would not be able to do if we were part of the European Economic Area and therefore of the single market.
Mr Corbyn will say leaving the European Union does not mean Britain is inevitably doomed.
The reality of Brexit is more down-to-earth than the naysayers and the fervent supporters claim, according to the Labour leader.
The European Union is not the root of all our problems and leaving it will not solve all our problems, he will say.
Likewise, the EU is not the source of all enlightenment and leaving it does not inevitably spell doom for our country.
Expand Close David Davis said Jeremy Corbyns plans breached the promises he made at the general election (Ian Forsyth/PA) PA Wire/PA Images / Facebook
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In an article for The Daily Telegraph, Mr Davis said Labours plans would stop the UK from signing free trade deals with other countries around the world.
He wrote: The only way we can do this is if we have control over our own trade policy and are able to tailor agreements to our own needs, not those of 28 different countries. Being inside a customs union would make this impossible.
These were points not lost on Labour at the last election when they promised to work with global trading partners to develop best-in-class free trade and investment agreements.
He added: Labour may think they have stumbled across a simple solution to Brexit, but there is a lesson they are yet to learn: If it looks like snake oil, and it smells like snake oil, dont expect it to make you feel better.
A "major incident" was declared by police after reports of an "explosion" in Leicester.
At around 7pm Leicestershire Fire and Rescue received calls from the public who said they had heard a blast on Hinckley Road.
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A spokeswoman said six fire engines had been requested and that the incident is currently being treated as a search and rescue operation.
It's been reported there was a "huge explosion" and flames could be seen reaching into the sky for miles around. It's thought a shop and flat have been destroyed. Sky News reported police sources saying the incident was not thought to be connected to terrorist activity.
It is not known if anyone was inside the building at the time.
Leicestershire Police tweeted: "There has been a major incident on Hinckley Road, Leicester.
Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Previous Next Close Handout video grab courtesy of Graeme Hudson of the scene after a "major incident" was declared by police after reports of an explosion in Leicester. Pic: Graeme Hudson/PA Wire PA BEST QUALITY AVAILABLE Handout video grab courtesy of Graeme Hudson of the scene after a "major incident" was declared by police after reports of an explosion in Leicester. At around 7.03pm Leicestershire Fire and Rescue received calls from the public who said they had heard a blast on Hinckley Road. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Picture date: Sunday November 29, 2015. A spokeswoman said six fire engines had been requested and that the incident is currently being treated as a search and rescue operation. Pictures and video on social media show what appears to be a shop on the street engulfed in flames visible from a distance. The building appears to have stood next to a shop called TJ's Takeaway. See PA story POLICE Explosion. Photo credit should read: Graeme Hudson/PA Wire NOTE TO EDITORS: This handout photo may only be used in for editorial reporting purposes for the contemporaneous illustration of events, things or the people in the image or facts mentioned in the caption. Reuse of the picture may require further permission from the copyright holder. PA BEST QUALITY AVAILABLE Handout video grab courtesy of Graeme Hudson of the scene after a "major incident" was declared by police after reports of an explosion in Leicester. At around 7.03pm Leicestershire Fire and Rescue received calls from the public who said they had heard a blast on Hinckley Road. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Picture date: Sunday November 29, 2015. A spokeswoman said six fire engines had been requested and that the incident is currently being treated as a search and rescue operation. Pictures and video on social media show what appears to be a shop on the street engulfed in flames visible from a distance. The building appears to have stood next to a shop called TJ's Takeaway. See PA story POLICE Explosion. Photo credit should read: Graeme Hudson/PA Wire NOTE TO EDITORS: This handout photo may only be used in for editorial reporting purposes for the contemporaneous illustration of events, things or the people in the image or facts mentioned in the caption. Reuse of the picture may require further permission from the copyright holder. PA BEST QUALITY AVAILABLE Handout video grab courtesy of Graeme Hudson of the scene after a "major incident" was declared by police after reports of an explosion in Leicester. At around 7.03pm Leicestershire Fire and Rescue received calls from the public who said they had heard a blast on Hinckley Road. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Picture date: Sunday November 29, 2015. A spokeswoman said six fire engines had been requested and that the incident is currently being treated as a search and rescue operation. Pictures and video on social media show what appears to be a shop on the street engulfed in flames visible from a distance. The building appears to have stood next to a shop called TJ's Takeaway. See PA story POLICE Explosion. Photo credit should read: Graeme Hudson/PA Wire NOTE TO EDITORS: This handout photo may only be used in for editorial reporting purposes for the contemporaneous illustration of events, things or the people in the image or facts mentioned in the caption. Reuse of the picture may require further permission from the copyright holder. PA BEST QUALITY AVAILABLE Handout video grab courtesy of Graeme Hudson of the scene after a "major incident" was declared by police after reports of an explosion in Leicester. At around 7.03pm Leicestershire Fire and Rescue received calls from the public who said they had heard a blast on Hinckley Road. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Picture date: Sunday November 29, 2015. A spokeswoman said six fire engines had been requested and that the incident is currently being treated as a search and rescue operation. Pictures and video on social media show what appears to be a shop on the street engulfed in flames visible from a distance. The building appears to have stood next to a shop called TJ's Takeaway. See PA story POLICE Explosion. Photo credit should read: Graeme Hudson/PA Wire NOTE TO EDITORS: This handout photo may only be used in for editorial reporting purposes for the contemporaneous illustration of events, things or the people in the image or facts mentioned in the caption. Reuse of the picture may require further permission from the copyright holder. PA / Facebook
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Whatsapp Handout video grab courtesy of Graeme Hudson of the scene after a "major incident" was declared by police after reports of an explosion in Leicester. Pic: Graeme Hudson/PA Wire
"All emergency services are currently dealing with this. Carlisle Street and part of Hinckley Road have been closed Please avoid the area."
Pictures and video on social media show what appears to be a shop on the street engulfed in flames visible from a distance. A BBC video showing the aftermath of the suspected blast captured a number of people around what looked like a collapsed building.
The building appears to have stood next to a shop called TJ's Takeaway.
The fire and rescue service spokeswoman said: "This is a search and rescue at the moment. It is unknown if people are injured or trapped."
She added that the affected property was a two floor building with a loft conversion that had suffered a "pancake collapse".
This footage shows the aftermath of an apparent explosion in the Hinckley Road area of Leicester. Police have declared a "major incident." More information as we get it. pic.twitter.com/ghVIGEYjdk BBC East Midlands (@bbcemt) February 25, 2018
Thick smoke fills Hinckley Road in #Leicester following a suspected explosion. Emergency services are on the scene pic.twitter.com/5DlfoOXiHh Gem News (@GemRadioNews) February 25, 2018
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Police have declared a major incident after reports of a massive explosion near at a shop in Leicester, UK developing pic.twitter.com/purkN7xRW9 Vocal Europe (@thevocaleurope) February 25, 2018
An ice cube in the shape of Donald Trump's head before and after melting - (Myles New/Trump Trays)
An ambitious crowdfunding campaign is aiming to influence the discussion on climate change with some rather unusual ice trays.
Scott Kelly, 27, and Ben Polkinghorne, 31, are two of the people behind Trump Trays, a 100% recyclable product made of silicone that allows owners to create ice cubes in the shape of US president Donald Trumps head.
With all profits from the sale of the trays to be donated to the Environmental Justice Foundation (EJF) a charity working to protect the natural environment the trays are a response to Trumps decision to pull the US out of the Paris climate deal.
The accord the worlds first comprehensive climate agreement commits countries to holding global temperature rises to well below 2C above pre-industrial levels, which requires emissions to be cut to net zero by the second half of the century.
The idea of the US not being a part of that was something Scott and Ben, who were both born in New Zealand but live in London, strongly disagreed with.
Our best defence against global warming is the Paris Agreement, a Trump Trays press release read. And fortunately every single country in the world has signed up.
Unfortunately, one man has vowed to withdraw the United States Donald Trump.
Indeed, President Trump, who had previously labelled climate change a hoax by the Chinese to hurt US manufacturing, said in June he would withdraw the US from the Paris Agreement, claiming the deal was unfair to America.
In response, Trump Trays has launched with a limited edition, handmade mould, but the big aim is to produce 5,000 silicon trays at 22 each, raising 20,000 for charity. That will only happen if they receive 110,000 of pledges by 26 March, 2018.
Scott and I had the idea around six months ago, said Ben. Its taken that long and countless strangers to bring it to life.
Ultimately, we just want to raise as much money for the Environmental Justice Foundation (EJF) as we can.
Trump Trays also provided a number of serving suggestions such as Sex on the Disappearing Beach and the Trumptini, and Ben hopes that, even if the crowdfunding campaign fails, they do at least make a few people chuckle.
If we make people smile and sell out of the limited edition moulds, well be happy, he said.
If we also successfully crowdfund the trays, well be thrilled. If we do all that and make Donald Trump reconsider withdrawing America from the Paris Agreement, well be over the moon.
The Syrian government has arranged a safe exit route for residents of a besieged rebel-held suburb of Damascus, according to the Russian military.
Major General Yuri Yevtushenko, the head of the Russian militarys Centre for Reconciliation in Syria, said Syrian government forces will maintain daily ceasefires in eastern Ghouta from 9am to 2pm.
He said Syrian authorities had set up a humanitarian corridor for civilians exit and would distribute leaflets with specifics about the evacuation.
Maj Gen Yevtushenko said al Qaida-linked militants and some rebel groups in eastern Ghouta are preventing civilians from leaving and using them as shields while continuing to shell the capital.
Expand Close The United Nations Security Council meeting on Saturday (AP/Craig Ruttle) AP/PA Images / Facebook
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The announcement of the ceasefires comes two days after the UN Security Council unanimously approved a resolution demanding a 30-day ceasefire across Syria.
The UN ceasefire failed to take hold as air strikes continued and Syrian ground forces fought to push into the besieged area from the west.
Civilians caught in the violence mocked Russian President Vladimir Putins order of a limited, five-hour daily truce.
It is like legitimising the strikes on civilians, said activist Firas Abdullah, a resident of Douma, a town in the region where at least 13 members of a family were killed on Monday when their home collapsed after an air strike.
They will be so kind to grant us a mere five hours when they will not bomb us. Then the rest of the day, they will bomb us as usual. It is like a permission to kill, Mr Abdullah said.
The carnage in the eastern Ghouta region has killed more than 500 people since last week.
At least 34 were killed on Monday by air strikes and shelling, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.
They will be so kind to grant us a mere five hours when they will not bomb us. Then the rest of the day, they will bomb us as usual. It is like a permission to killActivist Firas Abdullah
The UN estimates that nearly 400,000 people live in dire conditions from the siege in eastern Ghouta, which has been under intensive bombing by government forces for weeks.
Other Ghouta residents also scoffed at the Russian move, saying it reminded them of a similar one for a besieged eastern district of Aleppo in 2016.
The political leader of the Army of Islam, the strongest rebel group in eastern Ghouta, called the Russian order regrettable, saying Moscow sought to circumvent the Security Councils unanimously approved resolution.
This (Russian) decision nullifies the legitimacy of the United Nations, Mohammed Alloush said. We want a total and lasting ceasefire in accordance with the UN resolution and one that opens corridors for humanitarian aid.
Saeed was rescued from Syria by the animal rights group Four Paws (AP)
Two lions rescued from neglected zoos in war zones in Iraq and Syria have been transported to South Africa to recover from physical and psychological trauma at a big cat sanctuary.
Fiona Miles, of the animal welfare group Four Paws, said the male lions have arrived in Johannesburg on a Qatar Airways flight after leaving an animal refuge in Jordan on Sunday.
The lions arrived emaciated, dehydrated and psychologically scarred in Jordan last year.
Expand Close Simba is recuperating after being rescued from Iraq (AP) AP/PA Images / Facebook
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Now, four-year-old Simba and two-year-old Saeed are headed to the Lionsrock facility near the town of Bethlehem.
Some of the 80 lions at the facility came from a German circus and zoos in France, Romania and Congo. Others are from South African captive-bred lion operations that often earmark the predators for trophy killings by customers.
The lions had been extracted them from a zoo in eastern Mosul in Iraq and an amusement park near Aleppo in Syria. The two cities have experienced some of the worst fighting that has hit both countries in recent years, killing large numbers of people and leaving whole neighbourhoods in ruins.
Most of the 40 animals at the Mosul zoo died of starvation or were killed in bombings while some escaped from their enclosures, according to Four Paws. The groups members reached the location a year ago and evacuated the only two animals they found a bear, and Simba to Jordan.
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The other lion, Saeed, was rescued in July along with 12 other animals from Syrias Magic World amusement park. The animals reached Jordan after staying for two weeks in Turkey, whose government assisted with the evacuation.
Both lions were traumatised when they arrived at the Al-Mawa Animal Sanctuary in Jordan, Four Paws said. Since then, they have received medical care, including vasectomies and dental work, and have gained weight on a steady diet that included lamb meat treats.
Some of the captive-bred residents of Lionsrock have deformities from inbreeding, and none can be released into the wild, said Ms Miles.
She said a key goal is to raise awareness about the conditions of lions and other animals in captivity around the world.
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Conservationists point to broader challenges facing Africas wild lions, whose population has plummeted. Problems include shrinking habitats and poaching, in which lions become trapped in snares laid down indiscriminately.
Another concern is demand in some Asian countries for lion bones used in traditional medicine. Currently, South Africa allows the legal, annual export of bones from hundreds of captive-bred lions to China and south-east Asia.
There are nearly 2,900 wild lions and about 7,000 captive lions in South Africa, according to the government.
Security at Lionsrock is tight, a necessary precaution in a country where poaching is a frequent threat. Last year, poachers broke into another wildlife sanctuary in South Africa, killing two of its big cats.
The incident took place at the Government Girls Science and Tech College in Dapchi, Yobe State (AP)
Pupils are staying away from a school in northern Nigeria, where Boko Haram extremists seized 110 girls in a raid a week ago.
The Government Girls Science and Technical College in Dapchi in Yobe state had been closed following an attack which reminded many of Boko Harams kidnapping of 276 girls from a boarding school in Chibok in 2014.
Teachers resumed classes on Monday, but students were absent.
One parent, Mohammed Mele, said his two children are too scared to return. Another parent added they are looking for a new school for their youngsters.
Yobe state education commissioner Mohammed Lamin said pupils are still going through trauma, and had previously said the school will reopen when frayed nerves cool down.
Nigerias government acknowledged for the first time that 110 girls remain missing on Sunday.
Expand Close Lai Muhammed, Nigerian minister of information, admitted dozens of girls were unaccounted for (AP) AP/PA Images / Facebook
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Whatsapp Lai Muhammed, Nigerian minister of information, admitted dozens of girls were unaccounted for (AP)
The fate of the 110 girls is not known, but witnesses said the Islamic extremists specifically asked where the girls school was located. Some eyewitnesses reported seeing young women taken away at gunpoint.
Information minister Lai Mohammed said 906 students were in the school at the time of the attack.
Anger has been growing in Nigeria as the government struggled to respond, with authorities giving conflicting reports about what happened early on.
The mass abduction is a major challenge for President Muhammadu Buhari, who has called the Dapchi kidnappings a national disaster and vowed that no effort will be spared to locate the girls.
Mr Buhari won elections in 2015 while making the fight against Boko Haram a priority. His government has repeatedly claimed that the Islamic extremist group has been defeated, but it continues to carry out deadly suicide bombings in the northern part of the country, often using women and children who have been kidnapped and indoctrinated.
Many fear the girls seized last week were abducted to become brides for Boko Haram extremists. Some of the schoolgirls taken in the Chibok mass abduction were forced to marry their captors. About 100 of the Chibok girls have never returned to their families.
Nigeria faces another presidential election next year.
Salih Muslim was detained under an Interpol red notice (AP)
Turkey has submitted documents to the Czech authorities formally requesting the extradition of the former leader of a Syrian Kurdish party.
Salih Muslim, former co-chair of the Democratic Union Party, or PYD, was detained in the Czech capital of Prague on Saturday under an Interpol red notice based on a Turkish request for his arrest.
Turkey considers the PYD a terrorist group linked to outlawed Kurdish insurgents fighting within Turkeys own borders.
Muslim was put on Turkeys most-wanted list earlier in February with a one million dollar (715,000) reward.
On Monday, Turkish prosecutors issued a new warrant for his detention, accusing Muslim and about 30 other people of being behind a bomb attack on a tax office in Ankara earlier this month.
Nine people suspected Kurdish militants were detained in connection with the attack, which caused damage to the tax office but no casualties.
Turkish deputy prime minister Bekir Bozdag said the justice ministry had sent a file formally requesting his extradition.
Muslim was expected to appear before a Prague court on Tuesday, which would then decide if he will remain in detention, Turkish ambassador Ahmet Necati Bigali said.
The PYD is the leading political Kurdish force in northern Syria, and Muslim remains highly influential in the party, even after stepping down as co-chair last year.
On January 20, Turkey launched an incursion into northern Syria, seeking to rout the US-backed Syrian Kurdish militia, known as the Peoples Protection Units or YPG, from the enclave of Afrin. The YPG is the armed wing of the PYD.
I was about to begin writing about rumours, distortions, meaningless Civil Service drafts, pointless speculation and other linked issues when I saw a tweet from a friend attaching an excellent 2016 blog about historical truth and lies: http://www.labourteachers.org.uk/historical-truth-johndavidblake/.
Written a propos Ken Livingstone's perverted interpretation of the relationship between Hitler and pre-war Zionists, its author, historian John Blake, pointed out that he was typical of extremist grievance-mongers.
"These parasites on the past find a nugget of fact, rip it from any sensible context and build atop it whatever deranged narrative pushes their cause the best," he wrote.
So I just had to mention Gerry Adams's blog about the recent DUP-Sinn Fein farce, which did a run through Northern Irish history over the past century ("sectarian, corrupt apartheid system in which Catholics were denied jobs, homes and the vote, and repression was widespread we were less than second class") without even a glancing reference to republican violence.
No surprises there from a man whose movement continues to brainwash its rank-and-file as well as ignorant outsiders with a shameless rewriting of history that makes victims of terrorists and terrorists of the security forces that saved Ireland from descending into civil war.
Which is why we should remember that while politicians often fib, Sinn Fein lie as a matter of policy, so you should never believe a word they say unless you have independent evidence to back it up.
Now a few thoughts on last week.
I was a civil servant in London in the late 1970s in the Department of Industry.
One of the last jobs I was given was to draft a punchy and significant paragraph about a great leap forward in the industrial strategy and get it signed by our Secretary of State, the Chancellor of the Exchequer and the heads of the CBI and the TUC.
By wheedling superiors and opposite numbers and rejigging creatively, I got the OK from minions of the first three by about draft five, but the all-powerful and hard-left TUC were utterly intransigent.
By the time their man signed, the paragraph was on its 17th draft and had become meaningless.
That experience was one of the reasons I decided to quit my well-paid job and become an impecunious freelance writer who could at least write what she liked.
I had also become alarmed that having been a profound sceptic about the Labour policy which I loyally sought to implement, I was beginning to believe my own propaganda.
As I would later see close up with civil servants involved with the Anglo-Irish and subsequent agreements, if you devote yourself to a project, you're liable to end up unable to bear the thought that it won't succeed - even if it's going in the wrong direction.
Which is why officials often put intense pressure on politicians to compromise at all costs, regardless of their electoral concerns.
And why you can end up with the destruction of Northern Ireland's middle ground, Brexit, and the present talks farce.
So that's why my reaction to leaked documents drafted by civil servants is to say I'm suspending judgment until I see the final version and the signatures on the page.
Incidentally, while I'm in favour of transparency and honesty and all manner of good things, and absolutely believe in the importance of a free Press, I sometimes fear that sensationalist exploitation of leaks is making government impossible.
Not only are politicians terrified of being caught out doing something brave, but civil servants are running scared about writing anything frank.
In olden days official papers weren't released publicly for 50 years.
These days it's down to 20, because of the Freedom of Information Act they could come embarrassingly to light in a month and technology is a leaker's dream.
As we feed off golden scoops, we in the Press need to be careful that we don't kill the political goose.
And above all, we should remember the important difference between fibbers and liars.
Almost two decades on from the Belfast Agreement, which was endorsed by 71% of the electorate, it is important to remember the intensity and strain that surrounded the negotiations and ultimately the deal.
The previous three decades had seen our people butchered on a daily basis, society had broken down and we had politicians who at that point would still not speak a word to each other.
The Agreement involved parties stretching themselves more than they would ever have previously imagined, with the ultimate goal of making sure that future generations did not have to endure the lives that we did. The final document was a bitter pill for many to swallow and ourselves and the SDLP paid a high electoral price.
Yet, even 20 years later, it is still clear that the Belfast Agreement gave unionists in Northern Ireland the strongest possible arrangements for retaining our position in the United Kingdom.
The principle of consent, the three stranded approach and the Republic of Ireland giving up its territorial claim put our future in the hands of our people and meant we could go forward with confidence.
So I would caution those who now seem to be cheerleaders for the demise of the 1998 Agreement that they risk inadvertently playing into Sinn Fein's hands.
To say that the Agreement has nothing more to offer is to play fast and loose with Northern Ireland's constitutional future. Gerry Adams has never accepted the principle of consent. Why would we throw that away?
It also put in place institutions that would have grown in time with society, as trust and respect developed. But then Sinn Fein and the DUP got their hands on the steering wheel and we now have institutions that have only earned contempt from our society.
The foolish changes made at St Andrews in 2006 to the process for identifying the First and Deputy First Minister, has seen every Assembly election since descend into a sectarian head count.
The 1998 Agreement spelled out that the First and Deputy First Ministers were to be elected on a joint motion by the Assembly with cross-community consent.
This was the bedrock of the partnership model that we spent years negotiating. It was replaced to accommodate the late Ian Paisley, as he did not want to have to vote in a joint resolution for himself and the late Martin McGuinness.
Instead the First Minister would come from the largest party and the Assembly would have no role. All subsequent elections were on the basis that if you don't vote for DUP you would get Martin McGuinness as First Minister.
Even worse, there is no legal difference between the two First Ministers - their powers are equal. So the Agreement that we have now is not the Agreement that we voted for in 1998. We should go back to the original legislation which the people voted for in 1998.
It has been totally laughable to see Sinn Fein falling over themselves now to paint their party as defenders of the Agreement.
Declan Kearney, seemingly in his new role as Chief Revisionist, claims that the Agreement has been under threat from political unionism from the day it was signed. What would he know? Let no one forget how Sinn Fein sat on their hands in 1998. They played no role in the Strand One negotiations that set the vision for Northern Ireland and our devolved institutions. Indeed, there was not even a whimper from them about an Irish Language Act. They never even asked for one.
Sinn Fein's lack of involvement in Strand One negotiations does explain their almost constant misinterpretation of the Agreement. The notion that, in lieu of an Assembly and Executive, the default position for Northern Ireland is joint stewardship has no basis in fact. In the event of direct rule, the UK Government is only obliged to consult Dublin - not govern jointly with Dublin.
That said, the reality is that devolved government at Stormont remains the best outcome for local people. Locally elected politicians making decisions on our health service, education system and infrastructure will provide the best outcomes in the long term.
A lesson that should be learned by Sinn Fein and the DUP is that you can't simply legislate your way out of every problem.
A "Respect Act" does not mean there will suddenly be respect amongst politicians, or society. The totally unnecessary and pointless insults being flung at the Irish language by the likes of Gregory Campbell have totally backfired on the DUP.
Why is it necessary to belittle somebody's heritage? All this has done is to consolidate more people behind Sinn Fein with the result being the 'Agreement that never was' being published by Eamonn Mallie February 21 showing that the DUP were having to eat their words and break every promise they made over the Irish language!
You cannot spend over a year pitting two communities against each other and just because you've decided it's time to go back into government, expect society to flip a switch and go back to how things were.
But perhaps this is why it wasn't the DUP and Sinn Fein who led the way in 1998.
Villagers watch the site of a bombing that killed three people at a market in Yala province, southern Thailand, Jan. 22, 2018.
Separatist insurgents recently hijacked a double-decker tour bus and set it on fire in Thailands Deep South, after escorting the passengers off.
The incident jolted security officials in the region, where the military had boasted about winning hearts and minds of the predominantly Malay Muslim population.
The military claimed as well that hundreds, and possibly thousands, of militants were itching to put down their arms through a government amnesty program known as Bring People Home.
The attack in December irked policy makers in Bangkok. It also exposed questions about security along the only road linking Yala one of the three conflict-ridden provinces in the south to Betong, an important border town where an international airport is being built.
Initial reactions to the attack were mixed. Lt. Gen. Piyawat Nakwanich, the armys regional commander, at first suggested a crime syndicate may have been behind the attack.
But as the investigation unfolded and as more militant sources began to speak, the attack appeared to be part of the separatists strategy to undermine the security apparatus. It was, indeed, a stern statement to the Thai government that this road was not safe to travel.
To demonstrate they are not a bunch of misguided fanatics bent on racking up body counts, the militants in this case did not harm the passengers on the bus. The rebels stopped in-coming traffic so the passengers could cross the road, and they also helped older ones with their luggage.
It was their way of showing they respect certain boundaries, even though there are no written rules of engagement for the two warring sides.
Mop-up operation
The army responded to the arson attack two weeks later by carrying out a mop-up operation in Bunnang Sata district and nearby villages. By the time the operation ended, authorities rounded up 50 suspects.
Authorities said detainees provided valuable information. Relatives of the arrested huddled in front of holding centers, where their sons and husbands were locked up under martial law that permits detention without legal representation. With no access to the detainees, it was understandable that relatives feared the worse as many of those in custody had already been released.
Local and international human rights organizations have documented allegations of torture and abuse of detainees. But the authorities often dismiss such allegations without investigation, and the army has even threatened legal action against accusers.
Not all of the military personnel in the region agreed with the January mop-up operation. Some argued it would undermine the overall counter-insurgency effort aimed at winning support from Malay Muslims who make up more than 80 percent of the two million residents in the Deep South.
They were concerned that a blind sweep could be perceived by the militants as going overboard, and could provoke retaliation.
Their fears were realized on Jan. 22. An insurgent cell in Yala set off a vicious motorbike bomb at a market in Yala, killing three civilians, including an Islamic religious student.
The message to the Thai side was loud and clear: Your action has deadly consequences. In the end, a perceived violation by the army was answered with another violation by the rebels.
For observers of the conflict, the friendly conduct of the militants behind the bus attack and angry cell members behind the motorbike bomb seem to be a world apart. If anything, it reflected diverse views among the militants on the ground.
It seems that some militants have no qualms about pushing the boundaries of whats acceptable, while others believe humanitarian principles have to be respected, said Artef Sohko, a political activist from The Patani, a civil society organization that promotes the right to self-determination for the people of this historically contested region.
While collateral damage does happen in this conflict and both sides can be blamed for these violations, it is very rare for militant cells to single out soft targets.
The last time a soft target was singled out for attack in the far south was on Oct. 24, 2016, when a bomb went off at a nighttime food hawking area in the heart of Pattani, killing one person and injuring 18 other people.
That was retaliation against the rounding up of more than 100 Patani Malay youths and students living in Bangkok, some of whom claimed to have been beaten, militant sources said.
Since there are no written rules of engagement, its pretty much up to the two warring sides to decide where to draw a red line. What is clear is that retaliatory attacks against perceived violations have been deadly.
Insurgents dictate pace of violence
But it hasnt stopped the Thai security forces from pushing the line with their operations in the field, not to mention other forms of harassment that push the residents even further from reconciling with the state.
Moreover, with no pressure to explain their conduct because policy makers and security planners in Bangkok have more important issues to attend to, the regional army command is left alone to construct its own narrative.
The military paints itself as morally superior to the insurgents because government officials are not behind the violence. It believes that the more insurgents resort to violence, the more they distance themselves from the community.
Officials often pointed to a steady drop in the number of violent acts in the Deep South since 2007, but separatist sources said the decision to reduce those incidents was theirs to make. In other words, the militants have been told to make their hits count, which mean greater intensity with each and every attack.
This is not to say that the military does not deserve any credit for bringing down the number of violent incidents. The decision to post paramilitary rangers in remote areas helped expand the security grid and improve response times.
Meanwhile, the movement has shown that militants can hit any place at any time, and even against targets outside of the traditional theater of violence. In their view, as long as the movement exists, the government can never claim victory.
Until someone can bring the two sides to reach an agreement the rules of engagement and tit-and-tat violence will go on with no end in sight.
Don Pathan is independent security analyst and a founding member of Patani Forum (www.pataniforum.com), a civil society organization dedicated to critical discussion on the conflict in Thailands southernmost provinces.
The opinions expressed in this commentary are those of the author and not of BenarNews.
Nobel Laureate Tawakkol Karman of Yemen reaches out to a Rohingya woman during a visit to a refugee camp in Bangladeshs Coxs Bazar, Feb. 26, 2018.
Three Nobel laureates on Monday denounced what they described as genocide unleashed by Myanmars military against the Rohingya, and urged fellow Peace Prize recipient Aung San Suu Kyi to wake up or face prosecution before the International Criminal Court (ICC).
The three women laureates Tawakkol Karman of Yemen, Mairead Maguire of Northern Ireland and Shirin Ebadi of Iran spoke out while visiting the refugee camps in southeastern Bangladeshs Coxs Bazar district during a weeklong trip that started over the weekend.
This is what genocide is about, Maguire told reporters. This is clearly, clearly, clearly genocide that is going on by the Myanmar government and military against the Rohingya people.
We refuse this genocide policy of the Burmese government, Maguire said. They will be taken to the ICC, and those who are committing genocide will be held responsible.
Karman appealed to Myanmars de facto leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, to wake up, otherwise she will be one of the perpetrators of this crime.
If she couldnt stop all these crimes, she has to resign now, Karman told reporters.
Myanmar has repeatedly denied allegations that its security forces committed widespread rape against women and killings as part of a campaign described by the United Nations and the United States as ethnic cleansing.
Nearly 700,000 Rohingya refugees have fled Rakhine state since August 2017 at the height of what the Myanmar military called clearance operations targeting insurgents involved in attacks on security outposts.
Maguire said that every woman they interviewed claimed to have been sexually assaulted, with many of the refugees saying they had witnessed the killing of relatives.
The trio took turns lambasting Myanmar.
We are calling for those who are perpetrators of the crimes to be accountable, Karman told reporters. It is the shame of the international community; they are silent against this genocide.
The cause of all these crimes is the government of Burma, Ebadi said, referring to Myanmar by its old name. The Myanmar government must be punished.
Meanwhile, Human Rights Watch (HRW) said it had documented gut-wrenching stories from refugees who fled into Bangladesh, with survivors describing systematic mass rape, murder and the burning down of entire villages.
In addition, HRW on Friday issued satellite images showing the demolition of deserted Rohingya villages in northern Rakhine state in recent months, Radio Free Asia (RFA), a sister entity of BenarNews reported.
Citing the images, HRW said the government had used heavy machinery to clear all structures and vegetation in at least 55 villages, most of which were among 362 villages completely or partially destroyed by arson during a military crackdown that began in late August.
An Indian government official on Monday defended the army chiefs controversial assertion that Pakistan and China were engineering an influx of Bangladeshis into Indias northeast to destabilize the country.
Army Chief of Staff Gen. Bipin Rawat caused a stir last week when he suggested that Pakistan, with support from China Indias other main rival were playing a proxy game to send Bangladeshi immigrants into its northeastern states. Some of these states share borders with Bangladesh.
It is beyond our domain to comment on the army chiefs statement, but he obviously wouldnt have said such a thing without substantial evidence, an official with Indias Home Ministry told BenarNews on condition of anonymity.
In a speech at a seminar in New Delhi about securing Indias borders in the northeast, Gen. Rawat pointed to what he said were two factors driving immigration into that region from Bangladesh.
One is they are running short of space. Large parts of [Bangladesh] get flooded during monsoons. And the other issue is a planned immigration that is taking place because of our neighbors, Rawat said, according to a transcript of his Feb. 21 speech. They will always try and ensure that this area is taken over, playing the proxy dimension of warfare.
You dont have to confront a stronger nation through conventional operations. So you play a proxy game. This proxy game is very well played by our western neighbor, supported also by our northern neighbor, Rawat said, referring to Pakistan and China but not by name.
The general did not explain how China and Pakistan Bangladeshs longtime enemy from which it broke free through a war of independence in 1971 could engineer such a mass migration as part of a proxy war.
On Monday, a spokesman for the Indian army declined to answer questions from BenarNews seeking clarification.
We cannot comment on his statement. But whatever he said, he said it absolutely clearly, said the army official, who asked to be kept anonymous.
Gen. Rawats made the comments as Indias Hindu nationalist-led government was moving to deport an estimated 20 million Bangladeshi-origin Muslims who had migrated to India illegally since the birth of Bangladesh in 1971. The final draft of a National Register of Citizens (NRC), which aims to identify and deport them, is to be submitted to the Supreme Court before June 30.
For years, the northeastern Indian states of Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Sikkim and Tripura have struggled to contain armed groups demanding sovereignty from Hindu-majority India, which shares more than 2,000 miles of its border with Bangladesh and China.
People have infiltrated from Bangladesh to reside in Assam, Tripura and Mizoram. Besides, such migrants exist in huge numbers in West Bengal [and] who came during the 1971 war, the home ministry official said, adding that Bangladeshi immigrants had also settled in states such as Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh.
Important aspect of national security
Prime Minister Narendra Modis government, headed by his Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), won state elections in Assam in 2016 on a pledge of deporting Bangladeshi migrants from the state.
A BJP spokesman praised the army chief for commenting on an important aspect of national security.
It is only natural that the socio-political, demographic, cultural aspects should be discussed. In fact, the army should be saluted for his talk, party spokesman Sambit Patra told a television news channel.
But the All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF), a political party fighting for the Muslim minority in Assam, slammed Rawats comments, describing them as unbecoming of the nations top army official.
If there is a possibility of Pakistan trying to push in illegal migrants, the defense ministry should take steps to stem this. We dont understand why Rawat made such a comment, AIUDF President Haider Hussain Bora told BenarNews. It seems he wants to join politics. From his comments, it seems like he was trying to please people to win a political post.
Zero proof
Analysts, meanwhile, took differing views on the generals speech.
[Rawats] claim is not only based on sound intelligence, but also experienced through practice. Pakistan and Bangladesh might historically be antagonists, but Pakistans ISI [Inter-Services Intelligence] and other groups are sponsoring Bangladeshi extremists groups and elements to circulate fake currency and wage terror activities in India, Dushyant Nagar, a Delhi-based political and strategic affairs analyst, told BenarNews.
China has, in fact, been aiding Pakistan in this proxy war. Chinas only aim is to encourage the anti-India sentiment in the northeastern states so that it has an edge in case of a military confrontation, he said.
Bharat Karnad, a foreign policy analyst at New Delhis Centre for Policy Research, agreed.
[It is] no secret. They [Pakistan and China] are hand-in-glove in waging this proxy warfare against India and they have been doing this for the last 25 years. It is high time that an Indian official came out openly about it, he told BenarNews.
However, another security analyst criticized Rawat for what he described as over-the-top allegations by the general.
The army chief or anyone else has zero proof that Pakistan and China were masterminding the alleged influx the entire Bangladesh border is fenced and patrolled, and if he has questions on its porosity, he would do well to take it up officially with the Border Security Force and Ministry of Home Affairs, Bangladeshs Daily Star newspaper quoted Manoj Joshi, a fellow at the New Delhi-based Observer Research Foundation.
Rohit Wadhwaney in New Delhi contributed to this report.
Neris, 25, an Indonesian and sister of a taxi driver who was killed in the bombing of the Marriott Hotel in Jakarta, cries as she holds his son during a gathering of relatives of victims, Aug. 14, 2003.
Indonesia is hosting a rare encounter between former terrorists and victims of terror in the hopes of strengthening its deradicalization programs by exposing perpetrators to the suffering they have caused.
The three-day reconciliation effort convened by the National Counterterrorism Agency (BNPT) is taking place mostly behind closed doors at a luxury hotel in Jakarta, with an event open to the media on the final day, Wednesday.
Dozens of former terrorism convicts already work with the BNPT in trying to uproot violent extremist ideology in Indonesia, but some prisoners have shown no sign of remorse, officials say.
The cooperative ones can whisper to them, these are the victims, not the police, Irfan Idris, BNPT director of deradicalization efforts, said Monday at the start of the event, referring to the fact that police are common targets for extremists in Indonesia.
BNPT Principal Secretary R. Gautama Wiranegara described the event as a breakthrough, the first of its kind since the worst terror attack in Indonesia twin bombings in the beach town of Kuta, Bali in 2002 that killed 202 people and injured hundreds more.
Hopefully this event can become a medium to channel productive suggestions to the government, he said.
Uneasy
Among 51 victims attending the event were two women who survived a bombing at the Marriott hotel in Jakarta on Aug. 5, 2003. Twelve people died in that attack and more than 100 were wounded.
As a dozen of men evidently former terrorism convicts suddenly passed them in the hotel corridor, the pair stopped in their tracks.
I dont know if I can do this, one said to her companion.
The women acknowledged they felt uneasy entering the event because the number of former terrorism convicts attending was more than twice the number of former victims.
We should welcome everything good, but the worries are still there, one said. Both asked that their names not be used.
I come here willingly, I welcome this meeting, she went on to say. The perpetrators are human. Incidentally, they are Muslim as well. Why should we feel antipathy for them, and get angry again.
Asked what would be the first thing she would say to one of them, she replied with the Muslim greeting, Assalamualaikum (I salute you).
We introduce ourselves, first. And then I will ask what can we do together, now and in the future. I dont want to ask, Why were you like this before? Why did you do it? Its already in the past. I want to talk about now and in the future. No need to open old wounds.
We want there to be no more terror events. Meaning, in the future, security should be improved so that the people of Indonesia are safe, peaceful, serene, her companion said.
She urged the government to pay attention to the health of victims of terror attacks, saying that many of them are still in need.
Please dont put limits on health care, because many are still suffering . there are still bomb fragments in their bodies, but they can no longer get a free check-up. Were really asking the government for this, she said.
Useful
A participant named Sofian said he had been arrested in Poso, Sulawesi a remote Indonesian region where remnants of the al-Qaeda affiliate that carried out the Bali bombings were still hiding until a security operation flushed them out of the jungles in 2016.
The Jakarta native said he joined a radical movement in Poso because he felt compelled to address injustice following an outbreak of Muslim-Christian riots there in 2000 that drew many angry young Muslims to the region.
Injustice in all areas, including economic. I come from a lower middle class family. I felt economic pressure I felt called to action that was a form of resistance against the central government, he said.
He said he hoped something useful would come out of the encounter with victims.
For example, how we can work together. Dont let it just be ceremonial, he said.
Spaniard Abdelhakim Labidi Adib raises his shirt during an inspection as part of proceedings at the Department of Justice in Manila following his arrest on suspicion of having links with the extremist Abu Sayyaf, Jan. 24, 2018.
Philippine security forces have arrested an Egyptian national on suspicion of having links to the Islamic State (IS), the fourth foreigner nabbed in recent weeks for allegedly plotting possible terrorist attacks, authorities said Monday.
Mohammed Shaabab Adbdelaziz was arrested Sunday aboard a passenger vessel bound for the island of Basilan, a known stronghold of the extremist group Abu Sayyaf, local coast guard chief Lt. Noriel Ramos told reporters, referring to the fiercest militant group notoriously known for decapitating its hostages in the countrys Muslim-populated south.
Interpol and other intelligence counterparts are currently conducting tactical interrogation, Ramos said of the Egyptian, who had initially told investigators he was engaged in the fisheries business.
The arrest came on the same day that security forces carried out a flurry of military operations targeting the Abu Sayyaf and foreign militants in the south.
The suspect, from Giza in Egypt, was working as a volunteer for the Uthman bin Affan Foundation for Development, Relief, Dawah and Education, which is based in Iligan, a city just 30 km (19 miles) from Marawi.
Militants led by Abu Sayyaf commander Isnilon Hapilon, the acknowledged IS leader in the south, took over Marawi for five months last year, leading to fierce clashes that left at least 1,200 people dead, most of them militants.
Hapilon and other Southeast Asian fighters were slain in the battle, the fiercest in recent years that had apparently caught the Philippine military by surprise.
On Sunday, the Filipino wife of slain Malaysian terrorist Zulkifli bin Hir was arrested elsewhere in the south, while on Saturday six Abu Sayyaf gunmen were slain in a firefight also in nearby Basilan province, about 1,500 km (937 miles) south of the capital Manila.
Also arrested recently in a Basilan town was a Spanish national who was said to be travelling with an Abu Sayyaf companion.
Last week, police in Manila announced the capture of Fehmi Lassoued and a Filipino girlfriend. Lassoued was allegedly an IS fighter from the United Arab Emirates of Libyan and Tunisian descent.
In January, intelligence operatives in Manila also arrested Taha Mohamed al-Jabouri, an Iraqi chemist with bomb-making knowledge.
It was not immediately clear whether any of those arrested had links to each other, but intelligence operatives have said that they have been monitoring an uptick of militant activity in the south.
Murad Ebrahim, the leader of the former guerrilla group Moro Islamic Liberation Front, last week warned that the IS has also chosen the southern island of Mindanao as a strategic ground for recruiting fresh fighters after their forces were defeated in Marawi.
Military spokesman Brig. Gen. Bienvinido Datuin said troops were under instructions to be on heightened vigilance for the possible entry of foreign militants in the countrys south.
Troops are continuously monitoring and verifying every information related to movements of terror groups, he said.
We are in constant coordination with our foreign and local counterparts to address the scourge of terrorism, he said.
By Michelle Harvey
While celebrity deaths such as Tom Petty and Prince have highlighted the danger of fentanyl, the narcotic continues to be pervasive where people seek a powerful high.
"When prescription opioids started declining, we had an addicted population of drug users with money in their pockets," said Dr. Travis Worst of Bowling Green State University's Center for the Future of Forensic Science and Department of Chemistry. "First they turned to heroin, which in competition with opioids had dropped in price. But drug dealers realized that fentanyl, which works on the same brain receptors as heroin, was easier and cheaper to put on the market."
About a hundred times stronger than morphine, raw fentanyl is toxic and must be diluted. Unfortunately, so-called "dark chemists" sometimes experiment with different strengths with users as their unwitting test subjects, and sometimes to devastating results. Over the course of two days in April 2015, for example, 23 people in Akron, Ohio, overdosed on high concentration fentanyl. Nine of them died.
Because the drug is quickly absorbed through the skin, its danger extends not only to users but to anyone who comes into contact with it. Consider some real scenarios: A police officer collects evidence at the scene of a crime, brushes some of the powder off his uniform and overdoses 30 minutes later. A hospital nurse cleans a room after treating an overdose patient and soon becomes ill. Over the past two years, Ohio has seen 17 occupational overdoses or adverse reactions by first responders and others exposed to the drug. The health emergency called for immediate attention.
Through the Center for the Future of Forensic Science, BGSU was uniquely poised to address the crisis. Established on campus in 2014 in conjunction with the Ohio Attorney General's Bureau of Criminal Investigation (BCI), the center was developed as a collaborative resource for teaching and research. Dr. Jon Sprague, its director and BCI Eminent Scholar, got the call in summer of 2017.
With a Ph.D. in pharmacology and an interest in forensic science, Worst had been at the FBI's Counterterrorism and Forensic Science Research Unit, then moved to the Chemical and Biological Science Unit, created after 9/11, looking at hypothetical scenarios such as anthrax and rycin attacks. From there he went to the Ohio BCI and worked with Sprague on research involving drug chemistry. Worst joined BGSU in 2016 as the only pharmacologist at the Center.
A year later, Noah Froelich, a junior from Sylvania who had come to BGSU because of its new Forensic Science program, was seeking to pair with a faculty member for his Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship. He approached Sprague, who connected him with Worst just as the call came to address the fentanyl issue. They got right to work.
"We had a research paper from China on the subject and knew there was a way to breakdown fentanyl, but the chemicals they used were expensive," Froelich said. "We looked for commercially available products in the U.S. that might contain the active ingredient, sodium percarbonate (SPC), that we might want to look at. We found it in OxiClean, specifically the Versatile Stain Remover."
Worst and Froelich designed a study to see if the laundry detergent would remove fentanyl from lab surfaces. They spread out varying concentrations of the drug, then scrubbed the surfaces after different periods of time with either OxiClean or tap water. Next, they swabbed the area for anything left behind and put the residue into a gas chromatograph mass spectrometer, an instrument that heats, vaporizes and separates the multiple components of a solution into its individual parts.
The pair found that the majority of the time, the detergent removed all traces of fentanyl. The BCI promptly issued a bulletin to more than 900 law enforcement agencies in Ohio recommending that OxiClean be used in situations where the drug might be encountered.
"This new scientific research is great news for Ohio's first responders, and responders across the nation, as we are all forced to deal with the day-to-day reality of the opioid epidemic," said Mike DeWine, Ohio Attorney General. "This is the kind of research that can make a difference for Ohioans, which we plan to do more of, alongside our amazing scientific partners at BGSU."
Worst and Froelich subsequently published their research in the Journal of Forensic Sciences a real achievement for an undergraduate. With a double major in chemistry and forensic science, Froelich continues to do research with his faculty mentors. He's currently looking to find faster ways to analyze compounds modified by clandestine labs that produce illicit street drugs that are chemically different enough from controlled substances to be considered legal.
"I really enjoy science and doing the research," Froelich said. "As the evidence gets better, the better our criminal justice system will be. There's less ambiguity, more bad guys go to jail, the innocent man is freed. It's fulfilling that I can help with that."
By Stormy Weiss
As college students, many of us seek out majors we love and experiences that will shape us in the future. Luckily enough Tourism, Leisure and Event Planning (TLEP) students have such a wide array of options to choose from throughout the program at Bowling Green State University.
We are not limited to one small part, but instead three different main options. Whether we want to be event planners, hospitality staff, activity directors or travel agents, the possibilities are endless. Our major aims to do so many things such as bring people together, help others experience the world and keep an open mind at all times. As a college student, and as a person, travel is an extremely beneficial part of learning and changes us in so many ways.
As s group of TLEP students last summer we were given the opportunity to experience what Beijing had to offer us. Before we left we had several meetings that were beneficial information sessions, but I am not sure if meetings will ever prepare anyone for such a life changing journey. This 10- day trip was filled with so many activities and experience that will never receive enough justice by only being read.
Our lovely friends at Beijing Union University (BUU) gave us accommodation and welcomed us with open arms. We were lucky enough to stay in a residence hall that housed international students from all over the world who have similar interests as us. During those 10 days, we visited multiple tourist attractions such as the Temple of Heaven, Forbidden Palace, Silk Street Market, China National Convention Center, Beijing National Aquatics Center, Beijing Zoo and, of course, the Great Wall of China. Not only were we able to experience these beautiful destinations, but we also toured 5-star hotels, learned calligraphy, sat in on BUU's event planning class, took a traditional tea class, and visited local markets.
Each of these activities provided some type of learning experience that will forever follow each of us in the future. Our time in Beijing was meant to give us a better international perspective on our major, but in the end gave us more than we could have ever hoped for.
While we attended classes and experienced so many different things, we really got insight on how our daily lives differ. It was such a beautiful realization to see how positive most of these changes were and how it affected each day. There were a handful of culture shocks that each of us experienced, even some of our new friends were in shock when it came to our actions. As open-minded individuals, we often found out how these differences were actually positive changes from what we are so familiar with.
For instance, most foreigners will probably mention something about traffic and driving, but what about all of the people walking and riding bikes? The fact that so many people in Beijing do not own cars and tend to walk, take public transportation, or ride bikes everywhere makes it a healthy change instead of how we usually live day to day, driving everywhere alone. It could be the size of Bowling Green, but we often do not spend a lot of time walking places or even taking public transportation. These simple differences were seen as good things, because so many of us spend this time alone in our cars. Social interaction is an important part of each day and of course walking or riding bikes is an overall benefit for not only our health, but the environment as well. Getting around Beijing is an adventure because it is such a large city. Due to the size, it is very busy which makes you become more alert about your surroundings and able to make quick decisions.
Of course, traffic will differ in any country you visit, but most of us Americans do not realize that even body language and simple phrases also differ. As a group of Americans, we often expressed ourselves verbally and were extremely confused when we learned that at some instances, the Chinese did not. Instead many of our new friends and faculty did not need to speak in order to get their point across, it was shown by body language more often than not. This is something that was noticeable throughout our trip and in the end came down to the fact that this beautiful country and its people were more focused on simplicity and getting to the point. Many conversations were filled with meaning and ideas to ponder, not just what happened yesterday or who did what. Communication became an entirely new topic for us, we even downloaded the country's most popular app, WeChat. Assuming whoever is reading this is more than likely in America, their phone probably has Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, Apple Pay, Skype, Twitter, iMessage, and whatever else they may need to get through the day. WeChat is practically all of our apps put together, which makes life so much easier. WeChat users can send photos, messages, call, video chat, pay for bills, make public posts, and much more just from this one amazing application. China takes communication to a whole new level, and it is free.Each of these activities provided some type of learning experience that will forever follow each of us in the future.
Even the food we ate each day, whether we realized it or not, had a special purpose. In the States we often are on the run and need to eat quickly, so we focus on convenience. Whereas in China they focus on the benefits it has to the body. To be fair, they did have McDonald's and Pizza Hut, but these were vastly different than what we experience here. Not only was the food good for you, but when we had dinner we usually sat at a large circular table with a Lazy Susan and we shared each dish. This was extremely beneficial for those of us who were not accustomed to sharing our food or being so social at dinner. Tap water was also not common, warm water on the other hand was something we became acquainted to as time went by. If warm water was a no go, then it was always bottled water that was the choice pick. Free of hard chemicals, easier for the body to digest and, overall, a healthier option.
There were so many differences that really stood out to us, but there were small ones that some of us did reflect on from time to time. We visited a local park and instead of just seeing nice surroundings and locals, we found that a group danced in the park each night. It was like a community event and they welcomed us with open arms. There were certain preservations tactics used and some that we suggested which could be helpful in the far future.
At the zoo, there were not as many materialistic options or environments, it was nature focused and consisted of different types of animals. We were given the opportunity to tour the China National Convention Center and the Water Cube, both of which had advanced technology, different methods of working, and even very distinct and beautiful features we rarely see in the States. Lastly, most may think it is a major difference, but it is actually one of the more positive changes experienced in many foreign countries.
Restrooms are nothing short of lazy and extravagant in America. From sitting down, to using half a roll of toilet paper just because it is there, or the signs saying We are not responsible for lost belongings. In China, toilet paper was not a given in some bathrooms. Customers or visitors were meant to buy and bring their own where ever they went, which is technically better for environmental awareness. If a person has to buy their own paper, they are not going to go overboard and use it as freely as they would if it was a free amenity. This is often times annoying to carry around with you, but helps save the sewer systems from being overworked and does not cause nearly as much waste. Another benefit is the placement of the squat toilet; it does not strain one's body as our Western toilets tend to do. Plus, there is a lever to step on in order to flush, this way there is no reason to lift your leg up to the Western lever and struggle to push the handle.
Overall, none of us had the exact same thoughts or experiences, but I believe I speak for all of us when I say that it was a life-changing experience and we are so very thankful to have been able to take this amazing trip. It is not only the trip and activities that made this journey so life altering, but it is now possible for each of us to say we have friends and inspirational educators in China. We are given a finite amount of time that we are able to experience and college is full of opportunities to take hold of. Luckily enough, the members of our group did exactly that and not only grew as a group, but individually as well. We have firsthand experience that learning in a classroom will teach you, but it will never teach you what traveling to a foreign country and spending time with locals will. Similarities and differences are prominent during travels, but they make for open mindedness, new culture understandings and life lessons. As Henry Miller once said, One's destination is not a place, but a new way of seeing things.
The fund will have a corpus between $50 million and $100 million.
Apollo Hospitals has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with IBM to help healthcare startups grow and scale up through funding.
The fund will also help in creating a better onco-diagnostics system. The fund will have a corpus between $50 million and $100 million.
Apollo Hospitals will work as an accelerator and first provide $5 million, which will then be increased to $10 million.
Apollo Hospitals will also work with IBM Watson Healthcare in artificial intelligence. Apollo has also collaborated with some other companies to share intellectual property rights (IPR).
The medicity will have a 1,000 bed hospital and up to 20 per cent patients will be given free treatment at its facilities.
The Indo UK Institute of Health (IUIH), one of the largest healthcare infrastructure projects in the world, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Uttar Pradesh government to invest Rs 1,000 crores for an integrated medicity in the state capital. The MoU was signed during the UP investors summit conducted recently.
The medicity will have a 1,000 bed hospital and up to 20 per cent patients will be given free treatment at its facilities. It will also have a medical college, nursing college, PG academy, and training facility for allied health professionals. It shall also have a separate zone for medical equipment and device manufacturing, and pharmaceutical production.
Cutting-edge medical research will be carried out at the IUIH Medicities in areas as diverse as genomics and stem cells, translational research and clinical research leveraging on the patient data available.
The demise of iconic Sears Canada has seen 16,000 employees lose their jobs. Its unfortunate, but inevitable as online giants Amazon and Alibaba transform the retail universe. But what shouldnt be inevitable is the loss of pension benefits for those employees and another 18,000 Sears retirees.
Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 26/2/2018 (1299 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.
The demise of iconic Sears Canada has seen 16,000 employees lose their jobs. Its unfortunate, but inevitable as online giants Amazon and Alibaba transform the retail universe. But what shouldnt be inevitable is the loss of pension benefits for those employees and another 18,000 Sears retirees.
If the 2009 bankruptcy of tech giant Nortel is a guide, it will be years before Sears pension plan members know whether they will receive any compensation for the loss of pensions they dutifully paid into for decades. Nortel employees endured a seven-year battle before receiving a fraction of what they were entitled to.
The root cause of this travesty is that, under Canadian bankruptcy law, secured creditors such as banks and bondholders stand ahead of pension plan members in the distribution of insolvency assets. Meanwhile, government employees face no risk of losing their pensions. This means that the only Canadians who can really count on their pensions are the employees of the same government that prevents private-sector employees from being able to count on theirs.
The Nortel bankruptcy ignited calls for changes to Canadian bankruptcy law, but the federal government failed to act. That led to a series of legal challenges that reached the Supreme Court of Canada in 2013 after aluminum-products manufacturer Indalex declared bankruptcy, jeopardizing staff pensions. The United Steelworkers-led lawsuit raised hopes that the high court would finally force change. But those hopes were dashed when the court ruled that pension plan members were simply among the unsecured creditors.
The plight of Sears pensioners has once again ignited calls for change, motivating a private members bill in Parliament. But the only reaction from Innovation Minister Navdeep Bains was the issuance of this pathetic statement: "The government is connecting Sears employees with services to help them through this difficult time." There has been no indication the government is considering changing bankruptcy laws that leave pensioners unprotected.
One of the arguments that has deterred governments from changing bankruptcy law is that it would harm the ability of Canadian companies to access debt capital. As the former chief executive officer of a company that raised tens of billions of dollars in Canadian debt markets, I can honestly say that no banker or bondholder ever paid any attention to the funding status of our defined benefit pension plan. In reality, the only time lenders become concerned about employee pension obligations is when a company is at the brink of collapse, in which case they wouldnt consider lending anyway.
Calls for the Sears retirees to receive higher priority in distribution of insolvency assets have encountered opposition from the 250 independent, local Hometown dealers whose businesses were destroyed by the Sears Canada closure. Clearly, their position is bleak, but the situation isnt comparable to that of the pensioners. Like all business owners, they knew their financial future depended on saving profits made over the years. Moreover, the demise of Sears is part of a massive restructuring of the entire retail sector that has been evident for some time.
By contrast, Sears pensioners, many of whom spent most or all of their careers working for the company, were content with modest pay in the belief that the compulsory pension plan they paid into for decades would provide security for their retirement years. They had no reason to believe otherwise. Sadly, this belief has made them worse off now than if they never had a pension plan and had been left to make other retirement preparations.
Sears Canada is jointly owned by U.S.-based Sears Holdings Corp. and an American hedge fund that is run, strangely enough, by the CEO of Sears Holdings.
From 2005 to 2013, the company sold its prime Canadian real estate assets and sent $3.5 billion south of the border to those shareholders by way of special dividends and share buybacks.
That the Sears Canada board would make the unconscionable decision to approve of this massive asset stripping, while leaving its pension plan woefully underfunded, begs for legal retribution.
But that would only increase the costly and time-consuming bankruptcy court wrangling, further lessening any chance that the 16,000 laid-off employees and 18,000 retirees will ever receive any part of the meagre assets still left in the company.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau likes to portray the image of a leader looking out for the little guy. Its time he walked the walk. The federal government should act now to change the law to prevent Sears and other private-sector defined benefit pension plan members from seeing their futures torn apart in bankruptcy court.
Gwyn Morgan is a retired Canadian business leader who has been a director of five global corporations. This column previously appeared in the Winnipeg Free Press.
Troy Media
The former finance director of collapsed construction giant Carillion "dumped" the last of his shares - worth hundreds of thousands of pounds - at the first possible moment, it has been revealed.
Fresh information was published following new letters to the UK's Work and Pensions and Business Select Committees, which are conducting a joint inquiry into the company's spectacular demise.
The committees published responses from Carillion's former financial director Richard Adam and his successor Zafar Khan.
Mr Adam retired at the end of December 2016. On March 1, 2017 he sold his entire existing shareholding for 534,000, including performance awards for 2013-2015 of 277,000 which vested on his retirement.
He then sold his long-term incentive plan awards for 2014 on May 8, 2017, the day they vested, for 242,000.
In total, in March and May 2017 he sold shares worth 776,000, the committees revealed.
Richard Adam said: " I sold the shares that I was eligible to sell when I was invited to do so by the company as I retired.
"More than half of the shares in the company that I had an interest in at retirement have been lost as a result of the company entering liquidation."
Previous evidence published by the committees said Mr Adam regarded funding Carillion's pension scheme as a "waste of money".
Mr Khan had his contract terminated last September after eight months in the job, having "spooked" Carillion's board with a financial update a few days earlier that showed there had been a further decline in the company's position since the "shock" 845 million contract write down in July 2017, said the committees.
They added: "Mr Khan argues that it is surprising that the board were 'spooked' by his update, as it should have been apparent to the board by then that the company was struggling to improve both its net debt and profit positions."
Frank Field, chairman of the Work and Pensions Select Committee, said: "Mr Adam presided over Carillion's finances for a decade. He, more than anyone else, ought to know the merits of Carillion shares as a long-term investment in the light of his lengthy and lucrative tenure.
"His assessment? Dumping the last of his shares at the first possible moment because he is - with his own money at least - 'risk averse'. What conclusions are we to draw from that?
"The other directors appear keen to set up the hapless Zafar Khan as the fall guy for the collapse. It is not lost on us, however, that he inherited Carillion's mountain of debt."
More than 1,000 Carillion workers have lost their jobs since the company went into liquidation last month.
A spokesman for Unite said: "For any other organisation, this kind of activity would be gobsmacking. For Carillion's directors, this was business as normal.
"We now know that Carillion insiders already knew they were in deep trouble in 2016, but we have seen again and again that the directors' main priority was to enrich themselves and feather their own nests rather than protect the interests of the company.
"While Carillion's directors enriched themselves, they allowed their workforce and their supply chain to be thrown to the wolves."
The launch of Fairtrade Fortnight saw the announcement of strong growth in Fairtrade spending by Irish consumers.
Sales of Fairtrade products in Ireland saw an increase of 25% from 273 million in 2016 to 342 million in 2017.
The biggest growth area was coffee with an increase of 42% in sales volume and 48% in value.
Irelands largest indigenous coffee roaster Bewleys went 100% Fairtrade and saw an increase of 90% in volume and 100% in value terms.
Insomnias volume and value both increased by 49% and Starbucks saw an increase of 30% growth in both volume and value of sales.
Sales of bananas were up by 5% and Aldi, the only retailers of Fairtrade flowers in Ireland, sold over 2.6 million Fairtrade roses in its 130 stores around the country last year.
Fairtrade Fortnight commenced today with a business breakfast which was attended by over 20 CEOs from across the global Fairtrade network.
Speaking at the event Peter Gaynor of Fairtrade Ireland said The results are staggering, we have never seen this level of growth in the sales of Fairtrade products in Ireland.
"Irish businesses and consumers are now making ethical choices and this is a real vote of confidence for Fairtrade by the people of this country.
"This 342 million is of benefit for the farmers in the developing countries and will make a real difference to improving their lives and reducing poverty. We estimate that the extra money earned by farmers from these coffee sales in Ireland to be about US$1 million."
Jason Doyle, Managing Director of Bewleys Foodservice Ireland said, We were very proud to bring the first Irish Fairtrade product to market in 1997.
"Two years ago during Fairtrade Fortnight we made the commitment to go 100% Fairtrade and were delighted to say we achieved that in 2017.
"Our customers are highly supportive of our Fairtade commitment and were working together to tell the stories of our partner farmers who have benefited from the increased Fairtrade coffee sales.
People across Ireland are being asked to #Checkoutfairtrade and the benefits it brings to people in developing countries.
There are a host of talks, walks and coffee mornings taking place around the country.
- Digital Desk
By Edgar Morgenroth
Water quality is making the headlines again recently, with a boil notice issued for 65,000 households across areas of south Dublin and north Wicklow last month.
Meanwhile, a local companys innovative technology can take water from any source and make it safe for human consumption.
H2Ozone, based in north Wicklow, has two products which remove impurities from rainwater, well water and other sources. RainSafe renders water to drinkable standard and AgriSafe is a solution for the livestock, hydroponics and food processing industries.
Executive chairman Paul OGrady says H2Ozones products are unique in the market.
While there are systems that have a UV standalone system or filtration, he says H2Ozone can guarantee to remove all pathogens and bacteria from the water and without using chemicals.
Set up in 2011, H2Ozone was reborn with new investment in 2016. The companys big break came in October 2017 when US water technology firm Xylem signed a deal to take 1,500 units in 2018.
This is break-even for it as a company, Mr OGrady said. The partnership is a mutually beneficial arrangement as Xylem supplies H2Ozone with the pump and controller for their systems.
A contract with global electronics manufacturer Flextronics will allow H2Ozone to easily scale up its output and was a crucial factor in securing the Xylem deal, Mr OGrady says.
The RainSafe system is a solution for residential, corporate, and the medical and hospitality sectors.
Mr OGrady said: The overall strapline is that it can take water from any source and treat it chemically free to better than bottled water. How it does that is theres a series of pre-filtrations, there is a patented UV process, and theres a patented ozone process to ensure the water stays pathogens and bacteria free.
While the RainSafe system includes an outbound filter which destructs the ozone on the way out, Mr OGrady says the AgriSafe product doesnt have the destruct process because theyve discovered through testing that ozonated water fed in the right doses to livestock can eliminate the need for antibiotics.
This equates to a significant financial gain for farmers. Farmers in the livestock, poultry, pig and dairy industries can pay back their investment in the AgriSafe system in 12 to 18 months, he says.
We sold about 150 units to farms in 2017. To give you an idea of scale we would be extremely disappointed if we dont go up by a multiple of 10 times in 2018, and were on target already for that.
The recent boil notice was followed by another warning to households in parts of Meath not to drink or wash with tap water because of excessive levels of chlorine present in the water.
Mr OGrady says that in either of those circumstances, the RainSafe system would have solved the problem.
The H2Ozone system has gone through extensive testing, including 25,000 independent tests with bodies including Trinity College, University of Exeter and Bristol University. Its products have certification from the European body Kiwa and Frances ACS. Mr OGrady says the most significant tests were with the University of San Diego where the ability of H2Ozones products to eliminate cryptosporidium was proven.
We put through two million of them in a scientific environment through our system and fed it to lab rats afterwards, and there was no problem. And they verified that the water was better than bottled water.
A total of 12m has been invested in H2Ozone so far. Funding from Enterprise Ireland and a European grant in 2016 for a specific project carried out with the University of Exeter have been significant for the company, Mr OGrady says.
The future of global water supply is a pressing concern, and H2Ozone has been involved in various NGO projects, delivering standalone solar-powered units to provide clean, safe water to schools in Nepal and areas in Syria.
The High Court has appointed a provisional administrator to the Irish arm of troubled New Zealand specialist insurer CBL Insurance Ltd.
The appointment was sought by the Central Bank in an urgent early morning application today, a week after the bank ordered CBL Insurance Europe DAC (CBLIE) to stop writing business.
The application was made ex parte, one side only represented by Paul Gallagher SC, for the Central Bank, and Mr Justice Brian McGovern agreed to prohibit any reporting of it until 1pm.
The judge said he was satisfied from the evidence to appoint Kieran Wallace as provisional administrator to CBLIE and returned the petition to March 12.
In its petition, the Central Bank said it was particularly concerned to have learned last Friday the High Court of New Zealand had the previous evening granted an application by the Royal Bank of New Zealand to appoint an interim liquidator to CBL Insurance Ltd (CBLNZ) for reasons which are subject to confidentiality orders of the New Zealand courts.
The Central Bank sought a provisional administrator after opposing suggestions by CBLIE, with registered offices at Fitzwilliam Street Upper, Dublin, of pursuing examinership.
The bank said its concerns include that the manner in which the insurers business has been conducted has failed to make adequate provision for its debts, including contingent and prospective liabilities, and the insurer is unable to meet its Solvency Capital Requirements.
An onsite inspection by the bank into the governance of CBLIEs business exposed an entirely deficient framework, given the size and nature of the business, which deviates significantly from the requirements of the 2015 EU (Insurance and Reinsurance) Regulations, the petition said.
CBLIE specialises in construction-related credit and financial surety insurance, professional indemnity insurance, property insurance and travel bonding and is authorities to write business here and several other European countries.
It is believed to have about 12,500 Irish household policies on its books and also provided cover against insolvency on Ryanairs travel insurance policy. The airline previously said its travel insurance partner Europ Assist, is seeking to source an alternative provider.
Shares in CBLNZ were suspended on the New Zealand stock market earlier this month after regulatory authorities said it needed to raise capital to shore up claim reserves in its French construction insurance business, which make up most of its operations.
Earlier this month the Central Bank commenced a supervisory engagement process in relation to CBLIE, directing it to strengthen its capital base, reserves and reinsurance security, and also commissioned a report into its French business. CBLIE has said it intends to quite the French business, reported to account for more than 60 per cent of its gross written premiums.
Today, Mr Justice McGovern was told the board of the company had voiced its opposition to a provisional administrator as the directors believe it has a reasonable prospect of survival and examinership is the best option for its policyholders and shareholders.
The Central Bank opposed examinership for reasons including its concerns the insurer is possibly insolvent.
Mr Gallagher said it was not anticipated the provisional administrators appointment would have a major impact on the States Insurance Compensation Fund for reasons including many of its risks are located abroad.
The Central Bank had discussed a range of concerns with the insurer, including about the rapid growth of its business with turnover rising from 20m to 139m in just over a year, the level of reserves and about its corporate governance, counsel said.
The critical recent development was the appointment of an interim liquidator to CBLNZ which caused the Central Bank great concern, because of the relationship between CBLIE and CBLNZ and the fact the latter is the reinsurer, about the final position and solvency of CBLIE.
Mr Gallagher said the insurer had engaged positively with the Central Bank but had been critical of particular requirements imposed and had sought the banks support for examinership, insisting the business is solvent but would be vulnerable if demands for payment were made.
The Central Bank had queried whether the insurer was solvent, noting a condition for examinership is that a company is insolvent in that it is unable to pay its debts as they fall due.
The Central Bank also queried whether the insurer could realistically dispose of its French construction insurance business within the 100-day examinership period.
By John Whelan
International policy leaders attending the Bio Pharma Ambition conference in Dublin Castle last week were addressed by Dr Lorraine Nolan, chief executive of Irelands Health Products Regulatory Authority and a member of the European Medical Agency (EMA).
She stressed that continued good working relationships with the UK regulatory MRHA would be essential for the transition period after the UK leaves the EU, so that the pharma and biotech companies here can transit smoothly.
It was clear from all business leaders, as well as academics and researchers, at the conference that there was an enormous amount of cross collaboration between the medical, pharmaceutical and medical devices companies here and in the UK. Disrupting these links will clearly be painful.
There was also concern that the EMAs move to Amsterdam now breaking down into a shambles due to delays in availability of the new offices that many will not move from the UK. Dr Nolan highlighted the major contribution of the MRHA to the work of the EMA along with the loss of capacity and expertise within the EMA both from a review of medicines and pharma vigilance should the UK withdraw from the European regulatory network.
Amongst the many senior industry leaders at the conference, there was strong concern that the UK was heading for a disorderly withdrawal from the EU and its single regulatory arrangements.
Recent statements from the UK health secretary Jeremy Hunt would indicate that this concern is not misplaced. In January, he said that leaving the EU meant there would be separate regulatory arrangements and that he did not expect the UK to be part of the EMA because it would entail being subject to the European Court of Justice.
The significance of the separate regulatory arrangements is that this brings double testing and double the applications for approvals before medicines produced here for sale across the EU, would be saleable in the UK.
Some companies, who primarily export to the UK, may decide it is more efficient and less costly to move operations across the Irish Sea. When you look at the 4.8bn of pharmaceuticals we export each year to the UK, there are undoubtedly some manufacturers who will find it imperative to shift plants over. It may be the only way they can be sure of retaining the major supply contracts they have with the British National Health Service (NHS).
One of the big concerns for the Irish Pharmaceutical Healthcare Association (IPHA) is that the supply of many commonly used medicines such as Aspirins, Paracetamols, Strepsils, Lemsips etc, imported daily from the UK, will be disrupted. But also a wide range of innovative rare condition drugs also come to us from the UK. The reality is that we rely on the UK for 2.9bn of pharmaceuticals for our hospitals, chemists shop supplies and for basic ingredients for Irish life sciences industry. If these issues were not sufficient worry for the pharmacists around the country, there is also the cosmetic side of their business which imports lipsticks, face creams and body lotions from the UK.
These are also under regulatory control the same as medicines and will be impacted if the UK opts for a hard Brexit and its own regulatory regime.
Martin Shanahan, IDA chief executive, put the best spin on the impending impact of a hard Brexit by pointing to the pharma group MSD announcement of plans for a new biotech facility in Dublin, in a move expected to create 350 jobs.
MSD managing director Ger Brennan, in a veiled reference to potential Brexit issues, said: We need to have confidence in supply.
There is also the opportunity for Ireland to attract some manufacturers from the UK to set up parallel plants in Ireland to services the rest of the EU.
However, for those in need of medical care and especially the most vulnerable, such as those with rare condition, it is imperative uncertainty is minimised throughout Brexit negotiations and as much continuity as possible in the regulatory process between the EU and the UK is ensured.
John Whelan is a consultant on Irish and international trade.
By Ann O'Loughlin
A dispute between the owner of the Tipperary Crystal brand and a giftware seller over the alleged passing off of trademarks on the packaging of items offered for sale has been resolved.
Last October Allied Imports Ltd, which is the owner of Tipperary Crystal which is known for its crystal, glassware, ceramics and jewellery brands, sued Co. Wexford-based Kavanagh Giftware Ltd.
The action was over the alleged unlawful use by the defendant of Tipperary Crystal marks on packaging of certain goods, including mugs and cups, being offered for sale by Kavanagh Giftware.
Kavanagh Giftware had rejected all claims against it including it had infringed Allied Import's intellectual property rights. The case had been admitted to the fast track Commercial Court list.
When the matter was mentioned before Mr Justice Brian McGovern today the judge was told the case had been resolved and could be struck out.
Allied Imports and its director Mr Robert Scanlan's claims centered on the use by Kavanagh Giftware of a grey and white coloured graphical representation on the outside and the inside of the packaging of items being offered for sale by the defendant.
The plaintiffs claimed this breached their copyright.
The defendant had been offering the allegedly infringing products for sale through its retail outlet in Enniscorthy, Co Wexford and online.
It was further alleged Kavanagh Giftware was engaged in the wholesale distribution of the infringing products to other retailers in Ireland.
It was claimed the unauthorised use of the Tipperary Crystal mark had caused confusion with the public.
Allied Imports Ltd and Mr Scanlan had sought various orders against the defendant, including injunctions restraining Kavanagh Giftware from allegedly infringing their trade marks and allegedly passing off the goods and damages.
By Padraig Hoare
Significant growth from US and continental European visitors helped offset the drop in numbers from the UK, leading to the seventh consecutive year of growth in overseas numbers at Irish hotels.
Speaking before the Irish Hotels Federations 80th annual conference in Cavan, chief executive Tim Fenn said that the hotel and guesthouse sector had benefited from what was another fantastic and record year for Irish tourism.
The average national room occupancy rate was 73% during the year, according to the IHF.
Mr Fenn said the outlook for the sector remains positive with hoteliers confident about the future growth of the tourism and hospitality sector.
We are on track to create a further 40,000 tourism jobs by 2021. These are in addition to the over 60,000 new jobs that have already been created since 2011, an increase of 33%, compared to a rise of 13% in employment throughout the overall economy, he said.
The tourism industry claims to be Irelands largest indigenous employer, supporting approximately 230,000 jobs or 11% of total employment, with approximately 60,000 of these jobs in the hotel sector.
Mr Fenn warned Brexit continued to take its toll on the sector.
UK has the widest seasonal and regional spread of all our markets, with rural tourism, which has only recently begun to enjoy the recovery in any real measure, the most vulnerable.
Some 80% of the flights into Knock airport last summer originated in the UK compared to 56% into Cork and 37% into Dublin.
Mr Fenn said progress had been made in recent years in market diversification and targeting higher spending markets.
He said significant increase in air access to Ireland during 2017 including Norwegian Airs six new US routes had helped growth.
Mr Fenn said significant Government supports continued to underpin the growth of the sector, highlighting the retention of the 9% VAT rate, which he said has leveled the playing field for Irish tourism and brought Ireland into line with our competitors in Europe.
This Kilkenny start-up gets rid of the paper mountains in skills-based training, writes Trish Dromey
Kilkenny startup Veri has set out to remove the paperwork mountains and much of the hardship of regulatory compliance for companies delivering skills-based training.
In late 2016 it launched a software solution which digitises quality assurance and training records companies providing vocational training across a variety of sectors including healthcare, construction, emergency, and voluntary service.
According to company founder and chief executive Ann Marie McSorley, this is a safer, cheaper, and better way of tracking and tracing training outcomes than the traditional one which involves companies creating rooms full of paper records or spreadsheets.
Winner of the Google Adopt-a-Start-up competition in 2017, Veri now has 35 clients including the Irish Red Cross, the Irish Wheelchair Association, and seven of the 25 private contracted training providers that service the educational training boards nationwide.
Recent customers include Chevron Training which provides childcare and healthcare, as well as Chris Mee in Cork, one of Irelands largest provider of heath and safety training for construction, said Ms McSorley.
Immediate plans for the company, which now employs six people, involve taking on an additional staff member on March 19; launching a module, by the summer, for the construction industry; and targeting new business in both Northern Ireland and Scotland.
It began, as is often the case, with the identification of a gap in the market. Ms McSorley, who had worked for 20 years in the training business and run her training company for eight, needed something to eliminate the paper mountains being generated by regulatory compliance.
To demonstrate regulatory compliance for programmes involving skills-based training, she was unable to find any option other than using vast quantities of forms.
While researching the area, she also discovered the training data available from these paper forms wasnt being analysed. Data about key performance indicators such as attendance and dropout rates, as well as milestones and outcomes, is a valuable resource to evidence return of investment in training, but was being wasted, she said.
In 2015 she developed a beta version, intended for use by her own company. When two other companies were willing to purchase it from her, she decided that this was the basis for a new business.
I set up the company in 2016 and signed up with New Frontiers programme at Carlow IT. A new product was created from scratch by developer Shane Barron, said Ms McSorley, adding that Barrow Training in Carlow became both her first customer and a design partner which helped Veri complete the software development.
Securing competitive software funding of 50,000 from Enterprise Ireland at the start of 2017 helped her recruit staff and get established at Kilkenny Research & Innovation Centre.
At this point Mr Barron joined the company as chief technical officer.
Later in 2017, Veri embarked on a funding round and secured 225,000, half from a private investor and half from Enterprise Ireland, which identified it as a High Potential Startup.
Ms McSorley is planning to raise 225,000 in July when the company needs a further injection of funds. The high points of 2017 included raising the competitive start funding at a critical juncture and winning the Google Adopt-a-Startup and 100,000 in Google Cloud Credit.
This was fantastic not just for the money but also for the PR three members of Google staff worked with us for 12 weeks and we learned a lot in a short space of time, she said.
Veri now offers a cloud-based dashboard and app, which analyses and visualises the key performance indicator data of training programmes.
The company is currently working, with Enterprise Ireland, on completing a solution for the construction industry due for launch in three months.
Our goal is to have 60 customers by the end of the year, including five or six outside the Republic, said Ms McSorely, adding that Veri is following up new leads in the Northern.
In the longer term, it aims to have a staff of 18 and a turnover of 1m by 2020, a target which Ms McSorely says Veri is well on track to achieve.
By Ann O'Loughlin
An application by AIB for summary judgment of 6m against a woman who, with her late husband, acted as co-guarantors of loans used to acquire properties including a shopping centre has been admitted to the fast track Commercial Court list.
AIB seeks judgment against Mrs Siobhan Smith, who it claims, along with her deceased husband, businessman Frank Smith, agreed to act as guarantors in regards to a 50m loan it advanced to their son, developer Gary Smith and his wife Amanda, in 2007.
The loans were used to acquire Ashleaf Shopping Centre and 33 acres of land at Callighstown, Rathcoole in Co Dublin.
As security for those loans, AIB claims it was given legal charges over the Crumlin-based shopping centre, the adjoining Submarine Bar, the lands at Rathcoole, and a legal charge over a 20-year lease of 120 car parking spaces.
In addition, Siobhan and Frank Smith also agreed to a joint and several guarantee in the amount of 6m as security for the loans.
In 2013 receivers were appointed over Gary Smith's assets including the shopping centre and the bar, and AIB secured a judgment for 51m against Gary Smith.
In December 2013 Mr Gary Smith was adjudicated as a bankrupt in the UK.
In its proceedings, AIB claims that Frank Smith, who died in 2015, had entered into a settlement with it in relation to the monies owed arising out of the guarantee.
It claims that settlement was not complied with.
AIB claims Mrs Smith, who is the executrix of her husband's estate, has failed to put forward a reasonable proposal to address her liability to the bank.
It also claims Mrs Smith, with an address at Loughcasa Lower, Barberstown, Straffan, Co Kildare, has failed to take any steps to progress the administration of her husband's estate.
AIB which also alleges Mrs Smith has sold two properties in Spain for 1.7m, made a demand for repayment in January 2018. However, it claims that in breach of the guarantee she has failed to pay the sum AIB says is due and owing.
Arising out of the alleged failure to repay the monies AIB seeks judgment for 6m against Mrs Smith.
AIB's application was admitted to the fast track Commercial Court list today by Mr Justice Brian McGovern.
There was no consent or objection to the application by her lawyers.
The case will come back before the court in April.
By Declan Brennan
A garda has described how a suspect in a late night sexual assault zig-zagged to avoid street lighting while he ran away from the scene.
Garda Niall Kenny was giving evidence in the trial of Slawomir Gierlowski (33) who is charged with carrying out attacks on three women over a five-year period.
One of the attacks took place at a location in Clondalkin on September 3, 2015. Gda Kenny told the jury that he was in a patrol car that night when he received details over the garda radio of an alleged incident.
The court heard the car arrived at the nearby scene within minutes and Gda Kenny and Garda Brian Campbell got out. Gda Campbell said he heard a muffled scream coming from behind them.
He ran to the source of the sound and saw a woman on her knees on the ground with black duct tape all over her face and neck and her hands behind her back.
Gda Kenny said that he noticed a man jumping up from behind a vehicle parked around 50m further down the road. He said this man took off running and he ran after him.
He shouted gardai, stop at the man but the suspect kept running. He called for general assistance and uniformed and plain clothes units arrived at the scene.
The assistance of the air support unit was unavailable because of weather conditions on the night. Gda Kenny said the area had about 50 per cent street lighting which was partially covered by trees.
He said the suspect ran crossing the road in "zig zags" to avoid the street lights. Gda Kenny said he maintained the distance behind the man but lost sight of him.
Mr Gierlowski of Galtymore Road, Drimnagh is charged with falsely imprisoning and assaulting a woman in September 2016 at a location near Naas Road, Clondalkin, Dublin. He is also charged with unlawfully having a hunting knife with intent to intimidate on the same occasion.
Mr Gierlowski is further charged with false imprisonment, sexual assault and assault of a second woman at another location in Clondalkin on September 3, 2015.
Finally he is charged with false imprisonment, sexual assault and assault of a third woman at this same location on September 11, 2011.
The trial continues before Judge Pauline Codd and a jury of 11 men.
Additional evidence
Dr Killian Bates told the jury that he carried out a forensic medical examination of the victim.
He said he recorded injuries to her lip, cheek, wrists, arms, knuckles, wrist, inner thigh and right knee.
He said that as part of his conclusions, he noted the possible presence of semen.
He also recorded the possibility that the assailant wasn't indigenously Irish. He said this had a bearing on a decision to prescribe anti-HIV prophylaxis to the woman.
Dr Bates said this is relatively unusual but was in line with the apparent severity of the assault.
Update 7pm: Commitments to avoid a hard border on the island of Ireland after Brexit are being accurately reflected in a legal document due to be published this week, Simon Coveney has said.
Tanaiste Simon Coveney held talks with EU chief negotiator Michel Barnier in Brussels and said he was very happy with the text.
"I think people will judge for themselves. I think they will see it's an accurate reflection of what was politically agreed in December," Mr Coveney said.
When phase one of the Brexit negotiations finished before Christmas the Government said it had secured cast iron guarantees there would be no return to a hard border between the Republic and Northern Ireland when the UK leaves Europe.
Despite those assurances, Theresa May's government has insisted the UK will not be joining a customs union and that it wants to be free to sign trade deals with other parts of the world.
Very good meeting with @MichelBarnier today, focusing on #Brexit legal text of draft Withdrawal Agreement to be published on Wednesday - we are of the one mind, translating the political commitments of December into legal text - no more, no less. pic.twitter.com/k8hK1MvJOk Simon Coveney (@simoncoveney) February 26, 2018
The UK Prime Minister is to set out the latest developments in her own plans for Brexit on Friday, after a special meeting of the Cabinet on Thursday.
But Mr Coveney said the Irish government and Mr Barnier are of "one mind" on the text of the legal document due to be published on Wednesday.
"It will be faithful and true to the political agreement that was made in December and translating that effectively into a legal text that can then be a draft withdrawal agreement from the EU's perspective," the Tanaiste said.
Mr Coveney said additions can be made to the legal text over time.
"The Irish government is very happy with the content that you will see published on Wednesday," he said.
Mr Coveney said there will be quite a lot detail on Ireland in the document, including on the possible default position in the event that no deal in reached on issues around trade, travel and customs between the EU and UK before 2019.
"Our preference will be to try and solve a lot of the Irish border issues and Irish issues through an option A, which hopefully we hear an awful lot more about from the British Prime Minister on Friday," he said.
Mr Coveney added: "We are not looking to try and put pressure on anybody. We are simply looking to translate into a clear, legal language a text that has already been agreed politically before Christmas. That has to happen at some point in time."
- PA
Earlier 6.38am: Tanaiste to meet EU's Chief Brexit negotiator to ensure 'cast iron' guarantees around border
The Tanaiste Simon Coveney wants to ensure there is no slippage around promises to avoid a hard border with Northern Ireland.
Mr Coveney is meeting the EU's chief Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier in Brussels later.
Back in December the Government said they had "cast iron" guarantees that there will be no return to a hard border in Northern Ireland.
However, since then the British Government has insisted they will leave both the customs union and the single market post-Brexit.
That prompted the EU's Chief Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier to say earlier this month that it is important to tell the truth, the UK leaving the single market and customs union will mean border checks in Ireland.
Later today Tanaiste and Foreign Affairs Minister Simon Coveney will meet Mr Barnier to discuss those commitments.
This week the guarantees of Phase One of Brexit talks, including avoiding a hard border, are being translated into a formal legal text which is due to be published on Wednesday.
The Coveney camp say they are working behind the scenes to avoid any slippage on the deal that was reached and they are satisfied Ireland's concerns will be addressed.
By Ruaidhri Giblin
A man who continues to show no remorse for raping his wife has had his prison sentence cut on appeal.
The 43-year-old man, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was unanimously found guilty of raping his wife in their home in May 2014 - making him the third person to be convicted for marital rape since rape within a marriage was made illegal in 1990.
A jury of eleven men and one woman also found him guilty of threatening to kill his wife and cut her face, having denied the charges. He had admitted assaulting his wife with a hammer which he used to strike blows to her head.
Ms Justice Isobel Kennedy sentenced him to 12 years imprisonment with the final two suspended in June 2016.
The Court of Appeal heard that the man refuses to show any remorse for raping his wife and still does not accept the verdict of the jury.
He successfully appealed his sentence today with the Court of Appeal holding that a sentence of 10 or 11 years imprisonment appeared to be somewhat out of kilter for an individual instance of rape, even after a not guilty plea, where there had been no premeditation or unusual violence. He was resentenced to 10 years imprisonment with the final 18 months suspended.
Dismissing his appeal against conviction in December a judgment the man also does not accept - Mr Justice Alan Mahon said the man, an Arab Muslim from north Africa, married his wife, an Irish national, in 2005.
They had one child and, following a year of maternity leave, the man's wife returned to work and ultimately received a promotion. This resulted in greater time away form the family home and began to cause tensions within the relationship.
Mr Justice Mahon said a series of assaults and threats, including rape in the marital home, culminated in an attack by the man on his wife and her mother with a hammer.
Moving to appeal his sentence, the man's barrister, Ronan Munro SC, submitted Mr Justice Peter Charleton's guidance on sentencing for sexual offences in a case known as 'D(W)'. Mr Munro said there had been no pre-meditation and no gratuitous violence (beyond the violence inherent in the rape itself) to justify a sentence of the order imposed on his client.
Mr Justice John Edwards said the Court of Appeal agreed that the sentence in this case, when viewed in isolation, appeared to be somewhat out of kilter with sentences imposed in comparable cases even though the circumstances of the case were egregious and the crime was very serious.
He said the offence merited a headline sentence of 12 years and not 14 as selected by the sentencing judge. This was reduced to 10 years to reflect the mitigating circumstances including the man's previous good character, the difficulties foreign nationals endure in Irish prisons and psychiatric evidence which suggested he was suffering from a significant depressive disorder prior to the rape.
Mr Justice Edwards said the man could not avail of the most powerful mitigating factor available, namely a guilty plea and expressions of genuine remorse. On the contrary, no responsibility for the rape had been taken and there had been no expression whatever of remorse. The man still does not accept the verdict of the jury nor the Court of Appeal's dismissal of his appeal against conviction, the judge said.
After considerable reflection, and notwithstanding his present obdurate position, the court suspended the final 18 months of the sentence, primarily in the interests of his child but also to incentivise him to address his anger management issues, his mental health issues, and his attitude to women.
Mr Justice Edwards, who sat with Mr Justice George Birmingham and Mr Justice Alan Mahon, resentenced the man to 10 years imprisonment with the final 18 months suspended for the rape.
Mr Justice Edwards said the court acknowledged the limitations in the guidance offered by Mr Justice Peter Charleton in a case known as 'DW', and this court may take the opportunity, at some point in the future, and in an appropriate case, to seek to revisit the issue of guidance in matters of rape, aggravated sexual assault and sexual assault.
Pupils are staying away from a school in northern Nigeria, where Boko Haram extremists seized 110 girls in a raid a week ago.
The Government Girls Science and Technical College in Dapchi in Yobe state had been closed following an attack which reminded many of Boko Haram's kidnapping of 276 girls from a boarding school in Chibok in 2014.
A student who suffered multiple gunshot wounds during a mass shooting at a Florida high school has thanked medics and first responders who saved her life.
Maddy Wilford, 17, who is making a full recovery, said: "It's times like these when I know that we need to stick together."
Ms Wilford has undergone three surgeries since the shooting on February 14 at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland which left 17 people dead. She appeared at a hospital news conference with her parents and some of the doctors who helped her.
Broward Health North's Dr Igor Nichiporenko said: "She's very lucky, very, very lucky," adding that she had survived despite large calibre bullets penetrating her chest and abdomen.
Flanked by her mother and father, Ms Wilford said: "I'm just glad that I'm making a full recovery and everything is going smoothly."
The school, which has a roll of 3,200 students, will reopen on Wednesday.
The news conference came as President Donald Trump told America's governors that he would have run into the school shooting scenario "even if I didn't have a weapon".
Mr Trump is again finding fault with officers who did not stop the gunman in the Parkland massacre, saying that deputies at the school "weren't exactly Medal of Honour winners".
He told 39 of the nation's governors: "I really believe I'd run in there even if I didn't have a weapon."
The president is vowing to turn the nation's "grief into action" following the shooting, saying that "while our nation is heartbroken", the US needs "to have action" on measures related to school safety and gun violence.
Meanwhile, Florida governor Rick Scott has asked Florida Law Enforcement Commissioner Rick Swearingen to investigate the law enforcement response to the shooting.
Broward County Sheriff Scott Israel has faced criticism after the revelation last week that deputy Scot Peterson, the school's assigned security officer, was nearby when the shooting began, but did not go into the building to confront the suspect during the attack.
The sheriff's office is also facing a backlash for apparently mishandling some of the 18 tip-offs related to the suspected shooter, 19-year-old Nikolas Cruz. The tips were among a series of what authorities now describe as clear warning signs that Cruz, who had a history of disturbing behaviour, posed a serious threat.
Sheriff Israel defended his leadership and said investigators are looking into claims that three other deputies were on the scene but failed to enter the school when the chance to save lives still existed.
The gunman of the Douglas High School shooting, Nikolas Cruz, was arrested at the scene on February 18.
To date, the investigation has pointed to only one deputy being on school grounds while the killer was present.
Sheriff Israel labelled as "absolutely untrue" reports that the deputies waited outside, even though children were inside the building needing urgent medical treatment.
The FBI has acknowledged that it failed to investigate the tip about Cruz received on January 5.
Earlier, actress and TV star Oprah Winfrey praised survivors of the massacre who have channelled anger and grief into activism, calling them "warriors of the light" and comparing them to civil rights pioneers.
A UK police officer has been cleared of assaulting a handcuffed suspect who had spat in his face.
Pc Paul McVeigh, 48, denied intentionally yanking Jack Moore out of the back of a police van on to the ground and then deliberately throwing him head first on to the cell floor, causing him to land on his chin.
Coles workers have voted up a new wage deal that will pay higher rates and penalties but the new agreement will still face scrutiny in front of the industrial umpire after a rival union signalled concerns about overtime entitlements.
Coles negotiated the new agreement with the Shop, Distributive and Allied Employees Association (SDA), the Australian Workers Union and other worker representatives after the Fair Work Commission tore up a previous deal that left employees tens of millions of dollars worse off every year.
About 90 per cent of participating workers voted in favour of the deal.
The latest enterprise bargaining agreement received a 90 per cent "yes" vote, the SDA said on Monday.
About 48,000 Coles workers - or 61 per cent of the workforce - voted on the deal, which will cover more then 80,000 of the supermarkets' workers.
Energy industry groups are concerned the National Energy Guarantee may create barriers for new companies entering the electricity market and fail to cut power costs.
It comes as stakeholders gathered on Monday to discuss the framework for the NEG at the Energy Security Board public forum.
The public forum examined the different design options for the National Energy Guarantee and sought to act as a vehicle for discussion to achieve what ESB deputy chairwoman, Clare Savage, called "a high-level model for the COAG Energy Council" rather than showcasing a final result.
Industry groups warned that the NEG may make it more difficult for competition in the energy market. Credit:Luis Enrique Ascui
Minerals Council of Australias Director for Climate Change, Environment and Energy Patrick Gibbons said there is the potential for the NEG to lock Australia into a higher cost energy future.
As of Monday, this position is occupied by a nationally renowned figure named Michael McCormbull, or similar. Its something like that and surely hes named McCormbull because we have no idea who he is or what he stands for so we might as well call him McCormbull as a matter of convenience. Michael McCormbull is, as is now tradition, not to be held responsible for the previous statements of persons who assume offices containing the description Prime Minister. As Q&A was there to remind us, via an early audience question, Deputy McCormbull (real name: Michael McCormack) once expressed views on a social question - the rights of gay people - that have morphed somewhat over the course of his march to national celebrity. But like all those who attain high office in Australia, Michael McCormbull has defenders willing to give him the benefit of rather enormous doubt.
And let it be said that if someone is going to give you the benefit of the doubt, let that person be Catherine McGregor. McGregor has skin and ink in this game, and she came to Q&A on precisely the right night: the night Q&A needed some generosity of spirit beyond the ability of the rest of us rendered comatose from banging our heads against the nearest wall.
McGregor, who transitioned in the public eye as a senior member of the military and friend of Tony Abbott, lavished the same benefit of doubt upon the new National Party leader that we would all hope to have lavished upon us in memory of our worst moments from long, long ago.
I wouldn't like to be reminded of everything I said or did 25-30 years ago, she said, while noting that there is a man called Gerard Henderson who combs through everyone's essays every Friday from primary school and questions them.
It provoked Tony Jones to prod the couch-bound Mr Henderson: He's fun like that, isn't he, Gerard.
Jones then threw to Clare ONeil, Labors Shadow Minister For Making the Most Of An Easy Opportunity On National Television, who offered this take on Deputy PM McCormbull: I think the comments are terrible he shouldn't have said those things. I think the broader point here is that we're ending up with a Deputy Prime Minister that probably you and most of the people in the audience have never heard of before. And that is a little bit concerning.
ONeil no doubt had her marching orders on political messaging but this was misguided. By then the nation was well aware that its new Deputy Prime Minister was a man named something or other, representing almost nobody, who will eventually have to be dislodged from high office with a nuclear missile.
The question that lingered: can the nation move on?
Catherine McGregor said Tony Abbott was consumed by his loss to Malcolm Turnbull. Credit:ABC
McGregor was once again better placed than most to observe and diagnose the national condition: could the body politic be revived?
To that end, she contemplated the status of her reportedly doomed friendship with a former prime minister.
Yeah, look, McGregor began, with the only two non-obscene words that commonly precede Tony Abbott.
Rumours of the death of our friendship are grossly exaggerated.
She went on: Hes a great person of great magnanimity. He doesn't hold grudges. I do think he's lost balance because of Malcolm Turnbull. I think he's consumed by that and, sometimes, he's not the best self that he's capable of.
Margot Robbie: in black for Time's Up at the BAFTAs.
Recently, I had a conversation with my father about the gender pay gap. It was lengthy, and both of us were accessing various articles and sources to back up our statements. After about half an hour of nuanced, complex discussion about the issue, my sister wandered into the room, and after noting the topic, said something that brought the whole thing to an end: What would YOU know, Dad youre just a Straight White Man.
With three words, the extensive emotional labour that went into my part of the discussion became instantly redundant. The conversation ended there. Dad left the room, presumably to see about signing up for the modern-day suffragettes and becoming a champion for feminism, so convinced was he by my sisters words. Victory was ours. Feminism was saved.
It was then that I first realised how useful blatant identity politics really can be.
Firstly, the statement Youre just a Straight White Man is factual (unless it isnt). If you are a SWM, theres not much you can do to deny the fact. It doesnt matter if the topic of discussion is nothing to do with sexuality, race or gender either you can be talking about the Victorian education system, and if things arent going your way, whipping out the old SWM jab is a sure-fire way to win. How would they know? They are a stranger to the oppression you have struggled with your entire life, which is definitely analogous in some way to the discussion at hand. Besides, women lived for hundreds of years without a voice. Now its his turn.
The start of a new academic year is upon us, and once again residential colleges are in the news for all the wrong reasons.
Male students from the University of Sydneys elite St Johns College are reportedly preparing for their annual tradition of humiliating women.
St John's College, at the University of Sydney. Credit:Quentin Jones
Dubbed the Fresher Five, its a gathering of older male St Johns students to rate the first-year female students on how f---able they are and then brag to their mates about their sexual exploits.
As disgusting as this predatory behaviour towards women and girls and, yes, some of them are indeed still girls is, you could hardly call it a surprise.
Shakespeare By The Lakes's executive producer, Taimus Werner-Gibbings, says the company's inaugural production of Much Ado About Nothing was "very successful for a first go".
The free presentation of William Shakespeare's comedy, directed by and starring Duncan Driver and Lexi Sekuless, attracted 4230 people over its four-night run from February 14 to 17. There were 780 at the first night in Tuggeranong Town Park and 670 at the second; 1850 at Glebe Park in Civic; and 930 at Queen Elizabeth Park in Queanbeyan.
Duncan Driver and Lexi Sekuless as Benedick and Beatrice in Much Ado About Nothing. Credit:Emily Hanna, Esh Photography
The mild weather each night helped encourage audience attendance although Werner-Gibbings says a pre-performance gust of wind caused a bit of unwanted drama at the Queanbeyan site.
"The cast tent almost got blown into the river."
About $75 million of a federal budget for Western Sydney Airport has been set aside to reduce the impact of aircraft noise and potentially compensate nearby residents badly affected.
While flight paths for the new airport at Badgerys Creek are yet to be decided, the $75 million for "noise amelioration" has been included in a $445 million Commonwealth budget for "preparatory activities" for the airport such as environmental offsets.
The new airport at Badgerys Creek will operate without a curfew. Credit:Karleen Minney
The potential compensation for residents emerged on Monday when the government-owned WSA Co, which is charged with overseeing the construction and operation of the new airport, fronted a Senate estimates hearing in Canberra.
Greens Senator Janet Rice pressed executives from the corporation on the budget, citing the millions of dollars of compensation paid to affected residents after the third runway at Sydney Airport was opened in the 1990s due to the environmental impact statement for the project failing to accurately state the impact of aircraft noise.
For Andre Tamine, Melina Roberge and Isabelle Lagace, it seemed to be the trip of a lifetime.
The Canadian trio had criss-crossed the globe on a seven-week Sea Princess cruise, boarding at Southampton in England and making stops including Ireland, the US, Canada, New Zealand and South America.
But when the ship sailed into Sydney Harbour on August 28, 2016, the holiday came to an abrupt end when the three were arrested.
Melina Roberge and Isabelle Lagace.
They had been identified as "high-risk" passengers on a "high-risk" ship, which was closely scrutinised by authorities because it had stopped at a large number of ports.
Amid the drugs, weapons and mobile phones commonly seized as contraband, Queenslands prisoners have been stashing away something more surprising in their cells.
Officers at the states largest prison started the year with a range of irregular discoveries, including a small snake, a lizard and a small quail.
The red-backed button quail typically measured a tiny 12-16 centimetres. Credit:Greg Miles.
Keeping wildlife behind bars is unsurprisingly banned but prisoners at the Woodford Correctional Centre, north-west of Brisbane, in question escaped punishment, copping warnings instead.
A Queensland Corrective Services spokesman said the breaches were considered low level compared to other prison incidents.
An armed robber shot and killed by police during a bottle shop hold-up fired his weapon in a shoot-out with the officer, a coroner has heard.
Troy Van Den Bemt, 48, was killed by a plain clothes police officer last month when he attempted to rob the Park Orchards store armed with a sawn-off shotgun.
A coronial inquest will probe what happened in the lead-up to the death and why the officer was there minutes before the robber arrived, with a police internal review expected to be made available as evidence.
Van den Bemt's father, Peter, was in court as new facts emerged about the shooting on Monday, including that the would-be robber fired at a police officer and that the confused store owners armed themselves with an iron bar and a chair.
A 15-year-old girl has been sexually assaulted on a bus in Melbourne's south-east, with police calling for help in the investigation.
The teen was sitting on the bus passing through Hampton Park when a man sat next to her, put his arm around her and assaulted her.
Terrified, the girl broke away and sat closer to the driver.
Melbourne Express: Tuesday, February 27, 2018
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There are fears the Inglewood Bunnings store may completely collapse after it was gutted by a massive blaze overnight.
Millions of dollars worth of damage is expected to have been caused by the fire, which broke out at about 9pm on Monday. The fire, on the corner of Eighth Avenue and Beaufort Street, threatened lives and properties nearby.
A Department of Fire and Emergency Services spokeswoman said the store's roof had collapsed and the walls were unstable. The worry now for emergency crews were potential hot spots underneath the fallen roof and a wall that was "leaning precariously in the direction of a block of flats".
The residents from the building have been evacuated and remain unable to return to their homes.
WA Police are hunting a man who allegedly snatched a woman from a footpath and sexually assaulted her on Monday afternoon.
Sex Assault Squad detectives said the incident happened at Wireless Hill Park in Ardross, just after 2pm.
Police say the woman in her 20s was sexually assaulted at Wireless Hill Park. Credit:Hannah Barry
The woman, believed to be in her 20s, was walking along a path in the park area when she was grabbed by a man.
It's understood he was riding a bicycle prior to the incident.
Sangay Yeser was working on his assignment when his housemate rushed into his room alerting him to their flooded apartment block.
Mr Yeser, an international student from Bhutan, was one of hundreds cleaning up on Monday after more than a month's worth of rain brought the city to a standstill on the weekend.
"I didn't know there was a flood until my housemate came in and by then all my apartment was underwater," Mr Yeser said.
"My brain - it was blank, there was nothing there, I was trying to focus on my assignment but after a few minutes I composed myself."
The travel and accommodation claims of former deputy prime minister Barnaby Joyce and his new partner Vikki Campion are being independently investigated, opening the possibility of further embarrassment for the embattled MP and overshadowing the appointment of his successor.
The revelation came on Monday, just hours after shocked Nationals replaced Mr Joyce, selecting the little-known junior Minister for Veterans Affairs, Michael McCormack, to lead the party and assume the role of Deputy Prime Minister.
He avoided a late and potentially serious challenge from the rookie Queensland MP David Littleproud, who had already surprised colleagues with his first-term elevation to cabinet last December.
Sources said Mr Littleproud, with just 18 months in the Parliament, was within a single vote of the leadership before deciding not to stand.
The changeover has been costly, leaving bruised egos and prompting recriminations within the Nationals party room, where MPs loyal to Mr Joyce believe he was subject to a concerted effort to undermine him. Among the claims being made privately is a politically incendiary charge that Liberals up-to-and-including the Prime Minister's office helped feed a news frenzy around the Nationals leader and that it was Liberals rather than Nationals who leaked news of a sexual misconduct claim against Mr Joyce.
American defence giants are being urged to invest in new projects in western Sydney, as Premier Gladys Berejiklian talks to chief executives about the greenfields opportunity of building around the Badgerys Creek airport.
The premier has used a trade mission to Washington DC over the last four days to pitch the proposal to US executives and build on a $50 million plan from aerospace company Northrop Grumman.
The plan is timed to take advantage of a series of big federal government defence contracts to be decided over the next year, triggering a search for land and workers for successful contractors.
Badgerys Creek will house Sydney's second international airport.
We already have global brands in NSW from the United States but the second Sydney airport gives us that opportunity to really increase the footprint, Ms Berijiklian said at the end of the trade mission.
The Turnbull government's $65 billion company tax cuts can be implemented without putting the budget's return to surplus at risk, the Parliamentary Budget Office says.
Labor's shadow treasurer Chris Bowen has argued the tax cuts are unaffordable and should only be considered once a surplus is achieved.
But in a Senate estimates hearing in Canberra on Monday, parliamentary budget officer Jenny Wilkinson said the government's fiscal forecast incorporated the full cut in the company tax rate.
"The projected return to surplus does incorporate company tax cuts," she said.
Former opposition leader Tim Nicholls has been appointed the head of the powerful Parliamentary Crime and Corruption Committee.
It means he will take a pay cut of $100,000 from his previous job, after announcing he would not recontest the LNP leadership in December, following the party's state election loss.
Former LNP leader Tim Nicholls will chair the powerful Parliamentary Crime and Corruption Committee. Credit:AAP Image/ Jono Searle
Humble backbenchers make $159,122, committee chairs make $219,330, while the leader of the opposition makes $327,705.
His appointment was made official this month, during the first parliamentary sitting of 2018.
Queensland Local Government Minister Stirling Hinchliffe has ordered an investigation into the sacking of former Logan City Council chief executive Sharon Kelsey.
Ms Kelsey was ousted earlier this month, with councillors voting 7-5 to get rid of her, while Logan Mayor Luke Smith did not participate in the vote.
Logan City Council CEO Sharon Kelsey was ousted earlier this month, with councillors voting 7-5 to remove her from office Credit:Damian White
She had been in the job for just seven months and Mr Hinchliffe has asked his director general to investigate.
"Clearly there are concerns in Logan that the previous CEO's contract was discontinued, and some residents have written to my office outlining their concerns," Mr Hinchliffe said in a statement on Monday.
A review into the status of Victorias critically endangered Leadbeaters possum will be completed in September, potentially clearing the way for increased logging in the central highlands just two months before a state election.
The decision threatens to wedge Labor as it fights to keep the Greens at bay in inner Melbourne and prop up regional jobs in the state's ailing timber industry.
The Turnbull government is reviewing whether the tiny possum is still in imminent danger of extinction, or on the comeback trail in central Victorias native forests, after almost half of its habitat was destroyed in the Black Saturday bushfires in 2009.
The Leadbeater's possum's critically endangered status is under review.
The review was requested last year by the Australian timber industry, which has also been under pressure since Black Saturday to reduce the number of sawlogs it harvests in Victorias native forests.
A media adviser to a WA Liberal MP has been fired for sending an email to journalists mocking Tony Abbott and Barnaby Joyce.
Ryan Hadjimihalakis, or Ryan Hadji, worked as a media adviser for Forrest MP Nola Marino, and is understood to have sent the email in the early hours of Monday morning.
The email sent out from Ms Marino's office this morning. Credit:Hannah Barry
Sent without a subject line, the email featured a meme depicting former Liberal prime minister Tony Abbott sitting next to former deputy prime minister Barnaby Joyce in parliament.
The caption read "When you get in trouble in class and you get sat next to the weird kid no one likes".
Beijing: Australia's largest trading partner, China, has announced the biggest shift in its political system in decades, removing a limit on how long a Chinese president can serve in the role.
The move, which will allow president Xi Jinping to stay on beyond 2023, has raised comparisons with Mao's China.
Souvenir plates bearing images of Chinese President Xi Jinping, and late Chinese leader Mao Zedong. Credit:AP
Linda Jakobson, director of the China Matters think tank, said significant rules that were put in place by Deng Xiaoping, who opened China up to the world, to prevent a repeat of the excesses of the Cultural Revolution under Mao had now been removed.
"What has worked for the past 35 years has now changed," she said.
Ivanka Trump has said that she doesn't know whether arming teachers with concealed weapons, as her father advocates, would makes schools safer and said the idea needs further discussion.
President Donald Trump's daughter, who serves as a senior adviser in the White House and is in South Korea, where she attended the closing ceremony of the Winter Olympics, was asked by NBC News if arming teachers would make children safer.
"To be honest I don't know," she said. "Obviously there would have to be an incredibly high standard for who would be able to bear arms in our school. But I think that there is no one solution to creating safety.
In the wake of the mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, on February 14, President Donald Trump has repeatedly pressed the case for arming about 20 per cent of teachers and other school personnel, arguing that it would be a major deterrent to gunmen like the one who killed 17 people in South Florida.
Latest News La Trobe Financial reaches carbon neutral milestone Deputy CEO says they are aiming to be 100% carbon neutral by 2030
Greg Medcraft on markets, ASIC and how brokers are changing the mortgage industry in Australia Greg Medcraft on blockchain, brokers and the booming market for mortgages in Australia
Specialist lender Bluestone Mortgages Asia Pacific said yesterday that it has agreed to be acquired by U.S. private investment firm Cerberus Capital Management.
Parent company Bluestone Group UK will fully divest its interest in the Asia Pacific business as part of the deal.
The acquisition comes more than four years since Bluestone returned to the Australian mortgage market after pulling out during the global financial crisis. The lender, which generates around 96% of its loans through brokers, has written more than $1.3bn in mortgages since 2013, and has more than $8bn in loans under management.
The Australian Financial Review reported yesterday that Cerberus Capital Management plans to use its purchase of Bluestone as a springboard to expand in Asia Pacific. The investment firm has US$30bn in assets under management and invests mainly in distressed securities and assets, private equity, middle market lending, and real estate.
A Cerberus spokesperson told the AFR that beyond the Bluestone deal, the investment firm is looking at more opportunities in company platforms and assets in the lending and real estate sectors.
The transaction follows two acquisitions of mortgage lenders by global private equity firms last year. Blackstone became a majority stakeholder in La Trobe Financial in December after taking an 80% stake in the non-bank lender. A month earlier, Pepper Group shareholders approved the takeover of the company by a unit of KKR Credit Advisors.
Bluestone Asia Pacific CEO Campbell Smyth said the companys day-to-day operations will remain unchanged and its current management and staff will continue to run the business.
This is a great moment for the business and the whole team is embracing the investment by Cerberus, said Smyth. The transaction will enable the company to actively evolve its product portfolio and service offering. In the short-term, the company will focus on actualising a number of imminent expansion options that meet the demands of emerging sectors.
Smyth said the company will be in a position to aggressively capitalise on future opportunities.
The net effect of this growth model will be more options for brokers and borrowers, alike, he said, adding that the transaction is a win for all involved.
Smyth said his company is moving to a bigger office space to accommodate its current team and future staff.
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Latest News La Trobe Financial reaches carbon neutral milestone Deputy CEO says they are aiming to be 100% carbon neutral by 2030
Greg Medcraft on markets, ASIC and how brokers are changing the mortgage industry in Australia Greg Medcraft on blockchain, brokers and the booming market for mortgages in Australia
Productivity Commission chairman Peter Harris defended his agencys criticism of broker commission in its report on competition in financial services, as he highlighted again the high cost of mortgage brokers.
Speaking at a Committee for the Economic Development of Australia event yesterday, Harris said more than $2.4bn is now paid annually for mortgage broker services.
The commissions draft report released in early February says that based on ASICs findings, lenders pay brokers an upfront commission of $2,289 (0.62%) and a trail commission of $665 (0.18%) a year on an average new home loan of $369,000.
Some in the broking industry want to know why there is suddenly attention being paid to commissions. The sum I just cited, as a large apparent addition to industry costs since the mid-90s, by itself suggests a public analysis of why it is so large might be in order.
Harris said the amount becomes problematic when some parties suggest that consumers do not bear this burden as they do not pay commission costs.
Which is a comment surely made for Twitter since anyone with a slight amount of common sense knows that somewhere in any product purchase, it is only a customer or a shareholder who could be paying this charge, unless offsetting costs have been stripped out, he said.
Harris also cast doubt on industry changes to broker remuneration structures. He said that despite announced changes to parts of commission payment schemes, broker commission remains far from aligned with consumer interests.
He zeroed in on trailing commissions which he said are worth $1bn per annum and questioned their relevance.
The industry itself has said that trailing commissions are designed to reduce churn and manage customers on behalf of banks. Despite the hint to the contrary, we do actually understand quite well why it might be in a banks interest and a brokers interest to jointly limit churn, said Harris.
But not the customers interest who is most probably paying for the service.
Harris acknowledged that, as mentioned in the commission's report, mortgage brokers provide "slightly better" rates for their consumers than going directly to a bank branch. He said, though, that this benefit of better rates has been declining since the global financial crisis.
He said the Productivity Commission preferred that banks imposed on brokers the duty of ensuring they act in consumers best interests, perhaps via contract.
But we have no power to recommend what banks do for themselves, so we have instead a draft report that proposes regulation, said Harris.
The commission is moving into the public hearing stage this week, and will submit its final report on 1 July.
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A Flatbush man pleaded guilty to providing support to ISIS on Feb. 16.
Mohamed Rafik Naji, 38, pleaded guilty to one count of attempting to provide material support or resources to the terrorist group, according to a press release from the U.S. Attorneys Office.
Naji sought to assist ISIS both before and after travelling to join the group in 2015 in Yemen, according to the office.
Naji viewed and distributed ISIS propaganda before travelling from New York to Yemen in March 2015 in an effort to join ISIS, the press release stated. While in Yemen, Naji repeatedly tried to travel to areas controlled by ISIS.
Prosecutors said Naji wrote in emails to his wife claiming to have almost died at the hands of armed groups, and sent her videos of fighting in Yemen.
First day on the job. I think were taking fire, he said in one of the videos over the sounds of automatic weapons.
Naji also sent his wife ISIS propaganda videos and declared allegiance to ISIS in an online conversation.
Naji returned to the U.S. in September of 2015, and discussed how to travel to then ISIS-controlled territory in Syria by way of Turkey, and also talked about the apparent ease of carrying out a truck attack in Times Square, according to prosecutors.
A U.S. Attorneys Office spokesman said that Naji discussed the travel to the Syria and the Times Square attack with a confidential source for law enforcement.
In a press release in November of 2016 following Najis arrest, the U.S. Attorneys Office described Naji as a legal permanent resident of the U.S., and said he started making pro-ISIS social media posts in December of 2014.
Naji faces a maximum term of 20 years in prison, according to the spokesman, but there is no date set for sentencing.
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PNB Fraud: Banks for raising cover against fraud by staff
Rattled by a spate of frauds in the banking sector, lenders are now planning to increase insurance cover against delinquencies by their employees to protect their bottom lines. Besides, tightening internal risk mechanism and vigilance, banks have to look for higher cover to guard against such fraud where employees are involved, the official said, adding, this will help insulate the balance sheet.
OBC fraud: Delhi-based jeweller fled in 2014
Oriental Bank of Commerce is the latest public sector lender to join the list of state-run banks which have been defrauded by diamond merchants. Using the same modus operandi like the one used by celebrity jeweller Nirav Modi and his uncle Mehul Choksi to get Letter of Credit (LoC) from PNB, the accused involved in the OBC fraud availed credit facilities to the tune of Rs 389.85 crore with the help of some bank officials. Even though the CBI got a complaint from the Oriental Bank of Commerce (OBC) for Rs 390 crore scam involving Delhi-based diamond exporter, it took the agency more than six months to file an FIR against the accused.
Railways starts recruitment exercise
Indian railways has started the process to hire 89,500 employees, including assistant loco pilots, technicians,, switchmen, trackmen, cabinmen, welders, helpers and porters. The state-run transporter aims to provide jobs to around one lakh youth from high school pass students to engineers. Railways plans to fill entry level vacancies by massive hiring, coupled with trimming of the railway board by half. This is in line with Piyush Goyal's strategy to "right-size" the railways which is "top-heavy".
UDAN: Govt expects Rs 300 cr annually from levy on airlines
The government expects to collect around Rs 300 crore annually from the levy on airlines flying on major routes towards the regional air connectivity scheme, a senior official said. To partly raise money for viability gap funding requirement under the UDAN (Ude Desh ka Aam Naagrik) scheme, the civil aviation ministry has been collecting the levy since December 2016.
More routes are getting added under the UDAN scheme, which seeks to connect unserved and under-served airports as well as making flying more affordable.
BioAsia highlights slowing growth of Indian pharma sector
BioAsia, Asia's largest Biotechnology and Life-sciences forum and the annual flagship event of the Government of Telangana has concluded. Union Minister of Commerce & Industry Suresh Prabhu and Telangana Information Technology minister K T Rao deliberated on the future of the pharmaceutical industry. Rao, raised the issue of the downward spiral of pharmaceutical industry's growth rate in India as he pointed out that for the first time the growth rate of pharmaceutical sector, at around 5.5 per cent, has been recorded below India's GDP of around 7 per cent, for two consecutive years now.
5G network trial gets underway
Chinese smartphone maker Huawei has joined hands with telecom major Airtel to announce a successful testing of 5G network trial under a test set-up in India. The trial was conducted at Airtel's Network Experience Centre in Manesar in Gurugram. Airtel has also partnered with Ericsson for deploying 5G technology in India.According to the partnership, Ericsson will work with Airtel to create a roadmap to help the telco upgrade its network to next-gen's 5G network. Airtel has also partnered with Nokia for 5G technology. With 5G services, Airtel wishes to take on Jio that has already stirred the 4G market and is considering to roll out 5G services in India along with Samsung.
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Giving a boost to Andhra Pradesh in its efforts to garner big ticket investments that could spur job creation, Reliance Industries Limited on Sunday inked two agreements with the state government promising a total investment of Rs 52,000 crore in oil and gas and electronics sectors.
The Memorandum of Understandings were a follow-up action to the meeting Reliance Industries Limited Chairman Mukesh Ambani had with Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu in Amaravati on February 13.
Reliance will invest about Rs 37,000 crore in an oil and gas venture in AP and another Rs 15,000 crore in an electronics manufacturing plant near Tirupati. These ventures are expected to create 25,000 jobs over the next few years, the Chief Minister today announced.
The Andhra Pradesh government signed a total of 364 memoranda of understanding with various business establishments, including the likes of Reliance Industries Limited, that could result in an investment of Rs 2,18,814 crore and creation of 3,84,662 jobs.
Reliance, in association with BP International, plans to develop offshore gas infrastructure in the Krishna-Godavari Basin in East Godavari district. No more details of the proposed projects have been officially announced.
Reliance is already into gas exploration from its D6 block in the KG Basin near Kakinada.
Reliance Jio, on the other hand, will establish an electronics manufacturing park near Tirupati in Chittoor district to manufacture mobile phones and set-top boxes. The Indian industry major will set up the facility on a 150-acre site, a senior official said.
As a pre-condition to setting up the electronics manufacturing park, Mukesh Ambani, during his meeting with the Chief Minister, wanted the state government to promote clusters of educational institutions like ITIs and diploma colleges in the vicinity to create employment right after education, another senior official said.
He also asked the government to develop a workmen housing corridor in the vicinity of Tirupati Growth Corridor. The state government is yet to respond to Ambani s requests, the official maintained.
These MoUs were signed in the first two days of the ongoing three-day Partnership Summit at the Harbour Park here, State Industries Minister N Amarnath Reddy said.
The energy sector netted the highest investment proposals worth Rs 1,11,921 crore from 34 MoUs, the minister told reporters this evening.
About 22 MoUs were signed for an investment of Rs 39,281 crore in the industries, information technology and electronics sectors while 10 MoUs were signed for an investment of Rs 9,406 crore in the aerospace and defence sectors, Amarnath Reddy said.
On the second day of the Summit today, a total of 285 MoUs were signed that could fetch an investment of Rs 1,74,568 crore and provide employment opportunity to 2,86,371 persons, he added.
On the first day, 79 MoUs were signed to attract an investment of Rs 44,246 crore, including 15 MoUs in automotive sector for an investment of Rs 15,224 crore, the minister said.
Staking its claim of a 'superior bid' to acquire Bhushan Power and Steel, Sanjeev Gupta-led Liberty House plans to move NCLT today to direct creditors and resolution professional to consider its offer. The UK-based Indian-born founder of the metals and industrial group told CNBC TV 18 that the company has requested NCLT to consider its bid, saying their offer is 'definitely superior' to Tata Steel's bid.
Earlier, there were reports that Tata Steel's offer of Rs 24,500 crore - which includes an upfront payment of Rs 17,000 crore to lenders, a cash infusion of Rs 7,000 crore to meet the company's working capital requirements was the leading offer.
"India is a natural home for us, promoters of our group are Indian. We have been watching India for a long time, feel now is a good time to enter the country," Gupta told the channel. Making a case for acquiring Bhushan Power and Steel, Gupta said, "they make auto grade steel which fits in with our plans."
A spokesperson with Liberty House had earlier told PTI, "We plan to file application with National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) either on Monday or Tuesday and ask it to direct RP (resolution professional) and CoC (Committee of Creditors) to open our bid...We are hopeful that NCLT would clarify and our bid would be opened."
Stating that the bid of Liberty House was submitted before the bids for Bhushan Power and Steel were opened, the company said that nothing unfair has happened.
"India should encourage entrepreneurs like us to invest in India. If we are successful on our bids we will invest USD 10 billion in India over the next five years," the spokesperson said.
Terming itself as a "turnaround specialist", the company said that it has more than two dozen turnaround success stories in the last three years and an "impeccable track record".
Gupta, who is the Executive Chairman of Liberty House, said that his group will bid for Amtek Auto and other ferrous assets. We want to enter the primary steel sector, will bid for ABG Shipyard, Gupta told CNBC TV 18. Gupta said that Amtek Auto will be a great strategic fit for the group.
The Committee of Creditors had on Wednesday rejected the bid of Liberty House to acquire Bhushan Power and Steel Ltd, leaving Tata Steel and JSW Steel in the race for taking over the assets of the bankrupt firm, a source said.
"Committee of creditors (COC) in a meeting has rejected the bids of Liberty House (of the UK) because the company submitted the bids after the last date of submission date which was February 8," a source privy to the development had said.
Liberty House had submitted the bid on Tuesday, he said.
In the COC meeting the bids of Tata Steel and JSW Steel were disclosed and the detailed terms and conditions of the bids were disclosed to the lenders, the source said.
Bhushan Power and Steel owes about Rs 45,000 crore to its lenders.
When contacted, Resolution Professional (RP) Mahender Kumar Khandelwal had declined to comment on the developments.
According to the source, while Tata Steel offered Rs 17,000 crore to the lenders as upfront amount and Rs 7,200 crore for operations of Bhushan, JSW made an offer of Rs 11,000 crore to the lenders and Rs 2,000 crore for the operations of the beleaguered power firm.
The COC will now meet on March 6 to take the process forward, including declaration of the highest bidder.
Bhushan Power and Steel was among the 12 non-performing accounts referred by the Reserve Bank of India for National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) proceedings.
with PTI inputs
After a life spent in the camera's glare, her death, too, has become a media circus of sorts. A couple of hours ago, veteran actor Sridevi's post-mortem reports had been handed over to the Consulate General of India and her family in Dubai. The verdict seems to be finally out: The 54-year-old actor died of accidental drowning in the bathtub of her hotel room.
Local media, which have been able to access Sridevi's post-mortem report, further reported that the actor fell into a bathtub after suffering a cardiac arrest and that authorities do not suspect a criminal motive behind her death. Citing a source in the Dubai Police, a Gulf News report adds that initial investigation found traces of alcohol in her body, which may have led to the accident, but investigation is "still going on to determine the circumstances surrounding the accident as the forensic report only says that she drowned". Her body has now reportedly been taken for embalming.
Earlier in the day, police officer Mohsin Abdul Kavi from Bur Dubai police station told an India Today TV correspondent that local authorities have issued a death certificate but refused to reveal details of either the certificate or the autopsy report. He, however, hinted that this is the last leg of the formalities that have so far held up the process of repatriating her body. Business magnate Anil Ambani has loaned a private jet belonging to Reliance Transport & Travel Ltd for this purpose and the 13-seater has been standing by at the Dubai airport since Sunday. The funeral could take place today evening if things move fast enough, but there is no word from the family on this yet.
To remind you, Sridevi, arguably India's first female superstar, was in Dubai to attend a family wedding when she breathed her last on Saturday night at around 11pm. According to the local media, she had a fainting spell in her hotel room as she was getting ready for a dinner date with her husband, Boney Kapoor, and was rushed to the city's Rashid Hospital. But was declared dead on arrival and the General Department of Forensic Medicine took over.
Sources from the General Department of Forensic Medicine earlier told India Today, "Late on Sunday night, some blood samples of actress Sridevi were sent for tests." The toxicology report only came in this afternoon. According to Gulf News, the Dubai Police has now transferred the case to Dubai Public Prosecution, which will carry out regular legal procedures followed in such cases.
The Indian consulate also has to cancel Sridevi's passport and the immigration department has to wrap up the administrative procedures. Navdeep Suri, India's ambassador to the United Arab Emirates (UAE), said that it normally took two-three days for such a process to be completed in Dubai but added that that Indian officials have now begun the process of repatriating Sridevi's body to India.
Harpreet Singh, Partner, Indirect Taxes, KPMG India, was on a post-Budget panel at a TV channel after the finance minister's Budget speech on February 1. But his phone kept ringing as clients - some of them large FMCG companies - told him that the e-way bill portal had stopped working and they could not generate the electronic receipt that the trucks with goods were supposed to carry. Businesses were clueless for hours as their trucks remained stuck in the absence of e-way bill receipts. An e-way bill is an electronic receipt under the goods and services tax (GST) regime for movement of goods, both inter- and intra-state. It is an anti-avoidance mechanism under which no goods worth more than `50,000 can be transported outside or within (beyond 10 km) the state without this electronically generated bill. Though e-way bill on inter-state transfer of goods was made mandatory from February 1, 16 states, owing to falling GST collections, announced its implementation for movement of goods within the state too.
However, on D-day, all came crashing down, as the e-way bill website, maintained by National Informatics Centre, faced glitches. The portal stopped working due to overload.
The Chaos After
According to GST consultants and transporters, with no immediate resolution in sight, most movement of goods, in some cases even within the states, came to a halt for a few hours on February 1.
Rajat Mohan, Partner, AMRG & Associates, says that even as the website stopped working, it was only late at night that the government announced, through a tweet, that the measure had been deferred. "However, there is no legal sanctity of a tweet. The notification came only on February 2, putting brakes on movement of goods on the first day."
Giving an example of the problems faced by many, he says a few quick-service restaurants have a centralised kitchen from where they supply food items (mostly perishables) to different branches. "Since the movement of goods was put on hold, these food items could not be sent to the restaurants on time," he says. Jubilant Foodworks, the owner of quick-service restaurant Dominos, refused to speak on the matter.
Explaining the reason for the glitches, J.P. Singla, Chief Executive, All India Transporters Welfare Association, says: "Those who were making the rules must have estimated daily e-way bill generation on the basis of the number of trucks that ply daily. However, it seems they were unaware that each truck has 200-300 invoices. Hence, the traffic for the e-way bill generation may have far exceeded their estimate." Some transporters say they had to carry screenshot prints of the reported errors on the portal.
But the deferment has not ended the troubles of industry. The chaos has probably just begun.
In Fluid State
With the central government washing its hands of the mess by postponing the e-way bill indefinitely, each state issued notification for implementation of the e-way bill or any other system that it had before that. After the central government notification, a few states such as Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Assam, Himachal Pradesh, Karnataka and Rajasthan issued circulars/directions/tweets that they would continue with existing procedure (as applicable before 1 Feb 2018) for inter-state movement of goods. Now, industry is facing a problem in keeping track of the notifications issued by each state and the different dates and goods on which way-bill would be applicable. For example, on February 5, Rajasthan came out with a circular that in view of the postponement of the national e-way bill, the state would revert to its earlier regime according to which inter-state movement of 33 commodities required way-bills. Gujarat came out with a notification on February 1 saying that the way-bill for intra-state transfer of goods had been suspended till 20 February. "It has become challenging for industry to keep track of state-wise statutory requirements with respect to generation of e-way bill," says Singh of KPMG India.
Tax experts say many of these notifications are not even updated on websites for days, leaving industry and tax consultants in dark about the changes. Rajat Mohan of AMRG & Associates says, "The national e-way bill was brought in to unify the process, but now we are back to the same chaotic situation of each state going its own way."
With a national e-waybill, one could have generated the way-bill from a single website, but now with each state going its own way, one has to generate it by going on the website of each state. Besides, each state has a different threshold for requirement of way-bill. M.S. Mani, Senior Director, Indirect Taxes, Deloitte India, says all processes under GST were uniform across states and e-way bill was the first instance of state-wise differentiation and businesses did not like it.
One of the great paradoxes in today's global economy is how developing countries, which require massive capital investments to achieve their full economic potential, have a harder time attracting that same capital than their developed counterparts. This dynamic is born out of a scarcity of information about often complex and fast-moving developing economies, as investors shy away from potentially lucrative but uncertain investments in favour of the lower returns and stability of the First World. This is the reason why low-growth Britain received over five times as much foreign investment in 2016 as the burgeoning Indian economy ($253 billion vs $46 billion)
However, a new class of institutional investor is upending this inefficiency, using technology and local expertise to identify promising opportunities in upcoming markets and deploy the developed world's capital to finance them. Such investments are a global win-win: First World investors earn outsize returns compared to their domestic opportunities, and up-and-coming economies receive a shot of much-needed capital to fuel their remarkable growth.
Why the Money Stayed Home
Traditionally, institutional investors have tended to stay within their respective domestic markets due to their extensive expertise in their home country's investment opportunities and peculiarities. This makes sense in an environment where information is scarce; if an investor has a choice between an opportunity that could be quite profitable but could also be a complete bust, and another option where a lower rate of return is more or less guaranteed, they will tend towards the latter option.
Further exacerbating this dynamic is the fact that, in emerging economies, investment markets tend to favour supply over demand. In layman's terms, this means there are lots of opportunities that require significant funding, and relatively few investors who possess such large war chests. This leads to high cost of capital for large projects, making them less viable when in fact the country needs such projects even more than the developed world. Another problem is the difficulty in determining which investment is worthwhile, and which will bottom out. For someone sitting in, say, London, finding the correct investment in a place like India is like finding a needle in a haystack. Say this person wanted to add residential real estate to his portfolio. Such an investor would be more likely to finance an apartment complex in Bristol than parse through the hundreds of high-rises coming up in Bangalore. The tragedy is that the Londoner could make more money in Bangalore, and Bangalore needs the funds more than Bristol.
An Age of Information Abundance
All this changes, however, when information is no longer a scarce resource. In today's ultra-connected environment, sophisticated investors in Manhattan are able to find and participate in the most promising opportunities in Jakarta or Nairobi without the massive amount of legwork required in the previous analog era. This dynamic is made possible in large part by a wide array of globally-oriented private equity firms that combine extensive local expertise in developing markets with the deep pocketbooks of investors in wealthy countries.
In absolute terms, foreign direct investment has increased approximately 350% over the last 20 years, and a total of around $1.8 trillion dollars was invested between countries in 2017. Developing economies have increased their share of the pie substantially over the past ten years, going from 35% of global FDI in 2005 to around 60% today.
Sovereign Funds and Smart Owners
Much of this increase is due to the monolithic mega-funds pouring enormous amounts of capital into global up-and-comers. Blackstone, for example, has recently become the largest office-space landlord in the world after closing several massive deals in India, a particular FDI hotspot in 2017. Sovereign wealth funds and pensions funds, like the Canadian Pension Plan, Singapore's GIC, and the Qatar Investment Authority, are also scouring the globe for promising projects, with China dominating investment cycles for much of the early 21st century. In recent years, large institutional FDI has diversified into various emerging markets, with India and Indonesia frequently cited as the most promising destinations.
However, it's not just the juggernauts of finance who are deploying the developed world's capital. A number of cutting edge financial technology (or 'fintech') firms have come up with innovative business models targeting a very different market segment. These firms allow discerning investors - who don't have billions of dollars to throw around - to access the same high-return opportunities as their institutional counterparts. Often, these companies will specialize in a particular country or vertical, leveraging local expertise on a global scale.
Take India. The South Asian powerhouse boasts the world's largest diaspora, with some 30 million Indians living overseas. With India undergoing economic expansion on a massive scale, these non-resident Indians (NRIs for short) are keen to invest in their home country, especially in the booming real estate sector. However, the sheer scale and multi-layered nature of the industry makes finding a reliable investment a difficult endeavor.
Difficult for a person, that is - but not for a company. SmartOwner, India's largest property marketplace, specializes in identifying and funding the top 1% of the country's upcoming real estate projects, and passes these deals along to investors around the globe. Ticket sizes for their investment products range from $15,000 to several million, bringing highly curated opportunities in the developing world to investors in the West and beyond. With clients in 43 countries, it's a business model with widespread appeal, indicating that it's not just the titans of finance who are looking for higher returns abroad.
In fact, Vikram Chari, SmartOwner's CEO, believes that the majority of the wealth created over the next few decades will be in emerging markets, and that capital will become less and less country-specific as information abundance levels the playing field. Chari explains that, "300 million people - the equivalent of the entire United states - will move to cities by 2050 in India alone. With such an extraordinary opportunity for wealth creation, it's no surprise that Western investors are deploying more and more funds abroad." In fact, he sees such capital as potentially transformative to the fundamental development process: "If you can offer investors a predictable and safe 12% IRR, there's no limit to how much capital they can invest. An entire country can be lifted out of poverty with the right incentives."
Whether it's giant PE funds or innovative fintech firms, more and more investors are finding their footing in investing abroad. As the global economy continues to transition into one of information abundance, it's likely that the single biggest determinant for a good investment will not be the country where the investor is situated, but the underlying fundamentals of the opportunity. For both developing economies and discerning investors, this is undeniably a good thing. Developing countries get much needed funds at a more efficient cost of capital, and the aging populations of the rich world gain access to fast-growing markets that can help pay for their retirement.
Days after the PNB fraud worth over Rs 11,400 crore involving diamond merchants Nirav Modi and Mehul Choksi came to light, another unpaid loan worth Rs 5,280 crore has cropped up against Choksi's Gitanjali Group.
During the searches at Gitanjali Group, investigative agencies have seized crucial documents, including an agreement between Gitanjali and a consortium of 31 banks. The exclusive details, shared with India Today, mentions the 31-bank consortium sanctioned a 'working capital facility' of Rs 5,280 crore to the Gitanjali Group, which has not been repaid till now. The loan was cleared in October 2016, and the agreement was revised in October 2017. The document shows the Mehul Choksi firm has utilised the 'working capital facility'.
"If the whole limit has been availed by the group, it is additional loan which has been advanced by the banks to the group. If it has not been repaid, which is most likely the case, it is going to be difficult for bank to recover this (loan amount)," a source from an investigative agency told India Today.
As per the agreement, ICICI Bank was the "lead bank" in the consortium, which sanctioned the 'capital facility' to Gitanjali Group. The IDBI Trusteeship Services Limited was the "security trustee" to the agreement. A detailed questionnaire related to the so called 'capital facility' has been sent to ICICI Bank, which remains unanswered so far.
The PNB has offered the highest loan amount of Rs 587 crore to the company, while ICICI, which is the lead bank in the consortium, has given Rs 405 crore. Corporation Bank has offered Rs 297 crore; Bank of Baroda Rs 265 crore; Central Bank of India Rs 206 crore; and Syndicate Bank Rs 231 crore among others.
Agency sources say it'll be "very difficult" for these 31 banks to recover the additional Rs 5,280-crore loan offered to Gitanjali.
A complete list of 31 banks that offered loans to Gitanjali Group in 2016.
PNB: Rs 587 crore
ICICI: Rs 405 crore
Corporation Bank: Rs 297 crore
BOB: Rs 265 crore
CBI: Rs 206 crore
Syndicate Bank: Rs 231 crore
Canara Bank: Rs 195 crore
IOB: Rs 176 crore
BOI: Rs 173 crore
SBH: Rs 140 crore
Dena Bank: Rs 121 crore
J& K Bank: Rs 121 crore
OBC: Rs 121 crore
UBI: Rs 121 crore
EXIM Bank: Rs 109 crore
IDBI Bank: Rs 99 crore
Karnataka Bank: Rs 87 crore
SBBJ: Rs 87 crore
SBI: Rs 52 crore
Vijaya Bank: Rs 63 crore
Indusind: Rs 58 crore
Karur Vysya: Rs 30 crore
Lakshmi Vilas: Rs 30 crore
Bank of Maharashtra: Rs 24 crore
Allahabad Bank: Rs 419 crore
Andhra Bank: Rs 240 crore
United Bank: Rs 207 crore
Standard Chartered Bank: Rs 100 crore
Sbm Bank Mauritius Limited: Rs 75 crore
Catholic Syrian Bank: Rs 50 crore
Punjab And Sind Bank: Rs 29 crore
Also read: Nirav Modi, Mehul Choksi planned escape in November
Nokia has introduced a range of new Android smartphones at the MWC 2018. After the company was re-launched under the parentage of HMD Global, the company introduced nine new Android smartphones. While the first generation was close to stock Android, the new smartphones launched this year come with Android One or Android Oreo (Go edition).
HMD Global, in direct collaboration with Google, has announced that all new Nokia Android phones will be powered by Android One, with the only exception of Go Edition which will be reserved for entry level smartphones.
During the launch event in Barcelona, Juho Sarvikas, chief product officer for HMD Global stated that, "Our entire range, with the exception of the Android Go Edition devices, will be Android One. We want to be even faster with the latest innovations and we want to join forces on going to market...That's the reason why Nokia phones will be joining Android One."
This renewed commitment towards Android can keep Nokia relevant in the competitive Android segment. The vanilla operating system and trusted Nokia hardware can make the entire series an indomitable one in the Android world.
The Nexus series was discontinued in lieu of launching the Pixel line-up. However, the Pixels were placed in the premium flagship segment, taking it out of reach for most Nexus enthusiasts.
The Nokia 8 Sirocco is also placed on the higher side but the company is offering an Android One phone for every budget. Starting from the Nokia 2, currently priced above Rs 6,500 in India, to Nokia 6 (2018) and now Nokia 7 Plus, there's a Nokia device for every budget. Nokia went on to make a future commitment of launching all the Android devices with Android One. HMD Global also committed to timely updates with the Android One in place.
In 2014, Android One was launched as an operating system for smartphones with entry-level specifications. However, this new operating system in 2018 is efficient and comes with all the bells and whistles of stock Android without compromising performance. This combination of Nokia's hardware and Google's software can go on to become an instant hit for Android enthusiasts bringing it close to what the Nexus line-up offered.
Iconic actor Sridevi passed away due to a massive cardiac arrest in Dubai last night. Her untimely death has shocked the country. Widely regarded as the first female superstar of Hindi cinema, Sridevi had done multiple Tamil, Telugu and Kannada movies before taking the Hindi film industry by storm.
At the peak of her career in 1987, Sridevi took some time off her busy schedule for a chat with the then Principal Correspondent and now Group Editorial Director (Publishing) of India Today magazine, Raj Chengappa. In the interview, Sridevi talks about how she feels when people call her the sex siren of the Hindi film industry, how the Tamil industry perceives her as opposed to how the Hindi film industry sees her, how the real Sridevi is a very homely, simple person and how she would love to settle down eventually.
Q. What do you think of your image as the sex siren of Hindi cinema?
A. I feel very bad. When people come and tell me how beautiful I looked in a film, I don't react. But when they tell me I acted well I feel proud.
Q. But you became number one because of your willingness to bare more than others?
A. If that's the case then whoever reveals a lot should be number one. Why are they not? If I look sexy just wearing a sari, can I help it? There are so many girls who reveal much more but they don't look anything.
Q. You were known in Tamil films for the character roles you played. Why did you switch your image in Hindi films?
A. In Tamil films they love to see me act naturally. But in Hindi films all they want is lot of glamour, richness and masala. My bad luck was that my first big hit in Hindi films turned out to be a commercial one (Himmatwala). When I did a character role in Sadma, the picture flopped. So people started casting me only for glamour roles. But one day I'm going to prove to everyone that I can act also.
Q. Is that day far away?
A. Yes. Everything has changed. I have realised that glamour is important but not vulgarity. Now it is out of the question that 1 would do any revealing shots. 1 would love to do art films without make up. And I would love to do a crying role. But, so far, I am not satisfied as an artiste. I have not done the role where I can say, chalo. at last I have done it.
Q. Do you think you will remain number one for a long time?
A. I can't be number one for life. As a girl, the time is even shorter. I am not going to be a performer, going on year after year. I will never give people a chance to get bored of me. The moment somebody younger is going to take my place, I will quit films. I hate to hang on.
Q. But your colleagues say it is time you played a role that reflects your real character. Something that has moved you deeply.
A. Then there be would no such role to play because my life is routine.
Q. Who is the real Sridevi?
A. Someone very simple. I'm an ordinary person. Nothing very interesting. Just another parents' daughter. Even ordinary girls have style. I don't think I've got that. You see the real Sridevi in the house. I hate to go out for parties. I like being at home with my parents. I'm a very shy person and difficult to get along with.
Q. Has your stardom affected your attitude to life?
A. It doesn't give me a chance to get to know life. Whenever I want a saree or anything, it comes to me. I have never been shopping. But I've got so used to it that even if I get a chance to experience things, I withdraw. I feel very uneasy with anything new. I feel comfortable only with my lifestyle.
Q. Do some of the characters you play influence your life-style?
A. The characters that I play are different from my personal life. The moment I play a role I forget it.
Q. How do you look so innocent despite doing all those daring dances?
A. It is not an act. You can't do that for a whole life. It would look silly and stupid. It is just that I have a baby face that doesn't change.
Q. But in front of the camera you become a totally different person.
A. Because I'm very professional. I don't plan my shot or anything like that. I have never learnt acting. I think it should come from inside.
Q. What would you like to do after you stop acting?
A. Get married and settle down. I love children.
It was announced today that the Irish Whiskey Association will travel with Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Michael Creed to Canada this week as part of an Irish Government trade mission, in association with Bord Bia, to promote Irish food and drinks products in the country.
The trade mission represents the first large-scale trade delegation to Canada since the recently negotiated Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) came into effect in September 2017.
The new CETA Agreement, which resulted in the removal of a number of major trade restrictions on spirits and the recognition of geographical indications (GI) in Canada, is expected to deliver a boost in performance for EU spirits and open the market up further to premium Irish whiskey brands.
Exports of Irish whiskey to Canada have grown substantially over recent years, with export values reaching 16.7m in 2016, up 171% since 2011. Export values increased by a further 20.5% in the first 10 months of 2017, according to CSO figures.
Representatives from IWA member companies will either participate in the trade mission, or be represented at a showcase drinks event, organised in conjunction with the Liquor Control Board of Ontario (LCBO).
Member companies on the mission include Irish Distillers, Walsh Whiskey, Tullamore D.E.W., Teeling Whiskey Company, Cooley Distillery, Chapelgate Whiskey, Glendalough Distillery, Dublin Liberties Distillery, Barr an Uisce Whiskey and Blackwater Distillery. The expo will take place at the Irish Embassy Pub and Grill, 49 Yonge St.
In addition, the Irish Whiskey Association will be hosting a briefing and tasting event for Canadian media with the support of Spirits Canada, aimed at promoting the Irish whiskey category.
Market analysis conducted by BMI Research for Bord Bia showed that Canadian consumers are willing to pay more for premium product offerings, with an increase in drinks spending of 3.6% running ahead of a 1.2% increase in consumption.
However, only 6% of Irish whiskey currently on sale in Canada are premium brands. This mean there is a significant opportunity for Irish whiskey producers to grow the sale premium brands in Canada, building on triple digit sales increases in premium Irish whiskey in other major markets in recent years.
Commenting ahead of the trade mission, Head of the Irish Whiskey Association, William Lavelle said, "Canada is one of the fastest-growing markets worldwide for Irish whiskey. The CETA agreement has helped open up Canada for even more Irish whiskey export growth and our industry is determined to grasp the opportunities on offer. We see continuing double-digit growth in Irish whiskey exports to Canada, including to the large Irish diaspora population. We particularly see the potential for premium, authentic Irish whiskey brands to prosper in the Canadian market."
Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Michael Creed added, "Clearly there is a growing demand for our quality Irish spirits in Canada. My visit will facilitate meetings to bring together Irish spirit companies with representatives of the key agencies and companies in the importation, distribution and retail alcohol sector in Canada to help develop and grow this market."
Source: www.businessworld.ie
European Union leaders staked out opening positions on Friday for a battle over EU budgets that many conceded they are unlikely to resolve before Britain leaves next year, blowing a hole in Brussels' finances.
At a summit to launch discussion on the size and shape of a seven-year budget package to run from 2021, ex-communist states urged wealthier neighbours to plug a nearly 10% annual revenue gap being left by Britain, while the Dutch led a group of small, rich countries refusing to chip in any more to the EU.
Germany and France, the biggest economies and the bloc's driving duo as Britain prepares to leave in March 2019, renewed offers to increase their own contributions, though both set out conditions for that, including new priorities and less waste.
Underlining that a divide between east and west runs deeper than money, French President Emmanuel Macron criticised what he said were poor countries abusing EU funds designed to narrow the gap in living standards after the Cold War to shore up their own popularity while ignoring EU values on civil rights or to undercut Western economies by slashing tax and labour rules.
Noting the history of EU "cohesion" and other funding for poor regions as a tool of economic "convergence", Macron told reporters: "I will reject a European budget which is used to finance divergence, on tax, on labour or on values."
Poland and Hungary, heavyweights among the ex-communist states which joined the EU this century, are run by right-wing governments at daggers drawn with Brussels over their efforts to influence courts, media and other independent institutions.
The European Commission, the executive which will propose a detailed budget in May, has said it will aim to satisfy calls for "conditionality" that will link getting some EU funding to meeting treaty commitments on democratic standards such as properly functioning courts able to settle economic disputes.
But its president, Jean-Claude Juncker, warned on Friday against deepening "the rift between east and west" and some in the poorer nations see complaints about authoritarian tendencies as a convenient excuse to avoid paying in more to Brussels.
At around 140 billion euros a year, the EU budget represents just about 1% of economic output in the bloc or some 2% of public spending, but for all that it remains one of the bloodiest subjects of debate for members.
The Commission has suggested that the next package should be increased by about 10% but there was little sign on Friday that the governments with cash are willing to pay that.
"When the UK leaves the EU, then that part of the budget should drop out," said Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte, who leads a group of hawks including Sweden, Denmark and Austria.
"In any case, we do not want our contribution to rise and we want modernisation," he added, saying that meant reconsidering the EU's major spending on agriculture and regional cohesion in order to do more in defence, research and controlling migration.
On the other side, Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babis said his priorities were "sufficient financing of cohesion policy" a good deal for businesses from the EU's agricultural subsidies.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel said there had been broad agreement that new priorities such as in defence, migration and research should get new funding and she called for a "debureaucratisation" of traditional EU spending programmes.
Summit chair Donald Tusk praised the 27 leaders -- Prime Minister Theresa May was not invited as Britain will have left before the new budget round starts -- for approaching the issue "with open minds, rather than red lines". But despite them all wanting to speed up the process, a deal this year was unlikely.
Although all agree it would be good to avoid a repeat of the 11th-hour wrangling ahead of the 2014-20 package, many sounded doubtful of a quick deal even early next year.
"It could go on for ages," Rutte said. He added that it would be "nice" to finish by the May 2019 EU election: "But that's very tight."
Among the touchiest subjects will be accounting for the mass arrival of asylum-seekers in recent years. Aggrieved that some eastern states refuse to take in mainly Muslim migrants, some in the west have suggested penalising them via the EU budget.
Merkel has proposed that regions which are taking in and trying to integrate refugees should have that rewarded in the allocation of EU funding -- a less obviously penal approach but one which she had to defend on Friday against criticism in the east. It was not meant as a threat, the chancellor insisted.
In other business at a summit which reached no formal legal conclusions, leaders broadly agreed on some issues relating to next year's elections to the European Parliament and to the accompanying appointment of a new Commission for five years.
They pushed back against efforts, notably from lawmakers, to limit their choice of nominee to succeed Juncker to a candidate who leads one of the pan-EU parties in the May 2019 vote . They approved Parliament's plan to reallocate some British seats and to cut others altogether and also, barring Hungary, agreed to a Macron proposal to launch "consultations" with their citizens this year on what they want from the EU. (Reuters)
Source: www.businessworld.ie
Over two thousand job seekers attended the Jobs Expo Galway over the weekend at the Galmont Hotel. More than 40 leading employers and educators, as well as professional development experts, took part in the event which is free-of-charge to attend.
The jobs fair covered opportunities in developing areas such as Medtech, Retail, Pharma, Computers & IT, Construction, Public Sector, Smart Data, Ecommerce, Hotel, Leisure & Tourism and more.
Employers taking part included global employers such as Medtronic, Valeo, Cardinal Health, Shire Pharmaceuticals and Shopify and local employers such as Ballynahinch Castle Hotel, Empire Marketing, LotusWorks, Surmodics. State and regulatory bodies such as the Workplace Relations Commission, Department of Social Protection & Family and Obair also took part.
Speaking ahead of the event, Jobs Expo's Bronagh Cotter said, "Galway is an international medtech hub and the city has a thriving STEM sector. In addition, tourism has long been an important economic area. As a result, there is strong demand for skilled candidates in Galway city and the surrounding areas."
She added, "This weekend's Jobs Expo will have a great mix of local and international companies eager to meet skilled professionals. This includes multinationals such as Medtronic, Valeo, Shire, MAPFRE and McDonalds, plus Irish success stories like LotusWorks and the award winning Ashford Castle."
Source: www.businessworld.ie
SuperValu announced today that it plans to open three new stores and create 210 jobs in 2018. The announcement was made at its national conference in Killarney today where the grocery retailer revealed that it recorded sales of 2.7 billion in 2017, a new sales milestone for the brand.
In addition to the three new stores, SuperValu also announced that 50 revamps will take place across its store network as part of a 40 million investment programme in new stores, revamps and online capability. This brings the total investment by SuperValu retailers in store openings and revamps to 110 million since 2016.
In addition to its store expansion plans, SuperValu also updated its retailers on its commercial strategy for 2018, with the grocery retailer focusing on delivering the best combination of value, customer service and quality fresh food in the market. SuperValu has made a strong start to the year by delivering over 9 million in price cuts across hundreds of products in its Own Brand range, which won 31 Great Taste awards in 2017 more than any other retailer.
The grocery retailer will also continue to build upon the success of its Food Academy programme, which now has 350 participating Irish food producers. The level of retail sales that Food Academy has achieved has helped these emerging companies to create a combined 1,500 jobs. The initiative has also helped to solidify SuperValus Irish food credentials, with the grocery retailer supporting over 1,800 Irish producers more than any other grocery retailer.
Speaking at the SuperValu national conference in Killarney, SuperValu Managing Director, Martin Kelleher said, "Despite a highly competitive grocery market, SuperValu continues to grow and our focus for 2018 will be to build on this momentum by continuing to deliver the best combination of value, customer service and quality fresh food in the market. By differentiating ourselves from the competition, particularly through our unrivalled commitment to Irish suppliers, SuperValu will continue to be a destination shop as we have products on shelf that cannot be bought elsewhere."
Source: www.businessworld.ie
Australias military is phasing out use of Chinese smartphones from Huawei and ZTE, dealing the latest setback to the pair after similar actions in the U.S. and Australia toward their older networking equipment businesses due to security concerns.
Australias defense department had previously bought and issued Huawei and ZTE phones, but there are no longer any Huawei phones in service, a spokeswoman told Australias Fairfax Media. She added that some ageing phones from ZTE Corp. still in use will eventually be replaced by other brands when they are retired.
Both brands of phones had only been used for unclassified voice and text services, the report added. The department said it had conducted a risk assessment for the phones and found they didnt pose a security risk when used for those purposes.
News of the defense departments phaseout came just two weeks after a group of six top U.S. intelligence officials told the Senate Intelligence Committee they would advise ordinary citizens against using phones supplied by Huawei Technologies Co. Ltd. and ZTE, according to a CNBC report.
Were deeply concerned about the risks of allowing any company or entity that is beholden to foreign governments that dont share our values to gain positions of power inside our telecommunications networks, FBI Director Chris Wray testified, according to CNBC.
Also earlier this year, pressure from Washington reportedly torpedoed a deal that would have seen U.S. wireless carrier AT&T offer Huawei phones on some of its calling plans. Such carrier tie-ups are critical for any brand that wants to enter the market, because about three-quarters of Americans get their cellphones through their carriers. Despite that setback, Huawei vowed to pushed ahead into the market and sell its phones through traditional and online retailers like Best Buy and Amazon.com.
The latest setbacks for their consumer-oriented phones follow a similar series of obstacles for their older networking equipment businesses, which count major carriers as their main customers. In 2012, the U.S. effectively banned all domestic carriers from buying Huawei and ZTE equipment. Earlier this month, two U.S. senators introduced legislation that would formally ban government agencies from buying equipment from the two Chinese companies. Australia made a similar though less drastic move in 2013, when it banned Huawei from supplying equipment to build a $38 billion high-speed national broadband network.
Western governments like the U.S. and Australia are wary of companies like Huawei and ZTE because of concerns about government links, even though each company insists it is private and not beholden to Beijing. Huawei has generated particular suspicion because its founder, Ren Zhengfei, was once an engineer in the Peoples Liberation Army. Despite the resistance in the U.S. and Australia, Huawei and ZTE have made more progress in Europe.
Contact reporter Yang Ge (geyang@caixin.com)
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What after class 12? Is the common question that arises among students after they pass out class 12th board exams. This is, in fact, a crucial transition period for students, as choosing the right stream in the right college decides their future. However, there are numerous options available for students who are planning to get ahead with their studies, which also promise better career prospects. Out of all the options, some of the main streams students can consider to pursue after class 12 are mentioned below.
What Is Hospitality Management
Hospitality management includes many different businesses, including restaurants, hotels, casinos, resorts, tour agencies and airlines. With a degree in hospitality management, there are many different types of careers that can be pursued. Many companies have begun to favour candidates with relevant education. However, extensive training and work experience are typically necessary for upper-level management positions.
What Is Tourism
Tourism is yet another demanding field and has seen exponential growth in recent years. It is a dynamic and competitive industry that requires the ability to adapt constantly to customers' changing needs and desires, as the customers' satisfaction, safety and enjoyment are the focus of tourism businesses.
Tourism: Scope And Career Opportunities
Here is the list of popular hospitality and tourism entrance exams
NCHMCT JEE 2018 Image Source National Council of Hotel Management and Catering Technology (NCHMCT JEE) is a national-level entrance examination conducted by NCHMCT to offer admissions in diploma, undergraduate and postgraduate programmes in hospitality and hotel administration. Qualifying in NCHMCT JEE ensures that candidates will secure admissions into the 21 Central Institutes of Hotel Management and the 19 State Government Institutes of Hotel Management. Besides these, a total of 9 Food Craft Institutes offer diploma programmes in hospitality-related operational areas, through the council. Candidates are eligible to apply for NCHMCT JEE 2018 if they cleared their 10+2 or its equivalent examination with English as one of the subjects studied. Admission through NCHMCT JEE will strictly be on the basis of the candidate's performance in the All India (Written Test) JEE. NCHMCT JEE 2018 will be held on Apr 28. Oberoi STEP 2018 Image Source To shortlist aspirants for hospitality management, The Oberoi Group of Hotel's Systematic Training and Education Programme (STEP) conducts interviews. On the basis of the candidate's performance in the admission process of Oberoi STEP, he/she can secure admissions in courses. Should have cleared class 12 examination as on July 1, 2018, from any board that is recognised by the Indira Gandhi National Open University, India (IGNOU). Aspirants need to fulfill multiple Oberoi STEP eligibility criteria in order to apply for OCLD admissions. Oberoi STEP 2018 interview will be held from Apr 17-27. IHM Aurangabad Image Source Institute of Hotel Management (IHM), Aurangabad, conducts a profiling test, a group discussion, and an interview round in order to shortlist aspirants for admissions in courses offered at the hospitality institute. Candidates can secure admission to BA (Hons) Hotel Management and BA (Hons) Culinary Arts. Candidates should have cleared their class 12 (in the 10+2 pattern) or any other equivalent examination from any stream. IIHM eCHAT Image Source International Institute of Hotel Management (IIHM) conducts an Electronic Common Hotel Admission Test (eCHAT) to offer admissions to candidates in hotel management programmes on offer by the institute. Candidates should have cleared their intermediate or equivalent examination with minimum 50% aggregate. IIHM eCHAT will be held on May 15, 2018.
What is Hospitality management? Its scope and career opportunities
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Guru Studio was founded 18 years ago, and over that time the company has produced content that spans all the way from broadcast design to commercials, television series, and short films. (Cartoon Brew recently covered the studios work on the Netflix series True and the Rainbow Kingdom.)
The Breadwinner was Gurus first involvement in a feature film, which came about via the studios relationships with producer Paul Young and assistant director Stuart Shankly. It was determined that the film which would mostly be realized in Kilkenny, Ireland at Cartoon Saloon could also become a Canadian co-production. For that, a portion of the movie needed to be produced in Canada.
Often the problem with co-productions is the infrequency with which you can communicate with your partners means some of the creative is not fully communicated or its shortened to a point where you dont get the full message, noted Guru president and creative director Frank Falcone. That drove a decision to have Shankly based in Ireland early and be part of meetings and creative decisions, starting with some technical development with Cartoon Saloon by a small crew in October 2015.
Having Stuart as that link was key, said Falcone. I think we shared a view of where wed like the film to go and we had some ambitions ourselves to just ensure that the films look was really on another level that they never produced at Cartoon Saloon. We proposed some things that they hadnt done, which I think gave the film a unique look.
One of Gurus first design contributions was a piece of test animation that established the sense and feel of the dusty and gritty reality of Kabul on screen. In particular, Guru helped imagine the look of the story world of The Breadwinner, which was done in a paper cut-out style (the effect was achieved digitally rather than with actual paper cut-outs).
This process began with Nora briefing me on her vision for the narrative, outlining what was most important in each sequence, explained Guru Studio art director Sanatan Suryavanshi. Id then do several paintings visualizing these and pitch her and Jeremy Purcell, sequence director at Cartoon Saloon, a version of how the light and color could support the storytelling goals.
Once we had something we were all happy with, executing the vision involved another layer of collaboration, added Suryavanshi. Id brief background supervisor at Cartoon Saloon, Stefano Scapolan, on the colors required in the backgrounds and Sheldon Lisoy, compositing supervisor at Guru Studio, on the lighting, and we would have a lot of back and forth with everyone constantly having to solve creative and technical hurdles to achieve the art direction we had established.
Gurus responsibilities involved putting all of the final elements together, including ink, paint, and compositing. As part of that workflow, Falcone says they ensured consistency in monitor calibrations and film projections across facilities, and also suggested a few creative modifications. We proposed a deepening of the blacks and the highlights and an approach to the cutout world, which I think was very different than where they were starting. We wanted to keep it playful and more interesting for younger kids. We also wanted to give it the drama that would ensure that it sits within the film.
So how did production between the studios actually work, in practice? For the cut-out world scenes, for example, the animation would be done at Cartoon Saloon, but then, as Falcone describes, the conversations of what elements were needed to put it all together were really collaborative. It was a give and take early tests came here, we put it together [at Guru], we showed how we would approach the addition of light.
Gurus role on the film also involved looking at ways to save time in production. The studios compositing team worked on a system that could compress the results of a full 3d cg pipeline so that just a few artists were needed to build shots from the ground up, while still allowing for artistic revisions from Suryavanshi and, of course, Twomey.
Guru compositing supervisor Sheldon Lisoy explains how this worked: After receiving files from Cartoon Saloons background painting team, which included all the layers necessary to create lighting effects, Gurus compositors would build out locations with Nukes 3d camera projections just like small paper cut-out sets and animate their camera moves. Wed then render these out, sometimes hundreds of layers with multichannel EXR files to take some of the bulk data out of our files. Artists would then use proprietary tools built in a second stage Nuke file to join these layers together with controls to adjust all of the faked 2d lighting characteristics such as drop shadows, rim lights, and occlusion.
Actual production on The Breadwinner started in March 2016 and final delivery was in May 2017. During that period, just over 50 people at Guru were involved in making the film. Falcone admits that the obvious challenges of working on different continents and in different timezones were at some moments difficult, but generally the experience was incredibly positive.
We know that it is difficult to get in the same head space when youre not in the same room even, let alone on the other side of the planet in a different timezone, said Falcone. But I think when intent is aligned across all participants, and when everyones ultimate goal and the creative desires are aligned, its much easier to find that shared head space.
For the Toronto studio, it also meant being exposed to something outside their usual wheelhouse. We were really happy to be a part of something that was so meaningful, said Falcone. After having done tv for many years and commercials for a while, its refreshing for us to have the time to be able to put the focus on single frames, to really lavish a frame with attention and focus on the details in a way that you cant with tv, just due to the speed at which television moves.
Reel FX, the Dallas, Texas headquartered animation studio, announced today that it is launching a satellite studio in Montreal. The new studio will serve as a hub for the studios feature film division, Reel FX Animation Studios, and will also be an outpost for the companys commercial and vr/ar efforts.
Were aggressively ramping production in Montreal for a short list of theatrical budget animated film projects and more things to come, said Reel FX CEO Steve OBrien.
The studio has previously produced two features of its own Jimmy Haywards Free Birds (2013) and Jorge Gutierrezs The Book of Life (2014) as well as worked as a service studio on other features, like the Chinese film Rock Dog (2016). Its currently known to be working on the Robert Rodriguez-directed Ugly Doll feature film, based on the popular toy line.
Porsche has revealed its plans to introduce an electric vehicle in India by 2020. It is likely to be the Mission E, which was showcased as a concept at the Frankfurt Motor Show in 2015. Porsches EV will first be launched in the international market sometime towards the end of 2019, followed by its India debut early in 2020.
Codenamed Porsche J1, the Mission E concept gets two electric motors, one for each axle. Reports indicate that both the electric motors generate a power output figure of around 592bhp. The electric vehicle is capable of sprinting from 0 to 100kmph in just about 3.5 seconds and is capable of clocking 200kmph in under 12 seconds. The company has not revealed the battery capacity yet, however it is believed that it might offer a range of over 500kms. Moreover, with a quick charging facility it is capable of achieving 80 per cent in less than 15 minutes.
Additional details on Porsches upcoming all-electric vehicle will be known over the next few months. To be manufactured at the companys facility in Zuffenhausen, Germany, the vehicle is expected to arrive in India via the CBU route.
Porsche
Anyone who reduces their electricity consumption between September and December of this year compared to the same period in 2020...
Dewan Cement reports 1% profit rise in 1HFY17-18
26 February 2018
Dewan Cement Ltd (DCL) has announced its financial results for the half year ended 31 December 2017. It reported a profit after tax of PKR550m (US$4.96m), compared to PKR476m (US$4.29m) in the corresponding period last year representing a growth of 15.5 per cent YoY.
According to a notification of company to Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX), the company's sales increased to PKR6.45bn from PKR6.19bn during this period. Distribution costs of PKR106m were incurred against PKR96m in 6MFY16. Administrative expenses stood at PKR294m compared to PKR325m a year earlier.
No dividend was announced by the company's Board of Directors in its meeting held on 23 February 2018.
The management of the company is negotiating with a local firm to sell its shares. Dewan Cement has officially informed PSX earlier this month about negotiations with Karachi-based Mega Conglomerate Pvt Ltd.
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Peru's cement market expands 5% in January
ICR Newsroom By 26 February 2018
Peru's cement consumption expanded five per cent to 0.861Mt in January 2018 when compared with the previous year, but fell eight per cent MoM, according to the countrys cement association, Asocem.
Per capita cement consumption in the Latin American country slipped 0.1 per cent YoY to 321kg but edged up 0.3 per cent when compared with December 2017, when it stood at 319kg.
Peruvian cement producers increased their domestic dispatches by 3.9 per cent YoY to 0.798Mt from 0.767Mt while total output remained stable at 0.802Mt.
They exported 0.364Mt of cement, down 7.3 per cent YoY, but up 1.3 per cent MoM. Clinker exports increased by 236.4 per cent to 0.617Mt when compared with the year-ago period and 12.3 per cent MoM.
Domestic production was supplemented by 0.625Mt of cement imports, representing a 22.4 per cent hike when compared with January 2017 and +1.8 per cent MoM. Clinker exports remained stable at 0.569Mt when compared with the equivalent period of 2017 but advanced 8.4 per cent MoM.
Around 83 per cent of cement imports were shipped from Vietnam with a further 12 per cent from China and an additional two per cent from Mexico. Clinker exports came from South Korea (81 per cent of total clinker imports), Japan (18 per cent) and Vietnam (one per cent).
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Eight years later: Do you remember the Colorado flood of 2013?
Four foreign Christian workers in Libya have been arrested on suspicion of spreading Christianity and giving out Christian literature in Benghazi, CBN News reports. Police said one of the suspects is a Swedish-American, and the others are from South Africa, Egypt and South Korea. "We are still holding interrogations and will hand them over to the Libyan intelligence authorities in a couple of days," police spokesman Hussein bin Hamid said. The four workers were arrested Tuesday, and police confiscated some 45,000 books in their possession. Another 25,000 reportedly were distributed. Preaching the gospel is against the law in the Muslim-majority nation. Prior to the 2011 revolution that ousted Moammar Gadhafi, Libya was home to approximately 100,000 Christians, but now only a few thousand remain.
Boko Haram, the Nigerian terrorist group, has kidnapped 110 schoolgirls in the town of Dapchi.
According to reports, many of the terrorists dressed as soldiers during the raid of the school and confused the students.
"The federal government has confirmed that 110 students of the Government Science and Technical College in Dapchi, Yobe State, are so far unaccounted for, after insurgents believed to be from a faction of Boko Haram invaded their school on Monday," Nigeria's information ministry said in a statement.
The raid could be the largest abduction since 270 girls were kidnapped in 2014 from Chibok.
That kidnapped prompted a worldwide #BringBackOurGirls campaign. It's still unknown where more than 100 of those girls are.
One of the kidnapped girl's fathers is asking the Nigerian government to act swiftly.
"We don't want these girls to stay long with those militants. Anything can happen to them," Kachalla Bukar told the BBC.
"We are begging the government to control the situation quickly," he added.
President Muhammadu Buhari, who has promised to eradicate the terrorist group, said the kidnapping in Dapchi was a "national disaster."
The school has been closed following the kidnapping.
"We want to assure Nigerians that no stone will be left unturned in our determination to rescue these girls," Nigeria's Information Minister Lai Mohammed told BBC reporters.
According to CNN, Nigeria has already launched fighter jets and helicopters into the search for the girls. Officials will search day and night, Olatokunbo Adesanya, director of public relations and information of the Nigerian Air Force said in a statement.
It was initially reported that only 13 girls were missing and 75 were rescued, but officials later corrected those numbers.
"According to our records, 104 girls are missing, including my 16-year-old daughter, Fatima," said Bashir Manzo, head of the school's parent association.
"Those are the numbers we gather from fathers who have not seen their children from the school. They told us they saw some girls but the governor has told us yesterday they haven't found them," Manzo said.
Boko Haram has killed more than 20,000 people and its actions have displaced some two million people since 2009.
Photo courtesy: Getty Images
Publication date: February 26, 2018
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There is a scandal in Gaza-but it's not the one you're thinking about. Yes, Hamas is the political power in Gaza. Yes, the Palestinian Authority now manages the northern border of Gaza with Israel. And, yes, Hamas and the Palestinian Authority are struggling over what they call "a reconciliation." As well, the United Nations released a recent report stating that Gaza would be uninhabitable by the year 2020.
All of the above is well known to the world, to diplomats and to those who follow the geo-political machinations of mankind throughout the world. But this is not the scandal I am referring to. Rather, here is a scandal one would never think about related to Gaza: the Western Church, in America and Europe, has forgotten their sisters and brothers in Jesus Christ that live in Gaza. Totally. The three churches in Gaza-Orthodox, Latin Catholic and Baptist-are all suffering under difficult circumstances and their struggle goes unnoticed by the Church in the West. The Orthodox Church started in 425 A.D.; the Baptist Church, 1952 and the Holy Family parish, 1963. An amazing history of faith in Jesus in Gaza starting with the ministry of Philip the Evangelist in Acts chapter 6-an early church, first century evangelist baptized the first African convert to the Christian faith. Where? Gaza. Amazing.
Here is the scandal and it is ironic. The entrance to Gaza is only a one hour train ride from Ben Gurion airport in Tel Aviv Israel where millions of Christian tourists land every year. Why is it that only three American pastors and one British Christian leader visit Gaza on a regular basis? The Israel Ministry of Tourism (IMOT) keeps accurate statistics on Christians who come to Israel because this tourism is a major economic engine. According to recent data, 54 percent of 2.7 million visitors to Israel were Christian from three predominant denominations: If you do the math, of the 1.5 million tourists that came to Israel last year, 49 percent were Catholic; 20 percent Evangelical Protestants and 28 percent Orthodox. Ironic that the visitors match the exact same denominations the churches that are currently in Gaza. IMOT also states that the largest percentage of Christians visiting the Holy Land (a reference some use for Israel) - 20 percent- are from the United States. Because our brethren in the Christian faith are just a ten minute taxi ride from Ashkelon, shouldn't Gaza also claim the title "Holy Land".
Isn't it scandalous that millions of Christians come to Israel every year (IMOT states that from 2016 to 2017 there was a 25 percent growth in Christian tourism to Israel) and never consider visiting and encouraging the churches and believers in Gaza? Yet, sadly, this is not new news to those who live in Gaza or other countries in the Middle East. Over the past years, the world has witnessed the decline of Jesus followers in places like Gaza, Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, Iran and the list goes on. What will it take for the Western Church to wake up to the needs of the 1,000 Christian families left in Gaza out of 1.9 million people? Let's be honest: the Western Church has deeply ignored the plight of the Church in the Middle East-even after the incursion of ISIS/Daesh beginning in August 2014. The Western Church ignores the broken heart of the Eastern Church by not praying for them, not fasting for them, not giving to them and, most of all not going to them. Could we get one hundred of these Christian tourists to visit and spend just one day in Gaza?
I have been visiting and working in Gaza since 2010 once I learned of the situation there. Are there others who will join me? Whenever I invite a fellow pastor to come join me in Gaza when they are on an Israel tour, the question that is always asked me is: "Is it safe?" My response is: "The call fo Jesus in Matthew 28:19-20 never gives provision for safety, security or comfort: Jesus just says, "Go!"
Others say to me: "Well, that is your calling to go to Gaza and the Middle East!" My response: "Doesn't Galatians state that we are to do good to all, especially those of the household of faith?" To minister to our hurting brothers and sisters in Gaza is not a calling; it is a responsibility! And should not we, as the wealthy Western Church, be going to where the hurt is there greatest? And go to a place that is only one hour from where our plane lands?
This is the scandal in Gaza: the Church in Europe and America has forgotten categorically the Church in Gaza. Followers of our Lord Jesus are disappearing in Gaza. Fellow brother pastors-you are taking millions of your churches to within one hour of those who need you-if not now, then when; and if not you, then who?
Pastor Bill Devlin was born and raised in Schenectady, NY. He enlisted in the Navy in 1970. He was wounded by enemy fire off the coast of North Vietnam and is a recipient of the Purple Heart. He graduated with a nursing degree from Florida Atlantic University and a Master of Arts in Religion from Westminster Theological Seminary in Philadelphia. He is the Missions Pastor of Infinity Bible Church and travels the globe bringing the gospel of Jesus Christ to hard and dangerous places like Gaza, Iraq, Sudan, Syria and Cuba. The rest of his time is spent in Philadelphia with his wife of 35 years, Nancy. They have five children and five grandchildren. He is president of REDEEM and co-chair of Right to Worship NYC.
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On October 30, 2017, I went to Liberty University for two reasons: to see my friends Johnnyswim in concert and pray with a handful of students the next morning. These were students who have consistently expressed concern about Jerry Falwell, Jr.'s, explicit support of the politics of Donald Trump (and at the time, Steve Bannon) especially with regards to race and the conflation of Christianity with nationalism.
The response of the university was to send police officers to come get me out of Johnnyswim's greenroom after their show, escort me outside, photograph me, and tell me I was barred from the campus for life subject to arrest "if I ever put one foot on the property."
It seems that while Falwell, Jr., openly encourages his students to carry guns, he fears public prayer from Christians who openly embrace nonviolence. Like the thin-skinned president for whom he regularly serves as an apologist, Falwell Jr., does not easily tolerate robust dissent.
Liberty later released a statement saying that this action was necessary because of security concerns, that a small prayer gathering we had planned for the following morning would require a permit. Sending armed police officers to remove me from a concert the night before was evidently "the only effective way to prevent the unauthorized event from happening."
Evidently, simply telling me that I could not pray with students on campus, or that the meeting could not occur without submitting paperwork, was not considered. Removing me from Johnnyswim's greenroom where I was a ticketed, invited guest of the band had nothing to do with stopping the prayer the next morning from happening. The move was designed to bully and intimidate to send a message.
But this is the irony of Jerry Falwell, Jr.: He shills for the president weekly in front of cameras on cable news, but when anyone criticizes or contradicts him (such as the Liberty University graduates who send back their diplomas to protest his alignment with Trump), it's "grandstanding." A notorious media hound dismisses any meaningful dissent as merely a plea for publicity. The unnecessary way I was removed was a stunt, but Falwell, Jr., claimed it was a stunt for anyone to tell about it.
Falwell, Jr., himself is a master at self-generating publicity the president of a Christian institution of higher learning defending President Trump's "fine people on both sides" equivocation after Charlottesville, or publicly calling for evangelicals to partner with the white nationalist Steve Bannon to oust "fake republicans." His views do not represent those of many of his students or faculty, and directly harm the witness both of the Liberty University community, as well as the larger church he ostensibly represents.
The response of his administration only exposes the problematic nature of the far-right Frankenstein's monster that Falwell, Jr., has helped create out of Christianity: nationalism and civil religion. And as much as he wants to, this time I don't think the Liberty community is going to let him change the subject.
What excites me now, is that Liberty students, the ones I planned to pray with like so many Christian college students I meet across the country are starting to rise up. The cultural earthquake that is shaking the foundations of both church and empire is actually setting them loose. Unlike many of their fathers and mothers, they will not bow to the idols of nationalism. They will stand with Jesus, alongside those who are marginalized and oppressed.
This is why I'm so passionate about the Lynchburg Revival: nothing less than the public witness of the Church is at stake in these volatile times. Lynchburg has symbolic power as the place from which Falwell, Jr., has so publicly, relentlessly made the case for President Trump's brand of Christian nationalism, but we believe it can be known as ground zero for a mighty move of God.
We are not coming to condemn Falwell, Jr., but to counter the doctrine of "America First," with the Christian message that we cannot put allegiance to a nation-state ahead of our allegiance to the kingdom of God as taught by Christ, in which the last are first. We are not looking to demonize anyone, but rather to proclaim the One at whose name demons tremble. We are believing God for the Lynchburg Revival to be a powerful counter-witness to white Christian nationalism marked by fasting, repentance, prayer, preaching, worship, and foot-washing.
Instead of embracing Trump's politics of fear and demonization, we want to embrace the political implications of the claim that "Jesus is Lord." We want to move from "the-important-thing-is-to-be-polite-to-Pharaoh" religion to "let-my-people-go" religion. This sort of religion has all too often made the captives mannerly, whereas Jesus came to set the captives free.
America is in need of nothing less than an exorcism from the principality of white supremacy and the distortion of Christian nationalism, proclaiming instead the radical witness of the kingdom of God.
That is what the Lynchburg Revival is all about.
The goal of Red Letter Christians is simple: To take Jesus seriously by endeavoring to live out His radical, counter-cultural teachings as set forth in Scripture, and especially embracing the lifestyle prescribed in the Sermon on the Mount. Find them online at https://www.redletterchristians.org/
Beyond thoughts and prayers: 7 ways Christians can actually solve America's gun problem
After yet another high school massacre, surely the gun debate in American is no longer about the Right to Bear Arms. Yes, it's enshrined in historic law, but so are a lot of things, and surely a Teenager's Right Not To Be Shot Dead supersedes it. The real issue is that America is absolutely jam-packed full of guns, and a lot of them are in the hands of very unpleasant people. Most American gun supporters are clinging to their weapons because everyone else is doing so too.
So what do we do? Is this really just an eternal stalemate, of which we're destined to be reminded every six to eight months when another gunman wanders into a school and takes a few more young lives? Or are there actually practical responses that can begin to change the story, and unlock this seemingly unsolvable puzzle? And no, arming every school teacher isn't one of them.
If there's one group of people in America big enough and (hopefully) envisioned enough to make a major, national-level change in politics and culture, then it's the Christian community. They almost indisputably swung the last election; the pressure they apply on Washington is felt heavily. They are organised, they are led, and they're supposed to be motivated by a man who called the world to peace. At the moment though, the church in the USA seems paralysed by a mix of uncertainty and fear on the issue. Unsure how to actually help, most Christians resort to platitudes and prayers, to the point that 'thoughts and prayers' has become a synonymous phrase for inaction. Isn't that awful: that prayer now symbolises non-intervention?
There are lot of things that could be done to address the gun problem that are out of our hands. Hollywood producers could enter into a broad agreement to stop glamourising gun violence; businesses could follow Delta Airlines' lead and publicly disassociate from the NRA. These are things we can hope, and yes, pray for. But there really are some steps that Christians could take which would begin to change the narrative, and then the direction of the problem. Here are just a few:
1. Peaceful protest
Marches can be a bit hit and miss. There are so many, for such a wide variety of reasons, that often the media chooses not even to report when 10,000 people or more have gathered. So while peaceful protest is important and valuable, it needs to be more innovative these days. One possibility could be a major strike among the teachers or even students who are placed in the firing line by the proliferation of guns. If this were led by the huge Christian minority in both groups, it could be enough to tip into a wholesale walkout. A couple of weeks of empty schools would be enough to get Washington talking and perhaps legislating.
2. Co-ordinated action from leaders
Evangelical leaders are among the most influential men (and very occasionally women) in America. Pat Robertson, who hosts the 700 Club TV programme, was perhaps President Trump's most important supporter in 2016. So what if leaders across the spectrum, from Robertson, to Rick Warren, to televangelists like Benny Hinn and charismatic superstars like Steven Furtick, all began to speak out publicly in their pulpits and media platforms about the need to end the gun madness? What if they suggested that surrendering your arms was a mark of true discipleship or even a qualifier for church membership? The leaders of American churches have the power to dramatically influence gun ownership, at least within the massive Christian community.
3. Take mental health seriously
The links between mental health and gun violence are well-documented; people don't generally go out and shoot other people if they're of sound mind. By far the biggest contributor of all to America's extraordinary gun death tally is firearm suicide, and almost all of the spree killers in recent history have suffered from mental health problems. America, with all its healthcare issues, does not always care for the mentally ill, and especially those who can't afford private healthcare. So in that context the church has a vital role to play; in many communities it is the only source of help, hope and recovery available to those with mental health problems.
Again, this is something that can be addressed from the pulpit destigmatising mental illness and rallying congregations to help those struggling with it and in the rank and file of church membership. Christians could begin to bear some of the burden, shrugged off by the Government, of those in their communities who are unable to process the difficulties of their lives. And to be absolutely clear, I'm talking about a greater investment in counselling here, not a bigger ministry team to 'pray the demons away'. We need to get better right across the church in how we talk about and respond to mental health concerns.
4. Change the pro-life narrative
The vast majority of American evangelicals would describe themselves as 'pro-life', but what does that really mean in practice? That they're anti-abortion but in favour of the death penalty? That they'd lobby to defund Planned Parenthood but feel indifferent about a boat full of child refugees sinking off the coast of Libya? If we're going to be pro-life, then we need to be consistent, and that certainly extends to defending the rights of children not to be shot as they sit in school. Given the frequency of the massacres which take their lives, high school students should be as emblematic of the pro-life movement as the human embryo.
5. Christians go first in surrendering arms
An impossible problem demands a prophetic response. If perhaps the key issue now is that no one wants to give up their right to bear arms first, then surely Christians should apply the biblical principle of submission and lay down their weapons before anyone else. To do so might just start a chain reaction and as a side-effect it would demonstrate the distinctiveness of the Christian faith.
6. Trump's evangelical advisers should... advise him
Much has been made recently of Donald Trump's inner circle of evangelical Christian advisers including Paula White, Jerry Falwell Jr, and most powerfully of all, Vice President Mike Pence. If these people really do have influence with the president, and aren't simply meant as a visual clue to evangelicals that Trump is 'their man', then they could use that influence to apply pressure on this issue. It was recently revealed that Pence says Jesus has told him to say things. Perhaps at some point soon, Jesus will suggest that he's not a massive fan of the Second Amendment.
7. And after all that... thoughts and prayers
Finally, we should of course pray. Prayer is the mechanism through which God does choose to act in the world, but he also often uses our hands and feet as the answer to the problems we see and pray about. So once we're practically doing our best to respond to one of the most complex social problems ever to face the United States, we should of course pray that God would intervene.
Enough children and young people are buried in graveyards and memorials across America. The politicians and the general population of the US have a massive problem and they don't know how to address it.
Come on, brothers and sisters. It's time for the church to rise up and save America.
Martin Saunders is a contributing editor for Christian Today and the deputy CEO of Youthscape. Follow him on Twitter @martinsaunders.
Cathedral invaded as violence flares in Congo over church-backed protests
At least two people were killed and hundreds of ruling party supporters stormed Kinshasa cathedral in the capital of the Democratic Republic of Congo this weekend after the authorities there banned a planned church-backed rally against the country's president, Joseph Kabila.
The ban on Sunday's anti-Kabila march came after a total of 15 people were killed by security forces in previous protests on New Year's Eve and January 21, according to organisers and the UN. The government claims that only two people died at those protests, and denied that any had died this weekend.
'We have come to take possession of Our Lady of the Congo Cathedral to take part in Sunday mass... and defend the homeland,' Papy Pungu, the youth wing leader of the People's Party for Reconstruction and Democracy (PPRD), told AFP, vowing to 'spend the night here'.
Catholic and evangelical churchgoers across Congo had meant to take to the streets following Sunday services, but they were met with police and soldiers deployed to stop them.
In addition to the dead, who were killed in the capital Kinshasa and the western city of Mbandaka, the head of Congo's UN mission, Leila Zerrougui, said 47 people were injured and more than 100 were arrested across the country. She called on the Congolese authorities to carry out credible investigations into the incidents and impose appropriate sanctions.
National police spokesman Colonel Pierrot Mwanamputu told state broadcaster RTNC that there had been no deaths and only three people were wounded in Sunday's violence.
In power since 2001, Kabila struck a deal with the main opposition bloc to stay on after his elected mandate expired in December 2016, but authorities missed a deadline to hold elections last year as required under the agreement.
Officials have hinted that a new December poll date may not even be possible due to financial and logistical constraints.
Church groups have emerged as the main force opposing Kabila as political opposition parties have been hobbled by infighting or seen their leaders forced into exile.
'Our people no longer believe in the political will of our current leaders to ensure a peaceful transition of power,' one of the main organising groups, the Lay Coordination Committee (CLC), said in a statement before the march.
The organisers are demanding the prompt organisation of elections and a pledge from Kabila not to stand for re-election.
However, armed security forces surrounded Kinshasa's main churches and blocked roads, preventing most demonstrations from starting and in some cases using teargas and gunfire to disperse them.
The march organisers, the CLC, said it had confirmed three deaths on Sunday, one more than the UN two in Kinshasa and one in Mbandaka. The figures could not be independently verified. Witnesses and rights groups also reported violence in the northern city of Kisangani.
Witnesses told AFP that the arrival at the cathedral of the PPRD supporters, many wearing red berets, resulted in panic at the capital's northern Lingwala municipality.
'They arrived aboard several Transco (public transport) buses and stormed the shrine of the Virgin. It's a provocation,' a local parishioner, Felicite Mbula, told AFP.
'The church is closed, we couldn't hold mass this evening,' she added.
Antoine Bokoka, a parish official, told AFP that the PPRD were 'pretending to come to pray Sunday. But you don't stay overnight in our parishes'.
Additional reporting by Reuters.
'Chicago P.D.' season 5 spoilers: Kim Burgess remembers her sister's assault in episode 15
A vigilante is on the loose on the upcoming episode of "Chicago P.D." season 5.
Titled "Sisterhood," this week's episode will see Intelligence work on a case involving a vigilante. They must track down an individual suspected of killing rapists. Meanwhile, the investigation hits too close to home for Burgess (Marina Squerciati). While searching for new leads, she remembers her sister's assault and questions if her attackers truly paid for their actions.
Fans can remember in season 4 that Nicole Silver (Jules Wilcox) went to Chicago to visit her sister, Burgess. While strolling around the city, she was raped and beaten by a stranger. The perpetrator was arrested and Burgess took some time off to be with her sister.
Future episodes will also explore Hank Voight's (Jason Beghe) dark past. Bingham's (Joseph Sikora) body was recently discovered and independent auditor Denny Woods (Mykelti Williamson) will stop at nothing until he finds answers. Speaking with TV Guide, showrunner Rick Eid said Voight will continue to fight for justice despite the storm of consequences that haunt him.
"Voight has an interesting constitution as a cop and as a man. He's always trying to get the bad guy. That will never change," Eid teased.
In other news, a familiar face is heading to "Chicago P.D." later in season 3. "The Good Wife" alum Titus Welliver has been tapped to play meth dealer Ronald Booth in the show's upcoming episode 18. After being released from prison, Welliver will return to his old ways and cross paths with Intelligence.
Aside from his current role on the Amazon Prime drama "Bosch," Welliver is also known for playing the Man in Black on "Lost." He has also played roles in "NYPD Blue," "Deadwood," "The Last Ship," "Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D." and "Sons of Anarchy." His most notable big screen projects include "Argo," "The Town," "Live by Night," "Transformers: Age of Extinction" and "Red 2."
Game of Thrones High Septon actor finds lost document in Vatican archives
A Game of Thrones actor has found a document in the Vatican archives that sheds light on a painful episode in the life of one of the Catholic Churches most controversial thinkers.
Paul Bentley, who plays the High Septon in the acclaimed HBO series a figure analogous to the pope was researching Jesuit priest and paleonotogist Pierre Teilhard de Chardin (1881-1955) for a play he was writing.
He came across the notorious 'Six Propositions' Teilhard was forced to sign by his highly conservative superiors in the Jesuit Order, who were worried about his views on original sin after he wrote a paper on the subject. He was also convinced of the truth of the theory of evolution, resisted at the time by the Church, and was to develop and influential evolutionary theology.
In 1925, Teilhard was given the choice of signing the 'Six Propositions' affirming conservative theology or leaving the Order. His agonising over the choice was the subject of the play by Bentley, who attended a Catholic school and is editor of the British Teilhard Network. However, until Bentley rediscovered them their contents were not known.
He spoke yesterday at a 'Six Propositions Day' conference at New College, Edinburgh, jointly organised with Dr David Grummett of Edinburgh University's School of Divinity, which included a reading of his play Inquisition.
According to the Scottish Catholic Observer, Bentley searched extensively for the document, eventually discovering it in the Jesuit archives in Rome.
'They are essentially six of the traditional teachings of the Church about Adam and Eve and Original Sin,' he said. 'He had to sign up to all six and he was prepared to sign five of the six, but the fourth proposition he felt he couldn't sign up to because, as a scientist, he didn't believe it was true.'
He said Teilhard 'agonised for months about what to do,' talking to a fellow priest before deciding to sign up to all six propositions.
Bentley found the documents after searching through 'folder after folder'. 'They actually photocopied it for me, so I was able to take it home, a photocopy of the actual six propositions, which are in Latin,' he said.
According to the Teilhard de Chardin website, he was able to find ways of agreeing to five of the Propositions, but the sixth caused him great difficulty. Convinced by his colleague Auguste Valensin, he signed it as 'a gesture of fidelity rather than as a symbol of intellectual assent'.
Holy Sepulchre closed because Israel's Christians believe they are under threat, says Bishop of Southwark
The Bishop of Southwark has called on Christians around the world to show 'solidarity' over the indefinite closure of Jerusalem's Church of the Holy Sepulchre in protest at a bill affecting church lands and new taxes on churches that are 'unfair, inappropriate and arbitrary'.
Speaking to Christian Today from Galilee on the final day of a pilgrimage with 84 people from the south London Anglican diocese, Bishop Christopher Chessun also expressed his disapproval of a bill in the Knesset, or Israeli parliament, supported by Israeli settlers, that would allow the state to expropriate land in Jerusalem sold by churches to private real estate firms in recent years.
'The bill going through the Knesset is of course at the instigation of particular groups and it is very important that the powers that be recognise the significance of the status quo which governs the relationship formally between the church and the state,' Chessun said.
'So if there are actions taken by different groups of settlers or whatever else and that leads to poor leadership by the powers that be then there will be massive consequences.'
Chessun explained: 'We were in the Holy Sepulchre first thing on Thursday morning in Jerusalem so it's very shocking to think of it as shut indefinitely. But it is a sign of the seriousness of the dispute and the clear sense of the church leaders that they need to act in a unified way that makes a clear statement to the Christian world that they consider this to be a moment to be under threat.'
He added: 'Of course, had we been a week later we would not have been able to go to the Holy Sepulchre where there is constant prayer from dawn, and it is the most important Christian shrine in Jerusalem and more widely one of the holiest places of Christian pilgrimage.'
Reacting to the imposition by Israel's Jerusalem municipality of a tax exemption it has granted to church-owned commercial properties in the city, Bishop Chessun said: 'The taxes are...considered to be unfair, inappropriate and arbitrary by the churches and the church leaders in Jerusalem. And of course they put at risk the holy places so this is a very significant matter in the eyes of church leaders in Jerusalem.'
After the shock protest move, an Israeli cabinet committee last night delayed its scheduled consideration of the church lands bill by a week. The stated aim of the bill is to protect homeowners against the possibility that private companies will not extend their leases of land on which their houses or apartments stand. The churches, who are major property owners in the city, say such a law would make it harder for them to find buyers for church-owned land, sales that help to cover operating costs of their religious institutions.
Chessun said: 'We are a happy band of 90 pilgrims. We feel that having had the blessing of making the pilgrimage to the Holy Sepulchre we walked along the way of the cross and culminated at the Holy Sepulchre that this is something we feel that is a matter to pray about for a resolution.
'This is unprecedented, this action by the heads of the Churches. People need to realise that from their perspective they would only have taken this action if they felt it was time to alert Christian brothers and sisters in all nations that this dispute.'
He concluded: 'I think it's important for the Christian Churches to respond to what has been the decision of the heads of the five senior Churches with prayer and solidarity, because this is a sign that this is a very significant moment and we shouldn't in any way underrate the significance of this moment.'
You can read about the pilgrimage here and follow the bishop on Twitter.
How the launch of Christianity Explored is bringing fresh hope to Albania's Christians
Albania was and remains one of the poorest nations in Europe. It threw off the shackles of communism in 1990 to embrace democracy, joined NATO in 2009 and is a candidate for membership of the EU. But the economy has been in the doldrums for many years, so much so that donkeys and carts are still common sights in rural areas. Forty per cent of Albania's 3 million inhabitants are still employed in agriculture, much of which is at little more than subsistence level. Many people, especially the young, are desperate to emigrate and to start again in places such as Italy and Greece.
In 1967, under Communist dictator Enver Hoxha, Albania announced itself as the world's first atheist state. Christianity and all other religions were banned, although many secret believers remained. After 1990, however, Albanians were free to worship again and Christian literature flooded the country. There are now three translations of the Bible available and TWR and other Christian radio stations also broadcast regularly. Now 62 per cent of the population claim to be Muslim and 32 per cent Christian, although only a tiny minority are evangelicals.
Many Christians working in Albania believe that a significant window for evangelism is now open. Most Albanian Muslims are nominal believers and a number are becoming very interested in Christianity. In the area of Mokra, near Pogradec in southern Albania for example, there are 47 mostly Muslim villages. Christian ministry Living Water Adopt-A-Child (LWAAC) has in the last year started four gospel meetings where about 30-40 people gather weekly to learn from the Bible.
However, that effort requires effective teaching materials and LWAAC is convinced that the Christianity Explored course is one of the best ways to communicate the Christian message. LWAAC and Albanian pastor Erion Cuni therefore spearheaded the raising of 23,000, in just four months, in order to translate Christianity Explored into Albanian, which will in turn underpin a major new evangelistic push. That sum will fund three to four years' worth of Christianity Explored material, including 10,000 course booklets, 2,000 leader guides and 1,000 DVDs. One hundred and seventy church pastors and leaders have already signed up for the launch of Christianity Exploredin Albania, which will take place in the capital, Tirana, on May 16-17, 2018.
Christianity Explored is an informal, seven-week course for people wanting to investigate Christianity. Looking at Mark's gospel, it explores Jesus's identity, mission and call or, who he is, why he came and what it means to follow him. The course was founded out of All Soul's, Langham Place in 2002 and is popular all over the world, with about 500,000 people in 110 countries completing the course each year. It has also been translated into over 50 other languages besides Albanian.
LWAAC is partnering Christianity Exploredin Albania, where it has operated since 1995; it also works in Guatemala. The organisation seeks to change the world 'one child at a time' by giving them regular nourishing meals and proper medical and dental care - while also offering Bible classes at the feeding centres.
Phase two of the Christianity Explored Albania Project is now under way. This involves translating Soul, the youth edition (aimed at older teens and young adults) into Albanian. Again LWAAC is behind the fundraising.
Craig Dyer, Training Director of Christianity Explored Ministries, commented: 'We have been amazed at how LWAAC has embraced this project and raised the funds to translate and publish CE in Albanian. Please join with us in praying that the Lord will use the Christianity Explored series to get people into his word and his word into them.'
Scott Ballantine, LWAAC co-ordinator for Ireland and director of AAC Albania, said: 'We have an amazing window of opportunity for preaching the gospel both in Albania and in the Albanian-speaking areas in Kosovo, Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia, northern Greece and southern Italy. That may not last, however, as militant Islam tries to increase its influence in the country, but for now the biggest challenge is getting hold of the resources to best utilise the opportunity that now exists. We are sure that Christianity Explored will help immensely here.'
There are now three key issues as this ministry goes forward. Everyone involved is praying especially for the May launch, for a strong take-up of the Christianity Exploredmaterials and for Paster Cuni as he takes the project forward in future.
For more information about Christianity Explored Ministries' resources and materials, see the website. Click here for more on LWAAC.
Iain Taylor works for Christianity Explored Ministries.
iPhone X 2 rumors: Plus model displays revealed in leaked photos
Apple patrons may have just gotten their first look at what could be the iPhone X Plus' display.
A pair of photos claimed to be of the rumored 6.5-inch model's screen and digitizer surfaced on China's MacX forums, with the source claiming the parts originate from an LG facility in Vietnam as part of a "trial run of production equipment. " The images have since been deleted but Slash Gear was able to obtain copies before they were taken down.
According to the publication, the first image shows the handset's digitizer held in someone's hand. Though unclear, the size appears to be bigger than the current iPhone X's 5.8-inch. The now recognizable "notch," where the camera sensor and Face ID tech are housed, is also present. There have been some rumors that the next-generation iPhone X will sport a smaller notch sitting atop the front display, but it is hard to tell whether that's the case from the leaked snaps.
Meanwhile, the second photo features a set of four assembled digitizer and display components. It does not give away much, save for the earpiece slot and sensors along the top.
Note that this is still unconfirmed. The photos do not come from the most reputable of sources either, so patrons should treat them with a healthy grain of salt for now. However, it does line up with other rumors of an iPhone X Plus.
Ming-Chi Kuo, KGI securities analyst and one of the world's top Apple insider, previously said the tech giant would release three iPhones this year. Two of those would be follow-ups to the iPhone X with OLED displays while the remaining one would be a low-cost variant with an LCD screen.
Samsung is the exclusive supplier of OLED displays for the iPhone X. However, LG is tipped to become the supplier for the so-called iPhone X Plus this year. The South Korean company has just opened an OLED module factory in Vietnam, explaining the alleged origin of the photos.
Jews, Christians and Muslims rally to defend religious circumcision as calls for ban intensify
Calls for a ban on religious circumcision are growing as Iceland considers a bill prohibiting the practice for non-medical reasons.
The British Medical Association is coming under pressure to take a stance as it is conducting a regular review of its guidelines on 'ritual' circumcision. Both Muslim and Jewish groups practise circumcision and warn that any restriction would amount to an infringement of religious freedom.
Currently the BMA outlines best practice for circumcision but does not take a stance on the ethics. The General Medical Council says doctors do not have to carry out the procedure if they believe it is not in the child's best interests but says 'cultural, religious or other beliefs' must be considered.
Under Jewish tradition a male baby is circumcised eight days after being born and under Islamic teaching men should be circumcised before puberty.
But a YouGov poll last week found 62 per cent of Brits would back a ban on circumcision before adulthood and just 13 per cent would oppose it.
Jonathan Arkush, president of the Board of Deputies of British Jews, said children had 'a right to be brought up in their family's religious or cultural background' and warned that a ban on circumcision until the age of 18, or the NHS's age of consent, 16 as campaigners are calling for would mean that the procedure would be more painful.
Stephen Fouch, a spokesman for the Christian Medical Fellowship, defended the Jewish and Islamic perspective and said that while the concerns around consent were valid, a ban would be 'profoundly damaging and profoundly illiberal'.
'It would be extremely discriminatory,' he told Christian Today. 'It would be imposing a set of values on to prominent religious minorities in the UK that they are never going to be happy to accept.'
He added: 'It is effectively saying you cannot practise your faith in this country, particularly for Judaism where it is an important part of the faith. It is going to criminalise a large part of the population and effectively marginalise these two religious communities.'
'There is a big difference between that and FGM which is not required by any religious teaching around the world,' he said.
But Richard Duncker, of the Men Do Complain group, said the practice was 'without doubt' a breach of a child's rights and warned his group would protest outside the BMA conference in Brighton in June. 'There is no disease being cured, so it is a complete breach of medical ethics,' he said according to the Times.
Rev Bruce Thompson, Chair of Methodist Friends of Judaism, warned any ban would be seen as an attack on central religious beliefs.
'I think it is very difficult for those outside communities that uphold male infant circumcision on religious grounds to understand the practice,' he told Christian Today. 'The tradition is deeply embedded within their faith, it is a key component to their identity. If secular authorities were to place a ban on such a sacred ritual it would be seen by those within that faith community as a direct attack on their core beliefs. My view is that a healthy society should value diversity of belief and tradition and not drive a wedge between the communities.'
Chief Rabbi Pinchas Goldschmidt, president of the Conference of European Rabbis, said he was organising a 'political campaign' to warn of the dangers of such a ban. 'Over the past 3,500 years it has been an essential part of Jewish identity so every lawmaker looking to sign such proposals should know they are saying, "[We] don't want an organised Jewish community in our country."'
Qari Asim, a senior imam in Leeds, added according to the Times: 'It's unfortunate that these campaigns resurface, because we've gone over this so many times and it goes against one of our fundamental principles, which is religious freedom.'
Was Billy Graham a homophobic, Christ denying, antisemitic and bigoted failed evangelist on the wrong side of history?
Have you ever noticed how anyone who dies is always a saint, especially when they are one of the idols of our society? They may have lived an immoral, selfish life but when they die they are everyone's friend and hero, The angels in heaven are rejoicing at the sheer privilege of having such a wonderful person to make paradise even better.
Unless, that is, you are the most successful Christian evangelist in the history of the world.
Although there were many fine tributes to the life and testimony of Billy Graham, what struck me were the number of people and organisations who couldn't even wait until his body was cold before they stuck the boot in. These reactions tell us a great deal about our culture and churches.
The Guardian pronounced that Billy Graham was 'on the wrong side of history' a statement which is breathtaking in its arrogance. The liberal metro-elites, the culture vultures of the zeitgeist, just 'know' what the right side of history is. They believe society is progressing and they are the greatest evidence of that progression. Anyone who disagrees with them on any of their shibboleth issues has to be on 'the wrong side of history'. They alone know 'the right side' and they will disparage, despise and denigrate anyone who disagrees. Even when they have just died.
Not to be outdone, Douglas Robertson in The Independent weighed in. 'Surely Graham, far from being "an exemplar to generation upon generation", is an example of how religion is so often successfully leveraged as a means of making bigotry appear somehow acceptable, even something to aspire to,' he said. Others wrote about how Graham spouted 'incredible levels of hate in his time', without offering any evidence for that. Despite being the most famous Christian in the world, whose every word was scrutinised, the only evidence they could come up with for this hyperbole is a conversation that he had with Nixon about the liberal Jews running New York a comment of which he was ashamed and for which he apologised to Jewish leaders and the fact that he was opposed to same-sex marriage. If after 99 years that was all that could be said about my stupid remarks, I would be very happy.
But it wasn't just the bitter and militant atheists who took the opportunity to vent their prejudice and frustration. And it should be noted that many secular organisations and commentators made much more balanced, respectful and fair comments. Some Christians couldn't resist the temptation to let us know what was wrong with Billy Graham, forgetting the maxim that there is a time to be silent.
On the 'conservative' side there were those who wanted to tell us how Billy Graham 'denied Jesus' and they had the edited YouTube clips to prove it. None of the ones I saw provided proof of that at all. Indeed watching Billy's last message was a profoundly moving testimony to his faithfulness to the Gospel of Jesus.
On the liberal side there were those who wanted to demonstrate their agreement with their fellow secular ideologues, that Graham was dangerous and a failure. None more so than Rev Johnstone Mackay, a Church of Scotland minister and former BBC Scotland religious affairs editor, who the day after Grahams death, appeared on radio to tell us that Graham was basically a failed American evangelist whose fundamentalist gospel was wrong and had 'little impact'. It was even suggested that Graham's gospel was to be blamed for the decline of the Church of Scotland. The irony is that it was when Graham was in Scotland in the 1950s as part of the Tell Scotland campaign that the membership of the Church of Scotland reached its all time peak 1.2 million. It's now below 300,000 and declining at a rate of 20,000 per year. This is not because the Church has preached the gospel that Graham preached but rather because, as Johnstone Mackay stated, most rejected it.
As for the accusation of him having 'little impact' I had to smile at the lack of awareness involved in that comment. Since Graham's death I have heard many stories of people who came to faith through Graham's preaching and for whom it was not a short term emotional fix. From my own father to many people in my church including a woman who told me that her father worked with Graham in the slums of Peru, Graham was the catalyst.
The following is an example of the hundreds of thousands who can testify to his impact: 'My dad became a Christian at a Billy Graham crusade in the '50s which meant I was brought up in a Christian home. I'm also a follower of Jesus as are my two sons, and now the first of my young grandchildren has become a Christian. Our history is of "a goodly heritage".'
Billy Graham preached to 215 million people directly. He preached to billions through media. As a result there are millions today who are Christians because of him. If that's 'little impact' I would love to see what a great impact would look like.
It strikes me that the negative comments about Graham have little to do with a sober and unbiased analysis of his impact (which only eternity will tell) but rather stem from a petty, mean and vindictive spirit.
As for being on the wrong side of history, I suspect that the same people would have said that Jesus was on the wrong side of history after all he was killed on a cross. But it turns out that the cross is the pivot of history, not the end of it.
Billy Graham preached Christ, and he preached the cross of Christ. He may have been on 'the wrong side of history' from the perspective of those who think they know what that is, but he is now on the right side of eternity where I'm sure he has already heard the words that all believers long to hear: 'well done, good and faithful servant...enter into the joy of your Lord. (Matthew 25:21).
David Robertson is associate director of Solas CPC in Dundee and minister at St Peter's Free Church. Follow him on Twitter @TheWeeFlea
Wedding photographers share four signs they think predict whether a marriage will struggle
It's easy for any couple to become caught up in the wedding planning and the thrill of getting married without thinking about what comes after saying 'I do'.
Some wedding photographers have a sixth sense about things like this. After doing shoots for so many couples, they know which ones are truly in love and which ones are doomed for divorce. Some of these photographers shared their thoughts with the Huffington Post and gave a few signs that couples will part ways in the end.
One of the most obvious signs of incompatibility, according to photographers, is if one of the partners is uninterested in the shoot. It's a given that not everyone likes to be photographed, but if they care enough for their partners and want to look back fondly on their wedding day, they will make an effort for it.
"I sometimes meet clients whose fiances are interested in everything except being photographed on their wedding day. Luckily, most reluctant subjects know that photography is important to their partner and so they participate willingly. But that's not always the case," shared Rob Greer, a wedding photographer based in Los Angeles.
"Early in my career, a groom hired me by phone. When I arrived at the wedding and introduced myself to the bride, she gestured toward my camera and said, 'Don't point that [expletive] thing at me today!' That made it a pretty rough day. They divorced three months later. I think that a willingness to happily consider the needs of your partner is key to a fulfilling, long-term relationship. And that includes embracing photography even if being photographed isn't your favorite thing," he continued.
On the flip side, couples who appear to have amazing chemistry together in photographs don't always end up having happy marriages. Sure, couples might be affectionate and love to cuddle each other, and this chemistry looks great on camera. But if physicality is the only thing keeping the relationship going, then it definitely won't last long.
Sol Tamargo, one of the founders of Del Sol Photography in Playa del Carmen, Mexico, remembers shooting a really fit couple who had great photos. Unfortunately, they are now divorced. "They had a very physical relationship and it was interesting to watch their body language and how they communicated with each other," he recalled. "At the end of the wedding, they invited me to photograph them in a private room for intimate and sexy photos. By the way they asked me, I wasn't sure if they wanted me to photograph them or join them. It was an odd feeling and I politely declined, finished my evening and went home. One year after the wedding, they were separated."
Another bad sign is having a huge rejection rate on the guests' RSVPs. Photographers know that it's common for 10 to 15 percent of the total guests to bail out during the wedding, but if the number is more, something is definitely up.
"It's a telltale sign that your friends and family know that the couple is never going to work out! It's sad, but so unbelievably true," said Brian Delia, owner of Brian Delia Photography from Clifton, New Jersey. "I was photographing a wedding where the couple invited 250 guests, paid the venue minimum of 200 plates and only 60 people showed up! That same couple came up to me and asked me if I wanted to invite my wife and kids to the reception because they paid for all these dinners and no one came! I just recently found out that the couple has since been separated."
Lastly, it's a bad sign as well if couples cannot see eye to eye regarding their wedding finances. People might argue that love is the only ingredient needed in a wedding and marriage, but Miami Photo owner Carlos G. Osorio said it's also important to consider finances. "Money is an important factor in all marriages and often plays a part in why they fail," he said.
Legal expert Ann-Margaret Carrozza also told Forbes that the number one mistake couples make is spending way too much on their wedding. It's really tempting to go all-out and enjoy a dream wedding, but if it will only lead to overwhelming debt in the future, Carrozza suggested that couples be prudent.
"Most couples starting out can't afford to pay cash for that so they're going into debt to pay for this one day celebration," she said, adding that "for many young couples that's on top of student loan and credit card debt. So they're literally drowning in debt out of the gate."
Antenna: An afternoon with Antoni Tapies
In the latest of her regular columns, Meredith Etherington-Smith recalls a fascinating encounter with the artist in his studio, where she saw pieces from his personal collection that are now to be offered at Christies
Thirty years or so ago, I found myself trudging up a very steep street in the hills above Barcelona, on my way to visit Antoni Tapies in his studio. I was there because I wanted to talk to him about his relationship with his Catalan colleague Salvador Dali, whose biography I was writing at the time. The studio, which had previously been a garage, was on the ground floor. Hanging at eye level on its exposed brick walls were pieces from his collection. The most eye-catching were the paintings by Miro which were, quite honestly, marvellous. Shelves held African masks and primitive carved wooden figures, and I also noticed Homme (Apollon), a tiny Giacometti sculpture inspired by African and Oceanic art. For me the work of art whatever it is has its own individuality, Tapies once said. The fact that it may hang on a wall is incidental; it is something complete unto itself. Some collectors never hang their paintings. I think this respect for the work is crucial, as are the withdrawal and concentration necessary for the contemplation of a single work. It is one of those curious coincidences that Tapies derives from the Catalan word tapia, meaning wall.
Antoni Tapies (1923-2012) was the most important member of the Art Informel movement to come out of Spain in the latter part of the 20th century, and his personal collection offers a unique insight into the powerful bond that existed between this revolutionary artist and the paintings, sculptures and artefacts he acquired over the course of his lifetime. Within this wide-ranging collection which is being offered in Christies Art of the Surreal sale and Impressionist and Modern Evening Sale, both on 27 February is a core group of pieces by some of the most important figures of the 20th-century avant-garde, including Wassily Kandinsky, Paul Klee, Joan Miro and Pablo Picasso.
Of particular importance was Miro, with whom Tapies enjoyed a close relationship dating to his first visit to his studio in 1948. They got on so well, in fact, that Miro adopted his younger compatriot as his protege. He showed me all the works he had in his studio, Tapies told me, and they were extraordinary. He took a great deal of time to explain the thinking and philosophy behind his art and I was very moved. We became close friends, discussing art and exchanging ideas over many years, and he was enormously encouraging. We often swapped paintings, which is why I have these marvellous examples on my walls here to look at and study every day.
Tapies explained that he had started out as a virtually self-taught artist. He was influenced by the Surrealist and Dada movements, and helped to set up Dau al Set the seventh face of the die a Catalan artistic movement that was similarly inspired by dreams and the unconscious. He wasnt very complimentary about Dali, though I got the impression during our conversation that he thought him a lightweight as an artist and a man. So we left the subject of Dali (somewhat to my relief) and talked instead of Tapies visit to Picassos studio in the rue des Grand Augustins in the early 1950s, when Tapies was living in Paris on a French government grant.
Collecting guide: Chinese robes
From the butterflies on your sleeves to the dragons on your coat, never has what you wear been as important as it was in Qing-dynasty China. Here's our expert guide to the colours, the symbols and the styles that told everyone exactly who you were
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A robe revealed the wearers rank In the mid-17th century, the nomadic Manchu people overthrew Chinas ruling Ming dynasty, sparking the beginning of the Qing dynasty. It ruled over a sprawling empire that survived nearly three centuries, and formed the territorial base for modern China.
In these politically fraught times, what you wore mattered. Clothes were designed to indicate rank and status, becoming so distinct that the wearers position in court could be ascertained at a glance. By the time of the Qianlong Emperors reign, strict sartorial rules had been outlined in an official guide: The Illustrated Catalogue of Ritual Paraphernalia. Official directions covered: Colour Yellow was considered to be the most auspicious shade, and was reserved for the royal family. Minor princes or noblemen were permitted to wear blue (the Qing dynastys official colour) or brown, while blue-black fabric indicated the wearer was a court official.
Symbols of imperial authority Emperors robes were decorated with the Twelve Symbols of Imperial Authority: the sun, moon, seven-star constellation, mountain, fu pattern, axe head, dragon, flowery creature, seaweed, sacrificial cup, flames and the grain.
Animals Civil and military officials were divided into nine ranks, from first (highest) to ninth (lowest). Each was indicated by a corresponding animal, stitched on to a rank badge, or bufu, displayed on an outer coat. Civil ranks were represented by birds, while real and mythical animals indicated military status.
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There were robes for every occasion
Officials who attended Qing dynasty ceremonies were expected to dress in a particular way. Formal robes were designed in the traditional style of the ruling Manchu people, and referenced their nomadic, horse-riding tradition. Known as chaofu, these garments featured a side-fastening jacket, apron skirt, and horse shoe cuffs, first designed to protect the wearers hands when riding in bad weather. Semi-official clothing was expected for government business, including the well-known jifu, or dragon robe, which was worn with a collar and outer coat. Like the chaofu, this long, side-fastening garment featured horse-shoe cuffs, freeing the wearers hands should circumstance require him to jump on a horse.
A magnificent imperial yellow kesi twelve-symbol dragon robe made for the emperor, longpao, Jiaqing period (1796-1820). 59 x 75 in (150.4 x 192.4 cm). Sold for $756,500 on 22-23 March 2018 at Christies in New York
Jifu robes were rich in symbolic meaning, representing the entire universe in their design from the lishui waves at the base, anchored by a central mountain, to the dragons among clouds that swirled above, denoting authority. At the height of the Qing dynasty, medium-ranking officials wore robes with eight four-clawed dragons but at court, high-ranking officials robes featured a ninth dragon, hidden inside a front flap.
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And there were robes for every season
The climate of Beijing is incredibly varied: in the winter temperatures can plummet to -20C, while they can soar to above 40C in summer. As the Emperor and his officials held court daily, it was important that they were dressed not only well, but practically. In addition to the rules dictating style of dress, the exact month, date and hour of changeover from summer to winter clothing was strictly outlined. Seasonal changeovers were indicated on a lunar calendar: a winter dress, for example, could be worn from the first day of the 11th moon until New Years Day, while summer dress would begin on the 15th or 25th day of the third moon. Winter robes would be lined or edged with fur and padded, while summer robes would be lined with silk, or made of gauze and worn over cool underjackets fashioned from bamboo.
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A wifes robe reflected her husbands status
Women wore the same rank badge as their husband or father, if unmarried, displayed on an outer coat or fringed vest, known as a xiape. In the 18th century it became popular for a wifes badge to mirror her husbands so that, when seated together, the animals on each faced each other.
Women played only a marginal role in the Qing dynasty court and government. As such, opportunities to wear formal dress, such as chaofu or dragon robes, were minimal, and surviving examples are particularly rare. Unlike those worn by men, womens dragon robes had no front and back vent.
An embroidered red silk woman's informal robe, late Qing dynasty. 55 x 76 in (139.7 x 194.3 cm). Sold for $7,500 on 22-23 March 2018 at Christies in New York
For everyday wear, affluent women would wear a side or front-fastening robe with a wrap-around pleated apron skirt. Robes were elaborately decorated on both the body and sleeve-bands, which were stitched to the inner sleeves and embroidered with flowers, butterflies or figural scenes.
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Some stitches were officially forbidden
A very fine and large embroidered Daoist immortals 'birthday' panel, Qianlong period (1736-1795). 76 x 41 in (193 x 104 cm), Japanese wood box. Sold for $187,500 on 22 March 2019 at Christies in New York
The Peking Knot, or seed stitch, was often referred to as the forbidden knot because it was said to be so fine and precise that it would render the embroiderer blind. Of course theres no evidence of this, but the stitch was nevertheless reserved for detailing and small areas.
Other techniques used in robe-making included a form of weaving known as kesi, or cut silk so named because it created the appearance of cut threads, arranged in unbroken blocks of colour. In the 19th century gilt couching became popular, with gold thread stitched onto material creating a gleaming finish that resembled expensive silk.
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Age can be determined by colour and style As with works of art, it can be difficult to determine a textiles date of production unless it has been marked. There are clues to look out for, however: certain colours only appeared in the late 19th century, with the introduction of chemical aniline dyes from Europe. These were brighter than traditional vegetable dyes, delivering bold hues such as Perkins purple, invented in England in 1856.
Uncut midnight-blue silk yardage for a surcoat, 19th century. 108 x 50 in (275.5 x 128.3 cm). Sold for $7,500 on 22-23 March 2018 at Christies in New York
Changing fashions can also offer some indication of date. In the late 19th century, for example, the Empress Dowager Cixi developed a love of bold, floral designs that was quickly replicated by court noblewomen, who sought robes in the same style. The distinct look was not seen before or after the Empresss time in power. Cixi was notoriously obsessed with clothing: for one short trip servants packed 56 trunks with robes, vests and jackets each 12-inch deep trunk measuring 4 x 5 feet.
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A robe can survive centuries For maximum longevity textiles should be stored flat in a cool, dry, dark and clean area. If a piece needs to be folded, it should be done along the seam lines to prevent abrasion and weakening. If kept properly, ancient fabrics will survive for centuries. Serious collectors do take condition into account. Chinese robes, however delicate, were after all made to be worn, and buyers should be aware of any evidence of wear or staining particularly around the collar or shoulders. Sun damage should also be noted: since the silk and dyes used to make robes was often organic, any degradation will be irreversible. Before the owner of the imperial robe below realised its significance, it hung in her home as decoration. Prior to that, she found it in a dressing up box in Paris.
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Some robes were recut Chinese robes were coveted by tourists in the 19th and early 20th century, who brought them back to Europe and America. As they are traditionally made with a loose cut, it was not uncommon for these buyers to tailor them in a slimmer, Western style, or to line them with fur to make an impressive coat.
The social abstraction of Mark Bradford
An introduction to the highly sought-after Los Angeles artist, who represented his country at the 2017 Venice Biennale and is spoken of as the latest in a line of great American Abstract Expressionists
Who is Mark Bradford? Mark Bradford is an American abstract artist whos fast becoming one of the art worlds hottest properties. He was chosen to represent the United States at the 2017 Venice Biennale, where his pavilion prompted the editor-in-chief of Artnet to claim, Bradford is our [generations] Jackson Pollock. What is his background? Born in Los Angeles in 1961, as a child he shuttled daily between the predominantly black neighbourhood of Leimert Park, where his mother worked as a hairdresser, and the predominantly white Santa Monica neighbourhood, where they lived. His twenties were split between a Los Angeles seething with pre-riot tensions, and Europe, where he spent the majority of his time travelling and going to dance clubs. In the 1990s he attended California Institute of the Arts, one of Americas most cutting-edge art schools. What is he best known for? Large-scale works made from layers of salvaged paper, bound together on canvas with a coat of shellac. Sometimes, as in 2014s Bear Running from the Shotgun, he embeds lengths of string, cord or rope, too. When the build-up has reached a certain density, he attacks it with a power sander, exposing the earlier layers and various, unexpected juxtapositions in quasi-archaelogical fashion.
The results, according to the Boston Globe critic, Sebastian Smee, are some of the most beautiful, raw, and inventive works in recent art. At once imposing and lyrical, the effect recalls Jasper Johns flags, the Minimalist rhythms of Agnes Martin, and even the zips of Barnett Newman. What was his breakthrough moment? Bradford broke onto the artistic stage with his inclusion in the seminal 2001 group show Freestyle at the Studio Museum in Harlem, which introduced the controversial term post-black. He has gone on to enjoy solo shows at the the Whitney Museum of American Art, the Institute of Contemporary Arts, Boston and SFMOMA, and has been awarded with a MacArthur Genius Fellowship, a US State Department Medal of Arts, and the prestigious Bucksbaum Award, among others. Does his work also have a political dimension? Yes, although not explicitly. Bradford likes to call his art social abstraction. In many cases, the paper he uses started out on advertising hoardings in the working-class neighbourhoods of South Central Los Angeles, reflecting much of what constitutes business there: from paternity tests and high-interest loans to fast-track immigration papers.
Ghost Money, a celebrated example of Bradfords map-like mixed-media collage, alludes to both the modernist grid and the urban grid, to the networks of local economies and to networks of public space. In a similar vein to the artists 2015 public mural Sexy Cash in La Jolla, the work references the empty promises of these seedy local marketing flyers, which are tactically positioned on telephone poles and fences near buses to target struggling working-class residents. What does he think about those who include him in the lineage of Americas great Abstract Expressionists? While Bradford has clear links with the Abstract Expressionists in the heroic scale, all-over composition and stunning visual impact of his works (last year, the Denver Art Museum and Clyfford Still Museum presented the collaborative exhibition Shade: Clyfford Still/Mark Bradford), he departs from them in his social engagement.
As a 21st-century African-American artist, Bradford says, when I look back at Abstract Expressionism, I get the politics, I get the problems, I get the theories, I can read [Clyfford Stills] manifestos, but I think there are other ways of looking through abstraction. To use the whole social fabric of our society as a point of departure for abstraction reanimates it, dusts it off. It becomes really interesting to me, and supercharged. I just find that chilling and amazing.
[Bradford] brings the daily struggles of people left behind by the American economy into his paintings Jeffrey Deitch
JD Schmidt, who spent 16 years with NRG Energy, left the company in January. He now works for CSD Energy Advisors, an energy consulting firm based in the Heights.
Q: Tell us a bit about what CSD does and who your clients are.
A: We help customers make informed decisions around energy contracts and energy strategies. That includes retail agreements and when folks procure electricity or natural gas for their business. We help companies that are on the larger side of that spectrum - commercial businesses - that are buying more complicated and complex products.
Q: Does this mean that you effectively help customers buy electricity on the wholesale market?
A: We're doing both - retail and wholesale. But for larger customers, we give them access to wholesale markets. Deregulation power in Texas (and the freedom to shop for electricity) was really supported a lot by the large industrial companies. They wanted access to the wholesale market to get more transparency, and that's very similar to what we provide. We have larger more sophisticated clients - and I've spent a lot of my past working with these clients - you know, the refineries, petrochemical facilities, oil and gas, manufacturing. They have a much higher budget for electricity, and much, much higher electricity bills. They want to have a very close pulse on what's going on with their costs. For example, due to the freeze in January, we provided notices to our customers to say you know keep a close watch on the market and, to the extent they have the ability, cut power use or sell power into the market.
Q: I know you also work with commercial customers to buy renewable energy plans. What is a renewable energy plan, and how does it work?
A: We start with helping customers navigate the market. First step is understanding their needs and their goals: Do they want to finance a new project or buy into an existing one? If they want to procure existing renewable energy, they need to be part of a power purchase agreement. Committing to a power purchase agreement which can be anywhere from the short term, a couple of years, all the way out to 15 to 20 years. The average term is about 12 years now. But if they want to enable new renewable development then they would have to sign up for a new project. And a lot of these projects do not get financing until they have off-takers for them. So what happens is developers look at land and before they can go get construction financing and project financing they need to have off-takers that are credit worthy to go get financing.
Q: So if a business in Houston, say, wants to get involved in a solar or wind project, how do they do it? What does the business get in return?
A: There are two different ways to do this. One is to do the new project the other one is to subsidize, or purchase kilowatt hours from, an existing plant. So what you get out of that? First option is you're enabling a new renewable development project. For the second option of just subscribing to an existing plant. What you're doing in both of these scenarios is you're paying to actually get renewable energy credits. So when that wind farm or when that solar facility generates a megawatt hour of electricity, it creates a renewable energy certificate that can be purchased by another company to "green up" their electricity. Renewable energy purchasing groups have a framework around what the accepted rules are for businesses to be able to claim they support renewable energy. Ultimately, the rules are pretty strict for someone to say that they enabled renewable development and that they're purchasing green for wind energy from a wind farm.
Q: Does that mean that a business technically hasn't enabled a wind farm if it just bought somebody else's renewable energy certificate?
A: That's correct. Texas is flooded with cheap renewable energy credits that customers can purchase. That's not really considered a straight line to supporting renewable energy, but they're still helping to enable renewable development - not new development - but they're still enabling it. Enabling new development typically comes from big corporations specifically IT and others - so your Googles, your Amazons, your Facebooks - are buying 200 megawatt projects and they are enabling renewable development, in some cases taking the power directly from those facilities through the grid. But what's happening now is customers of Amazon and Google are expected to meet renewable requirements. So, your industrial and manufacturing customers that make products that they sell to Amazon and Google are going to need to start buying renewables and they're not going to be able to navigate it.
Q: And that's where you come in? Not at the top level - like Amazon or Facebook - but with the companies that are down the food chain that don't have money or the experience to manage the market?
A: Big companies like those have energy teams. Walmart has its own retail electric provider in Texas and they have a staff to help them just buy electricity nationwide. And the same thing with Amazon - they have a staff of folks that just do just renewable energy. They've already kind of figured this out and they have the in-house expertise. Where we come in is when it's a manufacturing or chemical operation, where they still spend a good amount of electricity, but they don't have the deep staff there to help them. We are their staff.
Apache Corp. has signed a 524,342-square-foot lease renewal at its Post Oak Central headquarters near the Galleria, Parkway Properties announced.
The 60-month lease renewal, which extends Apache's lease through 2024, replaces a lease extension announced in June 2017. The previous lease deal had extended Apache's lease through Feb. 28, 2022.
RELATED: Greenway Plaza owner Parkway acquired in mega deal
Tim Relyea and Scott Wegmann of Cushman & Wakefield represented Apache in the negotiations. Eric Siegrist and Amanda Nebel of Parkway represented the landlord.
"We are pleased that we were able to reach an agreement with Apache for a renewal that is mutually
beneficial to both parties," Parkway president and CEO James R. Heistand said in an announcement.
"This extension anchors Apache at Post Oak Central for nearly 7 years, enhancing the
campus's stability for the foreseeable future and validating the capital investment made to improve
the user experience in and around the campus."
In 2012, Apache bought a site in nearby BLVD Place on Post Oak at San Felipe to build a new tower, but never broke ground. In 2015, the company extended its Post Oak Central lease for one year through the end of 2019.
THE CONCEPT
A tres chic eclair shop in Montrose offering sweet and savory pastries with imaginative twists. Owner Karine Favre-Massartic, who is from Paris, loves French poetry (hence the name) and the work of new-wave patisseries in France that are reimagining eclairs as edible art.
THE SPACE
The 1,500-square-foot building, which Favre-Massartic helped design, was inspired by Orangerie du Parc de Bagatelle in Paris. French windows allow plenty of natural light. The limestone floors feature cabochon design; the round bistro tables and lattice-back Louis XV-inspired chairs come from France; and there's a smart pewter-topped bar facing the coffee- and tea-preparation area. It's all meant to evoke Paris in the 19th century - the era when the French poetry she adores was written.
THE FOOD
Favre-Massartic hired pastry chef Loic Bret, formerly of L'Atelier d l'Eclair in Paris, to travel to Houston to train her pastry chefs. The menu includes jewellike sweet varieties (salted caramel, vanilla pecan, dark chocolate, lemon meringue; $5.50-$6) and savory options ($9.50-$10.50 with a salad) such as smoked salmon and artichoke version with a gravlax sauce; chicken and herbs with arugula and balsamic sauce; and a Houston-savvy Eclair Pho filled with marinated beef brisket, pickled carrots and arugula and a special pho-broth-flavored sauce. Also on offer: house-made croissants, gougeres, quiche and a beet and goat cheese salad.
THE DRINKS
Assorted teas, coffee and a rich hot chocolate with a chocolate floater that, when sunk into the hot ganache, "blooms" like a flower with buoyant marshmallow petals. The wine list is heavy on French wineries employing organic and biodynamic practices - an early afternoon might call for a glass of Roger Coulon champagne ($24), a crisp Domaine Raimbault sancerre ($14) or a spicy Cotes du Rhone from Domaine la Manarine ($12).
ONE MORE THING
Favre-Massartic hopes to expand Cafe Poetes' opening hours as well as its menu, perhaps including more Tex-ified eclairs (think barbecue, Mexican- and Gulf seafood-inspired versions).
DETAILS
122 W. Gray, 832-527-7147; cafepoetes.com. Open 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays, 1-8 p.m. Sundays.
1801: The District of Columbia was placed under the jurisdiction of Congress.
1922: The Supreme Court, in Leser v. Garnett, unanimously upheld the 19th Amendment to the Constitution, which guaranteed the right of women to vote.
Did you know there was an Egypt in Montgomery County?
The farming community even had its own "king."
George Bell Madeley was born in England in 1815 and immigrated to Texas in 1845 at the age of 30.
After their marriage in 1846, he and his wife, Helen, settled on land that is today in the area north of FM 1488.
There begins the legacy of the Madeley family in Montgomery County.
George Bell Madeley's family lineage has been well researched and today his descendants number in the hundreds who are scattered across the country.
His Montgomery County descendants have through the generations been community-minded, well respected citizens who have helped grow Conroe into the city it is today.
George Bell Madeley early life
George Bell Madeley was born in 1815 near Birmingham, England.
He attended school at Yardley and following the death of his father in 1822, he returned home to help with the family land.
But he had a greater vision and immigrated to Texas in 1845, according to family papers written by Rev. Frank Madeley.
In Harrisburg (Houston today) he met Helen Grant and they were married Jan. 14, 1846.
According to a passage on the Madeley family written by Dan H. Madeley for the 1981 Montgomery County Genealogy Society History Book, the satin dress Helen wore was made in England and worn as a bridesmaids dress in the wedding of her sister in England.
The dress was kept in the family for years, but eventually was lost in a storm in Harlingen, according to the passage.
On Sept. 23, 1847, George Bell Madeley bought 320 acres of land from John Pyle in Montgomery County.
There was no Conroe then and the closest town was Houston, which was 35 miles away.
They established their home on the Montgomery County land and had seven sons with two more passing away very young.
Their sons were George Grant, William Henry, Charles, Andrew Jackson, Edwin, Samuel and John York.
"George Bell Madeley was an enthusiastic and innovative farmer. There was an orchard, an eight-acre vineyard established from vines brought from England, a sugar mill, a wine press, cotton gin, cattle herds and a gristmill," according to the passage.
The services for the gristmill at his farm were paid in corn instead of money.
At one time during a drought, the surrounding neighbors and friends did not have seed corn and they began coming to Madeley to purchase seed corn.
The friends and neighbors named his property Egypt in reference to the Bible story in which Jacob's family went to Egypt to buy corn from their brother in a time of famine according to the passage.
During the time of the Civil War, he ground corn and ginned cotton for his neighbors who were away at war.
He also would ship wine to his brothers in England.
According to the passage, it is believed that this was the first Texas wine to be exported.
George Bell Madeley died March 22, 1879 and was buried in the family cemetery established at "Egypt."
This cemetery remains today and is off of FM 1488 at Old Conroe Road and has a state historical marker to recognize George Bell Madeley's contributions to the community and the historic status of the cemetery.
Following the death of Helen Grant Madeley in 1897, son Andrew Jackson Madeley took up the operations of the farm.
Continued legacy
The oldest son, George Grant Madeley and wife Mary had three sons - Albert A. Madeley, Daniel A. Madeley and George B. Madeley.
As young men, the sons moved to Conroe with their mother while the city was still in its infancy.
They went on to all have a great impact on the city.
In 1899, Mr. Gilbert and A.A. Madeley conceived the idea of putting in an exchange and installing telephones in Conroe.
By 1900, this had been done and Mr. P.L. Curd and S.K. Hailey were operators at the switchboard which was at the back of Gilbert's Drug Store.
Brother G.B. Madeley bought the telephone company from Gilbert and A.A. Madeley. They named it the Conroe Communications Company.
In 1912 G.B. Madeley moved his Conroe Communications Company into his brothers' building at 125 Simonton.
The second floor of the Madeley Building served as the office for the telephone company for over 40 years.
On Jan. 25, 1929, G.B. Madeley sold the phone company to Judge Mantooth, Dr. Denman, Mr. Hester and Clayton Denman of Lufkin.
The phone company then became a part of the Lufkin-Conroe Telephone Exchange, but kept the name of Conroe Telephone Company.
On Nov. 21, 1997, the Conroe Telephone Company became a subsidiary of TXU Communications.
TXU Communications was later purchased by Consolidated Communications in April 2004.
Dan and A.A. Madeley began rebuilding their Madeley Meat Market in brick within months of the Conroe fire of Feb. 21, 1911.
They had a very successful land and livestock business. They opened their meat market downstairs in September 1911, and for a time Robert C. (Bob) Curd operated his grocery store next door in the building.
They were also supportive of the community in a variety of ways and served on a variety of boards.
Mary Ann Madeley Metcalf fondly recalls stories her father Dan H. Madeley told her about her grandfather Dan A. Madeley's cattle operations.
New life in the Madeley building
Today the landmark Madeley Building in downtown Conroe continues to reflect the progressive nature of the community and its residents.
For more than 100 years, the Madeley Building, located at 125 Simonton Street, has been an important site of commerce in Conroe - and now the renovated facility serves as the home of the Conroe Art League and their Gallery.
"The businesses that have been housed in the Madeley Building have been representative of the hard work and progressive nature of this part of Texas," said Larry Foerster, chairman of the Montgomery County Historical Commission in a previous Courier article. "The children and grandchildren of the folks who worked and did business in the Madeley building back in the day can still enjoy it - it's a part of our collective history."
Eventually, the city of Conroe acquired the building and renovated the structure as part of a downtown revitalization program. The revitalized structure is occupied by the Conroe Art League - showcasing the artistic creations of painters, sculptors and other artisans, primarily from Montgomery County and the surrounding area.
"It's very invigorating and appealing for the community to support the arts in a historical structure like the Madeley Building," said Theresa Thornhill, then-president of the CAL in a 2012 Courier article.
For more on the Conroe Art League, visit www.conroeartleague.com. For more on Montgomery County history, visit the Montgomery County Historical Commission at www.montgomerycountyhistoricalcommission.com or the Heritage Museum of Montgomery County at heritagemuseum.us.
Oil steadied as Libya's crude exports from a key terminal were disrupted and Saudi Arabia pledged that global producers will ease their output curbs without shocking the market.
Futures in New York were little changed, after rising 3 percent the previous two sessions. Libya's crude loadings from the Mellitah terminal will be "modified" after protests impeded output at the El-Feel field. Cuts by OPEC and its allies may be phased out in 2019 in a way that won't disturb the market, Saudi oil minister Khalid Al-Falih said. Still, U.S. supply remains a threat, with the nation's rig count rising for a fifth week to the highest since April 2015.
Oil has risen more than 5 percent this year, following a second annual gain, as a drain in U.S. stockpiles and growing demand reassure investors that production cuts led by the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries are working. While America continues to pump record volumes, accompanied by an increase in exports, Al-Falih said the global oil market is re-balancing and bloated inventories are shrinking.
The "news flurry supports a price recovery," said Norbert Ruecker, head of commodity research at Julius Baer Group Ltd. in Zurich.
West Texas Intermediate for April delivery climbed 2 cents to $63.57 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange as of 10:42 a.m. in London. Prices on Friday rose 78 cents, or 1.2 percent, to settle at $63.55, the highest in more than two weeks. Total volume traded was about 19 percent below the 100-day average.
Brent for April settlement fell 3 cents to $67.28 a barrel on the London-based ICE Futures Europe exchange. The contract on Friday climbed 92 cents, or 1.4 percent, to settle at $67.31. The global benchmark crude traded at a $3.72 premium to WTI.
Libyan Exports
Crude loadings at Melittah, the export terminal for El-Feel, will be slowed after force majeure was declared on deliveries from the deposit on Feb. 23 following protests over pay and other benefits, the state-run National Oil Corp. said in a document obtained by Bloomberg. Libya is an OPEC member that was allowed to increase production, exempt from the group's effort to reduce output to eliminate a global glut.
"Investors are likely looking at Libya for a potential reason for a rally in oil prices, but this shouldn't last too long," Barnabas Gan, an economist at Oversea-Chinese Banking Corp., said by phone from Singapore. "Global oil fundamentals have been improving ever since OPEC and its allies agreed for production cuts, and the demand story is still supporting prices."
The nations taking part in the supply curbs will announce the next steps once they have analyzed what a crude re-balancing will entail, according to Saudi Arabia's Al-Falih. "The framework beyond 2018 is yet to be determined, but for sure from the Saudi and from the OPEC standpoint, there is a determination to translate the success of 2017 and 2018," he said in New Delhi on Saturday.
In the U.S., the number of rigs targeting oil increased by one to 799, the longest streak of gains in eight months, according to Baker Hughes data Friday.
Other oil-market news:
Russia and Angola last month topped the list of crude suppliers to China, the world's second-biggest oil consumer. The total oil imports increased almost 20 percent from a year earlier to 40.64 million metric tons. Hedge funds reduced their WTI net-long position -- the difference between bets on a price increase and wagers on a drop -- for a fourth week in the period ended Feb. 20, said U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission data. The Brent net-long position dropped to the least bullish in about four months, according to ICE Futures Europe.
County Clerk Paulette Williams issued a sort of mea culpa recently after gross negligence was discovered in her office in the most recent audit, but it may not be enough to keep the county out of what could result in a class action lawsuit.
"There were mistakes made and I take the blame for it," Williams told the Dayton News/Cleveland Advocate in an interview.
"I knew there was a problem and I tried to fix it," she said.
A litany of errors was outlined by Assistant County Auditor Angela Maselli in the audit required by Local Government Code 115.0035. The internal audit covered the period between Feb. 1, 2017 to Aug. 31, 2017.
In the audit, Williams felt like she was mischaracterized.
She took particular issue with the definitions of gross incompetence and removal from office being included in the public arena with the audit.
"I didn't act in bad faith. To me an audit from an auditor should be about numbers, not a personal attack," Williams complained.
She also said that she wasn't motivated by threats, penalties, and consequences.
In her executive summary, Maselli laid out numerous errors and found that criminal court costs have not been updated since January 2010.
"The county clerk has not updated court costs in NetData since she took office in January 2011," the audit reads.
It also alleges criminal court costs provided by the Liberty County Clerk's office to the County Attorney's office were inaccurate and didn't align with the most current cost chart.
In some cases, the clerk's office was either overcharging or undercharging.
Defendants charged with misdemeanor criminal offenses were either charged unallowable fees, undercharged amounts of certain fees or overcharged amounts depending on the offense type.
Civil court costs were not properly allocated between fees retained by the county and fees submitted to the state comptroller. The County was retaining more of the fees than allowed and the state comptroller was receiving less than the required amounts.
Maselli also said the probate docket could not be produced using NetData software due to incomplete data entry beginning in May 2015 to present and OCA codes for probate case types were not reporting accurately due to incorrect codes assigned during data entry.
In one case, cash donated back to the county by jurors to send to various charities for a total amount of $783 was located in an unlocked file cabinet drawer unsecured and had been accumulating since Aug. 24, 2015.
That action alone violated multiple rules: the cash was left in an unsecured location for over a year; it was not deposited timely with the Treasurer's office (a minimum of five days); and a lack of training on what to do with the donations from the county treasurer.
The definitions were included to warn the clerk of the consequences of inaction.
The audit said Williams had failed to correct the court costs during three separate internal audits spanning from 2014 to present.
The state sets the fees and it is up to the county clerk's office to prepare the bill of cost. They take the fees and add them together and assess them.
Williams did admit she was notified by the state of the fee changes, but "more or less, I'm supposed to be watching out for it," she said.
"The Office of Court Administration put the charts online. I guess I was dumb or ignorant," she said. "I just didn't know. It had never been an issue before. I didn't know they were wrong."
Williams referred to a 2014 court ruling that stated the county clerk's office was to prepare the court costs.
"I don't know how long it was going on before I got here, but the county attorney's office did that. They would prepare the cost sheet with the numbers already put in it and they would give it to us and we would enter it into the system," Williams said, describing the process, but the numbers were wrong.
After the court ruling, Williams confessed she didn't have a clue.
"I told them I was sorry, I missed it. I'm ready to take the consequences," she said.
Williams said shortly after the ruling, she had a meeting with the county attorney at the time and tried to hammer out a solution. The county clerk said they left the office, each with things to do, but nothing ever changed.
"They kept putting the numbers on the court cost sheets and we kept putting them in," she said.
An email from the county attorney during that time said they needed to get things fixed, but Williams said nothing changed.
"I felt like I was in a rock and a hard place," she said. "I wasn't strong enough I guess to go into his office and tell him to stop putting another number on the sheets until we get this fixed."
Williams entered office in 2011 and it wasn't until 2014 that she realized that there was an issue.
"It wasn't a large amount of money, and after an audit by the Texas Comptroller's Office, they weren't overly concerned because we overpaid them," she said.
Williams said the changes have been made and she's working well with County Attorney Matthew Poston.
"It took Matthew to say 'Stop!' to his clerks and not to put another number on the sheets," she said.
With Poston cooperating and Maselli spear-heading and getting all the numbers together, the issue has finally been rectified.
Another issue was the software, NetData.
Williams said she was never trained in how to change the codes.
"It took Angela [Maselli] telling NetData to delete all of the codes and us starting over again," she said.
The clerk said there was as many as 60 pages of codes, most of which she said they never used. After Maselli worked with NetData, that was cut down to only six pages.
"No one had ever deleted any of the codes, our office just kept adding the new ones until it was just mind-boggling," she said.
The county clerk said they do so many things in that office that it's hard to make sure they're covering all of their bases all the time.
Williams flatly denied any fraud had taken place in the office and no criminal act done.
"There was no intent to overcharge anyone," she said. "I have nothing to hide. It looks like by the audit that we weren't trying to get anything changed, but I tried. We didn't get the result we wanted and that's why I'm glad Angela did what she did for us."
"I have to congratulate Angela because she was just determined enough, relentless enough in what she did, and she researched and worked up a plan. I do appreciate it. She did a fantastic job," Williams said.
The clerk said she only disagreed with the tone of the audit.
For anyone who might have thought that the Texas Workforce Solutions (TWS) only operated as employee services, they would be wrong.
That was only one of the educational presentations offered to leaders at the quarterly Liberty County Economic Summit hosted Feb. 16 at the Dayton Community Center.
More than 100 leaders, possibly the largest crowd since they began, listened to numerous reports from the county's major cities and met a local player new to the scene.
County Judge Jay Knight began the meeting announcing that they have been in talks with Railroad District No. 1, Gulf Inland, County Commissioner Greg Arthur, Sen. Robert Nichols, State Rep. Ernest Bailes, Congressman Brian Babin, representatives from the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) and some new friends to the group, Union Pacific and BNSF Railroad.
"We've had the opportunity to sit down with them and discuss growth potentials in the area of rail transportation and rail delivery. It's been very lucrative for everyone involved," the judge said. "The possibilities are endless for what it's going to do for not just Dayton, but the region."
Richard Zientek, the director of public affairs at Union Pacific, spoke briefly to the group.
"We appreciate this partnership and furthering the ongoing discussions we're having with those parties that were just mentioned," he said.
Zientek said he looked forward to attending more of these events and bringing along some of his colleagues to talk further about economic development from the perspective of Union Pacific.
"It's a great time to be in Texas. We're focused on our projects and things moving in Texas," he said.
Then city and county leaders listened to something that was relatively new and exciting for business owners.
Mark Noriega serves as a professional business manufacturing ambassador for the Texas Workforce Solutions.
"Our roles as ambassadors are newly created within the Workforce Solutions so this is a completely different role and aspect that you've seen," he said.
Most often they are seen as employee services, but Noriega said they were strictly employer services.
"We're here to assist with economic growth, job development, and provide our local businesses with the tools that will help make them more successful," Noriega said.
Some of those tools included helping business owners understand the local labor market, give them industry-specific guidance, help them attract and retain talent, offer recruitment strategies, assist with job fairs and hiring events and all the services are of no cost.
"Most people don't know that their tax dollars already pay for these services, so you might as well use them," he said.
Noriega also said the state gives a 50 percent reimbursement of the new hires hourly wages during the duration of training, up to 400 hours for employees that qualify. The average employer reimbursement is $3,000.
"What you do with that money is strictly up to you," he said. "You could put that straight to your bottom line and make some more profit, spruce up the break room or use it as incentive pay for your training managers."
Recruiters will source and prescreen candidates for employers based on job description and program guidelines. The employer may also qualify for additional tax incentives by employing target groups.
"The work opportunity tax credit is actually a tax incentive that most employers qualify for if they hire somebody out of a specific target group," he said.
In the second half of the summit, Tim Green of Coats Rose, P.C. discussed the various types of special districts that are available to developers who are interested in investing in the county.
Green has already worked with one client creating a TIRZ district in the Cleveland area and has been doing this sort of work for 37 years.
"I think it's Liberty County's turn," he told the crowd. "The first project I worked on was way out in the boonies in a little town with nothing but farms and was called Sugar Land."
He has also worked on projects in Katy and now The Woodlands and Conroe.
"It's a totally different world out there."
He's now working on projects in the Richmond/Rosenberg area and the Simonton area and speaks to groups regularly including students at the Bauer School of Business at the University of Houston on this particular topic.
Green began by showing a map of MUDS and other districts already created around the Houston area.
"All of that white vacant land in East Lake Houston, it's pretty much wide open. In the far right of that map is the boundary for Liberty County and the Grand Parkway at the top of this map," he described for onlookers.
"I will tell you without a doubt, that if you come back here in about 10, 15, 20, 25 years from now, that area will be completely developed," he said.
"That is reality and what has happened historically in Houston," Green said.
The demand for affordable housing will fill in the blank areas as the growth moves this direction.
Green also predicted that Houston would soon become the third largest city in the United States.
MUDs, or municipal utility districts, he said have enough residents in them already to be the equivalent of the fourth largest city in the US.
There are already 2,500-plus MUDs in the Houston area alone.
MUD is a political subdivision that is typically created over a relatively small piece of property, usually between 300-600 acres.
The MUDs are heavily regulated by the TCEQ and overseen by them, he said.
MUD districts cannot annex and when a person buys a home in the district, they are required to be told they are purchasing a home in a MUD.
"There's no chance of you ending up in a MUD without knowing about it," he said.
The MUD is created over vacant land and its jurisdiction is limited to its boundaries and provides water, sewer, drainage and roads.
Some, Green said, can collect a fee to provide supplemental police, fire, and EMS service.
"The state gave MUDs additional powers for deed restrictions. It was a way to enhance services at a very local level," he said.
Board members are elected by those inside the MUD and function under the same rules as the commissioner's court, school boards, etc.
"They function in a way much like a little city in that they are required to have open meetings, open records, avoid nepotism, bribery, and police powers," he said.
They can also issue bonds at 3.25 percent per annum with a fixed rate debt allowing developers savings on the interest and they can in turn use it for better landscaping, lower the price of the lots or homes.
Green also described another popular district, the TIRZ (Tax Incremental Reinvestment Zone) which allows extra money to be used as an incentive or directed toward the district for improvement.
"They assess instead of tax and typically funds water, sewer, drainage, and roads," he said.
The growth around the county continues to come. Encino Estates will have more than 300 lots ready by year's end. McKinley Developers have added two new warehouses and purchased 360 acres for future development. Kindle Homes has property and is building another 100 homes.
Dayton has completed their Comprehensive Plan for the future and is currently in the midst of a Revitalization Plan for the downtown area that is predicted to be one of the TIRZs in the county.
Construction to finish out the Grand Parkway is expected to begin this summer.
A group of 13 students from the Coldspring-Oakhurst CISD and Shepherd ISD FFA groups brought in nearly one ton of donated canned food at the Coldspring Texas Farm Bureau Office, all of which will be given to San Jacinto County's senior centers.
Texas Farm Bureau has hosted the food drive, known as the Battle of the FFAs, for the past four years to give a friendly competition between both FFA organizations that also contributes to a good cause.
Music for the Soul is a weekly toetapping, spirit-lifting concert series featuring a great selection of performing artists and an eclectic variety of musical styles.
Hosted by St. Andrew's Episcopal Church, the concerts are free and kicked off Wednesday, Feb. 21, in the church at 1819 Heights Boulevard.
Admission is free to these family-friendly performances at 6 p.m.
Donations to each artist's chosen charity will be gratefully accepted.
Scheduled performers include:
Feb. 28 - The Rev. James Dirkits
Supporting Trinity by the Sea Episcopal Church Rebuild Fund
With a lyric-driven, Americana rock sound, James released his debut album "Buffalo Roam" in 2016, and serves as rector in Port Aransas, Texas, where his parish was severely impacted by Hurricane Harvey.
March 7 - Patrice Pike
Supporting Step Onward Foundation
Combining rock and soul with a tinge of World Music influence, she has released five solo albums showcasing her powerful vocals and social consciousness since leaving the band Sister 7. She became the youngest member of the Austin/Texas Music Hall of Fame in 2007.
March 14 - Paul Hardwick and Ed Amash
Supporting Heights Interfaith Ministries Food Pantry
Interpreting long-time musical favorites and original songs with acoustic harmonies, Paul and Ed connected in the St. Andrew's choir where they found a common bond with music and guitar.
March 21 - Charlie & The Regrets
Supporting Lord of the Streets
With narrative songwriting backed by alt-country/Americana sound, the group blends the standout lap steel work of Willy T. with front man Charlie Harrison's original songs in a unique style.
They released an EP in 2015 and regularly perform across Texas and the Gulf Coast.
For more information on the concerts, visit www.saecheights.org or call 713-861-5596.
Staggering school bell schedules for elementary, junior high and high schools within the Katy Independent School District is the district's plan to help alleviate their critical shortage of bus drivers.
Katy ISD administrators made the proposal to the board of trustees following a district-wide transportation sustainability survey in January.
The change is needed to address the district's "growing bus driver shortage we are currently experiencing," said Lee Crews, the district's chief operations officer.
Katy ISD has one of the largest school bus fleets in Texas and district officials said they need about 35 more drivers to achieve their goals in transportation.
"We add routes every couple of weeks and we have a steady ebb and flow of bus drivers," said William Wood, the district's director of transportation."It is very difficult to achieve our organizational goal and be an excellent organization when we're down about 35 drivers."
Katy ISD currently operates under a schedule where elementary schools begin at 8:20 a.m. and end at 3:40 p.m. while junior high and high schools start at 7:25 a.m. and end at 2:35 p.m.
"We cannot continue to have roughly 40,000 kids dismissed at the same time the way we're doing it now," Katy ISD Superintendent Lance Hindt.
The proposed schedule will have high school bell schedules remain the same while the first bell at Katy ISD junior high schools at 8:45 a.m. and the last bell at 3:55 p.m. The district said elementary school bell schedules had to be broken into two groups - 8:20 a.m. to 3:40 p.m. and 8:30 a.m. to 3:40 p.m.
The transportation survey that helped guide the proposal was sent to about 98,000 parents, community members and Katy ISD staffers. Just over 19 thousand responded. More than 1,000 filled out a survey on the Katy ISD website.
District officials said Katy ISD is not unique in having a shortage of bus drivers.
"It seems when we have an improving economy, our retention rates does slow," he said.
The shortage of bus drivers means Katy ISD staffers like mechanics are being pressed into service to transport students to and from school.
"If our mechanics are driving two to four hours every day, who is fixing the buses? " Wood said.
The starting pay for Katy ISD bus drivers is $16.66 per hour - an amount district administrators said puts them in the "middle of the pack." The new plan will mean the more hours on the clock for them. Hindt said that's what the drivers want.
"It's not the pay. All the bus drivers have clearly told us they want more hours," Hindt said.
I have received the greatest e-mails in the last week on everything from mildew stains, cracked tile, stubborn stains on grout, to cleaning out a slow-running drain.
One e-mail got my attention immediately because it was labeled, "Trudy this did not work, and now I don't know what to do." Well once the dust cleared on my desk, I called my reader and asked her to explain to me how she used the drain cleaner. The first thing she said was that the tub was full of water, and after pouring a bottle of Drain Out in the tub, and waiting an hour, she said the water was still standing in the tub. She was so disappointed in the cleaner.
When you use a drain cleaner, it usually will not go through standing water. And if it says it will, just remember the acid that the drain cleaner is using will damage your drain fixture not to say what it will do to your sink. And if you have a man-made marble sink it will ruin it. If you have standing water in the sink or tub, remove it by using a plunger and getting it down the drain. If you can't clear the water with a plunger, use a shop vac and vacuum it out.
Once the sink is dry, pour your drain cleaner directly into the drain. If you are worried that you might get some on your fixtures, use a funnel to bypass any drain fixture. If you come into our store in San Antonio, you would be advised to purchase a Zip-It along with your drain cleaner. Use the Zip-It first. It's a plastic tool about 20 inches long that has barbs all the way down the tool. Slip the Zip-It down the drain; you don't have to remove the drain, the Zip- It will maneuver around it and slip down the drain. Then pull it back up.
If you have hair clogging the drain, it will come up with the tool. Warning, it might look gross. And that's it. Many times the Zip-It is all you need. But if the drain still is clogged, then finish with Drain Out. Drain Out makes a formula for bath and a separate formula for the kitchen.
I love hearing from you. Tell me what's going on, and if something is not working, we can figure it out together. Share with me if something worked even better than you thought. Sharing these experiences is helpful for everyone! It's what the article is all about.
Now to the email
Question: I have a rosewood chair, purchased in Southeast Asia over 20 years ago. One leg is loose. All the parts seemed to be glued together; there are no screws anywhere. What glue should I use to secure the leg to the seat of the chair? I didn't see anything in your last article about glue.
Answer: Use Wonder Lokem Tite Chairs to glue that chair back together. Wonder Lokem is the glue that has a needle nose attached that allows you to drop the glue down into the joints of the chair. You won't have to take the chair apart, just apply the glue to the joint and clamp it to hold it together until it dries. The small applicator and the thinness of the glue allows you to repair the chair without disassembling it. It has 4000psi of holding power. Not only will Tite Chairs work on furniture but it also works on many other surfaces, any place you would normally use super glue.
Question: Do you recommend a method or product to clean the aluminum window frames of my 20-year-old townhouse?
Answer: This is a great question! Clean the frames first with soap and water or just wipe them clean removing all dust and dirt. Then you want to use a metal polish that specifically mentions that it will clean aluminum. There are several to choose from Flitz, All Gleam, and Noxon are a few. My brother-in-law who does a radio show with me every Saturday on WOAI, says it will make your windows look much better. He says his favorite is Noxon. And he should know, because his business is windows and doors. Good luck with your project!
If you cannot find the products mentioned here locally, you can find them at www.happyhandyman.com. Click on Shop Johnnie's Favorites, or call the store at 210-341-1573. Email happyhandyman2@yahoo.com. Mail can be sent to Johnnie Chuoke's Home and Hardware, 2361 NW Military, San Antonio, TX 78231.
Three Texas cases will be featured in the upcoming season of HLN's "Death Row Stories," a true crime documentary series.
Over the course of eight one-hour episodes, the show explores the "fallibility of the ultimate criminal penalty," according to a press release. Narrated by actress Susan Sarandon, it features stories of current and former death row prisoners, including a number of well-known Texas cases.
The second episode, set to air on March 25, focuses on Hank Skinner, a Panhandle man convicted of battering his lover with an ax handle and stabbing her adult sons during a New Year's Eve rampage. He's long maintained his innocence throughout more than 20 years of appeals as he has fought for DNA testing relating to the Pampa killings of Twila Busby and her sons, Randy and Elwin.
The following week's episode, titled "Love Kills," features the case of Rodney Reed, who was convicted of killing 19-year-old Stacey Stites in Bastrop County in 1996. Previously, questions about his guilt were featured on A&E's "Dead Again."
READ MORE: Anthony Graves turns jailhouse writing into book, 'Infinite Hope'
Then on May 13, the show delves into the story of exoneree Anthony Graves, a Brenham man wrongfully convicted of murdering a family of six. Eventually, his co-defendant recanted and a federal appeals court set aside his conviction and sentence.
In 2010, he was released from prison and in 2015 the district attorney who put him on death row was disbarred. This year, Graves - who now lives in the Houston area - released a book detailing the experience.
This isn't the first time Texas cases have featured prominently in the show.
In 2015, the "Death Row Stories" featured the story of female death row inmate Darlie Routier, who has protested her innocence ever since she was convicted in the 1996 killings of her sons.
The case of Ruben Cantu, a man executed despite questions about his conviction, was also featured in a past season. Chronicle investigative reporter Lise Olsen raised questions about the case back in 2005, more than a decade after Cantu's execution. The lone eyewitness later recanted, police never interviewed alibi witnesses, and police reports in the case had unexplained omissions and irregularities, Olsen found.
"We did the best we could with the information we had, but with a little extra work, a little extra effort, maybe we'd have gotten the right information," said Miriam Ward, a former juror in the Bexar County case, told the Chronicle. "The bottom line is, an innocent person was put to death for it. We all have our finger in that."
The Supreme Court on Monday declined to hear a fast-tracked challenge brought by President Donald Trump's administration to a federal ruling allowing a program for young immigrants who came here illegally to continue -- for now.
Known as Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, it was enacted by President Barack Obama in 2012 and granted provisional work permits and protection from deportation to about 700,000 youth, including 124,000 in Texas.
Many Republicans assailed it as an executive overreach, and Trump campaigned on ending it. He repealed it in September, giving Congress until March to come up with a permanent legislative fix for so-called Dreamers in exchange for tougher limits on other forms of immigration.
SEE MORE: Dreamer immigrants caught in middle of debate over reform
EXPLAINER: Why can't immigrants here illegally just apply for citizenship?
The issue has roiled Capitol Hill for months. Democrats briefly forced a government shutdown over it in January, which ended after Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell promised a debate on the matter. But the Senate failed this month to pass any of the four immigration bills put to the floor.
Many advocates blamed the White House for issuing a veto threat during the debate against a bipartisan bill that some said stood the best chance of gaining the needed 60 votes.
Now, with Congress at an impasse, the fate of Dreamers dangles in the air.
The program is set to expire on March 5, but two federal courts in California and New York have issued an injunction against terminating it, allowing those young immigrants who already have such permits to keep applying for renewals. The Supreme Court declined Monday to take up an expedited challenge of the California case.
But no new applicants are eligible.
The courts will rule in the next several months on whether the Trump administration violated an administrative procedure in repealing the program.
Yet even if the program is allowed to continue, it will only exist for those original recipients.
If Congress does want to protect all such young immigrants, as Trump has said he does, calling them "good people ... people that should be able to stay in this country," lawmakers will have to come up with a solution.
Or, Trump will have to issue an executive order on the matter, which is exactly what he lambasted Obama for doing.
If not, thousands of young immigrants whose parents brought them here as children will soon be eligible for deportation and unable to work.
It's all very confusing, so here's a brief primer:
What happens on March 5?
Basically, nothing.
Trump told Congress to come up with a DACA fix by this date, or young immigrants would start losing their two-year permits as they expire.
But because of the two court rulings allowing the program to continue, all of the 700,000 young immigrants who previously had the permits can keep applying to renew their permission.
But no new applicants, young immigrants who turned 16 after September making them eligible for the program or others who didn't yet have the required high school certification, can apply. That puts them at risk of deportation and leaves them unable to legally work.
What are the two court rulings about?
Two federal judges, in California and New York, have ruled the administration violated the Administrative Procedure Act by ending it in an "arbitrary and capricious matter," meaning the agencies didn't give adequate and accurate reasons for the decision to end DACA, according to Josh Rosenthal, an attorney with the National Immigration Law Center, a national nonprofit that represents immigrant plaintiffs in the New York case.
Interestingly, it's similar to one of the main complaints Republicans, led by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, had against another of Obama's immigration programs, known as Deferred Action for Parents of Americans.
SEE: Supreme Court to hear Texas' challenge to DAPA
That program, based on a similar legal concept as DACA, would have granted temporary work permits and protection from deportation to roughly four million immigrants here illegally.
RELATED: Beatles' John Lennon and the concept of deferred action
But led by Texas, Republican attorneys general argued in part that the Obama administration violated the Administrative Procedure Act in announcing the program by not allowing public comment on the matter.
A Texas federal judge blocked the program in 2015 and the Supreme Court in 2016 split 4-4 on leaving the ban in place.
What happens next on DACA?
It's all up to the courts, unless Congress acts on the matter soon. That seems increasingly unlikely, given the division over immigration and the ticking clock to the midterm elections. About a dozen Senate races are contested, which could give Democrats a majority in the chamber. Both parties use immigration as a wedge issue to rally their base.
But any decision by the courts would still only apply to the 700,000 current DACA recipients. That's why a permanent solution protecting such young immigrants, which polls show most Americans support, will ultimately depend on Congress.
Across the nation, current DACA recipients contribute a net $3.4 billion to the U.S. treasury annually, according to a study last month by the American Action Forum, a Washington D.C. nonprofit.
In Houston, where about 70,000 immigrant youth have the DACA permit, they contribute $2 billion in economic activity every year, and about $6 billion in the state, according to a study by the Migration Policy Institute, another Washington think tank.
RELATED: Houston Dreamers in health care despair about DACA debate
Hispanic chamber urges permanent DACA solution
But those opposed to solutions for such young immigrants, including Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, a Cuban immigrant born in Canada, argue any sort of what they call "amnesty" for people who have violated the law by coming here illegally is wrong.
SEE: Ted Cruz cast lone vote against advancing 'Dreamer' legislation
After Hurricane Harvey's flooding exposed glaring inadequacies in the Houston Fire Department's high-water rescue fleet, city officials this week are set to consider the purchase of dozens of new boats, trucks and other rescue equipment to help deal with future flooding.
Under the proposal set for council consideration, the city would spend $2 million on a package that would include six "deuce-and-a-halfs," or high water rescue vehicles capable of driving through flooded areas, at a cost of $75,000 each.
The council proposal also includes buying four rescue boats suited for use in swift water, and 10 "evacuation boats," meant for moving people through calmer waters.
The funding also covers the purchase of boat trailers and 10 pick-up trucks for hauling the boats, along with 100 personal flotation devices, and four "wave runners," a type of Jetski.
Fire officials and labor representatives cheered the proposal to bulk up HFD's rescue equipment.
"With the acquisition of the requested high water assets and training funds, the HFD will be better prepared to address the normally expected flood evacuation and rescue risk in our community," said Fire Chief Samuel Pena in an email.
"This is welcome news," said Marty Lancton, president of the Houston Professional Fire Fighters Association Local 341, on hearing of the proposed purchase. "We're relieved this issue is being addressed for the safety of the people we serve and for firefighters on the job."
RELATED: Harvey laid bare lack of resources, training at Houston Fire Department
A Chronicle investigation found that when Hurricane Harvey hit Houston in August 2017, the fire department had just one high-water rescue vehicle, decrepit rescue boats and decades-old evacuation boats.
Firefighters rescued residents using the city's dump trucks or their fire engines, which cost hundreds of thousands of dollars a piece. At the time the department's high-water rescue fleet included 10 shallow-water evacuation boats, six swift-water Zodiac rescue boats, several inflatable dinghies, four functional wave runners.
Pena: Lack of HFD investment puts residents, firefighters at risk
In the wake of the flooding, Pena said Hurricane Harvey had shown how anemic the department's flood rescue resources were.
"No municipality is ever going to have the number of resources to be able to respond to a catastrophic incident the size of Harvey," he told the Chronicle in September. "But ... we don't have the adequate resources to address even the expected risk in this community."
As Harvey's floodwaters receded, firefighters excoriated city leaders for ignoring warnings about the need for better equipment and training after the Memorial Day flood of 2015 and the 2016 Tax Day floods.
MORE: Donations help Houston Fire Department expand rescue fleet months after Harvey
Apart from the items covered in the council's proposal, HFD has also received private donations and pledges of three additional high-water rescue vehicles, six evacuation boats and two swift-water rescue boats.
The proposed city purchases would help double the number of swift-water and evacuation boats. Pena said he wanted enough resources to be able to station high-water rescue trucks across the city.
St. John Barned-Smith covers public safety and major breaking news for the Houston Chronicle. Follow him on Twitter and Facebook. Send tips to st.john.smith@chron.com.
The Supreme Court on Monday turned down a legal claim over the secrecy surrounding Texas' lethal injection practices and the possibility that aging death drugs could cause suffering.
"Texas' current drug supply is so old, using it to carry out executions amounts to scientific experimentation, on human beings," said Maurie Levin, one of the attorneys representing prisoners in the case. "Unfortunately, I expect we will see increasingly problematic executions which will only highlight, again, the consequences of Texas' commitment to secrecy above all else."
The move comes weeks after attorneys in a separate case came forward with claims of botched executions in which the prisoners allegedly seemed to suffer.
The Texas Department of Criminal Justice pushed back against those claims at the time, and spokesman Jeremy Desel reiterated those objections Monday.
"Compounded pentobarbital has been used by the TDCJ for many years without incident," he said. "The drugs are tested for potency and purity."
Attorneys originally filed the lethal injection suit in 2013, just weeks after the state began using compounded pentobarbital as its death drug of choice. The claim initially included three death row prisoners as plaintiffs, though one has since been executed. Another, Thomas "Bart" Whitaker, was granted clemency on Thursday, minutes before his scheduled execution.
NOT APPROVED: Injection drugs at center of Texas lawsuit expired
But the day after the governor spared Whitaker, the Supreme Court discussed whether to take up the case. On Monday morning, the justices turned it down without comment.
The long-lived legal claim initially centered around the state's then-new protocol. At first, a trial court dismissed the case because none of the three plaintiffs had an execution date set, so the dispute was not "ripe," according to court documents. An appellate court later reversed that, and the prisoners revised their complaint to focus on an alleged lack of safeguards - including drug testing and adherence to beyond use dates - and refusal to release certain information about the protocols.
After what the prisoners' lawyers describe as "limited" discovery, Texas agreed to do more testing before the men's executions and a court eventually dismissed the case, citing a two-year statute of limitations. Though the suit was filed far less than two years after the state changed its protocol, lawyers wrangled over whether that was the appropriate start date.
But ultimately a higher court agreed with that dismissal, and now the Supreme Court has declined to take it up.
NECESSARILY DESTROYED: FDA will not give seized execution drugs back to Texas
Nearly five years after the case was first filed, just one of the men Perry Williams is still on Texas death row.
The court's decision not to take up the case comes on the heels of another failed legal claim surrounding lethal injection practices.
At the start of the month, hours before Dallas prisoner John Battaglia's execution, Levin along with defense attorneys Greg Gardner and Patrick McCann - filed last-minute paperwork alleging the prior two executions had been botched when the state used too-old drugs.
Two days earlier, witnesses said another executed Dallas prisoner, William Rayford, appeared to be jerking in pain as he died. And in January, Houston-area serial killer Anthony Shore said the drug burned, just before he slipped out of consciousness.
Lawyers for Battaglia claimed that the apparent suffering may have stemmed from a practice of extending expiration dates.
"We're starting to see the impact of the use of old drugs we saw that in the executions of Rayford and Shore," Levin said Monday. "And they're only getting older so issues of accountability and transparency neither of which Texas appears interested in will only increase over time."
A man fatally shot someone who he said was breaking into his northwest Houston business Monday.
The business owner told police that he was sleeping at the business, in the 6100 block of Pinemont near Fairbanks, Sunday night and said he said woke up to the sound of someone breaking in.
Police are still looking for an 84-year-old North Texas man who has been missing since Wednesday.
James Booth left home for an appointment Wednesday morning and never showed up, according to police in North Richland Hills, a suburb of Fort Worth.
Houston's municipal courts launched a program Monday to discount fines on certain types of low-level misdemeanors, an initiative intended to help resolve outstanding cases.
Defendants and attorneys can apply for the so-called amnesty program by phone, mail or in-person through March 16.
"After Hurricane Harvey, we've all been through a lot and there are many of us who are still rebuilding our lives. Municipal Courts staff can help you have one less thing to worry about," Judge J. Elaine Marshall, director and presiding judge of the city's Municipal Courts Department, said in a statement. "Hopefully, this amnesty program will be the answer for those who haven't been able to pay their cases before now."
Despite the program's name, however, participation results in a conviction for the charge or charges in question, municipal courts spokeswoman Gwendolyn Goins said.
"This is a cost savings opportunity, and not a program that will dismiss the underlying or original case," Goins said in an email.
Goins declined to provide a list of offense categories eligible for fine reductions. Defendants in custody are not eligible, nor are those cited for the following: parking citations, administrative violations, bond forfeitures or civil cases.
Those interested in the program should call 311 or (713) 837-0311.
Defendants with open arrest warrants who appear in person to resolve delinquent cases will not be arrested, according to the city's press release.
AUSTIN -- Democratic gubernatorial candidate Andrew White on Monday called for Republican Gov. Greg Abbott to call the Legislature into a special session to pass new restrictions on the purchase of a variety of weapons and gun gear to better protect Texans.
"I call B.S. on Gov. Abbott" for continuing to support the National Rifle Associations' stance that new restrictions on gun purchases will not make for safer schools and communities, White said. "You can support the Second Amendment and also support common-sense gun safety legislation."
Abbott's campaign had no immediate reaction to White's remarks. Instead, officials said he joined several dozen other Republican governors in Washington for an approximately 45-minute meeting Monday with President Trump to discuss school safety in the wake of a South Florida shooting rampage that left 17 dead.
White, a 45-year-old Houston entrepreneur, is running against eight other Democrats in the March 6 primary, seeking the party nomination to face Abbott in the November general election.
He earlier endorsed universal background checks for gun purchasers, and reiterated on Monday his support for the Second Amendment but said he thinks some additional restrictions are appropriate. He said he owns several rifles and shotguns as a sportsman.
Among them: Raise the age at which Texans can buy rifles from 18 to 21, with an exception for active-duty military; ban the sale of bump stocks that can make a traditional weapon fire rapidly, limit sales of large-capacity ammunition magazines to allow for perhaps just 5-10 rounds before a shooter has to reload, and allowing a court to take custody of guns from accused domestic abusers until their case is resolved.
He does not support confiscation of weapons and gear currently in the hands of gun owners.
Later, in a statement, White's primary rival Lupe Valdez said she supports a "comprehensive approach to gun violence, instead of a reactive approach." Valdez, the former Dallas County sheriff, had earlier supported for universal background checks and a ban on high-capacity ammunition magazines.
Flanked in Austin by members of Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America, a grassroots group lobbying for new restrictions on gun sales, White said Abbott appears to be protecting his "A" rating with the NRA, at a time "when I would not matter if it went from an A to a B-minus."
He noted that Abbott called a special legislative session last summer in an unsuccessful bid to pass the highly controversial bathroom bill among other items, said a special session is warranted now to better protect Texas' five million school students in the wake of the Florida shooting.
Since the Florida tragedy, Abbott has called for a top-to-bottom review of school safety procedures statewide but has not endorsed new gun-purchase limitations.
White said that is a mistake. "We can't wait until 2019 for that to happen," he said. "Texas can do better."
Nicole Golden, an Austin volunteer leader with Moms Demand Action, which last week picketed an Abbott campaign event in Houston, said their presence Monday with White was not an endorsement of candidacy, but was rather a prelude to a meeting where they planned to asked him detailed questions about position.
San Antonio resident Elva Mendoza, the state legislative lead volunteer for the group, said the group is working to support politicians who support its goals and is pushing to throw the ones who do not out of office.
"This is about doing the right thing," White said about his stance on guns, acknowledging that it may not be popular among Republican officials who have eschewed gun-purchase restrictions in the past.
"This is about doing the right thing," he said.
With just a week to go before polls open for Texas' primary elections -- early voting started last week -- Valdez and White have emerged in polls as the apparent front-runners in the crowded field of nine Democrats seeking the nomination to face Abbott in November.
On Monday, U.S. Rep. Joaquin Castro endorsed Valdez. In a statement, Castro said he was "proud to endorse Sheriff Lupe Valdez for Texas governor, because I know she will always stand up for us."
Castro, a former Texas House member who has served Congressional District 20 since 2013, was mentioned as a potential candidate for governor as well as a candidate for Senate against incumbent Republican Ted Cruz. He opted to stay put for now.
Texas' whooping crane population largely will be insulated from President Donald Trump's proposal to ax the endangered birds' breeding program -- for now, at least.
Earlier this month, Trump released his budget proposal for the 2019 fiscal year that begins Oct. 1, which would slash a number of programs designed to prevent the extinction of species, such as the $1.5 million Patuxent whooping crane breeding program.
"Trump's budget would be a staggering death-blow to some wildlife species that are already trying to fight off extinction," said Stephanie Kurose, endangered species policy specialist at the Center for Biological Diversity.
RELATED STORY: Winter Texans: Whooping cranes come home for the holidays.
Whooping cranes have been on the endangered species list since 1967, but the population began dwindling decades earlier because of overhunting and conversion of the Great Plains to agriculture.
So in 1966, scientists at the Maryland-based Patuxent Wildlife Research Center began a captive breeding program to increase the numbers -- the very breeding program that is now on the chopping block.
Lucky for Texas, the flock that travels 2,600 miles to the Aransas National Wildlife Refuge from Canada every winter is the largest of four North American flocks and the only one that is self sustaining, Kurose said.
That means Texas' flock -- last winter the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service estimated it was 431 strong, up from 254 during the 2011-2012 winter -- does not depend on Patuxent's captive bred cranes to continue to exist. The flock that migrates to Texas hatches 30 to 40 chicks each year, she said.
However, a single catastrophic event, such as a hurricane, disease or chemical spill, could decimate them, Kurose said.
"So, creating other wild populations is pretty essential as a backstop to extinction," she said. "Trump's proposal makes it difficult to do that."
Fish and Wildlife Service officials could not be reached for comment.
Though these majestic cranes have had federal protection under the Endangered Species Act for almost 50 years, Kurose said the other three flocks have had difficulty keeping their chicks alive. That's why the breeding program is essential for their continued existence.
The captive birds in Patuxent produce about 29-35 chicks each year, she added.
The additional endangered species threatened under the Trump budget:
North Atlantic right whale
the Florida grasshopper sparrow
the laurel dace (a small fish that lives in Tennessee's Cumberland Mountains)
the Puerto Rican parrot
a tree in Hawaii called the Koki'o
the Oahu tree snail
the spring-run chinook salmon of the upper Columbia River.
Trump's budget proposal still must be approved by Congress.
Alex Stuckey covers science and the environment for the Houston Chronicle. You can reach her at alex.stuckey@chron.com or Twitter.com/alexdstuckey.
As the uses of Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology expand into every industry, companies like yours might be looking to hire experienced AI and, more specifically, machine learning (ML) talent from a small pool of available candidates stateside. But how can you find, entice, and recruit ML talent when youre competing with major tech giants like Google, Amazon, and Microsoft? The answer lies in getting creative with your recruitment and hiring strategies.
Adjust recruitment strategies based on experience
The first thing to know when reevaluating recruitment strategies for high-end machine learning (ML) or other AI roles is that you'll need to adapt strategies based on the experience level you're looking for. What works for a Jr. ML Engineer won't work for recruiting Sr. AI Researcher. To access the talent you're looking to hire, you need to go where they'll be found.
For more junior-level roles, universities, hackathons, and specialized training programs are great sources of professionals that are versed in the latest tech that can help build out your AI/ML department, and then transition into senior-level roles. For more senior or experienced roles, qualified applicants are most commonly found through network connections, academic papers, and academic conferences. Understanding the need to adapt your recruitment and hiring strategies based on the level of experience you're looking for will set you up for greater success when it comes to attracting and retaining the professionals you need.
Provide opportunities that motivate talent to switch jobs
Just how hard is it to net the machine learning professionals you need? According to recent findings by Paysa, Amazon's average annual investment in AI and machine learning hiring is $227.8 million, with the next major competitor being Google with an annual investment of $130.1 million. But the good news is you dont have to have a similar budget to net the experts you need. You just need to know what motivates talent, so you can provide the opportunities that entice high-end, in-demand talent to switch jobs.
When it comes to in-demand ML talent, their motivations boil down to the following: intellectually challenging opportunities, competitive compensation and resources, location, brand recognition, diversity of problems, the impact of their work, and the quality of the team. The average salary range for Machine Learning Engineers and ML Scientists is $125,000 to $175,000, according to Mondos 2018 Salary Guide. While these salary ranges are on the higher end of the spectrum, you don't have to net the same revenue as Amazon or Google to offer a competitive compensation plan. Instead, you can look at your annual budget for your Tech department and see where you might be able to pull some funds together to offer a competitive rate after considering the ROI this role provides.
If you can't afford to pay a salary in this range, look into long-term incentives you might be able to offer as an alternative. For example, consider incorporating remote work flexibility if you're located in an area that has a hard time recruiting top ML Engineers. Analyzing and providing these incentives will help you recruit machine learning talent that would otherwise be out of reach.
Know how to sell the opportunity
When it comes down to it, qualified ML talent accepts job offers and pursues job opportunities at major Tech leaders like Google or Microsoft because of their brand recognition. Accepting an opportunity at one of these businesses, especially in one of their more experimental departments like AI or machine learning, means theyll have access to the top tech available, be able to collaborate with leaders in the space, and have a fair amount of autonomy.
Employers like Google dont have to do the extra work of selling candidates on the role because their brand exposure does it for them. While your business may not be an instantly recognizable brand, learning how to sell the job opportunity can be an extremely effective hiring strategy to net in-demand professionals. Identify what your company provides that competitors might not be able to and communicate this during the interview. If your business routinely hires from within, encourages autonomous work among the Tech team, or invests in various skills development opportunities for employees, let potential candidates know.
Not everyone thrives in environments at large Tech companies. Expressing the differentiators between your business and leaders like Apple in what youre able to provide, whether thats with work environments or internal growth opportunities, could help sway talent to accept your offer instead.
Partner with universities
As referenced previously for more junior-level roles, partner with a university and funding or supporting a school project can open up a machine learning talent pipeline that leads to paid internships and post-graduate employment. Given the short supply of in-demand AI-based talent, some companies have found this to be an incredibly effective tactic to recruit machine learning talent directly from the source.
If you decide to go down this route be sure to fully flesh out the project you plan to pitch to the schools, you have in mind. Given the success of this strategy for a variety of companies looking to recruit machine learning talent directly, these types of partnership programs have become more popular. Meaning you'll need to develop an exciting project and clearly articulate the benefits of it to attract interested students.
These are just a few of the recruitment and hiring strategies Ive seen at work in the marketplace that offer your business the best odds of recruiting in-demand ML talent. However, given the extremely limited pool of high-end, experienced candidates to choose from, another option is to outsource to an external recruitment agency. Ultimately, it comes down to what works best for your business. Experiment with these strategies, compare your results, and adapt when necessary. The machine learning talent youre looking for is out there; these in-demand experts simply require a little more creativity when it comes to recruiting.
In the aftermath of the horrific shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, political debate has focused almost exclusively on the role of guns in American society. Largely ignored is the question of what role Broward Countys overhauled approach to school safety played in the total system failure leading up to the massacre, in which authorities took no action on repeated warnings about the eventual shooter.
In an effort to combat the school to prison pipeline, schools across the country have come under pressure from the federal government and civil rights activists to reduce suspensions, expulsions, and in-school arrests. The unintended consequences of pressuring schools to produce ever-lower discipline statistics deserve much more examination.
Floridas Broward County, home to Marjory Stoneman Douglas High, was among the leaders in this nationwide policy shift. According to Washington Post reporting, Broward County schools once recorded more in-school arrests than any other Florida district. But in 2013, the school board and the sheriffs office agreed on a new policy to discontinue police referrals for a dozen infractions ranging from drug use to assault. The number of school-based arrests plummeted by 63 percent from 2012 to 2016. The Obama administration lauded Browards reforms, and in 2015 invited the districts superintendent to the White House for an event, Rethink Discipline, that would highlight the success of Broward and other localities success in transforming policies and school climate.
Confessed killer Nikolas Cruz, a notorious and emotionally disturbed student, was suspended from Stoneman Douglas High. He was even expelled for bringing weapons to school. Yet he was never arrested before the shooting. In a county less devoted to undoing school disciplinary policies, perhaps Cruz would have been arrested for one of his many violent or threatening incidents. When Cruz got into a fight in September of 2016, he was referred to social workers rather than to the police. When he allegedly assaulted a student in January 2017, it triggered a school-based threat assessmentbut no police involvement. The Washington Post notes that Cruz was well-known to school and mental health authorities and was entrenched in the process for getting students help rather than referring them to law enforcement.
Would an arrest record have changed the judgment of the FBI agents who ignored the tip that Cruz wanted to kill his classmates? Certainly Cruz could not have legally purchased a gun if the 2016 social-services investigation determined that he was a threat to himself and others. That year, according to the Washington Post, the sheriffs office was informed that Cruz planned to shoot up the school. The office determined that Cruz had knives and a BB gun and sent this information to the school resource officer (presumably the now-infamous Scot Peterson). Its unclear whether Peterson investigated; if he did, neither he nor anyone else evidently filed a report. When social services approached Peterson in its investigation of Cruz, the officer refused to share any information . . . regarding [an] incident that took place. Peterson and his colleagues appear to have been under pressure to post lower statistics on school-safety problems. This climate of disengagement could have allowed Cruz to slip through the cracks in the system.
CNNs Jake Tapper pressed Broward County Sheriff Scott Israel about what role the new policies might have played in the countys failure to respond to the many red flags that Cruzs behavior had raised. Were there not incidents committed by the shooter as a student, Tapper asked, had this new policy not been in place that otherwise he would have been arrested for and not able to legally buy a gun? The sheriff praised the program. Its an excellent program, he said. Its helping many, many people. What this program does is not put a person at 14, 15, 16 years old into the criminal justice system. The police, he said, cant be faulted here because theres no malfeasance or misfeasance if you dont know about something.
Perhaps not. But the explicit aim of Browards new approach to school safety was to keep students like Cruz off the polices radar. If the Sheriffs department didnt know about his deeply troubling behavior, perhaps it was because they were no longer supposed to know about it.
Reporters should dig deeper into the implementation of a policy that prevented school officials from contacting the police, even when common sense would call for it, as it surely did in Cruzs case. There remain more questions than answers at this point, but we owe the families of Cruzs 17 victims better than another scripted culture war, with each side voicing the usual talking points. Hundreds of school districts, serving millions of students across the country, have followed Broward Countys dubious lead on school safety. Parents across the country need more answers about how this could happen, so lets start asking the questions now.
Photo by Pool/Getty Images
In Lower New York Bay, five miles south of Manhattan, sits a chunk of America known as Staten Island, the forgotten borough of New York City. Properly named Richmond County, Staten Island has become New Yorker shorthand for an out-of-the-way, irrelevant place: the obscure, un-hip home of the worlds largest garbage dump, which is to be turned into a park. A half-hour ferry ride remains the quickest route to New York Citys business district from the borough, which has no subways. Alternatively, one can drive to Manhattan over a series of bridges and tunnels, via the Gowanus Expressway, one of the nations most reviled and decrepit stretches of highway.
For residents, though, the stereotypes are as false as they are uncharitable. To them, Staten Island offers pleasant neighborhoods, with plenty of parks and beaches. Civic organizations enhance a rich community life, replete with parades, church pancake breakfasts, and cross-generational local activities. Schools are good; streets are safe. Many complain about overdevelopment, but Staten Island is much less thickly settled than the rest of Gotham, offering middle-class families a chance to buy homes with lawns and driveways. Though Staten Islanders pay a higher effective property-tax rate than many other New Yorkers, their taxes remain lower than those in comparable areas of Nassau County or New Jersey.
Staten Island has long represented conservative values traditionally associated with suburban rather than urban polities, and it has served as a political and cultural counterweight to the far-left excesses of New Yorks other boroughs, especially Manhattan and the Bronx. With the completion of the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge in 1964, Staten Island was joined to Bay Ridge, Brooklyn, and a veritable land rush followed, with a largely white-ethnic exodus into the previously remote borough. Staten Island has largely retained its political complexion since then, the quintessential outer borough, even as Brooklyn and Queens have undergone radical transformations.
Statistically, Staten Island is an anomaly in New York City. More than half of the adult population is married, compared with less than 40 percent throughout the city as a whole. Fewer than 15 percent of Staten Island households are nonfamily, whereas upward of 40 percent of households citywide are so characterized. The citywide rate of unmarried births is almost double the rate on Staten Island.
Staten Islands demographics distinguish it from the other boroughs in further ways. New York City as a whole is 32.5 percent white non-Hispanic, but whitesstill mostly of Irish and Italian descentconstitute 62.8 percent of Staten Islands population. Ten percent of all NYPD officers live on Staten Islanda remarkably high number, considering that only 58 percent of NYPD cops live in the city. On Staten Island, owners account for 70.5 percent of occupied housing units, versus only 32 percent in New York as a whole.
The boroughs north shore, which includes the ferry terminal, resembles the rest of New York City, with concentrations of black, Latino, and Asian New Yorkers. Staten Island becomes most distinctive in its southern two-thirds, below the Staten Island Expressway, which local wags sometimes call the Mason-Dixon Line. The fabled south shore, where even today more than 75 percent of residents report Italian ancestry, remains the region that defines Staten Island in popular imagination.
The 2016 presidential election typified Staten Islands political identitythe borough bucked the rest of New Yorks blue tide and turned out substantially for Donald Trump. New York Citys red state finally got its revenge, Gersh Kuntzman wrote in the Daily News, casting the borough as insular and ignoranta common media habit. This island is not only surrounded by water, but it appears at times to be completely cut off from facts, too.
The rest of New York City voted overwhelmingly for Hillary Clinton in the 2016 race. Citywide, she won 79 percent of the vote. In Manhattan, where she took 87 percent of the ballots, she won every electoral district except a tiny sliver of midtown, where only 14 people voted. Trump won less than 10 percent of the vote in the Bronx, and he did miserably in his home borough of Queens, too, where Clinton bested him by more than 50 percentage points. But on Staten Island, Trump took 57 percent of the vote. In the 62nd assembly districton the boroughs south shoreTrump won almost 75 percent of the more than 50,000 votes cast, making it the most pro-Trump district in all of New York State. In fact, virtually no lower-house legislative district in the Northeast went so strongly for Trump. Even in Ohiowhere Trump won by eight pointsonly one legislative district put up stronger numbers for Trump than the south shore: the 84th House district, the states largest agricultural producer, voted 80.6 percent for Trump. In rural Pennsylvania, a handful of state assembly districts gave Trump comparable numbersthe 66th assembly district, for instance, which borders the Allegheny National Forest and where the largest city is Punxsutawney, population less than 6,000. By contrast, Staten Islands south shore is part of the nations largest metropolis, has a median household income over $90,000, and boasts higher education levels than New York State as a whole. Staten Island is a rock-ribbed Republican redoubt in a sea of blue.
The boroughs conservatism has often played a crucial role in the citys political fate. In 1993, Mayor David Dinkins ran for a second term against Rudy Giuliani, whom he had narrowly defeated in 1989. New York City was facing serious challenges. Crime peaked during Dinkinss first term, and the city was seeing close to 2,000 murders annually, with incidents of rape on the rise. The national recession of 199091 was still hobbling New Yorks economy, and unemployment had soared from 6.7 percent in 1989 to 11.1 percent in 1992. The 1991 Crown Heights riotswhen mobs of blacks attacked residents of a Jewish neighborhood for three days following a car accident that killed a black childleft many New Yorkers with the impression that Dinkins had let the mayhem continue out of racial solidarity with the rioters.
During this period, a secession movement caught on among Staten Islanders, aggrieved about the 1990 doubling of the round-trip fare for the Staten Island Ferry to 50 cents and about the citys refusal to close the Fresh Kills dumpthe first landfill in the United States, which would become the largest man-made structure on earth. In the infamous Syringe Tide of 1987 and 1988, medical waste from Fresh Kills made its way onto local beaches; the ensuing publicity made Staten Island the butt of jokes. Perhaps frustrated by Dinkinss perceived mismanagement of city finances, then-governor Mario Cuomo let a nonbinding secession referendum appear on the 1993 ballotthe same ballot on which Dinkins and Giuliani would contest the mayoralty for the second time.
The secession measure passed by a 21 margin and helped drive turnout on Staten Island to record highsproviding the margin of Giulianis victory. Giuliani won 82.8 percent of the vote in Richmond County, with 20,000 more people turning out to vote than in 1989. Rudy is the mayor of Staten Island, said Dinkins media strategist and Democratic campaign consultant Bob Shrum, following his candidates defeat. Giuliani didnt forget his Staten Island base. He eliminated the fare for the Staten Island Ferry in 1997, after introducing a one-fare system citywide, and closed Fresh Kills by early 2001. With a Staten Islandfriendly mayor in city hall, the islands drive for independence fizzled out.
In 2001, Giuliani was term-limited out of office, and thenpublic advocate Mark Green, a Democrat, was heavily favored to win against billionaire and political novice Michael Bloomberg, running as a Republican. The September 11 attacks on the World Trade Center occurred on the morning of the scheduled primary election, which was then postponed for two weeks. Giuliani, whose popularity had fallen off significantly in his last year as mayor, suddenly emerged as a national figure for his leadership following the attacks, which killed more than 2,000 people in lower Manhattan. Staten Island alone lost 275 residents, including many police officers and firefighters, proportionately more than any other borough.
Bloomberg would likely never have won the mayors office had the 9/11 attacks not happened. The city, which had lost its appetite for Giulianis sharp-elbowed law-and-order style, suddenly questioned the appeal of an old-school liberal like Mark Green, whose signature accomplishment had been to sue the NYPD over purported racial profiling of street criminals. Giulianis endorsement of Bloomberg assured traumatized New Yorkers that the business magnate would continue the mayors public-safety policies. The election wound up being the closest in city history, and again, Staten Island provided the margin of victory: Bloomberg won by only 35,000 votes citywide, but he took 78.2 percent of Staten Islands vote, beating Green by more than 61,000 votes.
Staten Island remains a red bastion, but its electoral influence may be on the wane. The 2017 mayoral election demonstrated that Mayor Bill de Blasio will keep moving leftward in his second term. Everything you can imagine is real! exulted de Blasio the night he won the Democratic nomination for reelection, quoting Pablo Picasso as he sketched out his vision for a New York that would fulfill the socialistic impulse, which, according to the mayor, drives and inspires its people. Weve got more to do, de Blasio told his supporters. Ive seen up close the challenges, too. Ive seen the ways we still need to build a fairer city, and Im not going to stop until we build that fairer city for every New Yorker.
De Blasio bested his Republican rival, New York State Assembly member Nicole Malliotakis (of Staten Island), by almost 40 percentage points. On Staten Island, the results were reversed: Malliotakis took almost 70 percent of the vote, compared with de Blasios 24 percent. Even if every eligible voter on Staten Island had turned out and voted for Malliotakis, though, de Blasio still would have won.
Demographic changes across the city have made it harder for a traditional moderate or conservative politician to win citywide officeeven on Staten Island. As recently as 1980, the borough was 85.3 percent white non-Hispanic; that number has dropped to 62.8 percent today. The percentage of Staten Island residents identifying as Italian in 2009 was 35.4 percent; six years later, the rate had dropped to 31.3 percent. Meantime, the boroughs Hispanic and Asian populations have grown rapidly, and unexpected immigrant enclaves have formed. Staten Island is now home to a significant Liberian community, and it is one of the best places to go for Sri Lankan food.
South Shore aside, whats unique about Staten Island is not that it is resolutely Republican at election time but that it has political variety and competitive general elections, unlike the rest of New York City. The island has three seats on the city council, two held by Republicans. Two state senators represent Staten Island, one from each party; and four state assembly members serve in Albany, two from each party. The borough president is a Republican, but the county district attorney is a Democrat. The current congressman is a Republican, but the seat has been held previously by a Democrat and is considered competitiveat least by the standards of New York, where incumbents win by 50- or 70-point margins, if they even face a challenger.
Ultimately, then, its not that Staten Island is an outlier but that New York City is one. Staten Island, with its diversity of political opinion, resembles the rest of the United States. Not so the rest of New York, which has steered itself on a hard course left.
Research for this article was supported by the Brunie Fund for New York Journalism.
Top Photo: The 1964 completion of the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge, which linked Brooklyn to Staten Island, sparked a land rush into New Yorks least populous borough. (THE MUSEUM OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK/ART RESOURCE, NY)
Karen Brown, the former chair of Oxfam GB and trustee of the Disasters Emergency Committee, who was due to become the next chair, has stepped from her role to avoid distracting from the important task of the DEC.
Karen Brown was due to become the chair of the DEC next month. In a statement she said that she did not want her past work with Oxfam to distract from the work of the DEC, of which Oxfam is a member.
Brown was the chair of Oxfam from October 2011 to October 2017, during which time concerns were raised over safeguarding in the charitys shops. She took over as chair after the investigation into sexual misconduct in Haiti was concluded.
In a statement, Brown said: I do not want my past involvement with Oxfam whose work around the world I so much admire to distract from the important task of the DEC, of which Oxfam is a member agency.
Reluctantly, therefore, I have decided not to take up the role of DEC chair next month. I continue to have great respect for the work of the DEC and its member agencies, mobilising the UK public and partners to respond to the worlds worst humanitarian disasters.
The DEC said it expressed its regret, but respected Browns decision. The charitys current chair Clive Jones will continue in his role until a new chair is appointed.
The DEC brings together 13 UK aid agencies to raise money at times of humanitarian crisis in poorer countries, aswell as Oxfam these include: ActionAid, Age International, British Red Cross, CAFOD, CARE International UK, Christian Aid, Concern Worldwide, Islamic Relief Worldwide, Plan International UK, Save the Children UK, Tearfund and World Vision UK.
International aid charities failed to put beneficiaries first and lost sight of their values, the development secretary said this morning.
Penny Mordaunt, international development secretary, was giving the opening keynote at Bonds annual conference today.
She said that the sector was failing on both its mission to reduce poverty and on living up to its values.
We set ourselves the task that by 2030 every child will have the chance of a decent education, but we are 85 years adrift on current projections not set to achieve that until 2115, Mordaunt said.
She said that the sector needs to understand where it is falling short.
Referring to the ongoing scandal of sexual exploitation by aid workers, she said: How did those, there to protect, support and serve the most vulnerable people on earth, become complicit in their exploitation by protecting the perpetrators, by failing to grip the problem or turning a blind eye?
Because we failed to put the beneficiaries of aid first.
She speculated that fundraising pressures, competition for contracts, and protecting the reputation of individual charities and the sector had led to people not speaking up.
The result was the grotesque fact of aid workers sexually exploiting the most vulnerable people, and threatening whistle-blowers if they protested, she said.
Mordaunt said there was no choice, and that: You cannot help and support people, you cannot give them hope and a chance, you cannot promote human rights or the dignity of every human being whilst paying them for sex, and whilst funding an industry that exploits them.
Forgotten three things
She said the aid sector has forgotten three things: The needs of those we are here to serve. The expectations of those who enable us to the British people. And the values that make us who we are.
To recover we must put the beneficiaries of aid first.
She urged charities to be more collaborative and live up to the values of our nation.
We need the humility to recognise what others can bring will multiply our efforts. And we need to let many others help, she said.
Public want us to raise our game
Mordaunt said that improving was a condition of the British publics support.
She said: They continue to give, but I can tell you on many fronts they want us to raise our game: on what you do, on what I fund, and what together we can achieve.
New approach
Mordaunt said the sector must live its values or risk failing.
So, let this moment not just be a wake-up call to improve safeguarding. Let it also be a wake-up call to all that we must be, if we are to deliver on our promise to the worlds poor, she said.
She said there will soon be a new development offer around the Global Goals that will require us to change where we work and who we work with.
It will also mean DfID and the armed forces co-operating more. The sector will need to share more data and work with the private sector.
It will make UK aid work harder delivering for the worlds poor, but also for the UKs security and prosperity, upon which UK aid depends, she said.
Any organisation not meeting new statndards will not get any more funding she added.
It will require me to stop funding organisation that do not deliver our objectives, contribute to the Goals, or live up to our standardsm, she said.
She said she still believes in aid but the sector can do more.
Since the Oxfam scandal broke, you and UK aid have helped vaccinate around 1.5 million children from polio. Thats heroic. But if we have the courage and the will to change we can do more."
Aid charities commit to improvements
Bond, the umbrella body for international aid charities, has co-ordinated an open letter on behalf of 22 aid charities, in which they commit to taking better action on safeguarding.
There can be no tolerance for the abuse of power, privilege or trust within our organisations or in our work, the letter said.
It announced four urgent and immediate measures to address safeguarding concerns.
Increase safeguarding resources Review current referencing systems Work with authorities and regulatory bodies to ensure any individual caught abusing their power cannot do so again. Work with government to overcome the legal and institutional barriers to rigorous background checks in the UK.
The letter also said charities are urging people to come forward to report unacceptable behaviour.
It added that the measures outlined were only the first step.
The challenge we face in our own organisations is a challenge for the whole of society, the letter said. This is something that requires leadership in every sector and we ask people from all walks of life and all corners of our communities to help us to strengthen safeguards, tackle abuse and stand up for the vulnerable and to call out inappropriate behaviour wherever we see it.
We are truly sorry that at times our sector has failed. We must and will do better.
The 22 signatories are:
ActionAid UK
BBC Media Action
Bond
CAFOD
CARE International UK
Christian Aid
Concern Worldwide UK
Global Citizen
Islamic Relief UK
Mercy Corps Europe
Muslim Aid
Oxfam GB
Plan International UK
Practical Action
Save the Children UK
Start Network
Scotlands International Development Alliance
Tearfund
UNICEF UK
VSO
WaterAid
World Vision UK
Charities reveal cases of sexual abuse
Earlier this month Mordaunt said that charities must be open about the challenge.
A number of large aid charities have so far disclosed the number of incidents of sexual abuse and exploitation in their charities and how they have dealt with them.
At Plan UK there were six cases of sexual abuse and exploitation of children by staff, volunteers or the charitys partners between 1 July 2016 and 30 June 2017. One staff member was involved and the others were volunteers or partner organisations and none of the cases involved British citizens.
The staff member was dismissed without a reference and contracts of volunteers or partner organisations were terminated. Five out of the total six cases were of a criminal nature and were reported to the local authorities, Plan International UKs chief executive Tanya Barron, said in a blog on the charitys website.
During the same period there were nine cases of sexual harassment or misconduct by staff against other adults which led to seven dismissals.
The painful but important truth to acknowledge is that sometimes things can go wrong. When they do, we are deeply sorry, she added.
ActionAid issued a statement saying that in the last five years there have been 20 sexual harassment incidents and two safeguarding reported.
A spokesman said: Throughout the organisation we have a zero-tolerance policy on any form of sexual harassment and misconduct, and clear child protection policies aimed to protect beneficiaries. We have a whistleblowing policy to encourage staff to come forward if they have any concerns and if an allegation is made, processes are in place to ensure immediate and decisive action is taken.
ActionAid added that it hired an external safeguarding expert last year to develop its policy and procedures and that it offers compulsory training for all staff.
We know from our work all over the world that violence against women knows no nationality. It may manifest in different ways, or be exacerbated because of a womans ethnicity, gender identity or socioeconomic status, but it is ever-present, the charity said.
ActionAid said it is committed to being transparent and accountable.
Christian Aid issued a statement earlier this month, saying that it had investigated two incidents overseas in the past 12 months, one of which resulted in the dismissal of a member of staff.
Save the Children: Stories in nationals are 'incorrect'
Meanwhile Save the Children has issued a statement saying that reports in todays Times and in the yesterdays Mail on Sunday are incorrect.
Both papers have reported that the charitys chief executive, Kevin Watkins, stepped down from a review of the charitys handling of sexual misconduct after criticism that he was a trustee of the charity when complaints about Brendan Cox and Justin Forysth were made.
But Save the Children has said that it was never his intention to lead the review.
The charity said: Stories published in the UK media this weekend and today are incorrect. The Mail on Sunday (25 February 2018) and The Times (26 February 2018) have been contacted by Save the Children to request that the articles that are running are corrected or removed from their on-line services. While we do this we wish to make it clear that statements made about Kevin Watkins, CEO of Save the Children in todays Times are wrong and Mr Watkins chose to recuse himself from any part in the independent review from the date of announcing it on 18 February.
At first glance, it seems like the ultimate paradox: A magazine that exists only on the internet, filled with content that can only be consumed once a would-be reader has disconnected from the internet. But thats exactly the kind of contradiction founder Chris Bolin says he was going for when he created his new magazine, The Disconnect, which launched in February.
When you first visit the site, you are greeted by what looks like the cover of a regular online magazine, but over top of it is a pink banner that says: Please disconnect from the Internet. This is an offline-only magazine of commentary, fiction, and poetry.
After disconnecting, the site instantly reveals itself, looking very much like a standard online magazine. There are short stories, essaysincluding one that argues getting away from the Internet is an option available only to the privilegedand poems, as well as an editors letter explaining the rationale behind the magazine.
ICYMI: Fake news is part of a bigger problem: automated propaganda
The theme of this issue is straightforward: humans and our technology, Bolin writes. Every piece in this issue describes an encounter with technology, whether its intentional or inconsequential, constructive or devastating. Youll find a poem about a conflicted hunger for silence, a tale of monetizing the dead, and an exposition of the future of digital divides.
Bolin tells CJR he isnt some kind of internet-hating Luddite determined to show how evil technology is. In fact, hes a computer programmer by day, one with no real background in media or publishing literary magazines. So why did he decide to create one that makes such a dramatic point about the need to disconnect?
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I created it in part because I think its funny to use irony in that kind of wayto have a piece of the internet that forces you to leave the internet, he says. To create something new that functions as commentary but is also participatory, in that it forces you to participate by disconnecting. I liked that idea.
The site takes advantage of a function built into most web browsers, which detects whether a user is connected to the internet or not. There are ways around that, Bolin saysfor example, a user could put the browser into developer mode and tell it to pretend that it is offlinebut he figures most people probably wont go to those lengths. Plus, the request to disconnect is mostly designed to make a point.
I guess its kind of like a paywall, he says. But its more of a pay-attention wall.
So how does a user get access to the magazine if theyre no longer online? All of the content is downloaded when a user first visits the site, but is blocked from view until the browser says it is no longer connected. The entire magazine is only about 250 kilobytes in size (about the size of a single small photo), because there are few images and no advertisements.
Bolin says he would like to broaden the range of content in the magazine by commissioning non-fiction for future issues, but first he has to come up with a way to pay writers. All of the content for the first issue was provided free of charge, either by people he knew already or in response to an open call for submissions that he made on Twitter.
Options for funding that hes considering are sponsorships or some form of crowdfunding, Bolin says, and if he can manage it he said he would like it to become a quarterly.
I guess its kind of like a paywall, he says. But its more of a pay-attention wall.
Bolin says he was driven to create The Disconnect in part because he noticed his own tendency towards a kind of internet addiction, where you find yourself following link after link for no real purpose, until you look up and see that hours have gone by.
There are a number of different apps and services that are designed to help users focus on a task, but Bolin says he personally finds that sometimes the only way to really get away from that kind of distraction was to actually pull the plug, something he says he did occasionally while writing his graduate thesis. Its disconnecting as a way of saving you from yourself.
He first experimented last year with a standalone site called Offline, which contained a single essay by the same name that talked about the need to disconnect. Like the magazine, it can only be viewed once a user has disconnected.
In the essay, Bolin writes, I have spent hours caught in webs of my own curiosity. Most dangerous is the split-second whim: I wonder what the second most commonly spoken language is? Those 500 milliseconds could change your day, because its never just one Google search, never just one Wikipedia article. Disconnecting from the internet short-circuits those whims, allowing you to move on unencumbered.
The internet is a great tool for information, he says. But its not really designed for peopleor rather, its designed for perfect people. If you were a machine, you could decide which links you see are relevant to your task and just follow those. But for human beings, the unknown is always more interesting than the known, so maybe you open a link in another tab, and then more. Its kind of the thrill of the hunt.
ICYMI: Brendan Fraser made groping allegation after story was done, GQ staff writer says
One response he has gotten to The Disconnect is a kind of sarcastic suggestion that if he really wanted to create something where people couldnt read it online, he could have just published a regular printed magazine.
Yes, the sardonic take Ive gotten from some people is Hey, congratulations, youve invented a magazine,' he says. But in this case in order to get it, you dont have to order it, you dont have to go to a newsstand, you dont even have to have a physical address, you dont have to waste trees, and you can share the link with others. So there are a lot of added benefits that come from being online.
Bolin says when he was building a site for The Disconnect, he deliberately didnt build in support for traffic-measuring services like Google Analytics, because the theme of the magazine was disconnection, but he recently looked at the data from the server he uses to host the issue and found that more than 50,000 unique visitors had been to the site in the first two weeks it was up.
The bottom line, he says, is that I dont think the internet is badin fact, I think it is very good. It does a great job of connecting people who would never be connected, and creating business opportunities, and so on. Its overall a good thing, just like the printing press was a good thing. I just think we should reflect on it a bit.
RELATED: What does it mean for a journalist today to be a Serious Reader?
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Mathew Ingram is CJRs chief digital writer. Previously, he was a senior writer with Fortune magazine. He has written about the intersection between media and technology since the earliest days of the commercial internet. His writing has been published in the Washington Post and the Financial Times as well as by Reuters and Bloomberg.
Maine businesses could save as much as $27 million this year thanks to a projected decline in workers compensation insurance claims.
Maine Superintendent of Insurance Eric Cioppa said Tuesday he approved a 12 percent average decrease in expected workers compensation loss costs in Maine. The approval of the National Council on Compensation Insurance, Inc.s (NCCI) 2018 loss costs for Maine, filed earlier this year, which proposed an average loss cost decrease of 12 percent. The new NCCI loss costs go into effect for new and renewing policies as of April 1, 2018.
Loss costs are based on previous and projected losses and benefit payments. NCCI is the advisory rating organization for insurance companies that offer workers compensation coverage in Maine. NCCI-approved loss costs are available to insurers to reference when filing their workers compensation rates with the Bureau of Insurance.
The 12 percent decrease is an average loss costs change, which ranges from -10.4 to -15.1 percent depending on the industry group. This is an average decrease so some individual businesses will experience increases while the majority will experience decreases. The loss cost decrease is also only a recommended decrease, and it is up to the individual insurers to decide whether to accept the proposed change in loss costs.
The Superintendent noted that recently filed NCCI loss costs represent a cumulative decrease of 59.5 percent since the 1992 workers compensation reform, and that if all insurers fully adopt the decrease, Maine businesses could save an estimated $27 million in the year following implementation.
Cioppa said the decrease should result in lower workers compensation premiums on average across all industry groups.
Maine employers efforts to improve workplace safety, return injured workers to their jobs in a timely manner, and control medical costs continues to pay off, Cioppa stated. This most recent decrease should result in lower workers compensation premiums on average across all industry groups.
Maine has a competitive market for workers compensation insurance and each insurer sets its own rate level. Insurers may modify the NCCI loss costs and must select their own expense and profit factor in setting rates.
The superintendent said there will only be a decrease in costs if individual insurers accept the proposed change.
Maines largest workers compensation insurance company The MEMIC Group said it will adopt the rate recommendation. Company CEO Michael P. Bourque said it amounts to the largest rate reduction in more than 20 years.
He cited safer workplaces and prompt return-to-work policies as factors in reduced rates.
Copyright 2021 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers said Friday that leading up to and during Hurricane Harvey it worked diligently with officials to inform the public on flooding risks from Houston reservoirs that ended up inundating thousands of homes.
The Corps statement came in response to a Houston Chronicle report earlier this week that the agency failed to share with the public a forecast ahead of Harveys arrival predicting that Barker and Addicks reservoirs would flood adjacent neighborhoods.
The Corps forecast was made Aug. 24, the day before Harvey made landfall in South Texas.
Fort Bend County officials didnt issue a flood advisory for areas adjacent to Barker until Aug. 26, the day Harvey downgraded to a tropical storm by then had made its way to Houston.
Authorities in Harris County, home to Houston, didnt issue similar warnings until Aug. 27. By then neighborhoods were already inundated. Harvey ended up dumping nearly 50 inches (127 centimeters) of rain in some parts of the Houston area.
View from FEMAs Urban Search and Rescue Virginia Task Force Two (VA-TF2) searching neigborhoods inside Houston for survivors after flooding caused by Hurricane Harvey
The Corps said a review of its records shows the agency released critical flooding information to local officials and the public multiple times each day as the storm made its way to Houston and during the several days it lingered in the area.
Our review confirmed we held daily briefings, assigned trained liaison officers to provide flooding data to county and local officials and kept the public informed of flood risks, said Edmond Russo with the Corps of Engineers Galveston district office.
The Corps said its review showed inundation mapping data was routinely provided to local governments for their use in formulating evacuation plans. The agency said it cant issue evacuation orders.
Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner said Friday that to the best of his knowledge, he didnt see the Corps Aug. 24 forecast and the possibility it might not have been released was concerning.
If we are sitting on information or have information that will help people going forward on how to respond, on how to get prepared, on assisting us as leaders in making decisions on whether or not we tell people to shelter in place or whether to do something else, all that information should be made readily available, Turner said.
The Aug. 24 forecast is one of many documents that have emerged through discovery in federal lawsuits in which thousands of homeowners are seeking compensation from the Corps, which operates the reservoirs. The Houston Chronicle obtained a copy of the forecast.
One group of homeowners alleges their neighborhoods downstream of the reservoirs were intentionally flooded when the Corps released water from the dams as they filled to capacity and were in danger of possibly failing. Other homeowners allege they were unaware their homes upstream of the reservoirs had been built in areas known as flood pools, where water collects as the dams fill up.
Houston-area officials were criticized in the days after Harvey for not acting quickly enough to alert people of flooding and issue evacuations.
Copyright 2021 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
At least two people are dead as a strong storm system that included possible tornadoes roared eastward through the central United States, leaving demolished homes, damaged vehicles and uprooted trees in its wake.
A man in northeast Arkansas and a woman in south central Kentucky both were killed as the storm that also included strong winds, hail and heavy rain that triggered flooding muscled its way through the area, according to authorities.
In northeast Arkansas, an 83-year-old man was killed after high winds toppled a trailer home. Clay County Sheriff Terry Miller told KAIT-TV that Albert Foster died Saturday night after the home was blown into a pond.
About 50 miles away, the weather service said the roof was blown off a hotel in Osceola, about 160 miles (257 kilometers) north of Memphis, Tennessee.
In rural, south central Kentucky, 79-year-old Dallas Jane Combs died after a suspected tornado hit her Adairville home Saturday evening, Logan County Sheriffs Department told television station WKRN. Sheriff officials said Combs was inside the home when it collapsed on her. Combs was pronounced dead at the scene.
Authorities say Combs husband was outside the house when the unconfirmed tornado hit and he sustained minor injuries.
Storm-related damage also was reported in Middle Tennessee, where Fox17 in Nashville reported extensive damage to homes and vehicles. Fox17 says at least a dozen homes were damaged in one Montgomery County subdivision.
Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens signed an executive order earlier Saturday declaring a state of emergency ahead of the anticipated storms and flooding in parts of southern Missouri. The order activates the resources of the Missouri National Guard and ensures state resources are available in the event of weather damage.
A levee breach along the Kankakee River in northwestern Indiana had local officials urging about 30 homeowners to evacuate.
Keener Township Volunteer Fire Chief Randy Woods said the breach was relatively minor when it was discovered about 3 p.m. Friday near Demotte, about 50 miles southeast of Chicago. Local residents tried to sandbag the breach to get it under control, but it just got bigger and bigger, he said. Local firefighters were called to help them, but eventually everyone had to pull out for their own safety.
No injuries were reported.
The weather service said record flooding was occurring along the Kankakee following several days of heavy rains and snowmelt that sent streams out of their banks from the Ohio River to Michigan and Wisconsin. Flood watches and warnings spanned multiple states Sunday morning, from Missouri to central Pennsylvania, while a wind advisory remained in effect for nearly all of Lower Michigan,
(Ken Kusmer in Indianapolis and Margery Beck in Omaha, Nebraska, contributed.)
Copyright 2021 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Carnegie Mellon and Portugal Renew Partnership for ICT Growth
February 26, 2018
Carnegie Mellon University and the Government of Portugal have signed a cooperation agreement to extend the successful CMU Portugal Program for an additional 10 years.
CMU Interim President Farnam Jahanian joined the Portugal Minister of Science, Technology, and Higher Education Manuel Heitor and Prime Minister of Portugal Antonio Costa at a signing ceremony in Matosinhos, Portugal, on Feb. 15, to celebrate the partnerships between academia and industry in Portugals innovation economy. The event was titled, GoPortugal: Global Science and Technology Partnerships Portugal.
At the signing, Rodrigo Costa, CEO of REN, emphasized the role and impact of international partnerships like the CMU Portugal Program in the internationalization of the Portuguese research enterprise. The signing ceremony was followed by six topical workshops jointly organized by CMU and Portuguese university faculty members with 150 active participants from industry and academia.
Phase III of the CMU Portugal Program will focus on the data economy, emphasizing data analytics, artificial intelligence, machine learning, robotics and autonomy. This phase will promote industry-technology relationships as agents of change for social and economic impact, fostering collaborations with cities, regions and companies that are strongly invested in the program.
This next chapter of the CMU-Portugal program will create a dynamic and productive ecosystem in Portugal, fueled by a relentless drive to innovate and enabled by the tools and resources to turn entrepreneurial ideas into tangible social and economic impact, Jahanian said.
As the program moves forward, the focus on high-impact science will be augmented by an agenda that leverages the strategic geopolitical position of Portugal in the Euro-Atlantic region, while also prioritizing the advancement of post-graduate education, research and the employment of doctorates. In particular, Carnegie Mellon will be a partner of the Atlantic International Research Center launched by the Portuguese government as a multinational platform for new North-South/South-North Atlantic interactions in the areas of climate, land, space and ocean.
During the GoPortugal event, the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology also signed cooperation protocols with 12 companies that will partner with the CMU Portugal Program in varying capacities. Several of these companies were startups of the Carnegie Mellon Portugal Program, such as Feedzai, Veniam and Unbabel. Others in the information and communications technology (ICT) area are long-term collaborators of the program, like Altice (formerly Portugal Telecom) and NOS. Newcomers include multinational Thales, as well as companies like Farfetch, Tekever, Talkdesk and Uniplaces.
Universities, where innovations often originate, help drive economic growth. In the previous 10 years, the CMU Portugal Program partnered with Portuguese universities and research institutions to make a significant impact on the scientific culture and the entrepreneurial capability of Portugals ICT sector. The program has graduated hundreds of Ph.D. and masters degree students, who are bringing high-level technical skills into the workplace. Program researchers launched a dozen startups that have raised more than 100 million dollars in venture capital and spawned hundreds of high-tech jobs in Portugal.
The CMU Portugal Program is directed at Carnegie Mellon by Jose M. F. Moura, the Philip L. and Marsha Dowd University Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering, and in Portugal by Rodrigo Rodrigues and Nuno Nunes, professors of computer science at Instituto Superior Tecnico. The program encourages faculty and students to interact in strategic activities through faculty exchange programs, undergraduate internships and inRes, a very early-stage acceleration program for Portuguese entrepreneurial teams. Faculty and students work in a dynamic ecosystem that brings together industry, government and academia to solve real problems and elevate economic growth.
If you're looking to take your career to the next level, the U.S. or the U.K. could be the place to do it, according to a new study. Major cities in Britain and the U.S. account for four of the five top locations for expat job opportunities, HSBC's latest Expat Explorer survey found. Based on feedback from 27,587 expats across the globe, the survey takes into account factors such as work-life balance, cost of living and average salary. As a guide, the global average for expat income is $99,903.
Here are the top 5 cities for expat job opportunities:
5. Birmingham
The canals of Birmingham, U.K. Fiona McAllister Photography | Getty
Average expat earnings: $61,950 Securing fifth place in the ranking is Birmingham in the U.K. The city has enjoyed a period of regeneration in recent years, with the British government's efforts to encourage business outside of the country's capital. Though expats working in Birmingham earn well below the global average, more than half (51 percent) praised the city's affordable cost of living, saying they enjoy a higher level of disposable income now than they did in their home city.
4. Dublin
View of Ha'penny bridge on bright sunny day in Dublin, Ireland.
Average expat earnings: $91,419 Ireland's capital Dublin was in fourth place. Home to the European headquarters of major companies such as Google and Facebook, Dublin has become something of a tech hub, accounting for the highest proportion of expats working in technology globally (39 percent). While Dublin is known for its high cost of living, expats rated the city's social scene. Two-thirds of expats living in the capital said their work-life balance had improved since moving there.
3. New York
One57 building in the skyline of New York City as seen from the Rockefeller Center Observation Deck. Roberto Machado Noa | LightRocket | Getty Images
Average expat earnings: $182,240 A regular in the rankings for top expat cities, New York took third place this year. The home of Wall Street, New York's thriving financial center makes it a huge draw for bankers and other finance professionals. Though expat earnings in New York are among the highest in the world, respondents noted that came at the expense of their physical health. Just 40 percent of expats said they had become more active in New York than they were in their home city.
2. London
vladimir zakharov | Moment Open | Getty Images
Average expat earnings: $107,836 Despite concerns about the impact of Brexit on the U.K. economy, London was ranked second place for expat job opportunities. Nearly half (49 percent) cited excellent job opportunities in the British capital. The average expat salary is almost 10 percent above the global average, which is especially impressive given that the city has the second highest proportion of millennial expats (52 percent). However, the city is still criticized for its high cost of living.
1. San Francisco
The Painted Ladies, Victorian-style houses with downtown at dusk in the background, DeAgostini | Getty Images
The leader of the world's largest economy believes all drug dealers should face the death penalty, news website Axios reported late on Sunday.
President Donald Trump considers drug traffickers to be as bad as serial killers and would "love to have a law" that executes dealers in the U.S., unnamed sources told Axios.
While he admits that such a law would be impossible to pass, the head of state may support legislation that requires a five-year minimum sentence for dealers selling as little as two grams of fentanyl, Axios stated.
Use of the synthetic opiod, more potent than heroin, has been steadily climbing in North America, producing an increasing number of fatal overdoses.
The government must make drug dealers fear for their lives, Trump has told associates, pointing to Singapore and the Philippines where offenders can face death as examples.
Special elections and gun control will help to define the fight for control of Congress in the coming weeks.
The battle for control of Congress heats up in coming weeks, as a new House member will be elected in Pennsylvania and primary elections will start in parts of the country. But this week, the gun control debate and other issues that will help to define November's midterm congressional elections will play out in Washington and around the country. Republicans are trying to hold on to majorities in both chambers of Congress, while Democrats hope to leverage opposition to President Donald Trump to at least win enough seats to take control of the House. Here are some of the storylines to watch this week for the midterm elections:
Gov. Rick Scott speaks during a news conference on Thursday, Feb. 15, 2018, near Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla., where where 17 people were killed. Amy Beth Bennett | Sun Sentinel / TNS | Getty Images
Gun control: Congress returns to Washington this week amid a raging national debate about gun restrictions. The shooting massacre of 17 people at a Florida high school on Feb. 14 started fresh momentum for at least modest action to tighten gun control laws. A string of recent national polls has shown strong support for tougher gun rules. Three separate polls released in the past week from Quinnipiac, CNN and CBS found about two-thirds of either voters or Americans overall back more gun control. The extent of the gun control debate's potential effect on November's races is still unclear. However, the Quinnipiac poll could give some clues: Fifty-two percent of voters said they feel the Democratic Party can do a better job of handling gun violence, while 31 percent responded the GOP would do better and 10 percent saw no difference.
Fifty-four percent of voters said they could vote for a candidate if they agreed with the politician on other issues, but not gun laws. Thirty-four percent including 47 percent of Democrats and 33 percent of independents responded that they could not support the candidate if they did not have the same views on gun laws. President Donald Trump and Republican Senate leaders want to pass a bill to improve the existing federal background check system. While the House already passed legislation to strengthen background checks, it did so in tandem with a bill loosening concealed carry laws. As of now, it appears some House conservatives could insist on approving the concealed carry provision along with the background check measure.
The debate will be particularly important in the race for a Senate seat in Florida, a state Trump won in 2016. Republican Gov. Rick Scott is expected to challenge incumbent Democratic Sen. Bill Nelson later this year. Scott has started to take narrow steps to restrict access to guns, and Nelson has already positioned himself as tougher on gun control. Scott and Republican leaders in Florida's legislature have put forward varying proposals to tighten gun rules, according to Politico, including increasing the minimum age to buy any gun to 21, setting a three-day waiting period for assault-style rifles and banning bump stocks, which effectively allow semi-automatic rifles to fire like automatic weapons. The influential National Rifle Association opposes pieces of Scott's plan, and it is unclear whether the organization can leverage GOP lawmakers to sink the proposals. On Friday, Nelson argued that Scott's plans do not go nearly far enough to address the problem, according to the Orlando Sentinel. The senator contended that Scott did the "bare minimum." Dianne Feinstein: Over the weekend, the California Democratic Party declined to endorse 84-year-old Sen. Dianne Feinstein. Party activists threw more support to her challenger, 51-year-old state Senate leader Kevin de Leon. Neither candidate reached the 60 percent threshold needed to secure the party's endorsement.
Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) Aaron P. Bernstein | Reuters
While the result does not yet spell doom for Feinstein statewide, it marks the first time she has not received the party's backing since she first won a Senate campaign in 1994, according to The Associated Press. It shows some momentum with de Leon, who has cast himself as a fresh, progressive candidate. He has criticized Feinstein for not taking strong enough opposition to Trump. Feinstein and de Leon will first face off in a primary in June. Because of the way the state's elections work, the pair will likely also be on the ballot in the general election in November. Arizona special election primary: On Tuesday, a special primary election will take place for Arizona's 8th congressional district. Republican Rep. Trent Franks stepped down in December. At least 10 Republicans and two Democrats aim to win their party's nomination for the April 24 special election. At this point, the GOP candidate who emerges may prove more important. The handicapper Cook Political Report rates the seat as "solid" Republican. The leading GOP candidates include state Sens. Debbie Lesko and Steve Montenegro, as well as Phil Lovas, a former state House member. A poll released last month showed Lesko and Montenegro tied at the front of pack with 21 percent of support. Montenegro's campaign was recently roiled by his admission that he received a nude photo from a state legislative staffer. The state senator denies any wrongdoing. Pennsylvania special election: A contested special election for Pennsylvania's 18th congressional district will take place on March 13. Rep. Tim Murphy, R-Pa., resigned from Congress last year. The race pits GOP state Rep. Rick Saccone, 60, against 33-year-old Democrat and former Marine Conor Lamb. The western Pennsylvania district has proven reliably Republican, but recent strong performances in special elections at the federal and state level have made Democrats optimistic. A Gravis poll released this month found Saccone with a 6 point edge, while a Monmouth poll showed a 3 point advantage for the Republican. The candidates will need to file financial disclosures by Thursday. The reports will show how much cash their campaigns have on hand to make their cases ahead of the election's final stretch.
Senator Bob Corker (R-TN) departs after a nomination vote on Capitol Hill in Washington, December 13, 2017. Joshua Roberts | Reuters
Senate race in Tennessee: U.S. Rep. Marsha Blackburn became the leading GOP candidate for Tennessee's open U.S. Senate seat when Sen. Bob Corker, R-Tenn., decided to retire. However, Corker has reportedly reconsidered whether to run again as some Republicans in the state urge him to make a bid. Blackburn says she will stay in the race no matter what, and her campaign initially suggested sexism drove concerns about her ability to win. Corker tamped down those reports over the weekend, saying, "At this point, nothing has changed."
WATCH: Republicans focused on mid-term elections
After delivering a record number of RVs in 2017, Airstream is expanding production to meet growing demand for its iconic silver travel trailers.
The company is investing $40 million and hiring 300 employees as it builds an all-new production plant in Jackson Center, Ohio.
"We need this. Demand is strong and growing," CEO and President Bob Wheeler told CNBC. "This expansion will allow us to increase our capacity by 50 percent."
Airstream does not release annual sales, though Wheeler says the company's record deliveries in 2017 represented an eight-fold increase from 2009, when sales bottomed out during the recession.
Wheeler knows there is plenty of speculation as to when the U.S. will see its next recession, but as of right now none of the economic indicators tells him Airstream should prepare for a slowdown.
"All arrows are pointing in the right direction," he told CNBC. "Fuel prices are relatively low, there's strong credit availability, and consumer debt is manageable right now."
Airstream currently employs about 900 workers at its Jackson Center plant, about an hour northwest of Columbus. As sales have risen in recent years, the company has grappled with meeting demand while running out of a space.
Last year, sales of all RVs jumped 9.6 percent to 472,200, an all-time high, according to the Recreation Vehicles Industry Association. This year is expected to be a ninth-straight year of higher sales.
Airstream, which is owned by Thor Industries, delivers 95 travel trailers each week.
The company plans to break ground on its new facility in May and be ready to start manufacturing in it by May 2019.
Just-published correspondence between Google parent company Alphabet and the Securities and Exchange Commission breaks down how the company makes decisions regarding its dozen different businesses.
Since Google blew up its corporate structure to form Alphabet in late 2015, it now separates its financials between Google, which it divides between advertising and everything else (like cloud computing and hardware), and its "Other Bets," which currently includes 11 different companies, like self-driving car unit Waymo and healthcare arm Verily.
Late last year, the SEC asked Alphabet for specific details around how much decision-making power Alphabet CEO Larry Page has on individual Google businesses, and the different kinds of information given to Page versus president Sergey Brin and Google CEO Sundar Pichai, among other things.
Alphabet's response letter, dated December 15, was just released today due to SEC correspondence rules.
Although none of the information Alphabet provided in response is shocking, it provides an unusually granular look at the company's complicated corporate structure and which executives have authority over what decisions.
Here are some of the interesting insights:
As with deadly shootings in the past, some of the focus has been on the companies that make the weapons and ammunition and the people and companies that own them. Shareholder activism on gun control tends to flourish in the weeks following an incident and then fade away, if history is any guide.
Several major U.S. companies have dropped their associations with the National Rifle Association in the last few days, less than two weeks after a 19 year old with a semi-automatic rifle killed 17 people in a high school in Florida. Student protests and calls for action have stayed in the headlines, and politicians are under pressure to enact new gun safety rules.
Gun makers are again the center of a national debate over how to put an end to mass shootings, and their stocks are trading like things are different this time.
Shares of gun makers follow a similar pattern. They drop in the immediate aftermath of a shooting and are mostly trading higher three months later. But data by a hedge fund analytics tool called Kensho shows the stocks of these companies are reacting differently this time.
Rifle maker Sturm Ruger & Co.'s shares are down more than 7 percent this month, and American Outdoor Brands (the parent of Smith & Wesson) is down more than 18 percent.
Shares of Vista Outdoor are up 20 percent this month. It makes accessories like riflescopes as well as bullets.
An analysis of the five deadliest mass shootings in recent U.S. history reveals that shares of those three companies traded down from the day of the incident to one week later, but not by as much as they are reacting now to the high school shooting in Florida.
Shares of Sturm Ruger, for example, averaged a one-week decline of 2.9 percent after the five biggest shootings since 2007, according to Kensho data. Shares of American Outdoor averaged a decline of 3.56 percent, while Vista shares fell an average 2.25 percent.
Three months after the date of those shootings, shares of Sturm Ruger averaged gains of 9.3 percent, and American Brands traded up 8.3 percent, according to Kensho data. Vista shares averaged a three-month decline of 19 percent, however.
The five deadliest shootings include those that occurred at the concert in Las Vegas and at the church in Texas in November, at the nightclub in Florida in 2016, at Virginia Tech in 2007 and at the elementary school in Connecticut in 2012.
Disclosure: NBCUniversal, parent of CNBC, is a minority investor in Kensho.
"As a university professor, I have learned that people do not go into education at any level because they harbor a desire to control or even protect others. They're there to create knowledge (research), transfer knowledge (teaching), or develop character (mentoring). They leave security to trained professionals."
As a university professor, I have learned that people do not go into education at any level because they harbor a desire to control or even protect others. They're there to create knowledge (research), transfer knowledge (teaching), or develop character (mentoring). They leave security to trained professionals.
I do not own a gun, but am entirely sympathetic to those who love to hunt, participate in competitive target shooting, or keep a weapon for self-protection. We have no firearms in the house precisely because, as a qualified marksman, I know how dangerous they can be. Suicide and accidental discharges happen far more often than mass shootings, which now occur almost daily in the U.S. That's a calculated risk/reward decision on my part.
The vast majority of America's school teachers, along with virtually all of our university professors, oppose the idea of concealed carry in our classrooms.
The list of what could go wrong is just way too long. Teachers would require training that exceeds a twice-yearly trip to the range to see how many holes they can put in a paper target at 25-meters. Police tactical units actively train to take down a shooter using mobility, deception, speed, and highly sophisticated radio and video communication.
If I were a school teacher in an active-shooter situation, my greatest risk would come from the initial wave of first responders who might well misidentify me as the shooter. Add that to the astonishingly low rate of "moving target hits" that police and military will tell you about. This is a risky, dangerous proposition for all involved. And, of course, those wide-eyed, innocent students now realize that the fellow teaching Algebra or the woman instructing a choral group have somehow been transformed into "point security" for their school.
I've been at this nearly 50 years. I may not be the "genius" other people will claim for themselves, but I can tell you with rational clarity that facility security is best left to the professionals. If you tell me we can't afford it, I would say "find something else in the budget that can go at least in the near term."
Every large corporation has its own security force. Small businesses and ordinary citizens alike depend on the police, sheriff, and highway patrol in their communities. Arming America's teachers is a dumb idea.
Commentary by James S. O'Rourke, IV, PhD, Lieutenant Colonel, USAF (Ret.) and professor of management at Notre Dame Univerity (USA) in England.
For more insight from CNBC contributors, follow @CNBCopinion on Twitter.
Bank of Ireland is turning over a new leaf, its recently appointed CEO told CNBC from Dublin on Monday.
The Irish commercial lender, one of Ireland's traditional "big four" banks, has proposed its first dividend in a decade, marking a turning point for the previously troubled bank following the financial recovery Ireland has seen over the past few years.
"It's first time in 10 years that Bank of Ireland is proposing a dividend that's a pivotal moment for us," the bank's CEO, Francesca McDonagh, told CNBC. Previously at HSBC, McDonagh was appointed to the position last October.
The bank said it has proposed a dividend of 11.5 cents per share and called it "a significant milestone" that reflects the progress it has made since the financial crisis.
Ireland and its economy have moved from basket case to poster boy for austerity, since its bailout by international lenders. The bank, which received a 7 billion euro bailout in 2009, posted a profit before tax of 852 million euros ($1.05 billion) for 2017, lower than the year before due to a 170 million euro charge related to the overcharging of mortgage customers.
The U.S. Supreme Court is shown March 29, 2016 in Washington, DC following the first 4-4 tie in a case before the court. The decision resulted in a victory for unions in a case that challenged the need for public workers to help support unions even if they decline to join the union.
In the summer of 2016, government workers in Illinois received a mailing that offered them tips on how to leave their union. By paying a so-called fair-share fee instead of standard union dues, the mailing said, they would no longer be bound by union rules and could not be punished for refusing to strike.
"To put it simply," the document concluded, "becoming a fair-share payer means you will have more freedom."
The mailing, sent by a group called the Illinois Policy Institute, may have seemed like disinterested advice. In fact, it was one prong of a broader campaign against public-sector unions, backed by some of the biggest donors on the right. It is an effort that will reach its apex on Monday, when the Supreme Court hears a case that could cripple public-sector unions by allowing the workers they represent to avoid paying fees.
More from The New York Times:
A Supreme Court Showdown Could Shrink Unions' Power
Back at Full Strength, Supreme Court Faces a Momentous Term
Supreme Court Will Hear Case on Mandatory Fees to Unions
One of the institute's largest donors is a foundation bankrolled by Richard Uihlein, an Illinois industrialist who has spent millions backing Republican candidates in recent years, including Gov. Scott Walker of Wisconsin, Senator Ted Cruz of Texas and Gov. Bruce Rauner of Illinois.
Tax filings show that Mr. Uihlein has also been the chief financial backer in recent years of the Liberty Justice Center, which represents Mark Janus, the Illinois child support specialist who is the plaintiff in the Supreme Court case.
And Mr. Uihlein has donated well over $1 million over the years to groups like the Federalist Society that work to orient the judiciary in a more conservative direction. They have helped produce a Supreme Court that most experts expect to rule in Mr. Janus's favor.
The case illustrates the cohesiveness with which conservative philanthropists have taken on unions in recent decades. "It's a mistake to look at the Janus case and earlier litigation as isolated episodes," said Alexander Hertel-Fernandez, a Columbia University political scientist who studies conservative groups. "It's part of a multipronged, multitiered strategy."
In doing so, these donors have not just brought labor to the brink of crisis but threatened the Democratic Party as well.
Amid changes in the campaign finance landscape and the decline of private-sector unions, the party and its candidates have increasingly relied on major public unions for funding, including hundreds of millions of dollars in direct and indirect spending during the 2016 presidential cycle. Those unions include the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, whose Council 31 is the defendant in the Janus case.
A recent paper by Mr. Hertel-Fernandez and two colleagues may foretell what Democrats can expect if Mr. Uihlein and his fellow philanthropists succeed. It found that the Democratic share of the presidential vote dropped by an average of 3.5 percentage points after the passage of so-called right-to-work laws allowing employees to avoid paying union fees. That is larger than Democrats' margin of defeat in several states that could have reversed their last three presidential losses.
And that is clearly on the mind of Republicans. In a recent interview, the Senate majority leader, Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, acknowledged the potential of the Janus case to hurt Democratic fund-raising for the coming midterm elections. "In states where they got rid of the automatic deduction and employees figured they could keep their own money, they did," he said. "So it could have an impact."
Conservative groups aren't alone in locking arms to advance an ideological agenda. For decades, liberal donors and foundations, sometimes working together through coalitions like the Democracy Alliance, have promoted liberal goals in a variety of ways. Some backed groups, like the NAACP Legal Defense Fund and the GLBTQ Legal Advocates & Defenders, that used litigation to move American society leftward.
But the extent of the coordination on the right often dwarfs liberal efforts. Especially on the state level, conservative groups are "doing different things, mobilizing different constituencies," Mr. Hertel-Fernandez said. "But they're all working with one another. You don't see the same thing on the left."
As the percentage of unionized private-sector workers has collapsed in recent decades, public-sector unions, which have held steady in the mid-30s since the early 1980s, have increasingly become a target.
Conservatives chafe at the unions' political influence, which they believe not only props up the Democratic Party but also drives up government spending and skews public policy on issues like education.
In 2011, Wisconsin rolled back the right of most public unions to bargain over anything other than wages and eliminated the requirement that nonmembers pay fees. The portion of unionized public-sector workers in the state plummeted from half to just over one-quarter within five years.
In seeking to produce similar results nationally, conservative donors have created a symbiosis between groups aiming to overturn Supreme Court precedent favorable to unions and groups that take advantage of those rulings to drain unions of members.
The Lynde and Harry Bradley Foundation of Wisconsin, which had over $800 million in assets in 2016, has funded both kinds of organizations.
In a 2014 case brought by a group that had received more than $1 million in contributions from the Bradley Foundation, the Supreme Court ruled that home-care aides and other "partial-public employees" paid through Medicaid could not be forced to pay fair-share fees if they left their unions. Unions say these fees, typically about 80 percent of standard dues, are necessary to compensate them for representing nonmembers in bargaining and grievance proceedings.
A fund-raising solicitation from the Illinois Policy Institute, one of several groups that have fueled efforts to weaken public-sector unions.
Then in 2016, the court heard a case, Friedrichs v. California Teachers Association, that could have struck down fair-share fee requirements for all public employees represented by unions in more than 20 states, including California, Illinois and New York. The case was brought by a group that has received millions of dollars from the Bradley Foundation.
During 2015 and 2016, the foundation also substantially increased its contributions, totaling well over $1 million, to groups like the Independence Institute of Colorado and the Freedom Foundation of Washington State. Those groups have used such tools as direct mail, phone calls and door knocking to persuade public-sector workers to give up union membership.
Richard Graber, the chief executive of the Bradley Foundation, said the foundation avoided short-term tactical considerations in its giving. But he acknowledged that the increase was driven partly by the recent Supreme Court developments, which promised to make such opt-out campaigns more compelling for union members. (Some conservative groups are currently raising money for even more ambitious opt-out campaigns to take advantage of a favorable ruling this year.)
In February 2016, the month after the Supreme Court heard the Friedrichs case, Justice Antonin Scalia died, depriving conservatives of a decisive fifth vote to strike down mandatory union fees. That gave the Liberty Justice Center, backed by Mr. Uihlein, a chance to try again.
Few philanthropists have funded a more sweeping assault on labor than Mr. Uihlein, who with his wife, Elizabeth, founded a Wisconsin-based shipping supply company called Uline.
Mr. Uihlein is an ardent conservative who considers many Republican office holders too moderate on fiscal and social issues, according to those who know him.
"It's not just politics for him," said his friend Leonard A. Leo, the Federalist Society executive vice president, who declined to offer specifics on Mr. Uihlein's views. "I think he is philosophically attuned to conservative ideas," added Mr. Leo, whom the Trump White House enlisted to shepherd the Supreme Court nomination of Neil M. Gorsuch, Justice Scalia's successor.
The Uihleins have spent tens of millions of dollars over the past decade supporting Republican candidates and committees. That includes contributions to super PACs backing the 2016 presidential campaigns of Mr. Walker and Mr. Cruz, and at least $250,000 to help Mr. Walker survive a 2012 recall election. (Mr. Uihlein did not respond to a request for comment.)
The Uihleins appear to be preoccupied with state employee pensions and the unions that negotiate them.
"Bruce is the only one in the race who isn't beholden to public-sector unions," Mr. Uihlein said of Mr. Rauner, the year before his 2014 election as Illinois governor, in an interview with Crain's Business Chicago. The Uihleins gave more than $2.5 million to his campaign.
Mr. Rauner has been a major ally in the fight against public-sector unions. Shortly after taking office in 2015, he challenged the constitutionality of mandatory union fees in federal court.
By the time a judge ruled that Mr. Rauner lacked standing for his lawsuit, the Illinois Policy Institute, which drew more than one-third of its $5.8 million in revenue that year from Mr. Uihlein's foundation, had found a viable plaintiff to replace him: Mark Janus. The Liberty Justice Center and the National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation, which Mr. Uihlein also contributes to, represented Mr. Janus in court.
Since then, the policy institute has sought to persuade state employees to leave their union through its mailing campaign. It said it had obtained employees' names through Freedom of Information Act requests.
Mr. Rauner's administration has amplified the institute's message, and vice versa. In an August 2016 email to state workers, the administration highlighted a benefit of giving up union membership and urged workers to visit a website that would help them do so. The policy institute soon promoted the same website and provided similar guidance in its mailings to state workers.
Mr. Uihlein's foundation has supplemented these efforts by supporting a nonprofit called Think Freely Media, which uses storytelling techniques to champion free-market ideas, including right-to-work laws. The Uihlein foundation contributed more than $1.5 million to Think Freely from 2014 to 2016, the last year for which tax records are available.
At the center of this network is a longtime conservative activist named John Tillman, who serves as the chief executive of the Illinois Policy Institute as well as the chairman of the Liberty Justice Center and Think Freely Media.
In an interview, Mr. Tillman, who managed a call center earlier in his career and talked up his "marketing-centric approach" to promoting free enterprise, said the institute is fighting the enormous power of union leaders but is not anti-union per se.
"In the late 1800s, early 20th century, business owners had all the power, and workers had very little power," he said. "Unions and collective bargaining emerged as a way to level the playing field. I think it was an amazing story of success."
But in other contexts, Mr. Tillman has been less conciliatory.
In a fund-raising solicitation by the policy institute in December, Mr. Tillman claimed credit for helping more than 2,600 workers leave their union, resulting in a loss of $1.2 million in union revenue.
"It's time for Illinois to throw off the shackles of big labor and big government," he wrote.
"When you and I look around Illinois and see the devastation the union-dominated status quo has inflicted," he continued, "we simply have no choice."
The chairman and vice chairman of Berkshire Hathaway, Warren Buffett and Charlie Munger, are legendary business partners.
And to hear Buffett tell it, the two didn't have to learn to like each other.
"We had dinner together in 1959," says Buffett, speaking to CNBC's "Squawk Box" on Monday, recalling how the two first bonded.
"We went to dinner and in five minutes, Charlie was rolling on the floor laughing at his own jokes and I do the same thing," says Buffett.
"We knew we were sort of made for each other," adds the Oracle of Omaha.
Though the men both grew up in Omaha, Nebraska, and both worked at Buffett's grandfather's grocery store, they didn't know each other until Munger was 35 and Buffett was 29, according to Buffett.
Today, Munger is 94 and Buffett is 87. Munger is worth almost $2 billion and Buffett is worth $89 billion, according to Forbes.
The wife of a prominent Omaha doctor, who had invested with Buffett and also knew Charlie Munger, first brought the two men together for lunch at the Omaha Club, according to a 2015 piece about the two men in the "Omaha World-Herald." Munger was a lawyer in California, but his father, Alfred, had died and Munger had to return to Omaha to take care of his father's legal practice.
Soon after, Buffett and Munger were both invited to dinner at a local businessman's house. Later the two went for dinner together at Johnny's Dinner. That's the meal where Munger fell on the floor laughing, the "Omaha World-Herald" says, citing Buffett biographer Alice Schroeder.
Business leaders should be careful not to impose their personal views on their organizations, billionaire investor Warren Buffett told CNBC on Monday as companies sought to distance themselves from the National Rifle Association after the mass shooting at a high school in Flordia.
"I don't believe in imposing my views on 370,000 employees and a million shareholders. I'm not their nanny on that," the chairman and CEO of Berkshire Hathaway told "Squawk Box."
Still, Buffett, who supported Democrat Hillary Clinton during the 2016 election, said he doesn't think leaders should put all of their views aside at the door.
"People individually should very much express their views," he said. "I don't think that Berkshire should say we're not going to do business with people who own guns. I think that would be ridiculous."
Seventeen students and faculty members were gunned down on Feb. 14 when a gunman opened fire at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida.
Delta and United Airlines ended discounts for NRA members over the weekend. Big passive investors in the gun industry are also indicating they may take action. BlackRock's Larry Fink revealed plans to speak with gun makers the firm holds through its exchange-traded funds.
The move by BlackRock, the world's largest asset manager, is part of founder and CEO Larry Fink's bigger push for societal improvement. Fink sent a letter last month to the chief executives of the world's largest public companies, calling for them to help improve society or risk losing support from the firm.
"You have to be pretty careful if you're saying that you're not going to fly on this airline because of that or we're not going to use this railroad because of that," said Buffett. He added that he doesn't think Berkshire owns any gun investments.
Buffett was interviewed by CNBC in Omaha, Nebraska following the release of his highly anticipated annual letter to Berkshire shareholders.
He also spoke on these topics in the CNBC interview Monday:
When choosing between stocks and bonds 'I would choose equities in a minute'
I don't think Berkshire should avoid doing business with people who own guns
The new GOP tax law benefits Berkshire and acts as a 'huge tailwind' for businesses
There are three ways to go broke: 'liquor, ladies and leverage'
China's proposal to scrap a two-term limit for presidential service will ensure political continuity for its economic reforms, but could contribute to major risks in the medium term, experts said on Monday.
Investors and economic watchers were mulling the future of the world's second-largest economy after China's ruling Communist Party set the stage for 64-year-old President Xi Jinping to stay in office indefinitely. The proposal for the constitutional change also covers the vice president position.
Xi was set to step down as president in about five years when his second term ends, but many were expecting him to continue his run after a successor was not anointed during a major leadership congress in October.
The expectation has been "that there was no way that the economic reform and the changeover of China from that investment-led, export-led economy to the internal domestic consumption economy was going to take place within a 10-year block of time," said Rodger Baker, vice president of strategic analysis at geopolitical intelligence firm Stratfor.
Callum Henderson, managing director of global marketsAsia Pacific at the Eurasia Group, added: "Having a central power base will allow China to evolve from a country solely focused on growth, to one that extends its attention to issues such as poverty elimination, the environment and strategic industries."
Xi's administration is also up against a seemingly inward-looking U.S. under President Donald Trump that has been dialing up the pressure on Beijing on the issue of trade.
As Xi consolidates power, China's response to such external pressures will require less political jostling.
Since the massacre, Trump has vowed to take action to reduce access to guns and improve school safety. Trump has supported possible changes, including boosting the National Instant Criminal Background Check System, raising the age to buy assault-style rifles to 21, banning "bump stocks" that effectively make semi-automatic rifles fire like a machine gun and arming some "gun adept" teachers.
"It is our hope that Republican leaders will help pass real legislation that makes a difference, rather than [National Rifle Association]-backed bills that make Republicans feel better without meaningfully addressing the issue of gun safety," the senator said.
In a statement Monday, the New York Democrat called for Congress to pass a universal background check bill rather than a more narrow solution backed by President Donald Trump and GOP leaders. Passing only a narrow plan to improve background checks "would be an abject failure and a dereliction of duty" following the shooting massacre of 17 people at a Florida high school, he argued.
The "Fix NICS" background check bill introduced last year by Senate Majority Whip John Cornyn, R-Texas, appears to have the best chance of passing Congress.
The bill aims to make federal agencies better at following rules that require them to submit criminal convictions to the FBI, which could help stop high-risk individuals from getting guns. Last year, the Air Force said it had not submitted records that could have stopped the shooter who killed 26 people at a church in Sutherland Springs, Texas, from buying a gun.
Schumer said Democrats are "pleased" Trump supports the Cornyn bill. But he contended that passing a measure requiring background checks for all guns sales would better solve the problem. Currently, many firearm purchases online or at gun shows do not require background checks.
A senator who previously championed a universal background check bill Democrat Joe Manchin of West Virginia said he would not revive the effort unless Trump supported it, according to Politico. While Trump has repeatedly pledged to improve background checks since the Florida shooting, he has not explicitly backed universal background checks.
Nearly all American voters 97 percent support universal background checks, according to a Quinnipiac poll released last week.
One of the "Fix NICS" bill's Democratic backers, Chris Murphy of Connecticut, has also argued it does not go far enough to address gun violence.
Following are excerpts from an interview with CNBC's Willem Marx and Bank of Ireland CEO, Francesca McDonagh.
WM: I am going to ask the chief executive of the bank about that dividend you just mentioned there. Her name is Francesca McDonagh she's been on the job about six months. So first dividends since the financial crisis here. One hundrend and twenty four million dollars that comes out to nice little payday for the Irish finance ministry.
FM: Well as you say it is my first year giving the results as the group CEO Bank of Ireland and I'm delighted to be sharing a good performance in 2017 and the results are important for three reasons. The first one being the one you just mentioned it's the first time in 10 years that Bank of Ireland is proposing a dividend and that's a pivotal moment for us. But there are other important things as well in today's results. The second one is around the confirmation of Bank of Ireland as the largest lender to the Irish economy and we see that in business banking, particularly in the agri sector where over half of all loans to the agriculture sector are provided by Bank of Ireland and also mortgages. So we've grown more market share in mortgages we sold over 9000 mortgages during 2017 and we are announcing today our re-entry into the mortgage broker market. And the third reason these are important is one of transformation. So we are transforming the Bank of Ireland and we've previously, before my time there was a plan to invest in our core banking platform and our systems. I spent time looking at that I believe it's the right strategy the right technology and I'm absolutely committed to that program. So I feel that the Bank of Ireland is going to look very different this time next year and more different beyond that.
WM: Let's talk about mortgages because you brought them up there as an area that you're trying to transform eight years ago Bank of Ireland acknowledged thousands of mortgage customers had been mis charged. We've seen that number I think fourteen and a half thousand of your customers have been affected. You very publicly apologized for this. I just wonder whether customers, investors should be worried, whether you're worried there are more skeletons in the financial closet at this bank?
FM: So we've confirmed that the provision we've taken for the tracker mortgage issue is the appropriate one. We're making I think good progress in in getting money back to customers, they're redressing compensation. I made a personal commitment to doing that when I first arrived back in October. We've got 92 percent of all impacted customers have been contacted and made an offer and I'm very committed to drawing a line under that. For the the customers themselves but also so we can focus on continuing to grow our mortgage business. I've apologize for what's happened. Our energy and focus is on resolving it.
WM: A year ago though the Bank was saying there was setting aside 25 million euros. Now it looks like you're setting aside 170, if not paying out a large amount of that already. What's to stop that happening again other than you saying to me now, I promise you it's over?
FM: I think we've focused exhaustively on this whole issue. We're not taking a new position today we're just confirming the provisions the 170 million taken to date all the right ones. We have already made offers to pay back 114 of that total. We are on track to achieve a commitment to have contacted every single customer by the 31 of March. We are, we've learnt lessons from from this we've really challenge ourselves to be more customer focused. I'm confident that this is the end of the tracker issue based on everything I'm seeing and I've spoken to our customers, I've listened to calls, I've met customers who've been impacted. We're very invested in addressing this.
WM: I think no one would question the idea that there's a trust deficit when it comes to the Irish public and the Irish banking sector. You come from a bank that had its fair share of reputational troubles, HSBC, and I wonder how is it different in a smaller country like Ireland when you're not working on a global scale like at HSBC?
FM: So, we aren't the Bank of Ireland but we do have international presence. We have an important business in the UK and in selective international markets. The point about trust is a really important one and I think the response the tracker issue really highlighted the fragility of trust in banks and bankers, particularly in Ireland. How are we were responding. We've reset our purpose and that's been a really important thing that I've done with my team since arriving and our purpose is to enable our customers, our colleagues, and our communities to thrive. And behind that we've got some key values that I am expecting every single one of my team to role model and we've got some fantastic people in the business and our focus is on developing and building relationships. We obviously are doing that well with our new business and mortgages because 29 percent market share in the last quarter of last year. I think it shows the amounts of trust and confidence that our customers have in the mortgages that we're offering them today.
WM: One final question. You still have six and a half billion euros of non-performing loans on your books. What should investors be watching for when it comes to increasing your asset quality across the board?
FM: I think one of the key highlights of today's results is the 31 percent reduction in non-performing exposures and I think that's a good achievement and testament to hard work that's being done. We have zero interest or appetite in selling or acquiring non-performing assets. We expect that to continue to improve as we work with customers to find out, work out, solutions and the broader economy of Ireland improves.
WM: Francesca, thank you very much. That was Francesca McDonagh talking to us here from Bank of Ireland in Dublin and hand back to you guys in London.
ENDS
China recognizes the development of next-generation 5G technology is just as important as other infrastructure projects, according to the CEO of the world's second-largest maker of mobile network equipment.
Speaking at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona Monday, Ericsson CEO Borje Ekholm told CNBC: "What I think is happening in China is that they are recognizing mobile infrastructure is actually a critical piece of national infrastructure."
"When we talk about national infrastructure, we often discuss roads and railroads but as a matter of fact mobile infrastructure is equally as important," he added.
Ekholm also urged other countries to realize the potential of mobile infrastructure investments. He described such projects as the "basis" to further innovations.
The Swedish telecommunications company announced Monday that it had signed a memorandum of understanding with China Mobile over the weekend. The new pact sees Ericsson join forces with the world's biggest network operator, as they plan to cover the internet of things testing and field trials, with a particular focus on factory automation.
Ericsson's CEO said the mobile telecom equipment maker had several contracts with network operators for commercial deployment of next-generation 5G networks launching later in 2018.
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LOUISVILLE A violent storm system with relentless rains and fierce winds that pounded the southern and central U.S. over the weekend could lead to treacherous flooding in the days ahead.
The system that stretched from Texas to the Canadian maritime provinces left a path of destruction as it cut eastward Sunday: Homes were leveled, trees uprooted, cars demolished. Five people were killed, two in suspected tornadoes. Emergency crews struggled to keep up with calls from drivers stranded by rising floodwaters in many locations.
Flooding will continue to be a threat this week as more rain falls and runoffs continue, Accuweather said. More than 200 river gauges reported levels above flood stage from the Great Lakes to eastern Texas, the Weather Channel reported.
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By Sunday, the river gauge near downtown Louisville showed the Ohio River at 34.9 feet. The normal level is about 12 feet. In 1997, the water was measured at 38.8 feet; roughly 50,000 homes flooded, and the Louisville area alone saw $200 million in damage.
Floodwaters on the Ohio River in Louisville and Cincinnati are at their highest level in about 20 years, the Weather Channel said Sunday. The river was forecast to reach moderate flood stage along the southern border of Ohio and West Virginia in the coming days, according to the National Weather Service.
In Adairville, Ky., Dallas Jane Combs, 79, died after a likely tornado struck her home, the Logan County Sheriff's Department told TV station WKRN.
Two bodies were also recovered from submerged vehicles in separate incidents in the state Saturday.
Republican politicians in Delta Air Lines' home state of Georgia are striking back at the airline after it decided to scrap discounted airfare for participants in an upcoming National Rifle Association meeting. "I will kill any tax legislation that benefits Delta unless the company changes its position and fully reinstates its relationship with the NRA," tweeted Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle, referring to a bill that could save Delta taxes on jet fuel. "Corporations cannot attack conservatives and expect us not to fight back." I will kill any tax legislation that benefits @Delta unless the company changes its position and fully reinstates its relationship with @NRA. Corporations cannot attack conservatives and expect us not to fight back.
Delta Airlines passenger planes Robert Alexander | Getty Images
The airline added that "it continues to support the Second Amendment." On social media, some customers thanked the airlines for taking a stance against the NRA while others said they would take their business to other airlines. Delta is the second-largest airline behind American Airlines, which does not have such a discount agreement with the NRA, a spokesman said. Southwest also said it does not have an agreement with the NRA. The NRA called the decision of the companies to cut perks to the NRA "a shameful display of political and civic cowardice. In time, these brands will be replaced by others who recognize that patriotism and determined commitment to Constitutional freedoms are characteristics of a marketplace they very much want to serve," the NRA added. United and Delta had offered airfare discounts of between 2 percent and 10 percent, according to the NRA's website. The decision by the two airlines is more "symbolic" and doesn't cut any meaningful discount, said Henry Harteveldt, a travel-industry expert and founder of the consulting group Atmosphere Research Group. After airlines have gone through waves of large mergers many travelers may not have much choice in alternative carriers. "You have consolidation," Harteveldt said.
WATCH: Trump says NRA wants to get something done
Carter Page, makes a presentation titled 'Departing from Hypocrisy: Potential Strategies in the Era of Global Economic Stagnation, Security Threats and Fake News' during his visit to Moscow, December 12, 2016.
The GOP's three-and-a-half page document highlighted concerns with the FBI and Justice Department 's acquisition and renewal of surveillance warrants against former Trump campaign advisor Carter Page. It was based on underlying documents from secret Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Courts that only one committee Republican outgoing South Carolina Rep. Trey Gowdy had actually read.
The memo was sent back to intelligence agencies, where sections of the 10-page document were redacted over a two-week period.
President Donald Trump had approved his own side's memo, written by the House Intelligence Committee's Republican chairman, Devin Nunes, against the admonitions of government agencies. But he refused to support the release of the Democratic response when it was first sent to his desk in early February.
While Republicans' memo on alleged surveillance abuses went viral long before it was even publicly available , the release of the Democratic rebuttal Saturday evening was met with comparatively little fanfare.
Before it was declassified, some Republicans said the findings in the memo would call into question the very foundations of special counsel Robert Mueller's ongoing investigation into ties between the Trump campaign and Russia. The Democrats' version directly confronts numerous assertions from the Nunes memo while defending the actions of the FBI and DOJ.
The information in the new memo alleges that numerous connections between the Trump campaign and Russia were being pursued since at least 2016. The early knowledge of potential ties between the two entities suggests that the investigators' working theory of the case may have included potential collusion since its beginning stages.
Here are seven key points alleged in the Democrats' memo:
1. Carter Page was on the FBI's radar long before they received the infamous "Steele dossier." The Republican majority's memo contends that a dossier researched by Christopher Steele, a former British spy working for intelligence firm Fusion GPS, "formed an essential part of the Carter Page FISA application." Many of the dossier's allegations, including salacious ties between Trump himself and the Kremlin, remain unverified.
The minority's response, however, suggests that the dossier merely offered corroborating evidence of Page's alleged involvement with Russia. The FBI had been aware of Page since 2013, when two Russian spies who tried to recruit him were indicted, the memo says.
Page had also allegedly been interviewed by the FBI "multiple times about his Russian intelligence contacts" in March 2016 the same month he joined the Trump campaign.
Page left the campaign well before the Steele dossier allegedly circulated among investigators in September 2016, which the memo cites as evidence that the FBI's surveillance was not sued to spy on the Trump campaign.
2. Steele was not paid by the FBI or DOJ for the dossier. The GOP memo says that the surveillance application against Carter Page excludes the fact that the FBI "had separately authorized payment to Steele" for the dossier, which Fusion GPS had already been commissioned to gather by the Clinton campaign and the Democratic National Committee.
The Democratic response tacitly acknowledges that authorization, but says "that payment was cancelled and never made."
"Steele ultimately never received payment from the FBI for any 'dossier'-related information," the memo alleges.
While Steele was never paid by the FBI for the dossier, he had been compensated by the bureau for his prior work on unrelated investigations, the memo says.
3. The DOJ did not mislead the FISC about Fusion GPS's political motivations. Among the central claims of the Republican memo is that none of the surveillance warrants neither the initial application nor any of the subsequent three renewals "reference the role of the DNC, Clinton campaign, or any party/campaign in funding Steele's efforts." The memo notes that the Steele dossier's "political origins were then known to senior DOJ and FBI officials" at the time.
In their rebuttal, House Democrats say this omission is by design. The Justice Department, their memo says, "appropriately upheld its longstanding practice of protecting U.S. citizen information by purposefully not 'unmasking' U.S. person and entity names."
But while Hillary Clinton and the DNC, like Trump, were not specifically named, Steele's potential biases did not go unmentioned.
"The FBI speculates that the identified U.S. Person," meaning Fusion GPS co-founder Glenn Simpson, "was likely looking for information that could be used to discredit Candidate #1's campaign," referring to then-candidate Trump's campaign.
4. The FBI had opened numerous "sub-inquiries" into Trump campaign associates by September 2016. The FBI's counterintelligence investigation into Russian election interference began in July 2016. The Democrats' memo highlights that the Steele dossier, which came months later, played no role in the initial probe.
To emphasize the point, the memo alleges that the FBI has opened sub-inquiries into multiple Trump campaign officials, as well as Page, which would have continued even if the bureau never received the Steele dossier.
The subjects of the sub-inquiries have been redacted. But a footnote shortly following the redaction identifies the indictments of former Trump national security advisor Michael Flynn, former Trump campaign aide George Papadopoulos, former Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort and former Trump campaign official Rick Gates.
Some lawyers have speculated that the footnote, which appears to provide information that is elsewhere censored, may have been overlooked during the redaction process.
"There's really, to my mind, not a good reason to redact" the names, said Ned Price, a former intelligence officer and an NBC contributor.
"It reeks of politicization," Price said. "The best interpretation is that the administration thought it would be highly damning to know that a handful [of Trump campaign members] were under investigation."
This section of the memo does not appear to rebut any specific claim in the GOP document, which mainly focused on surveillance warrants. But some Republican members of Congress have argued that the Nunes memo undermines the legitimacy of the special counsel's inquiry into the communications between the Trump campaign and Russia.
5. The surveillance warrant and renewals against Page were approved by judges appointed by Republicans. The Democrats' memo says that the October 2016 surveillance warrant application against Page, and the three subsequent renewals of the warrant, were all approved by federal judges appointed during Republican administrations.
Of the four federal judges involved in scrutinizing the surveillance requests, two were appointed by former president George W. Bush, one by President George H.W. Bush, and one by President Ronald Reagan.
6. The Democrats' memo does not address the GOP claim that deputy FBI director Andrew McCabe said that the Steele dossier was necessary to acquire the surveillance warrant. The GOP memo alleges that McCabe, in testimony to the House Intelligence Committee in December 2017, said that "no surveillance warrant would have been sought from the FISC without the Steele dossier information."
While sources familiar with the testimony have disputed the characterization of McCabe's words, the outgoing deputy FBI director is not addressed in the Democrats' rebuttal.
7. Democrats did not wait to release their memo. Shortly after the memo was released on Saturday, Trump said the House Democrats' memo is "a very bad document for their side."
"That's why they didn't push hard to have it," Trump said in a Fox News interview. "If you notice, they did not push it hard because they understood this was going to happen, and just in looking around and seeing reports, a lot of people are saying that."
But Democrats released their document the same day it was returned with redactions, thus approving it for release. The DOJ sent the redacted memo back to the committee minority on Saturday afternoon; it was released before 4:30 p.m. EST.
HotelPlanner.com CEO and co-founder Tim Hentschel said he's not interested in mixing business and politics.
"If you ask us to be part of your boycott war, that's not what we're about," Hentschel said in response to the list of companies that have said they will no longer do business with the National Rifle Association. "We're about hospitality, welcoming all guests."
HotelPlanner.com is a private company that offers group hotel bookings to several large associations. NRA members have access to the company's discounted group rates.
"We're just a classic hospitality company," Hentschel told CNBC on "Power Lunch" Monday. Hentschel said his company, which he estimates will arrange about 900,000 group bookings this year, stands by the NRA because the NRA is like any other customer in the association network and his company has an obligation to honor its customers.
NRA members pay a $40 annual fee and receive discounts at several major corporations. While Hentschel's company relies on business from NRA members, he said, "It's not about money. The numbers are insignificant. It's not about any of that. It's about bringing people together, which has always been our core business competency."
"After all the heat I've taken over the weekend, I will stand by the statement that we bring people together for good," he said.
That heat includes growing public pressure for companies to take a stand on gun control after the Feb. 14 Parkland, Florida, shooting that killed 17 people. Since last week, the list of companies cutting ties with the NRA, or discontinuing some portion of their business with the association, has grown.
First National Bank of Omaha; Enterprise Holdings, which runs the car rental brands Enterprise, Alamo and National; SimpliSafe, the alarm system company, and Symantec, the software security company, have all said they will no longer do business with the NRA. Rental car companies Hertz Global Holdings and Avis Budget Group, MetLife Insurance Company and airlines Delta and United Airlines, have said they will end discount programs with the NRA. Insurer Chubb said they would stop underwriting NRA insurance for gun owners.
The NRA responded with a statement saying, "some corporations have decided to punish NRA membership in a shameful display of political and civic cowardice. In time, these brands will be replaced by others who recognize that patriotism and determined commitment to Constitutional freedoms are characteristics of a marketplace they very much want to serve."
"Let it be absolutely clear. The loss of a discount will neither scare nor distract one single NRA member from our mission to stand and defend the individual freedoms that have always made America the greatest nation in the world," the NRA statement said.
But HotelPlanner isn't the only company standing by the NRA. Clearent, Netspend and Lockton, among other companies, have not cut ties or have simply kept quiet regarding their partnership with the NRA. Hyatt Regency hotel in Dallas will host NRA events during the group's annual convention in May.
"I wanted to clarify that Hyatt does not provide National Rifle Association members with a national discount or have a corporate relationship with the NRA," Stephanie Lerdall, senior manager of corporate communications for Hyatt said in an email.
On Monday afternoon, FedEx released a statement saying it would continue its relationship with the NRA. Currently, NRA members receive discounted rates from the shipping company.
"FedEx is a common carrier under Federal law and therefore does not and will not deny service or discriminate against any legal entity regardless of their policy positions or political views," the statement said. "FedEx has never set or changed its rates for any of our millions of customers around the world in response to their politics, beliefs or positions on issues."
While the company said it will not endorse either side of the gun control debate, the statement said FedEx "views assault rifles and large capacity magazines as an inherent potential danger to schools, workplaces, and communities when such weapons are misused. We therefore support restricting them to the military."
Cutting ties over a political issue isn't always easy for a business that has customers on both sides of the political divide.
"CEOs and business leaders clearly have their own point of view," Steve Odland, chief executive officer of the nonprofit Committee for Economic Development, told CNBC. "Companies have multiple constituents, including customers, community members and shareholders. It's difficult for CEOs to take a side without alienating some part of that."
"By doing that, the company makes some piece of your constituents happy, but they are also offending some portion of their business [community]," Odland said.
Better, he said, would be for business leaders to work with elected officials and urge them to address the issue of gun control.
Still, others say that companies are at risk of losing customers if they don't take a firm political stance.
Many companies experience boycotts, said Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, senior associate dean at Yale School of Management, "and they survive just fine."
Hungarian Prime Minister and Chairman of FIDESZ party Viktor Orban delivers his state of the nation address in front of his party members and sypathizers at Varkert Bazar cultural center of Budapest on February 18, 2018.
Hungary's ruling right-wing government suffered an unexpected defeat in a local by-election over the weekend, raising concerns for Prime Minister Viktor Orban ahead of an upcoming national vote.
Orban, known for his anti-migrant views and populist rhetoric, is campaigning to serve a third consecutive term from April 8. However, a bellwether vote in southern Hungary backfired for Orban's Fidesz supporters on Sunday.
The battle for political control in Hodmezovasarhely culminated in victory for independent candidate Peter Marki-Zay. Despite being a political novice, Marki-Zay won 57.5 percent of the vote as he enjoyed the support of the full spectrum of the opposition.
Meanwhile, the Fidesz Party candidate, Zoltan Hegedus, won 41.5 percent of the vote, according to preliminary results.
The defeat was a surprise setback for Orban's government with just six weeks to go before a parliamentary election. The embarrassment was further emphasized by the fact Sunday's local election is the home of Janos Lazar a close ally of the Hungarian premier.
In 2014, the Fidesz Party secured more than 60 percent of the vote in Hodmezovasarhely.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel speaks at the headquarters of SPD for preliminary coalition talks on January 7, 2017.
Germany's Christian Democrats (CDU) meet on Monday to approve a coalition deal with the Social Democrats (SPD), a move that will take their leader, Angela Merkel, a step closer to a fourth term as chancellor in Europe's biggest economy.
The last major hurdle to end a five-month political impasse after a September 24 election, however, comes next week. On March 4, the results of a postal vote by SPD members vote will be announced, and that result is far less certain.
The party conference follows Merkel's announcement of her CDU picks for a new, younger cabinet intended to revive the party, which has descended into rows about how to respond to the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD).
Merkel is to address CDU delegates at the meeting before the vote on the deal, which is expected to go through easily.
The conference will also vote on the appointment of her close ally Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer as CDU general secretary, who is widely seen as her preferred successor. Dubbed "mini-Merkel" by some media, the Saarland state premier, 55, shares many of Merkel's views - but not all.
Her Catholic, western German background contrasts with Merkel's Protestant, eastern roots. While socially conservative, known for opposing gay marriage, Kramp-Karrenbauer is a strong supporter of the minimum wage and worker rights.
After 12 years as chancellor and almost 18 years in charge of her party, Merkel's authority is waning and on Sunday, she responded to growing calls for new blood at the top of the CDU.
In a bid to silence critics who want the CDU to shift to the right to win back voters from the AfD, Merkel said she would promote her most outspoken critic, 37-year-old Jens Spahn, to the cabinet.
She said she had carefully chosen a younger team who could bring energy to the job and revive the party's mood.
After her conservative bloc, which also includes Bavaria's Christian Social Union (CSU), scored its worst result since 1949 in last year's election, her efforts to forge a coalition with two other smaller parties collapsed in November.
This forced her to woo the SPD, a reluctant partner, which had seen its own support fall to its lowest since World War Two.
If SPD members vote "no" in their ballot, the most likely outcome is a new election or possibly a minority government.
Some analysts say the prospect of a new election will spur SPD members into voting "yes", to prevent further deterioration in the party's support. An Emnid poll on Sunday showed the SPD down two points from a week ago, at 17 percent. (Reporting by Madeline Chambers, editing by Larry King)
Longtime advocates say we're closer than ever to adopting the program.
Political philosopher and economist Karl Widerquist remembers a poll from 10 years ago that showed just 12 percent of Americans approved of a universal basic income. That's changed and quickly. Today, 48 percent of Americans support it, according to a new Northeastern University/Gallup survey of more than 3,000 U.S. adults. The survey looked at universal basic income as a solution for Americans who have lost jobs to automation. "It represents an enormous increase in support," said Widerquist, an associate professor at Georgetown University in Qatar and an advocate for a universal basic income. "It's really promising." Proposals for universal basic income programs vary, but the most common one is a system in which the federal government sends out regular checks to everyone, regardless of their earnings or employment. Pilots of such programs are underway in Finland and Canada. In rural Kenya, a basic income is managed by nonprofit GiveDirectly. India with a population of more than 1.3 billion residents is considering establishing a universal basic income.
People are saying, 'Look we cannot let inequality continue to grow because the political consequences could be a disaster.' Guy Standing co-founder of the Basic Income Earth Network
Some projects are happening closer to the U.S. Y Combinator Research, based in Oakland, California, started a test of a basic income last year and is raising funds to expand the research project. This year in Stockton, California, Mayor Michael Tubbs' Stockton Economic Empowerment Demonstration will give several dozen low-income families $500 each month in a study of basic income. Alaska residents have each received a payment annually for decades from the Alaska Permanent Fund, which has ranged from around $330 to more than $2,000. These examples are an opportunity to debunk many of the myths about a universal basic income, said Guy Standing, co-founder of the Basic Income Earth Network. He recently spoke at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, on the subject. "The claim is often made that if you give people a basic income, they'll become lazy and stop doing work," Standing said. "It's an insult to the human condition. Basic incomes tend to increase people's work rather than reduce it." That's because research has shown that a basic income can improve people's mental and physical health, Standing said, as well as encourage them to pursue employment for reasons more meaningful than just a need to put food on the table. Rising inequality and its vast effects have triggered a "perfect storm" for basic income, Standing said. "People are saying, 'Look we cannot let inequality continue to grow, because the political consequences could be a disaster'," Standing said, pointing to the recent rise of more authoritarian figures.
"Pharma bro" fraudster Martin Shkreli's hopes for a light prison sentence were dealt a huge blow Monday as a judge ruled that his crimes caused a loss of $10.4 million.
The ruling by Judge Kiyo Matsumoto means that federal sentencing guidelines will likely call for a prison term of up to a decade or more for Shkreli when she sentences him March 9. She is not bound by those guidelines, however.
Shkreli, 34, and his lawyers have been hoping that he will receive either no time in prison or perhaps just 16 months or less for his conviction for securities fraud.
Matsumoto's ruling makes that much less likely. As a rule, the higher the loss amount of a crime, the longer the prison sentence suggested by a calculation of the federal guidelines.
Her ruling relates only to the amount of loss for the purpose of calculating Shkreli's recommended sentence not in determining how much he should pay the government as part of that sentence.
Also Monday, Matsumoto in her same ruling rejected a bid by Shkreli's lawyers to reverse his criminal conviction.
At trial, there was testimony and evidence that showed Shkreli had repeatedly lied to investors about details of two hedge funds he ran which ended up going bust without him telling investors and then used money and cash from a drug company he later founded to pay them back their money, and then some.
Prosecutors had argued that Shkreli caused between $9 million and more than $20 million in losses. Shkreli's lawyers have said he caused no loss.
In her ruling, the judge dismissed arguments by Shkreli's lawyers that there was no actual loss because Shkreli paid hedge fund investors more than back on their money with cash and stock in the drug company he founded, Retrophin.
Matsumoto noted, "By the time Mr. Shkreli began to funnel money from Retrophin to his MSMB Capital investors, many of those investors, as well as the Securities and Exchange Commission, had detected the fraud."
Russia has laid the groundwork for a likely veto on Monday of a British, U.S. and French bid for the United Nations Security Council to call out Iran over its weapons falling into the hands of Yemen's Houthi group.
The 15-member Security Council has to renew its targeted sanctions on Yemen on Monday.
Russia has proposed a rival resolution that would simply extend the mandate of the regime for one year and not mention Iran.
The United States has been lobbying for months for Iran to be held accountable at the United Nations, while at the same time threatening to quit a 2015 deal among world powers to curb Iran's nuclear program if "disastrous flaws" are not fixed.
Britain drafted a resolution in consultation with the United States and France that initially wanted to condemn Iran for violating an arms embargo on Houthi leaders and include a council commitment to take action over it.
The latest British draft drops the condemnation and instead expresses concern that U.N. experts monitoring the sanctions reported Iran had violated a targeted arms embargo by failing to stop missiles and unmanned aerial vehicles reaching the Houthis.
A proxy war is playing out in Yemen between Iran and U.S. ally Saudi Arabia.
A Saudi-led coalition intervened in Yemen in 2015, backing government forces fighting Iran-allied Houthi rebels. Iran has denied supplying the Houthis weapons.
A U.N. Security Council resolution needs nine votes in favor and no vetoes by Russia, China, the United States, France or Britain to pass.
Both resolutions seek to renew a U.N. ban on the supply of weapons to Houthi leaders and "those acting on their behalf or at their direction." It can also blacklist individuals and entities for threatening the peace and stability of Yemen or hindering aid access.
U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley took her Security Council colleagues to Washington in January to view pieces of missiles fired by the Houthis at Saudi Arabia in a bid to boost the U.S. case against Iran.
Russian U.N. Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia said after the visit that he does not believe there is a case for United Nations action against Iran. Iran has described the arms displayed in Washington as "fabricated."
Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella on Monday suggested that Microsoft could grow more from its Office 365 line of cloud productivity apps than anything in the company's 43-year history.
With business editions of Office 365, Microsoft faces competition from Google, as well as younger players like Box and Dropbox, in the race to get companies collaborating in apps running on remote cloud servers.
"The growth opportunity for what is Office 365 is a lot bigger than anything we've achieved, even with our high penetration in the client-server world," Nadella said at the Morgan Stanley Technology Media and Telecom conference in San Francisco.
When companies transition from Microsoft's traditional licensing business to cloud-based subscriptions, it's "not a one-for-one move," Nadella told Morgan Stanley analyst Keith Weiss at the event. Microsoft recently introduced the Microsoft 365 bundle, which includes Office as well as Windows, along with enterprise security and mobility services.
Nadella also talked up the company's potential in the Azure public cloud infrastructure business, where it competes with Google as well as Amazon Web Services.
"We had a good business in our server business, but this business is orders of magnitude bigger than what used to be a successful server business," he said.
At the same time, Microsoft has also found rising revenue in the sale of cloud-based business intelligence software for charting and analyzing corporate data, with the Power BI product, which competes with Salesforce's Analytics Cloud and Tableau.
"We went from nowhere to being the leader in BI in the cloud," Nadella said. Microsoft expects Power BI to have a $500 million annualized billings run rate for its 2018 fiscal year, he said.
Plus, the Dynamics 365 offering, which includes a tool for managing relationships with customers, grew 70 percent in the most recent quarter, Nadella said.
Nadella took over from Steve Ballmer as the head of Microsoft four years ago.
Saudi Arabia's King Salman, in a series of late-night decrees, replaced top military leaders, promoted others and assigned new younger officials in economic and security roles, according to the Saudi Press Agency.
The king terminated both the commander of air defenses and the military chief of staff and assigned new leaders to the air defense and land forces. The decree said the changes were made on the recommendation of the minister of defense, who is the Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
"These appointments were part of a normal rotation in line with the new Ministry of Defense development plan. While some senior officers who had reached retirement age left the service, others were promoted or moved to newly created positions," the Saudi Arabian government said in a statement to NBC News.
But some analysts saw the military changes as the result of frustration with the three-year-old war in Yemen against the Iran-backed Houthis. The crown prince was the architect of the war.
Uber has significant growth opportunities in the future, even in more developed markets, the CEO of the SoftBank Vision Fund, the ride-hailing app's biggest investor, told CNBC Monday, backing its plan for an initial public offering (IPO) by 2019.
Speaking in November, Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi stated that the entire board at his firm want an IPO, with CEO Khosrowshahi himself saying that the "numbers support it." He added that there was no pressure from any investors for the company to go public.
Rajeev Misra, the CEO of SoftBank Vision Fund, said "of course" when asked whether he would like to see an Uber IPO by 2019. Speaking at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, he said he was happy with the job that Khosrowshahi was doing and the regulatory progress that was being made.
"He is doing an amazing job, we are very happy with Dara," Misra told CNBC.
SoftBank Vision Fund is a $100 billion fund that is part of the wider SoftBank Group, which took a stake in Uber earlier this year, valuing the U.S. ride-hailing firm at $48 billion. The Japanese firm is now the largest stakeholder in Uber.
SoftBank is "seriously" considering spinning off its mobile phone unit in an initial public offering (IPO), the head of its $100 billion investment fund told CNBC on Monday.
Last month, the Nikkei newspaper reported that SoftBank planned to list the business and raise about $18 billion to fund investment in technology firms. It already has invested in 30 technology companies, including Uber, via its Vision Fund.
Rajeev Misra, CEO of the SoftBank Vision Fund, told CNBC that discussions about an IPO of the SoftBank's mobile phone unit is in the "early days," but that it was being seriously considered.
"We haven't finalized... what our plans are. We are considering it seriously," Misra said in a TV interview at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain.
The CEO did not give further details about any plans.
SoftBank's massive $100 billion Vision Fund will make between 70 and 100 investments in technology firms, CEO Rajeev Misra told CNBC on Monday.
Since closing the first major round of investment in May 2017, the Vision Fund has invested in 30 companies, from ride-hailing service Uber to chipmaker Nvidia to Indian e-commerce player Flipkart.
When asked how many companies the Vision Fund would invest in, Misra told CNBC that it would be between 70 and 100 firms.
The fund has already deployed about a third of its capital, according to SoftBank's latest financial release.
Misra said the fund's appeal comes down to the fact that it's a "patient, long-term" investor.
"We do get every call for any company raising significant capital, we get the first call. Not because we have the capital, there's enough capital in this world. Because we have the ecosystem now, and the ecosystem has an exponential effect," Misra told CNBC in a TV interview at Mobile World Congress.
Misra explained that by "ecosystem" he means SoftBank can connect the companies it invests in to each other to see if they can work together, as well as introducing them to new markets.
But SoftBank's fund has received some criticism for driving the valuations of private technology companies higher. This has the potential to affect some venture capitalists who may find it harder to invest in funding rounds at higher valuations.
Misra said that the Vision Fund has an "extremely symbiotic" relationship with venture capitalists and provides liquidity for early investors that got into technology start-ups.
"The VC community benefits from the Vision Fund because we normally make primary investments into the company. We also buy secondary in all of our investments, from the VCs who really want to exit," Misra said.
Secondary shares are bought by a new investor from an existing investor.
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Starbucks has launched a five pence (seven cents) paper cup charge in 35 of its stores across London, with proceeds from the levy to be donated to environmental charity Hubbub.
Hubbub will assess how the trial, which is set to last three months, impacts customer behavior.
The funds raised will be used by Hubbub to support other campaigns looking to cut waste. The five pence fee will be added automatically to any paper cup purchase in the participating stores. People drinking inside a branch will be offered their drink in a ceramic, rather than paper, cup.
"We're hoping that this charge will remind customers to rethink their use of single-use plastic-lined cups, as it has with plastic bags," Starbucks Europe's Simon Redfern said in a statement Monday. "We've offered a reusable cup discount for 20 years, with only 1.8 percent of customers currently taking up this offer, so we're really interested in working with Hubbub to see how this charge could help to change behavior and help to reduce waste."
Starbucks is the latest big business to try and mitigate its impact on the environment. In January, Evian, one of the world's most iconic bottled water brands, announced it would produce all its plastic bottles from 100 percent recycled plastic by the year 2025. British supermarket Iceland, which specializes in frozen food, has made a commitment to eliminate plastic packaging from its own brand products by the end of 2023.
The president suggested he personally would have taken action in a similar situation. He called the sheriff's office's conduct "disgusting" and said the deputies "weren't exactly Medal of Honor winners."
President Donald Trump criticized a sheriff's deputy again Monday for failing to take action during the shooting massacre of 17 people at a Florida high school on Feb. 14.
Trump, who attended New York Military Academy as a teenager, did not get drafted into the military during the Vietnam War. He received deferments for college education and bone spurs in his feet.
"I really believe I'd run in there even if I didn't have a weapon. And I think most of the people in this room would have done that too," the president told a meeting of 39 state governors at the White House.
President Donald Trump speaks during the 2018 White House business session with state governors in the State dining Room of the White House on February 26, 2018 in Washington, DC.
An armed sheriff's deputy assigned to Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School stayed outside as the gunman rampaged through the school. The deputy, Scot Petersen, resigned. The Broward County Sheriff's office has faced backlash over what critics call an inadequate response to the shooting.
The president previously called Petersen a "coward."
Since the massacre, Trump has pushed for various actions to prevent future school shootings. On Monday, he said the United States needs to "have action" on policies related to gun control and school safety.
The president has called for improving background checks, raising the age to buy assault-style rifles to 21 and banning "bump stocks" that allow semi-automatic rifles to fire like automatic weapons. He has also repeatedly made a case to arm "gun adept" teachers at schools a proposal rebutted by Florida top two Republicans Gov. Rick Scott and Sen. Marco Rubio.
Last week, Trump said the National Rifle Association and Republicans in Congress are ready to support action to at least moderately restrict access to guns. However, many House conservatives may balk at Trump's proposal to raise the buying age for rifles.
On Monday, Trump told governors not to "worry" about running afoul of the NRA, saying "they're on our side." In the process, he appeared to give some weight to a Democratic talking point that the GOP is afraid of the interest group.
"You guys half of you are so afraid of the NRA. There's nothing to be afraid of. And you know what if they're not with you, we have to fight them every once in a while. That's OK," he said.
While the House passed a bill aiming to fix problems with the background check system, it also passed a policy that would allow people with concealed carry permits in one state to use them nationwide. Senate Democrats are unlikely to sign on to that policy as part of legislation improving background checks.
Trump told governors that Republicans are working to "strengthen" background check legislation introduced last year by Senate Majority Whip John Cornyn, R-Texas.
Jeremy Corbyn, the leader of the U.K.'s parliamentary opposition, unveiled his party's plan for Brexit, saying the country should stay in a permanent customs union with the EU after it leaves.
Corbyn, from the left-leaning Labour party, said he favors staying in the customs union a trade agreement that eliminates customs duties between EU member states. This is in direct contrast to the ruling Conservative party, which sees membership as potentially stifling any future agreements the U.K. might make with countries like China and India.
"Labour would seek to negotiate a new comprehensive U.K.-EU customs union to ensure there are no tariffs with Europe and to help avoid any need whatsoever for a hard border in Northern Ireland," Corbyn said in a speech in the English city of Coventry Monday.
The letter outlined the kinds of companies Buffett is looking for, a set of criteria that has not digressed much over the past several years. They include: "durable competitive strengths; able and high-grade management; good returns on the net tangible assets required to operate the business; opportunities for internal growth at attractive returns; and, finally, a sensible purchase price.
Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway wants a deal, but according to Buffett's most recent annual letter to shareholders , it simply can't find one that both fits its criteria and is trading at an affordable valuation.
CNBC has some ideas for Buffett.
1.) Illinois Tool Works, market cap: $56.2 billion
This industrial conglomerate is right in Buffett's wheelhouse: an under-the-radar-screen stalwart with a solid cash flow. Its businesses, which span a diverse range from food equipment to construction products, tend to have high market share another Buffett qualifier. An acquisition of Illinois Tool Works would mimic his blockbuster acquisition of railroad Burlington Northern Santa Fe, which Buffett described as a "bet on the country." Since Illinois Tool get a large share of its revenue from the U.S., it should benefit from higher U.S. economic growth.
2.) Campbell Soup, market cap: $13.4 billion
Campbell Soup has long been an acquisition target, but the time may be finally right for a deal and for Buffett-backed Kraft-Heinz to be an acquirer.
Campbell recently announced its acquisition of Snyder's-Lance, a deal the company is using to diversify away from its slowing soup business into snacks. But if integrating Snyder's hits a snag that could drag drown the soup company's stock to a price to Buffett's liking.
Meantime, the Dorrance family, which controls Campbell, has historically been opposed to selling. That said, pressure on Big Food is at an historic level, as seen by the rapid pace of industry deal making already this year.
A Kraft-Heinz acquisition of Campbell would provide numerous synergies as it creates a massive food giant. The deal could also be structured to allow the Dorrance family to keep their ever-important dividend.
3. Parts of General Electric, market cap $123 billion
From Buffett's own mouth: The Oracle earlier on CNBC acknowledged that, with the conglomerate now trading at roughly $14 a share, he could afford the whole company, should he want to.
The industrial conglomerate has certainly had a rough patch, plagued with accounting and management issues. But Buffett knows the company and has invested in it before during the financial crisis. An investment which, according to Buffett, made him some money, though not as much as his investment in Goldman Sachs at a similar time.
If Buffett does buy part of GE, a solid candidate could be its airline leasing business, considering Buffett's optimism regarding the airlines industry. Buffett has said the airlines' bankruptcy-riddled "bad 20th Century" is behind them, with U.S. airlines having posted a stretch of profitability, helped by a plunge in fuel prices in mid-2014.
4. AmeriSourceBergen, market cap $22 billion
This is our dark horse choice. The acquisition of one of the country's primary delivery systems for pharmaceuticals could create the ecosystem needed for Buffett's new health-care venture. Buffett is working on the initiative with Amazon and J.P. Morgan Chase in an attempt to cut health-care costs and improve services for U.S. employees. The goal of the operation is to create a health-care system that's free from profit-making incentives. But even so, the new company needs the infrastructure to supply drugs to its network.
Here is why the idea is a dark horse: Buffett himself played down the idea of buying a health-care business to tie into the initiative on CNBC earlier Monday. The business is also trading at a rich premium, stoked by chatter about a potential deal with Walgreens Boots Alliance.
That said, if a deal with Walgreens were to fall apart, the valuation would slip and Amerisource might want to have a partner considering the pending CVS-Aetna deal that was announced a few months ago.
5. Southwest Airlines, market cap $34.8 billion
Buffett told CNBC he wouldn't rule out owning an entire airline. One name that has been speculated is budget airline Southwest. Analysts at Morgan Stanley said the airline could be a logical acquisition target last year, due to its free cash flow, management and domestic focus.
Billionaire investor Warren Buffett, who did not support the Republican plans to cut taxes, told CNBC on Monday his Berkshire Hathaway conglomerate stands to benefit from the new corporate rate.
The GOP tax law, which lowered the federal corporate rate from 35 percent to 21 percent, is a "huge tailwind" for American businesses, Buffett said.
"It certainly means corporations will pay quite a bit less in tax than they otherwise would," he said. "When we make money in 2018 domestically, and subject to a lot of little things here and there, basically we'll be paying at 21 percent instead of 35 percent. That's a lot of money."
The 87-year-old Berkshire chairman and CEO released his annual report to shareholders on Saturday. It revealed that the company's net worth increased to $65.3 billion for the 2017 tax year, including $29 billion because of tax reform.
In a "Squawk Box" interview, Buffett explained the reasons for most of the gain.
"[First,] we had about $100 billion of unrealized gain in equities. When they're sold you pay tax on that. And previously when the tax was 35 percent we would have had a $35 billion reserve for taxes against that as a liability. That would drop to about 21 billion," he said. "So $14 billion, roughly, was a reduction in the amount of tax that when we sell those securities we will pay. It wasn't cash now. But it reduced a liability. When you reduce a liability net worth goes up."
"The other important point related to the same thing, deferred income taxes, [is] when we buy some kind of fixed asset," he said. "It's particularly a tailwind if you've got ... lots of deprecation and taken bonus deprecation upfront. So it's a big item there."
However, Buffett made a point to say the money is not in the bank yet: "We haven't really gotten cash yet from this. But we will save cash as we go along."
In his letter, Buffett also said the Omaha-based conglomerate has amassed a $116 billion war chest to spend on a deal, but he feels prices were too high to act in a big way last year.
Buffett has long been against lowering taxes, especially for wealthy Americans like himself. In October, he told CNBC the old corporate tax rate was not hurting American businesses in the world economy.
But he said at the time that he hoped the corporate tax rate would be lowered. "I would like it in the sense that it would be good for a million shareholders of Berkshire in terms of their returns."
Buffett was a supporter of Democrat Hillary Clinton in the 2016 presidential election. But he's since said he hopes President Donald Trump has a successful administration and positive effect on the economy."
Buffett, also nicknamed the "Oracle of Omaha" for his successful track record of stocks picks and his market commentary that's widely followed by the investment community, joined CNBC from Omaha, Nebraska. He became the controlling shareholder of Berkshire in the 1960s.
He also spoke on these topics in the CNBC interview:
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Press secretary Sarah Sanders is slated to brief reporters at the White House on Monday, as political debates over immigration, firearms and the latest developments in the special counsel's Russia probe continue to rage in Washington.
Earlier on Monday, the Supreme Court rebuked President Donald Trump's ongoing effort to rescind the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, or DACA, as it is currently applied. The law protects hundreds of thousands of immigrants who were brought illegally to the U.S. as children from being deported.
Four separate bills addressing DACA failed in the Senate on Feb. 15. Among them were a bipartisan bill from the so-called Common Sense Coalition, which allowed "Dreamers" a pathway to citizenship and secured border wall funding, and Trump's preferred plan, which took the harshest line on immigration and secured the fewest votes.
In the days following the votes, Trump claimed that Democrats have forgotten about the Dreamers.
Trump Tweet DACA
While the Trump administration deals with another immigration setback, the debate on gun reform rages on, galvanized in large part by the survivors of a Florida high school shooting that killed 17 students and adults.
Trump has considered raising the minimum age to buy guns, banning bump stocks, strengthening background checks and focusing on mental illness in response to the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. The National Rifle Association, the foremost advocacy group for gun owners and manufacturers, opposes raising the minimum age.
Trump has also continued to voice his approval for arming "gun-adept" school teachers which he has claimed could total around 20 percent of the total population.
The president has also weighed in on the apparent failures of local and federal law enforcement officials to stop the shooter, both before and during the attack.
Trump criticized the Broward County Sheriff's Office in the wake of reports that they hesitated to enter the school to engage the gunman.
"You don't know until you test it, but I think, I really believe I would have run in there even if I didn't have a weapon," the president said.
In a Saturday interview on Fox News, Trump weighed in on House Intelligence Committee Democrats' newly released rebuttal to an incendiary GOP memo. The Democratic response, which purports to defend the FBI and Justice Department against allegations of surveillance abuse, was "nothing but a confirmation" of the GOP memo, he said.
Market watchers and foreign politicians are carefully watching developments in Italy, where voters will elect a new prime minister and parliament on March 4. The outcome of the vote could spark jitters among Europe in the face of rising support for populism at a time when the Italian economy is at a critical juncture. Polls suggest that the election won't result in a majority government and political parties will have to form an alliance in order to govern. Here are the main contenders in the Italian election and their coalition partners.
Matteo Renzi
Matteo Renzi, Secretary of the Democratic Party and former Prime Minister of Italy, speaks on stage during a meeting called '#incontramoci'. Nicolo Campo | LightRocket | Getty Images
The leader of the center-left Democratic Party, and former prime minister, is seeking to return to power. He resigned from government back in 2016 after voters rejected his changes to the constitution. Since then, the left-leaning government has been led by caretaker Prime Minister Paolo Gentiloni. He could potentially decide to form a coalition government with the pro-European party Piu' Europa (More Europe).
Emma Bonino
Emma Bonino attends a press conference on February 20, 2018 in Milan, Italy. Bonino, leader of Piu Europa (also +Europa, 'More Europe'), a pro-Europeanist coalition of centre-left parties, is running for the Premiership at the next elections. Emanuele Cremaschi | Getty Images
She's the head of the liberal party Piu' Europa and former minister of foreign affairs. After more than 40 years in politics, Emma Bonino is one of the most famous female politicians in Italy.
Luigi di Maio
Leader of the anti-establishment Five Star Movement (M5S), Luigi Di Maio looks on during the presentation of the movement's candidates for the upcoming March general elections, on January 29, 2018, in Rome. Tiziana Fabi | AFP | Getty Images
The youngest of all contenders, Luigi di Maio heads the populist and anti-establishment Five Star Movement (M5S) founded by comedian Beppe Grillo. Maio has softened the party's stance on the euro but still demands agreements with Europe to reform fiscal policies. His party has not entered any coalition but he told CNBC that he would be willing to negotiate with other parties if the vote doesn't give a clear majority to any of the parties.
Silvio Berlusconi
Silvio Berlusconi, President of Forza Italia (Go Italy) and former Italian Prime Minister, gives a speech during a political rally on February 25, 2018 in Milan, Italy. Emanuele Cremaschi | Getty Images
Silvio Berlusconi has been prime minister of Italy three times. Despite a series of sex scandals and tax fraud convictions, the 81-year-old media mogul is once again at the center stage of Italian politics and could have a pivotal role in the upcoming general election. He cannot become prime minister after being banned from holding public office for six years for tax fraud, although he is appealing the ruling. But as leader of Forza Italia, polls suggest that he could get more votes than Renzi and potentially more than the Five Star Movement too. His party has joined forces with three other parties - the Northern League, Brothers of Italy and Us with Italy - increasing his chances of winning a majority.
Giorgia Meloni
Giorgia Meloni, leader of the right-wing party Fratelli d'Italia (Brothers of Italy) holds a giant Italian national flag during a political rally on February 24, 2018 in Milan, Italy. Emanuele Cremaschi | Getty Images
Meloni is the leader of Brothers of Italy a right-wing and euroskeptic party. She was minister of youth during one of Berlusconi's governments. She's running in the aforementioned four-party, right-wing coalition.
Matteo Salvini
Matteo Salvini leader of Lega Nord party speaks during the Lega Nord demonstration in Piazza Duomo on February 24, 2018 in Milan, Italy. Pier Marco Tacca | Getty Images Europe
Investors should only consider cryptocurrencies such as bitcoin if they are prepared to lose everything, BlackRock Investment Institute said in its weekly report Monday.
"We see cryptocurrencies potentially becoming more widely used in the future as the markets mature. Yet for now we believe they should only be considered by those who can stomach potentially complete losses," Richard Turnill, BlackRock's global chief investment strategist, said in the note.
Turnill noted cryptocurrencies' high volatility, fragmented markets and lack of regulation. "We don't see them becoming part of mainstream investment portfolios soon," he said, adding that their volatility makes U.S. stock market turbulence during the financial crisis "almost look placid."
Sources: BlackRock Investment Institute, with data from Thomson Reuters, February 2018.
Cryptocurrencies also haven't been able to protect investors from sharp drops in stocks. That's despite arguments for investing in the digital assets given their low correlations to traditional assets.
The digital currencies had "no ability to mitigate portfolio drawdown during periods of acute market stress like equity flash crashes of August 2015 and February 2018," J.P. Morgan Securities' John Normand said in a Feb. 9 report.
Bitcoin, the largest cryptocurrency by market capitalization, leaped 2,000 percent to above $19,000 in the 12 months through mid-December. The surge of interest spurred the world's largest futures exchange, CME, and its competitor, Cboe, to launch bitcoin futures in December as well.
Enthusiasts expected the derivatives products would pave the way for more institutional investor participation and even the launch of bitcoin exchange-traded funds later this year.
However, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission has asked companies to withdraw their applications for bitcoin ETFs. Trading volume in the CME and Cboe bitcoin futures also remains relatively low compared with other, more widely traded products.
Bitcoin has lost about half its value in just about two months and was trading near $10,000 Monday.
BlackRock's Turnill expects cryptocurrencies will need to overcome significant challenges in order to gain wider appeal.
He noted the blockchain technology underlying cryptocurrencies would require a "massive shift" in software development for broad adoption. Regulators would likely need to play a major role in such a shift, Turnill said. He does expect a global regulatory framework on cryptocurrencies to emerge, potentially from a G-20 meeting set for March.
BlackRock had $6.28 trillion in assets under management at the end of December as the world's largest asset manager.
Xiaomi is building its "resources" to enter the U.S. market, a top executive at the company has told CNBC.
Last week, Xiaomi signed a deal with Microsoft to explore cooperation in the areas of cloud computing, AI and hardware. When asked if this is a sign the Chinese electronics giant is seriously considering an entry into the U.S. with its smartphones, Wang Xiang, the head of Xiaomi's international business, said the company is always looking closely at the market.
"We always look seriously at the U.S. market. The U.S. market is very important to us but we are very, very carefully building our resources to serve the U.S. consumer," Wang told CNBC in an interview that aired Monday.
The executive explained that the U.S. is a market where people pay for contracts with carriers in order to buy phones, as opposed to purchasing devices outright. As a result, the company needs to do "customizations" to address the marketplace.
Xiaomi doesn't sell its smartphones in the U.S. but does offer a portable charger product in the market.
If the Chinese firm were to enter the U.S., then it would face stiff competition from Samsung and Apple, which dominate the market.
Ana Garcia, a DACA recipient in Mexico, Missouri, watched her father get deported several times. Because of her status, she's never been able to return to the village in Mexico where he now lives and she grew up. "I daydream of that little village and what it's going to be like," Garcia said.
The Missourians Opinion section is a public forum for the discussion of ideas. The views presented in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Missourian or the University of Missouri. If you would like to contribute to the Opinion page with a response or an original topic of your own, visit our submission form
October 2020 brought a lighter-than-usual crop of patches. For the first time in recent memory, there were none at all for Internet Explorer or the (Chromium-based) Edge browser. The cumulative updates went in with few reports of problems, although there were many complaints about printers not working after the update.
Strange things happened, though, outside the usual monthly patching schedule. The day after Patch Tuesday, Microsoft announced a(nother) fix for a security hole in the HEVC codec CVE-2020-17022 distributed, once again, only through the Microsoft Store.
HPs Secure Click Enterprise started falling over immediately after installing this months Windows cumulative updates. HP released a Win10 update-friendly version a couple of days later. It continues to astound me that a mainstream product from a major manufacturer isnt tested before the cumulative updates roll out.
There was a security hole plug specifically for Visual Studio programmers, CVE-2020-17023.
Then theres the security patch for Microsoft Dynamics 365 Commerce, CVE-2020-16943, that was announced but never appeared. Its still missing in action. Something in there about counting chickens before theyre hatched.
As usual, we had dire warnings galore from the usual patch-right-now sources (Microsoft warns beeeelions of customers to patch immediately!). As usual, we havent seen any immediately exploited security holes, with the possible exception of SharePoint Server 2016 and 2019.
The usual grab-bag of bugs
Every month for the past year or two, weve seen a big accumulation of bugs arrive on the heels of Patch Tuesday. This months no exception. You can see a motley collection of blocked update error messages, error codes, blue screens, crashes, and peripheral problems in Mayank Parmars article in Windows Latest, Lawrence Abrams piece for BleepingComputer, Venkats rundown in Techdows, Gunter Borns post in Borns Tech and Windows World, and countless parrot sites around the web.
I dont see any particular pattern to any of it, which has become increasingly common. New patches just seem to bring along a trove of unrelated bugs, any one of which can be hugely frustrating but none of which seem to be particularly widespread.
The one exception: Ive seen many reports of printers that stop working after the latest cumulative update gets installed. In every case Ive seen, pulling the plug on the printer and plugging it back in solves the problem an easy task for individuals, not so much for admins.
'Windows cant verify the publisher of this driver software'
Some people are reporting an unexpected error when installing certain drivers. Microsoft describes the situation in the Resolved issues portion of the Windows Release Information Status page:
When installing a third-party driver, you might receive the error, Windows cant verify the publisher of this driver software." You may also see the error No signature was present in the subject when attempting to view the signature properties using Windows Explorer.
This issue occurs when one or more of the following is present in a driver package:
An improperly formatted catalog file is identified during validation by Windows. Starting with this release, Windows will require the validity of DER encoded PKCS#7 content in catalog files. Catalogs files must be signed per section 11.6 of describing DER-encoding for SET OF members in X.690.
A driver catalog file extension is not one of the supported extensions.
Thats a feature, not a bug. Microsoft suggests that you contact the driver manufacturer and ask for an update. If your hardware vendor isnt real interested in keeping up with Windows 10, well, jokes on you. Gunter Born puts it succinctly: Windows is a huge hardware exterminator, rendering still working devices as electronic waste, because drivers can no longer be installed.
'Optional' .NET previews arent optional any more
Weve seen this problem for several months, and it still hasnt been fixed.
Windows Update doesnt handle the .NET Preview monthly rollups the way you (or at least, I) would expect. Cumulative Update previews have to be manually approved by clicking a Download and install link. .NET Previews dont even offer the option.
Theres a convoluted set of rules about Windows automatically installing .NET Previews. @abbodi86 has unrolled the behavior this way:
The new .NET Previews are nothing different from all previous non-security .NET cumulative updates. They just have the term Preview in label.
If youre a seeker (click Check for updates in Windows Update), the .NET Preview update will be installed regardless of your other settings.
If you arent a seeker, when a normal update scan takes place, one of two things will happen. (1) If the previous .NET Security update is not yet installed, the .NET Preview update will be flagged as potentially superseded, and Windows Update will not offer it. (2) If the latest .NET Security update is already installed, the .NET Preview update will be installed.
If that isnt confusing enough for you, @abbodi86 has full details here.
I have no idea why Microsoft thinks that its preview (i.e., not-yet-ready-for-prime-time) patches should be installed on machines without any warning or opt-out capability. But there you have it.
Microsoft pulls back on potentially unwanted PWA apps
When is a PUP installer not a PUP installer? When its a Windows beta, of course.
Somebody at Microsoft decided it would be a good idea to jury-rig some beta test versions of Windows 10 so they automatically installed the new PWA (progressive web app) versions of Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook and OneNote. Several beta testers took umbrage at an operating system that cavalierly installed potentially unwanted programs. A couple days later, Microsoft changed course, claiming that the pushy behavior was a bug.
Right. Sean Hollister at The Verge has details.
Office 2010 and Exchange Server 2010 hit end of life
As of Oct. 13, both Office 2010 and Exchange 2010 fell off the support cycle. You wont get any more patches. A pity, really, because Office 2010 (in spite of its interface peculiarities) was a real workhorse. Patch Lady Susan Bradley has details.
Version 20H2 (or is it 2009?) rolling out
Microsoft is starting to make Win10 version 20H2 available for the masses although you have to click Download and install to get it. At least, thats the theory.
Considering version 2004 had almost no new worthwhile features, and 20H2 has fewer still (theme-related shading on Start tiles? Alt+Tab switching Edge tabs? Puh-lease), the push to 20H2 is now under way. Think of it as yet another cumulative update, except it doesnt plug any new security holes.
If you ever needed a concrete example of why twice-a-year upgrades for Win10 make absolutely no sense at all, now you have it.
Patching problems? Hit us on AskWoody.com.
Brexit 1) Davis: Corbyn lets down voters and British interests with his snake-oil pledge
labour wants to retain the freedom to nationalise City AM
Field says Corbyn is treating Labour voters as if they were thick The Times
Fox says Tory rebels should keep an open mind ahead of Mays speech The Sun
This Conservative Government understands that the Brexit vote was a call for greater control over the policies which determine peoples lives. Labour seem intent on giving that up. Last week in a speech in Vienna I explained how Britains economic future, and its new partnership with Europe, would be underpinned by a race to the top in global standards for workers, businesses, and consumers. It means a Conservative Government will use the power to set our standards to improve regulations and enhance rights. The degree of decision making power Labour are now considering handing over to Brussels would make that impossible. Oh to have been a spectator in the shadow cabinet room last week when the Shadow Foreign Secretary and Shadow Brexit Secretary commended a customs union plan which their own Shadow International Trade Secretary had publicly described as a disaster. Labour may think they have stumbled across a simple solution to Brexit, but there is a lesson they are yet to learn: if it looks like snake oil, and it smells like snake oil, dont expect it to make you feel better. David Davis, Daily Telegraph
Opinion
Editorials
Ignore Labour and finish the job The Sun Says
Crunch time Daily Telegraph Leader
>Today:
>Yesterday:
Brexit 2) The SNPs demands threaten to disjoint the Union and divide the economy, warns Lidington
Powers being contested by London and Edinburgh are vital to the UKs existence as a Union, Theresa Mays deputy will say today after warning that the SNP was risking the future of post-Brexit trade. In a major speech on the future of devolution once the UK leaves the EU, Cabinet Office minister David Lidington will say the UK is at a crossroads in our history, with failure to break the deadlock resulting in a poorer country that is divided at home and a weaker player on the global stage. Ministers from the UK, Scottish and Welsh governments are expected to meet for the second time in two weeks seeking agreement on how powers in devolved areas returning from Brussels will be managed, with devolved administrations threatening to trigger a constitutional crisis by refusing consent for essential Brexit legislation. Yesterday Mr Lidington warned that the SNPs demand for all 111 powers returning from Brussels to be fully devolved would mean the UK leaves the EU as a country split and an economy disjointed. The Scotsman
He is bringing forward amendments to appease Holyrood and Cardiff The Guardian
Spain tries to add Gibraltar back in to a deal The Sun
The EU might be about to go back on its agreement over Northern Ireland FT
The border is being used as an excuse to try to thwart Brexit, Dodds claims Daily Telegraph
Blair has become Sinn Feins useful idiot Charles Moore, Daily Telegraph
Brexit 3) Growth forecasts set to be upgraded (three months after their sudden downgrading)
Britain targets Indonesia in the first test of its trade strategy Daily Telegraph
Energy cap legislation introduced today
The Office for Budget Responsibility is set for an embarrassing U-turn as it prepares to dramatically hike forecasts for UK growth just months after they were suddenly downgraded. The OBR slashed assumptions in November, reining in expected productivity growth and warning that the deficit would rise in this financial year. However, strong numbers in the intervening period mean economists expect the watchdog to reverse some of that gloom, a move that would shrink the deficit and deliver a 15bn windfall to the Chancellor. Growth in the UKs dominant services industry has surged in the last three months with profits rising at the fastest pace since November 2015, according to a new CBI survey. Meanwhile, confidence among businesses and professional services is growing with a further pick-up anticipated in the coming three months. Daily Telegraph
Eleven million households will see their energy prices capped under legislation to be introduced by Theresa May today. The cap, which will apply to anyone on a standard variable tariff for their gas and electricity, promises to save consumers as much as 300 by bringing overcharging under control. Standard variable tariffs are typically more expensive than fixed-term contracts, punishing those who do not switch. The Domestic Gas and Electricity (Tariff Cap) Bill would allow energy watchdog Ofgem to limit tariffs until 2020, with the option to extend the cap annually until 2023. The Government hopes it will become law before next winter. Daily Mail
Good news, but its only the start The Sun Says
I could abolish council tax altogether, says Conservative leader of East Hampshire
Council tax up, services down Daily Mail
Property taxes could kill 20,000 high street businesses The Sun
Shops need some relief The Sun Says
Leadsom speaks of postnatal depression
A local authority leader has said that he could abolish council tax in his area within four years, claiming investments and efficiencies will balance the books. Ferris Cowper, the Conservative leader of East Hampshire council, has predicted that local services such as rubbish collection could be delivered for free by 2022. Last year East Hampshire was the only local authority to reduce its council tax levels and boasts one of the lowest rates in England. The former Mars director said his ESI strategy, which stands for efficiencies, sales and investments, could be applied at other councils willing to adopt the right attitude. East Hampshire district council, which is made up of only Conservative councillors, has a policy of selling services, including dog foul patrols, to neighbouring authorities. It provides consultancy to other authorities. The Times
I still remember holding that tiny baby in my arms and feeling completely helpless, she said last week at a charity event hosted the mental health research organisation, MQ. I have this abiding memory of snow outside and filthy windows and being in tears at the prospect of having to find a window cleaner. You know, the prospect of cleaning the windows myself was utterly beyond me. The cabinet ministeris the founder and a patron of Parent Infant Partnership UK, a charity that supports families in which ante- and postnatal depression arises. She said: Mental health is a cause very close to my own heart and it affected me very personally. When my eldest son was born in 1995 I suffered postnatal depression. You just cant imagine until you have suffered poor mental health just how awful it makes you feel and how helpless. Its a very real, incredibly debilitating experience for far too many women. The Times
Green proposes social care tax on over-40s The Times
Hard left groups take on role in university strike
Gyimah says strikers wages should be given to students as a refund The Sun
8 million expenses of senior university staff, including international travel for a dog Daily Mail
Theres too much reward for failure in higher education The Times Leader
Universities charging a fortune for useless degrees is a scandal yet to break Juliet Samuel, Daily Telegraph
The OfS will limit their powers The Times
Hackers stream school CCTV footage live online The Sun
Students and academics face being branded scabs if they turn up for classes today as hardliners picket universities in an increasingly bitter lecturers strike. Walkouts will be held at 65 institutions over the next three days, with 45,000 staff refusing to hold lectures in a row over pensions. Many of the picket lines originally set up by tutors have now been hijacked by rabble-rousing hard-Left student groups. Undergraduates desperate to access libraries and carry on working are being ordered by their peers to stay away to show solidarity with the strikers. Activists have been running online campaigns telling peers dont be a scab, while posters on campuses tell students to stay at home even if classes are not cancelled. One undergraduate at Exeter was even spat at as he tried to hand in work last week. Daily Mail
>Today: Peter Ainsworth on Comment: To solve the problems of higher education funding, universities themselves must share some of the risk
Think tank warns of charity involvement in the spread of non-violent extremist views
Islamic charities vulnerable to extremists receive 6 million a year from taxpayers in gift aid, according to a think tank report. It accuses charities of supporting the spread of harmful nonviolent extremist views that are not illegal; by providing platforms, credibility and support to a network of extremists operating in the UK. One international charity is chaired by an Islamic preacher banned from entering the UK. The claims provide an early challenge for Baroness Stowell of Beeston, who was appointed chairwoman of the Charity Commission by the government last week, despite opposition from MPs who accused her of having negligible experience with charities. The report, Wolves in Sheeps Clothing: How Islamist Extremists Exploit the UK Charitable Sector, was produced by the Henry Jackson Society think tank by its research fellow Emma Webb, a specialist in counter-extremism who studied 30 charities. It shines a spotlight on Helping Households Under Great Stress (Hhugs), which the think tank accuses of being an institutionally problematic charity, with extreme and illiberal individuals involved at all levels. The Times
Corbyn hires Stalin apologist and North Korea fan as a part-time adviser
How much would Corbyns nationalisations cost? FT
During the Cold War, the Left were the USSRs useful idiots, Fox says Daily Mail
Momentum revels in criticism The Guardian
Archbishop who criticised second homes owns a six-bedroom house and a cottage in Normandy Daily Mail
Man kicks poppy wreaths off war memorial while ranting about Tory scum Daily Mail
Xi attempts to make himself ruler of China for life
Jeremy Corbyn has drafted in Andrew Murray, the controversial former communist who is chief of staff to the Unite general secretary, Len McCluskey, as a part-time consultant, as Labour hones its Brexit strategy. Murray, who was seconded to Labours general election campaign as a donation-in-kind from Unite, the partys biggest financial backer, is working for the leaders office a day and a half a week, a party spokesman confirmed. A longtime member of the communist party, who has in the past expressed solidarity with North Korea, Murray joined Labour only in 2016, after Corbyns victory and is loathed by MPs on the right of the party. Unite continues to pay Murrays salary, which Labour said had been formally declared to the Electoral Commission. A donation for staff costs of 15,761 from the union was declared at the end of January. His roles include sitting in on senior job interviews and discussing party strategy which has given rise to anxiety among some shadow ministers about his potential influence, including over Brexit. The Guardian
Four months after a historic Chinese Communist party congress was expected to answer most questions about Xi Jinpings second five-year term in office, Chinas president has demonstrated that he can still shock and awe his political rivals. Until Sunday afternoon, most guessing games ahead of the March 5 opening of Chinas annual parliamentary session focused on the imminent political reincarnation of Wang Qishan, the recently retired head of Mr Xis anti-corruption campaign, and the race to succeed Zhou Xiaochuan, the veteran central bank governor. But the partys announcement that its central committee had recommended scrapping the two-term limit for the state president and vice-president was a reminder that in Mr Xis China, such personnel reshuffles matter much less now. One person with close ties to Chinas leadership says that people worried about Mr Xis authoritarian tendencies are not just scared, they are desperate. FT
Western business deals with China must require transparency and security guarantees FT Leader
Wolff accuses Blair of sucking up to Kushner Daily Mail
Trump considers appointing envoy to Northern Ireland Belfast Telegraph
News in Brief
J Meirion Thomas: If we are to stop losing our best doctors, we must keep training and retraining them
J.Meirion Thomas is a former Professor of Surgery and Consultant Surgeon in the NHS.
It is common knowledge that that there is a crisis in general practice. The Department of Health has promised 5,000 extra GPs by 2020. Recruitment is well behind schedule.
The UK has never trained enough doctors to meet the needs of the NHS. Last year, of the 12,771 new doctors registered by the General Medical Council, 44 per cent qualified abroad: 17 per cent from other countries in the European Economic Area, and 27 per cent international medical graduates, who qualified in countries outside the EEA.
For decades, we have imported almost half the doctors we need. The General Medical Council has expressed concern about this huge and increasing reliance on non-UK graduates.
Jeremy Hunt has announced that the number of British medical school places will increase by 25 per cent from 2018 so that the UK is self-sufficient in doctors by 2025: numerically an impossible goal.
According to the Universities and Colleges Admission Service (UCAS), the annual number of applications to UK medical school fluctuates between 70,000 and 85,000 for approximately 7,000 places. Tens of thousands British students with the required A-level grades are rejected only because of insufficient training slots.
Over and above the 44 per cent of doctors from abroad who obtained GMC registration last year, the Department of Health has had to resort to further active recruitment from abroad in an attempt to avoid a crisis in general practice. In January last year, it announced that 500 doctors for Lincolnshire were to be recruited from Poland, Lithuania, Spain, Romania and Greece, with promises of relocation packages of 90,000 to plug serious gaps in GP services. Successful applicants would undergo a 12-week training programme which would include lessons in the English language and on British culture. In July, NHS England announced a plan to recruit a further 2,000 foreign GPs. How sad for the NHS which the Secretary of State who has described as the envy of the world.
What are the rules and regulations which entitle foreign trained doctors to work in UK?
Primary medical qualifications are reciprocally accepted across the EEA, meaning that all non-UK, EEA doctors can register with the GMC without any skill checks. The GMC has to assume that doctors who graduate in the other member states are as well selected, trained and as competent as our own graduates. Of greater concern, English is not the first language of most of these doctors who may not have been taught medicine in English. As we leave the EU, it is essential that non-UK, EEA doctors should pass a competence exam before being allowed to register with the GMC to prove that their skills are equivalent to UK graduates.
Currently there are about 31,000 EU doctors practicing in UK, mostly from Eastern Europe and from countries worst affected by austerity. Few doctors from affluent Western European countries choose to work in the NHS.
Communication skills are essential to practice medicine. Following a battle with the European Commission, the GMC was allowed in June 2014 to enquire about language proficiency, but still no skills testing. Since then, a significant proportion EEA doctors applying for GMC registration have been refused because they could not provide evidence of adequate language proficiency.
The requirements for International Medical Graduates(IMGs) to register with the GMC are different. They need to pass the Professional Linguistics Assessment Board (PLAB) examination, which is intended to test clinical competence, language and communication skills. The standard of clinical skills expected of PLAB applicants is quite modest: it is pitched at the standard that British graduates are meant to have reached within one year of graduation. Regardless of this low expectation, the pass rate for PLAB (2011-2015) was between 35 per cent and 69 per cent and some candidates took the exam more than four times, by which time their clinical experience and maturity should have far exceeded the standard at which the exam was pitched. Yet many were failing.
Despite this attempt to maintain standards and patient safety in the NHS, when PLAB graduates subsequently took the two most common postgraduate exams: MRCP (Member of Royal College of Physicians) and MRCGP (Member of Royal College of General Practitioners), PLAB graduates were proven to have significantly lower knowledge, skills and consequently pass rate, compared to UK graduates. The authors of an article published in the British Medical Journal concluded that raising the PLAB pass rate considerably would achieve equivalent results in these two postgraduate examinations but would inevitably reduce the pass rate, with implications for workforce planning. In other words, the NHS workforce can only be maintained by importing some inferior graduates from outside the EEA. No similar information is available for EEA graduates.
While these may be accurate conclusions, it must also be said that many international graduates will have achieved the highest marks in PLAB and also the best possible results in their postgraduate examinations. Furthermore, some or most foreign trained doctors working in the NHS (both EEA and IMG) are amongst the best and most able of their kind. Some of our specialist hospitals have been able to make stellar consultant appointments from abroad. However, it is equally true that many doctors relocating to the UK are economic migrants, migrating because working conditions, salaries and pensions are better here than anything they could ever achieve in their own countries.
Meanwhile, many of our brightest young British doctors are abandoning the NHS for medical careers abroad or using their medical qualification as a springboard to other professions or careers. For example, the Royal College of Emergency Medicine, representing doctors in a major shortage specialty, has reported that 600 consultant and trainee A&E doctors have moved abroad over five years.
Currently 4,881 UK trained doctors are registered to work in Australia; 2,459 in United States and 497 in New Zealand.
For me, the most alarming recent statistic is that in 2016, only 52 per cent of the 7,168 British qualified doctors who completed their two-year (compulsory) foundation training programme after graduation chose to progress to specialist training either in general or hospital practice, down from 71 per cent in 2011.
Is this a consequence of the recent junior doctor strike, which alienated and disincentivised a whole generation of doctors? Hunt had wrongly blamed 11,000 unnecessary weekend deaths on junior doctor weekend rostering. The strike will be his legacy.
There is a global market ready to attract the best doctors. Education and universities in the UK are among the best in the world. Only the brightest and the best can secure a place in our medical schools. Currently and alarmingly, as the revolving door of medical excellence rotates, the UK is a net loser of the best doctors. We must train and retain our own.
New Zimperium Chief Revenue Officer Eric Grotefeld plans to boost channel headcount across the globe and increase the company's engagement in partner marketing activities.
Grotefeld wants to help take the Dallas-based mobile security vendor from doing half of its business through the channel in 2016 to carrying out 80 percent of its business through partners within a couple of years. Under his leadership, Zimperium will reward direct and channel sales equally to maximize synergy between the two teams and drive support for its channel organization.
"We see being a heavily channel-oriented company as fundamental to the success of our whole business," Grotefeld told CRN exclusively. "We can bring more value to our customers together rather than alone."
[Related: The Most Innovative Security Products Of 2017]
Zimperium today works primarily with global telecom service providers and VARs such as CDW in North America, Grotefeld said. In addition to strengthening those routes to market, Grotefeld said Zimperium wants to boost its involvement with the systems integrator channel and strengthen its performance and empowerment platform for partners.
Grotefeld started at Zimperium in mid-January, and he said the company should expand its missionary zeal in the market with partners to ensure the real and persistent threat about mobile devices is properly understood. The company needs to combat the ignorant yet pervasive belief that mobile is inherently more secure than other types of end computing devices, he said.
"You have a massive extension of the attack surface. And none of it was secure," Grotefeld said. "Companies and corporations are finally waking up to the persistent risk they have on this surface."
Grotefeld's most recent executive role was as a senior vice president at CA Technologies, where he spent two and a half years leading the strategic DevOps business unit globally. Most of Grotefeld's channel work to date has been with systems integrators due to his experience in the middleware space as well as building software.
Zimperium's focus on mobile security makes the company very topical and relevant, said Grotefeld, who said he hasn't been this passionate about an application of technology to the market in a long time.
"It was always hard to explain what middleware was to my mother," Grotefeld said.
Zimperium's product portfolio lends itself well to channel partners, who Grotefeld said span a multitude of verticals and geographies. Grotefeld said the channel is vital for early stage companies looking for the velocity needed to reach breakout momentum.
"Behind the tip of the spear, you need a good tailwind," Grotefeld said.
3Eye Technologies began working with Zimperium a year ago, and President and CEO Conor Macfarlane has been impressed by the effort the company has made during that time to building out channel collateral, training, deal registration, marketing and margins for partners.
And Grotefeld's hiring only further demonstrates the company's commitment to bringing in top talent with a proven track record of supporting the channel, according to Macfarlane.
"We're excited to see them add competent, capable people," Macfarlane told CRN. "We see the groundswell of threats at the mobile level, and really like what Zimperium has to offer."
Macfarlane said he would like to see Grotefeld focus on awareness-building inside the channel around mobile security as a growing concern. He would also like to see Zimperium work more with partners to shine a light on the mobile security threats that exist today and how they'll continue to grow and impact the end user's business.
"There's a major lack of awareness," Macfarlane said.
Carnival Corporation said it will establish a new industry apex in connectivity capabilities at sea when it attempts to provide 1.5 gigabits per second of bandwidth to the Regal Princess off Princess Cays, working closely with SES, satellite connectivity provider.
"With MedallionNet, the best Wi-Fi at sea, the extraordinary experience of a cruise vacation is further enhanced by superior connectivity and coverage providing our guests who want to stay connected with a connectivity experience that equals or exceeds what they experience on land," said John Padgett, chief experience and innovation officer for Carnival Corporation. "This event gives us the opportunity to demonstrate that guests can have connected experience that parallels land-based Wi-Fi, making it exceptionally easy for our guests to share photos, videos and messages about their fabulous vacation. Cruise vacations are already the fastest growing segment of the vacation sector, and eliminating any connectivity barriers will make cruise vacations even more desirable."
Carnival said the connection speed would allow guests to stream Netflix or Hulu, for example.
MedallionNet is made possible through an array of antennae, networks, equipment and configuration innovations that combine to make the Regal Princess the only vessel on the planet that is currently capable of achieving 1.5 gigabits per second and more, according to Carnival.
"MedallionNet puts to rest the notion that connectivity at sea will never be as fast or reliable as your broadband at home," said Steve Collar, CEO of SES Networks and Carnival Corporation Global Experience and Innovation partner. "Powered by our O3b fleet of MEO (Medium Earth Orbit) satellites, and complemented by our GEO (Geostationary Earth Orbit) constellation, we are not only able to exceed average land-based bandwidth capabilities, but also able to set a new industry apex for guest connectivity experience."
Guests onboard the Regal Princess can buy unlimited internet access for as low as $9.99 per day for one device when purchased for the entire voyage.
Crystal Cruises has unveiled four new 2018 Crystal Getaways, shortened segments of its 20-day Sands of Time sailing from Dubai to Rome aboard the Crystal Serenity, according to a press release.
The new itineraries include destinations such as Israel, Oman, the United Arab Emirates and Italy, ranging from three to 10 days.
The Crystal Getaways include:
Arabian Gems - explore Dubai, the City of Petra and ruins of Sumhuram in 10 days.
Havens of Antiquity & Holy Sites - trips to Petra and Wadi Rum, the resort town of Eilat and Ashdod, Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, before continuing to the Italian coastline and Rome. The voyage lasts for 10 days.
Panoramic Israel - start in the town of Eilat, and then explore Jerusalem and City of Tel Aviv in three days.
Mediterranean Masterpieces - traveling from Israels sacred sites to Rome's Colosseum, Pantheon and Sistine Chapel for 6 days.
Fares for the Crystal Serenity's new Getaways begin at $1,475 per guest.
BRIDGEPORT - Ten months after being appointed the first African-American to head the Bridgeport Police Departments detective bureau, Capt. Roderick Porter has been transferred back to the citys Office of Community Services.
He requested that he be transferred back there, said Police Chief Armando Perez Monday. I have been pushing this community police initiative and he wanted to be involved in that.
The Office of Community Services oversees police services in the schools as well as community outreach, neighborhood and business watches. Porter had been commander of the office until he was tapped to head the detective bureau last April by the chief.
Perez said that Porters transfer had nothing to do with the recent arrest on larceny charges of detective bureau Lt. Stephen Shuck, who according to court documents spent more time last year at home than at work but still collected more than $20,000 in overtime. Porter was Shucks supervisor.
Captain Porter is above reproach, Perez said.
Porter could not be reached for comment.
Perez said Capt. Steven Lougal, who had been in charge of community services, is being transferred back to patrol to head the East Side division.
We have needed a captain to run the East Side and he (Lougal) will fill that position, the chief said.
Perez said for now the captain position in the detective bureau will remain vacant.
Deputy Chief (Anthony) Armeno oversees the detective bureau and Lt. (Chris) LaMaine, who has been outstanding in making a number of quick arrests in cases, will handle the workload, he said.
HARTFORD - A state senator whose support could be crucial to Supreme Court Justice Andrew McDonalds nomination for Chief Justice, will recuse herself from a confirmation vote.
Sen. Gayle S. Slossberg, D-Milford, said Tuesday morning she will leave the Senate chamber and not participate in a vote.
The loss of a Democratic vote in the chamber, which has an 18-18 tie, throws the nomination into uncertainty and could sink Gov Dannel P Malloys longtime friend and former legal adviser.
Slossberg, in a phone interview, declined comment other than to announce her recusal, which came hours after a key legislative committee heard testimony from McDonald about a conflict she and her husband David Slossberg, a lawyer, had with McDonald, who declined to recuse himself from hearing a case while on the high bench.
Her decision comes after dramatic tie vote amid unanimous opposition from Republicans when McDonalds nomination nearly stalled early Tuesday in the Judiciary Committee.
The 20-20 vote, following a 13-hour hearing in which McDonald cooly answered hundreds of questions - many repeated several times by GOP lawmakers - came after no committee debate and little discussion.
Just before the 12:53 a.m. vote, Rep. Tom ODea, a Republican lawyer from New Canaan, recused himself, citing a conflict, while Rep. Minnie Gonzalez, D-Hartford, crossed over to vote with Republicans against . Malloys longtime friend and legal adviser, who has served on the high court for five years.
The vote means that the House and Senate will receive a so-called unfavorable report from the committee. The close, highly partisan committee decision likely means a struggle in the House, where Democrats have a 79-71 majority, and possible failure in the Senate unless McDonald wins support from GOP leaders in that chambers 18-18 tie.
And with details arising of a legal conflict involving the husband of Slossberg, and McDonald dating back to a 2005, detailed late Monday night during questions by Republicans, it likely casts a shadow of uncertainty over McDonalds nomination.
Even before the daylong hearing began, several GOP members of the judiciary committee announced they would oppose McDonalds nomination to be the next Supreme Court chief justice, replacing the retired Chase T. Rogers.
This is not an easy decision for me, said Sen. John Kissel, R-Enfield, co-chairman of the committee. He said he would vote against McDonald to flag the issue for other lawmakers. Youre somewhat a larger than life figure. This is a really hard position for me personally, Kissel told McDonald, the former eight-year chairman of the Judiciary Committee when he was a state senator from Stamford, before resigning to become Malloys Capitol legal counsel in 2011.
McDonald defended his right to first speak against the death penalty in 2009, when the bill was vetoed by Gov. M. Jodi Rell and he was a state senator from Stamford. It finally passed in 2012 and McDonald later participated in the decision that led to the expansion of the repeal to cover those men on Death Row whose sentences were subsequently amended to life in prison.
You were pretty emphatic, pretty clear in making a statement of broad opposition to the death penalty and its value and workability and so forth, recalled veteran committee member Rep. Arthur J. ONeill, R-Southbury.
Members of the committee are not members of the Supreme Court, said McDonald, 51, stressing that he had no grounds to recuse himself from the capital punishment issue after he joined the court.
He said that he stepped away from participating in about 80 other cases while on the Supreme Court because of conflicts.
Every judge, just like every legislator, has to make an individualized determination about the ethical decisions he has to make, McDonald said. We are only having this discussion because of the heightened profile of this particular case. This legislature does not appoint judges to shy away from hard cases or difficult decisions.
ONeill also focused on McDonalds longtime friendship with Malloy, whose relationship with the General Assembly has occasionally been rocky or in conflict. McDonalds friendship with Malloy goes back 25 years, but when they get together, legislative and court issues are carefully skirted. He respects my role and I respect his, McDonald said.
McDonald, under questioning from committee members, admitted a contentious case involving David Slossberg, a lawyer who is the senators husband. McDonald named them after being asked to by Kissel. In a December 2014 court filing David Slossberg charged that McDonald maintained a grudge from an earlier case, then asked that McDonald be disqualified from a pending Supreme Court case. McDonald said there was no conflict and he participated in the panel of jurists.
Rep. William Tong, D-Stamford, co-chairman of the committee, noted that McDonald was correct in not recusing himself from the case involving Slossberg.
Lawmakers calling themselves the conservative caucus, including Rep. Vincent Candelora, R-North Branford, deputy House minority leader, said they would oppose McDonald who joined the court in January, 2013 because of a lack of experience on the bench. The group made the announcement in a statement just before the start of the hearing.
But opposition extends to political, social and philosophical opposition to McDonald, a former legal adviser to Gov. Dannel P. Malloy who, if approved, would become the nations first openly gay state chief justice.
In a statement from the conservatives, McDonald was criticized for his role in the judicial repeal of the death penalty and other potential overreach on the seven-member court. In testimony presented to the committee, Peter Wolfgang, president of the conservative Family Institute of Connecticut, which in recent years opposed legislation expanding LGBT rights, opposed McDonalds nomination.
Justice Andrew McDonald should not be confirmed for chief justice because he has a history of putting his own politics above the law, Wolfgang wrote.
Lawmakers also singled out a 2009 event in which McDonald, then the Judiciary Committees Senate co-chairman, scheduled a public hearing on a proposal that would have changed incorporation law for churches. The issue was prompted by cases of embezzlement in Roman Catholic churches in Greenwich and Darien.
He said that he has written over 100 cases, and that he is now the second-senior member on the court. He said he prepared to supervise the Judicial Branch.
There was never a plan to become a judge, McDonald admitted.
About 120 people attended the hearing including Charles Gray, McDonalds husband held in a second-floor meeting room in the Legislative Office Building that was about three-quarters full.
McDonald proposed upgrading security in courts throughout the state, and focused on updating the heavy caseloads in New Haven and Bridgeport, particularly the 19th Century Golden Hill Street courthouse in Bridgeport. He argued that a shortage of judicial marshals represents a threat to courts throughout the state.
State Environmental Conservation Police are looking for the person who shot a black vulture.
Last Monday, EnCon officers were contacted by a wildlife rehabilitator in Watertown to report that a black vulture had recently been shot and suffered a broken wing.
The veterinarian informed the investigating officer that vultures are known to be excellent runners and the animal may have been shot in Watertown or a surrounding town. It is illegal to hunt or shoot black vultures, EnCon police posted on its Facebook page.
According to the Connecticut Audubon Society, black vutures are most common in the western part of the state.
The vultures search for food over open areas, often along highways searching for roadkill.
Unlike turkey vultures, black vultures do not have a strong sense of smell. In fact, they monitor turkey vulture activity by flying higher than that species and following them to carrion supplies, often displacing the turkey vultures once they arrive in numbers, Audubon says.
The black vultures have are between 20 and 26 inches in length and have a wingspan of nearly five feet.
The birds are protected by law in most of the United States.
In a sense, the career of John Rowland, the twice-convicted former governor, prepared us for this political moment.
It was back in December of 2003 and he was somewhere between fibbing on the source of improvements to his weekend-getaway shack on Litchfields Bantam Lake, and finally getting busted by the feds for accepting luxury air charters to Las Vegas and Florida.
Back in the days of Backslapping Johnny, his little poems for the business types every holiday season at the Middlesex Chamber of Commerce were nearly humorous in their name-checking and doggerel. But that morning, with the reporters nosing around, about a year out from his guilty plea, the barometer was falling. His wife, Patty, was livid with the Capitol press corps, and at that breakfast, she read a painful pseudo-poem. Go ahead honey, he said, prefacing her appearance at the podium. What more can they do to us?
Back then, Republicans and Democrats would still hang out together in the smoky basement bar at the State Armory called the Officers Club, a short stagger from the Legislative Office Building.
These days, partisanship is nearly to the extreme. And its going to get worse, in an election year with Connecticuts blue color at stake.
A lot of this attitude is filtering up from Washington like swamp gas, thanks to the prevailing flavor in the White House and Congress.
One of the good things, though, is the resurgence of the National Popular Vote, an entity supported by 10 states plus the District of Columbia, representing 165 of the 270 electoral votes there are 538 electoral votes in all needed to give the next presidential election to the highest vote-getter, rather than the winner of a few large states.
Last year, when it came before the General Assembly, the proposal reeked of sour grapes from the Hillary supporters who felt threatened by the ascension of the Tweeter in Chief. Now, after a year of gifts to himself and big business, from tax cuts to regulation rollbacks, to dismantling the Affordable Care Act and oversight of the financial industry and environment, theres an argument for saying were all threatened, especially we denizens of high-tax states.
A group called Making Every Vote Count arrived in the State Capitol Press Room last week to tout a poll of 1,202 state voters who showed overwhelming 78 percent support for the National Popular Vote. Jim Glassman, a former State Department employee, said the poll saw bipartisan support, with 92 percent of Democrats, 62 percent of Republicans and 76 percent of unaffiliated voters in favor. The voters also want federal law to be changed, eliminating the antiquated Electoral College.
This kind of change is doable, Glassman, a Republican, said. Its doable nationwide. Its doable in Connecticut. And its urgent, given the state of America today. This is a completely nonpartisan view. People want to reconnect with their government, and this change will give them that opportunity. Right now, if you live in Connecticut, or any one of about 40 other states, your vote for president does not count. Of the 400 campaign events that the two presidential candidates held in 2016, exactly one was held in Connecticut. The president is determined in eight to 12 states.
When the states making up 270 electoral votes Connecticut has seven is reached, then the compact would go into effect.
Its the right and the fair way to elect a president, Glassman said.
The two historic arguments against the Electoral College are the 2000 election of George W. Bush over Democrat Al Gore, and the Clinton-Trump throwdown, where the winners did not get the most votes but won the Electoral College.
One important person who changed his opposition to the idea, is Speaker of the House Joe Aresimowicz, D-Berlin. Weve had a couple of elections now, he said Friday afternoon. Hes looking forward to the bill, identical to last years version, going through the committee process and eventually hitting the House floor.
I support the National Popular Vote, Gov. Dan Malloy said. Weve seen two presidents elected without the popular vote. Americans dont understand it. The rest of the world doesnt understand it. Its time to make the change.
If youre interested in the issue, contact you state representative and senator. Its an election year. So they have to listen to you.
After all, what more can they do to us?
BRIDGEPORT - A Bridgeport man, known as King Sincere, is going to jail for 14 years for the sex trafficking of a 15-year-old girl.
Federal prosecutors say Darryl Morris, 33, offered prostitution services with the girl in advertisements posted on Backpage.com.
The minor victim serviced prostitution customers at Morris Bridgeport home and at other locations in Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts and Washington, D.C.
The victim worked as a prostitute for Morris from November 2014 to April 2015, and from November 2015 to May 2016, seeing approximately 10 customers per day.
Morris also engaged in sexual activity with the minor victim, and began beating her a few weeks after she arrived in Bridgeport.
John H. Durham, U.S. Attorney for Connecticut, said Morris met the 15-year-old girl while she was working in prostitution in New York.
On May 2, 2016, investigators found the minor victim at a hotel in East Hartford after she contacted her mother who then called police.
Morris had recently beaten the minor victim, who had visible scars and signs of physical abuse.
She also had a tattoo on the back of her neck with the name King Sin underneath a large bar code.
Morris has been detained since his arrest on August 16, 2016. On May 12, 2017, he pleaded guilty to one count of sex trafficking of a minor.
U.S. District Judge Jeffrey ordered Morris to 168 months of imprisonment, followed by five years of supervised release.
Morris was also ordered to pay the minor victim restitution of $100,000, which is a conservative estimate of how much money the minor victim earned in prostitution when she was with Morris, federal officials said.
Citigroup Inc., one of the worlds largest credit-card issuers, said it will refund $335 million to U.S. customers whose annual percentage rate should have been lower.
The lender determined that a method it was using to calculate APRs didnt properly reflect the full benefit customers should have received for good behavior, such as paying on time, the New York-based bank said Friday in a securities filing that disclosed the issue and the total cost. Its currently reviewing accounts and plans to have refund checks in the mail by the second half of the year.
The Credit Card Accountability Responsibility and Disclosure (CARD) Act of 2009 requires lenders to periodically review accounts whose APR had been raised to see if subsequent good behavior makes them eligible for a rate reduction. From 2011 to 2017, the bank delivered $3 billion in savings through such reviews. That was about 90% of what customers should have received.
The complex legal and political landscape with respect to marijuana banking continues to shift. At last count, 29 states and the District of Columbia (DC) have legalized medical marijuana. Eight states and DC have also sanctioned adult-use recreational marijuana, with California becoming the latest and largest state to begin legal sales of recreational marijuana in January. Massachusetts and Maine will soon follow suit later this year. However, since marijuana remains federally illegal under the Controlled Substances Act, federal criminal statutes continue to be implicated for credit unions handling marijuana-related funds.
Heres whats new with marijuana banking
Effect of policy shift remains unclear
On January 4, the attorney general issued a memorandum to direct federal prosecutors to return to previously established prosecutorial principles, in marijuana enforcement, thus eliminating the Obama-era directives (See, 2013 and 2014 Cole Memos) that provided some degree of guidance for credit unions in navigating the conflict between federal illegality and state legality of marijuana.
For Subscribers County commissioners say ADHS funds can be used for 219
U.S. 219's last segment in Somerset County that will connect to the highway in Maryland has funding and backing for completion.
The media must take some blame for the controversy surrounding the recently concluded visit of Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. Of course, the Canadians too, need to explain as to why they needlessly hyped up the visit to the extent that they did.
This was an important visit. Trudeau is a charismatic figure. But to parade him and his family everywhere in grotesque costumes was way over the top. Fortunately, some sanity was restored in the last leg of his visit where he had important meetings with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Indian officials.
Khalistan issue
Much has been made of the Khalistan issue poisoning the visit. But commentators have not noticed that Canada agreed to a far-reaching Framework for Cooperation between the two countries on Countering Terrorism and Violent Extremism on February 14, three days before Trudeau even landed in India.
Released only on February 23, this provided a far-reaching Canadian commitment to collaborate with India on a range of areas to stop cross-border terrorism, terrorist financing and countering radicalisation. It specifically named groups such as the al-Qaeda, Islamic State, Haqqani network, Lashkar-e-Taiba, Jaish-e-Mohammed, Babbar Khalsa International and International Sikh Youth Federation.
This was probably Ottawa's way of making up for its past sins, which include a shoddy probe and trial of those involved in the bombing of Air India Flight 184 Kanishka in 1984. But the Canadian intent was clear as well as its commitment which has gone further than any other country.
An entirely bogus controversy was created on the issue of Modi not going to the airport to receive Trudeau. Now, it is a well-established practice that foreign heads of state and government are received by relatively junior figures at the airport with their formal reception taking place in the Rashtrapati Bhavan fore-court.
Protocol
Breaking protocol to receive a guest personally is entirely the personal prerogative of the PM. Usually, he does it to signal his personal/ideological fondness for a leader, as was the case of Israel's PM Benjamin Netanyahu, or to reciprocate a gesture, as was the case with Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed who is neither head of state or government of the UAE, or of course, when the visitor is the President of the United States. Trudeau fell in neither categories and protocol-wise, it was the right thing to do, since Modi had also been received during his visit to Canada in 2015 by a protocol officer. This gesture was then spun out to argue that Modi was snubbing Trudeau because his Liberal Party supported Khalistani Sikhs in Canada.
The last and really important official leg of the visit did seek to correct the impressions. While Trudeau was warmly received (and hugged) by Modi and his ministers, Canada went out of its way to reassure India on the issue of terrorism and both sides agreed to respect each other's "sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity".
Both countries know that good relations between them will have important payoffs for their people. As it is, India is bound to Canada through diaspora ties, as well as the presence of more than 1,00,000 students. Canada is a rich country with vast natural resources, but it is also a major industrial power with a strong research and development base.
I hope PM @JustinTrudeau and his family had a very enjoyable stay so far. I particularly look forward to meeting his children Xavier, Ella-Grace, and Hadrien. Here is a picture from my 2015 Canada visit, when I'd met PM Trudeau and Ella-Grace. pic.twitter.com/Ox0M8EL46x Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) 22 February 2018
Despite its small population base, it stands at number 10 in GDP rankings as compared to India at number 7.
Crying terror
All this talk about terrorism is a needless diversion. In part it reflects the immaturity of the Indian media and in part, the Indian government's over-the-top approach to an issue that no longer has much salience.
The Khalistan movement may be a factor in domestic politics of the British or Canadian Sikhs, but it is as dead as a dodo in Punjab and the credit for this goes to the people of the state whose rejection of extremism led to the destruction of the movement. As the record shows, Khalistani conspiracies, when they do occur, are quickly unravelled and there is little evidence of any popular support for them.
New Delhi makes a big fuss over terrorism because the ruling party seeks to keep up the tempo of its critique of Pakistan as a means of seeking domestic political dividends. India has not suffered a major terror strike since the Mumbai attack of 2008, but Modi has positioned himself as the number one global anti-terrorism warrior. All this means that instead of focusing on economic issues which could yield developmental dividends for the country, the energy of the government is wasted on fighting the phantoms of the past.
(Courtesy of Mail Today)
Also read: What the Papon controversy taught me about idols
There is renewed optimism in the diplomatic circles with regard to the India-China relations that have come into sharp focus in the recent past.
Indian foreign secretary, Vijay Gokhale, who assumed charge of the high office only a month ago, was in Beijing recently and held detailed talks with his Chinese counterparts. The talks came at a time of general despair that the relations between the two countries might not make any headway.
Gokhale, however, proved the naysayers wrong through his visit. In his capacity as the Indian ambassador to China, prior to taking over as the foreign secretary, Gokhale worked in close coordination with national security adviser (NSA) Ajit Doval in resolving the Doklam standoff which had strained India, China relations.
The Indian diplomatic circle, with help from the US, also prevailed upon China to ensure that the country lifts its objections over putting Pakistan back on the terrorist financing watch list of Financial Action Task Force (FATF).
This was no mean achievement. Global powers such as the US, the UK, France and Germany heaved a sigh of relief after this was achieved. Pakistan, which was obviously left red-faced after this drubbing, is finding it hard to come up with an explanation on this global humiliation.
Islamabad was first put on the list in 2012 for failing to adhere to the action plan suggested by FATF on countering terror. It was, however, removed from the list after FATF was convinced that the rogue nation had done enough to neutralise terror financing and money laundering.
But at the Paris meet of FATF on February 23 this year, in the absence of a latest Mutual Evaluation Report, a mandatory requirement for Pakistan, the US, in league with the UK, France and Germany, cosponsored a motion to notify Pakistan as a country having "strategic deficiencies" in "countering financing of terrorism". This is obviously a major setback for Pakistan and a diplomatic triumph for India.
Indian foreign secretary, Vijay Gokhale, who assumed charge of the high office only a month ago.
In the light of this development, it is now incumbent upon Pakistan to submit an action plan to FATF latest by May. The FATF will decide whether Pakistan should continue being on the list or not based on an assessment of the action plan.
While Pakistan tried to hoodwink the world by appearing to be acting against the charities run by Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) chief Hafiz Saeed, dexterous moves by the US and India ensured that Islamabad was held to account. India succeeded in prevailing upon the US to nudge China to come board on the issue.
This came as a surprise to many who nurtured a firm belief that China would never go against Pakistan. Besides joint lobbying by the US and India, it is believed that the Chinese volte-face followed a clever FATF vice-presidentship offer made to Beijing by the US.
This is being seen as a major breakthrough for India as Pakistan stands isolated and China appears siding with India on a key issue.
Coming back to Gokhale's successful China trip, both countries decided to build on common grounds and work towards resolving existing differences basing their relationship on "mutual respect and sensitivity to each other's concerns, interests and aspirations".
Significantly, the Chinese side stated that it hoped India would deal with sensitive issues "prudently". The Indian ministry of external affairs echoed similar sentiments. Against this backdrop, it appears that the dynamics between the two countries are headed for less attrition and greater cooperation.
Also read: Why cheating comes naturally to Indians
Daimler AG, together its subsidiaries, develops and manufactures passenger cars, trucks, vans, and buses in Germany and internationally. It operates through Mercedes-Benz Cars & Vans, Daimler Trucks and Buses, and Daimler Mobility segments. The Mercedes-Benz Cars segment offers premium and luxury vehicles of the Mercedes-Benz brand, including the Mercedes-AMG, Mercedes-Maybach, and Mercedes-EQ brands; small cars under the smart brand name; and ecosystem of Mercedes-Benz under the Mercedes me brand, as well as vans and related services under the Mercedes-Benz and Freightliner brands. Daimler Trucks and Buses segment offers its trucks and special vehicles under the Mercedes-Benz, Freightliner, Western Star, FUSO, and BharatBenz brands; and buses under the Mercedes-Benz, Setra, Thomas Built Buses, and FU brands, as well as bus chassis. The Daimler Mobility segment provides financing and leasing packages for end-customers and dealers; and automotive insurance brokerage, banking, investment, and fleet management services under the Athlon brand. It also sells vehicle related spare parts and accessories. Daimler AG was founded in 1886 and is headquartered in Stuttgart, Germany
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The following companies are subsidiares of Archer-Daniels-Midland: ADM (Shanghai) Management Co. LTD, ADM (Thailand) Ltd, ADM Ag Holdings Ltd, ADM Agri-Industries Company, ADM Agriculture Limited, ADM Agro Iberica S. L. U., ADM Agro Indust Latur and Vizag Pvt Ltd, ADM Agro Industries India Private Limited, ADM Agro Industries KOTA and AKOLA Pvt. Ltd., ADM Agro SRL, ADM Agroinvestimentos LTDA, ADM Alliance Nutrition of Puerto Rico LLC, ADM Americas S de RL, ADM Andina Peru SRL, ADM Antwerp NV, ADM Arkady Ireland Limited, ADM Asia-Pacific Trading Pte. Ltd., ADM Australia Holdings I PTY Limited, ADM Bio Science And Technology (Tianjin) Co Ltd, ADM Bioproductos SA DE CV, ADM CZERNIN SA, ADM Caribbean Inc, ADM Chile Comercial LTDA, ADM Clinton Bioprocessing Inc, ADM DO Brasil LTDA, ADM Direct Polska SP. 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Ltd., ADM France, ADM Germany GmbH, ADM Grain River System Inc., ADM Hamburg Aktiengesesllschaft, ADM Holding (Thailand) LTD, ADM Holdings LLC, ADM Hungary Agro Trading LLC, ADM Industries Centers Ltd, ADM International Holdings Inc, ADM International SARL, ADM Interoceanic LTD, ADM Investments LTD, ADM Investor Services Inc, ADM Investor Services International LTD, ADM Ireland Receivables Company Limited, ADM Israel, ADM Japan Ltd, ADM MALBORK SA, ADM Mainz GMBH, ADM Medsofts Sarl, ADM Mexico Inc, ADM Mexico SA DE CV, ADM Milling Co, ADM Milling LTD, ADM New Zealand Limited, ADM Olomouc S.R.O., ADM Paraguay SRL, ADM Protexin Limited, ADM Pura Limited, ADM Receivables LLC, ADM Rice Inc, ADM Ringaskiddy Unlimited Company, ADM Romania Logistics SRL, ADM Romania Trading SRL, ADM Specialty Ingredients - Europe BV, ADM Spyck GMBH, ADM Szamotuly SP Z O.O, ADM Trading Australia Pty. Ltd., ADM Trading Co, ADM Transportation Company, ADM Trucking Inc, ADM Vietnam CO. LTD, ADM WILD Europe GmbH and Co. KG, ADM WILD Ingredients GmbH, ADM WILD Nauen GmbH, ADM WILD Valencia S.A., ADM Wild Netherlands BV, ADM Worldwide Holdings LP, ADMIS Holding Co Inc., ADMIS Hong Kong LTD, ADMIS Singapore Pte Limited, AOR, AT Holdings II Company, Agri Port Services Investments Ltd., Agri Port Services LLC, Agricolas Madagascar SARLU, Agrinational Insurance Co, Agriserve, Agrograin LTD, Alfrebro LLC, Alfred C Toepfer International Netherlands BV, Alimenta USA, American River Transportation Company LLC, Ameriseed, Amylum Bulgaria EAD, Amylum Nisasta Sanayi Ve Ticarek Anonim Sirketi, Archer Daniels Midland (UK) Limited, Archer Daniels Midland Asia Pacific Ltd., Archer Daniels Midland Erith LTD, Archer Daniels Midland Europe BV, Archer Daniels Midland Europoort BV, Archer Daniels Midland Nederland BV, Archer Daniels Midland Singapore PTE LTD, Arinos Unlimited, Aston Foods & Food Ingredients, Balanceados Nova SA Balnova, Barbados Mills Limited, Bela Vista Bio Etanol Participacoes LTDA, Bern Aqua, BioPolis SL, Biopolis, Campa Sued GmbH & Co KG, Cattleman's Choice Loomix LLC, Chamtor, Ci ADM Colombia Ltda., Controladora ADM Sa De Cv, Crosswind Petfoods Inc., Daavision BV, Eaststarch, Eatem Corporation, Eatem Foods, Elstar Oils, English River Pellets Inc., Epicore Bionetworks INC, Epicore Networks (USA) INC, Erich Ziegler GmbH, Evialis France, Fasco Mills Co., Filozoo SRL, Florida Chemical, Florida Chemical Company LLC, GP Blanching Inc., Global Cocoa Holdings LTD, Golden Peanut Company LLC, Golden Peanut and Tree Nut Seed SA (PTY) LTD, Golden Peanut and Tree Nuts SA, Group Lysac, Guyomarc'h - VCN Company Limited, Guyomarc'h Vietnam CO LTD, HFR Shipping Company Ltd, HRA Shipping Company Ltd, HTI Shipping Company Ltd, Harvest Innovations, Hilltop Grain and Feed, Holding P and A Asia Company Limited, Hubei Meiweiyuan Biotechnology, Ilitchevskiy Maslo Extractionniy Zavod (IMEZ), Invivo NSA Asia PTE LTD, Invivo NSA Philippines Inc, Jamaica Flour Mills Limited, Julius Meijer-Alpharma BV, LLC ADM Ukraine, Liquid Feed Commodities, Malta Industries SA de CV, Malta-Texo De Mexico SA de CV, Master Mix of Trinidad LTD, Medsofts Investment Co, Medsofts L.L.C., Medsofts Trading Co, Mepla Comercio e Navegacao Ltda, NRG Inc, Naviera Chaco SRL, Neovia, Neovia Latina SL, Neovia Nutricao E Saude Animal LTDA, North Star Shipping S.R.L., P and A Marketing SA, PJSC ADM Illichivsk, PT Wirifa Sakti, Pancosma (Shanghai) Feed Additives CO LTD, Pancosma France SAS, Pancosma SA, Premiere Agri Technologies of Mexico Inc, Pura Foods LTD, Rodelle Inc., Schokinag-Schokolade-Industrie Herrmann, Sermix, Setna Nutricion SA, Societe Industrielle Des Oleagineux, Southern Cellulose Products Inc, Soy Investors LLC, Specialty Commodities, Specialty Commodities LLC, Sul Mineira Alimentos LTDA, SzSzV Kft, Toepfer International, Toepfer International Trading (Shanghai) Co. LTD., Vantage Corn Processors LLC, WILD Amazon Flavors Ltda, WILD Flavors, Wild Flavors Inc., Wild Flavors International GmbH, Wild Flavors Singapore Pte. Ltd., Wild Intermare GmbH, Wild Russia LLC, and Wisium SA (PTY) LTD.
Associated British Foods plc operates as a diversified food, ingredients, and retail company worldwide. It operates through five segments: Grocery, Sugar, Agriculture, Ingredients, and Retail. The Grocery segment manufactures and sells grocery products, including hot beverages, sugar and sweeteners, vegetable oils, balsamic vinegars, bread and baked goods, cereals, ethnic foods, and meat products to retail, wholesale, and foodservice businesses. The Sugar segment is involved in growing, processing, and sale of sugar beet and sugar cane to industrial users. The Agriculture segment manufactures and sells animal feeds; and provides other products and services for the agriculture sector. The Ingredients segment manufactures bakers' yeast, bakery ingredients, enzymes, lipids, yeast extracts, and cereal specialties. The Retail segment is involved in buying and merchandising clothing and accessories through the Primark and Penneys retail chains, which offer womenswear, menswear, children's wear, footwear, accessories, homeware, and skincare products. The company was founded in 1935 and is headquartered in London, the United Kingdom. Associated British Foods plc is a subsidiary of Wittington Investments Limited.
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The following companies are subsidiares of InterContinental Hotels Group: 2250 Blake Street Hotel LLC, 24th Street Operator Sub LLC, 36th Street IHG Sub LLC, 426 Main Ave LLC, 46 Nevins Street Associates LLC, Allegro Management LLC, Alpha Kimball Hotel LLC, American Commonwealth Assurance Co. Ltd., Asia Pacific Holdings Limited, BHMC Canada Inc., BHR Holdings B.V., BHR Luxembourg SARL, BHR Pacific Holdings Inc., BHTC Canada Inc., BOC Barclay Sub LLC, Barclay Operating Corp., Bristol Oakbrook Tenant Company, Cafe Biarritz, Cambridge Lodging LLC, Capital Lodging LLC, Compania Inter-Continental De Hoteles El Salvador SA, Crowne Plaza Amsterdam (Management) B.V., Crowne Plaza LLC, Cumberland Akers Hotel LLC, Dunwoody Operations Inc., EVEN Real Estate Holding LLC, Edinburgh IC Limited, General Innkeeping Acceptance Corporation, Guangzhou SC Hotels Services Ltd., H.I. (Ireland) Limited, H.I. Soaltee Management Company Ltd, HC International Holdings Inc., HH France Holdings SAS, HH Hotels (EMEA) B.V., HH Hotels (Romania) SRL, HI Sugarloaf LLC, HIM (Aruba) NV, Hale International Ltd., Hoft Properties LLC, Holiday Hospitality Franchising LLC, Holiday Inn Mexicana S.A. de C.V., Holiday Inns (China) Ltd, Holiday Inns (Chongqing) Inc., Holiday Inns (Courtalin) Holdings SAS, Holiday Inns (Courtalin) SAS, Holiday Inns (England) Ltd., Holiday Inns (Germany) LLC, Holiday Inns (Guangzhou) Inc., Holiday Inns (Jamaica) Inc., Holiday Inns (Malaysia) Ltd., Holiday Inns (Middle East) Ltd., Holiday Inns (Philippines) Inc., Holiday Inns (Saudi Arabia) Inc., Holiday Inns (South East Asia) Inc., Holiday Inns (Thailand) Ltd., Holiday Inns (UK) Inc., Holiday Inns Crowne Plaza (Hong Kong) Inc., Holiday Inns Holdings (Australia) Pty Ltd, Holiday Inns Inc., Holiday Inns Investment (Nepal) Ltd., Holiday Inns of America (UK) Ltd., Holiday Inns of Belgium N.V., Holiday Pacific Equity Corporation, Holiday Pacific LLC, Holiday Pacific Partners LP, Hotel Inter-Continental London Limited, Hotel InterContinental London (Holdings) Limited, Hoteles Y Turismo HIH SRL, IC Hotelbetriebsfuhrungs GmbH, IC Hotels Management (Portugal) Unipessoal Lda, IC International Hotels Limited Liability Company, IHC (Thailand) Limited, IHC Buckhead LLC, IHC Edinburgh (Holdings), IHC Hopkins (Holdings) Corp., IHC Hotel Limited, IHC Inter-Continental (Holdings) Corp., IHC London (Holdings), IHC M-H (Holdings) Corp., IHC May Fair (Holdings) Limited, IHC May Fair Hotel Limited, IHC Overseas (U.K.) Limited, IHC UK (Holdings) Limited, IHC United States (Holdings) Corp., IHC Willard (Holdings) Corp., IHG (Australasia) Limited, IHG (Marseille) SAS, IHG (Thailand) Limited, IHG ANA Hotels Group Japan LLC, IHG ANA Hotels Holdings Co. Ltd., IHG Bangkok Ltd, IHG Brasil Administracao de Hoteis e Servicos Ltda, IHG Commission Services SRL, IHG Community Development LLC, IHG Cyprus Limited, IHG ECS (Barbados) SRL, IHG Franchising Brasil Ltda, IHG Franchising DR Corporation, IHG Franchising LLC, IHG Hotels (New Zealand) Limited, IHG Hotels Limited, IHG Hotels Management (Australia) Pty Limited, IHG Hotels Nigeria Limited, IHG Hotels South Africa (Pty) Ltd, IHG International Partnership, IHG Istanbul Otel Yonetim Limited Sirketi, IHG Japan (Management) LLC, IHG Japan (Osaka) LLC, IHG Management (Maryland) LLC, IHG Management (Netherlands) B.V., IHG Management MD Barclay Sub LLC, IHG Management SL d.o.o, IHG Management d.o.o. Beograd, IHG Orchard Street Member LLC, IHG PS Nominees Limited, IHG Systems Pty Ltd, IHG Szalloda Budapest Szolgaltato Kft., IHG de Argentina SA, IND East Village SD Holdings LLC, Inter-Continental D.C. Operating Corp., Inter-Continental Florida Investment Corp., Inter-Continental Florida Partner Corp., Inter-Continental Hospitality Corporation, Inter-Continental Hoteleira Limitada, Inter-Continental Hotels (Montreal) Operating Corp., Inter-Continental Hotels (Montreal) Owning Corp., Inter-Continental Hotels (Singapore) Pte. Ltd., Inter-Continental Hotels Corporation, Inter-Continental Hotels Corporation de Venezuela C.A., Inter-Continental Hotels of San Francisco Inc., Inter-Continental IOHC (Mauritius) Limited, Inter-Continental Management (Australia) Pty Limited, InterContinental (Branston) 1 Limited, InterContinental (PB) 1, InterContinental (PB) 2, InterContinental (PB) 3 Limited, InterContinental Berlin Service Company GmbH, InterContinental Brasil Administracao de Hoteis Ltda, InterContinental Gestion Hotelera S.L., InterContinental Hotel Berlin GmbH, InterContinental Hotel Dusseldorf GmbH (Germany), InterContinental Hotels (Puerto Rico) Inc., InterContinental Hotels Group (Asia Pacific) Pte Ltd, InterContinental Hotels Group (Australia) Pty Limited, InterContinental Hotels Group (Canada) Inc., InterContinental Hotels Group (Espana) SA, InterContinental Hotels Group (Greater China) Limited, InterContinental Hotels Group (India) Pvt. Ltd, InterContinental Hotels Group (Japan) Inc., InterContinental Hotels Group (New Zealand) Limited, InterContinental Hotels Group (Shanghai) Ltd., InterContinental Hotels Group Customer Services Ltd., InterContinental Hotels Group Healthcare Trustee Limited, InterContinental Hotels Group Operating Corp., InterContinental Hotels Group Resources Inc., InterContinental Hotels Group Services Company, InterContinental Hotels Group do Brasil Limitada, InterContinental Hotels Italia S.r.L., InterContinental Hotels Limited, InterContinental Hotels Management GmbH, InterContinental Hotels Nevada Corporation, InterContinental Management AM LLC, InterContinental Management Bulgaria EOOD, InterContinental Management France SAS, InterContinental Management Poland sp. z.o.o, InterContinental Overseas Holding Corporation, Intercontinental Hotels Corporation Limited, KG Benefits LLC, KG Gift Card Inc., KG Liability LLC, KG Technology LLC, KHP Washington Operator LLC, KHRG 11th Avenue Hotel LLC, KHRG 851 LLC, KHRG Aertson LLC, KHRG Alexandria LLC, KHRG Alexis LLC, KHRG Allegro LLC, KHRG Argyle LLC, KHRG Austin Beverage Company LLC, KHRG Baltimore LLC, KHRG Born LLC, KHRG Boston Hotel LLC, KHRG Canary LLC, KHRG Cayman Employer Ltd., KHRG Cayman LLC, KHRG DC 1731 LLC, KHRG DC 2505 LLC, KHRG Donovan LLC, KHRG Employer LLC, KHRG Goleta LLC, KHRG Gray LLC, KHRG Gray U2 LLC, KHRG Hillcrest LLC, KHRG Huntington Beach LLC, KHRG King Street LLC, KHRG La Peer LLC, KHRG Miami Beach LLC, KHRG Muse LLC, KHRG NPC LLC, KHRG Onyx LLC, KHRG Palladian LLC, KHRG Palomar Phoenix LLC, KHRG Philly Monaco LLC, KHRG Pittsburgh LLC, KHRG Reynolds LLC, KHRG Riverplace LLC, KHRG SFD LLC, KHRG Sacramento LLC, KHRG Savannah LLC, KHRG Schofield LLC, KHRG Sedona LLC, KHRG State Street LLC, KHRG Sutter LLC, KHRG Sutter Union LLC, KHRG Taconic LLC, KHRG Tariff LLC, KHRG Texas Hospitality LLC, KHRG Texas Operations LLC, KHRG Tryon LLC, KHRG VZ Austin LLC, KHRG Vero Beach LLC, KHRG Vintage Park LLC, KHRG WPB LLC, KHRG Wabash LLC, KHRG Westwood LLC, KHRG Wilshire LLC, KHRG Zamora LLC, Kimpton Hollywood Licenses LLC, Kimpton Hotel & Restaurant Group, Kimpton Hotel & Restaurant Group LLC, Kimpton Phoenix Licenses Holdings LLC, Kimpton Sedona Licenses LLC, Louisiana Acquisitions Corp., MH Lodging LLC, Mercer Fairview Holdings LLC, PML Services LLC, PT SC Hotels & Resorts Indonesia, Pollstrong Limited, Powell Pine Inc., Priscilla Holiday of Texas Inc., RM Lodging LLC, Regent Hotels and Resorts, Resort Services International (Cayo Largo) L.P., SBS Maryland Beverage Company LLC, SC Cellars Limited, SC Hotels International Services Inc., SC Leisure Group Limited, SC NAS 2 Limited, SC Quest Limited, SC Reservations (Philippines) Inc., SCH Insurance Company, SCIH Branston 3, SF MH Acquisition LLC, SPHC Group Pty Ltd., SPHC Management Ltd., Semiramis for training of Hotel Personnel and Hotel Management SAE, Six Continents Corporate Services, Six Continents Holdings Limited, Six Continents Hotels Inc., Six Continents Hotels International Limited, Six Continents Hotels de Colombia SA, Six Continents International Holdings B.V., Six Continents Investments Limited, Six Continents Limited, Six Continents Overseas Holdings Limited, Six Continents Restaurants Limited, SixCo North America Inc., Solamar Lodging LLC, Southern Pacific Hotel Corporation (BVI) Ltd., Southern Pacific Hotels Properties Limited, Universal de Hoteles SA, White Shield Insurance Company Limited, and World Trade Centre Montreal Hotel Corporation.
The Boeing Co. is an aerospace company, which engages in the manufacture of commercial jetliners and defense, space and security systems. It operates through the following segments: Commercial Airplanes; Defense, Space and Security; Global Services; and Boeing Capital. The Commercial Airplanes segment includes the development, production, and market of commercial jet aircraft and provides fleet support services, principally to the commercial airline industry worldwide. The Defense, Space and Security segment refers to the research, development, production and modification of manned and unmanned military aircraft and weapons systems for global strike, including fighter and combat rotorcraft aircraft and missile systems; global mobility, including tanker, rotorcraft and tilt-rotor aircraft; and airborne surveillance and reconnaissance, including command and control, battle management and airborne anti-submarine aircraft. The Global Services segment provides services to commercial and defense customers. The Boeing Capital segment seeks to ensure that Boeing customers have the financing they need to buy and take delivery of their Boeing product and manages overall financing exposure. T
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Brookfield Asset Management Inc. is a publicly owned asset management holding company. The firm specializes in early stage, acquisition, distressed investments, short-term financing to mid-market companies, corporate carve-outs, recapitalizations, convertible, senior and mezzanine financings, operational and capital structure restructuring, strategic re-direction, turnaround, and under-performing midmarket companies. The firm invest in attractive businesses through the public debt and equity markets or by providing financing. The firm invest in Business services, Industrials and Residential sectors. Through its subsidiaries, the firm invests in the property, power, and infrastructure sectors. Its property business includes owning and managing office properties, developing master planned residential communities, and offering clients bridge and mezzanine lending, alternative assets funds, and financial and advisory services. Through its subsidiaries, the firm operates hydroelectric power facilities, interconnections and transmission facilities in Northeast North America, and development of wind power in Canada. Through its subsidiaries, it invests in specialty funds including private equity and makes direct investments in real estate, energy, and resource assets. The firm launches and manages equity and fixed income mutual funds. It also manages real estate and hedge funds. The firm invests in equity and fixed income markets across the globe. It also invest in British Columbia, United States, Brazil, Australia, Chile, Uruguay, New Zealand. It prefers to invest between $2 million and $500 million in its portfolio companies. The firm also prefers to take both minority and majority stakes in its companies. It was formerly known as Brascan Corp. Brookfield Asset Management Inc. is based in Toronto, Canada with additional offices in Bogota, Colombia, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Calgary, Canada, Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Gatineau, Canada, Hong Kong, Hong Kong, London, United Kingdom, Melbourne, Australia, Montreal, Canada, Mumbai, India, New York City, Perth, Australia, Shanghai, China, and Sydney, Australia.
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TransMontaigne Partners L.P. provides integrated terminaling, storage, transportation, and related services. The company operates through Gulf Coast terminals, Midwest terminals and pipeline system, Brownsville terminals, River terminals, Southeast terminals, and West Coast terminals segments. It offers its services for companies engaged in the trading, distribution, and marketing of light and heavy refined petroleum products, crude oil, chemicals, fertilizers, and other liquid products. The company operates 8 refined product terminals in Florida with approximately 7.0 million barrels of aggregate active storage capacity; a 67 mile interstate refined products pipeline; 2 refined product terminals with approximately 5 million barrels of active storage capacity; and 5.4 million barrels of aggregate storage capacity. It operates 1 crude oil terminal in Cushing with an aggregate active storage capacity of approximately 1.0 million barrels; 1 refined product terminal located in Oklahoma City with aggregate active storage capacity of approximately 0.2 million barrels; 1 refined product terminal located in Brownsville with an aggregate active storage capacity of approximately 0.9 million barrels; and a 16 mile LPG pipeline from its Brownsville facility to the U.S. border. In addition, the company operates a 174 mile bi-directional refined products; 7.1 million barrel terminal facility on Houston Ship Channel; 12 refined product terminals with approximately 2.7 million barrels of aggregate active storage capacity, as well as operates a dock facility; 22 refined product terminals located along Colonial and Plantation pipelines with an aggregate active storage capacity of approximately 11.9 million barrels; and 2 refined product terminals with active storage capacity of approximately 5.0 million barrels. TransMontaigne Partners L.P. was founded in 2005 and is headquartered in Denver, Colorado.
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The following companies are subsidiares of General Motors: 2140879 Ontario Inc., ACAR Leasing, ACAR Leasing Ltd., ACF Investment, ACF Investment Corp., AFS SenSub, APGO Trust, Adam Opel, Adam Opel GmbH, Aftermarket (UK), AmeriCredit, AmeriCredit Consumer Loan, AmeriCredit Consumer Loan Company Inc., AmeriCredit Financial Services, AmeriCredit Financial Services Inc., AmeriCredit Funding, AmeriCredit Syndicated Warehouse Trust, Annunciata Corporation, Argonaut Holdings, Argonaut Holdings LLC, BOCO (Proprietary), BOCO (Proprietary) Limited, Banco GMAC, Banco GMAC S.A., Baylis (Gloucester), Boco Trust, Boden Brussels, CHEVYPLAN, CHEVYPLAN S.A. Sociedad Administradora de Planes de Autofinanciamiento Comercial, Cadillac, Cadillac Europe, Cadillac Europe GmbH, Carve-Out Ownership, Carve-Out Ownership Cooperative LLC, Chevrolet Deutschland GmbH, Chevrolet Sales (Thailand), Chevrolet Sales (Thailand) Limited, Chevrolet Sales India, Chevrolet Sales India Private Ltd., Chevrolet Sociedad Anonima de Ahorro para Fines Determinados, Controladora General Motors, Controladora General Motors S.A. de C.V., Cruise, DCJ1, DCJ1 LLC, DMAX, DMAX Ltd., Dealership Liquidations, Dealership Liquidations Inc., Delphi Energy and Engine Management Systems UK, Delphi Energy and Engine Management Systems UK Overseas Corporation, EDS (Electronic Data Systems), FAW-GM, Fundacion Chevrolet, G.M.A.C., GCAR Titling Ltd., GM (UK) Pension, GM (UK) Pension Trustees Limited, GM APO Holdings, GM Administradora de Bens, GM Administradora de Bens Ltda., GM Asia Pacific Regional Headquarters Ltd., GM Auslandsprojekte, GM Automotive, GM Automotive Services Belgium, GM CME, GM Canada Holdings, GM Canada Limited, GM Components Holdings, GM Components Holdings LLC, GM Cruise, GM Cruise Holdings LLC, GM Cruise LLC, GM Defense LLC, GM Eurometals, GM Eurometals Inc., GM Europe Treasury, GM Finance, GM Finance Co. Holdings LLC, GM Financial, GM Financial AB, GM Financial Canada, GM Financial Canada Leasing, GM Financial Canada Leasing Ltd., GM Financial Colombia Holdings LLC, GM Financial Colombia S.A. Compania de Financiamiento, GM Financial Consumer, GM Financial Consumer Discount, GM Financial Consumer Discount Company, GM Financial Del Peru, GM Financial GmbH, GM Financial Holdings LLC, GM Financial Insurance Services, GM Financial Mexico Holdings, GM Financial Mexico Holdings LLC, GM Financial Real Estate, GM Financial de Mexico, GM Financial de Mexico S.A. de C.V. SOFOM E.R., GM Financial del Peru S.A.C, GM Global Business Services, GM Global Propulsion Systems -Torino S.r.l., GM Global Purchasing and Supply Chain, GM Global Technology Operations, GM Global Technology Operations LLC, GM Global Tooling, GM Global Tooling Company LLC, GM Global Treasury Centre Limited, GM Holden, GM Holden Pty Ltd., GM Holdings U.K. No.1 Limited, GM Inversiones Santiago Limitada, GM Investment Trustees Limited, GM Korea, GM Korea Company, GM LAAM Holdings, GM LAAM Holdings LLC, GM Mexico Holdings, GM Mobility Europe GmbH, GM PSA Purchasing Services, GM Personnel Services, GM Personnel Services Inc., GM Philippines Inc., GM Plats (Proprietary), GM Regional Holdings, GM Regional Holdings LLC, GM Retirees Pension Trustees, GM Retirees Pension Trustees Limited, GM Subsystems Manufacturing, GM Subsystems Manufacturing LLC, GM Technical Center Korea Ltd., GM Viet Nam Motor Company, GM-DI Leasing, GM-DI Leasing LLC, GMAC - Instituicao Financeira de Credito, GMAC Administradora de Consorcios, GMAC Administradora de Consorcios Ltda., GMAC Banque, GMAC Continental, GMAC Espana de Financiacion, GMAC Holdings (U.K.), GMAC Lease B.V. (aka Masterlease Europe), GMAC Nederland N.V., GMAC Prestadora de Servicios de Mao de Obra Ltda., GMAC Servicios, GMAC UK, GMAC de Venezuela, GMAC-Prestadora de Servios de Mo-de-Obra, GMACI Corretora de Seguros, GMACI Corretora de Seguros Ltda, GMAM Real Estate I, GMCH&SP Private Equity II, GMCH&SP Private Equity II L.P., GMF Australia Pty Ltd, GMF Europe, GMF Europe Holdco, GMF Europe LLP, GMF Floorplan Owner Revolving Trust, GMF Funding, GMF Germany Holdings, GMF Global Assignment, GMF Global Assignment LLC, GMF International, GMF International LLC, GMF Leasing LLC, GMF Leasing Warehousing Trust, GMF Wholesale Receivables, GMGP Holdings, General Motors (China) Investment Company, General Motors (China) Investment Company Limited, General Motors (Thailand), General Motors (Thailand) Limited, General Motors - Colmotores, General Motors - Colmotores S.A., General Motors Advisory Services LLC, General Motors Africa and Middle East, General Motors Africa and Middle East FZE, General Motors Asia, General Motors Asia LLC, General Motors Asia Pacific Holdings, General Motors Asia Pacific Holdings LLC, General Motors Asset Management, General Motors Asset Management Corporation, General Motors Australia, General Motors Australia Pty Ltd., General Motors Austria, General Motors Austria, General Motors Auto, General Motors Auto LLC, General Motors Automobiles Philippines, General Motors Automobiles Philippines Inc., General Motors Automotive Holdings, General Motors Automotive Holdings S.L., General Motors Belgique Automobile NV, General Motors Belgium, General Motors Chile, General Motors Chile Industria Automotriz Limitada, General Motors China LLC, General Motors Daewoo Auto and Technology, General Motors Daewoo Auto and Technology CIS LLC, General Motors East Africa, General Motors Egypt, General Motors Egypt S.A.E., General Motors Espana, General Motors Europe Holdings, General Motors Europe Limited, General Motors Financial Chile, General Motors Financial Chile Limitada, General Motors Financial Chile S.A., General Motors Financial Company, General Motors Financial Company Inc., General Motors Financial International, General Motors Financial Italia, General Motors Financial Suisse, General Motors Financial UK, General Motors Financial of Canada, General Motors Financial of Canada Ltd., General Motors Finland, General Motors France, General Motors GBS Hungary, General Motors Global Service Operations, General Motors Global Service Operations Inc., General Motors Hellas, General Motors Holden Australia, General Motors Holden Australia NSC, General Motors Holden Australia NSC Pty Ltd., General Motors Holden Australia Pty Ltd., General Motors Holdings LLC, General Motors IT Services (Ireland) Limited, General Motors India Private, General Motors India Private Limited, General Motors International Holdings, General Motors International Holdings LLC, General Motors International Operations, General Motors International Operations Pte. Ltd., General Motors International Services Company, General Motors International Services Company SAS, General Motors International Services LLC, General Motors Investment Limited, General Motors Investment Management, General Motors Investment Management Corporation, General Motors Investment Participacoes, General Motors Investment Participacoes Ltda., General Motors Investments, General Motors Investments Pty. Ltd., General Motors Ireland, General Motors Israel, General Motors Israel Ltd., General Motors Italia, General Motors Japan, General Motors Japan Limited, General Motors LLC, General Motors Limited, General Motors Manufacturing Poland, General Motors Nederland, General Motors New Zealand Pensions, General Motors New Zealand Pensions Limited, General Motors Overseas, General Motors Overseas Commercial Vehicle, General Motors Overseas Commercial Vehicle Corporation, General Motors Overseas Corporation, General Motors Overseas Distribution, General Motors Overseas Distribution LLC, General Motors Peru, General Motors Peru S.A., General Motors Poland Spolka, General Motors Portugal, General Motors Powertrain (Thailand), General Motors Powertrain (Thailand) Limited, General Motors Research Corporation, General Motors South Africa, General Motors South Africa (Pty) Limited, General Motors Suisse, General Motors Taiwan, General Motors Taiwan Ltd., General Motors Technical Centre India, General Motors Technical Centre India Private Limited, General Motors Treasury Center, General Motors Treasury Center LLC, General Motors Turkiye, General Motors UK, General Motors Uruguay, General Motors Uruguay S.A., General Motors Venezolana, General Motors Ventures, General Motors Ventures LLC, General Motors Warehousing and Trading (Shanghai), General Motors Warehousing and Trading (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., General Motors de Argentina, General Motors de Argentina S.r.l., General Motors de Mexico, General Motors de Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., General Motors del Ecuador, General Motors del Ecuador S.A., General Motors do Brasil, General Motors do Brasil Ltda., General Motors of Canada, General Motors of Canada Company, General Motors-Holden's Sales, General Motors-Holden's Sales Pty. Limited, GigaPower LLC, Global Services Detroit, Global Services Detroit LLC, Global Tooling Service Company Europe, Global Tooling Service Company Europe Limited, Go Motor Retailing, Go Trade Parts, Grand Pointe Holdings, Grand Pointe Holdings Inc., Grand Pointe Park Condominium, Grand Pointe Park Condominium Association, H.S.H., Haines & Strange, Holden New Zealand, Holden New Zealand Limited, IBC Pension Trustees, IBC Pension Trustees Limited, IBC Vehicles, Lease Ownership Cooperative, Lease Ownership Cooperative LLC, Lidlington Engineering Company, Lidlington Engineering Company Ltd., Limited Liability Company "General Motors CIS", Master Lease Germany, Maven Drive, Maven Drive LLC, Millbrook Pension Management, Millbrook Pension Management Limited, Monetization of Carve-Out, Monetization of Carve-Out LLC, Motor Repris Automocio, Motors Holding, Motors Holding LLC, Motors Properties, Motors Properties (Trading), Multi-Use Lease Entity Trust, North American New Cars, North American New Cars LLC, Omnibus BB Transportes, Omnibus BB Transportes S. A., OnStar Connected Services Srl, OnStar Egypt Limited LLC, OnStar Europe, OnStar Europe Ltd., OnStar Global Services, OnStar Global Services Corporation, OnStar LLC, OnStar de Mexico, OnStar de Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., Opel Bank, Opel Danmark, Opel Group, Opel Group Warehousing, Opel Leasing, Opel Norge, Opel Sonderdienste, Opel Southeast Europe, Opel Sverige, Opel Szentgotthard Automotive Manufacturing, Opel Wien, P.T. G M AutoWorld Indonesia, P.T. General Motors Indonesia, PIMS, PIMS Co., PT. General Motors Indonesia Manufacturing, Pan Asia Technical Automotive Center, Pan Asia Technical Automotive Center Company Ltd., Prestadora de Servicios GMF Colombia S.A.S., Rapid Motor Vehicle Company, Reliance Motor Car Company, Riverfront Holdings III Inc., Riverfront Holdings Inc., Riverfront Holdings Phase II Inc., SAIC GM (Shenyang) Norsom Motors Co. Ltd., SAIC GM Dong Yue Motors Company Limited, SAIC GM Dong Yue Powertrain Company Limited, SAIC GM Wuling Automobile Company Limited, SAIC General Motors Corporation Limited, SAIC General Motors Investment Limited, SAIC General Motors Sales Company Limited, SAIC-GMAC Automotive Finance Company Limited, SAIC-GMF Leasing Co. Ltd., Servicios GMAC S.A. de C.V., Shanghai Chengxin Used Car Operation and Management Company Limited, Shanghai OnStar Telematics Co. Ltd., Sherwoods (Darlington) Limited, Sidecar Technologies, Skurrays Limited, Stam-Terberg Autobedrijven B. V., Strobe Inc., VHC Sub-Holdings (UK), Vauxhall Defined Contribution Pension Plan Trustees Limited, Vehicle Asset Universal Leasing Trust, Vickers (Lakeside) Limited, Vision Motors Limited, WRE, WRE Inc., and Zona Franca Industrial Colmotores SAS.
The following companies are subsidiares of BlackRock: Acero Cooperatief U.A., Acero Holdings I B.V., Amethyst Merger Sub LLC, AnalytX Hosting LLC, AnalytX LLC, AnalytX Software LLC, Aperio, Aperio, Aquila Heywood, Asia-Pacific Private Credit Opportunities Fund I (GenPar) Ltd., BAA Holdings LLC, BFM Holdco LLC, BLK (Gallatin) Holdings LLC, BLK SMI LLC, BR Acquisition Mexico S.A. de C.V., BR Jersey International Holdings L.P., Beijing eFront Software Company Limited, BlackRock (Barbados) Finco 1 SRL, BlackRock (Channel Islands) Limited, BlackRock (Luxembourg) S.A., BlackRock (Netherlands) B.V., BlackRock (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., BlackRock (Singapore) Holdco II Pte. Ltd., BlackRock (Singapore) Holdco Pte. Limited, BlackRock (Singapore) Limited, BlackRock AP Investment Holdco LLC, BlackRock Advisors (UK) Limited, BlackRock Advisors LLC, BlackRock Advisors Singapore Pte. Limited, BlackRock Alternative Advisors GP Holdings LLC, BlackRock Alternatives Management LLC, BlackRock Argentina Asesorias Ltda., BlackRock Asset Management Canada Limited, BlackRock Asset Management Deutschland AG, BlackRock Asset Management International Inc., BlackRock Asset Management Investor Services Limited, BlackRock Asset Management Ireland Limited, BlackRock Asset Management North Asia Limited, BlackRock Asset Management Schweiz AG, BlackRock Asset Management UK Limited, BlackRock Australia Holdco Pty. Ltd., BlackRock Brasil Gestora de Investimentos Ltda., BlackRock Cal 1 Investor LLC, BlackRock Canada Holdings LP, BlackRock Canada Holdings ULC, BlackRock Capital Holdings Inc., BlackRock Capital Investment Advisors LLC, BlackRock Capital Management Inc., BlackRock Cayco Limited, BlackRock Cayman 1 LP, BlackRock Cayman Capital Holdings Limited, BlackRock Cayman Finco 2 Limited, BlackRock Cayman Finco 3 Limited, BlackRock Cayman Finco Limited, BlackRock Cayman West Bay Finco Limited, BlackRock Cayman West Bay IV Limited, BlackRock Cayman Z Limited, BlackRock Channel Islands Holdco Limited, BlackRock Chile Asesorias Limitada, BlackRock Colombia Holdco LLC, BlackRock Colombia Infraestructura S.A.S., BlackRock Colombia SAS, BlackRock Company Secretarial Services (UK) Limited, BlackRock Corporation US Inc., BlackRock Delaware Holdings Inc., BlackRock Enterprise Management Services (Shanghai) Co. 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Freeport-McMoRan, Inc. engages in the mining of copper, gold and molybdenum. It operates through the following segments: North America Copper Mines, South America Mining; Indonesia Mining, Molybdenum Mines, Rod and Refining, Atlantic Copper Smelting and Refining and Corporate, Other and Eliminations. The North America Copper Mines segment operates open-pit copper mines in Morenci, Bagdad, Safford, Sierrita and Miami in Arizona and Chino and Tyrone in New Mexico. The South America Mining segment includes Cerro Verde in Peru and El Abra in Chile. The Indonesia Mining segment handles the operations of Grasberg minerals district that produces copper concentrate that contains significant quantities of gold and silver. The Molybdenum Mines segment includes the Henderson underground mine and Climax open-pit mine, both in Colorado. The Rod and Refining segment consists of copper conversion facilities located in North America and includes a refinery, rod mills, and a specialty copper products facility. The Atlantic Copper Smelting and Refining segment smelts and refines copper concentrate and markets refined copper and precious metals in slimes. The Corporate, Other and Eliminations segment
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Lloyds Banking Group plc, together with its subsidiaries, provides a range of banking and financial services in the United Kingdom and internationally. It operates through three segments: Retail; Commercial Banking; and Insurance and Wealth. The Retail segment offers a range of financial service products, including current accounts, savings accounts, mortgages, motor finance, unsecured loans, leasing solutions, credit cards, and other financial services to personal and small business customers. The Commercial Banking segment provides lending, transactional banking, working capital management, risk management, and debt capital market services to small and medium-sized entities, corporates, and financial institutions. The Insurance and Wealth segment offers life, home, and car insurance products; and pension, investment, and wealth management products and services. It also provides digital and mobile banking, and telephone services, as well as advisory services for savings, investments, and planning for retirement. The company offers its products and services under the Lloyds Bank, Halifax, Bank of Scotland, Scottish Widows, MBNA, Schroders Personal Wealth, Black Horse, Lex Autolease, Birmingham Midshires, LDC, IWeb, and Agricultural Mortgage Corporation brands. Lloyds Banking Group plc was founded in 1695 and is headquartered in London, the United Kingdom.
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American Electric Power Co., Inc. engages in the business of generation, transmission and distribution of electricity. It operates through the following segments: Vertically Integrated Utilities, Transmission & Distribution Utilities, AEP Transmission Holdco and Generation & Marketing. The Vertically Integrated Utilities segment engages in the generation, transmission and distribution of electricity for sale to retail and wholesale customers through assets owned and operated by its subsidiaries. The Transmission & Distribution Utilities segment engages in the business of transmission and distribution of electricity for sale to retail and wholesale customers through assets owned and operated by its subsidiaries. The AEP Transmission Holdco segment engages in the development, construction and operation of transmission facilities through investments in its wholly-owned transmission subsidiaries and joint ventures. The Generation & Marketing segment engages in non-regulated generation and marketing, risk management and retail activities. The company was founded on December 20, 1906 and is headquartered in Columbus, OH.
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Suncor Energy Inc. operates as an integrated energy company. The company primarily focuses on developing petroleum resource basins in Canada's Athabasca oil sands; explores, acquires, develops, produces, transports, refines, and markets crude oil in Canada and internationally; markets petroleum and petrochemical products under the Petro-Canada name primarily in Canada. It operates in Oil Sands; Exploration and Production; Refining and Marketing; and Corporate and Eliminations segments. The Oil Sands segment recovers bitumen from mining and in situ operations, and upgrades it into refinery feedstock and diesel fuel, or blends the bitumen with diluent for direct sale to market. The Exploration and Production segment is involved in offshore operations off the east coast of Canada and in the North Sea; and operating onshore assets in Libya and Syria. The Refining and Marketing segment refines crude oil and intermediate feedstock into various petroleum and petrochemical products; and markets refined petroleum products to retail, commercial, and industrial customers through its other retail sellers. The Corporate and Eliminations segment operates four wind farm operations in Ontario and Western Canada. The company also markets and trades in crude oil, natural gas, byproducts, refined products, and power. The company was formerly known as Suncor Inc. and changed its name to Suncor Energy Inc. in April 1997. Suncor Energy Inc. was founded in 1917 and is headquartered in Calgary, Canada.
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Reinsurance Group of America, Inc. is a holding company, which engages in the provision of traditional and non-traditional life and health reinsurance products. It operates through the following segments: U.S. and Latin America; Canada; Europe, Middle East, and Africa; Asia Pacific; and Corporate and Other. The U.S. and Latin America segment markets individual and group life and health reinsurance to domestic clients for a variety of products through yearly renewable term agreements, coinsurance, and modified coinsurance. The Canada segment offers individual life reinsurance, and to a lesser extent creditor, group life and health, critical illness and disability reinsurance, through yearly renewable term and coinsurance agreements. The Europe, Middle East, and Africa segment serves individual and group life and health products through yearly renewable term and coinsurance agreements, reinsurance of critical illness coverage that provides a benefit in the event of the diagnosis of a pre-defined critical illness and underwritten annuities. The Asia Pacific segment comprises individual and group life and health reinsurance, critical illness coverage, disability, and superannuation thr
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Sridevi was last seen in 'Mom.'
Mumbai: Sridevi drowned after losing her balance and falling into the bathtub under the influence of alcohol, fresh reports have claimed.
A forensic report has cited accidental drowning as the cause of death, according to Gulf News, tweeted by news agency ANI.
ANI also tweeted the forensic examination found traces of alcohol in the actor's blood and that she lost her balance under the influence of alcohol, fell into the bathtub and drowned.
Forensic reports shows traces of alcohol found in #Sridevi's body, reports UAE's Gulf News. ANI (@ANI) February 26, 2018
Under the influence of alcohol, #Sridevi lost her balance, fell into the bathtub and drowned, reports UAE's Gulf News ANI (@ANI) February 26, 2018
Her body has also been released for embalming, according to their tweet.
#Update: #Sridevi's body has been released for embalming, reports Gulf News ANI (@ANI) February 26, 2018
But reports at 9.30 pm IST suggested that the body will not be embalmed today, and instead, it is likely scheduled for tomorrow. Here's the tweet:
#Sridevi's body is not being embalmed today, it is likely to be done tomorrow, reports Khaleej Times ANI (@ANI) February 26, 2018
The news has been confirmed by the Government of Dubai through a statement from the media office, as tweeted by ANI.
Following completion of post-mortem analysis, Dubai Police HQ today stated that the death of Indian actress #Sridevi occurred due to drowning in her hotel apartments bathtub following loss of consciousness: Govt of Dubai Media Office ANI (@ANI) February 26, 2018
The case has been handed over to the Dubai Public Prosecution, which will take forward the 'legal procedures' in the case.
Dubai Police has transferred the case to Dubai Public Prosecution, which will carry out regular legal procedures followed in such cases: Govt of Dubai Media Office #Sridevi ANI (@ANI) February 26, 2018
Indian Envoy to UAE Navdeep Suri said the government was trying its best to expedite the process of the return of mortal remains.
Our embassy and consulate are working closely with local authorities to expedite the return of mortal remains of #Sridevi and also keeping Kapoor family apprised, it is our endeavor to send mortal remains at earliest: Indian Envoy to UAE Navdeep Suri to ANI (file pic) pic.twitter.com/kdHImTc04c ANI (@ANI) February 26, 2018
But it's likely there could be further delay as the Dubai Police is awaiting clearance from the Prosecution Magistrate.
Further delay in return of mortal remains of #Sridevi expected,Dubai police which earlier gave clearance now awaits clearance from Prosecution magistrate .Police reportedly informed Indian authorities the body can only be handed over after nod from prosecution magistrate: Sources ANI (@ANI) February 26, 2018
The body has reportedly been taken to Muhaisna for embalming, which is said to take 90 minutes.
The next few steps involve police issuing a death certificate, Indian Consulate of Dubai cancelling the passport, Immigration department completing administrative procedures and finally Public Prosecutor giving permission to hand over the body after which her mortal remains can be brought back, in this case, in a chartered flight arranged by businessman Anil Ambani.
Sridevi died on Saturday night and it was initially reported that she died of a cardiac arrest.
The investigation is still going on to determine the circumstances surrounding the accident as the forensic report only says that she drowned, an official told Gulf News.
Also read: This is what birthday boy Shahid Kapoor felt about Sridevi's sudden demise, see tweet
The police are also trying to determine the sequence of events and who was present with her at the time of the incident.
Since the actress died outside a hospital, the police had to be informed and they will also register a case and investigate the cause of the incident, a report in the Times of India stated.
Also read: Ekta Kapoor slams trollers for citing surgery as the reason of Sridevi's death
Considering the fact that the mortal remains have to be sent to another country, there are more formalities involved. According to the rules, the body is first sent to a morgue at Al Qusais and then to the General Department of Forensic Evidence. After they give the autopsy report and the death certificate, it is handed over the police for the final clearance, according to an independent journalist from Dubai.
Thats probably why the procedure to bring back the actress mortal remains is taking time considering the last rites were to take place on Monday morning.
The veteran actor passed away in her hotel bathroom in Dubai on Sunday at the age of 54. Her husband Boney Kapoor apparently found her motionless in a bathtub after the couple had made plans for a dinner date.
The veteran actor featured in over 300 films in Hindi and South languages and is considered a legendary actress, having won the Padma Shri and multiple awards.
Magic coal is popular among young people who frequently smoke hookah as it ignites faster and is easy to burn (Photo: Pixabay)
The effects of hookah in comparison to the repercussions smoking cigarettes has on a persons health have been discussed for a long time. While many feel that hookahs are less harmful, they have their own share of health risks.
A 29-year-old from Mumbai is being treated for severe chest infection which he acquired by smoking hookah. It turns out that the reason behind this grave consequence is use of magic coal, which is a chunk of charcoal kept in chemicals for months to make it burn faster.
The IT engineer was rushed to a hospital two weeks back and diagnosed for breathlessness, respiratory failure and chest infection. He was kept on anti-bacterial and anti-fungal medicines before being discharged with advice to abstain from smoking.
Magic coal is popular among young people who frequently smoke hookah as it ignites faster and is easy to burn. But it emits hazardous gases like carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide increasing chances of respiratory infection and lung failure.
Experts say that magic coal, hookah flavours and other material used for smoking it contain 28 substances that may cause cancer.
Standing desks could be harmful to your body in numerous ways. (Photo: Pexels)
Fear of our sedentary lifestyles is giving rise to standing desks in the workplace.
However, researchers have found these desks slow down a person's ability to work mentally, the Daily Mail reported.
A new study conducted by a team at Curtin University in Australia, also found that it causes swollen veins, which can lead to heart issues, back pain and injuries to the legs.
For the study, 20 participants worked at standing desk for two hours. Their ability to perform the tasks diminished and their lower body began to ache after just a little over an hour.
Researchers warn against choosing to work in the manner, as there is not much evidence to suggest there are any benefits to doing so.
"The bottom line is that this expansion has been driven more by commercial reasons than scientific evidence," Professor Alan Taylor, a physiotherapy expert at Nottingham University, told The Telegraph. Adding, "But the evidence is catching up and it's showing there are some drawbacks."
Professor Taylor recommends taking regular breaks instead of standing up all day while you work.
The study was originally published in the journal Ergonomics.
Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu also recalled the problems he had to face to make a beginning from the scratch and putting the state on the global map. (Photo: File)
Visakhapatnam: Andhra Pradesh chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu on Monday said there was growing unrest among the people as the Centre was not fulfilling its commitments made at the time of bifurcation of the state.
Speaking at a special plenary session of the ongoing CII Partnership Summit, Naidu said, Ever since the combined state was divided (to carve out Telangana), the residuary Andhra Pradesh had been facing a lot of neglect from the Centre. Injustice was done to the state in all aspects.
According to a report in the Hindustan Times, the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) president said, What they committed, they are not giving, causing unrest among people.
Naidu, who was sharing the dais with spiritual leader Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, was expressing his views on the importance of patience.
The chief minister also recalled the problems he had to face to make a beginning from the scratch and putting the state on the global map.
We have been fighting for our rights. There have been a lot of expectations from the people on our government and I have been making all out efforts to live up to the expectations, Naidu said.
The chief minister, who in the last few weeks has been hinting that his patience was running out, chose to speak out on the concluding day of the summit.
TDP is a part of the BJP-led ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA) but Naidu has been upset over the alleged raw deal meted out to the state in the union budget.
Naidu said injustice was done to Andhra Pradesh while dividing it to carve out Telangana state in 2014.
Naidu has been asking the Centre to fulfil all commitments made in Andhra Pradesh reorganisation act 2014.
NEW DELHI: The state-of-the-art Arjun Main Battle Tank Mk II is facing a challenging task in trying to shed weight from 68.6 tonne to less than 65 tonne. So far, by using lighter fitments and making adjustments we have been able to lose only about 1.5 tonne which is far above the Armys requirement of less than 65 tonne tank. Redesigning and assessments are on, said a military source familiar with the weight loss effort who did not want to be named.
The Arjun MBT Mk II is an improved version of Mk I and has been developed with 73 tank-fittable improvements of which 15 are major tank-fittable improvements as a result of which an additional tonnage was gained over the Arjun MBT Mk I. But additional weight has resulted in problems relating to agility, mobility and operational employability.
That is why it is important to reduce the weight of the tank. The weight reduction effort is now being undertaken by the Defence Research and Development Organisation and Combat Vehicles Research and Development Establishment mainly by redesigning the hull and turret structure by using innovative material to replace the conventional structure. The Army had ruled out an agility and mobility test of Arjun tank that was to be pitted against the Russian-made T-90 saying that the Arjun MBT Mk II and T-90 are of different class and weight classifications and their deployment is as per assigned operational roles.
CHENNAI: Sridevi held the audience in sway by her impeccable performances. Whichever role she donned - as rural belle Mailu in 16 Vayathiniley, as a typical Brahmin wife in Meendum Kokila, she merged with the protagonist.
In Moondram Pirai, she played the unforgettable role of a young woman who suffers head injury in an accident due to which she behaves like a child. And not to forget the Sigappu Rojakkal and numerous other films, Sridevi had etched a permanent space in the memory of film buffs and her fans as well.
Her sudden demise led to flooding of grief-stricken messages. Tamil Nadu Governor Banwarilal Purohit, Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami, Deputy Chief Minister O. Panneerselvam and leaders of various political parties, including BJP, DMDK and Congress, on Sunday condoled her death in Dubai.
In his message, the Governor said the demise of the noted actor Sridevi fills me with sadness and shock. She was a versatile professional who displayed a rare sense of talent and genius on the silver screen. A daughter of Tamil Nadu, she has acted in over 200 films and won extraordinary praise and laurels, the Governor said and extended his deep condolences to the bereaved members of her family and pray to God to rest her soul in peace.
Mr Palaniswami, in a statement, expressed grief over her death and said Sridevi was a versatile actor, who started her film career as a child artiste and later as top heroine in Tamil movies, before acting in Telugu, Malayalam, Hindi and other languages. Her Tamil films like 16 Vayathiniley, Moondram Pirari, Sigappu Rojakkal, Priya and Varumayin Niram Sivappu were shining examples of her quality acting skills.
Winner of several awards, including the Padmashri, Sridevi, has carved a niche for herself in the film industry for the past 50 years and her death was not only a major loss to the Tamil cinema, but also to Indian cinema, he said and expressed deep anguish over her death.
Mr Palaniswami also offered his heartfelt condolences to the bereaved family and to her friends in the film fraternity. Deputy Chief Minister O. Panneerselvam said Sridevis movie career attracted several generations.
DMK working president M.K. Stalin on Sunday condoled the death of popular actor Sridevi and said he was shocked to hear about her sudden demise. My heartfelt condolences, he tweeted. He also offered his condolences to the bereaved family, her fans and friends in the film industry on behalf of DMK.
DMDK founder Vijayakanth, who was a top actor before venturing into politics, said he was hugely shocked to learn that Sridevi is no more. My condolences to her kin, he added.
Tamilisai said, Sridevi, who was born in southern Tamil Nadu, grabbed the attention of the whole country with her acting talent. My tributes to her. She added: My deep condolences to her family members and industry friends. This is a very big loss to the Indian cinema world.
Residents of the area blocked the tracks staging protests. They claimed that the area is dimly lit at night and no announcements are made for an arriving train. (Photo: Twitter | ANI)
Mumbai: In a shocking incident, six teenagers were killed while one is fighting for his life after a speeding train hit them in Uttar Pradeshs Hapur, on Sunday night.
According to eyewitnesses, the young boys were casually walking across the track when the accident occurred.
According to a report in NDTV, the boys (all between 14 to 16 years of age) were daily wage labourers. They were supposed to catch a train from Ghaziabad for a painting assignment in Hyderabad. After missing the train, the 7 friends returned to Pilakhua after midnight.
The teenage victims had plugged in earphones, said locals.
Residents of the area blocked the tracks staging protests. They claimed that the area is dimly lit at night and no announcements are made for an arriving train, the report said.
Police have reached Sadikpura to tackle the agitated mob.
District Magistrate Krishna Karunesh and Superintendent of Police Hemant Kutiyal, visited the spot right after tension erupted in the region.
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Monday rejected in the Assembly the UDF demand for a CBI probe into the murder of Youth Congress leader S. P. Shuhaib in Kannur. The Assembly witnessed unruly scenes during the opening day of the session over it with UDF legislators blocking the Speakers view with a banner and trying to climb his dais. Speaker P. Sreeramakrishnan suspended the Question Hour, rushed through the proceedings and adjourned the House for the day as protests continued.
Replying to an adjournment motion notice, Mr Vijayan said, the present investigation is going ahead effectively. Already the key accused are held. Hence there is no question of a CBI probe. The demand of the family is a natural reaction. Opposition leader Ramesh Chennithala drew his attention to law minister A. K. Balan's statement that the government was open to any probe and alleged that the government feared the CBI probe unravelling the conspiracy.
"The police team had not yet looked into the conspiracy angle or recovered the weapons of the killers," he said.
He said it also warranted invoking Section 15 of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act. But the CM said there were instances of UAPA provisions weakening cases. He also maintained that he had no information of Kannur district police chief complaining of leaking out their moves. Congress MLA Sunny Joseph, who presented the notice, said that the nexus of the key accused Akash Tillankery with CPM leaders including Mr Vijayan and P. Jayarajan was evident from his selfies with them.
Not only those who executed the brutal murder but those who ordered it should be booked. They were cutting Mr Shuhaib like firewood, he said. He also attacked the CM for referring to a criminal case pending against Shuhaib while giving his reply, but remaining silent on criminal cases including murder and murder attempt against Akash. Referring to statistics, the CM said the number of political violence and murders in the state, especially in Kannur, had slightly come down.
While there were 15 killings in 2016, it was five in 2017. In Kannur, it was seven in 2016 and two in 2017. The House also witnessed him and Mr Chennithala countering each other listing out names of the victims. Mr Vijayan alleged Congress leader K. Sudhakarans direct involvement in many political murders in Kannur.
UNRULY SCENES RIGHT FROM BEGINNING
The Opposition members came to the House wearing black badges and holding placards and a banner blaming the government for political murders. As soon as the sitting began at 8.30 a.m., Opposition leader wanted to raise Shuhaib murder issue. But the speaker did not allow him to speak, maintaining that such matters could not be raised during the Question Hour.
Provoked by this, the opposition MLAs trooped into the well, raising slogans. They also raised a banner blocking the view of the speaker. As the UDF did not relent to his repeated requests, the speaker suspended the question-hour. Later when the House convened at 9.30 a.m., Mr Sreeramakrishnan said that blocking the view of the speaker was unfortunate and wanted the MLAs to maintain decorum. However, the opposition was in no mood to scale down their demonstration. Some opposition MLAs including Anil Akkara, V. P. Sajeendran, Shafi Parambil, Anvar Sadath, Roji M. John and Hibi Eden even tried to climb the Speakers dais.
Thrissur: A silent revolution in vegetable and fruit farming is taking place on Vattaru island of the Maldives, thanks to the enthusiasm of a civil engineer from here and technology back up of Kerala Agricultural University (KAU). E.C.Manoharan from Perinjanam first went to the Maldives in 2011 to carry out some civil engineering works, after completing which he got an assignment in the Middle East. Later in 2013, he went to Vattaru Island to construct a boathouse and terminal.
Having noticed the farming pattern and climate in the islands, he succeeded in convincing people that the seeds and planting materials from Kerala, with which the islands share an identical environment, will be more suitable for them than the seeds imported from Europe. He got in touch with scientists at KAU and selected varieties of fruits and vegetables. The greatest surprise was watermelon. When he heard about seedless watermelon varieties Swarna and Shonima, he contacted Dr.T.Pradeep Kumar who developed them and took seeds there. They produce fruits of maximum 3 kg in normal Kerala conditions, but it gave 8 to 10 in Vattaru.
The islands being a tourist destination, the seedless watermelons were sold like hotcakes, and now it fetches a price of Rs 120 per kg, whereas the average price in Kerala is only one-tenth of it. Besides watermelon, I promoted the cultivation of bitter gourd, bottle gourd, brinjal and cucumber. The cultivation was in 40 hectares. All these varieties give good yields," Mr Manoharan said. "We do artificial pollination since natural agents like bees and butterflies are not common here. Seedless watermelon is much sought after in resorts, and a fruit fetches Rs 900, which is a good bargain for farmers.
Cow dung is the main manure and organic solutions the pesticides. After its success on the islands, Union minister for agriculture is seeking steps to popularise cultivation of these varieties across India. A proposal for massive seed production has already gone, and they are awaiting the response. They have developed a hybrid variety of seedless salad cucumber as well. Coastal areas in India are also suitable for seedless varieties, he said.
New Delhi: Following complaints, the CBSE has warned schools not to withhold admit cards of Class X and XII students for any reason, including poor performance in pre-board examinations.
The Central Board of Secondary Education received several complaints about schools withholding admit cards and in some cases charging a fee for their release.
Mentioning Rule 15 of the Examination Bye-Laws, the CBSE said, In no case the heads of affiliated schools shall detain eligible candidates from appearing at the examination. The practice has been viewed very seriously by the board and is violative of the Bye-Laws.
CBSE controller of examination K.K. Chaudhary said in an advisory to schools, that the performance of students in pre-board tests conducted by schools internally cannot be the reason for not allowing students to sit for the exam.
It has also been noted that some schools are charging fees for release of the admit card, the CBSE controller of examination said.
The CBSE board exams for Class X and XII students are set to begin from March 5.
The advisory also stated that the board issues admit cards to only those students which have been sponsored by the schools in their final list of candidates submitted to it.
Therefore, their eligibility for the exams has already been confirmed by the school and hence their admit cards cannot be withheld. The schools also cannot charge any fee for issuing admit cards, it said.
The CBSE had earlier started its pre-examination psychological counselling for students and parents as a part of an outreach programme for board aspirants to address exam related psychological problems.
It is the 21st consecutive year of the CBSE providing psychological counselling services to students at the time of preparation as well as during the examinations to overcome exam related stress.
Puducherry: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday visited Aurobindo Ahsram and paid floral tributes at the memorial of the spiritual leader. He arrived in the union territory of Puducherry on Sunday and was received by Lt Governor Kiran Bedi, Chief Minister V. Narayanasamy and his cabinet colleagues at the Puducherry airport.
The Prime Minister, attired in a spotless white Kurta-pajama, drove straight to the Aurobindo Ashram. After paying floral tribute at the memorial of the spiritual leader, he meditated for a few minutes. He also visited the room where Aurobindo carried out his spiritual experiment, and also interacted with the children of the International School of Education run by the ashram before leaving for Auroville.
At the international township, which celebrates its golden jubil-ee this year, Modi received a warm welcome from Karan Singh, chairman of the Auroville Foundation, and members of the Auroville foundation. The PM was seen keenly going through the exhibition highlighting the journey of Auroville over the years and interacting with the members.
Mr Modi also visited the Matrimandir and spent some moments in its inner chamber. He also spent a few minutes time near the 100-year-old banyan tree which is considered as the geographical centre of Auroville. The PM who spent nearly two hours at Auroville, left for Puducherry airport to attend the Public meeting organised by the BJP.
Before leaving for Chennai, the Prime Minister had a brief discussion with Chief Minister V. Narayanasamy at the airport. AIADMK legislature party leader A. Anbazhagan also met the Prime Minister at the airport and submitted a memorandum urging the Mr Modi to take steps for the waiver of the loan dues of Puducherry.
We are missing the presence of our PM already. In a short time he spent with us he touched our hearts and minds with his dignified, energetic and powerful presence. Puducherry will benefit from the visit of the Prime Minister, said Kiran Bedi in her Twitter handle after the visit of the Prime Minister.
You may get a fancy looking power bank imported from China from the roadside vendors for as low as Rs 300, but it doesnt make sense when you consider the fact that they can go wrong anytime, anywhere.
We all know that Li-ion batteries arent safe thanks to the highly flammable Lithium used in it. There have been numerous reports of smartphone batteries exploding due to various faults, both in defective and destructive areas. We also witnessed consequences of batteries resulting in injuries with the infamous Samsung Galaxy Note 7 smartphones in 2016, which was eventually recalled and pulled-off from the market. Following the Note 7 incident, the airline industry takes special care of any device consisting of Li-ion batteries, especially power banks. All airlines today make special note of passengers carrying power banks and ensure they are carried inside the cabin and not placed in check-in luggage. However, considering a recent accident related to a power bank explosion, airlines around the world 'could' ban them altogether in view of passenger safety.
An incident reported by CNET describes a power bank exploding into flames inside an aircraft in China last week. The report mentions a power bank kept in the overhead luggage bin inside a bag catching fire before the aircraft made it to the sky.
The incident was filmed catching fire onboard a China Southern aircraft destined to fly from Guangzhou to Shanghai. The report claims an alleged power bank on bursting into flames inside the aircraft cabin. The video, which was caught by a fellow passenger, shows the flight attendant dousing the flames using a bottle of drinking water and another one trying the same with a bottle of juice.
Luckily, the fire started moments before the flight was preparing its take off. It eventually was doused, saving the aircraft from any major damage and preventing possible casualties. The video was shared on Twitter by a user, which can be seen below.
Power bank fire on board China Southern CZ3539, Feb 25 2018. pic.twitter.com/cby6E62qRv ChinaAviationReview (@ChinaAvReview) February 25, 2018
The report mentions a power bank as the cause of the fire, but the video does not confirm anything. While theres no mention of the power banks make and model, it puts a question mark over allowing similar devices onboard aircraft.
Power banks come in all shapes, sizes and price ranges. While the branded ones from well-known manufacturers make sure they go through various security barriers to prevent such mishaps, cheaper unbranded power banks ones dont care about such safety measures. You could buy a fancy looking power bank imported from China from roadside vendors for as cheap as Rs 300. These power banks could contain non-branded batteries which could pose safety risks to both the user as well as the devices they charge.
Therefore, when going to buy a power bank, it is advisable to check with seller for its security ratings before settling for one, and with a little research, find out which company's battery they incorporate within. We recommend avoiding roadside power banks as most of them do feature safety built-in measures such as overheat or overcharge protection. A power bank from a renowned brand with safety measures is definitely a better bet, even though it may cost more.
Considering the China incident, if airlines start banning power banks on aircraft, consumers will have to rely on smartphones with larger batteries to avoid using power banks on the move. Smartphones such as Xiaomis Redmi Note 5, Motorola G5S Plus and Lenovo K8 Note have bigger batteries, ensuring a longer stamina on a single charge.
We could also see a trend in manufacturers opting for bigger batteries in their offerings to keep themselves in power for longer sessions of time. This could see future smartphones being thicker and heavier.
However, banning power banks isnt the final solution to the problem. Governments across the world should start implementing stricter safety requirements for all products containing or relying on Li-ion batteries. As consumers, people should also be looking into safety certifications before investing in similar battery-operated rechargeable goods such as power banks, smartphones, toys and alike.
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Click on Deccan Chronicle Technology and Science for the latest news and reviews. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter.
Hundreds gathered on a rainy night outside the Roman amphitheatre that is a symbol of the martyrdom of early Christians to hear the husband and daughter of Asia Bibi. (Photo: File)
Rome: Rome's ancient Colosseum was lit in red on Saturday in solidarity with persecuted Christians, particularly Asia Bibi, a woman condemned to death under Pakistan's blasphemy laws.
Hundreds gathered on a rainy night outside the Roman amphitheatre that is a symbol of the martyrdom of early Christians to hear the husband and daughter of Asia Bibi.
The Catholic woman has been living on death row in Pakistan since 2010, when she was condemned for allegedly making derogatory remarks about Islam after neighbours objected to her drinking water from their glass because she was not Muslim.
Human rights groups such as Amnesty International say the blasphemy law is increasingly exploited by religious extremists as well as ordinary Pakistanis to settle personal scores.
"The aim of the blasphemy laws is crush people who believe differently," Archbishop Nunzio Galantino, secretary-general of the Italian bishops conference, told the gathering.
The law does not define blasphemy and evidence might not be reproduced in court for fear of committing a fresh offence. There are no penalties for false accusations.
Asia Bibi's case drew international attention after the murder of two politicians who tried to intervene on her behalf.
At the Rome gathering, her husband Ashiq Masih said his wife was innocent of blasphemy. "This is just hate against Christians, who are considered impure," he said.
The husband and daughter, who broke down in tears as she addressed the group, were earlier received by Pope Francis, who told her: "I think often of your mother and I pray for her".
European Parliament President Antonio Tajani, who has been tipped as a possible Italian prime minister after next week's election, said that persecution of Christians was "a genocide".
"A message must be sent from this place. It is the duty of Europe to defend these values (of religious liberty) wherever on earth they are trampled on," Tajani said.
Rebecca Bitrus, a Nigerian Christian woman who was held for two years after she was abducted by Boko Haram Islamist militants, told of how she was repeatedly beaten and raped.
During the event, organised by the Catholic group "Aid to the Church in Need," there were live link-ups with Aleppo, Syria and Mosul, Iraq, both of whose minority Christian populations have been hit hard by wars.
MAPLETON A year ago, as she anticipated the knock on her front door, Kelly Wosnik wasnt at all sure how it would go when she met a genuine TV star.
She was a nurse practitioner who runs her own clinic in Utah County. He was teenager Gaten Matarazzo from New Jersey, one of the stars of the Netflix sensation, Stranger Things.
The one thing they knew they had in common was they had both been born with a rare birth defect called cleidocranial dysplasia, CCD for short.
CCD is a bone disorder. Those born with it do not have collarbones and experience difficulties with bone development, particularly with their teeth, requiring multiple dental procedures throughout childhood. Wosnik had surgeries from the age of 7 to 19, none of them minor. Gaten was, and is, in the middle of his surgeries.
CCD was the reason they were meeting. Gatens parents, Heather and Gaten Sr., had heard about a nurse practitioner in Utah who had plans to start an organization aimed at helping those with CCD. They had flown from New Jersey to Utah with their famous son, who was ready and willing to meet the doctor and become the face of the foundation.
I wondered what a 14-year-old would see in a 41-year-old, says Wosnik.
Then I opened the door and it was an instant connection. He saw me and just hugged me. And when I finally let go, he didnt.
That initial meeting was a year ago, during Presidents Day weekend, 2017.
Wosnik and Gaten sat down with Emmett Furrow, a comedian from North Carolina whose act includes doing body contortions without a collarbone, Steffani Stubbs and others, and they quickly got busy dotting is and crossing ts to get the foundation CCD Smiles (ccdsmiles.org) up and running.
Then they all stepped back to see what star power can do for a good cause.
Stranger Things is a supernatural science fiction-horror show that requires plenty of suspended reality. But when it came to Gatens part he plays a likeable kid who provides comic relief named Dustin Henderson the directors kept it real, incorporating Gatens real-life CCD into the plot.
As he flashes his toothless grin and shows off his lack of a clavicle to his friends, he explains about his birth defect and talks about how it has made him a target for bullies.
Just like that, a condition that affects just one person in a million vaulted into the mainstreams consciousness.
Its nigh on to impossible to calculate the attention Gaten who has 7.8 million followers on Instagram has brought to CCD.
He wants to do anything he can to help, says Wosnik. Hes wise beyond his years. Hes very empathetic.
Last month, Gaten and Wosnik appeared on the ABC television show, The Doctors, to talk about CCD Smiles. At last count, the YouTube clip of their appearance had exceeded 2.3 million hits.
For Wosnik, who had never met anyone else with CCD until she was 33, this explosion of awareness is almost not to be believed.
One of five siblings born in California to a farmworker dad and a substitute teacher mom, she was the only one with CCD. She grew up enduring those multiple oral surgeries most of them not covered by insurance along with more than her share of bullying. Among the taunts, she remembers a teacher calling her Toothless.
Teeth are a big deal, says Wosnik. To a teenager especially.
You feel so isolated, so alone. So you lose confidence.
She decided to study medicine in college to better understand her CCD. She did her masters thesis on CCD, then went on to obtain a doctorate in nursing practice.
Shes been working as a nurse practitioner ever since, all the while never losing sight of her dream to establish a network to help others with CCD.
If nothing else, I wanted to provide a way for people with CCD to connect with each other, she says. That kind of therapy is so important just knowing youre not alone. Id have given anything for that connection.
The bigger goal, says Wosnik, is to pay for dental surgeries some people couldnt otherwise afford.
For its first project, the foundation is helping a 30-year-old Clearfield woman get the long overdue dental help she needs. When the work is complete in March, they plan to post the video of her new smile on the website.
Wosnik hopes its just the beginning. At one in a million, we really could help every single person with CCD, she smiles.
She marvels at all thats happened in just a single year, at all the exposure and fundraising, at the small-but-important CCD community theyve been able to establish.
Shes learned that with CCD people theres an instant bond. From the moment you first meet, you feel like youve known each other forever.
PROVO Brigham Young University is using Instagram to let students know help is available after sexual abuse.
The university decided to use Instagram to deliver the message to not only ensure students would hear it, but also in hopes that it will better resonate with them so they can help others who are victims of sexual assault.
The message was posted on Instagram stories Tuesday and outlined an important finding from a recent campus survey: Most sexual assaults go unreported to authorities.
The message is one BYU wants to make very clear.
There are two very important words to understand in this process. One is amnesty, the other is confidentiality, the video posted on Instagram said.
Brigham Young University came under public scrutiny in 2016 after some students claimed that their efforts to report sexual assaults led to disciplinary investigations under the schools honor code. The allegations included reports that the private universitys treatment of sexual assault victims created a climate that made students wary of reporting crimes for fear that they themselves would be penalized.
BYU revised its honor code policy, finalizing it in June 2017. The policy now says that students who report sexual misconduct will not be disciplined by the university for any related honor code violation occurring at or near the time of the reported sexual misconduct unless a persons health or safety is at risk.
The results of the survey suggest there may be some lingering fears about reporting.
Tiffany Turley, Title IX coordinator at BYU, said its important to the department that students feel comfortable enough to talk about their experiences.
"It is the first step in being able to seek help and find healing to get through these difficult times," Turley said.
For us, anything that we can do to encourage reporting, and that is what our amnesty policy is all about, Turley said. (Its) letting students know we are going to look at the bigger picture and really address the most important issue, which is someone being victimized by sexual assault.
Several students on campus said they had seen the post on Instagram, but their opinions varied on if it was an effective message.
The Title IX office said the university will continue to share the sexual assault message throughout campus, including through social media.
SALT LAKE CITY A bill cutting down the required waiting period for divorces in Utah is ready for the governor's signature, but the change meant to increase efficiency in the court system has some marriage experts in the state concerned.
Should Gov. Gary Herbert sign off on SB25, which received the final necessary approvals last week after passing both the House and the Senate, divorcing couples in Utah will only need to wait 30 days rather than 90 days to have their divorce finalized.
In reality, many divorces in Utah take closer to two years than 90 days as motions are filed, child custody is settled and property is divvied up, according to the bill's sponsor, Sen. Todd Weiler, R-Woods Cross. But for couples in uncontested divorces who have decided among themselves how to separate, including drawing up the necessary paperwork on their own, Weiler said the waiting period feels punitive.
"It's just the government telling adults that we don't trust you to make your own decisions, so we're going to make you wait," Weiler said. "The idea is that if we make you wait, you're going to change your mind. But there's just not much evidence that that's happening."
Weiler said the legislation came about after he participated in a two-year work group looking at court processes for family law issues. The group discovered that the biggest complaint from Utahns who deal with domestic issues in the state's courts was the amount of time it takes to get through the system.
In the U.S. there are 28 states with no required wait time for divorce, according to Weiler, and the divorce rates in those states are no higher than the states that do impose a waiting period.
Alan Hawkins, professor of family life at Brigham Young University and co-chairman of the Utah Marriage Commission, maintains that creating a system that encourages couples to reconcile rather than divorce is better for society as a whole, and especially for children.
"When families break apart, we know that there are public costs that they are more likely to experience poverty, that there are effects on children that affect everything from our juvenile justice system to our educational system," Hawkins said. "One study here in Utah estimated the cost of family fragmentation to be about $275 million a year. That's taxpayer costs, not including the personal costs borne by these families."
Hawkins does agree, however, that many divorces are necessary, especially in cases of abuse, adultery or addiction. In those situations, Utah should be cautious about imposing barriers to divorce, he said.
Hawkins noted that his opinions on Weiler's legislation are his own and not representative of his employer or the commission. He usually tracks proposed legislation on marriage and divorce each year when the Legislature convenes, but wasn't aware of Weiler's bill until after it had passed.
When most couples begin divorce proceedings, according to Hawkins, one person is generally in favor of splitting up while the other person is unsure. In about 10 percent of divorces, both spouses are unsure about what to do.
Waiting periods especially when combined with divorce orientation classes, like the ones Utah currently requires allow couples to assess what they really want before their marriage has been dissolved, he said.
"I think it's the combination of the classes that we ask divorcing parents to take and the 90-day timeout that allows for emotions to cool down and for people to seek out more clarity about what is the best thing to do. I think that combination could reasonably affect people's decisions to divorce," Hawkins said.
In order to save on costly bills from attorneys, a growing number of divorcing couples in Utah are using the state's Online Court Assistance Program to prepare their own paperwork. The system allows them to work through a series of questions, a process that takes an hour or two, then print their own divorce papers to take to a courthouse to be filed.
"People that get together and work out all of the details, those are the people that we're saying, 'Oh, now you guys have to wait an extra 90 days,'" Weiler said. "Nobody else has to wait like that."
Last year, 13,213 divorce petitions were filed in the state of Utah, according to Geoff Fattah, a spokesman for the Utah State Courts. In the same year, 5,095 divorce petitions were generated using the court's online program, he said, though it is unknown how many of them were ultimately filed.
Tamara Fackrell a partner at Rodriguez-Poston, Fackrell, and McLean Mediation warns that couples should use caution when preparing their own divorce paperwork online. An increasing amount of Fackrell's workload is helping couples who attempted to file for divorce on their own and ran into trouble, which can end up being costly.
"That's only meant for really simple divorces," Fackrell said. "If people are going to use (the Online Court Assistance Program) for whatever reason, I think it's wise for them to do some sort of consultation with an attorney just to make sure it's written correctly."
Fackrell suggests that couples looking to save money on their divorce hire an attorney mediator, who can help negotiate the separation but isn't representing either party.
"What we do is just help facilitate a strategic negotiation for them, to be able to not have to go to trial in order to resolve their issues," Fackrell said. "It's a very expensive process to go to trial."
Mediation assistance for low-income families is available through the Administrative Office of the Courts and the Utah Dispute Resolution Center, Fackrell said.
Though she works in the divorce field, Fackrell emphasizes that she's a supporter of families staying together when appropriate and especially when children are involved. She sees the role that the divorce waiting period plays in that.
"That's what's so great about the 90-day waiting period that they have. It gives people a chance to use counseling and other resources," Fackrell said. "The majority of people don't reconcile, but for the people that do, it seems like the waiting period is really important."
In spite of his bill, Weiler maintains that with the exception of cases of abuse or other serious problems, he also believes Utah couples struggling in their marriages should strive to reconcile.
"My advice would be try to save your marriage. All of the nationwide statistics show people are less happy five years after a divorce than they were in the marriage and most people regret the decision," Weiler said. "But most people don't regret the decision in the first three months, and that's my point."
Weiler's original bill sought to do away with the divorce waiting period, but was amended to include a shortened wait time before it eventually passed. Weiler said he may try again in the future to eliminate the waiting period altogether.
SALT LAKE CITY The Utah Court of Appeals rejected a North Ogden man's claims that his attorney failed him as he faced allegations at trial that he had given his teenage babysitter a lethal dose of drugs, then hid her body.
Eric Millerberg, now 42, is currently serving a sentence of at least six years and up to life in prison for the death of 16-year-old Alexis Rasmussen.
In a decision handed down Friday, the appellate court denied Millerberg's arguments, upholding his conviction.
In September 2011, Alexis had gone to the Millerbergs' home on the pretense of babysitting for the couple, but instead joined them in doing drugs, drinking alcohol and engaging in sexual activity.
Millerberg was found guilty of injecting Alexis with a deadly amount of methamphetamine and heroin. Rather than calling 911 when the girl overdosed, Millerberg convinced his wife, Dea Millerberg, to help him load the teen's body in his truck so that it could be disposed of. Alexis' body was found 38 days later in Morgan County.
In his appeal, Millerberg claimed that his attorney didn't sufficiently argue for his jury trial to be moved out of Ogden in light of media coverage "portraying him in a negative light and disclosing inappropriate details regarding his criminal history, gang affiliations, and parole status."
Millerberg had also claimed the attorney didn't properly vet whether jurors had been influenced by reporting on the case.
The court found that Millerberg presented no evidence that any jurors had been influenced by the news stories.
"In fact," the decision notes, "even the jurors who had some exposure to the media coverage indicated at voir dire that they could be impartial."
The appellate court also rejected Millerberg's claims that his attorney should have sought out evidence that he was on his computer when Alexis overdosed, meaning his wife was responsible for the crime.
The court went on to find there is no basis for Eric Millerberg's claims that evidence was insufficient to prove he administered the drugs and that an overdose killed Alexis. The decision points to Dea Millerberg's testimony that she watched as her husband injected Alexis with drugs, and to a medical examiner's findings about the amount of drugs that remained in the teen's decomposed body.
Eric Millerberg was found guilty by a jury in February 2014 of child abuse homicide, a first-degree felony; obstructing justice, a second-degree felony; and unlawful sexual conduct with a 16- or 17-year-old and abuse or desecration of a human body, third-degree felonies.
In an agreement with prosecutors, Dea Millerberg pleaded guilty in June 2014 to obstructing justice, illegally acquiring prescription drugs and desecration of a dead body, third-degree felonies. She was ordered to spend up to five years in prison.
In February 2017 the Utah Board of Pardons and Parole denied Dea Millerberg's request to be released from prison. She is expected to remain behind bars until Aug. 20, 2019.
SALT LAKE CITY A small group of far-right Republicans staged a coup of sorts over the weekend, changing Utah GOP bylaws in a way that could jeopardize the party's ability to place candidates on the election ballot.
The Republican State Central Committee voted to kick out candidates in two congressional districts who choose to collect signatures to get on the 2018 primary election ballot. But Rep. Rob Bishop, R-Utah, and Rep. Chris Stewart, R-Utah, have not declared their intent to gather signatures nor has any other Republican in those two districts.
The possibly illegal rule, though, could also have implications for federal, statewide, state legislative or State School Board elections in the future, should it remain in place.
Members of the partys Central Committee made the changes during a hastily called meeting over the weekend. About 80 of the committees 180 members attended, but fewer than that were there to vote on the new bylaw.
"I'm the adult in the room here," said Utah Republican Party Chairman Rob Anderson.
Anderson said he can't enforce the rule if it violates state and federal law. Furthermore, he said the policy could affect the party's standing in the state, leading to candidates not qualifying for the ballot.
"They're trying to have a canary candidate out there, and once that canary violates that bylaw, they want go to out there and disqualify him with the state," he said.
It appears to be a move to force the controversial signature-gathering path allowed under the SB54 bill that lawmakers passed several years ago to court again. An appeal of a court ruling upholding the law is pending in the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals in Denver.
"This doesn't give that (appeal) any more teeth, and that was discussed in the meeting," Anderson said. "We don't need more litigation. We need an answer and we'll wait for that."
The Utah Republican Party declared itself a qualified political party under the law known as SB54, which allows candidates to get on the primary election ballot by gathering petition signatures, going through the political partys convention, or both.
"This central committee bylaw is in direct violation of that. For me, it's a matter of integrity and honoring what you say you will do as a party," Sen. Curt Bramble, R-Provo, who brokered the SB54 compromise, said on KSL Newsradio's "The Doug Wright Show" Monday.
Anderson talked to House Republicans in a closed caucus Monday and also met with the lieutenant governor's office, which oversees state elections.
Some far-right Republicans only want candidates who go through the state's long-standing caucus and convention system to secure the party's nomination for an elected office.
SB54, a compromise that headed off a citizens' initiative to move the state to direct primary elections, allows candidates to use either path or both to get on the primary ballot.
Bramble said he is "surprised" that the GOP would commit to be a qualified party and pass bylaws that violate that commitment.
The new bylaw states, in part, that candidates in the 1st and 2nd congressional districts "who attempt to qualify for the primary ballot through any method not explicitly defined in the Utah Republican Party Constitution and these bylaws will automatically forfeit their party membership in conjunction with the state designated candidate filing-period deadline."
Those who forfeited their memberships could reapply one day following the next general election, according to the rule.
The party must submit the change to the state elections office within 15 days of adoption.
"That will throw a real wrench in the works because if the party violates the qualified political party status, the status of that party's candidates is really in question," Bramble said.
Whether that would disqualify the party's candidates from being on the ballot is a question for the elections office or a court to resolve, he said.
The state elections office wasn't prepared to comment on the issue Monday.
"Well see what happens. I dont know. My crystal ball hasnt come in the mail," said Fred Cox, a central committee member and former GOP lawmaker.
In the meantime, Anderson said he's advising potential candidates to gather signatures, take the caucus and convention route, or both, to get on primary ballots.
"The state law dictates what you can do. You can choose," he said. "So, we're not going to stop anybody from either method or eliminate your membership in the party."
Senate President Wayne Niederhauser, R-Sandy, said he believes most Republicans don't agree with the action taken by the State Central Committee.
"I don't see that our party's torn apart. There's a minority of our party that want this. The majority of the party, I can guarantee, don't want this. They support having primaries and having a say," Niederhauser said.
He also said that any effort to try to keep candidates who have gathered signatures off the ballot will be met with a lawsuit.
"The part that really baffles me is certain people are getting a pass for collecting signatures and others are not," Niederhauser said, noting only two of the state's four congressional districts are affected. "How do you do that? That's inconsistent."
Senate Majority Whip Stuart Adams, R-Layton, said he can understand the frustration some Republicans feel about being forced into costly primaries but questioned the route the State Central Committee is taking.
"My own personal opinion is we have a law that's on the books and we should be following it," acting Senate Majority Leader Kevin Van Tassell, R-Vernal, said. He said it "will take a vote of the party" at the state convention in April to actually change the rule.
Contributing: Lisa Riley Roche, Jed Boal
SALT LAKE CITY A bill that would require Utah cities and counties that don't host homeless shelters and don't have enough affordable housing to help pay for shelters in other cities cleared its first hurdle Monday.
It's a bill that's advancing under a lot of political pressure and one that's been expected all session, but was only filed late last week.
House Speaker Greg Hughes, R-Draper, has called the bill "critical" to efforts to homeless reform and has said it must pass this year. Salt Lake County Mayor Ben McAdams has said if the bill doesn't pass, he'll pull his support of a homeless center now slated to break ground in South Salt Lake this spring.
HB462 would require cities and counties to annually contribute tax dollars of up to $200,000, based on population size and low-income affordable housing stock, to help fund operating costs of homeless shelters that host at least 200 beds.
Cities that currently host or are slated to host shelters Salt Lake City, South Salt Lake, Midvale, Ogden and St. George would be exempt, according to the bill.
Yet at least one mayor from one of those cities, along with the Utah League of Cities and Towns, opposes the bill, worried it unfairly penalizes local governments and their taxpayers for a failure in the housing market.
"This is a statewide problem well the state already receives tax dollars from taxpayers in every city and every town," said St. George Mayor Jon Pike, who is also the current vice president of the league. "If that's the case, if it truly is a statewide problem, then it ought to be done through the state."
But after receiving support from homeless advocates, the Utah Association of Counties, and most lawmakers on the House Revenue and Taxation Committee who argued the bill would help spread the burden of a statewide issue while also incentivizing low-income and affordable housing development HB462 passed out of committee on a 9-3 vote Monday. It now goes to the House floor.
"This bill forces no city to do anything about homelessness," the bill's sponsor, Rep. Steve Eliason, R-Sandy, told lawmakers. "It doesn't force them to accept a shelter, it does not force them to build more affordable housing, it does not force them to zone for (low-income housing). However, if they choose not to do any of those things we're just asking them to pay a greater portion of the share."
The bill's aim, Eliason said, is to fund the estimated $13 million annual operating costs for the homeless centers meant to break up Salt Lake City's 1,100-bed downtown homeless shelter that has troubled the Rio Grande neighborhood and strained Salt Lake City resources for years. Two have been sited in Salt Lake City, one in South Salt Lake, and Midvale's current shelter is expected to be part of the model.
HB462 would collect a total of $3.3 million from cities and counties a year by withholding a portion of the jurisdiction's sales tax each year. The state would also pay $3.3 million a year out of its general fund to bring the total of public dollars to $6.6 million, and the private sector would be responsible for fundraising the other half of the operating costs, Eliason said.
Costs to counties and cities would be assessed by population and their low-income and affordable housing stock.
For cities with populations of more than 5,000 that have both a lower percentage of affordable housing and a lower percentage of low-income housing than the statewide average, their fee would be assessed by multiplying its population by $2 but would be capped at $200,000, according to the bill.
If they don't meet those statewide averages, cities with populations over 100,000 like West Valley City, Provo and West Jordan would max out at $200,000. Cities with populations slightly under 100,000, like Sandy and Orem, would come close to the max, while smaller cities like Murray and Draper would be assessed $90,000 to nearly $100,000.
For smaller cities with populations under 5,000 or rural counties, their fee would be calculated by multiplying their population by $1. For example, Kanab, with a population of about 4,500, would pay $4,500 a year.
If cities and counties have a higher percentage of either affordable housing or low-income housing than the statewide average, but not both, their populations would be multiplied by 50 cents. If both averages are higher, they'd be exempt from the fee.
Eliason said there are some cities he expects to be exempt because their affordable housing or low-income housing stock surpasses the statewide average, but the only one he could name off of the top of his head was Park City.
County fees would be based off of unincorporated populations only, according to the bill.
The Utah Association of Counties supported the bill, with spokesman Lincoln Shurtz saying the organization "recognizes the partnership" counties have with the state to deal with homelessness issues.
But Cameron Diehl, executive director of the League of Cities and Towns, called the bill "problematic" for cities because it would leave "holes" in their budgets, and their taxpayers would be asked to pay both state and city taxes for the same problem.
"Affordable housing is a market failure, and it is unfair to punish cities and taxpayers of those cities because of that market failure," Diehl said.
Tensions rose Monday when Rep. Brad Wilson, R-Kaysville, rebuked Diehl, telling him, "It just blows my mind that you're saying cities don't have some kind of partnership with the state in this endeavor and effort."
But Diehl said cities are "willing partners" when it comes to public safety and other services, but not when it comes to forcing them to pay for operations of facilities managed by a nonprofit in other cities.
Rep. Karianne Lisonbee, R-Syracuse, said she had "major concerns" with the bill, calling it "inequitable." But Rep. Gage Froerer, R-Huntsville, threw his support behind the bill.
"We can either continue to throw more money at these homeless shelters, or we can address the root of this problem: affordable housing," Froerer said.
Meanwhile, another bill is in the works to also use sales tax from cities to fund police and fire for cities currently hosting homeless resource centers. The bill, being sponsored by Senate Minority Leader Gene Davis, D-Salt Lake City, has not yet been filed.
Mollywood Co-Star, Director Recalls Legendary Actress Sridevi
Legendary actress Sridevis death has come as a shock to the people not only in the film industry but also the general public. It is a loss to the whole film fraternity that Sridevi is no more. The actress had a major cardiac arrest on Saturday night and when taken to the hospital, she was declared brought dead.
The actress had worked in all the film industry including Mollywood. And her co-star Nedumudi Venu remembers working with the late actress. She made her comeback in Mollywood with the 1996 film Devaragam. Venu said, From the time I was just a film viewer, she was one of my favourite actresses. Its often tough to be blessed with both beauty and talent; she had both. When I had acted with her in Devaragam, she was always humble and yet sophisticated in her ways. It was easy to work with her.
He further added, Malayalam wasnt a language she was fluent in, even though she had won much recognition for her films here. Devaragam was her return to Malayalam after becoming a Bollywood superstar and yet she was dedicated to learning the language to give her lines without prompting. That was what made her stand out throughout her career. Her demise was more painful because she was just 54 years old. Meanwhile, director VK Prakash, who had recently worked with the actress recently for an ad said that it was a beautiful experience working with Sridevi. He also said that it was really interesting to speak to her.
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Source: www.hindustantimes.com
Two of the world's developing telecoms markets, Thailand and Brazil feature in Nokia's new survey of almost 4,000 customers in five markets (Germany, the UK, and the US are the other three). The research was aimed at one of the biggest problems facing operators worldwide - customer turnover, or churn as it is more commonly known.
The survey unearths some of the key factors that drive subscribers towards choosing or changing their service provider and also comes up with some surprises.
Price is not the sole factor. Regardless of whether operators are trying to woo customers or keep existing subscribers, five "essentials" had the most direct impact on customer acquisition: calling plans, operator brand image, handset aspects, network quality and cost aspects.
The significance, however direct, of "cost issues" is much lower when it comes to retaining customers than when it comes to acquiring customers in the first place. When it comes to keeping customers, factors such a s brand image, network quality, and switching barriers come ahead of cost related issues like calling plans.
"Churn is a costly fact of life for many operators today, so anything that sheds light on how we can keep subscribers loyal is very welcome indeed," says Bosco Novak, Senior Vice President for Services, Networks, Nokia. "This research highlights an area where we are closely cooperating with our clients to improve the customer experience through our own extensive portfolio of services."
When it comes to choosing operators, many consumers agreed that they "shop around carefully", "research their options thoroughly", and "visit a number of shops" before deciding. The consumer segments most likely to churn tend to be younger, medium to high income, and recent subscribers; they have higher mobile spend and tend to be contract customers.
The study also turned up some surprises. For example, contract customers appear less loyal than pre-paid customers, despite the stronger contractual ties they have to their operator. One reason for this could be the fact that contract customers are more receptive to new extended offerings (subsidised handsets, special deals, etc) which can trigger churn.
The majority of the interviewees in the survey, which was conducted by research group GfK NOP for Nokia, were representative of "everyday" mobile phone owners. Additional "boost" interviews were conducted with active mobile portal users, recent network switchers and first time subscribers. The field work was conducted online in the UK, US and Germany, and face to face in Brazil and Thailand.
More info:
Ericsson and China Mobile have signed a Strategic Cooperation Framework Agreement to develop Internet of Things (IoT) opportunities.
The partnership will build on Ericssons experience in industry solutions and Device Connection Platform IoT (DCP-IoT) Connectivity Management platform, as part of the IoT Accelerator Platform. This is intended to help China Mobile expand IoT business worldwide, and to support Chinas One Belt One Road initiative.
Ericsson and China Mobile will jointly build an Industry IoT Cooperation Center to plan for and develop IoT Connectivity and IoT ecosystem solutions in areas such as manufacturing, industry, health, and intelligent transportation. Built on China Mobiles Co-Space and Ericsson Garage, the CMCC-Ericsson Garage aims to jointly hatch new cutting-edge technologies and applications.
As the move to Industry 4.0 the greater use of automation and data exploitation - picks up pace, the partnership aims to provide government, enterprise and individual customers with richer, multilevel communication, information infrastructure and digital services while maximising the economic and social benefits.
The latest Ericsson Mobility Report predicts more than 30 billion connected devices by 2023, around 20 billion of which will be related to IoT. Connected IoT devices include connected cars, machines, meters, sensors, point-of-sale terminals, consumer electronics and wearables. Between 2017 and 2023, connected IoT devices are expected to increase at a compound annual growth rate 19 percent, driven by new use case and affordability.
Driven by the national Made-in-China and Industry 4.0 initiatives, Ericsson aims to support China Mobile in making smart manufacturing a reality, while delivering value for money customer experiences. Technology leadership, such as Ericssons 5G and IoT Connectivity Management, is crucial to that success.
The companies will additionally strengthen cooperation in 5G standardisation and 5G networks, and also jointly develop 5G network-enabled use cases for industries, as well as exploring business opportunities to reach the full potential of IoT.
The FreeStyle Libre from Abbott Diabetes Care has been described as a game changer and life-saving in most patients by the authors of an independent assessment of the device.
The FreeStyle Libre is a flash glucose monitoring device that can provide glucose levels and glucose level trend charts that reduces the need for finger-prick blood glucose tests.
People with type 1 diabetes typically need to take between 4 and 10 blood glucose tests per day which represents a significant burden. Unlike the Libre, blood glucose tests provide no indication of whether glucose levels are heading up, down or are stable.
In November 2017, the Libre was made available on prescription on the NHS. Whilst access to the device is highly sought after by patients, local policies as to who is eligible to get the technology on prescription currently varies across the UK.
The review was carried out by Dr Lalantha Leelarathna, Consultant Diabetologist at Manchester Royal Infirmary and Dr Emma Wilmot from Derby Teaching Hospitals.
Within the review, the authors discuss data from clinical studies, how well received the device has been by users and the potential challenges that patients may face in using the technology effectively.
The authors report that the Libre has shown success in improving HbA1c levels, reducing hypoglycemia, has high user-satisfaction and a low rate of adverse events. The ability for users to use a number of platforms to review trend data was another strength noted by the authors.
The review states that more research within specific subgroups of patients, such as adolescents and young adults are needed to confirm its effectiveness in these groups.
Dr Wilmot stated: From our perspective, the FreeStyle Libre is a significant advance in the management of diabetes. Many users describe it as life changing.
The challenge in the UK is to now ensure that it reaches people living with diabetes. We are delighted that this device became available on the NHS drug tariff in November 2017.
The article, Flash forward: a review of flash glucose monitoring, is published in the Diabetic Medicine journal.
My name is Bruna, I come from a privileged background in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Although I personally have never suffered any type of domestic, sexual or emotional abuse, Brazil is an extremely sexist country, where misogyny is rife and there are high rates of rape and femicide.
For this reason, when I came to study in Ireland, I decided to help women who have experienced this type of abuse. I now volunteer with the community domestic violence service, Lifeline in Inishowen.
When I first arrived here I spoke no English, didnt know anyone and had no friends here. Since then, I have worked hard on learning the language and have found a job that has helped me practice English daily, developing the communicative skills I express through Portuguese.
Travel has widened my learning and helped me to link these skills with my passion for new cultures and my ongoing studies in anthropology. These experiences, combined with my volunteer work and studies around women, have helped me realise that women face similar difficulties throughout the world, including Ireland.
Another issue Ive become interested in is personal identity. My Nigerian friend, who has lived in Dublin since childhood, felt that declaring her identity as a black woman was important, as in Ireland only 1.42 percent of the population self-identify as black.
One day my friend and I were watching videos of Brazilian Funk artists and we began discussing the racial diversity and range of skin colours in Brazil.
My friend asked: Bruna, no one is totally black, or totally white. Is it difficult for Brazilians to understand their own identity?
As an average, white, middle-class woman, I had never questioned my identity. However, this conversation and my time in Ireland has caused me to ponder where I come from, who I am and who I want to be. Here are some answers:
1. I grew up in a country with extreme social inequality, poverty and insufficient state services but I was lucky to be born into a privileged family which was full of love, affection and understanding. So, this is where I come from.
2. I am interested in sustainability, the environment and holistic living. Satish Kumar, an Indian activist and editor/director of ecology studies (Schumacher College), inspired me to answer another question about my identity. He said in the modern world, we humans are called consumers. But we are not consumers, we are makers. Without making, if we consume we are stealing.
I think when you are born into a privileged background, you can either choose to accept the status quo or use your position to change it. I choose to change it. I choose to be a maker, this is who I am.
3. Mahatma Gandhi inspired me to answer the third question: who I want to be. Gandhi said: "Be the change you want in the world". I don't want my actions to be influenced by the world, I want to influence the world with my actions and make the world a better place for future generations of women.
According to UN studies one in 3 women still experience physical or sexual violence worldwide. I recognise that Ive been one of the lucky ones and that's why I volunteer to work with women, and why my current studies and projects are around the welfare of women.
I want to look back knowing I was one of those responsible for a world with fewer inequalities. This is who I want to be.
Since arriving in this country, Irish people have welcomed me with open arms. Though the language and foreign status were social barriers for me, I have met very generous people here and have made new friends.
I would like to continue to contribute to the growth of Ireland, as it has contributed to mine.
A German court will decide this week whether diesel bans in Stuttgart and Dusseldorf can be upheld in a decision that could shake the global car industry.
Concerns over air quality prompted some German cities including Stuttgart, home to Mercedes-Benz, Porsche and parts supplier Bosch, to ban diesel cars that do not comply with the latest regulations, especially when air pollution is heavier than usual.
The ruling would prevent diesel models that do not comply with Euro6 emissions laws from entering urban areas. Car companies may be forced to retrofit older vehicles with emissions treatment equipment in order to comply with proposed changes
Reuters quoted Stuttgart judge Wolfgang Kern as saying safeguarding health is more important than the right to property and the general liberty of the car owners affected by the ban, when he handed down a verdict affecting millions of car owners in July 2017.
That decision was later appealed at a state level. Federal administrative courts are set to hand down a verdict surrounding whether diesel models can be banned on Tuesday, February 27. Forbes.com and other media agencies suggest the matter may be deferred to a higher Europe-wide authority, as a German ban on diesel models could have wide-reaching consequences throughout the continent.
The Rheinische Post newspaper reported on Saturday that city-level governments may be granted authority to ban older diesel models as an emergency measure as needs arise.
Several cities around the world including Paris, Athens, Mexico City and Madrid have canvassed plans to ban all diesel vehicles including new examples - from urban centres by 2025.
Concerns surrounding air pollution produced by diesel models bloomed in 2015, when news of Volkswagens diesel emissions cheating scandal made headlines around the world.
Nissan has unveiled its answer to the Ford Everest, Toyota Fortuner and Mitsubishi Pajero Sport a rugged SUV based on the Navara ute.
Unveiled on Monday as part of a midterm strategy update for the brand, the Terra is a spiritual replacement to the previous-generation Pathfinder that took a softer, more car-like approach in its current form.
Ashwani Gupta, senior vice president for Nissans frame and light commercial vehicle business, says the Terra is practical, authentic and designed to go anywhere.
The Nissan Terra goes on sale this spring, first in China, with other Asian markets soon to follow, he says.
Nissans frame and LCV business is seeing steady growth, and with our ambitious midterm plan and growing product lineup, were confident that this growth will continue.
Fiat Chrysler could stop producing diesel-powered passenger cars by 2022, according to a report in the Financial Times.
Insiders for the carmaker reportedly told the respected publication it will outline plans to stop selling diesel engines in passenger vehicles as part of a four-year strategy to be unveiled in June.
In Australia, FCA brands Jeep, Maserati and Alfa Romeo offer diesel-powered vehicles. FCA Australia has been contacted for comment.
In Germany, Spiegel.de reports that BMW may have used software to manipulate the emissions performance of six-cylinder diesel engines used by the 5-Series and 7-Series sedans.
The manufacturer reportedly denied that the programming constituted a defeat device, and that it only came into play when exhaust systems were not working properly.
BMW Australia has been contacted for comment.
Diesel has fallen from favour following the Volkswagen Groups emissions scandal that triggered stricter rules from lawmakers and a shift in preferences from carmakers and their customers.
Porsche has at least temporarily stopped production of diesel engines, and Mercedes-Benz is reportedly under investigation for using diesel emissions software capable of running in what German newspaper Bild Am Sonntag describes as a "dirty mode" in many driving environments.
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Dublin charity ALONE is urging older people to take extra care as Louth braces itself to be hit by an extreme cold spell this week. The charity has also issued an appeal to members of the public to look out for older people in their community who may live alone during the extreme weather which is expected to bring heavy snowfall to Louth and the rest of Ireland this week.
Sean Moynihan, CEO of ALONE advised: Cold temperatures can have a serious effect on many older people, in particular, those living alone, those with health issues, and those with limited mobility. A visit from a friend, family member, or neighbour to check on an older persons heating levels, food supplies, and security, as well as to simply offer some company, can make a huge difference."
He added: "5% of Irish people aged over 65 who lived alone were unable to keep their homes adequately warm in 2012. This figure jumped to 9.8% in 2013.
"Given that 50% of Excess Winter Deaths (EWDs) experienced in Ireland can be linked to poor thermal efficiency in the dwellings[2], ALONE is urging older people to take extra care and encouraging those who are concerned about their own well-being during the cold weather to call for assistance and help if needed.
He continued, Following a very serious cold weather forecast by Met Eireann we are calling on all members of the public to remember their older neighbours living alone and to consider their needs.
"Were advising older people to stay warm in the cold weather by ensuring they have adequate home heating, wearing layers of light but warm clothing, eating at least one hot meal a day and staying indoors where possible.
ALONE is also encouraging older people to prioritise their spending on heating during the cold weather.
If you are struggling to keep up with utilities bills, you can contact your utilities company to set up a payment plan.
ALONE has volunteers and staff ready to act on requests for assistance and can advise on issues relating to food, heat, or medication.
Further information, including advice and tips for older people in cold weather conditions, can be found on www.alone.ie.
Local weather expert Louth Weather has made the grim prediction that a National Red Warning will hit the country later this week.
In a Facebook update this morning, Louth Weather also said "this could well turn out to be a week we will remember for quite a while."
READ MORE: www.dundalkdemocrat.ie/news/home/299087/louth-weather-national-red-warning-likely-later-in-the-week.html
Louth County Council are making preparations ahead of what is expected to be some of the most severe weather to hit Ireland in years.
The local authority say that have been in contact with An Garda Siochana, the HSE and the Civil Defence ahead of the anticipated severe weather heading for the North East.
Met Eireann say they are anticipating a Red Weather Warning to be issued later in the week as the "Beast from the East" makes it's way from Siberia while The National Emergency Coordination Group for Severe Weather is meeting in Dublin this morning to discuss the expected heavy snowfall and freezing temperatures.
"Louth County Council continues to monitor the situation and is making all preparations possible for the anticipated severe weather," the local authority said in a statement. "We are in contact with all relevant agencies including An Garda Siochana and the HSE and the Civil Defence have been put on standby.
"The Director of Housing has instigated the putting in place of the cold weather response for homeless with SIMON and Drogheda Homeless Aid," it continued.
The council have since activated its Cold Weather Response provided for its Homeless Action Plan in Dundalk. It is urging anyone sleeping rough to immediately present to Louth County Council before the predicated severe weather arrives. They can call 097 418 6000 to do so.
Council crews are being assigned to gritting footpaths, clearing snow, assisting with traffic management, water services and any other works necessary.
"Brine stations have been checked and filled as necessary and all gritter trucks are fully operational," the statement added.
For more updates, you can visit www.louthcoco.ie and follow the latest on Twitter @LouthCoCo.
National Dutch water authority Rijkswaterstaat announced its intention to contract joint venture Levvel for the reinforcement of the 32 km long closure dam Afsluitdijk, the Netherlands.
Joint venture Levvel (in formation), comprising of Dutch contractors BAM and Van Oord, Dutch consultant Rebel Valley and Dutch pension fund PGGM, will be responsible for designing, building and pre-financing the project. In addition, this consortium will be responsible for maintenance for 25 years.
Impression of the new shaped dam that will be overflow-resistant.
Basic flood protection requirements
In 2015 the Dutch government initiated a 850 million euro master plan for a complete reinforcement of the closure dam as its 80 years old seaside slope is no longer strong enough to meet the current flood protection standards.
The master plan calls for a reconstruction as an overflow-resistant dam. The only requirements set by Rijkswaterstaat is that the design has to meet a flood protection standard of 1:10.000 years and a maximum overtopping of 10 l/s/m.
A more detailed design will be determined in a later stage in close consultation with the contractor. This creates posibilities to include the latest innovations and cost-effective solutions.
Combination price and quality
Rijkswaterstaat selected the tender by Levvel on the basis of a combination of price and quality, also called Most Economically Advantageous Tender (MEAT). MEAT helps to make better use of the innovative strength and creativity of the market.
Rijkswaterstaat has, among other things, assessed the plans of the market parties on the criteria 'satisfied end-user', 'satisfied operational manager' and 'satisfied environment'.
The master plan also includes the construction of a 5 km long artificial fish migration river and the construction of a new pumping station. With a capacity of 400 m3/s, the station will be the biggest in Europe.
One of the many new features includes a 5 km long artificial fish passage river.
Energy neutral
Next to flood protection criteria Rijkswaterstaat, wants to make the dam energy neutral.
Already existing energy supply stations along the dam that generate power, are an array of tidal turbines and a Blue energy pilot plant that generates electricity from the difference in salt concentrations between the fresh water on one side of the dam and the salt sea water on the other side. A plan for a 6,5 MW solar station is being studied.
Additional features
A real novelty for the new Afsluitdijk will be a 5 km long artificial fish passage. This passage will provide a connection so that migrating fish can swim freely between the Wadden Sea and the IJssel Lake.
Part of the Afsluitdijk are two discharge sluices at both ends of the dam allow to drain water from Lake IJssel during low tide at the Wadden Sea.
Due to the expected sea level rise, the discharge capacity of these sluices will decrease. Therefore an additional pumping station will be built with an initial capacity of 400 m3/s.
Construction works are expected to start in the autumn of 2018. In 2022, works on the Afsluitdijk will be completed.
This news item was originally published on the websites of BAM, Van Oord and Rijkswaterstaat (in Dutch only) and PGGM (in Dutch only).
Read also on this website
Fairylike light reflections at night on closure dam Afsluitdijk, the Netherlands, 22 November 2017
Ambitious 850 million reinforcement will make the Afsluitdijk a new icon of Dutch flood protection, 15 May 2015
Expertise: Enabling delta life
Country: the Netherlands
More information
BAM Group
Bunnink, the Netherlands
+31 30 659 89 88
www.bam.com/en
Van Oord
Rotterdam, the Netherlands
+31 88 826 00 00
www.vanoord.com
Programme office New Afsluitdijk
De Nieuwe Afsluitdijk
+31 58 292 58 20
www.theafsluitdijk.com
Video explains the reconstruction of the New Afsluitdijk to ensure a safe, sustainable, attractive and future-proof dam.
Sohar Port and Freezone announced to have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Netherlands-based company Strukton International for developing a waste water treatment plant.
The proposed waste water treatment plant will use Verdygo modular technology for efficient and environmentally responsible wastewater treatment.
Sohar Port and Freezone is a joint-venture between the government of Oman and the Port of Rotterdam and operates a deep-sea port, located in Sohar, Sultanate of Oman, midway between Dubai and Muscat.
Signing ceremony at Sohar port, f.l.t.r. Sigrid Kaag (Dutch Minister of Foreign Affairs), Mark Geilenkirchen (CEO Port of Sohar), Chris Raijmakers (Strukton International), Yvo de Zwart (Rock International Oman)..
Bring capacity to scale
The opted modular Verdygo technology is a completely new way of designing and constructing a sewage treatment plant with an above ground setup.
All the technical equipment is designed in the form of container-sized, transportable plug & play modules. As a result, components can easily be added or removed. This makes it possible to respond rapidly to technological, demographic and climatic developments. It also enables efficient and inexpensive maintenance and improves work experience.
The first sewage treatment plant built according to the Verdygo concept, was commissioned in December 2016 at wwtp Simpelveld, the Netherlands (on top photo).
Strukton has the exclusive right to sell and construct the Verdygo technology in the Middle East.
Sohar port operated as a 50/50 joint venture by the Oman government and the Port of Rotterdam.
Smarter thinking
The MoU was signed at an event, organised to welcome Sigrid Kaag, the Dutch Minister of Foreign Affairs and Minister for Foreign Trade and Development, to Oman along with a delegation.
On the occasion CEO Mark Geilenkirchen at Sohar Port and Freezone explained how the efficient Verdygo modular concept fits the ports policy to incorporate the latest energy efficient technologies.
We have named 2018 as the year of Smarter thinking, and our MoU with Strukton International for an innovative wastewater treatment plant, underlines our commitment to maximising our use of existing resources, said CEO Mark Geilenkirchen at Sohar Port and Freezone.
Other energy efficient measures include the installation of photo voltaic (PV) solar cells around its head office. The port is also conducting a feasibility study to convert our port vehicles to run on hydrogen, which is an underutilised by-product of industry at Sohar.
This news item was originally published on the websites of Strukton and Verdygo.
Read also on this website
Joint focus Verdygo and Strukton on Middle East market for customized sewage treatment plant, 24 August 2017
Worlds first Verdygo modular sewage treatment plant put into use at wwtp Simpelveld, the Netherlands, 20 December 2016
Expertise: Water technology
More information
Verdygo
c/o Waterschapsbedrijf Limburg
Roermond, the Netherlands
+31 6 55 74 23 53
www.verdygo.com
Strukton
Utrecht, the Netherlands
+31 30 248 69 11
www.strukton.com
Corporate video by Verdygo explaining the modular concept of plug-and-play, as well as the preventive maintenance.
LONDON Campaigners have projected a series of messages onto the Tate Modern in London demanding that Japanese fashion brand, Uniqlo pays 2,000 workers US$5.5 million in severance payments. Labour rights activists from War on Want, Labour Behind the Label, and Clean Clothes Campaign projected the messages, such as pay the workers who have made you rich onto the building the night before the Uniqlo Tate Late event.
Campaign groups claim the company has left 2,000 workers unemployed, with unpaid wages and no severance packages after two Uniqlo Indonesian suppliers collapsed in 2015. Labour Behind the Label says the support of people around the world is aimed to catch the attention of Uniqlo CEO, Tadashi Yanai, to force the company to make the payments.
VENICE 25 research institutions from 12 European countries have completed a study into the risks that nanomaterials used in the textile industry could pose to human health. The Sustainable Nanotechnologies Project (SUN) has been given 13 million Euros from the European Commission to investigate preventative measures and possible risks for nanomaterials effect on human health and the environment.
Over the past few days, many climate scientists took to social media to express dismay over the Arctic's unseasonably warm temperatures and its record-low sea ice. At the height of winter, the region is clocking temperatures normally seen in May.
"The northernmost permanent weather station in the world, just 440 miles from the North Pole, has warmed to 43F todayin the middle of months-long darkness during what is normally the coldest time of the year," meteorologist Eric Holthaus tweeted Saturday.
"This is simply shocking. I don't have the words," he added.
"Just how hot is the Arctic now?" Peter Gleick, the president-emeritus of the Pacific Institute and a member of the U.S. National Academy of Science tweeted, "Hotter than ever measured in the winter. Human-caused climate change is beginning to radically transform our planet."
Climate scientist Zack Labe, a researcher at the University of California at Irvine, shared several striking graphs of the Arctic's record-breaking heat.
Robert Rohde, a lead scientist at Berkeley Earth, commented that parts of the Arctic are seeing temperatures more than 60F above normal for February. In translation? "The North Pole is warmer than much of Europe right now."
"This is associated with a warm air intrusion from the Atlantic and displacement of cold air onto Asia following large scale disturbances to the polar jet stream," he explained.
"Temperatures are still breaking records at North Greenland. +6C (43F) for a daily high is not just a record for February, it beats the highest temperature observed at this site in March or April as well. This is roughly 35C (63F) above normal for this time of year," he tweeted Sunday.
In real-world terms, the warmth has caused crucial sea ice to melt. This frightening footage, first flagged by Mashable, shows how the Bering Sea's disappearing ice is exposing Alaskan coastal communities to terrifying storm surges. Normally, the sea is solidly frozen.
Labe also illustrated that Arctic sea ice is at record low levels:
Lars Kaleschke, a physicist and professor for sea ice remote sensing at the University of Hamburg, noted "there is open water north of Greenland where the thickest sea ice of the Arctic used to be."
"This has me more worried than the warm temps in the Arctic right now. That sea ice north of Greenland among the last vestiges of old, thick sea ice existing in the Arctic ocean," Mike MacFerrin, a researcher of ice sheet meltwater feedbacks at the University of Colorado Boulder, tweeted in response to Kaleschke's startling point. "Break it apart, it can circulate straight out into the Atlantic come summer. We'll see what comes."
Federal District Court Judge Shelly Dick on Friday halted the construction of the controversial Bayou Bridge pipeline across the Atchafalaya Basin. The decision grants a preliminary injunction to prevent ongoing irreparable harm to this ecological treasure while a lawsuit, filed Jan. 11, is being heard.
Judge Dick found that the lawsuit filed by several groupsAtchafalaya Basinkeeper, the Louisiana Crawfish Producers Association (West), Gulf Restoration Network, Waterkeeper Alliance and Sierra Club, represented by lawyers with Earthjusticeraises serious concerns and that the 162-mile pipeline would irreparably harm the Atchafalaya Basin.
The Atchafalaya Basin is located in southern Louisiana. The proposed Bayou Bridge pipeline would connect the Dakota Access Pipeline to the Gulf of Mexico.
The groups recently presented live testimony during a hearing showing that the ancient cypress and tupelo trees slated to be turned into mulch while the pipeline right-of-way is being cleared would never return, including evidence that these old-growth trees are the Noah's Ark of the swampproviding habitat for migratory birds, bears, bats and numerous other wildlife.
In addition, the groups showed that pipeline construction would further degrade nearby fishing grounds that local commercial crawfishers rely on for their livelihood.
"The court's ruling recognizes the serious threat this pipeline poses to the Atchafalaya Basin, one of our country's ecological and cultural crown jewels," said Jan Hasselman, attorney from Earthjustice representing plaintiffs in this matter. "For now, at least, the Atchafalaya is safe from this company's incompetence and greed."
Jody Meche, a third-generation commercial crawfisher and president of the Louisiana Crawfish Producers Association-West, testified about how the Bayou Bridge pipeline would make existing problems worseproblems created by the irresponsible behavior of oil and gas companies during construction to previous pipelines in the basin.
These problems include hypoxic water conditions that kill crawfish, eliminating harvests in areas of the Basin, the safety of local communities and the survival of Cajun culture.
"We fight the fight for years, telling our story, raising public awareness about the issues we have in the Atchafalaya Basin," Meche said. "It felt great to finally be able to tell my story in a courtroom."
Crawfisherman Jody Meche drives through Louisiana's Atchafalaya Basin on his way to check his traps. Read a Q&A with Meche. Emily Kasik
"After years of witnessing the systematic destruction of the Basin with impunity by these companies, while our government turns a blind eye, it felt good to finally tell our story to a person with the power to make a difference," said Dean Wilson, executive director of Atchafalaya Basinkeeper.
The groups also raised concerns about the fact that construction of the pipeline would decrease natural flood protection in the basin, which acts as the major floodway project that protects millions of people in coastal Louisiana and the Mississippi River valley from Mississippi flood waters.
A community meeting in Napoleonville, Louisiana, on the Bayou Bridge pipeline on Feb. 8, 2017, where residents voiced opposition to the project. Emily Kasik
The Bayou Bridge pipeline project proposes to connect the controversial Dakota Access Pipeline, which transports volatile and explosive Bakken crude oil from North Dakota to refineries in St. James Parish and export terminals, forming the southern leg of the Bakken Pipeline. Energy Transfer Partners (ETP), which owns the Dakota Access Pipeline and is a joint owner in the proposed Bayou Bridge Pipeline, has one of the worst safety and compliance records in the industry.
Oil and gas infrastructure in the basin, where hundreds of pipelines have been built. Emily Kasik
Federal data shows that Energy Transfer Partners and its subsidiary Sunoco Inc. have been responsible for hundreds of significant pipeline incidents across the country in the last decade.
Last week, Sunoco was fined a record $12.6 million by the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection for violations incurred during the construction of the Mariner East 2 Pipeline.
The court ordered BBP to halt construction, citing the need to prevent further irreparable harm until the matter can be tried on the merits. The judge said the court would provide a more detailed opinion at a later date.
"The Bayou Bridge pipeline would pose an unacceptable risk to the wetlands, water, and communities along its route, and should never be built. It is a relief that the court has granted this injunction so we can make our case against this dirty, dangerous pipeline, and we will continue to fight until it is stopped for good," said Julie Rosenzweig, Sierra Club Delta Chapter director.
By Holly Binns
To Shirley Pomponi the sea sponges lining her office shelves are more than colorful specimens; they're potentially lifesaving creatures, some of which could hold the complex secrets to cures for cancers and other diseases.
The marine biotechnology expert, who is research professor and executive director of the Cooperative Institute for Ocean Exploration, Research, and Technology at Florida Atlantic University's Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute, has spent more than 30 years studying deep-sea sponges, simple organisms that are often found in coral ecosystems in all of the world's seas.
Sponges exist from the shallows close to shore to thousands of feet below the surface. Together with corals, they make up unique communities that have been barely studied but are natural disease fighters, which scientists believe hold important properties that already are producing treatments for some cancers.
Sponges and corals may appear primitive, Pomponi said, "But they have genes, proteins, and metabolic pathways that are similar to ours."
Tube sponges (Aiolochroia crassa) and corals share space in the deep waters of the Gulf of Mexico. NOAA
The medical promise of sponges and corals is a driving force behind efforts to conserve their valuable habitats, which are mainly threatened by damaging fishing gear, but also from oil and gas development, and changing ocean conditions. In the Gulf of Mexico, fishery managers are considering a proposal to safeguard coral and sponge hotspots by restricting damaging fishing gear, such as trawls, anchors, and bottom longlines, in up to 23 sites deemed a high priority for protection. (If you want to encourage managers to protect corals and sponges, sign our petition.)
Even with the deep sea's promise for human health solutions, scientists don't have plans to harvest corals and sponges for medical uses. Scientists would take samples that they could use to try to replicate in a lab the promising properties that sponges and corals produce in the wild.
"It would be economically and ecologically unrealistic to exploit these habitats, especially because corals and sponges provide habitat as well as feeding and breeding grounds for fish, crabs, shrimp and many other species," said Pomponi, who earned a doctorate in biological oceanography from the University of Miami in 1977 and became an expert on the hundreds of different species of sponges throughout the Gulf of Mexico and beyond.
Scientists have discovered a potent anti-cancer compound within the glass sponge Aphrocallistes beatrix. Shirley Pomponi
Sponges and Corals Are Natural Disease Fighters
Sponges have existed in the oceans for 600 million years, surviving through mass extinctions and severe environmental stresses.
Sponges can't move. To defend themselves they produce chemicals, some of which are shown to fight infection in humans, and further protect their territory by stopping other organisms' cells from dividing and taking oversimilar to how drugs stop the spread of cancer.
In fact, said Pomponi, in more than 45 years of studying sponges she's never seen a tumor in one. "Somehow they make sure cancer cell precursors either repair themselves or die. What we can learn from that could mean a better understanding of how cancer develops in humansand how we might even prevent it. We can not only tap into their arsenal of chemicals, but also their metabolic pathways for human health applications."
Shirley Pomponi carries a sponge in a bucket of seawater to the wet lab on board the University of Miami Research Vessel Walton Smith in the Gulf of Mexico in 2015. Pomponi retrieved the sample using the NMSF Mohawk remotely operated vehicle, operated by the University of North Carolina, Wilmington. Shirley Pomponi
Discoveries from sponges already have provided antibiotics and cancer drugs, and their skeletons are being studied to develop ways to grow bone for grafting and dental implants. Some species in the Gulf of Mexico are used in drugs to treat breast cancer. Scientists see similar potential in deep-sea corals, which also have existed for millions of years. Researchers have discovered that one type of gorgonian coral, also known as sea fans, contains powerful anti-inflammatory chemicals, some soft corals have potential anti-cancer and anti-viral properties, and bamboo corals may also be useful in bone grafting.
Shirley Pomponi rests next to the Mohawk remotely operated vehicle in the Gulf of Mexico in 2015. She regularly uses ROVs to explore deep-sea coral ecosystems. Shirley Pomponi
Human Activity Threatens to Erase Potential Cures
Pomponi's institute has been exploring the Gulf of Mexico and other parts of the world and researching marine-derived chemicals since 1984. Yet with much of the Gulf and the rest of the world's seas unexplored, the race is on between those seeking beneficial discoveries and the human activities that could destroy a potential cancer cure before it's discovered.
Pomponi says the Gulf's jewels have already been compromised. In one case, promising research on melanoma was slowed when scientists, seeking more samples of a key sponge, returned to where they had found it only to discover the area heavily damaged by trawls and the sponges gone. Scientists working on treatment for Alzheimer's disease encountered a similar situationnearly obliterated habitat. Those researchers eventually got one small sample, after combing through 30,000 photos taken in the area to locate a still-viable specimen.
"We want to avoid a situation where the environment is damaged and some unique animal that produces a chemical that could cure cancer or other dreaded diseases is destroyed," Pomponi concludes. If these remarkable sea creatures aren't protected, she adds, "Who knows what we'll lose?"
Holly Binns directs The Pew Charitable Trusts' efforts to protect ocean life in the Gulf of Mexico, the U.S. South Atlantic Ocean, and the U.S. Caribbean.
By Shreya Dasgupta
Industrial fishing takes place across more than 55 percent of the world's oceans, according to a new study published in Science.
Fishing is vital for food security and livelihoods across the globe, yet the extent of industrial fishing has remained largely unknown. Now, a team of researchers has tried to solve this problem by using the Automatic Identification System (AIS), an automatic ship-tracking system that uses satellite and land-based receivers to monitor a ship's location, originally designed to help prevent ship collisions.
To see where and when fishing takes place, the researchers tracked 77,000 industrial ships, including more than 75 percent of large-sized commercial vessels, using 22 billion AIS positions from 2012 to 2016.
"It was an immense effort to organize and process the AIS data, and then build complex machine learning algorithms," said lead author David Kroodsma, the director of research and development at Global Fishing Watch, a collaborative non-profit supported by Oceana, SkyTruth and Google. "Global Fishing Watch and our partners have been working on this for several years."
Shrimp trawler off Galveston, Texas, August 1986 Photo by Robert K. Brigham / NOAA / Flickr
The resulting global maps revealed that industrial fishing vessels operated across more than 55 percent of the ocean, or over 200 million square kilometers (77 million square miles), in 2016 alone. That's higher than the proportion of land (34 percent) used in agriculture or grazing, the researchers wrote.
The dataset also showed that in 2016, commercial ships spent 40 million hours fishing and covered more than 460 million kilometers (286 million miles), equivalent to traveling to the moon and back nearly 600 times. While most countries fished predominantly within their own exclusive economic zones, five nationsChina, Spain, Taiwan, Japan and South Koreaaccounted for more than 85 percent of observed fishing in the high seas (part of the oceans not within any country's jurisdiction).
The researchers could also identify the kind of fishing gear the ships used. They found that longline fishing, which uses lines with evenly placed baited hooks, was the most widespread, seen in 45 percent of the ocean. By contrast, the team detected purse seine vessels, which use large dragnets, in 17 percent of the ocean, and trawlers in about 9 percent.
"Like some other fisheries colleagues, I was surprised that the AIS data coverage was as complete as the authors have demonstrated and that it was possible to determine which vessels are fishing," said Reg Watson, professor of fisheries and ecological modeling at the University of Tasmania, Australia, who was not involved in the study. "Other studies I have been part of have shown the intensity of global fishing and the satellite data confirms this."
AIS tracks, recorded by satellites, of a trawler (blue line), a purse seiner (green line) and longliner (red line) GIF by Global Forest Watch
The data also revealed that global fishing patterns were strongly linked to holidays and fishing closures. For instance, Chinese vessels showed massive dips in fishing activities during government-mandated seasonal fishing bans and around Chinese New Year. In contrast, many non-Chinese vessels reduced fishing over the Christmas and New Year holidays.
"This dataset provides such high-level resolution on fishing activity that we can even see cultural patterns, such as when fishermen in different regions take time off," co-author Juan Mayorga of the University of California, Santa Barbara, said in a statement.
Using the AIS data does have a few limitations, though. Most small fishing vessels do not have AIS, for example, which means that only larger industrial fishing vessels can be tracked, Kroodsma said. "AIS can also be turned off, although we think this affects a minority of fishing vessels, and we account for this in our study," he said. "Moreover, while satellite AIS reception is good across most of the globe, there are a few places, such as in southeast Asia, where reception is poor. Regulation on AIS use also varies by country, so you must take care to interpret different results from different countries."
The global maps are freely available to the public, and show a near real-time view of fishing vessels and fleets from around the world.
globalfishingwatch.org
"By making this data public, we are providing governments, management bodies and researchers with the information needed to make transparent and well-informed decisions to better regulate fishing activities and reach conservation and sustainability goals," Mayorga said.
Watson said innovation was key for the future of fishing. "Though not intended for this purpose, the satellite data available to ensure the safety of ships can be very useful to map fishing but only after much clever processing," he said. "This AIS data and other data from satellites will become increasingly important for monitoring fishing effort.
"I am already working with the authors to develop better global maps of fisheries catch and effort," he added. "This is an excellent and valuable global initiative. We are only starting the process and it will be quite some time before we can observe all fishing from space but we need to start."
Fishing hours by country in 2016 Graph by Global Fishing Watch
Reposted with permission from our media associate Mongabay.
Flooding breached a supposedly impregnable Arctic "doomsday" vault containing a collection of seeds stored for an apocalypse scenario last week, after warmer-than-average temperatures caused a layer of permafrost to thaw.
Buried into a hillside on the Norwegian archipelago, the Svalbard Global Seed Vault contains more than 930,000 different varieties of seeds intended to ensure the safety of humanity's food supply in the event of a global disaster.
While no seeds were damaged, and while minor flooding does occur at the vault every year, the Norwegian government will redesign the vault to protect against increasingly extreme future flooding.
"It was not in our plans to think that the permafrost would not be there and that it would experience extreme weather like that," government official Hege Njaa Aschim told The Guardian.
"Drainage ditches will be constructed on the mountainside to prevent melt water from Platafjellet accumulating around the access tunnel and to protect against water intrusion resulting from any climate change," according to a Crop Trust press statement.
For a deeper dive:
The Guardian, Washington Post, Quartz, BBC, Popular Science, NPR, Vox, Mashable
For more climate change and clean energy news, you can follow Climate Nexus on Twitter and Facebook, and sign up for daily Hot News.
Kierstyn Lawson hated kindergarten. She struggled to keep up with her peers, leaving her mother at a loss for how to help.
What kindergartner doesnt like school? recalled the parent, Stephanie Lawson, of California, Mo., a rural community halfway between Kansas City and St. Louis.
Kierstyn was not diagnosed with dyslexia until she turned 9. Once she was, her mother said it shed light on why Kierstyn was struggling in school. Yet even after the diagnosis, Lawson had to fight to get her daughter the support she needed from her school. Eventually, Lawson hired a private dyslexia tutora move that ultimately helped her daughter move forward. Kierstyn, now 11, can read more fluently and comprehend what she sees on a page.
Catching Dyslexia Sooner
The state of Missouri is now rolling out a dyslexia law aimed at identifying and supporting students like Kierstyn early in their education. State-mandated dyslexia screenings for children in K-3 take effect in the 2018-19 school year in all Missouri regular public and charter schools. The law, signed in 2016, also led to the development of dyslexia training for teachers and recommendations on how best to support dyslexic students throughout the state.
Missouri joins dozens of other states with dyslexia laws and is among the latest to face the challenge of implementing, explaining, and coordinating the screenings and subsequent follow-ups with students. While the screenings are not designed to diagnose dyslexia, they will identify where students are struggling and leave it to parents, districts, and educators to decide what is best.
Dyslexia affects the way people process written and oral language. A common characteristic is difficulty connecting letters to the sounds that those letters represent. The Education Department says that 3.4 percent of students aged 6-21about 2.4 million children and youthare receiving services for a specific learning disability through the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. The category includes children with dyslexia.
Advocates, however, argue that the prevalence of learning disabilities is much higher. The National Center for Learning Disabilities says that 1 in 5 students has learning or attention issues, including dyslexia.
The Missouri education department has provided a list of recommendations for conducting screenings and offering classroom supports for students with dyslexia. For some districts, the law will require supports beyond their existing special education and reading programs. The mandate also annually requires two hours of dyslexia training for every practicing teacher in the states 518 districts.
Rep. Kathy Swan, a Republican state lawmaker who originally proposed the bill that led to the new law , said its up to the schools to choose what screening tool they will use for the assessments.
There was concern during the bill, in its passage, over the cost of that, Swan said, adding that some screening tools are free and others come at a price.
Swan said a subcommittee in the Missouri House of Representatives proposed funding in February to cover any costs for the screenings. If approved, the funding would be part of the fiscal year 2019 budget and falls within the current Missouri legislative session, which adjourns May 18.
Efforts by organizations such as Decoding Dyslexia , which launched in 2011, have fought to keep dyslexia at the forefront of discussions among educators, parents, and lawmakers.
Erica Lembke, a member of the 21-member dyslexia task force established by the state, said a key part of the commissions process was hearing hours of testimony from educators, parents, students, and others.
To me, its a great example of how parents and families can push legislation forward, said Lembke, who chairs the special education department at the University of Missouri.
A total of 29 states have dyslexia-support and -identification laws, according to statistics from the International Dyslexia Association available as of December 2015. Six states have resolutions or initiatives addressing dyslexia, and 14 offer procedures or handbooks for educators and parents to support dyslexic students.
Kim Stuckey was hired in 2016 as a dyslexia specialist for the Missouri education department. She worked with the task force to devise a plan to implement the legislation.
In its research, the task force discovered many gaps in how Missouri school districts and educators understood dyslexia, Stuckey said.
The awareness piece has been really important, she said. For many years, teachers [would] tell you, Were not allowed to say dyslexia. Were not allowed to talk about it. Anecdotally, you would hear that across the nation.
Some school personnel have been reluctant to use the term, saying that dyslexia is a medical diagnosis, or that educators should focus on specific deficits and not a label. The U.S. Department of Education addressed that issue in an October 2015 Dear Colleague letter. The letter explained that dyslexia, along with dysgraphia and dyscalculia, were acceptable terms to use when discussing a students evaluations, special education eligibility, and individualized education program.
Stuckey said the letter, and now the Missouri state law, are steps in the right direction to remedy the lack of conversation and understanding about dyslexia. She said the screenings are designed to equip educators and parents with more information to help students who are struggling.
At the end of the day, schools overwhelmingly want to do whats best for kids, Stuckey said.
Training Teachers
Lembke said she hopes universities and colleges around the state will also improve dyslexia training for preservice teachers.
After the task force surveyed higher education institutions, Lembke said she was surprised at how many were not properly equipping preservice teachers to address dyslexia. State lawmakers Swan and Rep. Donna Pfautsch are seeking to craft requirements for colleges and universities to better prepare future teachers to handle dyslexia in their classrooms.
When it comes to additional costs, resources, and time that may be required of administrators and educators, Swan said it comes down to the right thing to do to ensure students succeed in their education, careers, and lives.
We are doing a great disservice to people in the state of Missouri if we do not begin to recognize [dyslexia] and do something about it, Swan said. Its a critical effort.
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Thank you to VEGAMOUR for providing me with a product to facilitate my blog review.
All opinions are my own.
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Greenlight confirmed as TT host broadcaster
Greenlight Television will be the host broadcaster for the TT and Classic TT from this year.
The Department for Enterprise has confirmed a local consortium led by Greenlight has finalised an agreement to produce coverage of the racing.
The bid was supported by Isle of Man-based SES, which specialises in HD and Ultra HD satellite broadcasting, and Duke Marketing.
Post-race editing will take place at Greenlight's Isle of Man facility.
The company replaces North One Television as the host broadcaster, who had produced the coverage since 2009.
2018-02-26
Maeci
Tomorrow the Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Angelino Alfano, will be on a diplomatic mission to Belgrade to attend the third trilateral meeting of the Foreign Ministers of Italy, Serbia and Albania. The meeting, which was originally scheduled for 9 January, will be held at Villa Mir, the official presidential residence.
The meeting, which was originally scheduled for 9 January, will be held at Villa Mir, the official presidential residence.
Before the Trilateral meeting, Minister Alfano, in the capacity of Chairman-in-Office of OSCE, will meet with the Head of the OSCE Mission in Belgrade, the Italian diplomat Andrea Orizio (OSCE Mission, at 12:45 p.m.).
The Italian delegation will then move on to Villa Mir, where the meeting will open with the customary family photo (at 1:30 p.m.), followed by the meeting in a trilateral format, with the attendance of Minister Alfano and of the Foreign Minister of Serbia, Ivica Dacic, and of Albania, Ditmir Bushati.
At the end of the meeting, the three ministers will hold a joint press conference (Villa Mir, at 2:20 p.m.).
Ministers Alfano and Dacic will then be present at the signing ceremony of the Technical Protocol on cooperating in organ donation and transplants between the Biomedicine Department of the Serbian Ministry of Health and the Italian National Transplant Centre (Villa Mir, at 2:50 p.m.).
Minister Alfano will then go on to attend bilateral meeting with his Serbian colleague Ivica Dacic (Villa Mir, at 4:15 p.m.).
To wind up the mission, Minister Alfano will go to the Italian Cultural Institute of Belgrade to open the exhibition Maschere nude. Pirandello in Serbia (Naked Masks. Pirandello in Serbia), where he will address a greeting to the teachers and students of Italian in Serbia.
DALLAS, Feb. 26, 2018 -- Survival from cardiac arrest doubled when a bystander stepped in to apply an automated external defibrillator (AED) before emergency responders arrived, according to new research in the American Heart Association's journal Circulation.
According to the American Heart Association, of the more than 350,000 out-of-hospital cardiac arrests that occur in the United States each year, more than 100,000 happen outside the home. Less than half (45.7 percent) of cardiac arrest victims get the immediate help they need before emergency responders arrive, in part because emergency medical services take, on average, between four and ten minutes to reach someone in cardiac arrest.
An international team of researchers looked at 49,555 out-of-hospital cardiac arrests that occurred in major U.S. and Canada cities. They analyzed a key subgroup of these arrests, those that occurred in public, were witnessed and were shockable. The researchers found that nearly 66 percent of these victims survived to hospital discharge after a shock delivered by a bystander. Their findings emphasized that bystanders make a critical difference is assisting cardiac arrest victims before emergency responders can get to the scene.
Among the study's results:
Bystanders used an AED in 18.8 percent of these cases.
Cardiac arrest victims who received a shock from a publicly-available AED had far greater chances of survival and being discharged from the hospital than those who did not; 66.5 percent versus 43 percent.
Cardiac arrest victims who received a shock from a publicly-available AED that was administered by a bystander had 2.62 times higher odds of survival to hospital discharge and 2.73 times more favorable outcomes for functioning compared to victims who first received an AED shock after emergency responders arrived.
Victims who received an AED shock from a bystander (57.1 percent) using a publicly-available device instead of having to wait for emergency responders (32.7 percent) had near normal function and better outcomes.
Without a bystander using AED shock therapy, 70 percent of cardiac arrest patients either died or survived with impaired brain function.
"We estimate that about 1,700 lives are saved in the United States per year by bystanders using an AED," said senior study author Myron Weisfeldt, M.D. "Unfortunately, not enough Americans know to look for AEDs in public locations, nor are they are trained on how to use them despite great and effective efforts of the American Heart Association.
According to the American Heart Association (AHA), use of an AED is the third step in the cardiac arrest chain of survival. The first two steps in a witnessed, out-of-hospital cardiac arrest are to 1) call 9-1-1 and 2) begin immediate cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR).
One of the study's limitations is that it only examined bystander AED use without considering the combined impact of calling 9-1-1 and starting immediate CPR.
During a cardiac arrest, the electrical activity in the heart is disrupted. According to the American Heart Association, every second counts because without immediate CPR, the heart, brain and other vital organs aren't receiving enough oxygenated blood. For every minute without CPR, the chance of death increases by 10 percent.
Based on the study findings, Weisfeldt and his team, including lead author John Hopkins medical student Ross Pollack, would like to see greater distribution of AEDs, including equipping police with defibrillators, especially in regions where it takes emergency responders long to get to the patient.
"Bystanders have the potential to save a life," Weisfeldt continued. "This should be a great incentive for public health officials and bystanders to strive to have AEDs used on all victims of cardiac arrest."
The American Heart Association launched its Workplace Safety Training Initiative in 2017 with survey results that complement the Weisfeldt study's insights. The Association's survey found that most U.S. employees are not prepared to handle cardiac emergencies in the workplace because they lack training in CPR and First Aid. In fact, half of all U.S. workers (50 percent) cannot locate the AED at work. In the hospitality industry, that number rises to two-thirds (66 percent). More than 10,000 cardiac arrests occur annually in the workplace.
"First Aid, CPR and AED training need to become part of a larger culture of safety within workplaces," said Michael Kurz, MD, chair of the American Heart Association's Systems of Care Subcommittee and associate professor at the University of Alabama School of Medicine in the Department of Emergency Medicine. "We are certainly seeing higher public interest in this training, and our campaign calls upon decision makers in workplaces and popular public spaces such as arenas, fitness centers, hotels, and churches to place AEDs in the same locations as a fire extinguisher."
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Co-authors are: Ross A. Pollack, B.S.; Siobhan P. Brown, Ph.D.; Thomas Rea, M.D., M.P.H.; Tom Aufderheide, M.D.; David Barbic, M.D.; Jason E. Buick, M.Sc.; Jim Christenson, M.D.; Ahamed H. Idris, M.D.; Jamie Jasti, B.S.; Michael Kampp, paramedic/EMS Chief; Peter Kudenchuk, M.D.; Susanne May, Ph.D.; Marc Muhr, EMT-P; Graham Nichol, M.D., M.P.H.; Joseph P. Ornato, M.D.; George Sopko, M.D., M.P.H.; Christian Vaillancourt, M.D., M.Sc.; Laurie Morrison, M.D., M.Sc.; and the ROC Investigators. Author disclosures are on the manuscript.
Funding: National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute in partnership with the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke; U.S. Army Medical Research & Material Command; The Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) - Institute of Circulatory and Respiratory Health, Defense Research and Development Canada; the Heart, Stroke Foundation of Canada; and the American Heart Association.
Additional Resources:
Available multimedia located on the right column of the release link: https://newsroom.heart.org/news/cardiac-arrest-survival-greatly-increases-when-bystanders-use-an-automated-external-defibrillator?preview=50eaf239042866df02d23dc181771167
After February 26, view the manuscript online.
American Workers Unprepared for Workplace Cardiac Emergencies, Surveys Find
CPR Facts and Stats
Follow AHA/ASA news on Twitter @HeartNews
For updates and new science from the Circulation journal follow@CircAHA
Statements and conclusions of study authors published in American Heart Association scientific journals are solely those of the study authors and do not necessarily reflect the association's policy or position. The association makes no representation or guarantee as to their accuracy or reliability. The association receives funding primarily from individuals; foundations and corporations (including pharmaceutical, device manufacturers and other companies) also make donations and fund specific association programs and events. The association has strict policies to prevent these relationships from influencing the science content. Revenues from pharmaceutical and device corporations and health insurance providers are available at http://www.heart.org/corporatefunding.
About the American Heart Association
The American Heart Association is devoted to saving people from heart disease and stroke - the two leading causes of death in the world. We team with millions of volunteers to fund innovative research, fight for stronger public health policies and provide lifesaving tools and information to prevent and treat these diseases. The Dallas-based association is the nation's oldest and largest voluntary organization dedicated to fighting heart disease and stroke. To learn more or to get involved, call 1-800-AHA-USA1, visit heart.org or call any of our offices around the country. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter.
BINGHAMTON, N.Y. - A heating and freezing process known as dual thermal ablation can kill pancreatic cancer cells, according to new research from Binghamton University, State University at New York.
The collaborative study, conducted by researchers from academia and industry and funded by grants from the National Cancer Institute, used pancreatic cancer cells to investigate the effect of heating and freezing on cell death. The research was conducted by Robert Van Buskirk and John Baust, professors of biological sciences and directors at Binghamton University's Institute of Biomedical Technology, and Kenneth Baumann, a graduate student studying biology.
"How do we solve the problem of pancreatic cancer when it comes to trying to get rid of the tumor, when chemo and radiation just simply doesn't work?" said Van Buskirk. "The whole idea is, can one come up with a different surgical intervention that's less invasive and more effective?
"In order to figure that out, you can commercially obtain pancreatic cancer cells and grow them on specialized plasticware," Van Buskirk said. "The basic question is, are both freezing and heat in combination more effective than freezing or heat alone? If you freeze pancreatic cancer cells like you do in cryoablation, a lot of them die, but some will survive and regrow. If you heat them, they'll die, but again some will come back. But with dual-thermal ablation, for reasons that we do not yet understand, more die and don't come back. In fact, over time, cells that survive the initial insult continue to die."
"What we've observed is that we are able to achieve complete cell death using a combination of heating and then freezing at temperatures that alone would not be lethal to kill pancreatic cancer cells," said Baumann.
Researchers heated and froze cancer cells and looked at the effect, using various technologies to determine the level of cell death, on regrowth as well as which cell stress pathways were activated.
"Using a variety of assays, we are able to determine the initial level of cell death as well as to what extent the surviving population is able to regrow," Baumann said. "We were also able to determine the specific paths of cell death activated as a result of the dual thermal exposure."
"When cells are disturbed--which means they are frozen or they see heat--various cell stress pathways are activated," said Van Buskirk. "The interesting thing about cells, especially cancer cells, is that they will activate pathways to protect themselves. The objective of this line of molecular-based research is to find out which stress pathways are activated in pancreatic cancer cells so that we can better understand why dual-thermal ablation appears to be more effective."
"Current studies are focused on elucidating which stress pathways specifically cause these cells to die or what is keeping them alive. That way, we can optimize this treatment to be as effective as possible against pancreatic cancer," Baumann said.
According to Van Buskirk, modulating these stress pathways is the key to making the heating and freezing ablation process more effective. This could lead to the development of a new way to remove cancerous pancreatic tumors.
In addition to the cell molecular research, several members of the study team are working on developing new catheter technologies to deliver this ablative therapy to patients. "If a very thin catheter can be developed to target the tumor, and if we understand how pancreatic cancer responds to ablation at the molecular level, then we may be able to develop a new therapy to approach something that has been completely unapproachable, the targeted killing of a tumor in a very difficult place: the pancreas," said Van Buskirk.
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The article, "Dual thermal ablation of pancreatic cancer cells as an improved combinatorial treatment strategy," was published in Liver and Pancreatic Sciences.
Cold Spring Harbor, NY -- A simple genetic modification can triple the grain number of sorghum, a drought-tolerant plant that is an important source of food, animal feed, and biofuel in many parts of the world. In new research reported today in Nature Communications, scientists at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (CSHL) have figured out how that genetic change boosts the plant's yield: by lowering the level of a key hormone, generating more flowers and more seeds. Their discovery points toward a strategy for significantly increasing the yield of other grain crops.
Doreen Ware, Ph.D., a CSHL Adjunct Associate Professor and research scientist with USDAs Agricultural Research Service (ARS), led the research, together with ARS colleague Zhanguo Xin, Ph.D. Their study was focused on high-yield strains of sorghum that were generated several years ago by Dr. Xin. An unknown genetic mutation introduced by chemical mutagenesis - a method used for many decades by breeders and researchers to induce genetic variations in plants - resulted in an increase in the number of grains, i.e., seeds contained within fruits, that each plant produced.
Like many cereal crops, sorghum's grains are produced in clusters of flowers that develop from an elaborately branched structure at the top of the plant called a panicle. Each panicle can produce hundreds of flowers. There are two types of flowers, and usually only one of these, known as the sessile spikelet (SS), is fertile. The other flower type, called pedicellate spikelets (PS), do not make seeds. In the modified plants Dr. Xin produced, however, both sessile and pedicellate spikelets produced seeds, tripling each plant's grain number.
Ware and her team wanted to understand what caused this dramatic change. By completely sequencing the genomes of the modified plants, they found that the key mutations affected a gene that regulates hormone production. Plants carrying the mutation produce abnormally low levels of a development-regulating hormone called jasmonic acid, particularly during flower development.
Through subsequent experiments, the team learned that jasmonic acid prevents pedicellate spikelets from producing seeds. "So when the plant hormone is low, we get seeds set on every single one of the flowers. But when the plant hormone is high, we have a reduced number of fertile flowers, ending up in a reduced number of seeds," explains Dr. Yinping Jiao of the Ware lab, co-first author on the new paper.
Now that the team has uncovered the biological changes that triple sorghum's grain production, they hope to apply the same strategy to increase grain production in related plants that are vital in the global food supply, such as rice, corn, and wheat. The knowledge will help guide crop improvement through traditional breeding practices as well as approaches that take advantage of genome editing technologies, Ware says.
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Funding: United Sorghum Checkoff program; U.S. Department of Agriculture Agricultural Research Service; National Research Foundation of Korea
Citation: Jiao J et al, "MSD1 regulates pedicellate spikelet fertility in sorghum through the jasmonic acid pathway," appears in Nature Communications on February xx, 2018.
About Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
Founded in 1890, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory has shaped contemporary biomedical research and education with programs in cancer, neuroscience, plant biology and quantitative biology. Home to eight Nobel Prize winners, the private, not-for-profit Laboratory employs 1,100 people including 600 scientists, students and technicians. The Meetings & Courses Program annually hosts more than 12,000 scientists. The Laboratory's education arm also includes an academic publishing house, a graduate school and the DNA Learning Center with programs for middle and high school students and teachers. For more information, visit http://www.cshl.edu
In the future, will people have virtual twins to help monitor their health? That is what Health EU is proposing. This major project, led by a consortium headed by EPFL, is in the running to be a European Union FET Flagship project. If successful, it will
What if everyone had their own medical avatar - a virtual replica of themselves featuring their own personal data - that could improve the way their health is managed and the way they are treated if they fall ill? That is the bold proposal put forward by the Health EU project, whose tagline is "Human avatars to prevent and cure diseases". This international project, led by a consortium* headed by EPFL in collaboration with the Institute for Human Organ and Disease Model Technologies based in the Netherlands, recently applied to become a FET Flagship. FET Flagship is a prestigious multi-disciplinary research program run by the European Union that offers 1 billion in funding over ten years.
"What we are proposing is a totally revolutionary way of handling health issues," explains Adrian Ionescu, a professor of nanoelectronics at EPFL and one of the project's originators. With its avatar-based system, Health EU aims to achieve improved disease prevention, early diagnosis, more accurate monitoring and customized, targeted administration of medicines and treatments, especially for increasingly common diseases such as cancer and cardiovascular, chronic and neurodegenerative disorders.
"We are offering a possible solution to problems faced by the current healthcare model, which is not economically sustainable because of the extremely high costs it entails," adds Professor Ionescu.
The project's core idea is to combine customized medicine with digital technology, using the latest technological developments such as connected objects, artificial intelligence and the concept of "digital twins". In principle, a digital twin is a digital replica of an object that can be used to test and measure the effect of variables, processes and scenarios that would be impossible to apply in the real world. The approach is already being used in aerospace and astrophysics and in the automotive industry. However, it has not yet been applied to human beings. Health EU's vision combining digital and physical human avatars is taking digital twins to an unprecedented level remarks Chris Van Hoof, senior director of Connected Health Solutions & IMEC Fellow.
A whole range of technologies
"Avatars are not simple digital models," continues Professor Ionescu. "They will be developed and calibrated continuously on the basis of a large amount of customized data, collected experimentally during our day-to-day lives. Advanced models will be developed using artificial intelligence. Behind the scenes, we will create the infrastructure for the future Internet of Healthcare in order to manage the data in the form of genuine human avatars." The Health EU project plans to develop a whole technological platform around patients and their virtual twins, capable of generating "big and deep data". The platform will take into account and connect genomic and biological data, but also environmental and behavioral data, for example information about people's habits and lifestyles. To collect that data, the project plans to use a whole range of leading-edge technologies: portable sensors, implants, nanomedicine techniques and medical imaging.
It will also use "organ-on-chip" technology - one of the project's key features. This technology involves transferring cells onto a microchip to observe how they act and react. It will be the most physical, concrete aspect of the avatars. The method offers the possibility of testing the biological functions of an organ or interactions between several organs, but outside the human body. For example, the effect of a medicine could be measured at an early stage, avoiding side effects that can sometimes be extremely harmful, and allowing treatments to be tailored as closely as possible to the patient's needs.
Reducing animal testing
Better anticipation of risks, personalized advice, more accurate medical monitoring, more suitable treatments and faster analysis: these are some of the main benefits that Health EU intends to deliver. More generally, the project aims to reduce costs and give a major boost to innovation in the medtech sector. "We shouldn't forget that the solutions we are proposing would also replace a large proportion of testing currently carried out on animals," stresses Albert van den Berg from the University of Twente, one of the coordinators of the Organs on Chip platform.
However, there are many challenges ahead in terms of developing and refining the technologies, arranging collaborations between experts from many different disciplines and countries, and protecting the data collected from individuals. "Europe must maintain its data sovereignty," says Patrick Boisseau, VP Healthcare at CEA Tech and Chairman of the board of the European Technology Platform on Nanomedicine. Information will be stored on servers located in Europe. We are also working on MPEG-type compression standards that will be specifically customized for the Health EU program. This secure infrastructure will become the future Internet of Healthcare, developed with the world's leading cybersecurity experts. "Health EU will be a kind of Netflix for genomic and sensory data! At the end of the day, however, it will always be up to patients to decide what they want doctors to see, and which doctors they want to see it", says Adrian Ionescu.
More than 90 scientists from 47 leading-edge research groups at universities, institutes, clinics and companies in 16 European countries are directly involved in Health EU. Around 60 other scientists are project partners. The Health EU proposal has just been submitted to the European Union, and the final decision on whether it obtains FET Flagship status is likely to be made in early 2020.
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To find out more about the Health EU project, visit https://www.health-eu.eu/
* As part of the Health EU project, EPFL and ETH Zurich are collaborating closely, with the involvement of more than 25 laboratories. Elsewhere in Europe, major technology hubs in France (CEA-LETI and Genopole), Belgium and the Netherlands (IMEC, University of Twente and HDMT), and Germany (the Fraunhofer and Max Planck institutes) are also taking part in the project. Several university hospitals are closely involved, such as Charite in Germany, the Institut Gustave Roussy in France, the European Institute of Oncology in Milan, St. Bartholomew's Hospital in London and the University Hospital of Lausanne (CHUV).
By employing genetic analysis and geometric morphometrics, the work attested the existence of at least seven species of these recluse xenarthrans from South and Central America, which were thrown together under one single species -- until now
Since the pioneering description made in 1758 by Swedish naturalist and father of taxonomy Carl Nilsson Linnaeus (1707-1778), there was officially one single silky anteater species. This short-snouted, pigmy-sized anteater would then be known for its scientific name, Cyclopes didactyla, after its inclusion on the 10th edition of Systema Naturae, Linnaeus' magnum opus responsible for describing more than 4,2 animal species. It is found in tropical forests in South and Central America, as well as in the few remaining fragments of Atlantic rainforest in Northeast Brazil.
Six populations of C. didactylus scattered through this territory were discovered in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. However, because all the collected specimens appeared to be practically identical, it was thought that the subtle morphological differences could only justify the creation of subspecies of C. didactylus, therefore the only species in the family Cyclopedidae.
But now, a Brazilian group of taxonomists, zoologists and geneticists states that silky anteaters are comprised of at least seven different species, after concluding a study which studied the biology and the ecology of the new species and also sequenced mithocondrial and nuclear DNA from 287 specimens.
An article published in the Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society shows the results of the research supported by the Sao Paulo Research Foundation - FAPESP via a scholarship for a research internship abroad and a PhD scholarship, as well as by Fundacao Boticario, the Wildlife Conservation Society, the Minas Gerais State Agency for Research and Development (Fapemig), the Brazilian Ministry of Education's Office for Faculty Development (CAPES) and Brazil's National Council for Scientific & Technological Development (CNPq).
Silky anteaters: an elusive presence
Among the scientists linked to the University of Sao Paulo (USP) and to the Federal University of Minas Gerais (UFMG) who were involved in the research is the vet Flavia Miranda, a Zoology PhD student at UFMG who has worked with the order Xenarthra for over 20 years and leads Project Anteater, whose mission is the conservation of sloths, anteaters and armadillos.
In 2005 Miranda took part as an expert on xenarthrans in a meeting of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) to verify the status of C. didactylus with a view to its conservation. One of the points raised was whether a population of silky anteaters still existed in Northeast Brazil. No sightings had been reported for years.
Decided to verify the presence of silky anteaters in situ, Miranda spent the last ten years organizing and undertaking expeditions to all parts of Brazil where they had been reported. There have been ten expeditions, to Santa Isabel do Rio Negro (Amazonas State), Oriximina (Para), the Parnaiba River Delta (Piaui State), Maranhao, Amapa, and Surinam, among other places.
"It was always very hard to spot the animals in the forest. Imagine a little creature that weighs only 250 g, lives in the crowns of tall trees beside creeks or in mangroves and flooded areas, never comes down to the ground, never vocalizes, and is active only at night. I'd been in the field for two years before I made my first sighting."
DNA analysis reconstruct speciation in Cyclopes
Miranda undertook 17 expeditions to collect specimens in Brazil and Surinam, measuring and photographing them, and taking blood samples for molecular analysis. Sex and geographic location were recorded. Age was determined on the basis of body mass, fur density, and fur length. Morphological and morphometric information was also sought from 20 natural history collections in several countries.
Analysis of the animals' nuclear and mitochondrial DNA removed all doubt about the existence of several species in the genus Cyclopes, supported by morphological and morphometric differences, as well as geographic location.
The most surprising discoveries came from analysis using the molecular clock technique, which estimates when two species diverged on the basis of the number of molecular differences in their DNA.
The molecular clock showed that the separation of several species is not at all recent. On the contrary, it is very ancient. The authors estimate that the Cyclopedidae diverged from other anteaters in the early Oligocene, 30 million years ago (giving rise to the giant anteater, Myrmecophaga tridactyla, and the collared anteater, Tamandua tetradactyla).
Molecular evidence suggests the first divergence in the genus Cyclopes occurred 10.3 million years ago, during the late Miocene. This was when the ancestors of the lineages found west of Amazonas State, Acre and Rondonia States and also in the Peruvian Amazon separated.
This diversification is probably associated with a change in the course of the Amazon River, which once ran from east to west but reversed direction approximately 10 million years ago, when the Andes rose. An immense floodplain formed at that time in western Amazonia.
The wetlands disappeared approximately 7 million years ago, isolating there the ancestors of two new species now described, C. rufus and C. thomasi. These may have separated 3.4 million years ago owing to the formation of the Purus and Madeira Basins, which functioned as biogeographic barriers that isolated the two populations. The Bolivian species C. catellus may also have emerged as a result of the same events.
The researchers estimate that C. ida diverged approximately 5.8 million years ago in the western Amazon and Ecuador, while C. xinguensis probably separated 4.6 million years ago in the area of the Xingu River, to which it has remained confined.
The Mesoamerican lineage C. dorsalis would have separated from its South American kin approximately 3 million years ago, with the continuing rise of the Andean barrier.
The species originally described by Linnaeus, C. didactylus, which lives on the left bank of the Amazon (and in the Negro River basin), in the Brazilian states of Amapa and Para and also in Northeast Brazil from Maranhao to Alagoas (as well as in Venezuela and Surinam), is thought to have diverged some 2.3 million years ago, with the advent of the first glaciations of the Pleistocene.
So many millions of years of separation between species would be more than sufficient for these anteaters to have accumulated various modifications. However, this is not what has happened. The genus Cyclopes has proved extremely conservative throughout its evolutionary history, changing very little or not all in morphological terms.
"The reason for this may be the life habits of these animals. All species occupy a similar and highly specialized ecological niche with no competition," Miranda said.
Morphological differences
While molecular evidence is definitive for the naming of new species, the analysis of morphological and ecological data is important to corroborate the descriptions.
"Historically this genus has always been considered monospecific," explained zoologist Fabio de Andrade Machado , former holder of a scholarship from FAPESP and currently at the Bernardo Rivadavia Natural Science Museum in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Machado specializes in analyzing morphometric traits that differentiate species. In this project he helped diagnose morphometric differences in search of evidence to confirm the descriptions of new species.
"I used a technique called geometric morphometrics," he said. "It's based on multivariate analysis of point sets, or anatomical marks, which are used to map the shapes of biological structures. This technique can be used to investigate overall skull structure and identify general differences between species in terms of form."
According to Machado, this analysis showed that the main difference in the species studied referred to the Mesoamerican taxon (C. dorsalis), which has a smaller rostrum (snout) than the other South American groups.
Another conclusion was that the animals from the Northeast of Brazil, French Guiana (C. didactylus) and Xingu (C. xinguensis) have a slimmer, less robust skull than the rest. "Despite the lack of a precise diagnosis, as in the case of C. dorsalis, this suggests there are more than one or two species in the genus," Machado said.
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About Sao Paulo Research Foundation (FAPESP)
The Sao Paulo Research Foundation (FAPESP) is a public institution with the mission of supporting scientific research in all fields of knowledge by awarding scholarships, fellowships and grants to investigators linked with higher education and research institutions in the State of Sao Paulo, Brazil. FAPESP is aware that the very best research can only be done by working with the best researchers internationally. Therefore, it has established partnerships with funding agencies, higher education, private companies, and research organizations in other countries known for the quality of their research and has been encouraging scientists funded by its grants to further develop their international collaboration. For more information: http://www.fapesp.br/en.
Astronomers have investigated a small population of stars in the halo of the Milky Way Galaxy, finding its chemical composition to closely match that of the Galactic disk. This similarity provides compelling evidence that these stars have originated from within the disk, rather than from merged dwarf galaxies. The reason for this stellar migration is thought to be theoretically proposed oscillations of the Milky Way disk as a whole, induced by the tidal interaction of the Milky Way with a passing massive satellite galaxy.
If anyone from outer space would like to contact you via "space mail", your cosmic address would include several more lines including "Earth", "Solar System", "Orion Spiral Arm" and "Milky Way Galaxy". This position within our home galaxy gives us a front row seat to explore what is happening in such a galaxy.
However, our internal perspective presents some challenges in our quest to understand it - for example for outlining its shape and extent. And yet another problem is time: How can we interpret galactic evolution if our own life span (and that of our telescopes) is far less than the blink of the cosmic eye?
Today, we have a fairly clear picture of the broad properties of the Milky Way and how it fits among other galaxies in the Universe. Astronomers classify it as a rather average, large spiral galaxy with the majority of its stars circling its center within a disk, and a dusting of stars beyond that orbiting in the Galactic halo.
These halo stars seem not to be randomly distributed in the halo - instead many are grouped together in giant structures - immense streams and clouds (or overdensities) of stars, some entirely encircling the Milky Way. These structures have been interpreted as signatures of the Milky Way's tumultuous past - debris from the gravitational disruption of the many smaller galaxies that are thought to have invaded our Galaxy in the past.
Researchers have tried to learn more about this violent history of the Milky Way by looking at properties of the stars in the debris left behind - their positions and motions can give us clues of the original path of the invader, while the types of stars they contain and the chemical compositions of those stars can tell us something about what the long-dead galaxy might have looked like.
An international team of astronomers led by Dr. Maria Bergemann from the Max Planck Institute for Astronomy in Heidelberg now found compelling evidence that some of these halo structures might not be leftover debris from invading galaxies but rather originate from the Milky Way's disk itself!
The scientists investigated 14 stars located in two different structures in the Galactic halo, the Triangulum-Andromeda (Tri-And) and the A13 stellar overdensities, which lie at opposite sides of the Galactic disk plane. Earlier studies of motion of these two diffuse structures revealed that they are kinematically associated and could be related to the Monoceros Ring, a ring-like structure that twists around the Galaxy. However, the nature and origin of these two stellar structures was still not conclusively clarified. The position of the two stellar overdensities could be determined as each lying about 5 kiloparsec (14000 lightyears) above and below the Galactic plane as indicated in figure 1 (see image).
Bergemann and her team, for the first time, now presented detailed chemical abundance patterns of these stars, obtained with high-resolution spectra taken with the Keck and VLT (Very Large Telescope, ESO) telescopes. "The analysis of chemical abundances is a very powerful test, which allows, in a way similar to the DNA matching, to identify the parent population of the star. Different parent populations, such as the Milky Way disk or halo, dwarf satellite galaxies or globular clusters, are known to have radically different chemical compositions. So once we know what the stars are made of, we can immediately link them to their parent populations.", explains Bergemann.
When comparing the chemical compositions of these stars with the ones found in other cosmic structures, the scientists were surprised to find that the chemical compositions are almost identical, both within and between these groups, and closely match the abundance patterns of the Milky Way disk stars. This provides compelling evidence that these stars most likely originate from the Galactic thin disk (the younger part of Milky Way, concentrated towards the Galactic plane) itself, rather being debris from invasive galaxies!
But how did the stars get to these extreme positions above and below the Galactic disk? Theoretical calculations of the evolution of the Milky Way Galaxy predict this to happen, with stars being relocated to large vertical distances from their place of birth in the disk plane. This "migration" of stars is theoretically explained by the oscillations of the disk as a whole. The favoured explanation for these oscillations is the tidal interaction of the Milky Way's Dark Matter halo and its disk with a passing massive satellite galaxy.
The results published in the journal Nature by Bergemann and her colleagues now provide the clearest evidence for these oscillations of the Milky Way's disk obtained so far!
These findings are very exciting, as they indicate that the Milky Way Galaxy's disk and its dynamics are significantly more complex than previously thought. "We showed that it may be fairly common for groups of stars in the disk to be relocated to more distant realms within the Milky Way--having been 'kicked out' by an invading satellite galaxy. Similar chemical patterns may also be found in other galaxies--indicating a potential galactic universality of this dynamic process." said Allyson Shefield, PhD, associate professor of physics at LaGuardia Community College/CUNY, a co-author on the study.
As a next step, the astronomers plan to analyse the spectra of other stars both in the two overdensities, as well as stars in other stellar structures further away from the disk. They are also very keen on getting masses and ages of these stars in order to constrain the time limits when this interaction of the Milky Way and a dwarf galaxy happened.
"We anticipate that ongoing and future surveys like 4MOST and Gaia will provide unique information about chemical composition and kinematics of stars in these overdensities. The two structures we have analysed already are, in our interpretation, associated with large-scale oscillations of the disk, induced by an interaction of the Milky Way and a dwarf galaxy. Gaia may have the potential to see the connection between the two structures, showing the full pattern of corrugations in the Galactic disk", says Bergemann, who is also part of the Collaborative Research Center SFB 881 "The Milky Way System", located at Heidelberg University.
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Background information
The results described here were published in Bergemann et al., "Two chemically similar stellar overdensities on opposite sides of the plane of the Galactic Disk" in the journal Nature.
Information about advanced access to the Nature article can be obtained at press@nature.com.
The MPIA researchers involved were Maria Bergemann, Branimir Sesar and Andrew Gould in collaboration with Judith G. Cohen (California Institute of Technology), Aldo M. Serenelli (Institute of Space Sciences/IEEC-CSIC), Allyson Sheffield (LaGuardia Community College/CUNY), Ting S. Li (Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory), Luca Casagrande (The Australian National University), Kathryn Johnston and Chervin F.P. Laporte (both Columbia University, New York), Adrian M. Price-Whelan (Princeton University) and Ralph Schonrich (University of Oxford, UK).
LONDON, ON - Personalized medicine is the analysis of a patient's DNA to predict how they will respond to medications. Led by Dr. Richard Kim, scientist at Lawson Health Research Institute (Lawson) and clinical pharmacologist at London Health Sciences Centre (LHSC), researchers at Lawson have received $4.4 million to study an expanded personalized medicine program at LHSC. One third of the funding comes from the provincial government's Ontario Research Fund (ORF) while the remainder is contributions from Thermo Fisher Scientific and donor funding through London Health Sciences Foundation.
Personalized medicine uses pharmacogenomics - the study of genetic changes that alter the way a person responds to individual drugs. The new funding will enable researchers to follow patient outcomes and assess the cost-effectiveness of LHSC's personalized medicine program, providing evidence on the relationship between the cost of the program and how patient care is improved.
LHSC's personalized medicine program involves full integration of research into patient care. Research questions are informed by the therapeutic challenges seen in hospital. As research discoveries are made, they are then applied back to patient care. LHSC was the first in Canada to implement personalized medicine as a clinical strategy. The practice began in 2008 through Dr. Kim's research on warfarin - a blood thinner prescribed to treat blood clots.
For every drug there are patients whose bodies cannot metabolize or process it properly. The drug may not work and can even be toxic. When a medication is toxic, patients can experience an adverse drug reaction where they respond poorly. Adverse drug reactions are the fourth leading cause of death among hospitalized patients and cost the Canadian health care system over $5 billion a year.
"For every medication there are patients who should be prescribed lower or higher than the recommended standard dose and patients who should be prescribed an entirely different medication," explains Dr. Kim. "Personalized medicine studies a patient's unique DNA to ensure he or she is prescribed the right dose of the right medication at the right time."
The team's research has grown since 2008 and this funding will help provide testing for a number of other drugs. For example, they can now offer testing for cancer patients prescribed 5-fluorouracil. This particular chemotherapy is associated with high toxicity but is very important in treating bowel, stomach and head and neck cancers.
Oncologists at LHSC's London Regional Cancer Program (LRCP) can now refer patients for testing before their first dose of 5-fluorouracil. The Personalized Medicine team meets with the patient at one of their twice-weekly clinics, obtains consent and takes a blood sample. The team then performs a test called genotyping to study the patient's genetics and predict their response to 5-fluorouracil. A full report is generated and sent back to the referring oncologist.
If it's predicted a patient will respond poorly to the drug, the team follows clinical guidelines to make recommendations to the patient and the referring physician. This often involves changing the dose or finding an alternative therapy.
"We want to take drugs that are shown to be beneficial and make them even safer and more effective by tailoring them to the individual," continues Dr. Kim. "By showing that medications are not 'one size fits all,' we can reduce toxicity, enhance outcomes and lower health care costs."
The team will study the outcomes of any patients referred to the program, including hospital stays, emergency department visits and physician visits. These patients will be compared to others in the province using provincial health care data from the Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences (ICES). The team hopes to demonstrate the cost-effectiveness of implementing personalized medicine in a large acute-care hospital in Ontario.
"We will examine patients' healthcare utilization to prove how effective our program can be," adds Dr. Kim. "Through the development of secure and scalable technologies as well as a personalized model of patient care, we hope to demonstrate that our model of personalized medicine can be adopted by other health care providers across the province as an innovative and cost-effective way to enhance the health of Ontarians."
In addition to the ORF funding, Dr. Kim acknowledges the importance of donors to this research project. Thermo Fisher Scientific, a leader in pharmacogenomics technology, provided the team with cutting-edge technology that helps them to test more patients for more genetic variations at the same time. This further enables the team's work.
Through the London Health Sciences Foundation, the project has seen significant contributions, including $2.24 million from LHSC's Auxiliary and $300,000 from 3M Canada.
"This is a prime example of donors further enabling our work," says Dr. Kim. "Through research, donor dollars can make a lasting impact to patient care."
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Lawson Health Research Institute: As the research institute of London Health Sciences Centre and St. Joseph's Health Care London, and working in partnership with Western University, Lawson Health Research Institute is committed to furthering scientific knowledge to advance health care around the world. http://www.lawsonresearch.ca
For more information, please contact:
Robert DeLaet
Communications & External Relations
Lawson Health Research Institute
T: 519-685-8500 ext. 75664
robert.delaet@lawsonresearch.com
http://www.lawsonresearch.ca/news-events
Symbolic material culture, a collection of cultural and intellectual achievements handed down from generation to generation, has so far been attributed to our own species, Homo sapiens. "The emergence of symbolic material culture represents a fundamental threshold in the evolution of humankind. It is one of the main pillars of what makes us human", says Dirk Hoffmann of the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology. "Artefacts whose functional value lies not so much in their practical but rather in their symbolic use are proxies for fundamental aspects of human cognition as we know it."
Early symbolic artefacts, like pigment-coloured shells that possibly served as body ornamentation, are documented for the Middle Stone Age in North and South Africa at around 70,000 years ago and are associated with anatomically and behaviourally modern humans. There is evidence in Europe for cave art, sculpted figures, decorated bone tools and jewellery made of bone, tooth, ivory, shell or stone that dates back to the so-called "Upper Palaeolithic Revolution" around 40,000 years ago. These artefacts, researchers concluded, must have been created by modern humans who were spreading all over Europe after their arrival from Africa.
More than body and tool ornamentation, cave art is a particularly impressive example of symbolic behaviour. However, it has so far been attributed to modern humans only, and claims to a possible Neanderthal origin have been hampered by lack of precise dating. However, the creators of cave art can usually not be identified directly, but only indirectly by determining the age of the objects. "Dating cave art accurately and precisely, but without destroying it, has so far been difficult to accomplish", says Hoffmann. "Thanks to recent technical developments we can now obtain a minimum age for cave art using Uranium-Thorium (U-Th) dating of carbonate crusts overlying the pigments."
U-Th dating, a very precise dating technique based on the radioactive decay of Uranium isotopes into Thorium, determines the age of calcium carbonate formations up to an age of 500,000 years. It thus goes back considerably further in time than the radiocarbon method.
Dating of carbonate crusts
The researchers from Germany, UK, France and Spain analysed more than 60 carbonate samples that consisted of less than ten milligrams each from three different cave sites in Spain: La Pasiega in north-eastern Spain, Maltravieso in western Spain and Ardales in southern Spain. All three sites contain paintings mostly in red, sometimes in black, that show groups of animals, dots and geometric signs, hand stencils, hand prints and engravings.
"Our dating results show that the cave art at these three sites in Spain is much older than previously thought", says team member Alistair Pike from the University of Southampton. "With an age in excess of 64,000 years it predates the earliest traces of modern humans in Europe by more than 20,000 years. The cave art must thus have been created by Neanderthals." This early cave art was created in red pigments and comprises lines, dots, discs and hand stencils. According to the researchers, their creation involved planning a light source, mixing pigments for colouring and choosing a proper location.
Symbolic thinking in Neanderthals
"Neanderthals created meaningful symbols in meaningful places", says Paul Pettitt from University of Durham, also a team member and cave art specialist. In the Cueva Ardales, where excavations are currently being conducted by a German-Spanish team, the presence of Neanderthals has also been proven from analysing occupation layers. "This is certainly just the beginning of a new chapter in the study of ice age rock art", says Gerd-Christian Weniger of the Foundation Neanderthal Museum Mettmann, one of the leaders of the Ardales excavations.
In the Iberian Peninsula Neanderthal symbolic behaviour may actually have a long-term tradition. In a second study, also published this week by Hoffmann and colleagues, the researchers determined the age of an archaeological deposit located at the Cueva de los Aviones, a sea cave in Southeast Spain. This cave contained perforated sea shells, red and yellow colorants and shell containers including complex mixes of pigments. The researchers used U-Th dating to determine the age of the flowstone that was covering and protecting the deposit. "We dated the deposit underlying the flowstone to an age of about 115,000 years", says Hoffmann. These dates are even older than similar finds in south and north Africa associated with Homo sapiens, but at this time Neanderthals were living in western Europe.
Ancient origins of shared cognitive abilities
"According to our new data Neanderthals and modern humans shared symbolic thinking and must have been cognitively indistinguishable", concludes Joao Zilhao, team member from the Catalan Institution for Research and Advanced Studies in Barcelona and involved in both studies. "On our search for the origins of language and advanced human cognition we must therefore look much farther back in time, more than half a million years ago, to the common ancestor of Neanderthals and modern humans."
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Abstract: Using Uranium-Thorium dating an international team of researchers co-directed by Dirk Hoffmann of the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in Leipzig, Germany, now demonstrates that more than 115,000 years ago Neanderthals produced symbolic objects, and that they created cave art more than 20,000 years before modern humans first arrived in Europe. The researchers conclude that our cousins cognitive abilities were equivalent to our own.
Much of the U.S. Midwest has received above normal precipitation this winter. A NASA rainfall analysis provided a look at the precipitation that contributed to current flooding.
Recent heavy rainfall and melting snow has caused flooding from eastern Texas to Michigan. Major flooding is expected along the Ohio River in Illinois and Kentucky. On Feb. 23, the National Weather Service noted that several locations along the Ohio River near Louisville were under flood warnings. Parts of Arkansas and Indiana are also preparing for major flooding.
At NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, in Greenbelt, Maryland, a rainfall anomaly analysis was made by comparing rainfall data compiled during the twelve year period from 2001 to 2012 to "near real-time" Multi-satellite Precipitation Analysis (TMPA-RT 3B42RT) data collected from December 21, 2017 to February 23, 2018.
This TMPA rainfall anomaly analysis indicated that parts of the upper Midwest have had 5 mm (0.2 inches) of precipitation per day above normal so far this winter. Much of the U.S. southwest and west were found to have lower than normal amounts of precipitation. Experimental Multi-satellite rainfall anomaly analyses have been automatically calculated and those data shared with the public for over a decade.
The National Weather Service noted on Feb. 23, "The heavy rainfall that began last week and continued over the weekend has brought widespread flooding to the central and southern U.S., from the Gulf Coast to the Great Lakes. Numerous river systems will remain in flood stage this week. Another round of rainfall is forecast across the Lower/Mid-Miss. and Tenn. River Valleys Tuesday into Wednesday, which will exacerbate the ongoing flood threat."
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For the National Weather Service website of river observations, visit: http://water.weather.gov/ahps/
EVANSTON, Ill. - Northwestern University researchers have developed a new "smell virtual landscape" that enables the study of how smells engage the brain's navigation system. The work demonstrates, for the first time, that the mammalian brain can form a map of its surroundings based solely on smells.
The olfactory-based virtual reality system could lead to a fuller understanding of odor-guided navigation and explain why mammals have an aversion to unpleasant odors, an attraction to pheromones and an innate preference to one odor over another. The system could also help tech developers incorporate smell into current virtual reality systems to give users a more multisensory experience.
"We have invented what we jokingly call a 'smellovision,'" said Daniel A. Dombeck, associate professor of neurobiology in Northwestern's Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences, who led the study. "It is the world's first method to control odorant concentrations rapidly in space for mammals as they move around."
The study was published online today, Feb. 26, by the journal Nature Communications.
Researchers have long known that odors can guide animals' behaviors. But studying this phenomenon has been difficult because odors are nearly impossible to control as they naturally travel and diffuse in the air. By using a virtual reality system made of smells instead of audio and visuals, Dombeck and graduate student Brad Radvansky created a landscape in which smells can be controlled and maintained.
"Imagine a room in which each position is defined by a unique smell profile," Radvansky said. "And imagine that this profile is maintained no matter how much time elapses or how fast you move through the room."
That is exactly what Dombeck's team developed, using mice in their study. Aided by a predictive algorithm that determined precise timing and distributions, the airflow system pumped scents - such as bubblegum, pine and a sour smell - past the mouse's nose to create a virtual room. Mice first explored the virtual environment through both visual and olfactory cues. Researchers then shut off the visual virtual reality system, forcing the mice to navigate the room in total darkness based on olfactory cues alone. The mice did not show a decrease in performance. Instead, the study indicated that moving through a smell landscape engages the brain's spatial mapping mechanisms.
Not only can the platform help researchers learn more about how the brain processes and uses smells, it could also lay the groundwork for human applications.
"Development of virtual reality technology has mainly focused on vision and sound," Dombeck said. "It is likely that our technology will eventually be incorporated into commercial virtual reality systems to create a more immersive multisensory experience for humans."
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The study is titled "An olfactory virtual reality system for mice."
The research was supported by The McKnight Foundation, The Klingenstein Foundation, The Whitehall Foundation, the Chicago Biomedical Consortium with support from the Searle Funds of The Chicago Community Trust, the National Institutes of Health (award number 1R01MH101297) and the National Science Foundation (award number CRCNS 1516235).
COLUMBUS, Ohio - Cleaning up beaches could boost local economies in addition to preserving natural treasures and animal habitats.
In southern California's Orange County alone, the economic benefits of beach cleanup could range from $13 per resident in a three-month period if debris were reduced by 25 percent to $42 per resident with a 75 percent drop in plastics and other trash along the oceanfront, according to a new study. That could mean up to a $46 million boost to the county's economy in just one summer.
This is the first study to compare the amount of ocean debris with the behavior of beachgoers and to calculate an economic benefit to cleaning up those beaches, said Tim Haab, a professor of agricultural, environmental and development economics at The Ohio State University.
To come up with an estimated benefit, Haab and his co-authors embarked on a two-part study, which appears online in the journal Marine Resource Economics. The work was done in collaboration with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's marine debris program.
The researchers evaluated the amount of ocean debris on 31 California beaches and found that some were much dirtier than others. Debris includes plastics that wash in from ships, trash that finds its way to shore from rivers and the litter that beach visitors leave behind.
The research team also mailed surveys to 4,000 randomly selected Orange County residents to learn about which beaches they frequent and what they look for in a good sun-and-surf spot. They heard back from 36 percent of those households and analyzed their 1,436 completed surveys. Some people visited the beach often, others less frequently. Information from thousands of beach trips went into the analysis.
Overall, the Californians ranked absence of marine debris and good water quality as key characteristics when deciding on a beach to visit - 66 percent of those surveyed called those factors "very important." Those qualities ranked above scenic beauty, convenient parking and sandiness.
The researchers were able to take information about the participants' beach-use patterns - and how far they travel to get to a desirable beach - to calculate a travel cost linked to skipping nearby dirty beaches in favor of longer jaunts to cleaner coastline. They took other influences on beachgoer behavior, such as availability of trash cans and beach congestion, into account when analyzing the data.
"A lot of work has been done to quantify the physical costs of ocean debris, but until now we haven't been able to quantify the economic benefit of cleaning up the beaches and preventing the problem in the first place," Haab said.
"We were able to correlate ocean debris with trip patterns and arrive at potential cost savings if people went to closer beaches."
Estimated savings ranged from $29.5 million ($12.91 per Orange County resident) to $46.5 million ($42.30 per Orange County resident) in a three-month period. The lower-end estimate was based on a 25 percent reduction in debris; the higher-end estimate on a 75 percent reduction.
"Given the magnitude of these benefits, a variety of marine debris abatement activities is likely to prove cost effective," the researchers wrote.
"In 2016, outdoor recreation accounted for $374 billion, or 2 percent, of the gross domestic product in the United States. This shows that improving environmental quality can benefit the economy," Haab said.
He said the savings could be even greater than outlined in the study. It did not take into account travelers from outside Orange County, for instance, nor did it consider benefits beyond those afforded to beach visitors, such as a healthier habitat for marine life.
The study could serve to inform policy decisions by showing that there are economic reasons - in addition to the environmental ones - to look for ways to prevent ocean debris and clean up the plastics and other litter on beaches.
"We put a dollar value on beach cleanup efforts. This is important because it helps government agencies quantify the benefits of efforts to keep marine debris out of our waterways and off of our beaches," said study co-author Christopher Leggett of Bedrock Statistics.
Haab would like to work on a larger-scale evaluation of the economic impact of ocean debris to better understand differences in coastal communities around the U.S. and abroad, he said.
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Other researchers who worked on the study were Nora Scherer of Industrial Economics, Ryan Bailey of Borrego Solar, Jason Landrum of the Lenfest Ocean Program and The Pew Charitable Trusts and Adam Domanski of ECONorthwest.
The study was supported by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
#
CONTACT: Tim Haab, 614-292-6237; Haab.1@osu.edu
Detective work by Rice University chemists has defined a deception in graphene catalysts that, until now, has defied description.
Graphene has been widely tested as a replacement for expensive platinum in applications like fuel cells, where the material catalyzes the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) essential to turn chemical energy into electrical energy.
Because graphene, the atom-thick form of carbon, isn't naturally metallic, researchers have been baffled by its catalytic activity when used as a cathode.
Wonder no more, said Rice chemist James Tour and his crew, who have discovered that trace quantities of manganese contamination from graphite precursors or reactants hide in the graphene lattice. Under the right conditions, those metal bits activate the ORR. Tour said they also provide insight into how ultrathin catalysts like graphene can be improved.
The research appears in the journal Carbon.
Because the contrast between carbon and manganese atoms is so slight, trace atoms of the contaminants can't be seen with traditional characterization techniques like X-ray diffraction and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS).
"Labs have reported 'metal-free' graphene catalysts, and the evidence they've gathered could easily be interpreted to show that," Tour said. "In fact, the tools they were using simply weren't sensitive enough to show the manganese atoms."
A more sensitive tool, inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS), clearly saw the interlopers among samples made by the Rice lab.
Nitrogen-doped graphene test samples were reduced from graphene oxide and then acid-washed between one and six times. With each wash, the ICP-MS scan showed fewer manganese atoms and detected none in graphene samples washed six times. By the fifth wash, the catalytic activity totally changed and showed the former activity had been due to those residual metal atoms.
The lab reported no manganese atoms were observed in any of the same samples using conventional analytical tools, including XPS or transmission electron microscopy.
The researchers characterized the samples' ORR activity and found twice-washed nitrogen-graphene was most effective. These samples tended to incorporate single atoms of manganese into the graphene structure, which facilitated full reduction of oxygen through a four-electron process in which four electrons are transferred to oxygen atoms, usually from hydrogen.
"In a four-electron process, oxygen is reduced to water or hydroxide," said Rice graduate student Ruquan Ye, the paper's lead author. "However, peroxide is formed in a two-electron process, which results in a lower diffusion-limited current density and generates hazardous reactive oxygen species." Ye said that without metal, the ORR in graphene is far less efficient.
Tour said the results should lead to investigation of the role of trace metals in other materials thought to be metal-free.
"Single-atom catalysts can hide among graphene, and their activity is profound," he said. "So what has sometimes been attributed to the graphene was really the single metal buried into the graphene surface. Graphene is good in its own right, but in these cases, it was being made to look even better by these single metal-atom stowaways."
Co-authors are graduate students Luqing Wang and Yilun Li and Boris Yakobson, the Karl F. Hasselmann Professor of Materials Science and NanoEngineering and a professor of chemistry; Ruben Mendoza-Cruz of Rice and the University of Texas at San Antonio; Miguel Jose Yacaman of the University of Texas at San Antonio; and Juncai Dong, Peng-Fei An and Dongliang Chen of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing.
The research was supported by the Air Force Office of Scientific Research, the Office of Naval Research, the National Center for Research Resources, the National Science Foundation-Partnerships for Research and Education in Materials, the National Institutes of Health's National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities, the National Natural Science Foundation of China and the Jianlin Xie Foundation of the Institute of High Energy Physics, Chinese Academy of Science.
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Read the paper at https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0008622318302124
This news release can be found online at http://news.rice.edu/2018/02/26/rice-sleuths-find-metal-in-metal-free-catalysts/
Follow Rice News and Media Relations via Twitter @RiceUNews
Related materials:
Tour Group: http://www.jmtour.com
Wiess School of Natural Sciences: http://natsci.rice.edu
Located on a 300-acre forested campus in Houston, Rice University is consistently ranked among the nation's top 20 universities by U.S. News & World Report. Rice has highly respected schools of Architecture, Business, Continuing Studies, Engineering, Humanities, Music, Natural Sciences and Social Sciences and is home to the Baker Institute for Public Policy. With 3,970 undergraduates and 2,934 graduate students, Rice's undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio is just under 6-to-1. Its residential college system builds close-knit communities and lifelong friendships, just one reason why Rice is ranked No. 1 for quality of life and for lots of race/class interaction and No. 2 for happiest students by the Princeton Review. Rice is also rated as a best value among private universities by Kiplinger's Personal Finance. To read "What they're saying about Rice," go to http://tinyurl.com/RiceUniversityoverview.
The state of a woman's immune system during pregnancy may shape the connectivity of her child's brain, suggests a study of teenage mothers published in JNeurosci. The research emphasizes the influence of maternal health on a child's susceptibility to psychiatric disorders later in life.
Marisa Spann, Bradley Peterson and colleagues studied adolescents (ages 14 to 19) pregnant with their first child to examine the relationship between two proteins released by the mothers' immune systems during the third trimester of pregnancy and the development in the infants of a brain network involved in disorders such as autism, schizophrenia and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. The researchers found that higher maternal levels of these proteins were associated with greater connectivity of the infants' brain regions in this network and with higher cognitive ability at 14 months of age. Activation of the maternal immune system was also associated with lower fetal heart rate at the end of gestation, which may indicate delayed development of the autonomic nervous system. These results suggest that the final weeks of pregnancy have an important influence on a child's brain development.
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Article: Maternal immune activation during the third trimester is associated with neonatal functional connectivity of the salience network and fetal to toddler behavior
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1523/JEUROSCI.2272-17.2018
Corresponding author: Bradley Peterson (Children's Hospital Los Angeles, CA, USA), bpeterson@chla.usc.edu
About JNeurosci
JNeurosci, the Society for Neuroscience's first journal, was launched in 1981 as a means to communicate the findings of the highest quality neuroscience research to the growing field. Today the journal remains committed to publishing cutting-edge neuroscience that will have an immediate and lasting scientific impact while responding to authors' changing publishing needs, representing breadth of the field and diversity in authorship.
About The Society for Neuroscience
The Society for Neuroscience is the world's largest organization of scientists and physicians devoted to understanding the brain and nervous system. The nonprofit organization, founded in 1969, now has nearly 37,000 members in more than 90 countries and over 130 chapters worldwide.
TORONTO, Feb. 26, 2018--"Is there a doctor on board?"
Hearing this call go out at 36,000 feet can be anxiety-provoking for any physician and may trigger a dilemma of whether to respond, or wait to see if anyone else will offer their expertise.
That's why physicians at St. Michael's Hospital have developed practical recommendations for in-flight medical emergencies for healthcare professionals, published online today in the journal CMAJ.
More and more people are travelling by plane each year, with approximately 2.75 billion passengers flying on commercial airlines annually, according to the authors. In Canada, there were 133.4 million airline passengers in 2015, a 27 per cent increase from 2009, they said.
This increase in patient traffic, along with longer flights that increase the stress of flying on the body and a greater proportion of older passengers and those with pre-existing medical conditions, have led to an increase in in-flight medical emergencies in recent years, according to the authors.
"Every health-care professional is likely to hear this call at some point while flying, but for most of us, treating patients on a plane is a completely unfamiliar scenario," said Dr. Alun Ackery, an emergency physician at St. Michael's Hospital and senior author of the recommendations. "We wanted to provide a better understanding of what to expect and how to respond if you're called to assist in one of these emergencies."
The recommendations, developed in collaboration with Air Canada and WestJet, provide an overview of the available medical equipment, the environmental challenges of treating patients on a plane, the airlines' policies and procedures as well as the legal and ethical duties of physicians to respond to a call for assistance.
Every plane with at least 100 passenger seats is legally required to carry a medical kit, according to Transport Canada. Although Transport Canada also outlines the minimal requirements the medical kit must contain, individual airlines have the flexibility to enhance the contents as they see fit, the authors said.
In a video accompanying the recommendations, the authors unpacked Air Canada's medical kit to help health-care professionals further understand what resources will be available during an in-flight emergency.
"Each airline's kit is going to look different, and the contents aren't always going to be familiar, which adds another layer of complexity to an already stressful situation," said Dr. David Kodama, an emergency resident at the University of Toronto and lead author of the recommendations.
In Canada, Quebec is the only province that imposes a legal duty on physicians to come to the assistance of a person in a life-threatening emergency, the authors said. All jurisdictions, however, have legislation that protects physicians who voluntarily provide emergency medical assistance at the scene of an accident or in an emergency, they said.
The Canadian Medical Association and the Canadian Medical Protective Association both suggest physicians have an ethical obligation to provide their best assistance during an emergency, according to the authors.
"We recognize that hearing the call go out for a physician on board a flight can be unexpected, but we do have an obligation to respond," said Dr. Ackery. "We hope these recommendations will provide healthcare professionals with enough knowledge to make that call a little bit less anxiety-provoking in the future."
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About St. Michael's Hospital
St. Michael's Hospital provides compassionate care to all who enter its doors. The hospital also provides outstanding medical education to future health care professionals in more than 29 academic disciplines. Critical care and trauma, heart disease, neurosurgery, diabetes, cancer care, care of the homeless and global health are among the Hospital's recognized areas of expertise. Through the Keenan Research Centre and the Li Ka Shing International Healthcare Education Center, which make up the Li Ka Shing Knowledge Institute, research and education at St. Michael's Hospital are recognized and make an impact around the world. Founded in 1892, the hospital is fully affiliated with the University of Toronto.
For more information, or to arrange an interview, please contact:
Kelly O'Brien
Communication Adviser--Media
Phone: 416-864-5047
obrienkel@smh.ca
CINCINNATI--A $1.97 million five-year grant from the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences will allow a University of Cincinnati (UC) College of Medicine researcher to continue his investigation into how Bisphenol A (BPA), a common component of polycarbonate plastics used in consumer products, may impact heart health.
Hong-Sheng Wang, PhD, associate professor in the Department of Pharmacology and Systems Physiology, and other UC researchers previously conducted research showing that BPA has pro-arrhythmic effects in rodent hearts. Now he hopes to further examine the chemical's potential cardiac toxicity using other animal models and data from a human cohort. BPA is an endocrine hormone disrupter that can interfere with the actions of native estrogen and other hormones.
The study will also examine the cardiac impact of Bisphenol S (BPS), says Wang. In the past decade the movement to introduce BPS, a substitute for BPA, has grown. Researchers have also raised concerns about BPS possibly impacting human health based on research in animal models.
"Our ultimate goal is to understand the toxicity of BPA and how it relates to human hearts," says Wang, also a member of the UC Heart, Lung and Vascular Institute. "BPA at an environmentally relevant level is not likely to give a healthy heart arrhythmias, but our data show that it is a risk factor. This pro-arrhythmic effect may become more relevant in hearts that are predisposed to arrhythmias."
Wang is a principal investigator on this research project along with Jack Rubinstein, MD, associate professor in the UC Division of Cardiovascular Health and Disease and a UC Health cardiologist. Also, collaborating on this project are Susan Pinney, PhD, professor in the Department of Environmental Health, and Changchun Xie, PhD, associate professor in the Department of Environmental Health.
Wang says the research team will also examine data from the Fernald Medical Monitoring Program (FMMP) to determine what correlation BPA exposure may have with cardiac electrical abnormalities in a human cohort. FMMP contains data and bio specimens from more than 9,700 people enrolled in an 18-year medical monitoring project originally designed to examine health outcomes of residents living near a former uranium processing plant in Crosby Township, Ohio, 18 miles northwest of Cincinnati.
Researchers will review medical records and EKG data of Fernald participants and measure BPA in urine biospecimens collected on the same day, in order to look for an association between BPA level and cardio abnormality, explains Wang.
"The combination of a human cohort and a large animal model makes our research much more compelling and powerful," says Wang. "Fernald was designed to monitor the health of the local population that may have been exposed to uranium, but it unintentionally gives us this nice data set so we can look at other data points."
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Interested researchers may apply to the Fernald Community Cohort, directed by Pinney, for access to data and bio specimens for research studies. For more information visit https://med.uc.edu/eh/research/projects/fcc
ANN ARBOR -- Forests across the United States -- and especially forest soils -- store massive amounts of carbon, offsetting about 10 percent of the country's annual greenhouse gas emissions and helping to mitigate climate change.
But for more than 20 years, experts have warned that the strength of this carbon "sink" is declining and will level off around mid-century. One way to compensate for the declining sink strength of U.S. forests is to add more trees -- by actively replanting after disturbances like wildfires or by allowing forests to retake marginal croplands, for example.
A study scheduled for online publication the week of Feb. 26 in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences provides the first empirically based, published estimate of the total amount of carbon currently accumulating in the topsoil of U.S. forests undergoing these two types of reforestation.
The University of Michigan-led research team also looked at the potential to expand carbon sequestration in reforesting areas.
"Where reforestation is happening -- either through planting of trees or through encroachmen t-- these lands are actively adding carbon to a large pool that will continue to grow for many decades," said U-M ecologist and biogeochemist Luke Nave, the study's lead author.
"The topsoils of reforesting lands provide a significant long-range solution to the problem of the declining carbon-sink strength of U.S. forests, and they help to mitigate climate change. Even modest increases in the amount of land being reforested would have a multiplicative impact on nationwide carbon sequestration."
The researchers found that reforesting topsoils across the country are currently adding 13 million to 21 million metric tons (13-21 teragrams) of carbon each year, an amount equivalent to about 10 percent of the total U.S. forest-sector carbon sink and offsetting about 1 percent of all U.S. greenhouse gas emissions.
Over the next century, reforesting U.S. topsoils will sequester a cumulative 1.3 to 2.1 billion metric tons (1.3-2.1 petagrams) of carbon, accounting for nearly half of the soil-carbon gains occurring on U.S. forestland, said Nave, an assistant research scientist at the U-M Biological Station and in the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology.
And the amount of stored carbon could increase dramatically if the nation's reforesting acreage, currently at nearly 200,000 square miles, grows.
As part of the study, the researchers looked at U.S. forestlands that have experienced major disturbances, such as intense wildfires or severe insect outbreaks, using National Forest Inventory data from the last several decades. They found that only about 7 percent of the forestlands available for replanting have been replanted.
When they looked at marginal croplands undergoing reforestation, they found that carbon-storage gains to date are only about 10 percent of their potential. That finding highlights "the substantial C-sink capacity of this land-use transition if these lands are allowed to continue returning towards a natural forest condition," the authors wrote.
For their study, the researchers combined satellite imagery with some 15,000 on-the-ground measurements of topsoil carbon from two national-level databases. One of the databases, from the International Soil Carbon Network, includes soil-carbon measurements at the U-M Biological Station near Pellston.
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Co-authors of the PNAS paper are Grant Domke, Brian Walters, Charles Perry and Christopher Swanston of the U.S. Department of Agriculture-Forest Service; Kathryn Hofmeister of Cornell University; and Umakant Mishra of Argonne National Laboratory.
Nave and Swanston, who collaborated through the Northern Institute of Applied Climate Science, completed the work to help Forest Service researchers and land managers document the carbon benefits of reforestation.
The work was supported by funding from the U.S. Department of Agriculture-Forest Service and the National Science Foundation. The study is titled "Reforestation can sequester two petagrams of carbon in U.S. topsoils in a century." Once the article publishes, it will be available at http://www.pnas.org/cgi/doi/10.1073/pnas.1719685115.
http://myumi.ch/a0RyZ
A University of Pennsylvania paleontologist has described a 5.5 million-year-old fossil species of turtle from eastern Tennessee. It represents a new species of the genus Trachemys, commonly known as sliders, which are frequently kept as pets today.
Steven Jasinski, author of the new study, is a doctoral student at the University of Pennsylvania and acting curator of paleontology and geology at the State Museum of Pennsylvania. He is completing his Ph.D. at Penn under Peter Dodson, a professor of paleontology in the Department of Earth and Environmental Science in the School of Arts and Sciences and a professor of anatomy in the School of Veterinary Medicine.
The study investigated a fossil turtle found around the Miocene-Pliocene boundary in the Gray Fossil Site, an area rich with fossils in eastern Tennessee near East Tennessee State University, where Jasinski completed his master's degree. The site represents an ancient sinkhole surrounded by a forest from which dozens of fossil animal species have been characterized, including new species of red panda, Eurasian badger, kinosternid turtle, and colubrid snake.
Thorough examination of the dozens of turtle fossils from the site revealed important differences between this turtle and other known fossil and living species. Jasinski named the fossil turtle Trachemys haugrudi, after Shawn Haugrud, the lab and field manager and lead preparer at the Gray Fossil Site.
"Shawn has spent an incredible number of hours working on these specimens," Jasinski said. "He cleaned and prepared the fossils and was able to essentially glue this turtle back to life, giving me numerous nearly complete turtle shells to use in this research. Without all that time and effort, I wouldn't have been able to determine nearly as much about this turtle as I did.
"Shawn also didn't do this work alone, as numerous other people including volunteers worked on these fossils and got them prepared so that I could complete my research. They really did all the hard work, and I was then able to determine why it was new and what its implications are" he said.
Turtles are best known for their shells, and indeed it is this feature of their anatomy that is commonly found as fossils. Yet the fossil shells are typically found in broken pieces. Often gaps or holes remain, or only single small pieces are found, and the whole must be inferred from other information, including other fossil and living creatures.
"It is extremely rare to get more complete fossils," Jasinski said, "but Trachemys haugrudi, commonly called Haugrud's slider turtle, provides me with dozens of shells, and several are nearly complete."
Haugrud's slider turtle was a fairly small turtle, not more than approximately 10 inches (25 cm) in total shell length, smaller than the modern-day red-eared slider turtle, Trachemys scripta elegans. Red-eared slider turtles are commonly purchased as pets, though they can grow large, and some owners release them into the wild. As a result, though native to the southeastern United States, red-eared sliders have become one of the most invasive animal species in the world today, found on every continent except Antarctica.
"People tend to see all turtles as similar and release them into whatever pond or river is close by when they no longer want to care for them," Jasinski said. "Once released, however, they often outcompete native species. It is a problem that scientists are still dealing with."
As part of the study, Jasinski sought to determine where Trachemys haugrudi was positioned in the evolution of similar turtles both within the genus and in related genera. He performed a phylogenetic analysis, a method that compares shapes and features of different species to determine how similar or dissimilar and therefore how closely related they may be. He found Haugrud's to be most closely related to a group of fossil Trachemys turtles from Florida and next most closely related to a distinct group of fossil Trachemys from the midwestern U.S. Together, these fossil Trachemys form a closely related group situated within other still-living species of Trachemys.
Today, distinct, closely-related groups of Trachemys species dwell in Mexico, Central and South America, and the Caribbean. Jasinski's investigation, along with other information from previous studies, indicates that one group evolved in Mexico and Central and South America and evolved into different species within this geographic area, and another group evolved separately in the Caribbean.
Species from the U.S., including the red-eared slider turtle, are found near the base of their "branch" of the Trachemys family tree; their fossil ancestors are still waiting to be discovered. The fossil Trachemys species in Jasinski's analysis are on a distinct part of the Trachemys tree, and current understanding suggests that they did not give rise to the modern species living today.
The findings imply that there was once much greater diversity in Trachemys turtles than exists today. It seems that many of the ancient slider species died out without leaving any direct descendents, perhaps because they lacked the ability to adapt to different environments.
"While Trachemys turtle species are considered plastic, implying they can adapt to and live in many environments, this adaptive lifestyle may be a relatively newer characteristic of these turtles," Jasinski said. "More fossils are needed to better understand if this aspect of their evolution is a recent addition."
To get a handle on invasive turtles, understanding more about their ancient relatives could only be helpful, Jasinski said.
"Trachemys haugrudi helps provide more information on Trachemys and begins to offer us insights into the evolution of an animal that has become a problematic invader in many areas of the world," he said. "Understanding how something evolved into its present form may help us understand why an animal is so adaptive and good at invading new areas and outcompeting native species. If we can see that Trachemys today are especially adaptive because evolution has allowed them to become more generalized through time, we can use that information to determine where they may invade, what species they may outcompete and what we can do to counteract those invasions or help native species compete against them."
Jasinski is undertaking further study into the fossil species of not only Trachemys but other turtles within the family Emydidae, which includes Trachemys. He hopes that further data and fossils will help shed light on other turtle species and provide a clearer understanding of the evolution of this group of mainly New World turtles.
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The study was supported by the National Science Foundation (Grant 0958985 to Steven Wallace and the Gray Fossil Site), Office of Research and Sponsored Programs at East Tennessee State University, Don Sundquist Center of Excellence in Paleontology, State Museum of Pennsylvania, and Department of Earth and Environmental Science at the University of Pennsylvania.
"This is awesome," said Brendan Eder '19, moments after setting eyes on a tabletop glowing brightly in a darkened room in Wegmans Hall.
The chemical engineering major from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, repeated that comment more than once during the next half hour, as he and two other students continually rearranged coffee mugs and popsicle sticks on the tabletop's glass surface to simulate reactions in a real-life, sprawling chemical plant.
The exercise was part of an innovative, augmented reality (AR) teaching experiment in which:
Coffee mugs became virtual 10-cubic meter reactors - both plug flow reactors (PFR) and continuous stirred tank reactors (CSTR); popsicle sticks served as the virtual pipes that connect them; a nob let students adjust the temperature inside each reactor as it was added to the configuration; QR coding on the bottom of the reactors enabled a camera inside the table to capture each reactor's precise location; the information was relayed to a computer where the simulations were run; and a projector inside the table flashed the results onto the tabletop--all in real time.
"We're trying to use AR as a way to enable new types of STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) undergraduate laboratories that weren't possible before," explains Andrew White, assistant professor of chemical engineering.
"What we've done is build a hands-on, tactile, collaborative lab where students can explore putting together multiple reactors at different temperatures, and see what effect this has on optimizing a chemical reaction."
More important, however, is the effect the table could have on optimizing the students' educational experience.
"This is a really a needed piece in higher education," says April Luehmann, an associate professor and director of secondary science education at the Warner School of Education, who is collaborating on the project.
"We know a lot about what's important in learning that doesn't ever get translated into the classroom," she says. Opportunities to engage in dialogue with fellow learners; to make mistakes; to wrestle with complex, real-life problems that have no single answer; and to physically interact in an environment--all of these should be part of the process, she says.
"That doesn't happen when students are asked to do problems one through four on page 262, turn it in, and the only interaction they have is with a professor who tells you whether the final number you arrived at is right or wrong."
"A table like this can allow so much more than that to happen," Luehmann says.
Eventually, the table will be connected to the University's super computer, allowing for even more sophisticated simulations, says Brendan Mort, director of the Center for Integrated Computing (CIRC), who is also collaborating on the project.
White, Luehmann, and Mort have also proposed working with the Rochester Museum & Science Center on developing an AR platform simulating oil and water at the molecular level, to show what happens when there's an oil spill.
White, whose expertise is in using experiments, molecular simulations, and machine-learning to design new materials, has explored other innovative ways to teach his students.
For example, he loaded all of his lectures and course content for a class on numerical methods and statistics onto an open source web application called Jupyter Notebook, where students can:
create their own notebooks to do homework and keep notes; easily copy and paste all the equations and other course content they need; use the platform's interactive features to solve the equations and to create dynamic graphs; incorporate videos, text, and code all in the same documents; and export their work as websites, PDFs, or slideshows.
And they don't have to spend $160 or more for the textbook that would otherwise be used to the teach the class.
To assess the effectiveness of the AR table as a teaching tool, members of Luehmann's research team conducted an experiment. They videotaped four students doing a task at the table, while a control group of four other students addressed the same task in a classroom, using computers, spreadsheets, and white boards.
About 30 minutes into the exercise, Luehmann's team noticed that as the students at the table leaned in to reconfigure the reactors and pipes, they would say something like, "how about . . ."--and then move a reactor without even finishing the sentence.
In other words, they "started reasoning with their bodies," Luehmann says. "At some point, the need for dialogue and words was transcended. That's great because the table gave the students more resources to communicate, a richer set of literacies."
"If we're going to prepare chemical engineering students to be part of a knowledge society," she says, "they need to be able to negotiate complex, ill-structured tasks. And that's the kind of thing that happens at that table."
Luehmann's team is still analyzing the videos, as well as the pre- and post-experiment surveys and interviews with the students involved in the exercise. The results will help the team refine its methodologies for further assessing the table's effectiveness when it is used as part of a chemical engineering class later this semester.
But as far as Eder is concerned, the verdict is already in. "I would love to see this kind of teaching tool become more prevalent," he says of incorporating AR into classrooms and labs. "Bringing useful technology to hands-on experiential learning gives us an excellent resource."
"Engineering is all about real-world applications," adds Sabrina Westgate '19, a chemical engineering major from Conway, Massachusetts, who also had a chance to use the table. "We learn a lot in the classroom, but to be able to see a visual breakdown like this is really helpful. I think this has a lot of potential to help both students and actual engineers in the field, which is awesome."
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Purnendu "Sandy" Dasgupta, the Hamish Small Chair of Ion Analysis in UTA's Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, has been named the 2018 Distinguished Texas Scientist by the Texas Academy of Science.
Dasgupta also was recently named the recipient of the 2018 American Chemical Society's Division of Analytical Chemistry Chemical Instrumentation Award.
"Only elite scientists who have made significant international contributions in their fields are selected for these prestigious awards, and Dr. Dasgupta is truly among the greats," said Morteza Khaledi, dean of the UTA College of Science. "He not only challenges but also inspires his colleagues and students in our college and his research is applied science - it is improving public health on a global scale. I congratulate Dr. Dasgupta on yet another honor in his remarkable career."
Dasgupta was previously named the recipient of the 2017 Talanta Medal, an international award in the field of analytical chemistry. The Talanta Medal will be presented in March. In January, one of his papers was listed in The Analytical Scientist as among ten landmark literature papers in the discipline for 2017.
"It is a big thrill that this is happening and an honor to be among the other teachers and scholars who have received these awards," Dasgupta said. "They have all left behind a cadre of very successful students, and that is what is most exciting to me.
"The Distinguished Texas Scientist Award is particularly special because I've spent all of my professional career in Texas," he added. "I'm also touched that this is an award for a scientist, not a chemist, because while we often like to compartmentalize things, I'm proud that the impact of my work is seen as going beyond the disciplines."
Dasgupta, considered a pioneer in the field of ion chromatography, is perhaps most recognized for his work in iodine nutrition. He testified before Congress on the significance of perchlorate in women's breast milk. Perchlorate interferes with iodine uptake and iodine is the single most important element in thyroid hormones, which govern neurodevelopment.
Among his lab's active research projects are an environmentally friendly analysis of arsenic in drinking water, the development of a NASA-funded ion chromatograph for testing extraterrestrial soil and the measurement of cyanide in saliva, blood and breath to more rapidly treat cyanide poisoning. Dasgupta says his lab "fosters builders, not users."
The first recipient of the Texas Academy of Science's Distinguished Texas Scientist Award in 1979 was Dr. Michael DeBakey, a legendary heart doctor who is widely considered one of the greatest heart surgeons in history. Another recipient was Ilya Prigogine, who also received the Nobel Prize in Chemistry.
Dasgupta is only the second UTA researcher to receive the Texas Academy of Science's Distinguished Texas Scientist Award. Jonathan Campbell, professor of herpetology and chair of the Amphibian and Reptile Diversity Research Center at UTA, was named the 2003 Distinguished Texas Scientist. Since its inception in 1979, the award has been given to three times as many biologists as chemists.
"Dr. Dasgupta is most deserving of this award, and the recognition is long overdue," Campbell said. "This is an extremely rewarding honor because it not only recognizes his achievements, but it also means his peers in Texas have taken notice of the impact of his work."
Dasgupta's father and grandfather were also educators. His family instilled in him a passion for discovery and education, which explains his love of teaching.
"Awards are really just a reflection of what my students have done," he said. "To see enlightenment in their eyes - nothing can replace that pleasure. Each and every one of them contributes something unique to my ideas. So, I can't take credit for these awards. In fact, I'm thankful to all of my students because this recognizes what they have done."
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KNOXVILLE, Tenn. -- Kimberly L. Jensen, a professor at the University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture has received the 2018 Lifetime Achievement Award from the Southern Agricultural Economics Association.
The award is given in recognition of her considerable contributions to the agricultural economics profession and to Southern agriculture. Jensen accepted the award at the 2018 SAEA annual meeting, which was held February 5-6 in Jacksonville, Florida.
"Dr. Jensen is a highly respected faculty member and leader within the UT Institute of Agriculture," said Bill Brown, UTIA dean of AgResearch. "In addition to being an excellent collaborator, teacher and mentor, she also has an uncanny ability to process a complex issue, synthesize information and make the issue understandable. She is very deserving of this award."
Jensen conducts research and teaches economic analysis of agricultural markets and marketing functions in the Department of Agricultural and Research Economics. Her research interests include bioenergy economics; agribusiness; analysis of value-added agricultural markets; consumer preference and demand for food and fiber products; and environmental labeling.
She is also a founding member of both the Agri-Industry Modeling and Analysis Group (AIM-AG), and the Biobased Energy Analysis Group (BEAG). AIM-AG's mission is to assess and project the impacts of agri-industry development on the Tennessee economy, while the mission of BEAG is to provide decision makers in government and industry with up-to-date economic and environmental analyses of the biobased industry at the firm, state, regional and national levels.
Her research has received more than $4 million in grant and contract funding. Jensen's research client base includes producer organizations; USDA; U.S. Department of Energy; EPA; Tennessee Department of Agriculture; Tennessee Valley Authority; Tennessee Department of Tourist Development; Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development; U.S. Forest Service; and local economic development agencies. She has developed more than 300 publications and presentations, including 65 peer-reviewed journal articles, and continues serving as a mentor to future agricultural economists.
Jensen earned her Ph.D. in agricultural economics from Oklahoma State University; a master's in agribusiness from Arizona State University; and a bachelor's in bioagricultural science from Arizona State University. She joined the ARE faculty in 1986 and currently teaches Microeconomic Applications to Agricultural and Resource Markets and The Food and Agricultural Marketing System.
The University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture celebrates 50 years of excellence in providing Real. Life. Solutions. through teaching, discovery and service. ag.tennessee.edu.
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February 26, 2018 - Commonly used ICU risk scores can be "repurposed" as continuous markers of severity of illness in critically ill patients--providing ongoing updates on changes in the patient's condition and risk of death, according to a study in the March issue of Critical Care Medicine, official journal of the Society of Critical Care Medicine (SCCM). The journal is published by Wolters Kluwer.
Three ICU risk scores, designed for different purposes, "performed reasonably well as a marker of severity of illness at admission, as well as throughout the ICU stay, demonstrating that it is possible for risk models to perform well even when deployed for uses other than originally intended," write Omar Badawi, PharmD, MPH, FCCM, and colleagues of Philips Healthcare, Baltimore. The study illustrates how the use of "Big Data" can advance our understanding of critically ill patients, drawing on extensive data contributed by tele-ICU programs across the United States.
One of Three ICU Risk Models Performs Best in Predicting Mortality
The study used data from the Philips eICU Research Institute database, which assembles clinical data from a diverse mix of hospitals using tele-ICU software. The analysis included de-identified data on more than 560,000 ICU patient stays, contributed by 333 ICUs at 208 US hospitals. The data covered nearly 39 million patient-hours of ICU care.
The analysis transformed three widely used ICU risk scores--designed to be assessed for different clinical scenarios--into continuous risk markers:
Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation IV (APACHE): Perhaps the best-known ICU risk score, originally designed to estimate the risk of death on admission to the ICU.
Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA): Originally designed to assess organ failure risk in patients with sepsis, the SOFA score was later validated for assessment every 48 hours to assess mortality risk.
Discharge Readiness Score (DRS): Designed to assist ICU discharge decisions by estimating the risk of death in the first 48 hours after the patient leaves the ICU.
Hourly values for all three scores were evaluated as predictors of mortality risk. Overall, 4.8 percent of patients died in the ICU.
As continuous markers, all three models showed good accuracy in predicting the risk of death in the ICU, as well as risk of death within 24 hours. Of the three scores, the DRS had the highest predictive value. For patients in the highest ten percent of risk based on average score, the percentage who died was 30.4 percent with APACHE (average score > 80.0), 26.5 percent with SOFA (average score >7.6), and 36.4 percent with DRS (average score >13.0). The results were similar on analysis of hospitals with larger numbers of patients and deaths.
Looking closely at trends in each score during the ICU stay provided insights into the differences between the three models. Even in survivors, APACHE and SOFA scores tended to increase throughout the first 24 hours in the ICU. In contrast, the DRS decreased during the first 24 hours for survivors. That suggests that the DRS was more responsive to changes in patient condition--especially improvements.
The authors hypothesize that these differences may be attributed to model design. Both APACHE and SOFA primarily rely on the "worst" values of the preceding 24 hours to calculate a score. In contrast, DRS relies primarily on summary measures of the preceding 24 hours, such as averages and coefficient of variation.
Those observations highlight the need to be aware of differences in model design, and how the predictions may vary across ICU settings and in patients with varying characteristics. To help ICU clinicians understand these differences, Dr. Badawi and colleagues have created an online interactive data visualization tool.
"These findings suggest that it is possible to repurpose risk models for use outside of their original design, but with caveats," Dr. Badawi and coauthors conclude. They emphasize the need for further studies to determine the clinical relevance of continuous severity of illness indicators, and the need for caution when introducing these models in differing ICU settings. Dr. Badawi added, "Risk models provide objective data regarding patient status but users must combine their clinical judgment with an understanding of the model design in order to interpret the score for specific patients."
Click here to read "Evaluation of ICU Risk Models Adapted for Use as Continuous Markers of Severity of Illness Throughout the ICU Stay."
DOI: 10.1097/CCM.0000000000002904
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Note to editors: For further information, contact Curtis Powell, Director of Marketing and Communications for SCCM: phone +1 (847) 827-7282 or +1 (312) 285-6551; or email cpowell@sccm.org.
About the Society of Critical Care Medicine
The Society of Critical Care Medicine (SCCM) is the largest nonprofit medical organization dedicated to promoting excellence and consistency in the practice of critical care. With members in more than 100 countries, SCCM is the only organization that represents all professional components of the critical care team. The Society offers a variety of activities that ensures excellence in patient care, education, research and advocacy. SCCM's mission is to secure the highest quality care for all critically ill and injured patients. Visit http://www.sccm.org for more information. Follow @SCCM or visit us on Facebook.
About Critical Care Medicine
Critical Care Medicine is the premier peer-reviewed, scientific publication in critical care medicine. Directed to those specialists who treat patients in the intensive care unit and critical care unit, including chest physicians, surgeons, pediatricians, pharmacists/pharmacologists, anesthesiologists, critical care nurses and other healthcare professionals, Critical Care Medicine covers all aspects of acute and emergency care for the critically ill or injured patient. Each issue presents critical care practitioners with clinical breakthroughs that lead to better patient care, the latest news on promising research and advances in equipment and techniques. Follow @CritCare Med.
About Wolters Kluwer
Wolters Kluwer N.V. (AEX: WKL) is a global leader in information services and solutions for professionals in the health, tax and accounting, risk and compliance, finance and legal sectors. We help our customers make critical decisions every day by providing expert solutions that combine deep domain knowledge with specialized technology and services.
Wolters Kluwer reported 2016 annual revenues of 4.3 billion. The company, headquartered in Alphen aan den Rijn, the Netherlands, serves customers in over 180 countries, maintains operations in over 40 countries and employs 19,000 people worldwide.
Wolters Kluwer Health is a leading global provider of information and point of care solutions for the healthcare industry. For more information about our products and the organization, visit http://www.wolterskluwer.com/, follow @WKHealth or @Wolters_Kluwer on Twitter, like us on Facebook, follow us on LinkedIn, or follow WoltersKluwerComms on YouTube.
Maunakea, Hawaii - An international team of astronomers led by the Max Planck Institute for Astronomy (MPIA) has made a surprising discovery about the birthplace of groups of stars located in the halo of our Milky Way galaxy.
These halo stars are grouped together in giant structures that orbit the center of our galaxy, above and below the flat disk of the Milky Way. Researchers thought they may have formed from debris left behind by smaller galaxies that invaded the Milky Way in the past.
But in a study published today in the journal Nature, astronomers now have compelling evidence showing that some of these halo structures actually originate from the Milky Way's disk itself, but were kicked out.
"This phenomenon is called galactic eviction," said co-author Judy Cohen, Kate Van Nuys Page Professor of Astronomy at Caltech. "These structures are pushed off the plane of the Milky Way when a massive dwarf galaxy passes through the galactic disk. This passage causes oscillations, or waves, that eject stars from the disk, either above or below it depending on the direction that the perturbing mass is moving."
"The oscillations can be compared to sound waves in a musical instrument," said lead author Maria Bergemann of MPIA. "We call this 'ringing' in the Milky Way galaxy 'galactoseismology,' which has been predicted theoretically decades ago. We now have the clearest evidence for these oscillations in our galaxy's disk obtained so far!"
For the first time, Bergemann's team presented detailed chemical abundance patterns of these halo stars using the W. M. Keck Observatory on Maunakea, Hawaii.
"The analysis of chemical abundances is a very powerful test, which allows, in a way similar to the DNA matching, to identify the parent population of the star. Different parent populations, such as the Milky Way disk or halo, dwarf satellite galaxies or globular clusters, are known to have radically different chemical compositions. So once we know what the stars are made of, we can immediately link them to their parent populations," said Bergemann.
The scientists investigated 14 stars located in two different halo structures - the Triangulum-Andromeda (Tri-And) and the A13 stellar overdensities. These two structures lie on opposite sides of the Milky Way disk; about 14,000 light years above and below the Galactic plane (see Figure 1).
The team obtained spectra of the halo stars using Keck Observatory's High-Resolution Echelle Spectrometer (HIRES).
"The high throughput and high spectral resolution of HIRES were crucial to the success of the observations of the stars in the outer part of the Milky Way," said Cohen. "Another key factor was the smooth operation of Keck Observatory; good pointing and smooth operation allows one to get spectra of more stars in only a few nights of observation. The spectra in this study were obtained in only one night of Keck time, which shows how valuable even a single night can be."
The team also obtained a spectrum of one additional star taken with the European Southern Observatory's Very Large Telescope (VLT) in Chile.
When comparing the chemical compositions of these stars with the ones found in other cosmic structures, the scientists were surprised to find that the chemical compositions are almost identical, both within and between these groups, and closely match the abundance patterns of the Milky Way outer disk stars.
This provides compelling evidence that the halo stars most likely originate from the Galactic thin disk (the younger part of Milky Way, strongly concentrated towards the Galactic plane) itself.
These findings are very exciting because they indicate the Milky Way's disk and its dynamics are significantly more complex than previously thought.
"We showed that it may be fairly common for groups of stars in the disk to be relocated to more distant realms within the Milky Way - having been 'kicked out' by an invading satellite galaxy. Similar chemical patterns may also be found in other galaxies, indicating a potential galactic universality of this dynamic process," said co-author Allyson Sheffield of LaGuardia Community College/CUNY.
As a next step, the astronomers plan to analyse the spectra of additional stars in the Tri-And and A13 overdensities, as well as stars in other stellar structures further away from the disk. They also plan to determine masses and ages of these stars so they can constrain the time limits of when this galactic eviction took place.
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ABOUT HIRES
The High-Resolution Echelle Spectrometer (HIRES) produces spectra of single objects at very high spectral resolution, yet covering a wide wavelength range. It does this by separating the light into many "stripes" of spectra stacked across a mosaic of three large CCD detectors. HIRES is famous for finding planets orbiting other stars. Astronomers also use HIRES to study distant galaxies and quasars, finding clues to the Big Bang. HIRES was made possible by funding generously provided by the William J. and Dorothy K. O'Neill Foundation.
ABOUT W. M. KECK OBSERVATORY
The W. M. Keck Observatory telescopes are among the most scientifically productive on Earth. The two, 10-meter optical/infrared telescopes on the summit of Maunakea on the Island of Hawaii feature a suite of advanced instruments including imagers, multi-object spectrographs, high-resolution spectrographs, integral-field spectrometers, and world-leading laser guide star adaptive optics systems.
Some of the data presented herein were obtained at Keck Observatory, which is a private 501(c) 3 non-profit organization operated as a scientific partnership among the California Institute of Technology, the University of California, and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. The Observatory was made possible by the generous financial support of the W. M. Keck Foundation.
The authors wish to recognize and acknowledge the very significant cultural role and reverence that the summit of Maunakea has always had within the Native Hawaiian community. We are most fortunate to have the opportunity to conduct observations from this mountain.
For more information, visit: http://www.keckobservatory.org
Mounting calls for Switzerland to introduce a blockchain-based national cryptocurrency continue to fall on deaf ears at the Swiss National Bank (SNB).
Romeo Lacher, chairman of the SIX Group that runs the Swiss stock exchange, recently added his voice to the debate by advocating such a virtual currency. An e-franc under the control of the central bank would create a lot of synergies so it would be good for the economy, he told the Financial Times newspaper. I dont like cash.
In response to these comments, the SNB repeated its message to the FT that it did not consider any need for such a move.
Several other countries have made announcements (some extremely vague) about adopting a national currency based on the decentralized blockchain ledger. The main advantage would be to allow people to make payments peer-to-peer without the need of middle men thus reducing costs and increasing the efficiency of transactions.
Volatility cure?
Several cryptocurrencies already exist, but they are not currently backed or issued by central banks. It is thought that pegging a cryptocurrency to a national fiat currency, and having tokens issued by a central bank, would solve the issue of wildly escalating prices.
Bitcoin, the original and most famous cryptocurrency, surged in value from around $1,000 (CHF935) to $20,000 (CHF18,700) last year before falling back to below $7,000 in January. A single bitcoin currently trades at around $10,000.
Earlier this month, the Fintech Rockers think tank of Swiss financial professionals issued its vision of a Crypto Franc to be run on a national blockchain and issued by the SNB. This plan would also involve the Swiss financial regulator and cantons in supervising such a digital currency.
Such blockchain infrastructure, carried jointly by all Swiss cantons, will have an equivalent catalyst effect as the initial introduction of the railway system or the creation of the Gotthard tunnel during the age of industrialization, the document stated.
Grassroots support for a national cryptocurrency was also put forward by two leading academics from the University of Basel, speaking at the inaugural Crypto Finance Conference in St Moritz in January. But Aleksander Berentsen and Fabian Schar said they doubted whether Swiss authorities would risk the countrys reputation on such experimental technology, particularly with the current fears of cryptocurrencies being used for money laundering and other criminal ends.
International pilots
Sweden, where cash is being rapidly phased out, is one of the global leaders in this field, advocating an e-krona. Estonia is also planning an estcoin that would give the small Baltic state, which is already active in the blockchain field, a head-start in the national cryptocurrency stakes.
Venezuela has recently launched the petro a digital currency backed by its oil reserves and is reportedly planning a second coin backed by precious metals. It is also rumoured that Iran is considering a similar route.
But for the time being, at least, Switzerlands appetite for a national cryptocurrency appears meagre in a land where cash is king, change happens slowly, and the economy remains steady.
swissinfo.ch
A new Swiss school has been officially opened in the United Arab Emirates. The private institution is the 19th Swiss school abroad and the largest such establishment.
The Swiss International Scientific School in Dubai (SISD) offers curriculums in English and Arabic as well as German and French for up to 2,000 pupils and students, according to a statement.
It also provides 350 international boarding places, making it the largest Swiss school abroad.
The SISD was formally inaugurated with a ceremony attended by dignitaries from the emirates and the Swiss canton of Valais, the official Swiss patrons on Monday.
The school, which is an initiative of Swiss residents in the emirate in the Middle East, boasts an eco-friendly campus and pledges to promote healthcare careers, a sector which is apparently thriving in Dubai.
The current network of Swiss schools abroad is spread over several continents, notably in Europe and Latin America.
Last December, the Swiss School in Beijing the first of its kind in China was officially recognised by the Swiss government. The school opened a few months before.
swissinfo.ch with SDA/ATS; urs
Ignazio Cassis spoke today at the Geneva Conference on Disarmament and pledged Switzerlands full support for efforts to prevent armed conflicts.
He urged the UN Secretary-General to take ambitious and targeted measures in todays polarised world and said that the international security situation had become much more unstable since the end of the Cold War.
He called the city of Geneva an international centre for dialogue and peace which played an important role in helping to combat the many challenges the planet faced today.
Cassis particularly pointed out the risk of nuclear conflict and called on North Korea to comply with UN Security Council resolutions regarding disarmament. North Korea should cease its development of nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles, he said.
+Find out why Switzerland holds of signing nuclear ban treaty
And aside from sanctions, Cassis said it was essential to maintain dialogue to reach a political solution and said that Bern is ready to facilitate a dialogue between North and South Korea.
The minister said creating a world without nuclear weapons was a colossal task.
Syrian conflict
Cassis also raised the issue of the repeated use of chemical weapons in the Syrian conflict and said that the international community must react with a strong and collective response.
The humanitarian consequences of such armed conflicts on civilian populations was a major challenge today, he said.
As we speak, the horror of war affects children, women and men in Damascus and too many innocent civilian victims, medical staff, patients and humanitarian aid workers are being attacked, he said.
Switzerland welcomed Security Council Resolution 2041 which was passed on Saturday, said Cassis, and called on all parties to implement it with immediate effect. The resolution calls for an immediate end to the fighting and the establishments of a humanitarian truce lasting at least 30 days in Syria.
SDA-ATS/ln
German prosecutors said Monday they were dropping a probe into whether Facebook bosses including Mark Zuckerberg were condoning hate speech online.
Executives at the social media giant found themselves the target of a complaint filed in 2016 that alleged they were not taking sufficient action to clamp down on racist content.
Concern has risen in Germany over the vitriolic comments made by some Facebook and Twitter users, which gained intensity as public misgivings grew in some quarters over the arrival of more than a million asylum seekers since 2015.
Lawyer Chan-jo Jun, who initiated the claim, had compiled 442 Facebook posts containing incitement of hatred and violence, as well as support for terrorist groups.
But he said the social network failed to delete them, even though they were repeatedly flagged up as offensive speech.
Despite the list of posts, the prosecutor said: Failing to delete illegal posts on the internet platform in a timely way is not a basis for suspicion of criminal behaviour by executives at Facebook.
Germany has in recent months moved to clamp down against online hate speech.
A new law that came into force on January 1 requires social media giants to remove hate speech and other illegal content, or risk fines of up to 50 million euros ($57 million).
Under the legislation, companies like Twitter and Facebook would have 24 hours to remove posts that openly violate German law after they are flagged by users.
Fierce protests by free-speech advocates against the law known as NetzDG prompted the government to announce in early January it was already considering modifications.
hmn/tgb/dcr
President Emmanuel Macron's government unveiled Monday plans to push through reforms of France's mammoth rail system, daring to tread where his predecessors have failed.
State rail operator SNCF is struggling under debts of 46.6 billion euros ($57.5 billion), not least due to a huge pension burden from drivers who can retire in their early 50s.
The situation is alarming, Prime Minister Edouard Philippe said.
Whether or not they take the train, the French are paying more and more for a public service that works less and less well.
New recruits will no longer benefit from a special rail workers status that includes a job for life, seven-hour days and generous pensions.
And the government will consider turning the huge state operator into an autonomous company backed by public funds, though Philippe insisted it would never be privatised.
Unions have already called a strike for March 22 after a government-commissioned report recommended the changes.
And further industrial action could be on the horizon after Philippe said the reforms would be pushed through by government decree.
Ex-investment banker Macron has already used the controversial tactic seen by his critics as undemocratic since it allows him to bypass parliament to force labour reforms aimed at shaking up the sluggish economy.
Union officials are to meet Tuesday to discuss their response to the governments plans, with the CFDT urging an indefinite strike starting March 1.
On Monday, Laurent Brun, head of the CGT Cheminots union, the largest among rail workers, warned he was ready to lead a month of strikes in order to force the government to back down.
We are surely on our way to one of the biggest union actions in the SNCFs history, he told Le Parisien newspaper.
Oil on the fire
FO union chief Jean-Claude Mailly warned that using similar decrees to reform the SNCF would pour oil on the fire.
Philippe insisted he was not looking for a fight, saying that consultations would be carried out from next month before the reforms are pushed through mid-year.
We want to move quickly without sidestepping consultations or parliamentary debate, he said, adding that fears of closures on provincial lines were unfounded.
Successive governments have failed to reform the heavily unionised rail sector.
In 1995, the national train network ground to a virtual halt for weeks over then prime minister Alain Juppes attempts to reform the rail workers benefits.
Frances train network is considered among the best in Europe, ranked seventh in the 2017 European Railway Performance Index by consultants BCG.
But commuters in the provinces complain of patchy service and frequent cancellations, and Philippe claimed that running a French train is 30 percent more expensive than elsewhere in Europe.
The reforms follow a government-commissioned report by former Air France boss Jean-Cyril Spinetta which criticised the quality of service offered by the SNCF.
Unions blasted the report which also suggested voluntary redundancies and lashed out in particular at proposals to cut back on benefits.
More than 90 percent of SNCF staff some 140,000 people enjoy the special rail worker status.
Train drivers can retire at 52, while other benefits include access to tens of thousands of homes, sometimes at reduced rent.
Rail workers will join civil servants striking on March 22 over redundancy proposals and higher use of short-term contracts as Macron seeks to slash 120,000 public-sector jobs over five years.
Unions have staged several major protests since the business-friendly centrist came to power in May, but Macron has so far avoided the mass strikes and demonstrations under his predecessor Francois Hollande.
liu-soe/kjl/js/ach
Turkey on Saturday warned France against increasing its military presence in Syria, saying it would be an "invasion", as tensions between Paris and Ankara remained high.
Temperatures were raised after French President Emmanuel Macron on Thursday met a delegation of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) made up of Kurdish and Arab fighters.
Kurdish officials said afterwards that France was planning to send new troops to Manbij a northern Syrian town held by the Kurdish YPG militia a claim Paris denied.
If France takes any steps regarding its military presence in northern Syria, this would be an illegitimate step that would go against international law and in fact, it would be an invasion, Turkish Defence Minister Nurettin Canikli said.
Especially if they intend to support terror group elements or give direct or indirect protection with armed forces, this would be a really calamitous step, he added during a visit to the northeastern province of Giresun.
Turkey itself sent troops into Syria and launched an operation against the Kurdish Peoples Protection Units (YPG) militia in its Afrin enclave on January 20 and drove out the group from the city on March 18.
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has repeatedly warned that Turkey could extend the offensive to Manbij, which is east of Afrin.
But Macrons office on Friday said Paris was not planning any new military operation on the ground in northern Syria outside the international coalition against the Islamic State extremist group.
Ankara views the YPG as a terrorist offshoot of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), which has waged an over three-decade insurgency in Turkey.
The PKK is blacklisted as a terror organisation by Turkey and its Western allies.
But the United States, as well as France, have worked closely with the YPG in the fight against IS in Syria, much to Ankaras anger.
Erdogan on Friday criticised Frances wrong stance and rejected Macrons offer of establishing a dialogue between Ankara and the SDF.
We have no need for mediation, Erdogan said. You can sit down at the table with terror organisations but Turkey will continue its fight against terror.
Save region from bloody gangs
The NATO allies previously clashed over Macrons comments in late January when he said he would have a real problem with the Afrin offensive if it turned into an outright invasion.
But Erdogan at the time sought to reassure him, saying Turkey had no eye on Syrian territory.
On Saturday, Erdogan insisted during a speech in Istanbul that Turkeys action was not an invasion, but to save the region from bloody gangs.
He told France to look back at its own history, and made reference to Algeria and the 2011 Libya intervention which Erdogan described using the term occupation.
How can you stand up and give us a lesson on civilisation? First look at your own history, he thundered.
British opposition leader Jeremy Corbyn on Monday called for a new customs union with the European Union after Brexit in a policy shift that could force Prime Minister Theresa May to change course.
Just days before a keynote speech by May on her desired future trading relationship with the European Union, the Labour leader drew a clear line between his policy and that of the government.
Labour would seek to negotiate a new comprehensive UK-EU customs union to ensure that there are no tariffs with Europe and to help avoid any need whatsoever for a hard border in Northern Ireland, Corbyn told an audience in Coventry, central England.
Britain is currently part of the EUs customs union, which has a common external tariff on imports, allowing goods to move freely inside the area.
But it would leave after Brexit in March 2019.
Citing the example of integrated supply chains in the car industry, Corbyn said it makes no sense for Britain to turn its back on tariff-free trading rules that have served as well.
The Confederation of British Industry, Britains big business lobby, has also called for a customs union with the EU.
Normally such unions preclude members from doing their own trade deals with other countries the reason the option has been ruled out by May.
Corbyn offered a caveat, saying: The option of a new UK customs union with the EU would need to ensure the UK has a say in future trade deals.
Foreign minister Boris Johnson, a leading Brexit supporter, accused Corbyn of cynicism.
Corbyns Brexit plan would leave UK a colony of the EU unable to take back control of our borders or our trade policy, he said on Twitter.
White flag from Labour before talks even begin.
The prime ministers spokesman was unequivocal: The government will not be joining a customs union. We want to have the freedom to sign our own trade deals and to reach out into the world.
Commons showdown
Talks on the future relationship are due to begin with Brussels next month, and after repeated calls for clarity from the EU, the prime minister is due to set out her opening position on Friday.
Labours position shift could prove problematic.
Any Brexit deal must be agreed by the 650-seat House of Commons, where Mays Conservatives only have a slim majority thanks to the support of Northern Irelands Democratic Unionists and where Labour has 259 seats.
A showdown could come sooner than that, after rebel Conservative MPs tabled an amendment to a draft trade bill calling for a customs union.
I appeal to MPs of all parties, prepared to put the peoples interests before ideological fantasies, to join us in supporting the option of a new UK customs union with the EU, that would give us a say in future trade deals, Corbyn said.
Some Labour MPs are unhappy with the shift, however, with one suggesting Corbyn was betraying its many working-class supporters who backed Brexit in the 2016 referendum.
Its the latest wheeze by the well-oiled machine in this country to undo the referendum, eurosceptic Labour MP Frank Field told the Daily Telegraph.
Boris Johnson concluded: Crumbling Corbyn betrays Leave voters and all because he wants to win a Commons vote. Cynical and deluded.
Single market relationship
May says Britain will leave the EUs single market after Brexit, and Corbyn accepts this.
But he cautioned on Monday that new free trade deals with China or the United States would not compensate for loss of trade with the bloc.
The left-winger, who advocates a radical programme of nationalisations and public spending, said his priority was to get the best deal for peoples jobs, living standards and the economy.
He called for a new and strong relationship with the single market, which includes full tariff-free access and a floor under existing rights, standards and protections.
Pro-European Labour MPs welcomed the shift, but said it did not go far enough.
The only sure and certain way to get the benefits of single market membership is to be a member of the single market and we should not pretend otherwise, said backbench MP Chris Leslie.
British opposition leader Jeremy Corbyn called for "a new comprehensive UK-EU customs union" after Brexit on Monday in a major policy shift that could force Prime Minister Theresa May's government to change course.
Labour would seek to negotiate a new comprehensive UK-EU customs union to ensure that there are no tariffs with Europe and to help avoid any need whatsoever for a hard border in Northern Ireland, the Labour leader said.
Giving the example of integrated supply chains in the car industry, Corbyn said in a closely-watched speech that it makes no sense for Britain to turn its back on tariff-free trading rules that have served as well.
We are also clear that the option of a new UK customs union with the EU would need to ensure the UK has a say in future trade deals, Corbyn said, speaking in Coventry, central England.
A new customs arrangement would depend on Britain being able to negotiate agreement of new trade deals in our national interest, he said.
But Corbyn also cautioned that free trade deals with China or the United States would not compensate for loss of trade with the European Union.
Brexit is what we make of it, together, he said.
Labours priority is to get the best Brexit deal for jobs and living standards, he added.
Writing a creativity book is one of Chicagoan Randi Brill's big milestones and she just reached another. Her new book, 99 Creative WOWsWords of Wisdom for Business, was selected to be part of the "Everyone Wins" Nominee Gift Bags honoring the best and brightest Oscar nominees in the top five major acting and directing categories (Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Supporting Actor, Best Supporting Actress, Best Director).
The "Everyone Wins" Nominee Gift Bags are NOT affiliated in any way with the OSCARS or the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences. A.M.P.A.S. does not award, sponsor, endorse or provide these Gift Bags. Neither the Academy nor Distinctive Assets wants there to be any association in the media between the "Everyone Wins" Gift Bags and the OSCARS or the Academy.
Generating feverish global interest from countless media outlets that find the story irresistible, these Distinctive Assets Gift Bags have come to be eagerly anticipated by the nominees themselves. And, gift/goodie bags are right up Brill's creative alley. Long touted "The Creative Goodie Bag Queen," Brill has been curating her own bags for the nation's top educational publishers for decades. So, upon hearing this news, Brill's unbridled creativity took off yet again.
"When I learned 99 Creative WOWsWords of Wisdom for Business will be part of this 'bag to top all gift bags,' I knew I had to rapidly dream up a WOW!-worthy presentation for these savvy celebrities. The Celebrity Creativity Kit! is an out-of-the-box presentation of the book that's personalized for each recipient," says Brill. The kit is filled with an array of creative supplies to inspire these top celebs to explore and enjoy these meaningful words of wisdomand tap into their own WOWs. "To know Meryl Streep, Octavia Spencer, Christopher Plummer, Denzel Washington, Jimmy Kimmel, and so many other talented creative powerhouses will explore this and further spark their own already-amazing creativity is incredible. This kind of discovery is why I wrote and designed the book in the first place."
"So well designed are Randi's WOWs that every page turned creates a stimulus for change/improvement/learning Randi Brill has created the go-to book for the fast track to success no matter the level of the reader. This is an indispensable, must-read book on every level."
-Grady Harp, Amazon Top 100 Hall of Fame Reviewer
Simultaneous entrepreneur Brill's inspirational quick-read book helps all creative and business types fast track new paths to excellence through the creative, business, and personal life lessons Brill learned the hard way. Ideal for Hollywood's winning combinations of both creativity and business, Brill's pocket-sized and portable book of WOWs will soon be in the hands of talented and highly creative celebrities and business leaders, alike.
As 'The Creative Goodie Bag Queen,' special packaging kits are a logical and everyday move for Brill. "There's significant value in enhancing strong work with an equally powerful presentation. It underscores the vibrant creativity my clients expect. Yet, it's about a whole lot more than the goodies, relabeled candy bars, clever turns of phrase, fun supplies, and even our appreciation," says Brill. "It's about communicating with creative excellencefrom start to finish. Brill's goodie bag history is even behind the book's WOWs #50 and #51, respectively. 'When the work is STRONG, extra details add value.' 'Conversely, 'when work is weak, nothing extra hides that.'" Brill thrives on delivering strong creative work, presented well, at every turn.
As a creative director, president, motivational speaker and author, this "Goodie Bag Queen" can soon say her books have been in the hands of many famous creative greats. This opportunity once again proves that the book's WOW #32 really works"Outlandish ideas may be plausible with creative determination." As Brill says, "Outlandish? Perhaps. Amazing? Absolutely! If only I could hand deliver the kits personallyI'd wear my ruby slippers, of course!"
99 Creative WOWsWords of Wisdom for Business ISBN 978-0985403515, 2017, Randiland Press, softcover, $18.95,119 pages, ebook, $12.95, available on Amazon and Goodreads or the author's website: http://www.99WOWs.com/
About Randi Brill
Launching and leading successful creative businesses has been Randi Brill's forte since 1982. Randi offers succinct, memorable sound bites based on her personal, business and creative life as a simultaneous entrepreneur in 99 Creative WOWs Words of Wisdom for Business, available on Amazon along with other 99 WOWs products. Randi's book graphically presents her words of wisdom, offering readers an inspirational roadmap to success. For more information on Randi, her book, creative business ventures and more, visit www.99wows.com and www.quaracore.com Full bio available upon request.
Media Contact: For a review copy of 99 Creative WOWs - Words of Wisdom for Business or to arrange an interview with Randi Brill, contact Scott Lorenz of Westwind Communications Book Marketing at scottlorenz@westwindcos.com or by phone at 734-667-2090. Follow Lorenz on twitter @abookpublicist
Monday, February 26, 2018
FORESIGHT STRATEGIES SHOW PREPARES ENTREPRENEURS WITH FORESIGHT AWARENESS
"Foresight awareness is like having an eagles panoramic view of your opportunities"
NEW HAMPTON, NY - March 2018 How do entrepreneurs design and prepare a preferred future for their business? Well, preparing your business for the future is essential because rapid changes are affecting today's business. Dr. Nilda Perez host and Rachel Calderon co-host of Foresight Strategies Show (FSS) are dedicated to presenting foresight to entrepreneurs and small business owners.
In most cases foresight awareness is fundamental because if you do not watch trends most likely you are not seizing opportunities that are readily available. The FSS helps entrepreneurs and small business owners discover how they can stand far apart from their competition through awareness of trends, scenarios, and designing your desired future.
The Foresight Strategies Show promotes thought leaders from diverse industries whom showcase how they have implemented foresight into their perspective industry. The show is interactive so that the audience can ask questions, make suggestions, support the topic through their communication and guests respond to questions bringing synergy to the topics presented.
"Foresight awareness is a vow to trust the process that will expose your mindset to an distinctively uncommon way to view your industry, your environment, the world."
This month's guests are experts in anthropology and design, blockchain, globalization, research, education, and real-estate.
March 3rd Dr. Natalie Nixon, CEO of Figure 8 Thinking discusses "Anthropology and Fashion Design Seen Through Foresight Eyes."
March 10th Sergio Marrero, CEO of the Rebel Method answers the question "Can Bitcoin/Blockchain Space Create a One World Currency?"
March 17th- Dr. Claire Nelson CEO of Futures Forum and member of the Association of Professional Futurist , explains "How We Can Share Our Future Globally."
March 24th- Jerome Glenn Director of the Millennium Project and member of the APF, discusses how "Entrepreneurs Discover Futures Competency."
March 28th- Dr. Peter Bishop Founder/Executive Director of Teach the Future and member of the APF explains how teaching Gen-Z is critical to the future in his talk "Teaching the Future: Is this Possible?"
March 31st- Pat Dunham CEO of Tiny House Advisor, explains "The Future of Tiny Spaces"
"Prepare, Grow & Sustain The Future of Your Business Through Foresight Intelligence"
Sunday, February 25, 2018
How can you make your funeral and final arrangements more eco-friendly? There are more ways than you may realize. Take a death positive approach and learn what you need to know before you go!
If you live in the Denver area, on March 9, come hear Certified Thanatologist Gail Rubin speak on Going Green: New Trends in Death Care.
The modern funeral is changing. When you learn about new death care trends in the United States, youll say, We can do that? Gail will use film clips to illustrate issues regarding green burial, embalming, cremation, alkaline hydrolysis, other developing body disposition methods, and DIY/home funerals.
About Gail Rubin
Gail Rubin, CT, is a pioneering death educator who uses humor and funny films to teach about end-of-life topics. She authored three books on end-of-life issues and is the coordinator of the Before I Die ABQ Festival. Shes also a Certified Funeral Celebrant. Download a free 50-point Executors Checklist from her website, www.AGoodGoodbye.com.
The talk is sponsored by Heflebower Funeral & Cremation Services of Highlands Ranch and Seven Stones Botanical Garden Cemetery in Littleton.
What: Free talk on Going Green: New Trends in Death Care by pioneering death educator Gail Rubin, CT.
Who: Gail Rubin is a death educator who brings a light touch to a serious subject. Shes the author of A Good Goodbye: Funeral Planning for Those Who Dont Plan to Die and Kicking The Bucket List: 100 Downsizing and Organizing Things to Do Before You Die.
When: Friday, March 9, 12:30 p.m. to 2:00 p.m.
Where: Telluride/Monarch Room, Eastridge Recreation Center, 9568 S University Blvd, Highlands Ranch, CO, 80126.
RSVP: Call Seven Stones to express your interest in attending: 303-717-7117.
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Seven weeks into 2018, there have been eight shootings at US schools that have resulted in injury or death. We have not only a pandemic of the flu in America; we are in the midst of a pandemic of school shootings. We again witnessed the horror of another school shooting at the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Florida. The media airways are filled with experts in enumerable fields asserting what they believe could be the various causes of these shootings in America.
The shooters have mental health issues, an obsession with guns and all show tendencies of isolation and withdrawal from society. Another factor that enters the conversation is that most of the shooters spent enormous time playing violent video games. The psychological community is divided. Some psychologists believe there is a link and others do not.
According to a story from The Miami Herald, Nikolas Cruz, the Stoneman Douglas school shooter, played video games for up to 15 hours a day. A source who knew Cruz well said Cruz liked to play violent, shooting games.
It only seems logical that people who play violent video games that glorify murdering people, hours each day of their lives, could have a propensity to shoot real people too. For each person you shoot, you get more points. When a victim begs for their lives, and you kill them, you get more points to your score. This all seems very sick and perverse to me. Don't we use these types of games to train our military to go into combat and kill combatants? These military trainees learn to become detached from killing and learn to do it as a necessary function. Why would young men who do this "training" every day not become detached, mechanical, and aggressive?
Let's be honest Americans. We are a disturbing country that extolls violence. Our culture reflects our passion for violence in our movies, television, music, Internet sites, and video games.
I believe these violent video games are propagating enormous violence, disrespect for human life and a sense of me against you mentality. There is nothing good that can come out of learning to play a game that rewards me for dehumanizing behavior such as shooting, striking, stabbing, blowing up, dismembering, or torturing another human being. As I go through my day I hear various people talk about their child going to their room to play these violent video games for hours. I can't even imagine allowing this in your home. It's not play people. It's not just a game either. It is pure violence!
I have been a student of Thich Nhat Hanh for many years. He teaches that a critical tenant of mindfulness is reverence for all life. One of the vows made to this holy monk is called The First Mindfulness Training which is "Reverence for Life." When you become a student, you make the vow below.
"Aware of the suffering caused by the destruction of life, I am committed to cultivating the insight of interbeing and compassion and learning ways to protect the lives of people, animals, plants, and minerals. I am determined not to kill, not to let others kill, and not to support any act of killing in the world, in my thinking, or in my way of life." -- Thich Nhat Hanh
So, in my world, this statement means I cannot in any way support any violent video games because they support the act of killing in the world, in my thinking and in my way of life when I play them. How can anyone justify sitting for hours slaughtering other human beings on a screen?
Jimmy Hasslocher, 66, was 8 years old when he stood on a crate to work a counter for whats now Frontier Enterprises, the family-owned operator of 18 Jims restaurants as well as the Magic Time Machine, La Fonda Alamo Heights and Frontier Burger on Loop 410, which opened in April 2016 to throngs of San Antonians curious about the burger that started it all in 1947.
His father, G. Jim Hasslocher, started from scratch, renting Army surplus bicycles and selling watermelon slices at Brackenridge Park before venturing into the drive-in that sold burgers cooked on a charcoal broiler at Brackenridge Park and meeting his wife and lifetime business partner, Veva Ball.
Jims restaurants are part of the landscape of San Antonio, as is Jimmy Hasslocher himself. In addition to serving five terms on the city council and acting as mayor pro-tem, he sits on the boards of Bexar County Hospital District, the Alamo Area Council of Governments and is chairman of Texas Parks & Wildlifes Operation Game Thief. Hes also president of the Bexar Metro 911 Network District and a lifetime trustee of Boysville. In July, he will assume presidency of the Texas Restaurant Association.
Hasslocher sat down recently with the San Antonio Express-News at Frontier Burger his fathers dream representing a full-circle return to the original charcoal broiled burger to talk about his familys now seven-decade legacy in the restaurant industry. Here is an edited transcript of the interview:
Now Playing: Business reporter Lynn Brezosky sat down to chat with Jimmy Hasslocher, CEO and president of Frontier Enterprises Inc. Video: San Antonio Express-News
Q: With your dad passing away, as well as Ron Gomez, the former Whataburger executive whod been helping out, it took a long time to open Frontier Burger. Hows it going?
More Information Quick facts on Jimmy Hasslocher Morning Routine: I get up and fix coffee (Jim's coffee) at home, eat my apple and stuff that my wife wants me to eat and then I look at my emails. I go to our maintenance division. And then I go into the office. I spend time fielding phone calls, talking to people in our corporate headquarters, heading out looking at our stores. What book are you reading: "The Simple Truths of Service" by Barbara Glanz and Ken Blanchard. I found it at an airport. It's a great little quick read. What's your favorite restaurant, other than one of yours: Somebody asked me that a couple of weeks ago and I said, "Hey, look. I'm going to be president of the Texas Restaurant Association, so I don't want to get myself in trouble." But I do like Italian food. I do like my La Fonda Alamo Heights restaurant. First job with an actual paycheck: HemisFair '68. Passion/hobby outside of work: Our ranch in Maverick County and I like going to the coast. Though like many other Texans, we got clobbered pretty hard by Hurricane Harvey. If you could pick and entirely different career, what would it be: I like real estate. See More Collapse
A: All of these restaurants have their own individual personalities and so this one has really been a fun project.
Ill tell you a great story about this. We went to a focus group a couple of years before we did this. Daddy and I were sitting there watching through a window, and they asked, What do you think people would say about a charcoal broiled frontier burger? And they said, Well, you cant do that, cause thats Jims. And Jims has charbroiled, but this is open flame cooking.
And at the end of the day, they said, We recommend you dont build this place. So we got in the car and we drove a few blocks, and my dad turned to me and said, They just dont understand it, do they? and I said No, I guess they dont.
Daddy was a real student of the industry. He and my mother traveled extensively to look at different restaurants around the country.
Q: You mentioned that when you first opened Frontier, there were some mishaps.
A: The crowds were overwhelming. I mean, we had officers out here directing traffic. Some of the orders werent made correctly. People got frustrated with the long lines.
Q: Any idea how many customers you had that first week?
A: Well I can tell you this for sure: If you took three of the best Jims and put their sales together for a 24-hour basis this store opened at about 10:30 in the morning and closed at 10 at night. And this store was outpacing three of our best 24-hour Jims combined. It was just unbelievable.
Q: Ive read the familys had to evolve over the years, move away from the car hops and all of that because of the competition with fast food?
A: Yeah. We had car hops. We had electrohops where youd push a button and somebody would bring a tray out.
It was hard to compete with the national chains and their marketing and advertising.
Q: What are your top sellers?
A: They really havent changed. Hamburgers are still very popular, chicken fried steaks, morning breakfast pancakes, biscuits, gravy. People just like comfort food. You know in the Jims, we put healthy stuff on the menus and some people will eat it but the majority wont.
Q: Whats your favorite?
A: Well, my wife Tracie watches me pretty close and makes sure that I try to eat healthy. But every once in a while Ill sneak over here and eat a hamburger and taste a couple of onion rings or french fries and shell ask me when I get home, What did you have for lunch? And she knows Im not a good liar, so she can look at my face and say busted.
Q: Im always struck by your staff and how friendly they are. How do you find these people?
A: You know, we spend a lot of time trying to find people but not only that, trying to train them and tell them how important it is when the customer walks through the door. Theyve got one chance to really make it happen. Theyre really our representatives, and weve got people that have been in this company over 50 years.
One of my favorite things when we do interviews is, Tell me what you didnt tell me in the interview. ... Tell me about what kind of baggage are you bringing to my front steps that I dont know about?
What made you interested in this job? Is this just a job or do you have a passion for it? If you dont like it and you dont have a passion, youre not going to be very good at it.
And you know I guess our culture and our company is changing but part of that culture has to be that they have to know that youre going to care about them and its not always about the business.
Q: How do you make your employees feel valued?
A: I think part of it is talking to them, interacting with them. I had an employee who told me one day in one of the stores, Im sick. And I said, How sick? He said, I dont know, but Im sick.
So I said, OK, heres what were going to do. Im going to get daddys car out of the garage and and Im going to have somebody take you on a road trip, youre going to go see a specialist. So we picked him up, took him out of town. The doctors diagnosed what he had and did the surgery.
And I just had that happen in the last three weeks with another employee that came to me. They did surgery and this persons home recuperating.
Q: Did you always have a sense for the business?
A: When I was a kid I had a vending machine company. I had pinball machines, gumball machines, cigarette machines.
Q: You mean when you were an over-18 kid?
A: (Whimsical smile) About 16. Actually 14. I used to go out and fill the machines and fix them. I had a friend who knew I wasnt old enough to buy cigarettes but he would sell them to me at a wholesale, because he was selling them to the company and not me personally.
Anyway, we did a lot of business and I learned a lot from it. I had a guy come up to me one day and he said, Why are you doing this, you dont need to work. And I said, Oh yes, I got to work. I mean, Ive got to earn my own money and my own way.
My wife tells me Im a pretty good breakfast cook.
Several years ago I had a request from a friend to do some breakfast tacos, and we had to have them out real early. And so we met over Hildebrand and San Pedro, Jims number four. And I turn around and all of my guys, all of my top management team that I think the world of, theyve all taken off and I cant figure out where theyre at. And I look out of my right eye and theyre sitting over there, taking pictures of me cooking in the kitchen.
When we opened La Fonda one night we got caught. So I went in there and realized what was happening and took my coat off and went in there and started washing dishes. And everybodys looking at me and I said, Please everybody, go do what you need to do. Im going to wash dishes.
Q: What about setbacks?
A: Weve had em. We opened restaurants that didnt work well. Weve ventured into stuff that was outside of our restaurant expertise and found out we really should have stuck with what we knew.
Q: Such as?
A: We did a casino boat one time and then we did some land ventures that didnt work out well. And weve opened some restaurants that we thought were going to be really good restaurants, but people just didnt like them.
Q: Are you planning to follow your dads footsteps and be at this in your 90s?
A: Well, as long as my health holds out. Every days a blessing.
Q: Is there a next generation plan?
A: Were working on a next generation.
Ive talked to a lot of business leaders who Ive known throughout the years and some of the best advice I ever got was, Youre going to reach a point in life where youre going to have to make some pretty tough decisions. And when it comes to family and business it doesnt get any tougher.
One guy told me, Make your kids go to work for somebody else. Another guy told me, I told my kids that before they came into the company they had to go get a college education and then they had to go get a law degree. I didnt care whether they practiced law or not, I wanted them to be able to learn how to read contracts. And I thought that was pretty sage advice.
Q: Have you ever had to fire anybody?
A: Yeah. I guess its the thing I dislike the most.
Q: Just not the right fit?
A: I was in one of the stores one day and watched a food server and a customer have a yelling match. My dad and I were sitting downfor lunch and she was just going after this guy and he was going after her. I finally said, Thats enough, we dont do this.
Q: Is it true Jims has its own blend of coffee?
A: Its made by DaCoty Coffee Co. in San Angelo, Texas. Weve been on a handshake agreement for a long time. The Bolner family, we do spices and things like that with them. Flowers ButterKrust bakery, we have done business with ButterKrust since we opened. Pioneer Flour Mills. C.H. Guenther, we have a great relationship with them. Mission Foods.
We try to source as much as we can locally.
Somebody asked me one time, Why dont we change the bread? We can get the same quality of bread at another vendor at a cheaper price.
And I said, You think so? My experience tells me that if you make a change it will go along for awhile and then theyll probably raise the price. And who are you going to pick up the phone and call?
Doing business with the Richter family and ButterKrust, if weve got a problem I can pick up the phone. Its the same with the others weve been loyal customers to for a long, long time.
The one thing that you cant get anywhere else is you cant buy loyalty.
San Antonio-based Biglari Holdings booked its second straight drop in annual revenue last year on poor performance at its Steak n Shake restaurant chain and shrinking advertising sales at Maxim mens magazine.
Biglari Holdings generated revenue of $839.8 million last year, a 1.2 percent dip from $850.1 million in 2016 when it posted its first-ever decline in annual revenue, according to its annual report filed today.
The company earned $50.1 million, or $40.77 a share, last year, compared with a profit of $99.5 million, or $81.28 a share, in 2016. Last years results were boosted by a nearly $63 million tax benefit. Its bottom line widely fluctuates from year to year largely because of swings in the gains and losses of its two investment partnerships called the Lion Fund.
Biglaris parent corporation owns or has major investment stakes in a handful of unrelated companies and investment funds, which are run by Sidar Biglari. However, almost all of its revenue, 96 percent, is generated from its two wholly owned restaurant chains Steak n Shake and Western Sizzlin.
Biglari Capital Corp., the hedge fund that manages the Lion Fund partnerships, wasnt paid an incentive fee from Biglari Holdings last year after receiving $31.6 million in 2016. The hedge fund is solely owned by Sardar Biglari, Biglari Holdings chairman and CEO. Biglari Capital justified its 2016 fee on $281 million in pretax profits from its investments.
Separately, Biglari announced in his annual missive to shareholders Saturday that Biglari Holdings will hold a special meeting in the near future for shareholders to approve another class of common stock.
The purpose of creating two classes of stock is to enable the issuance of stock in future acquisitions without risking a change of control, he said. If adopted, its common stock will be designated Class A and Class B. Each Class B share will have rights equivalent to one-fifth of a share of Class A, though the Class B shares will have no voting rights.
The CEO maintains a controlling interest in Biglari Holdings; he held 52.6 percent of the stock as of Dec. 31, the company disclosed in the annual report. The company has not made an acquisition in almost four years.
A call to Biglari was not immediately returned, though he generally doesnt speak to the press.
Biglari paraphrased Ol Blue Eyes in capsulizing Steak n Shakes 2017 performance.
Last year can be summarized, in contrast to Sintras lyric: It was not a very good year, Biglari wrote in the shareholder letter.
Pretax profits plunged to $431,000 last year from $34.7 million in 2016 at Steak n Shake. Its revenue fell slightly to $792.8 million last year from $804.4 million in the prior year.
Steak n Shakes lack of performance was the result of our own lack of execution, Biglari said. Over the past two years, the restaurant chain known for its burgers and shakes has lost 7 million customer visits.
We lost customers because we failed to execute on delivering a superior value proposition vis-a-vis our competition, Biglari said. He added Steak n Shake wont pull a page out of the industrys playbook by raising menu prices and cutting product quality and service in response to the drop in traffic.
A solution centered on boosting short-term profits usually create an even greater long-term problem, Biglari said, noting so many chains are members of the Restaurant Casualty Club.
Maxim magazine, which Biglari Holdings acquired almost four years ago, posted a loss before taxes of $439,000 on $7.7 million in revenue last year. By comparison, it had a $10.1 million pretax loss on $9.2 million in revenue in 2016.
Maxim was acquired when it was an unprofitable, moribund company. We prevented Maxim from becoming roadkill on the publishing highway by transforming its business model, Biglari said in his annual letter to shareholders.
Biglari said Maxim has been repositioned to become aspirational and aspirational with a periodical depicting style and sophistication. The publication of a luxury lifestyle magazine is a springboard for developing high-margin lines of business built around the Maxim name.
Maxim is no longer exclusively a magazine, Biglari added. For instance, he noted how Maxim generated $3.2 million in licensing fees last year, up from $2.1 million in 2016.
Another Biglari company, First Guard Insurance Co., which underwrites commercial trucking insurance, reported a 7 percent drop in pretax earnings on an 8 percent rise in revenue last year.
First Guard had earnings before taxes of $4.8 million on $24.9 million in revenue last year. In 2016, it had $5.1 million in earnings before taxes on $23 million in revenue.
Biglari Holdings investment in the Lion Fund partnerships fell last year to $925.3 million, down from $972.7 million at the end of 2016.
As value-focused investors, not quotation-focused speculators, we evaluate holdings with the Lion Fund based on their underlying operating results, not on their short-term change in market price, Biglari wrote in his letter to shareholders.
Cracker Barrel Old Country Store Inc., another major investment remains the Lion Funds largest holding. The funds 19.7 percent stake was valued at $752.8 million at the end of last year, or more than three times what it paid for the stock in 2011 and 2012. The fund also has collected $144.6 million in dividends along the way, or about 60 percent of its costs, Biglari noted in the letter.
Biglari Holdings total investments fell about 6 percent to just over $1 billion last year, the first decline since Biglari took control of it in 2008 when it had about $1.6 million in investments.
Shares of Biglari Holdings rose $1.66 Monday to close at $423.18.
PARKLAND, Fla. The Florida sheriff whose department responded to the high school massacre defended his leadership Sunday while insisting that only one of his deputies was on the scene as the gunman killed 14 students and three staff members.
Broward County Sheriff Scott Israel told CNN that investigators are looking into claims that three other deputies were on the scene but failed to enter the school when the chance to save lives still existed. To date, the investigation pointed to only one deputy being on campus while the killer was present, he said.
Israel also labeled as absolutely untrue reports that the deputies waited outside even though children were inside the building needing urgent medical treatment.
Israel and the sheriffs office have come under withering scrutiny after last weeks revelation that deputy Scot Peterson did not go in to confront the suspected shooter, 19-year-old Nikolas Cruz, during the Valentines Day attack. It is also facing backlash for apparently mishandling some of the 18 tipster calls related to the suspected shooter. The tips were among a series of what authorities now describe as the clearest missed warning signs that Cruz, who had a history of disturbing behavior, posed a serious threat.
Gov. Rick Scotts office said Sunday that he asked the Florida Department of Law Enforcement Commissioner Rick Swearingen to investigate the law enforcement response to the shooting. The agency confirmed it would start the investigation immediately.
State Rep. Bill Hager, a Republican lawmaker from Boca Raton, has called on Scott to remove Israel from office because of the missed red flags.
Israel vowed not to resign, saying he has shown amazing leadership. He said Hagers letter was full of misinformation and shameful, politically motivated.
House Speaker Richard Corcoran stepped up the pressure Sunday, calling on Scott to suspend the sheriff.
In the years leading up to this unspeakable tragedy, Sheriff Israel, his deputies, and staff ignored repeated warning signs about the violent, erratic, threatening, and antisocial behavior of Nikolas Jacob Cruz, Corcoran said in a letter signed by dozens of lawmakers.
Israel insisted that lapses were being investigated. He told CNN that a deputy who responded to a Nov. 30 call referring to Cruz as a school shooter in the making was being investigated by internal affairs for not filing a report. The sheriff said the employee was placed on restrictive duty.
There needed to be report. And thats what we are looking into that a report needed to be completed, it needed to be forwarded to either Homeland Security or a violent crimes unit, Israel said.
National Rifle Association spokeswoman Dana Loesch told ABCs This Week that critics shouldnt blame her organization, gun owners or semiautomatic weapons for the shooting, but Cruz for his own actions and the Broward Sheriffs Office and the FBI for failing to stop him despite warnings that he was a potential school shooter.
Can we actually look at what really could have prevented this? Loesch said. That firearm did not walk itself into the school. ... The Broward County Sheriffs Office allowed that firearm to go into that school.
The FBI has acknowledged that it failed to investigate a tip about Cruz that the agency received on Jan. 5.
David Hogg, senior at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School who has become a leader to the student movement, said on ABC that Loeschs comments were disgusting. He said Loeschs goal is to distract the American public and to benefit the gun manufacturers.
Stoneman Douglas students have been pushing for tougher gun laws. Most want AR-15s banned and the age for buying rifles in Florida raised to 21, as it is for handguns. Many want all semiautomatic rifles banned.
Students return to classes on Wednesday.
WASHINGTON Prodded by a wave of gun violence, including a school shooting in Stockton, California, that left five children dead and dozens more wounded, Congress passed a federal assault weapon ban in 1994, the first major curb on gun access in decades.
After a decade of escalating gang and drug crime, it had the support of former Presidents Gerald Ford, Jimmy Carter and Ronald Reagan. President Bill Clinton signed it into law hours after the Senate approved it by a narrow 52-48 vote.
At the time, school shootings were still seen as an anomaly, and the ban proved to be short-lived; it expired exactly 10 years later, in accordance with a sunset provision that had been a key condition for its original passage. Republican lawmakers from Texas helped battle attempts to revive it.
Left for dead, proposals for a new ban on semi-automatic military-style rifles such as the AR-15 that was used in the Valentines Day school shooting in Parkland, Florida, are suddenly back in the national conversation. And while arguments over gun control havent changed much since 1994, advocates see the Parkland massacre the 18th shooting at a school in the first 44 days of 2018 as a potential tipping point.
Parkland survivor Samuel Zeif, one of several victims and school officials who met Wednesday with President Donald Trump, summed up the current sentiment.
I dont understand how I can walk into a store and buy a weapon of war, said Zeif, an 18-year-old senior who lost his best friend in the rampage. Lets never let this happen again. Please. Please.
U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., who was the architect of the 1994 ban, called Thursday for a hearing on a new iteration of her long-stalled bill restricting assault weapons.
From Aurora to Sandy Hook, San Bernardino to Las Vegas, Sutherland Springs to Parkland, one common thread that runs through mass shootings is the use of the AR-15 military-style assault weapons, she said. These weapons are designed to kill the greatest number of people in the shortest amount of time, and we need to get these weapons of war off our streets.
Gun control efforts have begun to feel like Groundhog Day to U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, a Texas Republican who led the fight against Feinsteins last assault weapon bid after the 2012 school shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary in Newtown, Connecticut.
Its tiresome, he said at the Conservative Political Action Conference on Thursday. Every time you see a horrific crime, people in the media and Democratic politicians immediately try to leap on it to advance their agenda. And their agenda is stripping the rights away from law-abiding citizens.
Both sides have dug in, and both have turned to lessons of the 1994 ban for rhetorical ammunition.
Critics cite federally funded studies showing that it proved ineffective in reducing gun crime, then a national preoccupation after the crack cocaine and gang epidemic of the 1980s and 90s.
Gun control advocates said the 1994 law was watered down and riddled with loopholes. It barred the manufacture for civilian use of certain semi-automatic firearms deemed assault weapons, as well as large-capacity ammunition clips of more than 10 bullets. Among the banned weapons was the AK-47 rifle used in the 1989 Stockton school shooting. The law also banned the AR-15 that 19-year-old Nikolas Cruz is accused of using in Parkland.
But the ban applied only to weapons manufactured after the law passed. That meant leaving millions of existing guns, which suddenly increased in value, in the hands of the public.
Although it was called a ban, it was not really a ban, said David Chipman, a former agent with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives who serves as senior policy adviser to Americans for Responsible Solutions, a gun control group founded after the 2011 Arizona shooting rampage that wounded former Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords. A ban to me means that any assault weapon would be illegal, and thats not what the assault weapons ban did.
The debate also became bogged down in a semantic dispute over what constitutes an assault weapon, as distinct from a hunting or sporting rifle.
The 1994 ban banned weapons based on their appearance, not their functionality, said former Texas Land Commissioner Jerry Patterson, who authored Texas concealed handgun law as a state senator in 1995. They were going after ones that were macho-looking.
Patterson and other gun rights advocates point to the proliferation of weapons in the U.S. to question the utility of any ban, no matter how defined. Nothing short of confiscation would serve the purpose of removing assault weapons entirely from the civilian population, an idea that is anathema to Second Amendment activists.
One possible remedy, Patterson said, might be to ban large-capacity ammunition clips.
If theres a villain, its high-capacity magazines, he said.
But even that, he said, would be useless. Smaller-capacity magazines can be easily switched out to continue a sort of rapid fire the hallmark of mass shootings. And besides, he said, like guns, there already are millions of high-capacity clips in circulation.
Gun control advocates counter that an assault weapon ban would at least make it harder for troubled, would-be shooters to walk into a store and leave with an assault rifle.
How much is too much? How much do you need? asked Ed Scruggs, board vice chair of Texas Gun Sense. Continuing to add to the stock makes it more and more available, and more and more normalized.
To Scruggs, the 1994 ban also provides a faint counterpoint to the conventional wisdom that Congress could never pass meaningful gun restrictions, whether they be bans on certain weapons, expanding background checks, raising age limits or even expanding the registration requirements that have been in place for fully automatic weapons since the 1934 National Firearms Act, a response to the gangland crime of the Prohibition era.
When people say its impossible to have an assault weapon ban, they forget that we did have one, Scruggs said. Whether it was as comprehensive as it needed to be, thats debatable.
When Congress let the ban die in 2004, the 1999 school shooting in Columbine, Colorado, was still seen as a shocking aberration.
Meanwhile, partisan divisions were widening, and a number of Texas political figures played into the bans demise. Although then-President George W. Bush had run as a supporter of the assault weapon ban, he did not press for its extension as president, deferring to Congress.
In the Senate, Feinstein and others introduced bills to reauthorize the ban, but none got out of committee. A subsequent effort in 2013 received just 40 votes in the Senate, with 60 voting against, including Cruz and U.S. Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas.
Cruzs likely Democratic opponent in the 2018 Senate race, U.S. Rep. Beto ORourke of El Paso, has co-sponsored the House version of a new assault weapon ban.
Five years after Newtown, gun control advocates hope that the momentum is shifting as a new generation comes of age in an era of random death. All the teens shot in Parkland were born after Columbine. The national conversation is less about combating urban street crime than protecting schoolchildren from lone-wolf mass shooters, who can strike anywhere.
What has unfolded over time is that the assault weapon issue evolved from being a street crime problem to really a terrorism problem, Scruggs said. People get the sense that it could happen in a mall. It could happen in a supermarket. It could happen anywhere the public gathers. Its the terroristic impact that these events have.
Pivoting away from guns, Trump and many top Republicans have turned their attention to mental health and law enforcement remedies, including arming teachers.
In my view, we have a nut job problem, not a gun problem, said Patterson, who is running again as a GOP candidate for land commissioner.
NAVAL AIR STATION KINGSVILLE It had been a routine instrument training mission over Texas last August when Lt. j.g. Chanon Ortega, a student pilot flying the T-45C Goshawk at 14,000 feet over Corpus Christi, felt a tingling in his fingertips that quickly spread to his face. His vision became blurry.
Ortega knew from intense flight training that he wasnt getting enough oxygen and that he and his instructor pilot might be in grave danger. He reached for a small green ring on the left side of his seat, triggering the flow of emergency oxygen to his mask, and quickly descended to below 10,000 feet.
Surprisingly, that incident was a confidence boost for me, said Ortega, 30, of Kingsville. This is the reason why we train.
Navy investigators found that Ortega had suffered a physiological episode called hypocapnia, a state of reduced carbon dioxide in the blood that in his case likely was caused by low mask pressure, preventing him from receiving enough oxygen. No on-board system was at fault, and his instructor showed no symptoms of oxygen deprivation. Still, it was yet another in a series of incidents that raised concerns about hypoxia, a constant, invisible threat in aviation.
Hypoxia is potentially fatal and easily confused with other altitude-related illnesses. Symptoms range from odd tastes in a pilots mouth to loss of consciousness. Its thought to have struck the Air Force, prompting a San Antonio-based command Feb. 1 to ground 444 T-6A Texan II trainers at six bases.
The Air Force is losing up to 700 sorties a day while the T-6, a propeller-driven plane used to instruct novice pilots, remains grounded.
Now Playing: After being grounded for three months, the T-45C Goshawk is flying again. Video: San Antonio Express-News
Though rare, hypoxia was suspected when a T-45 from Naval Air Station Kingsville went down and an instructor pilot and student bailed out Aug. 14, 2016. The cause has not been publicly released. The instructor was injured. His student has resumed training. A fatal crash followed a year later in Tennessee. And last spring, the Navy grounded its T-45s for three months after instructor pilots refused to fly it.
Aviators such as Capt. Richard Rivera, commander of Training Air Wing 2 at NAS Kingsville, said hes experienced different symptoms. He got lightheaded while flying a simulator equipped with a Reduced Oxygen Breathing Device, in which an operator can dial down the flow of oxygen. Sitting in an altitude chamber, he became euphoric.
Pilots who suffer from hypoxia also can lose coordination; feel fear, anxiety, complacency and giddiness; or lose their ability to see in color. Airsickness, hyperventilation, hypocapnia and spatial disorientation, when pilots cant tell up from down, share some similarities with hypoxia.
Capt. Eric Dittman, an instructor pilot and safety officer with Training Squadron 21, one of two at NAS Kingsville, said his time in the ROBD simulator produced lightheadedness, numb lips and air hunger, or breathing harder and more deeply. Knowing those symptoms while flying a jet with a student in the cockpit is critical.
More Information T-45C Goshawk The T-45 Goshawk is a a tandem-seat, carrier-capable jet trainer whose mission is to train Navy and Marine Corps pilots. It is a highly modified version of the British BAE Systems Hawk, a land-based training jet. Here's a look at the plane, which first flew in April 1988. Maximum speed: 645 mph Wingspan: 30 feet, 10 inches Length: 39 feet 4 inches Height: 13 feet 6 inches Ceiling: 42,500 feet Range: 805 miles Propulsion: Rolls Royce F405-RR-401 turbofan engine with 5,527 pounds of thrust Cost per plane: $17.2 million See More Collapse
Keeping our thought process clear, said Dittman, who has 1,500 flying hours, more than a third of them in the Goshawk, is really the No. 1 concern for us.
Recurring, deadly problem
Ortega and other NAS Kingsville student pilots had just gotten back in the air after the Goshawk, a jet that trains aviators to land on aircraft carriers, was grounded by the Naval Air Forces Command. For three months, a physiological examination team tried to uncover the cause of a spike in hypoxia-like incidents.
The experts never found it. Some think the on-board oxygen generation system, a device that provides air to pilots, was a possible culprit.
Unexplained physiological events that include hypoxia occur sporadically, but a rash of incidents prompted Maj. Gen. Patrick Doherty, commander of the 19th Air Force on Joint Base San Antonio-Randolph, to ground the T-6 fleet across the Air Education and Training Commands bases. Efforts to find the cause continue.
Lt. Gen. Steven Kwast, head of the AETC, said at the Air Force Associations recent annual Air Warfare Symposium in Orlando, Florida, that the Air Force noted failures with the shutoff valve and some issues with the reservoir of the on-board oxygen system. He said the T-6 could fly under restrictions as early as Monday, but bad weather delayed test flights at Randolph, so the planes might remain grounded.
Still, how the Navy found ways to fix the T-45 and adjusted training for aviators who, for months, couldnt fly it, may be a template for the Air Force as it tries to understand why 13 suspected hypoxia incidents were logged over 13 days last month. Doherty told reporters last week that the on-board oxygen generation systems used in the T-6A and T-45 are close cousins but different from the F-18, F-15, F-22 and F-35 aircraft whose life-support systems have had their own problems.
I know that theres larger efforts DoD-wide that look at the long-range efforts of designs, whats going on with the science, he said, referring to the Department of Defense.
Developed for fighters in the early 1980s, the OBOG, as its called, draws air from a planes engine compressor before it reaches combustion, then runs it through scrubbers to remove nitrogen. A Congressional Research Service brief said the OBOG delivers 95 percent oxygen and 5 percent argon to pilots. The Navy says the air is cleaner than that in a typical office.
The protest by Navy instructor pilots on March 31 occurred before the Oct. 1, 2017 crash of a T-45C in Tennessee that killed the instructor, Lt. Patrick L. Ruth, 31, of Metairie, Louisiana, and his student, Lt. j.g. Wallace E. Burch, 25, of Horn Lake, Mississippi. The plane was based in Meridian, Mississippi.
The pilots concerns resulted in the immediate cancellation of around 40 percent of T-45 flights at Meridian, Kingsville and Pensacola, Florida, and a lengthy investigation, said Lt. Liz Feaster, spokeswoman for the chief of Naval Air Training. Within days, the rest of the Navys 193 Goshawks were grounded. They didnt return to full flight status until July 18.
It stopped the progression of students in their second year of flight training. All the fundamentals that pilots learn, from dropping dummy bombs and flying at high speeds just 500 feet above the ground to making 10 successful carrier landings before earning their wings, were put on hold.
That is exactly where the Air Force finds itself today. Doherty said some students who were near the end of their T-6 training were graduated to their next airframe, the T-38, while the T-6 grounding forced leaders to cancel a good portion of the last class that was going to enter flight training.
Navys lessons
Its not clear how the Air Force will modify training now that its finely tuned flight curriculum has been disrupted. The Air Force and Navy have been talking, so its possible that commanders at Randolph will find clues to the OBOG problem and adopt workarounds developed for aviators who were learning to fly in Kingsville.
Once grounded, 150 students in various stages of training at Kingsville were stuck on the ground with too much time on their hands. They did a lot of chair flying sitting in a mockup of the T-45 cockpit endlessly working through procedures theyll employ when aloft. In class, they reviewed systems and emergency procedures and were briefed on the investigation and changes being made to the plane. They also found themselves in flight simulators more than usual.
The Navy granted waivers to allow instructor pilots to fly the Goshawk at a ceiling of 5,000 feet and pulling no more than 2 Gs. Student aviators werent allowed on those flights, and the OBOG was disconnected. Once the Goshawk was finally cleared to fly unrestricted, instructors led students on proficiency flights, to ensure that they were comfortable back in the cockpit.
The physiological effects team, meanwhile, examined Goshawks at Naval Air Station Patuxent River in Maryland. It took apart OBOG systems in search of contaminants and cleaned pipes. It used electronic data loggers to track oxygen pressure delivered to T-45 pilots. The team didnt find a root cause but improved sensors and alarms that can quickly tell pilots when theyre in trouble.
One oxygen sensor, the CRU-123, replaced an older model. It lights up a master alarm in the cockpit if the percentage of oxygen or oxygen pressure falls below safe levels.
After the flight pause, the number of unexplained physiological events tapered off. Dittman, the Training Squadron 21 instructor pilot and safety officer, said he and other pilots had a renewed confidence in the Goshawk.
That was the upside. The downside was that student pass rates didnt rise significantly even with the extra simulator time. The pilot pipeline, in turn, dried up.
Its a setback in our production. I dont think it hurts or helps us in any specific way, said Rivera, the Training Air Wing 2 commander, adding that the flight pause educated everyone on physiological episodes.
From an aviation pilot aspect, we can overcome those challenges, said Cmdr. John Wilson, commander of Training Squadron 22 at Kingsville. Its just getting them to the fleet in the right amount of time is the big impact.
No one can say when the T-6 operational pause will end. Doherty recently pledged to intrusively look at the OBOG system and not rush the investigation.
A safe flying environment is the primary interest and concerns of all the senior leaders of the Air Force, Doherty said, adding, Were not worried about timelines. Were not worried about a logjam of pilot candidates that are stacking up. Were worried about taking care of our primary, No. 1 weapon system, (which) is our people.
Shane Hines will be sworn in today as New Braunfels District 1 councilman, replacing George Green, having defeated two opponents in a special election to serve the 15 months remaining on Greens term.
As your District 1 council member, I will work with you to maintain the aspects of New Braunfels that so many have come to cherish while working to make improvements that have long been necessary, Hines said on the campaign trail.
Green stepped down because he declared his candidacy for Precinct 3 Justice of the Peace against incumbent Mike Rust in Comal Countys Republican primary March 6.
Hines, 36, is a technical sales representative for an oil and gas firm who moved to New Braunfels in 2007.
He garnered 179 votes to beat Bob Wolf, who logged 134, and Jose Lopez, who received 39 votes in the Feb. 17 special election that was marked by a low voter turnout. The west-end district has about 6,500 registered voters.
This is the first time Hines runs for office. He said his priorities are addressing public safety concerns, needed road repairs and building a new fire station to replace an outdated facility on Loop 337.
Since winning the election, he has resigned as chairman of the New Braunfels Downtown Board and as a member of the committee charged with drafting a 2019 municipal bond proposal.
City Secretary Patrick Aten said Green, a teacher who was first elected to the City Council in 2013, was allowed to remain in the municipal post until his successor was selected.
I am proud of the things I have been able to accomplish for my district, Green said in a Dec. 13 announcement of his impending resignation. Revitalization of the west side has been my focus during my time on the City Council.
Just shy of center, Martina Sophia Phelan spun her hands in a spiraling gesture that in mime means to dance. And dance she did in a tutu and a peasant frock, splitting her legs in high-flying jetes and stepping into zooming pirouettes.
Phelan, a 15-year-old at Greenwich High School, was not alone. Stanwichs Daniella Sushko, 17, played a game of cat and mouse with her audience, flirtatiously embodying a naive girl named Giselle. Her skirt swirled daintily around her as she landed pirouettes with a sweet smile, and when she hopped en pointe across the floor, she never so much as stumbled.
Stanwichs Isabella Long, 13, was there, too, stressing her extensions as the Lilac Fairy from Sleeping Beauty. And when Whitbys fraternal twins Victoria and Carolina Rivera, 14, performed their solos, they revealed two very different personalities.
Victoria was calm, elegant. In contrast, her sister proved a spitfire, a turner with balance for days. As she releved, shifting subtly from pointe to flat, she lingered in a position for what felt like seconds, seamlessly changing the carriage of her upper body as her lower half defied gravity.
These were only some of the local girls who on Saturday afternoon performed variations for friends and family at Greenwich Ballet Academys YAGP Showcase. Though they were all costumed some in full makeup and hair the offering was just an entree, a dress rehearsal of sorts. For most, the true test was still to come.
Over the next few weeks, young dancers from across the globe will have a chance to impress some of the ballet worlds bigwigs during the Youth American Grand Prix. With semi-finals around the world culminating in a final round in New York in the spring, the international competition awards students hundreds of thousands of dollars in scholarships each year. For younger contestants, it can mean a full ride to one of the worlds finest conservatories or academies. For older competitors, the process may end in company contracts to jump start their professional careers.
I feel very excited. A little bit nervous. But at the same time, I feel like this is an amazing opportunity to be seen by other schools, other directors, said Sushko.
This week, dancers from Greenwich Ballet Academy will participate in the New York semi-finals through Tuesday, before some of them travel to Boston for another round this weekend.
Meanwhile, Long has already competed this year, in Salt Lake City two weeks ago. Though she did not place, she was offered scholarships to two of the nations most prestigious summer programs the Bolshoi Ballet Academy and Harid Conservatory. She is taking the stage again this week in New York City.
Long has been dancing since she was a toddler, and shes been en pointe since she was only 10 years old.
Ive learned to be a lot stronger than I normally am ... Im a very sensitive person, but dance has made me a lot stronger than I used to be in my life, in decisions, she said.
Though Long competed in Boston last year, where she placed in the top 24, this competition season is many of her classmates first. For some, its their true debut as soloists. Annie Wilson, a freshman at Greenwich Academy, said a lot of dancers have rituals for before they go onstage, and shes surveyed her more experienced peers to adopt some of theirs.
After hours upon hours practicing in the studio, Wilson cannot wait to take the spotlight, wearing a crown and costume fit especially for her.
Its sort of like a feeling you cant get from everyday life, she said.
Each dancer has chosen her variations carefully, under the attentive eye of Greenwich Ballet Academys instructors. Sushko, for example, has always loved the Giselle piece because its reflective of how she sees herself.
I feel like it represented who I am as a person, she said. I dont really feel like my age matches up with my personality quite yet.
Her other variation is a more mature and confident selection from Paquita and conveys the woman she hopes to be someday, Sushko added.
Victoria Rivera got lucky she had a little help from her sister, Carolina, who picked out both her classical solos and her costumes. Though its Victorias first time at YAGP, Carolina competed last year in Boston and ranked in the top 24, so she already has veteran status. While she performed variations from Fairy Doll and Flames of Paris, her sister watched from the audience.
I just had so much fun experiencing it second hand but I just thought Id like to get to do this someday, said Victoria. Today is the day.
In terms of aspirations for this week, Victoria focused more on long-term improvement than any kind of award.
You learn a lot from the other girls. Some use their feet. Some walk differently. Some use their port de bras or use their head, she said. I think one of my goals is to take all that in and then put that into my dancing so that I improve through what I saw at the competition.
Jovita Li, a junior at Greenwich High School, echoed Victoria.
Im here for the experience. Im not so much focused on the competition as the performing experience that itll bring me, she said.
Indeed, for some of the dancers, YAGP is only one step in a much longer career path. As a junior in high school, Sushko already has plans to leave Greenwich for a life in Russia, training and performing in Vaganova technique. Meanwhile, younger students know how theyre spending their summers Long and both Riveras have accepted invitations to Ellison Ballets summer intensive in Manhattan.
Like most of her colleagues, Long said she easily spends 25 plus hours in the studio each week, not counting rehearsals. Though the rigor proves a balancing act with her academic schedule, its worth it for Long.
Whenever I come to dance, I get to forget about everything else and just do what I love, she said. Its my way to escape from everything else that I have to worry about in school and everything else in my life.
FAIRFIELD Shock and sadness greeted the news Monday morning that Daniel F. Caruso, Fairfields longtime probate judge, was found dead Sunday night.
His sudden passing stunned the community, as people recalled his selflessness to service.
We just saw Dan at Mass at the Notre Dame chapel Sunday morning, John McKinney, a former state senator and close friend of Caruso, said Monday. Im just sort of shocked.
Caruso, McKinney said, lived his life to help other people. He was always asking what could he do to help, McKinney said. He was a wonderful guy who loved the town and devoted his life to helping others.
He said he hoped that the message of Carusos life comes through and makes everyone realize we need to all be good guys.
Dan gave his whole heart and soul to our community, state Rep. Brenda Kupchick, R-132, said. Fairfield has lost one of its finest. Im going to really miss my friend.
Caruso, a Republican, has been Fairfields probate judge since 1995.
Police say a neighbor found Caruso, 60, unresponsive around 9 p.m. Sunday in the laundry room of The Strathmoor building on Fairfield Woods Road, where he lived. Police are investigating, but they say there does not appear to be any foul play involved in Carusos death.
Services are set for Friday from 3 to 9 p.m. at Spear Miller Funeral Home and Saturday at 10 a.m. at St. Pius Church.
Like so many, I am stunned at the news of Dan Carusos passing, Selectman Chris Tymniak said. Dan was the most selfless man I ever met.
Tymniak said everyone who knew Caruso has a story about how he went out of his way to impact their lives, he was always a voice of reason and honesty. He called Carusos death a huge loss for both the town and state. He was a true statesman, and will be missed by all.
Dan was an amazing individual who truly lived up to his Eagle Scout background, First Selectman Mike Tetreau said. He was universally respected and earned everyones trust.
Tetreau said he counted on Caruso for his guidance on many town matters and recalled how in the midst of planning the towns 375th anniversary celebration, he spoke about how the best celebration would be giving something back to those in need. He proposed we hold the largest food drive in the history of our town, and most importantly, he agreed to chair the effort. Once that happened, Tetreau said, everyone followed and we collected over 10,000 pounds of food in a single weekend.
For decades, Dan Caruso has served and protected our citizens with distinction and honor, Selectman Kevin Kiley said. This is a tremendous loss for Fairfield.
From 1988 to 1994, Caruso was a state representative for the 134th District, including parts of Fairfield and Trumbull. He was also a member of the Fairfield Board of Finance and Representative Town Meeting.
Raised in Fairfield, Caruso graduated from Roger Ludlowe High School.
Over his lifetime, he belonged to several local organizations, including the Kiwanis Club, the Red Cross and the Community Theatre Foundation. In addition, he was a knight of the Holy Sepulchre.
Dan Caruso possessed all the finest qualities that we hope for in a public official, and a friend, Republican Town Committee Chairman James Millington said. He loved Fairfield and he loved serving his community. Fairfield will never be the same place without him.
In 2009, Caruso served on the General Assemblys 13-member Probate Redistricting Commission, which crafted the bill by which the legislature reduced the number of probate districts. He had previously served as the assemblys second vice president-judge and recording secretary.
Caruso was appointed chairman of the Siting Council during the summer of 2006 by then-Gov. M. Jodi Rell. He resigned that post in 2011 to avoid any possible claim of bias, he said, after he discussed a proposed wind-power project with a lawyer for opponents.
Judge Dan Caruso was an amazing man with a distinguished career and legacy, state Rep. Laura Devlin R-134, said. He truly loved the town of Fairfield and was a major part of its community spirit. He was a man of great faith and integrity.
Devlin said Caruso could always be counted upon to provide counsel or advice. I will miss him dearly, as I know countless others will, she said. My thoughts are with his family as they go through this difficult time.
State Rep. Cristin McCarthy Vahey, D-133, said it was an honor to know Caruso and she, too, will miss him terribly.
When I think about Dan Caruso, I think of integrity, compassion and service, Vahey said. His entire life was dedicated to serving our community.
Vahey called him a steady presence, who was there for Eagle Scout ceremonies, town celebrations, and memorials. He was also there for families in times of great pain and difficulty in his role as judge of probate, she said. I always said that we were lucky to have him here in Fairfield that he was exactly the person people need at those difficult times in their lives.
Caruso was an attorney with Owens, Shine & Nicola, which maintains offices in Trumbull, Fairfield and Norwalk.
We are all very sad to hear of the untimely passing of Judge Dan Caruso, Democratic Town Committee Chairman Steven Sheinberg said. He was a well-respected pillar of the community known for his community service and kind nature. He will be sorely missed by all.
Caruso has been active in the Probate Assembly, serving on the Executive and the Legislative committees, and as past co-chair of the Committee on the Bonding of Probate Fiduciaries and Counsel. He also co-chaired the Connecticut Bar Associations Task Force on the Future of the Probate Court System and is a past member of the Executive Committee of the Connecticut Bar Associations Estates and Probate Section.
Teresa Giegengack, the towns director of Human Services, said Caruso was a special, beloved person that people could count on for help.
She said in his role in the probate court, he made many referrals to Social Services. He understood the dignity and needs of people who suffered from physical and mental illnesses, Giegengack said, and recalled how he gave up part of his weekends to man the Salvation Army red kettles during the holidays, as well as mobilizing volunteers to do the same.
The judge understood that Social Services did more than just give money to people, she said.
Caruso became chairman of the Salvation Army Southern Fairfield County service unit in 2012. Since that time, he led the unit with a kind and generous spirit, said Kathleen Orfitelli, director of volunteer services for the Salvation Army in this area. It is fair to say that during his tenure, hundreds of individuals, families and children have experienced relief through local Salvation Army assistance. Recognizing that additional funds were needed, he awakened the tradition of the Salvation Army Red Kettle Campaign in Fairfield in 2013 with Christmas In July.
The judge, Orfitelli said, will be sorely missed and, in many ways, is irreplaceable.
Fellow Probate Judge T. R. Rowe, of Trumbull, said learning the news of Carusos death was like a punch in the gut.
Its a devastating loss for the town, for the area, and for the state, Rowe said. He was as hard a working judge as youd ever see, and he had a heart of gold.
If anyone ever asked Caruso for help, Rowe said, the answer would always be, What do you need?
I think everyones trying to wrap their head around this, said Rowe, who first met Caruso was he was in the state legislature and Rowe was a local Trumbull politician. When Rowe decided to run for probate judge six years ago, he said, Caruso was a great resource and continued to be a great resource after he was elected.
He was the gold standard in many ways, Rowe said.
All of the states probate judgeships are on the ballot in the November election. Until then, the Probate Court administrator will appoint one or two area probate judges to fill in, much like Caruso did for nearly two years in Westport.
Editors note: This story has been amended to clarify the circumstances of Carusos resignation from the Siting Council.
Stamford Police Dept. / Contributed photo
STAMFORD A Bridgeport home health aid was sentenced to five years in jail for stealing a little more than $26,000 from an 81-year-old Springdale woman suffering from Alzheimers disease.
Philliann Barnett, 39, of French Street, was given a 10 year sentence, reduced by half by Judge Gary White at the Stamford courthouse Friday morning. Barnett, who will be required to pay restitution, will spend an additional five years on probation, when she can be sent back to jail for any violation of the law.
The new President of the NFU has said farmers are adapting with the help of a new agricultural revolution to deliver for Britain.
Wiltshire farmer Minette Batters was elected NFU President last week, and in a new column published in The Telegraph, she has pointed out how British farmers are adapting to change.
She wrote that farming is changing, and technology is reshaping society which is leading to a revolution and evolution in the fields of Britain.
She wrote: While farmers up and down Britain know how much we have evolved, one of my first jobs needs to be to reconnect us with the British public, to demonstrate how far we have come, and to showcase what we provide to Britain.
We know that the British public expects high welfare, traceable and affordable food. We want to keep delivering on those things. We see them as a public good as important as anything that society can provide.
But we farmers must do more to show the public how our standards are delivering for Britain, and how we are prepared to adapt to the countrys needs in the future.
Shout loudly with pride
She wrote how the NFU wants British people to shout loudly with pride about the food Britain produces.
In her first official act as President, Mrs Batters will be giving a speech in London on Monday (26th February) that will set out this vision in the backdrop of a post-Brexit Britain.
She said that leaving the EU, the industry will have a chance to celebrate Britains high standards and quality food.
She wrote: I want to drive global recognition that British food is quite simply some of the best quality food available on our planet today.
I want to help government take that message to potential new markets and to demonstrate that, when the world buys British, they know they are getting quality food produced safely to high standards from farmers that care for the environment.
We must not turn our back on the EU market, and its 450 million potential customers. But when government is looking at opening new markets, I want to be there with them representing British farmers and our story of food production, which should be the envy of the world.
A deep and sustained freeze lasting several days and nights could cause misery across rural Britain, according to NFU Mutual.
Temperatures are set to plummet from Tuesday (27 February) and remain sub-zero for much of the week.
The freezing weather, nicknamed the beast from the east, has hit Europe, bringing snow and plunging temperatures across the continent.
According to the Met Office "more than 20cm may have accumulated in places in some eastern counties of England, Scotland and Northern Ireland from a culmination of Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday's snow showers".
Rural insurer NFU Mutual says this will leave rural homes and businesses at risk of burst pipes and subsequent water leaks that could cost thousands of pounds.
The average cost of these type of claims is 5,000 according to the latest NFU Mutual claims data.
People need to act now before the freeze to help avoid or minimise the damage this could cause, said Jon Cawley, Head of Claims at NFU Mutual.
'Heartache'
Mr Cawley said a sustained spell of freezing temperatures will affect many buildings that have so far made it through the winter unscathed. He said it could catch people unaware.
Few things are more depressing than waking up to the smell of wet plaster, dripping water and the realisation that a pipe has burst in your loft, Mr Cawley said.
The costs of drying out the house and replacing damaged fixtures and fittings can be met by home and contents insurance. But that doesnt compensate for the loss of treasured possessions, or the heartache of drying out a water soaked home in the middle of winter and seeing furniture and photographs consigned to the skip.
Pipe burst
The insurer is urging farmers and rural businesses to make sure their water pipes and tanks are protected.
It is also warning that the plumbing in some properties may have been critically weakened by previous cold snaps.
Recognising the misery caused by mopping up after a pipe burst, NFU Mutual has issued the following advice.
1. Locate your stopcock
This will normally be located below your kitchen sink, or wherever the water supply enters your property. Make sure you can access it and close it easily.
2. Lag above pipes in your loft
Well insulated loft spaces will get very cold in winter and so its important you give your water pipes extra lagging to help prevent them freezing and bursting.
3. Keep the central heating on
Keeping the thermostat at a normal setting overnight or while your home is unoccupied will help to keep the building temperature above freezing.
4. Check your plumbing
Checking your pipes for signs of freezing or bursts such as leaking or dripping joints, will help you to react to a possible problem or nip it in the bud. Asking tenants to do the same will help to protect rental properties too.
The European Court of Auditors is conducting an audit of organic-food checks in the EU, and will seek to assess if produce listed organic is truly so.
The auditors will examine the control system governing the production, processing, distribution and import of organic products within the EU.
They will seek to assess whether consumers can now have greater confidence that products are truly organic than they could at the time of the ECAs last audit of the sector in 2012.
Organic production is a way of producing food and other products that respects natural life cycles.
The organic nature of products is verified on the basis of a certification system laid down in EU law and overseen by the European Commission.
The system is implemented by the Member States and inspections are made by both public and private bodies.
Organic growth
Retail sales in the EU organic market grew by 54% between 2010 and 2015. The total area under organic farming in the EU increased by 21% over the same period.
Imports of organic produce grew by 32% between 2012 and 2015. Although the price of organic products is higher than that of conventionally produced products, the market struggles to meet demand and the premium that consumers are willing to pay has the potential to encourage fraudulent organic sales.
The challenge faced by the organic sector is to ensure a steady growth of supply and demand, while maintaining consumers' trust, said Nikolaos Milionis, the Member of the European Court of Auditors responsible for the audit.
Under the Common Agricultural Policy, certified organic farmers receive a greening payment. Organic farmers can also receive support from the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development for both conversion to and maintenance of organic farming practices.
This Funds total contribution to organic-farming payments for 20142020 amounts to 6.5 billion.
The audit report is due to be published in early 2019.
Landowners and farmers have been urged to manage river bank habitats to help the British water vole, which has seen a 30 percent decline over ten years.
New analysis of data collected over ten years by a network of experts led by The Wildlife Trusts has revealed that water vole distribution has declined dramatically.
There has been a 30% decline in the places where these river mammals once lived across England and Wales during the survey period 2006 - 2015.
While the new analysis reveals a slight increase in distribution in recent years thanks to successful conservation efforts the full data covering the whole ten years paints a bleak picture.
Conservation efforts have been made to ensure a future for this mammal. The Wildlife Trusts, landowners and farmers carry out river restoration and reintroductions of water voles across the UK.
At a local level, these projects appear to have been successful; however, these successes are not enough to reverse the national distribution trends.
Rapid decline
Habitat loss, water pollution and built development have led to massive declines in the number of water voles since the 1960s this has been exacerbated by predation by North American mink which were introduced to Britain for fur farming in the twentieth century.
The water vole is the UKs most rapidly declining mammal and has been lost from 94% of places where they were once prevalent.
The latest data revealing a ten year decline of 30% shows an ever-worsening situation: their range is continuing to contract.
Landowners and farmers have been urged to manage river bank habitat to help water vole, e.g. provide generous buffer strips to provide shelter and feeding areas; create soft edges to river banks for water voles to create burrows in, and avoid using heavy machinery close to the edge of watercourses.
Ellie Brodie, Senior Policy Manager for The Wildlife Trusts, says water voles are an essential part of wild and watery places.
Its terribly sad that were continuing to witness huge declines of this much-loved mammal, Ms Brodie said.
The Wildlife Trusts and others are working hard to help bring them back again and care for the places that they need to survive but much more is needed if were going to stop this charismatic creature disappearing altogether.
The final total raised at this years Yorkshire Farmhouse Big Breakfast charity event is 8,748, and it will all go to a farming charity.
Organised and hosted by Lindsey and Will Hitchen at their St Georges Court B&B, based in Ripon, more than 200 breakfasts were served up across three days and six sittings.
The proceeds from the 2018 farmhouse feast will be split between two main beneficiaries, national farming charity, Addington Fund, and Yorkshire Air Ambulance.
Over the years, Yorkshire members of Farm Stay UK, the countrys largest network of on-farm accommodation providers, have raised close on 40,000 for the two charities.
Addingtons operations manager Sue English said: No one seems to do breakfasts to the extent that Yorkshire can do them, with over 17,000 being raised for Addington since 2014.
This is an incredible amount of money, which will make a real difference to the farming families we help. Thank you again to all the people and organisations involved who continue to donate their time and energy to making this happen.
Yorkshire Air Ambulance fundraising manager Helen Callear said: It may surprise people to know that we are an independent charity and rely on the generosity of individuals and organisations to help save lives across the region.
Lindsey Hitchen and members of Farm Stay UK have been supporting the YAA for a number of years and have raised a magnificent amount of money.
Wed like to thank everyone involved in making the Big Breakfast bonanza such a huge success and for their continued support.
The Addington Fund is a registered farming charity and its main area of work is to provide homes for farming families living in England and Wales who have to leave the industry, through no fault of their own, and by doing so will lose their home.
A new report released has concluded that the UKs network of small local abattoirs is near collapse, and that huge loss of consumer choice may happen.
The report, by the Sustainable Food Trust (SFT), said that without "urgent action" there will be less consumer choice because the marketing of locally-produced, traceable meat will no longer be possible in many parts of the country.
This is due to the ongoing closure of many smaller local abattoirs and the high financial, environmental and animal welfare cost of transporting relatively small numbers of farm animals further to get them slaughtered and then transporting the meat back to the farm of origin.
The report shows that over the last decade more than a third of small abattoirs have closed. In England there are just 63 small abattoirs left, down from 96 in 2007.
Two further small abattoirs have already closed this year in Scotland. In total the number of all red meat abattoirs has fallen to 249 from 320 in 2007 and almost 1,900 in 1970.
Many of these, however, are unsuitable for local meat marketing.
The reasons for the continuing closures include the disproportionately high burden of regulation imposed on small abattoirs, falling cattle numbers nationally and the currently very low and often negative profitability of the sector due to the increasing dominance of supermarkets.
Mobile abbatoirs
The SFT is calling on the Government to make a "clear statement" of support that it recognises the "vital importance" of smaller abattoirs.
It wants the government to work constructively with interested parties to make possible the use of mobile and small static red meat abattoirs for on-farm slaughtering.
A task force is recommended to commence with joint government, industry and consumer representation, to establish why small abattoirs are closing and propose solutions to ensure their survival.
The ideal for many producer-retailers would be a mobile abattoir which comes to their farm periodically.
A number of countries within the EU and also Canada, New Zealand and America currently have mobile abattoirs successfully operating within tight regulatory regimes that enhance animal welfare and bio-security.
The SFT believes mobile abattoirs would have advantages for animal welfare and could become viable in the UK, with the use of CCTV cameras and constructive government and regulatory engagement.
'Threatens renaissance'
Richard Young, policy director of the SFT and a co-author of the report said local abattoirs play a "vital role" in all rural communities where farm animals are kept.
When they close, both animals and meat have to be transported much further. This is bad for animal welfare and bad for the environment. It also threatens the ongoing renaissance of local food cultures, Mr Young said.
On my own organic farm, I have had to change abattoirs nine times over the last 30 years in order to keep our farm shop supplied with the meat from our own animals, as seven of those closest to me have closed and two became unsuitable for other reasons.
I now have to take our animals almost 40 miles to get them slaughtered and it costs a great deal to get the carcases delivered back to our shop.
Phil Stocker, chief executive of the National Sheep Association said the report draws attention to the "rapidly changing and complex crisis" facing smaller local abattoirs and those who depend on them.
He said: I truly hope that government and industry will work together to offer a long-term future for our diminishing network of local abattoirs before it is too late.
Its 'vitally important' that young farmers 'look beyond the farm gate and step out from behind computers', according to leading rural experts.
Catherine Smith, Land Agent at Bell Ingram, feels young people need to see the 'bigger picture' to make use of all opportunities within the agriculture sector.
Following her attendance at the Oxford Faming Conference (OFC), which ran from January 3-5, Catherine - a farmers daughter herself from Yorkshire - feels farmers need to adapt to the changing landscape.
She said: Young people are the future of the industry. We need to have as much knowledge as possible in order to gain experience and understanding of a changing industry.
Its important that you look beyond your farm gate or computer and see the bigger picture so you can grow and expand both professionally and personally.
While it is important not to always do something just because someone else is doing it, you also need to know what opportunities are available and keep up-to-date with what is happening in the industry in a wider context.
I think we are a generation that is going to see a lot of change in the industry within our lifetime and, by broadening our knowledge, it will enable us to embrace those changes whatever they may be.
'Discover farmers'
The Oxford Farming Conference (OFC) is an annual conference for UK farmers that takes place every year and allows the farming community to discuss and exchange ideas.
Catherine believes the event is a great way to discover how fellow farmers are preparing for the year ahead.
She continued: The event gave me the opportunity to meet new contacts and listen to some very inspiring and engaging presentations.
I have come back to the office with a more realistic and also positive insight into the future of the agricultural industry.
While I am under no illusion that the next few years wont be without their challenges, I feel much more prepared for what may be ahead. It has reminded me how fortunate I am to work in the industry.
Clarkson urges government to boost UK food self-sufficiency
'It should be much more like 80%, were capable of it'
No Grudges
When asked if he held anything against Sridevi. he had stated, "I am sure I've had various degrees of emotions against her (Sridevi) and him (Boney Kapoor). I only look forward. I try make it a point not to dwell on what could have, what should have."
A Cordial Relationship
'It's very cordial. I respect anybody in my father's life the same way because he would expect me to do that. So I respect her and don't wish ill towards anyone. That's how I follow."
I Have Never Sat Down Face To Face With Her
When asked about Sridevi's role in building Arjun's career, he said, "I've never sat down face to face with her and had a chat about how she liked my work or is she following.''
I Am Sure She Is Following My Work
'I am sure she is, but we never had like... I am sure I've spoken to you more in this interview than I might have about my work with her.''
There Is An Understanding
''You know it's one of those, there is a decent understanding, understanding of two people to maintain a certain equation because we love a certain man who is in between both of us, as simple as that."
Strange Co-incidence
Jhanvi Kapoor lost her mother Sridevi before she made her Bollywood debut with Karan Johar's Dhadak similar to Arjun Kapoor's mother Mona Shourie who passed away on March 25, 2012, two months before his debut movie Ishaqzaade released.
Never Take Your Parents For Granted
Arjun had told a daily, ''There's no respite from the death of a mother. I always tell people that you are allowed to take your parents for granted to a certain degree but don't underestimate the power of having them around.''
Life Without The Parents
He added, ''They are your backbone. You think it's there but imagine one day it cracks -- you are bound to fall. I have lived my life balancing without a backbone for the last 5 years."
It Was An April Fool Days Prank
The magazine Cine Blitz actually got Anupam Kher all done up by ace make-up artiste and stylist Mickey Contractor and a cover picture shot by Bollywood's most popular lensman of the time - Gautam Rajadhyaksha where he posed as Sridevi's long-lost sister Prabhadevi.
Sridevi Was Unaware About This Prank
After the magazine hit the stands, Sridevi reacted, " Anupamji didn't tell me what exactly he was going to do. One day, while we were shooting he told me, 'Ma'am main aap ko ek surprise dene wala hoon' [Ma'm I'm going to give you a huge surprise]."
Building The Suspense
"The whole day he kept telling me the same thing. So I asked him what the surprise was. And all he said was, 'Nahin, I don't want to tell you, magar aap bahut hassenge' [but you'll laugh a lot!]. ...The whole day Anupamji kept building up the suspense. I had absolutely no idea what he was going to do. I could not even imagine what the surprise was."
Here's What Happened Next
Sridevi told the magazine, "After the shooting schedule in Bombay, I left for Madras. One day, after I finished my dubbing, I returned home and I met my sister and brother-in-law. They were very upset. They came to me saying, 'See what this Cine Blitz has done. They have said that we have got another sister hiding somewhere. It is so wrong!"
Sridevi Found The Prank Funnny
She was quoted as saying, " Ya. I found it really very funny. It was a really good April Fool joke for everybody. Especially when she said that she knew all the Hollywood actors. That was really funny and very cute in a way."
She Quite Liked Anupam's New Look
"Anupamji's make-up was really mind blowing. How nicely it was done. The credit for it goes to Gautam and Mickey. Of course the credit also goes to Anupamji. The way he has given his expressions was really great!"
Few Directors Were Keen To Sign Prabhadevi For A Film
Gautam Rajadhyaksha who transformed Anupam Kher to Prabhadevi said that almost everyone in the industry believed the story and some producers were even keen to sign Prabhadevi for their films.
Even Jaya Bachchan Fell For The Story
Talking about it, Gautam revealed to the magazine, "I was shooting with Amitabh (who had been told the night before by a suddenly stricken Anupam!) the day of the issue's release. Jaya, having read the story, tossed the magazine aside with disdain.
"Such cheap sensationalism. I admit she does look a bit like Sridevi, but..." I will never forget Jaya's face when Amit, who couldn't contain himself any longer, blurted out the truth. Disbelief, giving way to incredulity, shock, amazement, till at last she dissolved into peals of laughter. Sometimes, even now, remembering Jay's gasps and giggles, I laugh out loud."
Sridevi- The Queen Of Indian Cinema
Following the actress' untimely death on Saturday, Anupam Kher took to Twitter to express his condolences and tweeted, " This is how I will always want to remember #Sridevi - Happening, Vibrant, Brilliant, Beautiful, Bestest and Unique. #QueenOfIndianCinemaSridevi
Boney Was Crying Like A Baby
At present, I'm in Dubai and, last night, I met Bonny-saab (Boney Kapoor). He was crying like a baby. The entire nation must be so sad. So are people in Pakistan. Just imagine: People from everywhere, Pakistan, America, the UK and other parts, have been sending me condolence messages.
She Was So Caring
For Sajal, Sridevi-sahiba was like a mother. Sajal's mother passed away during the filming of Mom. Sridevi consoled her saying: I'm like your mother.' During the shoot, she took care of Sajal like her baby.
Sridevi Was So Excited About Janhvi's Debut
Today, I'm saddened for her daughters, Janhvi and Khushi. Sridevi was excited about Janhvi's debut and putting in a lot of effort to support her.
Sridevi Was Looking Gorgeous At Mohit's Wedding
Adnan further added, "Four days ago, I was at the wedding of Mohit Marwah (nephew of Bonny Kapoor and Sridevi). She was looking gorgeous. And who could believe that she would be no more in four days.''
I Want To Visit India For Her Funeral But..
I would really want to visit India for her funeral. But the unfortunate scenario between the two nations would not let us share the sorrow with each other, forget about happiness.
She Was Waiting For Me
On the day of the wedding, my flight landed at 12 in the night. I assumed I would be late for it. When called Boney-sahab, he insisted that I should go for the wedding. He added that Sridevi had not met me after the movie and was waiting for me.
Her Last Words To Me Were
Even as she greeted me warmly and later introduced me to her family, she said: "Itni der kardi aapne aane mein (You are so late)." Those words are still ringing my mind. Maybe that was her last goodbye.
Her Sudden Death Has Caused A Collective Grief
Sridevi's demise has not affected me alone; it has caused a collective grief. She celebrated life in her performances and we forever celebrate her. She will never be forgotten, no matter what.
She Ruled The Screen Like A Queen
For us, living in Pakistan, she was a heroine who ruled the screen like a queen. She was as loved in Pakistan as she was in India. Sajal Ali and I were the ones from Pakistan who knew her and the family well.
She Was Getting Ready For A Dream Dinner
As per a report in Khaleej Times, Sridevi was getting ready for a dream dinner date with her husband Boney Kapoor in Dubai before she reportedly suffered a cardiac arrest at their hotel room and died on Saturday evening.
Boney Went To Her Room
According to a source close to the family, Kapoor flew back from Mumbai and went to her room at the Jumeirah Emirates Towers Hotel around 5:30pm to "surprise" her with dinner.
The Couple Chatted For 15 Minutes
He woke her up and the couple chatted for about 15 minutes before he invited her for dinner. The Chandni-fame star then went to the washroom. As Sridevi did not come out even after 15 minutes, Kapoor knocked on the door to check on her.
He Found Sridevi Motionless In The Bathtub
''When he got no response, he forced open the door to find the legendary actor lying motionless in the bathtub full of water. "He tried to revive her and when he could not, he called a friend of his. After that, he informed the police at 9pm," said the source.
She Was Pronounced Death
The police and paramedics rushed to the site, but she was pronounced dead. Her body was taken to the General Department of Forensic Medicine for an autopsy.
Another Report States That She Requested For Water But Didn't Open The Door
When mid-day contacted the hotel, an employee on the condition of anonymity said that the actor was residing alone. "At around 10.30 pm, she called the room service to request for water.''
The Staffer Raised An Alarm
When the server reached her room within 15 minutes, the actor did not attend to multiple doorbells. After a few minutes, fearing something was amiss, the staffer raised an alarm.
They Found Her On The Bathroom Floor
When we broke into the room, we found her on the bathroom floor. This was around 11 pm. She had a pulse when we found her.
They Rushed Her To The Hospital
The source adds that while Sridevi appeared healthy, should she have been feeling uneasy, she may have attributed it to the exhaustive wedding ceremonies. "We rushed her to [Rashid Hospital], where she was declared dead on arrival."
The Post-mortem Procedures
An official reportedly told the Khaleej Times, "Since she is a high-profile personality, we cannot rush the post-mortem procedures." Given that the actor was declared dead on arrival, the authorities could not issue a death certificate without conducting the autopsy.
The Procedures Are Complicated
An independent journalist working in the Gulf told the daily, ''if a person there dies in hospital, the cause of death is known and the procedure to release the body is quick. However, if a death occurs outside a hospital, even a natural death, police have to be informed and they will investigate the death after they first register a case.''
The Official Steps
''In case a body has to be sent overseas for cremation, there are, naturally, even more official steps to be taken, said the journalist Vasudeva Rao.''
Reason Why It's Taking Time
As per procedure, the body is first kept in the morgue at Al Qusais. After forensic examination at the General Department of Forensic Evidence, the body is handed over to the police. After the autopsy report, a death certificate is given and after that the police give their clearance.
Nothing Suspicious
Forensic pathologists found nothing suspicious about the manner in which Sridevi died. The procedures to release the body of a person who didn't die in hospital, are, naturally, more complicated. If the person who died is from abroad, the process to release their mortal remains can take even longer.
Sridevi Died Of Heart Attack
Forensic doctors in Dubai concluded that Sridevi died of a heart attack and added there is nothing suspicious about the way the superstar passed away, official sources in Dubai said.
Her Mortal Remains Will Reach India By 7:00 Pm
Another report in India.com stated that Boney along with his brother Sanjay Kapoor are currently doing the paper work, following which her body will be flown down to Mumbai via a private jet. As per the latest reports, her body will be ready for repatriation by 3 :30 pm and will likely reach India by 7 : 00 pm.
Last Rites
The funeral will reportedly take place today in Mumbai at the Pawan Hans crematorium. Many stars are likely to pay their last respects to the legendary actress
Here Is The Report
As per Khaleej Times, Sources in the police department and an exclusively obtained copy of Sridevi's death certificate has confirmed that her cause of death is accidental drowning. The late actor did not suffer a cardiac arrest.
More Details
However, early reports also suggested that she lost her balance and fell into the tub. She was found dead in a bathtub full of water. This information has now been confirmed by official sources.
Official Statement
Her body will soon be moved to the Al Muhaisana embalming unit and will be repatriated to Mumbai, India at the earliest. The police will release the official forensic report and details to the family in the next few moments.
Those Who Have Come Late
According to a source close to the family, Boney Kapoor went to her room at the Jumeirah Emirates Towers Hotel around 5:30pm to "surprise" her with dinner.
She Went To Take A Bath
He woke her up and the couple chatted for about 15 minutes before he invited her for dinner. The Chandni-fame star then went to the washroom. As Sridevi did not come out even after 15 minutes, Kapoor knocked on the door to check on her.
He Was Shocked When
''When he got no response, he forced open the door to find the legendary actor lying motionless in the bathtub full of water. "He tried to revive her and when he could not, he called a friend of his. After that, he informed the police at 9pm," said the source.
Shilpa Meets Luv In Delhi
Bigg Boss 11 winner, Shilpa Shinde, who has been busy with her photoshoot, recently met Luv Tyagi, in Delhi. Both the contestants shared the pictures on their social networking accounts.
Shilpa & Luv
Sharing the picture snapped with Shilpa, Luv wrote, "@shilpa_shinde_official ." Shilpa too, shared the picture and wrote, "So here is a surprise for all #Shilpians. Met Luv @luvtya6i today in Delhi."
Shilpa & Arshi Bond Over Dinner
What's surprising is that the actress met Arshi Khan! It has to be recalled that the duo had shared a good relationship during the initial stage in the Bigg Boss 11 house. Later, their relationship turned sour.
Shilpa & Arshi
Shilpa didn't attend Arshi Khan's grand bash and Arshi blamed Shilpa and felt that Shilpa faked their relationship (maa-beti) in the Bigg Boss house. Shilpa had given back to her saying she had no reason for skipping Arshi's party!
Shilpa & Arshis War Of Words
After this incident Arshi had made a comment on Shilpa's marriage, because of which the duo got into a war of words in different interviews. After reading their statements, we thought that the duo can't be friends again!
Shilpa, Arshi & Ashutosh
But, we were wrong, as the duo was seen bonding together over a dinner in Shilpa's house! Arshi, Shilpa and her brother, Ashutosh took selfie together. Arshi had shared a couple of pictures on Twitter.
All Is Well Between Shilpa & Arshi?
It seems like the duo had fun together. It is also said that both Arshi and Shilpa had long private chat and even spent some happy moments together!
Bitcoin has taken the investing universe by storm, making early adopters rich and capturing the imagination of millions of people worldwide. As the number of people interested in bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies has risen, the potential for abuse has gone up with it. That has caught the interest of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, and the regulatory agency has made its own positions on bitcoin and other crypto-related assets as clear as possible.
SEC Chair Jay Clayton offered some thoughts on cryptocurrencies and initial coin offerings a couple of months ago. Although the regulatory framework for bitcoin and similar crypto assets is continually in flux, Clayton had several key messages for those thinking about investing in the cryptocurrency arena. Here are five of the most important ones you should know about.
1. There are no SEC-registered investments in crypto-related assets.
Investors should understand that to date, no initial coin offerings have been registered with the SEC. The SEC also has not to date approved for listing and trading any exchange-traded products (such as ETFs) holding cryptocurrencies or other assets related to cryptocurrencies.
The SEC is aware that crypto-related investments have less investor protection than stocks and other traditional securities, with few or no disclosure requirements. That has opened up opportunities for fraud related to these investments as well as potential manipulation of their prices.
Clayton was quick to warn investors that anyone who says their investment is SEC-registered is incorrect. Before investing in crypto-related assets, it's essential to ask questions and get clear answers in order to understand exactly what you're getting into.
2. The SEC's ability to help you is almost nil
These markets span national borders and significant trading may occur on systems and platforms outside the United States. Your invested funds may quickly travel overseas without your knowledge. As a result, risks can be amplified, including the risk that market regulators such as the SEC may not be able to effectively pursue bad actors or recover funds.
U.S. investors have gotten used to the idea that government entities like the SEC for stocks, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation for bank deposits, and the Securities Investor Protection Bureau for brokerage accounts will be able to help them in cases of fraud or misconduct. Yet the intangible technology-based nature of crypto assets makes them difficult to trace to any particular country, and the money that goes toward purchasing these assets can easily move out of reach of U.S. regulators. That's unfamiliar territory for many investors, but it's the state of affairs for cryptocurrency right now.
3. Some initial coin offerings are in fact securities
The Commission applied long-standing securities law principles to demonstrate that a particular token constituted an investment contract and therefore was a security under our federal securities laws.
Some professionals have asserted that initial coin offerings aren't subject to securities laws because cryptocurrency is a commodity rather than a security. The structure of ICOs, however, often closely mimics that of a public offering of stock. In at least one case, the SEC concluded that an offering of a cryptocurrency token was "an investment of money in a common enterprise with a reasonable expectation of profits to be derived from the entrepreneurial or managerial efforts of others." That would require registration for the ICO for sale to the general public, and the fact that enterprises making ICOs aren't registering their offerings is troubling to the SEC.
4. As cryptocurrency use increases, SEC scrutiny will rise
It is clear that just as the SEC has a sharp focus on how U.S. dollar, euro, and Japanese yen transactions affect our securities markets, we have the same interests and responsibilities with respect to cryptocurrencies.
Cash holdings like U.S. dollars aren't securities, and so trading currency isn't subject to securities laws. However, to the extent that brokerage companies and other businesses that are direct participants in securities markets start to allow payments made in cryptocurrencies, the SEC will have an interest in ensuring that there's no illicit trading or financial transactions associated with the purchase and sale of securities. Extension of credit for cryptocurrency holdings is another area that could trigger scrutiny in the future.
5. The SEC isn't anti-bitcoin per se
The technology on which cryptocurrencies and ICOSs are based may prove to be disruptive, transformative and efficiency-enhancing. I am confident that developments in fintech will help facilitate capital formation and provide promising investment opportunities for institutional and Main Street investors alike.
Contrary to popular opinion, the SEC and other regulators aren't entirely opposed to bitcoin and other cryptocurrency investments. They just want market participants to have the knowledge and information they need to evaluate such investments properly. The SEC believes that crypto-based enterprises can work with the regulatory community to give investors this valuable information and avoid potential problems before they happen.
Be careful with bitcoin
Many bitcoin enthusiasts are happy that the cryptocurrency has little regulatory oversight. In the SEC's view, that state of affairs isn't likely to last much longer. Cryptocurrency investors need to watch closely as regulatory guidelines start to form that could transform the way bitcoin and other crypto markets function in the future.
After a winter of anticipation, F1 testing got underway at Barcelona on Monday morning. But whilst the halo-equipped cars may look very different from their predecessors, the top of the timesheet had a familiar feel as F1s so-called big three teams vied for supremacy. In the end it was Red Bull's Daniel Ricciardo who came out on top at the lunch break - but only after a late effort pushed him past both Mercedes' Valtteri Bottas and Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen.
All three drivers logged big mileage, though not quite as many laps as either Renaults Nico Hulkenberg or Toro Rossos Brendon Hartley who impressed as they placed fourth and fifth respectively, the latter enjoying a reliable start with Honda power.
At the other end of the scale was Fernando Alonso who completed just 10 laps as McLaren, looking to put past pre-season difficulties behind them, endured a disappointing start to their winter programme.
The session was less than an hour old when the Spaniard lost his right-rear wheel and was pitched into the gravel at the final corner, with a wheel nut issue later identified as the cause.
The mornings other red-flag stoppage was caused by Force India development driver Nikita Mazepin, who was given the honour of debuting the teams VJM11 after its earlier pit lane launch. Like Alonso, the Russian found the gravel trap, only this time his spin at Turn 4 looked like it owed more to driver error than car problem.
Elsewhere Lance Stroll, Romain Grosjean and Marcus Ericsson got off to solid starts for Williams, Haas and Sauber respectively, with each logging a decent amount of laps, albeit some way off the ultimate pace.
Having given fans a sneak peak of the STR13 last Wednesday, Toro Rosso unveiled their new car for real on Monday morning - just minutes before the start of pre-season testing in Barcelona.
The new car, the teams first to be powered by Honda, following the Japanese power unit suppliers switch from McLaren over the winter, will run in a near identical livery to last year.
I am really looking forward to begin this new season and enter a new era for our team, working together with Honda, said team principal Franz Tost. Its an exciting time for Toro Rosso because we have not had our own engine supplier before, so to partner with a manufacturer, with the history Honda has, will be great."
The STR13 will be campaigned this season by two drivers who made their F1 debuts with the team in 2017 Pierre Gasly and Brendon Hartley. The latter gave the Italian built machine its track debut during a very wet filming day in Misano last week, where it ran without issue, and after an unreliable start to testing last year, Toro Rosso will be hoping for a similarly problem-free programme over the next four days in Spain.
We have two accomplished rookies for the 2018 season," continued Tost. "They are not completely new because both Pierre and Brendon drove a handful of races for us last year, but this will be their first full season in Formula 1. Both drivers come to us as champions, as Pierre won the 2016 GP2 (now F2) Championship, while Brendon is a double World Endurance Champion and 24 Hour of Le Mans winner.
Im convinced that if we provide them with a competitive car, they will be able to perform at very high levels. We have been working very hard on the STR13, and Im happy we do not have to wait too long to see it running. The season has begun Ganbarimasu!
Katsuhide Moriyama, Chief Officer for Brand and Communication Operations at Honda added: I am delighted that our new car is here and ready for the start of winter testing, having been designed and built to a very tight schedule.
That is a tribute to the dedication of the Honda and Scuderia Toro Rosso personnel who have already learned to work very well together, developing the STR13 chassis and RA618H power unit package over the short winter months.
Now we have just eight days to evaluate our work on the track, in order to be ready for the coming season. We appreciate the warm support from the fans and hope they enjoy watching us compete in this years championship.
McLaren suffered what former boss Ron Dennis might have termed a 'sub-optimal' start to testing on Monday morning after a loose wheel pitched Fernando Alonso off the track after less than an hours running.
The Spaniard was left beached in the gravel at Barcelonas final turn, bringing out the first red flag of the day and prematurely ending his first proper outing in the teams new Renault-powered MCL33 after just six laps - hardly the start McLaren were looking for as they sought to put previous poor pre-season form behind them.
Prior to his off, which McLaren Executive Director Zak Brown said was caused by a wheelnut issue, Alonso had worked down to a best time of 1m 24.202s on Pirelli's supersoft tyres. However, whilst his car was quickly returned to the pits, as the clock ticked towards lunchtime the double world champion was still in the garage as his mechanics checked for possible damage.
You can follow minute-by-minute Live Timing from pre-season testing on the Official F1 App. For more information, click here.
Nokia, BSNL join forces to launch 4G and VoLTE services in India News oi-Vishal Kawadkar Nokia and BSNL plans big for Indian market.
Nokia and BSNL have signed a network modernization agreement to support BSNL's launch of 4G and Voice over LTE (VoLTE) services in western and southern regions of India.
Deployment of the Nokia Single Radio Access Network (RAN) software will simplify network installation, allowing BSNL to save operational costs while supporting 2G, 3G and 4G subscribers in a single radio unit. New VoLTE services will allow BSNL's 4G subscribers to experience HD-quality voice and faster call connections.
Nokia will deploy the technology in 10 telecom circles in India - Maharashtra, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Chattisgarh, Goa, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala and Telangana - serving large cities, businesses, technology and tourist hubs - and nearly 38 million BSNL subscribers.
The Nokia MBiT Index 2018 reveals that 4G contributed to 82% of data traffic in 2017 and the monthly 4G data usage per user was nearly 11 GB per user per month. The deployment will enable BSNL to meet this growing demand as it continues to support subscribers on existing 2G and 3G networks.
The network deployment will include Nokia Single RAN software, IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS), Session Border Controller (SBC), CloudBand, Monetization Solution, Performance Manager, IP/MPLS and Wavence microwave technologies. Nokia Global Services will utilize its expertise and best practices to ensure high network and service quality.
In 2017, Nokia and BSNL signed an MoU to explore and develop the applications of 5G for the India market.
About the deployment:
Nokia Single Radio Access Network software
Nokia Wavence microwave transport technology
Nokia VoLTE solution including IMS core and the Nokia TAS
Nokia Session Border Controller (SBC) to secure and control media and signaling streams that cross the edges of the IMS network
Nokia CloudBand, including RedHat OpenStack, for Network Functions Virtualization (NFV) management and orchestration (MANO) of the Virtual Network Functions (VNFs)
Nokia industry-leading IP/MPLS solution, based on its 7750 Service Router (SR), 7705 Service Aggregation Router (SAR), 7210 Service Access Switch (SAS) and, LAN Switch and GGSN for high performance networking and increased service delivery reliability
Nokia Performance Manager (NPM) to ensure a high-quality subscriber experience by analyzing LTE performance data to generate insights and trigger the necessary optimization and expansion actions
Nokia NetAct virtualized network management software to provide robust capabilities for managing the smooth evolution to 4G, and ultimately to 5G
Nokia Monetization Solution including charging system upgrade, policy control and mediation capabilities
Nokia will also leverage its services expertise, including installation and commissioning and multi-year Care services as it swaps out the existing network.
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Nokia CEO believes 5G rollouts will happen in 2018 News oi-Samden Sherpa Many telecom operators along with equipment manufacturers have been working on to bring 5G technology into the market and it seems they are now accelerating the timeline of launching the t
Apart from launching five new smartphones at MWC 2018, Nokia seems to have plans for the roll-out of next-generation 5G networks. While many telecom operators along with equipment manufacturers have been working on to bring 5G technology into the market, it seems these service providers are accelerating the timeline of launching the technology from 2019 to 2018.
Amidst such developments, Nokia's Chief Executive, Rajeev Suri has now stated that it has boosted Nokia's confidence of an uplift for its own business later in 2018. The telecom network industry, which has been mostly dominated by China's Huawei, Finland's Nokia and Sweden's Ericsson have also witnessed that the demand for 4G gear is falling.
Thus the first commercial 5G roll-outs are now expected to begin this year and Suri has further said that there will likely be large deployments in the United States, South Korea, Japan, and China.
"The confidence about where that 5G uplift comes from is understanding the accelerated timelines operators now have," Suri told Reuters in an interview just ahead of the Mobile World Congress that is currently taking place in Barcelona.
A year ago, operators were saying 5G rollouts would be big maybe at the back end of 2019, he noted. "Now, it has accelerated by almost a year, which is good news for the sector, because then they'll be the next wave of investment coming and we can base our timelines now off of knowing this."
Nokia also now struck a partnership agreement with China Mobile - the biggest mobile operator globally by subscribers - to develop new 5G networks for industrial uses across the world's most populous country. "Europe, however, so far lacks the catalysts for rapid, large-scale 5G rollouts, Suri added. "Far and away, the US and China activity will dwarf Europe ... (but) I think some 5G will be launched (in Europe) at some point in 2019," he said.
According to the executive, Nokia is well positioned for the 5G era, partly thanks to its 2016 acquisition of Franco-U.S. Alcatel-Lucent with the help of which Nokia was able to expand its portfolio. However, on Sunday, Nokia also hinted that it could strike a major deal with Vodafone, but the company did not provide further details.
Apart from 5G, Nokia also announced that it would be collaborating with social media giant Facebook on high-speed, fixed wireless access technologies, and would further acquire U.S. software firm Umium to boost its Wi-Fi product offerings.
Nokia has already stepped-up its capital spending to win future 5G upgrade deals. The company is also hoping for greater profitability this year.
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Democrats Release Memo On Russia Probe, Rebut Republicans
RFE/RL February 25, 2018
U.S. Democrats have released a redacted memo challenging Republican claims that the FBI abused government surveillance powers in its investigation of Russia election meddling, a document President Donald Trump had previously blocked in its full form.
The House Democrats' document, released on February 24, attempted to counter claims made in a previous Republican-written memo and focused on longstanding FBI concerns about a Trump campaign aide's links to Russia.
Democrats wrote that the FBI and Justice Department (DOJ) "did not abuse" procedures, "omit material information" or "subvert" government regulations in requesting court permission to conduct surveillance on a member of the Trump campaign team.
Republicans on the House Intelligence Committee released their memo on February 2 that accused the two law-enforcement organizations of being biased against Trump and of hiding information as part of the investigation into Russian meddling in U.S. politics and any links to the Trump team.
The Republican memo alleged that the FBI and DOJ inappropriately applied for permission to conduct surveillance of Trump campaign aide Carter Page, who had extensive Russian contacts.
Democrats said the memo was a selectively edited set of Republican talking points aimed at distracting attention from the committee's own investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election.
They attempted to release a rebuttal memo, but it was block by the Trump administration, which said it contained "numerous properly classified and especially sensitive passages."
The Democrats then removed some portions of the memo and released it after negotiations with the FBI.
The new memo alleges that Page was targeted for recruitment in 2013 by two Russians who had been indicted by the U.S. government.
That information, it says, was used by U.S. law enforcement to gain four judges' permission to conduct surveillance against Page, and not an unverified dossier partially paid for by Democrats, as Republicans claimed.
"The FBI had ample reason to believe that Carter Page was acting as an agent of a foreign power based on his history, including the fact that he had previously been a target of Russian recruitment, his travel to Russia and other information," said Adam Schiff,the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, which produced the new memo.
Page has denied any wrongdoing, and Trump has repeatedly said he has done nothing wrong in his dealings with Russia.
Trump dismissed the Democrats' memo with a Twitter posting later on February 24 saying, it was "a total political and legal BUST."
"Just confirms all of the terrible things that were done. SO ILLEGAL!" he wrote.
At least five people -- including three former Trump aides -- have pleaded guilty in special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation into Russian meddling, although charges have been financially related and do not directly allege collusion with Russia.
Thirteen Russians and three Russian companies have also been indicted in the probe.
With reporting by AP and AFP
Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/democrats-memo-russia- mueller-election-meddling/29061188.html
Copyright (c) 2018. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.
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Trump Spars with Key Democrat over Surveillance Memos
By Ken Bredemeier February 25, 2018
U.S. President Donald Trump is sparring with a key Democratic lawmaker over allegations that the FBI engaged in surveillance abuses in 2016 as it sought to win court approval to monitor a Trump aide's contacts with Russia.
Congressman Adam Schiff, the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, told CNN Sunday, "The FBI acted appropriately." His comment came hours after the minority Democrats on the panel released their rebuttal to a memo disclosed three weeks ago by Republicans contending that the law enforcement agency acted improperly in pursuing clandestine surveillance of Trump aide Carter Page.
The Democratic memo pushed back against the Republican claim that the FBI failed to disclose the political motivations of a former British intelligence officer, Christopher Steele, the author of a controversial dossier on Trump's links to Russia that was partly used by the FBI in seeking approval from the Federal Intelligence Surveillance Court to monitor Page.
The Republican memo, crafted by House Intelligence Committee chairman Devin Nunes, a California congressman, claimed that the Steele dossier was "an essential part" of the surveillance application submitted to the court without disclosing that it was research paid for by Democrats and the campaign of Hillary Clinton, Trump's 2016 election opponent.
Schiff's memo said there were "multiple sources" supporting the Page surveillance, not just the Steele dossier, and that the FBI had already been investigating Trump campaign links to Russia for seven weeks before it learned of the Steele dossier.
In a string of Twitter comments Saturday, Trump said, "The Democrat memo response on government surveillance abuses is a total political and legal BUST. Just confirms all of the terrible things that were done. SO ILLEGAL! Dem Memo: FBI did not disclose who the clients were - the Clinton Campaign and the DNC. Wow!"
The U.S. leader called Schiff a "total phony" and again disparaged multiple Washington investigations into his campaign's ties to Russia. "This whole Witch Hunt is an illegal disgrace," Trump said, blaming his predecessor, former President Barack Obama, for not thwarting Russian meddling in the election.
Schiff said, "I'm not surprised the White House tried to bury this [Democratic] memo as long as they could," saying the Steele dossier was "part of a complete whole." He said the FBI's bid for the surveillance of Page accurately stated that Steele was hired by politically-motivated U.S. entities and that his research appeared to be aimed at discrediting the Trump campaign.
During an interview Saturday with the Fox News program Justice with Judge Jeanine, President Donald Trump said the Democrats' memo was "a nothing."
"Well, all you do is you see this Adam Schiff he has a meeting, and he leaves the meeting and he calls up reporters. And then all of a sudden they have news and you're not supposed to do that. It's probably illegal to do it," Trump told the host, Jeanine Pirro.
Schiff and other Democrats on the House Intelligence Committee alleged the Republican version of the story omits and misrepresents facts. They also accused Trump of ignoring concerns about releasing sensitive information when releasing the Republican version of the memo, and holding the Democratic one for political reasons rather than security concerns.
FBI Director Christopher Wray had also expressed concerns about the Republican memo, saying it left out key information.
As the Democratic memo was released, Nunes told a conservative gathering outside Washington, "We wanted it out. We want it out because we think it is clear evidence that the Democrats are not only trying to cover this up, but they're also colluding with parts of the government to help cover this up. ... What you basically read in the Democratic memo is, they are advocating that it's OK for the FBI and DOJ [Department of Justice] to use political dirt paid for by one campaign, and use it against the other campaign."
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Deadly blast hits area near US Embassy in Afghan capital
Iran Press TV
Sat Feb 24, 2018 06:01AM
An assailant has attacked a diplomatic district in Afghanistan's capital, killing at least three people and injuring six others.
The attacker hit Kabul's Shash Darak area on Saturday, Afghan Interior Ministry spokesman Najib Danish said.
The area lies close to the NATO's headquarters and not far from the American Embassy.
The official said the casualty count could rise.
The Daesh terrorist group later claimed responsibility for the attack.
Afghanistan has seen rampant instability since the 2001 invasion of the country by a United States-led NATO coalition, which ousted a Taliban regime at the time. The Taliban then launched a militancy, targeting foreign and Afghan forces as well as civilians.
In late January, a study by the BBC showed that the Taliban were now present and active in 70 percent of Afghan territory.
The Takfiri Daesh terrorist group is a more recent phenomenon in Afghanistan. But it has managed to establish a foothold in the already-conflict-ridden country.
Recently, US President Donald Trump authorized a troop surge in Afghanistan, a policy that had been tried out by former US president George W. Bush but had failed to end the Taliban militancy.
Taliban kill 18 in Farah
Separately, the Taliban attacked a security checkpoint in the western Afghanistan province of Farah, killing at least 18 troops and wounding two more.
Dawlat Waziri, a spokesman for the Afghan Defense Ministry, announced the news, saying the attack had targeted the province's Bala Buluk District.
More casualties elsewhere
Also on Saturday, at least three security personnel members were killed in separate bombing attacks in the southern Helmand Province.
Omar Zwak, a spokesman for Helmand's provincial government, said an explosive-laden vehicle killed two soldiers and wounded another in Nad-e Aali District. A second such attack near a military base in Helmand's capital city of Lashkar Gah killed one security personnel member and wounded seven civilians.
Responsibility for the latter two bombings were yet to be claimed by any group.
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Israel to build 350 new settler units in occupied West Bank
Iran Press TV
Sun Feb 25, 2018 05:57PM
The Israeli cabinet has approved the construction of 350 new settler units in the occupied West Bank irrespective of an international outcry against the Tel Aviv regime's settlement expansion policies in Palestinian lands.
The units will be built at Netiv Ha'avot settlement, which is located south of the West Bank city of Bethlehem.
Addressing the cabinet ahead of its weekly meeting on Sunday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu thanked Finance Minister Moshe Kahlon and other senior authorities for their efforts in earmarking the funds, which required corresponding cuts to various offices.
"The residents of Netiv Ha'avot have been waiting a long time for this," Netanyahu said.
Some of the allocated money will also go toward building a temporary neighborhood for the 15 families whose homes are slated for demolition until permanent homes are built for them nearby.
Praising the cabinet decision, Gush Etzion Regional Council chairman, Shlomo Ne'eman, called it "a tremendous achievement for the Zionist enterprise in Judea and Samaria," referring to the West Bank by its biblical names.
New research by a left-wing Israeli NGO shows that over 40 percent of the graves in the West Bank settlements have been dug on privately owned Palestinian land.
The comprehensive study claims that some 600 graves, situated in or near 10 settlements, are dug on Palestinian land, including land that has been expropriated for public use or taken by Israel for what it describes as security needs.
The research was undertaken by Dror Etkes from Kerem Navot, a nongovernmental organization concerned with Israeli settlement policies.
Netanyahu warns 'disproportionate' settlement growth would anger Trump
In his cabinet meeting on Sunday, Netanyahu also warned ministers against promoting a massive expansion of the settlement where slain Israeli rabbi, Itamar Ben-Gal, lived, arguing that doing so would anger the administration of US President Donald Trump.
Netanyahu was responding to requests made on behalf of Ben-Gal's widow, Miriam, who called for the construction of 800 homes in the northern West Bank settlement of Har Bracha in response to a recent attack that killed her husband.
"It is forbidden to advance a disproportionate amount of construction in a way that will break our understandings with the Trump administration," Netanyahu said, according to a senior official.
However, the prime minister made clear that he was still interested in promoting a construction project in the settlement and instructed his chief of staff to look into the matter.
Less than a month before Donald Trump took office, the United Nations Security Council adopted Resolution 2334, calling on Israel to "immediately and completely cease all settlement activities in the occupied Palestinian territories, including East Jerusalem."
About 600,000 Israelis live in over 230 illegal settlements built since the 1967 Israeli occupation of the Palestinian territories of the West Bank and East Jerusalem al-Quds.
Palestinians want the West Bank as part of a future independent Palestinian state with East Jerusalem al-Quds as its "capital."
This as there have been regular anti-US protests by Palestinians in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip since December 6, when Trump declared that Washington recognized Jerusalem al-Quds as the "capital" of Israel and was moving the American embassy from Tel Aviv to the holy city. Many say Trump's move has effectively killed any chances of further negotiations.
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Trump asks Pentagon to plan military parade for Veterans Day
Iran Press TV
Sun Feb 25, 2018 10:04AM
US President Donald Trump says he has asked the Pentagon to stage a large-scale military parade in Washington on Veterans Day.
During a call to a Fox News television show on Saturday night, Trump said he was hopeful that the parade would be held "with a lot of plane flyovers."
However, he acknowledged that the costs of the parade, estimated to be between $10 million and $30 million, would be a problem.
"We'll see if we can do it at a reasonable cost, and if we can't, we won't do it, but the generals would love to do it, I can tell you, and so would I," Trump said.
Trump initially discussed the matter with senior military leaders in a meeting last month after witnessing a French military parade on Bastille Day last year.
Trump told French President Emmanuel Macron that when he went back to the US he wanted a military parade on the Fourth of July in Washington.
"I was at the Bastille Day parade in France with the president of France, very good guy, and it was quite something, and frankly I think it's great for spirit," he told on Fox News.
Meanwhile, officials in Washington have criticized the plan at a time when the Defense Department wants more stable funding for an overstretched military.
"A military parade in DC would shut down the nation's capital and waste taxpayer dollars just to feed Trump's ego," said Eleanor Holmes Norton, a non-voting delegate to the US Congress for the District of Columbia earlier this month.
The parade is expected to be held on Pennsylvania Avenue, the 1.2-mile (1.9-km) stretch between Congress and the White House that is also the site of the Trump International Hotel.
Military parades in the United States are generally rare. Such parades in other countries are usually staged to celebrate victories in battle or showcase military might.
The last US military parade was in 1991, when tanks and thousands of troops paraded through Washington to celebrate the ousting of Iraqi forces from Kuwait during the reign of former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein.
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Villagers flee as fighting intensifies in Kashmir
Iran Press TV
Sun Feb 25, 2018 09:15AM
Kashmiri villagers have reportedly been forced to flee as fighting intensifies along the so-called Line of Control (LoC) that divides India and Pakistan.
Indian police said hundreds of villagers had to flee because of intensified fighting, including with artillery fire on Saturday.
Pakistani media cited sources in the Inter-Services Public Relations as saying that one citizen had been killed while three others were injured on Saturday as Indian soldiers initiated mortar fire in Thurti Narr Village outside Nikayal sector in Kotli district.
A statement issued by the Pakistan Foreign Office said Indian forces had committed more than 400 violations of a 2003 ceasefire since the start of 2018, killing 17 civilians and injuring 68 others through the use of heavy mortars and automatic weapons.
It is not clear what caused the intensified fighting on Saturday in the Uri sector but tensions have been running high since an attack on an Indian army camp in Kashmir this month in which six soldiers were killed.
New Delhi said the army had proof that Pakistan had been behind the deadly attacks, adding that Islamabad would "pay for this misadventure."
Since partition in 1947, India and Pakistan have three times gone to war over Kashmir. Both countries claim the region in full but rule over parts of it. They reached a ceasefire in 2003, but that agreement has been violated numerous times, with each side accusing the other of initiating fire.
New Delhi also accuses Pakistan of backing a separatist movement in Indian-controlled Kashmir. Pakistan denies the accusation and calls for peace talks to resolve the decades-long dispute.
The majority of the 12.5mn population of Indian-controlled Kashmir is Muslim.
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Campaigning begins in Egypt's presidential election
Iran Press TV
Sun Feb 25, 2018 06:22AM
Campaigning has kicked off in Egypt's presidential election, with incumbent President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi expected to win easily after his real challengers were detained, prosecuted or intimidated out of the race.
Sisi, who has been in power since he led the 2013 military overthrow of his predecessor, Egypt's first democratically-elected president Mohamed Morsi, is one of the two candidates.
The other candidate is Moussa Mostafa Moussa, leader of the pro-government centrist Ghad (Tomorrow) Party that had collected signatures of support for Sisi's presidential campaign.
Moussa formally filed his candidacy just minutes before the deadline, saving the upcoming election from descending into farce with Sisi as the sole candidate.
Campaigning began on Saturday, one day after the National Electoral Commission officially announced the names of the two presidential hopefuls.
The commission spokesperson Mahmoud al-Sherif said the body had not received any legal challenges against the two candidates or "any objections on their eligibility."
The commission also urged the media to be "objective" and banned government officials from "trying to influence the outcome of the election, positively or negatively."
It allows 11 days until March 13 for campaigning abroad and 28 days until March 23 in Egypt while the "candidates can withdraw from the race until 1 March."
The election is set to be held on March 26-28 in Egypt and on March 16-18 abroad. In case of a second round, the poll will take place on April 24-26 in Egypt and on April 19-21 abroad.
Sixty million people are eligible to cast their ballots in the presidential election.
Sisi's critics say he has silenced all forms of political opposition during his first four-year term.
His administration has been under fire for widespread arbitrary arrests, enforced disappearances, torture against perceived dissidents, and trial of thousands of civilians in military courts since the 2013 coup.
Several human rights groups have denounced the election as "farcical" and opposition leaders have called for a boycott.
A coalition of opposition figures said in a joint statement that Egyptians should stay away from the polls in protest as the government had prevented "any fair competition in the upcoming elections".
"We call on our great people to boycott these elections entirely, and to not recognize anything that results from it," read the statement.
Mousa has widely been accused of cooperating with Sisi's administration. However, he has denied the allegation, claiming, "We are not puppets in this race."
All genuine opposition candidates to Sisi have withdrawn from the election.
Among key figures arrested ahead of the polls were Abdel Moneim Abul Fotouh, a former leading member of the outlawed Muslim Brotherhood movement, and ex-army chief of staff Sami Anan.
Abul Fotouh was put on a terror list and accused of spreading false news that could harm Egypt's interests.
Anan, seen as the most credible rival to Sisi, was also detained for allegedly announcing his candidacy while still a registered officer.
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Daesh attack kills 14, injures 40 in Yemen's Aden
Iran Press TV
Sat Feb 24, 2018 11:54PM
Some 14 people have been killed in a Daesh attack on a police headquarters in Yemen's southern port city of Aden.
According to medical and security sources on Saturday, at least 40 people, including women and children, were injured in the attack in the Tawahi district in southwest Aden.
The Daesh Takfirir terrorist group claimed responsibility for the attack via its Amaq news agency.
The incident took place as two bombers detonated two vehicles packed with explosives outside the headquarters' main entrance while six gunmen attempted to enter the facility.
"All the ... terrorists were liquidated immediately before they could reach the outer gate of the anti-terrorism headquarters," said a statement released by the police.
The attack was the first of its kind since clashes broke out in January between southern separatists and former President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi's government, which controls the city.
The fresh outburst began after the separatists managed to take control of a number of sites and military camps run by forces loyal to Hadi following intense clashes.
According to the International Committee of the Red Cross, over 36 people have been killed and nearly 200 others injured during the clashes on Sunday and Monday.
The separatists have long demanded independence for Yemen's south, which used to be independent -- with former British colony Aden as its capital -- from its formation in 1967 until 1990, when it was unified with the north.
Last year, it was revealed that the UAE clandestinely supports the secessionists against the Saudi-armed forces loyal to Hadi.
Given its economic importance, Aden's control would lend considerable leverage to any side exercising ultimate control over the port.
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Impact of Afghanistan's fourth consecutive year of war on civilians 'far too high' - UN report
25 February 2018 - More than 10,000 civilians have lost their lives or suffered injuries during 2017, according to the latest report by the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) documenting the impact of the armed conflict on civilians in Afghanistan.
"The human cost of this ugly war in Afghanistan loss of life, destruction and immense suffering is far too high" said the Secretary-General's Special Representative for Afghanistan, Tadamichi Yamamoto, during the launch of the latest annual report in Kabul.
The report detailed that in 2017, UNAMA and the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) documented 10,453 civilian casualties 3,438 killed and 7,015 injured.
The findings show that the majority of civilian casualties resulted from suicide attacks, improvised explosive device, ground engagements, targeted killings, explosive remnants of war and air strikes.
UN-backed forums
All sides in the Afghan conflict must do more to protect and respect the civilian population, said Afghans from different walks of life at a series of UN-backed forums around the country.
Representatives from government, women organizations, the Afghan Human Rights Commission, civil society and religious institutions are taking part in numerous events around Afghanistan to discuss the impact of the war on civilians.
Panelists taking part in a radio discussion in the eastern province of Nuristan demanded that both government forces and armed insurgents comply strictly with their obligations under international humanitarian, human rights and refugee law.
On a television roundtable in Jalalabad, participants shared concerns of the conflict's socio-economic impact on communities and families, particularly women and children. Most cannot access health services, education or engage in employment, subsequently marginalizing and pushing them deeper into poverty.
Several programmes, including television and radio discussions, are planned in different regions such as Herat, Kandahar and Kunduz, all of which have seen some of the highest number of civilian casualties.
Key recommendations from the report and across the events include stronger measures to protect civilians, and a call for dialogue between warring parties to end the conflict.
"We have to work for a peace agreement to end the conflict. Collective efforts must be redoubled to bring this conflict to an end" Mr. Yamamoto concluded.
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Ousted Afghan Governor Postpones Much-Touted Anti-Government Rally
By Ayaz Gul February 25, 2018
U.S.-led diplomatic efforts appear to have persuaded ousted Afghanistan provincial governor Atta Mohammad Noor to postpone this week's planned anti-government demonstration.
Noor governed the northern Afghan province of Balkh for 13 years until he was removed from office in December by President Ashraf Ghani. But he refused to quit and dismissed the presidential order as illegal.
In his bid to press the central government to meet his demands, Noor planned to lead a massive rally of thousands of vehicles packed with supporters for a three-day sit-in protest in Kabul starting Tuesday. But the ousted governor told reporters Sunday in the provincial capital, Mazar-i-Sharif, that he is postponing the protest.
"We have been asked by the influential figures, civil activists, our international partners and people from different walks of society to postpone our upcoming rally in Kabul," said the ousted governor. He did not elaborate but pledged to announce a new date for the protest very soon.
The planned anti-government rally was to coincide with an international conference in Kabul Wednesday where President Ghani will present his government's comprehensive plan for promoting peace with the Taliban-led armed opposition. Noor said the protest has been postponed to ensure it does not hamper the "Kabul Process" meeting which is being held to help Afghanistan.
His remarks came a day after visiting U.S. permanent representative to NATO, Kay Bailey Hutchison, stressed the importance of peacefully resolving political differences. She told reporters in Kabul on Saturday that during her four-day visit to Afghanistan she and several colleagues from NATO traveled to Balkh province.
"What we are doing is saying to our Afghan leaders, settle this, let's go forward. We are not taking a role in it but we are certainly saying this is part of reconciliation and moving forward," Hutchison told reporters.
General John Nicholson, who commands U.S. and NATO troops in Afghanistan, also spoke at Saturday's news conference and strongly urged Afghan political leaders not to allow political differences to hamper security efforts.
"We respect your political process and your political evolution, we respect your politicians. As a military commander, my only request would be that politics not undermine security and we keep in mind our primary goal of helping this country get to a peaceful reconciliation," Nicholson noted.
The political dispute threatens to undermine Afghan parliamentary elections later this year.
Noor in his speech Sunday again accused Ghani's administration of not resolving any of the issues facing the country, including Taliban and ISIS insurgencies, rising ethnic tensions, and economic challenges facing poverty-stricken Afghans.
"The wave of resistance in the wake of my dismissal is not about Balkh. It's about resisting the rule of a small clique and to find solutions for challenges facing our people," asserted the fired governor.
Noor reiterated that his Jamiat-e-Islami party, which shares power in Ghani's central government, has made a set of demands and will not back down from it. The powerful non-Pashtun politician wants among other things powers to appoint his successor and the provincial police chief.
Last week the governor of Samangan province, which borders Balkh, also refused to accept removal orders from the president but reversed his decision days later after Ghani reportedly promised him another governmental position.
Under President Donald Trump's Afghan war strategy, U.S.-led troops are increasing battlefield pressure on the Taliban-led insurgency to contain its influence and force it to come to the negotiating table for peace talks with the Kabul government.
The U.S. strategy has witnessed increasing intensity in airstrikes against the insurgents and the Taliban has also retaliated with increased attacks, including suicide bombings.
The insurgent group, which controls or contests about 44 percent of Afghanistan's territory, has refused to engage in any peace talks with the government and insists on holding such a dialogue with the U.S. only. The Taliban maintains that only Washington, and not what it calls the "puppet" Afghan leadership, can determine the fate of the war in Afghanistan.
U.S. officials, however, have called on the Taliban to directly engage in a peace and reconciliation process with what they say is the legitimate Afghan government.
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Russian Engineers Finish Work on Laser Capable of Shooting Down Enemy Satellites
Sputnik News
16:50 25.02.2018(updated 16:52 25.02.2018)
An informed source told Russian media that the new laser weapon was developed with the help of know-how accumulated by the Beriev A-60 airborne laser laboratory.
"An evolution of this system has taken place; the completed work will allow us to make a step forward in the creation of such aircraft," the source said, speaking on condition of anonymity.
The source added that a "fundamentally new" aircraft would be created to carry the laser weapon, and that it would not be based on the Il-76MD heavy strategic airlifter that was used to create the A-60. A decision on this issue will be made by the Ministry of Defense.
"At the current stage, work has been completed," the source said.
In 2016, Russian defense R&D concern NPO Almaz announced that they were working on an airborne military laser system designed to suppress enemy air and space-based reconnaissance platforms. The Voronezh-based Chemical Automatics Design Bureau and the Beriev Aircraft Company are also involved in the 'flying laser' program.
Recent work is a progression of experiments which began during the late Soviet period with the A-60 laser laboratory, based on a modified Il-76MD. Work on that project was temporarily frozen in 2011, before resuming in 2012. A deep modernization of the system was completed in 2016, with flight testing continuing since then.
In January, members of the intelligence directorate of the Joint Chiefs of Staff told the Washington Free Beacon that the US was developing its own, missile-based anti-satellite weapons, and that these could become combat-capable as soon as 2020. Earlier this month, US Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats published his 2018 'Worldwide Threat Assessment', in which he cited Russian and Chinese pursuit of antisatellite weapons "as a means to reduce US and allied military effectiveness." According to Coats, in the event of conflict, the countries would use antisatellite systems "to offset any perceived US military advantage derived from military, civil, or commercial space systems."
Sputnik
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Constitutional amendment will improve CPC leadership
Global Times
Source:Global Times Published: 2018/2/25 18:13:40
According to the document about the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee's suggestion to amend some parts of the Constitution approved at the second plenary session of the 19th CPC Central Committee and released Sunday by the Xinhua News Agency, it has been added to the Constitution that the CPC leadership is the most substantive feature of socialism with Chinese characteristics; the second half of Article 79 that stipulates "The term of office of the president and vice-president of the People's Republic of China is the same as that of the National People's Congress, and they shall serve no more than two consecutive terms" will be deleted; China's national supervision commission will be given a constitutional place. These amendments have grabbed widespread attention.
It has long been a reality that China is led by the CPC. To be more accurate, the new article is written into the Constitution as a historical choice and a summing-up of the Chinese people's experience. There has been a related statement in the preamble to the Constitution, but this has been challenged by some who are supported and instigated by overseas forces. In this sense, stressing the CPC leadership in the Constitutional amendment proposal was essential.
Since the founding of the People's Republic of China, there have been multiple adjustments to the institution of the presidency and its terms of reference. Over the past two decades, a trinity of leadership consisting of the CPC Central Committee general secretary, president of the nation and chairman of the CPC Central Military Commission has taken shape and proven to be effective. To remove the two-term limit of the Chinese president can help maintain the trinity system and improve the institution of leadership of the CPC and the nation.
The change doesn't mean that the Chinese president will have a lifelong tenure. There has been a wide consensus within and outside the CPC that since the reform and opening-up, China, led by the CPC, has succeeded and will continue to be successful in solving the power shifts of the CPC and the nation in a law-abiding and orderly manner.
Making clear the legal status of the supervision commission as a national organ will significantly promote the full-scale supervision of public officers and press ahead with the strategy of comprehensively deepening reform, implementing the rule of law and strengthening Party discipline.
The suggestion made at the second plenary session of the 19th CPC Central Committee again demonstrated the CPC's leadership in law making. Since the Constitution was enacted in 1982, the CPC Central Committee has made five amendments to make the fundamental law more relevant and help in its implementation.
Practices prove that fundamental interests of the Chinese society lie in consistently following the CPC leadership. We are living in a changing and sophisticated era where individuals have limited horizon and capability. The CPC Central Committee is undeniably the most capable in mastering the overall situation and leading people to build a powerful country and better life. Therefore, Chinese people trust the CPC Central Committee's wisdom, firmly support and unwaveringly uphold its decisions including constitutional amendment.
Every time China deliberates on reforms and key decisions, effect on public opinion is worth pondering. Misinformation and external forces' meddling will affect public opinion in China.
Therefore, strengthening the CPC's authority and following the line taken by the Central Committee has been reiterated since the reform and opening-up. It has gradually become a magical key to uniting Chinese society to overcome hardships and complete various missions. By upholding and implementing the CPC Central Committee's decisions, Chinese society has, once and again, become the big winner in the world and strengthened its dignity in the face of the West.
With Xi Jinping at the core of the Central Committee, the CPC has become stronger. From anti-corruption campaign to comprehensively advancing the rule of law to profound economic restructuring, the CPC Central Committee with Xi at the core has sturdily opened a new era for a hopeful China.
The constitution amendment is the punch line of legislative framework of socialism with Chinese characteristics in the new era, and an essential constitutional insurance for China to advance. Out of rationality and faith, all Chinese people support the amendment and hope it can contribute to our well-being.
Posted in: EDITORIAL
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Xi Jinping thought proposed to be included in Constitution
People's Daily Online
(Xinhua) 16:52, February 25, 2018
BEIJING, Feb. 25 -- The Communist Party of China Central Committee proposed writing Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era into the country's Constitution.
The proposal was made public on Sunday.
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China's ruling party proposes removing 2-term limit for presidents
Iran Press TV
Sun Feb 25, 2018 10:43AM
China's ruling Communist Party has proposed that the limit for presidents to serve only two terms be removed from the constitution.
The Communist Party's Central Committee, whose 64-year-old chairman Xi Jinping is the president of the country, proposed the removal of a constitutional clause limiting presidential service to just two five-year terms on Sunday.
"The Communist Party of China Central Committee proposed to remove the expression that the President and Vice-President of the People's Republic of China 'shall serve no more than two consecutive terms' from the country's Constitution," Xinhua said.
The fresh development comes just months after Xi was formally reappointed for his second term as head of the party and military at the end of a once-every-five-years party congress.
The Communist Party's Central Committee also proposed inserting "Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era" into the constitution, Xinhua said in a separate report, referring to Xi's guiding political thought that is already in the Communist Party constitution.
The proposed changes need to be approved by the parliament where the Communists are in majority.
Meanwhile, one of Xi's closest political allies, former top graft buster Wang Qishan, 69, who stepped down from the party's Standing Committee the seven-man body that runs China in October last year, has been chosen as a parliament delegate this year and is likely to become vice president, diplomats and sources with ties to the Chinese leadership say.
If the parliament votes for the proposed changes, Xi could be able to stay in power for his lifetime.
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China Proposes Dropping Term Limits for President Xi Jinping
By Bill Ide February 25, 2018
China says it plans to scrap a two-term limit for the country's president and vice president, a move that could allow Chinese leader Xi Jinping to stay in office indefinitely.
Expectations that Xi, China's most powerful leader since Mao Zedong, was considering staying in office for more than the typical 10 years has been building for some time now. But the outline of amendment proposals announced by state media Sunday, including Article 79, confirmed those changes could soon become a reality.
Xi, 64, has been China's president since 2013 and is expected to be formally re-elected at a meeting of the country's largely rubber-stamp legislature early next month. The proposed constitutional amendments will also be voted on at the meeting of the National People's Congress that begins March 5.
Zhang Lifan, a historian and political commentator says the move paves the way for Xi to stay in office well beyond his second five-year term, how long is uncertain.
"In principle, his term in office can now be extended indefinitely," Zhang said adding that if Xi wants, he could stay office until 2050 and exceed the term of Zimbabwe's former president Robert Mugabe.
Leader for life
The possibility of Xi becoming China's leader for life has been increasingly clear since he outlined a major blueprint for the country's development during a communist party congress late last year. That plan aims to turn China into a "great modern socialist country" by 2050 and lasts 30 years.
Removing the term limit does not mean that Xi could stay on that long, but already state media have quoted analysts as saying that it does make sense for him to stay at least until the end of the first 15-year period of the 30 year plan.
In a report from the party-backed Global Times, Su Wei, a professor at the party school of the Chongching Municipal Committee, called the announcement a "significant decision" that will help the party achieve its "historic mission."
"Especially in the period from 2020 to 2035, which is a crucial stage for China to basically realize socialist modernization, China and the CPC need a stable, strong and consistent leadership," Su was quoted as saying.
But while other analysts agree that is one a reason for Xi to stay around, there are also other reasons why he may need more time. Some note Xi's sweeping anti-corruption drive has made him many enemies and if he stepped down in five years, he would be at risk.
Results slow to come
Others highlight the lackluster progress of his reform campaign over the past five years, noting that too is a reason why he may need more time.
Jean-Pierre Cabestan, a political science professor at Hong Kong Baptist University, says the argument is that what China needs is stable, centralized leadership to make long-term plans for the country at a time when social unrest and social pressure is increasing.
"So, what they are trying to pre-empt is any social reaction against the economic difficulties, which society has been facing for some time. With the slowdown of the economy, the increase in the divide among society, equality and so on," he says.
When China's Central Committee met in January to discuss constitutional reforms, details about writing Xi's political thought into the country's constitution and establishing a new and powerful anti-corruption agency called the National Supervision Commission were clear. There was no mention, however, of the clause that limits the president and vice president to two terms.
"It looks like Xi Jinping wanted to tighten the process and speed up its adoption," Cabestan says. "He has the means to do that now and if he waits, he may feel that it may be harder to get these reforms approved by the party leadership."
The sudden announcement comes just as the Communist Party's Central Committee is set to begin a rare third plenum meeting on Monday.
Opposition?
But analysts say the proposal is not going to go forward without sparking some controversy. There is growing concern that Xi could be leaning toward following in the footsteps of China's former leader Mao Zedong.
Since Xi has risen to power there have been increasing controls over society and even powerful elite business.
Already online, it was clear that censors are rushing to keep up with silencing any discussion of the move.
According to Freeweibo.com, the top five censored topics on China's Weibo social media app, which is similar to Twitter, are all related to the proposed amendment to the president's term in office.
Some comments could still be found on Weibo, even though many were being removed.
In one posting a user said, "Since the constitution is a law that touches on the human rights of all the people of China, as a citizen do I have any right to vote on a certain party's proposal to amend the constitution?"
In a response that post, one user wrote, "If you can get out of the country go now, skies are changing." Another quipped, "There is no human rights, let alone any right to vote."
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U.S. Hit for Bringing Clouds of War to Hang over Korean Peninsula
Korean Central News Agency of DPRK
Date: 25/02/2018
Pyongyang, February 25 (KCNA) -- The spokesman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the DPRK issued the following press statement on Sunday:
Respected Supreme Leader Comrade Kim Jong Un affirmed his will in his New Year Address to make strenuous efforts to improve inter-Korean relations, create a peaceful environment on the Korean peninsula and ensure a successful holding of Phyongchang Winter Olympics.
Thanks to our supreme leadership's noble love for the nation and strong determination for peace, long-awaited inter-Korean dialogue and cooperation have been realized and the Olympics took place successfully by the inter-Korean collaboration.
However, on the eve of closing of the Olympics, United States is running amok to bring another dark cloud of confrontation and war over the Korean peninsula by announcing enormous sanctions against the DPRK.
Trump has announced new sanctions, the core of which is to completely block the DPRK's maritime trade with other countries, and he openly threatened us by making wild remarks that if the said sanctions do not work, "very rough phase 2" will be operated.
Trump group's attempt itself to threaten us by such sanctions or wild remarks only reveals its ignorance about us.
We came to possess nuclear weapons, the treasured sword of justice, in order to defend ourselves from such threats from the United States.
As we have stated on numerous occasions, we will consider any type of blockade an act of war against us, and if U.S. has indeed the guts to confront us in "rough" manner, we will not necessarily take the trouble to stop it.
If U.S. ignores all of our sincere efforts for improving inter-Korean relations and for preserving peace and stability on the Korean peninsula, as desired by the nation, and doggedly persists instead in provocation against us, we will have a tight grip on U.S. and deal with it with our own way of counteraction, no matter how rough and hysterical the U.S. moves are.
If tension on the Korean peninsula escalates into a brink of war due to the U.S. reckless actions, all the catastrophic consequences resulting therefrom will be borne by the United States. -0-
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South Korea Says North Open To Talks With U.S.
RFE/RL February 25, 2018
South Korea said on February 25 that North Korea is willing to hold talks with the United States.
The statement by South Korean President Moon Jae-in's office came hours after Pyongyang condemned the latest U.S. sanctions targeting its regime, accusing Washington of trying to hamper an improvement in ties with Seoul during the Winter Olympics.
Ahead of the February 25 closing ceremony of the Winter Olympics in South Korean city of Pyeongchang, Moon met with the North Korean Olympic delegation led by General Kim Yong Chol.
Kim said in the meeting that Pyongyang "has enough intention to hold a North Korea-U.S. dialogue," the Yonhap news agency reported.
During the closing ceremony, Kim sat behind sat behind U.S. presidential adviser and first daughter Ivanka Trump. The two did not appear to interact.
In a February 25 statement carried by North Korea's official KCNA news agency earlier in the day, the country's foreign minister denounced new sanctions imposed on North Korea days earlier by U.S. President Donald Trump's administration.
The punitive measures are aimed at pressuring Pyongyang over its nuclear and weapons programs.
"The two Koreas have cooperated together and the Olympics were held successfully," KCNA cited the North Korean Foreign Ministry as saying.
"But the U.S. brought the threat of war to the Korean Peninsula with large-scale new sanctions on the DPRK ahead of the [February 25] Olympics closing ceremony," KCNA said, using an acronym for the reclusive authoritarian state's official name.
The new U.S. sanctions target more than 50 shipping companies, vessels, and firms linked to North Korea.
The North Korean Foreign Ministry said that a blockade would be considered an "act of war," according to KCNA.
North Korea has frequently said it is prepared to conduct negotiations with Washington without preconditions, though the United States says Pyongyang must first undertake concrete actions toward denuclearization.
With reporting by Reuters, AP, and AFP
Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/north-korean-us- sanctions-act-of-war/29061501.html
Copyright (c) 2018. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.
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White House Says Yet to See if North Korea Willing to Denuclearize
Sputnik News
21:26 25.02.2018(updated 21:28 25.02.2018)
WASHINGTON (Sputnik) - The United States has yet to see if North Korea's statement that it is ready to hold talks with Washington is a "first step" to removing nuclear weapons from the Korean peninsula, and pressure on Pyongyang must continue in the meanwhile, the White House said in a statement Sunday.
"We will see if Pyongyang's message today, that it is willing to hold talks, represents the first steps along the path to denuclearization. In the meantime, the United States and the world must continue to make clear that North Korea's nuclear and missile programs are a dead end," the statement read.
The White House stressed the existence of a broad agreement in the international community that denuclearization "must be the result of any dialogue with North Korea."
"The maximum pressure campaign must continue until North Korea denuclearizes. As [US] President [Donald] Trump has said, there is a brighter path available for North Korea if it chooses denuclearization," the statement noted.
The statement comes as a response to North Korea's delegation's remarks made at a meeting with South Korean President Moon Jae-in earlier in the day that Pyongyang was ready to hold talks with Washington.
On Friday, the United States imposed what Trump described as the "largest-ever" sanctions package on North Korea, targeting shipments of petroleum and coal. They would concern 27 transport companies, 28 ships and one person.
Sputnik
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Pyongyang Vows to Regard Any Maritime Blockade as an Act of War
Sputnik News
11:32 25.02.2018(updated 12:11 25.02.2018)
Amid a thaw in relations between North and South Korea, US President Trump announced new sanctions against 56 vessels, trade entities, and shipping companies that are aimed at maximizing pressure on Pyongyang over its ongoing development of nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles.
North Korea has condemned new US sanctions as an attempt to undermine improvement in relations between the two Koreas, stressing that Pyongyang's nuclear weapons are aimed at preventing threats, the state news agency KCNA reports.
"The two Koreas have cooperated together and the Olympics was held successfully but the US brought the threat of war to the Korean peninsula with new large-scale new sanctions ahead of the Olympics closing ceremony," the media said, citing the country's foreign ministry.
According to the news agency, Pyongyang will consider an imposition of a maritime blockade by Washington as an act of war and "will not stop the US if it really has the nerves to confront us [North Korea] in a 'rough' manner."
North Korea's statement comes after, on Friday, the US announced "the largest-ever" set of sanctions against Pyongyang, which targeted "27 entities and 28 vessels located, registered, or flagged in North Korea, China, Singapore, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Marshall Islands, Tanzania, Panama, and the Comoros."
US President Donald Trump warned that if the latest round of sanctions imposed on Pyongyang fail to yield Washington's desired effects, the US will go to "phase two."
A new batch of sanctions was imposed amid easing tensions on the Korean Peninsula, as the two Koreas agreed to hold a summit and the DPRK sent its delegation and athletes to the ongoing Winter Olympic Games.
Sputnik
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US: 'We Will See' if N. Korea Willingness to Talk is Denuclearization First Step
By Steve Herman February 25, 2018
The Trump administration is responding tepidly following North Korea's expression of willingness to hold talks with the United States.
"We will see if Pyongyang's message today, that it is willing to hold talks, represents the first steps along the path to denuclearization. In the meantime, the United States and the world must continue to make clear that North Korea's nuclear and missile programs are a dead end," said a statement issued by White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders.
She emphasized that the U.S., South Korea and the international community "broadly agree that denuclearization must be the result of any dialogue with North Korea. The maximum pressure campaign must continue until North Korea denuclearizes. As President Trump has said, there is a brighter path available for North Korea if it chooses denuclearization."
Sanders, in South Korea, accompanied President Donald Trump's daughter, Ivanka, to Sunday's closing ceremony of the Winter Olympic Games in Pyeongchang.
The head of the North's visiting delegation to the ceremony agreed, in a meeting with South Korean President Moon Jae-in on Sunday, that "North Korea-U.S. relations must develop along with the South-North Korea relationship, while noting [Pyongyang] has enough intention to hold North Korea-U.S. dialogue," according to spokesman Kim Eui-kyeom of the South's Presidential Blue house.
The remark was attributed to General Kim Yong Chol, the head of national intelligence in North Korea.
Kim was in the same VIP box for the sporting event's closing ceremony with the U.S. official government delegation, which included the uniformed commander of the American and U.N. forces on the Korean peninsula, U.S. Army General Vincent Brooks.
"There was no interaction with the North Korean delegation. The U.S. presidential delegation's attendance at the closing ceremonies was the culmination of a successful trip where we celebrated the Olympic Games, U.S. athletes and our strong alliance with South Korea," according to a senior U.S. administration official.
It is unclear if Sunday's statements from North Korean and U.S. officials will lead to any breakthrough between the two countries, which have no diplomatic relations.
"That's great they want they want to talk to the United States but about what? Is it about the nukes?" asks Georgetown University Visiting Professor Balbina Hwang, who served as a senior special advisor on North Korea at the State Department during the presidency of George W. Bush.
North Korea has repeatedly insisted its nuclear weapons are not a subject for negotiation.
Washington is now to consult with Seoul about the North's willingness to talk, according to the State Department.
"We are in close contact with the Republic of Korea about our unified response to North Korea," said the statement, echoing the White House, that Seoul and Washington agree that "the improvement of relations between North and South Korea cannot advance separately from resolving North Korea's nuclear program."
A former State Department spokesman during the Obama administration calls the initial Trump administration reaction "responsible." Retired Navy Admiral John Kirby said on Twitter the U.S. response "maintains denuclearization as end goal, vows continued pressure ... but keeps door open to talks. Hopefully, it represents the next step in a delicate diplomatic dance underway."
Earlier, North Korea's Foreign Ministry issued a warning about the imposition of the latest announced U.S. sanctions against Pyongyang.
"As already proclaimed many times, we will regard all blockades as an act of war against us, and we will never try to stop the United States, if it really has pluck to confront us 'roughly," said a foreign ministry spokesman, who was quoted by the Korean Central News Agency.
"In countering precisely this intimidation from the United States, we have possessed nuclear weapons, the treasured sword of justice, to defend ourselves," the statement added.
U.S. President Donald Trump announced on Friday what he called the "largest ever" set of sanctions against North Korea and threatened a "phase two" if the measures aren't effective.
The sanctions target one person, 27 companies and 28 ships registered in China and seven other countries with the intent of eliminating North Korea's illicit shipping and trade. They block assets held by the companies in the United States and prohibit U.S. citizens from interacting with them.
Since August of last year, the United States has helped oversee three rounds of U.N. Security Council sanctions against North Korea. The pressure has not stopped Pyongyang from conducting more nuclear and missile tests.
The new sanctions' effectiveness depends on whether they can successfully be implemented. The United States has limited leverage over many of the shipping companies involved in helping North Korea evade sanctions, warns Gary Samore, former White House Coordinator for Arms Control and Weapons of Mass Destruction.
"A lot of the companies working with North Korea are very small," says Samore. "And they don't care whether they work with the United States."
China responded angrily Saturday to the new sanctions, maintaining they are counterproductive to efforts to halt Pyongyang's nuclear and long-range missile development programs. China's foreign ministry also demanded the U.S. immediately lift the sanctions "to avoid harming bilateral cooperation in the relevant area."
The two Koreas have had no diplomatic relations and Seoul was not a signatory to the 1953 armistice that ended a three-year civil war on the peninsula.
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Iraq sentences 16 Turkish women to death over Daesh membership
Iran Press TV
Sun Feb 25, 2018 01:14PM
A court in Iraq has sentenced more than a dozen Turkish women to death over membership in the Daesh Takfiri terrorist group and involvement in acts of terror across the conflict-ridden Arab country.
Abdul Sattar al-Biraqdar, spokesman for the Supreme Judicial Council, said the Central Criminal Court sentenced 16 female Turkish citizens to death after they confessed to marrying Daesh elements or providing members of the group with logistical aid or helping them carry out terrorist attacks.
On February 22, Arabic-language al-Sumaria television network quoted Iraq's Foreign Ministry spokesman Ahmed Mahjoub as saying that Iraqi authorities had extradited four women and 27 children from the families of Daesh Takfiri terrorists to Russian officials.
"There was no proof that those extradited had been involved in terrorist operations against Iraqi civilians or security forces," Mahjoub said, adding, "They will be prosecuted in Russia for illegally entering Iraq."
Iraq's Arabic-language al-Mashriq newspaper has reported that more than 1,500 women and children from the families of Daesh militants are currently being held in the country, and that the Baghdad government is coordinating with their respective countries to decide their fate.
Iraqi government spokesman Saad al-Hadithi has stated, "All foreign nationals who have committed crimes and acts of terror against Iraqi people, either directly or through support for Daesh terrorists, will be subject to the Iraqi law."
He added, "This also applies to foreign women of Daesh militants. The government is coordinating with the countries to which the detainees belong. They will be handed over to their respective countries once they are found not to have committed criminal acts or engaged in killings and bombings in Iraq."
Last month, Iraq's Central Criminal Court issued a death penalty by hanging for a German citizen of Moroccan origin in accordance with Anti-Terrorism Law.
Biraqdar said the woman, whose identity was not disclosed, had confessed during investigations that she traveled from Germany to Syria and then to Iraq, because she had a strong belief in Daesh.
The German citizen was accompanied with her two daughters, who later married members of Daesh terrorist group.
"The woman is accused of providing logistical support to the terrorist organization, and helped them commit their criminal acts. She is also convicted of complicity in attacking Iraqi security forces," Biraqdar said.
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Detectives Will Interrogate Banjamin Netanyahu In Two Corruption Cases This Week
Sputnik News
20:26 25.02.2018
Israeli premier Benjamin Netanyahu has recently found himself in deep water for two reasons at least first, following the probe launched into two presumed corruption cases. And then, when the situation gained momentum after people took to Tel Aviv streets calling for the PM's resignation.
Benjamin Netanyahu is set to be questioned by the police this week as part of their investigation into two separate breach of trust cases. The first one, the so-called submarine affair, codenamed Case 3000, has to do with allegations of bribes, which reportedly reached over $1 billion in a German contract to provide boats and submarines to Israel.
The other involves allegations that an Israeli news media outlet owned by Bezeq, Walla! Internet portal, gave the prime minister and his spouse a favorable coverage in exchange for some benefits to the telecom giant.
This case, which goes by the name Case 4000, involves suspicions that while doubling as communications minister in 2014-2017, in addition to the prime minister's post, Netanyahu tasked regulators to help the Bezeq group, which is controlled by Shaul Elovitch, a Polish-born Israeli magnate and owner of Eurocom Group, one of the biggest private holding groups in Israel.
Netanyahu is expected to be interrogated before his trip to the United States slated for Thursday, where he will speak at the AIPAC Policy Conference, the largest gathering of US' pro-Israel community, and meet with US President Donald Trump.
The allegations seem to be just a tip of the iceberg, with weekly anti-Netanyahu rallies rapidly gaining in number and popularity in the Israeli capital.
This Saturday, roughly 1,500 people protested in central Tel Aviv demanding the resignation of the premier over corruption allegations and recent Israeli police statements that the Prime Minister should face charges.
The crowd was united by "Bibi Netanyahu go home" slogan. The protesters also waved signs that read "Bibi, you are not above the law,""Love Israel, separate from Netanyahu," and jointly rapped out the following: "A mafia country and a corrupt Prime Minister."
Earlier in February Israeli police recommended that Benjamin Netanyahu be brought to court over allegations of bribery, fraud and breach of trust. Despite the public pressure and ongoing weekly protests, Netanyahu still denies all claims and dismisses universally voiced calls to resign, further escalating the social rage.
Sputnik
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Rohingya Muslims still pouring over Myanmar border into Bangladesh
Iran Press TV
Sun Feb 25, 2018 03:11PM
Hundreds of persecuted Rohingya Muslims are still pouring over the Myanmar border into neighboring Bangladesh every week six months after a military crackdown sparked the massive refugee crisis.
Latest figures show more than 2,500 have entered the overflowing refugee camps in Bangladesh so far in February.
Media reports said that the 200 Rohingya crossed the Naf river, which separates the two countries, into Bangladesh on Friday.
Human Rights Watch (HRW) recently said that another 55 villages have been razed since November.
Kate Nolan, coordinator for the international medical charity Doctors Without Borders (MSF) in Bangladesh said that new refugees have brought harrowing accounts of torture and murder. "The new refugees say that they feel unsafe, threatened and harassed at home, in villages that are often abandoned."
Nur Mohammad, one of the recent arrivals, told media outlets that his village in Rakhine was surrounded by Buddhist vigilantes for days before they were allowed to leave. "The Moghs (Buddhists) torched our houses, kept us confined and starving."
Thirty-year-old Enayetullah Enayetullah accused Myanmar security forces of torching his shop, prompting him and his three brothers to flee their home in Mognapara village near the town of Buthidaung.
"Villages are razed to the ground. We walked for days through mountains to reach here." Enayetullah noted, adding, "We stayed all these months hoping the situation will be fine. But in recent weeks, security forces have taken away our young men. If they abduct 10, only one returns."
According to refugees and monitoring groups, hundreds of Rohingya villages have been torched in the ongoing crackdown by military and Buddhist vigilantes over the past few months across Myanmar's Rakhine state.
While Bangladesh and Myanmar talk of repatriating the refugees, the influx continues. In November Bangladesh and Myanmar signed an agreement to repatriate some 750,000 Rohingya over two years.
Last week Dhaka sent a list of 8,000 names to Myanmar for verification.
The UN says anyone who goes back must be a volunteer, while Myanmar shows no sign of accepting the Rohingya as full citizens.
The repatriation was set to start last month, but was delayed by a lack of preparation, as well as protests staged by Rohingya refugees against the plan to send them back to Myanmar while conditions were not safe for their return.
"If they send us back, we'll be tortured or killed. We would rather be killed here in Bangladesh. Here, at least I'll get a Muslim burial," said Mohammad Elias, whose group has staged protests against repatriation in recent weeks.
Myanmar's government troops have been committing killings, making arbitrary arrests, and carrying out arson attacks in Muslim villages in Rakhine state since late 2016.
The Rohingya have lived in Myanmar for generations but are denied citizenship and are branded illegal immigrants from Bangladesh, which likewise denies them citizenship.
The UN has described the 1.1-million-strong Muslim community as the most persecuted minority in the world.
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Russia Changing The Signposts In Pakistan
February 25, 2018
First, a Russian military delegation made a rare visit to Pakistan's lawless tribal areas.
Then Russian-language signposts were erected on roads in the northwestern province of Khyber Pukhtunkhwa.
Now, Moscow has appointed an honorary consul in the city of Peshawar.
These unprecedented moves appear to be part of a significant upturn in ties between Russia and Pakistan, former Cold War foes.
During the Soviet Union's decade-long occupation of Afghanistan from 1979-89, Pakistan helped the United States funnel weapons and fighters to help the mujahedin battling Soviet forces.
Eyebrows were raised in March 2017 when a group of Russian military advisers were given a rare tour of the North Waziristan tribal region, a no-go area for the media and a former hotbed of militancy. That came just months after Russia and Pakistan conducted joint military drills for the first time.
Around that time, new signposts in Russian appeared in North Waziristan. Previously, traffic signs were only in Urdu, the official language, and Pashto, spoken by the majority of Pashtuns in the area.
In early February, new Russian signposts were also erected along a highway near the capital, Islamabad.
Weeks later, Russia appointed Arsala Khan as honorary consul-general in Peshawar at a ceremony on February 20. The provincial governor, Iqbal Zafar Jhagra, said it signaled a "new chapter" of renewed diplomatic relations.
Russia's creeping footprint in Pakistan has come amid renewed interest in neighboring Afghanistan.
It has also come at a time when U.S.-Pakistani relations are spiraling downward over Pakistan's reputed support for the Afghan Taliban.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said during a press conference in Moscow with his Pakistan counterpart Khawaja Muhammad Asif on February 20 that Moscow was "very preoccupied" by the increasing presence of Islamic State (IS) militants in Afghanistan and the threat the group poses to the Central Asian republics and Russia.
Afghan officials have accused Moscow of visiting Taliban training centers in Pakistan and supporting the group.
The United States has suggested that Russia may be providing weapons to the Taliban, which enjoys sanctuaries in Pakistan.
Russia denies that it provides any such support to the Taliban, although it admitted it has had contact with the militant group over safeguarding security and getting the militants to reconcile with Kabul.
Russia also has also offered to host talks between the Afghan government and the Taliban, and has suggested easing global sanctions against Taliban leaders who cooperate with peace efforts.
Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-changing -signposts-pakistan/29061698.html
Copyright (c) 2018. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.
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A look at Russia's advanced Su-57 stealth fighter jets sent to Syria
Iran Press TV
Sat Feb 24, 2018 05:39PM
Russia has taken its military support for the Syrian army to a whole new level by dispatching two of its most advanced Su-57 stealth fighter jets to the Arab country. Here are some of the features of the fighter jets.
The two Su-57 fifth-generation fighter jets had been recently spotted in the skies above Syria and then seemed landing at Hmeymim airbase in the country's western Latakia province.
Russia's Su-57, manufactured by the country's Prospective Aviation Complex of Frontline Aviation, is a stealth, single-seat, twin-engine jet multirole warplane.
The warplane, also known as T-50, is the first aircraft in the Russian military equipped with stealth technology and it is intended to have supermaneuverability with supercruise capability and advanced avionics such as active phased array radar and sensor fusion that autonomously make battlefield calculations to assist the pilot.
Russia sees Su-57 as the basis for the Fifth Generation Fighter Aircraft (FGFA) to succeed the country's MiG-29 and Su-27. The FGFA is currently being co-developed by Sukhoi and Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) for the Indian Air Force.
Last year, Russian Deputy Defense Minister Yuri Borisov said the Su-57 would most likely enter service in 2018 after installation of more advanced engines compared with the original model and further testing.
The aircraft is equipped with all-moving horizontal and vertical stabilizers, enabling the aircraft to perform very high angles of attack maneuvers.
The Su-57 is expected to carry four beyond-visual-range missiles in its two main weapons bays and two short-range missiles in the wing root weapons bays.
The main bays of the jet can also accommodate air-to-ground missiles and precision-guided bombs.
The Russian Defense Ministry had said the jets were slated to be introduced to its forces this year, and a total of 12 aircraft were initially ordered by the Moscow government.
However, Russia does not plan to mass produce and export Su-57 until 2025 as the upgrading and testing process for the aircraft still continues.
According to Vladimir Gutenov, chairman of the Military Industry Committee in the Russian parliament, the presence of the Su-57s in Syria would doubtlessly send a political message, serving as a deterrent "for aircraft from neighboring states which periodically fly into" Syrian airspace uninvited.
The Russian lawmaker added that the stealth SU-57 fighter jet planes "need to be tested in combat conditions, in conditions of [enemy] resistance."
The reported deployment comes after the US employed earlier this month its most advanced fighter jet, the F-22 stealth fighter, in strikes against alleged terrorist targets in Syria.
Russia has been lending aerial support to Syria upon a request by Damascus since September 2015.
The deployment could potentially escalate Russia's tensions with the United States, which has been involved since 2014 in an unauthorized aerial campaign against what it calls Daesh positions in Syria.
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EU calls for truce in Syria's eastern Ghouta
IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency
Vienna, Feb 24, IRNA -- The wars should stop and the international community should unite to stop the pain people are suffering, said the High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Federica Mogherini in a statement.
'Unhindered humanitarian access and the protection of civilians is a moral duty and a matter of urgency ... the fighting must stop now,' the EU said on Saturday in its statement agreed by all 28 of the bloc's governments.
The European Union urged the war parties and the truce guarantors to take the necessary measures for an immediate ceasefire and access for aid trucks in Syria's eastern Ghouta.
The statement also said that no dispute has military solutions and the war parties should enter a political procedure under the UN.
The UN Security Council is to put to vote a draft resolution submitted by Sweden and Kuwait on the 30-day cessation of hostilities in Syria on Saturday.
Some areas in eastern Ghouta are still home to takfiri terrorists through which they attack residential areas in Damascus, a clear breach of truce agreements signed between the Syrian government and the opposition.
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US not acting against al-Nusra terrorists in Syria's Eastern Ghouta: Lavrov
Iran Press TV
Sat Feb 24, 2018 01:12AM
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has warned against the threat of the Takfiri Jabhat Fateh al-Sham militant group, formerly known as al-Nusra Front, as the main source of violence in Syria's Eastern Ghouta region, censuring the US for not taking any serious action against the terror group.
"Jabhat al-Nusra, which is the main problem in Eastern Ghouta, as I mentioned, is consciously or unconsciously being treated equally with the critics and accusers of the Syrian government. Jabhat al-Nusra is not being touched," Lavrov said during a joint press conference with his Uzbek counterpart Abdulaziz Kamilov in Moscow on Friday.
"We still do not have evidence that the coalition led by the United States is viewing Jabhat al-Nusra as a real target. Of course, we draw the attention of our American colleagues to it, but we do not see any effect from our comments," he added.
Eastern Ghouta near Damascus has witnessed renewed violence in the past few days, with terrorists mounting repeated mortar attacks on the Syrian capital in the face of an imminent rout.
The top Russian diplomat pointed to the latest ceasefire proposal for Eastern Ghouta at the UN Security Council and argued that the initiative fails to provide any guarantee that militants will stop the ongoing violence.
The 30-day ceasefire plan, drafted by Sweden and Kuwait, is aimed at allowing deliveries of humanitarian aid and medical evacuations.
"There are [no] answers to the questions of the guarantees that militants will obey this humanitarian pause and that they will not continue shelling the residential districts of Damascus. These guarantees are not given to us," Lavrov said.
On Thursday, Lavrov expressed Moscow's readiness to consider the ceasefire in Syria, but only if it does not cover the Daesh, the al-Nusra Front and other terrorist groups that "conduct systematic shelling of the residential quarters of Damascus."
According to Russian Ambassador to the UN Vassily Nebenzia, no agreement has been reached at the United Nations Security Council on the ceasefire plan as the conflict deepens in the Arab country due to a sharp rise in terrorist attacks.
The Security Council was scheduled to vote on the ceasefire proposal on Friday, but the voting was delayed to Saturday due to disagreements among council members.
Lavrov also pointed to the ongoing Astana process for the Syrian peace settlement and argued that the West seeks to undermine the initiative as it blocks the ongoing efforts to disintegrate Syria.
Russia, Iran, and Turkey have been organizing the Astana talks since January 2017. Together, the three countries have been acting as guarantor states for the peace process.
Russia and Iran are Syrian government allies. Turkey is an ally of the Syrian opposition. The collective efforts of the three countries, including the brokering of agreements that have significantly reduced fighting in Syria, have made an impact on the ground in the Arab country.
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UN Security Council unanimously votes in favor of Syria ceasefire resolution
Iran Press TV
Sat Feb 24, 2018 07:29PM
The United Nations Security Council unanimously votes in favor of a resolution demanding a 30-day truce in Syria 'without delay' to allow aid access and medical evacuations.
The resolution was adopted by 15 votes to none, after several delays and a flurry of last-minute negotiations.
"It would be naive to think that internal Syrian questions can be solved by a resolution," said Russia's Ambassador to the UN Vasily Nebenzya.
He added that Russia had "supported the intentions" behind the document, but stresses that a ceasefire was not possible "without agreement from warring parties."
He further went on to criticize the "occupational ambitions" of the US-led coalition, and added that foreign-backed militants were responsible for the humanitarian crisis that the resolution was aimed at addressing.
He also claimed that the West was conducting a "propaganda campaign" against government forces in Eastern Ghouta, where there have been intense clashes over the past week.
Eastern Ghouta near Damascus has witnessed renewed violence in the past few days, where terrorists have mounted repeated mortar attacks on the Syrian capital in the face of an imminent rout. Western powers, however, blame the Syrian government and Russia for the crisis.
The Syrian capital has seen a dramatic rise in deadly attacks over the past several days. The escalating violence comes amid international efforts to end clashes between government forces and militants in Eastern Ghouta.
US slams Russia for delaying resolution
Meanwhile, US envoy to the UN Nikky Haley censured Moscow for "obstructing the voting" on the resolution, which was submitted on Tuesday.
Two weeks ago, Sweden and Kuwait, two non-permanent members of the UN Security Council, proposed a month-long ceasefire measure in Syria to allow deliveries of humanitarian aid and medical evacuations.
Russia proposed amendments to the draft resolution to include guarantees that the anti-Damascus militants would honor the ceasefire, warning that the would-be truce should not cover the Takfiri terrorist groups of Daesh and Jabhat Fateh al-Sham, formerly known as al-Nusra Front, as well as other militant outfits that are shelling civilians in Syria's militant-held Eastern Ghouta.
"The Syrian people should not have to die waiting for Russia to organize instructions from Moscow or discuss it with the Syrians," she said.
She added that US was "deeply skeptical that the Assad regime will comply" and pointed out that "credibility of the UN Security Council is at stake."
'Syria doesn't need UN show boating'
After the ceasefire was voted for, Syria's Ambassador to the UN Bashar Ja'afari stressed that his country does not need showboating sessions or the establishment of UN committees, but it only needs the current resolutions to be abided by.
He added that the people in Damascus are deeply suffering due to the actions of the terrorists positioned in the Eastern Ghouta.
"The appeals of eight million Syrians do not reach the General Secretariat or the mailboxes of Britain's and France's representatives, but the appeals of terrorists do reach them," he added.
He went on to note that the Astana agreement had stipulated that armed groups operating in Syria break any ties to Daesh and al-Nusra, and also granted the Syrian government the right to retaliate to any attack.
Russia, Iran, and Turkey have been organizing the Astana talks since January 2017. Together, the three countries have been acting as guarantor states for the peace process.
Russia and Iran are Syrian government allies. Turkey is an ally of the Syrian opposition. The collective efforts of the three countries, including the brokering of agreements that have significantly reduced fighting in Syria, have made an impact on the ground in the Arab country.
"We practice a sovereign right of self-defense and we will continue to fight terrorism wherever it is found on Syrian soil," he said, stressing that the Syrian government reserves the full right to retaliate against armed terrorist groups if they attack innocent civilians.
Ja'afari also called on the US, UK, and France to stop holding meetings and making strategic plans aimed at dividing the country and trying to forcefully change Syria's government.
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UN Security Council Unanimously Adopts Resolution on 30-Day Ceasefire in Syria
Sputnik News
22:35 24.02.2018(updated 22:50 24.02.2018)
UNITED NATIONS (Sputnik) - The UN Security Council has unanimously adopted a resolution introducing a 30-day truce on Syrian territory to allow the medical evacuation of those injured and provide access to number of regions for humanitarian convoys.
The resolution urges all parties to conflict to immediately stop all clashes and adhere to a long-term humanitarian pause on the whole territory of Syria in order to ensure the safe and unhindered humanitarian deliverers as well as medical evacuation.
The ceasefire regime does not cover military operations against Daesh, al-Qaeda, and Jabhat Fatah al Sham (formerly known as al-Nusra Front) terrorist groups.
Earlier, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said that Russia was working within the UN Security Council to prepare a resolution on humanitarian issues in the suburb Eastern Ghouta, of four Syrian de-escalation zones created during the Astana Syrian reconciliation talks, with Russia, Iran and Turkey as guarantors.
The humanitarian situation in the suburb east of the Syrian capital, has drastically deteriorated since February 18, when Syrian government forces launched an operation codenamed "Damascus Steel," in a bid to clear the region of illegal Islamist units.
Sputnik
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Terrorists should be wiped off Syria: Iranian General
IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency
Tehran, Feb 25, IRNA -- The Syrian territory, within next months, should be cleansed of terrorists, Chief of Staff for the Armed Forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran said on Sunday.
'The entire Syrian territory should be cleansed of the terrorists within the next months,' Major General Mohammad Baqeri told reporters at a local meeting, answering a question on the proposal for establoshing a 30-day ceasefire in the war-torn country.
'This time again, there are parties who are not after establishment of peace and security in the country and faced with the Syrian army's new campaign to cleanse the regions surrounding Damascus of terrorists, they have called for a ceasefire,' General Baqeri said.
'They want to reinforce terrorists under the proposed ceasefire plan,' he added.
He said that the terrorists have used regions surrounding the Syrian capital to shell the city.
'The terrorists have fired 1200 shrapnel into Damascus causing a large number of civilian injuries and death,' General Baqeri said.
Despite the insistence by the Western countries and their terrorist proxies to establish ceasefire in Syria, Damascus and its supporters, including Iran and Russia, embarked on a joint venture to modify the ceasefire resolution, the Iranian General said.
'The fight against notorious terrorist groups like the al Nusra Front will continue, while security zones will be established in the areas surrounding Damascus for the people to continue their lives,' he added.
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UNICEF says 85 percent of Syrian refugee children in Jordan live in poverty
Iran Press TV
Sun Feb 25, 2018 02:56PM
The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) has warned that 85 percent of Syrian refugee children in Jordan live in poverty, having a difficult time in satisfying their most "basic needs."
According to figures announced by the UN agency on Sunday, some 38 percent of Syrian refugee children are also not in school and almost half of those under the age of five do not have access to proper healthcare.
The findings, which were based on interviews by hundreds of families among Jordan's 660,000 registered Syrian refugees, showed that refugee children "are facing a more challenging time in meeting their minimum basic needs," said Robert Jenkins, the UNICEF's Jordan representative.
According to official figures, the overall number of registered and unregistered Syrian refugees in the Arab Kingdom stands at about 1.3 million.
Around 5.5 million Syrians have fled the foreign-backed militancy in their homeland since 2011, most of whom living in neighboring countries where they desperately struggle to survive.
The UN children agency in Jordan lacks some $145.7 million for child programs in 2018, said Jenkins, urging donor countries to step up at a time of growing need.
The kingdom sealed its border with Syria in June 2016, after a deadly cross-border attack by the Daesh Takfiri terrorists, leaving tens of thousands of Syrians stranded in a remote desert area. The closure ended the UN's regular aid shipments from Jordan to displaced Syrians struggling for survival in a remote stretch of the desert.
However, back in early last month, Jordan agreed to a request by the UN to deliver humanitarian aid to thousands of displaced Syrians stranded in dire conditions in the vicinity of the border crossing with Syria.
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Russia, France, Germany leaders urge 'information exchange' on Syria
Iran Press TV
Sun Feb 25, 2018 02:16PM
The Russian, French and German leaders have agreed to speed up their "exchange of information" on Syria, the Kremlin says.
In a statement on Sunday, the Kremlin added that Russian President Vladimir Putin discussed the Syrian crisis with French and German leaders, Emmanuel Macron and Angela Merkel, respectively.
During phone talks, the three leaders discussed the implementation of a United Nations Security Council resolution on a month-long ceasefire in the war-torn country, it noted.
According to the statement, Putin, Macron and Merkel stressed "the importance of continuing common efforts in the interests of the full implementation of the resolution as soon as possible."
The UN Security Council on Saturday unanimously voted in favor of a resolution demanding a 30-day truce in Syria 'without delay' to allow aid access and medical evacuations.
The resolution was adopted by 15 votes to none, after several delays and a flurry of last-minute negotiations.
The Kremlin said the German, Russian and French leaders "had expressed satisfaction" that the Security Council had managed to agree on the resolution following "common constructive work."
Putin informed Macron and Merkel of steps Russia is taking to evacuate civilians and deliver humanitarian aid to those in need, it added.
"Special attention has been paid to the fact that a ceasefire does not cover operations against terrorist groups," the statement said.
Eastern Ghouta near Damascus has witnessed renewed violence in the past few days, where terrorists have mounted repeated mortar attacks on the Syrian capital in the face of an imminent rout. Western powers, however, blame the Syrian government and Russia for the crisis.
The Syrian army launched a ground operation on Sunday against the al-Nusra Front and other terrorist groups in the Eastern Ghouta region, wresting control over some areas.
The truce does not apply to operations against the Daesh, al-Qaeda and al-Nusra Front along with "individuals, groups, undertakings and entities" associated with the terrorist groups.
It also allows the Syrian government's operation to continue against terrorists in Idlib Province, the country's largest remaining militant stronghold.
Iran's Arabic-language Al-Alam news channel reported the recapture of the Nashabeya and Hazrma areas as well as Farzat Hill by the Syrian military.
Merkel's office also said in a statement on Sunday that the German chancellor and French and Russian presidents stressed "that it is crucial that the [Security Council] resolution be implemented quickly and comprehensively."
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Thursday the Ghouta-based militants had rejected Russia's offer to "evacuate peacefully" and that they were using civilians there as "human shields."
He added that Russia was ready to consider a UN Security Council draft resolution demanding a 30-day truce in Syria as long as it did not include the two Takfiri groups and other militants "who are shelling residential quarters of Damascus."
Eastern Ghouta is included in a deal between Turkey, Russia and Iran to establish de-escalation zones in Syria with the aim of reducing violence in the war-torn Arab country.
Russia has been lending aerial support to Syria's counter-terrorism operations since September 2015.
Meanwhile, the US and its allies have been bombarding what they call Daesh positions inside Syria since September 2014 without any authorization from the Damascus government or a UN mandate.
The strikes, however, have on many occasions resulted in civilian casualties and failed to fulfill their declared aim of countering terrorism.
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Syrian army retakes Eastren Ghouta areas in counter-terrorism campaign
Iran Press TV
Sun Feb 25, 2018 11:21AM
The Syrian army has launched a ground operation against the al-Nusra Front and other terrorist groups in the Eastren Ghouta region, wresting control over some areas.
Iran's Arabic-language Al-Alam news channel reported the recapture of the Nashabeya and Hazrma areas as well as Farzat Hill by the Syrian military on Sunday.
It also said that Syrian army soldiers had advanced in al-Zariqiya as terrorists fled the region.
The fresh campaign is aimed at gaining control of the neighborhoods occupied by the Takfiri terrorists in the suburbs of the capital Damascus.
The operation came one day after the United Nations Security Council unanimously passed a resolution demanding a 30-day ceasefire across Syria to allow for humanitarian aid deliveries and medical evacuations.
The truce does not apply to operations against the Daesh, al-Qaeda and al-Nusra Front along with "individuals, groups, undertakings and entities" associated with the terrorist groups.
It also allows the Syrian government's operation to continue against terrorists in Idlib Province, the country's largest remaining militant stronghold.
Syria's Ambassador to the UN Bashar Ja'afari stressed on Saturday that his government preserved the right to retaliate against terrorist attacks on civilians.
"We practice a sovereign right of self-defense and we will continue to fight terrorism wherever it is found on Syrian soil," he said.
The Syrian envoy also urged some Western countries to stop spending billions of dollars on supporting, financing and arming the terror outfits and allow the Syrian people to determine their own future.
"These governments should also recognize that the strategic schemes to divide Syria and to change the governing system in it by force and to guarantee the continuity of terrorism and the illegal military presence on our territories will not succeed," he said.
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Syria to be cleared of terrorists in a few months: Iran general
Iran Press TV
Sun Feb 25, 2018 11:15AM
Iran's top military commander says both Tehran and Damascus will comply with a month-long Syria ceasefire declared by the UN Security Council, but that attacks will continue in the Damascus suburbs held by terrorists.
The UN Security Council unanimously passed a resolution on Saturday, demanding a 30-day ceasefire across Syria to allow for humanitarian aid deliveries and medical evacuations.
Amendments were made to exclude Daesh, al-Qaeda and al-Nusra Front along with "individuals, groups, undertakings and entities" associated with the terrorist groups from the ceasefire.
Iran's Chief of Staff Major General Mohammad Baqeri said Sunday the architects of the ceasefire had it passed at the UN in order to forestall the Syrian army's eradication of terrorists in the Damascus suburbs.
"This time again, like in the past, those who do not want security and peace in Syria took up the banner of ceasefire in order to support terrorists after they saw the Syrian army and government were cleansing the Damascus suburbs," he said.
Nevertheless, "we will adhere to the ceasefire resolution; Syria will also adhere. Parts of the suburbs of Damascus, which are held by the terrorists, are not covered by the ceasefire and clean-up (operations) will continue there," he added.
The Syrian army is trying to drive out terrorists from Eastern Ghouta which has become a festering ground for foreign-backed terrorist groups to launch mortar attacks on the Syrian capital.
Baqeri said, "The Syrian army seeks to clear the land of terrorists in order to provide security for the people in Damascus, but so far 1,200 mortar shells have been fired at the city, disrupting people's security and peace."
As for the UN Security Council resolution on Sunday, he said, "The West and supporters of the terrorists insisted that this ceasefire be put in place."
"With the joint work which was done by Syria and its friends as well as the opponents of terrorists and those fighting them, including Iran and Russia, the resolution was moderated a bit in order to continue the fight on known terrorists such as Nusra Front," Baqeri said.
The UN resolution also allows the Syrian government to continue operations against terrorists in Idlib Province, the country's largest remaining militant stronghold.
Baqeri said, "Certain areas were specified to allow the ordinary people to continue their lives but this does not mean the terrorist front will remain there and in the next few months, the entire Syrian territory will be cleaned up."
Iran has been providing military advisory support for the Syrian government forces in their counter-terrorism campaign at the request of Damascus.
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Iran Says Attacks On 'Terrorists' In Syria To Continue Amid Cease-Fire
RFE/RL February 25, 2018
Iran said that attacks on "terrorists" outside Damascus would continue but that Tehran and the Syrian government would respect a 30-day United Nations cease-fire elsewhere in Syria.
The Iranian army's chief of staff, General Mohammad Baqeri, was quoted by the semi-official Tasnim news agency as saying on February 25 that Iran and Syria would adhere to the cease-fire resolution passed a day earlier by the UN Security Council.
"Parts of the suburbs of Damascus, which are held by the terrorists, are not covered by the cease-fire, and clean-up [operations] will continue there," Tasnim quoted Baqeri as saying.
Witnesses and monitors said that the violence in the suburbs of Damascus had largely abated on February 25 following the passage of the Security Council resolution.
The British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said government forces carried out fresh air strikes on the rebel enclave of eastern Ghouta on February 25 but that no casualties had been registered there since the adoption of the cease-fire resolution.
French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel were set to hold talks on February 25 with Russian leader Vladimir Putin over implementation of a 30-day United Nations cease-fire in Syria, the French presidency says.
Macron's office said the telephone discussions will focus on the "implementation of this resolution and on the political road map needed to achieve lasting peace in Syria."
Amid reports of continued fighting, UN chief Antonio Guterres on February 24 called on all parties to implement the cease-fire "immediately" and that it be "sustained."
A UN spokesman quoted Guterres as saying an immediate truce was necessary "particularly to ensure the immediate, safe, unimpeded, and sustained delivery of humanitarian aid and services, the evacuation of the critically sick and wounded and the alleviation of the suffering of the Syrian people."
All 15 members of the Security Council voted in favor of a cessation of hostilities following a flurry of last-minute negotiations on the text, as Moscow had opposed setting a deadline for the truce to take effect.
Reports said the sponsors of the resolution, Kuwait and Sweden, amended the text to get Russian support, dropping a demand that the truce take effect in 72 hours and stating "without delay" instead. Moscow, a key ally of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, has veto power on the Security Council.
Macron and Merkel on February 23 had urged Putin to support the proposal for a cease-fire.
Calls for a quick implementation of the truce came amid reports by the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights that warplanes had hit eastern Ghouta in Syria, killing at least 22 people and wounding dozens, minutes after the Security Council adopted the resolution.
According to activists, Syrian government forces have killed more than 500 civilians during a week of intense bombardment in eastern Ghouta, the rebel-held enclave near the capital, Damascus.
Turkey said it welcomed the cease-fire resolution but said its military would continue to fight "terrorist organizations" that threaten Syria's territorial integrity.
Turkey last month launched an air-and-land military operation in the Kurdish-held enclave Afrin in northern Syria. Ankara says the main U.S.-allied Kurdish militia, known as the YPG, is a terrorist group that threatens Syria's territorial integrity.
The UN spokesman said Guterres reminded all sides of their "absolute obligation" to protect civilians. "Efforts to combat terrorism do not supersede these obligation," he said.
Swedish Foreign Minister Margot Wallstrom told Reuters that "we accept that it might take a number of hours before it can all be fully implemented...we just have to keep the pressure up, implementation is key now."
The cease-fire was welcomed by the two major rebel factions in Ghouta who pledged to protect aid convoys that come into the besieged enclave, Reuters news agency reported. There was no immediate reaction from Damascus.
The U.S. ambassador to the UN, Nikki Haley, called for the truce to be implemented immediately, but also expressed skepticism that the Damascus government would "allow humanitarian access to all of those who need it."
Russia's UN envoy Vasily Nebenzya had said the ceasefire would not be possible without agreements between warring factions.
The vote had been postponed several times since February 22, with Western diplomats accusing Moscow of stalling for time.
Nebenzya has repeatedly argued that an immediate cease-fire was unrealistic. He also said the media and Western nations were conducting a "misinformation campaign" about the fighting in Ghouta and were ignoring what he called the "inconvenient truth" that several thousand Islamist fighters reside were still present in the region.
Russia, along with Iran, has given Assad's government crucial support throughout the 7-year-old war in Syria, which began with a government crackdown on protests. Moscow helped turn the tide of the conflict in Assad's favor by a launching a campaign of air strikes in 2015 and stepping up its military presence on the ground.
There has been a growing outcry from Western capitals, the United Nations, and humanitarian groups over the situation in Ghouta, which Guterres has called "hell on Earth."
The UN says nearly 400,000 people live in the region, a pocket of satellite towns and farms under government siege for more than four years.
More than 2,400 people were said to have been injured there since government forces and their allies escalated their offensive on the Damascus suburb on February 18. Ten hospital and medical centers have reportedly been knocked out of service due to the bombardment.
Meanwhile, Syrian state media said rebels in Ghouta have killed at least 16 civilians in eastern districts of the city over the past week.
At a news conference at the White House, U.S. President Donald Trump on February 23 accused Russia, Iran, and the Syrian government of being responsible for a "humanitarian disgrace" in Syria.
With reporting by AFP, AP, Reuters, and dpa
Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/macron-merkel-putin -syria-russia-france-germany -un-ceasefire/29061191.html
Copyright (c) 2018. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.
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Militants Shell Damascus-East Ghouta Humanitarian Corridor Near Wafedeen Camp
Sputnik News
20:06 25.02.2018
DAMASCUS (Sputnik) - Militants have been shelling the only humanitarian corridor between Damascus and East Ghouta near the refugee camp of Wafedeen, a Sputnik correspondent reported Sunday.
"On Friday, they fired 36 mortar shells at the humanitarian corridor, about 20 on Saturday, they were also firing mortar shells today," a Syrian army officer told Sputnik, adding that Syrian soldiers were ready to provide aid to all civilians willing to escape the territory seized by militants.
"But militants are not letting them leave, humanitarian convoys cannot pass either. People are actually being used as a human shield," the officer stressed.
On Saturday, the UN Security Council unanimously adopted resolution 2401 that urges all parties to the conflict to immediately stop all clashes and adhere to a long-term humanitarian pause on the entire territory of Syria in order to ensure the safe and unhindered humanitarian aid supplies as well as medical evacuation of those injured.
Russian President on Saturday discussed the situation in East Ghouta by phone with German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Emmanuel Macron, expressing satisfaction with the adoption of the resolution. However, Putin noted that anti-terror efforts in East Ghouta will continue.
The humanitarian situation in the suburb east of the Syrian capital, has drastically deteriorated since February 18, when Syrian government forces launched an operation codenamed "Damascus Steel," in a bid to clear the region of militants. According to the Russian military, the terrorist groups in the region are purposely struggling to escalate the situation in East Ghouta, preventing civilians from leaving the area and provoking retaliatory fights against the Syrian government.
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Arab League Calls on All Sides of Syrian Conflict to Observe Ceasefire in Syria
Sputnik News
17:44 25.02.2018(updated 17:50 25.02.2018)
CAIRO (Sputnik) - Arab League Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul Gheit called on all warring parties in the Syrian conflict on Sunday to observe the ceasefire in line with the new UN Security Council resolution.
"The secretary-general has welcomed resolution 2401 on a 30-day ceasefire in Syria He called on all interested sides to comply with the resolution and cease hostilities immediately across Syria and ensure humanitarian aid deliveries to the blocked areas," the Arab League's statement read.
The Secretary-General has also urged the international humanitarian organizations to immediately engage and aid Syrians, especially those in Eastern Ghouta.
On Saturday, the UN Security Council unanimously adopted resolution 2401 that urges all parties to the conflict to immediately stop all clashes and adhere to a long-term humanitarian pause on the entire territory of Syria in order to ensure the safe and unhindered humanitarian aid supplies as well as medical evacuation of those injured.
The ceasefire regime does not cover military actions against Daesh, al-Qaeda, and Jabhat Fatah al Sham (al-Nusra) terrorists.
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Moscow Vows to Thwart Attempts to Derail Syrian Settlement After UN Resolution
Sputnik News
12:51 25.02.2018(updated 15:16 25.02.2018)
The Russian Foreign Ministry has commented on the unanimous adoption of the UN Security Council resolution on Syria that stipulates introduction of a 30-day halt in fighting in the country that will boost the medical evacuation and provide access for humanitarian convoys in some of the country's regions.
"After adopting a UN Security Council resolution, we will block any attempts to fuel anti-Russian and anti-Syrian hysteria and derail the Syrian peace process that has got a new impetus in the wake the Syrian National Dialogue Congress in Sochi," the ministry said in a statement.
The foreign ministry went on to note that Russia as a ceasefire guarantor state will keep working with all the parties to the conflict in Syria so that those who really seek a reconciliation could achieve it.
The ministry has praised the UNSC resolution 2401 as it condemns the shellings of Damascus that had led to the deaths of hundreds of civilians.
"It is very important that we have managed to prevent a resolution promoted by Western members of the Council implying a directive-based unrealistic scheme of establishing a truce. Now the document does encourage the sides of the conflict to cease military activities, implement previously reached agreements and negotiate overall de-escalation and establishment of humanitarian pauses across Syria," the statement added.
The UN Security Council unanimously passed on Saturday resolution 2401 that calls on warring parties in Syria to stop clashes and stick to a long-term humanitarian pause in order to ensure the safe humanitarian aid supplies as well as medical evacuation of the injured people.
Smoke rises from the rebel held besieged town of Hamouriyeh, eastern Ghouta, near Damascus, Syria, February 21, 2018
The resolution was adopted amid the drastic deterioration of the humanitarian situation in East Ghouta, a suburb east of Damascus, in the wake of the Syrian Government's operation to eradicate Islamist terrorists entrenched there. The Russian military has reported that the leaders of Jaysh al-Islam, Failak al-Rahman and Nusra Front terrorist groups are struggling to escalate the situation in East Ghouta: they have prevented civilians from leaving the area and provoked retaliatory fights against the Syrian government.
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Turkish Foreign Ministry Welcomes UN Sec. Council Resolution on Syrian Ceasefire
Sputnik News
11:46 25.02.2018(updated 11:58 25.02.2018)
ANKARA (Sputnik) - Turkey welcomes the resolution on a ceasefire regime in Syria adopted by the UN Security Council and will further its efforts to reach peace in the war-torn country, the Turkish Foreign Ministry said Sunday.
"We welcome the UN Security Council resolution in response to the deteriorating humanitarian situation across Syria, particularly in Eastern Ghouta, which needs an immediate ceasefire for at least 30 days to ensure delivery of humanitarian aid and medical evacuation," the statement read.
The ministry, meanwhile, noted that Ankara would further put efforts into reaching peace in Syria and remain decisive in the fight against terrorist organizations threatening Syrian political and territorial integrity.
On Saturday, the UN Security Council unanimously adopted Resolution 2401, which urges all parties to the conflict to immediately stop all clashes and adhere to a long-term "humanitarian pause" throughout Syria in order to ensure the safe and unhindered supply of humanitarian aid, as well as the medical evacuation of injured people.
The resolution followed reports that hundreds of civilians were allegedly killed in Eastern Ghouta as a result of airstrikes carried out by Damascus. The first draft was blocked by Moscow on Thursday, suggesting amendments to exclude a timeframe for the start of the arrangement regime from the document.
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US Envoy Expresses Doubt Damascus to Comply With New UNSC Ceasefire Resolution
Sputnik News
04:46 25.02.2018
UNITED NATIONS (Sputnik) - US Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley has said that Washington is "deeply skeptical" that Damascus will comply with the new UN Security Council's resolution that introduces a 30-day truce on the Syrian territory.
Earlier in the day, the UN Security Council unanimously adopted a resolution that urges all parties to conflict to immediately stop all clashes and adhere to a long-term humanitarian pause on the whole territory of Syria in order to ensure the safe and unhindered humanitarian deliverers as well as medical evacuation of the injured people. The ceasefire regime does not cover military actions against Daesh, al-Qaeda, and Jabhat Fatah al Sham (al-Nusra) terrorist organisations.
"We are deeply skeptical that the regime [of Syrian President Bashar Assad] will comply. But we supported this resolution because we must demand nothing less. We owe this to the innocent people of Syria begging for help," Haley said after the vote.
Meanwhile, Syria's Permanent Representative to the United Nations Bashar Jaafari said that the UN Security Council's resolution on a 30-day truce in Syria must be implemented throughout the entire country, including Afrin and the Golan Heights.
"This resolution must be implemented throughout the entire territory of Syria, including Afrin, including areas controlled by the United States, including the Golan [Heights]," Jaafari told the UN Security Council.
The diplomat noted that the Syrian government would respond to any attacks against civilians.
"I emphasize that our government reserves the right to respond as it deems appropriate if terrorist groups attack civilians in any part of Syria with even a single rocket," Jaafari said.
Earlier in the day, Russian Ambassador to the United Nations Vassily Nebenzia said that the new UN Security Council's resolution should not be interpreted freely, adding that the US-led anti-terrorist coalition, which is operating in Syria without UN approval or coordination with the Syrian government should cease its "occupation attitude" in Syria, to let the Syrian government recover peaceful life on the territories, freed of terrorists.
Sputnik
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Kurdish SDF Forces to Pass Control Over Manbij to Syrian Army Source
Sputnik News
01:12 25.02.2018(updated 02:04 25.02.2018)
MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic forces (SDF) have agreed on the transfer of control over the northeast city of Manbij in the Aleppo province to the Syrian army that will enter the city in the coming days, a Kurdish security source told Sputnik on Saturday.
"The agreement was reached, under which the Syrian Arab Republic's army will enter the city of Manbij, controlled by the SDF," the source said.
On January 20, the Turkish General Staff announced the beginning of the Operation Olive Branch, aimed against certain Kurdish forces, in Afrin. Ankara considers the Democratic Union Party (PYD), a Kurdish political party in northern Syria, and Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) militia affiliates of the Turkish Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) listed as a terror organization in Turkey.
Following the launch of the operation, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that Ankara's operation may be expanded to the city of Manbij and other Syrian regions bordering Turkey. Damascus has expressed its opposition to the Turkish operation, saying that such actions violated Syrian sovereignty.
Earlier, the Kurdish forces reported that 308 Turkish servicemen were killed since the start of the Olive Branch operation in Afrin. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan claimed however, that Ankara could extend its third military advance, vowing to "completely clear the region of terrorists, beginning with Manbij and throughout our entire border."
Sputnik
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New Fighting Erupts Near Damascus Despite UN Cease-fire Demand
By VOA News February 25, 2018
New fighting erupted Sunday near Damascus in spite of the United Nations' demand for a 30-day cease-fire to allow rescue and medical workers to enter the region.
The British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said nine people were killed and another 31 injured outside the Syrian capital, boosting the death toll to more than 500 in clashes over the last week.
The fighting nonetheless appeared to be less intense in the wake of the U.N. Security Council's unanimous approval of the month-long truce. Attacks on residential areas appeared to have shifted to battles along the front lines between government forces and insurgents.
State media said government forces pushed into the capital's eastern Ghouta area, but opposition forces denied Damascus's troops had advanced. The Ghouta Media Center, an activist collective, said members of the Army of Islam insurgents had blocked the Syrian army, killing many soldiers.
Iranian General Mohammad Baqeri said Tehran, whose government backs Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, and Damascus would honor the U.N. resolution. But Baqeri also said the truce did not cover the area of the Damascus suburbs "held by the terrorists."
Ghouta-based activist Ahmad Khanshour said, "The Assad regime and his allies have shown no respect to the Security Council by launching their most intense offensive on Ghouta from several directions hours after the resolution was adopted."
State news media said the insurgents breached the truce by firing 15 shells at government-held areas.
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Two civilians killed, four injured in Turkish shelling on Syria's Afrin
Iran Press TV
Sat Feb 24, 2018 03:12PM
At least two civilians have been killed and four others injured in Turkish shelling on Syria's northwestern region of Afrin, where Ankara is leading an operation against US-backed Kurdish militants.
On Saturday, one child was killed and four civilians were injured due to the continued shelling by the Turkish forces on Qntara village in Afrin, Syria's official news agency SANA reported.
Turkish forces fired a barrage of artillery rounds and rockets at the villages in the areas of Shiran, Jindares and M'abatli in Afrin, leaving a civilian dead and causing material damage to people's property, according to SANA.
Turkish forces have been heavily bombing Afrin since early Saturday, killing a number of pro-government forces and destroying a drinking water tank in Jandaris in southwestern Afrin, the Kurdish Hawar News Agency (ANHA) reported.
Syrians protest Turkey's offensive
Separately on Saturday, Syrians in Afrin staged a demonstration to protest against Turkey's military operation in the northern border region.
The protesters chanted slogans against Ankara and held placards bearing the images of those killed in Turkish attacks.
In a statement released on Friday, Human Rights Watch criticized the Ankara government's ongoing cross-border offensive in Afrin, saying that the Turkish military had failed to adopt necessary measures to avoid civilian casualties.
The New York-based rights organization said that some 26 civilians, including 17 children, lost their lives during Turkey's three attacks against Afrin in late January.
Turkey launched the so-called Operation Olive Branch in Afrin on January 20 in a bid to eliminate the Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG), which Ankara views as a terror organization and the Syrian branch of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK).
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has repeatedly said that Afrin should be cleared of "terrorists." He demanded the deployment of Turkish troops there during a speech back in November 2016.
US officials regard the YPG as the most effective fighting force against the Daesh Takfiri terrorist group in northern Syria, and have substantially increased their weaponry and technological support to the terrorist group.
The Syrian government has already condemned the "brutal Turkish aggression" against Afrin, rejecting Ankara's claim about having informed Damascus of the operation.
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Syria ceasefire not to affect offensive in Afrin: Turkey
Iran Press TV
Sun Feb 25, 2018 05:14PM
Turkey welcomes a United Nations Security Council resolution on a month-long ceasefire in Syria, but says it will have no effect on Ankara's ongoing cross-border offensive in Syria's northwestern region of Afrin against the Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG).
The UN Security Council on Saturday unanimously voted in favor of a resolution demanding a 30-day truce in Syria 'without delay' to allow aid delivery and medical evacuations.
The resolution was adopted by 15 votes to none, after several delays and a flurry of last-minute negotiations amid growing concerns about the humanitarian situation in Eastern Ghouta near the Syrian capital of Damascus.
Eastern Ghouta has witnessed renewed violence in the past few days, where terrorists have mounted repeated mortar attacks on the Syrian capital in the face of an imminent rout. Western powers, however, blame the Syrian government and Russia for the crisis.
"We welcome the resolution adopted by the UN Security Council in response to the worsening humanitarian situation all across Syria, in particular in Eastern Ghouta," Turkey's Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Sunday.
However, the ministry added, Turkey "will remain resolute in fighting against the terrorist organizations that threaten the territorial integrity and political unity of Syria."
Turkey launched the so-called Operation Olive Branch in Syria's Afrin on January 20 in a bid to eliminate the YPG, which Ankara views as a terror organization and the Syrian branch of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK).
Turkey has warned that the Afrin offensive could expand to the nearby Syrian city of Manbij.
Damascus on February 1 complained to the UN about Turkey's military campaign in northern Syria, denouncing the operation as "an assault and occupation" of the Syrian territory.
Ankara continues to "spread lies" about its military aggression against Syria and tries to justify the action as an act of self-defense, Syrian Foreign and Expatriates Ministry said in two letters addressed to the UN chief and the Security Council chairman.
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in January condemned Turkish military operation in Afrin, stating that the offensive was part of Ankara's support for Takfiri terrorist groups operating inside the conflict-plagued Arab country.
"The brutal Turkish aggression on the Syrian town of Afrin cannot be separated from the Turkish regime's policy from the first day of Syria's crisis, which was essentially built on supporting terrorism and terrorist organizations, whatever their names," Assad said in statements.
Operation Olive Branch has heightened tensions with the United States, which works closely with the YPG in fighting against Daesh terrorists in Syria.
Meanwhile, Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Bekir Bozdag insisted that his country's operation in Afrin would not be affected by the unanimous UN demand for a ceasefire in the war-ravaged country.
"There is no question of this decision (by the UN Security Council) having any affect on the operation that Turkey is pursuing," Bozdag said in televised comments.
Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has also said that there would be no let-up in the Afrin operation, without directly mentioning the Security Council's resolution.
"It will continue until the final terrorist is destroyed," Erdogan said in the southern city of Sanliurfa.
He added that Turkey had killed more than 2020 "terrorists" since the beginning of the operation, although it is not possible to verify this figure.
While Turkey is coming under mounting pressure over reports of rising civilian casualties, Erdogan has announced plans to expand the offensive to city of Manbij where Turkish troops are likely to face US-led forces.
Speaking to reporters at the Munich Security Conference on February 18, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu rejected claims by Kurdish forces and a monitoring group that Ankara had carried out a gas attack in its ongoing offensive in Afrin.
He said Turkey had never used internationally-banned chemical weapons in its operations in Syria, adding that his country took the utmost care to protect civilians in the cross-border military operation.
Operation Olive Branch in Afrin region is Turkey's second major military intervention in Syria during the foreign-backed militancy that broke out in the Arab country in 2011.
In August 2016, Turkey began a unilateral military intervention in northern Syria, code-named Operation Euphrates Shield, sending tanks and warplanes across the border. Ankara claimed that its military campaign was aimed at pushing Daesh from Turkey's border with Syria and stopping the advance of Kurdish forces, who were themselves fighting Daesh.
Turkey ended its campaign in northern Syria in March 2017, but at the time did not rule out the possibility of yet another act of military offensive inside its southern neighbor.
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In warning to US, Erdogan vows to 'break arms and wings' of militants
Iran Press TV
Sun Feb 25, 2018 09:35AM
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has issued one of his strongest warnings meant for the US, pledging to "break the arms and wings" of Washington-backed militants in Syria.
The warning in an address to his ruling party members in the southern province of Kahramanmaras on Saturday came as tensions grow between Turkey and the US over the latter's support for Kurdish militants.
Turkey's patience boiled over when the US announced last month to create a 30,000-strong force comprised of Kurdish militants, which would be deployed along the Turkish border.
Without mentioning the US, Erdogan said, "They want to sever us from our sisters and brothers by forming a terror corridor along our borders. They do not hesitate to link arms with terrorist organizations."
"They are not aware of the fact that we will break the arms and wings of the structure they have been striving to form and destroy it completely," he added.
Turkey launched an operation in the Syrian city of Afrin on January 20 to eliminate the Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG), which Ankara views as the Syrian branch of the outlawed Kurdish Workers Party (PKK).
The US views the YPG as an ally in Syria, where the militant group forms the backbone of the so-called Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) which is being trained, equipped and protected by the Americans.
"We believe we will sooner or later bring down the terrorist organizations and those who are behind them," Erdogan said.
"Those who see us as yesterday's Turkey, and treat us in this manner, have begun to gradually realize the truth," he said, in an apparent reference to Washington which has had long-held military ties with Ankara.
The Syrian government has condemned both the "Turkish aggression" and the "illegitimate" US presence in Syria, saying they violate international law and impede the political solution and victory over terrorism.
While Turkey is coming under mounting pressure over reports of rising civilian casualties, Erdogan has announced plans to expand the offensive to Manbij where Turkish troops are likely to face US-led forces.
On Saturday, Erdogan said "a global smear campaign" had been launched against Turkey's operations in Syria.
"The launch of a worldwide war of propaganda, based on lies, slander and distortion, by those who cannot deal with Turkey on the ground, will not work," he said.
Erdogan further rejected reports that civilians were being targeted in Turkey's operation in Syria. He said Turkey was on a mission to eradicate terrorism, which was key to preventing the re-emergence of colonialism, in another apparent dig at the US.
Later on Saturday, Erdogan traveled to the province of Osmaniye, where he said a total of 1,951 YPG militants have been "neutralized" in the Afrin operation.
US concerned about Turkey's S-400 purchase
Ankara and Washington also appear to be at odds over Turkey's purchase of the advanced Russian-made S-400 long-range air missile defense system.
On Saturday, a US government official expressed concerns about Turkey's planned purchase, saying talks were underway on alternatives to boost the country's air defense.
"The US understands Turkey's desire to improve its air defenses. But we are concerned and have said so publicly about potential acquisition of Russian S-400 missiles, which would have implications for NATO interoperability and which would potentially expose Turkey to sanctions," the Turkey's Hurriyet Daily News quoted the unnamed official as saying.
In December, Turkey officially signed a $2.5 billion agreement with Russia for the S-400s to become the first NATO member state to acquire the system.
Asked if there were specific proposals to Turkey, the US official said "conversations are taking place."
"We are also working with Turkey cooperatively. This issue was discussed in Ankara last week, about how we can find better solutions to help Turkey's air defense needs," he pointed out.
US warns Iraq over S-400 deal
Media reports also suggest that Iraq may buy the Russian S-400 system, triggering a US warning of "potential repercussions."
US State Department spokeswoman Heather Neuert said on Thursday that Washington has contacted many countries, including Iraq, to explain the significance of the Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA), and possible consequences that would arise in the wake of defense agreements with Moscow.
"We are communicating with governments all around the world, such as Iraq and others, about the CAATSA law," she said.
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Turkey Urges Czech Republic to Extradite Ex-Leader of Syrian Kurds Deputy PM
Sputnik News
19:06 25.02.2018
ANKARA (Sputnik) - Turkey has called on the Czech Republic to extradite former leader of Syria's Kurdish Democratic Union Party (PYD) Saleh Muslim after he was arrested in Prague, Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Bekir Bozdag said on Sunday.
Earlier in the day, Muslim was reportedly arrested in the Czech capital. The decision to detain him was made on February 24 by the Interpol's office in the Czech Republic on the basis of Ankara's request. Prague said that the decision on his arrest will be taken by the Czech court, while the Turkish side will be informed about the process. Prague is expecting Ankara to hand over documents demanding Muslim's extradition.
"Our Interior Ministry, Foreign Ministry and Ministry of Justice are working on the issue of his [Muslim's] extradition," Bozdag told reporters.
Ankara considers the PYD, a Kurdish political party in northern Syria, an affiliate of the Turkish Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), listed as a terror organization in Turkey. Turkey has recently launched a military operation in the Syrian region of Afrin against Kurdish militias, including the PYD.
The Turkish Interior Ministry included Muslim to the list of most wanted terrorists on February 13, saying that it will pay over $1 million for any information that may help to locate the former Kurdish leader.
In November 2016, Turkey issued an arrest warrant for Muslim as he was suspected of being involved in staging an attack in Ankara in February 2016 that left 27 Turkish militaries killed. The former PYD leader refuted the accusations.
Sputnik
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UN Security Council Resolution on Syria Won't Affect Operation in Afrin - Ankara
Sputnik News
17:47 25.02.2018(updated 19:55 25.02.2018)
The UN Security Council adopted on Saturday the resolution stipulating a 30-day ceasefire in Syria amid Turkish military operation Olive Branch that has been ongoing in the Syrian region of Afrin since January 20.
"It is out of the question that the decision of the UN Security Council will affect the Olive Branch operation as it is being conducted against terrorists," Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Bekir Bozdag told reporters on Sunday, commenting on a new UN resolution.
Resolution 2401, that was unanimously adopted at the UN Security Council meeting on Saturday, calls on the parties to the Syrian armed conflict to stop fighting and adhere to a long-term humanitarian pause in Syria to make sure that humanitarian aid deliveries to the area are secure and that injured civilians can be safely evacuated from the zones of fighting.
At the same time, the ceasefire regime doesn't cover military efforts against terrorist groups like Daesh, al-Qaeda, and the Nusra Front.
The resolution came amid the Turkish operation against separate Kurdish factions in Afrin. THe Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) militia operating in Afrin are considered by Ankara to be associate of Kurdish Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), an organization classified as a terror group in Turkey.
So far, Russia and Iran have backed the continuation of anti-terrorist operations in Syria amid the adoption of the UNSC resolution. Since February 18, the Syrian army has been on the offensive in the Damascus suburb of Eastern Ghouta in order to eradicate terrorist groups that remain there. However, the leaders of the extremist organizations that include infamous Jabhat al-Nusra, Jaysh al-Islam, Failak al-Rahman groups, have been preventing civilians from leaving the battle zones and provoking the Syrian troops to launch retaliatory operations, according to the Russian military.
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Pro-Turkish Forces Seize Part of Syrian Territories in Afrin - Source
Sputnik News
17:07 25.02.2018(updated 17:43 25.02.2018)
AFRIN (Sputnik) - Pro-Turkish forces have seized a major part of the Kurdish town of Jindires in Afrin amid Turkey's ongoing military operation in Syria's northern region, a source in Syrian pro-government militias told Sputnik Sunday.
"Armed groups backed by Turkey and supported by the aviation and artillery have seized a major part of the territory of Jindires in Afrin region," the source said.
The town of Jindires in Afrin's southwest is one of the biggest Kurdish settlements in the region.
On January 20, the Turkish General Staff announced the beginning of the Operation Olive Branch, aimed against certain Kurdish forces, in Afrin. Ankara considers the Democratic Union Party (PYD), a Kurdish political party in northern Syria, and Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) militia affiliates of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), designated as a terrorist organization by Turkey and several other countries, including the United States. The operation has been conducted jointly with the Free Syrian Army forces.
Damascus has condemned Ankara's actions as a violation of Syria's sovereignty.
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HARTFORD How to keep voter files safe from identity theft and other threats is the focus of two bills under consideration by the Government Administration and Elections Committee.
The bills, which received a public hearing Monday at the Capitol, would limit who can obtain copies of voter rolls, what information they could access and what they can do with that information.
They would also allow people with safety concerns or municipal police to opt out of having their information available on public voter rolls.
Championed by the Secretary of the State and League of Women Voters for increasing voter privacy and information security, the bills drew criticism from the Freedom of Information Commission and American Civil Liberties Union of Connecticut for limiting access to and transparency around voter information.
Secretary of the State Denise Merrill testified that her office receives more calls about what information is distributed in the voter file than any other topic.
Concern about voter information grew, she said, after a former New Hampshire legislator bought the 2.3 million records of the Connecticut voter file for $300, put online and charged Connecticut residents to remove their information, including legal name, address, birth date, phone number, political party information and dates voted, from his site.
The voter file is meant to be a registry of voters, full stop, said Merrill. They shouldnt have to worry that their personal information will be comprised or for their personal safety.
An Act Protecting the Privacy of Voters would make it illegal for people to buy the voter file to harass voters, market products or advertising to them or reproduce it in print, video or online. Voter information would only be available for elections, to candidates for political office, to scholars, journalists or government agencies.
To try to prevent identity theft, the act would also remove voters birth month and day from the public voter files, retaining only the birth year as publicly accessible information. Merrill said partial social security numbers can be estimated based on a persons birth date and home state.
The Freedom of Information Commission opposed the proposal, however, arguing that voters full birth dates are necessary to distinguish voters with the same names and prevent voter fraud. Colleen Murphy, executive director of the Commission, also voiced concerns that some classes of people would be able to access voter information and some would not.
Transparency is meant to deter voter fraud and provide a means to detect it, she said in written testimony. The second reason for transparency is to ensure that registration and election officials, who are charged with entering, updating and maintaining voter data, are accountable and carry out their roles in accordance with the law.
The American Civil Liberties Union of Connecticut also opposed the bills for many of the same reasons. Without offering definitions of who or what could qualify as a scholar or journalist, the bills were ripe for abuse, testified Kaley Lentini, legislative counsel for the ACLU of Connecticut.
She suggested all people should have the ability to opt off the public voter file for privacy reasons not just those with safety concerns or police.
The Department of Administrative Services triggered an alert of the states computer system after a ransomware virus was detected on a dozen agencies.
Jeffrey Beckham, spokesman for the DAS, said starting late Friday afternoon, the state's security monitoring alerted our security team that it had detected a suspicious event that matched the profile of a ransomware virus. The DAS security team began to work with the agencies for which the alert was triggered.
Great talent is hard to come by. Retaining that talent, however, can be even more difficult. When it comes down to it, employers want professionals with a proven track record -- and they're prepared to pay for them. In fact, a 2017 Qualtrics survey of 800 recently promoted American workers found that, on average, top performers receive 4.3 new job offers a year.
That's a lot of temptation.
Related: 7 Strategic Ways to Increase Employee Retention While Reducing Costs
Often, startup companies don't have the resources to match higher salary offers. But, fortunately, there are other ways to keep top employees from being poached. By understanding the unique needs of these employees, companies on a budget can retain great talent.
Here are four perks and benefits to offer that won't break the bank:
Flexible work
Ashik Ahmed is the CEO of Deputy, the New South Wales, Australia, workforce-management platform. When a top employee's significant other had to move to another country, Ahmed, as CEO, had to get creative to retain his team member.
"She expressed how much she enjoyed being part of Deputy, and we saw her as an integral part of the team," Ahmed said via email. Working together, they agreed she would work remotely full time and come into the main office every few months. The rest of the time, another employee would manage the day-to-day operations of her team.
Ahmed went on to say that this situation doesn't always work with all roles or employees. But to retain valuable employees, you may find it's worth a shot.
Sit down with employees who'd like more flexible work options and discuss the various situations that could play out with them away from the office. Think about past challenges they have overcome. If they were telecommuting at the time, could they have achieved equal success? Asking yourself these questions will provide you a plan of action for getting ahead of potential issues.
Customized roles
One great thing about startups is that they are always growing and changing. This constant change provides leaders with an opportunity to create unique roles employees can't find anywhere else.
For example, two years ago, the New York-based preventative technology maintenance company Augury hired an employee with a Ph.D in physics. This man was a great member of the company's algorithm team, but it was clear his passion was research and development. As Augury grew, co-founder and CEO Saar Yoskovitz saw moving this employee to the company's new research department as the obvious choice.
Related: Employee Retention : Why it Remains a Daunting Task at Startups
When new responsibilities develop at your company, ask for volunteers to take on these tasks. This will show what employees' interests are and where they'd like their careers to go. Over time, a new role will emerge that engages your top performers. Just be sure to adjust their titles and compensation accordingly.
Transparent leadership
Transparency by leaders at all levels of an organization makes employees feel important and valued. Sarah Howe, director of talent management at Chicago insurance claims platform Snapsheet, found that transparency at her company greatly impacts retention. She discovered this when she asked one of her top performers what kind of opportunity might pull her away from the company.
"She responded that as long as I continued to offer her insight into the organization and transparency with information, she'd happily continue to work for me," Howe said in an email. "She was loyal to the organization and to me because I offered her honesty."
Make sure executives and managers understand the importance of transparency. Model the correct behavior by actively sharing the information they want and need.
This is especially important when you're providing employees with feedback. They need to understand where they stand and how they fit into the team. Employees feel valued and respected when leaders give them concrete examples of what they're doing well and how to improve.
Work-focused benefits
Benefits shouldn't be aimed solely at improving employee loyalty, but also at helping employees become better at their jobs.
Manny Medina is the CEO of the Seattle-based sales engagement platform Outreach. He points out that there's no point in offering a benefit if it will cause the employee to feel disengaged. In that case, the employee will leave anyway.
At Outreach, for example, the sales team is mostly remote. However, team members can still see and interact with customers, and therefore realize success. But for a more collaborative department, like engineering, performance suffers when employees aren't in the same location.
"At the end of the day, what great people really want is to be professionally and personally fulfilled," Medina said in an email. "You want to be the company that gives them that opportunity every day."
Related: Expert Tips For Efficient Employee Retention Strategy
Before rolling out new trendy perks and benefits, ask "How will this help employees be better?" Focus on ways benefits can relieve stressors that are distracting people. That way, top performers can continue to be happy and engaged at work.
Related:
Confident Your Best Employees Will Say 'No' to the 4.3 Job Offers They'll Get This Year?
A New Wave To Catch: Workplace Arrangements In The MENA In 2018
4 Rules for Keeping the Staff (You Want) on Staff
Copyright 2018 Entrepreneur.com Inc., All rights reserved
This article originally appeared on entrepreneur.com
The New York State Department of Health wants people in the New York City area to know that an Australian tourist confirmed to have measles visited numerous hotels and the Metropolitan Museum of Art from Feb. 16 to 21.
Measles is notoriously contagious for people without immunity to the disease, with a 90 percent infection rate for nonimmunized people who venture near an active spreader, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The virus latches onto the nose and throat mucus and proliferates through coughing and sneezing, with a life span of up to two hours in the open air.
About 9 out of 10 kids in the United States receive their measles vaccines, and the vaccine's effectiveness rates above 90 percent, the CDC says.
In the United States, dropping immunization rates and bumps in infections have been tied to the anti-vaxxer movement, which believes that autism is caused by immunizations. That belief has long been discredited, but it has taken root in some communities.
State health officials on Friday advised people without immunizations to contact a health-care provider if they exhibit symptoms of measles, which include fever, rash, cough, pinkeye or a runny nose.
RELATED VIDEO:
The Australian tourist's travel route appears to show the contraction and progression of the disease, in a chronology provided Friday by state health officials:
Feb. 16-19: La Quinta Inn, 31 W. 71st Street, New York, New York.
Feb 16-17: Oasis Bible Tours at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1000 5th Avenue, New York, New York.
Feb. 19: Watchtower Educational Center, 100 Watchtower Drive, Patterson, New York.
Feb. 19-20: Best Western Hotel, 1324 Atlantic Avenue, Brooklyn, New York.
Feb. 20-21: Comfort Inn & Suites Goshen - Middletown, 20 Hatfield Lane, Goshen, New York.
Feb. 21: Excel Urgent Care, 1 Hatfield Lane, Goshen, New York.
Feb. 21: Orange Regional Medical Center, Emergency Department, 707 E. Main Street, Middletown, New York.
There is some overlap, the state said, given the two-hour life span of the virus when airborne.
At this point, if you are digging into your vaccination records, immunization for the disease may show up as MMR - the common cocktail immunization for measles, mumps and rubella.
The state is being proactive with the alert, as symptoms typically appear about 10 to 12 days after exposure. So if you checked into La Quinta Inn and enjoyed Central Park views on Feb. 16-17, then symptoms of the disease may begin to show if you were infected.
This episode is noteworthy, given New York City's population density and the tourist's path cutting through area hotels and probably subway and cabs. The Met notched a record-high 7 million visitors in fiscal 2017, the museum said in its annual review, drawing art enthusiasts and others from all over the world.
Children must be immunized against measles to enroll in schools and day care, New York state health officials said, and college students since 1990 have been required to furnish their immunization records for the disease.
Despite global efforts to combat the disease, measles has remained a serious threat, mostly to children in the developing world. In 2016, there were 89,780 measles deaths worldwide, the first year the figure dipped below six figures, the World Health Organization said. The World Bank found that Australia, at 95 percent, has a slightly higher rate of measles immunization than the United States, which stands at 92 percent.
The disease has sometimes roared back in the United States in incidents tied to anti-vaxxer efforts. For instance, MMR vaccines in Somali communities in Minnesota dropped 50 percent from 2004 to 2014 because of activist work there, sparking the worst measles outbreak in the state in three decades.
And in 2015, dozens of people at Disneyland contracted the virus in an outbreak that prompted state officials to warn nonimmunized people to stay away from the park. Disneyland is in Orange County, California, an anti-vaxxer hotbed.
Samsung announced the Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9+ at MWC 2018 and we are in Barcelona to report on the performance of the new flagships. We got our hands on a Samsung Galaxy S9 with a model number SM-G960F, meaning it comes with an in-house Exynos 9810 chipset. Not all phones will get the Korean processor though - the US and the Chinese markets will receive a version with Snapdragon 845 on board.
Samsung Galaxy S9 vs. Samsung Galaxy S8
Before presenting the benchmark results, first we have to explain the chipset we are dealing with.
The Exynos 9810 is the latest Samsung SoC, built on the 10 nm FinFET wafer. It has octa-core CPU with four 3rd gen Mongoose cores, clocked at 2.8 GHz for performance, while the other four are Cortex-A55 at 1.7 GHz. The GPU onboard is Mali-G72. The chipset supports Cat.18 speeds with maximum download of 1.2 Gbps and 6CA.
On theory, the 9810 supports 4K video at 120 fps, but Samsung decided to disable the feature, otherwise it would give an unfair advantage over the Snapdragon 845 that currently shoots 4K at 60 fps.
Without further ado, we give you the Galaxy S9 benchmarks. The phone expectedly obliterates all the other top Androids currently on the market. We are expecting Sony to unveil tomorrow the Xperia XZ2 with Snapdragon 845, so we can put the two 10 nm chips against each other.
GeekBench 4.1 (multi-core)
Higher is better
Samsung Galaxy S9
8976
Huawei Mate 10 Pro
6783
Samsung Galaxy S8
6656
LG V30
6365
Samsung Galaxy S8+ (SD 835)
6301
GeekBench 4.1 (single-core)
Higher is better
Samsung Galaxy S9
3698
Samsung Galaxy S8
1991
Huawei Mate 10 Pro
1902
LG V30
1901
Samsung Galaxy S8+ (SD 835)
1832
AnTuTu 7
Higher is better
Samsung Galaxy S9
254375
Samsung Galaxy S8
199022
LG V30
182374
GFX 3.1 Car scene (1080p offscreen)
Higher is better
Samsung Galaxy S9
28
Samsung Galaxy S8
25
LG V30
24
Samsung Galaxy S8+ (SD 835)
23
Huawei Mate 10 Pro
22
Samsung Galaxy S7 edge (S820)
18
Samsung Galaxy S7 edge (E8890)
15
GFX 3.1 Car scene (onscreen)
Higher is better
Samsung Galaxy S9
25
Huawei Mate 10 Pro
21
Samsung Galaxy S8
13
LG V30
13
Samsung Galaxy S8+ (SD 835)
12
Samsung Galaxy S7 edge (S820)
10
Samsung Galaxy S7 edge (E8890)
7.8
Basemark ES 3.1 / Metal
Higher is better
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Haiti - Economy : SUNY Maritime presents an ambitious project to SEMANAH
This week Captain Dieudonne Bruno, Director General of Maritime Navigation Service of Haiti (SEMANAH) accompanied by Carlo E. Cerome, Director of Planning, its Director of Cabinet Wilbert Dede and senior executives of the institution, held a major working meeting at its Delmas 31 central office, with a delegation of "SUNY Maritime" (one of six US maritime academies located in New York) consisting of Joe Hoffman (Principal ai and Vice President for Academic Affairs), Christopher Clott (Global Business and Transportation), Captain Ernest Fink (Professional Mariner Training Courses), Richard Burke (Professor Engineering) and several other professionals and experts: Erick Johsoson, Ralf Shwari, Rosemary Ortlied and Rolande Toussaint .
"SUNY Maritime" had come to present their ambitious project to SEMANAH, which aims first and foremost to set up a shipping company that will ensure the transport of passengers and goods by boat and ferries across the country and the creation of a maritime academy in the Bay of Arcahaie, to contribute to the training of operators in the maritime industry.
In addition, this project also provides for the repair / construction of 15 small ports across the country for passengers - The construction of a shipyard in Arcahaie Bay and the acquisition of 50 water taxis and ferries between other
The Director of Cabinet Mr. Wilbert Dede elaborated on the numerous constraints facing the Haitian maritime sector and on several issues related to maritime safety, the protection of the users of the sea and the training of seafarers
At the end of this meeting, Carlo E. Cerome accompanied the delegation of "SUNY Maritime" for a visit to the port of Port-au-Prince.
to be continued...
HL/ S/ HaitiLibre
Haiti - Diaspora : Call for participation at the International Tourism Fair of Berlin
Haiti will be in the spotlight at the world's largest World Tourism Fair (ITB) in Berlin (Germany) from March 7 to 11, 2018, with Minister of Tourism Colombe Emilie Jessy Menos.
In view of this important event, the Embassy of the Republic of Haiti in the Federal Republic of Germany, will take advantage of this event to organize an evening on Friday, March 9 at the French Institute of Berlin (Kurfurstendamn 211, 10719 BERLIN) from 6h30 pm to 9pm, to present during the Cocktail-debate, to the Germans and friends of Haiti the tourist potential of Haiti. The whole Haitian Community of Germany and neighboring countries is invited to this evening.
From March 7 to 11, 2018, let us float the Haitian flag proudly in the sky of Berlin. In the program: Haitian gastronomy (Manje lakay), stands of Haitian culinary art (restoration) with its rice djon-djon, its pikliz, its grill...; Groups of folk dances and traditional Haitian songs; paintings and crafts.
Dr. Jean-Bony Alexandre, the new Charge d'Affaires ai of the Embassy of Haiti in Germany, thanks in advance the members of the Haitian Community of Germany, the Haitian and German Associations based in Germany working for Haiti and all the Friends of Haiti who will contribute to the success of this week.
The Embassy of Haiti in the Federal Republic of Germany wishes the mobilization of all the Haitian evolving among others in the fields of the reception, the Performing Arts, the Plastic Arts, as well as in all the fields of our popular culture, whether it's cooking, crafts, literature, musicians, storytellers, dancers etc... (amateur or professional).
The Embassy thanks you in advance for your cooperation.
For additional information : +49 (30) 88554134
Read also to participate : https://www.icihaiti.com/en/news-23396-icihaiti-itb-show-call-for-participation-message-from-the-embassy-of-haiti-in-germany.html
HL/ HaitiLibre
Haiti - Politic : Inauguration of the new road Cap-Haitian/Labadee
Saturday to Fort Bourgeois President Jovenel Moise, accompanied by Prime Minister Jacques Guy Lafontant, Ministers Fritz Caillot (Public Works), Menos Colombe Emilie Jessy (Tourism), Senators of the Department of North and a delegation of the World Bank, inaugurated the new Cap-Haitien / Labadee road that will facilitate access to this tourist site and the economic development of the Great North in particular.
Recall that the locality of Labadee, the first tourist port of Haiti, receives the visit of nearly 600,000 cruise passengers per year through the "Royal Caribbean Cruise Line".
President Jovenel Moise remains convinced that the establishment of such an infrastructure is essential in the strategy to put the country in the dynamics of development in the long term.
Recall that the construction of this road long of 6km width of 5.5 meters was financed to the tune of $ 8.6 million by the World Bank (IDA). This work was spread over a period of 2 years and was entrusted to the Dominican firm Coamco.
See also :
https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-23552-haiti-politic-soon-opening-of-the-new-road-cap-haitien-labadee.html
https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-11858-haiti-reconstruction-infrastructure-work-continues-in-the-north.html
https://www.icihaiti.com/en/news-19573-haiti-cruise-a-first-in-haiti.html
https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-16432-haiti-flash-good-news-return-of-tourists-to-labadee.html
HL/ HaitiLibre
Haiti - Politic : D-1, Haiti ready to receive the 29th Conference of Heads of State of CARICOM
Friday the Haitian Ambassador to CARICOM, Peterson Noel, the Director General of the Ministry of Commerce Daniel Denis and the Deputy Spokesman of the National Police of Haiti (PNH), Inspector Gary Desrosiers confirmed that all the provisions were taken to ensure the smooth running of the 29th Meeting of the CARICOM Conference of Heads of State and Government to be held at the Mariott Hotel in Port-au-Prince on Monday 26th and 27th February 2018.
This important event will bring together 14 delegations of the members of the Caribbean Community as well as 3 associate members (Cayman Islands, Montserrat and the Turks and Caicos Islands). 10 Heads of State and Government confirmed their presence in Haiti.
Inspector Gary Desrosiers, while calling on drivers' understanding and cooperation to facilitate movement on the related sections of road at the event headquarters, said 454 police will be deployed on this occasion.
For his part, Ambassador Peterson Noel recalled that during this event several points will be debated https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-23622-haiti-politic-d-5-10-heads-of-state-and-government-expected-in-haiti.html including :
Security at the Caribbean level :
The high incidence of crime and violence across the Community will also be examined. Heads at their last meeting discussed key initiatives directed towards combatting transnational organized crime which, they noted, continues to be one of the most immediate and significant threats facing the Region. They also directed their focus towards the development of a CARICOM Counter terrorism Strategy which is being finalized for adoption.
The CARICOM Single Market and Economy (CSME) :
The Meeting will seek to advance plans to further strengthen key elements of the CARICOM Single Market and Economy (CSME) including those related to travel and trade. Discussion will also focus on key transportation issues including Regional Air Services, and on advancing regional initiatives in Tourism aimed at stimulating further sustainable growth in the sector.
The case of member countries on the American blacklist :
Heads will look at the impact on CARICOM Member States of blacklisting actions. Last December the EU included four Member States on a list of countries it deemed non-cooperative tax jurisdictions. There is also ongoing concern about the de-risking strategies by global banks and the labelling of CARICOM Member States in some quarters as tax havens.
The Meeting, at the Mariott Port-au-Prince Hotel, opens on Monday with a brief Opening Session at which remarks will be presented by CARICOM Secretary-General Ambassador Irwin LaRocque; the immediate-past CARICOM Chairman, Prime Minister Dr. Keith Mitchell of Grenada and the current Chairman, President Jovenel Moise of Haiti.
HL/ HaitiLibre
Published on 2018/02/25
10 Magazine track down the 10 best bibimbap spots around the country, Sue makes a beef stew (bulgogi jeongol) packed with mushrooms on My Korean Kitchen, the BBC reports on the significance of eating tteokguk for Lunar New Year, and learn more about the country's complicated relationship with dog meat.
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"THE 7 BEST BIBIMBAP SPOTS IN SOUTH KOREA"
In 2011, Bibimbap (literally "mixed rice") featured at number 40 in CNN's list of the World's Most Delicious Foods, which was determined by its readers. As 10 Magazine writer Nuran Sami notes, "South Korea's Jeonju province is most famous for the dish", but the dish is so popular that there are excellent restaurants that serve it all around the country. In this post, 10 Magazine writers have compiled their list of the seven best bibimbap joints (most of which are in, perhaps not surprisingly, the capital, Seoul). Do you have a favourite bibimbap spot that didn't make their list? Share it with us and others in the comment section below...
...READ ON 10 MAGAZINE
"KOREAN BEEF STEW (BULGOGI JEONGOL)"
"This Korean beef stew is a really hearty and comforting soup and also a perfect dish to share around the table with your family and friends", writes Sue, referring to bulgogi (Korean BBQ beef). Bulgogi is one of Korea's most popular dishes among foreigners and locals alike, and in this post on My Korean Kitchen, Sue guides us through the process of making her mushroom-packed version. "As you can see, the stew looks abundant and full of protein and vitamins!" If you've visited Sue's popular website before, you'll know that her posts are carefully crafted, contain crisp photographs of her creations, as well as detailed receipt cards at the end.
...READ ON MY KOREAN KITCHEN
"In South Korea, age is measured in bowls of soup"
Did you know that in South Korea "age is counted from the first day of the lunar year rather than individual birthdates"? That means that on Seollal (Lunar New Year) 51 million Koreans celebrated getting one year older, a tradition that is marked by one dish in particular: tteokguk. "The tradition of communal aging makes it easier to determine one's relative status", writes Erin Craig for the BBC. "All else being equal, people with the same birth year are on the same social level". So, the question to ask is not how old are you, but rather how many bowls of tteokguk have you eaten!
...READ ON BBC
"Why dog meat became a story at these Olympics and why, culturally, it is slowly changing"
South Korean cuisine has come sharply into focus in the past decade, but one item on Korea's menu has consistently caused animal rights activists to speak up. Despite pressure from local and international groups, dog meat is still served in Korea (sometimes under the euphemistic "nutritious soup"). "It's for strength", said one server in Korea; "Many Korean doctors recommend it for patients who are having chemotherapy, too". Attitudes around Korea's most controversial dish, however, are slowing changing. A recent online survey, for example, reveals that around 58% of Koreans disapprove of the consumption of dog meat. How do you feel about the direction Korea's dog meat industry is taking?
...READ ON ESPN
Couple takes children after their daughter's meth overdose
Debe VandenBoom, from left, her grandchildren Lillie, Paige and Salem, her husband, Ron, and, their dog Pepper pose for a photograph with a tribute to the children's mother, Crystal Estell.
Crystal Estell died of a meth overdose Jan 7. She was 37. She left behind three children, two parents and a long trail of wounded loved ones.
The ravage of drugs, Crystal's parents Ron and Debe VandenBoom said Tuesday, slither beyond the life of the user. Drugs shake the lives of everyone connected to the user.
"Life is full of choices. You make the wrong choice, you pay the price and other people pay it as well. Your actions are not alone," Ron said.
Crystal grew up in Havre and graduated Havre High School. Her parents said Crystal began dabbling with drugs right after high school.
"She just started running with the wrong crowd," Ron said, adding that his daughter may have started doing drugs even earlier.
Despite a history of drug use, the VandenBooms said they were surprised to find out Crystal had died of a meth overdose.
"She was on meth for 10 years, and then quit for 8 years," Debe said. "And within a week, after she got back on it - for whatever reason - she died of an overdose."
Crystal lived in Gillette, Wyoming, when she died. The Gillette police report says a caller, later identified as Crystal's niece, reported Jan. 7 at 3:23 p.m. that her aunt had blue lips and wouldn't wake up. The responding officer and EMT found Crystal lying on the couch on her back. They began performing "life-saving" measures.
The time of death was called at 3:53 p.m., the report said.
During an interview with police, the niece who called police said Crystal had lain down to take a nap an hour before. She was fine. The niece said she didn't think much of the noises Crystal made while asleep because she was a frequent sleepwalker.
It was when Crystal's 1-year-old boy, Salem, started jumping on his mom's torso and head, the niece said, that she realized something was wrong. She then tried to wake Crystal, who wasn't breathing. She told Crystal's 12-year-old, Paige, to take the baby into another room and then called police.
A Jan. 29 toxicology report says Crystal died of a methamphetamine overdose.
The police report indicates Crystal was a heavy drinker, had a history of painkiller use and took the prescribed Clindamysim - an antibiotic used to treat bacterial infections - and Trazadone, an antidepressant used to treat major depressive disorder, anxiety disorders, insomnia, and in addition with other treatment, alcohol dependence.
Her parents said Crystal had many vices. She took anything she could get her hands on, Ron said. Their daughter's drug use had been a cause of strife between them for years.
"She never thought herself as an attractive girl. She always chose from the bottom of the barrel, for lack of a better way of putting it," Ron said. "If a nice guy came along, she wouldn't want anything to do with him."
"She was a bum magnet," Debe added right away.
Occasionally, Crystal would "show some promise," they said.
"Starting college, or whatever, and she'd get our hopes up that this was the big turn," Ron said. "And she'd slide right back where she was."
The drugs were a symptom, the VandenBooms agreed. Their daughter had self-worth issues, she battled depression - those were the problems. The genes their daughter inherited didn't help. Ron and Debe said Crystal was pre-disposed to have chemical dependency issues. Debe said she's an alcoholic going on 32 years of sobriety.
Crystal's death has left a trail of hurt and unresolved issues in the lives of those closest to her.
Rachel Watson, Crystal's older sister, called her little sister a "beautiful disaster."
"It is really hard to try to put my feelings into words right now, nothing sounds right," Watson said in a letter. "As most people know, my sister and I didn't have a great relationship the last couple years. I became angry with her and very impatient, so I cast her out and sat on the sidelines rooting for her and her sobriety so that we could be close again. ... I just couldn't watch from the front row anymore.
"I loved her and would protect her from all that I could," Watson continues. "Unfortunately I couldn't protect her from her worst enemy, herself. ... RIP baby sister, I love you and miss you dearly. I just wish I had told that to you as much as I have thought of you these last couple years. I will remember you as the beautiful sister you always were."
Crystal's brother, Lloyd Estell, wrote two letters, one of which was intended for the Havre Daily to print, in which he vents his frustration and reveals the emotional turmoil and lessons his sister's death has brought into his life.
"I've waited all afternoon and evening to say something because I couldn't find the right words," says the letter written the day after Crystal's death. "I don't think that I could possibly come up with all the right words to do justice to the situation, but I have to vent or I'll explode.
"MY SISTER DIED OF A METHAMPHETAMINE OVERDOSE!" the other letter begins. Lloyd Estell continues:
"I cried. I was angry. I felt like I should have known and that I should have done more. But she was a grown woman who made her choices and I forgive her. I wanted to blame the drug, but it's no more the fault of methamphetamine than it is the fault of Tide pods for people being foolish enough to eat them. It's a choice, and in most cases, an uneducated one. I'm not angry at meth. I'm not even angry with the person who sold it to her. They, too, made a choice. One that they have to live with for the rest of their life. I hope they do see this post someday and it changes their life."
Lloyd Estell writes that after a period of grieving, he used his sister's death as a teaching tool. He said he talked to his children about choices, minus the scare tactics and threats.
The consequences of bad choices are permanent, he said.
"Life is all about choices, isn't it? What we choose to do with our time on this earth and how we choose to react to our circumstances. I've always said that what you do with your own body should be your own business and that it shouldn't be the government or anyone else's place to tell you what you can or can't put into your body, providing that you bring no harm to another person. ... We teach our children generalized statements like 'don't do drugs' or 'this is your brain on drugs.' We tell them 'do drugs and you'll end up in jail.' ... Those tactics don't work and never have."
Their daughter's choices have changed their lives, the VandenBooms said.
The 12-and-1-year-old who were there that terrible Jan. 7 day in Gillette now live in Havre with them. Crystal's 14-year-old, Lillie, had already been living with them for many years, but the addition of her half brother and half sister has shuffled her life as well. She has moved into what used to be the guest room, which she now shares with her 12-year-old sister, Paige. Her former room has become the baby's room, as well as the community closet, where three large oak dressers filled with clothes, many of them donated, sit lined against the wall. Havre's Probation and Parole officers donated a great deal of clothes, as well as some money and a crib, Debe gratefully emphasized.
Life is faster and more tiring now for the VandenBooms.
"Everything is exhausting now," Debe said.
"Double the laundry, double the dishes, double places to go and drop people off," Ron added. "We had to completely rearrange the house.
"It's been a complete reorganization of our nice, calm, gentle, soon-to-be-be retired empty nest. Instead, everything is turned upside down," Ron said. "I'm not complaining about that. We did what we had to do and we'd do it again. And if there were three more of them, we'd take three more if we had to."
Would they do anything different to save their daughter, they were asked.
"I don't know what could we do," Ron said.
Lillie, who said she never had a great relationship with her mother, was in routine when she was surprised by the news.
"It came as a shock to me. I had just finished blow-drying my hair and I came out to make lunch, and the next thing I knew is he said, 'Your mother is on life support," Lillie said. "I felt regret because I hadn't talked to her or called her in a long time."
Lillie, who is active in debate, said she leaned a lot on her extracurricular activities to get through.
"I just put everything into these activities and made sure that I'm doing good in these activities and it's just something to keep me focused."
Paige's vices for dealing with the changes and tragedy are sunflower seeds and popcorn, Debe said.
Paige briefly talked about trasitioning from a large school district to one where "everyone is shoved in this tiny school," in Havre.
The youngest, 1-year-old Salem, made occasional noises while his sisters slid him Cheez-It crackers across the kitchen table.
The girls have lost both of their parents. Lillie said her father - whom she did not have a relationship with - died two years ago, also of drug-related causes. Paige's father died just a few weeks after her mother. His death, the VandenBooms said, is unknown.
For Lillie, her mother's death changed the way she looked at others whose lives are marred by similar tragedies. Since drugs have never been a temptation for her, that remained the case. What has changed, however, was how much she can relate to those affected by their loved ones' drug-related deaths.
"How many people is that person affecting now that they're gone?" Lillie said.
The VandenBooms, who admit to having dabbled in illegal drugs sometime in their lifetime, said it's time for parents to change how they talk to their children about drugs.
"Adults are lying to their kids. All they say is how bad drugs are," Debe said. "But what they don't say is that if you're under stress, or if you have a mental illness and you can't get away from that world, and you smoke it, it's the most wonderful drug. They don't tell them that."
"Lying to your kids, or trying to scare them, is not going to stop them from doing what their friends are doing, what the clique is doing," Ron added.
Havre Daily News/Ryan Welch Items - many of them donated - line the room in the VandemBoom residence that has been converted into a combination storage space and bedroom for 1-year-old Salem.
It's not about telling kids how great drugs are, the VandenBooms were careful to point out. It's about being honest, so the children don't feel betrayed.
Lillie said bitterness is what she's learning to deal with.
"The biggest thing I've learned from this entire experience is to not hold on to hatred and anger towards a person, because I did that a lot with my mom, even if a lot of it was subconscious and I didn't realize it until she passed away," Lillie said, adding it was similar to the hatred she had toward the father when he died.
"Truthfully, I don't remember the last time I called my mother. I don't remember the last time that I told her that I love her, checked up with her," Lillie said. "The fact that I will never have another opportunity to do so is really defeating. I spent all that time holding on to hatred when I could've been fixing that relationship, but I didn't."
Carl Mattson points out an item of interest to U.S. Sen. Steve Daines, R-Mont., during a tour of Stricks Ag Friday in Chester.
CHESTER - Sen. Steve Daines, R-Mont., attended a meet-n-greet at Stricks Ag Friday, where he discussed a recent tax cut package as well as trade, rural broadband and forest management, and toured the company's processing facilities.
The stop, Daines said, marked the 15th of a tour across the state he is taking to hear from business owners and other Montanans about how they are being impacted by the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017.
The legislation was passed by Congress and signed by President Donald Trump in December.
Daines said that based on what he has heard from people while traveling throughout Montana, the cuts have already begun to benefit the economy.
"We are already starting to see payrolls being adjusted to reflect the lower rates. Montanans are saying 'Hey I am actually seeing a reduction in my taxes here and a bump in my pay,' "he said.
A lumber mill in Thompson Falls boosted the pay of its employees by $1 an hour and purchased a new high-lift for the first time in 19 years because of the tax cuts, Daines said. A fabricator in Billings, he said, is looking to hire 35 additional employees because of the cuts.
"These are the stories I am hearing across Montana," Daines said.
Sen. Jon Tester, D-Mont., and other Democrats opposed the legislation, arguing it will add to the federal budget deficit. Daines, however, said the way to trim the deficit is to curb spending.
The tax cuts, he said, will grow the economy and generate more revenue.
Daines told the crowd at the meet-n-greet that he and 23 of his senate colleagues have signed a letter asking Trump to re-engage in discussions about the Trans Pacific Partnership, also known as the TPP.
Trump pulled the U.S. out of talks with 11 Pacific rim countries last year about the deal. The pact would reduce trade barriers and increase trade between the U.S. and 11 pacific rim nations.
Greater access to overseas markers will allow Montana agricultural producers to increase prices and production, Daines said.
"You look at the tariff situations right now where Japan has some high tariffs for Montana products," he said.
In Japan, he said, the tariff on beef is 50 percent, but the TPP would lower that to about 9 percent. Failure to engage could have broader ramifications.
"If we disengage from TPP, it gives Australia and Canada a great advantage over our producers," he said.
A member of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry, Daines talked about China last year lifting its 14-year ban on U.S. beef.
During a question and answer segment, Carl Mattson brought up the issue of the need for better cellphone and internet service.
"We don't even have basic 911 service," he said.
Triangle Communication has tried to put up cellphone towers at several locations for towers but they have been stopped from moving forward by Verizon who is not providing coverage, Mattson said. Clear cellphone service, he said, is needed.
Mattson added he would appreciate anything that could be done to help rural cooperatives.
Daines said he has been in touch with rural telecoms and wireless companies. Larger service providers often focus on more densely populated areas because that is where the revenue is, while rural areas are sometimes pushed aside.
Broadband connectivity and cell service, Daines said, are crucial in frontier areas.
"Without technology, as we think about how we are going to engage here as part of the 21st century economy, without connectivity, we are going to get left way behind," he said.
Jillien Streit, co-owner of Stricks Ag, said she is thankful for the work Daines is doing in forest management.
Havre Daily News/Ryan Welch
She said legislation Daines is championing on forest managing is fabulous, and is something that many agriculture producers in Montana often forget about.
Timber mills and people who manage forests, she said, are hardworking families who are stewards of the land.
As recent fires that ravaged the state this summer show, forests will either be managed or they will be burned, Daines said.
"It's either a or b, you tell me what c is, I haven't found it yet. Either you manage your forests or they burn," he said.
He said that forests are building combustible fuel for fire everyday. Managing a forest, Daines said, is healthier, reduces the risk of disease and is better for wildlife.
Havre Police Department
Officers investigated after a caller reported Friday at 9:07 a.m. a noninjury motor vehicle crash near 12th Avenue and Sixth Street.
Officers investigated after a caller reported Friday at 9:15 a.m. a motor vehicle crash near Ninth Avenue and Second Street.
Officers issued summonses to two people Friday at 12:25 p.m. in relation to a compliance monitoring system violation. Cole Phillip Wakefield of Havre, 31, and Danielle Jo Ostwalt of Havre, 25, were each issued summonses on criminal contempt charges.
Officers investigated after a First Street West business caller reported Friday at 2:03 p.m. that a pickup truck backed into her car.
Officers arrested Peyton Maya Roastingstick of Rocky Boy, 18, on a Justice or City court warrant Friday at 3:03 p.m. at the police department.
Officers arrested Samuel Roastingstick of Box Elder, 48, on a criminal trespass to property charge after a First Street West business caller reported Friday at 5:17 p.m. a drunk man just sitting in the casino.
Officers investigated a conditions violations Friday at 6:29 p.m. at the Havre Police Department.
Officers arrested George Hofer of Geraldine, 57, on charges of driving under the influence, driving without insurance third or more offense, failure to give notice of accident, careless driving, expired registration, failure to remain at an accident and violations of conditions release after a caller near First Avenue and Third Street reported Friday at 6:34 p.m. that he was rear-ended.
Officers investigated a report of a motor vehicle crash made at 6:58 p.m. Friday on Third Avenue and First Street.
Officers investigated after a Third Avenue business caller reported Friday at 8:18 p.m. that drug paraphernalia had been found.
Officers investigated after a 12th Street West caller reported Saturday at 7:15 a.m. that a hit-and-run crash had happened the night before.
Officers investigated after a Second Street West caller reported Saturday at 5:27 p.m. that someone had hit and run his pickup.
Officers arrested Joseph Raymond Moore of Federal Way, Washington, 25, on four Justice or city court warrants and charges of possession of dangerous drugs and possession of drug paraphernalia after a First Street West business caller reported Saturday at 8:31 p.m. that a man wanted a room for a voucher.
Officers arrested one person and issued a summons to another during a motor vehicle stop Sunday at 2:28 a.m. on 10th Avenue. Jordan Cole Hofland of Havre, 22, was arrested on DUI and operating a vehicle without registration charges, and a 17-year-old was issued a summons on a juvenile curfew violations.
Officers investigated after a Washington Avenue caller reported Sunday at 2:08 p.m. that her husband shoved her and her daughter.
Officers investigated a reported noninjury motor vehicle crash after a U.S. Highway 2 East caller made a report Sunday at 2:39 p.m.
Officers assisted a citizen after a Third Street caller notified police Sunday at 7:13 p.m. that he had questions about his brother.
Officers investigated after a Wilson Avenue caller reported a disturbance Sunday at 8:57 p.m.
Officers arrested Adelle Delaine Koop of Havre, 34, on a state District Court warrant and a violations of conditions release charge today at 12:12 a.m. near First Street.
Officers issued five summonses on minor in possessions and possession of dangerous drugs charges after a First Street business caller reported today at 1:29 a.m. that there was underage drinking going on.
Hill County Sheriffs Office
Deputies investigated today at 12:27 a.m. a drug offense at the Hill County Detention Center.
Havre Fire Department
Emergency medical crews responded to one call Friday and one Saturday.
Fire crews responded to a call Friday at 5:19 p.m. at the 800 Block of Fourth Street where someone had burned food. There was no property damage and no one was hurt. The alarm was reset and no further action was necessary.
Havre Animal Shelter
This morning the shelter held four medium-hair cats, three whose sex is listed as unknown, one female; one female and two male short-hair cats; one female long-hair cat, and one female calico cat.
The shelter this morning held a 1-year-6-month-old female Australian shepherd, a 9-month-old male Australian shepherd, a 1-year-old male Labrador retriever-pug mixed-breed, a male 11-month-old German shepherd, a 7-month-old pit bull-hound mix and and two male mixed breed dogs, one 2 years, the other 9-month-old, and a 6-year-old, female Labrador retreiver..
Ha midaguyabi (Hello my relatives)
We are writing this letter to inform the people and communities that the Tribal Government Class at Hays-Lodge Pole High School feels there should be a name change for the Fort Belknap Reservation. We did research on the name Fort Belknap and came up with these documented facts:
Fort Belknap was established on the south side of the Milk River in 1869, one mile southwest from the present town site Chinook. The Fort was named for William W. Belknap, who was secretary of war at the time, under President Grant. The Fort was a sub-station combined with a trading post, and it became the Government Agency for the Gros Ventre and Assiniboine Indians living in the area. (Creating a Better Understanding, pg. 3)
As the preponderance of testimony and evidence came to show, Belknap had apparently profited from a scheme to sell the Indian post trader ship at Fort Sill, Indian Territory, to a New York business man. The deal had been struck indirectly in 1870 by Carita Belknap, Belknaps second wife, who cautioned Marsh to negotiate through her and to avoid direct discussions of trader ship with Belknap. Marsh paid $20,000 over 5 years, directed to Belknap who signed receipts for the money. (Biographical Dictionary of Iowa.com)
His tenure as President Grants Secretary of War was controversial, with Belknap accused of indirectly selling weapons to France. (Dbpedia.com)
A congressional investigation in 1876 revealed that Belknap had received kickbacks in return for a lucrative contract. (Dbpedia.com)
Impeached February 1876 for criminally disregarding his duty as Secretary of War and basely prostituting his high office to his lust for private again (United States Senate.gov)
We want to change the name Fort Belknap Indian Reservation to Aaniiihnin/Nakoda Nation (Gros-Ventre/Assiniboine). Aaniiih is the modern-day version (which got cut short for Aaniiihnin) of Gros-Ventre meaning Waterfall People or Upright People, Nakoda meaning The People. We are not the first people who wanted this name change. There was a group before us in the 1970s. Unfortunately, they were not successful.
When people enter our reservation we want to be known as strong Aaniiihnin and Nakoda people, not people named after a government official who did not benefit us at all. We want a good change for our people and for future generations to come!
Pinamaya (Thank you),
The Hays-Lodge Pole High School Tribal Government Class
When I say multinational, its important to acknowledge that this is not limited to your ASX top 100. A multinational could be a local digital marketing agency of 50 employees that also employs people overseas to do programming. Granted, these businesses have some complexity differences, but as more and more Australian businesses look overseas to new markets or for operational efficiencies, the notion of what is defined as multinational continues to expand.
Compliance and complexity
Payroll challenges for MNCs are many and diverse. Hovering near the top of the list are the organisational metrics of compliance (are we meeting/failing a statutory requirement at country level?) and risk (including, among others, the likelihood of failing to meet a statutory requirement at country level). These are followed in quick succession by the operational metrics of payroll accuracy and timeliness of delivery.
Now, multiply these challenges by n, being the total number of countries in which your employees are operating. This leads to: n x (compliance + risk + accuracy + timeliness) = bh where bh = big headache.
Clunky, but you get my drift. Multicountry payroll is an ever-shifting landscape through which MNCs must navigate. But its a tightrope with no safety net. Every payday you have thousands of internal auditors (also called employees) running a ruler over your calculations and they had better be correct.
Adding to this burden is the complexity of internal payroll business processes, usually stemming from a companys history of expansion by acquisition. The reasons for M&A activity are many and varied, but non-core processes like payroll are not immediately, and sometimes never, replaced or streamlined as part of such activity. On average, MNCs have a total of 30 payroll systems in place (ADP Research Institute, 2015). It seems that if it aint broke, dont fix it at least not in the short term.
a legitimate business interest capable of supporting a non-compete restraint
the restrained business activity
the geographical area; and
the duration of time.
Legitimate business interest
As a matter of law, post-employment restraints are void for reasons of public policy and not enforceable. A restraint will only be enforced by a court where it goes no further than reasonably necessary to protect a legitimate business interest, such as:
the protection of business connections; and
the protection of confidential information.
Restrained activities
A restraint that seeks to prevent an employee for working for any business in the same industry (regardless of the role they will be performing in the new company) would likely be too broad as it could prevent the employee from working in another area of a business where the client contacts or confidential information is irrelevant (for example, if they moved from an operational role in one company, to an HR role in another company).
As a general rule, restrained activities need to relate to the information or relationships being protected and should not go so far as to prohibit the employee from engaging in unrelated employment. For example, in Sportsbet v Carpanini [2014] VSC 166, the Victorian Supreme Court considered whether a mid-level Customer Services Manager should be restrained from working in any capacity anywhere in Australia for any competitor for a period of six months. The Court found the restraint void and unenforceable due to the unreasonable breadth of the words "in any capacity".
Henderson Oil Co. gives schools $500 grants
Henderson Oil Co. awarded a total of $7,500 in ExxonMobil Educational Alliance grants to 15 Henderson County public schools on Jan. 29, giving elementary, middle and high school principals extra funds for necessary materials and programming.
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Receiving each were Atkinson Elementary, Bruce Drysdale Elementary, Clear Creek Elementary, Dana Elementary, Edneyville Elementary, Glenn C. Marlow Elementary, Mills River Elementary, Upward Elementary, Flat Rock Middle, Hendersonville Middle, Rugby Middle, East Henderson High, Hendersonville High, North Henderson High and West Henderson High.
Bruce Drysdale Elementary, Dana Elementary, Mills River Elementary and Upward Elementary intend to spend their funds on Google Chromebooks for the classroom. At Rugby Middle, the grant will supplement Project Lead the Way robotics programs and help fund the N.C. Science Olympiad registration and travel costs; West Henderson High also plans to use the funds for the N.C. Science Olympiad. Atkinson Elementary will use the funds to support its participation in the Muddy Sneakers outdoor science program.
East Henderson High, Hendersonville High, Glenn C. Marlow Elementary and Hendersonville Middle will use the grant to pay for science and STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) resources and clubs, while the funds will support the UpStart Coding Club at North Henderson High and help pay for software for at-risk students at Flat Rock Middle. Clear Creek Elementary will use the funds to purchase supplies for its annual family engagement Science Night, and Edneyville Elementary plans to use the grant to help fund the schools robotics team.
ExxonMobil Educational Alliance grants are awarded on a first-come, first-served basis. This year 4,400 grants totaling $2.2 million were awarded to schools across the country. Henderson Oil Company Vice President Barry Edwards said the 4,400 grants were spoken for only 90 minutes after the application window opened. That shows the impact of this program, he said.
Henderson Oil Company was awarded 30 of these $500 grants for a total of $15,000. Since 2000, Henderson Oil Company and ExxonMobil have provided $218,750 in education grants to North Carolina, South Carolina and east Tennessee. Of that number, $118,250 has been awarded to schools in Henderson County.
Five-hundred dollars is a small chunk at a time, but I hope it makes an impact for our students, said Henderson Oil President Bill McKibbin.
Every little bit helps, said schools Superintendent Bo Caldwell. Im proud to be part of a community that pulls together.
Photo: Front row, from left, Atkinson Elementary Principal Mark Page, Dana Elementary Principal Kim Morgan, Henderson Oil Co. Administrative Assistant Connie Cunningham, North Henderson High Principal John Shepard, Flat Rock Middle Principal Melanie Adams, Upward Elementary Principal Jason Joyce, Mills River Elementary Principal Chad Auten; middle row, West Henderson High Principal Shannon Auten, Clear Creek Elementary Counselor Mich Rhodes, Henderson Oil Co. Maintenance Assistant Cole McKibbin, Bruce Drysdale Elementary Principal BJ Laughter, East Henderson High Principal Carl Taylor; back row, Rugby Middle Principal Scott Moore, Henderson Oil Co. President Bill McKibbin, Glenn C. Marlow Elementary Principal John Hart, Henderson Oil Co. Vice President and Controller Paul Jordan, HCPS Superintendent Bo Caldwell, Henderson Oil Co. Vice President Barry Edwards, Hendersonville High Principal Bobby Wilkins and Hendersonville Middle Principal Luke Manuel
Black Widow Catherine Nevin opened up about the cancer that killed her life in a soul-baring letter - but there was no admission of guilt over her husband's murder.
The letter was sent to Tiglin rehabilitation chairman Aubrey McCarthy, with specific instructions that it should be shared, according to Nevin, in the hope that it might help others going through the same ordeal.
The document had been typed, as Nevin was too weak to use a pen towards the end of her life, and was dated December 12, 2016.
She told how she fell ill on September 20, 2016, in the Dochas Centre, where she was imprisoned. She was diagnosed with a brain tumour and given treatment including radiotherapy and chemotherapy.
"It brings home to me what the really important things in life are," Nevin wrote.
"For example, because of the medication I'm on, I've gone from a size 12 to a size 20.
"But it doesn't matter to me any more - I just wear bigger and looser clothes.
"I've lost much of my lovely hair (though not my eyelashes or eyebrows) - again I can cope with that. What matters is that the awful tumour I have is being treated."
Nevin said she had complete confidence in the medical professionals who were looking after her and in their teams.
"However, it is not enough to rely on the experts, even though this is very important. You have to do the work yourself as well," she wrote.
"This applies to life as a patient, as is the case with me at present, but also to life in general. Life is a challenge, I am meeting it. I feel that I am worth fighting for, and I am fighting. For me the tumour is just an- other blip that has to be dealt with.
"We have to remember that in reality, money and position and power doesn't count."
She said she had a grade four inoperable tumour.
"The outlook for me is not good, but I will embrace the challenge," she wrote.
In the document, Nevin asked reflective questions and contemplated her life: "What did I do with my life? I had a good time - enjoyed myself, had a bit of craic, did my work, looked after my family, but did I help others?
"Was I judgemental - especially in relation to poor people, marginalised people, prisoners?
"Did I reflect on the reasons people go to prison or did I presume I was better than people who go to prison? Did I ever look up at the sky and appreciate the sunshine or was I too preoccupied with other things?
"Did I ever really appreciate the beautiful morning mist or was it always too easy to turn over and sleep some more?"
"Remember life can take away only our liberty. It cannot take away our freedom."
Nevin was serving a life sentence for organising the murder of her husband, Tom, at their Co Wicklow pub. Mr Nevin was shot dead in Jack White's Inn, near Brittas Bay, Co Wicklow, in 1996. In 2000, his widow was convicted on three charges of soliciting others to murder him, following one of the most high-profile trials in the history of the State.
Prior to her death last Monday, Nevin had been on temporary release from the Dochas Centre women's prison since last August.
The 67-year-old was granted full-time compassionate leave due to her requirement for end-of-life care that could not be provided in prison. She was cremated in a small private ceremony in West Dublin last Friday. However, she protested her innocence until her death and never revealed the identity of the hitman she hired.
A woman caught stealing groceries was struggling financially at the time due to her husband's heroin addiction.
Kathleen Joyce (27) was often the "victim of his wrath" and was stealing to help him, a court heard.
Her husband was now serving a prison sentence, her lawyer said, and Joyce claimed she would not take him back unless he was clean of drugs.
Judge Anne Watkin ordered a probation report and adjourned sentencing to a date in April.
The defendant, of St Donagh's Road, Donaghmede, admitted before Dun Laoghaire District Court to stealing groc- eries worth 40 from Tesco in Blackrock on September 16, 2016.
The court heard the defendant had 47 previous convictions, including 14 for theft-related offences.
Dysfunctional
Defence solicitor Kim Moloney said Joyce was married with three young children.
She said her client's marriage was dysfunctional and her husband had a heroin problem.
He was now serving a prison sentence, and was not due for release until April 2020.
Ms Moloney said Joyce had never taken drugs and had no drink or drug problems.
She said she was often the victim of "her husband's wrath" and she was stealing to help him feed his habit.
The court heard Joyce served a sentence in Dochas last year and this had been a "sharp shock" to her.
Ms Moloney also said Joyce would only take her husband back if he was completely free of drugs.
Ordering a probation report, Judge Watkin said she was satisfied the couple had been "living a criminal lifestyle" together.
Gardai have extended their search for the sex offender suspected of murdering Limerick woman Rosie Hanrahan (78) to eight European countries.
Interpol is helping detectives trace the east European, who fled the city soon after the pensioner's death on December 15.
Gardai believe Mrs Hanrahan, who had been tied up and strangled, was killed during a bungled burglary.
The suspected killer left Ireland by ferry and arrived in France on December 17 or 18, when he promptly went into hiding.
Belgium, France, Germany, Italy and the Netherlands are among the countries gardai are focusing on.
It is believed the suspect is using a false identity in some of Europe's major cities and receiving support from friends, family and fellow criminals.
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He is understood to have strong connections to Albania, Hungary and Romania.
It was initially thought he would avoid these countries, given that he is well-known there.
However, local police are now checking all areas where he has lived and where he has associates.
Forensic evidence has linked the man to Mrs Hanrahan's ransacked cottage in Thomondgate.
Revulsion
Several thousand hours of CCTV security camera footage has also been studied and nearly 2,000 people have been interviewed.
In a unique development, members of Limerick's criminal underworld have helped gardai with their enquiries, such is the revulsion at the murder of the frail pensioner, whose body was found by relatives.
Gardai want to obtain a DNA sample from the suspected killer which will be checked against forensic samples obtained from Mrs Hanrahan's home.
The suspect is not on the system because he has never been convicted of a major crime in Ireland. He is considered violent and dangerous by police forces in eastern Europe.
It is understood Mrs Hanrahan had a large sum of cash in the house to tide her over the Christmas period. She had hidden the money, believed to be a four-figure sum, in her kitchen.
It is suspected she may have been under surveillance or the burglar somehow obtained information that she had money in the house.
Stalked
CCTV footage indicates that Mrs Hanrahan may have been stalked and followed to her home.
Gardai are also considering the theory that the killer may have targeted her handbag for cash and credit cards.
Limerick Mayor Sean Lynch, a former garda, said he remains convinced the killer will be apprehended.
"With DNA profiling, there's no way out for these people - they will eventually be caught," he said.
Gardai responded to the accidents over the weekend
Two people died and six people were injured in separate accidents over the weekend, one of which involved a car ploughing through a bridge and toppling on to the main Dublin-Cork railway line.
A 48-year-old Laois woman died in an accident late on Friday night at Ballickmoyler outside Portlaoise.
The latest two fatalities bring to 22 the number of people who have died on Irish roads this year - a slight decline on the 24 who died on Irish roads to February 23/25 last year.
Gardai, Cork County Council officials and Irish Rail engineers responded to an accident outside Buttevant in north Cork early on Saturday morning which resulted in a vehicle toppling on to Ireland's busiest rail line.
Collided
The accident happened at Grange West, outside Buttevant, shortly before 2am on Saturday.
A vehicle with six occupants collided with the stone parapet wall of a bridge and a number of telegraph poles around 3km from the village.
The car then left the roadway and plunged down on to the railway line below.
The driver of the vehicle suffered multiple injuries and was taken to Cork University Hospital in a serious condition.
Five other occupants were treated for multiple but non-life-threatening injuries. Three ambulances attended the scene.
The roadway was closed to allow for an examination by garda accident scene investigators.
Irish Rail officials also inspected the tracks involved for any indication of damage following the incident.
Locals said that it was a miracle no one was killed.
They warned that the accident could have had horrific consequences if it had occurred during periods when trains were passing on the line.
Hospital
Meanwhile, an elderly man died in a two-vehicle collision in Waterford. The accident happened at Ballyhest Cross outside Rathgormack at 10am on Saturday.
A van being driven by the elderly man was in collision with an SUV driving in the opposite direction.
The van driver was rushed to Waterford University Hospital (WUH) with multiple injuries but was pronounced dead shortly after admission.
He is from the local area but will not be named until all relatives are informed of the tragedy.
Two people travelling in the SUV were also taken to WUH for treatment but their injuries are not believed to be life threatening.
A group of current and former Utah Valley University students are trying to map just how complex the issue is of solving Utahs winter inversion.
We found some pretty cool gaps in the solutions landscape, said Nick Varney, a member of the team.
The group is fully mapping the issue, which includes talking to stakeholders invested in the problem and finding out what barriers there are to improving Utah Countys air quality.
We want to provide a map so legislators and nonprofits can benefit from and look at issue and understand the issue better so they can come up with better solutions, said Pierre Chesnais, a member of the team.
The team worked extensively with Luke Peterson, the director of UVUs Office of New Urban Mechanics, which works as a civic innovation think tank that tests different policies to make recommendations to legislatures.
The government is not really allowed to take risks and fail all that often, so government officials are very, very careful with how they use their tax dollars, said Aubrey Hanks, a member of the team.
The students found barriers to improving air quality loads of them. One main barrier is a lack of communication between different groups like politicians, advocacy groups and citizens. Different groups are using different data, and some data isnt even available.
What we find as were mapping the system is one of the major gaps is a lot of the information is proprietary so they arent willing to share it even though air is a public good and it affects everybody, Hanks said.
She said legislation is created without a way to check if its being effective, and politicians are wary of touching issues that have to deal with air quality because of connections to climate change.
Another barrier the team found is that people arent willing to make changes in their own lives.
A lot of people arent willing to make significant behavior changes for air quality alone, Varney said.
Their research has already been noted. The team won the mapping portion of UVUs Innovation Awards in December, which asked students to map the problem of poor air quality and to come up with solutions. Another winning team pitched the idea of using solar updraft towers to clean the air.
The five-person, mapping-the-system team will compete in the global Map the System competition at Oxford in the summer. If they place in the top three teams, the UVU team will receive a cash award and go on to present their research at another conference.
Their findings are also planned to be published.
The team found the biggest contributor to air quality is individual behavior, and while thats difficult to change on a statewide level, theyve already seen their research change their own behaviors.
Hanks has stopped idling her car when she picks her children up from school and makes sure the lights are off when she leaves a room.
Other team members have made adjustments as well.
I find myself walking and taking public transportation, said Greg Hoch, a member of the team. It doesnt make sense for me to be the one person taking my car somewhere when I can walk there or take a bus.
The team also includes Jake Davis. They are also being mentored by Kevin Castle, a visiting professor at UVUs business school.
The earth in 2018 is as hot as it has ever been, but the most concerning statistic is how fast it got this way, and what it means for us today.
Beginning in the late 1800s, the mass burning of fossil fuels by humans has pumped millions of pounds of carbon dioxide into our atmosphere with a coincident rise in average global temperatures of 2 degrees C. Experts with NASAs Study of Global Climate Change say the earth shows no signs of cooling down any time soon.
With such overwhelming evidence for climate change, why dont we see a stronger local response in Utah, with windmills on our hilltops, solar panels on our houses and electric cars on our streets?
Unfortunately, the answer is simple. Most Utahns fail to recognize that the heating of the earth and its causes are having a local impact in Utah.
Global climate change is viewed largely as an environmental problem. But most people fail to see that global climate change raises serious economic and health problems, especially for the citizens of Utah.
Utah receives an average $1.43 billion annually in revenue for its ski resorts alone. This industry, of course, relies on snow, and although our resorts have good snow years and bad snow years, recent trends suggest an overall decline in annual snowpack. In fact, current snowpack levels are the lowest theyve been in 30 years.
And when the snow goes so does the money.
I am an avid Utah snowboarder who chose not to buy a local season pass this year. Why? In the words of my snowboarding friend, You cant snowboard on rain. There is no point in paying to tear up my board on a hill were theres more bushes than snow. He, and many like him are going elsewhere to chase powder. Having great snow here in Utah contributes significantly to our local economy, and not just in the ski industry.
Thousands of Utah jobs are connected to snow from snow removal and road maintenance to jobs that rely on the water that winter snow provides.
Losing our snow would clearly be harmful to Utahs economy. The causes of global climate change also have local health consequences for Utahns.
I was raised in the foothills at the south end of Utah County. From the elevation of my home, I could see the entire Utah Valley. Yet on many winter days, a gray cloud filled the valley, the result of pollution trapped by temperature inversions. Upon my move to the Brigham Young University campus in Provo, I learned what it meant to taste the air. Poor air quality can lead to a variety of health problems, especially for children.
According to Robert Paine M.D., chief of The University of Utah Health Care Division of Pulmonary Medicine, for every 10 micrograms of pollution per cubic centimeter, the risk of a heart attack increases 4 percent. With Utah currently sitting 20 micrograms over the average, the cost of polluting is clear.
These numbers also worsen with the elderly and children. Kids who breathe polluted air are more susceptible to a variety of health conditions, ranging from asthma to heart disease. In fact, as these people are exposed to this pollution in their youth, they run a higher risk of developing serious health conditions as adults. Hence, promoting activities that reduce climate change carpooling, going solar, burning less coal will have the allied benefits of making us healthier. For this reason alone, we should be concerned about climate change.
Finally, Utah is known the world over for beautiful, breathtaking natural wonders. Our five national parks, several national monuments and variety of state parks and national forests are all hallmarks of our great state. People come from across the nation and world to visit Utah and be immersed in the beauty of these natural places. According to a study on the environmental effects of climate change published in the journal PLOS ONE, rising temperatures are leading to changes in rainfall patterns and snowpack in the US National Parks, which is having direct negative effects on the native plants and animals that live there.
Hence, even our national parks are at risk due to climate change. Clearly, climate change is a hot-button political issue. Several steps are being taken on both the international and national stage to mitigate climate change. But there is much more that Utahns can do to address this issue.
Our collective well-being is at stake.
Catalytic converter thefts hit low-income car owners the hardest
Utah lawmakers are considering a crackdown on catalytic converter theft, in which criminals saw the emission control devices from cars and sell the precious metals found inside to a booming worldwide black market. Rep. Ryan Wilcox, a Republican who represents House District 7, covering North Ogden, Pleasant View and part of Ogden, is sponsoring a bill to create a statewide database of catalytic converter sales. "We want to force the (illegal) sales out of the legitimate areas, to lock down the legitimate ways to dispose of them," Wilcox said. The usual proper channel is through metal ...
Fall is on the way, but don't unpack the sweaters just yet
Had Punjab National Bank (PNB) not been owned by the government , by now there could have been long queues at the banks branches and ATMs for withdrawal of money a run on the bank. This will never happen for a PSU bank as its majority owner, the government, will not allow it to fail.
The depositors money is safe in all public sector banks. Or, for that matter, all commercial banks in India. But the Rs 11,300 crore letter of undertaking (LoU) fraud at PNB has exposed the soft underbelly of PSU banks. They have around 70% share of banking assets and a much higher, 90% share of bad loans or non-performing assets (NPAs). Banks do not earn any interest on NPAs and, on top of that, they need to set aside money or provide for them. No wonder then that only five of 21 PSU banks have reported profits in the December quarter; their collective loss is Rs 18,097 crore in that period.
Data available with Indias largest credit bureau also shows that the share of PSU banks in cases related to wilful defaults is also far higher than private banks around Rs 93,500 crore of Rs 1.12 trillion in September 2017. Wilful defaulters are those who have money but do not pay up. When it comes to fraud, again these banks are softer targets. A recent Reuters study says Indian state-owned banks have reported 8,670 cases totaling Rs 61,260 crore over the last five financial years up to March 31, 2017. This amount will rise further in the current financial year with more frauds coming to light.
If you ask a public sector banker this question, he will narrate, with a tinge of pride, many stories extolling the stellar role this set of banks has played for nation-building. You may even be confronted with many counter questions: Who gives money to the farmers? Who keeps tiny deposits? Have the private banks gone beyond the city limits? All these come with an underpinning of romance and nostalgia.
The edifice of the PSU banks is crumbling. There are many reasons behind this. They have neither market discipline nor regulatory discipline. The market cannot punish them for non-performance. Even if no one wants to touch their shares with a barge pole, the government always steps in to infuse capital to keep them afloat. In the past 31 years, between 1985-86 and 2016-17, the government had infused some Rs 1.5 trillion in this set of banks. On top of that, it has committed to infuse Rs 2.11 trillion into them in phases; out of this Rs 88,000 crore has already flowed in. When it comes to regulation, its not ownership neutral. This means RBI cannot treat these banks the same way it does private banks.
The biggest issue that has been plaguing the industry is the lack of accountability. The boards of such banks are often full of rent-seekers. Far from guiding an organisation with vision and mission, the directors of course, not all of them broker loan deals which often go sour. Even though these bank are listed, the norms which stipulate that at least one-third of the directors must be independent are not applicable to them. To make matters worse, the CEO and MD have a much shorter tenure compared with those in a private bank.
Frequent government interventions in various forms ranging from being forced to support the infrastructure sector by giving big-ticket loans, to making the financial inclusion project a success, and even picking up a broom and cleaning up neighbourhoods where bank branches are located as part of the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan make matters worse. At the senior level, they also do not get market-related salaries.
Periodically, we discuss privatisation, mergers and consolidation of PSU banks but the status quo prevails. Privatisation is a politically sensitive issue while making mergers meaningful is a tough task. At the moment, 11 out of 21 PSU banks are under the so-called prompt corrective action or PCA framework of the RBI which restricts their activities. Even after a fresh capital infusion, they will probably not be encouraged to grow. This is a new paradigm in Indian banking industry. Some of the PSU banks are becoming irrelevant. At the same time, new entities are encouraged to enter the fray. They are in different shapes and sizes universal banks, small finance banks, payments banks. Unless we design a radically new governance structure for these banks, they will continue to cede market share to private banks and non-banking finance companies.
This is the first in a series of articles in HT in light of the recent controversies related to PSUs.
tamal.b@livemint.com
Among the celebrities who got to meet the Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau during his week-long visit to India that ended on February 24, actor Dia Mirza got luckier. The UN Environment Goodwill Ambassador for India, Dia co-hosted a session for Trudeau at the 8th Young Change Makers Conclave in the Capital on Saturday, and interacted with him on issues such as sustainable development, climate change, and gender equality.
Excited to have met the Canadian PM, Dia admits that she had long admired him. It was a wonderful moment to be introduced to him but what made it even more remarkable as an experience was the fact that I got to engage with him and discover his insights on varied issues. Amidst 5,000 young change makers at the event, I was very pleased to meet him, says Dia, right after her session.
Enamoured by his beliefs and ideologies, Dia says she did express what she felt, to Trudeau as well. In fact, while he was delivering his speech on stage, I was talking to his wife (Sophie) backstage and told her that one of the most remarkable qualities I find in Trudeau is the manner in which he reflects empathy. And I repeated that on stage when I met him. I told him that the world and politics need empathy, recalls the actor.
Just like all others who were touched by Trudeaus friendly persona and conduct, Dia also felt the same. He was so grounded, simple, an earnest and honest person. He has a very real disposition about him and comes across as a very transparent human being, she adds.
While there were several reports suggesting that unlike other world leaders, Trudeau didnt get a warm welcome on his arrival in India, Dia says, I dont know whats being written in the media, but I do know that a 5,000 strong young audience [at the conclave] gave him possibly one of the warmest welcomes any leader could ask for. I do hope that he carries back with him fond memories of being in India and having interacted with all of us.
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Sridevis untimely death has shocked her fans in the country. Bollywoods first female superstar, Sridevi, died in a Dubai hotel on February 24. Reports suggest that she died from accidental drowning in the bathtub of her hotel room on Saturday night.
While the Indian film fraternity has been mourning the loss of their favourite actor, her death has also left international celebrities in shock. Internationally-acclaimed British supermodel and actor Naomi Campbell took to social media to mourn Sridevis death. Paying her tribute to the Indian actor, the supermodel shared two stories on her Instagram account, each of which feature pictures of the last actor with the message RIP @sridevi.kapoor and prayer and crying face emojis.
Indian-origin American author-television host, Padma Lakshmi, also shared a picture of Sridevi from one of her films and wrote, RIP.
Several Pakistani actors including Raees star Mahira Khan, Ali Zafar, Rahat Fateh Ali Khan and Humaima Malick also expressed grief over Sridevis passing.
Great artists.. we cry for them without ever really knowing them, we mourn them because they helped us know ourselves.. pic.twitter.com/9dwnDC8qjb Mahira Khan (@TheMahiraKhan) February 25, 2018
Actor Adnan Siddiqui, who played Sridevis husband in her last release Mom (2017), called Sridevi a lady with not just extreme talent, but also a beautiful soul.
Rest in peace #Sridevi ji. You have left us with great memories of joy and tears. Ali Zafar (@AliZafarsays) February 25, 2018
My condolences to @BoneyKapoor Ji and the Kapoor family. Deeply saddened to loose an icon like #Sridevi Ji. Rahat Fateh Ali Khan (@RFAKWorld) February 24, 2018
Actor Humaima Malick, who made her Bollywood debut with Raja Natwarlal (2014), called Sridevi an inspiration.
It took me few hours to believe this news and still couldnt write anything #RIPSridevi Who has always been an inspiration.. you will be missed an era of film industry died along with you HUMAIMA MALICK (@HumaimaMalick) February 25, 2018
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Veteran actor Sridevi, 54, breathed her last on February 24 in Dubai, and ever since the news broke, condolence messages and tributes have been pouring in from her fans and friends in the film industry.
Looking at her career spanning four decades, it was not just Bollywood or the fans of the Indian film industry, who were bowled over by the artist that Sridevi was. In Hollywood as well, people marvelled at her brilliance, and Orlando Bloom was surprised [with a look which said he was surprised beyond his wildest dreams] when he was told that Sridevi has done over 300 films.
This was in December 2015, when Bloom, along with Indian producer Sheetal Talwar, had visited India to promote tourism in Uttar Pradesh and he met Sridevi at politician Amar Singhs residence during a private dinner party hosted by him.
The small get together of celebrities included producer Boney Kapoor and his wife, actor Sridevi among others. Have you really done 300 films ? How have you managed to do that, was Orlando Blooms way of saying hello to Sridevi when he was introduced to her by Amar Singh. A humble Sridevi merely smiled and nodded, confirming the number.
How much time did you take to make each film? Bloom asked her with an almost childlike curiosity on his face. Sridevi smiled and replied, It depends from film to film. At the time of the conversation between the two, Orlando Bloom had done 28 films.
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Bollywoods first female superstar, Sridevi, died in a Dubai hotel on February 24. Reports say that it was a case of accidental drowning.
Sridevi was in Dubai for her nephew Mohit Marwahs wedding. She was joined by her younger daughter Khushi and Boney. Her husband flew back to India after the wedding on Wednesday and came back on Saturday to surprise his wife at the Emirates Towers Hotel, where she was staying. According to a report in The Times of India, the two chatted for 15 minutes before she went into the bathroom. Boney knocked on the door after 15 minutes but broke it down upon not getting a response.
Boney found Sridevi lying unconscious in the bathtub. He called a friend for help and reported the death to the police at 9pm. The report also said that while several media outlets are reporting cardiac arrest as the cause of her death, there has been no confirmation yet. However, Sanjay Kapoor, Sridevis actor brother-in-law, told Dubais Khaleej Times, We are completely shocked. She had no history of a heart attack.
An autopsy was conducted on late Sunday night and a chartered flight has flown to Dubai to bring her body back to India. Once back, her funeral will be held at Mumbais Pawan Hans in Juhu, Ville Parle.
Here are the LIVE updates:
9:12pm: Now, with delay in the embalming process of the body of late actor Sridevi, the return of her mortal remains is also delayed by a day. The Indian embassy is working closely with the local authorities here to expedite the return of the actors body.
9:00pm: As per Dubai-based news organisation Khaleej Times, late Sridevis body will not be embalmed today. The process of embalming is likely to take place by noon on Tuesday.
8:38pm: Actor Kamal Haasan, whose pairing with Sridevi, gave several hits in Tamil film industry, reached Anil Kapoors house. The Dubai police informed the Indian Embassy that another clearance was awaited before it could release the body of the actor. Indian envoy to the UAE, Navdeep Suri told PTI that they have been told that the Dubai police can release it only after receiving another clearance. Suri did not say what type of clearance was required. It is their internal process. We do not know.
8:12pm: Bollywood actors Deepika Padukone and Ranveer Singh reached Anil Kapoors residence in Mumbai to pay their respect to late Sridevi. The mortal remans of Sridevi are yet to be brought back to India.
Actors Deepika Padukone and Ranveer Singh arrive at Anil Kapoor's residence in Mumbai. #Sridevi pic.twitter.com/GTlTSXJQqv ANI (@ANI) February 26, 2018
8:04pm: Actor Shakti Kapoor, who has worked with late actor Sridevi in many films, said, The saddest part was that she couldnt see her daughter (Jhanvi)s debut film. My heart goes to entire family. I dont have much info about news of her drowning. I heard she fell into bathtub following a cardiac arrest. I am very sad.
The saddest part was that she couldn't see her daughter (Jhanvi)'s debut film. My heart goes to entire family. I don't have much info about news of her drowning. I heard she fell into bathtub following a cardiac arrest. I am very sad: Shakti Kapoor #Sridevi pic.twitter.com/zxWKEJo2tN ANI (@ANI) February 26, 2018
7:42pm: Fashion designer Manish Malhotra, who worked closely with Sridevi on many projects, remembered the actor when he visited Anil Kapoors residence earlier in the day. Sridevi and I first met in 1990 when she was already a superstar and I was beginning my career. Working with an icon I always called Maam was a turning point in my career, as it was the beginning of many associations and a longstanding friendship beyond work, Manish said in a statement.
7:29pm: Its still uncertain when Sridevis mortal remains will be brought back to India. Earlier in the day, celebs like Venkatesh Daggubati, Tabu and Rekha visited Boney Kapoors brother Anil Kapoors house to console the grieving family.
Photo: IANS
6:47pm: ANI has quoted a source saying that there is a delay likely to happen in the return of mortal remains of Sridevi. Dubai police which earlier gave clearance now awaits clearance from prosecution magistrate .Police reportedly informed Indian authorities the body can only be handed over after nod from prosecution magistrate.
Further delay in return of mortal remains of #Sridevi expected,Dubai police which earlier gave clearance now awaits clearance from Prosecution magistrate .Police reportedly informed Indian authorities the body can only be handed over after nod from prosecution magistrate: Sources ANI (@ANI) February 26, 2018
Our embassy and consulate are working closely with local authorities to expedite the return of mortal remains of #Sridevi and also keeping Kapoor family apprised, it is our endeavor to send mortal remains at earliest: Indian Envoy to UAE Navdeep Suri to ANI (file pic) pic.twitter.com/kdHImTc04c ANI (@ANI) February 26, 2018
6:27pm: Khaleej Times reports that Sridevis family is awaiting the release of the actors body from the public prosecutors office. However, authorities say that chances seem thin that it will be done today, said the report.
6:12pm: Throughout the day, Bollywood celebrities visited the house of Boney Kaporo and his brother Anil Kapoors house. Filmmaker Karan Johar, actor Ameesha Patel and designer Maneesh Malhotra were among those who visited the grieving family.
Photo: IANS
5:58pm: As per reports, Sridevis body will be flown back to India by midnight after completing the necessary procedure in Dubai. It will be kept for public drashan till 11am tomorrow at the recreational club near Boney Kapoors Versova house. After that, it will be taken to Pawan Hans Crematorium.
5:20pm: In tweets, Dubai Media Office has confirmed that Sridevis death occurred due to drowning in her hotel apartments bathtub following loss of consciousness. Dubai Police transferred the case to Dubai Public Prosecution, which will carry out regular legal procedures followed in such cases. A chief prosecutor told Gulf News, In such accidental death incidents, the results of the post-mortem and forensic examination reports are referred to the Public Prosecution as part of ordinary law enforcement procedures. The papers are revised by the prosecutors of the jurisdiction where the incident happened. An official order to hand over the body of the deceased to the family or relatives is issued shortly after that.
Following the completion of post-mortem analysis, @DubaiPoliceHQ today stated that the death of Indian actress Sridevi occurred due to drowning in her hotel apartments bathtub following loss of consciousness. Dubai Media Office (@DXBMediaOffice) February 26, 2018
Dubai Police has transferred the case to Dubai Public Prosecution, which will carry out regular legal procedures followed in such cases. Dubai Media Office (@DXBMediaOffice) February 26, 2018
5.05pm: Khaleej Times reports Sridevi did not suffer a cardiac arrest. The publication said that accidental drowning was the probable cause of the actors death. Gulf News reports that her body has been taken for embalming. Sridevis body will be flown to India after that.
4.25pm: Forensic reports reveal Sridevi died due to accidental drowning, as per a report in Gulf News.It was earlier reported that husband Boney Kapoor had found her dead in a bathtub in their hotel room in Dubai. An India Today report says traces of alcohol were also found in the body.
4.10pm: Boney Kapoors daughter Anshula spotted leaving Anil Kapoors residence.
Boney Kapoors daughter Anshula at Anil Kapoors residence. (HT Photo)
3.45pm: Dubai Police release forensic report of Sridevi to her family and the Indian consulate, according to a report in Gulf News.
3.30pm: Actors Sarika and her daughters Akshara and Shruti Haasan arrive at Anil Kapoors residence.
Saiyammi Kher arrives at Anil Kapoors residence.
3.15pm: Khaleej Times has reported the forensic report will be issued after two hours.
3.07pm: Among those who reached Anil Kapoors residence to pay condolences are Krishna Raj Kapoor and south Indian actor Nasser. Actor Kamal Haasan is also expected to reach Mumbai soon. Haasan, who acted in over 20 films with Sridevi had issued a video messages saying that Sridevi was committed to her work and her stardom was no accident.
2.58pm: Dubai authorities have said all formalities will be completed by 3.30pm and a death certificate will also be issued, according to Indian consulate officials. A relative of the family, Saurabh Malhotra, has left the premises with the Indian consulate official and has been asked to return in half an hour.
2.44pm: Madhuri Dixit reachesAnil Kapoors residence to pay her last respects to Sridevi. The actor had said on Sunday, This is saddening and shocking news. Sridevi was an extremely talented and versatile performer who was a treat to watch right through her career. We have truly lost one of our most precious gems. She had the ability of creating a place in peoples hearts through her performances and has, in so many ways, been an inspiration for many. I fondly remember meeting her when she shot with us for one of the episodes of Jhalak Dikhla Ja. We danced together and really had a lot of fun. It Certainly will be a moment Ill cherish forever. My love, wishes and prayers to her entire family.
2.30pm: Khaleej Times reports that an official from the Indian consulate has been called inside the morgue with a family member.
2.00pm: Sridevis co-star from Mom, Sajal Ali, has recounted her experience with the actor. She was like my mother. I am in a state of shock right now It feels like losing my mother again, Sajal said about Sridevi. Read full story here.
1.47pm: Times of India report says forensic report confirms heart attack as the cause of Sridevis death. Official sources in Dubai say there was nothing suspicious about the manner of her death. A second autopsy, as suggested by reports earlier, has been ruled out. However, nothing has been said officially as of now.
1.44pm: Khaleej Times reports Sridevis body is still in the morgue and several hours away from repatriation.
1.36pm: According to a report , in Gulf Times, more delay should be expected in bring Sridevis body back to Mumbai. Because her post-mortem report came out inconclusive, a toxicology report demanded by Dubais forensic dept. The body will be released only when a blood report is submitted to the Dubai police.Further investigations will be done if the toxicology results are also inconclusive.
1.23pm: Karan Johar and Manish Malhotra arrive at the residence of Anil Kapoor in Mumbai. They had visited Anils home on Sunday night as well.
1.10pm: Jaya Prada spoke about how warm their relationship was and how it was Sridevis dream to see daughter Janhvi Kapoor make her debut on the big screen. Read full story here.
1.00pm: Ekta Kapoor is being trolled for her tweet on Sridevis death. The strongest women have the weakest hearts sometimes...#RIPSrideviji, she had tweeted. Her followers found the tweet insensitive due to which, the producer had to tweet a clarification. Evil ones pls realise one percent ( as fwded as my doc told me) of the population can have an cardiac arrest without any heart condition or any kind of surgery ! Its destiny not how evil rumour mongers portray!!!, she wrote.
12.25pm: Karan Johar tweets about Sridevis death. The unpredictability of life only hits us in times of tragedy ...then soon after we go back to being petulant and full of ourselves....I hope we can take stock of the eventualities of life and death and then rise above our own insecurities, he wrote.
Shabana Azmi tweeted that she will cancel her Holi party as a mark of respect towards Sridevi. Our Holi party at Janki Kurir stands cancelled on 2nd March in the wake of Sridevis passing away, she tweeted.
12.23pm: The forensics department is yet to submit blood test results to Dubai Police, a mandatory requirement to release the body. The results are expected to be filed in the next couple of hours, reports Khaleej Times.
12.21pm: Choreographer Saroj Khan arrives at Anil Kapoors residence. I still cant believe it. We cant believe it. We all loved her. I cant say anything else, she said.
12.15pm: Several procedures need to be completed before Sridevis body can be sent back to India. Read them here.
11.30am: Dipti Naval, Farah Khan and Farhan Akhtar with his mother Honey Irani arrive at Anil Kapoors residence.
11.29am: Sridevis body scheduled to arrive in Mumbai at 4.30pm (IST).
11.03am: Rajinikanth arrives in Mumbai for Sridevis funeral. He had tweeted his condolences on her death on Sunday. Im shocked and very disturbed. Ive lost a dear friend and the industry has lost a true legend. My heart goes out to her family and friends. I feel the pain with them #RIPSridevi... you will be missed, he had tweeted.
A post shared by Behindwoods (@behindwoods_tamil) on Feb 25, 2018 at 8:34pm PST
10.40am: Officials from Indian consulate and Sridevis family have told Khaleej Times that her body will be ready for repatriation with all the procedures completed by 1 to 2pm, Dubai time (3.30pm IST). After receiving the police clearance and forensic report, the other procedures including, immigration and embalming would be completed in the next 3 to 4 hours.
10.14am: Rajinikanth and several stars from the Telugu film industry are expected to attend the funeral, reports Times of India. Chiranjeevi, Nagarjuna, and Venkatesh, Bharathiraaja, K Raghavendra Rao, Ambareesh and Prakash Raj are likely to attend.
10.04am: Sridevis body is still at Dubai Polices Forensic department on Monday morning, as per a report in Khaleej Times. Her last rites might not take place at 11 am as was earlier reported by media outlets.
9.33am: Visuals from outside Sridevis home in Mumbai.
Mumbai: Latest visuals from outside the residence of #Sridevi; her mortal remains will be brought to India from Dubai today. pic.twitter.com/pAz2Xav4lG ANI (@ANI) February 26, 2018
9.30am: Anil Kapoor, Sonam Kapoor arrive back in Mumbai for Sridevis funeral on Sunday night.
9.22am: A Mumbai airport official tells HT that the chartered flight has not left for Mumbai yet.
9.19 am: Mumbai Police tweeted a video clip of Sridevis performance at their annual celebration Umang. The 21-second video shows her wearing an off-white sequinned ghagra choli, dancing to the hit number from English Vinglish, Navrai Majhi Ladachi Ladachi Ga.
Read our full story here.
8.00am: #Sridevi will always remain alive in my memory. It feels awkward to speak of her in the past tense. We have lost the biggest star of our country. I still cannot believe it. It will take many years to register what has actually happened: Anupam Kher in Mumbai
10.02 pm, Feb 26: Sridevis body could not be repatriated on Sunday as the final investigation reports from Dubai Police were not ready by late evening, officials dealing with the legal formalities were quoted by a Khaleej Times report.
Officials also said that as per usual protocols, these tests take up to 24 hours in the case a person has died outside a hospital in Dubai. The same safety and administrative protocols are being followed by the police in this case as well.
10:00pm, Feb 26: UAE officials have revealed that Sridevis autopsy has been completed and the family is now awaiting laboratory reports conducted by the General Department of Forensic Evidence, Dubai, Khaleej Times reported.
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Veteran actor Sridevi, 54, was getting ready at a hotel room in Dubai for a dinner date with her producer-husband Boney Kapoor before she suffered a cardiac arrest which led to her sudden demise, a media report said on Monday.
Boney flew back from Mumbai and went to her room at the Jumeirah Emirates Towers Hotel at around 5.30 p.m., on Saturday to surprise her with the dinner, a source close to the family told the Khaleej Times.
He woke her up and the couple chatted for about 15 minutes before he invited her for dinner.
The Mom star then went to the washroom. After 15 minutes had passed and Sridevi did not come out, Boney knocked on the door to check on her.
This file photo taken on September 22, 2017 shows Indian Bollywood actress Sridevi (L) with husband Boney Kapoor as they attend GQ India's ninth anniversary with the annual Men of the Year Awards 2017 in Mumbai./ - (AFP)
When he got no response, he forced open the door to find the legendary actor lying motionless in the bathtub full of water, the source said.
He tried to revive her and when he could not, he called a friend of his. After that, he informed the police at 9 p.m., he added.
The police and paramedics rushed to the site, but she was pronounced dead.
A post shared by Sridevi Kapoor (@sridevi.kapoor) on Oct 30, 2017 at 12:42pm PDT
Her body was taken to the General Department of Forensic Medicine for an autopsy.
Sridevi, Boney, and their younger daughter Khushi Kapoor were in Ras Al Khaimah last week to celebrate the wedding of her actor-nephew Mohit Marwah.
Boney had returned to Mumbai after the wedding, but decided to return to Dubai to surprise his wife.
Uncertainty over when the body would arrive and the many questions surrounding her sudden death in Dubai late Saturday intensified as the day progressed.
The body of the late actor, who embodied superstardom in the 1980s and 1990s in what was a hugely male dominated industry, is expected to reach Mumbai late today after authorities in Dubai conclude all the formalities.
Back home, fans, family and friends were still trying to come to grips with what had happened.
While crowds hung around Boney and Sridevis empty Lokhandwala home, many celebrities visited Boneys brother, Anil Kapoors residence, to offer their condolences.
The couples daughters, Khushi and Jhanvi, are at Anil Kapoors home, waiting for some news.
Amongst those who visited Anil Kapoors bungalow were Farah Khan, Farhan Akhtar, Tabu, Saroj Khan, Ritesh Sidhwani and Honey Irani.
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A fatal cardiac arrest on Saturday night took away Bollywood actor Sridevis life in Dubai. Many actors who have shared screen space with Sridevi in the past, remembered her on Sunday. Raveena Tandon worked with Sridevi in 1994 film Laadla, directed by Raj Kanwar. Sridevi had stepped into the shoes of Divya Bharti who was earlier playing the lead in the film. Divya Bharti died an untimely death after shooting a scene in the film.
Before her death, Divya Bharti was seen as a successor to Sridevi because they closely resembled each other. Bharti fell off the balcony of her fifth floor apartment at the Tulsi buildings in Versova, Mumbai. After neighbours discovered her, she was rushed in an ambulance to the emergency department at Cooper Hospital where doctors failed to revive her. Coincidentally, Bhartis birth anniversary, February 25, was a day after Sridevis death, as her fans pointed out on social media.
Laadla is a love triangle between its three lead actors, played by Sridevi, Anil Kapoor and Raveena Tandon.
In a conversation with Mumbai Mirror, Raveena Tandon remembers the moment when Sridevi was stuck on the same dialogue that gave trouble to Divya Bharti.
Raveena Tandon said, The first shot was an emotional one for us because Sridevi had stepped into Divya Bhartis shoes after her untimely demise. Divya, Shakti Kapoor and I had shot a scene in Aurangabad where she fires us and throws us out of the office. While shooting the scene, Divya was constantly getting stuck on a particular line of dialogue and had to give several retakes before it was okay.
She further said, Around six months later, we were shooting the same scene with Sridevi in the same office and it was so eerie because she was stuck on the same line. All of us on the set had gooseflesh and Shaktiji (Shakti Kapoor) suggested we all chant the Gayatri mantra aloud. I held Sridevis hand as we said the prayers, then we broke a coconut and resumed shooting.
Laadla released March 25, 1994, and went on to become one of the biggest hits of the year.
Actor Sridevis mortal remains will be flown back to India from Dubai on Monday afternoon, her family said in a statement. Sridevis body could not be repatriated on Sunday as the final investigation reports from Dubai Police were not ready last evening. Reliance Communications (RCom) chairman Anil Ambani has reportedly offered to fly her remains back home in his private jet. There are still a lot of formalities left before the body is brought back to India.
Her autopsy was completed in Dubai on Sunday night and the forensic department will now hand over the body. After this, it will be taken to Muhaisna for embalming. The process takes about 90 minutes, according to Khaleej Times. A death certificate will then be issued by the police department. Indian consulate in Dubai will have to cancel her passport after which the immigration department to complete administrative procedures before the family could proceed and public prosecutor to give permission to hand over the body.
It was only after these formalities that the body will be flown back to India on a chartered flight with Boney Kapoor and Khushi Kapoor also on board.
Sridevi, 54, wife of producer Boney Kapoor, died late Saturday night reportedly due to a cardiac arrest in Dubais Jumeirah Emirates Towers. The body will be ready for repatriation by 1 to 2pm, Dubai time, Khaleej Times reported.
Indian Ambassador to the UAE Navdeep Singh Suri and Consul General of India in Dubai Vipul, Indian Consulate representatives were coordinating with Dubai Police and other authorities concerned. However, the procedures to send her body to India could not be completed yesterday before office hours in local departments here.
The Kapoor family in a statement issued last night said that her body will arrive in India today.
A Mint analysis of the nine firms where Nirav Modi, the man at the centre of an alleged $1.8 billion fraud, is director, shows that most of them dont have financials that match the magnitude of the fraud.
According to regulatory filings, Modi is on the board of five companiesJewelry Solutions International Pvt. Ltd (which is now amalgamated), Radashir Jewelry Co. Pvt. Ltd, Firestar International Ltd, Firestar Diamond Pvt. Ltd and Firestar International Pvt. Ltd. He is also on the board of four limited liability partnership (LLP) firms including Neeshal Enterprises, Paragon Jewellery, Paragon Merchandising and Panchjanya Diamonds.
The four LLPs incorporated in 2014 are maintaining a bare minimum of Rs1 lakh of authorized capital and no paid-up capital. Neeshal Enterprises, which is now an LLP, has long-term borrowings of Rs1.93 crore as of 2013 and no revenue is reported out of sales or manufacturing or services.
Radashir Jewelry, which is in the business of cutting and polishing gems and jewellery, is making a modest profit of Rs34 lakh as of March 2017 and has revenues of Rs26 crore. It has trade payables at Rs137 crore but no debt on its books.
Firestar Diamond Pvt. Ltd has a positive networth at Rs1.73 crore as of March 2016. But the manufacturing company is making losses of Rs28,772 with trade payables of Rs17,502.
Nirav Modi's Firestar Diamond company office which was raided by the ED officials in connection with the Punjab National Bank (PNB) fraud case, in Surat. (PTI)
Firestar International and Firestar Diamond International Pvt. Ltd are the companies which show a corporate structure and commercial activity. But even here the numbers suggest that a full recovery of the debt may not be easy.
Firestar International as of March 2016 has a net worth of Rs2,688 crore, making a profit of Rs185 crore, has trade payables of Rs4,104 crore and Rs3,509 crore of debt on its books.
Modi is a promoter director in these firms. In his letter to PNB, Modi sought to sell off Firestar group and its assets.
Firestar Diamond International, in the business of retail as of March 2016, has a net worth of Rs595 crore, a borrowing of Rs431 crore, profits of Rs97 crore and trade payables of Rs1,087 crore.
At least six of the firms are part of the 114 companies being probed by the Serious Fraud Investigation Office (SFIO) for possible fund diversion and fraud in connection with Modi and his uncle Mehul Choksis case. On Friday, the MCA approached the National Company Law Tribunal to attach the properties connected to these 114 firms to prevent them from disposing of assets.
He shares the directorship in six of these firms with Hemant D. Bhatt, the first Modi employee to be arrested by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) after the fraud unravelled. Bhatt is a director on 19 companies and four LLPs in the network of Modi connected firms.
Bhatt was arrested by CBI on last Friday and is on the board of companies including Firestar Diamond, Moola Consultants, Neeshal Merchandising, NDM Enterprises, Camelot Trading Pvt. Ltd, Ghazalah Investments Pvt. Ltd and Neeshal Trading Pvt. Ltd, among others.
Apart from directors, more than 40 firms linked to Nirav Modi share other things in commonoffice addresses and even official emails, to name a few, according to data submitted by these companies to the ministry of corporate affairs (MCA).
About half of these companies controlled by jeweller Modi share a common email address, companysecretary@firestardiamond.com, for regulatory purposes. Mails to this email ID bounced.
A fourth of them operate out of a small office in south Mumbai; a third have common directors on their boards; at least six of them had high debt levels; a 10th of them shut shop in past three years and half a dozen others changed their status from being a company to an LLP.
As such calling them shell structures at this stage may not be absolutely correct but these are red flags. Red flags which we typically look at to make a case against companies for suspected fund diversion, said a senior official with the corporate affairs ministry, requesting anonymity.
| Read: PNB fraud: 200 shell firms, benami assets under ED, I-T dept scanner
There is no set definition for shell companies under the Companies Act 2013. A shell company is usually a legal entity without significant assets, independent business or operations, and is owned or controlled by another company and is often used for illicit purposes.
Experts and lawyers say that there is nothing illegal in creating several companies and being a director on multiple companies because such companies become important when the parent company expands. It is also not uncommon for subsidiary firms to share the same premises and email IDs with parent companies.
In the present case, the investigating agencies will look at each and every company, its directors, their accounts as well as every transaction that companies have conducted. Currently, the case is at a very nascent stage and what details are in public domain is just a tip of an iceberg, said Zulfiqar Memon, managing partner of law firm MZM Legal. CBI is investigating the violations of the Prevention of Corruption act and ED (Enforcement Directorate) violations of money laundering activities and other agencies such as SFIO also closely observing the case.
Neeshal Modi, a co-accused in the scam and a director in 11 companies in the network of firms, said all the companies stand to shut down due to no commercial activity and not generating any revenue.
When contacted, Modis lawyer Vijay Agarwal did not comment on the particulars of the firms named in our report. But on the allegation that the bank funds have been diverted or siphoned off, he said that the investigating agencies are moving forward without any facts or figures.
(Published in association with Livemint)
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has sought from the chief vigilance officers of five banks the details of financial transactions in the Nostro accounts of Punjab National Bank on the basis of 293 fraudulent Letters of Undertaking issued by it to jewellers Nirav Modi and Mehul Choksi, officials said.
The overseas branches of Canara Bank, Bank of India, State Bank of India, Allahabad Bank and Axis Bank had credited over Rs 11,400 crore into the Nostro account of Punjab National Bank on the basis of the guarantees (LoUs) given by to Modi and Choksi, they said.
The Nostro account refers to an account that a bank holds in a foreign currency in another bank overseas to enable foreign trade by its clients.
The CBI has now written to these five banks, having branches in Antwerp, Frankfurt, Mauritius, Hong Kong and Bahrain to provide details of all such transactions to dig out a clear money trail of Rs 11,400 crore.
Idea Cellular Ltd and Vodafone Group Plcs Indian unit, which are set to merge to create Indias largest telecom operator, will invest Rs60,000 crore in infrastructure to meet surging demand for data, according to a person aware of the matter.
The companies expect demand to surge sixfold to more than 120 petabytes a day in the near term from around 20 petabytes now, this person said, requesting anonymity.
Idea and Vodafone India Ltd, the nations second- and third-largest mobile operators, are building a war chest as intense competition in the worlds No. 2 telecom market by users makes it critical for them to spend on strengthening infrastructure to cater to rising demand for data.
The merged entity will invest about Rs60,000 crore over a period of three years to ramp up its infrastructure to meet data demand, which will help it achieve expansion and vertical growth, said the person cited above.
The pressure to spend more to match rivals comes amid rising stress on revenue and profits of Indian telcos after Mukesh Ambanis Reliance Jio Infocomm Ltd entered the market in September 2016, offering free calls and cheap data, triggering a price war.
The Idea-Vodafone merger, which is expected to be completed before 31 March, will also see the combined entity generate significant synergies.
Overlapping of spectrum will be reversed, and with large spectrum chunks at disposal, rolling out faster data will be possible, the person said adding that the infrastructure ramp-up would see the company increase its capacity by up to six-seven times its existing capacity and also provide high-speed data at 200-300 Mbps as compared to current speed limits of 20-30 Mbps.
The investments being made by Vodafone-Idea will help the merged company match data capacities of its rivals, who have already earmarked huge investments.
Industry leader Bharti Airtel had in November 2015 announced that it would invest Rs60,000 crore on a massive network transformation programme called Project Leap, which would vastly improve its network quality.
Ambanis Reliance Jio has made an initial investment of more than Rs1.5 trillion in setting up telecom infrastructure, such as telecom towers, fibre optic cables and purchase of spectrum.
Data usage in India has exploded over the past two years, particularly after the entry of Reliance Jio. The volume of wireless broadband data consumed by Indians rose from less than 200 million gigabytes in June 2016 to 1.3 billion gigabytes in March 2017, according to the Internet Trends 2017 report.
Consulting firm Deloitte estimates Indias mobile data usage to grow to 1,608 petabytes by 2020. One petabyte amounts to 1,000 terabytes or 1 million gigabytes.
A Vodafone India spokesperson said the company doesnt comment on forward-looking scenarios, while an email sent to an Idea Cellular spokesperson remained unanswered.
The merged entity, which will have net debt to the tune of Rs1.08 trillion, expects savings from synergies in capital and operating expenditure as the group now expects the merger to be completed much ahead of the original deadline of September 2018.
A large chunk of the debt of the merged entity will be spectrum-denominated debt, whose repayment has been extended from 10 to 16 years by the government, the person said, adding that the debt will not deter the firm from making massive infrastructure investments.
According to a November report by India Ratings, the combined entity is likely to have Rs14,000 crore worth of annual synergies from the fourth year of operations, of which 60% would be operational synergies.
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on Monday said there will not be any extension to the February 28 deadline for mandatory KYC-compliance by prepaid wallet customers.
However, customers who have balances in such wallets or prepaid payment instruments (PPIs) need not worry about their money even if they do not do the KYC (know-your- customer) norms, the central bank said.
Sufficient time has already been given to meet the prescribed guidelines. In the event PPI issuers not obtaining the KYC-related inputs within the timeline from their customers, customers will not lose their money, deputy governor BP Kanungo told reporters here this evening.
There are 55 non-banking PPIs operational now, apart from 50 wallets promoted by banks. They were initially given time till December 31, 2017, to make those accounts KYC- compliant, which was extended to February 28.
According to media reports, PPIs were feeling that the KYC requirement was very challenging and if the guideline were to be implemented, they feared losing business as 90 per cent customers have been onboarded using the minimum KYC, which is giving the telephone number.
The PPI industry also feels that if KYC is done for mobile phones, the same should take care of security concerns.
The guidelines are designed to strengthen safety and security of transactions and customer protection, Kanungo said, adding KYC requirements are necessary to usher in inter-operability.
As per the master directions issued on the matter last October, the RBI wants to make inter-operability between the PPI wallets and also with bank accounts and cards possible.
Apart from paying for purchase of goods and services, PPIs are used extensively for remittances currently, which offers a very lucrative business opportunity for agencies involved in carrying out remittances.
Kanungo said customers can continue to undertake transactions for purchase of goods and services as per the available balance, but will have to fulfill the KYC requirements before remitting money or reloading the wallet.
As per the laws, a customer can fulfil the KYC requirements by submitting any document like the Aadhaar number, voter ID, among others.
Apart from exam-related stress, students across the country have been calling the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) toll-free helpline seeking advice on personal matters such as memory loss, ill-treatment by their parents or even break-ups.
A total of 91 counsellors based in India and abroad have been answering queries of students in the run-up to the Class 10 and 12 board exams starting March 5.
Officials said that even though most questions asked by students are related to exam stress, memory loss, inability to concentrate and career options, but many students also end up sharing their personal problems with the counsellors.
I had a break up recently and I dont feel like studying at all. I cant think about anything else but her, a Delhi-based counsellor quoted a Class 12 student.
Another counsellor said she received a call from a student complaining about her father and how he mistreats her in front of everyone. He doesnt understand me and scolds me all the time. What should I do? This was a Class 12 student, one of the counsellors said.
Counsellors said that perhaps the most common question they are asked is: How to remember what I have studied? They said that most students say they study hard and yet find themselves forgetting answers as exams approach.
I get many calls where students complain about forgetting what they have studied. It is the fear of the unknown (exam) that makes them go blank. I ask them to focus on certain topics in one day and revise, said Chand Trehan, a Jammu-based freelance psychologist and counsellor with CBSE.
Between February 1 and February 23, the CBSE helpline 1800-11-8004 has received a total of 6,428 calls.
The counsellors, many of whom are working with private and government schools as teachers and counsellors, are spread across the country and are based in different cities.
We have a database of all counsellors known for their work and we write to them if they can work with us. Many of them have been working with us for years. A training session is held with them before the helpline is made functional, said a CBSE official.
Around 20 lakh students will be sitting for Class 12 and Class 10 CBSE board exams this year. This will be after a gap of six years that Class 10 board exams have been made compulsory.
The anonymity and impersonal relationship between us, gives them the confidence to be uninhibited with us, so they ask us even their most personal problems, said Sukhmeen Kaur Cheema, a trained counsellor with a private school in Delhi. Cheema says she has been working with the CBSE for six years.
CBSE has a standard operating procedure for answering the students questions, which every counsellor follows. But many a times the counsellors are thrown off guard by what they hear on the phone.
One such time was when Sona Kaushal Gupta, a Dehradun-based counsellor, received a call from a Class 12 student who said she was contemplating suicide as she could not cope with the pressure of performing well.
My life has no meaning and I want to end it. My parents are not home so I am going to do it now, the student told Gupta.
She said her parents are well educated and they live in a society where education, and especially science education, is considered a measure of success. She was forced to take science stream even though she wanted to study humanities and become a writer, said Gupta, a neurosurgeon by profession.
Gupta took down the number of the callers parents and called them to counsel them to understand their daughter. I appreciated her creative writing abilities and asked her to take the exam and pursue writing after Class 12, she said.
A team of six operators sit at the CBSEs headquarters in Delhi where all the calls are received. We get two kind of calls one is about administrative issues such as uploading signature and photo, and others seeking counselling. We take basic details of students and transfer the call to a counsellor, said Suraj Yadav, who has been working with CBSE for two years.
Out of 6,428 calls, about 4,322 are queries regarding forms, spelling mistakes, and downloading sample papers. The remaining 2,106 calls are counselling-related and are handled by the trained counsellors, said Rama Sharma, CBSEs spokesperson.
Former chief minister Vijay Bahuguna, who joined the BJP after causing a split in the Congress ahead of the last assembly polls, is leading the race for the lone Rajya Sabha seat in Uttarakhand, for which the election is due on March 23, party insiders said.
The high command may reward him (Bahuguna) with party ticket for the Rajya Sabha seat, a BJP leader familiar with the affairs said. The former chief minister might get the reward in view of the crucial role he played in ensuring our partys landslide win in the 2017 assembly elections.
According to the leader, the split caused by Bahuguna in the Congress proved to be a major factor behind the saffron partys decisive win in the state polls. The former CMs stature in the saffron party rose as he along with 11 other former Congress legislators joined the BJP. Partys win in the Rajya Sabha election is a foregone conclusion considering its unprecedented three-fourth majority in the House. The Congress has just 11 MLAs.
BJP insiders said the split Bahuguna caused in the Congress could not have been possible without a quid pro quo deal between him and the party brass. If any such understanding was reached between the two sides, then not only will he (Bahuguna) be rewarded but his son too get something substantial in the bargain, a BJP leader having close links with the Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh (RSS) said. Bahuguns son Saurabh currently represents the Sitargang assembly seat. Party insiders said if such a deal did take place then Saurabhs name might also figure among party workers who could soon be awarded with minister-level posts.
BJP state unit chief Ajay Bhatt in an interview with HT recently had said party workers could be awarded with minister-level posts, which would help motivate them to campaign for the urban local body polls due in April and the Lok Sabha elections next year.
Reports filtering through the BJP, however, suggest that Bhatt is also a frontrunner for the Rajya Sabha seat. Insiders said he could also be rewarded as the party won the last assembly election under his stewardship.
Bhatt, however, refuted all such reports stating that he was neither lobbying for the Rajya Sabha seat nor am I in the race for it. BJP insiders said he might not be interested in the seat in the Upper House as he is already heading the partys state unit. Also, a Rajya Sabha seat might not interest him because any position at the Centre demands a different kind of exposure and ability, which many provincial leaders do not possess, a state BJP office bearer said. According to him, Bahuguna being a former high court judge and also owing to his political stature fits the bill as far as the Rajya Sabha seat is concerned.
Bhatt, however, denied the reports about the BJP workers indulging in hectic lobbying for the coveted position. Lobbying etc doesnt work in our party, he said. Any of our party workers whose name the BJP central parliamentary board will clear will be unanimously elected for the lone Rajya Sabha seat.
The Uttarakhand governments move to bring doctors under the ambit of the new Transfer Act has irked the medical practitioners who say the ruling dispensation was trying to fill 85% seats with 15% strength.
The Act makes it mandatory for government officials, barring civil servants and judicial officials, to be posted from normal to remote areas and vice-versa. The government says this is aimed at boosting government services in remote areas, especially in the hills.
The state is currently grappling with a serious shortage of medical practitioners, especially in the 10 hill districts, with over 85% posts of specialist doctors lying vacant. The Uttarakhand Medical Services Association, an umbrella body of the government, has demanded that the Transfer Act should be made applicable for them only when the vacant posts are filled. At present, less than 15% posts of specialist doctors in the state are filled. Under the Act these doctors will be transferred to other locations. If this is done, the medical services in hospitals where these doctors are presently posted will be severely affected, said Dr Anand Shukla, vice-chairperson of the association.
He added that the association is not against transfers. The government must first fill the posts and then implement the Transfer Act. At present, it is trying to fill 85% seats with 15% strength, he said.
The doctors body has also demanded that the transfers should be time bound. Doctors are not provided even basic facilities. The transfer should be for a specific time and they must be given an assurance that they will be posted at normal locations after serving for a specific period in the remote locations. At present, once a doctor is posted in a remote location, he/she remains there for ever, said Dr DP Joshi, president of the Association.
The latest report of the NITI Aayog on the state of health facilities in the country has placed Uttarakhand among the three-worst performing large states in terms of vacant positions of specialists at district hospitals.
The report states that 60% posts of medical specialists in the state are vacant. These include posts of specialists in medicine, surgery, obstetrics and gynaecology, paediatrics, anaesthesia, ophthalmology, radiology, pathology, ear-nose-throat, dental and psychiatry.
Besides this, the report also found that Uttarakhand does not have a single district with functional cardiac care centre in public hospitals.
To fill vacant posts of doctors in the hills, the state had also introduced subsidised MBBS courses. The beneficiaries were asked to sign a bond that mandates a compulsory five-year service in the hills after completing the degree, failing which the beneficiary shall be liable to pay the government Rs 1 crore as penalty.
Under the subsidised study scheme, the student has to only pay an annual fee of Rs 50,000, against Rs 4 lakh in normal circumstances.
However, to the surprise of the health department last year, nearly 250 students refused to honour the bond after availing subsidised medical education.
The health directorate has issued notices asking them to either join service in the hills or pay the fine mandated by the bond. While many have agreed to serve in the hills, health directorate officials who are privy to the matter say nearly 100 have yet not agreed to serve.
When asked about the allegations that doctors are unwilling to serve in hills, Dr Shukla said, This is not true. The problem is of infrastructure. You send a surgeon to the district hospital in Chamoli when there are no anaesthetics. How can he/she serve there? The same is true for other specialists.
Director of heath, Dr Archana Srivastava, could not be reached for her comments despite calls and a text message.
The National Students Union of India (NSUI) has demanded that the age to contest elections should be reduced from 25 years to 18 years.
Speaking at an event in Dehradun on Monday, NSUI national president Fairoz Khan said, We are a country of the youth and it is only apt that the country should be led by young leaders. If a person can vote at the age of 18 years, why shouldnt he/she also be allowed to contest election at the same age? Depriving him/her to contest election till attaining the age of 25 is against the principles of natural justice.
He added that the NSUI will press for this demand across the country though its campaigns.
The event was organised by the Uttarakhand unit of NSUI to review its activities in the state, felicitate new office bearers and strengthen the organisation, said Mohan Bhandari, president of the NSUIs Uttarakhand unit.
The student-wing of the Congress has also demanded establishing of students rights commission at the Centre and states to protect the interest of students.
Students are one of the most important sections of our population and yet there is no dedicated body to address their problems. We want that the Centre and all state governments set up students rights commission in line with women and child rights commissions, Khan said.
Besides these, the participants also discussed ways to bring reforms in students election vis-a-vis the recommendations of the Lyngdoh Committee.
Khan further said, Since the BJP-led NDA government in the Centre has failed to deliver its promise of providing employment, the government should provide unemployment allowance to the people who dont have a job despite being educated.
An AAP delegation on day met Delhi Police commissioner Amulya Patnaik to demand justice and action in cases related to alleged assaults on minister Imran Hussain and Delhi dialogue commissions vice chairman Ashish Khetan.
The delegation, which included AAP leader Ashutosh and party MP Sanjay Singh, told reporters that they gave Patnaik video evidence of the assaults that took place on February 20 at the Delhi Secretariat.
Ashutosh said police were prompt in taking action against AAP MLAs Prakash Jarwal and Amanatullah Khan -- for allegedly assaulting Delhi Chief Secretary Anshu Prakash at Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwals residence on the intervening night of February 19 and 20 -- without evidence.
The AAP MLAs were arrested despite him (Prakash) producing no evidence. What about the life threatening attacks on Delhi minister Imran Hussain and DDA vice-chairman Ashish Khetan, who enjoys the rank of cabinet minister, Ashutosh asked.
The delegations meeting with the police commissioner comes three days after a Delhi Police team entered the chief ministers residence to collect CCTV footage of the alleged assault on Prakash.
The AAP had vehemently condemned the move of police, calling it an act to insult and humiliate Arvind Kejriwal.
Singh said there cannot be two set of laws. Police should act in a free and fair manner and arrest those involved in the assaults on Hussain and Khetan.
We want police to show the same promptness in this case (assault on AAP MLAs) as it displayed in arresting our MLAs and raiding Kejriwals residence, he added.
Allegedly miffed at his wedding being called off, a man stabbed his ex-fiance multiple times at her home in outer Delhis Sultanpuri on Saturday night, police said.
The woman, a 21-year-old private tutor, received deep wounds to her hands and behind her neck but will survive, said Rajendra Sagar, additional deputy commissioner of police (Outer).
The accused, Lucky, was caught by the public and thrashed before being handed over to the police. He has been booked for attempt to murder.
The woman lives with her parents and tutors schoolchildren for a living. Around one-and-a-half-years ago, she had been engaged to Lucky, an unemployed man from west Delhis Zakhira. They were to be married later this year, but the woman and her family later realised that Lucky was not the man they wanted, said Sagar.
Lucky would allegedly get drunk and pick up fights with people in the neighbourhood and his fiance allegedly made several attempts to make him mend his ways, but to no effect, said another investigator.
But when the woman called off the wedding on January 30 this year, Lucky allegedly began stalking her and threatening her to get married to him. Lucky would tell her that he wouldnt let her marry anyone else if not him. He had begun harassing her through phone calls, text messages and personal visits, said the womans father.
On Saturday night, Lucky allegedly barged into the womans house, pulled the woman into the kitchen, locked it from inside and began stabbing her with a knife, said a police official. We broke the kitchen door and pulled my daughter away from Lucky and snatched the knife from him. I then carried my daughter on my shoulders to the Sanjay Gandhi Memorial Hospital, said the womans father.
The father said he had clearly communicated to Luckys father that they did not want to have relations with his family. Luckys father assured me that he will be kept away from my daughter, but he kept harassing her, said the womans father.
Delhi bureaucrats on Monday turned down an invitation of dialogue by the AAP government to resolve the stalemate triggered by an alleged assault on the Chief Secretary and demanded action against the Chief Minister and his deputy, saying the attack took place in their presence.
The Joint Forum of the Delhi Government Employees made it clear that they will settle down for nothing short of a written and public apology by the Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal. The officials have been at loggerheads with the government ever since some AAP MLAs allegedly assaulted Chief Secretary Anshu Prakash in a midnight meeting at CMs residence on Monday.
The Delhi government had deputed minister Rajendra Pal Gautam to initiate a dialogue with the protesting officials and break the week-long standoff.
The joint forum demands that the prerequisite to any dialogue with the political executive is a specific written and public apology from the CM and deputy CM. Communication between the political and permanent executive can only continue through formal written means and no talks are possible, said Pooja Joshi, one of the members of the forum, an umbrella body of various employee associations of the Delhi government.
Joshi also said that the government officials will continue boycotting meetings of Kejriwal and his cabinet of ministers.
The joint forum notes that instead of apologising and admitting their mistake, the CM and deputy CM are in denial mode. This shows that they were a part of the conspiracy and since they are specifically identified in the FIR, we appeal to L-G and the police commissioner (Amulya Patnaik) to take action as per law against them, a resolution by the officers body said.
The Chief Secretary resumed work on Monday after four days. He came to office in the morning and later went to attend a meeting with Centre and then headed to lieutenant governor Anil Baijals office for another meeting. He returned to the secretariat around 5.30 pm. Government sources said that the CS is not likely to apply for a transfer to the Centre. It remains to be seen if the CS will attend Tuesdays cabinet meeting.
Gautam said building trust was not the sole responsibility of political leadership.
The government has taken an initiative to end the face-off. Now, the (agitating) officers should come forward in a bid to build trust and have a dialogue so that governance is not affected, Gautam said.
The officers body also said that the political executive not only failed to condemn or regret the incident, but AAP MLA Naresh Balyan gave an open threat to thrash the officers in the presence of CM and yet Kejriwal did not condemn it.
The joint forum resolves that all employees will continue their protest in the form of a five-minute silence at 1.30 pm (lunch time) in all government offices till such time a specific written and public apology is tendered by the chief minister and deputy chief minister, and steps are taken to ensure the personal safety and dignity of officers while they discharge their official duties, the resolution issued by the forum stated.
The officers said they were working with full vigour and there is absolutely no hindrance to work.
A little over a decade ago, the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) had flaunted how the policies that would decide the urban trajectory of the national capital were prepared after extensive public consultation. In its opening chapter, the Master Plan 2021 recorded that as many as 12 study groups of experts on shelter, demography, conservation, transportation, industry, environment, land-use, infrastructure, trade and commerce assisted the Authority on sector-wise plans.
Seminars were organised, ministers were consulted, the Legislative Assembly deliberated on it and specific interest groups offered ideas. As many as 7,000 objections and suggestions were considered by the DDAs board of enquiry, which met 17 times and 611 persons and organisations were given a personal hearing before the Master Plan 2021 was notified in February 2007.
In contrast, the DDA appears to be in a hurry to find a way out of the current impasse following the apex court-driven sealing drive of illegal commercial establishments. As traders sought immediate relief, the DDA cut short the window for stakeholder consultation from 45 days to three, before extending it by two days.
The hurry to amend the Master Plan exasperated the Supreme Court, which dubbed the DDA Delhi Destruction Authority and wondered if it really cared about the RWAs and the residents of Delhi: You have to hear them also. You cannot hear only some people. Are you for the interest of Delhis residents or not? The Authority is yet to explain its haste before the apex court.
While the DDA has concluded the consultation process in five days and sent the amendments for the lieutenant-governors approval, the resident welfare associations (RWAs) are not amused. Demanding an audit of the impact of commercialisation allowed in 2007 and action against commercial establishments for violation of fire safety, pollution, and building norms before regularising them, the RWAs wanted to be consulted with a two-week notice for maximum participation.
In another petition, the RWAs said that a committee comprising town planners, resident bodies, traders and all stakeholders should discuss the possible changes, submit its report to the apex court and only then should amendments be made to the Master Plan.
While it may appear that the DDA suddenly has such little time for consultations, but the fact is that the residents of Delhi have never been consulted about the shape of things to follow in their neighbourhood. The elaborate consultations flaunted in the existing Master Plan were really about broad policy directions.
Once that framework was in place, the MPD 2021 itself sought decentralised local area planning through a micro-level participatory approach. It directed the municipalities to build institutional capacity for the formation of local-level participatory planning group that would work with the local authorities.
Watch video: Why is Delhis Master Plan only good on paper?
This municipal ward-wise planning could never take off because of political reasons, corruption and legal inadequacies in the existing civic laws, says DDAs former commissioner (planning) A K Jain, who was involved in drafting the Master Plan.
History, it seems, will repeat itself. The DDAs board of enquiry, as reported by HT last week, proposed to regularise illegal commercial set-ups that have violated land-use permissions by pedestrianising entire markets where adequate parking space was not available. The job to identify such markets has been left to the local authorities.
This is a call the residents, traders, police and the municipality should take together and that requires a separate, localised planning process. But in the absence of such a consultative framework, who will ensure all stakeholders have been heard? asks Pankaj Aggarwal from the Delhi RWAs joint front.
The Master Plan itself says that its success depends on the peoples will and willingness to adhere to discipline in the use of land, roads, public space and infrastructure. For this, the Plan further mandated that an enforcement and plan monitoring group, comprising professionals, local bodies and residents concerned be formed to evolve action plans.
The absence of immediate stakeholders in micro-planning and enforcement mechanism has created the urban mess that is Delhi. The revival of the Supreme Courts committee that had sealed thousands of illegal establishments in Delhi a decade ago has yet again opened a window for participatory reforms. It will be an opportunity lost if the DDA tweaks the Master Plan once again, unilaterally.
New Delhi: From uniform Floor Area Ratio (FAR) for shop-cum-residential plots to permission to use of basements to run businesses and rationalisation of conversion charges to banning pubs or clubs in residential areas, the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) is likely to approve a slew of measures to provide relief to city traders facing sealing threat in the National Capital.
Union minister of state (independent charge) housing and urban affairs Hardeep Singh Puri on Monday announced that recommendations by the DDAs board of inquiry on amendments to the Master Plan of Delhi (MPD) 2021 would be placed before the authority on Tuesday.
The board of inquiry, set up to provide recommendations after public hearing, has suggested various measures based on the objections and suggestions invited from resident welfare associations, traders bodies and individuals to make modifications in MPD in the wake of the ongoing sealing drive ordered by the Supreme Court appointed monitoring committee.
The recommendations has taken into account concerns raised by the Supreme Court with respect to environment, pollution, fire safety measures for life and safety of the people. The concerns regarding traffic congestion and parking facilities have also been suitably addressed. After the DDAs approval, recommendations will come to the ministry and be placed before the Supreme Court in form of an affidavit. Then, they will be notified by the ministry, said Puri.
The minister, speaking at a press conference on Monday, said that following the concerned raised by the RWAs, no restaurants, pubs or clubs would be allowed in residential areas and provisions for adequate parking have also been suggested.
Citing suggestions submitted by the traders association during a five-day public hearing on proposed changes in MPD, Puri said the authority is rationalising conversion charges.
The minister also said that the anomalies regarding the differential norms for mixed land use has been streamlined and uniform floor area ratio (FAR) will be permitted in all shop-cum-residential plots or complexes, irrespective of their year of existence (pre-1962, which is before first MPDs notification, or post 1962).
He said that basements would be allowed for commercial or professional activities related to Information Technology, real estate, or matrimonial services.
Entry or exit in shop-cum-residence plots will be restricted to the front access. Electric equipment and outdoor unit of air conditioners will, in no case, extrude from the plot line. Exhaust duct shall not open directly towards the public lane or face the other residential plot, he said.
Conversion charges will be charged on the basis of the location of the property in categories as defined under circle rates. For the convenience, three categories have been recommended A&B, C&D, and E to H, said Puri.
According to the minister, amount collected on account of various charges will be credited into an escrow account to be used exclusively for augmentation of infrastructure such as parking, public toilet and water supply.
The minister said the parking in the plot would be provided as per the provision of MPD 2021 and if it is not possible, the concerned local body will identify and develop the land for shared or common parking in the neighbourhood.
In case, no space for parking is available in the vicinity, the area or street will be declared pedestrian shopping street. If an owner makes provision for parking on his/her plot, he will be allowed to have additional 5% ground coverage or rebate will be given in conversion charges.
It was also informed that the municipal corporations have indentified 163 sites where space for 68,000 cars will be created.
Parking and other infrastructure services like water and sewage will be augmented by the concerned service providing agency. In no case, parking will be allowed to spill over in common public area and adjoining residential colonies, said Puri.
The minister said that the matter regarding notification of 351 roads for commercial or mixed use is being expedited in coordination with the concerned local bodies by urban development department of the Delhi government.
The announcement by Human Resource Development Minister, Prakash Javadekar, that the syllabus of National Council for Educational Research and Training (NCERT) books for classes 1 to 12 will be slashed by half is welcome, but also raises some vexing issues. The governments emphasis on digitisation and slimmer textbooks will help reduce the weight of schoolbags. These changes may be in place by 2019. Mr Javadekar said the school syllabus at present was more than that of B.Com and BA courses. The burden of course work left teachers with little time to impart life skills and inculcate creativity among students.
But the reduction of the quantity of course syllabi should not come at the cost of learning. As it is, the comprehension levels of students across the country are below par. The recently released Annual Status of Education Report for 2017 said 40% of students between the ages of 14 and 18 surveyed in rural schools in 24 states across the country couldnt tell the time from a clock and 57% couldnt do basic mathematics. It is not hard to understand why. Our education system has not focused enough on learning outcomes. It has not kept up with advances in technology. Improving the quality of our students may involve enhancing the quality of our educators. Of the 20 lakh teachers which were to be trained in 2015 under the Right to Education Act, only five lakh have been trained so far. There is a clear mismatch in the supply and demand for educators with 70 lakh teachers teaching close to 26 crore students in 15 lakh schools across the country.
So, merely dropping chapters from books might not be enough. It needs to be augmented by greater rigour in the evaluation process. An element of competition among students through regular assessments is desirable to improve their learning abilities. To its credit, the government has brought back board examinations for class 10 in 2017 and is planning to introduce a Bill in the Parliament to restore examinations and detentions. In 2017, the Right to Education Act was amended to incorporate a competency-based evaluation study covering 2.2 million students across 110,000 schools to understand what a child should be learning in various classes. One of the recommendations of the T.S.R. Subramanian committee, entrusted with preparing a new education policy for India, is compulsory certification for teachers in government and private schools, with the provision for renewal every 10 years based on independent external testing. Lighter textbooks with relevant course work and better teachers could well be the recipe for improved learning outcomes.
The Directorate of Technical Education, Maharashtra released the admit cards of candidates of Maharashtra Common Entrance Test (CET) for Master in Business Administration (MBA) on Wednesday.
The examination for admission to the first year of full time Post Graduate Degree Courses in Management (MBA/MMS) in Maharashtra will be held on March 10 and March 11.
Steps to download MAH MBA CET admit card 2018:
1) Visit the official website of Directorate of Technical Education, Maharashtra dtemaharashtra.gov.in
2) Move to CET 2018 in top NAV bar and click on the link for MAH MBA CET 2018
3) Click on the link for MAH MBA CET 2018 admit card
4) Key in the required details (Registration Number/Roll Number, Password/Date of Birth) and login
6) The admit card will be displayed on the screen
The admit card will be available for download until March 11, 2018.
Candidate should affix recent photograph on the hall ticket preferably the same as provided during registration and appear at the examination centre with (i) Hall Ticket (ii) Photo Identity proof (as specified) .
Students of Classes 9 to 12 will soon be assessed under new learning outcomes being drafted by the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT).
The council has begun working on the draft, and the guidelines are likely to be implemented soon.
The NCERT had prepared learning outcomes for each class in languages (Hindi, English, Urdu), mathematics, environmental studies, science and social science up to the elementary stage (until Class 8). These were later made part of the Right to Education (RTE) Act.
Now, learning outcomes for all subjects will be prepared for Classes 9-12, officials said.
The learning outcomes are the basic levels of learning required to facilitate the assessment of students against expected benchmarks.
The move is aimed at making a shift from rote learning and at ensuring there are clear parameters to judge the performance of students. Schools affiliated to the CBSE follow the NCERTs syllabus.
An NCERT official said these learning outcomes would also imply reform in examination system to strengthen linkage between school-based assessment and external evaluation.
The council is likely to complete the exercise of drafting the new learning outcomes within six months, a senior official of the human resource development (HRD) ministry said.
The official added that once the learning outcomes have been notified, the public will be consulted for its feedback.
Rather than concentrating on textbook-based assessment, the new learning outcomes will ensure that we focus more on finding the competency levels of students. We have started work on this, the official said.
The council also wants to promote 21st century learning skills and higher order thinking among students rather than promoting mastery over content.
NCERT is an autonomous organisation set up to assist and advise central and state governments on policies and programmes for qualitative improvement in education, and prepares and publishes textbooks along with supplementary materials among others.
The learning outcomes that were notified by the NCERT for Classes 1-8 focus on whether students can read the time correctly using a clock; estimate the capacity of a container in known units for example, a bucket containing water is 20-30 times that of a mug; and measure short lengths using non-uniform units like a finger, handspan, length of forearm and footsteps among others.
US designer Tommy Hilfiger embraced the so-called see now, buy now strategy on Sunday with his TommyNow Drive collection, bringing the curtains down on Milan Fashion Week with a show featuring fast cars and even faster fashion. TommyNow is about the democratisation of fashion and pioneering the see-now-buy-now movement, said a company note.
All items of the collection were available on the brands online shop the moment they went down the runway, with some already on the racks of a temporary shop set up at the venue, an exhibition centre dressed up as an Formula 1 circuit. Its awesome to be able to shop like this. People have become impatient I am not going to wait six months to buy clothes that I see on catwalks now, said Nadia Meier, a customer from Salzburg attending the event.
Designer Tommy Hilfiger (R) acknowledges the applause at the end of his Spring/Summer 2018 collection during Milan Fashion Week. (REUTERS)
With fashion brands under pressure to deliver collections faster to their younger customers, companies are finding themselves juggling constant demand for new clothes and accessories and the long manufacturing process required for their products.
Britains Mulberry is the latest label to usher in a see now, buy now model cutting out the usual six-month delay in delivering a runway collection to stores two years after Burberry started. But the business model is still far from becoming an industry standard. I find (see now, buy now) a cool initiative. It allows customers to participate more ... you watch the models, you touch the items and then buy them, said Italian Giulia Battaglia, who had just bought a 130-euro jumper.
Model Bella Hadid (centre) leads other models as they wear creations as part of the Tommy Hilfiger women's Fall/Winter 2018-2019 collection. (AP)
The collection was the fourth and last to be co-designed by celebrity model Gigi Hadid and Hilfiger. Milan was the latest lap of the itinerant fashion show, which has gone through Londons Roadhouse concert venue, New York and Los Angeles. The designs were worn by celebrity models like Hadid, her sister Bella and brother Anwar, Lucky Blue and Canadian Winnie Harlow.
They many biker-inspired looks with leather trousers and jackets, cropped tops as well as striped bathing suits and more preppy looks a style frequently associated with Hilfiger including boyfriend jeans, blouses and jumpers with crests. As models walked down the ring-shaped catwalks, mechanics worked on Mercedes Formula 1 cars parked at the centre, with men dressed with white pilot suits and helmets standing on the sides of the catwalk.
Hilfiger is one of the best-known names in U.S. fashion and is now owned by clothing giant PVH. The 1,000-guest show, one of the most sought-after tickets of the week, was one of the last headliners in Milan fashion week. The fashion extravaganza included shows from Italys Giorgio Armani, Versace, Dolce & Gabbana as well as LVMH- owned Fendi and Kerings Gucci.
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A group of social activists, art lovers and academicians visited the more-than-a-century-old baoli (stepwell) at Badshahpur on Monday in a bid to mobilise a campaign to preserve the historic piece of architecture for posterity. The campaign would involve locals and students and would be aimed at raising general awareness on the heritage structure.
Locals said that the stepwell, which goes back more than a hundred years, is used for unauthorised dumping of solid waste and sewerage and claimed that workers associated with the Haryana Urban Development Authority (Huda) have also been filling the well with soil and garbage.
Locals said Huda acquired the plot where the stepwell was built three years ago to complete a road project in Sector 67. Later, officials of the road engineering department allowed filling of the stepwell.
Parul Garg Munjal, associate professor, Sushant School of Art and Architecture, Ansal University, Gurgaon, led a team of activists to the 100-year-old stepwell on Monday.
Our faculty conducted a research on this piece of architecture in 2005. We were shocked to see the mess that the stepwell is in at present. It has been badly damaged and has been turned into an illegal landfill, as the site has been acquired to build a sector road. This stepwell goes back more than a hundred years and was built by a wealthy resident of the village to preserve water for benefit of fellow villagers. The site also offered refuge to people travelling to Delhi and Jaipur at the time. We believe that this heritage structure should be preserved for future generations. Despite the damage wrought to it, the stepwell still holds traces of its charm and grandeur. Often, students compare this structure to five-star hotels, equipped with plush rooms and a swimming pool. We have decided to take the onus of preserving this stepwell. We will clean it and stop sewer discharge into it. We are encouraged by the support we have received from the students and residents here. Were all united in our bid to save this piece of heritage from being destroyed, Munjal said.
Read I Intach writes to state, seeks preservation of 100-year-old stepwell
The stepwell was built in 1905 by a Badshahpur landlord for preserving water and sheltering pilgrims and travellers between Delhi and Jaipur.
Professor Gauhar Mehmood, head of the department (HoD), civil engineering, at Delhis Jamia Millia Islamia University, who visited the stepwell a week ago, said, In Gurgaon, heritage structures are few and far between and the ones which are there are gathering dust or showing signs of wear and tear. This stepwell has been a subject of research and I urge the government to preserve it for posterity.
There are two stepwells in Gurgaon. The other one, at Dhumaspur, is around 700 years old. That one, too, is on the brink of destruction for want of proper upkeep. I have been waging a battle to save the two stepwells, Balraj Bhadana, a social activist, said.
Yashpal Yadav, administrator, Huda, Gurgaon, said that he has issued an order to stop filling the stepwell for the road project.
After being informed about the heritage associated with this stepwell, I stopped it from being used as a landfill. I am trying my best to save it, Yadav said.
Dipavali Debroy (63), an associate professor of economics of Sri Guru Gobind Singh College of Commerce, Delhi, broke down on Saturday when she returned home and found that all her savings and valuables kept in the apartment had been stolen. She has been the worst affected in a spate of burglaries that happened in the Block F, Sector 57 on Saturday during the afternoon. $500, jewellery and other valuables worth R2lakh were stolen from her flat while she was in the college.
I left home around 9am for college and returned at 2.45 pm. As soon as I reached the first floor, I was shocked to see the main iron grill door open. Initially, I thought I have left the door open, but then I realised that thieves had taken out the entire lockbox from the door, said Debroy.
She raised an alarm and it was then she was informed that her neighbours from the ground floor have also been the victim of theft.
Another victim, Surjeet Chowdhary a businessman living on the ground floor of the same building, was devastated when he found that the burglars had stolen all the diamond, gold and silver ornaments of his wife and daughter.
He along with his wife had returned home after three days from Faridabad and found the main door open and the house ransacked. Thieves took the diamond ring, gold jewelery and silver ornaments and the goddess kept in the temple of the apartment. He said they have suffered a loss of 3lakh.
Read I Delhi based gang involved in 49 theft cases busted in Gurgaon, 4 arrested
Electronic gadgets, including a video camera, laptop, and other gadgets, were lying on the table but they did not touch them. The thieves have only took away cash and jewellery, the police said.
We had informed our domestic help that we will be away for three days. When we returned, we called her over to do some cleaning. However, she said that there had been a theft in the house while we were away. She said she had gone to the apartment to clean it at 1:30 pm, but as she went in she realised that the house had been ransacked, Chowdhary said.
Surprisingly, the thieves spent considerable time in the apartment, as they brought fruits and even consumed them. Leftovers of apples and grapes were in the living room, the resident said.
There were no fruits in the house, as we were leaving. When we returned, we found a packet in which some grapes were lying and some more were lying on the table, Chowdhary said.
The burglars targeted as many as five flats in three buildings, where there were no security guards or CCTV cameras. In building number F 67 alone, they targeted two apartments which were found locked.
A team of fingerprint experts also visited the spot.
The Sector 56 police station registered cases and an investigation into the thefts is under way. We are trying to check the CCTV cameras installed in the area. Two of the cameras were not functional. We have increased police deployment in the area, inspector Arvind Kumar, SHO, Sector 56, said.
The Dakshin Haryana Bijli Vitran Nigam (DHBVN) installed 56 streetlights on a 2km stretch leading from Mahindra Aura, a housing society where 600 families live in Sector 110A, to the Delhi border making it safer for residents to use this road after sundown.
On February 11, the Hindustan Times had reported the plight of residents of this society that is spread across 17 acres. Residents had said that even though there were electricity poles in some places along the 8km stretch from Bajghera crossing to Delhi border, there were no streetlights which was leading to accidents.
Appreciating the recently installed streetlights, Nisha Agarwal, a resident, said, It was difficult to commute on the stretch after dark, several snatching and carjacking incidents have taken place and if the lights are not repaired there could have been more incidents.
Now, we are safe near our complex and this two kilometre stretch was the scariest. I hope the remaining work also finishes soon, she added.
Residents had hit out at the civic authorities for failing to provide adequate streetlights in the area. They had said that there are a handful of streetlights on the 8km stretch in the sector and not a single one of them was functional. They said that more than half the stretch doesnt even have electricity poles and they fear for their safety while travelling in the dark.
Read I Gurgaon: MCG signs MoU for installing LED streetlights
How can residents drive on the stretch where there are no lights? The authorities should think of basic facilities before handing over the apartments to the residents, Sameer Sharma, a resident, said.
Residents had said that the authorities, in this case the DHBVN, have deprived them of basic facilities despite levying external development charge, internal development charge, service tax and registration charge, which comes to around 10-12 lakh per flat.
I work in Delhi and return late at night. Since the Bajghera road is closed for flyover construction work and streetlights were not working, I used to feel very unsafe while driving home every night. My friends also avoided visiting us after sundown because of the dark stretch, Sangeeta Sharma, a resident, said.
However, the work of installing streetlights and electricity poles on the remaining 6km of the stretch is yet to be taken up.
Ward 2 councillor Shakuntala Yadav said the remaining stretch belongs to the Public Works Department. We have installed the electricity poles and lights in the area which belongs to us (MCG). Now, it is the responsibility of the PWD to take care of the issues, Yadav said.
PWD minister Rao Narbir Singh said, The project (of installing electricity poles and streetlights) is in the works. We will install the poles and lights before March 30. Instructions to this effect have been given and the funds have also been sanctioned.
Embattled former Haryana chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda blew the bugle for the state assembly polls on Sunday promising to build a New Haryana by banishing the caste system. The state polls are scheduled next year.
Skirting comments about the CBI chargesheet against him in Manesar land scam, Hooda said many forces were working against him, but he was not afraid as the public is with him. Hooda has been named as an accused in the charge sheet in connection with the multi-crore land scam that allegedly took placed during his tenure.
He was addressing the gathering at the launch of his Jan Kranti Yatra at Hodal Anaj Mandi in Palwal district.
There are several forces against me, but I am not afraid of them. If I fear anyone, it is of you ( the public). Through you, I want to tell them that I will not bow, stop, lose or tire. I have been fighting for you and I will keep fighting for you, the two-time CM said as he made a slew of poll promises. He said that his yatra aims at fostering brotherhood and he was forced to launch it keeping in mind publics pain.
The majority of the leaders who spoke at the event did not directly refer to the CBI chargesheet, but vowed to be by Hoodas side if any action was taken against him.
Some people think that pressure politics will work, but you (public) are our strength. Our intention is to serve the people, if elected and let our hard work and sincerity speak for themselves. We will also put questions to them (the Khattar government) about their performance, Deepender Singh Hooda, the formers CMs son and a Congress MP from Rohtak, said.
We call on you to unleash jan kranti (mass revolution). Go street to street, door to door. I will join you all, the former CM declared from the roof of a bus given the look of a chariot, at the grain marker in Hodal on Sunday.The former CM suffered a fracture in his left foot after he fell during a public function at Panipat on February 12. He said that the doctors and his near ones advised him to either postpone the yatra or keep away from it, but he could not resist the urge to meet the people.
The former CMs promises about employment, farmer friendly initiatives, infrastructure projects, women safety, welfare of people from the Scheduled Caste and other backward classes and improvement in law and order, among several others, almost seemed tantamount to the partys unofficial manifesto.
According to political experts, Hoodas yatra is aimed at projecting himself as the undisputed Congress leader in Haryana and is timed to counter the effects of chargesheet against him.
Other leaders at the event left no stone unturned to serve this purpose.
Congress will form the (next) government under the leadership of Hooda. The party high command will soon realise that there is no alternative to him in Haryana, former Congress minister Shiv Charan Lal Sharma said.
The yatra drew a huge crowd at the Anaj Mandi and the venue fell short of accommodating the people in attendance.
He said the Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP) and the Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) have got Hooda phobia and it is not my fear but the fear of 2.5 crore people that should give them sleepless nights.
This yatra will be the last nail in the Khattar governments coffin, Sharda Rathore, Congress MLA from Ballabhgarh, said.
Security forces gunned down four suspected CPI (Maoists) ultras, including two female cadre, during an encounter in Jharkhands Palamu district on Monday.
Four bodies of the suspected extremists were recovered along with sophisticated weapons near Matanga Pahar under Chhatterpur police station limits during a search that is still underway, police said.
The identities of the ultras were yet to be ascertained, but according to unconfirmed reports, one of them was said to be Basant Yadav, a sub zonal commander, carrying Rs five lakh reward on his head.
Palamu superintendent of police, Indrajit Mahatha said more Maoists were expected to be killed.
Police said they had been tracking this Maoists squad for some time.
A joint team of Jharkhand police and the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) carried out the operation.
This is the second major achievement for the security personnel in the area in less than 20 days. On February 8, they had gunned down a CPI (Maoist) member during an encounter and nabbed an injured female ultra from Naudiha police station limits in Palamu district.
Since then, security forces have been behind a Maoist squad led by Rakesh Bhuiyan as it had significantly disintegrated following the encounter, a senior CRPF officer said, requesting anonymity.
Jharkhand director general of police, D K Pandey and CRPF inspector general of police, Sanjay A Lathkar had fixed a deadline for eliminating the Maoist squad led by Bhuiyan during a meeting held soon after the February 8 encounter, sources said.
The Union ministry of home affairs (MHA) drafted a list of six long and 23 short-term measures for jails in Srinagar, including segregating separatists, Pakistani and Kashmiri militants from other inmates.
The decision was taken after a Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) militant escaped police custody during his visit to a hospital earlier this month. Home secretary Rajiv Gauba has personally sent the official communication to the Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) government on February 13.
According to a communication, seen by HT, the action points were chosen based on intelligence inputs and reports received by the MHA from various agencies.
Some of the long-term measures include the construction of staff quarters on the jail premises, establishment of e-courts, holding trials through video conferencing, and the introduction of special courts in jails to expedite trials of Pakistani prisoners. The ministry has also recommended shifting the Central Jail in Srinagar to the outskirts of the Valley, and bulletproof vans for transporting inmates.
As part of the short-term measures, the ministry has asked the state government to introduce a system of cross-frisking under which all visitors, including security forces, will be searched in the presence of CRPF troopers, J&K police officials and jail staffers. Similarly, the staffers will be frisked by the security forces.
The ministry has also recommended that the security agencies conduct frequent raids in prisons and ensure militants and separatist elements dont mingle. The state government has also been asked to vigorously contest court orders requiring prisoners to be lodged near trial courts.
Some of the other measures include banning the use of mobile phones by staff and visitors on jail premises, stricter visiting hours, establishing separate entries for men and women visitors and the effective management of the prisoners mess, to stop individuals from cooking food.
A senior home ministry official, who asked not to be named, said that the MHA and the state government were in talks on strengthening jail security even before the escape of LeT militant Naveed Jutt, indicating that the government had been receiving inputs on suspected separatist activities inside Srinagar jails.
The issue here is not prisoners, but overall security of the jail, especially visitors. The new directions will keep in check any untoward activities, the official said. There are 25 militants who need to be shifted out of the Valley and most of them have been shifted. Rest of the measures will be taken care of subsequently, the official added.
Lingayat strongman BS Yeddyurappa will remain chief minister of Karnataka for a full five-year term if the BJP is voted to power, a senior party leader said on Monday.
This means that the BJP will ignore its undeclared rule of not allowing leaders over 75 years of age to hold ministerial position to let Yeddyurappa become Karnataka chief minister.
Any such rule will not apply to him. Yeddyurappa will complete a full five-year term, said Union HRD minister Prakash Javadekar who is also the BJPs election in charge for Karnataka. Yeddyurappa, who turns 75 on Tuesday, is the BJPs chief ministerial candidate.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will travel to Davangere on Tuesday to address a farmers rally. Davangere in North Karnataka is a Lingayat stronghold and BJP leaders say the Prime Minister might reiterate the partys backing to BSY in a bid to allay any fear in the community that his stint as chief minister could be short lived.
The Lingayats are the single largest community in Karnataka and the BJP is banking on Yeddyurappas mass appeal to reclaim power in the only southern state the party has ever ruled.
The BJP had in the past invoked this 75-year rule to deny ministerial positions to veterans such as LK Advani and Murli Manohar Joshi in the Narendra Modi government after a resounding victory in 2014.
Veteran Kalraj Mishra and Najma Heptulla, too, were removed from their ministerial positions once they attained the age of 75. Mishra was given an extension of sorts as assembly elections were due in Uttar Pradesh and the BJP feared his removal could send wrong signals to Brahmins.
While Mishra stepped down in August, Heptulla was removed as minority affairs minister in July 2016. Both were 76. Heptulla was later appointed Manipur governor in August that year.
Another BJP leader said enforcing the 75-year rule could be counterproductive in Karnataka where the party is faction-ridden and only Yeddyurappa has a statewide appeal.
Every rule is framed to achieve a target, the BJP leader said. Partys interest is above every rule, he added.
Yeddyurappa, a Lok Sabha MP from Shimoga, will contest the assembly election, said a person familiar with the current developments. He also said party chief Amit Shah has clearly told party leaders that no other parliamentarian, some of whom nurse chief ministerial ambition, will contest the assembly elections.
Industrialists have committed to investments worth Rs4.28 lakh crore in Uttar Pradesh in the recently concluded Uttar Pradesh Investors Summit. Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy (CMIE) data shows that this amount is almost five times the value of new investment projects announced in the state in five years ending 2016-17. Is Uttar Pradesh on the cusp of an economic turnaround under the present government? At least two reasons would justify caution in taking such claims at face value.
Not all MOUs translate into investments
State level investor summits such as the one held in Uttar Pradesh are not a new phenomenon. Many states organise these events regularly now. The Gujarati version Vibrant Gujarat which was started when Prime Minister Narendra Modi was the chief minister, is perhaps the most popular and big-ticket event among its peers.
The event played an important role in portraying Narendra Modi as a pro-business leader. Gujarat model of development was an important plank of the BJP in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections.
A Hindustan Times story by Prashant Jha has suggested that chief minister Yogi Adityanaths decision to hold an investor summit in the state might be straight from the Narendra Modi playbook in Gujarat.
A 2017 Mint story by Dipti Jain shows that the Vibrant Gujarat summit has been more about optics than actual investment. The stated value of investment declarations in Vibrant Gujarat Summit between 2003 and 2015 was 40% more than the states Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP) during this period. This is logically impossible as GSDP is the sum of consumption, investment (both public and private) and net exports. CMIE statistics show that the value of investment projects completed in Gujarat is just 25% of the value of total investment announcements during fiscal years of 2003 to 2016. Still, that isnt insignificant.
Announced investment projects not materialising is not a new thing in Uttar Pradesh. There was a large mismatch in new project announcements and completion of projects during second half of the last decade. Mayawati led Bahujan Samaj Party government was in power during this period.
Development challenge structural in nature
Uttar Pradesh is a part of BIMARU states, an acronym used for least developed regions in the country.
A 2016 Economic and Political Weekly paper by Ravi Srivastava and Rahul Ranjan provides a good summary of the states economic decline in the post-independence period. Per capita income in Uttar Pradesh was 97% of the national average in 1951. This came down to just over 40% by 2014-15, the paper shows.
The authors have also analysed the economic performance of Uttar Pradesh under various governments. The state has always lagged behind all-India performance except between 1980-81 and 1988-89, which was the last time the state was ruled by the Congress.This is also the only period when manufacturing registered a double digit growth in the state.
The paper also draws attention towards the regionally skewed nature of organised manufacturing in the state. Uttar Pradesh has been witnessing a concentration of organised manufacturing in the Western region since late 1980s.
In 1987-88 Eastern, Central and Bundelkhand regions of the state accounted for almost half of the total invested capital and total persons engaged in organised manufacturing. This had come down to around one-fourth by 2010-11.
Statistics from the fourth round of National Family and Health Survey (NFHS) confirm the prevalence of regional inequality in the state. Wealthiest households in the state are concentrated in the Western region, while the eastern half of the state has a greater share of poorer people. (Maps).
Uttar Pradesh also fares badly on the education front, which is among the most crucial factors for future development. NFHS statistics show that in 2015-16, Uttar Pradesh was ranked second from the bottom among 36 states and union territories in terms of share of population aged 6-17 years attending an educational institution. The number is 80.4% for Uttar Pradesh against the all-India average of 85%.
To be fair, the new government has inherited most of the economic problems which have been discussed above. Yogi Aditynath is still in his first year as the chief minister of the state. Given the size of UP, governance is an even bigger challenge. It would be unjust to pass any verdict on the development performance of the state government at this stage.
One thing can be said with a degree of certainty though. Any drastic turnaround in the states performance would require focus on serious work and accountability rather than mere optics.
The crackdown on use of unfair means in state board examinations has generated a lot of praise for the government. Compare this with the fact that a PRS legislative research report shows that the present government has reduced its 2017-18 education spending as a share of total budgetary spending by one percentage point from budget estimates (BE) to revised estimates (RE).
Even the BE figure was 1.6 percentage points less than the average of what 18 major states had promised to spend on education in their 2017-18 budget.
Given the poor education scenario in Uttar Pradesh, one would have expected better from a government which claims to be committed to development.
Andhra Pradesh chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu on Monday used the global investors summit platform to once again express his displeasure over the Centres failure to fulfil its commitments towards the southern state.
Speaking at a special plenary session of the CII Partnership Summit on the concluding day, Naidu said there was growing unrest and impatience among the people with the Centre not honouring its commitments made at the time of bifurcation of the state.
Ever since the combined state was divided (to carve out Telangana), the residuary Andhra Pradesh had been facing a lot of neglect from the Centre. Injustice was done to the state in all aspects, he said. What they committed, they are not giving, causing unrest among people.
Naidu, who was sharing the dais with spiritual leader Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, was expressing his views on the importance of patience.
His Telugu Desam Party is a part of the BJP-led ruling National Democratic Alliance but he has been upset over the alleged raw deal meted out to the state in the union budget.
Stating that he had been working hard to put the state on the global map, the chief minister said he had been facing a lot of problems in making a beginning from the scratch.
We have been fighting for our rights. There have been a lot of expectations from the people on our government and I have been making all out efforts to live up to the expectations, Naidu said.
The chief minister, who in the last few weeks has been hinting that his patience was running out, chose to speak out on the concluding day of the summit.
Naidu has been asking the Centre to fulfil all commitments made in Andhra Pradesh reorganisation act 2014.
Special financial package in lieu of special category status, creation of a railway zone and completion of the Polavaram irrigation project are the key demands of the TDP, which had even threatened to walk out of the NDA.
Indias foreign secretary Vijay Gokhale may meet his Pakistan counterpart Tehmina Janjua on the sidelines of a multilateral conference on Afghanistan in Kabul this week, officials in the ministry of external affairs said.
This meeting, if it materialises, would the first such contact between India and Pakistan since National Security Adviser Ajit Doval met his Pakistan counterpart on December 26, 2017 in Bangkok, a meeting the external affairs ministry acknowledged almost two weeks later.
It also comes in the wake of talks between Janjua and US Deputy Assistant to the President and National Security Council Senior Director for South and Central Asia Lisa Curtis in Islamabad on Monday.
Gokhale, who leaves for Kabul on Tuesday,will attend the Kabul conference in which 25 countries are participating the next day.
Incidently, India will appoint a new ambassador to Afghanistan soon, officials said. Vinay Kumar, who is currently joint secretary (South) in the external affairs ministry, has been picked for the post, these officials said.
Though it might not be a structured meeting, the very fact that the seniormost foreign ministry officials from the two countries could meet is significant in view of the frosty ties between the neighbours.
The terror attack on Pathankot airbase in January 2016, for which India blamed Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammed, scuppered prospects of a dialogue process that two sides had discussed in December 2015. However, the national security advisers of the countries have kept their channels of communication open. The Kabul Process meeting Gokhale is attending is an Afghan-government-led initiative with stakeholders to find lasting peace in the war-torn country, including the contours of engaging with Taliban outfits. This is the second such meeting of the Kabul Process.
We support the National Unity Government in its efforts to find lasting peace in that country and India is part of the both regional and international initiatives to maintain peace and stability in Afghanistan, said an Indian official in Delhi. Indian officials hope the conference would help countries also realise the support terrorist groups are getting from the neighbourhood that keeps both Afghanistan and the region unstable, in a reference to Pakistan.
India and Pakistan are exploring the possibility of breaking the ice through a humanitarian initiative involving the exchange of elderly, mentally challenged and female prisoners.
Officials familiar with the development said even as the two neighbours engaged in a war of words on terrorism and ceasefire violations, officials in New Delhi recently handed a list of Pakistani prisoners fulfilling the aforementioned criteria to their Islamabad counterparts.
Also under consideration is the revival of Indian and Pakistani joint judicial committees on prisoners that were established in 2008 but eventually became defunct. But officials refused to accord any time frame for these potential initiatives, given the fragile nature of bilateral ties.
The issue of the elderly, mentally challenged and female prisoners languishing in jails was first discussed when Pakistan envoy Sohail Mahmood met external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj in October 2017. The issue cropped up again in a subsequent meeting between the two.
There was this feeling that while there is no change in the stated positions on key issues and no possibility of a structured dialogue process is likely to begin anytime soon, the two sides could look at making progress on possible humanitarian issues, said an official. He said the issue of exchanging certain prisoners languishing in jail long after serving their term is something both sides can work on.
However, another Indian official said it was too early to get ones hopes high. Discussing an issue and having a concrete proposal are two very different things. When it comes to the India-Pakistan relationship, nothing happens until it has happened, he quipped.
The possibility of a structured dialogue on Pakistan-sponsored terrorism and ceasefire violations remains dim, with India maintaining that talks and terror cannot go together. However, channels of communication between the national security advisors of the two countries remain open.
Although both the sides occasionally release prisoners, including fishermen who inadvertently trespass into foreign waters, this issue also begs a permanent and systemic solution. According to data provided by the Centre, as many as 341 Indian fishermen and 63 Indian civilian prisoners continue to languish in Pakistans custody. However, as per the lists exchanged between the two governments on January 1, Pakistan claims custody of just 253 fishermen and 58 civilian prisoners in its jails.
The prisoner issue remains a grey area. The Indian and Pakistani joint judicial committees used to visit prisons on both sides of the border, but they are defunct now, another official said.
Youth Congress workers demanding a CBI probe into the murder of fellow worker Shuhaib clashed with the police outside the Kerala secretariat on Monday while his family threatened to go on fast after the Left Front government refused order a probe by the central agency.
Shuhaib, Youth Congress block secretary in Matanoor, was stabbed to death allegedly by CPI(M) workers two weeks ago in Kannur district. Initially, the government was willing for a CBI probe but later backtracked angering the victims family.
We lost faith in the state police. So we want a central agency to probe my sons killing. We would like to know why they killed him brutally over a minor issue in the local school. We will start a fast soon, said his father VP Mohamed. Shuhaibs two sisters also said they would go to any extent for a central agency probe.
Chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan while replying to an adjournment motion in the state assembly condemned the killing and said the police investigation was on the right track and there was no need for the CBI probe.
Five people were arrested and the police are about to crack the case, he said while rejecting the oppositions demand.
However, the opposition Congress said the government wanted to protect party leaders who were directly involved in the murder so it was scared of a central agency probe.
The House witnessed uproarious scenes over the murder. Opposition members came to the House wearing black badges and carrying photographs of the mutilated body of Shuhaib. They stormed the well of the House and placed a banner in front of Speaker Sreeramkrishnans chair. The Speaker later adjourned the house after proceedings were disrupted.
Many activists of the Youth Congress and policemen were injured when a rally of Youth Congress workers outside the state secretariat turned violent. Congress leader K Sudhakaran, former MP from Kannur has been on a fast for eight days in Kannur, said, The government wants to protect party leaders in Kannur who hatched the murder. He said he will move the High Court for a CBI probe.
King of Jordan Abdullah II bin Al-Hussein, accompanied by a business delegation, will come on a three-day visit to India starting on Tuesday, the external affairs ministry announced on Monday.
This will be his second visit to India after his visit along with Queen Rania in 2006.
According to an external affairs ministry statement, King Abdullah will hold talks with Prime Minister Narendra during the course of which the two sides will discuss the entire gamut of bilateral relations as well as regional and international issues of mutual interest.
The two sides are expected to sign a number of memorandums of understanding (MoUs) and agreements in diverse areas of bilateral cooperation.
President Ram Nath Kovind will host a banquet in honour of King Abdullah while Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu and external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj will call on the visiting dignitary.
On Wednesday, the King will visit IIT Delhi to explore collaboration with Jordan technical institutes.
During the day, the King will also participate in a CEO round-table followed by India-Jordan Business Forum jointly organised by industry bodies FICCI, CII and Assocham.
India-Jordan trade stood at $1.35 billion in 2016-17, according to figures provided by the external affairs ministry.
On Thursday, the King will deliver a special address on Promoting Understanding and Moderation, organised by the India Islamic Centre at Vigyan Bhawan.
Earlier this month, King Abdullah hosted Modi at his residence in Amman. Jordan had facilitated Modis transit to Palestine in what was the first ever prime ministerial visit from India to that West Asian nation.
Separatist leaders in Kashmir on Monday called for an end to the hostility between India and Pakistan along the Line of Control (LoC), even as around 1,000 people continue to reside in rehabilitation camps in Uri after fleeing their villages due to the continuous shelling from the Pakistani side last week.
After intense shelling and firing on Saturday, the guns have been silent on Sunday and Monday. But villagers are still scared to return to their homes, fearing a resumption of the firing.
In a statement, Syed Ali Shah Geelani chief of the hardline Hurriyat faction expressed serious concern over the escalation of tensions between India and Pakistan due to the rising incidents of cross-line of control firing.
Geelani has sought UN intervention in addressing the Kashmir issue, saying it is the main reason for prevailing tensions along border.
In an another statement, the moderate faction of the Hurriyat headed by Mirwaiz Umar Farooq said the escalation of violence has caused loss of innocent lives and property on both sides and has forced thousands of people living near the borders to leave their home and hearth and migrate to some safer place.
It stressed upon the urgent need to restore dialogue and channels of communication between... India and Pakistan.
There is no other way to resolution of issues between the two neighbours except through deliberations and dialogue, the statement further stated.
The opposition parties on Monday boycotted Governor C Vidyasagar Raos joint address to the Maharashtra legislature on the opening day of its budget session, as they could not listen to the Marathi translation of his speech.
The angry opposition members then walked out of the central Hall in protest.
Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis later apologised over the incident and demanded strict action against those responsible for the lapse.
As soon as the governor started his address in English, the members put on their headphones but could not listen to the Marathi translation due to technical glitches.
The opposition members were seen complaining that they were unable to hear the Marathi translation of the governors speech.
They then shouted slogans, charging the government with insulting the Marathi language.
Even BJP members Ashish Shelar and Raj Purohit were seen objecting to the absence of the Marathi translation of the governors address. They were joined by the Shiv Sena legislators as well.
State Education Minister Vinod Tawde, who is also in-charge of the Marathi language department, then went to the translation room and read out the Marathi translation of the governors address.
As the opposition members were still shouting slogans, Fadnavis and Purohit told them that the translation of the speech could now be heard.
But the opposition members were in no mood to listen and staged a walkout.
Later, when the Assembly convened for the month-long budget session, leader of opposition Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil condemned the insult to the Marathi language.
He demanded that the responsibility be fixed and action taken against those responsible for the glaring lapse.
Taking a dig at the Shiv Sena, he said the members of the party quietly sat through, despite the insult to the Marathi language.
The Centre has already declined to grant abhijat (classical) language status to Marathi and now the language is being insulted in such a manner, he alleged.
Fadnavis condemned the incident as well.
This is serious and condemnable. I demand strict action against those responsible for this lapse. Even though this is in the legislatures domain, on behalf of the government, I apologise, he said.
Speaker Haribhau Bagde said the matter would be investigated and action would be taken accordingly.
Congress leader Prithviraj Chavan said the chief minister could not wash his hands off the incident saying the matter was in the legislatures domain.
The parliamentary affairs minister should take the responsibility, he said.
In his 40-minute speech, Rao said the government had a vision to catapult the state into a one trillion dollar economy by 2025.
This will be achieved by accelerating the growth in sectors such as agriculture, textile and tourism, he added.
Later, senior NCP MLA Ajit Pawar told reporters outside the House that when the governor started his address, he had put on his headphones to listen to the Marathi translation.
I waited for 10-15 minutes but all I could hear was the speech in English. There was no one to translate it.
We walked out of the house in protest. This is unacceptable that the Maharashtra government is insulting the 12 crore Marathi people, he said.
Pawar wondered why the Shiv Sena members remained silent and did not protest the insult to the Marathi language.
I saw some Shiv Sena legislators standing in protest but they later sat down. The party always talks about Shivaji Maharaj and Marathi manoos (Marathi people), but today they kept silent on the insult of Marathi language, he said.
Leader of opposition in the state legislative council, Dhananjay Munde claimed that the governors speech was heard in Gujarati, instead of Marathi.
The speech was heard in Gujarati and not in Marathi. The governments approach towards the Marathi language is disappointing, he said.
BJP president Amit Shah on Monday took on Congress chief Rahul Gandhi for his attacks on the prime minister over the PNB scam, saying no other government had acted as promptly and taken stringent action against frauds as the Narendra Modi government has.
Shah also hit out at the Siddaramaiah government, accusing it of following three Ds dhokha (cheating), dadagiri (goondaism) and dynastic politics.
The BJP chief said the Enforcement Directorate and the CBI have taken prompt action in the case.
There has been no government other than Modijis government that has taken prompt and most stringent of actions against any frauds committed in the past, Shah told reporters here.
His reply came when he was asked about Gandhis remarks against Modi in the multi-crore PNB fraud case.
At public rallies at Bijapur and Bagalkot districts in north Karnataka, Gandhi had been targeting Modi on corruption, asking as to why the PM, who describes himself as the countrys chowkidar (watchman), was silent on the bank fraud involving jewellers Nirav Modi and his uncle Mehul Choksi.
Shah said, The ED has already taken action (filed a case under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act). Prior to it, the CBI had registered an FIR earlier this month.
The ED had also conducted raids on the properties of Nirav and seized jewellery and some shares besides freezing his bank accounts, Shah said.
In his opening remarks, Shah claimed that the BJP was certain to form the next government in Karnataka because the Siddaramaiah administration has failed on all fronts including checking corruption and by meting out injustice to temples and religious institutions.
Corruption and Siddaramaiah government have become synonymous, he alleged.
Moreover, the people of the state were angered over the Siddaramaiah governments nefarious intentions of dividing a community by according separate religion status, Shah said.
If the BJP is voted to power, we will repeal the proposal (to give separate religion status to Lingayats), he said.
Lingayats/Veerashaivas form a major and influential community in Karnataka, sections of which are seeking a separate religious tag.
The Siddaramaiah government is being accused of trying to divide the community by forming a panel to make a recommendation on the issue to the Centre.
The Siddaramaiah goverment has been cheating the people of the state by not fulfilling its promises. The people of Hyderabad-Karnataka region are saying they have not seen such goonda government and thirdly, are unhappy with the rule of two families in this part of the state, he said.
If anyone wants to see the governance of the Congress, then go to the constituency of Kharge sahab, Shah said.
The dynastic politics jibe was apparently a reference to Congress leader in Lok Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge from Kalaburagi, whose son Priyank Kharge is a state minister.
The BJP chief said he received feedback from party workers that there was too much of backwardness. There is no such backwardness in any place of Karnataka, but in Kharge sahabs own constituency, he said.
Shah said after winning the election, the very first thing that the BJP government would do is to restart the local sugar mills, which are closed at the moment.
Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Monday urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to convene a meeting of the Karnataka, Goa and Maharashtra chief ministers on the Mahadayi issue and ensure drinking water for the Mumbai-Karnataka region.
The three states are embroiled in a dispute regarding the diversion of water from the Mahadayi river, and the matter is currently being heard by the Mahadayi Water Dispute Tribunal. The bench has said it will not oppose an out-of-court settlement if the three states happen to reach one.
Addressing a rally here on the final day of the second leg of his Janashirvada Yatra, Gandhi accused the Prime Minister of making excuses wherever he goes. Bring all the three chief ministers together and find a solution to the Mahadayi issue. Dont make excuses. Its a drinking water problem, please solve this soon, he said.
The Mumbai-Karnataka region accounts for 50 of the 224 seats in the Karnataka assembly.
The Congress president claimed that despite schemes like Make in India being launched with much fanfare, commodities continue to bear the Made in China stamp. My dream is that five years from now, phones will be made in India with Made in Karnataka written on them, Gandhi said. He quipped that while this was a difficult task, it can certainly not be done through empty promises such as Modis assurance of generating 20 million jobs a year.
Millions of youth migrate from rural to urban areas every day in search of jobs, Gandhi said. Theyre not asking for a gift; they want to take this country ahead. Its their right... But Modi can give only 450 jobs a day, even with 56-inch chest.
The Congress president also attacked the Prime Minister on corruption, accusing him of keeping mum while diamond businessman Nirav Modi fled the country and BJP president Amit Shahs son Jay amassed huge profits post-demonetisation.
Chief minister Siddaramaiah also upped the ante against the BJP, charging it with lying to the people about Goa chief minister Manohar Parrikars willingness to divert 7.56 tmcft of Mahadayi water to the region. Referring to a letter written by Parrikar to former Karnataka chief minister BS Yeddyurappa in this regard, Siddaramaiah said it was odd that the latter hasnt moved forward on the proposal. This only shows that theyre trying to deceive you, he claimed. As the Supreme Court made it clear that providing drinking water is a priority (in its verdict on the Cauvery dispute), I urge the Prime Minister to intervene in the matter. Let the BJP leaders from this state ask him to intervene.
But Muralidhar Rao, BJP general secretary in charge of Karnataka, accused Gandhi of indulging in doublespeak. His own party in Goa is opposing the sharing of water. It is a prerequisite for Rahul Gandhi to say the same thing in Goa before making such a demand from the Prime Minister, he said.
Sridevi, Bollywoods top actress of the 1980s and 90s and Indias first modern female superstar, passed away in Dubai. Two policemen were killed in a militant attack near Charar-e-Sharief shrine in Jammu and Kashmir. These stories made news on Sunday. Here is more about them.
Sridevi, Indias first female superstar, dies in Dubai
Sridevi, Bollywoods leading lady of the 1980s and 90s who redefined stardom for actresses in India, died at age 54 in Dubai. She was known for her comic timing and her dancing skills and acted in more than 250 movies. Political leaders and entertainers posted condolences and recollections of her work, with many colleagues and fans expressing shock at her sudden death.
New India will have strong and empowered women: PM Modi
Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the country was moving from womens development to women-led development. He emphasised that the dream of a New India was where women were empowered, strong and an equal partner in the nations overall development. In his monthly radio address Mann Ki Baat, he said technologies like artificial intelligence must ensure the welfare of famers and the poor.
Policemen killed in militant attack in Kashmir shrine
Militants shot dead two policemen in two separate incidents in Jammu and Kashmir on Sunday. One of them was killed outside the historic Chrar-e-Sharif shrine in central Kashmirs Budgam district. A video being shared on social media apparently shows Constable Kultar Singh Singh fallen and bleeding, saying to the man holding the camera that he was shot twice and two men had snatched his rifle. Constable Farooq Ahmed Yatoo was killed when militants fired on him in Soura locality of Srinagar, officials said.
Misa Bhartis Delhi farmhouse a money laundering asset: Govt agency
A farmhouse owned by Misa Bharti, daughter of former Bihar chief minister Lalu Prasad, and her husband Shailesh Kumar is involved in money laundering and will continue to be seized by the Enforcement Directorate, a government agency on preventing money laundering has ruled.
China paves way for Xi Jinping to extend rule beyond 2 terms
Chinas ruling Communist Party has proposed scrapping term limits for the countrys president, appearing to lay the groundwork for party leader Xi Jinping to rule as president beyond 2023. Xi, 64, cemented his status as the most powerful Chinese leader since Mao in the 1970s at last years twice-a-decade Communist Party congress, where his name and a political theory attributed to him were added to the party constitution as he was given a second five-year term as general secretary.
MP student attempts suicide after BJP leader humiliates father
A college student in Madhya Pradeshs Jabalpur city tried to kill herself by drinking poison after videos of her father being abused and humiliated, allegedly by a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader and his supporters, were posted on social media. Mohammad Shafi, the BJPs minority cell president in Jabalpur, said his supporters were playing a joke on the man.
Winter Olympics end; North Korea offers talks with the US
The overtly political 2018 Winter Olympics closed very much as they began, with athletes marching exuberantly across the world stage as three nations with decades of war and suspicion among them shared a VIP box. Senior North Korean official Kim Yong Chol, South Korean President Moon Jae-in and US presidential adviser and first daughter Ivanka Trump sat in two rows of seats behind the Olympic rings, meant to represent a competition of peace and international unity.
CBI registers Rs 109-crore loan default case against Simbhaoli Sugars CEO, MD
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Sunday registered a case against Simbhaoli Sugars Ltd and its top executives for causing a loss of Rs 109 crore to state-owned Oriental Bank of Commerce (OBC).
Nokia 8110 slider phone is back; Samsung unveils Galaxy S9
HMD Global has revived its slider phone Nokia 8110 which was launched back in 1998 at the Mobile World Congress. The new Nokia 8110 is a 4G feature phone carrying a price tag of 79 which is about Rs 6,300. It will be available globally starting May. Samsung unveiled smartphones with largely unchanged designs and incremental improvements such as a better camera accompanied by a second annual price increase for many customers.
The administration on Monday relocated 86 elderly inmates of the St Josephs Hospice, a home for the dying, in Kancheepuram following complaints by locals of ill-treatment of inmates and reports of expiry of the homes license to operate.
Villagers surrounding the hospice, located at Salavakkam in Chennais neighbouring Chengalpattu district, have been protesting against the facility since Tuesday last week when an old woman and a man were found being transported in a van along with the dead body of another old man. Passers-by reportedly heard the woman wailing in the van, stopped the vehicle and discovered the two elders.
The woman was identified as Annamalai and the man as Selvaraj, both 71. The body was identified as that of Vijayakumar.
The driver of the van had fled, but soon villagers gathered and began protesting against the hospice, levelling allegations of organ harvesting at the facility.
The hospice, which calls itself a Home for Dying Destitute, was founded in 2011 by Father RV Thomas, a pastor.
Locals allege that elders are brought to the hospice from different places and beaten up. When people died, they were not cremated or buried. Instead the bodies are shoved into rectangular blocks fixed in the walls.
On Monday, the revenue divisional officer of Kancheepuram, Raju, who was part of the team that investigated the hospice said, today we inspected the facility and identified 86 inmates who were relatively healthy and were wanting to shift out of the home. They are being shifted to nearby orphanage.
Tomorrow (Tuesday), we will again visit the place along with a team of doctors to check on the health of the 255 other inmates housed there, Raju said.
He said investigations were going to look into the allegations of villagers.
Vehicles used in illegal transport of bovines will be seized and the accused arrested under new amendments in a state law, the Rajasthan government said Monday.
The government has approved the amendment in the Rajasthan Bovine Animal (Prohibition of slaughter and Regulation of Temporary Migration or Export) Act, 1995 to add a section 6 (A) under which vehicles used in illegal transport of bovines would be seized, parliamentary affairs minister Rajendra Rathore said.
This amendment will not apply in cases of illegal transportation of buffaloes.
The bill proposing the changes will now go before the state assembly.
The vehicles used in illegal transport of animals will be seized similar to the action taken under the Excise Act. Also, appropriate authority will be able to arrest offenders after amendment in the Act, Rathore said, adding that buffalo and its progeny were excluded from the definition of bovine animals after directions from the Centre.
The cabinet also decided to amend the Rajasthan State Other Backward Categories list. All the persons of Nagarchi, Damami, Rana and Bayati (Barot) castes would be able to get state OBC certificates and the Dholi caste persons, who put Nagarchi, Damami, Rana and Bayati (Barot) names as their sub-castes, would get Scheduled Caste certificates. Also, the OBC list a sub-caste Devasi would also be included with Raika, Rebari and Debasi.
The cabinet also decided to give 5% relaxation to the SC and ST candidates in minimum score of marks at two stages of the Clerk Grade II and Stenographers recruitment examination. The service rules of different cadres of clerks will be amended to implement this.
It was mandatory to score 40 per cent and 36 per cent marks in the phase-1 and 2 of the direct recruitment examination of grade-2 clerk and stenographer. With the amendment, five per cent relaxation will be given in the minimum eligibility marks, the minister said.
He said that as per the amendments, 50% of total posts of Jamadaar Grade II in the Rajasthan State Excise Subordinate Services would be filled through promotions 50% and 50% through direct recruitment.
Rathore said Adarsh Vidya Mandir, Bhartiya Shiksha Prasar Samiti in Ajmer has been given 8 acres of land in Pushkar on 5% of the reserved price for educational use. Similarly, Rajpurohit Chatravas Vikas Samiti Jodhpur has given 0.49 acre land in Sirsi village in Jaipur district at 5% of residential reserve price prevailing in October 2013. He said decision has been taken to allot land on reserved price prevailing in 2013 in 12 cases of various communities.
Rathore said to ensure quality technical education in Rajasthan, universities have been set up at Kota and Bikaner. He said appointment of vice chancellors will be done as the guidelines of UGC and the vice chancellor will be appointed by the state government.
Rathore said that all posts of constables in excise subordinate service would now be filled through direct recruitment, while 75 % posts of driver to be filled by direct recruitment and 25% by promotion, he added. He said that it was further decided to have 12.5% ex-servicemen quota in direct recruitment for this service. The cabinet also approved the provision of standards for physical fitness and skill tests for these posts while the earlier provisions of interview was set aside.
The RAK marg on Thursday arrested a 25-year-old drug addict from Nagpada for the alleged theft of six mobile phones, collectively worth Rs1.55 lakh.
The accused has remanded in police custody till Tuesday.The arrested accused has been identified as Noor Alam Kurban Ali Ansari, 25, a resident of Nagpada.
The phones have not yet been recovered by the police. The complainant, Harish Deepak Bobade, 29, is a resident of Spring mill compound, Ambedkar Marg, Mumbai.
Bobade had claimed that he and his friends were asleep when the accused broke in to his house and stole the mobile phones. While the robbery took place on January 18, the complainant approached the police station just last week.
The police scanned the CCTV footage in the area. They were able to identify Ansari with the help of a local informant.
Sambhaji Kamble, police sub-inspector, RAK marg police station, who is investigating the case, said, The accused has claimed that he has handed over the phones to a friend, but refuses to reveal any more details.
According to Kamble, Ansari is a history-sheeter and more than two similar cases have been registered against him in the past. We are verifying the facts and gathering evidence to recover the phones, added Kamble.
As the Devendra Fadnavis-led Maharashtra government heads into the five-week-long budget session of the state legislature, a look at five big issues that it will have to tackle in the days ahead :
The farm loan waiver
The Opposition is likely to take the governments case over the implementation of its loan waiver scheme, pointing out the issue of technical glitches and the slow, delayed handout of the waiver. The Opposition will not let go of the fact that the waiver has not reached enough beneficiaries , and also that several eligible candidates have been left out of its ambit.
Farmers suicides and agrarian crisis
The increasing discontent among farmers because to crises such as massive pest attacks on cotton, unseasonal rain, hailstorms and the falling price of agricultural produce give the Opposition sufficient ammunition to paint the ruling government as anti-farmer. The Congress and the NCP are likely the point out that the number of farmer suicides during the past three years of the BJP regime is far more than the earlier three years when they were in power. The recent suicide of a farmer, Dharma Patil, just outside the state secretariat gives the Opposition a ready bat to strike the government.
Kamala Mills fire
The Opposition will take up the issue of the Kamala Mills fire in Mumbai, which claimed 19 lives in December 2017, to highlight the irregularities in sanctioning approvals for eateries and bars across the city. The incident can be used to expose the Mumbai civic bodys poor monitoring mechanism, and the overall chaos in urban planning in the cities.
Magnetic Maharashtra and Make in Maharashtra
The Opposition will demand a white paper on the recently concluded global investors summit in Mumbai, Magnetic Maharashtra, held to attract investments. The Opposition has already been claiming that figures touted after such summits are fake, and that the government has failed to deliver on promises such as jobs to the youth and promoting home-grown industries and the service sector.
Allegations of corruption
Political parties will rake up scams and allegations of corruption against ministers. Tourism minister Jaykumar Rawal is likely to be targeted over alleged land deals undertaken in his home constituency. Opposition parties will also take on the government for rehabilitating bureaucrats such as Radheshyam Mopalwar, against whom there were charges of corruption.
The Opposition will also demand a verdict in the earlier inquiries announced in the last session against housing minister Prakash Mehta and industries minister Subhash Desai.
The state legislatures budget session began with a row on Monday, as the Opposition staged a walkout for not getting a Marathi translation of the governors address on their headphones. Governor Ch Vidyasagar Rao addressed a joint session of members from both Houses in English.
Soon after the governor began his speech in the central hall, members of the Opposition started complaining that they were not getting a Marathi translation of his speech on their headphones. By the time school education minister Vinod Tawde rushed to the translation room and started reading the Marathi version of the speech, the Opposition had staged a walkout, condemning the goof-up.
The state legislature secretariat failed to make appropriate arrangements, despite directives from Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis himself, who later apologised for the mistake and said that the government would hold an inquiry into the issue.
In his speech, Rao talked about the BJP-led governments various initiatives and schemes across sectors, and expressed satisfaction over the disbursement of loan waiver to farmers.
The government has prioritised the completion of irrigation projects, he said, adding that another 5.56 lakh hectares of land would get irrigated once the ongoing projects are completed over the next two years.
The state has completed building more than three lakh km of roads, of the targeted length of 3.37 km under the Road Development Plan 2001-21. We have also converted 15,404 km of state highways into national highways, the governor said in a speech that lasted for more than 40 minutes. To facilitate faster construction of the Mumbai-Nagpur highway, it is being implemented through a special purpose vehicle, he said, claiming that it was gratifying to know that farmers were coming forward willingly to give away their land for the project.
Rao also touched upon the construction of an equestrian statue in the Arabian sea, for which the process of awarding the contract was in the final stages.
A major fire broke out in Thanes Sainath Nagar Chawl on Monday morning after a gas cylinder exploded. Ten hutments were destroyed in the blaze, but there were no casualties.
The blast took place around 11am in Gandhi Nagar area, which has a cluster of more than 1,000 illegal slums.
Thanes Regional Disaster Management Cell (RDMC) reached the spot with four fire engines, one rescue team and one water tanker. The fire was doused within an hour.
The blast was powerful and damaged three other cylinders, which started leaking gas. The fire was brought under control soon; if it had spread, it could have led to a huge disaster, said Santosh Kadam, in charge of the RDMC.
It was difficult for the fire engines to enter the chawl because of lack of space, so we carried out the rescue operation from the opposite side, he added.
Two men, who had supplied drugs to Bollywood actor Fardeen Khan in 2011, were acquitted for the want of evidence on Monday by the special court that hears cases under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act. The accused, Nasir Shaikh and Tony Ghomes, were booked for supplying drugs to the actor.
Shaikh was arrested by the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) while he was selling 1 gram of cocaine to Khan outside an ATM on Juhu-Tara Road on May 5, 2001. He had got 15 grams of cocaine from Ghomes and was delivering 1 gram to Khan.
Khan, too, was arrested and on the basis of his statement, Shaikh was booked. Shaikh, during questioning, had spilled the beans on Ghomes.
Khan was initially charged for attempting to purchase a small quantity of drug and was booked under Sec 21(a) (Punishment for contravention involving small quantity) and Sec 28(c) (attempt to commit an offence) of NDPS Act. The special court had granted the actor immunity from prosecution in February 2012 after he went through a de-addiction process. However, the trial against the two peddlers was still being heard.
Shaikh was represented by advocates Taraq Sayyed and Sachin Shirke, while Ghomes was represented by advocate Shekhar Bhandari. The defence lawyers contended that the prosecution had failed to bring important witnesses before the court. The prosecution had only examined officers and investigating officers, who were part of the NCB at the time when the accused were arrested.
On one of the instances, the defence had contended, that the prosecution had relied on chemical analysis that proved the substance recovered from the accused was cocaine, but the chemical analyser and expert were not examined.
There were no independent witness examined to prove that the accused were found in possession of drugs or they had dealt in buying and selling of cocaine, said Bhandari.
Her competitors and colleagues might attract the flashbulbs with their Bollywood showstoppers and their flamboyant OTT personalities, but Anita Dongre has proved once again that real success is measured by allowing ones work to speak for itself and avoiding needless hype and theatrics. This week, once again, the introverted Sindhi alumni from SNDTs fashion school, made headlines when Sophie Trudeau, wife of the Canadian PM, donned one of her outfits on the couples visit to India. This is the third time in recent years when Dongres creations made international headlines, having dressed The Duchess of Cambridge Kate Middleton and Queen Mathilde of Belgium on earlier occasions. It makes me tremendously happy when global dignitaries choose to wear us, she said, when we spoke to her about her hat-trick. Not only is it deeply gratifying, but it also gives us an opportunity to showcase our designs to a much larger global audience. Those who know her know that despite Dongres international success and the fact that along with Sabyasachi and Manish Malhotra, she is counted among the top three labels in India her heart lies with the village craftsmen and artisans of the country. This picture of her on a trip to Barmer, Rajasthan, last year, interacting with women artisans captures that. The healthy meal of bajra grown by the family and the freshly picked ker from the tree in the courtyard made in home produced ghee was the most delicious lunch ever, she recalls of that day. But theres no getting away from the corridors of corporate power. This Friday will see her rub shoulders with Reema Nanavaty (SEWA); Shilpa Sharma (Jaypore); and Sophie Trudeau in the Capital, when she has been invited to speak on womens economic empowerment in fashion, culture. The bajra and ker will have to wait.
Tweet nothings
The key question no one is asking: was his bank account linked to his Aadhaar card?
- Meme doing the rounds on you know who
WTSWTM
What They Say Playing a role is like wearing a new pair of shoes. - Priyanka Chopra in a recent interview to Jitesh Pillai
What They Mean And many of us have feet of clay.
A Candle for Aga
From the outpouring of grief following the tragic death of Naozer Aga, the 76-year-old Mumbai-based businessman who died in a road accident this weekend while riding his Kawasaki Ninja ZX10R on the old Mumbai-Pune highway, it is clear that the city has lost one of its cherished sons, someone who gave it its unique character. Friends describe the alumnus of St Marys School and St Xaviers Colleges keen sense of humour, his passion for the road and his knowledge of motorbikes and automobiles. His funeral held at the Worli crematorium was a widely attended one, marked with dignity and sadness. He was riding on the old Mumbai-Pune highway, a route he was very familiar with as he rode there on most Sundays, said a friend on assurance of anonymity. He hit a newly installed and unmarked speed breaker and lost control. There had been no warning sign to alert people about it. By the time the news had reached the city, the outrage over the avoidable tragedy was growing. Life is cheap in India. Around 13,000 people die every year in road accidents alone in Maharashtra, said another friend. The shocking thing is that not only are the authorities trying to deny that the speed breaker was unmarked, but that when they reached the spot, his family actually saw people trying to paint it, after the accident. God speed Naozer Aga. We are sure the roads are more inspiring where you are now.
Its website describes it as the premier leadership organisation of chief executives in the world, with 25,000 members in more than 130 countries, who generate approximately US$6 trillion in annual revenues.And its Indian roster boasts some of India Incs most-famous names, but you will hardly hear of its inner workings or read its name in the papers; and thats because its members and its sister organisations are expected to maintain an omerta-like silence about the organisation and its workings.
After all, to qualify as a member, a businessman has to meet its exacting standards, not only of turnover and balance sheets, but also of social status and conduct, and once in, is afforded an almost unprecedented opportunity to schmooze with the fattest of cats, making it one of the ultimate clubs to join for an ambitious jeweller from Antwerp whod recently relocated to Mumbai with his New York-born wife.
Which is why, the fact that beleaguered jeweller Nirav Modi along with his wife Ami, who had been an active and prominent member of the clubs Mumbai chapter, have been reaching out to his erstwhile fellow members for solace in their time of need this past week is not surprising. After all, one of the tenets of its membership is said to be the undertaking to come to the aid of a fellow member in his time of need.
What is surprising is that in Modis case, his calls are said to be going unanswered. In fact it is said that one of the top executives of the countrys biggest corporations, himself a relative of a powerful family whod once, along with his wife, been close buddies with the Modi couple, is said to have refused to take the jewellers incessant calls for help over the past few days. Do not call me again like this please, you will only drag me in to the trouble, is the message he is said to have conveyed. A transgression by the clubs rules? Not quite. Apparently, in one of its rare instances of blackballing, (less than a handful of members have been dropped during its decades in India). Modis membership had been revoked last year, insiders inform. Something about him did not appear kosher and the decision was taken to ask him to leave, one master of the universe was overheard saying this week.
A pity; if this information had been more public, the larger interest would have been better served and less monies would have been lost.
Mumbais last strand?
For those of us old enough to remember the exact day when the Kala Ghoda jumped off its perch at Rampart Row and galloped off into the sunset, news of the imminent closure of the much-loved city institution, The Strand book stall, at Fort, comes as one more nail in Old Bombays coffin. After all, along with the Rang Bhavan and Cafe Samovar (declaration of interest, it belonged to our mother) and Rhythm Houses fading gently into the night, the book shop takes with it a generations collective memories.
And what are the equivalent landmarks for the citys current generation of hipsters?
We see them in their trendy coffee shops and malls, their spanking new multiplexes and their spiffy style miles, forming new associations and memories as they go about their daily lives. Will their ultimate closure evoke the same emotions too at some later date?
We cannot tell, but we do hope so.
Goa, goan , gone
Thank you Mumbai, you have been more than kind and generous. Its time for my Goan sardar avatar, posted advertising and fashion maven and one-time head of IMG Indias Fashion Week, Anjana Sharma, before loading her car with her bag, baggage and belongings to drive off to relocate in the sunny state this week. We caught up with the feisty singleton, as she sipped her first cup of tea on her balcony, on her first day in a gated community in the south of Goa. Though Sharmas opting out of the urban rat race and relocating to Goas more salubrious easy-breezy climes appears to be unconventional and trailblazing, it is not. She is one among the hundreds of city slickers who have embraced the saudade ways of Gods own country. Ever since the 1970s, when the likes of Shashi and Jennifer Kapoor followed by Frank and Gita Simoes and Bal Mundkur found their place in Goas sun, there has been a steady trail of settlers from Mumbai following suit. I woke up one day last year in my house in Bombay and just knew I was done. I had bought my dream home in Goa by 50, so why was I not living my dream? I also knew that I needed to work. So with single-minded focus I started exploring work options in Goa. So here I am, great job in hand, ready to write the next chapter. Bombay will always be special, but I feel it has lost its soul, she said.
Anjana Sharma and a view of the Mumbai skyline from her erstwhile home.
She neednt have, though. This picture, which she shot of her last morning in Mumbai with its tepid skies and bleak skyline-says
A 30-year-old man was arrested on Monday for attacking his wife with a blade near Mankhurd railway station.
The accused Vijay Ingale, allegedly attacked her as he suspected his wife, Shubhangi Ingale, 27, of having an extra-marital affair.
Shubhangi is under treatment for injuries inflicted on her neck and back, said Sanjay Vernekar, senior police inspector, Mankhurd police station.
Police said the incident occurred at 7.15am when Shubhangi left for work.
Shubhangi works in a public sector banks Vashi branch as a cleaner.
Vijay is employed in the electric division of a telecom company.
The accused was constantly torturing his wife. She had been staying at Sathe Nagar in Mankhurd with her parents and was not ready to stay with Vijay, said Shahji Umap, deputy commissioner of police, zone 6.
The police has registered a case under section 307 (murder) of the Indian Penal Code .
The MIDC police on Saturday arrested a 35-year-old man from Bangalore after he allegedly made a fake Facebook profile of his ex-girlfriend and sent objectionable photos of the two of them to her husband.
The photos had been taken on the womans birthday when she had been in a relationship with the accused.
The woman, a 32-year-old from Mumbai, had met the accused two years ago when they worked together in a private firm in Bangalore.
After the woman refused the accuseds marriage proposal, he threatened to defame her on social media.
She ignored his threats and moved back to Mumbai, where she got married and moved in with her husband in Andheri.
Earlier this year, her husband received her photographs with the accused through a fake profile, posing as his wife, on Facebook.
The woman and her husband approached the MIDC police station last month.
They lodged a first information report (FIR) under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and Information Technology (IT) Act.
Based on the womans suspicion, the MIDC police verified the complaint and ascertained that the suspect had committed the crime.
The accused was traced in Bangalore last week. Senior police inspector Shailesh Pasalvar, MIDC police station, confirmed the developments. He added that the accused has been remanded in police custody for two days for further probe.
With the Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST) panels nod, the city is all set to get 40 smaller or midi electric buses.
The panel approved the plan under a scheme of the department of heavy industries, subject to directive of a court, where unions have challenged the panels decision of hiring 450 buses, including 200 mini AC buses, on wet lease.
The transport authority will get the buses from Goldstone Infrastructure Limited, which has supplied four such buses, each costing around Rs1.61 crore, in the past. The contract is worth Rs73 crore and BEST will get these buses on wet lease (where the contractor will take care of the expenses of the driver, fuel and maintenance) for seven years. We will send the work order to the Centre before February 28, after which they will disburse the money, said Surendrakumar Bagde, general manager of BEST.
The contractor will supply 25% of the total buses within three months and the remaining within six months. According to the proposal, BEST aims for a monthly operation of 4,000km at the rate of Rs51.75 a km and Rs55.17 a km for non-AC and AC electric buses, respectively.
Currently, BEST has a fleet of more than 3300 buses, including four electric buses. Electric buses are eco-friendly as they dont emit gases and make less noise. The proposal states the buses will help reduce their carbon footprint too.
During the discussion, members of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) objected to the proposal, saying the labour unions have already challenged the panels earlier decision in an industrial court, which has stayed the process till the next hearing in March. Ruling Shiv Sena members, however, insisted the proposal be cleared as the deadline to issue work order is nearing. Ravi Raja, a senior Congress member on the panel, asked BEST administration to submit a report on the electric vehicles that were procured earlier.
Shashank Rao, leader of a labour union in BEST, said they will oppose the proposal of wet leasing of buses. If the Centre has given a subsidy, BEST should purchase the buses on its own. Why is it handing over the amount to private companies, he asked.
Backdoor privatisation of BEST is on: Sharad Pawar
Terming the measures taken by the Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST) undertaking -- wet leasing and rationalisation of staff backdoor privatisation, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar said BEST services were a must in Mumbai.
Facing mounting losses, the BEST administration this month cleared the proposal to get 450 buses, including mini, midi and air-conditioned (AC) buses, on wet lease at a cost of Rs650 crore, as part of the reforms suggested by its parent body, Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC).
Todays rulers are interested in privatisation and contractual labour. BEST is needed as it provides cheap transport to the poor and working class, said Pawar, at an event in Mumbai.
Recounting the days when he was the chief minister of the state, Pawar said, After the 1992 riots, when I came back to the state, things were not normal. There was hardly anyone on the streets. I ordered BEST buses to start operations. This gave confidence to people that everything was normal. BEST has a psychological connect with the people of Mumbai.
Elaborating on the operations after the 1993 bomb blasts, he said, The bomb blasts took place on Friday. By Monday, BEST buses were running on the streets.
With the talk of general elections and simultaneous polls for Lok Sabha and assembly doing the rounds, the guessing games over the possibility of alliances too have started.
The tone is set by none other than the big daddy of Maharashtra politics, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar. The NCP chief chose an interview of him by Maharashtra Navnirman Sena chief Raj Thackeray at a public function in Pune last Wednesday to put in it the public domain that he was keen to join hands with the Congress again.
In the interview, Pawar said only the Congress is in a position to take on the BJP in next general elections. He also said Congress president Rahul Gandhi has shown willingness to learn and understand various issues. Pawar predicted better days for the Congress if its new head continued to do the same.
He also criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi over a range of issues. Significantly, Pawar was earlier skeptical about Rahuls leadership qualities. His remarks come even as the Congress and the NCP leaders have initiated talks for a reunion in Maharashtra for the coming elections.
A majority of Congress-NCP leaders in the state are in favour of the alliance between the two parties that share the same voter base. Contesting separately was one of the reasons the two parties lost assembly elections in 2014, they think.
The general opinion in both the camps is something like this: When everything was going wrong, the two parties contested separately and could win 83 seats between them (Congress 42, NCP: 41). It was their worst performance since 1999 and they are unlikely to go below that. In fact, with changing mood among the people, they would win more.
The alliance itself will prevent division of their votes and would bring 25-30 seats to their kitty.
Since, there is no Modi wave this time, winning 130 to 140 seats together and wresting power from the BJP-Sena wont be difficult, especially in a situation when the BJP and the Sena likely to contest separately, they say. While the Congress and NCP leaders are thinking on these lines, there is division within the BJP and Shiv Sena over the same issue.
Though the two parties parted ways ahead of 2014 assembly elections over the issue of sharing the seats, they came together to run the government in the state.
A section in the BJP is of the opinion that the party should get the Sena back for a pre-poll alliance. With the Sena leadership announcing its decision to go solo and the party continuing its tirade against the BJP, this could be a difficult task for the leaders from both the sides.
BJP insiders say chief minister Devendra Fadnavis is keen to work out things with the Sena. His personal equations with Uddhav Thackeray are excellent and he is confident of working out a deal acceptable to both the sides.
However, he can make any move in this direction only if the party leadership gives him a go-ahead, say his close aides. In the Sena camp, leaders point fingers at the party leadership though some of them feel that the two ruling partners would do well if work out a tie-up ahead of the polls.
Meanwhile, the BJP strategists are already on the job assuming that the BJP will contest the next assembly elections on its own. They are looking at 150 to 160 seats in urban and semi-urban areas where they think they have an edge over the Opposition.
This was something that helped the BJP in Gujarat. Significantly, it did well in civic polls across the state last year.
Though they are anticipating some problem in the rural areas, party strategists are expecting dividends as the benefits of farm loan waiver reach farmers.Besides, the Congress-NCP alliance is not a done deal, the BJP insiders point out.
Interestingly, there is unease in the Congress over the same.
Several among the party top brass are wary of Pawars intentions. There is still bonhomie between Pawar and the top brass of the BJP, they point out. Pawar is still not trustworthy. He may ditch us at the eleventh hour to form a third front which would actually benefit the BJP in polls, said a top Congress leader from the state.
Well, the alliance games are just beginning.
On Sunday, a 24-year-old Silvassa resident who underwent a transplant surgery received a heart and a liver during a single surgery. Three more lives were saved in different transplant surgeries that took place in Mumbai and Chennai.
The organs these patients received were harvested from a 40-year-old woman, who suffered a Brain Stem Infarction with Basilar Artery Thrombosis (brain stroke) at her residence. After her condition failed to improve, she was shifted to Fortis Hospital, Mulund, where the doctors declared her brain dead.
The womans family donated her heart, lungs, kidneys and liver. The lungs were sent for a waitlisted patient at Apollo Hospital, Chennai. One of the kidneys was sent for a patient at INS Ashwini, Colaba, and the second was despatched to Jaslok Hospital.
The heart was harvested by Dr Anvay Mulay, head of cardiac transplant team, Fortis Hospital. Dr Rakesh Rai, senior consultant, hepato-pancreatic-biliary and transplant surgery, harvested the liver.
The heart and liver were successfully transplanted in the 24-year-old year recipient, who was diagnosed with congestive heart failure and cirrhosis of the liver. The surgery lasted for more than 14 hours.
Doctors said the patient was waitlisted as organ recipient in August 2017 at the hospital. The man had to discontinue his studies owing to increasing discomfort.
We contacted the womans family and explained the procedure of organ donation. Eventually, her husband and family members agreed to donate her organs, said the medical social worker at Fortis Hospital.
Dr S Narayani, zonal director, Fortis Hospital, Mulund, said, Support provided by the ZTCC Mumbai, our clinicians and medical social workers, enabled this surgery. We would like to pay our respect to the donor family, who showed the grit even during their time of grief. Their noble deed has saved four lives.
Unexpected expenditure towards the farm loan waiver and the amount raised in terms of additional loans for the same has forced the government to make provision for a whopping Rs63,540 crore through three supplementary demands in the current fiscal.
The additional loans raised have also resulted in unbudgeted interests on loans, compelling the government to make the provision for Rs3,095 crore just days before the annual budget is presented.
This has come up in the supplementary demands tabled in the legislature on the very first day of the budget session on Monday. Supplementary demands are made to the legislature for getting its approval for the expenditure that is not mentioned in the regular budget. The government has to get the legislatures nod for each rupee spent or being spent by it.
After announcing the historic loan waiver of Rs34,022 crore in last June, the government had to make provisions of Rs35,000 crore in legislature sessions in August and December last year by presenting supplementary demands. The third supplementary demands of Rs3,871 crore for the current fiscal year were tabled on Monday. This has taken the total of the supplementary demands to an unprecedented Rs63,540 crore in a year. Of it, Rs35,000 crore were allocated for the release of the farm loans.
To make up to the unbudgeted amount, the government had to raise the additional loans of Rs20,000 crore and also initiate the cut to the budgeted outlay for the development works of various departments. This may throw the fiscal discipline out of the control next year as the deficit is expected be more than estimated.
Rupesh Keer of Samarthan Sanghatana (that analyses the budget) said, The Fadnavis government presented the supplementary of Rs1.44 lakh crore in its 3.5 years and this is unprecedented. The government could have spent only 42% of the budgetary provisions as on today. This means the government has failed to release the budgeted amount for the development projects.
An official from the finance department on the condition of anonymity, Article 115 of the Constitution of India gives the states the right to raise supplementary demands without any limit in proportion of the actual budget size. The cut to the budgetary allocation has already hit the development work this year. The increasing debt burden due to the farm loan waiver and rise in the deficit may reflect badly on the 2018-19 budget, which has to be presented on March 9.
The government has also set aside the amount of Rs1 crore for the expenditure towards the survey of the Maratha community to accord it reservation in jobs and education. It has made an allocation of Rs14.35 crore towards the provision of the ex-gratia to the legal heirs of the famers committing suicides.
A tigress at a wildlife rescue centre in Nagpur killed its four cubs shortly after giving birth to them.
According to the Forest Development Corporation of Maharashtra Ltd (FDCM) which runs the rescue centre, the eight-year-old tigress, Lee, delivered four cubs three female and a male on February 23, but killed all of them shortly after.
The local wildlife rescue centre officials said Lee was brought to the rescue centre from the local Maharajbagh Zoo in July 2017 for breeding with a tiger called Sahebrao. Lee mated with Sahebrao three months ago and her delivery was expected in the last week of February, officials said. The rescue centre employees were eagerly waiting for the delivery and could not imagine that the tigress would kill the cubs. We found injuries in the brains and necks of the cubs. This might have led to their death, said Umesh Agrawal, managing director, FDCM.
Agrawal said a team of four veterinarians performed the post mortem of the cubs. According to the report, two cubs died as their spinal cords got dislocated. One suffered a lung puncture and another suffered a stomach injury while being lifted by the mother.
Agrawal felt that the deaths were caused by poor maternal care. Internal organs of the cubs must have been damaged owing to excessive pressure, which indicates the mother was unable to take proper care, he said.
The FDCM officials tried to save them by feeding milk but were unable to do so. FDCM officials documented the delivery of the cubs to their deaths in a video. Being a caged tigress, Lee might not have developed natural instincts of a wild tigress to handle the cubs. The four cubs were cremated on Saturday evening at Gorewada.
Man-eater tigress delivers two cubs
Meanwhile, the man-eater tigress from neighbouring Yavatmal forest that has allegedly killed 10 villagers and against whom shooting orders have been issued by the wildlife wing of the state, delivered two cubs. The Nagpur bench of the Bombay high court stayed the order for killing of the tigress.
The Yavatmal forest employees have seen the tigress along with her two cubs on February 16. The tigress and her cubs were also caught on the camera, fixed by the forest department in different parts of the jungle to monitor her movement.
Mumbai: As protests against the withdrawal of fee concessions to students in reserved categories at the Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS) completes a week, students from other universities in the country are giving their support to the agitation.
On Monday, students of Delhi university staged protests outside the Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD) demanding relief for students of TISS.
Other than students from all four campuses of TISS across the country, many other universities have also called us to show their solidarity with us against this cause. We need to reach out to the top authorities to make sure our voices are heard and change is implemented, said one of the TISS students. Classes at the institute were suspended for the sixth day as students as well as some faculty members have joined the protest.
A bandh was called by the TISS Students Union on February 20 to protest the institutes decision to withdraw fee waiver to SC, ST and OBC students eligible for the Government of India Post Matric Scholarship (GoI-PMS), which was introduced last year. On Sunday night, representatives of the institutes management held a three-hour long meeting with protesting students to find an alternate solution to the problem. Students, however, refused to budge till their demands were not met.
With no acceptable solution coming from the institute, students have also started writing to various ministries in the central government and various state governments for help.
A letter will reach the Ministry of Social Justice, Ministry of Tribal Affair as well as the University Grants Commission (UGC). We are also approaching all the state governments that our fellow batch mates belong to, said another protesting student.
These scholarships are transferred by the government concerned directly to the students bank accounts. The Institute has no role either in the sanction or disbursement of the scholarship. Course fees for those eligible for GoI-PMS are still exempted. The students are only required to pay dining hall charges and hostel fees on actual basis, which is the norm in all universities said the registrar of TISS.
The Sion police have booked three people and have arrested two for allegedly kidnapping and robbing a dumper driver.
The complainant Abdul Hamid Khan, 29, lives in the Wadala Truck Terminus area. In his complaint to the police, Khan said that the incident took place late at night around 1:30am on February 23, near Highway apartments in Sion.
The three men approached Khan when and his relative Salman were having tea inside the waste truck near a stall. The accused pretended to be officials from the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC). They claimed that Khan had parked the truck illegally at the spot, and needed to pay a fine. They also investigated the truck and told Khan that he was transporting waste illegally. The men told Khan that they would take him to the police station if he did not pay the fine.
When Khan did not relent to the threat, two of the accused got inside the truck and threatened him to drive. The third accused followed the truck on a bike, and took Salman with him.
According to the police, the two arrested accused are identified as Sanjay Govind Londhe, 29, and Paresh Pawar, 28, both residents of Chunabhatti. The third accused, Sohan Waghmare is still at large, the police said.
The complainant usually collects construction waste from Mumbai and dumps it in Belapur. When the two accused got inside the truck, Khan headed towards Belapur, said a police officer from Sion police station.
Inside the truck, the two men assaulted Khan and took Rs1, 000 from his pocket. On seeing the traffic police at Suman Nagar, Chembur, the two jumped out of the truck and fled away. Khan approached the traffic police and narrated the incident to them. But they did not find the two men in the truck, nor was the bike following Khan traced, the officer said.
The men however, continued to follow Khan after a while.
Khan drove towards Belapur to throw the construction waste he had collected. On reaching Vashi toll naka, he found the men on the bike, following him. They had let off Salman on the way. Khan got scared and approached the Sion police station immediately, where the Sion police registered a case against the three men, said the officer.
The Sion booked the trio under sections 363, 392, 170 and 34 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).
After Khan filed the complaint, the police formed a team under Deputy Commissioner of Police, Zone 4, N Ambika, and nabbed the two accused with the help of CCTV footages on Sion-Panvel highway.
At least at four different spots, the police could clearly see the accused following Khan in the CCTV footages. Khan recollected the names of the three men from the conversation Londhe and Pawar had in the truck. The police also scanned and circulated the footages of the three men among their informers, said another official from Sion police station.
Mrudula Lad, senior police inspector, Sion police station said, We arrested Pawar and Londhe on the evening of February 23. They were produced in the court and remanded in jail custody. The search for third accused is on.
During the investigation, the police found that Londhe and Waghmare are history-sheeters. Londhe was arrested in an extortion case earlier, while Waghmare has a case of bike theft registered against him.
The Ghaziabad police on Monday arrested three persons on charges of gunning down 40-year-old brick kiln owner Vijay Fafrana in Modi Nagar on February 18.
According to the police, the prime accused, Rahul, had a long-standing rivalry with Fafrana, and the two were planning to contest the block-level elections against each other.
Apart from Rahul, the police also arrested Vivek Singh and Ashu Chauhan in connection with the murder. Both men were enlisted by Rahul to carry out the murder.
On the evening of February 18, three armed assailants had gunned down Fafrana in his i10 car near his brick kiln in Mau village. The assailants arrived in a Santro and emptied nearly 20 rounds into Fafrana with a 9mm and .30 calibre weapons.
During the investigation, Rahul emerged as the prime accused. He and Fafrana had a long-standing rivalry and they wanted to contest the block elections. A couple of months ago, Fafrana had threatened Rahul that he would get Rahuls advertising agency shut if he stood for the elections, AK Maurya, superintendent of police (rural), said.
However, the trigger for the murder was the recent student elections at MMH College in Ghaziabad. The police said Rahul and his men had come to support a contestant and they received information that Fafrana and Tony, son of dreaded gangster Sushil Mooch, would be coming there to kill Rahul.
With nearly a dozen cases against his name, Fafrana is a history sheeter from Modi Nagar. He reached the college with the intention of killing Rahul. However, Rahul got to know about Fafrana and Tonys presence on the campus and fled the spot, Maurya said.
Rahul, according to the police, had planned to get rid of Fafrana a month ago and was tracking his movements.
The police said Rahul was present at the scene when Fafrana was gunned down. He allegedly told his men that he wanted to see the dead body. He was fearful that if Fafrana survived the attacked, he would have killed Rahul, the police said.
According to the police, Rahul has seven criminal cases, including cases of murder and attempt to murder, against him. He was an accused in the murder of a home guard platoon commander in Modi Nagar in 2013 and was involved in a murder in Navyug Market in 2013.
PUNE: Economic Offences Wing (EOW) has confiscated high-end cars and two-wheelers of arrested builder DS Kulkarni from a showroom inside Veeya Vantage on Law College road on Monday. The confiscated cars comprises one Porsche, one BMW, two Toyota Camry and one MV Augusta Superbike.
Nilesh More, ACP (EOW) said, We have taken the high-end vehicles belonging to Kulkarni in our custody. These vehicles were parked inside a showroom and the estimated price of these vehicles is nearly about Rupees five crores.
Renowned builder DS Kulkarni and his wife Hemanti were nabbed at a hotel in Delhi in the wee hours of February 17, by a team of Pune police crime branch.
The Pune-based real estate couple was arrested as the Bombay High Court had vacated the interim protection pending their anticipatory bail. They have been booked by EOW of Pune city police on charges of cheating over 2,500 investors to the tune of Rs 230 crore.
The sessions court on Friday had remanded the city-based real estate developer and his wife to police custody for seven days. Special public prosecutor Pravin Chavan said EOW had obtained crucial information related to money transfers from the personal account of Hemanti.
Chavan stated that investors money was deposited in different partnership firms and later diverted to the personal account of Hemanti. Around Rs463 crore was found to be deposited in her account, and thereafter, Rs.90.94 crore went to the account of DSK and Rs163 crore to the personal account of her son, Shirish Kulkarni. The funds were utilised by the accused as if it was their private funds, when in reality, it was the hard-earned money of the gullible investors, he said.
The EOW is tracking the money trail and trying to unearth the whole conspiracy and also the modus operandi of the accused. The police have submitted details related to two electronic lockers that the Kulkarnis did not provide information about the keys. Police have seized a number of documents as part of the widened investigations in the case. EOW investigations have revealed that the Kulkarnis had systematically formed partnership firms without taking the mandatory permissions from the Reserve Bank of India (RBI); released big budget advertisements attracting investors and collected money from them with the sole intention of cheating.
DSK, who was remanded to police custody for a week on February 17, was admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) of Sassoon general hospital on February 18 after he fell unconscious in the police lock up.
A special court on February 20 had passed an order stating that Kulkarni be moved to Deenanath Mangeshkar hospital for 48 hours, directing him to appear before the medical board of Sassoon General hospital on February 23 and for medical reports to be submitted in court.
The DSK couple was booked under the Indian Penal Code Sections 420 (cheating), 406 (criminal breach of trust), 34 (common intention) and Sections 3 and 4 of the Maharashtra Protection of Interest of Depositors (MPID) Act. The case was registered on October 28, 2017 at the Shivajinagar police station in Pune after which the EOW (Economic Offences Wing) took over the case.
The Central Bank of India (CBI) has decided to auction builder DS Kulkarnis bungalow to recover the bank loan. The bank has released an advertisement in newspapers regarding the auction. The bank stated that the base price of the bungalow is more than Rs 66 crore and the auction is expected to take place by March 8 deadline. The premium bungalow is located on Senapati Bapat road in Pune. It is a luxurious two storeyed apartment with home theatre and swimming pool. The bungalow was also used for the promotional video of a housing project of DSK.
I hated every minute of training, but I saidDont quit. Suffer now and live the rest of your life as a champion.
This text is written on the Facebook cover photo of Dr Krishnaprasath Ramasamy, a 24-year-old junior resident at the Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER). Sadly, he could not suffer anymore and in less than two months of joining the hospital, he committed suicide.
Posted with the radiology department, Dr Krishnaprasath was found hanging from a ceiling fan in his hostel room on Monday morning. No suicide note was recovered from his room, said police.
According to other resident doctors, he was depressed and wanted to return to his home in Tamil Nadu. One of the top rankers, Dr Ramasamy was from a humble background. He is survived by his parents and a younger sister. His father, Ramasamy, is a priest at the Rameswaram temple.
The incident comes only 17 months after another junior resident doctor committed suicide at the PGIMER in September 2016. Dr Sunil Chandel, 31, of Mandi, who was posted in the nuclear medicine department, was also reported to be suffering from depression.
Could not take pressure
Dr Krishnaprasath had joined the MD course here in January. He was very intelligent and was among top rankers in the All India Institutes of Medical Sciences, Delhi, and Jawaharlal Institute of Postgraduate Medical Education and Research, Puducherry, too, but he chose this institute, said one of the senior residents, who did not wish to be named. He joined in the general medicine department and was posted for a while in the emergency. He could not take the pressure and in the third counselling he chose to shift to the radiology department.
Dr Krishnaprasath had joined the radiology department a fortnight ago and was posted in the ultrasound room in the New OPD.
On Monday morning, he did not report to duty and did not answer any call, said one of the junior residents, on the condition of anonymity. Some doctors visited his room around 9am, but found it locked from inside. We called the guards, who broke open the door and found him hanging from the ceiling fan.
Meanwhile, his father, a priest, took back the body to Tamil Nadu on Tuesday. My son was having difficulty in understanding the language. He couldnt cope up with the changing environment. He used to tell me also that he is not able to adjust.
On Sunday, he also called his parents and informed them that he is feeling distressed and wanted to return home.
However his family told him to stay back as they thought things will improve with time.
It is an extremely unfortunate incident, said PGIMER director Dr Jagat Ram.
Wanted to return home
Dr Krishnaprasath had been feeling low for several days and wanted to return to his home town, said fellow resident doctors, on the condition of anonymity. He reportedly also called his parents and told them about it.
He was not able to adjust to the new environment. He told us about it and we used to take him for outings. Lately, we thought he was feeling better. We couldnt imagine he would take such a step, said a senior resident.
Another doctor said: We did not tell him to take psychiatric help as we all thought that he would be able to cope with the stress. He had just joined the institute.
Dr Sarvanan, a former senior resident at the PGIMER, said: We should consider the depth of the situation. We need to connect with people and identify their needs. We should not take such things lightly.
Helpline number of little help
The PGIMER had initiated a helpline number 7087008700 for doctors in distress, but most of them are not even aware of it. In a random survey conducted by this correspondent, only one out of 10 doctors had the number.
The helpline number is communicated to every resident doctor on their joining, said a senior doctor, not wishing to be named. Many decide against visiting the psychiatry department because of the stigma attached to it.
The doctor said when someone calls the helpline, his details are shared with the PGIMER director and he is given an easier posting without consent. This might also be keeping doctors from calling the helpline, he said.
The Association of Resident Doctors has shared another helpline number with students. Last year, they got seven calls. The doctors were suffering from severe depression. There are many more who have been suffering silently, said another doctor, on the condition of anonymity.
Divorces are messy, and cryptocurrencies are helping to make them a whole lot more so.
Virtual currencies such as Bitcoin and Ethereum are a new challenge for UK lawyers, plagued with volatility and secrecy that is extending the already painful process of dividing a couples assets.
The rising popularity of Bitcoin--and for a while at least, its rising value--means more separations involve the currency, which is difficult to trace and hard to value. Although parties have a duty to provide full disclosure of their assets in a divorce, the anonymous nature of cryptocurrencies potentially make them a safe haven for spouses wishing to hide their money from a warring partner.
Often in a divorce one spouse is looking for a pot of gold that doesnt exist. But with cryptocurrencies, its possible the pot does exist, Toby Yerburgh, head of Family Law at Collyer Bristow, said in an interview. Yerburgh said he started to get cases where partners are concerned about hidden Bitcoins since the currency became better known last year.
If one party decides not to disclose or provide evidence of their holdings, the divorce process becomes more expensive and time-consuming, and could result in the partner failing to get a fair share of assets. This can amount to a lot of money in the U.K., which has a reputation of being a more sympathetic place to play out high-stakes divorces, because judges generally order a 50-50 split of assets, giving equal weight to the work of a wealth creator and a partner.
Its creating another layer of distrust that we havent had to deal with before, Jo Carr-West, a partner at Hunters, said in an interview. The public perception that there is a lack of a paper trail causes the anxiety.
Offline currency
Cryptocurrencies traded using an online exchange or bought with funds from a bank account can be easier to trace and value. But if a cryptocurrency is moved offline -- for example, if someone transfers their digital wallet onto a USB -- then it becomes more difficult. In this case, a digital forensics expert can be brought in to search through the spouses email to determine what transactions have taken place. This is a slow process that can cost thousands of pounds -- sometimes more than the currency itself is worth.
Cryptocurrencies make things complex if you have a spouse whos determined to hold on to their money, same as if they were hiding assets overseas, Victoria Clarke, a solicitor at Stowe Family Law, said in an interview. We have the tools to trace Bitcoin. The difficulty is that some lawyers dont necessarily understand it yet -- you need knowledge of the asset youre trying to get hold of.
Cryptocurrencies make things complex if you have a spouse whos determined to hold on to their money, same as if they were hiding assets overseas
Volatility woes
Cryptocurrencies also bring the problem of valuation. In December, Bitcoin hit a high of nearly $20,000, and less than two months later, had dropped to around $6,000. This volatility makes it difficult to determine value as the price can fluctuate wildly within the course of a divorce.
Its not as straightforward as valuing your ordinary shares and investments, Vandana Chitroda, a partner at Royds Withy King, said in an interview. There will have to be valuations made at every step in the proceedings. You would then have to agree a value on the date of the final hearing.
This means that although a partner could have built up a substantial crypto fortune when filing for divorce, it may have diminished by the time of settlement. One of Royds Withy Kings three cryptocurrency cases involves an original investment of 80,000 pounds ($111,600) made by a spouse in November 2016. By December 2017, it had jumped to 1 million pounds, and is now worth 600,000 pounds.
Such price shifts have led lawyers to suggest that clients not worry about fixing a valuation. The best course, they say, may be to ask to split the Bitcoin itself and take the chances selling on an exchange.
New challenges
The courts now have to address the effect of new technologies. Bitcoin was created in 2009, and so lawyers and judges are only beginning to witness the first instances of crypto-related splits. Theres no existing case law to guide procedure, so new ways of handling the issue will be devised as hearings take place.
Furthermore, the courts usual methods of securing assets, such as issuing injunctions, can be difficult to administer with cryptocurrencies.
The courts are being faced with a challenge it doesnt have the power to deal with, Chitroda said. The court can make a worldwide freezing injunction, but its worthless if theres no centralized power to administer it.
But it wont be that easy to get away with burying cash in Bitcoin. Courts are accustomed to tackling cases that require painstakingly tracing assets, especially where those assets are held offshore. And in some circumstances, if one party refuses to disclose their cryptocurrency holdings, the court can make an award heavily in favor of the other party to make up for it.
Still, theres a sense the UKs institutions are urgently trying to get to grips with blockchain technology. On Thursday, Parliaments Treasury Committee launched an inquiry into the role of digital currencies in the U.K., including the opportunities and risks they may bring to consumers, businesses and the government.
Maybe Bitcoin is a bubble, but the blockchain technology is not, said Clarke, who has mined Bitcoin herself since 2011. Chitroda also believes cryptocurrencies arent going away and that the law will have to adjust to the new challenges.
The courts have only recently started allowing people to send documents to court using email, Chitroda said. Were going to really have to run to keep ahead of all of this. Its a big challenge for all of us. Were trying hard to educate ourselves and be ready.
(With assistance from Jeremy Hodges.)
China decided against backing Pakistan over its efforts to counter terror financing at the plenary meeting of the Financial Action Task Force because it did not want to lose face by supporting a move thats doomed to fail, according to a media report on Monday.
Pakistan is set to return to a blacklist of the global financial watchdog in June after it prepares an action plan on eradicating terror financing , officials told the Dawn newspaper.
When the FATF took up a US-backed move to include Pakistan in the grey list on February 22, the Chinese informed Islamabad that they were opting out as they did not want to lose face by supporting a move thats doomed to fail, an official source was quoted as saying by the paper.
Pakistan appreciated the Chinese position and conveyed its gratitude to Turkey for continuing to support Islamabad against all odds, the source said.
During initial discussions at the Paris plenary of the FATF on February 20, China, Turkey and Saudi Arabia, which was representing the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) as it is not yet a full member, opposed the move to place Pakistan on the watchlist.
But the US pushed for an unprecedented second vote on Pakistan, which was held on February 22 by which them Washington had convinced Riyadh to give up its support to Islamabad in return for a full FATF membership.
This left only two countries China and Turkey in the Pakistan camp, one less than the required number of three members to stall a move. The Dawn reported that the Chinese also informed Pakistan that they were opting out.
The paper reported that on Friday, the group issued an updated grey list, along with a statement announcing the decisions taken at the plenary session, and Pakistan was not on the list. Officials in Islamabad interpreted this as a breather, although its more of a technical detail.
The grey list identifies the jurisdictions with strategic anti-money laundering/countering the financing of terrorism deficiencies for which they have developed an action plan with the FATF. Pakistan has not yet worked out the proposed plan with the FATF and thats why its not on the list.
Between now and June, Pakistan will have to work out details of the evaluation process with the FATF and a failure to do so could trigger another process, which may push Pakistan on the black list of wilful violators, the paper quoted officials as saying.
The move was against the understanding given to Pakistan that Islamabad will be asked to work with the FATF on an action plan, before the listing process starts, an official source told Dawn. After the Feb 20 meeting, Foreign Minister Khawaja Asif sent out a celebratory tweet, saying that Pakistan had won a three-month reprieve.
Hours after the tweet, US state department spokesperson Heather Nauert indicated at a news briefing in Washington that Islamabads celebrations were premature. She said the Paris plenary was not over yet and it would hold another meeting on Pakistan on Feb 22, as it did.
She also mentioned Hafiz Saeed and his activities while detailing US complaints against Pakistan and the sources that spoke to Dawn after the Feb 22 meeting said that indeed Saeed and his charities were top on the list of the groups that the FATF wanted Pakistan to act against.
Pakistan did make some laws before the Paris meeting that would allow it to act against these groups but apparently that was not enough to convince the FATF.
Pakistan was first put on the FATFs grey list in 2012 but was removed in 2015, after the FATF certified that the country had done enough to counter terror financing.
Now, Pakistan will have to follow the same process that it did in 2015, starting with an action plan that Islamabad is required to submit in May. If the FATF approves the action plan in June, it will make a formal announcement about placing Pakistan on the grey list. Should Islamabad fail to submit an action plan, or if the FATF does not accept it, the group can place Pakistan on its black list, along with North Korea and Iran, the paper said.
China on Monday launched an intensive propaganda campaign in support of a proposal to removal the two-term limit for President Xi Jinping, publishing lengthy editorials after the move was criticised on social media.
On Sunday, the Communist Party of China proposed to remove a clause in the Constitution that limits the term of the president to two consecutive terms, triggering speculation that Xi will continue as president after the end of his term in 2022. And despite his popularity, the move was roundly criticised in China, with many comparing the Chinese president to neighbour North Korea.
Argh, were going to become North Korea, Reuters quoted one Weibo user, where the Kim dynasty has ruled since the late 1940s.
Were following the example of our neighbour, wrote another user quoted by Reuters.
By Sunday night, all comments criticising the move were removed from social media and users were unable to search the phrase two-term.
Official media also started vociferously backing the move.
An editorial in the nationalistic tabloid Global Times said: Over the past two decades, a trinity of leadership consisting of the CPC Central Committee general secretary, president of the nation and chairman of the CPC Central Military Commission has taken shape and proven to be effective.
It added that removing the two-term limit can help maintain the trinity system and improve the institution of leadership of the CPC and the nation.
Unusually, the ministry of foreign affairs also stepped in, saying amending the Constitution was what the people of China wanted. Spokesperson Lu Kang said that everybody can see that the Constitution has been continuously improved since 1954, when it was first adopted.
I hope everyone can acknowledge the voice of all the Chinese people, Lu said.
The proposal, however, has triggered worry among China watchers. Analysts and activists say Xis continuing in power after 2022 could mean further weakening of human rights, tightening of political control and wider surveillance.
Lets be clear about what #China #Xi staying in power means: more #torture. No legal reform. Near-total surveillance. Permanent brutality against ethnic and religious minorities, peaceful critics. And global ambitions, Sophie Richardson from Human Rights Watch tweeted.
Experts also feel the move would lead to China being more assertive on the global stage, with Beijing attempting to fill the vacuum created by Washington under Donald Trump.
An assertive China also means that Beijing could be more forceful in territorial disputes, including in claiming areas along the long and festering border problem with India. If there is another military standoff with India like the one in Doklam last year the resolution and disengagement will unlikely be as diplomatic as it was in 2017.
Prime Minister Theresa May faced another battlefront after opposition Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn on Monday called for the UK continuing to remain in the European Unions customs union after Brexit.
May and her colleagues had often ruled out retaining such links with the EU after exiting hte grouping. Labours new position, seen as opting for a soft Brexit, poses a challenge in parliament, which is currently discussing a bill to withdraw from the EU.
There are already cross-party moves to introduce an amendment to the bill to ensure that the UK remains in the EU customs union.
Labour MPs and pro-EU rebel Conservative MPs are reportedly planning to ensure that the amendment is carried, which will be a blow to May.
In his speech in Coventry, Corbyn sought to set at rest criticism that Labour remained unclear about Brexit, and encouraged those opposed to Brexit that the door may still be open for Labour to call for another referendum on the UKs membership of the EU.
Setting out Labours new position, which also seeks to ensure there will be no hard border with Ireland, Corbyn said: When 44% of our exports are to EU countries and 50% of our imports come from the EU, then it is in both our interests for that trade to remain tariff-free.
It would damage businesses that export to Europe and the jobs that depend on those exports for there to be the additional costs of tariffs and it would damage consumers here, already failed by stagnant wages and rising housing costs.
So we will remain close to the European Union, thats obviousDuring the transition period, Labour would seek to remain in a customs union with the EU and within the single market. That means we would abide by the existing rules of both.
Corbyns new position was hailed by many but also drew criticism from ministers.
Senior Tory leader and former chancellor George Osborne now the editor of mass circulation newspaper Evening Standard joined those criticising the May governments approach on Brexit.
The tabloid said soon after Corbyns speech: The Labour leader has, with the smallest of nudges, manoeuvred himself into a more pro-business, pro-free trade European policy than the Tory Government.
He has also opened up the looming prospect of the Prime Minister suffering a huge defeat in the Commons, as the number of Tory MPs who agree with remaining in a customs union grows each week.
Corbyns speech adds pressure on May and her Brexit negotiating team, even though it remains unclear what EU rules and regulations the UK would have to follow if it were to seek continuing membership of the customs union.
A customs union is a form of trade agreement between two or more countries that decide not to impose tariffs (taxes on imports) on each others goods and agree to impose common external tariffs on goods from countries outside their customs union.
The purpose of a customs union is to make it easier for member states to trade. Customs unions reduce administrative and financial trade barriers (such as customs checks and charges) and enhance economic cooperation.
The Hindu community in Pakistans Khyber Pakthunkhwa is protesting against the planned oath taking ceremony of a member of the provincial assembly accused of murdering a Sikh lawmaker.
Baldev Kumar, who is in jail in the murder case of Sikh lawmaker Sardar Soran Singh, was to be produced in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly on Monday.
Speaker Khyber Pakthunkhwa (KP) Assembly Asad Qaisar on Monday withdrew the Assembly secretariat letter dated February 23 regarding production order of Kumar in the assembly today. Now he will take oath on Tuesday.
Coordinator KP chif minister on Minorities Ravi Kumar described the oath taking of Kumar as a sad day for the minorities of the province.
Haroon Sarab Diyal, the leader of Hindu community in the province, said that the Hindus would protest if he was administered oath.
Singh, a lawmaker from Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party, was shot dead in April 2016 in Buner district of the province. Singh was elected to the provincial assembly on a minority seat.
His son Ajay yesterday appealed the provincial government not to bring the killer of his father in the provincial assembly for obtaining his vote for PTI Senate candidate in the upcoming Senate elections due for March 3.
Kumar, the second in the list of Tehreek-e-Insaf partys candidates for a reserved seat for minorities, has been facing a trial in the case.
A Palestinian was killed Sunday when Israeli forces opened fire on a boat from the Gaza Strip after it left a zone where Israel allows Palestinians to fish, officials said.
A spokeswoman for the Israeli army said the boat deviated from the designated fishing zone in the northern Gaza Strip.
Naval forces called on the boat to halt, then fired warning shots in the air before shooting toward it when the three people on board did not stop, the spokeswoman said.
A severely wounded Palestinian later died from his injuries, she said. The other two Palestinian suspects were detained by security forces.
The fishermens union in Gaza said a boat with three fishermen was fired upon by Israels military.
Israel and Palestinian militants in Gaza, run by Islamist movement Hamas, have fought three wars since 2008 and the territory has been under an Israeli blockade for more than 10 years.
Fishing off the northern part of the strip, adjacent to Israel, is limited to six nautical miles offshore and the Israeli navy regularly fires warning shots or at Palestinians who breach it.
Such incidents rarely result in deaths.
Hamas spokesman Abdel Latif Qanoua called the incident an ugly crime the occupation is responsible for and a form of continuing aggression against our Palestinian people.
The Gaza Strips border with Egypt has also been largely closed in recent years.
South African special police unit Hawks have arrested an Indian-origin woman and her partner, both allegedly linked to ISIS, on charges of abducting a British couple.
Fatima Patel and Safydeen Aslam Del Vecchio also face charges of robbery and theft after they went on a spending spree using the couples credit cards, building up a stash of jewellery, camping equipment and electronic devices which were found at a remote location where an ISIS flag was being flown.
The Hawks declined to provide any further information due to the sensitive nature of the case as the search continues for the couple whose vehicle was found abandoned more than 300 kms away from where they were last seen on February 9.
But the weekly Sunday Times, quoting a charge sheet after their court appearance, reported that Patel and Del Vecchio also stand accused of contravening the Protection of Constitutional Democracy Against Terrorism and Related Activities Act by hoisting an ISIS flag at a modest homestead in a rural area.
Del Vecchio also faces another terrorism-related charge for allegedly participating in extremist web forums that support ISIS and offering to supply phone numbers and sim cards that are not traceable.
Yousha Tayob, the lawyer representing Patel and Del Vecchio, confirmed that the pair had appeared in the court and were remanded in custody at Westville Prison in KwaZulu-Natal province.
The incident had prompted the British government to issue a travel advisory about possible terrorist attacks on foreign nationals in South Africa, but local Muslim organisations have dismissed this as an overreaction.
Ebrahim Deen of the Afro-Middle East Centre told the weekly that South African Muslims posed no threat to travellers and that the incident was more related to crime than an ISIS attack.
Muslims are largely integrated in (South African) society, are not disillusioned and they face little discrimination like in Europe and elsewhere, he said.
Martin Ewi of the Institute for Security Studies said South Africa was regarded as a logistics base for terror cells in transit, and is not traditionally a target for attacks, although the arrests of Patel and Del Vecchio confirmed the presence of an active terror cell in South Africa.
We in the counter terror fraternity suspected that they were working as members of an active cell, and the kidnapping will confirm the presence of an active IS cell, Ewi said.
A new report by a London-based think tank on Islamist extremists exploiting charities and NGOs for funds and support for terrorism mentions Indian preacher Zakir Naik, who was banned from Britain in 2010 but remains the chair of a UK-based organisation.
The report by the Henry Jackson Society, titled Wolves in sheeps clothing: How Islamist extremists exploit the UK charitable sector, assesses that in the last year, more than 6 million of taxpayers money was given to such charity organisations.
The review found that some organisations were purposefully vague about their activities and charitable status, portray themselves as charities to increase their credibility and exploit the Islamic duty to give to charity, and that those donating money may not be aware of the organisations agenda, it said.
The figure of 6 million, it said, represents only the tip of the iceberg. The report said that despite more than a decade of attempts to improve the regulation of the charitable sector, a concerning number of UK-registered charities continue to fund and support extremism.
The report noted that Naik, whose UK visa was revoked in 2010 when Theresa May was home secretary, was invited to speak in Birmingham in June of that year by the Islamic Dawah Centre International. His Peace TV channel had been banned in India, Bangladesh and Canada, it added.
Though there is no evidence of Naiks direct involvement in terrorism, there are concerns about the radicalisation potential of Naiks lectures, it said, and reproduced some of his controversial remarks, as well as those of Satya Pal Singh, former Mumbai police commissioner who reportedly investigated Naiks activities.
Whilst Naik is banned from entering the UK, he remains a trustee and chair of the Islamic Research Foundation International (IRFI), a UK-registered charity, the report said.
In the financial year ending 2016, their income was 951,356. 994,848, in excess of its annual income, was paid to Peace TV, and an additional 11,000 to the Al Noor Foundation. In addition to its charitable status, IRF is also registered in the UK as a private limited company.
In 2016, regulator Ofcom had fined Peace TV Urdu 65,000 for violating its Broadcasting Code due to anti-Semitic content aired in September 2015, the report noted. The Universal Broadcasting Corporation Ltd, a registered company in the UK of which Naik is director and chairman, held the licence for Peace TV.
While charities can be abused for criminal purposes by those involved in terrorist activities, this report focuses on abuse by those Islamist extremists whose views are not illegal but remain problematic and dangerous," the report said.
"On occasion, the lines between the two forms of abuse are blurred, with some charities connected to terrorism also showing signs of extremism, as is seen in the case of some humanitarian aid charities and those with other activities abroad, it added.
The report made a series of recommendations, including giving more powers to the regulator Charity Commission, and said: Until more comprehensive action is taken, a network of Islamist extremists operating in the UK will continue to use charities and taxpayer money to fund the spread of divisive, illiberal and intolerant views within our communities.
Malaysian government officials have said that Naik was given permanent resident status six years ago. Indian security experts have said they suspect that Naik is now holed up in Malaysia.
Air strikes on the last pocket of Islamic State jihadists in eastern Syria have killed at least 25 civilians, including seven children, a monitor said on Monday.
The strikes were conducted on Sunday on and around the village of Al-Shaafah, north of the former IS bastion of Albu Kamal near the border with Iraq, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.
The head of the Britain-based Observatory, Rami Abdel Rahman, said the air strikes were carried out by the US-led coalition.
Twenty-five civilians, including seven children, were killed in the village of Al-Shaafah and in surrounding desert areas in coalition strikes all through Sunday, he said.
This village is in the last pocket controlled by IS in the east of Syria, he said of Al-Shaafah, which lies on the eastern bank of the Euphrates River.
Air strikes against jihadists forces holding out in remote areas of Deir Ezzor province have killed dozens of civilians in recent weeks, many of them relatives of the fighters.
Coalition-backed Kurdish-led forces have been trying to flush out IS from the east bank of the Euphrates, while Russian-backed regime and allied forces are stationed west of the river.
Abdel Rahman could not say how many IS combatants were taken out by the latest wave of air strikes.
IS now holds less than three percent of Syrian territory, he said.
The self-styled caliphate IS proclaimed over swathes of Syria and Iraq in 2014 effectively died when anti-jihadist forces retook its de facto capital Raqa and other strongholds such as Albu Kamal late last year.
However the US-led coalition has continued to carry out strikes against small pockets of IS fighters hunkering down in and around small villages in Deir Ezzor province.
Small groups of IS-affiliated fighters are also still active in other parts of Syria.
Meanwhile, the UN rights chief on Monday slammed a lack of action to rein in increasingly brutal conflicts around the world, describing places like Syria, Yemen and Myanmar as prolific slaughterhouses.
Eastern Ghouta, the other besieged areas in Syria, Ituri and the Kasais in the (Democratic Republic of Congo), Taiz in Yemen, Burundi, Northern Rakhine in Myanmar have become some of the most prolific slaughterhouses of humans in recent times because not enough was done, early and collectively, to prevent the rising horrors, Zeid Raad Al Hussein told the UN Human Rights Council.
The US Supreme Court on Monday rejected an appeal from the Trump administration to review orders by lower courts which prevent the ending of an Obama-era regulation that protects undocumented immigrants brought to the country as children from deportation.
The Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals regulation, which was issued in 2012, was ordered to lapse by President Donald Trump on March 5, leaving an estimated 700,000 illegal immigrants including 8,000 from India open to deportation.
Federal courts in California and New York ordered a nationwide injunction against the implementation of broad parts of Trumps order. The administration has appealed against those rulings, which are still being heard.
However, the administration also appealed to the Supreme Court without waiting for the appellate courts decision. The apex court rarely intervenes in such cases media reports said the such interventions have only occurred about a dozen times.
In a brief order, the Supreme Court said the governments appeal was denied without prejudice, which means it can hear the case later. It is assumed the court of appeals will act expeditiously to decide this case, the court said.
Reacting to the order, Trump said: Well see what happens. Thats my attitude.
White House deputy press secretary Raj Shah said: We look forward to having this case expeditiously heard by the appeals court and, if necessary, the Supreme Court, where we fully expect to prevail.
Protection from deportation for DACA immigrants and a path to citizenship is at the heart of a contentious political battle over immigration reforms between Republicans and Democrats. Trump and Republicans are demanding tougher measures on the Mexican border and an end to family-based migration and diversity visa lottery in return.
The Supreme Courts order keeps large parts of the DACA programme running beyond March 5, giving Congress more time to enact a legislation.
Opinion Article
26 February 2018
The perfect vacation, whether a relaxing getaway, an adrenaline-packed adventure or a balance between business and pleasure, takes a great deal of work. In fact, it takes a village one which can be found within the hospitality industry.
Our industry is rife with passionate professionals eager to apply the latest trends and technology to their service offering, as they work to continuously enrich the guest experience. With this desire to remain aligned with all that is cutting edge, comes the question of which conferences, networking events, and trade shows to attend each year.
Luckily, the world's leading travel trade show ITB Berlin is running from March 7th-11th and will feature over 10,000 Exhibitors, 1,000 Qualified Top Buyers, and passionate attendees from 187 different countries. With this year being the biggest show yet, ITB Berlin is a must-attend event for every international expert in the tourism industry.
To ensure you get the most out of your ITB Berlin experience this year, we've compiled a list of 5 things you can't miss while there.
1. Get the World Tour
When else can you feel like you have access to the whole World in one place? Visit the many amazing countries that are displayed throughout the conference via their tourism organizations. These countries include: Brazil, Romania, Italy, Japan and many, many more, while learning about the various unique tourist opportunities that make them a must-visit destination (for tourists and industry professionals alike).
2. Visit the Technology Pavilions
New and innovative technologies are on display that directly impact the hotel and travel industry. The Travel Technology section of the conference will feature four halls where providers will demonstrate their new reservations and hotel operations platforms. Messaging, AI and chatbots will be big this year along with everyone trying to figure out the impact of blockchain on our industry. Some of these new technologies will save you money, help with operations efficiency and help drive revenues.
There is also a ITB Startup Pitch, powered by Phocuswright, scheduled for Friday, March 9th (eTravel Startup Day, Hall 6.1). During this event, five companies carefully selected by Phocuswright's experienced team of innovation analysts have just six minutes each to demonstrate their travel innovation in front of the live audience. The companies selected for this year's pitch include: Ads Hotel, Beach-Inspector, bookingkit, MagicStay and Redeam.
Ready to step up the technology offerings within your hotel? This is where you want to be.
3. Exotic Displays, Giveaways, Free Stuff and More
Over the course of 5 days, ITB Berlin offers exotic displays, dance shows, giveaways, free local food and drink samples, rides and various meet-ups for industry patrons looking to network or re-connect with colleagues.
You can also download the ITB app (new this year) and make use of the free, public wifi in order to plan your time around the venue and stop by must-see booths and attractions. For those professionals who have a penchant for networking opportunities, the conference is even hosting Blogger Speed Dating and ITB Speed Networking.
4. Become a Berlin Tourist
A popular tourist destination, Berlin has a lot to offer. While you're there, consider setting aside some time to visit popular attractions such as the Reichstag Building, the Brandenburg Gate, the memorial of the Berlin Wall, Brandenburg Gate, Museumsinsel (Museum Island) and much more.
5. Experience Berlin's Nightlife
You can't come to Berlin without experiencing their party scene. Between the spati, a late-night supermarket, internationally acclaimed clubs and venues, house music culture and the events curated specifically for ITB, there is plenty to choose from.
If you're a beer fan, be sure to swing by the ITB's Travel Cinema with Beer Tasting on March 7th in Hall 3.1. More interested in networking with industry professionals? Check out the HEDNA Networking Event March 7th (R13, Level 3, CityCube
Berlin).
With just over two weeks to go, we look forward to connecting with you at ITB Berlin 2018 and enjoying all that the conference (and Berlin) has to offer.
Be sure to come see hospitalityPulse at ITB -
Hurkmans joins Interstate with more than 30 years of hospitality experience. In his most recent position as cluster general manager with Wyndham Dubai Marina and TRYP by Wyndham Dubai, Hurkmans successfully established and implemented a cluster organization, driving sales and revenue management while overseeing day-to-day operations.
Interstate Hotels & Resorts announced the appointment of Rogier Hurkmans as a regional vice president of operations for Continental Europe. Reporting to Ken McLaren, Interstate's executive vice president of international operations, Hurkmans will help to build the company's regional, multi-lingual operating platform, ensure operational excellence and achieve optimal profitability for managed properties.
"We are delighted Rogier Hurkmans has joined our executive operations team in Continental Europe as we continue to enhance our above-property resources in the region," said McLaren. "Rogier will fortify our team as we continue to grow, and his wealth of experience driving quality metrics and delivering optimal hotel results, while building lasting partnerships with our ownerships groups, will be integral to our Continental European platform."
Hurkmans joins Interstate with more than 30 years of hospitality experience. In his most recent position as cluster general manager with Wyndham Dubai Marina and TRYP by Wyndham Dubai, Hurkmans successfully established and implemented a cluster organization, driving sales and revenue management while overseeing day-to-day operations. As general manager of prestigious properties such as Steigenberger Hotel Berlin and Crowne Plaza Brussels-Le Palace, Hurkmans has a proven track record of growing market share, repositioning properties and consistently gaining recognition for exceptional guest satisfaction and quality. Hurkmans also brings a strong multilingualism to his new role, with fluency in English, Dutch and German, and proficiency in French.
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Montreal-based trio Adhoc has returned with "The Heat," a catchy, mid-tempo cut with additional vocals from Claire Ridgely. The song follows previous releases like falsetto funk odyssey "China White" and MTL anthem "My City." It comes in advance of their impending full-length Bicoastal R&B. Billed as "thermotrap" on SoundCloud, the song offers a warm groove to contrast the cold shoulders they've received in their cold-ass city. In its half-sung verses, complimented by subtle vocal effects, the record, like the album title, suggests a push towards off-kilter R&B for the group. "The Heat is a Jean-Paul Sartre-inspired Craigslist ad for missed connections ~ a tale of star-crossed stunnas seeking a love to which there is no entrance, and more importantly, no exit," writes Adhoc via email. The song is the second of 12 monthly releases they have planned for 2018.
Ridgely, who provides both the hook and some half-hidden harmonies throughout, is also based in Montreal, and is preparing to release her debut EP in the near future.
Watch Adhoc's video for "Gimme Gimme," released earlier this month, below.
Quotable Lyrics:
Woke up in the morning
I knew what was wrong
You were already gone
Give you a call
You ignoring my calls
Guess I'll just wait for your call back
Seven years later still checking my phone
I'mma fuck 'til it hurt
I'mma fuck 'til it don't
Recently, Kim Kardashian made a stop as a guest at the Create & Cultivate summit in Los Angeles. The gathering brought together businesswomen and female entrepreneurs from across the United States for a moment in discussing the roles and challenges of women in business today. While the reality star and serial entrepreneur probably had more than enough gems to give out on such topics, things did get quite candid during her panel discussion, with the conversation even landing on her romance with her husband and babies' father Kanye West when she revealed the moment she knew that 'Ye was the one for her.
According to Kim, the couple discovered they had one very important habit in common on the first night that they spent together.
"I sleep with the heat on... 80 degrees and socks and a robe, every single night," she began. "The first night I slept at Kanyes house... I wont say the date because Ill get in trouble, but years and years ago, he slept with the heat on and socks, and I was like, 'Omg, I met my soul mate.'"
Surely enough, the rest was history. The couple recently celebrated the birth of their third child, Chicago West, and are also slated to appear on a new episode of Celebrity Family Feud alongside other members of their family, including Khloe Kardashian and Kris and Kendall Jenner, sometime in the near future. According to Kim, it's an appearance that is a dream come true for Feud aficionado Kanye West.
"Rowdy" Ronda Rousey officially signed her WWE contract at last night's Elimination Chamber PPV, but it was a much more eventful occasion than simply putting pen to paper.
Rousey, who made her WWE debut at the Royal Rumbler PPV last month, was joined in the ring by WWE chief executive Triple H, deputy commissioner Stephanie McMahon and Raw General Manager, Kurt Angle.
After listening to some praise from Triple H about the magnitude of this signing, Kurt Angle called out the WWE legend for talking shit behind Rousey's back. "Didn't you say earlier, three years in the making and now we own the bitch," Angle said to Triple H. "Didn't you say Ronda was a has-been?"
Naturally, the former UFC Bantamweight champion did what any other WWE superstar would hope to do in that situation. She put Triple H through a table much to the delight of the crowd at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
The bit didn't end there. Stephanie McMahon then smacked the WWE's newest employee, which reportedly left a handprint welt on her face.
Last night's events lay the groundwork for Rousey's first WWE match which is expected to come at Wrestlemania 34 in April. It is believed that Rousey and a tag team partner (Possibly Kurt Angle or maybe even The Rock) will go up against Triple H and Stephanie McMahon.
Check out the full clip below.
Last year's Everybody marked a few milestones for Logic. It was his first #1 debut, and contained the single "1-800-273-8255," which became his highest-charting song to date and also secured his first-ever Grammy nominations. Perhaps some day-one fans pine for the days when the rapper was best-known as a rapid-fire spitter with a low profile, and if so, they should be delighted that his latest song is all bars. Enough of them seem to have clicked on "44 More," as it received more views than any other song on our site last week.
This week, Gucci Mane is the only artist with two appearances in the top ten. New track barely missing out on spots this week include Bow Wow's "Yeaahh" (#11), Zaytoven, Ty Dolla $ign, Jeremih, and OJ Da Juiceman's "What You Think" (#12), Tekashi 6ix9ine, Young Thug, and Tory Lanez's "Rondo" (#13), and Good Gas, 2 Chainz, A$AP Ferg, and FKi 1st's "How I Feel" (#14).
10. XXXTENTACION - Hope
XXX isn't the first rapper you'd expect to mourn an act of mass violence, what with his history of abuse, but the recent Parkland school shooting seemed to hit close to home for the South Florida upstart. Days after the massacre, he shared a new song called "Hope" that's dedicated to the 17 victims and their families. It debuts at #10.
9. DMX, Royce Da 5'9" & KXNG CROOKED - King Kong
The upcoming Forever M.C. compilation looks like it'll be a breeding ground for veteran spitters, and the latest single released from the project is no exception. "King Kong" sets DMX, Royce, and Crooked's rhymes to a Statik Selektah beat, and curried enough favor with HNHH users to receive a 95% rating.
8. Blac Youngsta Feat. Travis Scott - Heavy Camp
Memphis' Blac Youngsta finally dropped his debut album, 223, last week, and if you thought the Travis Scott feature wouldn't be the most-played song on the project, you're clearly out of touch. La Flame lends an assist on "Heavy Camp," which debuts at #8.
7. Trippie Redd - UKA UKA
Next up is a guy, prior to this week, had only appeared as a lead artist in our top ten when Travis Scott was assisting him on "Dark Knight Dummo." Now Trippie Redd has scored his first truly solo top ten appearance with "UKA UKA," which debuts at #7.
6. Enima Feat. Quavo, Offset, Hoodrich Pablo Juan & Ness - Water
You'd think that if your name was Enima, you'd want to avoid all possible connections to the word "enema," but with his debut track on our site, the Montreal rapper went with the dubious title "Water." Luckily, he had two-thirds of the Migos and the scorching hot Pablo Juan on the track, so it debuts at #6.
5. Tyga Feat. Gucci Mane - Sip A Lil
Tyga's recent project Kyoto may not have been as well-received as it could have our users only gave it a 67% approval rating but at least it's got this track going for it. The Gucci Mane-assisted "Sip A Lil" is one of only two holdover tracks from last week's top ten, and it even remains in the exact same spot (#5) in its second week out.
4. Lil Uzi Vert Feat. Playboi Carti - Bankroll
Having already toured and collaborated together multiple times, Lil Uzi Vert and Playboi Carti seem to have established a pretty tight rapport, and they might even have a joint project in them in the near future. Their latest team-up comes on "Bankroll," a new one that debuts at #4.
3. A$AP Rocky, Gucci Mane & 21 Savage - Cocky
The second and final holdover from last week's chart is "Cocky," a star-studded collab from the upcoming Uncle Drew soundtrack. The London On Da Track-produced gem is down two places in its second week out, from #1 to #3.
2. Post Malone Feat. Ty Dolla $ign - Pyscho
Post Malone's been teasing his Beerbongs & Bentleys album for quite some time with no release date in sight, but maybe a new single suggests that the drop date isn't that far off. "Psycho" pairs him with Ty Dolla $ign, and is good enough for a #2 debut on the chart.
1. Logic - 44 More
Is mixtape Logic, AKA Young Sinatra, back? The BARS-first new track "44 More" seems to suggest that. This is the Logic that people were hungry for, and thusly, the new track debuts at #1.
Thanks to the city earning its first Super Bowl win in history, many in Philadelphia have reason to celebrate. The team and fans have used Meek Mills iconic Death and Nightmares (Intro) as an anthem throughout the journey, its scrappy defiance symbolizing the attitude of the city. Hold up wait a minute, yall thought I was finished, and similar lyrics could be heard anywhere from the locker room to the streets.
Notably absent throughout the proceeding has been Meek Mill himself. In November of last year the rapper stood before Judge Genece E. Brinkley, a woman who has overseen Meeks probation for over a year, after parole violations that included a failed drug test and Meeks noncompliance to a court order that severely limited his travel.
Not helping matters was two misdemeanor arrests Meek experienced in 2017. The first arrest involved an alleged altercation in the St. Louis airport after an airport employee asked for a photo and Meek refused. The second included reckless endangerment charges issued by the NYPD for popping wheelies on his dirt bike through upper Manhattan. NYPD officials used a story posted on Meeks Instagram account to identify him a day after the incident.
For these violations, Meek was given 2-4 years in prison by Judge Brinkley. The sentence shocked many as it directly opposed recommendations by the Assistant District Attorney and Probation Officer who did not want Meek imprisoned as he had been off drugs since January and mostly complied with his probation requirements. The ruling has raised many questions regarding the criminal justice system in Philadelphia. A top public defender noted that Meeks case represented deep systemic problems with long probation cycles and courts focusing on technical rules instead of a defendants actual progress.
Recent developments involving Judge Brinkley and the alleged corruption involving Meeks initial arresting officer have warranted an appeal date set this April. But that is no surefire guarantee. The Philadelphia Inquirer reported that seven times in the past four years has Judge Brinkley sent men to prison for violating parole. Meeks case, with its long probation period and the resulting punishment, fits the formula Brinkley has followed. Those men have appealed each time and every time, her decisions have been upheld by a higher court.
Eight in 10 of Houston's midsized companies plan to either pay off debts or increase investments this year in the wake of the GOP's corporate tax cuts, while a third said they'll use their tax savings to raises wages, a new study shows.
Almost 90 percent of Houston companies surveyed by JPMorgan Chase & Co. expect to see revenues rise this year, and two-thirds said they plan to increase the size of their workforces and lift compensation levels.
Texans should be very worried about the North American Free Trade Agreement talks underway this week in Mexico City, and hopeful that our voluble and volatile president keeps his cool.
For weeks now, President Donald Trump has slammed Canada and Mexico, our most important trading partners, with his typical pregame trash talk. But with time running out and the rhetoric escalating, the Texas economy is at risk.
Our state exports more goods and services to Mexico than to any other country, generating an $8.5 billion trade surplus that supports Texas businesses and jobs. Mexico is also a major buyer of Texas natural gas and petroleum products, which we have in excess.
RELATED: Trump tariffs will cost American jobs
The northeast U.S., meanwhile, exported more natural gas to Canada than it imported for the first time last year.
If Trump withdraws the U.S. from NAFTA, much of that business could be lost. The oil and gas industry would be especially hard hit as services companies find it more expensive to ship equipment south of the border.
Mexico represents a huge opportunity for Texas businesses, growing so fast it could soon surpass France to become the world's ninth-largest economy.
This growing market is extremely attractive to energy companies because U.S. demand is stagnant.
Mexico's secretary of foreign affairs, Luis Videgaray, said the energy sector was an important topic at a recent meeting of North American foreign ministers.
"The North American region has the natural resources and the human and technical capabilities to be a region of not only abundant energy, but cheap and clean energy that could transform our societies and our economies," he said. "We have set ourselves the aim of creating a regulatory framework ... that identifies synergies where there may be joint planning of infrastructure, but above all, enables the private sector."
RELATED: Mexico offers opportunity, if we don't mess up NAFTA
Those plans, however, depend on NAFTA. And Canada's lead negotiator, Steve Verheul, told the Canadian Global Affairs Institute that talks are not going well.
"The main issue is that we have seen limited U.S. flexibility on fairly easy issues," Verheul said. "This is being driven to a large extent from the top, from the administration."
Time is running out.
The Mexican presidential campaign begins on March 30, and current President Enrique Pena Nieto is barred from running again. With Mexico-U.S. relations a hot topic, and a leftist, anti-NAFTA candidate leading in opinion polls, conservative Mexican officials will likely delay further negotiations until after the July 1 election.
That would restart the talks during the U.S. election season. Republican lawmakers and the U.S. business community are already urging Trump to take a softer line on NAFTA rather than politicize foreign trade any further.
"NAFTA has created a North American energy market that benefits American consumers, creates American jobs and promotes US national security interests," said Jack Gerard, president and CEO of the American Petroleum Institute, the industry's lead lobby group. "If a modernized NAFTA cannot be finalized, the administration must retain its commitment to the current trade agreement."
U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer told a White House meeting with Republicans and Democrats last week he was making progress, but it's been tough.
"There was a lot of anxiety at one point as to whether or not we'd be in a position where we would have to withdraw in order to get a good agreement," he said. "We have a number of issues that we still have to work our way through, but I'm hopeful that we'll be in the position I think that's most important to get a good deal."
Sen. John Cornyn told the Reuters news agency afterward that he is "more optimistic" that Trump won't terminate NAFTA, which he called important to economic growth.
"We just encouraged him to continue to modernize NAFTA," Cornyn said.
Mexico and Canada, meanwhile, are negotiating better deals elsewhere. Both are members of the Trans-Pacific Partnership and are currently negotiating improved free trade agreements with the European Union.
The last time NAFTA talks were held in Mexico City, Pena Nieto cut short his attendance to meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Xiamen, China.
"They have reached a consensus on the development of a pragmatic cooperation between our two countries," Qiu Xiaoqi, the Chinese ambassador to Mexico, told the Mexican newspaper Excelsior afterward.
RELATED: Trump plays into China's hands on global trade
That's what happens in geopolitics when a partner starts behaving like a bully -- sovereign countries look for new friends and allies.
Texans need the business NAFTA generates, and we need our representatives in Washington to fight for it. Scrapping the deal is simply unacceptable.
This round of NAFTA talks is slated to end March 5, and no one believes that a new deal will be reached. The best we can hope for is an agreement to meet again after the November elections.
And to make no sudden moves before then.
On a recent Friday morning Sam Scott walked through his house for the last time.
He grabbed a dust mask from his car and entered through the open garage. The door had buckled during Hurricane Harvey and had to be ripped off to remove the car trapped inside.
"Bad things happened here during the flood," Scott said, walking through each mold-infested room in a business suit and pink tie.
Within hours, the home he and his wife raised three children in - the space they'd painstakingly renovated over two decades, one of the neighborhood's remaining examples of midcentury architecture - would be just a memory. An excavator's claw would take its first swipe at the home's low-pitched roof. The machine would not stop until every red brick, every clerestory window and every wood beam was a pile of rubble left to be hauled to the dump.
That same claw has torn through many other midcentury moderns in Memorial Bend, a west Houston neighborhood of about 350 homes.
"Y'all have the contract on that one?" Scott asked a technician from the demolition company, pointing to a mod nearby.
"I'm not sure. I got like 30 of 'em," came the response.
In the months since Harvey, the city has issued at least 19 residential demolition permits in this family-oriented neighborhood where the street names are all taken from operas. Four on Figaro. Four on Faust. Two on Tosca.
Not all of the homes have architectural significance, but historians, preservationists and homeowners are grieving over Memorial Bend and other postwar neighborhoods that are rapidly losing their traditional character. The process started years before the storm as land got more valuable and teardowns more common, but the flooding speeded the process along.
Memorial Bend, which spans both sides of Beltway 8 between Memorial Drive and Buffalo Bayou, had one of the largest concentrations of 1950s-modern houses in Houston, according to a website documenting the area's modern structures. Many were designed by pre-eminent architects of the era.
"These neighborhoods took about a decade to build. Now we're seeing many of them lost in months," said local architect Steven Curry, who runs Houston Mod, a nonprofit that advocates for the preservation of modern architecture.
Braeswood Place and Meyerland, Curry said, are facing similar losses to their postwar structures whose designs represent a time of innovation and optimism, when people were asking: "How can we do more with less? How can we do things differently, but better?"
Even many owners of midcentury mods who would like to repair their properties can't get permits to repair because the city wants them to elevate their homes, said Robert Searcy, a real estate agent who specializes in selling 1950s-era properties.
"The reality is, I don't think people are going to do that," Searcy said. "As much as it pains me and anybody else that appreciates that style, the grim reaper has come calling."
Scott and his family moved into Memorial Bend in 1996 when his wife, Leanne, was pregnant with their third child. They moved from a bungalow in the Heights because their oldest was about to start kindergarten and they liked the schools out west.
The couple renovated. They added on twice.
When they became empty-nesters a few years ago, the Scotts bought a house in Willow Meadows to be closer to Leanne Scott's job in the Texas Medical Center.
They put the 1957 house in Memorial Bend on the market and spent about $75,000 making it move-in ready. They listed it at close to $800,000.
But as the oil slump took hold, the market softened and the Scotts dropped their price to $700,000.
"The only ones calling on us wanted to buy the lot," Scott said.
So they decided to find a renter. A family with four young boys moved in.
The Scotts were planning to try to sell their home again just before Harvey. Over the summer, they spent $17,000 on a new roof.
As the storm bore down, the renters evacuated. When the water finally receded, Scott returned to the home. He removed the furniture, sprayed the walls and floors with fungicide and opened all the windows. It was hard to imagine putting the house back together.
"The floors weren't just ruined but they had bubbled up with odd mounds sticking two feet up from the floor," Scott said.
He spoke to a contractor who told him it would cost about $30,000 to remediate. The house had flood insurance, but the cost to repair it would have been far more than what the structure would be worth.
Harvey accelerated the demise of Memorial Bend's mods, but it wasn't the cause.
The neighborhood had already started transforming as land prices shot up and longtime homeowners sold out to builders with generous offers.
A blog dedicated to the history and architecture of the neighborhood was last updated in January 2007 with a warning about McMansions replacing the one-story ranches: "Fortunately, not all news is bad news. In fact, several houses are in the process of being restored or appear to be saved."
David Reid, who lives around the corner from Scott, was standing outside with his next-door neighbor Phillip Chin. They were off work that Friday, checking on the progress of the renovations to their flooded homes, which were both built in 2013.
Aside from a few older homes that appear to be in the process of being fixed up, "there are just razed houses everywhere," Reid said.
"You know what's going to happen," he said over the din of saws and work trucks. "It's zoned to Memorial High School. It's going to be all new builds."
As bad as Harvey was, memories are short, Chin said.
"In three years, none of these Dumpsters are here, you don't have any of these trucks. There are new houses, kids running around, and things get fairly back to parity in terms of home values hopefully," he said.
About 15 properties are currently for sale in Memorial Bend. Builders are purchasing lots and so are some families who couldn't afford to move to the neighborhood pre-Harvey, said Marie Dupres, a real estate agent who also lives there.
The average price for an older house that flooded is down about $100,000, she said. Many of them are listed at around $550,000 but the sales prices are coming in at around $530,000.
As more new homes are built, Dupres said, the local homeowners association has been tightening restrictions on new construction.
There are now rules around preserving green space and trees, as well as how much of the lot a new structure can fill.
"That's how I believe they're trying to preserve some of the integrity of the neighborhood," she said.
Last October, a house on Faust was featured as part of an ongoing Houston Mod event called "Mod of the Month."
The chosen homes are typically listed for sale and the events help draw potential new preservation-minded owners.
The house recently sold, but the city has issued a plumbing permit to disconnect the sewer line, the step that precedes demolition.
Dupres, who had the listing, said the new owner is planning to build a home on the lot with a midcentury modern style.
Scott's house on Figaro is described on the Memorial Bend architecture website.
William Norman Floyd, a prominent architect of the era, designed the home. It had the classic midcentury design elements: a sloped, beamed ceiling, clerestory windows and low-pitched roof.
An "out of this world house," boasted a January 1958 newspaper advertisement: "A $30,000 home for $25,496."
Scott says what he'll miss most about the house are the rectangular windows that ran across the top of the wall.
He loved how the afternoon light came in and that instead of looking out at neighbors and cars in the street, the views were of blue skies and the tops of pine trees.
That Friday morning, Scott had taken a break from a conference at a nearby business center to visit his old home. His wife didn't want to be there. She wanted to remember the house how it was.
"We kind of gave it every shot we had as far as trying to take care of it and fix it up," he said. "In the end, nature has much more powerful forces that certainly lay your plans to waste."
That afternoon, Scott would be going to Glenwood Cemetery for a funeral of a longtime friend.
He was planning to swap his pink tie with a dark one he had brought along that day - one that was beginning and ending with goodbyes.
"There is a certain dirge-like feeling to the day," Scott said. "At the same time a tremendous sense of relief. This is an obstacle to be overcome and there's no way I can get to where I need to be with this house still here."
In the ultra-competitive symphony world, one important way an American orchestra can establish itself as a world-class contender is to go on a European tour, where gaining the acclaim of the Old World still carries prestige and currency.
In these hard economic times, though, costly concert tours are fewer and further between. So it's significant that beginning March 9, the Houston Symphony embarks on its first European tour in 18 years. On the evidence of the second of two Houston concerts debuting its tour repertoire, European audiences are about to experience an orchestra characterized by emotionally evocative music-making.
Choosing what repertoire to take on tour is critical. An orchestra's tour program becomes its calling card - "Here's what we do best." Houston Symphony music director Andres Orozco-Estrada selected less obvious works by familiar composers for this tour. Rather than the "Candide" or "West Side Story" overtures everyone expects from composer Leonard Bernstein, Orozco-Estrada chose the Serenade for Violin, Strings, Harp and Percussion. Essentially a violin concerto written in 1953-54, it's musically adventurous but not challenging for the listener.
Embracing the "go big or go home" philosophy, the Houston Symphony got no less than American star Hilary Hahn - clearly expecting a second child soon - as their violin soloist in the Bernstein. Based on Plato's "Symposium," depicting ancient Greek philosophers holding forth on the subject of love, Bernstein's Serenade gave ample opportunity for Hahn to display her versatility.
Most memorable was her elegiac lyricism in the fourth movement, "Agathon." Her playing expressed a palpable longing that built to an aching crescendo in the orchestra, then leaving her to continue on unaccompanied, alone. Finally, the orchestra quietly re-entered as she held a single, long, straight tone that gently died out to end the movement.
The drunken revelry of the last movement, "Alcibiades," was a clearly joyous occasion for Hahn to luxuriate in virtuosity and some playfully unusual sounds, prompting the first vociferous ovation and encore (Bach's Gigue from Partita No. 3 in E major) of the evening.
The best-known part of the program came in the second half of the evening with Shostakovich's Symphony No. 5. The Russian composer's attempt to placate his Soviet oppressors while subtly getting in his musical digs is certainly no war-horse, but its finale is a crowd-pleaser whenever it's performed.
On this occasion, Orozco-Estrada led an expansive performance that benefited greatly from the acoustic advantage gained by extending the orchestra seating as far out into the house as the stage allows. Jones Hall never sounded so good, and with musicians filling every square foot of the stage space, Shostakovich's most profound and grandiose moments reached out and engulfed the audience.
Lyrical despair and judgment peered out from between walls of monumental sound in the first movement, while in the fourth, Orozco-Estrada's expansive tempo seemed awfully slow going in to the finale. But the Colombian maestro's command of the architecture of the piece prevailed, ratcheting up the tension to an excruciating point, until the full orchestra exploded in the major chord that signals the finale.
A second uproarious ovation was rewarded with a lively performance of "The Death of Tybalt" from Prokofiev's "Romeo and Juliet" Suite No. 1.
Now, the musicians of the Houston Symphony are en route to Europe, where they'll begin with performances at Belgium's Klarafestival, continuing on to Germany, Poland and Austria. Then they wait for the reviews to come in, when we all find out if our Houston Symphony's impassioned music-making is as well received there as it is here.
"The Looming Tower," an unflinching look at the missteps leading to the Sept. 11 attacks in 2001, seems an unlikely vehicle for a love letter. But Twin Cities native Ali Selim, a key writer and director for the 10-part Hulu series that begins streaming Wednesday, dedicated his work to the memory of his Egyptian-born father.
"When I would get picked up to go to the shoot, the Teamsters would say the ghost of my dad was hanging over the set," Selim, 57, said by phone last month from his new home in Portland, Ore.
The writer/director was familiar with the material long before he was recruited for the project. Selim had come across an excerpt of Lawrence Wright's book "The Looming Tower: Al-Qaeda and the Road to 9/11" in the New York Times and read it to his dad, former University of St. Thomas economics Prof. Mohamed Selim, who had lost his eyesight after retiring.
"It excited him to the point of breathlessness," Selim said. "I bought the book on tape, but he couldn't stand it because the New York actor on the audio book couldn't pronounce the Arabic names. By the time he passed away in 2015, I had read him the entire book, cover to cover, eight times."
Father and son appreciated Wright's insights into the frayed relationship between the West and the Middle East, presenting legitimate grievances from both camps.
More Information 'The Looming Tower' Streaming on Hulu Wednesday See More Collapse
That evenhanded perspective was important to Selim's longtime friend Dan Futterman, who asked him to work on the series. Futterman, a two-time Oscar nominee as screenwriter of "Capote" and "Foxcatcher," teamed with Oscar-winning documentarian Alex Gibney ("Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room") to run the show. Selim ended up directing Episodes 4 and 5, with writing credits on the seventh and final installments.
"I wanted him on board, not only because he's a great writer, but because of his heritage," said Futterman, who appeared in a Selim-directed commercial for A1 Steak Sauce before establishing himself as a force behind the scenes. "His insight into Islam and being Arab-American in the United States was great for the actors."
Tahar Rahim plays the Lebanese-American FBI agent who almost prevented the World Trade Center attacks. He lauded Selim's work with the cast, which includes veterans Jeff Daniels and Peter Sarsgaard.
"He doesn't come on set with the scene firmly in his head," Rahim said. "He comes to you as an actor and asks, 'How are you feeling? What do you want to do?' I like that. He finds the right language for each actor."
Like Rahim's character, Selim identifies himself as a proud American. But he admits sometimes feeling out of place in the United States, despite having spent nearly his entire childhood in St. Paul, Minn.
"It's not that I felt ostracized. But I never had an anchored sense of 'This is where I belong,' " said Selim, who traveled to Egypt frequently while growing up. "Maybe that's not the right way to say it. Maybe it's better to say I felt just as much at home in Minnesota as I did in Cairo."
Selim's tendency to identify himself as an outsider may also explain why he's not a full-time member of the independent-film world. Despite the success of his 2005 film "Sweet Land" - it won an Independent Spirit Award for best first feature - Selim has not made a theatrical release in more than a decade, focusing on teaching and directing TV series including "Criminal Minds" and "In Treatment."
"Maybe television is a better outlet for him," Futterman said. "Independent film is a tough arena these days. You can do really cheap movies or big-budget movies. But the kind of stories Ali tells, which cost several millions of dollars, Hollywood people find it hard to think they'll make their money back."
Selim, who moved to Oregon recently to be closer to his wife's family, is also stretching himself as a memoirist. As soon as shooting on "Tower" wrapped in September, he moved to Egypt for a few months to work on a book about his relationship with his dad, gathering inspiration by sleeping in his former bed.
Don't expect to see it become a movie or TV show.
"Anything I would want to say on the subject, I put in my scripts for 'Looming Tower,' " Selim said. "I am fulfilled by that."
You won't find any vines hanging around Houston's newest winery. Located on Travis Street in midtown, Sable Gate Winery is firmly planted in an asphalt-laden stretch of the city. But there's nowhere owners Szilvia Konya and Bob Egan would rather be.
"Houston is a great place for something like this right now," Egan says as he stands in front of a large chrome tank, where his wife, Konya, is pouring their newest wine into a bottle.
"There's a lot of microbreweries, but there's not micro-wineries. And people don't want to travel to Fredericksburg on a regular weekday. The microbreweries are packed," Egan continues as Konya clamps down on a corking machine, sealing the bottle of Syrah. "So, we thought this might be a good alternative for people who aren't beer people. And we don't need a vineyard to do this. So why not have it in the middle of the city? It's a great place to meet up."
The couple opened the winery in November, and in the first few months, it's operated largely as a place to host a party or grab a glass - or bottle - to sip. But they recently acquired additional equipment, which enables them to host blending and bottling parties.
The grapes in the winery come from a California distributor, as did the original batches of wine they served until they put the finishing touches on their production line earlier this year.
"They provided us with the initial wine inventory, and now they're sending us the grape juice and the crushed grapes," she says.
No, you won't find any Texas grapes in the bottles along the back of the bar. Rather, they stock grapes sourced from five continents.
And to say the millennials are loving it is an understatement.
"This generation, they're perfect for this," Konya says. "I would say about 65 percent of our guests are young female professionals. That age group, they have an extreme affinity for wine."
It's more than just an affinity. It's an obsession.
According to the Wine Council Market, millennials drank 42 percent of all wine imbibed in 2015, leaving all other generations in the dust. Baby Boomers were the grape-guzzling runners up, with 30 percent of consumption.
"And I think part of that is because it's a fun thing to drink, and you don't have to know a lot about wine to enjoy it," Konya continues.
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It's also super social - especially at Sable Gate, where Konya says she can't even begin to count the number of bachelorette parties that have funneled through the doors since they opened.
"There's at least one a week," she says. Just think of the Instagram potential of a horde of young women in matching outfits taking turns corking their own bottles of wine, with custom labels to commemorate the occasion. The image is a perfect distillation of 2018.
Sable Gate Winery 2600 Travis St.; sablegatewinery.com; (713) 360-7113. Open 4 p.m. to 11 p.m. Tuesdays through Fridays; 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. on Saturdays; and 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Sundays. See More Collapse
"Often it's three or four girlfriends coming in together for a night out, though I can imagine it being a good date night too," Konya says. "There's teamwork in blending and bottling. So then you get to imagine how the other person works with you, right? Which is important."
She laughs the way she must when the winery is jam-packed full of estrogen. Like she's here for the ride and pleased as pinot to be a part of everyone else's fun.
But there's business in the fun, too. And she hopes that people come away from the winery with a better understanding and appreciation of wine. That's why she stocks 22 reds and eight whites.
"My purpose is to create an environment where everybody - whether they know a lot about wine, or very little - they feel comfortable," she says. "I've had bad experiences when I've been out to a fancy restaurant, and the sommelier made me feel like I should know a lot more about wine."
That takes a lot, considering Konya grew up in a crop and wine-farming family in Hungary.
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Sable Gate has its own staff sommelier. But like Konya, she has a simple, fun philosophy: Trying new wine is the best way to find what will someday be your favorite variety.
"A lot of our guests come in, and say 'I don't like white wine,'" she says.
At that point, the challenge is on. Konya lets loose a big smile.
"I tell them, 'Give this a taste, and you'll see if you like it or not,'" she continues. "You need to taste things you don't know. That's the fun part."
It was the sexy Progetti chair that introduced Jerry Hooker and Jacob Sudhoff to one of Italy's finest makers of leather-and-wood furniture: Giorgetti.
At the time, the men thought it was an attractive chair that would fit into their modern design aesthetic, with its tall, white leather back and sleek wooden legs. On a trip to Italy, they visited the factory and were hooked.
That one chair lead them to develop the Giorgetti Houston condo development and, now, CASA, a home-furnishings showroom with seven brands each getting its own boutiquelike space.
ITALIAN STYLE: Home-furnishings maker Giorgetti outfits luxury mid-rise
In the upscale West Avenue retail space, even the day before CASA's official opening, workmen were still buzzing around, installing pieces and putting finishing touches on lighting and other things.
Hooker, a principal at the Mirador Group architecture-design firm, was on hand and talked about the new showroom he and Sudhoff have opened, and what it's bringing to Houston homes.
Together, the men also developed The Sophie at Bayou Bend and Riva at the Park multifamily residential spaces. They expect to break ground on the Giorgetti condos near the CASA showroom in about a month.
For CASA, they lured two major Italian furniture makers, Giorgetti and Poltrona Frau from nearby Internum. Five other brands in the showroom are new to the Houston market: Listone Giordano flooring, Rimadesio doors and closet systems, Viabizzuno lighting, Elam Kitchens by Tisettanta and Henrytimi furniture.
The demand for contemporary and modern furniture is fed by housing trends that include more modern homes being built in the Houston area. Add to that an increased interest in design in general, and you've got a market for stylish and luxurious home furnishings.
UPPER KIRBY: Home is a modern barn among the bungalows
"Poltrona Frau has forever been known for working with leather. They make all of the Ferrari car seats," Hooker said. "For Houston, Poltrona Frau may not be the most known brand, but everybody knows Ferrari."
Made in Tolentino - a small village in central Italy - Poltrona Frau's furnishings have some 200 leather options, and their furniture is meant for the home or office.
Nicola Coropulis, Poltrona Frau general manager, said he loves the CASA environment that brings like items together in a noncompetitive way.
"The greatest beauty of this concept is that each brand is able to express the best of its own identity, values, feeling and spirit," said Coropulis, who is Italian. "The selection of the brands has been done in such a way that there is synergy."
Giorgetti is known for its contemporary and modern wood and leather furniture, from that iconic armchair to sofas, beds, tables and more. The showroom also has a stop-you-in-your-tracks foosball table that's unlike any game you've ever seen. Its base is wrapped in fine leather and the surround is thick acrylic. The handles and those figures that kick the puck around, they're made of smooth Canaletto walnut.
More Information About CASA Where: West Avenue, 2800 Kirby, Suite B100 What: European luxury home furnishings by Giorgetti, Poltrona Frau, Rimadesio, Listone Giordano, Viabizzuno, Henrytimi and Elam Kitchens by Tisettanta Hours: 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Monday-Saturday, noon-6 p.m. Sunday Information: casa-houston.com See More Collapse
Listone Giordano is an Italian wood flooring brand, but it uses only French white oak that's sustainably harvested. You may not have heard of the brand, but if you've been in a Bulgari store, you've likely walked on their product. Before this Houston showroom, the nearest Listone Giordano dealer was in Miami.
The Viabizzuno lighting brand may not be familiar, but if you've been in a Valentino boutique you've seen its sparkling "Da Ma" chandeliers hanging in them.
Houston Mod's 2017 biennial Preservation Awards honor projects that include an art exhibit, turning an office building into a boutique hotel, and the preservation of homes that defy some stereotypes of midcentury modern design.
Three townhomes that make up the "Style in Steel" project look more like a school or commercial building than a trio of townhomes. They were designed in 1968 by Wilson, Morris, Crain and Anderson one of the firms that designed the Astrodome to consider the use of steel in home construction and as a promotion since the National Association of Home Builders was holding its annual convention at the Astrodome in 1969.
Three families, Diann and Mike Lewter, Penny and James Brown and Michael John Smith and Malcolm Perry were honored for the restoration of their homes in Townhouse Manor, the city's first planned townhouse community.
Another award was given to architect Ben Koush, for the restoration of his East End home. His home represents a little-known chapter of 1950s development, when architect Allen R. Williams Jr. created a company called Century Homes to build homes with interior and exterior concrete tile walls and concrete slab roof pieces as an alternative to wood-frame construction.
Only a handful of these homes were ever made; Koush's has been given City of Houston Protected Landmark status, is a Recorded Texas Historic Landmark and is listed in the National Register of Historic Places.
Gary Prosterman, president and CEO of the Development Services Group real estate company, was honored for the adaptive reuse of the former Melrose Building into the Le Meridien hotel in downtown Houston. The early 1950s building designed by architect Hermon Lloyd and William Morgan could be viewed from the brand new Gulf Freeway as travelers made their way into the heart of the city.
As the new Le Meridien hotel, developers restored the building's original spandrels and replaced the clear glass. Interior terrazzo flooring and exterior panels of green marble were also restored.
Tam Kiehnhoff and Randy Tibbits of the Center for the Advancement and Study of Early Texas Art and Ginger Berni of The Heritage Society, were honored for the exhibit "This WAS Contemporary Art: Fine and Decorative Arts in Houston 1945-1965," a 2016 take on another exhibit nearly 70 years ago.
In 1948, Houston's Contemporary Arts Museum opened with an exhibit called "This is Contemporary Art." Its concept was an outgrowth of the Bauhaus school of thought, that decorative arts were art, and that art should be a part of all aspects of life. While the art in the 1948 show didn't originate in Houston, the 2016 exhibit at the Heritage Society showcased art, decorative arts and furniture made or designed in Houston from 1945-1965.
The nonprofit Houston Mod was founded in 2003 to raise awareness and appreciate of modern architecture and design.
Lynn Goode has been an arts dealer, entrepreneur and even a social worker specializing in post-traumatic stress disorder.
But the newest incarnation of this Houston native is as a dealer in midcentury modern furniture and home decor. She opened her Lynn Goode Vintage store on West Alabama a few years ago and turned her modern home in Highland Village into a tribute to midcentury life.
Leave it to David Mamet, chronicler of some of seamiest characters in film and theater, among them the real estate agents in his play "Glengarry Glen Ross" and Al Capone in the film "The Untouchables," to take a flower shop and the legend of the 1920s Chicago underworld and fashion a fresh take on a milieu one would have thought literature had thoroughly exhausted.
In his first novel in 20 years, "Chicago" (Custom House, 352 pages, $26.99), he mixes real and fictional characters to create a story of tough-talking newspaper scribes, seen-it-all madams and the era's most dangerous criminals.
If you've ever watched a Mamet play or film, you're familiar with his unmistakable style: the rapid-fire overlapping dialogue, the profanity and racial slurs and the dramatic pauses that are as revelatory as any in the plays of Harold Pinter.
These traits appear in abundance in "Chicago" and its large cast of characters, starting with Mike Hodge, who flew missions during World War I and is now a reporter for the Tribune. Mike has long and, as is often the case in this novel, rambling philosophical discussions with fellow journalist Clement Parlow. The two work in the Coffin Corner of the paper's City Room, so called because, in one of the book's more memorable lines, "it was the place where old stories went to die."
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'Chicago' Custom House, 352 pages, $26.99 Click here for more information See More Collapse
These conversations take up more of the novel's time than they should, but, in the midst of the clutter, a story emerges about Mike's girlfriend, Annie Walsh, a few years younger than 30-year-old Mike. He met Annie during one of her shifts at The Beautiful, the flower shop owned by her father.
The reason for his visit was to pursue a hunch about a slain mobster: Cards that accompanied the flowers at the mobster's funeral bore The Beautiful's imprint.
Mike and Annie fall in love, but this is not a book to dwell on tenderness. Soon, more gangland figures are killed, among them Jackie Weiss, manager of a speakeasy called Chez Montmartre, and Morris Teitelbaum, who technically owned the club but, this being Chicago, the club was really "owned" by Dean O'Banion, the real-life head of Chicago's North Side Gang.
The book's violence isn't confined to the gangland crowd: After Mike and Annie make love in his apartment, a man bursts into the place and shoots her. From that point, the novel becomes Mike's quest to find his girlfriend's killer and avenge her murder.
The plot takes unexpected turns, a journey that begins for Mike with only a small piece of information: a photograph of two men who attended Teitelbaum's funeral, men who, according to Peekaboo, the African-American madam of a bordello called the Ace of Spades, work for Annie's father.
Andrew H. Walker / Getty Images
Alas, the plot takes too many unnecessary turns. The first half of "Chicago" somehow manages to move at a breakneck pace yet takes far too long to get where it wants to go. Narratives aren't required to follow a linear path, but even digressions should feel as if they belong on a narrative through-line. An abundance of asides, especially before a book's momentum, mood and main characters have been established, creates confusion rather than nonlinearity.
And that's what happens in the book's first half. Mamet devotes too much time to throwaway stories journalists rehashing the tale of a 2-year-old girl killed by a hurled croquet ball, a long story of a detective who finds a stash of cash and blows his leg off trying to take it and not enough to character development.
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Annie, in particular, never emerges as a fully realized character. It's as though Mamet, whose best work as a playwright and screenwriter is effortlessly fluid, struggles with some of the expository demands of a novel.
"Chicago" gains considerable strength after Annie's murder, however. Even a lesser Mamet work crackles with his celebrated gift for dialogue. Though some of the prose is stilted "information elicited from her or her establishment might eventuate in their chastisement by the O'Banion organization" much of the dialogue is memorable, as when Mike's editor tells him that writer's block "is a disease of the rich, and God knows you can't afford it."
One wishes "Chicago" had more of that kind of writing. But even if the novel isn't the bouquet Mamet fans had hoped for, it's nonetheless a vivid evocation of Prohibition-era organized crime.
Michael Magras (@michaelmagras) is a member of the National Book Critics Circle. His work has appeared in the Minneapolis Star Tribune, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and Newsday.
Bookmark Gray Matters. It takes too many unnecessary turns.
A nunchuck-wielding man was stabbed in the back of the head in Baytown late Saturday during a fight with his friend's ex-boyfriend, according to police.
Caleb Liepold - who was already out on bond for a family assault charge from earlier this month - is now facing one count of assault on a family member and one count of violating a protective order. Meanwhile, Jose Garcia is still in the hospital recovering from his stab wounds and is expected to face charges upon his release.
The problems started hours before the stabbing, when a Baytown woman - fearful her ex would return and cause trouble after allegedly assaulting her earlier in the evening - asked a friend to stay with her.
Now Playing: A man was stabbed in the back of the head in Baytown late Saturday, according to authorities. Video: METRO Video
Garcia came over to stay at the woman's home in the 3300 block of Michigan, and the woman later told Liepold he could stop by to get his belongings.
But once he showed up, the woman later told police, Liepold assaulted her again, then followed her inside. After causing a disturbance in the home, just after 11 p.m. Liepold left.
Garcia followed him outside with a pair of nunchucks, and the two started brawling, Baytown police said in a release. Garcia allegedly hit Liepold with the nunchucks, and Liepold responded by stabbing Garcia in the back of the head, arm and hand, according to police.
First responders flew Garcia to a Houston hospital where he is in stable condition. Prosecutors agreed to charge him with aggravated assault, and he'll be arrested after his release.
Liepold was arrested at the scene, where police also learned he had a protective order filed against him. The Harris County District Attorney's Office accepted charges and he was booked into the Baytown jail.
The accused stabber has prior arrests in Harris County, including a misdemeanor assault-family violence charge stemming from a Feb. 4. incident.
That afternoon, his ex-girlfriend called police after Liepold allegedly punched her in the face repeatedly because he was angry about the screensaver on her cell phone.
The woman had swelling and bruises, according to court records, and told police at the time that it wasn't the first time Liepold had hit her. He was arrested and then released about a week later on $3,000 bond.
Early last year, Liepold was arrested in another spat with the same woman. The two had just recently broken up and agreed to meet up at a park, according to court records.
But when the woman wanted to leave, she said at the time, Liepold wouldn't give her back her wallet from his car. She jumped on the hood to prevent him from driving off, but a witness caught cell phone footage of him speeding away with her on top of the car.
Initially, the woman said her former lover ran over her foot as he drove off. Liepold was arrested for hit-and-run, but eventually the woman asked that the charges be dropped and prosecutors determined they couldn't prove the case beyond a reasonable doubt. The case was dismissed in December.
A Conroe man is offering a $5,000 reward to find his hunting dog's killer, someone who may have fatally shot eight other dogs, according to media reports.
Last week, Cass Coroiescu found his female chocolate Labrador Retriever, Beau, fatally shot after she had gone missing. He has posted a sign in his Deer Trail subdivision neighborhood asking for information about Beau's Feb. 11 killing. Up to eight dogs have been shot and killed in the neighborhood, according to a CBS KHOU 11 report.
A neighbor of Coriescui said two of her three Schnauzers also have been shot and killed. She said at least eight other families have experienced similar losses. Montgomery County Sheriff's Office has confirmed they are investigating the killings, according to KHOU 11.
Coroiescu put up the reward sign after the sheriff's office told him they could not do anything without an eyewitness or confession, according to a FOX KRIV 26 report.
A 21-year-old was charged with murder Sunday in the death of an apparent stranger in Pasadena.
Traelyn Smith is accused in the shooting of Quincy Jackson outside of an apartment complex on 2000 Jenkins. He is being held in lieu of $100,000 bail.
Surveillance video from the scene showed Jackson riding his bike east on Jenkins, when a red car slowed down beside him. As the car sped away, the video showed Jackson lying on the sidewalk, a prosecutor with the Harris County District Attorney's office told a judge at a probable cause hearing Sunday.
Police responded to the scene, where they found Jackson on the sidewalk with gunshot wounds on his left side, his back and his ankle.
The red car was chased by police, ending in Houston. The driver fled on foot, and a K-9 search located Smith in a detached garage of a home. He was taken into custody.
Smith initially denied being involved in the shooting, but later told police that he heard that Jackson had been disrespecting his dead homies and friends, the prosecutor said.
Smith said he didnt know Jackson before the shooting, but that someone told him where Jackson lived and he went there to talk to him.
He brought a .40-caliber Smith & Wesson handgun for protection, he said.
Smith saw Jackson riding his bike and caught up to him. Smith said he tried getting Jackson to stop so they could talk, but Jackson ignored and disrespected him.
Smith said he fired five or six shots at Jackson, intending to scare him. He left, and when police tried stopping him, he fled. He disassembled his pistol and threw the parts out the window along the way. He also took off his clothing to avoid being found with evidence on his clothes, Smith told police.
He has been arrested six times on weapons-related charges, not counting the current charge, the judge said.
Smith is currently out on bond for a Feb. 4 charge of carrying a handgun in a motor vehicle.
Smith works as a state inspector on vehicles in Missouri City and has completed welding school, an attorney told the judge. Smith also indicated he has a child on the way and lives with his mother.
Hilda Ramirez never steps foot outside St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church. When her 11-year-old son leaves for school, she holds her breath, praying that he will return. When sirens wail on the streets outside, her heart stops.
For much of the past two years, the Austin church has provided sanctuary for Ramirez, a 30-year-old immigrant who came to the U.S. illegally after fleeing violence in Guatemala.
She and her son, Ivan, sleep on bunk beds in a room in the east wing of the house of worship, where church members have been trained to form a human barrier should immigration agents show up.
"What else could you do?" said Pastor Jim Rigby, who never hesitated to offer St. Andrew's as refuge. "This is as foundational as anything there is. The core message of the Bible is not to mistreat immigrants and sojourners."
Rigby, whose church is one of about two dozen in the Austin Sanctuary Network, and among an estimated 800 across the country offering protection to immigrants at risk of being deported, is part of a growing chorus of Christian leaders stepping up to advocate for immigrants.
DiNARDO, OTHER CATHOLIC LEADERS: 'We need to help the Dreamers now'
The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops is staging a national call-in and a day of action this week to pressure members of Congress to pass legislation protecting "Dreamers," immigrants brought to the country illegally as children. Prominent evangelical leaders, including Russell Moore, leader of the Southern Baptist Convention's Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission, have issued open letters in support of the approximately 700,000 young immigrants shielded from deportation through the federal Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA).
Others, such as Pastor Sam Rodriguez, who led a prayer at Donald Trump's inauguration, are directly lobbying lawmakers on behalf of DACA recipients and against mass deportation.
'Compelled by scripture'
The current climate of immigration raids, the increased threat of detention and deportation and the looming March 5 deadline for DACA has pushed religious leaders to take a more active role in the political debate.
It is an intensely personal issue in many U.S. churches, where immigrants fill the pews, serve as priests and deacons, attend Sunday school, file into parochial classrooms and aspire to be pastors. They are, said Rodriguez, "the future of American Christianity."
"As goes the immigrant community," he said, "so goes Christianity in America."
Nearly one-third of U.S. Catholics are foreign-born; another 15 percent have parents who are immigrants. About 40 percent of Eastern Orthodox Christians were born outside the country, as are a growing number of worshippers in both evangelical and mainline Protestant denominations, according the Pew Research Center. At the same time, the number of Americans with no religious affiliation has grown from 6 percent in 1992 to 22 percent in 2014, a Pew survey found. The decline is particularly notable among white Protestants.
If a fix for Dreamers, who number about 1.8 million including DACA recipients, is not found, the resulting deportations would reverberate in churches across the country.
About 124,000 DACA recipients live in Texas, including an estimated 80,000 in the Houston area. The metro area is home to nearly 600,000 immigrants who are in the country illegally, the third-largest concentration in the country.
"There would be many churches ripped apart, with vital members of the congregation and families ripped apart," Moore said. "It would be a tragedy."
For Moore and other faith leaders, the need to advocate for immigrants is also a pastoral and Biblical imperative, an instruction clearly stated in Matthew 25: "For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in."
"It is impossible to be a Christian leader and not to address issues of Biblical justice," said Rodriguez, president of the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference. "We are compelled by scripture."
Trump ordered an end to DACA in September, giving lawmakers six months to come up with a replacement. A federal district judge in San Francisco has temporarily blocked Trump's effort to shut down the Obama-era program while a series of lawsuits proceed. The Department of Justice appealed the ruling directly to the Supreme Court, which announced Monday that it will not hear the case, leaving the matter to a federal appeals court to decide.
In mid-February, the Senate held a weeklong open immigration debate but failed to get the 60 votes needed to consider bipartisan immigration proposals.
'Welcoming the stranger'
Opponents of DACA and those pushing stricter immigration laws say allowing Dreamers to stay in the country would reward those who entered the country illegally and encourage others to do the same.
Texas U.S. Senator Ted Cruz, a Republican, has likened a legislative fix for Dreamers to amnesty and said it would hurt American workers.
"I do not believe we should be granting citizenship to anyone here illegally," Cruz said in a Feb. 15 speech on the Senate floor.
Many religious leaders disagree, saying Dreamers and other immigrants contribute to the country and are the epitome of the vulnerable the Bible calls on them to serve.
"We help refugees and immigrants not because they are Catholic but because we are," said Ashley Feasley, policy director for the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops' Migration and Refugee Services. "It is in the biblical tradition of welcoming the stranger."
STALEMATE: Immigration plans stuck in congressional limbo as deadlines loom
The ties between immigrants and churches go back to the earliest days of this country, where settlers often brought religious traditions from their homelands with them.
Many Protestant denominations formed in the Midwest, such as the Swedish Baptist Church (now known as the Baptist General Conference), had Dutch, German and Swedish roots, said M. Daniel Carroll Rodas, a professor of Old Testament at Wheaton College in Illinois and author of "Christians at the Border: Immigration, the Church and the Bible."
Catholic parishes have also long been immigrant enclaves, reflecting the changing waves of newcomers coming to the U.S. The Irish, Italian and German parishes of the 19th and early 20th centuries have given way to Mexican, Central American, African and Asian congregations.
Indeed, according to a Pew Research Center study, 39 percent of Christian immigrants identify as Catholic - and many churches have integrated cultural touches from their native countries into services.
The Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston has seven "ethnic ministries" for Hispanic, Vietnamese, African, Filipino, Korean, Chinese, Polish and Indian parishioners.
"Immigrants are reinvigorating a lot of churches," said Sam Dunning, director of the Office of Justice and Peace in the Galveston-Houston archdiocese. "As a 59-year-old white male, I find my faith continually enhanced and nurtured by the faith traditions they bring."
For Catholic leaders, immigration advocacy has always been an integral part of ministry, with some religious orders founded to assist newcomers. The Scalibrini Brothers, for example, helped Italians migrating to the U.S. from the end of the 19th century until after World War II.
Priests and nuns accompanied immigrants to this country and served them as they settled here, a mission that continues with more recent arrivals, said Sister Ann Scholz, associate director for social mission of the Leadership Conference of Women Religious.
"Our hospitals, schools, social service agencies serve communities in need and those tend to be immigrant communities," Scholz said. "It is still our call to work with the most vulnerable. The story of immigrants is our story."
The rise of evangelical and mainline Christian voices in the immigration debate has emerged as Latinos became a larger force in evangelical communities and as Christian churches began to grow more diverse, said Ali Noorani, executive director of the National Immigration Forum.
According to the Pew Research Center, around one in four evangelicals were nonwhite in 2014, compared to 19 percent in 2007. About 16 percent of evangelicals and about 14 percent of mainline Christians were first- or second-generation immigrants.
"That forced the evangelical leadership to look at the issue in a different way," said Noorani, who noted that the Southern Baptist Convention, as well as members of the President's Evangelical Advisory Board, have spoken out in support of Dreamers and other immigrants.
'Anti-American'
The presence of immigrants in congregation may also have helped shift attitudes of evangelicals on the issue of immigration. About 70 percent now say Dreamers should stay in the country, with about 49 percent in favor of a path to citizenship, according to a Politico/Morning Consult found.
Rodriguez, who says he has personally lobbied Congressional leaders and the president to find a solution for Dreamers, pointed to the anxiety felt by many in his congregation.
"Imagine, you are building the American Dream and you don't know if in 18 days ICE agents will be at your door," said Rodriguez. "This is so anti-American. It is morally reprehensible on steroids."
For immigrants, the embrace of the church is also serving as a buffer against anti-immigrant sentiment.
Ramirez, who entered the U.S. in August 2014 and spent 11 months in an immigration detention center with her son after an asylum request was rejected, said the sanctuary offered by St. Andrew's is light in a moment of darkness.
Ramirez, a Baptist, says her faith keeps her afloat. If God could create heaven and humankind, she believes, he will find a way to help people like her.
The family of a Houston woman who died last year is suing her former landlord and a pest control company, claiming that a bedbug-killing heat treatment used in the woman's apartment killed her.
In a wrongful death suit filed in Harris County on Tuesday, the family of Elizabeth Ashbaugh accuses the owners of the Laure Point Senior Apartments and Certified Termite and Pest Control of negligence that resulted in her death.
Laure Point declined to comment on the suit Tuesday. Requests for comment from CTPC were not returned.
Ashbaugh, 82, died from hyperthermia - a condition that results when the body absorbs more heat than it can dissipate - on July 28, 2017 after returning to the apartment she'd lived in with her husband for 13 years, the suit says.
The unit had recently undergone an non-chemical extermination technique in which the temperature was raised to above 139 degrees, the suit claims.
"Within a short time of re-entering the apartment both Elizabeth and William Ashbaugh began losing consciousness due to the unsafe elevated temperature," the suit alleges. "An ambulance had to be called and both Elizabeth and William were rushed to the hospital. That evening... Elizabeth Ashbaugh passed away."
In their suit, Ashbaugh's family accuses the companies of acting "with malice and/or conscious disregard for human safety."
"Defendants failed to instruct (the Ashbaughs) on when it was safe to return to safe, failed to use a treatment for those in senior community and failed to communicate to (the Ashbaughs) that the home was unsafe to enter," the suit says.
HOUSTON Democratic congressional candidate Laura Moser announced Monday that she has raised more than $86,700 since she was targeted for defeat last week by the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC).
Moser, in a seven-way battle in the March 6 Democratic primary to unseat Houston Republican John Culberson, suggested her fundraising represents an "overwhelming response" to Thursday's unusual DCCC attack.
Moser said the latest influx of cash came from about 4,515 people, at an average donation of $19.20, with about one sixth of over overall haul coming from the Greater Houston area.
The race has emerged as a test of Democrats' ability to flip a Republican-held district that fell to Democrat Hillary Clinton in the 2016 presidential election.
Related: National Democrats target Houston Democrat for defeat
Among the top contenders are Houston attorney Lizzie Pannill Fletcher, non-profit executive Alex Triantaphyllis, cancer doctor Jason Westin, and assistant city attorney James Cargas, in his fourth attempt to unseat Culberson.
Farther back in the money chase are health care administrator Joshua Butler and Hispanic activist Ivan Sanchez, an ex-aide to U.S. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee.
In a district that still skews Republican, it appears that the DCCC, the campaign arm of the House Democrats, decided to steer Democratic primary voters away from Moser, who some see as too liberal to win a general election against Culberson.
But Moser, a writer and political activist whose husband worked in the Obama White House, has shown the fundraising chops to contend against the other top fundraisers Triantaphyllis and Fletcher making her a threat to advance to a likely two-way runoff if nobody gets 50 percent of the primary vote.
She was endorsed two weeks ago by Our Revolution, an offshoot of the 2016 Bernie Sanders presidential campaign.
In an extraordinary intra-party assault, the DCCC took aim at Moser on its official web site last week, branding her as a "Washington insider."
"Democratic voters need to hear that Laura Moser is not going to change Washington," the DCCC said on its website in a rare attack against one of its own candidates. "She is a Washington insider who begrudgingly moved to Houston to run for Congress."
Moser, a Houston native who moved to Washington during the Obama administration, rejected the accusation, and activists in Texas and across the nation criticized the DCCC for meddling in the election.
Party officials in Washington offered no apologies.
"We don't do this lightly," said Meredith Kelly, a spokeswoman for the DCCC, told the Chronicle on Friday. "This shows how important Texas 7 is for us."
The DCCC chairman is U.S. Ben Ray Lujan, a New Mexico Democrat, who endorsed Clinton in the 2016 primaries. Moser also was a Clinton supporter.
Related: Here are the 7 Houston Democrats who want a chance to unseat Republican U.S. Rep. John Culberson
Raymond Chizer calls his leasing office every two weeks, give or take, asking to come home.
The answer hasn't changed in the six months since Hurricane Harvey forced him to flee the rising water that swamped his Greenspoint apartment: "No permits."
Houston has taken the unusual step after Harvey of blocking three of its most flood-prone apartment complexes from rebuilding unless they elevate, a move that speaks to the tradeoffs ahead as the region looks to reduce its flood risk. Aggressively enforcing elevation requirements likely will help keep residents out of harm's way during the next major storm, but doing so also means displacing families from growing portions of the city.
Nowhere is that dilemma starker than Arbor Court Apartments in Greenspoint, where dozens of low-income families are stuck in limbo, unable to come home and unsure whether it's time to move on - or even how they could do so in a city in which subsidized housing is difficult to come by.
The city last October deemed the complex at 802 Seminar "substantially damaged," a classification meaning repairs are estimated to cost more than 50 percent of a structure's value.
The designation, which more commonly applies to single family homes, means Arbor Court cannot get the permits required to renovate its 116 first-floor apartments unless management raises the complex several feet. Arbor Court is located largely within the floodway, the most at-risk portion of the floodplain.
Morgan Cox, a partner in Arbor Court's ownership company, said raising the buildings would be "impractical" and has appealed the city's decision.
Chizer, who is 77 and disabled, is holding out hope he can return.
"It's my independence, for one thing," Chizer said of the subsidized apartment, for which he paid $160 a month. "And that's just about it."
HARVEY: Terror, heartbreak and heroism as five Houstonians brave America's worst storm
Substantial damage determinations, which the Federal Emergency Management Agency requires, are one of Houston's chief mechanisms for preventing people from returning to high-risk flood zones after a storm.
In the six months since Harvey, Houston has sent more than 2,300 of these damage notices to property owners, effectively halting reconstruction until owners bring the buildings - mostly single family homes - up to code. Typically, that requires elevating, which can cost well above $100,000 for a house. Those who cannot afford to elevate often apply for competitive federal assistance programs or sell.
It is rare, however, for apartment complexes to be impacted by the rule, simply because it is more difficult to get above the 50 percent damage threshold in large, multi-story buildings.
In fact, this is the first time since 2015 that the city has declared apartment complexes substantially damaged, Floodplain Administrator Jamila Johnson said. Information on prior floods was not immediately available.
"Harvey was worse, and in some cases the buildings had, in fact, deteriorated in value after being flooded repeatedly," Johnson said.
All three of the affected complexes are located at least partially in the floodway.
Boardwalk Apartments at 9100 Fondren and Meyergrove Apartments at 4605 N. Braeswood are adjacent to Brays Bayou in southwest Houston. Arbor Court at 802 Seminar abuts Greens Bayou to the north.
In all, the city's rulings have halted the repair of more than 350 apartments, leaving many of those residents without homes to return to.
Management for Boardwalk Apartments, which now is vacant, could not be reached for comment, and Meyergrove Apartments' management company did not return requests for comment. Neither has challenged its damage assessment, the city said.
Arbor Court's owner, on the other hand, believes it should be able to rebuild the damaged buildings without raising them.
DM Arbor Court Ltd. filed a formal appeal last month arguing the structures are worth $16.6 million and will cost $3.4 million to rebuild, compared to the city's estimates of $8 million and $5.8 million, respectively.
The Harris County Appraisal District valued the buildings at $5.5 million in 2017.
"This is not substantial damage, so there is no basis for withholding their building permit," Arbor Court attorney Edward Thomas said. "And to the extent their building permit continues to be withheld, it really amounts to an unconstitutional deprivation of property rights."
All 116 of Arbor Court's first-floor units flooded during Harvey and the 2016 event known as the Tax Day flood, many taking on several feet of water. Residents now have reoccupied 115 of the second-floor apartments, and management converted one into a leasing office. Below, window after window reveals the structural skeleton of homes that used to be.
Johnson said the city is reviewing Arbor Court'sappeal.
"Based on my understanding of the careful assessments that were done out there, is that we found more damage from Harvey than we did in the previous event. We were particularly concerned about the condition of the fire walls in the buildings, and that drove a lot of the cost," Johnson said. "It could be that as repairs were done, things got worse over time after being flooded again."
Arbor Court's situation is complicated by the fact that the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development subsidizes all of the complex's apartments through a program known as project-based Section 8.
That means the 116 impacted families earn 50 percent or less of the area median income, which equates to $35,750 for a family of four. As of Friday, Arbor Court had transferred 11 of them to second-floor apartments and 10 to apartments at other properties. The rest, like Chizer, not only lost their apartments during Harvey, but their subsidies as well, at least temporarily.
"Under project-based assistance, the rental assistance is tied directly to the units in the complex," HUD spokeswoman Patricia Campbell said in an email. "They are not portable, and we do not have the ability to convert the assistance to portable vouchers unless the contract is terminated."
HUD, which does not consider a building's flood risk when reviewing project-based Section 8 agreements, renewed Arbor Court's contract in Sept. 2016, five months after the Tax Day flood. The 20-year contract remains in force, Campbell said.
Mayor Sylvester Turner criticizedthat approach.
"I've said to HUD, 'If you allow these multi-family units to build in the same spot when they flooded in 2015, '16 and '17, then you're providing funding for failure and you're leaving the responsibility on the city.'"
Arbor Court did not flood in 2015, Cox said.
"It's a very difficult situation," said Laurie Schoeman, who oversees resilience initiatives for the Maryland-based nonprofit Enterprise Community Partners. "We don't want residents, especially vulnerable residents, to be put in harm's way. But at the same time, we don't want to lose that affordable housing."
Despite its low-cost reputation, Houston offers little subsidized housing. About 55,000 familiesin the metropolitan area receive some type of rental assistance, according to Jonathan Spader, a researcher with Harvard University's Center for Joint Housing Studies. Meanwhile, hundreds of thousands are spending more than 30 percent of their income on housing or live in what the federal government calls "severely inadequate conditions."
Johnson, of Houston's Floodplain Management Office, acknowledged the tension.
"Part of the issue of dealing with the impacts of such a big flood disaster is understanding what will happen to people who are displaced, including people who are renting apartments," Johnson said.
In search of a longer-term solution, Housing Director Tom McCasland broached the possibility of the city buying out Arbor Court two years ago, but the parties have not reached an agreement.
"It is a priority for both me and the mayor that low-income families not be placed once again in the way of storm water given that Arbor Court is in the floodway," McCasland wrote in an email to HUD Assistant Secretary Neal Rackleff last September. "We are prepared to work hand in hand with HUD to find a solution that will be good for the current owner, HUD, the city, and most importantly the residents."
Rackleff responded saying he had brought the issue to the attention of HUD public housing and federal housing administration leadership.
"We will continue to work with the city of Houston to do everything in our power to safeguard the residents displaced from Arbor Courts," he wrote.
Thomas, Arbor Court's attorney, focused on the near-term.
"The point is they're entitled to a building permit," Thomas said. "After they get their building permits and get these people back in, certainly they are willing to listen to proposals and figure out an alternate site that's going to work for these tenants."
All Chizer and his neighbors can do in the meantime is wait.
Chizer, who has been staying with his daughter across town, was not sure why he felt so at home last week, standing in the middle of his cold, gutted apartment, rain coming down hard outside. But he did.
"I don't know," he said. "It's just I've been here so long."
If you thought Mayor Sylvester Turner's $1 billion pension bond issue solved all of Houston's budget problems, think again.
A newly released consultant's report offers a grim assessment of the city government's financial future: Houston is on track to spend $1 billion more than it will take into its coffers in the coming decade. The city will have to dramatically cut spending and raise revenue to balance its budget. Otherwise it will eventually face insolvency, triggering layoffs in the city workforce, a shrinking police department and a general decline in services.
The city paid an outside consultant, PFM of Philadelphia, $565,000 to take a hard look at municipal finances. We won't dwell on the fact that this is a job we're already paying the mayor and city controller to do. But we will point out that this report highlights the need for some fundamental changes in the way Houston's city government does business.
RELATED: The fire department's budget overruns and personnel issues point to a problem
Take, for example, the recommendations for the city's fire department. The report suggests saving up to $40 million a year by changing the structure of firefighters' schedules, going from four shifts down to three. Fire Chief Sam Pena says that would require his people to work longer hours, but it could also allow him to raise firefighters' pay, deploy more ambulances and provide more training without raising the budget.
The Houston Fire Department is long overdue for fundamental restructuring, because it's now mostly an ambulance department that responds to many of its emergency medical calls in fire trucks. Today about nine out of every 10 calls to HFD are for emergency medical help. Figuring out the most cost effective way to provide fire protection and ambulance service in the 21st century is an essential part of any serious discussion about the city's financial future.
RELATED: Revenue cap stands in the way of fiscal responsibility
The dire picture painted by this report is also further evidence that Houston needs to repeal its revenue cap. If you're new to Houston or you haven't followed this complicated mess, you should know that the nation's fourth-largest city has its hands tied when it comes to raising money for municipal government. An arbitrary algorithm dictates that if the city takes in more than a certain amount of property tax revenue, it has to cut its rate. Homeowners get a few extra bucks, but the city government loses a fortune. A couple of the nation's biggest bond rating agencies, Moody's and Standard & Poor, specifically cited the revenue cap as one of the reasons they downgraded Houston's credit rating a couple of years ago. Nobody likes paying property taxes, but Houston needs to get rid of the cap.
Meanwhile, there's no cap on tax increment reinvestment zones that suck up millions in property taxes to spend on questionable endeavors.
RELATED: Whether bright or dim, Houston is at a tipping point to decide its future
And as this consultant's analysis makes abundantly clear, the landmark pension deal painstakingly negotiated by Turner was no panacea. Two years from now, the city government is projected to spend just as much on pension plan contributions as it did two years ago. And the costs just keep on rising, albeit nowhere near as drastically as they would have without Turner's deal making. Constantly escalating pension costs cannot be a permanent fixture in Houston city budgets.
Our city government spent more than a half-million bucks on this report. The mayor and City Council shouldn't just set it on a shelf and watch it gather dust. Some council members have already expressed dismay that the upcoming municipal budget doesn't implement enough of the recommended reforms.
As this report clearly explains, City Hall needs to make some difficult decisions or face potentially ruinous consequences.
The city of Houston and its business community offered an amazing package of incentives and our collective resources to secure Amazon's HQ2. Now that the city has lost the bid, where do we go from here?
I don't ask this question as a postmortem, or to lay blame or point fingers over the loss. Houston needs to leave Amazon behind. But there's no reason we can't pursue our own path for making the proposed "Houston Innovation Corridor" - the core of our city's pitch - into a reality.
RELATED: Amazon shrugged, Houston lost
Let's reignite the enthusiasm once reserved for some outside corporation and invest the same incentives and resources we offered Amazon but, this time, turn inward to create Houston's version of the next generation of technological juggernauts.
First, let us resolve to further diversify our economy by focusing on education, entrepreneurship and technological innovation. Instead of attempting to attract some outside "creative class" - and the harmful gentrification they'll bring to our neighborhoods - we should concentrate on growing our own high-tech economy. This means creating a new education paradigm for the 21st century that can propel us into the 22nd century. Our immediate task is to educate a homegrown creative class that is sensitive to increasing inequality, racial or economic segregation and the hollowing out of the middle class that now plagues other high-tech cities. We're not San Francisco, and we don't want to be.
RELATED: Let's be ready to snag the next Amazon
Second, sustainable community and economic development cannot be achieved without factoring in resilience. Hurricane Harvey should have profoundly altered our view of our relationship with the natural environment. Our city won't thrive if every storm risks a devastating flood. It is past time we build and develop our city's infrastructure, industrial base and multimodal transportation network with a profound respect for nature.
There are three types of "resilience" to consider.
Engineered resilience is the capacity of a system to absorb disturbance or change while maintaining its identity, structure or function.
Ecosystem resilience is a system's capacity to adapt and transform to a higher stable state equilibrium during a disturbance or change.
Evolutionary resilience is a system's capacity to transform on its own without a linear cause, disturbance or change.
Houston should combine all of these into a forward-thinking evolutionary methodology that anticipates the inevitable future disasters - whether floods, hurricanes or even economic storms.
How much longer until the oil and gas industry has its own version of Harvey?
HOUSTON 2040: Day by day, national governments and private companies build a world beyond oil
We can't return to business as usual or we'll end up bequeathing to our children a future that is unsustainable and vulnerable to catastrophic disturbances and unpredictable change. We must ensure that, as Houston continues to grow, we do so with equity - distributing the benefits and burdens appropriately and fairly. For any effort to be resilient, it must be green, profitable, safe, secure and fair to our generation and the next, regardless of creed, class or color.
We must focus on education, entrepreneurship, technological innovation and resilient development if we desire to create favorable outcomes.
California has its Silicon Valley. Austin is now the Silicon Hills. Let's make Houston into the Silicon Bayou.
We'll only get there by investing in ourselves. So whatever the city leaders and the business community were willing to give Amazon, let's repackage it and give it to Houston.
Muhammad is the student minister of Muhammad Mosque No.45, an urban planner and radio talk show host. He can be reached at AHaleemMuhammad@outlook.com or @nteplanning on Twitter.
Amit Tandon Lashes Out at Kyunki Co-star Mouni Roy: That Girl Used My Wife, Never Want to See Her Face
(Update: A judge ruled today that Shkreli is responsible for $10.4 million of his victims' losses, which means he's likely to get a much harsher prison sentence next month.)
This was after his company increased the cost of a drug used to treat malaria, cancer, and AIDS by 5,455 percent (from $13.50 to $750 a tablet).
Then, he started a PR and social media campaign to suggest that anyone who didn't like what he did was stupid. (Speaking of PR campaigns.)
It explains the explosion of schadenfreude when he was later indicted and found guilty in a completely unrelated stock fraud case.
And it also explains the metaphorical gasp that was heard across the internet when Shkreli's bail was revoked, and he was sent to the Brooklyn federal detention center in September.
It's a rough place, and a lot of people wondered whether a skinny, young, rich guy like Shkreli, who seems to have a really hard time keeping his mouth shut, might also have a really hard time not getting pushed around--or worse.
Heck, even one of his good friends out here in the free world told a newspaper she was worried for his safety in jail, because "he's not a popular person. "People threaten him on the internet every day."
But it turns out, they needn't have worried. Shkreli apparently has turned on the charm--and also reportedly hit the gym.
Shkreli was back in court, where the federal government is trying to get him sentenced to a lengthy prison term, and also convince a judge to make him forfeit $7.3 million in assets.
There was no decision from the judge--he'll be sentenced in March and faces a possible 20 years. But the New York Post reports Shkreli has "bulked up in prison" and is getting along fine.
There are no photos, only courtroom sketches, but at least according to the Post, Shkreli looked a lot harder and stronger under his blue jail uniform.
"He's got his prison muscles, the Post quotes a "source close to the defense" as saying. "They like him in there. ... They don't put their arms around him and say 'Give me your money' like they do to other new prisoners. ... They like him."
Shkreli's real danger might stem from how the judge in his case calculates the amount of money (if any) that his victims lost as a result of his fraud and conspiracy convictions.
Shkreli's lawyers claim they didn't actually lose anything--the government contends it's between $9 million and $20 million, and possibly more. The distinction could mean the difference between a sentence of 16 months or less, or else one that could potentially last decades, according to CNBC.
In addition to Shkreli's appearance in court, we've had a few other insights over the past few months into how he's been faring behind bars.
For one thing, he's still posting on Facebook occasionally--or at least, a friend with access to his account is apparently doing so on his behalf.
There are also two letters that he's sent that have been made public--one to a friend named Lisa Whisnant, and the other to a Brooklyn-based media company called The Tab. He seemed like he was doing OK in both letters.
"Jail has some redeeming qualities," he wrote to The Tab. "It's probably the most social environment I've been in. ... There is camaraderie akin to a military setting. You learn just how lucky you are, you help others out, learn cool slang, watch BET all day. Great times!"
Separately, he wrote Whisnant, "Things are not THAT awful here. ... There are some bright sides. I am teaching these prisoners some new things and hopefully some ways to change their lives."
As part of that effort, Shkreli was looking for books--including a dozen copies of Spencer Johnson's Who Moved My Cheese. Self-help books like that are a coveted commodity behind bars, the Post reported.
In case you'd like to get to know the so-called world's most-hated CEO, or else just do something nice for a few thousand men confined at the federal detention center in Brooklyn (or, if you're just curious), here's the list of books Shkreli apparently wanted.
This is the best. Allegedly. Getty Images
Absurdly Driven looks at the world of business with a skeptical eye and a firmly rooted tongue in cheek.
Some things are obvious.
Some, however, creep up on you very, very quietly.
One of them has become America's best car.
Well, when I say best, I mean according to Consumer Reports.
No, it's not BMW or Audi.
And you know it's not anything American. (Oh, stop whining Tesla-owners with your sanctimonious license plates.)
Your best cars are apparently made by Hyundai. Or, more accurately, by its fancy-labeled Genesis brand.
Genesis used to be just a Hyundai brand name. Now, it's on its own like Lexus and apparently doing very well.
Consumer Reports insists that it testers found Genesis cars delightful and owners agreed.
These cars enjoyed decent reliability and were blessed with technology that a normal human being could actually operate.
This isn't to be underestimated.
Sometimes I rent cars that enjoy fancy electronic bits and pieces and I spend quite some minutes trying to work out how to turn the radio on. And the lights.
Still, last year I went to test-drive a Genesis.
I'd been fascinated by how serene the cars looked and by how they weren't BMWs or Audis.
I drove a G80 and found it pleasant, if not startling.
I like quiet cars that are secretly swift. This one wasn't swift enough for my life-tainted tastes.
The test-drive experience was also, well, entertaining. It was one of the five luxury brands I tried during a spasm of car-searching, a spasm from which I haven't quite recovered.
You'll have to guess from that article which was the Genesis experience.
It is, though, delightful that a (relatively) new brand has elevated itself above the luxury brands that some drivers routinely curse at. (Honestly, the BMW drivers in my area. Don't get me started.)
Maintaining its position won't be easy for Genesis.
It only just beat Audi, a brand that has 10 models, rather than the Korean manufacturer's two.
How long, though, before Genesis drivers become the object of scorn?
An essential tip for Shark Tank pitchers: Don't let a celebrity investor hijack your presentation.
That's what Brooks Powell learned on the most recent episode of Shark Tank. Powell was explaining his company Thrive+, a nutritional supplement designed to reduce the negative effects of alcohol, when Mark Cuban battered him with questions about the legitimacy of his product.
While the inquiries were necessary to understand Powell's business, Cuban directed the entire conversation and made it impossible for the other Sharks to ask their questions.
"Do you know what just happened here today? You had a 'Cuban Heist,'" Robert Herjavec said after Cuban finished his interrogation and announced he wasn't interested in a deal. "You did an awful job because you let Mark take over your presentation and I never had a chance to learn anything."
If you were to ask me, "Cole, how do I become an entrepreneur?" which response would better answer your question?
A very logical definition of entrepreneurship and general steps entrepreneurs take when beginning their journey.
My personal entrepreneurship story, detailing all the lessons learned--beginning to end.
I'm willing to bet all of you would choose option #2.
At the end of the day, as a reader, you're not asking for the dictionary definition of entrepreneurship. There are a million resources that can give you that answer. A simple Google search will do.
What you're really asking, is "What's it like to be an entrepreneur?"
If I started answering your question by saying, "The truth is, entrepreneurship is a very humbling journey. When I first started Digital Press, I didn't know what I was really walking into..." then I've piqued your interest. Now all of a sudden, as a reader, you want to lean in a little bit.
You're curious. You don't want a meaningless definition. You want a glimpse at the entrepreneurial lifestyle. You want to know how hard you're going to have to work, and you want to know what the rewards are. You want to know what pitfalls to avoid, and you want to know more about the experience of being an entrepreneur.
You want the whole picture, not just the definition.
All of my best articles reveal a vulnerability.
When I first started writing online, I didn't just say the same things as everyone else. I told stories--moments in time where I had learned something valuable, and wanted to share that lesson learned with the world.
Writing with a sense of vulnerability is how I began building my own personal brand--and ended up accumulating over 50 million views on my written content.
I have never spent a dollar on advertising. I've never hired a PR agency to get me into publications. I've never put an ad budget behind my articles so they get more views. I've never paid to get Facebook fans.
I have not spent a single dollar advertising myself, and neither has Digital Press.
How did I do it? Quora and Medium.
All these other social platforms--Facebook, Twitter, Instagram--have reduced their feed algorithms to a point where, if you're not actively paying, your post gets virtually no traction.
For example, if you want to reach 5,000 people on Facebook, then you've got to pay 50, 100 bucks, sometimes more, to do so.
That doesn't happen on Quora and Medium.
Quora and Medium are built specifically for sharing long-form written content. And unlike their social platform competitors, still allow users to reach large audiences organically.
But more importantly, if you're a founder or a CEO who wants to establish themselves as a thought leader online--with the intention of generating business opportunities for yourself and your company--where are you going to publish your insights?
Well, if you post a link to a blog article from your website onto Facebook, even if you boost it, Facebook has said they are reducing the amount of traction given to outbound links. This means blogs, publications, anything other than Facebook--because they want people to stay on the platform (and engage with their friends).
Then there's Twitter. But unless you've built a highly engaged audience over the years, you're probably not going to see much traction there either.
SnapChat? Not where most CEOs and founders are going to share what they know.
YouTube? Some. But certainly not the majority.
Pinterest, nope.
LinkedIn, yes--but again, the function of writing within LinkedIn doesn't work very well. The platform publishing tool is fairly broken, and organically, posts written within LinkedIn don't perform very well.
So, as a founder, when you think, "All right, I want to write an 800-word article on the Internet, sharing my expertise with the hopes of driving more business opportunities, where am I going to put it? Where am I going to post on a regular basis? How can I build a real following?"
The two social platforms left are Quora and Medium.
Most people don't know that Quora is one of the most popular sites on the Internet.
If someone has a question, where is the first place they go for an Answer?
They turn to Google.
If you type a question into Google, chances are one of the first few links will be a Quora question. Most people don't know that Quora receives 200M unique page views per month--and that's because they're heavily tapped into Google traffic.
So, now imagine you're the CEO of a dropshipping company. And you want people to see you as a thought leader in the dropshipping industry--and seek you out for their dropshipping needs.
Where do you think your target audience is going to turn to for insight? Chances are, they'll probably start with Google--and subsequently the largest Question/Answer site on the Internet, Quora.
By answering your target audience's questions on Quora, you are not only establishing yourself in your industry, but you're also creating long-form content that welcomes business opportunities from those searching for an answer to their specific question.
Second, most people don't know that major publications and industry blogs typically turn to Quora and Medium when searching for content to republish.
From Quora and Medium, I've had work republished in CNBC, TIME, Forbes, Fortune, Business Insider, HuffPost, Observer, The Chicago Tribune, Apple News, and dozens more. I didn't hire a PR agency to pitch pieces for me. I didn't do anything except write valuable content on platforms that already had tens of millions of readers.
But here's the secret:
You can't just give people rudimentary answers and definitions to their questions. You have to give them a story to hold on to as well. That's what makes a piece sharable.
For example, if someone answered a question about finances by saying, "I learned the value of money the day I had to fire 20 people because we had mismanaged our cash-flow," and really painted that picture, that's where you as the reader would be most likely to connect.
Neighbours are being urged to look out for older, vulnerable people during the cold snap.
A forecast of extreme temperatures across the UK and Ireland has raised fears the elderly could be left housebound and unable to re-stock their food or medication supplies.
Those with personalised alarms or mobile phones have been warned to keep them charged so they can call for help if they get into difficulty.
Officials and charities both north and south of the Irish border have called on people to keep those living alone in mind as the mercury drops.
Irelands Minister for Rural and Community Development Michael Ring suggested neighbours could visit the shops to get essentials for those in need.
He said: Older people and those living alone are often most vulnerable to these cold snaps.
Its important to look out for older people not only in isolated rural areas but also in built up urban areas. I urge people throughout the country to check in on your neighbours by phone or, if possible, in person. It is particularly important to check if people have enough food, fuel and medication.
The Public Health Agency (PHA) in Northern Ireland advised people to wear layers, eat well and ensure their house is properly heated.
The agency tweeted: As temperatures begin to drop as the cold winds from Russia arrive in Northern Ireland PHA is advising everyone to look after themselves and their neighbours during the freeze.
Investing in ports, airports, railways, water, healthcare and broadband will prove critical to protecting Irelands exports to the UK, the British Irish Chamber of Commerce (BICC) has said.
Some 400,000 jobs depend on having the necessary infrastructure in place to facilitate trade, and spending needs to be carefully considered, it said.
A breakfast briefing heard that investment in infrastructure was a prerequisite to facilitating trade.
In preparing for Brexit, it is essential that both the UK and Ireland have the necessary infrastructure in place to support out exporting capacity, Director General of the BICC, John McGrane, said.
400,000 jobs on our islands depend on this. With this in mind, we need to have a look carefully at how infrastructure expenditure can help Brexit-proof our economy in the medium to long-term.
The conference heard that a National Infrastructure Commission to assess projects in an impartial, non-political manner.
Housing Minister Eoghan Murphy said that under Project Ireland 2040, which sets out the long-term planning and 116bn capital investment programme, some 11.6bn would be invested in social housing over the next decade, along with up to 1.3bn on a new water supply project for Dublin, 10.9bn in health, 4.8bn in ports and airports, and more than 7bn on roads.
We have clear capital envelopes out to 2027, which allows us to plan on a long-term basis, the minister said.
Project Ireland 2040 will help prepare Ireland for Brexit by taking a radically different approach to future planning and by investing in critical infrastructure. By enhancing the capacity of our ports, airports, public transport, broadband and housing, businesses in Ireland can develop new trading links across the globe.
Speaking after, Mr Murphy said the spending plan was based on a prudent assessment of the implications Brexit would have on the Irish economy.
In terms of our projections for growth, weve taken a very prudent assessment of the average rate of growth. Weve taken a harder scenario than what might be realised, he said.
We havent based our infrastructure investment or growth targets on the best case scenario, weve based it on a mid-level range on what might be achieveable.
Regardless of whether its a hard Brexit or soft Brexit, or an orderly Brexit or disorderly Brexit, we will make sure we are investing in key pieces of infrastructure which will not just protect us from those types of scenarios, but which will enhance our competitiveness generally.
Among the Brexit-specific measures included assessing the possibility of implementing high-speed rail to Belfast from Dublin, improved road connectivity and reopening the Ulster Canal.
Mr Murphy said the Government was working with Northern Ireland to ensure that proceeds identified as mutually beneficial could proceed.
A council set up to represent Ryanair pilots across Europe has this evening called on the airlines chief executive, Michael OLeary, to resign.
The European Employee Representative Council formed in the wake of a pilot rostering debacle last autumn that saw Ryanair cancel thousands of flights made the demand in an open letter to the outspoken airline boss.
Ryanair, which announced before Christmas that it would recognise unions across Europe, has repeatedly dismissed the European Employee Representative Council (EERC), and refused to recognise it or engage with it.
Earlier this month Ryanair said that the EERC has no legal validity or standing and that the airline will continue to ignore the so-called EERC which represents nobody and speaks for no Ryanair pilots.
Instead, the carrier has launched efforts to negotiate with Ryanair company councils established under the auspices of established unions, on a country-by-country basis, rather than on a single, pan-European level.
We suggest you leave now, and we call on the board and investors to engage a new CEO to return this airline to its rightful place, the letter from the EERC to Mr OLeary said.
Earlier this month, Ryanair released better than expected third-quarter results, with a 12pc rise in pre-tax profits to 106m. Its revenue climbed 4pc to 1.4bn.
The letter added: What glimmer of hope might have existed in December 2017 has been destroyed as you have clearly hamstrung your managers who spout the same tired antagonist rhetoric we have heard from you for too many years.
Mr OLeary, who has been chief executive of Ryanair since 1994, having initially joined the airlines board in the late 80s. The board is led by billionaire US chairman David Bonderman.
The EERC said in its letter to Mr OLeary this evening: The EERC, exclusively comprised of Ryanair pilots, simply speaks with the authentic voice of the whole pilot body. We have the mutual interests of the pilots and the company at heart. We fully support the right and entitlement of our pilot associations to represent those interests, in genuine and meaningful negotiations.
Earlier this month, Ryanair went on a hiring spree for hard-nosed negotiators to thrash out collective labour agreements with unions in 20 countries.
"We are looking to hire expert negotiators with a demonstrable track record in leading and concluding negotiations on either side of the negotiating process in an IR (industrial relations)/union environment," it said in an advertisement for the roles.
A Ryanair spokeswoman said in a statement: "The EERC, and their letters, have no legal standing or validity. Ryanair pilots continue to accept pay increases of 20pc (so far accepted by over 80pc of Ryanair pilots) which shows that Ryanair pilots do not pay any attention to this so called EERC either."
The road to hell is paved with good intentions. If good intentions could be converted into tar and chippings, there wouldn't be a pothole from Cork to Donegal.
Those of us who have seen plans come and go or have read piles of glossy documents promising a factory in every village and a light on every lamp post have reason to be cynical in the face of the publication of the latest Government document, 'Project Ireland 2040'.
They should call it 'The Road to Nirvana' or maybe they could give it a trendy Irish name like 'Sli Nirbheana'. Inevitably this would spawn a skyscraper of sub-committees such as the Sli Nirbheana Framework Policy Group, the SNFPG to those in the know, (to those not in the know, it would sound like something to be fired at an armoured personnel carrier). Of course there would also be the 'Sli Nirbheana Implementation Committee' or SNIC: "I can't meet you today, I have a SNIC meeting."
On and on it would go until the Sli Nirbheana Review and Monitoring Committee (SNRMC) concludes it was poor value for money and, from the start, was located in the wrong department. The SNRMC recommends it be split up and so 'Sli Nirbheana' becomes the road to nowhere. It disappears leaving behind a mountain of paper stored in a five-bay industrial unit along with tons of pristine 'final' reports unseen and barely touched by human hand.
Most people familiar with Government programmes and initiatives will recognise the pattern. In 1999 during Bertie Ahern's first tenure as Taoiseach, a much-anticipated 'White Paper on Rural Development' was published only to be swallowed by the Celtic Tiger. There is universal agreement that the implementation of the National Spatial Strategy published by Martin Cullen and Bertie in 2002 was a fiasco.
In January 2017, the current Government produced its infamous 'Action Plan for Rural Development'. This re-packaged mishmash of programmes and initiatives already in operation, or indeed concluded, was greeted with howls of derision by anyone who knew anything about rural development. The omens for the latest initiative are not good.
Over the last 20 years, national plans, rural plans and regional plans have come and gone, but one programme stands out as a consistent success in delivering development and jobs to rural Ireland - the LEADER programme. Principally funded by the EU under CAP and co-funded by the exchequer, it has delivered jobs, training, community capacity and improved infrastructure to rural communities throughout the country.
The Irish version of the programme used to be quoted throughout Europe as an example to follow. The key element was the 'bottom-up' approach, which involved locally based delivery companies, made up of local people drawn from across the sectors, identifying local programmes and projects for support. These companies became veritable hubs for a multitude of community and enterprise projects, both privately and publicly funded. Politicians had little control over them, meanwhile their success attracted many a jealous political glance.
Up to recently, LEADER survived the hazards of Irish politics. That was until Enda Kenny's first government took a hatchet to the structures stripping the LEADER companies of their independence and commandeering the programme for the local authorities. It is currently lumbering on at a snail's pace thanks to added levels of bureaucracy.
The previously independent companies are now subject to a committee of the local council, the Local and Community Development Committee (LCDC). All LEADER project applications are passed through this committee and then on to Pobal, a national clearing-house for funded community and voluntary bodies. This body examines all applications twice, pre and post local sanction, putting them through a 60-question wringer. Every project application crosses at least 17 bureaucratic hurdles before it can be funded. The lead-in time for projects getting the green light can be anything from four to eight months. There are less than two years left in the current programme and the level of project approval is abysmally low.
Over the years, LEADER has found itself pitched from one department to another. It started life under the auspices of the Department of Agriculture, it was then given to a newly formed Department of Community and Rural Affairs with Eamon O'Cuiv at its head. After that, it was passed on to the Department of the Environment under Phil Hogan and it was here that it was bound to the political system. Hogan included LEADER in his much-vaunted revision of local government where town councils were closed, others amalgamated and many disembowelled, taking away such functions as their responsibility for water, which he handed to Irish Water.
Many would credit Mr Hogan with seriously wounding the LEADER programme in Ireland. It has since passed through the hands of Alan Kelly, Heather Humphreys and now sits in the lap of Michael Ring.
The more cynical believe that LEADER and its funding were handed to the local authorities so that increasingly disempowered councillors might have some discretionary funding at their disposal. In fact, since the programme moved to the councils, certain councillors are treating it in a shamelessly clientelist fashion, seeking to be the first to announce the award of funding and often jumping the gun in relation to this.
A successful and admittedly bureaucratic programme is now almost completely mired in bureaucracy. Many local areas will struggle to allocate even a fraction of their funding before the current CAP expires in 2020. One person working with the new incarnation of LEADER says only large-scale projects can cope with the level of bureaucracy now required - small projects haven't a hope.
As this latest framework document 'Project Ireland 2040' is launched, many will not share the official excitement. Over the years, scores of these glossy plans have been produced to great fanfare only to be thrown on the back windows of ministerial Mercs where they fade into sepia. Is it idiocy, egotism or cynicism that drives our political leaders? They vaunt and they launch, they break what is not broken and ignore what so badly needs fixing.
The judge threw out McDonaghs claim which meant the six other claims collapsed with it and were dismissed
A farmer told Ardee District Court last week that he managed to trace his stolen trailer though an online classified ad.
The Dundalk Democrat reports that Ardee District Court heard that the Northern Ireland farmer's Ifor Williams trailer was stolen from his farm on October 24, 2016.
The farmer reported it stolen to the police in Newry after it had gone missing from his yard and that he spotted an ad on the popular classified website DoneDeal for a similar trailer in December 2016.
The paper reports that he arranged to view the trailer, which he identified as his and which has a value of 1,600-1,700. The investigating Garda recalled that the injured party called to Monaghan Garda Station about the advertisement, the Democrat reports and the witness obtained a warrant on December 5 that year and searched a property in Monaghan.
A man was interviewed who said he bought the trailer from the defendant.
However, Daryl Gilsenan (28) with an address at Drynam Green, Kinsealy, Swords was being harged and convicted of handling the stolen trailer at the Glebe, Ardee and was sentenced to five months in jail at Ardee District Court last week.
According to Gilsenan he bought the trailer for 100 cash and also exchanged batteries worth 270 for it, making a total of 370, from a "travelling fellah" the paper reports.
The defendant, a father of two, in evidence said he was a fitter and driver, who repaired machinery. He worked part-time and said he purchased the trailer off a travelling fellah who had a fairly new transit and that he hadnt reason to be suspicious.
The court heard that the defendant had a number of previous convictions for road traffic and public order matters, but not his solicitor said, for this type of offence which she said was out of character for him.
Judge Coughlan fixed 400 cash bail for appeal.
If you have any livestock out in fields, young lambs in particular, it could be very bad for them, - Met Eireann
The Arctic weather front which could see temperatures go as low as -10 degrees will have significant implications for many farmers.
Met Eireann has ssued a Status Yellow weather warning until Friday, but that could be upgraded to a Status Red warning from Wednesday.
Irish Farmers Association (IFA) sheep committee chairman, Sean Dennehy, said they are concerned the weather front will strike at the height of the lambing season.
"Around two-and-a-half million ewes will be lambing on 30,000 farms over the coming weeks," he said.
Mr Dennehy said snow and freezing temperatures will be "most unwelcome" for farmers trying to tend to flocks.
Freshly lambed ewes and lambs normally spend the first 24-36 hrs inside in individual penning and are then turned out to grass during the first week but due to the severe weather forecast this week this period will be lengthened.
Ewes and lambs will need to be retained indoors for an extra day or two in group pens.
The number one priority for farmers has to be keeping the maximum number of lambs alive and giving them the best start in life.
Every lamb saved represents a potential 80 to 100 in output value.
Many farms are already experiencing grass shortages varying from having little or no grass to having small quantities of grass that are running out fast due to an extremely wet winter.
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Advice
According to Teagasc, providing the ewe with adequate feed to maximise milk yield in early lactation is critical if lamb growth rates are to hit target levels of 270-300g per day.
This morning's 6 am infrared satellite image and weather graphics for today: pic.twitter.com/MHPBGfQWVM Met Eireann (@MetEireann) February 25, 2018
Where ewes are consistently grazing sward heights below 3.5cm, supplementation is required until either lambs achieve adequate intakes of creep fed concentrates (250g per head per day) or sward height increases above 4cm.
The cold front is set to sweep over Ireland with snow, ice, sleet showers and temperatures as low as -10C but a wind chill factor will make it feel even colder.
Some parts of Ireland could have temperatures at or below freezing for a 36-48 hour period more than 10C below normal for this time of year.
Ireland is now set for its coldest late February for a decade.
Temperatures overnight dipped below freezing at Mount Dillon in Roscommon, Knock Airport in Mayo and in the midlands.
Frost & mist will clear this morning to leave a cold, bright day with long spells of hazy sunshine. However, there will be some patchy cloud in Munster. Maximum temperatures will range 4 to 7 degrees but feeling colder in moderate to fresh east or southeast winds. Met Eireann (@MetEireann) February 25, 2018
Forecasters are predicting significant snow build-ups from tomorrow but, if heavy sleet showers and plunging temperatures combine, a Status Red warning the most serious alert possible is likely to be issued.
With severe winter weather due to sweep over the country this week, additional pressure is expected on farmers who cannot get stock out or spread fertiliser.
Conditions 'somewhat similar' extended winter of 2013
While there are certain similarities to be drawn with the extended winter of 2013, most feel the weather has come early enough in the year to avoid major difficulties.
A spokesman for Met Eireann said that while conditions were somewhat similar, it would be impossible to state that the weather pattern of 2013 is repeating itself. The spokesman noted that in 2013 we had weather coming from the east as well.
Met Eireann has warned of exceptionally cold weather for the week with significant wind chill and severe frosts. Disruptive snow showers are expected from Tuesday onwards, particularly in the east and southeast as winds from Siberia cross the country.
If you have any livestock out in fields, young lambs in particular, it could be very bad for them, he said.
Don't spread slurry
Teagasc Advisor Tom Coll acknowledged that there wouldnt be a lot of grass growth in the coming days. He was hopeful though that the ground would stay dry and not too hard. Mr Coll said I know the conditions are going to be very cold but the lads still need to get their nitrogens out.
However, he said, if there is heavy snow coming we wont be advising to go with slurry. He said it is a worry especially for sheep farmers, a lot of ewes are going to be lambing. He was hopeful the weather would clear up in the first few weeks of March.
'If you have cattle out by mid April you are lucky'
Leitrim based Department Officer Ciaran Clancy agreed that there would be little grass growth. In Leitrim and parts of the North West, he said, our season is very tight. If you have cattle out by mid April you are lucky. He believes the main problem posed by the cold snap will be the added hunger on stock.
Mr Clancy believes traditional farming is not sustainable in the North West any longer where he said the stocking rates all around Leitrim are way below what they should be. What you see in marts in particular in the last three winters is huge numbers of cull cows coming out, he said.
The US dairy industry is pushing for a US-UK deal on dairy exports to the UK, in light of Brexit, UK newspapers are reporting.
The i reports that the dairy lobby in the US has opened talks with the Trump administration about a deal between the two countries and that it wants to see the UK relax its milk quality standards for a deal to go ahead.
Last year the UK Environment Minister Michael Gove said that the UK would not loosen its food standards for any trade deal, despite the UK's International Trade Secretary Liam Fox, who previously said he would support a trade deal between the US and UK that allowed chlorinated chicken into the UK.
However, the UK Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, Michael Gove told the Andrew Marr Show on BBC that Britain has a reputation for producing top quality food and the UK can be a world leader in environmental measures.
When asked about the UK accepting hormone beef or chlorine washed chicken, he said that a trade deal with the US would not mean any loosening of food and environmental standards.
"With no tariff barriers, British food, which has a world reputation for quality, will be able to be bought by more people. That means that as we grow and produce more, that we can ensure that our countryside and rural economy is more productive."
Gove also told the Oxford Farming Conference that the UK Government intends to create a new gold-standard for food labelling to signify British quality after Brexit.
However the i newspaper reports that the US dairy lobby has opened talks with the Trump administration about a future UK-US trade deal and it has indicated it wants to see Britain relax its standards on a key measure of milk quality - namely somatic cell counts, with the US currently allowing far higher levels of SCCs than the EU.
This it says would be part of the price for a transatlantic accord.
The US has previously said that it considers EU milk standards as a trade barrier and commentators now say that food standards could become a battle ground as the UK looks to eke out trade deals with countries outside the EU.
The UK is not self sufficient in its food supply, importing around 40pc of its food, and farmers in the UK have previously said that a clamp down on immigration could leave crops rotting in fields as they struggle to find British workers.
Dr Peter Plate, a dairy specialist at the Royal Veterinary College, told the i newspaper that in general, animal welfare standards in the UK are higher than in almost any other country, including the US.
"So a free trade deal has the potential danger to either dilute welfare standards her or put UK farmers into an uncompetitive position we must avoid a race to the bottom."
A flock of Mayo Blackface sheep in the shadow of Croagh Patrick during last week's cold snap. Photo: Conor McKeown
An extra 10 per ewe should be targeted at hill sheep farmers from the estimated underspend in the sheep welfare scheme, the Irish Natura and Hill Farmers Association (INHFA) have said.
This proposal comes ahead of the Teagasc National Hill Sheep Conference due to take place in Westport tomorrow.
INHFA vice president Brendan Joyce urged the Government to target the monies at the hill sheep sector, and called for an increase in budget.
"Delivering welfare measures in a hill flock situation can be very difficult and time consuming, particularly for measures such as scanning and mineral supplementation where only small numbers of sheep can be gathered at one time, due to adverse weather conditions, which has left the hill sheep farmers on their knees," he said.
Mr Joyce added that in the absence of a market for hill or light hill lambs and poor income performance, that it is vital that hill flock owners get as much support as possible "to sustain" the industry.
The sheep sector supports 35,000 farm families directly, as well as several thousand other jobs directly and indirectly in the rural economy. In 2017 exports from the sector were worth 274 million, an increase of 12% compared to 2016.
Many people who rent out their properties using online service Airbnb are still not declaring their income to the taxman, it's been claimed.
Financial services firm Taxback.com - a partner of Airbnb - insists "anecdotal evidence" leads it to believe many people who earn even average amounts via Airbnb are not telling the Revenue Commissioners about the income "probably because they don't know they have to".
In early 2015, the Revenue Commissioners warned Airbnb landlords they must declare any income generated from their properties.
The taxman determined that income from short-term stays does not qualify for any tax relief as visitors are using properties as guest accommodation rather than residential.
Under the rent-a-room scheme, people can earn up to 14,000 a year tax free if they let out a room in their home.
But Revenue specifically states relief cannot be claimed against "short-term guests, including those who book accommodation through online booking sites".
Airbnb also provides the Revenue Commissioners with all details of properties rented out under its website, the names and addresses of the owners and how much they received in each calendar year.
But Taxback.com director Barry Flanagan said many people who rent rooms or properties out via Airbnb still do not appear to be declaring income.
"Anecdotal evidence leads us to believe that simply not enough people are declaring this income to Revenue quite probably because they don't know they have to," he said.
Anyone who doesn't declare income could be hit with a tax demand and significant penalties. Mr Flanagan said the average tax relief claimed by Airbnb hosts via its service in 2017 was 7,609.
Those tax reliefs are amounts that reduce a tax liability due to the costs of maintaining a room or property rented out via Airbnb. Such costs can include electricity, broadband, gas and cleaning.
However, Taxback.com pointed out that the average Airbnb host in Ireland earned just 3,500 in 2017.
Mr Flanagan said the size of the tax relief claims that it processes would appear to indicate mainly high-earning Airbnb hosts are declaring income.
Liability
It could mean thousands of lower-earning hosts - who still have a tax liability - may not be declaring their income to the taxman.
Airbnb also warns hosts that if they rent more than four bedrooms in a house, where each bedroom is used for the accommodation of not more than four persons as overnight guest accommodation, that they may require planning permission.
Census 2016 shows that as many as 200,000 workers one in 10 in the State spend an hour or more commuting to work, up by 50,000 since 2011. (stock photo)
Rural towns are losing up to 75pc of their workers every day because there are no jobs available locally.
Official figures show that 25 towns across the Greater Dublin Area, Cork, Clare, Wexford, Waterford and Louth see an exodus of workers during the daytime as they flock to major urban centres for work.
Data contained in the National Planning Framework (NPF) shows these dormitory towns are home to more than 57,000 workers, but fewer than 12,000 jobs are available.
The figures show the enormous challenge the Government faces to grow employment in the regions and outside the major urban centres.
The figures are drawn from Census 2016, and set out the population, number of workers and number of jobs available in almost 200 urban areas across the State.
They show that in total, 63 areas have more jobs than workers living locally - top of the list is Killorglin, in Kerry, with 2,038 jobs for a resident worker population of 922.
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There are more jobs than resident workers in all the cities except Dublin, but the capital is served by workers commuting into the city.
In 63 other built-up areas, more than half the workforce leaves for work. In 25 of these, at least 75pc travel some distance to their place of employment.
Many of these towns sprawled during the Celtic Tiger boom, as rapid rises in house prices forced people out of Dublin and major cities, and into the commuter belt.
Census 2016 shows that as many as 200,000 workers - one in 10 in the State - spend an hour or more commuting to work, up by 50,000 since 2011.
The county Meath towns of Laytown, Bettystown and Mornington, where 28pc of workers commute for an hour or more, had the highest percentage. The towns are home to 4,712 workers, but only 772 jobs are available locally.
The figures show the town with the lowest density of jobs to workers is Sallins, in Co Kildare, which has a population of 5,849 people, of which 2,784 are classed as being in the workforce. Just 418 jobs are in the town, the Department of Housing document says.
"It is significant that out of a total of 154 settlements in Ireland with fewer than 10,000 people in 2016, 40 of these had a population of more than 5,000, but only 12 had more than 2,500 jobs," the NPF adds.
"On the one hand, this highlights a number of locations where smaller settlements, by reason of accessibility, employment and local services, fulfil important roles for a wider area, many as county towns.
"But on the other, it assists in explaining why the population of this category of town has either declined or stagnated in recent years."
Professor of economics at DCU Business School, Edgar Morgenroth, said addressing urban sprawl was key, and that a lot of the towns that were highlighted generated car travel because there was little or no public transport.
"It's a symptom of sprawl that you get these dormitory towns but it's not unique to Ireland," he said.
"A lot of these places end up generating car travel. In Ratoath, you're damned to the car. Longwood doesn't have decent public transport.
"It's very hard to address that because those places, if they were attractive to jobs, the jobs would already be there.
"It supports my argument that it's high-density that attracts employment.
"Ultimately, this is about building houses and building them in the right place," he added.
The man behind the global initiative to reform international corporate tax rules has warned some EU countries are likely push ahead with their own "interim measures" to combat tax avoidance by big firms.
Pascal Saint-Amans, director of the Centre for Tax Policy at the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), said that if this is the case, it must be ensured these measures cause as little damage as possible.
He also said he does not believe a decision by US President Donald Trump to slash the corporate tax rate in America will be a threat to Ireland.
The European Commission is currently holding a public consultation to help decide on a fairer tax regime for large digital corporations that may include a tax on their global profits.
The commission plans make binding legislative proposals for a fair taxation of the digital economy by March.
Last week, the commissioner responsible for taxation matters, Pierre Moscovici, said a European digital tax "is happening" and Brussels is ready to "lead by example" to "push global partners to act" to resolve the "deep schism between where digital profits are generated and where they are taxed".
In an interview with the Irish Independent, Mr Saint-Amans, who has spearheaded the OECD's Base Erosion and Profit Shifting (BEPS) process, said the length of time it takes to get a global approach to tax avoidance, means some may look to go it alone.
"To find a long-term solution, you need to change tax treaties, you need to adopt transfer pricing rules and that's going to take time," Mr Saint-Amans said.
"You need to get to the right analysis of the challenges of the digitalisation of the economy, and things are not stabilising there.
"So I think there is agreement that we need to address this collectively," he added.
"You're left with another challenge, which is, if it takes too long - and it will take a few years - how do you address the concerns of the people?"
Earlier this month, France and Germany intensified calls for US technology giants to pay more tax in the EU, with Paris saying the new bill could amount to billions of euro.
President Emmanuel Macron's government has proposed taxing the tech giants on revenues rather than profits, to get around the problem that the companies shift the profits from where they are earned to low-tax jurisdictions.
But Ireland is opposing moves at European level, preferring instead to focus on the BEPS process.
In an interview with Reuters earlier this month, Finance Minister Paschal Donohoe said Ireland's concerns about digital taxation is broadly shared by a growing number of EU countries.
"If we bring forward measures relating to digital taxation, they're going to have to apply equally to international, local and European companies," the minister said.
Mr Saint-Amans said that while there is a debate going on in Europe about this issue, there is no consensus.
"If you take Ireland and France, I'm not sure they are fully aligned, for sure they are not at all," he told the Irish Independent.
"People should expect some countries will take interim measures and we should ensure that these measures are as little damaging as possible."
Mr Saint-Amans also said he did not see tax reform in the US as a threat to Ireland for now.
"I do see the issue as an alignment of the US [with the rest of the world], rather than a new start of harsh competition," he said.
"It may not be true in the Americas but for Ireland and others, I don't see the issue as being of major impact."
He added: "We may need to wait a bit more to fully assess the impact."
Ryanair is coming under growing pressure from unions in Spain, Sweden and Ireland that are increasingly unhappy with the way in which negotiations regarding collective agreements are progressing.
The Ryanair company council formed under the auspices of Spain's pilot union, Sepla, has told its members that it won't be "rushed or hoodwinked" into signing a collective labour agreement with the airline that does not cover "all bases and all scenarios".
It has also claimed that communication from Ryanair has been "sporadic" and from varying channels.
Ryanair chief executive Michael O'Leary has already warned he expects the airline to be threatened with industrial action in the coming weeks, possibly over Easter.
The Spanish Ryanair company council under Sepla expects to meet airline management in Madrid this week to hold talks on developing a collective labour agreement.
Spain is one of Ryanair's biggest markets.
The council told pilots that Ryanair has indicated that it wants to conclude a collective labour agreement (CLA) at that meeting.
But the union council has warned such negotiations "can take months and sometimes up to one or two years".
"There is no doubt that we are moving towards a CLA in Spain for pilots. However, we will not be rushed or hoodwinked into signing a CLA that doesn't cover all bases and all scenarios that pilots are faced with on a daily basis," the council said.
The Ryanair company council in Sweden has written to Ryanair's chief operations officer Peter Bellew and chief people officer Eddie Wilson urging them to engage in collective negotiations with all relevant unions across Europe.
The union council claimed that Ryanair is "missing an opportunity to foster the trust and respect" the council wants "to build with Ryanair on behalf of its pilots".
"We are surprised the opportunity to engage collectively with the unions on some basic matters that are common to all pilots in Ryanair, wherever they may be based, has not been embraced," said the council in the letter to the two executives.
A Ryanair spokesperson said: "We don't comment on our discussions with our people or their union representatives."
Fintech start-up Revolut has seen its monthly transaction volume increase by over 700pc in the last 12 months to $1.5bn (1.2bn).
The London-based fintech firm also today revealed that it broke even in December for the first time since its 2015 foundation.
The group, which though an app allows customers spend abroad in over 130 currencies with no fees, hold and exchange 25 currencies in-app and send free domestic and international money transfers with the real exchange rate, has increased its user base in Ireland to 75,000 people, while it has 1.5 million customers worldwide.
Read more: Revolut partners with Thomas Cook Money to bring pay-per-day geolocation travel insurance
Crucial to its long term business model, the company said that it was also succeeding in the challenge of converting its customers who use Revolut frequently for travel to use their card for everyday spending, with 350,000 daily active users and over 800,000 monthly active users, according to the company.
"Whilst it is encouraging to see that our business model is working, becoming a profitable business is not our priority right now," Nikolay Storonsky, founder & CEO of Revolut said.
"We are completely focused on expanding Revolut to as many countries around the world as possible, with the United States, Singapore and Australia almost ready to go."
The company is aiming to become the worlds first alternative to traditional banks, allowing people everywhere to spend and send money instantly without fees.
Today it said that it was already planning the next batch of expansion, with talks already taking place in India, Brazil, South Africa and the UAE.
Since its foundation, Revolut, which recently introduced a host of additional features including cryptocurrencies support and device insurance, has processed 60 million transactions with a total volume transaction of $10 billion to date.
The company has raised a total of $90m from investors including Index Ventures and Ribbit Capital.
Emer McLysaght and Sarah Breen are the authors of Oh My God, What A Complete Aisling: The Novel, Gill Books, 14.99
Irish best-seller Oh My God, What a Complete Aisling is getting the big screen treatment.
The novel, written by pals Emer McLysaght and Sarah Breen, was published in September last year and was the number one bestselling adult fiction title in the country last year.
Now it has been snapped up by Element Pictures, the company behind Room and The Lobster, and both Emer and Sarah are on board to write the screenplay.
We are so delighted to be working with Element Pictures to bring Aisling to the big screen," they said in a statement.
"Imagine! Aisling on the big screen! We've known this character for ten years so to be given the opportunity to take her from the pages of our beloved book and transform her into a walking, talking, caring (and judging, let's be honest) girl in front of a camera is beyond our wildest dreams. We can't wait to start!
Oh My God, What a Complete Aisling tells the story of 28 year old Aisling who lives at home in Ballygobbard with her parents and commutes to her good job at PensionsPlus in Dublin. When a week in Tenerife with boyfriend John doesnt end with the expected engagement, Aisling calls a halt to things and soon she has surprised herself and everyone else by agreeing to move into a three-bed in Portobello with stylish Sadhbh from HR and her friend, the mysterious Elaine.
Element Pictures producer Rory Gilmartin said, We couldnt be more excited at the thought of working with Emer & Sarah to bring Aisling into cinemas. The huge success of this debut book is testament to the strength of their writing - so funny and yet so full of heart.
Does Room to Improve have room to improve? Ratings suggest the Dermot Bannon home makeover show is built on spectacularly solid foundations, with 722,000 tuning in to watch the architect midwife into existence the dream crib of Daniel and Majella ODonnell last Sunday.
That adds up to a 51 per cent audience share placing Bannon among the top tier of Irish small screen personalities, alongside Ryan Tubridy and Brendan OCarroll.
This week, the celebrity factor was dimmed but the project even grander as he traveled to Fermoy, County Cork to help Dave and Susie bling out their house on a hill with gym, spa, sauna and separate entrance for the dog.
After 11 years, Coco Television understands a winning formula is not to be tinkered with. However, if the episode ticked the property porn boxes, some of us will have craved a little more melodrama and, dare we suggest, reality TV manipulativeness.
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The problem with Room To Improve is that it isnt interested in being remotely gripping or sensationalised. It really is just a show about people patching up their houses. The setting and personalities change but, invariably, the dramatic core of each instalment boils down to Bannon having a very mild exchange of views with the client over choice of window or hue of the kitchen.
Both flash-points inevitably surfaced this week. Shameless penny-pinchers Dave and Susie were minded to spend a mere 40,000 on new windows. Bannon urged them to hold true to his grander vision and splurge 80,000. In the end, they came around to his opinion and a disaster of minuscule proportions was averted.
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An edgier programme was would played on the tension between Bannon and Susie, who knew what she wanted from her north Cork wonderland and wasnt afraid to advocate.
Instead, the show depicted everyone smoothing over their differences and rowing in together. Factually, it was no doubt an accurate reflection of what happened. But it made for thumpingly listless TV.
Then, does anyone truly tune in to Room to Improve to be riveted? Scandinavia has been credited with inventing the genre of slow television across the past several years yet theres a case that Coco Television and Room to Improve beat them to it when the series debuted in 2007.
The thrill here is in watching handymen put up partitions, windows be gingerly installed by a chap in the hard-hat and Bannons clients bask in their new extension in front of (not in the least jealous) friends and family
On paper thats barely a formula. But, at a time when the national broadcaster has often felt one bad chat show away from laughing stock, its brought RTE one of its most consistent ratings-garnerers. If it aint broke, the station will no doubt conclude, why drive a wrecking ball through it?
Dont miss Dermot Bannon live on the Inspiration Stage at house 2018, 25-27 May RDS Dublin. Click here for tickets.
One of Ireland's most influential Muslim leaders has backed the campaign for the repeal of the Eighth Amendment.
Shaykh Dr Umar al-Qadri, chairman of the Irish Muslim Peace and Integration Council (IMPIC), said that he believed it was now clear that the Eighth Amendment should be repealed.
He said it was time that the rights of women who were in crisis pregnancies should be recognised.
Dr al-Qadri confirmed that IMPIC will shortly be producing and releasing a special guide for Muslims on the impending referendum.
This would include the implications, its meaning and Islam's stance on the complex issue, he said.
His position has been welcomed by 'Repeal the Eighth' campaigners, and has been hailed as a significant boost for the referendum campaign.
Dr al-Qadri said it was important people understand the issues involved.
"Islam is neither exclusively pro-life nor pro-choice," he said.
"The rights of the unborn child have to be balanced with the rights of the mother.
"I am in favour of 'Repeal the Eighth' and IMPIC will release soon a guideline for Muslims in Ireland who may be unsure how they should vote," he added.
Onerous
The Muslim leader said that it was abundantly clear that the implications of the Eighth Amendment have been onerous for Irish society.
He said that the vote will have an impact on future generations of women, and said that it must be treated with the utmost seriousness.
"The Eighth Amendment should be repealed so as to relieve the unnecessary burden on women and medical professionals at what already constitutes a highly traumatic time.
"We must sincerely consider our consciences and the moral responsibility that weighs upon us as we decide how to vote in the referendum.
"Every vote is a decision on the future destinies of women like Savita (Halappanavar) and also of the unborn children of the nation."
Ms Halappanavar, a 31-year-old dentist originally from India, died in 2012 due to sepsis after a miscarriage.
The young woman had requested an abortion when it was clear that a miscarriage of her baby was inevitable.
However, the doctors at the Galway hospital did not carry out the requested abortion because they did not believe, at that time, that her life was in danger.
She was later diagnosed with a blood infection which doctors were unable to control, and she died of cardiac arrest.
Dr al-Qadri said the referendum was clearly about women such as Ms Halappanavar.
"It is the responsibility of the State to facilitate both legislation and funding for ease of access to abortion in extraordinary circumstances, such as risk to (the) mother's life, rape, incest etc etc," he said.
A convicted armed robber who escaped from prison has been arrested following a manhunt by gardai and the Defence Forces.
The inmate, who is serving more than two years for an armed raid and has been housed in the Shelton Abbey prison in Wicklow, fled from the jail late last night.
Local gardai were immediately notified and a manhunt commenced.
Shortly after 10am this morning, the Defence Force were requested to provide assistance and around 50 troops from Cathal Brugha barracks in the capital joined the search.
The on-the-run prisoner was arrested at around 3pm this afternoon.
A source said that the escapee was in phone contact with gardai and claimed to be armed.
However, he was detained without incident.
"The Defence Force also provided valuable assistance and in the region of 50 troops were dispatched from Cathal Brugha barracks to assist the search," the source said.
Shelton Abbey prison is operated by the Irish Prison Service and is an open facility.
Former member of An Garda Siochana, John OHalloran pictured at Cork Circuit Criminal Court pleading guilty to corruption charges. Pic: Provision
A GARDA with a chronic gambling addiction admitted corruption charges as it emerged he had set up an unsanctioned Garda advice clinic at a university and sent forged invoices to a student's union for providing extra policing services.
John O'Halloran (47), who resigned as a Garda last November, pleaded guilty before Cork Circuit Criminal Court to corruption, theft and fraud charges.
Judge Sean O'Donnabhain was told an analysis of accounts controlled by the former Garda of Barrack Street Station revealed he had gambled 150,000 online between 2009 and 2014.
The judge adjourned sentencing until Tuesday to allow him consider expert reports on the matter.
Inspector Fergal Foley said the defendant suffered from a chronic gambling addiction.
"The gambling reached epidemic proportions (in 2014). It had spiralled out of control."
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"A significant number of people expressed to us the hope that he would deal with his demons."
Cork Circuit Criminal Court heard that an investigation was launched into the garda after a woman from the Connacht Avenue Residents Association (CARA) complained that 5,500 had been loaned to him but he had then refused to pay it back.
Garda O'Halloran worked as a community officer in the area involved.
Inspector Foley said his investigation reached a point where he believed it was a criminal rather than a Garda disciplinary matter.
The subsequent investigation revealed Garda O'Halloran had set up a Garda advice clinic in University College Cork (UCC) without the knowledge or permission of his superiors.
He had also issued invoices, on forged Garda Siochana notepaper, for the provision of extra policing services around UCC and the College Road during Rag Week and Refreshers Week.
Templates for these fake invoices were subsequently found on a memory stick in Garda O'Halloran personal station locker.
More than 7,300 was paid on foot of the fake invoices - all of which he used for his own personal purposes.
Some of the funds were given in the belief it was going to various charities.
Other monies were paid in the belief it was extra policing services provided by Garda O'Halloran - despite the fact he had been detailed to provide these same services by his superiors.
His actions resulted in one major organisation which used UCC as a venue for charitable fundraising losing their main sponsor.
The investigation also revealed that Garda O'Halloran had changed his father's pension arrangements so that the funds were paid directly into his own account.
The garda's father died in November 2011 - but his pension payments continued to be paid until 2014.
The payments continued on foot of a document signed and stamped from Angelsea Street Garda Station on March 17 2012 - by a Garda who was not based at the station.
The 11,817 paid over the period has since been repaid to the CIE Pension Scheme.
The 5,500 loaned to the Garda by the CARA member was repaid by the garda's wife.
The court was told that other monies taken have also been repaid including funds to CARA and the UCC Student's Union.
"The thing that is troubling me - it is the fact that as a Garda, over a period of time, he used that in a determined and calculated way to dupe people," the judge said.
"He was using his status as a Garda to get money for policing."
Judge O'Donnabhain noted that the defendant had lost his job, been publicly disgraced, had lost a pension payment of 80,000 and had also seen his marriage break up.
"Is there any colder place than that of a disgraced Garda," the judge said.
Defence counsel Ronan Munro SC said his client was deeply remorseful over what happened.
"He is deeply ashamed for having tarnished the good name of An Garda Siochana," he said.
"He is very, very sorry. His marriage is gone, his profession is gone. His gambling addiction was totally out of control - every single penny he had was gambled."
The defendant has since attended a treatment centre for his gambling problem.
O'Halloran had served as a Garda for 19 years and was based at Barrack Street in Cork city.
The former community Garda pleaded guilty last October to 11 sample charges of corruption, theft and fraud.
The 11 counts were samples from more than 200 charges tendered against the 46 year old.
The charges included three counts of corruption, one count of making a gain by deception and seven counts of thefts.
All the charges involve various dates between June 2009 and September 2015 in Cork.
The corruption charges involve obtaining cheques for 785.40, 1,994.56 and 949.24.
All the cheques were all drawn on the University College Cork (UCC) Students Union account at AIB Bank, College Road, Cork.
The charges specified that OHalloran corruptly obtained the cheques as an inducement or as a reward for the provision of his services as a garda while already employed and paid as a garda.
Three of the sample theft charges involved OHalloran stealing monies at AIB Bank, Western Road, Cork from the CIE pension scheme for staff.
These charges involved dates between December 2011 and September 2014.
Another charge involved the theft of 100 from Connaught Avenue Residents Association, a group based in Cork's south inner city.
The three other theft charges involved stealing hundreds of euros from private companies.
The deception charge involved inducing a resident of Connaught Avenue in Cork in November 2013 to give him 5,500 by claiming he had got a tax bill for 11,550 from the Revenue Commissioners.
The former garda had claimed the tax bill was in relation to an offshore bank account held by his late father, Sean.
However, the charge specified that O'Halloran knew that there was no tax bill issued by the Revenue Commissioners.
The Central Bank of Ireland has gained High Court approval for the appointment of Kieran Wallace as provisional administrator appointed to CBL Insurance Europe dac (CBLIE).
The move comes less than a week after the Central Bank ordered the New Zealand owned insurer to stop writing new business.
The Central Bank said it took the action to protect CBLIE policyholders. Existing policies continue to remain in force. However, the Central Bank is recommending that policyholders contact the firm directly, or their broker to arrange alternative cover as soon as possible.
CBLIE insures around 12,500 policies. It mainly underwrites construction-related credit and financial surety insurance, as well as professional indemnity and property insurance, and travel bonding.
It is a wholly owned subsidiary of CBL Corporation Limited, which is incorporated and domiciled in New Zealand, and which itself had administrators appointed over the weekend.
Earlier in February Irish regulators ordered CBLIE to strengthen its capital base, reserves, and reinsurance security, given its exposure to its parent company, CBL Corporation, headed up by group CEO Peter Harris.
The company had said it needed to boost reserves to shore up its French construction insurance business.
The Central Bank said CBL was registered in Ireland and authorised to write business in Ireland and on a freedom of services basis in Belgium, Denmark, France, Italy, Norway, Romania, Spain, Sweden and the UK.
A school teacher has lost a 75,000 damages claim for defamation of his character which he alleged took place in a McDonalds Restaurant after he discarded napkins he used to wipe excess grease from his French Fries.
Christian Morris (44) of Seagrove, Claremont Road, Howth, Dublin, also failed in a claim against McDonalds, Donaghmede, Dublin, for breach of duty towards him while he was a customer in the restaurant on 21st June 2015.
Circuit Court President Mr Justice Raymond Groarke told barrister Joe Jeffers, who appeared for McDonalds, that the company was entitled to an order for costs against Mr Morris.
Mr Jeffers, who appeared with DFMG Solicitors, told the court that Mr Morris had failed to establish that McDonalds, its security company or a member of its security staff had published any defamatory statements about him which had been denied.
Morris, who represented himself in his Circuit Civil Court claim, said he had bought food in the restaurant and the chips were so greasy that he had to wipe grease off them with paper napkins. He said he had thrown the napkins onto another table and intended binning them later.
The chips were less palatable than normal and I got some serviettes and wiped them, throwing the serviettes on a table next to me, he said.
He said he had been approached by a security guard who ordered him to pick up his litter and stop throwing things around the restaurant. When he had told her he would deal with his rubbish when he was ready she had ordered him: Pick it up now.
This had attracted the attention of a number of teenage boys in the restaurant who had called him a paedophile and a faggot. He had demanded and received his money back and had used his phone to take a video of what was happening.
The teenagers had left the restaurant but one came back in again and snatched his phone. He had unsuccessfully given chase but later his phone had been returned to him less the sim card and memory card.
The security guard concerned in the incident told the court Morris had become very aggressive and demeaning towards her. He had become very irate, and yanked the tray off me and slammed it into the bin.
Judge Groarke said Mr Morriss claim had been entirely silent with regard to any words spoken or actions taken that might be considered defamatory of him. The court had not heard any evidence of the publication of defamatory statements by the defendant or its agents.
How can the defendants be responsible for what an entirely different third party may say about the plaintiff, Judge Groarke said.
With regard to Morriss claim for damages for breach of duty by allowing a young person back into the restaurant and stealing his phone, the judge said there had been nothing about the behaviour of the teenagers that would have merited the defendants locking the door against them.
They may have been unruly, perhaps nasty, as children sometimes will be but I dont believe there was an obligation on the security guard to lock the doors, Judge Groarke said.
When Katherine Zappone launched her much-welcomed 20-a-week universal childcare subsidy for hard-pressed parents last September, she appealed to creche providers not to spoil things by hiking their prices. Not everyone complied.
Creche fees have increased for the second year in a row, with parents paying an additional 5 week on average for full-time childcare, on top of an average 7 increase last year, according to a briefing note prepared for the Children and Youth Affairs Minister.
The document says preliminary data from the independent agency Pobal shows the average weekly fee for full-time childcare is now 5.26 higher than it was in the 2016/2017 school year. This brings the average weekly cost to 179, up from 174 the previous year and 167 the year before that.
The increase further erodes the value of the Government's 20 universal subsidy, which is now effectively worth only 8 to parents.
The minister's intention was to ease the financial burden for parents. Irish people pay some of the highest childcare costs in Europe. The subsidy was an initial step in her ambitious plans - which involve a 485m investment this year - to bring down childcare costs in the chronically under-funded sector
However, her department has received a raft of complaints from frustrated parents providing further evidence of hikes in creche fees.
Copies of the correspondence were released to the Sunday Independent last week, but with the identity of the offending creches redacted. Most told the same story.
One "middle-income" mother living with her husband in Dublin reported her creche for hiking its fee by 100 a month in January, swallowing up her entire 20 a week subsidy and more.
"It is with great regret that I inform you that, instead of benefiting from a subsidy, we now find ourselves in a position where we are actually paying 15 more than before this subsidy was introduced," she wrote.
"Before this subsidy was introduced we were paying 750 a month for our 16-month-old daughter We received absolutely no indication that an increase was on the way and then on November 29, 2017, an email was circulated to parents informing us of an increase as of January 1, 2018. The increase for our daughter amounts to 100 a month, bringing the total to 850 a month, meaning that after the subsidy we will now be paying 765 a month."
A mother of two children complained that her daughter's creche increased its fees from 750 last year to 850 in 2018. "I was buoyed up by the recent subsidy introduced by Minister Katherine Zappone only to be dismayed in the last few days with the news that the creche fees are going up, effectively cancelling out the benefit of the subsidy."
Another mother-of-two - one in creche with her six-month-old due to start soon - emailed the minister in frustration in December. "Recently we got a letter from the owner of the creche that they are pushed by Government to push up the creche fees as they have to start paying more [to] their staff. I should also mention that last year they already put up the fees and now they have an excuse to look for more money from us as they have to pay more to the child minders. My point is that whatever Government is giving us parents the creche is going to take it away. My question: is that OK?"
Another parent emailed the minister to ask: "I'm just wondering what your opinion is on my daughter's creche imposing 12.43pc increase on all creche fees with one month's notice, just after they have agreed to the subsidy which you fought to get through?"
Another reported paying monthly creche fees of 1,945 for two children. The subsidy reduced the monthly bill to 1,771.68 per month - a significant saving of 173.22. However, the parent said that last November the creche announced that it was increasing its fees and the family is now paying 1,911.68 per month. The parent, who stood to gain 173.22 a month thanks to the subsidy, is now saving "a mere 33.32".
"Not even three months after the introduction of a much-needed relief on childcare fees we have been notified of a price hike which effectively eliminates any benefit we receive from the scheme," the parent wrote.
Ms Zappone launched her More Affordable Childcare Scheme last September, promising to knock up to 20 a week, or 1,040, off the cost of childcare for parents. At the time, parents complained that as the subsidy was paid to childcare providers and not to them, providers could cancel out the benefit by increasing fees.
The minister appealed to creche owners planning to raise their fees to "show restraint", promised to take action against "unreasonable increases". She commissioned independent consultants Crowe Horwath to conduct a review of creche fees, and invited parents and providers to send in "evidence".
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According to the briefing note for Dr Zappone, released to the Sunday Independent under the Freedom of Information Act, parents should brace themselves.
Dated September 28, the briefing document quoted unpublished data from independent agency Pobal, which asked just under 900 creches last summer if they planned to increase their fees for the 2017/2018 school term.
The data "indicates that the average weekly fee for full time childcare is 5.26 higher than the average weekly fee in the same services 12 months previously" the document said. Some of the fee increases may be attributable to childcare providers "attempting to absorb some of the increased subsidies through raising fees" or to cover the administrative costs of participating in the subsidy scheme, according to the briefing note. However, it said that part of the increases were likely due to other factors.
The briefing document suggested there was little to worry about. The 5.26 was "in line" with the 7.13 increase for the 2016/2017 school term and indicated "no rapid increase in fees between May and September".
It said that parents were still getting "most" of the benefit of the universal 20 subsidy "through reducing net fees (which, for under threes, will fall on average 13 per week, given a 7 increase)."
Pobal's figures - based on one fifth of all childcare operators in Ireland - are preliminary but they suggest a trend.
According to Pobal's last analysis, fees rose by 4pc last year - the first increase in five years - but with huge regional variations. The cost of part-time childcare - three-and-a-half to five hours a day - fell by 1pc overall but still increased in Dublin.
Fees for full-time childcare increased in 19 counties, most notably in Limerick where they shot up by 9pc, surpassing even Dun Laoghaire - the most expensive region in Ireland for childcare - where they rose by 6.7pc.
New research on the affordability of childcare by economist Ciaran Nugent of the trade union-funded Nevin Economic Research Institute did further analysis of Pobal's data and found dramatic movement in creche fees in different parts of the country.
This translates to dramatic variations in the value of the 20 subsidy to families. A young Leitrim parent on a median wage pays almost 50pc of take-home pay on childcare.
In Cork city, South Dublin, Fingal and Wicklow, parents over 35 on a median wage pay 60pc of their take-home pay for two children.
According to Mr Nugent, the under investment in early childcare "has translated into higher market prices" for Irish families, who spend three times what Germans spend on childcare.
Dr Zappone, came to office declaring her ambition to "transform the Irish childcare system from one of the most expensive to the best and this weekend claimed to be making "good and steady progress" after decades of under-investment by successive Governments.
Progress is evident. More than 33,000 families are benefiting from the universal subsidy, which adds up to six weeks' free childcare, according to the Department of Children; more than 100,000 children are availing of the "free pre-school year"; and 35,000 children are getting targeted supports of up to 145 per week.
Three years ago, childcare costs for a single parent working full time were the highest in the OECD. The OECD is expected to revise Ireland's ranking to 11th (of 35), because of the affordable childcare scheme's impact on costs. The potential for rising costs remains a worrying issue. An internal department memo on fee increases, prepared for the minister seven months ago, weighed the case for capping them. The memo noted a "12pc" increase in the average cost of full-time childcare since 2016, (considerably more than the 5 a week increase suggested in the briefing document).
The memo went on to suggest introducing price caps as a "condition" of childcare providers participating in state-funded schemes, which would allow them the freedom to opt out. "An alternative approach would be to introduce a legal requirement on providers. Such an approach could guarantee affordability but would involve an even greater restriction on the freedom to operate of childcare providers" the memo said, adding that further legal advice would be required.
In a statement to the Sunday Independent this weekend, the minister outlined the progress that has been made.
"Cost is one area which needs more, along with quality and accessibility. Costs are monitored by my department through Pobal," she said.
"Since September, my department has received 41 representations from, or on behalf of, parents who have experienced a rise in the cost of their childcare. I have been clear that we will monitor such rises closely, but I am satisfied that the families of more than 68,000 children are receiving childcare supports worth up to 145 per week for families that need it most."
Dr Zappone expects an interim report from the Review into the Cost of Delivery of Quality Childcare in the coming weeks.
"This review, together with the contacts made to the minister's office by both providers and parents, will provide the evidence to seek more investment in Budget 2019," she said.
"I fully accept and have made clear from the first days of our efforts to change childcare for ever that there is no quick fix solution. We have however taken the first steps and there can be no going back."
Those in the industry point out that early childcare is a vast and diverse sector that spans profit-driven private childcare chains at one end and not-for-profit community enterprises at the other.
The industry group Early Childhood Ireland found that the average private childcare provider is barely breaking even at best and many staff are low paid and working part time.
These are all issues that need to be addressed. Tanya Ward, chief executive of the Children's Rights Alliance, welcomed the investment that was "starting to channel into early childhood care and education".
"We need to think about introducing caps on childcare fees, but at the same time ensure that quality services are appropriately funded so children can flourish. The Government is commissioning a cost analysis for early childhood care and education. That will help inform how we need to fund this sector going forward," she added.
Additional reporting by Antonio Heras
Jimmy Loughlin (inset) was found dead at a house in Sligo
A YOUNG man who was beaten to death with a wheel brace in his home was targeted in a random and unprovoked attack, gardai believe.
Jimmy Loughlin (20) was found with serious injuries at the rented property on Connolly Street, Sligo, shortly after 1.30pm on Saturday.
The tragic victim, who has been described as a very decent young man, was pronounced dead at the scene.
A source told the Irish Independent a man walked up to the house holding a wheel brace and proceeded to smash the front door windows.
When (Jimmy) came out to see what was happening the suspect attacked him with the weapon.
This appears to be a completely random and unprovoked attack, the source said.
The murder suspect then fled to a nearby apartment before gardai were called to the scene.
CCTV footage obtained by investigators shows the suspect passing a mother and child as he leaves the scene, but he did not confront them.
Gardai received reports that a serious incident had occurred involving an armed man, and members of the Regional Support Unit (RSU) were requested to attend the scene.
Uniformed gardai were first to arrive at the property and managed to arrest the suspect.
The 31-year-old man was then brought to Ballymote garda station.
He is due to appear before Donegal Town District Court this morning at 10.30am to be charged in connection with the murder.
A post-mortem was carried out by Deputy State Pathologist Dr Linda Mulligan at Sligo University Hospital yesterday afternoon.
The results have not been released for operational reasons, but it is understood that the examination confirmed that Mr Loughlin was the victim of a violent assault.
Staff at the McDonalds outlet where he worked since 2014 have expressed their shock at the murder.
The restaurants manager Leo McNamara said: He had a great sense of humour and everyone loved working with him as he lifted their day with his fun personality.
If you knew you were working with Jimmy, you knew you would end up laughing regardless of what mood you were in.
Franchisee Richard McNamara added that they were shocked and saddened at Jimmys killing and that their thoughts were with his family and friends.
Fr Vincent Connaughton, of St Marys Church, Ballintogher, described the tragedy as a terrible loss to the community.
I visited his family this morning. On behalf of the community we extend our sincerest and heartfelt sympathies to his parents, three sisters, his grandparents and wide circle of friends.
Theyre very much in our prayers at this time, he said.
Many locals of the area said the randomness of the attack was very frightening.
One woman said: It could have happened to anyone.
Its terrifying that you could be just randomly attacked in the middle of the day for no reason at all.
I heard he [Jimmy] was such a nice young man and its just so cruel that he had to die in this way.
A school friend of Mr Loughlin, who did not want to be named, said: I lost contact with Jimmy when he left school, but I knew him as a lovely, popular guy.
Its so sad what happened and everyone is really upset. I just couldnt believe it when I found out.
He was always so kind to me.
A man has been arrested outside a Dublin jail in connection with the murder of Det Garda Adrian Donohoe five years ago.
The 26-year-old suspect from Co Armagh was detained by detectives from the investigation team based in Dundalk close to Wheatfield prison in west Dublin, around 7.15pm yesterday.
Senior officers last night described the arrest of the man as significant.
Significant
The suspect was arrested minutes after he had been released from jail where had served a sentence, imposed last year, for road traffic and criminal damage offences.
He was detained under Section 50 of the Criminal Justice Act 2007 and taken to Dundalk Garda Station for questioning.
He can be held without charge for up to seven days.
His arrest and questioning will form part of a file, which is being submitted to the Director of Public Prosecutions, in relation to a lengthy investigation carried out by officers into the murder which shocked the nation.
Det Gda Donohoe was shot dead outside a credit union premises at Lordship, Bellurgan, outside Dundalk, on January 25, 2013.
Senior garda officers had told the Irish Independent late last year that the Donohoe investigation remained a top priority for the force and they were satisfied they were making progress in the case.
It is understood that the suspect had been living during the past few years in the UK and the United States.
Deported
He was deported from the US last year and arrested by gardai at Dublin Airport on warrants related to road traffic and criminal damage offences.
A gardai spokesman last night said in a statement: "As part of the ongoing investigation into the murder of Adrian Donohoe at the Lordship Credit Union, Belurgan... gardai from Dundalk have arrested a male in his 20s in connection with the murder."
Gardai have extended their search across eight European countries for a convicted sex offender who is a key suspect in the brutal murder of pensioner Rosie Hanrahan.
Interpol and Europol are helping detectives to trace an Eastern European national who was living in Limerick but vanished from the city within 48 hours of the murder of the 78-year-old widow during a suspected bungled burglary on December 15.
The man, who has convictions for sex offences in his native country, left Ireland by ferry and arrived in a French port on December 17 or 18.
His whereabouts since are unknown.
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Gardai had asked European police forces to focus on countries such as France, Germany, Italy, Belgium and the Netherlands in a bid to trace the man.
It was suspected he was hiding under a false identity and using major European cities for cover.
It was also believed he may be receiving support from friends, family or former criminal colleagues.
However, Interpol and Europol are now extending their trawl for the man beyond the major European countries.
The man is understood to have strong connections to Romania and Albania as well as Hungary.
It was initially suspected he would avoid these countries given that he is well known there.
However, local police are now being asked to check for the man's location in a variety of places where he has lived previously.
Gardai are convinced the man must be receiving support from former associates - and hope that by their European colleagues tracing known associates, the individual's whereabouts can be uncovered.
The man has been linked to the Thomondgate crime scene by forensic tests.
Gardai obtained a significant amount of forensic data from a painstaking analysis of the Thomondgate cottage by Garda Technical Bureau staff.
Several thousand hours of CCTV security camera footage has also been studied while gardai have spoken to 1,900 people as part of their investigation.
In a unique development, members of Limerick's criminal underworld have also been helping gardai with information such is the revulsion at the brutal murder of the helpless widow.
Ms Hanrahan was found by relatives after she had been tied up and then strangled.
Her home had also been ransacked.
Gardai firstly want to confirm the suspect's location and then obtain, via European police colleagues, a DNA sample which will be used to cross-reference with forensic samples obtained from Ms Hanrahan's home.
The widow had cash in her house for the Christmas period. She had what is understood to be a four-figure sum in a secret storage area in her kitchen/utility room.
Detectives are also considering the theory that the killer may have targeted the widow's handbag for her ATM cards.
Limerick mayor Councillor Sean Lynch, a former garda, said he remains convinced the killer will be caught. "With DNA profiling there is no way out for these people - they will eventually be caught," he said.
Anyone with information is asked to contact investigating Mayorstone gardai on (061) 456980 or (1800) 666111.
An inspirational young woman has said that she is in a "race against time" to raise money for life-changing surgery that will prevent her from losing the ability to walk.
Kate O'Sullivan (23) has Spastic Diplegia Cerebral Palsy, which is causing her limbs to tighten and she is losing the ability to walk.
She told Independent.ie: "Cerebral Palsy is basically the stiffening of the muscles in my legs, as a result they can't function because they are so stiff and tight, I have very little range of motion in my ankles due to the stiffening in my muscles.
"It has been getting worse since I was in my late teens, it is getting harder to walk, I'm experiencing a lot more falls and needing more help with simple things. like carrying bags or using the stairs is hard."
Kate, who is from Castletroy in Co Limerick, is eligible for a pioneering surgery in the US that would cut off the sensory nerves that are sending the wrong messages from her brain through her spine and into her legs and eliminate that signal.
She has been scheduled to have the operation at St Louis Children's Hospital in Missouri next August and is fundraising for the 100,000 costs.
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The hospital requires that the fee is paid 45 days ahead of the operation and only people who can still walk are eligible to get the procedure, so Kate knows that time is against her.
"We are in a race against time," she said.
Kate earned a degree in chemistry with forensic science at University College Cork but hasn't been able to pursue her dream career as a forensic scientist yet as she is no longer able to stand for more than a few minutes at a time.
"Right now, cerebral palsy is really holding me back in all aspects of my life.
"The most important thing to me is to keep my independent walking so I will be able to achieve my dreams of working in forensics because I know without this surgery I'm facing my future in a wheelchair.
"I can't work right now because I can't even stand for long periods of time, walking is getting so difficult and I'm also experiencing more falls as my balance is also affected.
"I need this surgery to eliminate the pain, improve my walking pattern, and balance and to ultimately be able to fufill my dreams of working in forensics and most importantly keep my independent walking.
"The thought of using a wheelchair is terrifying to me it's really hard to put into words, it's one thing to never have experienced independence but to know I have and to know I'm losing it is absolutely terrifying.
"I do not want to let my degree that I studied so hard for go to waste. I love being in labs doing research and I hope to return to it after the surgery," she explained
Fine Gael will move this week to find a resolution to a damaging row between two of its senators.
Senator Catherine Noone has made allegations at a party meeting about the conduct of an older male colleague which she said she had found unacceptable.
Taoiseach Leo Varadkar told the meeting that he would not allow any bullying or similar behaviour in the Fine Gael party.
The male colleague, who has not been named, is understood to utterly reject Ms Noone's claims.
He is also known to be a popular and well-regarded colleague among both female and male colleagues.
The extent of the fallout from the spat, which took many by surprise at last Wednesday's Fine Gael weekly meeting of TDs and senators, has also surprised many within the party. Ms Noone, a solicitor and a native of Mayo but now based in Dublin, has been a senator since 2011.
More recently she has gained national prominence as chairperson of the joint Oireachtas Committee on the Eighth Amendment. But she tearfully told colleagues at last week's meeting that she could no longer put up with her colleague's conduct, accusing him of "talking down to her".
The matter has now been handed over to party chairman Martin Heydon, the TD for Kildare South, and party secretary general Tom Curran. Mr Curran is expected to speak with both parties and report back.
Party officials hope the dispute can be resolved quickly.
Fine Gael has been critical of Sinn Fein's controversies over alleged bullying of councillors.
Children build a snowman in the Killakee area of the Dublin mountains. Photo: Niall Carson/PA Wire
Schools across the country could be forced to close later in the week as the country braces for heavy snow.
Temperatures will plunge to as low as -10C this week as a vast weather front from the Russian Arctic, dubbed the Beast from the East, sweeps across Ireland.
Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Previous Next Close A young priest throws a snow ball during a heavy snowfall in Saint Peter's Square at the Vatican February 26, 2018. REUTERS/Max Rossi Tourists walk and take pictures in the central Via dei Fori during a snowfall in Rome on February 26, 2018 AFP/Getty Images A man feeds pigeons during a heavy snowfall in Sofia on February 26, 2018. / AFP PHOTO A woman with a child walks dogs during a heavy snowfall in Sofia on February 26, 2018. / AFP PHOTO / Saint Peter's Basilica is seen in the background as people enjoy the snow following a heavy snowfall at the Circus Maximus in Rome, Italy February 26, 2018. REUTERS/Alessandro Bianchi Commuters walking in the snow on London Bridge, as some parts of the UK are set to feel colder than the Arctic Circle as freezing temperatures continue into the week ahead Steve Parsons/PA Wire A priest plays with snow during a heavy snowfall in Saint Peter's Square at the Vatican February 26, 2018. REUTERS/Max Rossi A monument is covered by snow during a heavy snowfall in Rome, Italy February 26, 2018. REUTERS/Remo Casilli A young priest throws a snow ball during a heavy snowfall in Saint Peter's Square at the Vatican February 26, 2018. REUTERS/Max Rossi Women and children walk on the stone-block pavement in central Moscow, Russia February 25, 2018. REUTERS/Maxim Shemetov People walk during a heavy snowfall in Saint Peter's Square at the Vatican February 26, 2018. REUTERS/Max Rossi People make their way across the Millennium Bridge, in central London, in windy conditions as freezing air from Russia is to grip the UK in what is set to be the coldest late February in five years. Dominic Lipinski/PA Wire Commuters walking in the snow on London Bridge, as some parts of the UK are set to feel colder than the Arctic Circle as freezing temperatures continue into the week ahead. Steve Parsons/PA Wire Trevi fountain is covered in snow during a heavy snowfall in Rome, Italy February 26, 2018. REUTERS/Remo Casilli People walk during a heavy snowfall in downtown Rome, Italy February 26, 2018. REUTERS/Max Rossi A man skis during a heavy snowfall in Saint Peter's Square at the Vatican February 26, 2018. REUTERS/Max Rossi Nuns walk during a heavy snowfall in Saint Peter's square at the Vatican February 26, 2018. REUTERS/Max Rossi / Facebook
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The Government will convene a meeting of the National Emergency Co-ordination Group (NECG) today given the seriousness of the threat posed by the approaching weather system.
The front is set to sweep over Ireland with snow, ice, sleet showers and temperatures as low as -10C but a wind chill factor will make it feel even colder.
The Department of Education said schools would be monitored daily as snow sweeps across the country.
In the event of a Status Red warning, decisions are made locally on closures. But the department will follow any advice from the National Emergency Co-ordination Group, a spokesperson said.
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Sean Hogan, chairperson of the National Emergency Committee, told RTE Radio one that the objective is to keep schools open.
"When the snow falls now it won't melt away like it did in December. We expect the snow will stay on the ground and cause difficulty for people.
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"We will try keep Ireland moving ... we're not sure what will come and there will be some uncertainty. It will deteriorate from tomorrow and that snow will accumulate. Our job is to prepare for that and make sure all the arrangements are in place."
While schools are open today, Mr Hogan said that schools may close towards the end of the week.
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"We will be joined by our education colleagues today (at the National Emergency Committee meeting). Because this is going to vary across the country, individual schools will have to make their own decisions based on advice.
"The Department of Education will attend our meeting and they will pass on advice to the schools and the schools will make their own decision. They will then issue a statement to parents locally about whether schools are open or not.
"Our objective is to try and keep schools open as much as possible until we see what happens on Thursday and Friday. That depends on local conditions."
Children are struggling to use pens and pencils because the excessive use of touchscreen phones and iPads is damaging their dexterity, specialists have claimed.
Paediatric doctors, handwriting experts and orthopaedic therapists are warning that although youngsters can swipe a screen, they no longer have the hand strength and agility to learn to write correctly when they start school.
Increasingly the use of digital screens is replacing skills such as drawing, painting and cutting out which boost fine motor skills and co-ordination.
"Children coming into school are being given a pencil but are increasingly not being able to hold it because they don't have the fundamental movement skills," said Sally Payne, the head paediatric occupational therapist at the Heart of England foundation NHS Trust.
"To be able to grip a pencil and move it, you need strong control of the fine muscles in your fingers. Children need lots of opportunity to develop those skills."
A recent study found 58pc of under-twos had used a tablet or mobile phone and many nurseries have installed interactive 'smartboards', digital cameras and touchscreen computers to try to expose children to gadgets at an early age.
However, the National Handwriting Association (NHA) in the UK has warned excessive use of technology is impeding writing skills.
Without activities such as manipulating playdough, holding scissors and scribbling with pencils and crayons, muscles in the shoulder, elbow and wrist needed for writing do not develop.
Teachers have reported some children do not even know how to receive a pencil or paintbrush and the problem has become worse in the past decade.
Karin Bishop, of the Royal College of Occupational Therapists, said: "Whilst there are many positive aspects to technology, there is growing evidence on the impact of more sedentary lifestyles and increasing virtual social interaction." ( Daily Telegraph, London)
Telegraph Media Group Limited [2021]
DECLAN LYNCH wanted to call the book Not Repayable. You can understand why. They are two words that would strike fear into a person's heart. They speak of a point of no return, a hole into which you have dug yourself, without any hope of escaping. They sound so final.
Instead, however, the book is called Tony 10, an equally succinct title, the simplicity of which belies the complexity of its tale of human destruction. Declan wrote it with the man he calls his friend - Tony O'Reilly, the former postmaster from Carlow, who had racked up a 10m turnover in his Paddy Power online account at the turn of this decade, when he was arrested for stealing 1.75m of his spending from his employers, An Post.
Tony 10 was Tony's online-gambling name, his alter ego, you might say. Tony 10 was certainly his secret self for many years, as what started as casual dabbling in gambling turned into an addiction that saw him swing between feeling like a master of the universe; through desperation to gamble himself out of growing debt and criminal behaviour; to suicidal thoughts.
"I'd been writing about gambling for years," explains Declan over coffee with Tony and me in the Gresham Hotel, "and when Tony's story came out, it just struck me as a classic example of what I'd been writing about."
Declan heard about Tony at the same time as everyone else in Ireland did - when the story broke in early 2011 that there was this ordinary bloke who had not only gambled a fortune, but stolen one, too. And the massive sums that were reported - millions and millions - had all accrued without anyone shouting stop.
No one in Tony's life shouted stop because he was doing it all online, secretly, covertly, his nose stuck in his phone. And no one in Tony 10's life shouted stop, either. Instead, Paddy Power invited him to sporting events, sent him a registered-post diary of sporting fixtures, made a VIP of him.
"I decided then to write about Tony's case," says Declan, "because it had everything. There was no aspect of online gambling that wasn't represented in it. It was the complete thing. It had the total destruction of an individual, short of dying.
"And the story of the individual was the point," he adds. "Because corporate Ireland does go on, and you stand there in amazement of it, but to have an individual story and the ultimate individual story is amazing. The amount of money in Tony's case is, of course, staggering, and makes it remarkable, and people wonder how can that happen, but on a smaller scale this is happening every week now."
"But you don't hear about them so much," Tony interjects, "because those are situations that are repayable. People's employers don't report them, or their families bail them out, so we don't hear the half of them."
In Tony's case it was "not repayable", of course.
Tony hears these stories now in his work - counselling gambling addicts, seven years after his time in treatment and then time in prison. He hears the stories and he empathises, and sometimes their stories bring them back to how he felt as Tony 10. And when he sits in the Gresham with Declan and me, rehashing the things he did as Tony 10, it brings him back there, too. To an extent, Tony admits, it's like talking about someone else, but the sense of regret and remorse remind him that this tragic tale is his.
For each reader, it might be a different moment in the story of Tony 10 that makes them think they can take no more.
There are notable points in Tony's 10m journey when you just want it to stop. It might just be when his future brother-in-law gives him a 50 online-gambling voucher for Christmas. Or the first time he wins big. Or the day he doesn't withdraw his online winnings, but uses them to fund more and bigger bets. Or the first day he steals from the coin bags at work to fund his growing habit.
For me, it was the wedding.
I read the account of Tony O'Reilly's wedding with one eye closed.
The wedding, in the late 2000s, took place in Cyprus, and Tony and his fiancee Fiona had paid 4k of the 10k cost in advance. Despite the fact that Tony was already sinking into serious debt and a proper gambling problem, the 6k was there, untouched, to pay out in Cyprus.
Tony left Ireland in good spirits and full of good intentions. Almost 80 family and friends were coming with them from Carlow, and everyone was really looking forward to it. Further, Tony was high on the intention to do no gambling while he was away. The back-up to his resolve was there would be no chance to get online anyway, so for a full two weeks, everything was going to be fine. He'd be his old self and Tony 10 - the online persona that was starting to dominate his life, in that it was becoming increasingly his persona in the real world - would be left behind.
The first heart-sinking moment is when he spots a computer in the hotel lobby. From there, well, you can guess where it all went. Downhill; downhill badly and fast, to the point that there was nearly no 6k any more.
Only Tony knew this, of course, such is the insidious nature of online gambling. He was in the hole and agitated through the whole wedding, dreading the moment of reckoning later in the holiday when they were going to have to pay.
So he had one last bet, on the Derby, in the hope of winning it all back. He could make everything OK. He could gamble his way out of it. That, both Declan and Tony say, is the mentality of the gambler.
"An alcoholic can't drink his way out of his problem. A drug addict can't use his way out of his addiction," Tony says, "but a gambling addict believes that he can bet his way out and make everything OK again."
I wanted to throw the book at the wall during the Cyprus wedding, but I kept going. In a funny way, Tony 10 is that sort of read, and Declan's talent is how he tiptoes you into the addiction, with details of bet after bet, euro after hundreds and thousands of euro, lie after lie, theft after theft.
You get carried along with Tony, to the cliff-edge and over it, and all the tiny increments by which his life was ruined by gambling are there in the minutely building tension, the frustration, the conflicting senses of reality and unreality.
"I can still picture the room in Cyprus," Tony says now of the bet that would make or break his wedding, "and me staring at the small TV and Fiona pottering around behind me, and all I could think was that if nothing every works out for me again, please let this work out."
So Dettori won, and it 'worked out' for Tony. He even had a few hundred quid more than the necessary 6k, so he told Fiona his stock line - that he'd put on a small winning bet, and wasn't it nice to have some unexpected spending money for the honeymoon?
And, of course, on he went.
"When I read the tribunal-report-sized list of all Tony's bets over the years," Declan Lynch says of research for writing Tony10, "the moments my heart would sink were the moments when he would win. You're reading it and thinking, 'Oh no, he won 54k'. It's so perverse."
Once you discover the descent of Tony into gambling addition, though, you get what Declan means.
If Tony had never won, always lost, and hurtled fast to rock bottom, things might not have got as bad as they did. He might have been caught, he might have had to own up, he might have been stopped before it became stealing from your employer and ending up in prison.
In Cyprus, if he'd lost the 6k, they wouldn't have been able to pay for the wedding, and Fiona would have learned the truth, but, ultimately, how bad would that have been? Not as bad as what actually happened, that's for sure.
Tony O'Reilly, as Declan Lynch points out several times in the book, is not the Tony O'Reilly. He's a guy from Carlow whose dad worked in the sugar factory. He's a guy who could have taken that route himself, but that Tony, as Declan describes it, always hankered after something more, something a little bit more special, a little less humdrum.
He worked in a bar in his native town for years, had a decent life, good friends, in particular Niall, who has stuck with him through the very worst of times. Tony was a clever guy, a good writer, a meticulous fella who could tend towards compulsive meticulousness. The way Declan paints the young Tony is as a guy who wanted more from life, but never quite fixed on what that more might be.
"When I was in treatment in Cuan Mhuire," Tony says of his recovery after his 2011 arrest for the 1.75m theft, "I saw that gambling was just an escape from a deeper underlying issue. Gambling is a way of escaping your life. It's a way of coping with issues such as self-esteem and confidence, and gambling dealt with those for me. It becomes your escapism, and then it becomes the place you need to go when you're feeling a little bit low, or even a little bit high. It's a way of coping with feelings and emotions. So in recovery I had to deal with those issues without gambling."
Addiction
Tony's betting began with a 1 bet. His online betting began with that 50 voucher, given to him for Christmas by his well-meaning brother-in-law. Without doubt, both Declan and Tony believe that his gambling addiction might not have reached the depths it did if there was no such thing as online betting.
"What is extraordinary about online betting is how it puts the onus on the gambler," Declan says. "Your gambling is your responsibility, and it draws attention away from the technology and how it is set up so superbly to be addictive. Not only in terms of the gambling, but the internet is massively addictive itself, and a lot of the things you're gambling on are on television and all around you all the time. It's like a kind of confluence of every major addiction known to humanity put together.
"And how it works for young men," adds Declan, "is that there's nothing men like more in the world than calling something and being proved right and getting money for it straightaway. I mean, how could bookies not have a billion-dollar business based on that?"
When Tony still had Tony 10 and his gambling under control, or so he told himself, the online bets were small, and he regularly withdrew his winnings and spent them on things in the real world. He even told Fiona about the winnings, or fractions of them, anyway, so as not to worry her.
Declan documents the wins and losses, the withdrawals and, in time, the cessation of the withdrawals. He extracted them from a huge ledger of Tony's bets as Tony sank into addiction and, as Declan predicts at the start of the book, you sort of become inured to the amounts as he goes on. Tens, hundreds, thousands, lose all meaning, as they did for Tony.
In fact, the only time money seems sharply real is when Tony runs out of it. He ran up huge personal debts initially - debts he continues to pay back today, seven years after his arrest - but at some point, he was so desperate for betting money that he decided to take some from An Post, where he had started as a postman and been promoted to branch manager.
"Oh, I was sick over it," Tony says, "but with gambling, you justify these things. I think in the book we describe it as being like Lloyd Christmas in Dumb and Dumber and his briefcase of IOUs. I really genuinely thought, from my previous experience of winning big bets, that I could go bigger on the bets and be able to put it back in and no one would ever know."
So you convince yourself it's borrowing and not stealing? Even when you progress from stealing from bags of coins to removing notes from stacks of currency with a pliers you have especially for that task?
"Yeah," Tony says. "I convinced myself I'd get it back and I suppose, in gambling, your values, morals, everything, go out the window. I'm not going to say it was borrowing - it was stealing. You can't dress it up. I stole it. But with gambling you justify your actions, and if I could figure out in the therapy room why that happens or how to fix that, I'd be a very rich man.
"One of the sisters in Cuan Mhuire said that you'd do something today that you'd never do yesterday to fuel an addiction," Tony concludes.
Needless to say, even when Tony won massive sums on his bets, he also continued to lose, and he never put back the stolen money. He started changing figures on the books to convince An Post auditors that nothing was amiss; he began living his life in a state of panic as the sum total of his theft grew and grew. It was a living hell, with his mind whirring constantly. There was, with each win, the belief that he could, in fact, make it all OK.
"I know now though," says Tony, "from years of listening to other gamblers, that getting back to zero, getting the money back, is never enough. So even if I'd got the money back, got it back in the safe, I would have had that sense of relief for a while, but then I'd probably have gone, 'OK, I got away with that, I'm going to go again'."
On top of the highs and lows of the bets, then, Tony also had the fear of being found out. And, conversely, the desire to be found out, as well as the thought that he should end it all and that everyone would be better off without him.
Friends and family noticed that Tony changed in the last months before he was finally found out. He was distracted and disconnected, always on his phone, never at peace. At his trial for the theft, Tony's An Post colleagues testified that they put his strange detachment down to the fact that he and Fiona had a new baby.
Near the end, Tony almost confessed all to his father and, separately, to his best friend Niall. Never to Fiona, though perhaps the reason behind that was similar to why he never confessed at work. If he told her, then everything would come crashing down. He'd lose it all. Even though, in reality, he'd lost it all already.
The ability online gambling offers a person to keep their addiction secret fascinates Declan, who has written for years about the subject. A spouse like Fiona will always ask themselves why they never noticed this huge thing occurring under their nose, in their house, in their marriage, but the odds are stacked against them when it comes to online gambling.
"It's something that facilitates your self-destruction in a matter of days," Declan says. "It's there, and nobody's doing anything about it. Surely it should be made slightly difficult - that you can't just sit up in your bed in the middle of the night betting invisible money on something that's happening in Australia or whatever. It amazes me that something is out there that is causing incredible levels of carnage and no one is doing anything about it."
Censure
Tony says he wanted to write Tony 10 because he wants to highlight the ease with which an ordinary guy with a "house, a marriage, a dog" can find himself in prison, with a gambling addiction and a "not repayable" theft to his name. His earnings from the book will go to Cuan Mhuire and to Eist Cancer Support Centre in Carlow.
Tony wanted Declan to write the book with him because Declan got it. He got that it wasn't just about the individual, but about a bigger gambling problem that Tony and Declan believe is growing and growing without censure. Tony also appreciated that Declan never wrote about his experience as "a caper", even when he was on the run in the North after the net closed on him, still trying to gamble his way out of the mess.
"I'm most scared of opening up old wounds for other people," Tony says. "I can deal with it. I've been through recovery and prisons, and recovery was as hard as the prison part, but I'm conscious about bringing it up again for Fiona and her family, and for An Post and people I worked with. But I think it's a story that needs to be told. Not in terms of me, but in terms of online gambling."
Tony hasn't had a bet in nearly seven years. It took him two years to be able to watch a sporting event without feeling sick. He still struggles from time to time when he's feeling down, or even feeling especially good. Two weeks ago, when his partner of two years started a new job and he finished a draft of his thesis for his ongoing career in counselling, a little voice told him a little bet wouldn't hurt, that he could handle it now.
Tony knows how to deal with that voice now, though, and he knows that it lies. And he's never going back again. His marriage to Fiona didn't survive Tony's actions, but his family and his best friend Niall, and now his partner, are still with him. He's not going to gamble with their trust and faith.
Tony continues, of course, to feel shame for what he did and sorrow for those he hurt.
"When I was in recovery in Cuan Mhuire," he says, "Sister Susan told me to try to get to a place of peaceful regret. I know what she means and I do try, and sometimes I think I'm nearly there. But I'm ashamed of what I've done, and that's hard.
"When I showed the cover of the book to my partner, she asked could they not have put 'took' instead of 'stole' on the cover. I said no, that you can't butter it up. This is what I did. This is who I was. It's not who I really am, but that's what I was and I have to live with that."
Read on, for an exclusive extract from 'Tony 10: The astonishing story of the postman who gambled 10,000,000 and lost it all' by Declan Lynch and Tony O'Reilly
This year's Oscar nominations were announced in Los Angeles at the frankly antisocial hour of 5.22am. Greta Gerwig, whose very personal, coming-of-age debut film Lady Bird was hotly tipped, lives in New York but happened to be in LA for work. She woke up first at 3.30am: "And I said, 'No, it's not time' and I forced myself to go back to sleep." When she eventually surfaced just before seven, the nominations were headlines around the world. Gerwig made herself a coffee, had a shower and ever-so-casually checked her phone. There it was - she'd made the cut for best original screenplay. And "achievement in directing". Oh, and Lady Bird was in the running for best picture, too.
"I started crying and laughing and screaming," says 34-year-old Gerwig, who, until now, has been mainly known as an actor, often in comic roles. "And it sunk in It's still sinking in. It doesn't quite feel real. You're still getting me at peak shock and happiness."
The Oscar selections were a personal triumph for Gerwig and for Lady Bird - its stars Saoirse Ronan and Laurie Metcalf, who play a squabbling daughter and mother, are also nominated - but it was an important moment for female filmmakers everywhere. Gerwig, scarcely credibly, is only the fifth woman to be shortlisted in the best director category at the Academy Awards in its 90 years. If she wins next Sunday, she will be only the second, after Kathryn Bigelow for The Hurt Locker in 2010, to take the honour.
"I remember very well when Sofia Coppola was nominated for best director and won best screenplay [for Lost in Translation in 2004] and what that meant to me," says Gerwig on the phone from New York. "And I remember when Kathryn Bigelow won for best director and how it seemed as if possibilities were expanded because of it. I genuinely hope that what this means to women of all ages - young women, women who are well into their careers - is that they look at this and they think, 'I want to go make my movie'. Because a diversity of storytellers is incredibly important and also I want to see their movies. I want to know what they have to say! So I hope that's what it does."
These have been a seismic few months for women in the film industry. The allegations against the producer Harvey Weinstein and others, while monstrous in their scope and detail, have led to the most positive kind of backlash: through the #MeToo and #TimesUp movements, and the 50/50 by 2020 initiative, which aims to have male-female parity in the business world in two years. There's an optimism that Hollywood has changed for ever.
"I think it's going to shift much more quickly now," says Gerwig. "When studios are looking to hire now, they'll ask themselves - as they rightly should - 'Is there a woman who is qualified for this job?' That's tremendously important. And again, if I were running a studio, I would think that it's just good business. Because I look at the audience response to films made by women about women that have done incredibly well and I'd say, 'Well, that's a reason right off the bat'."
As for whether there are any plans for a co-ordinated style protest at this year's Oscars, in line with the black gowns at the Golden Globes or white roses at the Grammys, both orchestrated by the #TimesUp organisers, Gerwig is unsure. "I am not aware of a dress code," she says. But if there is, she's in: "I'm in awe of the people who are collectively working on this."
Gerwig insists she hasn't dared yet think about how it would feel to win an Oscar. But if the Golden Globes, where Lady Bird took the prize for best film (comedy/musical), is anything to go by, she might well struggle to hold it together. "I had an entire speech prepared but once I got up there, none of it came out," she says with a laugh. "I was looking down and I saw Oprah and Steven Spielberg and I just went into a state of sublime happiness. I think I just said 'thank you' a lot. So my guess would be, I'll prepare and probably I'll not say any of it - if it should happen. Because that's just how those moments seem to go for me."
When I first talk to Gerwig, on an otherwise regulation Friday during the London film festival, there is a surreal, even comic, imbalance in London's Soho hotel. Movie stars, it appears, outnumber the rest of us. Bill Nighy stands at a urinal in the men's room, director Alexander Payne sweeps through the lobby. In the lift up to the suite where Gerwig is doing interviews, who else? The great Christoph Waltz.
"Christoph Waltz is here?" she shrieks. The pair became friends when they were on the jury for the Berlin film festival and catch up every so often for dinner in New York. "He's one of my favourite people; he makes fun of me the entire time," says Gerwig. "On the jury, there was this one time where we had a meeting with Angela Merkel. So I wore something that felt appropriate for a daytime lunch with a head of state. And I showed up and Christoph looked at me and said [she slips into a strident Mitteleuropean accent] 'Greta, are you applying for an internship with Angela?'" Gerwig cracks up. "'Did you bring your resume?' I looked such a nerd."
Payne she knows less well, but is an ardent fan. At the Telluride festival last September, there was a photocall for the film-makers in attendance and Gerwig collected a giant bruise on her leg trying to hurdle a bench to tell Payne how much she liked his latest movie, Downsizing. "I thought, 'I must tell him it's a masterpiece'," she explains. "So as I'm jumping over the bench, it clipped my shin and I went sprawling. Everyone turned to look and I looked up at him and I said, 'It was a masterpiece!' And he said, 'You could have just walked over'."
Right now, there are plenty of people - rightly and properly, albeit metaphorically - tripping over furniture to tell Gerwig that she's made her own masterpiece. Lady Bird is a beautiful, affectionate rumination on the mother-daughter dynamic that could well be this year's Moonlight: an underdog that charms and surprises, and overshadows everything else.
It is not immediately clear how to square these achievements with Gerwig's tendency towards self-deprecation. Physically, she mixes elegance with eccentricity. At 5ft 9in, with credulous sea-green eyes, and today wearing a pink, pleated cocktail dress with buckled black-and-white heels, she presents an image of impossible glamour. But she undercuts the effect by slouching a little, laughing unguardedly and demonstrating odd and endearing mannerisms, such as the stiff handshake of a Victorian industrialist packing his son off to boarding school.
"I arrived on a flight this morning at 6am, so this is all pretend," she explains, smoothing an invisible wrinkle on her frock. "I don't actually feel like this inside. People came to my room and made me look nice. I know, everyone needs it."
In Lady Bird and before, Gerwig is drawn to dreamers: young women who believe they are destined for greatness, even when the audience finds plenty of cause to doubt that. The film follows Saoirse Ronan as 17-year-old Christine McPherson, who'd rather you call her Lady Bird: when asked if it's her given name, she clarifies: "It's given to me, by me." The year is 2002, the place is Sacramento, a mid-size city in California, and both these facts are a cruel disappointment to her: "The only exciting thing about 2002 is that it's a palindrome," Lady Bird sighs. She's in her final year at an all-girls Catholic high school and, after graduating, she wants to move to the east coast to study, "where writers live in the woods". This is one of many, though perhaps the most irreconcilable, points of contention with her mother, Marion (a heart-wrenching Metcalf).
It has been a common assumption that Lady Bird is Gerwig's teenage diaries transcribed. She, too, grew up in Sacramento and attended a Catholic school there, before escaping to the other side of the country, to Barnard College in New York, where she studied English and wanted to become a playwright. But, Gerwig notes, not sniffily, that there are plenty of differences, as well. She didn't dye her hair pink or assume a strange name or even argue that viciously with her mother.
"Even though it isn't literally autobiographical, there's a core of emotional truth that's very resonant," says Gerwig. "Again, it's not what literally happened, but it does rhyme with the truth. It's close in a way. And it doesn't bother me, because it's the assumption people make and in a way, maybe they make that assumption because it feels very real. So it's not dissimilar to when people think a character is you. Which you could be offended by or you could also think, 'Well, then I've done my job. You've believed it. You think that's me'.
"But I don't know," she continues. "I think one thing about doing this for a period of time is that you learn how to live through either misconceptions or correct conceptions and just continue doing the work. Because then you figure, 'Well, in the end, I'll just be an old lady one day and then they'll think, Oh, she's an old lady'. And they'll be right!"
What, then, are some solid, hard facts about Gerwig? She is the eldest child of Gordon and Christine, a loans officer for a credit union and a retired nurse respectively. As a child, she was a diligent student with an obsessive streak: her first passion was dancing; later, she would become skilled in the sport of fencing.
"I loved ballet," says Gerwig. "I always knew I wasn't the most naturally gifted of anyone who was doing ballet. I didn't have quite enough turn out, my feet weren't quite right, but I did work harder than anyone else. And I think that's something I have maintained. There's no substitute for hard work."
Gerwig acted a little at school but became more serious at college. She saw herself as a theatre person, but when she was rejected from graduate programmes in playwriting, she started working on films with her friends. These no-budget projects became notorious in arty, hipster circles and then beyond, where they were, somewhat derisively, called mumblecore; they were sketched out, but not scripted, and the makers were involved in every aspect of production.
"Those became kind of a makeshift film school for me," says Gerwig, referring to LOL (2006), Hannah Takes the Stairs (2007) and Nights and Weekends (2008), which she made with Joe Swanberg. "When I went into pre-production for Lady Bird, I'd been working in films in different capacities for 10 years. Especially on the early little ones because it was an all-hands-on-deck situation. If you weren't doing something on camera, you held the camera."
These early films, too, led in a roundabout way to Gerwig's acting breakthrough. Swanberg knew the director Noah Baumbach and he then cast her in his 2010 film Greenberg, opposite Ben Stiller. The film received mixed notices, but Gerwig's performance caught many eyes. In The New York Times, critic AO Scott described her style as a method without method. "Ms Gerwig," he wrote, "most likely without intending to be anything of the kind, may well be the definitive screen actress of her generation, a judgment I offer with all sincerity and a measure of ambivalence."
Greenberg was a life-changing experience personally as well: after it wrapped, Gerwig and Baumbach began dating, for a while on the down-low, these days more openly, though Gerwig tends to refer to him as "Noah Baumbach" or "Baumbach" in our interview, suggesting they keep their work and private lives quite distinct. They soon began collaborating and their first film as a writing team was 2012's Frances Ha, a warm-hearted, black-and-white comedy about a dancer, Frances (Gerwig), who doesn't seem wholly cut out for the real world. They followed that with Mistress America in 2015, which has a similar vibe: Gerwig plays Brooke, who has a million creative ideas and a very low strike rate.
Gerwig's writing, first with Baumbach and now on her own, has a naturalistic tone that is funny without having jokes, heartbreaking without being schmaltzy, highly specific and yet clearly universal. She is so particular about how the dialogue sounds - the "music" of speech - that there is a not a single line of improvisation in Lady Bird, not even an added "like" or "you know".
"I like language that sounds quotidian but poetic," says Gerwig - the perfect description. "Something that maybe the character doesn't even know is as beautiful as it is. That's something I was working through when I was writing with Noah Baumbach and I just kept moving in that direction. That was always what I liked. That quality of stumbling into beauty and then it's gone."
It is a timely moment for Gerwig to emerge as a director and for her debut to have such an assured, idiosyncratic voice. Despite the success of Lady Bird at the Golden Globes in January, Gerwig was a glaring absentee on the best director shortlist. Natalie Portman, presenting the award, made the point succinctly, announcing: "And here are the all-male nominees." Likewise, the Baftas have a five-man shortlist.
Of course, this is just one facet of the soul searching that the film industry is now going through. In the week that I meet Gerwig, the first allegations of sexual abuse have been made against Harvey Weinstein, and it was clear that Gerwig found the revelations upsetting and deeply shocking. "I felt so badly for all those women," she says, "and I felt so understanding of where they were, especially the young women, the women who were in college, the women who were just excited about movies and film-making and found themselves in a position that they didn't know how to say no, but they didn't know how to leave and that they felt overpowered and then they felt scared to say anything."
There are tears in her eyes; her voice cracks. "I've felt for so long that there just needs to be more women in positions of power," Gerwig goes on. "Not that women are magic or perfect beings, but that they need to have a seat at the table because then I would think that things like this would have far less chance of happening."
When Gerwig realised she was writing about mothers and daughters, she started thinking about movies that covered a similar theme. There were hundreds of films on the father-son relationship, including some excellent ones by Baumbach, but she struggled to think of stories told from the female perspective: James Brooks's Terms of Endearment (1983) and Mike Leigh's Secrets and Lies (1996) were among the rare inspirations. "There are surprisingly few movies about it," says Gerwig, "and I think that speaks to the fact that there are surprisingly few female film-makers."
In preparation for shooting Lady Bird, Gerwig created dossiers for her lead characters. Timothee Chalamet, for example - who plays Lady Bird's crush Kyle and is also Oscar-nominated this year for his role in another coming-of-age drama, Call Me By Your Name - was directed towards the films of Eric Rohmer and a collection of theoretical essays, The Internet Does Not Exist. Kyle is a pretentious mansplainer: he lectures Lady Bird on how mobile phones are tracking devices for the government and that clove cigarettes have fibreglass in them. At one point, he puts down Howard Zinn's A People's History of the United States to announce, "I'm trying to live by bartering alone".
Kyle's a pseud, but Gerwig clearly has a soft spot for him. "I am not a fan of phones," she explains. "I talked for a long time with Timothee about his character's beliefs, and he said, 'The funny thing is that everybody is going to think you're Lady Bird, but you're Kyle'." Gerwig laughs, "And I was like, 'I know! I am secretly Kyle'. I have all of the same paranoias as Kyle does."
Gerwig is technically a millennial, but not spiritually so. She grew up pre-internet and has no social media presence: "Sure, I'll lurk. But I don't participate. I'm just a Peeping Tom." Part of the reason for setting Lady Bird in 2002 is that it's not "cinematic" to shoot screens. She longs for the pre-phone era when you couldn't get hold of someone instantly, and the only way to find them would be to drive around to all the locations they might be. We rarely allow ourselves to become properly bored, Gerwig believes, and the internet and smartphones are in part responsible.
On the wall of her bedroom, Lady Bird has the Leo Tolstoy quote, "Boredom: the desire for desires". "Boredom is, I think, pretty useful," says Gerwig. "You need to reach a level of boredom to make anything. Because I don't know if you remember being bored as a kid, just so bored. You were at a grocery store with your mom and you were like, 'It's just excruciating!' But then you get to a point where you start making up a game for yourself or you'll start imagining things or whatever it is. But I worry that we've lost that capacity, which I think maybe erodes some creativity as well.
"I'm just as bad as anyone," she admits. "Because it's like your flitting brain can be completely satisfied by this machine that can give you feedback for all of your passing thoughts. Like, 'Where can you grow avocados?' 'I don't know, let's find out'. And then, 'Oh, how much water does an avocado tree take every year?' Let's look at that. And then, 'Different crops and the water usage for each of them'. You are creating this weird feedback loop for yourself."
This is a very Gerwigian conundrum: hem-hawing about restricting access to the internet because she's worried she'll waste time Googling avocados. But she's not saying it to be cute. It clearly concerns her.
One of the strict directives on the set of the Lady Bird was that it was entirely phone-free. "And not just for the actors, for the crew," she says, "because it's quite depressing for an actor to be doing an emotional scene and look over and see someone checking Instagram. It's a real bummer. But it was quite impressive, because I had a lot of young people in this movie and none of them ever brought their phones to set. Saoirse set the tone: I never saw her on her phone, never once."
Gerwig is effusive about her two stars, Ronan and Metcalf. Everything in the film, she says, comes back to "the central love story" between Marion and Christine, mother and daughter. "For all of time it's probably been the most rich, fraught relationship. Something with Laurie and Saoirse that I loved was that they were the same height and I gave them the same haircuts so that when they were in profile, you say: 'Oh, you're so at odds with each other but actually you're the same. And that's why the fighting is so intense because you guys can both bring it'.
"So I knew I needed actresses who could punch the same weight class," Gerwig adds. "They give extraordinary performances and they should get all the statues and prizes. Work like that should be rewarded."
For her part, whatever happens, Gerwig insists that little will change. She will keep acting - when the project and specifically the director is right - and she wants to collaborate with Baumbach again: "I hope Noah and I will write another movie together because it's really, really fun."
She also wants to start her own production company one day. "It's important that if you have any kind of a platform and it matters to you that you should figure out how to bring other people along," she says.
As for the Oscars, she is not about to pretend that she's not freaking out a little. "I grew up watching all the award shows and I'd put on a fancy dress and watch it with my friends," Gerwig recalls. "It's thrilling and it's also part of what the dream of making films is." Then Gerwig's eyes narrow; these are defining moments both for her personally as a director and also as an inspirational member of the too-small band of female film-makers. "But awards are not important in terms of whether or not I'll make another film," she says. "I'll keep making films, no matter what."
The 90th Academy Awards will take place on March 4 at 1am GMT. Red-carpet coverage will start from 11pm GMT. See Page 20 for review of 'Lady Bird'
DS
Jane Urquhart was born in the far north of Ontario, Canada. She is the author of eight internationally acclaimed novels, among them The Underpainter, winner of the Governor General's Award and a finalist for The Orange Prize in the UK, and The Stone Carvers, which was a finalist the Booker Prize. She is currently the 2017-2018 Craig Dobbin Chair of Canadian Studies at UCD. In conjunction with Dr Paul Halferty and the greater UCD community, she has curated an event called Imagining Home, which features authors Margaret Atwood, John Banville, Emma Donoghue, Anne Enright, Victoria Glendinning and Frank McGuinness, and celebrates literary connections between Canada and Ireland, and which takes place March 1-2 at UCD. She will also appear at the Ennis Book Festival on March 3 with Carlo Gebler in a session entitled 10 Books You Should Read. She lives in Northumberland County, Ontario, with her husband, artist Tony Urquhart, and in the past three decades she has spent a portion of each year in Ireland.
Art: Francis Bacon's Studio
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My favourite work of art at present is Francis Bacon's Studio at the Hugh Lane Gallery here in Dublin (above). Not only is it a complete contrast to the beautiful Georgian building in which it is housed, and to the rest of the collection (which I also love,) it tells us a great deal about the artist and his sensibilities. In fact one can see the very brushstrokes that Bacon uses in his powerful and disturbing art in the way he casually cleaned his brushes on the wall. The fact that even the refuse in his studio was carefully numbered and assembled and brought to Dublin seems to me to be magical.
Book: Jane Eyre
Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte (below) was the first adult novel I read as a child. It was an ideal introduction to grown up literature in that the opening chapters dealt with a little girl who was fully misunderstood by the those in power - the adults - who cared little for her but nevertheless controlled her fate. Every child, regardless of the warmth and stability of their home life, can imagine themselves in this predicament. It was also a highly visual reading experience for me as a child as I conjured the tough, haunted and haunting landscape of Yorkshire in my imagination.
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Design: Newfoundland Airport
I return to Newfoundland for a very special piece of design. The passenger lounge in the airport in Gander, Newfoundland, is a perfectly preserved compendium of 1960s modernist design, from its orange banquettes to its terrazzo tile floor. A stunning mural by Canadian artist Ken Lochhead graces one of its walls.
Music: Newman Sound Men's Choir
I heard Newman Sound Men's Choir from St John's in Newfoundland shortly after my first grandchild was born there and their songs have stayed with me in a meaningful way ever since. In particular, I am very moved by their rendition of Frozen in Frobisher Bay.
TV: Alias Grace
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The TV adaptation of Margaret Atwood's Alias Grace (above) is hugely compelling for both feminist and historical reasons, not the least of which is the examination of the anger brought about by the feeling of powerlessness experienced by women in the fledgling colony called Canada.
ucd.ie; ennisbookclubfestival.com
Travelling to New York with the family? Here's your need-to-know to ensure a once-in-a-lifetime trip...
DONT underestimate the journey. NYC gives everyone an adrenaline boost, but the early rise, seven-hour flight and five-hour time difference will destroy the entire family in the evenings. Plan and pace yourselves accordingly.
DO get a Metro Card. You can top up as you go, with a family using the same card (swipe it each time someone passes through the stile), or seven-day unlimited ride cards cost $36/29.
DONT forget comfy shoes. You will walk like a demon in New York a change of footwear feels like stepping into clouds.
DO brace yourselves for a financial hit. You may bag a cheap package, but theres no saving money in this city. High food prices, 15-20pc tips and a 9pc sales tax are just the start.
DONT forget to let your bank know your travel plans. You dont want credit or debit cards blocked when you use them overseas.
DO wear layers. In winter, Manhattan can be Baltic. Once you step into a store or restaurant, however, air-con ratchets up the temperatures. Be prepared to switch between the two.
DONT forget to watch movies, before you go and after you get back. Elf, Home Alone 2, Night at the Museum, Spiderman after visiting New York with kids, its ridiculously exciting to see places youve actually been.
DO shop smart. Macys gives a 10pc discount on production of an overseas passport, and an extra bag/case is handy to bring stuff home (mind the customs allowances, though).
DONT forget a CityPASS (citypass.com/new-york; 103/83) if you plan on visiting several of the Big Apples biggest attractions. It offers a 42pc discount on six hotspots, including the Empire State Building and USS Intrepid.
Read more:
You might hate Monday, but you'll love our weekly pick of Ireland's top travel offers...
141pp: Try a mini-cruise
Cassidy Travel has a two-night mini-cruise from just 141pps - sailing with MSC Magnifica from Hamburg to Southampton on March 31, with meals and drinks included (flights extra). A good opportunity to sample a cruise holiday? 01 873-5000; cassidytravel.ie.
3 for 2 package holidays with Ryanair
Ryanair Holidays, the airline's paclage holiday wing, is offering three nights for the price of two on a range of holidays - including 4-star Riga from 144pp, and 3-star Paris from 199pp (flights and accommodation). See holidays.ryanair.com.
395pp: Kick back in Kusadasi
Sunway has a seven-night package to Turkey, including flights and accommodation at the 4-star Golden Day Hotel, from 395pp departing April 28. Transfers, 20kg baggage and rep service are also included. 01 231-1800; sunway.ie.
20pc off ferry travel to the UK
Stena Line has a flash sale offering 20pc off travel from Dublin to Holyhead and Rosslare to Fishguard, when booked before 11pm on February 27. It applies to travel up to December 15. Use the code FLASH20 on stenaline.ie/flash-sail.
969pp: New York & Orlando
American Sky has up to 100 off a 10-night NYC & Orlando twin-centre break booked before March 31. It includes three nights in New York and seven in Orlando (3-star accommodation), as well as car hire in Orlando and return flights from Dublin. 01 664-9900; americansky.ie.
NB: All travel deals subject to availability/change.
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Dan O'Brien Opinion While we catastrophise about Covid, we ignore risk of running out of cash
We Irish view the world in an increasingly strange and unhealthy way. We catastrophise about Covid in a way other European countries do not. We focus on how bad the effects of the virus could get, on how many more restrictions might be imposed by Government and how helpless we are in the face of the virus.
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Gene Kerrigan Opinion The penny is finally dropping for the Profits before People alliance
There was a time when the Irish had no problem with building stuff. We were so good at it that we sent generations of our offspring to help the British and the Americans build their cities. Now we have a crisis we havent enough dwellings for our people to lay down their heads in at the end of the day.
Not for nothing was Barbara Bush known as 'The Enforcer'
Barbara Bush, tougher than her husband and known to her family as 'The Enforcer', is probably the most popular of all ex-US first ladies of recent times. Jackie Kennedy is remembered across the globe for elegance and tragedy, but she was not loved. Rosalynn Carter worked hard and was a noted campaigner on issues of mental health, but she has suffered in retrospect because of her bitterness at his defeat by Ronald Reagan, who is widely perceived to have been as great a success as Carter was a failure. The brittle Nancy Reagan was an essential support to her husband, but was thought to care little for anyone else. Hillary Clinton was loathed by those who thought her a careerist. The likeable Laura Bush did a lot of useful work but lacked her mother-in-law's commanding personality. And although Michelle Obama had rock-star status, that has diminished as she and her husband embrace luxury and celebrity. Betty Ford is probably the closest rival, having been far more effective and formidable than her husband Gerald, the 38th president, and still having a posthumous reputation for her prowess as a campaigner on addiction, not least because so many of the famous troop to the Betty Ford Clinic.
Johnny McDaid, director Courteney Cox and daughter Coco Arquette arrive at the Los Angeles Special Screening of "Just Before I Go" at ArcLight Hollywood on April 20, 2015 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Jon Kopaloff/FilmMagic)
British singer Johnny McDaid (L) and partner US actress Courteney Cox pose on the red carpet on arrival for the BRIT Awards 2018 in London on February 21, 2018. / AFP PHOTO / Tolga AKMEN
Actress Courteney Cox is all smiles as she hangs out with her family
Actress Courteney Cox (L) and songwriter Johnny McDaid attend The 57th Annual GRAMMY Awards at the STAPLES Center on February 8, 2015 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Jason Merritt/Getty Images)
Musician Johnny McDaid (L) and actress Courteney Cox attend the Amazon premiere screening for original drama series "Hand Of God" at The Theatre at Ace Hotel on August 19, 2015 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Charley Gallay/Getty Images for Amazon Studios)
Courtney Cox and Johnny McDaid arrive at the Brit Awards at the O2 Arena in London, Britain, February 21, 2018. REUTERS/Eddie Keogh
Courteney Cox is putting down roots in Ireland with her fiance Johnny McDaid.
The couple, who have been dating for three years, are reportedly shopping around for a new home to call their own in Derry and have been eyeing up an exclusive new gated complex which is still in the building process.
The Snow Patrol musician (41) splits his time between Derry, London and Los Angeles, where Cox has a $30m home in Malibu and her 13-year-old daughter Coco lives.
According to the Sunday World, the couple visited the site of the Coralmount development on Limavady Road, a development with six new luxury properties, starting at 740,000.
The complex is being constructed by Taggart Homes, which has been offering sneak peeks into its interiors on social media in recent weeks, showcasing elements of pure luxury within its walls. It's an American-style gated community and the decor includes marble countertops and Stras crystal chandeliers.
Cox and McDaid were in Dublin last week to accept an award for his Outstanding Contribution to Songwriting, which was awarded by the Irish Music Rights Organisation at the gibson hotel. The properties are so in-demand that other previews will only be available on an invitation basis.
Sources close to the couple say a permanent move here is off the cards, but since their brief split in 2016, both are willing to compromise where possible in order for their relationship to continue to thrive.
"A permanent move is off the table. But Courteney is willing to spend more time in Ireland to make the relationship work. At this point she'll bend over backward to make Johnny happy," a source told OK! magazine.
1st Runner Up Shauna Lindsey and 2nd Runner Up Cailin Aine Ni Toibin pictured with Joanna Cooper at the Miss Universe Final in 2015. Picture: Eric Barry/Blink Of An Eye
Model Joanna Cooper enjoyed a flying visit back to Ireland in order to support her new boyfriend Conor Murray.
The former Miss Universe Ireland (24) is based in London and flew home over the weekend to cheer on the rugby star in Ireland's nail-biting clash against Wales at the Aviva Stadium on Saturday. In a sign their relationship is moving quickly apace, she joined some of the other WAGs on Saturday night for celebrations after the team's victory.
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The beauty queen from Derry has been quietly Murray (28), who was considered the most eligible bachelor on the Irish rugby team, for several months, but they went public with their romance last week.
Joanna, who stands at 5'5", is originally from Derry and studied journalism at Belfast University, but has been living in London for the last three years, where she works as a commercial model.
Her turn at Miss Universe in 2015 was a memorable one and she was crowned winner over first runner-up Shauna Lindsay, who previously dated Murray in 2016. It was during her time in Las Vegas representing Ireland on the world stage, where she says she grew confidence she never knew she had - especially in relation to her height.
"I didn't know whether to enter or not - I wasn't sure about my height, but mum said 'do it' and made me to go for it," she told the Belfast Telegraph. "The other contestants in Vegas were all towering over me, but I didn't let that intimidate me.
"I was the smallest, I always am, but I came back more confident in myself. I was always with these amazing, tall glamorous girls, but I still felt I fitted in. I didn't feel isolated, I felt I belong. The president assured us we all deserved to be there."
She previously dated fitness instructor David Murdock for three years.
King Willem-Alexander of The Netherlands and Queen Maxima of The Netherlands arrive at the Ridderzaal with the Glass Coach during Prinsjesdag on September 19, 2017 in The Hague, Netherlands. Prinsjesdag is the annual opening of the Dutch Parliamentary year. (Photo by Patrick van Katwijk/Getty Images)
King Willem-Alexander of The Netherlands, Queen Maxima of The Netherlands, Princess Laurentien of The Netherlands and Prince Constantijn of the Netherlands at the balcony of Palace Noordeinde during Prinsjesdag on September 19, 2017 in The Hague, Netherlands. Prinsjesdag is the annual opening of the Dutch Parliamentary year. (Photo by Patrick van Katwijk/Getty Images)
King Willem-Alexander of The Netherlands and Queen Maxima of The Netherlands in the Glass Coach during Prinsjesdag on September 19, 2017 in The Hague, Netherlands. Prinsjesdag is the annual opening of the Dutch Parliamentary year. (Photo by Patrick van Katwijk/Getty Images)
King Willem-Alexander of The Netherlands, Queen Maxima of The Netherlands, Princess Laurentien of The Netherlands and Prince Constantijn of the Netherlands at the balcony of Palace Noordeinde during Prinsjesdag on September 19, 2017 in The Hague, Netherlands. Prinsjesdag is the annual opening of the Dutch Parliamentary year. (Photo by Patrick van Katwijk/Getty Images)
Dutch King Willem-Alexander delivers his 'Speech from the Throne' next to Queen Maxima in the Ridderzaal (Knights' Hall), during 'Prinsjesdag' (Prince's Day) in The Hague on September 19, 2017
Dutch Princess Laurentien waves from a Carriage during the 'Prinsjesdag' (Prince's Day) at the Binnenhof in The Hague on September 19, 2017
Dutch Princess Beatrix waves from the Carriage of the King during the 'Prinsjesdag' (Prince's Day) in The Hague on September 19, 2017
(L-R) Netherland's King Willem-Alexander, Queen Maxima, Princess Laurentien and Prince Constantijn wave to the crowd from the balcony of the Palace Noordeinde during 'Prinsjesdag' (Prince's Day) in The Hague on September 19, 2017
King Willem-Alexander of The Netherlands and Queen Maxima of The Netherlands of the Netherlands at the balcony of Palace Noordeinde during Prinsjesdag on September 19, 2017 in The Hague, Netherlands. Prinsjesdag is the annual opening of the Dutch Parliamentary year. (Photo by Patrick van Katwijk/Getty Images)
Your new style crush is back.
The Netherlands' Queen Maxima made a fashionable turn at the Palace Noordeinde today with her husband King Willem-Alexander and select members of the royal family today. The palace has been home to the king since he ascended the throne in 2013 and is where he conducts most of his business.
Expand Close King Willem-Alexander of The Netherlands and Queen Maxima of The Netherlands arrive at the Ridderzaal with the Glass Coach during Prinsjesdag on September 19, 2017 in The Hague, Netherlands. Prinsjesdag is the annual opening of the Dutch Parliamentary year. (Photo by Patrick van Katwijk/Getty Images) / Facebook
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Whatsapp King Willem-Alexander of The Netherlands and Queen Maxima of The Netherlands arrive at the Ridderzaal with the Glass Coach during Prinsjesdag on September 19, 2017 in The Hague, Netherlands. Prinsjesdag is the annual opening of the Dutch Parliamentary year. (Photo by Patrick van Katwijk/Getty Images)
The mother-of-three, originally from Argentina, made a splash in an elegant ensemble, comprising of a dramatic grey lace gown with sheer panelling, accessorsing with a ceremonial sash and a tiara.
The royals were guests of honour for Prinsjesdag, the annual opening of the Dutch Parliamentary year, at The Hague. The Dutch king praised the economic bounce-back, forecasting growth of 3.3% this year.
"After a number of difficult years we are again seeing a flourishing economy and healthy public finances," he told parliament. "But not everyone is feeling the impact of this economic growth sufficiently in their daily lives. It is important that more people profit from this prosperity."
Palace Noordeinde is one of three official palaces run by the Dutch royal family, who also count The Royal Palace in Amsterdam and Huis ten Bosch in their property portfolio.
Expand Close Dutch King Willem-Alexander delivers his 'Speech from the Throne' next to Queen Maxima in the Ridderzaal (Knights' Hall), during 'Prinsjesdag' (Prince's Day) in The Hague on September 19, 2017 / Facebook
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Whatsapp Dutch King Willem-Alexander delivers his 'Speech from the Throne' next to Queen Maxima in the Ridderzaal (Knights' Hall), during 'Prinsjesdag' (Prince's Day) in The Hague on September 19, 2017
On a day of pageantry and tight security, Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima rode in a horse-drawn carriage from the Noordeinde Palace to Parliament and back again. Thousands of people lined the route to catch a glimpse of the royal couple.
Police installed temporary barriers to block roads near the route and officers patrolled the city as crowds, many wearing orange hats and scarves, cheered the royals.
Expand Close Dutch Princess Laurentien waves from a Carriage during the 'Prinsjesdag' (Prince's Day) at the Binnenhof in The Hague on September 19, 2017 / Facebook
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Whatsapp Dutch Princess Laurentien waves from a Carriage during the 'Prinsjesdag' (Prince's Day) at the Binnenhof in The Hague on September 19, 2017
Pauline Krikke, the mayor of The Hague, told Dutch broadcaster NOS that her city was "taking appropriate measures, both visible and invisible" to boost security.
Willem-Alexander also used the speech to offer support to the Caribbean territories of St Maarten, Saba and St Eustatius after they were devastated this month by Hurricane Irma.
The territories were braced on Tuesday for another category five storm, Hurricane Maria, to pass.
"The government will do all in its power to alleviate the islands' acute distress," Willem-Alexander said.
Expand Close King Willem-Alexander of The Netherlands, Queen Maxima of The Netherlands, Princess Laurentien of The Netherlands and Prince Constantijn of the Netherlands at the balcony of Palace Noordeinde during Prinsjesdag on September 19, 2017 in The Hague, Netherlands. Prinsjesdag is the annual opening of the Dutch Parliamentary year. (Photo by Patrick van Katwijk/Getty Images) / Facebook
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Whatsapp King Willem-Alexander of The Netherlands, Queen Maxima of The Netherlands, Princess Laurentien of The Netherlands and Prince Constantijn of the Netherlands at the balcony of Palace Noordeinde during Prinsjesdag on September 19, 2017 in The Hague, Netherlands. Prinsjesdag is the annual opening of the Dutch Parliamentary year. (Photo by Patrick van Katwijk/Getty Images)
"The Caribbean part of the kingdom will not stand alone as it faces the task of reconstruction."
(L-R) Princess Catharina-Amalia of the Netherlands, Queen Maxima of the Netherlands, Princess Alexia of the Netherlands and Princess Ariane of the Netherlands pose at a photocall during their ski holidays, in Lech am Arlberg, Austria, on February 26, 2018. / AFP PHOTO / APA / DIETMAR STIPLOVSEK / Austria OUTDIETMAR STIPLOVSEK/AFP/Getty Images
(L-R) Princess Catharina-Amalia of the Netherlands, King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands, Princess Ariane of the Netherlands, Princess Alexia of the Netherlands and Queen Maxima of the Netherlands pose at a photocall during their ski holidays, in Lech am Arlberg, Austria, on February 26, 2018. / AFP PHOTO / APA / DIETMAR STIPLOVSEK / Austria OUTDIETMAR STIPLOVSEK/AFP/Getty Images
(L-R) Princess Ariane of the Netherlands, King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands and Queen Maxima of the Netherlands pose at a photocall during their ski holidays, in Lech am Arlberg, Austria, on February 26, 2018. Princess Ariane, King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima of the dutch royal / AFP PHOTO / APA / DIETMAR STIPLOVSEK / Austria OUTDIETMAR STIPLOVSEK/AFP/Getty Images
(L-R) Princess Catharina-Amalia of the Netherlands, Princess Alexia of the Netherlands, King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands, Princess Ariane of the Netherlands and Queen Maxima of the Netherlands pose at a photocall during their ski holidays, in Lech am Arlberg, Austria, on February 26, 2018. / AFP PHOTO / APA / DIETMAR STIPLOVSEK / Austria OUTDIETMAR STIPLOVSEK/AFP/Getty Images
(L-R) Princess Ariane of the Netherlands, Queen Maxima of the Netherlands and Princess Alexia of the Netherlands pose at a photocall during their ski holidays, in Lech am Arlberg, Austria, on February 26, 2018. / AFP PHOTO / APA / DIETMAR STIPLOVSEK / Austria OUTDIETMAR STIPLOVSEK/AFP/Getty Images
(L-R) King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands and Princess Catharina-Amalia of the Netherlands pose at a photocall during their ski holidays, in Lech am Arlberg, Austria, on February 26, 2018. / AFP PHOTO / APA / DIETMAR STIPLOVSEK / Austria OUTDIETMAR STIPLOVSEK/AFP/Getty Images
(L-R) Princess Ariane of the Netherlands, Queen Maxima of the Netherlands and Princess Alexia of the Netherlands pose at a photocall during their ski holidays, in Lech am Arlberg, Austria, on February 26, 2018. / AFP PHOTO / APA / DIETMAR STIPLOVSEK / Austria OUTDIETMAR STIPLOVSEK/AFP/Getty Images
(L-R) Princess Catharina-Amalia of the Netherlands, King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands, Princess Ariane of the Netherlands, Princess Alexia of the Netherlands and Queen Maxima of the Netherlands pose at a photocall during their ski holidays, in Lech am Arlberg, Austria, on February 26, 2018. / AFP PHOTO / APA / DIETMAR STIPLOVSEK / Austria OUTDIETMAR STIPLOVSEK/AFP/Getty Images
(L-R) Princess Catharina-Amalia of the Netherlands, Queen Maxima of the Netherlands, Princess Alexia of the Netherlands and Princess Ariane of the Netherlands pose at a photocall during their ski holidays, in Lech am Arlberg, Austria, on February 26, 2018. / AFP PHOTO / APA / DIETMAR STIPLOVSEK / Austria OUTDIETMAR STIPLOVSEK/AFP/Getty Images
If there's one thing that brings royals together in winter, it's a ski holiday.
The Netherlands' Queen Maxima (46) and husband King Willem-Alexander (50) hit the slopes in Austria this week, joined by their three daughters Princess Catharina-Amalia (14), Princess Ariane (10) and Princess Alexia (12), joining in the time honoured tradition of a playful photocall in the snow.
Expand Close (L-R) Princess Catharina-Amalia of the Netherlands, Princess Alexia of the Netherlands, King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands, Princess Ariane of the Netherlands and Queen Maxima of the Netherlands pose at a photocall during their ski holidays, in Lech am Arlberg, Austria, on February 26, 2018. / AFP PHOTO / APA / DIETMAR STIPLOVSEK / Austria OUTDIETMAR STIPLOVSEK/AFP/Getty Images / Facebook
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Whatsapp (L-R) Princess Catharina-Amalia of the Netherlands, Princess Alexia of the Netherlands, King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands, Princess Ariane of the Netherlands and Queen Maxima of the Netherlands pose at a photocall during their ski holidays, in Lech am Arlberg, Austria, on February 26, 2018. / AFP PHOTO / APA / DIETMAR STIPLOVSEK / Austria OUTDIETMAR STIPLOVSEK/AFP/Getty Images
The Dutch royal family are holidaying in Lech am Arlberg, Austria, an upscale resort preferred by wealthy skiers looking for challenging terrain in relative isolation.
It is the destination of choice for the Dutch royals, who have been celebrating winter there since the end of the second world war, and it's a popular hotspot for other royals including Jordan's King Abdullah and Queen Rania and Princess Caroline of Monaco.
This month has been a busy time for international travel for Maxima and Willem-Alexander, with tours of Indonesia and China, where their 14-year-old daughter is reportedly planning to attend boarding school at an elite facility, a sister school to the same institution where her father studied abroad in Wales when he was a teenager.
He said his travels and time at school helped him accept the fact that he would ascend the throne, something he tries to instil in his eldest daughter.
Expand Close (L-R) Princess Ariane of the Netherlands, Queen Maxima of the Netherlands and Princess Alexia of the Netherlands pose at a photocall during their ski holidays, in Lech am Arlberg, Austria, on February 26, 2018. / AFP PHOTO / APA / DIETMAR STIPLOVSEK / Austria OUTDIETMAR STIPLOVSEK/AFP/Getty Images / Facebook
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Whatsapp (L-R) Princess Ariane of the Netherlands, Queen Maxima of the Netherlands and Princess Alexia of the Netherlands pose at a photocall during their ski holidays, in Lech am Arlberg, Austria, on February 26, 2018. / AFP PHOTO / APA / DIETMAR STIPLOVSEK / Austria OUTDIETMAR STIPLOVSEK/AFP/Getty Images
"I hadn't yet accepted, internalised that I would take over from my mother," he said. "I wanted to get to know myself better. You must first get to know yourself through and through. That's what I am constantly emphasizing with Amalia. I keep saying, 'know your own limits'.
"Go everywhere. Make mistakes, as far as possible out of the eyes of the public. I did that, a lot. Festivals, parties everything and more - find your boundaries. It is a good thing to do, without doing it in the public domain."
An icy image of the River Blackwater near Kanturk, Co Cork
Temperatures will plunge to as low as -10C this week as a vast weather front from the Russian Arctic, dubbed the Beast from the East, sweeps across Ireland.
The Government will convene a meeting of the National Emergency Co-ordination Group (NECG) today given the seriousness of the threat posed by the approaching weather system.
The front is set to sweep over Ireland with snow, ice, sleet showers and temperatures as low as -10C but a wind chill factor will make it feel even colder.
Some parts of Ireland could have temperatures at or below freezing for a 36-48 hour period more than 10C below normal for this time of year.
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Ireland is now set for its coldest late February for a decade.
Temperatures overnight dipped below freezing at Mount Dillon in Roscommon, Knock Airport in Mayo and in the midlands.
Sean Hogan chairperson of the NECG said the weather will bring conditions last seen in Ireland in 2010.
The NEGC will be working to coordinate services across the country to "keep Ireland moving" as far as is possible.
"This is nature we are dealing with, we're never quite sure what is going to come, there will be uncertainty about what happens," he told RTE's Morning Ireland.
However Met Eireann has expressed confidence in the conditions the weather systems will bring.
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Ahead of the winter season around 280,000 tones of salt was purchased for gritting and Mr Hogan said there is enough equipment, snough ploughs and grit to ensure an appropriate response he said.
The national committee is due to meet at 10.30am this morning.
Met Eireann has indicated it may trigger a Status Red alert later in the week.
The UKs Met Office is predicting the front will bring up to eight inches of snow.
While Irish forecasters are reluctant to predict how many inchdes of snow Ireland is likely to face deputy head of forecasting, Evelyn Cusak, warned it was the nature of the snowfall that is concerning.
She said that due to easterly gales there will be blizzard-like conditions.
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"Because it's very dry air, the snow will be quite powdery so it will reduce visibility very significantly," she told RTE Radio.
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Very cold today. Frost clearing to leave a mix of cloud & bright or sunny spells. Generally dry, but some snow flurries are likely later today in eastern coastal counties. Top temps only 2 to 6C, best in the southwest and feeling colder in moderate to fresh & gusty SE'ly winds. pic.twitter.com/3PDIFrsHwz Met Eireann (@MetEireann) February 26, 2018
Warning
The Department of Education said schools the situation would be monitored daily.
In the event of a Status Red warning, decisions are made locally on closures. But the department will follow any advice from the National Emergency Co-ordination Group, a spokesperson said.
Gardai and the Road Safety Authority warned motorists to expect challenging driving conditions and, if necessary, to postpone non-essential journeys. Transport Infrastructure Ireland and local authorities are already planning to dramatically increase their road salting operations.
Met Eireann issued a Status Yellow weather warning until Friday, but that could be upgraded to a Status Red warning from Wednesday.
Forecasters are predicting significant snow build-ups from tomorrow but, if heavy sleet showers and plunging temperatures combine, a Status Red warning the most serious alert possible is likely to be issued.
If a Status Red warning is issued, motorists will be advised to cancel or postpone journeys and people will be urged to remain indoors.
Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Previous Next Close A young priest throws a snow ball during a heavy snowfall in Saint Peter's Square at the Vatican February 26, 2018. REUTERS/Max Rossi Tourists walk and take pictures in the central Via dei Fori during a snowfall in Rome on February 26, 2018 AFP/Getty Images A man feeds pigeons during a heavy snowfall in Sofia on February 26, 2018. / AFP PHOTO A woman with a child walks dogs during a heavy snowfall in Sofia on February 26, 2018. / AFP PHOTO / Saint Peter's Basilica is seen in the background as people enjoy the snow following a heavy snowfall at the Circus Maximus in Rome, Italy February 26, 2018. REUTERS/Alessandro Bianchi Commuters walking in the snow on London Bridge, as some parts of the UK are set to feel colder than the Arctic Circle as freezing temperatures continue into the week ahead Steve Parsons/PA Wire A priest plays with snow during a heavy snowfall in Saint Peter's Square at the Vatican February 26, 2018. REUTERS/Max Rossi A monument is covered by snow during a heavy snowfall in Rome, Italy February 26, 2018. REUTERS/Remo Casilli A young priest throws a snow ball during a heavy snowfall in Saint Peter's Square at the Vatican February 26, 2018. REUTERS/Max Rossi Women and children walk on the stone-block pavement in central Moscow, Russia February 25, 2018. REUTERS/Maxim Shemetov People walk during a heavy snowfall in Saint Peter's Square at the Vatican February 26, 2018. REUTERS/Max Rossi People make their way across the Millennium Bridge, in central London, in windy conditions as freezing air from Russia is to grip the UK in what is set to be the coldest late February in five years. Dominic Lipinski/PA Wire Commuters walking in the snow on London Bridge, as some parts of the UK are set to feel colder than the Arctic Circle as freezing temperatures continue into the week ahead. Steve Parsons/PA Wire Trevi fountain is covered in snow during a heavy snowfall in Rome, Italy February 26, 2018. REUTERS/Remo Casilli People walk during a heavy snowfall in downtown Rome, Italy February 26, 2018. REUTERS/Max Rossi A man skis during a heavy snowfall in Saint Peter's Square at the Vatican February 26, 2018. REUTERS/Max Rossi Nuns walk during a heavy snowfall in Saint Peter's square at the Vatican February 26, 2018. REUTERS/Max Rossi / Facebook
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Whatsapp A young priest throws a snow ball during a heavy snowfall in Saint Peter's Square at the Vatican February 26, 2018. REUTERS/Max Rossi
The last major Status Red weather warning issued by Met Eireann was for Storm Ophelia in October and it was credited with saving dozens of lives as near hurricane-force winds hit Ireland.
Very cold air from #Siberia will gradually spread across #Europe and the #UK during the coming days. Factor in the wind and it will be feeling bitter for all of us pic.twitter.com/4HCfEnNdqb Met Office (@metoffice) February 23, 2018
Dublin, the east coast, the south-east, Ulster and north Connacht are predicted to face the brunt of the icy weather that will sweep over Ireland from Norway and Russia.
Met Eireanns Evelyn Cusack and Joanna Donnelly warned the potential impact of the weather should not be underestimated.
It will be exceptionally cold. The system will come sweeping down across Russia and then westwards over continental Europe, Ms Cusack explained.
Watch out for the weather warnings this week, they could be up to orange or even possibly a red level warning at times depending on the nature of showers, Ms Donnelly said.
Speaking this morning Housing Minister Eoghan Murphy, who is responsible for emergency planning, said it was important to communicate that this week would see a severe weather event, and that coordination between emergency services was already underway.
He also said that people experiencing homelessness would be able to stay in emergency accommodation during the cold snap.
We must make sure all services (in homelessness) are coordinated, he said. We have had a cold weather initiative since December so its ramping that up to make sure there are extra beds in the system, and that theres rough sleeper teams out there bringing people in.
We are extremely grateful to the public for using the sleeping rough link, please keep the reports coming in during this cold spell. #housingfirst Teams are out in Dublin tonight using the reports & linking in with people sleeping rough to access shelter @PMVTrust @FocusIreland pic.twitter.com/cK2wf6mkbN Homeless Dublin (@HomelessDublin) February 25, 2018
When we do our cold weather initiative it turns to a 24-hour service, he added.
Irish Water has mobilised its crisis management team given the threat posed by frozen pipes. Age Action asked people to check on their elderly neighbours.
In the UK where the weather has already taken a turn train operators have canceled services this morning and forecasters are predicting chaos on the roads as conditions deteriorate.
The Met Office has also warned that some rural communities are likely to be cut off and power cuts are likely.
People have also been warned that services such as mobile phones may be affected.
'Storm Emma' will impact everybody across the country and people "need to be aware", the chair of the National Emergency Coordination Group said this afternoon.
The National Emergency Coordination Group (NECG) are meeting as Met Eireann upgrades its weather warning for seven counties.
The country is currently preparing for a Siberian weather front set to send temperatures plummeting and bring frost, snow and icy conditions.
Chair of NECG Sean Hogan said the weather, which has been dubbed the 'Beast from the East', will affect everybody nationwide.
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"We're expecting some very unusual and extreme weather conditions over the next number of days," Mr Hogan said.
"This is an evolving situation and we would ask people to watch the forecast and the warnings by Met Eireann in the days ahead.
"This weather is going to impact everybody across the country so people need to watch out for this and be aware that this weather is coming."
A Status Orange warning has been issued for Dublin, Carlow, Kildare, Laois, Louth, Wicklow and Meath.
Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Previous Next Close A young priest throws a snow ball during a heavy snowfall in Saint Peter's Square at the Vatican February 26, 2018. REUTERS/Max Rossi Tourists walk and take pictures in the central Via dei Fori during a snowfall in Rome on February 26, 2018 AFP/Getty Images A man feeds pigeons during a heavy snowfall in Sofia on February 26, 2018. / AFP PHOTO A woman with a child walks dogs during a heavy snowfall in Sofia on February 26, 2018. / AFP PHOTO / Saint Peter's Basilica is seen in the background as people enjoy the snow following a heavy snowfall at the Circus Maximus in Rome, Italy February 26, 2018. REUTERS/Alessandro Bianchi Commuters walking in the snow on London Bridge, as some parts of the UK are set to feel colder than the Arctic Circle as freezing temperatures continue into the week ahead Steve Parsons/PA Wire A priest plays with snow during a heavy snowfall in Saint Peter's Square at the Vatican February 26, 2018. REUTERS/Max Rossi A monument is covered by snow during a heavy snowfall in Rome, Italy February 26, 2018. REUTERS/Remo Casilli A young priest throws a snow ball during a heavy snowfall in Saint Peter's Square at the Vatican February 26, 2018. REUTERS/Max Rossi Women and children walk on the stone-block pavement in central Moscow, Russia February 25, 2018. REUTERS/Maxim Shemetov People walk during a heavy snowfall in Saint Peter's Square at the Vatican February 26, 2018. REUTERS/Max Rossi People make their way across the Millennium Bridge, in central London, in windy conditions as freezing air from Russia is to grip the UK in what is set to be the coldest late February in five years. Dominic Lipinski/PA Wire Commuters walking in the snow on London Bridge, as some parts of the UK are set to feel colder than the Arctic Circle as freezing temperatures continue into the week ahead. Steve Parsons/PA Wire Trevi fountain is covered in snow during a heavy snowfall in Rome, Italy February 26, 2018. REUTERS/Remo Casilli People walk during a heavy snowfall in downtown Rome, Italy February 26, 2018. REUTERS/Max Rossi A man skis during a heavy snowfall in Saint Peter's Square at the Vatican February 26, 2018. REUTERS/Max Rossi Nuns walk during a heavy snowfall in Saint Peter's square at the Vatican February 26, 2018. REUTERS/Max Rossi / Facebook
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An updated weather advisory and 3 separate warnings relating to snow/ice and low temperatures have been issued.
Please see https://t.co/9BeK3UcAwO for details. Met Eireann (@MetEireann) February 26, 2018
Met Eireann said that 'Storm Emma' will come into effect at 3pm on Tuesday and remain in place until 11am on Wednesday.
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They also already warned that as conditions worsen later in the week the warning level may be further elevated to Status Red.
The forecaster is expecting snowfall from tomorrow evening and overnight which will lead to an accumulation of between 4cm and 6cm by Wednesday morning.
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This will be compounded by widespread frost and icy conditions.
Three Status Yellow warnings are also in place ahead of the extreme weather.
A Status Yellow warning is in place for Kilkenny, Longford, Wexford, Offaly, Westmeath, Cork, Tipperary and Waterford from 6.00pm Tuesday to 11.00am on Wednesday.
A Status Yellow weather advisory for the whole country has also been extended and is in place until March 3 at 6.00pm.
A low temperature warning is also in place for Monday night as temperatures of -5 are expected.
Very cold today. Frost clearing to leave a mix of cloud & bright or sunny spells. Generally dry, but some snow flurries are likely later today in eastern coastal counties. Top temps only 2 to 6C, best in the southwest and feeling colder in moderate to fresh & gusty SE'ly winds. pic.twitter.com/3PDIFrsHwz Met Eireann (@MetEireann) February 26, 2018
A meeting of the National Emergency Co-ordination Group (NECG) took place today to coordinate the national response to the adverse weather.
Keep safe and warm, but if you are out in Storm Emma we'd love to see your photos and videos. Send by email to contact@independent.ie or Whatsapp to 0871847169
Mr Eddie Burke, from the Policy and Governance Coordination Division at the Department of Transport, said all transport operators are in preparation at the moment.
"They all have routes and plans in place," Mr Burke said.
"We are monitoring the situation. At this stage we dont expect any disruption until the snow starts moving in on Wednesday and Thursday.
"What we will ask people planning to travel later in the week to monitor websites and social media of all the transport operators."
Meanwhile, Communications Director at Transport Infrastructure Ireland, Sean O'Neill said they have approximately 120,000 tonnes of salt to distribute on the country's roads.
"We have an ample supply... 120K tonnes. Our regional distribution network has been well briefed and ready to distribute," Mr O'Neill said.
"Local authorities are in line with our distribution networks so we'll deal with it as we can.
"We have 100,000Km of roads in Ireland.
"The national road network is just over 5,000km, but carries 40pc of the traffic. It does mean that a lot of regional roads may not get salted or ploughed, etc. People need to keep that in perspective.
"Additional rural road networks are going to be difficult to deal with during the heavy snow."
Chief Executive of Wicklow County Council Frank Curran, representing local government at the meeting, said the country's local authorities are "ready".
"The local authorities here are ready," he said.
"We are salting priority routes at present, this will continue right through the severe weather event. Snow ploughs, fire services and the civil defence are on standby.
"In each local authority there is a coordination centre. This has all the principal response services locally and is chaired by the local authority, HSE, Gardai and local agencies.
"The local authority websites will have information in terms of road conditions, cold weather initiatives, advise in relation to road safety etc," he added.
Transport
Bus Eireann has said that if there is a Status Red alert is put it place it will not operate its school buses.
Siobhan O'Donnell, a spokeswoman from Dublin Airport, said that if snow falls faster than it can be cleared the airport is facing a problem.
"We have over 100 pieces of equipment to brush, blow and sweep away snow," she said.
"If the snow falls faster than we can clear it then we have a problem.
"We advise our customers to check with their airline before they travel."
Ahead of the meeting, Sean Hogan chairperson of the NECG said the weather will bring conditions last seen in Ireland in 2010.
The NEGC will be working to coordinate services across the country to "keep Ireland moving" as far as is possible.
"This is nature we are dealing with, we're never quite sure what is going to come, there will be uncertainty about what happens," he told RTE's Morning Ireland.
However Met Eireann has expressed confidence in the conditions the weather systems will bring.
The front is set to sweep over Ireland with snow, ice, sleet showers and temperatures as low as -10C but a wind chill factor will make it feel even colder.
Some parts of Ireland could have temperatures at or below freezing for a 36-48 hour period more than 10C below normal for this time of year.
"From Wednesday evening, Wednesday night and Thursday morning we are talking about snow showers from the Irish sea," deputy head of forecasting for Met Eireann, Evelyn Cusack, told RTE Radio.
"The high danger area for country-wide is Thursday evening, Thursday night and Friday morning," she said.
Over this period what is known as "dynamic snow" is expected due to a "two-pronged attack" as two weather systems meet.
A weather system is pushing up from the Bay of Biscay bringing a lot of precipitation and as it hits the cold air across Ireland and Britain there is a high risk of some very heavy snow.
Very cold air from #Siberia will gradually spread across #Europe and the #UK during the coming days. Factor in the wind and it will be feeling bitter for all of us pic.twitter.com/4HCfEnNdqb Met Office (@metoffice) February 23, 2018
The UKs Met Office is predicting the front will bring up to eight inches of snow throughout the coming days.
Ms Cusack warned it was the nature of the snowfall that is concerning meteorologists here.
She said that due to easterly gales there will be blizzard-like conditions.
"Because it's very dry air, the snow will be quite powdery so it will reduce visibility very significantly," she told RTE Radio.
The Department of Education said schools the situation would be monitored daily.
In the event of a Status Red warning, decisions are made locally on closures. But the department will follow any advice from the National Emergency Co-ordination Group, a spokesperson said.
Gardai and the Road Safety Authority warned motorists to expect challenging driving conditions and, if necessary, to postpone non-essential journeys. Transport Infrastructure Ireland and local authorities are already planning to dramatically increase their road salting operations.
Meanwhile, Dublin Bus expects all services to operate as normal tomorrow.
"We will be monitoring the situation closely and we are taking advice from Met Eireann and the National Emergency Coordination Group," they wrote online.
Weather causing chaos across Europe
In Italy the army was deployed to clear streets in the capital after the snowfall paralysed Rome with just a few inches of snow.
Parks that usually stay green through the winter were blanketed with snow. Even the Circo Massimo became a hotspot for snowball fights, while Piazza Navona, with its famed Bernini fountains, turned into a snow-dusted winter wonderland.
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Mayor Virginia Raggi signed an ordinance on Sunday evening closing public schools as a precaution, with many private ones following suit.
In Moscow, temperatures dropped to this winters lowest yet, despite the approaching spring. The mercury in the Russian capital dropped to nearly -20C on Sunday night, the coldest this winter.
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Croatia, meanwhile, has been gripped by freezing weather, with even towns along most of the Adriatic coast waking up to temperatures below freezing. The cold spell has closed schools in the north-west, and heavy vehicles were banned from all roads leading toward the coast.
About 1,000 Croatian soldiers have joined efforts to clear the snow in the worst-affected areas where more than 5ft has been reported.
Snow and freezing temperatures have a grasp on some parts of Germany as meteorologists reported a record cold for this winter of -27C on the Zugspitze mountain in the Alps.
The German Weather Service said overnight temperatures were also low in the south and east of the country, where they went down to minus 15C in parts. It was slightly warmer in the north-east, but traffic there came to a halt in some regions because of heavy snowfall.
The German news agency dpa reported that in the northern city of Bremen, at least 10 flights were cancelled due to snow. Along the Baltic coast in the state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern several cars crashed on icy streets, injuring at least four people.
According to reports two men have died due t o the weather in France - a homeless man in the city of Valence in the countrys southeast was found dead on Sunday. Another man was found dead at a Cabin in Paris on Friday.
Additional reporting by Press Association
As Ireland prepares for an incoming weather system that will bring freezing conditions Met Eireann is expected to upgrade the warning in place to a Status Orange warning, with a Status Red alert expected later in the week.
But how will the weather unfold and when can we expect the worst conditions?
Today will be dry and cold with only the odd snow flurry.
It is Tuesday evening and night that the weather will begin to deteriorate as cold air from Siberia, originating in the North Pole, moves in from the east and travels westwards across the country.
"By Wednesday morning there is likely to be a fair amount of snow along eastern coastal counties," Evelyn Cusak, deputy head of forecasting told RTE's Morning Ireland.
"From Wednesday evening, Wednesday night and Thursday morning we are talking about snow showers from the Irish sea.
"The high danger area for country-wide is Thursday evening, Thursday night and Friday morning," she said.
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Over this period what is known as "dynamic snow" is expected due to a "two-pronged attack" as two weather systems meet.
A weather system is pushing up from the Bay of Biscay bringing a lot of precipitation and as it hits the cold air across Ireland and Britain there is a high risk of some very heavy snow.
Met Eireann has not estimated how much snow will fall but Ms Cusak said that due to easterly gales there will be blizzard-like conditions.
"Because it's very dry air, the snow will be quite powdery so it will reduce visibility very significantly," she said.
Low temperatures of up to -10C are expected but Ms Cusak warned that a significant chill will make it feel much colder.
Warnings
A Status Orange warning is expected to be issued for Tuesday night and Wednesday morning.
Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Previous Next Close A young priest throws a snow ball during a heavy snowfall in Saint Peter's Square at the Vatican February 26, 2018. REUTERS/Max Rossi Tourists walk and take pictures in the central Via dei Fori during a snowfall in Rome on February 26, 2018 AFP/Getty Images A man feeds pigeons during a heavy snowfall in Sofia on February 26, 2018. / AFP PHOTO A woman with a child walks dogs during a heavy snowfall in Sofia on February 26, 2018. / AFP PHOTO / Saint Peter's Basilica is seen in the background as people enjoy the snow following a heavy snowfall at the Circus Maximus in Rome, Italy February 26, 2018. REUTERS/Alessandro Bianchi Commuters walking in the snow on London Bridge, as some parts of the UK are set to feel colder than the Arctic Circle as freezing temperatures continue into the week ahead Steve Parsons/PA Wire A priest plays with snow during a heavy snowfall in Saint Peter's Square at the Vatican February 26, 2018. REUTERS/Max Rossi A monument is covered by snow during a heavy snowfall in Rome, Italy February 26, 2018. REUTERS/Remo Casilli A young priest throws a snow ball during a heavy snowfall in Saint Peter's Square at the Vatican February 26, 2018. REUTERS/Max Rossi Women and children walk on the stone-block pavement in central Moscow, Russia February 25, 2018. REUTERS/Maxim Shemetov People walk during a heavy snowfall in Saint Peter's Square at the Vatican February 26, 2018. REUTERS/Max Rossi People make their way across the Millennium Bridge, in central London, in windy conditions as freezing air from Russia is to grip the UK in what is set to be the coldest late February in five years. Dominic Lipinski/PA Wire Commuters walking in the snow on London Bridge, as some parts of the UK are set to feel colder than the Arctic Circle as freezing temperatures continue into the week ahead. Steve Parsons/PA Wire Trevi fountain is covered in snow during a heavy snowfall in Rome, Italy February 26, 2018. REUTERS/Remo Casilli People walk during a heavy snowfall in downtown Rome, Italy February 26, 2018. REUTERS/Max Rossi A man skis during a heavy snowfall in Saint Peter's Square at the Vatican February 26, 2018. REUTERS/Max Rossi Nuns walk during a heavy snowfall in Saint Peter's square at the Vatican February 26, 2018. REUTERS/Max Rossi / Facebook
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Later in the week a Status Red warning is likely to be issued.
"We generally would not issue a red in advance of a 48-hour period," Ms Cusak said and added that people should keep up-to-date with Met Eireann throughout the week.
Preparation
The Government's National Emergency Co-ordination Group is meeting today to discuss plans for the expected weather.
Gardai and the Road Safety Authority warned motorists to expect challenging driving conditions and, if necessary, to postpone non-essential journeys.
Transport Infrastructure Ireland and local authorities are already planning to dramatically increase their road salting operations.
Irish Water is also mobilising crews as frozen pipes become in issue.
Local authorities around the country are also preparing for the week ahead.
Meanwhile, work is underway to ensure that rough sleepers are aware of beds and shelter available as conditions worsen.
The Department of Education is also monitoring the situation nationwide but say decisions to close schools are taken at a local level.
Shoppers across the country have cleared supermarket shelves as they stock up on groceries ahead of Storm Emma.
Blizzard-like conditions are set to sweep the country this week with temperatures plunging to -10C. The weather is set to be severe and disruptive. Met Eireann has warned people to prepare but not to panic.
As far as the shoppers in @Aldi_Ireland Sallynoggin are concerned the apocalypse is coming. And they like their milk and vegetables. #BeastFromTheEast #StormEmma #sneachta pic.twitter.com/voB0T4HkUl Kruhhoor O. Divneh (@Chonchur) February 26, 2018
Its fair to say the people of Ferrybank and Slieverue are taking the #Beastfromtheeast serious, these are the veg and milk stands @Aldi_Ireland Ferrybank pic.twitter.com/QRYomaptsx Leonard Skelton (@leonard76_) February 26, 2018
The world is ending , there are 5 tills open at my local @Aldi_Ireland Dave (@davewall01) February 26, 2018
No bread no veg !! Dunnes stores Southgate drogheda just now !! Snow good! pic.twitter.com/o4IrYG9512 agodowd (@agodowd) February 26, 2018
The forecast has raised fears that people could be left housebound over the next few days and it appears that shoppers are already taking precautions to ensure that they're not left without the essentials.
Bemused shoppers have been sharing photos of bare shelves in supermarkets as people panic buy ahead of Storm Emma.
@MetEireann @JoannaDonnellyL
Nabbed in time the last two weightwatchers soup cans off the Dunnes Stores shelf. People be gettin ready for this cold snap. Feeling blessed. #beastfromtheeast #meteireann Chris (@chris_mma2018) February 26, 2018
Basic staples such as fruit, vegetables, bread and milk appear to be the most popular products that anxious shoppers are filling their trolleys with in the lead up to the storm.
Derek Sludds, manager of Dunnes Stores in Enniscorthy said that there has been "a lot of panic" among shoppers following the weather warnings. His branch at The Mill in Enniscorthy has had an exceptionally busy day but he assured customers that the stock will be replenished soon.
Hi we are sorry to learn of your experience, sales have been affected due to expected weather conditions later in the week, we will have a delivery fresh fruit and vegetable and bread products arriving to store in the morning. Kind Regards, Rachael Customer Services Dunnes Stores (@dunnesstores) February 26, 2018
Dunnes Stores have been advising customers that sales have been affected by weather conditions as shoppers share images on Twitter of the near-empty shelves in branches across the country.
Dunnes Stores advised that they will have a delivery of fresh fruit, vegetable and bread products arriving in stores this evening.
This is great foresight, Liz. Maybe we should be marketing the offer as the #BeastFromTheEast Survival Pack? Lidl Ireland (@lidl_ireland) February 26, 2018
Tesco Ireland has advised customers that they're "working closely with suppliers" to ensure that have extra stock in store tomorrow.
The supermarket said the measure is in place to cater for customers who may be doing their weekly shop early to prepare for worsening weather conditions later this week.
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"From tomorrow weve worked with our bread suppliers to ensure 20pc more availability of fresh bread and we are also increasing the number of instore bakes to satisfy higher customer demand," a spokesperson for Tesco told Independent.ie.
"Were also increasing stock levels of fresh produce, including milk, with extra deliveries arriving this evening and throughout tomorrow."
Tesco has also encouraged customers to check in on elderly or vulnerable neighbours to ensure they have sufficient essential items for Storm Emma.
The supermarket is working with their partner FoodCloud to redistribute surplus food donations this week to 300 community groups that may face challenges in collecting food donations this week.
Meanwhile, Met Eireann has issued two weather warnings, a status yellow and a status orange warning. However, it warned that the orange alert could escalate to a status red as conditions worsen later in the week.
The status orange snow-ice warning is in place for Dublin, Carlow, Kildare, Laois, Louth, Wicklow and Meath until 11am on Wednesday.
A status yellow snow-ice warning is in place for Longford, Kilkenny, Wexford, Offaly, Westmeath, Cork, Tipperary and Waterford until 11am on Wednesday.
A status yellow low temperature is in place for the entire country until midday on Tuesday.
Evelyn Cusack, Deputy Head of Forecasting at Met Eireann, speaking to media following a meeting of the National Emergency Co-ordination Group (NECG), to discuss arrangements for the anticipated severe cold weather this week at the National Emergency Co-ordination Centre, Agriculture House, Kildare St, Dublin. Photo Gareth Chaney Collins
Emergency plans are being put in place for widespread schools closures on Thursday and Friday, Independent.ie understands.
Ahead of the arrival of The Beast from the East, school transport chiefs have been warned that heavy snow could lead to all services being suspended.
The move would result in 116,000 school bus users not being able to make it to school and have a domino effect.
If it looks like were going to a Status Red situation on Thursday then all school transport will stop, said a source.
They added that if this happens its very likely that most or all of the schools in the country will close.
There is no special dispensation for schools that close due to weather related incidents, meaning teachers and pupils could have to make up the time later in the year.
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All schools closed for at least a day during Hurricane Ophelia in October and some also had to turn students away as a result of flooding in November and December.
A number of snow days could result in some schools having to delay the start of the summer holidays or take away from scheduled days off in the coming months.
Sources told Independent.ie that the likelihood of closures is highest in the east of the country but theres a possibility it will go nationwide.
During Ophelia a decision was taken to close all schools in order to offer certainty. That could happen again, a source said.
In the initial stages it is expected that decisions will be made at a local level.
The Department of Education and Skills will be continuously monitoring the weather situation over the next 48 hours.
Knocklyon and St Marks Community School in Tallaght during the big #sneachta of 1982 pic.twitter.com/tZTSCMrksH Alan Kinsella (@electionlit) February 26, 2018
The National Emergency Coordination Group was told today that if schools close it will have a domino effect on the country.
It is likely that childcare facilities would follow, and with parents unable to go to the work its possibly that some businesses will close too.
Keep safe and warm, but if you are out in Storm Emma we'd love to see your photos and videos. Send by email to contact@independent.ie or Whatsapp to 0871847169
Met Eireann warned of widespread frost and icy conditions. Parts of the country are set to feel colder than the Arctic Circle with temperatures set to plummet to -10C.
A snow-ice alert has been issued for Dublin, Carlow, Kildare, Laois, Louth, Wicklow and Meath from Tuesday, with up to 6cm of snow expected to accumulate by Wednesday morning.
Kilkenny, Longford, Wexford, Offaly, Westmeath, Cork, Tipperary and Waterford are also expected to see scattered snow showers but accumulations are forecast to be lower than parts of Leinster.
As well as the warnings about snow fall, there is also a status yellow low temperature warning for the entire country with lows of -5C expected on Monday night.
Conditions are expected to be similar to that of the 2010 and 1982 cold snaps.
Ten people were killed as air strikes and bombing of rebel-held suburbs east of Damascus resumed despite a UN ceasefire resolution, a Syrian monitoring group and paramedics said.#
Syrian state TV broadcast live footage showing the Harasta suburb being pounded by air strikes and artillery.
The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights and the oppositions Syrian Civil Defence, also known as the White Helmets, said nine people died in an air strike shortly after midnight on the suburb of Douma and one person was killed in Harasta on Monday morning.
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The new deaths bring to 24 the two-day death toll in eastern Ghouta, on the edge of Damascus, despite the UN Security Councils unanimous approval on Saturday of a resolution demanding a 30-day ceasefire across Syria. Fourteen people were killed on Sunday.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said it is high time to stop this hell on Earth.
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Speaking at the start of a session of the UN-backed Human Rights Council on Monday, he also appealed on the warring sides to abide by the ceasefire.
The remarks were Mr Guterres first to a UN body since the 15-member council unanimously adopted the resolution at the weekend.
The UN chief said he welcomed the move but added that Security Council resolutions are only meaningful if they are effectively implemented.
He added that he expects the resolution to be immediately implemented and sustained
Mr Guterres also called for safe, unimpeded and sustained delivery of humanitarian aid and services, and evacuations of the sick and wounded.
China's ruling Communist Party is seeking to remove a restriction on the president serving 10 years, paving the way for Xi Jinping to remain in office beyond 2023 - and perhaps for life.
The official Xinhua news agency reported the Party had proposed to "remove the expression" that the president and vice-president "shall serve no more than two consecutive terms" from the constitution.
The move would set in motion a more authoritarian future under Mr Xi and is being described by experts as confirmation Beijing has no interest in further opening up or delivering real democracy.
Steven Tsang, the director of the China Institute at SOAS, University of London said: "Democratisation was never on the agenda under the Communist Party, which is a consultative Leninist system, one that fundamentally rejects liberal democracy despite its claim that China is democratic 'with Chinese characteristics'.
"It should now be so obvious that anyone who still cannot see it must be politically blind."
Mr Xi cemented his position as the country's strongest leader since Mao Tse-tung at last October's 19th Party Congress, when he began his second term as Chinese leader.
The 64-year-old has been steadily eroding the collective model of leadership set up in China since the Cultural Revolution and the emergence of the reform era under Deng Xiaoping.
Mr Xi's presidency has seen the return of a personality cult and the targeting of political rivals and critics through a corruption crackdown and wider war on human rights.
While some observers had predicted Mr Xi might seek to break with precedent and rule beyond two terms - which would usually have ended in 2023 - many expressed shock at the announcement.
Prof Tsang said many experts had expected Mr Xi to remain as China's 'behind the scenes' leader, but give up the role of president.
He could have continued as General Secretary of the Communist Party and chief of China's military, leaving a ceremonial president in place.
Presidents Li Xiannian (1983-88) and Yang Shangkun (1988-93) were largely symbolic figures before Jiang Zemin assumed power.
"The implication is that the vanity dimension seems to stand out," said Prof Tsang. "Xi wants to be formally received and treated as state president wherever he travels post-2022."
Mr Xi is nine months younger than Russian leader Vladimir Putin and will be 69 in 2023.
Mao ruled China until 1976, when he died aged 82.
Jiang Zemin and Hu Jintao - Mr Xi's predecessors - served two five-year terms, but there had been signs the current ruler might break with tradition.
No clear successor emerged at the party congress with the unveiling of a new seven-member Standing Committee, China's top ruling body.
Kerry Brown, a former British diplomat in China and author of 'CEO China: The Rise of Xi Jinping', said Beijing's decision to signal Mr Xi's continued rule suggested China was determined to be "the winner" on the global stage.
Mr Brown said: "I wouldn't interpret this as too much a sign of strength, more one further indication that the Xi leadership will do anything - repeat, anything - to ensure China is completely assured of finally being restored as a great power.
"So leadership changes and things like that will be treated with absolute micro-management, and the elite positions are unlikely to shift much.
"This is just a sign of how high the stakes are.
"With an ailing and declining US, and Europe just muddling on, China is determined finally to be a winner. You don't change the jockey on a winning horse half way through a race." ( Daily Telegraph, London)
Telegraph Media Group Limited [2021]
A body part believed to be from a missing woman has been found in western Japan.
Media reports said that last week police arrested Yevgeniy Vasilievich Bayraktar, 26, from New York, on suspicion of keeping the missing Japanese woman captive at his home in Osaka.
Reports on Monday said detectives are investigating his possible link to dismembering and abandoning her body after discovering other body parts.
Chinese President Xi Jinping could extend his grip on power as the Chinese parliament looks at removing two-term limits for presidents (AP)
Chinese censors have acted quickly to remove satirical commentary online about the ruling Communist Partys move to enable President Xi Jinping to stay in power indefinitely.
The move comes as political observers weigh the possibility that China will return to an era of one-man rule.
One day after the party announced a proposed constitutional change to be approved next month, Chinese internet users found themselves unable to signal approval or disapproval by changing their profiles. Key search topics such as serve another term were censored.
Nevertheless, social media users shared images of Winnie the Pooh hugging a jar of honey along with the quote: Find the thing you love and stick with it.
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The Disney bears image has been compared to President Xi Jinping, prompting periodic blocks on the use of Pooh pictures online.
Other online commenters wrote: Attention, the vehicle is reversing an automated announcement used by Chinese delivery vehicles suggesting that China is returning to the era of former dictator Mao Zedong or even imperial rule.
Another widely-circulated comment played on the intense pressure young Chinese often face from their parents to marry and produce grandchildren.
My mother told me that I have to get married during Xi Dadas presidential term, it said, using a reference for Xi typically translated as Big Uncle Xi.
Now I can finally breathe a long sigh of relief, the post read.
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Not all the censored posts were critical of the proposal to eliminate term limits. Some users pointed out that countries like Germany and Canada also do not have term limits for their leaders, while others simply commented on news of the announcement with: Witnessing history.
The countrys parliament, the National Peoples Congress, is all but certain to pass the amendment when it meets for its annual session early next month. Under the 1982 constitution, the president is limited to two five-year terms in office, but Mr Xi already Chinas most powerful leader since Mao appears to want additional terms to see through his agenda of fighting corruption, eliminating poverty and transforming China into a modern leading nation by the mid-century.
Or, some have speculated, he may simply wish to retain near-absolute power for as long as possible.
Xi has made robust diplomacy and a muscular military posture in the South China Sea and elsewhere a hallmark of his style of rule and more can be expected in coming years, experts said.
In terms of trade relations with the US, entrenched differences between the worlds number one and number two economies will likely remain, said James Zimmerman, former chairman of the American Chamber of Commerce in China.
Mr Xis rule has been characterised by a relentless crackdown on critics and independent civil society voices such as lawyers netted in a sweeping crackdown on legal activists that began in July 2015. Joseph Cheng, a long-time observer of Chinese politics now retired from the City University of Hong Kong, said that following the passage of the constitutional amendment: There will be even less tolerance of criticism.
Donald Trump has responded to an overture from North Korea for talks with the US, saying that will happen only under the right conditions.
The US president raised North Korea at an annual White House meeting with the nations governors after a North Korean envoy sent a message through South Korea on Sunday.
The envoy said the North has ample intentions of holding talks with the US.
The White House said in response that it would take a wait-and-see approach, and Mr Trump followed up on Monday.
We want to talk only under the right conditions, he said.
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The administrations position is that Pyongyang must get rid of its nuclear and missile programmes before any talks can take place.
The US has applied a series of sanctions, including a fresh round on Friday, in what it says is a maximum pressure campaign to force North Korea to disarm.
The Trump administration says it is open to talks with North Korea, primarily to explain how America will maintain its pressure on the country until it takes steps to eliminate its nuclear weapons.
US officials differentiate talks from negotiations. For those to occur, they first want Pyongyang to accept that its nuclear programme will be on the table.
Speaking to the governors, Mr Trump praised Chinese President Xi Jinping for bolstering his countrys sanctions against the North and warned that Russia is behaving badly on the issue of sanctions.
Russia is sending in what China is taking out, Mr Trump said.
During Sundays closing ceremony for the Winter Olympics, the office of South Korean President Moon Jae-in announced that a North Korean delegate to the Olympics said his country is willing to hold talks with the US.
The move came after decades of tension between the two countries, which have no formal diplomatic relations, and a year of escalating rhetoric, including threats of war, between Mr Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.
The North has ample intentions of holding talks with the United States, Mr Moons office said.
The Norths delegation also agreed that South-North relations and US-North Korean relations should be improved together, the statement said.
A man carries a portrait of slain opposition leader Boris Nemtsov during a march marking the three-year anniversary of his killing, in Moscow, Russia. Thousands of Russians took to the streets of downtown Moscow to mark three years since Nemtsov was gunned down outside the Kremlin. (AP Photo/Pavel Golovkin)
Thousands of people around Russia have marched in memory of slain Kremlin critic Boris Nemtsov three weeks before a presidential election Vladimir Putin is almost sure win.
At least three demonstrators in Moscow and two in St Petersburg were detained. Several cities - including Nemtsov's home Nizhny Novgorod - banned marches yesterday, but demonstrators ignored them.
The opposition has been divided ahead of the March 18 election.
Ksenia Sobchak, the television host whose long-shot presidential candidacy is seen by some as a Kremlin ploy, walked at the front of more than 7,000 marchers in Moscow.
Not far behind marched popular anti-corruption activist Alexei Navalny who has been calling for a voter boycott to lower turnout after he was barred from the race.
Ms Sobchak said she would fight the political system in which "a person can be killed for what he thinks and what he says".
Some marchers said they planned to boycott the vote.
"This is also a form of civic protest, to not participate in the election, because we can't influence its outcome," said student Ivan Drobotov (22).
Mourners laid flowers on a bridge near the Kremlin where Nemtsov - an outspoken critic of President Putin - was assassinated on February 27, 2015.
Five gunmen were convicted of his murder but the masterminds have never been identified.
Israeli soldiers have arrested 10 people from the West Bank village of prominent teenage Palestinian protester Ahed Tamimi, including a 15-year-old cousin with a serious head injury.
Mohammed Tamimi had part of his skull removed by surgeons after being shot at close range with a rubber bullet by Israeli troops on December 15. That incident reportedly led to 17-year-old Ahed Tamimi slapping and kicking two soldiers later that day.
Ahed Tamimi is on trial over the scuffle in the village of Nabi Saleh, with her case gathering international attention.
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Mohammed Tamimi said he was taken from his home at 3am on Monday, despite pleas from his father that detention and exposure to cold could endanger his recovery.
He added that he was held for 10 hours in a cold cell, with his hands cuffed behind his back, before being released. He said he was interrogated about throwing stones at soldiers and organising protests, allegations he denies.
The Israeli military said it is looking into the incident.
Saeed was rescued from Syria by the animal rights group Four Paws (AP)
Two lions rescued from neglected zoos in war zones in Iraq and Syria have been transported to South Africa to recover from physical and psychological trauma at a big cat sanctuary.
Fiona Miles, of the animal welfare group Four Paws, said the male lions have arrived in Johannesburg on a Qatar Airways flight after leaving an animal refuge in Jordan on Sunday.
The lions arrived emaciated, dehydrated and psychologically scarred in Jordan last year.
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Now, four-year-old Simba and two-year-old Saeed are headed to the Lionsrock facility near the town of Bethlehem.
Some of the 80 lions at the facility came from a German circus and zoos in France, Romania and Congo. Others are from South African captive-bred lion operations that often earmark the predators for trophy killings by customers.
The lions had been extracted them from a zoo in eastern Mosul in Iraq and an amusement park near Aleppo in Syria. The two cities have experienced some of the worst fighting that has hit both countries in recent years, killing large numbers of people and leaving whole neighbourhoods in ruins.
Most of the 40 animals at the Mosul zoo died of starvation or were killed in bombings while some escaped from their enclosures, according to Four Paws. The groups members reached the location a year ago and evacuated the only two animals they found a bear, and Simba to Jordan.
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The other lion, Saeed, was rescued in July along with 12 other animals from Syrias Magic World amusement park. The animals reached Jordan after staying for two weeks in Turkey, whose government assisted with the evacuation.
Both lions were traumatised when they arrived at the Al-Mawa Animal Sanctuary in Jordan, Four Paws said. Since then, they have received medical care, including vasectomies and dental work, and have gained weight on a steady diet that included lamb meat treats.
Some of the captive-bred residents of Lionsrock have deformities from inbreeding, and none can be released into the wild, said Ms Miles.
She said a key goal is to raise awareness about the conditions of lions and other animals in captivity around the world.
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Conservationists point to broader challenges facing Africas wild lions, whose population has plummeted. Problems include shrinking habitats and poaching, in which lions become trapped in snares laid down indiscriminately.
Another concern is demand in some Asian countries for lion bones used in traditional medicine. Currently, South Africa allows the legal, annual export of bones from hundreds of captive-bred lions to China and south-east Asia.
There are nearly 2,900 wild lions and about 7,000 captive lions in South Africa, according to the government.
Security at Lionsrock is tight, a necessary precaution in a country where poaching is a frequent threat. Last year, poachers broke into another wildlife sanctuary in South Africa, killing two of its big cats.
Melania Trump says she has been heartened to see children nationwide speaking out after the Florida school shooting and trying to effect change.
She said children are the future and they deserve a voice.
At a White House luncheon, the first lady offered thoughts and prayers to everyone affected by such a senseless act.
Since a gunman killed 17 people at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, students from the school have been speaking out about gun violence, joined by peers around the country who have skipped class or marched in protest.
Some even lay down on Pennsylvania Avenue in front of the White House to symbolise the dead and urge President Donald Trump to limit access to firearms.
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Mrs Trump said, as a parent, I cannot imagine the kind of grief a tragedy like that brings but she has learned as first lady that tragedy often reveals the strength and resilience of the human spirit.
During brief remarks at a luncheon in the White House Blue Room for spouses of the nations governors, she said: I have been heartened to see children across this country using their voices to speak out and try to create change. They are our future and they deserve a voice.
The first lady accompanied the president days after the February 14 shooting when he met victims and first responders in Florida. They have an 11-year-old son, Barron.
Mrs Trump is focusing her work as first lady on the well-being of children. She asked the spouses to commit to promoting values such as encouragement, kindness, compassion and respect in children.
With those values as a solid foundation, our kids will be better equipped to deal with many of the evils in our world today, such as drug abuse and addiction and negative social media interactions, she said.
German chancellor and party chairwoman Angela Merkel delivers her speech to the Christian Democratic Union in Berlin (AP)
German chancellor Angela Merkel has urged her party to approve a deal to form a new coalition government with the centre-left Social Democrats.
Mrs Merkel told a party convention that Germany is in a difficult and previously unknown situation without a new government five months after the election.
She acknowledged the Christian Democratic Unions disappointing result in last Septembers poll, but insisted it had managed to make a strong mark in the agreement for a grand coalition with the Social Democrats, citing financial aid for families and strengthening of law and order measures.
While discontent over Mrs Merkels centrist course has grown within the party, members are expected to approve the deal. It still needs the approval of Social Democrat members, expected by March 4.
Kurdish people protest against the Turkish military operations in Afrin, in Sulaimaniyah, Iraq. REUTERS/Ako Rasheed
The main Syrian Kurdish political party said yesterday that one of its leaders had been arrested in Prague at the behest of Turkey, where a court has charged him with sedition.
Saleh Muslim, a top Kurdish politician, has "full citizenship rights" as a Syrian national and was visiting Europe in an official capacity, the PYD party said. In a statement, the party accused the Turkish state of "demanding the arrest of individuals who are not its citizens... without any legal justifications".
Turkey has been seeking Mr Muslim after a Turkish court charged him with "breaking the state and country's unity" and other offences.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Turkey did not have problems with Kurdish people, but rather "terrorists".
Turkey launched a military offensive last month in Syria's Afrin region against the Kurdish YPG militia, the PYD's armed affiliate, which it deems a menace on its border.
Mr Muslim formerly headed the PYD, the major component of a coalition that governs Kurdish-held autonomous parts of northern Syria.
A child removes debris from a damage building in the besieged town of Douma, eastern Ghouta, Damascus, Syria. Photo: REUTERS
At least three people are reported to have been killed amid violence in Syria despite a resolution from the UN Security Council demanding a 30-day ceasefire.
Activists and residents in Damascus reported low-level clashes on the southern edge of its rebel-held suburbs, known as eastern Ghouta, and two air strikes late on Saturday night, shortly after the resolution was adopted.
During the day yesterday, some more shelling and air strikes were reported by activists in eastern Ghouta.
The relative calm came after a week of intense air strikes and shelling that killed more than 500 people in eastern Ghouta and left dozens dead or wounded in the government-held Damascus, which rebels pelted with mortar shells.
"This has been the calmest night since last Sunday," said Rami Abdurrahman who heads the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, referring to the start of the bombing campaign on February 19.
The Observatory said yesterday's shelling killed three people and wounded 27 in several areas in eastern Ghouta.
The opposition's Syrian Civil Defence, also known as White Helmets, said the three were killed in the towns of Saqba, Beit Sawa and Hammouriyeh.
State news agency Sana said insurgents breached the truce by firing 15 shells yesterday on government-held areas on the edge of Ghouta.
Ghouta-based opposition activist Anas al-Dimashqi said the night was calm but warplanes and drones were flying over rebel-held areas. He said several explosions were heard yesterday in Ghouta.
Dr Sakhr al-Dimashqi, a surgeon at a clinic in Ghouta, told The Associated Press that several shells hit some towns in the suburbs, adding that they received six wounded people at the clinic where he works.
The two largest and most powerful rebel factions in Ghouta, Failaq al-Rahman and Army of Islam, issued statements saying they will abide by the ceasefire unless they are forced to fire in self-defence. Both called for the "immediate delivery" of emergency aid.
The resolution excludes members of Isil and al-Qa'ida-linked fighters. Ghouta is also home to a few hundred members of the al-Qa'ida- linked Levant Liberation Committee.
Russia's Foreign Ministry said yesterday that the fight against Isil and al-Qa'ida's affiliate will continue, despite what it described as attempts by certain external players to engage "international terrorists and groups of opposition militants joining them to implement plans that are still nurtured to overthrow the legitimate authorities of Syria and dismember the country".
It added that "the terrorists won't get any respite".
A fourth fortune hunter has died in the pursuit of a treasure chest containing more than $1m (810,000) worth of gold coins and jewels which is reputedly hidden somewhere in the Rocky Mountains.
Jeff Murphy (53) perished in June but the details of his death were only revealed eight months later.
He was looking for Fenn's Treasure and died after going hiking up a trail within the boundaries of Yellowstone National Park, and falling 500ft down a rocky slope.
Fenn's Treasure is said to have been deposited in 2010 by Forrest Fenn, an eccentric, octogenarian millionaire art dealer and former Vietnam fighter pilot.
Mr Fenn, who is still alive, has said he set the task of finding it in order to encourage people to "get off the couch" and see nature.
According to him the bounty is inside a 10kg Romanesque bronze chest and includes 265 gold coins, diamonds, emeralds and ancient Chinese figurines.
He published a 24-line poem which contains the clues to locating it.
Over the last eight years tens of thousands of people are believed to have searched for the loot, mostly in New Mexico where clues have pointed.
However, Mr Murphy, who was a vice president of the International Housewares Association, had headed for the Wyoming-Montana border area.
When he went missing a huge search operation was launched including rescuers on horseback, others with dogs, and a helicopter.
Erica Murphy, his widow, said he had first read about Fenn's Treasure in a magazine. He then read Mr Fenn's book 'The Thrill of the Chase', which contains the full 24-line poem. The poem includes lines like "begin it where warm waters halt. And take it in the canyon down".
Ms Murphy told the 'Albuquerque Journal': "It was his pastime. He loved anything that caused him to use his brain, and he loved being out in nature."
The death was expected to lead to renewed calls to end the controversial treasure hunt. But Ms Murphy said she did not blame Mr Fenn, and her husband knew the risks. She said he "would not have wanted to hinder" others from searching.
As rescuers looked for her husband, Ms Murphy emailed Mr Fenn to say: "I hope your quest won't be adversely affected by these events."
According to a report by Yellowstone National Park into his death, Mr Murphy had also emailed Mr Fenn before setting out.
When he went missing Mr Fenn then offered to pay for a helicopter to look for him.
Mr Fenn said he had never been to the area Mr Murphy was searching, so he was looking in the wrong place.
Last summer, fortune hunter Paris Wallace (52), a pastor from Colorado, was found dead north of Santa Fe, New Mexico, after trying to traverse a river. Separately, Eric Ashby (31) died after his raft overturned on the Arkansas River.
In 2016, Randy Bilyeu (54) died on the Rio Grande while looking for the treasure. His former wife Linda Bilyeu has called the hunt "madness".
Mr Fenn has previously indicated the treasure is hidden somewhere not hard to reach and that, even at his advanced age, he could himself go back to the spot. ( Daily Telegraph, London)
Telegraph Media Group Limited [2021]
The incident took place at the Government Girls Science and Tech College in Dapchi, Yobe State (AP)
Pupils are staying away from a school in northern Nigeria, where Boko Haram extremists seized 110 girls in a raid a week ago.
The Government Girls Science and Technical College in Dapchi in Yobe state had been closed following an attack which reminded many of Boko Harams kidnapping of 276 girls from a boarding school in Chibok in 2014.
Teachers resumed classes on Monday, but students were absent.
One parent, Mohammed Mele, said his two children are too scared to return. Another parent added they are looking for a new school for their youngsters.
Yobe state education commissioner Mohammed Lamin said pupils are still going through trauma, and had previously said the school will reopen when frayed nerves cool down.
Nigerias government acknowledged for the first time that 110 girls remain missing on Sunday.
Expand Close Lai Muhammed, Nigerian minister of information, admitted dozens of girls were unaccounted for (AP) / Facebook
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Whatsapp Lai Muhammed, Nigerian minister of information, admitted dozens of girls were unaccounted for (AP)
The fate of the 110 girls is not known, but witnesses said the Islamic extremists specifically asked where the girls school was located. Some eyewitnesses reported seeing young women taken away at gunpoint.
Information minister Lai Mohammed said 906 students were in the school at the time of the attack.
Anger has been growing in Nigeria as the government struggled to respond, with authorities giving conflicting reports about what happened early on.
The mass abduction is a major challenge for President Muhammadu Buhari, who has called the Dapchi kidnappings a national disaster and vowed that no effort will be spared to locate the girls.
Mr Buhari won elections in 2015 while making the fight against Boko Haram a priority. His government has repeatedly claimed that the Islamic extremist group has been defeated, but it continues to carry out deadly suicide bombings in the northern part of the country, often using women and children who have been kidnapped and indoctrinated.
Many fear the girls seized last week were abducted to become brides for Boko Haram extremists. Some of the schoolgirls taken in the Chibok mass abduction were forced to marry their captors. About 100 of the Chibok girls have never returned to their families.
Nigeria faces another presidential election next year.
Russian president Vladimir Putin has ordered daily humanitarian pauses in the besieged rebel-held eastern Ghouta in Syria.
Defence minister Sergei Shoigu said the ceasefire will be arranged for the suburb of the capital Damascus between 9am and 2pm every day, starting on Tuesday.
He also said Russia will help set an evacuation route for civilians in the area.
The announcement comes two days after the UN Security Council unanimously approved a resolution demanding a 30-day ceasefire across Syria, which excludes fighting with the Islamic State group and al-Qaida-linked fighters.
Eastern Ghouta has been under intensive bombardment by government forces, backed by Russia, for weeks. At least 10 people were killed on Monday as air strikes and artillery barrages resumed, according to local activists.
The move came after Syrian forces launched a ground offensive on the rebel-held eastern Damascus suburb, as UN chief Antonio Gutteres denounced the violence in the embattled region, which he described as hell on Earth.
Following a period of relative calm in the wake of the ceasefire, fresh violence left 28 people in the area dead as air strikes and bombardments continued on Sunday and Monday, activists said.
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Mr Guterres appealed to the warring sides to abide by the ceasefire. Eastern Ghouta cannot wait, he said. It is high time to stop this hell on Earth.
At the Geneva gathering, UN human rights chief Zeid Raad al-Hussein echoed calls for a full implementation of the truce.
He also decried seven years of failure to stop the violence, seven years of unremitting and frightful mass killing in Syria.
In Syria, state TV broadcast live footage showing the town of Harasta, in the Damascus suburbs, being pounded by air strikes and artillery. Troops are said to be targeting al-Qaida-linked fighters in the area in an apparent move to show that the army is not violating the ceasefire.
Mondays fighting was mostly concentrated in an area known as Harasta Farms, on the edge of town.
The oppositions Syrian Civil Defence, also known as White Helmets, said 13 died in an air strike on Douma, and one person was killed in Harasta on Monday morning. The UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights put the death toll at 22 on Monday, including 21 in the eastern suburb of Douma.
Syrian state media said nearly 50 shells fired by rebels hit the capital, wounding at least one person.
Fourteen people killed in eastern Ghouta on Sunday included an infant who was allegedly killed in a poison gas attack on the town of Sheifouniyeh.
In northern Syria, Turkish police and paramilitary special forces crossed the border into a Syrian Kurdish-held enclave, signalling preparations for a possible offensive to capture the enclaves main city, Afrin.
In a separate strand to the violence in Syria, Turkey launched an incursion into Afrin on January 20 to drive out a US-backed Syrian Kurdish militia it considers to be a terrorist group, allied with its own Kurdish insurgents fighting within Turkeys borders.
A Slovak journalist and his girlfriend were shot dead in their home in an attack likely linked to his work on exposing tax evasion, Slovakias top police officer said.
The bodies of 27-year-old Jan Kuciak and his partner were found on Sunday evening in their house in the town of Velka Maca, east of the capital, Bratislava, police president Tibor Gaspar said.
Officers had gone to the house at the request of a worried family member.
Mr Gaspar said the killings likely have something to do with Mr Kuciaks investigative activities.
Prime minister Robert Fico said if that was the case, it would be an unprecedented attack on freedom of the press and democracy in Slovakia.
Mr Fico announced his government was offering one million euro (880,000) to anyone who helps authorities find those behind the killings.
President Andrej Kiska called for a swift investigation of the crime. He said: We have to find those who did it as soon as possible and ensure the safety of all journalists.
Mr Gaspar said the reporter was shot in the chest, while the woman was shot in the head. They were estimated to have been killed between Thursday and Sunday.
He added that Slovakia has never faced such an unprecedented attack on a journalist.
Mr Kuciak was working for the Aktuality.sk news website. He focused mainly on tax evasion.
Publisher Ringier Axel Springer Slovakia, which owns Aktuality.sk, said in a statement: We are shocked and stunned by the news that Jan Kuciak and his partner were apparently victims of a cruel attack.
We mourn with the family, the friends and the colleagues; we will do everything to support the investigating authorities to bring the perpetrator to justice.
In his latest story, Mr Kuciak reported on a businessman suspected of selling flats in an apartment complex to his own companies. The reporter questioned the business reasons for doing that, and speculated that it could be a method of avoiding tax.
Mr Kuciak said last year he filed a complaint with police after the businessman, Marian Kocner, threatened him following another story. Mr Kuciak then complained that police had failed to act.
Mr Gaspar said all people who were in touch with the journalist will be investigated, and officers will provide protection to other reporters from Aktuality.sk.
Editors-in-chief of major Slovak media called on the government to take necessary steps to find those who committed the crimes and also to create conditions for the safe work of journalists.
Turkey has submitted documents to the Czech authorities formally requesting the extradition of the former leader of a Syrian Kurdish party.
Salih Muslim, former co-chair of the Democratic Union Party, or PYD, was detained in the Czech capital of Prague on Saturday under an Interpol red notice based on a Turkish request for his arrest.
Turkey considers the PYD a terrorist group linked to outlawed Kurdish insurgents fighting within Turkeys own borders.
Muslim was put on Turkeys most-wanted list earlier in February with a one million dollar (715,000) reward.
On Monday, Turkish prosecutors issued a new warrant for his detention, accusing Muslim and about 30 other people of being behind a bomb attack on a tax office in Ankara earlier this month.
Nine people suspected Kurdish militants were detained in connection with the attack, which caused damage to the tax office but no casualties.
Turkish deputy prime minister Bekir Bozdag said the justice ministry had sent a file formally requesting his extradition.
Muslim was expected to appear before a Prague court on Tuesday, which would then decide if he will remain in detention, Turkish ambassador Ahmet Necati Bigali said.
The PYD is the leading political Kurdish force in northern Syria, and Muslim remains highly influential in the party, even after stepping down as co-chair last year.
On January 20, Turkey launched an incursion into northern Syria, seeking to rout the US-backed Syrian Kurdish militia, known as the Peoples Protection Units or YPG, from the enclave of Afrin. The YPG is the armed wing of the PYD.
Kolkata, Feb 26 (IBNS):State-owned BSNL unveiled new monthly landline plans on Monday.These plans are meant for the new domestic customers residing in Kolkata only.
These include unlimited voice calling to BSNL mobile and landlines across the country at Rs. 240, Rs. 299, Rs. 355, Rs. 495 and Rs. 995 with free calling of 240, 299, 355, 495 and 995 respectively for calling on other than BSNL networks across the county.
Briefing the newspersons, S.P.Tripathi, CGMT, Kolkata Telephones said BSNL is committed to provide affordable and efficient services to its customers in the city.
Tripathi stated that BSNL has also launched attractive Broadband plans for its customers as well.
These include, Experience LL-49 at Rs. 49, Experience unlimited Broadband 249 at Rs. 249 and BBG Combo UL 599 at Rs. 599.
Under these plans, customers can avail unlimited free night calling (Local and STD) facility on any network in the country from 10:30PM to 06:AM along with getting Sunday unlimited free calling facility on any network within the country.
While under another plan which is BBG Combo ULD 1199 at Rs. 1199, customers can avail 24 hrs unlimited free calling facility (Local and STD) on any network in India, Tripathi added.
New York, Feb 25 (IBNS): The popular dating app Tinder is all about helping people form new relationships. But for many college-aged people, its also helping those in relationships cheat on their romantic partners, according to studies.
The flip side? Tinder also makes it easier to catch cheaters.
A couple of years ago, one of my students shared the story that she had come across a friends boyfriend on Tinder, and she was not sure whether she should tell her friend, said Weiser, an assistant professor working on a study.
So, although Tinder may make it easy to meet potential partners, the potential for exposure may be high.
Dana Weiser and Sylvia Niehuis, faculty members in Texas Techs Department of Human Development and Family Studies, recently published a study showing a significant number of college students are using Tinder to meet what they called extradyadic partners that is, a partner outside of and in addition to the partner in a committed, romantic relationship.
The study, which involved additional collaborators, was published in Personality and Individual Differences.
Among the 550 undergraduate students who participated in the study, 12.5 percent had spent time with someone they met on Tinder, 17.1 percent had messaged someone on Tinder, 8.9 percent had been physically intimate and 7.2 percent reported having sexual relations with someone they met on Tinder while in an exclusive relationship.
We know infidelity is quite common among college-aged adults as they grow and learn about relationships, not to mention there is quite a bit of opportunity, Weiser said. Our results are consistent with previous research and suggest Tinder may be one way college students meet extradyadic partners.
Ironically, although the numbers show college students are using Tinder to find partners outside their relationships, many of these same participants said they werent sure Tinder was a good way to do so.
The participants are quite mixed though as to whether Tinder is an effective way to meet extradyadic partners, Weiser said. This may be because, while it is easy to meet individuals via Tinder, it may also be very easy to get caught, as a percentage of our participants also indicated they saw people who they knew were in relationships on Tinder.
In their study, Weiser and Niehuis, an associate professor, found two personality traits they said could predict a persons likelihood to cheat on a partner: willingness to engage in sex outside of a committed relationship and intention to engage in infidelity that is, if you knew you wouldnt get caught, would you be willing to cheat?
We expected that these same personality traits that predict in-person infidelity would also be associated with engaging in infidelity via Tinder, Weiser said. We found those traits were more important for predicting infidelity than gender. Basically, men and women looked very similar when we accounted for personality.
Weiser and Niehuis emphasized that its unclear if Tinder is actually increasing rates of infidelity or simply giving people a different way to meet extradyadic partners.
There are advantages and disadvantages to any technology, Weiser said. We know technology has enhanced relationships in many ways: long distance couples are able to more easily communicate, and you can meet partners outside your social network or with special interests. One disadvantage may be how this technology can also help facilitate infidelity.
New Delhi, Feb 26 (IBNS) : In what appears to be a significant development in the light of the soured relationship with Pakistan, India has invited the neighbouring country's Commerce Minister, Pervaiz Malik to participate in the informal WTO ministerial meeting taking place in Delhi on March 19-20, media reports said.
According to the Indian Express, Malik is said to have confirmed his attendance.
The invitation to Pakistan comes on the backdrop of the ongoing diplomatic tensions between the two countries following the Pathankot attack, release of 26-11 mastermind Hafiz Saeed, Kulbhushan Jadhav and the proxy war in Jammu and Kashmir. According to the report, however, the invitation to Malik comes after the back-channel dialogue between national security advisors of the two countries.
Quoting diplomatic sources, the report also cited that the two countries have decided to undertake an exchange of prisoners starting with the release of the most vulnerable individuals such as mentally challenged prisoners, children and women.
The invitation to Malik comes in the wake of the late-December secret back-channel negotiations between the two national security advisors, Ajit Doval and Nasser Janjua and takes place after the global Financial Action Task Force (FATF) threatened to isolate Pakistan over the weekend if it didnt stop using terrorism as an instrument of state policy.
The reports quoted diplomatic sources from India and Pakistan as having confirmed that the two sides have decided to undertake an exchange of all their prisoners in their respective jails.
They will reportedly begin this exercise soon by releasing the most vulnerable"- women and children and mentally disturbed prisoners, some of whom languishing behind bars for long.
Srinagar, Feb 26 (IBNS) : A police constable was injured and an under custody militant died after unidentified people hurled a grenade at a police station at Tral in south Kashmir's Pulwama town on Monday,police said.
According to police sources, burqa clad persons hurled a grenade at the police station.
A terrorist, Mushtaq Ahmad Chopan, died in the grenade explosion as he was trying to escape from Police Station Tral, Jammu and Kashmir Police Chief Shesh Paul Ved said in a tweet.
The injured constable, identified as Mehraj ud din, was immediately taken to a hospital.
Additional security forces have been rushed to the area and a search operation has been launched to nab the attackers.
Militant Mushtaq alias Haroon was arrested by government forces along with arms from Sopore in North Kashmir on January seven.
(Reporting by Saleem Iqbal Qadri)
New Delhi, Feb 26 (IBNS): The Congress on Monday once again targeted the Narendra Modi government over its silence on the controversial Rafale deal in which the government has been alleged to buying jets at a higher prices from a known industrialist.
In a tweet, Congress has cleared that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is its biggest target over the alleged Rafale scam.
The tweet reads, "Today marks an auspicious 101 days since the Modi Govt promised to come clean on the Rafale Deal. What are you waiting for Mr. PM? #MaunModi."
Today marks an auspicious 101 days since the Modi Govt promised to come clean on the Rafale Deal. What are you waiting for Mr. PM? #MaunModi pic.twitter.com/wAvRwpdkfb Congress (@INCIndia) February 26, 2018
Congress President Rahul Gandhi had alleged to the purchase of Rafale jets by the BJP-led central government at a higher cost than the one was fixed by the Congress during its regim.
He has also accused the government of purchasing the jets from an industrialist who is a friend of the PM.
Though the Congress President had asked the government to furnish details of the Rafale deal, Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman refused.
Sitharaman cited the deal as a "classified document" which cannot be brought into the public domain.
Rahul also took on the government for once promising to furnish details only to take a U-turn later.
Kohima/Shillong, Feb 26 (IBNS): Battle lines have been drawn for Tuesdays crucial assembly polls in two Christian dominated north eastern Indian states of Nagaland and Meghalaya.
Polling will be start from 7am at 5239 polling stations in both states.
Over 30.21 lakh voters will exercise their franchise to decide the of 565 candidates in both states.
Congress has ruled 15-year in Meghalaya, but this time Congress has landed a big threat from the BJP after the saffron party has tied up with National Peoples Party (NPP) founded by former Lok Sabha Speaker Purno Agitok Sangma.
NPP is also an ally partner of NDA and government partner in Manipur also.
In Meghalaya, both BJP and NPP have fielded their candidates separately, but both parties declared to form post-poll alliance.
On the other hand, BJP had dumped its 15-year old alliance partner Naga Peoples Front (NPF) in Nagaland and forged with newly formed political party Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party (NDPP) led by three times former Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio and emerged as a big threat to the ruling party.
The BJP is eying to expand its footprints in the entire North East after forming government in Assam, Arunachal Pradesh and Manipur.
The two north east states have a 60-member house each, but voting will be held for 59 constituencies in both states.
Neiphiu Rio had already declared unopposed win from the Northern Angami- II assembly constituency.
In Meghalaya, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) candidate for Williamnagar Jonathone N Sangma was shot dead by the suspected Garo National Liberation Army (GNLA) in East Garo Hills district on February 18 last.
Election results of Tripura, Nagaland and Meghalaya will be declared on March 3.
Facts of Nagaland :
Total voters 11,91,513
Male voters 6,01,707
Female voters 5,89,806
18-25 years voters 1,87,296
Total polling stations 2196 (40 polling stations falling under the Northers Angami II constituency and voting to be held at 2156 polling stations on February 27)
Women polling stations - 177
Smallest constituency by electorate Mokokchung Town (7129 voters)
Largest constituency by electorate Ghaspani-I (65,643 voters)
Total candidates 195 (5 women candidates)
Key politicians Present Chief Minister TR Zeliang (NPF), Neiphiu Rio (NDPP)
Main tribes Angami, Ao, Chang, Chakhesang, Khiamniungan, Konyak, Liangmai, Lotha
Facts of Meghalaya :
Total voters 18,30,143
Male voters 9,06256
Female voters 9,23,848
18-19 years voters 42,843
Total polling stations 3083 (58 polling stations falling under the Williamnagar constituency and voting to be held at 3025 polling stations on February 27)
Women polling stations - 67
Smallest constituency by electorate Mokokchung Town (7129 voters)
Largest constituency by electorate Ghaspani-I (65,643 voters)
Total candidates 370 (32 women candidates)
Key politicians Present Chief Minister Dr Mukul Sangma (Congress, will contest from two seats Ampathi and Songsak) , Conrad Sangma (NPP)
Main tribes Khasi, Garo, Jaintia, Tiwa, Hajong
Mumbai, Feb 26 (IBNS): As fans and celebrities await legendary actress Sridevi's mortal remains to return to India, the Dubai Police on Monday recorded her husband Boney Kapoor's statement in connection with the case.
Sridevi's mortal remains are unlikely to reach Mumbai before Tuesday since the clearance for repatriation has been delayed, said reports.
Earlier in the evening, a new twist was added to Sridevi's death case with the forensic test revealing that the silver screen goddess expired as a result of 'accidental drowning' in her hotel room's bathtub.
In fact some media reports also claimed that traces of alcohol have been found in her blood in the autopsy report.
In a tweet, the Dubai Police wrote:
#News:
Following the completion of post-mortem analysis, #DubaiPolice today stated that the death of Indian actress #Sridevi occurred due to drowning in her hotel apartments bathtub following loss of consciousness. #DubaiPolice has transferred the case to #Dubai Public Prosecution, which will carry out regular legal procedures followed in such cases.
2/2 Dubai Police US (@DubaiPoliceHQ) February 26, 2018 #DubaiPolice has transferred the case to #Dubai Public Prosecution, which will carry out regular legal procedures followed in such cases.
2/2 Dubai Police US (@DubaiPoliceHQ) February 26, 2018
According to Khaleej Times, the Dubai police is conducting an ongoing probe at the place of death, and the room at Jumeirah Emirates Towers, in which she was staying, has been sealed.
While the previous media reports claimed that Sridevi was in a bathtub inside the hotel bathroom when she suffered a cardiac arrest, the autopsy report on Monday changed the dimension of the case.
According to reports, the Dubai Police has questioned not only Boney Kapoor but the hotel staff, and others present at the time of death.
Bonny Kapoor, who was incidentally present in the same room, forced his entry to the bathroom after getting no response from his wife for sometime.
After Kapoor failed to revive Sridevi, the actress was taken to a hospital where she was declared brought dead.
Meanwhile, several celebrities flocked to the residence of her brother-in-law Anil Kapoor.
Among those who visited the Kapoors to express their grief were filmmakers Farah Khan, Karan Johar, Farhan Akhtar and Ritesh Sidhwani and others such as Resul Pookutty, Saroj Khan and Honey Irani.
However, chances of bringing her mortal remains back to Mumbai by Monday midnight are slim.
The remains would reportedly be brought back onboard a chartered aircraft belonging to Anil Ambani.
Ahead of her sudden death, Sridevi was in Dubai to attend the wedding of her nephew Mohit Marwah.
Boney Kapoor, who was also with her, returned back to Dubai only to surprise Sridevi on the day she had died.
Following the surfacing of the news of Sridevi's death, the entire country had mourned since Saturday night.
From PM Modi to Bollywood stars, everyone took to social media and other platforms to offer condolences.
Mumbai, Feb 26 (IBNS): The mortal remains of Bollywood superstar Sridevi will arrive from Dubai to India on Monday, media reports said.
Her last rites will be performed in Mumbai, reports said.
Leaving the nation shocked and numb, iconic Bollywood actress, Sridevi, who has been an inspiration for several generations, passed away on Saturday night in Dubai following a cardiac arrest.
According to reports, Sridevi suffered the cardiac arrest while she was attending her nephew's wedding in Dubai.
The legendary actress was there with her husband Boney Kapoor and daughter Khushi.
A medical team had failed to revive her and she was declared dead at a hospital, Indian ambassador in UAE Navdeep Suri told NDTV.
Known for her versatility, Sridevi had started her acting career as a child artist in M.A. Thirumugham's Thunaivan when she was just four.
Later she was part of various films like Himmatwala, Mr. India, Chandni, Sadma, Nagina, Khuda Gawa, Judaai and others. She was 54.
Mumbai, Feb 26 (IBNS): Bollywood superstar Sridevi's mortal remains will be flown back to the country on Monday, media reports said.
Her last rites will take place in Mumbai.
Sridevi had died on Saturday night in Dubai where she went to attend a wedding ceremony.
According to several news reports, Sridevi was in a bathtub inside the hotel bathroom while she suffered a cardiac arrest.
Sridevi's husband Bonny Kapoor, who was incidentally present in the same room, forced his entry to the bathroom after getting no response from his wife for sometime.
After Kapoor failed to revive Sridevi, the actress was taken to a hospital where she was declared brought dead.
Sridevi was with her younger daughter Khusi in Dubai.
Kapoor flew from Mumbai to give a surprise to Sridevi on the day she had died.
Following the surfacing of the news, the entire country had mourned since Saturday night.
From PM Modi to Bollywood stars, everyone took to social media and other platforms to offer condolences.
Barcelona, Feb 26 (IBNS): Spain's King Felipe faced protests in his maiden visit to Catalonia since October 2017's failed separation saga.
The Spanish King arrived in Barcelona for the Mobile World Congress technology fair.
According to reports, hundreds of police faced off with angry protesters in the Catalonia capital.
As a mark of protest, senior Catalonia lawmakers, including Barcelona Mayoress Ada Colau, refused to attend a formal reception.
Colau said she was upset with the monarch who decided to side with the national government and suppress the independence movement.
Meanwhile, the reputed Catalan Centre for Opinion Studies revealed last week that the number of people harbouring pro-independence sentiments have dropped.
The results suggested that 53.9 percent reject independence while 40.8 percent support it. In October 2017, 48.7 percent backed catalonia independence.
Abuja, Feb 26 (IBNS): The Nigerian government has widened its search for the missing 110 girls who have been kidnapped by Boko Haram militants last week.
The abduction took place after militants attacked their school in the town of Dapchi in the north-eastern Yobe state on Feb 19.
Condemning the incident, President Muhammadu Buhari said it was a "national disaster".
He has also tendered his apology to the family of the victims.
Dapchi is about 275km north-west of Chibok, where the infamous 2014 schoolgirl abduction took place.
A similar incident almost four years later has triggered anger and panic among Nigerian citizens.
Reports say that a month prior to the attack, soldiers were removed from key check points in Dapchi, making it easier for militants to infiltrate the area.
New York, Feb 26 (JEN): More than 10,000 civilians have lost their lives or suffered injuries during 2017, according to the latest report by the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) documenting the impact of the armed conflict on civilians in Afghanistan.
The human cost of this ugly war in Afghanistan loss of life, destruction and immense suffering is far too high said the Secretary-Generals Special Representative for Afghanistan, Tadamichi Yamamoto, during the launch of the latest annual report in Kabul.
The report detailed that in 2017, UNAMA and the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) documented 10,453 civilian casualties 3,438 killed and 7,015 injured.
The findings show that the majority of civilian casualties resulted from suicide attacks, improvised explosive device, ground engagements, targeted killings, explosive remnants of war and air strikes.
UN-backed forums
All sides in the Afghan conflict must do more to protect and respect the civilian population, said Afghans from different walks of life at a series of UN-backed forums around the country.
Representatives from government, women organizations, the Afghan Human Rights Commission, civil society and religious institutions are taking part in numerous events around Afghanistan to discuss the impact of the war on civilians.
Panelists taking part in a radio discussion in the eastern province of Nuristan demanded that both government forces and armed insurgents comply strictly with their obligations under international humanitarian, human rights and refugee law.
On a television roundtable in Jalalabad, participants shared concerns of the conflicts socio-economic impact on communities and families, particularly women and children. Most cannot access health services, education or engage in employment, subsequently marginalizing and pushing them deeper into poverty.
Several programmes, including television and radio discussions, are planned in different regions such as Herat, Kandahar and Kunduz, all of which have seen some of the highest number of civilian casualties.
Key recommendations from the report and across the events include stronger measures to protect civilians, and a call for dialogue between warring parties to end the conflict.
We have to work for a peace agreement to end the conflict. Collective
UNAMA / Fraidoon Poya
Dhaka, Feb 26 (IBNS): A bus crashed into a lorry on the Dhaka-Chittagong highway in Bangladesh's Sonargaon area which left at least eight people killed on Monday, media reports said.
The incident left 30 others injured.
The accident took place in Sonargaon upazila around 1:00pm, The Daily Star reported quoting district Traffic Police Inspector (admin) Molla Taslim Hossain.
Four of the bodies were taken to Dhaka Medical College Hospital, Bachchu Mia, the sub-inspector in-charge of the hospitals police outpost, told The Daily Star.
The injured people were rushed to different hospitals for treatment.
The identities of the deceased people are not known so far.
Damascus, Feb 26 (IBNS): At least 25 civilians were killed as airstrikes by the US-led anti-terror coalition hit Deir al-Zour area in Syria, a monitor group reported on Monday.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) said airstrikes were carried out targeting ISIS militants.
"25 casualties, more than half of them are children and women, killed in a massacre by the International Coalition, targeted the last pocket for ISIS on the Euphrates eastern bank," SOHR reported.
More details are awaited.
Photo: UNOCHA
Seoul, Feb 26 (IBNS): US President Donald Trump's daughter and senior White House advisor Ivanka Trump has concluded her South Korean visit.
Ivanka said she had a "wonderful" first visit to South Korea.
She visited the country to attend the Winter Olympics closing ceremony.
"It was a wonderful first visit and just exciting and beautiful," she was quoted as saying by Yonhap News agency.
Ivanka hoped that she will once again return to the Asian nation.
"I look forward to returning back. Thanks for the warm hospitality," she was quoted as saying by the news agency.
Appreciating the hospitality she received in the nation, Ivanka tweeted: " Thank you to President Moon, First Lady Kim & the people of South Korea for the warm hospitality you showed me, our Presidential Delegation & #TeamUSA during the #WinterOlympics. It was a deeply inspiring celebration of global sportsmanship and teamwork. e eiSee [Thank you]!."
Image: Ivanka Trump Twitter page
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Amid a court fight with the state of Texas, the Alabama-Coushatta Tribe is supporting a bill to restore its gaming rights.
H.R.4985 , the Ysleta del Sur Pueblo and Alabama-Coushatta Tribes of Texas Equal and Fair Opportunity Settlement Act, ensures that the tribe can follow the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act . Passage of the bill would presumably protect Naskila Gaming , the tribe's Class II gaming facility, from the state's ongoing litigation.
"This is a fairness issue," Rep. Brian Babin (R-Texas), the sponsor of H.R.4985, told The Houston Chronicle, "as this bill would ensure the Alabama-Coushatta tribe receives the same treatment that the federal government extends to other tribes."
The tribe is urging visitors to Naskila to "Join the Fight!" the paper said. A new website, supportnaskila.com , has been set up to drum up support for the measure.
We are confident that Congress will act quickly to address the inconsistencies in how Indian tribes are treated regarding gaming," Chairperson Jo Ann Battise said in a press release
We have all seen white trails left behind by jets in the sky. But we have never seen a trail that extends from the tip of Antarctica to the North Pole, now have we?
A strange line has been discovered by well-known conspiracist Tyler Glockner that spans across our planet for nearly 13,000 miles (21,000 km).
Glocker often uses Google Earth to spot stuff around the globe and in his video posted to his YouTube channel, secureteam10, he found this mysterious straight line spanning across the earth.
In the video, he says,
"This was not created by an airliner. This map here and at this distance only gives us images of the major cloud formations and weather around the Earth."
secureteam10/youtube
Also read: Rejoice GoT Fans! You Can Now Explore 33 Game Of Thrones Locations On Google Earth
He adds,
"Whatever created this cloud formation, if thats what it is, would have to be massive.
"Not only that, it would have the ability to go from Antarctica spanning 13,000 miles in a straight line all the way to the North Pole without stopping and without changing direction.
"It would have to do this fast enough to leave this entire line of clouds in perfect condition like it moved over the Earth in a matter of minutes."
Also read: Meet Saroo Brierley, The Man Who Took Help Of Google Earth To Find His Family After 25 Years!
His video has gone viral with 590,000 views. While one user says that it might be "proof of an alien mothership", another one writes, "Might be photo stitching multiple photos being stitched together without editing where the photos to not perfectly match."
What do you think it is?
Sridevi's sudden demise has left everyone close to her crestfallen and for reasons more than one. This has come as a huge shocker for her immediate family, as none of them saw it coming.
For Sridevi, her next couple of months were going to be really special. After all, her darling daughter Janhvi was going to make her big Bollywood debut with Karan Johar's Dhadak.
Not many know that Sridevi always rooted for her daughter Janhvi and while she was not okay with Janhvis wish to become an actress, she later got convinced and made sure that she is with her at every step.
Talking about the same, brother-in-law Sanjay Kapur spoke to media about Sridevis unexpected death. He said,
Antara Marwah A post shared by Sridevi Kapoor (@sridevi.kapoor) on Feb 20, 2018 at 11:05am PST
We are completely shocked. She had no history of a heart attack. She was hale and hearty and looked happy at the wedding. I am shocked at how quickly things turned for the worse. She was looking forward to Janhvis debut and her own films. None of us saw this coming, she didnt either.
But the big question still remains about when her body will be back in India. To which Sanjay said,
Twitter
People have been helpful and are trying to do their best to help us in this situation. The authorities have to follow the procedure. We have to abide by the countrys laws. The police is doing their best to help us with the formalities.
Talking about the sudden death, Actress Jaya Prada too bared her heart out. She said,
My angel A post shared by Sridevi Kapoor (@sridevi.kapoor) on Aug 1, 2017 at 3:34pm PDT
"When my son Siddharth was getting married, I had personally gone to invite her and she had come with her entire family. She was always very warm whenever we met. She really wanted to see Janhvi in her first film but everything is Gods will. I had never imagined that she would go away so soon. She would always have a smile on her face.
For years the Christian community has sacrificed their vices during lent by giving up chocolate, alcohol, smoking, crisps, meat and whatever else gets categorised as an 'indulgence' nowadays. The Church of England, however, has requested its parishioners to give up something more unconventional this time around.
thrive.suntimes.com
The Church of England has urged Christians to forsake a culprit in the larger scheme of things: single-use of plastics for six weeks of penance in an effort to cut the environmental damage it causes.
This is big news considering the Church of England, which has about 25 million members, is urging all its members to participate in the 'Lent Plastic Challenge' to forgo it's use of single-use plastic containers, such as plastic cups and other types of unwarranted packaging.
blog.cafod.org.uk
The Church wants people to avoid plastic products and packaging, which are increasingly becoming a major environmental hazard; polluting our oceans, rivers, wildlife, urban landscapes and clogging up landfills.
Lent, is the approximate six-weeks that leads up to Easter and is usually observed as a time for penance, fasting and prayer.
The Church of England's effort to combat global issues has come under criticism for shifting it's focus from religious observance that it originally stood for.
standard.co.uk
But the Church's actions are reflective of a wider interest of the mainline protestant and Christian groups to tackle global issues alongside personal issues.
This is part of the Church's wider environment program, Shrinking the Footprint.
"The Lent challenge is about raising our awareness of how much we rely on single-use plastics and challenging ourselves to see where we can reduce that use. ... It ties in closely with our calling as Christians to care for God's creation," said Ruth Knight, the environmental policy officer for the Church, reported Vox.
onegreenplanet.org
Pope Francis who has made environmental issues one of the key focuses of his ministry said in 2014, "This is our sin, exploiting the Earth," Francis said in 2014, "this is one of the greatest challenges of our time: to convert ourselves to a type of development that knows how to respect creation."
The Church of England has also created a calendar to help people for celebrating a plastic-free Lent.
Each day either has an environmentally-themed Bible verse or a suggestion teaching people how to avoid buying plastics to go with it. Easy-to-follow suggestions like buying clothes made of natural fibres, using reusable bags or finding dental floss that doesn't use a plastic box are all part of the suggestion mix.
encyclopedic.co.uk
"Yeah, some of them are more difficult than others," said Knight. "It's definitely not a commandment to do all of them, it's encouragement to do as much as you can," reported The New York Times.
The Church's 'Lent Plastic Challenge' comes at the backdrop of the most viewed BBC documentary series on the oceans last fall, Blue Planet II, which amassed a wave of anti-plastic sentiment and legislation across Britain and Europe. The Church is asking its practitioners to act more responsibility towards divine creation itself, which seems to be a morally appropriate path according to them.
The family of a retired armyman undergoing treatment for cancer has alleged that a doctor at the General Hospital in Gurugrams Sector 10 demanded Rs 5,000 from them for blood transfusion.
Tejram, who was admitted to the government hospital on Saturday evening, had to eventually return home without the blood being administered.
Representational Image
Although the family is yet to lodge any formal complaint in the matter, the hospital authorities said they would probe the allegation and action would be taken against the doctor if he is found guilty.
Tejrams relatives, who had arranged for the blood from nearby Rotary Blood Bank, went on a rampage at the hospital when the doctor allegedly refused to transfuse the blood. They vandalised the hospital corridor, creating a panic among other patients.
Tejram, a Delhi resident who retired from the armys civil cadre, was diagnosed with prostate cancer sometime back. He had been undergoing treatment at Delhis Safdarjung Hospital, where doctors said his haemoglobin level was low. Tejram was advised that he should get one unit of blood transfused.
We took my father to the General Hospital in Sector 10 in Gurugram around 5pm. The doctor on duty completed the necessary formalities and admitted him. We arranged for a unit of blood as advised but by then, the doctor on duty had changed as it was 10pm, said Brajesh Kumar, Tejrams son.
The family alleged that though the next doctor on duty set up the cannula, he refused to go ahead with the transfusion until he was paid Rs 5,000. This led to a heated argument and a ruckus in the hospital compound.
BCCL/Representational Image
Its government hospital. We completed the paperwork and arranged for the blood on our own. Why should we pay any money and that too without a receipt? When we objected, the doctor on duty refused to go ahead with the procedure and asked us to leave, said Brajesh.
The family is yet to register a complaint against the doctor. We have not received any complaint in this regard, but the matter has been brought to our notice. It is a very serious allegation as no doctor can deny service to a patient or demand money. In this case, a cancer patient has been denied blood transfusion. We will conduct an inquiry into the matter and take strict action if the doctor is found guilty, said Dr BK Rajora, a civil surgeon at the hospital.
India developed a heavy duty drone which is likely to replace imported drones from the US and Israel. Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) successfully tested its heavy duty drone named Rustom 2, from its test facility at Chalakere, in Karnataka.
Rustom 2 is a long endurance, medium altitude, unmanned aerial vehicle developed on the lines of Predator drones of the United States. The objective of this drone is to carry out surveillance for the armed forces with an endurance of 24 hours, officials said.
According to DRDO statement, "DRDO successfully flew its Rustom 2 today at its Aeronautical Test Range (ATR) at Chalakere at Chitradurga. This flight assumes significance due to the fact that this is the first flight in user configuration with higher power engine."
The drone is capable of carrying different combinations of payloads like electronic intelligence system, situational awareness payloads and synthetic aperture radar.
The Rs. 1,500-crore drone project was initiated considering the requirements of the Army, Navy and Air Force.
Google said it had agreed to acquire privately held artificial intelligence company DeepMind Technologies.
Technology news website Re/code, which reported news of the deal earlier, said the price was $400 million, without disclosing where it got the information.
A Google spokesman declined to comment on the price. DeepMind representatives could not be immediately reached for comment.
Founded in London in 2012 by Demis Hassabis, Shane Legg and Mustafa Suleyman, DeepMind uses general-purpose learning algorithms for applications such as simulations, e-commerce and games, according to its website.
Google, which is working on projects including self-driving cars and robots, has become increasingly focused on artificial intelligence in recent years.
In 2012, it hired Ray Kurzweil, considered one of the leading minds in the field, and in May it announced a partnership with NASA and several universities to launch the Quantum Artificial Intelligence Lab.
Reuters
When we consider the dangers of artificial intelligence, were mostly thinking about The Terminator. Machines rising up, enslaving humans - that kind of deal. We worry were going to eventually build an AI thats incredibly smart but forget to put in the checks and balances that make it beholden to us, or that a machine learning program will learn the worst traits of humanity from the cesspools of racism, homophobia, and violent extremism online.
Sure, all of that is possible, but there are other dangers of AI we dont really think about so often. What about thieves, hackers, and trolls that instead use AI for their own gains or just to watch the world burn? Thats exactly the kind of trouble that 12 experts from leading AI research institutes in the world are looking into.
Experts from various groups like the Future of Humanity Institute, the Centre for the Study of Existential Risk, and the Elon Musk-backed non-profit OpenAI have submitted a new report called The Malicious Use of Artificial Intelligence: Forecasting, Prevention, and Mitigation. In it, they describe some of the ways AI could be used to thwart humanity and how we might tackle it.
In an interview with The Verge, Miles Brundage of the Future of Humanity Institute, and co-author on the paper, says, I like to take the optimistic framing, which is that we could do more. The point here is not to paint a doom-and-gloom picture there are many defenses that can be developed and theres much for us to learn. I dont think its hopeless at all, but I do see this paper as a call to action.
Automated Scamming
Take for instance the fact that AI lets you automate tasks that would normally require human effort. Spear phishing is a form of online scam where messages are customised for individuals theyre being sent to, in an effort to gain their security passwords or PIN numbers. These come in the form of a fake email from your work organisation or bank, or even supposedly an old friend. With AI in the mix, it would not only make it much faster to pick an attack route based on analysis of your work and social contacts, but also generate a fake message that would be believable. All it would take is applying the publicly available work of many chatbots and other developers, and build the system once. After that, it could be endlessly replicated and distributed for any purpose.
Realistic Fake Correspondence
In the same vein, a hacker could also generate realistic audio or video to go along with their scams, tricking tech-illiterate people out of their money and identities. It wouldnt take much to have an AI mimic a persons voice and even facial expressions, making you think thats really a bank employee on the other end of the line and not a computer.
Propaganda and False Flags
Weve already seen how some Reddit users are using AI to create fake porn footage of celebrities, so its not much of a jump before were watching fake footage that we cant differentiate from real. Forget just manipulating public opinion for political gain, a troll could start a riot by pretending to have captured footage of a minority perpetrating violence on the majority.
Big Brother Becomes More Versatile
With AI, we can replace humans watching security footage with a program capable of watching, analysing, and cataloguing various feeds simultaneously on the fly. Suddenly, an intelligence agency has the capability to watch every CCTV camera in the country in real time, which would be great to catch security threats but not so much for regular people.
The New Vehicles of Terror
Theres also one other fear, that terrorists could repurpose AI for attacks on civilians. An extremist group intercepts a government office cleaning robot for example, and plants a bomb on it. Now, they just use the built-in machine vision and facial recognition to have the robot deliver the explosive to a target politician.
Sure, some of these fears are more complicated than others, but theyre still very much in the realm of possibility.
So how do we safeguard against these kinds of attacks?
The report makes five key recommendations:
1. AI researchers need to acknowledge how their work can be misused be open about it.
2. Lawmakers need to be kept in the loop and educated about the dangers.
3. AI developers need to collaborate with cybersecurity experts to ensure theyre following best practices.
4. We need a set of rigorous legal and ethical frameworks in place.
5. We also need added inputs from diverse professions like business, experts, and even the general public.
Brundage and his research partners believe theres still a while before were really facing these threats, but we cant wait for that time to get in gear. We need to have a security system in place before our AI reaches the capability to cause serious harm, and we need to get it now.
Hummingbird-like Flower-loving Fly Faces Extinction Following Federal Delay
LOS ANGELES, February 22, 2018 The Center for Biological Diversity today filed a notice of intent to sue the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for failing to protect the San Joaquin Valley giant flower-loving fly under the Endangered Species Act.The giant fly has been lost from more than 99 percent of its former range and survives in only one population about 15 miles east of Bakersfield, where it is under immediate threat of extinction from sand mining at Sand Ridge.Although once found in scattered sandy habitats throughout the San Joaquin Valley north to the Antioch Dunes of Contra Costa County, the fly is now so rare that it was thought to be extinct until two populations were rediscovered near Bakersfield in 1997. One of those two, at a site 10 miles south of Bakersfield, was exterminated by sprawl development in 2006.The Fish and Wildlife Service needs to stop sitting on its hands while this unique species is pushed toward the brink of extinction, said Chris Nagano, a senior scientist and entomologist at the Center. We should protect all imperiled creatures great or small, because every species plays an important role in the web of life.The San Joaquin Valley giant flower-loving fly resembles a stealth fighter. It can hover in mid-air and then instantly fly away at speeds difficult for the human eye to follow. Detailed studies of the high-speed, aerobatic flight and the structure of the eyes of a related fly led to advances in the U.S. Air Forces missile tracking systems.Two California entomologists petitioned for emergency protection of the San Joaquin Valley giant flower-loving fly in June 2014. The Service determined in April 2015 that protection may be warranted, but has failed to either propose or deny listing. The decision is now more than three years overdue. The giant flower-loving fly was first identified as being in need of federal protection by the Service in 1991.The fly is close in size to a small hummingbird, with a 1.5-inch body and long proboscis, or tongue. The species plays a critical role in its sand-dune ecosystem, serving as food for birds and other predators and feeding on other invertebrates in its early stages. Surprisingly, the extremely active adults have never been observed to feed.Insects are understudied worldwide, but many are highly threatened and our wildlife agencies should start prioritizing protection for this important group of animals, said Nagano.Photo: San Joaquin Valley giant flower-loving fly (Available for media use with appropriate credit. Please credit: Greg Ballmer, courtesy Center for Biological Diversity.).The Center for Biological Diversity is a national, nonprofit conservation organization with more than 1.6 million members and online activists dedicated to the protection of endangered species and wild places.
AgMaster Report 09/17/2021 The PRICE Futures Group - 1 hour ago DEC CORN The mkts scored a KEY UPSIDE REVERSAL following last Fridays WASDE Report which was bearish as advertised with yield 176.3 (174.6), production 14,996 (14,750) & US stocks 1408 (1242)!...
Double Digit Drops for Soybeans Barchart - 1 hour ago The midday soy complex is trading red. Soybeans are down by 9 1/4 to 10 1/4 cents ahead of the weekend. Cash beans are about a 44 1/2 cent discount to November futures. Midday losses in meal are limited... ZSX21 : 1285-6 (-0.79%) ZSPAUS.CM : 12.4133 (-0.80%) ZSF22 : 1294-6 (-0.77%) ZSX21 : 1285-6 (-0.79%)
Corn Prices Bleeding Lower into Weekend Barchart - 1 hour ago Corn prices are fractionally to 2 1/4 cents lower ahead of the weekend break. Cash prices are down sharper, weakening basis to ~14 1/2 cents under December. USDAs weekly Grain Transport report noted... ZCZ21 : 527-0 (-0.47%) ZCPAUS.CM : 5.1292 (-0.54%) ZCH22 : 534-0 (-0.51%) ZCZ21 : 527-0 (-0.47%)
Swiss Market Index (SMI) Developing A Motive Wave From March 2020 ElliottWave-Forecast - Fri Sep 17, 10:36AM CDT The Swiss Market Index (SMI) is one of the other Capital Markets worldwide that is building motive wave from the lows of March 2020. We can clearly see that it has already completed 3 waves to the upside...
Profits rose thanks to strong underlying business performance as well as profits on sale and non-cash accounting adjustments relating to mergers and acquisitions throughout the half.
Australian broking saw a 6.8% increase in profit contribution in the half, contributing $20.4m, compared to $19.1m in the first half of 2017, as premium funding income also increased by 5.9%.
This performance is based on solid strategic execution which has delivered organic growth across all business areas and greater contribution between partnering businesses, Mark Searles, CEO and managing director of AUB Group, said.
Underwriting agencies saw a 5% increase in profit contribution, up to $4.6m, as policy count also improved by 7.4%.
New Zealand saw an 11% increase in profit contribution to $2.8m, thanks to strong organic growth and improved margins, the firm said.
The biggest improvement came from risk services which saw its profit contribution rise 21% to $4.3m, having navigated the changes in NSW workers compensation which the firm noted are expected to be more challenging in the second half of the year.
Looking forward, the firm noted that whilst the first half of the year was ahead of expectations, there is more reason for caution over the coming period as the business looks at a one-off corporate cost relating to technology outsourcing.
Notwithstanding, we are confident that performance will be at the top end of our current guidance range of 5-10% growth in Adjusted NPAT over FY17, AUB Group said in a statement to the ASX.
Related stories:
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AUB Group announces latest acquisition
Recent events have made the NRA appear toxic to many companies, with numerous corporations severing their association with the gun lobbying group or ending NRA member discounts following the mass shooting at Marjorie Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla. The shooting claimed the lives of 17 students and teachers and sponsored nationwide calls for stricter gun laws laws which the NRA vehemently opposes.
Companies like Wyndham Hotels and home security company SimpliSafe have severed their association with the NRA in the wake of the shooting. Car-rental company Enterprise and Symantec, which operated the LifeLock identity-theft protection service, have ended discount programs for NRA members.
On the insurance side, MetLife has also severed ties with the NRA, ending its own discount programme for members of the association.
Related stories:
The Telegraph reported having seen a letter from ClientEarth, a charity registered in the UK.
Founded by environmental lawyer James Thornton, the non-profit organisation believes more can be done, and particularly by Beale as CEO of the worlds specialist insurance market. It wants the Lloyds rulebook to be rewritten to make sure members do not invest in, or insure, coal-related firms and undertakings.
Beale, meanwhile, reportedly told the publication that the market is in the process of examining what was described as the best way for Lloyds to assist in the worlds shift to low carbon. Last year Lloyds announced it will implement a coal exclusion policy starting April.
It makes no sense
Among the recent firms to unveil its climate change strategy was Generali, which last week said it is divesting 2 billion from coal and at the same time maintaining a minimum level of exposure in the sector in terms of underwriting which doesnt make the cut for the Unfriend Coal campaign.
Generalis failure to act on underwriting is unacceptable, said campaign coordinator Lucie Pinson. What it calls minimal underwriting support for coal leads to thousands of premature deaths each year and increases the risk of runaway climate change.
It makes no sense to divest from coal but keep insuring coal projects, and we will maintain pressure on the company.
As for the insurers divestment policies, the group sees them as having the potential to be among the industrys tightest if no exceptions are allowed. As per the strategy approved by the board, Generali will allow exceptions in countries where producing electrical and heating energies, for lack of an alternative, still depends on coal.
Related stories:
Generali to step away from coal investments
Allianz will insure coal projects... for now
The sales are expected to be completed by the end of 2018 and Pat Regan, QBE Group CEO, said that the decision to exit the market is consistent with the firms focus on simplifying the group.
Following a detailed review of our Latin American operations, we determined that QBE was no longer the best strategic owner of these businesses, Regan said.
Zurich has a significant presence in Latin America and a strong commitment to the region. Following the completion of the sale, we look forward to cooperating with Zurich to service the needs of our multinational customers operating in Latin America.
The firm also announced its annual results, with Australian and New Zealand operations one of the highlights for the business.
QBEs ANZO business saw GWP rise by 2% as premium increases, tightened terms and conditions, enhanced underwriting discipline and claims management initiatives boosted local operations.
However, as previously reported by Insurance Business, the Group overall saw a statutory net loss after tax of $1.2bn, compared to a profit of $844m in FY16 as natural disaster costs hammered the business.
QBE saw net cost of catastrophes hit $1.2bn in 2017, compared with $439m in 2016 as the firm underperformed in its other emerging markets business in Asia Pacific.
QBEs Asia Pacific operations saw an unacceptable combined operating ratio of 115.5%, up from 95.6% in the prior year, whilst North American results were heavily impacted by a string of second half natural disasters.
The North American business saw its combined ratio hit 109.1%, up from 98.5% as European operations had a strong result but were also impacted by the North American natural disaster losses, with a combined ratio of 95.2%, up from 90.7%.
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QBE announces expected $1.2bn loss
The sales are expected to be completed by the end of 2018 and Pat Regan, QBE Group CEO, said that the decision to exit the market is consistent with the firms focus on simplifying the group.
Following a detailed review of our Latin American operations, we determined that QBE was no longer the best strategic owner of these businesses, Regan said.
Zurich has a significant presence in Latin America and a strong commitment to the region. Following the completion of the sale, we look forward to cooperating with Zurich to service the needs of our multinational customers operating in Latin America.
The firm has also announced its annual results, with Australian and New Zealand operations, its home turf, one of the highlights for the business.
QBEs ANZO business saw GWP rise by 2% as premium increases, tightened terms and conditions, enhanced underwriting discipline and claims management initiatives boosted local operations.
However, as previously reported by Insurance Business, the Group overall saw a statutory net loss after tax of US$1.2 billion, compared to a profit of US$844 million in FY16 as natural disaster costs hammered the business.
QBE saw net cost of catastrophes hit US$1.2 billion in 2017, compared with US$439 million in 2016 as the firm underperformed in its other emerging markets business in Asia-Pacific.
QBEs Asia-Pacific operations saw an unacceptable combined operating ratio of 115.5%, up from 95.6% in the prior year, while North American results were heavily impacted by a string of second half natural disasters.
The North American business saw its combined ratio hit 109.1%, up from 98.5% as European operations had a strong result but were also impacted by the North American natural disaster losses, with a combined ratio of 95.2%, up from 90.7%.
Related stories:
That means that everything from here-on operates under a protective umbrella of voluntary administration, Harris reportedly told the newspaper.
The administration, however, only relates to New Zealand-domiciled companies and does not affect any other entities owned by CBL Corporation Ltd. Those that are not affected include Assetinsure and DepositPower in Australia, as well as Europe-based PfP, SFS, and European Insurance Services.
Appointed by the board as voluntary administrators were KordaMentha New Zealand partners Brendon Gibson and Neale Jackson.
Giant save in Ireland
Over in Ireland, where CBL Insurance Europe dac is registered, major insurer Zurich is stepping in after the European arm was ordered by the Central Bank to stop writing new business until further notice.
The Sunday Times said the Swiss insurance giant, which owns managing general agent Wrightway Underwriting, will take over thousands of existing home cover policies unaffected by the Irish reserve banks direction. According to the report, CBLs Homeguard policy has been distributed in Ireland through Wrightway Underwriting since 2015.
Approximately 8,000 policies will be gradually transferred to Zurich.
The Dublin-based unit, which enables the group to write business through the European Union, was acquired by CBL from Rabobank Group in 2013. It needs to resolve supervisory issues with the Central Bank of Ireland before it can resume writing new business.
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Insurer ordered to cease writing new business until further notice
CBL Insurance goes into interim liquidation
The sales are expected to be completed by the end of 2018 and Pat Regan, QBE Group CEO, said that the decision to exit the market is consistent with the firms focus on simplifying the group.
Following a detailed review of our Latin American operations, we determined that QBE was no longer the best strategic owner of these businesses, Regan said.
Zurich has a significant presence in Latin America and a strong commitment to the region. Following the completion of the sale, we look forward to cooperating with Zurich to service the needs of our multinational customers operating in Latin America.
The firm has also announced its annual results, with Australian and New Zealand operations, its home turf, one of the highlights for the business.
QBEs ANZO business saw GWP rise by 2% as premium increases, tightened terms and conditions, enhanced underwriting discipline and claims management initiatives boosted local operations.
However, as previously reported by Insurance Business, the Group overall saw a statutory net loss after tax of US$1.2 billion, compared to a profit of US$844 million in FY16 as natural disaster costs hammered the business.
QBE saw net cost of catastrophes hit US$1.2 billion in 2017, compared with US$439 million in 2016 as the firm underperformed in its other emerging markets business in Asia-Pacific.
QBEs Asia-Pacific operations saw an unacceptable combined operating ratio of 115.5%, up from 95.6% in the prior year, while North American results were heavily impacted by a string of second half natural disasters.
The North American business saw its combined ratio hit 109.1%, up from 98.5% as European operations had a strong result but were also impacted by the North American natural disaster losses, with a combined ratio of 95.2%, up from 90.7%. Well bring you more on the companys European results later.
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Recent events have made the NRA appear toxic to many companies, with numerous corporations severing their association with the gun lobbying group or ending NRA member discounts following the mass shooting at Marjorie Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla. The shooting claimed the lives of 17 students and teachers and sponsored nationwide calls for stricter gun laws laws which the NRA vehemently opposes.
Companies like Wyndham Hotels and home security company SimpliSafe have severed their association with the NRA in the wake of the shooting. Car-rental company Enterprise and Symantec, which operated the LifeLock identity-theft protection service, have ended discount programs for NRA members.
On the insurance side, MetLife has also severed ties with the NRA, ending its own discount program for members of the association.
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The proposal is called the Macomb Solution named after the county where most of the bills sponsors come from and would allow drivers to pay for more limited auto coverage, or opt out of getting car insurance at all if they so desired. Currently, only two states in the country Virginia and New Hampshire have limited or no insurance requirements for their drivers, according to the Free Press.
This package of bills is no different than going through a cafeteria line, Republican Rep. Peter Lucido told the Free Press. You only pay for the items you select. Car insurance should work the same way. Those who do not have the money or wish to assume the risk of loss from injury, property damage and lawsuits can choose to not buy auto insurance at all.
Considering that multiple previous proposals all far less drastic than the Macomb Solution have failed, its unlikely the proposal will succeed, the Free Press said.
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It was revealed yesterday that the firm had sold its Latin American operations, excluding its business in Puerto Rico, to Zurich in a deal set to be worth more than US$400 million.
While Regan had previously flagged that underperforming business units could be on the chopping block, the firm will look to review its current business with an eye to changing its product, rather than country mix. He highlighted that internationally the firm had already exited the construction workers compensation market in Hong Kong and scaled back its business in the marine market in Indonesia as it looks to turnaround a result which saw the firm lose over US$1.2 billion in profit last year.
Regan added that the vast majority of QBEs global business meet the threshold of a good market position and a realistic plan that can deliver an acceptable return as the firm looks to make its way back into the black.
This is not about a wholesale reduction in the size of QBE beyond exiting Latin America, Regan told investors.
With operations in Australia and New Zealand having already undergone a detailed review following a poor result several years ago, Regan said that the local arm can be a blueprint to help the business in its other markets.
There is certainly a playbook three quarters of which will be applicable to all parts of QBE, Regan continued. There is quite a bit of that playbook we need to do in Asia, but it is obviously a little bit different to do what we did in Australia, but a lot of the same game plan works.
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QBE offloads Latin American operations to Zurich
QBE North America launches construction professional liability coverage
Chris is someone were really excited to bring on in North Carolina, said Smart Choice president Andrew Caldwell. We have a lot of new initiatives and opportunities underway for our agents in 2018, and Chris has such a deep, multi-faceted knowledge of the industry, that bringing him in to further develop our programs here was a logical decision. His experience will be an asset to agents on so many different levels.
Im eager to get started in North Carolina, and I look forward to being an asset to our agency partners in all areas of their agency business, commented Reisdorf. Ive owned my own agency, and I know first-hand the challenges owners face in this marketplace. Smart Choice is uniquely positioned to meet the needs of agencies at a variety of different experience levels, and Im excited to be a part of it.
Reisdorf was most recently the vice-president of agency relations, in charge of national strategic partnerships, for All Risks Ltd. Prior to that, he was vice-president of marketing at Tapco Underwriters.
At present, Smart Choice is partnered with 6,300 agencies across the US.
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According to Virginia lawyer Mike Melkersen who represents Doar and more than 300 other plaintiffs in similar cases Davids case had been dismissed by agreement. Melkersen, however, declined to disclose the terms.
Reuters also noted that a Volkswagen spokesperson declined to comment on the settlement as well.
In 2015, the automaker admitted that it had installed software in its diesel vehicles, which allowed the automobiles to change their performance upon detecting that they were undergoing emissions testing, improving their test results.
Almost all VW owners in the US agreed to take part in a $25 billion settlement in 2016 that addressed claims from them, as well as from environmentalists, US states, and dealers. The settlement included buyback offers and additional compensation for about 500,000 owners.
Doar had purchased a 2014 diesel Jetta for $23,700; one of the automobiles that VW had allegedly modified to falsify emissions test results. He had rejected a previous settlement offer from a 2016 class-action agreement that would have compensated him for the full value of the vehicle. In the latest case, Doar sought $725,000, plus legal fees.
Reuters reported that the next trial is slated for June 04, involving another VW diesel vehicle owner.
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VW emissions scandal embroils Porsche
US Justice Department looking at deferred prosecution for VW amid new charges
The Supreme Court of New Jersey has ruled a city and its electrical inspector are not liable for claims resulting from a fatal fire within a multi-unit home that was allegedly caused by faulty wiring. The court stated in its opinion that public entities and their employees cannot be held liable for failing to enforce the law.
The case comes after a fire in the city of Paterson, N.J., on June 30, 2010, which consumed a multi-unit home owned by Florence Brown. The fire killed four residents and injured several others.
Seven lawsuits were subsequently brought on behalf of the four descendants estates and by several others who were injured escaping the fire. The actions were consolidated.
During the proceedings, questions arose as to whether Paterson and its electrical inspector, Robert Bierals alleged by the plaintiffs to be partially at fault for the fire were entitled to qualified or absolute immunity under New Jerseys Tort Claims Act (TCA).
Public entities will be exposed to a flood of tort claims from which the legislature intended to insulate them if the court does not reverse the Appellate Divisions decision in this case
The TCA grants absolute immunity from liability to public entities and their employees for injuries resulting from their failure to enforce the law. In contrast, public employees are entitled only to qualified immunity when they are enforcing the law. The TCA also protects public entities and their employees from liability for injuries due to failure to inspect, or a negligent or inadequate inspection.
Because the Supreme Court of New Jersey found that in this case, the critical causative conduct was a failure to enforce the law, it ruled Bierals is entitled to absolute immunity. The city of Patersons liability is conditioned on that of Bierals, so the city is entitled to absolute immunity as well, the court found.
Background
On January 9, 2010, the Paterson Fire Department visited Browns multi-unit home to investigate smoke coming from a boiler. A fire inspector found improper wiring in the basements electrical panels and notified the citys electrical department for further inspection.
Bierals, an electrical inspector employed by the city, reviewed the electrical panels and determined the wiring did not comply with the building code. Bierals took photos of the wiring and told Brown it was extremely dangerous.
Through Bierals, the city of Paterson issued Brown a Notice of Violation and Order to Terminate, but Brown did not respond. The city then sent a Notice and Order of Penalty to Brown, citing specific violations of the Uniform Construction Code Act and various regulations.
When Bierals returned to Browns home to reinspect the wiring, Brown told him she had not altered or repaired it. Bierals told Brown to hire an electrician and have the wiring repaired within two weeks, asking her to notify him when the electrician arrived.
Although Bierals indicated in his report he had reinspected the wiring, he had not actually conducted a second inspection, according to the Supreme Court of New Jersey opinion document. Instead, he relied on Browns indication that the issue had not been corrected.
After his visit to Browns home, Bierals contacted Francine Ragucci, an employee of Patersons Community Improvements Department. Bierals testified he showed Ragucci photos of the wiring and told her the problem needed to be fixed. Ragucci said she would speak with Sal Ianelli, another city official, and inform Bierals about the conversation. However, Bierals did not hear from Ragucci, according to the opinion document.
According to Bierals, if a code violation means a hazard is imminent, the city can terminate electrical service to the home. Bierals testified that department policy required him to notify his direct supervisor, Alfonso Del Carmen, of an imminent hazard, and Del Carmen would determine whether to shut off power at Browns home.
Bierals did not contact Del Carmen because of a previous conflict between them when Bierals had recommended a shutoff in a separate situation. According to Bierals, Del Carmen had accused him of recommending a power shut-off to create work for an electrician friend. After the incident, Bierals decided to longer go through Del Carmen to obtain a shut-off. Instead, he contacted Ragucci because he thought the situation at Browns property required immediate action, the opinion document stated.
On June 30, 2010, the faulty wiring caused a fire at Browns property, killing four residents and injuring several others.
Lawsuits Filed
After seven lawsuits were brought, the city of Paterson and its employees moved for summary judgment.
The trial court initially ruled that all of the city of Paterson employees except Bierals were entitled to absolute immunity under the TCA and granted summary judgment in favor of those defendants. Bierals instead was determined by the trial court to have qualified immunity, as questions remained about whether he acted in good faith. The court also ruled that the city of Paterson was entitled to qualified immunity.
Bierals and the city of Paterson then moved for summary judgment before a different judge, arguing they were entitled to absolute immunity. The court granted the motion in March 2015. Plaintiffs moved for reconsideration, and the court held a hearing.
In April 2015, the court reconsidered and vacated the grant of summary judgment. In June 2016, a three-judge panel affirmed the trial courts order in an unpublished opinion, holding that Bierals and Paterson were entitled only to qualified immunity. Because plaintiffs alleged Bierals acted to enforce the law but did not act in good faith, the panel remanded to the trial court to decide the factual dispute.
N.J. Supreme Court Decision
In its opinion document, the Supreme Court of New Jersey stated plaintiff Hazel Hamrick Lee argued the city of Paterson and Bierals are entitled to qualified immunity because Bierals actions, including issuing violations and reporting the problem to Ragucci, constitute enforcing the law. Lee claimed the issue to decide is whether Bierals acted in good faith, not whether he acted at all, the opinion document said. In addition, plaintiff Tyrone Byard, who was injured in the fire while escaping the building, agreed the city of Paterson and Bierals are only entitled to qualified immunity.
Amicus NJAJ (New Jersey Association for Justice) stated Bierals failure to shut off the homes power was a failure to enforce a city policy, not a law. NJAJ contended Bierals breached procedure, but enforced the law by issuing violations even though he failed to shut off power. Liability in this case, according to NJAJ, is predicated on action rather than inaction, the opinion document said.
With this in mind, NJAJ said the inspection immunity provision of the TCA does not apply because it was not Bierals inspection that caused the fire. NJAJ also stated the court should recognize special circumstances and, even if it is decided that absolute immunity applies, the court should hold Paterson and Bierals liable, the opinion document said.
According to the amicus, the actions in this case.rise to the level of egregious misconduct and should be subject to liability, the opinion document added.
Alternatively, the city of Paterson asserted it is entitled to absolute immunity because the fire was caused by a failure to enforce the law or a failure to inspect. It emphasized Bierals failure to contact Del Carmen to pursue the shut-off was the critical causative conduct in this case constituting a failure to enforce the law, so the city is entitled to absolute immunity, the opinion document said.
Bierals arguments were similar to the city of Patersons, contending that because he did not issue an Unsafe Structure Notice or tell Del Carmen about the issue and turn off the power, he is entitled to absolute immunity. Bierals also asserted if the fire was a result of his inadequate inspection, he is shielded from liability due to his failure to turn off the power after discovering the faulty wiring and his failure to notify his supervisor of the situation, the opinion document said.
Amici NJSLM (New Jersey State League of Municipalities) also asserted the general rule for municipalities under the TCA is immunity from tort suits, and liability is the exception. NJSLM contended absolute immunity is appropriate in this case, warning that public entities will be exposed to a flood of tort claims from which the legislature intended to insulate them if the court does not reverse the Appellate Divisions decision in this case, the opinion document stated.
Indeed, the New Jersey Supreme Court found in its opinion the TCA effectuates the legislatures intent to establish immunity for government action as the rule and liability as the exception.
The statute strikes a balance between allowing municipal governments to perform their necessary functions without an avalanche of tort liability while holding public entities accountable for injuries that are a direct result of their wrongful conduct, the court stated in its opinion. The legislative design insulates government from suit based on a violation attributable to someone elses wrongful acts, when the governments conduct is only an indirect contributing cause of the harm.'
With this in mind, the New Jersey Supreme Court ruled the critical causative conduct in this case was Bierals failure to contact Del Carmen and secure an emergency power shut-off or to seek relief in court, not any affirmative action to enforce the law. The New Jersey Supreme Court decided the fire is alleged to have been caused by the faulty wiring on the electrical panels and was not the result of any corrective action taken by Bierals.
Under its interpretation of the TCA, the court found Bierals prior conduct of inspecting and issuing notices of violation was not sufficient to subject him to liability.
There is no dispute that the citys liability is conditioned on that of Bierals, and thus the city is entitled to absolute immunity as well, the Supreme Court stated in its opinion. Because we find that Bierals and the city are entitled to absolute immunity, we need not reach the issue of whether the inspector acted in good faith.
The New Jersey Supreme Court concluded defendants Bierals and Paterson are entitled to summary judgment, reversed the judgment of the Appellate Division and remanded to resolve the remaining issues in the consolidated case.
Topics Lawsuits New Jersey
Markel Corporation has hired Beth Hungate-Noland as a managing director.
In this role, Hungate-Noland will join the team at Markel that is responsible for oversight of the companys Markel Ventures operations and will be based out of Markel Corporations headquarters in Richmond, Va.
Hungate-Noland was most recently a partner in Williams Mullens corporate practice, where she spent 15 years serving clients with mergers and acquisitions, debt and equity financings and corporate governance counseling.
Markel Corporation is a financial holding company serving a variety of niche markets. The companys principal business markets and underwrites specialty insurance products. Through its subsidiary Markel Ventures, Markel makes investments in businesses that operate outside of the insurance marketplace.
Source: Markel Corporation
Topics Virginia
Maine businesses could save as much as $27 million this year thanks to a projected decline in workers compensation insurance claims.
Maine Superintendent of Insurance Eric Cioppa said he approved a 12 percent average decrease in expected workers compensation loss costs in Maine.
Cioppa said the decrease should result in lower workers compensation premiums on average across all industry groups.
The superintendent said there will only be a decrease in costs if individual insurers accept the proposed change.
Maines largest workers compensation insurance company, The MEMIC Group, said it will adopt the rate recommendation. Company CEO Michael P. Bourque said it amounts to the largest rate reduction in more than 20 years.
He cited safer workplaces and prompt return-to-work policies as factors in reduced rates.
Copyright 2021 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Topics Workers' Compensation Maine
Europes aviation safety authority has proposed anti-hacking measures and geo-awareness technology for small drones to avoid collisions with aircraft or people, taking an important step toward Europe-wide regulation.
The reworked proposal published by the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) on Thursday [Feb. 22], which will be the basis for the European Commission to adopt concrete rules later in the year, includes requirements for drones to be remotely identifiable and to recognize when they stray into banned areas.
With demand booming, both for hobby and commercial use, European regulators have been looking for ways to ensure drones can be safely operated, while allowing the industry to grow.
Risks posed by the increasing use of drones were highlighted in October when a drone hit an aircraft landing at a Canadian airport, and there have been several near-misses between drones and passenger planes in Europe.
EASA confirmed proposals for product legislation using the CE standard and for dos and donts notices to be in all product boxes.
To take into account that the risks of flying drones over a city center are very different from flying over the open sea, for instance, it said that only smaller drones weighing less than 900 grams (2 lb) may be flown over people, while bigger ones must either maintain a safe distance or stay far away.
It also now proposed that small drones, such as those used for aerial photography, be equipped with geo-awareness, meaning a function that warns the operator when the craft enters a restricted air space, such as an airport.
That replaces a previous proposal for geo-fencing, which would actively prevent drones from straying into banned areas.
Drones weighing more than 900 grams should be equipped with technology to prevent hackers from gaining control of the crafts.
EASA also said that drones and their operators, as well as where they took off, should be remotely identifiable, based on unique serial numbers and registration data.
But it simplified its proposed rules on registration, addressing the concerns of some EU member states. It said the operators of drones excluding very small ones weighing less than 250 grams should register themselves rather than filling out separate paperwork for each new craft.
Currently, the regulation of drones in Europe varies country to country, but that can now change thanks to a reform of EASA approved at the end of last year.
Drone makers and pilots have pressed for European rules to be endorsed, saying it is essential a new regulatory framework for drones be put in place as soon as possible.
Makers of commercial drones include Chinas DJI and Frances Parrot.
(Reporting by Maria Sheahan; editing by Mark Heinrich)
Topics Cyber Legislation Europe Aviation
Britain is backing a hedge fund that aims to raise $200 million to give developing countries access to climate risk insurance.
Britains Department for International Development (DFID) is investing 25 million pounds ($35 million) over a 20-year period in the Natural Disaster Fund, managed by Global Parametrics, a DFID spokeswoman said on Friday [Feb. 23].
G7 governments are looking to address a lack of access to insurance in the developing world, with a goal to insure an additional 400 million people against climate disasters by 2020.
Insurance could cover up to $6.8 billion of the losses from natural disasters if more insurance structures were used, a report prepared for DFID last year showed.
These include so-called parametric structures, where insurance payments are triggered by a predetermined factor, such as an increase in water height, at a specified location a quicker and cheaper process than waiting for insurers to calculate exact losses.
Unique Model
Meanwhile, investors have flocked to so-called insurance-linked securities (ILS) such as catastrophe bonds in recent years because of their high returns.
German development bank KfW said it may also invest in the Global Parametrics ILS hedge fund, which is being marketed to pension funds and reinsurers.
We are considering a direct investment, said Stefan Hirche, a project manager for financial sector development at KfW, though he added that the amount had not yet been decided.
Global Parametrics has a unique model of transferring weather risk out of developing countries. The model could also be used in other areas such as renewable energy and infrastructure, he said.
The fund expects to raise $200 million within the next two to three years, a source with direct knowledge of the matter said.
KfWs Insuresilience Investment Fund and DFID also contributed a combined 3 million pounds to the set-up of Global Parametrics, Hirche said.
The Global Parametrics fund launch joins a number of other ILS fund launches after insurance rate rises after the fires, floods, hurricanes and earthquakes that led to record insurance losses of $135 billion last year.
Global Parametrics is working with World Visions microfinance unit to provide climate insurance for up to four million people in six countries in Africa and Asia, the two organizations said last month.
($1 = 0.7151 pounds) (Reporting by Maiya Keidan and Carolyn Cohn; editing by Alexander Smith and David Goodman)
Related:
Insurance Protection Gap Is Growing Global Problem; Swiss Re, RenRe & WTW Comment
Topics Natural Disasters
German carmaker BMW said on Friday [Feb. 23] it would recall 11,700 cars to fix their engine management software after it discovered that the wrong programming had been installed on its luxury 5- and 7-Series models.
In the course of internal tests, the BMW Group has discovered that a correctly developed software update was mistakenly assigned to certain unsuitable model-versions, the company said in a statement.
The BMW Group informed the relevant authorities immediately.
BMW issued the statement after a report in news weekly Der Spiegel suggested it had installed software that manipulated emissions of harmful gases such as nitrogen oxide, something its management has always denied.
Competitor Volkswagen reached a multi-billion-dollar U.S. settlement after admitting installing so-called defeat devices on its diesel models designed to game emissions tests.
VW has been roiled by the Dieselgate emissions scandal, which has forced it to set aside 25.8 billion euros ($31.7 billion) to cover fines and related costs, of which it has paid out nearly 20 billion euros.
BMW said the models affected were 5- and 7-Series cars made between 2012 and 2017 containing high-performance diesel engines and three turbo chargers.
BMW did not say where the cars were but said it would cooperate with the relevant authorities on further steps.
($1 = 0.8129 euros) (Reporting by Edward Taylor; writing by Douglas Busvine, editing by David Evans)
A father and son were sentenced in early February in a case involving insurance fraud perpetrated against Grinnell Mutual Reinsurance Co., the Iowa Insurance Division reported.
Richard H. Hartman, age 69, of Manchester, Iowa, and Tobin L. Hartman, age 44, of Ryan, Iowa, were sentenced to two years of supervised probation after pleading guilty in Delaware County District Court recently to the charge of Fraudulent Practices in the Third Degree, an Aggravated Misdemeanor.
The Hartmans had been charged in November 2017 with fraud after an insurance fraud investigation was completed by the Iowa Insurance Divisions Fraud Bureau and the Delaware County Attorneys Office.
According to the insurance division, the investigation concluded that Richard Hartman filed a fraudulent insurance claim with Grinnell Mutual seeking insurance proceeds to cover damages he falsely reported to have been caused when he struck his son Tobins cattle barn with a skid loader, causing the building to collapse.
Tobin Hartman, provided false statements to the insurance company supporting his fathers version of the events.
The estimated cost to replace the damaged building exceeded $240,000, which the Hartmans were ultimately unsuccessful in obtaining.
Source: Iowa Insurance Division
Topics Fraud Iowa
A former Mississippi insurance agent will serve 10 years in prison for embezzling $117,863.74 from a customer and converting the money for his own use, Mississippi Attorney General Jim Hood announced last month.
Charles Myrick Winstead, 54, an insurance agent from Terry, pleaded guilty Jan. 29 to one count of embezzlement. Madison County Circuit Court Judge William E. Chapman III sentenced him to 20 years in the custody of the Mississippi Department of Corrections, with 10 years to serve and 10 suspended.
While employed as an insurance agent, Winstead advised one of his customers to cash in an insurance policy with a face value of $117,863.74 and then purchase a different policy. The customer took his advice by cashing the policy and turning the funds over to him. Winstead deposited the money into his own personal bank account and spent the money instead of submitting it to Nationwide Insurance Co.
Upon learning of Winsteads actions, Nationwide reimbursed the customer $121,811.56, which represented the principal and interest.
Upon his release, Winstead will be placed on supervised probation for five years. He must also pay $121,811.56 in restitution to Nationwide Insurance Co. as well as court costs.
While there is no sentence that would truly rectify the dishonest guidance this agent provided to his customer, I am satisfied knowing we have one more con artist behind bars and appreciate the sentence handed down by Judge Chapman, said Hood.
This case was investigated by Jerry Spell and prosecuted by Special Assistant Attorney General Steven Waldrup of the Attorney Generals Public Integrity Division.
Source: Office of the Attorney General State of Mississippi
Topics Agencies Mississippi
A West Virginia judge has dismissed a lawsuit brought by coal company Murray Energy against HBO host John Oliver.
A segment of Olivers Sunday show Last Week Tonight in June poked fun at Murray Energy CEO Robert Murray, who blames regulatory efforts by the Obama administration for damaging the coal industry. Oliver said the 77-year-old looked like a geriatric Dr. Evil.
A Circuit Court judge in Marshall County, West Virginia, ruled on Wednesday that Murrays company failed to state a claim. The two-page ruling from Senior Judge Jeffrey Cramer was posted online by The Hollywood Reporter.
The Ohio-based company was seeking financial damages and a court order barring rebroadcasts of the segments defamatory statements.
HBO had argued the show didnt violate Murray Energys rights or those of Murray.
Copyright 2021 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Topics Lawsuits Legislation Virginia
Smart Choice has named Chris Reisdorf, formerly of All Risks, to lead the companys efforts in North Carolina as State Director.
A 25-year veteran of the insurance industry, Reisdorf has worked in a number of areas including marketing, sales, underwriting, and wholesale and commercial markets. Most recently he was the vice president of Agency Relations in charge of National Strategic Partnerships for All Risks, Ltd., an independent wholesale insurance broker.
Prior to his time at All Risks, he served as vice president of Marketing at Tapco Underwriters, Inc.
Smart Choice President Andrew Caldwell said Reisdorf will help further Smart Choices new initiatives and programs coming for agents in 2018.
Reisdorf will join the Smart Choice leadership team as they continue to expand their agency base. The company is currently partnered with 6,300 agencies in 45 states, and experienced 25 percent growth in January.
The Smart Choice Agents Program is a wholly-owned program of Worldwide Insurance Network, Inc. (WIN), headquartered in High Point, North Carolina.
Topics North Carolina
California Sen. Tony Mendozas resignation this week spared his fellow lawmakers from a difficult decision about appropriate punishment after an investigation found he likely engaged in flirtatious and sexually suggestive behavior with a half-dozen women.
But the Legislatures reckoning with sexual misconduct in its ranks is far from over, with more investigations pending and perhaps even tougher choices on the horizon.
Investigators have wrapped up their report on allegations about Sen. Bob Hertzberg, a Van Nuys Democrat nicknamed Hugsberg for his tendency to greet people men and women alike with hugs. And may lawmakers may have to decide if he faces punishment.
Public allegations against lawmakers span the spectrum, from pushing a woman into a bathroom and masturbating in front of her to Hertzbergs hugs, raising thorny questions about how to proceed.
Expelling Mendoza would have set a precedent for the type of behavior that warrants the Legislatures most severe punishment. His resignation sidestepped that decision but doesnt create a clear standard for applying discipline, said Samantha Corbin, a lobbyist and co-founder of the group We Said Enough that formed last fall when the scandal broke.
So that leaves decision making subject to interpretation and kind of almost a popularity contest, Corbin said. Do we like the senator enough to disclose the information and the claims against him and then expel him? Or do we want to maintain the files ourselves?
Corbin and other We Said Enough leaders have demanded that the Legislature adopt consistent and transparent policies for handling harassment so women who experience it feel confident they can speak up without risking their careers.
Mendoza was the third California lawmaker and first senator to resign since the (hash)MeToo movement pointed a spotlight at sexual harassment in powerful institutions. Fellow Los Angeles-area Democrats Matt Dababneh and Raul Bocanegra resigned from the Assembly.
Earlier this month, the Assembly and Senate released 11 years of documents outlining sexual misconduct investigations and discipline against lawmakers and staff. Those documents revealed complaints against four sitting lawmakers, including Mendoza, for behavior ranging from unwanted touching to crude conversations about sex and about a half dozen complaints against staff members. Eight allegations of sexual harassment are pending before the Assembly, according to additional documents, but its not clear how many target lawmakers.
The Senate has not said how many cases are pending. Hertzberg said the investigation of his behavior has finished but no details of the findings have been disclosed.
However, Sen. Connie Leyva, D-Chino, two other lawmakers _ one current, one former _ told the Sacramento Bee that Hertzbergs hugs made them uncomfortable. He also was accused of grabbing a staff member, dancing and singing to her in 2015. He has apologized to the woman and anyone else who found his hugs unwanted.
Dan Reeves, the chief of staff to Senate President Pro Tem Kevin de Leon, said lawmakers would follow the same process used to evaluate the accusations against Mendoza _ the Rules Committee will discuss the findings in secret proceedings, and if it recommends discipline, will allow other lawmakers to review the findings. He did not lay out a timeline.
Employment lawyers said theres no clear-cut line where behavior constitutes harassment and also no one-size-fits-all punishment.
Is it a hostile work environment for someone to hug people? Probably not, particularly if he is hugging people of both sexes or if its just a legitimate hug rather than a lecherous one, said Tom Spiggle, who founded a Virginia law firm that focuses on workplace issues.
Jeff Polsky, a San Francisco employment attorney, said employers are required to take steps to ensure that unwanted conduct doesnt continue and that can take different forms.
If its somebody misunderstanding social situations, maybe counseling is sufficient, Polsky said. If its more, sometimes people need training.
In the Legislature, discipline can include a public or private reprimand, formal censure, suspension with or without pay and expulsion.
Democratic Assemblywoman Cristina Garcia took a voluntary unpaid leave during a misconduct investigation. Garcia, a Democrat from the Los Angeles area and a vocal leader of the #MeToo movement, denies groping a former male legislative staffer who worked for a colleague in 2014. She also denies running an office rife with alcohol consumption and talk of sex.
She has called the allegations a political smear designed to discredit her record.
Mendozas resignation Thursday came after hours of closed-door meetings where Senate Democrats discussed the case and punishment. Afterward, Sen. Ben Allen, D-Santa Monica, quipped the saga continues.
Its my sense that the most severe cases have been exposed and dealt with, he said, then added: But you never know what else is out there.
Copyright 2021 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Topics California Legislation
What Is a Monthly Income Plan (MIP)?
A monthly income plan (MIP) is a type of mutual fund strategy that invests primarily in debt and equity securities with a mandate of producing cash flows and preserving capital.
An MIP aims to provide a steady stream of income in the form of dividend and interest payments. Therefore, it is typically attractive to retired persons or senior citizens who do not have other substantial sources of monthly income.
Key Takeaways A monthly income plan (MIP) is a category of mutual fund that seeks to generate stable income through dividend and interest cash flows.
An MIP will often invest in lower-risk securities, including fixed-income instruments, preferred shares, and dividend stocks.
Popular especially in India, MIPs are most suited for retirees who seek stable income rather than capital gains.
Understanding Monthly Income Plans (MIPs)
As a mutual fund scheme, a MIP's asset allocation can vary. Some, for example, invest upwards of 30% of its corpus in equity securities. Others aim to keep this investment type at 10% or lower. Regardless of the approach, the bulk of investments are in debt securities to target steady returns with a portion dedicated to maximizing profits through equity exposure. The types of equities invested in vary as well. Some funds limit equity exposure by focusing primarily on small, medium, or large-sized companies. Others will use a mixed approach.
Even though these funds are called monthly income plans, MIPs do not guarantee monthly income. Investors may expect a steady stream of income when the market is strong but could see a downturn in bear markets. The level of equity exposure is affected by market volatility. Since stock holdings are more prone to fluctuations in price, they are usually a limited portion of the entire fund.
MIPs are most popular among investors in India.
Mix of Investments in MIPs
Investors need to pay close attention to their income needs and risk tolerance when deciding whether to invest in an MIP. There is no obligation for the fund to make monthly dividend payments. When profits are weak, it may skip making payments altogether. In fact, the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) does not allow mutual funds to guarantee income or dividends.
For the right investor, an MIP can offer steady income for retirement living. Problems arise when people reach retirement and spend their nest egg, making random withdrawals of varying amounts to support their monthly expenses. A monthly income plan can deliver a stable sum of income each month, which allows for more accurate monthly budgeting. Careful monthly budgeting can help avoid the risk of overspending. The same objective is present in an annuity.
Taxing of MIPs
In the United States, MIP funds are taxed using standard interest and dividend calculations. In India, an MIP is treated as a debt scheme for taxation purposes. Indian tax law applies this moniker to any fund that invests less than 65% of its assets in stocks.
As with other funds, earnings from investments sold before one year are short-term capital gains. Short-term gains in the U.S. are counted as income and subject to the investor's income tax slab. Sales occurring after the one-year threshold are long-term capital gains, taxed at either 15% or 20% (depending on taxable income) with an indexation benefit.
By Pat Flynn
A Shannon-based company that designs large unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) wants to establish Co Clare as a European test centre for its drones.
A-techSYN unmanned aerial systems (UAS) launched its UAV business in the Shannon Free Zone near Shannon Airport in 2017. The company forms part of the Shannon Avionics Cluster.
Tomorrow in Clare, the company will launch whats believed to be the largest drone ever flown in Ireland at a planned demonstration. A-techSYN has also applied to the Irish Aviation Authority (IAA) for the test site to be designated as a Temporary Restricted Area (TRA) for the duration of the demonstration flight.
The event will be held at Spanish Point Flying Club and a number of potential customers have been invited to witness what the company has described as an important moment which will become a milestone in the UAV History of Ireland.
A-techSYN will demonstrate its CGT45 SLT, one of the first UAVs to use electric engines for take-off and landing and a combustion engine during fixed wing flight. This will be the first demonstration flight in Europe for the CGT45-SLT.
A company spokesman confirmed: We are planning to setup Clare/Spanish Point as one of the UAV and Drone Test Centres in Europe. The UAS business is a most promising sector with job opportunities for people not just with higher degree of education but also for high school graduates.
Since a picture says more than 1000 words - and video consists of 25 pictures per second - we are planning a demonstration flight in Spanish Point Co Clare. I believe this is going to be one of the first UAS flights of this size in Ireland. We are inviting universities and potential important customers from across Europe who we met during our promotion activities, the company added.
The CGT45 SLT comprises a complete system with ground control software, hardware, tracking antenna and even a flight simulator that can be used to train new operators easily and safely.
Tomorrows demonstration will consist of a vertical take-off, loiter, waypoint navigation and vertical landing mission.
By Ann O'Loughlin
The official administering Sean Dunnes Irish bankruptcy has consented to be cross-examined about the basis for his belief that certain asset transfers by Mr Dunne to his wife were invalid, the Court of Appeal has heard.
Gayle Killilea, the wife of Mr Dunne, will also be cross-examined in forthcoming High Court proceedings concerning the asset transfers, the three-judge court was told.
On that basis, an appeal by Ms Killilea against a High Court refusal to permit her lawyers to cross-examine bankruptcy official Chris Lehane was resolved on Monday and did not proceed.
Gayle Killilea
The development, announced to the court by John O'Donnell SC, for Ms Killilea, came after Ms Killilea won an earlier appeal over a refusal to allow her lawyers cross-examine an American attorney involved in her husband's US bankruptcy proceedings.
The Court of Appeal previously ruled fair procedures required Ms Dunne's counsel should have the opportunity to cross-examine Timothy Miltenberger, the lawyer acting for the "Chapter 7" trustee dealing with Mr Dunne's US bankruptcy and overturned the High Courts refusal to permit that cross-examination.
The cross-examination disputes arose after Mr Lehane brought proceedings over the alleged fraudulent transfer of assets in South Africa and Ireland between Mr Dunne and Ms Killilea.
Mr Lehane's proceedings relate to agreements between Mr and Mrs Dunne in 2005 and 2008 to transfer interests to her in a number of assets, including the Lagoon Beach hotel in Cape Town, South Africa, and shares in a company, Mavior.
Ms Dunne, who denies the share transfers are invalid, claims the Official Assignee's proceedings are unfair because, she contends, they cover the same ground as proceedings in the US.
Mr Lehane maintains the US trustee had offered to assist in ensuring there was no duplication of proceedings in both jurisdictions.
In a ruling last month permitting the High Court cross-examination of Mr Miltenberger by lawyers for Ms Killilea, the Court of Appeal said Mr Lehane's lawyers must also be permitted cross-examine Ms Dunne's US attorney, Alec Ostrow.
The Court of Appeal has also directed the High Court to reconsider Ms Killileas application for a strikeout, or a stay, of Mr Lehane's proceedings arising from her claim the US is the appropriate jurisdiction or forum for those.
Update - 11.03am: A 36-year-old man is fighting for his life after being shot in Dublin.
The victim, understood to be a father-of-two, was found in the front garden of a house in Coolock at 8.15pm last night.
A number of gunshots were reportedly fired in the attack.
House to house inquiries are being carried out in the Priorswood area.
The scene of the shooting remained sealed off with forensic examinations taking place.
Superintendent Gerard Donnelly says a motive is unclear at this stage.
Supt Gerard Donnelly says a motive for last nights Dublin shooting is unclear. A 36 year old man is in a critical condition after being shot in the head @NewstalkFM @TodayFMNews @98FM pic.twitter.com/elJYIbNtf4 Paul Quinn (@PaulQuinnNews) February 26, 2018
He said: "While we are at the early stages of this investigation I would like to make an appeal to the public for witnesses, in particular anybody who may have witnessed the shooting at Moatview Gardens and anybody who may have been in the Moatview Gardens area between 7pm and 8.30pm last night.
"If they noticed anything suspicious or any activity which they think may have been connected to this shooting."
Update - 10.40am: Gardai in Coolock believe the shooting is connected with organised crime in north Dublin but is separate from the Hutch-Kinahan feud.
A 36-year-old victim, who was shot in the garden of his home in Coolock last night, is on life support in a local hospital.
It is believed that the gunman escaped on foot.
6.27am: Man in critical condition after being 'shot in the head' in Coolock
A man remains in a critical condition in hospital after being shot in Dublin last night.
It happened in the Moatview area of Coolock just after 8pm.
Gardai say the man was treated by emergency services at the scene, before being taken to hospital by ambulance.
It is believed he suffered a gunshot wound to the head and Gardai are appealing for witnesses.
Gardai at the scene last night. Pic: Collins
Locals living on the street gave their thoughts on the shooting.
One man said: "Until they do something about this area, it's going to happen more and more."
Another man said: "You just mind your own business now and hope for the best that it's not going to happen to you.
"Unfortunately that's the world we live in now."
Facebook and Twitter were once hailed as enablers of democracy. However, as Sherif Elsayed-Ali explains they are now considered by many to be platforms for intolerance
DONALD TRUMPS retweets of anti-Muslim videos first circulated by an anti-immigrant, far-right British party were just the tip of the iceberg.
From Burma, the United States, and Europe, controversial posts by political leaders and public figures have sparked a growing and increasingly global debate about how social media may be facilitating the spread of hatred and discrimination.
But this discussion is only the latest in a larger debate that is as old as the internet itself: who should decide the limits of freedom of expression online, and how should they do it?
We have come a long way from the days when Facebook, YouTube and Twitter were hailed as enablers of free speech and democracy. Such platforms have undeniably helped to democratise the public sphere.
Individuals can amass tens of thousands of followers, and earn millions of views, without relying on the media, public relations agencies, or governments. Activists can organise, disseminate information and mobilise more effectively than ever before.
It is a testament to the power of social media that many countries are imposing stricter controls or even blocking their access entirely.
We must bear the positive aspects of that power in mind when we consider how best to tackle its flip side: the way social platforms can be used to spread abuse, vitriol and hatred more rapidly than ever before.
In 2017, politicians in many countries deployed social media to spread hate-filled agendas. Amnesty Internationals latest annual report on the state of the worlds human rights documents a global rise in state-sponsored hate, and chronicles the variety of ways governments and leaders are increasingly peddling hateful rhetoric and policies that seek to demonise already marginalised groups; President Trumps transparently-hateful travel ban on citizens from half a dozen Muslim-majority countries was one of the most prominent examples.
As access to social media expands worldwide, it is increasingly being used by governments to promote hateful rhetoric, to control their citizens, and to silence any opposition.
From xenophobic statements by politicians against LGBTI and Roma people in Bulgaria, anti-Rohingya propaganda posted on Facebook by senior military officers and government spokespeople in Burma, and the use of troll networks against government critics in the Philippines, those in power are learning how to use social media as yet another tool of repression.
These findings present many dilemmas. To what extent are social media companies such as Facebook and Twitter who have responded only belatedly to the torrent of hate speech and fake news at fault?
Should governments take action? What can we do to preserve the good that social media can offer while countering its more corrosive effects?
There are no simple answers. The right to free expression protects ideas that many people find offensive, and there are many instances where racist, sexist, xenophobic or other hateful material is not prohibited under human rights law.
Nevertheless, freedom of expression comes with responsibilities, and there are cases under human rights law such as incitement to violence or child sex abuse imagery where it can legitimately be restricted.
Complexities tend to arise because the definition of offence is always subjective: one persons free speech is anothers vicious diatribe.
Any attempt at regulation must also consider the fact that the right to be able to say things to which others including those in positions of power will vehemently object is one of the foundations of an open society.
Take that away and you take away the free press and any kind of government accountability.
For all their potential for abuse, social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter provide a space for expression and access to information that is much freer than anything available in the past.
Yet, this freedom is fragile for example, Amnestys research has shown that online abuse can have a silencing effect on its targets.
So whats the solution? There are three types of actions that can be taken to counter hate on social media and the internet more generally: legal enforcement, content moderation, and education. States should have in place laws that prohibit advocacy of hatred, and take legal action only in the very clearly-defined cases allowed by international human rights law.
Specifically this is when there is a clear show of intent to incite others to discrimination, hostility or violence against a particular group.
Nevertheless, many governments have threatened social media companies with strict rules on intermediary liability, which means that companies may be held liable for content posted on their platforms.
The problem is that intermediary liability can easily be used to restrict freedom of expression and to force companies to censor their users for fear of legal consequences.
Regardless of government regulation, companies have a responsibility to avoid causing or contributing to human rights harms. Content moderation by social media companies is therefore an important part of the solution: it does not require legislation and therefore does not open the doors to unjustified restrictions on freedom of expression.
All major platforms have community standards and rules of conduct in place to deal with advocacy of hatred and discrimination, which would work well so long as they did not conflict with human rights law.
Making them effective will require social media companies to consistently uphold these rules, and to devote sufficient resources to addressing violations. This means improving the tools available to users to report abusive content, employing and training content moderators, and measures to identify and restrict troll networks.
It also requires transparency about the rate at which these rules and standards are violated, including information about types of abuse and actions taken. Reducing the spread of hate on social media also requires education. This is perhaps the most important intervention: legal enforcement and content moderation can only treat the symptoms of online abuse.
Whether it is through school programs or campaigns on social media itself, the only viable long-term way to reduce racism, sexism and bigotry online is by understanding and addressing the roots of discrimination and hate in our societies.
Sherif Elsayed-Ali is the director of Global Issues at Amnesty International. @sherifea
Yesterdays announcement of a public consultation on the UKs planned Hinkley Point C nuclear power station, less than 250km from Rosslare is, to a degree, reassuring but entirely welcome.
It is a victory of sorts for campaigners who worked tirelessly to have Irish voices heard in the process.
Those groups insist our Government should have opened a consultation five years ago as is required under international conventions.
However, this opportunity would not have come about but for consistent pressure from An Taisce and Friends of the Irish Environment.
Their persistence shows again that official Ireland can be less than enthusiastic on these issues.
That is hardly acceptable.
The victory may seem facile as construction is under way at Hinkley, a 23bn project expected to be operational in five years.
The real value of the decision is that it means Irish concerns may influence decisions around the other five nuclear plants in Britains planning pipeline.
This recognition will be especially important in post-Brexit Britain as the writ of EU nuclear administrators will no longer prevail.
Because of that, it might be an error to over-estimate how Irish concerns might shape British nuclear policy.
This achievement of course underlines what might be described as our national hypocrisy on these issues we oppose nuclear power almost as a matter of faith but are only too happy to import energy generated by those plants.
Updated 2.12pm: Britain would be reduced to a "colony" of Brussels by Labour's plans for a post-Brexit customs union with the EU, Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson has said.
The Cabinet heavyweight accused Jeremy Corbyn of raising a "white flag" on Brexit in order to try to defeat the Government in an upcoming Commons vote on remaining in a customs union.
Mr Johnson tweeted: "Crumbling Corbyn betrays Leave voters - and all because he wants to win a commons vote. Cynical and deluded."
The Foreign Secretary added: "Corbyn's Brexit plan would leave U.K. a colony of the EU - unable to take back control of our borders or our trade policy. White flag from labour before talks even begin."
International Trade Secretary Liam Fox said Mr Corbyn was seeking to frustrate Brexit.
He said: "This is a cynical attempt by Labour to try and frustrate the Brexit process and play politics with our country's future - all the while, betraying millions of Labour voters.
"Labour's confused policy would be bad for jobs and wages, it would leave us unable to sign up to comprehensive free trade deals, and it doesn't respect the result of the referendum."
However, Tory former chancellor George Osborne made it clear he believed Mr Corbyn had seized the political initiative.
Our editorial @EveningStandard: Tories gifted Corbyn an open goal on the customs union, and he just put the ball in https://t.co/ZzOIP1AZmL George Osborne (@George_Osborne) February 26, 2018
Now editor of the London Evening Standard, he tweeted that the newspaper's editorial said: "Tories gifted Corbyn an open goal on the customs union, and he just put the ball in."
The DUP's Sammy Wilson accused Labour of "cheap political opportunism" in attempting to try to bring the Government down with a customs union vote in the Commons.
Mr Wilson said the DUP would continue to back Prime Minister Theresa May on Brexit.
"It is clear that Jeremy Corbyn's speech today is driven by cheap political opportunism, completely overturns previous promises made by the Labour Party during the last general election that it was opposed to membership of the customs union and is a blatant attempt to bring down the Government rather than safeguard the interests of the UK or workers in industries across the United Kingdom who would benefit from the United Kingdom's freedom to make its own trade deals outside a customs union," he said.
"Corbyn is hoping to capitalise on the opposition to leaving the EU from the few malcontents in the Conservative Party. He clearly hopes that they will join with him, putting personal prejudices ahead of their own party duties.
"The DUP, as we have done already, will be giving our full support to the Government to oppose this Brexit-wrecking policy which, regardless of the promises made by Corbyn, will result in the UK still being tied to regulations, directives and diktats from the EU."
The Liberal Democrats accused the Labour leader of only "slight" movement on his EU withdrawal stance.
The party's Brexit spokesman, Tom Brake, said: "Corbyn started his speech claiming that Labour's position on Brexit has been consistent, by which he must mean consistently vague. And today was no different.
"His slight movement on the customs union and some EU agencies might be one step on the road to rationality, but there is still a long way to go before the rhetoric meets reality. The Labour leader spoke of putting the British people first, but made no guarantees on making sure they are the ones who have a final say on the Brexit deal."
Freedom of movement does NOT have to end if we leave the EU. Norway has freedom of movement. Wish @jeremycorbyn would stop repeating this myth. #CutsomsUnion Caroline Lucas (@CarolineLucas) February 26, 2018
Original report 7.56am:Jeremy Corbyn will insist Brexit does not have to be a disaster as he commits Labour to pushing for a "new, strong relationship" with the single market.
The UK must have its own version of the deals other neighbouring countries such as Norway and Turkey have to access the internal trading bloc, the Labour leader will say.
In a speech on Brexit in Coventry, he will say existing single market rights, standards and protections would be accepted by Labour.
But it would negotiate protections and exemptions that could help workers and industry, such as changing state aid restrictions to allow governments to intervene to help struggling sectors.
Brexit Secretary David Davis said Mr Corbyn's plans breached the promises he made at the general election and accused him of selling "snake oil".
Labour's "jobs first" approach would include measures to stop employers being able to import cheap agency labour from abroad to undercut workers' pay.
Mr Corbyn will say: "Every country that is geographically close to the EU without being an EU member state, whether it's Turkey, Switzerland, or Norway, has some sort of close relationship to the EU, some more advantageous than others.
"Britain will need a bespoke relationship of its own. Labour would negotiate a new and strong relationship with the single market that includes full tariff-free access and a floor under existing rights, standards and protections.
"That new relationship would need to ensure we can deliver our ambitious economic programme, take the essential steps to upgrade and transform our economy, and build an economy for the 21st century that works for the many, not the few.
"So we would also seek to negotiate protections, clarifications or exemptions, where necessary, in relation to privatisation and public service competition directives, state aid and procurement rules and the posted workers directive."
"We cannot be held back, inside or outside the EU, from taking the steps we need to support cutting edge industries and local business, stop the tide of privatisation and outsourcing or prevent employers being able to import cheap agency labour from abroad to undercut existing pay and conditions."
The Labour leader's comments are set to upset some in the party who want the UK to remain in the single market.
A letter backed by more than 80 senior figures warned the leader his plans for investment in schools, hospitals and social care would be unfundable unless the UK stays in the internal market.
But Mr Corbyn is expected to set out how Labour would commit to the UK being part of a customs union.
Labour has had "many weeks of discussion unanimously" and agreed to develop its policy, shadow Brexit secretary Sir Keir Starmer said.
"The customs arrangements at the moment are hardwired into the membership treaty so I think everybody now recognises there's going to have to be a new treaty - it will do the work of the customs union," he told BBC One's The Andrew Marr Show.
British Prime Minister Theresa May has ruled out membership of the single market or customs union after Brexit, a move that has angered Tory Remainers.
Mr Corbyn will say leaving the European Union does not mean Britain is inevitably doomed.
The reality of Brexit is "more down-to-earth" than the naysayers and the fervent supporters claim, according to the Labour leader.
"The European Union is not the root of all our problems and leaving it will not solve all our problems," he will say.
"Likewise, the EU is not the source of all enlightenment and leaving it does not inevitably spell doom for our country.
"There will be some who will tell you that Brexit is a disaster for this country and some who will tell you that Brexit will create a land of milk and honey. The truth is more down-to-earth and it's in our hands: Brexit is what we make of it together."
Critics have repeatedly accused Labour of failing to spell out clearly its approach to Brexit, but Mr Corbyn will insist the party has been consistent.
He will say: "Our message has been consistent since the vote to leave 20 months ago. We respect the result of the referendum. Our priority is to get the best deal for people's jobs, living standards and the economy.
"We reject any race to the bottom in workers' rights, environmental safeguards, consumer protections, or food safety standards."
In an article for The Daily Telegraph, Mr Davis said Labour's plans would stop the UK from signing free trade deals with other countries around the world.
He wrote: "The only way we can do this is if we have control over our own trade policy and are able to tailor agreements to our own needs, not those of 28 different countries. Being inside a customs union would make this impossible.
"These were points not lost on Labour at the last election when they promised to 'work with global trading partners to develop "best-in-class" free trade and investment agreements'.
They are now certain to throw this opportunity away in favour of a system for which the only existing precedent is Turkey. This would see the EU offering access to the UK market in their third country negotiations, without any reciprocal access for the UK."
"But the second manifesto breach is even more important, since it is not just about the opportunities of leaving, but whether we would have left at all. Labour's customs plan would surrender control over our trade defences," he added.
"Labour may think they have stumbled across a simple solution to Brexit, but there is a lesson they are yet to learn: if it looks like snake oil, and it smells like snake oil, don't expect it to make you feel better."
TUC general secretary Frances O'Grady said: "A customs union with the EU is a welcome step. It's right to acknowledge the benefits the UK gets from being part of the single market - and to seek to protect those benefits into the future.
"Currently, it looks like the best way to protect jobs, guarantee a level playing field for workers' rights and safeguard the Good Friday Agreement is to stay in the single market and customs union."
The parents of a severely disabled little boy who has been at the centre of a High Court life-support battle want doctors to continue providing treatment until they have had a chance to put their case before European judges.
Lanre Haastrup and Takesha Thomas, who are both in their 30s and from Peckham, south-east London, say staff at King's College Hospital in London intend to stop providing treatment to 12-month-old Isaiah Haastrup on Monday.
They say ending life-support treatment will bring about their son's death and have made a last-minute plea to be given more time to mount another legal challenge.
A High Court judge has given doctors permission to provide only palliative care to Isaiah - against the wishes of the little boy's parents
Mr Justice MacDonald analysed Isaiah's case at the Family Division of the High Court in London in January after specialists at King's College Hospital said providing further intensive care treatment was futile, burdensome and not in the youngster's best interests.
Three Court of Appeal judges upheld his ruling on Friday following a further hearing in London.
Mr Haastrup and Miss Thomas now say they will make an application to the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) in Strasbourg, France.
They say treatment should continue until judges in Europe have seen that application.
Isaiah Haastrup's mother Takesha Thomas and father Lanre Haastrup outside the High Court in London, as the father of the brain-damaged boy is preparing to appeal after a High Court judge said doctors could stop providing life-support treatment to the youngster.
"The trust has stated that it intends to extubate Isaiah today," said Mr Haastrup.
"We have prepared our application for interim measures to the ECHR.
"Despite this, the trust has planned to extubate today which... will bring about his death."
He added: "One would have thought a responsible trust would maintain the status quo until all court proceedings are concluded including ECHR. What is the rush?"
A hospital spokeswoman said last week that the priority was to give Isaiah the care he needed.
She said staff would support his family.
No-one at the hospital was on Monday available for comment.
- PA
Ukrainian police have rearrested the ringleader of a cybercrime group accused of inflicting hundreds of millions of pounds in losses worldwide.
The move comes 15 months after Evgeny Kapkanov's embarrassing escape put the spotlight on corruption in the Eastern European country.
Caption: Sharon Corcoran, director of economic development and tourism, Cork County Council; Deirdre OMahony, senior business development officer, LEO Cork North and West; Peter White, Beara Distillery; Kevin Curran, head of enterprise, LEO Cork North and West at the launch of Corks Local Enterprise Week. Picture: Michael Mac Sweeney/Provision
Almost 70 companies using Cork County Councils Local Enterprise Office (LEO) structure helped provide new jobs across a wide range of sectors including food, tech, retail, and professional services.
The LEO offices in Cork North, Cork West, and South Cork granted 1.2m in financial supports in 2017 for manufacturing and internationally-traded micro-enterprises throughout the county.
The figures were released to coincide with Local Enterprise Week which runs from March 5- 9, with dozens of events throughout the county.
The planned schedule includes conferences, workshops, seminars, networking, and business advice clinics.
Among the activities is a Women in Business event on International Womens Day, March 8, with feature speakers Marissa Carter of Cocoa Brown Tan, and communications expert Terry Prone.
A Taste Cork event will showcase Corks budding food businesses on March 5, a Design-Led-Thinking Seminar in Vienna Woods on March 8 is aimed at Cork crafters and designers and a business finance seminar will run on March 9 at the Ludgate Hub.
In total, Cork County LEOs delivered training to more than 2,320 people through the networks 152 business training programmes.
The offices also engaged with 39 schools and more than 4,100 Transition Year students who participate in programmes which promotes entrepreneurship. A further 744 business owners received mentoring through a LEO programme which connects appointed mentors from a cross-section of professions to business owners.
Sean OSullivan, head of enterprise, LEO South Cork said that 2017 had been one of the networks most successful years in terms of grant funding. It had led to the creation of almost 260 jobs for the region.
Co Cork is on the up and we are proud to support our business owners and entrepreneurs who are committed to creating jobs and growing their businesses, he said.
His colleague Kevin Curran, who heads LEO in Cork North and West, said the LEOs primary aim is to improve on these figures over 2018. With so many innovative new businesses in our midst we are confident that this year will see a further upturn in demand for our supports.
It is the first arrest in the murder and is being described by gardai as hugely significant development.
The 27-year-old from Co Antrim was arrested last night outside Wheatfield Prison in west Dublin after being released, having served time for road trafficking offences after being jailed last May.
Garda sources said he had been deported last year from the US, on immigration offences, having fled there after the murder.
Sources said he is the main suspect in carrying out the fatal shooting.
This is a hugely significant development, said a garda source. It is the first arrest and has been a long, long time coming.
The man was arrested under Section 50 of the Criminal Justice Act 2007, which allows for up to seven days detention on repeat applications to the courts.
The offence is related to the use of firearms in a murder.
Sources said they expect to hold the suspect for a number of days.
Det Gda Donohoe, a 41-year-old father of two, was shot dead during a robbery at Lordship Credit Union in Bellurgan on January 25, 2013.
He and another garda had been escorting takings from a credit union in Dundalk to a bank when their three-car convoy in was ambushed by an armed gang.
The suspects escaped with 4,000 in cash. Det Gda Donohoe died at the scene.
Last month, Chief Superintendent Christy Mangan said that the suspects are known to gardai and vowed to track them down.
Some are in the country, some have left the country, and have sought protection in other jurisdictions, said Supt Mangan.
The controversial Public Health (Alcohol) Bill 2015 which will introduce minimum pricing on drink, mandatory health labelling, as well as restrictions around advertising is due to be debated in the Dail tomorrow.
The new laws also require that supermarkets and shops separate drink with a 1.2m barrier.
However, the chair of the National Off-Licence Association (NOffLA), Gary ODonovan, said he is disappointed by the dilution of one of the bills core sections, meaning alcohol for sale in shops will still be in clear sight of children.
He said: There have been a number of recent amendments to the bill, meaning its impact on reducing the visibility of alcohol will be negligible, which is unacceptable within a health promotion context, and will mean the continued exposure of children to alcohol, despite public comments to the contrary.
Writing in todays Irish Examiner, Mr ODonovan, who owns eight off-licences in Cork, said the 1.2m barrier equates to the average height of a 7-year-old boy.
What impact will this have on the de-normalising of alcohol, if an eight-year old, or nine-year old, not to mention 15 or 16-year old can visibly see it? he asked.
Alcohol is a controlled substance whose purchase should be a conscious decision, rather than an impulse while picking up milk, or filling up on petrol.
Lobbyists for the alcohol industry have already criticised measures in the bill which will require them to provide health warnings, alcohol content and information on the amount of calories in the product. These warnings must cover at least a third of the label.
However, Taoiseach Leo Varadkar recently ruled out any further changes to the bill after it was altered in the Seanad.
We need to put public health first, he said earlier this month before it was debated in the Dail, said Mr Varadkar.
If you look at the number of people who die prematurely because of alcohol, the number of people that are in hospital at the moment because of alcohol, sexual assault, child abuse, violence on our streets, road deaths, all very much linked to alcohol. Exports are important but maybe not that important.
Analysis: 11
I say, as Minister for Justice, the greatest threat to the security of this State comes from dissident republicans along the border and a hard Brexit or a difficult Brexit will feed into tensions and could well give rise to difficulties that none of us want, said Mr Flanagan.
Thats why its important that all parties work towards the agreement and that we see a restoration of the power-sharing institutions under the agreement.
The Good Friday Agreement, from cover to cover, must be respected within the Brexit negotiations.
It comes ahead of Tanaiste Simon Coveneys meeting today with EU chief negotiator Michel Barnier in Brussels. A spokesman for Mr Coveney said: This week will be a significant one in the ongoing Brexit negotiations with the translation into legal text of what was agreed in December, including the backstop arrangements or Option C, in terms of the guarantee of avoiding a hard border.
Our team has worked closely with the Task Force to ensure there will be no slippage following the deal agreed in December. Despite the efforts of some to distract from that, we are fully satisfied that Irelands concerns will be effectively addressed. All of this will be seen over the coming days.
Meanwhile, Mr Flanagans comments came as the UK Labour Party said it supports remaining in a customs union with the EU after Brexit.
Labours Brexit spokesman, Keir Starmer, said it is crunch time for Ms May over her approach to the customs union. He said Labour had long championed being in a customs union with the EU and the benefits.
He told BBC Ones The Andrew Marr Show: Obviously its the only way realistically to get tariff-free access, its really important for our manufacturing base and nobody can answer the question how you keep your commitment to no hard border in Northern Ireland without a customs union.
He said Labour had had many weeks of discussion unanimously and agreed to develop its policy, to be announced by Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn today.
He said: The customs arrangements at the moment are hardwired into the membership treaty so I think everybody now recognises theres going to have to be a new treaty it will do the work of the customs union.
Minister of state for European affairs Helen McEntee welcomed the remarks but said the Government would need to see what specific Brexit measures the Conservative Party put forward.
This is something that is coming from the Labour Party, this is obviously not coming from government, its not coming from Theresa May, they have consistently said they will not stay within the customs union or the single market, she said.
Met Eireann has issued a yellow weather warning for this week, advising that the weather will be exceptionally cold, with air and ground temperatures some five to 10 degrees below normal.
Forecasters predict significant wind chill and penetrating severe frosts along with snow showers that will mainly affect eastern areas from tomorrow.
These showers are expected to become heavier and more widespread as the week goes on.
A Dublin-based homeless charity has said it has major concerns for the safety of homeless people sleeping out this week.
This is due to be the worst cold weather spell since 2010 so we are calling on the Dublin Regional Homeless Executive and Department of Housing to implement an immediate emergency plan to support anyone that is currently homeless, said Brian McLoughlin of Inner City Helping Homeless.
With predictions that daytime temperatures wont rise above freezing, this is due to be the coldest weather in the five years that Inner City Helping Homeless is in operation therefore we cant stress enough how crucial it is that a proper emergency plan is put into operation.
Housing Minister Eoghan Murphy is to convene the National Emergency Co-ordination Group for Severe Weather this morning in response to the forecasts.
Extensive efforts have been made to deliver new accommodation with over 200 new beds provided in the Dublin region towards the end of 2017, he said.
The introduction of these additional beds has enabled the State to provide medical supports and the appropriate interventions to individuals, who otherwise would be outside the system and on our streets.
The Department of Housing said local authorities have confirmed they will keep all cold weather initiatives for homeless people in place.
It said additional capacity has been put in place to ensure that there are additional bed spaces available for homeless people that would not normally avail of services in the main urban areas of Dublin, Cork, Galway, Limerick, and Waterford.
Mr Ring has revealed that at least four schemes have yet to start despite Government promises to prioritise rural Ireland. A fifth scheme, Rapid, which targets urban disadvantaged areas and comes under Mr Rings remit, is also under review.
Separately, Mr Rings department has confirmed to the Irish Examiner that a grant to help first-time buyers renovate vacant properties in rural villages and towns has yet to be set up despite being announced more than 12 months ago.
This funding, which was originally announced by the previous minister, Heather Humphreys, was due to be rolled out to a number of pilot towns and villages before being expanded. However, the steering group set up to oversee the programme has yet to meet and no pilot areas have been identified.
Fianna Fail spokesman for rural affairs Eamon O Cuiv dubbed Mr Ring the minister for reviews, claiming that his department is full of broken promises when it comes to rural Ireland.
The problem is that everything is being reviewed and nothing is happening, Mr O Cuiv told the Irish Examiner.
While funding has been announced for a number of projects, in many cases finance for schemes has not been allocated and supports have yet to be rolled out, among these are:
The Local Improvement Scheme (LIS);
The Clar programme;
The Town and Village Renewal Scheme;
The Rural Recreation Scheme.
Pressed for an answer in the Dail, Mr Ring could not say exactly when the schemes would start, indicating that it may be the summer before funding is made available.
He said the LIS scheme, which provides funding for repairs and upgrades to smaller roads, will be announced shortly.
Not alone will I be announcing the scheme but I will announce the funding as well, said Mr Ring.
The LIS provided much-needed support in rural areas in 2017 and I have allocated a further 10m for the scheme this year.
I intend to announce details of the scheme, including the allocations for each county, later this month.
Eamon O Cuiv
A similar answer was given in relation to the Clar programme, which Mr Ring has opened since becoming head of the department in June. Clar is designed to provide funding for small scale capital projects in rural areas that have experienced significant depopulation.
On the other schemes, Mr Ring said: The rural and recreation scheme and the town and village scheme will open at the end of May. I intend to have projects in for July, probably, and I will make the allocation later in the year.
However, Mr O Cuiv accused the Government of dragging its feet and simply making false promises to those living in rural Ireland.
Why are we getting this big word review again? said Mr O Cuiv. Why did the minister not simply stand up and say that nothing has been sorted yet and no projects have been approved?
Is that the situation after that long rigmarole of an answer? Is this exactly what the minister told me at the end: Nothing has been sorted and nothing approved?
The planned demolition, shortly, of an imposing but abandoned century-old grain store on a Waterford quay closes a chapter on the citys once-treasured industrial and maritime heritage.
Despite certain objections and its listing as a preserved structure, with its steel-reinforced concrete construction style being unique in 1905, the Hennebique building is now a blot on the landscape and has no place in an Ireland of the future.
A new era now dawns for Irelands oldest city, insists local Fine Gael senator Paudie Coffey.
Funding pledged from the National Capital Plan in conjunction with Project Ireland 2040 paves the way for one of the most significant developments in the history of Waterford.
Assurances of planned Government support will unlock more than 300m of private investment by the Saudi Arabian Fawaz Alhokair Group in an ambitious regeneration of the citys North Quays.
The time has now come for Waterford city and county to reach its full potential, said Mr Coffey.
And Waterford city will now have access to crucial capital investment needed to develop critical infrastructure to build capacity and scale so that it becomes the regional driver for economic success within the South-East.
In early February, Waterford City and County Council approved a planning application which involves a 560m investment project, being driven by the Saudi Arabian company.
Its set to establish Waterford as a dominant economic and industrial force in the region with its priority status in the Governments 20-year development plan.
As a result, it is envisaged the North Quays and Michael St/New St Regeneration Scheme will receive 63.5m essential for structural requirements needed to progress the investment scheme.
The Hennebique grainstore building on the far quayside in Waterford. Picture: Larry Cummins
The funding will be drawn down over three years from the 2bn Urban Regeneration and Development Fund contained in the Project Ireland programme.
Project Ireland also approved completion of an Atlantic Corridor, linking Letterkenny to Waterford via motorways through Sligo, Galway, Limerick, and Cork.
The regeneration plan involves huge demolition and the redevelopment of 17 acres on its furthermost quayside as a major retail, office and hotel location.
The proposal comprises 39,600 sq m of retail space, 15,000 sq m of offices, 1,000 sq m of conference/exhibition facilities, 9,000 sq m (200-bed) hotel, 30,000 sq m (300) apartments, a 10,000 sq m visitors centre, 1,600 parking spaces, and a transport hub.
This plan is very different from previous development plans like the National Spatial Strategy, said Mr Coffey.
The plan will put the capital investment behind the planning framework priorities and drive urban growth in cities such as Waterford which will, in turn, benefit its hinterlands and the greater region and catchment surrounding it.
This investment will transform Waterford and leverage its full potential from an economic, social, educational and healthcare perspective.
More than ever, Ireland requires strong regional development with strong cities at the nucleus of the regions to counterbalance the unsustainable vortex of economic activity in Dublin.
In a move intended to maintain inclusivity on both sides of the Suir, the scheme also includes a major retail complex, with 400 parking spaces, on a 4-acre site across the river in Michael St/New St. This site sits close to the present shopping centre, which is anchored by Dunnes and Debenhams.
The North Quays area is predominantly owned by Waterford Council and Waterford Port, while Michael St/New St is owned by Nama and already has full planning for retail.
The plans will demand major infrastructural changes, including a relocation of the citys railway station, improvements to the Dock Rd and Abbey Rd access routes and construction of a pedestrian & light transport bridge connecting the two focal points.
Meanwhile, the city and countys deputy mayor, John Cummins, who served as Waterford Mayor during much of the early groundwork, says, most submissions were in favour, though he noted Kilkenny Chamber of Commerce and Kilkenny County Council did express reservations.
Reginalds Tower, William Vincent Wallace Plaza, and Clyde Wharf Car Park on Waterfords quays. Picture: Larry Cummins
However, he strongly believes the project will transform the city landscape and expects the creation of up to 3,00 jobs post-construction.
Strategic Development Zone (SDZ) designation for Waterford in 2015, he said, was crucial and held a strong appeal for the Saudi investors.
The draft plan was formally adopted by the council in early February, said Mr Cummins, and the SDZ means that, should there be no deference to Bord Pleanala during the subsequent four-week period, planning permission is compulsory.
This has been one of the main criteria that attracted the consortium.
Meanwhile, Mr Cummins says the council is awaiting a decision from BP on a compulsory planning order (CPO) being exercised for areas of land on the North Quay site, not in council ownership.
A decision was expected in January but we now understand it will be announced in March, he said. Detailed contracts with Fawaz Alhokair are meanwhile being finalised, subject to SDZ and CPO approval.
The council, meanwhile, sought State aid to expedite the work on foot of a 40-page report compiled by economic consultants Indecon.
Private sector investment in excess of 215m will be required to meet the full portfolio.
Saudi Arabias Fawaz Alhokair Group which intends to invest almost 300m in the venture represents a set of Saudi companies who focus on retail and real estate across the Middle East, Europe and North Africa.
In its assessment of the developments potential impact, Indecons research showed local businesses believed foreign direct investment-related employment in the region would
increase from the current 14,400 full-time permanent jobs to a total close to 20,500.
The research, spanning 111 businesses, found expectations that overseas visitors to the region would increase by almost 50% to 1.5m, with a corresponding rise in expenditure from 290m to 435m.
In 2015, Waterford county trailed Dublin, Cork, Galway, and Limerick with an average spend of 285 per tourist.
Again, Indecon found, local businesses anticipated a major turnaround in
fortunes with the current
annual level of 305,000 overseas visitors rising to 457,000 matched by an annual 35m expenditure boost to 145m.
The councils head of enterprise, Richie Walsh, believes that, from an overall enterprise perspective, the whole city is moving towards a vibrant mindset of creativity, innovation and smart city kind of thinking.
The North Quay project is at the core of that, said Mr Walsh.
It represents a new place, a new centre of economic activity for the city but it also represents a new way of thinking. And that has huge potential for pushing the city forward.
An analysis of a years worth of committals shows while foreign nationals are under-represented in some crime categories, they are significantly over-represented in others.
According to the report, conducted by academics at University College Dublin, these findings suggest that bias is occurring within the criminal justice system and warrants further examination.
An initial dataset comprising all cases that resulted in imprisonment from a consecutive 12-month period between 2015 and 2017 was provided by the Irish Prison Service, with details on nationality, age, offence, resulting custodial sentence range, and whether the prisoner had previously received a custodial sentence.
Offences with mandatory sentences, such as homicide and certain sexual offences, were removed, resulting in 35 independent offence categories comprising 11,158 cases, of which 9,949 involved an offender of Irish nationality and 1,209 involved an offender of non-Irish nationality.
Overall, foreign nationals comprised 10.84% of the committals and, according to the analysis, this group was significantly under-represented in the offence categories of attempted robbery, vehicle theft, criminal damage, robbery, parking fine offences, assault causing harm, intoxication in a public place, threatening behaviour in a public place, unlawful possession of drugs, and no television licence.
They were statistically significantly over-represented in the offence categories of driving under the influence, no vehicle insurance, theft, and possession of drugs for sale/supply (to the value of less than 13,000).
According to the research: Statistically significant sentencing disparities were observed in six categories: Assault; no road tax; estreatment of bail; using a vehicle without an NCT ([national car test] certificate; failure to comply with a garda; and possession of drugs for sale/supply [to the value of under 13,000].
Irish nationals were found to have received statistically significantly longer sentences for the offences assault and no road tax.
Foreign nationals were found to have received statistically significantly longer sentences for the offences of estreatment of bail, using a vehicle without an NCT certificate, failure to comply with a garda, and possession of drugs for sale/supply (to the value of 13,000).
Researchers Avril Brandon and Michael OConnell then looked at the sentences by gender.
In the male-only sample (12.07% of total), the disparities between Irish and non-Irish males for possession of drugs for sale/supply (to the value of under 13,000) were substantial, whereby non-Irish males received on average 10.78 months longer than Irish males.
The study says its findings suggest that bias is occurring within the criminal justice system and warrants further examination.
When faced with structural disadvantages, are non-Irish nationals simply committing some crimes more frequently than their Irish national counterparts?
Are the sentences reflective of a greater perceived risk of recidivism, perhaps due to less social support on release? Or are they over- policed, as alleged by some minorities?
With Permanent TSB set to sell 18,000 loans in the coming months, the Government has come under intense pressure to address the unregulated funds.
Ulster Bank has also indicated its intention to sell up to 7,000 loans.
Fianna Fail said the Government must now state clearly to PTSB that it is strongly opposed to the sale of the 3.7bn portfolio.
Mr Donohoe is working to find a solution to the issue of vulture funds before Fianna Fail brings a bill before the Dail on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, chair of the Oireachtas Finance Committee John McGuinness has hit out at PTSB for refusing to appear before it tomorrow.
Justice Minister Charlie Flanagan yesterday said a number of people were in tears in his constituency office on Friday over fears their homes will be sold off to vultures.
We dont know who is buying the mortgages, said Mr Flanagan. There have been emotive terms such as vultures and vipers and lots of fear. I would have to say that there are real fears in communities. I believe this issue must be resolved.
But there are legal agreements in place here and its important to note that the terms and conditions of a mortgage document cannot be unilaterally changed by a vulture fund or any other bank. There are legal protections. That will not change irrespective of who buys these loans. Its important that we addressed this issue in a calm and measured way.
I expect that Minister Donohoe will not only be briefing cabinet on Tuesday but will be bringing forward some proposals.
Fianna Fail TD Jim OCallaghan said it is regrettable that the opposition is providing leadership and not the Government.
We still dont know what the Government opinion is on the sale of PTSB, he said.
The Government, I know, doesnt have a veto over the sale but it does have opinion on it and thats the type of leadership that will have an impact on PTSB and more importantly will have an impact on any other credit institution that are thinking of selling on their loans.
Sinn Feins Donnchadh O Laoghaire said regulation of vulture funds alone will not solve the problem.
Its absolutely the case that the banks PSTB and Ulster Bank could work though these non-performing mortgages themselves, he told RTEs The Week in Politics. These banks can work with these mortgages owners and find a resolution.
Separately, PTSB has declined a request to answer questions at the Finance Committee tomorrow.
Mr McGuinness said:We are concerned about that because the decision of selling those loans onwards is in the process now, so we are running out of time. We want to get a breakdown of the 18,000 mortgages that they are about to sell. We are now at a tipping point.
He said the Government needs to make it clear whether it is on the side of the banks or the people.
Ulster Bank has also declined to say whether it will accept an invitation to appear before the committee.
CEO Gerry Mallon said: If we receive another invitation, we will consider it. We will make whatever we think is the right decision for Ulster Bank in order for it to be able to fulfil its duties.
Mortgage rights campaigner David Hall said Ulster Banks strategy of sending figures other than Mr Mallon was contemptible but not surprising.
There is an inherent disrespect of the public, so why would banks treat an Oireachtas committee any differently? he said. Bankers think they are more important than anyone else.
The Government has been accused of failure and lack of commitment by pushing spin over substance when it comes to rural Ireland.
A pilot scheme to help families and first-time buyers refurbish vacant properties which blight rural towns and villages was one of the key initiatives in the Governments multi-million action plan for rural development announced in January of last year. In an interview with the Irish Examiner in December 2016, then Minister for Arts, Heritage, Regional, Rural, and Gaeltacht Affairs Heather Humphreys said she wanted young families to return to live in rural centres and would be introducing the scheme on a pilot basis.
Ms Humphreys said: I am looking at developing a small pilot scheme to encourage people to come back to live in town centres because I know there are a lot of vacant units above shops in rural towns.
However, the department has now confirmed that, almost 14 months on, the scheme has yet to be set up, no towns or villages have been identified to pilot the project, and a steering group tasked with delivering the grant has never met.
Fianna Fails Eamon O Cuiv accused Minister for Rural and Community Development Michael Ring of inaction and said the scheme to bring young families back to towns and villages was a back of an envelope job which he claimed the Government hoped we would forget about.
I believe this was an announcement that was never approved by the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform, he said. They had to put something in the plan that was new so they announced this. It was promised that it would be done, but it is just another broken promise for rural Ireland and its not good enough.
He said those living in small villages and towns in rural Ireland are only asking for a modest infrastructure network but this is not even being delivered.
Mr O Cuiv, who will be raising the issue with Mr Ring when he appears before an Oireachtas committee this week, said that while the Government is full of promises, most of the time announcements relating to rural Ireland are shelved.
There are lots of launches but there is very little action. Its all bluster, he said,
Labour spokesman on rural and community development Willie Penrose said the grant, which was one of the Governments flagship proposals in the Action Plan for Rural Development, would have revitalised country areas and also ease the housing crisis.
It tells us all we need to know about how committed they are to rural Ireland that in the middle of a housing crisis and over a year on, there has been no move to bring in these grants, he said.
Across Ireland there are towns and villages that could have benefitted, where young couples could have use the payment to renovate houses. We were promised a pilot first, and that hasnt even happened. Its all spin over substance.
Mr Penrose, who pressed Mr Ring on the progress of the plan in the Dail last week, said the lack of progress is not good enough.
A department spokesman said the pilot scheme to encourage residential occupancy in rural towns and villages is currently being developed.
Following initial discussions between the Department Rural and Community Development and the Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government at official level, the minister has now established a steering group to accelerate and oversee the design and delivery of the pilot scheme, said the spokesman.
The steering group is chaired by this Department, and involves a number of other key departments and agencies. The first meeting of the steering group will take place shortly.
For a man whose best performances on the dance floor involved him standing still, eight weeks was a pretty good run.
In fact, after a romantic rumba to Lady in Red by Chris de Burgh, Marty had one of his better showings as he didnt really move that much. Judge Brian Redmond was full of praise for Martys complete lack of movement.
When you stand still you have an air about you... in fact, I think youre probably one of the best standing-still dancers Ive ever seen, he said.
Fellow judges Loraine Barry and Julian Benson were a tad kinder, but not by much, and his total of 16 points was the lowest score of the night. The fact is, we are at the business end of the competition now, and when it comes to dance-offs, Marty was never going to stand a chance against Alannah Beirne, who scored 26 points for an energetic quickstep to Ill Be There For You by The Rembrandts.
However, Marty was pretty sanguine about his elimination and admitted that he had probably survived longer than he deserved, given his lack of dancing prowess
To be in a dance-off is not easy... all I can do is salute my fellow contestants, he said. Im exhausted from partying. To be part of this and to dance with Ksenia has been one of my highlights. The people of Ireland kept me in this longer than I probably deserved, lets be honest.
What can I say... its been an amazing 4 months. I completely went out of my comfort zone and took on a challenge I never thought was possible. I cant thank you enough for all your support, without you , I wouldnt have been able to do this. I loved every minute of it. #DWTSIrl Marty Morrissey (@MartyM_RTE) February 25, 2018
With just four weeks to go, the real dancers are coming to the fore in the competition and with this weeks theme being guilty pleasures, the big guns left in the show really performed.
Erin McGregor and her partner Ryan McShane kicked off the show with a cha cha cha to Its Raining Men. Fresh from a perfect 10 last week, she had still faced elimination after being in the dance-off with Bernard.
The judges were impressed, Brian saying he quite liked it and praising her footwork. Loraine was similarly impressed but would have liked to see a more crispy cleaner action. Julian loved it but more than that, he praised Erin for fighting back after being in the dance-off last week.
It was enough to get her a hard-earned 25 points.
The Cork rebels Rob Heffernan and Anna Geary are also still in the hunt, but neither of them had their best night.
Rob performed the cha cha cha to Ice Ice Baby by Vanilla Ice. However, the reaction of the judges was decidedly frosty, if not icy.
Loraine said the performance was too much faffing and not enough dancing and Brian concluded the comments by saying Robs steps are too big and that the performance was so bad that he could be in the dance-off.
However, with that kind of threat looming, the good people of Cork pulled out their phones to make sure the race walker lived to fight another day.
Anna Geary also survived but it wasnt quite the perfect night like last week. The camogie star channeled her inner country to perform an American Smooth to Achy Breaky Heart by Ray Cyrus.
The judges liked it but didnt love it. Brian felt the country and western section didnt really work, but it was enough for 22 points.
Comedian Deirdre OKane is becoming a dark horse bet to win the show and had another strong week after a dramatic and intense paso doble to cheesy pop classic Tragedy by Steps.
The judges loved it, even the picky Brian, who said it was a really strong performance. Julian felt the dance was full of fire and energy, while Loraine said the performance had everything that she wanted to see in a really good paso doble. It was enough for a total of 24 points.
However, this week was a case of saving the best for last. Liverpudlian Jake Carter performed an emotional Viennese waltz to the classic Youll Never Walk Alone by Gerry and the Pacemakers.
Brian said Jake did the people of Liverpool proud, while Loraine said such an emotional song allowed him to show exactly what a Viennese waltz should have. Julian added: This was a perfect song for a beautifully danced Viennese waltz. You became the leading man tonight Jake so well done. You took on board our notes.
Two months in and just another few weeks to go. But it just wont be the same without the Marty Party.
The HSE has appointed Hernan Ganzo who had been practising locally as a locum. A Hungarian national working in Ireland for 11 years, he will be joined in the practice by his wife who is a nurse.
A public petition of over 1,000 signatures initiated last August by a German-French couple living in the Iveragh Peninsula area, seeking a full-time doctor, was supported by the retired GPs.
Locals believe the petition and public support had helped to resolve the matter. There had been claims that bureaucracy stood in the way of foreigners being appointed as GPs.
However, Majella Daly, HSE primary-care services manager in the area, said the recruitment of a GP into single practices in rural areas had proven challenging, not only in Kerry but in the entire western seaboard.
Helen OSullivan, who is involved in the ICA in Dromid, said the association had also sent letters to the HSE and demanding county councillors support the local appeal for a GP.
There was huge concern locally. We had two great doctors for 40 years. Everyone is delighted with the result of the public pressure, she said.
Meanwhile, Ms OSullivan said while the appointment was welcome, it was also hoped locally a female doctor would be appointed as there were no female GPs in the region. She said some women would like the choice of having a preference.
Fianna Fail councillor Norma Moriarty, however, said in time it was hoped the HSE would consider the appointment of a second GP to help cover the large area.
Arts Women Photographers Own Yangon Photo Night 2018
The Yangon Photo Festival team. / Chan Son / The Irrawaddy
YANGON Women photographers won big at Saturdays Yangon Photo Night, the awards event for this years Yangon Photo Festival.
At this years festival, its 10th running, the night featured 16 nominated photo essays on everything from human rights to animals from both professional and amateur photographers from across the country.
There are over 100 photo stories submitting for this year. It wasnt easy to choose this nominated 16 stories and its the hardest part of this event, said festival director Christophe Loviny.
The essays six from professionals and 10 from amateurs were judged by a jury of photographers and others before a public audience at the Institut Francais de Birmanie.
A photo essay about female soldiers fighting for the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) by Seng Mai, a Kachin woman and editor-in-chief of the Myitkyina News Journal, won first prize among the professionals.
Im so happy to win this first prize and Im much happier that I can show the abilities of Kachins female soldiers in front of the ambassadors and the international and professional photographers, Seng Mai, 28, told The Irrawaddy.
Theres a war happened in Kachin State and I would like to show the struggle of female soldiers participating in the war and what their life is like, how they survive, she said.
I started this project in November 2017. I went to Laiza and asked authorities for permission to take pictures, but [at first] they refused. Finally the authorities gave me a chance to take pictures but only for 24 hour. Their rules are very strict and mostly they dont want to show their faces.
But she did manage to find one girl who was willing to have her face photographed because she had no plans to leave the KIA.
Im not very satisfied with this photo essay myself because I got only one day and I didnt get really good shots. But it still shows the real life of Kachins female soldiers, and I think I won the prize because not everyone gets the opportunity to take photos of the KIA, she said.
Seng Mai also won at last years festival for a photo essay about female drug addicts.
Among the amateur nominees, Su Su Mon won first prize for a collection of self-portraits.
I didnt expect to win the prize and I cant express with words how happy I am right now, the 21-year-old said on stage through tears of joy.
Her photo essay focuses on her life growing up with five siblings and no parents and overcoming a physical disability.
Nyan Zay Htet won second place among the professional nominees and with it a trip to Amsterdam for the World Press Photo Awards.
Among the 16 nominees, nine walked away with awards in all.
The 10th Yangon Photo Festival opened on Feb. 16 and will run until March 4. Admission to the exhibits is free. For more information visit www.yangonphoto.com.
Asia Philippine Catholics Protest Drug Killings, Death Penalty
Catholic nuns hold placards as they protest against what organizers say are drug-related extrajudicial killings during International Human Rights Day in Manila, Philippines, on Dec. 10, 2016. / Reuters
MANILA Around a thousand Catholics in the Philippines marched in Manila on Saturday to protest President Rodrigo Dutertes bloody war on drugs and his efforts to reinstate the death penalty.
The protests come a day after students in the capital and provincial universities held demonstrations against Duterte, and a day before the 32nd anniversary of the People Power revolution that drove dictator Ferdinand Marcos into exile.
Catholic devotees prayed the rosary and sang hymns as bishops and the Philippines own cardinal read sermons against what they say are not pro-life policies in the government.
The protesters carried banners and placards with the massage Protect and Defend the Sanctity of Life and Marriage, End Impunity and Stop the Killings.
Despite criticism of the Philippine leaders bloody war on drugs campaign, Duterte remains wildly popular and a trusted public official in the Southeast Asian nation.
The Social Weather Stations (SWS) latest quarterly poll shows Dutertes trust rating bounced back to excellent in December from very high three months before. Another survey by the privately run pollster gave his government the best rating so far for a Philippine administration since surveys started in the 1980s.
The Catholic Church protested the pending bills in Congress introducing divorce and re-imposing capital punishment.
The majority of the Philippines 105 million people are Catholic. Despite the popularity of the anti-drugs crackdown, some sectors of the church have become increasingly vocal on the drugs killings, with the church calling for justice and offering sanctuary to drug users.
The threat is still there. We still hear news of extrajudicial killings. And still the bill of the death penalty is in Congress, said Broderick Pabillo, Manila auxiliary bishop.
More than 4,000 suspected drug dealers have been killed since Duterte took office in June 2016. Police said the killings resulted from self-defense during raids and sting operations.
Burma More than 100 Prisoners to Sit Matriculation Exam This Year
Insein Prison in Yangon. / Reuters
NAYPYITAW More than 100 prison inmates across the country will sit matriculation examinations in March, according to the Prisons Department.
106 inmates have applied through the relevant prison departments to do the exam. There may be more who have applied on their own, but we dont know yet, Naypyitaw-based Prisons Department Deputy Director U Min Tun Soe told The Irrawaddy.
The matriculation examination is the major university entrance test administered in Myanmar. It is used to determine which field of study new students will pursue.
Yangons Insein Prison started allowing inmates to take matriculation exams in the 2012-13 academic year, and Obo Prison in Mandalay followed suit in 2016-17. The Prisons Department has announced that beginning in the current academic year (2017-18), all inmates across the country will be allowed to apply to sit the exam.
Taking the exam this year are inmates from Insein, Obo, Karen States Hpa-an and Taninthayis Myeik prisons.
According to U Min Tun Soe, Insein and Obo prisons launched wide-scale personal development programs for inmates in 2016, aimed at teaching illiterate inmates the three Rs reading, writing and arithmetic as well as religious and health lessons, and vocational training.
Inmates preparing for the exam are being taught by other inmates and on weekends by outside teachers, he said.
It is a very good system to allow the young persons who are behind bars for various reasons [to sit exams], said U Than Htike Lin, who teaches the Swan Ye Htet spoken-English class in Pyinmana.
The matriculation examinations will be held from March 7-16. This year will see the most inmates sitting for the exam since permission was first granted in 2012-13.
From 2012-13 to 2016-17, a total of 29 inmates from Insein Prison passed the matriculation examination. Last year at Obo Prison, nine inmates passed, with five earning one distinction each, and one prisoner earning three distinctions.
According to the Education Ministrys Department of Examinations, more than 840,000 students registered to take the matriculation examination nationwide this year, up from 767,442 last year.
Burma Analysis: Proposed Amendment Raises Fears About Rights to Free Expression
Thousands of demonstrators march in Yangon in support of Myanmars military and civil servants on Oct. 29, 2017. / Myo Min Soe / The Irrawaddy
YANGON Myanmars controversial protest law has again been tabled in parliament with two major amendments scheduled to be debated this week. The changes include a requirement that the sources of protest funding be identified and the stipulation of jail terms for people using such assemblies to instigate unrest.
The bill, which seeks to amend the Peaceful Assembly and Peaceful Procession Law, was submitted by the Upper House Bill Committee last week.
The legislative push is being viewed as the latest attempt by the NLD-dominated parliament to deter those with hidden agendas from masterminding protests and to reduce the risk of racial and religious violence.
It seems they want to expose the dark elements [behind protests], outspoken former Yangon region lawmaker and legal expert Daw Nyo Nyo Thin said, citing the requirement that would-be organisers of peaceful assemblies and processions inform police in advance not only of their agenda and the estimated numbers of people involved, but also the expected costs and the identity of the persons or organizations that would cover the costs.
Several mass rallies have been held against the government in recent months to protest a string of actions by authorities including the imposition of a one-year preaching ban on the ultranationalist monk U Wirathu, the arrest of nationalists and a ban on the countrys biggest religious nationalist group, the Association for Protection of Race and Religion, or Ma Ba Tha, from operating under its name.
Following a protest against Religious Affairs Minister U Aung Ko in May last year, the ministry released a statement that the alleged protesters were paid sums ranging from 7, 000 to 30, 000 kyats (US$5-$22) to participate.
More recently, nationalists appeared at the court hearing for slain lawyer U Ko Ni in early February wearing T-shirts printed with the slogan Eat well (before you die) to show support for the four men accused of involvement in the murder. The phrase in Burmese is considered a threat to show ones anger and to warn of impending revenge.
Daw Nyo Nyo Thin said she personally agreed with the amendment seeking disclosure of the funding sources.
We ask the government for accountability and transparency. So I personally believe we, the organizers should also be OK revealing the funding sources and estimated costs, she said.
She added, however, that it would be more convenient to present the information after the demonstration, as, for example, in student demonstrations, individual residents often donate to the protestors as they march by.
Free speech advocate Maung Saungkha wrote that the proposed requirement wouldnt impact protests funded by a party or political cronies but would complicate the organization of protests by farmers, workers and students, as the public helped fund participation in such rallies with contributions of 500 kyats or 1000 kyats per person.
He added that the amendment could cause these donors to hesitate as their names would be given to the police for supporting the protest.
Despite the disagreements over to the proposed requirement to identify funding sources, the most controversial part of the draft bill is the stipulated jail terms for using protests to instigate unrest.
The amendment states that anyone who provokes or exhorts others to organize or participate in demonstrations by bribing or paying them or doing anything else with the intention of harming the stability, rule of law, peace and tranquility of the community and public morality would face a prison sentence of up to three years.
Daw Nyo Nyo Thin said the clause harming the stability, rule of law, peace and tranquility of the community and public morality is too vague and broad, as is the phrase doing anything else.
How will they define which act harms the stability or peace and tranquility of the community? she asked.
The clause, which has its origins in the military-drafted 2008 constitution, was broadly used in the past to crack down on political activists, Daw Nyo Nyo Thin said.
She said the legislators and the government should keep in mind that the Ministry of Home Affairs, which is under the control of the military and not the government, is the body that would implement the law after it is approved.
She added that if the bill were approved, it would make worse the states repression of dissidents.
It will not be good for the image of the countrys democracy or the government, she said.
The same phrase was added to Article 4 of the law under the amendments, stating that demonstrators who want to exercise their right to peaceful assembly and procession are required to inform the police at least 48 hours before the intended day of the rally and to ensure the rally is not contrary to the existing laws, stability, rule of law, peace and tranquility of the community and public morality.
Free speech advocate Maung Saungkha wrote on Friday that the changes would give the police total authority to ban a protest if they judged it to be potentially harmful to the stability and peace and tranquility of the community.
The Upper House lawmaker Daw Ei Ei Pyone from Irrawaddy Division said the parliament would discuss the precise wording of the legislation in upcoming parliamentary sessions.
I think it is necessary to prevent the intentionally created problems by some while the country is already struggling with many problems and challenges, she said.
She added that she believed the amendments wouldnt have an impact on free expression.
It is not good having those who pay money to people to participate in protests with the intention of creating instability or racial and religious violence at a time when the country is facing challenges, the MP said.
It is obvious that the government wants to amend the law to take action against those who mastermind demonstrations and exploit the right to free expression and peaceful assembly to create a crisis situation for the government, as well as instability, human rights activist U Aung Myo Min wrote on his Facebook account.
Still, he said, the law shouldnt be prescribed or amended with the intention of preventing groups taking to the streets, adding that free expression and peaceful assembly were fundamental human rights.
The draft bill will be debated later this week.
Burma Myanmar Delegation Barred From Genocide Conference In Berlin
Rohingya refugees walk through water after crossing the Bangladesh-Myanmar border, at a port in Teknaf, Bangladesh October , 2017. / Reuters
YANGONA Myanmar delegation was blocked from joining an international genocide conference being held in Berlin to push European leaders to do more to help the beleaguered Rohingya.
The conference, which started on Monday, is being attended by international scholars, human rights activists and Rohingya lobbyists based outside of Myanmar. Participants include Yanghee Lee, the UNs special envoy on human rights in Myanmar, who has been banned from returning to the country on the grounds that her reporting on the crisis in Rakhine State has been biased in favor of the Rohingya.
The eight-member group from Myanmar who are part of the Strategies for Peace, Harmony and Development Workshop comprised Dr Aung Tun Thet, the chief coordinator of the governments Union Enterprise for Humanitarian Assistance, Resettlement and Development in Rakhine and Daw Pyone Kaythi Niang, an NLD lawmaker and member of the International Relations Parliamentary Committee as well as others from the private and public sectors.
The workshop was set up by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs-affiliated Myanmar Institute of Strategic and International Studies (Myanmar ISIS). Established in 1992 by the State Law and Order Restoration Council (SLORC) with the then minister of foreign affairs as its chairman, Myanmar ISIS was restructured in 2013 and is now run by members with foreign-service experience. As a research and policy analysis institute working on international relations and Myanmar foreign policy, it continues to exchange views with the Myanmar Ministry of Foreign Affairs while also engaging in track-II, or backchannel, diplomacy.
According to a press briefing organized by the members on Monday in Yangon, the objective of joining the conference in Berlin was to listen and engage with the participants of the event.
The group said all members had successfully registered on Thursday for the Berlin Conference on Myanmar Genocide via the Eventbrite online platform and received confirmation that their registration had been successful with tickets being issued.
However, the members were informed via email at around midnight on Friday that their registrations for the conference had been cancelled, with the organizing team claiming they couldnt offer the seats due to overbooking of the event.
Daw Pyone Kaythi Naing told the press conference on Monday that the members had hoped to attend the conference to get a better understanding and appreciation of external views.
The delegation members told the press briefing that they were disappointed to be denied the chance to participate in the conference as their attendance would have created a well-rounded audience that brought in independent voices. However, they now shared genuine concerns that the organizers of the Berlin conference had deliberately sought to exclude participants from Myanmar.
This leads us to question the real intention behind this particular event as well as fuel our concerns that the conference will create more complexities, which in turn will be very counter-productive to finding a long-lasting solution for the people from all communities in Rakhine, the members told the briefing.
Since Muslim militant attacks in August in northern Rakhine State last year, hundreds of thousands of Rohingya have fled to neighboring Bangladesh following the Myanmar militarys clearance operations. Myanmar has been internationally criticized for human rights abuses against the Rohingya. While the country categorically rejects that there is genocide taking place in the state, it had acknowledged that the situation in Rakhine is in dire need of attention and collaboration with all stakeholders.
Correction: The previous version of this story misspelled the name of the NLD lawmaker. It is Pyone Kaythi Naing, not Niang.
News Nationalist Monks Crash Press Conference Called by Critic of U Wirathu
Ashin Issariya, also known as Ashin Min Thu Nya, holds a hastily arranged press conference after an earlier one was canceled over tensions between his followers and supporters of U Wirathu. / Myo Min Soe / The Irrawaddy
Nationalist monks forced the cancellation of a press conference yesterday at which a monk had planned to call on religious and civil authorities to prevent the firebrand monk U Wirathu from spreading hate speech.
The event planned by Buddhist monk Ashin Issariya, also known as Ashin Min Thu Nya, at the Myanmar Journalist Network (MJN) was called off after dozens of monks and laymen who support U Wirathu arrived and took seats at the venue an hour before the scheduled start of the press conference.
Ashin Min Thu Nya had planned to call on the government and State Sangha Maha Nayaka Committee (known as Ma Ha Na), to take action against U Wirathu in order to purify the Buddhist religion and to serve justice.
The nationalist monks said they had come to hear what Ashin Min Thu Nya had in mind when he spoke of purifying the religion.
As the room grew more and more crowded, organizers canceled the press conference, fearing the situation would escalate once Ashin Min Thu Nya and his monk supporters arrived.
Initially, it was agreed that five monks from each side would be allowed to attend the press conference. This agreement later collapsed, however, prompting Ko Zarni, the MJN secretary, to cancel the press conference.
The nationalist monks who had taken seats all stood up and angrily castigated Ashin Min Thu Nya for disrespecting them by failing to acknowledge their presence.
The monks began to exit the three-story building, but a group of U Wirathu supporters including some monks soon returned and demanded an explanation for the cancellation of the press conference.
Kaung Htet San, an MJN official, said he was not involved in the decision, and told them to ask the events organizers for the reason. Some nationalists pressed Kaung Htet San to explain how the organization had selected the invitees, and began to threaten him. In response, he angrily told them to get out of his office.
Outside the building, monks expressed their dissatisfaction with the cancellation to members of the media.
The crowd eventually swelled to about 200 people, including supporters of both sides.
Some nationalist monks stopped event organizers and asked why they had canceled the press conference, with a few even displaying physically aggressive behavior.
Local residents expressed concerns that violence would erupt during dhamma talks that were due to be held on the street. Representatives of the community asked people to leave so that they could clean the street and arrange for carpeting to be rolled out. Eventually the crowd dispersed, but not before the owner of the building asked MJN officials to move out for fear of being targeted by nationalist monks.
Secret Press Conference
With tensions so high, Ashin Min Thu Nya was forced to return to his monastery in Yangon. He invited media to a conference at the monastery at about 5pm.
Ma Ha Na earlier banned U Wirathu from delivering sermons for a year, but he used a variety of strategies to get around this, including delivering his message via social media. Wearing a mask to symbolically represent his lost speech rights, he made shooting gestures in public and warned lawyers to eat their last meals. He even said that he was a teacher of Kyi Lin, the accused gunman in the 2017 murder of prominent Muslim lawyer U Ko Ni.
Ashin Min Thu Nya, who comes from Karen State, has asked the government and Ma Ha Na to take action to limit the nationalist monks hate speech.
I want our country to have justice. I do not want him to destroy our Buddhist religion. I do not want other people to look down on Buddhism, he said.
Ashin Min Thu Nya said he had been threatened by nationalist monks on the phone, but added he could not be sure if the threats were serious. However, he said, We all have a duty to protect our Buddhist religion. We all need to work together to stop [U Wirathu]. If we do not, we will not be able to stop him. If we keep ignoring his actions, our country will not have justice.
He added that it was mainly the responsibility of the Interior Ministry and higher court judges to take action against U Wirathu.
I want to tell the world that his action reflects his personality alone. Our Buddhist monks do not support him, he said.
U Wirathu violated the law. We want to know what action the government plans to take against him, said Ashin Min Thu Nya.
He said he had called the press conference in order to explain this to the international community and to people inside the country. He said that if the government and Ma Ha Na failed to act, the countrys monks would be divided. Monks had already lost respect among the people, he said.
No Action from Authorities
Sources from the Religions Ministry said they had collected evidence in all cases in which U Wirathu had violated the law, but the higher court had not given the order to arrest him.
When a local court in Rangoon issued an order that action be taken against four nationalist youth who made threats outside a court last month, the police did not arrest them, the sources said.
Union Religions Minister U Aung Ko told reporters Monday at Parliament in Naypyidaw that Ma Ha Na had the responsibility to control monks who did not respect morality.
If the Sangha could not control those monks, then it could delegate authority to do so to his ministry, he said, and action would be taken. If action were taken against them, he said, they would fear authorities.
We need to be united in taking action against these monks. If we are not, we cannot take action, he said, warning that authorities should not limit their actions to minor cases.
Kradle was founded in 2000 to develop software for modelling the radiation from radio towers, chief executive Michael Haddon (pictured) told iTWire. As the company grew, it became frustrated by the lack of affordable process management software.
Big name software for this purpose is very expensive, he said, and the consulting services needed for implementation cost four or five times as much again and their clients remain dependent on those consultants.
So Kradle started work on its own software that would put business owners in charge. "A business owner knows his business better than anybody else," said Haddon.
The idea was to make it simple as in "no code" to create a data model and a database, overlaid by custom workflows and reports.
Being cloud based, Kradle allows remote and distributed workers to be as productive as their colleagues at head office. The company has created a new navigation system to speed up access and avoid users staring at spinning wheels while data is transferred to the screen.
This involves a patented blade system that enables users to preview files and documents in responsive, collapsible and expandable windows, eliminating the need to navigate between multiple tabs.
Kradle users can review insights of their business and improve operations. For example, a company might use Kradle to create customisable workflows which manage, track and prioritise tasks within each project or phases of a project and measure the estimated costs versus the actual costs of each job," said Haddon.
"Users can rapidly report on wins and losses, automate communication alerts via SMS and email both internally and to contractors and clients.
Haddon gave the example of a large vehicle crash repair shop that was using a wall of sticky notes plus Excel and Outlook to manage repair processes comprising around 30 to 40 tasks. With Kradle, the owner was able to build process templates to accommodate different types of customers and various insurance companies.
Now, he has real visibility of the state of the business, with reports showing what's supposed to happen that day, outstanding invoices, staff efficiency, and more. Kradle "became the window into his business," said Haddon.
What's more, the repair shop only needs two Kradle seats the software is priced per user per month, starting at $49.
Since Kradle is so inexpensive and a free trial is available implementing it for a particular business is a low-risk project, he said.
Many manual processes can be digitised, and Kradle is said to enhance accuracy, accountability, and communication, especially critical during busy periods where human errors increase.
Were excited to bring Kradle to Australian businesses this year, said Haddon.
There are more than two million small and medium-sized businesses in Australia. They account for more than half of private sector business activity*.
We believe that Kradle will become a motivational tool for staff," he added. "Rather than spending time on repetitive, manual tasks, they can focus on activities that add value to their business. This results in performance improvements and a more engaged workforce.
All files and data are securely stored and maintained within the Kradle database, and clients can choose to have their data hosted in Sydney, Melbourne, the US or the UK. Kradle will be available in additional Azure regions over time. Microsoft has provided the company with early access to various Azure features, Haddon told iTWire. While that has its advantages, it does make it hard to find staff with the right knowledge, he observed.
Kradle is said to be suitable for businesses of all sizes, and an API is provided in case integration with other systems is required.
Telstra registered a 14% increase in brand value to US$12.4 billion in 2017, retaining the title of the most valuable telecoms brand in Australia and climbing one spot to 13th place globally in the Brand Finance Telecoms 300 rankings.
According to Brand Finance Australia, the strength of the brand contrasts with the decline in Telstras market value of 21%, highlighting the ever increasing role of the brand in the organisations overall business strategy.
Telstra continues to perform exceptionally well across a number of brand attributes, and is now reaping the benefits of its customer-focused investments, said Mark Crowe, managing director, Brand Finance Australia.
Telstra has formally launched a 5G Innovation Centre on the Gold Coast to house tests of new technology based on the emerging next-generation wireless standard and we look forward to the formal rollout of its 5G services in 2019.
In the Asia Pacific region, Brand Finance says the biggest success story from China in the 300 league table is China Telecom which saw a 36% growth to its brand value, rising through the ranks to 7th place this year, from 10th last year.
The China Telecom brand is now valued at almost US$24.0 billion as the company steps up efforts towards 5G deployment, with plans to run a phased testing period for capacity and performance of 5G networks across six cities from 2017 to 2019 before launching commercially in 2020.
China Telecom is also the countrys biggest fixed-line network services provider, Brand Finance notes.
Brand Finance reports that American telecoms players continue to dominate the Telecoms 300 league table, with AT&T retaining the title of the sectors most valuable brand, but most US brands have experienced a loss in value as they fend off competition from Internet giants.
Challenges presented by technology brands, such as Facebook-owned WhatsApp and Microsoft-owned Skype, have meant American telecoms must update their voice and video calling service offerings to stay relevant.
Telecoms revenue growth has been in decline since 2013 as more customers opt for Over-The-Top messaging services to remain in touch. With Microsoft (Skype), Facebook (Messenger, WhatsApp), Amazon (Alexa), Tencent (WeChat), Google (Hangouts) and many other firms expanding their services in this space, demand for OTT services is causing telecoms brands to adapt fast.
However, 79% of mobile customers worldwide think that demand for OTT is outpacing the ability of telecoms brands to adjust, according to a 2017 Mobile Economy report by the GSMA.
David Haigh, chief executive of Brand Finance, commented: While American telecoms brands are at the top of the table, they are grappling against falling brand values as they find themselves navigating a complex regulatory environment and competitive offerings from the internet challengers, all whilst battling sinking revenues. In order to survive in the digital era, telcos must put up a strong fight by adopting innovative strategies.
But while American telecom brand values fall, Brand finance says that when taking a snapshot of brand representation by country, the US still dominates as American brands hold the largest share or 28% of the total brand value in the 300 league table.
By comparison, China and Japan each account for 11% of the brand value in the telecoms sector and British telecoms brands occupy 8% of the league table, the report notes.
Under the Brand Finance table, AT&T maintained its position as the leading global telecoms brand, despite its brand value falling 5% from US$87.0 billion to US$82.4 billion over the past 12 months.
According to Brand Finance, AT&T struggled with the loss of post-paid mobile phone subscribers as lower pricing for its unlimited plans failed to attract customers in a saturated US market.
And, looking to the future, Brand Finance says the AT&T brand is now involved in new 5G network investments and participating in intensive testing for vehicle-to-everything networks.
Americas largest wireless network, Verizon, came in second place on the league table with a brand value of US$62.8 billion, down from US$65.9 billion last year, dropping 5% in brand value.
Also placed within the top 10 in 6th spot is American brand Xfinity, the wireless and TV service owned by the wider Comcast network and valued at US$26.1 billion.
Another American brand which has seen its brand value drop is independent business connectivity provider, Spectrum, which came in 12th place whilst contending with a 15% fall in brand value, Brand Finance reports.
China features again in the in the Brand Finance Telecoms Infrastructure 10 league table, with Chinese brand Huawei coming out on top, valued at US$38.0 billion, up 51% from last years US$25.2 billion.
Huaweis phenomenal global rise continues with its smartphone business now firmly in third place behind Apple and Samsung, Brand Finance says.
The core networking business, which delivers the bulk of global revenue, is growing with the expectation of 5G services coming online soon. Since 2012, Huawei has grown nearly 700% from US$4.8 billion to US$38.0 billion, trailblazing Chinese efforts to build home-grown brands, the report notes.
Noting that Nokia has made a comeback, Brand Finance says: Favoured Finnish brand Nokia is the third most valuable telecoms infrastructure brand worldwide, reaping the benefits of refreshing its well-loved mobile phones.
Nokias brand story in the past few years can be likened to that of a phoenix rising from the ashes. Nokia has seen a 71% increase in brand value to US$8.4 billion in the past year, quadrupling since the low point of US$2.0 billion in 2014."
The European Union is, for once, reportedly drafting legislation that would meet with approval in the US, seeking to force commercial entities to provide access to data, no matter where it is physically stored.
Reuters reported that the initial push had been to make it compulsory for data within the 28-member political alliance to be covered.
The report came a day ahead of a hearing in a case that pits Microsoft against the US Government, one in which the software firm has already obtained a verdict that it need not provide access to a client's data stored in Ireland.
The government has appealed the case and it is being now heard by the Supreme Court, with a verdict due sometime in June.
The EU's proposal would apply to all nationalities, not just citizens of the bloc with the only criterion being that the data in question should have relevance to an EU investigation.
The proposed law is still being drafted and is expected to be presented to the EU parliament next month.
If it becomes law, a process that could take up to two years, it will override mutual legal assistance treaties.
In May, the EU will put into effect a law that gives its citizens greater control over their online data. The General Data Protection Regulation comes into force on 25 May.
In no way a hat tip to Luddites, but simply "a 24-hour global respite from technology", the National Day of Unplugging aims to highlight to value of digitally disconnecting so we can re-connect with what matters.
If you thought your Facebook feed truly mattered to you, or your instant gratification from Instagram wasn't instant enough, then perhaps you need a digital detox.
The news that this day has arrived in Australia comes smack bang in the midst of the smartphone season that is the mobile madness of the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona.
At that event, Samsung launched its flagship S9 and S9+ smartphones, as reported in iTWire, with Aussie telcos and MVNOs already flooding journalist inboxes with notes of special deals to tempt you into buying from that particular organisation.
But with everyone so plugged into technology, with eyes firmly affixed to the glowing round-cornered rectangles increasingly becoming all the rage in today's devices, the need to unplug and start to regain some digital life, work, social media, gaming and content binge-watching balance emerges.
Of course, it might not have emerged for you if you're wildly addicted to your devices, but it may well be the splinter in the corner of your mind wanting you to unplug from the matrix.
So, a red pill has emerged. The National Day of Unplugging appears to be a US initiative (judging by all the info at the site linked above), which has now arrived in Australia.
The day is being promoted in Australia by a tech repair company called Fix2U, which obviously wants a bit of free publicity, and which is urging is to "Do the 24-hour digital detox."
In the US, the date of the event is "sundown on 9 March until sundown 10 March," but in Australia, this date is pushed forward thanks to time zone differences, thus being "sundown on 10 March until sundown 11 March."
To get involved in Australia, you can order a free sleeping bag for your phone to "help withstand the urge to use your phone during the day".
You can also download a free sign where you pledge that "I unplug to...." with the dots filled in with what you intend to do during your detox period.
Presumably pleading to use your landline phone or tablet or laptop isn't exactly in the spirit of digital detoxing, but who knows what wily ways some will end up wavering over to in an attempt to detox without really detoxing.
A detox-free detox isn't much of a detox, but hey, after 24 hours most will retox themselves, so... maybe you really do need to take the opportunity to temporarily switch off.
That said, why not give it a go? Virtually all of your ancestors were able to live their lives without modern technology, so 24 hours of digitally smartphone detoxing is unlikely to leave with you with little more than the withdrawal symptoms of analog-laden anxiety at not being able to have your phone in your hand 24/7.
So, may the force of a digital-free detox be with you, and... good luck!
Here are some digital detoxers in the US, with Huffington Post founder Arianna Huffington in the second row of the digital photo mix:
The US Citizenship and Immigration Services has asserted its authority to limit the length of stay of an H-1B visa holder in the US in a statement about additional protections to combat what it calls abuse of this class of visa.
The move comes a little more than a month before H-1B applications for 2019 open on 2 April.
In a statement on 22 February, the USCIS said, "While an H-1B petition may be approved for up to three years, USCIS will, in its discretion, generally limit the approval period to the length of time demonstrated that the beneficiary will be placed in non-speculative work and during which the petitioner will maintain the requisite employer-employee relationship."
Thus far, the holder of an H-1B visa has been able to work for three years and then renew the visa for another three. Many US companies then push this period out further by applying for a green card and seeking leave for the holder to remain in the country until that application is processed.
This is not the only measure the USCIS has announced, with the agency stressing that anyone who entered the US on an H-1B would now have to be employed in a specialty occupation at a specified company.
The strictures mean that no outsourcing company can bring in someone on an H-1B and then have them work at a number of third-party sites.
The USCIS statement said: "When H-1B beneficiaries are placed at third-party worksites, petitioners must demonstrate that they have specific and non-speculative qualifying assignments in a specialty occupation for that beneficiary for the entire time requested on the petition."
Since Donald Trump became president just more than a year ago, the US has been clamping down on these visas. A large percentage of the visa holders are Indians who work in the technology industry.
There was talk recently that the government would not allow the renewal of the H-1B beyond six years. That was denied, apparently due to pressure from the business lobby. Now, the idea seems to have been revived.
A bill drafted by Republican Senator Orrin Hatch bill has sought to more than double the number of H-1B visas and also seeks to make it possible for the spouses of H-1B holders to obtain work permits, something the Trump administration has decided to abolish.
Education software and services provider Tribal Group has appointed Peter Croft as its Asia Pacific managing director.
Croft joined Tribal from healthcare workforce management software company Allocate Software where he was regional director for Australia, New Zealand and south-east Asia.
His previous positions include managing director of Clearswift Asia Pacific, executive general manager at Tenix Datagate, and business unit manager at Philips Electronics Australia.
Croft holds an honours degree in electrical and electronics engineering from UTS, and an MBA from Macquarie Graduate School of Management.
"I am excited to be joining the Tribal team at a time of great opportunity for the business in the Asia Pacific region," said Croft.
"I am particularly motivated by the sense of mission that the company plays and its significant role in improving both the delivery of educational services, and importantly the student journey."
Former Google software engineer Loretta Lee has filed a lawsuit against the search giant, claiming sexual harassment, and gender discrimination.
According to a report in the Silicon Valley website, Lee, who was sacked by Google in 2016 for alleged poor performance, claims she was slapped, groped and even experienced a worker hiding under her desk the man told her that she would never know what he had been doing there one night.
Lee's lawsuit, filed in the Santa Clara Country Superior Court, says, Googles bro-culture contributed to (Lees) suffering frequent sexual harassment and gender discrimination, for which Google failed to take corrective action".
Google has already been sued by engineer James Damore, who was fired after he wrote a screed, that became public, alleging that the gender gap in tech jobs was due to biological factors.
Last Wednesday, another former Google engineer Tim Chevalier sued the company forover posting what he described as politically liberal content on internal message boards.
And in September 2017, three former women employees Kelly Ellis, Holly Pease and Kelli Wisuri filed a class-action lawsuit, alleging they were paid less than their male counterparts who had similar roles.
Google told the Silicon Valley website that it had "strong policies against harassment in the workplace.
A company spokesperson was quoted as saying: "We take action when we find violations, including termination of employment.
Lee alleges that the harassment she came up against included abuse and egregious incidents. She claims she had to put up with lewd comments, ogling, having her drinks being spiked with whisky, and having Nerf balls and darts shot at her.
She claims she "was slapped in the face by an intoxicated male co-worker for no apparent reason", at a holiday party.
In January 2016, she found a man under her desk; when she came close, he is alleged to have left, shouting, "Youll never know what I was doing!"
The suit says: She was frightened by his comment and believed he may have installed some type of camera or similar device under her desk."
Lee is asking for more than US$25,000 in unspecified damages for harassment, gender discrimination, failure to prevent sexual harassment, disability discrimination, wrongful termination and retaliation.
Whatever you do, don't compare Waverly Labs' Pilot to the Babelfish from Douglas Adams' novel The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Although you stick both in your ear to follow what's being said in a foreign language, that's where the similarity ends.
A fairer comparison might be the translator earpiece in Bruce Sterling's 1996 cyberpunk novel Holy Fire. That literary device, at least, is electronic, not organic, and runs sophisticated software to do its job.
Pilot is a pair of Bluetooth earbuds that you connect to your smartphone to listen to music or make and take calls. The earbuds have a four-hour battery life, and their carrying case doubles as a charger: Its integrated battery is good for four recharges.
Peter Sayer/IDG Waverly Labs makes the Pilot translating earpiece, seen here at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona in February 2018.
So far so good -- but Pilot also functions as an interpreter.
If you open up the associated smartphone app and lend one of the earbuds to someone who doesn't speak or understand your language, there's a chance you'll be able to converse. (They'll need to pair your earbud with their phone and install the app: Waverly Labs says this takes less than a minute.)
The app relays sound from the microphones in one earbud to Waverly Labs' servers, displaying a transcription of what it hears on screen and, after a short delay, its translation, which it then speaks into the opposite earbud -- which is presumably in the other person's ear. If that person then replies, the process is repeated in reverse.
This feature arrived in a software update late last month. The company is working on a version of the feature that requires only one phone -- and also a function that will continuously translate speech from those around the wearer.
For business users, there's also a group conferencing mode that allows speakers of different languages to meet.
In a brief test on the sidelines of Mobile World Congress in Barcelona this weekend Pilot coped well with incomplete or ungrammatical sentences and idiomatic expressions. It accurately translated "It's raining cats and dogs" into French as "Il pleut des seaux d'eau" (literally, "It's raining buckets"), with no mention of either chats or chiens.
If the machine translation service behind Pilot doesn't understand an expression, it will hand it off to another translation service, learning from the response, said Waverly Labs' VP of Manufacturing, William Goethals.
There's no charge to use the Pilot service to translate between French, Italian, Portuguese, Spanish and English, other than the cost of the smartphone's data connection.
For now, Waverly Labs is funding the service solely from hardware sales, but the company does have plans to generate revenue from it in other ways in future, Goethals said. One is to charge for additional languages: According to the company's website, translation to and from Arabic, Mandarin Chinese, German, Greek, Hindi, Japanese, Korean, Polish, Russian and Turkish will be available as paid upgrades towards the end of this year.
The cost of operating the service is low: Just bandwidth and server time, said Goethals. That's much cheaper than paying to use a rival cloud API for every translation.
Pilot began life as a crowd-funded project on Indiegogo. The company demonstrated a prototype at last year's Mobile World Congress, and finally began shipping the device in December. The first manufacturing run is sold out, but it's now possible to preorder a pair of earbuds from the next batch for $249: There are additional shipping costs for sales to Europe.
Sen. Sean Bennett, R-Dorchester, speaks to a group of constituents Saturday morning in Summers Corner as part of a "Coffeehouse Caucus" event.
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By Bandy X. Lee and Jeffrey D. Sachs | (Project Syndicate) |
Donald Trump is not the first leader with a severe personality disorder characterized by intolerable feelings of inadequacy and an overwhelming need for approval to gain power. But such leaders have usually gained control in smaller countries that lack the worlds most powerful military.
NEW YORK When Donald Trump took office early last year, many pundits believed that he would settle into his presidency and pivot to normality. But a large number of Americas mental health experts didnt see it that way. They warned that Trump evidently suffers from a mental impairment that would worsen under pressure, possibly leading him to launch a war, even a nuclear war. And now, with the dangers of a Trump-led war with North Korea or Iran rising, the world needs to head off Americas president before its too late.
In the view of many professional psychologists and psychiatrists, Trump is not merely a bully, a showman, and a liar; he is more likely a mentally impaired individual who is impulsive, aggressive, and relentlessly driven to manipulate and blame others. These professionals have called for an urgent, independent evaluation of Trumps mental capacity that goes far beyond the simple cognitive screen that he received earlier this year when undergoing a physical examination at Walter Reed Army Medical Center.
To some laypersons, and obviously to many Americans, symptoms of mental impairment can appear to be strengths. A lack of self-control can be mistaken for candor. Aggression and manipulativeness can be mistaken for deal-making skills. Yet to mental health professionals, these traits are danger signs. Individuals who display such behavior are often masking intolerable feelings of powerlessness, inadequacy, and an overwhelming need for approval that can curdle into violent destructiveness under pressure.
This would not be the first time, of course, that a leader with a severe personality disorder has gained power. But such leaders have usually gained control in smaller countries that lack the worlds most powerful military. Still, the record of such episodes is grim: Idi Amin, Saddam Hussein, Pol Pot, and many others were able to wreak murderous mayhem.
Unlike those leaders, Trump can plunge the world into a devastating nuclear war at his personal command. In recent months, he has repeatedly threatened to use this power. Trump believes that by threats, sanction, and bravado, he can force North Korea to relinquish its nuclear weapons. In fact, if Trump pushes the North Korean regime into a corner, he is more likely to provoke a war. The South Koreans understand this, but they are being pressured by the US to take a hard line. The recent Olympics thaw in relations between North and South Korea is promising, but not the end of the story. Trump will most likely stir up tensions soon again; he cant help himself.
Iran is the second flash point. Trump is surrounded by hardliners in his administration who are seeking a showdown with the Islamic Republic. Israels government, led by Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, is pushing the US in the same direction. Again, Trump or his advisers may believe that bravado will cause the Iranians to back down from their regional assertiveness in Syria and Lebanon; but this is unlikely, in part because Iran can count on Russias tacit backing.
Trumps obsession with winning and inability to accept a balance of power constitute a dire threat. His declaration on Twitter in January that he is a very stable genius is a sign of weakness, not strength. Such statements are an alarm, not a reassurance.
As Special Counsel Robert Muellers investigation continues to raise the emotional and political pressure on Trump, the presidents temptation to resort to war could rise dramatically. The danger is that Trumps emotional compulsions could become all-consuming, rendering him incapable of choosing any other course than violence.
Trumps impairments usually involve great efforts by him and others to keep his inner wounds covered. People around him often display excessive fawning or comply with exceptional demands in order to contain him. Such is the reported atmosphere at the White House, where his aides apparently work hard to keep America safe from their boss.
Given the warning signs, the US Congress should move urgently to remove Trumps unilateral ability to launch a war, especially a nuclear war. The Constitution is clear: According to Article I, Section 8, Congress, not the president, has the power to declare war. Presidents have relentlessly usurped that power in recent decades, and Congress, unfortunately, has acquiesced. But, with Trump in power, it is especially urgent a matter of survival that Congress clearly and explicitly reasserts its constitutional authority.
Americas traditional allies should also be on guard against blindly following the US to war. We are in a period of great danger. We do not need a new war on the Korean Peninsula or in the Middle East to establish a balance of power, stability, and mutual recognition of all sides security interests. We need diplomacy. But Trump may be psychologically incapable of that, because he predisposed to attack, rather than compromise. Global forces for peace need to resist.
Bandy X. Lee is a clinical professor in Law and Psychiatry at Yale School of Medicine.
Jeffrey D. Sachs, Professor of Sustainable Development and Professor of Health Policy and Management at Columbia University, is Director of Columbias Center for Sustainable Development and of the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network. His books include The End of Poverty, Common Wealth, The Age of Sustainable Development, and, most recently, Building the New American Economy.
Licensed from Project Syndicate
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Trump to Kim: My nuclear button is bigger and more powerful BBC News
TORONTO, Feb. 26, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- INV Metals Inc. (INV Metals or the Company) (TSX:INV) is pleased to provide an update on the Companys grassroots exploration properties, located within Ecuador.
Ms. Candace MacGibbon, CEO, stated In 2017 we acquired four highly prospective greenfield exploration properties situated throughout Ecuador. Our initial field work is very encouraging and has already defined potential gold, silver and copper targets on all four projects: Tierras Coloradas; Las Penas; La Rebuscada; and Carolina.
Ms. MacGibbon added, The preliminary results of our initial field programs, which have been limited to prospecting, mapping, and rock chip sampling to-date while permits are awaited, continue to confirm our belief in Ecuadors exploration potential, and that of our projects in particular. Our geological team has identified several areas of soil and rock chip geochemical anomalies which led to the discovery of high grade gold mineralization in quartz veins on three of our properties, along with extensive porphyry style alteration.
The primary goal of our 2018 regional exploration program is to identify and further define drill targets on each of our properties and to obtain the relevant permits and agreements to allow us to commence drilling. Further field work is currently being conducted on the greenfield projects and will include additional detailed mapping, and soil and rock chip sampling. After the receipt of relevant permits and agreements, the Company will evaluate the use of geophysics with the aim of drill target identification. We remain committed to the growth of our regional exploration program and we will continue to seek to acquire and explore highly prospective greenfield prospects located throughout the Ecuadorian Andean Mineral Belt.
Highlights:
Tierras Coloradas Project
Initial field visit identified epithermal quartz veins on surface up to ~1.5 km long.
Highlights of rock chip samples from two of six veins identified to-date include: 83.9 g/t Au, 63.8 g/t Ag 61.9 g/t Au 199.3 g/t Ag 49.2 g/t Au 43.2 g/t Ag 37.1 g/t Au 82.2 g/t Ag 30.9 g/t Au 177 g/t Ag
Las Penas Project
Initial field visit identified areas of epithermal quartz veins and porphyry style mineralization.
Highlights from rock chip samples in shear zone with irregular quartz veinlets include: 88.0 g/t Au, 94.5 g/t Ag 39.6 g/t Au, 189.5 g/t Ag 35.9 g/t Au, 3,507 g/t Ag 14.6 g/t Au, 62.5 g/t Ag 14.5 g/t Au, 16.6 g/t Ag
Hydrothermally altered diorite porphyry mineralization was also identified in outcrop along with quartz stock works containing pyrite, magnetite +- chalcopyrite and covellite.
Carolina Project (proximal to Cascabel)
Initial prospecting and rock chip sampling has identified an area of anomalous copper (with some associated gold values) that extends approximately 1 km east/west and 3 km north/south, further rock chip sampling and mapping is currently underway.
La Rebuscada Project
A gold and silver rock chip geochemistry anomaly was identified in an area approximately 1 km by 2 km, with 17 of 80 rock chip samples grading >1 g/t gold, up to 5.1 g/t gold.
Highlights from rock chip samples include: 5.1 g/t Au, 1,198 g/t Ag 2.5 g/t Au, 9.1 g/t Ag 2.5 g/t Au, 15.1 g/t Ag 2.3 g/t Au, 0.8 g/t Ag 1.7 g/t Au, 4.8 g/t Ag
Tierras Coloradas Project
The Tierras Coloradas property (Tierras Coloradas) is 6,955 ha and is located in southern Ecuador in the province of Loja, near the border of Peru. Initial field work indicates highly prospective results in rock chip samples and the presence of a gold mineralized quartz vein system developed in the andesite volcanic sequence of Sacapalca Paleocene Formation in the SE border of the Cretaceous granodioritic Tangula batholith. The presence of the sinter in outcrops and boulders evidence that the system is very well preserved.
Field work completed to-date, consisting of prospecting, mapping, and rock chip sampling indicates the presence of gold mineralized epithermal quartz veins that are interpreted to be part of an en echelon vein system with E-W orientation, covering an area of approximately 3 km by 2 km. The results of the rock chip sample are detailed below in Table 1, with highlights including: 83.9 g/t, 61.9 g/t, 49.2 g/t, 37.1 g/t, 30.9 g/t, and 11.3 g/t gold, plus silver values. Approximately 310 rock chip samples have been collected to-date; with 47 rock chip samples of vein material returning values >0.5 g/t gold. Individual veins have been traced over lengths of between 0.5 km and 1.5 km long, from 0.5 m to 5.0 m wide, with more than 400 m of vertical strike, see Figure 1.
The Company received the Environmental Register to perform initial exploration activities at Tierras Coloradas in January 2018, which will allow for further detailed mapping, channel sampling, soil samples and geophysics programs with the goal to identify the continuity of the vein system and drill targets.
Table 1: Tierras Coloradas Rock Chip Samples - Significant Results Sample Au (g/t) Ag (g/t) 759711090 83.9 63.8 759750580 61.9 199.3 759720120 49.2 43.2 759711100 37.1 82.2 756720300 30.9 177 759750600 11.3 103.9 756720320 9.6 17.7 759720720 8.1 393.0 759750020 6.6 121.9 759750420 6.6 27.8
Las Penas Project
The Las Penas property (Las Penas) covers a large area of 30,278 ha and is located in the provinces of Azuay and Canar, approximately 20 to 40 km north of the Companys Loma Larga gold development project. Las Penas is situated within a NE-SW mineralized structural trend, covering an area of approximately 70 km by 30 km which hosts the Rio Blanco gold and silver project to the south west. Previous work in the area was carried out between 1993 and 2000 by various parties, indicating the presence of potential gold mineralization developed in the Oligocene Rio Blanco Formation, comprised of andesitic to dacitic ash flow and tuffs intruded by some diorite intrusives. Numerous geochemical anomalies, alteration and mineralization have been already identified on the property.
To-date, INV Metals initial prospecting, mapping and sampling surveys has focused mainly on the Leon, 1, 4 and 5 concessions. The initial field work identified several high priority target areas, which include potential for both epithermal gold and copper/gold porphyry style systems. Two priority gold mineralized vein systems have been identified from the initial prospecting and rock chip sampling on the Leon 4 and 5 concessions, see Figure 2. See Table 2 for significant results of the sampling above 6 g/t gold. Initial field work was also completed on a historical soil geochemical anomaly on Leon 1 and 2. Detailed interpretation of the initial geochemical, mapping and prospecting program is required to prioritize targets identified within Las Penas. Further field visits are planned in the near term.
La Cresta Vein System
The La Cresta vein was traced for approximately 300 m, outcropping in two discrete areas. The surface vein indications were estimated at 130 m by 2 to 3 m wide with average rock chip sample gold grades of 5.17 g/t, and 100 m by 2 to 3 m wide with average rock chip sample gold grades of 0.88 g/t, see Figure 2. Gold values ranged from anomalous to 88.0 g/t gold. A total of 57 samples were collected, of which 40 returned gold values of >0.5 g/t with silver, and 15 samples returned values >3.0 g/t gold with silver. Further mapping and follow up work is required for target definition.
Galleta Vein System
The Galleta vein target is interpreted to be related to a shear zone with irregular quartz veinlets identified in outcrop. Only 17 rock chip samples were collected with grades ranging from anomalous to a high grade gold value of 35.9 g/t, with 3,507 g/t silver and 821 ppm copper, see Figure 2. Further mapping and follow up work is required for target definition.
Table 2: Las Penas Rock Chip Samples Significant Results Sample Au (g/t) Ag (g/t) 749750530 88.00 94.5 749740080 39.60 189.5 749800560 35.90 3,507.0 749750300 14.60 62.5 749750320 14.50 16.6 749700280 9.97 625 749750480 9.37 85.7 749800970 8.94 25.2 749740160 8.67 7.8 749750490 6.85 131.7 749700300 6.05 667
Playas Encantadas Porphyry Target
The initial field work at Playas Encantadas has identified the presence of a hydrothermally altered diorite porphyry system. Quartz stock work veins with pyrite and magnetite, plus or minus chalcopyrite and covellite have also been identified in the area. Rock chip samples collected in the area returned copper values of anomalous to 2,280 ppm copper, with 87 of the 111 samples collected returning values >200 ppm copper, and 12 samples >1,000 ppm copper.
Gold in Soil Anomaly
Previous work completed by IAMGOLD Corporation outlined a gold soil anomaly within Leon 5 covering an estimated area of approximately 2.3 km by 1.2 km. Initial field work in the area by INV Metals team, included six rock chip samples which assayed between 1.1 g/t and 3.8 g/t gold. Further mapping and sampling is required to identify the source of the anomalous gold values.
Carolina Project
The Carolina (Carolina) project is located in the province of Imbabura in northern Ecuador, approximately 120 km north of Quito, and approximately 4 km southeast of SolGold plcs Cascabel copper-gold porphyry project. The property covers an area of 3,040 ha, see Figure 3. The results of the initial prospecting, mapping and rock sampling field work, outline an area of anomalous copper (with some associated gold values) that extends about 1 km east/west and 3 km north/south. Sampling was comprised of 147 rock chip samples. Copper values within 34 samples graded greater than 200 ppm, including 10 greater than 300 ppm, and 2 greater than 800 ppm, see Table 3. Certain of the samples contained associated gold values, with highlights grading 4.3 g/t, 3.0 g/t and 0.9 g/t gold. The geology of the area is comprised by Upper Cretaceous silicified sedimentary rocks which are overlain by Oligocene to Miocene andesitic flows and breccias. These units are intruded by Miocene age diorite stocks with gold bearing quartz veinlets, with anomalous gold values associated with iron oxides.
Table 3: Carolina Rock Chip Samples - Significant Results Sample Cu (ppm) Au (g/t) 789750070 863 - 789710040 829 4.27 786800400 402 - 786750520 373 - 786750570 364 - 789800010 361 - 789800090 354 - 789800100 340 2.98 786750350 314 - 786800230 305 -
La Rebuscada Project
The La Rebuscada project (La Rebuscada), totaling 3,205 hectares, is located in central part of Ecuador, in the province of Cotopaxi, on the western flank of the Cordillera Occidental. The western flank of the Cordillera Occidental hosts numerous VMS deposits like El Domo, Macuchi and La Plata. The property is located in the northern part of the VMS trend of Ecuador and it remains underexplored and hosts significant potential for VMS style mineralized lenses and deposits.
The property appears to be largely underlain by a sequence of andesitic lava flows interbedded with fine volcanic sediments and lapilli tuffs of the Cretaceous and Paleocene Macuchi Formation and the team has identified prospective areas for gold and silver mineralization.
Initial field prospecting, mapping and rock chip sampling at La Rebuscada identified an area of anomalous gold and silver values, approximately 1.25 km by 2.25 km, see Figure 4. A total of 80 samples were collected in the area ranging from anomalous to 5.12 g/t gold, with 17 returning values >1.0 g/t gold, see Table 4 for values greater than 1.5 g/t gold.
Additional detailed follow up field work is required to further define the type of targets and potential styles of mineralization.
Table 4: La Rebuscada Rock Chip Samples - Significant Results Sample Au (g/t) Ag (g/t) 766720090 5.12 1,198.0 769750020 2.54 9.1 769710010 2.49 15.1 766720060 2.34 0.8 769780060 1.70 4.8
Tierras Coloradas Rock Chip Samples
Las Penas Rock Chip Samples Carolina Rock Chip Samples
La Rebuscada Rock Chip Samples
Quality Assurance
All INV Metals sample assay results have been independently monitored through a quality control/quality assurance ("QA/QC") program including the insertion of blind standards, blanks and pulp and reject duplicate samples. The rock sampling was completed by INV Metals. The samples are securely transported to the Bureau Veritas sample preparation facility in Quito, Ecuador. Sample pulps are sent to the same lab, which is independent of INV Metals in Callao, Peru for analysis. Gold content is determined by fire assay of a 50 gram charge with total copper content determined by aqua regia digestion with ICP finish.
Qualified Person
The scientific and technical information contained in this press release has been reviewed and approved by Mr. Scott Zelligan, P.Geo, a Licensed Professional Geologist with the Association of Professional Geoscientists of Ontario and consultant to the Company, who is a qualified person within the meaning of National Instrument 43-101 Standards of Disclosure for Minerals Projects. Mr. Zelligan has reviewed all the relevant technical data.
About INVTM Metals
INVTM Metals is an international mineral resource company focused on the acquisition, exploration and development of precious and base metal projects in Ecuador. Currently, INVTM Metals primary assets are: (1) its 100% interest in the Loma Larga gold property in Ecuador; (2) its 35% interest in the Kaoko property, located in Namibia; and (3) its 100% interests in exploration concessions in Ecuador, including the Las Penas, Tierras Coloradas, La Rebuscada and Carolina exploration projects.
Forward-Looking Statement
This press release contains certain forward-looking information. Forward-looking information includes statements that describe the Companys future plans, objectives or goals, including words to the effect that the Company or management expects a stated condition or result to occur. Forward-looking information may be identified by such terms as believes, anticipates, expects, estimates, may, could, would, will, or plan. Forward-looking information in this press release includes, but is not limited to, statements regarding the future drill programs and future anticipated results of exploration programs, the acquisition of additional properties, and interpretation of results. Although these statements are based on information currently available to the Company, the Company provides no assurance that actual results will meet managements expectations. Forward-looking information contained in this press release is based on certain factors and assumptions including, but not limited to, interpretation of sample results. Forward-looking information involves known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of the Company to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking information. These risks include, but are not limited to, uncertainty surrounding metallurgical test results, the geology, grade and continuity of mineral deposits and conclusions of economic evaluations and the assumptions on which such economic evaluations are based, and the possibility that future exploration and development or mining results that may not be consistent with the Companys expectations. Risks, uncertainties and other factors involved with forward-looking information could cause actual events, results, performance, prospects and opportunities to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking information. For a more detailed discussion of such risks and other factors, refer to the Companys AIF dated March 27, 2017 and filed with Canadian securities regulators available on the Companys issuer profile on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. Although the Company believes that the assumptions and factors used in preparing the forward-looking information in this press release are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on such information, which only applies as of the date of this press release, and no assurance can be given that such events will occur in the disclosed time frames or at all. Except as required by law, the Company does not assume any obligation to release publicly any revisions to forward-looking information contained in this press release to reflect events or circumstances after the date hereof or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events.
For further information, please contact:
Candace MacGibbon
Chief Executive Officer
Phone: (416) 703-8416
E-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Feb. 26, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Abacus Mining & Exploration Corporation (Abacus or the Company) (TSXV:AME) is pleased to provide details on a compelling new porphyry copper target that has been identified on the Companys Willow and adjacent Nev-Lorraine properties in the Yerington, Nevada copper camp.
The target area covers a 2.0 km by 2.2 km portion of the southernmost of two broad alteration zones delineated by detailed geological mapping in 2017. It is defined by coincident geological, geochemical and geophysical signatures typical of a porphyry copper deposit, each element of which is described in more detail below. The porphyry copper target straddles the Willow and newly acquired Nev-Lorraine properties, with the bulk of the target on Willow. The Company plans to commence a minimum 2500 metre diamond drill program to test this target as soon as weather permits.
The southernmost alteration zone is a 3.0 km by 2.5 km funnel-shaped, east-west trending zone, which is characterized by intense silicic and advanced argillic alteration, a high proportion of granite porphyry dyke swarms, and frequent quartz veining. All these elements are stronger to the east, which along with a very strong copper in soils anomaly, helps to define the new target zone. The target is constrained along the eastern property boundary by a range front fault, which down drops rocks to the east, and to the west by changes in the geochemical and geophysical signatures.
Geophysically, the target is characterized by a coincident IP chargeability high, and a magnetic high flanked by a magnetic low. The magnetic high is restricted to the eastern edge of the target area, and part of it is likely faulted off to the east by the range front fault. It is flanked to the west by a much broader magnetic low, thought to represent strongly hydrothermally altered rocks. A prominent IP anomaly straddles the Willow/Nev-Lorraine property boundary within the broad magnetic low and is thought to represent sulphide mineralization.
The magnetic high on Willow lines up to the southeast with Mason Resources Roulette target, drilled in the past as a buried copper porphyry target, and with a series of skarn deposits further to the southeast. The new Willow target is analogous to the adjacent Ann Mason deposit to the east but is thought to represent a separate porphyry center.
It is rare to find a target that displays all of the signatures of a porphyry copper deposit commented Paul G. Anderson, President of Abacus. Other companies have explored elsewhere within the district looking for a postulated fifth porphyry in the Yerington camp, but our work would suggest that this deposit may in fact lie on the Companys claims.
The new target was further enhanced by analyzing a large number of rock and soil samples collected in 2017 with a spectrometer, which detects any hydrothermal minerals present. The results were then compared with a published 2015 model of hydrothermal alteration and geochemical dispersion around porphyry copper deposits, that was in large part based on studying the adjacent Ann Mason deposit. The model predicts that outward from a porphyry copper deposit, successive alteration halos of Cu, Mo, W, Sn and Se will be developed. The Willow property contains this exact pattern, providing a strong validation of the geological and geophysical interpretation.
In 2017 the Company was able to locate, relog and sample skeleton core from shallow 1970s drilling at Willow. The drilling, most of which was west of the new target, intersected a series of flat lying porphyry dykes with anomalous copper values, thought to represent the upper parts of a porphyry system, plus a series of flat, sub-parallel faults. By examining the geology and geochemistry of these drill holes, an estimation of displacement along these flat-lying faults was made. The Company believes that these faults have displaced the original target zone at depth, to the west and closer to surface, within the combined Willow/Nev-Lorraine property, into an area not previously drilled.
Abacus expects to be able to provide more information soon on the website, including maps and sections showing the targets that are intended to be drill tested this spring.
The Yerington copper camp contains several past producing porphyry and skarn deposits, including the Yerington Mine that produced approximately 1.6 billion pounds of copper for Anaconda between 1952 until 1978. Active projects in the camp include Ann Mason, owned by Mason Resources, Nevada Coppers Pumpkin Hollow which is in development, and Quaterra Resources MacArthur oxide project which is in prefeasibility.
Abacus has the right to earn a 75% ownership interest in the Willow property from Almadex America Inc, a wholly owned subsidiary of Almadex Minerals Ltd. (see News Release dated February 15, 2017). The Company has recently acquired a lease on the contiguous Nev-Lorraine claims giving it the right to explore and to elect to purchase these claims outright over a ten-year period (see News Release dated February 6, 2018).
The technical information in this news release has been reviewed and approved by Paul G. Anderson, M.Sc., P.Geo., a Qualified Person within the meaning of National Instrument 43-101.
For further information, please contact Investor Relations at (604) 682-0301.
On Behalf of the Board,
ABACUS MINING & EXPLORATION CORPORATION
Paul G. Anderson
President and COO
About Abacus
Abacus is a mineral exploration and mine development company currently focused on its optioned Willow copper-gold property located near Yerington, Nevada in which it can acquire up to a 75% ownership interest, and the contiguous Nev-Lorraine claims subject to a ten year lease agreement. The Company also holds a 20% ownership interest, together with KGHM Polska Miedz S.A. (80%), in the proposed copper-gold Ajax Mine located southwest of Kamloops, B.C., which has recently undergone a joint provincial and federal environmental assessment process. The Ajax project awaits a final decision from the Federal Cabinet on whether the project can proceed. On December 14, 2017, a decision was made by the B.C. Minister of Environment and Climate Change Strategy and Minister of Energy, Mines and Petroleum resources to decline to issue an environmental assessment certificate for the Project. For the latest reports and information on Abacus projects, please refer to the Companys website at www.amemining.com.
Forward-Looking Information
This release includes certain statements that are deemed forward-looking statements. All statements in this release, other than statements of historical facts, that address events or developments that Abacus expects to occur, are forward-looking statements. Forward- looking statements are statements that are not historical facts and are generally, but not always, identified by the words expects, plans, anticipates, believes, intends, estimates, projects, potential and similar expressions, or that events or conditions will, would, may, could or should occur. Although the Company believes the expectations expressed in such forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, such statements are not guarantees of future performance and actual results may differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause the actual results to differ materially from those in forward-looking statements include changes to commodity prices, mine and metallurgical recovery, operating and capital costs, foreign exchange rates, ability to obtain required permits on a timely basis, exploitation and exploration successes, continued availability of capital and financing, and general economic, market or business conditions. Investors are cautioned that any such statements are not guarantees of future performance and actual results or developments may differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements. Forward- looking statements are based on the beliefs, estimates and opinions of the Company's management on the date the statements are made. Except as required by applicable securities laws, the Company undertakes no obligation to update these forward-looking statements in the event that management's beliefs, estimates or opinions, or other factors, should change.
Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.
North Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - February 26, 2018) - Lion One Metals Limited (TSXV: LIO) (ASX: LLO) (OTCQX: LOMLF) (FSE: LY1) (the "Company") is pleased to announce that an expansive surface exploration program has commenced at the Company's 100% owned and fully permitted high grade Tuvatu Gold Project, located on the island of Viti Levu in the Republic of Fiji.
The 2018 surface program will be carried out within the permitted area of the Tuvatu Mining Lease (SML 62) and will consist of Phase One that includes excavator benching with detailed mapping and sampling, followed by a Phase Two drilling program.
The Phase One exploration program is focused primarily on delineating southern extensions of the main mineralized zone of the Tuvatu gold deposit on three priority prospects at Ura Creek, Jomaki, and Kubu, located approximately one kilometre southwest of the planned mill site at Tuvatu.
Mineralized veins, fractures, and faults have been mapped at both the Ura Creek and Jomaki prospects over strike lengths of 400m. The Kubu prospect features a 50m wide zone of closely spaced veins associated with a monzonite dyke and mapped over a strike length of 200 metres. A benching, mapping, and sampling campaign has begun to determine if the Jomaki and Kubu prospects are parts of the same structural corridor, which if combined, could represent a 600 metre wide zone with a potential strike length of at least one kilometre. The Company plans to also test the 50 metre wide zone at Kubu along the 600 metre strike, for its potential to augment the Tuvatu mine plan with a source of near surface tonnage inside the Company's Tuvatu Mining Lease.
"We plan to marry the results of the 2018 Surface Exploration Program, with underground drilling results from Tuvatu, and drilling from the HT Zone north of Tuvatu in 2017, together with new data to be gained in the Phase Two drilling campaign. These combined exploration programs cover a considerable distance of highly prospective ground surrounding the main Tuvatu Gold Project," said Lion One Managing Director Stephen Mann.
Lion One Metals Chairman and CEO Walter Berukoff said "In my opinion, the Tuvatu system truly is an excellent prospect for hosting multi-million ounces of gold, and we plan to qualify and couple that upside with the near-term production potential of Tuvatu where underground and surface development is underway".
For a detailed exploration report including maps, assays, and results, please visit the Company's website at the following address: https://liononemetals.com/tuvatu-project/maps-resources
3D view east of the southern prospects
The Tuvatu Project Area Schematic Project Map
About Tuvatu
Tuvatu is a fully permitted high grade underground gold project located in the South Pacific island Republic of Fiji, 17 km NE of the Nadi International Airport on Fiji's main island of Viti Levu. Tuvatu is a low sulphidation epithermal gold deposit hosted in the eroded remnants of the Navilawa mineral system, one of Fiji's largest mineralized volcanic intrusive complexes. The independent Tuvatu NI 43-101 PEA technical report dated June 1, 2015 envisages a low cost underground gold mining operation producing 352,931 ounces of gold over 7 years at head grades of 11.30 g/t Au, and cash costs of US$567 per ounce with all-in sustaining cost of US$779 per ounce. The Company has not based a production decision on a feasibility study of mineral reserves demonstrating economic and technical viability and as a result there is increased uncertainty and economic and technical risks associated. Tuvatu has been fully permitted by the Government of Fiji for operations start-up and has a dual-track strategy of exploration and development inside its mining lease and surrounding exploration license areas.
Additional information including NI 43-101 Technical Reports for the Tuvatu Gold Project is available at www.liononemetals.com and at www.sedar.com.
Qualified Person
Technical information relating to geology and exploration in this news release concerning the Company's 2018 Surface Exploration Program has been reviewed and approved by Lion One Managing Director Stephen Mann, member of The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy, and a Qualified Person ("QP") under NI 43-101.
About Lion One
Lion One Metals Limited is a mineral exploration and development company based in North Vancouver, BC, focused on advancing to production at its 100% owned and fully permitted high grade underground Tuvatu Gold Project located on the island of Viti Levu in the Republic of Fiji. Lion One's CEO Walter Berukoff is leading an experienced team of mine builders, and has owned or operated over 20 mines in 7 countries. As the founder and former CEO of Miramar Mines, Northern Orion, and La Mancha Resources, Walter is credited with building over $3 billion of value for shareholders.
On behalf of Lion One Metals Limited
"Walter H. Berukoff"
Chief Executive Officer
For further information please contact:
Stephen Mann, Managing Director (Perth, Australia) Tel: 604-973-3007
Hamish Greig, Vice President (North Vancouver, BC) Tel: 604-973-3008
Joe Gray, Investor Relations (North Vancouver, BC) Tel: 604-973-3004
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This press release may contain "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, included herein are forward looking information. Generally, forward-looking information may be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "plans", "expects" or "does not expect", "proposed", "is expected", "budget", "scheduled", "estimates", "forecasts", "intends", "anticipates" or "does not anticipate", or "believes", or variations of such words and phrases, or by the use of words or phrases which state that certain actions, events or results may, could, would, or might occur or be achieved. This forward-looking information reflects Lion One Metals Limited's current beliefs and is based on information currently available to Lion One Metals Limited and on assumptions Lion One Metals Limited believes are reasonable. These assumptions include, but are not limited to, the actual results of exploration projects being equivalent to or better than estimated results in technical reports, assessment reports, and other geological reports or prior exploration results. Forward-looking information is subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual results, level of activity, performance or achievements of Lion One Metals Limited or its subsidiaries to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking information. Such risks and other factors may include, but are not limited to: the early stage development of Lion One Metals Limited, general business, economic, competitive, political and social uncertainties; the actual results of current research and development or operational activities; competition; uncertainty as to patent applications and intellectual property rights; product liability and lack of insurance; delay or failure to receive board or regulatory approvals; changes in legislation, including environmental legislation, affecting mining, timing and availability of external financing on acceptable terms; not realizing on the potential benefits of technology; conclusions of economic evaluations; and lack of qualified, skilled labour or loss of key individuals. Although Lion One Metals Limited has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in forward-looking information, there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking information. Lion One Metals Limited does not undertake to update any forward-looking information, except in accordance with applicable securities laws.
Toronto, Ontario (FSCwire) - Tsodilo Resources Limited (TSX Venture Exchange: TSD) ("Tsodilo" or the "Company") is pleased to provide an update on its BK16 kimberlite project in Botswana.
BK16
The BK16 kimberlite project is located within the Orapa Kimberlite Field (OKF) in Botswana. The diamond mines in Botswana have produced an average of 27 million carats annually in the last 10 years and Botswana is the worlds largest producer of diamonds by value. In 2016, the OKF area produced 8.85 million carats. Of the 83 known kimberlite bodies, eleven have been or are currently being mined. These are AK01, AK02 and AK07 (Orapa, Debswana), AK06 (Karowe, Lucara Diamond Corporation), BK01, BK09, BK12 and BK15 (Damtshaa, Debswana), DK01 and DK02 (Letlhakane, Debswana) and BK11 (Firestone Diamonds). The Karowe mine has produced such notable diamonds as the 1,109 carat `Lesedi La Rona` and the 813 carat `Constellation`.
The diamondiferous BK16 kimberlite pipe is approximately 6 hectares in size at surface, and is known to contain rare and valuable Type IIa diamonds (see press release dated May 31, 2016). The following phases of kimberlite were identified during the 2015 drilling program: Red volcaniclastic kimberlite VK1, Black VK2, Grey VK3 and VKxxx also referred to as the basalt breccia, country rock breccia (CB) and coherent kimberlite (CK1).
The Large Diameter Drilling (LDD) program, including collaring of the holes, was executed between July and October 2017, and including the Kalahari cover sediments a total of 3,150 meters was drilled. Excluding the cover sediments, 2,008.6 tonnes of kimberlite was extracted. A 1 mm screening unit attached to the drill removed the fines resulting in 1,441.5 tonnes of +1 mm of kimberlite to be processed through the DMS plant (see table below). The kimberlite was sampled every 12 meters down each LDD hole subdividing the 1,441.5 tonnes into 243 individual samples for treatment.
Kimberlite Phases LDD Meters LDD Tonnes Tonnes to the plant VK2 961 691.5 539.6 VK3 1686 1227.8 852.0 VKxxx 89 65.1 28.7 CB 33 24.2 21.2 Total 2,769 2,008.6 1,441.5
Dense Medium Separation (DMS) Plant
The DMS plant was commissioned on January 18, 2018 using the historic tailing material to test the plant. Treatment of the LDD samples started on the 18th and to date 350.6 tons have been processed representing 68 samples out of a total of 243 or 28%. These 68 samples have generated 1,372 kg of concentrate translating to a DMS yield of 0.39%.
The first consignment of 43 drums of concentrate have been securely moved to the companys final recovery area in its security complex in Maun and processing of the sample material via the POLUS-M sorter will commence shortly upon completion of the installation of security cameras and all security measure are in place.
POLUS-M sorter is designed to treat dry diamond concentrate with grain size 8 + 6, 6 + 3 and 3 + 1 mm in the field in order to carry out geological exploration of diamond deposits. The POLUS-M sorter will treat the -8mm fraction at the companys facilities while the plus 8mm material is currently planned to be hand sorted at the Diamond Technology Park in Gaborone, Botswana although the company is exploring avenues to obtain the use of a larger BV machine to treat this fraction.
The sorter operation concept is based on the use of diamonds' property of luminescence under X-ray impact and on the difference of those properties with diamonds and associate luminescent minerals. The mode under reference term "luminescence and absorption" when the X-ray tube and photo detectors are located on both sides of the material flow is implemented. The effect of difference in X-ray absorption by diamonds and associate luminescent minerals is used. Additional information on the POLUS-M sorter from Bourevestnik, Inc. can be obtained from the press release of December 11, 2017 available on the Companys website.
About Tsodilo Resources Limited
Tsodilo Resources Limited is an international diamond and metals exploration company engaged in the search for economic diamond and metal deposits at its Bosoto (Pty) Limited ("Bosoto") and Gcwihaba Resources (Pty) Limited ("Gcwihaba") projects in Botswana and its Idada 361 (Pty) Limited ("Idada") project in Barberton, South Africa. The Company has a 100% stake in Bosoto (Pty) Ltd. which holds the BK16 kimberlite project in the Orapa Kimberlite Field (OKF) in Botswana and the PL216/2017 diamond prospection license also in the OKF. The Company has a 100% stake in its Gcwihaba project area consisting of seven metal (base, precious, platinum group, and rare earth) prospecting licenses all located in the North-West district of Botswana. Additionally, Tsodilo has a 70% stake in Idada Trading 361 (Pty) Limited which holds the gold and silver exploration license in the Barberton area of South Africa. Tsodilo manages the exploration of the Gcwihaba, Bosoto and Idada projects. Overall supervision of the Company's exploration program is the responsibility of Dr. Mike de Wit, President and COO of the Company and a "qualified person" as such term is defined in National Instrument 43-101.
This press release may contain forward-looking statements. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, that address activities, events or developments that the Company believes, expects or anticipates will or may occur in the future (including, without limitation, statements pertaining to the use of proceeds, the impact of strategic partnerships and statements that describe the Companys future plans, objectives or goals) are forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements reflect the current expectations or beliefs of the Company based on information currently available to the Company. Forward-looking statements are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties that may cause the actual results of the Company to differ materially from those discussed in the forward-looking statements, and even if such actual results are realized or substantially realized, there can be no assurance that they will have the expected consequences to, or effects on the Company. Factors that could cause actual results or events to differ materially from current expectations include, among other things, changes in equity markets, changes in general economic conditions, political developments in Botswana and surrounding countries, changes to regulations affecting the Company's activities, uncertainties relating to the availability and costs of financing needed in the future, exploration and development risks, the uncertainties involved in interpreting exploration results and the other risks involved in the mineral exploration business. Any forward-looking statement speaks only as of the date on which it is made and, except as may be required by applicable securities laws, the Company disclaims any intent or obligation to update any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or results or otherwise. Although the Company believes that the assumptions inherent in the forward-looking statements are reasonable, forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and accordingly undue reliance should not be put on such statements due to the inherent uncertainty therein.
Neither the TSX Venture Exchange (TSXV) nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSXV) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this news release. This news release may contain assumptions, estimates, and other forward-looking statements regarding future events. Such forward- looking statements involve inherent risks and uncertainties and are subject to factors, many of which are beyond the Company's -control, which may cause actual results or performance to differ materially from those currently anticipated in such statements.
Vancouver, BC - February 26, 2018 / Miramont Resources Corp. (CSE: MONT) ("Miramont" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that it has completed a geophysical survey of its Cerro Hermoso project in southern Peru. Induced polarization (full-waveform distributed array AG-DAS), resistivity and ground magnetic data were collected by Arce Geofisicos with quality control and interpretation by Ellis Geophysical Consulting.
The survey has been successful in identifying different rock types, structural controls and most importantly, shows significant correlation between surface mineralization and the location of the chargeability and magnetic highs in the subsurface. These results reinforce Miramont's understanding of the project's geology and will be a significant aide in drill hole targeting.
Key conclusions of the survey related to the priority targets are:
Stockwork Zone - A priority target characterized by extensive stockwork veining, alteration and high copper, gold and silver geochemistry.
This area is dominated by a high chargeability (IP) and high resistivity signature that extends to depth. Coincident with these anomalies is an area of high magnetic susceptibility (see figures 1 and 2).
The magnetic high, together with the IP/Resistivity anomalies, support Miramont's interpretation that the Stockwork Zone is sitting on top of a large potentially mineralized intrusive body.
Central Breccia Zone - The second priority target lies entirely within the diatreme. This zone hosts the most extensive surface gold mineralization on the property.
The boundary of the diatreme (a key geologic feature related to mineralization) has been well defined in the subsurface.
An elevated IP and resistivity signature extends in a north-south direction underlying the areas with the best surface gold anomalies. This is a possible indication that surface mineralization extends into the subsurface.
Magnetic susceptibility lows within the diatreme itself may identify several internal source areas. This supports Miramont's interpretation that the diatreme was formed by multiple pulses of explosive hydrothermal activity indicating a long-lived and energetic system.
Carbonate Replacement Zone - This priority target is known largely from historic descriptions of underground working areas where massive sulfide containing zinc, lead, and silver and copper has been found in limestone units.
High chargeability (IP) coupled with high resistivity has been identified trending from the Carbonate Replacement Zone to the southern boundary of the Stockwork Zone.
This has good continuity at depth and is coincident with a magnetic low that may indicate a limestone host.
The geophysical signature taken together with the geologic interpretation suggests both the occurrence of sulfide minerals and presence of limestones consistent with carbonate replacement mineralization.
Maps accompanying this announcement are available on the Company's website.
Next Steps
The completion of geophysical survey is the last phase prior to finalizing drill hole locations. Results of the survey allow Miramont geologists to refine their mineral deposit model and better plan drill holes within the priority target areas (see Press Release from January 10, 2018). Miramont is now completing all steps necessary to begin drilling as soon as possible. The environmental assessment has been delivered to Peruvian authorities for final approval, construction of an on-site core laboratory will begin shortly and the company is now contacting local drilling contractors with requests for proposals.
National Instrument 43-101 Disclosure
The technical content of this news release has been reviewed and approved by Mr. William Pincus, CPG, President and CEO of Miramont and a Qualified Person as defined by National Instrument 43-101.
About Miramont Resources Corp.
Miramont is a Canadian-based exploration company with a focus on acquiring and developing mineral prospects within world-class belts of South America. Miramont's key assets are located in southern Peru. The Cerro Hermoso property hosts a 1.4km diameter breccia pipe targeting gold - polymetallic mineralization, while the Lukkacha property is targeting porphyry copper mineralization.
West Perth, WA / February 26, 2018 / JMN Wire / Artemis Resources Limited (ASX: ARV) (Artemis or the Company) is pleased to announce that it has now received all the necessary approvals and permits required to process the first 4,500 tonnes of gold bearing conglomerates at the Companys Radio Hill plant site located 25km south of Karratha in Western Australia.
The final approvals have now been obtained to process 4,500 tonnes of material from the WA Department of Water and Environmental Regulation (DWER) and the WA Department of Mines, Industry Regulation and Safety (DMIRS).
David Lenigas, Artemiss Executive Chairman, commented;
This permitting has taken some months to put in place, and we are pleased to advise that the Government has now permitted the use of a gravity gold plant at our Radio Hill plant site to process 4,500 tonnes of conglomerate material. Our technical teams are now in the process of prioritising areas for bulk sampling of conglomerates from Artemiss tenement package. Artemis believes that processing large samples of the gold bearing conglomerates is the most reliable method of determining estimated gold grades. This is a priority project for Artemis.
Highlights
Kakula now contains Indicated Mineral Resources of 174 million tonnes at 5.62% copper, plus additional Inferred Mineral Resources of 9 million tonnes at 3.66% copper, at a 3% cut-off.
of 174 million tonnes at 5.62% copper, plus additional of 9 million tonnes at 3.66% copper, at a 3% cut-off. At a 1% cut-off, Kakulas Indicated Mineral Resources have increased by 58%, now totalling 585 million tonnes at 2.92% copper.
Kakulas strike length now extends to 13.3 kilometres and remains open for significant expansion.
New Mineral Resource estimate establishes the Kamoa-Kakula Project as the worlds fourth-largest copper discovery. Projects copper grades are the highest, by a wide margin, of the worlds top 10 copper deposits.
Average true thickness of Kakulas selective mineralized zone is 10.1 metres in the Indicated Mineral Resources area, at a 1% cut-off.
Kakulas new estimate boosts combined Kamoa-Kakula Indicated Mineral Resources to 1.03 billion tonnes at 3.17% copper, containing approximately 72 billion pounds of copper, plus an additional 183 million tonnes of Inferred Mineral Resources at 2.31% copper, at a 1.5% cut-off.
to 1.03 billion tonnes at 3.17% copper, containing approximately 72 billion pounds of copper, plus an additional 183 million tonnes of at 2.31% copper, at a 1.5% cut-off. Consultation between industry participants and government set to begin to review the DRC 2002 Mining Code.
Geophysical surveys underway to help identify new exploration targets on the highly prospective Kamoa-Kakula mining licence.
KOLWEZI, Democratic Republic Of Congo, Feb. 26, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Robert Friedland, Executive Chairman of Ivanhoe Mines (TSX: IVN) (OTCQX: IVPAF), and Lars-Eric Johansson, Chief Executive Officer, announced today that the company has completed an independently verified, updated Mineral Resource estimate for the ultra-high-grade Kakula Discovery on the Kamoa-Kakula Copper Project, near the mining centre of Kolwezi in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
The tier-one Kamoa-Kakula Project is a joint venture between Ivanhoe Mines, Zijin Mining and the government of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
The updated Kakula Mineral Resource estimate, prepared under the direction of independent consultant Amec Foster Wheeler, covers a mineralized strike length of 13.3 kilometres. For the first time, the updated estimate incorporates Mineral Resources contained in the Kakula West Discovery area and the saddle area between the main Kakula Discovery area and Kakula West (see Figure 1).
The new estimate boosts the total tonnage of Kakulas Indicated Mineral Resources by 50%, at a 3% copper cut-off, compared to the previous Kakula resource estimate issued in May 2017 that covered a strike length of 7.7 kilometres.
Kakulas new Indicated Mineral Resources at a 3% cut-off grade have increased by 58 million tonnes and currently total 174 million tonnes at a grade of 5.62% copper. This compares to the May 2017 estimate of 116 million tonnes at 6.09% copper, at the same cut-off grade. Estimated Inferred Mineral Resources now total an additional nine million tonnes at a grade of 3.66% copper, at a 3% cut-off.
At a 1% copper cut-off, Kakulas Indicated Mineral Resources have increased by 58%, to now total 585 million tonnes at 2.92% copper.
The Kakula high-grade mineralized trend remains open in multiple directions. Mr. Friedland said Ivanhoe expects that ongoing in-fill and step-out drilling will yield significant expansions and further upgrades to the current resources.
Kakula is the most remarkable mineral discovery we have seen during our 35-plus years in the exploration industry. The new, independently-verified resource estimate now places Kamoa-Kakula ahead of Indonesias renowned Grasberg Deposit as the worlds fourth-largest copper discovery on the planet in terms of contained copper. And it still is growing.
The exceptionally high copper grades, thicknesses and continuity of the mineralization at Kakula distinguish this discovery from anything else in the Central African Copperbelt, Mr. Friedland added.
Based on the findings of the independent preliminary economic assessment completed in November of last year, the resources weve discovered should allow us to build a world-scale, highly-mechanized, underground copper mine with an initial capital cost expected to be far lower than other operations of this size.
With this initial Mineral Resource estimate at Kakula West, we can begin to evaluate technical and infrastructure options to expeditiously develop the zones of thick, high-grade, bottom-loaded chalcocite in this latest discovery area.
Mr. Friedland said that a development scenario using a mining rate of six million tonnes a year and a copper cut-off grade of 3% indicates that Kakula already has enough Indicated Mineral Resources to mine at an average grade of between 5.5% and 6% copper for approximately 30 years.
If we lower the copper cut-off grade to 1%, which is higher than the mining grades at most of the worlds major copper mines, we could be mining almost 3% copper at Kakula for approximately 100 years, Mr. Friedland said.
Importantly, the western trend of Kakulas high-grade mineralized core appears to be open to the southwest, suggesting that potential extensions of the Kakula West Discovery could remain within the Kamoa-Kakula mining licence for a considerable distance. The ongoing gravity and geophysical seismic surveys will provide our geological team with additional data to better assess the direction and extent of Kakulas high-grade mineralized zone.
The unparalleled strength and continuity of the Kakula mineralized trend also bodes well for the potential for exploration success on Ivanhoes 100%-owned Western Foreland licences, to the west of Kamoa-Kakula. Given the accumulation of in-depth, proprietary geological insights gained by Ivanhoe's geological team into the features controlling the high-grade copper mineralization during almost two decades of exploring in the region, we are highly confident of further exploration successes in 2018 and beyond.
The Kakula Discovery is approximately 10 kilometres southwest of Kamoas initial Kansoko Mine development (see figures 1 & 2). Ivanhoe and Zijin have been conducting an aggressive drilling program totalling more than 181,500 metres at the Kakula Discovery since April 2016. The program is expected to continue through 2018.
The February 23, 2018 Kakula Mineral Resource estimate was prepared by George Gilchrist, Ivanhoe Mines Mineral Resources Manager, under the direction of Dr. Harry Parker and Gordon Seibel, both RM SME, of Amec Foster Wheeler, of Reno, Nevada, and is reported in accordance with the 2014 CIM Definition Standards for Mineral Resources and Mineral Reserves. Dr. Parker and Mr. Seibel are the Qualified Persons for the estimate. A technical report will be filed on SEDAR at www.sedar.com and on the Ivanhoe Mines website at www.ivanhoemines.com within 45 days of the issuance of this news release.
Highlights include:
Indicated Mineral Resources total 585 million tonnes at a grade of 2.92% copper, containing 37.7 billion pounds of copper at a 1% copper cut-off. At a 2% copper cut-off, Indicated Mineral Resources total 330 million tonnes at a 4.07% copper grade, containing 29.6 billion pounds of copper. At a higher cut-off of 3% copper, Indicated Mineral Resources total 174 million tonnes at a grade of 5.62% copper, containing 21.5 billion pounds of copper.
Inferred Mineral Resources total 113 million tonnes at a grade of 1.90% copper, containing 4.7 billion pounds of copper at a 1% copper cut-off. At a 2% copper cut-off, Inferred Mineral Resources total 44 million tonnes at a 2.59% copper grade, containing 2.5 billion pounds of copper. At a higher cut-off of 3% copper, Inferred Mineral Resources total 9 million tonnes at a grade of 3.66% copper, containing 0.7 billion pounds of copper.
The average true thickness of the selective mineralized zone (SMZ) at a 1% copper cut-off is 10.1 metres in the Indicated Mineral Resources area and 6.7 metres in the Inferred Mineral Resources area. At a higher 3% copper cut-off, the average true thickness of the SMZ is 4.7 metres in the Indicated Mineral Resources area and 3.3 metres in the Inferred Mineral Resources area.
The Kakula Mineral Resources are defined within a total area of 24.9 square kilometres at a 1% copper cut-off. At the same cut-off grade, the areal extent of Indicated Mineral Resources is 19.4 square kilometres and the areal extent of the Inferred Mineral Resources is 5.5 square kilometres. Figure 6 shows the expansion of Kakulas Indicated and Inferred Mineral Resources since May 2017.
The Kakula Discovery remains open for significant expansion in multiple directions, while the remainder of the southern parts of the Kamoa-Kakula mining licence area is virtually untested (see figures 2 and 3). Drilling by nine rigs is continuing at Kakula; more than 25,000 metres have been drilled since the beginning of this year.
DRC Mining Code update
Ivanhoe Mines recently has had constructive discussions in Kinshasa, the capital of the DRC, regarding the review of the DRC 2002 Mining Code. In conjunction with other international mining companies operating in the DRC, progress has been made toward understanding the key issues of concern to both the government and industry participants.
Ivanhoe Mines has received specific assurance that a detailed consultation process will commence in the near future with the goal of reaching a collaborative, sustainable, and stable long-term fiscal and regulatory framework that provides the foundation for the continued development of the mineral resources sector, and helps create a brighter future for all the citizens of the DRC. The organization of all major mining companies operating in the DRC, announced at the 2018 Cape Town Mining Indaba, will represent the industry during the upcoming consultation period.
Figure 1. Kamoa-Kakula mining licence, showing the Kamoa, Kakula and Kakula West Mineral Resource areas.
Figure 2. Kamoa, Kakula and Kakula West Indicated and Inferred Mineral Resource areas, with existing power and rail infrastructure.
The February 2018 Kakula Mineral Resource estimate is based on results from approximately 151,000 metres of drilling in 271 holes completed by December 31, 2017.
Indicated Resources are classified when the drill-hole spacing approximates a 400-metre grid, while Inferred Resources are classified when the drill-hole spacing approximates an 800-metre grid.
The February 2018 Kakula Mineral Resources, along with sensitivities at various cut-offs, are shown in tables 1, 2 and 3.
Table 1. Indicated and Inferred Mineral Resources at a 1% copper cut-off grade, Kakula Deposit.
Category Tonnage
(Mt) Area
(km2) Copper
(%) Vertical Thickness
(metres) Contained Copper
(kTonnes) Contained Copper
(billion lbs) Indicated 585 19.4 2.92 10.8 17,100 37.7 Inferred 113 5.5 1.90 7.3 2,150 4.7
Notes:
Ivanhoes Mineral Resources Manager George Gilchrist, a Member of the Geology Society of South Africa and Professional Natural Scientist (Pr. Sci. Nat) with the South African Council for Natural Scientific Professions (SACNASP), estimated the Mineral Resources under the supervision of Dr. Harry Parker and Gordon Seibel, both Registered Members of the Society for Mining, Metallurgy and Exploration (RM SME), who are the Qualified Persons for the Mineral Resource estimate. The effective date of the estimate is February 23, 2018. Mineral Resources are estimated using the CIM Definition Standards for Mineral Resources and Reserves (2014). For Kakula, Mineral Resources are reported using a total copper (TCu) cut-off grade of 1% TCu and an approximate minimum thickness of 3.0 metres. There are reasonable prospects for eventual economic extraction under assumptions of a copper price of US$3.00/lb, employment of underground, mechanized, room-and-pillar and drift-and-fill mining methods, and that copper concentrates will be produced and sold to a smelter. Mining costs are assumed to be $42/t. Concentrator and general and administrative (G&A) costs are assumed to be $18/t. Metallurgical recovery is assumed to average 85%. Ivanhoe is studying (preliminary economic assessment in progress) reducing mining costs using a convergence backfill method. Reported Mineral Resources contain no allowances for hanging wall or footwall contact boundary loss and dilution. No mining recovery has been applied. Approximate drill hole spacings are 800 metres for Inferred Mineral Resources and 400 metres for Indicated Mineral resources. Rounding as required by reporting guidelines may result in apparent differences between tonnes, grade and contained metal content.
Table 2. Kakula Deposit Indicated Mineral Resources, Sensitivity Cases.
Category Cut-off Grade
(Cu%) Tonnes
(millions) Area
(Sq. km) Copper Grade True Thickness (metres) Contained Copper
(kTonnes) Contained Copper
(billion lbs) Indicated 7.0 41 2.2 8.07 % 6.3 3,290 7.3 Indicated 6.0 67 3.6 7.46 % 6.2 4,970 11.0 Indicated 5.0 98 5.7 6.82 % 5.7 6,690 14.7 Indicated 4.0 140 9.0 6.13 % 5.1 8,560 18.9 Indicated 3.0 174 12.3 5.62 % 4.7 9,750 21.5 Indicated 2.5 208 14.4 5.14 % 4.8 10,700 23.5 Indicated 2.0 330 16.6 4.07 % 6.6 13,400 29.6 Indicated 1.5 420 18.0 3.55 % 7.8 14,900 32.9 Indicated 1.0 585 19.4 2.92 % 10.1 17,100 37.7
The footnotes to Table 1 also apply to Table 2.
Table 3. Kakula Deposit Inferred Mineral Resources, Sensitivity Cases.
Category Cut-off Grade
(Cu%) Tonnes
(millions) Area
(Sq. km) Copper Grade True Thickness (metres) Contained Copper
(ktonnes) Contained Copper
(billion lbs) Inferred 4.0 2 0.2 4.17 % 3.3 98 0.2 Inferred 3.0 9 0.8 3.66 % 3.3 325 0.7 Inferred 2.5 17 1.7 3.20 % 3.2 549 1.2 Inferred 2.0 44 3.2 2.59 % 4.3 1,140 2.5 Inferred 1.5 69 4.5 2.26 % 5.0 1,560 3.4 Inferred 1.0 113 5.5 1.90 % 6.7 2,150 4.7
The footnotes to Table 1 also apply to Table 3.
High-grade Kakula Discovery presents transformational opportunities for Kamoa-Kakula development
Mineralization at Kakula is substantively thicker and higher grade than mineralization found elsewhere on the Kamoa mining licence. It also is consistently bottom-loaded and will support the construction of SMZ composites at cut-offs of up to at least 3% copper. The lateral consistency of mineralization at these higher cut-offs presents significant opportunities for mine planning, with large areas of the resource having average grades in excess of 6% when using the SMZ at a cut-off of 3% copper.
The Kakula resource model was constructed using a series of nested grade shells at 1%, 2% and 3% cut-offs. A minimum thickness of 3.0 metres was applied to the 3% grade shell and the outer shells were nested above and below this central shell. The resultant model allows the flexibility to show distribution of grades and thicknesses across the various grade shells and highlights Kakulas outstanding, high-grade potential.
Figures 3 and 4 show the lateral distribution of grades across the 3% copper shell and the base-case, 1% copper shell, respectively. Figure 5 shows the thickness of Indicated and Inferred Mineral Resource blocks at a 1% copper cut-off.
Now that a Mineral Resource estimate has been independently verified for the Kakula West Discovery, Ivanhoe and Zijin can explore options to accelerate future mine production by bringing high-grade mineralization from Kakula West into the Kakula mine plan.
Additional exploration success could have a significant influence on the size, value and timing of the overall development plan; as such, the Kamoa-Kakula development plans will be reassessed and amended as the project moves forward to reflect ongoing exploration results.
Kakula decline development work progressing on schedule to provide access to the high-grade copper resources
Underground development work on the twin declines at the Kakula Copper Discovery is progressing according to plan. Both declines have been advanced more than 200 metres, approximately 10% of the projected total distance.
The Kakula box cut was successfully completed on October 26, 2017, and the first blast for the twin declines at Kakula took place on November 16, 2017. The Kakula decline development work is being undertaken by JMMC, a DRC subsidiary of JCHX Mining Management of Beijing, China. Depending on ground conditions, the 3,600-metre decline development contract is scheduled for completion around the end of this year.
Initial mine development is planned to begin at the Kakula Deposit in a flat, near-surface zone along the deposits axis that, at a 3% cut-off, is between 7.1 metres and 11.7 metres thick, with copper grades of between 8.11% and 10.35%. Based on the findings of the independent preliminary economic assessment completed in November of last year, Kakulas copper grade is projected to average 6.4% over the first 10 years of production.
Aerial view of the Kakula box cut, showing portals for the twin declines, and related surface facilities.
Kakula geologists (from left) Alain Kyatenga and Maria Mwenya, and mining engineer Sylver Nzam, logging core at the core shed.
Members of Kakulas geology team with Guy Muswil, Head of Sustainability with the Kamoa-Kakula Copper Project (centre), and Pierre Olombe, DRC Transport Manager (right), examine new drill core from Kakula West.
Figure 3. Kakula and Kakula West discovery areas showing grades of Indicated and Inferred Mineral Resource blocks at a 3% copper cut-off.
Figure 4. Kakula and Kakula West discovery areas showing grade of Indicated and Inferred Mineral Resource blocks at a 1% copper cut-off.
The Indicated and Inferred Mineral Resource perimeters indicate a confidence classification. Cut-off criteria are applied within the perimeters to state Mineral Resources.
Figure 5. Kakula and Kakula West discovery areas showing the thickness of Indicated and Inferred Mineral Resource blocks at a 1% copper cut-off.
Figure 6. Kakula and Kakula West discovery areas showing expansion of Indicated and Inferred Mineral Resources since May 2017.
Figure 7. Section along the axis of the Kakula Deposit on section showing drilling completed to date and composites at a 3% copper cut-off.
Kakulas updated resources expand what already had been established as a tier-one resource base at the Kamoa-Kakula Project
Kakula is the second major discovery on the Kamoa mining licence in the past nine years. An expanded, independent prefeasibility study was completed on the Kamoa Deposit in November 2017 and is the basis of the current mineral reserve for the Kansoko Mine at Kamoa.
The combined Kamoa-Kakula Indicated Mineral Resources now total 1.34 billion tonnes grading 2.72% copper, containing 80.7 billion pounds of copper at a 1.0% copper cut-off grade and an approximate minimum thickness of 3.0 metres. At a higher 1.5% copper cut-off grade and a minimum thickness of 3.0 metres, the combined Kamoa-Kakula Indicated Mineral Resources now total 1.03 billion tonnes grading 3.17% copper, containing 71.7 billion pounds of copper.
Kamoa-Kakula now also has Inferred Mineral Resources of 315 million tonnes grading 1.87% copper, containing 13.0 billion pounds of copper at a 1.0% copper cut-off grade and an approximate minimum thickness of 3.0 metres. At a 1.5% copper cut-off grade and a minimum thickness of 3.0 metres, Kamoa-Kakulas Inferred Mineral Resources now total 183 million tonnes grading 2.31% copper, containing 9.3 billion pounds of copper.
The total consolidated Mineral Resource for the Kamoa-Kakula Project is shown in Table 4 and the sensitivity of the resource at various cut-offs is shown in Table 5.
Table 4. Consolidated Mineral Resource Statement, Kamoa-Kakula Project, February 2018.
Deposit Category Tonnes
(millions) Area
(sq. km) Copper Grade
Vertical Thickness
(metres) Contained Copper
(kt) Contained Copper
(billion lbs) Kamoa Indicated 759 50.7 2.57 % 5.5 19,500 43.0 Inferred 202 19.4 1.85 % 3.8 3,740 8.2 Kakula Indicated 585 19.4 2.92 % 10.8 17,100 37.7 Inferred 113 5.5 1.90 % 7.3 2,150 4.7 Total
Kamoa-Kakula Copper Project Indicated 1,340 70.1 2.72 % 6.9 36,600 80.7 Inferred 315 24.9 1.87 % 4.6 5,890 13.0
Notes:
1. Ivanhoes Mineral Resources Manager, George Gilchrist, Professional Natural Scientist (Pr. Sci. Nat) with the South African Council for Natural Scientific Professions (SACNASP), estimated the Mineral Resources under the supervision of Dr. Harry Parker and Gordon Seibel, both Registered Members of the Society for Mining, Metallurgy and Exploration (SME), who are the Qualified Persons for the Mineral Resource estimate. The effective date of the estimate is February 23, 2018. Mineral Resources are estimated using the 2014 CIM Definition Standards for Mineral Resources and Mineral Reserves. Mineral Resources at Kamoa are inclusive of Mineral Reserves. Mineral Resources that are not Mineral Reserves do not have demonstrated economic viability. No Mineral Reserves are currently estimated at Kakula.
2. Mineral Resources at Kamoa are reported using a total copper (TCu) cut-off grade of 1% TCu and a minimum vertical thickness of 3 m. There are reasonable prospects for eventual economic extraction under assumptions of a copper price of US$3.00/lb; employment of underground mechanized room-and-pillar and drift-and-fill mining methods; and that copper concentrates will be produced and sold to a smelter. Mining costs are assumed to be US$27/t, and concentrator, tailings treatment, and general and administrative costs (G&A) are assumed to be US$17/t. Metallurgical recovery for Kamoa is estimated to average 84%. At a 1% TCu cut-off grade, assumed net smelter returns for 100% of Mineral Resource blocks will cover concentrator, tailings treatment, and G&A costs.
3. Mineral Resources at Kakula are reported using a TCu cut-off grade of 1% TCu and an approximate minimum thickness of 3 m. There are reasonable prospects for eventual economic extraction under assumptions of a copper price of US$3.00/lb, employment of underground, mechanized, room-and-pillar and drift-and-fill mining methods, and that copper concentrates will be produced and sold to a smelter. Mining costs are assumed to be US$42/t and concentrator, tailings treatment, and G&A costs are assumed to be US$18/t. Metallurgical recovery is assumed to average 85% at the average grade of the Mineral Resource. Ivanhoe is studying reducing mining costs using a controlled convergence room-and-pillar method. At a 1% TCu cut-off grade, assumed net smelter returns for 100% of Mineral Resource blocks will cover concentrator, tailings treatment and G&A costs.
4. Reported Mineral Resources contain no allowances for hangingwall or footwall contact boundary loss and dilution. No mining recovery has been applied.
5. Tonnage and contained-copper tonnes are reported in metric units, contained-copper pounds are reported in imperial units and grades are reported as percentages.
6. Rounding as required by reporting guidelines may result in apparent summation differences between tonnes, grade and contained metal content.
7. Resources stated in Tables 1, 2 and 3 are not additive to this table.
Table 5. Indicated and Inferred Mineral Resources, Kamoa-Kakula Project, February 2018.
Category Cut-off Grade
(Cu%) Tonnes
(millions) Area
(Sq. km) Copper Grade Contained Copper
(kTonnes) Contained Copper
(billion lbs) Indicated 3.0 396 33.2 4.79 % 19,000 41.8 Indicated 2.5 535 44.0 4.25 % 22,800 50.2 Indicated 2.0 780 53.8 3.63 % 28,300 62.4 Indicated 1.5 1030 62.8 3.17 % 32,500 71.7 Indicated 1.0 1340 70.1 2.72 % 36,600 80.7
Category Cut-off Grade
(Cu%) Tonnes
(millions) Area
(Sq. km) Copper Grade Contained Copper
(kTonnes) Contained Copper
(billion lbs) Inferred 3.0 28 3.0 3.56 % 979 2.2 Inferred 2.5 58 6.1 3.13 % 1,800 4.0 Inferred 2.0 111 10.3 2.69 % 2,980 6.6 Inferred 1.5 183 16.3 2.31 % 4,220 9.3 Inferred 1.0 315 24.9 1.87 % 5,890 13.0
The footnotes to Table 4 also apply to Table 5.
Geophysical surveys ongoing at Kamoa-Kakula area
Exploration activities at the Kamoa-Kakula Project are being augmented by ongoing geophysical exploration programs. A 3,100-kilometre, airborne gravity survey, covering 2,000 square kilometres of the Western Foreland area (including Kamoa-Kakula) was recently completed and the data is being processed. In addition, seismic equipment, including an AHV-IV 65,000-pound seismic vibrator, has been mobilized to site as part of a plan to run approximately 80 kilometres of seismic traverses across the property, including over the highly prospective Kakula trend.
Integration of the geophysical program results with the Kamoa-Kakula teams existing geological models will allow fine-tuning of exploration targeting within the highly prospective Kamoa-Kakula mining licence area.
The seismic vibrator rig being used in a geophysical survey of the Kamoa-Kakula licence area. The rig sends seismic waves into the ground to detect key geological markers.
Kamoa-Kakula now ranks as the worlds fourth-largest copper deposit
The February 2018 Kakula Mineral Resource estimate, together with the Kamoa Mineral Resource estimate, firmly establishes the Kamoa-Kakula Project among the four largest copper deposits in the world. Also significantly, Kamoa-Kakulas copper grades are the highest, by a wide margin, of the worlds top 10 deposits (see Figure 8). Both the Kakula Discovery and the earlier Kamoa Discovery continue to remain open for expansion.
Research by Wood Mackenzie also confirms that the Kamoa-Kakula Project is the worlds largest, high-grade (>2.5% copper grade) copper deposit and the worlds largest, undeveloped copper deposit, based on contained copper in the projects Measured and Indicated Mineral Resources.
A geological technician measures the rock quality at exploration drill hole DD1319, west of the current Kakula West Discovery area.
Figure 8. Among the worlds largest copper deposits by contained copper, Kamoa-Kakula has the highest copper grades by a wide margin.
Source: Wood Mackenzie
*Note: Selected based on contained copper (Measured & Indicated Mineral Resources, inclusive of Mineral Reserves, and Inferred Mineral Resources), ranked on contained copper in Measured & Indicated Mineral Resources.
Figure 9. Worlds largest undeveloped copper deposits.
Source: Wood Mackenzie
*Note: Contained copper in undeveloped deposits (Measured & Indicated Mineral Resources, inclusive of Mineral Reserves, and Inferred Mineral Resources), ranked on contained copper in Measured & Indicated Mineral Resources.
Figure 10. Worlds largest high-grade copper deposits (above 2.5% copper).
Source: Wood Mackenzie
*Note: Contained copper in high-grade deposits (Measured & Indicated Mineral Resources, inclusive of Mineral Reserves, and Inferred Mineral Resources), with grades above 2.5% copper.
Figure 11. Central African Copperbelt discoveries, ranked by resources and historical production.
*Source: Wood Mackenzie and USGS
Qualified Person and Quality Control and Assurance
The independent Qualified Persons for the February 2018 Kakula Mineral Resource estimate are Dr. Harry Parker and Gordon Seibel, both RM SME, of Amec Foster Wheeler. Dr. Parker and Mr. Seibel are both independent of Ivanhoe Mines.
Other scientific and technical information in this news release has been reviewed and approved by Stephen Torr, P.Geo., Ivanhoe Mines Vice President, Project Geology and Evaluation, a Qualified Person under the terms of National Instrument 43-101. Mr. Torr is not independent of Ivanhoe Mines. Mr. Torr has verified the technical data disclosed in this news release not related to the current Mineral Resource estimate disclosed herein.
Ivanhoe Mines maintains a comprehensive chain of custody and quality assurance and quality control (QA/QC) program on assays from its Kamoa-Kakula Project. Half-sawn core is processed at the Kamoa-Kakula on-site preparation laboratory and prepared samples then are shipped by secure courier to Bureau Veritas Minerals (BVM) Laboratories in Australia, an ISO17025-accredited facility. Copper assays are determined at BVM by mixed-acid digestion with ICP finish. Industry-standard certified reference materials and blanks are inserted into the sample stream prior to dispatch to BVM. For detailed information about assay methods and data verification measures used to support the scientific and technical information, please refer to the January 2018 technical report titled Kamoa-Kakula Project the Kamoa-Kakula 2017 Development Plan, on the Ivanhoe Mines SEDAR profile at www.sedar.com and available at www.ivanhoemines.com.
Data verification for the Kakula Deposit
Dr. Parker and Mr. Seibel, (collectively the Amec Foster Wheeler QPs), reviewed the sample chain-of-custody, QA/QC procedures and the accreditations of analytical laboratories used by Ivanhoe. The Amec Foster Wheeler QPs are of the opinion that the procedures and QA/QC are acceptable to support Mineral Resource estimation. Amec Foster Wheeler also audited the assay database, core logging and geological interpretations and found no material issues with the data as a result of these audits.
In the opinion of the Amec Foster Wheeler QPs, the data verification programs undertaken on the geological and assay data collected from the Kakula and Kamoa Deposits support the geological interpretations and the analytical and database quality, and the data collected can support the Mineral Resource estimates.
About Ivanhoe Mines
Ivanhoe Mines is advancing its three principal projects in southern Africa: 1) Mine development at the Platreef platinum-palladium-gold-nickel-copper discovery on the Northern Limb of South Africas Bushveld Complex; 2) mine development and exploration at the Kamoa-Kakula Copper Project on the Central African Copperbelt in the DRC; and 3) upgrading at the historic, high-grade Kipushi zinc-copper-lead-germanium mine, also on the DRCs Copperbelt. For details, visit www.ivanhoemines.com.
Information contacts
Investors
Bill Trenaman +1.604.331.9834
Media
North America: Bob Williamson +1.604.512.4856
South Africa: Jeremy Michaels +27.82.772.1122
Cautionary statement on forward-looking information
Certain statements in this release constitute forward-looking statements or forward-looking information within the meaning of applicable securities laws, including without limitation, the timing and results of (1) statements regarding the Kakula high-grade mineralized trend remains open in multiple directions and Ivanhoe expects significant expansions and upgrades to the current resources with ongoing in-fill and step-out drilling; (2) statements regarding the exceptionally high copper grades, thickness and continuity of Kakula distinguish this discovery from anything else in the Central African Copperbelt and should allow the company to build a world-scale, highly-mechanized, underground copper mine with an initial capital cost expected to be far lower than other operations of this size; (3) statements regarding the western trend of Kakulas high-grade mineralized core appears to be open to the southwest, suggesting that potential extensions of the Kakula West discovery could remain within the Kamoa-Kakula mining licence for considerable distance; (4) statements regarding the unparalleled strength and continuity of the Kakula mineralized trend also bodes well for the potential for exploration success on Ivanhoes 100%-owned Western Foreland licences to the west of Kamoa-Kakula; (5) statements regarding given the accumulation of in-depth, proprietary geological insights into the features controlling the high-grade copper mineralization gained by Ivanhoe's geological team during almost two decades of exploring in the region, Ivanhoe is highly confident of additional, significant exploration success in 2018 and beyond; (6) statements that given the outstanding success to date in delineating high-grade copper resources, the Kakula drilling program is expected to continue throughout 2018; (7) statements regarding additional exploration success could have a significant influence on the size, value and timing of the overall development plan; as such, the Kamoa-Kakula development plans will be reassessed and amended as the project moves forward to reflect ongoing exploration results; (8) statements regarding depending on ground conditions, the 3,600-metre Kakula decline development contract is scheduled for completion around the end of this year; (9) statements regarding initial mine development is planned to begin at the Kakula Deposit in a flat, near-surface zone which, at a 3% cut-off, is between 7.1 metres and 11.7 metres thick and with copper grades between 8.11% and 10.35% along the deposits axis; (10) statements regarding based on the findings of the independent preliminary economic assessment completed in November of last year, Kakulas ultra-high copper grade expected to average 6.4% over the first 10 years of production; and (11) statements that an AHV-IV 65,000-pound seismic vibrator, has been mobilized to site as part of a plan to run approximately 80 kilometres of seismic traverses across the property, including over the highly prospective Kakula trend.
Such statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of the company, or industry results, to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements or information. Such statements can be identified by the use of words such as may, would, could, will, intend, expect, believe, plan, anticipate, estimate, scheduled, forecast, predict and other similar terminology, or state that certain actions, events or results may, could, would, might or will be taken, occur or be achieved. These statements reflect the companys current expectations regarding future events, performance and results and speak only as of the date of this release.
All such forward-looking information and statements are based on certain assumptions and analyses made by Ivanhoe Mines management in light of their experience and perception of historical trends, current conditions and expected future developments, as well as other factors management believe are appropriate in the circumstances. These statements, however, are subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual events or results to differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking information or statements including, but not limited to, unexpected changes in laws, rules or regulations (including retroactive application), the failure of contractual agreements with the State to be honoured in whole or in part, or in the enforcement or application of laws, rules and regulations by applicable authorities; the failure of parties to contracts to perform as agreed; social or labour unrest; changes in commodity prices, including the price of copper; unexpected failure or inadequacy of infrastructure, or delays in the development of infrastructure, the failure of exploration programs or other studies to deliver anticipated results or results that would justify and support continued studies, development or operations, and the results of economic studies and evaluations. Other important factors that could cause actual results to differ from these forward-looking statements also include those described under the heading Risk Factors in the companys most recently filed MD&A as well as in the most recent Annual Information Form filed by Ivanhoe Mines. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking information or statements. The factors and assumptions used to develop the forward-looking information and statements, and the risks that could cause the actual results to differ materially are set forth in the Risk Factors section and elsewhere in the companys most recent Managements Discussion and Analysis report and Annual Information Form, available at www.sedar.com.
This news release also contains references to estimates of Mineral Resources. The estimation of Mineral Resources is inherently uncertain and involves subjective judgments about many relevant factors. Mineral Resources that are not Mineral Reserves do not have demonstrated economic viability. The accuracy of any such estimates is a function of the quantity and quality of available data, and of the assumptions made and judgments used in engineering and geological interpretation, which may prove to be unreliable and depend, to a certain extent, upon the analysis of drilling results and statistical inferences that may ultimately prove to be inaccurate. Mineral Resource estimates may have to be re-estimated based on, among other things: (i) fluctuations in copper prices or other mineral prices; (ii) results of drilling; (iii) results of metallurgical testing and other studies; (iv) changes to proposed mining operations, including dilution; (v) the evaluation of mine plans subsequent to the date of any estimates; (vi) the possible failure to receive required permits, approvals and licences, or changes to any such permits, approvals or licences; and (v) changes in laws, rules or regulations, including changes to tax, VAT, and royalty rates whether to be applied prospectively or retroactively.
Although the forward-looking statements contained in this news release are based upon what management of the company believes are reasonable assumptions, the company cannot assure investors that actual results will be consistent with these forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are made as of the date of this news release and are expressly qualified in their entirety by this cautionary statement. Subject to applicable securities laws, the company does not assume any obligation to update or revise the forward-looking statements contained herein to reflect events or circumstances occurring after the date of this news release.
MONTREAL, Feb. 26, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- ALGOLD RESOURCES LTD. (TSX-V:ALG) (the Corporation) today announced an updated mineral Resource Estimate, prepared in accordance with the reporting guidelines as set out in National Instrument 43-101 - Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects ("NI 43-101") as required by the Canadian Securities Administrators, for its Tijirit Property (Tijirit or the Property) in Mauritania. The 100%-owned Tijirit Mine Lease, which encompasses an area of more than 300 km2, is situated approximately 25 kilometers southeast of Kinross Tasiast gold mine. Mineral resources were estimated as at January 19, 2018.
Highlights
Eleonore resources increased from 357,920 ounces of gold at an average grade of 4.18 g/t Au in the inferred category to indicated resources of 94,250 ounces of gold at an average grade of 4.08 g/t Au and 394,690 ounces of gold in the inferred category at an average grade of 4.07 g/t Au.
The updated NI 43-101 Resource Estimate is based on results of Algolds successful exploration program, which included more than 50,000 meters of drilling from June 2016 to August 2017, and was prepared only nine months after reporting resources from an initial phase of 23,000 meters of drilling.
Table 1: Tijirit Resources - Base Case
Zone Classification Au
(g/t) Tonnage
(t) Ounces
(Au) Eleonore Indicated 4.08 719,000 94,250 Eleonore Inferred 4.07 3,016,000 394,690
Zone Classification Au
(g/t) Tonnage
(t) Ounces
(Au) Sophie/Lily Measured 0.98 376,000 11,900 Sophie/Lily Indicated 0.93 2,122,000 63,300 Total Sophie/Lily Measured + Indicated 0.94 2,498,000 75,200 Sophie/Lily Inferred 1.06 7,476,000 254,100
Zone Classification Au
(g/t) Tonnage
(t) Ounces
(Au) Total Sophie/Lily/Eleonore Measured 0.98 376,000 11,900 Total Sophie/Lily/Eleonore Indicated 1.72 2,841,000 157,550 Total Sophie/Lily/Eleonore Measured + Indicated 1.64 3,217,000 169,450 Total Sophie/Lily/Eleonore Inferred 1.92 10,492,000 648,790
Effective dates for Eleonore and Sophie/Lily resources are January 19, 2018. The independent QP for this resources estimate is Yann Camus, Eng., SGS Canada Inc. The mineral resources are presented at a 0.4 g/t Au cut-off grade in pits and 1.7 g/t Au cut-off grade under the pits, except Eleonore at a global cut-off 1.5 g/t Au. The resources are presented without dilution. Whittle pits have been utilized based on a gold value of US$1,500/oz. Mineral resources that are not mineral reserves do not have demonstrated economic viability. This disclosure does not include economic analysis of the mineral resources. Totals may not add up due to rounding. No economic evaluation of the resources has been produced. This Resource Estimate has been prepared in accordance with CIM definition (2014). Density used is between 2.0 and 3.0 depending on rock type and alteration based on measurements. Capping varies from 3.5 g/t Au (Lily) to 45 g/t Au (Eleonore) depending on extreme local grade.
The overall high-grade nature of the Eleonore deposit allows for various cut-off grade parameters to be applied, thus allowing Algold to choose between various potential mining scenarios as future drilling provides better definition of width, depth and strike extension.
Eleonore Zone
Algolds base case using a cut-off grade (COG) of 1.5 g/t Au, without pit constraints, includes 94,250 ounces of gold at an average grade of 4.08 g/t Au in the indicated category and 394,690 ounces of gold at an average grade of 4.07 g/t Au in the inferred category.
An alternate case, with a pit constrained COG of 1.0 g/t Au and 1.7 g/t Au COG under pits, includes indicated resources of 102,200 ounces of gold at an average grade of 3.45 g/t Au and inferred resources of 422,900 ounces of gold at an average grade of 3.49 g/t Au, (within a 0.4 g/t Au Whittle pit constraint).
Lily and Sophie Zones
The base case using a pit constrained COG of 0.4 g/t Au and 1.7 g/t Au under pits, includes measured and indicated resources of 75,200 ounces of gold at an average grade of 0.94 g/t Au and inferred resources of 254,100 ounces of gold at an average grade of 1.06 g/t Au.
The alternate case, with a COG of 1.5 g/t Au without pit constraints, includes measured and indicated resources of 22,410 ounces of gold at an average grade of 2.24 g/t Au and inferred resources of 112,820 ounces of gold at an average grade of 2.26 g/t Au.
The updated report takes into consideration 80,954 meters of reverse-circulation (RC) drilling and 14,704 meters of core drilling, approximately half of which were carried out on the Eleonore zone.
The base case resources by zone are shown in the following tables, at cut-off grades of 0.4 g/t Au COG in pits and 1.7 g/t Au COG under pits, with the exception of the Eleonore zone estimated using a global cut-off grade of 1.5 g/t Au. Alternate scenarios are presented at 1.5 g/t Au and 2.0 g/t Au COG without the use of pit constraints. Figure 1 shows the up-to-date drilling over the mineralized zones on a recent (April 2017) aerial image of Tijirit. Figures 2a, 2b, and 2c present longitudinal sections of the Eleonore North, Central and South gold zones.
Table 2: Tijirit Sensitivity Analysis (Mineral resources presented at various COGs - for comparison purposes only - without pit constraint.)
Eleonore
Zone COG
(g/t Au) Classification Au
(g/t) Tonnage
(t) Ounces
(Au) Eleonore 1.5 Indicated 4.08 719,000 94,250 Eleonore 1.5 Inferred 4.07 3,016,000 394,690 Eleonore 2.0 Indicated 4.88 535,000 84,010 Eleonore 2.0 Inferred 5.12 2,089,000 343,490
Sophie & Lily
Zone COG
(g/t Au) Classification Au
(g/t) Tonnage
(t) Ounces
(Au) Sophie/Lily 1.5 Measured + Indicated 2.24 311,000 22,410 Sophie/Lily 1.5 Inferred 2.26 1,551,000 112,820 Sophie/Lily 2.0 Measured + Indicated 2.74 158,000 13,890 Sophie/Lily 2.0 Inferred 2.97 682,000 65,100
Refer to base case table for assumptions. Detailed tables for separate measured and indicated resources are presented in the full NI 43-101 report.
Table 3: Eleonore Zone Sensitivity Analysis - Various Cut-off Grades (within 0.4 g/t Au Whittle pit constraint)
COG (In Pit)
Au (g/t) COG
(Under Pit)
Au (g/t) Class Name Au
(g/t) Tonnage
(t) Ounces
(Au) Comments 0.4 1.7 Indicated 2.48 1,414,000 112,900 COG different in pit and under pit 0.4 1.7 Inferred 2.66 5,349,000 457,500 0.6 1.7 Indicated 2.77 1,237,000 110,090 0.6 1.7 Inferred 2.92 4,768,000 448,130 1.0 1.7 Indicated 3.45 921,000 102,200 1.0 1.7 Inferred 3.49 3,773,000 422,900
Increasing Potential of the Tijirit Project
"The increase in gold ounces is primarily due to an increase in the mineral resources at the Eleonore zone over the previous 2017 Resource Estimate. The increase in resources and the high grade ounces, at over 4.0 g/t Au, continue to highlight the extensive high-grade gold mineralization at Tijirit, said Algold CEO, Francois Auclair. We continue to focus on building and expanding existing resources at Tijirit, which now consist of three larger main mineralized zones (Eleonore, Lily and Salma), all in close proximity, thus enabling many future operating synergies.
Additionally, Algold is pleased to announce that drilling has commenced on the Salma zone and should be completed within the week. The objective of this drilling program is to further delineate the high-grade gold deposit on Salma and determine the key zones for further exploration along the ten-kilometer channel, as noted in Algolds press release dated February 8, 2018.
Resources Modeling and Estimation
The resource estimation was prepared by SGS Canada Inc. geological group Geostat ("SGS Geostat") with an effective date of January 19, 2018, using results from 627 RC drill holes totalling 80,549 meters, 91 diamond drill (DDH) holes totalling 14,704 meters and 17,090 meters of trenching carried out on the property both by Algold Resources in 2016, 2017, and 2018 and past operators Shield Mining and Gryphon Minerals from 2009 to 2012. The supporting NI 43-101 Technical Report will be posted on SEDAR at www.sedar.com and on the Companys website at www.algold.com no later than 45 days after the date of this release.
The database contains 718 drill holes (DDH and RC) and 265 trenches with 76,297 assay results. (Details are provided in the table below.)
Hole Types Number of
Drill Holes Total Length (m) Number of
Assays Sum of Assayed
Length (m) DDH 91 14,704 10,276 10,706 RC 627 80,549 58,675 80,337 Trenches 265 17,090 7,346 11,524 Total 983 112,343 76,297 102,567
A modeling cut-off grade of 0.3 g/t Au, a minimum thickness of two meters and a minimum accumulation of 1.2 m.g/t were used to delineate mineralized volumes. The 2,184 two-meter composites were capped at grades varying between 3.5 g/t Au and 45 g/t Au based on local extreme grades. Only 14 composites were capped. The gold loss due to the capping is 16% for the base case resource. Densities are based on 898 readings from DDH holes. A density of 2.00 t/m3 was used for saprolite and fresh rock was set to 2.7 t/m3 in the Lily zone, 2.8 t/m3 in the Sophie III zone, 2.85 t/m3 in the Sophie II zone, 3.0 t/m3 in the Sophie I zone and 2.86 t/m3 in the Eleonore zone.
The block model has a block size of 2 x 5 x 2.5 meters for the Sophie I-II-III and Eleonore, 2 x 5 x 5 meters for the Sophie III and 5 x 5 x 5 meters for the Lily. Except Lily, block models are turned to conform to the general orientations of the zones. Estimation was done by inverse distance squared with ellipsoid influenced distances. Kriging was also tested and general results were very comparable. A total of 220 separate volumes were estimated with 220 composite sets. Two estimation passes were used with ellipsoids of 75 x 75 x 25 meters and 150 x 150 x 50 meters. The first pass uses a minimum of four and a maximum of seven composites, with a limit of two per drill hole. The second pass uses a minimum two and a maximum of seven composites, with a limit of two per drill hole except for 35 volumes with a minimum of one. The smoothing of the estimation was tested in May of 2017 and was found to be adequate. The measured and indicated categories have been outlined by hand on longitudinal based on drilling density. Drilling every 40 meters (Eleonore and Sophie I), 45 meters (Sophie II-III) and 50 meters (Lily) was classified as indicated and drilling every 30 meters (all except Lily) and 35 meters (Lily) was classified as measured. Eleonore has a maximum interpolation up to 100 meters. Other zones have interpolation up to 200 meters. All zones have extrapolation limited to 45 meters.
Optimized open pits have been prepared to allow to constrain the resource estimate. The assumptions are a gold price of US$1,500/oz., mining recovery of 95%, mining dilution of 5% (for Sophie/Lily) and 10% (for Eleonore), processing recovery of 96% (for Sophie/Lily) and 97% (for Eleonore), a processing cost of $12.02/t, a G&A cost of $3.69/t and an open pit mining cost of $1.41/t. For underground mining costs, the current assumption is $40/t. Based on these assumptions; the economically viable cut-off grades are 0.4 g/t Au in open pits, and 1.5 g/t Au under the pits. Accordingly, Algold decided to retain COGs of 0.4 g/t Au in open pits and 1.7 g/t Au for Sophie/Lily and a global COG of 1.5 g/t Au for Eleonore. Alternative cases using higher COGs where also presented.
Quality Assurance / Quality Control (QA/QC)
Since the beginning of 2017, analytical work for drill core and reverse circulation chips, geochemical samples and rock chip samples has been carried out at the independent SGS Laboratories Ltd. in Bamako, Mali. The 50-gram fire assay with ASS finish analytical services are accredited by SANAS and are carried out with a quality assurance protocol in line with ISO 17025:2005. Prior to 2017, drill samples were prepared in the independent ALS Laboratory in Nouakchott, Mauritania and analysed at ALS Laboratories Ltd. in Loughrea, Co. Galway, Ireland, an ISO 17025 (2005) Certified Laboratory.
In both 2016 and 2017, samples were stored at the Company field camp and put into sealed bags until delivered by a geologist on behalf of Algold to the respective laboratory where samples are prepared and analyzed. Algolds samples are logged in the tracking system, weighed, dried and finely crushed to better than 70%, passing a 2 mm (Tyler 9 mesh, US Std. No.10) screen. A split of 1,000 g is taken and pulverized to better than 85%, passing a 75-micron (Tyler 200 mesh) screen, and a 50-gram split is analyzed by fire assay with an AA finish. Selected samples may be re-analyzed using a 1 kg cyanide leach (Bottle Roll) using LeachWELL or a 1 kg screen fire assay method. These results automatically supersede the original 50g fire assay result. As part of Algolds quality assurance and quality control (QAQC) procedures; blanks, duplicates and certified reference material (standards) are routinely inserted within the sample stream to monitor laboratory performance during the preparation and analysis.
This press release has been reviewed for accuracy and compliance under National Instrument 43-101 by Yann Camus, P.Eng., of the independent firm SGS Canada Inc. geological group Geostat is the qualified person under NI 43-101 standards who supervised the preparation of the resource estimate and approved all resource-related material in this press release. Yann Camus has sufficient experience relevant to the styles of mineralization under consideration and to which the activities are being reported to qualify as the Qualified Person for the purposes of the announcement. Yann Camus has reviewed the results of the QAQC program at Tijirit, both during and prior to Algold's involvement, and is sufficiently satisfied with both the QAQC protocol as well as the performance of the QAQC measures to view the assay results reported in this release as both accurate and precise. Mr Camus visited the property from August 14 to 18, 2017 and from April 16 to 20, 2016, for current personal inspection requirements. All information supporting the resource estimation was verified for any inconsistencies. There was no limitation on the verification process.
Andre Ciesielski, DSc., PGeo., Algold Resources Ltd Lead Consulting Geologist and Qualified Person, and Alastair Gallaugher, C.Geo. (Chartered Geologist and Fellow of the Geological Society of London), BSc. Geology, Algolds Exploration Manager in Mauritania, Qualified Persons as defined by NI 43101 Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects. Andre Ciesielski has further approved the scientific and technical disclosure in the news release. All information pertaining to the resource estimates have been reviewed for accuracy and compliance under National Instrument 43-101 by Yann Camus, P.Eng., SGS Canada Inc. and Qualified Person.
ABOUT ALGOLD
Algold Resources Ltd is focused on the exploration and development of gold deposits in West Africa. The board of directors and management team are seasoned resource industry professionals with extensive experience in the exploration and development of world-class gold projects in Africa.
FORWARD-LOOKING INFORMATION
This press release contains and refers to forward-looking information based on current expectations. All other statements other than statements of historical fact included in this release are forward-looking statements (or forward-looking information). The Corporation's plans involve various estimates and assumptions and its business is subject to various risks and uncertainties. For more details on these estimates, assumptions, risks and uncertainties, see the Corporation's most recent Management Discussion and Analysis on file with the Canadian provincial securities regulatory authorities on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. These forward-looking statements are made as of the date hereof and there can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate. Forward-looking statements are subject to significant risks and uncertainties, and actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements that are included herein, except in accordance with applicable securities laws.
Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.
For further information, please contact:
Algold Resources Ltd.
1320, boul. Graham, Suite 132, Mont-Royal, Quebec, H3P 3C8, www.algold.com
Francois Auclair, M.Sc., PGeo
President & Chief Executive Officer
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+1 (514) 889 5089
Alex Ball
Executive VP, Finance and Corporate Development
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+1 (647) 919 2227
TORONTO, Feb. 26, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Wesdome Gold Mines Ltd. (TSX:WDO) (Wesdome or the Company) is pleased to announce increased Mineral Reserves to 416,000 ounces of gold, net of depletion, (53,428 ounces) at its operating Eagle River Underground Mine located west of Wawa, Ontario. Mineral Reserves and Resources are updated as at December 31, 2017.
HIGHLIGHTS
Mineral Reserves at Eagle River increased by 21% to 416,000 ounces of gold; grade increased by 32% compared to December 2016 (9.2 grams per tonne) to 12.2 grams per tonne gold in 1.059 million tonnes for 416,000 ounces (2016: 344,000 ounces)
Mr. Duncan Middlemiss, President and CEO commented, In 2017, we successfully increased reserves net of depletion, and significantly improved the grade and reliability of our reserves through more tightly spaced definition drilling (35,000 metres). In January of last year, we made a very exciting new discovery within the 300 Parallel Zone - the 303 Lens, which so far consists of an average width of 8.2 metres grading 29.67 g/ tonne uncut. In May, we completed an exploration drift on the 844 metre Level, which enabled us to drill the structure up-plunge and is now traced from 750 metres depth to 1,000 metres depth and remains open above and below. As a result of this new discovery, the grade in the 300 Zone reserve increased by 49% over 2016. Production from this area began in late 2017. We also focused exploration efforts on the 7 Zone, increasing the grade by 44% and setting up production for 2018 to be in an area of longer strike lengths and greater widths than previously mined. Overall, the incorporation of these more recently discovered, higher grade zones into the current reserves has resulted in more ounces of gold in fewer tonnes thus improving the overall economics of the mine.
At Mishi, we are compiling data from approximately 30,000 metres of drilling conducted last year to the west of the Mishi open pit and expect to update reserves and resources for both this recent area of drilling and the immediate open pit area later in the year.
Additionally, at the Eagle River mine, a total of 380 metres of new development is underway to provide drill platforms for the planned 25,000 metres of exploration drilling and 25,000 metres of definition drilling to better define and expand the current resource base at the high grade 303 East Zone up and down plunge, the 711 and 300 West Zones down plunge, and at various locations along the 8 Zone.
To date, the new parallel structures, namely Zones 300 and 7, have only been tested in the west end of the mine at depth. The Company is planning an additional 5,000 metre surface drilling program to explore for additional Zones along these structures within the relatively untested areas of the eastern 2.0 km portion of the mine diorite. Exploration targeting is being aided with the creation of a comprehensive 3D geologic model that incorporates all recent and historic information to identify potential gold bearing structures and possible traps for gold along these structures.
MINERAL RESERVES AND RESOURCES EAGLE RIVER MINE DEC. 31, 2017
Mine Category Tonnes Grade Contained Contained (g/tonne Au) Ounces Ounces Dec 31, 2017 Dec 31, 2016 Eagle River Proven 212,000 12.2 83,000 68,000 Probable 847,000 12.2 333,000 276,000 Proven + Probable 1,059,000 12.2 416,000 344,000
MINERAL RESOURCES EXCLUSIVE OF RESERVES
Mine Category Tonnes Grade Contained Contained (g/tonne Au) Ounces Ounces Dec 31, 2017 Dec 31, 2016 Eagle River Indicated 50,700 7.3 12,000 0 Eagle River Inferred 334,000 8.0 85,000 85,000
* Numbers reflect rounding to nearest 1,000 tonnes and ounces.
* All Mineral Reserves and Mineral Resources estimates have been made in accordance with the Standards of the Canadian Institute of Mining, Metallurgy and Petroleum and National Instrument 43-101 and assume a gold price of $1,550CDN per ounce ($1240 USD) for the reserves and a gold price of $1,700CDN per ounce ($1390USD) for the resources. $USD/$CAD Exchange Rate of $1.20.
* All Mineral Resources are in addition to Mineral Reserves.
* Mineral Resources are not in the current mine plan and therefore do not have demonstrated economic viability.
* At Eagle River high grade assays are capped between 60 140 g/t Au for individual zones based on grade frequency histograms at 95th percentile.
* All Mineral Reserves at Eagle River employ a 1.5 metre minimum width, a 3.0 g/tonne Au minimum grade for continuity and include 1.0 metre of external dilution at 0.5 g/tonne Au. Mineral Resources are reported in-situ with no dilution provisions.
* A 99% extraction factor was applied on the development reserves while a 90% factor was applied on the longhole stoping reserves.
* The density used to calculate tonnage is 2.70 t/m3.
* Qualified Persons for the Mineral Reserves and Mineral Resources estimates as per NI 43-101 include Marc-Andre Pelletier P. Eng, COO, and Michael Michaud, P.Geo., VP Exploration of Wesdome Gold Mines Ltd.
EAGLE RIVER MINE
The Eagle River Mine is hosted by a 2.0 km by 0.5 km elliptical quartz diorite stock. Mineralization is hosted by east-west, steeply north dipping laminated quartz veins. The mine is serviced by a shaft and ramp system with the deepest mining level at 1,000 metres.
To date, the mine has produced 3,900,000 tonnes at an average recovered grade of 9.1 g/tonne Au, or 1,150,000 ounces of gold, over a 20 years mine life with the bulk of production coming from the main No. 8 vein structure.
In the summer of 2013, two new parallel structures were identified, the No.7 and No. 300 structures located approximately 200 m and 400 m north of the No. 8, respectively. These have been aggressively explored and developed with the No. 300 Zone commencing production in 2015.
The following table provides a breakdown of Mineral Reserves and Resources by structure to illustrate the growing significance of these recent developments.
PROVEN AND PROBABLE RESERVE BREAKDOWN
BY STRUCTURE **
Structure Tonnage Grade Contained Percent (g/tonne Au) Ounces (oz) No. 8 205,000 10.5 69,000 17 No. 300 514,000 13.4 222,000 53 No. 7 228,000 13.2 97,000 23 Other 112,000 7.8 28,000 7 TOTAL 1,059,000 12.2 416,000 100
Compared to 2016:
PROVEN AND PROBABLE RESERVE BREAKDOWN
BY STRUCTURE **
Structure Tonnage Grade Contained Percent (g/tonne Au) Ounces (oz) No. 8 225,000 10.6 87,000 25 No. 300 456,000 9.0 132,000 38 No. 7 310,000 9.2 91,000 27 Other 136,000 7.8 34,000 10 TOTAL 1,157,000 9.2 344,000 100
TECHNICAL DISCLOSURE
The technical content of this release has been compiled, reviewed and approved by Marc-Andre Pelletier, P. Eng, Chief Operating Officer, and Michael Michaud, P.Geo., Vice President, Exploration of the Company and both a "Qualified Person" as defined in National Instrument 43-101 -Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects.
CAUTIONARY NOTE TO UNITED STATES INVESTORS CONCERNING ESTIMATES OF RESERVES AND RESOURCES
The mineral reserve and resource estimates reported in this news release were prepared in accordance with National Instrument 43-101 Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects (NI 43-101) as required by Canadian securities regulatory authorities. The United States Securities and Exchange Commission (the SEC) applies different standards in order to classify and report mineralization. This news release uses the terms measured, indicated and inferred mineral resources, as required by NI 43-101. Readers are advised that although such terms are recognized and required by Canadian securities regulations, the SEC does not recognize such terms. Canadian standards differ significantly from the requirements of the SEC. Readers are cautioned not to assume that any part or all of the mineral deposits in these categories constitute or will ever be converted into mineral reserves. In addition, inferred mineral resources have a great amount of uncertainty as to their existence and great uncertainty as to their economic and legal feasibility. It cannot be assumed that all or any part of an inferred mineral resource exists, is economically or legally mineable or will ever be upgraded to a higher category of mineral resource.
ABOUT WESDOME
Wesdome Gold Mines is in its 31st year of continuous gold mining operations in Canada. The Company is 100% Canadian focused with a pipeline of projects in various stages of development. The Eagle River Complex near Wawa, Ontario is currently producing gold from two mines, the Eagle River Underground Mine and the Mishi Open pit, from a central mill. Wesdome is actively exploring its brownfields asset, the Kiena Complex in Val dOr, Quebec. The Company has further upside at its Moss Lake gold deposit, located 100 kilometres west of Thunder Bay, Ontario. The Company has approximately 133 million shares issued and outstanding and trades on the Toronto Stock Exchange under the symbol WDO.
For further information, please contact:
Lindsay Carpenter Dunlop
Vice President, Investor Relations
416-360-3743 ext. 25
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or
Duncan Middlemiss
President and CEO
416-360-3743 ext. 29
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8 King St. East, Suite 811
Toronto, ON, M5C 1B5
Toll Free: 1-866-4-WDO-TSX
Phone: 416-360-3743, Fax: 416-360-7620
Website: www.wesdome.com
This news release contains forward-looking information which may include, but is not limited to, statements with respect to the future financial or operating performance of the Company and its projects. Often, but not always, forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of words such as plans, expects, is expected, budget, scheduled, estimates, forecasts, intends, anticipates, or believes or variations (including negative variations) of such words and phrases, or state that certain actions, events or results may, could, would, might or will be taken, occur or be achieved. Forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of the Company to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements contained herein are made as of the date of this press release and the Company disclaims any obligation to update any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or results or otherwise. There can be no assurance that forward-looking statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. The Company undertakes no obligation to update forward-looking statements if circumstances, managements estimates or opinions should change, except as required by securities legislation. Accordingly, the reader is cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements.
VANCOUVER, Feb. 26, 2018 /CNW/ - Mawson Resources Limited ("Mawson") or (the "Company") (TSX:MAW) (Frankfurt:MXR) (PINKSHEETS: MWSNF) announces completion of an infill ground magnetic survey at the Company's 100% owned Rajapalot gold project in Northern Finland. Three diamond drill rigs continue to operate on site 24/7 with initial results anticipated within the next week.
Key Points:
A total of 90 line kilometres of infill ground magnetic data was collected at 25 metre line spacing. Detailed ground magnetic data now covers approximately 5 square kilometres at Rajapalot;
Interpretation of a previous detailed ground magnetic survey from the Palokas gold prospect indicated infill would allow better understanding of the regional and localized controls on gold mineralization across a broader area;
Drilling continues with three diamond drill rigs operating around the clock. Initial drill results will be released during the first week of March.
Mr. Hudson, Chairman and CEO, states, "With more than 60 people working at site and initial drill results imminent, we are excited to see that detailed ground magnetic data demonstrates both continuity of the host horizons and structural control on gold mineralization. As the gold at Rajapalot is commonly associated with both pyrrhotite and magnetite, ground magnetics is a valuable tool to directly map gold-bearing host rocks under the thin glacial soil that covers 99% of the area. We look forward to testing more targets with the many diamond drill rigs currently on site."
The completed infill ground magnetic survey covers the current winter drill program area and was designed to accurately locate the pyrrhotite-bearing rocks that are intimately associated with gold mineralization. Detailed ground magnetics over the Palokas Prospect reported in News Release of April 24, 2017 indicated the benefit of closer line spacing over mineralized areas. Figure 1 shows the location of the new survey with preliminary processed magnetics overlying the 50 m spaced ground magnetic survey from 2017. Prospects with summarized results from the News Release of July 05, 2017 are also included in Figure 1.
Mineralization consists of sulphide (pyrrhotite>>pyrite), magnetite, biotite, muscovite and chlorite hydrothermal mineral assemblages hosted in predominately grey albitites. Textures range from veined albitic granofels through fractured and brecciated to locally schistose. Veining and fracture fill minerals include pyrrhotite, magnetite and magnetite-pyrrhotite (+/- quartz). Local retrograde chlorite after biotite and vein-controlled chlorite+/- tourmaline and magnetite are also present. Preliminary hand-held XRF analysis confirms the presence of associated scheelite and molybdenite, the former visible under UV light as tiny veinlets and disseminations. The iron-rich nature of the mineralized rocks is a common theme in either the oxide or sulphide form, with a variably sulphidic and chloritic overprint. The alteration is clearly post-metamorphic, reduced, and most likely driven by granitoid intrusions. Chlorite is regarded as the lowest temperature silicate mineral with gold, structurally controlled in apparent association with quartz veins. Altered rocks enclosing the mineralized package contain locally abundant talc and tourmaline.
There is a strong structural control on mineralization that is superimposed on reactive stratabound units with elevated transition metals characteristic of now-metamorphosed and deformed, but depositional redox boundaries. Detailed ground magnetics can map the extent and deformation of these key horizons.
In other news, 66 people including geologists, field technicians, environmental staff and drilling contractors are now working in Finland with three diamond drill rigs operating 24 hours per day with a further two drill rigs planned to join the program in mid-March. Sixteen diamond holes from 12 drill pads have been completed in 2018 and are currently being logged for geotechnical, geological and geophysical parameters. The drill rigs are currently located at the Raja prospect (2017 drill results included PAL0075: 8.8 metres @ 7.5 g/t gold from 82.2 metres), South Palokas prospect (prior drill results included PAL0016: 8.4 metres @ 4.2 g/t gold from 206.0 metres in PAL0016, including 3.4 metres @ 9.5 g/t gold from 211 metres) and the Palokas prospect (2017 drill results included PAL0030: 10.0 metres @ 11.6 g/t gold from 110.2 metres). The first batches of samples have now been submitted for assay, and Mawson looks forward to commencing reporting assays in the first week of March.
Technical and Environmental Background
The ground magnetic survey was conducted by two personnel from GeoVista AB (based in Lulea, Sweden). The area discussed here is now covered at 25 metre line spacing with the remainder of the Rajapalot ground survey at 50 m line spacing. Line orientations for this program were matched with prior survey parameters. Levelling and post-collection processing are completed by Dr Hans Thunehed of GeoVista AB.
The qualified person for Mawson's Finnish projects, Dr. Nick Cook, President for Mawson and Fellow of the Australasian Institute of Mining Metallurgy has reviewed and verified the contents of this release.
About Mawson Resources Limited (TSX:MAW, FRANKFURT:MXR, PINKSHEETS:MWSNF)
Mawson Resources Limited is an exploration and development company. Mawson has distinguished itself as a leading Nordic Arctic exploration company with a focus on the flagship Rompas and Rajapalot gold projects in Finland.
On behalf of the Board,
"Michael Hudson"
Michael Hudson, Chairman & CEO
Forward-Looking Statement
This news release contains forward-looking statements or forward-looking information within the meaning of applicable securities laws (collectively, "forward-looking statements"). All statements herein, other than statements of historical fact, are forward-looking statements. Although Mawson believes that such statements are reasonable, it can give no assurance that such expectations will prove to be correct. Forward-looking statements are typically identified by words such as: believe, expect, anticipate, intend, estimate, postulate, and similar expressions, or are those, which, by their nature, refer to future events. Mawson cautions investors that any forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future results or performance, and that actual results may differ materially from those in forward-looking statements as a result of various factors, including, but not limited to, capital and other costs varying significantly from estimates, changes in world metal markets, changes in equity markets, planned drill programs and results varying from expectations, delays in obtaining results, equipment failure, unexpected geological conditions, local community relations, dealings with non-governmental organizations, delays in operations due to permit grants, environmental and safety risks, and other risks and uncertainties disclosed under the heading "Risk Factors" in Mawson's most recent Annual Information Form filed on www.sedar.com. Any forward-looking statement speaks only as of the date on which it is made and, except as may be required by applicable securities laws, Mawson disclaims any intent or obligation to update any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or results or otherwise.
VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA--(Marketwired - Feb. 25, 2018) - Lundin Gold Inc. ("Lundin Gold" or the "Company") (TSX:LUG) (OMX:LUG) is pleased to announce a US$400 million equity private placement financing (the "Private Placement"). The Private Placement, coupled with the recent lenders' commitments for a senior debt facility, substantially completes the funding requirements, based on current estimates, for the Fruta del Norte gold project in Ecuador ("Fruta del Norte" or the "Project").
Subscribers to the Private Placement include Newcrest Mining Limited ("Newcrest"), Orion Mine Finance Group ("Orion"), and Zebra Holdings and Investments S.a.r.l. and Lorito Holdings S.a.r.l. (the "Lundin Family Trusts") at a weighted average subscription price of CAD$5.44 per common share. This is equivalent to a 13% premium to the February 23, 2018 closing price of CAD$4.81. The Company will be issuing an aggregate of 93,497,140 common shares pursuant to the Private Placement, which represents 78.1% of its current issued and outstanding shares.
Highlights
Newcrest and the Lundin Family Trusts will invest US$250 and US$50 million, respectively, at a price of CAD$5.50 (US$4.33 at a CAD/USD foreign exchange of 1.27) per common share;
Orion will invest US$100 million at a price of CAD$5.25 (US$4.13) per common share;
Proceeds from the Private Placement will fund the development of Fruta del Norte;
Newcrest will have the right to appoint two members and Orion will have the right to appoint one member to Lundin Gold's board of directors, subject to certain ownership thresholds being maintained;
Upon closing of the Private Placement, Newcrest will own 27.1% of Lundin Gold's outstanding shares, the Lundin Family Trusts will own 22.3% and Orion will own 11.4%;
Newcrest has been granted certain investment rights customary for a strategic investor, including anti-dilution rights allowing Newcrest to maintain their pro rata ownership and the right to assign three staff members to the Project so long as their investment does not fall below certain thresholds. Orion has also been granted certain anti-dilution rights to maintain their pro rata ownership; and
Newcrest will be subject to certain standstill restrictions.
"Newcrest has extensive experience building gold mines and bringing them into production. As our strategic partner, their knowledge and expertise will be valuable as we develop Fruta del Norte into a large, high-grade gold mine," said Ron Hochstein, President and CEO of Lundin Gold. "With the support of Newcrest, Orion, the Lundin Family Trusts, and the recently announced senior debt facility, our team can now focus on driving the development of this Project to its goal of first production by the end of 2019, on schedule and on budget."
The Private Placement is expected to close on or before March 31, 2018 and is subject to regulatory and other customary approvals, including TSX approval and the filing of a listing prospectus with the Swedish Financial Supervisory Authority.
The Private Placement, if completed, will materially affect control of the Company (as determined in accordance with the TSX Company Manual) since Newcrest, at the closing of the Private Placement, will hold greater than 20% of the issued and outstanding shares and will become the largest shareholder of the Company, and therefore requires Shareholder approval under section 604(a) of the TSX Company Manual. The Company has obtained such approval through the solicitation of written consents in a form acceptable to the TSX as permitted under section 604(d) of the TSX Company Manual. The threshold for approval by way of consent is approval by beneficial shareholders owning, in the aggregate, more than 50% of the outstanding shares.
Exploration Earn-In
Lundin Gold and Newcrest have also signed a binding heads of agreement to form a joint venture company to explore eight early stage concessions held by Lundin Gold. These concessions are to the north and south of Fruta del Norte and exclude the large block of concessions surrounding the Fruta del Norte deposit (see Figure 1). Newcrest can earn up to a 50% interest in the joint venture company by spending US$20 million over a five year period.
Under the earn-in, Newcrest is committed to spend a minimum of US$4 million over the next two years and has the option to spend a further US$6 million over the following 18-month period to earn an initial 25% interest. By spending an additional US$10 million within the five year period, Newcrest can earn a further 25% interest. Newcrest will be the operator of the joint venture.
Lundin Gold has engaged BMO Nesbitt Burns Inc., GMP Securities L.P., and Scotia Capital Inc. as financial advisors for this transaction. Blakes, Cassels and Graydon L.L.P. acted as legal counsel to the Company.
Conference Call and Webcast
A conference call and webcast will be held on Monday February 26, 2018 at 7:00 a.m. EST or 13:00 CET to discuss the Company's news. Please call in 10 minutes before the conference call starts and stay on the line (an operator will be available to assist you).
Dial-In Numbers: Toll-Free North America: 1 (877) 648-7976 North America: 1 (617) 826-1698 Toll-Free Sweden: 02-079-8505 Sweden: 46-(0) 8-5661-9361
Conference ID: Lundin Gold
To view the live webcast presentation, please log on using this direct link: http://bit.ly/2EHmqzc
A replay of the webcast will be available via the above link approximately two hours after the completion of the conference call until 11:59 pm EST on March 12, 2018.
About Lundin Gold
Lundin Gold, headquartered in Vancouver, Canada, is developing its wholly-owned Fruta del Norte gold project in southeast Ecuador. Fruta del Norte is one of the highest-grade and largest gold projects currently under construction. The Company's board and management team have extensive expertise in mine construction and operations and are dedicated to advancing this project through to first gold production in 2019.
The Company operates with transparency and in accordance with international best practices. Lundin Gold is committed to delivering value to its shareholders, while simultaneously providing economic and social benefits to impacted communities, fostering a healthy and safe workplace and minimizing the environmental impact. The Company believes that the value created through the development of Fruta del Norte will benefit its shareholders, the Government and the people of Ecuador.
Additional Information
The information in this release is subject to the disclosure requirements of Lundin Gold under the EU Market Abuse Regulation and the Swedish Securities Markets Act. This information was publicly communicated at 1:30 pm Pacific Time on February, 25 2018.
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Caution Regarding Forward-Looking Information and Statements
Certain of the information and statements in this press release are considered "forward-looking information" or "forward-looking statements" as those terms are defined under Canadian securities laws (collectively referred to as "forward-looking statements"). Any statements that express or involve discussions with respect to predictions, expectations, beliefs, plans, projections, objectives, assumptions or future events or performance (often, but not always, identified by words or phrases such as "believes", "anticipates", "expects", "is expected", "scheduled", "estimates", "pending", "intends", "plans", "forecasts", "targets", or "hopes", or variations of such words and phrases or statements that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", "will", "should" "might", "will be taken", or "occur" and similar expressions) are not statements of historical fact and may be forward-looking statements.
By their nature, forward-looking statements and information involve assumptions, inherent risks and uncertainties, many of which are difficult to predict, and are usually beyond the control of management, that could cause actual results to be materially different from those expressed by these forward-looking statements and information. Lundin Gold believes that the expectations reflected in this forward-looking information are reasonable, but no assurance can be given that these expectations will prove to be correct. Forward-looking information should not be unduly relied upon. This information speaks only as of the date of this press release, and the Company will not necessarily update this information, unless required to do so by securities laws.
This press release contains forward-looking information in a number of places, such as in statements pertaining to the completion of the Private Placement and the use of proceeds of the Private Placement, the adequacy of the Company's financing, the timing of first production, the completion of the earn-in by Newcrest and the formation of the joint venture, the progress of the development, construction and operation of the Project and the timing and success of permitting and regulatory approvals. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from the Company's expectations include, but are not limited to: risks relating to receipt of regulatory approvals; risks that the conditions to the completion of the Private Placement will not be satisfied or waived; the ability to arrange financing and the risk to shareholders of dilution from future equity financings; the ability to maintain its obligations under its current project financing and other debt; risks related to carrying on business in Ecuador; volatility in the price of gold; the timely receipt of regulatory approvals, permits and licenses; risks associated with the performance of the Company's contractors; risks inherent in the development of an underground mine; deficient or vulnerable title to mining concessions and surface rights; shortages of critical resources, labour and key executive personnel, such as input commodities, equipment and skilled labour, and the dependence on key personnel; risks associated with the Company's community relationships; unreliable infrastructure; volatility in the market price of the Company's shares; uncertainty with the tax regime in Ecuador; measures required to protect endangered species; the cost of compliance or failure to comply with applicable laws; exploration and development risks; the accuracy of the Mineral Reserve and Resource estimates for the Fruta del Norte Project and the Company's reliance on one project; risks related to artisanal and illegal mining; uncertainty as to reclamation and decommissioning; risks associated with the Company's information systems; competition in the mining industry; the ability to obtain adequate insurance; risks of bribery or corruption; the potential for litigation; limits of disclosure and internal controls; and the potential influence of the Company's largest shareholders.
There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate, as Lundin Gold's actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in this forward-looking information as a result of the factors discussed in the "Risk Factors" section in Lundin Gold's Management Discussion & Analysis for the financial year ended December 2017.
Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - February 26, 2018) - Cordoba Minerals Corp. (TSXV: CDB) (OTCQX: CDBMF) ("Cordoba" or the "Company") is pleased to announce an updated Mineral Resource estimate for the Alacran Deposit, located within the 100%-owned San Matias copper-gold project in Colombia.
Highlights
The updated, conceptual pit-constrained, Mineral Resource for the Alacran Deposit includes 36.1 million tonnes of Indicated Resources grading 0.57% copper and 0.26 g/t gold (0.72% copper equivalent; "CuEq"), and 31.8 million tonnes of Inferred Resources grading 0.52% copper and 0.24 g/t gold (0.65% CuEq) at a 0.28% CuEq cut-off.
Indicated Resources contain 454 million pounds of copper and 300,000 ounces of gold , and Inferred Resources contain 365 million pounds of copper and 250,000 ounces of gold.
, and Inferred Resources contain 365 million pounds of copper and 250,000 ounces of gold. The Alacran Deposit is expected to have low capital intensity given the highly favourable 1.17:1 strip ratio of the conceptual pit-constrained resource. This is due to the geometry of the deposit and its location along a ridgeline.
High-grade diamond drill intercepts associated with carbonate-base metal ("CBM") veins, which have been identified over 600 metres of strike length, were excluded from the geological model, but the sample values were retained and capped in the resource calculation. Specific high-grade intercepts, such as 4,440 g/t gold, 10.25% copper, 347 g/t silver, and 24.70% zinc over 0.9 metres in ACD036 (previously reported January 23, 2017), have been capped at 1% copper and 2 g/t gold in the updated resource estimate.
Additional drilling to the northwest and down-dip will follow-up on high-grade copper and gold mineralization and will further target the potentially significant high-grade cobalt discovery of 1.13% cobalt over 1.3 metres in a new epithermal vein (ACD070; previously reported December 5, 2017). Drilling will also target copper and gold mineralization to the south that was not included in the pit-constrained resource.
(ACD070; previously reported December 5, 2017). Drilling will also target copper and gold mineralization to the south that was not included in the pit-constrained resource. The Alacran north-south structural corridor has been mapped over 3 kilometres south of Alacran with similar host stratigraphy and new copper mineralization identified.
"We have improved our understanding of the Alacran Deposit through the 2017 drill program, leading to updated modelling parameters and improved geological confidence in our resource estimate. We have been successful in significantly increasing tonnage and have classified a significant portion as Indicated Resources," commented Mario Stifano, President and CEO of Cordoba Minerals. "However, there is still more to learn about the Alacran Deposit, leaving the potential for further high-grade discoveries. Alacran remains open down-dip and along-strike to the northwest. We will continue to explore the Alacran Deposit in 2018 and will work towards completing a preliminary economic assessment in the second half of 2018. Additionally, our geologists have identified a number of high priority targets within the San Matias district that we will continue to explore, as we look to complement the Alacran Deposit.
Table 1: Alacran Mineral Resource estimate as at February 20, 2018
Classification CuEq
Cut-Off
(%) Tonnage
(Mt) Grades Contained Metals CuEq
(%) Copper
(%) Gold
(g/t) Copper
(Mlb) Gold
(koz) Indicated 0.28 36.1 0.72 0.57 0.26 454 300 Inferred 0.28 31.8 0.65 0.52 0.24 365 250
1. Mineral Resources are not Mineral Reserves and do not have demonstrated economic viability.
2. The Mineral Resources in this estimate were independently prepared by Peter Oshust, P.Geo. of Amec Foster Wheeler Americas Limited, following the Definition Standards for Mineral Resources and Mineral Reserves Prepared by the CIM Standing Committee on Reserve Definitions, adopted by CIM Council on May 10, 2014.
3. The Mineral Resources in this estimate are constrained within a conceptual pit shell developed using Whittle software. Assumptions used to prepare the conceptual pit include:
Metal prices of US$3.15/lb copper and US$1,400/oz gold;
Mining cost of US$2.00/t mined;
Processing cost of US$12/t milled;
G&A costs of US$1.25/t milled;
100% mining recovery, 0% dilution, and 45 pit slope;
Process recoveries of 90% for copper grades greater than 0.4%, 75% for copper grades less 0.4%, and 70% for gold;
Freight and treatment costs of US$162/t concentrate;
Payable metal factors of 96% for copper and 95% for gold;
Refining charges of US$0.085/lb copper and US$5.50/oz gold.
4. Copper equivalent has been calculated using: copper grade (%) plus 0.504 x gold grade (g/t) for copper grades greater than 0.4%, and copper grade (%) plus 0.605 x gold grade (g/t) for copper grades less than 0.4%.
5. The cut-off grade of 0.28% CuEq is a marginal cut-off sufficient to cover US$12.00/t processing costs and $1.25/t G&A costs.
Cordoba has been successful in upgrading 36.1 million tonnes of Mineral Resources into the Indicated Resources category. This compares to the previous Alacran Mineral Resource estimate (refer to Cordoba's news release dated January 5, 2017) that only contained Inferred Resources. There still remains 31.8 million tonnes classified as Inferred Resources in the updated estimate.
CBM veins intersected by drilling and associated with very high-grade gold mineralization were excluded from the current geological model, but the sample values were retained and capped in the resource calculation, due to the low resolution of the drill hole spacing relative to the narrow veins. Further investigation into these features may allow for better local prediction of gold grades within the deposit.
The Alacran north-south structural corridor has been mapped over 3 kilometres south of Alacran with similar host stratigraphy and new copper mineralization identified.
There is evidence of many structural offsets of marker horizons from minor to significant on a deposit scale. Three faults were identified and modelled for the updated resource estimate. The most dominant structure is the Faul3_NEE fault which marks the boundary between the north and south areas of the Alacran Deposit. The north area was previously referred to as Mina Norte and the south as Mina Sur in earlier reports.
The process recovery assumptions used in the resource modelling were based on the results of metallurgical recovery test work of two composites with grades greater than 1.0% copper. Current metallurgical test work has not been completed to support the impact of grade variability on metallurgical recovery.
Rock Quality Designation ("RQD") measurements were collected from drill core during logging, but a detailed geotechnical analysis has not been completed to support the current pit slope assumptions.
Mineral Resource Estimation Methodology
The updated Mineral Resource estimate for the Alacran Deposit has been prepared by Amec Foster Wheeler Americas Limited ("AMEC"). The updated Mineral Resource estimate is based on geology and assay data from 136 diamond drill holes totalling 35,900 metres completed by Cordoba and previous operators between 2012 and 2017. Assay data is available for 130 of the completed holes. The cut-off date for drill hole information was December 15, 2017.
A 5x10x5 metre block size was chosen for the resource block model to reflect mining selectivity for a potential 12,750 tonne per day mining scenario. The resource block model was sub-blocked to 2.5x5.0x2.5 metre blocks to maintain geological resolution. The block grade model was flagged for lithological and structural domains from wireframes from the geological model.
Inverse Distance to the third power ("ID3") was used for high-grade copper and gold indicator probability modelling and block grade estimation. Ordinary Kriging ("OK") was used for Specific Gravity ("SG") indicator probability modeling, and OK and Simple Kriging ("SK") was used for SG estimation. SK was used for the final estimation pass for density. The average density for each estimation domain was used as the SK stationary mean.
For a detailed discussion of the Mineral Resource estimation methodology refer to the National Instrument 43-101 compliant technical report expected to be filed on www.sedar.com within 45 days.
Cut-Off Grade Sensitivity
Indicated and Inferred Mineral Resources have been calculated at various copper equivalent cut-off grades to demonstrate the sensitivity of tonnage and grades. The reporting base case of 0.28% CuEq is highlighted.
Table 2: Alacran Mineral Resource Cut-Off Grade Sensitivity
Classification CuEq
Cut-Off
(%) Tonnage
(Mt) Grades Contained Metals CuEq
(%) Copper
(%) Gold
(g/t) Copper
(Mlb) Gold
(koz) Indicated 0.20 42.5 0.64 0.51 0.24 478 330 0.22 40.9 0.66 0.53 0.24 478 320 0.24 39.3 0.68 0.54 0.25 467 320 0.26 37.7 0.70 0.56 0.26 465 310 0.28 36.1 0.72 0.57 0.26 454 300 0.30 34.6 0.73 0.59 0.27 450 300 0.32 33.0 0.75 0.61 0.28 444 300 0.35 30.9 0.78 0.63 0.29 429 290 0.40 27.6 0.83 0.67 0.31 407 270 Inferred 0.20 41.2 0.56 0.44 0.21 400 280 0.22 38.7 0.58 0.46 0.22 392 270 0.24 36.3 0.60 0.48 0.23 384 270 0.26 34.0 0.63 0.50 0.23 375 250 0.28 31.8 0.65 0.52 0.24 365 250 0.30 29.9 0.68 0.54 0.25 356 240 0.32 28.1 0.70 0.56 0.26 346 230 0.35 25.6 0.73 0.59 0.27 333 220 0.40 22.0 0.79 0.64 0.29 310 210
San Matias Regional Exploration
Cordoba has resumed district-scale exploration for additional porphyry and iron oxide copper-gold (IOCG) systems in the San Matias district and along its potential extensions. Current exploration targets include combinations of geochemical and geophysical anomalies in favourable structural-lithological settings.
In addition to the Company's 20,000-hectare land-package at San Matias, Cordoba holds an additional 34,342 hectares of mining concessions and exploration licenses covering the outcropping portion of the Cretaceous-age magmatic arc to the west, east and south of the San Matias district. Only a small portion of this prospective regional geology has been mapped and/or covered by geochemical and geophysical surveys. The Company believes the geological potential of these areas is high.
Corporate Update
On January 23, 2018, Cordoba entered into an Amendment Agreement to the Option Agreement between Cordoba Minerals, Minerales Cordoba S.A.S., Sociedad Ordinaria de Minas Omni ("OMNI"), Compania Minera El Alacran S.A.S., CMH Colombia S.A.S., Cobre Minerales, and Exploradora Cordoba S.A.S. dated February 27, 2016, to extend the exploration period pursuant to the Option Agreement by two years in order to file a larger mine plan with a capacity of more than 2.0 million tons per year with the National Mining Agency of Colombia. In accordance with the Amendment Agreement, Cordoba will file the request for the requisite approvals to conduct activities of construction and commercial production at El Alacran on or before June 30, 2020.
Additionally, the total option payment remains set at $14.0 million, and Cordoba will make an advance payment of $1.0 million to OMNI on February 27, 2019 and the remaining $13.0 million will be payable on June 30, 2020.
Subject to regulatory approval, Cordoba has arranged for a short term loan of $1 million from HPX bearing interest of 10% per annum, which will be used to make an option payment to OMNI and for general working capital purposes.
With the conclusion of the 2017 exploration program at Alacran and the completion of the updated Mineral Resource estimate, Eugenio Espada, Vice President, Exploration will be stepping down from his position with the Company. Mr. Espada will continue to advise Cordoba Minerals as a consultant and will assist during the transition period of his replacement.
Technical Information & Qualified Person
The Mineral Resources in this estimate were independently prepared by Peter Oshust, P.Geo of AMEC. Greg Kulla, P.Geo, also an employee of AMEC, verified the drill hole database supporting the Mineral Resource estimation. Verification included a site visit to inspect drilling, logging, density measurement, and sampling procedures, and a review of the control sample results used to assess laboratory assay quality. In addition, a random selection of the drill hole database results was compared with original records.
The technical information in this release has been reviewed and verified by Dale A. Sketchley, M.Sc., P.Geo., a Qualified Person for the purpose of National Instrument 43-101. Mr. Sketchley is a consultant to Cordoba Minerals and is considered independent under National Instrument 43-101. Mr. Sketchley is a geologist with over 40 years in the mineral exploration, mining, and consulting industry. He is a Member of the Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of British Columbia (APEGBC) and the Canadian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy (CIMM).
Alacran Copper-Gold Project
The Alacran copper-gold system is located within the San Matias copper-gold project in the Department of Cordoba, Colombia, 200 kilometres north of Medellin. San Matias comprises a 20,000-hectare land-package and contains several known areas of porphyry copper-gold, IOCG, carbonate replacement and gold vein mineralization.
The Alacran copper-gold system is located on a topographic high in gently rolling countryside, optimal for potential open-pit mining. Site access and infrastructure are considered to be favourable.
Alacran is approximately two kilometres southwest of the Company's Montiel porphyry copper-gold discovery, where drilling intersected 1.0% copper and 0.65 g/t gold over 101.1 metres (previously reported in DDH-004), and two kilometres northwest of the Costa Azul porphyry copper-gold discovery, where drilling intersected 0.62% copper and 0.51 g/t gold over 86.6 metres (previously reported in CADDH003).
The copper-gold mineralization at Alacran is associated with stratabound replacement of a faulted calcareous marine volcano-sedimentary sequence. The deposit comprises moderately- to steeply-dipping stratigraphy that is mineralized as a series of sub-parallel replacement-style zones and associated disseminations. The mineralization comprises multiple overprinting hydrothermal events, and the main mineralizing phase comprises chalcopyrite-pyrrhotite-pyrite that appears to overprint an early magnetite metasomatic event.
About Cordoba Minerals
Cordoba Minerals Corp. is a Toronto-based mineral exploration company focused on the exploration and acquisition of copper and gold projects in Colombia. Cordoba is currently focused on its 100%-owned San Matias Copper-Gold Project, which includes the advanced-stage Alacran Deposit located in the Department of Cordoba. For further information, please visit www.cordobaminerals.com.
ON BEHALF OF THE COMPANY
Mario Stifano, President and CEO
Cordoba Minerals Corp.
For further information, please contact:
Evan Young, Director, Investor Relations
Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Phone: +1 (647) 808-2141
Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor the Investment Industry Regulatory Organization of Canada accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.
Forward-Looking Statements
This news release includes certain "forward-looking information" within the meaning of Canadian securities legislation. All statements other than statements of historical fact included in this release, including, without limitation, statements regarding the potential of the Company's properties are forward-looking statements that involve various risks and uncertainties. Forward-looking statements are based on a number of assumptions and estimates that, while considered reasonable by management based on the business and markets in which Cordoba operates, are inherently subject to significant operational, economic, and competitive uncertainties and contingencies.
Forward-looking statements include predictions, projections and forecasts and are often, but not always, identified by the use of words such as "seek", "anticipate", "believe", "plan", "estimate", "forecast", "expect", "potential", "target", "schedule", budget" and "intend" and statements that an event or result "may", "will", "should", "could" or "might" occur or be achieved and other similar expressions and includes the negatives thereof. Forward-looking statements include, without limitation, (i) that there remains potential to expand and increase the scale of the current mineralized resource; (ii) that high-grade vein intercepts could provide additional upside; (iii) that Alacran will have low capital intensity due to low expected strip ratio; (iv) that significant copper mineralization will be identified in the structural corridor 3 kilometres south of Alacran; and (v) that a Preliminary Economic Assessment at Alacran will be completed in the second half of 2018. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate and actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from Company's expectations include actual exploration results, changes in project parameters as plans continue to be refined, future metal prices, availability of capital and financing on acceptable terms, general economic, market or business conditions, uninsured risks, regulatory changes, delays or inability to receive required approvals, and other exploration or other risks detailed herein and from time to time in the filings made by the Company with securities regulators. Although the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual actions, events or results to differ from those described in forward-looking statements, there may be other factors that cause such actions, events or results to differ materially from those anticipated.
There can be no assurance that forward-looking statements will prove to be accurate and accordingly readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements which speak only as of the date of this news release. The Company disclaims any intention or obligation, except to the extent required by law, to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.
Figure 1: Satellite Photo of the Alacran Deposit Area with Drill Hole Locations and Traces
Figure 2: 3D Leapfrog Geological Model
Figure 3: CuEq Block Grade Model Map at 102.5 RL 7.5 m
Figure 4: CuEq Block Grade Map at 855 750 N 25 m
Figure 5: CuEq Block Grade Map at 855 300 N 25 m
Figure 6: CuEq Block Grade Map at 419 050 E 12.5 m
Figure 7: Block Classification Map at 102.5 RL 7.5 m
Armenia and Turkey are at odds over whether the World War I massacres and deportations of Armenians by their Ottoman rulers should be described as genocide.
Armenians say up to 1.5 million of their kin were killed between 1915 and 1917, and have long sought international recognition that this was genocide.
Turkey rejects the term and puts the number of dead at between 300,000 and 500,000. It says what happened was civil conflict and a collective tragedy.
Around 20 countries and some parliaments have voted through laws or resolutions recognising there was genocide, to the fury of Ankara.
The Dutch lower house on Thursday became the latest to vote such an acknowledgement but made clear that the government as a whole would not make such a judgement.
Here is some background.
What happened?
Clashes between Armenians and Turks started at the end of the 19th century as the Ottoman Empire was falling apart, costing between 100,000 and 300,000 Armenian lives between 1895 and 1896, according to Armenian sources.
Then, in October 1914, the Ottoman Empire entered World War I on the side of Germany and the Austro-Hungarian Empire.
On April 24, 1915 thousands of Armenians suspected of harbouring nationalist sentiments and being hostile to Ottoman rule were rounded up.
On May 26, a special law authorised deportations for reasons of internal security.
The Armenian population of Anatolia and Cilicia, labelled the enemy within, was forced into exile in the Mesopotamian desert.
A large number were killed on the way or in the detention camps. Many were burned alive, drowned, poisoned or fell victim to disease, according to foreign diplomats and intelligence services at the time.
The Ottoman Empire was dismantled in 1920, two years after the creation of an independent Armenian state in May 1918.
Genocide defined
A 1948 UN convention defines genocide as acts committed with intent to destroy, in whole or part, a national, ethnical, racial or religious group.
Turkey accepts today that massacres were carried out and that many Armenians were killed while being deported, but is adamant this was not genocide.
It says the Armenians collaborated with the Russian enemy during World War I, and that tens of thousands of Turks were killed at their hands.
In April 2014, Turkeys President Recep Tayyip Erdogan for the first time offered his condolences over the massacres, calling them our shared pain.
Yerevan dismissed the statement.
National recognition
More than 20 countries have recognised the massacres of Armenians as genocide.
Uruguay was the first, in 1965, and was followed by countries including Argentina, Belgium, Canada, Russia, Sweden and Switzerland.
In 1996, Greece, which has conflictual relations with neighbouring Turkey, decreed April 24 the day of memory of the genocide of Armenians by the Turkish regime.
France was the first major European country to use the disputed term in 2001.
The first pontiff to publicly utter the word genocide was Pope Francis, in April 2015.
In 1981, Ronald Reagan, who was US president at the time, branded the massacres a genocide and more than 40 individual US states have taken similar action.
Former president Barack Obama had promised to also recognise the killings as a genocide but did not follow through in his eight years in office.
Parliaments
The European Parliament recognised the killings as genocide on June 18, 1987.
The German parliament did the same in June 2016, as the did the parliaments of Austria and Luxembourg in 2015.
A UN rights commission in South Sudan said Friday there was sufficient evidence to charge at least 41 senior officers and officials with war crimes and crimes against humanity.
South Sudans four-year-old civil war has been characterised by extreme brutality and attacks on civilians.
But no high-ranking officials have been held to account, despite African Union (AU) promises to establish a special court to try alleged crimes.
The court could be set up straight away and the prosecutor could begin working on indictments, said Yasmin Sooka, chairperson of the UN Commission on Human Rights in South Sudan.
Under the peace agreement, those indicted can no longer hold or stand for office. Ultimately this is the only way to stop the rampant devastation of millions of human lives by South Sudans leaders, she said.
The commission said it had forwarded a confidential list of suspects to the UNs High Commissioner for Human Rights, Zeid Raad Al Hussein. Those named comprise three state governors, 33 generals and five colonels.
The report based on 58,000 documents and 230 witness statements is a litany of horrors and extraordinary cruelty. Some victims were beheaded, burned alive or had their throats cut, others had their eyes gouged out or were tortured.
Rape reminiscent of Bosnia
Sexual violence was particularly prevalent with numerous accounts of gang rape and child rape, and in cases reminiscent of Bosnia of people forced to watch or participate in the rape of loved ones.
In one instance a 12-year-old boy was forced to have sex with his grandmother or be killed.
Men were also attacked, with some castrated and others raped.
The Commission believes the prevalence of sexual violence against men in South Sudan is far more extensive than documented; what we see so far is likely just the tip of the iceberg, said Sooka.
The UN commission said soldiers and officials loyal to President Salva Kiir and rebel leader Riek Machar were both responsible for crimes.
It dismissed arguments that indisciplined soldiers might be to blame.
Both the government and rebel military hierarchies functioned effectively in terms of issuance, transmission, and respect for orders, it said.
The commission said its investigations had focussed on incidents where it could make the case for individual command responsibility for widespread or systematic attacks on civilians.
It found widespread looting and deliberate ethnic attacks on entire communities and villages, with the destruction of dwellings on an industrial scale.
The South Sudan war began as a battle between Kiirs majority Dinka tribe and Machars Nuer.
But it has since metastasized, spreading and fragmenting, while feeding on local grievances and long-standing ethnic animosities over access to land, resources and power.
There is a clear pattern of ethnic persecution for the most part by government forces who should be pursued for crimes against humanity, said Andrew Clapham, one of the commissioners.
Sufficient evidence
Describing South Sudans justice system as dysfunctional the commission called on the AU to establish the Hybrid Court, modelled on tribunals in Sierra Leone, Cambodia and elsewhere.
There is sufficient evidence to conclude that the parties to the conflict are deliberately targeting civilians on the basis of their ethnic identity and by means of killings, abductions, rape and sexual violence, as well as the destruction of villages and looting. These acts constitute war crimes and crimes against humanity, the commissions report said.
Disgust at the latest evidence of brutality was widespread.
Britains foreign minister Boris Johnson said on Twitter, Reports of atrocities in South Sudan are among most troubling I have seen. Sexual violence being used as weapon of war against women, men, children & elderly victims. UK supports peace efforts but S Sudanese must honour ceasefire for the sake of their people.
The last ceasefire, signed in December, was broken within hours while the latest round of peace talks in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa have stalled.
Seif Magango of rights group Amnesty International said the UN report demonstrated the critical need to establish the Hybrid Court for South Sudan.
The report should jolt the world into speedy action to address the horrific human rights violations that have continued unabated for four years of conflict in South Sudan, he said.
This transitional justice week saw an investigation by our correspondent in The Hague into the administrative problems of the International Criminal Court, whose staff management has been sanctioned. This is a singular situation for a Court that is supposed to represent the law. As the Latin proverb says, who will watch the watchman?
The administrative court of the International Labour Organization (ILO), to which ICC employees had recourse, rendered six decisions on January 24, 2018, finding that the Court should pay material and moral damages after firing several employees, explains our correspondent Stephanie Maupas. The judges in Geneva found that redundancy procedures put in place by the Registrar were `without legal foundation and, therefore, unlawful`. This is a big paradox for an organization that employs hundreds of lawyers and aims to be a model in matters of law.
The problem is all the more pressing because the mandate of current Registrar Herman von Hebel, the highest ranking ICC employee after the President, is coming to an end and the Dutch lawyer is a candidate for another mandate. Over and above the question of individuals is the whole issue of how the ICC is managed. The number of staff at the ICC continues to increase on a regular basis, explains JusticeInfo.net. The budget committee is worried about the cost of salaries, including upcoming retirements, and is asking the Court to shed light on internal staff evaluation procedures. And so the Court, in such a situation, can hardly give lessons on respect of the law.
Another place that is asking questions about the way its courts work is Tunisia, which is to set up specialized Chambers this March. They are a transitional judicial mechanism to prosecute the suspected perpetrators of human rights violations committed between July 1955 and December 2013, writes our correspondent in Tunis.
Tunisian jurists fear that these courts could be swamped with cases, given the high number filed at the Truth and Justice Commission. Another fear is that they could suffer the same lack of cooperation from the authorities as the Commission. Also, Tunisian law does not include the concept of command responsibility, which could make it harder to prosecute and try those most responsible.
In this overview of transitional justice difficulties, the Democratic Republic of Congo appears once again the sick man of Africa. Several Congolese NGOs expressed concern in a report that the so-called New Years Eve agreement to prepare presidential elections and ensure a peaceful transfer of power has not been implemented. A year after the Accord was signed, politics is more and more judicialized and justice is more and more politicized, says civil society representative Emmanuel Kabengele Kalonji. We see that in the way the legal cases of opposition people are treated. He also denounces the absence of notable progress in holding to account members of the security and defence forces responsible for violence and excessive use of force.
The Myanmar governments response to an Associated Press report about civilians buried in a mass grave at a northern Rakhine village has again focused attention on a counterproductive media access ban to the area imposed nearly five months ago.
Foreign media coverage of Rakhine State made headlines again this month when the Union government denied a report by the Associated Press about the discovery of mass graves containing civilians and accused the American newsagency of harming the countrys image.
The report also angered the Rakhine State government, which said it planned to sue AP, although it was unclear how any such case might proceed. The Union governments response to the AP report has left some wondering if it plans to open a new front against the media over its coverage of the Rakhine crisis. The speculation comes amid pressure on the government over the arrest of two Reuters reporters accused of breaching the Official Secrets Act, whose release has been urged by the United States, Canada, several European countries and top United Nations US officials.
If the Rakhine State government were to take action against AP it might be another blow to the Myanmar governments reputation. This week Id like to discuss the governments attitude towards media coverage of the Rakhine crisis.
The AP report on February 1 documented the discovery at Gu Dar Pyin village in Buthidaung Township of at least five mass graves containing the bodies of Rohingya villagers. It said the existence of the mass graves was confirmed in interviews with more than two dozen survivors at camps in Bangladesh and by time-stamped mobile phone videos.
AP quoted the survivors as saying the village was attacked on August 27 by hundreds of soldiers and residents of neighbouring Rakhine villages and at least 75 Muslims were killed. The report said soldiers poured acid on the faces of the slaughtered Muslims so they could not be identified before their bodies were thrown in the mass graves.
Troubled
The AP report troubled the Union government and the Tatmadaw (army), which had admitted on January 10 that soldiers were involved in the killing of 10 Muslims at Inn Din village on September 2 whose bodies were found in a mass grave. The Union government ordered an immediate investigation into the AP report and the Rakhine government sent a 17-member team to Gu Dar Pyin.
In a statement on February 2 denying the AP report, the Union government said security forces conducting clearance operations at Gu Dar Pyin on August 27 were attacked by about 500 Rohingya terrorists. It said 19 terrorists were killed and later carefully buried by the security forces. The statement denied that civilians were killed.
The Myanmar government will not deny any human rights violations and will investigate if there is strong evidence. And if there are human rights violations after an investigation, prosecutors will take actions according to the law, the statement said.
The AP responded to the government statement by saying it stood by its reporting.
Its worth mentioning that media has been banned from northern Rakhine since August 25, when coordinated surprise attacks by fighters from the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army triggered the military clearance operation that has resulted in more than 680,000 people, overwhelmingly Muslims, fleeing to Bangladesh. A Tatmadaw statement on September 1 said 370 terrorists had been killed during the attacks and in fighting over the following days, but gave no casualty figures for the security forces.
It is five months since the clearance operation was launched but little information has been revealed, such as the villages where clashes occurred, the number of people killed and where they were buried, and how many suspected extremists have been arrested and where they are being detained.
Reporting on the situation in northern Rakhine is difficult because of the ban on media access. Journalists can only travel there on trips arranged by the government. They are shown what the government wants them to see and interviews with residents are closely monitored by officials. Journalists who defied the authorities to visit northern Rakhine have been threatened by Buddhist villagers. Journalists are also banned from entering the camps holding about 100,000 people, mostly Muslims, who were displaced by the communal violence in 2012.
It is important for the media to be given independent access to northern Rakhine. Had AP been able to visit Gu Dar Pyin, rather than rely on accounts of survivors in camps in Bangladesh, it could have quickly determined if reports of mass graves in the village were true or false.
The final report handed down last August by the commission on Rakhine headed by former UN secretary-general Mr Kofi Annan included a recommendation for full and regular media access to all areas of Rakhine. The commission noted that full transparency is the most effective way to dispel false and inaccurate representations of the situation on the ground.
This article was first published by Frontier
The International Criminal Court (ICC) is again under fire for bad governance. In late January the International Labour Organization (ILO) handed down six judgments denouncing the illegal nature of steps taken by ICC Registrar Herman von Hebel as part of reforms launched in 2014. This comes as the ICC prepares to elect its next Registrar. Fourteen candidates are running, including the incumbent, Herman von Hebel.
The administrative court of the ILO, to which ICC employees had recourse, rendered six decisions on January 24, 2018, finding that the Court should pay material and moral damages after firing several employees. The judges in Geneva found that redundancy procedures put in place by the Registrar under the ReVision reform were without legal foundation and, therefore, unlawful. This is a big paradox for an organization that employs hundreds of lawyers and aims to be a model in matters of law. For the Court, the bill is not insignificant. It amounts to some 660,000 Euros, plus at least 100,000 Euros in administrative costs, which is the equivalent of six months ICC prosecution investigations in Mali (in 2017). The bill could rise further, since seven other cases linked to this reform are pending at the ILO. Since each case costs the ICC at least 17,000 Euros whatever the result, they weigh on the additional 120,000 Euros already budgeted. The reform was, however, urged by everyone. Since at least 2009, the ICC Assembly of States Parties has been calling for the ICC to reform its procedures and reduce bureaucracy. Several audits have been carried out, including by management consultants PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC). Shortly afterwards in 2013, Herman von Hebel, former Registrar of the special courts for Sierra Leone and Lebanon, was elected ICC Registrar on the basis of a project that would optimise the Registrys operations. At the time, ICC member States hoped that budget savings would be made, says the author of an audit of the ReVision project in autumn 2016. The Registrar, who works under the authority of the Courts President, is responsible for various functions, including cooperation, witness protection, translation, support to lawyers and victims, and ICC outreach. As the judges prepare to elect a new Registrar for five years, the ILOs decisions and the reactions they are provoking have become a real factor. Incumbent Herman von Hebel is one of 14 selected candidates. His mandate expires on April 16.
Contested methods
The ReVision reform team started work in January 2014. It was at that time composed of Court officials and external consultants. But the latter were hired without defining their role and without a proper selection procedure, according to the report of the Courts external auditor. It further says that while they had experience in international justice, they lacked it in auditing, finance and human resources. Herman von Hebel explained that he had been pressed for time and had wanted to avoid the slowness of a call for proposals procedure. Not surprisingly, the auditor rejected this strange argument. But the harm had already been done. At the Court, rumours were rife about the motives of the Registrar, who was accused of wanting to put his people not only in the ReVision team but also in the posts that would arise from the reform. The climate of mistrust was all the greater because after the assessment the ReVision team was to tackle the heart of the project rationalizing the Registry. To modify its structure, the team decided to scrap 120 jobs at the Court and create the same number of new ones. The staff concerned were given the choice between being made redundant with compensation or applying for the newly created posts. The 2016 audit report carried out by the French Court of Auditors, stresses that whilst a dozen people needed to leave the Court because of poor performance, that should have been done otherwise than through ReVision. It adds that the transfer of posts could have been done more simply, without redundancies and then new recruitment. Out of 120 employees, 53 are to stay in the Registry and 67 decided to leave with the usual redundancy compensation increased by 50%, three months salary and payment for the legal notice period. In exchange, they agreed not to appeal. But the bill comes to more than 5.3 million Euros. In addition to the staff redundancy payments there are the fees of the ReVision team, totalling over a million Euros.
Opposition from ICC judges On various occasions since 2014, several judges have expressed concern about the methods of the Registrar. They questioned making people redundant and then recruiting new ones, and asked the ICC President to temporarily suspend the procedure. The ILOs decisions at the end of January have revived this opposition. In a 30 January E-mail circulating around the Court, Italian judge Cuno Tarfusser accused President Silvia Fernandez de Gurmendi of having systematically side-lined and tried to marginalize the judges who have questioned the legality of the process, its methods and its cost. Judge Tarfusser, former vice-President of the ICC (2012-2015) and unsuccessful candidate for the presidency in 2015, also asks: Who will take the administrative and financial responsibility for what has happened? He told the President her silence could be interpreted as peacefully awaiting the end of your mandate and leaving a mess for the next President. Silvia Fernandez de Gurmendi, who was elected in November 2009, leaves the presidency of the Court in March. Asked by JusticeInfo about the ILO decisions, the ICC Registrar wrote that the Court is bound by them and has always fully respected the decisions taken. But Herman von Hebel also sent an E-mail to staff saying he was seeking expert advice to analyse the ILO judgments. That was enough to anger Judge Tarfusser who asked: Dont you think it is a waste of public money? And he is calling for Von Hebels resignation. The only part of the ReVision project on which the judges were really asked to decide because it required amendment of internal rules was thrown out by some of them and was abandoned. Herman von Hebel had planned to merge two services for the Defence, one administrative and the other charged with supporting ICC lawyers on fundamental issues affecting their cases. He had planned the same for services to victims lawyers. The plan drew numerous protests including from former ICC judge Adrian Fulford. According to remarks published in The Guardian in November 2014, the British jurist said the plan would compromise the judicial fairness of the Court.
Difficult to assess
It is difficult to draw a precise assessment of the reform, but the budget and audit reports give some indications. In 2016, the Court of Auditors said that by reorganizing the hierarchical structure within the Registry, the reform allowed the Registrar to concentrate on the strategic management of his administration instead of being pulled between a multiplicity of day-to-day issues. But the auditor nevertheless criticized a lack of guiding principles with regard to working methods. Above all, the auditor expressed concern that budget and finance were now divided into two sections, making vital cash flow control difficult. No additional audit on this issue has been carried out to date, as was the case for the new External Operations Division, overseeing ICC offices in countries where the Court is investigating, such as the Democratic Republic of Congo, Uganda and Mali. In a November 2017 report, the Court of Auditors concluded that the Courts main players were unanimous and positive about the creation of this new division. The auditor, while not completely satisfied, deemed that the new structure was more efficient. So has the reform saved the Court money? At the request of the ICCs budget and finance committtee, Von Hebel explained that: Unfortunately, with staff accounting for about 70 per cent of costs in most areas, efficiency improvements are often only achieved by improving the use of staff time within the same staff cost budget envelope. For example, reducing the number of meetings allows people to spend more time on other mandated activities and increases productivity.
At the end of the day, the ICCs staff numbers continue to increase. For years the budget committee has been worried about the size of the payroll, including upcoming retirement pensions, and has been asking the Court to shed light on internal staff evaluation procedures, saying in substance that promotions are not always justified. ReVision is not about to change that.
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan arrived in Algeria on Monday as he embarked a new tour of Africa in a bid to ramp up Turkeys growing influence throughout the continent.
The Turkish strongman touched down in Algiers, the first leg of the trip that he described as historic and that will see him also visit Mauritania, Senegal and Mali.
Algeria is one of our most important trading partners in the region We want to strengthen our military, security and cultural relations, Erdogan told a news conference in Istanbul before departing.
Accompanied by several ministers and businessmen, he said he would hold talks with Algerian leaders on relations between the two countries, with a focus on energy as well as regional issues.
On his third visit to Algeria since taking office in 2003, all eyes will be on Erdogans expected meeting with ailing President Abdelaziz Bouteflika, 80, who rarely appears in public.
Bouteflika, who has held office since 1999, suffered a mini-stroke in 2013 that affected his speech and mobility.
According to Algerian state media, 796 Turkish companies employ more than 28,000 people in the North African country.
Turkey has injected more than $3 billion mostly in textiles, pharmaceuticals and steel in Algeria, making it one of the largest foreign investors in the country excluding hydrocarbons.
Trade between the two countries reached almost $4 billion in 2017.
The government daily El Moudjahid said Erdogan would inaugurate the largest textile factory in Africa, in Relizane, west of Algiers.
In an interview with the Echorouk newspaper, Erdogan said economic relations would be strengthened through agreements that are being negotiated.
He criticised importation barriers put in place by Algeria which slow down the development of trade between our two countries.
Erdogans trips to Mali and Mauritania will be the first-ever by a Turkish president, with security likely to feature high on the agenda in Mali which is battling with a string of attacks and kidnappings by jihadist groups.
Seeking influence
An infrequent visitor to Europe as ties with the West strained, Erdogan has made repeated visits to Africa since becoming president in 2014.
Just two months ago, Erdogan made his first trip to Sudan, where he met President Omar al-Bashir who is wanted by the International Criminal Court (ICC), before continuing on to Tunisia and Chad.
Last year, he visited Madagascar, Mozambique and Tanzania and has also made trips to Ethiopia, Uganda, and conflict-torn Somalia where Turkey has taken a lead in rebuilding efforts.
Turkey has scented an opportunity to build influence in Africa through delivering aid, setting up transport links and offering its expertise in construction.
Turkey currently has 41 embassies in Africa, up from 12 in 2009, and wants to eventually have top-level representation in all 54 nations on the continent, state media said.
Flag-carrier Turkish Airlines, 49 percent of which is held by a sovereign wealth fund, has also expanded its network to reach 52 destinations in Africa, from Accra to Johannesburg.
Aside from bolstering trade and political ties, a major priority for Erdogan has been to stamp out the influence of a network run by Fethullah Gulen, the preacher exiled in the US whom Ankara blames for a failed coup in 2016.
Gulen, who denies ordering the putsch, has built up an educational network in Africa.
But Erdogan says the continent has served as a centre for exploitation by Gulen.
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Its February 15, and our country has had yet another school shooting. Seventeen more kids are dead, despite multiple warnings that the perpetrator was high risk. No one wanted this to happen. Across the political spectrum, Americans are appropriately asking what they can do to prevent another shooting. Yesterday many asked for a day to mourn. They said, tomorrow we take action. Today is tomorrow.
My liberal friends are calling to ban all guns. My conservative friends are calling to arm all teachers. Neither of these proposals are viable, and neither is likely to be effective.
There are, however, things that we can all do now to reduce gun deaths.
1. Remember that most gun deaths are suicides. In 2016, over 38,000 Americans died from a firearm injury. Almost 2/3 of those deaths were from suicides. Firearm suicide touches every community in America. We know that 90 percent of people who try to commit suicide with a gun die. (In contrast, only 10 percent of people who try to commit suicide with other methods die.) The solution? If you or a loved one is depressed or suicidal, keep guns away. If you own a gun, make sure its locked up, and that your family member doesnt know the gun safe code. If you arent in control of the gun, talk to a mental health professional or to the police. Depending on your state laws, there may be ways to temporarily get a gun out of a suicidal persons hands. (Side-note: if youre a parent, you should ask whether guns are present or locked up before your kid goes to a playdate. No different from what youd ask about a pool!)
2. Recognize and act on warning signs. We cant prevent every mass shooting or homicide. But most gun deaths are preceded by warning signs. In this latest tragedy, everyone at school knew that the shooter was dangerous. In the Southerland, TX shooting, the gunman was known to have a history of domestic violence. Our communities and our laws must take these well-established warning signs seriously. And they must do so now. If your kid tells you that theres a scary social media video going around, report it to the police. If you know that your friend is a victim of domestic violence, help her to get a restraining order (and make sure that the perpetrators guns are removed, as per federal law). We can all act now, while we also demand change.
3. Dont demonize the mentally ill. Mass shootings and homicide are rarely an issue of mental illness. People with serious mental illness (schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, severe depression) are actually more likely to be victims of violence, than to commit violence. Mass shootings are an issue of personality disorders of isolation, of hatred, and of lack of community. Lets fix this by reaching out and creating a network for good.
4. Support research. Im a public health professional. I dont want to crimp anyones style, nor do I believe in a nanny state. But there are some laws and practices that (based on research) have reduced injury from dozens of causes. Weve reduced car deaths, through evidence-based changes in car engineering (seatbelts and airbags), in-laws (drunk-driving), and in education (licensing). Weve reduced childhood poisoning, through evidence-based changes in the design of medicine bottles (child-proof caps). We need research to do the same for guns. Im currently working with another emergency physician to set up a private philanthropy to support this, since our government cant manage to do so.
5. Engage the good guys. Listen, I dont own a gun. But I have friends that do. They hunt, or theyre former military, or they live in a state where gun ownership is the norm. They are not the issue here. And if I alienate them, I effectively shut down the possibility for change. They support background checks, safe storage, and ammunition limits, too. These are things that have been shown to decrease homicide and suicide rates and would likely move the needle on mass shootings, too. The only people who oppose these common-sense policies are in the NRAs pocket (heres looking at you, Ted Cruz!). Lets change the conversation, reach across the aisle, and create some real change.
To quote Brene Brown: When we are in pain and fear, anger and hate are our go-to emotions. As an emergency physician, a public health professional, and most of all as a parent, I have no more time for anger and hate. Lets move together, beyond anger and hate, and take action to make a difference.
Megan L. Ranney is an emergency physician. This article originally appeared in FemInEm. She can be reached on Twitter @meganranney.
Image credit: Shutterstock.com
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I have worked with some great nurse practitioners (NPs) who I consider to be friends. They play a vital role in team-based practice. This is not about NP bashing. Nor is it a turf war; now that Im retired, I have no turf to protect. I am a member of Physicians for Patient Protection out of real concern for the future of medicine in this country.
I want there to be physicians caring for my family and me as well as for my former patients. The corporatization of health care that treats everyone as interchangeable widgets doesnt care whether those caring for you actually have the appropriate training. Medicine is complicated. Doctors arent perfect. They are human and make mistakes. But the odds of a mistake are far less when the education and training foundation of those providing medical care is greater.
Expertise cant be acquired by online training. We are not interchangeable professions. Nursing is nursing and medicine is medicine. Our professions are complementary, and patients benefit when we work together. The independent practice of medicine by nurse practitioners is a folly that is leading to patient harm. One should be truly concerned about programs with acceptance rates in excess of 70 percent. Some have 100 percent acceptance rates. (By contrast, undergraduate acceptance at the University of Texas at Austin is 40 percent, Harvard is 6 percent. The overall acceptance rates for the 118 U.S. medical schools in 2016-17 was 5.8 percent.)
To think we can solve a physician shortage by training more nurses to step in is saying that the professions are the same. How comfortable would you be if the next time you had travel plans, your airline announced that due to a pilot shortage, they were substituting an aeronautical engineer to fly your plane? He has a PhD and knows a lot about the science of flight. But being a pilot requires different training. So too in medicine. Nursing training is not medicine. Many health issues are self-limiting and will resolve no matter who treats them. Many issues are lifestyle issues that nurses excel at dealing with. But knowing when a complaint is not a minor problem can be challenging, and so working as a team is what best serves the patient. Its time for physicians to take back medicine. Our biggest mistake was allowing the corporate practice of medicine. While we were busy caring for patients, the ranks of hospital administrators swelled.
People who crunch numbers but have no knowledge of medicine tell doctors how many patients they can see, how fast they must be seen, and how and with what they can treat the patients. I remember as a youngster watching Dr. Kildare, Ben Casey and Marcus Welby, MD. I never saw any of them on the phone with an insurance company asking permission to order a lab test, imaging study or surgery. Dr. Welby had time to visit with his patients and establish relationships. Those were the ideals that led me into medicine and which drove many of my colleagues. It is time that doctors take back our profession. And it is time that nurses were rewarded for being excellent bedside nurses instead of being urged by their leadership to acquire meaningless online degrees that are not improving health care but are lining the pockets of the for-profit diploma mill industry.
There was a time when skilled professional bedside nurses played a vital role in the care of hospital patients. They were the eyes and ears of the doctor. Many were the times I responded to their call, that nothing specific was wrong, but the patient just didnt seem right. The baby wasnt taking its bottle the same, or the adult patient just didnt seem himself. These nurses who had spent years at their jobs had a sixth sense and knew their patients. But those skills are no longer rewarded, and the only way for career advancement is through clinical ladders advocating advanced degrees that do not improve clinical skills. Administrators have determined that the bedside interactions could better be done by less skilled (less expensive employees) leaving nurses who entered the field wanting to help people, instead of stuck in front of computer screens. Long gone are the days when a change of shift meant the oncoming nurse and the one going off duty stood at a patients bedside and reviewed the patients status, wound condition, mental status, etc. in conversation with the patient.
Now, the nurse going off duty leaves a recording for her replacement who must ascertain what was meant by things like the wound looks OK with just a little drainage, or the the patient is a bit sleepy. We have replaced their human interaction with technology, making the jobs less rewarding, and then told them that the way to advancement is through more degrees which can be obtained online while still working their regular RN shift since theyre already on the computer. And now, nursing leadership with the support of bean counters tells them that while they are still in nursing school that there is a fast track to become a doctor without the bothersome necessity of going to medical school or even bothering to practice as an RN.
It is time for all of us to start working together for the well-being of patients.
Patricia Anne Aronin is a neurosurgeon.
Image credit: Shutterstock.com
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Besides the usual suspects of money, religion, and politics, there is nothing more uncomfortable to discuss than the biggest reality of all: death. You would think that the medical community a community bathed in this unfortunate reality would be more willing to engage in vital discussions regarding the end of life. However, this is seldom the case.
During the neurology portion of our medical curriculum, a panel of lecturers came to speak with us about coma, vegetative states and end-of-life directives: a neurologist, lawyer, and hospital administrator. To kick off the lively discussion, the panel asked how many students had designated advanced care directives or discussed these topics with their family members. The amount of hands that went up could be counted on the fingers of one hand. My hand, unfortunately, remained firmly on my keyboard as well.
It was not that these students were oblivious to death. Instead, they were very aware of this reality. I would wager that all of them had a close-up view of a patient succumbing to their mortality with their family close around making final decisions regarding their loved ones passing. I will never forget seeing my first patient, a teenager, succumb to the reality of death while I was shadowing in the emergency department before medical school. The body, so young and full of life, sat there on the hospital bed, dying as the medical team attempted to intervene. I will never forget watching doctors stand outside the room and explain to the family the options they had, and that even if they continued resuscitation efforts and succeeded, there would likely be irreversible brain damage that would lead to living in a vegetative state. Although I will never forget, I never imagined that it could be me, the healthy, young student.
My classmates and I not only had an intimate view of death, but we were well aware of the tragic cases of Terri Schiavo and Nancy Cruzan. Both whose long court cases involving advanced care directives shaped much of discussion on what are the rights of a patient and their family members in making decisions in such tragic circumstances.
Many of my classmates had passionate views on abortion and defining when life began. But when it came to death, few were comfortable discussing with their family and friends what they would like done if they were to end up in a vegetative state. Few wanted to tell their families what to do if they had the difficult choice of deciding what to do.
When a close family friend ended up on ventilator after a difficult battle with cancer and the family was facing the option of removing life support, the family, of course, turned to me the medical student who knew so much (not) to help them decide, as they had no clue what any of these terms meant.
Vegetative state? Coma? Brain death? I am almost certain this will not be the last time friends and family will ask for my input in such a discussion, but why wait until then? As morbid as it sounds, these are conversations we must have now.
Inevitably, we will all pass through the agonizing predicament of having a loved one in one of these altered conscious states and participate in a difficult decision-making process. It might even be you that ends up in such a state. What would you want? What exactly is pulling the plug? What defines death? What are your spiritual/religious beliefs in such a scenario? What should your family do in this situation? One of the most troubling parts of going the through end-of-life care decisions is the family trying to figure out what the patient wouldve wanted, had they been able to speak for themselves. I have seen many situations where the family would remark, I wish he could tell us what his wishes are. In order for the general public to have these difficult discussions with their families, we, the medical community must start these discussions with our families. We must tell them what our wishes are, fill out advance directive forms that comply with our particular state protocols and clarify what should be done. But sometimes, the difficulty in these discussions isn t for lack of trying.
I once attempted to have a frank discussion with my mother about my end-of-life wishes after a particularly brutal, bloody shift in the emergency department, only to have her panic that something was wrong with me. She asked if everything was alright and was clearly unnerved by the thought of this ever happening, even though it was a reality like no other. All too often, we, in the medical field, have seen a mother at the bedside of her child, crying, screaming, praying for them to wake up from a coma. I read about the anguish the Cruzan family went through for years in trying to solve the end-of-life directives of their daughter Nancy after she was in a vegetative state. I thought it would be best to have an honest conversation with my family about this and that it would not be that difficult. My clinical reasoning was not accurate in this case, unfortunately.
Although it may be difficult to open up such discussions with family, this is something we cannot avoid. For people to become empowered to make decisions about end-of-life care, we must be leaders in this discussion.
And while it may be uncomfortable to discuss, if we can start doing this and encourage others to follow suit we may be able to save much anguish and uncertainty in the decisions made about end-of-life care. Let us revive some of the key roles of health care providers as teachers and leaders. By teaching others about advance directives and end-of-life care, we can help relieve some of the pain and uncertainty that comes with a painful part of life.
Abdel Albakri is a medical student.
Image credit: Shutterstock.com
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The state of medicine in America is a highly discussed topic today. The reports are rarely positive. Politicians battle for control over their vision for health care and predict doom and gloom if the other side wins. The cost of health care continues to rise for employers and employees. Physician burnout and dissatisfaction are on the rise. We hear from politicians, media outlets, and others on how to fix the health care crisis. The two groups we hear the least from however are patients and doctors.
In the next few paragraphs, I will outline why the patient-physician relationship is in critical condition and how resuscitating this relationship could prove to be a valuable step in healing our health care system.
As physicians, the first step is to look in the mirror and address our faults. It has been well documented that physicians have less control over patient care now than at any other time in American history. Most of us are employed and work for larger organizations. Private or small group practices make up a minority of practice opportunities and so autonomy in patient care has been lost. Mega-mergers are occurring across the country, consolidating power and control of regional health care. The loss of private practice opportunities is an economic reality. The cost of running a small practice is not feasible for many now due to ever-changing regulations, electronic medical record requirements and lower reimbursement for services. There are certainly benefits to larger health care organizations, such as more collaboration opportunities and convenience-of-care coordination for patients. However, physicians must continue to do what is right medically and lead rather than follow when it comes to delivering health care.
Despite shifting practice demographics, the larger problem we face collectively is a lack of unity. All too often, we are competing rather than collaborating. The turf battles between specialists and protecting our territory hurt physicians. Yet, we fall in line with regulations imposed on all of us which we know are illogical. We have become customer service specialists, held to the most stringent patient satisfaction expectations, even when doing the right thing medically opposes this. For example, if prescribing an opioid is clearly not indicated, but the patient demands this, in some cases no matter how compassionately we present this, patients will not be happy. This is considered a negative outcome. The electronic medical record has become an enemy to patient care and erodes face time with patients. More time than ever is spent documenting irrelevant information on a computer. When an otherwise healthy patient comes into the office for a finger sprain and the computer flags a blood pressure of 121/81, a counseling session on hypertension must be documented.
Implementation of government programs such as MACRA along with ever-changing coding and billing requirement takes valuable time away from direct patient care. Individually, we lack the power to change any of these, but together if we put pride aside significant changes can be made.
Sadly, as with many relationships in our culture now, the patient-physician relationship has become more adversarial. Patients are bombarded with surveys after each office visit now to rate their experience. There are numerous venues, including social media, to voice their opinion. Many times, there are positive comments, but even one negative comment out of ten can draw the attention of administration. Our medical system is also highly litigated. I believe physicians should be held accountable for their demeanor with patients as well as mistakes or negligence. However, a system that increases patient-versus-doctor conflict is not good for either party. The cost of medicine increases for all when we focus on avoiding lawsuits or satisfying patients above the practice of ethical medicine.
Patients also have less control over their health care. Employer-based insurance plans provide little to no choice in coverage options. And if employment changes, then so does the choice of care. Physician turnover and shortages in some areas is significant which limits access and continuity of care. Government health care plans have limited coverage, and due to low reimbursement, many facilities do not accept these plans. Yet, costs to patients keep increasing while reimbursement to physicians is decreasing.
So where is the money going?
Physicians and patients have become commodities in a system controlled by others. We have been pitted against each other in many cases, while health care brokers position themselves to gain profit and control of the system.
In the end, patients and physicians are key stakeholders in the health care system. Although we face challenges as patients and physicians, I am convinced we still have an outstanding health care system. I believe we can make this even better with collaboration.
Physicians, let us work together, not for selfish gain but for the betterment of patient care. Let us work to eliminate the distractions imposed by others that have harmed the patient-physician relationship. Let us use technology, compassion, and knowledge to the benefit of those we care for.
Patients, help make your voice known, not only about your patient experience, but your desire to have more choice in your health care and a system focused on you and your doctor. Medical decisions should be made with you in the exam room and not the boardroom, the operating theater and not the political theater. The government, insurance companies, and health care administrators will continue to play a large role in health care moving forward, and we can work with them to improve the system. It is up to us though to make a healthy patient-physician relationship the priority.
Ryan Enke is a physical medicine and rehabilitation physician.
Image credit: Shutterstock.com
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2018 is looking to be the year of the woman. In the last few months, there have been several groundbreaking movements that have propelled women into the spotlight. The #TimesUp and #MeToo movements have recently harnessed the collective voice of women who have suffered in silence for too long, revealing the frequency of sexual harassment, systemic sexism and exposing the severity of this widespread issue. Compounding on the tremendous momentum of these social media movements, just two weeks ago the womens march drew massive crowds nationally one year after the initial protest.
Women in medicine are organizing as well. Medicine has historically been a field dominated by men, particularly for physicians. Gender discrimination and blatant sexism aside, women in medical professions face a number of unique obstacles that make the field of medicine unwelcoming to females. A study titled Gender Differences in Time Spent on Parenting and Domestic Responsibilities by High-Achieving Young Physician-Researcher revealed that women spend 8.5 more hours per week on domestic and parenting activities than men after adjustments for work hours, spousal employment, and other factors. A Medicare B fee-for-service reimbursement analysis revealed that female providers overall earn $18,677.23 less than their male counterparts, despite another study showing that patients cared for by female physicians have better health outcomes.
The predominance of males in physician roles historically has been at odds with the concept of gender parity, but today we are witnessing a generational transition as greater numbers of females than ever before are pursuing medical degrees and leadership roles in physician spaces. For the first time in history, the female medical school matriculation rates surpassed 50 percent, to 50.7 percent. Notably, The American College of Chest Physicians has had three female presidents in the last ten years, with a president-designate Dr. Stephanie Levine soon to come, consistent with national ratios of critical care female physicians at 30 percent.
Its encouraging to see such progress. However, our work here is far from done. It is imperative that we continue having these discussions about gender in medicine in order to create a collaborative environment. In an article titled 20 anecdotes that describe the world of female medical students and physicians, student doctor Jamie Katuna describes several anecdotes. The most striking story is that of a male medical student who explains frequently being mistaken for the attending physician, despite his female attending wearing a long white coat with MD clearly embroidered upon it. Katuna poses an important question, one that appropriately reveals the extent of this all-too-common issue: is there a female attending physician out there who has not had this experience?
The answer, sadly, is probably not. However, incidents of gender discrimination are hopefully becoming less frequent. Personally, I havent had it happen in the last few years. I am fortunate to work at a large academic center with many young physicians, reflecting a more balanced demographic of age, gender, and race. My neurosurgical critical care service consists of 3 female attendings out of 4. My pulmonary critical care department is 40 percent female attendings, reflecting a higher percentage than the national average of female critical care physicians. Sure, we still have a lot of work to do, but it is also worth taking a moment to appreciate just how far we women physicians have come.
So heres to us. To our progress. To know what generations of strong female physicians have endured before us and to still persevere despite all the challenges. To know that we are improving, slowly but surely. To know that our children will continue to pave the way for gender equality. Lastly, to know that there is still much work to be done and discussions about equal opportunity to be had.
Roozehra Khan is a critical care physician who blogs at The Female Doc. She can be reached on Twitter @RozyKhanDO.
Image credit: Shutterstock.com
The Government has warned people to take steps to prepare for the severe cold spell set to hit the country this week.
In a press statement from the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government Eoghan Murphy, the Minister advises the public to take heed of the warnings issued by Met Eireann, saying that the weather event is likely to have a significant and disruptive impact.
GENERAL ADVICE
Have a small supply of non perishable, easy-to-prepare foods
Keep extra supplies of essential medication in case it is difficult to get to the pharmacy
Have an adequate supply of fuel for heating/cooking and if possible a suitable alternative should the main supply fail
Have a shovel and bag of salt to keep paths clear and safe
Have batteries for torches in the event of power cuts
Have candles and matches. Candles should always be placed away from draughts in proper candleholders. Never leave a burning candle unattended
Have a water container to ensure a supply of drinking water
Have emergency contact numbers to hand
Leave a key and contact details with neighbours or family if you are going away
Check that loft insulation is thick and in good condition
Fit your water tank with an insulation jacket or alternatively, wrap the top and sides with suitable insulation material
Repair any leaks at taps or valves
Know how to turn off the water supply (usually under the kitchen sink)
Fit draught excluders to your doors and windows
Make sure heating equipment is well-maintained, vented correctly and working properly
Ensure chimneys are cleaned at least once a year
Advice for Older People:
Keep warm, eat well and avoid unnecessary travel. You should eat regular hot meals and drink plenty of fluids, this will keep you warm and will give you energy to keep active
Ensure you have sufficient supplies of food and of any prescription medicine you may need. Keep active indoors
Have sufficient fuel supplies to maintain adequate heating in your home
Ask your relatives and neighbours for help if you need it. Keep their phone numbers on a list beside your phone
For more details and advice click here to go to winterready.ie
Met Eireann is forecasting a severe spell of cold weather this week and has advised today that, exceptionally cold weather will occur this week.
Be Winter Ready is a website with a host of useful information for those who will be affected by the upcoming cold weather. You can visit the site here.
Here are some of the tips for Older People
Keeping well and warm
Keep warm, eat well and avoid unnecessary travel.
You should eat regular hot meals and drink plenty of fluids, this will keep you warm and will give you energy to keep active
Ensure you have sufficient supplies of food and of any prescription medicine you may need. Keep active indoors
Have sufficient fuel supplies to maintain adequate heating in your home
Ask your relatives and neighbours for help if you need it. Keep their phone numbers on a list beside your phone
Personal safety - staying safe
In icy weather, wear well-fitted shoes with non-slip soles if you have to go out but try to limit walking outside during the cold weather
Consider wearing a personal alarm so that family or neighbours are alerted if you fall
More at www.bewinterready.ie
Roger Partridge writes:
Sundays Save our charter schools march was a moving experience. It wasnt just the hundreds of people who turned up in torrential rain to protest. Nor was it ACT leader David Seymours impassioned chanting. Nor even the Vanguard school students valiant haka. What was moving was the procession of young students, mostly Maori and Pasifika, who strode forward, proudly, to the microphone. If their eagerness to speak caught the protest organisers by surprise, their words did not. They had only one message: a plea to the prime minister and Minister of Education Chris Hipkins not to close their schools. One student explained that she had been failing at her state school and that she had nothing to live for after her friend had committed suicide. Another described the self-destructive path he had been following at his old school.
Charter schools are not private schools taking the children of the wealthiest families in society. They are schools that tend to attract those who have been failing in the state system and come from some of the poorest communities.
But if their pride in their schools came through, so did their sense of bewilderment. And of betrayal. As one grandmother said, she thought the new Government wanted to put children first. How could it be in the interests of children for the Government to close their schools schools that were helping them succeed where their old schools had failed?
Why indeed? They could simply decide not to set up any further charter schools, as they dont like them. But their decision to terminate all existing charter schools shows a callous indifference to the pupils and their families.
Against this backdrop, it is not obvious why the new education minister is so determined to put an end to New Zealands charter schools model and, to quote his January cabinet paper, close these charter schools in their current form. And to do so without having even visited one of them. Could the answer lie in misplaced loyalties? Teachers at charter schools are not required to be registered and the schools are bulk funded. These arrangements permit the schools to hire teachers on different contracts to those in regular state schools, to pay teachers more (or less), and to hire specialist teachers from outside the regulated profession. Each of these freedoms is a threat to the teachers unions collective bargaining powers. As a consequence, the teachers unions have been vocal opponents of the charter schools policy. No one can blame them for that. That is their job. But our state education system does not exist for the benefit of teachers or their unions any more than the legal system exists for the benefit of the Law Society, or the health system for doctors. Instead, our education system exists to serves its students our children. And their futures depend upon the system being flexible and innovative enough to accommodate their needs.
This strikes at the heart of it. Labour has a choice between the interests of the students at those schools and the interests of the unions.
After all, they are the same children his prime minister has promised to lift out of poverty. Helping them achieve educational success must surely be the best place to start.
Labour would rather pay people more to be on welfare than keep open schools that might help them from going on welfare in the first place.
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Kim Yong-chol, right, vice chairman of the ruling Workers' Party's Central Committee of North Korea, walks into Walkerhill Hotel in Seoul, Sunday. Kim and other high-level North Korean delegates will stay at the hotel for three days. / Yonhap
By Park Si-soo
North Korea again chose Seoul's Walkerhill Hotel for its high-level delegation's lodgings during the delegates' three-day visit. The North Korean leader's sister, Kim Yo-jong, and other delegates stayed there three weeks ago.
A question then arises: why does the North prefer the hotel out of numerous luxury five-star hotels in Seoul?
An irony lies in the hotel's name. It was named after U.S. Army general Walton Harris Walker, who died in an unfortunate car accident during the 1950-53 Korean War. Walker was credited with crushing North Korean troops in many battles, paving the way for the ultimate victory of the combined forces of South Korea and the United Nations.
Experts cite security as the first and foremost reason.
Walkerhill Hotel
Feb 26, 2018, 11:58am ET
China to build hypersonic jet; 'couple hours' Beijing to NYC
A scale model has achieved a top speed of 5,343 mph in a wind tunnel.
China is reportedly working on a hypersonic jet that could fly from Beijing to New York City in just a few hours.
A project outlined in the Science China Physics, Mechanics & Astronomy journal aims to resolve a few of the aerodynamic challenges in designing aircraft that can handle such high speeds.
"Hypersonic vehicles, which flight at Mach numbers greater than 5, will serve as a more convenient and efficient transport tool than present subsonic airplanes for long-distance journeys in future," author Cui Kai writes.
The team tested scale models in a wind tunnel at speeds of up to Mach 7 (5,371 mph), employing a unique I-shape cross-section with a lower and upper wing to improve the lift-to-drag (L/D) ratio.
Hypersonic flight is not a new concept, with a record of Mach 6.72 set with the manned X-15 research aircraft in the mid-1960s. High fuel consumption and issues with sonic boom noise discouraged investment in commercial airliners that can travel faster than Mach 1.0, however several companies are currently working on more efficient and quieter designs that aim to revive supersonic air travel.
A young Laois woman from Clonaslee has landed one of the top roles in Irish theatre and is wowing audiences with her performances in Sive.
Grainne Good is reportedly receiving standing ovations playing Sive in Dublins Gaiety Theatre. She stars in her first big role, alongside big names Tommy Tiernan, Barbara Brennan, Bosco Hogan, Red Rocks Andrea Irvine and Tony Award-winning Maria Mullen.
Grainne, who graduated from Clonaslee College in 2014, is the youngest of five daughters of Declan Good, retired Garda and Patricia, a nursing home carer.
In an interview with the Irish Mirror, Grainne tells how she was at a rock festival in Budapest with her musician boyfriend Shane and a dozen pals when she landed the part.
It was 2am and I was in my tent and saw this email saying, We are delighted to offer the part to Grainne. My agent had been ringing and couldnt get through to me.
I just had this feeling of a rush of butterflies everywhere. I ran out to my boyfriend and showed him the email. He just looked at me and was like, Oh my God. All our friends were saying, Whats going on? and everyone was crying and screaming and jumping and were so happy. I was in shock. I remember the first thing I thought was I cant wait to tell my dad and get his reaction," she said.
Below: Grainne Good (left) at the Clonaslee College Debs in 2014, with Rachel Stephenson and Niamh O'Riordan. Photo Denis Byrne.
She was brought up playing fiddle and tin whistle, with musical sisters Caroline, an occupational therapist, Aoife, a radiotherapist, Mairead, a beauty therapist and hairdresser Niamh.
Acting was always Grainnes first love but she was nervous to start rehearsals with the award winning director Garry Hynes and famous actors.
It was intimidating but amazing, the most enjoyable experience. Everyone was really lovely.
She is enjoying performing in the Gaiety Theatre.
The space may be intimidating but strangely I found it really comforting. The audience was so warm and its the same practically every night. Sometimes you hear them weep at the end," she said.
I feel very lucky. A lot of us in college had dreams of working with Garry Hynes but I never thought I would be doing this so early. With Garry I started at the top so whats next? I hope its up anyway," she said in her lengthy interview to Jim Gallagher from the Irish Mirror.
Irish Water has mobilised its Crisis Management arrangements to deal with damage to supplies caused by the expected severe weather nationwide.
Severe weather can result in big demand increases due to additional pipe bursts and additional water use.
In particular, Irish Water is advising that the water supply to the Greater Dublin Area is running at full capacity at the moment, with some operational issues impacting production.
In order to avoid the need for restrictions, households and businesses are urgently asked to conserve water, refrain from leaving taps running and to report any visible leaks.
Unattended premises should be checked for possible burst pipes caused by freezing temperature.
Minister Eoghan Murphy will convene the National Emergency Co-ordination Group for Severe Weather following advice from the National Directorate for Fire and Emergency Management (NDFEM).
The meeting takes place at 10.30am on Monday 26th February.
Met Eireann is forecasting a severe spell of cold weather this week and has advised that exceptionally cold weather will occur this week.
Air and ground temperatures will be 5 to 10 degrees below normal, with significant wind chill and penetrating severe frosts. Snow showers, mainly affecting eastern areas on Tuesday, will progressively become more widespread and heavier through midweek, with significant and disruptive accumulations.
Met Eireann will be issuing snow/ice warnings during the week using its colour coded system of Yellow, Orange and Red, the public are encouraged to monitor these and take appropriate action.
People are advised to consult https://www.winterready.ie for advice on preparing for and dealing with extremely cold conditions and snow.
A blizzard and Status Red weather warning is on the cards a senior Met Eireann weather forecaster has warned.
Eveyln Cusack gave an update on the impact of the weather that will accompany air coming from Siberia is coming from the North Pole.
Speaking on Morning Ireland on RTE Radio 1 she said the first of the snow is set to fall on Tuesday. By Wednesday morning she said there is going to be a fair amount of snow along eastern coastal counties and pushing west as far as Laois and Offaly.
"The high danger evening countrywide is for Thursday, Thursday evening and Friday as we call what is dynamic snow with a weather system pushing up from the Bay of Biscay. A lot of precipitation is associated with it and as it hits the cold air of Ireland and Britain there is a high risk of some very heavy snow," she said.
She was not in a position to give amounts but expects a blanket of snow. She said the country will experience blizzard-like conditions later in the week.
"Of more significance than actual amounts is that there will be easterly gales. So we are talking about close to if not blizzard conditions. The definition of a blizzard is continuous snow blown by gale force winds." she said.
"The snow would be quite powdery reducing visibility very significantly," she added.
She said the wind chill will make it very cold which led to a warning to farmers about lambs.
As for the status of weather warnings to be issued she said it was likely that a Status Orange warning would be issued for Tuesday night and Wednesday morning.
"Later on in the week it looks as if we will be issuing a (Status) Red (warning) but these will be specific warnings with details. We would generally not issue a red in advance of a 48 hours period but certainly," she said.
Status Red or severe weather warnings are rarely issued. If one is issued people in the affected area are advised to take action to protect themselves and/or their properties. Met Eireann says this could be by moving their families out of the danger zone temporarily; by staying indoors; or by other specific actions aimed at mitigating the effects of the weather conditions.
A Status Yellow low temperature warning was in place for last night with temperatures to falling as low as -3C.
Today will be generally dry, but some snow flurries are likely later in eastern coastal counties. It will be very cold and frosty tonight with a few light snow flurries, but many places will be dry.
Lowest temperatures tonight will range from -2 to -5C.
The National Emergency Co-ordination Group meets Monday morning.
CAUSE OF WEATHER EXPLAINED
Met Eireann has issued a Status Orange snow-ice warning for Laois and a number of other counties ahead of the expected snow blizzard coming from the east which the Met Office has named Storm Emma.
The orange alert is valid from 3pm on Tuesday, February 27 untill 11am on Wednesday, February 28 in Laois, Dublin, Carlow, Kildare, Louth, Wicklow and Meath.
SEE ALSO - Storm Emma set to collide with Siberian weather #beastfromtheast #stormemma.
Scattered snow showers on Tuesday night will lead to accumulations of 4 to 6cm by Wednesday morning. Widespread frost and icy conditions also.
A yellow weather warning remains in place for Kilkenny, Longford, Wexford, Offaly, Westmeath, Cork, Tipperary and Waterford.
A blizzard and Status Red weather warning is on the cards a senior Met Eireann weather forecaster has warned.
Eveyln Cusack gave an update on the impact of the weather that will accompany air coming from Siberia is coming from the North Pole.
Speaking on Morning Ireland on RTE Radio 1 she said the first of the snow is set to fall on Tuesday. By Wednesday morning she said there is going to be a fair amount of snow along eastern coastal counties and pushing west as far as Laois and Offaly.
"The high danger evening countrywide is for Thursday, Thursday evening and Friday as we call what is dynamic snow with a weather system pushing up from the Bay of Biscay. A lot of precipitation is associated with it and as it hits the cold air of Ireland and Britain there is a high risk of some very heavy snow," she said.
She was not in a position to give amounts but expects a blanket of snow. She said the country will experience blizzard-like conditions later in the week.
Blizzard with Status Red weather warning for snow on the way warns Met Eireann.
Tips for older people in harsh winter weather.
Advice from Gardai if driving or walking during snow.
Irish Water prepares crisis management response to big freeze.
An RTE news report from 1982 is doing the rounds today as the Beast from the East storm that is about to hit Ireland has been dubbed as the worst in 36 years.
RTE Archives shared the video and news report from 1982:
"The heaviest snowfall across Ireland for decades in 1982 resulted in traffic chaos, fuel and food shortages, and the closure of schools and workplaces. The severe weather conditions also placed extra pressure on emergency services.
"Transport, communications and electricity supplies were badly disrupted in the worst cold spell since 1963 to hit the country.
"Brendan OBrien reported for RTE on how the severe weather conditions impacted on towns along the east coast with emergency services having huge demands being placed upon them.
"Five helicopters from the Army Air Corps made more than twenty mercy missions from Baldonnel Aerodrome. One of the most frequent emergency calls involved pregnant women in labour.
"Almost 24 hours after the first snowfall many people had to fend for themselves, digging a way out of snow drifts and clearing roads.
"Up to 50 people are still stuck at the Aeromotive factory in Dublin. The Naas Road has come to a standstill as people attempt to dig themselves out of the snow drifts.
"Train stations and airports have also been forced to close with 400 people having to spend the night at Heuston Station, trapped as a result of frozen railway points.
"The Dublin airport road was effectively impassable in places, as were most main roads in and out of the capital in scenes virtually unknown in Ireland this century. The airport will remain closed until further notice. Many small towns on the east coast are almost cut off from food supplies, with people now queuing for limited supplies of bread.
"Around 55,000 homes, mainly in rural areas, were without electricity today. The ESB are working tirelessly to return services with about 25,000 homes in isolated areas remaining blacked out.
Watch the RTE News report by Brendan OBrien which was broadcast on 9 January 1982.
A man who continues to show no remorse for raping his wife has had his prison sentence cut on appeal.
The 43-year-old man, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was unanimously found guilty of raping his wife in their home in May 2014 - making him the third person to be convicted for marital rape since rape within a marriage was made illegal in 1990.
A jury of eleven men and one woman also found him guilty of threatening to kill his wife and cut her face, having denied the charges. He had admitted assaulting his wife with a hammer which he used to strike blows to her head.
Ms Justice Isobel Kennedy sentenced him to 12 years imprisonment with the final two suspended in June 2016.
The Court of Appeal heard that the man refuses to show any remorse for raping his wife and still does not accept the verdict of the jury.
He successfully appealed his sentence today, Monday, February 26, with the Court of Appeal holding that a sentence of 10 or 11 years imprisonment appeared to be somewhat out of kilter for an individual instance of rape, even after a not guilty plea, where there had been no premeditation or unusual violence. He was resentenced to 10 years imprisonment with the final 18 months suspended.
Dismissing his appeal against conviction in December a judgment the man also does not accept - Mr Justice Alan Mahon said the man, an Arab Muslim from north Africa, married his wife, an Irish national, in 2005.
They had one child and, following a year of maternity leave, the man's wife returned to work and ultimately received a promotion. This resulted in greater time away form the family home and began to cause tensions within the relationship.
Mr Justice Mahon said a series of assaults and threats, including rape in the marital home, culminated in an attack by the man on his wife and her mother with a hammer.
Moving to appeal his sentence, the man's barrister, Ronan Munro SC, submitted Mr Justice Peter Charleton's guidance on sentencing for sexual offences in a case known as 'D(W)'. Mr Munro said there had been no pre-meditation and no gratuitous violence (beyond the violence inherent in the rape itself) to justify a sentence of the order imposed on his client.
Mr Justice John Edwards said the Court of Appeal agreed that the sentence in this case, when viewed in isolation, appeared to be somewhat out of kilter with sentences imposed in comparable cases even though the circumstances of the case were egregious and the crime was very serious.
He said the offence merited a headline sentence of 12 years and not 14 as selected by the sentencing judge. This was reduced to 10 years to reflect the mitigating circumstances including the man's previous good character, the difficulties foreign nationals endure in Irish prisons and psychiatric evidence which suggested he was suffering from a significant depressive disorder prior to the rape.
Mr Justice Edwards said the man could not avail of the most powerful mitigating factor available, namely a guilty plea and expressions of genuine remorse. On the contrary, no responsibility for the rape had been taken and there had been no expression whatever of remorse. The man still does not accept the verdict of the jury nor the Court of Appeal's dismissal of his appeal against conviction, the judge said.
After considerable reflection, and notwithstanding his present obdurate position, the court suspended the final 18 months of the sentence, primarily in the interests of his child but also to incentivise him to address his anger management issues, his mental health issues, and his attitude to women.
Mr Justice Edwards, who sat with Mr Justice George Birmingham and Mr Justice Alan Mahon, resentenced the man to 10 years imprisonment with the final 18 months suspended for the rape.
Mr Justice Edwards said the court acknowledged the limitations in the guidance offered by Mr Justice Peter Charleton in a case known as 'DW', and this court may take the opportunity, at some point in the future, and in an appropriate case, to seek to revisit the issue of guidance in matters of rape, aggravated sexual assault and sexual assault.
Bestselling book Oh My God, What a Complete Aisling, co-written by a Kill woman, is to be turned into a film.
Emer McLysaght, and her writing partner Sarah Breen from Carlow, are overjoyed by the announcement that Element Pictures have acquired film rights to show it on the big screen.
The debut novel was published in late August, and was a Christmas 2017 bestseller.
The duo signed a reported six figure two-book deal for novel number two.
Element Pictures is the company behind 2015 film Room, What Richard Did and Frank.
Emer and Sarah, who are also onboard to write the screenplay, said in a statement We are so delighted to be working with Element Pictures to bring Aisling to the big screen.
"Imagine! Aisling on the big screen! Weve known this character for ten years so to be given the opportunity to take her from the pages of our beloved book and transform her into a walking, talking, caring (and judging, lets be honest) girl in front of a camera is beyond our wildest dreams. We cant wait to start!
Element Pictures producer Rory Gilmartin is equally thrilled to be working on the project We couldnt be more excited at the thought of working with Emer & Sarah to bring Aisling into cinemas. The huge success of this debut book is a testament to the strength of their writing so funny and yet so full of heart.
OH MY GOD, WHAT A COMPLETE AISLING tells the story of 28-year-old Aisling who lives at home in Ballygobbard with her parents and commutes to her good job at PensionsPlus in Dublin. When a week in Tenerife with boyfriend John doesnt end with the expected engagement, Aisling calls a halt to things and soon she has surprised herself and everyone else by agreeing to move into a three-bed in Portobello with stylish Sadhbh from HR and her friend, the mysterious Elaine.
SEE ALSO: Massive 7m lotto jackpot won by syndicate playing online in Donadea pub
SEE ALSO: Tips and advice for Kildare people ahead of upcoming severe cold spell
A mother of one will be sentenced on Wednesday for staging her housemates suicide in order to impede the prosecution of her boyfriend for strangling her. Her barrister asked for leniency, reminding the judge that she was in an abusive relationship with the killer at the time.
The killer himself was never charged due to his limited brain function arising out of an injury sustained months later while fleeing gardai after a car he had hijacked crashed. He, a neo nazi, is currently living in a care facility, where he is spoon fed.
However, his 34-year-old former partner was before the Central Criminal Court today (Monday), having been convicted by a jury earlier this month. She was found guilty of impeding the killer's apprehension or prosecution, knowing or believing him to have murdered Antra Ozolina (49).
Egita Jaunmaize, of no fixed abode, admitted placing a blue cord around her fellow Latvians neck so as to simulate her suicide in order to make it more difficult to establish that her death was suspicious.
She had pleaded not guilty to carrying out the offence, without reasonable excuse, at their home at The Old Post, Main Street, Kilnaleck, Co Cavan on or about June 27 or June 28 2014. The mushroom picker told gardai that she was in fear for her life and acting on her boyfriends orders at the time, having just seen him strangle Ms Ozolina.
However, a jury found her guilty by a majority of 11 to one.
Garda James McDevitt told her sentence hearing today (Monday) that the accused had alerted the authorities to what appeared at first flush to be a suicide in her home. He told Patrick Gageby SC, prosecuting, that gardai found the deceaseds body lying on her bathroom floor with a rope around her neck and an open bible and vodka bottle nearby.
The results of an autopsy by a non-forensic pathologist were also consistent with it being a tragic death.
However, the deceaseds employer rang gardai and informed them that, on his and her colleagues knowledge of her personality, she was unlikely to have committed suicide.
Gda McDevitt agreed that this triggered a fresh look at the matter and a forensic pathologist found blunt force trauma to her body, along with death by asphyxiation.
The accused painted her boyfriend out of the picture in her first statements. She later explained that this was because he had a suspended sentence due to be activated in his native Latvia and did not want to come to garda attention.
She eventually admitted there'd been a disagreement between the two women, that shed gone to bed, but woke to the sounds of screams. She said that she went into her housemates room and found her boyfriend throttling her.
Once he had succeeded, he asked her to assist him in covering up by putting a rope around her neck so the death would appear like suicide.
She went on trial for assisting an offender, arguing that she was under duress and had a reasonable excuse, but the jury found that she had none.
She remained in a relationship with that offender until October 2014, when he hijacked a car and was involved in a large car chase across Co Longford. In trying to evade gardai, he was knocked down by another car and suffered a severe brain injury.
Giollaiosa O Lideadha SC, defending, put forward a number of factors in mitigation, including the killers violence towards his client. He also reminded the judge of a major trauma she had suffered as a child, which experts said had led to her getting into and remaining in the abusive relationship with the killer.
He asked the judge to take into consideration her role as a mother and the fact that, as a foreigner, she would have particular difficulties in custody here. He asked for a sentence at the more lenient end of the scale.
Mr Justice Patrick McCarthy will pass that sentence on Wednesday.
A blizzard and Status Red weather warning is on the cards a senior Met Eireann weather forecaster has warned.
Eveyln Cusack gave an update on the impact of the weather that will accompany air coming from Siberia is coming from the North Pole.
Speaking on Morning Ireland on RTE Radio 1 she said the first of the snow is set to fall on Tuesday. By Wednesday morning she said there is going to be a fair amount of snow along eastern coastal counties and pushing west.
"The high danger evening countrywide is for Thursday, Thursday evening and Friday as we call what is dynamic snow with a weather system pushing up from the Bay of Biscay. A lot of precipitation is associated with it and as it hits the cold air of Ireland and Britain there is a high risk of some very heavy snow," she said.
She was not in a position to give amounts but expects a blanket of snow. She said the country will experience blizzard-like conditions later in the week.
"Of more significance than actual amounts is that there will be easterly gales. So we are talking about close to if not blizzard conditions. The definition of a blizzard is continuous snow blown by gale force winds." she said.
"The snow would be quite powdery reducing visibility very significantly," she added.
She said the wind chill will make it very cold which led to a warning to farmers about lambs.
As for the status of weather warnings to be issued she said it was likely that a Status Orange warning would be issued for Tuesday night and Wednesday morning.
"Later on in the week it looks as if we will be issuing a (Status) Red (warning) but these will be specific warnings with details. We would generally not issue a red in advance of a 48 hours period but certainly," she said.
Status Red or severe weather warnings are rarely issued. If one is issued people in the affected area are advised to take action to protect themselves and/or their properties. Met Eireann says this could be by moving their families out of the danger zone temporarily; by staying indoors; or by other specific actions aimed at mitigating the effects of the weather conditions.
A Status Yellow low temperature warning was in place for last night with temperatures to falling as low as -3C.
Today will be generally dry, but some snow flurries are likely later in eastern coastal counties. It will be very cold and frosty tonight with a few light snow flurries, but many places will be dry.
Lowest temperatures tonight will range from -2 to -5C.
2017 was another strong year for Irish hotels and guesthouses, the seventh year in a row that overseas visitor numbers have grown.
The average national room occupancy rate was 73% during the year, driven by significant growth in visitor numbers from the US and continental Europe, as well as from the domestic market.
These helped to offset the drop in visitors from the UK, where numbers continue to fall.
Speaking on the eve of the Irish Hotels Federations 80th Annual Conference in the Slieve Russell Hotel, Ballyconnell, Co. Cavan, Tim Fenn, Chief Executive, said that the hotel and guesthouse sector had benefited from what was another record year for Irish tourism.
Mr Fenn said that the outlook for the sector remains positive with hoteliers confident about the future growth of the tourism and hospitality sector. We are on track to create a further 40,000 tourism jobs by 2021. These are in addition to the over 60,000 new jobs that have already been created since 2011, an increase of 33%, compared to a rise of 13% in employment throughout the overall economy, he said.
The tourism industry is Irelands largest indigenous employer, supporting approximately 230,000 jobs - equivalent to 11% of total employment with approximately 60,000 of these jobs in the hotel sector alone.
Total tourism revenue also grew during 2017 to more than 8.75 billion, an increase of 6 per cent year on year. The strong growth in recent years has meant a return to profitability for many hotels, which Mr Fenn says is providing the right climate for investment.
Mr Fenn added, The strong growth in tourism achieved in recent years illustrates the economic and job creating potential of our industry both at a national and local level. Every euro in tourism revenue generates 2.16 in indirect revenue across the wider economy, reaching into every town and county in the country.
However, he cautioned that not every tourism business is enjoying the same level of success. The slowdown in overseas visitor growth and the weakness in sterling leave no room for complacency. Last year international arrivals into Europe grew by 6 percent. However in Ireland our overseas numbers grew by just 3 percent, compared to an increase of 9 percent the previous year, he added.
Mr Fenn said that the substantial fall in UK visitor numbers during 2017, Irelands largest market, has served as a reminder of how vulnerable the countrys tourism industry is to volatility in other economies. UK has the widest seasonal and regional spread of all our markets, with rural tourism, which has only recently begun to enjoy the recovery in any real measure, the most vulnerable. Eighty percent of the flights into Knock airport last summer originated in the UK compared to 56 percent into Cork and 37 percent into Dublin.
Mr Fenn pointed to the progress made in recent years in market diversification and targeting higher spending markets as key factors in the growth of the sector.
He also acknowledged the significant government supports, which continue to underpin the growth of the sector. He highlighted the retention of the 9% VAT rate, which he said has levelled the playing field for Irish tourism and brought Ireland into line with our competitors in Europe.
A MAN who stuck his head and arm under the door of a changing cubicle at a leisure centre while a woman was changing inside has avoided a prison sentence.
Gerald Hewitt, aged 47, who has an address at Cooleen, Birdhill, County Tipperary had pleaded not guilty to charges under the Public Order Act relating to an incident at the swimming pool in Nenagh on November 1, 2015.
The defendant received a two year suspended prison sentence in 2013 after he admitted sexually assaulting a woman at a house party in Limerick city on March 13, 2011.
Limerick Circuit Court was told the victim in that case woke up during the night to find Hewitt, a married father of three children, performing oral sex on her.
The case relating to the Nenagh offence was originally heard last year by Judge Elizabeth MacGrath but was adjourned for submissions on whether or not Mr Hewitt had been charged under the correct legislation and whether or not the swimming pool constituted a public place.
The court had heard the defendant was charged under the Public Order Act because Ireland does not have peeping Tom legislation.
At the original court case in May 2017, the injured party claimed Mr Hewitt spied on her while she was changing at Nenagh Leisure Centre.
She told the court that she met the accused, whom she did not know, in the sauna and that they had chatted briefly before she left to use the Jacuzzi.
Later, the female, who was in her early 20s, went to the unisex locker and changing area. She had a shower in the women's showering facility before going into a cubicle to change.
While drying herself, the woman said she looked down and noticed someone looking up at her from the gap between her cubicle and the one adjacent to it.
She locked eyes with the man she had met in the sauna earlier.
She identified this man in court as Mr Hewitt.
The witness told the court that she screamed and pulled her towel around her. She then ran out and called the lifeguards' attention. She said Mr Hewitt ran out of the changing rooms.
The young female said the incident made her feel totally invaded.
Since then, she did not feel comfortable going into any toilet or cubicle with a space beneath the partition.
Cross-examined by Kenny Kerins, BL, she said she did not feel threatened when talking to the defendant in the sauna.
It was put to her that Mr Hewitt dropped his mobile phone and reached to retrieve it. She replied that she did not see any phone.
Lifeguard and gym instructor Breda Barry said she heard the scream and immediately responded. She ran into the changing area and saw the injured party with her towel around her.
Ms Barry was informed that the defendant had put his head under the changing cubicle before then running away.
Ms Barry ran outside and saw Mr Hewitt hurrying towards a car. She said that she and the defendant made eye contact.
She noted the registration number of the car and went back to the injured party, who was hysterical.
The Gardai were contacted straight away.
Garda Maureen Finnerty gave evidence of arriving at the scene and meeting the woman, who told her that a man had put his head into her cubicle while she was changing.
Garda Finnerty carried out a check on the vehicle and called to the registered address of Chapel Lane, Birdhill.
Mr Hewitt denied all knowledge of the incident, though he said he may have dropped his phone and he did hear a girl scream. He said he did not look under the cubicle.
In a cautioned statement, the defendant said he did not know why the woman had been surprised and paid no heed to it.
He said he reached out to get his phone but denied looking at anyone. He said he did not see anyone following him out of the leisure centre.
Garda Finnerty said CCTV footage of the centre was examined. Mr Hewitt could be seen leaving in a hurried state and Ms Barry following him out.
Mr Kerins pointed out that the defendant was charged under the provisions of the Public Order Act. He contended that a changing cubicle was a private place, locked from the inside, and therefore not within the remit of Public Order legislation.
Mr Kerins also questioned whether the incident could be viewed as a breach of the peace.
Referring to case law in that regard, he said the alleged behaviour of his client was not conducive to an offence under the Public Order Act.
Inspector Seamus Maher contended that the incident did occur in the public place, the same as if it had happened in the toilet of a pub.
Insp Maher said the behaviour of the defendant was reckless; his actions made the injured party feel threatened.
Judge MacGrath noted that the incident could be termed a peeping Tom offence, for which there was no legislation.
She agreed with Insp Maher that the alleged offence occurred in a public place but agreed that Mr Kerins had a point in relation to the behaviour.
Having considered further submissions, the Judge MacGrath ruled that Mr Hewitt had been in a public place when the offence was committed.
She said his actions had been threatening as defined in the Public Order Act and that they had been reckless.
She imposed a three months prison sentence which she suspended for two years on condition Mr Hewitt keeps the peace..
PEOPLE in Limerick have been called on to bake for the 13,000 people who acquire brain injury each year in Ireland, as Brain Awareness Week takes place from March 5-11.
The week includes bake for brain injury events all across the country to support rehabilitation and services for people and their families.
In Limerick a baking event is taking place at the Assisted Living Centre in Dooradoyle at 11am on March 7. Further details can be had by calling ABI Irelands main office at (01) 280 4164.
The campaign is being endorsed by broadcaster Miriam OCallaghan, who called on people to bake or sample some tasty bites to support much-needed services.
Its very important to raise awareness of an injury that could happen any of us at any time, she said.
Acquired Brain Injury is devastating but better services can dramatically improve lives. ABI Ireland is playing a vital role in helping the people and families who are affected, added Ms OCallaghan.
ABI Ireland CEO Barbara OConnell called for Government commitment to developing regional neuro-rehabilitation services with community supports.
WOMEN shouldnt feel like there is any reason not to carve out a career in engineering.
Thats the message from Orlaith Cotter, a young woman from Clare who started studying engineering at UL after attending the Mid-West Limerick for Engineering Showcase last year.
The 2018 showcase will take place again on March 1, in Shannon Airport, from 6pm to 9pm, and just like last year will offer students the opportunity to meet more than 30 companies (indigenous and multinational), view their most cutting edge technologies, witness demonstrations by their full time engineers and receive first hand information about this exciting and ever-developing career path.
I went to the showcase last year with my mother. There was a lot of interest in science in my class but only one person interested in engineering, and that was me, explained Orlaith.
I had a number of concerns before visiting the showcase, not least that I might be at a disadvantage as I did not have a foundation in engineering. I attended an all girls secondary school and the subject was not taught there. But I knew I wouldnt be happy doing anything else so I had to try, she said.
The showcase clarified a lot for me. I went down with the idea of doing chemical engineering, as I was studying chemistry for my Leaving Cert, but I soon learnt from the graduates and company engineers I met, that most companies prefer students who have studied a more general course.
It definitely changed my vision of a career in engineering, and even let me think about a career in mechanical engineering.
It was also really encouraging to meet so many women working in different areas of engineering. A lot of girls are going into different careers because they arent encouraged into this field, or the option may not be available to them at second level, she said.
The event falls on Engineers Week, which runs from February 24 to March 2. Girl Guides and Brownies in Limerick will get the opportunity to earn engineering badges for the first time during the week.
The new badges will encourage young girls around Ireland to work through a variety of fun engineering challenges based on creative thinking, curiosity and teamwork to build an engineering mindset. The new badge, its hoped, will encourage girls to explore the exciting possibilities a career in engineering can offer.
A BABY, aged less than 12 months, has been detected with measles as the virus outbreak continues to worsens in Limerick this week.
The HSE has confirmed that the number of detections has increased to 19 this Monday afternoon, and will open another free vaccine clinic in Limerick city.
Nineteen cases of measles have been confirmed in Limerick city since the beginning of the year. There is also a case in Dublin linked to the outbreak. Nine cases have been children aged zero to five years, all unvaccinated, four of whom were admitted to hospital. Eleven cases have been aged between 15 and 34 years, all but two had no MMR vaccines, and four were admitted to hospital, a spokesperson said.
The next vaccination clinic will take place next Monday, 10am to 1pm, at Barrack View Primary Care Centre, on Lord Edward Street.
The first confirmed cases were detected on January 3, and the outbreak was announced by the HSE on January 31.
The best protection against measles is to be fully vaccinated with 2 doses of the MMR (Measles-Mumps-Rubella) vaccine. All children should get MMR at 12 months of age and the second dose at 4-5 years of age. If your child missed their MMR vaccine you should contact your GP.
The spokesperson said: If people are unsure of their vaccination status they are advised to get an MMR vaccine, as even if they do have 2 doses of MMR a third dose is not harmful. The HSE has run a vaccination clinic in the area where cases have been notified and further clinics are planned.
The HSE said that measles symptoms include high fever, cough, runny nose, red eyes and red rash that starts on head and spreads down the body- this normally starts a few days after onset of illness. The rash consists of flat red or brown blotches, which can flow into each other. It lasts about four to seven days.
People with symptoms are advised to stay at home from work. Children should not attend school or creche. They are asked to contact the Department of Public Health at 061 483338 to advise that you think you/your child may have measles. People are also asked to contact their local GP.
Patients with symptoms of measles should avoid presenting to the emergency department where possible. If it is necessary to seek urgent care, it is important to inform the ambulance service or emergency department that you have symptoms consistent with measles beforehand so that the appropriate precautions can be taken. Similarly, if you have been in contact with a confirmed case of measles and are seeking medical attention, please inform the healthcare provider before attending.
A CYCLIST whose bike fell off his car while he was travelling on the M20 motorway is seeking help in locating it.
The Raleigh motoribike was one of two which were attached to the rear of a red Dacia Sandero which was being driven by Maitiu O Coimin at around 9.30pm on Sunday.
I was coming from Adare to Limerick, my own bike and a friends bike were on a rack at the back and my own bike was gone when I stopped to get diesel in Dooradoyle, said Maitiu who lives and works in Dublin.
Gardai at Roxboro Road have confirmed they received reports of a bike in the slow lane of the motorway on Sunday night but that there was no sign of any bike when they arrived at the motorway.
I am looking to get it back, there was only about 20 minutes from when I noticed it and the guards getting the call so I thought someone might have come along and just thrown it up onto the ditch to get it out of the way, said Maitiu who lives in Dublin and uses the bike every day.
I was down in Tralee for the weekend and I cycled out to Dingle and back so I use it all the time its how I get around, its my mode of transport, he told the Limerick Leader.
Anyone with information about the location of the missing bike is asked to contact Roxboro Road garda station at (061) 214340.
Limerick City and County Council has convened its Severe Weather Assessment Team as temperatures are set to plummet for the remainder of the week.
The Office of Emergency Planning met in Dublin this Monday morning and Met Eireann has issued a number of weather alerts ahead of the arrival of the so called Beast from the East.
While there are no specific weather alerts for Limerick, people are being encouraged to be prepared as the weather is set to deteriorate towards the end of the week.
Met Eireann have issued a Yellow weather warnings for the country. Please listen to local media/social media for updates on the weather conditions and associated warnings. Updates will be provided on this account. @emergencyIE @MetEireann #bewinterready pic.twitter.com/1QiiIsJQwD An Garda Siochana (@GardaTraffic) February 26, 2018
Exceptionally cold weather will occur this week. Air and ground temperatures will be 5 to 10 degrees below normal, with significant wind chill and penetrating severe frosts, reads a national status yellow weather advisory which was issued by Met Eireann.
Met Eireann has issued a Weather Advisory for Limerick from 00:00 hours Tue, 27/Feb/2018. Check email and https://t.co/MjVdC5tEcj for full details. #WeatherWarning https://t.co/g8WoVm2f4r Limerick Council (@LimerickCouncil) February 26, 2018
The warning, which comes into effect at midnight on Tuesday adds: Snow showers, mainly affecting eastern areas on Tuesday, will progressively become more widespread and heavier through midweek. A spell of persistent and heavy snow is expected to extend from the south late Thursday and Thursday night, with significant and disruptive accumulations.
Humans will make contact with aliens by the end of the century, theoretical physicist and futurist Michio Kaku told Redditers last week. However, Kaku said he wasn't sure whether we'd be able to communicate directly with this unknown extraterrestrial society one that could run the gamut from hostile to pacifist, according to Kaku.
In his AMA on Reddit, Kaku responded to a question about alien civilizations, saying, "Let me stick my neck out. I personally feel that within this century, we will make contact with an alien civilization, by listening in on their radio communications. But talking to them will be difficult, since they could be tens of light years away. So, in the meantime, we must decipher their language to understand their level of technology. Are they Type I, II, or III??? [These represent three categories in the Kardashev scale, measuring technological achievement in civilizations based on their level of energy use for communication.] And what are their intentions. Are they expansive and aggressive, or peaceful."
Kaku added, "Another possibility is that they land on the White House lawn and announce their existence. But I think that is unlikely, since we would be like forest animals to them, i.e. not worth communicating with." [Greetings, Earthlings! 8 Ways Aliens Could Contact Us]
Futurists and theoretical physicists, among others, have proposed a range of ideas for when and how Earthlings could "hear from" E.T., with one astronomer's calculation predicting it would happen within 1,500 years and another suggesting we'll find intelligent alien life by 2040.
Though a recent survey suggests humans would be cool with alien interlopers, many scientists and thinkers have warned about the risks involved. Famed physicist Stephen Hawking has voiced his concern several times, saying that intelligent aliens would have no problem wiping out the human race. That said, the same futurists and theoretical minds also fear that the same fate could be dished out to us by human-created artificial intelligence.
Why radio signals?
When Kaku mentions humanity's eavesdropping on extraterrestrial "radio communications," he is likely referring to what alien hunters call narrow-band signals, or those that are spread over only a very small part of the radio extent of the electromagnetic spectrum no more than a few hertz wide. By comparison, noise emanating from galaxies, quasars, pulsars and other cosmic entities typically extends across a wide swath of the spectrum. Narrow-band noise could therefore be "the mark of a purposely built transistor," according to the SETI Institute.
"Alien life" can refer to anything from little green men to microbes. But when Kaku refers to extraterrestrial life that is capable of communication that traverses light-years, he is clearly talking about more advanced beings. As a civilization grows and becomes more sophisticated, it will inevitably use more energy. As a way of measuring how advanced a society is, Russian astrophysicist Nikolai S. Kardashev in 1964 proposed using this energy as a proxy. The Kardashev scale moves from Type I, a civilization that can harness all the energy of its home planet (Earth is just about at this level); to Type II, which can use all the energy from its parent star (a Dyson sphere is the most common example), to Type III, a civilization that can control all the energy from its home galaxy.
Narrow-band signals "pack a lot of energy into a small amount of spectral space, and consequently are the easiest type of signal to find for any given power level. If E.T. intentionally sends us a signal, those signals may well have at least one narrow-band component to get our attention," according to the SETI Institute.
In his new book "The Future of Humanity" (Doubleday, 2018), Kaku paints a picture of what these aliens might be like, based on interviews with experts in exobiology. They'd have three traits: stereovision (needed to hunt prey), grasping appendages like opposable thumbs, and their own language, according to news reports.
If these "little green men" with opposable thumbs make contact, what happens next? That would depend on the beings' level of intelligence, experts have said.
Original article on Live Science.
Two weeks ago, an official at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) spoke to his sister on the phone. And then he went missing.
According to news reports, Cmdr. Timothy Cunningham (age 35) of the U.S. Public Health Service (which is part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services), was last seen on Feb. 12, the day he spoke to his sister, Tiara Cunningham.
She told The New York Times that during that phone call, her brother "sounded not like himself." Later that day, when she and her mother tried to contact him, they got no response.
Timothy Cunningham's father, Terrell Cunningham, said that his son's supervisor said the younger Cunningham reported for work on Feb. 12, but left midday because he wasn't feeling well, according to the Times.
Two days later, Timothy Cunningham's family arrived at his Atlanta home, letting themselves in with a spare key. They found his wallet, cellphone, keys, driver's license and passport. His car was in the garage, and his dog, Mr. Bojangles, was left unattended, the Times reported.
The Atlanta Police Department told The Washington Post yesterday (Feb. 25) that it had yet to find Timothy Cunningham and was depending on the public for leads.
At the CDC, Timothy Cunningham works as an epidemiologist studying disease patterns, including outbreaks of the Zika and Ebola viruses, according to the Post.
Originally published on Live Science.
It sounds like something out of an episode of "Grey's Anatomy": A patient arrives at the hospital with a device in their body that could potentially explode. But that's what happened at an emergency room in San Antonio, Texas, when a man arrived with part of a firework impaled in his leg.
When the patient showed up at the emergency room in January 2017, doctors initially thought they were dealing with a typical case of trauma to the leg. But an X-ray of the injury revealed that there was an object embedded in the man's leg; namely, a potentially explosive part of a mortar-type firework that appeared to have been propelled into his leg as he was loading the device, according to a recent report of the case.
But the patient wasn't sure which part of the firework had ended up in his leg, or if it could still explode. [27 Oddest Medical Cases]
Dr. Lane Thaut, an emergency-medicine resident at San Antonio Military Medical Center (SAMMC) who treated the patient, said everyone involved in the patient's care acted calmly, although the case was somewhat nerve-wracking.
"When you hear that, yes, [the device] could be something that could potentially be explosive, of course everybody kind of gets a little bit on edge," Thaut told Live Science.
The 44-year-old patient told doctors he had tried to set off the firework, but it initially did not go off, so he presumed it was a dud. He was reloading the device when there was an explosion, which injured his right thigh. The patient was taken to a local trauma hospital before being transferred to SAMMC.
Doctors noted that the man's wound was "grossly contaminated," and he had fractured his femur (thighbone), according to the report.
A potentially explosive injury
Because the device in the man's thigh could potentially explode, the hospital contacted a team of Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) technicians, as well as the fire department. The patient was placed in a room away from other patients, and was told to remain still, in order to minimize the potential for the device to explode.
The fire department advised doctors to irrigate the injury with water (which would drown the fuse), and avoid use of a procedure that heats tissue with electricity (called electrocautery), as this could potentially lead to detonation.
The surgeons were able to successfully remove the firework without complications. The patient needed a metal rod inserted into his femur to treat his fracture, and a skin graft for his tissue wound. After about two weeks in the hospital, the man was well enough to go home, the report said.
An uncommon civilian case
Most previous reports of impaled unexploded devices come from military settings (such as a battlefield), not a civilian setting like this one, the researchers said.
But the researchers said that they decided to publish this case to raise awareness about the potential for these situations to happen in civilian settings, particularly in light of recent terrorist attacks in urban areas that have "blurred the lines of the battlefield," the report said.
"This has the potential to be, unfortunately, an event that may be encountered by a provider in an emergency room setting," said Dr. Andrew Murtha, an orthopedic surgery resident at SAMMC, who also treated the patient. "Understanding how to manage the patient without risking harm to other patients and the medical team is something that's important to recognize," Murtha told Live Science.
Some recommendations for handling cases of unexploded devices include evacuating all nonessential personnel, notifying the local bomb squad or EOD team, moving the patient to a location away from the hospital, and using appropriate protective equipment, such as body armor, ballistic eyewear and helmets.
In the current case, doctors were told they did not need to move the patient to a different location or wear special protective equipment. That's because, with a firework, the use of water and avoidance of heat prevents the device from detonating, the researchers said. Fuses of military-grade munitions, on the other hand, are more complex than those of fireworks, and may be triggered by movement, pressure or even sunlight or radiofrequency devices such as cellphones, the report said.
Thaut said that hospitals should have a plan in place for these situations, and have the contact information for the proper authorities (such as the local bomb squad or EOD) to handle these cases.
"The emergency department is really the door the hospital," Thaut said. "I think that any real trauma center or emergency department should be aware that this is a potential thing that could present to the door," he said.
The report was published online Jan. 20 in The Journal of Emergency Medicine.
Original article on Live Science.
During the Arctic winter, when the sun hides from October to March, the average temperature in the frozen north typically hovers around a bone-chilling minus 4 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 20 degrees Celsius). But this year, the Arctic is experiencing a highly unusual heat wave.
On Feb. 20, the temperature in Greenland not only climbed above freezing 32 degrees F (0 degrees C) it stayed there for over 24 hours, according to data from the Danish Meteorological Institute. And on Saturday (Feb. 24) the temperature on Greenland's northern tip reached 43 degrees F (6 degrees C), leading climate scientists to describe the phenomenon on Twitter as "crazy," "weird," "scary stuff" and "simply shocking."
Weather conditions that drive this bizarre temperature surge have visited the Arctic before, typically appearing about once in a decade, experts told Live Science. However, the last such spike in Arctic winter warmth took place in February 2016 much more recently than a decade ago, according to the Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory (PMEL) at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). And climbing Arctic temperatures combined with rapid sea-ice loss are creating a new type of climate feedback loop that could accelerate Arctic warming, melting all summer Arctic sea ice decades earlier than scientists once thought. [Images of Melt: Earth's Vanishing Ice]
The "remarkable event" of persistent high temperatures in the Arctic was documented on Feb. 23 in a tweet by climate scientist Zack Labe, a doctoral candidate at the Department of Earth System Science (ESS) at the University of California, Irvine. Recent Arctic temperatures, represented on a graph by a red line, hovered "well above" those of previous years during February, Labe wrote on Twitter.
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On Feb. 24, with reports of the temperature in northern Greenland reaching 43 degrees F (6 degrees C), it was warmer in the Arctic than it was in much of Europe, physicist Robert Rohde, a researcher at Berkeley Earth, a nonprofit that investigates climate change, wrote in a tweet.
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In 2018, as of today (Feb. 26), "there have already been 61 hours above freezing at Cape Morris Jesup, Greenland," with the previous record 16 hours set in 2011, Rohde wrote on Twitter.
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High temperatures such as these occur in the Arctic when amplified, wavy patterns in the jet stream conveyer belts of wind that carry heat and water vapor around the planet interact with strong storms in the northern Atlantic Ocean, James Overland, an oceanographer with PMEL, told Live Science.
"They're bringing warm air and moisture from the south into the central Arctic," he said.
"We've seen something like this once every ten years in the past, but this is the second major example of this happening in the last couple of years. What's different this time is that we have less ice and thinner ice in the Arctic. When you bring warmer air north, it doesn't cool off as fast as it used to," Overland explained.
Sea-ice cover in the Arctic is thinning faster than expected and reached record lows in recent years. By 2017, it had declined so much that NOAA scientists declared in the agency's annual Arctic Report Card that the region would likely never again return to its "reliably frozen" status of the past. Without those masses of cooling sea ice, warm air brought to the Arctic can penetrate further inland than it ever did before and can stay warmer longer which drives additional melting, according to Overland.
"We may be losing ice in the Arctic faster than we thought," he said.
The scope of sea-ice loss over time emerges in an animation that Labe tweeted in November 2016 visualizing how thicker and usually older sea ice has declined since 1979.
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Overall, Earth is warming at a rapid pace 2014 through 2017 rank as the hottest years on record and the Arctic is warming twice as fast as anyplace else on Earth, NOAA recently reported on its website. This raises unique challenges for not only Arctic wildlife but also indigenous people who depend on Arctic ecosystems to survive, including more than 40,000 people who inhabit the Alaska coastline, according to the NOAA report.
"My biggest concern is that these warm air intrusions seem to be becoming both more common and more intense," Rohde told Live Science in an email.
"This suggests that the warming in the Arctic may have passed a threshold where we can no longer count on the polar jet stream to maintain the historical weather patterns in the northern latitudes," Rohde said. "A destabilization of the dynamics around the North Pole may lead to more extreme winter weather variations in the northern mid-latitudes and further accelerate the decline of Arctic sea ice."
Previously, climate forecasts predicted that Arctic summer ice would disappear entirely by around 2060, Overland told Live Science. But based on what scientists are seeing now, the Arctic may be facing ice-free summers decades sooner than expected.
"We're looking at sea-ice loss within 20 years, rather than 40 years," Overland said.
Original article on Live Science
Federal officials said Monday that sanctuary cities and states are not immune from immigration enforcement, two days after Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf issued an extraordinary warning that the agency was planning to arrest people in a large-scale Northern California operation.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, known as ICE, did not directly address Schaafs comments or reports that several immigrants were arrested Sunday in a handful of cities in the region, which appeared to corroborate Schaafs warning. The agency said only that its officers conduct targeted enforcement operations on a daily basis.
Schaaf said in a statement Saturday night that she had received confidential tips from credible sources who told her ICE was gearing up for a Bay Area operation starting as soon as the next day. The Chronicle reported in January that federal officials were planning a big Northern California operation designed to send a message that immigration policy will be enforced in the sanctuary state.
While the vast majority of cities in America do cooperate with ICE, others force ICE to assign additional resources 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, James Schwab, a spokesman for ICEs San Francisco office, said in a statement Monday. Sanctuary cities and states are not immune from federal law.
Supporters say sanctuary laws, which restrict cooperation between local government employees and immigration officers, seek to reassure undocumented immigrants that they can engage with local police as well as services such as education and health care without fear of deportation.
Schwab said ICE focuses its efforts on those who pose a threat to national security, public safety, and border security and does not conduct sweeps or raids that target aliens indiscriminately.
However, ICE no longer exempts classes or categories of removable aliens from potential enforcement, he said. All of those in violation of the immigration laws may be subject to immigration arrest, detention and, if found removable by final order, removal from the United States.
Eleni Wolfe, immigration program director of Centro Legal de la Raza, an Oakland nonprofit that provides legal support for immigrants and others, said the arrests reported Sunday were not necessarily unusual.
Eleven people arrested over the weekend isnt news, unfortunately; thats just ICE, she said. But its good that people are paying attention.
She said a hotline that people can call to report ICE activity in Alameda County had been overwhelmed since Schaafs announcement. Many callers were asking whether it was safe to take their children to school or go to work, Wolfe said.
Oakland Councilman Noel Gallo, who represents the heavily Latino Fruitvale neighborhood, said the mayors announcement created undue community anxiety and vitriol from around the country directed at Oakland. Gallo said his City Hall phone line was filled Monday with hateful, racist messages.
Her statement at this time may have done more harm than help, he said.
Schaaf, who has received threats since she spoke of the imminent arrests, said she intended her warning to educate, not alarm, immigrants.
I made a choice to share it broadly in a manner that I hope did not cause panic or fear, she said. Its my hope that everyone goes about their normal lives, but armed with information and resources.
Jim Ross, an Oakland political consultant, said Schaafs warning could help rebuild trust with immigrant-advocacy organizations that may have disagreed with her defense of a West Oakland operation by ICEs Homeland Security Investigations division last August, during which city cops provided traffic control.
The thing thats extraordinary is not that the mayor learned about this and did something, Ross said of Schaafs announcement over the weekend. Its that she learned about this and did something publicly.
While Schaaf could have warned immigration lawyers and organizations directly, Ross said, her strategy got the word out much faster.
I cant see any political downside to it, he said. ICE has become the chief law enforcement arm of the Trump administration. If youre seen to be aiding or abetting ICE, even passively, youre seen as aiding Donald Trump.
Schaaf said she consulted with lawyers on her Saturday night statement and sent it to City Attorney Barbara Parker ahead of its release, though it wasnt clear whether Parker, who was sick over the weekend, responded in time.
The mayor said she was confident that my sharing of this information, because I did not receive it through official channels, is legal.
"The Looming Tower," an unflinching look at the missteps leading to the Sept. 11 attacks in 2001, seems an unlikely vehicle for a love letter. But Twin Cities native Ali Selim, a key writer and director for the 10-part Hulu series that begins streaming Wednesday, dedicated his work to the memory of his Egyptian-born father.
"When I would get picked up to go to the shoot, the Teamsters would say the ghost of my dad was hanging over the set," Selim, 57, said by phone last month from his new home in Portland, Ore.
The writer/director was familiar with the material long before he was recruited for the project. Selim had come across an excerpt of Lawrence Wright's book "The Looming Tower: Al-Qaeda and the Road to 9/11" in the New York Times and read it to his dad, former University of St. Thomas economics Prof. Mohamed Selim, who had lost his eyesight after retiring.
"It excited him to the point of breathlessness," Selim said. "I bought the book on tape, but he couldn't stand it because the New York actor on the audio book couldn't pronounce the Arabic names. By the time he passed away in 2015, I had read him the entire book, cover to cover, eight times."
Father and son appreciated Wright's insights into the frayed relationship between the West and the Middle East, presenting legitimate grievances from both camps.
That evenhanded perspective was important to Selim's longtime friend Dan Futterman, who asked him to work on the series. Futterman, a two-time Oscar nominee as screenwriter of "Capote" and "Foxcatcher," teamed with Oscar-winning documentarian Alex Gibney ("Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room") to run the show. Selim ended up directing Episodes 4 and 5, with writing credits on the seventh and final installments.
"I wanted him on board, not only because he's a great writer, but because of his heritage," said Futterman, who appeared in a Selim-directed commercial for A1 Steak Sauce before establishing himself as a force behind the scenes. "His insight into Islam and being Arab-American in the United States was great for the actors."
Tahar Rahim plays the Lebanese-American FBI agent who almost prevented the World Trade Center attacks. He lauded Selim's work with the cast, which includes veterans Jeff Daniels and Peter Sarsgaard.
More Information 'The Looming Tower' Streaming on Hulu Wednesday See More Collapse
"He doesn't come on set with the scene firmly in his head," Rahim said. "He comes to you as an actor and asks, 'How are you feeling? What do you want to do?' I like that. He finds the right language for each actor."
Like Rahim's character, Selim identifies himself as a proud American. But he admits sometimes feeling out of place in the United States, despite having spent nearly his entire childhood in St. Paul, Minn.
"It's not that I felt ostracized. But I never had an anchored sense of 'This is where I belong,' " said Selim, who traveled to Egypt frequently while growing up. "Maybe that's not the right way to say it. Maybe it's better to say I felt just as much at home in Minnesota as I did in Cairo."
Selim's tendency to identify himself as an outsider may also explain why he's not a full-time member of the independent-film world. Despite the success of his 2005 film "Sweet Land" - it won an Independent Spirit Award for best first feature - Selim has not made a theatrical release in more than a decade, focusing on teaching and directing TV series including "Criminal Minds" and "In Treatment."
"Maybe television is a better outlet for him," Futterman said. "Independent film is a tough arena these days. You can do really cheap movies or big-budget movies. But the kind of stories Ali tells, which cost several millions of dollars, Hollywood people find it hard to think they'll make their money back."
Selim, who moved to Oregon recently to be closer to his wife's family, is also stretching himself as a memoirist. As soon as shooting on "Tower" wrapped in September, he moved to Egypt for a few months to work on a book about his relationship with his dad, gathering inspiration by sleeping in his former bed.
Don't expect to see it become a movie or TV show.
"Anything I would want to say on the subject, I put in my scripts for 'Looming Tower,' " Selim said. "I am fulfilled by that."
ARGYLE -- In the days since a 19-year-old gunman stormed onto his former high school campus in Parkland, Florida, killing 17 people with an AR-15 assault rifle, the nation has been embroiled in a debate over what to do about school violence: How do you make it stop?
Here at Argyle High School, they already have an answer to that question: The teachers are packing handguns.
A sign outside campus warns: Please be aware that the staff at Argyle (Independent School District) are armed and may use whatever force is necessary to protect our students.
Among those arriving Thursday was teaching assistant Theresa Locastro, who said the school boards decision to allow staff to be armed after the Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre in 2012 set an example for various schools that we mean business.
I know theres a lot of controversy, and people who dont want to arm them, said Locastro, 44. But she thinks armed staffers can deter attacks like the Parkland gunman.
Hopefully, it will make them think twice, she said.
In about two dozen states, schools can allow staff to carry guns on campus, although some require concealed-carry licenses, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.
Experts say its not clear whether sucht policies reduce the likelihood of school shootings or the death toll. But President Donald Trump and other lawmakers have voiced support for arming teachers -- on Thursday the president suggested giving bonuses to school staff members who carry guns. Officials at Argyle and other districts say the policies deter shooters and provide peace of mind, and that other schools should follow their lead. Scores of Texas school districts allow teachers to carry arms.
Its essential to keep us safe, said Lizzie Dagg, 18, Argyle senior class president, who spent part of lunch Thursday signing a banner expressing sympathy for Parkland students.
Were going to protect our kids at any cost, said U.S. history teacher Sharon Romero, a gun owner who did not volunteer to be armed at school, but is glad co-workers did. Shes disappointed that lawmakers havent done more to enact common-sense regulations, such as expanded background checks.
At least were taking action, she said. I feel safer coming to work than a lot of other teachers in this country do.
Ari Freilich, a San Francisco-based staff attorney with the Giffords Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence, said studies have shown more permissive concealed-carry laws contribute to gun violence, although he was not aware of studies at schools.
Freilich said that many teachers are already overwhelmed and that asking them to be first responders too is not in the interest of students.
Amy Klinger, co-founder of the Ohio-based Educators School Safety Network, said that rather than arming them, schools should train teams of educators to assess threats. The calls by Trump and others for guns in schools have really taken the focus off things that are more effective, she said. We need to do things that work, not that feel good.
Klinger said more guns on campus can lead to more accidental shootings, including two earlier this month in Minnesota and Florida, and its unreasonable to expect even armed staff on large campuses to be able to stop a mass shooter.
We need to train our teachers how to identify these people. People dont want to hear that -- they want a quick fix, she said.
In Texas, school boards must approve arming teachers. At least 170 districts allow employees and in some cases board members to carry firearms, according to the Texas Association of School Boards. About 150 districts have their own police departments and more than 250 other districts have school resource officers.
That means about 22 percent of the states public school districts have allowed staff to carry guns, according to Joe McKenna, director of research and education at the Texas School Safety Center at Texas State University in San Marcos.
The center works with the Argyle Independent School District and other school systems to improve security and preparedness. McKenna said the center has not studied the effectiveness of arming teachers.
You have to weigh whats best for your district, taking into account the district size, mitigation and threats, he said.
Overwhelmingly Republican, Texas is known for supporting gun rights. The National Rifle Association is holding its annual convention in Dallas this May, just a few years after convening in Houston. Texas had more guns registered last year than any other state (588,696), followed by California (344,622) and Florida (343,288).
Texas voters have passed several laws in recent years expanding the right to carry guns openly and on college campuses. Government offices and businesses that dont allow people to openly carry must post signs at their entrances.
But Texas has also seen support for gun control grow. Protesters rallied to oppose campus-carry rights two years ago, mostly notably at the University of Texas at Austin, where opponents formed the Gun Free UT alliance.
Some faculty even resigned rather than teach with guns in their classrooms. They worried not only about potential attacks by disturbed shooters, but also about guns firing accidentally or getting lost. Last week some of their fears were borne out when two guns were found left behind in womens restrooms on two different campuses of UT Austin.
Argyle officials consulted other schools that had already armed teachers before approving the policy. Superintendent Telena Wright called her counterpart at the nearby Harrold Independent School District, among the first in the country to arm teachers. Its a tiny district -- just 115 students -- in a county the size of Rhode Island policed by half a dozen sheriffs deputies; response time is a concern.
Harrold Superintendent David Thweatt had proposed arming teachers after the shooting at West Nickel Mines School in Pennsylvanias Amish country in 2006. School board members initially balked, then changed their minds after the mass shooting that killed 32 that spring at Virginia Tech.
Thweatt has since worked with Texas state lawmakers to pass a law providing training for school staff who serve as armed guardians. He tells those who call for advice to keep armed staff anonymous, like air marshals, and to have them carry their weapons at all times. You need to be ready, he said.
Thweatt said he spends less than $1,000 on training and arming teachers, and that bigger districts might pay more but have comparably larger budgets. Its very cost-effective, he said.
Argyle is a much larger, fast-growing district, with 2,400 students, 850 of them at the high school. Before the school board approved the policy, officials held a town hall that hundreds of residents attended. Many spoke during public comment -- all in favor of arming, the superintendent said.
After that night, I knew the community was going to be solidly behind it, Wright said, and feedback from parents and staff continues to be positive. School officials have fielded calls from districts in Michigan, Oregon and Virginia.
Argyle High Principal James Hill, who has three children in the school system, was skeptical about the policy when he was hired in 2015, but said, Now Im a believer.
The time for us just sitting back and waiting for it to happen is over, he said of school shootings. ... I want to give our kids a fighting chance.
Staff who volunteer to be armed must have their concealed handgun license and pass psychological screening, according to Argyle Schools Police Chief Paul Cairney.
Staff who are approved carry handguns, either their own or those provided by the district, which Cairney also screens to ensure they work. Volunteers attend three to five days of training initially, and annual retraining, including active-shooter simulations.
Distributed by Tribune Content Agency
GUILLERMO ARIAS/AFP/Getty Images
A man jumped off the Juarez-Lincoln International Bridge on Thursday night as he tried to flee from Mexican immigration officials, federal authorities said.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers found him responsive and contacted medical services. He was taken to a local hospital and later airlifted to San Antonio, where he remains under U.S. Border Patrol custody.
National Rifle Association CEO Wayne LaPierre and spokeswoman Dana Loesch have in recent days helped pull back the curtain on the mind-set of the NRA. This is not a group that wants responsible gun ownership. (Do responsible people have a weapon of war designed purely to kill as many people as possible as fast as possible?) This is not a group that is focused on making cogent arguments about gun legislation. Instead, like President Trump and Fox News, the NRA now operates in the fever swamp of what used to be a conservative party. Now, it's a cult based on the preservation of Trump, a cult that requires conspiracies, bizarre rhetoric and out-and-out lies to keep its members in a high-pitch frenzy.
LaPierre ranted at the Conservative Political Action Conference, "If they seize power, if these so-called European socialists take over the House and the Senate, and God forbid they get the White House again, our American freedoms could be lost and our country will be changed forever." If someone were mumbling like that at a bar, the bartender would be obligated to cut off his drinks.
The NRA's arguments no longer depend on or even include facts; they are tribal calls to signal that it's time for the faithful to toss away rational debate. (What about all the people saved by guns?! Any cursory look at the facts would tell you that's a horrible argument, but it's part of the NRA playbook. It's what the NRA crowd says because . . . socialists are out to get them?)
When LaPierre cautions the CPAC crowd that he's not talking about armed rebellion (was anyone??), he's showing some rhetorical leg. He's hinting (Who knows? "Some people say . . . " as the president likes to tell us) there might be an even wilder, weirder edition of the NRA gospel to come. (Is telling us that he's not for armed rebellion supposed to make his hyperventilating speech sound saner?)
Loesch gave her own vitriolic rant at CPAC (as she does regularly in her NRA propaganda ads). She didn't bother with the dogwhistle at CPAC; she brought out the bullhorn on race and liberal media, two of the hot-button issues that bind Trumpkins together these days. "Many in legacy media love mass shootings. You guys love it," she declared. "I'm not saying that you love the tragedy, but I am saying that you love the ratings. Crying white mothers are ratings gold to you and many of the legacy media in the back." That's not an argument; its defamation.
On the Sunday shows, Loesch dialed back her nuttery, but her position was just as extreme and unbending as it has always been. On ABC's "This Week," she sought to shift blame to the police and FBI and falsely insisted that almost all gun sales are covered by a background check anyway. (Washington Post fact checker Glenn Kessler found "22 percent of gun owners who reported obtaining a firearm in the previous two years did so without a background check. Among purchased firearms, the figure was 13 percent. The number was zero for gun shows, but 45 percent for online sales, but the sample sizes were very small. Among nonpurchased firearms (such as gift or inheritance), 57 percent reported not having a background check.") Loesch refused to acknowledge that the assault-weapons ban reduced the number of mass killings and tried to pass off Trump's flirtation with an increase in the age requirement as "just things that he's discussing right now." (The message: He's still on the NRA's short leash.) Asked whether there is "any new proposal you're willing to support now that you weren't supporting before," she filibustered. In other words: No.
David Hogg, one of the surviving students now leading a movement to curtail weapons of war and organizing the March For Our Lives, immediately followed. His candor was refreshing:
"Honestly, it's just disgusting. They act like they don't own these politicians. They still do. It's a Republican-controlled House, Senate, and executive branch. They can get this stuff done. They've gotten gun legislation passed before in their favor, in the favor of gun manufacturers. And what I want people to know is look at Dana. Look at what she saying, is she actually saying anything or is that just a tone to distract the American public and distract her NRA members from the fact that she's not serving them? She is serving the gun manufacturers. She's not serving the people of the NRA, because the people that are joining the NRA, 99.9 percent of them are amazing people that just want to be safe, responsible gun owners. And I fully can support that."
He explained that his peer group has a unique vantage point. "Honestly, it's our generation. Every - Columbine was about 19 years ago, and now that you've had an entire generation of kids growing up around mass shootings and the fact that they are able - they're starting to be able to vote explains how we're going to have this change." He went on, "Kids are not going to accept this. As many critics of my generation will say, millennials are some of the laziest, like, most critical people. I don't think that they're lazy, but I think we're definitely critical, especially on social media."
One can see the contrast between the survivors and the older generation(s) of dogmatic, irrational NRA lackeys forced to raise the rhetorical ante in order to keep their followers in a tizzy. Using broadcast TV and a stale convention format, the latter are desperately trying to keep a grip on the gun conversation. But along comes a group of diverse young adults, wielding facts and refusing to politely listen to ludicrous talking points. The teens have such a big lead on social media, they can barely see the NRA's spinners in the rear-view mirror.
The kids also have on their side local law enforcement, parents and teachers - all much more credible and sincere than Beltway politicians and media who feel compelled to treat Loesch as if she were sanely making an argument tied to reality. She can argue for 10 minutes about arming teachers. It took about two minutes for Ashley Kurth, a teacher from Stoneman Douglas High School, to shred the idea. (The teacher pointed out that when "fights or arguments over something on Twitter, or Instagram, or just how their day went and having a bad day and somebody just reacts to them wrong," having a gun in the classroom is the last thing you want.) Appearing on MSNBC on Saturday, Hogg scoffed at the idea. "What if there were multiple shooters? What if there's a fire alarm? Can you imagine the mass chaos and hysteria that would be caused? Imagine all the police officers trying to figure out which gunshots are friendly, which ones are not. They don't have time for that, they need to make decisions and we don't need any more guns in these scenarios." Loesch has no chance when faced with simple common sense and raw emotion born of tragedy.
The student leaders remind us that the NRA's opponents and to a large extent the media have been far too deferential to the NRA and too respectful of its disingenuous arguments. They grant the NRA's arguments legitimacy - no matter how afactual or bizarre or off-point. They give LaPierre's unfounded assertions the same status as a scientific study, personal life experience and elementary logic. That decorum and false equivalency have been exploited by not just the NRA but also the rest of the ethno-nationalist posse that now controls the GOP.
If nothing else, these students have taught us a powerful lesson: Don't accept afactual hysteria as if it's a legitimate political position; dismiss it. Don't afford respect to arguments from those who have nothing but contempt for their audience and disdain for facts. Whether it is Rep. Devin Nunes, R-Calif., or Loesch or Trump himself, it's time to take their threat to civil discourse seriously - but not their phony facts and illogical stances.
Albany
In this week's New York state government news, state lawmakers return to the Capitol, and Gov. Andrew Cuomo and Republican opponent John DeFrancisco rack up endorsements.
A look at stories making news:
Legislature returns
Lawmakers are heading back to Albany after a week off for winter break with the state budget looming.
There's only one more budget hearing scheduled, on Tuesday, focused on spending on environmental protection. After that, members of the Senate and Assembly will begin the difficult task of assembling their own spending proposals. Legislative leaders will then use those spending proposals as the basis of negotiations with Cuomo, who unveiled his $168 billion budget proposal in January.
Lawmakers hope to agree on a final deal by April 1, the start of the next fiscal year.
Endorsements
Cuomo has yet to formally kick off his re-election campaign but is accepting key Democratic endorsements nonetheless.
The largest labor union in the state, 1199 SEIU, announced its support Wednesday for Cuomo's bid for a third term. Last weekend, the governor won the support of civil rights leader the Rev. Al Sharpton.
Meanwhile, the most high-profile Republican candidate at this point, state Sen. John DeFrancisco, continues to pick up his own endorsements, including ones from U.S. representatives John Katko and Lee Zeldin and GOP Senate Leader John Flanagan, along with several of his GOP Senate colleagues.
Former Erie County Executive Joel Giambra is also running for governor. There's also an emerging effort to urge Dutchess County Executive Marc Molinaro to re-enter the race after taking his name out of contention last month.
"Cranes over Cape Town"
DeFrancisco was quick to capitalize on an unforced error included in the latest economic development report from Cuomo's administration.
The report intended to show the state's economic growth included a prominent, eight-year-old photo of seven construction cranes in South Africa. The photo bore no caption, and was apparently used to give the impression of heavy construction activity in the state. Its true origin was uncovered by The Associated Press.
DeFrancisco quickly capitalized on the "Cranes over Cape Town" kerfuffle.
"We shouldn't have to borrow photographs from South Africa to remind people what economic progress looks like," he said.
Cuomo's administration said the photo will be replaced.
ISTANBUL - Russia said Monday that it would enforce a daily, five-hour truce for a rebel-held enclave outside Damascus, after Syrian government forces allied with Russia killed more than 500 people there over the past week.
Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered a "humanitarian pause" in Eastern Ghouta from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. to "avoid civilian casualties," the Interfax news agency reported, quoting Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu. The pause would allow for civilians to evacuate the besieged suburb via a "humanitarian corridor," he said, adding that the temporary cease-fire would begin Tuesday.
But similar pauses in fighting across Syria have had varying degrees of success during the country's brutal civil war. And Russia's support for President Bashar al-Assad, whose forces have pummeled civilians, has raised questions about the viability of the plan.
Earlier Monday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov had already pushed back against allegations that Syria's government was responsible for any cease-fire violations, saying the truce would begin only when "all sides have agreed how to implement" it, Reuters reported. Lavrov said the cease-fire does not include a halt to operations against groups linked to al-Qaeda in Eastern Ghouta or in Idlib province in the north, where the Islamist militants are in control.
U.N. Secretary General Antonio Guterres urged Syria's warring parties on Monday to heed a Security Council resolution passed two days prior and calling for a 30-day cease-fire "without delay."
"Eastern Ghouta cannot wait. It is high time to stop this hell on Earth," Guterres told the U.N. Human Rights Council in Geneva. He said that U.N. agencies were ready to deliver aid and evacuate the wounded from the area, where 400,000 people have been living under government siege.
"We have every reason to remain cautious," said U.N. human rights chief Zeid Raad al-Hussein. He then slammed the international community's failure to stop the "seven years of unremitting and frightful mass killing" in Syria, the Associated Press reported.
Nine members of the same family were reported killed in a single strike there early Monday, according to a Britain-based war monitor, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.
Rebels in Eastern Ghouta, one of the largest opposition-held areas, have responded to the heavy bombardment by firing mortar rounds at Damascus, the capital, which has remained relatively safe.
Elsewhere in Syria, in the northwestern region of Afrin, Turkish forces and their proxies continued a month-long offensive against Syrian Kurdish militants. Turkey's state news agency said Monday that Turkish special forces had crossed into Syria in preparation for a "new battle" against the militants, known as the YPG.
Turkey views the Syrian Kurdish forces as potential threats to its security, claiming that they have links to Kurdish separatists who have battled Turkey for decades. But the YPG is also backed by the United States - a NATO ally of Turkey - as a proxy force against remnants of the Islamic State in Syria.
The presence of multiple regional and world powers and their proxies underscore the difficulties of enforcing a truce in Syria.
The office of French President Emmanuel Macron said Monday that he told his Turkish counterpart, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, that Afrin was included in the cease-fire.
--- Sly reported from Beirut. The Washington Post's Anton Troianovski in Moscow contributed to this report.
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Video: The Washington Post spoke to people inside a heavily bombarded suburb of Damascus, Syria. Almost 300 civilians are dead since intense airstrikes began Feb. 18.(Jason Aldag, Joyce Lee/The Washington Post)
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Six teens are in custody after Laredo police investigated threats last week against various schools around town, authorities said Friday afternoon.
In every threat reported, police said they conducted searches for weapons, ammo or other devices that could pose a danger or could be used to implement the deadly threats made.
Nothing was found, according to authorities.
READ ALSO: Threat of shooting disrupts Alexander campus
The LPD Juvenile and Gangs Enforcement Team and criminal investigation division handled the cases.
Every threat made toward a school campus will be thoroughly investigated and prosecuted to the fullest extent allowed by law, LPD said in a statement.
Police said the most recent threat occurred at one of the Harmony charter schools on Friday afternoon.
Teachers and students witnessed a 13-year-old making deadly threats at the campus, according to police. Officers detained the student and charged him with making a false alarm or report.
Harmony schools had another incident earlier in the week. On Tuesday, two male juveniles, ages 14 and 15, allegedly made violent threats at one of the campuses. A faculty member witnessed the threat. Each was charged with terroristic threat and taken to the Webb County Youth Village.
On Feb. 18, the United Independent School District Police Department said a student made a threat via social media against a UISD campus and an administrator.
Authorities identified the suspect as Gerardo Martinez, 18. He was charged with harassment and making a false alarm or report.
READ ALSO: UISD responds to rumors of school shooting threat at LBJ High School
Two more incidents occurred at the Laredo Independent School District.
On Feb. 15, a tip received by Crime Stoppers alleged that a male made threats against an LISD campus. LPD investigators and LISD Police Department worked together to locate and identify the individual. An investigation is underway. No charges have been brought.
Also on Feb. 15, a Webb County juvenile detention officer stated that 16-year-old boy made a threat against an LISD campus. The boy, who was in custody on a separate charge, spoke about the threats to his classmates and a staff member, police said.
He was charged with making a terroristic threat.
WASHINGTON - The Supreme Court declined Monday to intervene in a legal battle over the fate of the "dreamers" under President Donald Trump, effectively extending a temporary reprieve to young undocumented immigrants shielded from deportation and providing Congress more time to come up with a legislative solution.
The high court rejected the Trump administration's unusual request to bypass an appellate court and review a lower court's injunction that has blocked Trump from terminating the Obama-era Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program.
The lower court said the nearly 700,000 people already in the program may continue to apply for renewals of their work permits indefinitely beyond a March 5 deadline Trump set for most of them to expire. The administration is not required to accept any new applicants for the program.
Even as immigrant rights advocates hailed the news, they emphasized that DACA recipients remain in limbo and fretted that lawmakers would be lulled into a false complacency after failing to strike a legislative deal this month.
"We need to give young immigrants who came to our country as children permanent assurance that they are safe here, and we need to give them this peace of mind now," former vice president Joe Biden wrote on Twitter. "They shouldn't have to spend another day living with fear and uncertainty."
Some senior Republicans said the court's decision also puts the onus on Congress to act.
"It would be foolish to take, sort of, false confidence or hope that somehow the courts are going to save us from having to make a decision," said John Cornyn of Texas, the Senate's second-highest-ranking Republican.
But both sides in the debate acknowledged there appears to be no clear path for a legislative solution and predicted that the lack of a hard deadline over DACA would reduce pressure on lawmakers, ensuring that dreamers will remain a tense political issue heading into November's midterm elections.
"This takes away the urgency to do something," said Mark Krikorian, executive director of the Center for Immigration Studies, which supports reducing immigration levels. "Everybody will be like, 'Let's kick the can down the road and deal with it whenever.' "
Trump, who over the past week has tried to blame Democrats for the failure of a deal on the dreamers, offered a muted reaction to the court's decision. "We'll see what happens," he said, during a meeting with governors Monday at the White House.
In a statement, White House spokesman Raj Shah called the DACA program "clearly unlawful" and suggested that a San Francisco judge's injunction in December represented "a usurpation of legislative authority."
He added, "The fact that this occurs at a time when elected representatives in Congress are actively debating this policy only underscores that the district judge has unwisely intervened in the legislative process."
Although the Supreme Court said it expects the appeals court to act quickly, legal analysts said the litigation could take months. It is extremely unlikely that the high court would agree to take the case before the next term, which begins in October.
Efforts to address the fate of dreamers have bogged down in Congress since four immigration bills that would have provided a path to citizenship for up to 1.8 million dreamers were defeated in the Senate two weeks ago. Among them was a proposal from Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, that included deep cuts to legal immigration and was supported by the White House. The Trump administration strenuously opposed an alternative bill offered by a bipartisan group of 16 senators, saying it would have weakened border control.
The House is continuing to consider its own immigration plans, and some lawmakers have discussed a temporary fix to extend the DACA program for a year or more by adding language to a spending package next month.
Marielena Hincapie, the executive director of the National Immigration Law Center, which has sought to protect dreamers, said there are "definitely people on both sides who've shown a genuine interest in solving this."
But she added that Trump, who last year expressed empathy for the dreamers, has not acted in good faith in terminating DACA and then opposing bipartisan proposals from Congress.
"There's a credibility deficit for this president in the immigration community," Hincapie said. "The big question mark is whether the president himself wants a solution."
Former President Barack Obama created DACA through executive action in 2012, offering renewable, two-year work permits to dreamers who met educational and residency requirements. Last fall, in the face of a legal challenge from Texas and several other Republican-led states, the Trump administration said the program was unconstitutional, and the president announced plans to terminate it.
U.S. District Judge William Alsup in San Francisco ruled in December that plaintiffs challenging the decision are probably right that the way the administration is ending the program violated the Administrative Procedure Act, because it is arbitrary and capricious.
A nationwide injunction is warranted, Alsup said, because "our country has a strong interest in the uniform application of immigration law and policy."
This month, a district judge in New York came to an almost identical conclusion in a separate case brought against the administration by immigrant rights groups.
No appellate court has reviewed those decisions, and it would have been exceedingly rare for the Supreme Court to take up a case without that interim step. In the past, the court has granted such cases only in matters of grave national importance, such as the controversy over President Richard Nixon's White House tapes or solving the Iranian hostage crisis.
The administration could try to restart the process to end the program in a way that the courts would accept, by providing more context for its decision. But the administration has already signaled it opposes having to turn over material relating to the decision, such as White House memos.
"I think the decision puts more pressure on Congress and the White House to come up with a solution," California Attorney General Xavier Becerra, D, who was among the group that challenged the administration's decision, said in an interview Monday.
He added that the fact the Supreme Court will not likely consider the case until the fall provides more time for lawmakers to come up with a good deal that is not rushed because of time constraints.
But the reaction on Capitol Hill showed lawmakers seeking to shift blame on the impasse.
"The need for the Dream Act is no less urgent following the Supreme Court's decision," Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., said in a statement. "Now it's up to the President and Republican leaders in Congress to take yes for an answer and accept any of the six bipartisan solutions on the table to save these young people."
AshLee Strong, a spokeswoman for House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., said the House leadership is continuing to build support for an immigration plan offered by Rep. Bob Goodlatte, R-Va. That plan is opposed by Democrats.
"While the court's decision appears to have pushed this deadline beyond March, House Republicans are actively working toward a solution," Strong said.
Trump has sought to blame his rivals, too, asserting in a tweet over the weekend that "Dems are no longer talking DACA!" and adding that "Republicans stand ready to make a deal!" Administration officials said Trump intends to visit San Diego in mid-March to view prototypes for a potential border wall, for which he has yet to win congressional funding.
But immigrant rights advocates said Republicans will ultimately be blamed by voters in November if a deal is not reached. Polls show broad public support for allowing the dreamers to remain in the United States.
"The president's efforts to play the blame-game are bordering on silly," said Cecilia Munoz, who served as the White House domestic policy adviser under Obama. "They created this crisis. Their motivations are very clear."
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Video: DACA recipients have been lobbying lawmakers on Capitol Hill since Thanksgiving in hopes of securing permanent legal status. (Jordan Frasier/The Washington Post)
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President Donald Trump's personal pilot is "in the mix" to lead the Federal Aviation Administration, a White House official confirmed Sunday night.
Axios first reported that John Dunkin, Trump's longtime pilot, who flew him around the country on a Boeing 757 during the 2016 campaign, is on the Trump administration's shortlist to head the FAA, which regulates civil aviation in the United States.
A student was arrested after for suspicion of threatening to shoot law enforcement officers at the University of Maryland at College Park, police said.
Ryan M. Sulkowski, 21, of Baltimore was charged with making a threat of mass violence and disturbing the operations of a school, according to a statement from the University of Maryland Police Department.
The charges stem from reported statements Sulkowski made Friday to an individual about applying for firearms and background checks. The individual in question then contacted police to tell them about the threatening comments.
"The individual continued to state he had access to firearms and he was going to shoot UMPD police officers," the police statement said.
Sulkowski was arrested Saturday morning by Baltimore County officers, police said.
University officials said Sulkowski enrolled in fall 2016. They added that he was denied access to campus after the charges were filed.
"This is a story of 'if you see something, say something,' and we are grateful for any reported information that helps keep our UMPD police officers safe," said university spokeswoman Katie Lawson.
Sulkowski's attorney Ronald Schwartz said his client was released on his personal recognizance by a Baltimore County Judge and the charges stem from a dispute from a disgruntled roommate. Schwartz called the charges an "overreaction," by police.
"He never applied for a permit," Schwartz said. "This kid never had a gun."
The home invader was going to have to speak up.
Ninety-nine-year-old Doris Rucker Wasden was sleeping when a man entered the home and came hurtling into her bedroom. It was sometime after 1 a.m. Saturday in West Valley City, Utah, a suburb of Salt Lake City.
For nearly two hours, the armed intruder held her hostage.
Officers from the Unified Police Department of Greater Salt Lake arrived on the scene quickly. They had been trailing the suspected intruder after he allegedly fled a nearby shooting.
At the home Wasden shared with her granddaughter, CJ Montoya, and her granddaughter's fiance, Jim Gabbard, the suspect shot out a sliding-glass door to enter, the Deseret News reported. Montoya and Gabbard were awakened by the noise. As Gabbard investigated, he came face to face with the suspect, pointing a gun at him.
"He said, 'Give me your car keys or I'm going to kill you,'" Gabbard told local news station KSL.
The couple somehow managed to run from the gunman toward a door, where police pulled them outside. Officers told the couple they couldn't go back for Wasden for safety reasons, the couple told KSL.
And so the elderly woman was left alone with the intruder, while a SWAT team surrounded the home and hostage negotiators tried to make contact with the suspect.
Inside, the intruder yanked Wasden out of her bed, leaving her on the floor "on my bum," she told Fox 13. He returned to her bedroom a short time later to find her back in bed.
"He tried to talk to me," she told Fox 13, "but I said, 'I can't hear you. I can't hear you.' Then he realized I was a very old woman, so he was pretty nice to me after that."
It was only after she scolded him for making a mess in her home that he let her go, Gabbard told KSL. Wasden and the couple had tidied up the place up in preparation for her 100th birthday party next week.
"He was rifling through her drawers, making a mess, spilling things all over and she has her 100th birthday party one week from today," Gabbard said. "And her words to him were, 'I just had this house cleaned for my party and you're messing it up. You better knock it off."
Police identified the suspect as 18-year-old Freddy Alexander Velasquez, who was apprehended after he attempted to flee the home in a car parked inside the family's garage. He was subsequently charged with six felonies, including aggravated assault, aggravated burglary, aggravated kidnapping, aggravated robbery, felony discharge of a firearm and receiving or transferring a stolen vehicle, according to Salt Lake County Jail records.
"I never felt afraid of him. But I and the dog were a little shaky," Wasden told Fox 13 of her small talk with Velasquez.
No one was injured in the earlier shooting which prompted police to chase Velasquez, Lt. Brian Lohrke of the Unified Police Department told WTKR.
According to jail records, Velasquez was wanted for escaping from custody last November. Authorities said he escaped a Weber County Jail work program. He had been incarcerated for assaulting another prisoner at a youth detention center in Ogden, according to the Deseret News. It was not immediately clear why he was in juvenile detention, as those records are generally not public.
Wasden and Gabbard told KSL and Fox 13 that they held no bad feelings toward Velasquez. And that Wasden's 100th birthday party would go on as scheduled.
A Rio Bravo woman accused of stealing over $60,000 from a local bank in 2014 pleaded guilty to the crime Thursday.
Karla Patricia Ramos received a probated sentence of 10 years. She was ordered to pay $50,000 in restitution, which needs to be paid off over the course of her probationary period.
406th District Court Judge Oscar J. Hale Jr. granted Ramos request for deferred adjudication, allowing her to avoid a conviction on her record if she abides by all the terms and conditions of her probation.
READ ALSO: LPD: 6 arrested for Chase Bank ATM robbery
Ramos, 25, was indicted in May on a charge of theft of property between $20,000 and $100,000.
An investigation into Ramos began in December 2014, when the vice president of Rochester Armored Company filed a police report claiming a bag of money had been stolen.
He told police that employees had picked up several money bags from the local Dillards. The bags were deposited at Wells Fargo, 1100 Matamoros St.
On Nov. 12, 2014, a Dillards bookkeeper notified the Rochester Armored Company vice president that one of the five bags picked up Nov. 4 was not deposited into their account.
Records state the missing deposit bag contained $52,099.81.
On Nov. 25, three employees from Rochester Armored Company underwent a polygraph exam. The results showed no deception, records state.
Police caught a break in the case when a senior investigative agent from Wells Fargo in San Antonio called them May 19 and stated she was coming to Laredo for a separate investigation into a teller, who was later identified as Ramos, according to the criminal complaint.
READ ALSO: Former City of Laredo employee arrested on theft charge
(The agent) stated that Karla Ramos ... was suspected of taking money from the bank, the complaint states.
At the time, Ramos had been placed on administrative leave pending the results of an investigation, records state.
(The agent) advised (the investigator) that Ramos was suspected of changing the foreign currency value and taking the leftover amounts. (The agent) also stated that (Ramos) was also being investigated for coming out short $9,500 in her box and was suspected of taking the money, states the complaint.
The complaint alleges Ramos admitted to everything.
Ramos said she was sorry and wanted to pay the money back, according to the complaint.
A chain link fence that separates a school from the street has outgrown its capacity to keep those inside safe. Or rather, its capacity to make those inside feel safe enough.
School districts in Laredo and across the country are now reevaluating their security measures after a gunman killed 14 students and three adults at a Florida high school on Feb. 14. Local police and administrators at Laredo and United independent school districts have also been kept on their toes ever since the mass shooting due to a handful of perceived threats against campuses.
READ ALSO: Laredo officials respond to report of rise in violent threats at schools
These threats disrupted the school day and caused parents to panic. On Friday, the Laredo Police Department announced they had made six arrests in connection with the threats.
One focal point in the national discussion over improving school safety has been allowing teachers and some staff to carry concealed weapons on campus. President Donald Trump promoted the concept last week.
On Friday, following a lockdown drill at Martin High, Brianny Hernandez, a junior, and her mother were calm as they walked out of the school despite a rumor that a threat had been made against the campus. Hernandez said she doesnt feel that her safety is in jeopardy. Her mother, Adelina Montoya, shared her daughters sentiment but expressed concern about allowing teachers or staff to carry a concealed weapon on campus.
Expanding educators roles to protectors is something Montoya says is too much. She said teachers have a tough enough job as is. They dont need the added stress of being trained to handle a gun, Montoya said.
The teachers shouldn't be armed, she said. I dont believe that. If they want armed security thats fine. If theyre panicking because of recent events, all they need is armed guards.
Students opinions on allowing concealed weapons inside the classroom vary. Some say it would make them feel more safe. Others questioned the necessity of a gun.
Why would they need guns? Danya Diaz, a student from Alexander High, asked.
Since 2013, Texas law has permitted school districts to appoint one or more specially trained and licensed employees as school marshals. The state also gives school districts a second option in which the school board adopts a policy authorizing specific employees to carry firearms on school premises. Their identity is kept confidential.
At least 172 of Texas roughly 1,200 districts have implemented the policies, according to an analysis by the Texas Association of School Boards. Whether the use of armed educators deters violence is yet to be determined.
READ ALSO: UISD responds to rumors of school shooting threat at LBJ High School
Advocates for arming more teachers argue the approach could prevent violence and end mass shootings more quickly, potentially saving childrens lives. Opponents of the idea say there is little evidence to suggest arming teachers would reduce deaths and that teachers should be focused on educating students. They also say law enforcement officers could confuse armed teachers with the actual shooter.
School districts across the country are considering allowing teachers to carry weapons and that may be a viable solution, but these are school districts that do not have the luxury of having trained police personnel at each campus, United Independent School District said in a statement to Laredo Morning Times.
UISD Police Chief Ray Garner said the district, which serves over 40,000 students, has 85 armed officers and 115 security guards. Each UISD campus has at least one armed officer, Garner said.
LISD, which serves around 24,000 students, has 37 armed officers and 88 security guards. Unlike UISD, these officers are not permanently stationed at elementary schools and instead patrol the area.
Dax Gonzalez, a spokesman for the Texas Association of School Boards, said most districts that have enacted concealed carry policies are in sparsely populated regions of Texas, where small law enforcement agencies often cover large swaths of territory.
Medina ISD in Bandera County, for example, serves 300 students and is about 25 miles away from the nearest sheriffs office.
(A concealed carry policy) is an option, Garner said. And were going to explore all options. Right now, as it stands, Im not in favor.
LISD Superintendent Sylvia Rios said the district is focused on their existing security measures and providing ample mental health services rather than arming teachers.
A 2013 study by the FBI found it is rare for armed citizens who are not law enforcement officers to end an active shooter incident, with five out of 160 analyzed cases ending that way.
UISD and LISD as well as private and charter schools in Laredo say they are working with the city and county toward a collaborative effort to enhance existing safeguards. UISD is also amid in effort to build new security hubs at each of its schools.
As part of the $409 million bond for UISD passed by voters in 2013, almost $11 million was designated for improving safety and security across the district.
The additional layer of security includes building security stations at the front entrance of all campuses district-wide. They are equipped with state-of-the-art building access controls, video surveillance and card-reader locking systems for exterior perimeter doors.
So far, security stations have been completed at seven schools.
The security installments were recently approved for the 34 remaining schools, and are anticipated to be completed by December.
Situated in an office at the front of the main building at Martin High are police officers, who are trained to respond to an active shooter. Several bike patrols continuously ride around the campus to pick up stragglers and to look for intruders, said the schools principal, Guillermo Pro. Also, an emergency response team is in every building.
These layers of security are part of a multifaceted plan. Martin, as well as all LISD campuses, have a system to screen any individual visiting the campus, security cameras and entry controls.
READ ALSO: South Texas school board weighing whether teachers should be armed
Radios allow for swift communication between all administrators and surveillance cameras are set up in almost every corner to keep track of anyone entering, walking and leaving the campus. Its scope reaches out to the street for a 360-degree view of the premise.
School administrators have access to the security camera feed from any computer. A large flat screen television located at the front office transmits the footage in real time as well.
You cant keep guns and drugs out of a prison, you cant. And if thats the most secure place that exists out there its not going to happen anywhere else. Its not. If you cant keep guns and drugs out of a prison, dont expect to keep them out of a school, Pro said. But what you can do, is if you have layers of security and you enforce them you can stop or prevent 99 percent of whats going on out there. Because what were finding out in every school shooting, finding out in every event, is that somebody knew.
There are a multitude of factors from which the current school-shooting phenomenon may stem from. In addition to gun laws, mental health issues play a large role.
Rene De La Vina, a retired special education teacher, expressed his disfavor with the idea of arming teachers. However, he said, that might have to happen if nothing else is done. The answer is either more police or more education in reference to mental health, he said.
De La Vina pointed out that there are gaps in screening students and being able to identify irrational behavior. LISD Superintendent Rios said the districts collaboration with other entities not only focuses on security systems but mental health as well.
What is it that the community is doing to serve our students in the mental health realm? If you see someone struggling in some ways socially or academically, or someone who is struggling and they are no longer part of the school and theyre marginalized, we want to be sure were providing them help, Rios said.
Rios noted that schools have counselors for students who are at risk of dropping out of school, licensed chemical dependency counselors and academic counselors. Additionally, the district works with nonprofit groups like Serving Children and Adults in Need and Communities in Schools.
I believe that if we put all of our resources in being vigilant, Im confident that whatever the lawmakers decide will just add another layer. I am for enforcing what we have in place. If you have layers of security and if thats what they decide to do, it adds another layer of security but every layer should prevent getting to that. I think that we need to start with the simple stuff, Pro said.
Time flies can anyone believe its already February? Work has resumed, schools have started and everyones back to their daily routines. It has been an interesting journey to find my new routine. With a brand new job as Member of Parliament life has changed significantly, and my family and I are still getting used to what that means.
First of all, I would like to thank Rodney residents for their support. The result of the General Election five months ago saw a massive turnout of 85 per cent of voters, and for the first time ever we have four MPs based in or near Rodney, three of whom are part of the new government.
It may not appear to be the case if you watch Parliament TV, but there is plenty of cross-party collaboration at local and central government levels to ensure we best represent our communities and people of New Zealand.
I was lucky to have my family from Holland visit during the break, and I proudly showed them around beautiful Rodney. From visiting Goat Island and the Marine Discovery Centre in Leigh, to sampling local produce at Matakanas Farmers Market, cruising Omaha beach, coffee and a treat at Warkworth, to enjoying the stunning views on a walk at Shakespear Regional Park. My son enjoyed a day at Snowplanet. After the Puhoi woodchopping carnival, we visited the Orewa Big Dig. Its impressive to see so many events organised by local groups. Travelling north again that day to the Matakana Extravaganza Fair, the traffic queues gave a glimpse of what was to be expected once holidays were over, and that brings me to whats next.
Our new Government made many promises about our first 100 days, and were proud to have delivered on every single one. Over the coming year, you will see much more action from us. We are going to boost investments in health, education, housing and transport.
This will translate to more teachers for Kiwi kids, better healthcare across the country, the first affordable KiwiBuild homes and increased investment in safety on our roads.
These commitments are benefitting all New Zealanders nationwide, but I will ensure that the focus will also be on what is good for this electorate in particular such as much needed solutions to the growing congestion on our roads and access to local medical services to name just two.
So many of our local communities are rapidly expanding and earmarked for intensive residential development. They need the infrastructure to support it. Current expansion in Millwater, Milldale and Wainui are examples of how traffic congestion will only get worse.
I worked for 20 years at Air New Zealand where we used the mantra of can do. That is something I promise you: That I will be a hardworking and loyal Member of Parliament.
Marja Lubeck, Rodney-based MP
marja.lubeck@parliament.govt.nz
The Lower North Farm Forestry branch will hold an open field day at the historic farm property, Kikitangeo, 5km west of Wellsford on SH16, on Saturday, March 3.
The property, the home of Romney sheep farmer Gordon Levet, was settled and developed from native bush after being acquired in 1874. The two original blocks totalling 186-hectares were taken up by the present owners grandfather and great-uncle, Joseph and Charles Levet Junior, who came to New Zealand as part of the 1862 Albertland settlement.
Over the past 140 years, adjoining properties have been purchased, bringing the total area to 600ha.
The name Kikitangeo comes from Mt Kikitangeo, which was part of the original property and the highest peak in the Wellsford district.
Over the past 65 years, many trees have been planted for timber production, erosion control and to add aesthetic value to the property. Shelter belts and plantations of macrocarpa have been established over generations, and milled timber has been used for farm buildings, sheds and holiday homes.
The variety of trees on the property includes pines, eucalyptus, oaks, poplars, Japanese cedars, redwoods, ovensii (a cypress hybrid) and many others.
The field day is primarily for farm forestry members who have invited other members of the public who are interested in trees to attend.
The day will start at 9.30am with a cuppa at the woolshed. Transport over the property will be quad bike and a farm trailer, and visitors are encouraged to bring their own quads if possible. A barbecue lunch will be provided.
Around 60 former pupils came from as far as Australia to attend the Warkworth District High School 60 years reunion on February 3 and 4. The pupils represented each class from 1958, before the school was renamed Mahurangi College in 1962 while Cliff Brooking was principal. Pictured are pupils from Forms Five and Six who attended the reunion. Photo, The Camera Shop
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A 1.8m security fence will be erected around Manly Sailing Club on the Manly beachfront reserve, providing a secure boat storage area.
The club requested the permission of the Hibiscus & Bays Local Board to erect the fence, which is within the area it leases for a peppercorn rental from Auckland Council.
Last week the local board gave its approval, with the proviso that landscaping be provided to soften the visual impact of the fence.
Club commodore, Sir Russell Coutts told the local board last week that the youth sailing programme he runs is growing fast, with 125 currently taking part.
He said that the club is struggling to cope with the numbers and the additional storage area provided by a fence will be only part of the solution.
Elaine Hogg, who lives next door to the club, said that she is concerned about the amount of public reserve space the sailing activities take up, reducing public access and creating health and safety issues.
This issue was also raised by other beach users with local board member Vicki Watson, who said that as the club grows congestion on the site is likely to become even more of a problem.
Mrs Hogg said once the fence goes up, the club should have to restrict its activities to within the fenceline.
However, local board chair Julia Parfitt said the club needs to work with the local board to develop protocols around public access and where boats are rigged to ensure the reserve is safe, accessible and usable for everyone.
Hibiscus Matters understands that after the meeting the local board added a Health and Safety clause into its fence approval, which will ensure there is a clear pathway in front of sailing club.
Councils land use advisor, Raewyn Sendles told the local board at the meeting that the clubs plans to extend its clubhouse and store boats on Manly Bowling Club land opposite (HM December 1, 2017) are currently on hold. This is because the local board is currently working on an Open Space Management Plan, which will cover all its parks and reserves. When complete, this could provide for the clubs expansion plans, Ms Sendles said.
Local principals are crying out for government funding with predicted growth pushing classroom and teaching resources to the limit.
Wellsford School has 383 students, 27 more than forecasted, and is set to finish the year with 420 pupils, the highest in the past decade.
Principal Dave Bradley says the school is already at capacity and he has concerns about how to cater for mid-year enrolments.
The Ministry (of Education) believes we have a surplus of classrooms, but the extra building needs repairs and is not suitable for students, Mr Bradley says.
I have been in touch with the Ministry to look at installing a prefabricated room, but I understand that relocating a new building on site could take 12 to 18 months.
Mr Bradley is also concerned about the school catering for roll growth in the long term, after finding out this month that a 100-house development is being built opposite the school over the next four years.
It will be a mix of two, three and four bedroom affordable homes, which will likely be occupied by families.
This means we could be taking on 150 more children in that time, which would require between five and six new classrooms.
The increase in students is also affecting transport, with a new bus travelling from Mangawhai to Rodney College set to pick up the overflow of Wellsford pupils on its route.
High schools are also feeling the pressure with Mahurangi College building upwards and looking to free up more land for a junior block in future.
The school started this year with a record enrolment of 1414 students.
College principal David Macleod says growth is inevitable and they hope to get a plan in place with the Ministry before it hits.
We are set to go to two storeys with our A Block, as we did with B Block, Mr Macleod says.
We also have some land at the back of the school that we are hoping to develop into a block for Years 7 to 9, but its a slow process.
The Ministrys deputy secretary sector enablement and support, Katrina Casey, says the Ministry is prioritising Warkworth for roll growth support.
We have plans in place to increase classroom capacity at Warkworth School and Mahurangi College, Ms Casey says.
Last year the government invested $152 million in roll growth classrooms to support demand in high growth areas.
The Ministry has not outlined any specific funding for Wellsford School in response to growth.
The spike in student numbers at Mahurangi College led to the recruitment of three extra teachers this year, although they were difficult to source.
We got there just in time and for the first time ever the school was forced to pay a recruitment agency to find all three new staff members, Mr Macleod says.
Ms Casey says in December the Government put $9.5 million into addressing teacher supply issues.
We are also funding 35 extra places in the Teach First NZ programme costing $2 million.
Mahurangi College is also likely to need an extra bus to Snells Beach this year.
This will be an ongoing issue with around 75 per cent of our pupils using buses as transport to school.
Rodney College has experienced a small rise in student numbers this year, to a five-year high of 390 students.
College principal Irene Symes says although the increase is minimal, it is at the Year 9 level, which indicates a wave of growth coming through from the lower grades.
We will definitely need more teachers next year and although we havent had problems in the past getting staff its becoming harder, Ms Symes says.
She says the school has space to accommodate new classrooms, but this is unlikely to happen for a number of years.
Otamatea High School has also experienced an increase in roll size to 414 students, up from 386 last year.
Principal Rachel Clothier-Simmonds says the growth is due to more families moving into the area, but the school is adequately resourced to handle the increase at present.
Warkworth Primary School was unavailable for comment.
A dog that allegedly attacked a woman in Warkworth in late January remains in an Auckland Council shelter.
Council animal management manager Nikki Marchant-Ludlow says a file has been put together on the incident and sent to Councils legal team for review. It will be up to the team to make a decision on whether or not the owner of the dog is prosecuted.
The German Shepherd cross was seized following an attack that hospitalised Joy Henry for three days and took her off work for a fortnight. She says she was visiting an acquaintance at her house, when she went to pat the dog.
Id patted it before without any problems, but this time it launched at me and took a big piece of flesh out of my face that required stitches, she says. The dog only attacked once, but it was very scary.
Joy says although the dog was on a chain, the property was not fenced, and her flatmate reported the incident to Council the following day.
Nikki says if there is a prosecution, a judge will make the final ruling on whether or not the dog should be put down.
There are six registered dangerous dogs in north Rodney.
Nikki says anyone with an urgent concern about a dog should call the animal management team on 0800 462 685.
Warkworth retailers are fuming over subcontractors working at the Oaks on Neville retirement development, who are hogging parking spots and scaring customers away.
Retailers complain trade vehicles sit all day in the spots in central Warkworth even though they are time-limited parking zones of 60 minutes.
The practice is especially aggravating as parking has been specifically set aside for contractors at the old Warkworth Toyota site, on the corner of Mill Lane and Whitaker Road.
Owner of Not Just Hats Rae Ward says all her clients complain parking is a problem for them and its detrimentally affecting the whole town.
If you think you would like to come into town, but you know you cant get a park, you are not going to come in, she says.
Ms Ward has even resorted to asking her husband to drop her off at work, because she can no longer find parking in the Baxter Street car park.
Ms Wards sentiments are echoed by Warkworth Menswear owner Matt Henderson, So French Cafe owner Kristell Boisseau and Tahi Bar owner Ian Marriott.
Mr Henderson says when he opens up at 9am, trade vehicles are already parked out of the front of his shop and most stay all day.
One tradesman Mr Henderson spoke to said it was pointless giving out parking tickets, as he and other contractors simply saw them as just another business expense.
Mr Henderson was surprised to learn the contractor was unaware of parking at the old Warkworth Toyota site.
Ms Boisseau says Warkworth has always been a nightmare to find parking and the subcontractor situation does not help.
One tradesman her husband had spoken to had parked illegally for four weeks for eight hours each day and had never had a parking ticket.
Mr Marriott says people cant find anywhere to park and it is stopping them finding somewhere to eat.
We work very closely with food-related premises. If those businesses go out of business, then we go out of business, he says.
He says the One Warkworth Business Association does nothing about the problem because of a conflict of interest.
The chair of One Warkworth, Chris Murphy, is an owner of the Oaks on Neville development.
However, Mr Murphy says there is little he can do. As an owner, he has no direct relationship with subcontractors, but instead deals with the main contractor, Kalmar.
Kalmar are told regularly to give direction to subcontractors on where to park, he says.
Subcontractors have been told not to use public carparks. Instead, the developers have provided about 60 spaces at the old Warkworth Toyota site and elsewhere.
Mr Murphy says there is no opportunity to act against Kalmar for subcontractor parking failings, since Kalmar itself is doing nothing wrong.
We cant do more than what we are doing, and we have done more than any other property owner or developer has done before, Mr Murphy says.
Mr Murphy says currently there is a hive of contractor activity as the building completes its internal fit out, but its hoped the building will be complete in June so retailers should not have to wait for long.
He says once complete, Oaks residents and their families will support local retail businesses for years to come.
Kalmar project manager Tim Ellery confirms subcontractors have been told where they can park, but Kalmar cannot stop them from using public spaces.
They are not meant to be parking in public parks, but we cant force them. he says.
Mr Ellery says Kalmar is supportive of people taking the matter up with Auckland Transport (AT) to urge more policing from traffic wardens.
AT spokesperson Mark Hannan says AT is aware of the parking problem and wardens are operating a couple of times a week in Warkworth to try to redress it. There has been some problems with signage that has hampered their work but this is being addressed.
He says that AT treats everybody equally and will not specifically target subcontractor vehicles.
When I learned of the plight of Evan McKeon, a son of Ann & Gerry from Colmcille, I contacted Ann, his mother, who wasnt at all anxious to publicise the situation when I asked her.
However, she said I could give space to creating awareness of the situation with regard to organ donation, as without it, they wouldnt have their son, now in the condition hes in.
I went through Anns Facebook page, and came upon the piece below, which Ann herself wrote in the aftermath of his heart transplant surgery.
Nothing I could write would serve the purpose nearly as well.
Here it is:
They say It takes a village to raise a child. This proverb was never so evident to us than last Tuesday when our precious oldest son underwent heart transplant surgery.
We got the call at 1.30am on Tuesday morning and boarded a plane at 3.30am to Freeman Hospital in Newcastle. All thanks to the staff at Crumlin hospital and Granard Gardai. The longest and most terrifying/amazing journey of our lives.
The whole journey all we could think about was the donor and their family, which we prayed for. We arrived in Newcastle at 4.30am where we waited an agonising 14 hrs to see if the organ was suitable!
We handed Evan over to the surgeons at 7.30pm on Tuesday evening. And were comforted by the fact that there was a church full of people at home praying for Evan which coincidentally started at exactly the same time. And hundreds more throughout Ireland, the UK and USA praying also.
We will never forget the overwhelming emotion, goodwill and support we got and are still receiving. We could almost feel it way over here across the water.
Evan came out of theatre at 7.30 Wednesday morning the longest night of our lives and surgery went as planned.
Evan is now off the ventilator, breathing on his own and sitting up chatting a little. He has a long road ahead and who knows how this story will end but I know one thing that you all play a part in it.
So keep praying for Evan and for the amazing family of the donor, who gave Evan the gift of life. So instead of a village raising a child I think the whole of Longford. Bits of Ireland and beyond have raised this particular one. God bless you all.
Forever grateful and humbled
Ann, Gerry, Evan, Jonah and Lily Rose. X
More from Mattie Fox:
Sense of peace
Shoppers deserve better
GAA should stop bleating about payments to managers
A meeting on rural crime in Abbeyshrule tonight heard from three local victims, one of whom was assaulted as he went about his work.
Sam Johnston, Johnston Farm Equipment Longford told those gathered that he had been burgled 17 times in the last three years, the most recent of which occured in October of last year.
Meanwhile, Grace Kearney whose parents own Kearneys Filling Station in Granard told the meeting that the family business has been robbed 15 times over the last 35 years.
One of the worst robberies occured just last November when the assailants broke into the shop and stole thousands of euro in cash and stock, and caused serious criminal damage to the premises.
Paddy Boyle, a well known taxi driver in Longford town told how he was assaulted while picking up a fare on Christmas Eve 2016.
All the victims spoke about the lasting psychological impact of the crimes perpetrated on them and the subsequent cost of upgrading security in the aftermath.
Two fellas drove in in a van and went to my van where they took tools out of it, Mr Johnston said as he recalled the events of the last break-in at his premises.
They then went to the van of the building contractor who was working on the garage at the time and they took about 5,000 worth of tools out of his van.
Then, they just got into the car and drove off.
Mr Johnston said he finds it hard to sleep at night because of the worry over his business.
I sleep with one eye open, to be honest with you, the local businessman added.
I have monitors and alarms, but then every time you go out there after the alarm goes off, you expect the worst.
I got barriers installed at the front of the garage only two weeks ago, but I have spent 20,000 over the last three years trying to protect the premises.
Meanwhile, Deputy Jim OCallaghan Fianna Fail spokesperson on Justice, who also addressed the meeting, said it was vital that the public had full confidence in An Garda Siochana.
He also pointed to the fact that rural garda resources were being reduced as a direct result of gangland crime in Dublin, and the urgent need for those resources in the capital to deal with that level of crime.
Those resources have an impact on the resources available to the rest of the country, he added.
But the community are the eyes and ears of An Garda Siochana and it is the community that can really help in the prevention of rural crime.
For more on this story, see this weeks Longford Leader, on sale Wednesday!
John B Keane's 1965 play 'The Field' has always been popular among theatre-goers and film buffs alike - especially following the 1990 film adaptation of the play, starring Richard Harris, John Hurt and Sean Bean.
Now this wonderful Irish play is coming to Longford as the Bea Masterson Amateur Drama Group prepares to stage it in Legan.
Directed by Vanessa Flood, The Field will come to the Aurora Hall in Legan for four nights on March 1 to March 4.
It's based on the hunger for land and the greed, said Colm Ward of the Bea Masterson Group.
It deals with the bullying methods used to acquire land, and how people threatened anyone encroaching on their land.
In John B Keane's famous play, the rugged Bull McCabe has spent five years of hard labour cultivating a small plot of rented lant and nurturing it from barren rock to fertile field.
So, when the elderly owner of the field decides to put it up for auction, the Bull McCabe believes that he has a claim to it.
What follows is the story of how the McCabes bully and intimidate the townspeople out of bidding in the auction.
But when Galwayman, William Dee, arrives from England with a plan to cover the field with concrete, all hell breaks loose.
The play will take place at the Aurora Hall, Legan, from March 1 to 4 at 8pm sharp each night, with doors opening at 7.30pm.
Tickets are 10.
Pictured above: The cast of 'The Field': George McDonald, Mary Connell, Gabriel Casey, Kieran Kavanagh, Colm Ward, Gerry Madden, Jack and Carmel Nulty, Anne Marie Donohoe, Patrick Byrne, Johnny Murray.
Local News, Crime, Politics
By Long Island News & PR Published: February 26 2018
While Serving as Trustees, Judge Richard Sherwood and Financial Advisor Thomas Lagan Allegedly Looted Family Trusts Funded by Capital Region Philanthropists Warren and Pauline Bruggeman.
Albany, NY - February 26, 2018 - New York Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman announced the arrest of lawyer and Town of Guilderland Judge Richard Sherwood and financial advisor and lawyer Thomas Lagan, for a scheme in which they allegedly plundered over $4 million from family trusts they were responsible for overseeing.
As we allege, the defendants orchestrated a complex scheme to steal millions from trusts they were responsible for protecting, said Attorney General Schneiderman. We have zero tolerance for those who try to game the system and violate the public trust in order to line their own pockets.
As the complaint details , Sherwood and Lagan have provided estate planning and related legal and financial services to Capital Region philanthropists Warren and Pauline Bruggeman and Pauline Bruggemans sister, Anne Urban, since at least 2006. The Bruggemans each created a revocable trust, which contained sub-trusts designed to provide for Anne Urban and Paulines other sister, Julia Rentz. Other funds were to be awarded to Anne Urban and Julia Rentz outright upon the deaths of the Bruggemans.
In 2011, the Anne S. Urban Irrevocable Trust (AUIT) was created using some of the funds from the Bruggeman trusts; Sherwood was named Trustee and Lagan was named Successor Trustee.
In one instance, a sub-trust with approximately $2,000,000 was to be returned to the Pauline Bruggemen Revocable Trust for distribution to six named charities upon Annes death; the complaint alleges that, rather than returning those funds after Urban died in 2013, the funds were disposed of through the AUIT primarily for the benefit of Sherwood and Lagan. In another part of the scheme, Sherwood and Lagan allegedly conspired to deceive an Ohio attorney into sending over $2,000,000 of Julia Rentzs money to the AUIT, under the premise that it would be sent to charity; in fact, Sherwood and Lagan shared those proceeds. Sherwood and Lagan allegedly formed the Empire Capital Trust to benefit themselves and funded it with over $1,000,000 of stolen money. In January 2015, they allegedly transferred $3,598,908 from AUIT to a Trustco Bank account in Sherwoods name and $2,693,865.92 from the AUIT to a Trustco Bank account in Lagans name.
The complaint alleges that Sherwood and Lagan stole a total of $4 million from the trusts.
Todays felony complaint charges Sherwood with two counts of Grand Larceny in the First Degree (a Class B felony); one count of Scheme to Defraud in the First Degree (a Class E felony); and two counts of Criminal Possession of Stolen Property in the First Degree (a Class B felony). The complaint charges Lagan with two counts of Grand Larceny in the First Degree (a Class B felony); one count of Scheme to Defraud in the First Degree (a Class E felony); and two counts of Criminal Possession of Stolen Property in the First Degree (a Class B felony). The defendants were arraigned today before the Hon. Judge Gary Stiglmeier.
The charges are merely accusations and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law.
Attorney General Schneiderman thanks the New York State Police Special Investigations Unit, the U.S. Attorneys Office for the Northern District of New York, the Federal Bureau of Investigations and the New York State Office of Taxation and Finance for their valuable assistance in this investigation.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant Attorneys General Christopher Baynes and Matthew Peluso of the Attorney Generals Public Integrity Bureau, under the supervision of Bureau Chief Daniel G. Cort and Deputy Bureau Chief Stacy Aronowitz. The Criminal Justice Division is led by Executive Deputy Attorney General Margaret Garnett.
Using innovative technology similar to that used for the more widely known Parkinsons spoon, GYENNO Technologies, a Chinese firm, has developed new Gait Aid Equipment to help the 60% of later-stage Parkinsons patients who experience gait freeze and are at risk for falls. The systems smart sensors detect when the problem may occur and provide audio, visual, and tactile alerts, so a patient knows to take precautions in order to avoid a fall. The Gait Aid Equipment features multiple devices that attach to the torso, legs, and/or a cane, utilizing computer learning methods to allow for individualization of the intervention.
Parkinsons disease affects millions of people worldwide, but since there is no cure, disease management relies on the mitigation of symptoms. However, the results are widely varied from effective to not-effective. Parkinsons is a neurodegenerative disorder that affects dopamine-producing neurons in the substantia nigra, which causes both movement-related symptoms and non-movement related symptoms. The movement-related symptoms of the disease often do not manifest until later in disease progression, when more of the substantia nigra neurons have already been lost or impaired.
With increasing severity over time, the more widely known motor (movement) related symptoms are the pill-rolling tremors in the hands (mainly at rest), slowed movements (bradykinesia), cogwheel limb rigidity, gait, and balance issues. Commonly, though, people with Parkinsons are more impacted by the non-motor symptoms, such as apathy, depression, constipation, sleep behavior disorders, loss of sense of smell, dementia, and other forms of cognitive impairment.
GYENNO has since improved on their spoon design, with the creation of version 2: Spoon II. The GYENNO Spoon II utilizes intelligent stabilization technologies that counteracts Parkinsons tremors as food is picked up and carried to the mouth, and smooths out movements even if the hands are shaking horizontally and vertically. The fork adapter head features a rotating handle that lets patients twirl their spaghetti with ease. There is a smart sensor on the utensil that knows when the utensil reaches the mouth, and thereby reduces the shaking even more so that food does not spill. Motion sensors capture tremor movements throughout a meal and that data is collected to be studied, analyzed, and assessed by doctors.
GYENNO combines IoT and Big Data to help Parkinsons sufferers to maintain a better quality of life. The company is collecting data from their devices and sharing the information with researchers around the world to help them better understand the disease.
We spoke with Andy Nie, the International Manager of GYENNO Technologies, to find out more about what the company is up to.
Alice Ferng, Medgadget: What is your background and how did you get involved with GYENNO?
Andy Nie, GYENNO Technologies: I study automation and have overseas working experience. I think the GYENNO is very focused and innovative. Before I joined in, also they were making very advanced products. I think it is a good chance to expand the overseas market. So I joined in and help to expand the market overseas.
Medgadget: Who first came up with the idea for GYENNOs Parkinsons products? What was the motivation behind this product?
Mr. Nie: It was the boss, Mr. Ren Kang, who came up with the idea. In China, we have the biggest Parkinsons disease population the world and no one here focuses on this area. Its a niche market and it needs more effort to develop.
Medgadget: What was the most challenging thing in engineering the spoon? How has the version 2 improved over version 1?
Mr. Nie: I think the challenging thing is that because the spoon is a new product, the supply chain management is hard. Technically, the algorithm is important the part. But since our city Shenzhen (in China) has a lot of talented people, it is not hard to find capable people to solve these issues. The main differences between the two versions are that a wider range of horizontal and vertical movements that are compensated for, in additional to a twisting fork attachment that allows the user to twirl spaghetti with their fork.
Medgadget: For the Gait Aid Equipment package, how far along in development are you, and when will this be available to the public? Tell me more about the technology. How does it work? What does it do?
Mr. Nie: Development has taken about two years so far, and we plan to launch it around August this year. This product uses similar technology to the stabilization technology in our spoon, but allows for audio, visual, and tactile alerts to be given to a Parkinsons patient who is experiencing gait freeze so that they can try and avoid a fall due to the preemptive anticipation. The product features multiple wearable solutions that can be individualized. Here is some data for before and after the device intervention. [Video can be seen here ]
Before the intervention, these measurements reflect the shaking tremors and instability of the patients legs that result in the small shuffling steps, but after the device compensates for the shaking, the patient is able to take smoother steps with a close-to-normal gait. The green light signals the user that the device has made the necessary calculations to counter the Parkinsons gait freeze symptoms and that it is safe to take steps forward.
Medgadget: What are some limitations of the current gait product?
Mr. Nie: We hope it can help up to 80% of Parkinsons patients when they experience symptoms. The limitation is that it cannot apply to all the patients because there are still a lot of unknown and unstable elements in the patients symptoms. The way to improve it is by trying our best to add more ways to do an intervention, and also to have more clinical trials.
Medgadget: Whats next on the list of technological developments for Parkinsons?
Mr. Nie: Right now we have a data management software for hospitals and patients. But right now I cant give out any more information.
Link: GYENNO
Flashback: GYENNO Gait Aid Helps Avoid Gait Freeze in Parkinsons Patients
by Adam Buckman , Featured Columnist, February 23, 2018
A new crime drama coming to AMC next week takes a thoroughly modern approach to depicting its world of international criminals, the underworld networks they control and the tangled webs they weave.
The series is called McMafia, and its very name reveals its point of view. International crime organizations are not very distinguishable from multinational corporations and the financial institutions that support them -- all of which operate globally, and according to this show, are not averse to bending the rules, or in some cases breaking them.
In the premiere episode, a conversation between one such banker -- a man named Alex Godman (played by the series star, James Norton, photo above) and a shadowy Israeli and former Russian (played by David Strathairn) -- literally lays out the parallels between international crime and McDonald's, although McDonald's might want to contest this show's point of view.
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Consisting of just eight episodes, the show is described by AMC as a thriller, and it earns the designation from the outset. It is a very attractive, far-flung crime series, with on-location scenes filmed in Israel, Egypt, England, Russia and possibly France (I wasn't quite sure of this one).
Norton's character is the central figure in the show. He is by all accounts a successful investment banker who manages his own firm. But his father is a former Russian businessman with connections (if not full participation) in Russian underworld circles.
When his family becomes threatened by figures from his father's past, Godman tries to protect them (and himself), and in the process, he himself gets pulled over the dividing line between legitimate business and criminal activity.
The symbolism of his character's name seems as obvious as the show's McMafia title. This show seems to be saying that with his power to move millions of dollars, he is half-god, half-man. Whether this God-man will triumph in the end is anyone's guess -- or no guess if you wish to watch all eight episodes at one sitting next week.
After the show's premiere is seen Monday night (February 26) on AMC, you will have that opportunity to watch the rest of it. Precisely at 11 p.m. Eastern, all eight episodes will begin running on AMC's premium, pay service known as AMC Premiere.
Launched last year, AMC Premiere can be bought for a $4.99 monthly fee on your cable bill (although an AMC press release says it is available only to Comcast Xfinity customers).
AMC shows on the Premiere channel are commercial-free, of course. AMC Premiere offers subscribers a premium viewing experience featuring commercial-free viewing of in-season series, exclusive and first-look content, curated movies and other benefits, said an AMC press release.
Lately, it seems as if news and announcements about these kinds of SVOD offshoots from commercial-supported networks are coming out with much greater frequency.
This is because we have now entered the era in which commercial television has begun to accelerate its evolution to the pay-to-stream model, plunging us into a situation in which both modes will coexist until such time that a tipping point will emerge in favor of one or the other.
The industry has been talking about this evolution for years. And now it is here. Are commercials doomed?
McMafia premieres Monday (February 26) at 10 p.m. Eastern on AMC.
by Tom Siebert , Op-Ed Contributor, February 26, 2018
Last week, I attended Anarchapulco, the annual anarchists conference, with 1,500+ other people from around the world. 2017's conference attracted 500 people, so you can see how this is trending.
The event was loaded with freshly minted twenty-something cryptocurrency millionaires, alternative news reporters and vloggers, crypto-mystics, peaceful revolutionaries and former Congressional reps Ron Paul and Cynthia McKinney.
It took place in Acapulco, Mexico, a region which on January 11 got placed on the State Department's Level Four "Do Not Travel" list. That's right about the time Anarchapulco sold out, tripling its attendance from last year.
I walked around Acapulco freely, often eschewing taxis, and never felt unsafe. The people were incredibly friendly and welcoming. I'll also note that there were a ton of military and private security guys everywhere with semi-automatic weaponry.
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The State Dept. warning versus the reality of life on the ground was interesting, but it was nothing compared to what I learned about the Civil War that's raging in the cryptocurrency community, which has massive real-life implications for the world of global finance.
One of the big draws unbeknownst to me before I got there was that Anarchapulco was supposed to be the mano-a-mano showdown between the bitcoin and the bitcoin cash adherents.
Apparently, all the early anarchist bitcoin supporters split off (or "forked") into bitcoin cash because they didn't like the way bitcoin was being hijacked by a shady crew called the Crypto Creeps, including our old pal Brock Pierce who seem determined to turn the cryptocurrency from a currency into a commodity.
You can see this most recently in the linguistic programming and branding, as bitcoin is now being positioned as "digital gold," which is most emphatically not what it was created for and not what it's supposed to be.
Bitcoin and cryptocurrency were created as a global, decentralized replacement for "fiat money" (a popular term, said with universal disgust, at the conference) that would supplant the shadowy, insider-friendly-only world of global finance and banking.
Repositioning bitcoin and other crypto currencies as an investment strategy, not a currency, bottles it up for "HODL"types another newly minted term that has helped program the public into thinking bitcoin should be an investment, not a currency. That's causing frustration among the early adapters and leading to the bitcoin-cash fork.
In addition, since the fork, bitcoin has added increasingly onerous transaction fees, which have also been a catalyst to turn bitcoin from currency to commodity. Investor and financial blogger Jeff Berwick said when he tried to cash out $35K in bitcoin recently, it would cost him more than $3,000 in transaction fees. If you want to buy a cup of coffee, you might pay more for the transaction fee than the coffee.
Your coffee might be cold or even evaporated by the time it's paid for, too. Bitcoins biggest supporters have refused to broaden the capacity of the blockchain that supports it, causing slowwwww transaction times, sometimes hours or even a day (or more).
Several people pointed this out in presentations, including Berwick, often adding statements like:"I don't know whether this was by [design/conspiracy] or [stupidity/incompetence], but it's set the cryptocurrency movement back years.
There is also a full-fledged censorship and propaganda campaign to keep people from knowing what is going on.
One of the primary places to stay abreast of the latest cryptocurrency news was Reddit's r/bitcoin subreddit, but according to numerous Anarchapulco attendees and speakers (including Berwick and Roger Ver), the moderators of r/bitcoin have been compromised and corrupted. Any reasonable discussion of bitcoin vs. bitcoin cash is immediately deleted, as are comments in subreddit threads.
The corporate media pays no attention to any of this, other than to primarily focus on bitcoin as a commodity, and help the pump/dump crew. Mainstream media reporters who cover the cryptocurrency space were either mocked or held in contempt by everyone I spoke with.
Thus, one promise of Anarchapulco was debate and dueling presentations between the bitcoin and bitcoin cash crews. But here's what happened: None of the bitcoin people showed up.
One of them, Bruce Fenton, was even granted the hallowed closing presentation at the entire event and he still didn't show! There were multiple bitcoin people invited to speak. All of them canceled. Their spots were filled by others, who basically shredded them from the stage.
I was particularly disappointed Fenton didnt show, because he was the prior chairman of the Bitcoin Foundation, and the primary supporter of its current chairman, the controversial Brock Pierce, even in the face of defection of foundation membership. I wanted to ask Fenton about that.
My takeaway is that the global finance types are late to the crypto game and underestimated how quickly it would take off.
They are now involved and assaulting it on all fronts infiltrating it with their own people, trying to control the conversation and language as it relates to the space, attempting to turn it from digital currency to HODL commodity.
Conversely, there is a lot of new money being made by young idealists, libertarians and anti-government types. People who became politically aware via Ron Paul, and to a lesser extent Bernie Sanders. They became aware of how corrupt the system is during both mens media-and-establishment compromised primary runs.
This fresh breed of nouveau riche are not naive, and they are not foolish. They see what is happening with bitcoin, see its original purpose being perverted, and are adapting by splintering crypto from bitcoin into numerous alt-coins. You can see this, as bitcoins percentage of the entirety of cryptocurrency has fallen from roughly 85% to 36% in the past two years.
Now, some of these "alt-coins" are also con games, run by charlatans and thieves. But some of them serve real purpose and are seeking higher motivation. DASH (digital cash), for example, just put up $5 million for investigative reporter Ben Swann to go fully independent, and is seeking other opportunities for investment to propel the movement.
The battle raging at the moment is between the idealists on one side and the common crooks and flat-out horrors on the other. The amount of information getting out to the public is misleading and limited. There is real opportunity for revolution here, and the good guys are still ahead but the bad guys seem to be catching up fast.
If you think Im overstating the potential of cryptocurrency, just look at the SEC filing from Bank of America that dropped Friday, which has the enormous financial-services company acknowledging cryptocurrency is a serious threat to its entire business model.
More people need to become aware of what cryptocurrency has to offer, because if the global finance types win this battle, we're pretty much talking financial panopticon, like what were seeing in China with its Social Credit system.
But thats a dystopian future to be discussed another day.
by Laurie Sullivan @lauriesullivan, February 25, 2018
At Mobile World Congress (MWC) on Monday, Google will release several tools to increase and verify the speeds of mobile websites. The Brand Leaderboard is an infographic that illustrates the leaders in mobile speed from Forbes Most Valuable Brands list. Leading the group is ESPN.com with a 1.4-second website load time. Apple follows with 1.5 seconds. Starbucks, Lexus, and Zara round out the top three with 1.6 seconds, 1.8 seconds and 1.8 seconds, respectively.
Some 53% of websites are abandoned when a mobile visit takes more than three seconds to load the page, according to Google data.
For starters, the mobile Speed Scorecard allows site owners to compare the mobile speed of their website with other companies' websites, based on real world data from the Chrome User Experience Report. The report, a database of real user latency data, powers the Speed Scorecard. It shows the speed of thousands of page web site load times in 12 countries across the globe.
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A site should load and become usable within five seconds on mid-range mobile devices with 3G connections -- and within three seconds on 4G connections -- wrote Jon Diorio, group product manager of Google Ads, in a blog post. And even one-second improvements could increase conversion rates.
A slow mobile site doesn't just frustrate customers -- it can limit a company's business. "In retail, we see that for every one-second delay in page load time, conversions can fall by up to 20%," wrote Diorio.
So along with the Speed Scorecard, Google introduced the Impact Calculator, a tool that estimates the revenue impact that could result from improving the speed of a mobile site. It can tell site owners the amount that is gained by reducing load time by two seconds versus one second.
Google recently added expanded support in accelerated mobile pages for Shopping ad campaigns. Later this year, AdWords will begin processing click measurement requests in the background to speed up how quickly a landing page loads.
by Tanya Gazdik , February 25, 2018
A social media campaign last year from the Los Angeles tourism bureau was effective in countering perceived anti-welcome sentiment in the United States, according to recent data.
The tourism group is continuing the theme into 2018. Last years effort included a video and an out-of-home activation and resulted in a seventh consecutive year of record-breaking visitation to L.A., outperforming both projected forecasts and inbound travel to the U.S. in 2017. A contributing factor to L.A.s year-over-year increase in international visitation is the resonance of a message of welcome, according to the bureau.
Everyone is Welcome reinforced the citys cultural diversity and inclusivity. A recent sentiment study conducted in Australia, the U.K., China and Mexico confirmed the campaigns effectiveness with positive favorability from each market including a resounding impact on visitation likelihood from China (82%) and Mexico (69%).
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Tourism is among the largest and healthiest contributors to the Los Angeles economy, supporting an average of more than 517,000 jobs in the Leisure & Hospitality sector last year. Estimates show visitors are expected to generate at least $300 million dollars in transient occupancy tax collections for the City of Los Angeles in 2017, a record. These dollars are used to fund local fire, police as well as cultural and recreational services.
The 2018 effort, with the tweaked theme of LA (Heart) Everyone, includes a 30-second film featuring the citys diverse faces and places. It is launching online via digital platforms like Hulu, YouTube and Glassview, along with 10-second videos on both Facebook and Instagram, and display and banner ads throughout a variety of travel, lifestyle and cultural sites in the U.S., Mexico City and in China.
Out-of-home in New York will include high impact boards near Times Square, Penn Station and at the Port Authority. Over 2,000 static and digital posters will be placed throughout New Yorks subway system. The OOH in New York will speak specifically to New Yorkers and run through the end of May.
by Sara Guaglione , February 26, 2018
Vogue has partnered with Visteria, a new Polish publishing company, to launch Vogue Poland. The first issue debuted February 14. Vogue Poland, based in Warsaw, is the 23rd international edition under Conde Nasts fashion brand.
The time was right to launch Vogue Poland, as the country experiences a recent boom in its luxury market and economy, Karina Dobrotvorskaya, president of Conde Nast new markets and editorial director of brand development, told Business of Fashion.
"Poland is a thriving market in Eastern Europe, with a growing hunger for luxury. It's a natural for Vogue," stated Jonathan Newhouse, chairman and CEO of Conde Nast International.
Visteria chairman Kasia Kulczyk said the company created two dedicated teams, one for the print edition and one for its digital edition, Vogue.pl, both of which launched simultaneously.
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Yes, digital is becoming increasingly globalised, but print readers are still looking for a unique experience. So we do believe Poland deserves its own highly creative edition of Vogue, which will be different from the other 22 Vogues, Dobrotvorskaya said.
The first three issues of Vogue Polska will have a print circulation of 160,000. Eleven issues will be released in 2018, with a two-month, July-August summer issue.
Vogue Poland editor-in-chief Filip Niedenthal said the second issue, which will hit newsstands next month, will have an expanded culture section in addition to its fashion coverage. Niedenthal was the former editor-in-chief of the Polish edition of Hearsts mens magazine Esquire.
Polish model Malgosia Bela, who is featured on the cover of the first Vogue Poland issue, is the magazines editor-at-large.
Vogue launched an edition in Ukraine in 2013. Vogue Arabia, the brands first property in the Middle East, debuted online in 2016, and in print last spring.
by Sara Guaglione , February 26, 2018
Bonnier Corp. is partnering with The Washington Post to move onto its Arc Publishing platform.
Arc will power the digital properties and technology for Bonniers more than 30 magazine brands, which include Popular Science, Saveur and Field & Stream, among others.
Bonnier will no longer need an in-house team to support its internally built custom CMS. Arc Publishing will now oversee those responsibilities. The idea is that this frees up Bonniers product and engineering teams to focus on audience growth and engagement, and its editorial teams can focus solely on its journalism.
It became evident early in the demo process that the Arc platform was well designed from a capabilities point of view, stated David Ritchie, Bonnier's COO. He added Arc incorporates a host of functionality that we currently must purchase from third-party vendors.
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"With Arc, we will be in a position to simplify our tech stack, while also benefiting from the continued development of tools by the Arc engineering team. Thats a powerful combination.
The Arc platform can also help publishers produce and manage advertising and marketing efforts, including native ads and branded content, monetization, syndication to distributed platforms and provides tools for analytics and optimization.
Arc now has a new, highly-configurable subscription platform that brands, broadcasters and magazines can use to optimize their digital presence, Scot Gillespie, The Washington Posts Chief Technology Officer, noted, as well as custom-tailored planning, curation tools for visual brands and the capability to organize content and templates across multiple sites.
The Washington Post lives on Arc, too. The platform was built by engineers and designers at the newspaper.
Arc Publishing has been around in some form since 2014, but last March Tronc signed on to the platform, marking its first deal with a big U.S. publisher.
Arcs revenue doubled year-over-year in 2017, and the goal is to double it again in 2018, according to a Fast Company report.
In 2017, digital advertising dollars contributed more overall revenue to the paper than ever before, he added.
WaPo's Chief Information Officer Shailesh Prakash has previously said the company believes Arc could eventually become a $100 million business. Licensing the platform could be an alternative revenue stream for WaPo, though in a brief sent to employees last month , publisher Fred Ryan stated the paper had tripled its digital subscriptions since 2016, and the newspaper now has more than 1 million paid digital subscribers.
by Steven Rosenbaum , Featured Contributor, February 26, 2018
When we invited Alexa into our home, we knew she was young: a techno-toddler, just learning how to make her way around the world -- and our New York City apartment.
We treated her gently, in fact asking very little of her. She turned the radio on and off. Changed the volume. Played some podcasts, nothing extreme.
But now shes got more Skills, and were ready to jump into some more smart home devices and behaviors.
Here are a few excerpts from my Alexa diary. A word of warning: Its not all pretty.
Day 1:
Let us have light. OK, nothing fancy, just turning some lights on and off. So, with credit card in hand, Im buying some bulbs, switches, and plugs. IOT, here we come!
Lesson one: Alexa doesnt talk to devices. Not really. She wants to talk to a hub, and the hub talks to the devices. Ugh. OK, the Hub choices are Samsung SmartThings, Wink Hub, Philips Hue Start Bridge thats about it.
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Quick bit of research: SmartThings hub has the most third-party options, and its reasonably priced for the early adopter set.
So I grabbed a few dimmers, GE Z-Wave Plus Wireless Smart Lighting Control Smart Dimmer, In-Wall. Also those with color bulbs (fancy!) Expower Smart WiFi Light, and Smart Bulb Dimmable 6.5W RGB Led Bulb, compatible with Alexa Echo. And a smart plug: Gosund Mini Smart Plug Outlet.
First set of painful lessons learned. Theres a bunch of standards Z-Wave, ZigBee, and others that need to connect with the SmartThings hub, which needs to connect with Alexa. Ok, this isnt quite as simple as I was expecting.
First fail: the Expower Smart WiFi Light wants a 2G Wifi network, but my devices are on a 5G network. So that bulb doesnt work and never will. Dang, Im going to have to check what WiFi network all my lights need. I wonder if I go to 6G (or whatever comes next), will I have to replace all my devices? Thats a forbidding look at the future of the connected home.
Second fail is the Gosund Smart Plug. It doesnt like the SmartThings Hub, even though it says it does. Back it goes.
Day 10:
The SmartThings-enabled dimmers require red, black, and white wires a neutral, as well as line and load. OK, I kinda know this stuff. Open the wall outlet, take out the old dimmer (with the fuse off) and theres no neutral wire. Tried hooking up with just black and red fail. So, two of the lights I most want Alexa to dim are going to need an electrician, and maybe some serious money. Bummer.
More purchases, to replace the bulbs and switches that didnt work:
Color bulbs: SYLVANIA SMART+ ZigBee Full Color A19 LED Bulb
Outlet: Samsung F-OUT-US-2 SmartThings Outlet, White Samsung SmartThings
The good news, these work. So, now its time to dive into the software.
Day 16: There are Scenes in both the Samsung SmartThings hub software and the Alexa Echo software. They kinda look the same, but thats part of Educating Alexa.
So, first I teach SmartThings about what Things I have. It finds plugs, switches, bulbs. Takes a few tries. Then, I set up Routines. Nothing fancy: Good Morning, Good Night, House Lights On, House Lights Off. By the time Im done, its been two hours.
Then I ask Alexa to run a routine. Fail. Need to ask Alexa to find new Routines (really?) and then move them from the SmartThings Hub to Alexa. Done. Now the question is, where do I modify or adjust the Routines? Best as I can tell, its both places which is a slog.
Day 20: Software
Ive kind of given up. Alexa will turn on the radio and turn the lights on and off. But the James Bond vision I had of changing colors subtly, or being able to have Alexa read me the news, or tell me about traffic or the weather let's just say thats not happening in this round of Alexa education.
It turns out theres another layer of software that can create more sophisticated (read hard-to-implement) routines. They're called Stringify, Yonomi, and IFTTT (If This, Then That).
I tried Stringify, which even the most friendly tutorial video on YouTube warns is a bit complex at first.
You need to add Things (devices) to a Flow (an action). First I log into the SmartThings account, and I choose the devices I would like to control in the SmartThings Hub. Thats where the fun ends.
Stringify has a snazzy website and promises James-Bond-like home automation. But having to say, Alexa, ask Stringify to run Good Morning, is just one digital robot too many for me to keep track of to turn on the lights.
So, where have we ended up?
Its early days for IOT and smart home automation. But the idea of talking to your home is here to stay. And connecting a hub to Alexa is only going to get easier and cheaper. So, Alexa house lights on.
by Wendy Davis @wendyndavis, February 26, 2018
In a closely watched case, a federal appellate court on Monday restored the Federal Trade Commission's authority to prosecute AT&T for allegedly duping wireless consumers by promising them unlimited data, but throttling their speeds after they hit a monthly data cap.
The ruling reverses an earlier decision by a three-judge panel of the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals, which said in 2016 that the FTC couldn't prosecute AT&T because the agency lacks the authority to police common carriers. Many observers interpreted that earlier ruling as depriving the FTC of the ability to bring any consumer protection cases against some broadband providers -- including cases for privacy violations or failure to honor net neutrality promises.
In the new decision, 11 appellate judges unanimously ruled that the FTC may prosecute common carriers like AT&T and other telecoms, provided the prosecution deals with a non-common carrier service.
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"We conclude that ... the FTC may regulate common carriers non-common-carriage activities," the judges wrote in the 34-page opinion.
The ruling grew out of the FTC's 2014 lawsuit alleging that AT&T duped more than 3.5 million people by selling them unlimited data plans, but slowing their connections after they exceeded monthly allotments ranging from 3 GB to 5 GB. (AT&T has since revised its practice.)
AT&T argued that the lawsuit should be dismissed on the grounds that the FTC lacks authority to prosecute common carriers. A trial judge rejected AT&T's argument, noting that mobile broadband wasn't considered a common carrier when the FTC filed suit. (In 2015, the Obama-era FCC reclassified mobile broadband as a common carrier service; last year, the FCC voted to repeal that classification.)
In 2016, a three-judge panel of the 9th Circuit reversed the trial judge and dismissed the FTC's case. That panel ruled that the FTC lacked jurisdiction based on AT&T's "status" as a common carrier -- regardless of whether the agency's complaint concerned a common-carrier activity.
The FTC then asked the court to reconsider its ruling. Consumer advocacy groups like Public Knowledge, some lawmakers and others -- including the FCC -- backed that request. In a rare move, Charter, Comcast, Cox and Verizon also sided against AT&T. The companies argued to the 9th Circuit that Internet service providers like themselves should be subject to the FTC's authority.
The 9th Circuit on Monday specifically rejected the idea that a company's "status," as opposed to its "activities," determines whether the FTC has jurisdiction over a particular practice.
The judges said that previous decisions had established that controversies about whether a company was a "common carrier" turned on the nature of the disputed activity -- and not the company's status. "AT&T provides no persuasive argument for why we should overturn these precedents and adopt a novel, status-based interpretation," the court wrote.
The judges acknowledged that the ruling left open the possibility that two different agencies would have authority over telecoms and other common carriers, but said that scenario was not problematic. "In the administrative context, two cops on the beat is nothing unusual," the judges wrote.
Harold Feld, senior vice president at Public Knowledge, praised the new ruling. "On the whole, we think this is a good decision," he said.
Feld added that the decision ensures that there is no regulatory gap -- meaning a situation where no agency has oversight over companies. "For the things that are clearly common carriage, the FCC exercises jurisdiction," he says. "For things that are not clearly common carriage, the FTC exercises jurisdiction."
by Wendy Davis @wendyndavis, February 26, 2018
The record industry is asking a federal appellate court to reconsider a recent decision that reversed a $25 million copyright verdict against the Internet service provider Cox Communications.
"If allowed to stand, the panels decision would remove an important deterrent to negligent and reckless behavior and undermine the incentives and ability of artists, songwriters, and others to create valuable works and distribute them to the public," the Recording Industry Association of America says in court papers filed late last week with the 4th Circuit Court of Appeals.
The organization is weighing in on a 2014 lawsuit by record label BMG, which sued Cox because its subscribers allegedly shared pirated files online. Cox argued that it was protected by the Digital Millennium Copyright Act's safe harbors, which immunize Internet service providers from liability for users' activity -- but only if the ISPs have policies for handling repeat offenders.
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BMG convinced the trial judge that Cox wasn't entitled to the safe harbor protections because it failed to disconnect people who repeatedly infringed. The record label said it informed Cox that thousands of its customers were infringing copyright, and that Cox didn't take any action.
A jury decided in 2015 that Cox was liable for contributing to users' infringement, and that the company should pay $25 million to BMG.
Cox then appealed to the 4th Circuit Court of Appeals, which issued a mixed ruling earlier this month. That court ruled that Cox wasn't entitled to rely on the safe harbor protections on the grounds that it lacked an effective policy for dealing with repeat offenders.
But the appellate judges also ruled that even without the safe harbor protection, Cox might not been responsible for users' infringement. That's because, according to the appellate court, companies are only liable for contributing to infringement if the companies either know about acts of infringement or are willfully blind to them.
The panel ruled that Cox was entitled to a new trial because the judge at the original trial incorrectly told the jurors that they could find Cox liable if it knew or should have known about infringement by users. "The formulation 'should have known' reflects negligence and is therefore too low a standard," the appellate judges wrote. "Because there is a reasonable probability that this erroneous instruction affected the jurys verdict, we remand for a new trial."
BMG has asked the 4th Circuit to reconsider that part of the ruling. The RIAA, along with the National Music Publishers' Association, say in a friend-of-the-court brief that they support that request.
"Wide-scale infringement of the kind demonstrated by Cox in this case inhibits the growth of a legitimate online music marketplace," the groups write.
They add that the appellate judges' decision to reverse the original verdict "misreads the law and undermines a critical protection that creators have depended on for many years."
Cox has not yet responded to the music industry's newest arguments.
The last time I sat in awe looking at Sridevi was in a movie theatre that was playing 'English Vinglish'. Strutting around the streets of New York in her crisp cotton sarees, she made all of us cry with her emotional speech at the end of the movie. I couldn't believe she was the same Sridevi who had made us laugh our hearts out with her Charlie Chaplin act, two decades ago when I had first seen 'Mr India' as a young child. She was also the same Sridevi who had raised temperatures as she danced to 'Kaate Nahi Kat Te' in her blue chiffon saree in the same film.
That was it. Sridevi could be anything. She could be a diva one moment, she could be a goofy entertainer the next.
Yash Raj Films
Narsimha Enterprises
Her solid-coloured chiffon sarees found much favour in mainstream cinema, and we saw the likes of Raveena Tandon and Madhuri Dixit setting the screen on fire in numbers like 'Tip Tip Barsa Pani' and 'Dhak Dhak' respectively. Much of our childhood awakening about the art of seduction happened through these chiffon sarees.
Narsimha Enterprises
With over 300 films to her credit, Sridevi had built a legacy she was the country's first female superstar. She was the female lead who could act, dance, make people laugh and fall in love at the same time. No one else could pack in as much talent and versatility as Sridevi did. From her energetic Mere hathon mein nau nau choodiya hain to the seductive Har Kisi Ko Nahi Milta, Sridevi was an effortless entertainer and charmer. She was the one who lit the screen.
Narsimha Enterprises
While her quietly brilliant performance in 'Sadma' won her critical acclaim and placed her alongside the likes of serious actors like Shabana Azmi and Smita Patil, her comic timing in movies like 'Chaalbaaz' and 'Mr India' made her a people's favourite.
Lakshmi Productions
Here was an actress who was not afraid to look silly onscreen, who could contort her face into a hundred comical expressions, who was a refreshing respite from the conventional actress typecast either as a seductress or as a virgin mary. She was Miss Hawa Hawai, she was the unapologetically chirpy sassy female character the bumbling reporter who managed to stand out in a movie that had a hero who could make himself invisible and a villain who was etched straight out of your craziest nightmare.
Filmfare
And yet, Sridevi managed to make her presence felt and the song 'Hawa Hawai' was immortalised as one of the most iconic moments of the eighties. In striking contrast to this had been her portrayal of a human snake in 'Nagina', fighting against the fearsome sapera, played by another class actor Amrish Puri. Her directors remembered her as a humble and diligent actor, one who after a day's shoot enquired if she could leave for home.
Narsimha Enterprises
In her films, Sridevi stood her own. In a male-dominated industry, she could overshadow even her male co-stars and was often paid as much as them. She left us too soon, and as the industry tries to grapple with the loss, we think Ms Hawa Hawai will forever remain the Khwabon ki shehzadi who ruled the hearts of her fans. Bollywood has lost its chandni.
Bollywood's superstar and veteran actress Sridevi's untimely demise has left a void in the hearts of everyone who loved her. Be it her family, the people who had the pleasure of working with her or her fans who worshipped her, this absence is something that needs more than time to heal. If you are a true fan, you'd probably know a lot about her already but in case you are intrigued, we have a list of lesser known facts about the beloved actress.
1. Sridevi's birth name was Shree Amma Yanger Ayyapan. She adopted the name 'Sridevi', and eventually was known by this name only all her life.
Instagram
2. While many actors thought that making debuts at 16 or maybe 18 years was a big deal, Sridevi was probably born a professional. The gorgeous actress accelerated her film career at the mere age of 4 with the Tamil movie, 'Thunaivan'.
3. For someone who faced the camera at 4 years of age, Sridevi took the humongous task of playing Rajnikanth's step mother in 'Moondru Mudichu'. Just FYI, she was only 13 years old at that time but still 9 years deep in the industry.
RMS Films
4. Sridevi was awarded the Padma Shri in the year 2013, India's fourth highest civilian award.
Twitter
5. Not many are aware but 'Beta' and 'Darr', the movies which are now synonymous with the success of Madhuri Dixit and Juhi Chawla, were initially offered to her. However, she refused them since she was already doing a lot of movies with Anil Kapoor at that time and she thought that 'Darr' didn't offer her much as an actor.
6. Not just Bollywood but even Hollywood loved Sridevi. Apparently in 1993, celebrated director Steven Spielberg really wanted to cast her for 'Jurassic Park' when Sridevi was already enjoying a superstar status in India. She politely refused because she felt the role wasn't 'meaty' enough for her.
Twitter
7. Since she wasn't very comfortable with the language, Sridevi started dubbing for her own Hindi films with 'Chandni'.
The actress was just 54 years old when she passed away and her last movie will be SRK' s 'Zero', in which she will have a guest appearance. While the film fraternity lost a superstar, Sridevi was much more than just an actor. She was a wife, a mother and a role model for millions of women in the country. We hope her soul rests in eternal peace.
PORTLAND The Board of Selectmen will hold a special meeting Monday night during which they are expected to postpone Wednesdays scheduled Town Meeting.
The meeting was to be held to enable residents to approve the purchase of a five-acre parcel of land along the Connecticut River.
What Is ISIS-K? Two Experts on the Group Behind the Kabul Airport Attack and its Rivalry with the Taliban
By 2018, the group had become one of the top four deadliest terrorist organizations in the world.
Go out for strikes first, gather intel later. It's the way officials are sending out the MQ-9 Reaper drone for a new, tailored multi-role mission to strike Taliban targets in Afghanistan.
A single medium-altitude unmanned Reaper on Thursday dropped four 500-pound precision guided weapons on a Taliban narcotics facility in Helmand Province, destroying its targets, Air Forces Central Command said in a release Monday.
AfCent officials said the "historic multirole missions in the deliberate air campaign" are in line with this new approach to execute "deliberate strikes, armed overwatch or close air support missions, and then [flex] to an [intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance] tasking - all in a single mission."
Officials added that the strategy gave planners more flexibility to choose the right strike platform, manned or unmanned. The available options include F-16 Fighting Falcons; B-52 Stratofortresses; A-10 Thunderbolt IIs; and MQ-9s, AfCent said.
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The announcement comes a few weeks after the the B-52 set another record for the number of smart bombs dropped on Taliban facilities.
The iconic bomber played a leading role against the extremist group earlier this month, striking the Taliban's training facilities in Badakhshan province near the border of China and Tajikistan with 24 smart bombs, U.S. Forces-Afghanistan said in a release. That's up from a previous record set in November of 19 precision-guided munitions dropped.
The MQ-9 as a platform has steadily been adding to the Air Force's strike tally in the region.
As the service slowly begins to phase out its MQ-1 Predator unmanned aerial vehicle, the larger, more lethal MQ-9 is stepping up its missions.
For example, when the military mission in Afghanistan transitioned from Operation Enduring Freedom to the NATO-led Resolute Support, the MQ-9's missions increased tenfold in comparison to the MQ-1.
The Reaper conducted 950 strikes, shooting off approximately 1,500 weapons, between Jan. 2015 and Aug. 2017, according to AfCent statistics provided to Military.com. The MQ-1 executed only 35 strikes, employing roughly 30 weapons, in that same timeframe.
In June, the Air Force sent out its first MQ-9 Block 5 variant -- which features updated electrical and communications systems, and works with the new Block 30 cockpit -- to support operations against the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria.
The MQ-1 can carry two AGM-114 Hellfires; the MQ-9, by comparison, has a payload of 3,750 pounds, and carries a combination of AGM-114 Hellfire missiles, GBU-12 Paveway II and GBU-38 Joint Direct Attack Munitions, according to the Air Force.
The Air Force is pushing to move to an all-MQ-9 remotely piloted combat aircraft fleet following the planned retirement of the MQ-1 on March 9.
-- Oriana Pawlyk can be reached at oriana.pawlyk@military.com. Follow her on Twitter at @oriana0214.
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The Nuclear Posture Review (NPR) includes a long-term plan that could put nuclear cruise missiles aboard the new Zumwalt class (DDG 1000) of stealthy Navy destroyers, according to the commander of U.S. Strategic Command.
Air Force Gen. John Hyten, StratCom chief, said the plan to develop a new, low-yield nuclear Sea-Launched Cruise Missile (SLCM, or "Slick-em") would not be limited to using ballistic submarines as the sole launch platform, as many assumed when the NPR was endorsed by Defense Secretary Jim Mattis earlier this month.
"It's important to know that the NPR, when it talks about the Sea-Launched Cruise Missile, does not say 'Submarine-Launched Cruise Missile,' " Hyten said in a Feb. 16 keynote address in Washington, D.C., at the National Defense University's Center for the Study of Weapons of Mass Destruction.
In response to questions, he said, "We want to look at a number of options -- everything from surface DDG 1000s into submarines, different types of submarines" for the SLCMs.
Related: At $800K a Pop, New Navy Destroyer's Ammo Is in Question
"That's what the president's budget has requested of us -- to go look at those platforms, and we're going to walk down that path," Hyten said.
The USS Zumwalt, the first of three new stealthy destroyers billed by the Navy as the world's largest and most technologically advanced surface combatants, experienced numerous cost overruns in construction and problems in sea trials. It also broke down while transiting the Panama Canal in 2016.
The second ship in the Zumwalt class, the Michael Monsoor, had to cut short sea trials in December because of equipment failures.
The NPR called for the development of two new, low-yield nuclear weapons -- the SCLM and a new submarine-launched ballistic missile.
Hyten said the U.S. will be modifying "a small number of existing submarine-launched ballistic missile warheads to provide a prompt, low-yield capability, as well as pursuing a modern nuclear-armed sea-launched cruise missile in the longer term."
He added, with some regret, that both are necessary to enhance U.S. deterrence against growing tactical and strategic nuclear threats from Russia and China.
"I don't have the luxury of dealing with the world the way I wish it was," he said. "We, as a nation, have long desired a world with no or at least fewer nuclear weapons. That is my desire as well. The world, however, has not followed that path."
New developments with the Xian H6K strategic bomber, a version of the Russian Tupolev Tu-16 twin-engine bomber, has given China a nuclear triad of bombers, land-based missiles and submarines "for the first time," Hyten said.
He also cited repeated statements from Russian President Vladimir Putin about modernizing his own nuclear force and developing a new generation of low-yield weapons. "Russia has been clear about their intent all along," he said.
In the question-and-answer period at National Defense University, an official from the Russian Embassy in Washington challenged the general's assessment of the threat posed by his country.
Hyten responded, "We listen very closely to what your president says, and then watch closely" through a variety of means to see Putin's thoughts put into action. "We have to consider those a threat."
Earlier, he said, "Our adversaries are building and operating these strategic weapons, not as a science experiment, but as a direct threat to the United States of America."
In an address preceding Hyten's, Pentagon policy chief David Trachtenberg said that the new NPR developed for the Trump administration should not be seen as a divergence from the 2010 NPR adopted by the Obama administration.
"Contrary to some commentary, the Nuclear Posture Review does not go beyond the 2010 NPR in expanding the traditional role of nuclear weapons," said Trachtenberg, deputy undersecretary of defense for policy.
"The goal of our recommendations is to deter war, not to fight one," he said. "If nuclear weapons are employed in conflict, it is because deterrence failed, and the goal of the 2018 NPR is to make sure that deterrence will not fail."
However, "it is clear that our attempts to lead by example in reducing the numbers and salience of nuclear weapons in the world have not been reciprocated," Trachtenberg said.
Russia and China have made clear their intentions to "expand the numbers and capabilities" of their nuclear arsenals, he said.
-- Richard Sisk can be reached at Richard.Sisk@Military.com.
Military members and veterans can get up to four free months of Apple Music through the Apple Music military discount -- but...
The Dodgers have agreed to a minor league deal with catcher Rocky Gale, according to SB Nations Chris Cotillo (Twitter link). The contract includes an invitation to the Dodgers big league Spring Training camp. Gale was released by the Padres earlier this week after being designated for assignment to create roster space for the newly-signed Eric Hosmer.
A 24th-round pick for San Diego in the 2010 draft, Gale spent his entire pro career in the Padres organization, hitting .259/.306/.324 over 2198 minor league plate appearances. He made brief appearances at the MLB level in both 2015 and 2017, appearing in a total of 14 Major League games.
Los Angeles already has Austin Barnes and Yasmani Grandal handling duties behind the plate on the 25-man roster, so Gale will join Shawn Zarraga and Kyle Farmer as the Dodgers top depth options at the minor league level. There was some trade speculation surrounding Grandal since the veteran catcher is just a year away from free agency and Barnes emerged as a legitimate starter in 2017, though nothing seemed to develop in the way of legitimate buzz about a possible move. It seems much more plausible that L.A. will deploy both Grandal and Barnes this season and any other catching signings are pure depth moves.
Yankees manager Aaron Boone suggested Sunday that they wont sign either Lance Lynn or Alex Cobb, yet the team has maintained contact with Lynn throughout the offseason, Jon Morosi of MLB.com writes. The Yankees are monitoring the top available starters in general, according to Morosi, who hears that the Brewers, Phillies, Rangers, Orioles and Nationals are doing the same. The Angels, meanwhile, are open to signing the best free agent reliever, Greg Holland, if the price is right, per Morosi. The Halos bullpen has seemingly taken a step back since last year ended, having lost Yusmeiro Petit and Bud Norris to free agency and added only Jim Johnson. While Holland would help make up for those exits, hes presumably not going to sign for cheap, and inking the qualifying offer recipient would cost the Angels their second-highest draft pick this year and $500K in international spending room.
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On Friday (February 23), Chinas government said that it will be taking control of Anbang Insurance Group Co. for at least a year, citing a major restructuring that might include the sale of assets.
Among the firms most liquid assets include InnVest Real Estate Investment Trust, one of Canadas largest hotel owners. Stated acquirer was Bluesky Hotels & Resorts Inc., which has ties to Anbang, people with knowledge of the matter said at the time. InnVest was acquired on May 2016 for the cost of $2.1 billion, Bloomberg reported.
Read more: Toronto continues to magnetize real estate investors
Odessa Police Department
An Odessa man has been arrested after allegedly threatening a police officer, according to a press release from the Odessa Police Department.
Fernando Gutierrez Jr., 19, was arrested Wednesday on a third-degree felony charge of obstruction or retaliation, according to the release.
Odessa Police Department
An Odessa woman was arrested Feb. 19 after allegedly punching a police officer, according to a press release from the Odessa Police Department.
Dora Hampton, 39, was arrested on two third-degree felony charges -- assault on a public servant and harassment of a public servant and two Class A misdemeanors -- evading arrest and resisting arrest.
There is enough food to take ...
Sacramento, CA Seeking her fifth term as US Senator, California Democrats declined to endorse incumbent Dianne Feinstein at the partys annual convention over the weekend.
California Senator Kevin de Leon was the much more popular candidate among delegates, receiving 54-percent of the vote among the 3,000-plus in attendance, compared to Feinsteins 37-percent. However, 60-percent is needed to receive the partys official endorsement. It means neither candidate will receive a boost of campaign money from the party heading into the June primary.
Also of note, the California Democratic Party endorsed Jessica Morse in the District Four US House race. She is running against Republican incumbent Tom McClintock. She received the endorsement over other Democratic candidates, Regina Bateson and Roza Calderon.
In the race for Republican Frank Bigelows Assembly District Five seat, the party endorsed Carla Neal, and for outgoing California State Senator Tom Berryhills District 8 seat, the group endorsed Tom Pratt.
California Drought Monitor Map View Photos
Sonora, CA The US Drought monitor has released a new map showing nearly half of California is in the midst of drought conditions.
47-percent of the state is in at least a moderate drought, according to the new report, including most of Tuolumne County and all of Mariposa County. The only part of Tuolumne County not considered in a drought is along the northwest edge. Calaveras and Amador counties are not yet in a drought, but they are considered abnormally dry.
19-percent of the state, around the greater Los Angeles region, is in a severe drought. If more precipitation arrives later this week, and more during the month of March, it could help turn the tide.
Researchers review items such as rainfall, snowpack, local stream flow and others when determining if an area is in a state of drought.
Only a few lucky men across Texas can say they were told off by Selena on stage.
It was common for the Queen of Tejano to bring a male volunteer on stage so she could serenade them with the fiery lyrics of "Que Creias," a song that tells the story of a woman shooing away her ex-love. In the spring of 1993, at the Midland Chaparral Center, Rey Carrasco played the part.
Now known as "Tio Rey" to 18-year-old Aleena Acosta, from Kermit, Texas, the man and his rare photos have become the subject of a viral Twitter conversation.
RELATED: Man beautifully reworks Selena doll to actually look like the Queen of Tejano
Acosta shared the three photos of her uncle with the legend on Thursday. In fewer than 24 hours, the photos had garnered more than 14,000 likes and 3,000 retweets.
"My tio Rey told me Selena sang to him but I never believed him bc my tia forgot where she put the pictures but she found them.. I'm crying," her tweet read.
She told mySA.com the story behind the photos.
Her uncle and his sister were in the front row of the concert that night. When Selena asked for volunteers, the two went "crazy" to get her attention until she picked Rey out of the crowd.
"He was in awe of being on stage with her and the only thing between him and Selena was a microphone," she said. "After she sang the song, Rey jumped off the stage not knowing he had left Selena with her arms wide opened about to give him a hug."
"That was his only regret of the night," she added.
See the rare photos in the gallery above.
Madalyn Mendoza is a digital reporter for MySA.com. Read more of her stories here.| mmendoza@mysa.com | Twitter: @MaddySkye
A patriotic love story is at the heart of the legendary Mi Tierra, one of San Antonio's top tourist destinations that locals love to visit, too.
Shortly after Pedro "Pete" Cortez immigrated to San Antonio from Mexico during the Great Depression, he fell in love and married Cruz Llanes. With a $150 loan and family recipes, the newlyweds opened a tiny cafe in Market Square, and they named it for a famous maxim of the Mexican revolutionary Emiliano Zapata: "the land belongs to those who work it" (La tierra es para quien la trabaja).
Oakland Mayor Libby Schaafs warning that U.S. immigration agents were preparing to conduct a major enforcement operation in the Bay Area put advocates for immigrants on alert, and heightened the tension between federal and local authorities over Californias limited cooperation with deportation efforts.
Several people were reported to have been detained by U.S Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents around the region Sunday, but it was not clear whether the reported arrests were part of a larger immigration enforcement action.
Hotlines for immigrant advocacy groups at the same time were flooded with calls as reports and rumors of ICE activity swirled.
At least one person was detained by ICE agents in Napa around 9:40 a.m., said Susan Shawn, co-director of the North Bay Organizing Project. ICE agents also detained people with deportation orders Sunday in El Sobrante, Pinole and Atwater (Merced County), said Maricela Gutierrez, executive director of the San Joses Services, Immigrant Rights and Education Network, or SIREN.
The Power, Not Panic immigrant alliance said Sunday night that advocates had confirmed 11 arrests in Northern California, including five in Merced County, two in Sacramento County, and one apiece in Monterey and Napa counties.
Officials did not provide further details on the arrests.
The Chronicle reported in mid-January that federal officials were preparing for a big Northern California operation designed to send a message that immigration policy will be enforced in the sanctuary state.
At a Sunday afternoon news conference, Schaaf said she learned about the immigration operation from multiple sources that she would not identify. She said the information did not come through official channels.
My understanding is this is ICE activity, and it will be Bay Area-wide, she said.
ICE officials gave a statement to KGO-TV on Saturday night, saying, There are ICE operations every day and it is unclear what the mayor is referring to. ICE did not respond to several email requests for comment by The Chronicle.
Schaaf said she sought legal counsel before taking to social media Saturday evening with an alert about immigration action. She called the warning an ethical obligation.
She acknowledged sending the alert could perpetuate fear within immigrant communities, but nevertheless, said it was her duty. This is an opportunity for people to learn their rights and responsibilities, she said.
San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo said Sunday that he had learned of a few isolated arrests, and urged families to avail themselves of legal resources without giving in to fear.
I want to make sure that families are not keeping their kids home from school, and theyre not refraining from taking sick family members to the doctor because of some fears that are being stoked by ICE activities, he said.
ICE has taken a series of enforcement actions in California in recent weeks, while expressing frustration with sanctuary laws, which by restricting cooperation between local and federal authorities seek to persuade immigrants not to live in the shadows. President Trump said Thursday that he was thinking about pulling ICE out of California, but it appears that his administration is doing the opposite.
An operation in Los Angeles this month resulted in 212 arrests of immigrants suspected of being undocumented, ICE said. Federal agents also told 122 businesses there that they will be auditing their hiring records to determine whether they are following immigration law, according to officials. Last month, immigration agents visited 77 Northern California businesses in one week, demanding proof that employees were allowed to work in the United States.
Schaaf referred anyone targeted by immigration enforcement officials to the website of Centro Legal de la Raza, a legal services organization that advocates for the immigrant community.
Its hotline had received an influx of calls since Schaafs announcement from worried residents asking for more information, said Malena Mayorga, a coordinator for the Alameda County Immigration Legal and Education Partnership. The group works in conjunction with Centro Legal as part of a rapid response network that seeks to deploy observers to ICE operations, document interactions and enlist legal defense for families.
Hundreds of volunteers were notified of the potential sweep Sunday, and attorneys were standing by, Mayorga said. We are doing everything we can to make sure that things are running as smoothly as possible and that we have as many people available as possible.
Advocates at SIREN sent text messages to 2,000 community members reminding them of their rights should a federal officer show up at their door, Gutierrez said.
This is the message that has been going out since Trump got into office a message of tearing families apart. But families are resilient. We are strong. We are powerful, she said, explaining that the groups hotline was expanded to 24 hours, with three attorneys on call.
Schaaf said residents should understand their legal rights in advance of federal actions. She noted that Oakland public schools have strict protocols in place to protect students, that city police officers are prohibited from participating in ICE enforcement, and that state law limits business owners in assisting ICE.
I have reached out to local leaders and partners in our immigrant communities to share this information, Schaaf said. Our shared message is clear: We want residents to prepare, not panic. We understand ICE has used activity rumors in the past as a tactic to create fear; our intent is for our community to go about their daily lives without fear, but resiliency and awareness.
The Chronicle reported last month that a planned ICE operation in Northern California was expected to go after people who have been identified as targets for deportation, including those who have been served with final deportation orders and those with criminal histories. According to a source familiar with the plans, the number of arrests could increase if officers come across other undocumented immigrants in the course of their actions and make what are known as collateral arrests.
The tension between the White House and liberal leaders in California intensified after the July 2015 killing of Kate Steinle on a San Francisco Bay pier. The undocumented immigrant shooter, Jose Ines Garcia Zarate, had previously been released from San Francisco County Jail under the citys sanctuary ordinance, even though immigration officers had asked that he be turned over for a sixth deportation.
After Garcia Zarate was acquitted of murder charges in November, Thomas Homan, the acting director of ICE, blamed the city for Steinles death, saying the shooting could have been prevented if San Francisco had simply turned the alien over to ICE, as we requested, instead of releasing him back onto the streets.
While San Francisco was a pioneer as a sanctuary city, statewide legislation signed by Gov. Jerry Brown last year limits the circumstances under which jails across California turn over undocumented inmates to the federal government. It also forbids police officers from arresting people on civil immigration warrants and from joining federal agents in task forces intended to enforce immigration laws.
Under the Trump administration, ICE has repeatedly warned that if the agency cant detain people from local jails, it will be forced to arrest them in the communities that hold such policies.
Because sanctuary jurisdictions like Los Angeles prevent ICE from arresting criminal aliens in the secure confines of a jail, our officers are forced to conduct at-large arrests in the community, putting officers, the general public and the aliens at greater risk and increasing the incidents of collateral arrests, Homan said.
Last week, when he threatened to remove federal immigration authorities from California, Trump said, If I wanted to pull our people from California you would have a crime nest like youve never seen in California. ... In two months theyd be begging for us to come back.
WASHINGTON - A proposal to cut the federal government's take from deepwater oil and gas fields in the Gulf of Mexico is making its way towards Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke's desk.
Under a recommendation before the Interior Department's Royalty Policy Committee, the royalty rate collected by the federal government for fields deeper than 200 feet would decrease from 18.75 percent to 12.5 percent in order to attract interest in areas that "are maturing basins with only the most challenging prospects remaining."
"The western and central Gulf of Mexico have been leased... for decades," the recommendation reads. "There are substantial additional resource volumes still accessible and producible under the right leasing, fiscal and regulatory terms."
RELATED STORY: Trump backs off proposal to cut royalties to Gulf coast states
Zinke is under pressure from President Donald Trump to increase oil and natural gas production from federal lands and waters, part of his larger U.S. "energy dominance" strategy to grow the economy and government revenues.
The proposal to cut deepwater royalties follows the decision last July to cut rates for shallow water production - also to 12.5 percent.
How much government royalties - as opposed to crude prices and the natural geology of the ocean floor - impact companies' decision making is a matter of some debate.
Pam Eaton, a senior adviser on energy and climate at the non-profit Wilderness Society, said the government risked handing over taxpayer revenue without any increase in production.
"These are lands and resources owned by all Americans that have tremendous value," she said. "The direction from the department [to the oil industry] was tell us what you need."
Under federal law, 27 percent of offshore oil and gas royalties pass to the states - Texas, Louisiana, Alabama and Mississippi are expected to receive $275 million this year. Trump had proposed stopping that arrangement, but following opposition from governors along the Gulf he backed off.
After years of lawsuits and policy debates with former president Barack Obama, the oil industry is now working closely with the Trump administration.
Randall Luthi, president of the National Ocean Industries Association, which represents companies working offshore, is c0-chair of the subcommittee that made the recommendation to reduce royalties. The American Petroleum Institute, the oil industry's lobbying arm, also said it is backing the Interior Department's "process."
The royalty committee is set to decide Wednesday whether to adopt the recommendation to cut rares, at which point it would go to Zinke's desk for a final decision.
DANBURY The city of Danbury is eliminating its city engineer position because it already has one in Public Works Director Antonio Iadarola.
The position, which helps develop city projects and reviews engineering plans, technically has been vacant for two years.
But the job hasnt gone undone because Iadarola, in addition to his public works administrative duties, also is a licensed professional engineer and has taken on the duties of the acting engineer for that stretch.
Amid a hiring freeze and increasingly tight budgets, city officials decided this month to simply make it official and combine Iadarolas two positions into one.
The city has tried to use to consolidation to streamline its personnel costs during challenging budgets, like the current year and next year, said Denise Janey, the chief examiner of civil service for the citys human resources team.
In essence, hes accepting the additional responsibilities and it will leave us without having to fulfill that engineer position, Janey recently told the Civil Service Commission.
Iadarola is one of the two highest-paid city employees, at $164,474 last year, tied with Finance Director David St. Hilaire, according to salary data provided by the city.
But combining the city engineers position with that of public works director could save the city another six-figure cost in salary, pension and benefits, Janey and Human Resources Director Virginia Alosco-Werner suggested.
The dual role has worked so far, Civil Service Commissioner Shay Nagersheth said.
Its been vacant for two years and weve been able to get by and hes been wearing both hats for all this time anyway, he said.
Schodack
Firefighters extinguished a blaze that heavily damaged a farmhouse, leaving five people homeless on Route 150 Friday morning, town police said.
The fire was called in at about 5:30 a.m. Friday at 3047 State Route 150. Several fire companies responded, and the East Schodack Fire Department led the fight to put out the fire.
Five adults were assisted by the Northeastern New York chapter of the American Red Cross.
The adults received financial assistance for shelter, food and clothing.
Police closed Route 150 to traffic between Burden Lake Road and Luther Road as fire departments were at the fire scene.
Police said department fire investigators were at the scene to determine the cause of the fire.
A number of local school districts are planning community forums on school safety in the wake of the mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla., that left 17 people dead.
Shelton will host its forum at 6:30 p.m., Feb. 27, in the auditorium of Shelton High School, 120 Meadow Street.
School district leaders along with Police Chief Shawn Sequeira and Ben Trabka, the school districts security supervisor, will discuss current practices and hear concerns from families.
Hosting a community forum is an appropriate way to bring people together and to share ideas, Shelton Schools Superintendent Chris Clouet said. We want to ... hear the concerns parents, teachers and, of course, students may have.
Clouet said even one school shooting is too many. School staff in Shelton go through active shooter training drills. High school students have as well.
Also on Tuesday, at 6 p.m., Derby Public Schools and the Derby Police Department will host a School Safety and Security forum in the cafetorium of Derby Middle School, 73 Chatfield Street.
Derby officials will highlight advancements made to help protect against threats and provide an opportunity for participants to share thoughts and ask questions as they relate to school security.
Derby Schools Superintendent Matthew Conway said the focus will be to inform everyone on the improvements made to all schools in the district over the past five years.
We are being proactive and giving those who may be worried an opportunity to express their concerns and together determine what more we can do to protect the ones we love, Conway said.
In Trumbull, a school security information session will be led by First Selectman Vicki Tesoro, Schools Superintendent Gary Cialfi, Police Chief Michael Lombardo, and members of the the Trumbull Partent Teacher Student Association Council.
That event is set for 7 p.m., March 7, in the auditorium of Madison Middle School, 4630 Madison Avenue.
STAMFORD A dozen Stamford high school students were honored for their artistic and writing talents in a regional competition.
Three students from the Academy of Information Technology & Engineering, four students from Stamford High School and five students from Westhill High School were recognized for their submissions to the 2018 Connecticut Regional Scholastic Art and Writing Competition. The program is an affiliate of the National Scholastic Art Awards and The Alliance For Young Artists and Writers and honors the creative efforts of students in grades 7 through 12 in public, private or parochial schools. It is one of the largest and oldest programs of its type in the country.
Students were recognized both for their artistic work, as well as their literary works in the 2018 Hudson-to-Housatonic Region Scholastic Writing Awards which is administered by Writopia Lab, a non-profit which runs creative writing workshops for students.
Students are awarded Gold or Silver Keys and Honorable Mention Awards in each of 29 categories judged by artists, university faculty and professionals in the field. Out of the dozen honored, three received Gold Keys. Cindy Luo of Stamford High received a Gold Key for her artwork, as well as the Lyme Academy College of Fine Arts Scholarship. Julianna Lajko of Westhill High also received a Gold Key for her art and Samuel Harris, also of Westhill, got a Gold Key and Honorable Mention for his poetry, as well as a Silver Key for a dramatic script.
Addtional students honored include:
Marcus Berg, AITE: Silver Award, Short Story;
Elisa Guitierrez, AITE: Honorable Mention, Short Story;
Nathan Yao, AITE: Silver Key and 4 Honorable Mentions ;
Maggie Meister, SHS: Honorable Mention;
Charlotte Saunders, SHS: Honorable Mention;
Jony Tello, SHS: Honorable Mention;
Emma Cali, WHS: Honorable Mention;
Noah Cheruk, WHS: Honorable Mention;
Josue Rodriguez, WHS: Silver Key;
Israel said on Sunday that a deputy who responded to a Nov. 30 call referring to Cruz as a "school shooter in the making" was being investigated by internal affairs for not filing a report. The employee was placed on restrictive duty.
Israel is facing backlash because of the missed red flags leading up to the Valentine's Day attack that left 17 people dead. He has vowed not to resign, saying he has shown "amazing leadership."
Florida Gov. Rick Scott says that he ordered the Florida Department of Law Enforcement Commissioner Rick Swearingen to investigate the law enforcement response to the shooting. Scott's office confirmed on Sunday the commissioner will immediately launch a probe.
Here's the latest on Syria from The Associated press:
Despite a drop in intensity, shelling and bombardment in the Syrian capital and its embattled eastern suburbs killed at least six people Sunday following the U.N. Security Council's unanimous approval of a resolution demanding a 30-day cease-fire across Syria, opposition activists and residents of Damascus said.
Attacks on residential areas appear to have shifted to strikes on front lines where some of the most intense fighting took place throughout the day between government forces and their allies against insurgents. State media said that troops pushed into the eastern suburbs, reports that the opposition denied.
The Ghouta Media Center, an activist collective, said members of the Army of Islam insurgent group repelled the Syrian army's attacks on several fronts adding that many soldiers were killed.
The push by the army, although still limited, appears to be similar to steps taken in rebel-held eastern neighborhoods of the northern city of Aleppo that government forces captured one after another until rebels eventually agreed to leave the city in December 2016, marking President Bashar Assad's biggest victory since the conflict began in 2011.
"The Assad regime and his allies have shown no respect to the Security Council by launching their most intense offensive on Ghouta from several directions hours after the resolution was adopted," said Ghouta-based activist Ahmad Khanshour. He added that government forces "did not succeed in advancing one meter."
Asked whether people were able to leave their underground shelters where they have been hiding for days with little food and water, Khanshour said: "We are still underground and dying." Khanshour added that he is hiding with 45 others in a shelter and they have been surviving on rice, crushed wheat and pasta.
The Observatory said Sunday's airstrikes and shelling killed eight people and wounded dozens in several areas in eastern Ghouta. The opposition's Syrian Civil Defense, also known as White Helmets, said the six were killed in the towns of Saqba, Beit Sawa, Arbeen and Hammouriyeh.
Every year for Black History Month, the Cleveland Historical Museum presents a program to honor local members of the black community, past and present.
This year, the program was held on Feb. 22 at the museum, presented by retired educator Etta David and highlighted the community's earliest black civic leaders.
The guests of honor were Bernest Mitchell, Danny Lee and William Carter, who sat alongside Cleveland Police Chief Darrel Broussard.
These civic leaders shown in the photo slide show, said David, have blazed a trail for future leaders to follow. The program honored 19 black citizens who either served on the Cleveland City Council or the Cleveland ISD Board of Trustees.
Jack Pillot, a Cleveland ISD trustee from 67-68, was a local business and the first black American elected to the school board.
"He also has the distinction of being the first black man to hold a citywide office in Cleveland," David said.
William N. Thomas, an educator and civic leader, was the first black American elected to Cleveland City Council in 1969. His final date of service came in 1985, when his wife, Meta Thomas, also an educator, was elected to council. Meta served from 1985 to 1992 during which time she was selected as mayor protem.
In 1992, William and Meta Thomas' daughter, Nydia, picked up the mantle by being elected to the Cleveland City Council.
Nydia, a graduate of Cleveland High School and an attorney, left office in 1998, concluding around 30 years of service from the Thomas family on the Cleveland City Council.
In the early 1970s, Royal Brown became the second black man elected to city council, serving two terms concurrently with William Thomas.
Local barber Bernest Mitchell was elected to Cleveland ISD's school board in 1971 and remained until 1991. He also was the first black board president.
At the same time Mitchell was on the school board, another black civic leader, Ed Davis, was elected to two terms in office.
Other black leaders highlighted in the program were:
- Robert Lacy Jr., Cleveland City Council from 1998-99; Lacy, a warden and corrections executive, served until his job duties made it impossible to continue.
- Willie N. Carter, Cleveland City Council from 1999-2006; Carter, a former housing authority director, also served as mayor protem for part of the time he was in office.
- Monique McDuffie, first black mayor in Cleveland and Liberty County, is a corrections nurse. She currently is seeking the position of Liberty County Pct. 6 justice of the peace.
- Clifton Wilridge, Cleveland ISD trustee and former mayor; Wilridge, also a minister, works in banking.
- Danny Lee, former trustee for Cleveland ISD and current Cleveland city councilman, is retired from the utilities sector; he served on the school board for 20 years, taking a few years off from service before being elected as a city councilman in 2016.
- Billy Ross, school board trustee; he was elected in 1996 and served consecutive terms.
- Durlene Davis, Cleveland ISD trustee and city councilwoman, is a former court clerk and served for five years on council until May 2011.
- Barbara McIntyre, a real estate broker, served on the city council and mayor protem until 2011.
- Cedric McDuffie, deputy sheriff, served for one year on council until May 2011.
- Delores Terry served on the city council for two terms, ending her service in 2016. She currently is seeking reelection after taking a brief hiatus from public service due to term limits.
- Marilyn Clay, a local realtor, was elected to city council in 2017.
- Sharica Lewis currently serves on the Cleveland ISD board of trustees.
One of the omissions in the presentation was Lierick Reed, who served on the school board while Ross was board president.
After the presentation, the three guests of honor were invited to speak with Mitchell offering to go first.
He explained how honored he feels to be part of the presentation and hopes that sacrifices made by others who fought for equality will not be forgotten.
"Starting out in the 1960s, people don't know what we went through. It wasn't easy, you know," he said. "Pillot was the first and he kind of broke the ice. When I came second, it made it a little bit better."
Mitchell said best advice he has for people considering office is to stand up for their beliefs.
"Stand up for what you believe in and do what you say you are going to do if you are elected," he said.
Carter piggybacked on Mitchell's comments and said that when he first got elected 30 years ago, he quickly understood that the community did not end on one side of the tracks.
"My community was the whole town and I have tried my best to serve all the people," he said.
He also pointed out that Cleveland's trailblazers in the black community are two members of law enforcement.
"Cleveland, whether a lot of people realize it or not, has blazed by way. We had the first and second black police chiefs in the county," he said.Lee, the youngest of the guests of honor, said good people gave up a lot so others black members of the community could one day serve.
He took advantage of the outrage, exploited the grief, and used the tragic stories to advance the National Rifle Associations agenda. President Donald Trump, true to his conman self, played the survivors of gun violence.
Wednesdays listening session was a reality show with unwitting participants, whom Vice President Mike Pence encouraged to be candid and vulnerable. The stories were heartbreaking and the emotions raw following the Feb. 14 shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, where 17 students and teachers died and 14 were injured.
The more than 40 persons who attended the listening session hosted by Trump, Pence, and Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos, expressed outrage that school killings continue. Trump used this dramatic opportunity to create the illusion that hes the first person to do anything.
Its not going to be talk like it has been in the past. Its been going on too long; too many instances. And were going to get it done, Trump said.
And what is it that were going to get done?
After most participants told their stories, Trump spoke. His words revealed that the listening session was a sham. It involved no true hearing. The solution was pre-determined. NRA executive vice president and CEO Wayne LaPierre might have written the script.
Trumps answer: more guns in the schools. Concealed carry, he said, calling for some percentage of school personnel, including teachers and janitors, to be trained and armed.
He also invoked mental health, the usual NRA camouflage for the guns at the root of the problem. But Trumps mental health concept was bizarre. He talked about nabbing the school shooter in advance, and lamented the lack of mental hospitals in which to incarcerate the people who are nabbed, apparently hearkening back to 1940s 1950s mental hospitals.
It was a remarkable display of ignorance about mental health, the nature of mental illness, and civil rights concerns.
Cameras picked up on a card that Trump was holding, with five things for him to remember. The final one, a reminder for empathy: I hear you.
But it seems hes only heard the NRA, which contributed an unprecedented $30 million to his campaign, without which targeted ads he may have lost the Electoral College.
If hed been truly listening, he might have heard some of those at the listening session, like Sam Zeif, a high school student from Parkland who lost his best friend in the shooting and wants a ban on semi-automatic weapons, or Nicole Hockley and Mark Barden from Sandy Hook Promise, both of whom lost children in the Dec. 14, 2012 massacre at Newtown.
The Newtown Promise emphasis on preventive measures is at the diametric opposite from the NRAs dystopian world in which everyone must ultimately arm for self-defense.
If Trump were truly listening, he would have heard that Connecticut is a beacon in addressing the problem, not only of school safety, but also gun violence in inner cities, shopping malls, music festivals, theaters, churches, nightclubs, and everywhere.
The answer: safer, common sense, rational gun laws.
In the aftermath of the Sandy Hook massacre, Connecticut adopted gun legislation thats the second strongest in the nation, after California.
Newtown was a watershed moment.
As Connecticut Against Gun Violence Programs and Communications Director Jonathan Perloe pointed out in an email, the laws we have in Connecticut might have prevented the Parkland shooting.
Connecticut bans the AR-15 assault weapon and high capacity magazines used by the Parkland shooter. Permits to carry firearms require approval of the municipalitys chief of police, which would not have been granted given the shooters history. Connecticuts Gun Violence Prevention Order (GVPO) offers a fair, legal process for law enforcement to remove guns from those who are at imminent risk of harm to themselves or others.
Parkland, like Newtown, is a watershed moment.
Outrage among high school students is gathering momentum as a spontaneous movement for change. Students marched this week in Tallahassee and Washington to demand safer, common sense, and rational gun laws. A National School Walkout is planned for March 14, with a national March for Our Lives on March 24.
The outrage of this generation, born with the 1999 Columbine massacre, now reaching voting age, will not fade, even if Trump refuses to hear.
An inspector general's finding that a top Trump administration labor appointee should have recused himself from a major pro-employer ruling has triggered Democratic calls for hearings, a demand for answers by two U.S. senators, and news that a separate IG report is on the way over whether the appointee committed misconduct.
On Feb. 15, the chair of the National Labor Relations Board disclosed to Congress a report from the agency's inspector general, David Berry, concluding there was "a serious and flagrant problem and/or deficiency" in its handling of conflict-of-interest issues. Berry wrote that William Emanuel, one of several former management-side attorneys whom Trump has appointed to the agency, should have recused himself from a recent ruling that overturned a controversial pro-worker precedent.
The Obama-era "joint employer" case, Browning-Ferris, broadened the circumstances under which employees can bring claims against, or seek collective bargaining with, a corporation that isn't directly signing their checks, like a franchisor or a contractor's client.
Emanuel's former law firm represented one of the companies in the 2015 case, which the NLRB overturned in December by 3-2 vote.
On Monday, Sens. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts and Patty Murray of Washington state, the ranking Democrat on the Senate committee overseeing the NLRB, wrote letters to Emanuel and to the agency's chair, Trump appointee Marvin Kaplan, accusing the labor board of failing to comply with the Administrative Procedure Act in its overruling of Browning-Ferris. A spokesperson for the NLRB declined to comment.
The Democrats asked the members to answer a battery of questions, including what conversations Emanuel had with the NLRB's designated ethics official, and whether the board will reconsider its December ruling without Emanuel's participation.
Berry's findings, they write in their letter to Emanuel, "indicate that you directly participated in an extraordinarily consequential decision from which the law required your recusal."
"You directly participated in an extraordinarily consequential decision from which the law required your recusal."
While Berry's report itself said it was not addressing whether Emanuel's actions constituted "misconduct," the senators wrote that the question "will be the subject of a separate, forthcoming report" from the NLRB inspector general.
The case in which Emanuel voted, Hy-Brand, involved different companies than Browning-Ferris, but the inspector general wrote that the way the NLRB handled it amounted to a "do over" in which the new case was "merely the vehicle" to reconsider the old one-which at the time was still pending in federal court. In a Feb. 15 letter to members of Congress, Kaplan said the agency was reviewing recusal procedures and "considering appropriate actions" regarding the Hy-Brand case.
The Monday letters follow a missive last week from Murray's House counterpart, Congressman Bobby Scott of Virginia, asking that his committee hold a hearing on the issue with the inspector general and NLRB members including Emanuel. The committee's chair, Republican Virginia Foxx of North Carolina, didn't respond to requests for comment.
Emmanuel Macron's vision for Europe is unbound by borders, traditions and cultures. But his push to remake the political order is on a collision course with reality.
The 40-year-old president, who won in France with a movement he built from scratch within a year, is planting the seeds of a post-party political system in the European Union. With the EU holding parliamentary elections next year, Macron sees an opportunity to usher in a new era of pan-European governance and disrupt the traditional political parties by tapping into his maverick roots.
Macron, often compared to the 19th century conqueror Napoleon Bonaparte, is making his move as Europe's strongest nations consider paths of further integration and as a broad economic upswing lends them political momentum. But within the EU's corridors of power, Macron's strategy is viewed with skepticism, with no clear plan to navigate the continent's sometimes hostile patchwork of political systems.
The head of his "European Task Force" -- the tiny group in charge of the strategy within Macron's Republic on the Move party -- said in an interview that "the political restructuring has already started."
"Political groups are divided over what they want for, and from, Europe," Pieyre-Alexandre Anglade, 31, said while traveling on the train between Paris and Brussels, where he lives and does lobbying work. "Our ambition is to set foot in several countries and create a European-level ambition for a reforming agenda."
Macron has launched a 15-month campaign to build support before elections to the European Parliament in May 2019. This is a key pillar to bolster his plan to make Europe work for voters and to stem the anti-EU populists who brought about Brexit and want the bloc to fail. While he isn't seeking to recreate his party in other countries, Macron is searching for allies and supporters to spark a grassroots movement.
Macron will seek to discuss his idea of pan-European politics with other EU leaders at a summit on Friday in Brussels that will include German Chancellor Angela Merkel, whose domestic party belongs to Europe's Christian Democrats, and Italian Prime Minister Paolo Gentiloni, who caucuses with the Socialists. But neither the the Christian Democrats nor the Socialists -- the two largest blocs in the EU parliament -- are willing to change a system that underpins their power.
In fact, earlier this month the EU Parliament distanced itself from the Macron-backed idea of having the empty legislative seats created by Brexit set aside for pan-European lawmakers, a move that would have given his plan a significant boost.
Structural hurdles notwithstanding, Macron is the first French president to take an interest in the 28-nation Parliament and to seek to tap the potential of the EU machine for his own political purpose. And while his infantry is working the base he's pushing leaders to join his drive for reform.
Macron is focusing his efforts on Poland, Greece, Ireland, Slovakia and the Baltics, according to Anglade, adding that Italy, Luxembourg, Belgium and Spain have been historic French allies, while it has been more difficult making inroads with Germany, the Netherlands and Hungary. Contacts are made either by Macron himself, Anglade or the party chief, Christophe Castaner.
In January, Macron convinced Spain, Greece, Portugal, Malta and Cyprus to sign on to his ideas on a closer European monetary union. These proposals track closely with a September speech he made at the Sorbonne in Paris, where he argued for closer European cooperation on defense, migration and climate change policies, with the aim of laying the foundations for more financial integration within the euro area.
Macron's party is also planning a march across Europe with members of his political party, expected to last for more than a month. While traversing 25 member states -- the Netherlands and Hungary may not participate -- they'll aim to raise awareness for his group and plant the seed of impending change.
But EU watchers and politicians take the Macron plan with a big pinch of salt and have expressed doubts as to whether he can accomplish his maverick trick in Europe like he did in France: To blow up the traditional party system and jump start an era of pan-European politics.
"He may want the end of the conservatives and other big political parties, but those parties have very, very strong alliances and they have no interest whatsoever to follow a Macron, however seducing his ideas may be," said Florian Willermain, a political scientist at the Egmont Royal Institute for International Relations in Brussels. "On top of the Europe hurdles, he will have a country-by-country battle. I am eager to see what he'll do."
Chicago
Dana Loesch is the new public face of the National Rifle Association, an organization long associated with older white men.
At 39, she's poised, photogenic and a skilled public speaker, yet she's not softening the message of the NRA as it becomes an increasingly active voice in the nation's culture wars, with positions on everything from immigration to the media.
In the aftermath of the shooting deaths of 17 people, mostly students, at a Florida high school, it's Loesch who has been the NRA's main messenger.
The NRA dispatched Loesch last week to a CNN town hall, where she was questioned by students and parents from Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, the site of the Valentine's Day shooting. Often brash and combative, Loesch was measured and even-tempered, though she was booed when she left the stage.
Charlie Sykes, a longtime conservative radio host who has been critical of the NRA, said Loesch's skill is communicating with a broad range of Americans while retaining the ultra-conservative base built by Wayne LaPierre, the NRA's executive vice president and CEO since 1991.
"Imagine Wayne LaPierre sitting in that seat and you realize the significance of Dana," Sykes said. "She can bring the hot sauce without having that persona" of an angry white man.
Even before taking over as NRA spokeswoman last year, Loesch had a robust conservative following, cultivated on social media she has 765,000 Twitter followers and through years of television and radio appearances, including on her own radio program, "The Dana Show."
The day after the televised town hall, she was back in her more familiar mode, speaking to a far friendlier audience at the Conservative Political Action Conference near Washington. Loesch defiantly defended NRA's 5 million members, who she said "will not be gaslighted into thinking that we're responsible for a tragedy that we had nothing to do with."
Two things happened over the weekend that complicate our understanding of President Trump's awareness of Russian interference in the 2016 election.
The first is that Trump was interviewed by Fox News' Jeanine Pirro. She raised the question of collusion - that is, whether elements of the Trump campaign assisted the Russian effort to influence the results of the 2016 election.
"After 18 months, not any kind of reference to any collusion," Pirro said.
To which Trump replied:
"That is true, Jeanine. You have all these committees, everybody's looking. There is no collusion. No phone calls - I had no phone calls, no meetings, no nothing. There is no collusion. I say it all the time. Anybody that asks. There is no collusion."
For some time, it's been unclear exactly what Trump means when he says there was "no collusion" (as he often does). In January, The New York Times's Maggie Haberman asked press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders what exactly was meant when Trump used the term.
"Look," Sanders replied, "I think he's stating for himself and to anything that he would be a part of, or know about, or have sanctioned. But that would be something that, again, I think he's very clearly laid out he and his campaign had nothing to do with."
To Pirro, Trump used a narrower definition: He himself made no phone calls and had no meetings related to Russian interference.
What that doesn't cover, though, is whether there was tacit awareness of Russian interference efforts. Was Trump told that the Russians were trying to help him, perhaps even told about specific actions or information, and did nothing?
A review of Trump's public comments from the database at Factba.se reveals no specific denial by Trump since Election Day that he knew about Russian interference during 2016.
So we turn to the other revelation from this weekend. The House Intelligence Committee released a memo from the Democratic minority outlining its response to allegations posed by Rep. Devin Nunes, R-Calif., and his staff that the FBI's investigation into Trump and his campaign were tainted by partisanship. Included in the new memo was a specific date that had been elusive: The counterintelligence operation looking at whether the Trump campaign aided Russian began on July 31, 2016.
Why is that important? For one thing, it clarifies the broader timeline of activity during the summer. But it also comes only four days after Trump, during his last news conference of the year, publicly requested that Russia release emails stolen from Hillary Clinton.
"By the way, they hacked - they probably have her 33,000 emails," Trump said, referring to emails that were on Clinton's private email server but that were determined not to be work-related by her attorneys and therefore were deleted. "I hope they do. They probably have her 33,000 emails that she lost and deleted because you'd see some beauties there. So let's see."
This was days after WikiLeaks began dumping emails stolen from the Democratic National Committee, a hack that was already attributed publicly to Russia. Trump, as he would continue to do over the next year, denied that it was clear that Russia was involved. ("Let me tell you, it's not even about Russia or China or whoever it is that's doing the hacking," he said. "It was about the things that were said in those emails.")
Later, he issued a call to action: "I will tell you this - Russia, if you're listening, I hope you're able to find the 30,000 emails that are missing. I think you will probably be rewarded mightily by our press."
Four days later, the FBI began its investigation into whether the Trump team was aiding Russia's interference effort.
The impetus for that investigation wasn't Trump's news conference, though, according to both the Democratic memo and Nunes's - and according to reporting. It stemmed, instead, from comments made by George Papadopoulos, an adviser to the campaign, to an Australian diplomat in London that May.
At that point, Papadopoulos had been in contact with Russia-linked individuals for months and was working to set up a meeting between Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin. He said he was pushing for it during a meeting of Trump's foreign policy advisory team meeting that the candidate attended on March 31, 2016 - though it's not clear if Trump was in the room when Papadopoulos raised the subject.
In late April, Papadopoulos's main contact in London mentioned that the Russians had "dirt" on Clinton in the form of emails. Specifically, his contact told Papadopoulos that "they have dirt on her"; "the Russians had emails of Clinton"; "they have thousands of emails."
The next day, Papadopoulos emailed senior campaign adviser Stephen Miller and told him that he had "some interesting messages coming in from Moscow about a trip when the time is right."
Is that where it ended? Did Papadopoulos tell the campaign specifically about the stolen email messages? The next month, he told it to Australian High Commissioner to Great Britain Alexander Downer over drinks in London. Once the DNC leaks began, Australia tipped off the FBI about the conversation with Papadopoulos, and the investigation began. Is it likely that Papadopoulos told a foreign diplomat about what he had learned - but never told anyone else in the campaign? That never got back to Trump? Despite Trump saying that he believed the Russians to be in possession of Clinton emails - which the DNC leaks that were public on July 27 were not?
At that point, remember, the campaign was being run by Paul Manafort, who himself had ties to the Russian leadership, thanks to his years of work for oligarch Oleg Deripaska and on behalf of former Ukraine president Viktor Yanukovych, an ally of Putin's.
In June, Manafort was one of three campaign representatives to meet with a Kremlin-linked attorney named Natalia Veselnitskaya and a lobbyist named Rinat Akhmetshin who is rumored to have ties to Russian intelligence. The other two campaign attendees were son-in-law Jared Kushner and Donald Trump Jr. - the latter of whom was told explicitly that the meeting was intended to share "dirt" on Clinton that would be provided by the Russian government as "part of Russia and its government's support for Mr. Trump."
Trump Jr.'s response? "If it's what you say it is, I love it."
He tried repeatedly to downplay what was discussed in the meeting, notably offering conflicting explanations for its intent, but we'll come back to that.
The meeting was finally set on June 7, 2016. That evening, Trump gave a speech in New Jersey after winning the primary in that state.
"The Clintons have turned the politics of personal enrichment into an art form for themselves," he said, mentioning Clinton's private email server. "Designed to keep her corrupt dealings out of the public record, putting the security of the entire country at risk, and a president in a corrupt system is totally protecting her - not right. I am going to give a major speech on probably Monday of next week, and we're going to be discussing all of the things that have taken place with the Clintons. I think you're going to find it very informative and very, very interesting. I wonder if the press will want to attend. Who knows?"
That speech didn't happen the following Monday; over the weekend the massacre at Pulse nightclub in Orlando, Florida, took place.
The Times asked Trump if he knew about the meeting at the time. He said he didn't.
"It must have been . . . a very unimportant meeting, because I never even heard about it," he said. "Nobody told me."
So what was the speech he promised?
"There was something about the book, 'Clinton Cash,' came out," he said. When the Times' Peter Baker noted that the book had come out a year earlier, Trump explained: "We were developing a whole thing. There was something about 'Clinton Cash.'"
On June 22, Trump gave a speech including critiques from the book. Our fact-checkers noted at the time that the speech's central argument "ignores the fact that the actions of Clinton and Clinton Foundation have been heavily scrutinized over the years."
Trump Jr. has denied telling his father about the meeting. The elder Trump, however, took an active hand in Trump Jr.'s initial response when the meeting came to light, reportedly dictating a statement that skipped over the fact that the conversation was predicated on the promise of dirt offered by the Russian government. Trump also repeatedly dismissed the idea that Trump Jr. had behaved inappropriately by taking the meeting.
"Most people would have taken that meeting," the president said.
In July, campaign adviser Carter Page - the subject of the FBI surveillance warrant at the heart of the Nunes memo - traveled to Moscow with the campaign's blessing. Two weeks later, Christopher Steele, a former British intelligence officer conducting research for Fusion GPS (on the dime of the DNC and Clinton's campaign) was told that Page, too, had been informed of the existence of compromising material on Clinton. (The DNC leaks began three days later.)
Page denied meeting Kremlin official Igor Diveykin and told the House Intelligence Committee during testimony that he had only briefly greeted Deputy Prime Minister Arkady Dvorkovich during his trip.
After his return to the United States, though, Page sent the campaign a memo to say that he had spoken with Dvorkovich in a "private conversation" in which the deputy prime minister "expressed strong support for Mr. Trump." He also sent an email to two campaign staffers saying that he would "send you guys a readout soon regarding some incredible insights and outreach I've received from a few Russian legislators and senior members" of the Putin administration.
Page explained to the House committee that he gleaned those insights from hearing speeches.
We're asked to believe, then, that there were three instances in which Trump campaign staff were, or may have been, informed about potential dirt on Clinton that was being offered by the Russian government. That in the two cases where that clearly happened, that Trump himself was never informed of that incriminating information, even when one of the recipients of that offer was his own son.
These points of contact were embraced by at least two campaign staffers - Papadopoulos in April and Trump Jr. in June - and, probably, at least two more (Kushner and Manafort). We're asked to believe, too, that even if Trump had been informed about any or all of the Russian outreach efforts, that this doesn't constitute collusion on the part of the president with the Russian interference effort. (Though earlier this year, his press secretary articulated that it would.)
There are two groups of people who know how valid Trump's argument is. The first is Trump and his close family. The other, it seems fair to assume, is special counsel Robert Mueller and his team.
A lot of factors go into finding the right university. On top of looking at acceptance rate, required GPAs or test scores, people are also taking campus safety into account.
The ranking website, Niche.com released data on the Safest Schools in America for 2018, and 1,346 of the nation's universities made the cut.
Several dogs, including two born without front legs, were rescued Friday from filthy living conditions by Atascosa County Animal Control and Brush County Animal Advocates, officials said.
An animal advocate called the animal control after she discovered several dogs were living in a filthy small trailer and suffered from skin disease as a result of the conditions, according to a Facebook post.
Taking fishing trips throughout the year to the Texas Gulf Coast was among Paulino Dominguez Gonzalezs favorite activities with his family.
He frequently visited piers in Rockport and Corpus Christi, but his favorite pier was at the naval base in Corpus Christi.
Several times throughout the year, my father would take his grandchildren to the coast and teach them how to fish, his daughter Maria Acosta said. He had a witty personality and would give the children nicknames.
Gonzalez was born in Laredo but relocated to San Antonio after he wed in the summer of 1950. Paulino and Guillermina Gonzalez were married for 68 years and had four daughters.
Gonzalez died Thursday from dementia. He was 88.
For 38 years, Gonzalez was a civil service radar technician for Kelly AFB. He retired in 1990.
More Information Paulino Dominguez Gonzalez Born: June 22, 1929, Laredo Died: Feb. 22, 2018, San Antonio Preceded by: Parents Guadalupe Gonzalez Gallegos and Celsa Dominguez Villarreal; brothers Guadalupe and Herminio; son-in-law Antonio "Big T" Acosta; and granddaughter Maricela Montez. Survived by: Wife, Guillermina "Billie" Gonzalez; daughters Maria Acosta, Maria Ann Montez, Patricia G. Salazar and Anna Louisa Gonzalez Salazar; siblings Porforio Gonzalez, Maria de Jesus Franco, Emelida Montemayor, Lucinda Gonzalez, Daniel Gonzalez, Obed Gonzalez and Lydia Vega; nine grandchildren; 12 great-grandchildren; and numerous nieces, nephews and cousins. Services: Were held Monday. See More Collapse
During retirement, he invested in and sold real estate.
My father was a hard-working man. After he retired from Kelly he wanted to keep on working. He would travel to Mexico and build houses and sell them and did the same in San Antonio, his daughter Patricia G. Salazar said. My father was always ready to learn something new.
Gonzalez stressed the importance of education to his daughters.
My father was able to put my sisters and I through college. He wanted to make sure we got a good college education, Acosta said.
Aside from fishing and real estate, Gonzalez also loved dancing to Cumbia music.
Gonzalez had a charming personality, and Acosta said, There was not one stranger my father wouldnt talk to. He made friends with everybody and anybody, especially when he was on the pier fishing.
When he was not building houses or selling properties, he loved family trips to Disney World and traveling with his wife to Las Vegas to gamble. Their favorite game was Keno.
My parents would go to Las Vegas a couple times throughout the year, Acosta said. They were good at Keno. Together, they would hit big numbers.
The Associated Press consulted criminal justice experts to discover the sometime hidden meanings behind some tattoos. There are many that often signify that murders and other crimes have been committed by the wearer.
The following is a guide to what a person's ink is saying.
A San Antonio photographer who took professional photos of dancers around the country was sentenced Monday to 16 years and eight months in federal prison for child pornography charges.
As part of a plea deal, Christopher Alexander Reilly, 47, pleaded guilty in November to one count each of receiving child pornography and transporting child pornography. Senior U.S. District Judge David Alan Ezra imposed the 200-month sentence and ordered Reilly to serve 20 years of federal supervision after he gets out of prison.
Reilly, owner of Chris Reilly Photography, was arrested in early 2017 after his computer hard drive malfunctioned while he was on a photo shoot in California, and he sent it to a repair service in Dallas. The repair service found images of child porn and informed authorities, according to a factual summary in his plea deal.
RELATED: Police: Family friend sexually assaulted two S.A.-area girls, made them watch porn
Under questioning by the FBI, Reilly admitted he downloaded child porn images off the internet, and that he secretly recorded the clothed private areas of some minors he photographed.
Reilly denied ever sexually touching a child, but admitted taking surreptitious videos of some of the minor dancers during their photo shoots, the factual summary said. Reilly identified some images of minor dancers that he secretly videotaped, including a prepubescent child, sitting in the backseat of a vehicle with her legs spread apart. Reilly secretly videotaped the genital area of the child. Reilly admitted using the secretly recorded videos for his sexual gratification.
The summary said a forensic examination on his MacBook turned up eight video files depicting prepubescent children engaged in sexually explicit conduct, and when a Seagate hard drive was examined, several similar videos and images were found. The examinations also found video files of the clothed genital and buttocks areas of various minor females, according to the summary.
Reilly traveled throughout the country for photo shoots and had taken photos of dance, band and cheer students at Reagan High School, and some students at Johnson High School. The schools told parents in letters after his arrest that the photo shoots were monitored and no inappropriate conduct was reported, the Northeast Independent School District said at the time.
A 17-year-old male was shot in the head at a neighborhood playground in a dispute over a package Sunday afternoon in Converse, police say.
Converse police responded to a call of shots fired at a community park in the 10000 block of MacArthur Way, after 3 p.m., where they found a teenager had been shot.
A Kirby man was arrested after two girls, ages 8 and 11, accused him of sexual assault, police said.
Jessie Jermaine Pearson, 33, was charged with two counts of indecency with a child.
Kirby police said they were notified of the alleged sexual assaults on Nov. 27, 2017, when the girls reported the crimes at their school.
The girls, who are sisters, told police Pearson, a family friend sexually assaulted them multiple times and forced them to watch porn with him, according to an arrest affidavit.
RELATED: Man arrested after reporter sees him break into North Side bike shop
Officers initially had trouble contacting Pearson because the number listed for him was out of service, but they found a working number Feb. 21 and Pearson agreed to come in for an interview about the allegations.
Pearson denied the girls' allegations and told police the girls were the ones who acted inappropriately with him, according to the arrest affidavit.
Later in the interview, however, Perason admitted to touching them inappropriately and forcing them to commit sexual acts on him, police said.
He told them he was sexually assaulted as a child in Detroit and that nothing was done to the abuser.
Pearson was arrested after the interview. A judge set his bail at $150,000.
Fares Sabawi covers crime in San Antonio and Bexar County for mySA.com. Read more of his stories here. | fsabawi@mysa.com
A man was arrested Monday after he and an accomplice allegedly broke into a North Side bike shop in plain view of a reporter, who then followed them and identified the man to police.
Ken Branca, a freelance police reporter who contracts with the San Antonio Express-News, was sitting in his car in the parking lot of a strip mall in the 7100 block of Blanco Road, when he saw two people break into Bike City around 2 a.m. and run out with two bikes, Branca said. They got in a dark-colored Chrysler 300 and fled.
A documented white supremacist gang member was arrested Friday after a "lost dog" flier for a Siberian Husky puppy he purchased using a fake identity led police to his door, according to court documents.
Tyler Anderson Freeman, 40, faces a charge of fraudulent use or possession of identifying information with intent to harm or defraud. He was booked into the Bexar County Jail and bailed out on Sunday.
RELATED: Seguin family doctor allegedly killed husband, wife with 3 children present
According to his arrest affidavit, Freeman stole the identity of a man who lives in Washington State and used it to open a cell phone account and create a fraudulent Temporary Texas drivers License renewal receipt.
With this information, he bought on credit a $2,500 Siberian Husky puppy from Petland in the 7000 block of Bandera Road on November 25, 2017. Because Freeman bought the dog on credit with fake information, Petland ended up losing $2,5000 in the transaction, police said.
Once Petland employees realized the Husky had been stolen, they contacted police.
On Jan. 10, the puppy was found wandering in the area of Greyforest and Scenic Loop roads. The dog's chip said it belonged to Petland, and the Husky was promptly returned.
RELATED: San Antonio photographer gets more than 16 years in prison for child porn
A few days later, police spoke with the person who found the dog. That person said there was a telephone pole near Scenic Loop Road with a flier advertising a lost dog. Police ran the phone number on the flier and discovered Freeman's address. Officers then compared his booking photo and Texas Drivers License photo with security camera footage from Petland and found a match, according to the affidavit.
According to the affidavit, Freeman has been arrested 34 times throughout Texas, and has severed time in the Texas Department of Correction and federal prison for numerous crimes, including forgery, theft, evading police, parole violations, possession of a controlled substance and credit card abuse.
He is also a documented gang member of Aryan Circle Texas, according to the affidavit.
Text "NEWS" to 77453 for breaking news alerts from mySA.com
Caleb Downs is a crime reporter for mySA.com. Read more of his stories here.| cdowns@mysa.com | Twitter: @calebjdowns
A family doctor from Seguin was arrested Sunday after he allegedly fatally shot a husband and wife couple at his family's gated compound while the victims' three children were present.
Robert Edward Fadal II, 56, faces a charge of capital murder of multiple persons in the deaths of Tiffany Leann Strait, 30, and Anthony Ray Strait, 27. He was booked into the Guadalupe County Jail on a $2 million bond.
According to Lt. Craig Jones, a spokesman for the Guadalupe County Sheriff's Office, the Straits were helping Fadal's mother move furniture Sunday morning at the Fadal family compound in the 800 block of Timber Elm.
RELATED: Man arrested after reporter sees him break into North Side bike shop
"It was some kind of benevolent action," Jones said.
But for some unknown reason, Fadal fatally shot the couple with a rifle around 11:40 a.m., Jones said. Present at the scene were the couple's three young boys, he said.
"At this time, there are no indications there was a feud, disturbance, or anything precipitating or justifying the shooting," Jones said.
Anthony Strait was pronounced dead at the compound. Paramedics rushed Tiffany Strait to a nearby hospital, where she was later pronounced dead.
The husband and wife lived in the neighborhood and knew the Fadal family, Jones said. According to a joint Facebook profile for the couple, they operated Strait "A" Landscaping together.
Jones said the Guadalupe County Sheriff's Office has never interacted with Fadal for any serious crimes.
RELATED: Man ejected from pickup truck in crash with alleged drunk driver
"Nothing of this magnitude," he said.
According to Jones and online public records, Fadal is a family practice doctor. According to his profile on HealthGrades.com, he has been practicing for 28 years and is a graduate of the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio.
Text "NEWS" to 77453 for breaking news alerts from mySA.com
Caleb Downs is a crime reporter for mySA.com. Read more of his stories here.| cdowns@mysa.com | Twitter: @calebjdowns
On September 23, 1960, North Star Mall, reputed to be only the third enclosed shopping mall in the United States, opened in a relatively undeveloped area north of downtown.
On that day, readers of the San Antonio Express discovered a twenty-page special section inside the paper that described, "60 acres of air-conditioned landscaped shopping comfort". It promised readers they would like the following:
When Miriam A. "Ma" Ferguson successfully ran for Texas governor in 1924 she stood up to the Klu Klux Klan and virtually ended their reign in Lone Star politics.
Ferguson was born on June 13, 1875 in Bell County, Texas, and she is most often remembered as the first lady of Texas who succeeded the governorship after her husband James "Pa" Ferguson was impeached. Indeed, "Ma" Ferguson's legacy, which includes two terms as Texas governor, is shaded by scandal.
As a candidate of the Democratic party, the state's reining political machine at the time, Ferguson guaranteed voters that they would get "two governors for the price of one" if she was elected.
RELATED: 7th grade Texas history quiz
"Make a choice: the bonnet or hood" was her campaign slogan as she ran against the Klan-backed candidate, Felix D. Robertson, in the July 1924 Democratic Primary.
Click through the slideshow to see 25 badass women in Texas History.
The political power of the Klu Klux Klan had infiltrated city governments throughout North Texas and influenced legislation state-wide. The majority of politicians serving in the Texas House of Representatives were backed by the Klan, according to Jenny Cobb, a curator at the Bullock Museum in Austin.
"The Klan had taken over the Democratic Party in Texas, which means, of course, the State of Texas," Jessie Daniel Ames, President of the Texas League of Women's Voters, wrote in a letter weighing the effect of voting against Ma Ferguson:
"Following the tactics of the Klan in the past, no one but Klansman would be appointed [to serve as Regents of The University of Texas] and no one but Klansmen would be permitted on the faculty . . . The Klan would have been in power for twenty years at least."
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Ferguson's anti-Klan platform, paired with a push to cut taxes and an opposition to new liquor legislation, clinched the nomination for her. And in November of 1924, four years after women secured the right to vote, Ferguson was elected Texas governor. She was the second woman to be elected governor in the history of the United States.
Although Ferguson secured legislation against Klan, prohibiting them to wear hoods in public, the courts overturned it. But the tide for the Klan had turned, and they lost their grip on Texas politics. After the Ferguson-Robertson runoff, an endorsement from the Klu Klux Klan became "poison" in Texas.
To this day, Texas has had two women governors: Ma Ferguson and Ann Richards.
jmscott@mysa.com
Large-scale murals of three iconic U.S. Latino figures adorning interior walls of the now-closed Estela's Mexican Restaurant on the West Side have been erased by the building's new owner, Delgado Funeral Home, sparking concern about the fate of historic assets amid new development.
The artworks depicted U.S. Rep. Henry B. Gonzalez, which the late lawmaker signed; Tejano star Selena Quintanilla; and Grammy Award-winning musician Flaco Jimenez.
Robert Salcido, president of the LGBTQ LULAC Council "Orgullo de San Antonio," had reached out to owners to discuss the future of the murals, but they were painted over before a potential solution could be discussed.
READ ALSO: Rare Selena Photos: Queen of Tejano's 'Que Creias' serenade enchants Twitter
The letter was sent Feb. 17 and was copied to Mayor Ron Nirenberg, City Council members Shirley Gonzales of District 5 and Roberto Trevino of District 1, as well as the Westside Development Corp. and the Esperanza Peace & Justice Center.
Estela's restaurant, at 2200 W. Martin St., had served as a de facto neighborhood center, where many Mexican American and Democratic Party groups held meetings and celebrations.
"We acknowledge that these works are now your property to do with as you please," Salcido's letter to Delgado said. "We are writing you respectfully, however, in the hope that these important works of art will not be destroyed. While ... not necessarily appropriate for the decor of a funeral home ... we are hoping you will meet with us to explore ideas for their preservation and for their possible display in a new venue."
"The mural of Henry B. is especially important historically," the letter added.
Funeral home manager Amber Delgado acknowledged receiving the letter via email and said she responded quickly, but the letter arrived "after the paintings were already painted on."
She said the funeral home is moving quickly on remodeling because it must be out of its current Mitchell Street location by May.
Delgado said she and the owner were unaware of the artworks' significance. The business had requested rezoning for the property, and no neighborhood opposition surfaced, she said.
Still, Delgado said, she attempted to call Salcido at the number listed in the LULAC letter, but reached a wrong number. Salcido acknowledged his number was listed incorrectly.
"As more and more new developments happen in historic neighborhoods, this is going to continue to happen," Salcido said. "As a community, we have to talk about what can we do to protect these iconic places important to our community and to San Antonio."
The funeral home had "no ill intent," Salcido said. "But they didn't take enough time to see the pieces they were destroying."
"It's the same problem that happened at Burbank," he said, referring to a mural painted over by Burbank High School in 2010 after the artist's signature could not be found, administrators said at the time. The mural had been done by renowned painter Vincent Valdez, a graduate of the school.
"It has happened many other times," Salcido said.
Elaine Ayala is a San Antonio Express-News staff writer. Read more of her stories here. | eayala@express-news.net | @ElaineAyala
AUSTIN Democratic gubernatorial candidate Andrew White while borrowing a line from a Parkland, Florida, student urged Republican Gov. Greg Abbott Monday to call a special legislative session to pass gun-control measures including universal background checks.
Today, I call BS on Gov. Abbott, said White, invoking the name of Emma Gonzalez, a senior at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, who has helped lead the discussion on gun control after 17 people were killed in a shooting at her Florida school.
Gonzalez used the phrase regarding those in power who said nothing could have been done to stop the slaughter, particularly those supported by the National Rifle Association.
I call BS because you can support the Second Amendment and also support common-sense gun safety legislation. I call BS because the governor is in charge of the safety of 5 million schoolkids in Texas and yet hes too afraid to do anything about it because hes protecting his A-plus NRA rating, said White.
White called for universal background checks, including for private sales, and for a restriction on the sale of large-capacity magazines. He said if he were elected governor, he would sign a measure raising the age to purchase a rifle from 18 to 21, with an exclusion for people who are actively serving in the military. That assumes such a measure would be passed by the Republican-dominated Legislature.
Last year, a proposal to eliminate the so-called gun-show loophole that allows unlicensed sellers to sell firearms without a background check on buyers failed in the Legislature.
A Houston businessman and son of the late Democratic former Gov. Mark White, Andrew White is running in a crowded primary for the nomination to face Abbott in the November general election.
Former Dallas County Sheriff Lupe Valdez, seen with White as a leading candidate in the nine-way race, hit several of the same points in a statement.
High schoolers and victims of gun violence shouldnt have to demand policy that protects our families and children after every tragedy, Valdez said. We need a comprehensive approach to gun violence, instead of a reactive approach. Universal background checks, banning high capacity magazines and closing the gun-show loophole are common-sense efforts we must take now.
Dallas businessman Jeffrey Payne called for verifiable background checks and a requirement that all gun transactions first include a bill of sale filed with the state.
Payne said automatic weapons, and devices that transform semi-automatic into automatic weapons, have no business in private hands.Among other points, Payne said there should be firearm limitations for universities unless carried by law enforcement or security personnel.
Abbotts staff didnt immediately respond to a request for comment, but it put out a news release about his meeting Monday with President Donald Trump and other governors in Washington. Abbott went to Washington for the Republican Governors Association meeting.
The governor talked about what Texas has done to keep our schools safe, and emphasized the importance of taking further actions to make sure we are doing all we can to secure the safety of students and teachers, the news release said.
According to a White House transcript of the meeting, Abbott told Trump about schools in Texas that have adopted policies for a marshal program where individuals would be trained to have a weapon and to be able to use that weapon. And we now have well over a hundred school districts in the state of Texas where teachers or other people who work in the school do carry a weapon, and are trained to be able to respond to an attack that occurs.
Abbott pointed out that some school districts will have signs out front a warning sign: Be aware, there are armed personnel on campus warning anybody coming on there that they if they attempt to cause any harm, theyre going to be in trouble.
Trump said, Well, I think thats great. And so, essentially, what youre saying is that when a sick individual comes into that school, they can expect major trouble. Right? Major trouble. The bullets are going to be going toward him, also. And I think thats great. And you know whats going to happen? Nobody is going into that school, Greg. Thats a big difference.
Last week, Abbott said the mass shooting in Florida and the one last year in Sutherland Springs highlight the need to fix problems in the national background check system and to identify mental health issues that should preclude gun ownership.
Abbott also told the Texas Education Agency to ensure schools have completed safety audits and to make sure that information on school safety programs are shared with districts. Abbott also asked for proposals to tighten school safety.
Andrew White, flanked by volunteers for Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America, chided Abbott for calling a special session last year on issues including a proposal to restrict the public restrooms transgender people can use.
I call BS because our governor called a special session to pass a bathroom bill, and yet here we are today. Im calling for him to call an emergency special session to pass common-sense gun-safety legislation. We cant wait until 2019 for that to happen. Our kids will not wait either, White said.
The next regular legislative session begins in January 2019.
Elva Mendoza, state legislative lead volunteer for Moms Demand Action, said the group will be putting its seal of approval on candidates who are in line with its aims, regardless of party, this year. The group isnt making an endorsement in the March 6 primary election, she said.
The politicians who have been in charge of our state and our country have had long enough to make changes to protect us, and so right now, we are demanding that they pass common-sense legislation, or we will need to throw them out of office, Mendoza said.
Environmental experts are updating the Galveston Bay protection plan for the first time since 1995, and the public will be able to weigh in starting next week.
On March 5, the Galveston Bay Estuary Program, with help from the Houston-Galveston Area Council, will hold a meeting to discuss their draft plan. The program is one of 28 in the national designated by the Environmental Protection Agency "to protect and restore our nation's estuaries," according to the program's website.
One of my Mexican grandfathers favorite sayings was: Dime con quien andas y te dire quien eres. Simply put, people judge you by the company you keep.
When we last tuned in to the sad but predictable telenovela starring Javier Palomarez, the president and CEO of the United States Hispanic Chamber of Commerce was taking fire from Hispanics for keeping company with President Trump.
RELATED: Largest-ever 'SA to DC' delegation lobbies nation's Capitol
Once an outspoken backer of Hillary Clinton, Palomarez went from publicly mocking Trump during the election to later meeting with Trump staff at the White House. At one point, Palomarez claimed that he had been invited to join the White Houses diversity council. The administration denied this. And when Trump ended the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, Palomarez resigned in protest from a council that its not clear he was ever part of.
Still, Palomarez was good at promoting Palomarez. So good that some thought he might be offered a position with the Trump administration. It would have been a pay cut. In 2015, Palomarezs reported compensation including bonuses was $611,015.
But suddenly that government job looks pretty good. Amid accusations of sexual harassment and financial impropriety which came to light after a messy extramarital affair with a Latina businesswoman who sat on the USHCC board Palomarez has been ousted.
And the reputation of the countrys oldest Hispanic business group which claims to represent 4.4 million Hispanic-owned businesses in the United States that contribute at least $700 billion annually to the U.S. economy is in shambles.
READ MORE: Trump reportedly told friends he wants to execute every drug dealer in America
A little context. For Hispanics, these are not normal times, and this is no ordinary president. Having gone out of his way to woo white voters by antagonizing Americas largest minority, Trump is to Hispanics in 2018 what Alabama Gov. George Wallace was to African-Americans in the 1960s.
Thus any Hispanic who aligns himself with Trump sacrifices his credibility and distances himself from the community.
Sometimes all it takes to end up on the outs with other Hispanics is to express support for a policy proposal put forth by Trump, such as his recent 3-for-1 swap on immigration.
The president has said that he will support legal status and a pathway to citizenship for 1.8 million Dreamers if he gets $25 billion for a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border, the elimination of the diversity visa lottery, and an end to so-called chain migration.
Thats a good deal especially since Democrats dont have a serious counter-proposal.
Apparently, one person who cant say that is Roger Rocha, who serves as the national president of the League of United Latin American Citizens. After Rocha sent a letter to Trump in support of the swap, LULAC members and the heads of local chapters demanded Rochas resignation. Under pressure, he put out a press release saying that he regretted sending the letter. But he has not apologized for the content.
RELATED: LULAC leader rescinds letter endorsing new border wall
Meanwhile, Palomarez isnt offering any apologies either. He probably should. He made mistakes, even if he wont admit it.
Heres the question: Do you care about any of this?
To be honest, I didnt not at first. I started getting pitched bits and pieces of this story about 18 months ago by some well-placed sources who hoped Id write a column about the fiasco and expose Palomarezs alleged wrongdoing.
I passed. And I did so for the same reason that Im ambivalent about the story now.
Organizations like the USHCC and LULAC dug their own graves over the last few decades by neglecting and forgetting about the people they claim to represent. The people who lead these groups have become elitists who breathe rarified air and often get too close to the powerful.
Once that happens, its hard to find much sympathy from the community they left behind.
Julian Castro told New Hampshire Democrats that he did an excellent job as mayor and an excellent job as HUD secretary (Ex-Mayor Castro raising profile; San Antonian pays a call on first presidential primary state, front page, Feb. 18:).
LeBron James told reporters that he wont shut up and dribble because I mean too much to society. I mean too much to the youth (NBA ALL-STAR WEEKEND; LeBron thanks Ingraham for the attention, Sports, Feb. 18).
Without going into the merits of such statements, I can only say Wow, arent they full of themselves?
Chris Heinrichs
Justified detention
Re: Fiance of man legally in U.S. works to have him released, Metro, Feb. 16:
The individual discussed, Jose Betancourt Rivera, is age 24, and in the U. S. from Mexico on a green card. He has been detained upon returning to the U. S. from Mexico. One thinks he would do everything in his power to maintain a clean record. However, at this young age, it appears he already has two convictions related to a controlled substance and a conviction for driving while intoxicated.
Those are instances when he was caught. It is doubtful if most people are caught for every law violation of this type. To say that he is no danger to society may be a gross misstatement. Contrary to the impression the article seems to convey, it appears that his detention was entirely appropriate. It is also questionable if the article was worthy of its length and location in the paper.
Kenneth E. Ratcliff, Cibolo
Sorry, advertisers
Re: Dilly Dilly! The story behind the Bud Light ad, Business, Feb. 4:
The phrase Dilly, Dilly was not invented out of thin air by Budweiser advertising writers, as they stated in the article. It was a hit song in 1949 entitled Lavender Blue by Sammy Turner and has been performed by various artists, including Burl Ives. Its an English folk song and nursery rhyme. Its appropriate for the king of beers, since its about a man who says if he were king, his queen would wear a dress of lavender blue at their wedding, dilly, dilly.
Tony Tucci, Boerne
The city needs him
Re: Brockhouse wrong, Your Turn, Feb. 6:
Greg Brockhouse and his unadulterated nerve are exactly what this city needs. When our elected representatives go lockstep with the powers that be (mayor and city manager), the voices of the people are not heard. Ask your friends and neighbors about Sheryl Sculleys salary and bonuses, and then youll see that many San Antonians share Brockhouses views.
The mayor also doesnt have the fans he had when elected, after weve had the opportunity to see him in action or inaction. I think Brockhouse is looking out for all of us, and Im happy he represents my council district.
Daniel Torres
A vote for honesty
What would we do if the main requirement for public office was a little thing I call complete honesty? I think we would have to call new elections, for both males and females. Could we find someone who has not cheated on his or her spouse?
Ann Dwyer
Tax windfall
House Speaker Paul Ryan tweeted that an extra $1.50 a week in a public-school secretarys paycheck would cover a Costco membership for a year due to the tax overhaul.
He deleted it after criticism that he was out of touch. Shame on you, Paul Ryan! You also could have tweeted that it would cover a cheeseburger a week from McDonalds for a year. Or an extra box of cereal a month, the brand kind, not the generic brands. Or maybe the secretary could order some of that fine Wisconsin cheese from your home state.
What a great surplus to find in your check. I for one am thrilled to see that Republican asininity is alive and well in the US of A! Thank you, Paul Ryan.
Gabriel Fernandez
National dilemma
Considering the recent release of material by Rep. Devin Nunes, we Americans are confronted by a dilemma are we a nation living under the rule of law or are we a nation where the law and what is legal are determined by its ruler?
Mel Waldgeir
Sensible gun control
May I respectfully recommend this great nation somehow regain its sanity and Congress seriously enact meaningful gun control legislation. If all the right-wing whackos and mindless NRA defenders of the Second Amendment are grieved, so be it. We will send them our thoughts and prayers.
Jerry Thompson, Laredo
Legalize marijuana
I watched both MSNBC and Fox News one morning, and there was something everyone agreed on (Surprise!) There is no money to fix our old and failing infrastructure. Well, I have an idea Im sure would work but no one is talking about. Legalize recreational marijuana nationwide and tax it as the federal government does liquor. Not only would there be enough to rebuild the infrastructure, but it also would reduce crime and prison budgets as well. But hey ... thats just too easy an answer ... so it must be immoral, right?
J. Kristi Hood
Wayne LaPierre, head of the National Rifle Association, in the aftermath of the Parkland, Florida, school massacre:
What they want are more restrictions on the law-abiding, he said. Think about that, their solution is to make you, all of you, less free, adding that Democrats want to eliminate the Second Amendment.
Heres what David Brooks, New York Times columnist, wrote:
So, if you want to stop school shootings its necessary to let people from Red America lead the way, and to show respect to gun owners at all times.
RELATED: Here are the brands that cut ties with the NRA following gun-control activists' boycotts
Im pretty sure Im not alone in seeing the conflict in the two statements.
For LaPierre, its a zero-sum game. Any inch given on gun control leads to Armageddon on your freedoms, particularly the Second Amendment. Theyre coming for your legally purchased guns all of them, from your handgun to your semi-automatic rifle. Its an argument designed to shut down dialogue.
And gun owners, judging from their virtual silence after every mass shooting on the topic of guns, seem to be OK with LaPierre doing their talking for them. So, what part of gun-owning Red America is going to lead?
This is a question offered respectfully. Full disclosure, Ive actually written what Brooks wrote that responsible gun owners are, of course, disturbed by the gun carnage. Ive urged them to lead. Ive not been alone.
Brooks asserts its because the other side points the finger of blame and shame and gun owners dig in their heels. But, cmon, after such bloodshed of school children, even do we think its that simple?
READ MORE: Commentary: Connections between climate change and gun control
(T)hey want more restrictions on the law-abiding, says LaPierre.
So, who are they?
The U.S. Supreme Court has held the Second Amendment confers private gun ownership rights, though, importantly, it didnt say all restrictions are off the table. The presidents answer after the Parkland mass shooting: more guns arming teachers.
Reasonable gun-control folks generally advocate universal background checks including closing the gun-show loophole banning military-style assault weapons, bump stocks and high-capacity magazines and restrictions on gun ownership for some people with mental illnesses.
None of this represents a shutting down of what the Supreme Court says are your Second Amendment rights.
The retort to such common-sense solutions and, indeed, from LaPierre himself is that there are enough laws on the books. Enforce these.
And the problem with that is well, everyone agrees. Of course, take illegally bought guns away from those who possess them whenever possible (handguns, by the way, kill far more Americans than AR-15s). Tighten up the requirements for the military and the states to report convictions those that preclude gun ownership to the federal database. Yes to all legal actions against illegally sold guns, their sellers and their owners.
RELATED: Andrew White: 'I call BS' on Gov. Abbott regarding guns, urges special session
But LaPierre speaks of the law-abiding. He unwittingly hits upon the problem. Legally purchased. These words often appear in articles about the gun ownership of mass shooters.
In other words, far too many of our mass shooters were law-abiding gun buyers up to and including when they shot people. Got it? People were illegally killed murdered or slaughtered are the terms by legally purchased guns.
Im all for letting gun owners lead. Respectfully, let me suggest a starting point.
Can we all agree to these statements? Monsters shouldnt be allowed guns; people who use guns to kill innocents are monsters; or, if mentally ill and unable to discern right from wrong, they are people who act monstrously. So, if their guns are legally purchased, how do we tackle that just that part? Lets start there.
But, heres the thing: refusal to talk about this for fear of that fictional day when you need your AR-15 to fight off government goons coming for your guns or being left gunless by other means while criminals remain armed well, refusing to even begin a dialogue, thats not leadership.
Instead, LaPierre along with NRA clout in elections and, consequently, with our elected officials speak.
Do they speak for you? No? Its not showing.
- The schoolgirls abducted from their school in Yobe state have been reportedly split into two groups
- Nearly half them are said to have been reportedly ferried across the border into Niger Republic
- The remaining are said to have been taken to an enclave in northern Borno state
A report by Daily Trust suggests that nearly half the girls abducted from their school in Yobe state have been ferried across the border into Niger Republic.
According to the report, the girls were split into two groups; one was left in an enclave in northern Borno state and the other taken to a village in Niger Republic.
Sources quoted in the report say the girls were abducted by the Musab Albarnawi faction of Boko Haram which is loyal to the Islamic State of West Africa.
READ ALSO: 94 girls missing after Boko Haram attack on Yobe school
The group had lost grounds along the shores of the Lake Chad, the same way Abubakar Shekau, the factional leader of the group suffered and was sacked from the Sambisa Forest base following onslaught by the Nigerian military.
The girls were ferried across a shallow river and are held in the border town of Duro in Niger Republic. The second batch has been moved to Tumbun Gini area of Abadam LGA of Borno," the source said.
Abadam, with headquarters at Malam Fatori is three kilometres from Bosso Niger Republic.
Meanwhile, Yobe state governor, Alhaji Ibrahim Gaidam, re-emphasized yesterday, Sunday, February 25, that the Boko Haram attack in Dapchi and Buni-Yadi were aided by military withdrawals from those locations.
The governor, who spoke during a sympathy visit paid to him by Borno state governor and chairman, Northern Governors Forum, Alhaji Kashim Shettima, said the military did not notify them when troops were withdrawn.
I want to put the record straight, there was no military presence at the time of Dapchi attack because we dont even know that the military have been withdrawn. The Dapchi and Buni-Yadi attacks are similar because both attacks came weeks after the military withdrawal. I want the press to quote me on this, he said.
Governor Gaidam said it was not an accuse for the theatre commander to attribute the military withdrawal to shortage of personnel.
When I met the theatre commander on why the military were withdrawn, he said they have shortage of manpower. To me, it is not an excuse because its duty bound for the FG to recruit and bridge the gap, he added.
On his part, Governor Shettima said the attacks on the girls school in Dapchi had reminded him of the abduction of Chibok girls because they are similar.
Shettima noted that the only difference in the attacks is the APC-led federal government has responded swiftly in Dapchi without any denial.
Neither denial, nor conspiracy theory as was done in the case of Chibok girls abduction under PDP-led Federal Government. We should learn to separate politics from human lives, he said.
READ ALSO: Federal Government confirms 110 Dapchi schoolgirls missing
The girls were seized from Government Girls Technical College, Dapchi by suspected Boko Haram terrorists on Monday, February 19.
Efforts to rescue them by the Nigerian military has not been successful as at the time of this report.
Survivors of Boko Haram - on Legit.ng TV
Source: Legit
A Nigerian army captain identified as Polycarp, on Sunday, February 25, has been reportedly killed by an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) in Shetimari village in Borno state.
Quoting military sources, Sahara Reporters said the officer was on patrol when the vehicle he was being driven in went over an IED.
This was said to have sparked the explosion that killed him, the news outlet claimed.
READ ALSO: Half of Dapchi schoolgirls taken to Niger Republic - Sources
Meanwhile, Legit.ng had reported that Ado-Ekiti Magistrates remanded a 36-year-old suspected Boko Haram commander, Abdulsalam Adinoyi, for allegedly killing a police officer, Sergeant Gana Jiya, in Oye-Ekiti, Ekiti state at 11pm, on February 2, 2017.
The suspect is facing a three-count charge of murder, terrorism and robbery according to police prosecutor, Oriyomi Akinwale.
The Nation reports that Akinwale told the court that the suspect confessed to being a member of the dreaded sect and being involved in several attacks conducted by the Boko Haram sect in Kogi state.
The accused, however, pleaded not guilty to the charge and his counsel asked the court to release him on bail.
The Magistrate, Dupe Afeniforo, denied the request and ordered that the accused be remanded, pending a legal advice from the Directorate of Public Prosecution (DPP).
Legit.ng had also reported that troops of Operation Lafiya Dole on Operation Deep Punch II aimed at clearance of the remnants of Boko Haram terrorists within Sambisa forest and Lake Chad basin general area, have recovered some ammunition after some suspected Boko Haram insurgents tried to escape.
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This was contained in a statement released by Colonel Onyema Nwachukwu, the deputy director, public relations, theatre command Operation Lafiya Dole.
Nigerian Air Force operations against Boko Haram - on Legit.ng TV:
Source: Legit.ng
The presidency on Monday, February 26, announced that the weekly meeting of the Federal Executive Council (FEC) has been cancelled for this week.
The cancellation was confirmed in a tweet by the Nigerian presidency.
It said the cancellation was because President Muhammadu Buhari and a number of ministers were at the at High-Level Meeting of the International Conference on Lake Chad.
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Legit.ng previously reported that President Muhammadu Buhari presided over Wednesday, January 31, Federal Executive Council, (FEC) meeting at the Council Chamber, Presidential Villa Abuja.
The president, returned to Abujaon, January 30 after attending the 30th African Union Summit in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, where he was honoured as the anti-corruption champion.
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Source: Legit.ng
- An envoy, Wale Oloko, has stated that many Nigerians are locked up in jails in China for overstaying their visas and for committing other offences such as drug trafficking
- Oloko further disclosed that some of the Nigerian nationals currently in Chinese prisons were being prepared for deportation to Nigeria
- The envoy enjoined Nigerians desirous of visiting any part of China to always obey the Chinese immigration and general laws
Wale Oloko, the consul-general of the Federal Republic of Nigeria in Guangzhou, China, on Monday, February 26, said that many Nigerians were in various prisons in Guangdong Province for overstaying their visas.
Oloko told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos that some other Nigerians were also arrested for engaging in drug trafficking and other criminal offences that had led to their detention.
READ ALSO: Dapchigirls abduction is a national disgrace - Isha Sesay
Legit.ng gathers that Oloko disclosed that there are currently about 600 Nigerians arrested for overstaying their visas and in detention for other offences.
There is no doubt that there are currently a number of Nigerians in various Chinese prisons, at least those under our consular jurisdiction in Guangzhou. These our nationals are in different Chinese prisons for various offences.
There are those that were arrested for overstaying their visas, while others were convicted for drug trafficking and other offences," he said.
Oloko also said that some of the Nigerian nationals currently in Chinese prisons were being prepared for deportation to Nigeria.
The consul-general, therefore, enjoined Nigerians desirous of visiting any part of China to always obey the Chinese immigration and general laws when in the province or other provinces in China.
Any Nigerian wanting to visit any part of China must first know something about the countrys immigration requirements, and should be ready to obey laws in such places when they eventually arrive there.
It is not advisable for any Nigerian to overstay his or her visa in any part of China or engage in any form of criminal act," he said.
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Meanwhile, Legit.ng previously reported that a report revealed that over 2,000 Nigerians were languishing in various Chinese prisons.
A fresh deportee from China, who had a brief stint in the Dong-guan Prison and managed to hide dozens of prison notes scribbled on tissue papers in his anus, was quoted as saying the prison facility alone where he was held for over three months had more than 2,000 Nigerians detained for various reasons, mostly drug-related.
According to him, many Nigerians had been incapacitated owing to the daily torture meted out to them by prison officials, while a lot more were on death-row waiting for the hangman.
Ex-prisoner turns advocate for release of former inmates - on Legit.ng TV:
Source: Legit
- Abdullahi Wali, the president of the Nigeria Youth Organisation (NYO), wants Muhammadu Buhari to run for election again in 2019
- Wali believes a second term for Buhari would help to consolidate his achievements so far
- He says he would sue the president should he refuse to seek re-election
The president of the Nigeria Youth Organisation(NYO), Abdullahi Wali, has threatened to sue the countrys political leader, Muhammadu Buhari, if he refuses to seek re-election from the citizens in 2019, according to Vanguard.
The report said Wali, made the threat in a statement on Monday, February 26, in Abuja, sying he was reacting to an earlier comment credited to Buhari during a meeting with governors on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Wali wondered why the president would say he needed time to decide whether he would run or not. He said he would be happy to have the privilege of procuring the form for Buhari.
READ ALSO: Federal Government confirms 110 Dapchi schoolgirls missing
To him, the President Buhari should run in 2019 in order to consolidate the achievements he had recorded so far, which include effective implementation of Treasury Single Account(TSA), diversification of the economy, anti-corruption war, war against insurgency, the complete refund of Paris club loan deduction to states among others.
If Buhari decides not to run in 2019, the achievements recorded by his administration will vanish as the vampires of our common treasury will resurrect and loot everything living the masses with nothing.
Therefore, he needs to solidify his achievement before handing over to hopefully a youth.
NYO agenda is to build Nigerian youths to actively participate in leadership for national unity and development and will therefore not sit and watch the solid foundation made by this administration for the benefit of Nigerian youths sink.
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I have directed my lawyers to sue the president if he refuses to run and will also mobilise millions of youths under my leadership to stage the highest rally ever in Nigeria until the president accepts to run, he said.
Legit.ng earlier reported that the governor of Ondo state, Rotimi Akeredolu, said that the state and its people is satisfied with the numerous achievements of the President Muhammadu Buhari's administration.
Akeredolu while supporting the 2019 second term bid of President Buhari said nothing can stop the president's re-election. Speaking at a unification rally held in Akure as part of his one year anniversary in office, the Ondo state governor said the people of the state want Buhari to continue in 2019.
President Buhari commissions first Nigerian drone - on Legit.ng TV
Source: Legit.ng
- The army has explained why it withdrew troops from Dapchi, Yobe state
- In a statement, it said it formally handed over the town to the police after peace was achieved
- The army debunked allegations by the state governor, adding that it will not rest in the search and rescue of the abducted schoolgirls and others held captive by the terrorists
The Nigerian army has responded to allegation raised by Governor Ibrahim Gaidam that the withdrawal of troops from Dapchi caused the kidnap of 105 girls from Government Girls Science Technical College.
Legit.ng had reported that Boko Haram terrorists abducted the girls from their school and the governor of Yobe state said the withdrawal of troops from the town was a major factor.
In a statement however released by the army on Monday, February 26, it expressed disappointment at the position taken by the governor. The army said troops were redeployed from Dapchi after relative peace had been achieved to other places to consolidate on the fight against Boko Haram.
READ ALSO: Why we negotiated with Boko Haram for release of abductees - DSS
The army vowed to continue its focus on decimating the terrorists and urged Nigerians to continue to give support.
The attention of Headquarters of Theatre Command, Operations LAFIYA DOLE, has been drawn to a statement credited to His Excellency, Alhaji (Dr.) Ibrahim Gaidam, Executive Governor of Yobe State, currently circulating in the media, in which he reportedly alleged that the withdrawal of the military was responsible for the recent suspected Boko Haram terrorists attack and abduction of female students from Government Girls Science Technical College in Dapchi . This allegation is not only unfortunate, but also very far from the truth.
Although this headquarters will not attempt to join in any blame game, it is very expedient to set the record straight for the benefit of posterity. In carrying out its mandate to counter terrorism and insurgency in North East Nigeria, Operation Lafiya Dole has been alive to its responsibilities vis a vis the fight against Boko Haram insurgents. Several communities and local governments that were hitherto under siege of the insurgents have been liberated and the insurgents pushed out . While troops continue to trail and decimate the remnants of the insurgents in the hinterlands, the security of the liberated communities and towns fall in the hands of the sister security agencies. The recent dislodgement and further decimation of the insurgents from their enclaves in the Sambisa and the Lake Chad Islands are testimonials to the effective operations of troops against the insurgents.
Additionally, troops are regularly conducting long range patrols, raids and ambushes to canalise and take out fleeing insurgents. Given all these efforts, it is very astonishing and shocking that such unfortunate comment and allegation is been touted against the loyal and dedicated troops of Operation Lafiya Dole.
Contrary to the comments being circulated, troops earlier deployed in Dapchi were redeployed to reinforce troops at Kanama following attacks on troops location at the Nigerian Nigerien border. This was on the premise that Dapchi has been relatively calm and peaceful and the security of Dapchi town was formally handed over to the Nigeria Police Division located in the town. Troops redeployment was therefore done in tandem with the exigencies of operation and not as misconstrued.
It is thus obligatory, to state that the allegation reportedly attributed to the Governor of Yobe State is misleading and misinforming. We reiterate our commitment and determination to carrying out our mandate to fight Boko Haram terrorists in the North East. We also implore members of the public to continue to support us with credible information on the whereabouts of the Boko Haram terrorists. We would also like to assure the parents, government and the good people of Yobe State and indeed members of the public that we will not rest on our oars in the search and rescue of the abducted school girls and any other persons held captive by the terrorists.
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Legit.ng earlier reported that President Muhammadu Buhari promised that his administration would ensure the safe return of all those abducted by the Boko Haram insurgents, including the 110 students of the Government Science and Technical College in Dapchi, Yobe state.
Meanwhile, Shehu Sani, the senator representing Kaduna central at the National Assembly criticised the recent abduction of students from Government Science Technical School, Dapchi, Yobe. The senator said the abduction has reversed some of the gains in the war against Boko Haram insurgents.
"The abductions in Dapchi brought us back to the starting point and significantly reverses some of the gains in the war against the insurgents," he said.
Smartphones giveaway. Hurry up! 1 week until winner announced on Legit.ng TV.
Source: Legit.ng
By Jerri-Lynn Scofield, who has worked as a securities lawyer and a derivatives trader. She now spends much of her time in Asia and is currently working on a book about textile artisans.
The Wall Street Journal published a piece today, Trumps SEC Makes Slow Progress on Trimming Rules, gently chiding the SEC for not pursuing an aggressive deregulatory agenda during Trumps first year in office.
Now, I cant say that Im wholly surprised by this state of affairs. As I wrote in a January 2017 post at the time Trump selected Jay Clayton, a partner at the white shoe law firm of Sullivan & Cromwell,to head the SEC in a section I headed Turkeys Dont Vote for Thanksgiving):
Im going to go out on a limb here (irony alert), and suggest that Clayton wont smash the securities law framework or necessarily go especially slow on enforcement especially compared to the existing White/Shapiro baseline precisely because hes come from S & C one of the leading law firms in the country, with an unparalleled securities law practice. Such a firm wouldnt want to see the securities framework dismantled or appreciably diminished. Why? Well, thats how its lawyers make their money: by advising clients how to comply with the law. If any significant element of the securities law framework is dismantled there goes a huge chunk of S & Cs raison detre. For a former S & C partner to willy nilly trash securities laws would be akin to a turkey voting for Thanksgiving. Crucially, how serious the SEC is about enforcement will depend on who is appointed to be director of enforcement, and how serious the DoJ is about targeting and investigating white collar and corporate offenses, and trying cases when evidence of wrongdoing is uncovered. I should also point out here that although an SEC chair has great power to shape the agencys agenda, many of the more far-reaching reforms Trump has hinted at would require legislation. Now, Trump does appear to be dead serious about regulatory reform in particular, rolling back Dodd-Frank although like many aspects of Trump policy, exactly what he means by that is vague, often inconsistent, and not completely clear.
How do those predictions stand up, a year and a bit later?
The SEC s Record Over the Past Year
Lets see what the WSJ has to say:
Jay Clayton, President Donald Trumps pick to lead the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, can point to a series of small, targeted actions aimed at easing the regulatory burden for companies nearly 10 months into his tenure. The SECs incremental progress stands in contrast to the early days of the Trump administration, which were punctuated by a swift succession of executive orders aimed squarely at deregulation. One order told regulators that any new rule would require the elimination of two old rules, while another called on the Treasury and Congress to roll back the Dodd-Frank financial overhaul law. However, those early announcements have yielded modest impact in the realm of financial regulation. The most ambitious effort to revoke and replace the Dodd-Frank law Rep. Jeb Hensarlings (R., Texas) Financial Choice Actpassed the House in June but failed to clear the Senate. The SEC has signaled more gradual action aimed at streamlining regulations for the coming year. Modernizing the rules without in any way taking away investor protection is the best thing that we can do, Mr. Clayton told CFO Journal on the sidelines of the Practicing Law Institutes SEC Speaks conference in Washington on Friday. The agency is looking at all rules to see what could be pruned back, the SEC chairman said. In making changes, the SEC is limited by its mission to enforce securities law and protect investors, current and former SEC commissioners say. Moreover, only Congress can revoke statutes such as Dodd-Frank and the Sarbanes-Oxley corporate governance law, which many business groups say raise the cost of compliance.
Regulatory Record
Now, I do take issue with the WSJ analysis, on at least a couple of points. First, the SECs record during the aftermath of the financial crisis was pretty bad, so if we measure the performance of the current SEC against such a baseline, the relative performance will look better than it actually is (for more on this point, please see my November 2016 post, Mary Jo White Leaves Behind a Weakened SEC for Trump to Weaken Further).
Specifically on the regulatory side, I think the record of the Clayton SEC is mixed. (Keep reading for my thoughts on enforcement, which follow below.) Let me discuss two points here.
On the one hand, the agency has been reluctant to allow a significant ramping up in selling bitcoin and cryptocurrency snake oil to retail investors (see my earlier post from last month, SEC Stymies Plans to Offer Bitcoin Funds Anytime Soon, in which I discussed an Staff Letter: Engaging on Fund Innovation and Cryptocurrency-related Holdings that put the kibosh on plans to offer exchange-traded funds (ETFs) or other products based on bitcoin or cryptocurrencies to retail investors anytime soon. This is as wed hope and expect a prudent regulator to act.
On the other hand, in July, the agencys Division of Corporation Finance abruptly decided to allow all companies to submit draft registration statements relating to initial public offerings (IPOs) for review on a nonpublic basis, according to this agency press release. This new policy extends a benefit previously available only to emerging growth companies (EGCs) under the Jumpstart Our Businesses Startup (JOBS) Act to all companies. I discussed this policy change in Doubling Down on Deregulation: SEC Extends JOBS Act Benefit in Elusive Quest to Goose IPO Market. It is a misguided policy, and I believe it will only lead to more fraud and mischief in IPOs.
Yet this is an extension of previous policy rather than a significant departure. In my post, I elaborated on previous separate posts by each of Yves and Bill Black discussing the JOBS Act travesty (see Why You Should Hate the Jumpstart Obamas Bucket Shops Act (Yves) and How the Jumpstart Obamas Bucket Shops Act is Just Another in a Long Series of Fraud-Promoting Legislation) (Bill Black).
Now,I dont deny that the Clayton SEC is indeed responsible for extending this travesty but its merely extension of legislation enacted during the reign of Trumps predecessor. The JOBS Act passed in 2012 with the full support to the administration and Congress at that time. So this last folly has a bipartisan genesis (with bipartisan being a good tell for when Congresscritters and other elected officials are up to no good). Black wrote that the JOBS Act would promote rather than deter fraud. As would no doubt the latest extension. But its important to note the buck didnt start here.
What Comes Next on Regulation?
Interestingly, going forward, Clayton appears to have no major plans to launch a deregulatory push or at least said as much when speaking to the WSJ on Friday:
The SEC has signaled more gradual action aimed at streamlining regulations for the coming year. Modernizing the rules without in any way taking away investor protection is the best thing that we can do, Mr. Clayton told CFO Journal on the sidelines of the Practicing Law Institutes SEC Speaks conference in Washington on Friday. The agency is looking at all rules to see what could be pruned back, the SEC chairman said. In making changes, the SEC is limited by its mission to enforce securities law and protect investors, current and former SEC commissioners say. Moreover, only Congress can revoke statutes such as Dodd-Frank and the Sarbanes-Oxley corporate governance law, which many business groups say raise the cost of compliance.
Enforcement
And now, let me turn to enforcement a topic addressed In a February crossposted piece in which Nomi Prins noted:
Claytons main accomplishment so far has been to significantly reduce oversight activities. SEC penalties, for instance, fell by 15.5% to $3.5 billion during the first year of the Trump administration. The SEC also issued enforcement actions against only 62 public companies in 2017, a 33% decline from the previous year. Perhaps you wont then be surprised to learn that its enforcement division has an estimated 100 unfilled investigative and supervisory positions
The Washington Post provides further scope and detail on this decline in this November 2017 article Wall Streets watchdog is pursuing fewer cases since Trump took office:
Sagging numbers signal a chilling retreat from enforcement, which was already milquetoast following the financial crash, said Bart Naylor, a financial policy advocate for the civic group Public Citizen. By the enforcement divisions own accounting, they are receiving reports of suspicious activity many orders of magnitude greater than what results in a sanction. Wall Street has never been an Eagle Scout alumni association, but failure by the Clayton SEC to elevate enforcement and hold individuals to severe penalties will only attract more scams.
To reinforce that point: this is a significant drop-off from the record logged by an SEC I called a paper enforcement tiger in my post on Mary Jo White I cited above. So, the current SEC appears not to be seeking to strike fear into the hearts of securities law malefactors either. Quelle surprise!
Todays WSJ piece fails to mention the enforcement angle.
Keep Your Eyes Peeled
Theres a potential new battlefield emerging, however, as reported todays WSJ piece:
The SEC also could sidestep another issue: whether to allow companies to include a mandatory arbitration clause in their registration documents. The move would eliminate investor class-action lawsuits. Its not part of our agenda, Mr. Clayton said when asked about the issue on a panel at the PLI conference. However, the issue could still come up if, as part of its registration process, a company seeks the agencys approval to include the clause.
Business lobbyists succeeded in overturning the Consumer Financial Protection Bureaus (CFPB ban on mandatory arbitration clauses in consumer financial contracts (as I discussed in multiple posts, the most recent being, RIP, CFPB Mandatory Arbitration Ban). It looks like some part of the legal reform crew might be looking to extend this victory to try and require (at least some) investor disputes be settled via arbitration as well. How serious this effort might shape up to be is beyond the scope of the current post, but would be a troubling development one that I will explore more carefully in a future post, once Ive had more time to delve into the weeds.
As the armed forces of various countries open up more positions to women, striving for gender equality and reducing barriers for the meaningful participation of women in the military is increasingly important. The Science for Peace and Security (SPS) Programme supports a project to improve the conditions of women in Georgias armed forces.
We believe that a diverse force is a better force and to support this diversity and to retain force effectiveness, we need to build a barrier-free environment, said levan Izoria, Georgian Minister of Defence, at the opening of an experts workshop sponsored by the SPS Programme, held in Tbilisi from 21 to 23 February 2018. We are building armed forces free from any type of harassment, abuse or violence, where every serviceman and woman feels supported, encouraged and considered.
During this workshop, international experts set the scene for an assessment of the current experiences of men and women in the Georgian Armed Forces. They considered how international good practice in gender-responsive climate assessments in armed forces might be applied.
The workshop also identified appropriate methods for conducting the assessment, such as surveys and focus groups, and to plan the next steps of this SPS initiative.
Assessing the experience of personnel
In November 2017, NATO and Georgia launched this two-year project to develop and execute a so-called organisational climate assessment concerning gender equality, harassment and abuse in the armed forces of Georgia.
The climate assessment is designed to provide those in command with an independent evaluation of the experience of personnel in their unit and the opportunity to address issues which may arise during their leadership. The project will also provide training to Georgian defence ministry personnel to design and execute climate surveys and assessments, and analyse the data collected.
While gender equality is a focus, the project aims to improve the conditions for both men and women in the armed forces. Ensuring good working conditions for both men and women in the military is key for having effective armed forces, said Dr Jamie Shea, NATO Deputy Assistant Secretary General for Emerging Security Challenges.
Building high standards of professional accountability
This SPS initiative falls in a period of a major transformation process of the Georgian defence system, aimed at enhancing capabilities and resilience and increasing interoperability with NATO.
We are determined to build a NATO standard, reliable, effective, affordable and sustainable force structure, manned with professional, quality personnel ensured with the necessary conditions and healthy environment to be able to efficiently perform their military duties, emphasised Defence Minister Izoria
Focusing on achieving gender equality helps armed forces to improve their responsiveness to communities they operate amongst, as well as get the best from their personnel and meet the highest standards of professional accountability, explained Megan Bastick, Gender and Security Fellow at the Geneva Centre for the Democratic Control of Armed Forces (DCAF), an intergovernmental foundation and think-tank. Understanding the experiences of men and women in the armed forces is a necessary first step towards gender equality goals.
The SPS project enjoys high-level political support from both the Georgian Ministry of Defence and the Prime Ministers Special Representative for Gender Equality, Sopo Japaridze, and receives strong practical support from Spain and the United Kingdom.
The Slovenian and Swiss chapters of DCAF contribute to this project by sharing expertise and offering training.
Other current projects with Georgia
This project is one of the most recent SPS initiatives with Georgia, an active partner under the NATO SPS Programme. Georgian scientists and experts are also involved in a project that develops innovative technology to help contain underground blasts and in a regional initiative to reduce the risk of geohazards to the Enguri hydro-electrical facility, an important element of Georgias energy infrastructure.
(Natural News) Theres no doubt about it: We all know some amazing young adults, but millennials as a group have not earned much respect for themselves. Known disparagingly as snowflakes, generation cry baby, and the worst generation ever to have lived, most of us have come to realize that we should keep our expectations low when dealing with those born between 1983 and 2000. While theres no doubt that they are the most technically savvy generation in history, it seems that there is a massive disconnect when it comes to their basic life skills and the ability to take care of themselves.
As Breitbarts Ben Shapiro once reported, despite being hailed as the future and the ones weve been waiting for by people like former President Barrack Obama, the reality is that millennials have proven to be the least useful generation in America.
Shapiro wryly noted:
Well, there may be a few things [they] cant solve. Like simple reading comprehension problems, for example. And how to stop living in moms basement.
The latest example of their less than stellar abilities is the fact that the U.S. Army has had to drop its requirement that all graduates be able to throw a grenade between 60 and 100 feet. This, it would seem, is something that young people can simply no longer do, having not learned to throw a ball growing up.
We are finding that there are a large number of trainees that come in that quite frankly just physically dont have the capacity to throw a hand grenade 20 to 25 to 30 meters, noted Maj. Gen. Malcolm Frost. In 10 weeks, we are on a 48-hour period; you are just not going to be able to teach someone how to throw if they havent thrown growing up.
Of course, it would be unfair to blame this lack of basic skills on the individuals themselves; the parents who raised an entire generation of kids who simply dont have the basic skills to take care of themselves, are squarely to blame. Allowing these kids to do nothing but play PlayStation and surf the net has left them physically undeveloped and emotionally immature. (Related: Millennials are totally unprepared for the realities of life, study finds.)
In fact, it is not just their lack of co-ordination or inability to throw a grenade that the Army is complaining about. After surveying close to 30,000 commissioned officers, warrant officers and non-commissioned officers, it became abundantly obvious that there is an alarming lack of discipline and a pervasive spirit of entitlement among young recruits.
What leaders have observed in general is they believe that there is too much of a sense of entitlement, questioning of lawful orders, not listening to instruction, too much of a buddy mentality with NCOs and officers and a lot of tardiness being late to formation and duties, Frost said. These are trends that they see as increasing that they think are part of the discipline aspect that is missing and that they would like to see in the trainees that become soldiers that come to them as their first unit of assignment.
The Armys solution to the problem has been to completely redesign its Basic Combat Training program, where it will focus on building more discipline and pride, as well as improving basic fitness, communications, marksmanship and first aid skills. (Related: Lacking any real job skills, broke millennials are now donating blood plasma as a routine source of income.)
First-unit-of-assignment leaders want Initial Entry Training to deliver disciplined, physically-fit new soldiers who are willing to learn, they are mentally tough, professional and are proud to serve in the United States Army, said Frost.
Of course, relatively few millennials will be willing to leave their parents basements to enlist in the first place, so it can only be imagined that this improved training program will benefit relatively few young people. (Related: Discover more Millennial exploits at Stupid.news.)
Sources include:
TruthRevolt.org
Military.com
Breitbart.com
(Natural News) Technology has light and dark sides. Even as it grants astronomers further sight and deeper insight into the cosmos, it also spawns pollution that veils the empyrean, warned a Science News For Students article.
During the annual meeting of the American Astronomical Society this January, astronomers warned about increasing amounts of space debris, light pollution, and radio wave interference that render the night sky inscrutable.
Its only been 60 years since the ancestral artificial satellite Sputnik first streaked across the firmament. Those were simpler times when the heavens saw no traffic.
However, its not the same clean sky anymore. There are close to 18,000 objects cluttering Earths orbitals; their sizes vary from anywhere between a centimeter to a Greyhound bus. Most of them are junk leftovers from numerous space missions, but they still pose a threat to space-based instruments like the Hubble Space Telescope.
The majority of them also reflect light. Observers using earthbound telescopes could easily mistake their glimmer for the light of a distant star.
Patrick Seitzer believes things are about to get much worse. An astronomer at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, he warned that the catalog of debris will double over the next two decades.
American aerospace company Boeing is trying to set up a global network of 3,000 V-band satellites over the next 20 years. Thats just one company in one country.
Blinding light
Light pollution on Earth can be just as bad as space-borne debris. The harsh glare given off by artificial illumination overpowers natural starlight. And light-emitting diodes (LEDs) are quite possibly the biggest offenders.
Eight years ago, LEDs made up less than one percent of the lights in the U.S. today; one out of every two light fixtures is an LED.
Boasting long lifespans and excellent energy efficiency, LEDs are highly attractive lighting options for many people and nations. Theyre bad news for astronomers, though, because they emit a lot of blue light.
Blue light has a short wavelength, so it scatters much quicker. This increases sky glow, a form of light pollution caused by light bouncing off the numerous particles in the air above large cities.
And then there are radio waves. Distant stars and galaxies give off radio waves that astronomers study for clues about the universe.
Unfortunately, humans also generate a lot of radio energy. The ubiquitous Wi-Fi arent radio waves, but theyre close enough to scramble radio detectors. And radar uses actual radio waves to detect objects.
According to radio astronomer Harvey Liszt, the radar on driverless cars can affect radio astronomy operations up to 100 kilometers (62 miles) away. (Related: Google gives driverless cars the green light for business, but are we really ready for AI piloted vehicles on our roads?)
The fault in our stars
Astronomers have been looking at solutions to improve the visibility of the skies. The late Jean Heidmann campaigned for the deployment of a telescope on the barren surface of the moon.
More modest proposals include stricter government regulations on radio frequencies and some have called radio quiet zones. The latter are areas devoid of any radio emitters that can interfere with radio telescopes.
The Green Bank Observatory in West Virginia is surrounded by 34,000 square-kilometer (13,000 square miles) of land devoid of cell phone transmitters and radio stations. It can operate the biggest fully steerable radio telescope in the world in perfect radio silence.
As for artificial light, the example of Flagstaff, Arizona comes to mind. The city chose to use narrow-band amber LEDs that limit sky glow. That way, they keep the skies clear for local astronomers.
Dark skies have become part of the culture here, said Jeff Hall, an astronomer who heads the Lowell Observatory in Flagstaff.
Keep track of other space-related news at Cosmic.news.
Sources include:
ScienceNewsForStudents.org
SpaceNews.com
(Natural News) CNN columnist and SiriusXM radio host Dean Obeidallah, a self-professed American Muslim, has openly declared that whenever somebody dies from an opioid overdose from here on out, its automatically the fault of President Donald Trump.
In a shockingly pointed and nasty tweet, Obeidallah condemned the president for appointing a GOP pollster, referring to Kellyanne Conway, to head the fight against the opioid scourge thats ruining American lives. Obeidallah claimed in the same tweet that more Americans will die because of Trumps incompetence, adding that Trump should be charged with manslaughter!
The unhinged rant came in response to a tweet that the president himself issued in response to a letter he received from Sue Kruczek, the mother of a Nick Kruczek, a young man who reportedly died from opioid addiction, Kruczek had said some very nice things about President Trump during a segment that aired on Fox and Friends, and the president responded via social media to thank her.
Thank you to Sue Kruczek, who lost her wonderful and talented son Nick to the Opioid scourge, for your kind words while on @foxandfriends, the president wrote. We are fighting this terrible epidemic hard Nick will not have died in vain!
It was a kind gesture that any normal, decent person would have recognized as honorable. But not Dean Obeidallah. The highly-opinionated, Trump-hating political comedian was quick to spew his loathing against the president who, by the way, is the only president in recent history whos not only taken an aggressive stance against pharmaceutical drug abuse, but is also trying to fight Big Pharmas longstanding price monopolies that hurt average Americans.
Obeidallah also hates President Trump for expanding budget allowances to treat opioid addiction
But wait, didnt President Trumps budget proposal contain provisions allowing for more money to expand treatment, recovery and mental health services for people afflicted by opioid addiction? Why yes, yes he did. And doesnt this mean that the president is concerned with helping opioid addicts, and preventing more opioids deaths? This is also a yes.
This means that Obeidallahs inane ranting on Twitter represents the complete opposite of reality, illustrating that this CNN hack is more concerned with hating the president than with actually representing the truth. But unfortunately it doesnt stop there.
In a tweet he posted just one day after the manslaughter nonsense, Obeidallah condemned President Trumps budget proposal yes, the same one with the expanded opioid addiction funding for, get this, subjecting more people to death. Obeidallah tweeted:
If you like to see people on Medicare, food stamps and Medicaid die then you will really LOVE Donald Trumps Nasty Budget.
It seems as though Obeidallah is suffering from a severe form of mental illness, as two days in a row he completely misconstrued reality with the fiction going on in his own mind. President Trump could come out tomorrow and declare that, pending a vote by Congress, opioids are now illegal, and Obeidallah would immediately respond with an erroneous tweet stating that 45 is killing more children by handing out opioids to children with Happy Meals at McDonalds.
This seems to be the alternative, fake news delusion in which Obeidallah lives, and the same one in which his followers also apparently live. These unhinged liberals are literally losing their minds as they grasp at anything to claim that President Trump is a murderer, or a dictator, or a Russian bot, or whatever the liberal talking point of the day might be.
If youre not convinced, consider some of the other headlines associated with Obeidallahs delusions, including: Trump May Be the Most Anti-Women US President Ever, Trump Owes Us Money, and SNL is Right Trumps Chaos is Part of a Plan.
Dear Dean Obeidallah: Seek help.
Sources for this article include:
TruthRevolt.org
NaturalNews.com
(Natural News) In the aftermath of the mass shooting that reportedly took place at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, on February 14, 2018, the mainstream media seemed extra eager to peg the alleged shooter as somehow being associated with the alt-right. And it almost seemed like this wish came true when online tipsters suggested to several major news outlets that Nikolas de Jesus Cruz was a member of a white nationalist militia group, until this claim was eventually exposed as fake news.
It all started when the left-wing Anti-Defamation League (ADL) ran with a story about how Cruz was allegedly a member of the Tallahassee-based white supremacist Republic of Florida militia group. The groups leader, Jordan Jereb, had supposedly confirmed to the ADL that Cruz was, indeed, a member, but that it had not told Cruz to shoot up the school or commit any other acts of violence for which he was later charged.
A spokesperson for the white supremacist group Republic of Florida (ROF) told the Anti-Defamation League on Thursday, February 15, that Nikolas Cruz [.] was associated with his group, the ADL had initially reported.
ABC News, the Associated Press, and many other media outlets immediately ran with the story, believing that they had finally struck the goldmine of all goldmines: a white supremacist shooter who would finally be the patsy the left needed to bring about sweeping gun reform. They even attached the story to photos of a masked individual, which they claimed was Cruz and which, like the story itself, was later proven to also be fake news.
It was the lefts dream come true, until it suddenly wasnt. The local Tallahassee Democrat newspaper quietly reported that local authorities had dug into the claims about Cruz being associated with white nationalists a little bit more deeply than the ADL and the national news outlets had, only to discover that the whole thing was completely made up.
The ADL quickly issued an excuse, claiming that it had merely shared information from our experts on extremism and claims from white supremacist (sic) that we believed could be helpful to both law enforcement and the public due to the fluid and evolving nature of the events. But the truth of the matter is that the ADL simply couldnt be bothered to verify the facts in this particular case, seeing as how the narrative represents everything the ADL exists to exploit.
The Anti-Defamation League may as well be called the Anti-White League
As weve previously reported, the Anti-Defamation League may as well be named the Anti-White League. The group loves to find new ways to stifle free speech, and has repeatedly played a role in trying to censor content online that exposes the left-wing agenda.
The ADL has further gone after the so-called alt-right, as well as pro-Trump groups, while remaining silent about all of the left-wing violence thats occurred over the past several years from groups like Antifa. The ADL was also silent when the group Red Guards Austin suggested fomenting violence to bring about change in the form of a new American communist state.
Curiously enough, very little was said about the mainstream medias perpetuation of fake news with regards to the Parkland shooting after it was exposed. Politico ran a story on it that, instead of condemning the media for not vetting the facts blamed white nationalists for fooling the media again deflecting responsibility.
And isnt that exactly what weve come to expect from these fake media empires? Theyre all about going after fake news whenever it contradicts their own agendas. But when it suits them, fake news suddenly becomes the first thing that gets published, even if its completely baseless as was the case with claiming that Cruz was a white nationalist militia member.
See MediaFactWatch.com for more coverage of legacy media propaganda and fake news.
Sources for this article include:
PJMedia.com
NaturalNews.com
Politico.com
An NBC Bay Area hidden-camera investigation provides a rare glimpse into a rising surge of criminal activity across San Francisco that continues to prey on the city's most famed landmarks and popular tourist destinations. San Francisco's nearly 30,000 car break-ins last year shattered previous crime records and illustrate an organized and elaborate crime operation that law enforcement calls an "epidemic."
It happens in seconds. A tap on the glass, a quick grab into the car. In less time than it takes to read these words, valuables vanish from a car: laptops, phones, passports.
Alamo Square, the famed home of San Franciscos Painted Ladies, is ground zero.
A suspect in San Francisco is caught on surveillance video busting the window of a vehicle, diving head first through the opening and stealing items from the vehicle.
Its a Real Black Eye
They come in, drop the car off, just quickly run up and go take a picture, and the next thing they know they come back and their windows are smashed, said one car break-in victim, who did not want to be identified for fear of his own safety.
Over the past two years, he has provided police with video of at least 50 car break-ins, recorded with his own home surveillance cameras.
Its basically one per week, he said.
He showed NBC Bay Area video of a vehicle that pulls up alongside a parked car in the middle of the day. As people mill around and take pictures of Alamo Square, a man jumps out of the car, breaks a window, and takes as much as he can carry. In another video, a thief dives into a car through the broken window - his legs dangling in the air as he grabs at the contents inside.
Its a real black eye, said the man who recorded the crimes. While he has been able to capture the crimes on video, he said he is frustrated at how few burglars police catch and lock up.
NBC Bay Area (Feb. 7, 2018)
Car Break-Ins Reported to San Francisco Police
2014: 22,029
2015: 26,040
2016: 24,624
2017: 28,984
(source: San Francisco District Attorney's Office)
Of the nearly 30,000 car break-ins in San Francisco last year, the police department made arrests in just 1.7 percent of cases, totalling 790 arrests, according to data provided by the police department and district attorneys office. Of those taken into custody, most were never sentenced to jail time.
The NBC Bay Area Investigative Unit outfitted a car with four hidden cameras to expose just how quickly someone can break into a car and get away. Belongings were left visible inside the vehicle to mirror the average car break-in scenario. The car was parked along a busy stretch of Geary Street near Japan Town for less than three hours before two men broke in at 9:20am. Click the video below to watch the smash and grab from four different angles.
Hidden surveillance cameras inside a vehicle in San Francisco capture two suspects casing the vehicle before breaking in and stealing two bags.
The System Needs to be Tweaked
"We've seen a dramatic increase in both the numbers of incidents as well as arrests," said Lieutenant Mike Nevin, who heads the investigations team at San Franciscos Northern Police Station.
Nevin, who has served with the department for nearly 23 years, also oversees the team of plain clothes officers who regularly conduct stings to catch those committing car break-ins.
Asked if he thinks the current system of catching and prosecuting criminals is broken, Nevin said I believe the system needs to be tweaked. Thats for certain.
The police department unveiled a new plan in January which puts more officers on the street, including undercover detectives.
By March, police Chief Bill Scott said there will be a property crimes coordinator who is responsible for car break-ins, bike thefts and burglaries at each police station. And - theres the Park Smart campaign - an effort to make tourists and all car owners more aware of the risk of leaving anything at all in a car.
Lieutenant Nevin is confident that the new measures will lead to more arrests.
We need to have folks that are dedicated to these crimes - which we do - and officers that are that are out there are, you know, willing and able to you know to make that happen.
NBC Bay Area (Feb. 8, 2018)
Criminal Gangs Behind at Least 70 Percent of Car Break-Ins
Law enforcement officials estimate that criminal street gangs are behind 70 to 80 percent of auto burglary incidents, according to a Civil Grand Jury report released in June 2016. According to the same report, car break-ins throughout San Francisco cost victims at least $19 million per year.
So far, law enforcement have been unable to hit the brakes on what is now a rising number of car break-ins across the city. Last year, at least 1,461 car break-ins were reported near Fishermans Wharf, 616 in Golden Gate Park, and 347 at the Palace of Fine Arts.
They find the reward greater than the risk right now, said Nevin. At some point their luck is going to run out.
Thieves break into upwards of 80 cars per day in San Francisco.
Ninety-Nine Percent of Car Burglars Not Getting Caught
Ninety-nine percent of the people are not getting caught to begin with, said Max Szabo, a spokesman for District Attorney George Gascon. While the district attorneys office prosecuted over 80 percent of those arrested for car break-ins last year, Szabo believes officers are not making enough arrests.
Folks actually need to come out to the scene of a crime after an incident, he said. You can't just say file the report online and wash your hands and it's done, because you're never going to resolve those situations.
Of those convicted in San Francisco for car break-ins, at least half are sentenced to felony probation and jail time, according to Szabo.
NBC Bay Area
New Way to Report Car Break-Ins, Submit Evidence
Last week, the District Attorneys office launched its own online system, where car break-in victims can file reports and submit evidence directly to the district attorneys office.
That's how we're going to effectuate a resolution of this epidemic, is by tying the individuals who are responsible for the vast majority of these crimes to multiple crimes, Szabo said.
While it might appear the district attorneys office is attempting to supersede the police departments current system of receiving reports of car break-ins, Szabo does not see it that way.
We are working with the police department very closely, he said. I think that, traditionally, this may not have been as much of a priority and I think thats changing."
______________________________________
More than 100 students from Palo Alto's Gunn High School braved the rain Monday morning and took to the streets calling for stricter gun control laws in the wake of the deadly South Florida school shooting.
Those behind the rally expressed support for those who lost their lives in the mass shooting as well as voiced their demands for tighter gun restrictions and a ban on assault rifles.
Hoisting signs such as "Never Again" and "Protect Kids, Not Guns" into the air, students could be heard chanting "Gunn students for gun control." Others could be seen persuading passing drivers to honk in support of gun reform.
"It could have been any school," Gunn High School student Elizabeth Salwitz said while discussing the South Florida school shooting. "And it's not necessarily just going to be a school, but it could be any place. And it's up to us as a generation, I think, is to change that and to change the way we think about this and say it's not OK for that to happen. It should never happen ever again."
PJ Singh, a freshman at the school, said gun control isn't the only answer to the issue.
"First of all, we can't ban all guns," he said. "I feel like second of all, we need more than just gun control. I feel like we should also maybe try adding more school security or doing some other way of adding more security somehow."
The rally started around 7:30 a.m. before coming to a close roughly one hour later when school began. It was not sanctioned by the school, but the school's principal expressed sympathy for the cause.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials reportedly detained multiple people in the Bay Area cities of Napa, Pinole and El Sobrante and elsewhere in Northern California on Sunday afternoon, according to witnesses and immigration rights officials.
The San Jose-based immigrant rights group Services, Immigrant Rights & Education Network, or SIREN, says a Rapid Response Network reported the detentions, which also were said to take place in Monterey, Sacramento and Merced counties. A SIREN spokesman also said ICE agents could be seen moving around movie theaters and taco trucks in those communities, apparently looking for any additional immigrants.
ICE did not disclose how many people were detained. But as many as 11 people were arrested, according to the immigrant's rights group.
According to a statement from an ICE spokesman, deportation officers with ICE and Enforcement and Removal Operations "conduct targeted enforcement operations on a daily basis in Northern California and across the nation."
"ICE focuses its enforcement resources on individuals who pose a threat to national security, public safety, and border security," the statement from ICE read. "ICE does not conduct sweeps or raids that target aliens indiscriminately. However, ICE no longer exempts classes or categories of removable aliens from potential enforcement. All of those in violation of the immigration laws may be subject to immigration arrest, detention and, if found removable by final order, removal from the United States."
Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf alerted Bay Area residents Saturday night of possible ICE operations starting as soon as within the next 24 hours. Marianne Favro reports.
Reports of ICE's presence in Bay Area communities came one day after Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf alerted Bay Area residents of possible ICE operations starting "as soon as within the next 24 hours."
In a news release Saturday, Schaaf encouraged all undocumented residents to consult immigration resources after learning from many credible sources that ICE is preparing to conduct an operation in the Bay Area.
Schaaf explained she was sharing the information publicly "not to panic residents but to protect them."
Although she said ICE has used activity rumors in the past as a fear tactic, Schaaf continued to explain that she felt it was her duty to give families a fair warning of a possible threat.
"My priority is for the well-being and safety of all residents particularly our most vulnerable and I know that Oakland is safer when we share information, encourage community awareness, and care for our neighbors," Schaaf said in the release.
San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo also issued a statement via Twitter Sunday, writing "we've got your back" while addressing "our immigrant communities."
To our immigrant communities weve got your back. My statement on rumored ICE raids in the Bay Area: pic.twitter.com/uHyWVQdNUY Sam Liccardo (@sliccardo) February 25, 2018
The messages from Schaaf and Liccardo come as ICE agents have stepped up their enforcement this year. Earlier this month, ICE agents went after 77 businesses in Northern California, and in January agents targeted nearly a hundred 7-Eleven stores across the nation, including two in Santa Clara.
"While the vast majority of cities in America do cooperate with ICE, others force ICE to assign additional resources 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," according to a statement from ICE. "Sanctuary cities and states are not immune from federal law."
Schaaf said she didn't have any information on the specific places where immigration agents were conducting their operations.
Immigration attorney Patricia Castorena said anyone targeted by ICE officials should not open the door, remain silent, contact an attorney and avoid signing anything until speaking with an immigration attorney.
She also said it's important that parents put in writing who they want to care for their children should they be detained.
"The children should go with a family or neighbor, and you need to have a safety plan in effect," Castorena said.
Many school districts throughout the Bay Area already have strict protocols in place to protect students and their families, and Oakland police are prohibited from participating in any ICE activities.
Residents affected can consult Centro Legal de La Raza for more information on their legal rights to gain a better understanding of the options available in the event that they face detention or need legal representation.
Rain is expected across the Bay Area overnight and Monday morning as a cold front moves through the region, weather forecasters said.
As the front passes from north to south, rain may fall in scattered areas, thunderstorms are possible and breezy conditions are likely, they said.
The system will move southward into the Monterey Bay Region by later Monday morning or early in the afternoon, weather officials said.
Rainfall amounts will be light, generally under a quarter of an inch outside of higher elevation spots. Even the typical wet spots should stay under half an inch, forecasters said.
Snow levels could drop to around 2,000 feet, and many higher elevation spots could see a dusting of snow, they said.
A stronger and wetter storm is expected to move into the region Wednesday night, with rain continuing at least through Friday, weather officials said.
Bay City News contributed to this report.
Surveillance footage may lead school officials to find out who left messages threatening violence and referring to the recent deadly shooting in Florida at Rancho Bernardo High School.
San Diego police responded at approximately 7 a.m. to investigate the tagging of various buildings on campus.
Staff at the school used paper to cover up the messages. Some of the messages referred to the deadly shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. The Feb. 14 shooting at the school in Parkland, Florida killed 17 people and injured 14 others.
Rancho Bernardo HS Principal Dave LeMaster sent a message to parents and students informing them of the threatening messages painted throughout the campus.
"We immediately contacted San Diego Police Department who are on campus investigating. At this point, the SDPD do not believe this to be a credible threat," LeMaster said. "We will continue to have police presence on campus for the remainder of the day and throughout the week."
LeMaster said after seeing the vandalism, many students opted to leave campus before first period.
Keziah Bulatao was walking on campus when she noticed the graffiti.
It said Florida was nothing, the RBHS junior said.
Her father rushed back to the school to pick her up.
Even though she felt better going home than staying, she said she was upset about the time wasted because she had plans to finish up a project with classmates.
I would rather be safe. Knowing that there was a school shooting recently, its best that we go home, Bulatao said.
Indresh Chaudhari has a daughter at the high school and could not believe what was happening.
They dont understand how difficult it is for the family, for the parents, he said.
Its such a waste of everything, Chaudhari said. I have to be at my job. People have to be at their jobs. Kids have to be in their school, classrooms. They should be learning at this time.
Ann Fleming has a student who is a freshman at the school. She said she was upset about the news of the messages but didn't find it surprising.
"This seems to be the America were in," Fleming said.
Making a decision between your kids getting an education or essentially potentially staying alive is a strange place to be in, she said, adding that she's grateful the school district takes these things seriously.
San Diego police officers were reviewing security footage, Poway Unified School District Superintendent Marian Kim-Phelps, Ed.D. said.
"Perpetrators will face felony charges," she said.
"We want everyone to be aware of the serious consequences of this type of crime," the superintendent said. "These threats terrorize communities and frighten parents, students, and staff and severely disrupt the school day. Our schools should remain places where our students feel safe enough to learn and grow."
There are 2,400 students enrolled in the school from the communities of Poway, Rancho Bernardo, Los Penasquitos, Sabre Springs and Carmel Mountain Ranch.
Please refresh this page for updates on this story. Details may change as more information becomes available.
A 4-year-old girl and a 14-year-old boy were shot on the city's Northwest side on Sunday night, according to police.
The children were sitting in a car on the 4700 block of West North Avenue around 9 p.m. when another vehicle approached and an occupant opened fire.
The boy was shot in the leg, and the girl was shot in the ankle, according to police. Both were taken to Stroger Hospital in good condition.
Police are still investigating the shooting, and no one is in custody.
Weekend gun violence in Chicago has claimed the lives of three people and injured at least 17 more in shootings across the city, according to police.
The weekends most recent fatal shooting occurred Sunday morning in the 0-100 block of North Mayfield. At approximately 3:40 a.m., a 29-year-old man was on foot when he was shot in the head by an unknown shooter.
He was pronounced dead at the scene, and police are still investigating.
The first fatal shooting of the weekend took place just after 8 p.m. Saturday night in the 8600 block of South Michigan Avenue, police said. A 17-year-old boy was shot in the hip and was taken to Christ Hospital, where he was later pronounced dead.
No one is in custody in connection with the shooting, and Area South detectives are investigating, police said.
A short time later, a second man was killed in the 1100 block of west 65th Street. The 26-year-old was shot in the upper body and was taken to Stroger Hospital in critical condition. He was later pronounced dead, and police dont have a suspect in custody.
The weekends first shooting occurred when a man was shot in the face in the 2300 block of West Ogden at approximately 9:21 p.m. Friday night. According to police, the man was found by authorities lying on a sidewalk and was rushed to Stroger Hospital. No one is in custody according to police.
Friday:
A 43-year-old man followed a vehicle involved in a hit and run crash and was shot in the chest by an occupant of the Jeep, according to police. The Jeep fled the scene of the accident and headed to the intersection of West Augusta and California, where the driver of the vehicle fired shots, striking the victim. He was taken to Stroger in good condition.
An 18-year-old man was walking in the 8000 block of South Emerald just before 10 p.m. when he was shot by a person in a dark colored vehicle. He was taken to St. Bernard Hospital in good condition, police said.
Saturday:
An unknown man walked up to a 21-year-old man in the 1400 block of South Kenneth just after midnight and fired shots at the victim, striking him multiple times. The victim suffered gunshot wounds to his buttocks, right leg, and a graze wound to his head, according to authorities. He was listed in good condition at Mount Sinai.
A 37-year-old man was standing near a vehicle in the 5500 block of West Van Buren when he heard shots and felt pain in his right leg. He was taken to Mount Sinai in good condition with a gunshot wound to his leg, police said.
A 31-year-old man was standing on a sidewalk in the 1100 block of South Mozart at approximately 1:47 a.m. when he was shot in the abdomen, according to police. He was taken to Mount Sinai in critical condition, and police are still investigating the shooting.
In the 7800 block of South Saginaw at approximately 4:21 a.m., a 29-year-old man was shot while standing on the porch of his residence, police said. A dark colored vehicle pulled up and one of the occupants opened fire, striking him in the right thigh. He was taken to Northwestern Hospital in stable condition.
A 19-year-old man was shot during a robbery in the 1200 block of South Avers at approximately 1 p.m. He was treated for a gunshot wound to the leg and released, and two people are in custody and have been charged in connection with the incident.
Just after 3 p.m. in the 3400 block of West Van Buren, a 34-year-old man was shot while he was walking, police said. The man was taken to Stroger Hospital in good condition with a gunshot wound to his back.
At approximately 4:31 p.m., a 32-year-old man was shot in the chest, according to police. The incident occurred in the 2100 block of West 52 nd Street, and the man is in critical condition at Mount Sinai Hospital.
Street, and the man is in critical condition at Mount Sinai Hospital. A 29-year-old man was walking in the 8800 block of South Parnell just after 6 p.m. when he was shot multiple times by a person in a passing vehicle. The man suffered gunshot wounds to his left leg, left jaw, his neck, and suffered a graze wound to his chin. He was taken to Christ Hospital in stable condition.
An 18-year-old man was standing outside of a party when he was shot in the leg, police said. The incident occurred in the 5900 block of West Rice at approximately 10:15 p.m., and the man was taken to West Suburban Hospital in good condition.
Sunday:
Chicago police are investigating after an officer-involved shooting on the citys Southwest Side Sunday night.
Just after 8:30 p.m., police were conducting a traffic stop in the citys Back of the Yards neighborhood. As officers were getting individuals out of the car, one of the men pushed an officer out of the way and took off running between trucks at the nearby Ashland Cold Storage facility in the 4300 block of South Ashland.
One of the officers opened fire, striking the man multiple times, according to authorities. The suspect was taken to Stroger Hospital, where he is listed in serious condition but is expected to survive.
No officers were injured in the incident.
COPA is investigating the shooting, and the officer involved has been placed on desk duty during the investigation, as per police policy.
Stay tuned to NBC Chicago for more on this developing story.
What to Know Sheriff Scott Israel announced that he will fully cooperate with an investigation by the FDLE.
Israel announced that he will not step down as sheriff, despite a call by 73 lawmakers demanding that he be removed from office.
Israel to continue investigating on whether or not officers responded inappropriately to the shooting.
Broward County Sheriff Scott Israel announced that he will fully cooperate with an investigation by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement into how his deputies responded to the Parkland school shooting that left 17 people dead.
In an exclusive interview with NBC 6, Israel also said he will not step down as sheriff, despite a call by 73 Republican Florida lawmakers demanding that he be removed from office. The lawmakers made their demand in a letter to Gov. Rick Scott.
Leaders are responsible for the agency, but leaders are not responsible for a person, said Israel. I gave him a gun. I gave him a badge. I gave him the training. If he didnt have the heart to go in, thats not my responsibility.
In the interview, Israel chose not to focus on reports claiming that three other Broward County Sheriffs deputies, in addition to the schools resource officer, did not go inside Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School when shots rang out.
We are preparing to take statements from Coral Springs police officers, who allegedly are going to make statements about our deputies or some deputies, two or three deputies not doing what theyre supposed to do. It will be investigated feverishly and thoroughly, said Israel.
On Sunday, Florida House Speaker Richard Corcoran shared a letter with 73 house Republican signatures, calling for Gov. Rick Scott to remove Israel from office.
Gov. Scott responded with a statement, which, in part, read, I have asked for the Florida Department of Law Enforcement to immediately investigate the law enforcement response and will continue to review this matter as more facts come out. There must be an independent investigation and that is why I asked the FDLE Commissioner to immediately start this process.
We will find the truth, said Israel. If the deputies did nothing wrong, then we move forward. If the deputies made mistakes, Ill act accordingly and handle it appropriately as I did with former Deputy Peterson.
The sheriff said hes received thousands of supportive messages from the men and women who elected him. But theres a growing number of people arguing that its inexcusable that Israels department missed warning signs about the teenage shooter. Twenty-three calls were made to BSO about the gunman. Two other officers, who previously responded to one of the calls related to Nikolas Cruz, have been placed on restrictive duty while the investigation is underway.
Im the sheriff. My names on the door. The people responsible are the ones who took the calls and didnt follow up on it. As it was with the FBI, as it was with any person, said Israel.
Israel said that BSO will fully cooperate with the FDLE, as they believe in full transparency and accountability. This independent, outside review will ensure public confidence in the findings, said Israel.
Theres a scramble to find new homes for dozens of families in New Haven after their apartment building was condemned.
Many residents of the Norton Towers on Norton Street been staying in motels since they were forced to leave the condemned building last week. Some are concerned about where theyll go if their landlord soon stops paying the motel bills.
Its been really rough for me and my family. We just trying to take it one day at a time, Monique Paige of New Haven, said.
For Paige and her two young kids, its been tough ever since their apartment building on Norton Street in New Haven was condemned on Thursday.
After being given hours to pack up their things, the family is now staying a motel, a good distance from their home.
Were going to be walking to school. We dont have much transportation. So Im going to get them up a little bit early to get them in school, Paige said.
The Paiges were among 77 people suddenly forced out of Norton Towers after city officials deemed it unsafe.
Some are staying at motels, while others have found new apartments.
Paige lined up a new place but said all their furniture is inside the old apartment.
And right now no one is being allowed to enter the building or any of its 40 units.
Everything is frustrating right now. Its just a lot, Paige said.
Adding to worries, Paige says their landlord might stop paying for the motel after Sunday night and the family doesnt have the cash to cover it.
So in the morning before Paige and the kids head off to school and work, theyll have to pack and check out, unsure wherell theyll spend Monday night.
I have no idea. I have no idea, Paige said.
On Monday morning city staff and a representative of the building are expected to meet to figure out issues including if the motel rooms will continue to be paid for and hopefully allowing tenants to return to pick up items.
NBC Connecticut did reach out to the property owner who directed us to his property manager, who has not yet returned our requests for comment.
The lights are back on along Long Hill Drive in East Hartford thanks a concerned NBC Connecticut viewers phone call.
An East Hartford woman contacted NBC Connecticut saying the street lights along a busy intersection had been out for a long time, and she was worried about pedestrian safety. NBC Connecticut investigated at night and found Long Hill Drive near Burnside Avenue was in the dark. Nine LED street lamps were not working.
In 2015, the town of East Hartford spent millions of dollars to convert to these LED street lights to save money and increase safety. At the time, the mayors office stated in a press release, LED fixtures do not burn out all at once providing a more reliable source of light. A typical LED fixture will last about 15 years before needing replacement as opposed to high-pressure sodium lights which typically last only 6 years.
So why were nine LED lights failing at once only three years after installation?
Public Works Director Tim Bockus explained to NBC Connecticut the problem wasnt the lamps, but the power supply which was damaged in a fall storm.
We received a call from a resident first week of November, Bockus said. It was right after the wind storm at the end of October.
Bockus said the town of East Hartford filed a report with Eversource on November 16 and had been waiting for an update ever since.
Its frustrating, Bockus added. Its not only unacceptable to the town I think its unreasonable for our residents who call us and have a legitimate concern that there are lights that are out, and we cant get a response in a timely fashion.
NBC Connecticut took those concerns directly to Eversource. Within an hour of our phone call, our crews watched Eversource contract crews arrive at the scene and begin repairs.
Eversource spokesperson Tricia Modifica tells us crews did initially respond in November.
They assessed the situation, made the area safe, and the lines didnt power any homes or businesses in the area so therefore it wasnt a priority, Modifica said.
But thats when a mistake was made, and the work order was closed without addressing the street lights. In a statement, Eversource admitted, Unfortunately, the ticket that was submitted in November was inadvertently closed out in our system. This caused the delay, which is not up to our standards, so were looking into exactly how this happened to make sure it doesnt happen again.
Now the street lights are working once again on Long Hill Drive after Eversource repaired over 200 feet of damaged overhead lines. The utility company maintains roughly 17,000 miles of overhead line throughout the state.
Have a question or concern about an issue in your community? Let us know. Email news@nbcconnecticut.com.
A New York City moving man has been arrested for scamming a woman whod hired him to move her belongings from Connecticut to California, police said.
Kirk Gillums was charged with second-degree larceny on Tuesday and held on $25,000 bond.
Westport Police say detectives began investigating the 54-year-old Queens man back in August after the woman reported her belongings never arrived in California.
Gillums had posed as the owner of the company and taken an initial payment from the woman for the move, according to police. On the day of the move, she also paid the balance of the contract.
When the woman was later asked to pay more money to have her belongings released and delivered, she caught on that she was being scammed, police said.
The woman created a GoFundMe page last summer titled, Robbed Trying to Move to LA. She says the moving company told her Gillums had been fired and that he apparently was using his old company email address to correspond with her.
The woman eventually hired another mover to haul her belongings across the country.
On Tuesday, Gillums was extradited from New York to Connecticut, where he was arraigned.
Its not his first run in with the law. He was convicted of criminal possession of stolen property in 2008, according to government records.
It wasnt immediately known if he had an attorney.
One person was killed Saturday after a double stabbing in a public library in Winchester, Massachusetts, police said.
The victim, a 22-year-old woman, has not been identified by police, and a man is in custody in connection with the stabbing.
Fire officials said the stabbing happened at the Winchester Public Library on Main Street around 10:30 a.m.
The second victim, identified only as a 77-year-old man, remains hospitalized. Police are saying the man suffered non-life-threatening injuries while attempting to help the woman.
The man taken into custody has been identified as Jeffrey Yao, 23, of Winchester. According to police, Yao stabbed both victims with a 10-inch hunting blade. He was previously known to police.
Both victims were transported to an area hospital, said police. The 77-year-old victim was treated for a stab wound to his arm. The 22-year-old victim suffered numerous stab wounds to her head and upper torso, police said. She subsequently died from her injuries.
Investigators said the female victim had been sitting at a table when the suspect allegedly approached her unprovoked and stabbed her multiple times. According to the police, she tried to make her way to the front lobby to escape. A number of patrons came to her aid, at which point the 77-year-old victim was also stabbed, police said.
Police are investigating possible motives for the attack.
Neighbors of the suspect immediately identified Yao after seeing his picture, telling reporters that he previously attempted to break into homes and cause damage to property.
Nicole Luongo, one of Yao's neighbors, said that people in the neighborhood had previously gone to police with concerns.
"We fear for our neighborhood," she said.
Luongo says knowing Yao is locked up eases her fears, but she wishes Saturday's events could have been prevented.
"I was afraid that he would come," she told NBC10 Boston, "I would sleep with a bat under my bed."
Yao is charged with murder and assault with attempt to murder. He is being held without bail pending his arraignment on Monday. Its unclear if he has an attorney.
CORRECTION (Fab. 25, 9:41 a.m.): A previous headline stated the stabbing took place at "a Boston Public Library," which could be confused with the Boston Public Library system. The headline has been updated to reflect that the stabbing took place at a Boston-area library.
What to Know Its the third day that the school has been allowing people inside since the February 14th tragedy that killed 17 people and injured more.
Staff members had the option to return to the school on Friday, while an orientation was held for students and parents Sunday.
Students will return to classes on Wednesday the two week anniversary of the incident for a shortened scheduled during this week.
Less than two weeks after the worst mass school shooting in Florida history, teachers and staff returned to the campus of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School for the first of two work days with a rainbow shining in the distance.
Its the third day that the school has been allowing people inside since the Feb. 14 shooting that killed 17 people and injured several more. Staff members had the option to return to the school on Friday, while an orientation was held for students and parents Sunday.
Students will return to classes on Wednesday the two week anniversary of the incident for a shortened scheduled during the remainder of the week. Classes will resume on a normal schedule starting next Monday.
Along with the rainbow in the sky Monday morning, teachers heading into work to prepare for Wednesday were greeted at the school's entrance by parents and members of the Parkland community showing their support with signs. They were thankful for the teachers helping their children through the emotional moments that changed their lives forever.
She put on a good face, but once we got to that side of the school things change for all of us, said Ian Kravitz, whose daughter was inside the school during the shooting. At 47 years old, I can try to rationalize. At 17, I dont know how theyre going to do it.
Students and parents walked Sunday through gates that had been locked to all but law enforcement and school officials since the Valentine's Day shooting, collecting backpacks and other belongings left behind as they fled the massacre. To enter, they passed within feet of the three-story building where the shooting happened. It is now cordoned off by a chain link fence that was covered with banners from other schools showing their solidarity.
"Just seeing the building was scary," freshman Francesca Lozano said as she exited the school with her mom. Still, she was happy to see her friends. "That made it a lot better."
"Two of my best friends aren't here anymore," said freshman Sammy Cooper, who picked up the book bag he had dropped as he saw the accused gunman, 19-year-old Nikolas Cruz, begin shooting. "But I'm definitely going to school Wednesday. I will handle it."
Junior Sebastian Pena said the gathering was a chance to see friends and his teachers, and to "come together as a family."
The students on Sunday were greeted by 17 people dressed in white angel costumes standing beside a makeshift memorial outside the school. Organizer Terry Decarlo said the costumes are sent to every mass shooting and disaster so the survivors "know angels are looking over them and protecting them."
Many of those dressed as angels at Stoneman Douglas on Sunday were survivors of the 2016 mass shooting at the Orlando nightclub Pulse, where 49 people died.
These teachers were fantastic; kept our kids safe, kept my daughter calm, sitting in a closet for two and a half hours and theyre coming back to something I couldn't imagine coming back to work, so just want to show them a little love, let them know the communitys with them," Kravitz added.
Eric Garner, a teacher at Stoneman Douglas, said it'll be tough transitioning into normal life again.
"I knew we were a family before this we're in trouble. We're hurting," Garner said, but adding that "the outreach has been amazing."
Garner specifically mentioned how he's going to feel the absence of coach Aaron Feis, who sacrificed his life to save students.
"Wed see Feis on that golf cart all the time and when that golf cart comes by its gonna be: 'Why isnt he there? Hes supposed to be in that seat,'" Garner said.
AAA has released its annual Diamond Awards list for restaurants across the U.S., Canada, Mexico and the Caribbean deemed exceptional dining experiences that are both educational and entertaining.
There are eight new restaurants among the list of 68 restaurants that earned the AAA Five Diamond rating in the past 12 months. One of the newcomers is Chef's Table at Brooklyn Fare in New York City, where prepaid guests enter the "hidden restaurant" in Hell's Kitchen through an unmarked passageway in the back of a grocery store.
Restaurants with a five-diamond rating are visited several times by unannounced inspectors -- people who have a wide range of hospitality experience, including as hotel managers and food and beverage experts -- before a final decision is made by a panel of experts. The diamond ratings for restaurants started in 1985.
Here are all the New York restaurants with a five-diamond rating by AAA for 2018:
Only 0.2 percent of the more than 31,000 AAA inspected and approved restaurants are five diamond-rated. There are also 665 restaurants with a four-diamond rating.
See the full list of Diamond Awards here.
What to Know A 10-year-old boy was killed and his mother was wounded in a shooting Wednesday night in New Jersey
Prosecutors say the two victims were not the intended targets in the Asbury Park shooting
The suspected gunman was arrested in Florida on Sunday; his alleged 16-year-old accomplice was arrested last week in New Jersey
An 18-year-old man who police believe sprayed a New Jersey house with bullets last week, killing a boy inside, has been arrested more than 1,000 miles away in Florida, authorities said.
It's unclear what drew Karon Council, aka "Boogie," to Pompano Beach, where he was arrested by the U.S. Marshals on Sunday. The Broward County Sheriff's Office said he would be extradited to New Jersey to face charges.
Council faces murder, aggravated assault, and other charges in the deadly shooting. The Monmouth County Prosecutor's Office said federal, state and local law enforcement agencies had been working together to find him.
"Council was a very dangerous fugitive with no sense of value for life and could of easily continued his violent behavior in South Florida," Asst. Chief U.S. Marshal Manny Puri said in a statement.
Council is believed to be the gunman in Wednesday night's shooting in Asbury Park that left 10-year-old Yovanni Banos-Merino dead. The boy was at home with his 38-year-old mother, Lilia Merino, when shots were fired at the house, police said.
Banos-Merino died of a single gunshot wound. His mother, who was hit in the leg, was hospitalized and later released.
Monmouth County prosecutors, who are leading the investigation, believe the shooter was targeting the mother's boyfriend, who was not injured.
The U.S. Marshals said Council is a suspected Bloods gang member who had been in an altercation with another man in New Jersey. When he couldn't find that man, he allegedly shot at the home where his girlfriend and family lived.
A 16-year-old Neptune Township boy was arrested Thursday and charged with numerous counts, including murder and aggravated assault. Authorities believe he was Council's accomplice.
What to Know Dumont High School was placed on lockdown as police investigated a shooting threat allegedly made by a student on social media
SWAT teams swarmed the school in New Jersey as parents anxiously awaited news; students were locked inside for hours
A 15-year-old sophomore was taken into custody; police say a long gun was found in his parents' home
SWAT teams swarmed a New Jersey high school Monday as locked-down students texted fearful parents after authorities said a classmate with a rifle in his home threatened a shooting.
Dumont High School was placed on lockdown for more than four hours as police responded to the threat. Students were ordered to stay inside the school and in some cases, on the bleachers near the track.
News 4 NY
Afterward, Dumont Police Chief Michael Connor said a 15-year-old sophomore -- who was unarmed at the time and hasn't been identified -- had been taken into custody after threatening on social media to shoot up the school. Connor added that a long gun was found at his home, but it was not clear if the weapon belonged to him.
Students seated on the bleachers at Dumont High School during lockdown.
Video from inside the school showed students crouched inside classrooms. And text messages obtained by News 4 show a student and parent texting one another about the lockdown.
"I hope it isn't anything serious," texts one parent.
The student responds, "If it is...I love you."
News 4 NY
Chopper 4 footage from outside the school, meanwhile, shows tactical crews going into the school. A short time later, a student was seen being escorted outside in handcuffs and put in a police car.
News 4 NY
Around the same time, parents crowded outside the school waiting for students to be sent home. Police said all 800 students were debriefed and dismissed around 3:30 p.m.
District officials say school is expected to be open on Tuesday.
18 yo Emma Goldberg, waiting for 2 sisters who are inside #Dumont High School on lockdown @NBCNewYork pic.twitter.com/6EHfFf8AUQ Jen Maxfield (@JenMaxfield4NY) February 26, 2018
The scare comes after a tense week at schools in New Jersey following the high school massacre in Parkland, Florida, that left 17 people dead.
Among the scares in the Garden State was a rumor a shooting threat that spread "like wildfire" through the Bayonne community on Friday. That threat actually originated in New Mexico, where a student was arrested for allegedly making a threat at a school south of Albuquerque.
Other districts in New Jersey, meanwhile, have stepped up security; at least one district voted to place armed security at school entrances for the remainder of the year following the shooting in Florida.
Brian Thompson contributed to this report.
What to Know Yevgeniy Bayraktar of Mastic Beach was detained after a missing woman's head was found in his suitcase in Japan, according to report
According to reports, the woman's head, arms, legs and torso were found in separate locations in parts of Kyoto and Osaka on Sunday
No one answered the door at Bayraktar's home on Monday, but his parents have previously denied the allegations to Japanese media
A Long Island man visiting Japan is being held on suspicion of murder after authorities found a missing woman's severed head in a suitcase where he was lodging, according to reports.
Japanese media outlets report Yevgeniy Bayraktar of Mastic Beach was detained after authorities found the woman's head in the suitcase as well as her arms, legs and torso in separate locations in parts of Kyoto and Osaka on Sunday.
Police said the parts could be from the body of an unidentified woman who has been missing in the prefecture since mid-February. Local media said the woman was a 27-year-old office worker from Sanda City.
Police released few details, but suggested they searched the locations after being told about them by a suspect. An examination of the body parts is being conducted to identify the victim, they said.
Kyodo News service and other Japanese media reported that police arrested the 26-year-old New Yorker as a suspect, but police would not confirm that. Bayraktar had been visiting since January, according to the reports.
The reports said security camera video from the building showed him entering with a woman, but did not show the woman leaving. It showed the suspect going in and out with a suitcase, they said.
Long Island neghbor John Motovidlak said that Bayraktar had lived in Mastic Beach with his parents and that the family was very friendly.
"Surfacely, from seeing these people, they are beautiful people," Motovidlak said. "They wave, they smile and say 'good evening.'"
No one answered the door at Bayraktar's home Monday afternoon. But Nippon TV reports that the man's parents denied the allegations and said the 26-year-old always wanted to marry a Japanese woman.
What to Know A New York City man who helped power-starved Puerto Rico was found dead after returning to the island to visit friends
He was found dead in his rental car after missing a flight back to New York
It's not clear how he died, but police don't believe foul play was involved
A Staten Island man was found dead about a week after he went missing in Puerto Rico, officials said.
Sean Collins, 29, was a lineman for Northline Utilities who went to Puerto Rico as a contractor to help restore power after Hurricane Maria in September.
He came home to New York City in January, but had returned to the island last weekend to visit friends, according to officials.
A missing persons report was filed when he didnt catch his flight back to New York, officials said. His body was later found inside his rental car.
Its not clear how he died, but authorities dont believe foul play was involved.
Hurricane Maria hit Puerto Rico on Sept. 20 and destroyed two-thirds of the power distribution system on the island. Nearly 250,000 customers remain without power more than five months after the Category 4 storm.
Ask any homeowner who lost everything in Sandy: rebuilding is slow. But in Puerto Rico, its going even slower in part because of the lack of electricity on parts of the island. Gaby Acevedo reports.
Syrian forces launched a ground offensive Monday on a rebel-held eastern Damascus suburb despite a U.N. Security Council resolution demanding a 30-day cease-fire across Syria. The U.N. chief denounced the violence in the embattled region, describing it as "hell on Earth."
The offensive was accompanied by airstrikes that killed at least 14 people, according to opposition activists, and the new fighting in eastern Ghouta did not bode well for the resolution adopted over the weekend at the United Nations.
There was a relative calm in the besieged area in the immediate aftermath of the resolution, which was unanimously approved Saturday by the 15-member council. It demands a 30-day truce in all of Syria but excludes fighting with the Islamic State group and al-Qaida-linked fighters.
However, violence has since picked up with 28 people in the area killed in airstrikes and bombardments on Sunday and Monday, activists said.
Russian news agencies said Monday that President Vladimir Putin has ordered a daily "humanitarian pause" in eastern Ghouta between 9 a.m. (0700 GMT) and 2 p.m. (1200 GMT) to allow residents to leave if they want.
Russia's Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said in a statement the pauses will start as of Tuesday. He said Russia will work to create a "humanitarian corridor" to help evacuate civilians but said the location has not been decided yet.
Shoigu also mentioned a refugee camp in Tanf, near the border with Iraq which is "under U.S. control" - where Russia is also suggesting calling for a humanitarian pause as well.
U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres appealed to the warring sides to abide by the cease-fire. Speaking at the start of a session of the U.N.-backed Human Rights Council, the comments were his first remarks to the U.N. body since the resolution was adopted.
"Eastern Ghouta cannot wait," he said. "It is high time to stop this hell on Earth."
Guterres said he welcomes the resolution but added that council resolutions "are only meaningful if they are effectively implemented." He added that he expects the "resolution to be immediately implemented and sustained" and also called for safe, unimpeded and sustained delivery of humanitarian aid and services, as well as evacuations of the sick and wounded.
At the Geneva gathering, U.N. human rights chief Zeid Ra'ad al-Hussein echoed calls for a "full implementation" of the truce but said that "however, we have every reason to remain cautious" about the cease-fire as airstrikes continue on Damascus suburbs.
He also decried "seven years of failure to stop the violence, seven years of unremitting and frightful mass killing" in Syria.
In Syria, state TV broadcast live footage showing the town of Harasta, in the Damascus suburbs, being pounded by airstrikes and artillery. The TV said troops were targeting al-Qaida-linked fighter in the area in an apparent move to show that the army is not violating the cease-fire.
Monday's fighting was mostly concentrated in an area known as Harasta Farms, on the edge of town.
The opposition's Syrian Civil Defense, also known as White Helmets, said 13 died in an airstrike on Douma and one person was killed in Harasta on Monday morning. The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights put the death toll at 22 on Monday, including 21 in the eastern suburb of Douma.
Syrian state media said nearly 50 shells fired by rebels hit the capital wounding at least one person.
The 14 people killed in eastern Ghouta on Sunday included an infant who was allegedly killed in a poison gas attack on the town of Sheifouniyeh.
The opposition's Syrian Civil Defense said the attack killed a child and that several people and paramedics had breathing difficulties. The Ghouta Media Center, an activist collective, also reported the incident saying chlorine gas was used. The Observatory said it could not confirm the reports.
In northern Syria, Turkish police and paramilitary special forces crossed the border into a Syrian Kurdish-held enclave, signaling preparations for a possible offensive to capture the enclave's main city, Afrin, Turkish officials and media said.
The state-run Anadolu Agency reported the special forces crossed from the Turkish border provinces of Kilis and Hatay on Monday.
Deputy Prime Minister Bekir Bozdag said the deployment comes as the operation moves from rural regions of the enclave toward residential areas. He said it's "in preparation of a new combat."
Turkey launched an incursion into Afrin on Jan. 20 to drive out a U.S.-backed Syrian Kurdish militia it considers to be a "terrorist" group, allied with its own Kurdish insurgents fighting within Turkey's borders.
The U.N. resolution calls for a cease-fire across all of Syria but Turkey maintains that since fighting "terrorists."
Syria's state news agency SANA and the Observatory said a Turkish airstrike in the north has killed five people. SANA and the Observatory said the airstrike occurred early on Monday in the northern Kurdish enclave of Afrin.
Keaten reported from Geneva. Associated Press writers Suzan Fraser in Ankara, Turkey; Nataliya Vasilyeva in Moscow and Albert Aji in Damascus, Syria contributed to this report.
An 18-year-old man who police believe sprayed a New Jersey house with bullets last week, killing a boy inside, has been arrested more than 1,000 miles away in Florida, authorities said.
The Broward County Sheriff's Office announced Sunday night that Karon Council was arrested in Pompano Beach.
"Council will be housed at Broward County Jail, then extradited to New Jersey to face charges," the sheriff's office tweeted Sunday night.
The Monmouth County Prosecutor's Office said Sunday that they were searching for a second person involved in Wednesday night's shooting in Asbury Park that left the 10-year-old boy dead.
The boy, Yovanni Banos-Merino, was at home with his 38-year-old mother, Lilia Merino, when shots were fired into the house, police said. Banos-Merino died of a single gunshot wound. His mother, who was hit in the leg, was hospitalized and later released.
Council faces murder, aggravated assault, and other charges in the shooting. The prosecutor's office said federal, state and local law enforcement agencies were working to find Council.
A 16-year-old Neptune Township boy was arrested Thursday and charged with numerous counts, including murder and aggravated assault. But authorities said they believe he was an accomplice of the shooter.
Officials still haven't disclosed a motive for Wednesday night's shooting in Asbury Park. Authorities said the boy and his mother were not the intended targets.
Monmouth County prosecutors have released few details on the shooting, citing the ongoing investigation. But they say the shooter was gunning for a man who lived in the same home as the two victims.
Classes resumed in a Pennsylvania school district Monday after a raging fire tore through a garage and destroyed or damaged more than two dozen buses.
Officials announced all 11 Parkland School District schools will reopen Monday after they were closed Friday. About 9,400 students are part of the district.
Buses on loan from other districts, as well as buses spared from the flames, could be seen rolling through the school district Monday morning.
Parkland District schools are back open this morning in the Lehigh Valley. District is borrowing buses after more than 2 dozen burned or were damaged Friday a.m. @NBCPhiladelphia pic.twitter.com/GckK1WEAMd Matt DeLucia (@MattDeLucia) February 26, 2018
The buses caught fire around 3 a.m. Friday in a garage behind Orefield Middle School along Stadium Drive in South Whitehall Township.
When firefighters showed up a few minutes later, "there were flames coming out of all four sides plus the roof," Jeff Johnson, chief of the Tri-Clover Fire Co., said.
Firefighters had to retreat as tires exploded off their rims and flew through the walls of the building, taking metal siding with them, Johnson said. It took about an hour to put out the fire. No injuries were reported.
The garage was destroyed. The yellow paint and "Parkland" name on the buses were melted off, leaving smoldering metal shells.
A school district was forced to close on Friday after a fleet of buses burned overnight. NBC10s Steven Fisher has the story.
In all, 25 buses were damaged, around one fifth of the district's fleet, the district said. Sixteen buses were totaled adding up to around $1.6 million in damage. The district has insurance.
Other school districts are loaning Parkland buses, and they are working to repair ones that they can, the district said. The district covers 72 square miles.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation.
A Philadelphia high school was put on lockdown Monday morning after a freshman student tried to bring a loaded stolen handgun into the building, the school and police said.
Philadelphia police officers responded to Fels High School on Langdon Street in the Crescentville section of Northeast Philadelphia around 7:30 a.m. after the 15-year-old student was found to have the weapon as he tried to enter the school, police said.
The loaded gun was found in the student's backpack when he went through a metal detector, principal Lillian Izzard said in a letter sent home to parents and guardians.
A school officer confiscated the book bag as Philadelphia police were called.
No one was injured and the student was taken into custody.
The gun was stolen from a neighbor a few weeks ago, Capt. Sekou Kinebrew said Monday, It's unclear why the student had the gun, Kinebrew said.
The gun had been reported stolen from a car near the home of the student, who had no disciplinary problems or known issues with classmates. Kinebrew said he may have had the gun in the bag to conceal it from his parents.
About 1,100 students attend Fels. The lockdown was lifted at 8:22 a.m. after no additional threat to students was found, the school said.
"This incident underlines the need for all off us, as a school community, to work together to ensure the safety of our school and our neighborhood," Izzard wrote in her letter.
Izzard urged parents and guardians to speak to their children about the "serious consequences" of bringing a weapon to school and also to ensure children that they can reach out to get help if they are concerned about their own safety.
The student is expected to be charged with having a gun on school property, firearms violations and theft.
A shooting left two men dead in a car parked along a residential street in Montgomery County Monday morning.
Gunfire rang out around 12:15 a.m. along Chain Street near Oak Street in Norristown, the Montgomery County District Attorneys Office said. The scene is about a half mile from the county courthouse.
Norristown police arrived to find two men shot in a car. One victim was pronounced dead at the scene while another died later at Einstein Medical Center in Philadelphia, the DA's office said.
Investigators withheld the victims' names Monday as they worked to notify family members.
Neighbors were concerned for their children's safety. Margie Lawn even kept her son home from school Monday because she didn't feel comfortable with him walking around.
"This block has been peaceful for years," Lawn told NBC10's Katy Zachry. "Every house has multiple kids."
Anyone with information on the shooting is asked to call county detectives at 610-278-3368.
A request by eight GOP congressmen in Pennsylvania to halt the use of a new congressional district map in this year's elections was placed in the hands of three Republican-appointed federal judges Friday.
The panel, named pursuant to a federal law governing constitutional challenges to congressional reapportionment, consists of Judge Christopher Conner, a Pennsylvania-based district judge; Judge Jerome Simandle, a senior district judge from New Jersey; and Judge Kent Jordan , a circuit judge who was formerly a district judge in Delaware.
Conner and Jordan were chosen for the federal bench by President George W. Bush, while Simandle was nominated by President George H.W. Bush.
The lawsuit filed Thursday in Harrisburg against state elections officials seeks an injunction against the map produced Monday by the Democratic majority on the state Supreme Court.
A lawyer who works for Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf on Friday wrote to Conner on behalf of the elections officials, noting that the two senior Republican leaders in the Legislature have a request for a stay of the new map pending before the U.S. Supreme Court.
Deputy General Counsel Thomas Howell asked Conner to defer action on the congressmen's lawsuit until that request has been resolved.
Howell claimed that the lawsuit against Wolf's acting secretary of state and the head of the Bureau of Commissions, Elections and Legislation has "significant hurdles" and is "rife with legal and factual errors."
The congressmen, joined by two GOP state senators, have asked the federal court to require the use of a 2011 congressional district map, drafted by Republicans, for this year's primary and general elections. They argue the map the state justices announced Monday is biased in favor of Democrats, and they did not give lawmakers sufficient time to produce their own replacement map.
In the parallel case, House Speaker Mike Turzai and Senate President Pro Tempore Joe Scarnati on Wednesday asked the U.S. Supreme Court to put the new map on hold, arguing state justices overstepped their authority. On Thursday the leaders went back to the state Supreme Court to ask it to delay the map.
Wolf and other parties have been given until noon Monday to weigh in.
The 2011 map is widely considered among the nation's most gerrymandered, and has helped Republicans maintain a 13-5 edge in the congressional delegation for three elections.
A majority on the state Supreme Court ruled in January that the 2011 map violated the state constitution's guarantee of free and equal elections.
Democrats have about 800,000 more registered voters in Pennsylvania, but Republican President Donald Trump narrowly defeated Hillary Clinton in the state during the 2016 election.
Democrats are hopeful that new Pennsylvania congressional districts will help them flip enough Republican seats to retake majority control of the U.S. House this year. Six Pennsylvania congressman elected in 2016 are not running again, an unusually large number.
Pennsylvania congressional candidates can begin collecting signatures to get on the May 15 primary ballot starting Tuesday. Wolf's office has said he is working to implement the court-drawn map for this year's elections.
State Sen. Daylin Leach formally ended his congressional bid late Friday night in a Facebook post. He cited toxic partisanship in Washington, D.C., and political attacks against his family as the main drivers behind his decision.
I first dreamed of being in Congress as a boy in middle school. The way I imagined it, I would be working with Bobby Kennedy and Hubert Humphrey, and each day would be an exhilarating whirlwind of social change, he wrote.
In December, the Montgomery County Democrat was accused by several female staffers of inappropriate sexual behavior, including unwanted touching and making uncomfortable remarks. He made no mention of those allegations in his Facebook post.
Given that Congress has devolved into a poisonous miasma of dysfunction, I came to the conclusion a couple of years ago that my desire to go there was based on inertia and an overly romanticized vision of what life as a congressman could be," he wrote.
Read the whole statement here: [[475082373, C]]
Leach initially suspended his congressional campaign in December 2017. At the time, he was running against 7th District Republican Rep. Pat Meehan. But in January, Meehan dropped his re-election bid after being accused of sexual harassment.
After the Pennsylvania Supreme Court issued a redrawn congressional map, the 7th District - which included portions of Berks, Chester, Delaware, Lancaster and Montgomery counties - was split into individual districts along county lines:
[[474510443, C]]
State Rep. Madeleine Dean dropped her bid last week for lieutenant governor and will instead run in Leach's own Montgomery County.
Meanwhile, Republicans are talking impeachment over the new map. Two lawsuits - one in the U.S. Supreme Court and another in U.S. District Court - were filed last week to prevent the map from taking effect in the upcoming midterm elections.
Republican leaders are also threatening to seek the impeachment of Democratic judges who, in an unprecedented move, redrew Pennsylvanias district map without the consent of the state legislature. Constitutional law scholars say they know of no other state court that has ever thrown out boundaries over a partisan gerrymandering claim.
What Pennsylvanias high court struck down was widely viewed as one of the nations most gerrymandered congressional maps. Republicans had drawn bizarrely contorted districts in 2011, breaking decades of precedent to do it.
Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf alerted Bay Area residents Saturday night of possible ICE operations starting "as soon as within the next 24 hours."
In a press release, Mayor Schaaf encouraged all undocumented residents to consult immigration resources after learning from many credible sources that ICE is preparing to conduct an operation in the Bay Area.
Mayor Schaaf explained she was sharing the information publicly not to panic residents but to protect them.
Although ICE has used activity rumors in the past as a fear tactic, Mayor Schaaf continued to explain that she felt it was her duty to give families a fair warning of a possible threat.
My priority is for the well-being and safety of all residents particularly our most vulnerable and I know that Oakland is safer when we share information, encourage community awareness, and care for our neighbors, said Mayor Schaaf in the press release.
The warning from Mayor Schaaf comes as ICE agents have stepped up their enforcement this year. Earlier this month, ICE agents went after 77 businesses in Northern California and in January agents targeted nearly a hundred 7-11 stores across the nation, including two in Santa Clara.
Mayor Schaaf said she does not have any information on the specific places where immigration agents may conduct their operations.
Immigration attorney Patricia Castorena says anyone targeted by ICE officials should not open the door, remain silent, contact an attorney and avoid signing anything until speaking with an immigration attorney.
She also says it's important that parents put in writing who they want to care for their children should they be detained.
"The children should go with a family or neighbor and you need to have a safety plan in effect," said Castorena.
Many school districts throughout the Bay Area already have strict protocols in place to protect students and their families and Oakland police are prohibited from participating in any ICE activities.
Residents affected can consult Centro Legal de La Raza for more information on their legal rights to gain a better understanding of the options available in the event that they face detention or need legal representation.
San Diego police investigated a report of a patrol car colliding with a pedestrian in City Heights on Monday.
An officer stopped a man riding a bicycle because of a vehicle code violation at Winona and University avenues, Lt. Charles Lara told NBC 7.
The officer looked up the bicyclist and discovered the man had a warrant.
At that time, Lara said, the man ran out into the street and fell.
The officer's tire made contact with the man's arm, Lara said.
Officers conducted a collision investigation. The man was evaluated and released by emergency personnel.
San Diego police said the man suffered no injuries.
He was then taken into custody and transported to jail on the outstanding warrant.
San Diego police announced the arrest of a second teenager accused of making a threat to the staff and student body of Torrey Pines High School.
The arrested announced Monday is not related to the threat reported last week, police said.
A teenager, 17, who is a former student of Torrey Pines High School is accused of threatening to conduct a shooting at the school, police said.
On Friday, Feb. 23, police were notified about another threat.
Within about two hours they had him in custody, said SDPD Northwestern Division Acting Capt. Paul Phillips.
Officers searched the teen's home and found no firearms.
The teenager was arrested and taken to the San Diego Juvenile Hall Detention Facility, police said.
"We're not messing around with these. We take this stuff seriously," Phillips said.
Last week, NBC 7 reported on the suspension and detention of a 14-year-old freshman who made verbal and written threats to harm others, according to San Diego police.
The nature of the threat was not made clear. The freshman was taken into custody and booked into Juvenile Hall.
There were no weapons found in the freshman student's home, police said.
Phillips said there is no indication that the two teens even know each other.
Police in Atlanta are searching for a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention employee who was last seen two weeks ago, when he left work early after complaining that he felt unwell.
Timothy Jerrell Cunningham, 35, was last seen Feb. 12. Police said he called in sick that day and hasnt been heard from since.
Cunningham's family told NBC News his sister was the last person to speak with him around 7 a.m. on Feb. 12.
When Cunningham didn't answer his family's calls or text, his worried parents drove to his Atlanta home from their home in Waldorf, Maryland. When they arrived, they found his car, keys, wallet and phone, WSB-TV reported. They said he also left his dog at home.
His father, Terrell Cunningham, told the television station that his son graduated from Morehouse and got a masters degree and doctorate from Harvard University. He worked as an epidemic intelligence officer and has been deployed for public health emergencies.
Anyone with information on his whereabouts was asked to call Atlanta police.
What to Know Student activist David Hogg is calling on tourists from around the country to boycott Florida for Spring Break.
He's asking tourists to boycott Florida until politicians pass legislation on gun reform.
Hogg suggested that tourists spend their spring break in Puerto Rico instead.
Stoneman Douglas student activist David Hogg is now calling on tourists from around the country to boycott the state of Florida this spring break, until politicians pass legislation on gun reform.
Hogg took to Twitter and wrote, Lets make a deal DO NOT come to Florida for spring break unless gun legislation is passed. These [politicians] wont listen to us so maybe theyll listen to the billion dollar tourism industry in FL. #neveragain
The post was retweeted more than 37,000 times.
Let's make a deal DO NOT come to Florida for spring break unless gun legislation is passed. These politions won't listen to us so maybe the'll listen to the billion dollar tourism industry in FL. #neveragain David Hogg text VOTE to 954-954 (@davidhogg111) February 24, 2018
Hogg continued by saying spring breakers should opt to spend their time in Puerto Rico instead.
its a beautiful place with amazing people. They could really use the economic support that the government has failed to provide, he tweeted.
Better Idea: Spend your spring break in Puerto Rico, it's a beautiful place with amazing people. They could really use the economic support that the government has failed to provide. #SpringBreak2018 #SBinPurtoRico #itsspelled PUERTO RICO David Hogg text VOTE to 954-954 (@davidhogg111) February 24, 2018
How can you expect people from across the nation and the world to come to South Florida if we cant guarantee their safety because of the inaction of these politicians? said Hogg to NBC 6 on Saturday, I understand there will be economic ramifications from this, but that is only if these politicians refuse to take quick and swift action to resolve these gun issues.
According to Oxford Economics, tourists spend more than $100 billion each year in Florida.
A University of Maryland student who allegedly threatened to shoot campus police officers has been arrested, the university police department says.
Ryan Matthew Sulkowski, 21, was arrested Sunday on charges that he threatened officers, the department told students and staff Monday.
A fellow student reported to the department about 11:30 a.m. Friday that Sulkowski, of Baltimore County, said he was buying guns and waiting for a background check to be complete.
Sulkowski said he was going to "make orphans out of our children," UMD police chief David Mitchell said.
Baltimore police arrested Sulkowski at his parents' home in the county early Sunday. He was charged with making a threat of mass violence and violating school operations. He faces as much as 10 and a half years in prison and a fine of $12,500.
Sulkowski's lawyer, Gary Bernstein, said the student did not have a weapon.
"He never had a gun. He never applied for a gun. There were no guns in the house, and the state police have confirmed that," he said in a statement.
Campus police had previous encounters with Sulkowski, Mitchell said. Amid threats at schools across the country, the university did not want to ignore the report about Sulkowski.
"In today's day and age, with what's happening on too many campuses throughout the United States, we weren't going to take the chance that this young man could walk into a store and buy a shotgun or a rifle and carry out the threat," he said.
Sulkowski was released from jail on his own recognizance.
University officials told students they should contact police if they see Sulkowski on campus.
The search is on for a billionaire jeweler whose diamonds have been worn on the red carpet by celebrities like Kate Winslet and Dakota Johnson after the man was accused in two fraud schemes, Reuters reported.
An Indian state-run bank alleged that Nirav Modi, whom Forbes has said is worth $1.8 billion, helped defraud one of the bank's branches of about that much money going back to 2011. The Punjab National Bank also accused Modi of taking part in another, smaller fraud scheme.
India's Central Bureau of Investigation has been looking for Modi since Feb. 4, and authorities have taken possession of a Rolls-Royce, a Porsche and other properties of his worth about $81 million in total.
A lawyer for Modi has denied that Modi committed any wrongdoing, and his flagship company, Firestar Diamond, said it had no involvement in the case.
A Massachusetts man is being held on bail following his arraignment for allegedly driving an all-terrain vehicle (ATV) recklessly on Interstate 93 in Boston on Saturday.
Aderito Monteiro, 28, of Randolph, was charged with negligent operation; failure to stop for police; disorderly conduct; marked lanes violation; driving an unregistered ATV; and driving an uninsured ATV.
State police said Monteiro drove his ATV toward a trooper and a Boston police officer on the exit 18 off-ramp to Massachusetts Avenue at about 5 p. Saturday. He suffered a minor foot injury when a trooper discharged his weapon during the incident.
"We're willing to defend this case, and it appears to be a defendable case," said defense attorney Manuel Pires at Monteiro's arraignment Monday in Boston Municipal Court.
Monteiro was taken to Boston Medical Center for treatment a non-life threatening injury and later released. He was then taken to a state police barracks and booked.
"There's clearly and injury to his foot, it's bandaged up and he's having trouble walking," Pires said.
Authorities said Monteiro was one of 25-35 people who had been riding off-road bikes, ATVs, and motorcycles in a reckless manner throughout the city. Police had received several 911 calls about the group.
Police encountered the group on the I-93 southbound ramp where cell phone video from one of the riders showed the vehicles scattered as police tried to get the situation under control. One biker tried to ride on the median to escape. The incident stalled traffic on the highway.
During the incident, police said another rider complained of some kind of pain and was transported to an area hospital for evaluation. He was later arrested.
A trooper was also taken to Massachusetts General Hospital for treatment of a knee injury.
Many riders fled the scene on foot leaving their vehicles behind. Police later had the vehicles towed from the scene.
Boston Mayor Marty Walsh says "there's not a lot" the city can do to stop the dangerous joy-riding.
"We have to get them," he said. "I think the state police arresting seven ... that's one action that can happen. I mean, we try to confiscate these bikes as best we can."
Monteiro has been ordered held on $2,000 bail and is not allowed to drive.
Five other riders were apprehended at the scene. Police later identified them and the other one who had been hospitalized as:
Christopher Cabassa, 31, of Lawrence; William Suliveras, 29, of Methuen; Shane Fein, 21, of North Attleborough; Gustavo Arceno-Rosa, 22, of Saugus; Josue Hidalgo, 23, of Worcester; and Edgar Dossantos Jr., 30, of Quincy.
The men face various charges including failure to stop for police; negligent operation; disorderly conduct; wrong way violation on a state highway; marked lanes violation; unlicensed operation; no inspection sticker; resisting arrest; resisting arrest; and careless operation in a tunnel.
Those men will be arraigned on charges Tuesday in Boston Municipal Court. It's unclear if the men have attorneys.
What to Know Jeffrey Yao, 23, appeared in Woburn District Court Monday to face one count of armed assault with intent to murder and one count of murder.
The DA says Deane Kenny Stryker, 22, was sitting inside Winchester Public Library Saturday when Yao allegedly stabbed her multiple times.
Several people tried to intervene, including a 77-year-old man who was stabbed in the arm. Yao was held without bail.
A Massachusetts man is being held without bail in connection with a fatal stabbing Saturday inside Winchester Public Library.
Jeffrey Yao, 23, of Winchester, appeared in Woburn District Court Monday morning to face one count of armed assault with intent to murder and one count of murder.
His attorney, J.W. Carney, called Yao a troubled young man with a serious history of mental illness.
"It's been a very troubled existence. His mental illness has often been quite apparent and he's had a lot of contact with the Winchester police over the years," Carney said.
Middlesex District Attorney Marian Ryan said 22-year-old Deane Kenny Stryker, of Winchester, was sitting at a table at the library on Main Street at about 10:30 a.m. when Yao allegedly stabbed her from behind multiple times with a 10-inch hunting knife.
Yao slashed and stabbed her 20 times in the head and upper torso area, according to court documents.
Stryker was taken to a local hospital, where she was pronounced dead.
"My client's parents feel devastated about the death of that young woman who was totally blameless," Carney said in court.
Authorities said several people at the library tried to intervene, including a 77-year-old man who was stabbed in the arm. Ryan said that man is expected to survive.
Stryker was a first-year student at the University of New England College of Osteopathic Medicine.
UNE President James Herbert released a statement on Sunday, saying in part, "The University of New England community was shocked and saddened to learn of the death of one of our students, Deane 'Kenny' Stryker, who was killed on Saturday. We send our deepest condolences to Deanes family and friends, who are facing an unthinkable tragedy."
Family friend Brad Harrington said Stryker was a "special kid."
"She decided early on that she wanted to be a doctor," Harrington said. "Shes overcome some, you know, real obstacles in her life."
NBC10 Boston learned from sources Sunday night that Stryker is the daughter of Dr. Timothy Stryker, who was questioned in the 1993 death of his girlfriend.
Neighbor Peter Luongo says Yao lived with his parents nearby for years but that he started behaving erratically last summer.
Neighbor Nicole Luongo said Yao had allegedly attempted to break into area homes and cause damage to property.
"I would sleep with a bat under my bed," said Nicole Luongo, who had gone to the police with concerns.
Authorities are investigating the possible motive for the stabbing.
Friends said Stryker and Yao both attended Winchester High School but it's unclear whether they knew one another.
Yao will return to court April 11.
Authorities in Easton, Massachusetts, are asking for the public's help in finding a man who was reported missing last weekend.
Police say 35-year-old Gregory Glavin was last seen Saturday, Feb. 17, when he left a friend's house in nearby North Attleboro. He left on his maroon moped.
Glavin is described as being about 5'8 and 170 pounds. He was last seen wearing a black leather jacket over a white long-sleeve shirt over a green shirt. He had blue work boots, a red helmet and blue jeans.
According to police, Glavin has not made phone calls, sent text messages or used his bank account since the day he disappeared.
Anyone with information is asked to call 508-230-3322.
Hundreds of students and parents turned out to rally Monday morning in Scarborough, Maine, to protest the resignation of the high school principal.
The rally for Scarborough High School Principal David Creech started outside the town hall and made its way to the school where participants asked Creech to reconsider his Feb. 16 resignation.
According to Creech's attorney, William Michaud, the superintendent told him to either resign or be terminated because he wasn't a good fit for the district. The comment happened hours after a contentious school board meeting where at representative for the teachers' union said they did not support a change to school start times.
"[Creech] represented their feelings as principal of the school," Michaud said. "It is interesting that it comes on the heels of some major push back from the community on start times."
"I was honestly shocked because he loves it here and we all love him being here," said student Sophie Glidden. "So when I heard that, it kind of tore us apart."
Creech, who greeted supporters outside the high school with high fives, said he is overwhelmed by the support.
"My family and I I don't have the words to say how much we appreciate the support," Creech said.
Creech's resignation won't take effect until the end of the school year.
Michaud said Creech has submitted a new letter to the superintendent, rescinding his resignation.
"Hes an excellent principal and he is going to continue to stay in his job," Michaud said.
Superintendent Julie Kukenberger submitted a statement about the protest Monday afternoon:
"The Scarborough School Department has recently been navigating a number of difficult and important issues. This morning students, faculty, and members of the Scarborough community staged a demonstration aimed at one of those issues. Demonstrations of this kind are a cornerstone of democracy and those who participated this morning should be commended for their respectful activism. I strongly believe that every decision the Scarborough School Department makes is better for input from our community of learners, staff, and families. I am grateful to those who take the time to make their opinions known. I hope that everyone, including those with the most strongly held views, will understand that there are many facets to every issue and the Scarborough School Board and I are committed to understanding all of the relevant facts some known to the community and some not before making decisions we feel are in the best interest of our students and the school system."
Students have been dismissed for the remainder of the day after a school in Massachusetts was placed on lockdown when police said it learned about an online threat.
Northeast Metropolitan Regional Vocational High School in Wakefield learned about the threat Monday morning, according to police.
The threat, which was posted on social media, was noticed by a student around 10:30 a.m., who then told school administrators about it.
The lockdown was initiated after the school learned about the threat, and the Wakefield Police Department was then informed.
Investigators said the threatening message was actually directed toward a school in Maryland with a similar name. Officials in Maryland have been informed about the threat.
Parents were allowed to go to the school after 12:30 p.m. Students were released once the lockdown was lifted and it was determined there was no danger.
The 22-year-old woman who was killed in a double stabbing at the Winchester Public Library has a connection to another high-profile killing in the Boston area, according to sources.
Deane Kenny Stryker, who was stabbed to death on Saturday, is reportedly the daughter of Dr. Timothy Stryker.
In 1993, Dr. Stryker was questioned by police after the death of his girlfriend, Dr. Linda Goudey.
He was never charged, however, Dr. Stryker was ordered to pay Dr. Goudey's family $15 million in a civil suit.
Dr. Stryker was later sent to prison after pleading guilty to perjury related to the investigation.
He died in prison in 2014.
YMCA Norfolk is looking for a Business Support Administrator to provide business, co-ordination and administrative support for the communities team, based in Norwich.
YMCA Norfolk is looking for a Business Support Administrator to provide business, co-ordination and administrative support for the communities team, based in Norwich.
Women's Specialist Practitioner needed The Magdalene Group is seeking to employ a Womens Specialist Practitioner to provide gender and trauma-informed support to women experiencing multiple disadvantage and to provide specialist support to female sex workers and victims of sexual exploitation Read more
Norwich church art and concerts reflect on Covid-19 Until September 25, concerts and an art exhibition at St Stephen's church in Norwich city centre will continue on the theme of "After the Storm? a reflection on the Covid-19 pandemic." Read more
Tony to raise a laugh and funds for Norfolk kids charity Raise Kids Work has invited funny man Tony Vino to a cake and comedy event to raise funds for the charity. Read more
Name change for expanding Norfolk foodbank North Norfolk Foodbank is the new name for the Cromer and District foodbank, which has changed its identity to reflect its expanding reach into the community. Read more
Filling Station reopens on Norfolk-Suffolk border The Angles Way Filling Station has reopened this month after 18 months break, having changed its name from Ouse Valley Filling Station. Read more
Dinosaurs, evolution and religion lecture Nick Spencer will give a lecture in the Cathedral on Tuesday September 21, starting at 7.00pm on the question what does evolution say about human life? Read more
The Seven Real Reasons for Unbelief Regular columnist James Knight believes that understanding the reasons why many people choose not to believe will assist Christians in reaching out to them. Read more
Burn Norwich worship nights are back Non-stop worship movement Burn has been continuing online throughout lockdown. Local group Burn Norwich are meeting in-person on October 2 in Norwich. Read more
Holt charity holds prayer meetings for Malawi North Norfolk charity Aid Africa tells of a new toilet in Malawi, and invites everyone to a monthly on-line prayer meeting to pray for their work in that country. Read more
Integrate Youth for Christ hiring in South Norfolk Integrate Youth for Christ currently have two vacancies which could be combined if the applicant has suitable skills, one based in Thetford and one in Diss. Both roles are to commence as soon as possible. Read more
New air ambulance HQ in Norwich is blessed Faith leaders from across East Anglia took part in an official blessing at the official opening of the extended and renovated East Anglian Air Ambulance operational base and HQ at Norwich Airport on September 10. Read more
Communications Manager for Diocese of Norwich The Diocese of Norwich has an exciting opportunity for a dynamic Communications Manager to be responsible for the development and implementation of a multiplatform communications strategy, supporting the vision to be Transformed by Christ. Read more
Care Assistant at Corton House Corton House, a 42 bedded care home with a mission to provide excellent loving care and support for older people, is looking for a day care assistant to work a mixture of evenings and day shifts Read more
Marketing and Fundraising Co-ordinator Corton House are looking for an experienced individual to fill a newly created role working with Senior Management to develop and implement new marketing and fundraising strategies to further develop and grow the organisation. Read more
Norfolk gives generously to Afghan refugee fund Thanks to the generosity of people across Norfolk and Waveney, the Bishop of Norwichs Refugee Fund has received nearly 36,000 in the past fortnight, to help the arriving and expected new refugees from Afghanistan. The Diocese of Norwich is administering Read more
Norwich Christian leaders invited to meet together The Transforming Norwich steering group are inviting Christian leaders to meet together in-person for the first time in 18 months to share lunch and to encourage and pray for one another. Read more
Norfolks baking expert Chris serves up a treat After clocking up many years of experience as cafe manager at the Kings Church Centre in Norwich, Chris Bottomley has now launched his own business creating masterpiece cakes. Read more
Snow postpones some Norfolk Day of Prayer services Snow postpones some Norfolk Day of Prayer services
A number of Norfolk's Women's World Day of Prayer events due to take place last week in unity with millions of Christians around the world have been postponed until Friday March 9.
If first-degree relatives are affected by colorectal cancer, this indicates a person's own elevated risk of developing bowel cancer. The same holds true for people who have large numbers of genetic risk markers in their genome. Both factors are usually used alternatively, not combined, to predict risk. Scientists from the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) in Heidelberg have now shown that a combination of family history and an analysis of genetic markers helps determine a person's colorectal cancer risk more precisely.
When the conversation is about colon cancer screening, physicians often ask their patients about cancer cases among close family members. Colorectal cancer in first-degree relatives is considered a known risk factor for the disease. Besides family history, a person's profile of genetic risk markers also provides information about his or her personal cancer risk. This scientific term refers to very small gene variants (called single nucleotide polymorphisms), each of which, taken on its own, has only minimal relation to the probability of suffering disease. Taken together, however, they have a significant impact.
"It is a widely held notion that genetic risk profile and family history essentially both provide the same, redundant information," says Hermann Brenner, an expert for colorectal cancer prevention from the DKFZ. In a current study, Brenner has now modified this concept and has proven that it is beneficial to use both information sources in combination.
Korbinian Weigl, an epidemiologist who is the first author of the study, analyzed the family history and, in a parallel effort, a panel of 53 known genetic risk markers in approximately 4,500 participants of the DACHS* study. About half of the cases studied were colorectal cancer patients. Weigl discovered that the two factors deliver largely independent results:
The risk for disease in participants with colorectal cancer cases in first-degree relatives was about twice as high as that of participants with no family history of bowel cancer.
The risk for disease in the group of participants with the largest numbers of genetic risk markers in their genomes was three times higher than that of study participants with the smallest numbers of risk variants.
The risk in participants with a positive family history who also display numerous genetic risk markers multiplied: Colorectal cancer is six times as prevalent in them as in people who have no family history of bowel cancer and exhibit only small numbers of risk markers in their genomes.
No significant association was found between the numbers of genetic risk variants and family history.
"People often assume that familial colorectal cancer is primarily related to genetic predisposition," Brenner said. "This is true in a small proportion of colorectal cancer cases, particularly those with onset at early age." However, in the majority of colorectal cancer cases, this is not the case. Brenner thinks this might be due to the fact that cancer cases in the family primarily reflect common non-genetic factors such as smoking or a physically inactive lifestyle.
In addition, large numbers of genetic risk markers increase the risk of developing cancer in people with and without a family history of bowel cancer alike.
"The result clearly shows us that the combination of both factors has the potential to make risk prediction for colorectal cancer significantly more precise," Brenner sums up. "The more accurately we can predict a person's risk, the better we can adjust preventive measures. For people with high risks, for example, it would be beneficial to start colorectal cancer screening much earlier than at age 50."
Phasefocus continues with its global extension programme with the appointment of ATA Scientific Instruments as its official distributor for Australia and New Zealand.
Livecyte Cell Imaging & Analysis System
This market expansion is a direct response to the scientific communitys growing interest in Livecyte, the companys flagship cell imaging and analysis system which provides users with greater insight into biological processes.
Livecyte utilises Ptychographic Quantitative Phase Imaging (QPI) to generate high contrast, label free images under low level illumination, allowing researchers to continuously track and analyse cell behaviour at the single-cell level within the context of entire cell populations, in a more natural experimental environment.
Imaging technologies are a core part of the ATA Scientific portfolio and the addition of such an innovative product cements our reputation as a leading provider of sales, service and support for analytical instruments across Australia and New Zealand. Livecyte bridges the gap between our imaging and biomolecular science product ranges, allowing us to provide scientists with greater options to meet their research needs. We expect to rapidly build on the existing interest from current and potential customers by employing our technical expertise to deliver prompt sales, service and support. Bryn McDonagh, ATA Scientific
Martin Humphry, Phasefocus CEO responded We are delighted to have ATA Scientific as our distribution partner for Australia and New Zealand. The presence of a local supplier with the necessary specialist knowledge to support Livecyte will help to raise the product profile and build confidence in the technology.
Phasefocus employs a collaborative approach, working closely with scientific researchers to propagate knowledge and disseminate best practice in Label-free Live Cell Imaging techniques. With ATA Scientific, we are pleased to be working with a company whose ethos closely aligns to ours and they will be a welcome addition to the Livecyte community.
Practical recommendations for in-flight medical emergencies for healthcare professionals have been developed by physicians at St Michaels hospital and published today in the journal CMAJ.
Credit: PHOTOCREO/ Michael Bednarek
Hearing the question Is there a doctor on board? 36,000 feet can make any physician anxious, and may provoke a dilemma of whether to answer, or hold on to see if any other qualified bystander will offer assistance.
According to the study authors, there are around 2.75 billion passengers flying on commercial airlines annually. In Canada, there were 133.4 million airline passengers in 2015 and a 27% raise from 2009.
This rise in patient traffic, in addition to longer flights that cause greater stress on the body and a larger number of older passengers and persons with pre-existing medical conditions, is responsible for the increase in in-flight medical emergencies in recent years.
Every health-care professional is likely to hear this call at some point while flying, but for most of us, treating patients on a plane is a completely unfamiliar scenario. We wanted to provide a better understanding of what to expect and how to respond if you're called to assist in one of these emergencies. Dr. Alun Ackery, St. Michael's Hospital
The current study developed recommendations, that are in collaboration with WestJet and Air Canada, present an overview of the environmental challenges of treating patients on a plane, the available medical equipment, the airlines procedures and policies along with the ethical and legal duties of physicians to reply to a call for assistance.
According to Transport Canada, every plane with a minimum of 100 passenger seats is legally required to carry a medical kit. The study authors said that although Transport Canada summarizes the basic requirements to be carried in the medical kit, each airline has the freedom to improve the contents as they see fit.
The authors showed the contents of Air Canada's medical kit in a video to allow guide health-care professionals to better understand the resources available during an in-flight emergency.
Dr. David Kodama, lead author of the recommendations and an emergency resident at the University of Toronto explained that every airlines medical kit looks different and the contents inside are not always known, which enhances another layer of complexity to an already stressful situation.
According to the authors, Quebec is the only province in Canada that enforces a legal duty on physicians to assist passengers in a very serious condition. However, all jurisdictions have legislation that supports physicians who voluntarily provide assistance during medical emergencies at the site of an accident or in an emergency.
The Canadian Medical Protective Association and the Canadian Medical Association feels that physicians have an ethical responsibility to give their best medical assistance in an emergency.
Dr. Ackery commented: We recognize that hearing the call go out for a physician on board a flight can be unexpected, but we do have an obligation to respond. We hope these recommendations will provide healthcare professionals with enough knowledge to make that call a little bit less anxiety-provoking in the future.
Visakhapatnam: Green energy firm ReNew Power will invest Rs 13,000 crore over five years to develop renewable energy capacity in Andhra Pradesh as per an MoU signed with the state government on Sunday, a company statement said here.
The agreement was signed at the ongoing three-day CII Partnership Summit in Visakhapatnam, ReNew Power said.
"The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) envisages the development of 1,000 MW of installed capacity for solar power and another 1,000 MW of wind over the next five years by ReNew Power," it said.
"The projects, put together, have the potential to create direct employment for 4,000 people and indirect employment for 6,000 people, while providing access to clean energy in the state," it said.
ReNew Power Chief Executive Sumant Sinha said: "We already have more than 300 MW of installed green energy capacity in Andhra Pradesh. With this proposed investment, we want to further enhance our support to the state in meeting its energy requirements in a more sustainable way and also create thousands of jobs."
Villupuram (TN): A 12-year-old Dalit boy was beaten to death and his sister and mother injured in an attack on their family by a group of unidentified persons at a nearby village, police said on Monday.
Amid allegations that the girl and woman had been sexually assaulted in the February 22 pre-dawn attack at Vellamputhur which came to light on Monday, police said medical tests were being carried out.
The two had been admitted to Jawaharlal Institute of Postgraduate Medical Education and Research (JIPMER) in nearby Puducherry, police said adding the motive for the attack was under investigation.
Reacting to the attack, political parties demanded stern action while alleging that the girl and her mother had been raped.
"A boy aged about 12 years was killed. His 15-year old sister and mother sustained head injuries," a senior district police official told PTI.
On the motive for the attack and allegations of political parties that the victims were targeted as they were Dalits over a land dispute, he said a probe was on.
"A case of murder has been registered as of now," he said declining to elaborate further.
PMK leader and Dharmapuri Lok Sabha MP Anbumani Ramadoss demanded that culprits be brought to book at the earliest and given maximum punishment for the offence.
He said the attack on the family was most brutal. "The boy has been hacked to death," he said adding the girl and her mother admitted to hospital in an unconscious state.
Stating that rumours were being spread by anti-socials that the woman and her daughter had died, he said it led to unrest and sought action to tackle the situation.
SDPI Tamil Nadu president KKSM Tehlan Baqavi demanded steps with an iron hand to stop such attacks.
Condemning the attack, which he said happened due to a land dispute, Baqavi demanded that the culprits be arrested immediately and the family given a compensation of Rs 25 lakh.
In a statement, he alleged that the "woman and her daughter were sexually assaulted by anti-socials and seriously attacked" while the boy's "throat was slit and killed."
Patna: The Bhartiya Janata Party on Monday admitted that the man who was allegedly at the wheel of the SUV that crushed nine school children in Bihars Muzaffarpur district is a BJP leader.
Earlier, the BJP had officially denied that Manoj Baitha was party member, Baitha is absconding since the incident.
Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Kumar Modi told the media in the Assembly that he belonged to his party and the law will take its own course against him.
He belongs to our party but would not be spared for such heinous crime. We have ensured rule of law in the state and whosoever is found guilty would be punished, Modi said.
The Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) has accused BJP and Nitish Kumar government of patronizing Baitha and asked why he was not arrested even after two days of the tragic incident.
While proceeding for a protest march from assembly to Raj Bhawan, RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav told News18, We demand apology from Sushil Modi and Chief Minister Nitish Kumar. Earlier, they out rightly rejected Baithas involvement with BJP but when pictures of him with the CM and deputy CM became public, they accepted the fact. It is clear that he was drunk while driving and crushed innocent boys and girls. We demand justice.
Yadav said his party will raise the issue in the Assembly on Tuesday and seek explanation from Kumar.
Meanwhile, another BJP leader and states health minister Mangal Pandey assured full assistance to the injured students who are admitted in Shri Krishna Medical College and Hospital (SKMCH) in Muzaffarpur.
Talking to News18, He said, 14 students are undergoing treatment and three of them are critical. I will speak to the hospital authorities today and if needed critically injured children would be shifted to other hospitals at full government expenses for better treatment.
On February 24, a speeding SUV rammed school children of Dharampur Middle School when they were crossing the road after the school got over. Nine students died on the spot while 20 others were injured.
The SUV had a name plate, identifying Baitha as mahamantri of BJP. Later, CCTV footage established he was driving the car at the time.
New Delhi: China's political goal was to "split" India and Bhutan over the Doklam standoff, former National Security Adviser Shivshankar Menon said on Wednesday while appreciating the way the government handled the issue.
Menon, who was NSA between 2010 and 2014 in the previous UPA rule, also said there was a need for an integrated approach in managing the country's borders.
"One reason why we saw that activity in Doklam last year was not because they (China) had a clear military option or superiority but they had the political goal of splitting us from the Bhutanese," he said at a conference here.
India and Bhutan have close ties and New Delhi has been providing military support to the country.
He said China wanted to "show the Bhutanese that India could not defend their security and also to arouse Bhutanese opinion (on it). I am glad we chose to react the way we did."
Menon had also served as India's foreign secretary from October 2006 to August 2009.
Troops of India and China were locked in a 73-day-long standoff in Doklam from June 16 last year after the Indian side stopped the building of a road in the disputed tri-junction by the Chinese Army. Bhutan and China have a dispute over Doklam. The face-off ended on August 28.
As a close friend and neighbour, Bhutan enjoys diplomatic and military support from India.
Delving into various aspects of border management, Menon said the armed forces must take the people of the border areas of North Eastern states into confidence on such issues.
It is important to carry the people with you, he said.
The conference on 'Bridging gaps and securing borders' in the north east was attended by the top brass of the defence forces including Army Chief Gen. Bipin Rawat and Navy Chief Admiral Sunil Lanba.
Kolkata: Two students of IIT-Kharagpur have grabbed worldwide attention for their innovation in developing Paper Battery from sewage bacteria and bioethanol green energy from bamboo shavings.
Ramya Veerubhotla, research scholar at IIT Kharagpurs Department of Biotechnology, has developed a disposable and flexible battery made from paper that could generate power from the bacteria present in sewage water.
The uniqueness of her innovation is that the device is made on a paper platform unlike other batteries, which are heavy. The battery is made using air cathode, and the anode can be prepared from any simple carbon based material.
Usually Microbial Fuel Cells (MFCs) take a couple of days to start power production as the bacteria needs to adjust to the environment. But for this device, the power production starts within 10 seconds, said Ramya.
She said, The power generated from one cell is in the range of a few microwatts. More cells mean more power. It may be difficult to power household devices with this, but it can power certain electronic components. The device is flexible and can be stacked together. For more power, you can make more units, stack them and fold them in a compact shape.
This research presented by IIT Kharagpurs Team Electrodes at KPIT Sparkle 2018, has won the first prize and a cash award of Rs. 10 lakh while competing with 12000 students from across the country. The Platinum Award received by Ramya was decided on the basis of novelty, affordability and commercial viability of the proposed idea by an international panel of judges.
Ramyas PhD supervisor, Professor Debabrata Das, an authority on MFCs, is confident that this invention would have tremendous use in bio-electric toilets. One of the best advantages of the device is that it is 100% biodegradable and environment-friendly, which is not the case with chemical batteries, he said.
But Ramya wasnt the only success story of the coveted institutions tech innovation. Ankur Mehta, a fourth-year undergraduate student of the Department of Chemical Engineering, was awarded the Best (Oral) Presentation Certificate in the 7th International Conference on Clean and Green Energy (ICCGE 2018) held in Paris from 7-9 February. The recognition meant that research conducted even at IIT Kharagpurs undergraduate level, is serious enough to merit international acclaim.
Ankur was chosen the best speaker after he presented his research paper on Kinetics of Deliginification and Enzymatic Hydrolysis of non-food lignocellulose (Bambusa bambos) for Cellulosic Biofuel Production.
Ankurs B.Tech thesis project aims to produce bioethanol from bamboo shavings collected locally from the IIT Kharagpur campus.
Bamboo is a plant which grows abundantly in tropical countries like India. This is the first ever serious attempt to generate biofuels from bamboo shavings, which is a waste material. I am currently working on optimising the entire process of conversion of raw bamboo to useful biofuels, Ankur said.
Professor Saikat Chakraborty, Ankurs research guide, said: This process of converting raw bamboo to second generation biofuels has a significant potential for scale-up and commercialisation.
Serkhetabat (Turkmenistan): Turkmenistan, Afghanistan, Pakistan and India on Friday ceremonially broke ground on the Afghan section of an ambitious, multi-billion dollar gas pipeline expected to help ease energy deficits in South Asia.
Afghan President Ashraf Ghani and Turkmen counterpart Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov joined Pakistani premier Shahid Khaqan Abbasi and India's External Affairs Minister M J Akbar for the ceremony at gas-rich Turkmenistan's border with Afghanistan.
Dignitaries including diplomats from the foreign missions in Turkmenistan were greeted by Turkmen national songs and traditional nomadic tents serving up food on an overcast day at the border post of Serkhetabat, once the southernmost tip of the Soviet Union.
Speaking at the ceremony, Ghani said the pipeline would "unite (the) countries" in quotes translated into Russian for reporters at the ceremony.
"There were pessimistic voices, but now we are witnessing the construction of the TAPI gas pipeline," said Ghani, using the acronym for the conduit which takes its name from the four countries.
The quartet aims to complete the 1,840-kilometre (1,143-mile) pipeline and begin pumping natural gas from Turkmenistan's giant Galkynysh gas field by the beginning of 2020.
While the pipeline will traverse war-wracked Afghanistan, raising security concerns, the bulk of the 33 billion cubic metres of gas to be pumped annually through the conduit will be purchased by South Asian rivals Pakistan and India.
Turkmen strongman Berdymukhamedov, whose country currently depends heavily on China as a market for its natural gas exports, called diversification of gas deliveries an "important part of the politics" of the isolated Central Asian country.
And he said work on the Turkmen section of the pipeline was still ongoing.
India's commitment to the pipeline has previously been questioned over its relationship with Pakistan and easy-access to liquified natural gas markets seen as potential stumbling blocks.
But India's minister of state for external affairs M J Akbar hailed the project as "a symbol of our goals" and "a new page in cooperation" between the four countries in a speech at the ceremony on Friday.
The overall funding picture for the mammoth gas pipeline remains unclear, with commercial energy giants such as France's Total failing to follow up on reported interest in the project.
Turkmenistan sits on the world's fourth-largest gas reserves but lost a major buyer in Russia after Russian energy giant Gazprom wound down imports of Turkmen gas and then ceased purchases completely in 2016.
Heavy security will guard the pipeline construction through war-weary Afghanistan, AP quoted Jelani Farhad, spokesman for the Herat provincial governor's office as saying.
"It's a golden day for Afghanistan today," Farhad said. "It will help our economy and create thousands of jobs."
The United States has advocated the pipeline as a source of much needed gas to all three countries over an alternative pipeline, which is also being negotiated, bringing gas from Iran through Pakistan and into India.
Security has been a leading concern leading up to the inauguration but Farhad said Afghanistan has devised a detailed security plan to protect the pipeline construction as well as the pipeline.
Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid told the AP in a telephone interview that the religious movement was ready to guarantee the pipeline's security. "We are ready to protect TAPI. It is good and important and vital for the economy of Afghanistan," he said, noting the pipeline had been under consideration during the Taliban rule that ended in 2001.
The pipeline will carry gas from Turkmenistan to Pakistan and India through Afghanistan's Herat, Farah, Helmand and Nimroz provinces.
Afghan president Ghani said the next big project being readied is the laying of Afghanistan's first railway tracks, from the Turkmenistan border to Iran. He added he hoped the pipeline would signal the start of better regional cooperation.
Lucknow: Former BSP heavyweight and latest entrant in the Congress, Naseemuddin Siddiqui will campaign for the party in the upcoming Phulpur and Gorakhpur by-elections.
Siddiqui, once considered the right-hand man of BSP supremo Mayawati, was expelled from the party last year.
On his maiden visit to the Uttar Pradesh Congress Committee (UPCC) headquarters in Lucknows Mall Avenue, Siddiqui said, The by-elections in Phulpur and Gorakhpur will be an opportunity for me to prove my worth to the Congress. Our team will visit Phulpur and Gorakhpur and camp there till the polls. I would also like to request all my party members to take a days leave before or after Holi and spend at least three days in the two constituencies. All those who have joined the Congress with me, will also be campaigning, he said.
Siddiqui also met local leaders and party workers on Saturday during his visit to the UPCC headquarters. The by-elections will be our first test and will do our best to gain maximum votes. We will learn from our senior members in the Congress. My ancestors voted for Congress, the only party that gave hope to the people. I was in the wrong place before, but now I am on track, he added.
As per Congress sources, Siddiqui, along with senior Congress leaders and UP Congress Chief Raj Babbar, will be campaigning in Phulpur in Gorakhpur.
Meanwhile, UPCC Spokesperson Zishan Haider said UPCC Organisational Secretary Sanjay Dikshit and UPCC secretary Avdhesh Singh were served notices for posting objectionable posts in social media after Siddiqui's induction into the Congress.
Mumbai: In a dramatic twist to the sudden death of Bollywood legend Sridevi, an autopsy report issued by authorities in Dubai on Monday said that she had died of accidental drowning in her hotel bathtub, after losing consciousness.
Meanwhile, there could be further delay in the return of her mortal remains with the Dubai police informing the Indian Embassy that another "clearance" was awaited before it could release the body.
The death that has left legions of fans and industry colleagues stunned on Sunday, now leaves them grappling for answers to solve the mystery surrounding her shocking death.
The Dubai-based Gulf News said in a report that "traces of alcohol" was found in her blood.
While Sridevis mortal remains were expected to reach India by Monday evening for the last rites, now its not clear when they will be released by the Dubai authorities as media reports suggest that the repatriation procedure remains open-ended.
Earlier on Sunday, it was widely reported that Sridevi had died of a massive cardiac arrest around 3am.
The Dubai government said in a tweet on Monday that the police have transferred the case to the "Dubai Public Prosecution", which will carry out regular legal procedures followed in such cases.
"Following the completion of post mortem analysis, Dubai police headquarters today stated that the death of the Indian actress Sridevi occurred due to drowning in her hotel apartment's bath tub following loss of consciousness," the Dubai government's media office said on Twitter.
It is not clear what caused Sridevi, 54, to lose consciousness, and whether the initial report of her death due to cardiac arrest still holds. Her death, which was first reported at around 3 am on Sunday in India, sent shockwaves across the country with those who knew her at a loss to explain how she could have suffered cardiac arrest at such a young age.
#News:Following the completion of post-mortem analysis, #DubaiPolice today stated that the death of Indian actress #Sridevi occurred due to drowning in her hotel apartments bathtub following loss of consciousness.1/2 pic.twitter.com/xqKQu3WzAd Dubai Police (@DubaiPoliceHQ) February 26, 2018
The latest report of accidental drowning only deepens the mystery surrounding her death.
Her family has not commented beyond their initial statement on Sunday to announce the death, and has requested the media to not contact them as they deal with the tragedy.
Sridevi is survived by her husband, producer Boney Kapoor and daughters Khushi and Janhvi.
Gulf News also attached a copy of the UAE government's forensic report on its Twitter handle. The report, citing accidental drowning as the cause of death, has a stamp of the "Ministry of Health UAE" and the director of preventive medicine, Dubai, Dr Sami Wadie.
The autopsy report mentions the actor's full name, "Sreedevi Boney Kapoor Ayyappan", her passport number, date of the incident (February 24, 2018) and cause of death.
"The investigation is still going on to determine the circumstances surrounding the accident as the forensic report only says that she drowned, Gulf News quoted an official as saying.
Her body has been sent for embalming, the newspaper said. It is not clear when the body will be brought back to India.
Sridevi was in Dubai for a family wedding, and had stayed back after the ceremonies. Her husband had flown back to Mumbai with their younger daughter Khushi, but he had returned to Dubai to surprise her, according to Khaleej Times.
He was reportedly in the room when Sridevi went to the bathroom to get ready for a dinner, according to Khaleej Times. It said Kapoor discovered her unconscious in the bathtub filled with water. She was rushed to the hospital where she was declared dead on arrival.
Meanwhile in Mumbai, many Bollywood celebrities visited the home of actor Anil Kapoor, the brother of Boney Kapoor. Sridevi's two daughters, Khushi and upcoming actor Jahnvi are staying at the house.
Among those who visited to condole Sridevi's death were Farah Khan, Farhan Akhtar, Tabu, Saroj Khan, Rekha, Rani Mukherji, Karan Johar, Manish Malhotra and Aumpam Kher.
Police officials at Anil Kapoor's house said as many as 150 people from Karnataka came to pay homage to Sridevi, while another group from Telangana gathered outside the actor's Lokhandwala residence. Fans from Rajasthan and other parts of India had also arrived.
Before making it big in Bollywood in late 1970s, she was already an established star in South India with many hits in Tamil, Telugu and Malayalam movies.
At Kapoor's house, police have increased security and cordoned off the area to keep fans at a distance.
(With PTI inputs)
New Delhi: Former cabinet secretary T S R Subramanian, whose efforts led to the landmark Supreme Court judgment protecting bureaucrats from political interference, has passed away, officials said on Monday.
He was 79.
The former bureaucrat was not keeping well for some time. He passed away early morning today, a senior IAS officer said.
Subramanian, a 1961-batch IAS officer of the Uttar Pradesh cadre, was a prominent face on television debates. He spoke vociferously on matters related to the bureaucracy.
He served in various posts in the UP cadre and at the Centre.
As Cabinet Secretary, Subramanian worked with three prime ministers -- Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Inder Kumar Gujral and H D Deve Gowda.
He was Cabinet Secretary from August 1, 1996 to March 31, 1998.
Subramanian was part of a group of former bureaucrats that filed a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) in the Supreme Court seeking a mechanism to insulate the bureaucracy from political interference.
On his PIL, the top court had in 2013 directed the Centre and the States to set up a Civil Services Board to decide on transfers of officers of all India services -- Indian Administrative Service (IAS), Indian Police Service (IPS) and Indian Forest Service (IFoS).
The apex court had also asked the Centre to put in place a fixed-tenure policy to insulate bureaucrats from frequent transfers mainly through political interference.
Even after he retired as Cabinet Secretary in 1998, Subramanian remained active for bureaucrats' cause.
He was part of central government committees on various matters, including the one on the new education policy.
He led a task force set up by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to leverage the post office network in the country to enhance the role of India Posts in the financial inclusion.
Subramanian penned three books on Indian polity and administration.
"Extremely shocked to hear the sad news of the demise of T S R Subramanian. He was the tallest amongst all and is a big loss for the IAS fraternity and the nation. Deepest condolences to all family members. We hope and pray that your ideas and thoughts will continue to guide us," the IAS Association tweeted.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, former President Pranab Mukherjee, several Union ministers including Nirmala Sitharaman and Jitendra Singh, and a number of bureaucrats took to Twitter to condole Subramanian's demise.
"Shri TSR Subramanian distinguished himself as an outstanding civil servant. He also left a mark with his prolific writings and interventions on important public causes. Saddened by his demise. My thoughts and prayers are with his family and friends," the PM tweeted.
Mukherjee also conveyed his deepest condolences to Subramanian's family and friends.
"Saddened at the passing away of Shri TSR Subramanian, Former Cabinet Secretary. My deepest condolences to his family and friends," the former president said.
"Former Cabinet secretary T S R Subramanian is no more. Saddened by the news. He was affable, full of ideas and energetic. In many a debate on TV channels, shared thoughts with him. Condolences to his family and his fraternity," Sitharaman said.
Minister of State for Personnel Jitendra Singh said he was saddened by news of the demise and sent his condolences to the entire IAS fraternity and the family.
Secretary, Department of School Education and Literacy, Anil Swarup, said: Bichde sab bari bari (all left one by one)."
"One of the most outstanding officer T S R Subramanian is no more. Rest in Peace. RIP," he said on Twitter.
From small-budget gems shining upfront to some regular big Bollywood blockbusters, the successful films in 2017 had one thing in common- re-emergence of the middle-class in Hindi Cinema. It was a year that saw a transition of cinephiles accepting genuine performances than just make-believe. Despite a few dreadful misfires by big names, viewers found performances dipped in humour more engaging and thoughtful. From talking about the electoral policy of the country to making people aware of something as common as erectile dysfunction- humour emerged as the genre of the year.
In the first edition of News18 Reel Movie Awards, we select nominees in various popular categories and let our readers decide the outcome.
Take our poll here to vote and choose your favourite actor of 2017.
Rajkummar Rao, Trapped:
The year 2017 belonged to the likes of Rajkummar Rao who cemented their place as talents to reckon with. Ever since he made his debut in Love Sex Dhokha and went on to feature in CityLights, Rao has been the talk of the town and the year gone by stands a testimony to his craft. Directed by Vikramaditya Motwane, the film stars Geetanjali Thapaas alongside the actor but the film solely belongs to Rao, who plays Shaurya, a call center employee stuck in a flat without food, water, electricity, or a functioning mobile phone. The survival drama rests on Rao's shoulders and the actor doesn't disappoint. He delivers a nuanced and layered performance making this film a memorable one.
Ayushmann Khurrana, Shubh Mangal Saavdhan:
Not many actors will agree to play a man suffering from erectile dysfunction. But Ayushmann Khurrana took up the challenge and delivered a memorable performance in RS Prasanna's Shubh Mangal Saavdhan. Named Mudit, his character was that of a common man in love, who later finds out that he's suffering from erectile dysfunction. The actor has been in solid form since Bareilly Ki Barfi and makes you feel for Mudit with his understated charm and a genuine feeling of likability.
Adil Hussain, Mukti Bhawan:
Just a couple of films old in the purported mainstream Bollywood, Adil Hussain has carved a niche for himself that not many actors have been able to so far. In Mukti Bhawan, a film dealing with life, loss and death, Adil plays Rajiv, an office bound man, who is to accompany his 77-year-old father Daya (Lalit Behl) who wishes to breathe his last and attain salvation in Benares. Bringing to screen the complexities of life and death and the dynamics of father and son relationship, Adil delivers a heart-warming performance.
Vikrant Massey, A Death In The Gunj:
Set in the gloomy winters of 1979, in a colonial town called McCluskieganj, Bihar (now Jharkhand), the film is basically a family holiday gone wrong. And the star of this Konkona Sen Sharma's directorial is Vikrant Massey, who plays Shutu. His honest endearing performance is the gem that drives this film forward and weaves the characters in a string. He's that extra in the family that makes it through like a sparkling dew and stays with you even after you've left the theatre. Vikrant has proven his acting mettle as a supporting actor in Lootera and Dil Dhadakne Do, but in a film with a stellar cast he shines the most and thats an achievement.
Irrfan Khan, Hindi Medium:
Irrfan plays Raj, a wealthy but rough-around-the-edges garment show owner, who is devoted to his wife Meeta. It is his performance that elevates the film and leaves viewers with a thought-provoking message. The film, directed by Saket Chaudhary, is a satire on the uniquely Indian obsession with English, and the sense of entitlement and higher social standing that is associated with proficiency in the language. But it is as much a comedy about the admission process in Indian schools. Irrfan gets in the skin of his character and gets right even the smallest of things. He tickles your funny bone with the same ease he delivers thought-provoking messages.
Meerut: The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) on Sunday held a massive show of strength in Meerut, with RSS Sarsanghachalak Mohan Bhagwat presiding over the event himself. The event, called 'Rashtroday Sammelan', was touted to be the RSS's "biggest event ever". The aim of the mega event, said an RSS functionary, was to ensure that there was an RSS worker in every western UP village. The Sarsanghachalak's speech, however, was laden with references to caste.
In 2014, the BJP had swept the western UP hinterland after communal riots had polarised the electorate along religious lines. If the BJP made electoral gains, its parent outfit RSS made major inroads into Western UP's polarised badlands. But those gains may soon be slipping away as caste fissures are back in the region.
The diverse social coalition of "Hindus" was tested first after the Saharanpur riots last year, when Dalits in the western UP district clashed with Rajputs. This led to the subsequent rise of the Bhim Army, a radical Dalit Rights outfit. This, a senior VHP leader told News18, has sent alarm bells ringing in the Sangh. Moreover, the communal fault-lines of Muzaffarnagar, which saw massive riots in 2013, are also repairing themselves.
That is why Bhagwat, addressing over a lakh Swayamsevaks from across western UP, chose his words carefully. "We have all heard of unity in diversity. But there is also diversity in unity. Our unity has enough space for diversity. We respect and celebrate diversity," Bhagwat said.
The event, called 'Rashtroday Sammelan', was touted to be the RSS's "biggest event ever".
The RSS chief added that Hindus must not forget their own strengths. "People recognise the good in you only when you are strong. Even Gods don't honour the weak. Those who recognise their own strengths will not prosper. Lord Hanuman had forgotten his own strength in the Ramayana but had to be reminded of it," he said, adding, "Garv se kaho hum Hindu hain (Say with pride that we are Hindu). We are one because we are Hindu. Our country alone allows for such diversity."
As the speech went on, Bhagwat spoke of caste more explicitly, urging all Hindus to unite. "Hindus must unite because we are responsible for this country. If this country doesn't do well, questions will be asked of us. We forgot who we were and fought over caste and language. All Hindus are my brothers," he said.
Bhagwat's 34-minute address was rife with talk of internal divisions within Hindu society and those who seek to divide it. Hinduism, the Sarsanghachalak insisted, had enough room for diversity.
"What is our role for the future?" he asked the Swayamsevaks, adding: "The world is tired after 2,000 years of experimenting and thinks India has a way to achieve holistic wellness in life. We must help the world achieve that. Secondly, there are many divisive forces within India and we must come together, despite all these forces acting against us."
The RSS said that Swayamsevaks had gone to each of western UP's 10,500 villages and the exact number of people who had signed up to attend the event was 3,11,578 (Over 3.11 lakh). However, the total number of Swayamsevaks at the venue was just over a lakh.
Kalaburagi: BJP president Amit Shah hit out at Karnataka's Congress government on Monday for celebrating the birth anniversary of 18th century Mysore ruler Tipu Sultan instead of focusing on developing backward regions.
Shah also asked the other backward classes (OBCs) to vote out the Siddaramaiah government in the upcoming elections.
"Hyderabad-Karnataka region lies between Hyderabad and Mumbai. It is so located that if an industrial corridor is made, it will provide jobs to lakhs of youths from the region. But they (Congress leaders) won't do it," the BJP chief said.
The BJP leader claimed the previous B S Yeddyurappa government of the BJP worked for the development of the region.
"...They (Congress) don't do anything, but just Tipu Sultan, Tipu Sultan, Tipu Sultan....now they are even talking about celebrating Bahmani Samrajya (Bahmani Sultanate)..I don't know what has happened to them. They don't see anything else," Shah said as he attacked Congress leaders from the area including Mallikarjuna Kharge and Dharm Singh.
He said the two leaders did little for the welfare of the region despite getting elected several times. "They did nothing other than supporting their sons (in politics)," he alleged.
The state government's reported plans to celebrate the Bahmani Sultanate era art and culture has come under attack from the BJP, whose leaders dubbed the Bahmani rulers as "killers of Hindus" and "destroyers of temples".
While Kalaburagi district in-charge minister Sharan Prakash Patil has maintained it will be a one-day celebration, chief minister Siddaramaiah said he was not aware of any proposed celebrations.
Bahmani Sultanate was a Muslim kingdom that ruled parts of the Deccan region in 1347-1527, with what is now known as Kalaburagi and Bidar as its capital. Its rulers constantly fought with those of the Vijayanagara empire for supremacy.
Shah, who is on a three-day visit to north Karnataka region, was interacting with leaders of OBC communities.
The state assembly polls are expected in April-May this year.
Noting that the OBCs constituted a large part of the state's population, the BJP chief urged their leaders to usher in "parivartan" (change) by uprooting the Congress government.
"The OBC community is the largest group in Karnataka...hope you understand me...So, the bigger responsibility for bringing in the change rests on whom? Please tell me.
"Once the OBC, the backward community decides, no one can save this Congress government. OBC community will have to root out the Congress government," he said.
Terming the Narendra Modi government a "huge factory" that generates electricity called development, Shah said the new dispensation in Karnataka should act like a transformer to access that electricity efficiently.
"Here that transformer is burnt and that is the reason development is not reaching the masses and villages," he said.
"Now, tell me what will you do if the transformer is burnt....don't just change it? root it out? Root out this government, and bring in a government in its place with lotus flower, the BJP government that will make Karnataka the best within five years," he said.
Shah said constitutional status to the OBC Commission has been a long-standing demand of the community but the Congress opposed the bill to confer that status on the panel.
"In Rajya Sabha, Congress showed its true face and did not allow the bill to get passed."
"Siddaramaiah speaks about AHINDA (Kannada acronym for minorities, backward classes and Dalits). Rahul Gandhi and Siddaramaiah have to be questioned on what they have to say about Congress party stalling the bill," he said.
He accused the Congress of having double standards on the issue.
On the one hand, the Congress speaks about the uplift of the backward communities, but when it comes to providing constitutional status to the Commission, they stall the bill in Rajya Sabha, Shah said.
Targeting chief minister Siddaramaiah, the BJP chief said he spoke about the backward classes, but when it came to doing things for them, he catered to only the minorities.
He also accused the Congress government of creating hurdles in the way of the benefits of the Centre's initiatives for OBCs from reaching them.
"It is not reaching people on ground in the state because there is no BJP government here. Those in power here are always in the confrontation with Narendra Modi, sitting on the shoulders of Rahul baba (Rahul Gandhi)," Shah said.
Bring a chief minister who works shoulder-to-shoulder with Narendra Modi to solve all issues faced by the OBCs in Karnataka, Shah said.
"This work can only be done by our leader Yeddyurappa," he said.
New Delhi: Congress President Rahul Gandhi on Monday accused Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar of shielding a BJP leader, who allegedly ran over nine innocent children with his car under the influence of liquor, and said the truth of prohibition in the state stands exposed.
"In 'drug free' Bihar, a BJP leader under the influence of liquor kills nine innocent children. Nitish ji, is this the truth of your prohibition? The voice of your inner conscience is saving whom - the accused BJP leader or the truth of liquor in Bihar?" he said on Twitter.
9 ! ? - ? Office of RG (@OfficeOfRG) February 26, 2018
At least nine children were killed and about 20 injured when a speeding Bolero SUV ploughed through them outside a government school on the outskirts of Muzaffarpur town on February 24.
The tragedy occurred near the government-run Dharmpur Middle School in Minapur police station area, about 10 km from district headquarter town of Muzaffarpur, when the children were returning home.
Nitish Kumar had ordered a "speedy probe and tough action against the guilty driver". The vehicle belonged to a BJP leader from the adjoining Sitamarhi district, police said.
Lucknow: The race for Rajya Sabha seats from Uttar Pradesh has begun with major parties jostling to get maximum support with the state Assembly voting on March 23.
According to reports, of the 10 seats up for grabs, the ruling BJP is all set to win eight seats while Samajwadi Party is on course to win one seat.
There is still an open contest for one seat which has become the centre of a prestige battle, sources said.
As per the formula for Rajya Sabha election, the number of vacant seats is increased by one and then divided by the number of MLAs in the state Assembly. The final figure is increased by one and that is taken to be the number of votes required to win a Rajya Sabha seat.
The current number of MLAs in UP assembly is 403; the number of vacant seats is 10. So, as per the formula, one is added to 10 which makes it 11. Now total number of MLAs 403 is further divided by 11 which gives us the figure of 36.63 and further 1 is added to it. So, in UP a Rajya Sabha member is required 37.63, which when rounded gives us the figure of 38. Going by the formula, 38 MLAs votes decide the fate of one Rajya Sabha member.
Going by this, BJP and allies have clear mandate for eight seats with 325 MLAs, while SP is sure of winning one seat with 47 MLAs. The remaining MLAs of SP, along with seven Congress MLAs and 19 Bahujan Samaj Party MLAs may field a joint candidate if they want to win this seat.
It still remains to be seen if the major opposition parties like SP, Bahujan Samaj Party and Congress will join hands to defeat the BJP for this seat or not, sources added.
BSP supremo Mayawati does not seem to be interested in contesting for Rajya Sabha. This became evident after statement of Tejaswi Yadav who said that he had called up Mayawati as she was promised one berth from his father Lalu Prasad Yadav. But she turned down the offer, saying that till the time BJP is in power, she was not interested in being a member of Rajya Sabha.
In the recent Assembly by-elections and upcoming Lok Sabha by-elections, BSP had made it clear that it wont give support to any SP candidate.
Speaking to News18 on the issue, SP spokesperson and MLC, Sunil Singh Sajan, said, At least one of our candidate is confirmed to go to Rajya Sabha. Speaking of the rest of the seats, our national president Akhilesh Yadav is constantly trying to bring together all the secular forces under one roof.
This will also prove fruitful for the 2019 Lok Sabha Elections. If during Rajya Sabha elections, people of Samajwadi viewpoint come forward then Samajwadi Party will definitely extend support to them, he added.
On the other hand, the Congress is also waiting for the possibilities. Speaking to News18, UP Congress spokesperson, Dwijendra Tripathi, said, At present we are having seven seats in UP state Assembly. Obviously we are not in a position to win any Rajya Sabha seat but political possibilities can be looked for. The party high command will decide.
Senior BSP leader Unmed Singh said, Our party was ignored by Congress on many occasions, be it Gujarat Assembly elections or Himachal. When we are of zero value to them, we will move according to our own strategy.
Tehran: Iran's hardline former president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad called for the immediate holding of free presidential and parliamentary elections in a letter to supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei published on Thursday.
The call from a man, whose name is synonymous with the bloody repression of mass protests against his controversial re-election in 2009, marked a new act of defiance against a political establishment that has long since turned against him.
Ahmadinejad made no specific reference in his letter to a wave of unrest that swept Iran over the new year but it comes as the country's divided political factions argue over how to respond.
"The immediate holding of free presidential and parliamentary elections -- of course without their being engineered by the Guardian Council and without interference by military or security bodies so that people have a free choice -- is an urgent necessity," he wrote.
The Guardian Council is a powerful vetting body which oversees all elections in Iran and which barred Ahmadinejad among others from running for president last May. The former president referred directly to a speech Khamenei delivered on Sunday in which he said that progress was needed in "the field of justice", acknowledging widespread criticism of the system.
"These clear comments from the leader can of course be understood" as an appeal for "urgent and concrete reforms that meet the demands of the people," he said.
Ahmadinejad called for the dismissal of judiciary chief Ayatollah Sadeq Larijani, a rival hardliner, on the grounds that the "injustices" of the judiciary were "one of the main causes of public discontent." He also called for the release of all people arrested for criticising the regime and the halting of any proceedings under way.
Ahmadinejad remains popular, particularly among poorer segments of society who recall the large-scale welfare schemes he implemented during his 2005-2013 presidency. But he has fallen out with the establishment, especially since he ran for president last year against Khamenei's advice.
A number of his senior aides have been arrested on financial and corruption charges, and his protege Hamid Baghaie was sentenced to 15 years in December. The demonstrations over the new year, during which at least 25 people died, initially focused on economic problems but swiftly escalated into protests against corruption and the regime itself.
During the 2009 protests against Ahmadinejad's re-election, dozens of people were killed as the regime deployed militia to back up police. Thousands of people were detained and his two reformist challengers -- Mehdi Karoubi and Mir Hossein Mousavi -- remain under house arrest.
Islamabad: Pakistan is drifting towards international isolation mainly due to its policy of using groups designated by the global community as terrorist outfits as instruments of foreign policy, the media in Islamabad warned on Sunday, days after a global watchdog on terrorism financing reportedly placed Islamabad on its watch-list.
The world, which includes our brotherly friends (China and Saudi Arabia) whom the foreign minister (Khawaja Asif) thanked in a prematurely triumphant tweet on Tuesday, is not impressed with what they see as this countrys continued intransigence, the Dawn said in a stinging editorial, criticising the policies of the government, especially the powerful military.
Now that the news from the just-concluded round of meetings of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) held in Paris has been digested, it is important to focus on the fact that both China and Saudi Arabia abandoned Pakistan during the proceedings, opening the way for the motion advanced by the United States to a grey list the countrys financial system, it said.
The FATF in its report released on Friday did not mention Pakistan's name, leading to confusion about the country's status.
It is now increasingly clear that Pakistan is drifting towards international isolation mainly due to its policy of using groups designated by the world community as terrorist outfits as instruments of foreign policy, the prominent newspaper commented.
This is precisely the state of affairs that the civilian government has been trying to warn the security establishment about for a number of years now, including in a series of meetings in late 2016 but evidently, these conversations did not lead to the desired actions, it noted.
The Dawn editorial that was published on Sunday.
The FATF has been asking Pakistan to fully implement UN Security Council Resolution 1267 ever since the country was taken out of the grey list back in 2015. Once that act was passed in 2015, the next step was action against those groups and individuals that had been designated as terrorists by the United Nations.
The warnings are now pouring in continuously to act against militant groups, or risk international isolation. Pakistan would do well to heed them for its own sake, it said.
Another newspaper, The News, commented that Pakistan needs to reflect seriously about the consequences of its inaction against terrorist finance. The failure to curb terrorism finance is something that the country accepts internally.
There have been constant pleas within the government apparatus to come up with measures to combat the free flow of terrorist finance. But these efforts remain beset by contradictions, it said.
Currently, the offending entity seems to be the free operation of Lashkar-e-Taiba and its charity wing JuD, it said.
The group (JuD) was able to launch a political party this year and has not faced action from the state akin to a serious clampdown. Cosmetic action has continued to be taken, which is why the international community remains unconvinced by the presidential ordinance putting Pakistans terrorist organisation list in compliance with the UN list and the recent seizing of LeT assets, the paper said.
The optics are not convincing. However, there is little evidence that Pakistan is doing worse that it was in 2015 when it was taken off the grey list, The News commented.
The Nation, another leading Pakistani newspaper, in an editorial said, This is a time to reflect upon the flawed policies which brought us to such a brink of panic.
The mainstreaming of terrorist and extremist factions, to the point that we tolerated their large participation in our election process, is what has put us in this situation today, it said.
It is time that Pakistan actively pushes against these liabilities that are causing us so much damage, it commented.
The actions Pakistan took this last month, such as promulgating an ordinance banning JuD chief Hafiz Saeed and his party, as a last-minute attempt to evade the FATF list, must be doubled down and implemented, it added.
Washington: Ivanka Trump says she believes her father's denials of sexual misconduct, arguing that questions to her on the topic are "pretty inappropriate."
Trump serves as a senior adviser in President Donald Trump's administration and just led the U.S. delegation at the closing ceremony for the 2018 Pyeongchang Games. She made the comments in an interview with NBC that aired Monday.
Asked about the allegations of inappropriate behaviour against the president, Ivanka Trump said: "I think it's a pretty inappropriate question to ask a daughter if she believes the accusers of her father when he's affirmatively stated there's no truth to it." "I believe my father, I know my father," she said. "I think I have that right as a daughter, to believe my father." The president has denied accusations of misconduct.
His daughter has promoted herself as an advocate of women and families within the administration a role that has come with unique challenges and calculations, given the allegations against her father and some of his public comments about women.
She played a diplomatic role on her visit to the Olympics, visiting the Blue House in Seoul before heading to Pyeongchang. In her remarks, Ivanka Trump said she was in South Korea to celebrate the Olympics and to reaffirm the US commitment to a "maximum pressure campaign to ensure that the Korean Peninsula is denuclearised."
London: Talks between the UK and Ecuador over the future of Wikileaks founder Julian Assange at the latter's London embassy have broken down, according to Ecuadorian Foreign Minister Maria Fernanda Espinosa.
On Friday, Espinosa suggested British officials had been unwilling to negotiate over Assange's potential release, reports the Guardian.
Earlier this month, a judge upheld an arrest warrant issued when Assange skipped bail as he fought extradition to Sweden in 2012.
The 46-year-old has been at the embassy ever since because he fears extradition to the US for questioning over the activities of WikiLeaks if he leaves.
Espinosa said of the failed talks: "To mediate you need two parties, Ecuador is willing, but not necessarily the other party."
Ecuador said it would continue to protect Assange's rights, however there was a risk to his physical and psychological wellbeing after spending nearly six years in the building as a "refugee", the Guardian reported.
In November 2017, Espinosa said Assange had been granted Ecuadorian citizenship.
The Foreign Minister said Ecuador was trying to make Assange a member of its diplomatic team, which would grant him additional rights under the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations -- including special legal immunity and safe passage.
Oslo: A freak warming around the North Pole is sending a blast of Arctic cold over Europe in a sign of "wacky" weather that may happen more often with man-made global warming, scientists said on Monday.
On the northern tip of Greenland, the Cape Morris Jesup meteorological site has had a record-smashing 61 hours of temperatures above freezing so far in 2018, linked to a rare retreat of sea ice in the Arctic winter darkness.
"It's never been this extreme," said Ruth Mottram, a climate scientist at the Danish Meteorological Institute (DMI). Warmth was coming into the Arctic both up from the Atlantic and through the Bering Strait, driving and cold air south.
Around the entire Arctic region, temperatures are now about 20C (36F) above normal, at minus eight degrees Celsius (17.6F), according to DMI calculations.
To the south, a rare snow storm hit Rome on Monday and some Brussels mayors planned to detain homeless overnight if they refused shelter with temperatures set to fall as low as minus 10 Celsius (14 Fahrenheit) in the coming week.
Hit by easterly winds from Siberia, cities from Warsaw to Oslo were colder than minus 8C.
As long ago as 1973, a study suggested that an ice-free Arctic Ocean could make regions further south colder. That "warm Arctic, cold continent" (WAC#C) pattern is sometimes dubbed "wacc-y" or "wacky" among climate scientists.
"Wacky weather continues with scary strength and persistence," tweeted Professor Lars Kaleschke, a professor at the University of Hamburg.
"The question is whether this weather will happen more often. This is just one event so it's hard to make a causal relationship," he told Reuters.
SEA ICE SHRINKING
Scientists say a long-term shrinking of sea ice on the Arctic Ocean, linked to global warming, exposes warmer water below that releases more heat into the atmosphere. That in turn may be disrupting the high altitude jet stream.
"The jet stream becomes wavier, meaning that colder air can penetrate further south and warmer air further north," said Nalan Koc, research director of the Norwegian Polar Institute.
Arctic Ocean sea ice is at a record low for late February at 14.1 million square kilometres (5.4 million), according to the U.S. National Snow and Ice Data Center. That is about a million less than normal, or roughly the size of Egypt.
Erik Solheim, head of the U.N. Environment, said the rare weather fits a wider pattern driven by a build-up of greenhouse gases, mainly from burning fossil fuels from cars, factories and power plants.
"What we once considered to be anomalies are becoming the new normal. Our climate is changing right in front of our eyes, and we've only got a short amount of time to stop this from getting significantly worse," he told Reuters.
Under the 2015 Paris climate agreement, almost 200 nations agreed to limit a rise in temperatures to "well below" 2 degrees Celsius (3.5 Fahrenheit) above preindustrial times, while pursuing efforts to limit it to 1.5C (2.7F).
POLAR VORTEX
"The risk of an ice-free Arctic in summer is about 50 percent or higher" with warming of between 1.5 and 2.0 degrees, according to a leaked draft of a scientific report by a United Nations panel of scientists, obtained by Reuters.
The World Meteorological Organization said the chill in Europe was caused by a "Sudden Stratospheric Warming" above the North Pole that led to a split in the polar vortex, a cold area of air above the Arctic that spilled cold south.
A big problem in figuring out whether the Arctic warmth is driven by human activities or natural variations is a lack of measuring stations. There are no thermometers at the North Pole and satellite measurements go back only to the late 1970s.
On the Norwegian archipelago of Svalbard, temperatures were just above freezing, with rain, and about 13.4C (24F) above the long-term average on Sunday.
"There have also been recent winters with similar deviations," said Rasmus Benestad, senior scientist at the Norwegian Meteorological Institute.
U.S. President Donald Trump, who plans to quit the Paris Agreement, has often expressed doubts about mainstream global warming science during cold spells, such as at New Year in the eastern United States.
And Mottram at DMI said Europe's winters had become less severe. "It's not actually that cold. Its just our perceptions have shifted from a normal winter."
DANBURY For a few hours Saturday afternoon, a section of Danbury High School transformed into a celebration of Chinese culture in honor of last weeks Lunar New Year.
Visitors could practice their chopsticks skills to earn prizes, have their names written in Chinese calligraphy or learn about the arts of paper-cutting and origami as they moved through the halls.
Then around 3 p.m., participants moved into the auditorium for performances including folk dancing, traditional music and a fashion show.
The annual event was organized by the Western Connecticut Chinese Association, HuaXia Chinese School and the Chinese programs at Danbury High School and Westside Middle School.
Its an opportunity ... to embrace the Chinese culture to see the performers, the calligraphy, origami and even practice chopsticks, said Suxing Chen, president of the WCCA. We try to make it interactive.
Many of the people celebrating Saturday were families with students already studying Chinese at one of the three schools. But organizers hope the event attracted enough visitors from outside the programs to possibly expand the schools class offerings.
At Danbury High School, parents and students in the Chinese program are pushing the district to create a fourth level so that students in one of the three existing levels can continue learning the language, said Chinese teacher Huidong Zhu.
Zhu said more students are coming to the high school ready to learn at a higher level since Westside Middle School started teaching Chinese four years ago, but more interest is needed to convince administrators to expand the program.
I hope the word will get out, Zhu said. We hope through this event more and more people will know we have the Chinese program because right now I dont think many parents know that we offer Chinese, and even some students in the high school dont know.
Xi Ouyang, who teaches all five Chinese classes at Westside, said the situation is similar at the middle-school level. Westside is the only Danbury middle school that offers Chinese and some of her classes have as few as seven students, Ouyang said.
One student who started at Westside and continued Chinese at the high school is Caleb Schlissel, a freshman who performed the flute at Saturdays celebration. Schlissel, who is in the third level of classes, said he hopes more people join his class of 15 students.
To me, Chinese is really unique and I like the culture behind it, Schlissel said. Its really interesting and complex...We need to get more people learning about the language to keep the course going.
Interest at HuaXia Chinese School, which teaches Saturday classes for kindergarten through eighth grade, has grown since the program started in 2005 with 58 students. The school now has 80 to 90 students.
But the schools board Chairman Hao Wang said HuaXia is still trying to get more families to sign up to return to its peak of 200 students before the 2008 recession.
Wang said he hopes the New Year celebration can bring a cultural awareness to the Danbury area. He added that learning Chinese will likely be an advantage for students as they enter the job market.
When the kids go out (into the world) they have more opportunity in their career if they have multiple languages, and if they know Chinese and the culture, he said. Theyll have more room for development.
New Milford Police have arrested a high school student after two fires were set at the school Monday morning.
Students were evacuated for less than an hour after a fire was discovered in a boys bathroom on the first floor of New Milford High School around 11:40 a.m.
Spencer Sloan /
Shares of United Technologies rose 3 percent Thursday, a day after its CEO indicated a willingness to consider the question of breaking up the Farmington-based conglomerate whose divisions include Otis, Pratt & Whitney, and UTC Aerospace Systems which has a major plant in Danbury.
Only this past January, UTC shareholders voted in favor of the companys proposed $30 billion acquisition of Rockwell Collins, with the Iowa-based giant to bolster UTCs aerospace division with aircraft avionics and flight-deck systems among others.
We've all gotten calls like the one Jose Barrientos received at his Los Angeles home recently. It was from someone claiming to be with Microsoft tech support, identifying himself as "Jackson."
Barrientos works in software development, but he's also a stand-up comedian. So instead of hanging up, he decided to have a little fun with the suspected scammer.
Before even answering the phone, the tech-savvy comedian had laid a trap of sorts. He wasn't using his real phone number and had set up a virtual machine so that his own data wouldn't be vulnerable. Then he planted the "honey pot."
"It's like a trap that makes you seem like an easy target for a scammer or bad person," he explained. In this case, the honey pot was a folder on the desktop labeled "bitcoin wallet info," which he hoped the scammers wouldn't be able to resist opening.
Barrientos ended up talking to four scammers, who all remotely took control of his computer and tried to get him to send money. He went along with the scammers' instructions, but played dumb (repeatedly misspelling PayPal, for example), hoping he would keep them on the line long enough for them to find the trap he had laid on the desktop.
Three of the scammers didn't make it that far, getting frustrated and hanging up. But after 25 minutes of talking, "Jackson" took the bait and clicked into the document.
"As soon as you open it, it takes a screenshot of the desktop, grabs up all your browser information... sends it over the server, and then gives me complete control of your computer."
Barrientos confronted the scammer with everything he saw, asking about the color of his desktop background and his X-rated browsing history.
"It was all porn," Barrientos said. "Some people listen to music while they work, I guess this guy likes to watch porn."
"He asked, 'How do you know that?' He immediately freaked out and disconnected on me."
Watch the entire prank unfold in the video above.
Barrientos calls these kinds of pranks "hacktivism," which he's been practicing in one form or another for a decade.
"When I was in the military I had an intelligence job where I learned most of my skill set," he said. "I feel like I'm putting those skills to good use."
He does light-hearted pranks like the one seen in the video above, but has also done some more serious work, like helping organizations pinpoint the location of women on the Internet who had been trafficked.
He doesn't think this one trick will stop scammers from trying to rip people off, but he hopes it makes their jobs a little harder.
"I'm just one guy. I'm never going to stop all the scammers," he said. "More than anything my goal is to spread awareness."
Read Alix Martichoux's latest stories and send her news tips at amartichoux@sfchronicle.com.
WALLINGFORD A 15-year-old girl has been issued a juvenile summons in connection with a threatening message written on a whiteboard at a local high school, police said.
The Wallingford Police Department received a complaint from a parent of a Sheehan High School student on Feb. 21 about the threatening message. The police department, in conjunction with the administration at Sheehan High School, immediately began an investigation, police said in a release.
It was learned that the message was written on a whiteboard in a classroom used by media students after school on Feb. 20, police said. The message was seen by several students after it was written, however no one reported it, according to the release. The message was erased in the morning of Feb. 21 prior to the start of school.
The 15-year-old girl told police the message was written out of frustration and she was writing her personal feelings , police said. She told police it was not directed at anyone specific.
The student was arrested on Friday and issued a juvenile summons to appear at Superior Court in New Haven. The student also has been suspended from school, police said.
A second incident that occurred at Sheehan High School on Feb. 23 is being investigated and a resolution is expected within the next day or two, police said. In this incident, a student was walking by a classroom and yelled an alarming statement inside, which disrupted the class and caused students to secure the classroom door, according to the release.
The Wallingford Police Department continues to work in collaboration with the Board of Education to ensure a safe environment for all our students and will investigate any incidents which cause a disruption to the learning environment, police said in the release. The police department wishes to remind parents to talk with their children and reiterate that something they may see as a joke or prank may be interpreted differently by someone else, which can result in a suspension, expulsion, and/or arrest.
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PALO ALTO, Calif. When a cryptocurrency start-up that promised to revolutionize the fruit and vegetable industry shut down last month, it left behind one word on its website: penis.
When a virtual currency company called DateCoin recently tried to entice investors for its initial coin offering, it posted a Facebook ad that featured a reclining woman in a swimsuit with text over her body that read, Touch my I.C.O.
And after the North American Bitcoin Conference in January, which highlighted 84 male speakers and three women, the official conference party was held at a Miami strip club.
Virtual currencies and blockchain, the digital ledger that forms the basis of the cryptocurrencies, were intended to be democratizing and equalizing forces, buoyed by a utopian exuberance. But women who have been trying to participate in the gold rush are finding a lopsided gender divide. And some say the culture is getting worse, with the male-dominated culture buoyed by a new fleet of wealthy crypto speculators known as blockchain bros.
The kingdom was such a crucial supplier of oil to the United States that Washington went to war in the early 1990s in part to protect it from a possible Iraqi invasion. And when China needed new energy supplies for its expanding economy in the early years of the new century, Saudi Arabia was there with an ambitious oil exploration program to meet the new demand.
But OPEC can no longer control oil prices alone. A flood of oil from American shale fields has enabled the United States to slash imports of OPEC oil and begin exporting to markets that were once dominated by Saudi crude.
The Saudis, led by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, are seeking to link cuts in OPEC production over the past two years with cuts by Russia, another oil-exporting powerhouse, to buoy prices. Over the longer term, the Saudis want to import natural gas to replace domestic consumption of oil for electricity, freeing more crude for export.
At the same time, the country is expanding its investments in refineries and petrochemical plants around Asia and the United States to guarantee markets for its crude while making additional sales of higher-value gasoline, diesel and other refined products.
Low oil prices have made the Saudi way of life unsustainable, so they have to find alternatives, said Bruce Riedel, a former Middle East analyst for the Central Intelligence Agency and the author of Kings and Presidents: Saudi Arabia and the United States Since F.D.R. Any partner they can find that can help them do that, they are going to embrace enthusiastically.
The most surprising partner is Russia, which remains on the opposite side of the Syrian civil war and is also trying to build better relations with Iran, Saudi Arabias bitter regional rival.
In the fall of 2016, the crown princes father, King Salman, made the first official trip to Russia by a reigning Saudi monarch. Multiple cooperation agreements including military sales were reached, as well as a commitment by Russias largest petrochemicals company, Sibut, to build a plant in Saudi Arabia.
Even before the Parkland shooting, the gun industry was distressed.
Thriving demand for firearms after the Sandy Hook attack in 2012 and during President Barack Obamas administration caused new gun companies to swarm the market. But many of those businesses have since scaled back or folded as enthusiasts became less nervous about potential gun legislation and less anxious to stock up.
Remington, one of the oldest gun makers in the country, said it was preparing to declare bankruptcy. American Outdoor Brands, whose Smith & Wesson brand was well represented at the show, has complained about challenging market conditions.
Show participants said the financial pressure on the industry and the renewed public attention on guns would make companies especially eager to bolster quality and safety especially in military towns like Tampa and other markets with avid, discerning firearms customers.
Lindsay Potter, who, with her husband, Garrett, was operating a booth for their company, Special Ops Tactical, described herself as a big supporter of the N.R.A. She also said she welcomed strict background checks, believed that sellers should use their discretion to refuse sales and appreciated audits by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
We are under a lot of scrutiny, she said. And we should be.
Lee Harris Pomeroy, whose architectural touch is visible around New York City in the subway stations he redesigned, the Fulton Mall that he helped to plan in Brooklyn and the limestone-sheathed Swiss Bank Tower he devised to fit in with nearby landmarks like Rockefeller Center and the flagship store of Saks Fifth Avenue died on Feb. 18 in Manhattan. He was 85.
His daughter, Jordana Pomeroy, confirmed his death but did not specify a cause.
Architecture is a social art as well as a technical, problem-solving process, Mr. Pomeroy told his daughter in an email exchange last year. But it is also a means of giving form to ideas, as well as satisfying a practical need. And that is what makes it so special.
Although Mr. Pomeroy designed projects around the world, among them the Binhai International Convention and Exhibition Center in Tianjin, China, he was probably best known for his work in the city where he lived.
Lee was the quintessential New York City architect, said Sandra Bloodworth, director of arts and design for the Metropolitan Transportation Authority. He loved New York, and he loved the civic side of historic preservation and transportation.
Sridevi Kapoor, a Bollywood actress who starred in hundreds of films and was known as Indias first female superstar, died on Saturday in Dubai. She was 54.
The Dubai police said on Monday that she had drowned in a hotel bathtub after losing consciousness. Initial reports had said that the cause of death was cardiac arrest.
Sridevi, who went by a single name professionally, was one of the only Bollywood actresses to headline box-office hits without a man beside her in a leading role.
Saddened by the untimely demise of noted actor Sridevi, Narendra Modi, the prime minister of India, wrote on Twitter. She was a veteran of the film industry, whose long career included diverse roles and memorable performances.
First, we must repeal the N.R.A.-backed Dickey Amendment, named for the man who sponsored it, former Representative Jay Dickey, an Arkansas Republican. It reads: None of the funds made available for injury prevention and control at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention may be used to advocate or promote gun control.
As Sam Roberts wrote last year in The Times, the legislation stripped $2.6 million from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention the precise amount budgeted for a study of the health effects of shootings.
This is a ridiculous, disastrous piece of legislation because it chokes off funding for research on this crisis and ways to stem it. We now propose policy prescriptions largely in an information vacuum.
By comparison, The Washington Post sought to provide an estimated cost of Donald Trumps asinine proposal to arm a fifth of all teachers, and this is what they concluded: If we assume the cheapest training and the discounted Glock, were at $251 million to arm 718,000 teachers. If we instead assume the full-price, more expansive training and the full-price firearm, the tab creeps past $1 billion. By the way, the Post estimates that this would put 718,000 guns in our schools and could put hundreds of millions into the coffers of gun makers.
Where the hell are our priorities?
Even Dickey came to regret the negative impact of his disastrous amendment. He co-wrote an op-ed in The Washington Post pointing out that:
Since the legislation passed in 1996, the United States has spent about $240 million a year on traffic safety research, but there has been almost no publicly funded research on firearm injuries. As a consequence, U.S. scientists cannot answer the most basic question: What works to prevent firearm injuries?
The last thing the Middle East needs is another country with the potential to build nuclear weapons. Yet that could happen if the United States mishandles Saudi Arabias plans to enter the nuclear power business and erect as many as 16 nuclear reactors for electricity generation over 25 years.
The Saudis arent saying they want to become the second country, after Israel, to have a nuclear arsenal in the increasingly unstable region. They insist the reactors would be used only to generate energy for domestic purposes, so they can rely on their huge reserves of oil to generate income from overseas.
Still, there are growing signs that the Saudis want the option of building nuclear weapons to hedge against their archrival, Iran, which had a robust nuclear program before accepting severe curbs under a 2015 deal with the United States and other major powers.
Obama administration efforts to negotiate an agreement on transferring civil nuclear technology required before a country can buy American nuclear technology faltered over the Saudis refusal to make a legally binding commitment to forgo uranium enrichment and plutonium reprocessing, which could be used to produce fuel for nuclear weapons. The United Arab Emirates made a commitment like that in its 2009 agreement, setting the nonproliferation gold standard for civil nuclear cooperation deals.
The Trump presidency has brought a political awakening for American progressives. It began even before he took office, with the organizing for the Womens March. Then came the citizen activists who protested at airports and later helped save health insurance for millions of people. Now high school students are trying to transform the gun debate.
In a new article in the journal Democracy, two academic researchers tell the story of the energized progressive movement. The leaders are most often suburban women alarmed by President Trumps assaults on decency and the rule of law. The movement is more bottom-up than top-down, more face-to-face than virtual, more Middle American than coastal. It does not always identify itself with the Democratic Party, even if it supports almost exclusively Democrats.
The movement is pervasively pragmatic, write the researchers, Lara Putnam of the University of Pittsburgh and Theda Skocpol of Harvard. It spans the broad ideological range from center to left and (despite media coverage to the contrary, they argue) spends little time on Bernie-versus-Hillary fights. Above all, it is trying to elect progressives, including to oft-ignored local offices and its now focused on the 2018 midterms.
Thats smart. Elections are precisely what progressives should be emphasizing. Protests can have an effect, as happened with Obamacare repeal and is happening on guns. But major progress on almost every issue climate change, immigration, middle-class living standards and gun deaths depends on electing people who want to make progress. Trump and the current leaders of Congress plainly do not.
The number of hospitals is also declining because more complex care can safely and effectively be provided elsewhere, and thats good news.
When I was training to become an oncologist, most chemotherapy was administered in the hospital. Now much better anti-nausea medications and more tolerable oral instead of intravenous treatments have made a hospital admission for chemotherapy unusual. Similarly, hip and knee replacements once required days in the hospital; many can now be done overnight in ambulatory surgical centers. Births outside of hospitals are also increasing, as more women have babies at home or at birthing centers.
Studies have shown that patients with heart failure, pneumonia and some serious infections can be given intravenous antibiotics and other hospital-level treatments at home by visiting nurses. These hospital at home programs usually lead to more rapid recoveries, at a lower cost.
As these trends accelerate, many of todays hospitals will downsize, merge or close. Others will convert to doctors offices or outpatient clinics. Those that remain will be devoted to emergency rooms, high-tech services for premature babies, patients requiring brain surgery and organ transplants, and the like. Meanwhile, the nearly one billion annual visits to physicians offices, imaging facilities, surgical centers, urgent-care centers and doc in the box clinics will grow.
Special interests in the hospital business arent going to like this. They will lobby for higher hospital payments from the government and insurers and for other preferential treatment, often arguing that we need to retain the good jobs hospitals offer. But this is disingenuous; the shift of medical services out of hospitals will create other good jobs for home nurses, community health care workers and staff at outpatient centers.
Hospitals will also continue consolidating into huge, multihospital systems. They say that this will generate cost savings that can be passed along to patients, but in fact, the opposite happens. The mergers create local monopolies that raise prices to counter the decreased revenue from fewer occupied beds. Federal antitrust regulators must be more vigorous in opposing such mergers.
Instead of trying to forestall the inevitable, we should welcome the advances that are making hospitals less important. Any change in the health care system that saves money and makes patients healthier deserves to be celebrated.
In addition to benefiting investors, these maneuvers will end up boosting the pay of top executives because their compensation packages are often tied to the price of their companies stock. Finally, a small sliver of the money will find its way into paychecks of rank-and-file employees, but it wont be a big boost and will probably come in the form of a temporary bonus, rather than a lasting raise.
Morgan Stanley analysts estimated that 43 percent of corporate tax savings would go to buybacks and dividends and nearly 19 percent would help pay for mergers and acquisitions. Just 17 percent would be used for capital investment, and even a smaller share, 13 percent, would go toward bonuses and raises. Other Wall Street analysts have issued similar reports. If more evidence was needed, Axios reported that just nine pharmaceutical companies have announced $50 billion in buybacks since the tax law was passed.
Mr. Trump might argue that it doesnt much matter that the tax cuts will be a boon for investors because many Americans own stocks. The president has recently touted the rising value of 401(k) accounts as a benefit of the tax law. But roughly half of all families own no stock, and most people have holdings that are worth less than $5,000. Most stock holdings, a whopping 84 percent, are in the hands of people whose incomes put them in the top 10 percent of households.
Republicans might further argue that none of this matters because the tax law is becoming more popular as people learn more about it. Indeed, a recent poll for The Times found that the law now has more supporters than opponents. But this swing in public sentiment might be less important than it appears. Consider the results of a recent Politico/Morning Consult poll that shows that just 25 percent of registered voters said they had noticed an increase in their paycheck because of lower tax withholding while 51 percent had not. The poll also found that high-income people were more likely to notice that their take-home pay had gone up. Thats because Republicans designed the law to principally benefit wealthy families while offering crumbs to low-income and middle class families.
Those crumbs, by the way, disappear after a few years. Further, many taxpayers in states like California, New Jersey and New York will be hit with higher tax bills when they file their 2018 tax returns and realize that they can now only deduct up to $10,000 in state and local taxes.
Children are dying. I will fight every single day. I just want to speak. We call B.S. These students survived a shooting at their school. Now theyre leading a national movement for stricter gun control. Just days after the shooting, they called for school walkouts around the country, traveled to the Florida State Capitol You failed us and planned a nationwide march. Some of them cant even vote yet. Its clear these students are doing things differently. Heres how. #NeverAgain is leveraging social networks to mobilize faster than most movements before it, according to experts who study the rise of social and political movements. One week after the shooting, the #NeverAgain Twitter handle is verified and has more than 81,000 followers. In just a few days, student leaders have crowdsourced more than $3 million through online campaigns and celebrity donations. Theyre also handling their own crisis control by directly responding to critics. I lost a best friend who was practically a brother, and Im here to use my voice because I know he cant. These survivors are presenting their personal stories of loss as part of their fight, converting grief into power by getting in the face of adults. So, Senator Rubio, can you tell me right now that you will not accept a single donation from the N.R.A. in the future? The #NeverAgain movement wasnt formed in a vacuum. Its riding on the most recent wave of youth activism, which picked up speed around 2010. Student protests ebbed after the antiwar movement of the 60s and 70s. We are fed up. Young people today are getting involved to change systemic inequalities they were raised to believe had already been taken care of. The Dreamers, students against sexual assault, Occupy Wall Street, and the Black Lives Matter movement all had strong involvement by college-educated millennials. These groups have had modest success. President Barack Obama made sure campuses did more to investigate cases of sexual assault. And he later protected Dreamers from deportation. You can come out of the shadows and get right with the law. Its too early to tell if the #NeverAgain movement will sustain the momentum it needs to bring tangible change. But its an election year, so politicians might find their demands difficult to ignore.
If the past is prologue, Congress will do nothing.
But governors who gathered in Washington for their annual winter meeting warned of the perils of inaction. Animated by a wave of polling since the Florida massacre, Democratic governors warned that candidates would pay a political price for opposing new gun regulations, and some of their Republican counterparts conceded that the pleas of voters could no longer be ignored as they increasingly abandon the party.
I think for Republicans our challenge in the next race is going to be about appealing to the suburban vote that hasnt been so good for Republicans the last few races, said Gov. Bill Haslam of Tennessee, citing in particular suburban women. It is clear, he added, that people want to see action.
The combination of political pressure from the governors and moves by President Trump to embrace certain limited measures opposed by the National Rifle Association could set up a congressional showdown with the powerful firearms lobby not seen since the gun debate that followed the deadly school shooting in 2012 in Newtown, Conn.
The sudden focus on guns is likely to complicate an already busy agenda. Congress left Washington without coming up with a replacement for the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, which protects hundreds of thousands of young immigrants from deportation and expires next week. A contentious debate over gun legislation could push immigration to the back burner.
While the Newtown massacre and the many that have followed have produced familiar scenes in which Democrats push for tough new gun restrictions and Republicans dig in and resist, the latest mass shooting appears to have shifted the landscape, even if just slightly, as the Parkland students have become overnight gun control advocates and media fixtures.
Amid the tumult, Mr. Navarro has been able to leverage a close personal relationship with the president to gain more access, a third trade expert close to the White House said.
It is unclear what new responsibilities Mr. Navarros promotion could bring, or whether the president could change his mind. But the biggest change for Mr. Navarro is that he may once again gain more access to top meetings and to the president himself.
Mr. Navarro presided over an early period on the campaign trail and in the White House, during which President Trump appeared poised to fulfill his most aggressive promises on trade, including ripping up trade deals that he had criticized as bad for American companies and workers and imposing tariffs on imports.
Mr. Navarro entered the White House with multiple trade actions written and ready for the presidents signature, including a directive to withdraw from the North American Free Trade Agreement, known as Nafta. As The New York Times has previously reported, on at least three occasions in the presidents first year in office, Mr. Navarros attempts to withdraw the United States from Nafta were blocked by more pro-trade advisers, headed by Mr. Cohn.
The president did sign another directive authored by Mr. Navarro, pulling the United States out of a multinational trade deal known as the Trans-Pacific Partnership. But other efforts by Mr. Navarro to impose tariffs on steel imports and withdraw from a free-trade agreement with South Korea were blocked, leading some to question whether the president had abandoned his promise to take a more aggressive approach to trade than his predecessors.
As Mr. Kelly imposed order on the White House by limiting the presidents access to some advisers, Mr. Navarros influence was reduced. Mr. Navarro was required to copy Mr. Cohn, his new superior, on all emails. He was absent from some high-level strategy meetings on trade, as well as the presidents trip to China, a focus of Mr. Navarros.
Supporters and opponents of Mr. Navarro describe this as a concerted effort by more pro-trade factions to keep the president from hearing Mr. Navarros views, which could have goaded Mr. Trump into more aggressive action.
Both sides said a possible meeting between the two presidents remained on the table, though not on the timeline or in the style that had been planned.
The confrontation, according to a Mexican official, chilled the warmth and good will that had been built up between the two sides over months of negotiations, and sapped whatever level of trust had been developed after a difficult start to the relationship.
It was not the first time that a disagreement over the wall spoiled the chance for the two presidents to establish a rapport.
In another testy call shortly after Mr. Trump was inaugurated last year, the president pressed Mr. Pena Nieto to stop saying publicly that he would not pay for the wall, saying that would be a precondition for future talks.
If you are going to say that Mexico is not going to pay for the wall, then I do not want to meet with you guys anymore because I cannot live with that, Mr. Trump said, according to a transcript of that call obtained by The Post and posted online last summer.
Mr. Pena Nieto told Mr. Trump during that call that the notion of Mexico paying for the wall was completely unacceptable for Mexicans, saying it would also be politically toxic for him to ever accept it. But Mr. Trump told Mr. Pena Nieto that he regarded his vow that Mexico would pay for the wall as a political imperative that he dared not relinquish.
The issue derailed the first attempt by the American and Mexican governments to coordinate a meeting between the two presidents. During a January 2017 visit to Washington by Foreign Minister Luis Videgaray to arrange an announced visit, Mr. Trump took to Twitter to complain that Mexico seemed unwilling to pay for the border wall. Mr. Videgaray suspended all of his meetings and returned home. It was clear to Mexican officials then that there would be no benefit to Mr. Pena Nieto in meeting with Mr. Trump.
Powerful winds and heavy rains delivered flooding and property damage to the central and southern United States this weekend, leading to at least four deaths, officials said.
In separate cases in Kentucky, two men were found dead in cars that appeared to have been swept away from flooded roadways. Also in Kentucky, a woman died after a tornado struck her home. In Arkansas, a man was killed after his trailer home was blown into a pond.
The flooding and tornadoes are loosely related in that the same overall weather pattern led to both, Bill Bunting, the chief of forecast operations for the Storm Prediction Center at the National Weather Service, said in an email on Sunday.
The tornadoes were caused by a storm system that showered eastern Oklahoma to the Ohio Valley with heavy rainfall. It has also been a rainy month for Pittsburgh, where the Ohio River begins. That contributed to the overflows that flooded properties and closed roads in the river basin downstream.
SYDNEY, Australia Barnaby Joyce officially resigned Monday as Australias deputy prime minister, clearing the way for a replacement Michael McCormack, the veterans affairs minister who was named to the post in an awkward news conference that included Mr. Joyce sulking in the back of a National Party gathering he had grown used to leading.
It was an embarrassing public comedown for Mr. Joyce, a brash conservative closely identified with the countrys rural voters. He has been battling scandals that started earlier this month with his admission of an affair with a former staff member, who is pregnant with his child.
His trouble continued with accusations of misspending of public funds, in part to abet that relationship, along with at least two separate accusations of sexual harassment that have stirred up demands for a #MeToo reckoning across Australian politics.
Mr. Joyce has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing. He has said he plans to stay in Parliament. But questions about his behavior continue to swirl.
ROME Movie buffs will remember the Great Hall of the Palazzo Colonna from the final scene of Roman Holiday, when Audrey Hepburn chose royal duty over love, leaving Gregory Peck brokenhearted.
On Monday, the painting-lined gallery hosted royalty of a different sort, when some of fashions biggest names met with Vatican luminaries to preview the exhibit Heavenly Bodies: Fashion and the Catholic Imagination, which will open at the Costume Institute of the Metropolitan Museum of Art on May 10.
LONDON United Parcel Service has sued European antitrust regulators for a decision they made five years ago that blocked its takeover of the Dutch delivery company TNT Express, according to a record of court proceedings published on Monday.
U.P.S. had pursued the TNT merger in the hope of gaining a larger presence in Europe and in emerging markets, but European officials rejected it because of concerns that the transaction would decrease competition and increase prices.
The General Court of the European Union annulled the decision by European Commission regulators last year, in part because the commission had used different economic models at different times to evaluate the deal. The commission, the executive arm of the European Union, has appealed that ruling to Europes highest court.
Facing a deadline to seek damages, U.P.S. filed a claim in December seeking 1.74 billion euros, or about $2.14 billion, plus interest, according to a notice published on Monday. U.P.S. is also seeking court costs and compensation for any taxes it may have to pay on the damage amount.
Could investors become more bullish? Its hard to know exactly why investors become willing to pay a lot more for certain companies. Amazons share price is up over 160 percent over the past two years, a period when business was strong, but not markedly stronger than investors expected. Sometimes the herd just changes its mind. And there are plenty of ways in which Apple excels. Speaking to CNBC on Monday, Mr. Buffett enthused about one. Once consumers own, say, an iPhone, they have a tendency to stay loyal to Apple products. You are very, very, very locked in, at least psychologically and mentally, to the product you are using, he said.
Peter Eavis
Stock investors beware: Inflation could soon jump.
With the stock market regaining much of the ground it lost after its steep sell-off earlier this month, it might seem like investors are done worrying about higher inflation.
They may want to keep fretting, though.
James W. Paulsen, a stock market strategist at the Leuthold Group, put out some new research on Monday that suggests that the inflation rate, 2.1 percent in January, could move a lot higher in coming months. Economists at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York calculate a metric that draws on both economic and financial data to try and assess the amount of inflation that is brewing in the economy. One version of the New York Feds underlying inflation gauge rose by 3 percent in January. Mr. Paulsen took historical data for this yardstick and found that, in the past, it was quite a good predictor of actual inflation. Although not perfect and while the lead/lag relationship varies over time, the underlying inflation gauge has done a good job of forecasting future movements in the core inflation rate during the next 18 months, he wrote. If this relationship holds up, inflation could be 2.6 percent by the end of this year, and 3 percent by the middle of 2019, Mr. Paulsen wrote. Of course, the relationship might break down in the near future.
Higher inflation would lead to higher bond yields (bond investors require a larger payout to protect themselves against inflation.) In turn, the higher bond yields would make stocks look more expensive (why pay up for stocks when bond payments are increasing in value?) As a result, stocks could sell off, if the yields on bellwether bonds like the 10-year Treasury note keeps spiking.
On Monday, the 10-year Treasury yield dipped to 2.86 percent, from 2.87 percent on Friday. Stocks moved higher. The Standard & Poors 500 index closed up 1.2 percent and is now just 3.2 percent off the high it reached just before its plunge at the start of this month.
Peter Eavis
If headlines about an Instant Pot recall or an Instant Pot meltdown have been making you anxious, theres reason for relief. Your beloved pressure cooker is probably fine.
Instant Pot, the Canadian company whose electric multifunction pressure cookers became a must-have gift for many over the holiday season, said last week that it had received a small number of reports about overheating in the Gem 65 8-in-1 Multicooker. The company said it would replace the affected models of the device, which is not a pressure cooker.
Instant Pot said that the only models of the Gem affected were those from five batches, marked with the batchcodes 1728, 1730, 1731, 1734 and 1746. Customers can check to see whether their Gems were included in those batches by finding a silver label on the bottom of the cooker. The batchcode is on the bottom right of the label.
That said, if you do have a Gem in one of those batches, you should stop using it. Instant Pot has assured affected customers that they will be sent instructions on how to receive a free replacement.
The Weinstein Companys announcement on Sunday came two weeks after Eric T. Schneiderman, New Yorks attorney general, filed a lawsuit against the studio and its fraternal founders alleging that they repeatedly violated state and city laws barring gender discrimination, sexual harassment, sexual abuse and coercion.
Image Maria Contreras-Sweet led an investor group negotiating to buy the Weinstein Company. Credit... Earl Wilson/The New York Times
The lawsuit, based on a continuing investigation into the Weinstein Companys internal dealings, was accompanied by a public call from Mr. Schneiderman for assurance that a sale to Ms. Contreras-Sweets group had three components: adequate compensation for victims, protections for the studios remaining employees and no financial reward for those who enabled or perpetuated Mr. Weinsteins misconduct.
That brought the sale talks to a sudden halt.
In the wake of the lawsuit and Mr. Schneidermans public statements, the Weinstein Company fired its president, David Glasser, for cause. The lawsuit did not name Mr. Glasser, but it referred to him by his title and said that the sale of the company could result in employees reporting to some of the same managers who failed to investigate Mr. Weinsteins conduct or protect female employees from him. In a statement, a lawyer for Mr. Glasser, Eve Wagner, said that Mr. Glasser planned to sue for wrongful termination.
On Wednesday, Ms. Contreras-Sweet and Mr. Burkle met with Mr. Schneiderman in New York and made progress toward persuading him that their purchase would satisfy his three stated priorities, according to two people briefed on the matter who asked for anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly.
In particular, the sale was to include tens of millions of dollars for victims and a mediation process for reaching settlements. The Weinstein brothers, who jointly own about 42 percent of the studio, would have received no cash from the proposed sale, with other equity holders also wiped out.
Eric Soufer, the director of communications for Mr. Schneiderman, said in a statement on Monday that the attorney generals office had productive discussions with both parties during the past two weeks about how to accomplish his priorities.
We are disappointed that despite a clear path forward on those issues including the buyers commitment to dedicate up to $90 million to victim compensation and implement gold-plated H.R. policies the parties were unable to resolve their financial differences, Mr. Soufer said. We will continue to pursue justice for victims in the event of the companys bankruptcy, and our investigation into the pattern of egregious abuse by Harvey Weinstein and his enablers is ongoing.
You probably are a gun owner.
You might not actually possess a gun. But if you have a pension or a 401(k) or an investment in index funds, theres a good chance that, directly or indirectly, you own shares of one or more gun manufacturers.
Like it or not, that means that your financial incentives are at least partly aligned with those of gunmakers. And in general, the more guns they sell, the more money their shareholders in other words, you make.
The school shooting this month that killed 17 people in Parkland, Fla., has intensified scrutiny on the various ways in which financial institutions and other companies prop up the firearms industry, whether through lending money to gun companies or having marketing partnerships with the National Rifle Association.
Many companies have severed their ties to the N.R.A. Blackstone, the private equity giant, recently contacted the hedge funds that it owns, asking about their holdings of gun stocks.
Lush food photography is often enough to sell a cookbook. But it was the scenic majesty of Alaska, as captured by the author and photographer Maya Wilson in The Alaska From Scratch Cookbook, that did it for me. Ms. Wilson, a blogger and chef, explains why shes in Alaska (where its cold and supplies are limited), and not in California, land of tacos and avocados, and how food can provide warmth no matter where. Finding ground moose, reindeer sausage and birch syrup may be a challenge, though she gives substitutes. But her salmon recipes, like one for seared fish on a bed of kale and quinoa, appreciate the local catch, as does a simple and excellent dish of halibut in Thai curry and another for black cod with bok choy. Those recipes, along with one of the best flourless chocolate cakes I have ever made, give this book my smeared-page award: The Alaska From Scratch Cookbook by Maya Wilson (Rodale, $27.99).
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Ksenia Kolesova, a native of Bratsk, in Siberia, thought it was about time New York had a taste of real Russian dumplings. Shes opened a shop in the underground market at Columbus Circle with Raphael Nieto, a graphic designer. Savory little pelmeni showered with herbs like dill come steamed or in chicken broth, to eat in or take out with sour cream or hot sauce. Frozen ones are also available. (In Siberia, housewives would leave bags of homemade pelmeni outside to freeze in winter.) Khinkali, a type of pleated Georgian soup dumpling, is another option, as are sweet dumplings stuffed with cherries or cheese: Pelmeni, 10 for $8.75, 14 for $12.75; khinkali, 3 for $9.75, Daa! Dumplings, Turnstyle Underground Market, 59th Street Columbus Circle subway station, 212-757-6207, daadumplings.com.
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A new Irish whiskey with New York roots is ready for your home bar. Jack McGarry and Sean Muldoon, who founded and run an award-winning Irish pub, the Dead Rabbit Grocery & Grog, worked with the Dublin Liberties Distillery in Ireland to fine-tune a new 88-proof whiskey. The result is a honey-colored blend of single malt and grain whiskies aged for five years, first in Kentucky bourbon casks, then in small new American oak barrels. It delivers plenty of sweet vanilla and tropical fruit aromas along with rich smoothness on the palate: The Dead Rabbit Irish Whiskey, $34.99 for 750 milliliters, warehousewineandspirits.com, deadrabbitirishwhiskey.com.
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Before reading the article:
How much do you know about South Korea and North Korea? Take our quizzes How Much Do You Know About South Korea? and Can You Find North Korea on a Map?
How had the Winter Olympics brought the two nations together? What are indications that this brief era has ended? Do you think there could be long-term improved relations between the North and South because of the Olympics? Why or why not?
Now, read the article, North Korea Is Willing to Talk With U.S., Souths Leader Says, and answer the following questions:
1. Who is Moon Jae-in? What potential diplomatic victory did Mr. Moon achieve on Sunday?
2. Why, according to the article, is it too soon to view this as a major breakthrough?
3. On what issue is the Trump administration increasing pressure on North Korea?
4. What conditions did North Korea attach to a potential meeting with U.S. officials?
After documenting life in impoverished communities in Mexico, the United States, and her home country, Spain, Anna Bosch needed a break from misery.
She found it in Beirut, Lebanon.
That may sound odd, given that the city has been wracked by decades of civil war and conflict with Israel that has claimed thousands of lives and uprooted over a million more. Indeed, in Spain, Ms. Bosch said, If you ask anyone what they know about Lebanon, they will say war, conflict and trouble.
She sought out a less obvious story: How do Beiruts elite live in a country thats constantly on the brink of collapse?
Thomas Curran, a lawyer for Turner, said there was a systemic effort to escape detection by avoiding Turners compliance program.
But industry executives briefed on the investigation, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they dont want to run afoul of the district attorneys office, said the raids are part of a broader investigation into other contractors and potential victims that could involve fraud totaling $100 million.
At least eight people have been fired from the companies involved, the companies said, but it appears that no one has been arrested so far. Investigators are continuing to scour the financial records of various executives and interview subcontractors concerning work for Turner, Bloomberg and others.
Nearly four years ago in a similar case, Bloombergs former general contractor, Structure Tone, pleaded guilty to corruption charges brought by the Manhattan district attorneys office and agreed to forfeit $55 million for defrauding Bloomberg, prominent financial institutions, law firms and ad agencies.
Structure Tone admitted that it had electrical, plumbing, drywall and other contractors falsely inflate their bills, adding millions of dollars to the cost of the work. For Structure Tone, the guilty plea was a reprise of a prior investigation, in 1998, when the company pleaded guilty to felony charges for its role in a $2 billion bid-rigging and bribery scheme.
As a result, Bloomberg replaced Structure Tone with Turner.
But investigations and convictions appear to remain a perennial feature of the industry: In 2015, the Manhattan district attorneys office successfully prosecuted John Cassisi, the former director of global construction for Citibanks Citi Realty Services, for operating a pay-to-play scheme in which he received $500,000 in cash and gifts from contractors seeking work. Four other titans of the interior construction industry Plaza Construction, Tishman Construction, Granite Construction and Hunter Roberts Construction Group paid a combined $92 million in restitution and penalties in recent years for overbilling clients in connection with fraud charges brought by the U.S. Attorneys Office in Brooklyn.
The district attorneys office declined to comment on the Bloomberg-Turner case and people familiar with the investigation were reluctant to discuss it for fear of being drawn into the scandal, or because they have been advised not to discuss it. But a picture of the case emerged through interviews with executives at Turner and Bloomberg, people briefed by the district attorneys office, and lawyers representing people who have been fired.
In a case that could have wide-ranging national significance for gay rights, a federal appeals court in New York ruled on Monday that a landmark civil rights law bars employers from discriminating against their workers based on sexual orientation.
The decision was a setback for the Justice Department, which under President Trump had unexpectedly interceded in a discrimination lawsuit filed by a sky-diving instructor. The department had argued that Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act did not explicitly cover sexual-orientation discrimination in the workplace, a stance that put it at odds with another federal body, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.
In rejecting the Justice Departments argument, the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit became the second appeals court to rule recently that the Civil Rights Act, which outlaws bias in the workplace on the basis of race, color, religion, sex or national origin, should also be extended to include sexual orientation. A third appellate court in Atlanta has ruled differently.
While gay rights groups hailed the decision on Monday, the ruling could create a scenario in which the issue of gay rights at work will be decided by a Supreme Court that already bears Mr. Trumps imprint, with his nomination of Justice Neil M. Gorsuch.
Most obviously, while Mr. Castro will step down as president, he will not retire fully. He will remain head of the Communist Party and the unofficial head of the military, the countrys two most important institutions. When former authoritarian rulers retain control of key parts of the state, they are able to veto any potential democratic openings.
Mr. Castros son and daughter will remain in powerful positions, as well. His son, Alejandro, is influential at the Ministry of the Interior, and his daughter, Mariela, is a member of the National Assembly and the head of Cubas most important gender think tank, Cenesex. Alejandro is known for his love for efficiency, and Mariela for her love for L.G.B.T. causes. But neither is known for a love of liberal politics. The two devote a significant part of their time repressing (in the case of Alejandro) and belittling (in the case of Mariela) dissenters.
Beyond the family itself is the fact that Raul Castros most important policy legacy military control of the economy is hard to dislodge. The Cuban military, through its conglomerate Gaesa, owns the vast majority of firms that operate engaged in trade, from hotels to foreign exchange houses to ports, which gives it control of up to 60 percent of incoming hard currency. Any economic reformer knows that breaking a monopoly is difficult, even more so if the monopolist also holds power over arms and intelligence. Cubas military is committed to not just one-party rule, but also, it seems, to one-firm economics.
And because Cubas economy is so closed, the private sector is small and weak. We know that transitions to democracy require actors with wealth to lobby the state for change and perhaps bankroll the opposition. Under Fidel Castro, Cuba enforced one of the worlds most draconian bans on private property, essentially foreclosing the possibility of this occurring. His brother did expand the number of allowable self-employed activities, but only professions requiring low skills were liberalized; huge restrictions on hiring and financing remain in place, and taxation is onerous. The private sector exists, but it is severely hampered.
Finally, the triad of policies that have kept the regime afloat since the end of the Cold War migration, repression and remittances remain in place. Migration has long operated as a safety valve by moving the most disaffected dissenters off the island, and it has become easier now that the government no longer requires exit visas. Repression continues to be applied to the remaining dissenters with as much force as was the case before President Barack Obama restored diplomatic relations with Cuba.
And remittances, averaging perhaps as much as $3 billion annually, are a vital lifeline for the Cuban economy. One would think that remittances could help democracy in Cuba by financing civil society. But because poverty is rampant and financing scarce, most remittances get used for household consumption or self-employment activities, with very little left over for the sorts of civic groups that are indispensable for democracy to emerge.
After the succession, Cubas regime will remain cornered by the Castro family, the military and by a regulatory system designed to restrict the growth of business and political organizations, minimizing the pressure to democratize.
Our elected officials need to stop trying to pass a large immigration bill that combines protection for Dreamers with other divisive issues, like money for border enforcement and the wall and new rules to limit immigrants ability to sponsor family members. Using the plight of Dreamers to introduce measures that otherwise would not pass on their own merits is especially cruel, as it leaves these young people hostage to the wider debate on our broken immigration system.
Instead we need a clean Dream Act to help these youths now. After all, the reason Congress is even debating immigration at this point stems from the Dreamers own courage in advocating a solution consistent with our best democratic traditions.
If the Dreamers are deported, it will do great harm to this country. According to the Center for Migration Studies of New York, the two million or so young people who could be covered by a Dream Act have integrated successfully into our society. Sixty-five percent work, with over 70,000 self-employed. Eighty-eight percent speak English exclusively, very well or well. Nearly 30 percent have attended college or earned a college degree. They have lived in the United States an average of 14 years and are parents to 392,000 American citizen children. Removing them would hurt our country economically and socially. It is not an option.
The American public already agrees with this. Eight-seven percent support passage of a Dream Act to let young immigrants stay here. The parties in Congress now need to work together to pass a bill consistent with the views of the American people. And the Trump administration must lead and seek consensus in Congress, not try to sabotage proposals to reach a solution. President Trump has articulated his support for a bill of love exactly what we need in this situation not a bill of discord. A just and humane bill would show that Congress can indeed promote the common good and that the legislative process need not be dysfunctional.
At this moment, however, there seems to be no sanity or progress in the pursuit of a solution for the Dreamers. That is why the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops is urging all Catholics and others of good will to phone their senators and House members today and implore them to pass the Dream Act. Catholic teaching calls for all people to make a commitment to uphold the dignity of every person and to work for the common good of our nation. It is both our moral duty and in our nations best interest to guide our lawmakers in this matter.
Francesca is a woman in her late 40s, not a teenybopper with redone boobs. So, do we need to lose Eros if we are to treat women as full persons with equality? Clearly not. The two are reunited in death as both have their ashes thrown off the bridge where their romance begins. The narrative in the movies that Eastwood directs follows men, and, yes, we are talking about straight white men here, as they move from conventional sexism to being shaken by a woman who testifies to that sexism, to having the courage and yes it does take courage to see women as full persons and to treating them with the respect that they deserve.
G.Y.: As you know, feminist theory isnt universally white. I would also imagine that Eros is expressed differently among women of color vis-a-vis white women. I raise this issue as many women of color will not see themselves in The Bridges of Madison County. What are your thoughts on that?
D.C.: Of course, women of color, including the great poet Audre Lorde, are some of the most profound writers on erotic transformation and revolution. Indeed, Lordes work first laid the groundwork for understanding that there is an erotic component in any revolutionary struggle and that to forget that, to turn away from it, will always reinstate a deadly denial of how revolutions, including socialist revolutions, are to free us from the violent and alienated constraints of the imperial and neoliberal capitalist world we live in. She, of course, is one among many. I would certainly add Angela Davis, Gloria Anzaldua, Dorothy Roberts, Patricia Williams, Sylvia Wynter, Jamaica Kincaid, Bell Hooks, Toni Morrison and so many more. (I would turn the reader particularly to Morrisons novel Paradise.) My only point about Eastwood is that he seems in his films to be struggling with what it means to be a good man within the obvious constraints of white, heterosexual masculinity.
G.Y.: It can be argued that #MeToo may fail to speak to women of color who are brutally sexually harassed or raped, leaving their voices unheard, perhaps at times unhearable because of racism.
D.C.: I completely agree that the brutal stories of black women, and I would add here Latinas and Native Americans, often remain unheard. Obviously, black women could not even be raped under conditions of slavery because they were not even considered human beings, and that history is ever-present with us. My former colleague Dorothy Robertss groundbreaking book Killing the Black Body: Race, Reproduction, and the Meaning of Liberty remains one of the most telling testimonies to the way that black womens bodies are used in the medical field for horrific forms of experimentation, who live in conditions of almost unbearable brutality with almost no recourse and whose bravery allows them to survive under unimaginably cruel conditions.
I would also urge people to seek out and read the works of these women especially the numerous texts of Bell Hooks, who has so written eloquently about the brutality and cruelty black women endure and, again, has made central to her work the issue of erotic transformation as crucial to any truly revolutionary change. Also, Patricia Williamss excellent review of the many young writers who have followed in the glorious path laid down by those I have just mentioned, including my former colleague at the Rutgers political science department, Shateema Threadcraft, whose book Intimate Justice: The Black Female Body and the Body Politic is groundbreaking.
G.Y.: Returning to your point above, it would seem that Mans law fails to properly prosecute, but also fails to affirm the brutal gravity of what it means to be a woman who is a victim of rape as a cultural practice, a system of male power. Speak to this. Also, are you suggesting that Womans law would be one in which they take justice into their own hands?
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One after another, companies under pressure from survivors of the Florida mass shooting are ending their relationships with the National Rifle Association. Avis, Hertz, Delta, United, MetLife and others have all done so since last week. But at least one major company has refused so far: FedEx.
FedEx offers N.R.A. members up to a 26 percent discount the sort that the other companies have chosen to end. Wait does @FedEx still support the NRA? David Hogg, a senior at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, the site of the Feb. 14 shooting, tweeted this weekend.
Many students have called for a boycott of companies that support the N.R.A. In the case of FedEx, there are obvious alternatives: U.P.S., DHL and the Postal Service.
Parkland, Fla. As a student at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, its hard for me to believe that the school on TV is mine. No one believes a school shooting will happen to them until they are scrambling to find their friends and family. In the end, 17 families were not able to find their loved ones.
As Albus Dumbledore, the wise headmaster of Harry Potters Hogwarts, said, Happiness can be found in the darkest of times, if one only remembers to turn on the light. My teachers are the light. Through a combination of training and determination, they calmed the fear of some and saved the lives of others. When schools across the country lower their flags and share our darkness, they should also share our light. Maybe heroism cant be taught, but preparedness certainly can be. Every teacher should have training for a school shooting like mine did.
On Wednesday, I took that message to President Trump at his White House listening session with students and parents from Parkland. The next day, he announced his disapproval of my idea that schools should have more active shooter training. If I had known he felt this way, I would have told him my story.
Fifteen minutes before the dismissal bell, the fire alarm rang and my class was evacuated after an administrator came on the intercom and gave the order. By the time the administrator made the announcement to take shelter in classrooms, we were too far away to turn back. So we kept going. The entire time, teachers were calling for their students to stay close as they tried to count them all. The teachers were calm, so the students tried to stay calm too. My teacher for that class, Ms. Hitchcock, told us to keep walking. It was reassuring when she took attendance and the entire class was present. Ms. Hitchcock provided order in a moment of chaos. I knew at least some of my friends were safe.
KRAKOW, Poland Should I still visit Poland?
Ive been asked this question a lot in the last two weeks by people planning trips to Krakow, where Ive lived for 17 years after growing up in New York and then spending seven years in Israel. They are worried about the Holocaust bill recently passed by the Polish government and the war of words that erupted in response on the international diplomatic level, as well as among the Polish public and the global Jewish community.
The concern is genuine, warranted and appreciated. We, the Polish Jewish community, are weathering challenging times. The country we call home can feel a little less welcoming these days. On one hand, young people who only recently discovered their Jewish roots have eagerly joined newly opened Hillel student organizations in Warsaw and Krakow. But they hold in the back of their minds a question of what the future may bring.
Polish Jewish leaders, too, are grappling with an uncertain future as we continue to build Jewish life in an environment that has taken a turn away from democracy toward populism. That shift is never a good sign for Jews or anyone in a free and open society. And now the Holocaust bill, which criminalizes statements that the Polish nation had any responsibility in the Holocaust, may complicate our good relationship with our non-Jewish neighbors.
What we have managed to rebuild over the last 30 years with the help of those neighbors is real. It is strong and it has emerged not only from government policy, but also from grass-roots efforts. Weve built Jewish schools, synagogues, community centers and museums by working hand in hand with non-Jewish high school students, senior citizens and many others. Not only have they allowed these institutions to be born and flourish, but many have stood up and taken an active part in Jewish rebirth.
There is no escaping it: The rich are getting richer and the poor are getting poorer. One-quarter of American workers make less than $10 per hour, a wage well below the current poverty level. The top 1 percent have an average net worth of $26.4 million, and on top of that, they take home $1.5 million annually. The wealthiest 1 percent own 40 percent of the income of our entire country, and that number is growing. Most low-wage workers do not receive any benefits from their employers no health insurance, no retirement plans, no guaranteed sick days, nothing to protect them from the unforeseen forces of fate, whether it be a bad fall or an unexpected death or illness in the family. Ignoring these facts, the Trump administrations major legislative accomplishment has been a huge tax cut for the wealthy, widening the wage gap even further.
Now comes a court case that could increase our nations income inequality even more. On Monday the Supreme Court heard Janus vs. Afscme, a historic case that challenges a four-decade-old precedent that stipulates union members must pay the union in exchange for the union fulfilling its legal responsibility to represent every member, negotiate a contract and fight for pay increases for everyone. The potential consequences of the courts decision will be real and immediate. If the court rules against Afscme the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees then union members across the country could receive all the benefits of being in a union without having to pay for it.
This could be perceived as a win for union members, who would reap the assistance of a union without having to pay dues. But the impact of an anti-union decision would be financially disastrous for public-sector employees. It would give people an option that might seem appealing (getting something for nothing) but that would actually ensure that unions do not have the resources they need to negotiate good contracts, fight for higher wages, defend members and protect pensions.
The plaintiff in this case is Mark Janus, a child-support specialist for the state of Illinois. But the real perpetrators of the broader assault on workers are the billionaires and corporations who have spent fortunes over many years to defund unions and consequently make it harder for working people to receive fair wages. The lie at the heart of this effort is the idea of right to work, policies that allow workers to avoid paying fees to unions that bargain for them.
Their little chicks fast for more than a week while they forage for fish and krill in the waters of the Antarctic polar front, an upwelling where cold, deep seas mix with more temperate seas.
And while king penguins, the second largest penguin species, can swim a 400-mile round trip during that time, they are traveling farther and farther from their nests on the islands near Antarctica, endangering their hungry offspring.
As with so many other species, warmer temperatures are threatening this population, and a new study published today in Nature Climate Change warns that 70 percent of the 1.6 million estimated breeding pairs of king penguins could be affected in this century.
They will need to either move somewhere else or they will just disappear, said Emiliano Trucchi, one of the papers senior authors. The largest colonies are on islands that will be too far from the source of food, predicted Dr. Trucchi, an evolutionary biologist at the University of Ferrara in Italy.
When Mart Crowleys The Boys in the Band debuted Off Broadway in April of 1968, The New York Times refused to use the word gay, sodomy was a crime and the Stonewall riots that would ignite the LGBT movement were still a year away. So it can hardly be ignored that the plays 50th-anniversary revival, opening this spring on Broadway, is addressing a radically different culture, one that on the surface, at least seems to have sacrificed this undeniably queen-y play on its march toward equality.
As the actor Zachary Quinto told The New York Timess co-chief theater critic Jesse Green in an interview for his essay, he originally had a dismissive take on The Boys in the Band, having never seen it. But after reading the script and speaking with the producers, he eventually agreed to the part of Harold, the sharp-tongued gay man whose birthday provides the play with its setting. The criticism was that it offered a stereotypical quality to who these characters are, Quinto said. But what gets lost is that characters like these had never been seen on the American stage before.
Image Van Lamsweerde positioning the actors Andrew Rannells (left) and Jim Parsons on the shoot. Credit... Inez and Vinoodh
Ts editor in chief, Hanya Yanagihara, saw an early reading of the play last summer and was struck by how crackling and relevant this 50-year-old play still was: its humor, but also how vividly it telegraphed the characters shame and despair, she says. But what made it poignant was seeing, before me, nine openly gay actors who had made successful careers for themselves as themselves. I knew by the end of the reading that this would be an important cultural moment, and that I wanted the cast for the cover of T.
These days, plant-based beauty products are de rigueur Stateside. But the roots of many natural skin care solutions can be traced to Europe, where alternative medicine practitioners have been bottling botanical tinctures and homeopathic remedies for centuries. Take, for example, Rudolf Steiner the Austrian scientist and philosopher launched his Weleda skin care range in the 1920s using flowers, herbs and other extracts cultivated on biodynamic farms. Or the Vienna-born chemist Rudolf Hauschka, who took inspiration from the rhythms of nature when co-creating his Dr. Hauschka line of essential-oil-spiked elixirs in 1967 long before self-care Sundays were a thing.
Now, a new guard of European scientists and skin experts is combining an old-world respect for nature with the latest advancements in chemistry to perfect the skin. Newly arriving in the U.S. this month: The Cream and The Cream Rich ($265 each) from Augustinus Bader, a German university professor who has spent the last three decades working as a specialist in the field of regenerative medicine. In 2007, Bader developed a breakthrough hydrogel that eliminates the need for skin grafts in some burn patients (just one of the 200-plus patents he holds). Tapping into similar self-healing technology, his creams contain a complex of amino acids, vitamins and compounds that mimic those naturally found in the skin and help minimize everything from fine lines to redness to dark spots. It takes skin care to the next level; its about achieving skin health through physiologic and innate ways, Bader says. The collection is also boosted with evening primrose, avocado and argan oils and it gives back. Part of the proceeds from the range will fund the Augustinus Bader Foundation, which provides free hydrogel treatments to clinics that treat burn victims.
German orthopedic surgeon Barbara Sturm, M.D., meanwhile, spent the early years of her medical training on the slopes, analyzing how professional skiers recover from injury and trauma. She discovered that quelling inflammation is the key to physical longevity, a theory that applies to the entire body especially the skin. Inspired by this finding, she opened her first aesthetic clinic in Dusseldorf in 2004. Among her more experimental offerings is MC1, a bespoke anti-aging cream infused with patients own plasma (and for this, there is a lengthy waitlist). Next came a ready-made range of cleansers, creams and masks that aim to enhance youthfulness via fresh doses of purslane. The plant, says Dr. Sturm, has potent anti-inflammatory, wound-healing and nutritive properties, and also extends cell life. Its pumped into all of her products, along with lab-derived actives like the hydrating long- and short-chain hyaluronic acids in her popular plumping serum Ampoules ($215), and the nontoxic UV filters in her Sun Drops ($145, currently sold out until spring). Her newest innovation: Anti-Pollution Drops, made with an interesting new compound produced by marine microbes, Dr. Sturm says. Its able to directly combat the effects of environmental pollution on the skin surface.
Other complexion concerns from stubborn acne to dullness require looking beneath the surface, says Nigma Talib, a London-based naturopathic doctor. After suffering from eczema and digestive issues as a child, Dr. Talib eventually tried botanical supplements to balance her system rather than steroid creams and antacids. In three to six months, I was 100 percent better, she says. I decided this was the type of doctor I wanted to be one that looks at the root cause of illness. Now, shes leveraging her 18 years of experience to create holistic products that improve skin from the inside out: her Healthy Flora ($65) supplement contains probiotics and grapeseed oil to fight oxidative damage while her Hydrating and Plumping Serum No. 1 ($205) uses plant stem cells and light-water technology. Most creams and serums are mainly made up of water, Dr. Talib explains. But we remove the heavy isotopes from the water molecule. Its a process that allows the ingredients to deeply penetrate the skin for more effective results, she says.
The return of Mart Crowleys The Boys in the Band after half a century has had me thinking about the very 20th-century dream of gay liberation, born around the time of that first production in 1968. The idea was that when we were done, we could simply disappear into the larger public. We would become ordinary queer people and we would feel unbothered by this apparent contradiction in terms.
We even imagined that one day, perhaps, there might be no need for a word for us. Today, of course, there are many words, a whole forest of words, and descriptors of sexual identity are increasingly paired with those for gender identity gender being among the first ways you relate to yourself. I didnt have a word for it, James Baldwin said of his sexuality as a young boy growing up in Harlem in the 1930s, but now he just might he might even have four or five.
Danez Smith, 28, who curated the below selection of poems read by the cast and director of The Boys in the Band in this video series, and who goes by the pronoun they, is a good example of how we talk about ourselves now: They are black, queer, poz, a poet, a performer. When I was figuring myself out, both as a writer and a queer person, I had examples of how to do it boldly and bravely Assotto Saint, Essex Hemphill, Carl Phillips, Mark Doty, Jericho Brown and there was never a push toward ambiguity, Smith says. Instead, it was a push toward a queer poetics, and a queer poetics of color.
Smith, whose 2017 collection, Dont Call Us Dead, was a National Book Award finalist, is a risen star in a fast-expanding galaxy of talented queer poets: Saeed Jones, Ocean Vuong, Alex Dimitrov, Hieu Minh Nguyen, Marcelo Hernandez Castillo, Max McDonough, Richie Hofmann, Julian Randall, Keenan Teddy Smith, Jameson Fitzpatrick. This band, boys or not, is making the most of our expanded vocabulary, playing with language to make work that speaks profoundly and unapologetically to who they are, where they come from and where they are going. As Danez Smith says of the iconic 1987 ACT UP slogan, Silence=Death showed us that our freedom was in our visibility.
American life will be under the microscope at Rattlestick Playwrights Theater during its 2018-19 season.
In the fall, two plays by Samuel D. Hunter about the struggling descendants of the explorers Meriwether Lewis and William Clark, Lewiston and Clarkston, will be performed together for the first time. Set at a fireworks factory in Idaho and a big-box store in Washington, the plays examine life in a country whose frontier has been completely settled. Davis McCallum, a longtime collaborator with Mr. Hunter, will direct.
The following spring, Lockdown by Cori Thomas will receive its world premiere in a production directed by Kent Gash. Inspired by Ms. Thomass experiences with inmates at San Quentin State Prison in California, the play articulates the effects of long-term incarceration as a grieving writer agrees to draft a statement for an inmates parole hearing.
These plays are wrestling with what it means to be American today, Daniella Topol, Rattlesticks artistic director, said in a statement. In what ways has the American dream left certain individuals behind? How do we overcome our emotional, physical and spiritual isolation? How do we relate to our families and how do we make our own communities?
LOGAN, W.Va. The devastating explosion in the Upper Big Branch coal mine killed 29 men in 2010 and scarred West Virginia like few events in modern memory. Don Blankenship, the head of the mining company, went to prison over it.
Not many people would call that a springboard for a career in politics.
Yet when Mr. Blankenship emerged last year from his one-year sentence for conspiracy to violate mine safety laws, rather than express remorse or contrition over the tragedy, he announced a run for the United States Senate, in a state where coal has been as much a cultural identity as an economic one.
His return to the public eye has reawakened painful memories in West Virginia, especially for relatives of the disasters victims. You took 29 lives away from families like mine, said Judy Jones Petersen in an interview, as if she were addressing Mr. Blankenship. Her brother, Dean Jones, was killed in the disaster. Shame on you for coming back, she said.
At one of Mr. Blankenships meet-and-greet events with voters, a knot of protesters held signs: You must be joking.
We want change, we want change ... I dont understand why I could still go in a store and buy a weapon of war. Theres no better time than now to talk about gun control. These are calls the American public has heard before. After Orlando Democrats and Republicans we spoke with agree, suspected terrorists, like the Orlando shooter, should not be allowed to purchase firearms. After Sandy Hook 90 percent of Americans support universal background checks. After each mass shooting, theres a surge of public support for stricter gun control. A new poll from Quinnipiac University shows record high support for stricter gun laws. So why hasnt Washington put stricter gun laws on the books? There are several factors, ranging from partisan divides to gun owner activism to the N.R.A.s political clout. No. 1: Theres broad support, but also big divisions on gun control. The most comprehensive data is from 2017, and it shows that 60 percent of Americans say they want stricter gun laws. Support is even higher for things like a 30-day waiting period for gun sales and universal background checks. But dig deeper, and you find the devil is in the details and the divides. Most Democratic voters want stricter gun laws. But less than 1 in 4 Republicans agree. Most Americans who dont own firearms say easy access to legal guns fuels gun violence. Fewer than half of gun owners agree. Non-owners want to ban assault-style weapons, while most gun owners dont. The person is the criminal, not the weapon. Gun owners may be a minority, but theyre a very focused and vocal minority. Only about 3 in 10 Americans own a gun. But to them, gun control is not merely a policy issue its personal. Nearly 40 percent say they always have a loaded firearm at the ready in their home. 74 percent say the right to own a gun is essential to their freedom. Gun owners are much more likely to contact lawmakers about gun policy, compared to non-owners, and far more likely to donate to gun advocacy and policy groups. No. 3: The N.R.A. is a formidable force in politics. Less than 20 percent of gun owners in America say they belong to the N.R.A., but its big enough, and disciplined enough, to turn elections and to end political careers. Part of what makes the N.R.A. so formidable is the money it spends helping friendly politicians and attacking those deemed enemies. Ross voted against your gun rights. The N.R.A.s vast marketing efforts have helped turn gun ownership into a badge of cultural identity. It is not about politics. It is a way of life. I feel like we should be able to express that. And their catchphrases have become ubiquitous. You know, the guns dont kill people, people kill people. No. 4: The N.R.A.s leaders are more hard-line than its members. Polls show that N.R.A. members do support some gun control policies, like outlawing sales to the mentally ill and people on terror watch lists. Most also favor universal background checks. But time and time again, N.R.A. leaders in Washington work to kill these proposals. After Sandy Hook, N.R.A. leaders flipped the script on mass shootings. Instead of combating calls for new gun control, they actually demanded more gun rights. The only thing that stops a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun. And finally, No. 5: Are Americans really clamoring for more gun control? Maybe not. We see spikes and public support for stricter laws in the wake of mass shootings like Columbine, Sandy Hook and Las Vegas. But in a matter of weeks, the bumps fade. In fact, overall Americans have actually grown less supportive of gun control over the past 25 years. The shootings, meanwhile, continue.
Ms. Trumps suggestion that she be spared the question faced pushback online from journalists and others, who noted that she not only led the American delegation for the closing ceremony of the Olympics, but has also positioned herself as a voice for womens issues inside the White House.
Some conservatives, in the meantime, suggested that her dismissal of the question was akin to one offered by Chelsea Clinton during the 2016 presidential campaign, when asked whether her fathers sex scandal had affected her mothers credibility.
In the NBC interview, Ms. Trump also said that she had not yet been interviewed by Robert S. Mueller III, the special counsel investigating Russian interference in the 2016 election, but that she believed Mr. Mueller could be trusted. She also repeated the White Houses denials that her fathers presidential campaign had colluded with Moscow.
Consistently we have said there was no collusion, she said. There was no collusion. And we believe that Mueller will do his work and reach that same conclusion.
Mrs. Trumps remarks were delivered at the White House to about two dozen spouses of governors visiting Washington to meet with President Trump. At just over three minutes, the remarks amounted to a lengthy speech for a first lady who has not offered more than a few public words in months, and spent much of the winter shielding herself and her 11-year-old son, Barron, from view.
Mrs. Trump, who recently traveled with her husband to Florida to meet with two victims of the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, was light on details but voiced a willingness to address school safety and the opioid epidemic.
As a parent, I cannot imagine the kind of grief and tragedy like that brings, Mrs. Trump told the governors spouses, who had gathered in the Blue Room for lunch on Monday.
Many of the students have called for more restrictive gun control measures than Mr. Trump and most congressional Republicans have been willing to endorse. Their push has resulted in tense moments with lawmakers, as when students heatedly questioned Senator Marco Rubio of Florida last week at a forum and one survivor tearfully pleaded with Mr. Trump at the White House last week to ban weapons like the one used in the Parkland shooting.
The East Wing has not unveiled a significant policy initiative, but Mrs. Trump recently hired a policy director who could push any nascent plans forward. In the past, Mrs. Trump has given few clues as to where she may focus her efforts, but she has also publicly expressed interest in helping children affected by the opioid crisis, advocating anti-bullying measures and aiding disaster relief efforts.
The politicians are using us like a sport, you know, theyre using us like punching bags. Democrats and Republicans alike have to stand up for us because there are DACA beneficiaries in every state. I was brought when I was 11 ... when I was 7, from Brazil. I was about 10. I was 12 years old. I was 7 years old. ... about 8 years old. We crossed the border, but we were little. So Ive been here 18 years. Im 29 years old. I am 20. I am 19 years old. Ive been here for 21 years. I am 27 years old now. I am 23 years old and I am originally from Mexico. When DACA was announced, I remember exactly where I was in 2012. I was at the Museum of American History. Before DACA I always felt like I was in between two worlds. I was born in Honduras. But if I were to go back to Honduras, its like Im foreign to them. Its a tug of war. When youre undocumented, youre always just aware of the situations, of the locations, who you were talking to, how you are interacting with folks, ensuring that you dont do anything that will bring attention to you because you live a life of shadows. You know, I have been able to accomplish a lot more than when I was undocumented. To get a social security number, loans from the bank, a better job. Every time my parents call me after 11 p.m., its like my heart is racing. When you are an immigrant in this country, you wake up every day with the fear that you could be taken away, right, that your family could be broken up. I have been preparing my kids of, for, you know, These are the risk[s]. This could happen to your dad and to me. I just cant imagine, you know, my nieces and nephews being separated from their parents or them going back to a country that they dont know because this is their home. They shouldnt live with that fear that I had to grow up with. Thats not a normal life. Thats not normal. And I know that like my friends that are U.S. citizens dont go through that. And nobody should go through that. Im not leaving my home, and I think if Trump ever wanted to talk to us, if he wanted to talk to these Dreamers he would realize that we love this country. We want to stay here, and ... ... if its taken away, Im losing my job, Im losing the opportunity to work and school. People dont understand but its a big thing, its a huge thing, its privileges that some people here take for granted. Taking DACA away is like taking a family member away from me. That wall that Donald Trump wants to build, you know, its putting a wall in front of me where I wont be able to move forward. You are not just taking something away from us, but youre taking something away from this country. This land is not a white America. Its not. This is a land of immigrants. I mean, I was already a person before DACA. A lot of people say, Oh, you know, whats going to happen after DACA? Im not going down without a fight. You know, whatever happens next, I love this country and I belong here. Im fighting for my family, Im fighting for the friends of mine that cant even stand up because theyre scared. We just want to stay here and contribute to this country, to the economy ... We are good people. Were not criminals.
The instructions, which were shown to The New York Times, stipulate that the Europeans agree to three key fixes: a commitment to renegotiate limits on missile testing by Iran; an assurance that inspectors have unfettered access to Iranian military bases; and an extension of the deals expiration dates to prevent Iran from resuming the production of nuclear fuel long after the current restrictions expire in 2030.
European diplomats said there was scope for an agreement on missiles and inspections, but not yet on the length of the deal. They argue that rewriting those terms would break the bargain they struck, not only with Iran but also with Russia and China, two other signatories. And breaching the deal, they say, would free Iran to pursue nuclear weapons again.
The upcoming talks are being led by Brian H. Hook, a low-key Republican lawyer who is the State Departments director of policy planning, who has said he would bring the European request for a guarantee back to Washington. European diplomats said they worry that Mr. Trumps scorn for the deal runs so deep that he would find other reasons to pull out. Last month, he warned that the accord is under continuous review, and our participation can be canceled by me as president at any time.
Even if Mr. Trump did pledge to abide by the deal, it is far from clear that a successor deal would be endorsed by Russia or China, let alone the Iranians, who signaled in recent weeks that they are planning a new project a fleet of nuclear-powered ships, fueled by Iranian-made reactors that they say would justify resuming the production of nuclear fuel as the limits imposed by the deal expire over the next dozen years.
Still, the mere fact that the United States and Europe are trying to work out a compromise attests to the desire, on both sides, to find a solution that would satisfy Mr. Trump while not unraveling the deal.
WASHINGTON President Trump asserted Monday that he would have rushed in to save the students and teachers of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School from a gunman with an assault weapon, even if he was unarmed at the time of the massacre.
Speaking to a meeting of the countrys governors at the White House, Mr. Trump conceded that you dont know until you test it. But he said he believed he would have exhibited bravery even if I didnt have a weapon, and I think most of the people in this room would have done that, too.
The presidents remarks came during an hourlong televised conversation with the governors in the State Dining Room, during which Mr. Trump continued to grapple publicly with how best to respond to the mass shooting in Parkland, Fla., discussing such things as arming teachers and reopening mental institutions.
As Mr. Trump skipped from one possible solution to another, he mused about the old days, when potential criminals could be locked in mental hospitals, and he vowed to ban bump stocks, an accessory that can make a semiautomatic weapon fire rapidly, more like an automatic rifle. But he dropped any mention of raising the age required to purchase a rifle to 21 from 18, something he said last week he supported, despite opposition from the National Rifle Association.
This is the idea that took over the world. First there was one democracy then 10, then 20. There were some setbacks, but people really seemed to want democracy. And eventually, most of them got one. But 15 years ago, democracy stopped spreading, and it might not pick back up again. Even some places that seemed safely democratic turned out not to be. And people are even getting worried about established democracies like the U.S. So is there something wrong with democracy? Im Max Fisher. Im Amanda Taub. Were journalists at The New York Times. And this is the Interpreter. We can measure democracy kind of like a health score. Over here, there are full democracies like the United States. And over there are dictatorships like North Korea. So the further left a country is, the less democratic it is and the further right a country, the more democratic it is. Now lets see what happens when we add how rich the countries are. The higher on the graph, the richer the country and the lower on the graph, the poorer the country. Generally, countries have moved up and right. As they got richer, they became more democratic. Youve got your Englands, your Latvias, your Indonesias. You see a pattern? Countries getting richer. Countries getting more democratic. But look at countries like China and Saudi Arabia. They got richer, but never got more democratic. Look at Russia and Venezuela. They got democratic, but then backslid, which wasnt supposed to happen. So whats going on? China looked exactly like places we thought would become democracies next. They built up the rule of law, civil society and some institutions. Normally, those are the building blocks that eventually add up to democracy. But they were really designed to make citizens just happy enough to protect the authoritarian system from the will of the people. And whenever the government feels like it could lose control, it uses the other side of its strategy: violent oppression and coercion. Were seeing this in more places where dictators are learning how to stop democracy from forming. And at the same time, some elected leaders are developing their own playbook for pulling democratic systems down from within. A handful of seemingly established democracies are sliding back towards dictatorship. These countries didnt have coups or invasions. In each case, voters elected strongman leaders who dismantled their democracies from within. Venezuela had been democratic for 40 years, then Hugo Chavez rose on a message that only he spoke for the people. People cheered as he accrued power for himself, jailed his opponents and tore down the democratic institutions that constrained him. And when the dust settled, Chavez was unchecked. Society descended into chaos that is getting worse every day. Other elected leaders are using similar tactics, but always bit by bit in ways that arent obvious and might even be popular at the time. One of the most powerful forces that can turn people against democracy is polarization. When people feel scared enough of their political opponents, it feels more important to protect their side than it does to protect democracy. Leaders can exploit that fear. So if youre Russian and you support Putin, you might blame societys problems on gay people or nefarious Western plots. If youre Turkish and support Erdogan, you fear the secular elites will impose military rule. And were seeing that kind of polarization and fear start to take hold in established democracies. You are a racist, no good American. I was just called a racist. Could it happen in the United States? It still feels impossible. And it might be. So far, the system is resilient. But the warning signs are here. Polarization. Populism. Distrust of institutions. A desire for strongman leaders to smash the system. These things dont necessarily mean that democracy is doomed. But they show that in times of social stress, even a free people can dismantle their own democracy without realizing theyre doing it. Democracy is still a pretty new system of government. That century-long trend might not have been a trend at all. Just a few one-time moments that we mistook for inevitability. We want to believe it will last forever, but we cant be sure.
WELLINGTON, New Zealand An Australian television interviewer was broadly bashed on Monday as creepy and sexist after asking New Zealands leader, Jacinda Ardern, about her childs conception and calling her the most attractive prime minister he had met.
The report by the veteran journalist Charles Wooley on Ms. Ardern who took office in October and announced her pregnancy in January was shown Sunday on 60 Minutes in Australia.
My crew and I were completely smitten, I must say. I cant say its an unbiased report, Mr. Wooley said in television previews ahead of the interviews airing.
SEOUL, South Korea South Koreas president, Moon Jae-in, urged the United States and North Korea on Monday to soften their uncompromising stances so that talks could start on defusing the crisis prompted by the Norths nuclear program and Washingtons threats to stop it with military force.
During a meeting with Chinas vice premier, Liu Yandong, Mr. Moon said both North Korea and the United States had begun showing a willingness for talks. But Mr. Moon said both sides still needed to step back from their uncompromising stances to make talks possible, according to a statement from his office.
The United States needs to lower the threshold for dialogue, and North Korea should express a willingness to denuclearize, Mr. Moon was quoted as saying, summarizing the obstacles he faced in trying to get the two countries to sit down for talks.
Mr. Moons remarks came a day after he met Kim Yong-chol, a senior North Korean official who attended the closing ceremony of the Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea, on Sunday. During the meeting, Mr. Kim expressed the Norths willingness to talk to American officials, according to Mr. Moons office. Given the deep mistrust between both sides, though, that is far from an assurance that negotiations will occur.
HONG KONG The announcement that the Chinese Communist Party intends to drop a two-term limit on the presidency is the latest sign that Xi Jinping is moving to strengthen the authority of the government and his position atop it.
By upending a model of collective leadership that was put in place after the excesses of one-man rule and the power struggles that followed the deaths of Mao Zedong and Deng Xiaoping, President Xi has shown a determination to rewrite the rule book but also to reimpose older norms of a strong single leader ruling China. The prospect that he will rule for years to come has raised concerns about oppression at home and potential truculence abroad.
Mr. Xi, the son of Communist Party elite, came to power with a long history of working his way up the ranks of officialdom, deftly sidelining rivals and rolling over dissent as he cultivated alliances and strengthened his control over the government, the economy and the military.
Here is a guide to The New York Timess coverage of the key moments of his life and political career.
China has a new official political doctrine.
Its called Xi Jinping Thought, and it is everywhere. Schools, newspapers, television, the internet, billboards and banners all trumpet the ideas of Mr. Xi, the countrys president and Communist Party leader.
Officially known as Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, the ideology will soon be given an even more prominent platform: the preamble of Chinas Constitution.
Boiled down, the doctrine is a blueprint for consolidating and strengthening power at three levels: the nation, the party and Mr. Xi himself.
The doctine, like Mr. Xi, is not going anywhere soon. The Party on Sunday abolished the presidential term limit, meaning Mr. Xi could remain in power indefinitely. Heres your guide to understanding the ideas likely to guide China through the next decade, or possibly longer.
BERLIN She stood before an adoring throng on Monday, cheers rising to the roof, having won nearly 99 percent of the vote for a top post in Germanys most powerful political party. She smiled, waved and beckoned the rank and file to help her guide the party and the country.
It was familiar stagecraft, except for one thing: The woman basking in praise from the Christian Democratic Union was not Angela Merkel but the politician seen as her chosen heir apparent, Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer. Dubbed mini-Merkel by the German news media, Ms. Kramp-Karrenbauer was elected general secretary of the governing party, a post once occupied by the chancellor herself, and one considered a potential steppingstone to becoming chancellor.
Long criticized for not grooming successors during 12 years in power, Ms. Merkel seems to have embraced the task after an election in which her party bled voters to both the liberal Free Democrats and the far-right Alternative for Germany. In tapping Ms. Kramp-Karrenbauer, she found a candidate widely seen as having the mix of liberalism and conservatism to unite a restive party base.
Even as the chancellor works to patch together another governing coalition, which party delegates approved on Monday, the ascension of possible successors offers the latest sign that the Merkel era is approaching its end. The succession will determine the direction of the party and possibly the nation, both deeply divided over the chancellors 2015 decision to open Germanys borders to hundreds of thousands of people fleeing war and mayhem in the Middle East and Africa.
Balint Ablonczy, who followed the election for the magazine, said that the opposition had grown used to a long string of Fidesz victories in the past decade, and that this victory was a cause for optimism for it.
Hodmezovasarhely in many ways stands for both the successes and failures of nearly eight years of governments led by Mr. Orban. The city, widely seen as loyal to prime minister, has benefited under the tutelage of Mr. Lazar, the chief of staff and a former mayor, who continued to sit in on town hall meetings. Its infrastructure was improved and planning started on a light-rail line to connect Hodmezovasarhely to the nearby city of Szeged, where many residents commute to work.
But the local Fidesz leadership faced accusations of cronyism, often in the distribution of European Union funding, that, as in the rest of the country, have grown louder.
Earlier this year the European Anti-Fraud Office announced that it was investigating almost three dozen public lighting projects in Hungary run by a company once controlled by Mr. Orbans son-in-law. The first such project was completed in Hodmezovasarhely, and news reports, which have suggested that the project was a pilot for later ones, described some of the practices involved as comparable to those used by organized crime.
Such accusations, which the leadership denied, appeared to have helped the winning candidate, who mobilized new voters to go to the ballots.
Corruption is like slow poison, said Robert Laszlo, a researcher who specializes in elections at Political Capital, an independent think tank in Budapest, the capital. People go along with it for a while, but there is a level beyond which people have had enough, when its really obvious.
Winning in a place like Hodmezovasarhely could be a catalyst for the opposition. Although the restructuring of Hungarys election system has helped Mr. Orban remain in power, Mr. Laszlo pointed out that Fidesz and the Christian Democratic Peoples Party, its coalition partner, received a smaller share of the vote than the opposition in the last general election in 2014.
BRATISLAVA, Slovakia A 27-year-old Slovak journalist who had been investigating corruption has been found shot to death at his home along with his fiancee, the authorities said Monday.
The killing which appeared to be the first targeted slaying of a journalist in Slovakias modern history was immediately condemned by officials, who vowed to investigate.
The journalist, Jan Kuciak, and his fiancee, Martina Kusnirova, both 27, appear to have been killed on Thursday in the village of Velka Maca, in western Slovakia, according to the office of the general prosecutor. Their bodies were found on Sunday after Ms. Kusnirovas mother was unable to reach her.
Ms. Kusnirova was shot in the head and Mr. Kuciak in the chest, the authorities said.
If it turned out that the death of the investigative reporter was connected to his work, it would mean an unprecedented attack on the freedom of press and democracy in Slovakia, Prime Minister Robert Fico said in a statement.
LONDON The leader of Britains opposition party, Jeremy Corbyn, tried on Monday to position Labour as the standard-bearer of a soft exit from the European Union, narrowing the maneuvering room for Theresa May, the countrys already weakened prime minister.
In a much-anticipated speech, Mr. Corbyn proposed that Britain remain in a customs union with European Union member states when it leaves the bloc, to soften the economic shock of an abrupt exit.
He made that position conditional on Britain being able to take part with the European Union in negotiating trade deals with other countries, a notion Brussels has so far steadfastly resisted.
Mr. Corbyns shift on the customs union, which eliminates tariffs and reduces other barriers to trade between members, was immediately welcomed by two major British business organizations a significant step, since British industry has traditionally seen the Conservatives as the more business friendly party.
ROME Snow made a rare appearance in Rome on Monday, paralyzing the Italian capital for hours, hobbling the public transport system, and snarling air, road and rail transportation. The army was enlisted to help spread salt and to shovel slush from the citys streets, where dozens of cars had become stranded.
With schools in the city closed for the day, and hundreds of shops shuttered, many Romans took the unexpected blanket of white in cheerful stride, taking to the streets to record the snowfall on social media and to wage boisterous snowball fights, including one in St. Peters Square in the Vatican.
GENEVA As bombs continued to rain down on the Damascus suburb of eastern Ghouta on Monday, the United Nations secretary general, Antonio Guterres, demanded that the Syria cease-fire resolution that the Security Council adopted unanimously over the weekend take effect immediately.
The secretary generals anger was matched by that of his colleague, Zeid Raad al-Hussein, the United Nations top human rights official, who pinned responsibility for the prolonged misery in Syria and other conflict zones on the five permanent members of the Security Council.
Security Council resolutions are only meaningful if they are effective, Mr. Guterres said at the opening of a session of the Human Rights Council in Geneva. Eastern Ghouta cannot wait. Its high time to stop this hell on earth.
The resolution approved on Saturday by the Security Council after days of haggling by permanent members called for a 30-day cease-fire in Syria, but it contained loopholes that allowed intensive bombing and shelling of the beleaguered enclave to continue.
Look, look, look, what is there? Girl, what are you doing there? he called out. She held her salute, but her face began to crumple in anxiety as she was lifted out of the crowd to meet the president. Here are our Maroon Berets. Look, we have our own Maroon Berets, Mr. Erdogan said as she crossed the stage.
Mr. Erdogan kissed her on both cheeks, but by then she was in tears.
But Maroon Berets dont cry, the president said.
Amid the applause, supporters in the audience chanted: Chief, take us to Afrin, news agencies reported. Mr. Erdogan thanked the volunteers but said the Turkish Army had professional soldiers to do the job.
Turkey has a longstanding culture of nationalist militarism, with popular slogans such as Every Turk born a soldier. Since the Afrin operation began last month, the government has mounted a national campaign in support of the war, with billboards and banners praising the armed forces and saluting those fallen in battle, who are accorded the honor of martyrs.
Mr. Erdogan recently made an alliance with the right-wing Nationalist Movement Party to bolster his chances for coming elections and has used the military campaign to improve his stance with nationalists.
He makes public speeches every day and sometimes several times a day, peppering his speeches with nationalist and anti-Western jibes as well as poetry and religious sayings, conjuring glories of Turkish history. He vows to protect Turkeys borders and to fight terrorism, and rallies popular support for the war, listing the number of enemies killed and commending the nations martyrs.
Mr. Erdogans remarks to the girl on Saturday drew criticism from some on social media, who felt that the talk of martyrdom was inappropriate for a child so young. Oh my God, I am shocked. Could Erdogan have said the same thing for his grandchild? one user wrote on Twitter.
The mainstream press, which has been increasingly under the thumb of the government, did not focus on the girls tears. Many newspapers showed images of Mr. Erdogan with Amine under his arm. One had the headline, She is ready for anything. Other news agencies reported that Mr. Erdogan had consoled the girl as she cried.
The consular section there, which opened in 2010, is the newest and most secure United States facility in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, according to a State Department official. The official added that there was no change to the mandate of the consulate general, which is housed in a separate, historic building in central Jerusalem and engages in a wide range of political, economic, cultural, and educational contacts in the West Bank and Gaza, as well as in Jerusalem, and also serves American citizens there.
Life in Arnona seemed to be continuing quietly Sunday morning. Across the street from the American consular compound, Naomi Elook, 63, an Israel cosmetician, runs a small beauty salon in the basement of the apartment building where she has lived for 30 years. A young Muslim woman in a flowered head scarf was waiting for a treatment, and Ms. Elook said that 80 percent of her clients were Palestinians from East Jerusalem.
I am happy about the embassy move, she said. It will enrich the neighborhood and bring more security.
The Arnona compound sits between the predominantly Jewish West Jerusalem and East Jerusalem, which Israel captured from Jordan in the 1967 war and then annexed in a move that was never internationally recognized. But the compound has always been in Israels possession and so is not, experts say, considered occupied territory.
There are infinite ways in which the embassy move is horrible, counterproductive, destructive, said Daniel Seidemann, an Israeli attorney who specializes in Jerusalem affairs. But the site is not the problem.
Within the compound sits a decades-old former hotel, aptly named The Diplomat, which the Americans rent out as a facility for elderly Russian-speaking immigrants. Laundry hangs on lines outside some of the windows. One resident, Charna Kommar, 80, who arrived from Moscow in 2004, seemed pleased with the prospect of her new neighbor, saying it was very important to have the embassy in Jerusalem.
Another small stone building in the compound houses the head office of Burgers Bar, a popular Israeli food chain.
Following advice from the National Directorate for Fire and Emergency Management (NDFEM) in the Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government, which is the Lead Government Department for the response to severe weather, Minister Eoghan Murphy will convene the National Emergency Co-ordination Group for Severe Weather at 10.30am on Monday, February 26, in advance of the anticipated severe cold weather this week.
SEE ALSO: Tips and advice for people as the 'Beast from the East' bears down on Ireland
Met Eireann is forecasting a severe spell of cold weather this week and has advised that exceptionally cold weather will occur this week.
Air and ground temperatures will be 5 to 10 degrees below normal, with significant wind chill and penetrating severe frosts. Snow showers, mainly affecting eastern areas on Tuesday, will progressively become more widespread and heavier through midweek, with significant and disruptive accumulations.
Met Eireann will be issuing snow/ice warnings during the week using its colour coded system of Yellow, Orange and Red, the public are encouraged to monitor these and take appropriate action.
SEE ALSO: 40cm of snow and -10 degrees predicted for Offaly
This weather event is likely to have a significant and disruptive impact. People are advised to consult https://www.winterready.ie for advice on preparing for and dealing with extremely cold conditions and snow.
In relation to our most vulnerable and in order to ensure that arrangements are in place across the country, so that all homeless individuals and rough sleepers have shelter and accommodation during the forthcoming cold spell, Minister Murphy has requested his Department to make contact with local authorities and a range of homeless agencies, in relation to arrangements for rough sleepers.
Local authorities have now confirmed that they will keep all cold weather initiatives for rough sleepers in place and additional capacity has been put in place to ensure that there are additional bed spaces available for rough sleepers that would not normally avail of homeless services in the main urban areas of Dublin, Cork, Galway, Limerick and Waterford.
In Dublin, the Dublin Region Homeless Executive has secured an additional 84 beds and one night only beds will remain open on a 24 hour basis.
Two outreach teams will be working on the streets to encourage rough sleepers to come into shelter. Members of the public are also being asked to contact their local authority to report any rough sleepers that they have concerns about and any such cases will be followed up. In the Dublin region, members of the public can report cases of concern through this weblink.
Minister Murphy emphasised Rough sleepers require additional supports and the Government is working hard to implement solutions. Extensive efforts have been made to deliver new accommodation with over 200 new beds provided in the Dublin region towards the end of 2017. The introduction of these additional beds has enabled the State to provide medical supports and the appropriate interventions to individuals, who otherwise would be outside the system and on our streets.
Irish Water has mobilised its Crisis Management arrangements to deal with operational impacts of the expected severe weather nationwide. Severe weather can result in big demand increases due to additional pipe bursts and additional water use.
In particular, Irish Water is advising that the water supply to the Greater Dublin Area is running at full capacity at the moment, with some operational issues impacting production. In order to avoid the need for restrictions, households and businesses are urgently asked to conserve water, refrain from leaving taps running and to report any visible leaks.
Unattended premises should be checked for possible burst pipes caused by freezing temperature.
30 local volunteers are needed in Co. Offaly on Wish Day, which takes place on Friday, March 9, to support Make-A-Wish Irelands flagship fundraising day.
Volunteers are asked to give just a few hours of their time to sell wristbands in their local supermarket or shopping centre in order to raise much-needed funds for the charity. Last year, in Offaly alone, the charity made wishes come true for four local children living with life-threatening illnesses such as cancer, cystic fibrosis and Duchenne muscular dystrophy.
Making wishes come true can have a hugely positive impact on a child and their families, giving strength, hope and joy. Research shows children who have wishes granted are more likely to build the physical and emotional strength they need to fight a serious illness. This improves their quality of life and produces better health outcomes.* Make-A-Wish does not receive any government funding and is solely dependent on the generosity of the general public to continue granting wishes to children with life-threatening illnesses in Ireland.
Alex Coyne (8) from Tullamore is living with a rare disease called Langerhans cell histiocytosis. Last September, Make-A-Wish made Alexs wish to go to Legoland come true, when he and his family flew to the UK for few days of fun, exploring the park and enjoying the rides. Alexs mother Beckie said, We all really enjoyed it, especially Alex. We even shared a plane home with Brian O'Driscoll and Alex got to meet him!
Make-A-Wish Ireland CEO, Susan ODwyer said, Children with life-threatening illnesses need your help today. Your precious gift of time this Wish Day will enable us to make wishes come true for seriously ill children when they most need strength, hope and joy. We have granted over 2,200 wishes for Irish children which would not be possible without the support of the Irish public. A few hours from the people of Offaly on Friday 9th March to help raise valuable funds will make wishes come true for more children in your community.
Wish Day will take place across Ireland on Friday 9th March when Make-A-Wish volunteers will be selling wristbands and transfers, costing 2 each, at locations including Birr and Tullamore. All proceeds collected will support wish granting for children living with life-threatening illnesses.
To sign up to volunteer Click Here or contact Daragh on (01) 2052011 / daragh@makeawish.ie
A blizzard and Status Red weather warning is on the cards, a senior Met Eireann weather forecaster has warned.
Eveyln Cusack gave an update on the impact of the weather that will accompany air coming from Siberia is coming from the North Pole.
Speaking on Morning Ireland on RTE Radio 1 she said the first of the snow is set to fall on Tuesday. By Wednesday morning she said there is going to be a fair amount of snow along eastern coastal counties and pushing west as far as Laois and Offaly.
"The high danger evening countrywide is for Thursday, Thursday evening and Friday as we call what is dynamic snow with a weather system pushing up from the Bay of Biscay. A lot of precipitation is associated with it and as it hits the cold air of Ireland and Britain there is a high risk of some very heavy snow," she said.
She was not in a position to give amounts but expects a blanket of snow. She said the country will experience blizzard-like conditions later in the week.
"Of more significance than actual amounts is that there will be easterly gales. So we are talking about close to if not blizzard conditions. The definition of a blizzard is continuous snow blown by gale force winds." she said.
"The snow would be quite powdery reducing visibility very significantly," she added.
She said the wind chill will make it very cold which led to a warning to farmers about lambs.
As for the status of weather warnings to be issued she said it was likely that a Status Orange warning would be issued for Tuesday night and Wednesday morning.
"Later on in the week it looks as if we will be issuing a (Status) Red (warning) but these will be specific warnings with details," she said.
Status Red or severe weather warnings are rarely issued. If one is issued people in the affected area are advised to take action to protect themselves and/or their properties. Met Eireann says this could be by moving their families out of the danger zone temporarily; by staying indoors; or by other specific actions aimed at mitigating the effects of the weather conditions.
A Status Yellow low temperature warning was in place for last night with temperatures to falling as low as -3C.
Today will be generally dry, but some snow flurries are likely later in eastern coastal counties. It will be very cold and frosty tonight with a few light snow flurries, but many places will be dry.
Lowest temperatures tonight will range from -2 to -5C.
The National Emergency Co-ordination Group meets Monday morning.
When Sridevi made comeback in 2012 and delivered 'stunning' performance in English Vinglish
Feature
oi-Vikas
By Vikas
Sridevi's untimely demise due to a cardiac arrest has left the nation shocked. The diva, who ruled Bollywood in the late 80s and 90s, took a break from films after marrying producer Boney Kapoor in 1996. Sridevi began acting as a child artist in Tamil films at the age of four and became a popular child actor, having been a part of several Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam and Kannada films.
Sridevi took a break from acting to focus on her marriage and bringing up her two daughters - Janhvi and Khushi. It was then thought that Sridevi would never return to movies.
However, surprising to all, Sridevi announced her come back after 15 years in 2011. Sridevi's comeback film- English Vinglish - directed by Gauri Shinde revolved around a middle-class woman. In English Vinglish, Sridevi plays the role of a typical Indian housewife who cannot speak English and is mocked by her husband and daughter for it.
When Shashi, the character Sridevi plays, goes to New York for her niece's wedding, an incident at a cafe leaves Shashi heart-broken and she finally decides to enrol herself in English-speaking tutorial classes.
The film was not only a commercial success but also received well by movie critics. With the worldwide triumph of English Vinglish, Sridevi became the only actress in Bollywood to make a successful return as a leading lady after marriage and long hiatus. It was selected for premieres at various international film festivals, including the 2012 Toronto International Film Festival, where the audience gave the film a 10-minute standing ovation once the screening ended.
"Charisma is something that you have, or have not, and Sridevi's presence is something that arrests your attention immediately when she comes on screen. Carrying the entire movie, it's unbelievable to think that she's pushing 50 already, as her performance here will probably inspire many actresses of today's generation to sit up and take note, to realize that they still have a long way to go to reach a fraction of her level," wrote one of the reviewers of English Vinglish on IMDB.
"She's stellar, in terrific form, immersing herself in this character, playing her age... so much so that after a point you forget you're watching someone who has immortalized so many characters. What you carry home, and in your heart, is Shashi, a woman who is snubbed by her children and husband on various occasions for her lack of English-language skills, but overpowers her apprehensions and insecurities and emerges triumphant eventually," said another review of English Vinglish in HT.
From actor to housewife to mom and to actor again, Sridevi proved to be an idol, a diva forever. Her sudden death has made us lose an iconic figure but her personality will remain engraved in hearts of all.
OneIndia News
'All Hindus should unite,' says Mohan Bhagwat
India
oi-Chennabasaveshwar
By Chennabasaveshwar
On the occasion of 25th Swayamsevak Samagam, called 'Rashtryoday', RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat said all Hindus should unite and works towards development of the country. Bhagwat emphasised that Hindus always celebrated diversity.
Bhagwat told a gathering of RSS workers in Meerut, "Say with pride that you are a Hindu. As Hindus, we have to unite because the responsibility of this country is upon us. From ancient time it is our home. We have nowhere else to go in this world. If anything wrong happens with this country, we will be responsible."
"We have to understand that all Hindus, irrespective of different ways of worship and way of life, are brothers... The entire society has to admire the ideology of the RSS," he said.
The RSS chief added that Hindus must not forget their own strengths. "People recognise the good in you only when you are strong. Even Gods don't honour the weak. Those who recognise their own strengths will not prosper. Lord Hanuman had forgotten his own strength in the Ramayana but had to be reminded of it,"
"The roadblock to being united is that we are fighting on the lines of caste. We have to say that all Hindus are brothers irrespective of their community. Those who believe in Bharat Mata, her culture, and are progeny of India's forefathers are Hindus. There are Hindus is this country who do not know they are Hindus," he said.
OneIndia News
Amarinder Singh's entire family is 'embroiled in scams': SAD
India
oi-Vikas
By Vikas
With a case being booked against Amarinder Singh's son-in-law in connection with an alleged bank loan fraud, the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) on Monday launched a scathing attack on the Punjab Chief Minister. SAD leader and Union Minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal said that Amarinder Singh's "whole family is embroiled in scams".
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) earlier registered a case against top officials of Simbhaoli Sugars Ltd including its Deputy General Manager Gurpal Singh, who is the son-in-law of Amarinder Singh, for alleged bank loan fraud of Rs 97.85 crore and default of Rs 110 crore.
"What do you expect from a Chief Minister who himself is embroiled in having black money abroad? The whole family is embroiled in scams. It isn't surprising. It's old habit of Congress: Harsimrat Kaur Badal told news agency ANI.
Bombay Stock Exchange-listed Simbhaoli Sugars is one of the largest sugar mills in the country. The company's Chief Executive Officer GSC Rao, CFO Sanjay Tapriya, Executive Director Gursimran Kaur Mann and five non-executive directors have also been booked by the agency.
[Punjab CM Amarinder Singh's son-in-law booked in bank fraud case]
The bank had complained to the CBI on November 17, 2017, but the agency registered the case only on February 22 this year. The probe focuses on two loans: Rs 97.85 crore which was declared fraud in 2015 and another corporate loan of Rs 109 crore which was used to repay the previous loan.
The agency also carried out searches at eight premises, including the residences of directors, factory, corporate office and registered office of the company in Delhi, Hapur and Noida on Sunday, said CBI spokesperson Abhishek Dayal.
OneIndia News
Amid Congress criticism, budget session begins in MP assembly
India
pti-PTI
Bhopal, Feb 26: Amid Congress' demand of waiver of farmers' loans, the Madhya Pradesh assembly's budget session began on Monday with Governor Anandiben Patel's address. Patel mentioned in her address that the state government has reduced the value added tax (VAT) on diesel from 27 per cent to 22 per cent and that on petrol from 31 per cent to 28 per cent.
However, the Congress members, including Mukesh Nayak, Sunderlal Tiwari, Dr Govind Singh, Bala Bachchan and Jitu Patwari, protested over it.
"Despite the reduction, the VAT on petrol and diesel is the highest in Madhya Pradesh across the country," said Bachchan, who is the Deputy Leader of Opposition in the state assembly.
The government has also imposed a cess of Re one per litre on petroleum products, he pointed out. He said the Congress wants these products to be brought under the ambit of the Goods and Services Tax (GST).
When Patel highlighted the government's achievements in the agriculture sector, specially getting the 'Krishi Karman Award' for maximum agriculture production in the country, the opposition members raised the farmers' concerns and demanded that their crop loans be waived off. They also displayed a placard in the House demanding loan waiver for farmers.
When the governor said that the government has not opened any new liquor shop in the state, the Congress members again raised their concerns over the issue but their words were inaudible amid the noise.
Earlier, assembly Speaker Dr Sitasharan Sharma mentioned in the House that Governor Patel would only read out some select parts of her speech and not the full text. In her address, Patel highlighted the state government's various welfare schemes, including for crop insurance, the 'Bhavantar' scheme for farmers, encouragement given to cashless transactions in various sectors and the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan.
Leader of Opposition in the assembly, Ajay Singh, alleged that the government's achievements were "a bundle of lies" and criticised the governor's "lacklustre" speech. On the governor not reading out her complete address, Singh said, "It is not a good tradition."
"Even the ruling party members are not happy with it, leave alone the opposition," he claimed. Earlier Singh, state Congress president Arun Yadav and party MLA Jitu Patwari led a cycle march from Peer Gate to Vidhan Sabha in support of various farmers' demands and the government's alleged apathy towards them. Patwari had yesterday launched the cycle march from Indore and arrived in the state capital last evening.
PTI
Dialogue only after public apology from Kejriwal to CS: Delhi Govt Employees
India
oi-Shreya
The Joint Forum of Delhi Government Employees, which includes various employee Associations of the Delhi Government, met on February 26 to discuss the oral communication from AAP Minister Rajendra Pal Gautam to come forward for a dialogue with the Forum.
The Joint Forum of Delhi Govt. Employees stated that the prerequisite to any dialogue with the political executive is a specific written and public apology from Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia regarding the alleged assault on the Chief Secretary Anshu Prakash.
The Joint Forum claimed that instead of apologising and admitting their mistake of assault on the Chief Secretary, the CM and Dy CM are in a state of denial. They said, "This shows that they were a part of the conspiracy and since they are specifically identified in the FIR we appeal to LG and the Commissioner of Police to take action as per law against CM & Dy CM"
The Joint Forum also said that, "Not only has the political executive failed to condemn or regret the above incident, but also more incidents of public representatives misbehaving with and threatening Government servants have taken place in the intervening period, and sadly, an open threat by an Hon'ble MLA was given in the presence of CM and CM has made no statement condemning the same."
In such a situation, communication between the political and permanent executive can only continue through formal written means and no talks are possible, that committee demanded.
The Joint Forum resolved that all Delhi Govt. employees will continue to work through formal written means of communication and continue their protest in the form of 5 minutes silence at 1.30 PM (lunch time) in all Govt. offices till such time a specific written and public apology is tendered by the Chief Minister and Dy. Chief Minister and steps are taken to ensure the personal safety & dignity of officers while they discharge their official duties.
OneIndia News
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Story first published: Monday, February 26, 2018, 15:08 [IST]
Weaponisation of Guardian drones likely to be discussed during Tillerson's visit
India set to get armed drones from US soon
Sea Guardian drones: Why US agreed to sell armed version of these deadly hunter-killers
How Rustom 2 drone will significantly bolster India's intelligence gathering capabilities
India
oi-Vikas
By Vikas
DRDO's Test Flight Of 'Rustom-2' Drone Successful
The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) successfully completed the test flight of its Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) Rustom 2 drone at the Aeronautical Test Range in Chitradurga, Karnataka on Sunday. It is a Medium Altitude Long Endurance (MALE) drone which belongs to a family of UAVs under development, the others being Rustom-1 and Rustom-H.
Rustom UAVs are being developed specifically for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) operations. It can carry a variety of payloads like Medium Range Electro-Optic (MREO), Long Range Electro-Optic (LREO), Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR), Electronic Intelligence (ELINT), Communication Intelligence (COMINT) and Situational Awareness Payloads (SAP)
With the ability to fly up to an altitude of 22,000 feet and capable of remaining airborne for approximately 20 hours, Rustom 2 can transmit vital ISR data to the ground control station in real-time. The high definition images that the Rustom 2 can gather will give armed forces key information about the activities behind the enemy lines. Be it the information on terror training camps close to the border or troop deployments, the data sent by the drone will allow Indian forces to be ready for prompt action. MREO and LREO sensors are placed inside a modular payload under the nose for capturing imagery and video. The images relayed can significantly bolster India's preparedness to handle hostilities from across the border.
Rustom 2 can fly missions on manual as well as autonomous modes. The onboard way-point navigation system allows the drone to conduct missions autonomously. The two NPO Saturn MT turboprop engines are fitted under the wings and produce over 450 kilogram-force thrust each, said an Indian Express report.
Rustom is derived from the NAL's LCRA (Light Canard Research Aircraft) which was developed by a team under the leadership of late Prof Rustom Damania in the 1980s.
[BEL to develop smart UAVs, says BEL Director in an exclusive interview]
There are three variants in the family Rustom UAV drones developed by the DRDO:
Rustom-I: Tactical UAV with an endurance of 12 hours (based on NAL's LCRA which was inspired by Burt Rutan's Long-EZ).
Rustom-H: Larger UAV with a flight endurance of over 24 hours (completely different design from Rustom-1), higher range and service ceiling than Rustom-1.
Rustom-II: An unmanned combat air vehicle based on Rustom-H model. It is often compared with Predator drones by Indian scientists and media.
OneIndia News
Masarat Alam will remain a non-starter in J&K thanks to Centres zero tolerance towards separatism
J&K: Grenade hurled at police station in Tral, Hizbul terrorist killed
India
oi-Vikas
By Vikas
The terrorists on Monday hurled a grenade at a police station in Jammu and Kashmir's Pulwama district, leaving one security personnel injured and a terrorist dead. The injured person has been identified as Constable Mehrajuddin, said reports.
Hizbul Mujahideen terrorist, Mushtaq Ahmad Chopan, was killed in the grenade attack while he was trying to escape. He was trying to escape from the police custody dressed up as a woman. The terrorists hurled the grenade when Chopan was near the main gate of the police station.
"When he was near the main gate, someone from outside lobbed a grenade as a part of the planned conspiracy to divert the attention (of police personnel) so that he could escape conveniently. The grenade exploded inside the police station, near Chopan, resulting in his death," a PTI report quoted police spokesman as saying.
On Sunday evening, one security guard was killed in a terrorist attack in Srinagar's Soura area. The martyred security personnel was identified as Constable Farooq Ahmad.
Six soldiers were martyred in the pre-dawn strike when Jaish-e-Mohammad terrorists stormed the highly fortified 36 Brigade headquarters of Army at Sunjuwan in Jammu on February 10.
On February 22, an army man was injured after terrorists opened fire on a search party in Paribal area of Hajin in Bandipora district of Jammu and Kashmir.
OneIndia News
Karnataka polls: On Yeddyurappa's 75th birthday, PM Modi to address farmer rally
India
oi-Anusha
By Anusha Ravi
As Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) state chief, B S Yeddyurappa turns 75, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit Karnataka for the third time to campaign for the upcoming assembly polls. A farmers' rally in Davangere scheduled on Tuesday is not just symbolic to endorse B S Yeddyurappa as a strong farmer leader but also reiterate his position as the party's Chief Ministerial candidate in Karnataka assembly elections 2018.
With an unwritten "rule of 75" within the party, many questions have been raised over B S Yeddyurappa being picked as BJP's CM candidate for Karnataka. While Yeddyurappa himself, as well as the party's central leadership, have put away the age factor, dissent within the party was never hidden. The conspicuous absence of K S Eshwarappa, the man who overtly rebelled against B S Yeddyurappa with his Sangolli Rayanna brigade (a union of backward class leaders within the BJP), in PM Modi's Mysuru rally has raised many eyebrows.
Modi knows my age, I am the next CM of Karnataka: B S Yeddyurappa
PM Modi's third visit to Karnataka comes at a time when rumbles of growing dissent have returned to haunt the BJP ahead of polls. While Tuesday's rally is the first farmer-specific campaign program organised by the BJP, the focus is likely to be on reiterating B S Yeddyurappa's position as a farmer leader as well as the party's CM candidate despite the age factor.
Chief Minister Siddaramaiah's speeches as well as the budget presented earlier this month, highlighted the Union government's reluctance to waive off farmer loans. The heavily pro-farmer budget presented by Siddaramaiah is likely to make BJP's pitch in the Davangere rally difficult. The rally also comes two days after a video showing a farmer asking uncomfortable questions of BJP National President Amit Shah in Karnataka is doing the rounds.
Tuesday's rally is expected to directly reflect on Yeddyurappa's command as a farmer leader in Karnataka and his position in the party as its CM candidate. Leaders within the BJP hope that frequent visits by the central leadership will keep dissent at bay.
Karnataka Assembly Election dates Date of notification April 17 Last date to file nominations April 24 Last date to withdraw nominations April 27 Date of polling May 12 Date of counting May 15
OneIndia News
Kerala: Islamic preacher held for inciting communal enmity
India
oi-Vicky
By Vicky
An Islamic preacher and the managing director of Peace International, M M Akbar was arrested in Hyderabad. He is wanted in a case registered in Kochi, Kerala for allegedly inciting communal enmity through textbooks at his schools.
He was picked up by the immigration officials at Hyderabad while he was en route to Qatar from Melbourne. He was detained on the basis of a lookout circular issued by the Kerala police.
In October 2016, the Kochi city police had registered a case against Peace International School after it found offensive content in the textbooks meant for Class III students.
It may be recalled that Peace Education foundation has been under the radar of the agencies after several youth from Kerala went missing and allegedly joined the Islamic State in June 2016. One of the persons who went missing was Abdul Rasheed who was a trainer at the school. Rasheed's wives, Aysha and Yasmin also worked at the school. Yasmin had been arrested at Delhi while she was travelling to Kabul to join the ISIS.
Akbar had left India after the police arrested a representative of the publishing house.
OneIndia News
Rahul targets Modi govt over Rafale deal, says 'Parrikar was buying fish when PM changed contract'
India
oi-Madhuri
Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Monday once again slammed the Modi government on Rafale deal. Gandhi had said that former defence minister Manohar Parrikar was unaware of Modi changing the 'Rafale' contract.
''The defence minister was in Goa, in a fish shop buying fish... he didn't even know PM Modi changed the Rafale deal)," ANI quoted Gandhi as saying in Karnataka's Saundatti.
Earlier this month, after Parrikar's successor Nirmala Sitharaman said that details of the Rafale deal couldn't be disclosed, Rahul Gandhi said Modi personally went to Paris to get it signed.
Rahul said he had asked the prime minister and defence minister three questions. "These included the aircraft's cost and handing over the deal to a businessman after snatching it from a public undertaking. However, there was no reply. There can be only one answer and it is that there is something fishy about this," Gandhi said.
"The Defence Minister says that we will not reveal the amount paid for buying Rafael aircraft. What does this mean? This only means there is a scam. Modi ji personally went to Paris, he changed the deal. The whole country knows it," Gandhi had further said.
OneIndia News
Meghalaya, Nagaland to vote tomorrow: Will BJP increase its presence in Northeast?
India
oi-Oneindia
By Oneindia
Shillong/Kohima, Feb 26: All eyes are on Northeast India to see if the 'resurgent' Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) will be able to increase its presence in the region--where Assembly elections got over in Tripura and Assembly polls are scheduled in Meghalaya and Nagaland in a few hours from now. While the Tripura Assembly elections were held on February 18, the Assembly polls in Meghalaya and Nagaland are scheduled on Tuesday (February 27). The elections results of all the three states will be declared on March 3. All the three states have 60-member assemblies.
Currently, the BJP is in power in three states of the Northeast region--Assam, Manipur and Arunachal Pradesh. After winning Assembly elections in Assam (in 2016) and in Manipur (in 2017), a confident BJP is looking to increase its foothold in the rest of the region. The high-voltage campaigning of the saffron party in Tripura, Nagaland and Meghalaya clearly indicates the BJP's increasing popularity in the region--once considered to be the 'fort' of the Congress.
Like Tripura, Meghalaya and Nagaland also saw a "high-octane" poll campaign during which barbs flew thick and fast among parties. As the clock ticked 4 pm on Sunday, campaigning ended in both Meghalaya and Nagaland. While the BJP is looking to expand its spread in the region, the Congress is trying to save its government in Meghalaya, where it has been in power for almost 15 years.
The BJP's resolve could be gauged from the fact that Prime Minister Narendra Modi spearheaded the campaign. Party chief Amit Shah, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh, Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, Information and Broadcasting minister Smriti Irani and a host of other leaders also chipped in.
Union Minister of State for Tourism KJ Alphons, a Christian from Kerala, stayed put in Meghalaya as the BJP in-charge of the state with a predominantly Christian population.
From the Congress, its president Rahul Gandhi campaigned in Meghalaya. Its media chief Randeep Singh Surjewala and MP Shashi Tharoor extended helping hands.
With a total of 25 Lok Sabha seats and 14 Rajya Sabha berths, the eight states of the region are crucial for the BJP to add up to its number in the 2019 General elections. At present, the BJP has eight Lok Sabha members from the region, and the Congress has seven. In the Rajya Sabha, out of total 14 seats, the BJP has one and the Congress nine. The rest are with local parties.
The Congress and the BJP are slugging it out in Meghalaya. The Congress has fielded 59 candidates, while the BJP has put up nominees in 47 constituencies. Though they are fighting separately, in Meghalaya National People's Party (NPP) of Conrad Sangma, son of former Lok Sabha Speaker PA Sangma, is the BJP's partner in the North East Democratic Alliance (NEDA).
In Nagaland, the BJP's hope hinges on its alliance partner Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party (NDPP) of Neiphiu Rio which is contesting 40 seats. The BJP is fighting 20. The Congress, which has given three chief ministers to Nagaland, is contesting only 18 seats, two less than the BJP. Voting will take place for 59 seats each in Meghalaya and Nagaland.
In Meghalaya, the election has been countermanded in Williamnagar in the wake of the killing of Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) candidate Jonathone N Sangma in a blast during campaigning. In Nagaland, NDPP chief Neiphiu Rio has been declared elected unopposed from the Northern Angami-II constituency.
There are 370 candidates in the fray in Meghalaya whose fate would be decided by EVMs on February 27. A total of 18.4 lakh voters are eligible to exercise their franchise at 3,083 polling stations in the state.
Chief Electoral Officer FR Kharkongor said 67 all-women polling stations and 61 model polling stations have been set up for the first time in the state. Thirty-two women are in the fray, the maximum so far in electoral politics in the state, he said. A total of 11,91,513 voters, including 5,89,806 women will exercise their franchise on February 27.
Voting will be held in 2,156 polling stations as 40 polling stations fall under the Northern Angami-II seat, from where Rio has won unopposed. The entire election process in Nagaland started on a difficult note. In view of no-election diktat from the Core Committee of Nagaland Tribal Hohos and Civil Organisations advocating "solution (to the Naga political issue) before the election", political parties initially kept away from the poll.
Though filing of nominations started on January 31, the first batch of 22 contestants filed their nominations only on the penultimate day on February 6. The last day saw a heavy rush of nominees filing papers. After scrutiny and withdrawal, a total of 227 nominees are left in the field.
As both Meghalaya and Nagaland saw its share of poll-related "drama", now voters are all set to choose their own candidates/parties in elections which are highly crucial for both the BJP and the Congress. Currently, the BJP is in power in India's 19 states. The Congress, on the other hand, is now in power in only four states and one union territory. India has 29 states and seven union territories. The election results of all the three northeastern states are likely to change the tally of both the parties.
OneIndia News
Nirav Modi moves to St.Kitts, seeks citizenship: Report
India
oi-Vicky
By Vicky
Has disgraced diamond czar, Nirav Modi moved to St. Kitts? A report claims that Nirav Modi and his family moved to a new hideout at Sylvan St Kitts located in the eastern Caribbean.
Mumbai Mirror while quoting sources said that Modi has also bought a villa at St. Kitts which is helping him acquire citizenship of the island nation. He has been planning this for a while now. In fact, he visited the island nation a week back, the report also stated while quoting sources.
St. Kitts would be an ideal place for him since India does not have an extradition treaty with the country despite it being part of the Commonwealth.
Applicants can get citizenship through an investment programme, according to the website of the St Kitts and Nevis government. Applicants may qualify for citizenship through a contribution to the Sugar Industry Diversification Foundation (SIDF). For a single applicant, a non-refundable contribution of Rs 1.6 crore (USD 250,000) is required.
Applicants may also qualify for citizenship through an investment in a pre-approved real estate project, which may include hotel shares, villas, and condominium units. The minimum real estate investment required by law is Rs 2.6 crore (USD 400,000) for each main applicant.
"Now that his passport has been revoked by the MEA, he will set up another diamond trading unit in either Singapore or Hong Kong," another source said.
"He can do this and continue to evade Indian authorities because neither of these countries will extradite him since he will be an St Kitts citizen soon," the source also added.
OneIndia News
PNB scam: Look out Circulars issued against 10 executives of Nirav Modi firm
India
oi-Vicky Nanjappa
The Central Bureau of Investigation has issued against ten executives working in firms run by Nirav Modi and Mehul Choksi, accused in the PNB scam.
The decision was taken after these persons failed to join the probe. The CBI suspects that they may have fled the country around the same time that Modi and Choksi did.
CBI sources said that either these persons have left the country at around the same time and never returned or they could be in India and be avoiding the probe. The LoCs would restrict their movement largely if they are still in India, the source also said.
Earlier the Enforcement Directorate approached a Mumbai court seeking Letters Rogatory to obtain information about the overseas businesses of Nirav Modi.
"It is an application for issuance of LR under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) for recovery/seizure of proceeds of crime and collection of documents, evidence lying in Hongkong, USA, UK, UAE, South Africa and Singapore which are required in connection with the investigation," the ED said in its plea before the PMLA court.
Letters Rogatory are a request from a court of a sovereign nation to a court of another sovereign nation.
Judge M S Azmi today heard the arguments of special public prosecutor Hiten Venegaonkar.
ED seeks LRs from court to probe Nirav Modi's international businesses, assets
The ED told the court that Nirav Modi established various firms, including Diamond R US, Solar Exports, Stellar Diamond, Firestar Diamond, and became an integrated diamond manufacturer who bought rough diamonds, sold polished ones and other stones and also designed jewellery.
"His business consisted of trading in rough and polished diamonds, private label jewellery manufacturing and sale in the name and style of 'Nirav Modi' and 'Firestars' as well as the production of unlabelled jewellery for third parties", the ED said.
OneIndia News
Rajasthan HC stays Valmiki community case against Salman Khan
India
oi-Chennabasaveshwar
By Chennabasaveshwar
Rajasthan High Court on Monday stayed investigation against Salman Khan for allegedly making derogatory comments about Valmiki community in a reality show last year. Valmiki community had filed a case against Bollywood superstar Salman Khan for the alleged derogatory comments against the community.
The complaint had also named actress Shilpa Shetty, who was a judge of a reality show, Super Dancer 2.
In protest, the Valmiki community had staged a protest against the actors in Uttar Pradesh's Moradabad in December 2017. They had filed a complaint against both the actors for uttering a specific word that has hurt people's sentiments.
During the promotion of his film 'Tiger Zinda Hai', Salman used the word 'bhangi' while referring to his dancing skills. Shilpa too had reportedly used the aforementioned word to describe how she looks at home. The use of the term 'bhangi' in an inappropriate way has apparently irked the Valmiki community that has sought action against the film stars.
OneIndia News
SBI Junior Associates Recruitment 2018: How to download call letter
India
oi-Vicky
By Vicky
The Training Call Letter for the SBI Junior Associates Recruitment 2018 has been released. The same is available on the official website.
SBI will give pre exam training to candidates belonging to SC/ ST/ XS or religious minority community who had filled in the option to avail the training while submitting online application forms.
SBI provides the training to the candidates belonging to above mentioned reserved categories for all the recruitment exams it conducts. Candidates who wish to join the training mention their preference during online registration and the bank conducts the training at selected centres in various cities across the nation.
SBI Junior Associates prelims admit card will be released on 1 March 2018; it is as per the tentative schedule given in official recruitment advertisement. As notified by the Bank, exam will be held in March/ April 2018. For the ease of candidates, SBI will also release an 'acquaint yourself booklet' along with the prelims admit card.
After the examinations SBI will maintain a wait list of up to 50% of vacancies (State-category wise). Candidates will be released from this wait list on quarterly basis against non-joining and resignation out of the current batch only, subject to the candidates securing minimum qualifying marks as may be stipulated by the Bank for selection. This wait list will be valid for a period of one year from the date of declaration of final result. To download the call letter, you would need to use your roll number/registration numbear and date of birth or password. The call letters are available for download on sbi.co.in.
OneIndia News
UP seeks urgent listing of plea in SC against Karnataka HC order quashing notice to Twitter official
'Siddaramaiah govt insensitive towards farmers', says Amit Shah
India
oi-Chennabasaveshwar
By Chennabasaveshwar
BJP National President Amit Shah on Monday alleged that withdrawal of cases against Popular Front of India (PFI) and Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI) members is the result of unidirectional action by Siddaramaiah government. Amit Shah was addressing a press conference in Gulbarga, Karnataka. Shah is on a three-day visit to north Karnataka region, during which he met party workers in Bidar, Kalaburagi and Yadgiri districts.
Shah alleged said Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah's government has failed at every front be it law and order or development. "The insensitive attitude of the Siddaramaiah government towards families of the farmers who committed suicide is deplorable," he said.
Earlier, he offered prayers at Sri Kshethra Malakheda Temple in Kalaburagi.
Shah had on Sunday claimed that the current government is going to sink after the results of the state assembly elections. "In the upcoming elections result, the boat of Chief Minister Siddaramaiah government is going to sink. By 2022, not only poor of Karnataka but every poor of India will have a 'pucca' house. This is a promise by Narendra Modi government," Shah had said while addressing a public gathering.
Shah visited the historic Gurdwara Nanak Jhira Sahib in Bidar and also went to the home of Shivaraj Basalingappa Alreddy, a farmer who committed suicide, at Mangalgi village in Bidar.
Offered prayers at Sri Kshethra Malakheda Temple in Kalaburagi, Karnataka. pic.twitter.com/prytinnxOb Amit Shah (@AmitShah) February 26, 2018
Karnataka Assembly Election dates Date of notification April 17 Last date to file nominations April 24 Last date to withdraw nominations April 27 Date of polling May 12 Date of counting May 15
OneIndia News
No one killed Sohrabuddin, Justice Loya, they just died: Rahul takes a dig at courts ruling
Sohrabuddin case: 'Fought Dawood, ISI, got framed by CBI', says IPS officer
India
oi-Vicky
By Vicky
I was framed by the CBI, Rajkumar Pandian, the IPS officer who was discharged in the Sohrabuddin Shaikh encounter case said. He made the submission through his lawyer who was arguing against a plea that challenged his discharge in the case.
Pandian had a stellar record and he was the "main" officer who had taken on fugitive gangster Dawood Ibrahim and the ISI of Pakistan when he was with the IB, senior advocate Mahesh Jethmalani, his lawyer, told the court.
The Central Bureau of Investigation, which took over the encounter case from the Gujarat CID in 2010, framed Mr. Pandian by fabricating evidence, he alleged.
"I (Pandian) have unimpeachable documentary evidence to prove that I was not in Hyderabad on the day of the alleged abduction," Jethmalani contended in the court.
As per the CBI, Sohrabuddin, a gangster with alleged terror links, his wife Kausar Bi and his aide Tulsiram Prajapati were abducted by the Gujarat police on the night of November 22-23, 2005 while they were travelling from Hyderabad to Sangli in a private bus.
"I had taken a flight from Hyderabad to Ahmedabad on November 23, 2005.... However, the CBI claims I never took that flight and instead sent constable Ajay Parmar to Ahmedabad on my ticket as a cover-up," the lawyer said.
It was an international flight of Air India, where every passenger's ID card would have been checked, he said.
The CBI presented, as evidence, the customs declaration form submitted at the Hyderabad airport, filled in Pandian's name but bearing Parmar's signature, Jethmalani said.
The agency claimed that it proved that Parmar took the flight on Pandian's ticket to help him cover his tracks. "This is a fabricated document. I am a victim.... The victim of a false investigation by the CBI," Jethmalani said.
"I was the main officer who fought Dawood Ibrahim and ISI (during a stint as SP with the Intelligence Bureau). I have an unimpeachable record, and yet, the CBI is trying to undermine me like this," the lawyer said.
According to Pandian, he was in Hyderabad on November 21-22, 2005 only to inspect the site of a bomb blast that had taken place near the city in October that year, and he had nothing to do with the alleged abduction of Sohrabuddin.
Sohrabuddin and Kausar Bi were killed in an alleged fake encounter by the Gujarat police in November 2005, while Prajapati was killed in another alleged fake encounter by the Gujarat and Rajasthan police in December 2006.
Of the 38 persons charge-sheeted by the CBI for being involved in the two fake encounters, 15, including senior IPS officers D G Vanzara, Pandian, Dinesh MN, and BJP president Amit Shah were discharged by the special CBI court in Mumbai, where the trial is underway.
The high court is conducting a day-to-day hearing on petitions filed by the CBI and Rubabuddin Shaikh, Sohrabuddin's brother, challenging the discharge of five of the 14 police officers.
OneIndia News
South India terror: NIA seeks red corner notice against Pak diplomat
India
oi-Vicky
By Vicky
In a bid to nab a Pakistan diplomat accused of conspiring terror attacks in South India, the National Investigation Agency has sought a red corner notice through the Interpol.
The NIA had recently filed a charge sheet in which it named, Amir Zubair Siddiqui, a consular officer who was posted at the Pakistan High Commission in Sri Lanka.
Officials in the agency said the paperwork was being completed and would be sent soon to the Interpol headquarters based in Lyon in France for the issuance of the Red Corner notice against Siddiqui, who during his stint at Pakistani High Commission in Sri Lanka during 2014 had conspired to carry out terror strikes in India.
He was named by a Sri Lankan resident Sakir Hussain, who is at present undergoing a simple imprisonment after pleading guilty in a court of law. He was arrested by the Tamil Nadu Police after the Intelligence Bureau busted the conspiracy in April 2014.
His jail term will end next year. Hussain had carried out reconnaissance of the US consulate in Chennai and Israeli consulate in Bangalore to facilitate a terror strike similar to 26/11.
For this, two terrorists were to be flown in from the Maldives. Siddiqui was working as visa counsellor at the Pakistan High Commission in Colombo but had to be repatriated to Islamabad after India mounted pressure on Sri Lanka about his alleged activities targeting this country.
He was nailed after the NIA was handed over evidence by the US authorities. The documents handed over by the US to India established communication between Hussain and 'Shahjee', a Pakistani national introduced to the accused allegedly by a Pakistani diplomat working with its mission in Sri Lanka.
The NIA, which has carried out the probe into the conspiracy meticulously, had sent a request under Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty to the US for details from service provider whose email was being used by Hussain to communicate to his handler in Sri Lanka.
The response provided by US authorities following the request under the MLAT showed that the account was being operated by "Shahjee" who had provided the name while registering with the email account, the officials said.
There has been communication with some email addresses in Pakistan and an even personal account of Siddiqui, they said. The email account is also alleged to have been operated under the Internet Protocol (IP) address of the Pakistan High Commission in Colombo, they said.
The code name for the terror plot to attack the US consulate in Chennai was "wedding hall" which was to be executed by "cooks", a code for terrorists who were to gain entry from Maldives into India. Hussain had given a detailed description of his meetings with various Pakistani officials based in Sri Lanka as well as two "fidayeen" (suicide attackers) whom he had met in Bangkok.
Hussain was told by a Pakistani official, who was of a higher rank than Siddiqui, that the project to carry out the attack at the US consulate in Chennai would be code-named as "wedding hall" and "cooks" was the code for the two terrorists who would have executed the plan.
"Spice" was the code name for the bomb devices which were to be planted at the consulate, they said.
The NIA had taken over the case from the Tamil Nadu Police. It carried out a detailed probe into the matter after registering a case against Hussain for alleged criminal conspiracy to commit terrorist acts targeting a foreign consulate located in South India as well as to circulate high quality fake Indian currency notes and thereby threatening the security and monetary stability of the country.
OneIndia News
Temple will be built where Ram Lala is resting in Ayodhya, says Vinay Katiyar
India
oi-Oneindia
By Oneindia
Lucknow, Feb 26: The Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) tryst with the Ram temple continues. The Supreme Court is yet to give a final verdict on the matter, but that has not stopped BJP leaders from frequently issuing statements regarding the building of the Ram temple at the disputed Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid site in Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh.
On Sunday, controversial BJP MP Vinay Katiyar said that the Ram temple in Ayodhya will be constructed on the spot where "Ram Lala" is resting. "I will not comment on how long it will take as the issue is now being heard by the Supreme Court," Katiyar told reporters in Barabanki, UP.
"We are waiting for the court's verdict, but I will like to say that our Ram temple, for sure, will come up at the place where Ram Lala is resting...he (Ram idol) will continue (to remain) on the spot," he said, adding, "That land belongs to Lord Ram."
To a question, Katiyar said Prime Minister Narendra Modi and UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath were together working dedicatedly for the country and the state.
"Criminals are surrendering before the police on their own under the Yogi government," he added.
Recently, the controversial Rajya Sabha MP said that "Muslims should not even be living in this country, they should go to Pakistan or Bangladesh". Katiyar, who founded the Vishwa Hindu Parishad's (VHP) youth wing, Bajrang Dal, added that a bill should be introduced in Parliament that frames a punishment for those "who do not respect Vande Mataram, (and) those who insult the national flag, or hoist the Pakistani flag."
OneIndia News
Bypolls 2018: Repolling in 123 polling booths of UP, Maharashtra, Nagaland today
61 per cent voter turn out in repolling at 73 Kairana booths
Repolling in one booth in Jharkhand's Sesai seat today
Tripura recorded over 85 per cent voting during repolling at 6 booths
India
oi-Oneindia Staff
By Oneindia Staff
Agartala, Feb 26: On Monday, repolling was held at six booths in six Assembly constituencies in Tripura. Repolling saw more than 85 per cent voter turnout, according to IANS.
According to ANI, repolling witnessed 37.07 per cent voter turnout till 11 am. Earlier, the Election Commission had ordered repolling at six booths in six Assembly constituencies in the northeastern state. The elections to the 60-member Assembly in Tripura got over on February 18.
Recently, the EC ordered repolling in one polling booth each in Sonamura, Teliamura, Sabroom, Ampinagar, Kadamtala-Kurti and Dhanpur Assembly constituencies.
"#Tripura: Re-polling being held in Dhanpur, Sonamura, Teliamura, Kadamtala-Kurti, Ampinagar and Sabroom Assembly constituencies," tweeted ANI.
#Tripura: Re-polling being held in Dhanpur, Sonamura, Teliamura, Kadamtala-Kurti, Ampinagar and Sabroom Assembly constituencies. ANI (@ANI) February 26, 2018
"#Visuals from a polling booth in Tripura's Teliamura. Re-polling is being held in Dhanpur, Sonamura, Teliamura, Kadamtala-Kurti, Ampinagar and Sabroom Assembly constituencies," tweeted ANI.
#Visuals from a polling booth in Tripura's Teliamura. Re-polling is being held in Dhanpur, Sonamura, Teliamura, Kadamtala-Kurti, Ampinagar and Sabroom Assembly constituencies. pic.twitter.com/CZzb3xs0fy ANI (@ANI) February 26, 2018
The EC's decision drew sharp criticism from the ruling Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPI(M)), which accused the state election department of failing to conduct a proper election and "criminal negligence".
Polling for 59 of the 60 Assembly seats was held in the northeastern state on February 18. Polling was countermanded in the Charilam constituency due to the death of CPI(M) candidate Ramendra Narayan Debbarma ahead of the election.
The Assembly polls are scheduled in two other northeastern states--Meghalaya and Nagaland--on Tuesday (February 27). The results of all the three Assembly elections will be declared on March 3.
OneIndia News
What would Indias role in Afghanistan be with the Chinese backing Taliban
China: Power bank catches fire in plane, Watch how it was doused
International
oi-Vikas
By Vikas
A power bank kept in the overhead luggage compartment of a plane went up in flames in Guangzhou, China, on Sunday. The fire was contained within a few minutes after a flight attendant promptly threw bottled water at the flames. Luckily, the plane was still in Guangzhou airport when the power bank caught fire.
A fire broke out in the luggage rack of a China Southern airplane in Guangzhou on Sunday after a portable charger carried by a passenger caught fire during the boarding process. The fire was put out promptly. Passengers have been relocated to another plane. pic.twitter.com/8BzNkxh6rg People's Daily,China (@PDChina) February 25, 2018
In a video taken by a passenger onboard flight, it can be seen that the fire suddenly erupted from a passenger's bag in the overhead bin. One of the flight attendants immediately threw water on it and shortly afterwards another passenger joined the 'fire fighting' by throwing juice at the burning device.
According to People's Daily China, the incident happened on a China Southern Airline flight to Shanghai on Sunday. The flight was delayed as the passengers were disembarked from the plane following the incident and allocated a new aircraft, said reports.
The flight attendant's action of throwing water was criticised on the social media with some asking why a fire extinguisher was not used.
According to reports, the power bank was not in use when it caught fire. The passenger, who owned the bag with power bank in it, was questioned by the authorities as part of the investigation.
No one was injured in the incident which took place on board flight CZ3539 of China Southern Airline.
OneIndia News
Biden says another terror attack likely in 24-36 hours, vows to keep up airstrikes against ISIS
How US convinced China to put Pakistan on the terror funding watch list
International
oi-Vicky
By Vicky
When Pakistan Foreign Minister, Khwaja Asif tweeted that his country had been given a three-month reprieve by the Financial Action Task Force, the message was clearly celebratory in nature.
However, in the 24 hours, that changed and the FATF decided to add Pakistan to the greylist from June 2018 onwards. Pakistan claimed the support of China, Turkey and Saudi Arabia.
However, when the decision was made, Pakistan's all weather friend China backed out only to support the resolution by the United States. Saudi Arabia too backed the US and Turkey was the only country that stood with Pakistan.
The change in standby China is what is interesting, considering the country had blocked a similar attempt during the Buenos Aires plenary of the FATF held in November last year.
To get China and Saudi on board, there was some hard bargaining done by the US. Sources in Delhi say that the US pushed hard and the Trump administration was adamant that Pakistan makes it to the greylist.
To get China on board, the US offered it the post of vice-president of the FATF. The VP of the FATF is also the president-designate. China was told that the post of VP could be occupied by its member starting July 1. After the deal was struck, China decided to pull out its opposition against Pakistan.
Saudi Arabia, on the other hand, was offered a full member of the FATF. The US decided to make it a full member starting July. Finally, it was only Turkey which backed Pakistan.
When Asif had posted the tweet, he was in Russia lobbying against the resolution. Sources believe that he spoke too soon and the public announcement did not find favour with Russia. This contributed largely to the mood against Pakistan, sources also added.
OneIndia News
Indian-origin woman arrested in South Africa for ISIS links
International
oi-Vicky
By Vicky
A woman of Indian origin has been arrested along with her partner for alleged links to the Islamic State. The arrests were made by the South African special police unit, Hawks.
Fatima Patel and Safydeen Aslam Del Vecchio also face charges of robbery and theft after they went on a spending spree using the couples' credit cards, building up a stash of jewellery, camping equipment and electronic devices which were found at a remote location where an ISIS flag was being flown.
The Hawks declined to provide any further information due to the sensitive nature of the case as the search continues for the couple whose vehicle was found abandoned more than 300 km away from where they were last seen on February 9.
But the weekly Sunday Times, quoting a charge sheet after their court appearance, reported that Patel and Del Vecchio also stand accused of contravening the Protection of Constitutional Democracy Against Terrorism and Related Activities Act by hoisting an ISIS flag at a modest homestead in a rural area.
Del Vecchio also faces another terrorism-related charge for allegedly participating in "extremist web forums that support ISIS and offering to supply phone numbers and sim cards that are not traceable."
Yousha Tayob, the lawyer representing Patel and Del Vecchio, confirmed that the pair had appeared in the court and were remanded in custody at Westville Prison in KwaZulu-Natal province.
The incident had prompted the British government to issue a travel advisory about possible terrorist attacks on foreign nationals in South Africa, but local Muslim organisations have dismissed this as an "overreaction".
Ebrahim Deen of the Afro-Middle East Centre told the weekly that South African Muslims posed no threat to travellers and that the incident was more related to crime than an ISIS attack.
"Muslims are largely integrated into (South African) society, are not disillusioned and they face little discrimination like in Europe and elsewhere," he said.
Martin Ewi of the Institute for Security Studies said South Africa was regarded as a "logistics base" for terror cells in transit, and is not traditionally a target for attacks, although the arrests of Patel and Del Vecchio confirmed the presence of an active terror cell in South Africa.
"We in the counter-terror fraternity suspected that they were working as members of an active cell, and the kidnapping will confirm the presence of an active IS cell," Ewi said.
OneIndia News
Sridevi died from accidental drowning in bath tub, traces of alcohol found: Reports
International
oi-Madhuri
Sridevi : Forensic report reveals she drowned in bathtub | Oneindia News
The sudden death of iconic actor Sridevi on 24 February came as a shock to her fans around the globe. According to report by UAE's Gulf News which quoted forensic report said that the actress Sridevi died of accidental drowning in the bath tub of her hotel room. The report also showed traces of alcohol in her body. Under the influence of alcohol, Sridevi lost her balance, fell into the bathtub and drowned. Sridevi's body has been released for embalming, Gulf News further reported.
"The investigation is still going on to determine the circumstances surrounding the accident as the forensic report only says that she drowned," an official told Gulf News.
Following the release of the forensic report on Sridevi's death in Dubai, the case has been moved to public prosecution.
Khaleej Times quoted a source close to the family as saying that at around 5:30 pm, the two chatted for about 15 minutes before Sridevi went into the washroom. The source has been quoted as saying that when Kapoor knocked on the door to check on her, she did not respond. He then forced the bathroom door open and found her lying motionless in the bathtub full of water. He raised alarm after he failed to revive her.
However, Forensic doctors in Dubai had concluded that Sridevi died of a heart attack and added there is nothing suspicious about the way the superstar passed away.
Initial reports had suggested that she died due to cardiac arrest, while she was in Dubai to attend a family wedding. According to UAE-based daily Khaleej Times, the actor fainted in the washroom of the Jumeirah Emirates Towers Hotel and was rushed to the Rashid Hospital in Dubai.
Khaleej Times has categorically denied all reports of foul play in the death.
OneIndia News
A secret trip to an ISIS medical camp in Syria changed the course for this Bengaluru doctor
Syria ceasefire should be 'immediately implemented': UN chief Guterres
International
pti-PTI
Geneva, Feb 26: United Nations secretary-general Antonio Guterres on Monday demanded the immediate implementation of 30-day ceasefire in Syria as the Damascus regime continued its deadly bombardment of the rebel-held Eastern Ghouta.
Guterres praised the adoption of a Security Council resolution on Saturday calling for the truce but underscored "Security Council resolutions are only meaningful if they are effectively implemented.
"That is why I expect the resolution to be immediately implemented and sustained," he told the opening of the 37th session of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva. Addressing the rights council after Guterres, UN human rights chief Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein said that Syria -- and other conflict zones -- had "become some of the most prolific slaughterhouses of humans in recent times".
On the proposed Syria truce, Zeid warned that "we have every reason to remain cautious." The resolution "must be viewed against a backdrop of seven years of failure to stop the violence, seven years of unremitting and frightful mass killing."
Fresh bombardment by the Syrian regime killed at least 10 civilians in Eastern Ghouta on Monday, including nine members of a same family, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitor group said. Air strikes destroyed a building in Douma, the main town in the Eastern Ghouta area east of Damascus, and buried alive an entire family, according to the Observatory.
More than 500 civilians have been killed in regime and Russian bombardment on the enclave, which is controlled by Islamist and jihadist fighters, since February 18, the Observatory further said.
Zeid has repeatedly and forcefully chastised the Security Council throughout the Syrian conflict for failing to refer the case to the International Criminal Court in The Hague. He has blamed the council's inability to act on Syria on the veto power held by several permanent members.
Today, Zeid blasted veto-wielding members for the council's intransigence on Syria and other conflicts, saying they bore "responsibility for the continuation of so much pain." "It is time, for the love of mercy, that China, Russia and the United States... end the pernicious use of the veto," he told the rights council.
PTI
Xi Jinping set to get limitless tenure as Chinese President
International
oi-Vicky
By Vicky
China's ruling Communist Party on Sunday prepared the ground for President Xi Jinping to stay in power indefinitely after the end of his second term in 2022 as it proposed to remove presidential term limits from the party's Constitution.
The CPC Central Committee proposed removing the clause that the President and Vice-President "shall serve no more than two consecutive terms" from the country's Constitution, state-run Xinhua news agency reported on Sunday.
The removal of the term limit, which is expected to be endorsed by the Plenum of the party to be held tomorrow would give 64-year-old Xi, regarded as the most powerful leader in modern China, a limitless tenure.
Xi's predecessors, Jiang Zemin who was in power from 1993 to 2003 and Hu Jintao from 2003 to 2013 stepped down as the General Secretary of the party as well as the president after widely followed rule as well as a convention of two terms to promote collective leadership system in the one-party state.
If China pushes ahead with the proposal, Xi would become the country's most powerful leader since Mao Zedong, who ruled for more than three decades through 1976.
President Xi, who is also the general secretary of the CPC and chairman of the Central Military Commission, began his second five-year tenure last year, following a national Congress of the CPC.
A seven-man leadership committee unveiled last year included no potential successor, raising the prospect that Xi intends to govern beyond his second term.
Since then, all organs of the party have declared him as the topmost leader of the party setting aside the principle of collective party leadership that was followed in the last three decades.
The CPC Central Committee also today proposed writing Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era into the country's Constitution.
This would make Xi the only leader after Mao and his predecessor Deng Xiaoping whose thoughts were written into the Constitution. It would place him above the rest of the leaders of the party.
Robert Lawrence Kuhn, an American scholar on China who moved closely with Chinese leaders and scholars for decades, told PTI earlier that the inclusion of Xi's thoughts in the Constitution and his "core leadership" status conferred on him by the party previously put him "substantially ahead of others" in the party.
Besides the two-term rule, top Chinese leaders also followed a convention of retiring after 68 years.
With the status of "core leader" and his name written into the Constitution, the retirement age limit is not expected to be applicable to Xi. As per the existing convention, he is due to retire after 2022. Observers
say as "core leader" Xi could continue as General Secretary of the CPC.
The new amendment to the Constitution removing the two-term rule would clear the last impediment for him to continue as the president for an unprecedented third term after 2022.
Since Xi took over power he consolidated his hold on power with massive anti-graft campaign in which over a million officials from the top to bottom were punished.
The three-day party plenum beginning here tomorrow is also expected to change the top echelons of the Chinese government by packing the powerful posts with Xi's loyalists. Yesterday the CPC Central Committee meeting headed by Xi discussed a list of proposed candidates for state leadership positions, Xinhua reported without disclosing details.
The names would be referred for the approval of China's parliament, the National People's Congress (NPC), which would begin its annual session on March 5.
The NPC often referred to as rubber stand parliament for its routine approval of CPC proposals will hold its session along with the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), a consultative body.
Xi was elected as the head of the Party and President in 2013 and later took over as head of the military.
In 2016, the CPC officially gave him the title of "core" leader.
The thoughts of two of Xi's predecessors were mentioned in the Constitution but not their names.
Any attempt to challenge Xi or his thinking would be seen as defiance against the party.
OneIndia News
Dr. Simon Planzer to Discuss Upcoming Swiss Referendum at Prague Gaming Summit 2018
Published February 26, 2018 by Ivan P
Organizers of the Prague Gaming Summit 2018 decided to include the upcoming Swiss referendum on the new gambling act as one of the hot discussion topics.
Taking place on March 29 at Andel's by Vienna House Prague, the second Prague Gaming Summit is set to cover a variety of relevant industry topics, focusing on the countries from the region, such as Slovakia, Poland, Austria, the Czech Republic, Slovenia, and more. One of the hot topics that will be in the focus during the discussion panel is the upcoming referendum in Switzerland, which could decide the fate of the new Money Gaming Act, and Dr. Simon Planzer, an expert on EU gambling law, will be the one leading the discussion.
Swiss People Opposing the Ban on International Operators
Until recently, gambling in Switzerland was regulated through a number of laws addressing casinos, betting, and lotteries. Late in September last year, the country's parliament passed a new gambling act, entitled the Money Gaming Act, uniting all the previous regulations into a single law.
Prior to the Money Gaming Act, online gambling was technically illegal in Switzerland, although it wasn't strictly prohibited. With the new act, the ban on online gambling will be removed, but it will only allowed qualified casino operators to apply for online licenses. Furthermore, the new Act plans on banning all foreign operators from catering to Swiss players.
In the past, offshore gambling companies were able to target Swiss citizens and operate in somewhat "grey" area. This changes with the new law, which would force internet service providers to effectively block access to these sites.
A group of Swiss citizens, led by representatives of the Swiss People's Party, the Green Liberal Party, and the Green Liberal Party, was dissatisfied about the stipulation about blocking international operators and called for a country-wide referendum. The group gathered the necessary 50,000 signatures required for the petition back in January.
New Gaming Act Hangs in the Balance
Right now, the fate of the new Swiss Gaming Act is uncertain. This is exactly the reason why organizers of the Prague Gaming Summit 2018 felt it was an important discussion topic and invited the special guest speaker who will offer further insights and clarifications.
As things stand right now, should the Act be passed before the referendum schedule for June 10, 2018, it will come into force unchanged in 2019. Otherwise, the parliament will have to revise the Act, which could lead to further delays in the implementation process.
Of course, this is just one of many topics that will be covered during the Prague Gaming Summit 2018, which will address matters of regulation and compliance in a number of countries from the region.
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See original here
By Mark Sumner
Three weeks after Devin Nunes' supposedly earth-shaking #ReleaseTheMemo was actually released over the objections of the FBI and the Department of Justice, and the nation responded with a giant, collective "Is that all?" And two weeks after Donald Trump blocked Democrats from releasing a more extensive document pointing out the many lies of omission and lies of commission included in Nunes' work, the House Intelligence Committee finally released a redacted version of the Democratic memo.
The Nunes memo focused on a single incident, the re-issue of a FISA warrant against Trump adviser Carter Page, and insisted that event somehow signaled government overreach, and was based on information from British intelligence officer Christopher Steele that was brought to the court through deception for partisan purposes.
The Democratic response, primarily drafted by Rep. Adam Schiff, details how the all of that is itself a deeply partisan fiction created to defend Trump against an investigation that is grinding inexorably closer to the top. A list from the New York Times neatly lays out some prominent points of the Democratic response.
The FISA warrant was based on a lot of different sources, of which the information from Steele was only a small part.
"It describes multiple other categories of information, including yearslong suspicions that Mr. Page was being recruited by Russian spies, and revealed that the F.B.I. had interviewed Mr. Page about his ties to Russian intelligence officials in March 2016."
On other parts of the Nunes memo, such as the contention that a story in Yahoo News had been used to validate information, even though the information in that article ultimately originated with Steele, the Democratic response was more blunt -- that was simply a lie.
"The Democratic memo calls that a false claim by the Republicans."
Instead, the Yahoo article was used only to show that Page himself was denying his involvement with Moscow.
In short, the Democratic response showed that Nunes was full of ... it. Which, of course, drew a response from Nunes.
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Intermittently over the last ten years, Israel, perhaps with US and Saudi assistance, seemed on the verge of attacking Iranian nuclear sites. More recently, and despite an internationally-supported nuclear deal, Israel and Iran are at daggers drawn over Syria.
Israel has long been attacking Syrian military depots and even delivering tactical air support for some rebel forces. Two weeks ago, Israel lost an F-16 to Syrian air defenses. It instantly launched retaliatory strikes which damaged the Russian-made system. Prime Minister Netanyahu's recent words suggest escalation is forthcoming.
The Iranian threat
The Netanyahu government points to several dangers. First, is Iran's support for Hamas. The Palestinian organization has engaged in acts of terrorism and fired rockets into southern Israel. However, Iran's support is aimed at underscoring Saudi Arabia's dormant interest in the Palestinian cause. Hamas's capacity to strike inside Israel has diminished substantially due to Israeli counterterrorist programs and punitive airstrikes. It's little more than a nuisance.
Second, Hisbollah has been trained and armed by Iranian special forces since the 80s. Their ground troops are skillful at guerrilla warfare and have shown the ability to wear down Israeli forces that occupied southern Lebanon. They pose no conventional ground threat to Israel. Hisbollah has thousands of missiles capable of reaching most Israeli cities but they are a deterrent at best. Any use would lead to fearsome and disproportionate retaliation.
Third, Iran has established a presence in Syria since the civil war began. It has trained Shia-Alawi militias, supported Hisbollah bands, and in the last two years deployed about two thousand Revolutionary Guard troops. The latter have taken very high casualties yet shown little effectiveness in taking ground from rebels. These Iranian forces are pre-occupied with consolidating Damascus's rule and pose no real danger. A ground attack on Israel is preposterous. It would be easily quashed by Israeli troops on the Golan Heights and their air support.
The Israeli campaign
Netanyahu's Syria policy has other goals than countering any Iranian danger. He wants Syria to stay weak, Iran to bleed money, and the Saudis to remain acquiescent to his domestic ambitions. Netanyahu can accomplish all three with a judicious and low-level air campaign.
Netanyahu will strike pro-Assad assets, especially those from Iran and Hisbollah. The attacks have been underway for several years as Israeli jets have struck weapons caches said to be on their way to Hisbollah arsenals. The tempo will increase, probably assisted by US intelligence and electronic countermeasures.
The US may conduct its own strikes against Iranian assets in eastern Syria -- a region the US, Israel, and Saudi Arabia want to break free from Damascus. Keeping Syria a fragmented country is a high priority.
The strikes will win favor with Saudi Arabia and its Sunni allies. They fear and despise Iran but lack the resolve to fight it directly. Their assessment of Iran's danger is based less on sound geopolitics than on religious hatreds, and Netanyahu exploits this. Israel in return gets Sunni acquiescence to its West Bank program, which includes expanding settlements and stifling Palestinian hopes.
Iran is in a difficult position of needing to show commitment to an ally but being hopelessly overmatched so far from home. Having no significant airpower in Syria, Iran cannot intercept IDF planes or retaliate inside Israel. Its most credible response would be assassinations and bombings -- dark undertakings that will pit it against Mossad which is far better at those things.
Israel and the Saudis want Iran further tied down in Syria, losing troops and burning money. When an Iranian facility is hit, Tehran will have to demonstrate commitment by burning more. This will only offer more targets. Rather than see Iran withdraw, Israel may prefer, at least for a few years, that Tehran waste more and more money on futile shows of strength and commitment. This, it is hoped, will trigger more anti-regime demonstrations such as the ones that erupted last December. Many demonstrators complained of the government's wasteful policies in Syria and Yemen.
The Russian response
Over the years Russia has supported Assad with money, arms, and air support -- the latter being critical to rolling back rebel positions. But Russia has not reacted strongly to Israeli airstrikes in Syria.
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This article originally appeared at TomDispatch.com.
Despite the dystopian fantasies about nuclear terror and destruction that hit popular culture in the Cold War era and those "duck and cover" drills kids like me experienced in school in the 1950s, the American people were generally sheltered from a full sense of the toll of a nuclear cataclysm. Consider, for instance, the U.S. military's secret 1960 Single Integrated Operational Plan, or SIOP, for loosing the American arsenal against Russia and China at the height of the Cold War. Three thousand two hundred nuclear weapons were to be "delivered" to 1,060 targets in the Communist world, including at least 130 cities, most of which would, if all went according to plan, essentially cease to exist. Estimates of casualties ran to 285 million dead and another 40 million injured (figures that undoubtedly underplayed the effects of both mass fires and radiation). Such a strike would, theoretically at least, only have been launched in retaliation for a Soviet nuclear attack on the United States, yet the figures don't even include U.S. casualties.
And mind you, those estimates were offered almost a quarter of a century before we learned even worse news. Thanks to the phenomenon of nuclear winter, a "war" of that sort would have been likely to threaten human survival on this planet. Today, we know that even a far more localized and modest version -- say, a South Asian nuclear exchange between India and Pakistan -- could throw enough particulates into the stratosphere to block sunlight for significant periods and cause mass global starvation, threatening the deaths, it's estimated, of perhaps a billion people across the planet.
In his new book, The Doomsday Machine, Daniel Ellsberg, a man deeply involved in nuclear planning of the Cold War era (before he became the famed leaker of the Pentagon Papers), describes the situation:
"What none of us knew at that time -- not the Joint Chiefs, not the president or his science advisors, not anyone else for the next two decades, until 1983 -- were the phenomena of nuclear winter and nuclear famine, which meant that a large nuclear war of the kind we prepared for then or later would kill nearly every human on earth (along with most other large species)."
As you read TomDispatchregular Rajan Menon's analysis of the first Nuclear Posture Review of the Trump era, think about the Pentagon's urge to create ever more "useable" nuclear weapons and ever more advanced delivery systems for them. Then try to take in just what a path of folly we remain headed down -- especially with a president once reportedly eager for "a nearly tenfold increase in the U.S. nuclear arsenal" and proud beyond belief of the size of his "nuclear button."
This is indeed the road to hell and it's paved with the worst intentions imaginable. Tom
Dr. Strangelove in the Pentagon
Lowering the Nuclear Threshold and Other Follies of the New Nuclear Posture Review
By Rajan Menon If you're having trouble sleeping thanks to, well, you know who... you're not alone. But don't despair. A breakthrough remedy has just gone on the market. It has no chemically induced side effects and, best of all, will cost you nothing, thanks to the Department of Defense. It's the new Nuclear Posture Review, or NPR, among the most soporific documents of our era. Just keeping track of the number of times the phrase "flexible and tailored response" appears in the 75-page document is the equivalent of counting (incinerated) sheep. Be warned, however, that if you really start paying attention to its actual subject matter, rising anxiety will block your journey to the slumber sphere. Threats Galore The Stockholm International Peace Research Institute estimates that the United States devoted $611 billion to its military machine in 2016. That was more than the defense expenditures of the next nine countries combined, almost three times what runner-up China put out, and 36% of total global military spending. Yet reading the NPR you would think the United States is the most vulnerable country on Earth. Threats lurk everywhere and, worse yet, they're multiplying, morphing, becoming ever more ominous. The more Washington spends on glitzy weaponry, the less secure it turns out to be, which, for any organization other than the Pentagon, would be considered a terrible return on investment. The Nuclear Posture Review unwittingly paints Russia, which has an annual military budget of $69.2 billion ($10 billion less than what Congress just added to the already staggering 2018 Pentagon budget in a deal to keep the government open), as the epitome of efficient investment, so numerous, varied, and effective are the "capabilities" it has acquired in the 17 years since Vladimir Putin took the helm. Though similar claims are made about China and North Korea, Putin's Russia comes across in the NPR as the threat of the century, a country racing ahead of the U.S. in the development of nuclear weaponry. As the Washington Post's Glenn Kessler has shown, however, that document only gets away with such a claim by making 2010 the baseline year for its conclusions. That couldn't be more chronologically convenient because the United States had, by then, completed its latest wave of nuclear modernization. By contrast, during the decade after the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, Russia's economy contracted by more than 50%, so it couldn't afford large investments in much of anything back then. Only when oil prices began to skyrocket in this century could it begin to modernize its own nuclear forces. The Nuclear Posture Review also focuses on Russia's supposed willingness to launch "limited" nuclear strikes to win conventional wars, which, of course, makes the Russians seem particularly insidious. But consider what the latest (December 2014) iteration of Russia's military doctrine actually says about when Moscow might contemplate such a step: "The Russian Federation reserves the right to use nuclear weapons in response to the use of nuclear and other types of weapons of mass destruction against it and/or its allies, and also in the case of aggression against the Russian Federation with the use of conventional weapons when the very existence of the state is in jeopardy." Reduced to its bare bones this means that countries that fire weapons of mass destruction at Russia or its allies or threaten the existence of the Russian state itself in a conventional war could face nuclear retaliation. Of course, the United States has no reason to fear a massive defeat in a conventional war -- and which country would attack the American homeland with nuclear, chemical, or biological weapons and not expect massive nuclear retaliation? Naturally, the Nuclear Posture Review also says nothing about the anxieties that the steady eastward advance of NATO -- that ultimate symbol of the Cold War -- in the post-Soviet years sparked in Russia or how that shaped its military thinking. That process began in the 1990s, when Russian power was in free fall. Eventually, the alliance would reach Russia's border. The NPR also gives no thought to how Russian nuclear policy might reflect that country's abiding sense of military inferiority in relation to the United States. Even to raise such a possibility would, of course, diminish the Russian threat at a time when inflating it has become de rigueur for liberals as well as conservatives and certainly for much of the media. Strangelove Logic
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From opednews.com: Dennis Kucinich and Tara Samples
(Image by Meryl Ann Butler) Details DMCA
The Akron, OH, City Council is expected to be the first in the state to pass a measure for assault weapons ban at their meeting tonight, which will be live-streamed on this YouTube channel.
Last week, Ohio gubernatorial candidates, former Congressman and presidential candidate Dennis Kucinich, and his running mate, Tara Samples, announced that they would be "spearheading a statewide effort to persuade city councils and school boards to demand action from the state legislature on banning assault weapons."
According to the campaign, " Councilwoman Tara L. Samples, with the support, so far, of five co-sponsors, is sponsoring a measure urging the Ohio General Assembly to pass legislation outlawing assault weapons. She will first introduce the resolution at a meeting of the Public Safety Committee at 2:15 this afternoon; and then, tonight, she will make a presentation to the full City Council urging immediate approval. Passage will require seven votes. The meeting begins at 7 p.m.
"Samples, the Lt. Governor running mate of gubernatorial candidate Dennis Kucinich, said she hopes to make history tonight by making her own home town the first city in Ohio to officially endorse banning 'these deadly weapons of war.'
"'Dennis and I, with the help of more than 2,000 grassroots volunteers, are working to convince every city council and every board of education all across Ohio to support getting these killing machines off our streets," Samples said. "I couldn't be more proud that my own community is about to become the first in Ohio to take this step.'"
If passed, Akron will be the first city in the state of Ohio to take official legal action toward a statewide a ban on military assault-style weapons like those used in the recent mass slaying in a Parkland FL high school and in most of the other mass shootings in recent years, according to the campaign.
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What GOP Wants Americans to Become
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Parkland police proved Trump wrong and grieving father, Andrew Pollack, mistaken, for there is no school safety without sensible reforms that cap the merger between guns' profiteers and gun violence.
It's not a suicidal AR-15 carrying shooter who is afraid to enter the fray of gun violence in a public school. It's LaPierre's, good man with a gun. It's not just conservatives as ignorant as Betsy DeVos or as arrogant as her appointer, our 45th.
It's not just Rick Scott and Marco Rubio trying to dodge political bullets. It's fifteen Democrats voting with forty-five Republicans against proposed ban on assault weapons in the aftermath of a gun assassin killing twenty Sandy Hook Elementary School six & seven-year-olds and six adults, with his Bushmaster XM-15 -- a line of AR-15 semi-automatic.
It's not about political parties, but politicized policies.
Twenty-years after Columbine, during which gun laws have been increasingly weakened, Congressional Republicans in 2018 feel no sense of urgency to do anything to protect Americans from being gun downed, anywhere, at any time. It's about that.
It's not about repealing the 2nd Amendment, but about domestic abuse of it; not about taking away handguns or hunting rifles from law-abiding citizens, but about saving civilian lives from civilians needing to inflict pain on us.
Our current divide is an OK Corral shootout between rage and passion, with Wayne LaPierre and Dana Loesch inspiring rage against reason, while Home of the Brave high school students, like David Hogg, ignite anew our national passion for the balance that comes with rational thought and the natural desire to protect our children.
It is for us to support all damaged by violent addiction to solving problems with bottom line-oriented gun violence -- for neither a high priced exotic gun hustler, nor Lon Chaney Sr Phantom look-alike gives a damn about our children's lives, our Bill of Rights or our life expectancy -- except as shields protecting gun manufacturing income.
Since our 21st century Valentine's Day Massacre at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, I've realized, even before Columbine mass murder, far too many Americans have been addicted to cigarettes, alcohol, murdering our stewardship of earth with over consumerism -- and now, Opioids and gun violence as salve attempt to deaden awareness of an unlikable life.
But we must save ourselves from rapid fire talking points deflecting in a rage against answering America's children. Dana Loesch, is as mad as the man who ran down Heather Heyer 12 August 2017, because her verbal bullets mortally wound American sanity, as Jim Crow Lynching and Russian hacking wounded our Exceptionalism.
An all too easily acquired military weapon in the hands of even the most rational civilian, including veterans, can potentially be an all too easy destroyer of life in the heat of an argument, jealous rage, drunk or drug induced disillusionment, depression, loss of self and sense of worth -- feeling hopeless and helpless. So, let's stop scapegoating mental illness, as if it's the only fugitive.
It's about knowing how politicians of all political parties, Great Recession creating financial institutions including, but not limited to, probable cause of alleged fraudulent behavior by Pharmaceutical Opioid pushers, Bank of America and Wells Fargo. It's about our federal government making billions off keeping Marijuana illegal.
It's about our having the humane patriotic will power to overcome the addiction of self-serving politicians, domestic violence and foreign hackers.
It's about who we want to be v. who we are. It's about the lies we tell ourselves about ourselves and the corporate puppeteers who pull our addiction strings.
It's about helping activists with attorneys, to legally save all of us from our elected State and Federal employees protecting gun addicts.
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In writing a book about racial identity, I aimed my message and my language squarely at an African-American audience. Decidedly blunt, I made no attempts to muffle the rage certain aspects of American history well up in me. I made no attempt to spare the feelings of the majority that perpetrated those acts.
This being the 21st century, white audiences have been exposed to the ideas in the book, and with their reactions, I finally understand why pleas for a "national conversation about race" ring so hollow to my ears.
It's because such conversation will never occur. It will not occur because much of this nation's white population believes itself free from the influence of history. "I wasn't even born then," is a constant retort. "I have nothing to feel guilty about," is another. And then there's, "You're the racist for lumping people together by color." The first comment denies the continuing influence of history and culture. The second wrongly assumes someone is asking them to feel guilty as opposed to simply acknowledge that history and culture do not disappear with time, but instead dissolve into the very national fabric, stiffening it or weakening it, but forever acting on it. The third is born of ignorance of the origins of white racial identity. Most Americans believe 'white people' to be an elemental fact, like the sea and the air. In fact, white identity was a purposeful construct, designed to distinguish the human (white men and women) from the dehumanized, the owned, the debased (black ones).
It is very much in the American national character, obsessed as it is with sin and redemption, to believe that we emerge renewed with each passing generation, no stain of history marring our redemptive robes. We regard ourselves as a noble people, builders and residents of a 'shining city on a hill.' We are loathe to acknowledge that we built much of that city on the bones of black bodies. Many hear requests to acknowledge that fact as pleas for sympathy and demands for their personal guilt, as if either were of any use to anyone.
Americans are not an historically-inclined people. It's hard for us to grasp the notion of historical and cultural responsibility--versus personal guilt. Just as we take historical responsibility for the lofty ideals in the Constitution or our valiant efforts during World War II, and laud our culture for guiding us to those noble outcomes, we must also take responsibility for our crimes. We must own slavery, American apartheid, native genocide, World War II internments just as we own the Constitution. We do this not in order to evoke tears, rend garments or wear sackcloth and ashes, but to prevent ourselves from maintaining, even unconsciously, beliefs and behaviors that precipitated those crimes in the first place.
But Americans, and especially large proportions of those who identify as white, look backwards selectively. Even if they acknowledge the existence of the historical crimes of slavery and legal apartheid that lasted for 188 of this nation's 242 years, they refuse to see themselves as influenced by the cultural attitudes that long-standing history bred. That's why we will never have a full-throated, national conversation about race. A large portion of the majority anoint themselves free from history and the culture it formed, while the American descendants of African slaves live that history. We live it every day.
We stare across an unbridgeable chasm. On one side stands a group who insist on denying history's import and influence. On the other stands the people whose very existence testifies to both.
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Money talks, and the Courage Campaign is offering a clever way to get it to stop talking "assault rifle" by putting public pressure on financial institutions to force them to do their part.
The campaign notes, The shortest path to reduce gun violence and limit the sale of assault weapons won't run through Congress -- it runs through the banking and financial services industry.
With a simple change to their terms of service, Visa, MasterCard, American Express, and other credit card companies and payment processors can stop accepting or processing payments from retailers that sell assault weapons, bump stocks, and other weapons of mass murder.
It doesn't take an act of Congress -- just the moral clarity to make the right decision. That's why, starting today, we're calling on the financial services sector to stop enabling retailers who sell weapons of mass murder. We're enlisting you, and the corporate brands that do business with financial services companies, to speak out through petitions, social media, and the press -- creating a wave of pressure that can't be ignored.
Below is the text of their petition, which you can sign here.
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From Counterpunch
By Kevin Zeese and Margaret Flowers
Net Neutrality
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On Thursday, the FCC's net neutrality rule was published in the Federal Register. This was the official start of the next phase of the campaign to protect the open Internet as a common carrier with equal access for all and without prejudice based on content (net neutrality).
There are multiple fronts of struggle to make net neutrality a reality: Congress, the courts, states and communities. This is part of a campaign to create an Internet for the 21st Century that is fast, reliable and available in all communities.
Polls show widespread support for net neutrality. Last year, polling found 77% of people in the United States "support keeping the net neutrality rules, which are already in place" and 87% agree that "people should be able to access any websites they want on the internet, without any blocking, slowing down, or throttling by their internet service providers." The FCC's net neutrality rule does the opposite of the national consensus, and if members of Congress want support from Internet users, they need to reverse the FCC's rule.
Repeal the FCC Anti-Net Neutrality Order In Congress
Under the Congressional Review Act (CRA), Congress can reject a federal agency's decision. The net neutrality movement has 60 legislative days to push Congress to reverse the FCC's order and return net neutrality rules that reclassified the Internet under Title II of the Federal Communications Act. Title II classification ensured the Internet was a common carrier with equal access for all. The movement is working in both bodies of Congress to put elected officials on record for their positions so they can be held accountable.
Net neutrality proponents have been organizing for a Resolution of Disapproval under the CRA since the FCC announced its decision last December. There are already enough co-sponsors to ensure a vote in the Senate, but we are one vote away from victory. Right now all Senate Democrats, both independents, Senators Bernie Sanders (VT) and Angus King (ME), and one Republican, Susan Collins (ME), have agreed to vote for the resolution. This has the Senate in a tie, which would be broken by Vice President Mike Pence. There are several possible Republicans, e.g. Sen. John Kennedy (LA), Sen. Lisa Murkowski (AK), Sen. Dean Heller (NV), Sen. Dan Sullivan (AK), Sen. Cory Gardner (CO), and Sen. John McCain (AZ), who might join Collins in opposing the FCC rule.
Next Tuesday, February 27, the Internet coalition has organized a #OneMoreVote national day of action. Go to Battle for the Net's #OneMoreVote campaign to encourage your Senator to get behind the CRA. There will be a rally for the #OneMoveVote campaign outside the Senate in Washington, DC as part of the national day of action.
The Internet Service Providers' position is being advocated for by the right-wing group, Freedom Works, who defends the FCC's repeal of net neutrality. They will be holding a day of action on Monday. They are taking the CRA challenge seriously and can no longer ignore us.
There has also been organizing in the US House of Representatives. On January 16, Representative Mike Doyle (PA-14) unveiled the names of 82 original cosponsors of his CRA resolution. Including Doyle, the list totals 83 and includes House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi. A majority of House members are needed to move forward.
This movement intends to make net neutrality an issue in the 2018 election. Republicans, in particular, are worried about a Trump-caused election against them, resulting in large numbers of retirements. Voters across the political spectrum support net neutrality. Republicans need to join the national consensus or pay a political price.
After we succeed in both Chambers, President Trump will need to decide if he is with the people or the telecoms. If we are successful in both Houses of Congress, we will have built a lot of political power that will be dangerous for Trump to ignore.
Net Neutrality in the Courts
The publication of the FCC rule repealing net neutrality also restarts litigation to challenge the FCC rule, which seeks an injunction to stop the rule from being implemented. State attorneys general, public interest groups and internet companies are all taking legal action in the US Court of Appeals for the DC Circuit. The goal is for the FCC rule to be remanded for reconsideration and for it to be enjoined pending the outcome of the litigation. Courts tend to favor federal agencies, but we have a strong case.
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Author's Note
The story of fascism in the old United States in my view begins with the accession to the Presidency of Carnathon Pine, The Last Re pub li can, in the year 2001. And thus the drama as we will see it in some detail begins in earnest in the next Chap ter, constructed around that personage's Inau gu ral Address. However, before dramas can pro ceed, the stage must be set.
For this book, I have chosen to do that with an essay written by our friend Dino Louis in 1995. As you can see, Louis was never short on opinion and interpretation of facts. The bare facts he occasionally cites throughout the essay were taken primarily from a feature article that ap peared in the then leading weekly printed newsmagazine Time early in that year (Hull, et al). I hope, dear reader, that you will find this essay help ful in understanding from whence fascism arose in our na tional ancestor.
Is the Stage Being Set for Fascism?
by Dino Louis, 1995
Politics Now
A spectre is haunting the United States of America. But it is not the spectre of communism. It is the spectre of fascism.
Elections '94. The Republicans win. The message is clear. Grinchism, developed by Newt Gingrich and his fellows as a meaner, harsher version of Reaganite"'Bushism, is triumphant. The people have spoken. They and the Grinchites have clearly identified what's wrong with the country: government is too big, taxes are too high, the "unde serv ing poor" are "stealing bread from our table," people "different from us" have set out to destroy "our nation."
Newt Gingrich, Scholar: You can fool some of the people all of the time, and all of the people . . . .
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And on the "moral" side? Well, that slasher of national domestic spending Rep. John Kasich of Ohio, tells us (Nelson):
"The American people in their guts, mothers and fathers across this country, know that over the last couple of decades we have removed the speed limits from the highways, the lines on the highways, the yes and the no, the black and the white and the rights and the wrongs. And Americans are beginning to say that . . . culture has slipped and it's time once more to assert that Judeo-Christian tradition of rights and wrongs and values that guides our nation in the 21st Century."
The proposed solutions to these problems? Shrink government. Cut taxes. Slash government spending, especially on the poor. End toler ance, reinvigo rate prejudice. On the "moral" side? Follow the Chris tian Coali tion (Nelson) and outlaw freedom"'of"'choice in the outcome of pregnancy, require voluntary school prayer, make divorce more diffi cult (except for the leading Republican Presidential candidates), prohibit pornography (ex cept for aspiring Republican Supreme Court nominees), ban sex education and contraception. And oh yes, above all free the "free market."
The "mainstream" Democratic response, enunciated by the Demo cratic Leadership Council and more or less followed along by the Presi dent? "Yes, for the most part, on the economic side, at least, you're right. Although we may disagree on some details of both problem anal ysis and program prescrip tion, you are basically right. And we can be even more Republican than the Republicans. Just let us show you how."
But pause for a moment. Did "the people" as a whole really speak in the 1994 election? Well, no. The message of Reaction was support ed by less than 20% of the eligible electorate. Not voting in droves were those who potential ly benefit most from government intervention in the econo my, and government protection of their rights in the soci ety. It seems safe to assume that they did n't vote because even the Clinton Administration, with its emphasis on deficit cutting not growth stimulation, on being liked not aggressively protect ing rights, did not seem to give them anything much to vote for in either interven tion or protection.
And then consider, have the Grinchites identified the real problems the country faces? Well, no. Since Clinton was elected in 1992 the basic problem list has remained unchanged (Thurow): a declining in dus trial base; the export of manufacturing jobs, to be replaced, if at all, by lower paying service jobs; a continually deteriorating national infra struc ture; serious problems in health services, education, and environ mental protection and preservation; the ever-increasing gap between the have"'a"'lots and everyone else.
It is these problems, not some sudden changes in "Americans' mo rali ty," that are putting tremendous pressure on the Ameri can family, as Thurow has pointed out (1995):
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How did mental health treatment and gun reform get to be opposing issues in the news? They definitely are not in reality. But watch commentators and politicians on TV and you'll hear them advancing that ridiculous dichotomy.
The flashpoint is the recent atrocity committed by a student gunman in Parkland, Florida. Gun rights activists are blaming the tragedy on mental health issues. Others say it's the guns that are at fault.
Both sides are oversimplifying the issue in my view. They engage in heated "it's this/not that" argumentation. But in truth the problem demands dealing with both points of view. It's a gun control and a mental health issue.
Shamefully the highly vocal commentators and politicians are damaging one cause to support the other. Why do they continue to fall into these rabbit holes of polarization?
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Outlaw
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That there is a change in the air is evident this time. Since the mass school shooting in Parkland, Florida on February 14, there have been demonstrations by school kids, their parents and others, confrontations of politicians including the president, and a general feeling that enough is enough.
The most prominent opposition to gun control, the National Rifle Association (NRA) is not quite able to stir up its supporters this time. Its president, Wayne LaPierre, got only a muted response to his frequent line, "the only way to stop a bad guy with a gun is with a good guy with a gun."
Donald Trump's response to the crisis certainly takes that page from LaPierre's book; Mr. Trump wants to arm school teachers. In this 'Wild West' scenario, Trump's schools become a battlefield. Guns for teachers, if they actually agree to them, will be headline news. And forewarned, prospective shooters are more than likely to wear body armor (as a previous mass shooter did) to be protected from teachers' pistols. It also invites the terrible possibility some school teacher, disturbed of course, shoots up her own class.
After Sandy Hook, where a gunman in 2012 killed 20 little children and 6 adults at an elementary school in Newtown, Connecticut, protests and outrage led to attempts to pass laws in Congress. But the NRA lobby was much too powerful and they were blocked.
If Australia's response stopped mass shootings, what about the U.S.? Since Sandy Hook there have been over 1600 mass shootings -- a mass killing is defined as a single incident causing the death of three or more persons. Moreover, these comprise less than 2 percent of firearm deaths. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates 33,594 gun deaths in 2014 of which 263 were in a mass shooting.
running at almost one a day, these mass shootings are so common as to mostly go unreported unless the number of dead are high enough, or the incident has community impact, or the perpetrator carries a whiff of terrorism because of his faith.
Meanwhile, Donald Trump's wet-noodle response, which he characterized as strong and others might consider risible, will do next to nothing ... until another mass shooting presses the replay button and the Kabuki dance is repeated.
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This piece was reprinted by OpEdNews with permission or license. It may not be reproduced in any form without permission or license from the source.
There is no moral or legal equivalency between the legitimate Syrian government and the Western-supported terrorists that are destroying Syria.
Syria and its allies have every legal right to defend Syria's peoples, its sovereignty and its territorial integrity. The terrorists, on the other hand, have no right to destroy the country, and to target civilians, as they have been doing, for the last 7 years.
Al Qaeda-affiliated terrorists in East Ghouta, near Syria's capital Damascus, the oldest continuously inhabited city in the world, are dug in, well-equipped, and fortified with human shields/innocent civilians. They are sectarian, and they exist as a military force because of the West, not despite the West.
Caritas Syria[1] describes the daily trauma that the aforementioned terrorists inflict on Christian communities in Damascus:
"Des centaines d'obus de mortier, en provenance des zones sous controle de milices djihadistes takfiristes, dont Jaish al-Islam, une milice wahhabite finance'e par l'Arabie saoudite, le Front al-Nosra, branche d'Al-Qaida en Syrie, rebaptise' Front Fatah al-Cham, et Ahrar al-Cham, s'abattent re'gulierement sur ces quartiers."
Whereas the Syrian Arab Army seeks to avoid civilian casualties, the terrorists target civilians. This fundamental difference between the terrorists and the legitimate government is erased from Western discourse.
Recently, for example, the SAA dropped the following leaflets onto civilian areas of East Ghouta:
Translation by Mahmoud Altaweel:
The letter by letter translation of the air drop out on Ghouta
Dear citizens in Eastern Ghouta!
The whole region is entirely seiged by SAA.
Everyone has got sick of this bloody war which brought nothing out but death and homes, schools and hospital destruction.
Because of terrorist groups atrocities, thousands of children, mothers, fathers, brothers and sons have been passed away or lived in refugee camps or shelters.
Dear citizens : we hope you didn't cooperate with terrorists and urge you to leave the area ASAP.
We guarantee you the following facilities :
*security and safety
* Accommodations and food stuff
*free medications
*secure return to your homes the moment the terrorists are wiped away. THE GENERAL HEADQUARTER OF ARMY AND ARMED FORCES
Robert Inlakesh decodes the terrorist-supporting propaganda messaging here, and offers strategies for all of us to consider as we are daily bombarded with criminal war propaganda.
*
Note
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From Strategic Culture
Western governments, their corporate news media, and even the United Nations' chief Antonio Guterres are once again playing a disgusting, emotive propaganda game over the Syrian war.
UN Secretary General Guterres told the Security Council this week that the East Ghouta enclave near the capital Damascus was "hell on Earth" and called for an immediate ceasefire. His ceasefire call was echoed by French President Emmanuel Macron.
Where is Guterres' public concern about "hellish conditions" elsewhere? In Gaza where more than a million people are starving under a years-long blockade by a US-backed Israeli regime -- in violation of countless UN resolutions? Where is Guterres' legal or moral authority for Palestinians?
Or for Raqqa, the Syrian city razed to the ground by US air strikes? Or for Iraq's Mosul, likewise obliterated along with thousands of civilians by US air strikes? Or for Sanaa, the Yemeni capital being bombarded by American-supplied Saudi warplanes?
We don't recall seeing the UN chief pointedly addressing the Security Council about those situations, and dramatically invoking "hell on Earth."
The trouble with the Western-orchestrated "concern" over Syria's East Ghouta is that is so selective, cynical and a sickening sleight of hand.
Western media outlets have this week stepped up airing one-sided footage out of the militant-held East Ghouta suburb, along with shrill demands for the US and other governments to "take action." The implicit message is for greater military intervention in Syria by NATO nations to confront the Syrian government.
The Syrian government and its ally Russia are being accused of massacring civilians with air strikes on East Ghouta. Russia has denied its forces are deliberately attacking civilian centers, while the Syrian government claims that militants from East Ghouta are launching deadly mortar attacks on nearby Damascus, and therefore has the right to put an end to the insurgents' fire.
One wonders how Washington, London or Paris would react if in a similar position? Ruthlessly and self-righteously, rebuffing any international concerns as "interfering in its sovereign affairs."
Shamelessly, Western media outlets are once again giving one side of the story in Syria and a very distorted side too.
They are making tenuous comparisons with the conflict over East Aleppo back in 2016. Back then the Syrian government and Russia forces ended the siege of Syrian's second largest city by routing militants who had held the eastern quarter for nearly four years.
A victory for the Syrian people was perversely distorted by the Western media to appear as a brutal conquest involving massacre of civilians. This week the Aleppo myth is being reprised in the Western media with the same barefaced lies.
The Washington Post admonished this week, "The world sits by as another massacre unfolds in Syria." It goes on: "The scenario is similar to the regime's [sic] slow, destructive reconquest in 2016 of rebel-held [sic] areas in Aleppo."
Quoting "activists" from East Ghouta, the Post depicts an infernal scenario of "hospitals overflowing with blood," "graves filled with body parts," and "children sitting alone amid rubble."
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"I don't think either party is answering people's deepest concerns and needs," Ohio governor John Kasich said in a February 25 interview on ABC News's This Week. "I don't think it's going to happen tomorrow but I think over time do not be surprised if these millennials and these Gen Xers begin to say, 'Neither party works, we want something new.'"
The idea smacks of special pleading by Kasich, who ran a lackluster campaign for the Republican Party's 2016 presidential nomination and got sent home by his party's primary voters in favor of Donald Trump. His supporters (with no discernible discouragement from him) are talking him up as a possible 2020 candidate on a third party ticket.
Maybe not tomorrow, governor Kasich -- and certainly not yesterday.
In 2014, Kasich and Ohio's Secretary of State, Jon Husted,actively conspired to deny Ohioans third choices -- Libertarian Party nominee Charlie Earl for governor and Steve Linnaberry for Attorney General, accepting an illegal $25,000 in-kind donation from a GOP activist in the form of attorney bills for legal action to remove Earl and Linnaberry from the ballot.
The only reason John Kasich suddenly thinks fondly of third parties is because he fell short of his own party's top slot. Back when he thought the sky was the limit for himself, he couldn't stand the idea. Sore loser much?
He may be right that a third party is coming, but not for the reasons he wants one. He's enamored of the notion that what Americans REALLY want in a political candidate is a "centrist" like John Kasich, Mitt Romney, or John McCain, or, for that matter, Hillary Clinton. In other words, a candidate like those who keep losing presidential elections.
The winners of recent elections have been candidates who moved away from the center -- ever so slightly in a "progressive" direction like Barack Obama in 2008, or falsely but loudly in a "populist" direction like the Tea Party's 2010 congressional class or Donald Trump in 2016.
The problem with the major parties is not that they're not "centrist" enough, it's that their candidates run as something different and then move to the center after they win.
Americans clearly want change, not the same old stuff in louder packaging. We don't agree on what kind of change, but it's obvious to most of us that something just isn't working.
There's already a third American political party, based on ideas that work every time they're tried. It's the party Kasich did his damnedest to hide from the voters of Ohio: The Libertarian Party.
There are other third parties, too, if freedom isn't your touchstone. The Green Party. The Constitution Party. The oldest third party in existence, the Prohibition Party.
But they're not the kind of third parties John Kasich has in mind. They're parties whose supporters want to actually take America in new directions. John Kasich wants to paint a racing stripe on his broke-down ideas and sell us a jalopy with four flat tires and no engine as something "new."
Sorry, John. No sale.
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Micro Turbine Market Research 2018A market study "Global Micro Turbine Market" examines the performance of the Micro Turbine market 2018. It encloses an in-depth Research of the Micro Turbine market state and the competitive landscape Globally. This report analyzes the potential of Micro Turbine market in the present and the future prospects from various angles in detail.The Global Micro Turbine Market 2018 report includes Micro Turbine market Revenue, market Share, Micro Turbine industry volume, market Trends, Micro Turbine Growth aspects. A wide range of applications, Utilization ratio, Supply and demand analysis are also consist in the report.It shows manufacturing capacity, Micro Turbine Price during the Forecast period from 2018 to 2025.To Get Sample Report Click Here:Manufacturers Analysis and Top Sellers of Global Micro Turbine Market 2018 : Capstone Turbine Ansaldo Energia FlexEnergy IHIMicro Turbine Market : By Application Oil, Gas & Other Natural Resources Commercial Building Landfill TransportationMicro Turbine Market : By Type 12 kW~ 50 kW 50 kW~ 250 kW 250 kW~ 500 kW OtherFirstly, the report covers the top Micro Turbine manufacturing industry players from regions like Global, EU, Japan, and China. It also characterizes the market based on geological regions.Further, the Micro Turbine report gives information on the company profile, market share and contact details along with value chain analysis of Micro Turbine industry, Micro Turbine industry rules and policies, circumstances driving the growth of the market and compulsion blocking the growth. Micro Turbine Market development scope and various business strategies are also mentioned in this report.Browse Full Report Here:The Micro Turbine research report includes the products that are currently in demand and available in the market along with their cost breakup, manufacturing volume, import/export scheme and contribution to the Micro Turbine market revenue worldwide.Finally, Micro Turbine market report gives you details about the market research findings and conclusion which helps you to develop profitable market strategies to gain competitive advantage.About US:"QY Research Store" is a leading market intelligence team which accredits and provides the reports of some of the top publishers in the field of technology industry. We are as a firm expertise in making extensive reports that cover all the necessary details about the market assessments such as major technological improvement in the industry.Contact Us5001 Spring Valley Road,Suite 400 East,Dallas, TX 75244, USAWeb:Email: sales@qyresearchstore.com
Feb 26, 2018: Transdermal Scopolamine Market Forecast 2018-2025 Novartis AG, Perrigo Company, Myungmoon Pharma
Transdermal Scopolamine Market
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Transdermal Scopolamine Market Research 2018A market study "Global Transdermal Scopolamine Market" examines the performance of the Transdermal Scopolamine market 2018. It encloses an in-depth Research of the Transdermal Scopolamine market state and the competitive landscape Globally. This report analyzes the potential of Transdermal Scopolamine market in the present and the future prospects from various angles in detail.The Global Transdermal Scopolamine Market 2018 report includes Transdermal Scopolamine market Revenue, market Share, Transdermal Scopolamine industry volume, market Trends, Transdermal Scopolamine Growth aspects. A wide range of applications, Utilization ratio, Supply and demand analysis are also consist in the report.It shows manufacturing capacity, Transdermal Scopolamine Price during the Forecast period from 2018 to 2025.To Get Sample Report Click Here:Manufacturers Analysis and Top Sellers of Global Transdermal Scopolamine Market 2018 : Baxter International Inc. GlaxoSmithKline plc Novartis AG Perrigo Company plc. Caleb Pharmaceuticals, Inc. Myungmoon Pharma Co. LTD.Transdermal Scopolamine Market : By Application Hospital Clinic Ambulance Center OthersTransdermal Scopolamine Market : By Type Tablet Type Syrups Type Injections Type Patch Type Gel TypeFirstly, the report covers the top Transdermal Scopolamine manufacturing industry players from regions like Global, EU, Japan, and China. It also characterizes the market based on geological regions.Further, the Transdermal Scopolamine report gives information on the company profile, market share and contact details along with value chain analysis of Transdermal Scopolamine industry, Transdermal Scopolamine industry rules and policies, circumstances driving the growth of the market and compulsion blocking the growth. Transdermal Scopolamine Market development scope and various business strategies are also mentioned in this report.Browse Full Report Here:The Transdermal Scopolamine research report includes the products that are currently in demand and available in the market along with their cost breakup, manufacturing volume, import/export scheme and contribution to the Transdermal Scopolamine market revenue worldwide.Finally, Transdermal Scopolamine market report gives you details about the market research findings and conclusion which helps you to develop profitable market strategies to gain competitive advantage.About US:"QY Research Store" is a leading market intelligence team which accredits and provides the reports of some of the top publishers in the field of technology industry. We are as a firm expertise in making extensive reports that cover all the necessary details about the market assessments such as major technological improvement in the industry.Contact Us5001 Spring Valley Road,Suite 400 East,Dallas, TX 75244, USAWeb:Email: sales@qyresearchstore.com
Feb 26, 2018: Marina Gangways Market Forecast 2018-2025 AccuDock, Atlantic, Dock Marine, MarineMaster
Marina Gangways Market
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Marina Gangways Market Research 2018A market study "Global Marina Gangways Market" examines the performance of the Marina Gangways market 2018. It encloses an in-depth Research of the Marina Gangways market state and the competitive landscape Globally. This report analyzes the potential of Marina Gangways market in the present and the future prospects from various angles in detail.The Global Marina Gangways Market 2018 report includes Marina Gangways market Revenue, market Share, Marina Gangways industry volume, market Trends, Marina Gangways Growth aspects. A wide range of applications, Utilization ratio, Supply and demand analysis are also consist in the report.It shows manufacturing capacity, Marina Gangways Price during the Forecast period from 2018 to 2025.To Get Sample Report Click Here:Manufacturers Analysis and Top Sellers of Global Marina Gangways Market 2018 :1. A-Laiturit2. A-Marinas3. AccuDock4. Atlantic5. CANDOCK6. Clement Germany7. Connect-A-Dock8. Dock Marine9. EZ Dock10. Inland and Coastal Marina Systems Ltd.11. JETFLOAT INTERNATIONAL12. Kropf Marine13. La Maltiere14. Lindley Marinas15. MAADI Group16. Marina Dock Systems17. MarineMaster18. MARTINI ALFREDO19. Metalu Industries20. Orsta Marina21. PermaStruct22. Poralu Marine23. Potona Marine24. Ravens Marine25. RonauticaMarina Gangways Market : By Application Ports Marinas OtherMarina Gangways Market : By Type Standard Articulated Eecessed OtherFirstly, the report covers the top Marina Gangways manufacturing industry players from regions like Global, EU, Japan, and China. It also characterizes the market based on geological regions.Further, the Marina Gangways report gives information on the company profile, market share and contact details along with value chain analysis of Marina Gangways industry, Marina Gangways industry rules and policies, circumstances driving the growth of the market and compulsion blocking the growth. Marina Gangways Market development scope and various business strategies are also mentioned in this report.Browse Full Report Here:The Marina Gangways research report includes the products that are currently in demand and available in the market along with their cost breakup, manufacturing volume, import/export scheme and contribution to the Marina Gangways market revenue worldwide.Finally, Marina Gangways market report gives you details about the market research findings and conclusion which helps you to develop profitable market strategies to gain competitive advantage.About US:"QY Research Store" is a leading market intelligence team which accredits and provides the reports of some of the top publishers in the field of technology industry. We are as a firm expertise in making extensive reports that cover all the necessary details about the market assessments such as major technological improvement in the industry.Contact Us5001 Spring Valley Road,Suite 400 East,Dallas, TX 75244, USAWeb:Email: sales@qyresearchstore.com
Feb 26, 2018: Port Fire Pedestals Market Forecast 2018-2025 Cheyenne, Depagne, HyPower, Accmar Equipment
Port Fire Pedestals Market
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Port Fire Pedestals Market Research 2018A market study "Global Port Fire Pedestals Market" examines the performance of the Port Fire Pedestals market 2018. It encloses an in-depth Research of the Port Fire Pedestals market state and the competitive landscape Globally. This report analyzes the potential of Port Fire Pedestals market in the present and the future prospects from various angles in detail.The Global Port Fire Pedestals Market 2018 report includes Port Fire Pedestals market Revenue, market Share, Port Fire Pedestals industry volume, market Trends, Port Fire Pedestals Growth aspects. A wide range of applications, Utilization ratio, Supply and demand analysis are also consist in the report.It shows manufacturing capacity, Port Fire Pedestals Price during the Forecast period from 2018 to 2025.To Get Sample Report Click Here:Manufacturers Analysis and Top Sellers of Global Port Fire Pedestals Market 2018 :1. Accmar Equipment2. Cheyenne3. Depagne4. Dockside Power5. Eaton6. HyPower7. Lindley Marinas8. Marina Dock Systems9. Marina Electrical Equipment10. MARTINI ALFREDO11. Plus Marine12. Rolec Services13. Ronautica14. Sea Technology15. Tallykey16. WMW WaubaushenePort Fire Pedestals Market : By Application Ports Marinas OtherPort Fire Pedestals Market : By Type With Built-in Light With no Built-in LightFirstly, the report covers the top Port Fire Pedestals manufacturing industry players from regions like Global, EU, Japan, and China. It also characterizes the market based on geological regions.Further, the Port Fire Pedestals report gives information on the company profile, market share and contact details along with value chain analysis of Port Fire Pedestals industry, Port Fire Pedestals industry rules and policies, circumstances driving the growth of the market and compulsion blocking the growth. Port Fire Pedestals Market development scope and various business strategies are also mentioned in this report.Browse Full Report Here:The Port Fire Pedestals research report includes the products that are currently in demand and available in the market along with their cost breakup, manufacturing volume, import/export scheme and contribution to the Port Fire Pedestals market revenue worldwide.Finally, Port Fire Pedestals market report gives you details about the market research findings and conclusion which helps you to develop profitable market strategies to gain competitive advantage.About US:"QY Research Store" is a leading market intelligence team which accredits and provides the reports of some of the top publishers in the field of technology industry. We are as a firm expertise in making extensive reports that cover all the necessary details about the market assessments such as major technological improvement in the industry.Contact Us5001 Spring Valley Road,Suite 400 East,Dallas, TX 75244, USAWeb:Email: sales@qyresearchstore.com
Feb 26, 2018: Flat Automobile Horn Market Forecast 2018-2025 Fiamm, Minda, Bosch, Imasen, Hella
Flat Automobile Horn Market
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Flat Automobile Horn Market Research 2018A market study "Global Flat Automobile Horn Market" examines the performance of the Flat Automobile Horn market 2018. It encloses an in-depth Research of the Flat Automobile Horn market state and the competitive landscape Globally. This report analyzes the potential of Flat Automobile Horn market in the present and the future prospects from various angles in detail.The Global Flat Automobile Horn Market 2018 report includes Flat Automobile Horn market Revenue, market Share, Flat Automobile Horn industry volume, market Trends, Flat Automobile Horn Growth aspects. A wide range of applications, Utilization ratio, Supply and demand analysis are also consist in the report.It shows manufacturing capacity, Flat Automobile Horn Price during the Forecast period from 2018 to 2025.To Get Sample Report Click Here:Manufacturers Analysis and Top Sellers of Global Flat Automobile Horn Market 2018 :1. Fiamm2. Minda3. Denso4. Bosch5. Imasen6. Hella7. Seger8. Mitsuba9. Stec10. LG Horn11. Zhejiang Shengda12. Zhongzhou Electircal13. Wolo Manufacturing14. SORL Auto Parts15. JiariFlat Automobile Horn Market : By Application Passenger Vehicle Light Commercial Vehicle OthersFlat Automobile Horn Market : By Type Electronic Horn Electromagnetic hornsFirstly, the report covers the top Flat Automobile Horn manufacturing industry players from regions like Global, EU, Japan, and China. It also characterizes the market based on geological regions.Further, the Flat Automobile Horn report gives information on the company profile, market share and contact details along with value chain analysis of Flat Automobile Horn industry, Flat Automobile Horn industry rules and policies, circumstances driving the growth of the market and compulsion blocking the growth. Flat Automobile Horn Market development scope and various business strategies are also mentioned in this report.Browse Full Report Here:The Flat Automobile Horn research report includes the products that are currently in demand and available in the market along with their cost breakup, manufacturing volume, import/export scheme and contribution to the Flat Automobile Horn market revenue worldwide.Finally, Flat Automobile Horn market report gives you details about the market research findings and conclusion which helps you to develop profitable market strategies to gain competitive advantage.About US:"QY Research Store" is a leading market intelligence team which accredits and provides the reports of some of the top publishers in the field of technology industry. We are as a firm expertise in making extensive reports that cover all the necessary details about the market assessments such as major technological improvement in the industry.Contact Us5001 Spring Valley Road,Suite 400 East,Dallas, TX 75244, USAWeb:Email: sales@qyresearchstore.com
Feb 26, 2018: Epoxy Based Electrically Conductive Adhesives Market Forecast 2018-2025 Masterbond, 3M Company
Epoxy Based Electrically Conductive Adhesives Market
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Epoxy Based Electrically Conductive Adhesives Market Research 2018A market study "Global Epoxy Based Electrically Conductive Adhesives Market" examines the performance of the Epoxy Based Electrically Conductive Adhesives market 2018. It encloses an in-depth Research of the Epoxy Based Electrically Conductive Adhesives market state and the competitive landscape Globally. This report analyzes the potential of Epoxy Based Electrically Conductive Adhesives market in the present and the future prospects from various angles in detail.The Global Epoxy Based Electrically Conductive Adhesives Market 2018 report includes Epoxy Based Electrically Conductive Adhesives market Revenue, market Share, Epoxy Based Electrically Conductive Adhesives industry volume, market Trends, Epoxy Based Electrically Conductive Adhesives Growth aspects. A wide range of applications, Utilization ratio, Supply and demand analysis are also consist in the report.It shows manufacturing capacity, Epoxy Based Electrically Conductive Adhesives Price during the Forecast period from 2018 to 2025.To Get Sample Report Click Here:Manufacturers Analysis and Top Sellers of Global Epoxy Based Electrically Conductive Adhesives Market 2018 :1. Henkel AG & Co. KGaA2. H.B. Fuller3. 3M Company4. Permabond Engineering Adhesives5. Masterbond6. Creative Materials Inc.7. Panacol-Elosol GmbH8. DOW Corning9. Polytec PT GmbH10. Lord Corporation11. MG Chemicals12. Protavic America, Inc.13. Aremco14. Cast-Coat, Inc.15. Nagase America CorporationEpoxy Based Electrically Conductive Adhesives Market : By Application Automotive Market Consumer Electronics Market Aerospace Market Biosciences Market Others MarketEpoxy Based Electrically Conductive Adhesives Market : By Type Isotropic AnisotropicFirstly, the report covers the top Epoxy Based Electrically Conductive Adhesives manufacturing industry players from regions like Global, EU, Japan, and China. It also characterizes the market based on geological regions.Further, the Epoxy Based Electrically Conductive Adhesives report gives information on the company profile, market share and contact details along with value chain analysis of Epoxy Based Electrically Conductive Adhesives industry, Epoxy Based Electrically Conductive Adhesives industry rules and policies, circumstances driving the growth of the market and compulsion blocking the growth. Epoxy Based Electrically Conductive Adhesives Market development scope and various business strategies are also mentioned in this report.Browse Full Report Here:The Epoxy Based Electrically Conductive Adhesives research report includes the products that are currently in demand and available in the market along with their cost breakup, manufacturing volume, import/export scheme and contribution to the Epoxy Based Electrically Conductive Adhesives market revenue worldwide.Finally, Epoxy Based Electrically Conductive Adhesives market report gives you details about the market research findings and conclusion which helps you to develop profitable market strategies to gain competitive advantage.About US:"QY Research Store" is a leading market intelligence team which accredits and provides the reports of some of the top publishers in the field of technology industry. We are as a firm expertise in making extensive reports that cover all the necessary details about the market assessments such as major technological improvement in the industry.Contact Us5001 Spring Valley Road,Suite 400 East,Dallas, TX 75244, USAWeb:Email: sales@qyresearchstore.com
Feb 26, 2018: Hardcoated Polyester Film Market Forecast 2018-2025 Tekra, Toray, Kimoto, Gunze, Lintec
Hardcoated Polyester Film Market
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Hardcoated Polyester Film Market Research 2018A market study "Global Hardcoated Polyester Film Market" examines the performance of the Hardcoated Polyester Film market 2018. It encloses an in-depth Research of the Hardcoated Polyester Film market state and the competitive landscape Globally. This report analyzes the potential of Hardcoated Polyester Film market in the present and the future prospects from various angles in detail.The Global Hardcoated Polyester Film Market 2018 report includes Hardcoated Polyester Film market Revenue, market Share, Hardcoated Polyester Film industry volume, market Trends, Hardcoated Polyester Film Growth aspects. A wide range of applications, Utilization ratio, Supply and demand analysis are also consist in the report.It shows manufacturing capacity, Hardcoated Polyester Film Price during the Forecast period from 2018 to 2025.To Get Sample Report Click Here:Manufacturers Analysis and Top Sellers of Global Hardcoated Polyester Film Market 2018 :1. Tekra2. Toray3. Kimoto Ltd.4. HYNT5. Gunze Ltd.6. KOLON Industries7. SKC Films8. Vampire Coating9. Arisawa Mfg10. Lintec Corporation11. MSK12. Chiefway TechnologyHardcoated Polyester Film Market : By Application Membrane Switches Display Touch Screen OtherHardcoated Polyester Film Market : By Type Hard SoftFirstly, the report covers the top Hardcoated Polyester Film manufacturing industry players from regions like Global, EU, Japan, and China. It also characterizes the market based on geological regions.Further, the Hardcoated Polyester Film report gives information on the company profile, market share and contact details along with value chain analysis of Hardcoated Polyester Film industry, Hardcoated Polyester Film industry rules and policies, circumstances driving the growth of the market and compulsion blocking the growth. Hardcoated Polyester Film Market development scope and various business strategies are also mentioned in this report.Browse Full Report Here:The Hardcoated Polyester Film research report includes the products that are currently in demand and available in the market along with their cost breakup, manufacturing volume, import/export scheme and contribution to the Hardcoated Polyester Film market revenue worldwide.Finally, Hardcoated Polyester Film market report gives you details about the market research findings and conclusion which helps you to develop profitable market strategies to gain competitive advantage.About US:"QY Research Store" is a leading market intelligence team which accredits and provides the reports of some of the top publishers in the field of technology industry. We are as a firm expertise in making extensive reports that cover all the necessary details about the market assessments such as major technological improvement in the industry.Contact Us5001 Spring Valley Road,Suite 400 East,Dallas, TX 75244, USAWeb:Email: sales@qyresearchstore.com
Feb 26, 2018: Security Cameras with 360 Fisheye Market Forecast 2018-2025 Vivotek, Hikvision, Dahua, Sony
Security Cameras with 360 Fisheye Market
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Security Cameras with 360 Fisheye Market Research 2018A market study "Global Security Cameras with 360 Fisheye Market" examines the performance of the Security Cameras with 360 Fisheye market 2018. It encloses an in-depth Research of the Security Cameras with 360 Fisheye market state and the competitive landscape Globally. This report analyzes the potential of Security Cameras with 360 Fisheye market in the present and the future prospects from various angles in detail.The Global Security Cameras with 360 Fisheye Market 2018 report includes Security Cameras with 360 Fisheye market Revenue, market Share, Security Cameras with 360 Fisheye industry volume, market Trends, Security Cameras with 360 Fisheye Growth aspects. A wide range of applications, Utilization ratio, Supply and demand analysis are also consist in the report.It shows manufacturing capacity, Security Cameras with 360 Fisheye Price during the Forecast period from 2018 to 2025.To Get Sample Report Click Here:Manufacturers Analysis and Top Sellers of Global Security Cameras with 360 Fisheye Market 2018 :1. Axis Communications2. Vivotek3. Hikvision4. Panasonic5. Dahua6. MOBOTIX7. Bosch Security Systems8. Sony9. GeoVision10. Pelco by Schneider Electric11. Avigilon12. Honeywell13. American Dynamics14. ACTiSecurity Cameras with 360 Fisheye Market : By Application Residential Use Commercial Use Public & Government InfrastructureSecurity Cameras with 360 Fisheye Market : By Type 960P 1080P OthersFirstly, the report covers the top Security Cameras with 360 Fisheye manufacturing industry players from regions like Global, EU, Japan, and China. It also characterizes the market based on geological regions.Further, the Security Cameras with 360 Fisheye report gives information on the company profile, market share and contact details along with value chain analysis of Security Cameras with 360 Fisheye industry, Security Cameras with 360 Fisheye industry rules and policies, circumstances driving the growth of the market and compulsion blocking the growth. Security Cameras with 360 Fisheye Market development scope and various business strategies are also mentioned in this report.Browse Full Report Here:The Security Cameras with 360 Fisheye research report includes the products that are currently in demand and available in the market along with their cost breakup, manufacturing volume, import/export scheme and contribution to the Security Cameras with 360 Fisheye market revenue worldwide.Finally, Security Cameras with 360 Fisheye market report gives you details about the market research findings and conclusion which helps you to develop profitable market strategies to gain competitive advantage.About US:"QY Research Store" is a leading market intelligence team which accredits and provides the reports of some of the top publishers in the field of technology industry. We are as a firm expertise in making extensive reports that cover all the necessary details about the market assessments such as major technological improvement in the industry.Contact Us5001 Spring Valley Road,Suite 400 East,Dallas, TX 75244, USAWeb:Email: sales@qyresearchstore.com
Coal Mining 2018 Global Industry Key Players - BHP Billiton Ltd , Cloud Peak Energy , Jindal Steel & Power , Vale SA Market Analysis And Forecast To 2025
Global Coal Mining Market
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Global Coal Mining MarketIn this report, the global Coal Mining market is valued at USD XX million in 2017 and is expected to reach USD XX million by the end of 2025, growing at a CAGR of XX% between 2017 and 2025.Global Coal Mining market competition by top manufacturers, with production, price, revenue (value) and market share for each manufacturer; the top players includingBHP Billiton LtdCloud Peak EnergyJindal Steel & PowerVale SARio Tinto GroupMitsubishi CorporationPeabody Energy CorporationAnglo American plcArch CoalAlpha Natural ResourcesShenhua GroupArcelor MittalAurizon Holdings LimitedRequest a Sample Report @Geographically, this report is segmented into several key Regions, with production, consumption, revenue (million USD), market share and growth rate of Coal Mining in these regions, from 2013 to 2025 (forecast), coveringNorth AmericaEuropeChinaJapanSoutheast AsiaIndiaOn the basis of product, this report displays the production, revenue, price, market share and growth rate of each type, primarily split intoUnderground MiningSurface MiningUndersea MiningOn the basis of the end users/applications, this report focuses on the status and outlook for major applications/end users, consumption (sales), market share and growth rate for each application, includingElectricity GenerationCoke ProductionGenerating Heat EnergyComplete Report Details @Table of Contents-Key Points CoveredGlobal Coal Mining Market Research Report 20181 Coal Mining Market Overview1.1 Product Overview and Scope of Coal Mining1.2 Coal Mining Segment by Type (Product Category)1.2.1 Global Coal Mining Production and CAGR (%) Comparison by Type (Product Category)(2013-2025)1.2.2 Global Coal Mining Production Market Share by Type (Product Category) in 20171.2.3 Underground Mining1.2.4 Surface Mining1.2.5 Undersea Mining1.3 Global Coal Mining Segment by Application1.3.1 Coal Mining Consumption (Sales) Comparison by Application (2013-2025)1.3.2 Electricity Generation1.3.3 Coke Production1.3.4 Generating Heat Energy1.4 Global Coal Mining Market by Region (2013-2025)1.4.1 Global Coal Mining Market Size (Value) and CAGR (%) Comparison by Region (2013-2025)1.4.2 North America Status and Prospect (2013-2025)1.4.3 Europe Status and Prospect (2013-2025)1.4.4 China Status and Prospect (2013-2025)1.4.5 Japan Status and Prospect (2013-2025)1.4.6 Southeast Asia Status and Prospect (2013-2025)1.4.7 India Status and Prospect (2013-2025)1.5 Global Market Size (Value) of Coal Mining (2013-2025)1.5.1 Global Coal Mining Revenue Status and Outlook (2013-2025)1.5.2 Global Coal Mining Capacity, Production Status and Outlook (2013-2025)7 Global Coal Mining Manufacturers Profiles/Analysis7.1 BHP Billiton Ltd7.1.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base, Sales Area and Its Competitors7.1.2 Coal Mining Product Category, Application and Specification7.1.2.1 Product A7.1.2.2 Product B7.1.3 BHP Billiton Ltd Coal Mining Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2013-2018)7.1.4 Main Business/Business Overview7.2 Cloud Peak Energy7.2.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base, Sales Area and Its Competitors7.2.2 Coal Mining Product Category, Application and Specification7.2.2.1 Product A7.2.2.2 Product B7.2.3 Cloud Peak Energy Coal Mining Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2013-2018)7.2.4 Main Business/Business Overview7.3 Jindal Steel & Power7.3.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base, Sales Area and Its Competitors7.3.2 Coal Mining Product Category, Application and Specification7.3.2.1 Product A7.3.2.2 Product B7.3.3 Jindal Steel & Power Coal Mining Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2013-2018)7.3.4 Main Business/Business Overview7.4 Vale SA7.4.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base, Sales Area and Its Competitors7.4.2 Coal Mining Product Category, Application and Specification7.4.2.1 Product A7.4.2.2 Product B7.4.3 Vale SA Coal Mining Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2013-2018)7.4.4 Main Business/Business Overview7.5 Rio Tinto Group7.5.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base, Sales Area and Its Competitors7.5.2 Coal Mining Product Category, Application and Specification7.5.2.1 Product A7.5.2.2 Product B7.5.3 Rio Tinto Group Coal Mining Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2013-2018)7.5.4 Main Business/Business Overview7.6 Mitsubishi Corporation7.6.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base, Sales Area and Its Competitors7.6.2 Coal Mining Product Category, Application and Specification7.6.2.1 Product A7.6.2.2 Product B7.6.3 Mitsubishi Corporation Coal Mining Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2013-2018)7.6.4 Main Business/Business Overview7.7 Peabody Energy Corporation7.7.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base, Sales Area and Its Competitors7.7.2 Coal Mining Product Category, Application and Specification7.7.2.1 Product A7.7.2.2 Product B7.7.3 Peabody Energy Corporation Coal Mining Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2013-2018)7.7.4 Main Business/Business Overview7.8 Anglo American plc7.8.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base, Sales Area and Its Competitors7.8.2 Coal Mining Product Category, Application and Specification7.8.2.1 Product A7.8.2.2 Product B7.8.3 Anglo American plc Coal Mining Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2013-2018)7.8.4 Main Business/Business Overview7.9 Arch Coal7.9.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base, Sales Area and Its Competitors7.9.2 Coal Mining Product Category, Application and Specification7.9.2.1 Product A7.9.2.2 Product B7.9.3 Arch Coal Coal Mining Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2013-2018)7.9.4 Main Business/Business Overview7.10 Alpha Natural Resources7.10.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base, Sales Area and Its Competitors7.10.2 Coal Mining Product Category, Application and Specification7.10.2.1 Product A7.10.2.2 Product B7.10.3 Alpha Natural Resources Coal Mining Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2013-2018)7.10.4 Main Business/Business Overview7.11 Shenhua Group7.12 Arcelor Mittal7.13 Aurizon Holdings LimitedContinued.Wise Guy Reports Is Part Of The Wise Guy Consultants Pvt. Ltd. And Offers Premium Progressive Statistical Surveying, Market Research Reports, Analysis & Forecast Data For Industries And Governments Around The Globe. Wise Guy Reports Features An Exhaustive List Of Market Research Reports From Hundreds Of Publishers Worldwide. We Boast A Database Spanning Virtually Every Market Category And An Even More Comprehensive Collection Of Market Research Reports Under These Categories And Sub-Categories.Wise Guy Research Consultants Pvt LtdOffice No. 528, Amanora ChambersMagarpatta Road, HadapsarPune - 411028Maharashtra, India
Sandalwood Oil Global Market Top Key Players Karnataka Soaps & Detergents Limited , Katyani Exports , NARESH INTERNATIONAL , Quintis , R K - Essential Oils Company and Forecast to 2022
Sandalwood Oil Market
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Global Sandalwood Oil MarketWiseGuyRerports.com Presents Global Sandalwood Oil Market 2018-2022 New Document to its Studies Database. The Report Contain 107 Pages With Detailed Analysis.DescriptionSandalwood oil is an essential oil extracted from a small tropical tree known as Santalum album. It is usually available in a pale yellow or golden yellow color and has a woody floral fragrance.The analysts forecast the global sandalwood oil market to grow at a CAGR of 10.03% during the period 2018-2022.Covered in this reportThe report covers the present scenario and the growth prospects of the global sandalwood oil market for 2018-2022. To calculate the market size, the report presents a detailed picture of the market by way of study, synthesis, and summation of data from multiple sources.Get sample Report @The market is divided into the following segments based on geography: Americas APAC EMEAThe Global Sandalwood Oil Market 2018-2022, has been prepared based on an in-depth market analysis with inputs from industry experts. The report covers the market landscape and its growth prospects over the coming years. The report also includes a discussion of the key vendors operating in this market.Key vendors Karnataka Soaps & Detergents Limited Katyani Exports NARESH INTERNATIONAL Quintis R K - Essential Oils Company SantanolMarket driver Numerous benefits offered by sandalwood oil For a full, detailed list, view our reportMarket challenge High price of sandalwood For a full, detailed list, view our reportMarket trend Rising demand for aromatherapy For a full, detailed list, view our reportKey questions answered in this report What will the market size be in 2022 and what will the growth rate be? What are the key market trends? What is driving this market? What are the challenges to market growth? Who are the key vendors in this market space?Complete Report Details @Table of Contents -Major Key PointsPART 01: EXECUTIVE SUMMARYPART 02: SCOPE OF THE REPORTPART 03: RESEARCH METHODOLOGYPART 04: MARKET LANDSCAPE Market ecosystem Market characteristics Market segmentation analysisPART 05: MARKET SIZING Market definition Market sizing 2017 Market size and forecast 2017-2022PART 06: FIVE FORCES ANALYSIS Bargaining power of buyers Bargaining power of suppliers Threat of new entrants Threat of substitutes Threat of rivalry Market conditionPART 07: MARKET SEGMENTATION BY PRODUCT TYPE Segmentation by product type Comparison by product type Indian sandalwood oil Market size and forecast 2017-2022 Australian sandalwood oil Market size and forecast 2017-2022 Others Market size and forecast 2017-2022 Market opportunity by product typePART 08: CUSTOMER LANDSCAPEPART 09: REGIONAL LANDSCAPE Geographical segmentation Regional comparison APAC Market size and forecast 2017-2022 Americas Market size and forecast 2017-2022 EMEA Market size and forecast 2017-2022 Key leading countries India US China France Market opportunityPART 10: DECISION FRAMEWORKPART 11: DRIVERS AND CHALLENGES Market drivers Market challengesPART 12: MARKET TRENDS Rising demand for aromatherapy Growing preference for online shopping Increasing applications of sandalwood oilPART 13: VENDOR LANDSCAPE Overview Landscape disruptionPART 14: VENDOR ANALYSIS Vendors covered Vendor classification Market positioning of vendors Karnataka Soaps & Detergents Limited Katyani Exports NARESH INTERNATIONAL Quintis R K - Essential Oils Company Santanol..CONTINUEDAbout UsWise Guy Reports is part of the Wise Guy Consultants Pvt. Ltd. and offers premium progressive statistical surveying, Industry research reports, analysis & forecast data for industries and governments around the globe. Wise Guy Reports understand how essential statistical surveying information is for your organization or association. Therefore, we have associated with the top publishers and research firms all specialized in specific domains, ensuring you will receive the most reliable and up to date research data available.NORAH TRENTPartner Relations & Marketing Managersales@wiseguyreports.comPh: +1-646-845-9349 (US)Ph: +44 208 133 9349 (UK)
Botulism Illness Market area to Watch Strong Change by 2027
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The market Research Future has been published New Research Reports which is Botulism Illness Market & in This Report the Information has been provided like Market Analysis, Scope, Stake, Progress, Trends & Forecast which is making through primary and secondary research which is done by professional healthcare researcher.Botulism is one of the very serious and rare potentially critical illnesses which are caused by the toxins produces by a bacteria Clostridium botulinum. This type of disease mostly happens due to trouble seeing, weakness, trouble speaking and feeling tired. The major symptoms which can be classified under botulism illness are wound botulism, food borne botulism, and infant botulism and by inhalations. These symptoms are not only caused by the bacteria or bacterium itself but can also by the toxins which are produced by the bacteria. It can occur in the human body by eating contaminated food, weak immune system and improper food. These symptoms generally appear with in 1 to 2 days or maximum 8 to 10 days after exposure.Global Botulism Illness Market Overview:though botulism illness is a very severe disease but it can be treated with supportive care and antitoxins. Monitoring the respiratory function of an individual can be a supportive care for botulism illness. In the wound botulism and food borne case, the antitoxins are required for proper treatment. The wounds are mostly treated by surgical procedure by which the bacteria can be removed by giving proper antibiotics. Whenever there is breathing problem, the mechanical ventilators are required and in case of swallowing or speaking problem the rehabilitation therapies are needed. The government has taken initiative proposed the healthcare associations that the contaminated and waste food to be removed from the retail store and available places. Children are more prone to this disease.Get Premium Sample Copy atGlobal Botulism Illness Market Growth Influencer:the major driving factors considered for the Global Botulism Illness Market are the availability of proper treatment of botulism illness, huge spending on research and development activities, clean environment. In addition to this, the government is taking proper initiative and working on the hygiene factor in many countries. Rising awareness about the care and treatment are easily available in the North America and European region. Along with this, the different health associations of countries such as in the US, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, World Health Organization and others are putting positive efforts; however, the botulism illness is getting irradiated gradually. On the other hand, lack of awareness in some undeveloped regions, intake on unhygienic food and high cost of research & development are hindering the overall Global Botulism Illness Market.Global Botulism Illness Market Segmentation:The Global Botulism Illness Market is segmented into the drug types and applications. Considering the drug type, the global Botulism Illness Market is segmented into antibiotics, antitoxins and others (heptavalent botulinum and trivalent) and by application, the global market is segmented into hospitals, clinics, pharmacies and others.Global Botulism Illness Market Key Players:The existing and prominent key players present in the Global Botulism Illness Market include Microbiotix, Inc., XOMA Corporation, Molecular Targeting Technologies, Inc., AlphaVax, Inc., and Morphotek, Inc. and others.Get Discount atGlobal Botulism Illness Market Regional Analysis:Geographically, the Global Botulism Illness Market is divided into North America, Latin America, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, Asia-Pacific and Middle East & Africa.North America: In North America, the US is one of the major markets for the treatment of botulism illness. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in the US has been looking forward to the proper treatment and care. Rising awareness and proper diagnose has meet the expectation of the North America, particularly in the US region. According to CDC (The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) on an average 140 to 150 botulism cases report where in about 60% are of infant botulism, 18% are of wound botulism and 15% are of food borne.Europe: Followed by North America, European medical and healthcare associations along with WHO has implemented the proper treatment for botulism illness. In the recent, United Kingdom has reported large number of food borne botulism cases and control measures included the pause of production of all yogurt.Asia-Pacific: Australian & New Zealand are the key market for the treatment for botulism illness because of the free medical policies for infants. Even though, the government initiative and rising awareness are pushing the market.Middle East & Africa: In MEA, several countries are undeveloped where the government is lagging behind giving proper treatment for botulism illness. So, capturing this market can be goodThe reports also covers brief analysis of Geographical Region includes:Americas- North America (US, Canada)- Latin America (Argentina, Brazil, Mexico, Rest of LATAM)Europe- Western Europe (Germany, France, Italy, Spain, U.K, Rest of Western Europe)- Eastern Europe (Poland, Russia)Asia Pacific- Asia (China, India, Japan, South Korea, Rest of Asia)- Pacific Countries (Australia, New Zealand)Middle East & Africa- Middle East (Saudi, Qatar, UAE)- Rest of Middle East (Africa, South Africa, Rest of Africa)Browse Full Reports atTop Reasons to Buy the Reports:Company profiling with detailed strategies, financials, and recent development activitiesMarket Strategic Business Influence DataMarket Research Future recommendations in key business segments based on the market estimationsMarket share analysis of the top industry playersMarket forecasts for a minimum of 5 years of all the mentioned segments, Trends and the regional markets With SWOT AnalysisAbout Market Research Future:At Market Research Future (MRFR), we enable our customers to unravel the complexity of various industries through our Cooked Research Report (CRR), Half-Cooked Research Reports (HCRR), Raw Research Reports (3R), Continuous-Feed Research (CFR), and Market Research & Consulting Services.Contact:Market Research Future+1 646 845 9312Email: sales@marketresearchfuture.comMRFR has the distinguished objective of providing the optimal quality research and granular research to clients. Our market research studies by products, services, technologies, applications, end users, and market players for global, regional, and country level market segments, enable our clients to see more, know more, and do more, which help answer your most important questions.Our Research Analysts are eager to share their knowledge and assist you in refining market research parameters, choosing right market studies, and evaluating both the market scope and the research methodologies of varied segments.We bridge the gap between our clients and their clients by identifying and decoding just the target group, while generating leads with the highest accuracy.Years of research into diverse fields of work has ingrained within us, a proficiency so distinguished that our industry-specific specialists identify with your business ideas and feel the pulse of your challenges and opportunities. This enables us for providing assistance, through our consulting and strategic consulting services, in informed managerial decision making. In order to stay updated with technology and work process of the industries, WantStats Research and Media often conducts industrial visits for its research analysts. Relevant inputs from various established market participants, help our clients make significant contribution in respective markets are a huge motivation for all of us to endlessly furnish quality. We depend greatly on profound insights into complex realms of our study.Pune, India
Ultra-low Temperature Freezers Market to reach $210Mn By 2024
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Ultra-low Temperature Freezers Market size is set to exceed USD 210 million by 2024; according to a new research report by Global Market Insights.Increasing investment made by public as well as private players to accelerate drug discovery and development activities along with rising prevalence of infectious diseases and cancer stimulating demand for advanced treatment will drive ultra-low temperature (ULT) freezers market over the forecast timeframe.Presence of organizations such as Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, funding for developing effective treatment solutions for widespread diseases such as Malaria and tuberculosis will positively impact market growth as ULT freezers are used for storage of biological samples and high value pharmaceuticals, and medicines. Increasing number of people willing to donate organs and blood coupled with rising awareness about organ donation will propel industry growth.Request sample copy @Technological advancements in ULT freezers including development of portable freezers, reduced energy consumption, natural refrigerant and provision of temperature uniformity will drive business growth. Growing demand for personalized medicines and rising investment towards development of orphan drugs will positively impact growth. Numerous initiatives undertaken by private players as well as government organization including U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to increase adoption of ULT freezers in biobanks, hospitals, pharmacies and laboratories will fuel market growth.Stringent regulations imposed by U.S. FDA and European Commission on medical devices coupled with high cost associated with ultra-low temperature freezers will hinder growth of ultra-low temperature freezers market over the forecast timeframe.Upright freezers dominated the market in 2016 due to its enhanced reliability and technological advancement. Presence of features such as microprocessor control panel enabling efficient operation management, along with air filters allowing easy accessibility will stimulate business growth.Increasing number of organ donations, presence of public and private organizations working towards creating awareness about organ donation will stimulate adoption of ULT freezers for organ storage. Increasing number of elderly people suffering from diseases such as chronic kidney disease requiring transplantation will further propel market growth.Make Inquiry about this report @Automated ULT freezers held largest market share in 2016 due to increased adoption in biobanks and laboratories, along with multifactorial benefits such as reduction in time required for storing and retrieving samples delivered by automatic ULT freezers. Automatic ultra-low temperature freezers are used for storing compounds and biological samples, such as plasma, DNA/RNA, tissues, cells, oligonucleotides, proteins, serum, and bacterial clones will favor market growth.UK ultra-low temperature freezers market will witness lucrative growth over the forecast timeframe. Presence of biobanks providing funding and data for medical research projects, increasing number of organ donations and growing adoption of ULT freezers will drive UK ultra-low temperature freezers market. Implementation of programs such as taking organ transplantation to 2020 by government will favor industry growth.Increasing number of repetitive voluntary blood donors coupled with rising awareness about blood donation through campaigns and other programs will drive South African ultra-low temperature freezers market. Numerous efforts undertaken by Western Province Blood Transfusion Service (WPBTS) and South African National Blood Service (SANBS) will positively impact market growth.Few notable industry players operating in global ultra-low temperature freezers market are Panasonic Healthcare, Thermo Fisher Scientific, Binder, Helmer Scientific, Haier, Eppendorf, Azbil Corporation, VWR International, Stirling Ultracold, EVERmed, Arctiko and ESCO MICRO.Industry players attempt to develop cost-effective, energy efficient and reliable ULT freezer with temperature uniformity. Growing demand for eco-friendly products has led to development of natural refrigerant used in ULT freezers. Leading players such as Panasonic are entering into partnership with U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ENERGY STAR program to promote its commitment towards providing energy efficient systems.Ultra-low temperature freezers market research report includes in-depth coverage of the industry with estimates & forecast in terms of revenue in USD million from 2013 to 2024, for the following segments:Ultra-low Temperature Freezers Market by Typeo Chest freezerso Upright freezersUltra-low Temperature Freezers Market by Applicationo Blood and blood productso Organso Pharmaceuticalso Forensic and genomic researchUltra-low Temperature Freezers Market by Technologyo Automated freezerso Semi-automated freezersThe above information is provided for the following regions and countries: North Americao U.S.o Canada Europeo Germanyo UKo Italyo Italyo Russia Asia Pacifico Japano Chinao India Latin Americao Mexicoo Brazilo Argentina Middle East and Africao South Africao Saudi Arabiao Qataro UAEAbout Global Market InsightsGlobal Market Insights, Inc., headquartered in Delaware, U.S., is a global market research and consulting service provider; offering syndicated and custom research reports along with growth consulting services. Our business intelligence and industry research reports offer clients with penetrative insights and actionable market data specially designed and presented to aid strategic decision making. These exhaustive reports are designed via a proprietary research methodology and are available for key industries such as chemicals, advanced materials, technology, renewable energy and biotechnology.Contact Us:Arun HegdeCorporate Sales, USAGlobal Market Insights, Inc.Phone: 1-302-846-7766Toll Free: 1-888-689-0688Email: sales@gminsights.comWeb:Blog:
Directional Drilling Market 2018-2023: Demand, Trends, Latest Drilling Techniqes, Applications, Submarket Forecasts and Analysis
Directional Drilling Market
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Directional drilling market report offers a professional and in-depth study on the current state of the global directional drilling industry along with competitive landscape, market share and revenue forecasts 2023.The demand for directional drilling department was significantly affected by the global oil prices downturn that started in 2014. The global Exploration and Production (E&P) companies responded to the oil price decline with budget cuts or project delays, with an expected overall 40% decline in CapEx spending.Request a Sample of Directional Drilling Market Report @However, the pressing need for production optimization in the current lower for longer oil price scenario supplements the demand for directional drilling, which allows drilling from a single rig in multiple locations and in areas where regular drilling activities remain as a challenge.Furthermore, rising demand to drill deeper and farther offshore, particularly in the unconventional reserve area, is expected to further supplement the demand for directional drilling services during 2018 2023 (henceforth referred to as forecast period). On the flip side, the oil & gas operators are expected to adopt a wait and watch policy based on oil & gas prices, for the commissioning of the E&P projects, resulting in a slight decline in demand for the directional drilling services.Read more details of the report at:Quest for Offshore Oil & Gas - Driving the Directional Drilling MarketAs traditional onshore reserves are depleting, offshore resources are expected to play a more significant role in securing the growing demand for oil & gas. The increasing interest in shelf resources is illustrated by the fact that over the past 20 years, the number of significant shelf discoveries has been higher than the number of significant onshore discoveries. The shelf production is expected to account for approximately 30% of the global output, with about 27% of the offshore reserve are below 300 meters and is expected to increase further deeper. The Middle Eastern countries are expected to invest heavily in offshore development to counter their declining onshore reserves and maintain global production share from the offshore fields. The rising investment for the development of the offshore oil & gas reserves is expected to supplement the demand for directional drilling services.North America to Dominate the Market GrowthThe US shale investments were estimated to jump around 53 % in 2017, following a 44% plunge between 2014 and 2016, as per International Energy Agency (IEA). The shale gas production in the United States is expected to more than double from 37 Bcf/d in 2015 to 79 Bcf/d by 2040. Similarly, growth is also expected in Canada as well. To meet up with the rising demand for natural gas across the globe, E&P activities are expected to further increase, particularly in the North American offshore waters, such as US GOM region, which, in turn, would supplement the demand for directional drilling services during the forecast period.Saudi Arabia to Hold a Significant Demand despite Oil Prices DownturnDespite facing constant stiff competition from the shale producers of the North American region in the midst of lower crude prices, Saudi Arabia is expected to register a moderate demand for directional drilling services, during the forecast period. The economy of Saudi Arabia is highly dependent on the oil & gas upstream sector, and the oil exports account for approximately 40% of the countrys GDP and 90% of the total export earnings. E&P activities in the country are expected to continuously remain high, particularly in the offshore region, thereby increasing the demand for directional drilling services. In July 2017, Saudi Aramco announced an investment of USD 300 billion in the oil & gas sector over the next decade, which is expected to supplement the demand further.Key Developments in the MarketJanuary 2018: National Iranian Drilling Company secured directional drilling works for South Pars field phases 17/18 project in Iran.January 2018: Patterson-UTI Energy announced agreement to acquire directional drilling services company - Multi-Shot, LLCJune 2017: Schlumberger awarded a multiwell contract for ISM operations in the Ororo field, including directional drilling services.May 2017: Hilong awarded Pakistan oil service integrated technical service contract from United Energy Pakistan Limited for 1+8 deep well comprehensive technical services, including directional drillingMajor Players: AnaDARKO PETROLEUM CORPORATION, APACHE CORPORATION, BP PLC, CHEVRON CORPORATION, EXXON MOBIL CORPORATION, ROYAL DUTCH SHELL plc., HALLIBURTON Co, SCHLUMBERGER Ltd., WEATHERFORD INTERNATIONAL, BAKER HUGHES, Inc. (a GE COMPANY), NABORS INDUSTRIES Ltd., CHINA OILFIELD SERVICES LIMITEDREASONS TO PURCHASE THIS REPORTIdentify the drivers, restraints, and opportunity possessed by the global directional drilling market with in-depth analysis.Analyze the various perspectives of the market with the help of Porters five forces analysis.Gain in-depth market insights with forecasted market estimate in the global directional drilling market in terms of service type and location of deployment.Identify the largest, fastest growing, and significant regions during the forecast period with in-depth analysis.Identify the latest developments, market shares and strategies employed by the major market players.3 months analyst support along with the Market Estimate sheet in excel.Customization of the ReportThis report can be customized to meet your requirements.Companies Mentioned:Anadarko Petroleum Corporation,Apache Corporation,BP PLC,Chevron Corporation,Exxon Mobil Corporation,Royal Dutch Shell plc.,Halliburton Co,Schlumberger Ltd.,Weatherford International plc,Baker Hughes, Inc. (a GE Company),Nabors Industries Ltd.,China Oilfield Services LimitedEnquire more details of the report at:Orbis Research (orbisresearch.com) is a single point aid for all your market research requirements. We have vast database of reports from the leading publishers and authors across the globe. We specialize in delivering customized reports as per the requirements of our clients. We have complete information about our publishers and hence are sure about the accuracy of the industries and verticals of their specialization. This helps our clients to map their needs and we produce the perfect required market research study for our clients.Hector CostelloSenior Manager Client Engagements4144N Central Expressway,Suite 600, Dallas,Texas 75204, U.S.A.Phone No.: +1 (214) 884-6817; +9164101019
Paper Embossing Machine Deep Analysis on Industrial and Deep Analysis on Industrial and Market Growth studies - Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends, and Forecast 2018 - 2025
Paper Embossing Machine
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Press Release - 26 Feb 2018Global Research and Development News --. .Report Description-' ' Global Paper Embossing Machine market: Introduction Globally, the paper embossing machine market is growing substantially, due to the rise in the consumer products available in hypermarkets and supermarkets. Embossing is the technique which is used to create recessed relief images and designs on paper and other materials. The paper products are first embossed with a paper embossing machine and then it is sold to customers. In todays world, advertisement and brand image enhancement are crucial techniques to ensure good consumer engagement.Therefore, embossing is an efficient way to enhance product appeal, as well as engage consumers. Embossing is a great way to add texture and dimension to scrapbook pages, homemade cards, and others. Paper embossing machine is used give a shape on the surface of paper through which the consumers are likely to be attracted towards the product, which leads to increase in the sales of that particular product.The embossing of paper is done to attract the consumer towards the product which increases demand for the product. Paper Embossing Machine is widely used for embossing on the surface of aluminium foil for tobacco packaging, and packaging paper boxes, among others. Therefore, it is anticipated that the outlook for the global paper embossing machines market will remain largely positive during the forecast period.. . Get Sample Report' ' Global Paper Embossing Machine market: Dynamics The growing consumption of paper & paperboard products is one of the prime factors that is fuelling the growth of the global paper embossing machine market. Paper is estimated to be the fastest growing product segment. Due to the rise in the hypermarkets and supermarkets, it is anticipated that paper packaging will face sizeable demand, in the next ten years, especially in the emerging economies. The increase in demand for economic and ecological advantages by the paper & pulp manufacturers is further fuelling the need for the paper embossing machine. Brand enhancement and product attractiveness are some of the critical factors, which are desired by packaging manufacturers, and are driving the growth of the global paper embossing machine market. Paper embossing machine is used in various ends use industries such as consumer goods, pharmaceuticals, and others. Moreover, paper embossing machines are often the best machines which are used to cherish the shapes of the letter in consumer goods industry. It is also noticed that there are significant opportunities available for the paper embossing machine manufacturers in the developing region, where the trend of a consumer product is much likely to increase. The manufacturers in this area aim to expand their market share and footprint to remain competitive in the market. Global Paper Embossing Machine market: Segmentation The global Paper Embossing Machine market has been segmented as follows -On the basis of end-use industry, the global Paper Embossing Machine market has been segmented as:Food & BeveragesPharmaceuticalConsumer GoodsOthers Global Paper Embossing Machine market: Geographical OutlookThe global Paper Embossing Machine market has been divided into seven regions as follows North AmericaLatin AmericaWestern EuropeEastern EuropeAsia Pacific Excluding Japan (APEJ)Middle East & Africa (MEA)Japan The North America paper embossing machine market is anticipated to lead the global paper embossing machine market, due to a largely organized market. North America and Western Europe are considered to be the largest market for paper embossing machine market. This is expected to significantly contribute to the growth of the paper embossing machine market during the forecast period. The APEJ paper embossing machines market is anticipated to face substantial demand, over the next ten years, owing to growth in demand for paper packaging, bolstered by increasing urban population and rising disposable income in the region. Global Paper Embossing Machine market: Key PlayersSome of the players operating in the global Paper Embossing Machine market are HCI Converting Equipment Co., Ltd. , Industrial Engraving, LLC, Newfoil Machines, Bolsons Ltd, Unimatec Co Ltd. and others.The report offers a comprehensive evaluation of the market. It does so via in-depth qualitative insights, historical data, and verifiable projections about market size. The projections featured in the report have been derived using proven research methodologies and assumptions. By doing so, the research report serves as a repository of analysis and information for every facet of the market, including but not limited to: Regional markets, technology, types, and applications. The study is a source of reliable data on: Market segments and sub-segmentsMarket trends and dynamicsSupply and demandMarket sizeCurrent trends/opportunities/challengesCompetitive landscapeTechnological breakthroughsValue chain and stakeholder analysis The regional analysis covers: North America (U.S. and Canada)Latin America (Mexico, Brazil, Peru, Chile, and others)Western Europe (Germany, U.K., France, Spain, Italy, Nordic countries, Belgium, Netherlands, and Luxembourg)Eastern Europe (Poland and Russia)Asia Pacific (China, India, Japan, ASEAN, Australia, and New Zealand)Middle East and Africa (GCC, Southern Africa, and North Africa) The report has been compiled through extensive primary research (through interviews, surveys, and observations of seasoned analysts) and secondary research (which entails reputable paid sources, trade journals, and industry body databases). The report also features a complete qualitative and quantitative assessment by analyzing data gathered from industry analysts and market participants across key points in the industrys value chain. A separate analysis of prevailing trends in the parent market, macro- and micro-economic indicators, and regulations and mandates is included under the purview of the study. By doing so, the report projects the attractiveness of each major segment over the forecast period. Highlights of the report: A complete backdrop analysis, which includes an assessment of the parent marketImportant changes in market dynamicsMarket segmentation up to the second or third levelHistorical, current, and projected size of the market from the standpoint of both value and volumeReporting and evaluation of recent industry developmentsMarket shares and strategies of key playersEmerging niche segments and regional marketsAn objective assessment of the trajectory of the marketRecommendations to companies for strengthening their foothold in the market. . More Clear Details get Table of ContentsResearchMoz is the worlds fastest growing collection of market research reports worldwide. Our database is composed of current market studies from over 100 featured publishers worldwide. Our market research databases integrate statistics with analysis from global, regional, country and company perspectives. 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Molasses Extracts Market: Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends and Forecast 2017 2025
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Molasses Extracts is a kind of highly concentrated syrup with flavor having a long shelf life. Molasses extracts are freeze-thaw-stable and bake-proof which are mostly applied in ice cream, cake and a variety of other dessert food products. Molasses extracts contains natural flavor with no artificial colors which is highly concentrated and is mostly used for in applications for bakery and confectionery products. Molasses extracts can be used in the form of liquid and powder form. Food industries are using molasses extracts in their products due to the rising consumer demand for molasses extract food products. Shifting consumer preference for molasses extract based products is a major driving factor for the growth of molasses extract market.Report Overview @Molasses extracts are also called as blackstrap molasses which are mainly used for baking and cooking applications globally. Molasses extracts contains a high concentration of vitamin B6, potassium, iron, magnesium, calcium, selenium and copper. Molasses extracts contains antioxidants which helps in improving heart health and bone health of the individual.Global Molasses Extracts: Market SegmentationThe global Molasses Extracts market is segmented on the basis of type, form, application and region. The Molasses Extracts market is segmented on the basis of type such as blackstrap molasses, golden barrel blackstrap molasses and others. The Molasses Extracts market is segmented on the basis of forms such as powder, liquid, and others. The global Molasses Extracts market is segmented on the basis of application in which Molasses Extracts is used in application such as bakery products and confectionery products, in savory dishes such as soups, sauerkraut, sauces, toppings, pickles and salads and in beverages such as health drinks, soft drinks and others. Molasses Extracts is also widely used in various products such as yogurt, ice cream, bakery products, and other low calorie foods.Molasses Extracts is widely used as a thickening agent for various bakery products such as biscuits, cakes, rye breads, meat dishes. Hence, the global Molasses Extracts market is expected to significantly increase the revenue contribution over the forecast period.Request for Table of Contents @Global Molasses Extracts Market: Regional OutlookGeographically, the global Molasses Extracts industry can be divided by major regions which include North America, Latin America, Latin America, Europe, Asia Pacific, and Middle East and Africa. Globally, among all regions, Asia Pacific has developed as the dominant region in global Molasses Extracts market followed by Europe and North America. Increasing demand for Molasses Extracts as a thickening agent in various bakery products, has strengthened the growth of global Molasses Extracts market and hence is projected to significantly expand the revenue contribution of the market over the forecast period.Global Molasses Extracts Market: Growth DriversThe global Molasses Extracts market driving factors are increasing demand for ready-to-eat snack foods coupled with the convenience of foods. Increasing opportunities in bakery industry is also another factor in driving the Molasses Extracts market along with rising in production of Molasses Extracts as a result of stabilizing agents used in various food applications. Manufacturers are focusing on providing healthier product offerings. Molasses extracts are also called as blackstrap molasses which are mainly used for baking and cooking applications globally. Molasses Extracts helps in improving various savory products thickening and is used by various manufacturers worldwide.Molasses Extracts contains the taste, texture and the performance like sugar, but has low calories and hence many health concisions individuals are shifting their preference towards consuming healthy food products which has low calorie present in the foods. Hence, the global Molasses Extracts market is expected to observe robust growth over the forecast period.Global Molasses Extracts Market: Key PlayersSome of the key players identified across the value chain of the global Molasses Extracts market include Amoretti, Cora Texas Manufacturing Company, International Molasses, B&G Foods, Inc., International Molasses Corporation Ltd, ED & F Man Liquid Products UK Ltd., Molasses Feed Ltd, Pures Sweet Honey Farm, R. K. Trading Co., and others. The companies are expected to expand their business by enhancing their product portfolio in global Molasses Extracts market. The companies are projected to frame certain strategies in future in order to gain the competitive advantage in global Molasses Extracts market till 2025.Get Sample Copy of this Report @The report covers exhaustive analysis on:Molasses Extracts Market Segments,Molasses Extracts Market Dynamics,Historical Actual Market Size, 2015 2016 for Global Molasses Extracts Market,Molasses Extracts Market Size & Forecast 2017 to 2025,Supply & Demand Value Chain,Molasses Extracts Market Current Trends/Issues/Challenges,Competition & Companies involved in Global Molasses Extracts Market,Technology,Value Chain,Global Molasses Extracts Market Drivers and RestraintsRegional analysis for Molasses Extracts Market includes:North America,Latin America,Europe,Asia Pacific & Japan,The Middle East and AfricaReport Highlights:Shifting Industry dynamics,In-depth market segmentation,Historical, current and projected industry size recent industry trends,Key competition landscape,Strategies of key players and product offerings,Potential and niche segments/regions exhibiting promising growth,A neutral perspective towards market performanceNeed more information about Report methodology ? @About UsPersistence Market Research (PMR) is a third-platform research firm. Our research model is a unique collaboration of data analytics and market research methodology to help businesses achieve optimal performance.To support companies in overcoming complex business challenges, we follow a multi-disciplinary approach. At PMR, we unite various data streams from multi-dimensional sources. By deploying real-time data collection, big data, and customer experience analytics, we deliver business intelligence for organizations of all sizes.Contact UsPersistence Market Research305 Broadway7th Floor, New York City,NY 10007, United States,USA Canada Toll Free: 800-961-0353Email: sales@persistencemarketresearch.comWeb:
Precious Metal Plating Chemicals Market to Raise at CAGR of 3.9% throughout 2017-2027
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The global precious metal plating chemicals market is currently witnessing steady growth and is expected to reflect a noteworthy valuation by the end of the assessment year in 2027. Future Market Insights has covered a detailed analysis of the global precious metal plating chemicals market and presented the insights in a systematic and orderly fashion in its new research report titled Precious Metal Plating Chemicals Market: Global Industry Analysis (2012-2016) and Opportunity Assessment (2017-2027). This research includes insights on various market segments across key geographies. It also includes an in-depth analysis on various trends, drivers, restraints and opportunities in the precious metal plating chemicals market that influence the growth of the global market. The research study covers value and volume projections of the different market segments and presents future market projections based on historical data and the current market scenario. This analytical research report can assist upcoming businesses by showcasing key recommendations that can be used to gain stability given the changing market dynamics of the global precious metal plating chemicals market.Request for Sample @Global Precious Metal Plating Chemicals Market: Segmental HighlightsThe global precious metal plating chemicals market is segmented by chemical base metal, by end use industry, by product form and by region.By product form, the solution/concentrate segment is expected to be highly lucrative. This is the fastest growing segment in this category and is projected to register a CAGR of 4.0% during the period of forecast to reach a valuation of around US$ 1,950 Mn by 2027 end.By end use industry, the electrical and electronics segment is the largest in terms of value and is expected to dominate the global market. By 2027 end, this segment is estimated to reach a value more than US$ 900 Mn. The hardware and other industrial segment is projected to grow at a comparatively higher CAGR of 4.2% throughout the forecast period. However, the electrical and electronics segment reflects higher market attractiveness and high scope for growth in the coming years.By region, Asia Pacific excluding Japan (APEJ) is a high growth regional market for precious metal plating chemicals during the forecast period. The precious metal plating chemicals market in this region is projected to grow at the highest pace compared to other regions and is expected to witness a market valuation a bit under US$ 650 Mn by 2027 end.By chemical base metal, gold is the dominating segment and is expected to reflect a 1.5x increase in revenue during 2017-2027. This segment is projected to register a high CAGR of 4.3% during the forecast period.Global Precious Metal Plating Chemicals Market: Aspects Influencing GrowthIncreasing demand for precious metal plating chemicals from the electrical and electronics sector, growing use of precious metal plating chemicals in the aerospace industry, increasing governmental support in the electronics industry ultimately pushing the demand for precious metal plating chemicals, growing automotive industry aiding the demand for precious metal plating chemicals, expanding consumer electronics market supporting the growth of precious metal chemicals and increasing demand from diverse end use industries at a global level are pushing the growth of the global precious metal plating chemicals market. Aspects restricting the growth of the market are challenges associated with raw material procurement and price fluctuations, strict regulations governing the manufacture and disposal of cyanide based chemicals and the use of alternatives such as development of non-platinum group metal catalysts.Global Precious Metal Plating Chemicals Market: ForecastThe global precious metal plating chemicals market is expected to reach a valuation of more than US$ 2 Bn by the end of the assessment year from a value of below US$ 1,500 Mn in 2017. The global precious metal plating chemicals market is projected to grow at a CAGR of 3.9% throughout the period of assessment.Request for Table of Contents @Global Precious Metal Plating Chemicals Market: Company ProfilesThe report includes key profiles of major companies dealing with precious metal plating chemicals. Company details such as company overview, key personnel, strategies, key financials, SWOT analysis, key developments, product portfolio analysis and geographical spread are covered in the report. Profiling of companies such as Heimerle + Meule GmbH, JAPAN PURE CHEMICAL CO. Ltd., American Elements, Shaanxi Kaida Chemical Engineering Co., Ltd., Metalor Technologies International SA, Heraeus Holding, MATSUDA SANGYO CO., LTD., Superchem Finishers, SAXONIA Edelmetalle GmbH, UMA CHEMICALS, LEGOR GROUP S.p.A., Johnson Matthey, Umicore, Robert Chemical Co., Inc., Technic Inc., Electrochemical Products, Grauer & Weil (India) Limited, Riko Chemicals Pvt. Ltd., Micron Platers and Solar Applied Materials Technology Corporation has been done.ABOUT US:Future Market Insights (FMI) is a leading market intelligence and consulting firm. We deliver syndicated research reports, custom research reports and consulting services, which are personalized in nature. FMI delivers a complete packaged solution, which combines current market intelligence, statistical anecdotes, technology inputs, valuable growth insights, an aerial view of the competitive framework, and future market trends.CONTACT:616 Corporate Way, Suite 2-9018,Valley Cottage, NY 10989,United StatesT: +1-347-918-3531F: +1-845-579-5705Email: sales@futuremarketinsights.comWebsite:
Induced Myeloid Leukemia Cell Differentiation Protein Mcl 1 - Global Pipeline Review, H1 2018
Induced Myeloid Leukemia
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WiseGuyReports.com with their unique quality of simplifying the market research study, presents a deep diving study report Induced Myeloid Leukemia - Pipeline Review, H1 2018Induced Myeloid LeukemiaOverviewInduced Myeloid Leukemia Cell Differentiation Protein Mcl 1 (Induced Myeloid Leukemia 3 or Bcl 2 Related Protein EAT/Mcl1 or BCL2L3 or MCL1) pipeline Target constitutes close to 17 molecules. Out of which approximately 12 molecules are developed by companies and remaining by the universities/institutes.The latest report Induced Myeloid Leukemia Cell Differentiation Protein Mcl 1 - Pipeline Review, H1 2018, outlays comprehensive information on the Induced Myeloid Leukemia Cell Differentiation Protein Mcl 1 (Induced Myeloid Leukemia 3 or Bcl 2 Related Protein EAT/Mcl1 or BCL2L3 or MCL1) targeted therapeutics, complete with analysis by indications, stage of development, mechanism of action (MoA), route of administration (RoA) and molecule type.Click here for sample report @Top Companies mentionedAbbVie IncAmgen IncComplix NVLes Laboratoires Servier SASTakeda Pharmaceutical Co LtdWarp Drive Bio IncInduced Myeloid Leukemia Industry Major OutlookPharmaceutical and Healthcare latest pipeline guide Induced Myeloid Leukemia - Pipeline Review, H1 2018, provides comprehensive information on the therapeutics under development for Induced Myeloid Leukemia, complete with analysis by stage of development, drug target, mechanism of action (MoA), route of administration (RoA) and molecule type. The guide covers the descriptive pharmacological action of the therapeutics, its complete research and development history and latest news and press releases.Induced Myeloid Leukemia Cell Differentiation Protein Mcl 1 (Induced Myeloid Leukemia 3 or Bcl 2 Related Protein EAT/Mcl1 or BCL2L3 or MCL1) - Induced myeloid leukemia cell differentiation protein Mcl-1 also known as Bcl-2-like protein 3 or bcl-2-related protein EATS/Mcl1 is a protein encoded by the MCL1 gene. It is involved in the regulation of apoptosis versus cell survival, and in the maintenance of viability but not of proliferation. It mediates its effects by interactions with a number of other regulators of apoptosis. The molecules developed by companies in Phase II, Phase I, Preclinical and Discovery stages are 1, 4, 2 and 5 respectively.Induced Myeloid Leukemia pipeline guide helps in identifying and tracking emerging players in the market and their portfolios, enhances decision making capabilities and helps to create effective counter strategies to gain competitive advantage.Induced Myeloid Leukemia - Competitive AnalysisKey players are making innovative developments in Induced Myeloid Leukemia industry. The same will help in improving the market performance. Heavy investments are made by major players in the R&D sectorScopeThe pipeline guide provides a snapshot of the global therapeutic landscape of Induced Myeloid Leukemia.The pipeline guide reviews pipeline therapeutics for Induced Myeloid Leukemia by companies and universities/research institutes based on information derived from company and industry-specific sources.The pipeline guide covers pipeline products based on several stages of development ranging from pre-registration till discovery and undisclosed stages.The pipeline guide features descriptive drug profiles for the pipeline products which comprise, product description, descriptive licensing and collaboration details, R&D brief, MoA & other developmental activities.The pipeline guide reviews key companies involved in Induced Myeloid Leukemia therapeutics and enlists all their major and minor projects.The pipeline guide evaluates Induced Myeloid Leukemia therapeutics based on mechanism of action (MoA), drug target, route of administration (RoA) and molecule type.The pipeline guide encapsulates all the dormant and discontinued pipeline projects.The pipeline guide reviews latest news related to pipeline therapeutics for Induced Myeloid Leukemia..ContinuedFor Detailed Reading Please visit @Wise Guy Reports understand how essential statistical surveying information is for your organization or association. Therefore, we have associated with the top publishers and research firms all specialized in specific domains, ensuring you will receive the most reliable and up to date research data available. We also provide COTS (Commercial off the Shelf) business sector reports as custom exploration agreeing your particular needs.WISEGUY RESEARCH CONSULTANTS PVT LTDOffice No. 528, Amanora ChambersPune - 411028Maharashtra, India
Vegetable and Fruit Processing Machinery Deep Analysis on Industrial and Deep Analysis on Industrial and Market Growth studies - Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends, and Forecast 2018 - 2025
Vegetable and Fruit Processing Machinery
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Press Release - 26 Feb 2018Global Research and Development News --. .Report Description-' ' Vegetable and fruit processing machinery is adopted to achieve two objectives. Firstly, it prevents decay caused by enzymes and microorganisms in the food, and other factors such as moisture, sunlight, as well as heat by reducing the traditional processes. Secondly, it transforms the above mentioned process to nourish the vegetables which are demanded by customers. With these processes, players are expected to increase their sales and start earning more by preserving the vegetables for a longer period. Vegetable and fruit processing offers suitable opportunities for small size businesses as raw material is quickly available, most machineries are accessible at a competitive rate, and the products that have good demand are also cost-effective. Some fruits and vegetable products are expected to have higher demand. These include fried products, dried fruits & vegetables, squashes, juices, cordials, sauces, and wines which are facilitating the growth of the vegetable and fruit processing machinery industries.. . Get Sample Report' ' Increasing demand for frozen vegetables and fruits is one of the foremost trends expected to drive the overall growth of the vegetable and fruit processing machinery market during the forecast period. The limited time for cooking in this fast- paced life is influencing customers to buy frozen fruits and vegetables. Furthermore, growing disposable incomes in developing economies and increase in import -export of vegetables and fruits are expected to drive the vegetable and fruit processing machinery market in the near future. However, concerns over safety and hygiene, immature processing in some regions, and health apprehensions over frozen vegetables and fruits are restraints for the vegetable and fruit processing machinery market. However, ongoing investments in the vegetable and fruit processing machinery market are anticipated to provide an opportunity to strengthen the vegetable and fruit processing machinery market during the forecast period. Moreover, suburban climatic conditions unfavorable for the production of vegetables and fruits is aiding the growth of the fruit and vegetable processing machinery market in Middle Eastern and European countries. The global vegetable and fruit processing machinery market has been segmented by processes, operation type, product type, and regions. By processes, the vegetable and fruit processing machinery market has been bifurcated into pre-processing, processing, washing & dewatering, filling, seasoning, and packaging. The market can be categorized by operation type into automatic and semi-automatic. On the basis of product type, the market is further divided into fresh product, fresh cut, canned, frozen, and dried. Fresh product processing stage includes feeding, trimming, washing treatment, drying, and dewatering. Similarly, fresh cut processing stages consists of feeding, trimming, cutting, washing treatment, drying, and dewatering. Canned processing stage involves feeding, trimming, washing treatment, infusion, blanching cooling, grading cleaning, and cutting. The vegetable and fruit processing machinery market is divided into five regions namely North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Middle East & Africa (MEA), and South America. Asia Pacific is projected to be the rapidly growing region of the vegetable and fruit processing machine market around the globe. China is expected to be the foremost revenue contributor and one of the market leaders for vegetable and fruit processing machine within Asia Pacific. Moreover, growing demand for processed food in emerging nations such as India and China are one of the main drivers for the progress of the vegetable and fruit processing machinery market in this region. Some of the vendors in the global vegetable and fruit processing machinery market who provide processed fruits and vegetables and related processing machines includes Buhler AG, FENCO Food Machinery, JBT Corporation, Meyer Industries Inc., Turatti Group, Petruzalek, KRONEN GmbH, TMCI Padovan S.p.A, Navatta Group Food Processing Srl, Unitec Industries S.p.A., Bertuzzi Food Processing, Terlet B.V., Bajaj Processpack Limited, and GEA Group. The report offers a comprehensive evaluation of the market. It does so via in-depth qualitative insights, historical data, and verifiable projections about market size. The projections featured in the report have been derived using proven research methodologies and assumptions. By doing so, the research report serves as a repository of analysis and information for every facet of the market, including but not limited to: Regional markets, technology, types, and applications. The study is a source of reliable data on: Market segments and sub-segmentsMarket trends and dynamicsSupply and demandMarket sizeCurrent trends/opportunities/challengesCompetitive landscapeTechnological breakthroughsValue chain and stakeholder analysis The regional analysis covers: North America (U.S. and Canada)Latin America (Mexico, Brazil, Peru, Chile, and others)Western Europe (Germany, U.K., France, Spain, Italy, Nordic countries, Belgium, Netherlands, and Luxembourg)Eastern Europe (Poland and Russia)Asia Pacific (China, India, Japan, ASEAN, Australia, and New Zealand)Middle East and Africa (GCC, Southern Africa, and North Africa) The report has been compiled through extensive primary research (through interviews, surveys, and observations of seasoned analysts) and secondary research (which entails reputable paid sources, trade journals, and industry body databases). The report also features a complete qualitative and quantitative assessment by analyzing data gathered from industry analysts and market participants across key points in the industrys value chain. A separate analysis of prevailing trends in the parent market, macro- and micro-economic indicators, and regulations and mandates is included under the purview of the study. By doing so, the report projects the attractiveness of each major segment over the forecast period. Highlights of the report: A complete backdrop analysis, which includes an assessment of the parent marketImportant changes in market dynamicsMarket segmentation up to the second or third levelHistorical, current, and projected size of the market from the standpoint of both value and volumeReporting and evaluation of recent industry developmentsMarket shares and strategies of key playersEmerging niche segments and regional marketsAn objective assessment of the trajectory of the marketRecommendations to companies for strengthening their foothold in the market. . More Clear Details get Table of ContentsResearchMoz is the worlds fastest growing collection of market research reports worldwide. Our database is composed of current market studies from over 100 featured publishers worldwide. Our market research databases integrate statistics with analysis from global, regional, country and company perspectives. ResearchMozs service portfolio also includes value-added services such as market research customization, competitive landscaping, and in-depth surveys, delivered by a team of experienced Research Coordinators.Researchmoz Global Pvt. Ltd.90 State Street,Albany, NY 12207,United States,Tel: 866-997-4948 (Us-Canada Toll Free),Tel: +1-518-621-2074
Glass Tempering System Market Poised to Surge at CAGR of 2.4% During 2017-2027
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Glass Tempering System Market: Global Industry Analysis (2012-2016) And Opportunity Assessment (2017-2027) is a new report of Future Market Insights that tracks the performance of the market for the projected period of 10 years i.e. between 2017 and 2027. The global glass tempering system market is expected to witness significant growth during the forecast period, expanding at a CAGR of 3.7% during the projected period. Growth in the global glass tempering system market can be attributed to huge investments in R&D, increasing use of hybrid guide plates, solar control glazing for automotive and building glasses, growing use of lightweight glazing glass, and increasing usage of advanced nanotechnology in glass manufacturing. According to this report, North America and APEJ are the key regions for glass tempering system market participants. In North America, the United States is investing in tempering activities, which is creating immense opportunities for glass tempering system manufacturers. Product development and establishment of long-term relationships with tempered glass OEMs is also a key to success in this market. The global market for glass tempering system is expected to be valued at US$ 94.5 Mn by 2017 end and is estimated to reach US$ 135.6 Mn by 2027 end.Request for Sample @Global Glass Tempering System Market: DriversShift towards renewable solar energy will accelerate the growth of the marketImproving construction sector especially in Latin America is fuelling the growth of the global marketConstruction of energy efficient buildings and renovation of existing infrastructure is another key market driverGlobal Glass Tempering System Market: Forecast by Tempering TechnologyOn the basis of tempering technology, the global glass tempering system market is segmented into controlled heating and quenching equipment and chemical treatment. Controlled heating and quenching equipment is further segmented into standard configuration and advanced configuration. In terms of value, the controlled heating and quenching equipment segment is anticipated to be valued at US$ 89.0 Mn by 2017 end, which is estimated to grow at a CAGR of 3.7% and reach a value of US$ 127.8 Mn by the end of 2027.Global Glass Tempering System Market: Forecast by ApplicationThe application segment consists of flat, bent and combined flat and bent segments. Flat segment is further segmented into continuous and oscillating segments. Oscillating type segment is expected to emerge as the most attractive segment by application over the forecast period. Combined flat and bent segment is anticipated to create incremental $ opportunity worth US$ 4.2 Mn over the forecast period.Global Glass Tempering System Market: Forecast by End UseBy end use the market is categorized into automotive windows, architectural, electronics, solar applications and others. Architectural segment is sub-segmented into windows and doors, mirror and partitions and furniture, while electronics segment is sub-segmented into smartphone and appliances. The solar applications segment is estimated to reach US$ 1.6 Mn in 2027 from US$ 1.3 Mn in 2017. The segment is estimated to grow at a CAGR of 2.4% during the forecast period.Global Glass Tempering System Market: Forecast by RegionSeven regions have been covered in this report and they are North America, Latin America, APEJ, Eastern Europe, Western Europe, Japan and MEA. China is expected to remain a strong market for glass tempering systems. Most of the APEJ, Eastern Europe, and Latin America buyers import glass tempering lines from China with standard configuration, due to investment constraints. North America is also projected to hold a significant share of the global glass tempering system market over the forecast period.Request for Table of Contents @Global Glass Tempering System Market: Key VendorsGlaston OYJ Abp, Luoyang Landglass Technology Co. Ltd., LiSEC Austria GmbH, Luoyang North Glass Technology Co., Ltd., Glasstech Industries (India) Private Limited, Keraglass Industries Srl, CoolTemper Ltd., HHH Tempering Resources Inc., Ratnesh International, North East Machines, Meta Therm Furnace Pvt. Ltd., Mappi International, EFCO, Saint-Gobain S.A., IGE Glass Technologies, Inc., Lambert GT Services Ltd. are some of the glass tempering system market companies profiled in the report.ABOUT US:Future Market Insights (FMI) is a leading market intelligence and consulting firm. We deliver syndicated research reports, custom research reports and consulting services, which are personalized in nature. FMI delivers a complete packaged solution, which combines current market intelligence, statistical anecdotes, technology inputs, valuable growth insights, an aerial view of the competitive framework, and future market trends.CONTACT:616 Corporate Way, Suite 2-9018,Valley Cottage, NY 10989,United StatesT: +1-347-918-3531F: +1-845-579-5705Email: sales@futuremarketinsights.comWebsite:
Seaweed Market: Global Industry Analysis, Growth, Trends and Forecast 2016 2024
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Seaweed is species of macroscopic, multicellular, marine algae, which are found in oceans and seas across the globe. The hydrocolloids such as alginate, agar, and carrageenan, gelatinous substances are extracted from seaweed. Seaweed is beneficial to health to fight against illness and diseases. Seaweed is used in food, medicines, cosmetics and organic fertilizers and feed additives. The red seaweed is a source for carrageenan hydrocolloid, which is highly used in food industry owing to its improved gelling and thickening property. The red seaweed segment is anticipated to dominate among the product type segment, due to the increasing demand for agar and carrageenan from the food industry.Report Overview @The brown seaweeds is expected to follow red seaweeds owing to the growing use of brown seaweed in animal feed additives and fertilizers. On the basis of form type, the liquid form seaweed is expected to account for larger market share in terms of value and volume, this is owing to rising demand from agriculture and pharmaceutical industries across the globe. On the other hand, the human food segment is expected to hold significant market share among the application segment, this is due to increase in seaweed consumption in human food coupled with increasing demand for seaweed derived snacks. The global seaweed market is anticipated to witness significant CAGR during the forecast period.Global Seaweed Market: Drivers, Restraints, and TrendsIncreasing consumption of seaweed as a food extract, medical use, and for bio-refining is expected to drive the demand for seaweed. Furthermore, growing consumer awareness regarding nutritional benefits of seaweed, rising demand for alginate in food, pharmaceutical industries is expected to boost the growth of global seaweed market. In addition, increasing demand for seaweed derived snacks is anticipated to fuel the demand for seaweed.However, lack of awareness of harvesting various species of seaweed among the manufactures is expected to hinder the growth of global seaweed market.Key trends are observed in the production of seaweeds are, the manufacturers are implementing growth strategies such as merger and acquisition, partnership, and agreement.Request for Table of Contents @Global Seaweed Market: SegmentationThe global seaweed market is segmented on the basis of product type, form type, and application. On the basis of product type, the global seaweed market is segmented into: Red Seaweed,Brown Seaweed,Green Seaweed. On the basis of form type, the global seaweed market is segmented into: Liquid,Powdered,Flakes. On the basis of application, the global seaweed market is segmented into: Food and Beverages,Agriculture,Animal Feed Additives,Pharmaceutical and Biotechnological,Other (Aquaculture, Biomass for Fuel, and Wastewater Treatment).Global Seaweed Market: Regional OutlookBased on the geographies, the global seaweed market is segmented into five key regions, namely North America, Latin America, Europe, Asia Pacific, and Middle East & Africa. Owing to the increase in harvesting and consumption of seaweed in China, Japan and Indonesia, the Asia Pacific seaweed market is anticipated to hold major revenue market share. North America and Europe is anticipated to collectively, contribute in the global seaweed market, this is due to increasing seaweed harvesting coupled with consumption in US, Germany, UK and France.Also, rising demand for seaweed in food industries coupled with increasing investments in R&D activities by key manufacturers in US, and increasing popularity for seaweed baths coupled with increasing use of seaweed in German beer (contains agars, carrageenans and alginates) in Germany and UK are making these regions as favorable regions. Owing to growing consumer awareness regarding medical and other benefits of seaweeds in Brazil, GCC countries and South Africa, the Latin America and MEA are expected to witness modest growth rate.Global Seaweed Market: Key PlayersSome of the major players identified in the global seaweed market includeCargill, Incorporated,DuPon,Acadian Seaplants Limited (ASL),Biostadt India Limited,Brandt Consolidated, Inc.,COMPO Expert GmbH,Gelymar,Lonza Group Ltd.,Marinalg International,Ocean Harvest Technology,Ocean Rainforest Sp/F,Qingdao Bright Moon Group Co., Ltd.,Groupe Roullier,Seasol,TBK Manufacturing Corporation,W Hydorcolloids Inc.,CP Kelco,High Hope Foods (Nanjing) Co., Ltd.The research report presents a comprehensive assessment of the market and contains thoughtful insights, facts, historical data, and statistically supported and industry-validated market data. It also contains projections using a suitable set of assumptions and methodologies. The research report provides analysis and information according to categories such as market segments, geographies, types, technology and applications.Get Sample Copy of this Report @The report covers exhaustive analysis on:Market Segments,Market Dynamics,Market Size,Supply & Demand,Current Trends/Issues/Challenges,Competition & Companies involved,Technology,Value ChainNorth America (U.S., Canada),Latin America (Argentina, Brazil, rest of Latin America),Europe (Germany, Italy, France, U.K, Spain, Nordic countries, Belgium, Netherlands, Luxembourg),Asia Pacific (China, India, Japan, ASEAN, Australia & New Zealand),Middle East and Africa (GCC, S. Africa, Rest of MEA)The report is a compilation of first-hand information, qualitative and quantitative assessment by industry analysts, inputs from industry experts and industry participants across the value chain. The report provides in-depth analysis of parent market trends, macro-economic indicators and governing factors along with market attractiveness as per segments. The report also maps the qualitative impact of various market factors on market segments and geographies.Report Highlights:Detailed overview of parent market,Changing market dynamics in the industry,In-depth market segmentation,Historical, current and projected market size in terms of volume and value,Recent industry trends and developments,Competitive landscape,Strategies of key players and products offered,Potential and niche segments, geographical regions exhibiting promising growth,A neutral perspective on market performance,Must-have information for market players to sustain and enhance their market footprintNeed more information about Report methodology ? @About UsPersistence Market Research (PMR) is a third-platform research firm. Our research model is a unique collaboration of data analytics and market research methodology to help businesses achieve optimal performance.To support companies in overcoming complex business challenges, we follow a multi-disciplinary approach. At PMR, we unite various data streams from multi-dimensional sources. By deploying real-time data collection, big data, and customer experience analytics, we deliver business intelligence for organizations of all sizes.Contact UsPersistence Market Research305 Broadway7th Floor, New York City,NY 10007, United States,USA Canada Toll Free: 800-961-0353Email: sales@persistencemarketresearch.comWeb:
Chromatography Refrigerators Market 2017 Segmentation with Key Players, Growth Rate and Forecast 2025
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"The Latest Research Report Chromatography Refrigerators Market - Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends and Forecast 2017 - 2025 provides information on pricing, market analysis, shares, forecast, and company profiles for key industry participants. - MarketResearchReports.biz"This exclusive report will provide you with the market size and forecast (US$ Mn) for the global market and its segments for the period from 2015 to 2025 along with the growth rate (CAGR) from 2017 to 2025, considering 2016 as base year. In addition, drivers, restraints and opportunities, competitive landscape have also been covered under the current proposed table of contents, which will in due course help you to take strategic decisions with respect to the market.Chromatography refrigerators are used to cool and preserve chromatography samples or specimens, which may include blood & plasma samples, vaccines, or other medicinal chromatographic specimen. Chromatography refrigerators are special equipment that are used when the samples undergoing chromatography process are required to be preserved in stable airflow and suitable temperature conditions. These are equipped with specialized features such as microprocessor-based controls, which assist in maintaining the suitable conditions for chromatography liquids. Chromatography refrigerators are equipped with digital temperature displays and need to include lockable easy-to-clean sections. Chromatography refrigerators are different from normal refrigerators in that these are required to maintain stable airflow and temperature conditions along with utmost hygiene.Get Sample Copy of this report @Increase in research grants by public and private players to promote the research activities in medicinal field is expected to propel the chromatography refrigerators market during the forecast period. However, high cost of equipment is likely to restrain the market from 2017 to 2025.The global chromatography refrigerators market can be segmented based on product type, application, and end-user. Based on product type, the global market can be divided into one door, two door, and three door. One door chromatography refrigerators accounted for the largest share of the market in terms of revenue in 2016. Numerous small scale research activities being conducted in academic institutes and research centers in developing countries, which require small freezing equipment for chromatography sample is attributed to the dominance of one door refrigerators in 2016. However, the three door segment is anticipated to expand at a significant CAGR from 2017 to 2025. This is attributed to the green signal by the FDA for new product developments which in turn promotes research activities in the biotechnological & pharmaceutical industry. Based on application, the global chromatography refrigerators market can be categorized into flash chromatography, high performance chromatography, general purpose chromatography, and others. The high performance chromatography segment accounted for the largest share of the market in terms of revenue in 2016, owing to increase in demand for efficient cooling system for high performance liquid chromatography samples by pharmaceutical manufacturers. However, the general purpose chromatography segment is expected to capture largest market share by 2025, which is attributed to rise in R&D in the biotechnological industry, and emerging players in the developing countries. In terms of end user, the global chromatography refrigerators market can be classified into research institutes, pharmaceutical & biotechnological companies, diagnostic laboratories, medical institutes, and others. The pharmaceutical & biotechnological companies segment held the largest market share in terms of revenue in 2016 due to rise in investment by public and private players in the pharmaceutical industry to promote new drug molecules development. Rise in adoption by researchers for the technological advancements in chromatographic procedures is one of the major factors likely to fuel the growth of the pharmaceutical & biotechnological companies segment during the forecast period.Geographically, the global chromatography refrigerators market can be segmented into North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America, and Middle East & Africa. North America accounted for the largest market share in 2016, attributed to the strategic presence of key manufacturers in the U.S. and Canada. Numerous research grants provided by the government to promote R&D activities in medicinal field is a major factor driving the chromatography refrigerators market in Europe, which is considered to be the second most prominent region. However, the market in Asia Pacific is expected to expand at a high CAGR from 2017 to 2025, owing to favorable reimbursement policies in China and Japan, improvement in health care infrastructure, and rapid growth in the pharmaceutical industry in India.View Report @Major players in the global chromatography refrigerators market are So-Low Environmental Equipment Co., Thermo Fisher Scientific, Powers Scientific, Inc., Nor-Lake, Inc., Biomedical Solutions, Helmer Scientific, Philipp Kirsch GmbH, and VWR Corporation, among others. Incorporation of technologically advanced features such as temperature control alarm system, LED interior lighting, and microprocessor-controlled temperature controller in chromatography refrigerators is a key strategy adopted by the emerging players to stay ahead of the competition.The report offers a comprehensive evaluation of the market. It does so via in-depth qualitative insights, historical data, and verifiable projections about market size. The projections featured in the report have been derived using proven research methodologies and assumptions. By doing so, the research report serves as a repository of analysis and information for every facet of the market, including but not limited to: Regional markets, technology, types, and applications.The study is a source of reliable data on:Market segments and sub-segmentsMarket trends and dynamicsSupply and demandMarket sizeCurrent trends/opportunities/challengesCompetitive landscapeTechnological breakthroughsValue chain and stakeholder analysisThe regional analysis covers:North America (U.S. and Canada)Latin America (Mexico, Brazil, Peru, Chile, and others)Western Europe (Germany, U.K., France, Spain, Italy, Nordic countries, Belgium, Netherlands, and Luxembourg)Eastern Europe (Poland and Russia)Asia Pacific (China, India, Japan, ASEAN, Australia, and New Zealand)Middle East and Africa (GCC, Southern Africa, and North Africa)The report has been compiled through extensive primary research (through interviews, surveys, and observations of seasoned analysts) and secondary research (which entails reputable paid sources, trade journals, and industry body databases). The report also features a complete qualitative and quantitative assessment by analyzing data gathered from industry analysts and market participants across key points in the industrys value chain.Send An Enquiry Request @A separate analysis of prevailing trends in the parent market, macro- and micro-economic indicators, and regulations and mandates is included under the purview of the study. By doing so, the report projects the attractiveness of each major segment over the forecast period.Highlights of the report:A complete backdrop analysis, which includes an assessment of the parent marketImportant changes in market dynamicsMarket segmentation up to the second or third levelHistorical, current, and projected size of the market from the standpoint of both value and volumeReporting and evaluation of recent industry developmentsMarket shares and strategies of key playersEmerging niche segments and regional marketsAn objective assessment of the trajectory of the marketRecommendations to companies for strengthening their foothold in the marketAbout usMarketResearchReports.biz is the most comprehensive collection of market research reports. MarketResearchReports.Biz services are specially designed to save time and money for our clients. We are a one stop solution for all your research needs, our main offerings are syndicated research reports, custom research, subscription access and consulting services. We serve all sizes and types of companies spanning across various industries.ContactMr. NachiketState Tower90 Sate Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-621-2074Website:E: sales@marketresearchreports.biz
Conveyor Belts Market Poised to Register Healthy Expansion During 2015 - 2025
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Conveyor belts are primarily employed for carrying objects, from one point to another. The belts typically comprise two or more pulleys to rotate a belt in continuous circles. The material to be transported in placed on the belt and is carried to the end point on the belt. Commonly, two pulleys are employed for functioning of one conveyor belt one of the pulleys is rotated and it drives the other pulley while it is rotating. The belts are generally used for transportation in close distances, generally within a building.Conveyor belts may comprise one or multiple layers of materials such as rubber strapped around pulleys that rotate circularly and carry objects or materials along with the rotation. The pulleys are commonly called roller heads. Compounds of rubber are used in the production of belts; the compounds are plasticized to increase their efficiency. The belt has to be uniform and material thickness has to be consistent for better performance of conveyor belts. Single layered conveyor belts are preferred over multi layered belts owing to the risk of air inclusion in multi layered belts leading to lower efficiency and reduced life span of conveyor belts. Thickness of the belts differs depending on the end user and generally has thickness of nearly 20 mm. The belt is treated with heat to improve friction. Belts and roller heads are coated to improve wear and tear resistance and friction depending on the end user application. The belts find application in several industries including transportation of goods and machinery in industrial applications such as automobiles, electronics, construction, aviation, etc.Request for Sample @Demand for conveyor belt is profoundly dependent on increase in industrial investments in a region. Therefore, macroeconomic factors such as GDP growth are among major growth drivers for conveyor belt market. Growth in infrastructure activities such as malls, airports, etc. is also among foremost factors driving growth for conveyor belt market. Economic turmoil is among major factors restraining demand for conveyor belts.Asia Pacific dominates the global demand for conveyor belts and the trend is anticipated to continue for a foreseeable future. Asia Pacific comprises two of the fastest emerging economies across the globe, India and China. Increasing industrial investment in India and China has been among foremost factor driving demand for conveyor belt in Asia Pacific. Therefore, Asia Pacific is anticipated to be the fastest growing region for conveyor belts during the forecast period. North America is the second largest market for conveyor belts; moreover owing to market saturation in several end user industries in North America, the demand for conveyor belts is anticipated to exhibit a sluggish growth during the forecast period. Demand for conveyor belts in RoW region is anticipated to grow at a better pace in the near future primarily owing to developing economies in South America and Africa.Conveyor belt market is fragmented and dominated by regional players that constitute major portion of the global market share. The industry is characterized by high degree of competition and the players compete on their pricing strategy as well as product differentiation to manufacture customized conveyor belts for varied purpose at low cost. Some major manufacturers of conveyor belts include Bando Chemical Industries, Bridgestone, ContiTech AG, Goodyear, ContiTech AG, QingDao Rubber Six and Zhejiang Double Arrow among several others.Request for Table of Contents @ABOUT US:Future Market Insights (FMI) is a leading market intelligence and consulting firm. We deliver syndicated research reports, custom research reports and consulting services, which are personalized in nature. FMI delivers a complete packaged solution, which combines current market intelligence, statistical anecdotes, technology inputs, valuable growth insights, an aerial view of the competitive framework, and future market trends.CONTACT:616 Corporate Way, Suite 2-9018,Valley Cottage, NY 10989,United StatesT: +1-347-918-3531F: +1-845-579-5705Email: sales@futuremarketinsights.comWebsite:
Canned Salmon Market: Global Industry Size, Growth, Trends and Forecast 2017 2025
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Canned Salmon Market: OverviewCanning of food product is a method of preserving food in which the food contents are processed under controlled atmosphere and conditions and sealed in an airtight container. Canning helps in increasing shelf life of a product typically ranging from one to five years, although under specific circumstances it can be much longer than that. Salmon fish has been widely popular since it has a specific taste along with various health benefits that lures the masses. Canned salmon was perceived in order to increase its shelf life plus feasibility to store it and import it to another countries where salmon fish is not easily available owing to lack of resources. Rising popularity of canned salmon among consumers will put the market on necessary thrust and escalate the market CAGR of canned salmon market.Report Overview @Canned Salmon Market: Drivers & RestraintsCanned salmon has been gaining popularity amongst the masses due to the fact that such canned salmon are processed to be consumed with or without other food items. Salmon fish provides various health benefits for which it has gained significant popularity amongst it consumers. Health benefits such as enhances heart health, controls blood pressure, helps in growth and development, assist in weight loss and obesity, boost immune system, fire up energy levels, increases blood circulation, cancer prevention, reduces probability of kidney diseases, reduce inflammation, cell membrane damage are associated with consumption of salmon fish. Increase in trade network among various nations.Rise in modern retail outlets, establishments of processed food industry across countries with development of food parks. Increase in investments by budding entrepreneurs in processed food industry are few of the viable factors which is driving the canned salmon market.Recent research study has revealed that canned salmon consumption can be hazardous to ones health, illegal fishing of salmon, depletion in salmon population are few possible restraint which can affect the growth of canned salmon market.Request for Table of Contents @Canned Salmon Market: Market SegmentationThe canned salmon market is segmented into four parts based on the product type, distribution channels, and geography. Few possible health benefits which canned salmon fish provides.Based on the product type the canned salmon market is segmented into: Sockeye Salmon,Coho Salmon,Pink Salmon,Chum salmon. Based on the type of distribution channels canned salmon market is segmented into: Internet Retailing,Mass Retailers,Direct Selling,Others.Canned Salmon Market: Regional OutlookRegarding geography, canned salmon market has been categorized into five key regions including North America, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, APEJ, Japan, Latin America, and the Middle East & Africa. North America is anticipated to witness canned salmon market to register a healthy CAGR during the forecast period. This is due to the very fact that packaged food has a strong demand in North America due to the prevalence of culture where such foods are preferred and moreover canned salmon has been a staple food for North American dwellers. Asia-Pacific represents the significantly higher market share next to North America over the forecast period.Get Sample Copy of this Report @Countries in APEJ such as India, China, and Thailand are witnessing significantly higher demand for canned salmons due to increase in consumption of canned salmons among the masses. Western Europe stands next to APEJ for canned salmon market, where the consumers prefers canned salmons for breakfast and salads Eastern Europe has a similar trend alike Western Europe. Japan has been a strong market for canned salmon.The population of Japan have a special liking towards fish and sea products owing to its geography and canned salmon has been one of the favorites for Japanese. MEA and Latin America has also been witnessing affinity for canned salmon and over the forecast period the market of canned salmon will gain significant share in these regions.Canned salmon Market: Key PlayersSome of the key players identified in the canned salmon market are:- Equa Seafoods,Raincoast Trading,Wild Planet,Freedom Foods Group Limited,Peter Pan SeafoodsNeed more information about Report methodology ? @About UsPersistence Market Research (PMR) is a third-platform research firm. Our research model is a unique collaboration of data analytics and market research methodology to help businesses achieve optimal performance.To support companies in overcoming complex business challenges, we follow a multi-disciplinary approach. At PMR, we unite various data streams from multi-dimensional sources. By deploying real-time data collection, big data, and customer experience analytics, we deliver business intelligence for organizations of all sizes.Contact UsPersistence Market Research305 Broadway7th Floor, New York City,NY 10007, United States,USA Canada Toll Free: 800-961-0353Email: sales@persistencemarketresearch.comWeb:
Global Arthroscopy Devices Market to Register Stable Expansion During 2015-2025
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Surgeons use arthroscopy as a means of seeing inside joints. During an arthroscopic surgery a small device is implanted into a joint through a small cut. The tiny lens and fibre optic light of the arthroscope is connected to a camera and monitor which allows the orthopaedic surgeon to observe inside the joint and perform variety of different procedures. Each year orthopaedic surgeons perform more than five million arthroscopies. Due to the continuous growth and aging of global population, there will be a steady demand for both emerging as well as established arthroscopy devices. Knee and shoulder arthroscopy remain most common arthroscopic procedures worldwide. Most large or medium size joints, such as knees and shoulders are repaired by arthroscopic approaches. Surgery that years ago was able through an open approach now can be done via an arthroscopic approach, with similar long term outcomes, low post-operative pain, and reducing hospital stays.Global Arthroscopic Devices Market: Drivers & RestraintsThe arthroscopic devices market has emerged as one of the attractive industries in the medical equipment sector. In the recent past, the orthopaedics industry has seen major private equity transactions, several mergers and innovative product launches which acts as a key driver for global arthroscopic devices market. Rise of aging population along with advancement in technology especially in medical and healthcare sector is likely to fuel arthroscopic devices market. As consumers have become more health conscious and prefer high layout for orthopaedic treatments, global arthroscopic devices market is likely to project a promising future over the forecast period. A growing geriatric population worldwide has boosted the demand for arthroscopic devices and treatment globally. Increasing use of robotics creates more potential for arthroscopic devices market.Request to Sample Report -Global Arthroscopic Devices Market: SegmentationOn the basis of product type, the global arthroscopic devices market is segmented intoArthroscopesArthroscopic ImplantsShoulder ImplantsKnee ImplantsHip ImplantsSmall joint ImplantsArthroscopic shaver systemsArthroscopic visualizationFluid management systemsArthroscopic Radio Frequency DevicesArthroscopic Radio Frequency SystemsArthroscopic Radio Frequency WandsOn the basis of procedures, the global arthroscopic devices market is segmented intoShoulder Arthroscopic procedureKnee Arthroscopic procedureHip Arthroscopic procedureOthersGlobal Arthroscopic Devices Market: Region-wise OutlookIn terms of geography, the global arthroscopic devices market has been divided in to seven key regions including North America, Latin America, Eastern Europe, Western Europe, Asia-Pacific excluding Japan, Middle East & Africa and Japan. The global arthroscopic devices market is expected to register healthy CAGR during the forecast period and offers considerable commercial potential. However regions of Latin America and emerging economies of Asia-Pacific are major hotspots for global arthroscopic devices market. Technological advancement have brought rapid growth in the Europe and North America market.Asia-Pacific countries such as India and China have high growth rate due to low taxation, rise in disposable incomes and investment friendly environment accelerating the growth of arthroscopic devices market in Asia-pacific.Request Report TOC @Global Arthroscopic Devices Market: Key PlayersSome of the market participants in the global arthroscopic devices market are ConMed Corporation, Smith & Nephew, Arthrex Inc, Stryker Corporation and DePuy Synthes.ABOUT US:Future Market Insights (FMI) is a leading market intelligence and consulting firm. We deliver syndicated research reports, custom research reports and consulting services, which are personalized in nature. FMI delivers a complete packaged solution, which combines current market intelligence, statistical anecdotes, technology inputs, valuable growth insights, an aerial view of the competitive framework, and future market trends.CONTACT:Future Market Insights616 Corporate Way, Suite 2-9018,Valley Cottage, NY 10989,United StatesT: +1-347-918-3531F: +1-845-579-5705Email: sales@futuremarketinsights.comWebsite :
Factory Automation Market 2017 Sales Revenue and Key Players: Siemens AG, Emerson Electric, Rockwell Automation, Omron, Yokogawa Electric, Mitsubishi Electric, Rexroth Bosch Group, Schneider Electric, Honeywell International
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Market Research Future published a research report on Factory Automation Market Research Report- Global Forecast 2022 Market Analysis, Scope, Stake, Progress, Trends and Forecast to 2022.Market HighlightsThe changing consumer market has built high need of deployment of technically advanced automation process in manufacturing and production process of an industry. Flexible production system with high end IT enabled process provides fast, and safe production process which is efficient, flexible, reliable and cost-effective solution. The economic pressure which affects performance and growth of an industry is the one of the factor behind utilizing factory automation process.The automated manufacturing & production process offers high potential leverage for improving productivity and profits for industrial process thereby also reduce energy consumption and cost associated with the manufacturing process. Programmable controllers, PACs, industrial robots, process control system, PLM software and discrete sensors are some of the popular products deployed by industrialist to automate their manufacturing and production process. Industrial robots have the ability of producing high quality products with precision and can generate high return on investment for the investors and also bring safety on the workplace.Get Sample of Report @The Factory Automation Market is growing rapidly over 8.59% of CAGR and is expected to reach at USD 240 billion by the end of forecast period 2022. Cost reduction, high efficiency in the process and ability to provide the overall information and initiate early stage development for the products are the major driving factors of this market.Market Research Analysis:Regional analysis for Factory Automation Market is studied in different geographic regions as Americas, Europe, Asia-Pacific and Rest of world. North America is the leading region among Europe, Asia-Pacific and Middle East & Africa. Asia-Pacific is the fastest growing region which is estimated to show high growth during forecast period. Increasing technology adoption and government initiatives to increase domestic manufacturing and production is expected to drive the growth of Factory Automation market in the region. However, high installation cost of automation solutions in the market is one of the major reason behind slow growth in the region.Key PlayersThe prominent players in the Factory Automation Market are - Siemens AG, ABB Ltd, Emerson Electric Corporation, Rockwell Automation, Honeywell International Inc., Schneider Electric, Rexroth Bosch Group, Mitsubishi Electric Corporation, Yokogawa Electric Corporation, and Omron Corporation.Factory Automation Market SegmentationThe Factory Automation Market has been segmented on the basis of type, technology, and end user. By type, the market is been classified into fixed automation, programmable automation, flexible automation, and integrated automation. By technology, the Factory Automation market is categorized into supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA), programmable automation controller (PAC), programmable logic controller (PLC), distributed control system (DCS), and human machine interface (HMI). By end-user, the market is sub-segmented into manufacturing, automotive, packaging & processing, energy & power, semiconductor & electronics, printing & converting and others.Get complete Report @Intended Audience Process Automation and Instrumentation Manufacturers Industrial Robot Manufacturers MES (Manufacturing Execution System) and MOM (Manufacturing Operations Management) Players System Integrators Government Organizations Research/Consultancy firmsAbout Us:At Market Research Future (MRFR), we enable our customers to unravel the complexity of various industries through our Cooked Research Report (CRR), Half-Cooked Research Reports (HCRR), Raw Research Reports (3R), Continuous-Feed Research (CFR), and Market Research & Consulting Services.MRFR team have supreme objective to provide the optimum quality market research and intelligence services to our clients. Our market research studies by Components, Application, Logistics and market players for global, regional, and country level market segments, enable our clients to see more, know more, and do more, which help to answer all their most important questions.Media Contact:Akash Anand,Market Research FutureOffice No. 528, Amanora ChambersMagarpatta Road, Hadapsar,Pune - 411028Maharashtra, India+1 646 845 9312Email: akash.anand@marketresearchfuture.com
Global Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) Deep Analysis on Industrial and Deep Analysis on Industrial and Market Growth studies Report: 2018 Edition
Hepatitis C Virus
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Press Release - 26 Feb 2018Global Research and Development News --. .Report Description-' 'Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) is an infection which affects the liver which may lead to serious consequences if not taken care of. It spreads through infected blood transfusions and poorly sterilized medical equipments. The number of patients has increased significantly because its symptoms take time to be recognized before the patient progresses towards a clinically visible liver damage which worsens the situation since it may lead to liver damage or even failure. There was no proper therapy for HCV before 2010 but the coming of therapies like Sovaldi and Harvoni by Gilead and Viekira Pak by AbbVie has improved the scenario. Also the steps taken like proper blood screening is also helping in identifying the patients.. . Get Sample Report' 'The key factors which are anticipated to drive HCV market include medical reimbursement because of the therapy being very costly, growth in the number of patients, relatively smaller period of drug treatment from before, treatment of the warehoused patients who were waiting for a better therapy and pricing discounts and better regimens because of the increased competition. Some of the significant developments of this industry include launch of the interferon free regimen and development of products like Sovaldi, Harvoni and Viekira Pak and the newly identified and diagnosed patients. However, the challenges to be faced ahead is more number of patients asking for reimbursement, increasing competition leading to price cutting, risk associated with drug development and regulatory risk.This report offers a comprehensive analysis of the HCV market. Furthermore, market dynamics such as key trends and development; and challenges are analyzed in depth. On the contention front, the global HCV market is reined by few major players namely Gilead Sciences, AbbVie, Johnson & Johnson and Bristol-Myers Squibb. The competitive landscape of the respective market, along with the company profiles of the leading players are also discussed in detail.By combining SPSS Inc.s data integration and analysis capabilities with our relevant findings, we have predicted the future growth of the market. We employed various significant variables that have an impact on this industry and created regression models with SPSS Base to determine the future direction of the industry. Before deploying the regression model, the relationship between several independent or predictor variables and the dependent variable was analyzed using standard SPSS output, including charts, tables and tests.Table of Content1. HCV Market1.1 An Introduction1.2 Types of Hepatitis C Virus1.3 Ways of Spreading of HCV Infection1.4 HCV Co Infections1.5 Avoidance of HCV Infection2. Global HCV Market2.1 Global HCV Sales by Value2.2 Global HCV Prevalence by Region3. Global HCV Market by Region3.1 The US Market3.1.1 The US HCV Sales by Value3.1.2 The US HCV Market Dynamics3.1.3 HCV Patients Initiated Treatment with Sofosbuvir3.2 European Union HCV Sales by Value3.3 Japan HCV Sales by Value3.4 ROW HCV Sales by Value4. Market Dynamics4.1 Growth Drivers4.1.1 Impact of Reimbursement4.1.2 Growth in Number of Patients4.1.3 Smaller Period of Drug Treatment4.1.4 Improved Economic Growth4.1.5 Increasing Healthcare Expenditure4.1.6 Treatment of Warehoused Patients4.1.7 Global Ageing Population4.1.8 Pricing Discounts and Better Regimen4.2 Trends and Development4.2.1 Launch of Interferon Free Regimen and Development of New Products4.2.1 Newly Identified and Diagnosed Patients4.3 Challenges4.3.1 Increase in Number of Patients for Reimbursement4.3.2 Increased Competition leading to Price Cut4.3.3 Risk Associated with Drug Development and Patent4.3.4 Regulatory Risk5. Competitive Landscape5.1 Global Market5.2 Global Product Sales5.3 Viekira Vs. Harvoni - Current US Market Scenario5.4 Viekira Vs. Harvoni Future US Market Scenario6. Company Profiles6.1 Gilead Sciences6.1.1 Business Overview6.1.2 Financial Overview6.1.3 Business Strategies6.2 AbbVie6.2.1 Business Overview6.2.2 Financial Overview6.2.3 Business Strategies6.3 Johnson & Johnson6.3.1 Business Overview6.3.2 Financial Overview6.3.3 Business Strategies6.4 Bristol-Myers Squibb6.4.1 Business Overview6.4.2 Financial Overview6.4.3 Business Strategies7. Market Outlook7.1 Market Forecast7.2 Forecast Methodology7.2.1 Dependent and Independent Variables7.2.2 Correlation Analysis7.2.3 Regression AnalysisList of TableDifferent Ways of Transmission of HCVGlobal HCV Prevalence by Region (2014)Summary of Survey PopulationMarket Share Based on Contracted LivesClinical Factors Affecting Market Share of AbbVie Vs. Gilead (2014)Cure Rates with New Direct Acting anti-Viral - DAA (2014)Viekira Pak Pill OrderFuture Regimens of Gilead, AbbVie and MerckDependent & Independent Variables (2011-2015)Correlation MatrixModel Summary - Coefficient of DeterminationRegression Coefficients OutputList of ChartTypes of Hepatitis C Virus (HCV)Natural History of HCV InfectionGlobal HCV Market by Value (2011-2015)HCV Genotype 1 Patients in Emerging Markets (2015)Global Deaths Due to HCV (2010-2014)The US HCV Market by Value (2011-2015)The US HCV Market Dynamics (2014)Total Estimated HCV Patients to be treated in US (2015). . More Clear Details get Table of ContentsResearchMoz is the worlds fastest growing collection of market research reports worldwide. Our database is composed of current market studies from over 100 featured publishers worldwide. Our market research databases integrate statistics with analysis from global, regional, country and company perspectives. ResearchMozs service portfolio also includes value-added services such as market research customization, competitive landscaping, and in-depth surveys, delivered by a team of experienced Research Coordinators.Researchmoz Global Pvt. Ltd.90 State Street,Albany, NY 12207,United States,Tel: 866-997-4948 (Us-Canada Toll Free),Tel: +1-518-621-2074
Meat Packaging Market to Witness Soaring Growth During 2015-2025
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Demand for meat packaging is projected to witness single digit growth during the forecast period. This growth is attributed to the increased production of meat in the global market. Packaging is anything which is used to contain, handle, protect, and deliver raw material and processed goods. The main purpose of packaging is to provide products to consumer in perfect condition i.e, in intact form of food without spoilage. In addition, the advantages of packaging includes providing space for sharing information about the product such as nutrition, usage and direction.Meat Packaging Market: Drivers and RestraintsMeat packaging market is flourished worldwide due to various factors such as urbanization especially in developing economies such as India, Russia, Brazil and China, increase in demand of convenience products due to the time constraint. However, some of the factors which are restraining the market growth of meat packaging includes environment issues such as recyclability and sustainability coupled with hygienic packaging and rising concern regarding the health. The major trends of global meat packaging market are demand for smaller packaging size, new packaging material development and increase awareness towards environmental issues. Nano packaging also plays an important role in meat packaging as meat needs an aseptic packaging that lasts for maximum days for extended shelf life.Request to Sample Report -Meat Packaging Market: SegmentationMeat packaging market is segmented on the basis of type, material, distribution channel and region. On the basis of type meat packaging market is segmented into On the basis of material meat packaging market is segmented as plastic wraps and storage wrap which includes three major categories of plastics: polyethylene (PE), polyvinylidene chloride (PVDC) and polyvinyl chloride (PVC), oven cooking bags which are made from heat-resistant nylon, aluminium foil which primarily is made from iron and silicon, freezer paper which is white paper coated on one side with plastic to help keep air out of frozen foods, parchment paper made from cotton fibre and/or pure chemical wood pulps and wax paper made with a food-safe paraffin wax. Further on the basis of distribution channel it is segmented into hypermarket/supermarket, grocery stores, online retailing, departmental stores and others. Lastly, on the basis of region the market is segmented into North America, Latin America, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, Asia-Pacific, Japan and Middle East and Africa.Meat Packaging Market: Regional OverviewNorth America is the largest market for meat packaging followed by Europe and Asia-Pacific. China meat packaging is expected to show a significant growth due to rise in personal disposable income coupled with rise in consumption of beef, pork and other meat. Developed market such as North America, Europe are expected to exhibit faster growth rate by 2025.Request Report TOC @Meat Packaging Market: Key PlayersThe major players in the meat packaging market Amcor Ltd, Crown Holdings, Dupont, Nuconic Packaging Llc, Tetra Pak International S.A., Silgan Holdings, Inc., Reynolds Group and Toyo Seikan Group Holdings, Ltd to name a few. The big multinational companies in this category are investing heavily in the expansion development of product portfolio in meat packaging material in order to maintain a position in the packaging market. The companies are also focusing on merger and acquisition as strategies to enhance their production facilities and expand its global presence. For instance, in 2013, Crown holding acquired Mivisa Envases, SAU, a Spanish two- and three-piece food cans and ends manufacturing company.ABOUT US:Future Market Insights (FMI) is a leading market intelligence and consulting firm. We deliver syndicated research reports, custom research reports and consulting services, which are personalized in nature. FMI delivers a complete packaged solution, which combines current market intelligence, statistical anecdotes, technology inputs, valuable growth insights, an aerial view of the competitive framework, and future market trends.CONTACT:Future Market Insights616 Corporate Way, Suite 2-9018,Valley Cottage, NY 10989,United StatesT: +1-347-918-3531F: +1-845-579-5705Email: sales@futuremarketinsights.comWebsite :
AMOLED Display Market 2018 by Global Leaders: AU Optronics, Chimei Innolux, Dresden Microdisplay, Japan Display, LG Display, Panasonic, Samsung Display, Sharp, Sony
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Market Research Future published a research report on AMOLED Display Market Research Report - Global Forecast 2023 Market Analysis, Scope, Stake, Progress, Trends and Forecast to 2023.Market ScenarioAU Optronics is the world first AMOLED producer. The company is into manufacturing of OLED TV, flexible panels and bendable panels, transparent OLEDs and OLED lighting panel. The company's OLED manufacturing unit is primarily focused on wearable OLEDs and OLED for VR applications. Dresden Microdisplay is one of the prominent player in AMOLED display market. The company is into manufacturing of single OLED microdisplay, the low power QVGA SVPO320 and bidirectional microdisplay samples. LG Display is one of the major player in the AMOLED display market and only supplier of AMOLED television panels. In 2016, the company has shipped 9, 00,000 units of AMOLED TV panels.The regional analysis of LED lighting market is being studied for region such as Asia Pacific, Americas, Europe and Rest of the World. Rapid technological advancement across different industries has driven the market of OLED lighting market in Asia-Pacific region followed by European region. Europe held the largest share of the global LED lighting market and is set to dominate the world marketplace. This growth is mainly attributed to the rising demand for outdoor application paired with stringent energy efficiency regulation.The rapid advancement in technology, encourage the invention of better and cost effective technology. The active-matrix organic light-emitting diode (AMOLED) is one of todays most energy-efficient and rapidly-developing lighting technologies. OLED is a highly energy efficient lighting technology, and has the potential to fundamentally change the future of lighting. OLED is very different from incandescent bulbs and CFLs, the differentiating factor in OLEDs technology is its thinner size and more flexible display.Get Sample of Report @The key drivers of AMOLED display market is its utilization in consumer electronics product such as smartphones, monitors, smart watches, television and others, focus on AMOLED standardization, boom in consumer electronics sector, organized retail market and growing population are theignificant drivers of the AMOLED display market. The advantages of OLED lighting include high intensity of brightness, high energy efficiency, low radiated heat, high reliability, consume less power when bright colors are to be displayed.By application segment of AMOLED Display Market consists of consumer electronics product, retail, automotive healthcare and others. Consumer electronics segment is expected to account for highest market share in AMOLED display market. It has wide application in consumer electronics products such as monitors, TV display screen, tablets, laptops, smart watches, smartphones and others.The AMOLED Display market is expected to grow at approximately USD 14 Billion by 2023, at 18% of CAGR between 2017 and 2023.Key Players:The prominent players in the AMOLED Display market are AU Optronics (Taiwan), Beijing Opto-Electronics (China), Chimei Innolux Corp. (Taiwan), Dresden Microdisplay (Germany), Japan Display (Japan), LG Display (Korea), Panasonic (Japan), Samsung Display (Korea), Sharp Corp. (Japan), and Sony Corporation (Japan) among others.Segments:AMOLED display market is segmented on the basis of display type, application, others.AMOLED Display Market by Display Type: Conventional Flexible Transparent 3DAMOLED Display Market by Material: Polymer Glass Glass SubstrateAMOLED Display Market by Application: Consumer Electronics Retail Automotive Healthcare OthersGet Complete Report @Intended Audience Investors and consultants System Integrators Government Organizations Research/Consultancy firms Technology solution providers IT Solution Providers Original Equipment ManufacturersAbout Us:At Market Research Future (MRFR), we enable our customers to unravel the complexity of various industries through our Cooked Research Report (CRR), Half-Cooked Research Reports (HCRR), Raw Research Reports (3R), Continuous-Feed Research (CFR), and Market Research & Consulting Services.Media Contact:Akash Anand,Market Research FutureOffice No. 528, Amanora ChambersMagarpatta Road, Hadapsar,Pune - 411028Maharashtra, India+1 646 845 9312Email: akash.anand@marketresearchfuture.com
Biochemicals Control Market to Exhibit Steadfast Expansion During 2015-2025
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Biochemicals control market has witnessed significant rise over the decades owing to technological advancement in healthcare industries. In a growing healthcare market where profits and growth prospects run together, many companies are vying to plunge into this untapped market. Though the healthcare industry has seen immense technological innovation over the years, the market is getting complex owing to emergence of critical healthcare illness. One such healthcare illness that has strongly affected the mankind is prostate cancer. Cases has been seen where biochemical recurrence has led to biochemical relapse, thus leading to re-emergence of prostate cancer among survivors. According to a recent study conducted by University of Wisconsin Carbone Cancer Center in Madison, USA, 35% of prostate cancer survivors are susceptible to biochemical relapse within 10 years of receiving treatment. Also, as per the World Cancer Research Fund International, prostate cancer is one of the major cause of concern globally, recording more than 1.1 million cases in 2012. Of these, 68% of the cases are recorded in developed regions. North America is the prominent region where mortality rate from prostate cancer is scaling the peak. Search for effective yet reliable technological innovation for biochemicals control in prostate cancer is offering new business horizons to healthcare industries.Biochemicals Control Market: Drivers & RestraintsThe biochemicals control market is expected to grow exponentially during the forecast period, primarily due to the changing lifestyle, physical inactivity and prognosis of patients with biochemical relapse of prostate cancer treatment are some of the key drivers of this market. High prevalence of prostate cancer among middle class population is another significant driver for biochemicals control market. Though the market seems optimistic in coming years, preference for alternative treatment, high costs of treatment, along with stringent regulatory procedures in some of the key nations can led to some negative impact on this industry. However, this million dollar industry is expected to witness upward trend during the forecast period 20152025, primarily due to rise in effective prostate cancer treatment.Request to Sample Report -Biochemicals Control Market: SegmentationBiochemicals market is broadly classified on the basis of therapy and regional prevalence.Various therapies are used depending upon the feasibility of prostatic cancer conditions. Among all types of prostatic cancer, hormone therapy is the widely accepted treatment method. It blocks the testosterone signaling pathway at the androgen receptor. This therapy is followed by adjuvant chemo-hormonal therapy, and combined chemo-hormonal therapy methods. Though these treatment options are viable and has proved effective, companies are emphasizing on R&D to offer innovative and robust healthcare solutions for biochemicals control market.Biochemicals Control Market: Region-wise OutlookDemands for biochemical control market is expected to generate from developed economies including North America and Europe. Increasing prevalence of prostate related cancer, government focus towards providing reliable healthcare solution, increasing healthcare expenditure and key innovations driven by some of the key industry leaders in the region is expected to boost the overall sales of prostate cancer therapies in North America and Europe. More than 40% of the demand for biochemical control is expected to generate from North America and Europe. Asia Pacific and Latin America are next in trail. Increasing healthcare expenditure is one of the key driving factor in Asia Pacific. Around 15% of all prostate cancers diagnosed globally are from Asia Pacific. Increase in irregular lifestyle in most parts of Asia Pacific is expected to entrap more people in coming years. Healthcare solutions to battle prostate cancer is widely needed globally.Request Report TOC @Biochemicals Control Market: Key PlayersSome of the key market players in prostate cancer treatment and biochemical control are GlaxoSmithKline, Accord Healthcare Inc., Biologics Inc., BioZyme Inc, Juno Therapeutics, etc.ABOUT US:Future Market Insights (FMI) is a leading market intelligence and consulting firm. We deliver syndicated research reports, custom research reports and consulting services, which are personalized in nature. FMI delivers a complete packaged solution, which combines current market intelligence, statistical anecdotes, technology inputs, valuable growth insights, an aerial view of the competitive framework, and future market trends.CONTACT:Future Market Insights616 Corporate Way, Suite 2-9018,Valley Cottage, NY 10989,United StatesT: +1-347-918-3531F: +1-845-579-5705Email: sales@futuremarketinsights.comWebsite :
Asia Pacific Cancer Immunotherapy Market 2023 Top Player - AstraZeneca Plc, GlaxoSmithKline Plc, Novartis AG, Sanofi and More
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Asia Pacific cancer immunotherapy market is expecting a high growth over the coming future. This is due to increasing number of patient with different types of cancer. Over 100 types of different has been cancer registered, so far. In terms of treatment, limited number of treatments are available in the market. Cancer immunotherapy is expecting to make a huge development over the given period due to its various advantages.Asia Pacific Cancer Immunotherapy Market is expecting a sound growth of CAGR of 15.5% during the forecasted period 2017-2023.Immunotherapy is more effective than other available therapy. The market is majorly driven by increasing cancer population across this region. Increasing smoking population and rising consumption of alcohol have led to increase the number of lungs and liver cancer, which has spurred the growth of the market. However, long time for approval, high cost of treatment, and many side effects may slow the market growth.Key Players in the cancer immunotherapy marketThe key players for the market are Amgen, Inc. (US), Bristol-Myers Squibb Company (US), Eli Lilly and Company (US), AstraZeneca Plc. (UK), GlaxoSmithKline Plc. (UK), Bayer AG (Germany), F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd. (Switzerland), Pfizer, Inc. (US), Merck & Co., Inc. (US), Novartis AG (Switzerland), Spectrum Pharmaceuticals Inc. (US), Janssen Biotech, Inc. (US), Sanofi (France), AbbVie Inc. (US), Takeda Pharmaceuticals (Japan), Oncomed Pharmaceuticals (US) and Immunomedics (US)Access Sample Copy @Regional AnalysisAsia Pacific cancer immunotherapy market is segmented into Japan, China, India, Australia, Republic of Korea and Rest of Asia Pacific. The major driving factor for the market is increasing number of patient population in India and China. China and India are the major contributor in the Asia Pacific cancer immunotherapy market. According to the NCIP, 0.33 million of the people in India are suffering from cancer and the number is continuously increasing owing to the changing lifestyle.Moreover, presence of huge patient population and increasing government support for research & development will fuel the growth of the market in India. China holds the second largest market for cancer immunotherapy market which is followed by Japan. Increasing government support, rapidly developing economy and increasing healthcare expenditure will boost the growth of China and Japan market.Availability of highly skilled healthcare professionals and rising acceptance of these therapies and increasing demand for the treatment have provided push for the growth of the market in these countries. Australia and Rest of Asia Pacific contribute the least share in the market.Brief TOC1 Report Prologue2 Market Introduction2.1 Introduction2.2 Scope of Study2.3 Research Objective2.4 Assumptions & Limitations2.4.1 Assumptions2.4.2 LimitationsGet Attractive Discount @3 Research Methodology3.1 Research Process3.2 Primary Research3.3 Secondary Research4 Market Dynamics.ContinuedAbout 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.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.
Fortified Rice Market Will Exceed US$ 25,000 Mn by 2026
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"The Latest Research Report Fortified Rice Market - Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends and Forecast 2017 - 2026 provides information on pricing, market analysis, shares, forecast, and company profiles for key industry participants. - MarketResearchReports.biz"Fortified rice has gained traction as one of the simple means of providing nutrition solutions with essential micronutrients in a cost-effective and sustainable way. This has further helped communities most parts of the world in acquiring greater nutritional value from their daily rice consumption. Rice is considered to be one of the most difficult food to fortify. However, several innovative fortification technologies for rice are being introduced in the market that help in retaining the nutritional integrity of rice post-fortification during its transport, storage, cooking and rinsing.Transparency market research has compiled a report recently on the global fortified rice market. The report examines the fortified rice market at the global scale, and engulfs the market dynamics extensively, providing key trends influencing the market expansion. This report on the global market for fortified rice gives a precise knowledge base for key market players seeking global expansion. Analysis delivered in this report is key for the market players as well as the investors, in order to gauge growth potential of the global fortified rice market in the foreseeable future.Get Sample Copy of this report @Structure of ReportCommencing with the chapter on executive summary, the report on the global fortified rice market delivers key prospects of the product, end-user, and regional segments included, along with the most significant market numbers associated with these segments. The historical CAGR for 2012 to 2016, and the forecast CAGR for 2017 to 2026 have been comprised in the market numbers. Intelligence on remunerative regions for growth of the global fortified rice market has also been delivered in the report on the basis of sales growth, and the revenue shares through the forecast period.A chapter titled overview proceeds the executive summary, and provides an incisive market introduction that trails a formal definition of the fortified rice. This is mainly to convey report readers about its wide scope. Subsequent chapters of the report deliver information about the market dynamics including the driving factors, restraining factors, opportunities, and trends affecting expansion of the market.Market TaxonomyThe report offers a segmentation-wise analysis on the global market for fortified rice. Segmentation of the market is done in terms of sales channel, end-users, technology, micronutrients, and region. Chapters delivering the segmentation analysis incorporate imperative market numbers concerning the revenue comparison, market share comparison, and Y-o-Y growth comparison. Regionally, the report has branched the global market for fortified rice into Middle East & Africa (MEA), North America, Asia-Pacific excluding Japan (APEJ), Europe, Latin America, and Japan.Browse Complete Report with TOC @Competitive LandscapeThe report also offers an intensity map, which tracks the occupancy of key companies actively contributing to the global fortified rice markets growth. This last chapter of the report delivers insights on key market players, and gives information with regard to the markets competitive landscape. The market players have been profiled in detail, and intelligence associated with key financials, SWOT analysis, company overview, key developments, and product is offered in this chapter. The chapter on the competition landscape is priceless for the report readers, mainly because it comprises necessary insights to analyse contribution of leading players to growth of the market. The competition landscape also enables studying the methods of strategy implementation by the market players, coupled with their aims to stay at the global fortified rice markets forefront.Table of Content1. Global Economic Outlook2. Global Fortified Rice Market - Executive Summary3. Global Fortified Rice Market Overview3.1. Introduction3.1.1. Global Fortified Rice Market Taxonomy3.1.2. Global Fortified Rice Market Definition3.2. Global Fortified Rice Market Size (US$ Mn) and Forecast, 2012-20263.2.1. Global Fortified Rice Market Y-o-Y Growth3.3. Global Fortified Rice Market Dynamics3.4. Supply Chain3.5. Cost Structure3.6. Pricing Analysis3.7. PESTLE Analysis3.8. Service Provider List3.9. Key Participants Market Presence (Intensity Map) By RegionView Sample PDF @4. Global Fortified Rice Market Supply Demand Analysis4.1. Number of Manufacturers by Region4.2. Production Volume by Key Players4.3. Importer Concentration by Region4.4. Key Participants Market Presence (Intensity Map) By Region4.5. North America Production, Consumption, Export, Import and Net Trade Outlook4.6. Latin America Production, Consumption, Export, Import and Net Trade Outlook4.7. Europe Production, Consumption, Export, Import and Net Trade Outlook4.8. Japan Production, Consumption, Export, Import and Net Trade Outlook4.9. APEJ Production, Consumption, Export, Import and Net Trade Outlook4.10. MEA Production, Consumption, Export, Import and Net Trade Outlook5. Pricing Point Analysis5.1. Price Point Assessment by Region5.2. Price Point Assessment by Micronutrients5.3. Price Forecast till 20265.4. Factors Influencing Pricing5.5. Value Chain Pricing Mark-upsAbout usMarketResearchReports.biz is the most comprehensive collection of market research reports. MarketResearchReports.Biz services are specially designed to save time and money for our clients. We are a one stop solution for all your research needs, our main offerings are syndicated research reports, custom research, subscription access and consulting services. We serve all sizes and types of companies spanning across various industries.ContactMr. NachiketState Tower90 Sate Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-621-2074Website:E: sales@marketresearchreports.biz
Global Auto Pipeline Washer Market 2018- Alfred Karcher GmbH & Co. KG, John Brooks Company Limited
Global Auto Pipeline Washer Market
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Apex Market Reports, recently published a detailed market research study focused on the "Global Auto Pipeline Washer Market" across the global, regional and country level. The report provides 360 analysis of "Global Auto Pipeline Washer Market" from view of manufacturers, regions, product types and end industries. The research report analyses and provides the historical data along with current performance of the Global Auto Pipeline Washer industry, and estimates the future trend of Global Auto Pipeline Washer market on the basis of this detailed study. The study shares "Global Auto Pipeline Washer Market" performance both in terms of volume and revenue.Get Free Sample Copy of Report Here:Top Manufacturers Analysis of This ReportAlfred Karcher GmbH & Co. KGJohn Brooks Company LimitedThe market research report explores the Global Auto Pipeline Washer market across the globe along with major regions and countries. The research report provides a detailed study on each and every aspect of "Global Auto Pipeline Washer Market". The research report studies the entire value chain from raw material to end user industries. The report also shares import/export statistics along with production and consumption for all major regions and countries. Moreover, the research study classifies the Global Auto Pipeline Washer market based on major product types, application and end users industries of Global Auto Pipeline Washer. Besides, the report also covers geographical segmentation for Global Auto Pipeline Washer market. The report further provides production, capacity, price per region, gross margin, production cost, for all major regions and countries listed in report.The competitive landscape of the global market for Global Auto Pipeline Washer is determined by assessing the major industry participants, production capacity, production capacity utilization rate, Global Auto Pipeline Washer market's production chain, pricing by each manufacturer and the revenue generated by each manufacturer in the Global Auto Pipeline Washer market globally.Enquire Before Buying @The Global Auto Pipeline Washer market 2018 is further analyzed on the basis of product pricing, Global Auto Pipeline Washer production volume, data pertaining to demand and Global Auto Pipeline Washer supply, and the revenue garnered by the product. The report provides upstream and downstream analysis covering major raw material used in manufacturing of Global Auto Pipeline Washer along with detailed manufacturing sources. The report also shares list of major raw material manufacturers along with their manufacturing locations. Detailed raw material price trend analysis along with manufacturing cost analysis is also incorporated into the report. Various methodical tools such as investment returns, feasibility, SWOT analysis and market attractiveness analysis has been implemented in the research study to present a comprehensive, detailed study of the industry for Global Auto Pipeline Washer across the world.About UsApex Market Reports offers elevating market research globally. We have collection of various syndicated reports of different categories. Apex Market Reports provides you to best services, weather youre searching for new trends in market or competitive scenario in emerging market.Customers can buys different reports across various categories such as Chemical and Material, Biotechnology, Healthcare, Food and beverages, Automobile and various sectors. Our Website offers safe and secure online ordering experience, convenient payment options.Contact UsFrank ValadezCorporate Sales Specialist155 North Wacker Drive, Suite 4250Chicago, IL 60606Phone: +17739042683Email id - sales@apexmarketreports.comWebsite -
Global Thiochemicals Market: Industry Size, Growth, Trends and Outlook Report 2017 2025
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Thiochemicals are a group of chemicals in which the oxygen molecule is replaced by sulfur, referred to as the Thio-compound. Such reactions wherein the oxygen ion is replaced by the sulfur ion are carried out through thionation. Sulfur, being a major compound, is used in the production of thiochemicals, such as methyl mercaptan, that act as a precursor for the amino acid which is further used in an animal nutrition products. Moreover, thiochemical compounds are also used as polymerization agents, anti-cocking agents as well as for gas leakage detection, etc. Thiochemicals, such as Methyl mercaptan and other mercaptans, find usage in the oil & gas industry where they are used for desulfurization, cracking process and natural gas leakage detection applications. Furthermore, thiochemicals are also used in the chemicals and polymer & plastic industry. For instance, thiochemicals are used in the synthesis of thioglycolic acids, which are further used in the synthesis of PVC heat stabilizers.Report Overview @Thiochemicals Market: DynamicsThe thiochemicals market is mainly driven by the rising demand for natural gas in industrial as well as domestic applications coupled with increasing refining capacity of oil & gas across the globe. For the same, the demand for thiochemicals, such as Mercaptane, Dimethyl disulfide, etc. is increasing in the oil & gas industry. This, in turn, is driving the thiochemicals market. Moreover, rising demand for animal nutrition products -- thiochemicals are frequently used during the manufacturing process -- will subsequently support the growth of the market. Furthermore, growing demand for thiochemicals in food, agrochemicals, plastic and chemicals industry, among others, will, in turn, help in boosting the demand over the forecast period. Government regulations in developed regions as well as IMO initiatives aim to reduce sulfur content owing to which there has been a significant rise in the production of elemental sulphur. Excess production of sulfur will lead to a drop in prices, which may affect the growth of thiochemicals market.Request for Table of Contents @Thiochemicals Market: Segmentation,,On the basis of product type, the global thiochemicals market is segmented into: Mercaptans,Dimethyl disulfide (DMDS),Dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO),Thioglycolic acid and esters,Thiourea,Others,On the basis of end-use industry, the global thiochemicals market is segmented into:,,Oil and Gas,Food and Agrochemicals,Chemicals,Plastics,Electrical and Electronics,Automotive and Transportation,Consumer Goods,Others.Thiochemicals Market: Regional OutlookThe global Thiochemicals market is mainly dominated by the Asia pacific region (APAC), especially by China, owing to increasing demand for Thiochemicals, such as mercaptan and DMDS in the oil & gas industry. Moreover, the significant growth of food & agrochemicals industry coupled with increasing production capacity and rising demand for animal feed in APAC region will lead to an increase in demand for Thiochemicals in the APAC region. Moreover, increasing production capacity of elemental Sulfur in APAC region will also lead to faster growth of the thiochemicals market over the forecast period. The APAC Thiochemicals market is expected to register healthy growth over the forecast period. North America, followed by Europe, are the major consumer markets for Thiochemicals. In the U.S., increasing raw material capacity and increasing demand from end-use industries, such as oil & gas, agrochemicals, food and polymer industry, among others, will also help to drive the demand for the Thiochemicals market. North America and Europe Thiochemicals market are expected to grow with significant CAGR over the forecast period. However, Latin America and Middle East & Africa thiochemicals market are expected to register slow growth over the forecast period.Get Sample Copy of this Report @Thiochemicals Market: Market ParticipantsExamples of some of the market participants in the global Thiochemicals market, identified across the value chain include, Arkema Group, HEBEI YANUO Bioscience Co., Ltd., Chevron Phillips Chemical Co. LLC, BRUNO BOCK Chemische Fabrik GmbH & Co. KG, Toray Fine Chemicals Co. Ltd. among others.The thiochemicals market is a highly consolidated market. Major manufacturers are focusing on enhancing their footprint in the global market through the expansion of manufacturing facilities to cater to the rising demand for thiochemicals across the globe.Need more information about Report methodology ? @About UsPersistence Market Research (PMR) is a third-platform research firm. Our research model is a unique collaboration of data analytics and market research methodology to help businesses achieve optimal performance.To support companies in overcoming complex business challenges, we follow a multi-disciplinary approach. At PMR, we unite various data streams from multi-dimensional sources. By deploying real-time data collection, big data, and customer experience analytics, we deliver business intelligence for organizations of all sizes.Contact UsPersistence Market Research305 Broadway7th Floor, New York City,NY 10007, United States,USA,Canada Toll Free: 800-961-0353Email: sales@persistencemarketresearch.comWeb:
Immunotherapy Drugs Market : Key Growth Factors and Industry Analysis 2017-2025
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Global Immunotherapy Drugs Market: SnapshotCancer immunotherapy requires the use of a bodys immune system to fight off cancer. The three types of immunotherapies available are passive, active, and hybrid. The core functionality of immunotherapy revolves around the presence of tissue-associated antigens, or TAAs, which are molecules present on the surface of cancer cells. These are more commonly found as macromolecules such as carbohydrates, or proteins. In the case of active immunotherapy, the immune system is directed to attack cancer cells by identifying TAAs, whereas passive immunotherapies involve the improvement of a bodys current cancer fighting responses. These include the usage of cytokines, lymphocytes, and monoclonal bodies.Immunotherapy may also be recognized as biological response modifier therapy, or biological therapy. Apart from cancer, the more common types of diseases that can be fought off using immunotherapy are psoriasis, multiple sclerosis, colitis, Crohns disease, and rheumatoid arthritis. The principal cause of requiring immunotherapies is the added boost they provide to a bodys immune system to defeat cancer, which the body could not have done otherwise. There are some biological response modifies that a human body can already produce, but the volume may not always be enough to successfully cure cancer, in which case lab produced drugs and treatments come into play. From a simpler perspective, immunotherapies can provide different types of responses within a body to fight cancer. These include building additional cancer-fighting cells, increase the vulnerability of cancer cells, convert cancer cells to normal ones, or manipulate the growth pattern and rate of cancer cells.Request Sample Copy of the Report @Global Immunotherapy Drugs Market: OverviewImmunotherapy represents a niche treatment area in the medical industry, which involves a course of treatment that enhances or suppresses the immune system of a patient, making it capable of fighting a number of diseases such as cancer, a number of infections, respiratory conditions. The market for immunotherapy drugs has witnessed expansion at a significant pace in the past few years, chiefly owing to the vast rise in prevalence of chronic diseases and a variety of cancers, and the pressing need for effective drugs with fewer side effects.The market has also gained traction owing to the increased demand for targeted therapies across the globe and the approval of several immunotherapy drugs in the past few years, making the market more competitive and dynamic. However, certain factors are posing challenges to the growth of the market, including the high cost of immunotherapy drugs, vast capital investment required to initiate research and development processes, and strict drug approval guidelines across some developed regional markets. Nevertheless, vast growth opportunities can be observed for immunotherapy drugs in emerging economies and the field of cancer treatment as an alternative to chemotherapy.Request TOC of the Report @Global Immunotherapy Drugs Market: Scope of the ReportThis report on the global immunotherapy drugs market provides a detailed qualitative and quantitative analysis of the present and past growth dynamics of the market, including an overview of determining factors such as drivers, challenges, trends, and opportunities. The report also presents an attractiveness analysis of the market and its key segments by criteria such as application, end-use sector, country, and competitive landscape. The competitive landscape section of the report analyzes the level of competition, competitiveness between key players, and market share for some of the key vendors in the market.Primary research, which forms the bulk of the research efforts undertaken to collate the report, included data sourced from e-mail interactions, personal interviews, and telephonic interviews. Secondary research efforts utilized while creating the report involved the thorough analysis of annual reports, company websites, stock analysis presentations, a number of national and international databases, and press releases. The report provides market size for all key segments across key regional markets in terms of US$ mn/bn over the period between 2017 and 2025, considering several micro- and macro-economic factors influencing the overall growth prospects of the market.Read Comprehensive Overview of Report@Global Immunotherapy Drugs Market: SegmentationThe report segments the global immunotherapy drugs market on the basis of criteria such as end-user, application, product type, and geography. On the basis of product type, the report examines immunotherapy drug types such as vaccines, monoclonal antibodies, checkpoint inhibitors, and interleukins. On the basis of are of application, the market is segmented into infectious diseases, cancers, and autoimmune diseases. Of these, immunotherapy drugs for the treatment of cancer presently forms the bulk of revenue generated by the market. The significant rise in prevalence of the disease is expected to continue to lead to the demand for an increasing number and varieties of immunotherapy drugs in the next few years as well.Global Immunotherapy Drugs Market: Geographical and Competitive LandscapeFrom a geographical perspective, the immunotherapy drugs market has been examined for regions such as North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, and Middle East and Africa. Of these, the market for immunotherapy drugs in North America is presently the leading contributor to the revenue of the global market throughout the reports forecast period. Asia-Pacific, with its vast pool of geriatric population and an affluent middle class willing to spend on quality healthcare products, is expected to emerge as the most promising investment destination for the immunotherapy drugs market over the reports forecast period.Some of the key vendors operating in the global immunotherapy drugs market are Merck & Co., Inc., F. Hoffmann-La Roche AG, Bristol-Myers Squibb, GlaxoSmithKline, and AbbVie, Inc.About UsTMR Research is a premier provider of customized market research and consulting services to business entities keen on succeeding in todays supercharged economic climate. Armed with an experienced, dedicated, and dynamic team of analysts, we are redefining the way our clients conduct business by providing them with authoritative and trusted research studies in tune with the latest methodologies and market trends.Our savvy custom-built reports span a gamut of industries such as pharmaceuticals, chemicals and metals, food and beverages, and technology and media, among others. With actionable insights uncovered through in-depth research of the market, we try to bring about game-changing success for our clients.Contact:TMR Research,3739 Balboa St # 1097,San Francisco, CA 94121United StatesTel: +1-415-520-1050Email: sales@tmrresearch.com
Biomaterials Market 2018 Major Vendors are Royal DSM (Netherlands), BASF SE (Germany), Corbion N.V. (Netherlands) and more.
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Biomaterials Market consists of countries namely the Americas, Europe, Asia Pacific, and the Middle East. The Americas dominate the global biomaterials market owing to the increasing healthcare expenditure followed by Europe and Asia Pacific. According to the American Heart Association, the death due to cardiovascular diseases accounted for more than 800,000 in the U.S. Approximately 2,200 Americans die of cardiovascular disease each day. This increase in death ratio in North America is expected to drive the demand for biomaterials based cardiovascular systems. Europe holds the second position in the global biomaterials market owing to the government support for research & development and availability of funds for research.Asia Pacific is the fastest growing region owing to the increasing obesity, introduction of biomaterials in cancer research, and rising patient awareness and improved lifestyle in growing economies such as India, China, and Brazil are expected to create opportunities in the biomaterials market. Additionally, the region has the highest potential to grow in the forecast period due to the presence of emerging economies such as China and India.The Middle East & Africa holds the least share of the market owing to less availability of funds, limited medical facilities, and deprived political conditions in Africa.Access Sample Copy @Segmentation:The global biomaterials market is segmented on the basis of type and application. On the basis of the type, the market is segmented into metallic, ceramics, polymeric, natural biomaterials, and others. The metallic segment is divided into stainless steel, titanium & titanium alloys, cobalt-chrome alloys, silver, gold, and magnesium. The ceramics segment is divided into calcium phosphate, aluminum oxide, zirconia, calcium sulfate, carbon, and glass. The polymeric segment is further divided into polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA), polyethylene, polyester, polyvinyl chloride, silicone rubber, nylon, polyetheretherketone (PEEK), polylactic acid, poly glycolic acid, and poly (lactide-coglycolide), and others. The natural biomaterials is further segmented into hyaluronic acid, collagen, gelatin, fibrin, cellulose, chitin, alginate, and silk.On the basis of the application, the market is classified into cardiovascular, orthopedic, ophthalmology, dental, plastic surgery, wound healing, tissue engineering, neurological disorders, and others.The cardiovascular segment is divided into catheters, stents, implantable cardiac defibrillators, pacemakers, sensors, heart valves, vascular grafts, guidewires, and others.The orthopedic is divided into joint replacement, viscosupplementation, bioresorbable tissue fixation, spine, fracture fixation devices, and orthobiologics. The joint replacement is further divided into knee replacement, hip replacement, shoulder replacement, and others. The bioresorbable tissue fixation is divided into suture anchors, interference screws, meniscal repair tacks, and meshes. The spine segment is divided into spinal fusion, minimally invasive fusion surgery, and motion preservation. The fracture fixation devices are divided into bone plates, screws, pins, rods, and wires.Get Discount on Biomaterials Market Report @Regional Analysis:The global biomaterials market consists of countries namely the Americas, Europe, Asia Pacific, and the Middle East.The Americas dominate the global biomaterials market owing to the increasing healthcare expenditure followed by Europe and Asia Pacific. According to the American Heart Association, the death due to cardiovascular diseases accounted for more than 800,000 in the U.S. Approximately 2,200 Americans die of cardiovascular disease each day. This increase in death ratio in North America is expected to drive the demand for biomaterials based cardiovascular systems. Europe holds the second position in the global biomaterials market owing to the government support for research & development and availability of funds for research.Asia Pacific is the fastest growing region owing to the increasing obesity, introduction of biomaterials in cancer research, and rising patient awareness and improved lifestyle in growing economies such as India, China, and Brazil are expected to create opportunities in the biomaterials market. Additionally, the region has the highest potential to grow in the forecast period due to the presence of emerging economies such as China and India.The Middle East & Africa holds the least share of the market owing to less availability of funds, limited medical facilities, and deprived political conditions in Africa.Browse Complete Premium 100 Pages Half-Cooked Research Report Enabled with Respective Tables and Figures is Available @About Market Research Future:At Market Research Future (MRFR), we enable our customers to unravel the complexity of various industries through our Cooked Research Report (CRR), Half-Cooked Research Reports (HCRR), Raw Research Reports (3R), Continuous-Feed Research (CFR), and Market Research & Consulting Services.ContactMarket Research FutureOffice No. 528, Amanora ChambersMagarpatta Road, Hadapsar,Pune 411028Maharashtra, India+1 646 845 9312Email: sales@marketresearchfuture.com
Worldwide Alcopop Market Leading Players Analysis 2018 | Diageo, Miller Brewing Company, Anheuser-Busch Brown-Forman, Bacardi, Bass Brewery and Beam Suntory
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Latest Industry Updates:Nov 2017 SodaStream International Ltd. has launched its limited edition line, 'Sparkling Gold,' a fine alcoholic concentrate to be added to sparkling water. The product offers a sparkling tangy tongue pleaser, resembling the taste of a fruity riesling wine.Jul 2017 Nigeria Breweries has added to its range of alcoholic drinks with the launch of Ace Desire, a zobo flavoured alcoholic drink into the Nigerian market.Jul 2017 RumChata has launched a new product, FrappaChata, the first and only premium ready-to-drink alcoholic iced coffee on the market. FrappaChata is a custom blend of Arabica and Robusta coffees blended with award-winning RumChata cream liqueur. The result is the flavor of rich, dark roast coffee highlighted by the sweet smooth taste of RumChata.Apr 2016 Prestige Beverage Group has announced the growth of its Kinky Beverage portfolio. Kinky Cocktails, a colorful addition to the growing progressive adult beverage category. The brand also is adding two new flavors Kinky Red and limited-edition Kinky Summer.Market Overview:The global alcopop market is anticipated to be driven by the increasing per capita disposable income of the consumer in developed nations over the past few years. Also, the increasing purchasing power of the consumer in developing nations is the significant factor for the growth of alcopop in the future. Also, the increasing youth population is anticipated to be one of the key factors for the substantial growth of alcopop market during the forecast period. Increasing urbanization in developing economies is also propelling the sales of flavored alcoholic beverages. In addition, easy accessibility of the product in grocery and major retail stores has also supported the growth of the market. Dedicated space for liquors in grocery stores and other major retailers is a common practice in developed nations such as the U.S., however the trend is picking up in emerging economies.With the emergence of new markets for flavored alcoholic beverages, and huge opportunities for the manufacturers, has supported the growth of the global alcopop market. Market Research Future, a firm which specializes in market reports related to the Food, Beverages & Nutrition sector among others, recently forecasted in its report on Global Alcopop Market Research Report- Forecast to 2023 that the market will demonstrate a CAGR while achieving steady growth in the forecast period.Get a Sample Report @Additionally, the growing popularity of digital and social media marketing in recent years also helped in spiking the demand for the product. More than 70% of the companies are set to increase their digital marketing budgets in the coming years. In addition, the age targeted marketing offered by major social media platforms made it comparatively less risky for the companies to advertise its products. It has also helped in bridging the gap between the manufacturers and consumers, consequently triggering the demand for customization and personalization of products. However, higher taxes levied by government on alcoholic beverages such as alcopop could hinder the growth of the market.Competitive Analysis:Alcopop market is highly dominated by few major players and the competition is intense. In order to gain a substantial market share, the companies are focusing on product diversification, strengthening their existing portfolio, as well as also concentrating on geographical expansion. For instance, to reap benefits of rapidly growing tequila market. Also, companies are increasingly focusing on growing their consumer base using social media. It is estimated that more than 70% of the companies are set to increase their digital marketing budgets in the coming years to strengthen their consumer base.The key players profiled in alcopop market report are Diageo (U.K), Brown-Forman (U.S.), Bacardi (Bermuda), Bass Brewery (U.K), Miller Brewing Company (U.S.), Anheuser-Busch (Belgium), and Beam Suntory (U.S.) among many others.Market Segments:The global alcopop market has been divided into product type, flavor, distribution channel, and region.On the Basis of Type: Beer, Whiskey, Rum, Vodka, and OthersOn the Basis of Flavor: Honey, Chocolate, Strawberry, Marmalade, Spices, Citrus, Lemonade, Cola, and OthersOn the Basis of Distribution Channel: Store Based, and Non-store BasedOn the Basis of Region: North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, and ROWAccess Report Details @Regional Analysis:Global Alcopop Market is segmented into North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, and rest of the world (RoW). Among these, Europe is expected to retain its dominance throughout the forecast period. This is attributed by the increasing per capita disposable income coupled with the favorable demographic conditions. Within Europe, Germany is estimated to account for the largest market share during the forecast period. Asia Pacific is projected to grow at a higher rate as compared to the other regions. Especially China and India are lucrative market opportunity in the Asia Pacific region for the alcopop manufacturersAbout Market Research Future:At Market Research Future (MRFR), we enable our customers to unravel the complexity of various industries through our Cooked Research Report (CRR), Half-Cooked Research Reports (HCRR), Raw Research Reports (3R), Continuous-Feed Research (CFR), and Market Research & Consulting Services.MRFR team have supreme objective to provide the optimum quality market research and intelligence services to our clients. Our market research studies by products, services, technologies, applications, end users, and market players for global, regional, and country level market segments, enable our clients to see more, know more, and do more, which help to answer all their most important questions.ContactMarket Research FutureOffice No. 528, Amanora ChambersMagarpatta Road, Hadapsar,Pune - 411028Maharashtra, India+1 646 845 9312Email: sales@marketresearchfuture.com
Phenylbutazone Market: Global Industry Trend Analysis 2012 to 2017 and Forecast 2017 - 2025
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Phenylbutazone is a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) for the short-term treatment of fever and pain in animals. In the UK and the U.S., it is no longer approved for human use, as it can cause severe adverse effects such as aplastic anemia and suppression of white blood cell production. Phenylbutazone was originally used in humans for the treatment of gout and rheumatoid arthritis in 1949. Phenylbutazone is commonly used in horses for the following purposes: Antipyresis and Analgesia. Phenylbutazone is used for pain relief from musculoskeletal disorders including overuse injuries, sprains, tendinitis, arthralgias, laminitis and arthritis and relief from infection. Phenylbutazone acts directly on musculoskeletal tissue to control inflammation, thereby alleviating pain, and restoring range of motion.Report Overview @Phenylbutazone can be administered intravenously or orally (via powder, paste or feed-in). Phenylbutazone should not be injected in any place other than a vein and administered intramuscularly. Edema and tissue damage may also occur if the drug is injected repetitively into the same vein. Side effects of phenylbutazone include blood dyscrasia, GI ulcers, oral lesions, kidney damage and internal hemorrhage. Phenylbutazone should not be used in combination with vitamin K antagonists such as warfarin as it amplifies the anticoagulant effect of these drugs. Phenylbutazone displaces warfarin from toxic blood levels and plasma binding sites leading to haemorrhage.The growth in end user industries is expected to increase demand for phenylbutazone. The growth in veterinary medicine industry is expected to increase consumption of phenylbutazone. In addition, rising demand for non steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs from emerging economies of Asia Pacific and Latin America is expected to boost demand for phenylbutazone. However, availability of substitutes and government regulations could hamper the growth of this market. Harpagophytum can replace phenylbutazone for treatment of fever and pain in horses.Request for Table of Contents @Asia Pacific is expected to be the largest consumer of phenylbutazone followed by North America and Europe. China and India are the major consumers of phenylbutazone in Asia Pacific due to presence of established end user industries. Phenylbutazone manufacturers are shifting their base to emerging economies of Asia Pacific due to availability of government subsidies, land and cheap labor. Mongolia, Republic of Korea, Australia and New Zealand are expected to be other major consumers of phenylbutazone in Asia Pacific. North America and Europe are expected to experience moderate to high growth. In addition, demand for phenylbutazone is expected to increase in emerging economies of Latin America due to increasing demand for veterinary drugs. Argentina, Brazil, Colombia and Peru are major consumers of phenylbutazone in Latin America.Get Sample Copy of this Report @The market is dominated by large and medium chemical and pharmaceutical corporations. Some of the key players in this market are Santa Cruz Biotechnology, Inc. (U.S.), Hangzhou Hyper Chemicals Limited (China), Baoji Guokang Bio-Technology Co., Ltd.(China), Wuhan Yitongtai Science and Technology Co., Ltd. (China), Afine Chemicals Limited (china), Shanghai Win-Win Biochemical Co., Ltd. (china), Shaanxi TOP Pharm Chemical Co., Ltd.(China), Hangzhou Hyper Chemicals Limited (China), Hangzhou Ruijiang Chemical Co., Ltd. (China), Dalian Launcher Fine Chemical Co., Ltd.(China), Croma Life Science Pvt. Ltd (India), Swati Chemicals (India), Suchem Laboratories (India), Uni-med India (India), Afton Pharma (India) and Hefei TNJ Chemical Industry Co., Ltd. (China) among others. Companies are using strategic acquisitions and mergers to remain competitive in the market. In addition, companies are increasing their presence in emerging economies of Latin America and Europe to increase their market presence.Need more information about Report methodology ? @About UsPersistence Market Research (PMR) is a third-platform research firm. Our research model is a unique collaboration of data analytics and market research methodology to help businesses achieve optimal performance.To support companies in overcoming complex business challenges, we follow a multi-disciplinary approach. At PMR, we unite various data streams from multi-dimensional sources. By deploying real-time data collection, big data, and customer experience analytics, we deliver business intelligence for organizations of all sizes.Contact UsPersistence Market Research305 Broadway7th Floor, New York City,NY 10007, United States,USA,Canada Toll Free: 800-961-0353Email: sales@persistencemarketresearch.comWeb:
Aircraft Landing Solutions Market Growth,Size, Status and Forecast 2025
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Research Beam has added a report on Global Aircraft Landing Solutions Market Size, Status and Forecast 2025Aircraft Landing Solutions Market is provided in the report based on product scope and market status & outlook. The market is segmented on the basis of type, end-users/application, and geography. The report provides information about the production, price, revenue, market share, and growth rate of each type. Geographically, the market has been analyzed across North America, Europe, China, Japan, Southeast Asia, and India. The status and prospect through 2013-2025 for each of these regions are listed in the report.Get Sample@The report entails the qualitative and quantitative analysis of current and future market estimations. It also divulges details about the mode of research methodology used for the study. It includes data from primary as well as secondary resources. The report is a useful resource for industry players, new entrants in the marketplace, and investors as it helps them plan their business to gain fruitful and meaningful outcomes. It makes them aware of the production, capacity, revenue, supply, consumption, export, import, the challenges and risks associated with the industry, and much more.Factors that drive the growth of the market are detailed in the study. Key players are profiled in the report and their developments in recent years are mentioned, which helps in understanding the competitive outlook of the Global Aircraft Landing Solutions MarketGet 15% discount on this report @The Global Aircraft Landing Solutions Market This incorporates the overall industrial chain analysis, upstream raw materials sourcing, raw materials sources of the product major manufacturers in 2015, and downstream buyers.The report also throws light on the marketing strategy used for the study. It includes marketing channel (direct marketing, indirect marketing, and marketing channel development trend) and market positioning (pricing strategy, brand strategy, and target client).The Global Aircraft Landing Solutions Market report also covers an analysis of the market effect factors. This includes the technology progress/risk (substitutes/threat and technology progress in the related industry), consumer needs/customer preference change, and economic/political environmentalThe key players which provide solutions in the Global Aircraft Landing Solutions Market Honeywell Raytheon ATG AirportsCheck Full Report With TOC@About Us:Research Beams uniqueness lies in its highly ethical reports at economical rates because we value your relationship and growth more than money. Your growth is our aim. With the arsenal of different search reports, we help you here to look and buy research reports that will be helpful to you and your organization. Our research reports have the capability and authenticity to support your organization for growth and consistency.Contact Us:Global Head Quarters5933 NE Win Sivers Drive,#205, Portland, OR 97220United Statesphone+1 (800) 910-6452help@researchbeam.com
Global Split Air Conditioning Systems Market Will Expand At A CAGR Of 5.1% From 2016 To 2024, Reaching US$ 127.27 Bn By The End Of 2024
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Researchmoz added Most up-to-date research on "Global Split Air Conditioning Systems Market Will Expand At A CAGR Of 5.1% From 2016 To 2024, Reaching US$ 127.27 Bn By The End Of 2024" to its huge collection of research reports.The Split Air Conditioning Systems Market report provides analysis of the global split air conditioning systems market for the period 20142024, wherein the years from 2016 to 2024 is the forecast period and 2015 is considered as the base year. The report precisely covers all the major trends and developments playing a major role in the split air conditioning systems markets growth over the forecast period. It also highlights the drivers, restraints, and opportunities expected to influence the market growth during this period. The study provides a holistic perspective on the markets growth in terms of revenue (in US$ Bn) and volume (Mn units), across different geographies, which includes Asia Pacific (APAC), Latin America (LATAM), North America, Europe, and Middle East & Africa (MEA). An in-depth analysis of various geographical regions is going to provide a precise and detailed understanding of the global split air conditioning systems market over the forecast period.The market overview section of the report showcases the markets dynamics and trends such as the drivers, restraints, and opportunities that influence the current nature and future status of this market. The market revenue shares and volume analysis of the split air conditioning systems market has been examined through cross-segmentation and sub-segment evaluations. Moreover, the report provides the overview of various strategies of the key players in the split air conditioning systems market and analyzes their behavior in the prevailing market dynamics. Additionally, the report provides cross segment analysis and revenue shares and sales volume across application types and distribution models and their sub-segments, based on equipment type.To Get Sample Copy of Report visit @Global Split Air Conditioning Systems Market: SegmentationThe report segments the global split air conditioning systems market on the basis of various equipment types such as mono-split, multi-split, variable refrigerant flow (VRF), and floor ceiling. By different applications, the market is classified into residential, commercial and others. Each application is further sub-segmented based on equipment types. By distribution channel, the market is divided into conventional stores and company-owned stores. This is done based on equipment types. Further, the conventional stores segment is classified into do-it-yourself (DIY) stores, furniture stores and supermarkets. This is again provided based on equipment types. Thus, the report provides in-depth cross-segment analysis for the split air conditioners market and classifies it into various levels, thereby providing valuable insights on macro as well as micro level.Global Split Air Conditioning Systems Market: Competitive DynamicsThe report also provides the competitive landscape for the split air conditioning systems market, thereby positioning all the major players according to their geographic presence, market attractiveness and recent key developments. This is identified as a crucial step for getting the full overview of the market through key market leaders and the strategies adopted by them. The complete split air conditioning systems market estimates are the result of our in-depth secondary research, primary interviews, and in-house expert panel reviews. These market estimates have been analyzed by taking into account the impact of different political, social, economic, technological, and legal factors along with the current market dynamics affecting the split air conditioning systems markets growth.Hisense Electric Co. Ltd., Midea Group, Carrier Corporation (UTC), Hitachi Ltd., Panasonic Corporation, LG Electronics Inc., Samsung Electronics Ltd., Electrolux AB, Daikin Industries Ltd., Mitsubishi Electric Corporation, and Sharp Corporation. are some of the major players which have been profiled in this study. Details such as financials, business strategies, recent developments, and other such strategic information pertaining to these players has been provided as a part of company profiles. Furthermore, a comparison matrix has been provided to analyze and compare the positions of these players with respect to the split air conditioning systems.Browse TOC @Table of Content1. Preface1.1. Market Definition and Scope1.2. Market Segmentation1.3. Key Research Objectives1.4. Research Highlights2. Assumptions and Research Methodology3. Executive Summary: Split Air Conditioning Systems Market4. Market Overview4.1. Introduction4.1.1. Definition4.1.2. Industry Evolution / Developments4.2. Key Market Indicators4.2.1. Global Market Trends4.3. Market Dynamics4.3.1. Drivers4.3.2. Restraints4.3.3. Opportunity4.4. Global Split Air Conditioning Systems Market Analysis and Forecasts, 2014 20244.4.1. Market Revenue Projections (US$ Bn)4.4.2. Market Volume Projections (Million Units)4.5. Market OutlookAbout ResearchMozResearchMoz is the one stop online destination to find and buy market research reports & Industry Analysis. We fulfill all your research needs spanning across industry verticals with our huge collection of market research reports. We provide our services to all sizes of organizations and across all industry verticals and markets. Our Research Coordinators have in-depth knowledge of reports as well as publishers and will assist you in making an informed decision by giving you unbiased and deep insights on which reports will satisfy your needs at the best price.Mr. NachiketState Tower,90 State Street,Suite 700,Albany NY - 12207United StatesEmail: sales@researchmoz.usWebsite @Tel: 866-997-4948 (Us-Canada Toll Free)Tel: +1-518-621-2074Follow us on LinkedIn @Follow us on Blogger @
Menstrual Cup Market 2018 Major Participants: Diva International Inc., Lune Group Ltd, The Keeper Inc., Mooncup, Intimina, Me Luna, Ruby Cup and others
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The, Menstrual Cup Market inquire about report is developing with the quick pace; chiefly due the prospering Healthcare Sector. As per a current report distributed by the Market Research Future, The , Menstrual Cup Industry Research report is blasting and anticipated that would pick up unmistakable quality over the conjecture time frame. The Market is anticipated to exhibit a colossal development by 2023, outperforming its past development records as far as esteem and volume.TRY FREE SAMPLE REPORT @Global Menstrual Cup Market - Regional Analysis:The global menstrual cup market is segmented into America, Europe, Asia Pacific, and the Middle East & Africa. Global menstrual cup market is highly dominated by America and Europe owing to the presence of huge players, and more attention toward the health hygiene. Asia Pacific is expected to be the fastest growing market due to presence of huge opportunity and untapped market. India and China are the major contributor for the Asia Pacific market. On the other hand, the Middle East & Africa show the steady growth due to the poor economic condition especially in Africa region.Global Menstrual Cup Market Overview:Owing to the increasing consumption of the menstrual cups, the market is expecting a swift growth at an incremental pace of development on the global stage. Market Research Future, a firm which specializes in market reports related to the healthcare sector among others, recently forecasted in its report on Global Menstrual Cup Market Research Report- Forecast to 2023 that the market will demonstrate a steady CAGR of 4.6% while achieving million dollar growth readily in the forecast period.During the last decade, feminine hygiene product has acquired a huge attention. A menstrual cup is a feminine hygiene product which is used as a substitute for sanitary napkins. Now-a-days, a number of different materials are used for the manufacturing of these products. Increasing awareness about the hygiene, growing healthcare expenditure, and increasing government support drives the market growth. Many private and government organizations are conducting different seminars to educate and increase the awareness about the menstrual cups.Inadequate menstrual hygiene can led to a negative mental and physical consequences. In India, 70% of reproductive diseases are occurring due to poor menstrual hygiene. Unclean methods of maintaining menstrual hygiene caused by a lack of resources, or lack of education on the usage of products, can lead to infections of skins to something more fatal, like toxic shock syndrome. Lack of education in developing region and availability of the substitutes in the market and presence of huge competition in the market.Latest Industry Updates:Innovation is the best way to gain the market, thus, a number of companies are involved in the development of new and better products. Some of the latest development in the menstrual cup market are:-May 2017: INTIMINA, is a Swedish brand that offers a range of products dedicated exclusively to all aspects of womens intimate health. The company has recently launched a new products in order to create impact on the users. The company has launched the BIGGEST menstrual cup.Sep 2017: Monki and Lunetta, a global leader in womens intimate health products launched an exclusive menstrual cup. The main aim of the collaboration is to increase the product portfolio and improve the product quality. Collaboration of these companies will surely expand the business and geographical reach of the company.Fab 2017: Mooncup Ltd, is a global manufacturer and distributor for menstrual cups. The company has recently launched Mooncup, a reusable menstrual product.Global Menstrual Cup Market - Competitive Analysis:With the entry of industry players in the menstrual cup segment, a trend of solid, volume-driven growth has been observed in the market with the development of different varieties of product types. The companies are aiming to capture a considerable share of the market segment as early as possible, they are competing and experimenting with various advantage points. To attract the customers the companies have launched the products of different materials and in different sizes. Some companies have adopted the strategy of acquisition and collaboration to expand their market and minimize the competition.The key players profiled in menstrual cup market are Diva International Inc. (Canada), Lune Group Ltd (Finland), The Keeper Inc. (US), Mooncup (UK), Intimina (Sweden), Me Luna (USA), Ruby Cup (UK), Lunette (U.S.), VCup (India), Mooncup (U.K), Anigan (U.S.), and others.Global Menstrual Cup Market Segments:The global menstrual cup market has been divided into types, usage, end users, and region.On the basis of types, the market is segmented into hollow, pointy, flat, round and others.On the basis of usage, the market is segmented into disposable and reusable.On the basis of end users, the market is categorised into hospitals, clinics and individual woman.On the basis of region, the market is segmented into America, Europe, Asia Pacific and the Middle East & Africa.AVAIL AMAZING DISCOUNT ON REPPRT @BRIEF TOC:CHAPETR 1. INTRODUCTION1.1 DEFINITION1.2 SCOPE OF STUDY1.2.1 RESEARCH OBJECTIVE1.2.2 ASSUMPTIONS & LIMITATIONS1.2.2.1 ASSUMPTIONS1.2.2.2 LIMITATIONS1.3 MARKET STRUCTURE:CHAPETR 2. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY2.1 RESEARCH PROCESS:2.2 PRIMARY RESEARCH2.3 SECONDARY RESEARCH:CHAPETR 3. MARKET DYNAMICS3.1 DRIVERS3.2 RESTRAINTS3.3 OPPORTUNITIES3.4 MACROECONOMIC INDICATORSCHAPETR 4. MARKET FACTOR ANALYSIS4.1 PORTERS FIVE FORCES MODEL4.2 BARGAINING POWER OF SUPPLIERS4.3 BARGAINING POWER OF BUYERS4.4 THREAT OF NEW ENTRANTS4.5 THREAT OF SUBSTITUTES4.6 INTENSITY OF RIVALRYCHAPETR 5. GLOBAL MENSTRUAL CUP MARKET, BY TYPE5.1 HOLLOW5.2 POINTY5.3 FLAT5.4 ROUNDCONTINUEDAbout Market Research Future:At Market Research Future (MRFR), we enable our customers to unravel the complexity of various industries through our Cooked Research Report (CRR), Half-Cooked Research Reports (HCRR), Raw Research Reports (3R), Continuous-Feed Research (CFR), and Market Research & Consulting Services.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.Contact:Market Research FutureOffice No. 528, Amanora ChambersMagarpatta Road, Hadapsar,Pune 411028Maharashtra, India+1 646 845 9312Email: salesteam@marketresearchfuture.com
Sciatica Market 2018 Major Vendors are Endo Pharmaceuticals, AstraZeneca, Novartis AG, Teva Pharmaceutical Industries and more.
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Sciatica Market key players are Endo Pharmaceuticals, AstraZeneca, Novartis AG, Teva Pharmaceutical Industries, Neurotech, Nidd Valley Medical, Omega Laser Systems Ltd., Omron Healthcare, Inc., Sanofi and others. The global sciatica market is expected to reach USD 18.9 billion by 2023, and the market is projected to grow at a CAGR of ~ 8.0 % during the forecast period 2017-2023.Regional Analysis:The Americas accounts for a significant market share owing to high expenditure on the healthcare especially of the U.S. and Canada. Additionally, greater number of orthopedic procedures due to greater healthcare penetration in the U.S. and Canada drives the sciatica market. The high concentration of the major hospitals in the developed countries of this region coupled with good reimbursement rates is adding fuel to the market growth. Moreover, the large share of surgical procedures especially the sciatica treatment in the returns of hospitals favors the market. A large number of medical devices companies in the U.S. is also a cause for the faster development of sciatica market in the US.Europe is the second largest market in the world due to the growing medical devices industry and healthcare penetration. The European market growth is led by countries such as Germany and France. Germany is expected to be the fastest growing market over the assessment period due to its large medical devices industry.Access Sample Copy @Market Scenario:Sciatica is characterized by pain going down the leg from the lower back due to irritation of the lumbar or sacral nerves. Sciatica is triggered by activities like heavy lifting and jerky movements. However the condition can also develop gradually. Typically, sciatica symptoms occur on one side of the body although in some cases the pain can be on both sides. The other symptoms of sciatica are weakness or numbness in the affected leg, burning or tingling down the affected leg, and constant pain on one side of the rear. The causes of sciatica are spondylolisthesis, muscle spasm in the back or buttock, spinal stenosis, piriformis syndrome, pelvic tumours, pregnancy and others. However, spinal disc herniation is the primary cause of sciatica in about 90% of the cases. Other uncommon causes are lumbar degenerative disc disease, osteophytes and arthritis of the spine.Sciatica generally resolves on its own in about 90% of the cases. However it can result in severe pain which may need surgical intervention. Surgery may be required if complications occur such as bowel or bladder problems. Sciatica affects 40% of people at some point in their life time. Sciatica is most common during people's 40s and 50s, and men are more frequently affected than women.The market drivers for global sciatica market are rise in demand due to growing population, increasing screening, rising cases of geriatrics, rising safety and success of drug treatment, the extricating nature of the pain and others. The market restraints are the complications of surgery such as risk of bleeding, infections, pain, high cost of sciatica treatment, and others.Get Discount on Sciatica Market Report @Segments:The global sciatica market has been segmented on the basis of types, drug treatment, devices and end user. Based on the types, the market has been segmented as L4 nerve root sciatica, L5 nerve root sciatica, S1 nerve root sciatica and others. Based on the drugs, the market has been segmented as anesthetics, pain killers, muscle relaxants, antidepressants, steroids and others. Based on the non-drug treatment, the market has been segmented as physiotherapy, acupuncture, stimulation devices, surgery and others. Based on the end user, the market has been segmented as hospitals and clinics, research and academics and others.Table Of Content1.Report Prologue2. Market Introduction2.1 Definition2.2 Scope Of The Study2.2.1 Research Objective2.2.2 Assumptions2.2.3 Limitations3. Research Methodology3.1 Introduction3.2 Primary Research3.3 Secondary Research3.4 Market Size Estimation4. Market Dynamics4.1 Drivers4.2 Restrains4.3 Opportunities4.4 Challenges4.5 Macroeconomic Indicators4.6 Technology Trends & Assessment5. Market Factor Analysis and more.Browse Complete Premium 110 Pages Half-Cooked Research Report Enabled with Respective Tables and Figures is Available @About Market Research Future:At Market Research Future (MRFR), we enable our customers to unravel the complexity of various industries through our Cooked Research Report (CRR), Half-Cooked Research Reports (HCRR), Raw Research Reports (3R), Continuous-Feed Research (CFR), and Market Research & Consulting Services.ContactMarket Research FutureOffice No. 528, Amanora ChambersMagarpatta Road, Hadapsar,Pune 411028Maharashtra, India+1 646 845 9312Email: sales@marketresearchfuture.com
Global Ultrasound Equipment Market Will Grow Steadily At A CAGR Of 5.75% Between The Period 2016 - 2020
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Researchmoz added Most up-to-date research on "Global Ultrasound Equipment Market Will Grow Steadily At A CAGR Of 5.75% Between The Period 2016 - 2020" to its huge collection of research reports.Ultrasound equipment are imaging devices that use echo-enhanced high-frequency ultrasound waves to aid in medical diagnosis. Ultrasound imaging modality is considered to be safer than other imaging modalities. It is widely used by radiologists, cardiologists, obstetricians, surgeons, and other healthcare professionals to examine and diagnose medical conditions such as tumors and gynecological problems.Technavios analysts forecast the global ultrasound equipment market to grow at a CAGR of 5.75% during the period 2016-2020.Covered in this reportThe report covers the present scenario and the growth prospects of the global ultrasound equipment market for 2016-2020. To calculate the market size, the report considers the revenue generated from the sales of ultrasound equipment.The market is divided into the following segments based on geography:AmericasAPACEMEATechnavio's report, Global Ultrasound Equipment Market 2016-2020, has been prepared based on an in-depth market analysis with inputs from industry experts. The report covers the market landscape and its growth prospects over the coming years. The report also includes a discussion of the key vendors operating in this market.Key vendorsGEPhilipsSiemens HealthineersHitachi Medical SystemsToshiba Medical SystemsFUJIFILM SonoSiteTo Get Sample Copy of Report visit @Other prominent vendorsAccutomeALPINION MEDICAL SYSTEMSAnalogicBenQ Medical TechnologyBestmanBMV TechnologyBoston ScientificCarestream HealthCephasonicsChisonContextVisionDelphinus Medical TechnologiesEcareEsaoteGlobalMedGuangzhou Yueshen Medical EquipmentHealcerionInSightecJiangsu TongRen Medical Electronic TechnologyKonica MinoltaMedGynMindrayMobisanteNanoVibronixSamsung MedisonSignosticsSonostarSt. Jude MedicalTelemedTomTec Imaging SystemsTrivitron HealthcareWuhan Tianyi ElectronicZhuhai Carelife Medical TechnologyZonare Medical SystemsZoncareMarket driverGrowing demand for 3D and 4D ultrasound equipment.For a full, detailed list, view our reportMarket challengeGrowing end-users' preference for refurbished equipment.For a full, detailed list, view our reportBrowse TOC @Market trendApplication of ultrasound in new therapy areas.For a full, detailed list, view our reportKey questions answered in this reportWhat will the market size be in 2020 and what will the growth rate be?What are the key market trends?What is driving this market?What are the challenges to market growth?Who are the key vendors in this market space?What are the market opportunities and threats faced by the key vendors?What are the strengths and weaknesses of the key vendors?About ResearchMozResearchMoz is the one stop online destination to find and buy market research reports & Industry Analysis. We fulfill all your research needs spanning across industry verticals with our huge collection of market research reports. We provide our services to all sizes of organizations and across all industry verticals and markets. Our Research Coordinators have in-depth knowledge of reports as well as publishers and will assist you in making an informed decision by giving you unbiased and deep insights on which reports will satisfy your needs at the best price.Mr. NachiketState Tower,90 State Street,Suite 700,Albany NY - 12207United StatesEmail: sales@researchmoz.usWebsite @Tel: 866-997-4948 (Us-Canada Toll Free)Tel: +1-518-621-2074Follow us on LinkedIn @Follow us on Blogger @
Industrial Wax Market Plying for Significant Growth During 2017 - 2025
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Global Industrial Wax Market: SnapshotThe usage of paraffin wax has been quite common over the years after its discovery and the ability to be synthesized at large scales. Waxes have been used in the manufacture of candles, as coatings on structural surfaces, as additives in packaging materials, and even in the food and beverages industry. Paraffin wax can be derived from coal, shale, or petroleum and is an assortment of hydrocarbons. Wax is generally solid at room temperature and on average, starts to melt above 99 degrees Fahrenheit. The discovery of wax was advantageous to the manufacturers of candles, who previously used tallow which was less reliable as well as expensive.The industrial applications of wax are already diverse and increasing at a slow rate over time. The most common applications of wax are created through the alteration of the crystals of wax, usually through the addition of branches to their current chains. The use of additives such as specific types of polyethylene can improve the functional properties, viscosity, and even the crystalline structure of wax. In the food industry, food-grade wax can be used to produce shiny coatings on top of candies. Food-grade wax is non-digestible, but is classified as edible and harmless and cannot be broken down in the body. Wax is also used as a protective coating for several types of cheese, which helps maintain their qualities.Request Sample Copy of the Report @From the manufacture of candles to its use in coatings, packaging, polishing, food, and a vast variety of application areas and industrial products, the wax industry plays a key role in the smooth functioning of many industries. In the past few years, the rising application of candles manufacturing along with the increased use of wax across the packaging and personal care industries have significantly driven the global industrial wax market.This report on the global industrial wax market presents a thorough overview of the present state of the markets growth dynamics and the future growth prospects over the period between 2017 and 2025.Global Industrial Wax Market: Scope of the ReportThe report analyzes the key indicators expected to have a notable impact on the markets growth prospects, including growth restraints, challenges, growth opportunities, and trends. Forward-looking statements in the report have been backed with vast qualitative and quantitative details about the market and its key segments.To provide a comprehensive analysis of the market, the report examines notable players in the market with the help of SWOT analysis, value chain analysis, and Porters five forces analysis. Analysis of key market vendors with the help of value chain and Porters five forces model allows the reader to gauge the state of competitiveness in the global modified bitumen market.Request TOC of the Report @The study also includes a thorough section covering the market attractiveness analysis, wherein key regional markets, product varieties, applications, and end-use segments have been analyzed on the basis of attractiveness of each key region analyzed in the report. Details related to aspects such as the availability of raw materials, growth rate, profit margin, market size, technological advancements, and environmental and legal liabilities have been examined so as to derive the general attractiveness of the global industrial wax market.Global Industrial Wax Market: Trends and OpportunitiesThe market for industrial waxes is largely dependent on the growth dynamics of the global oil and gas market as paraffin waxes, the most common variety of wax used across industrial applications, are derived from petroleum. Since the beginning of 2015, the global oil and gas industry has witnessed significant slowdown owing to overproduction, reduced global demand, and the consecutive reduction in prices. The resultant volatility in raw material prices, in addition to the stringent environment protection laws, has compelled companies to focus on sustainable raw materials such as polyethylene wax and beeswax.Read Comprehensive Overview of Report@The trend is expected to have a moderate impact on the overall development of the industrial wax market in the next few years as the global oil and gas industry is expected to achieve stabilization in terms of prices in the near term. The application of candles is expected to remain the leading consumers of industrial wax over the reports forecast period as well. The packaging industry is also expected to be one of the leading consumers of industrial wax in the next few years.Global Industrial Wax Market: Geographical and Competitive LandscapeThe report provides a detailed overview of the industrial wax market across regions such as North America, Asia Pacific, Europe, and Middle East and Africa. Of these, the Asia Pacific market is presently the leading contributor of revenue to the global industrial wax market and is also the region with the most promising future growth prospects. China accounts for a significant share in the Asia Pacific industrial wax market owing to the presence of some of the leading companies in the global industrial wax market. India is also steadily becoming one of the leading markets for industrial wax. The country is expected to emerge as one of the prominent consumers of the industrial wax over the reports forecast period.Some of the leading companies operating in the global industrial wax market are Royal Dutch Shell Plc., Sinopec Corp., Sasol Limited., OJSC Lukoil, and ExxonMobil Corp.About UsTMR Research is a premier provider of customized market research and consulting services to business entities keen on succeeding in todays supercharged economic climate. Armed with an experienced, dedicated, and dynamic team of analysts, we are redefining the way our clients conduct business by providing them with authoritative and trusted research studies in tune with the latest methodologies and market trends.Our savvy custom-built reports span a gamut of industries such as pharmaceuticals, chemicals and metals, food and beverages, and technology and media, among others. With actionable insights uncovered through in-depth research of the market, we try to bring about game-changing success for our clients.Contact:TMR Research,3739 Balboa St # 1097,San Francisco, CA 94121United StatesTel: +1-415-520-1050Email: sales@tmrresearch.com
OpenStack Service 2018 Global Market Key Players Cisco Systems, Dell EMC, IBM, Oracle, Mirantis Analysis and Forecast to 2025
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OpenStack Service Market 2018Wiseguyreports.Com adds OpenStack Service Market Market Demand, Growth, Opportunities, Analysis of Top Key Players and Forecast to 2023 To Its Research Database.Report Details:This report provides in depth study of OpenStack Service Market using SWOT analysis i.e. Strength, Weakness, Opportunities and Threat to the organization. The OpenStack Service Market report also provides an in-depth survey of key players in the market which is based on the various objectives of an organization such as profiling, the product outline, the quantity of production, required raw material, and the financial health of the organization.This report studies the global OpenStack Service market, analyzes and researches the OpenStack Service development status and forecast in United States, EU, Japan, China, India and Southeast Asia.This report focuses on the top players in global market, likeCisco Systems (US)Dell EMC (US)HPE (US)IBM (US)Mirantis (US)Oracle (US)Rackspace (US)Red Hat (US)VMware (US)Canonical (UK)Huawei (China)SUSE (Germany)Request a Sample Report @Market segment by Regions/Countries, this report coversUnited StatesEUJapanChinaIndiaSoutheast AsiaMarket segment by Type, the product can be split intoSolutionServiceMarket segment by Application, OpenStack Service can be split intoSmall & Medium EnterpriseLarge EnterpriseThis report has a complete understanding of market value and quantity, technological progress, macro-economic and governmental policy based on past and present data along with the current and upcoming trends in the market.If you have any special requirements, please let us know and we will offer you the report as you want.Complete Report Details@Major Key Points in Table of Content:Global OpenStack Service Market Size, Status and Forecast 20251 Industry Overview of OpenStack Service1.1 OpenStack Service Market Overview1.1.1 OpenStack Service Product Scope1.1.2 Market Status and Outlook1.2 Global OpenStack Service Market Size and Analysis by Regions (2013-2018)1.2.1 United States1.2.2 EU1.2.3 Japan1.2.4 China1.2.5 India1.2.6 Southeast Asia1.3 OpenStack Service Market by Type1.3.1 Solution1.3.2 Service1.4 OpenStack Service Market by End Users/Application1.4.1 Small & Medium Enterprise1.4.2 Large Enterprise2 Global OpenStack Service Competition Analysis by Players2.1 OpenStack Service Market Size (Value) by Players (2013-2018)2.2 Competitive Status and Trend2.2.1 Market Concentration Rate2.2.2 Product/Service Differences2.2.3 New Entrants2.2.4 The Technology Trends in Future3 Company (Top Players) Profiles3.1 Cisco Systems (US)3.1.1 Company Profile3.1.2 Main Business/Business Overview3.1.3 Products, Services and Solutions3.1.4 OpenStack Service Revenue (Million USD) (2013-2018)3.1.5 Recent Developments3.2 Dell EMC (US)3.2.1 Company Profile3.2.2 Main Business/Business Overview3.2.3 Products, Services and Solutions3.2.4 OpenStack Service Revenue (Million USD) (2013-2018)3.2.5 Recent Developments3.3 HPE (US)3.3.1 Company Profile3.3.2 Main Business/Business Overview3.3.3 Products, Services and Solutions3.3.4 OpenStack Service Revenue (Million USD) (2013-2018)3.3.5 Recent Developments3.4 IBM (US)3.4.1 Company Profile3.4.2 Main Business/Business Overview3.4.3 Products, Services and Solutions3.4.4 OpenStack Service Revenue (Million USD) (2013-2018)3.4.5 Recent Developments3.5 Mirantis (US)3.5.1 Company Profile3.5.2 Main Business/Business Overview3.5.3 Products, Services and Solutions3.5.4 OpenStack Service Revenue (Million USD) (2013-2018)3.5.5 Recent Developments3.6 Oracle (US)3.6.1 Company Profile3.6.2 Main Business/Business Overview3.6.3 Products, Services and Solutions3.6.4 OpenStack Service Revenue (Million USD) (2013-2018)3.6.5 Recent Developments3.7 Rackspace (US)3.7.1 Company Profile3.7.2 Main Business/Business Overview3.7.3 Products, Services and Solutions3.7.4 OpenStack Service Revenue (Million USD) (2013-2018)3.7.5 Recent Developments3.8 Red Hat (US)3.8.1 Company Profile3.8.2 Main Business/Business Overview3.8.3 Products, Services and Solutions3.8.4 OpenStack Service Revenue (Million USD) (2013-2018)3.8.5 Recent Developments3.9 VMware (US)3.9.1 Company Profile3.9.2 Main Business/Business Overview3.9.3 Products, Services and Solutions3.9.4 OpenStack Service Revenue (Million USD) (2013-2018)3.9.5 Recent Developments3.10 Canonical (UK)3.10.1 Company Profile3.10.2 Main Business/Business Overview3.10.3 Products, Services and Solutions3.10.4 OpenStack Service Revenue (Million USD) (2013-2018)3.10.5 Recent DevelopmentsContinued.Contact Us:NORAH TRENTPh: +1-646-845-9349 (US)Sales@Wiseguyreports.ComPh: +44 208 133 9349 (UK)ABOUT US:Wise Guy Reports is part of the Wise Guy Consultants Pvt. Ltd. and offers premium progressive statistical surveying, market research reports, analysis & forecast data for industries and governments around the globe. Wise Guy Reports features an exhaustive list of market research reports from hundreds of publishers worldwide. We boast a database spanning virtually every market category and an even more comprehensive collection of market research reports under these categories and sub-categories.ADDRES:WISE GUY RESEARCH CONSULTANTS PVT LTDOffice No. 528, Amanora ChambersMagarpatta Road, HadapsarPune - 411028Maharashtra, India
Chlorofluorocarbon Market Explores New Growth Opportunities By 2025
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A chlorofluorocarbon is an organic compound that consists mainly of 3 elements which are carbon, chlorine and fluorine which are produced as a derivative of ethane. These are most often known by the DuPont brand name Freon. Dichlorofluoromethane is the most common representative of this organic compound. Chlorofluorocarbons are non-toxic, non-flammable and do not react with other compounds. However, the production of such compounds has been slowly phased out under the Montreal protocol, which is made to stop production of substances that contribute in the depletion of the ozone layer.Need more information about Report methodology ?The main application of this organic compound lies in a variety of industrial, commercial and household applications. Along with non-toxic, non flammable and non-reactive these substances also have stable thermodynamic properties and this makes them ideal for various applications which include coolants for commercial and home refrigeration set up, aerosol propellants, electronic cleaning solvents and blowing gents. Out of these, their wide application lies as refrigerants, propellants and as solvents. However, in the recent past it was discovered that this compound causes harm to the environment especially chlorine which contributes largely too the depletion of the ozone layer. Hence, these compounds are being replaced with products such as hydrofluorocarbons.Request Report for TOC @The main drivers for the chlorofluorocarbons market is its use in the refrigerant industry. The automobile industry is one of the main factors that drives the refrigerant industry. The primary application of chlorofluorocarbons is in the refrigerant industry in the manufacturing of refrigeration and air conditioning products. Other applications, which drive its market, include its use in solvents, foam blowing agents, plastics, and electronics among others.The market for chlorofluorocarbons is expected to rise especially in developing countries. Nevertheless, due to the harmful effects it causes to the environment related to the depletion of the upper layer of the ozone, the compound is being replaced by hydrofluorocarbons, which is being accepted to a huge extent globally as it is safe as compared to chlorofluorocarbons. But the use of hydrofluorocarbons also cause bad effects to the environments but on a smaller scale hence demand for green refrigerants in the market is increasing and is expected to replace chlorofluorocarbons and hydrofluorocarbons in the near future.Request to Sample of Report-The key segments considered for this market include North America, Europe, Asia Pacific and Rest of the World (RoW). The market for chlorofluorocarbons is mature in North America and Europe and is not expected to rise by much in the next few years. This is due to the stringent and restricted policies passed by the respective governments due to the harmful effects they cause to the environment especially the upper layer of the ozone and due to the green house effects that it causes.In these countries, the demand for green refrigerants is expected to rise in the next few years. The market for chlorofluorocarbons is still high in India, Latin American and Middle Eastern countries and is expected to rise due to its ever-growing economy and fast expanding manufacturing bases and lack of laws and regulations against its use. India and China manufacture chlorofluorocarbons to a huge extent and the market demand for the compound is still large here and not expected to decline anytime soon over the next few years.For more information about this Report visit @The main companies profiled for the manufacture of chlorofluorocarbons include Arkema SA, which is based in France, Daikin Industries which is based in Japan, E.I. DuPont de Nemours & Company and Honeywell International which is based in the U.S, Mexichem Flur SA which is based in Mexico, Solvay SA which is based in Belgium, Dongyc Group which is based in China, Navin Fluorine International Ltd. and Gujarat Fluorochemicals Ltd and SRF Ltd. which are based in India among others.About UsPersistence Market Research (PMR) is a third-platform research firm. Our research model is a unique collaboration of data analytics and market research methodology to help businesses achieve optimal performance.Contact UsPersistence Market Research305 Broadway7th Floor, New York City,NY 10007, United States,USA Canada Toll Free: 800-961-0353Email: sales@persistencemarketresearch.comWeb:
Automotive Propeller Shaft Market Size, Share Growth, Trends Analysis Report 2018: Global Industry Outlook
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Automotive Propeller Shaft Market Research Report 2018 OF 100 pages explores comprehensive information on Global Automotive Propeller Shaft Market Size, Share, Trends, Growth, Industry, and Manufacturers Outlook to 2023. Report provides Automotive Propeller Shaft Market data by Position (Front, Rear, and Inter-Axle Propeller Shaft), By Type (Live, Dead, and Tandem Axle), By Propeller Shaft Type (Single, Multi Piece, and Other), By Material (Alloy, and Carbon Fiber), and By region.Sample PDF Report of Global Automotive Propeller Shaft Market Forecast to 2023 @Many automotive manufacturers are investing heavily in the research and development so as to innovate their product line. The major focus of many manufacturers is to develop light weight shaft to reduce the overall weight of the vehicle, which will result in improved fuel efficiency. Thus the reduction in the overall weight of the vehicle will drive the market in future.Automotive Propeller Shaft Companies analyzed in report are: ZF Friedrichshafen AG (Germany), American Axle & Manufacturing, Inc. (U.S.), Meritor, Inc. (U.S.), Showa Corporation (Japan), GKN plc (U.K.), Wilson drive shafts (England), Nexteer Automotive (U.S.), JTEKT Corporation (Japan), Gestamp (Spain), Dana Holding Corporation (U.S.), D & F Propshafts (U.K.), Bailey Morris limited (England), B & F limited (U.K.), American Axle & Manufacturing Holdings, Inc. (U.S.), and Hyundai Wia Corporation (South Korea)..Automotive Propeller Shaft Industry 2018 To 2023 Market Analysis:Target Audience of Report:Distributer & Supplier companiesEnd UsersConsultants and Investment bankersGovernment as well as Independent Regulatory AuthoritiesThe factors that are responsible for the growth of automotive propeller shaft market are technology innovation in the materials, growth in the automotive industry, and increase in the sales of the new vehicle. The innovation in technology in the automotive propeller shafts, is expected to drive the market in future. Innovation such as light weight propeller shaft, have emerged in order to reduce the overall weight of the vehicle. The increase in sales of new vehicle will result in growing use of propeller shaft in the vehicle in order to drive the vehicle. It is an important component of the vehicle because it provide torque and allows the movement of the vehicle.The automotive propeller shaft market is segmented based on position, type, propeller shaft type, and material. On the basis of position type, the market has been segmented as front, rear, and inter-axle propeller shaft. The front wheel propeller shaft is expected to dominate the automotive propeller shaft market during the forecast period because it is the most preferred over other types. This will improve the aerodynamics of the vehicle.On the basis of type, the market has been segmented as live, dead, and tandem axle. The live axle segment is expected to dominate the market during the forecast period because it provides increased optimization of vehicle performance and higher torque. On the basis of propeller shaft type, the market is segmented as single, multi piece, and other. Multi piece propeller shaft is expected to dominate the market during the forecast period as it improves efficiency of vehicles.Browse Full Report on Automotive Propeller Shaft Market Report 2018@Regional Analysis:On the basis of region, the market has been segmented as North America, Asia Pacific, Europe, and Rest of the World. Asia Pacific is expected to dominate the market during the forecast period due to increasing demand of propeller shaft among both OEMs and aftermarket replacement. The growing demand for propeller shaft in emerging economies such as India, china, and among others is expected to drive the market in Asia Pacific. The automotive manufacturers in Asia Pacific region are moving towards new product development and are investing heavily in research and development. The increase in new product development, is expected to drive the automotive propeller shaft market in this region.Europe is expected to be the second largest market due to the leading automotive technology providers in this region. North America is expected to be the third largest market in automotive propeller shaft, in which U.S. is the major contributor. In U.S., the major focus is to reduce the weight of the vehicle. The reduced weight propeller shaft is expected to drive the market in this region.Company Information:Profiling of key market playersIn-depth analysis including SWOT analysis, and strategy information of related to report titleCompetitive landscape including emerging trends adopted by major companiesAbout Market Research Future:At Market Research Future (MRFR), we enable our customers to unravel the complexity of various industries through our Cooked Research Report (CRR), Half-Cooked Research Reports (HCRR), Raw Research Reports (3R), Continuous-Feed Research (CFR), and Market Research & Consulting Services.Contact:Market Research Future+1 646 845 9312Email: sales@marketresearchfuture.com
Tumour Ablation Devices Market Insights, Analysis, and Outlook Report 2016-2026
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Tumours are the groups of abnormal cells that accumulate together and form lumps and grow consistently. Tumour are categorized into noncancerous and cancerous tumours. Precancerous conditions have the potential of developing into cancer. Tumour ablation is a tool utilized to treat cancerous malignancy. Tumour ablation is the process of removing the cancerous cells from the body. Tumour ablation became more useful during 1970s and 1980s due to advances in laparoscopic surgical approach. The most common means for definitive treatment of primary and metastatic focal malignancy, is the evolution of imaging devices during the past two decades and image-guided tumour ablation.Tumour Ablation Devices Market: Drivers & RestraintsIncreasing prevalence and incidences of cancers, technological advances and increasing geriatric population, increasing numbers of hospitals and healthcare awareness are facilitating the growth of global tumour ablation devices market. Additionally, economic pricing, short recovery time, low risk of infection, and minimal hospital stays are increasing the importance of tumour ablation devices.Side effects associated with ablation treatment and limited performance of the devices are the factors restraining the growth of global tumour ablation device market.Tumour Ablation Devices Market: SegmentationThe global tumour ablation devices market has been classified on the basis of product type, application and end user:On the basis of product type, the tumour ablation devices market is segmented into the followingRadiofrequency ablationLaser ablationHigh intensity focused ultrasound ablationMicrowave ablationCryo ablationRequest Report Sample@Based on application type, the tumour ablation devices market is segmented into the followingLiver Cancerkidney CancerColorectal CancerBone CancerBreast CancerLung CancerProstate CancerOther CancersBased on end use type, the tumour ablation devices market is segmented into the following:Hospitalso 500 and more beds hospitalso 200 to 499 beds hospitalso Less than 200 beds hospitalsAmbulatory Surgical CentersVisit For TOC@Tumour Ablation Devices Market: OverviewThe lung cancer application segment is expected to grow at the highest CAGR in the next five years due to large patient population of lung cancer present across developing and developed regions. This has increased the investment of manufacturers to develop and commercialize innovative lung cancer ablation products. The radiofrequency ablation is widely used technique due to specificity of treating target tissue without causing damage to the surrounding cells. Microwave ablation product segment is expected to grow significantly due to increase in adoption rate of microwave ablation devices by healthcare professionals.Tumour Ablation Devices Market: Region-wise OutlookRegion wise, the global tumour ablation market is classified into regions namely, North America, Latin America, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, Asia-Pacific, Japan, Middle East and Africa.The global market is expected to be dominated by North America due to factors such as early introduction and adoption of rate of tumour ablation products in the region, trend of replacing older technologies and introducing the new technologies, and increase in private and public funding to develop and commercialize the novel tumour ablation products.The Asia-Pacific market is expected to grow at a higher CAGR in the forecast period due to factors such as large population with the high prevalence of various cancers in the region, government initiatives for developing and modernizing the healthcare infrastructure.Tumour Ablation Devices Market: Key PlayersKey players of tumour ablation devices market are Boston Scientific Corporation, St. Jude Medical, Inc., Biotronic NeuroNetwork, LLC, Baylis Medical, biolitec AG, Spectranetics, Esaote SpA, ALPINION MEDICAL SYSTEMS Co., Ltd., Chongqing Haifu Medical Technology Co., Ltd., Koninklijke Philips N.V, Hironic Co., Ltd., Monteris Medical, Inc, EDAP TMS, EYE TECH CARE, NeuWave Medical, Inc, Vison medical, AtriCure, Inc, Galil Medical Inc, ENDOCARE INC, IceCure Medical, Sanarus HealthTronics, Inc, MEDTRONIC, MedWaves, AngioDynamics, Microsulis Medical, Perseon, SympleSurgical Inc. to name a few.About Us Future Market Insights (FMI) is a leading market intelligence and consulting firm. We deliver syndicated research reports, custom research reports and consulting services, which are personalized in nature. FMI delivers a complete packaged solution, which combines current market intelligence, statistical anecdotes, technology inputs, valuable growth insights, an aerial view of the competitive framework, and future market trends.CONTACT:616 Corporate Way, Suite 2-9018,Valley Cottage, NY 10989,United StatesT: +1-347-918-3531F: +1-845-579-5705Email: sales@futuremarketinsights.comWebsite:
Medical Plastics: Global Markets to 2022
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The global market for medical plastics reached nearly 12.8 billion pounds in 2016. This market is estimated to reach 18.3 billion pounds in 2022 from 13.6 billion pounds in 2017 at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 6.2% for 2017-2022.Report Includes68 data tables and 39 additional tablesAn overview of the global markets for medical plasticsAnalyses of market trends, with data from 2016, estimates for 2017, and projections of compound annual growth rates (CAGRs) through 2022Information on new medical devices, new products, technologies related to medical devices, sterilization techniques, and medical plastic product linesA look at key resins used to make medical devices, and new products and technologies related to these devicesExamination of the market's dynamics, including growth drivers, restraints, and opportunitiesEvaluation of the environmental regulatory impacts on the marketProfiles of major players in the industry, including: Allergan, Apex Medical Technologies, Baxter Inc., Becton Dickinson, Dunn Industries, Filtertek, GW Plastics, Harmac MedicalGet the sample copy of report @Report ScopeThis report will initially cover the medical device industry, itself, and industry and market information will be updated, and definitive and detailed estimates and forecasts of the global market will be provided, followed by a detailed analysis of the key resins used to make these devices.The ever-changing face of the medical device industry; new types of medical devices legislative, regulatory and environmental issues; new products and technologies related to medical devices, sterilization techniques and impact on polymer selection; polymer usage in medical devices; status of PVC; and medical plastics product lines and trade-named products along with the recent introduction of three-dimensional (3D) printing are some of the topics that are covered.As mentioned above, medical packaging applications per se are not covered in this report. However, several types of medical devices, such as syringes, trays, tubing and kits, that are widely considered to be an integral part of the medical packaging market are covered in the report.MarketResearchReports.biz is the most comprehensive collection of market research reports, supporting clients market intelligence needs with over 100,000 market research reports, company profiles, data books, and regional market profiles in its repository. We also offer consulting support for custom market research needs.Our document database is updated by the hour, which means that our customers always have access to fresh data spanning over 300 industries. From Fortune 500 companies to SMEs, Marketresearchreports.biz has built a veritable reputation for fulfilling the most exacting market research needs.State Tower90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207United StatesToll Free: 866-997-4948(USA-Canada)Tel: +1-518-621-2074E: sales@marketresearchreports.biz
Global Wet Blasting Machines Market Size, Share, Trend & Growth Forecast to 2023
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The Global Wet Blasting Machines Market Research Report Forecast 2017-2022 is a valuable source of insightful data for business strategists. It provides the Wet Blasting Machines industry overview with growth analysis and historical & futuristic cost, revenue, demand and supply data (as applicable). The research analysts provide an elaborate description of the value chain and its distributor analysis.Wet Blasting Machines or wetblasting machines are designed to simultaneously blast and degrease components, in a quick and easy dust-free process, which achieves outstanding finishing results on a variety of components.Request a Free sample PDF of this research to evaluate more @Scope of the Report:This report focuses on the Wet Blasting Machines Market, especially in North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, South America, Middle East and Africa. This report categorizes the market based on manufacturers, regions, types and applications.Market Segment by Manufacturers, this Wet Blasting Machines Market report covers Wheelabrator(Norican), Guyson, Vapormatt, ICM, Macoho, Clemco, Vixen, Nicchu, Paul Auer, Raptor Blaster, Graf Technik, Airblast, Hodge Clemco, KKS Ultraschall, AB SHOT and Beijing Changfeng.An inherent sub-vertical of the Manufacturing and Construction Industry space, Wet Blasting Machines market stands to gain remarkable proceeds over 2018-2023, as per a recently compiled report Market Segment by Regions, regional analysis covers:North America (United States, Canada and Mexico)Europe (Germany, France, UK, Russia and Italy)Asia-Pacific (China, Japan, Korea, India and Southeast Asia)South America (Brazil, Argentina, Colombia)Middle East and Africa (Saudi Arabia, UAE, Egypt, Nigeria and South Africa)Market Segment by Table of Contents:Global Wet Blasting Machines Market OverviewGlobal Wet Blasting Machines Market Manufacturers ProfilesGlobal Wet Blasting Machines Market Competition, by ManufacturerGlobal Wet Blasting Machines Market Analysis by RegionsGlobal Wet Blasting Machines by CountriesGlobal Wet Blasting Machines Market Segment by TypeGlobal Wet Blasting Machines Market Segment by ApplicationWet Blasting Machines Market Forecast (2018-2023)Sales Channel, Distributors, Traders and DealersResearch Findings and ConclusionMarket Segment by Type, coversManual Wet Blasting Machines and Automatic Wet Blasting MachinesMarket Segment by Applications, can be divided into:Automotive, Aerospace, Shipbuilding and OthersEnquire Discount on Global Wet Blasting Machines Market Research Report @There are 15 Chapters to deeply display the global Wet Blasting Machines market.Chapter 1, to describe Wet Blasting Machines Introduction, product scope, market overview, market opportunities, market risk, market driving force;Chapter 2, to analyze the top manufacturers of Wet Blasting Machines, with sales, revenue, and price of Wet Blasting Machines, in 2016 and 2017;Chapter 3, to display the competitive situation among the top manufacturers, with sales, revenue and market share in 2016 and 2017;Chapter 4, to show the global market by regions, with sales, revenue and market share of Wet Blasting Machines, for each region, from 2013 to 2018;Chapter 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9, to analyze the key regions, with sales, revenue and market share by key countries in these regions;Chapter 10 and 11, to show the market by type and application, with sales market share and growth rate by type, application, from 2013 to 2018;Chapter 12, Wet Blasting Machines market forecast, by regions, type and application, with sales and revenue, from 2018 to 2023;Chapter 13, 14 and 15, to describe Wet Blasting Machines sales channel, distributors, traders, dealers, Research Findings and Conclusion, appendix and data sourceFor more information on this report, Please visit at:Related Reports: -Global Wet Blasting Machines Market Research Report 2018This report studies the Wet Blasting Machines market status and outlook of global and major regions, from angles of manufacturers, regions, product types and end industries; this report analyzes the top manufacturers in global and major regions, and splits the Wet Blasting Machines market by product type and applications/end industries.Marketstudyreport.com allows you to manage and control all corporate research purchases to consolidate billing and vendor management. You can eliminate duplicate purchases and customize your content and license management.Market Study ReportThe Green Suite #4594,Dover, DE 19901United StatesPhone: 1-201-355-0868US Toll Free: 1-866-764-2150Email: sales@marketstudyreport.comWebsite:News:
Veterinary Respiratory Disease Treatment Market Trends and forecast, 2016-2026
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Veterinary respiratory diseases are the most common disease that affects livestock and small animals. Veterinary respiratory diseases are the second leading cause of mortality in various animals. Veterinary respiratory disease caused to the animals varies from animal to animal, and it depends on upon the causative agent. Veterinary respiratory disease resulting from different types of bacteria (bacteria, viruses, weak immune system, temperature fluctuations and improper ventilation are the few factors responsible for causing veterinary respiratory diseases. Due to veterinary respiratory diseases, it is leading to high mortality rates of animals and causing economic losses. For instance, the bovine respiratory disease is most common in cattle and swine respiratory disease in pigs. Bovine respiratory disease mostly caused by the bacterial agents Pasteurella multocida, Histophilus somni, Mycoplasma bovis, and Mannheimia haemolytica. Various medicines are available in the market to treat Veterinary respiratory diseases. Most commonly used drugs to treat veterinary respiratory diseases are antimicrobial agents, Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), Bronchodilators, Mucolytic agents, Oral rehydration fluids, and immunomodulators. However, treatments are becoming ineffective owing to increase in bacterial, viral resistance in the animals and lack of proper diagnosis are significant factors resulting increase in veterinary respiratory diseases. Hence newer drugs are coming into the market to treat veterinary respiratory disease conditions. In 2011, Merial (Boehringer Ingelheim), launched Zactran (Gamithromycin) to treat and control bovine respiratory disease conditions. In 2008, Zoetis (Pfizer), got EU approval for Draxxin (tulathromycin) to treat Haemophilus parasuis (Glassers disease) in pigs, the uniqueness of the drug is it acts for ten days this intends to reduce the frequent dosage to the animals. In 2015, Ceva group launched respiratory vaccine to prevent from Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae infections. To decrease the antibacterial resistant animals researchers are exploring new therapeutic approaches like bacteriophage therapy and bacterial peptides to treat veterinary respiratory disease conditions.Veterinary Respiratory Disease Market: Drivers and RestraintsThe global market for veterinary respiratory disease market is driven due to increase in respiratory infections, lack of drugs to treat specific pathogens, to decrease the mortality rates of animals are driving the growth of veterinary respiratory disease market during the forecast period. In 2011, U.S Department of Agricultures National Animal Health Monitoring System (NAHMS) had conducted study to understand the treatment cost and incidence of respiratory diseases in cattle. The results showed that around 16.2 percent of cattle affected with respiratory diseases and treatment cost for cattle is the $23.60/per case. The cost for treating veterinary respiratory disease has increased significantly over the years. In the UK, cattle industry spends around 60 million euros annually to treat respiratory disease conditions. Veterinary respiratory disease is more commonly affected by the young calves and animals this due to improper development of immune system. The major restraints of the market are the cost of the drugs, government regulations to reduce the usage of antibiotics are hindering the growth of this market.Request Report Sample@Veterinary Respiratory Disease Market: SegmentationVeterinary respiratory disease market is segmented on the basis of drug classification, distribution channel, and end user.Based on the drug classification, the veterinary respiratory disease market is segmented into the following:AntibioticsPenicillinsAminoglycosidesCephalosporinsOthersAntiparasiticsNSAIDsAntiviralVaccinesBased on the route of administration, the veterinary respiratory disease market is segmented into the following:OralParenteralOtherBased on the distribution channel, the veterinary respiratory disease market is segmented into the following:Veterinary PharmaciesRetail PharmaciesE-commerceVisit For TOC@Veterinary Respiratory Disease Market: OverviewCost effective, long-acting drugs would create attractive growth opportunities for the veterinary respiratory disease market over the forecast period. To treat respiratory diseases in cattle critically important, antibiotics like aminoglycosides, cephalosporins and penicillins are most commonly used followed by macrolides and fluoroquinolones. In the case of respiratory diseases in pigs, 47% of tetracyclines are used followed by pencillins (21%), macrolides (10%) and potentiated sulphonamides (8%). Rifampicin is commonly used to treat respiratory infections in horses. In the veterinary respiratory disease market antibiotics and vaccines occupies the significant share in the market and dominates during the forecast period. Based on distribution channel, veterinary pharmacies dominated the current market and expected to dominate during the forecast period. The number of e-commerce pharmacies is increasing due to increasing penetration of internet across the globe. Both parenteral and oral routes are most commonly used to treat the veterinary respiratory diseases.Veterinary Respiratory Disease Market: Regional OverviewRegion-wise, the global veterinary respiratory disease market is classified into regions namely, North America, Latin America, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, Asia-Pacific excluding Japan, Japan, Middle East and Africa. North America dominated the global market for veterinary respiratory disease owing to established health care and practiced veterinary practitioners are driving the growth of this market. Asia-Pacific is expected to surpass the European market during the forecast owing to increase in the cattle population.Veterinary Respiratory Disease Market: PlayersSome of the players in global veterinary respiratory disease market include Zoetis, Merck & Co., Inc., Eli Lilly Company, Virbac group, Bayer, Vetoquinol, Boehringer Ingelheim, Ceva and Bimeda animal health.About Us Future Market Insights (FMI) is a leading market intelligence and consulting firm. We deliver syndicated research reports, custom research reports and consulting services, which are personalized in nature. FMI delivers a complete packaged solution, which combines current market intelligence, statistical anecdotes, technology inputs, valuable growth insights, an aerial view of the competitive framework, and future market trends.CONTACT:616 Corporate Way, Suite 2-9018,Valley Cottage, NY 10989,United StatesT: +1-347-918-3531F: +1-845-579-5705Email: sales@futuremarketinsights.comWebsite:
Growth in the Critical Care Diagnostics Market 2016-2026 By FMI
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Critical Care Diagnostics also known as point of care are the approved tests that are done near to the patient and provides quick result. The self-testing or over the counter test are also comes under critical care diagnostics. The pathology labs require certain time to provide results depends upon type of test, while critical care tests are the sophisticated test which provides result earlier to detect the disease for better treatment plan.Critical care diagnostics provides quick diagnostics tests to the patient and where the results can be obtained immediately, while the pathology labs requires hours or sometime days to provide results. The critical care diagnostics includes cancer biomarker test, cardiac markers diagnostics, blood glucose testing, pregnancy testing, blood gas and electrolyte analysis, drugs of abuse, urine stripe testing, food pathogens screening, cholesterol screening, haemoglobin diagnostics and infectious disease testing. The critical care diagnostics are used in hospitals, research centres, clinical laboratories as well as home. These diagnostic tests are cost effective and provides appropriate and rapid diagnosis. These test are used for diagnosis of life threatening diseases occurring in patients.Critical Care Diagnostics Market: Drivers and RestraintsThe Critical Care Diagnostics Market is expected to grow exponentially during the estimated period. The rising awareness about these test among physicians and patients and its associated benefits, increasing geriatric population, increasing prevalence of chronic disease like diabetes, heart disease, cancer will drive the market of critical care diagnostics in forecast period. However, the increasing cost of molecular diagnostics and less technological adoption in some developing countries may affect the growth of market. The critical care diagnostics test are easy to use and provides results and minutes. Theses test also provides mobile connectivity and hand-held system.Request Report Sample@Critical Care Diagnostics Market: SegmentationThe global Critical Care Diagnostics Market is segmented on the basis of types of product, by mode of prescription, by End User, and regional presence.Segmentation based on Type of Product:Glucose monitoring kitsCardiometabolic monitoring kitsInfectious Disease testing kitsCoagulation monitoring kitsCancer markers testing kitHematology testing kitsPregnancy and fertility testing kitsCholesterol test stripsDrugs-Of-Abuse testing kitsFecal Occult testing kitsOther critical care diagnostics testing kitsSegmentation based on Prescription Mode:Prescription-Based Testing KitsOTC Testing Kits MarketSegmentation based on End User:HospitalsAmbulatory surgical centersResearch LaboratoriesHomeSegmentation based on Distribution Channel:North AmericaLatin AmericaWestern EuropeEastern Europesia Pacific Excluding JapanJapanThe Middle East and AfricaCritical Care Diagnostics Market: OverviewThe market of critical care diagnostics is segmented as by type of product of product, mode of prescription, by end user and geographically. The product type includes type of kits for various type of disease such as blood glucose test, cancer biomarker test, infectious disease such as HIV, STDs, hepatitis, respiratory infections, influenza testing kits etc. some of critical care diagnostics test are prescription base and some are Over the counter tests. The test like biomarker test, infectious disease test, hematology test etc. are prescription test. These test are prescribed by physician to detect the cause of disease and other factors. Test like blood glucose test, pregnancy test are OTC tests. These test are done at home by patient himself to monitor and to check the level of disease states and other things.Visit For TOC@Critical Care Diagnostics Market: Regional OverviewGeographically, the global Critical Care Diagnostics Market is classified into regions namely, North America, Latin America, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, Asia Pacific Excluding Japan, Japan, Middle East and AfricaNorth America is expected to be the most lucrative market for critical care diagnostics owing to the presence more sophisticated instruments and technology in the region. The product awareness among the people of Europe is high and evolution of more physicians office labs and this will fuel the market of critical care diagnostics in the region. The large presence of geriatric population, improving health care service due to positive support of government to provide treatment in rural regions, increasing prevalence of chronic disease such as hypertension, obesity, diabetes are the key factor responsible for growth of critical care diagnostics in Asia pacific. The increasing healthcare expenditure in Japan will drive the market growth in the country. The epidemiology and mortality due to severe disease like cancer, heart disease is more in the Latin America due to less facilities available in the country. The insurance plan by government of region will help in the critical care diagnostics market.Critical Care Diagnostics Market: Key PlayersSome of the major players operating in the market for Critical Care Diagnostics Market are Abbott Laboratories, Beckman Coulter, Inc., Beckman Coulter, Inc., Roche Diagnostics, Becton Dickinson & Co., Bio-Rad Laboratories, Nanomix Inx., Sysmex Corporation, Nova Biomedical, Siemens AG, Biosensors Japan etc. In 2015, stat profile prime, the blood gas analyzer, new generation product of Nova Biomedical got U.S. FDA approval for point of care diagnosis. In 2016, Abbott laboratories acquires Alere, the leader in point of care diagnostics.About Us Future Market Insights (FMI) is a leading market intelligence and consulting firm. We deliver syndicated research reports, custom research reports and consulting services, which are personalized in nature. FMI delivers a complete packaged solution, which combines current market intelligence, statistical anecdotes, technology inputs, valuable growth insights, an aerial view of the competitive framework, and future market trends.CONTACT:616 Corporate Way, Suite 2-9018,Valley Cottage, NY 10989,United StatesT: +1-347-918-3531F: +1-845-579-5705Email: sales@futuremarketinsights.comWebsite:
Global Forensic Technologies Market Sees Promising Growth till 2025
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A latest research report titled as Forensic Technologies Market - Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends, and Forecast 2017 - 2025 has been recently added to the vast portfolio of Market Research Reports Search Engine (MRRSE) online research offerings. This report is a professional and in-depth analysis on the present state and future prospect for the global market. It provides valuable information to the industry insiders, potential entrants or investors. It includes an exhaustive enquiry with the reliability of logic and the comprehensiveness of contents.Request For Free Sample Report @The global market for forensic technologies is prosperous, with a projected CAGR of 8.3% during the forecast period of 2017 to 2025. Some of the key factors augmenting the demand in the forensic technologies market are: increasing crime rate, government efforts to stay vigilant against growing acts of terrorism, sophistication of crime, and latent demand for portable forensic technologies and services at the crime scene for time-efficient results. On the other hand, high cost of the instruments and regulatory concerns are hindering the market from achieving its true potential. Nevertheless, the global forensic technologies market is estimated to be worth US$80.7 bn by 2025, substantially up from its evaluated valuation of US$39.6 bn in 2016.Chemical Analysis In-demand Services Segment, While DNA Profiling Gaining FastBased on services, the global forensic technologies market has been segmented into DNA profiling, chemical analysis, biometric or fingerprint analysis, firearm analysis, and others such as computer forensics, network forensics, and cloud forensics. The DNA profiling segment has been further sub-segmented into PCR, Y- STR, RFLP, and mitochondrial DNA, whereas chemical analysis segment has been bifurcated into mass spectrometry and chromatography spectroscopy. In 2016, the chemical analysis segment accounted for the most significant chunk of demand-share in the global forensic technologies market. This was a reflection of recent technological advancements, such as GC/MS system for analysis of drugs or toxicology. On the other hand, the DNA analysis segment is anticipated to expand at a better-than-average CAGR of during the forecast period, owing to its ability to provide accurate and efficient result in short period of time, with low cost. Based on DNA profiling, the Y-STR sub-segment is expected to expand at an impressive rate in the near future. However, the PCR sub-segment presents significant opportunities in North America, with high attractiveness index during the forecast period.By location, forensic technologies market is categorized into laboratory forensics (LIMS) and portable forensics (FaaS) segment. The laboratory forensics segment accounted for a considerable chunk of share of the global forensic technologies market in 2016. This is attributable to effective and efficient results in laboratory settings, as samples can be analyzed without any contamination (most of the pieces of evidence at a crime scene tend to be contaminated). Moreover, technological advancements (adoption of laboratory information management system (LIMS) software to perform multiple tasks at a time) in laboratory settings are expected to augment the market during the forecast period. Whereas the portable forensic segment is anticipated to expand at a high CAGR from 2017 to 2025 due technological advancements in detection of the offender/crime details at the crime scene.Browse Full Report with TOC @North America Emerges as Most Lucrative RegionNorth America is the most profitable region in the global forensic technologies market, owing to high adoption rate of new technology and rapid rise in violent crime in the developed country of the U.S. According to the statistics provided by FBI, murder rates in the country rose nearly 10.8% in the U.S. in 2015 as compared to 2014. The North America forensic technologies market has been estimated to be worth US$39.3 bn by 2025, which is nearly half of the projected global value. Europe is currently the second most lucrative region, although Asia Pacific and Latin America are anticipated to exhibit the best two growth rates.Some of the key companies currently holding prominent positions in the global forensic technologies market are: Agilent Technologies, Thermo Fisher Scientific, LGC Limited, Forensics Consulting Solutions, LLC, SPEX Forensics, NMS Labs, Eurofins Medigenomix GmbH, GE Healthcare Life Sciences, Neogen Corporation, SCIEX (Danaher Corporation), and Forensic Pathway.Enquire about this Report @About UsMarket Research Reports Search Engine (MRRSE) is an industry-leading database of market intelligence reports. MRRSE is driven by a stellar team of research experts and advisors trained to offer objective advice. Our sophisticated search algorithm returns results based on the report title, geographical region, publisher, or other keywords.MRRSE partners exclusively with leading global publishers to provide clients single-point access to top-of-the-line market research. MRRSEs repository is updated every day to keep its clients ahead of the next new trend in market research, be it competitive intelligence, product or service trends or strategic consulting.ContactState Tower90, State StreetSuite 700Albany, NY - 12207United StatesTelephone: +1-518-730-0559Email: sales@mrrse.comWebsite :Read More Industry News At:
Short Introduction to Online Marketplaces
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Online marketplaces are extremely useful modern web tools for retailers and customers. These eCommerce solutions make it possible to choose and buy different goods from different sellers in just a few clicks without the necessity to leave ones home or workplace. The most prominent online marketplaces out there right now are Amazon, eBay, AliExpress, etc. Besides these, there are lots of online platforms dedicated not only to sales purposes. Airbnb and similar services, for instance.Types And Features Of Online MarketplacesAll in all, an online marketplace is a website full of different products from various entrepreneurs. All of these products can be bought within seconds without wasting much time on shipping, delivery or other issues. As for the sellers, these platforms provide them with assistance in solving the following questions:- How to create a product page or catalog?- How to organize the communication with potential customers?- How to perform financial operations and what tools to use for that?- How to contact a support team in case of emergency?And this is not a full list of questions you can easily resolve with the help of online marketplaces. At the same time, these sales channels are not about answering significant business questions only. They are about fulfilling eCommerce tasks and getting a real profit.Coordinated efforts of web service providers, sellers, logistic and delivery specialists are aimed at catering to the customers needs perfectly. What is crucial, all of the web marketplaces are integrated with payment gateways.As it was mentioned above, eCommerce marketplaces are not limited to trading only. These platforms have strong capabilities to satisfy various needs. According to this, main types of online marketplaces are defined as follows:- Product Marketplaces which are the most popular ones, like Amazon.- Job Marketplaces which provide the access to plenty of job openings and resumes, like UpWork.- Service Marketplaces providing other services, like Airbnb.Nowadays, the global market is full of complex eCommerce platforms that provide several various services at once. For example, OLX platform offers a wide range of services. Besides that, the market gains more specified services like platforms for price comparison or grouping the announcements.One of the integral things users are interested in is what profit the marketplaces get. Well, it is all quite transparent. The marketplaces income consists of three main parts:Service FeeEach purchase, each payment requires an additional service fee. This is the basic component of platforms profit.Advertisement benefitsThe advertisement is the engine of progress. Also, this is a source of income marketplace can get by posting third-party information on its web pages.CommissionsCooperation with other service providers requires commissions for every financial operation.Considerable Advantages Of Online Marketplaces: Two Points Of ViewDid you know that 96% of the USA citizens have already made online purchases at least once in their life? Did you know that most of them would prefer to start looking for a product via an online marketplace initially? This kind of service is really convenient and such an accessibility is the main cause of high level of online marketplaces popularity. However, this question is deeper than that, so lets define more constructive reasons why shoppers prefer surfing online marketplaces:Possibility to save timeTraditional shopping requires visiting the mall. Alternatively, web marketplaces provide the customers with the convenient opportunities to buy things from any location where theres an access to the Internet.Choice of a better productOne of the most useful online marketplace features is its filters. With the help of a Filter option, one can easily choose the most suitable type of product out of dozens that are offered.Access to the bottomless ocean of goodsUnlike web stores, marketplaces provide online users with a unique opportunity to view and compare products of different types, quality, and vendors. One click opens the doors to the digital mall where one would certainly find the desired product.Living in a never-ending rush mode, consumers find peace and satisfaction in online marketplace shopping.But this kind of business relations may be risky. First of all, it includes the third party, which may be not reliable. Second of all, buying things online excludes the possibility to try it on physically or check its quality in real life.Short tip for a consumer: pay enormous attention to feedback and ratings.But what does it all mean to sellers? Is it really as profitable as it is believed to be?Lets just highlight one significant point in this question.The aim all the entrepreneurs chase after is a bigger profit. And it is only reachable by attracting more customers. Briefly, the more people visit your website, the more would make a purchase. By opening a web store on an eCommerce platform, one gets the opportunity to access a wider audience. Additionally, online marketplaces eliminate boundaries. International trading enables cooperation with customers worldwide.But along with all of the advantages, theres always a fly in the ointment. Lots and lots of competitors all around the web fight for customers by offering better terms, lower prices, and higher quality. Its a challenge to keep up with them and to keep your head above the water.Short tip for the sellers: always provide your potential customers with accurate information and high-quality attractive photos in order to win their attention.Development Of Online Marketplaces: What Is CrucialOnline marketplaces demonstrate huge potential and amazing capabilities to impact the eCommerce industry and gain marvelous popularity. The decision to develop a marketplace platform can be extremely profitable for your business. Before commencing to the implementation of your idea, however, take a look at the following valuable expert tips:Technical aspectsDepending on what kind of service youve decided to build, choose the development technologies that are really capable of bringing your idea to life (). If its a simple software product, use one of the ready-made solutions and enhance its functionality with unique features. Otherwise, if you would like to get a large-scale project, hire a skilled development team.Security mattersOnline marketplace requires dealing with lots of financial operations daily. Your payment system needs to handle the process and deal with every issue possible. It has to be able to provide seamless interaction between customer and retailer and be a cornerstone of all the processes. So make sure it meets all of the expectations. Use modern approaches and cutting-edge technologies to take care of your customers future confidence and convenience.Quality rules the showDeliver the solution of the highest quality possible at every stage of the process. Marketplace development, cooperation with brands, and interaction with customers must meet the vital quality requirements.Final Thoughts On The Web Marketplace TopicOnline marketplaces play a significant role in the modern eCommerce world. They provide amazing opportunities for entrepreneurs and create an amazing shopping experience for consumers. What is crucial, they are responsible not only for a service itself but also for every single vendor that runs a web store on the defined platform. In the long run, a winning approach is pretty simple (yet still pretty difficult to achieve) - by providing the highest level of quality, one can reach ultimate online marketplace success.Source:Were all living in the era of the sharing economy. We get around with uber and lyft, rent our vacation residences via airbnb and homeaway, shop through etsy. Here at roobykon software we know how to bring your business into the sharing economy by building your marketplace. We guide our customers right from the idea initiation phase, using our experience to help choose the best platform for the project, before leading development through to a successful release and beyond.- Roobykon Software (roobykon.com/)- Sepapaja 6, Tallinn 15551, Estonia- contact info:company phone: +372 712 2084company email: contact@roobykon.comcompany skype: contact.roobykon- Presscontact:yuliia.chernykh@roobykon.com
Very Large Generator Market: Size will Observe Substantial Growth by 2026
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Generators are devices, which converts the energy from external source to electricity, generators available in different sizes and ratings ranging from portable to very large generators. Very large generators are mainly used in commercial buildings, large-scale industries where the need of electricity is continuous to maintain the continuous operations without any interruption in case of failure.Very large generators rating ranges from 100 kVA to 5000 kVA, which is capable of running heavy machineries in industries and lighting commercial buildings. The market for very large generators market is expected to have significant growth as compared to that of other generators due its prevalent use in the industries. Globally, the market for very large generators is anticipated to register single digit CAGR over the forecast period.Global Very Large Generator Market: Drivers & RestraintsThe global very large generator market is primarily driven by its prime use in various industries such as, mining, oil & gas, chemicals, and marine along with its use in commercial buildings, hospitals and shopping malls. Thus, the rapid industrialization, mining activities and infrastructure development activities across the globe can be attributed to the growth of very large generators market globally. However, the fuel efficiency and emission issues of very large generators might pose as a restraint along with the volatile operating and maintaining costs associated with the very large generator.Request Sample Report@Global Very Large Generator Market: Market SegmentationBased on type, the global very large generator market is segmented into:Diesel Generator,Gas Generator,Electric Generators,Fuel Oil Generators,Based on the end-use industries, the global very large generator market is segmented into:,,Mining,Oil & Gas,Commercial Buildings,Chemical,Telecom,Marine,Others (Healthcare, Defense)Global Very Large Generator Market: Regional OutlookBased on the geographic regions, global very large generator market is divided into seven key regions namely North America, Latin America, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, APEJ, Japan, and Middle East & Africa. Among the aforementioned regions, APEJ is the largest market for very large generator due to the rapid industrialization, urbanization and constructional activities in the region, which in turn is fostering the growth of gasoline generator market in the region.The Latin America and Middle East & Africa market for very large generator is followed by the APEJ; the industrial growth along with the mining activities in Latin America and Africa is propelling the demand for very large generator market in these regions. The trend in North America and Europe region is more towards sustainable source of energy for electricity, which in turn is resulting in low demand for very large generators in the region. Overall, the global market for very large generator will register a single digit CAGR by the end of forecast period.Request Report for TOC @Global Very Large Generator Market: Key PlayersSome of the major players identified in the global very large generator market includes, Cummins Power Generation., HarbinGer Generators and Mobile Lighting Towers, Caterpillar, Ingersoll Rand, Kirloskar Oil Engines Ltd., YANMAR CO., LTD., Inmesol gensets, S.L. Spain., and Atlas Copco Specialty Rental among others.The research report presents a comprehensive assessment of the market and contains thoughtful insights, facts, historical data, and statistically supported and industry-validated market data. It also contains projections using a suitable set of assumptions and methodologies. The research report provides analysis and information according to categories such as market segments, geographies, types, technology and applications.The report covers exhaustive analysis on:Market Segments,Market Dynamics,Market Size,Supply & Demand,Current Trends/Issues/Challenges,Competition & Companies involved,Technology,Value ChainNeed more information about report methodology?Regional analysis includesNorth America (U.S., Canada),Latin America (Mexico. Brazil),Western Europe (Germany, Italy, France, U.K, Spain, Nordic countries, Belgium, Netherlands, Luxembourg),Eastern Europe (Poland, Russia),Asia Pacific (China, India, ASEAN, Australia & New Zealand),Japan,Middle East and Africa (GCC, S. Africa, N. Africa)The report is a compilation of first-hand information, qualitative and quantitative assessment by industry analysts, inputs from industry experts and industry participants across the value chain. The report provides in-depth analysis of parent market trends, macro-economic indicators and governing factors along with market attractiveness as per segments. The report also maps the qualitative impact of various market factors on market segments and geographies.Report Highlights:Detailed overview of parent market,Changing market dynamics in the industry,In-depth market segmentation,Historical, current and projected market size in terms of volume and value,Recent industry trends and developments,Competitive landscape,Strategies of key players and products offered,Potential and niche segments, geographical regions exhibiting promising growth,A neutral perspective on market performance,Must-have information for market players to sustain and enhance their market footprintRead Report Overview @About UsPersistence Market Research (PMR) is a third-platform research firm. Our research model is a unique collaboration of data analytics and market research methodology to help businesses achieve optimal performance.To support companies in overcoming complex business challenges, we follow a multi-disciplinary approach. At PMR, we unite various data streams from multi-dimensional sources. By deploying real-time data collection, big data, and customer experience analytics, we deliver business intelligence for organizations of all sizes.Contact UsPersistence Market Research305 Broadway7th Floor, New York City,NY 10007, United States,USA Canada Toll Free: 800-961-0353Email: sales@persistencemarketresearch.comWeb:
Demand of Global Microbial Air Sampler Industry Comprehensive Analysis, Latest Growth, Market Status, Demand and Technology 2021
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Researchmoz added Most up-to-date research on "Global Microbial Air Sampler Industry 2017, Trends and Forecast Report" to its huge collection of research reports.Microbial Air Sampler Report by Material, Application, and Geography Global Forecast to 2021 is a professional and in-depth research report on the world's major regional market conditions, focusing on the main regions (North America, Europe and Asia-Pacific) and the main countries (United States, Germany, united Kingdom, Japan, South Korea and China).To Get Sample Copy of Report visit @The report firstly introduced the Microbial Air Sampler basics: definitions, classifications, applications and market overview; product specifications; manufacturing processes; cost structures, raw materials and so on. Then it analyzed the world's main region market conditions, including the product price, profit, capacity, production, supply, demand and market growth rate and forecast etc. In the end, the report introduced new project SWOT analysis, investment feasibility analysis, and investment return analysis.The report includes six parts, dealing with:1.) basic information;2.) the Asia Microbial Air Sampler Market;3.) the North American Microbial Air Sampler Market;4.) the European Microbial Air Sampler Market;5.) market entry and investment feasibility;6.) the report conclusion.Make an Enquiry about TOC @Table of ContentsPart I Microbial Air Sampler Industry OverviewChapter One Microbial Air Sampler Industry Overview1.1 Microbial Air Sampler Definition1.2 Microbial Air Sampler Classification Analysis1.2.1 Microbial Air Sampler Main Classification Analysis1.2.2 Microbial Air Sampler Main Classification Share Analysis1.3 Microbial Air Sampler Application AnalysisChapter Two Microbial Air Sampler Up and Down Stream Industry Analysis2.1 Upstream Raw Materials Analysis2.1.1 Upstream Raw Materials Price Analysis2.1.2 Upstream Raw Materials Market Analysis2.1.3 Upstream Raw Materials Market Trend2.2 Down Stream Market AnalysisPart II Asia Microbial Air Sampler Industry (The Report Company Including the Below Listed But Not All)Chapter Three Asia Microbial Air Sampler Market Analysis3.1 Asia Microbial Air Sampler Product Development History3.2 Asia Microbial Air Sampler Competitive Landscape Analysis3.3 Asia Microbial Air Sampler Market Development TrendChapter Four 2012-2017 Asia Microbial Air Sampler Productions Supply Sales Demand Market Status and Forecast4.1 2012-2017 Microbial Air Sampler Capacity Production Overview4.2 2012-2017 Microbial Air Sampler Production Market Share Analysis4.3 2012-2017 Microbial Air Sampler Demand Overview4.4 2012-2017 Microbial Air Sampler Supply Demand and ShortageAbout ResearchMozResearchMoz is the one stop online destination to find and buy market research reports & Industry Analysis. We fulfill all your research needs spanning across industry verticals with our huge collection of market research reports. We provide our services to all sizes of organizations and across all industry verticals and markets. Our Research Coordinators have in-depth knowledge of reports as well as publishers and will assist you in making an informed decision by giving you unbiased and deep insights on which reports will satisfy your needs at the best price.For More Information Kindly Contact :ResearchMozMr. Nachiket Ghumare,Tel: +1-518-621-2074USA-Canada Toll Free: 866-997-4948Email: sales@researchmoz.usFollow us on LinkedIn @
Flush Mount Photo Album Market 2018 Global Key Players: Asuka Book, Artifact Uprising, Kenon Book, Advanced Photo Lab, Picaboo, Midwest Photographic Resource Center.
Flush Mount Photo Album Market
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Flush Mount Photo Album Market:WiseGuyReports.com adds Flush Mount Photo Album Market 2018 Global Analysis, Growth, Trends and Opportunities Research Report Forecasting to 2025reports to its database.Executive SummaryGlobal Flush Mount Photo Album Market industry valued approximately USD 4.18 billion in 2016 is anticipated to grow with a healthy growth rate of more than 8.82% over the forecast period 2017-2025. The major factors bolstering the growth are escalating requirements for photojournalism and rising inclination for theme-based weddings. Furthermore, improvement of technology and increasing need for customization via pictures, texts, and graphics, is likely to add to the positive impact of growth in the industry.The objective of the study is to define market sizes of different segments & countries in previous years and to forecast the values to the next eight years. The report is designed to incorporate both qualitative and quantitative aspects of the industry with respect to each of the regions and countries involved in the study. Furthermore, the report also caters the detailed information about the crucial aspects such as drivers & restraining factors which will define the future growth of the market. Additionally, it will also incorporate the opportunities available in micro markets for stakeholders to invest, detailed analysis of competitive landscape and product offerings of key players. The detailed segments and sub-segment of the market are explained below:End-Use:PersonalProfessionalFurthermore, the years considered for the study are as follows:Historical year 2015Base year 2016Forecast period 2017 to 2025Some of the key manufacturers involved in the market are Asuka Book, Artifact Uprising, Kenon Book, Advanced Photo Lab, Picaboo, Midwest Photographic Resource Center, Nations Photo Lab, and WHCC. Acquisitions, and effective mergers are some of the strategies adopted by the key manufacturers. The companies are also trying to dominate the market by investing in research & development, new product launches, and focus on continuous technology innovations.Target Audience of the Flush Mount Photo Album Market StudyKey Consulting Companies & AdvisorsLarge, medium-sized, and small enterprisesVenture capitalistsValue-Added Resellers (VARs)Third-party knowledge providersInvestment bankersInvestorsRequest Sample Report @Table of contentChapter 1. Research Methodology1.1. Research Process1.1.1. Data Mining1.1.2. Analysis1.1.3. Market Estimation1.1.4. Validation1.1.5. Publishing1.2. Research AssumptionChapter 2. Global Flush Mount Photo Album Market Definition & Scope2.1. Objective of The Study2.2. Market Definition2.3. Scope of The Study2.4. Years Considered for The Study2.5. Currency Conversion Rates2.6. Report LimitationChapter 3. Executive Summary3.1. Key Trends3.2. Global & Segmental Market Estimates & Forecasts, 2015-2025 (USD Billion/Million)Chapter 4. Global Flush Mount Photo Album Industry Dynamics4.1. Growth Prospects4.1.1. Drivers4.1.2. Restraints4.1.3. Opportunities4.2. Industry Analysis4.2.1. Porters 5 Force Model4.2.2. PEST Analysis4.2.3. Value Chain Analysis4.3. Analyst Recommendation & ConclusionChapter 5. Global Flush Mount Photo Album Market by End-UseChapter 6. Global Flush Mount Photo Album Market, Regional AnalysisChapter 7. Competitive Intelligence7.1. Company Market Share (Subject to Data Availability)7.2. Top Market Strategies7.3. Company Profiles7.3.1. Milk Books7.3.1.1. Overview7.3.1.2. Financial (Subject to Data Availability)7.3.1.3. Product Summary7.3.1.4. Recent Developments7.3.2. AsukaBook7.3.3. Artifact Uprising7.3.4. Kenon Book7.3.5. Advanced Photo Lab7.3.6. Picaboo7.3.7. Midwest Photographic Resource Center Inc.7.3.8. Nations Photo Lab7.3.9. WHCC7.3.10. QueensberryContinuousFor further information on this report, visit Contact Us:Norah Trentsales@wiseguyreports.comPh: +1-646-845-9349 (US); +44 208 133 9349 (UK)Wise Guy Reports Is Part Of The Wise Guy Consultants Pvt. Ltd. And Offers Premium Progressive Statistical Surveying, Market Research Reports, Analysis & Forecast Data For Industries And Governments Around The Globe. Wise Guy Reports Features An Exhaustive List Of Market Research Reports From Hundreds Of Publishers Worldwide. We Boast A Database Spanning Virtually Every Market Category And An Even More Comprehensive Collection Of Market Research Reports Under These Categories And Sub-Categories.Addres:WISEGUY RESEARCH CONSULTANTS PVT LTDOffice No. 528, Amanora ChambersPune - 411028Maharashtra, IndiaPhone :+91 841 198 5042
Silk Market Conditions, Including The Product Price, Profit, Capacity, Industry Players with Forecast 2018 to 2025
Silk
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Data Bridge Market Research provides New Report titled The Global Silk Market accounted for USD 11.66 billion in 2016 and is projected to grow at a CAGR of 7.4% during the forecast period of 2017 to 2024. The upcoming market report contains data for historic year 2015, the base year of calculation is 2016 and the forecast period is 2017 to 2024., also the Global Silk Market By Type (Mulberry, Tussar, Spider, Eri) Application (Textile, Cosmetics & Medicine) Geography (North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, Europe, South America, Middle East and Africa) Industry Trends and Forecast to 2024.Get Free Sample Report @Market Definition: Global Silk MarketSilk is composed of both natural as well animal fiber. It comes from the fibroin which is created from proteins release in the liquid state as a single filament through silkworm. It is characterized by natural sheen, light weight, high absorbent quality, and poor heat conduction. Silk can be used in textile, cosmetics and medicine. Growing demand for eco-friendly textile materials is one of the major drivers of this market.Major Market Drivers: Rising demand from Indian textile industry More of technological innovation in sericulture Low capital investment requiredRestraints: Dependency for raw material on ChinaMarket Segmentation: Global Silk MarketOn the basis of type, global silk market is segmented into mulberry, tussar, spider and eri.On the basis of application, global silk market is segmented into textile and cosmetics & medicine.On the basis of geography, global silk market report covers data points for 28 countries across multiple geographies namely North America & South America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and Middle East & Africa. Some of the major countries covered in this report are U.S., Canada, Germany, France, U.K., Netherlands, Switzerland, Turkey, Russia, China, India, South Korea, Japan, Australia, Singapore, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, and Brazil among others.Have Any Query? Ask Ours Expert @Competitive Analysis: Global Silk MarketThe global silk market is consolidated due to the presence of limited number of players concentrated in few countries. These major players have adopted various organic as well as inorganic growth strategies such as mergers & acquisitions, new product launches, expansions, agreements, joint ventures, partnerships, and others to strengthen their position in this market.Major Market Competitors: Global Silk MarketSome of the major players operating in silk market are Wujiang First Textile Co., Ltd., Anhui Silk, Shengkun Silk Manufacturing Co., Ltd., Zhejiang Jiaxin Silk Co., Ltd., AM Silk GmbH, China Silk Corporation, Jinchengjiang Xinxing Cocoon Silk Co., Ltd., Bolt Threads Inc., Kraig Biocraft Laboratories, Inc., Entogenetics Inc., Wensli Group Co. Ltd., Sichuan Nanchong Liuhe (Group) Corp. among others.Read more about the Silk Market Visit @About Data Bridge Market Research:Data Bridge Market Research set forth itself as an unconventional and neoteric Market research and consulting firm with unparalleled level of resilience and integrated approaches. We are determined to unearth the best market opportunities and foster efficient information for your business to thrive in the market. Data Bridge endeavors to provide appropriate solutions to the complex business challenges and initiates an effortless decision-making process.Vishal DixitData Bridge Market ResearchTel: +1-888-387-2818Email: Sales@databridgemarketresearch.com
Pipe Threading Machine Market: Set for Rapid Growth and Trend by 2026
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Pipe threading machines are the tools used to thread the ends of a pipe in order to mount the pipefittings and joints such as elbows, tees, flanges and reducers among other pipefittings. The pipe threading machines are widely used across different industries such as process, mining, construction among other industries where the piping and instrumentation is an integral part of the industries. It is also used for the small plumbing works in the household. In the current scenario, there is an increased demand for automated tools in the industries to increase work efficiency, the availability of automated pipe threading machines is further prospering the global market for pipe threading machine.Request Sample Report@Global Pipe Threading Machine Market: Drivers & RestraintsThe global pipe threading machine market is primarily driven by the increasing mining activities and growth in the process industries such as chemicals, petrochemicals and pharmaceuticals where the piping and instrumentation is a core part and requires maintenance time to time.The demand from the construction industry is also expected to propel the market for pipe threading machines with new commercial and residential building being built in the developed and developing regions. There are availability of new pipe threading machine in the market capable of threading and cutting the pipe using a single tool, further it can be used for threading of different sizes of pipes. However, the regular requirement of maintenance for pipe threading machines might pose as a restraint for the market.Based on the geographic regions, global pipe threading machine market is segmented into seven key market segments namely North America, Latin America, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, APEJ, Japan, and Middle East & Africa. Among the aforementioned regions, the APEJ market dominates the global market for pipe threading machine due to the rapid industrialization in the region.The dominance of mining industries in the North America and Latina America region can be attributed to the growth of pipe threading machines market in these regions. The construction activities in the Middle East region is expected to propel demand for pipe threading machines in the Middle East region. Overall, the global market for pipe threading machine will register a single digit CAGR over the forecast period.Request Report for TOC @Global Pipe Threading Machine Market: Key PlayersSome of the key players identified in the global pipe threading machine market are W.W. Grainger, Inc., United Machine Tools India, Superior Threading Inc., Industrial Machinery Corporation, Hangzhou Hongli Pipe Machinery Co., Ltd., and Wheeler-Rex Inc. among others.The research report presents a comprehensive assessment of the market and contains thoughtful insights, facts, historical data, and statistically supported and industry-validated market data. It also contains projections using a suitable set of assumptions and methodologies. The research report provides analysis and information according to categories such as market segments, geographies, types, technology and applications.The report covers exhaustive analysis on:Market Segments,Market Dynamics,Market Size,Supply & Demand,Current Trends/Issues/Challenges,Competition & Companies involved,Technology,Value ChainRegional analysis includesNorth America (U.S., Canada),Latin America (Mexico. Brazil),Western Europe (Germany, Italy, France, U.K, Spain, Nordic countries, Belgium, Netherlands, Luxembourg),Eastern Europe (Poland, Russia),Asia Pacific (China, India, ASEAN, Australia & New Zealand),Japan,Middle East and Africa (GCC, S. Africa, N. Africa)The report is a compilation of first-hand information, qualitative and quantitative assessment by industry analysts, inputs from industry experts and industry participants across the value chain. The report provides in-depth analysis of parent market trends, macro-economic indicators and governing factors along with market attractiveness as per segments. The report also maps the qualitative impact of various market factors on market segments and geographies.Need more information about report methodology?Report Highlights:Detailed overview of parent market,Changing market dynamics in the industry,In-depth market segmentation,Historical, current and projected market size in terms of volume and value,Recent industry trends and developments,Competitive landscape,Strategies of key players and products offered,Potential and niche segments, geographical regions exhibiting promising growth,A neutral perspective on market performance,Must-have information for market players to sustain and enhance their market footprintRead Report Overview @About UsPersistence Market Research (PMR) is a third-platform research firm. Our research model is a unique collaboration of data analytics and market research methodology to help businesses achieve optimal performance.To support companies in overcoming complex business challenges, we follow a multi-disciplinary approach. At PMR, we unite various data streams from multi-dimensional sources. By deploying real-time data collection, big data, and customer experience analytics, we deliver business intelligence for organizations of all sizes.Contact UsPersistence Market Research305 Broadway7th Floor, New York City,NY 10007, United States,USA Canada Toll Free: 800-961-0353Email: sales@persistencemarketresearch.comWeb:
Thermal Cycler Market to Witness a Pronounce Growth by 2025
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Thermal cycler is an equipment which amplifies nucleic acid chain formation that is RNA and DNA. Thermal cycler is also known as polymerase chain reaction (PCR) machine or thermocycler. These machines are used in many laboratories to provide temperature sensitive reaction and for diagnosis of many diseases. The machine consists of heat block with many holes to withstand tubes. The cycler can work with pre-planned program by raising and lowering the temperature. In older machines, the block is submerged in an oil bath while in modern machines the equipment is provided with heating lid for temperature control.Request for Sample Copy of Report:The global thermal cycler market is expected to expand at a high CAGR during the forecast period. Improvement in the field of molecular biology, adoption of PCR testing for diagnosis due to its accuracy and convenience, and increase in research activities in academics and pharmaceutical industries are factors which are likely to drive the growth of the global thermal cycler market during the forecast period. Additionally, government funding in biotechnological research, development of next generation sequencing, robust research in the field of genetics, improvement in forensics, introduction of heat resistance polymerase enzymes, and advanced technologies such as hot start PCR and qPCR which give highly accurate results are few other drivers projected to boost the growth of the global market. However, high cost of the instruments, lack of handling knowledge, and low awareness in some of the developing countries are factors that might restrain the growth of the global thermal cycler market during the forecast period.The global thermal cycler market is segmented on the basis of product type, application, end-user, and region. In terms of product type, the global market is segmented into instruments and accessories. The instruments segment is further divided into conventional thermal cycler, real-time thermal cycler, multi-block thermal cycler, and digital thermal cycler. The digital thermal cycler sub-segment is anticipated to hold a significant share of the global market due to its technological advancements over the conventional thermal cycler. In terms of application, the global market is divided into diagnostics, manufacturing and quality control testing, clinical research, forensics, and others. The manufacturing and quality control testing segment is projected to account for a significant market share during the forecast period due to faster results with greater accuracy and higher sensitivity. Based on end-user, the global market is divided into pharmaceutical industries, academic and research institutes, diagnostic laboratories, and others. The pharmaceutical industries segment is expected to register a significant share of the market during the forecast period due to rise in the number of industries.Request Table of Content of Report:Geographically, the global thermal cycler market is divided into North America, Latin America, Middle East & Africa, Europe, and Asia Pacific. North America is anticipated to dominate the global market during the forecast period in terms of value as well as volume. Factors responsible for the growth of the North America market are developed health care infrastructure, increase in the number of industries, high adoption of PCR machines, rise in health care expenditure, and high expertise and research activities. Asia Pacific is expected to expand at a high growth rate during the forecast period due to factors such as adoption of new technology, increased research activities in fields of genetics and forensics, and rise in funding for research activities.Key players are adopting strategies such as development of user-friendly and cost-effective products, mergers and acquisitions, robust research and development, and geographical expansion to maintain a significant position in the global thermal cycler market. Prominent players operating in the global market are Agilent Technologies, Inc, Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc, Bio-Rad Laboratories, Inc, Eppendorf AG, and Bioline.Request For Discount On This Report:About UsTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a market intelligence company, providing global business information reports and services. Our exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trends analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMRs experienced team of analysts, researchers, and consultants, use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather, and analyze information. Our business offerings represent the latest and the most reliable information indispensable for businesses to sustain a competitive edge.Contact us:Transparency Market Research90 State Street,Suite 700,AlbanyNY - 12207United StatesTel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
CAD Software Market 2018 Global Resource, Planning, Outlook, Share, Trends to 2022
CAD Software Market 2018
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WiseGuyReports.Com Publish a New Market Research Report On CAD Software Market 2018 Global Resource, Planning, Outlook, Share, Trends to 2022.Description:CAD Software-Global Market Status and Trend Report 2013-2023 offers a comprehensive analysis on CAD Software industry, standing on the readers perspective, delivering detailed market data and penetrating insights. No matter the client is industry insider, potential entrant or investor, the report will provides useful data and information.Key questions answered by this report include:Worldwide and Regional Market Size of CAD Software 2013-2017, and development forecast 2018-2023Main manufacturers/suppliers of CAD Software worldwide, with company and product introduction, position in the CAD Software marketMarket status and development trend of CAD Software by types and applicationsCost and profit status of CAD Software, and marketing statusMarket growth drivers and challengesGet a Sample Report @For more information or any query mail at sales@wiseguyreports.comThe report segments the global CAD Software market as:Global CAD Software Market: Regional Segment Analysis (Regional Production Volume, Consumption Volume, Revenue and Growth Rate 2013-2023):North AmericaEuropeChinaJapanRest APACLatin AmericaGlobal CAD Software Market: Type Segment Analysis (Consumption Volume, Average Price, Revenue, Market Share and Trend 2013-2023):2D3DOtherGlobal CAD Software Market: Application Segment Analysis (Consumption Volume and Market Share 2013-2023; Downstream Customers and Market Analysis)EducationArchitectureArt and DesignMechanical DesignOtherGlobal CAD Software Market: Manufacturers Segment Analysis (Company and Product introduction, CAD Software Sales Volume, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin):AutodeskTurboCADSketchUpCADopiaProgesoftFormZSolidWorksSkyCivSmartDrawBentley SystemsCorelRubySketchANSYSReport Details @Table Of Contents Major Key PointsChapter 1 Overview of CAD Software1.1 Definition of CAD Software in This Report1.2 Commercial Types of CAD Software1.2.1 2D1.2.2 3D1.2.3 Other1.3 Downstream Application of CAD Software1.3.1 Education1.3.2 Architecture1.3.3 Art and Design1.3.4 Mechanical Design1.3.5 Other1.4 Development History of CAD Software1.5 Market Status and Trend of CAD Software 2013-20231.5.1 Global CAD Software Market Status and Trend 2013-20231.5.2 Regional CAD Software Market Status and Trend 2013-2023Chapter 2 Global Market Status and Forecast by Regions2.1 Market Development of CAD Software 2013-20172.2 Production Market of CAD Software by Regions2.2.1 Production Volume of CAD Software by Regions2.2.2 Production Value of CAD Software by Regions2.3 Demand Market of CAD Software by Regions2.4 Production and Demand Status of CAD Software by Regions2.4.1 Production and Demand Status of CAD Software by Regions 2013-20172.4.2 Import and Export Status of CAD Software by Regions 2013-2017Chapter 3 Global Market Status and Forecast by Types3.1 Production Volume of CAD Software by Types3.2 Production Value of CAD Software by Types3.3 Market Forecast of CAD Software by TypesChapter 4 Global Market Status and Forecast by Downstream Industry4.1 Demand Volume of CAD Software by Downstream Industry4.2 Market Forecast of CAD Software by Downstream IndustryChapter 5 Market Driving Factor Analysis of CAD Software5.1 Global Economy Situation and Trend Overview5.2 CAD Software Downstream Industry Situation and Trend OverviewChapter 6 CAD Software Market Competition Status by Major Manufacturers6.1 Production Volume of CAD Software by Major Manufacturers6.2 Production Value of CAD Software by Major Manufacturers6.3 Basic Information of CAD Software by Major Manufacturers6.3.1 Headquarters Location and Established Time of CAD Software Major Manufacturer6.3.2 Employees and Revenue Level of CAD Software Major Manufacturer6.4 Market Competition News and Trend6.4.1 Merger, Consolidation or Acquisition News6.4.2 Investment or Disinvestment News6.4.3 New Product Development and LaunchChapter 7 CAD Software Major Manufacturers Introduction and Market Data7.1 Autodesk7.1.1 Company profile7.1.2 Representative CAD Software Product7.1.3 CAD Software Sales, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin of Autodesk7.2 TurboCAD7.2.1 Company profile7.2.2 Representative CAD Software Product7.2.3 CAD Software Sales, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin of TurboCAD7.3 SketchUp7.3.1 Company profile7.3.2 Representative CAD Software Product7.3.3 CAD Software Sales, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin of SketchUp7.4 CADopia7.4.1 Company profile7.4.2 Representative CAD Software Product7.4.3 CAD Software Sales, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin of CADopia7.5 Progesoft7.5.1 Company profile7.5.2 Representative CAD Software Product7.5.3 CAD Software Sales, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin of Progesoft7.6 FormZ7.6.1 Company profile7.6.2 Representative CAD Software Product7.6.3 CAD Software Sales, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin of FormZContinueFor more information or any query mail at sales@wiseguyreports.comABOUT US:Wise Guy Reports is part of the Wise Guy Consultants Pvt. Ltd. and offers premium progressive statistical surveying, market research reports, analysis & forecast data for industries and governments around the globe. Wise Guy Reports features an exhaustive list of market research reports from hundreds of publishers worldwide. We boast a database spanning virtually every market category and an even more comprehensive collection of market research reports under these categories and sub-categories.Office No.528,Amanora Chambers,Magarpatta Road,Hadapsar,Pune-411028.
Global Nickel Alloy Welding Consumables Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth Trends, and Forecast to 2024
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Market Research Reports Search Engine (MRRSE) has been serving as an active source to cater intelligent research report to enlighten both readers and investors. This research study titled Nickel Alloy Welding Consumables MarketRequest to View Sample Report @This research study analyzes the market for nickel alloy welding consumables in terms of revenue (US$ Bn) and volume (kilo tons). The nickel alloy welding consumables market has been segmented on the basis of product, alloy type, welding technology, end use applications, and geography. The geographical segmentation includes regions, which are further divided into 20 countries. The report features a detailed regional segmentation with market growth forecasts for the period between 2016 and 2024. For the research, 2015 has been considered as the base year and 2016 the estimated year, while all forecasts have been given for the period from 2016 to 2024. Market data for all the segments has been provided at the regional and country-specific levels from 2016 to 2024.The report provides a broad competitive analysis of companies engaged in the development of nickel alloy welding consumables. The report also includes key market dynamics such as the drivers, restraints, and opportunities affecting the global nickel alloy welding consumables market. These market dynamics are analyzed in detail and are illustrated in the report with the help of supporting graphs and tables. The report also provides a comprehensive analysis of the market with the help of the Porters Five Forces Analysis model, which helps in understanding the five major forces that affect the structure and profitability of the global nickel alloy welding consumables market. The forces analyzed are the bargaining power of buyers, the bargaining power of suppliers, the threat of new entrants, the threat of substitutes, and the degree of competition.The high-level analysis in the report provides detailed insights into the nickel alloy welding consumables business globally. There are currently numerous drivers for the market. The most prominent drivers include rapid growth in various industries such as transportation and power and the increasing use of nickel and its alloys. With nickel finding applications in renewable energy including wind and solar energy, the nickel alloy welding consumables market may find new avenues for demand generation. Lack of skilled workers and knowledge about the use of welding technologies and welding consumables might act as restraints for the consumable market. Market attractiveness analysis and comparison analysis was carried out for the nickel alloy welding consumables market on the basis of product, alloy, technology, application, region, and country. Market attractiveness was estimated on the basis of common parameters that directly impact the market.For More Info about This report Visit @The global nickel alloy welding consumables market has been segmented on the basis of products into stick electrodes and wires. By welding technology, the market has been segmented into shielded metal arc welding, gas metal arc welding, gas tungsten arc welding, flux cored arc welding, and submerged arc welding. By alloy type, the market has been segmented into monel alloys, inconel alloys, and other alloys. Furthermore, the nickel alloy welding consumables market has been segmented by various end-use applications including oil & gas, power, construction, marine, and other applications. Other applications consist of the transportation and manufacturing sector. Applications such as transportation and manufacturing are expected to occupy a leading share in the nickel alloy welding consumable market.In terms of geography, the market has been segmented into five regions: North America, Asia Pacific, Europe, Middle East & Africa, and Latin America. China is expected to remain the dominant market in the nickel alloy welding consumables with market for nickel alloy welding consumables reaching 417.74 kilo tons by 2024. GCC countries are anticipated to show a significant growth rate of 7.14% in the period between 2016 and 2024. The rapid development in infrastructure and trading activities in the emerging economies of the region, such as Latin America, Asia Pacific, Middle East, and Africa, will boost the market for nickel alloy welding consumables.Key players in the nickel alloy welding consumables market are Ador Welding Ltd., Colfax Corporation, Illinois Tool Works, Inc., Kobe Steel, Ltd., Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc., MEC Holding GmbH, Sandvik Materials Technology AB, Special Metal Corporation, Tianjin Golden Bridge Welding Materials Group Co., Ltd., and voestalpine Bohler Welding GmbH. Other players included are Arcos Industries, LLC, Berkenhoff GmbH, Cor-Met Inc., Kunshan Gintune Welding Co., Ltd., Linan Dayang Welding Material Co., Ltd., Oxford Alloys, Inc., Ramtec Welding Products Limited, Senor Metals Pvt. Ltd., and Weld Mold Company.Have any Query? Ask Our Expert @Nickel alloy welding consumables market: By ProductStick ElectrodesWiresNickel alloy welding consumables market: By TechnologyShielded Metal Arc WeldingGas Metal Arc WeldingGas Tungsten Arc WeldingFlux Cored Arc WeldingSubmerged Arc WeldingNickel alloy welding consumables market: By Alloy TypeMonel AlloysInconel AlloysOther AlloysNickel alloy welding consumables market: By ApplicationOil & GasPowerConstructionMarineOther ApplicationsNickel alloy welding consumables market: By RegionNorth AmericaThe U.S.CanadaEuropeGermanyFranceThe U.K.ItalySpainRest of EuropeAsia PacificChinaJapanIndiaASEANRest of Asia PacificMiddle East & AfricaGCCEgyptSouth AfricaRest of Middle East and AfricaLatin AmericaBrazilMexicoRest of Latin AmericaCheck Discount on This Report @About MRRSEMarket Research Reports Search Engine (MRRSE) is an industry-leading database of Market Research Reports. MRRSE is driven by a stellar team of research experts and advisors trained to offer objective advice. Our sophisticated search algorithm returns results based on the report title, geographical region, publisher, or other keywords.MRRSE partners exclusively with leading global publishers to provide clients single-point access to top-of-the-line market research. MRRSEs repository is updated every day to keep its clients ahead of the next new trend in market research, be it competitive intelligence, product or service trends or strategic consulting.Contact UsState Tower90, State StreetSuite 700Albany, NY - 12207United States Telephone: +1-518-730-0559Email: sales@mrrse.comWebsite:Read More Industry News At:
Global Alkyl Citrates Market 2017 Key Manufacturers : BASF, Morflex, Mortany, Nourylande
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Qyresearchreports include new market research report "Global Alkyl Citrates Market Professional Survey Report 2017" to its huge collection of research reports.The trajectory of the global Alkyl Citrates market is intercepted by several exciting trends and shifts, an in-depth account of which is offered in the report. The study on the global Alkyl Citrates market present evidence-based industry insights covering the growth dynamics, the outlook of key segments, and major technological advances. Recent changes in governmental policies influencing the regulatory landscape in various regions are evaluated in the global Alkyl Citrates market. The study offers an incisive analysis of the various trends that will gain traction in the coming years and the ones that will taper out in the coming years. It also evaluates emerging business models expected to cause disruptions in the business landscape in the coming years.Request for the Free Report Sample:This report studies Alkyl Citrates in Global market, especially in North America, China, Europe, Southeast Asia, Japan and India, with production, revenue, consumption, import and export in these regions, from 2012 to 2016, and forecast to 2022.This report focuses on top manufacturers in global market, with production, price, revenue and market share for each manufacturer, coveringUPC GroupBASFMorflexEr-kang PharmaMortanyKyowa Hakko KogyoNourylandeThe findings offered in the report on the global Alkyl Citrates market mirror the perspectives of astute business sense of industry leaders and combines them with analytical and quantitative methods to arrive at reliable projections of the market. The study the global Alkyl Citrates market is prepared with the help of invaluable insights and opinions from business executives, policy makers, investors, and other key stakeholders. The analyses are supported by a wide spectrum of secondary research by gleaning through reputed journals, recent handbooks, company reports, and meta-analyses. With the aid of robust statistical models and quantitative methods, the study offers reliable insights into the prevailing prospects in various regions. Industry leaders and budding entrepreneurs looking for timely and clear insights on the various elements of growth dynamics the global Alkyl Citrates market will find the study findings useful. Segments of the global Alkyl Citrates market expected to show lackluster growth in the coming years are highlighted in the report while those that will promise promising prospects in various regions are intensively evaluated. Furthermore, the study takes a closer look at levels of threats made by new players and the strategies adopted by emerging and established players to gain a better foothold in the market.Table of Contents1 Industry Overview of Alkyl Citrates1.1 Definition and Specifications of Alkyl Citrates1.1.1 Definition of Alkyl Citrates1.1.2 Specifications of Alkyl Citrates1.2 Classification of Alkyl Citrates1.3 Applications of Alkyl Citrates1.4 Market Segment by Regions2 Manufacturing Cost Structure Analysis of Alkyl Citrates2.1 Raw Material and Suppliers2.2 Manufacturing Cost Structure Analysis of Alkyl Citrates2.3 Manufacturing Process Analysis of Alkyl Citrates2.4 Industry Chain Structure of Alkyl CitratesEnquiry For Discount Visit @3 Technical Data and Manufacturing Plants Analysis of Alkyl Citrates3.1 Capacity and Commercial Production Date of Global Alkyl Citrates Major Manufacturers in 20163.2 Manufacturing Plants Distribution of Global Alkyl Citrates Major Manufacturers in 20163.3 R&D Status and Technology Source of Global Alkyl Citrates Major Manufacturers in 20163.4 Raw Materials Sources Analysis of Global Alkyl Citrates Major Manufacturers in 20164 Global Alkyl Citrates Overall Market Overview4.1 2012-2017E Overall Market Analysis4.2 Capacity Analysis4.2.1 2012-2017E Global Alkyl Citrates Capacity and Growth Rate Analysis4.2.2 2016 Alkyl Citrates Capacity Analysis (Company Segment)4.3 Sales Analysis4.3.1 2012-2017E Global Alkyl Citrates Sales and Growth Rate Analysis4.3.2 2016 Alkyl Citrates Sales Analysis (Company Segment)4.4 Sales Price Analysis4.4.1 2012-2017E Global Alkyl Citrates Sales Price4.4.2 2016 Alkyl Citrates Sales Price Analysis (Company Segment)6 Global 2012-2017E Alkyl Citrates Segment Market Analysis (by Type)6.1 Global 2012-2017E Alkyl Citrates Sales by Type6.2 Different Types of Alkyl Citrates Product Interview Price Analysis6.3 Different Types of Alkyl Citrates Product Driving Factors Analysis6.3.1 TOC of Alkyl Citrates Growth Driving Factor Analysis6.3.2 ATOC of Alkyl Citrates Growth Driving Factor Analysis6.3.3 Other of Alkyl Citrates Growth Driving Factor Analysis7 Global 2012-2017E Alkyl Citrates Segment Market Analysis (by Application)7.1 Global 2012-2017E Alkyl Citrates Consumption by Application7.2 Different Application of Alkyl Citrates Product Interview Price Analysis7.3 Different Application of Alkyl Citrates Product Driving Factors Analysis7.3.1 Industrial of Alkyl Citrates Growth Driving Factor Analysis7.3.2 Food and Medicine of Alkyl Citrates Growth Driving Factor Analysis7.3.3 Other of Alkyl Citrates Growth Driving Factor AnalysisAbout Us:QYResearchReports.com delivers the latest strategic market intelligence to build a successful business footprint in China. 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Diabetes Drugs Market to be Valued at Around US$ 58.4 Billion by the End of 2025
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Transparency Market Research (TMR), in one of its newest market research reports mentions that the international diabetes drugs market to be highly fragmented and fiercely competitive owing to the presence of numerous prominent market vendors. With the expansion and diversification of product portfolio by the already existing market players and entry of new market players, the competition in the said market is very likely to intensify in the years to come. Regional expansion through acquisitions and mergers and various strategic alliances is expected to continue so as to remain another major growth promoting strategy for the participants of the said market.Request for Sample Copy of Report @The report profiles names like Novo Nordisk A/S, Bayer AG, Boehringer Ingelheim GmbH, Merck & Co., Novartis AG, and Sanofi as prominent market players in the international market for diabetes drugs. Apart from these companies, some of the other prominent market players pertaining to the said market are Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited, Boehringer Ingelheim GmbH, Johnson & Johnson, Eli Lilly and Company and so on.In accordance with the market research report by TMR, the world market for diabetes drugs stood at a market valuation of around US$ 43.1 bn in the year 2016 and the said market is likely to be valued at around US$ 58.4 bn by the end of the year 2025, rising at a growth rate of 3.6% CAGR over the period of forecast that extends from the year 2017 to 2025.Enquiry for discount on this report @The world market for diabetes drugs is segmented into major geographies of North America, Latin America, Europe, Asia Pacific, and the North east and Africa. The region of North America accounted for the most of the market revenue in the year 2016, owing to high prevalence of diabetes in the said region. The region of Europe is projected to account for the second large share of the market in the year 2016 due to increased investment in research & development activities and a very promising pipeline of various diabetes drugs in the said region. Asia Pacific is too foreseen to expand fast, owing to the better promotion and awareness promotion in the said region. Furthermore, the region of Middle East & Africa is expected to rise over the period of forecast owing to augmented prevalence of diabetes. In addition to that, rising disposable income particularly in the region of Middle Eastern countries are further expected to boost the market. The region of Latin America is foreseen to progress over the period of forecast due to over-dependence on insulin both by the patients and physicians.The growth promoting factors such as increasing per capita income in different parts of the world resulted in adoption of fast food and unhealthy food habits coupled with changing lifestyles have been one of the major factors that resulted in the high prevalence of obesity, which has been as a major cause for diabetes worldwide. Sedentary lifestyle has also resulted in the rise of prevalence of diabetes and as such accelerated the demand for diabetes drugs. The growing prevalence of diabetes in both the developed and developing countries is driving the world market for diabetes drugs. Expanding base of geriatric population worldwide and augmented adoption of therapeutics for type 1 and type 2 diabetes are foreseen to boost the world diabetes drugs market. Research and development activities pertaining to the introduction of better drugs are also accelerating the growth of the said market.Report Overview @About UsTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a market intelligence company, providing global business information reports and services. Our exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trends analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMRs experienced team of analysts, researchers, and consultants, use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather, and analyze information. Our business offerings represent the latest and the most reliable information indispensable for businesses to sustain a competitive edge.Each TMR syndicated research report covers a different sector - such as pharmaceuticals, chemicals, energy, food & beverages, semiconductors, med-devices, consumer goods and technology. These reports provide in-depth analysis and deep segmentation to possible micro levels. With wider scope and stratified research methodology, TMRs syndicated reports strive to provide clients to serve their overall research requirement.US Office Contact90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
EP Catheter Ablation Market Will be Worth US$ 2.74 Billion by the End of 2026
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The healthcare sector is forever evolving and readily embraces new technologies that are proven efficient at providing cure to the community. Minimally invasive procedures have been very well received by the medical practitioners and its application has escalated in the recent past, providing a traction to the EP catheter ablation market. A recent business intelligence study by Transparency Market Research (TMR) has estimated that the global ET catheter ablation market will be worth US$2.74 bn by the end of 2026, with the demand incrementing at a formidable CAGR of 7.9% during the forecast period of 2017 to 2026.Request for Sample Copy of Report @Owing to its apparent lucrativeness, a number of companies functioning in the healthcare industry have thrown their hat into the market for EP catheter ablation, making the value-chain-landscape fairly fragmented and intensely competitive. The report identifies Medtronic Plc., Boston Scientific Corporation, Abbott Laboratories Inc., Johnson & Johnson, BIOTRONIK SE & Co. KG, Lepu Medical Tech Co. Ltd., MicroPort Scientific Corporation, CardioFocus Inc., and Hansen Medical, Inc. as some of the key companies in the global ET catheter ablation market. Most of these companies are well established with strong geographical presence and financial might. In the near future, these companies are expected to focus on the development of advanced devices that can provide convenient diagnosis.While Biosense Webster, which is a subsidiary of Johnson & Johnson, dominates in the cardiac ablation market as it is a major supplier of diagnostic electrophysiology catheters, and is ahead of the curve as far as localization capabilities are concerned. In the same segment, Boston Scientific is not far behind either with its Ultra ICE catheter and Blazer II RF ablation catheter products. St. Jude Medical has also expanded its outreach by acquiring Irvine Biomedical and EP Medsystems.Enquiry for discount on this report @Over the course of the forecast period, 20172026, the analysts of the report have anticipated that the number of ablation procedures will increase as a result of approval of new diagnostic EP catheters that can incorporate localization or mapping capabilities. In addition to that, innovations pertaining to wireless and software-based diagnosis procedures are also expected carve a niche for the market players.Based on product, the TMR report segments the EP catheter ablation market into radiofrequency (RF) ablation catheters, cryoablation electrophysiology catheters, microwave ablation (MWA) systems, navigational advanced mapping accessories, and laser ablation systems, whereas indication-wise, the market has been categorized into atrial fibrillation and flutter, cardiac arrhythmia, tachycardia, and other indications. On the basis of end-users, the market for EP catheter ablation has been bifurcated into hospitals, specialty clinics, and ambulatory surgical centers. Geographically, the analysts of the report have rated North America are the most profitable region, which is primarily a reflection of high prevalence of cardiovascular diseases in the developed country of the U.S. The demand in the North America EP catheter ablation market has been projected to increment at a CAGR of 6.7% during the aforementioned forecast period.Report Overview @Prevalence of cardiovascular diseases as a result of escalating percentage of geriatrics in the global population, growing awareness regarding the reliability of electrophysiology procedures, increasing adoption of minimally invasive procedures, government support to promote the usage of new technologies, and improving healthcare infrastructure in a number of emerging economies are some of the key factors augmenting the demand in the global EP catheter ablation market.About UsTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a market intelligence company, providing global business information reports and services. Our exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trends analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMRs experienced team of analysts, researchers, and consultants, use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather, and analyze information. Our business offerings represent the latest and the most reliable information indispensable for businesses to sustain a competitive edge.Each TMR syndicated research report covers a different sector - such as pharmaceuticals, chemicals, energy, food & beverages, semiconductors, med-devices, consumer goods and technology. These reports provide in-depth analysis and deep segmentation to possible micro levels. With wider scope and stratified research methodology, TMRs syndicated reports strive to provide clients to serve their overall research requirement.US Office Contact90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
Pharmacovigilance and Drug Safety Software Market is Envisioned to Rise at a 5.4% CAGR Between 2017 and 2022
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The global pharmacovigilance and drug safety software market is projected to create new opportunities in the coming years on account of the escalating complexity of drug safety regulations. Among the key contributing factors of the market could be tighter regulatory inspections implemented to control the rise of the incidences of drug-associated adverse events and spiraling concerns pertaining to patient safety.Request for Sample Copy of Report @Pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies are predicted to largely adopt pharmacovigilance software for curbing the burden on medical outlay and facilitating clinical trial programs. The fortifying growth of contract research organizations (CROs) that perform pharmacovigilance for pharma firms could also strengthen the growth of the global pharmacovigilance and drug safety software market.As per Transparency Market Research (TMR), the global pharmacovigilance and drug safety software market could earn a US$187.0 mn by 2022 end after advancing from a US$143.6 mn achieved in 2017 at a CAGR of 5.4%.The world pharmacovigilance and drug safety software market is envisaged to gain momentum from crucial applications in clinical research for performing post-marketing surveillance roles and conducting clinical studies. On a global platform, some of the most commonly used pharmacovigilance software could be Argus and ArisG. The benefits that such software bring to the table, including decreased redundancy in data and ease of access, could strongly fuel the demand in the market. In the foreseeable future, the usage rate of pharmacovigilance tools is envisioned to receive a good boost due to the rising pressure on drug manufacturers to identify early indications of drug-related adverse interactions and increasing withdrawals of high-profile drugs.Enquiry for discount on this report @The world pharmacovigilance and drug safety software market is forecasted to be cataloged according to software type, end user, and delivery mode. In terms of segmentation by type of software, fully integrated software, issue tracking software, drug safety audits software, and adverse event reporting software could be prominent markets for pharmacovigilance and drug safety software. The adverse event reporting software market could rise at a 6.2% CAGR.By end user, the world pharmacovigilance and drug safety software market could see a segmentation into business process outsourcing (BPO) firms, CROs, pharma and biotech companies, and other pharmacovigilance service providers. On the basis of mode of delivery, there could be important segments such as on-premise and cloud-based keeping the hopes alive for growth.Geographically, North America could secure a top position in the world pharmacovigilance and drug safety software market while raking in a US$79.2 mn by the end of 2022. Between 2017 and 2022, Europe is prophesied to make its contribution to the market by creating an absolute revenue opportunity that could be greater than that expected to be achieved by Asia Pacific except Japan (APEJ) during the forecast period. Markets such as Japan, Latin America, the Middle East and Africa (MEA) could be other key segments of the market.Report Overview @Some of the crucial companies functioning in the worldwide pharmacovigilance and drug safety software market could be UMBRA Global LLC, AB Cube, United BioSource Corporation, Sparta Systems, Inc., Oracle Corporation, EXTEDO GmbH, Ennov Solutions, Inc., and ArisGlobal.About UsTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a market intelligence company, providing global business information reports and services. Our exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trends analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMRs experienced team of analysts, researchers, and consultants, use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather, and analyze information. Our business offerings represent the latest and the most reliable information indispensable for businesses to sustain a competitive edge.Each TMR syndicated research report covers a different sector - such as pharmaceuticals, chemicals, energy, food & beverages, semiconductors, med-devices, consumer goods and technology. These reports provide in-depth analysis and deep segmentation to possible micro levels. With wider scope and stratified research methodology, TMRs syndicated reports strive to provide clients to serve their overall research requirement.US Office Contact90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
High Demand of Adhesives Residential Housing and Infrastructure Sector - Global Construction Adhesive Market Report 2017-2024
Construction Adhesive Market 2024
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Construction Adhesive Global Market segmented By Resin Type (Acrylic Adhesive, Polyurethanes, Polyvinyl Acetate, Epoxy, Others), By Technology (Water-based, Solvent-based, Reactive, Others) By Application (Residential, Commercial, Industrial) By Geography (North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, Europe, South America, Middle East and Africa) Industry Trends and Forecast to 2024Data Bridge Market Research offerings new report Global Construction Adhesive Market accounted for USD 8.50 billion in 2016 and is projected to grow at a CAGR of 5.2% during the forecast period of 2017 to 2024. The upcoming market report contains data for historic years 2014, 2015, the base year of calculation is 2016 and the forecast period is 2017 to 2024.This Report Contains: No of Pages: 350 No of Figures: 60 No of Tables: 220Free Sample Report Visit @Major Competitors Henkel AG & Co. KGaA, H.B. Fuller Company, Sika AG, Bostik, 3M, The Dow Chemical Company, Dap Products Inc., Franklin International, Illinois Tool Works Inc., Avery Dennison Corporation, General Electric, Asian Paints, BASF SE, Konishi chemical ind Co., Ltd., Wacker Chemie AG, Among Others CompaniesGet Detail TOC, Figure and Table @:Competitive LandscapeGlobal construction adhesive market is fragmented with the presence of a large number of players across different regions. These major players have adopted various organic as well as inorganic growth strategies such as mergers & acquisitions, new product launches, expansions, agreements, joint ventures, partnerships, and others to strengthen their position in this market.SegmentationOn the basis of resin type: acrylic adhesive, polyurethanes, polyvinyl acetate, epoxy and others.On the basis of technology: water-based, solvent-based, reactive and others.On the basis of application: residential, commercial and industrial.On the basis of geography, the construction adhesive market report covers data points for 28 countries across multiple geographies such as North America, South America, Europe, Asia-Pacific and Middle East & Africa. Some of the major countries covered in this report are U.S., Canada, Germany, France, U.K., Netherlands, Switzerland, Turkey, Russia, China, India, South Korea, Japan, Australia, Singapore, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, and Brazil among others.Purchase Full Report @Related ReportGlobal Instant Adhesives Market Industry Trends and Forecast to 2024Global Instant Adhesives Market, By Chemistry (Cyanoacrylate, Epoxy-based); By Curing Process(Conventional, Light-cured), By Application ( Industrial, Electronics, Medical, Woodworking, Transportation, Consumer), By substrate (Metal, Wood, Plastic, Glass, Composites)By Geography (North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, Europe, South America, Middle East and Africa) Industry Trends and Forecast to 2024Report Access:About Data Bridge Market Research:Data Bridge Market Research set forth itself as an unconventional and neoteric Market research and consulting firm with unparalleled level of resilience and integrated approaches. We are determined to unearth the best market opportunities and foster efficient information for your business to thrive in the market. Data Bridge endeavors to provide appropriate solutions to the complex business challenges and initiates an effortless decision-making process.Contact:Vishal DixitData Bridge Market ResearchTel: +1-888-387-2818Email: Sales@databridgemarketresearch.comInvestor: investors@databridgemarketresearch.comVisit Blog:
Assisted Reproductive Technology Market is Projected to Surge at a CAGR of 6.3% Between 2017 - 2025
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Key players in the moderately fragmented global assisted reproductive technology market include Merck, CooperSurgical, Inc., Irvine Scientific, Vitrolife AB, Hamilton Thorne, Inc., Nidacon International AB, Laboratoire CCD, Planer PLC, Esco Micro Pte. Ltd. (Esco Group), and Nikon Corporation. Merck holds a dominant share in the global assisted reproductive technology market due to its widespread portfolio and steady presence in various regional markets.Request for Sample Copy of Report @According to Transparency Market Research, the global assisted reproductive technology market is expected to be worth US$37,789.6 mn by the end of 2025 from US$22,100.0 mn in 2016. Between the forecast years of 2017 and 2025, the global market is expected to rise at a CAGR of 6.3%. The fresh non donor segment accounted for a leading share in the global assisted reproductive technology market in 2016 and is likely to remain similarly dominant in the coming years. Geographically, Asia Pacific is the leading contributor to the global assisted reproductive technology market and is likely to retain a leading share in the global market in the coming years.By technology, the global assisted reproductive technology market is divided into artificial insemination, in vitro fertilization, surrogacy, and others. In vitro fertilization is by far the dominant contributor to the global assisted reproductive technology market at present and is likely to retain the position in the coming years due to the growing awareness about the efficacy of in vitro fertilization and the increasing awareness among citizens about the same. The in vitro fertilization segment accounted for a majority share of more than 62% in the global assisted reproductive technology market in 2016 and is likely to extend its dominance further by the end of the 2017-2025 forecast period.Enquiry for discount on this report @Surrogacy is also likely to receive increasing demand in the coming years, due in part to the growing demand for assisted reproductive technology from same-sex couples. While many parents now prefer the benefit of having their own genetic imprint in their baby through in vitro fertilization, surrogacy is likely to receive sustained demand in the coming years. This is borne out by the figures of the global assisted reproductive technology market by procedure, wherein fresh non donor contributions were the preferred choice for most consumers.Developing economies in Asia Pacific are likely to be vital to the global assisted reproductive technology market in the coming years. While the predominant social values in these regions tended to dissuade constructive growth of the assisted reproductive technology market, the gradual relaxation in social norms in these regions has resulted in a promising environment for the market. The growing prevalence of reproductive problems in Asia Pacific countries such as India and China is thus crucial to the global assisted reproductive technology market.The growing investment in the healthcare sector in developing countries is also likely to provide a major boost to the global assisted reproductive technology market in the coming years. This will help increase the frequency of fertility clinics in underdeveloped regions, where sophisticated medical facilities may still be absent.Report Overview @The steady development of preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD) is a key driver for the global assisted reproductive technology market. PGD helps physicians diagnose genetic disorders likely to manifest in the baby before it is implanted, making the technology vital for parents looking to avoid complicated births and lifestyles. The rapid development of the scientific database regarding genetic diseases is further likely to remain a key boost for the global assisted reproductive technology market.About UsTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a market intelligence company, providing global business information reports and services. Our exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trends analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMRs experienced team of analysts, researchers, and consultants, use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather, and analyze information. Our business offerings represent the latest and the most reliable information indispensable for businesses to sustain a competitive edge.Each TMR syndicated research report covers a different sector - such as pharmaceuticals, chemicals, energy, food & beverages, semiconductors, med-devices, consumer goods and technology. These reports provide in-depth analysis and deep segmentation to possible micro levels. With wider scope and stratified research methodology, TMRs syndicated reports strive to provide clients to serve their overall research requirement.US Office Contact90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
Human Growth Hormone Market to Generate US$ 5,261.5 Million Revenue by 2026 End
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Human growth hormone also known as somatotropin is produced by the anterior pituitary. Growth hormone deficiency usually occurs due to any damage to the pituitary gland and it also can be acquired genetically. Growth hormone deficiency is common among children and adults. Among children, it is associated with congenital conditions. While in adults it is associated with pituitary tumors that comes with non-specific symptoms. Various major factors driving the human growth hormone market are research and development of long acting drugs, the rise in the cases of HIV/AIDS and cancer, increasing health expenditure, and increasing incidences of growth hormone deficiency.Request for Sample Copy of Report @However, the high cost of drugs, side-effects of drugs and the off-label use of human growth hormone drugs are hampering the global human growth hormone market. Illicit use of human growth hormone is common among male weightlifters in America. Research by Harvard Medical School and Brian P. Brennan of McLean Hospital found that increasing illicit human growth hormone use may result in the new form of drug abuse with severe health consequences. Many companies are focusing on research and development of advanced hormonal therapy with less adverse effects.Leading companies in the global human growth hormone market are GeneScience Pharmaceuticals Co., Ltd., Biopartners GmbH, Roche Holdings, Inc., Ipsen S.A., Anhui Anke Biotechnology (Group) Co., Ltd., Novartis AG, Novo Nordisk A/S, Eli Lilly and Company, Merck KGaA, and Pfizer Inc.Enquiry for discount on this report @The significant growth is expected in the global human growth hormone market, according to the market research report by Transparency Market Research (TMR). The market is likely to register CAGR of 6.2% during the forecast period 2017-2026. The global human growth hormone market is also expected to reach US$ 5,261.5 million revenue by the end of 2026.The global market for human growth hormone is segmented into indication, distribution channel, route of administration, and region. Based on the route of administration, the market is further segmented into Oral, Intramuscular, Subcutaneous, and Intravenous. Among these, Subcutaneous is expected to witness the highest growth in the market during 2017-2026.By distribution channel, the market segment includes clinics, online pharmacy, retail pharmacy, and hospital pharmacy. Hospital pharmacy is anticipated to witness strong growth throughout the forecast period.Based on the indication, the market is further segmented into prader-willi syndrome, idiopathic short stature, turner syndrome, growth hormone deficiency, and other indications. Growth hormone deficiency is expected to be the largest segment in the global human growth hormone market.Report Overview @North America is expected to be the dominating region in the global human growth hormone market. The growth in North America is attributed to the affordability of costly medicines and local presence of leading companies. Moreover, the availability of various human growth hormone drugs in the U.S. for treatment of growth hormone deficiency is also driving the market growth in the region. Ongoing research and development in the human growth hormone market and increasing investment by companies is also contributing to the growth of the market in North America.About UsTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a market intelligence company, providing global business information reports and services. Our exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trends analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMRs experienced team of analysts, researchers, and consultants, use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather, and analyze information. Our business offerings represent the latest and the most reliable information indispensable for businesses to sustain a competitive edge.Each TMR syndicated research report covers a different sector - such as pharmaceuticals, chemicals, energy, food & beverages, semiconductors, med-devices, consumer goods and technology. These reports provide in-depth analysis and deep segmentation to possible micro levels. With wider scope and stratified research methodology, TMRs syndicated reports strive to provide clients to serve their overall research requirement.US Office Contact90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
Healthcare Information Systems Market is Projected to Reach a Valuation of US$ 448 Billion by 2024
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The global healthcare information systems market is marked by the presence of some big shot companies that dominate this market. The top companies, however, held a meager 26% of the overall market in 2015. This reflects the high degree of fragmentation in the market due to the presence of small players. A notable trend observed in the market is mergers and acquisitions. Leading companies are strategizing for mergers and acquisitions that will help them penetrate into small markets and expand their geographical presence. This, in turn, will result in the expanded product portfolio of top players to help them further bolster their position and make the market somewhat consolidated.Request for Sample Copy of Report @Some of the prominent companies in the global healthcare information systems market are McKesson Corporation, Athenahealth Inc., Medidata Solutions Inc., GE Healthcare, Epic Systems, NextGen Healthcare Information Systems LLC, Cerner Corporation, Allscripts Healthcare Solutions Inc., Agfa-Gevaert, and Siemens Healthineers.According to a report by Transparency Market Research (TMR), the global healthcare information systems market is anticipated to increment at a CAGR of 10.1% over the forecast period from 2016 to 2024, for the market to become worth US$448 bn by the end of 2024. The opportunities in the market translated into a revenue of US$192 bn in 2015. Among the key end users, the hospitals segment is poised to lead the market expanding at an 11.1% CAGR over the 2016-2024 forecast timeframe. By component, software will continue to rake in the lions share in the healthcare information systems market over the reports forecast period. Geography-wise, North America will continue to hold supremacy in the healthcare information systems market until 2024.Enquiry for discount on this report @With the mounting volume of patient information, digitalization of medical processes and medical systems has become a necessity. The entire medical fraternity is favoring the adoption of electronic systems that minimize the chance of errors due to manual flaws and provide the highest degree of accuracy for patient monitoring. Several governments worldwide are supporting the transition from manual to digital medical systems to improve the quality of patient care.Electronic healthcare information offers numerous advantages. Physicians, medical practitioners, and health caregivers can have access to patient past medical records in no time to help them plan a line of treatment that will work best for current illness. This calls for reliable and swift information systems within the working set-up of these entities, thus, boosting the market. Another important factor boosting the adoption of healthcare information systems is a substantial drop in cost due to manual paperwork and deployment of human labor at various touch points.Lastly, electronic healthcare information serves to aid patient to follow medication and supplementary therapy as prescribed, leaving less room for missed medicines.On the downside, high initial set up cost of healthcare information systems is limiting their adoption among large well-established healthcare centers. Small-sized hospitals and new physician practices are unable to invest huge sums in healthcare information systems. This reduces the consumer base substantially to alleviate the markets growth prospects.Report Overview @Apart from this, maintenance cost involved post installation, which includes hardware replacement, software upgrade, and regular repair is also substantially high. Last but not the least, the risk of loss of critical patient information during transmission over the Internet is inhibiting the adoption of electronic health information systems. Despite these challenges, increasing government expenditure for improved healthcare, especially in North America, will continue to provide immense growth opportunities to this market.About UsTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a market intelligence company, providing global business information reports and services. Our exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trends analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. 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North America Revenue Cycle Management (RCM) Market to Reach at the Highest CAGR of 12.6% | Industry Analysis Report 2017-2024
North America Revenue Cycle Management (RCM) Market 2024
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North America Revenue Cycle Management (RCM) Market By Product Type (Integrated RCM, Standalone RCM), By Stage (Front Office, Mid Office, Back Office), By End User (Hospitals, General Physicians, Labs, Others), By Deployment (Web-based, On-premise, Cloud-based), By Component (Software, Services), By Country (U.S., Canada, Mexico) Trends and Forecast to 2024The North America Revenue Cycle Management (RCM) Market is expected to reach USD 52.7 billion by 2024 from USD 23.1 billion in 2016, growing at a CAGR of 12.6% from 2017 to 2024, . The new market report contains data for historic years 2015, the base year of calculation is 2016 and the forecast period is 2017 to 2024.Customize Report of North America Revenue Cycle Management (RCM) Market Also Available On Request (As per Requirement)Ask for Free Sample Report Visit @Market Definition:Revenue cycle management (RCM) is used by healthcare providers to scale and manage the process of healthcare billing and reimbursements. This is achieved by improving the process of claims management, speeding explanation of benefits (EOB) reconciliation, improving the quality of information, streamlining denial management, and by automating processes. The RCM solution manages the patients bills from entering the hospital to reimbursement of claims.Market SegmentationIn this report, the North America revenue cycle management market is segmented on the basis of product type, deployment, component, stage, end-user, and geography. The revenue cycle management market is segmented with respect to type into integrated RCM and standalone RCM. The end-users of this market include hospitals, laboratories, and physicians and others. By product type RCM solutions are segmented into standalone and integrated RCM. The integrated RCM solution are generally used by larger organizations where integration with other healthcare IT products such as RIS, LIS, PACS, HER among others to form a more holistic process for billing and claim settlements. However standalone RCM is best used in smaller hospitals and physician offices where they need to manage only one healthcare application.Speak to Analyst Visit @In the components sub-category of the RCM market, the services segment dominates the market, and is expected to reach USD 11.2 billion by 2022. Similarly, in the deployments sub-category of the market, the web-based segment dominates the market, and is expected account a market share of 35.2% of the North America RCM market. The physicians segment dominates the market among end-users, and is accounted to USD 7.2 billion in 2015.The North American revenue cycle management market is steadily progressing owing to factors, such as decreasing reimbursement in healthcare industry, reduction of overall healthcare costs, initiatives undertaken by governments for implementing RCM solutions, and increasing expenditure by healthcare industry especially made on information technology.Based on geography the market is segmented into 3 countries, U.S., Canada and Mexico. U.S. is expected to dominate the market due to the rising need to decrease healthcare expenditure which is forming the major share of the market. With the market in U.S. shifting to value based reimbursements RCM is expected to play a major role to develop this process.Read more about Report Visit @Market CompetitorsThe key players in the North America revenue cycle management market are McKesson Corporation, Cerner Corporation, Quest Diagnostics, Athena Health, Inc., All scripts., EClinicalWorks, CareCloud Corporation, The SSI Groups, Inc., GE Healthcare, Epic Systems, Siemens Healthcare, and Kareo, Inc., among others.Related ReportEurope Wearable Devices Market Industry Trends and Forecast to 2024Europe Wearable Devices Market, By Product Type (Wrist wear, Eyewear, Footwear, Neckwear, Body wear, Others), By Industry (Consumer Products, Healthcare, Industrial, and Others), By Type (Smart Textile (Passive, Active, Ultra Smart) (Sensing, Energy Harvesting, Luminiscence, Thermo Electricity), Non-Textile), By Technology, By Component, By Country (Germany, France, U.K., Spain, Italy Russia, Netherlands, Turkey, Belgium, Switzerland, Rest of Europe) Industry Trends and Forecast to 2024Report Access:About Data Bridge Market Research:Data Bridge Market Research set forth itself as an unconventional and neoteric Market research and consulting firm with unparalleled level of resilience and integrated approaches. We are determined to unearth the best market opportunities and foster efficient information for your business to thrive in the market. Data Bridge endeavors to provide appropriate solutions to the complex business challenges and initiates an effortless decision-making process.Contact:Vishal DixitData Bridge Market ResearchTel: +1-888-387-2818Email: Sales@databridgemarketresearch.comInvestor: investors@databridgemarketresearch.comVisit Blog:
Dental Drills Market Size, Share & Trend | Industry Analysis Report, 2025
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Dental drill, also known as dental hand piece, is a small, handheld, high-speed drill used by dentists to remove the decay and plaques and to shape the tooth structure before dental filling or putting a crown on a tooth. A dental drill is also used in endodontic and root canal treatments and to remove old fillings and crowns. The key characteristics of dental drill includes the rotational speed of drill, and mode of operation i.e. air driven or electric mode of operation. Different types of dental drills are available to perform different types of dental procedures. Some of the dental drills are designed for a variety of applications, whereas certain dental drills are designed only for specific procedures. Electric dental drills and air-driven dental drills are the two primary types of dental drills available. Traditionally, air-driven dental drills were more commonly used. Over a period of time, dentists have started preferring electric dental drills, due to their versatility and lower noise compared to air-driven dental drills. Based on rotational speeds, dental drills are classified into: low-speed dental drills (with speed up to 80,000 rpm) and high-speed dental drills (with speed up to 400,000 rpm).Demand for dental drills is greatly influenced by technological advancements in dental drills, which offer exceptional performance, ease of use and maintenance, reduced overall turnaround time during procedures, and improved efficiency. Air-driven dental drills are most suited for routine dental procedures that require speed between 25,000 rpm and 80,000 rpm and a moderate torque level. Electric dental drills are gaining widespread popularity in endodontics and prosthetics and restoration procedures; as electric dental drills offer high rotational speed up to 400,000 rpm, higher and more constant torque level than air-driven drills, low levels of vibration, and smooth operation. Moreover, electric drills can be connected to several hand piece attachments such as high-speed contra angle, straight hand piece, endodontic hand piece, or general low-speed hand piece.Request to View Brochure of Report -These features and advantages of electric dental drills are likely to drive the demand for these drills during the forecast period. Also, the increasing number of patients with dental disorders, rising demand for endodontic procedures in developed countries, and growing elderly population requiring dental treatments are likely to boost the demand for dental drills during the forecast period. The increasing number of dental hospitals and clinics in developing countries is anticipated to raise the demand for dental drills during the forecast period. However, high cost of electric drill machines and underdeveloped health care infrastructure in developing countries are factors projected to hamper the Dental Drills Market in the near future.The global dental drills market can be segmented based on rotational speed of drill, mode of operation, end-user, and geography. Based on rotating speed, the market has been segmented into high-speed and low-speed dental drills. The high-speed dental drills segment is projected to dominate the market by 2025, due to increased use of high-speed drills in dental treatments and reduced procedural turnaround time. Based on mode of operation, the market has been divided into air-driven dental drills and electric dental drills. Air-driven dental drills were most commonly used in the last few decades for routine dental procedures. The electric dental drills segment is anticipated to dominate the market by 2025. End-users of dental drills include hospitals & ambulatory surgery centers, dental clinics, and academic & research institutes.Request to View ToC of Report -Geographically, the global dental drills market has been segmented into five regions: North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America, and Middle East & Africa. North America is projected to account for a leading market share by 2025, owing to well-established health care facilities, increasing geriatric population with dental disorders, and surging demand for cosmetic dentistry in the region. Europe is projected to follow North America in the global dental electric drills market during the forecast period. The market in Asia Pacific is anticipated to expand at the maximum CAGR from 2017 to 2025. High growth rate of the market in Asia Pacific is attributable to improving health care infrastructure in developing countries such as India and China, large number of people with dental disorders, increasing per capita health care expenditure, and growing awareness about oral hygiene in the region. The market in Latin America and Middle & Africa is likely to expand at a moderate growth rate during the forecast period.Key players operating in the global dental drills market are DENTSPLY INTERNATIONAL, Inc., Nakanishi Inc. Keystone Dental, Inc., Medidenta International Inc., DENTAMERICA INC., Dentflex, Saeyang Microtech., KaVo Dental, W&H Group, and Inovadent.View Report -About UsTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a market intelligence company, providing global business information reports and services. Our exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trends analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. 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Microcatheters Market Development Trends And Competitive Analysis 2025
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Microcatheters are thin, tube-like, disposable medical devices used in minimally invasive procedures for a wide range of medical applications. Microcatheters are ideal for navigating the wide network of the blood vessels within the body and detecting the lesions prior to balloon dilation/stenting procedures. These are also used to facilitate the placement/exchange of guidewires and other interventional devices for infusion/delivery of diagnostic and therapeutic agents. Microcatheters are most commonly used in small blood vessels and in selective diagnostic and interventional procedures requiring ultra-thin devices for delivery, diagnosis, and mapping. These are extensively used in cardiovascular and neurovascular fields for applications, in which the access to tiny blood vessels is difficult with the use of standard catheters.Also, microcatheters have a variety of procedural applications in oncology including embolization, trans-catheter embolization, occlusion, and uterine fibroid embolization. Microcatheters are made of different medical-grade materials such as Pebax, polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), nitinol, and tungsten. These are generally coated with hydrophilic material to enhance the deliverability and crossability. Microcatheters are generally used along with guidewires to access the discrete regions in the blood vessels. Microcatheters are available in different sizes depending on the application, for instance, for a cardiac application, the microcatheter size required is 6 French. On the other hand, for a neurovascular application, the size required is 2.5 French.Request to View Brochure of Report -The demand for microcatheters is projected to be greatly influenced by the increasing demand for minimally invasive surgeries worldwide, growing prevalence of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), increasing incidence of cardiac disorders and neurological disorders such as cerebral aneurysm during the forecast period. Hepatocellular carcinoma has the second-highest cancer-related mortality rate worldwide, as most of these cases are diagnosed in the secondary or last stage of cancer when surgery is not possible. Trans-catheter arterial chemoembolization (TACE) is considered the first line of treatment for the cases in which surgery is not advisable. TACE is the minimally invasive procedure performed to stop the blood supply to the tumor. The growing adoption of TACE procedures for the treatment of unresectable HCC is likely to boost the demand for microcatheters. Moreover, high prevalence of cardiovascular diseases such as cardiac aneurysm and coronary artery blockages is likely to propel the demand for microcatheters during the forecast period.The global Microcatheters Market can be broadly segmented based on tip design, application, and geography. Microcatheters are available in different tip designs depending on the need and indication. The most commonly available tip designs are swan neck tip, J tip, 450 tip, and straight tip. Based on application, the microcatheters market has been segmented into neurovascular, cardiovascular, oncology, and others. The cardiovascular segment is projected to dominate the global microcatheters market during the forecast period, owing to high prevalence of coronary occlusion across the world. The cardiovascular segment is anticipated to register the maximum growth rate during the forecast period.Request to View ToC of Report -Geographically, the global microcatheters market has been segmented into five regions: North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America, and Middle East & Africa. North America is projected to dominate the global microcatheters market by 2025. The major share held by North America is attributable to well-established health care infrastructure, high per capita health care expenditure, high prevalence of cardiovascular and neurological disorders, and growing number of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma in the region. According to Center for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 610,000 people die of heart diseases every year. Moreover, about 40,710 new cases of primary liver cancer and intrahepatic bile duct cancer are estimated to be diagnosed by the end of 2017. Europe is projected to follow North America in the microcatheters market. The market in Asia Pacific is projected to expand at the maximum CAGR during the forecast period. Growth of the market in Asia Pacific is attributable to high incidence of cardiovascular diseases and hepatocellular carcinoma in countries such as India, China, and Japan. The market in Latin America and Middle East & Africa is likely to expand at a moderate growth rate during the forecast period.Companies such as Boston Scientific Corporation, Codman Neuro (a Johnson & Johnson company), and Medtronic account for a key share of the global microcatheters market. Other prominent players operating in this market are Biometrics, Microcatheter Components, Asahi Intecc USA, Inc., Merit Medical Systems, Inc., Stryker, Terumo Medical Corporation, and Cook Group Incorporated.View Report -About UsTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a market intelligence company, providing global business information reports and services. 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Bronchodilators Market Size, Status and Forecast to 2025
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According to the report, the global bronchodilators market is majorly driven by an increasing focus on the development of monoclonal antibody therapy. Monoclonal antibody therapy is increasingly being used for the treatment of diseases such as tumour, which in turn has inspired market players to double their efforts and focus on the development of monoclonal antibody therapy. The positive results shown by monoclonal antibody therapy is expected to increase its uptake. An increasing number of people who are suffering from asthma, COPD are behind the growth of this market. Several deaths have occurred in low and middle-income nations on account of high air pollution caused by heating and cooking, outdoor pollution as well as pollution from dust and chemicals which have resulted in respiratory infections. The government is also supporting the growth of the global bronchodilators market by increasing awareness among the population in general through patient education program.Get Brochure of Report @Another factor which is expected to boost the growth of this market is key drugs which are at the later stage in the pipeline from manufacturers such as AtraZeneca and Sanofi. Manufacturers in the market are developing new forms of drug administration which is expected to increase the intake of drugs and drive the global bronchodilators market. Players within the bronchodilators market are investing extensively for the development of different kinds of nebulizers and inhalers which will provide easy access to patients. Ultrasonic nebulizers which have advanced technology as compared to jet nebulizers are available in markets today. Another important factor which has favoured the global bronchodilators market is the use of electronic system technology such as electronic health records.Bronchodilators are drugs used by people suffering with asthma. These drugs help open the airway passages. These are also used for expanding the wind pipe, thus improving the breathing of the individuals suffering from lung infections, bronchial asthma, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).Request Report For TOC @There are two forms of bronchodilators: short acting bronchodilators and long acting bronchodilators. The short acting bronchodilators provide quick relief from asthma and can be used on a daily basis. The long acting bronchodilators assist in controlling the symptoms of asthma by opening the air passage for up to 12 hours. Short acting bronchodilators include albuterol (a generic solution for nebulizers), metaproterenol, pirbuterol, and levalbuterol. Long acting bronchodilators include advair, symbicort, and dulera which is a combination of beta agonist bronchodilator and a steroid. Major side effects of bronchodilators include increased heart rate, muscle cramps, inappropriate sleeping pattern, upset stomach, and others. According to the Centers for Disease and Control of Infection reports published in 2014, the number of adults who were diagnosed with asthma was 17.7 million, out of which, there were 3,651 deaths due to asthma, and women were the most affected. According the World Health Organization, in 2012, more than three million people died due to COPD, which was 6% of all deaths globally.There are three types of bronchodilator used for treating respiratory diseases: beta-agonist, anticholinergic, and theophylline. These types are available in different forms based on route of administration such as inhaler, tablet, liquid, and injectable. Inhaler is the most preferred form of administration for using beta-agonist and anticholinergic. A major disadvantage of long acting beta agonist bronchodilator is that it increases the risk of asthma death; therefore, it should be used only as an added treatment for individuals or patients who use steroid. Anticholinergics are used for treating patients suffering from COPD and asthma. Atrovent, an anticholinergic bronchodilator, is used for the treatment of COPD. It is administered using an inhaler or a nebulizer. Tiotropium bromide is a long acting anticholinergic inhaler, which is used for treating patients suffering from asthma and COPD.The global bronchodilators market has been segmented based on form of bronchodilator, route of administration, drug class, distribution channel, and region. In terms of form of bronchodilator, the global market is divided into short acting bronchodilators and long acting bronchodilators. Based on route of administration, the market is segmented into oral, injectable, and nasal. In terms of drug class, the market is divided into adrenergic bronchodilators, anticholinergic bronchodilators, and others.The major drivers for the growth of the global bronchodilators market are rising incidence rate of respiratory and pulmonary diseases such as asthma and COPD, growing awareness among individuals, increasing initiatives by governments and health care services, increasing demand for bronchodilator drugs, and adoption of unhealthy lifestyle. According to WHO reports, there is an increased use of tobacco among women in high-income countries and increased risk of exposure to indoor air pollutants in low-income countries. COPD affects men and women equally. The global burden of COPD was nearly 251 million cases in 2016. The WHO has designed a framework named WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO FCTC) to implement MPOWER package, which aims at assisting country level implementation of effective interventions focused on reducing the demand for tobacco.Geographically, the global bronchodilators market is distributed over North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America, and Middle East & Africa. North America is expected to be the largest market for bronchodilators due to high incidence rate of diseases such as COPD and asthma, high demand for bronchodilator drugs, and increase in awareness. Europe holds the second largest market share. The Asia Pacific market is expected to provide a lucrative opportunity during the forecast period due to increasing disease burden, growing biopharmaceutical industry, and rising research activity along with competitive landscape in the pharmaceutical industry. The market in Latin America and Middle East & Africa is anticipated to grow owing to increasing health care infrastructure and growing public-private collaboration to expand the health care sector.Major companies operating in the global bronchodilators market are F. Hoffmann-La Roche, Gilead Sciences, Novartis Ag, Boehringer Ingelheim, GlaxoSmithKline, Merck & Co., Inc., and AstraZeneca.Enquiry for discount on this report About UsTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a market intelligence company, providing global business information reports and services. Our exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trends analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMRs experienced team of analysts, researchers, and consultants, use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather, and analyze information. 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In an effort to help prospective patients find hospitals that provide high-quality, cost-effective care, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan has designated 25 hospitals throughout the state as Blue Distinction Center and Blue Distinction Center+ for bariatric surgery. These are designations that meet or exceed requirements under the Blue Distinction Specialty Care program.
Locally, Blue Distinction Center+ hospitals include Covenant Medical Center and MidMichigan Medical Center-Gratiot. Blue Distinction Center hospitals include MidMichigan Medical Center-Midland.
Obesity affects one in three Michiganders, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan stated. It said bariatric surgery is an effective, durable treatment for morbid obesity, and roughly 216,000 bariatric surgeries are performed annually throughout the United States according to the American Society of Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery. Blue Distinction Center designation gives patients a well vetted measure of facilities that provide high-quality, cost-effective bariatric treatment, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan stated.
To earn a Blue Distinction Center for Bariatric Surgery designation, a health care facility must demonstrate success in meeting patient safety measures as well as bariatric-specific quality measures, including complication and readmission rate for laparoscopic procedures in sleeve gastrectomy, gastric bypass and adjustable gastric band. A health care facility must also be nationally accredited at both the facility and bariatric program-specific levels.
Facilities earning a Blue Distinction Center+ designation have also demonstrated cost-efficiency compared to peers. In all cases, facilities are assessed using a combination of publicly available quality information and cost measures derived from medical claims.
"The Blue Distinction Center designation is an indication of quality performance, safe and effective care for Michigan residents who receive bariatric surgery each year," said Dr. Amy McKenzie, medical director, Value Partnerships, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan. "We congratulate all the designated hospitals for their commitment to providing this high level of care."
For more information about the Blue Distinction program, visit www.bcbs.com/bluedistinction
Its been a bit of a week for John Oliver and the crew at Last Week Tonight, what with the dismissal of a defamation lawsuit filed against them by Bob Murray and company, and what better way to cap off a winning week than with a deep-dive into the bleak state of Italian politics, ahead of the countrys parliamentary election amidst a rise in nationalist sentiment? Fun.
The second episode of Last Week Tonights fifth season delved back into the deep end of European politics for the first time since its stellar examination of last years French presidential election and Britains bungling of Brexit (all hail Lord Buckethead). Very similar to those movements, there is a rising tide of anti-immigrant, fascist voices within Italy as the country approaches a voting day on which the nation will install its 65th government in just over 70 years. From the rise of Five Star, a political party started by a comedian that is fueled more by anger than any policy, to far-right Matteo Salvini of The League, a man who advocates for a mass cleaning, even, in Italy, to the return of disgraced former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, there isnt much to root for in a nation full of political and economic uncertainty. Even the Centrist former Prime Minister Matteo Renzi is left to only wish his homeland good luck.
At least Oliver found the silver lining in some glorious old footage of both Renzi and Saldini on Italian game shows. Nothing like watching someone get booed by an entire studio audience while playing Italian Wheel of Fortune.
We cannot imagine a scenario in which creating this image could ever backfire. pic.twitter.com/LMxP1lac3C Last Week Tonight (@LastWeekTonight) February 26, 2018
While this weeks episode does paint a downcast political picture within a large European power, it does so with the same laughing-into-the-abyss style that has become a staple of the show.
Check out some sweet game show and political lambasting below.
Josh Jackson and Jim Vorel review each weeks episode of The Walking Dead in a series of letters
Josh,
Well Josh, when this episode of The Walking Dead began with a banner reading Carls Journey Ends, that pretty much put an end to your Carl carries some strain of immunity theory from last season. What we got here was an appropriately emotional, if not particularly eventful, kick-off to season 8s second half. It was a character-driven rather than plot-driven 82 minutes, which isnt such a bad thing, I guess. The stage is now set for the rest of this seasons war against Negan who might end up as a beaming tomato farmer???
Yes, that shot in the closing minute was certainly the WTF! moment of this particular episode. Ive taken to calling these two possible futuresI assume thats what they arethe Bleary Eyes Future and the Old Man Rick future. In one, Rick ends up bleeding out under a tree, imploring forgiveness from the world. I couldnt tell, but did it look like his wrists were slit to you in that closing shot? That obviously presents a significantly different connotation than if hes been shot.
And then theres the Barbara Walters-filtered version of the future with Old Man Rick. This seems to be a best case scenarioa glimpse at the dream of Carls ideal future, where past grudges have been laid aside and everyone is working together, including Siddiq (the guy Carl saved), Michonne, Eugene and yes, even Negan, which seems to border on the impossible. Those who have read the Walking Dead comics know that there is significance to this possible future, but this show is trickyit likes to tease events from the comics without them ever actually coming to pass. And then there are the times it chooses to diverge entirely, as in the death of Carl who is actually still alive in the comics (at least the last time I checked in). His death here represents one of the biggest deviations from the comic script in recent memory.
Elsewhere, Carol and Morgan lead a commando raid throughout this episode in order to rescue Ezekiel, and in doing so they basically wipe out the entire Savior garrison of The Kingdom with little to no trouble. Its yet another instance of the Just how many people do The Saviors have to throw away? trope that I have been banging on about since last season. By my count, Carol and Morgan kill at least 15 more Saviors on screen alone, but were always apparently meant to think that these numbers are insignificant. The last few seasons have made death feel so inconsequential because people are constantly being killed, but theyre all faceless mooks who respawn in the enemy HQ after 30 seconds. I can promise you that if the Grimes Coalition lost 15 people, it would be a huge deal. Here, its instantly forgotten.
Some stray observations and questions for you, Josh.
We just heard Judiths first lines in the Old Man Rick future, did we not? Related: My girlfriends first observation upon seeing Judiths face was She looks like Shane! So there you go. No Maury paternity test required. Also: We got an official Passing of the Hat from Carl to Judith. I want to see that little girl in Ricks sheriff hat, sooner rather than later.
What do you make of the presence of Negan in Carls vision of the future? Do you really think that Carl would ever advocate for the sparing of Negan, to incorporate him into some future idyllic society? Would the members of that community ever be able to come to terms with having this guy walking around in their midst? And even if they could, do you think Negan could ever stand to become just a cog in Ricks machine? I dont think hes the kind of guy who would ever be content to just take orders from someone else.
I liked the fact that after all this time, Carl is still reflecting on random decisions he made in the heat of the moment, years earlier. The fact that hes still talking on his death bed about a snap decision that took the life of another kid at the prison was a nice character touch that shows the baggage hes lived with ever since that moment.
Is it just me, or was that indie folk tune in the beginning horrifically out of place with the montage of Carl grappling with his mortality? Also: This kid totally deteriorated at a much slower rate than any other person whos ever been bitten by a walker. He walked around showing no ill effects for at least 48 hours, if not more, after being bit. And then suddenly he just went all pale and ghoulish on us.
I think its safe to assume that with this out of the way, the rest of season 8 will be the conclusion of all out war with The Saviors. Do you think one of the two futures weve seen will come to pass? Or will it be something else entirely, a combination of the two?
Jim
Jim,
I especially loved the scene where Rick finished burying son, walked to the top of a hill as fog rolled by and with lens flares obscuring the view, looked to the heavens and shouted, CORRRRALLLLL!!!! Oh wait, that didnt make the final cut? Wasted. Opportunity.
Okay, I shouldnt make fun of what was actually the best episode the show has cranked out in a long while. Yes, The Walking Dead formula of a character getting much more likable right before they die was in full force, but this one was earned. Weve watched Carl grow up from adorable kid to petulant pre-teen to caring, responsible, heroic hope for the future. Hes been carrying the weight of killing a kid not much older than himself who was ready to surrender for years now, and thats helped shape him, helped him hang on to his conscience, his humanity, his idealism when so many other people, kids or adults, would have been hardened beyond redemption. Carl had become the hero of The Walking Dead, and we all expected him to take the mantle of leadership from his father, who had become too hardened to lead in peacetime.
But Carl, in his death, promises a change for Rick that nothing else could. Of course, we also learn that the idyllic future that has been teased all season long has just been Carls dream, and an alternate future now shows Rick wounded, alone and drenched in blood. I dont think any of those injuries looked self-inflicteda bloody arm in this world can just mean you ripped an enemys guts out through a bullet hole in the abdomen (thanks for that, Morgan; you even freaked out Carol, which Id assumed was impossible).
There have been plenty of unsuccessful prophets in Ricks group, doing their best to ensure the group never crosses lines it cant recover from: Dale, Hershel, Tyreese and Bob have all served as the angel on Ricks soldier getting shouted down by his demons. And all of them are now dead. But Carls voice is one he wont ever be able to tune out. That his son could see the same horrors hes lived through and still see the good in humanity should be a powerful motivation for the rest of Ricks life. Of course, this is the apocalypse, so that will be tried and tested as long as AMC keeps renewing their golden zombie goose.
But alas, as one kid confesses his cold-blooded murder, another kid commits one. If Carl will always be Ricks anchor to empathy, my guess is that Henry will now be Morgans. The zen master has been on a Clear-era Morgan bender, but if he doesnt look back on this night in horror, hes truly lost. I think the sight of Henry stabbing Gavin through the back of the neck will be the act that finally pulls him back from the brink. Of course, Morgan has had so many veers off into one extreme or the other that watching it causes whiplash. Hopefully, as he makes his much-publicized journey west, hell settle into some rational view between unwavering pacifist and psychopathic killer.
By the way, that indie folk song at the beginning was Bright Eyes At the Bottom of Everything. Conor Oberst is pretty emo, but this was quite the jaunty selection for Carls final day. I get why that chose it over something more obviously melancholy (I would bet $1,000 someone suggested Hallelujah.) Carl handled his impending death bravely, smiling up at the sun, and mopey wouldnt do here.
I dont want to try to guess what future were headed towards, but Rick has a new goal, and that cant come to pass without bringing the Saviors to heel. One can only hope that will be by seasons end. Weve seen enough changes to the comics that what happens to Negan at the end of this war is anyones guess. Its hard to imagine him happily farming crops or Maggie ever letting him loose even if she lets him live. But even the Governor had a two-episode redemption arc, so your guess is as good as mine.
Can you play general for a minute and remind where troops are at the moment? Does the Hilltop still have Savior prisoners? Whats Negans next move?
Josh
Josh,
Okay, let me recall where the pieces are on this chess board:
Maggie still has Savior prisoners in the paddock at The Hilltop, I believe. She shot one of them to prove a point and put the fear of God in them, which only makes sense. Of course, its rather ridiculous that she was allowed to go back there at all. Her group was waylaid by Simons group of Saviors and then stupidly allowed to return to The Hilltop after swearing fealty with guns against their temples. Any rational person would have sent a detachment of Saviors back with Maggie and at least disarmed the soldiers of The Hilltop. They also would have discovered their POWs in the process.
Rick, Michonne and the remaining Alexandrians have pretty much no choice but to head toward The Hilltop as well. Their community has been mostly blown up and burned down at this point. Daryl seems to insist that regardless of where they go, theyre all sticking together.
Ezekiel, Carol, Morgan and the population of The Kingdom are also presumably converging on The Hilltop, which certainly seems to make The Hilltop the setting for the largest single battle of this war.
Negan is out there somewhere, prowling with an instantaneously regenerating army of endless Saviors.
You may have forgotten about this, but Aaron and Enid went on a weirdo side quest to recruit the women of Oceanside, which immediately (and hilariously) went south when Enid got an itchy trigger finger and shot Natania, the communitys matriarch, dead. Despite the fact that Aaron and Enid will certainly be captured by the other Oceanside members, I fully expect Cyndie (Taras friend in Oceanside) to say something like Its okay, they didnt really mean to murder Grandma; now lets go fight their war!
The Trash People are presumably sitting comfortably in their junk fortress, where we can only hope and pray they will remain for the rest of the series.
Never forget: Someone is piloting helicopters around this zombie apocalypse. We still have no idea who that is supposed to be, but I have a feeling it wont come back into play until after the war with The Saviors is concluded.
As you said, Rick is currently experiencing another tweak to his worldview. He swore what amounts to an oath to Carl here, promising him that he would make Carls vision a reality. Perhaps thats just something you say to comfort a dying young man in his last moments, but you know how rigidly Rick takes his promises. This is the guy who made time to make radio calls back to Morgan for months after first meeting the guy, after all. I think its safe to say that the goal of making it real will now be the all-encompassing necessity that fuels Rick through the conflict to come. If that means offering an olive branch to a bunch of the Savior soldiers in the end, then so be it. The only difficult question is what to do with Negan as the ringleader. Rick has already sworn on more than one occasion that he will personally be killing Negan, so it sort of feels like he now has two conflicting oaths to deal with here.
Somehow, my gut tells me that the narrative gods are on Negans sidethat even after losing the war, hell live on in some weird way we dont currently understand. But thats just a guess.
As for next week, I guess well probably see some of the pieces moving into position for what will no doubt be a huge battle.
Until then,
Please dont die, Daryl Dixon.
Jim
Rachel Brougham: Weve done this before, so why is this year so hard?
Craigieburn Forest Park is a land of extremes. From high alpine scree, tussock grasslands, to beech valleys and braided rivers, its diversity of landscape is indicative of the hidden gems on the trails.
Castle Hill Village is a fairytale land surrounded by epic riding and filled with bottomless beer.
From high alpine to dark beech forests, racers really took a lichen to the trails in Craigieburn.
Tom Sampson (USA) is embracing going full-enduro this season. He's diving into the Trans NZ Enduro as his first enduro stage race and holding down a solid 10th place.
FollowCam Friday curator Nate Hills switches from gimbal guy to racer day in and day out. Edits will drop daily on Trans NZ's Facebook page throughout the week.
Most of the stages on Day 1 ended with a creek crossing. With the recent effects of Cyclone Gita flowing through Craigieburn, these crossings were higher than usual. Not everyone was amused.
If the views don't take your breath away, climbing up Cheeseman Ski Field Road one and a half times will.
Paul van der Ploeg (AUS) took fourth place both days. Admittedly, van der Ploeg took the B line on Stage 4, Cockyane Alley, and lost 20 seconds.
Jake Paddon (NZL) is charging every stage straight out of the gate. At 23 years old, he is beating vets of the sport, sitting in 7th place overall.
Medics were a staple on Stage 4 on Day 1 - Cockayne Alley - the most technical stage of the day.
After long days on the bike, even Double Brown - the PBR of New Zealand - tastes great.
Stage 3 was a favourite among the racers. Dank beech forests hide swaths of roots in swooping corner and loam bomb holes.
Gale force winds in the afternoon of Day 1 pushed many riders to walk portions of Cheeseman Ski Field access road to the top of Stage 4 - Cockayne Alley aka Cheeseman DH.
If you didn't grab a selfie with this tree, then the transition didn't happen.
Day 2 of the Yeti Trans NZ Enduro brought moist conditions.
The scree on Stage 2 of Day 2 was a nice reprieve from the mud luge on Stage 1.
Stunning views in Craigieburn Ski Valley greeted riders after a long grunt to the top of Stage 2.
The media crew habitually posts up in the sketchiest location on the trail to capture moments like these.
The sheep at Flock Hill Station are moved one day out of the year. It happened to coincide with Day 2 of the Yeti Trans NZ which created an early morning traffic jam and cancelled Stage 3.
Trans NZ social media manager gets drifty in between posting to Instagram.
Grab the wrong timing chip before your third cup of coffee, and you'll be buying a round for the timing crew.
Jonas Meier is holding it down for the working man. As a full-time engineer, Meier is holding off Jerome Clementz by a mere 4 seconds after two days of racing.
Jerome Clementz snapped a chain at the end of Stage 2 on Day 1. He lost the stage by three seconds and the day by 1 second.
Emily Slaco hails from Pemberton, B.C. and is racing each stage blind. She is holding off New Zealand native Renee Wilson by 4 seconds after two days of racing.
Rider by day, writer by night, Sarah Rawley (US) finds her muse on the trail.
Megan Rose is the wizard behind the curtain of the Trans NZ Enduro. She is joined by Nate Corrigan, the "multi-tool" of the race production.
One hundred and thirty racers entered the enchanting realm of the 2018 Yeti Trans NZ presented by Shimano where adults are transported to a fantasy world to shred on mythical loam, pedal from stage to stage, only to find aid stations magically stocked with Tim-Tams and Turkish Delights in the middle nowhere, and cold beers waiting at the finish line. Climbs are rewarded with breathtaking panoramic views and steep descents that dive back into dark native beech forests below the tree line. This is a place most of us dream of.In this first report, well view Days 1 and 2 from the perspective of the foreigner whose first impressions of New Zealand begin in Craigieburn Forest Park. Sixty-eight percent of the racers travelled across a major ocean or sea to experience the fabled adventures of the Trans NZ.We came and found paradise for mountain biking, said Vincent Gondouin (Noumea, NCL) Master Men 40+. Gondouin and six friends sailed over the Tasman Sea to attend the event. Every year a group of different riders make the trek from New Caledonia. They bring home stories and inspire a new group to attend the following year.Karen Forster (Brisbane, AUS) Master Women 40+ entered the Trans NZ for her first enduro race. She attended the event with her husband and wanted to get comfortable being uncomfortable. This was a wedding anniversary present to ourselves. Since the first 21 years were not hard enough, we thought, lets do something challenging like an enduro.Today scared me, but in a good way. Stage 1 down Luge was my favourite once I got through the first drop-in. Its given me a different perspective of what Im capable of riding. My goal is to make it through the week and keep my blood on the inside!The first day of racing kept riders on course for between 4.5 to 8 hours, making it the longest of the week. For those coming from the Northern Hemisphere, it was a rude awakening over the course of 32 kilometers, 1585 meters of climbing and 1866 meters of descending.Levi Brown (US) Open Men came to the Trans NZ in 2017, not knowing a soul. The long days on the bike were punishing, but he returned for the second year in a row to measure his progress from the previous year. I made the decision to ride my bike more over the past year after coming to New Zealand, Brown said. The trails and scenery in Craigieburn are absurdly mind-blowing. After logging some hours on the trainer this winter, it felt good to be stronger and smoother compared to last year and to ride more of the track on Stage 4. However, my hands were not quite ready for a long day of riding rough trails.The wind picked up later in the afternoon creating chaotic conditions on the transition to Stages 3 and 4 and at the top of Stage 5. As racers beeped into the start gate, they battled biblical winds, some being blown off their bikes on the first few turns.The forecasted storm moved in on Sunday evening with increasing squalls and precipitation throughout the night. Racers woke up to gloomy skies and the prospect of slippery tracks for Day 2. What is historically a light of racing, became an extended mission through mud and trudging up soggy trails. Time splits increased between those who are comfortable in greasy conditions and those who succumb to the kiss of death when they touch their brakes in angst.Today was off the chart it was everything that I had never ridden on a bike, said Justine Powell (Wollongong, AUS) Master Women 40+. The first stage was just a mud shoot the whole way down. At the end of Stage 1, I was thinking about pulling out, but I knew I should carry on. Stage 2 was wet, root, muddy with extreme drop-offs on the side. Im sure in normal conditions, it would feel a lot less insane.It wouldnt be a proper New Zealand experience without sheep. A large herd was relocated out of Flock Hill Station as vans were loaded, creating a delay for half of the field to begin their journey. After racers pummeled their drivetrains in the first two stages, Stage 3 was cancelled due to the same flock overtaking the track.The sheep were a classic New Zealand touch to the day, said Holly Borowski (US) Open Women. I really wanted to see and experience New Zealand, and so far, the variety huge mountains, beautiful countryside, and diverse trails has felt like visiting several countries in one. Coming from Colorado, my favourite has been Day 1, Stage 3 Cuckoo Creek. We found real loam and there were enough slick roots to catch you out, but momentum could be found out of the corners to keep it fun.It would be a race without results. After two days, the competition increases between the top contenders in each category.Open Men1. Jonas Meier 44:052. Jerome Clementz 44:093. Charlie Murray 44:594. Paul van der Ploeg 46:005. Brady Stone 46:10Open Women1. Emily Slaco 55:292. Renee Wilson 55:333. Harriet Beaven 59:304. Sarah Rawley 63:095. Alice Hawkins 63:56Master Men 40+1. Michael Ronning 49:052. Christian Wingate 49:143. Kashi Leuchs 50:544. John Jacob 51:015. Matt Harrington 51:41Master Women 40+1. Anna Hamden-Taylor 66:402. April Bedford 74:103. Elizabeth Clement 75:464. Nicole Goebel 89:315. Robyn Hawkins 96:50Well catch up with the pros at the end of the week after the final day of racing in Queenstown, to convey the tales of racing at the top. Days 3 & 4 may turn the tides when local knowledge will play a role in line selection, commitment and speed. Racers will find themselves in a completely new backdrop on Day 3, with remarkable views, the longest stage, and even steeper descents.Follow the action on Pinkbike for daily updates. The Yeti Trans NZ will be posting regular updates on Facebook and Instagram throughout the week, and video recaps on Vimeo. Hashtag your photos 'transnzenduro' to make their way onto the live stream of the Trans NZs Media HQ. For more information email megan@ridingbc.com or visit www.transnz.com.About Megan Rose Megan has been riding and racing bikes all over the world for 13 years and organizing bike events for the past nine years. She splits her time between British Columbia, Canada and New Zealand, running Trans BC 6 Day Enduro, and running the Trans NZ 5 Day Enduro race. Over the past five years, Megan has personally raced in over 40 enduro races, timed over 60 days worth of enduro races, and organized 30+ enduro races. Megan and her team look forward to bringing you the best of the best from all of these perspectives.About Megan Rose Megan has been riding and racing bikes all over the world for 13 years and organizing bike events for the past nine years. She splits her time between British Columbia, Canada and New Zealand, running Trans BC 6 Day Enduro, and running the Trans NZ 5 Day Enduro race. Over the past five years, Megan has personally raced in over 40 enduro races, timed over 60 days worth of enduro races, and organized 30+ enduro races. Megan and her team look forward to bringing you the best of the best from all of these perspectives.
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By Pete Schroeder and Roberta Rampton
WASHINGTON (Reuters) The National Rifle Association pushed back on Sunday against modest proposals by President Donald Trump and other Republicans to change U.S. gun laws in the wake of a school shooting in Florida that killed 17 students and staff.
The powerful gun lobby group does not support Trumps proposals to raise the age limit for buying certain types of guns and to ban bump stocks that enable semi-automatic rifles to shoot hundreds of rounds a minute, a spokeswoman said on ABCs This Week.
The NRA doesnt back any ban, Dana Loesch said.
Trump was endorsed by the NRA in his 2016 presidential election campaign and often trumpets his support for the constitutional right to own guns.
But the Feb. 14 massacre at a Florida high school has mobilized high school students to push for restrictions on gun sales, spurred several companies to sever ties with the NRA and energized gun-control activist groups.
As November congressional elections draw closer, Trump and Republicans are under pressure to show they are responding to concerns about school safety without angering supporters who oppose gun control.
Since the Florida shooting, Trump has declared support for raising the age limit to 21 from 18 for buying rifles. The 19-year-old shooter at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida had bought his AR-15 semi-automatic rifle legally.
Thats what the NRA came out and said, thats correct, Loesch said when pressed on whether the group opposes raising the minimum age.
Trump also has asked the Justice Department to develop a regulation that would effectively ban the sale of bump stocks, an accessory used last year by a shooter who killed 58 people at a Las Vegas outdoor concert, the deadliest attack by a single gunman in U.S. history.
Trump has also said he supports legislation to tighten background checks for gun buyers, although he has not provided specific details.
Republican Senator Pat Toomey, a sponsor of a bill that would require background checks for weapons sold at gun shows and on the internet, said Trumps support could help advance proposals that floundered in years passed.
Our president can play a huge and in fact probably decisive role in this. So I intend to give this another shot, Toomey said on NBCs Meet the Press.
Legislation to close background checks loopholes failed to clear the 60-vote threshold in the U.S. Senate after a shooter killed 26 children and teachers in 2012 at an elementary school in Newtown, Connecticut.
DAYLIGHT WITH NRA?
Loesch tried to play down the emerging differences between the NRA and the White House.
I know that people are trying to find daylight between President Trump and five million law-abiding gun owners, she said. Hes really looking for solutions so far nothings been proposed yet.
Tweaks to gun laws face an uphill battle among conservative Republicans in Congress. On Sunday, Representative Thomas Massie from Kentucky said he opposed changes to background check laws and other restrictions on gun ownership.
I wish that background checks stopped criminals or stopped school shootings, but they dont, Massie told NBC.
Trump has strongly endorsed the idea backed by the NRA in the wake of the Newtown shooting of arming trained teachers with guns.
Loesch said the group believes individual schools should decide whether to arm teachers. On Saturday, Trump said on Twitter the proposal would be left up to states.
Loesch said more emphasis should be placed on how the FBI and local police missed warning signs and tips about the shooter, calling it an abdication of duty.
Broward County Sheriff Scott Israel has come under fire after a deputy at the school at the time of the shooting stayed outside. Several news reports said that three other deputies were slow to enter the building.
Israel said on CNN on Sunday that he had no plans to resign, and that the department would investigate all aspects of the shooting.
(Reporting by Roberta Rampton, Pete Schroeder and Yasmeen Abutaleb; Editing by Kieran Murray, Andrea Ricci and Daniel Wallis)
By Nathan Layne
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) Federal prosecutors who have already indicted President Donald Trumps former campaign chairman Paul Manafort on charges of money laundering, bank fraud and covertly lobbying for pro-Russian interests may have additional leverage arising from a loan he received while engaged in the bankruptcies of properties in California, several former law enforcement officials say.
Reuters has found new information about Manaforts handling of the loan and its potential link to the bankruptcies as Special Counsel Robert Mueller seeks to pressure Manafort to cooperate with his investigation into Trumps campaign team and possible collusion with Russian efforts to interfere in the 2016 election.
At issue is whether the failure to disclose a loan from a lender that was also the main creditor in the California bankruptcy cases represented an illegal concealment of material information.
Reuters has also learned that over the past several months Mueller has begun focusing on Jeffrey Yohai, Manaforts former son-in-law and his partner in four California property deals that failed and were placed in bankruptcy, as a potentially valuable witness in his probe.
Last week Mueller filed new criminal charges against Manafort and Rick Gates, a former business partner who served as Trumps deputy campaign manager. The California bankruptcies might be yet another avenue of inquiry for Muellers team, said Frank Figliuzzi, who was assistant director of counterintelligence for the Federal Bureau of Investigation under Mueller until 2012.
Its all about increasing pressure on Manafort to cooperate, he said.
A Reuters review of property records and California bankruptcy court filings shows that a Manafort-controlled company secured in early 2017 a loan against a Brooklyn home from Genesis Capital LLC, now owned by Goldman Sachs, which was the top secured creditor in the bankruptcies of the four high-priced properties in the Los Angeles area.
Genesis signed off on the $303,750 loan two days after a judge overseeing the bankruptcies agreed to release from creditor protection one of the properties a Spanish colonial-style home.
The move, pushed by Manaforts lawyers and requested in court by a lawyer representing the bankrupt properties, allowed Genesis to put the property up for sale, while the loan helped Manafort finalize a $6.8 million refinancing of the Brooklyn home with another lender. (Graphic: http://tmsnrt.rs/2BQ5MPe)
Neither Manafort, Genesis, nor the lawyer representing the bankrupt properties disclosed the Brooklyn loan to the bankruptcy court and all told Reuters they had no obligation to do so. Yohai was also kept in the dark, his lawyer said.
Under federal law, the knowing concealment of an asset or financial transaction that materially impacts a bankruptcy proceeding constitutes bankruptcy fraud. Four former federal prosecutors who reviewed Reuters findings said not disclosing the Brooklyn loan could amount to fraud if the loan and the Spanish colonial homes release were connected to each other and deliberately concealed.
You cant just do things on the side and not tell, said Patrick Cotter, a criminal defense lawyer in Chicago and former assistant U.S. attorney in New York.
Dan Guthrie, a Dallas white collar defense lawyer and former federal prosecutor, said it would be unlikely that a prosecutor would pursue an indictment without firm evidence of a quid pro quo
As a prosecutor you are not going to want to go forward with an indictment without solid proof of that connection, he said.
Catherine Bauer, the judge overseeing the bankruptcy cases in California, and Michael Hauser, the U.S. trustee assigned to the cases, both declined to comment.
Matthew Browndorf, a partner at the law firm that represented Manafort, said all of its court filings followed the required process and disclosures of the California Bankruptcy Court. He declined further comment.
Jeffrey Dulberg, a lawyer for Genesis, said his client was unaware of what was behind the decision to release the Spanish colonial home from bankruptcy. Of the other three properties, Genesis foreclosed on one and two remain in bankruptcy proceedings.
Manafort referred questions to his spokesman, who declined to comment, citing a gag order in the criminal case.
Marc Forsythe, who represented the four limited liability companies that filed for bankruptcy, said he was not required to disclose the loan because he was never told that MC Brooklyn Holdings, LLC, the Manafort company that received the loan from Genesis, was a party to or had any interest in the bankruptcies.
PRESSURE
On Thursday, Mueller filed new criminal charges against Manafort and Gates, supplementing indictments in October. The two men stand accused of laundering more than $30 million, using secret offshore accounts, duping banks to get loans, and failing to register as foreign agents for the lobbying they did for a pro-Russian Ukranian political party.
On Friday, Gates pleaded guilty to conspiracy against the United States and lying to investigators, and he is cooperating with the probe, but Manafort maintains his innocence and has vowed to take his case to trial.
As a close business partner Yohai was privy to many of Manaforts financial dealings. They were 50-50 partners in parent company of the four bankrupt LLCs and were working together on refinancing strategies before they had a falling out last September over a plan to buy two of the four properties out of bankruptcy, court filings and emails show.
Muellers prosecutors interviewed Yohai in June, asking him about Manaforts relationship with Trump, his ties to Russian oligarchs, and his recent mortgaging of various properties in New York, two people familiar with the matter said.
A Los Angeles federal prosecutor overseeing a separate probe into alleged financial wrongdoing by Yohai has recently pressured him to sign a plea deal that includes a cooperation component, they said. Reuters was unable to determine what sort of cooperation that deal sought.
Yohais lawyers did not respond to questions about the interview or the Los Angeles investigation.
A spokesman for Mueller declined to comment.
The key events related to the loan for Manaforts Brooklyn brownstone played out in early 2017. On Jan. 13, two days after bankruptcy judge Bauer agreed at a hearing to release the Spanish colonial home, Genesis gave MC Brooklyn Holdings the $303,750 loan.
The loan was critical for Manafort to bridge the gap between $6.8 million needed to refinance the brownstone and $6.5 million that Federal Savings Bank agreed to lend him, two people familiar with the matter said.
Yohai was in an Arizona facility being treated for anxiety and was unaware of the loan at the time, according to those familiar with the matter.
When he left the facility in mid-January the decision to release the Spanish colonial-style home was not yet binding and Yohai had Forsythe draft a motion arguing the initial request did not reflect his views and seeking its reversal. But Yohai did not submit the motion and eventually agreed to let the move go forward in February.
(Reporting by Nathan Layne; Editing by Kieran Murray and Tomasz Janowski)
Click to enlarge:
By Daniel Wiessner
(Reuters) A U.S. appeals court in Manhattan on Monday ruled that a federal law banning sex bias in the workplace also prohibits discrimination against gay employees, becoming only the second court to do so.
The 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals overruled prior decisions and said that a workers sex is necessarily a factor in discrimination based on sexual orientation.
The ruling went against a court brief filed by the Trump administration in 2017 that said Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 was not intended to provide protections to gay workers.
The 2nd Circuit revived a lawsuit by the estate of Donald Zarda, a former skydiving instructor on Long Island who said he was fired after he told a customer he was gay and she complained. Zardas estate was backed in the appeal by dozens of large companies, including Alphabet Incs Google, Microsoft Corp, CBS Corp and Viacom Inc.
Zarda died in a BASE-jumping accident after the lawsuit was filed.
Zardas former employer, Altitude Express Inc, and companies that have faced similar lawsuits have argued that when Congress adopted Title VII more than 50 years ago, it did not consider whether the laws ban on sex bias included discrimination based on sexual orientation.
But lesbian, bisexual, gay and transgender groups and the federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission have increasingly argued that sexual orientation is a function of a persons gender.
The 2nd Circuit agreed on Monday in its 10-3 decision. Circuit Judge Robert Katzmann wrote that even though Congress had not sought to address gay bias in Title VII, laws often go beyond the principal evil to cover reasonably comparable evils.
Saul Zabell, a lawyer for Altitude Express, said he agreed with the ruling on Title VII. But he said Zarda did not face discrimination when he worked for the company.
Lawyers for Zardas estate did not respond to a request for comment.
New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman, a Democrat who filed a court brief supporting Zarda, praised the decision in a statement.
No employer should be able to penalize its employees because of who they love, Schneiderman said.
Last April, the Chicago-based 7th U.S. Circuit became the first court to find that Title VII bans gay bias in the workplace.
The U.S. Supreme Court in December declined to take up a different case out of Georgia that posed the same question.
(Editing by Jonathan Oatis)
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov emphasized the Islamic States presence in South Asia and downplayed Western efforts at a February 20 press conference that followed talks with his Pakistani counterpart Khawaja Muhammad Asif in Moscow.
According to our data, the IS presence in northern and eastern Afghanistan is rather serious, there are already thousands of gunmen. This increases the risk of the terrorists penetration to Central Asia and it is not that difficult to get to Russia, Lavrov told reporters.
He also said Russia has serious suspicions about the measures the U.S. and NATO are taking to address the threat. He said Moscow is seeking answers from the U.S. about flights of unmarked helicopters to insurgent areas, implying Washington may be supporting IS.
Pakistans Foreign Minister Asif echoed the concerns, saying neither the U.S. nor Afghanistan recognize the problem.
But there is absolutely no acknowledgment, real acknowledgement, by Kabul and Washington of such a large presence of Daesh (IS) or the proliferation of Daesh in Afghanistan. They are a threat to Central Asia, Pakistan, China and ultimately to Russian Federation, Asif said.
The two officials agreed to create an anti-terror military cooperation commission to tackle the threat.
Russia and Pakistan have legitimate concerns about the threat of terrorism, but their deteriorating relations with Washington have long fueled mutual accusations. U.S.-Russian ties worsened significantly after Moscow intervened in Ukraine, annexed Crimea, and allegedly interfered in the 2016 U.S. presidential election. And U.S.-Pakistani relations soured recently after the U.S. suspended military aid to Pakistan and accused it of supporting terrorist groups and not doing enough to induce the Taliban to seek peace with Kabul.
Joseph Trevithick, a former fellow at GlobalSecurity.org, says there is no evidence supporting Russias frequent allegations that the U.S. has supported terrorists from Afghanistan to the Middle East, calling the claims deliberate information warfare tactics against the U.S.
The use of these questionable allegations offers the Russian government an easy, low-risk, and relatively low-cost way to obfuscate what are often complicated situations to be with and do so in such a way that isn't easy to for foreign governments to quickly counter, he wrote, adding that it often falls on Washington to deny the claims rather than for Moscow to substantiate them.
In this case, however, no such U.S. denial appears necessary. The U.S., NATO, and Afghan forces have not only acknowledged the IS operations but also are aggressively targeting the group. Even so, Islamic State fighters are reportedly fleeing Iraq and Syria and heading to Afghanistan and IS is actively recruiting fighters there.
Responding to Russias accusations, Commander of U.S. forces in Afghanistan Gen. John Nicholson said on February 24 that Moscows estimates of IS militants in the country are grossly exaggerated and that the group has only approximately 1,500 fighters.
We have cut their numbers in half over the last two years. We have killed their amirs' (chiefs), we have reduced their territory, again, we have driven their fighters out of parts of the country, Nicholson added.
U.S. President Donald Trump, in August 2017 remarks on the new U.S. strategy for South Asia and Afghanistan, identified the U.S. militarys priorities: Our troops will fight to win. We will fight to win. From now on, victory will have a clear definition: attacking our enemies, obliterating ISIS, crushing al-Qaeda, preventing the Taliban from taking over Afghanistan, and stopping mass terror attacks against America before they emerge.
Last November, Trump also said that the U.S. would hit [ISIS] like you folks wont believe. The remark came in the wake of the latest IS-inspired attack, which killed eight people in New York.
In 2017, the U.S.-led coalition increased the number of airstrikes in Afghanistan to unprecedented levels as well as nearly doubled the number of troops deployed in the country.
One in five of those strikes is against ISIS-K (the Islamic State in Khorasan), despite it controlling only slivers of mountainous territory, The Washington Post wrote in July about the coalitions anti-terrorism campaign.
In April 2017, U.S. forces used the Mother of All Bombs, or MOAB, the largest non-nuclear device in its possession, to target an IS tunnel in the Achin district of Afghanistans Nangarhar province, killing dozens of IS fighters.
That same month, the coalition dropped more than 5,000 bombs on IS positions, the most of any month in the three-year campaign to defeat ISIS, said the U.S. Air Forces Central Command.
According to VOA reporting in November 2017, the U.S. estimated that the groups ranks had shrunk from 3,000 to 600 fighters thanks to the sustained, joint counter-terrorism campaign.
Still, the coalition is concerned that Nangarhar province could become an IS safe haven now that anti-IS operations in Syria and Iraq are winding down, despite the coalition using the freed-up counter-terrorism resources in Afghanistan, where they are allegedly making impact already.
Afghanistans Ambassador to the U.S. Hamdullah Mohib struck a cautious tone, urging swift action against insurgents: The brutality will continue to increase, which is why we need to address it so rapidly. The more time it takes, the more radical some of these groups become
Yet, concerns that the U.S.-led coalition has lost ground have mounted in recent months, as the war continues 17 years after the U.S. began its military operation in Afghanistan. In its latest report, Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction found that insurgents, predominantly the Taliban, controlled 56 percent of the Afghan territory, the worst figures yet for the coalition battling various terrorist-related groups and insurgents.
The report came after the Pentagon initially refused to release unclassified data that would indicate the extent of Afghan government control of its own territory. The Pentagon eventually released the data, blaming the delay on human labelling error and saying it was NOT the intent...to withhold or classify information which was available in prior reports.
For a certain generation, he will always be the quick-witted, adroit cardshark Bret Maverick in
Maverick. His slick, snide persona left a major impact, even after he walked at the end of the third season (the show ran for another two years).
For others, he remains the laid-back beach bum private dick Jim Rockford, a problem-plagued PI whose questionable abilities were quelled by his flashy (?) fashion sense, beachside mobile home office/residence, street savvy, and complicated backstory (he served time in prison on a wrongful conviction). Audiences loved this
Maverick-like update (co-producer Roy Huggins was responsible for both shows) and it set a standard for which actor James Garner would be both grateful and a bit glum.
The Rockford Files was so successful, in fact, that its theme song became a Top 40 hit and the actor felt he had been stereotyped as a middle-aged, down to earth slacker. He would revisit both characters (for financial reasons) throughout the rest of his career.
But there was more to Garner (who passed away last week at the age of 86) than two iconic TV roles. He grew up James Bumgarner in Norman, Oklahoma, the youngest of three boys. After his mother died when he was five, his father remarried, and his stepmother was abusive. After an attempt at the Merchant Marines, he moved to LA and began modeling. He served in Korea, received the Purple Heart for his wounds, and returned to civilian life to try his hand at acting.
He landed work in commercials and was soon playing minor roles in films.
Maverick would be his big break, but he worked steadily in films throughout the 60, 70s and 80s. In fact, his movie work remains one of the most under appreciated aspects of his career. In lieu of an obituary, here are our picks for his ten best performances. They range from comedy to drama, Westerns to war efforts. One thing was constant, however. Garner was great in all of them, beginning with this melodrama disguised as an intriguing cinematic experiment:
10. Grand Prix
By including real-life racing footage and cameos from famous Formula One racers, this movie made a significant impression on 1966 audiences. Perhaps even more impressive, however, was the use of 70mm Cinerama in some locations (a process which offered three separate 35mm prints synced up to run simultaneously). Garner is great as the American looking for a comeback and bedding the disgruntled wife of one of his rivals though he is often overshadowed by the triptych nature of John Frankenheimers storytelling. Yet it says something about our star that he can make a major impact among all the RPMs and screen stuntwork.
9. The Thrill of It All
There was a time, during the late 50s and early 60s, when Garner was partnered up with Doris Day. Together, they created ongoing roles that we now think of as a RomCom given, i.e., a slick and smart hunk who cant see the fetching female forest for the stuck in the same old male chauvinist mode trees. In the case of this hilarious movie (written by Carl Reiner and Larry Gelbart), she is a housewife who becomes a TV commercial pitchwoman. Hes the successful doctor who wants his little woman back in the kitchen. Considering how dated (and hateful) his character can be, Garner still manages to give his befuddled hubby an appealing side.
8. Victor Victoria
Reunited with Julie Andrews (his co-star in
The Americanization of Emily), Garner is the mobster and club owner, King Marchand. In Paris looking for possible acts, he stumbles across a Polish female impersonator and is immediately smitten. Of course, its Andrews. Of course, Marchand cant have his sexuality questioned. Of course, things end up in a hilarious last act filled with Blake Edwards patented big screen slapstick and farce. While Garners character is proven right in the end (he didnt fall for a man, after all), the sequences where its suggested that his character may be gay are some of the best, most subtle comedic acting he ever committed to film.
7. Hour of the Gun
Most movies dealing with the subject tend to focus on the events leading up to and including the infamous Gunfight at the OK Corral. Here, a non-fiction book about the event becomes the source for Garner to play a much more complicated and unpleasant version of Wyatt Earp. Theres a bloodthirsty nature to this new interpretation of the character that left many audiences wondering where their favorite gunslinger had gone to. Fans of
Maverick was disturbed by his work here, and with good reason. Garner didnt care. He gave the role his all, changing the industrys perception of him as a laid-back goofball once and for all.
6. Skin Game
After being reminded of the storyline here, one will instantly think of a certain slavespolitation film made by one Quentin Tarantino a couple of years back. Indeed, Garner is a conman who works with an African American cohort to trick grim plantation owners out of their hard-earned cash. He sells his buddy to these unsuspecting marks, and then they turn around and split the money. When one buyer proves too savvy for the men, its up to Garner to save the day. With his quick-witted ways and undeniable personal magnetism, our huckster here is terrific. His accomplice, Oscar winner Louis Gossett Jr., is great, as well.
5. The Great Escape
While his work in this film is often overlooked, thanks to the undeniable magnetism and enigmatic qualities of star Steve McQueen, Garner is very good as Flt. Lt. Robert Hendley, the Scrounger of his particular Stalag. Working with other POWs to build a trio of tunnels, hes both brave and boisterous, doing the best he can to keep spirits high while everyone struggles to survive. As with many in this movie, hes doomed to his fate, but Garner still comes across as both heroic and compassionate. He also shows some decent action man chops toward the end, when our prisoners finally make a break for it.
4. Support Your Local Sheriff
Before the brilliance of
Blazing Saddles was this winning spoof with Garner in the central role as a city slicker from back East who becomes the local law for one reason and one reason only: he needs the money. Unfortunately, after making his first arrest, he discovers that the jailhouse doesnt have actual cells with bars and locking doors. So how does he keep his prisoners secure? With chalk lines and absurdist psychology. Anyone who wants to see why Garner is considered a comic gem need only look at this film to find a sample of his sensational onscreen wit.
3. The Childrens Hour
In 1934, Lillian Hellman wrote one of the most controversial works in the history of the theater. Telling the tale of two women accused of lesbianism while in charge of an all-girls school, it had tongues wagging the moment it premiered. Why? Well, at the time, any mention of homosexuality was illegal in New York. A previous film adaptation had been heavily censored, thanks to the Hayes Code. This version, including a magnetic portrayal by Garner as Audrey Hepburns confused fiance, returned to the source. Hes the perfect sensitive male, understanding and yet still stuck in the macho man role, conflict written all over his face.
2. The Americanization of Emily
The Americanization of Emily has an amazing script by renowned writer Paddy Chayefsky (
Network). It was directed by Arthur Hiller, who would go on to great commercial success with The Out-of-Towners, Love Story, and Silver Streak. It co-starred Julie Andrews in a rare dramatic turn and featured a story about war and duty dispersed amongst a solid cinematic scenario. As for Garner, hes an officers gopher and a coward who is enlisted to become the poster boy (and first official casualty) of D-Day. From his trademark laconic smarm to moments of interpersonal terror, the actor delivers one of his best performances here, including a devastating final decision.
1. Murphys Romance
At the time of this winning May/December romance, Garner was 57 while his co-star, Sally Field, was 39. Today, such an age discrepancy would be criticized as being part of Hollywoods paternalistic need to pair older men with younger women. Back then, it was seen as a solid move toward allowing senior citizen characters a chance at the same kind of passionate onscreen relationships as their less mature counterparts. Oddly enough, Murphys actual age at the time (we wont spoil it here) is considered quite spry in 2014. In fact, many people would simply giggle at the premise. As for Garners amazing performance, it earned him his only Oscar nomination.
Cale and the Gravity Well return with Zambia, another track culled from the outfits sophomore release, Creation Myths. Formed by Cale Bonderman, principal songwriter, Cale and the Gravity Well call New York City home. Bonderman cut his teeth in the coffeehouses and musical theaters of his native Colorado, then adapted those influences to his Big Apple-based project. With a knack for quiet, understated lyrics that appeal to the listeners sense of both the familiar and exotic, Bonderman populates not only Zambia but the rest of creation myths with people and places we want to know more about.
Teaming up with Jim Fairchild (Modest Mouse) and Mike Cresswell (Sun Kil Moon), the group has stumbled upon some of its strongest material to date. As for Zambia itself, Bonderman offers this: Its a song about facades. The subtle ways in which we lie to ourselves, about ourselves. How the image in the mind is always richer and more enticing than the image at hand. And we wanted to keep these themes in the music video. If I do say so myself, it looks good. But of course, its supposed to! A music video is also supposed to entice. The lighting, the acting, the props and sets; but thats all they are, props and sets. Nothing in this video was actually permanent, nothing real happens here. But we do it all the same. Welcome to Zambia.
For many enlightened club goers in Chicago, Hieroglyphic Being is as much a part of the house and techno scene as the sticky floors and the sweaty walls. His appetite and passion for the Chicago club scene as a DJ, producer, and promoter has solidified his standing as one of the most important house artists to come from Chicago since the peak years of Chicago house in the mid to late 80s.
Hieroglyphic Being, aka Jamal Moss, is an artist who marches to the beat of his own drum. He is a willfully prolific artist, confident in his ability but certainly not one to shout about it. With releases on his own Mathematics Recordings label and a slew of releases for Spectral Sound and Soul Jazz, he has proven himself time and time again to be a unique talent. Last LP, 2016s The Discos of Imhotep seemed like the perfect summation of his career up to that point as he confidently moved from trippy experimental techno to classic kinetic Chicago house all with a healthy sprinkling of jazz fusion. While that album was purposely concise and succinct, The Red Notes sees Moss let loose as he trusts the listener to buckle up and stay along for the ride.
On this album, Moss takes his cues from jazz as he describes the album as, an homage to the Blue Note jazz sound of Thelonious Monk, John Coltrane, and Herbie Hancock. In effect he applies the attitude, freedom, and sounds of jazz, especially its liberal application of form and structure before fusing it with characteristic leftfield techno and Chicago house.
The phenomenally titled Youth Brainwashing and the Extremist Cults opens the album with a dizzying storm of whirling backward loops and squelchy synths. Cleverly, Moss takes the edge off the glitchy mayhem by injecting some impossibly cool soulful organ that rides out all the way to the tracks conclusion. Despite the sheer amount of things going on, what becomes abundantly clear from the outset is that this is, at its core, is a quintessential Hieroglyphic Being album. It retains his characteristic lo-fi sound and, as such, feels raw and authentic a throwback to the classic Chicago house sound without ever sounding derivative.
That continues into The Melody Lingers with Moss showing a masterful ability to give the various components space as boundless, emblematic spirals of percussion, punched pads and slowly unfurling chiming synths are still given plenty of room to breath. Deftly minimalistic, its Moss strictly abiding by the less is more approach. The Seduction Syndrome keeps things simple as a jazz piano figure is looped over a solid kick drum beat before being joined with flashes of synth and occasional snare. The whole thing grows, snakes and builds until it becomes a heady, hypnotic grooving beast. Its the kind of track that keeps any expectant club crowd in the palm of the DJs hand, hanging on for the drop.
Awake and Energise offers ambient sweeps before dextrous jazz bass in the Thundercat mold melds with glitchy IDM all cut with sprinklings of jazz piano and swaying synth chords.Video Jazz is a classic Chicago house tune with a jazz twist. With a Moog sounding bassline and stuttering beat, Hieroglyphic Being entwines insectile synths with pneumatic classic house chords.
The centerpiece of the album is the 14-minute Red Notes (original). An epic, gently expanding piece anchored by a looping bass line and a simple keyboard figure. With the foundations in place, he empties his entire box of tricks all over the track as for near quarter of an hour he demonstrates exactly what hes learned over his many years of making music. Hes clearly enjoying himself too, as he weaves chiming notes with chromatic and pentatonic scales, manicured synths and multiple layers of stray percussion. With endless variations of rhythm, you get the sense that he could carry the track on all day.
There is an overriding warmth to the album indicative of an artist that values the connection and affinity he has with his audience. Nowhere is this more evident than on The Emotional Listener, where the recording is so lo-fi that you can hear the depression of the keys. This is as raw as house music gets as he matches propulsive marching band snares with deep house chords and then squeezes it tight, as jazz piano, and a jarring keyboard figure constricts to become almost suffocatingly intense as he subtly ups the bpm. Moss trusts his audience to stick along for the ride safe in the knowledge that his audience has full faith in him.
The album closes out with the more minimalist The Red Notebook featuring a swooshing rhythm like a pair of antiquated bellows supported by flickering, airy synths. Closer The Tone Bather sees him show off his mastery of the drum machine as he builds a rhythm out of the deep kick, snare, and hi-hats so sturdy that you put a roof on it. You could if he wasnt prone to blowing it off only a few minutes later.
The music of Hieroglyphic Being may, rather inevitably, be quintessentially Chicagoan, but that is to be expected from an artist who lives and breathes the city and its music. However, the tracks on The Red Notes deserves to be heard in clubs far beyond Chi-Town.
With the current revival of The X-Files underway, Darren Mooneys Opening The X-Files: A Critical History of the Original Series, comes at the perfect time to revisit the first nine seasons of the series. Mooneys approach is to break down the series season by season, while also discussing the two feature films, and creator Chris Carters other series that aired in tandem to The X-Files.
Mooneys knowledge of the series is immediately apparent, but what makes his book so engaging is his ability to point out the links not only between episodes of the show, but also between other shows, movies, and cultural events. Hes quick to place the series in a larger historical context. While The X-Files has always been considered one of the most notable shows of the 90s, and very much defined by the decade, Mooney is able to lay out just how Carters own backgroundheavily influenced by the Vietnam War and Watergatebled into the themes that would be explored over and over in The X-Files.
A willingness to engage with conspiracy theories, coupled with a distrust of government (though Mooney notes that the 9/11 attacks would shift that mindset drastically), is at the heart of much of what makes up the series. Whether focusing on monster of the week episodes that often play on paranoia and hidden experiments, or the larger mythology arc that would go on to include a huge government conspiracy, colonizing aliens, and the creation of super soldiers, The X-Files consistently calls authority into question and offers frequent examples of seemingly unbelievable theories being proven correct.
Part of what makes Mooneys approach so appealing is that by following the series by season and delving into much of the behind-the-scenes goings-on, theres a real sense of understanding for some of the story decisions made. Theres almost a palpable excitement in remembering how exhilarating it was at the time to speculate and look forward to whatever came next. For those readers who may not have been watchers during the original series run, the book is a wonderful guide to both the series and the cultural timeline in which it is set.
Mooney also makes The X-Files fandom an integral part of his analysis. By placing the series in the context of early Internet fandom, a great deal is revealed about both the relationships that form between fans of a show and those that form between fans and those involved in the making of the show. Though Carter and others initially encouraged the increasingly vocal and opinionated group, as the show went on, criticism from the previously mostly positive fandom became a sore spot. Interestingly, Carter had only intended for the series to run for five seasons, but was pressured to continue making the show based on its popularity. So when the series would run to almost twice the length he initially envisioned, it stands to reason that the quality would drop off. Indeed, the last three seasons are fraught with many storytelling and characterization problems, leading to a decline in viewership and more vocal criticism, particularly from fans online.
Though Mooneys main focus is The X-Files series, he also examines the two movies, The Making of The X Files: Fight the Future (Spencer Davis Gray, 1998) and The X-Files: I Want to Believe (Chris Carter, 2008), as well as Carters other shows, Millenium, Harsh Realm, and The Lone Gunmen. Carters impact and leverage at FOX during the series heyday led to a deal that allowed him to create other shows. Unfortunately, none of these series were able to match the success of The X-Files. Mooney makes it a point to repeatedly stress how overstretched Carter was once the running of the an additional series was underway. This led to eventually handing over the reigns to other writers, at one show or another. As a result, The X-Files sometimes lost its creator, while the newer shows would also struggle to keep his attention.
Mooney notes that The X-Files was a somewhat unique television writing experience. Carter encouraged and was happy to allow certain writers to explore their own thematic interests, leading to them playing a larger role in The X-Files. Writers such as Darin Morgan, Vince Gilligan, and the writing duo of Glen Morgan and James Wong all emerged as writers with specific voices that influenced the series further. Morgans humor, Gilligans interest in Western motifs and his criticism of capitalism, and Morgan and Wongs episodes which tended to flesh out Scullys faith and skepticism, added more dimension to the series. Carters willingness to allow his writers the freedom to delve into the themes they were most interested in proved a fertile training ground for writers who would go on to influence the future of television.
Meanwhile, Mooney is also quick to point out all the times that Carters approach didnt work. The shows tendency to reset itself episode after episode in the later seasons was partly because Carter had run out of ways to drag out a mythology that was essentially solved at the end of season six. There were also issues around David Duchovnys insistence the show move from Vancouver to California, as well as his workload while working on non-series movies. In addition, the pay discrepancy between Duchovny and Gillian Anderson also resulted in disparate contractual agreements that allowed Duchovny to do fewer episodes while getting paid the same as Anderson, necessitating those absences be written in ways that made sense.
Mooney also discusses the larger gender politics sometimes at play in the series. Scully is often forced to choose between motherhood and her job, while Mulder is never asked to do the same. Similarly, Carter was prone to romanticize Mulder in ways that left Scully in the role of killjoy. Related to its treatment of gender, Mooney explains that the show often tended to a social conservatism that seemed out of step at the time. The ways the series depicted other cultures was often stereotypical and problematic, as was also sometimes the case with its portrayal of faith and religion. Carters own increasingly spiritual and religious life would give way to representations that would sometimes skew to the more conservative and traditional.
Opening the X-Files is an informative and engrossing critical history of the series. As the book comes to an end, its impossible to not wonder what Mooneys perspective on the recent revival episodes, and how they fit into the larger history of the show, would be. As the 11th season of the The X-Files is currently running, its helpful to keep in mind how the series has evolved over time, while also remaining true to much of what made it such a seminal series of its era. Mooney makes an excellent case for engaging critically with such a beloved series.
Bristol-born Svalbard releases its latest album, Its Hard to Have Hope, 25 May 2018 via Translation Loss (U.S.) and Holy Roar Records (UK). With elements of hardcore, post-rock and the darkest, charred edges of metal in its quiver, the group delivers a deeply angry, thoroughly thought-provoking number via Unpaid Intern (which inspired guitarist/vocalist Serena Cherry to pen a short essay, offered below). The perfect lead track from an album that covers a broad range of contemporary topics, including revenge porn (via the song of the same name), anti-feminist backlash (Feminazi) and complications of life on Earth, 2018 (Try Not to Die Until Youre Dead), Unpaid Intern speaks loudly to a generation tired of watching the world slipping into a dystopian reality.
Its Hard to Have Hope makes its convincing and devastating case in the space of 38 minutes, smashing eardrums and preconceived notions alike. Is it the best album of its kind this year? That remains to be seen. Is it the most ferocious? Quite possibly. The album may be ordered here (U.S.) or here (UK).
The Grinding Halt of Social Mobility
by Serena Cherry
Weve all heard the argument, What if the clever child with the ability to invent a cure for cancer cannot afford the education to do it? Well, lets apply that worrying logic to all businesses (not just the university shaped ones).
What if the person who could maximize your profits / inspire your workforce / create an ingenious new method ispoor? And not I cant afford a third cup of coffee on my way back to my parents massive house poor. Genuinely, debilitatingly poor. No family home to live in rent-free. No safety net of savings. Just a discouraged, blue collar worker, trapped beneath a landslide of endless monthly outgoings.
How will their talents be utilized when corporations only offer unpaid internships as a way in? What if the person who could be the key to a companys success simply couldnt afford to work for them for free?
Has it ever occurred to these discriminatory businesses that the missed opportunity might be theirs?
No, of course, it hasnt. If companies are perfectly comfortable with the word unpaid, then we cant expect them to balk at the word unfair.
Over 70,000 unpaid internships are offered in the UK each year. The majority who undertake them are reliant on parental support, with lodging and travel expenses often subsidized by mum and dad. Straight off the bat, companies with unpaid internship schemes rule out young people whose parents cannot provide. Those whose parents got divorced and now live in separate one-bedroom flats, with no space for their offspring. Those who dont have parents at all. These youngsters are denied crucial work experience purely based on their family background.
But really, its their lack of initiative, right? Look at these eager, driven, competitive young people who did do an unpaid internship. Doesnt it speak volumes of their work-ethic, their determination, their ambition? NO. It means that they were financially comfortable enough to work for free. Being middle class is not a mark of character.
On the subject of the middle class, isnt it slightly alarming that thanks to unpaid internships the middle class are filling up every power position? They take the majority of political roles, journalist positions, jobs in the arts because they can afford to work for free in these coveted areas. Where are the voices of the working class in these job sectors? Well, you probably cant hear them over the grinding halt of social mobility. God forbid a desirable job would go to an undesirable person.
Its not all opposition though. In 2017, Lord Holmes called for a ban on unpaid work experience. He did not receive government backing. Meanwhile, at the Conservatives annual Black and White party, the most prestigious unpaid internships were auctioned off to party donors; who spent an average of 3,000 on a fortnight of work experience for their children. But thats probably just a coincidence I guess.
Why do they pay so much for an unpaid internship though? How has it been manipulated that unpaid internships are now considered the only gateway into white-collar work? There used to be other paths, right? What happened to those?
Unpaid internships are the new price of plonking a posh foot in the career door, but what is the cost? The voices, dreams, brains, and ideas of the working class. Unable to get a job because they havent got experience and unable to get experience because they cannot afford to work for free, this cycle of exclusionary behavior spirals down to suffocate and restrict the poor. Lets face it; we may as well be born with a door slamming shut in our face.
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Bacteria such as Streptococcus pneumoniae (strep) and Hemophilus influenzae (H. flu) account for around 85% of cases of AOM and viruses account for only 15% of these cases.
acute otitis media treatment market
PR-Inside.com: 2018-02-26 09:21:59
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Acute otitis media (AOM) is a type of ear infection in which air-filled space behind the eardrum (the middle ear) is infected and causes pain and general symptoms of illness such as fever, irritability and problem in sleeping. AOM is a most common ear infections among children as the Eustachian tube is shorter as compared to adults, which makes it more accessible to bacteria and viruses. Bacteria such as Streptococcus pneumoniae (strep) and Hemophilus influenzae (H. flu) account for around 85% of cases of AOM and viruses account for only 15% of these cases.Increasing prevalence of AOM disease is expected to drive growth of the acute otitis media treatment marketAccording to a research published in South African Medical Journal in 2014, global incidence rate of acute otitis media is 10.9% and it was estimated that 80% of children will have at least one episode of acute otitis media (AOM) before the age of 3. Increasing prevalence of acute otitis media is expected to create a conducive environment for growth of acute otitis media treatment market in near future. Furthermore, according to a study published in Formulary Journal in 2014, AOM accounted for healthcare expenditure of around US$ 314 per child per year in the U.S. which is additional US$ 2.88 billion healthcare expenditure. Moreover, stringent guidelines and recommendations in terms of treatment of AOM for children by various non-governmental and governmental bodies is expected to be factor for growth of the market. For instance, in 2013, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) updated the guidelines for treatment of AOM. AAP launched 'The Diagnosis and Management of Acute Otitis Media', in 2013, which provides recommendations to physicians for managing uncomplicated AOM in children. As compared to previous guideline published in 2004, the new guideline has added more criteria for diagnosing AOM. This update in guideline is expected to help in better diagnosis and higher treatment rate, which may boost growth of the global acute otitis media treatment market.The global acute otitis media treatment market was valued at US$ 1,943.9 million in 2016 and is expected to witness a CAGR of 5.1% over the forecast period (20172025).Request For Sample Copy@Launching of new products for acute otitis media treatment by key players are factors expected to create a conducive environment for market growth in the near future. For instance, in 2016, Laboratorios SALVAT S.A. and Arbor Pharmaceuticals, LLC launched its OTOVEL (ciprofloxacin 0.3 % and fluocinolone acetonide 0.025 %). This solution is indicated for the treatment of acute otitis media with tympanostomy tubes (AOMT) in pediatric patients. Moreover, in 2016, Otonomy, Inc. launched its OTIPRIO (ciprofloxacin otic suspension), indicated for the treatment of pediatric patients with bilateral acute otitis media in the U.S.Presence of generic drugs, at much lower price compared to branded drugs, in market for the treatment of acute otitis media is the major factor which is expected to hamper the growth in near future. For instance, in 2015, Aurobindo Pharma Ltd. received US FDA approval to launch its generic antibiotic Cefixime in the U.S. market. Cefixime is a third generation cephalosporin indicated for the treatment of acute otitis media.Furthermore, key players manufacturing drugs for treatment of acute otitis media are focusing on increasing their online presence, by launching websites, in order to expand their customer base. For instance, in 2013, Alcon launched its DROPS101 Web Tools a mobile website that provides educational resource about commonly prescribed eye and ear treatments. DROPS101 Web Tools offers product information related to the treatment of acute otitis media.Key players operating in the acute otitis media treatment market include Pfizer, Inc., Eli Lilly and Company, Abbott Laboratories, GlaxoSmithKline plc., Bayer AG, Novartis AG, Pediapharm Inc., Sanofi S.A., and Bristol Myers Squibb Company.Get More Details On this Report:About Coherent Market Insights:Coherent Market Insights is a prominent market research and consulting firm offering action-ready syndicated research reports, custom market analysis, consulting services, and competitive analysis through various recommendations related to emerging market trends, technologies, and potential absolute dollar opportunity.Contact Us:Coherent Market Insights1001 4th Ave,#3200Seattle, WA 98154Tel: +1-206-701-6702Email:sales@ coherentmarketinsights.com Visit our news Website: http://www.coherentchronicle.com
PR-Inside.com: 2018-02-25 21:31:01
Third acquisition since IPO to fuel continued growth in the region
Alteryx Expands Reach by Acquiring Partner in Australia
Alteryx, Inc.
Lisa Soto, 949-668-1455
lsoto@alteryx.com
Alteryx, Inc. (NYSE: AYX), revolutionizing business through data science and analytics, completes the acquisition of master distributor, Alteryx ANZ in Sydney, Australia. Alteryx continues to expand the footprint of its end-to-end data science and analytics platform and enterprises around the globe are requiring more local sales and marketing presence, in-market platform support and thought leadership in the region. This acquisition will allow Alteryx to build on the success of the more than 100 current Alteryx customers in the region including companies like Amaysim, Commonwealth Bank, NBN, Australia Post and Telstra. Alteryx intends to expand the team with additional sales, channel, support and technical resources to address the growing market. According to IDC, more than 40% of organizations in Australia and New Zealand have already invested in big data and analytics deployments and will increase their investments in 20181.
There is no doubt that data is reshaping businesses all over the world, and Australia and New Zealand (ANZ) are no exception, said Steve Walden, SVP of Business Development. With the spotlight on data science and analytics ROI, this acquisition allows us to better meet the needs of current Alteryx customers who are leveraging data and analytics to improve business outcomes. Being in the market also provides the opportunity to expand our customer and partner ecosystem more efficiently.
Alteryx ANZ has acted as the exclusive master distributor in Australia and New Zealand since 2015, helping to establish Alteryx as a leader in the self-service data science and analytics market while helping organizations develop a data and analytics culture necessary for success in digital transformation. Were already helping customers in the region break down data barriers and get to business-changing insights faster than ever before, said JJ Phillips, Regional Country Manager at Alteryx. In our efforts to turn analytics up to eleven across ANZ, we intend to continue to work closely with our amazing partnersincluding MIP, RXP Services Limited, Tridant, Billigence, Acquum Consulting, FIRN Analytics, Webranzwhile strengthening our local sales, support and market presence.
Alteryx will be participating in the Gartner Data & Analytics Summit [..] in Sydney, Australia this week. Visit our booth #S18 to learn more about how we are revolutionizing business through data science and analytics in Australia and New Zealand.
To reach Alteryx in Australia directly, please call (+61) 2 8324 1334 from outside Australia or 1 800 984 598 from within Australia.
1Source: IDC, Australia and New Zealand Big Data Heat Map, doc #AP43527518, January 2018
About the Gartner Data & Analytics Summit
Data and analytics leaders are fueling digital transformation, creating monetization opportunities, improving the customer experience and reshaping industries. The Gartner Data & Analytics Summit provides the tools to build on the fundamentals of data management, business intelligence (BI), and analytics; harness innovative technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI), blockchain and the Internet of Things (IoT); and accelerate the shift toward a data-driven culture to lead the way to better business outcomes.
About Alteryx, Inc.
Revolutionizing business though data science and analytics, Alteryx offers an end-to-end analytics platform which empowers data analysts and scientists alike to break data barriers, deliver insights, and experience the thrill of getting to the answer faster. Organizations all over the world rely on Alteryx daily to deliver actionable insights. For more information visit www.alteryx.com.
Alteryx is a registered trademark of Alteryx, Inc. All other product and brand names may be trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owners.
View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/201802250051
PR-Inside.com: 2018-02-26 07:02:01
Diversified Gateway Berhad Becomes NTT Communications' First Partner in Malaysia for Managed Services
Media Contact
NTT Communications
Ms. Aga Szczesniak
gmone_partners@ntt.com
NTT Communications (NTT Com), the ICT solutions and international communications business within the NTT Group (TOKYO:9432), announced today that Diversified Gateway Berhad (DGB) has become the first partner in Malaysia to provide NTT Coms Global Management One (GMOne) managed [..]. This partnership is a part of NTT Coms expansion strategy for its managed services in the region, following Singapore and Hong Kong. Both companies will leverage complementary strengths to provide managed services based on automation to medium and large size enterprise customers in Malaysia.
GMOne services are designed to meet the requirements of enterprise customers who need to manage an increasingly complex and hybrid ICT environment. Leveraging NTT Coms global resources, GMOne is a one-stop global solution that helps companies manage their entire hybrid ICT ecosystem, from infrastructure through business applications to business services. Thanks to proactive 24x7x365 remote monitoring and management (RMM) of the entire infrastructure, GMOne helps customers maximize the benefits from their Hybrid ICT without compromising on security and reliability.
NTT Com, together with DGB, understands the specific needs of domestic customers as well as those with an international presence, and provides Malaysia-based enterprise-grade managed services to the Malaysian market.
Malaysia is a rapidly developing market and one of the key Southeast Asian markets for us, said Hirofumi Miyama, Senior Vice President of Managed Services at NTT Com. Teaming up with a partner such as DGB, who understands local needs and can build solutions that include our managed services, is something that we were looking for, continues Mr. Miyama.
Under this partnership, both companies will craft solutions consisting of NTT Coms GMOne managed services and DGBs enterprise network and infrastructure services. As a part of the GMOne Partner Program, DGB will also receive specialized certification training on GMOne managed services which is an essential element of the GMOne Academy. GMOne Academy is a dedicated educational program for Partners under which sales and pre-sales teams can receive essential knowledge about GMOne services, sales processes and market insights.
DGB will provide consulting services around network design, deployment and optimization. NTT Com will provide fully managed end-to-end, operations services and also ensure effective management of multi-vendor environments, leading to optimizing operational expenditure and maximizing efficiencies of scale. The full suite of managed services will be delivered through the Global Delivery Centers located in 7 countries across the world and DGBs field operations in Malaysia.
Diversified Gateway Solutions Berhads Executive Director Dato' Dr Tan Seng Chuan said We are very proud to partner with NTT Com and be the first in Malaysia to offer their GMOne managed services to midsize and large enterprise customers. We see the market potential and our customers are looking for such comprehensive managed services.
Emerio Malaysia (an NTT Communications company) will assist DGB in joining the Partner Program and with Go-to-Market and Pre-sales activities, as well as facilitate transitioning DGBs customers to GMOne.
About Diversified Gateway Berhad
Diversified Gateway Berhad, a part of Diversified Gateway Solutions Berhad (DGSB), is a leading networking systems integrator in Malaysia. DGSB group of companies, with its Head office in Malaysia, has more than 200 SAP Consultants employed in Thailand as well as more than 50 network engineers employed in Malaysia. On the strength of a diversified and renowned customer base built over the years, the Group has deployed state-of-the-art SAP solutions in various industries across Asia and provides a full range of tele/data communications solutions in Local Area Network, Wide Area Network, Transmission, Switching and Operation Support Systems throughout Malaysia.
www.dgsbgroup.com
About Emerio
Emerio, an NTT Communications company, is a global IT services and solutions provider focused on helping clients improve business competitiveness, efficiency and ROI. Emerio serves a vast client base ranging from SMBs to Fortune 500 public and private sector customers. With over 1,850 professionals, Emerio operates in 11 countries across South East Asia with state-of-the-art delivery centers in Singapore (HQ), Malaysia, India, Indonesia, Philippines and Thailand. Emerio has a strong presence in the South East Asia region with extensive industry knowledge, proven methodologies, skilled resources and a successful track record.
www.emeriocorp.com
About NTT Communications
NTT Communications provides consultancy, architecture, security and cloud services to optimize information and communications technology (ICT) environments of many global enterprises. These services are backed by the companys worldwide infrastructure, including the leading global Tier-1 IP network, the Arcstar Universal One VPN network reaching over 190 countries/regions, and over 140 secure data centers worldwide. NTT Communications solutions leverage the global resources of NTT Group companies including Dimension Data, NTT DOCOMO and NTT DATA.
www.ntt.com
View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/201802250050
PR-Inside.com: 2018-02-25 23:01:02
Visit Packsize at the Retail Fulfilment Summit, booth 28, from February 26 to 28 in Melbourne.
On Demand Packaging Manufacturer Manifests Culture of Packaging Innovation Through Packsize Global Modular Architecture
Packsize Pty Ltd
Sean Ledbury, +61-2-9997-5830
sean.ledbury@packsize.com
Packsize today announced a new engineering platform and packaging architecture that outlines the scope and intent of its future On Demand Packaging systems. At its core, Packsize Global Modular Architecture is about delivering to customers ever-better, complete, and scalable packaging ecosystems.
Our aim is to make Packsizes manufacturing more flexible and responsive to changes in the marketplace, which in turn gives customers greater opportunity to grow their business, said Packsize CEO Hanko Kiessner. Packsize GMA represents our commitment, partnership, and active engagement with customers across distribution and production marketplaces alike who confront an ever-accelerating pace of change in their material handling operations and supply chains.
Packsize Global Modular Architecture includes five tenets:
Flexibility
Core Strength
Speed
Sustainability
Smart Approach
Flexibility will lead to corrugated packaging advances in customer facilities as well as savings that Packsize will reinvest in future technologies, said John Alpine, Packsize Global Vice President, R&D and Product Development. The common platform architecture now delivers a modular and rapid approach to machine development.
For customers, this will mean they are up and running quicker with lower costs thanks to simplified installation and maintenance and reduced need for spare parts.
The platforms alignment with core strength is expressed through improvements to basic performance of its core, which will raise efficiencies and operational outcomes across all machine ecosystems.
Speed refers to the Packsize GMA platforms rapid response to dynamic market changes, which is now integrated into all Packsize global manufacturing sites.
As new industries move to On Demand Packaging with a range of varied packaging needs, Packsize GMA gives us the agility to respond in a fraction of the time, said Alpine.
Packsizes sustainability pledge, Smart Packaging for a Healthy Planet, is much more than a focus on the box. This company hallmark centers on addressing increased demand for sustainable formats and practices. Packsize helps customers in resource-consuming industries find responsible methods through proven solutions that also make it possible for their customers to simply enjoy the experience of receiving the delivered package.
Smart approach represents Packsizes continued commitment to decade-ahead thinking that goes beyond capturing customer imagination by preparing them for the fourth industrial revolution. Packsize GMA will challenge assumptions while transforming the customers packaging environment and entire supply chain through the smart application of digitization, the Internet of Things (IoT), and real-world technologies that deliver actual economic value.
Packsize Global Modular Architecture sets the stage for the companys product announcements that will occur progressively throughout 2018. The companys M-Series machine line and accessories will be among the first release candidates. The new Packsize GMA system will represent a ready-for-anything packaging state from the leading manufacturing engineers of On Demand Packaging systems, software, and solutions.
To learn more about On Demand Packaging, visit Packsize Propriety Limited, at the Retail Fulfilment Summit from February 26 to 28, 2018 at the Pullman Melbourne Albert Park in booth 28. Contact us at info.apac@packsize.com or call +61-2-9997-5830.
About Packsize
Packsize is the leading international provider of lean packaging systems for businesses with corrugated packaging needs. On Demand Packaging systems from Packsize give companies unrivaled, just-in-time custom packaging solutions that make a right-sized box for every product, on demand. Learn why leading brands embrace Smart Packaging for a Healthy Planet at www.packsize.com.au.
2018 Packsize. All rights reserved. Packsize, the Packsize logo, and On Demand Packaging are registered trademarks of Packsize LLC.
View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/201802250051
To learn more, visit Packsize Propriety Ltd. at Retail Fulfilment Summit, February 26 to 28, 2018 in booth 28.
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A forum of Dapchi missing schoolgirls parents are disputing the federal government released figures on the number of girls that are missing after suspected Boko Haram gunmen attacked their community last week.
The Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, on Sunday in Damaturu said the government will commence search for 110 schoolgirls out of 906 student population.
Mr. Mohammed spoke with journalists after a closed-door meeting with members of Yobe State community and security agencies in Damaturu last week. He said parents of the missing schoolgirls also attended the meeting.
There was no doubt that the insurgents were in Dapchi and as at today, we cannot account for 110 girls, said the information minister.
Because the total register of the students that came to school that day was 906 but as at today, about 110 of them cannot be accounted for and that is the situation.
This claims were, however, disputed by the parents forum, which denied knowledge of the ministers visit as well as the figures he quoted.
PREMIUM TIMES spoke with the forums chairman, Bashir Manzo, who said he was not aware of the meeting in Damaturu.
He also denied knowledge of the new figure announced by the minister in Damaturu.
I am not aware of the meeting in Damaturu, he said.
No one informed us here in Dapchi that a meeting would hold. And as far as our record here is concerned, we still have 105, but if they have additional names to what we had first established, fine and good. We are happy no one is saying the figure is less than what weve had.
Since the attack on Dapchi and the subsequent abduction of the schoolgirls, there has been conflicting figures being quoted by the by government. The parents of the girls were the first to release the 105 figure which appears to be the most credible information.
The parents were able to achieve this by opening a register in which only genuine parents of the girls are allowed to give the names and details of their missing daughters.
Meanwhile, the federal government did not explain how it arrived at its own summation.
The Director-General of the State Security Service (SSS), Lawal Daura, has given rare details of how the Nigerian government negotiated with Boko Haram for the release of abducted oil explorers and policewomen.
The police officers were abducted in June 20, 2017 while travelling from Maiduguri, the capital city of Borno State, to Askira Uba local government area to attend a burial.
The lecturers were part of a team of geophysicists searching for oil in the Lake Chad Basin, on behalf of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC.
The abductees were released on February 10. They were received by President Muhammadu Buhari on Monday.
Addressing the president and the abductees, the SSS boss, Mr. Daura, identified Jummai Ibrahim as the victim who was serving as a youth corps member at the time of her abduction.
He said she could have passed out at the end of the last batch in 2017.
Other female abductees are Esther Kwasina, Amina Gomdiya, Gloria Bulus, Paulina Amos and Tani Audu, a final year student at the University of Maiduguri.
He later gave details of how the negotiation happened. It is however unclear what terms were finally agreed upon for the kidnapped officials to be released.
Mr. President, the search and negotiations for the rescue of the victims commenced in earnest following your directives to the effect that all abducted persons must be found and rescued alive, Mr. Daura said.
However, we chose the path of negotiation because it was considered as the safest because any forceful attempt to rescue the victims could endanger their lives.
These negotiations took several months and the Department of State Services with support of the external elements of the group in diaspora and support from friendly countries and liaising with International Committee of the Red Cross, made the rescue possible, he said.
Mr. Daura also said the process of the rescue slowed due to the problem of dealing with two different groups based in different locations at the same time.
In addition, the negotiations took place mostly outside the country, though subsequently finalised in the theatre of operations.
The negotiations were mainly centered on an attempt at conflict mitigation which include the fate of arrested members of the insurgent groups especially, accepting to free by government those found not to be culpable in any criminal action.
Also, possible cessation of hostilities especially the attacks with IEDs on innocent civilians, worship centres, schools and other public places in return for temporary stoppage of air strikes by helicopter gunships.
Lastly, the negotiation was also centered on the possibility of granting amnesty to those willing to surrender and ready to lay down their arms by the federal government, he said.
A geophysics lecturer, Solomon Yusuf, spoke at the event on behalf of the released abductees.
While we were in captivity and we said with 180 million or more Nigerians, will Nigeria ever come to rescue us? We lost hope! Sir, you surprised us. After seven months for us in the university and eight months for the 10 ladies, Nigeria rescued us. This shows that the life of every Nigerian is important and is worth rescuing.
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Sir, we are grateful. You gave us hope when there was no hope And we are excited, we thank you Sir, Mr. Yusuf said.
We also want to appreciate the DSS, the Nigerian armed forces, and the entire team that worked together to make sure we regained our freedom. We appreciate the labour of love they have shown to us.
We also want to appreciate Nigerians for praying. We were informed that the entire nation was praying for us and we were excited and we said, Oh God what is this? This is love. Sir, we are grateful.
Sir, from the university, it is a golden opportunity for us to see you and to share our fears and concern because we were abducted while working for the nation. And right now going back home to us is still a nightmare because of our experiences.
Sir we have this golden plea with all due respect. Sir, if there is an opportunity for us to be relocated and maybe given another job, Sir, this is our golden request. This is the only opportunity we have to share with you. But we appreciate everything done, the sacrifice you have given to us. Thank you Sir.
Two major security agencies have exchanged words over their roles in the kidnap of 110 girls from their secondary school in Dapchi, Yobe State.
The Nigerian Army and the Nigeria Police Force expressed opposing views as each tried to absolve itself of any responsibility in the kidnap of the girls.
PREMIUM TIMES reported the kidnap of the girls last week Monday after Boko Haram invaded Dapchi.
The army fired the first salvo when it claimed it withdrew its officials from Dapchi only after it handed over the security of the community to the police; a claim the police denied in a statement by its Yobe police commissioner, Sumonu Abdulmaliki.
Onyema Nwachukwu, a spokesperson for the Nigerian Army in Maiduguri, said the soldiers were withdrawn from Dapchi on January 10 exactly 40 days before the attack and not a week before as stated by Yobe State governor, Ibrahim Geidam.
Mr. Geidam blamed the military over the weekend for the attack, which he said was reminiscent of the 2013 attack in Buni Yadi.
I blame the whole attack on Dapchi on the military and the defence headquarters who withdrew troops from Dapchi. The attack occurred barely a week after the military withdrew the soldiers from there, Mr. Geidam said while receiving Ibrahim Shettima, his counterpart from neighbouring Borno State, Saturday.
Before then, Dapchi has been peaceful, there was never such incident. But just a week after they withdrew the troops, Boko Haram came to attack the town, he said.
Mr. Geidam said a similar situation played out in 2013 when Boko Haram invaded a school in Buni Yadi, another town in the state, and killed scores of schoolboys.
He said the insurgents struck a few days after the soldiers pulled out of Buni Yadi.
Governor exaggerated timeline of attack Military
The Defence Headquarters was the first to push back against the allegations on Sunday night, with its spokesperson telling PREMIUM TIMES that the governor was being mischievous with his comments.
Mr. Nwachukwu, a colonel and spokesperson for the Operation Lafiya Dole in the Northeast, said in a separate statement to PREMIUM TIMES Monday evening that a whole battalion which included hundreds of troops stationed in Dapchi and two Forward Operating Bases was redeployed to Kanama, in Yunusari Local Government Area.
Kanama lies about 125 kilometres northeast of Dapchi near the Yobe border with the Niger Republic.
Contrary to the comments being circulated, troops earlier deployed in Dapchi were redeployed to reinforce troops in Kanama following attacks on troops location at the NigerianNigerien border, Mr. Nwachuku said.
In a follow-up interview with PREMIUM TIMES, the spokesperson said the troops were moved from 159 Task Force Battalion in Dapchi on January 10 when they realised that the battalion in Kanama needed a reinforcement.
The revelation that it took nearly six weeks after the soldiers were sent on reinforcement mission before the attack debunked the governors claim that the military withdrew a week before the attack on Dapchi.
Before the troops were moved out, Mr. Nwachukwu said, the military leadership ensured that there was no imminent threat against Dapchi and left the police in charge of security operations in the town.
Consequently, security of Dapchi town was formally handed over to the Nigeria Police Division located in the town
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Troops redeployment was, therefore, done in tandem with the exigencies of operation and not as misconstrued, Mr. Nwachukwu added.
Army statement untrue, unfounded and misleading Police
The police quickly responded to the militarys disclosure on Monday night, contradicting the militarys statement and absolving themselves of any wrongdoing.
The statement by the military of formal handing over of Dapchi town to the Nigeria Police Division in Dapchi is not correct, Yobe police commissioner, Sunmonu Abdulmaliki, said in a statement to PREMIUM TIMES. There was no time that the military informed the police of their withdrawal, consulted or handed over their locations in Dapchi town to the Police.
Mr. Abdulmaliki said the police have always cooperated with other sister agencies, including the military because Yobe State is still under security alert as part of the ongoing war against Boko Haram.
The whole of Yobe State is still under Security Emergency which the police, the military and other security agencies are battling to ensure lasting peace, the commissioner said. Members of the public in Yobe State are implored to disregard and discountenance this claim that the military formally handed the security of Dapchi town to the Nigeria Police as untrue, unfounded and misleading.
We handed over to the police, Army insists
When reached for reaction to the police denial, Mr. Nwachukwu emphasised that the military would not get involved in any blame game with the police, but stood his ground that the security in Dapchi was left for the police when soldiers were withdrawn.
Our role is to defend the territorial integrity of the country. Its the role of the sister security agencies to protect the civilian population whenever we have liberated a community from insurgents, Mr. Nwachukwu told PREMIUM TIMES.
If the commissioner says they were not told to take charge of the security, does that mean they abandoned all the checkpoints the soldiers had in place before they were moved to Kanama?
What role did the police play when Boko Haram entered the community? How did the police respond to the terrorists? he added.
The squabbles that the police have not been living up to their responsibilities whenever the military handed over control of liberated communities to them have been a regular feature in the war against Boko Haram, which has now entered its ninth year.
The military, which has led the war against Boko Haram since 2009, insists that it has no capacity to secure all parts of the country. Soldiers are said to be actively engaged in security operations in more than 30 of the 36 states, including combatting kidnapping and oil bunkering.
Mr. Nwachukwu said other security agencies should live up to their responsibility and relieve the military of its burden.
Weve been in Malamfatori, Lake Chad, Gashigar and Sambisa, but the police cannot enter all these places, he said. Again, were not interested in a blame game, but the police should know that theyre supposed to take charge of an area that has been liberated by the military.
Our roles should be complementary: After weve liberated a town, sister agencies should immediately take charge of security there.
He said the police are in charge of security in Maiduguri, the Borno State capital, where the insurgency started in July 2009.
Although we have the 7 Division Headquarters in Maiduguri that could always intervene when necessary, the police are playing their daily roles in securing the town from minor threats, Mr. Nwachukwu said.
Dapchi, an unfamiliar territory to Boko Haram
Prior to February 19 attack, Dapchi, which is located in Bursari Local Government Area, had never experienced Boko Haram,Mr. Nwachukwu said.
This is the more reason why we had an all-clear there before we moved the battalion to Kanama, he said. You may go and check your record, but youll never find anywhere that the Boko Haram attacked Dapchi before Monday attack.
Information Minister Lai Mohammed stated on Sunday that an estimated 110 girls are missing in the hours-long assault on Government Girls Science and Technical College.
But a forum of parents insisted that its figure of 105 missing girls was more accurate and queried where Mr. Mohammed got his figure from when he had not had any interface with them.
Mr. Mohammed was amongst the first three ministers that President Muhammadu Buhari sent to Yobe on a fact-finding mission in the wake of the attack. The admission that 110 girls were missing was the first confirmation from the government since the attack.
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Ex-President Goodluck Jonathan has felicitated with former President Shehu Shagari who clocked 93 years this Sunday, describing him as a formidable patriot and exemplary statesman.
In a goodwill message to the nonagenarian, Mr. Jonathan praised Mr. Shagari as a humble leader who set standards in selfless service.
A statement by Mr. Jonathans spokesman, Ikechukwu Eze, quoted the former president as describing Mr. Shagari as an elder statesman whose conduct in and out of office is worthy of emulation.
The statement read:
I write, on behalf of my family, to express very warm greetings to you on the occasion of your 93rd birthday.
I am glad the grace of Almighty Allah which led you to set standards in selfless service has kept you healthy in old age.
You are an exemplary leader and elder statesman whose humility, patriotism, peaceful disposition and vision for a great nation will continue to inspire Nigerians across generations.
I wish you more years in good health and sound mind for you to continue to do good for humanity.
A judge of the Lagos Division of the Federal High Court on Monday revoked the bail of a former staff of the Nigerian Maritime Administrative and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Alu Dismas, over late coming to the court.
Mojisola Olatoregun, the judge, said it was not the first time Mr. Dismas had come late for his trial, adding that the court does not wait for an accused.
Mr. Dismas, a former personal assistant to Patrick Akpobolokemi, the ex-Director General of NIMASA, and Callistus Obi, a former acting D-G of the agency, are facing an eight-count charge of money laundering amounting to N136 million.
The accused had pleaded not guilty to the charges and were admitted to bail in the sum of N5 million each with sureties in like sums.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) had closed the case for the prosecution on January 31, while the defence filed a no-case submission in response.
The court, however, dismissed the submission and ordered the defence to open its case.
When proceedings began at 9 a.m. on Monday, only Mr. Obi, the first accused person, was in court.
Mr. Dismas arrived the court at about 10.35 am, after the matter had been stood down. When the proceedings resumed, the visibly angry judge said she had had enough of the accused persons late-comings.
I hereby revoke his bail, he should be taken back into prison custody, the judge held.
On hearing the judges decision, Mr. Dismas broke down in the dock and wept.
Following the decision of the court, the first defendants counsel, Wale Akoni, called his client into the witness box to open his defence.
Mr. Akoni: Look at these documents and confirm if they are contract documents emanating from the Federal Ministry of Labour and Productivity.
The witness: Yes, two are letters from NIMASA and the third is a letter from Federal Ministry of Labour and Productivity as regards a contract.
When asked if he participated in writing any of the letters, he replied, No, I didnt.
On how much was requested of NIMASA, the witness replied that N35 million was requested for preparing documents for ratification of Maritime Labour Convention 2006 but N25 million was approved.
He added that he did not retain any part of the N25 million.
When asked what money from NIMASA was paid into an account for him, he said they were refunds on a project NIMASA had not paid for yet, which he used funds from elsewhere to discharge.
In his cross-examination, counsel to the second accused, Joseph Nwaobike, asked the witness did you conspire with the second defendant to defraud NIMASA?
Witness: No I didnt
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Mr.Nwobike: In your statement at EFCC, you said the second defendant sent you a text message; I can say the text was not a direct instruction from the second defendant?
The witness: The second defendant is not in a position to give me instructions, it was an instruction from the Director-General of NIMASA.
During his cross-examination, the prosecutor, Rotimi Oyedepo, asked the witness: You are the sole signatory to bank accounts opened by you on behalf of the third and fourth defendants, am I correct? The witness answered Yes.
Oyedepo: Is it correct to say that you received about N43 million into those accounts from NIMASA?
Witness: Yes.
Oyedepo: Are you aware that N111 million was credited to Kostan Mega Ltd as a result of the text message between you and the second defendant?
Witness: I wouldnt know.
Oyedepo: What were the services rendered by Kostan Mega Ltd?
Witness: I wouldnt know.
Oyedepo: The total sum of N25 million that was sent to the third and fourth defendants bank account, what was it used for?
Witness: For my personal use.
Oyedepo: Will I be correct to say you used part of it to build your hotel?
Witness: Yes I did.
Oyedepo: You made a cash payment of N25 million to one Mrs. Braimoh, are you aware that it is wrong to make cash payment of government funds?
Witness: Im not aware.
The judge adjourned till March 7, 8. and 9 for continuation of cross-examination of the witness, adding that progress must be made in this case; it has lingered for two years, and we must take trial day to day.
According to the charge, the accused were said to have committed the offence in August 2014.
They were said to have conspired to convert the said sum which is property of NIMASA, and knowing same to be proceeds of stealing.
The offence is said to contravene the provisions of sections 15 and 18(a) of the Money Laundering Prohibition (Amendment) Act, 2012.
These are some of the highpoints of reports published in the national and global health terrains last week.
Nigeria has 11th highest newborn deaths globally UNICEF
Nigeria has the 11th highest rate of newborn deaths in the world, a new report by the United Nations Childrens Fund, UNICEF, said.
The report focused on Newborn Mortality.
The global average newborn deaths per 1,000 births is 29. But with 37 newborns dying in every 1000 births in the country, Nigerias newborn mortality rate is higher than the global average.
According to the report, eight of the 10 most dangerous places to be born are in sub-Saharan Africa, where pregnant women are much less likely to receive assistance during delivery due to poverty, conflict and weak institutions.
Meningitis kills four in Niger
The Niger State Government last week confirmed the death of four persons in the state from C strain cerebrospinal meningitis.
The state commissioner of health, Mustapha Jubril, at a press statement said about 31 cases have so far been reported with nine laboratory tests confirmed including the four deaths.
The deaths were recorded in Katcha local Government Area of the state.
ECOWAS opens Regional Centre for Surveillance and Disease Control
The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has opened its Regional Centre for Surveillance and Disease Control (RCSDC) office in Abuja.
The technical opening of the centre was attended by members of the West African Health Organisation, two ministers from ECOWAS and development partners.
The centre will work with ECOWAS to promote health security in the region and will begin operation with 11 staff recruited from across the region.
The agency was set up to strengthen member states health systems and enhance the regions capacity for epidemics prevention, diagnosis and control.
Specialist advises on ear management
An Ear Nose and Throat (ENT) specialist last week advised Nigerians against incessant use of earphones and headbands, saying that such could cause sores in the ear.
Abdulwahab Anas said using earphones could mount mechanical pressure to the ear and cause sores or other related diseases to the ear.
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He explained that the best way to care for the ear to avoid any form of infections is by using a small clean cloth to clean the external region of the ear.
The cloth should be used mildly and not inserted deeply into the ear canal as that may push the wax deeper, he added.
Workers strike grounds Federal Neuropsychiatric Hospital, Enugu
Activities at the Federal Neuropsychiatric Hospital in Enugu were grounded following an industrial action by the Joint Health Sector Unions (JOHESU) in the health facility.
The hospital was deserted as only a few doctors and nurses were on duty as the strike entered day 13.
The Chairman of Medical and Health Workers Union at the hospital, Mathew Eze, said the industrial action was emarked upon to protest the percentage salary and other illegal deductions from their salaries by the management of the institution.
Anti-depressants lift peoples Mood Study
Anti-depressants do help lift peoples mood, although their effects vary, according to a recent study published in the London-based medical journal, The Lancet.
The study, which analysed data from 522 trials involving 21 common anti-depressants, found that all tested drugs were effective in treating depression.
Drugs were deemed effective if symptoms were reduced in at least half of patients over two months.
Lead author Andrea Cipriani said he was very excited about the findings as it provided a final answer to the controversy over the effectiveness of the drugs.
Hot water bath dangerous for new born babies
Nigerian women have been advised to desist from bathing their newborn babies with hot water and stretching their hands in an attempt to massage them.
A Community Health Technician, Hellen Bulu, who gave the advice in a lecture to mothers at an immunisation programme in Abuja said it is typical of the African women to bathe their newborn with hot water and also stretch their hands without knowing the implication.
Bulu said bathing newborn with hot water can cause high temperature. She however advised mothers to breastfeed newborns rather than apply hot water when the baby is having high temperature.
Worlds largest brain tumour operated in India
Surgeons in Mumbai, India, last week removed a 1.87-kg brain tumour from a 31-year-old man, saying it was the largest in the world.
The surgery lasted for seven hours at the Nair Hospital.
News of the procedure was made public after the hospital ensured the surgery was successful as the patient, Santlal Pal, had recovered, doctors at the facility said.
The tumour was so big, it appeared there was another head mounted on top of the patients head, Srikanth Balasubramaniam, a senior surgeon who was part of the operating team said.
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President Muhammadu Buhari on Monday met with lecturers of the University of Maiduguri and police officers wives who were abducted by Boko Haram last year.
He received them at the presidential villa, Abuja.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the rescued persons had been under the custody of the State Security Service (SSS) in Abuja where they were examined by a team of doctors and psychologists.
The rescued lecturers were abducted by suspected Boko Haram terrorists in Magumeri, Borno, while the police officers wives were kidnapped in a raid by the militant group on a military/police convoy on Damboa road, near Maiduguri, in June 2017.
Their release after series of negotiations, according to an earlier statement issued by a presidential spokesman, Garba Shehu, was facilitated by the International Committee of the Red Cross, ICRC, in line with presidential directives. (NAN)
The committee inaugurated by the All Progressives Congress (APC) to look into the crisis rocking its Kaduna chapter, has said the crisis is resolvable.
According to a report by PUNCH, the committee, led by the former governor of Ekiti State, Segun Oni, began its assignment on Sunday.
The committees inaugural interface with the Senator Suleiman Hunkuyi-led faction however could not hold at the demolished factional secretariat of the party at 11B Sambo Road, Kaduna as committee members arrived late.
The committee members were expected at the factional secretariat by 11a.m. to interact with the leadership, but arrived more than six hours behind schedule.
By the time the committee got there, the aggrieved party members had addressed journalists on their plight and dispersed.
When the Segun Oni-led committee arrived the secretariat, they met Mr. Hunkuyi and the factional chairman, Danladi Wada.
Mr. Oni apologised to the Hunkuyi group for his teams late arrival.
Mr. Oni appealed to party leaders in the state to let peace reign and sheathe their swords.
The party headquarters inaugurated the committee following the demolition of the Kaduna APC factional office by the state government last week.
Members of the committee are: the Deputy National Chairman (South-West); Segun Oni, National Auditor; George Moghalu, and National Woman Leader, Rahmatu Alliyu.
The report said the committee members had earlier met Governor Nasir El-Rufai and the North-West National Vice-Chairman of the party, Inuwa Abdulkadir, whose house was also demolished by the state government.
Mr. Oni said the committee was only on a fact-finding assignment,and the report would be submitted to the Bola Tinubu-led presidential committee to assist the Presidential Reconciliation Committee.
Let me say that we are here on a fact-finding mission. The national working committee of the party is concerned about the crisis rocking the party in the state, Mr. Oni was quoted as saying.
We dont want acrimony within our family and we dont want a situation where some members will feel bad and aggrieved.
That is why we are here. We are also here to appeal to both sides and all the sides that you should sheathe your swords and give us time to put this report together.
Mr. Hunkuyi briefed members of the committee on how the leaders of the party had waited patiently for six hours before departing the venue of the interface.
He also informed the committee that while the chairman of the other faction was invited by the national working committee for the next National Executive Committee meeting of the party, his groups chairman was not invited.
If there will be reconciliation, there should be fairness and justice shown to all.
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Earlier the senator representing Kaduna Central, Shehu Sani, spoke on behalf of the group, insisting that the factional APC chairman, Danladi Wada, remained the authentic party chair.
Mr. Sani however passed a vote of confidence in the Oni-led committee.
The Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, has directed the arrest and prosecution of all persons responsible for Mondays mayhem which occurred in Kasuwan Magani in Kajuru local government area.
The government said that security agencies must, investigate the incident, arrest and make available for prosecution the perpetrators.
There was pandemonium at Kasuwar Magani community in Kajuru Local Government Area of Kaduna State on Monday as houses and shops were set ablaze following a crisis that erupted in the area.
A youth leader in the area, Yahaya, also known as Dan Najeriya, told PREMIUM TIMES via a phone call that the violence started around 12.00 noon.
He explained that the crisis was as a result of some girls who wanted to change their religion but were scolded by some youth in the community.
It is not clear from which religion the girls wanted to change from.
I can confirm to you that shops and houses have been set ablaze by a group of youth in the area.
Many people have been injured and we also feared some even lost their lives because I saw three dead bodies with my eyes, Dan Najeriya said.
In a statement signed by Samuel Aruwan, Mr. El-Rufais spokesperson, the government condemned the violence.
Mr. Aruwan said that the government has expressed its sympathy to the victims and their families.
According to Mr. Aruwan, the government has directed the State Emergency Management Agency to take inventory of damages and provide relief materials with immediate effect.
Also, the Kaduna Police Commissioner, Austin Iwar, said the command has already begun an investigation into the matter.
The commissioner who confirmed the incident to PREMIUM TIMES said security personnel have been deployed to the community to maintain order.
He explained that those injured have been evacuated to Saint Gerald Hospital located within Kaduna metropolis.
The official, who was recently posted to the state, could not give details of the casualties but said some people were injured.
The area is calm, the road has been opened. We are now trying to investigate the immediate and remote cause of the problem.
There are few people that have been injured. Normally, if chaos occurs, there would be injuries. Some people have been injured and we have taken them to Saint Gerald hospital, he said.
PREMIUM TIMES also spoke with a resident, Baba Ado, who said he escaped death by the whiskers after he was attacked by hoodlums.
I was in front of my house when some youth attacked me with a machete on my left hand. I asked them of my offence but they ran away. Only God save(d) me from them, he said.
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Mr. Ado also added that an Almajiri boy was killed behind the market, an information this paper could not independently verify.
When contacted, the executive secretary of the state emergency management agency, Ben Kure, said his team could not go to the area due to security concern.
We were told to hold on a bit until security improves in the area but we are hoping to enter the community by tomorrow if normalcy returns, he said.
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A magistrate court in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, on Monday dismissed criminal charges filed by the police against three persons in the state for protesting at the gate of the Government House, Uyo.
Benson Benjamin, Enobong Kenneth, and Utibe Akan were arrested by the police in January last year and charged to court for conspiracy to commit unlawful purpose and conduct likely to cause breach of public peace.
The three men were among hundreds of next of kin who were protesting against the state government for the non-payment of gratuities and pensions of their late relatives, some primary school teachers who died while in the government service.
They were arrested by Deina Abibo, an assistant commissioner of police serving at the state police headquarters, Ikot Akpan Abia.
Mr. Abibo, who was the complainant in the case, served as the first prosecution witness (PW1).
The magistrate, Martin Johnson, said the prosecution failed to establish a prima facie case against the accused persons and therefore dismissed the case against them.
The magistrate said Mr. Abibo had admitted before the court, during cross-examination, that it was customary for people to hold peaceful protest in front of the Government House gate and that it would be wrong to arrest any Nigerian for embarking on a peaceful protest.
PW1 (Mr. Abibo) stated under cross-examination that it was wrong for him to have arrested the accused persons, the magistrate said.
The magistrate said the police officer vowed before court never again to arrest any citizen who embarks on peaceful protest.
The accused persons were represented pro bono in the case by a Lagos-based human rights lawyer, Inibehe Effiong, and Augustine Asuquo.
Mr. Effiong, who addressed journalists outside the courtroom, commended the court for the judgment and appealed to the state governor, Udom Emmanuel, to listen to the voice of conscience and pay the late primary school teachers their entitlement.
If former governors in the state are being paid hundreds of millions of naira as pensions, I see no reason why the government would continue to refuse to pay the late teachers their entitlement.
A government that has N10 billion to build a worship centre, a government that has billions of naira to build a new governors lodge in Lagos, shouldnt find it difficult to pay poor pensioners their money, Mr. Effiong said.
The lawyer added, The government has been giving frivolous excuses that they couldnt pay the late teachers entitlement because the case was in court. Now that the court case has been settled, the government should begin the process of paying the late teachers their pensions.
One of the discharged men, Mr. Benjamin, was overwhelmed with joy while speaking with journalists.
I feel great. I feel vindicated. I feel victorious. This victory is not only for the three of us but for all the next of kin and the poor and traumatised pensioners in Akwa Ibom. I am appealing to Governor Udom Emmanuel and the Akwa Ibom State Government to listen to our voices and our cries, he said.
A new twist into the dispute between the Lagos State Government and private waste operators began on Sunday as a new group of waste collectors berated their colleagues for refusing to cooperate with the government.
The group, the Concerned Stakeholders of Association of Waste Managers of Nigeria, condemned a statement by the Association of Waste Managers of Nigeria distancing their members from media reports of a dispute resolution with the government and Visionscape Sanitation Solutions.
The association, a group of about 350 Private Sector Participant (PSP) operators, had on Saturday stated that media reports about a settlement of a dispute with the government were misleading and untrue.
Oladipo Egbeyemi, the chairman, accused the government of employing divide-and-rule tactics by inviting some of their members to a meeting on a day scheduled for their court hearing.
In their statement on Sunday, the concerned stakeholders said their colleagues, whom they described as aggrieved stakeholders were not only acting in bad taste but had shown that they care less about the interest of Lagosians.
The new group, comprising of 48 PSP operators said their resolve to work with the state government to ensure the success of the Cleaner Lagos Initiative (CLI) was borne out of the genuine desire to protect the environment and prevent the outbreak of an epidemic in the state considering the resurgence of refuse in public places.
This kind gesture was warmly received and accepted by the government, but to the surprise of many, a group believed to be aggrieved from AWMN, has come out to disown us for offering a helping hand, you must ask why? Are they angry with progress? Are they people-oriented at all? Is this challenge a thing of pride and ego to them or service to the people? Kasumu Olasehinde of Gafista Concepts Limited said on behalf of the new group.
We have been rendering unequalled outstanding waste management service to Lagosians for decades and it is the state of things that necessitated our groups initiative to offer help and also collaborate with Visionscape. The Visionscape group sees us as partners who will learn a lot from each other and they are willing to collaborate with us to make Lagos clean.
We also state that the wellbeing of Lagosians is utmost in our mind, and as we approach the raining season, we cannot just watch but also intervene to avoid epidemic, which is what the aggrieved group does not care about.
We cant afford to let the Cleaner Lagos initiative fail, because if it does, we will also be considered as failure, hence a need to take responsibility as a people-oriented group to render service whether paid or unpaid; laudable to say the least and quite commendable and any progressive would agree with my group, Mr. Olasehinde said.
Throughout last year, the private waste operators and the Lagos State government were engaged in a legal battle after the former dragged the government to court for terminating their services.
The Lagos State government had passed a new environmental law that contracted the collection of residential waste in the state to a concessionaire, the Dubai-based Visionscape Group.
Last week, the concessionaire sought the help of the PSP operators in evacuating the heaps of refuse that had begun to overwhelm the metropolis.
In his statement, Mr. Olasehinde said it was surprising that some of their members who had benefited from change are now working against progressive change and also attempting to discourage those who were genuinely willing to help the government in the best interest of the people.
He further said there was no existing agreement between the state government and PSP operators, and wondered why some aggrieved members were working against the government.
Change is inevitable, other aggrieved operators can collaborate to deliver service with Visionscape without making drama out of it, he said.
It should be a collective joy to see people of Lagos living in comfort, you dont wish failure on a vendor because you feel you can do better, and finally, it is unruly to attempt to pour cold water on the bravery and courage of the noblemen who tried to swallow hurts and offer help. If we all contribute something, Lagos will work for us all by default.
While standing by the resolve of the stakeholders to work with government, Mr. Olasehinde commended the state government for coming up with the Cleaner Lagos Initiative, saying the policy and the law promulgated to back it up would proffer a permanent solution to waste management in the state.
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Police in Ondo State have given residents of the state a 21-day ultimatum to submit all illegal firearms to the nearest police station.
The Commissioner of Police in the state, Gbenga Adeyanju, gave the ultimatum on Monday in Akure while briefing journalists on the arrest of some robbery suspects.
The Inspector-General of Police, Ibrahim Idris, recently directed Commissioners of Police in states to commence the recovery of prohibited firearms across the country.
Mr. Adeyanju said the directive was in compliance with the order to mop up illegal arms and ammunition in the country.
The commissioner said anyone caught with illegal firearms after the ultimatum would be sanctioned.
We wish to inform members of the public that in compliance with the directive of the Inspector-General of Police, we are mopping up illegal firearms and ammunition.
All illegal firearms are to be submitted to the nearest police office in their domain; anyone caught with illegal firearm will be sanctioned after the ultimatum, he said.
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The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Ekiti State has said that about 215,000 permanent voter cards are yet to be claimed by their owners in the state.
The electoral outfit said it regretted the development inspite of sensitisation campaigns carried out by the commission and given that there were only a few months to election.
Ekiti State currently has about 842,731 registered voters.
The commission also assured that cases of underaged voting would not be allowed during the July 14 governorship election in the State.
According to INEC, the problem of underage voters was checked during the several registration exercises conducted in the state.
The INECs Resident Electoral Commissioner in the state, Abdulganiy Raji, who spoke with journalists in Ado-Ekiti on Monday on preparations for the election, said the commission frowned at sharp practices, specifically underaged voting, which undermines the electoral process.
The raging controversies of underage voting, which made the headlines following the council elections in Kano had put INEC in unfavourable spotlight.
Public outcry against the practice which had reportedly prevailed in parts of the north over the years, had forced the commission to institute a probe into the allegations.
SANY realized rapid development in international presence
Mr. Xiang Wenbo made a keynote speech at the principal venue of SANY Summit of Global Dealers for 2018.
At first, Mr. Xiang Wenbo, on behalf of SANY Chairman Mr. Liang Wengen and SANY Board of Directors, expressed warm welcome to overseas dealers, and delivered heartfelt gratitude to their support and help to SANY for years, and gave Chinese New Year blessings to dealers and other participants. Xiang Wenbo pointed out that, for years, dealers of SANY in the world have made outstanding contributions for SANY to become the leading corporation in the Belt & Road Initiative. Thanks to the concerted efforts of all dealers, sales and profits of SANY doubled in 2017, with its cash flow creating a new record.
Mr. Xiang Wenbo emphasized that international management institution of SANY experienced fundamental reform and transformation in 2017, which implemented the operating ideas of Chairman Liang Wengen featured by "two separations, two-wheel drives and three carriages". The reform helped SANY secure rapid growth in its international development. Mr. Xiang hoped SANY and all its dealers should finalize two tasks in the coming new year. First, develop products with absolute competitiveness, which is the duty of SANY. Second, provide the best and extremely considerate service, which is the duty of SANY and its dealers. He said, "Let's move forward hand in hand to build SANY into a world-class corporation."
Mr. Zhou Wanchun introduced the international strategy and three-year plan of SANY. According to the plan, SANY will, in five years, developed SANY into the leading world-class corporation in the industry. During the Summit, Rootcloud CEO Mr. He Dongdong made a keynote speech about Rootcloud. Relevant departments of SANY Heavy Industry made presentations on SANY plan of international operations and its products.
The dealers said the Summit broke borders between countries, races and cultures. The participants discussed for common development, thus enhancing mutual trust and having clearer orientation and greater confidence for international development of SANY.
New mechanism stimulated new power
In the framework of new system, SANY provided more direct and efficient support to dealers while making faster response to the market in 2017. More than 20 dealers were promoted or contracted in 2017. The new management system ensured SANY had new dynamics and vitality in its international development.
Thanks to the concerted efforts of all overseas dealers, SANY organized more than 500 promotions, competitions and test-driving events to market its equipment in the overseas market. For many times, it invited the major clients and big clients to SANY headquarters while pushing forward the standardization of SANY shops. It is worth noting that SANY teams "worked and made decisions" together with dealers, thus securing the success of SANY dealers and contributing to SANY business.
The win-win partnership between SANY and its overseas dealers has reached the unprecedented height. During the Summit, the excellent overseas dealers of SANY shared their experience in having successful cooperation with SANY. And SANY signed the agreement of sales targets with 61 overseas dealers. At the same time, SANY also commended 19 dealers that were Star & Gold winners and Special Award Winners for 2017.
According to Mr. Zhou Wanchun, the efforts of dealers have been working hard for years and they are the principal forces that help SANY make stable growth in the overseas market in spite of all adversaries in the world economy. Export figures in China reveal that SANY concrete equipment, piling equipment, excavation equipment and hoisting equipment keep taking the leading position in the industry in terms of export, which attributes to the hard work and contributions made by SANY overseas dealers.
Behind the best quality of SANY
To help SANY dealers better understand SANY culture and see with own eyes the quality of SANY equipment, the participants were organized to visit the No. 18 Workshop in SANY Changsha Industrial Park, which is known as the Demo Workshop of China's Intelligent Manufacturing, the small-tonne crane assembly line in SANY Ningxiang Industrial Park, to view performance and experience the road rollers and cranes.
In No. 18 Workshop and small-tonne crane assembly line in SANY Ningxiang Industrial Park, the guide introduced to the dealers, in fluent English, about the many products of SANY such as concrete machinery, road machinery, crane and excavating machinery, etc. The lean production and intelligent management in SANY gave them deep impressions. In particular, the dealers fully comprehended the power of SANY in intelligent manufacturing after viewing the automatic line of pump trucks in the intelligent workshop.
Nearly 400 global clients and foreigners were present at the venue to experience the road rollers and cranes. Principals of SANY Heavy Industry introduced to the dealers about the excellent performance and quality of two categories of SANY products. Many dealers also operated the road rollers and cranes on the site. In the process, they were amazed by the high-quality, high-tech and person-oriented all-new products of SANY, unwilling to get off the machinery.
The dealers were deeply impressed by the Summit. All of them believed that, the Summit helped them better understand SANY and have greater confidence in SANY's future, thus laying a solid foundation for their broader cooperation.
All SANY participants and SANY dealers, either new or old friends, have the same dream of selling SANY equipment to the whole world and building SANY fame in the world. Mr. Xiang Wenbo firmly believes that, with concerted efforts, SANY brand will gain greater renown and SANY will provide better-quality products and more efficient services to the world while creating greater values for all parties.
For more details, please call: +86-731-8403-8018 or visit our official website: http://www.sanyglobal.com/
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SOURCE SANY
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Mottie Kessler MBE, Chairman & CEO of 2M said: "2M is seeking opportunities to expand its footprint into mainland Europe. The acquisition of FrankenChemie represents such an event. FrankenChemie's dedicated and experienced team, the ability to support customers with an application laboratory and just in time deliveries in the right pack size are FrankenChemie's strengths. 2M will now build on these strengths and invest to provide customers and suppliers an even better offering. We are therefore very excited about this acquisition."
The market sector focus and product range of FrankenChemie is highly aligned with that of Surfachem ltd, one of 2M's largest companies which is already present in the UK, Scandinavia, Poland and Brazil. Indeed, the major supplier to FrankenChemie - Evonik Industries AG ("Evonik") - is also one of Surfachem UK key suppliers. Surfachem 's ability to provide technical support and formulation advice to producers of personal care and hygiene products is one of its strengths.
Joerg Prante, Key Account Manager & Manager Sales Central Europe, Sub-Saharan Africa, Evonik said: "Having a long history with 2M and Surfachem, we are delighted to see the 2M and FrankenChemie come together."
With its prime location in Nuremberg and its excellent reputation, FrankenChemie is a perfect fit to support 2M's continued growth in Europe. The company distributes specialty chemicals, primarily into the Personal Care, Home Care and Food Ingredients sectors, in Germany and other EU counties.
About FrankenChemie
FrankenChemie a privately-owned family company, was established in 1983. The company distributes specialty chemicals, primarily into the Personal Care, Home Care and Food Ingredients sectors, in Germany, Croatia, Macedonia, Slovenia and Benelux.
Evonik products distributed by FrankenChemie and Surfachem include:
ABIL, ANTIL, AXOL, Ceramide, COSMOFERM, HyaCare, ISOLAN, LACTIL, Phytosphingosine, PROTEGIN, REWOCID, REWODERM, REWOMID, REWOPAL, REWOPOL, REWOTERIC, SK-INFLUX, SKINMIMICS, SPHINGOKINE, SPHINGONY, TAGAT, TEGIN, TEGOTEGOLON, TEGOSOFT and VARISOFT.
The company operates from premises in the Nuremberg region of Germany.
About 2M Holdings group of companies:
2M Holdings Ltd (http://www.2mholdings.com) is a portfolio of strong brand chemical distribution and related chemical services companies of samples management, storage and blending. The group is privately owned and was founded in 2004 by Mottie Kessler MBE, the present Chairman and CEO.
Headquartered in the UK with local presence in Germany, China, Benelux, Ireland, Poland, Scandinavia, Brazil, 2M exports to over 90 countries.
2M Holdings Limited includes: Banner Chemicals, Surfachem, MP Storage & Blending, Packed Chlorine, SampleRite UK, SampleRite China, CE-O2 and Stowlin Croftshaw.
2M businesses specialise in solvents, specialty chemicals and surfactants to automotive, precision cleaning, coating, emission reduction, oilfield & refineries, flavours & fragrances, personal care, household & industrial hygiene cleaning and pharmaceuticals industries.
2M also produces: CleanAirBlue, Pigmentan, MEC-Prime, Perklone EXT, Perklone D, Perklone MD and Triklone LE, SamSol, and Packed Chlorine.
Contact information
Please direct all inquiries to 2M Holdings via phone: +44(0)1928-597 000 or via email to: [email protected]
SOURCE 2M Holdings Group of Companies
CHICAGO and MINNEAPOLIS, Feb. 26, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Archer Daniels Midland Company and Cargill have reached agreement to launch a joint venture to provide soybean meal and oil for customers in Egypt.
The joint venture would own and operate the National Vegetable Oil Company soy crush facility in Borg Al-Arab along with related commercial and functional activities, including a separate Switzerland-based merchandising operation that would supply soybeans to the crush plant. Cargill is currently expanding the plant from 3,000 metric tons to 6,000 metric tons of daily crush capacity. The plant will be able to produce higher-protein soybean meal while reducing the need for soybean meal imports into Egypt.
"The joint venture brings together Cargill and ADM's operational and commercial expertise to meet growing local demand for higher-quality feed ingredients," said Roger Janson, head of Cargill's grain and oilseed business in EMEA. "This deal is part of our strategy to grow Cargill's business across Egypt and the North Africa region and helps us better serve customers in the market with safe, affordable and nutritious food."
"ADM is adding to its geographic footprint in regions of expanding growth, and we're particularly pleased to continue to enhance our capabilities in Egypt," said John Grossmann, ADM's president, EMEA Oilseeds crush. "Egypt is an important market where demand for high-quality soybean meal and oil is outpacing the rest of the world. By bringing together expertise and resources from two great companies, and by utilizing an existing facility and infrastructure, this joint venture would be perfectly positioned to efficiently meet growing Egyptian demand."
The joint venture will be managed as a standalone entity consisting of equal ownership by ADM and Cargill, with a management team reporting to a board of directors appointed by the two parent companies. The joint venture's assets will not include Cargill's grain business and port terminal in Dekheila, or the ADM-Medsofts joint venture at the Port of Alexandria. Each company will continue its separate business activities in the country and region.
The deal, which is not yet complete, is subject to regulatory review. The companies hope to formally launch the joint venture in mid-2018.
About Cargill
Cargill provides food, agriculture, financial and industrial products and services to the world. Together with farmers, customers, governments and communities, we help people thrive by applying our insights and more than 150 years of experience. We have 155,000 employees in 70 countries who are committed to feeding the world in a responsible way, reducing environmental impact and improving the communities where we live and work. For more information, visit Cargill.com and our News Center.
About ADM
For more than a century, the people of Archer Daniels Midland Company have transformed crops into products that serve the vital needs of a growing world. Today, we're one of the world's largest agricultural processors and food ingredient providers, with approximately 31,000 employees serving customers in more than 170 countries. With a global value chain that includes approximately 500 crop procurement locations, 270 ingredient manufacturing facilities, 44 innovation centers and the world's premier crop transportation network, we connect the harvest to the home, making products for food, animal feed, industrial and energy uses. Learn more at www.adm.com.
SOURCE Cargill
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"While we don't over-promote the likelihood of pre-auction sales - especially with this degree of expedition - they have always been a very real part of our business model," noted David Ashcroft, Platinum's director of development and sales. "The threat of competing against a room full of qualified buyers is a very strong motivator to induce an interested buyer to take action in advance of the auction date. In fact, the sale happened so quickly in this case the seller wasn't sure if he owed us any compensation," he joked.
According to Mr. Ashcroft, the fast-acting buyer had previously viewed the property prior to the seller engaging Platinum for a luxury auction, but he had elected not to purchase the property. "My understanding is that the buyer was previously very decisive that he was not going to purchase the property, and he headed elsewhere to look at other homes," he said. "He was challenged by the floor plan and a number of other issues he felt were too much to fuss with."
Yet once the auction sign was placed in the ground and Platinum's initial marketing materials were launched, that very buyer immediately returned and made the seller an offer. "The parties settled at a price of $3.1 million, which was compelling enough for the seller to accept in lieu of an auction sale," Ashcroft noted. The property had previously been listed for $3.9 million, down from its initial asking price of $6.25 million in 2007.
Located in a small enclave of multimillion-dollar, ranch-style estates, the property offers a unique blend of amenities for a home in western Palm Beach County. Features include two entry gates, approximately 6 acres of land (about half of which is comprised of submerged, lake acreage), a 2-stall barn, paddocks, a pool and large deck, and direct lake frontage.
Other property features include a home theater, fitness center, great room with wet bar and river rock fireplace, separate guest quarters, and a cozy family room with a built-in, 75-inch TV. The upper-level master suite is complete with a sitting area, private balcony and walk-in closet.
The sale closed in late January 2018, within 60 days of contract. More information on this transaction is available online at PlatinumLuxuryAuctions.com, or by contacting Platinum's offices at 800.262.5132.
About Platinum Luxury Auctions
Platinum Luxury Auctions is responsible for developing the luxury auction model for high-priced real estate auctions, and owns the rights to the term "luxury auction." The firm specializes in the non-distressed sale of multimillion-dollar properties within and beyond the United States. Platinum's team has closed more than $732 million in luxury real estate auction sales to date, while consulting on more than $2.3 billion in additional luxury properties worldwide.
SOURCE Platinum Luxury Auctions LLC
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ONTARIO, Calif., Feb. 26, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- As part of Ajinomoto Co., Inc.'s Global Brand Initiatives, Ajinomoto Windsor, Inc. is changing its name to Ajinomoto Foods North America, Inc. to create brand consistency across North America. The company's rebranding structure will utilize the new Ajinomoto Global Brand logo - setting the stage for global consistency and a unified management.
Ajinomoto Foods North America, Inc.
Ajinomoto affiliates across North America are introducing a new company naming structure for each of their businesses to provide company continuity, including an easier way to understand each of their businesses, and to create a unified concept with each company name. The company naming structure will consist of "Ajinomoto + Business Field + North America." Ajinomoto's three companies in North America are changing their names effective April 1, 2018 as follows:
Ajinomoto Windsor, Inc. will change to Ajinomoto Foods North America, Inc.
Ajinomoto North America, Inc. will change to Ajinomoto Health & Nutrition North America, Inc.
Ajinomoto Heartland, Inc. will change to Ajinomoto Animal Nutrition North America, Inc.
"Our new name will help distinguish Ajinomoto Foods North America as one of the leading high-quality seasonings and foods companies in the United States, Canada and Mexico," said Bernard Kreilmann, President and CEO of the newly named Ajinomoto Foods North America, Inc. "The new company branding structure in North America will support Ajinomoto's Global Brand Logo and its efforts to become a global top 10 food company."
The Ajinomoto Global Brand Logo will enhance the corporate brand globally as well as ensure global consistency across all business activities and brands. The new logo goes "beyond language" with a friendly design that incorporates not only the history of the company but also the creative visions, goals, growth, and development of the Ajinomoto Group.
The meaning of "Ajinomoto" is the "Essence of Umami," which has evolved from its literal meaning, the "Essence of Taste." Now this brand logo is changing to not only include the history of the brand but to establish a memorable mark that is friendly for people worldwide and that has improved visibility.
The infinity "A": The "A" incorporates the infinity symbol and represents the "A" of taste ("Aji") and amino acids. The "A" also incorporates three ambitions:
To pursue, master and popularize taste ("Aji") To drive the evolution and develop the value of amino acids with leading-edge bioscience and fine chemical technologies To promote global sustainability
The line from "A" to "j": The "j" represents a person, signifying people joining together and finding joy in cooking, eating and comfortable lifestyles enriched by taste ("Aji") and amino acids.
The line from the bottom of "j" extending upward to the right: This line expresses the future growth and development of the Ajinomoto Group.
The new global brand has been rolled out in phases, beginning in October 2017, with the new logo being used on Ajinomoto Co.'s global press releases and website. As of November 2017, the logo was implemented in business applications such as name cards and stationery. In January 2018, the new logo was implemented for all points of consumer contact, including product packaging, corporate advertising, television commercials, sales promotions, and internet communication.
About Ajinomoto Windsor/Ajinomoto Foods North America
Ajinomoto Foods North America is a leading company in the frozen food industry, creating meaningful food experiences through high quality ingredients and innovative technologies. Previously named Ajinomoto Windsor, Ajinomoto Foods North America continues to honor its commitment towards providing nutritious and premium meals for all consumers through its rich history of diverse ethnic brands. Whether you are seeking Asian, Italian, or Mexican flavors, Ajinomoto Foods North America is dedicated to satisfying your needs. The company's mission is to create memorable experiences through its meals, and to deliver food that not only tastes great, but feels great. To learn more about Ajinomoto Foods North America's dedication to bringing quality meals to your table, visit: ajinomotowindsor.com.
About Ajinomoto Co.
Ajinomoto Co., Inc. is a global manufacturer of high-quality seasonings, processed foods, beverages, amino acids, pharmaceuticals, and specialty chemicals. For many decades Ajinomoto Co. has contributed to food culture and human health through wide-ranging application of amino acid technologies. Today, the company is becoming increasingly involved with solutions for improved food resources, human health and global sustainability. Founded in 1909 and now operating in 30 countries and regions, Ajinomoto Co. had net sales of JPY 1,091.1 billion (USD 10.07 billion) in fiscal 2016. For more about Ajinomoto Co. (TYO: 2802), visit www.ajinomoto.com.
SOURCE Ajinomoto Foods North America, Inc.
Related Links
https://www.ajinomoto.com
CHICAGO, Feb. 26, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- The American Ladder Institute (ALI)'s second annual National Ladder Safety Month has officially begun. For the entire month of March 2018, ALI will promote ladder safety through the provision of multiple helpful resources that everyone can share and utilize for free. The goal of this awareness month is to draw attention to the dangers of improper ladder use and how easily ladder-related injuries and death can be prevented with simple, straightforward training.
During a segment airing March 10 on The Lifestyle List, ALI will review the top five misuses of ladders that result in injuries or deaths and suggestions on how to avoid making these mistakes. View a short video preview here. The misuses highlighted, like missing the last step and choosing the wrong ladder for the job, show how important ladder safety awareness is and how seriously someone could be injured doing an everyday task.
"When you look at the number of ladder-related injuries and deaths that occur every year, it's very clear why we are working to increase ladder safety awareness," said Dave Plotner, ALI Board Member and Vice President of Engineering at Werner Co. "Consumers need to know that even though they may use ladders for an easy everyday task, they could be at risk of serious injury without proper training. The American Ladder Institute has a large offering of free resources to help keep you safe, and that's what this month is all about." Werner Co. is the Top Cap sponsor of the 2018 National Ladder Safety Month.
Individuals, companies and government organizations are encouraged to participate in National Ladder Safety Month by taking simple steps like hanging a ladder safety checklist in their workplace and/or home, completing ALI's free Ladder Safety Training, viewing the Ladders 101 web page and downloading ladder safety posters from ALI's website. View the National Ladder Safety Month's marketing guide for some suggestions on how to both participate and spread the word of your participation in this important month.
Throughout March, ALI will place a special focus on ladder safety across four areas:
February 25 March 3 : What Is Ladder Safety?
: What Is Ladder Safety? March 4 March 10 : Ladder Safety at Work: Focus on Company Leadership
: Ladder Safety at Work: Focus on Company Leadership March 11 March 17 : Ladder Safety at Work: Focus on the Employee
: Ladder Safety at Work: Focus on the Employee March 18 March 31 : Ladder Inspection and Disposal
Learn more how you can participate in National Ladder Safety Month by visiting www.laddersafetymonth.com.
About the American Ladder Institute
Founded in 1947, the American Ladder Institute (ALI) is a not-for-profit trade association dedicated to promoting safe ladder use through ladder safety resources, bilingual safety training, the development of ladder safety standards and National Ladder Safety Month held annually in March. ALI also represents the common business interests of its members who are comprised of the leading ladder and ladder component manufacturers in the United States and Canada.
ALI's free education and training resources provide guidance on the proper selection, care and safe use of ladders in the workplace and at home. ALI also serves as secretariat for the ANSI A14 Committee, comprised of industry experts who develop safety standards for the appropriate design, manufacture, testing, care and use of various types of ladders.
For more information, contact:
Claire Sereiko
Senior Marketing Coordinator
American Ladder Institute
312.673.4984
[email protected]
SOURCE American Ladder Institute
Related Links
http://www.americanladderinstitute.org
NEW YORK, Feb. 26, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- ALM Media announced today that Mark Fried has joined ALM as Chief Financial Officer and President, Events. Fried joins ALM after serving as President and CEO of Vendome Group, a media company targeting business professionals with media brands and industry events.
"Mark's background as a media sector CEO is perfect for our finance and events teams given the stage of our business evolution," said Bill Carter, President and CEO of ALM Media. "His experience working with investors and key financial stakeholders will help us communicate externally while leading the finance function internally. On the events front, Mark's history of running a business with a large professional services events portfolio makes him a natural fit for that aspect of his role at ALM."
Fried's accountability beyond the financial function will include P&L ownership of the ALM global events portfolio, consisting of approximately 80 events including Legalweek, cyberSecure, BenefitsPro Broker Expo, SuperConference, America's Claims Event and more.
"ALM is a leader in the B2B media industry, with a wealth of media, intelligence and events offerings delivered to business professionals," said Mark Fried, Chief Financial Officer and President of ALM Events. "I am excited to join the ALM leadership team supporting the company's financial function while concurrently growing ALM's events business in these attractive segments."
About ALM
ALM, an information and intelligence company, provides customers with critical news, data, analysis, marketing solutions and events to successfully manage the business of business.
Customers use ALM solutions to discover new ideas and approaches for solving business challenges, connect to the right professionals and peers to create relationships that move business forward, and compete to win through access to data, analytics and insight. ALM serves a community of over 6 million business professionals seeking to discover, connect and compete in highly complex industries. Please visit www.alm.com for more information and visit www.alm.com/events/ to learn about our upcoming events. Please follow us on Twitter at @ALMMedia.
ALM Media Contact:
Rachael Wolensky
[email protected]
SOURCE ALM
Related Links
http://www.alm.com
AGOURA HILLS, Calif., Feb. 26, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- American Homes 4 Rent (NYSE: AMH) (the "Company"), a leading provider of high quality single-family homes for rent, announced today that David Singelyn, Chief Executive Officer, will present at the Citi 2018 Global Property CEO Conference at the Diplomat Resort & Spa in Hollywood, Florida.
The presentation will begin at 10:15 a.m. Eastern Time on Tuesday, March 6, 2018. A live audio webcast of the presentation will be available on the Company's website at www.americanhomes4rent.com under the "For Investors" tab. A replay of the webcast will be available through March 20, 2018.
About American Homes 4 Rent
American Homes 4 Rent (NYSE: AMH) is a leader in the single-family home rental industry and "American Homes 4 Rent" is fast becoming a nationally recognized brand for rental homes, known for high quality, good value and tenant satisfaction. We are an internally managed Maryland real estate investment trust, or REIT, focused on acquiring, renovating, leasing, and operating attractive, single-family homes as rental properties. As of December 31, 2017, we owned approximately 51,239 single-family properties, in selected submarkets in 22 states.
Additional information about American Homes 4 Rent is available on our website at www.americanhomes4rent.com.
Contact:
American Homes 4 Rent
Investor Relations
Phone: (855)794-2447
Email: [email protected]
SOURCE American Homes 4 Rent
Related Links
https://www.americanhomes4rent.com
According to Mary Jean Anderson, president of Anderson Plumbing, Heating & Air, "We couldn't think of a better way to celebrate our 40th Anniversary than to give back to our community. Our company tagline is 'Nobody wows clients like we do!' and for the month of March we're flipping that around to say 'Nobody wows us like you do!' You simply do not prosper in business without support from the community and we want them to know how much we appreciate them."
"Another big thank you goes to our amazing employees. They are the ones that build our business by delivering the wow experience every day, in every way, to every client. We have a special team with a shared commitment to excellent customer service," added Anderson.
Over the years, Anderson Plumbing, Heating & Air has won four Better Business Bureau Torch Awards for Ethics; been a Finalist eight times; and was awarded the International Torch Award for Marketplace Ethics. The company consistently earns the Angie's List Super Service Awards as well as many other industry recognitions.
"All of those awards are a great tribute to our team and we celebrate together. It means the world to me personally to see the pride on the faces of our employees," said Anderson.
Anderson Plumbing, Heating & Air has served more than 500,000 San Diego residential and commercial customers since 1978. Services include plumbing, heating and air conditioning, sewer and drains, pipe lining, water filtration, indoor air quality and more including 24-hour emergency service. Visit andersonpha.com for more info.
Contact:
Mary Jean Anderson
[email protected]
619.873.1460
SOURCE Anderson Plumbing, Heating & Air
Related Links
https://www.andersonplumbingheatingandair.com
Aon, a leading global professional services firm providing a broad range of risk, retirement and health solutions, today announced its partnership with TBH Consultancy, a Dubai-based Emiratization Advisory firm.
(Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/645093/Aon_Logo.jpg )
(Photo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/643832/AON_strategic_partnership.jpg )
Workforce nationalization, known as Emiratization in the UAE, remains a top priority for the UAE Government, and the UAE Vision 2021 aims to increase Emiratization levels in the private sector by tenfold. With as many as 800,000 private sector jobs deemed as 'Emiratizable'[1], there is a huge amount of opportunity for both local job seekers and employers alike.
Despite this, the public sector continues to be the employer of choice for Emiratis. According to research carried out by the Khalifa Fund for Enterprise Development, over 90% of employed Emirati youth are working in the public sector. Now more than ever, private sector employers need to develop more comprehensive talent strategies to attract, develop, and retain local talent, and encourage younger Emiratis to seek careers outside of traditional public sector routes.
Established in 2015, TBH Consulting is the UAE's first full-fledged Emiratization Advisory business, as well as People and Business Advisory consultancy. The consultancy is led by Founder and Managing Director Abdulmuttalib (Talib) Hashim, who has dedicated 11 years to helping organizations employ and empower local talent in the UAE. TBH has an ambitious mission to rethink and reinvent how Emiratization is adopted.
The partnership will provide solutions that will help UAE-based firms strengthen their ability to drive business performance through people.
"We are delighted to be working in collaboration with TBH, on an area of significant importance to the UAE," said Chris Page, CEO, Talent, Rewards & Performance, Middle East and Africa. "TBH brings deep subject matter expertise, cultural awareness and sensitivity to the challenges of increasing private sector Emiratization. Together with Aon's regional and global expertise in Human Capital related advisory, programs and products, our partnership will provide us with a unique capability to support organizations in delivering innovative, value adding and sustainable solutions, against this critical mandate."
Chris added: "Increasing Emiratization provides the private sector with a relatively untapped, well-educated, ambitious and entrepreneurial resource, capable of adding significant organizational value, whilst at the same time providing for the growth and development of Emirati business leaders of the future."
Commenting on the partnership, Abdulmuttalib (Talib) Hashim said: "We realized that the conversation around the topic of Emiratization needed to evolve to become a more sophisticated one, addressing complex issues affecting the public and private sectors, as well as the community as a whole. In view of this, we believe, that the partnership with Aon will allow us to tap in to their global expertise and best practices, while bringing in the knowledge and in-depth insights we have developed over the years, of the needs of local talent and businesses."
Abdulmutalib added: "This partnership will allow us to develop credible local knowledge around Emiratization that is relevant and brings to the market solutions that are effective and innovative, which we envision, will eventually help address one of the most burning issues not only in the UAE, but in the GCC region as well."
About Aon
Aon plc (NYSE:AON) is a leading global professional services firm providing a broad range of risk, retirement and health solutions. Our 50,000 colleagues in 120 countries empower results for clients by using proprietary data and analytics to deliver insights that reduce volatility and improve performance.
For further information on our capabilities and to learn how we empower results for clients, please visit https://www.aonhewitt.ae/home
1. MOHRE, 2017
SOURCE Aon
WARREN, Mich., Feb. 26, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Celebrating a Decade of Giving Back! Art Van Furniture opened the application process today for Midwest charities to compete in its 10th annual Art Van Charity Challenge. For the fourth consecutive year, Cindy Crawford is the campaign's official ambassador. Nonprofit organizations will vie for $305,000 in grants, ranging from $10,000 to $100,000.
Art Van Charity Challenge applications will be accepted from February 26 through March 31, 2018. The competition is open to any 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization focusing on women, children or human services located near an Art Van Furniture store in Michigan, Ohio, Illinois, Indiana, St. Louis and Iowa. The fundraising portion of the Art Van Charity Challenge will run May 1 through May 20, 2018.
"Let the Art Van Charity Challenge games begin," said Kim Yost, president and CEO of Art Van Furniture. "As this spirited competition marks its tenth year, Art Van Furniture is steadfast in our commitment to reward charities dedicated to improving their communities."
"I've been so inspired by the extraordinary individuals I have met over the past four years in my role as Art Van Charity Challenge Ambassador," said Crawford. "The impact these nonprofits have in people's lives is immeasurable. I am honored to be part of such a worthwhile campaign."
Powered by CrowdRise, the Art Van Charity Challenge raised $1.4 million in 2017 and granted $180,000 to winning charities. Since the competition began in 2009, more than $8 million has been donated and over $24 million has been raised for 350 charities. For additional information, visit www.artvancharitychallenge.com.
About Art Van Furniture, LLC.
Art Van Furniture, LLC is the Midwest's No. 1 furniture and mattress retailer with 184 stores in nine states operating under the following brands; Art Van Furniture, Art Van PureSleep, Art Van Flooring, Scott Shuptrine Interiors, Levin Furniture, Levin Mattress, Wolf Furniture and Gardiner Wolf Furniture. Founded in 1959, the company is headquartered in Warren, Mich. Art Van Furniture owned by Thomas H. Lee Partners, L.P. of Boston. Visit artvan.com for more information.
SOURCE Art Van Furniture
Related Links
http://www.artvan.com
TEL AVIV, Israel, Feb. 26, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Artificial intelligence has overtaken lawyers for the first time in a staple of the legal profession - accurately spotting risks in everyday business contracts.
In a new study, LawGeex, the leading AI contract review platform, has achieved an average 94% accuracy rate at surfacing risks in Non-Disclosure Agreements (NDAs), one of the most common legal agreements used in business. This compares to an average of 85% for experienced lawyers.
AI Vs. Lawyers: The Ultimate Showdown
The study pitted the LawGeex AI solution against 20 US-trained top corporate lawyers with decades of experience, specifically in reviewing NDAs. The participants' legal and contract expertise spanned experience at companies including Goldman Sachs and Cisco, and global law firms including Alston & Bird and K&L Gates.
Both the lawyers and the LawGeex AI analyzed five previously unseen contracts, containing 153 paragraphs of technical legal language ("legalese"), under controlled conditions precisely modeled on the way lawyers review and approve daily contracts. This is the first time that an AI has been tested with a typical task undertaken by lawyers on a daily basis.
The highest performing lawyer in the study achieved 94% accuracy - matching the AI - while the lowest performing lawyer achieved an average 67% accuracy. The challenge took the LawGeex AI 26 seconds to complete, compared to an average of 92 minutes for the lawyers. The longest time taken by a lawyer to complete the test was 156 minutes, and the shortest time was 51 minutes.
Study based on contract expertise from top US academics
Leading legal academics and veteran US corporate lawyers who collaborated in the study include:
Professor Erika J.S. Buell , Director of the Program in Law & Entrepreneurship, Duke University School of Law.
, Director of the Program in Law & Entrepreneurship, School of Law. Gillian K. Hadfield , Professor of Law and Economics at the University of Southern California .
, Professor of Law and Economics at the . Bruce Mann , former senior partner at top US law firm, Morrison Foerster, who has handled more than 300 IPOs and over 200 mergers & acquisitions.
The study was overseen and administered by independent lawyer Christopher Ray. Additional consulting academics include Dr. Roland Vogl, Professor of law at Stanford Law School and Professor Yonatan Aumann, Professor in the Department of Computer Science, at Bar Ilan University.
Gillian K. Hadfield, Professor of Law and Economics at the University of Southern California said:
"This experiment may actually understate the gain from AI in the legal profession. The lawyers who reviewed these documents were fully focused on the task: it didn't sink to the bottom of a to-do list, it didn't get rushed through while waiting for a plane or with one eye on the clock to get out the door to pick up the kids. The margin of efficiency is likely to be even greater than the results shown here.
"This research shows technology can help solve two problems - both making contract management faster and more reliable, and freeing up resources so legajeffl departments can focus on building the quality of their human legal teams."
The full methodology and findings can be found in a full report is available for download at http://lawgeex.com/AIvsLawyer
For further information please contact Jonathan Marciano, Director of Communications, LawGeex [email protected] +972-586-135-342
SOURCE LawGeex
Related Links
http://lawgeex.com
NEW YORK, Feb. 26, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- SCHOOOL Inc., a Toronto-based technology startup that uses location-based Augmented Reality (AR) technology for an educational purpose, this week officially launched a new feature function called Glass Notes.
Now enabling people to paste virtual post-it notes anywhere around the globe, the feature also permits English phrases for daily use based on location.
The Globe is your Notepad with SCHOOOL Glass Notes.
"An example of Glass Notes in action would be if the user is near a bank, the feature lets the Glass Notes containing English expressions that are commonly used in the bank pop up on the user's phone," said Mark Kim, CEO of SCHOOOL Inc.
Glass Notes vary depending upon location types, such as hospitals and shopping malls. Once the notes are glassed, users tap the English phrases on the Notes, and Glass reads them out loud. Users can also create their own Glass Notes and locate them anywhere in the world. Common app functionalities include creating Notes containing expressions user's need for their study, pasting them up anywhere, and Glass-ing them anytime later. Users can use Glass Notes for their location-based virtual notes. The globe is officially students' personal notepad.
To detect Glass Notes, users pan their phone camera as directed to locate them. Users tap the "Nearby Icon" to check and see where Glass Notes are located nearby.
"It's easy to get started," said Kim. "Users simply tap the Create Button, making their own Glass Notes anywhere they want. All notes can be public or private. With the Glass List Button, users can manage and edit already existing and collected notes."
The free iOS version and a Google Play version of SCHOOOL: Learn & Teach English are available for download.
About SCHOOOL App:
SCHOOOL is an ideal mobile platform for English language teachers and learners. The app is designed to leverage social features for helping students learn English more easily, connecting them to English teachers and learners around the world. The app permits English learners to interact with other learners, sharing English expressions, asking questions, and receiving answers right through the SCHOOOL app. Teachers can create and share lectures in a snap from any Internet-connected smartphone.
For more information, visit: http://www.schoool.me/. https://youtu.be/sc5691I2uTM
Contact:
Mark Kim
SCHOOOL Inc.
+1-778-387-4394
[email protected]
4 5801 Yonge St.
North York, ON, M2M 3T9, Canada
SOURCE SCHOOOL Inc.
Related Links
http://www.schoool.me
SAN JOSE, Calif., Feb. 26, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Automation Anywhere, the largest enterprise software provider in Robotic Process Automation (RPA), has announced the formal launch of its global customer success program Automation Anywhere Plus. This umbrella program combines a wide range of existing services with newly introduced offerings, delivering the most comprehensive set of services and the industry's largest team completely dedicated to customer success.
Automation Anywhere Plus will continue to support Automation Anywhere's Intelligent Digital Workforce Platform, which is the most widely deployed worldwide with more than 930 enterprise customers, and the only platform in the industry with built-in RPA, cognitive and analytics capabilities to provide a complete enterprise solution.
"'Customer first' is more than the core philosophy that underpins everything we do at Automation Anywhere. It has been the driving force that has shaped our culture, our business practices, our product and our customer services since our founding 14 years ago," said Rushabh Parmani, Co-founder and Senior VP of Customer Success and Operations. "With Automation Anywhere Plus, we now combine the wide variety of services we offer into one overarching program that ensures our customers experience a seamless onboarding process, the shortest time to value and the organization-wide scalability that is expected from an enterprise-grade RPA solution."
Industry's Largest Customer Success Team
To provide round-the-clock support to its community of over 930 customers, Automation Anywhere has put together the largest customer success team in the industry. In addition to 24/7 global customer support, the team offers onsite support and an extensive self-service knowledge-base, created by the industry's leading RPA experts combined with the knowledge and experience from Automation Anywhere's global customers.
Automation Anywhere has also dedicated a unit of its global development team to customer support. Known as 'Customer Success Engineers,' the members of this team are highly skilled RPA developers who provide on-going support and assistance helping customers achieve bot velocity and scale with unprecedented speed, ease and efficiency.
Customer Success Manager: A Single Source of Truth
Every Automation Anywhere customer has a single point of contact with a dedicated Customer Success Manager who delivers a seamless, unsurpassed experience. The Customer Success Manager handles the end-to-end customer experience including onboarding, issue resolution, training and product upgrades ensuring timely responses and providing a single source of truth for the customer. The Customer Success Manager acts as their client's advocate within Automation Anywhere and their performance is measured by a single KPI their customer's satisfaction measured quarterly via Net Promoter Score.
"Automation Anywhere's customer success program is top-notch we're especially impressed with our dedicated CSM and the experts we've worked with on the professional services team," said Prateek Kapoor, Global Finance Lean Digital Transformation Leader at Juniper Networks. "Knowing we have the 24/7 support we need means we can scale our automation programs even faster and without headaches. We would not be as far along today without the help and guidance of the Automation Anywhere evangelist."
Customer Success as a Turn-Key Solution
Going well beyond typical customer support programs, every Automation Anywhere customer has access to key services that make up this unique support ecosystem ensuring customer success.
Expert Services For customers who require additional assistance with their automation projects, Automation Anywhere offers a global team of automation experts with experience from thousands of RPA implementations. These experts work alongside the company's extensive partner network and together they ensure each customer's digital workforce program delivers the required business outcomes. It includes a dedicated onboarding team, along with RPA program managers, account executives and solution architects. Using a unique Bot Velocity Model, the expert services group ensures customers experience rapid time-to-value and highest possible ROI. For industries such as banking, financial services, insurance, manufacturing, telecommunications, healthcare, and transportation, the group offers industry-specific "playbooks" to deliver best practices for any enterprise-scale RPA implementation.
Training Under the umbrella of Automation Anywhere University (AAU), customers have access to a comprehensive RPA training ecosystem that includes a library of RPA courses and certification programs, an online mobile-first eLearning platform and a network of training partners that deliver instructor-led, hands-on RPA training at a fast-growing list of authorized centers around the globe. Customers can also opt for onsite customized training delivered by Automation Anywhere experts as well as "train the trainer" courses.
Customer Community The Automation Anywhere Community provides a knowledge base for customers to showcase their success, both externally and within their own companies. It enables customers to share ideas, experiences and best practices, including participation at industry and company-sponsored events. The customer community also features a knowledge "exchange" providing customers the ability to contribute ideas to influence Automation Anywhere's product roadmap.
Partner Success and Enablement Automation Anywhere is focused on supporting its large partner network with a dedicated team committed to partner success and enablement. Automation Anywhere's comprehensive global customer success program provides the backbone of its highly successful partner program, with every component available to its entire partner network. Services include onboarding and product support, assistance establishing a Center of Excellence, joint training events, and much more.
Automation Anywhere Plus is the most comprehensive customer success program implemented by any RPA provider in the industry, an expansion of the company's acute focus on ensuring that every customer, anywhere in the world, derives the most value from the most sophisticated Intelligent Digital Workforce platform.
Interact with Automation Anywhere
Visit our website: www.automationanywhere.com
Check out our monthly webinar series BotVisions: https://www.automationanywhere.com/company/webinars
Follow us on Twitter: @AutomationAnywh
Connect with us on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/automation-anywhere
About Automation Anywhere
Automation Anywhere delivers the most comprehensive enterprise-grade Digital Workforce platform with built-in RPA, cognitive solutions and analytics. Over 930 of the world's largest brands use the platform to manage and scale their business processes faster, with near-zero error rates, while dramatically reducing operational costs. Based on the belief that people who have more time to create, think and discover can build great companies, Automation Anywhere has provided the world's best RPA and cognitive technology to leading financial services, BPO, healthcare, technology and insurance companies across more than 90 countries for over a decade. For additional information visit www.automationanywhere.com.
SOURCE Automation Anywhere
Related Links
http://www.automationanywhere.com
As the nation's clinician shortage continues to grow [1], rural areas are increasingly struggling to provide patients with quality access to the personalized care they need in a timely manner. In widely dispersed communities, clinical teams have limited access to the expertise from intensivists, specialists and critical care nurses. Patients can be transferred to tertiary care centers in the nearest city, but this option requires expensive and lengthy air transfers. Leveraging telehealth technology can help rural hospitals increase access to quality care by providing the bedside team with expert guidance and 24/7 monitoring of critically ill patients.
Since implementing Philips' eICU program, Avera eCARE, which serves 13 percent of the nation's critical access hospitals, has reduced length of ICU stay, mortality, cost of care and clinician burnout. Over the last 12-month period alone, Avera Health has saved:
USD 62 million in healthcare costs by reducing ICU and hospital length of stay;
in healthcare costs by reducing ICU and hospital length of stay; Nearly 11,000 ICU bed days through faster response times to complications; and
through faster response times to complications; and 260 lives.
"Avera implemented eCARE ICU to support providers in rural communities by reducing physician isolation and improving the collaboration of providers," said Deanna Larson, CEO, Avera eCARE. "Implementing Philips' eICU program helped our organization transform how we provide critical care while simultaneously reducing healthcare costs. The program ensures the most critical patients are continuously monitored, by leveraging the utilization of telehealth specialists to evaluate and alert bedside providers of the patients' condition."
"With the current shift to value-based care, it's critical for healthcare organizations to prioritize both quality of care and cost containment. Achieving this double aim can be especially challenging for rural health systems with limited resources and specialty access," said Christine Storm, Business Leader, eICU, Philips. "The impressive clinical and financial outcomes Avera has achieved through their eCARE ICU program reveal how connected technology and remote monitoring programs can not only improve clinical outcomes, but also help rural populations get the personalized care they need, when they need it."
The Philips eICU program combines predictive analytics, data visualization and advanced reporting capabilities with Philips' expertise to help deliver vital information to bedside caregivers. Receiving this remote support empowers the bedside team to make better informed, more efficient and effective value-based care decisions. Philips eCareManager, the program's source-agnostic software, provides clinicians with a single integrated view of patient data, allowing care teams to productively manage a large population of patients.
Philips' full suite of integrated solutions will be on display in booth #3812 at the 2018 Annual HIMSS Conference & Exhibition taking place March 5-9, 2018 at the Sands Expo in Las Vegas, NV. For more information on Philips' presence at HIMSS, visit www.usa.philips.com/himss and follow @PhilipsLiveFrom for #HIMSS18 updates throughout the event.
[1] Mann S. Research Shows Shortage of More than 100,000 Doctors by 2030. Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC). https://news.aamc.org/medical-education/article/new-aamc-research-reaffirms-looming-physician-shor/
For more information, please contact:
Kathy O'Reilly
Philips Group Press Office
Mobile: +1-978-221-8919
Email: [email protected]
Twitter: @kathyoreilly
Silvie Casanova
Philips North America
Tel: +1-978-659-7467
Email: [email protected]
Jay Gravholt
Director of Media Relations/Avera Health
Tel: +1-605-660-1944
Email: [email protected]
www.AveraeCARE.org
About Royal Philips
Royal Philips (NYSE: PHG, AEX: PHIA) is a leading health technology company focused on improving people's health and enabling better outcomes across the health continuum from healthy living and prevention, to diagnosis, treatment and home care. Philips leverages advanced technology and deep clinical and consumer insights to deliver integrated solutions. Headquartered in the Netherlands, the company is a leader in diagnostic imaging, image-guided therapy, patient monitoring and health informatics, as well as in consumer health and home care. Philips' health technology portfolio generated 2017 sales of EUR 17.8 billion and employs approximately 74,000 employees with sales and services in more than 100 countries. News about Philips can be found at www.philips.com/newscenter.
About Avera Health
Avera Health the health ministry of the Benedictine and Presentation Sisters, is an integrated health system, located in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Avera is nationally recognized for Avera eCARE, a telehealth model that is transforming care delivery by leveraging expert staff and innovative technologies by improving health care at the local level, keeping patients close to home. Avera eCARE's innovative care model offers access to specialists by supporting patients and clinicians in emergency rooms, critical care units, hospitals, long term care communities, clinics, correctional facilities, and schools. Serving nearly 400 urban and rural communities in 16 states, Avera eCARE is supporting workforce, reducing healthcare costs and saving lives. To learn more about Avera eCARE, visit www.averaecare.org
SOURCE Royal Philips
Related Links
http://www.philips.com
HOUSTON, Feb. 26, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- The Texas Supreme Court has become the first state high court to recognize that communications between non-lawyer patent agents and inventor clients are protected by attorney-client privilege.
The Texas court found that inventor Andrew Silver, represented by Ahmad, Zavitsanos, Anaipakos, Alavi & Mensing P.C., or AZA, would not have to reveal emails between him and his patent agent if they were communicating about the prosecution of the patent.
Patent agents are often used by small, independent inventors because they are a more affordable way to obtain a patent. The United States Patent and Trademark Office and all federal jurisdictions recognize registered patent agents as authorized practitioners of law when they represent clients before the USPTO. The Texas court on Feb. 23 recognized that, in that situation, agents are "lawyers" for the purposes of the state attorney-client privilege.
The case will now go back to the trial judge in Dallas where Mr. Silver sued Tabletop Media LLC over the patented technology for the Ziosk food-ordering tablet service used in restaurants.
"This is an exciting victory because it has the potential to influence state court cases across the country," said Jane Langdell Robinson, Of Counsel at AZA, who argued the appeal for Mr. Silver.
"Twenty-four other statesincluding California, Delaware, and Floridahave the same privilege rule Texas does. We believe that other states will look to this Texas ruling when patent agents and their clients assert attorney-client privilege," she said.
Other AZA attorneys working on the case are Demetrios Anaipakos, Tim Shelby, Edward Goolsby, and Ifti Ahmed.
The case is In Re Andrew Silver, case number 16-0682, in the Supreme Court of Texas.
Ahmad, Zavitsanos, Anaipakos, Alavi & Mensing P.C., or AZA, is a Houston-based law firm that is home to true courtroom lawyers with a formidable track record in complex commercial litigation, including energy, intellectual property, and business dispute cases. AZA is recognized by Chambers USA 2017 among the best in Texas commercial law; by U.S. News Best Lawyers' Best Law Firms as one of the country's best commercial litigation firms for 2018; and previously by Law360 as a Texas Powerhouse law firm. National corporate counsel named AZA one of the country's best in client service among law firms serving the Fortune 1000. Visit https://azalaw.com/.
Media Contact
Mary Flood
800-559-4534
[email protected]
SOURCE Ahmad, Zavitsanos, Anaipakos, Alavi & Mensing P.C., or AZA
Related Links
https://www.azalaw.com
WELLESLEY, Mass., Feb. 26, 2018 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Entrepreneurship: The Practice and Mindset, coauthored by Babson College Professor Heidi Neck, is winner of a 2018 TAA Most Promising New Textbook Award by the Textbook & Academic Authors Association (TAA).
It is one of the five textbooks that received Most Promising New Textbook awards. The TAA Most Promising New Textbook Award recognizes excellence in 1st edition textbooks and learning materials.
The award will be presented during a luncheon at TAA's 31st Annual Textbook & Academic Authoring Conference in Santa Fe, NM, Friday, June 15, 2018 at 4:30 p.m. at the La Fonda Hotel.
"All of us at Babson are so thrilled that Professor Neck's new textbook has been recognized with this award. Thrilled, but not surprised as Heidi has been honing her craft on how to best teach entrepreneurship for nearly two decades. She is one of the world's leading entrepreneurship educators and entrepreneurship education researchers. Her book represents years of dedicated work to students and other professors around the world," said Andrew Corbett, Paul T. Babson Chair of Entrepreneurial Studies and chair, Babson Entrepreneurship Division.
"This text by Professor Heidi Neck is truly an innovative approach for learning entrepreneurship because of the action orientation, and the focus on the early nascent stages of personal entrepreneurial development and venture creation," said Professor Candida Brush, Babson Vice Provost of Global Entrepreneurial Leadership.
Entrepreneurship: The Practice and Mindset
The book, written in collaboration with Christopher Neck, an award-winning professor at Arizona State University, and Emma Murray, business writer and entrepreneur, "catapults students beyond the classroom by helping them develop an entrepreneurial mindset so they can create opportunities and take action in uncertain environments."
Based on Babson's own entrepreneurship education, this new text emphasizes practice and learning through Entrepreneurial Thought & Action(r).
From Sage Publishing: "Students learn entrepreneurship by taking small actions and interacting with stakeholders in order to get feedback, experiment, and move ideas forward. Students walk away from this text with the entrepreneurial mindset, skillset, and toolset that can be applied to startups as well as organizations of all kinds. Whether students have backgrounds in business, liberal arts, engineering, or the sciences, this text will take them on a transformative journey."
Heidi Neck
Heidi Neck, Ph.D., is a Babson College Professor and the Jeffry A. Timmons Professor of Entrepreneurial Studies. She teaches entrepreneurship at the MBA and executive levels. Her research interests include entrepreneurship education, entrepreneurship inside organizations, and creative thinking. She has published 40+ book chapters, research monographs, and refereed articles in such journals as Journal of Small Business Management, Entrepreneurship Theory & Practice, and International Journal of Entrepreneurship Education. She is on the editorial board of the Academy of Management Learning & Education journal.
Neck is Faculty Director of Babson's Symposia for Entrepreneurship Educators (SEE)--programs designed to further develop faculty from around the world in the art and craft of teaching entrepreneurship and building entrepreneurship programs. An award-winning teacher, Neck has been recognized for teaching excellence at Babson for both undergraduate and executive education. She has also been recognized by international organizations, the Academy of Management and the United States Association for Small Business & Entrepreneurship, for excellence in pedagogy and course design. She passionately works to improve the pedagogy of entrepreneurship education because new venture creation is the economic engine of society
About Babson College
Babson College is the educator, convener, and thought leader for Entrepreneurship of All Kinds(r). The top-ranked college for entrepreneurship education, Babson is a dynamic living and learning laboratory where students, faculty, and staff work together to address the real-world problems of business and society. We prepare the entrepreneurial leaders our world needs most: those with strong functional knowledge and the skills and vision to navigate change, accommodate ambiguity, surmount complexity, and motivate teams in a common purpose to make a difference in the world, and have an impact on organizations of all sizes and types. As we have for nearly a half-century, Babson continues to advance Entrepreneurial Thought & Action(r) as the most positive force on the planet for generating sustainable economic and social value.
Media Contacts: Michael Chmura
Public Relations Director
[email protected]
Phone: 781-239-4549
This news release was issued on behalf of Newswise(TM). For more information, visit http://www.newswise.com.
SOURCE Babson College
Related Links
http://www.babson.edu
BUFFALO, N.Y., Feb. 26, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Educators of America has successfully kicked off their Building Cultural Bridges Program connecting American and Namibian students via video conferencing. "I do not know what will happen, but I'm willing to make new friends," says a Grade 7 Namibian student prior to virtually meeting their American counterpart. That American counterpart is also a middle school student located 10 time zones away in Las Vegas, Nevada. Despite being continents and hemispheres apart, two groups of middle school students were about to experience an international meeting that put them practically in the same room.
Originating as a simple pen pal program designed by Peace Corps Volunteer Brett Claydon, Educators of America partnered with Brett to take the pen pal program idea into the 21st century. Namibian students were the first to write and deliver their pen pal letters via post to their American counterparts. After much anticipation, the American students received their letters, discovered who their counterpart was and mailed their handwritten responses immediately. As the letters were en route, Brett answered questions from students about life in America along with engaging with local teachers and administrators of the Namibian school to ensure the sustainability of the program.
Executive Director of Educators of America Michael Lynch traveled to Namibia, landing in the capital, Windhoek, to meet Brett and begin their journey to his site, video technology in tow. Educators of America obtained Cisco video technology equipment from ConvergeOne and shipped it to Namibia in order for the Namibian students to virtually meet and greet their American pen pals. Arriving in town, the two were able to successfully install the video technology into the school on the first day with some help from the school's IT department. The following evening, the Namibian students dressed in their school uniforms and filled with excitement and eagerness, filled the Computer Centre, ready to see and hear their American student pen pals - who were just arriving to school at 7 in the morning in Nevada.
A flurry of waves, hellos, gasps and laughter filled the Namibian classroom as American students began to read out the names of their pen pals and match a face to a name. As the session progressed, there was an exchange of greetings between both Namibian and American teachers involved as they began to put together a schedule that would allow for one-on-one discussions between the pen pals to encourage cross-cultural exchange, relationship building and intercultural learning. "Next step is that we build a good friendship, and maybe one day in the future we'll even bump into each other," said a Namibian student post-video meeting. Peace Corps Volunteer Brett Claydon said, "Many Namibian students are ambitious to travel the world and discover what is beyond their borders and this is certainly the first step in doing that."
The Building Cultural Bridges program falls in line with goals two and three of Peace Corps, which is to help promote a better understanding of Americans on the part of the peoples served and to promote a better understanding of other peoples on the part of Americans. Additionally, the program is designed to improve reading, writing, presentation and relationship-building skills.
"The world is going to open up for them and that is very important because to make friends everywhere would be wonderful." A statement coming from an emotional and visibly excited Ellen Nel, an English teacher at the Namibian school who is now championing the program among other teachers.
Students and teachers in the United States can learn more about the Building Cultural Bridges Program by visiting www.educatorsusa.org/bcb-program and downloading the online application in PDF or Word Document form. Educators of America plans to expand the program during the spring and fall of 2018 to include up to 10 more schools in the USA, connecting another 225 students with their new friends in Namibia.
Media Contact:
Michael Lynch
Educators of America Inc.
Phone: (716) 710-7300
Email: [email protected]
Related Files
Educators of America - Overview of Programs.pdf
Building Cultural Bridges Press Release.pdf
Related Images
building-cultural-bridges.png
Building Cultural Bridges
Official logo for the Educators of America Building Cultural Bridges Program
students-writing-letters.jpg
Students writing letters
Students in Namibia writing letters introducing themselves to their American counterparts
first-video-meeting.jpg
First video meeting
Namibian students greeting their new American friends for the first time
american-students-seeing-their.jpg
American students seeing their Namibian friends
These students in America are excited to meet their Namibian counterparts
Related Links
Building Cultural Bridges | Educators of America
Educators of America
Related Video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5qOyyXF_SKc
SOURCE Educators of America Inc
RA'ANANA, Israel, Feb. 26, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Celeno Communications, the leading provider of smart, managed Wi-Fi solutions, today announced a product design with Cameo for a wireless VDSL 35b / LTE data + VoIP Gateway. The solution, based on Celeno's high performance CL2440 4x4 802.11ac wave 2 Wi-Fi chip together with Realtek's VDSL 35b chip, meets the demand of service providers to deliver premium services and Gigabit wireless home connectivity.
The CL2440, a powerful PCIe Wi-Fi radio, integrates an offloading CPUs and memory, eliminating the need for additional costly external memories and, together with a small package size, drives down solution size and cost. Its inherent spectrum analyser and intelligence engine seamlessly scans the spectrum without interrupting service and without the need for additional RBOM costs, maximizing overall Wi-Fi performance.
The joint product will come with smart Wi-Fi management software technology that enables maintained reliable peak Wi-Fi performance even in the most crowded and dense urban Wi-Fi environments. This includes the ControlAIR smart multi-AP Wi-Fi controller that enables multiple managed Wi-Fi access points - gateway and smart extenders, to be deployed in the home in an orchestrated fashion, as well as OptimizAIR, which enables the provisioning, enforcement and dynamic allocation of Wi-Fi airtime capacity to different virtual networks (SSIDs), services and even different clients all served by the same gateway.
"We're excited to be chosen by Cameo, a leading broadband access CPE manufacturer, to provide the most compelling, smart Wi-Fi solution to Cameo customers with best-in-class chip performance, value, and a host of advanced management features." said Gilad Rozen, Founder and CEO of Celeno.
"We are committed to providing our customers with both top quality and the best possible price/performance ratio possible," says JuAn Tseng, CEO of Cameo. "We are thrilled to integrate Celeno's high performance technology as it enables us to reach challenging markets with value-add functionalities and ultimately, deliver on our promise."
About Celeno Communications
Celeno is the leading provider of smart, managed Wi-Fi solutions. Celeno's extensive chip portfolio and ground-breaking software technologies are designed to excel in real life, highly-interfered dense network scenarios, delivering the level of management, performance, speed, coverage, reliability and superlative user experience demanded by Wi-Fi users. Celeno's field-proven chips and software technology have been successfully integrated into numerous OEM Wi-Fi devices and have been deployed in tens of millions of homes around the world by almost 100 leading service providers worldwide. Founded in 2005 and backed by blue chip investors, Celeno is a well-established company headquartered in Ra'anana, Israel, with a global presence and offices in the US, EMEA and Asia Pacific.
Media Contact:
Daniella Crankshaw
Director of Marketing Communications
Celeno
[email protected]
SOURCE Celeno Communications
Related Links
http://www.celeno.com/
BOSTON and SANTA CLARA, Calif., Feb. 26, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Cengage, an education and technology company and Chegg, the Smarter Way to Student, today announced an exclusive partnership to increase students' access to more affordable materials and help them succeed in their studies. At launch this August, all Cengage Unlimited subscribers will receive a month of free access to Chegg's Learning Services, including Chegg Study, Chegg Math, Easybib Plus, a Chegg Service, and 60 minutes of tutoring through the Chegg Tutors platform.
Announced this past December, a Cengage Unlimited subscription gives students access to all the company's digital higher education course materialsmore than 22,000 products across 70 disciplines and 675 coursesfor $119.99 a semester, no matter how many Cengage materials they use. Students using the digital platforms have the option of free print rentals, paying only a $7.99 shipping fee. After paying the one-time subscription fee, students will access a centralized easy-to-use dashboard offering access to the vast Cengage library of content and digital learning platforms and, starting in August 2018, will include access to Chegg's Learning Services.
Subscribers will receive access to a 30-day trial subscription of Chegg Study, which provides step-by-step solutions to problems in more than 28,000 college textbooks, and a database of more than 13 million expert questions and answers. Additionally, Cengage Unlimited users will receive similar access to Chegg Math, an artificial intelligence-based mathematical equation solver; EasyBib Plus, a Chegg Service which helps students learn and improve sentence structure, grammar, spelling, and identify when and how to cite their papers to prevent plagiarism, and 60 minutes of 1-on-1 tutoring from subject matter experts through Chegg Tutors.
"The extraordinary response to Cengage Unlimited since launch underscores how the market is ready for bold action to remove the cost barriers that for too long have limited students' learning," said Todd Markson, Chief Strategy Officer, Cengage. "We are thrilled to partner again with Chegg, whom we have also partnered with on rental consignment. They are a great student brand, with highly regarded products and services, and they share our commitment to putting students first. This partnership adds even more value to the already attractive Cengage Unlimited subscription."
"We are thrilled to offer our suite of Chegg Learning Services to Cengage Unlimited subscribers," said Nathan Schultz, Chief Learning Officer of Chegg, Inc. "This partnership not only deepens our relationship with Cengage but also, of equal importance, offers tremendous value to students; empowering them to learn in whichever way works best for them, while improving their overall academic outcome."
About Cengage
Cengage is the education and technology company built for learners. As the largest US-based provider of teaching and learning materials for higher ed, we offer valuable options at affordable price points. Our industry-leading initiatives include Cengage Unlimited, the first-of-its-kind all-access digital subscription service. We embrace innovation to create learning experiences that build confidence and momentum toward the future students want. Headquartered in Boston, Cengage also serves K-12, library and workforce training markets around the world. Visit us at www.cengage.com or find us on Facebook or Twitter.
About Chegg
Chegg puts students first. As the leading student-first connected learning platform, Chegg strives to improve the overall return on investment in education by helping students learn more in less time and at a lower cost. Chegg is a publicly-held company based in Santa Clara, California and trades on the NYSE under the symbol CHGG. For more information, visit www.chegg.com.
Media Contact:
Kristina Massari, Cengage
203-965-8694
[email protected]
SOURCE Cengage
Related Links
http://www.cengage.com
Represents a $231.4 million transaction by CGI
Stock Market Symbols
GIB.A (TSX)
GIB (NYSE)
www.cgi.com/newsroom
MONTREAL, Feb 26, 2018 /PRNewswire/ - CGI (TSX: GIB.A) (NYSE: GIB) announced today that it intends to enter into a private agreement with Mr. Serge Godin, Founder and Executive Chairman of the Board of CGI, for the purchase for cancellation of 3,230,450 Class A subordinate voting shares ("Class A Shares") indirectly held by him, including 2,761,783 Class A Shares resulting from the conversion of an equivalent number of Class B shares (multiple voting) ("Class B Shares"), at a price of $71.64 per Class A Share, for a total consideration of $231.4 million . The price represents a discount of three percent (3%) to the closing price of the Class A Shares on the Toronto Stock Exchange ("TSX") on February 23, 2018. CGI will fund the repurchase from cash on hand and its existing revolving credit facility.
A Special Committee of CGI's Board of Directors, composed exclusively of independent directors, was established in connection with the share repurchase. After consultation with its external legal advisors Norton Rose Fulbright Canada LLP and financial advisors National Bank Financial Inc. and the receipt of an opinion regarding the reasonableness of the terms of the transaction from National Bank Financial Inc., the Special Committee unanimously determined that the share repurchase was in the best interest of the Company and recommended that the Board of Directors approve the transaction. A favourable decision was obtained from the Autorite des marches financiers (Quebec securities regulator) to exempt CGI from the issuer bid requirements under applicable securities legislation.
Following the recommendation of the Special Committee, the share repurchase was also unanimously approved by the Board of Directors. All non-independent directors, including Mr. Serge Godin, refrained from participating in the Board of Directors' deliberations and from voting on matters relating to the transaction.
Dominic D'Alessandro, Lead Director and Chair of the Board of Directors' Special Committee, noted that: "The transaction presented an excellent opportunity to repurchase shares at a discount, with immediate and long-term accretion that will benefit all shareholders."
The transaction is entered into by Mr. Godin for estate planning purposes. Mr. Godin will also subsequently donate 269,600 Class A Shares resulting from the conversion of an equivalent number of Class B Shares indirectly held by him to Fondation Jeunesse-Vie, a foundation established by Mr. Godin in 2000 to alleviate poverty, advance education and improve the health of disadvantaged children and teenagers in Canada. With this donation, the Foundation will have in excess of $40 million to further its mission and purpose.
"CGI was built to grow and last," said Mr. Godin. "As the digital revolution accelerates, the demand for information technology and our services will only grow. I am more confident than ever before in the future of CGI, and am privileged to work each and every day with our team to help shape and capture this opportunity around the world." Mr. Godin also indicated that he has no intention of disposing of additional CGI shares in the near future.
After completion of the transaction and the donation, there will be 255,472,560 Class A Shares and 29,821,365 Class B Shares of CGI issued and outstanding. Mr. Godin will continue to beneficially own, directly or indirectly, or exercise control or direction over 46.2% of the total voting rights compared with 49.0% prior to the transaction and the donation.
The share repurchase, which is expected to be entered into later today, will be made under CGI's normal course issuer bid ("NCIB") commenced on February 6, 2018. Under the NCIB, CGI is authorized to repurchase up to 20,595,539 Class A Shares until the earlier of February 5, 2019 or the date on which CGI will either have acquired the maximum number of Class A Shares allowable under the NCIB or otherwise decided not to make any further purchases for cancellation under it. The NCIB allows for purchases outside the facilities of the TSX by private agreements pursuant to exemption orders issued by securities regulators. As at February 23, 2018, CGI had not repurchased any Class A Shares under its current NCIB.
Information regarding the share repurchase, including the number of Class A Shares purchased and aggregate purchase price paid, will be available on SEDAR at www.sedar.com following the completion thereof. CGI will not issue any additional press release announcing the completion of this share repurchase.
About CGI
Founded in 1976, CGI is the fifth largest independent end to end IT and business consulting services firm in the world. With approximately 72,500 professionals worldwide, CGI offers comprehensive end-to-end IT and business consulting services, systems integration as well as IT and business process outsourcing services. These services are complemented by CGI's intellectual property solutions that help clients accelerate value creation and leverage digitalization. With annual revenue of C$10.8 billion, CGI shares are listed on the TSX (GIB.A) and the NYSE (GIB). Website: www.cgi.com.
Forward-Looking Statements
All statements in this press release that do not directly and exclusively relate to historical facts constitute "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of Section 27A of the United States Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the United States Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and are "forward-looking information" within the meaning of Canadian securities laws. These statements and this information represent CGI's intentions, plans, expectations and beliefs, and are subject to risks, uncertainties and other factors, of which many are beyond the control of the Company. These factors could cause actual results to differ materially from such forward-looking statements or forward-looking information. These factors include but are not restricted to: the timing and size of new contracts; acquisitions and other corporate developments; the ability to attract and retain qualified employees; market competition in the rapidly evolving information technology industry; general economic and business conditions; foreign exchange and other risks identified or incorporated by reference in this press release, in CGI's annual and/or quarterly Management's Discussion and Analysis and in other public disclosure documents filed with the Canadian securities regulators (on SEDAR at www.sedar.com) and the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (on EDGAR at www.sec.gov), as well as assumptions regarding the foregoing. The words "believe", "estimate", "expect", "intend", "anticipate", "foresee", "plan", and similar expressions and variations thereof, identify certain of such forward-looking statements or forward-looking information, which speak only as of the date on which they are made. In particular, statements relating to future performance are forward-looking statements and forward-looking information. CGI disclaims any intention or obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements or forward-looking information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by applicable law. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements or on this forward-looking information.
SOURCE CGI Group Inc.
Related Links
http://www.cgi.com/
3Q18 Added 24,229 New Subscribers
3Q18 Revenues Up 22.0% YOY to RMB245.0 Million ( $37.7 Million )
3Q18 Operating Income Reached RMB78.4 Million ( $12.0 Million )
Conference Call to be Held on February 27, 2018 at 8:00 a.m. ET
HONG KONG, Feb. 26, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- China Cord Blood Corporation (NYSE: CO) ("CCBC" or the "Company"), a leading cord blood bank operator in China, today announced its unaudited financial results for the third quarter and first nine months of fiscal year 2018.
Third Quarter of Fiscal 2018 Highlights
Revenues for the third quarter of fiscal 2018 increased by 22.0% to RMB245.0 million ( $37.7 million ) from RMB200.9 million in the prior year period.
( ) from in the prior year period. New subscribers and accumulated subscriber base were 24,229 and 640,311 1 , respectively.
, respectively. Gross profit in third quarter fiscal 2018 grew at a slower pace of 12.7% to RMB198.2 million ( $30.5 million ), from RMB175.8 million last year because the Company recorded a one-off reduction in direct costs of RMB16.8 million in the comparable fiscal quarter last year.
( ), from last year because the Company recorded a one-off reduction in direct costs of in the comparable fiscal quarter last year. Third quarter fiscal 2018 operating income and operating income before depreciation and amortization and share-based compensation expenses 2 were RMB78.4 million ( $12.0 million ) and RMB110.8 million ( $17.0 million ), respectively. Aside from the one-off reduction in direct costs, the Company also recorded RMB26.3 million other operating income in the comparable fiscal quarter last year. Therefore, third quarter fiscal 2017 operating income and operating income before depreciation and amortization and share-based compensation expenses 2 amounted to RMB101.7 million and RMB130.3 million , respectively.
were ( ) and ( ), respectively. Aside from the one-off reduction in direct costs, the Company also recorded other operating income in the comparable fiscal quarter last year. Therefore, third quarter fiscal 2017 operating income and operating income before depreciation and amortization and share-based compensation expenses amounted to and , respectively. Net income attributable to the Company's shareholders increased by 25.0% to RMB69.9 million ( $10.7 million ) from RMB55.9 million in the prior year period as no interest expense was incurred in this quarter.
( ) from in the prior year period as no interest expense was incurred in this quarter. Net cash provided by operating activities for the third quarter of fiscal 2018 increased to RMB182.7 million ( $28.1 million ) from RMB169.8 million last year.
First Nine Months of Fiscal 2018 Highlights
Revenues for the first nine months of fiscal 2018 increased by 26.1% to RMB703.8 million ( $108.2 million ).
( ). New subscriber sign-ups reached 70,399 and accumulated subscriber base expanded to 640,311 1 .
. Gross profit increased by 24.1% to RMB566.5 million ( $87.1 million ).
( ). Operating income increased by 14.0% to RMB237.7 million ( $36.5 million ).
( ). Operating income before depreciation and amortization and share-based compensation expenses 2 increased to RMB311.8 million ( $47.9 million ) from RMB292.9 million in the prior year period.
increased to ( ) from in the prior year period. Net income attributable to the Company's shareholders increased to RMB206.6 million ( $31.8 million ) from RMB88.3 million in the prior year period.
( ) from in the prior year period. Net cash provided by operating activities for the first nine months of fiscal 2018 was RMB624.4 million ( $96.0 million ), up 42.9% from last year period.
"In the reporting quarter, we continued to achieve pleasing results led by outstanding performance in our Guangdong division and maintained our leading position in the cord blood bank industry. We also rolled out pilot programs to expand our channels beyond hospitals. Meanwhile, we expect that the issuance of new policies to support and regulate research on stem cell therapy will encourage and accelerate the development of stem cell-related clinical applications, which will boost cord blood storage demand over the long run," said Ms. Ting Zheng, Chairperson and Chief Executive Officer of China Cord Blood Corporation.
Summary Third Quarter and First Nine Months Ended December 31, 2016 and 2017
Three Months Ended December 31,
Nine Months Ended December 31,
2016
2017
2016
2017
(in thousands)
RMB
RMB
US$
RMB
RMB
US$
Revenues
200,888
244,993
37,654
557,980
703,787
108,170
Gross Profit
175,788
198,167
30,457
456,359
566,535
87,075
Other Operating Income
26,316
-
-
26,316
-
-
Operating Income3
101,670
78,380
12,046
208,549
237,669
36,530
Interest Expense
(30,594)
-
-
(89,228)
(3,257)
(501)
Net Income Attributable to the Company's Shareholders
55,887
69,854
10,734
88,250
206,584
31,751
Earnings per Ordinary Share
Basic4 and Diluted (RMB/US$)
0.70
0.61
0.09
1.14
1.83
0.28
Revenues Breakdown (%)
Processing Fees
64.5%
66.7%
63.0%
66.0%
Storage Fees
35.5%
33.3%
37.0%
34.0%
New Subscribers (persons)
19,712
24,229
54,386
70,399
Total Accumulated Subscribers (persons)
554,742
640,3111
554,742
640,3111
Summary Selected Cash Flow Statement Items
Three Months Ended December 31,
Nine Months Ended December 31,
2016
2017
2016
2017 (in thousands)
RMB
RMB
US$
RMB
RMB
US$ Net cash provided by operating activities
169,804
182,702
28,080
437,095
624,412
95,970 Net cash used in investing activities
(316)
(25,342)
(3,895)
(84,596)
(47,359)
(7,279) Net cash used in financing activities
-
(2,015)
(310)
(60,000)
(2,015)
(310)
Third Quarter of Fiscal 2018 Financial Results
REVENUES. Revenues increased by 22.0% to RMB245.0 million ($37.7 million) in the third quarter of fiscal 2018 from RMB200.9 million in the prior year period. Revenues generated from processing fees and other services in the third quarter of fiscal 2018 increased by 26.1% to RMB163.3 million ($25.1 million) from RMB129.5 million in the prior year period as a result of the 24,229 new subscriber sign-ups recorded during the reporting period, a 22.9% year-over-year growth. Revenues generated from processing fees accounted for 66.7% of total revenues compared to 64.5% in the prior year period.
Revenues generated from storage fees increased by 14.4% to RMB81.7 million ($12.6 million) in the reporting quarter from RMB71.4 million in the prior year period. Accumulated subscriber base as of December 31, 2017 reached 640,3111. Storage fee revenues accounted for 33.3% of total revenues compared to 35.5% in the prior year period.
GROSS PROFIT. Gross profit for the third quarter of fiscal 2018 grew by 12.7% to RMB198.2 million ($30.5 million) from RMB175.8 million in the prior year period. In the third quarter of fiscal 2017, the Company received RMB16.8 million of consideration for rendering a consultation service and such consideration was recorded as a reduction of direct costs. No such consideration was recorded in the third quarter of fiscal 2018. Excluding such consideration, gross margin for the prior year period was 79.1%. Benefiting from economies of scale, gross margin for the reporting period increased to 80.9%.
OPERATING INCOME. Third quarter fiscal 2018 operating income and operating income before depreciation and amortization and share-based compensation expenses2 were RMB78.4 million ($12.0 million) and RMB110.8 million ($17.0 million), respectively. Third quarter fiscal 2017 operating income and operating income before depreciation and amortization and share-based compensation expenses2 amounted to RMB101.7 million and RMB130.3 million, respectively. Third quarter fiscal 2017 operating income included a one-off reduction of direct costs of RMB16.8 million and an RMB26.3 million other operating income as a result of a public bank collaboration project, none of which was recorded in the third quarter fiscal 2018.
Research and Development Expenses. Research and development expenses amounted to RMB2.9 million ($0.5 million) in the third quarter of fiscal 2018, similar to that of the same period last year.
Sales and Marketing Expenses. Sales and marketing expenses for the third quarter amounted to RMB60.0 million ($9.2 million), up 27.6% from RMB47.0 million in the prior year period. The growth was led by higher promotion and staff remuneration costs. As a percentage of revenues, sales and marketing expenses were 24.5% compared to 23.4% in the prior year period.
General and Administrative Expenses. General and administrative expenses for the third quarter increased to RMB56.9 million ($8.7 million) from RMB50.6 million in the prior year period as a result of higher share-based compensation expenses and account receivables write-off. During the reporting quarter, the Company recorded a write-off of RMB5.1 million ($0.8 million) in accounts receivable because the Company determined that the recoverability of these subscribers was low. General and administrative expenses as a percentage of revenues declined to 23.2% from 25.2% in the prior year period.
NET INCOME ATTRIBUTABLE TO THE COMPANY'S SHAREHOLDERS. Income before income tax for the third quarter of fiscal 2018 amounted to RMB85.8 million ($13.2 million) compared to RMB73.3 million in the prior year period as a result of the absences of interest expense and impairment loss on available-for-sale equity securities. Income tax expense for the reporting period was RMB15.6 million ($2.4 million). Net income attributable to the Company's shareholders for the third quarter of fiscal 2018 increased by 25.0% to RMB69.9 million ($10.7 million) from RMB55.9 million in the prior year period. Net margin for the third quarter of fiscal 2018 was 28.5%, up from 27.8% in the prior year period.
EARNINGS PER SHARE. Basic and diluted earnings per ordinary share for the third quarter of fiscal 2018 was RMB0.61 ($0.09)4 compared to RMB0.70 in the prior year period.
LIQUIDITY. As of December 31, 2017, the Company had cash and cash equivalents of RMB4,078.3 million ($626.8 million), up from RMB3,510.3 million as of March 31, 2017. Total current and non-current deferred revenues amounted to RMB2,169.0 million ($333.4 million) as of December 31, 2017. Net cash provided by operating activities for the third quarter of fiscal 2018 increased to RMB182.7 million ($28.1 million) from RMB169.8 million in the prior year period.
First Nine Months of Fiscal 2018 Financial Results
For the first nine months of fiscal year 2018, total revenues increased by 26.1% to RMB703.8 million ($108.2 million) from RMB558.0 million in the prior year period as a result of strong growth in new subscriber sign-ups and an enlarged client base. Revenues from processing fees and storage fees grew by 32.1% and 16.0%, respectively. Gross profit increased by 24.1% to RMB566.5 million ($87.1 million) from RMB456.4 million in the prior year period. Operating income and operating income before depreciation and amortization and share-based compensation expenses2 for the nine months ended December 31, 2017 amounted to RMB237.7 million ($36.5 million) and RMB311.8 million ($47.9 million), respectively, representing an annual increase of 14.0% and 6.4%, respectively. Operating income and operating income before depreciation and amortization and share-based compensation expenses2 for the nine months ended December 31, 2017 grew at a slower pace as compared to the growth of revenues due to the reasons including (i) an absence of direct costs reduction, (ii) an absence of public bank collaboration project contribution, and (iii) higher sales and marketing costs. Net income attributable to the Company's shareholders totaled RMB206.6 million ($31.8 million). Basic and diluted earnings per ordinary share increased to RMB1.83 ($0.28) from RMB1.14 in the prior year period. Net cash provided by operating activities in the first nine months of fiscal 2018 increased to RMB624.4 million ($96.0 million) from RMB437.1 million in the prior year period.
Recent Developments
On January 31, 2018 , the Company announced that Nanjing Ying Peng Hui Kang Medical Industry Investment Partnership (limited partnership) ("Nanjing Ying Peng"), via its subsidiary, had become a major shareholder of the Company. Following the entry of Nanjing Ying Peng, its authorized representative of the executive partner Mr. Ping Xu was appointed as a director of the Board of Directors of the Company (the "Board"). Simultaneously, Mr. Yuen Kam resigned from his positions as Chairman and director of the Board and as Chairman and member of the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee (the "Nominating Committee") of the Company, effective as of January 31, 2018 . Following Mr. Kam's resignation, Ms. Ting Zheng, Chief Executive Officer of the Company, was appointed as the Chairperson of the Board and the Chairperson of the Nominating Committee. Mr. Mark Chen , one of the Company's existing independent non-executive directors, also joined as a new member of the Nominating Committee.
On February 7, 2018 , the Company announced that the Board had approved seeking shareholder approval regarding the change of the Company name from "China Cord Blood Corporation" to "Global Cord Blood Corporation" to better reflect the future development direction and business strategy of the Company. The Company plans to hold an extraordinary general meeting ("EGM") for shareholders to approve the name change at its Hong Kong office on 48/F, Bank of China Tower, 1 Garden Road, Central, Hong Kong , at 8:00 p.m. Hong Kong Time on March 16, 2018 ( 8:00 a.m. U.S. Eastern Daylight Time on March 16, 2018 ). Shareholders of record as of February 27, 2018 will be entitled to receive the notice and vote at the EGM.
Conference Call
The Company will host a conference call at 8:00 a.m. ET on Tuesday, February 27, 2018 to discuss its financial performance and give a brief overview of the Company's recent developments, followed by a question and answer session. Interested parties can access the audio webcast through the Company's IR website at http://ir.chinacordbloodcorp.com. A replay of the webcast will be accessible two hours after the conference call and available for three weeks at the same URL above. Listeners can also access the call by dialing 1-855-824-5644 or 1-646-722-4977 for US callers, or +852-3027-6500 for Hong Kong callers, access code: 93146136#.
1 During the three months and nine months ended December 31, 2017, 24,229 and 70,399 new subscribers were recruited, respectively. The Company reclassified 4,598 and 5,128 private cord blood units as donated cord blood units during the three months and nine months ended December 31, 2017 after the Company determined that the recoverability of these prior private cord blood banking subscribers was low. Therefore, the Company terminated their subscription services according to the subscription contracts and these units are being treated as if they were donated cord blood units and will be part of the Company's non-current inventories. Hence, the net accumulated subscriber base was 640,311 as of December 31, 2017.
2 See exhibit 3 of this press release for a reconciliation of operating income to exclude the non-cash items related to the depreciation and amortization and share-based compensation expenses to the comparable financial measure prepared in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles ("U.S. GAAP").
3 The reported operating income for the three months and nine months ended December 31, 2016 and 2017 included the following:
(i) Depreciation and amortization expenses for the three months ended December 31, 2016 and 2017 were RMB12.7 million and RMB12.7 million ($1.9 million). Depreciation and amortization expenses for the nine months ended December 31, 2016 and 2017 were RMB37.8 million and RMB37.8 million ($5.8 million); and
(ii) As of December 31, 2017, a total of 7,300,000 restricted share units ("RSU") were issued and outstanding under the Company's RSU scheme, subject to certain performance conditions. Share-based compensation expenses related to this RSU scheme were RMB15.9 million and RMB19.8 million ($3.0 million) for the three months ended December 31, 2016 and 2017. Share-based compensation expenses for the nine months ended December 31, 2016 and 2017 were RMB46.5 million and RMB36.4 million ($5.6 million).
4 Out of 7,300,000 RSUs issued and outstanding as of December 31, 2017, 7,080,000 ordinary shares ("Shares") were then issued and deposited into a trust sponsored and funded by the Company ("Trust"), and will be transferred to respective executives, directors and key employees (or their designated nominees) under the Company's RSU scheme when the performance conditions are met. The Trust facilitates the granting (and subsequent vesting) of incentive RSUs and holds such Shares for the benefit of such executives, directors and key employees as a class. Taking into account of such Shares, in addition to 113,524,742 outstanding shares (73,003,248 outstanding shares for the three and nine months ended December 31, 2016), basic and diluted earnings per ordinary share would be RMB0.67 and RMB0.58 ($0.09) for the three months ended December 31, 2016 and 2017, and RMB1.07 and RMB1.73 ($0.27) for the nine months ended December 31, 2016 and 2017, respectively.
Use of Non-GAAP Financial Measures
GAAP results for the three months and nine months ended December 31, 2017 include non-cash items related to the depreciation and amortization and share-based compensation expenses. To supplement the Company's unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements presented on U.S. GAAP basis, the Company has provided adjusted financial information excluding the impact of these items in this press release. The non-GAAP financial measure represents non-GAAP operating income. Such adjustment is a departure of U.S. GAAP; however, the Company's management believes that these adjusted measures provide investors with a better understanding of how the results relate to the Company's historical performance. Also, management uses non-GAAP operating income as a measurement tool for evaluating actual operating performance compared to budget and prior periods. These adjusted measures should not be considered an alternative to operating income, or any other measure of financial performance or liquidity presented in accordance with U.S. GAAP. These measures are not necessarily comparable to a similarly titled measure of another company. A reconciliation of the adjustments to U.S. GAAP results appears in exhibit 3 accompanying this press release. This additional adjusted information is not meant to be considered in isolation or as a substitute for U.S. GAAP financials. The adjusted financial information that the Company provides also may differ from the adjusted information provided by other companies.
About China Cord Blood Corporation
China Cord Blood Corporation is the first and largest umbilical cord blood banking operator in China in terms of geographical coverage and the only cord blood banking operator with multiple licenses. Under current PRC government regulations, only one licensed cord blood banking operator is permitted to operate in each licensed region and no new licenses will be granted before 2020 in addition to the seven licenses authorized as of today. China Cord Blood Corporation provides cord blood collection, laboratory testing, hematopoietic stem cell processing, and stem cell storage services. For more information, please visit our website at http://www.chinacordbloodcorp.com.
Safe Harbor Statement
This press release contains 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. These statements relate to future events or the Company's future financial performance. The Company has attempted to identify forward-looking statements by terminology including "anticipates", "believes", "expects", "can", "continue", "could", "estimates", "intends", "may", "plans", "potential", "predict", "should" or "will" or the negative of these terms or other comparable terminology. These statements are only predictions, uncertainties and other factors may cause the Company's actual results, levels of activity, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future results, levels of activity, performance or achievements expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. The information in this press release is not intended to project future performance of the Company. Although the Company believes that the expectations reflected in the forward-looking statements are reasonable, the Company does not guarantee future results, levels of activity, performance or achievements. The Company expectations are as of the date this press release is issued, and the Company does not intend to update any of the forward-looking statements after the date this press release is issued to conform these statements to actual results, unless required by law.
The forward-looking statements included in this press release are subject to risks, uncertainties and assumptions about the Company's businesses and business environments. These statements reflect the Company's current views with respect to future events and are not a guarantee of future performance. Actual results of the Company's operations may differ materially from information contained in the forward-looking statements as a result of risk factors some of which include, among other things: continued compliance with government regulations regarding cord blood banking in the People's Republic of China, or PRC and any other jurisdiction in which the Company conducts its operations; changing legislation or regulatory environments (including the relaxation of China's one child policy) in the PRC and any other jurisdiction in which the Company conducts its operations; the acceptance by subscribers of the Company's different pricing and payment options and reaction to the introduction of the Company's premium-quality pricing strategy; demographic trends in the regions of the PRC in which the Company is the exclusive licensed cord blood banking operator; labor and personnel relations; the existence of a significant shareholder able to influence and direct the corporate policies of the Company; credit risks affecting the Company's revenue and profitability; changes in the healthcare industry, including those which may result in the use of stem cell therapies becoming redundant or obsolete; the Company's ability to effectively manage its growth, including implementing effective controls and procedures and attracting and retaining key management and personnel; changing interpretations of generally accepted accounting principles; the availability of capital resources, including in the form of capital markets financing opportunities, in light of industry developments affecting issuers that have pursued a "reverse merger" with an operating company based in China, the presence of a new majority shareholder, as well as general economic conditions; and other relevant risks detailed in the Company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission in the United States.
This announcement contains translations of certain Renminbi amounts into U.S. dollars at specified rates solely for the convenience of readers. Unless otherwise noted, all translations from Renminbi to U.S. dollars as of and for the periods ending December 31, 2017 were made at the noon buying rate of RMB6.5063 to $1.00 on December 29, 2017 in the City of New York for cable transfers in Renminbi per U.S. dollar as certified for customs purposes by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. China Cord Blood Corporation makes no representation that the Renminbi or U.S. dollar amounts referred to in this press release could have been or could be converted into U.S. dollars or Renminbi, at any particular rate or at all.
For more information, please contact:
China Cord Blood Corporation
Investor Relations Department
Tel: (+852) 3605-8180
Email: [email protected]
ICR, Inc.
William Zima
Tel: (+86) 10-6583-7511
U.S. Tel: (646) 405-5185
Email: [email protected]
EXHIBIT 1
CHINA CORD BLOOD CORPORATION UNAUDITED CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS As of March 31 and December 31, 2017
March 31,
December 31,
2017
2017
RMB
RMB
US$
(in thousands except share data) ASSETS
Current assets
Cash and cash equivalents 3,510,264
4,078,303
626,823
Accounts receivable, less allowance for doubtful
accounts (March 31, 2017: RMB46,858;
December 31, 2017: RMB52,036 (US$7,998)) 112,533
108,908
16,739
Inventories 30,987
35,270
5,420
Prepayments and other receivables - Third
parties 17,524
23,262
3,576
Prepayments and other receivables - Related
parties -
2,284
351
Total current assets 3,671,308
4,248,027
652,909
Property, plant and equipment, net 551,434
556,757
85,572
Non-current deposits - Third parties 237,487
222,633
34,218
Non-current deposits - Related party -
8,500
1,306
Non-current accounts receivable, less
allowance for doubtful accounts
(March 31, 2017: RMB70,744; December 31,
2017: RMB65,922 (US$10,132)) 135,148
111,053
17,069
Inventories 68,775
70,854
10,890
Intangible assets, net 106,686
103,221
15,865
Available-for-sale equity securities 200,790
162,628
24,995
Other investment 189,129
189,129
29,069
Deferred tax assets 22,155
23,701
3,643
Total assets 5,182,912
5,696,503
875,536
LIABILITIES
Current liabilities
Convertible notes, net 1,031,154
-
-
Accounts payable 11,060
13,535
2,080
Accrued expenses and other payables 65,162
76,630
11,778
Deferred revenue 323,690
359,545
55,261
Amount due to a related party 4,679
-
-
Income tax payable 11,383
8,309
1,277
Total current liabilities 1,447,128
458,019
70,396
Non-current deferred revenue 1,569,579
1,809,408
278,101
Other non-current liabilities 302,233
346,738
53,292
Deferred tax liabilities 21,423
20,864
3,207
Total liabilities 3,340,363
2,635,029
404,996
EQUITY
Shareholders' equity of China Cord
Blood Corporation
Ordinary shares
- US$0.0001 par value, 250,000,000 shares authorized, 73,140,147 shares issued and 73,003,248 shares outstanding as of March 31, 2017 and 113,661,641 shares issued and 113,524,742 shares outstanding as of
December 31, 2017 50
78
12
Additional paid-in capital 936,417
2,006,694
308,424
Treasury stock, at cost (March 31 and
December 31, 2017: 136,899 shares,
respectively) (2,815)
(2,815)
(433)
Accumulated other comprehensive income/
(loss) 24,428
(35,744)
(5,494)
Retained earnings 879,775
1,086,359
166,970
Total equity attributable to China Cord
Blood Corporation 1,837,855
3,054,572
469,479
Non-controlling interests 4,694
6,902
1,061
Total equity 1,842,549
3,061,474
470,540
Total liabilities and equity 5,182,912
5,696,503
875,536
EXHIBIT 2
CHINA CORD BLOOD CORPORATION UNAUDITED CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF COMPREHENSIVE INCOME For the Three Months and Nine Months ended December 31, 2016 and 2017
Three months ended December 31,
Nine months ended December 31,
2016
2017
2016
2017
RMB
RMB
US$
RMB
RMB
US$
(in thousands except per share data)
Revenues
200,888
244,993
37,654
557,980
703,787
108,170
Direct costs
(25,100)
(46,826)
(7,197)
(101,621)
(137,252)
(21,095)
Gross profit
175,788
198,167
30,457
456,359
566,535
87,075
Operating (expenses)/income,
net
Research and development
(2,890)
(2,930)
(450)
(7,216)
(9,273)
(1,425)
Sales and marketing
(46,965)
(59,947)
(9,214)
(124,799)
(159,549)
(24,522)
General and administrative
(50,579)
(56,910)
(8,747)
(142,111)
(160,044)
(24,598)
Other operating income
26,316
-
-
26,316
-
-
Total operating expenses, net
(74,118)
(119,787)
(18,411)
(247,810)
(328,866)
(50,545)
Operating income
101,670
78,380
12,046
208,549
237,669
36,530
Other (expenses)/income, net
Interest income
4,307
5,416
832
13,022
16,033
2,464
Interest expense
(30,594)
-
-
(89,228)
(3,257)
(501)
Foreign currency exchange gains
-
7
1
120
118
18
Dividend income
45
634
97
45
634
97
Impairment loss on
available-for-sale equity
securities
(2,533)
-
-
(2,533)
-
-
Others
371
1,405
216
1,099
3,547
545
Total other (expenses)/
income, net
(28,404)
7,462
1,146
(77,475)
17,075
2,623
Income before income tax
73,266
85,842
13,192
131,074
254,744
39,153
Income tax expense
(17,192)
(15,639)
(2,404)
(41,507)
(45,885)
(7,052)
Net income
56,074
70,203
10,788
89,567
208,859
32,101
Net income attributable to
non-controlling interests
(187)
(349)
(54)
(1,317)
(2,275)
(350)
Net income attributable to
China Cord Blood
Corporation's shareholders
55,887
69,854
10,734
88,250
206,584
31,751
Earnings per share:
Attributable to ordinary shares
- Basic
0.70
0.61
0.09
1.14
1.83
0.28
- Diluted
0.70
0.61
0.09
1.14
1.83
0.28
Other comprehensive losses,
net of nil income taxes
- Foreign currency translation
adjustments
(19,514)
(12,961)
(1,992)
(27,874)
(33,068)
(5,082)
- Unrealized holding (losses)/
gains in available-for-sale
equity securities
- Unrealized holding (losses)/
gains arising during the period
(38,117)
3,383
520
(55,094)
(27,104)
(4,166)
- Reclassification adjustment for
losses included in net income
2,533
-
-
2,533
-
-
Total other comprehensive losses
(55,098)
(9,578)
(1,472)
(80,435)
(60,172)
(9,248)
Comprehensive income
976
60,625
9,316
9,132
148,687
22,853
Comprehensive income
attributable to
non-controlling interests
(187)
(349)
(54)
(1,317)
(2,275)
(350)
Comprehensive income
attributable to China Cord
Blood Corporation's
shareholders
789
60,276
9,262
7,815
146,412
22,503
EXHIBIT 3
CHINA CORD BLOOD CORPORATION RECONCILIATION OF NON-GAAP OPERATING INCOME For the Three Months and Nine Months ended December 31, 2016 and 2017
Three months ended December 31,
Nine months ended December 31,
2016
2017
2016
2017
RMB
RMB
US$
RMB
RMB
US$
(in thousands)
GAAP amount of operating
income
101,670
78,380
12,046
208,549
237,669
36,530
Depreciation and
amortization expenses5
12,690
12,660
1,946
37,837
37,766
5,805
Share-based compensation
expense6
15,931
19,757
3,037
46,536
36,379
5,592
Non-GAAP operating
income
130,291
110,797
17,029
292,922
311,814
47,927
5 Depreciation and amortization expenses relate to property, plant and equipment and intangible assets respectively.
6 Share-based compensation expense relates to the Company's RSU scheme in which 7,300,000 RSUs were issued and outstanding as of December 31, 2017.
SOURCE China Cord Blood Corporation
Related Links
http://www.chinacordbloodcorp.com
PITTSBURGH and PHILADELPHIA, Feb. 26, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- The Comcast Foundation announced today that it awarded more than $2.3 million in grants to 52 nonprofit organizations in Pennsylvania in 2017. The grants helped grow the impact of programs supported by the Comcast Foundation's mission to empower communities to thrive by providing access to technology, relevant digital skills and training, and inspiring volunteerism, service and leadership.
One of the leadership development programs the Foundation supports is Strong Women Strong Girls, a mentoring program for girls from under-resourced communities in Pittsburgh. "With the help of dedicated community partners like Comcast, our organization is empowering the female community throughout the Pittsburgh region," said Dr. Jocelyn Horner, executive director. "Through structured, multi-generational mentoring, we help college women and elementary girls build knowledge and skills, form valuable mentor relationships, and find their inner strength to dream and do."
In Philadelphia, the Foundation provides support to Congreso de Latinos Unidos' Education and Workforce program, which provides youth and adult programs aimed at increasing academic and workplace success. "Comcast has been an amazing community partner to Congreso since 2004," said Carolina Cabrera DiGiorgio, Esq., President & CEO of Congreso. "The support from the Comcast Foundation this year alone will enable us to provide job readiness and digital literacy programming to about 150 young adults enrolled in Congreso's Education and Workforce initiatives. The impact of this support will strengthen their ability to compete in the 21st century workforce and navigate their way through a society increasingly reliant upon the use of technology."
"Comcast is proud to award these grants to our partner organizations to connect and strengthen the communities we serve," said Jim D'Innocenzo, vice president of government, legislative and regulatory affairs for Ohio and Pennsylvania, Comcast's Northeast Division. "Thanks to the tireless and extremely important work of these nonprofit organizations, our region is a better place to call home."
Additional organizations receiving Comcast Foundation grants in Pennsylvania include:
American Red Cross Southeastern Pennsylvania Chapter, Philadelphia
Arc of Cumberland and Perry Counties, Carlisle
and Counties, Arc of Westmoreland County , Greensburg
, Arcadia University , Glenside
, Arts and Business Council of Greater Philadelphia
Asociacion Puertorriquenos en Marcha, Philadelphia
ASPIRA Inc. of Pennsylvania , Philadelphia
, Barnes Foundation, Philadelphia
Big Brothers Big Sisters of Bucks County , Jamison
, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Pittsburgh
Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Capital Region, Harrisburg
Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Laurel Region, Greensburg
Boys & Girls Club Chambersburg and Shippensburg
Boys & Girls Club Harrisburg
Boys & Girls Club of Northeastern Pennsylvania , Scranton
, Boys & Girls Clubs of Philadelphia
Boys & Girls Club of Western Pennsylvania , Pittsburgh
, Boys & Girls Club Support Sarah Heinz Association, Pittsburgh
Centro Hispano Daniel Torres , Reading
, Reading Committee of Seventy, Philadelphia
Council of Spanish Speaking Organizations, Philadelphia
Easter Seals of Eastern Pennsylvania , Allentown
of , Ed Snider Youth Hockey Foundation, Philadelphia
Esperanza USA , Philadelphia
, Girls Incorporated of Greater Philadelphia and Southern New Jersey , Philadelphia
and , Greater Philadelphia Hispanic Chamber of Commerce
Harvard Business School Club of Philadelphia , Fort Washington
, Magee Rehabilitation Hospital, Philadelphia
Mission Kids, Blue Bell
Norris Square Community Alliance, Philadelphia
Peoples Emergency Center, Philadelphia
Philadelphia Outward Bound Center, Philadelphia
Project HOME , Philadelphia
, Scribe Video Center, Philadelphia
Southeast Asian Mutual Assistant Associations Coalition, Philadelphia
Spanish American Civic Association, Lancaster
SquashSmarts, Philadelphia
Sultan Jihad Ahmad Community Foundation, Philadelphia
Taller Puertorriqueno, Philadelphia
The Enterprise Center, Philadelphia
United Neighborhood Centers, Throop
Urban League of Greater Pittsburgh
of Urban League of Philadelphia
of Variety Club Camp and Development Center for Handicapped Children, Worcester
Women's Campaign International, Philadelphia
Women's Way, Philadelphia
World Affairs Council of Philadelphia
YWCA Gettysburg & Adams County
Including Comcast's support in Pennsylvania, the Comcast Foundation donated $21 million in 2017 to nonprofit organizations in the communities it serves nationwide. In addition to the grants from the Comcast Foundation, Comcast also responds to community needs through local sponsorships and in-kind support, such as airing public service announcements, employee volunteerism, and providing technology equipment and services to organizations across the country.
About the Comcast Foundation
The Comcast Foundation was founded by Comcast Corporation in June 1999 to provide charitable support to qualified non-profit organizations. The Foundation's primary mission is to empower communities to thrive by providing access to technology, relevant digital skills and training, and inspiring volunteerism, service and leadership. The Foundation invests in programs intended to have a positive, sustainable impact on the communities we serve. Since its inception, the Comcast Foundation has donated $220 million to organizations in the communities nationwide that Comcast serves. More information about how Comcast supports the communities it serves available at www.comcast.com/community.
SOURCE Comcast Cable
Related Links
http://www.comcast.com/community
DOWNERS GROVE, Ill., Feb. 26, 2018 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- CompTIA, the world's leading technology association, announced today that Jason Magee, chief operating officer for ConnectWise, has joined its Board of Directors.
Magee has more than 19 years of technology sales, channel management and IT market experience. As chief operating officer at ConnectWise, he oversees day-to-day operational activities for the company, a leading provider of software solutions for the technology solution provider community.
"With the breadth of his experience in our industry, Jason is a strong addition to our Board of Directors," said Todd Thibodeaux, president CEO of CompTIA. "He's seen firsthand the evolution of how technology solutions make their way from manufacturer to customer. His insights into the business of technology how it is marketed, purchased and deployed will help guide the actions we take as an association and an industry."
Prior to joining ConnectWise in 2011, Magee held director-level positions at CA Technologies, managing teams, channel partners, strategic alliances and marketing budgets. He built and launched industry-leading programs, partner incentives, and vendor initiatives.
Magee began his career at Rocketboard.com selling advertising space and interactive keyboard OEM deals. He also worked at Interactive Futures and Global Computers where he held sales, marketing, and product management positions.
A native of New York, Magee has an MBA from Clarkson University in Potsdam, N.Y.
About CompTIA
The Computing Technology Industry Association (CompTIA) is a leading voice and advocate for the $4.8 trillion global information technology ecosystem; and the more than seven million technology professionals, who design, implement, manage, and safeguard the technology that powers the U.S. economy. Through education, training, certifications, advocacy, philanthropy, and market research, CompTIA is the hub for advancing the tech industry and its workforce. Visit www.comptia.org to learn more.
Contact:
Steven Ostrowski
CompTIA
630-678-8468
[email protected]
SOURCE CompTIA
Related Links
http://www.comptia.org
NEW YORK, Feb. 26, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Infor, a leading provider of industry-specific cloud applications, today announced an agreement with Cranfield School of Management. The agreement will see the Cranfield-based business school integrate Infor CloudSuite Industrial Machinery, together with an expert-led teaching program, into Cranfield's MSc(s) in Supply Chain Management and Manufacturing, in an effort to facilitate real-world experience, and to help impart relevant technology skills for over 180 students.
One of Europe's most prestigious business schools, Cranfield selected Infor as its digital partner in part to help ensure students graduated not only with the ability to secure a role in their chosen field, but also to help equip them with the necessary digital skills to innovate and help drive all-important transformation.
Students who complete these courses will also be also eligible for internships and graduate placements at Infor through the Infor EAP Scholars program.
"We are delighted to be partnering with Infor to offer our students access to industry-leading business software," comments Denyse Julien, Director of the Logistics and Supply Chain Management Master's program at Cranfield School of Management. "Thanks to this partnership, from October 2018 participants on our full-time Supply Chain Management Master's programs will be able to get hands-on experience with a live enterprise resource planning system. This is a fantastic opportunity for our students to gain experience and skills in an area that is valued highly by today's businesses."
"The fact that such a world class educational institution has chosen to partner with Infor is testament to the depth, dedication and relevance of our Educational Alliance Program," comments Mark Stewart, Director, Infor Education Alliance Program (EAP), EMEA, Infor. "As a partner to leading institutions such as Jaguar Land Rover, BAE Systems, Royal Dutch Shell and L'Oreal, Cranfield is highly respected, and we are incredibly proud to join them in their quest to bridge crucial skills gaps in the industries we jointly serve."
Cranfield School of Management
Cranfield has been a world leader in management education and research for 50 years, helping individuals and organisations learn and succeed by transforming knowledge into action. It is dedicated to creating responsible management thinking, improving business performance and inspiring the next generation of business leaders. It works to change the lives of our students and executives by encouraging innovation and creative thinking, as well as the drive to succeed and make a real impact on their organisations. Organisations as diverse as Jaguar Land Rover, BAE Systems, Royal Dutch Shell, L'Oreal, UNICEF and the African Development Bank have benefited from its work, which ranges from management research projects, through staff talent management development on our MBA courses, to customised executive programmes.
Cranfield is one of an elite group of schools worldwide to hold the triple accreditation of: AACSB International (the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business), EQUIS (European Quality Improvement System) and AMBA (the Association of MBAs).
It is in the Top 10 International Business Schools in the Forbes' ranking.
Its customised executive education programmes are ranked 10th in the world, according to the latest Financial Times survey, and are best in the world for international reach. Over 15,000 people come to Cranfield each year to benefit from its executive and professional development programmes.
www.cranfield.ac.uk/som
About Infor
Infor builds business software for specific industries in the cloud. With 16,500 employees and over 90,000 customers in more than 170 countries, Infor software is designed for progress. To learn more, please visit www.infor.com.
For more information:
Richard Moore
Infor
+44 121 615 8189
[email protected]
SOURCE Infor
Related Links
http://www.infor.com
SAN DIEGO, Feb. 26, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Cubic Corporation (NYSE: CUB) today announced that Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer Anshooman Aga will present at the Raymond James 39th Annual Institutional Investors Conference in Orlando, Florida on Wednesday, March 7 at approximately 12:10 p.m. Eastern Time.
The live audio webcast will be available via the Investor Relations section of Cubic's website at www.cubic.com/investor-relations/events-and-presentations.
About Cubic Corporation
Cubic is a market-leading, technology provider of integrated solutions that increase situational understanding for transportation, defense C4ISR and training customers worldwide to decrease urban congestion and improve the militaries' effectiveness and operational readiness. Cubic Transportation Systems is a leading integrator of payment and information technology and services to create intelligent travel solutions for transportation authorities and operators. Cubic Mission Solutions provides networked Command, Control, Communications, Computers, Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (C4ISR) capabilities for defense, intelligence, security and commercial missions. Cubic Global Defense is a leading provider of live, virtual, constructive and game-based training solutions, special operations and intelligence for the U.S. and allied forces. For more information about Cubic, please visit the company's website at www.cubic.com or on Twitter @CubicCorp.
SOURCE Cubic Corporation
Related Links
http://www.cubic.com
OUTER BANKS, N.C., Feb. 26, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Village Realty is excited to announce the winner of their annual Outer Banks Photo Contest: Avery Kelly, 11, a Boston, MA native who currently resides in Carova, NC. Out of nearly 3,000 entries, Avery's submission titled "Picture Perfect Framed in Driftwood on Carova Beach" won the top overall prize: a week's vacation on the Outer Banks.
Outer Banks Photo Contest Winner
Avery is currently in the sixth grade and enrolled at the Water's Edge Village School in historic Corolla Village. Her father, Jeff, describes her as quite the avid photographer since receiving a camera for Christmas last year. She has been taking photographs of beach scenes and nature all over the Outer Banks and aspires to one day become a marine biologist photographer.
When Avery was notified that she won the contest and the weeklong vacation she was ecstatic about her accomplishment but also informed Village Realty that she wanted to do something special with her winnings. "I remember when I called her, she was in the car on the way home from school with friends," says Jeannie Maynard, Senior Social Media Specialist for Village Realty. "I said 'I need to tell you something.' And she said 'What?' I told her 'You won the Artistic Category in the Village Realty Photo Contest.' She began shrieking with her friends exclaiming that she won. I then said 'Wait, I need to tell you something else.' And she got very quiet and said 'What?' I said 'You won the grand prize of the entire contest.' I could hear her burst into tears. It was the next day when her father, Jeff, called me back and said Avery wished to donate her vacation to a child with the Make-a-Wish Foundation, so that someone who didn't live at the beach could spend time here."
Needless to say, the staff at Village Realty was extremely moved by Avery's generosity and devised another way to award her for her contest win. On a chilly morning in January, a contingent from Village Realty's Marketing Department surprised Avery at her schoolhouse in Corolla and presented her with an enlarged canvas print of her winning photograph. All of the children and teachers at the schoolhouse gathered outside to admire her photograph and celebrate her accomplishment.
Village Realty extends their thanks to Avery and to all the thousands of photo contest entrants. Photographs entered are featured throughout the year on social media, emails, on the Village Realty website, and for other print and online advertising. The 2018 contest will open this spring and offer many opportunities to win!
About Village Realty
Village Realty offers more than 600 vacation rentals from the Carova 4X4 beaches to South Nags Head, NC. See for yourself why they're known for "Exceptional Homes, Extraordinary Service." Home amenities vary. Wi-Fi, keyless entry, and bed/bath linens are standard. Visit VillageRealtyOBX.com for more information.
Media Contact
Robert Kissell
Digital Marketing Manager
[email protected]
252-480-4754
SOURCE Village Realty
Related Links
https://www.villagerealtyobx.com
THIEF RIVER FALLS, Minn., Feb. 26, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- During Embedded World 2018 in Nuremburg, Germany Digi-Key Electronics, a global electronic components distributor, will have representatives on-hand at booth A4-633 to talk about how their breadth of product can help fuel innovation and get designs to market faster. Guests are encouraged to ask about the benefits of using My Digi-Key. Visitors to the booth also have the opportunity to use free tokens to play on one of many slot machines for the chance to win a prize.
"We are excited for the opportunity to network with engineers and customers and look forward to demonstrating how registering for a My Digi-Key account can help make their ordering and designing processes easier," said Hermann Reiter, Senior Director, Global Strategic Business Development & Suppliers. "Digi-Key is continuously working hard to ensure our website and resources are designed to fully enhance our digital relationship with our customers."
As part of Student Day on Thursday, March 1st, the first 500 students to stop by the booth will receive a free Digi-Key ruler. While there, they can learn more about Digi-Key's academic solutions such as free tools and a wide variety of educational kits, boards, modules, and more.
Students also have an opportunity to register to win a Digi-Key InstaLab Kit. Entrants can register by scanning the QR code or going to the URL listed on the flyer which will be handed out on Thursday. Drawing for the winner will take place the week following Embedded World.
The InstaLab was created with the intention of providing enough gear to turn an electronics student's dorm room into their own maker space. The kit includes over 20 different products from many of Digi-Key's supplier partners and is customized to meet European power standards.
For more information please visit the Digi-Key website.
About Digi-Key Electronics
Digi-Key Electronics, headquartered in Thief River Falls, Minn., USA, is an authorized global, full-service distributor of electronic components, offering more than 6.8 million products, with over 1.4 million in stock and available for immediate shipment, from over 750 quality name-brand manufacturers. Digi-Key also offers a wide variety of online resources such as EDA and design tools, datasheets, reference designs, instructional articles and videos, multimedia libraries, and much more. Technical support is available 24/7 via email, phone and webchat. Additional information and access to Digi-Key's broad product offering can be found by visiting www.digikey.com.
Editorial Contact for Digi-Key Electronics
Kayla Krosschell
PR & Marketing Communications Specialist
1.800.338.4105 x1098
[email protected]
[email protected]
SOURCE Digi-Key Electronics
Related Links
http://www.digikey.com
NEW YORK, Feb. 26, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- LabFinder.com, has announced that East River Medical Imaging locations are now available to book through their online platform. Patients and providers can schedule, access and share laboratory and radiology tests and results 24/7 in their secure, LabFinder.com portal. The addition of East River Imaging further expands LabFinder.com's growing radiology test center footprint in New York area, providing patients and providers more options for exceptional, in-network care.
"At East River Medical Imaging, we are committed to providing the best service and technology available," said Dr. Richard J. Katz, President and radiologist for East River Imaging. "We believe Labfinder.com is a great, user-friendly, online diagnostic booking platform for patients and physicians that enhances the quality of the overall patient experience."
LabFinder.com achieves this objective by allowing radiologists to engage more directly with patients and doctors, building relationships focused on patient-centered care. LabFinder.com also supports subscribing centers by attracting new patients while reducing no-shows and scaling day-to-day testing with secure online access, HIPAA compliant document storage and sharing for all test results.
"East River Imaging's cutting edge facilities offer a host of high-demand services and are a great addition to the network of quality radiology and lab providers that patients can schedule using LabFinder.com," said co-founder of LabFinder.com and leading Manhattan cardiologist, Dr. Robert Segal. "Giving more patients convenient online access to outstanding centers like East River Medical Imaging is what LabFinder.com is all about access, convenience and ultimately saving money and saving lives."
With a growing community of over 75,000 registered patients and over 1,000 referring doctors, LabFinder.com is working to modernize health care by uniting patients, doctors, labs and radiology centers. The mission of LabFinder.com is to make patient health a priority by making it easier to find the right lab or radiology center, reducing out-of-network costs, providing access to test results, and encouraging patients to take a more educated, active role in their own health care.
About LabFinder:
LabFinder is a consumer facing platform that seamlessly integrates communication between patients, doctors and diagnostic centers in a secure portal - from orders to results. The LabFinder team is passionate about improving the patient, doctor and lab relationship, reducing patient expenses and providing better patient care through patient empowerment and giving patients more control over their results. www.labfinder.com
About East River:
Since 1970, East River Medical Imaging has been a leader in providing state-of-the-art diagnostic imaging. The physicians, technologists, and support staff who make up this premier practice are pioneers in blending advanced technology, extensive clinical expertise and superior provider and patient care. Whether you are a patient or a referring physician, you will appreciate the advantages of our sub-specialty expertise to help provide the most accurate reads possible.
SOURCE LabFinder
Related Links
https://www.eastriverimaging.com/
CLEVELAND, Feb. 26, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- The North American truck aftermarket for electrical and electronic products will expand 4.3% per annum through 2021 to US$8.6 billion. Sales are nearly evenly split between the two major product segments: electrical and electronic. Government regulation of proper lighting protocol and vehicle idling will boost replacement demand and associated dollar gains. This and other trends are presented in North American Medium- & Heavy-Duty Truck Aftermarket, a new study from The Freedonia Group, a Cleveland-based industry research firm.
More information about this study is here: https://www.freedoniagroup.com/industry-study/north-american-medium-and-heavy-duty-truck-aftermarket-by-product-and-performer-3601.htm
Sales will be fueled by:
growth in the size and age of the medium- and heavy-duty vehicle park in the region
growing proliferation of anti-idling laws, which increase the number of starts per long-haul truck, increasing wear on batteries and charging and starting equipment and boosting demand for auxiliary power units (APUs)
higher underhood temperatures of modern trucks, increasing wear on products such as alternators and starters
trends toward the use of higher-value products such as LED lights and absorbent glass mat (AGM) batteries
Aftermarket demand for all types of medium- and heavy-duty truck components in North America is forecast to expand 3.5% per year through 2021, accelerating from the slower growth posted between 2011 and 2016, when a drop in the value of the Mexican peso and Canadian dollar dampened regional market gains in US dollar terms.
The US, home to two-thirds of the region's total medium- and heavy-duty truck stock, will account for over half of regional medium- and heavy-duty truck aftermarket sales gains through 2021. Demand gains in Mexico will outpace those in the US and Canada due, in part, to double-digit growth in class 8 vehicle sales in Mexico since 2014, boosting the size of Mexico's medium- and heavy-duty truck park.
Related studies include:
#3578 North America Automotive Aftermarket Competitor Analysis (11/17)
#3577 North America Automotive Aftermarket, 8th Edition (11/17)
About The Freedonia Group, a division of MarketResearch.com The Freedonia Group is a leading international industrial research company publishing more than 100 studies annually. Since 1985, we have provided research to customers ranging in size from global conglomerates to one-person consulting firms. More than 90% of the industrial companies in the Fortune 500 use Freedonia Group research to help with their strategic planning. Additional Automotive & Transport studies can be purchased at www.freedoniagroup.com, www.marketresearch.com and www.profound.com.
Press Contact:
Corinne Gangloff
+1 440.684.9600
[email protected]
SOURCE The Freedonia Group
Related Links
http://www.freedoniagroup.com
LAKEWOOD, CO, Feb. 26, 2018 /PRNewswire/ - Energy Fuels Inc. (NYSE American: UUUU; TSX: EFR) ("Energy Fuels" or the "Company"), a leading producer of uranium in the United States, is pleased to announce that it has received approval from the U.S. Bureau of Land Management ("BLM") and U.S. Forest Service ("USFS") for the expansion of its 100%-owned La Sal Complex of uranium/vanadium mines (the "La Sal Complex").
Mark S. Chalmers, President and CEO of Energy Fuels, stated: "We are pleased that the BLM and USFS issued approvals for expansion of this project following a comprehensive multi-year analysis. This is particularly important, as the mines and properties comprising the La Sal Complex contain large quantities of uranium resources, along with significant high-grade vanadium resources. We have recently seen vanadium prices increase significantly, and our nearby White Mesa Mill has a long history of producing uranium and vanadium from these mines. The Environmental Assessment prepared for the expansion of this project thoroughly considered all aspects of proposed operations, including environmental protection, transportation, cultural issues, jobs, economic benefits, and environmental justice concerns. This project is fully-permitted and constructed, and is currently on standby status, ready to resume mining operations within approximately six months of a production decision, with minimal capital required. We believe these approvals once again demonstrate that Energy Fuels is a responsible operator and an asset to the region. We also acknowledge and appreciate the hard work and professionalism of the BLM and USFS staff involved in the preparation of this EA. We are the largest private employer in San Juan County, Utah, including a major employer of Native Americans, and these approvals set the stage for our Company to grow in the region in the future."
On February 23, 2018, the BLM and USFS issued the Environmental Assessment ("EA"), Decision Record (BLM)/Decision Notice (USFS), and Findings of No Significant Impact ("FONSI") approving the expansion of a large portion of the Company's La Sal Complex, conditional upon the Company incorporating certain specific requirements into the Plan of Operations Amendment and having the required reclamation bond in place. The La Sal Complex is a series of several past producing uranium/vanadium mines, currently on standby status, along an 11-mile mineral trend located in northeast San Juan County, Utah, including the Energy Queen, Beaver/La Sal and Pandora/Snowball mines and the Redd Block and Pine Ridge properties. The La Sal Complex, which includes significant existing surface and underground mining infrastructure, is located approximately 65-miles north of the Company's 100%-owned White Mesa Mill, the only operating conventional uranium and vanadium processing facility in the United States. Material produced from the La Sal Complex will be processed at the White Mesa Mill.
The Plan of Operations Amendment ("POA") combines a number of the existing Plans of Operations at the Complex and allows for expansion of development rock storage, the drilling of up to 400 exploration holes to further delineate and expand certain of the deposits, the construction of additional ventilation shafts, and the reclamation of historic disturbances by previous mine operators, on various areas of the project. In addition, the new POA requires the implementation of detailed interim management measures during any periods of temporary cessation. Combining these existing Plans of Operations also makes for much better administrative efficiency for both the agencies and Energy Fuels. The specific requirements to be incorporated into the Plan of Operations Amendment as a condition of these approvals are all as contemplated by the Company and do not impose any unexpected requirements.
During the 2007 to 2013 time period, 446,000 tons of mineralized material were mined from the La Sal Complex and processed at the White Mesa Mill. This material had an average grade of 0.20% U 3 O 8 and 1.02% V 2 O 5 and contained 1,774,000 pounds of uranium and 9,098,000 pounds of vanadium. According to a March 2014 technical report prepared in accordance with National Instrument 43-101, Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects ("NI 43-101"), the La Sal Complex holds 1.1 million tons of Measured and Indicated Mineral Resources containing 4.1 million pounds of uranium and 21.5 million pounds of vanadium, with an average grade of 0.18% U 3 O 8 and 0.94% V 2 O 5 . The project also holds additional quantities of Inferred uranium and vanadium resources.
At the same time, the BLM also issued the EA, Decision Record, and FONSI for the expansion of the Company's Daneros Mine, subject to certain specified requirements. The BLM-approved Mine Plan of Operations Modification ("MPOM") allows for expanded mining operations, the reclamation of historic mining disturbances, and the implementation of additional operational and emission controls. During the 2010 to 2013 time period, 121,000 tons of mineralized material were mined at the Daneros Mine and processed at the White Mesa Mill. This material had an average grade of 0.26% U 3 O 8 and contained 629,000 pounds of uranium. The Company expects to file an updated NI 43-101 resource estimate for the Daneros Mine in March 2018 to account for mining activity and new drilling data since the last report was completed.
About Energy Fuels: Energy Fuels is a leading integrated US-based uranium mining company, supplying U 3 O 8 to major nuclear utilities. Its corporate offices are in Denver, Colorado, and all of its assets and employees are in the western United States. Energy Fuels holds three of America's key uranium production centers, the White Mesa Mill in Utah, the Nichols Ranch Processing Facility in Wyoming, and the Alta Mesa Project in Texas. The White Mesa Mill is the only conventional uranium mill operating in the U.S. today and has a licensed capacity of over 8 million pounds of U 3 O 8 per year. The Nichols Ranch Processing Facility is an ISR production center with a licensed capacity of 2 million pounds of U 3 O 8 per year. Alta Mesa is an ISR production center currently on care and maintenance. Energy Fuels also has the largest NI 43-101 compliant uranium resource portfolio in the U.S. among producers, and uranium mining projects located in a number of Western U.S. states, including one producing ISR project, mines on standby, and mineral properties in various stages of permitting and development. The Company also produces vanadium as a co-product of its uranium production from certain of its mines on the Colorado Plateau, as market conditions warrant. The primary trading market for Energy Fuels' common shares is the NYSE American under the trading symbol "UUUU", and the Company's common shares are also listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange under the trading symbol "EFR". Energy Fuels' website is www.energyfuels.com.
John White, P.E., is a Qualified Person as defined by Canadian National Instrument 43-101 and has reviewed and approved the technical disclosure contained in this news release.
Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements: Certain information contained in this news release, including any information relating to: the Company being a leading producer of uranium in the U.S.; the timing and/or technical, environmental, or economic feasibility of placing the La Sal Complex and/or Daneros Mine into production in the future; any conclusions which may be drawn with regard to rising vanadium prices; any expectations regarding growth of the Company; current resource estimates; the expectation of filing any updated NI 43-101 resource estimates; and any other statements regarding Energy Fuels' future expectations, beliefs, goals or prospects; constitute forward-looking information within the meaning of applicable securities legislation (collectively, "forward-looking statements"). All statements in this news release that are not statements of historical fact (including statements containing the words "expects", "does not expect", "plans", "anticipates", "does not anticipate", "believes", "intends", "estimates", "projects", "potential", "scheduled", "forecast", "budget" and similar expressions) should be considered forward-looking statements. All such forward-looking statements are subject to important risk factors and uncertainties, many of which are beyond Energy Fuels' ability to control or predict. A number of important factors could cause actual results or events to differ materially from those indicated or implied by such forward-looking statements, including without limitation factors relating to: the Company being a leading producer of uranium in the U.S.; the timing and/or technical, environmental, or economic feasibility of placing the La Sal Complex and/or Daneros Mine into production in the future; any conclusions which may be drawn with regard to rising vanadium prices; any expectations regarding growth of the Company; current resource estimates; the expectation of filing any updated NI 43-101 resource estimates; and other risk factors as described in Energy Fuels' most recent annual report on Form 10-K and quarterly financial reports. Energy Fuels assumes no obligation to update the information in this communication, except as otherwise required by law. Additional information identifying risks and uncertainties is contained in Energy Fuels' filings with the various securities commissions which are available online at www.sec.gov and www.sedar.com. Forward-looking statements are provided for the purpose of providing information about the current expectations, beliefs and plans of the management of Energy Fuels relating to the future. Readers are cautioned that such statements may not be appropriate for other purposes. Readers are also cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, that speak only as of the date hereof.
Cautionary note to United States investors concerning estimates of measured, indicated and inferred resources. This news release contains certain disclosure that has been prepared in accordance with the requirements of Canadian securities laws, which differ from the requirements of U.S. securities laws. Unless otherwise indicated, all reserve and resource estimates included in this news release have been prepared in accordance with NI 43-101 and the Canadian Institute of Mining, Metallurgy and Petroleum ("CIM") classification system. Canadian standards, including NI 43-101, differ significantly from the requirements of U.S. securities laws, and reserve and resource information contained in this news release may not be comparable to similar information disclosed by companies reporting only under U.S. standards. In particular, the term "resource" does not equate to the term "reserve" under SEC Industry Guide 7. United States investors are cautioned not to assume that all or any of Measured or Indicated Mineral Resources will ever be converted into mineral reserves. Investors are cautioned not to assume that all or any part of an "Inferred Mineral Resource" exists or is economically or legally minable. Energy Fuels does not hold any Reserves as that term is defined by SEC Industry Guide 7. Please refer to the section entitled "Cautionary Note to United States Investors Concerning Disclosure of Mineral Resources" in the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K dated March 15, 2016 for further details.
SOURCE Energy Fuels Inc.
Related Links
http://www.energyfuels.com
SAN FRANCISCO and HOUSTON, Feb. 26, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- EPIC Insurance Brokers and Consultants, a leading retail property and casualty insurance brokerage and employee benefits consultant, announced today the addition of Enterprise Risk Management veteran Maurice (Moe) Edwards, retail Loss Prevention expert Walter Palmer, and their team of Risk Assurance and Asset Protection professionals.
This new national practice, based in Houston, TX, will operate as EPIC Integrated Risk Solutions with EPIC's Southwest Region President, Jim Watt serving as the team's executive sponsor.
Edwards joins EPIC as Managing Principal and brings more than 20 years of experience in a wide range of risk management disciplines. He was most recently Senior Vice President of Enterprise Risk for Mattress Firm where he developed a holistic risk management philosophy and a practical, effective delivery system.
"We are delighted to join Jim Watt and the entire team at EPIC. The reaction to our new approach to risk introduced this past fall was so overwhelmingly positive that we knew we needed to find the right partner to bring it to market," said Edwards.
"With EPIC's deep knowledge and resources in P&C brokerage and Employee Benefits Consulting, as well as their strong existing risk management expertise nationally, this was unquestionably the right home for our integrated Risk Financing, Risk Assurance and Asset Protection approach," Edwards added.
"Our team has over 150 years of combined industry experience ranging from enterprise risk management, retail loss prevention, supply chain management, law enforcement, and internal/external audit. We provide a single, seamless experience that will help EPIC clients further protect their people, property and other assets," said Edwards.
Joining Edwards as part of EPIC Integrated Risk Solutions is Walter Palmer, the founder and President of PCG Solutions. Recognized as one of the leading experts in retail loss prevention, Palmer's 30 years of experience include 16 years as a practitioner in loss prevention, operations, inventory control, and supply chain management. At PCG, he worked with leading retail companies, both across the US and globally, delivering a strategic approach to mitigating loss and lowering total cost of risk. Palmer will join the organization as Practice Leader.
In addition to Palmer, retail loss prevention and supply chain veteran Kevin Ach will join as Vice President of Risk Assurance, retail loss prevention veteran John Schroeder as Vice President of Asset Protection, and finance executive Katie Tyrone as Vice President of Risk Financing.
"We are excited to add Moe and his team to the EPIC family and to introduce EPIC Integrated Risk Solutions to our current and future clients across the country," said Jim Watt. "While their business focus has historically been on large retail, distribution and manufacturing companies, including some of the leading brands in the world, our entire EPIC client base, from the Energy Industry to Construction and Design firms, will benefit from their deep risk management knowledge, experience and expertise."
Maurice Edwards can be reached at:
Email: [email protected]
Phone: 832-476-8399
About EPIC
EPIC is a unique and innovative retail property and casualty and employee benefits insurance brokerage and consulting firm. EPIC has created a values-based, client-focused culture that attracts and retains top talent, fosters employee satisfaction and loyalty and sustains a high level of customer service excellence.
EPIC team members have consistently recognized their company as a "Best Place to Work" in multiple regions and as a "Best Place to Work in the Insurance Industry" nationally.
EPIC now has more than 1,400 team members operating from 50 offices across the U.S., providing Property and Casualty, Employee Benefits, Specialty Programs and Private Client solutions to more than 20,000 clients.
With run rate revenues greater than $400 million, EPIC ranks among the top 20 retail insurance brokers in the U.S. backed by Oak Hill Capital Partners, the company continues to expand organically and through strategic acquisitions across the country. For additional information, please visit https://www.epicbrokers.com/.
*LOGO for media: Send2Press.com/300dpi/16-0308-epic-insurance-300dpi.jpg
This release was issued through Send2Press, a unit of Neotrope. For more information, visit Send2Press Newswire at https://www.Send2Press.com
SOURCE EPIC Insurance Brokers and Consultants
Related Links
http://www.epicbrokers.com
LONG BEACH, Calif., Feb. 26, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- (HIMSS18, Booth #12113)
Who: Epson will be participating at HIMSS18 in booth #12113 to demonstrate leading-edge clinical and administrative technology solutions in conjunction with top industry partners for the healthcare market.
What: At HIMSS18, attendees will have an opportunity to experience a range of Epson business solutions, including workgroup printers and scanners, on-demand color label printers, POS system devices, PACS disc image storage, and projection technology. From managing patient records and labeling medications, to archiving and displaying data, Epson's fast and reliable technology engineered for healthcare, helps cut costs and improve patient safety, allowing healthcare professionals to focus on what really matters patient care.
Epson's healthcare partners will also be represented at the booth, including Allscripts, Nuance, Omnicell, PatientLink, PioneerRx, and SST Group, Inc. Attendees will have the chance to learn how Epson technologies coupled with partner solutions from medication management to retail pharmacy systems to electronic health records and cloud-based services are transforming the healthcare industry.
Epson will highlight the following products at this year's show:
- On-Demand Color Label Printers: Epson ColorWorks on-demand color label printers increase patient and care giver safety while reducing the cost of using pre-printed labels. Ideal for high mix label requirements, ColorWorks solutions deliver dependable printing with fast-drying, durable inks on solvent-resistant media for a wide range of full-color labeling applications, including color syringe and IV compound labels plus patient ID wristbands.
- POS Receipt Printers: A leader in POS system devices for three decades, OmniLink smart POS products deliver reliable, cost-effective, compact, mobile-friendly technologies for greater flexibility to expedite outpatient and retail transactions
- Document Scanners: Epson's high-speed, reliable document scanners can help improve efficiency and accuracy at nearly every point in a patient's healthcare journey. Quickly scan, share and save medical records, prescriptions, insurance documents, IDs and more at very aggressive price points. Epson scanners make it easy to turn paper forms into digitized structured data that is sent into an Electronic Medical Record, research database, or other desired locations.
- Workgroup Printers: Epson's award-winning WorkForce Pro Series workgroup printers, powered by PrecisionCore, deliver breakthrough speed and brilliant-quality output to maximize healthcare operations and budgets. And, PIN-restricted access ensures confidential information is secure.
- Disc Producers: Epson's disc publisher models are fast, easy and an economical way to download PACS images. This high-speed duplication system features vibrant six-color inkjet printing, precision AutoGrip robotic arm and easy-to-use software, helping to deliver high-quality results and improve efficiency and accuracy throughout radiology and imaging operations
- Business Projectors: Project content in stunning color and bring medical information to life in teaching hospitals and administrative offices. Built for mobility with easy setup, these powerful tools help conduct more interactive meetings, increase collaboration with other medical centers, and train associates more effectively.
For additional information on Epson's healthcare technology solutions, visit: https://epson.com/business-solutions-healthcare-market-products
When: The conference runs from Monday, March 5 through Friday, March 9, 2018 and the exhibit hall is open:
- Tuesday, March 6 9:30 a.m. to 6 p.m.
- Wednesday, March 7 9:30 a.m. to 6 p.m.
- Thursday, March 8 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Where: Sands Expo Center, Las Vegas; Epson America, Inc. booth #12113
Why: In today's demanding healthcare environments, Epson understands the need for integrated technology solutions that reduce operating costs, simplify training and improve patient care and safety. As a leader in imaging technologies, Epson provides cutting-edge solutions that deliver powerful productivity, outstanding results and cost-effective ownership with the leading healthcare solution providers, all backed by world-class service and support.
About Epson
Epson is a global technology leader dedicated to connecting people, things and information with its original efficient, compact and precision technologies. With a lineup that ranges from inkjet printers and digital printing systems to 3LCD projectors, smart glasses, sensing systems and industrial robots, the company is focused on driving innovations and exceeding customer expectations in inkjet, visual communications, wearables and robotics.
Led by the Japan-based Seiko Epson Corporation, the Epson Group comprises more than 80,000 employees in 86 companies around the world, and is proud of its contributions to the communities in which it operates and its ongoing efforts to reduce environmental impacts.
Epson America, Inc., based in Long Beach, Calif., is Epson's regional headquarters for the U.S., Canada, and Latin America. To learn more about Epson, please visit: epson.com. You may also connect with Epson America on Facebook (facebook.com/Epson), Twitter (twitter.com/EpsonAmerica), YouTube (youtube.com/EpsonAmerica), and Instagram (instagram.com/EpsonAmerica).
Note: EPSON, AcuGrip, ColorWorks, PrecisionCore and WorkForce are registered trademarks and EPSON Exceed Your Vision is a registered logomark of Seiko Epson Corporation. OmniLink is a registered trademark of Epson America, Inc. All other product brand names are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of their respective companies. Epson disclaims any and all rights in these marks. Copyright 2018 Epson America, Inc.
SOURCE Epson America, Inc.
Related Links
http://www.epson.com
LEXINGTON, Ky., Feb. 26, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Fazoli's, America's largest elevated quick service Italian chain, announced today the opening of its newest franchised location in Hazard, Kentucky. Marking the brand's 24th restaurant in Kentucky, the Hazard location reflects Fazoli's continued emphasis on development in its home state of Kentucky. Located at 47 Commodore Street, the new Hazard restaurant will celebrate its grand opening with a ribbon cutting on February 26th at 4:30 p.m. with Scott Alexander, Perry County Judge Executive and local city officials. The Fazoli's restaurant will officially open its doors on February 27th. The new restaurant, which includes a drive-thru, will also debut Fazoli's new interior design featuring Wi-Fi bars and communal dining tables.
The new Hazard restaurant is owned and operated by new franchisees Brian Couch and his wife Cynthia Couch of Griffin James & Co. LLC. In addition to being a franchisee of Fazoli's, Brian works as an attorney serving the people of Central and Eastern Kentucky and still practices law every day.
"From a business standpoint, Fazoli's has had an unparalleled track record of success. Add the emphasis of fresh ingredients and hearty Italian food and we knew this was a excellent concept worth investing in," said Couch. "As a native of Kentucky, building a Fazoli's in Hazard is like coming home for me. We believe Hazard will embrace Fazoli's and will make it one of the most successful Fazoli's in the country."
The Hazard restaurant will open with Fazoli's recently refined menu, introducing more flavor and menu options to meet ever-changing consumer tastes and preferences. The modernized menu uses premium ingredients and includes offerings such as tableside grated Parmesan, upgraded plateware, as well as new dishes such as "Spicy Penne with Chicken or Sausage," and "Brownie Gelato Sundae."
The Hazard location will serve guests Sunday-Thursday from 10:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. and Friday-Saturday from 10:30 a.m. to 11 p.m. For more information, visit www.fazolis.com. Local residents are encouraged to join the Fazoli's eFamily to receive the latest happenings and deals from their local restaurant by signing up at fazolis.com/efamily.
As a testament to its achievements, Fazoli's franchisees are experiencing nearly three times the industry average growth rate with new franchised restaurants continually setting new system-wide records. With nearly 220 restaurants in 27 states, Fazoli's is currently seeking single- and multi-unit operators to join its growing, successful franchise network and is targeting new markets across the U.S.
For more information about franchise opportunities, contact Jeff Sturgis, Chief Development Officer, at 859.825.6212 or [email protected].
About Fazoli's
With approximately 220 restaurants in 27 states, Fazoli's is America's largest Italian fast casual chain, serving freshly prepared pasta entrees, Submarinos sandwiches, salads and pizza. One of Franchise Business Review's top ranked franchises in franchisee satisfaction and a FastCasual.com Brand of the Year, Fazoli's franchisees are experiencing record sales growth. Visit www.ownafazolis.com for details on development opportunities.
Contact:
Alisha Sheth
Fish Consulting
954-893-9150
[email protected]
SOURCE Fazoli's
Related Links
http://www.ownafazolis.com
SPRINGFIELD, Mass., Feb. 26, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Nearly six in 10 middle-income Americans say they feel more financially secure as a result of financial and insurance benefits they receive through their employer, according to a study by Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Co. (MassMutual). However, not all workers agree, especially those with lower-incomes, which may indicate a need for more financial education through the workplace.
Fifty-eight percent of middle-income workers overall say they feel more secure because of benefits at work, according to the MassMutual Workplace Benefits Study1. The internet-based research was conducted on behalf of MassMutual by Greenwald & Associates and polled 1,010 working Americans ages 25-65 who had annual household incomes of between $35,000 and $150,000 and participated in making household financial decisions.
While 65 percent of upper-middle-income Americans or those with annual household incomes of $75,000 to $150,000 point to employee benefits as a source of greater financial security, only 42 percent of those with incomes of less than $45,000 say the same, the study finds. Those who do not feel as financially secure are less likely to have access to benefits such as a 401(k) or other retirement savings plan, or life, disability, accident or dental insurance.
"MassMutual's study indicates that there may be a knowledge gap in the understanding and use of employee benefits among certain employee populations," said Jon Shuman, Leader of MassMutual's Voluntary Benefits unit. "More lower- and middle-income workers are likely to say that they wish their employer did more to help them set financial priorities than upper-middle-income workers."
MassMutual is stepping up its efforts to educate workers about how insurance benefits may help solve some individual financial problems and protect household finances. The insurer is systematically training dozens of retirement education specialists around the country to educate workers about how insurance benefits may complement their retirement savings and be used to meet individual financial security needs.
Meanwhile, MassMutual is launching a marketing campaign for insurance brokers, including direct mail, email, video and advertising, to promote the value of critical illness and accident insurance to help protect workers' personal finances from unexpected financial emergencies, Shuman said. MassMutual offers critical illness, accident, disability and life insurance at the workplace. Sales of voluntary benefits continue to grow as employers and employees alike learn more about how such benefits may enhance financial wellness, he said.
"A key to promoting greater financial wellness is a greater partnership between insurers, brokers and employers to promote education about financial wellness," Shuman said. "MassMutual is ramping up its capabilities as more employers focus on the financial wellness of their employees."
Although only one in four employees is offered financial education at work, MassMutual's study finds, as many as half would welcome additional help or guidance on personal finances from their employer. Moreover, 51 percent expressed a desire for their employer to provide more education about saving for retirement.
Millennials are dramatically more open and interested in receiving help at the workplace. Seven in 10 Millennials would welcome financial planning services and six in 10 would be interested in budgeting assistance at work, according to the study.
When polled, many workers express interest in specific employee benefits. For example, 78 percent of survey respondents said they were "very interested" or "somewhat interested" in disability insurance, MassMutual's study found, with interest high across all income levels.
Middle-income Workers Interest in Workplace Benefits (Very or somewhat interested)
Household income
Overall $35k-$44k $45k-$74k $75k-$150k Disability insurance 78% 83% 78% 76% Continuation of retirement plan contributions while disabled 74 65 78 74 Critical illness insurance 74 74 81 70 Accident insurance 67 65 72 64 Low-cost emergency loans 57 60 61 54 Repayment of college loans while disabled 36 34 38 36 Pet insurance 24 22 30 22
"While workplace benefits can help employees feel more financially secure, each employee's personal financial situation is unique," Shuman said. "Employers and brokers can help through education and make a wide range of benefits available on a voluntary or employee-paid basis to meet as many individual financial needs as possible."
About MassMutual
MassMutual is a leading mutual life insurance company that is run for the benefit of its members and participating policyowners. MassMutual offers a wide range of financial products and services, including life insurance, disability income insurance, long term care insurance, annuities, retirement plans and other employee benefits. For more information, visit www.massmutual.com.
1MassMutual Workplace Benefits Study, http://massmutual.com/-/media/files/MM%202018%20Benefits%20Study_Final.pdf
Contacts:
David Potter
Media Relations
860-562-1525
[email protected]
RS-44132-00
SOURCE MassMutual
Related Links
http://www.massmutual.com
MIAMI, February 26, 2018 /PRNewswire/ --
First Intercontinental Technology, Inc., formerly Rich Cigars, Inc. (OTC Pink: RCGR), (the "Company" or "RCGR"), announced today that effective February 22, 2018, it had re-domiciled from Delaware to Colorado, and changed its name to "Mining Power Group, Inc."
In connection with the change of domicile and name change, the Company has cancelled and unwound the corporate reorganization as published on form 8-K and filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC") on December 26, 2017, and filed amended and restated Articles of Incorporation with Colorado, wherein the total quantity of authorized shares of common stock of the Company is one hundred million (100,000,000) shares and the total quantity of authorized shares of preferred stock, designated in three series, is eleven million (11,000,000) shares.
Also, the Company has announced a new corporate headquarters address:
Mining Power Group, Inc.
18851 NE 29th Ave Suite 700
Aventura, FL 33180
The above changes are being filed on form 8-K with the SEC on the date of this release.
Rich Davis, President, stated, "This change in name clearly focuses on the primary business of the Company going forward, which will be our ownership and operation of cryptocurrency mining machines. We are in the process of establishing this business as previously announced, and will have more news on developments as they occur." He added, "In addition, we are continuing our search for new officers and directors, skilled in this area, and also have begun the process of a new corporate action with FINRA in order to change our trading name and stock symbol."
About Mining Power Group, Inc.
Mining Power Group, Inc. was original formed as Rich Cigars, Inc. a Florida corporation, in order to distribute, brand and market tobacco products. As a result of the November 2017 change of control, it became a holding company for new subsidiary operations.
The Company is forming subsidiaries to invest in (1) the development and multinational marketing of the proprietary patent-protected Simple Cork, and (2) the development of a unique cryptocurrency mining business for Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies which will operate on a 24/7 basis.
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 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Such statements include any that may predict, forecast, indicate, or imply future results, performance or achievements, and may contain the words "estimate", "project", "intend", "forecast", "anticipate", "plan", "planning", "expect", "believe", "likely", "should", "could", "would", "may" or similar words or expressions. Such statements are not guarantees of future performance and are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause the company's actual results and financial position to differ materially from those in such statements, which involve risks and uncertainties, including those relating to the Company's ability to grow. Actual results may differ materially from those predicted and any reported should not be considered an indication of future performance. Potential risks and uncertainties include the Company's operating history and resources, economic, competitive, and equity market conditions.
CONTACT:
Mining Power Group, Inc.
+1(800)304-2657
SOURCE First Intercontinental Technology, Inc.,
CHARLOTTE, N.C., Feb. 26, 2018 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- This February, Atrium Health's (formerly Carolinas HealthCare System's) Levine Children's Hospital became the first clinical trial site in the world to test a new medicine for children that can stabilize their blood pressure in life-threatening situations.
For 8-year-old Lucas Judy, the timing couldn't have been more perfect.
8-year-old Lucas Judy is the first pediatric patient in the world to test a new medicine to stabilize blood pressure in septic shock. It was administered at Levine Children's Hospital in Charlotte, NC. Dwight Bailey, DO, specialty medical director of pediatric critical care at Levine Children's Hospital, is the study lead for the clinical trial.
Just weeks after LCH was approved to participate in the trial, Lucas was clinically diagnosed with the flu. With an uncontrollable cough and fever, and increasingly shallow breathing, he was admitted to Levine Children's Hospital. Within 24 hours, he was transferred to the pediatric intensive care unit.
A potentially deadly combination of influenza, pneumonia and a bacterial superinfection had caused Lucas to go into septic shock. He was put on a ventilator and given two special medications called vasopressors to maintain his blood pressure, which had fallen to dangerously low levels.
"It was terrifying to see that Lucas's condition was deteriorating so quickly and that more and more had to be done to support him," says Desiree, Lucas's mother.
Enter LJPC-501.
Developed by La Jolla Pharmaceutical Company, LJPC-501 was approved last December to increase blood pressure in adults with shock who have low blood pressure despite receiving current standard-of-care therapy. But it had not yet been tested in children.
Because Lucas's condition fit the requirements for this investigational drug, LCH doctors thoroughly explained the study to his family, and they consented to his participation.
Within three hours of taking LJPC-501, Lucas's condition had stabilized, and he was able to come off all vasopressor support.
"Lucas was an extremely rare scenario," says Dwight Bailey, DO, specialty medical director of pediatric critical care at LCH, who treated Lucas. "But even though there are relatively few patients who don't respond to the standard of care, we believe we can save lots of lives with this therapy."
As the study lead for the trial, Dr. Bailey is hoping to enlist 10 additional pediatric intensive care units across the country to enroll about 30 more patients. LJPC-501 has yet to be approved for children outside of the study.
The first child ever to receive this medication for his condition, Lucas is expected to make a full recovery.
"We were apprehensive about trying an experimental drug, but we were confident that the doctors at LCH had Lucas's best interest in mind," says Desiree. "We truly felt that Lucas was in the best hands."
About Atrium Health (Carolinas HealthCare System)
Carolinas HealthCare System (carolinashealthcare.org), one of the nation's leading and most innovative healthcare organizations, provides a full spectrum of healthcare and wellness programs throughout North and South Carolina. Its diverse network of care locations includes academic medical centers, hospitals, freestanding emergency departments, physician practices, surgical and rehabilitation centers, home health agencies, nursing homes and behavioral health centers, as well as hospice and palliative care services. Carolinas HealthCare System works to enhance the overall health and wellbeing of its communities through high quality patient care, education and research programs, and numerous collaborative partnerships and initiatives.
SOURCE Atrium Health
Related Links
http://www.carolinashealthcare.org
NEW YORK, Feb. 26, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Two seasoned business editors have launched a news site offering fresh insight and analysis into the red-hot cryptocurrency markets and blockchain technologies.
Modern Consensus (http://www.modernconsensus.com) is the brainchild of Ken Kurson, who was editor in chief of the legendary New York Observer from 2013 to 2017.
"There are massive gaps in reporting on cryptocurrency and blockchain news," said Kurson. "Readers are looking for intelligent, focused, and engaging reporting of the blockchain and cryptocurrency space not just the technology but the people behind the technology and Modern Consensus will provide exactly that."
Lawrence Lewitinn, who recently served as the Observer's deputy editor and business & technology senior editor, is the editor in chief of Modern Consensus.
"We're on the cusp of a radical shift in how the world defines and accounts for financial interactions," said Lewitinn. "That's the very fabric of society and culture everywhere. Yet coverage has been relegated to a few niche sites and a handful of reporters here and there at the larger news organizations."
The site's name is taken from the consensus mechanism that many blockchains use to verify transactions.
Joining Kurson and Lewitinn are General Manager Kevin Sanders, who will handle all business elements of the site including ad sales, and contributing reporter Dylan Love, who was previously a tech reporter for International Business Times, The Daily Dot, and Business Insider.
"I'm approaching 10 years in technology and cryptocurrency reporting," said Love. "I'm thrilled to be shining a spotlight on this contentious, dramatic arena."
Ken Kurson led the transformation of the Observer to become a digitally focused, national outlet growing from 1.1 million monthly unique users to 6 million and increasing monthly page views from 3 million to 20 million. An accomplished author, Kurson wrote the money coverage for Esquire magazine for 17 years, including his story in 2013 about bitcoin, which was an early mention of the currency in the mainstream media and the very first mention of ripple in the mainstream media. Kurson serves on the board of directors of Ripple. He was also the founder of Green Magazine, a personal finance site, which he and partner John Packel sold to publicly traded Bankrate.com for a seven-figure exit.
Before his stint at the Observer, Lawrence Lewitinn was a writer and producer with Yahoo Finance and CNBC. He spent two decades on Wall Street before reporting on it. Lewitinn managed the Asian and European markets desk for quantitative-oriented hedge fund MQS Asset Management. He began his career as a foreign exchange trader with then-fledgling Millennium Partners, LP (today Millennium Management, LLC), now one of the largest hedge funds in the world.
ABOUT MODERN CONSENSUS:
Founded in 2018, Modern Consensus (modernconsensus.com) covers the technology, people, and culture of the cryptocurrency and blockchain world.
SOURCE Modern Consensus
Related Links
http://www.modernconsensus.com
LOS ANGELES, Feb. 26, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Southern California Gas Co. (SoCalGas) today reminded customers only four days remain to register for this winter's Smart Thermostat Program, which closes this Thursday, March 1. The program gives customers up to $75 in incentives to register an ecobee or Nest smart thermostat to conserve natural gas for home heating this winter. Smart thermostats give users the ability to remotely control their home's temperature via a smartphone, tablet or desktop computer; some are even controllable with virtual assistants like Amazon's Alexa and Google Home.
"Smart thermostats are a great way to save money on natural gas bills, especially during the colder weather we're having now," said Dan Rendler, director of customer programs and assistance at SoCalGas. "The energy cost savings, combined with our Smart Thermostat Program incentives, plus $50 in rebates, make this a great time to buy one of these thermostats."
Customers participating in the Smart Thermostat Program agree to allow minor adjustments to be made to their thermostat temperature settings for a few hours on days when SoCalGas calls a Natural Gas Conservation event. These events help lower the risk of possible natural gas shortages when demand is at its highest. Participants are notified at least two hours before any adjustments are made via their smart thermostat, web portal, mobile app and/or email.
Owners of ecobee or Nest-registered devices with natural gas-heated homes in SoCalGas' service territory are eligible to participate in the Smart Thermostat Program, with the exception of those enrolled in Southern California Edison's (SCE) Save Power Days summertime electric demand response program. SoCalGas and SCE are working on a process that will allow dual-enrollment across both programs by next winter.
SoCalGas customers who enroll in the program will receive $50 for signing up by March 1 and another $25 for staying enrolled through the duration of the program, which concludes on April 1. These incentives can combine with a $50 purchase rebate on a smart thermostat for a total of $125 in savings for customers who take advantage of all three. Customers who participated in the SoCalGas Advisory Thermostat Program with ecobee devices last year will receive $25 for their full participation in the Smart Thermostat Program this year.
In Southern California, more than 90 percent of residents use natural gas to heat their home and hot water. According to the American Gas Association, households that use natural gas for water and home heating, cooking and clothes drying save an average of $874 per year compared to homes using electricity for those applications.
SoCalGas is a leader in energy conservation, helping to keep natural gas bills affordable for customers and protecting the environment. Since 1990, the company's energy efficiency and rebate programs have helped families and businesses save approximately $672 million on their natural gas bills and reduced emissions equal to taking almost 700,000 cars off the road.
More information about smart thermostat rebates is available here. For information about the Smart Thermostat Program, click here. To enroll in the program with an ecobee device, click here, and to enroll with a Nest device, click here.
About SoCalGas
Headquartered in Los Angeles, SoCalGas is the largest natural gas distribution utility in the United States, providing clean, safe, affordable and reliable natural gas service to 21.7 million customers in Central and Southern California. Its service territory spans 22,000 square miles from Fresno to the Mexican border, reaching more than 550 communities through 5.9 million meters and 101,000 miles of pipeline. More than 90 percent of Southern California single-family home residents use natural gas for home heat and hot water. In addition, natural gas plays a key role in providing electricity to Californiansabout 60 percent of electric power generated in the state comes from gas-fired power plants.
SoCalGas has served communities in California for 150 years and is committed to being a leader in the region's clean energy future. The company is working to accelerate the use of renewable natural gas, a carbon-neutral or carbon-negative fuel created by capturing and conditioning greenhouse gas emissions from farms, landfills and wastewater treatment plants. SoCalGas is a subsidiary of Sempra Energy (NYSE: SRE), a Fortune 500 energy services holding company based in San Diego. For more information visit socalgas.com/newsroom or connect with SoCalGas on Twitter (@SoCalGas), Instagram (@SoCalGas) and Facebook.
SOURCE Southern California Gas Company
Related Links
https://www.socalgas.com
Excellent products undoubtedly combine the characteristics of high quality and good design. Japanese designer brand MINISO has always upheld the philosophy and the design concept of "simple, natural and quality", and its lovely appearance of the products were deeply favored by consumers around the world, four of which even gained the iF Design Award in 2018.
The iF Design Award, short for "iF", was founded in 1953, with the awards concept of "independent, rigorous and reliable", which aims to raise people's awareness of design. The most important gold award of the iF is known as "The Academy Award for product design". In 2018, the iF Design Award has 6,401 entry products from 54 countries. The selection standard is strict, which covers the aesthetic sense, product quality, material selection, technological innovation, functionality, ergonomics, security, environmental protection countermeasures, durability and other factors that affect user experience. Four MINISO products had passed rigorous examination and screening, standing out from more than 6,000 products, and won the iF design award eventually.
MINISO "Water Cube" series Designer: Gary Moore
"Simple but not easy" can fully describe MINISO's products. The four award-winning products are of simple design style, which are colorful and lively, with perfect combination of functional practicality and aesthetic sense. The "Water Cube" series is impressive and with strong visual impact. According to Ada Dou, the executive vice President of MINISO Commodity Center, the "Water Cube" is one of the hot sale products in MINISO, which has been sold more than 9 million units worldwide since its launch in 2017. Ada indicated that the design of good products is not only attractive in the appearance, but more importantly, it can solve the pain points of consumers.
It is said that the design of the "Water Cube" series is inspired by the natural form of bubbles. The foam texture on the silicone cover is the symbol of the cup. The bottle is made of glass, and the outer silicone cover can prevent being scalded and improve the safety, so that consumers can use it safely.
At the same time, there are different surprises and novelty of the design of the award-winning wave-shape pencil box, portable sticking device and filter-storage box, which may bring some "little surprises" to the users.
MINISO wave-shape pencil box Designer: Zhang Jian, Yu Mutian
(Reasons of winning the award: the wave-shape pencil box is a new design of pencil box, which adds some aesthetic patterns to the lid of the pencil box. People may have one or two pens that are often used, which do not need to be put into the pencil box every time. When we put these pens momentarily, the decorative pattern becomes the most appropriate place. This design improves the storage use of the pencil box.)
MINISO filter-storage box Designer: Mai Peishan
(Reasons of winning the award: sometimes we will put some small things on a plate or a box, and may automatically take the keys and change out of our pockets and throw them into the plate or box. When you drop your belongings into a plate or a box, you can be surprised to find that there is a coin hole in the bottom of the box that holds your scattered coins.)
(Reasons of winning the award: for those who focus on the details of life, an easy-to-use portable sticky device is indispensable. The simple but useful portable sticking device with beautiful appearance adopts the innovative spring mechanical structure to realize the pushing-type design, which not only makes the operation convenient, but also saves the storage space.)
It is easy to find that these four products that won the iF Design Award have the common characteristic of minimalist design style. Mr. Miyake Junya, the global co-founder and chief designer of MINISO indicated that, MINISO sticks at getting rid of the garish and grandiose design, but reverting to the nature of design, trying hard to realize simple and natural. He hopes to lead the consumers to build a sound consumption outlook through MINISO's simple but lively aesthetics of design, and advocate the sustainable development attitude towards life at the same time. MINISO insists on carrying out the brand proposition of "returning to nature and reverting to the essence of products", and has received support and recognition from consumers around the world, as good products can always speak for themselves.
What MINISO has been doing is not just to meet the needs of consumers, but to constantly exceed their expectations, which is closely related to their attention and input to design. It is reported that the design cost of MINISO is over RMB 100 million per year. Mr. Ye Guofu, the global co-founder and CEO of MINISO once said that, "design improves the added value of products. Only when consumers feel the value of the product that is far beyond the price of the product itself, are they willing to pay for it." There are three characteristics of MINISO's products, that are the sense of series, simple and fashionable, which impress consumers deeply. Good product comes from good design, and good design must come from a good designer. MINISO enlisted many outstanding designers around the globe to help. They come from different countries such as Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Japan, South Korea and China.
In order to present good products to consumers, MINISO has explored the automatic product design mechanism since 2017. By building designers sharing platform, individual designers become the designers of MINISO. Factories (production), designers (design) and stores (channels) eventually form an industrial chain closed loop. As for MINISO, "beautiful design" is not a slogan but an actual result comes from good design.
Good product is the strongest weapon for MINISO to explore in the international market. Since its establishment in 2013, MINISO has opened more than 2,600 stores in 62 countries and regions in merely four years. MINISO has been favored by consumers all over the world, thus generating $1.8 billion in sales in 2017.
SOURCE MINISO Japan
TORONTO, Feb. 26, 2018 /PRNewswire/ - "The Joke Thief" is the title of Frank D'Angelo's latest movie project and his 7th film in the last five years, making him one of the busiest filmmakers in Canada in a very short time span.
The Joke Thief takes us on a journey of one man's last hurrah. Simon McCabe is a stand-up comedian who has been making people laugh for 35 years. All his life he has been the life of the party, but now he is tired, miserable and almost washed up since he's never got a lucky break due to a reputation of joke stealing. One fateful night, his long-time friend and fellow comedian convinces a comedy club owner to give Simon some stage time and one last shot at redemption. On the ride down to his gig, Simon takes us on a whirlwind journey of his life, as he replays back special moments in an emotional series of flashbacks that made him the sad, funny man that he is today.
Written, directed and starring Frank D'Angelo, alongside a long list of renowned actors and stand-up comedians, the film was shot in downtown Toronto in an innovative and progressive film style that Frank invented and is quickly being adapted by others. He also wrote, scored and performed on the soundtrack for the film.
The Joke Thief will be distributed by Twentieth Century Fox/Incendo Television, through a worldwide distribution deal that includes all of Frank D'Angelo's other films: Real Gangsters, Big Fat Stone, No Deposit, Sicilian Vampire, The Red Maple Leaf and The Neighborhood which are available on Video on Demand, iTunes, Google Play, and Amazon Instant Video.
The anticipation of this new film has many people excited, since it is already scheduled for a film festival tour including New York, Boston, Los Angeles and Toronto in spring 2018 and then an early summer North American theatrical release.
Frank D'Angelo is a screenwriter, director, actor, musician, and a Canadian talk show host. As a performer, he knew there was a big void in Canada for Canadians to promote their talents and so he created The Being Frank Show, the longest running nationally broadcast late-night talk/variety show. It has boasted guests and show business luminaries such as Al Pacino, Paul Newman, Tony Bennett, James Caan, Paul Sorvino, Robert Loggia, Graham Greene, Bill Fichtner, Kim Coates, Estella Warren, Bai Ling, Reggae Rapper Snow, Pavlo, Dan Hill, Ian Thomas, Murray McLauchlan, Missi Pyle, Kevin Hearn of The Barenaked Ladies and many, many more. The Being Frank Show has just completed taping its 8th season.
Links:
www.thejokethief.com
http://inyourearproductions.com
SOURCE In Your Ear Productions Ltd.
"Frutarom has taken full control of the supply chain through reverse integration in order to ensure safe, natural colorants, with complete traceability," says Ori Yehudai, President and CEO of Frutarom. "Placing the customer at the focal point of our business allowed us to effect true change in how the company engages with partners and farmers, while maintaining complete transparency."
Frutarom initiated dozens of agriculture collaborations with local farmers in multiple locations and countries to ensure the supply of continuous and sustainable natural sourcing of pigments and food colorings. In addition, the company has increased the technical competencies for its already expansive extract capabilities. Frutarom-owned facilities located near the farms. This is how the company ensures transparency and traceability from the farm to the final product, as well reducing environmental impacts and ensuring responsible sourcing to customers. The company can assure secure supply, meet volume demands, safeguard product quality, and provide seamless service at every juncture.
"This strategic move to become a major player in natural colors globally took only three years but we put immense efforts and investments to do it right, and beneficial to the local farmers and our employees," adds Yehudai.
Frutarom recently opened a natural color formulations center at its Etol plant in Celje, Slovenia, to provide its European customers full, customized service. The center will help clients with natural colors application, creating natural flavor combinations, and utilization of its advanced beverage compound technologies for creating innovative, sustainable food and beverage products with an eye on the competitive edge. Frutarom invested 5 million in advanced equipment and technology for the new facility.
The new formulation hub will serve 15,000 Frutarom's customers in Europeabout 50% of the company's global customers. The Etol facility provides extensive expertise in flavors and formulation development. The 90-year-old company was acquired by Frutarom in 2012.
"Etol has a solid reputation of successful cooperation with food and beverage customers in creating new flavor solutions," says Yehudai. "Frutarom Etol is expanding its offerings to include a full range of natural colors manufactured with advanced technologies. Natural colors are much more challenging than synthetic colors in terms of their sensitivity, and if not incorporated correctly can be less stable in food and beverage applications."
"Frutarom makes it possible to bridge the gap between consumers who want natural, sustainable products in which they can understand and identify each ingredient with food manufacturer's need to create a new, functional, tasty product with natural coloring," explains Yehudai.
About Frutarom
Frutarom is recognized as one of the world's top flavor houses, and top five suppliers of natural colors, worldwide. The company is committed to a sustainability strategy, supporting farmers in multiple locations, and controlling its supply chain throughout to maintain full transparency and ensure product safety.
For further information, please contact:
Company contact
Frutarom
Noa Yonish
Marketing Manager Natural Solutions
Phone: +972 74 7177036
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.frutaromnatural.com
Press Contact
NutriPR
Liat Simha
Tel: +972-9-9742893
E-mail: [email protected]
Website: www.nutripr.com
Twitter: @LiatSimha
SOURCE Frutarom Ltd.
BERKLEY, Calif., Feb. 26, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Cogitativo, a Data Science as a Service (DSaaS) company dedicated to the healthcare industry has announced the addition of two new executives to the organization.
"Hiring of key executive talent is a critical component in the development of Cogitativo and an important part of our expanding our applied data science capabilities," stated Gary Velasquez, President and CEO. "Our clients face accelerating market complexities which demand constant monitoring and evaluation of market behaviors. The addition of these proven business operators combined with Cogitativo's world-class data scientists enables us to better respond to our expanding client base."
Healthcare industry veteran Teri Mullaney will serve as Chief Strategy Officer and will position the company for continued growth. Ms. Mullaney recently retired from DST Health Solutions, where she was President and CEO, providing operational and analytics solutions to hundreds of health plans nationally. Prior to DST, Ms. Mullaney held executive positions with numerous healthcare companies, including Outcomes Health, EDS, and Equifax.
Ms. Mullaney stated "It is a new era. With the advance of machine learning, we can dynamically solve many of the cost and quality challenges that have plagued our industry for decades. It will also prepare us for emerging industry issues, both known and unknown. The technology is here, but many healthcare organizations don't have the bandwidth to leverage it nor to act on the insights it provides. Combining our deep healthcare operating experience and market knowledge with our AI platform enables us to work side-by-side with our clients to solve their individual and distinct issues. This, in turn, allows health plans to provide the best coverage for their unique markets. I am passionate about working with our clients to solve these problems during a time of great disruption and opportunity in our industry."
David Buhler, who has held senior financial positions for numerous health organizations, will transition from his role as Cogitativo's Chief Financial Officer to serve as the company's Chief Administrative Officer. In this role Mr. Buhler will be responsible for overseeing Human Resources, Legal, and Compliance and Risk Management.
With Mr. Buhler's move to the CAO position, the company announced the hiring of Beth Gray to serve as their new VP of Finance. She joins Cogitativo from Hint, Inc., where she was responsible for financial operations and accounting, strategic planning, treasury, financial planning and analysis and investor relations. Beth is a versatile finance professional with over 20 years of finance experience in pre-IPO and fortune 500 companies across industries that include SaaS, e-commerce, consumer products and investment management. She has also held senior financial positions at BlogHer, Inc., Linden Research, Inc., and Shopping.com (a subsidiary of eBay). She holds an MBA from the Haas School of Business at the University of California and a BA in history and government from Dartmouth College.
"I am extremely pleased to join Cogitativo which is leading the way in providing data science as a service to solve complex problems in the U.S. healthcare system. I'm very excited to work with Gary and the experienced leadership team to help build a best-in-class company that will continue to identify meaningful insights for our clients and drives change in the healthcare industry," stated Ms. Gray.
"We are excited to have Teri and Beth join us, and for the creation of David's new role," noted Velasquez. "These changes will bring additional leadership bench strength to the organization, and will enable us to continue the building of our advanced data science platform which results in creating high-value, actionable insights for the healthcare industry."
About Cogitativo
Based in Berkeley, California, Cogitativo is a mission-driven machine learning, data curation and technology company that helps healthcare organizations extract value from public and proprietary data sources needed to improve the U.S. health system. Cogitativo's proven machine learning platform helps clients reduce their levels of epistemic opacity while improving efficiency and lowering the cost of healthcare for more than 30 million health plan members. For more information about Cogitativo and its mission, visit www.cogitativo.com
Contact:
Lisa Gauthier
[email protected]
Phone: (510) 761-7420
SOURCE Cogitativo, Inc.
Related Links
http://www.cogitativo.com
"We're committed to innovative solutions for our customers to address industry-wide challenges," says Eric Douglas, GEODIS Executive Vice President of Technology & Engineering. "The labor market is tight, and we want to enable our team to better execute for our customers. And in this case, the technological support of robots effectively solved the challenge."
The success of the pilot started with simplifying GEODIS employee training. Rather than spending hours in the classroom, team members were instructed on how to pick to the robots on the warehouse floor, completing the training within a matter of minutes. The messaging on the robots is displayed in their preferred languages (English, Burmese, Chin and Spanish) allowing for faster absorption of training and a decrease in picking errors. Picking units to the robots also reduced physical demand by eliminating the need to pull pick carts and decreasing overall travel.
And the results have been staggering. Now, 80% of the units are picked to the robots daily. Employee productivity has doubled and there was at least 50% reduction in time to train new employees.
"This is the first of what we anticipate to be multiple deployments of the robots this year," said Eric Douglas, as GEODIS looks to expand the partnership with Locus Robotics in more warehouses with their retail and ecommerce customers.
"While technology can never replace the human aspect of business, the Locus Robotics solution has proven to be a great asset to assist our operations to increase productivity," said Mike Honious, GEODIS Chief Operations Officer.
"We are very proud to welcome GEODIS as a customer," said Rick Faulk, CEO of Locus Robotics. "We are not only able to help GEODIS realize immediate productivity gains, but our solution is able to scale on-demand to meet the growing future needs of their customers. Our robots enhance more than worker productivity, they improve worker job satisfaction by removing some of the more physically demanding aspects of the picking process. We look forward to continuing to help the GEODIS team drive operating efficiencies."
Both GEODIS and Locus Robotics will be exhibiting this exciting new technology at Retail Industry Leaders Association (RILA) Retail Supply Chain Conference in Phoenix February 25-28.
GEODIS www.geodis.us
GEODIS is a Supply Chain Operator ranking among the top companies in the field in Europe and the World. GEODIS, owned by SNCF Logistics, which in turn is a business line of the SNCF Group, is ranked as the number four logistics provider in Europe and number seven at a worldwide level. GEODIS is also listed as a "Leader" in Gartner's 2016 Magic Quadrant of Worldwide 3PLs. GEODIS' reach includes a direct presence in 67 countries and a global network spanning over 120 countries. With its five Lines of Business (Supply Chain Optimization, Freight Forwarding, Contract Logistics, Distribution & Express, and Road Transport), GEODIS manages its customers' Supply Chain by providing end to end solutions enabled by over 39,500 employees, its infrastructure, its processes and systems. In 2016, GEODIS recorded 8 billion in sales.
Locus Robotics www.locusrobotics.com
Locus Robotics transforms e-commerce fulfillment operations with innovative autonomous mobile robotics technology that significantly improves worker productivity and operational efficiency, while lowering operating expense. Locus' award-winning solution was purpose-built with one thing in mind: to improve warehouse productivity. LocusBots work collaboratively with warehouse workers to drive greater throughput, reduced costs and unparalleled flexibility in moving inventory and orders through a fulfillment center, even during peak periods.
PRESS CONTACT
Natalie Walkley
GEODIS
615-987-2524
[email protected]
SOURCE GEODIS
Related Links
http://www.geodis.us
DUBLIN, Feb. 26, 2018 /PRNewswire/ --
The "Cybersecurity in Healthcare, 2018-2030" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.
The Cybersecurity in Healthcare Market, 2018-2030' report features an extensive study of the current landscape and future outlook of the growing market of cybersecurity within the healthcare industry.
The focus of this study is on the cybersecurity products / solutions and services that are currently available for protecting internet connected devices against cybercriminals, and the likely evolution of novel technologies / platforms in the mid to long term. Backed by funding from several venture capital firms and strategic investors, this evolving market has its hopes pinned on the efforts of multiple start-ups.
The digital revolution has transformed the way businesses operate across the globe. However, digitally stored information is prone to hacking and manipulation by cyber criminals. The concern is validated by the fact that more than 5.1 million records are compromised due to data breaches every day. In 2016, close to 1,800 incidents of data breaches were reported across all the industries; in total, almost 1.4 billion data records were lost or stolen.
The year 2017 also witnessed several cyberattacks; notable examples include WannaCry and NotPetya ransomware attacks, Equifax data breach, MongoDB databases leak, Elasticsearch server hack, Cloudbleed security bug, Zomato hack, HBO hack / Game of Thrones leaks, Uber data breach, and Ethereum hack.
The healthcare industry has been amongst the prime targets for hackers over the last several years. The Ponemon Institute's Fifth Annual Study reported that cyberattacks in healthcare have increased by a factor of 125% since 2010. In the first half of 2017, the healthcare industry had been compromised a number of times, having experienced a total of 228 data breaches, representing 25% of the total number of breaches worldwide. Across these instances, around 31 million records were compromised, stolen or lost, representing an increase of 423% as compared to the first six months of 2016.
In addition, according to a report published in May 2016, it is estimated that, with each electronic health record (EHR) costing around USD 355 in the black market, healthcare data breaches have resulted in losses worth USD 6.2 billion per year to the US healthcare industry. Examples of organizations that have recently been the victims of cyberattacks / security incidents include (in alphabetical order) Abbott / St. Jude Medical, Anthem BlueCross BlueShield, Bayer, Bupa Global Health Insurance, Bronx Lebanon Hospital Center, HealthNow Networks, Johnson & Johnson, Med Center Health, Merck, National Health System (NHS), Pacific Alliance Medical Center, Patient Home Monitoring, and Smiths Medical.
In order to overcome these challenges, various cybersecurity solution providers have started to specifically focus on healthcare. Along with the presence of big companies, the entry of several start-ups is driving the innovation in this domain. Contrary to the expectation, capital spending on cybersecurity in the healthcare industry is far less compared to some other industries. In addition, the scarcity of skilled cybersecurity professionals capable of catering to the complex regulatory demands in the healthcare industry is making it even more difficult for the successful implementation of cybersecurity policies across this field.
One of the key objectives of the report was to understand the primary growth drivers and estimate the future size of the market. Based on various parameters, such as number of healthcare data breaches, number of records compromised, expected pricing of the stolen medical records and spending trends on cybersecurity in the healthcare industry, we have provided an informed estimate on the likely evolution of the market in the long term, for the period 2018-2030. To account for the uncertainties associated with the number of data breaches, and to add robustness to our model, we have provided three forecast scenarios, portraying the conservative, base and optimistic tracks of the market's evolution.
Key Topics Covered:
1. PREFACE
1.1. Scope of the Report
1.2. Research Methodology
1.3. Chapter Outlines
2. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
3. INTRODUCTION
3.1. Digitization and Global Transformation
3.2. Impact of Digitization on Different Industries
3.3. Current Underlying Problems of Digitization
3.4. Risks and Mitigation Strategies of Digitization
3.5. Cybersecurity
4. CYBERSECURITY IN HEALTHCARE
4.1. Chapter Overview
4.2. Digital and Connected Healthcare
4.3. Common Vulnerabilities and Cyber Risks in Healthcare
4.4. HIPAA Framework
4.5. Cybersecurity in Healthcare
5. CURRENT MARKET LANDSCAPE
5.1. Chapter Overview
5.2. Cybersecurity in Healthcare: List of Industry Players
6. CORE CYBERSECURITY PRODUCTS/SOLUTIONS: COMPANY PROFILES
6.1. Chapter Overview
6.2. Attivo Networks
6.3. CensorNet
6.4. Exabeam
6.5. iCyber-Security
6.6. Threat Stack
6.7. TraceSecurity
6.8. Zenedge
7. THREAT INTELLIGENCE SOLUTIONS: COMPANY PROFILES
7.1. Chapter Overview
7.2. Anomali
7.3. Centripetal Networks
7.4. Flashpoint
7.5. ProtectWise
7.6. Sqrrl
7.7. Shape Security
7.8. Vectra Networks
8. CYBERSECURITY SERVICES: COMPANY PROFILES
8.1. Chapter Overview
8.2. Agio
8.3. CyberSurance
8.4. Delta Risk
8.5. ITEGRITI
8.6. Security Risk Advisors
8.7. Sera-Brynn
8.8. VigiTrust
9. BENCHMARK ANALYSIS
9.1. Chapter Overview
9.2. Benchmark Analysis: Methodology
9.3. Benchmark Analysis: Peer Groups
9.4. Benchmark Analysis: Medium-Sized Companies
9.5. Benchmark Analysis: Large-Sized Companies
10. CAPITAL INVESTMENTS AND FUNDING
10.1. Chapter Overview
10.2. Types of Funding
10.3. Cybersecurity in Healthcare: Funding Instances
10.4. Concluding Remarks
11. COMPANY VALUATION ANALYSIS
11.1. Chapter Overview
11.2. Company Valuation: Methodology
11.3. Company Valuation: Categorization by Multiple Parameters
11.4. Company Valuation: Roots Analysis Proprietary Scores
12. MARKET FORECAST
12.1. Chapter Overview
12.2. Forecast Methodology and Key Assumptions
12.3. Overall Cybersecurity Market in Healthcare, 2018-2030
12.4. Cybersecurity Market in Healthcare: Distribution by Type of Offering
12.5. Cybersecurity Market in Healthcare: Distribution by Threat Type
12.6. Cybersecurity Market in Healthcare: Distribution by Type of Security Elements
12.7. Cybersecurity Market in Healthcare: Distribution by Deployment Mode
12.8. Cybersecurity Market in Healthcare: Distribution by Geographies
13. FUTURE TRENDS: ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE AND CYBERSECURITY
13.1. Chapter Overview
13.2. Artificial Intelligence (AI): An Overview
13.3. AI in Cybersecurity
13.4. AI-based Cybersecurity in Healthcare
14. CASE STUDY: CYBERSECURITY USE CASES IN HEALTHCARE
14.1. Chapter Overview
14.2. Notable Healthcare Data Breaches in 2017
14.3. The Next Major Security Concern: Medical Device Hacks
14.4. Example Strategies to Tackle Cyber Threats
15. EXECUTIVE INSIGHTS
15.1. Chapter Overview
15.2. BlackRidge Technology
15.3. Critical Informatics
15.4. Cyberlytic
15.5. Device Authority
15.6. illusive networks
15.7. MedCrypt
15.8. Risk Based Security
15.9. Rubicon Labs
15.10. SCADAfence
15.11. secureHIM
15.12. Sensato
16. CONCLUSION
16.1. Although the Advent of Digitization has Created Several New Business Opportunities, Industries are Now More Vulnerable to Cyberattacks
16.2. Owing to Multiple Contributors, Healthcare is Amongst the Worst Hit Industries by Cyberattacks
16.3. With Growing Complexity and Frequency of Cyberattacks, a Large Number of Industry Players have Widened their Expertise to Protect Healthcare Organizations
16.4. Several Start-ups, Backed by Venture Capital Investors, are Driving Technological Innovation in the Market
16.5. Given the Financial Support and Diverse Product/Solution Portfolio, Several Recently Established Companies are Steadily Approaching Unicorn Status
16.6. Driven by the Evolving Threat Landscape and High Value of Healthcare Records, the Market is Expected to Grow Significantly in the Coming Years
16.7. As Threat Levels Increase, Artificial Intelligence (AI) Holds a Significant Potential in Next Generation Cyber Defenses
17. APPENDIX 1: TABULATED DATA
18. APPENDIX 2: LIST OF COMPANIES AND ORGANIZATIONS
For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/3kvk6t/global?w=5
Media Contact:
Research and Markets
Laura Wood, Senior Manager
[email protected]
For E.S.T Office Hours Call +1-917-300-0470
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SOURCE Research and Markets
Related Links
http://www.researchandmarkets.com
CHICAGO, Feb. 26, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Grubhub, the nation's leading online and mobile food-ordering company, is announcing the launch of RestaurantHER, an initiative dedicated to supporting women-led restaurants nationwide, and committing $1 million to support this and other causes benefiting our communities.
Starting today, Grubhub will contribute $1 up to $1 million for every person who pledges at RestaurantHER.com to dine in or order delivery from women-led restaurants now through the end of Women's History Month in March. The first $100,000 of this pledge will be contributed to WCR Women Chefs & Restaurateurs to help advance female leadership in restaurants by providing resources for women seeking to advance culinary education and gain recognition in the food industry.
Grubhub's contribution to WCR will sponsor:
WCR's scholarship program, which supports and connects women in the culinary industry through formal apprenticeships
Development of a digital toolkit with resources to help restaurant operators build culinary leadership by running equitable kitchens and addressing gender issues in kitchen culture
"We are honored to unveil RestaurantHER to support women in leadership roles across the restaurant community," said Matt Maloney, chief executive officer of Grubhub. "Closing the gender gap that leaves women occupying fewer than 20 percent of chef positions in the U.S. will ultimately introduce new creativity and expertise into our restaurants and no doubt elevate the entire culinary industry. We believe Grubhub has a duty to support women-run restaurants and promote more diversity, in the industry and on our platform, which will begin with RestaurantHER."
"We've always believed it doesn't have to be hard to run a fair and equitable kitchen," said Amanda Cohen, chef and owner of Dirt Candy and treasurer of WCR Board of Directors. "This partnership puts us in a position where we can provide the tools, not just to women, but to all chefs and owners who have long wanted to do things differently but didn't know where to start."
To help diners locate and support restaurants run by women, Grubhub is unveiling a map on RestaurantHER.com of woman-led restaurant locations nationwide. This map the first of its kind encompasses restaurants owned or co-owned by a woman or a kitchen led by a woman head or executive chef. Diners can also help expand the reach of the map by submitting a woman-led restaurant. To highlight the inspiration for the initiative, Grubhub is featuring stories from chef ambassadors, including the head of woman-led restaurant Thaimee Table.
"Being a chef is a responsibility and an honor, as we get a chance to feed someone's soul and make someone's day," said Hong Thaimee, chef and owner of Thaimee Table. "I give Grubhub credit for developing the RestaurantHER initiative. It's nice to have a platform to empower women and I know a lot of my customers feel the same way."
For more information about Grubhub's RestaurantHER initiative, visit RestaurantHER.com.
About Grubhub
Grubhub (NYSE: GRUB) is the nation's leading online and mobile takeout food-ordering marketplace with the most comprehensive network of restaurant partners and largest active diner base. Dedicated to moving eating forward and connecting diners with the food they love from their favorite local restaurants, the company's platforms and services strive to elevate food ordering through innovative restaurant technology, easy-to-use platforms and an improved delivery experience. Grubhub is proud to work with more than 80,000 restaurant partners in over 1,600 U.S. cities and London. The Grubhub portfolio of brands includes Grubhub, Seamless, Eat24, AllMenus and MenuPages.
To find takeout restaurants available in your area, check out grubhub.com. If you are interested in becoming part of the Grubhub Delivery team, please visit driver.grubhub.com. To find out how your restaurant can join Grubhub, check out get.grubhub.com. To learn more about Grubhub and its portfolio of brands, please visit newsroom.grubhub.com.
SOURCE Grubhub
Related Links
http://www.grubhub.com
NEW YORK, Feb. 26, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- American Conference Institute (ACI) will host a new two-day comprehensive conference on the most pressing issues affecting Life Sciences and Health Care false claims affecting new enforcement target areas including managed care, opioids, rehabilitation centers, electronic medical records, drug compounding and more.
Hear Senior In-House Counsel Discuss Investigations and How to Manage Whistleblower Reports from CareSource, Celgene, CHSPSC, Fresenius Medical Care, Medtronic, Merck, Northwell Health, and Reliant Rehabilitation
Hear directly from Senior Prosecutors:
Joseph Beemsterboer
Chief, Healthcare Fraud Unit
U.S. Department of Justice
Richard Hayes
Deputy Chief, Civil Division
U.S. Attorney's Office, Eastern District of New York
Jay Speers
Counsel, Medicaid Fraud Control Unit
Office of the Attorney, General, State of New York
Amanda Strachan
Deputy Chief of Healthcare Fraud, Criminal Division
U.S. Attorney's Office, District of Massachusetts
More information about the conference, including full agendas, faculty lists, and brochures can be found here www.americanconference.com/FalseClaimsLS
###
A unique organization, American Conference Institute is devoted to providing the business intelligence that senior decision-makers need to respond to challenges both here in the US, and around the world.
Staffed by industry specialists, lawyers and other professionals, American Conference Institute operates as a think tank, monitoring trends and developments in all major industry sectors, the law, and public policy, with a view to providing information on the leading edge.
Headquartered in New York, ACI has grown to produce more than 90 events each year, attended by thousands of senior delegates from across the world.
Photo(s):
https://www.prlog.org/12693080
Press release distributed by PRLog
SOURCE American Conference Institute
Related Links
https://www.americanconference.com
"As a global software-industrial company, Honeywell has supplied the petrochemical industry with leading technologies and services for decades," said George Bou Mitri, president of Honeywell Kuwait, Iraq, Jordan and Lebanon. "After half a century in Kuwait, Honeywell's commitment to deliver solutions that enhance the productivity of our customers is as strong as ever. We are proud to work with EQUATE to build local petrochemical capability that supports the New Kuwait 2035 strategy to become a global hub for the oil, gas and petrochemicals industry."
As part of the MOU, EQUATE will test newly released Honeywell technologies, including the latest additions to the Honeywell Connected Plant portfolio, as well as assess EQUATE's requirements and new ideas at Honeywell facilities. The companies will join efforts to analyze EQUATE's needs and create added value through increased productivity and reduced downtime, setting a new standard for the petrochemical industry in the region.
"We are firm believers that success requires input from all our key stakeholders, including our technology suppliers, such as Honeywell," said Tareq Jafar Al-Kandari, vice president of Technical Services, EQUATE. "Being part of the global petrochemical industry with operations in three continents and contributing to various economies, EQUATE is strongly committed to absolute reliability and sustainability in all operations and activities. Our relationship with Honeywell is based on innovation and trust, which are key factors to ensure overall progress."
Honeywell has had a presence in Kuwait for more than 53 years and is the leading automation provider in the country that has about 9% of the world's oil reserves and is among the world's top ten oil exporters. Honeywell has successfully delivered more than 2,000 projects in Kuwait and services 50 sites daily.
For more information on Honeywell Process Solutions, visit www.honeywellprocess.com.
Honeywell Process Solutions (www.honeywellprocess.com) is a pioneer in automation control, instrumentation and services for the oil and gas; refining; energy; pulp and paper; industrial power generation; chemicals and petrochemicals; biofuels; life sciences; and metals, minerals and mining industries. It is also a leader in providing software solutions and instrumentation that help manufacturers find value and competitive advantage in through Honeywell Connected Plant, Honeywell's Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) solution. Process Solutions is part of Honeywell's Performance Materials and Technologies strategic business group, which also includes Honeywell UOP (www.uop.com), a leading international supplier and licensor of process technology, catalysts, adsorbents, equipment, and consulting services to the petroleum refining, petrochemical, and gas processing industries.
Honeywell (www.honeywell.com) is a Fortune 100 software-industrial company that delivers industry specific solutions that include aerospace and automotive products and services; control technologies for buildings, homes, and industry; and performance materials globally. Our technologies help everything from aircraft, cars, homes and buildings, manufacturing plants, supply chains, and workers become more connected to make our world smarter, safer, and more sustainable. For more news and information on Honeywell, please visit www.honeywell.com/newsroom.
SOURCE Honeywell
Related Links
http://www.honeywell.com
PASADENA, Calif., Feb. 26, 2018 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Huntington Hospital today announced that Scott Groom will be joining as senior vice president, chief information officer, effective today. Groom brings over 20 years of experience in advanced technology, clinical integration, management of physician and outpatient operations, strategic planning/marketing, business development and consulting across multiple healthcare and Fortune 500 environments.
"Scott Groom brings in-depth knowledge of our industry to his role at Huntington Hospital," says Lori J. Morgan, MD, MBA, president and CEO, Huntington Hospital. "His expertise in strategic development and management of resources closely align with our goal to provide world-class care to our community. I'm extremely happy to have him join our executive team."
In his new role at Huntington Hospital, Groom will provide the vision and leadership for the development and management of information resources and technology to support the hospital's strategic goals and program priorities. He will also lead the clinical and information technology departments and optimize the use of operating and capital financial resources to ensure efficient operation and proper support of clinical and administrative functions.
Groom joins Huntington Hospital from New York-based, Bassett, a top 50 integrated delivery network (IDN) and academic medical center comprised of an integrated medical group of 500 providers, serving nearly 6,000 square miles of the state with six hospitals, 60 outpatient, long-term care and specialty centers.
As Network Vice President for Bassett, Groom helped launch the first use of operational performance excellence efforts utilizing lean six sigma, PMO, and relationship-based care methodologies. He led long-range strategic planning process and rapid cycle implementations of Electronic Medical Record (EMR), Revenue Cycle, Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) and Data Analytics solutions resulting in top-five adoption metrics in the US, 100% achievement of quality measures, and over $30 million in downstream ROI. Groom was central to the development of new strategies for care coordination/population management programs including startup efforts for CMS accountable care organizations (ACO), bundled payments for care improvement (BPCI), and $8 billion NYS Medicaid delivery system reform incentive payment programs (DSRIP) which translated into over $100 million in incentives, serving as a charter/steering member for new commercial insurance product ventures.
Prior to Bassett, Groom served as corporate vice president and chief information officer for Marshall University Health System-based Cabell Hospital in Huntington, WV, and Baptist Health System of MS, where in addition to IT and analytics, his responsibilities included strategic planning, marketing/business development, board relations and MSO services. His previous experience also includes leadership in Fortune 500 software, services and management consulting.
As part of his new role, Groom will serve on industry, hospital board and management committees. He is the previous chair of audit/security for the Healthcare Information Exchange of NY, Excellus BCBS Joint Venture Executive Committee, and planning for the Greater Jackson Chamber of Commerce. He also served on the board of directors for At Home Care of New York, the American Red Cross, YMCA, and is past president of the George Washington/DC chapter of the American College of Health Care Executives.
Groom earned his master's degree in health services and administration from The George Washington University, School of Business. He completed his post-graduate residency at the University of Virginia Medical Center and received his bachelor of arts from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University.
Groom is relocating to South Pasadena for his position at Huntington Hospital. He has two sons, Jonah and Eli.
About Huntington Hospital
Huntington Hospital, www.huntingtonhospital.org, is a 619-bed not-for-profit hospital in Pasadena, California. We are named among the top hospitals in California and nationally ranked in two specialties by U.S. News and World Report. Learn more about us on Facebook www.facebook.com/huntingtonmemorialhospital and on Twitter @huntingtonnews.
SOURCE Huntington Hospital
Related Links
http://www.huntingtonhospital.com
PRAGUE, February 26, 2018 /PRNewswire/ --
On February 21, IAOP unveiled The 2018 Global Outsourcing 100 list at the Outsourcing World Summit held in Orlando, Florida, the United States. IBA Group - www.ibagroupit.com - was listed among The Global Outsourcing 100 companies in the Leader judging category for the sixth consecutive year.
"In today's economy, it is more important than ever for outsourcing buyers to be able to easily identify and select the right company for their outsourcing needs," said Debi Hamill, IAOP CEO. "The Global Outsourcing 100 and World's Best Advisors lists are the essential tools companies reference to make smarter decisions. They provide companies with valuable insights into the outsourcing industry, leading and emerging service providers and advisors, and key developments to watch."
The 2018 Global Outsourcing 100 recognizes the world's best outsourcing service providers and advisors. The list is based on applications received, and judging is based on a rigorous scoring methodology that includes an independent review by an independent panel of IAOP customer members with extensive experience in selecting outsourcing service providers and advisors for their organizations.
The 2018 panel is led by IAOP CEO Debi Hamill and Chairman Michael F. Corbett.
To further help ensure participation by a broad cross-section of the industry, The Global Outsourcing 100 list includes both larger established global firms, referred to as 'Leaders,' as well as smaller, faster growing firms with less than $50 million per year in revenue and/or fewer than 5,000 employees, referred to as 'Rising Stars.' Companies are first organized by Leader or Rising Star criteria and then evaluated based on the four judging categories. The final list is composed of the top 75 Leaders and top 25 Rising Stars.
For 2018, five areas were considered and judged:
1. Size and Growth
2. Customer References
3. Awards and Certifications
4. Programs for Innovation
5. Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR).
The aggregate scores from the areas above determine inclusion on the lists. All companies included on the list have demonstrated their global excellence; full "stars" will be awarded to all companies distinguishing themselves in one or more judging category.
About IAOP
IAOP is the global association that brings together customers, providers, and advisors in a collaborative, knowledge-based environment that promotes professional and organizational development, recognition, certification, and excellence to improve business service models and outcomes. Our members and affiliates worldwide are digging deep at IAOP conferences, learning at IAOP chapter meetings, getting trained and certified at IAOP courses and workshops, and connecting through IAOP social media, all with one goal: better business results. Whether you are a customer, provider or advisor, new to collaborative business models like outsourcing, or you are an experienced professional, IAOP connects you and your organization to our growing global community and to the resources you need to get the results your company deserves and demands. For more information, visit www.IAOP.org.
About IBA Group
IBA Group is one of the largest IT service providers in Eastern Europe performing software development, migration, maintenance, support, and IT consulting services with more than 2,500 IT and business professionals. Headquartered in Prague, Czech Republic, IBA Group has offices and development centers in the United States, Great Britain, Germany, Czech Republic, Belarus, South Africa, Cyprus, Russia, Ukraine, Kazakhstan, and Slovakia. IBA Group focuses on mainframe systems, enterprise applications, web solutions, SAP and other ERP systems, business intelligence, and mobile applications. IBA Group is recognized by the International Association of Outsourcing Professionals (IAOP) as one of The Global Outsourcing 100 in the Leaders Category, and ranks as one of the world's largest software companies in the Software Magazine's Software 500. In 2017, 2015, 2014, 2012, and 2011, IBA Group won IT Europa's European IT & Software Excellence awards. For more information, visit http://ibagroupit.com
SOURCE IBA Group
NEW YORK, Feb. 26, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Certain iHeartCommunications, Inc. lenders and noteholders, today provided the following update regarding discussions concerning iHeartCommunications, Inc. ("iHeartCommunications" or "the Company").
On February 24, 2018, certain of the Company's lenders and noteholders received a term sheet for a restructuring of the Company from Liberty Media Corporation. A copy of the term sheet is below.
IHEARTMEDIA, INC.
RESTRUCTURING TERM SHEET
FEBRUARY 23, 2018
This term sheet (this "Term Sheet")1 sets forth the principal terms of the Restructuring of iHeartMedia, Inc. ("Parent") and the subsidiaries specified below (each, a "Debtor," and collectively, the "Company" or the "Debtors"), including the Plan to be filed and implemented in cases to be commenced by the Company under chapter 11 of the Bankruptcy Code (the "Chapter 11 Cases").
THIS TERM SHEET DOES NOT CONSTITUTE (NOR SHALL IT BE CONSTRUED AS) AN OFFER WITH RESPECT TO ANY SECURITIES OR A SOLICITATION OF ACCEPTANCES OR REJECTIONS AS TO ANY PLAN OF REORGANIZATION, IT BEING UNDERSTOOD THAT SUCH A SOLICITATION, IF ANY, ONLY WILL BE MADE IN COMPLIANCE WITH APPLICABLE PROVISIONS OF SECURITIES, BANKRUPTCY, AND/OR OTHER APPLICABLE LAWS. THIS TERM SHEET DOES NOT ADDRESS ALL TERMS THAT WOULD BE REQUIRED TO CONFIRM THE PLAN AND ENTRY INTO OR THE CREATION OF ANY BINDING AGREEMENT IS SUBJECT TO THE EXECUTION OF DEFINITIVE DOCUMENTATION IN FORM AND SUBSTANCE CONSISTENT WITH THIS TERM SHEET AND OTHERWISE REASONABLY SATISFACTORY IN ALL RESPECTS TO THE COMPANY AND LIBERTY MEDIA CORPORATION ("LIBERTY"). THIS TERM SHEET HAS BEEN PRODUCED FOR DISCUSSION AND SETTLEMENT PURPOSES ONLY AND IS SUBJECT TO THE PROVISIONS OF RULE 408 OF THE FEDERAL RULES OF EVIDENCE AND OTHER, SIMILAR APPLICABLE STATE AND FEDERAL RULES. THIS TERM SHEET AND THE INFORMATION CONTAINED HEREIN ARE STRICTLY CONFIDENTIAL AND MAY NOT BE SHARED WITH ANY OTHER PARTY ABSENT THE PRIOR WRITTEN CONSENT OF THE COMPANY AND LIBERTY, EXCEPT AS REQUIRED BY LAW. THE TERMS HEREIN ARE SUBJECT TO CONFIRMATORY DUE DILIGENCE BY LIBERTY, SIRIUS AND THEIR ADVISORS.
General Terms The Debtors: (1) Parent (2) iHeartMedia Capital I, LLC ("Capital I") (3) iHeartMedia Capital II, LLC ("Capital II") (4) iHeartCommunications, Inc. ("Communications") (5) iHeartMedia Management Services, Inc. (6) Clear Channel Investments, Inc. (7) iHM Identity, Inc. (8) iHeartMedia Satellite Services, Inc. (9) Premiere Radio Networks, Inc. (10) Citicasters Co. (11) Cine Guarantors II, Inc. (12) Citicasters Licenses, L.P. (13) Critical Mass Media, Inc. (14) M Street Corporation (15) Clear Channel Broadcasting Licenses, Inc. (16) CC Broadcast Holdings, Inc. (17) iHeartMedia + Entertainment, Inc. (18) Terrestrial RF Licensing, Inc. (19) CC Licenses, LLC
1 Capitalized terms used but not otherwise defined in the body of this Term Sheet have the meanings set forth in Annex 1 to this Term Sheet.
(20) AMFM Operating Inc. (21) Katz Media Group, Inc. (22) Katz Communications, Inc. (23) Christal Radio Sales, Inc. (24) Katz Net Radio Sales, Inc. (25) Katz Millennium Sales & Marketing Inc. (26) AMFM Broadcasting, Inc. (27) AMFM Broadcasting Licenses, LLC (28) AMFM Texas, LLC (29) Capstar Radio Operating Company (30) AMFM Texas Licenses, LP (31) AMFM Radio Licenses, LLC (32) Capstar TX Limited Partnership (33) Clear Channel Holdings, Inc. (34) Clear Channel Mexico Holdings, Inc. (35) Clear Channel Real Estate, LLC (36) [any other entities necessary or appropriate to effectuate the restructuring] Petition Date: March [ ], 2018 Classification of Claims and Interests: To be negotiated among the Company and its other economic constituencies but likely including:2 ABL Facility Claims : Approximately $[365] million in unpaid principal plus interest, fees, and other expenses under that certain ABL Facility, or any indebtedness refinancing that Facility. Senior Communications Claims : Approximately $[ ] billion in unpaid principal plus interest, fees, and other expenses under: Term Loan D due 2019 $5.0 billion;
Term Loan E due 2019 $1.3 billion;
9.0% Priority Guarantee Notes due 2019 $2.0 billion;
9.0% Priority Guarantee Notes due 2021 $1.75 billion;
11.25% Priority Guarantee Notes due 2021 $871 million;
9.0% Priority Guarantee Notes due 2022 $1.0 billion; and
10.625% Priority Guarantee Notes due 2023 $950 million. Secured Subsidiary Claims : Approximately $[ ] million in unpaid principal plus interest, fees, and other expenses under secured long-term obligations of Debtors other
2 Final Plan structure and distributions to be acceptable to Liberty. For purposes of submitting this proposal, Liberty has assumed that it will sign a Restructuring Support Agreement along with the Company and other consenting creditors. This proposal is intended to work in concert with the Company's existing Restructuring Support Agreement discussions and in effect be added to that Plan. Accordingly, this proposal does not address every Claim classification in the Plan, but parties should presume that Liberty is familiar with, and does not have significant issues with, latest creditor proposals to the Company that have been publicly disclosed.
than Communications. Unsecured Notes Claims : Approximately $[ ] billion in unpaid principal plus interest, fees, and other expenses under: 14.0% Senior Notes due 2021 $1.764 billion;
6.875% Senior Notes due 2018 $175 million; and
7.25% Senior Notes due 2027 $300 million. General Unsecured Claims : Approximately $[6] million in unpaid principal amount of General Unsecured Claims against the Company as of the Petition Date. Unsecured Subsidiary Claims : Approximately $[26] million in unpaid principal plus interest, fees, and other expenses under unsecured long-term obligations of Debtors other than Communications. CCO Intercompany Claims against Parent : [TBD] Debt Held by Company : [Company-held debt to be cancelled.] Intercompany Interests : All preferred stock, common stock, options, warrants, other rights to acquire any interests, and other equity interests, in a Debtor or an affiliate of a Debtor that are held by another Debtor or another affiliate of a Debtor. Existing Parent Interests : All preferred stock, common stock, options, warrants, other rights to acquire any interests, and other equity interests, in iHeartMedia.3 Venue: To be discussed. New Cash Investment and Exit Financing New Cash Investment & Liberty Plan Distributions: On account of $1.159 billion new Cash investment in Communications under the Plan, Liberty and Sirius, collectively, will receive 40% of the New Common Shares. 20% of the New Common Shares shall be held by Sirius and 20% of the New Common Shares shall be held by Liberty. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the amount of the new Cash investment may be offset by Senior Communications Claims held by Liberty, in Liberty's sole discretion, on account of which Liberty will receive distributions solely in the form of New Common Shares. To the extent that holders of Senior Communications Claims are generally entitled to receive distributions in the form of Cash or other securities under the Plan, Liberty's pro rata share of such forms of distribution shall be deemed contributed to the remaining holders of Senior Communications Claims in exchange for Liberty's receipt of an equivalent value of New Common Shares at Plan value. Investment and Restructuring Support Agreement: The Company and Liberty will enter into an investment and restructuring support agreement memorializing the terms of Liberty's new Cash investment in Communications in accordance with the terms set forth in this Term Sheet (such
3 Equity class divisible into subclasses if appropriate.
agreement, the "Investment Agreement"). The Investment Agreement will provide for, among other things, an equity commitment fee of 2.0%, a breakup fee of 3.0%, a no-shop obligation of the Debtors (subject to a fiduciary out), and provisions for the full and prompt payment of the reasonable and documented fees and out-of-pocket expenses of Millstein & Co., KPMG, Baker Botts LLP, and Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP, as advisors to Liberty, incurred in connection with the Restructuring. The Investment Agreement will be expressly incorporated into and made part of the Plan. The Debtors will file a motion to assume the Investment Agreement and thereafter use reasonable best efforts to obtain the Bankruptcy Court's approval of such motion as promptly as possible. Implementation: Outdoor shall be spun off in a taxable transaction. Parties to cooperate to ensure transaction is taxable and otherwise done in a tax efficient manner. Exit Financing: Assumes new secured exit financing, with gross proceeds of $5.250 billion.4 Plan Treatment of Prepetition Claims and Interests Plan Treatment: Treatment of each Class to be negotiated among the Company and its other economic constituencies but consistent with the terms set forth in this Term Sheet. Certain Other Terms Plan Milestones Plan to be consummated no later than December 21, 2018 and other interim milestones to be negotiated. Definitive Documents: This Term Sheet is indicative, and any final agreement will be subject to the Definitive Documents. The Definitive Documents will contain terms, conditions, representations, warranties, and covenants, each customary for the transactions described herein, consistent with the terms of this Term Sheet, and acceptable to Liberty. Funding for Chapter 11 Cases/Working Capital Requirements: The Debtors will use Cash collateral or obtain postpetition financing pursuant to terms agreed upon with their secured creditors and acceptable to Liberty. Liberty is willing to finance working capital needs in chapter 11 through a DIP facility.
4 Terms of the Exit Financing TBD. Assumes ~5.2x pro forma net leverage with ~$500 million of excess cash generated by Radio businesses by end of 2018 to be distributed to holders of Senior Communications Claims under the Plan.
Executory Contracts and Unexpired Leases: The Company reserves the right to reject certain executory contracts and unexpired leases subject to Liberty's consent. All executory contracts and unexpired leases not expressly rejected will be deemed assumed pursuant to the Plan.5 Corporate Governance: See Annex 3 . The members of the New Board shall be identified no later than the confirmation hearing or otherwise in accordance with section 1129(a)(5) of the Bankruptcy Code. On the Effective Date, the terms of the current members of the boards of directors of Parent, Capital I, Capital II, and Communications shall expire. The terms and conditions of the new corporate governance documents of the Reorganized Company (including the bylaws, certificates of incorporation, partnership agreements, and other organizational and governance documents) shall be acceptable to Liberty. Cancellation of Existing Securities and Agreements Except as expressly provided in the Plan, on the Effective Date, all notes, instruments, and certificates evidencing debt of or equity interests in the Debtors, other than the ABL Facility, shall be deemed surrendered and cancelled, and all obligations of the Debtors thereunder shall be discharged. Management Incentive Plan: The Plan will establish the MIP consistent with the terms set forth in the term sheet attached as Annex 2 hereto and acceptable to Liberty, but which will include 4% of the equity of Reorganized Communications to be issued in the form of restricted shares and 4% to be issued in the form of stock options of the equity of Reorganized Communication in a form and on terms to be negotiated. Releases, Exculpation, and Indemnification: The Plan and Confirmation Order will provide for customary releases (including third- party releases), an exculpation, and indemnification provisions, in each case, to the fullest extent permitted by law, for the benefit of the Released Parties. Injunction: The Plan will contain customary injunction provisions. Securities Exemptions: The issuance and distribution under the Plan of (a) the New Common Communications Shares to Liberty and other parties in interest; (b) the new secured debt; and (c) the restricted stock and stock options issued under the MIP and the New Common Shares issuable upon exercise thereof, in each case, will be exempt from registration under the Securities Act or applicable securities laws without further act or action by any person pursuant to section 1145(a) of the Bankruptcy Code and/or any other applicable exemptions. Conditions to Effectiveness: [Conditions to be discussed.]
5 Subject to due diligence.
Retention of Jurisdiction: The Plan will contain customary provisions for the retention of the Bankruptcy Court's jurisdiction. Other Terms: The Plan will contain other provisions necessary or appropriate to implement the Restructuring consistent with this Term Sheet and acceptable to Liberty.
Annex 1
Definitions
ABL Facility means that certain Credit Agreement, dated as of November 30, 2017, by and among iHeartCommunications, Inc., iHeartMedia Capital I, LLC, the subsidiary borrowers party thereto, TPG Specialty Lending, Inc., as Administrative Agent and Sole Lead Arranger, the other lenders and letter of credit issuers from time to time party thereto and other agents party thereto., and Wells Fargo Bank, National Association and PNC Bank, National Association, as Syndication Agents.
ABL Facility Claims means all Claims arising out of, related to, or in connection with the ABL Facility, or Claims relating to any indebtedness refinancing that Facility.
Bankruptcy Code means Title 11 of the United States Code.
Bankruptcy Court means the United States Bankruptcy Court for the [District TBD].
Bankruptcy Rules means the Federal Rules of Bankruptcy Procedure.
Capital I has the meaning ascribed to such term in the body of this Term Sheet. Capital II has the meaning ascribed to such term in the body of this Term Sheet. Cash means legal tender of the United States of America.
Chapter 11 Cases has the meaning ascribed to such term in the body of this Term Sheet.
Claim means a "claim," as defined in section 101(5) of the Bankruptcy Code, against a Debtor.
Class means a group of Claims or Interests classified by the Plan pursuant to section 1122(a)(1) of the Bankruptcy Code.
Communications has the meaning ascribed to such term in the body of this Term Sheet.
Company has the meaning ascribed to such term in the body of this Term Sheet.
Confirmation Hearing means the hearing to be held by the Bankruptcy Court regarding confirmation of the Plan, as such hearing may be from time to time adjourned or continued.
Confirmation Order means the order of the Bankruptcy Court confirming the Plan pursuant to section 1129 of the Bankruptcy Code, which must be in form and substance acceptable to Liberty in its sole discretion.
Debtor has the meaning ascribed to such term in the body of this Term Sheet.
Definitive Documents means the documents (including any related agreements, instruments, schedules, or exhibits) that are necessary or desirable to implement the Restructuring, including the Restructuring Support Agreement, the Plan (including any Plan Supplement(s)), the Disclosure Statement, any order of the Bankruptcy Court approving the Disclosure Statement, and the Confirmation Order, in each case on terms and conditions consistent with this Term Sheet and in form and substance acceptable to Liberty.
Disclosure Statement means the disclosure statement for the Plan, as may be supplemented from time to time, that is prepared and distributed in accordance with sections 1125, 1126(b), or 1145 of the Bankruptcy Code, Bankruptcy Rules 3016 and 3018, or other applicable law.
Effective Date means the date on which all conditions to the effectiveness of the Plan have been satisfied or waived in accordance with the terms of the Plan.
Estate means the estate of a Debtor created under section 541 of the Bankruptcy Code.
Existing Parent Interests means all Interests in Parent.
Final Order means an order, ruling, or judgment of the Bankruptcy Court (or other court of competent jurisdiction) that: (a) is in full force and effect; (b) is not stayed; and (c) is no longer subject to review, reversal, vacatur, modification, or amendment, whether by appeal or by writ of certiorari; provided, that the possibility that a motion under Federal rules of Civil Procedure 50 or 60 or any analogous Bankruptcy Rule (or any analogous rules applicable in such other court of competent jurisdiction) may be filed relating to such order, ruling, or judgment does not, without more, cause such order, ruling, or judgment not to be a Final Order.
General Unsecured Claim means [TBD]
Intercompany Claim means a Claim held by a Debtor.
Intercompany Interest means an Interest held by a Debtor or an affiliate of a Debtor.
Interest means any ownership interest in a Debtor, including all partnership interests, common stock or units, preferred stock or units, or other instrument evidencing an ownership interest in a Debtor, whether or not transferable and including any option, warrant, or other right, contractual or otherwise, to acquire any such interest in a Debtor that existed immediately before the Effective Date.
Investment Agreement has the meaning ascribed to such term in the body of this Term Sheet.
Liberty has the meaning ascribed to such term in the body of this Term Sheet.
MIP means the management incentive plan for Reorganized Communications, the principal terms of which are set forth on Annex 2 to this Term Sheet.
New Board means the board of directors of Reorganized Communications.
New Common Share means one of the common shares, par value $0.01 per share, of Reorganized Communications, to be issued and distributed under the Plan.
Outdoor means Clear Channel Outdoor Holdings, Inc.
Outdoor Common Shares means the Class A and Class B common stock of, and all other equity interests of the Debtors in, Outdoor.
Parent has the meaning ascribed to such term in the body of this Term Sheet.
Petition Date means the date on which the Chapter 11 Cases are commenced.
Plan means the joint chapter 11 plan for the Debtors, including all appendices, exhibits, schedules, and supplements thereto and any appendices, schedules, and supplements set forth in the Plan Supplement, in each case, as may be amended, supplemented, or otherwise modified from time to time in accordance with the Bankruptcy Code, the terms of this Term Sheet, and the consent of Liberty in its sole discretion.
Plan Supplement means a supplemental appendix to the Plan containing, among other things, (a) Reorganized Communications' certificate of incorporation; (b) Reorganized Communications' by-laws; (c) the Schedule of Assumed Contracts and Leases; (d) the Schedule of Rejected Contracts and Leases; and (e) information regarding the members of the New Board that is required by the disclosed in accordance with section 1129(a)(5) of the Bankruptcy Code.
Pro Rata means in the proportion that an Allowed Claim or Allowed Interest in a particular Class bears to the aggregate amount of Allowed Claims or Allowed Interests in such Class.
Released Parties means, collectively and in each case in its capacity as such: (a) the Debtors; (b) the Reorganized Debtors; (c) Liberty; (d) each Restructuring Support Party; and (e) the predecessors, successors, assigns, subsidiaries, affiliates, and managed accounts or funds of each of the foregoing, and all of their respective current and former officers, directors, principals, shareholders, members, partners, employees, agents, advisory board members, financial advisors, attorneys, accountants, investment bankers, consultants, representatives, management companies, fund advisors, and other professionals, and such persons' respective heirs, executors, estates, servants and nominees.
Reorganized means, with respect to a Debtor, such Debtor as reorganized as of the Effective Date in accordance with the Plan.
Restructuring means the financial restructuring of the Debtors, the principal terms of which are set forth in this Term Sheet.
Restructuring Support Agreement means that certain Restructuring Support Agreement, dated as of [date], by and among (a) the Debtors; (b) Liberty; (c) Bain Capital Partners, LLC; (d) Thomas H. Lee Partners, L.P.; and (e) [other parties TBD].
Restructuring Support Parties means the parties to the Restructuring Support Agreement.
Schedule of Assumed Contracts and Leases means the schedule, as may be amended, supplemented, or otherwise modified, of certain executory contracts and unexpired leases to be assumed by the Debtors pursuant to the Plan; provided, that such schedule shall be in form and substance acceptable to Liberty in its sole discretion.
Schedule of Rejected Contracts and Leases means the schedule, as may be amended, supplemented, or otherwise modified, of certain executory contracts and unexpired leases to be rejected by the Debtors pursuant to the Plan; provided, that such schedule shall be in form and substance acceptable to Liberty in its sole discretion.
Senior Communications Claims means all Claims arising out of, related to, or in connection with each series of term loans and secured notes issued by Communications.
Secured Subsidiary Claims means [TBD].
Term Sheet has the meaning ascribed to such term in the body of this Term Sheet.
Unimpaired means, with respect to a Claim, Interest, or Class of Claims or Interests, not "impaired," within the meaning of such term in sections 1123(a)(4) and 1124 of the Bankruptcy Code.
Unsecured Notes Claims means all Claims arising out of, related to, or in connection with each series of unsecured notes issued by Communications.
Unsecured Subsidiary Claims means [TBD].
Annex 2
MIP Term Sheet
[To be negotiated]
Annex 3
OVERVIEW OF GOVERNANCE TERMS
Term Summary Governance Rights Board Representation: Board Designation Rights
The Board shall consist of [nine] members as follows:
Liberty shall have the right to appoint [four] directors, [one] of whom shall be independent for audit committee purposes;
the CEO shall be a director;
the creditors shall have the right to designate [four] directors, [two] of whom shall be independent for audit committee purposes.
Committee Representation
Liberty shall have the right to have proportional representation on all committees of the Board; provided, that each shall include at least one director appointed by Liberty.
Quorum and Related Rights
The quorum requirements of the Board and each committee shall include the requirement that at least one director appointed by Liberty is present.
Liberty shall have the right to call meetings of the Board. Approval Rights: Corporate Actions Requiring Liberty Approval
The following corporate actions shall require approval by Liberty:
alter the size of the Board;
amend Reorganized Communications' organizational documents. Liquidity Provisions Liquidity Rights: Liberty to have the following registration rights: Unlimited demands and piggyback subject to reasonable and customary blackouts.
Right to require a shelf registration be established and maintained.
Reorganized Communications to cover costs of registration. Other Rights Preemptive Rights: Preemptive Rights
For a period of five years from the Effective Date, Liberty shall have pro rata purchase rights in all future equity issuances by Reorganized Communications on the same terms as such securities are being issued, subject to certain customary exceptions, including issuances pursuant to equity-based incentive plans and employee share purchase plans and in connection with stock or asset acquisitions by Reorganized Communications in which equity is issued as consideration. Section 203 Opt Out: Reorganized Communications shall opt out of Section 203 of the DGCL. Poison Pill No poison pill.
Contact
Julie Oakes
212-895-8697
SOURCE Certain iHeartCommunications, Inc. Lenders and Noteholders
ANNAPOLIS, Md., Feb. 26, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Immersion Consulting LLC (Immersion) was awarded the Veterans Technology Services 2 (VETS 2) Government-wide Acquisition Contract (GWAC) on October 26, 2017 by the General Services Administration (GSA). VETS 2 GWAC is a ten-year, $5B IT services contract vehicle only reserved for Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business (SDVOSB) companies.
VETS 2 GWAC was designed to meet a variety of diverse agency IT requirements, including new and emerging technologies. As an awardee, Immersion will compete for task orders in work areas such as data management; information and communications technology; IT operations and maintenance; software development; systems design; and new and emerging technologies.
"Immersion is thrilled to have been selected by the GSA to serve on the Vets 2 GWAC contract vehicle. As a veteran and the founder of Immersion - a SDVOSB company - I thank the GSA for recognizing Immersion's performance and we look forward to continuing to provide IT solutions on behalf of our government agencies and the military," says Dan Smalley, CEO of Immersion.
About Immersion Consulting:
Immersion Consulting LLC, a Service Disabled Veteran-Owned Business (SDVOSB) with headquarters in Annapolis, Maryland, provides business management and technology consulting to government, nonprofits and commercial clients. Founded in 2004, Immersion Consulting specializes in program management, financial management, technology services, logistics and training. Immersion Consulting's mission is to provide its clients with actionable business solutions that yield sustainable results.
For more information on the company's capabilities and services, visit www.immersioninc.com. Connect with Immersion Consulting on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and YouTube.
SOURCE Immersion Consulting LLC
Related Links
http://www.immersioninc.com
"We're glad to have Rick back at Carrington," said Kevin Cloyd, chief administrative officer for Carrington Holding Company. "Carrington has numerous products and services, from our rapidly growing loan origination and servicing platforms, to our consumer-facing online services such as Carrington Connects, which manage every step of the home ownership and mortgage journey, and Rick is uniquely qualified to deliver our messages successfully in all of our markets."
Sharga has long been one of the country's most frequently quoted subject matter experts on all aspects of the mortgage and real estate industries, and has appeared regularly in major broadcast, print and online media. Prior to rejoining Carrington, Sharga served for five years at Ten-X, first as executive vice president of the company's Auction.com business unit, and most recently as the company's chief marketing officer, responsible for re-branding the company and helping position it for its successful 2017 sale to private equity firm Thomas H. Lee Partners.
"Carrington's mix of products and services is as diverse as it is unique, and the company has a great deal to offer to consumers, agents and brokers," Sharga said. "The market is looking for the kinds of products and services that Carrington offers, from loan products that enable credit-challenged borrowers in underserved communities to buy a home to the new Connects platform that provides homebuyers an integrated solution for finding a home, getting a loan and closing the transaction. It's great to be back, and I'm looking forward to building the Carrington brand across all of our audiences."
Sharga is a member of the Corporate Board of Governors of the National Association of Hispanic Real Estate Professionals, the Advisory Board of the Asian Real Estate Association of America and the Five Star Institute's National Mortgage Servicing Association. He was included in Inman News' Inman 100, an annual list of the most influential leaders in real estate, in both 2013 and 2014.
The Carrington Companies
Carrington is a holding company whose primary businesses include asset management, mortgages, real estate transactions and real estate logistics. Collectively, the businesses are vertically and horizontally integrated, and provide a broad range of real estate services encompassing nearly all aspects of single family residential real estate transactions in the United States. Carrington's international presence includes operations in the United Kingdom and Italy. To read more visit: www.carringtonhc.com.
Through its collective associates made up of Carrington leaders and employees, the company's nonprofit organization, Carrington Charitable Foundation, contributes to the community through causes that reflect the interests of Carrington Associates. For more information about Carrington Charitable Foundation, and the organizations and programs it supports through specific fundraising efforts, please visit: carringtoncf.org.
Media Contact
Patty Sullivan
469.863.5328
[email protected]
SOURCE Carrington Mortgage Holdings
Related Links
http://www.carringtonhc.com
Air Transat to Retrofit 737 Next Generation Fleet
SURREY, BC, Feb. 26, 2018 /PRNewswire/ - International Water-Guard Industries Inc. (IWG) announced today that it has entered into a contract with Air Transat for its new Ultraviolet (UV) Water Disinfection and Electronic Water Quantity Preselect System for Commercial Aircraft.
"We are very pleased that Air Transat has agreed to be the first airline to order our UV Water Disinfection and Preselect System for their fleet of 737-NGs," said Darren Waltier, International Water-Guard vice president, sales and marketing, commercial airline programs.
Air Transat is excited about these systems from IWG as the UV protects the health of guests along with reducing the amount of bottled water carried, and the Preselect to gives precision control over the amount of water uploaded, thereby reducing weight and fuel burn.
Description of the product:
The UV Disinfection System which has STCs from Transport Canada and the FAA uses IWG's 30 years of experience in ultraviolet light to disinfect water as it is uploaded into the aircraft. This system ensures total passenger safety by eliminating bacteria and harmful pathogens in the water.
The Preselect system gives the airline total control of the amount of water carried at the touch of a button. The system enables the potable water tank quantity to be set in 5% increments allowing significant weight savings of hundreds of pounds per flight. It also provides data of water usage on each flight for future analysis.
Established in 1989, International Water-Guard has been providing water-related devices and systems to the aviation community for nearly 30 years. Through our focus to protect, control, and monitor water onboard aircraft, we improve the efficiency of aircraft operation while protecting the health of passengers. A strong customer focus has resulted in receiving multiple Supplier of the Year awards, as well as high-performance ratings from all customers. International Water-Guard is a privately held company based in Surrey, British Columbia, Canada.
SOURCE International Water-Guard Inc.
Related Links
www.water.aero
While working in food film production, founder Jordyn Gatti began to realize all his favorite brands of almond butter were made using U.S grown pasteurized almonds, whittling away all the important nutrients and flavor these nuts have to offer. Driven by a passion to create the most wholesome, pure and palate-pleasing product he could, Gatti decided to make his own almond butter, first experimenting in his Brooklyn apartment before quickly moving to a commercial kitchen.
"Simply put, the core principal for Better Almond Butter is to make better food made a better way."
Better Almond Butter currently offers three flavors: Truly Raw, Toasted, Sweet & Salty. It is available for purchase on Amazon, Food52 (launching March 12th) and BetterAlmondButter.com as well as a growing list of grocers along the east coast. The company is actively pursuing additional distribution outlets nationwide. MSRP is $19.95 for a 12oz jar. Launching soon: On-The-Go Squeeze packets and Almond powder.
More Information:
Why is it so important for almonds to be unpasteurized?
A little background information you may not know is that all U.S. grown almonds must be pasteurized. Starting on September 1, 2007 it became illegal for raw almonds to be manufactured and sold in the U.S. The most commonly used method of pasteurization occurs by gassing the almonds with a chemical called propylene oxide (PPO). PPO is considered a probable carcinogen and is illegal to use on food in most other countries in the world. So in addition to the fact that pasteurization is bad for you it also zaps nutrients and flavor. At Better Almond Butter our almonds are imported from a farm in Spain and are 100% organic and unpasteurized.
Why sprouted?
All almonds have enzyme inhibitors that make them difficult to digest and prevent your body from absorbing all of their nutritional value. Our sprouting process involves soaking the nuts until they begin to germinate. The sprouted almonds are then slowly dried at a very low temperature. This sprouting process breaks down the enzyme inhibitors, releasing the full nutritional content of the nut and makes our almonds more digestible.
Press Contact:
Rachel Cleary
[email protected]
(415) 994-1044
SOURCE Better Almond Butter
Related Links
https://www.betteralmondbutter.com/
"The decision to align our technology offerings under one leader was made to further enhance our customer focus. Kevin is a highly respected technology leader with a passion for moving pharmacy forward. Under his guidance, QS/1 and Integra customers can expect a commitment to technology excellence and responsiveness," said Alan Turfe, CEO and Chairman, J M Smith Corporation. "During his time as President of QS/1, Saul led with transparency and a contagious drive to advance customer centricity and business excellence. I am looking forward to what Kevin and Saul will accomplish for our customers in their new roles.
"I am excited by this tremendous opportunity," said Welch. "Aligning all our technology offerings benefits the customers in all of the markets we serve. We will continue to have dedicated teams for each of these markets long term care, community pharmacy and governmental, while sharing best practices across all of them."
Welch was named Chief Technology Officer for J M Smith Corporation in 2017. In the CTO role, he oversees the development of innovative technology, streamlining the process of bringing pharmacy solutions to market. Welch became part of J M Smith Corporation with the acquisition of Integra, which he founded in 1997. He holds degrees in Mathematics, Computer Science, Operations Research and Engineering Management from Stanford University and has served in senior positions at Genentech, Symantec and Microsoft. During his career he has designed and developed many industry leading software applications and systems.
"There is perhaps no one in the industry better prepared to lead Smith Drug Company than Saul Factor," said Turfe. "Saul is a pharmacist with experience in every facet of the industry, from patient care to manufacturing and distribution to sales and marketing."
"The pharmacy industry is very dynamic and we at Smith Drug Company and Burlington Drug Company are committed to being at the forefront with innovative solutions, leading distribution processes and customer-centric service," said Factor. "It is important to provide customers with what they need now while also working to address their future needs. I am thrilled to be leading Smith Drug and Burlington Drug with our renowned customer service and I am looking forward to partnering with customers to deliver on the promise of the pharmacy of the future."
Factor spent the first ten years of his career as both a retail and long term care pharmacist before moving into leadership positions with PCS, Eli Lilly and RxAmerica. Prior to joining J M Smith Corporation, he was President, Global Sourcing and Generics at McKesson Corporation. A native of New York, Factor earned a BS in pharmacy from Northeastern University in Boston and an MBA from University of New Haven.
ABOUT J M SMITH CORPORATION
J M Smith Corporation, headquartered in Spartanburg, is South Carolina's third-largest privately owned company. Today, the corporation is focused in the areas of health care and technology, and operates through multiple business units, including Smith Drug Company, QS/1, Integral Solutions Group, RxMedic Systems, Integra LTC Solutions and Burlington Drug Company. For more information, visit www.JMSmithCorp.com.
SOURCE J M Smith Corporation
Related Links
https://www.jmsmithcorp.com
SAN FRANCISCO, Feb. 26, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Jobscience today announced they have "Recruitment Down to a Science" with the global launch of its new recruiting business suite, LION, a game changer for both mid-large staffing firms and large enterprise companies that recruit as a business.
The LION Business Suite is a powerful platform, enabling all users within a recruiting business -- sales, recruiters, operations and contractors to have one central platform to run a recruiting business. It's a single system that is not only convenient, but will save users valuable time, and result in higher profitability.
"Throughout 2017, we listened to our customers, gathered data from our surveys and spoke to industry leaders. We found an overwhelming theme-- people do not want the hassle of managing multiple applications when it comes to running a recruitment business. Thoughtfully listening to these needs, we addressed their concern and diligently built the LION Business Suite as a result," said Ted Elliott, CEO, Jobscience.
LION Business Suite includes eleven connected apps: Sales, Marketing, Sourcing, Recruiting, Onboarding, GDPR/Infosec Compliance, Communities, Document Management, Timesheets, Invoicing and Commissions with proven integrations to ADP, Paychex, Sage, Accounting Seed and Quickbooks.
Recruiting professionals will save time by leveraging LION, a single system to manage their growing businesses, and allow them to future proof their technology spend as they adapt to the Gig Economy.
Finally, recruiting businesses have a system that will let them be "King of the Jungle" when managing every aspect of their business with an AI-powered, mobile first, business platform built for growing recruitment businesses.
The LION Business Suite is debuting in North America at the Staffing Industry Analysts Conference, The Executive Forum North America, at Miami's Fontainebleau on February 26th - March 1st.
In the UK, the Lion Business Suite with GDPR is debuting in London at a "Are You GDPR Ready?" Thought Leadership Seminar at Euston Square on March 5th.
To learn more about the LION Business Suite, request a meeting with a Jobscientist.
About: Jobscience is the #1 provider of staffing software as a service (SaaS) on the Salesforce platform. We invented recruitment on the Force.com platform so recruiters can save time and be more successful through the most advanced technology, intuitive analytics and effortless collaboration. Jobscience has Recruitment Down to a Science. Visit us at www.jobscience.com.
SOURCE Jobscience
Related Links
http://www.jobscience.com
WASHINGTON, Feb. 26, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Jos. A. Magnus & Co.'s Vigilant Navy Strength Gin was awarded World's Best Navy Gin by the World Gin Awards hosted by Gin Magazine. The winners were announced at the Honourable Artillery Club in London on Thursday, February 15th as Gin Magazine hosted its inaugural dinner for the gathered trade.
Previously clinching Best American Navy Gin, Jos. A. Magnus & Co. received the World's Best Navy Gin award, over other international "Best Navy" winners from Australia, Estonia, New Zealand, Sweden and United Kingdom.
Nicole Hassoun Receiving Best World Gin Award
The World Gin Awards are the global awards selecting the very best in all internationally recognized styles of gin. Presented by TheDrinksReport.com, the world's no.1 online resource for drinks professionals, the World Gin Awards select, reward and promote the world's best gins to consumers and trade across the globe. The World Gin Awards, launched in 2014, now judges gins from 50 countries, and in 2018 first judged all US entries in Washington, D.C. www.worldginawards.com.
Jos. A. Magnus' Vigilant Navy Strength Gin launched in March 2017. The Vigilant Navy Strength Gin, created by Head Distiller Nicole Hassoun who also distills the award winning Vigilant District Dry Gin, is crafted from 100% corn distillate, steeped and distilled with family made harissa, figs, fresh mint, fresh lemon, hops, and hibiscus. This gin was designed to be the perfect base for exceptional cocktails. One ounce of the Vigilant Navy Strength Gin topped with soda and lemon is "like the best gin and tonic you have ever had, without the sugar," says Hassoun "Because of its high proof, a little bit goes a long way- but the flavor can carry through anything". At 114 proof - Perfectly balanced and strong as hell, this gin can either wake you up or put you to bed.
At the age of 23, Nicole Hassoun began crafting creative cocktails in local DC bars. Nicole was awarded Best Bartender in DC of 2014 by the Washington Post Express. In 2015, Nicole went from creating cocktails to distilling spirits as a managing partner at Jos. A. Magnus & Co. Distillery. Currently, she produces one vodka, two very different award-winning gins, contract spirits, and is always working on new and exciting projects in the food and beverage industry.
Jos. A. Magnus & Co. has garnered some of the nation's top awards for their spirits. Re-established in 2015, the distillery is located at 2052 W. Virginia Ave NE, Washington, DC 20002. Jos. A. Magnus & Co. produces bourbon, gin and vodka and is currently available in the District of Columbia, Maryland, Delaware, Virginia, Kentucky, Texas, Arkansas, California, Oregon, Washington, Colorado, Missouri, Kansas, Michigan, Illinois, Wisconsin, and Minnesota.
For more information contact Victoria Michael at [email protected].
Victoria Michael Public Relations
202-744-0739
SOURCE Jos. A. Magnus & Co.
SAN FRANCISCO, Feb. 26, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Kenna Security, a leader in predictive cyber risk, announced today that Michael Roytman, chief data scientist at Kenna Security, will speak at the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS) Conference, held March 5-9, in Las Vegas.
Session Details:
Intelligent Threat Intelligence
March 7, 3:30 p.m. 3:50 p.m. (PST)
Veronese Booth 8500, Venetian Convention Center, Las Vegas
HIMSS'18
In this session, Michael Roytman will discuss how to turn the large volumes of often noisy threat and exploit intelligence data into actionable insights. The traditional approach to assessing threat and exploit intelligence measures the size or breadth of a data source itself. While useful, Roytman will demonstrate that curating data sources contextually to the problems that need to be addressed - vulnerability management, risk reduction, and remediation - is far more powerful than the data alone. This new approach allows practitioners to use threat and exploit intelligence to assess the effectiveness of attacks and attack vectors themselves, and therefore turn traditionally siloed work into risk-driven action items for the entire enterprise.
Michael Roytman is the Chief Data Scientist at Kenna Security, and has been selected to speak at some of the top security conferences in the world, including RSA, SOURCE, Bsides, Metricon and SIRAcon. His work focuses on cybersecurity data science and Bayesian algorithms. He is also a technical advisor in the humanitarian space, having worked with Doctors Without Borders, The World Health Organization, and the UN. He is the cofounder and board chair of Dharma.ai, for which he landed on the 2017 Forbes 30 under 30 list. He holds an M.S. in Operations Research from Georgia Tech, and his home in Chicago houses an industrial-scale coffee roasting operation.
Note to editors:
Michael Roytman is available for media interviews. To schedule an interview, please contact Alison Kenney .
About Kenna Security
Kenna Security is a leader in predictive cyber risk. The Kenna Security Platform enables organizations to work cross-functionally to determine and remediate cyber risks. Kenna leverages Cyber Risk Context Technology to track and predict real-world exploitations, focusing security teams on what matters most. Headquartered in San Francisco, Kenna counts among its customers many Fortune 100 companies, and serves nearly every major vertical. For more information, visit kennasecurity.com. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.
Media Contact:
Guyer Group
Alison Kenney
[email protected]
781-990-3729
SOURCE Kenna Security
Related Links
http://www.kennasecurity.com
PITTSBURGH, Feb. 26, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Kennametal Inc. (NYSE: KMT) announced they will attend the Evercore ISI Annual Industrial Conference on March 6, 2018 in New York. Christopher Rossi, President & CEO, Jan Kees van Gaalen, Vice President & CFO and Kelly Boyer, Vice President, Investor Relations will be attending. The presentation slides will be available on the company's website www.kennametal.com on March 5, 2018. Once on the homepage, select "About Us", "Investor Relations" and then "Events".
Celebrating its 80th year as an industrial technology leader, Kennametal Inc. delivers productivity to customers through materials science, tooling and wear-resistant solutions. Customers across aerospace, earthworks, energy, general engineering and transportation turn to Kennametal to help them manufacture with precision and efficiency. Every day approximately 11,000 employees are helping customers in more than 60 countries stay competitive. Kennametal generated nearly $2.1 billion in revenues in fiscal 2017. Learn more at www.kennametal.com.
SOURCE Kennametal Inc.
Related Links
http://www.kennametal.com
NEW YORK, Feb. 26, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- KPS Capital Partners, LP ("KPS") announced today that it has signed a definitive agreement, through an affiliate, to sell its portfolio company American & Efird ("A&E" or the "Company") to Platinum Equity Capital Partners. Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed.
A&E is the largest U.S. manufacturer and the world's second-largest manufacturer and distributor of premium quality industrial and consumer sewing thread, embroidery thread and technical textiles for the apparel, automotive components, home furnishings, medical supply, footwear and diversified industrial end-markets. Through its global network, A&E's products are manufactured in 21 countries, distributed in 50 countries and sold in over 100 countries. A&E is a recognized industry leader in environmental sustainability and corporate social responsibility.
KPS acquired A&E in 2011 from Ruddick Corporation (now a subsidiary of The Kroger Co.) in a highly complex corporate carve-out transaction.
Under KPS' ownership, A&E was transformed into a truly global business, doubled its revenue and nearly tripled its operating cash flow (EBITDA). KPS made A&E a better business by optimizing its global manufacturing footprint, investing in its manufacturing facilities, innovation, new product development and technology, and by implementing a process and culture of continuous improvement. As a result of KPS' global vision and strategy for A&E, the Company acquired majority control of four market-leading former joint ventures in Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, China and India, and also acquired Gutermann GmbH, the fourth-largest company in the global premium thread industry. As a result of these acquisitions, A&E expanded into adjacent geographies, products and end-markets, and successfully transformed the global premium thread industry.
Michael Psaros, a Managing Partner of KPS, stated, "A&E exemplifies the KPS investment strategy of seeing value where others do not, buying right and making businesses better, consistently executed across decades, economic cycles, geographies and industries.
"We take pride in A&E's extraordinary transformation under our ownership. A&E capitalized on KPS' experience and ability to build industry-leading companies on a global basis. We congratulate and thank Les Miller, A&E's Chief Executive Officer, his immediate predecessor Fred Jackson, and the senior management team for their strategic vision, brilliant execution and passion.
"We also thank A&E's former joint venture partners Brandix Lanka Limited, Brandot International Ltd., Ningbo Veken Elite Group Co., Ltd. and, especially, Vardhman Textiles Limited for their valuable contributions to A&E's long-term success."
Les Miller added, "KPS was the only investor to recognize the potential to create value by investing in our company. Working in partnership with KPS, we invested significantly in our operations, technology and people, becoming a far better company. We are grateful to KPS for providing our team with expertise, capital and the resources needed to acquire and integrate five acquisitions, and for creating a lasting culture of innovation and continuous improvement. We are confident in our growth trajectory, and will continue to provide our customers with the highest levels of product quality, innovation and customer service."
Completion of the transaction, which is expected in the second quarter of 2018, is subject to customary closing conditions.
Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP served as legal counsel, Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC served as lead financial advisor and Nomura Securities International, Inc. also served as financial advisor to KPS and A&E with respect to the transaction.
About American & Efird
A&E is the largest U.S. manufacturer and the world's second largest manufacturer and distributor of premium quality industrial and consumer sewing thread, embroidery thread and technical textiles. Producers of apparel, automotive components, home furnishings, personal care, hygiene, footwear and a diverse range of industrial products rely on A&E industrial sewing thread to manufacture their products. Customers select A&E as the preferred choice for industrial sewing thread, embroidery thread and technical textiles because of A&E's dedication to providing its customers with the finest products and services, at the highest quality, delivered globally. Through its global network, A&E's products are manufactured in 21 countries, distributed in 50 countries and sold in over 100 countries. In addition to A&E's steadfast commitment to superior quality and customer service, A&E is a recognized industry leader in environmental sustainability and corporate social responsibility, and operates its global facilities with the utmost regard for the safety and health of its associates employed worldwide. A&E owns or operates 27 manufacturing facilities and employs over 10,000 associates around the world directly or in partnership with joint venture partners. For more information, please visit www.amefird.com.
About KPS Capital Partners, LP
KPS is the manager of the KPS Special Situations Funds, a family of investment funds with approximately $5.2 billion of assets under management. For over two decades, the Partners of KPS have worked exclusively to realize significant capital appreciation by making controlling equity investments in manufacturing and industrial companies across a diverse array of industries, including basic materials, branded consumer, healthcare and luxury products, automotive parts, capital equipment and general manufacturing. KPS creates value for its investors by working constructively with talented management teams to make businesses better, and generates investment returns by structurally improving the strategic position, competitiveness and profitability of its portfolio companies, rather than primarily relying on financial leverage. The KPS Funds' portfolio companies have aggregate annual revenues of approximately $7.0 billion, operate 165 manufacturing facilities in 31 countries, and employ nearly 50,000 associates, directly and through joint ventures worldwide. The KPS investment strategy and portfolio companies are described in detail at www.kpsfund.com.
SOURCE KPS Capital Partners, LP
Related Links
http://www.kpsfund.com
WASHINGTON, Feb. 26, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Latham & Watkins LLP1 is pleased to announce that Jamie Underwood has joined the firm's Washington, D.C. office as a partner in the Litigation & Trial Department and as a member of the Intellectual Property Litigation Practice. She is a talented patent litigator with a successful track record representing leading technology and automotive clients in actions before the International Trade Commission (ITC) under Section 337 of the Tariff Act of 1930.
Underwood has handled dozens of ITC investigations involving patent infringement, as well as trademark, trade secret, copyright, and antitrust issues. As a function of her ITC work, Underwood has also represented clients in ancillary matters before US Customs and Border Protection, as well as in appeals before the US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit. In addition, Underwood litigates district court patent cases and advises companies on legislative policy issues before Congress, federal agencies, and the administration.
Bert Reiser, a Washington, D.C. partner who leads the firm's ITC practice, said: "I've had the pleasure of working across from Jamie in depositions and trial and have witnessed her intelligence, courtroom skills, and tenacity first hand. We're excited to have her join our team and we know that clients will highly value these impressive attributes."
Underwood's leadership roles include serving on the Federal Circuit Bar Association's Board of Governors, the International Property Owner's ITC Committee, and the ITC Trial Lawyers Association's Executive Committee. She is also a regular speaker at conferences on Section 337, IP, and international trade.
Matthew Moore, a Washington, D.C. partner and Global Co-Chair of the firm's Intellectual Property Litigation Practice, added: "Our ITC practice has grown continuously over the last several years, including seven active ITC cases this year. During the last two years, we have seen ITC filings reach record levels all with very significant market implications for our clients. In addition, our ITC team has an unmatched track record in inter partes proceedings for clients before US Customs and Border Protection (CBP). Jamie has had extensive experience in both ITC and CBP matters, and she has a well-deserved reputation for delivering outstanding results. We're thrilled she's joining our team to further expand our market-leading capabilities."
Michael Egge, Office Managing Partner of Latham & Watkins in Washington, D.C., said: "Jamie is a fantastic complement to our national powerhouse IP team. Our ITC practice has had tremendous success helping clients navigate the challenges and complexities of Section 337 actions. Jamie's blend of ITC and district court patent litigation and legislative policy experience is an immediate value-add for our clients. We are delighted she is joining Latham."
Underwood joins Latham from Alston & Bird in Washington, D.C. She is the second prominent lawyer with significant ITC experience to join Latham's IP Practice in recent months. Her arrival follows that of Kevin Wheeler who is also in the firm's Washington, D.C. office.
"I'm honored to be joining Latham's pioneering Intellectual Property Litigation Practice at a time of rapidly growing demand among clients," Underwood said. "The firm has taken a strategic approach to building a premier trial practice that I find particularly impressive. I look forward to growing my practice here and contributing to Latham's cohesive trial-ready team."
Underwood received her BA from the University of Illinois and her JD from American University Washington College of Law, magna cum laude. Following law school, Underwood clerked for Judge Truman Morrison of the Superior Court of the District of Columbia and for Chief Judge Frank Nebeker of the US Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims.
About Latham & Watkins
Latham & Watkins is a global law firm with more than 2,600 lawyers in its offices located in Asia, Europe, the Middle East and the United States, including: Barcelona, Beijing, Boston, Brussels, Century City, Chicago, Dubai, Dusseldorf, Frankfurt, Hamburg, Hong Kong, Houston, London, Los Angeles, Madrid, Milan, Moscow, Munich, New York, Orange County, Paris, Riyadh, Rome, San Diego, San Francisco, Seoul, Shanghai, Silicon Valley, Singapore, Tokyo, and Washington, D.C. For more information on Latham & Watkins, please visit the website at www.lw.com.
Notes to Editors
1 Latham & Watkins operates as a limited liability partnership worldwide with affiliated limited liability partnerships conducting the practice in France, Italy, Singapore, and the United Kingdom and as affiliated partnerships conducting the practice in Hong Kong and Japan. Latham & Watkins operates in South Korea as a Foreign Legal Consultant Office. Latham & Watkins works in cooperation with the Law Office of Salman M. Al-Sudairi in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
Contacts
Michael Egge, Washington, D.C. Office Managing Partner: +1.202.637.2285
Matthew Moore, Global Co-Chair of the Intellectual Property Litigation Practice Group, +1.202.637.2278
Bert Reiser, Intellectual Property Litigation Practice partner, +1.202.637.1026
SOURCE Latham & Watkins LLP
Related Links
http://www.lw.com
VERONA, N.J., Feb. 26, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Legal-Bay, LLC The Pre-Settlement Funding Company, announced today that it is in favor of uniform state regulations being issued on an industry-wide basis.
Recently, the New York Post and New York Times have written several articles taking aim at the legal funding industry, including suggestions that lawsuit funding harms consumers and generates frivolous litigation. Legal-Bay believes that a uniform system of state regulation will eliminate questions about fair and reasonable rates for consumers, all of whom are plaintiffs in lawsuits or who have filed claims for compensation in large disaster cases (for example, for compensation for businesses devastated by the BP Deepwater Horizon Disaster), to pay for lawsuit funding services. A uniform nationwide system of state regulation will furnish consumers, law firms and lawsuit funding companies with confidence and clarity that they are all working for a common goal, to advance and preserve the financial interests of individuals and small businesses in need of funds during a lawsuit or other dispute resolution proceeding.
Legal-Bay takes this opportunity to correct the misleading and erroneous information in the recent New York Post and New York Times articles to better educate the public and legislators regarding legitimate, valuable services lawsuit funding provides to individuals and small businesses in need of funding. These services maintain some sort of financial stability, avoiding financial calamity, during the litigation and resolutions of legitimate claims against third parties in state and federal courts and other claims resolution forums.
Lawsuit Funding does not cause or create frivolous litigation. Lawsuit funders provide needed monies to plaintiffs and claimants in need of cash-flow while a litigation or other dispute is pending. Lawsuit funders are essentially investors. They do not distribute funds to individuals and small businesses engaged in frivolous claims. A frivolous claim is a poor use of capital and for an obvious reason: A frivolous claim will not succeed and the legal funders will not recover any of the monies advanced to a consumer engaged in a dispute resolution proceeding. Lawsuit funders do not provide monies to a plaintiff or other claimant unless and until a lawyer, not affiliated with or employed by the funder, has already reviewed the merits of a claim and agreed to represent the plaintiff or claimant on a contingency basis. Most Legal funders do not provide funding to individuals and businesses that are represented by attorneys charging fees at an hourly billable rate. The attorney representing the plaintiff must represent to the legal funder that he or she has a good faith basis to believe in the merits of the claim that the attorney is bringing on behalf of the client. (It is, of course, unethical and illegal for an attorney to guaranty or promises a successful outcome, and they never do.) Legal funders only provide funds to individuals and entities with potentially meritorious claims. For newspapers to assert that the lawsuit funding industry creates frivolous litigation, that in-turn harms taxpayers, is simply wrong.
Lawsuit Funders do not prey on consumers/plaintiffs. Funders are here to help individuals and small businesses from a destructive financial situation caused by physical and/or economic injuries and damage, caused by others. By giving these potential consumers of legal funding services with options to decide if funding is the appropriate step to take while a dispute is pending. Taking away this option by banning legal funding consumers are deprived of an option not available from the government to receive funds, in an amount chosen by the consumer to assist in meeting their personal or business-related financial obligations during the pendency of the dispute resolution process. Legal funders assist, in a modest way, of leveling the playing field for individuals and small businesses who are often fighting large corporate interests fortified by aggressive defense counsel.
Lawsuit Funders provide surgical funding and healthcare options when insurance companies fail to pay. A frequent occurrence is a physically injured individual is injured by the negligence or wrongdoing of another, but cannot get the surgical care needing surgery or other procedure to recover from their injuries. Defendants' insurance companies are often unwilling to pay for necessary surgeries because that implies liability on their part of their insured, and enhances the value of the plaintiff's claim against the insured. Plaintiffs often do not have sufficient (or any) insurance of their own to pay for necessary surgeries and other procedures necessitated by their injuries. Lawsuit Funders alleviate this fundamental inequality between the injured individuals and the corporate and insurance interests alleged against them by working with the plaintiff's lawyer and medical providers to get the individual plaintiffs the surgical care and rehabilitation services they require.
Lawsuit funders provide reasonable, competitive rates which, in most instances, are reviewed and approved by the consumer's attorney before the consumer agrees to receive legal funding. In recent years competition among legal funders has substantially decreased funding usage rates. These rates comply with the hodge-podge of rates established by states which have statutes and regulations governing legal funding, and also are compliant with proposed legislation in other states that are now considering regulating the legal funding industry. Lawsuit funders are not looking to take the "lion's share" of the recovery from a successful plaintiff or claimant. Funders seek a fair return on their advances, a return sufficient to compensate for the risk associated with funding a claim (i.e., the claim will be unsuccessful and the funder will not receive even the monies initially advanced to the plaintiff) while enabling the plaintiff to retain the substantial majority of the recovery. In this respect legal funders, like private insurance companies, perform a public service which is amenable to, and should be, subject to uniform state regulation.
Lawsuit funders do not charge plaintiffs any funds out-of-pocket expenses, no matter the amount of recovery by plaintiffs. In most instances, if the ultimate value of a plaintiff's recovery is not substantial or far below initial expectations, lawsuit funders work with the plaintiff's law firm to reduce the funder's return in order to have a fair resolution for the plaintiff, the plaintiff's attorney, and the funder.
Lawsuit funding contracts clearly establish the number of funds being advanced, how that amount is calculated, and the precise amount of the funder's return in the event of a recovery through a settlement, judgment or otherwise. Contrary to assertions that plaintiffs are never sure of what they owe when they get their final bill, most funding contracts are very clear in disclosing every payback in the allotted times that it hypothetically takes for a case to settle. The payback disclosure is ultimately up to the plaintiff to decide if funding makes sense for them or not at that particular time. If a plaintiff does not want to proceed, then there is no charge whatsoever.
In its funding contracts, Legal-Bay engages in a full and accurate disclosure of the terms and conditions of the funding to provide to individuals and small businesses. Legal-Bay informs clients that if they have other avenues in which they are able to borrow funds, or can obtain funds at a lower rate of return, to do so. However, the fact remains that some of Legal Bay's clients face eviction, car payments, and the like; or need to purchase food or rebuild a business during the dispute resolution process, but are unable to do so without financing from Legal-Bay. Ultimately the cost of receiving funds from Legal-Bay is the better alternative to avoid the financial and human calamity which would flow from not receiving litigation funding at all. Many of Legal-Bay's clients are appreciative that they had a legal funding organization to provide them with funds to stabilize their lives and businesses when no one else would do so.
Legal-Bay's CEO, Chris Janish, commented on the regulatory environment, "We are confident that uniform state regulation with reasonable rate caps will be a positive to both our business and our clients that we are dedicated to assisting. Our rates are amongst the lowest in the industry already, and regulation will give credibility and stability to an industry that is grossly misunderstood by the media. In my opinion, consumers do not want funding taken away from them. On the contrary, they want policymakers, legislators and regulators to design a uniform regulatory framework that benefits all participants in the legal funding industry, and protects consumers utilizing the funds provided by Legal Funders throughout the United States. We affirm our position today that Legal-Bay welcomes a fair and reasonable regulatory system in every state throughout the country, once and for all."
For law firms in need of a surgical funding company for their client's, or for plaintiffs in needs of a lawsuit funding cash advance (not called a lawsuit loan, lawsuit loans, settlement loan, or settlement loans ) feel free to apply online at: http://lawsuitssettlementfunding.com or by calling the company's toll free hotline at 877.571.0405.
Contact: Chris Janish, CEO Email: [email protected]
SOURCE Legal-Bay, LLC
INDIANAPOLIS, Feb. 26, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE: LLY) today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved VerzenioTM (abemaciclib) in combination with an aromatase inhibitor (AI) as initial endocrine-based therapy for the treatment of postmenopausal women with hormone receptor-positive (HR+), human epidermal growth factor receptor 2-negative (HER2-) advanced or metastatic breast cancer. This additional FDA approval marks the third indication for Verzenio within five months. In September 2017, Verzenio became the first and only cyclin-dependent kinase (CDK)4 & 6 inhibitor approved in combination and as a single agent in metastatic breast cancer. Specifically, Verzenio was approved for use in combination with fulvestrant for the treatment of women with HR+, HER2- advanced or metastatic breast cancer with disease progression following endocrine therapy, and as monotherapy for the treatment of adult patients with HR+, HER2- advanced or metastatic breast cancer with disease progression following endocrine therapy and prior chemotherapy in the metastatic setting.
The recommended dose of Verzenio in combination with an AI is 150 mg orally twice daily, continued until disease progression or unacceptable toxicity. Verzenio is available in four tablet strengths (200 mg, 150 mg, 100 mg, and 50 mg).
This approval of Verzenio as initial therapy in combination with an AI is based on the efficacy and safety demonstrated in the pivotal MONARCH 3 clinical trial. MONARCH 3 is a Phase 3, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial evaluating Verzenio in combination with an AI as initial endocrine-based therapy that enrolled 493 postmenopausal women with HR+, HER2- advanced breast cancer who had no prior systemic treatment for advanced disease. In patients who received neoadjuvant/adjuvant endocrine therapy, a disease-free interval of more than 12 months since completion of endocrine therapy was required. This Verzenio new drug application was given Priority Review as part of the FDA's Expedited Programs for Serious Conditions, a program used for therapies that address an unmet medical need in the treatment of serious or life-threatening conditions, such as metastatic breast cancer. Verzenio was also granted Breakthrough Therapy Designation in 2015 based on the Phase 1 JPBA trial.
In MONARCH 3, Verzenio dosed orally at 150 mg twice daily on a continuous schedule with an AI demonstrated a greater than 28-month median progression-free survival (PFS) in patients who received initial endocrine-based therapy for metastatic disease (28.2 months [95% CI: 23.5-NR] vs 14.8 months [95% CI: 11.2-19.2] with placebo plus an AI [HR: 0.54; 95% CI: 0.418-0.698, P <0.0001]). In patients with measurable disease who received Verzenio plus an AI (n=267), an objective response rate of 55.4 percent was achieved (ORR; defined as complete response plus partial response [CR + PR], and based upon confirmed responses; PR defined as 30% reduction in target lesions)1 (n=148; 95% CI: 49.5-61.4), with 52.1 percent of patients having achieved a PR (n=139) and 3.4 percent having achieved a CR (n=9).2 In comparison, in the placebo-plus-AI group of patients with measurable disease (n=132), ORR was 40.2 percent (n=53; 95% CI: 31.8-48.5), with all women being partial responders. Median duration of response (DoR) was 27.4 months with Verzenio plus an AI (95% CI: 25.7-NR) versus 17.5 months with placebo plus an AI (95% CI: 11.2-22.2).3,4
"This approval is an important milestone, as it shows that Verzenio plus an aromatase inhibitor substantially reduced tumor size and delayed disease progression in women with HR+, HER2- metastatic breast cancer. Notably, the MONARCH 3 trial included patients with certain concerning clinical characteristics, such as a pattern of disease that spread to the liver," said Joyce O'Shaughnessy, M.D., Celebrating Women Chair in Breast Cancer Research and chair, Breast Cancer Research Program, Baylor University Medical Center, Texas Oncology and U.S. Oncology, Dallas, TX. "This information will help inform treatment decisions for each patient, which can be complicated in advanced breast cancer."
The labeling for Verzenio contains warnings and precautions for diarrhea, neutropenia, hepatotoxicity, venous thromboembolism, and embryofetal toxicity. Instruct patients at the first sign of loose stools to initiate antidiarrheal therapy, increase oral fluids, and notify their healthcare provider. Perform complete blood counts and liver function tests prior to the start of Verzenio treatment, every two weeks for the first two months, monthly for the next two months, and as clinically indicated. Based on results, Verzenio may require dose modification. Monitor patients for signs and symptoms of thrombosis and pulmonary embolism and treat as medically appropriate. Advise patients of potential risk to a fetus and to use effective contraception. See full Prescribing Information for further management instructions. The most common adverse reactions in the MONARCH 1, 2, and 3 trials (all grades, 20%) were diarrhea, neutropenia, nausea, abdominal pain, infections, fatigue, anemia, leukopenia, decreased appetite, vomiting, headache, alopecia, and thrombocytopenia.
"The speed with which our team has been able to work with the FDA to gain approval for this additional Verzenio indication underscores Lilly's commitment to delivering meaningful medicines that can help more people living with advanced breast cancer," said Sue Mahony, Ph.D., senior vice president and president of Lilly Oncology. "Verzenio has now been developed, studied and clinically proven in three key trials to be effective for women with HR+, HER2- metastatic breast cancer helping to ensure we are providing support to those who need it most."
"For those facing a diagnosis of metastatic breast cancer or learning that their disease has spread further, each new indication and clinical development is critical," said Marc Hurlbert, Ph.D., chairman, Metastatic Breast Cancer Alliance. "Today's news represents continued progress towards helping more people living with this devastating disease."
About MONARCH 3
MONARCH 3 is a Phase 3, double-blind, placebo-controlled study designed to evaluate the safety and efficacy of Verzenio (abemaciclib), a CDK4 & 6 inhibitor, in combination with an AI (anastrozole or letrozole), as initial endocrine-based therapy for postmenopausal women with HR+, HER2- advanced (locoregionally recurrent or metastatic) breast cancer who have had no prior systemic treatment for advanced disease. If neoadjuvant/adjuvant endocrine therapy was administered, a disease-free interval of more than 12 months since completion of endocrine therapy was required. A total of 493 patients were randomized 2:1 to receive 150 mg of Verzenio or placebo orally twice a day, without interruption, given in combination with either 1 mg of anastrozole or 2.5 mg of letrozole once daily until disease progression or unacceptable toxicity. The primary endpoint of the study was PFS, with key secondary endpoints of ORR, DoR, overall survival and safety.
About Advanced Breast Cancer
Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women worldwide, with nearly 1.7 million new cases diagnosed in 2012.5 An estimated 266,120 new cases of invasive breast cancer are expected to be diagnosed in women in the U.S. in 2018.6 Advanced breast cancer includes metastatic breast cancer, meaning cancer that has spread from the breast tissue to other parts of the body, and locally or regionally advanced breast cancer, meaning the cancer has grown outside the organ where it started but has not yet spread to other parts of the body.7 Of all early stage breast cancer cases diagnosed in the U.S., approximately 30 percent will become metastatic and an estimated six to 10 percent of all new breast cancer cases are initially diagnosed as being metastatic.8 Survival is lower among women with a more advanced stage at diagnosis: 5-year relative survival is 99 percent for localized disease, 85 percent for regional disease, and 26 percent for metastatic disease. Other factors, such as tumor size, also impact 5-year survival estimates.9
About VerzenioTM (abemaciclib)
Verzenio (abemaciclib) is an inhibitor of cyclin-dependent kinases (CDK)4 & 6, which are activated by binding to D-cyclins. In estrogen receptor-positive (ER+) breast cancer cell lines, cyclin D1 and CDK4 & 6 promote phosphorylation of the retinoblastoma protein (Rb), cell cycle progression, and cell proliferation.
In vitro, continuous exposure to Verzenio inhibited Rb phosphorylation and blocked progression from G1 to S phase of the cell cycle, resulting in senescence and apoptosis (cell death). Preclinically, Verzenio dosed daily without interruption resulted in reduction of tumor size. Inhibiting CDK4 & 6 in healthy cells can result in side effects, some of which may be serious.3 Clinical evidence also suggests that Verzenio crosses the blood-brain barrier. In patients with advanced cancer, including breast cancer, concentrations of Verzenio and its active metabolites (M2 and M20) in cerebrospinal fluid are comparable to unbound plasma concentrations.3,10
Verzenio is Lilly's first solid oral dosage form to be made using a faster, more efficient process known as continuous manufacturing. Continuous manufacturing is a new and advanced type of manufacturing within the pharmaceutical industry, and Lilly is one of the first companies to use this technology.
INDICATION
Verzenio is indicated for the treatment of HR+, HER2- advanced or metastatic breast cancer:
in combination with an aromatase inhibitor for postmenopausal women as initial endocrine-based therapy
in combination with fulvestrant for women with disease progression following endocrine therapy
as a single agent for adult patients with disease progression following endocrine therapy and prior chemotherapy in the metastatic setting
IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION
Diarrhea occurred in 81% of patients receiving Verzenio plus an aromatase inhibitor in MONARCH 3, 86% of patients receiving Verzenio plus fulvestrant in MONARCH 2 and 90% of patients receiving Verzenio alone in MONARCH 1. Grade 3 diarrhea occurred in 9% of patients receiving Verzenio plus an aromatase inhibitor in MONARCH 3, 13% of patients receiving Verzenio plus fulvestrant in MONARCH 2 and in 20% of patients receiving Verzenio alone in MONARCH 1. Episodes of diarrhea have been associated with dehydration and infection.
Diarrhea incidence was greatest during the first month of Verzenio dosing. In MONARCH 3, the median time to onset of the first diarrhea event was 8 days, and the median duration of diarrhea for Grades 2 and 3 were 11 and 8 days, respectively. In MONARCH 2, the median time to onset of the first diarrhea event was 6 days, and the median duration of diarrhea for Grades 2 and 3 were 9 days and 6 days, respectively. In MONARCH 3, 19% of patients with diarrhea required a dose omission and 13% required a dose reduction. In MONARCH 2, 22% of patients with diarrhea required a dose omission and 22% required a dose reduction. The time to onset and resolution for diarrhea were similar across MONARCH 3, MONARCH 2, and MONARCH 1.
Instruct patients that at the first sign of loose stools, they should start antidiarrheal therapy such as loperamide, increase oral fluids, and notify their healthcare provider for further instructions and appropriate follow-up. For Grade 3 or 4 diarrhea, or diarrhea that requires hospitalization, discontinue Verzenio until toxicity resolves to Grade 1, and then resume Verzenio at the next lower dose.
Neutropenia occurred in 41% of patients receiving Verzenio plus an aromatase inhibitor in MONARCH 3, 46% of patients receiving Verzenio plus fulvestrant in MONARCH 2 and 37% of patients receiving Verzenio alone in MONARCH 1. A Grade 3 decrease in neutrophil count (based on laboratory findings) occurred in 22% of patients receiving Verzenio plus an aromatase inhibitor in MONARCH 3, 32% of patients receiving Verzenio plus fulvestrant in MONARCH 2 and in 27% of patients receiving Verzenio alone in MONARCH 1. In MONARCH 3, the median time to first episode of Grade >3 neutropenia was 33 days, and in MONARCH 2 and MONARCH 1, was 29 days. In MONARCH 3, median duration of Grade 3 neutropenia was 11 days, and for MONARCH 2 and MONARCH 1 was 15 days.
Monitor complete blood counts prior to the start of Verzenio therapy, every 2 weeks for the first 2 months, monthly for the next 2 months, and as clinically indicated. Dose interruption, dose reduction, or delay in starting treatment cycles is recommended for patients who develop Grade 3 or 4 neutropenia.
Febrile neutropenia has been reported in <1% of patients exposed to Verzenio in the MONARCH studies. Two deaths due to neutropenic sepsis were observed in MONARCH 2. Inform patients to promptly report any episodes of fever to their healthcare provider.
Grade 3 increases in alanine aminotransferase (ALT) (6% versus 2%) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) (3% versus 1%) were reported in the Verzenio and placebo arms, respectively, in MONARCH 3. Grade 3 increases in ALT (4% versus 2%) and AST (2% versus 3%) were reported in the Verzenio and placebo arms respectively, in MONARCH 2.
In MONARCH 3, for patients receiving Verzenio plus an aromatase inhibitor with Grade 3 increases in ALT or AST, median time to onset was 61 and 71 days, respectively, and median time to resolution to Grade <3 was 14 and 15 days, respectively. In MONARCH 2, for patients receiving Verzenio plus fulvestrant with Grade 3 increases in ALT or AST, median time to onset was 57 and 185 days, respectively, and median time to resolution to Grade <3 was 14 and 13 days, respectively.
For assessment of potential hepatotoxicity, monitor liver function tests (LFTs) prior to the start of Verzenio therapy, every 2 weeks for the first 2 months, monthly for the next 2 months, and as clinically indicated. Dose interruption, dose reduction, dose discontinuation, or delay in starting treatment cycles is recommended for patients who develop persistent or recurrent Grade 2, or Grade 3 or 4, hepatic transaminase elevation.
Venous thromboembolic events were reported in 5% of patients treated with Verzenio plus an aromatase inhibitor as compared to 0.6% of patients treated with an aromatase inhibitor plus placebo in MONARCH 3. Venous thromboembolic events were reported in 5% of patients treated with Verzenio plus fulvestrant in MONARCH 2 as compared to 0.9% of patients treated with fulvestrant plus placebo. Venous thromboembolic events included deep vein thrombosis, pulmonary embolism, pelvic venous thrombosis, cerebral venous sinus thrombosis, subclavian and axillary vein thrombosis, and inferior vena cava thrombosis. Across the clinical development program, deaths due to venous thromboembolism have been reported. Monitor patients for signs and symptoms of venous thrombosis and pulmonary embolism and treat as medically appropriate.
Verzenio can cause fetal harm when administered to a pregnant woman based on findings from animal studies and the mechanism of action. In animal reproduction studies, administration of abemaciclib to pregnant rats during the period of organogenesis caused teratogenicity and decreased fetal weight at maternal exposures that were similar to the human clinical exposure based on area under the curve (AUC) at the maximum recommended human dose. Advise pregnant women of the potential risk to a fetus. Advise females of reproductive potential to use effective contraception during treatment with Verzenio and for at least 3 weeks after the last dose. There are no data on the presence of Verzenio in human milk or its effects on the breastfed child or on milk production. Advise lactating women not to breastfeed during Verzenio treatment and for at least 3 weeks after the last dose because of the potential for serious adverse reactions in breastfed infants. Based on findings in animals, Verzenio may impair fertility in males of reproductive potential.
The most common adverse reactions (all grades, 10%) observed in MONARCH 3 for Verzenio plus anastrozole or letrozole and 2% higher than placebo plus anastrozole or letrozole vs placebo plus anastrozole or letrozole were diarrhea (81% vs 30%), neutropenia (41% vs 2%), fatigue (40% vs 32%), infections (39% vs 29%), nausea (39% vs 20%), abdominal pain (29% vs 12%), vomiting (28% vs 12%), anemia (28% vs 5%), alopecia (27% vs 11%), decreased appetite (24% vs 9%), leukopenia (21% vs 2%), creatinine increased (19% vs 4%), constipation (16% vs 12%), ALT increased (16% vs 7%), AST increased (15% vs 7%), rash (14% vs 5%), pruritus (13% vs 9%), cough (13% vs 9%), dyspnea (12% vs 6%), dizziness (11% vs 9%), weight decreased (10% vs 3%), influenza-like illness (10% vs 8%), and thrombocytopenia (10% vs 2%).
The most common adverse reactions (all grades, 10%) observed in MONARCH 2 for Verzenio plus fulvestrant and 2% higher than placebo plus fulvestrant vs placebo plus fulvestrant were diarrhea (86% vs 25%), neutropenia (46% vs 4%), fatigue (46% vs 32%), nausea (45% vs 23%), infections (43% vs 25%), abdominal pain (35% vs 16%), anemia (29% vs 4%), leukopenia (28% vs 2%), decreased appetite (27% vs 12%), vomiting (26% vs 10%), headache (20% vs 15%), dysgeusia (18% vs 3%), thrombocytopenia (16% vs 3%), alopecia (16% vs 2%), stomatitis (15% vs 10%), ALT increased (13% vs 5%), pruritus (13% vs 6%), cough (13% vs 11%), dizziness (12% vs 6%), AST increased (12% vs 7%), peripheral edema (12% vs 7%), creatinine increased (12% vs <1%), rash (11% vs 4%), pyrexia (11% vs 6%), and weight decreased (10% vs 2%).
The most common adverse reactions (all grades, 10%) observed in MONARCH 1 with Verzenio were diarrhea (90%), fatigue (65%), nausea (64%), decreased appetite (45%), abdominal pain (39%), neutropenia (37%), vomiting (35%), infections (31%), anemia (25%), thrombocytopenia (20%), headache (20%), cough (19%), leukopenia (17%), constipation (17%), arthralgia (15%), dry mouth (14%), weight decreased (14%), stomatitis (14%), creatinine increased (13%), alopecia (12%), dysgeusia (12%), pyrexia (11%), dizziness (11%), and dehydration (10%).
The most frequently reported 5% Grade 3 or 4 adverse reactions that occurred in the Verzenio arm vs the placebo arm of MONARCH 3 were neutropenia (22% vs 2%), diarrhea (9% vs 1%), leukopenia (8% vs <1%), ALT increased (7% vs 2%), and anemia (6% vs 1%).
The most frequently reported 5% Grade 3 or 4 adverse reactions that occurred in the Verzenio arm vs the placebo arm of MONARCH 2 were neutropenia (27% vs 2%), diarrhea (13% vs <1%), leukopenia (9% vs 0%), anemia (7% vs 1%), and infections (6% vs 3%).
The most frequently reported 5% Grade 3 or 4 adverse reactions from MONARCH 1 with Verzenio were neutropenia (24%), diarrhea (20%), fatigue (13%), infections (7%), leukopenia (6%), anemia (5%), and nausea (5%).
Lab abnormalities (all grades; Grade 3 or 4) for MONARCH 3 in 10% for Verzenio plus anastrozole or letrozole and 2% higher than placebo plus anastrozole or letrozole vs placebo plus anastrozole or letrozole were increased serum creatinine (98% vs 84%; 2% vs 0%), decreased white blood cells (82% vs 27%; 13% vs <1%), anemia (82% vs 28%; 2% vs 0%), decreased neutrophil count (80% vs 21%; 22% vs 3%), decreased lymphocyte count (53% vs 26%; 8% vs 2%), decreased platelet count (36% vs 12%; 2% vs <1%), increased ALT (48% vs 25%; 7% vs 2%), and increased AST (37% vs 23%; 4% vs <1%).
Lab abnormalities (all grades; Grade 3 or 4) for MONARCH 2 in 10% for Verzenio plus fulvestrant and 2% higher than placebo plus fulvestrant vs placebo plus fulvestrant were increased serum creatinine (98% vs 74%; 1% vs 0%), decreased white blood cells (90% vs 33%; 23% vs 1%), decreased neutrophil count (87% vs 30%; 33% vs 4%), anemia (84% vs 33%; 3% vs <1%), decreased lymphocyte count (63% vs 32%; 12% vs 2%), decreased platelet count (53% vs 15%; 2% vs 0%), increased ALT (41% vs 32%; 5% vs 1%), and increased AST (37% vs 25%; 4% vs 4%).
Lab abnormalities (all grades; Grade 3 or 4) for MONARCH 1 with Verzenio were increased serum creatinine (98%; <1%), decreased white blood cells (91%; 28%), decreased neutrophil count (88%; 27%), anemia (68%; 0%), decreased lymphocyte count (42%; 14%), decreased platelet count (41%; 2%), increased ALT (31%; 3%), and increased AST (30%; 4%).
Strong CYP3A inhibitors increased the exposure of abemaciclib plus its active metabolites to a clinically meaningful extent and may lead to increased toxicity. Avoid concomitant use of ketoconazole. Ketoconazole is predicted to increase the AUC of abemaciclib by up to 16-fold. In patients with recommended starting doses of 200 mg twice daily or 150 mg twice daily, reduce the Verzenio dose to 100 mg twice daily with concomitant use of other strong CYP3A inhibitors. In patients who have had a dose reduction to 100 mg twice daily due to adverse reactions, further reduce the Verzenio dose to 50 mg twice daily with concomitant use of other strong CYP3A inhibitors. If a patient taking Verzenio discontinues a strong CYP3A inhibitor, increase the Verzenio dose (after 3 to 5 half-lives of the inhibitor) to the dose that was used before starting the strong inhibitor. Patients should avoid grapefruit products.
Avoid concomitant use of strong CYP3A inducers and consider alternative agents. Coadministration of Verzenio with rifampin, a strong CYP3A inducer, decreased the plasma concentrations of abemaciclib plus its active metabolites and may lead to reduced activity.
With severe hepatic impairment (Child-Pugh Class C), reduce the Verzenio dosing frequency to once daily. The pharmacokinetics of Verzenio in patients with severe renal impairment (CLcr <30 mL/min), end stage renal disease, or in patients on dialysis is unknown. No dosage adjustments are necessary in patients with mild or moderate hepatic (Child-Pugh A or B) and/or renal impairment (CLcr 30-89 mL/min).
Please see full Prescribing Information for Verzenio.
AL HCP ISI 26FEB2018
About Lilly Oncology
For more than 50 years, Lilly has been dedicated to delivering life-changing medicines and support to people living with cancer and those who care for them. Lilly is determined to build on this heritage and continue making life better for all those affected by cancer around the world. To learn more about Lilly's commitment to people with cancer, please visit www.LillyOncology.com.
About Eli Lilly and Company
Lilly is a global healthcare leader that unites caring with discovery to make life better for people around the world. We were founded more than a century ago by a man committed to creating high-quality medicines that meet real needs, and today we remain true to that mission in all our work. Across the globe, Lilly employees work to discover and bring life-changing medicines to those who need them, improve the understanding and management of disease, and give back to communities through philanthropy and volunteerism. To learn more about Lilly, please visit us at www.lilly.com and newsroom.lilly.com/social-channels.
P-LLY
PP-AL-US-0747 02/2018 Lilly USA, LLC 2018. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
VerzenioTM is a trademark owned by or licensed to Eli Lilly and Company, its subsidiaries, or affiliates.
Lilly Forward-Looking Statement
This press release contains forward-looking statements (as that term is defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995) about abemaciclib as a potential treatment for patients with breast cancer and reflects Lilly's current beliefs. However, as with any pharmaceutical product, there are substantial risks and uncertainties in the process of development and commercialization. Among other things, there can be no guarantee that abemaciclib will receive additional regulatory approvals or be commercially successful. For further discussion of these and other risks and uncertainties, see Lilly's most recent Form 10-K and Form 10-Q filings with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission. Except as required by law, Lilly undertakes no duty to update forward-looking statements to reflect events after the date of this release.
1 Eisenhauer EA, Therasse P, Bogaerts J, et al. New response evaluation criteria in solid tumours: revised RECIST guideline (version 1.1). Eur J Cancer. 2009;45:228-247. 2 Data on file. Lilly USA, LLC. ONC20180214a. 3 Verzenio [package insert]. Indianapolis, IN: Eli Lilly and Company; 2018. 4 Data on file. Lilly USA, LLC. ONC20180122a. 5 World Cancer Research Fund International. Breast Cancer Statistics. http://www.wcrf.org/int/cancer-facts-figures/data-specific-cancers/breast-cancer-statistics. Accessed: January 23, 2018. 6 American Cancer Society. Cancer Facts & Figures 2018. https://www.cancer.org/content/dam/cancer-org/research/cancer-facts-and-statistics/annual-cancer-facts-and-figures/2018/cancer-facts-and-figures-2018.pdf. Accessed: January 23, 2018. 7 American Cancer Society. Understanding Advanced Cancer, Metastatic Cancer and Bone Metastases. https://www.cancer.org/treatment/understanding-your-diagnosis/advanced-cancer/what-is.html. Accessed: January 23, 2018. 8 Metastatic Breast Cancer Network. 13 Facts about Metastatic Breast Cancer. http://www.mbcn.org/13-facts-about-metastatic-breast-cancer/. Accessed: January 23, 2018. 9 American Cancer Society. Breast Cancer Facts & Figures 2015-2016. https://www.cancer.org/content/dam/cancer-org/research/cancer-facts-and-statistics/breast-cancer-facts-and-figures/breast-cancer-facts-and-figures-2015-2016.pdf. Accessed: January 23, 2018. 10 Patnaik A, Rosen LS, Tolaney SM, et al. Efficacy and safety of abemaciclib, an inhibitor of CDK4 and CDK6, for patients with breast cancer, non-small cell lung cancer, and other solid tumors [published ahead of print May 23, 2016]. Cancer Discov. 2016;6:740-753.
SOURCE Eli Lilly and Company
Related Links
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PHILADELPHIA, Feb. 26, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Lombard International, a global leader in wealth-structuring solutions for the institutional and high net worth markets, has appointed John Fischer to the new role of Executive Vice President, Head of Distribution for its US business. He will report to Michael Gordon, CEO of Lombard International US.
John will be responsible for business development and continuing the expansion of Lombard International's US footprint and internationally sourced Group Variable Annuity (GVAs) investments in US assets. He will lead the US sales and distribution teams, which focus on three main channels: independent agents, financial intermediaries and institutional investment managers.
Mr. Fischer has been actively engaged in developing strategic insurance solutions for over 25 years and has managed a number of business units within Lombard International that have been instrumental in its growth and development. An expert and thought leader in the industry, Mr. Fischer is frequently invited to join panels at major investment conferences to talk about the essential role that strategic insurance solutions can play in tax planning. Most recently he has engaged with single and multi-family office clients while serving as a key relationship manager for some of Lombard International's key institutional strategic accounts internationally.
Michael Gordon said: "I am delighted that John will be a part of my leadership team and will lead US sales and internationally sourced GVA business development. He has deep roots within the firm, understands the business and our partners extremely well, and has a proven track record of delivering results. He brings great vision and wisdom to this new role, and will help drive our company forward as we continue to grow our business."
John Fischer commented: "I look forward to leading the US sales and distribution teams and am excited for this new opportunity. Our company has an extremely talented team and industry-leading products, which position us well for success. Following a record year of growth, we will continue to expand Lombard International's US and global footprint by delivering innovative investment solutions to our clients."
About Lombard International
Lombard International Assurance is a leading life insurance-based wealth solutions provider with over 25 years' experience. We have the strength and expertise to provide wealth structuring solutions using unit-linked life insurance to ultra-high net worth individuals, their families and institutions around the globe.
The global group, Lombard International, launched to market in September 2015. With head offices in Luxembourg and Philadelphia, and operations in 19 markets across the United States, Europe, Asia and Latin America, we are able to provide multijurisdictional wealth planning solutions on a global basis with a deep understanding of local cultures and attitudes.
Global assets under administration are in excess of $88.7bn as of 31 December 2017. Our global team of over 600 includes more than 60 technical experts specializing in multiple jurisdictions.
Funds managed by Blackstone own Lombard International. Blackstone Group L.P. is one of the world's leading investment firms with $387 billion in assets under management as at 19 October 2017.
For further information about Lombard International visit: www.lombardinternational.com
SOURCE Lombard International
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http://www.lombardinternational.com
"Marketo has a singular focus: to empower a nation of brilliant marketers. Our continued investment in engineering and product capability, quality, and talent is a testament to our commitment to innovate for our customers like never before," said Marketo Chief Executive Officer Steve Lucas . "Arun has a customer-obsessed mindset, which is one of our core values. That, combined with his decades of experience in building high-scale enterprise marketing solutions, will drive profound benefit for our customers. Arun's vision for the future of MarTech will further establish Marketo as the de facto platform for marketers."
Anantharaman brings a range of marketing technology experience to Marketo, including his past 17 years at Adobe, where he served most recently as the senior vice president, Products and Operations, for Experience Cloud. Anantharaman earned a master's degree in business administration from San Jose State University, a master's of science in computer engineering from North Carolina State University, and a bachelor's of technology in electronics and communications from IIT in Madras, India. He will be based in Marketo's San Mateo, Calif., headquarters.
"I am thrilled to join Marketo, honored to lead such a talented and passionate group of people, and look forward to becoming part of the Marketing Nation," said Anantharaman. "Marketo is focused on delivering what every marketer needs: a single platform to orchestrate building brand, driving revenue, and proving impact. The opportunity for us to empower marketers is unbounded."
In his new role, Goyal will continue to oversee Marketo's engineering team, furthering key initiatives to ensure the continued expansion of the Marketo Engagement Platform and new areas of customer-centric innovation. This includes Marketo's aggressive artificial intelligence-based product initiatives. Goyal has driven the delivery of key innovations for Marketo during his tenure, including Marketo's next-generation platform on Google Cloud, and user interface redesign, along with a range of new products that have significantly expanded the breadth of Marketo's capability.
For more information on Marketo's latest products, visit www.marketo.com.
About Marketo
Marketo, Inc., offers the leading Engagement Platform that empowers marketers to create lasting relationships and grow revenue. Consistently recognized as the industry's innovation pioneer, Marketo is the trusted platform for thousands of CMOs thanks to its scalability, reliability, and openness. Marketo is headquartered in San Mateo, CA, with offices around the world, and serves as a strategic partner to large enterprise and fast-growing organizations across a wide variety of industries. To learn more about the Marketo Engagement Platform, LaunchPoint partner ecosystem, and the vast community that is the Marketing Nation, visit www.marketo.com.
SOURCE Marketo, Inc.
BOSTON and LOS ANGELES, Feb. 26, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- MediaSilo and Wiredrive are launching SHIFT, a new brand identity for the combined companies. SHIFT will change how creators develop and deliver their work, providing solutions that streamline the process of creating, sharing and securing valuable creative assets. The two companies first came together in early 2017 to combine their expertise and strengthen the development of tools that service nearly three million users in agency, brand and post-production creative work.
"SHIFT reflects the changes we see happening in the industry today. We are in the middle of a massive transformation in the media landscape, and as advisors and vendors we have front row seats. This means we are in a unique position to provide solutions that support content creators of tomorrow," says Kai Pradel, CEO of SHIFT. "We support media creation at any scale and are turning our attention toward a new generation of tools that address the demanding workflows of today's creatives."
SHIFT is now the umbrella brand for the company's flagship products: MediaSilo, Wiredrive, SafeStream and Screeners.com. SHIFT will address all aspects of creative workflow, providing solutions to the most significant challenges facing industries which, hindered by workflow conventions, compressed timelines and reduced budgets, still demand powerful creative. The company will introduce new products starting this summer that reimagine collaboration in the fast-growing market of content creation, eliminating workflow silos, and addressing the security and scale needed to create media at the enterprise level.
SHIFT: The Choice for Enterprise Media
SHIFT gives individuals and teams from enterprise media companies, agencies and brands access to a secure ecosystem that embraces the unique needs of creators and eliminates compromises. For those involved in the lifecycle of creative content, SHIFT and its products and services provide an environment that is safe, scalable, inspiring, empowering and efficient.
Both MediaSilo and Wiredrive, leading collaboration platforms for creators and creative companies, address video workflow issues, delivering tools that allow users to stay focused on creativity and content. Each of these solutions will continue as part of SHIFT:
MediaSilo provides secure video collaboration tools and pre-release content delivery to the post-production market, including many of the largest media companies in the world.
provides secure video collaboration tools and pre-release content delivery to the post-production market, including many of the largest media companies in the world. Wiredrive is the industry standard for agencies, brands and creative professionals looking to review, curate, present and share creative work.
is the industry standard for agencies, brands and creative professionals looking to review, curate, present and share creative work. SafeStream is the first on-demand and real-time visible and forensic watermarking service providing turnkey tools for securing video content online.
is the first on-demand and real-time visible and forensic watermarking service providing turnkey tools for securing video content online. Screeners.com provides a singular, secure, hassle-free destination for previewing pre-release content.
More to Come
Moving forward, SHIFT will develop new platforms and services that build upon the capabilities of today's solutions, reflecting the changing nature of video content creation and distribution in an increasingly open, global marketplace. The company will preview its first new product at the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) show in April in booth SL9205.
To learn more, visit the new corporate site at shift.io.
About SHIFT
SHIFT is the world's largest SaaS platform for video-driven creative workflows with more than 2,000 enterprise customers worldwide. SHIFT recognizes that in the advertising, media and post-production markets, creators need an environment that is free from hurdles and processes that get in the way of producing outstanding content. At every step of the creative lifecycle, SHIFT provides tools that enable professionals to focus on what really mattersworking with freedom, speed and a sense of security. Combining proven solutions from MediaSilo and Wiredrive, SHIFT empowers creators at all levels to develop and deliver exceptional work.
For more than a decade, creative professionals have relied on SHIFT solutions for the most high-profile work in the market. Of note, 85 percent of 2018 Golden Globe winners were SHIFT customers, and in 2017, 40 percent of Oscar winners and 92 percent of Super Bowl ads were produced using SHIFT products. Today, 70 percent of all scripted and reality television is touched by a SHIFT solution. With offices in Boston and Los Angeles, SHIFT makes great content possible everywhere.
SOURCE SHIFT Media
Related Links
https://shift.io
JACKSON, Miss., Feb. 26, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- A positive prevention initiative designed to promote inclusion in middle schools was celebrated at multiple schools statewide.
Magnolia Health hosted an assembly in honor of National No One Eats Alone Day, created by the non-profit Beyond Differences. Assemblies were held across the state throughout February at Oak Park Elementary School in Laurel, Nichols Middle School in Canton, and Baldwyn Middle School in Baldwyn. Over 1,220 students participated in activities designed to teach about social isolation and the negative impact it can have on a student's health and academic performance. Students put the lesson into action by sitting with students at lunch who they don't know, or who may feel left out. They were given ice breaker topics to discuss to highlight their commonalities.
Social isolation has been identified as a precursor to bullying, self harm and community violence. Students have shown that given the tools, they will stand up for others as empathetic and caring activists, not passive bystanders.
"Magnolia Health is proud to partner with Beyond Differences to bring light to social issues that affect students in Mississippi," said Aaron Sisk, plan president and CEO of Magnolia Health. "We know that social isolation cannot only affect mental health, but their physical health as well. This event helps us to foster positive behavior to improve the health of children in our state."
"Social isolation is a preventable public health problem affecting millions of children every day who suffer in silence," says Laura Talmus, co-founder and executive director of Beyond Differences. "We've learned through teachers and families that No One Eats Alone is a powerful step and positive initiative that can change the culture in schools to be a more welcoming place for all."
These Mississippi schools were part of more than 2,000 schools across the country that celebrated No One Eats Alone Day. The initiative reached more than 1 million students.
No One Eats Alone is sponsored by the Centene Charitable Foundation.
About Magnolia Health
Magnolia Health is a long-term solution to help the state of Mississippi enhance care for Medicaid and Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) recipients, while most effectively managing taxpayer dollars. A physician-driven, Mississippi-based Coordinated Care Organization (CCO), Magnolia is backed by its parent company, Centene Corporation (Centene). Centene has more than 30 years of experience in Medicaid, CHIP and other government-funded programs such as Supplemental Security Income (SSI) and long-term care. For more information about Magnolia, visit www.magnoliahealthplan.com.
SOURCE Magnolia Health
Related Links
http://www.magnoliahealthplan.com
BOGOTA, Colombia, Feb. 25, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Ecopetrol S.A. (BVC: ECOPETROL;NYSE: EC) reports that the risk-rating agency Moody's Investor Services has disclosed that the change in the Republic of Colombia's rating outlook, from stable to negative, had no effect on the Company's credit rating, as it anticipates continuously improving fundamental performance.
The rating was maintained at Baa3 with stable outlook, and an individual credit rating (BCA) of ba3. The agency notes that Ecopetrol has successfully reduced its operating costs, allowing it to increase its cash flow and reduce its debt. It also mentioned the Company's almost 130% reserves replacement achieved in 2017, and its improved fundamentals.
Ecopetrol is Colombia's largest firm and is an integrated oil company that is among the 50 largest in the world and the four largest in Latin America. In addition to Colombia, where it generates over 60% of the country's production, it is active in exploration and production activities in Brazil, Peru and the United States (Gulf of Mexico). Ecopetrol operates the largest refinery in Colombia and most of the country's oil-pipeline and polyduct network, and is significantly increasing its share in bio-fuels.
This press release contains statements relating to business prospects, estimates of operating and financial results, and Ecopetrol's growth prospects. All are projections, and therefore are based solely on management's expectations of the company's future and its continuous access to capital to finance the company's sales plan. Achieving these estimates in the future depends on its performance under given market conditions, regulations, competition, performance of the Colombian economy and industry, among other factors; therefore, they are subject to change without prior notice.
For further information, contact:
Capital Markets Manager
Maria Catalina Escobar
Telephone: +571-234-5190
Email: [email protected]
Media Relations (Colombia)
Jorge Mauricio Tellez
Telephone: +571-234-4329
Email: [email protected]
SOURCE Ecopetrol S.A.
Related Links
http://www.ecopetrol.com.co
DENVER, Feb. 26, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- For the good of dogs everywhere, Morris Animal Foundation announced it awarded nearly $1 million in grants for 12 canine research projects. The studies will help veterinary scientists improve the health and well-being of dogs suffering from deadly and debilitating diseases, including cancer, spinal cord disease and gastrointestinal disorders.
"Dogs are, as the saying goes, man's best friend, with nearly 90 million in American households," said Tiffany Grunert, Morris Animal Foundation's Acting President and CEO. "They enrich our lives so much and deserve the best care we can provide. At Morris Animal Foundation, we are proud to fund studies that help our canine companions have longer, healthier lives."
Through this year's grants, the Foundation is supporting scientists at 11 universities, including the University of Minnesota, Cornell University and the University of Melbourne, Australia. The Foundation's Small Animal Scientific Advisory Board reviewed all submitted grant applications and selected, based on scientific merit and impact, the studies with the greatest potential to save lives, preserve health and advance veterinary care. Canine studies funded for 2018 include:
Blocking Hemangiosarcoma Tumor Growth
Hemangiosarcoma, a malignant cancer of blood vessel cells, is an aggressive disease that is rapidly fatal in dogs. Researchers will investigate ways to block tumor cells from using cholesterol and lipids that fuel tumor growth.
Exploring Novel Treatments for IBD
Researchers are looking at changes in gut bacteria that stimulate the immune system in dogs with inflammatory bowel disease to help identify novel ways to diagnose and treat this disease.
Investigating Connections between Chemicals and Cancers
Researchers will explore how specific enzymes in dogs break down common environmental chemicals that have been linked to cancers in humans.
Imaging to Improve Diagnosis for Neurodegenerative Disorder
Canine degenerative myelopathy (CDM) is a progressive, neurodegenerative disorder that affects the spinal cords of dogs, causing eventual paralysis in the hind legs. Researchers will determine if an advanced MRI technique can be applied to dogs with CDM.
About Morris Animal Foundation
Morris Animal Foundation's mission is to bridge science and resources to advance the health of animals. Founded by a veterinarian in 1948, we fund and conduct critical health studies for the benefit of all animals. Learn more at morrisanimalfoundation.org.
SOURCE Morris Animal Foundation
Related Links
http://www.morrisanimalfoundation.org
BUFFALO, N.Y., Feb. 26, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- M&T Bank Corporation (NYSE:MTB)("M&T") will participate in the RBC Capital Markets Financial Institutions Conference being held in New York City. Representatives of M&T are scheduled to deliver a presentation to investors and analysts on March 7, 2018 at 1:20 p.m. (ET).
The conference takes place at the Lotte New York Palace hotel. A live audio-webcast of the presentation will be available via the Internet at: http://ir.mandtbank.com/events.cfm. The presentation and webcast may contain forward-looking statements and other material information. A replay will also be made available following the event.
About M&T
M&T is a financial holding company headquartered in Buffalo, New York. M&T's principal banking subsidiary, M&T Bank, operates banking offices in New York, Maryland, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Connecticut, Virginia, West Virginia and the District of Columbia. Trust-related services are provided by M&T's Wilmington Trust-affiliated companies and by M&T Bank.
SOURCE M&T Bank Corporation
Related Links
http://www.mandtbank.com
Celebration features new Make Shop, "best worst" robot competition, extended hours, adults-only events and more
CHICAGO, Feb. 26, 2018 /PRNewswire/ - On Friday, March 9, the Museum of Science and Industry, Chicago (MSI) will introduce Spring Make Festival, a four-week celebration designed to unleash guest creativity. Spring Make Festival, which runs through April 8, will offer a robust combination of daily activities and special events designed to help guests see themselves as designers, makers and tinkerers including the MSI Chicago Mini Maker Faire; a facilitated workshop offering LED circuitry building, 3D printing and vinyl cutting; Hebocon, a renowned "crappy" robot competition; adults-only events and new hands-on challenges.
The centerpiece of Spring Make is the Make Shop, a new facilitated experience that allows guests to create a personal memento by progressing through three activities: vinyl cutting, 3D printing and building an LED light circuit. As they create, guests will learn about problem-solving skills, the diverse community of local Chicago makers and how making can have a positive impact on communities.
Because so much of the maker process focuses on problem solving and iteration, MSI staff will host Failure is an Option!, a daily 20-minute stage show that challenges guests to engineer, test and modify a skyscraper so it remains standing while it undergoes wind tests, reinforcing the basics of the engineering design process.
"Spring Make Festival is a celebration of high- and low-tech ways that people, especially kids, can tap into their creative potential and see firsthand that there are multiple paths to a STEM-focused career," said David Mosena, president and chief executive officer, MSI. "MSI's unique hands-on approach has always encouraged our guests to be doers rather than spectators and we are thrilled that Spring Make Festival will put our guests' creativity front and center in an entirely new way."
Spring Make kicks off Friday, March 9 and continues through Sunday, April 8. Select experiences and events require an additional ticket purchase. A full schedule is below and available online at msichicago.org/springmake.
Make Shop
Daily
Additional timed-entry ticket purchase required ($12 adults, $9 children 6-11)
Guests uncover the exciting world of making using cutting-edge tools in the Make Shop. Progress through vinyl cutting, 3-D printing, and building an LED light circuit to create a personalized memento.
Live Science Experiences
Daily
Included with Museum Entry
Live science experiences invite guests to tinker and explore like engineers, including two new cart activities and a new interactive show in the Museum's historic Rotunda. Designing on the Fly cart activity encourages guests to create, test and modify an object that can float at a specific height. Deconstructed, also a cart activity, asks guests to figure out how an everyday item works by taking it apart and discussing ways to make it better. Failure is an Option! is a 20-minute live stage show that challenges guests to engineer, test and modify a skyscraper so it remains standing while it undergoes wind tests. Guests can work individually or in groups to create improvements, all while learning the basics of the engineering design process.
Dream It, Design It, Fab It!
Daily
Additional timed-entry ticket purchase required ($12 adults, $9 children 6-11)
This state-of-the-art digital fabrication laboratory features a workshop for computer-based innovation, design and fabrication. Guests can dream up, design and make almost anything using cutting-edge software and equipment, like 3-D printers and laser cutters. Fab Lab users engage in problem-based learning and hands-on fabrication, becoming innovators of new projects and prototypes for limitless use and application.
Engineer Your Future
Saturday, March 17, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Included with Museum Entry
Guests can test their problem-solving skills through a series of activities and experiences that showcase engineering. Explore eight types of engineering (mechanical, electrical, civil, acoustic, computer, aerospace, environmental and chemical) through hands-on activity stations.
MSI After Hours: Science on Tap
Friday, March 23, 7 to 10 p.m.
Ticket purchase required (Adults-only event, $30)
The next edition of this 21-and-older event, MSI After Hours: Science on Tap, invites guests to explore the chemistry of brewing. Guests will be challenged to play trivia on the Museum's Main Floor, and are welcome to explore MSI's exhibits after it closes to the public. Tickets will be available on msichicago.org/afterhours and include one free drink and parking in our underground garage.
Hebocon
Saturday, March 24, 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.
Included with Museum Entry, registration is required (space is limited)
Join us for a "crappy" robot competition! Builders of all ages, backgrounds and skill levels are invited to spend a day making a robot from random parts, then putting its skills to the test in a robot battle. Hebocon participation is limited, but everyone can watch the fun unfold live on a giant screen all day, as our emcee interviews builders, facilitates robot battles, and showcases some of MSI's awesome robots. This event is presented in partnership with mHUB.
MSI Chicago Mini Maker Faire (Museum hours extended to 9 p.m.)
Saturday, March 31, 9:30 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Included with Museum Entry
From engineers, artists, scientists to crafterssome of the most fascinating creators convene at the Museum to celebrate local maker culture. Learn how to become an innovator yourself by speaking one-on-one with makers, and leave inspired and ready to invent. There's so much to do and see, that's why the Museum has extended its hours and will be open from 9:30 a.m. to 9 p.m.
MSI Chicago Mini Maker Faire is sponsored by Make Magazine.
Robot Block Party
April 7-8, 14-15
Included with Museum Entry
Robots are taking over in celebration of National Robotics Week! Hand-built 'bots from Chicago-area university, after-school and hobbyist robotics teams will crawl, walk, and roll through the Museum's Main Floor. Talk to the robot creators and learn the different techniques and design methods that are used to make each robot.
Digital Canvas
Thursday, April 12, 8 to 11 p.m.
Ticket purchased required (Adults-only event, $45)
Immerse yourself at Digital Canvas, an interactive art experience exploring the intersection of technology, innovation and creative expression. Interact with new media artist Dreambait in a collaborative, digital art mural and party to the beats of a DJ under the swirling colors of a live liquid light show performance. Tickets also include access to the Museum's world-class exhibits and free parking. Food and drink available for purchase. Tickets will be available on March 12 at msichicago.org.
The Museum of Science and Industry, Chicago (MSI), one of the largest science museums in the world, offers world-class and uniquely interactive experiences that inspire inventive genius and foster curiosity. From groundbreaking and award-winning exhibits that can't be found anywhere else, to hands-on opportunities that make you the scientista visit to MSI is where fun and learning mix. Through its Welcome to Science Initiative, the Museum offers a variety of student, teacher and family programs that make a difference in communities and contribute to MSI's larger vision: to inspire and motivate children to achieve their full potential in science, technology, medicine and engineering. Come visit and find your inspiration! MSI is open 9:304 p.m. every day except Thanksgiving and Christmas Day. Extended hours, until 5:30 p.m., are offered during peak periods. The Museum is grateful for the support of its donors and guests, who make its work possible. MSI is also supported in part by the people of Chicago through the Chicago Park District. For more information, visit msichicago.org or call (773) 684-1414.
SOURCE Museum of Science and Industry, Chicago (MSI)
TULSA, Okla., Feb. 26, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- ONE Gas, Inc. (NYSE: OGS) will hold its 2018 Annual Meeting of Shareholders on Thurs., May 24, 2018, at 9 a.m. Central Daylight Time. The meeting also will be audio webcast on the ONE Gas website, www.onegas.com.
The record date for determining shareholders entitled to receive notice of the meeting and to vote is March 26, 2018.
What: ONE Gas, Inc. 2018 Annual Meeting of Shareholders When: Thurs., May 24, 2018 at 9 a.m. CDT Where: First Place Tower, 15 E. Fifth Street, Tulsa, Okla. How: Log on to the webcast at www.onegas.com
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ONE Gas, Inc. (NYSE: OGS) is a 100-percent regulated natural gas utility, and trades on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol "OGS." ONE Gas is included in the S&P MidCap 400 Index, and is one of the largest natural gas utilities in the United States.
ONE Gas provides natural gas distribution services to more than 2 million customers in Oklahoma, Kansas and Texas.
ONE Gas is headquartered in Tulsa, Okla., and its divisions include Oklahoma Natural Gas, the largest natural gas distributor in Oklahoma; Kansas Gas Service, the largest in Kansas, and Texas Gas Service, the third largest in Texas, in terms of customers.
Its largest natural gas distribution markets by customer count are Oklahoma City and Tulsa, Okla.; Kansas City, Wichita and Topeka, Kan.; and Austin and El Paso, Texas. ONE Gas serves residential, commercial, industrial, transportation and wholesale customers in all three states.
For more information, visit the website at http://www.ONEGas.com.
Analyst Contact: Meredith Bartlett
Megan Bloyed
918-947-7011 Media Contact: Jennifer Rector
918-947-7571
SOURCE ONE Gas, Inc.
Related Links
http://www.onegas.com
SAN FRANCISCO, Feb. 26, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Zensoft, a 150+ employee technology powerhouse that fuels the backends of some of Silicon Valley's most notable startups, has entered into a strategic partnership with the OPEN Platform to facilitate the acceptance of cryptocurrencies in its enterprise software development projects.
OPEN Architecture
OPEN, a San Francisco and Toronto based blockchain initiative, provides an essential infrastructure for integrating blockchain technology into existing and future software applications. OPEN's blockchain Scaffolds, OPEN State transaction receipts, and the OPEN API will allow Zensoft to incorporate cryptocurrencies. OPEN's payments infrastructure provides software developers and applications the needed infrastructure to connect payments made on-chain in wallets in a way applications can actually utilize them on their backends. "Providing the necessary infrastructure developers require to process cryptocurrency based payments on backends the way applications process fiat payments today, is key to the adoption by the application developer," said Ken Sangha a member of OPEN.
"We are proud to present Zensoft as our first enterprise level integration partner. Our mission is to empower software developers to utilize blockchain and cryptocurrency technologies from within their existing application architecture. Zensoft is the perfect example of a world class developer that has recognized the shift towards decentralized technologies for their clients and OPEN is there to enable that."
David Tolioupov, CEO of Zensoft, explained, "Integration with the OPEN Platform aligns with Zensoft's mission to become the AWS for Software Development Expertise. A crypto company can now rent development, design, QA and machine learning capacity from Zensoft by paying directly with its own cryptocurrency. This creates a synergistic value dynamic with our customers as building a high performing product for these customers furthers Zensoft's bottom line."
With over 150 team members distributed around the globe and offices in San Francisco, Minsk, Tel Aviv and Bishkek, Zensoft specializes in leveraging cutting edge tools to make the software development process streamlined and efficient for its clients. "We believe that effective time tracking, communication and transparency are key to building high quality products and meeting deadlines. The Zensoft Platform gives you complete, real-time visibility into the development process through performance and progress metrics."
OPEN is excited to announce new partnerships in the coming weeks that utilize OPEN's blockchain based payment infrastructure technology. OPEN's developer program includes it's developer growth pool to help developers achieve early traction for their applications. One of those which OPEN is excited about is titled Crypto Racing League, which uniquely utilizes decentralized assets combined with off chain game design mechanics.
More information about Zensoft:www.zensoft.io
More information about OPEN:www.openfuture.io
Contact:
Dennis Lewis
4074763836
[email protected]
SOURCE OPEN Platform
Related Links
https://www.openfuture.io
BARCELONA, Spain, Feb. 26, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Ossia announced that the company will exhibit its 'Coffee Shop' Wireless Power Solution at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona from February 26 to March 1. For the first time, Ossia will demonstrate how multiple Cota Transmitters can link to charge dozens of mobile devices within a several meter radius.
The showcase of Cota technology is via the Cota Power Transmitter, a wireless power transmitter disguised as a drop ceiling tile. It delivers real wireless power without plugs, wires, or charging pads. The Cota Transmitters can power multiple devices in motion without a line of sight. At Mobile World Congress, Ossia will demonstrate the first 'multi-Transmitter' experience by linking two Cota Tiles to show how the system powers mobile devices in a typical coffee shop, office, retail or other crowded space.
"Cota is the most convenient and efficient way to distribute power to mobile users," said Doug Stovall, Chief Revenue Officer at Ossia. "The Cota multi-Transmitter solution is a game changer for retail, coffee shops and public spaces. The biggest pain point for all consumer devices and IoT sensors is power. People are constantly looking for outlets and will even shift their plans to accommodate where they can get power. With Cota technology, power can be offered everywhere the consumer goes."
Cota Transmitters have the unique ability link together and thereby scale up for larger spaces and additional users. When two Cota Transmitters are combined, they can deliver quadruple the power at the same distance when compared to a single Transmitter in the Tile form factor. Alternatively, two Cota Transmitters can send comparable power at twice the distance as one Tile. Four linked transmitters can deliver 16x the power of a single Cota Transmitter at the same distance.
Critically, Cota transmitters do not have to be placed side by side. For example, four Cota Transmitters could be separated by a few feet each to power a longer corridor or hallway. These flexible configurations make Cota the ideal wireless power solution in airports, hospitals, and other larger spaces.
Cota technology is inherently safe to people, pets, and plants and does not interfere with other wireless technologies such as Wi-Fi. All Cota-enabled devices are interoperable and can be activated, managed, and monitored via the Cota Cloud platform. Cota technology is currently being reviewed by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) for approval.
The Ossia team will demo the 'Coffee Shop' Wireless Power Solution Mobile World Congress. Come by the Ossia booth at Hall 8.0 Stand 8.0F20 for more information.
For a live demo of the technology, contact Ossia directly at www.ossia.com.
Maps are available at https://www.mobileworldcongress.com/exhibitor/ossia-inc/
About Ossia
Ossia is challenging people's core assumptions about what is possible with wireless power. Ossia's Cota technology redefines wireless power by safely delivering targeted energy to devices at a distance. Ossia's patented RF smart antenna technology automatically keeps multiple devices charged without any user intervention, enabling an efficient and truly wire-free, powered-up world, that is always on and always connected. Ossia is a technology development company that licenses the Cota platform allowing manufacturers and OEM's to integrate Real Wireless Power into their products. The Cota technology does not involve pads or other induction or contact-based charging. Ossia is headquartered in Bellevue, Washington. Visit our website at www.ossia.com.
For more information, please contact [email protected].
SOURCE Ossia
Related Links
http://www.ossia.com
NEW YORK, Feb. 26, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- OTC Markets Group Inc. (OTCQX: OTCM), operator of financial markets for 10,000 U.S. and global securities, today announced that Allegiant Gold Ltd. (TSX-V: AUAU;OTCQX: AUXXF), owner of 14 highly-prospective drill-ready gold projects in the United States, principally in Nevada, has qualified to trade on the OTCQX Best Market.
ALLEGIANT begins trading today on OTCQX under the symbol "AUXXF" U.S. investors can find current financial disclosure and Real-Time Level 2 quotes for the company on www.otcmarkets.com.
"We congratulate, and are pleased to welcome, ALLEGIANT to our OTCQX Best Market," said Jason Paltrowitz, Executive Vice President of Corporate Services at OTC Markets Group. "ALLEGIANT joins a robust roster of Canadian companies that benefit from cross-trading their shares and providing a premium market for accessing U.S. investors."
ALLEGIANT was sponsored for OTCQX by McMillan LLP, a qualified third-party firm responsible for providing guidance on OTCQX requirements and recommending membership.
About Allegiant Gold Ltd.
ALLEGIANT is led by CEO Andy Wallace, who is credited with discovering a number of multi-million-ounce gold mines in Nevada. ALLEGIANT owns 14 highly-prospective drill-ready gold projects in the United States, 11 of which are located in the mining-friendly jurisdiction of Nevada, and has announced plans to drill 10 projects, including its flagship Eastside gold project. A drill program is currently underway at Eastside and is focused on resource expansion at the Original Zone, an area within Eastside, which hosts a pit-constrained inferred resource totaling 721,000 gold equivalent ounces (35,780,000 tons grading 0.63g/t gold equivalent). In addition to the Original Zone deposit, Eastside hosts numerous additional exploration targets and historical resources of 272,153 ounces gold (11,177,761 tons grading 0.82g/t gold).
Further information regarding ALLEGIANT's projects and ALLEGIANT's board and management team can be found by visiting www.allegiantgold.com
About OTC Markets Group Inc.
OTC Markets Group Inc. (OTCQX: OTCM) operates the OTCQX Best Market, the OTCQB Venture Market, and the Pink Open Market for 10,000 U.S. and global securities. Through OTC Link ATS, we connect a diverse network of broker-dealers that provide liquidity and execution services. We enable investors to easily trade through the broker of their choice and empower companies to improve the quality of information available for investors.
To learn more about how we create better informed and more efficient markets, visit www.otcmarkets.com
OTC Link ATS is operated by OTC Link LLC, member FINRA/SIPC and SEC regulated ATS.
Subscribe to the OTC Markets RSS Feed
Media Contact:
OTC Markets Group Inc., +1 (212) 896-4428, [email protected]
SOURCE OTC Markets Group Inc.
Related Links
http://www.otcmarkets.com
(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20130612/621367-b )
The Aerotec investment paves the way for OXIS Energy to open a subsidiary in Brazil. The Brazilian team will be trained at OXIS Energy's headquarters in Oxford in the UK, prior to creating a Research and Development Centre in Belo Horizonte, the capital of Minas Gerais. The company will initially focus on commercial expansion throughout Latin America, and will soon address the aviation, defence and heavy electric vehicle markets worldwide. OXIS Energy will also explore the lithium deposits in Minas Gerais, and is currently evaluating the composition of the Li-S chemistry of the graphene products available in the state.
Established in 2005, OXIS Energy has developed, and continues to advance an innovative Lithium Sulfur (Li-S) battery chemistry, cells and systems that will revolutionise the worldwide rechargeable battery market. With considerably higher energy density, OXIS' batteries are lighter, safer and as they do not comprise any rare earth metals, OXIS Energy battery systems are more eco-friendly than Lithium-ion alternatives. Because of those characteristics, OXIS' technologies are very suitable for the aerospace and electric bus industries.
Besides Aerotec's GB 3.75 million investment, the company has also received funding from a Korean electronics company and a European battery materials company.
Huw W. Hampson-Jones, CEO of OXIS Energy, stated, "This is a huge step forward for OXIS Energy in the development and the commercialisation of its Li-S battery systems technology. Brazil has a very high concentration of buses, of which a significant proportion are over 15 years old. The transition to electric heavy vehicles will, to a great extent, eliminate the polluting effects of both the internal combustion engine and the toxic pollutants of current Lithium-Ion battery systems technology."
Rodrigo Esteves, Managing Partner at Confrapar, added, "This overseas investment will bring new technological advances into Brazil, whereby the State of Minas Gerais builds up its competencies and skills in the market for rechargeable lithium batteries, with an estimated value in excess of US$100 billion."
Editor's Notes:
OXIS Energy Ltd is involved in the design, development and now the move towards commercial production of Lithium Sulfur cells for battery systems. With 36 patent families, OXIS has been granted 108 patents with 108 pending. OXIS has demonstrable empirical data justifying its claim on the inherent safety of its battery technology.
CODEMIG
CODEMIG Minas Gerais' Economic Development company's main source of revenue comes from the mining of niobium. Its annual revenues are close to BRL 1 billion. The company intends to foster economic development in three main areas:
cutting edge technology mining, energy and infrastructure creative industry
CONFRAPAR
With offices in Sao Paulo, Rio de Janeiro and Belo Horizonte, Confrapar is a pioneer in the Brazilian Venture Capital and Private Equity market. Founded in 2007, it has four operating funds, over BRL 300 million (US dollars 100 million) under management.
SOURCE OXIS Energy Ltd
SANTA CLARA, Calif., Feb. 26, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Palo Alto Networks (NYSE: PANW), the next-generation security company, today announced financial results for its fiscal second quarter 2018, ended January 31, 2018.
Total revenue for the fiscal second quarter 2018 grew 28 percent year over year to $542.4 million, compared with total revenue of $422.6 million for the fiscal second quarter 2017. GAAP net loss for the fiscal second quarter 2018 was $34.9 million, or $0.38 per diluted share, compared with GAAP net loss of $60.6 million, or $0.67 per diluted share, for the fiscal second quarter 2017. In its fiscal second quarter 2018, the company had a GAAP one-time tax benefit of $6.2 million associated with the U.S. Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, which resulted in a benefit to fiscal second quarter 2018 GAAP earnings per diluted share of $0.07.
Non-GAAP net income for the fiscal second quarter 2018 was $91.5 million, or $0.97 per diluted share, compared with non-GAAP net income of $59.6 million, or $0.63 per diluted share, for the fiscal second quarter 2017. In its fiscal second quarter 2018, the company changed its non-GAAP effective tax rate from 31 percent to 22 percent due to the reduction of the U.S. federal corporate income tax rate under the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. This change in tax rate resulted in a benefit to fiscal second quarter 2018 non-GAAP net income and non-GAAP earnings per diluted share of $10.6 million and $0.11, respectively. A reconciliation between GAAP and non-GAAP information is contained in the tables below.
"We delivered a strong fiscal second quarter with total revenue growing 28 percent year over year to $542.4 million as we saw robust new customer acquisition and expansion in existing accounts," said Mark McLaughlin, chief executive officer of Palo Alto Networks. "Digital transformation requires security transformation built upon increasing automation, leverage, and consistency, the hallmarks of our Next-Generation Security Platform. We continue to harness the power of innovation to introduce new technology and disrupt traditional consumption models as we help customers solve their most complex security challenges and embrace the benefits of the digital age."
"The team executed well in our fiscal second quarter, and we were once again able to outgrow the security market and the competition at scale, while driving leverage in our operating model," said Kathy Bonanno, chief financial officer of Palo Alto Networks. "We delivered record revenue and deferred revenue; increased operating margins both sequentially and year over year; and generated $243.7 million in cash flow from operations and $218.1 million in free cash flow. We ended the quarter with approximately $2.4 billion in cash, cash equivalents and investments."
Recent Highlights
Announced PAN-OS 8.1 and new hardware: This announcement included the introduction of PAN-OS 8.1, the PA-3200 series with three models, the PA-5280, the ruggedized PA-220R, and two new models of M-Series management appliances. PAN-OS 8.1 adds over 60 new features to our next-generation firewall, including more granular control of SaaS applications, expanded SSL decryption capabilities making it easier to secure encrypted traffic, and many features to simplify the adoption of security best practices. In addition, the new hardware appliances increase decryption throughput, bring higher performance and capacity for securing large data centers, and provide additional stability for managing large firewall deployments.
This announcement included the introduction of PAN-OS 8.1, the PA-3200 series with three models, the PA-5280, the ruggedized PA-220R, and two new models of M-Series management appliances. PAN-OS 8.1 adds over 60 new features to our next-generation firewall, including more granular control of SaaS applications, expanded SSL decryption capabilities making it easier to secure encrypted traffic, and many features to simplify the adoption of security best practices. In addition, the new hardware appliances increase decryption throughput, bring higher performance and capacity for securing large data centers, and provide additional stability for managing large firewall deployments. Expanded capabilities to prevent successful cyberattacks in the cloud: We announced expanded capabilities of our platform to provide customers operating hybrid and multi-cloud environments comprehensive, consistent security that easily integrates with their cloud infrastructure and workloads. This included extended protections to the Google Cloud Platform in addition to enhanced capabilities for AWS and Azure environments, simplified and centralized management for all major clouds, and automated integrations for frictionless workflows in multi-cloud environments.
We announced expanded capabilities of our platform to provide customers operating hybrid and multi-cloud environments comprehensive, consistent security that easily integrates with their cloud infrastructure and workloads. This included extended protections to the Google Cloud Platform in addition to enhanced capabilities for AWS and Azure environments, simplified and centralized management for all major clouds, and automated integrations for frictionless workflows in multi-cloud environments. Launched Magnifier behavioral analytics application: This new cloud-based application, delivered through the Palo Alto Networks Application Framework, enables organizations to rapidly identify and prevent behavior-based threats. The application, along with the Palo Alto Networks Logging Service and Palo Alto Networks physical and virtual firewalls, enables customers to collect telemetry data and automate analysis to prevent threats while eliminating supplemental networking devices and costly on-premise logging servers.
This new cloud-based application, delivered through the Palo Alto Networks Application Framework, enables organizations to rapidly identify and prevent behavior-based threats. The application, along with the Palo Alto Networks Logging Service and Palo Alto Networks physical and virtual firewalls, enables customers to collect telemetry data and automate analysis to prevent threats while eliminating supplemental networking devices and costly on-premise logging servers. Launched Logging Service in Europe : This service, which mirrors the Logging Service previously announced in the U.S., enables customers to collect large amounts of their own security data from Palo Alto Networks devices, making large-scale log collection affordable while addressing data privacy and location concerns for many European organizations. All data sent to the Logging Service in Europe will be stored within a data center in the EU.
This service, which mirrors the Logging Service previously announced in the U.S., enables customers to collect large amounts of their own security data from Palo Alto Networks devices, making large-scale log collection affordable while addressing data privacy and location concerns for many European organizations. All data sent to the Logging Service in will be stored within a data center in the EU. Achieved Amazon Web Services Networking Competency status: This competency complements our Amazon Web Services Security Competency, achieved in 2016, and recognizes that we provide proven technology and deep expertise to help customers adopt, develop, deploy and secure networks in AWS.
This competency complements our Amazon Web Services Security Competency, achieved in 2016, and recognizes that we provide proven technology and deep expertise to help customers adopt, develop, deploy and secure networks in AWS. Launched global Cyber Range initiative and facilities: Through our new Cyber Range initiative and facilities, cybersecurity professionals can build on their understanding of today's most advanced threats; improve their internal team communications and processes; and enhance skills in identifying and preventing threats with real-time use of the Palo Alto Networks Next-Generation Security Platform. Our inaugural facility opened this quarter in Amsterdam with additional site openings planned throughout the year.
Through our new Cyber Range initiative and facilities, cybersecurity professionals can build on their understanding of today's most advanced threats; improve their internal team communications and processes; and enhance skills in identifying and preventing threats with real-time use of the Palo Alto Networks Next-Generation Security Platform. Our inaugural facility opened this quarter in with additional site openings planned throughout the year. Announced the appointment of chief accounting officer: Today the company announced that Jean Compeau , formerly senior vice president, accounting and corporate controller, has been named chief accounting officer with ongoing responsibility for accounting and tax functions. Ms. Compeau, who joined the company in 2012, has 20 years' business experience, having held several senior accounting or corporate controller positions at various technology companies. She holds a B.A. degree in Business Economics from UCLA and is a certified public accountant (inactive) in California .
Financial Outlook
Palo Alto Networks provides guidance based on current market conditions and expectations.
Fiscal third quarter 2018 and fiscal year 2018 guidance includes the company's new non-GAAP effective tax rate under the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. The new quarterly non-GAAP effective tax rate is 22 percent, a reduction from our previously guided non-GAAP effective tax rate of 31 percent.
For the fiscal third quarter 2018, we expect:
Total revenue in the range of $538 to $548 million , representing year-over-year growth between 25 percent and 27 percent. Product revenue in the range of $193 to $196 million , representing year-over-year growth between 18 percent and 19 percent.
to , representing year-over-year growth between 25 percent and 27 percent. Product revenue in the range of to , representing year-over-year growth between 18 percent and 19 percent. Total billings in the range of $665 to $680 million , representing year-over-year growth between 22 percent and 25 percent.
to , representing year-over-year growth between 22 percent and 25 percent. Diluted non-GAAP net income per share in the range of $0.94 to $0.96 using 94.5 to 96.5 million shares; this includes an approximately $0.11 benefit from the new non-GAAP effective tax rate of 22 percent.
For the fiscal year 2018, we expect:
Total revenue in the range of $2.190 to $2.220 billion , representing year-over-year growth between 24 percent and 26 percent. Product revenue in the range of $810 to $820 million , representing year-over-year growth between 14 percent and 16 percent.
to , representing year-over-year growth between 24 percent and 26 percent. Product revenue in the range of to , representing year-over-year growth between 14 percent and 16 percent. Total billings in the range of $2.715 to $2.770 billion , representing year-over-year growth between 18 percent and 21 percent.
to , representing year-over-year growth between 18 percent and 21 percent. A full-year weighted average non-GAAP effective tax rate of approximately 24 percent, which includes fiscal first quarter 2018 at the prior non-GAAP effective tax rate of 31 percent and the remainder of the year at the new, lower non-GAAP effective tax rate of 22 percent.
Using this tax range, diluted non-GAAP net income per share in the range of $3.84 to $3.91 using 94 to 96 million shares; this includes an approximately $0.36 benefit from the new full-year non-GAAP effective tax rate.
Guidance for non-GAAP financial measures excludes share-based compensation related charges including share-based payroll tax expense, acquisition related costs, amortization expense of acquired intangible assets, litigation-related charges including legal settlements, facility exit costs, non-cash interest expense related to our convertible senior notes, foreign currency gains (losses) and income and other tax effects associated with these items, and certain non-recurring expenses. We have not reconciled diluted non-GAAP net income per share guidance to GAAP net income (loss) per diluted share because we do not provide guidance on GAAP net income (loss) and would not be able to present the various reconciling cash and non-cash items between GAAP net income (loss) and non-GAAP net income, including share-based compensation expense, without unreasonable effort. Share-based compensation expense is impacted by the company's future hiring and retention needs and, to a lesser extent, the future fair market value of the company's common stock, all of which is difficult to predict and subject to constant change. The actual amounts of such reconciling items will have a significant impact on the company's GAAP net income (loss) per diluted share.
Conference Call Information
Palo Alto Networks will host a conference call for analysts and investors to discuss its fiscal second quarter 2018 results and outlook for its fiscal third quarter and full fiscal year 2018 today at 4:30 p.m. Eastern time/1:30 p.m. Pacific time. Open to the public, investors may access the call by dialing 1-877-397-0272 or 1-719-325-2464 and using conference ID 3106318. A live audio webcast of the conference call, along with supplemental financial information, will also be accessible from the "Investors" section of our website at investors.paloaltonetworks.com. Following the webcast, an archived version will be available on our website for one year. A telephonic replay of the call will be available three hours after the call, will run for ten days, and may be accessed by dialing 1-888-203-1112 or 1-719-457-0820 and entering the passcode 3106318.
Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties, including statements regarding our future financial and operating performance, including our financial outlook for the fiscal third quarter and full fiscal year 2018, our expectations related to the impact of the recently passed Tax Cuts and Jobs Act on our effective tax rate, and our expectations regarding the benefits of new subscription offerings and the effectiveness of our offerings to perform as intended. There are a significant number of factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from statements made in this press release, including: our limited operating history; our ability to identify and effectively implement the necessary changes to address execution challenges; risks associated with managing our rapid growth; organizational changes; the risks associated with new products and subscription and support offerings, including the discovery of software bugs; our ability to attract and retain new customers; delays in the development or release of new subscription offerings, or the failure to timely develop and achieve market acceptance of new products and subscriptions as well as existing products and subscription and support offerings; rapidly evolving technological developments in the market for network security products and subscription and support offerings; length of sales cycles; and general market, political, economic and business conditions.
Additional risks and uncertainties that could affect our financial results are included under the captions "Risk Factors" and "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations" in our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q filed with the SEC on November 21, 2017, which is available on our website at investors.paloaltonetworks.com and on the SEC's website at www.sec.gov. Additional information will also be set forth in other filings that we make with the SEC from time to time. All forward-looking statements in this press release are based on information available to us as of the date hereof, and we do not assume any obligation to update the forward-looking statements provided to reflect events that occur or circumstances that exist after the date on which they were made.
Non-GAAP Financial Measures and Other Key Metrics
Palo Alto Networks has provided in this press release financial information that has not been prepared in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles in the United States (GAAP). The company uses these non-GAAP financial measures and key metrics internally in analyzing its financial results and believes that the use of these non-GAAP financial measures and key metrics is useful to investors as an additional tool to evaluate ongoing operating results and trends, and in comparing the company's financial results with other companies in its industry, many of which present similar non-GAAP financial measures or key metrics.
The presentation of these non-GAAP financial measures and key metrics are not meant to be considered in isolation or as a substitute for comparable GAAP financial measures, and should be read only in conjunction with the company's consolidated financial statements prepared in accordance with GAAP. A reconciliation of the company's historical non-GAAP financial measures and key metrics to their most directly comparable GAAP measures has been provided in the financial statement tables included in this press release, and investors are encouraged to review these reconciliations.
Non-GAAP net income and net income per share, diluted. Palo Alto Networks defines non-GAAP net income as net income (loss) plus share-based compensation related charges including share-based payroll tax expense, acquisition related costs, amortization expense of acquired intangible assets, litigation related charges including legal settlements, facility exit costs, non-cash interest expense related to the company's convertible senior notes, and intellectual property restructuring related charges. The company also excludes from non-GAAP net income the foreign currency gains (losses) and tax effects associated with these items in order to provide a complete picture of the company's recurring core business operating results. The company defines non-GAAP net income per share, diluted, as non-GAAP net income divided by the weighted average diluted shares outstanding, which includes the potentially dilutive effect of the company's employee equity incentive plan awards and the company's convertible senior notes outstanding, after giving effect to the anti-dilutive impact of the company's note hedge agreements, which reduces the potential economic dilution that otherwise would occur upon conversion of the company's convertible senior notes. Under GAAP, the anti-dilutive impact of the note hedge is not reflected in diluted shares outstanding. The company believes that excluding these items from non-GAAP net income and non-GAAP net income per share, diluted, provides management and investors with greater visibility into the underlying performance of the company's core business operating results, meaning its operating performance excluding these items and, from time to time, other discrete charges that are infrequent in nature, over multiple periods.
Billings. Palo Alto Networks defines billings as total revenue plus the change in total deferred revenue, net of acquired deferred revenue, during the period. The company considers billings to be a key metric used by management to manage the company's business given the company's hybrid-SaaS revenue model, and believes billings provides investors with an important indicator of the health and visibility of the company's business because it includes subscription and support revenue, which is recognized ratably over the contractual service period, and product revenue, which is recognized at the time of shipment, provided that all other revenue recognition criteria have been met. The company considers billings to be a useful metric for management and investors, particularly if sales of subscriptions continue to increase and the company experiences strong renewal rates for subscriptions and support.
Free cash flow. Palo Alto Networks defines free cash flow as cash provided by operating activities less purchases of property, equipment, and other assets. The company considers free cash flow to be a profitability and liquidity measure that provides useful information to management and investors about the amount of cash generated by the business after necessary capital expenditures.
Investors are cautioned that there are a number of limitations associated with the use of non-GAAP financial measures and key metrics as analytical tools. In particular, the billings metric reported by the company includes amounts that have not yet been recognized as revenue, and free cash flow does not represent the total increase or decrease in our cash balance for the period. In addition, many of the adjustments to the company's GAAP financial measures reflect the exclusion of items that are recurring and will be reflected in the company's financial results for the foreseeable future, such as share-based compensation, which is an important part of Palo Alto Networks employees' compensation and impacts their performance. Furthermore, these non-GAAP financial measures are not based on any standardized methodology prescribed by GAAP, and the components that Palo Alto Networks excludes in its calculation of non-GAAP financial measures may differ from the components that its peer companies exclude when they report their non-GAAP results of operations. Palo Alto Networks compensates for these limitations by providing specific information regarding the GAAP amounts excluded from these non-GAAP financial measures. In the future, the company may also exclude non-recurring expenses and other expenses that do not reflect the company's core business operating results.
About Palo Alto Networks
Palo Alto Networks is the next-generation security company, leading a new era in cybersecurity by safely enabling applications and preventing cyber breaches for tens of thousands of organizations worldwide. Built with an innovative approach and highly differentiated cyberthreat prevention capabilities, our game-changing security platform delivers security far superior to legacy or point products, safely enables daily business operations, and protects an organization's most valuable assets. Find out more at www.paloaltonetworks.com.
Palo Alto Networks and the Palo Alto Networks logo are trademarks of Palo Alto Networks, Inc. in the United States and in jurisdictions throughout the world. All other trademarks, trade names or service marks used or mentioned herein belong to their respective owners.
Palo Alto Networks, Inc. Preliminary Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations (In millions, except per share data) (Unaudited)
Three Months Ended January 31,
Six Months Ended January 31,
2018
2017
2018
2017 Revenue:
Product $ 202.2
$ 168.8
$ 388.7
$ 332.6
Subscription and support 340.2
253.8
659.2
488.1
Total revenue 542.4
422.6
1,047.9
820.7
Cost of revenue:
Product 63.9
45.8
121.5
88.0
Subscription and support 95.4
67.4
179.2
126.4
Total cost of revenue 159.3
113.2
300.7
214.4
Total gross profit 383.1
309.4
747.2
606.3
Operating expenses:
Research and development 96.6
89.9
190.8
174.1
Sales and marketing 265.0
226.7
523.5
446.8
General and administrative 53.3
47.2
119.0
88.8
Total operating expenses 414.9
363.8
833.3
709.7
Operating loss (31.8)
(54.4)
(86.1)
(103.4)
Interest expense (6.4)
(6.1)
(12.7)
(12.1)
Other income, net 4.9
2.7
9.7
5.2
Loss before income taxes (33.3)
(57.8)
(89.1)
(110.3)
Provision for income taxes 1.6
2.8
9.8
7.2
Net loss $ (34.9)
$ (60.6)
$ (98.9)
$ (117.5)
Net loss per share, basic and diluted $ (0.38)
$ (0.67)
$ (1.09)
$ (1.30)
Weighted-average shares used to compute net loss per share, basic and diluted 91.1
90.7
91.0
90.2
Palo Alto Networks, Inc. Reconciliation of GAAP to Non-GAAP Financial Measures (In millions, except per share amounts) (Unaudited)
Three Months Ended
Six Months Ended
January 31,
January 31,
2018
2017
2018
2017 GAAP net loss $ (34.9)
$ (60.6)
$ (98.9)
$ (117.5)
Share-based compensation related charges 136.3
131.8
265.2
247.4
Acquisition related costs
0.7
0.7
Amortization expense of acquired intangible assets 2.5
2.0
5.0
4.1
Litigation related charges(1) 3.0
3.0
6.1
6.1
Facility exit costs(2) 1.4
17.0
Non-cash interest expense related to convertible notes 6.4
6.1
12.7
12.1
Foreign currency loss associated with non-GAAP adjustments 1.0
0.6
1.5
0.4
Income tax and other tax adjustments related to the above(3) (24.2)
(24.0)
(47.3)
(42.5)
Non-GAAP net income $ 91.5
$ 59.6
$ 161.3
$ 110.8
Income tax benefit from Tax Cuts and Jobs Act(3) (10.6)
Non-GAAP net income, excluding impact of Tax Cuts and Jobs Act(3) $ 80.9
GAAP net loss per share, diluted $ (0.38)
$ (0.67)
$ (1.09)
$ (1.30)
Share-based compensation related charges 1.46
1.42
2.86
2.69
Acquisition related costs 0.00
0.01
0.00
0.01
Amortization expense of acquired intangible assets 0.03
0.02
0.05
0.05
Litigation related charges(1) 0.03
0.03
0.07
0.07
Facility exit costs(2) 0.02
0.00
0.19
0.00
Non-cash interest expense related to convertible notes 0.07
0.07
0.14
0.13
Foreign currency loss associated with non-GAAP adjustments 0.01
0.01
0.02
0.00
Income tax and other tax adjustments related to the above(3) (0.27)
(0.26)
(0.52)
(0.47)
Non-GAAP net income per share, diluted $ 0.97
$ 0.63
$ 1.72
$ 1.18
Income tax benefit from Tax Cuts and Jobs Act(3) (0.11)
Non-GAAP net income per share, diluted, excluding impact of Tax Cuts and Jobs Act(3) $ 0.86
GAAP weighted-average shares used to compute net loss per share, diluted 91.1
90.7
91.0
90.2
Weighted-average effect of potentially dilutive securities(4) 2.8
3.2
2.8
3.6
Non-GAAP weighted-average shares used to compute net income per share, diluted 93.9
93.9
93.8
93.8
Net cash provided by operating activities $ 243.7
$ 214.3
$ 517.8
$ 417.8
Less: purchases of property, equipment, and other assets 25.6
44.7
57.8
65.6
Free cash flow (non-GAAP) $ 218.1
$ 169.6
$ 460.0
$ 352.2
Net cash used in investing activities $ (36.1)
$ (173.1)
$ (88.5)
$ (244.3)
Net cash used in financing activities $ (135.2)
$ (119.2)
$ (258.6)
$ (146.5)
___________
(1) Consists of the amortization of intellectual property licenses.
(2) Consists of charges related to the relocation of the company's corporate headquarters during the three months ended October 31, 2017, including a cease-use loss of $15.4 million and accelerated depreciation, and charges related to the relocation of the company's research and development center in Israel during the three months ended January 31, 2018, including a cease-use loss of $1.3 million and accelerated depreciation.
(3) The company changed its non-GAAP effective tax rate from 31% to 22% in its second quarter of fiscal 2018 due to the reduction of the U.S. federal corporate income tax rate under the U.S. Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, which was enacted into law on December 22, 2017.
(4) Non-GAAP net income per share, diluted, includes the potentially dilutive effect of employee equity incentive plan awards and convertible senior notes outstanding. In addition, non-GAAP net income per share, diluted, includes the anti-dilutive impact of the company's note hedge agreements, which reduced the potentially dilutive effect of the convertible notes by 1.4 million shares and 1.4 million shares for the three and six months ended January 31, 2018, respectively, and 0.9 million shares and 1.2 million shares for the three and six months ended January 31, 2017, respectively.
Palo Alto Networks, Inc. Calculation of Billings (In millions) (Unaudited)
Three Months Ended
Six Months Ended
January 31,
January 31,
2018
2017
2018
2017 Total revenue $ 542.4
$ 422.6
$ 1,047.9
$ 820.7
Add: change in total deferred revenue, net of acquired deferred revenue 132.2
139.0
223.2
257.8
Billings $ 674.6
$ 561.6
$ 1,271.1
$ 1,078.5
Palo Alto Networks, Inc. Preliminary Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets (In millions) (Unaudited)
January 31, 2018
July 31, 2017 Assets
Current assets:
Cash and cash equivalents $ 915.0
$ 744.3
Short-term investments 720.7
630.7
Accounts receivable, net 365.1
432.1
Prepaid expenses and other current assets 209.4
169.2
Total current assets 2,210.2
1,976.3
Property and equipment, net 264.7
211.1
Long-term investments 722.3
789.3
Goodwill 238.8
238.8
Intangible assets, net 48.3
53.7
Other assets 143.2
169.1
Total assets $ 3,627.5
$ 3,438.3
Liabilities, temporary equity, and stockholders' equity
Current liabilities:
Accounts payable $ 33.4
$ 35.5
Accrued compensation 113.2
117.5
Accrued and other liabilities 83.6
79.9
Deferred revenue 1,088.8
968.4
Convertible senior notes, net 537.4
Total current liabilities 1,856.4
1,201.3
Convertible senior notes, net
524.7
Long-term deferred revenue 907.9
805.1
Other long-term liabilities 196.6
147.6
Temporary equity 33.5
Stockholders' equity:
Preferred stock
Common stock and additional paid-in capital 1,575.9
1,599.7
Accumulated other comprehensive loss (7.2)
(3.4)
Accumulated deficit (935.6)
(836.7)
Total stockholders' equity 633.1
759.6
Total liabilities, temporary equity, and stockholders' equity $ 3,627.5
$ 3,438.3
Palo Alto Networks, Inc. Preliminary Condensed Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows (In millions) (Unaudited)
Six Months Ended January 31,
2018
2017 Cash flows from operating activities
Net loss $ (98.9)
$ (117.5)
Adjustments to reconcile net loss to net cash provided by operating activities:
Share-based compensation for equity based awards 256.5
240.6
Depreciation and amortization 43.4
28.0
Cease-use loss related to facility exit 16.7
Amortization of debt discount and debt issuance costs 12.7
12.1
Amortization of investment premiums, net of accretion of purchase discounts 0.6
1.4
Changes in operating assets and liabilities:
Accounts receivable, net 67.0
(37.3)
Prepaid expenses and other assets (39.0)
(3.8)
Accounts payable (6.4)
0.2
Accrued compensation (4.3)
5.3
Accrued and other liabilities 46.3
31.0
Deferred revenue 223.2
257.8
Net cash provided by operating activities(1) 517.8
417.8
Cash flows from investing activities
Purchases of investments (372.5)
(562.7)
Proceeds from maturities of investments 341.8
384.0
Purchases of property, equipment, and other assets (57.8)
(65.6)
Net cash used in investing activities (88.5)
(244.3)
Cash flows from financing activities
Repurchases of common stock (259.1)
(170.1)
Proceeds from sales of shares through employee equity incentive plans 23.4
23.6
Payments for taxes related to net share settlement of equity awards (22.9)
Net cash used in financing activities (258.6)
(146.5)
Net increase in cash and cash equivalents 170.7
27.0
Cash and cash equivalents - beginning of period 744.3
734.4
Cash and cash equivalents - end of period $ 915.0
$ 761.4
Non-cash investing and financing activities
Property and equipment acquired through lease incentives $ 37.8
$
___________
(1) Cash provided by operating activities for the six months ended January 31, 2018 includes the receipt of an upfront cash reimbursement of $38.2 million from the company's landlords during the three months ended October 31, 2017, in connection with the exercise of their option to amend the lease payment schedules and eliminate the rent holiday periods under certain of the company's lease agreements. The upfront cash reimbursement will be applied against rental payments due in fiscal years 2018 through 2020 under the amended lease agreements.
SOURCE Palo Alto Networks, Inc.
Related Links
http://www.paloaltonetworks.com
BELLEVUE, Wash., Feb. 26, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Paul Gauguin Cruises (www.pgcruises.com), operator of the highest-rated and longest continually sailing luxury cruise ship in the South Pacific, the m/s Paul Gauguin, announces a Two-Week Sale on select 2018 Tahiti, French Polynesia, and South Pacific voyages.
Paul Gauguin Cruises is offering savings of up to $2,900* per person off select luxury voyages aboard The Gauguin when booked between February 26 and March 10, 2018. Roundtrip airfare between Los Angeles and Papeete, Tahiti, is also included. On board, guests will enjoy the highest standards of luxury, quality, and all-inclusive value sailing to South Pacific destinations that are the cruise line's specialty. Qualifying voyages are:
Tahiti & the Society Islands (7 nights):
May 5 , 12, 2018 now from only
, 12, 2018 now from only $5,695 $4,695 per person June 23 ; September 1, 2018 now from only $5,845 $4,795 per person
Society Islands & Tahiti Iti (7 nights):
June 30, 2018 now from only $5,845 $4,795 per person
Society Islands & Tuamotus (10 nights):
June 6, 2018 now from only $6,045 $4,995 per person
Marquesas, Tuamotus & Society Islands (14 nights):
August 11, 2018 now from only $7,645 $6,145 per person
On The Gauguin, nearly 70% of suites and staterooms offer balconies. Dining experiences include L'Etoile, which showcases an array of culinary creations expertly prepared each evening. The ship's other two dining venues, La Veranda and Le Grill, serve breakfast and lunch. At night, signature dishes designed by French celebrity chef Jean-Pierre Vigato are offered in La Veranda, and Polynesian specialties are served poolside at Le Grill.
Les Gauguines and Les Gauguinsa troupe of Tahitian entertainersprovide enriching experiences of the destinations throughout each voyage. The Gauguin features expert lecturers on each voyage and special guests on select sailings conducting presentations on topics ranging from the history of the South Pacific to conservation, culture, marine life, and the wonders of coral reefs. A luxurious spa, fitness center, watersports marina, and expansive outdoor decks with chaise lounges and a pool are also available aboard The Gauguin.
One of the highlights of each sailing is exclusive access to Motu Mahana, the cruise line's private islet off the coast of Taha'a where guests can enjoy sunbathing, swimming, snorkeling, kayaking, Polynesian activities, a full-service bar, a floating lagoon bar, and a delicious barbecue. In Bora Bora, guests can enjoy complimentary access to a private, white-sand beach with beach volleyball, sunbathing, snorkeling, paddleboarding, and refreshments.
For more information or reservations, contact a professional travel agent, call 1-800-848-6172, or visit www.pgcruises.com.
*All fares are in US dollars, per person, based on double occupancy in lowest stateroom category, and reflect promotional savings, are for new bookings only, are subject to availability, and must be booked by March 10, 2018. Offer may be combined with applicable 3rd guest in stateroom offer and applicable past guest savings but may not be combined with other offers. Port, security, and handling charges of $139-$275 per person are additional. Additional terms and conditions may apply. Call for details. For full terms and conditions, visit www.pgcruises.com.
About Paul Gauguin Cruises
Owned by Pacific Beachcomber S.C., French Polynesia's leading luxury hotel and cruise operator, Paul Gauguin Cruises operates the 5+-star cruise ship, the 332-guest m/s Paul Gauguin, providing a deluxe cruise experience tailored to the unparalleled wonders of Tahiti, French Polynesia, and the South Pacific. Paul Gauguin Cruises has been recognized by notable publications in travel and lifestyle and was voted "#1 Midsize-Ship Ocean Cruise Line" by readers in the Travel + Leisure World's Best Awards 2017. The line was also recognized as one of the "Top Small Cruise Lines" in the Conde Nast Traveler 2017 Readers' Choice Awards and is honored on the publication's 2018 "Gold List." Paul Gauguin Cruises was also selected as "Best Small-Ship Cruise Line" in Global Traveler's Leisure Lifestyle Awards in 2016 and 2017, and received top honors as the "#1 Cruise Line for Honeymooners" in BRIDES Magazine's 2017 Honeymoon Awards.
Media Contact:
Vanessa Bloy
Paul Gauguin Cruises
Director of Public Relations
(425) 440-6255
[email protected]
From Travel + Leisure Magazine, August 2017 Time Inc. Affluent Media Group. Used under license. Travel + Leisure and Time Inc. Affluent Media Group are not affiliated with, and do not endorse products or services of, Paul Gauguin Cruises.
SOURCE Paul Gauguin Cruises
Related Links
http://www.pgcruises.com
Pavemint, which launched in October of last year in Los Angeles, is a peer-to-peer app that connects people looking for parking with residents and business owners who have spaces to share, helping them arrive happier and faster. With the spirit of their mission in mind, the app decided to focus on celebrating the diligent drivers and crew who helped ensure that everything ran in a smooth and timely fashion at this year's Critics' Choice Awards, with gifts perfectly suited to their needs.
In addition to a gift bag of assorted gourmet organic snacks for them to enjoy during their long work day, Pavemint provided each person with $1,000 of free parking, available for use at Pavemint's 4,000+ spaces across LA.
The company documented the heartwarming reactions to the gifting escapade in their new YouTube video.
Pavemint hopes that their campaign provides an incentive for Hollywood to pay it forward, during both the Academy Awards and future awards seasons, and give their own thanks to the people working tirelessly behind the curtains.
About Pavemint:
Pavemint is a new Los Angeles-based startup that seeks to revolutionize the parking industry. Their innovative peer-to-peer web and mobile-based platforms allow residents or business owners ("Hosts") to list their spare parking space(s), which can then be rented by other users in need of a place to park ("Guests"). Hosts can download the free app or log in to the web dashboard to list their space in minutes, with full control over availability, rates and a number of other customizable parameters. Guests can seek out and reserve parking as far as 12 months in advance or search for available, nearby parking on demand. The app makes it easy to compare real-time prices, read reviews and get walk times to Guests' final destinations, so they can find the perfect space for their needs, all while generating Hosts substantial revenue and reducing the traffic and CO2 emissions caused by traditional parking.
Pavemint, LLC is headquartered in Hollywood, California and incorporated in Houston, Texas.
Contact:
Lauren Hoover
213-444-9055
[email protected]
www.pavemint.com
www.instagram.com/pavemint
www.twitter.com/pavemint
www.facebook.com/pavemint
SOURCE Pavemint
Related Links
http://pavemint.com
NASHUA, N.H., Feb. 26, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Plexxi, the leader in Hyperconverged Networking (HCN), announced today that CRN , a brand of The Channel Company, has named Plexxi to its 2018 Data Center 100 list. This annual list recognizes technology suppliers that excel at powering, supporting and protecting the complex and demanding data centers on which today's businesses rely. This is the second time Plexxi has been named to the CRN Data Center 100 list. Once again, Plexxi was recognized on the list of top Software Defined Data Center companies.
CRN editors select companies for the Data Center 100 list on the basis of multiple criteria, including each company's overall impact on the market, its influence on the channel as a whole, and the types of technology and services it makes available to its partners.
As a leader in HCN for data center fabrics, Plexxi's offers an optimized and workload driven network operating environment for agile data centers. The Plexxi fabric concurrently optimizes for classic client-server and modern scale-out applications enabling customers to run any workload anywhere in the data center. Thanks to Plexxi's unique, distributed virtual spine technology, customers can now build truly flat, large scale cloud fabrics with the agility, performance and low linear port costs.
In addition to recognizing technology suppliers for outstanding products and services, the Data Center 100 serves as a valuable guide for solution providers looking for best-in-class vendors providing data center infrastructure, data center management tools, software-defined data center technology and data center services.
"CRN's Data Center 100 vendors are aptly recognized for their best-in-class technologies and services, which enable solution providers to drive greater innovation, efficiency and profit in the data center," said Bob Skelley, CEO, The Channel Company. "The 2018 list identifies the current top vendors in this vital market, helping solution providers find proven data center experts who can deliver the depth and breadth of materials, services and expert guidance required to meet their customers' needs."
"There is no doubt that Plexxi is setting a new standard for data center network technology and application awareness," said Denis Vilfort, Vice President of Marketing at Plexxi. "Plexxi's innovative HCN strategy empowers companies to leverage a true public cloud experience in their private data center cloud, and increase business agility, efficiency and automation. While network innovation from traditional vendors has been stalling over the last decade, Plexxi's new vision for the modern data center fabric is now accelerating how quickly companies deploy applications and draw business value from their data."
The Data Center 100 list will be featured in the February 2018 issue of CRN and online at www.crn.com/datacenter100.
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@TheChannelCo names @PlexxiIncto @CRN 2018 Data Center 100 list #CRNDataCenter100 www.crn.com/datacenter100
About Plexxi
Plexxi leads the industry in hyperconverged network infrastructure (HCN) for data center fabrics. Plexxi HCN leverages fabric path diversity to build dynamic and robust networks that are finely tuned for mixed workloads. Plexxi's unique distributed virtual spine technology enables customers to build truly flat scale-out data centers fabrics at predictable low cost with the agility and performance of the cloud. Headquartered in Nashua, N.H., Plexxi investors include GV (formerly Google Ventures), Lightspeed Venture Partners, Matrix Partners and North Bridge Venture Partners. For more information, visit www.plexxi.com and follow us on Twitter @PlexxiInc.
Plexxi and Plexxi HCN are trademarks or registered trademarks of Plexxi, Inc. All other company and product names are the trademark and copyright of their respective owners.
About the Channel Company
The Channel Company enables breakthrough IT channel performance with our dominant media, engaging events, expert consulting and education, and innovative marketing services and platforms. As the channel catalyst, we connect and empower technology suppliers, solution providers and end users. Backed by more than 30 years of unequaled channel experience, we draw from our deep knowledge to envision innovative new solutions for ever-evolving challenges in the technology marketplace. www.thechannelco.com
PR Contacts:
Melanie Turpin
The Channel Company
(508) 416-1195
[email protected]
Jackie D'Andrea
InkHouse
(781) 966-4143
[email protected]
SOURCE Plexxi
Related Links
http://www.plexxi.com
NEWARK, Calif., Feb. 26, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Mobile World Congress 2018 -- Qnovo, the leading innovator of software to enhance battery performance, today announced a new platform to assist mobile device OEMs in addressing battery-related health challenges in the field. Qnovo Analytics adds another innovation beyond the company's patented adaptive charging technology that has shipped in more than 25 million smartphones.
Qnovo Analytics (QNA) is the first predictive cloud-based platform that empowers OEMs to view the battery performance and health of all devices in their networks and make critical decisions about potential future health hazards. Qnovo algorithms continuously monitor battery health at the chemical level and provide diagnostic analysis using proprietary models to diagnose consumer battery issues.
Qnovo Analytics utilizes predictive models to give OEMs a controlled view of future risks. QNA is uniquely able to predict future battery health, enabling OEMs to take control of the fielded mobile batteries through an intuitive cloud-based platform.
Qnovo Analytics as a cloud layer is designed to complement our device-resident adaptive charging softward QNS and QNI to offer mobile device OEMs a complete solution to improve battery performance and health.
Availability and MWC Demo
Qnovo will be demonstrating the Qnovo Analytics Dashboard at the upcoming Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain running from February 26-March 1, 2018. To request a demonstration please contact [email protected].
About Qnovo
Qnovo is reinventing one of the most basic foundations of energy storage and mobility the battery and how it is charged. Qnovo develops innovative and patented adaptive charging algorithms and analytics that improve lifetime battery performance with enhanced safety. By augmenting battery chemistry with software, Qnovo enables batteries to charge faster, with more daily use and longer lifespan. Follow us on Twitter (https://twitter.com/qnovocorp ) and our Blog (https://qnovo.com/qnovation-blog/ ).
Contact [email protected] for additional information.
SOURCE Qnovo
Related Links
https://qnovo.com
Industry leaders from 35 countries and 6 continents to attend one of the largest metals and mining conferences in the world
Company presentations accessible via Webcast
BMO Research analysts available for comment
TORONTO and NEW YORK, Feb. 20, 2018 /PRNewswire/ - BMO Capital Markets will host its 27th Global Metals & Mining Conference from February 25 to February 28, 2018 in Hollywood, Florida.
The annual conference brings together metals and mining industry leaders and institutional investors from around the world more than 1,500 professionals representing approximately 500 organizations from 35 countries and 6 continents. The event is considered a barometer of industry sentiment for the year to come, featuring presentations from some of the world's largest metals and mining companies.
"The BMO Global Metals & Mining Conference is a testament to our unwavering commitment to the sector. Our firm has been a dominant force in metals and mining for more than a century, serving clients in achieving their strategic objectives," said Jamie Rogers, Co-Head of Global Metals and Mining, BMO Capital Markets.
"Year after year, we look forward to hosting senior executives and investors in the industry at our flagship event, reinforcing the thought leadership and deep sector knowledge associated with BMO Capital Markets," said Ilan Bahar, Co-Head of Global Metals and Mining, BMO Capital Markets. "We're expecting a record number of attendees this year, reflecting the depth and breadth of our metals and mining franchise."
Some of the companies scheduled to share insights at the conference include:
Agnico-Eagle Mines (AEM)
Alcoa (AA)
Anglo American (AAL)
(AAL) Antofagasta (ANTO)
(ANTO) Barrick Gold (ABX)
(ABX) BHP Billiton (BLT)
Cameco (CCO)
First Quantum Minerals (FM)
Franco- Nevada (FNV)
(FNV) Freeport-McMoRan (FCX)
FMC (FMC)
Fortescue (FMG)
Glencore (GLEN)
Goldcorp (GG)
Ivanhoe (IVN)
Kinross Gold (KGC)
(KGC) Lundin Mining (LUN)
Mosaic (MOS)
Newmont Mining (NEM)
Nutrien (NTR)
Randgold Resources (RRS)
Rio Tinto (RIO)
Royal Gold (RGLD)
(RGLD) Wheaton Precious Metals (WPM)
Steel Dynamics (STLD)
Teck Resources (TECK)
Global Finance Magazine recently recognised BMO Capital Markets as the best investment bank for metals and mining in the world for the 9th consecutive year.
The event is hosted by the BMO Capital Markets' Metals & Mining Equity Research team (with analysts in Toronto, London and New York covering more than 135 publicly-listed companies, making it one of the largest metals, mining and fertilizer research groups in the world).
News media who would like a copy of the agenda, access to Webcast presentations, or to request a telephone interview about the conference and market sentiment are asked to please contact BMO Media Relations (information below).
About BMO Capital Markets
BMO Capital Markets is a leading, full-service North American-based financial services provider, with approximately 2,500 professionals in 30 locations around the world, including 16 offices in North America, offering corporate, institutional and government clients access to a complete range of investment and corporate banking products and services. BMO Capital Markets is a member of BMO Financial Group (NYSE, TSX: BMO), one of the largest diversified financial services providers in North America with US$550 billion total assets and over 45,000 employees as at October 31, 2017.
SOURCE BMO Financial Group
Related Links
http://www.bmo.com
SPRINGFIELD, N.J., Feb. 26, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, Revival Sash, a leading provider of custom luxury windows and doors, announced an investment led by Kazazian Asset Management, LLC, a New York-based investment firm and Duck Pond LLC. Pleotint LLC, the parent company of Thompson I.G, and Revival Sash's previous investor, will retain a minority investment partnership going forward.
Headquartered in New York, NY with a manufacturing facility in Springfield, NJ, Revival Sash provides custom design and manufacturing of windows and doors for the most discerning contractors and architects in the world. Revival Sash is helmed by an executive team of proven entrepreneurs with deep experience in the windows manufacturing and woodworking industry as well as the luxury consumer products sector.
"We couldn't be more excited about this next phase of growth and innovation for our business," said Peter Manning, Founding Partner of Revival Sash. "This partnership will allow us to accelerate our mission to provide the best possible American craftsmanship for our customers. We help architects and contractors solve challenges, and deliver world class windows and doors to the most exclusive addresses in the world."
"Revival Sash has positioned itself as a leader in the luxury windows market," expressed Kirk Kazazian, founder and Portfolio Manager of Kazazian Asset Management, LLC. "We are looking forward to partnering with the team as they scale their business."
"We are pleased to support Revival's substantial capital investment in smart manufacturing technology to support its custom American woodworking," added Jason Eiswerth, Managing Member of Duck Pond LLC.
About Revival Sash
Revival Sash leverages a distributed manufacturing network in Europe and North America, allowing for unrivalled scale of production. The addition of Springfield ensures American made products shall form the core of the Revival product offering.
Revival features a senior team of industry veterans that have been designing and manufacturing exquisite wood windows and doors for decades, producing hundreds of millions of dollars of the finest, 100% custom, product in the market.
About Kazazian Asset Management, LLC
Kazazian Asset Management, LLC (KAM) was founded by Kirk Kazazian in 2005 to allow close friends and family to invest capital alongside him. The company primarily invests in equities, but also encompasses preferred stock, corporate debt, and private direct loans. KAM has expanded to invest money for high net worth individuals, foundations, and multi-billion dollar family offices.
SOURCE Revival Sash
MIAMI, Feb. 26, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Rokk3r Labs, LLC, a company builder with international operations headquartered in Miami, jointly announced today with Eight Dragons Company (OTC: EDRG and "Rokk3r"), its launch of a company building platform under the Rokk3r brand. EDRG is in the process of changing its name and trading symbol following Rokk3r Labs acquisition of a controlling interest in EDRG as previously reported by EDRG in its filing on Form 8-K as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. EDRG has begun operations under the Rokk3r name.
Led by Rokk3r Labs partners Nabyl Charania and German Montoya, along with Rokk3r Fuel ExO General Partner Jeff Ransdell, the launch is designed to leverage the Rokk3r team's experience of cobuilding and investing in a portfolio of over 40 companies including AdMobilize and HYP3R, to provide a risk mitigated approach to company building globally and expand its operations virtually.
Rokk3r plans to expand its virtual company builder operations globally, providing a comprehensive digital platform encompassing education, idea validation, funding, team matching, and access to experts, mentors, and advisors needed to cobuild exponential companies. Rokk3r plans to utilize a blockchain based operating system utilizing hybrid human and machine intelligence that leverages smart contracts and cryptocurrencies to enable a trusted global entrepreneurial marketplace. Rokk3r plans to provide blockchain acceleration services including distributed ledger architecture & infrastructure, and corresponding tokens/cryptocurrencies design.
Adding to existing Rokk3r Labs offices in Bogota, London and Miami, Rokk3r plans the expansion of its global footprint through Rokk3r Hubs - physical locations expected to broaden the company's reach to attract talent, entrepreneurs, and investors interested in cobuilding exponential companies. Rokk3r plans to provide entry to the startup/creative economy, a traditionally illiquid asset, in a risk mitigated and professional manner.
For Inquiries: [email protected] :: 1.888.3ROKK3R :: www.rokk3r.com
SOURCE Rokk3r Labs, LLC
Related Links
http://www.rokk3r.com
BARCELONA, Spain and NEW YORK, Feb. 26, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Russell Reynolds Associates, a leading global search and leadership advisory firm, today announced its 2018 list of #MobileGameChangers at its February 26 event at Fabrica Moritz in Barcelona. These 10 influential leaders are reshaping the global mobile industry.
From meeting the demands of the "digital consumer" to disrupting old (and new) business models, mobile is the platform that is changing how we live and work. #MobileGameChangers are defining the future and understand how companies must lead with mobile or lose out.
A global team of experts at Russell Reynolds, including co-leader of the Mobile practice, James Roome, and Nada Usina, co-leader of the Technology practice, selected the executives defining the future of mobile and of their companies. This is the third year that Russell Reynolds has released its #MobileGameChangers list.
"Mobile connectivity and the ubiquity of mobile devices globally is a game changer for companies. Companies are creating new experiences and getting closer to their customers. The combination of access to devices and the explosion of data creates new possibilities. We are fortunate to work with many of the world's leading executives in mobile and digital and understand how critical #MobileGameChangers are to their companies," said Roome.
"The #MobileGameChangers 2018 were selected for their success in leading markets and changing their organizations. Their strategies and new platforms have global impact. They are changing consumer engagement; how services are delivered; and how information is consumed. They are enhancing the way people live every day," said Usina.
Russell Reynolds Associates' 2018 #MobileGameChangers are:
Bozoma St. John, chief brand officer at Uber: Boosting the brand image of Uber. Uber continues to make news as a platform that has scaled exponentially through mobile. Not without controversy, Uber challenges the taxi service business and service models across the world.
Uber continues to make news as a platform that has scaled exponentially through mobile. Not without controversy, Uber challenges the taxi service business and service models across the world. Greg Butz , president, Comcast Mobile at Comcast: Cutting the cost of cell services with pay-as-you-go mobile data. Xfinity allows customers to save money by bundling wireless services. Customers pay solely for the gigabytes they use. Greg formed this new division at Comcast, where he has served since 1993.
, president, Comcast Mobile at Comcast: Xfinity allows customers to save money by bundling wireless services. Customers pay solely for the gigabytes they use. Greg formed this new division at Comcast, where he has served since 1993. Inge Smidts , CEO at Cable & Wireless: Upgrading telco and mobile services in Latin America . Smidts joined the C&W team following its acquisition by Liberty Latin America to bring market-leading video, broadband, telephone and mobile services to consumers in the region.
, CEO at Cable & Wireless: Smidts joined the C&W team following its acquisition by to bring market-leading video, broadband, telephone and mobile services to consumers in the region. Tanja Rueckert , president, IoT and Digital Supply Chain at SAP: Innovating to lead digital transformation with a global outlook. SAP is expanding the market reach of its innovation pipeline to connect people, things and processes. With SAP's Leonardo IoT, SAP is developing IoT products that help companies grow their top line by identifying new revenue opportunities and improving processes and productivity.
, president, IoT and Digital Supply Chain at SAP: SAP is expanding the market reach of its innovation pipeline to connect people, things and processes. With SAP's Leonardo IoT, SAP is developing IoT products that help companies grow their top line by identifying new revenue opportunities and improving processes and productivity. Whitney Wolfe , founder and CEO at Bumble: Changing the dating game by allowing women to control the connection. Bumble has reimagined online dating by empowering women to take control of the experience. Wolfe founded Bumble, which now has more than 20 million global users, after co-founding Tinder.
, founder and CEO at Bumble: Bumble has reimagined online dating by empowering women to take control of the experience. Wolfe founded Bumble, which now has more than 20 million global users, after co-founding Tinder. Rameez Ansar , co-founder and CEO at Circles.Life: Empowering the mobile consumer through customer-centric software. Circles.Life is the first digital-only telco in Singapore . The service allows customers to design mobile plans for their unique usage habits.
, co-founder and CEO at Circles.Life: Circles.Life is the first digital-only telco in . The service allows customers to design mobile plans for their unique usage habits. Zhu Zhaojiang, founder and CEO at Shenzhen Transsion: Penetrating the mobile phone market in Africa and India by adapting low-cost phones to local tastes. Transsion is a Chinese handset manufacturer dedicated to providing favored mobile communications products for local consumers in emerging markets.
Transsion is a Chinese handset manufacturer dedicated to providing favored mobile communications products for local consumers in emerging markets. Ali Parsa , founder and CEO at Babylon Health: Making the doctor's office more accessible through virtual health. Babylon aims to make medical expertise accessible, affordable and personalized for every patient. Parsa has reimagined the mobile phone as a tool that will democratize healthcare, making it simpler and better around the world.
, founder and CEO at Babylon Health: aims to make medical expertise accessible, affordable and personalized for every patient. Parsa has reimagined the mobile phone as a tool that will democratize healthcare, making it simpler and better around the world. Valentin Stalf , co-founder and CEO at N26: Cutting-edge, mobile-only banking. N26 has quickly moved from their German home market to 18 countries. The company offers a full suite of banking services on your phone.
, co-founder and CEO at N26: N26 has quickly moved from their German home market to 18 countries. The company offers a full suite of banking services on your phone. Xavier Niel , founder and deputy chairman at Iliad/Free: Bridging the digital gap in society through education and innovation. Iliad is a low-cost internet service provider and mobile network that has made the internet affordable for millions of French consumers. Xavier also launched a tuition-free web developer academy in France .
About Russell Reynolds Associates
Russell Reynolds Associates is a global search and leadership advisory firm. Our 425+ consultants in 46 offices work with public, private and nonprofit organizations across all industries and regions. We help our clients build teams of transformational leaders who can meet today's challenges and anticipate the digital, economic and political trends that are reshaping the global business environment. From helping boards with their structure, culture and effectiveness to identifying, assessing and defining the best leadership for organizations our teams bring their decades of expertise to help clients solve their most complex leadership issues. www.russellreynolds.com
Contact: Vijaya Singh
Russell Reynolds Associates
212-351-1987
[email protected]
SOURCE Russell Reynolds Associates
Related Links
http://www.russellreynolds.com
WASHINGTON, Feb. 26, 2018 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The U.S. Small Business Administration's Interagency Task Force (IATF) on Veterans Small Business Development and the Advisory Committee on Veterans Business Affairs (ACVBA) will hold public meetings March 7 and 8, respectively, at SBA headquarters in Washington, D.C.
The March 7 IATF meeting will be held from 1 to 4 p.m. The March 8 ACVBA meeting runs from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., in SBA's Eisenhower Conference Room at 409 Third Street, SW, Washington, D.C., 20416.
Both meetings will address the current state of veteran-owned small businesses and provide progress updates regarding advancing veteran entrepreneurship and employment. Committee members will receive briefs on access to capital, counseling and training, and government contracting. The ACVBA meeting will also include a discussion on service-disabled veteran-owned small business 8(a) program eligibility, commercial supply chain opportunities, and veteran small business certification availability.
Both IATF and ACVBA meetings are open to the public and held quarterly in Washington, D.C. You can join the meeting by teleconference at 1-888-858-2144, access code: 7805798#. You can also participate via webinar at http://soc.att.com/2o3e7qf.
Following each IATF and ACVBA meeting, transcripts will be available at www.sba.gov/ovbd, under the section heading "Policy Formulation Committees."
Please email any questions to [email protected], or call (202) 205-6337.
About the U.S. Small Business Administration
The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) was created in 1953 and is a Cabinet-level agency of the federal government to aid, counsel, assist and protect the interests of small business concerns, to preserve free competitive enterprise and to maintain and strengthen the overall economy of our nation. The SBA helps Americans start, build and grow businesses, and recover from disasters. Through an extensive network of field offices and partnerships with public and private organizations, the SBA delivers its services to people throughout the United States, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands and Guam. To learn more about SBA, visit www.sba.gov.
Contact: Carol Chastang (202) 205-6987
Internet Address: www.sba.gov/news
Follow us on Twitter, Facebook, Blogs & Instagram
Release Number: 18-13
SOURCE U.S. Small Business Administration
Related Links
http://www.sba.gov
NEW YORK, Feb. 26, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- SintecMedia, the leader in advertising business management, announced today that it will relaunch as Operative. The global organization will focus on delivering the technology components global media companies need to create their own ad sales and content platform across digital, linear, advanced TV and other channels. Media companies need key digital ingredients to thrive in a quickly changing advertising market. As media companies aggregate audiences and inventory through M&A and consolidation, Operative delivers the technology that turns manual marketplaces into true platforms that are easy for advertisers to access and use, selling and delivering premium products at massive scale. Operative creates operating systems that offer simplicity to media sellers, and will continue to offer the products that unlock the potential of "premium as a platform."
"We have had a vision and plan to create the leading platform for media companies across linear, digital, advanced TV and other channels. First, we combined SintecMedia and Operative, Inc., the leaders in their respective markets. Now we are taking the next step with the relaunch of the combined business as Operative, focusing on next generation solutions that enable our client base of top media companies to adapt and take advantage of the changing landscape of media and data," said Matt Spetzler from Francisco Partners. "Operative is investing heavily in the next generation of media technology, adding over 150 engineers in the last 12 months alone."
Lorne Brown, CEO of the combined organization, will lead the company as it delivers on a massive growth strategy to provide premium media companies with products for the future of media featuring broad integration, a unified product catalog, flexible demand and supply-side management across digital, linear, advanced TV and other channels.
"Media companies are creating multichannel marketplaces, and need a true platform to unlock their massive value potential. Operative offers premium, highly configurable solutions that serve as the core of these markets, allowing clients to connect a host of owned and third-party modules, much like apps in an app store," said CEO Brown. "This scalable approach, together with our customer-first sales and services organization and our innovative, disciplined technology and product development, creates a winning combination for our clients."
About Operative
Operative delivers management solutions for premium media companies. The company is the partner of choice for over 300 of the world's top media brands, including NBCU, CBS, ABC, AT&T, STARZ, Star India, Seven Australia and Sky. No other software company brings a comparable depth of experience to create truly innovative, scalable software that performs across all platforms, revenue models and business units. Operative has employees in 12 offices around the world and processes more than $40 billion in premium linear and digital advertising revenue. For more information, visit www.operative.com.
SOURCE Operative
Related Links
http://www.operative.com
MIAMI, Feb. 26, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Starwood Capital Group, a leading global private investment firm, announced today that a controlled affiliate of Starwood Global Opportunity Fund XI has acquired a portfolio of seven Hilton hotels throughout the United Kingdom, totalling over 1,300 rooms from Park Hotels & Resorts for 135 million.
The portfolio is located in several of the UK's top hotel markets, including London, Edinburgh, Bath and Belfast, which benefit from high occupancies, high barriers to entry and solid investment fundamentals.
Starwood Capital Group plan to refurbish a number of the assets in order to transform operating performance and enhance asset values, with the portfolio being managed by Kew Green under franchise agreements with Hilton Worldwide. This marks the second acquisition in 12 months where Starwood and Kew Green have partnered, following the successful acquisition of the 298-key Holiday Inn Manchester in April 2017.
"We are delighted to be partnering with Kew Green on yet another exciting transaction involving prime UK city centre assets," said Jon Asumendi, Vice President at Starwood Capital Group. "We are acquiring this well-located portfolio at a substantial discount to replacement cost and with significant upside potential still to be realized. We look forward to investing in these properties alongside Kew Green and leveraging Starwood Capital Group's hospitality expertise to maximize portfolio performance and investment returns."
"Adding seven high quality Hilton branded assets to our Management Platform is an exciting step forwards for the Kew Green Group. We are also very pleased to be partnering with Starwood Capital Group for a second time to unlock opportunities in the portfolio, where we can create value together," said Jamie Lamb, Executive Chairman, Kew Green Group Ltd.
About Starwood Capital Group
Starwood Capital Group is a private alternative investment firm with a core focus on global real estate, energy infrastructure and oil & gas. The Firm and its affiliates maintain 11 offices in five countries around the world, and currently have approximately 3,700 employees. Starwood Capital Group has raised $44 billion of equity capital since its inception in 1991, and currently manages approximately $56 billion in assets. The Firm has invested in virtually every category of real estate on a global basis, opportunistically shifting asset classes, geographies and positions in the capital stack as it perceives risk/reward dynamics to be evolving. Over the past 26 years, Starwood Capital Group and its affiliates have successfully executed an investment strategy that involves building enterprises in both the private and public markets. Additional information can be found at starwoodcapital.com.
About Kew Green Group Ltd.
Kew Green Hotels was formed in September 2001 to operate high quality limited and full service branded hotels in prime locations throughout the UK. The company now operates over 50 hotels in key cities including London, Glasgow, Leeds, Liverpool, Birmingham, Manchester and Portsmouth. Most of the hotels are operated under franchise agreements with some of the world's leading hotel brands including Holiday Inn, Crowne Plaza, Holiday Inn Express, Courtyard by Marriott, ibis Styles and Hampton by Hilton
The company operates hotels under a variety of funding models including freehold ownership, leases, joint ventures with financial institutions and management contracts.
Over the years, the company has won many awards in recognition of the operational excellence it strives for.
For further information please visit www.kewgreen.co.uk
SOURCE Starwood Capital Group
Related Links
http://starwoodcapital.com
SALT LAKE CITY, Feb. 26, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Strategic Student & Senior Housing Trust, Inc., a private real estate investment trust sponsored by SmartStop Asset Management, LLC (SmartStop), announced today its acquisition of a portfolio of three senior housing communities consisting of 294 units located in the greater Salt Lake City area.
"The acquisition of the Salt Lake City assisted living portfolio provides Strategic Student & Senior Housing Trust with three established senior housing properties, each with full amenities packages," said John Strockis, chief investment officer. "Additionally, this acquisition marks SmartStop's entry into the senior housing space, an emerging asset class."
The portfolio includes The Wellington, Cottonwood Creek and The Charleston at Cedar Hills, all best-in-class, purpose-built assisted living communities with strong historical occupancies. Each community provides residents with all-day dining services, activity rooms with daily programming, transportation, cafes and lounges, wireless internet, libraries, fitness/therapy rooms, private dining rooms, outdoor courtyards and beauty salons.
The Wellington is a 119-unit/140-bed assisted living community located at 4522 South 1300 East in Salt Lake City. The property is a multi-year recipient of the Best of State Utah award in the merchandising and consumer services category.
Cottonwood Creek is a 111-unit/136-bed assisted living facility located at 1245 East Murray Holladay Road in Salt Lake City. Each unit at the facility is equipped with sliding glass doors leading to a balcony or patio.
The Charleston is a 64-unit/78-bed assisted living facility located at 10020 North 4600 West in Cedar Hills. The property, which also offers short-term/respite care, is a recipient of SeniorAdvisor.com's 2016 and 2018 Best of Senior Living awards.
About Strategic Student & Senior Housing Trust, Inc. (SSSHT)
SSSHT is a Maryland corporation that intends to qualify as a real estate investment trust for federal income tax purposes. SSSHT focuses on the acquisition of income-producing, Class "A" student housing and senior housing communities. SSSHT owns two student housing properties, along with an approximately 2.6% beneficial interest in a DST that owns another student housing property, and three senior housing properties.
About SmartStop Asset Management, LLC (SmartStop)
SmartStop is a diversified real estate company focused on self storage assets, along with student and senior housing. The company has approximately $1.5 billion of real estate assets under management, including 111 self storage facilities located throughout the United States and Toronto, Canada, comprised of approximately 70,000 units and 8.1 million rentable square feet. SmartStop's managed portfolio also includes five student housing communities with approximately 2,800 beds and 1 million square feet of space, as well as three senior housing communities with 354 beds and approximately 251,000 square feet of space. SmartStop is the sponsor of Strategic Storage Trust II, Inc., Strategic Storage Growth Trust, Inc. and Strategic Storage Trust IV, Inc., all public non-traded REITs focusing on self storage assets. The facilities offer affordable and accessible storage units for residential and commercial customers. In addition, they offer secure interior and exterior storage units as well as outside storage areas for vehicles, RVs and boats. Additional information regarding SmartStop is available at www.SAM.com and more information regarding SmartStop Self Storage in the United States and Canada is available at www.smartstopselfstorage.com.
Contacts
Julie Leber Lauren Burgos Spotlight Marketing Communications Spotlight Marketing Communications 949.427.5172, ext. 703 949.427.5162, ext. 704 [email protected] [email protected]
SOURCE Strategic Student & Senior Housing Trust, Inc.
VANCOUVER, Feb. 26, 2018 /PRNewswire/ - TAG Oil Ltd. (the "Company" or "TAG Oil") (TSX: TAO andOTCQX: TAOIF) is pleased to provide the following update with respect to TAG Oil's operated Pukatea-1 exploration well located in the Puka permit (PEP 51135, 70% TAG Oil) in the Taranaki Basin of New Zealand.
Pukatea-1 has reached a final total depth of ~3,100m measured depth after penetrating a (faulted) thickened overlying interval of basement rock without intersecting the Tikorangi Limestone formation. TAG Oil is encouraged by the intermittent hydrocarbon shows that were recorded within the section between ~2,520m and ~2,680m measured depth, and will proceed to run detailed electric wireline logs to evaluate these shows and the entire interval to ~3,100m.
Furthermore, as a result of the previously reported potential oil pay in the well's Mt. Messenger secondary target oil zone, following wireline logging, TAG Oil is planning to initially focus on the Mt. Messenger oil zone and complete the well to enable a future production test. This will allow the Company to evaluate the production potential of the Mt. Messenger oil zone, and a successful test could also result in restarting oil production from the currently suspended Puka oil field.
Toby Pierce, TAG Oil's CEO, commented, "We are encouraged by approximately 160m of intermittent hydrocarbon shows below the Mt. Messenger section. A similar interval is present in several of the offsetting wells to Pukatea-1, specifically Hu Road-1 and Waihapa-6, and wireline logs will give us more information and clarity around this interval and whether it is worth investigating further. Also, I would like to thank our team for their hard work in getting the well drilled safely, on budget, and on schedule directionally to a depth of approximately 3,100m."
About TAG Oil Ltd.
TAG Oil (http://www.tagoil.com/) is an international oil and gas explorer with established high netback production, development and exploration assets, including production infrastructure in New Zealand and Australia. TAG Oil is poised for significant reserve and production growth with several oil and gas fields under development and high-impact exploration in proven oil and gas fairways. TAG Oil is debt-free and currently has 85,282,252 shares outstanding.
Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements and Disclaimer
Statements contained in this release that are not historical facts are forward-looking statements that involve various risks and uncertainty affecting the business of TAG Oil. Such statements can generally, but not always, be identified by words such as "expects", "plans", "anticipates", "intends", "estimates", "forecasts", "schedules", "prepares", "potential" and similar expressions, or that events or conditions "will", "would", "may", "could" or "should" occur. All estimates and statements that describe TAG Oil's plans relating to operations at the Puka permit are forward-looking statements under applicable securities laws and necessarily involve risks and uncertainties. Actual results may vary materially from the information provided in this release, and there is no representation by TAG Oil that the actual results realized in the future will be the same in whole or in part as those presented herein.
Other factors that could cause actual results to differ from those contained in the forward-looking statements are also set forth in filings that TAG Oil and its independent evaluator have made, including TAG Oil's most recently filed reports in Canada under National Instrument 51-101, which can be found under TAG Oil's SEDAR profile at www.sedar.com. TAG Oil undertakes no obligation, except as otherwise required by law, to update these forward-looking statements in the event that management's beliefs, estimates or opinions, or other factors change.
Certain information in this release may constitute "analogous information" as defined in NI 51-101, including, but not limited to, information relating to areas with similar geological characteristics to the lands held by the Company. Such information is derived from a variety of publicly available information from government sources, regulatory agencies, public databases or other industry participants (as at the date stated therein) that the Company believes are predominantly independent in nature. The Company believes this information is relevant as it helps to define the reservoir characteristics in which the Company may hold an interest. The Company is unable to confirm that the analogous information was prepared by a qualified reserves evaluator or auditor and in accordance with the COGE Handbook. Such information is not an estimate of the reserves or resources attributable to lands held or to be held by the Company and there is no certainty that the reservoir data and economics information for the lands held by the Company will be similar to the information presented therein. The reader is cautioned that the data relied upon by the Company may be in error and/or may not be analogous to the Company's land holdings.
SOURCE TAG Oil Ltd.
Related Links
www.tagoil.com
As part of the sponsorship, Sparkling Ice branding will be present on Pritchett's Top Fuel Dragster, fire suit and crew shirts during each NHRA race for the 2018 season. Other elements of the sponsorship include VIP meet and greets with Pritchett, product sampling on-site for the team and hospitality guests to enjoy, cross promotion on social media, branded swag, customer marketing programming and more.
"We are excited to partner with DSR driver, Leah Pritchett, who recently closed out her impressive 2017 season with four NHRA event titles," stated Chris Hall, Chief Operating Officer of Talking Rain Beverage Co. "At Sparkling Ice, we were immediately inspired by Leah's career, especially as a woman making waves in such a male dominated field. We're always looking to partner with authentic fans of the brand that embody our personality and characteristics."
Lightly carbonated Sparkling Ice offers bold-flavored beverages made with zero sugar, real fruit flavor, vitamins and antioxidants that appeal to all age groups. This sponsorship is another chapter in the brand's deep history of partnering with stand-out athletes and personalities who are bold, passionate, and brand aligned.
29-year-old Pritchett's tenure with DSR began during the 2016 NHRA season. Now with five event titles, three runner-up finishes, seven No. 1 qualifiers and multiple track records on Pritchett's 96-race Top Fuel resume, she is expecting to have an even more successful 2018 season, with Sparkling Ice present both on and off the track.
"I'm delighted to have Sparkling Ice as my exclusive sparkling water sponsor," said Pritchett. "The brand's unique personality and bold flavors captured my attention (oh hey, Cherry Limeade!), and I couldn't imagine a better partner to rev up my team and I as we begin our 2018 season together. I'm excited for what's to come this season, and thrilled to have Sparkling Ice by my side."
For more information about Sparkling Ice products and flavors, please visit www.SparklingIce.com and www.facebook.com/SparklingIce.
About Sparkling Ice Beverages
Sparkling Ice beverages are made with zero sugar, and combine sparkling water, real fruit flavor, vitamins and antioxidants to offer great tasting, lightly carbonated beverages. Available in sixteen fizzy, fruity flavors, including: Black Raspberry, Orange Mango, Pink Grapefruit, Kiwi Strawberry, Coconut Pineapple, Pomegranate Blueberry, Peach Nectarine, Lemon Lime, Crisp Apple, Classic Lemonade, Strawberry Lemonade, Cherry Limeade, Strawberry Watermelon, Black Cherry, Grape Raspberry and new in 2018, Ginger Lime. Sparkling Ice is part of the Talking Rain family of beverages, and retails for $1.19-$1.29. To locate Sparkling Ice, visit www.sparklingice.com/locate/.
SOURCE Talking Rain Beverage Co
Related Links
https://www.sparklingice.com
Bradicich was a leader in McKinsey's global insurance group and previously led McKinsey's North American property and casualty insurance practice, helping drive transformative growth for diverse global clients. He worked extensively with all aspects of insurance, including reinsurance, brokerage, property and casualty, life and health, and primary and alternative risk.
"Kevin is a seasoned insurance leader with broad and impressive experience in the property and casualty space," said P. Kevin Condron, chairman of the board of directors at The Hanover. "He brings a vast knowledge of the opportunities and challenges facing insurance companies today. We are very pleased to have Kevin join our board. "
Separately, The Hanover announced that Richard H. Booth will retire from the board, effective following the company's 2018 annual shareholders meeting, to devote more time to other professional endeavors.
"We also want to thank Richard for his service, insight and perspective, in particular as the company appointed new leadership and refined its go-forward business strategy," Condron said. "We wish Richard all the best."
Over the course of his career at McKinsey, Bradicich served in a number of global leadership roles and led claims knowledge development, core roundtables and people processes. He worked closely with major constituencies, including regulators, the U.S. government and various insurance associations. Bradicich aided in the development of new strategies and organizations, and has specific expertise in InsureTechs, claims, underwriting, and risk management, as well as digital, cybersecurity, and analytics.
Bradicich earned his bachelor's degree in engineering from Princeton University and his Master of Business Administration degree from The University of Chicago.
About The Hanover
The Hanover Insurance Group, Inc. is the holding company for several property and casualty insurance companies, which together constitute one of the largest insurance businesses in the United States. The company provides exceptional insurance solutions in a dynamic world. The Hanover distributes its products through a select group of independent agents and brokers. Together with its agents, The Hanover offers standard and specialized insurance protection for small and mid-sized businesses, as well as for homes, automobiles, and other personal items. Through its international member company, Chaucer, The Hanover also underwrites business at Lloyd's of London in several major insurance and reinsurance classes, including marine, property and energy. For more information, please visit hanover.com .
2017 The Hanover Insurance Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
SOURCE The Hanover Insurance Group, Inc.
Related Links
http://www.hanover.com
The Habanos Festival begins today celebrating its 20th anniversary bringing the lovers of the world's best tobacco together in Havana from 26th of February to 2nd of March, when they would enjoy new launches of Habanos brands.
To view the Multimedia News Release, please click: https://www.multivu.com/players/uk/8279251-habanos-cohiba-robustos-reserve-cosecha/
In the press conference Leopoldo Cintra Gonzalez, Vice-President of Sales at Habanos, S.A. and Jose Maria Lopez Inchaurbe, Vice-President of Development at Habanos, S.A., presented the main launches, featuring Cohiba's Robustos Reserva Cosecha 2014 (50 x 124 mm). All the leaves used in its production (filler and binder) have been subjected to a long three years aging process. This new serie has been produced in very limited quantities, only 5,000 numbered boxes embodying the exclusivity of Cohiba. This launch will be the star of the Festival's Welcome Night this evening in the Salon de Protocolo El Laguito, in Playa.
Furthermore Partagas Linea Maduro launches two new vitolas with maduro wrappers, Maduro No 2 (55 x 120 mm long) and Maduro No 3 (50 x 145 mm long) that join the vitola Maduro No 1 (52 x 130 mm long), being part of the brand's regular portfolio.
The new vitola Le Hoyo Rio Seco (56 x 140 mm long) from Hoyo de Monterrey joins the Serie Le Hoyo increasing the range of heavy ring gauge cigars. And the new heavy ring gauge vitola Centrofinos (50 x 130 mm long) from Vegueros brand also joins its current portfolio.
The watches Pilot Type 20 will also be presented - a result of the collaboration between Habanos, S.A and Zenith.
Grupo Habanos in 2017
In the year 2017 the Grupo Habanos, which is responsible for the exclusive world marketing of 27 brands of Habanos, achieved a turnover of 500 million dollars, with 12% growth at fixed exchange rate, compared to the previous year.
The programme of the Festival maintains its activities including visits to plantations and factories in Vuelta Abajo*, the Commercial Fair, the International Seminar, tastings and pairings, the International Habanosommelier Contest and, for the first time, the Habanos World Challenge. The special tasting from Habanos will be with Torres Brandy.
Carla Llado: Tel: +34-669-54-69-09, [email protected]
(Photo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/645477/XX_Habanos_Festival.jpg )
Video:
https://www.multivu.com/players/uk/8279251-habanos-cohiba-robustos-reserve-cosecha/
SOURCE HABANOS SA
IRVING, Texas, Feb. 26, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Thermi, an Almirall S.A. (ALM) company announced today that it has launched an innovative new education and exchange platform to enhance and foster clinical observation, advanced learning, and innovation of Thermi's leading temperature-controlled radiofrequency platforms.
"This marks an exciting period for Thermi," noted Vlad Paul-Blanc, President and General Manager. "We are focusing our energy and significant resources on unlocking the pure clinical potential of Thermi technology, and our greatest assets include our clinicians with their extensive experience as well as their expertise."
Thermi is pleased to announce the introduction of thirty-six (36) National Centers of Excellence throughout 2018 in which new, existing, and prospective customers will engage and observe some of our most experienced providers in an intimate, clinically-driven environment. In partnership with Thermi, expert clinicians spanning multiple specialities (plastic and facial plastic surgery, dermatology, gynecology and urogenyecology) will serve as hubs of clinical experience, protocol development, and future product development. "Thermi has taken an important step forward with their dedication to science, education, and best of class training," commented David Goldberg, MD, JD. "I am very excited about this new step forward as we elevate the knowledge and skill within the Thermi portfolio."
Thermi announces the first cohort of COE Centers with this release and will update as new COE Centers come online. "We grow as physicians when companies support unique educational opportunities to advance our skill set with their technologies," noted Sabrina Fabi, MD. "It's exciting to see the new leadership at Thermi making education their priority, especially in areas of female health, where many practice gaps still exist."
In addition, Thermi announces the launch of the Thermi P.R.E.P. National Academy Premier Radiofrequency Expert Platform (P.R.E.P). This will be a multi-faceted platform focused on enhancing tools, access, and opportunities for current and prospective customers to access information and develop best practices. Features of P.R.E.P. will include exclusive peer-to-peer COE events, clinical exchange webinars, strategic practice building symposiums, and upgraded customer-only portals with refreshed resources and materials."The last few months have been exciting and exhilarating as we developed these new programs and platforms," noted Sheetal Davitt, SVP of Global Marketing. "We are confident that these new programs will accomplish the goals of enhancing medical education and customer support access."
These initiatives are part of an increased strategic focus on clinical innovation and development. This commitment has resulted in the creation of a new medical affairs organization lead by Dr. Tara Margarella, VP of Global Medical Affairs. "Thermi is at its core a medical company built on education and rooted in science," notes Tara. "We are focused on strengthening this foundation through new programs centred around enhanced learning opportunities, the creation of scientifically sound data, and a medical-to-medical information exchange forum that allows clinicians to learn from each other." This department will continue to rollout initiatives and programs to achieve these objectives.
Susan Murrmann, MD, comments "Thermi is a leader and a trailblazer in the field of radiofrequency energy and its applications in the aesthetic industry. We are very proud to partner with the company as a Thermi Center of Excellence as they expand their brand and their educational opportunities!"
Initial National Thermi Centers of Excellence
Physician Specialty Practice Location
Adam Rubinstein Plastic Surgery Dr. Adam J. Rubinstein Miami, FL Barry DiBernardo Plastic Surgery New Jersey Plastic Surgery Montclair, NJ Brian Kinney Plastic Surgery Dr. Brian M. Kinney Beverly Hills, CA Cary Nelson Family Practice The Aesthetic Center Torrance, CA David Goldberg Dermatology Skin Laser & Surgery Specialists New York, NY and Northern NJ Eric Bernstein & Jason Bloom Dermatology & Facial Plastic Surgery Main Line Center for Surgery Ardmore, PA Elizebeth Harmon Obstetrics & Gynecology Salem Women's Clinic Salem, OR Gregory Buford Plastic Surgery Beauty by Buford Englewood, CA Jeanine Downie Dermatology Image Dermatology Montclair, NJ Jeffrey Dell Urogynecology Institute for Female Pelvic Medicine Knoxville, TN Kevin Tehrani Plastic Surgery Aristocrat Plastic Surgery New York, NY Michael Gold Dermatology Gold Skincare Nashville, TN Mitch Goldman & Sabrina Fabi Dermatology Cosmetic Laser Dermatology San Diego, CA Paul Ruff Plastic Surgery West End Plastic Surgery Washington D.C. Sean Kelishadi Plastic Surgery SSK Plastic Surgery Newport Beach, CA Soyini Hawkins Gynecology Fibroid & Pelvic Wellness Center of Georgia Alpharetta, GA Stanley Okoro Plastic Surgery Georgia Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery Marietta, GA Susan Murrmann Obstetrics & Gynecology McDonald Murrmann Center for Wellness and Health Germantown, TN Zenette Leao Obstetrics & Gynecology Gynecology Specialists Chesapeake, VA
About Thermi
Thermi, an Almirall Company, is a leading global manufacturer of temperature controlled radiofrequency technology. The company's flagship product is ThermiRF, a platform technology that uses temperature as an endpoint for various minimally and non-invasive applications (ThermiTight, ThermiRase, ThermiSmooth Face, ThermiVa, etc.). Thermi also offers the Thermi250 device as the newest innovative RF for body. Founded in 2012, Thermi is a US based company with its headquarters in Irving, TX and R&D in Boston, MA.
For more information, please visit www.thermi.com.
About Almirall
Almirall is a leading skin-health focused global pharmaceutical company that partners with healthcare professionals, applying Science to provide medical solutions to patients & future generations. Our efforts are focused on fighting against skin health diseases and helping people feel and look their best. We support healthcare professionals in its continuous improvement, bringing our innovative solutions where they are needed.
The company, founded in 1943 and with headquarters in Barcelona, is listed on the Spanish Stock Exchange (ticker: ALM). Almirall has become a key element of value creation to society according to its commitment with its major shareholders and its decision to help others, to understand their challenges and to use Science to provide them with solutions for real life. Total revenues in 2016 were 859.3 million euros and more than 2,000 employees are devoted to Science.
For more information, please visit almirall.com or www.linkedin.com/company/almirall.
Media contact: Investors & Corporate Communications contact:
VegaRun PR Almirall
Dawn Maniglia Pablo Divasson del Fraile
Senior Vice President [email protected]
p: 212.453.2064 | c: 917.862.5444 Tel.: +(34) 93 291 30 87
[email protected]
SOURCE Thermi
Related Links
https://www.thermi.com
NEW YORK, Feb. 26, 2018 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The T.J. Martell Foundation for Cancer Research is proud to announce the New York Classic Tournament at North Cove Marina in New York City on May 10, 2018.
The New York Classic Tournament will be a fun and unique charity event benefitting the T.J. Martell Foundation and hosted by Bob McLynn of Crush Music and Mark Weiss of 23/7 Global. Participants will enjoy an afternoon on the Hudson River/Raritan Bay competing in world class striped bass fishing, followed by a fun night of food and open bar at PJ Clarke's located right in the marina.
"The T.J. Martell Foundation's cancer research programs are saving lives every day, and Mark and I are proud to spearhead this fun, new event to help support an amazing cause," says co-host Bob McLynn of Crush Music.
Boat purchase and after party tickets are available by contacting the T.J. Martell Foundation's East Coast headquarters at 646.841.1394. or emailing [email protected]. Visit www.tjmartell.org for more information.
About the T.J. Martell Foundation:
The T.J. Martell Foundation is the music industry's leading foundation that funds innovative medical research focused on finding treatments and cures for cancer. The Foundation was founded in 1975 by music industry executive Tony Martell and his colleagues in loving memory of his son T.J., who died of leukemia. The Foundation has provided more than $280 million for research at eight flagship hospitals in the United States. For more information, please visit www.tjmartell.org.
MEDIA CONTACT:
Kate Fitzpatrick, Director of Communications and Patient Services
T.J. Martell Foundation for Cancer Research
917.301.2572
[email protected]
SOURCE T.J. Martell Foundation
Related Links
http://www.tjmartell.org
COLLEGE STATION, Texas, Feb. 26, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Bryan Wolfe and the executive leadership at Traditions Health Care Holding Company, LLC. ("Traditions") are pleased to announce the addition of veteran Chief Compliance Officer, Chris Anderson. His addition strengthens the team supporting our home care and hospice businesses and our consulting business HealthCare ConsultLink. Chris brings a rich history of "boots on the ground" experience in the intricacies of the world of compliance and is sure to add great value in leading our compliance effort.
Chris is the former Vice President of Compliance at Triad Hospitals, Inc., now part of Community Health Systems, a 51 hospital and 10 outpatient surgery center system. He was also the Senior Vice President and Chief Compliance Officer at Gentiva Health Services which is now part of Kindred at Home. Known for his experience with large companies, Chris was first appointed to head a corporate compliance program in homecare in 1994.
"I am tremendously excited about the opportunity with Traditions. The ability for Traditions to take advantage of the compliance program continues to place Traditions ahead of its competitors," said Chris. "Traditions' compliance program is a natural solutions complement to our growing company."
Chris has a 25-year health care compliance tenure. He is a member of the Health Care Compliance Association, and former chair of its Home Care Group. He is a Board member of four health care charity ventures with interests in Guatemala, Romania, and Moldova.
About Traditions Health Care Holding Company, LLC.
Traditions Health Care Holding Company, LLC. is an investment portfolio that focuses on health care industry related businesses including home health, hospice, outpatient therapy, software, legal and professional services, occupational health services, staffing agencies, marketing, and consulting. Traditions Health Care Holding Company is a portfolio company of Dorilton Capital Advisors LLC. For more information, visit our website at www.traditionsholdingcompany.com.
SOURCE Traditions Healthcare Holding Company, LLC
Related Links
http://www.traditionsholdingcompany.com
HAILEY, Idaho, Feb. 26, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Make A Difference (MAD) Now, a nonprofit organization that provides quality education and care to vulnerable youth, and Adventures Within Reach, a travel company offering international treks and cultural tours, have announced a list of upcoming charity hikes for 2018 and 2019 around the world that will raise money for vulnerable children and schools. To learn more about the climbs and upcoming events visit: https://gomadnow.org/get-involved/
The organization's upcoming charity hikes offer a wide range of charity climbs which include:
Inca Trail to Machu Picchu Make A Difference Hike for Education Volunteer with One of the Students Make A Difference Supports
The W Circuit of Patagonia, hiking the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu in Peru, Everest Base Camp in Nepal, Mt. Kilimanjaro, and the Dolomites in Venice. All of the Make A Difference (MAD) hikes have one goal: To help end poverty with quality education.
"Most people in the USA and Europe don't realize how fortunate they are to be able to attend school from a young age. For example, in Tanzania, a child has to purchase mandatory uniforms, their desk and chair, lunch as well as pay for school fees before they can attend school. Add in being an orphan and/or from extreme poverty and the ability to stay in school becomes even more challenging. Raising funds for quality education and care is a great way to help children invest in themselves without creating long-term dependence," states MAD's Founder, Theresa Grant-Narasimhan.
Stephanos Antoniades, a climber that has completed three charity hikes and will be leading his second charity hike in September 2018, first started doing them to lose weight. "I lost 35 lbs. when I started training for my first charity hike up Mt. Kilimanjaro in 2012. Beyond getting fit and feeling better about yourself, it's such a great achievement when you are helping students across the globe achieve their dreams of staying in school so they can pursue a sustainable career."
MAD also offers a Charity Rewards Program for participating in their series of hikes around the globe that eventually offers up to $1,000 discount on future climbs.
Discover how you can offer a helping hand while hiking the world by going to:
https://gomadnow.org/get-involved/
Media Contact:
Theresa Grant
208-309-2100
SOURCE Make A Difference Now
Related Links
https://gomadnow.org/get-involved/
SIOUX FALLS, S.D., Feb. 26, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- In mid-2017, Kasten, Inc. (PINK: KAST) joined OPD Holdings, LLC, as a Co-Plaintiff in a South Dakota federal district court lawsuit against several people and entities throughout the United States involving numerous business and intellectual property claims. The claims were then amended more specifically toward Defendant Howard Phillips and his companies in Oklahoma, Christopher Ayo Otiko in California and his company Viaderma, LLC, (PINK: VDRM) also of California.
The Plaintiffs' claims against Defendants Phillips, Otiko and Viaderma included federal trademark infringement, trademark dilution, false designation of origin, breach of contract, unfair competition, tortious interference with a business relationship or expectancy, conversion, and civil conspiracy. On January 28, 2018, U.S. District Court Judge Karen E. Schreier issued a ruling in this case.
The U.S. District Court denied Otiko and ViaDerma's motion to dismiss for failure to state a claim. Rather, the Court found that Kasten and OPD had pleaded sufficient facts to support all of their claims against the defendants. The court also concluded that the state of South Dakota had jurisdiction over Otiko, ViaDerma, and the Phillips Defendants.
However, the court held that because the actions underlying the federal Lanham Act claims had occurred in California and Oklahoma, the case was not properly venued in the federal District of South Dakota. The complaint was dismissed without prejudice, leaving open the opportunity to re-file all of these claims in either federal or state courts in California or Oklahoma, as well as certain of the claims in a South Dakota state court. Kasten and OPD are considering which claims to pursue in these locations but are under no court-mandated timetable to take these actions.
In a statement, President of Kasten, Steven Keough, stated "We are quite pleased with the analysis of the U.S. District Court relating to the underlying bad acts of the Defendants. We will continue to enforce against such mis-conduct when necessary to protect our investors."
About Kasten, Inc./DAKOTA Life Sciences
Kasten, Inc. (d/b/a DAKOTA Life Sciences) is a biopharmaceutical company focused on the acquisition, development, and commercialization of pharmaceuticals designed to prevent and treat serious infections arising both in hospital and community settings. We are principally focused on delivering solutions to those people who are affected by antimicrobial resistance and who need superior pharmaceutical products at affordable prices.
Forward-Looking Statements - This press release may contain 'forward-looking statements' within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended and such forward-looking statements are made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause future results to differ materially from the forward-looking statements. You should consider these factors in evaluating the statements herein, and not rely on such statements. The forward-looking statements in this release are made as of the date hereof and Kasten, Inc. dba DAKOTA Life Sciences undertakes no obligation to update such statements.
SOURCE Kasten, Inc. dba DAKOTA Life Sciences
Related Links
http://www.dakotalifesci.com
LOS ANGELES, Feb. 26, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Less than nine months after graduating its first class, the Online MBA (OMBA) offered by the Marshall School of Business at the University of Southern California earned the #8 ranking from U.S. News & World Report for Best Online MBA Programs, up four positions from last year's rankings.
Marshall launched the new program from the ground up in fall 2015. Marshall built its OMBA to take full advantage of the latest technological learning tools and to leverage the existing USC teaching and learning community through on-campus experiences. This approach provides students not only with an exceptionally engaging online learning experience, but also with practical skills in virtual communication and analytics to prepare them for today's digitally-driven business environments.
The Marshall OMBA attracts students from a diverse array of educational and professional backgrounds and earned 11th place for selectivity among more than 280 participants in the U.S. News Best Online MBA Programs ranking. This diversity provides distance learners with multiple perspectives, which they report enhances the learning process and expands their overall knowledge of the business world.
"We look forward to sustaining the success of the Online MBA program well into the digital future by maintaining our dedication to delivering an innovative, high-touch, advanced business education to accomplished working professionals who need online flexibility to stay on track while earning their degree," said Sandra Chrystal, Ph.D, Marshall Vice Dean for Online Education.
Both USC and the Marshall School have built a strong pay-it-forward culture that benefits students during their studies and long after they graduate. The OMBA engages students in networking throughout the program, and distance learners become full-fledged members of the Trojan Family, which is more than 390,000 members strong and includes 88,000 Marshall alumni in 92 countries.
About the USC Marshall School of Business
Consistently ranked among the nation's premier schools, USC Marshall is internationally recognized for its emphasis on entrepreneurship and innovation, leadership, social responsibility and path-breaking research. Located in the heart of Los Angeles, one of the world's leading business centers and the U.S. gateway to the Pacific Rim, Marshall offers its 5,700-plus undergraduate and graduate students a unique world view and impressive global experiential opportunities. USC Marshall students join a worldwide community of thought leaders who are redefining the way business works.
SOURCE USC Marshall School of Business
Related Links
https://onlinemba.marshall.usc.edu/
FAIRFAX, Va., Feb. 26, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- USmax Corporation ("USmax"), a leading provider of mission focused Information Technology services, announced today that it has been awarded the Alliant 2 Small Business (A2SB) Indefinite Delivery/Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) Governmentwide Acquisition Contract (GWAC) by the General Services Administration. A2SB is a 10-year, $15 Billion contract that is part of GSA's "next-gen" update to the original Alliant contract. A2SB has a five-year base period and five-year option and is a "best-in-class" designated solution for information technology services by the Office of Management and Budget.
Said David S. Pak, President of USmax, "As a mission-focused organization, USmax will continue to partner with our customers, providing technology management, transformation, and leading-edge technology solutions in the effort to modernize government IT infrastructure. We are proud to be selected by GSA for this important and outstanding small business contract."
A2SB provides a total solution to agencies' requirements, providing a robust scope aligned with the Federal Enterprise Architecture (FEA) and Department of Defense Enterprise Architecture (DoDEA). According to GSA's GWAC Dashboard, Alliant's largest customers include the Department of Defense, the Department of Homeland Security, and the Department of State.
For more information on USmax's GSA A2SB contract, please visit our contract page here: http://www.usmax.com/gsa-alliant-2-sb
About USmax Corporation
USmax Corporation is an ISO 9001:2008, ISO 20000:2011, and ISO 27001:2013 registered and CMMI-SVC Level 3 appraised Information Technology (IT) and Management Consulting firm that specializes in Cyber Security, Physical and Technical Security, Infrastructure Management, and Enterprise Applications. We offer complete system and process life cycle support through a full range of planning, design, implementation, management, and support services. Our services based on trust, quality, efficiency, and innovation drive the mission of our various federal and commercial customers.
Our services are consistent in high quality and delivered through a set of repeatable processes and frameworks. We pride ourselves to be always on time, budget, and easy to work with. Our professionals are well qualified and carry various industry certifications such as Project Management Professional (PMP), Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP), IT Infrastructure Library (ITIL) Practitioner/Manager, Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design (LEED) Accredited Professional (LEED AP), Cisco Certified Network Associate (CCNA), and many more.
SOURCE USmax Corporation
Related Links
www.usmax.com
500px is one of the leading online visual creative communities in the world, founded in 2009 and based in Toronto, Canada. With more than 13 million professional and hobbyist photographers from over 195 countries and regions, the 500px community has produced over 120 million unique images diversity and creative trend. 500px is renowned globally for its community, image licensing, and custom photography.
In July 2015, VCG participated in 500px's global expansion as a strategic investor, signing on as the exclusive distributor of 500px's visual content in Greater China. In November 2015, VCG and 500px jointly-launched 500px.me, a localized community for professional and hobbyist photographers in China. The 500px.me iOS and Android mobile apps were successfully launched in February 2016. In the past two years, both teams have worked in close collaboration on product, technology, marketing, and business development. Today, photographers, visual contents, and social interactions are accessible in both communities for a seamless user experience, and multiple collaborative projects have been successfully executed to serve brand customers around the world.
This acquisition is another key milestone in VCG's continued strategic development in the global imagery industry, and further investment in an already-successful partnership. VCG will strengthen its position by leveraging 500px's premium content and world-class photographer network, while 500px will improve its service to both its community members and international brand enterprises by leveraging VCG's years of online operational experience, technology expertise, client resources, and deep global partnerships.
Amy Jun Liang, Chief Executive Officer of VCG said: "We are excited that 500px, a world-renowned photography community, will become part of the VCG family. This is the next important move in VCG's globalization strategy, following the acquisition of Corbis in 2016. Through the acquisition of 500px, VCG will be able to expand its role in the global content ecosystem. By combining resources in content creation, distribution channels, product and technology across the two parties, VCG will be even better equipped to produce and distribute professionally-generated content (PGC) to meet customer's needs."
Jeff Jordan, partner of Andreessen Horowitz, a well-known venture capital firm and one of the initial 500px investors, said: "I'm thrilled that 500px is officially joining Visual China Group, which is among the top players in the global imagery industry. The two companies are a great fit, combining VCG's deep experience in the imagery industry with 500px's global photographer network. I'm confident VCG and 500px will continue to drive product innovation and apply big data, artificial intelligence and blockchain technology to better serve our community members and enterprise customers around the world."
After the acquisition, both companies will provide more professional SaaS (Software as a Service) services to visual creatives around the world, including those relating to big data, AI, and trusted timestamping technologies. Both VCG and 500px will continue to develop digital copyright services, including registration, transaction, traceability, protection, and artistic content collection. Furthermore, VCG will leverage its strengths in the imagery industry and professional communities to accelerate the growth of 500px's community, visual content licensing and custom photography services.
About Visual China Group
Visual China Group, a public company in China (stock code 000681), is among the top image licensing companies in the world. It is the go-to choice for creative and media professionals in China, and an award-winning leader in copyright protection. Beginning with its strategic investment in 500px in 2014 and the acquisition of Corbis in 2016, VCG, together with its global strategic partner, aims to develop a global photography ecosystem focusing on visual content creation and monetization to better serve photographers, as well as creative and media professionals around the world.
About 500px
500px is one of the leading online visual creative communities in the world, founded in 2009 and based in Canada. With professional and hobbyist photographers around the world, the 500px community has produced unique images diversity and creative trend. 500px is renowned globally for its community, image licensing, and custom photography. Recently, 500px was named one of the 10 best apps for independent travelers by The Guardian, and recognized as one of Deloitte's Technology Fast 50. 500px has worked with world-class global brands like Google, Sony, Airbnb and Lonely Planet.
Press Contact:
Company: VCG
Name: Zhang Yang
Email: [email protected]
Phone: +86-010-57950314
Company: 500px
Name: Stephanie Newell
Email: [email protected]
Phone: +1-855-561-4584
SOURCE Visual China Group
Study demonstrates high detection rates of Stage I cancer and pre-cancerous adenomas in colorectal cancer screening trial for Nu.Q TM blood test
Conference call to discuss interim results scheduled for Tuesday, February 27 at 8:30 a.m. Eastern Time
ISNES, Belgium, Feb. 26, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- VolitionRx Limited (NYSE AMERICAN: VNRX) ("Volition") today announced interim results from its first asymptomatic colorectal cancer (CRC) frontline screening study. This ongoing study is being carried out in collaboration with Hvidovre Hospital, University of Copenhagen, Denmark and involves 680 subjects from the Danish National CRC Screening Program. The interim results demonstrated that a small panel of three ELISA assays, when considered with the subjects' ages and smoking histories, produced an area under the curve (AUC) of 83% and was able to detect 80% of Stage I CRC cases and 66% of High-Risk Adenomas (HRA) at 78% specificity, respectively.
Cameron Reynolds, Chief Executive Officer of Volition, commented, "After seven years of hard work, we are happy to announce these excellent early detection interim results from our ongoing front-line screening trial for colorectal cancer. Using only a small panel of three assays and considering certain limited patient variables, these data demonstrate that we can identify early stage and pre-cancerous adenomas at a high level of accuracy in an asymptomatic screening environment. Our tests use only a small amount of blood and could be added to routine blood screening regimens at a reasonable cost. We believe these are the first data to show high detection rates in a blood test, not only of early Stage I cancer, but also of the extremely important high-risk pre-cancerous adenomas. We believe that with further development, our Nu.QTM panel could form the basis of new CRC tests with early stage disease detection, and that our tests could become accessible to and usable by a wide section of the screening population around the world."
Hans Jorgen Nielsen, Professor of Surgical Oncology at Hvidovre Hospital in Denmark, commenting on these findings said, "These interim results are encouraging, particularly for detecting early-stage colorectal cancer and potentially pre-cancerous adenomas. Most blood-based cancer biomarkers are more effective at detection of large late-stage cancers than small early-stage cancers, and very poor at detecting pre-cancer. Certainly, these results need to be validated in larger and representative cohorts, which Volition plans to do initially in a 4,300-subject study and subsequently in a 12,000+ double blinded study, using samples collected at 10 collaborating Danish hospitals."
CRC is one of the most preventable cancers, yet it currently remains the least prevented form of cancer. The American Cancer Society Cancer Facts and Figures 2018 report provides that the five-year survival rate for CRC at all stages is 65%; however, the survival rates differ significantly depending upon the stage at diagnosis: only 14% of patients diagnosed at Stage IV survive more than five years, whereas 90% of those diagnosed at Stage I survive more than five years. This clearly underscores the importance of early detection. Moreover, while not included in the Facts and Figures report, it is widely believed that diagnosis of pre-cancer conditions like HRA and High-Grade Dysplasia can result in cancer-free survival.
In the U.S., Volition is participating in what is believed to be the largest ever CRC screening study in collaboration with the National Cancer Institute's Early Detection Research Network with a cohort of over 13,500 subjects. Collection is underway and is expected to be completed in 2020. The objective is to build upon the European studies to refine test performance and to present final data to the FDA prior to completion of the study. Volition expects to define the final panel for the U.S. front-line test within the next 18 months.
"We have now embarked with confidence on our next stage of assay development to further validate these assays, and ultimately our Nu.QTM Frontline Asymptomatic Colorectal Cancer Screening Test. This will be run in parallel with ongoing work in our 680-sample set, which still has more Nu.QTM assays to be tested," said Dr. Jake Micallef, Volition's Chief Scientific Officer. "This next stage of development is a 4,300-subject training study, which will determine the final locked down panel (which we expect to be 5-6 assays), the results of which we hope to report in the second quarter of 2018. We will then conduct a large, 12,000+ subject validation study, which we hope to begin in the second half of 2018, which will form the basis of our EU product claims. In parallel, we are progressing towards obtaining a CE Mark for this panel so that the Nu.QTM Frontline Asymptomatic Colorectal Cancer Screening Test could be available for sale in the EU later this year."
Professor Stefan Holdenrieder, Director of the Institute of Laboratory Medicine of the German Heart Center at the Technical University of Munich, Germany and a widely published expert in the field of circulating nucleosomes added, "Given these very interesting results in early cancer detection, we are very much looking forward to the upcoming results of the 27-cancer study that will follow the ongoing CRC studies. This study will analyze the performance of the Nu.Q assays in the most prevalent cancers, and it will test the depth of Nucleosomics as a platform technology beyond CRC in other major cancers."
Data is expected from this trial in 2018.
Volition will host a conference call on Tuesday, February 27 at 8:30 a.m. Eastern Time to discuss the interim results from this clinical trial as well as to provide a general business update.
Event: VolitionRx Limited Conference Call
Date: Tuesday, February 27, 2018
Time: 8:30 a.m. Eastern Time
U.S. & Canada Dial-in: 1-877-407-9716 (toll free)
U.K. Dial-in: 0 800 756 3429 (toll free)
Toll/International: 1-201-493-6779
Conference ID: 13677065
Cameron Reynolds, President and Chief Executive Officer of Volition, will host the call together with Louise Day, Chief Marketing & Communications Officer.
A live audio webcast of the conference call will also be available on the investor relations page of Volition's corporate website at http://ir.volitionrx.com. In addition, a telephone replay of the call will be available until March 6, 2018. The replay dial-in numbers are 1-844-512-2921 (toll-free) in the U.S. and Canada and 1-412-317-6671 (toll) internationally. Please use replay pin number 13677065.
Notes About the Trial
In the study, blood samples were taken from 579 asymptomatic subjects, who participated in the Danish National CRC Screening Program. These included: 51 subjects who tested positive in the screening program for FIT and who were subsequently diagnosed with Stage I CRC at colonoscopy, 67 subjects who tested positive with the fecal immunochemical test (FIT) and who were subsequently diagnosed with HRA at colonoscopy, and 461 control subjects who tested negative with FIT.
The blood samples, which were collected according to a validated Standard Operation Procedure, were assayed by ELISA and the results analysed using Logistic Regression. Both age and smoking were included as patient variables. All assay results were highly statistically significant for both Stage I cancer and HRA detection. The panel reported includes two proprietary assays and one non-proprietary assay.
About Volition
Volition is a multi-national life sciences company developing simple, easy to use blood-based cancer tests to accurately diagnose a range of cancers. The tests are based on the science of Nucleosomics, which is the practice of identifying and measuring nucleosomes in the bloodstream or other bodily fluid - an indication that disease is present.
As cancer screening programs become more widespread, Volition's products aim to help to diagnose a range of cancers quickly, simply, accurately and cost effectively. Early diagnosis has the potential to not only prolong the life of patients, but also to improve their quality of life.
Volition's research and development activities are currently centered in Belgium, with additional offices in London, Texas and Singapore, as the company focuses on bringing its diagnostic products to market first in Europe, then in the U.S. and ultimately, worldwide.
For more information about Volition, visit Volition's website (http://www.volitionrx.com) or connect with us via:
Twitter: https://twitter.com/volitionrx
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/volitionrx
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/VolitionRx/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/VolitionRx
The contents found at Volition's website address, Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, and YouTube are not incorporated by reference into this document and should not be considered part of this document. The addresses for Volition's website, Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, and YouTube are included in this document as inactive textual references only.
Media / Investor Contacts
Safe Harbor Statement
Statements in this press release may be "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, that concern matters that involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those anticipated or projected in the forward-looking statements. Words such as "expects," "anticipates," "intends," "plans," "aims," "targets," "believes," "seeks," "estimates," "optimizing," "potential," "goal," "suggests," "could," "would," "should," "may," "will" and similar expressions identify forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements relate to the effectiveness of Volition's bodily-fluid-based diagnostic tests as well as Volition's ability to develop and successfully commercialize such test platforms for early detection of cancer. Volition's actual results may differ materially from those indicated in these forward-looking statements due to numerous risks and uncertainties. For instance, if Volition fails to develop and commercialize diagnostic products, it may be unable to execute its plan of operations. Other risks and uncertainties include Volition's failure to obtain necessary regulatory clearances or approvals to distribute and market future products in the clinical IVD market; a failure by the marketplace to accept the products in Volition's development pipeline or any other diagnostic products Volition might develop; Volition will face fierce competition and Volition's intended products may become obsolete due to the highly competitive nature of the diagnostics market and its rapid technological change; and other risks identified in Volition's most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, as well as other documents that Volition files with the Securities and Exchange Commission. These statements are based on current expectations, estimates and projections about Volition's business based, in part, on assumptions made by management. These statements are not guarantees of future performance and involve risks, uncertainties and assumptions that are difficult to predict. Forward-looking statements are made as of the date of this release, and, except as required by law, Volition does not undertake an obligation to update its forward-looking statements to reflect future events or circumstances.
Nucleosomics, NuQ, Nu.QTM and HyperGenomics and their respective logos are trademarks and/or service marks of VolitionRx Limited and its subsidiaries. All other trademarks, service marks and trade names referred to in this press release are the property of their respective owners. Additionally, unless otherwise specified, all references to "$" refer to the legal currency of the United States of America.
SOURCE VolitionRx Limited
Related Links
http://www.volitionrx.com
The group in question, called the Three Percenters , appears to stand for two basic principles the right to accumulate weapons of war, and the nationalistic attitude preventing immigrants from preserving their rights. A former member of the Three Percenters was charged in the Charlottesville riots last year. We stand strongly opposed to hate and violence.
As we have seen with recent events (the school shooting in Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, FL less than a week ago, and the horrific racist violence in Charlottesville, VA last year), we've suffered far too many tragedies in our communities from ultra-nationalist attitudes and a nonsensical approach to gun laws in this country. These are two trends that pose grave danger to our society and need to be combatted forcefully by the powers of good. Immigration policy formulation requires an honest sharing of ideas, but these ideas can't be discussed at the barrel of an assault rifle. At Nexus, we simply can't sit idly by and allow these voices to be heard without presenting our own worldview and conveying the truth.
Nexus Services, Inc. is proud of the work it does in communities across the country, protecting the rights of those who need it most, and reuniting over 25,000 immigrants with their families who might otherwise be languishing in jail. The planned rally and demonstration against Nexus is based on the worst type of ignorance, that which turns into hatred and vitriol against a group of people just because of what they look like, what color they are, or where they come from. We plan to peacefully gather, simultaneous to the Three Percenter protest, to defend our community and celebrate the inherent worth and dignity of all people. This is a gathering to witness against hate and violence, and all people motivated by peace, hope, and love are encouraged to join us.
Nexus Services, Inc. is a leading provider of immigrant bail securitization and electronic monitoring, in order to secure immigrant's release from incarceration. The organization funds Nexus Caridades Attorneys, Inc. and Nexus Derechos Humanos Attorneys Inc. as part of its corporate giving and in an effort to increase access to justice for disadvantaged people across the United States. http://www.nexushelps.com/
CONTACT: Nexus Services Inc.
Jen Little, Director of Public Relations
(540) 255-9492 / [email protected]
SOURCE Nexus Services, Inc.
Related Links
http://www.nexushelps.com
HARRISBURG, Pa., Feb. 26, 2018 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Pennsylvania Secretary of Banking and Securities Robin L. Wiessmann today commended students from 12 Pennsylvania colleges and universities who will be competing in the 2018 Conference of State Banking Supervisors (CSBS) Community Bank Case Study Competition.
The Community Bank Case Study Competition is open to undergraduate students in all fields of study as an opportunity to gain valuable first-hand knowledge of the banking industry. This year, each student team will develop an original case study that evaluates how their local community bank is using technology within day-to-day operations.
"As the financial services sector of our economy evolves because of changing consumer demands and technological innovation, the need to engage the rising generation's interest in working in finance has become paramount," said Wiessmann. "Last year, four Pennsylvania schools entered this competition. I am excited to see the large increase of Pennsylvania colleges and universities choosing to compete on a national stage, as well as the number of state-chartered banks participating. We are cheering them on as they compete for this year's prize."
Twelve of the 47 institutions entered in the competition are from colleges and universities within the commonwealth:
Ursinus College ( Collegeville , Montgomery County ), working with Victory Bank
( , ), working with Victory Bank Grove City College ( Grove City , Mercer County ), working with Mars Bank
( , ), working with Immaculata University ( Malvern , Chester County ), working with First Resource Bank
, ), working with First Resource Bank Mansfield University (Mansfield, Tioga County ), working with Citizens & Northern Bank
(Mansfield, ), working with Citizens & Northern Bank Saint Vincent College ( Latrobe , Westmoreland County ), working with Somerset Trust
( , ), working with Somerset Trust Kutztown University (Kutztown, Berks County ), working with Customers Bancorp and New Tripoli Bank
(Kutztown, ), working with Customers Bancorp and New Tripoli Bank California University of Pennsylvania ( California , Washington County ), working with Washington Financial
( , ), working with Washington Financial York College of Pennsylvania ( York , York County ), working with Fulton Bank
( , ), working with Fulton Bank Penn State Harrisburg ( Middletown , Dauphin County ), working with Fulton Bank
, ), working with Fulton Bank University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown ( Johnstown , Cambria County ), working with Somerset Trust
( , ), working with Somerset Trust Alvernia University ( Reading , Berks County ), working with Tompkins VIST Bank
, ), working with Tompkins VIST Bank East Stroudsburg University (East Stroudsburg, Monroe County ), working with Mauch Chunk Trust
Pennsylvania has more schools represented than any other state in the competition.
The student teams are competing for an academic scholarship, a chance for to get their work published in an academic journal and an opportunity to attend the sixth annual CSBS-Federal Reserve Community Banking Research Conference, held in St Louis this October. The top three scoring teams will be announced this spring. For more information on the 2018 Community Bank Case Study Competition, visit www.csbs.org/bankcasestudy.
Anyone can contact the Department of Banking and Securities at 1-800-PA-BANKS. Members of the public are also invited to connect to the department through Facebook and Twitter, or subscribing to the department's newsletter.
Media contact: Ed Novak, 717-783-4721
SOURCE Pennsylvania Department of Banking and Securities
Related Links
http://www.state.pa.us
WASHINGTON, Feb. 26, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Linda Scott, Founder of DoubleXEconomy LLC and Emeritus DP World Chair for Entrepreneurship and Innovation at the University of Oxford's Said Business School to give address at the 4th Global Forum on Business for Gender Equality: The Future of Work and the 2030 Agenda on February 27, 2018 in Santiago, Chile. Professor Scott's remarks, titled The Future of Work: Gender Equality and the Fourth Industrial Revolution, will immediately follow an intimate coffee with Her Excellence Michele Bachelet, President of the Republic of Chile. Thanks to rapid changes in genetics, robotics, artificial intelligence, biotechnology and the rise of the sharing economy, many occupations will disappear within the next 30 years, required skills for employees will shift dramatically, and industries will transform and emerge. Professor Scott's session explores the implications of these trends for the workforce and how they will impact equality between men and women in the labor market.
"I predict that women will not only draw equal to men in numbers in tech education, they will be better performers within fields where qualified talent is increasingly scarce. But tech employers will continue to blindly chase only half the talent pool, if they can't reorient themselves in an inclusive way," declared Professor Scott after reviewing the latest data.
Professor Scott dives deep into the data in her blog on the talk on www.doublexeconomy.com.
About DoubleXEconomy LLC
DoubleXEconomy is a world leading research and consulting firm committed to women's economic empowerment. DXE provides expertise to organizations undertaking programs that better include women in the world economy. It capitalizes on the expertise of its founder, Linda Scott, and founding CEO, Dr. Cynthia Drakeman, and builds on a global network of colleagues who have helped produce a wide-ranging platform of work on women's economic empowerment.
About the Global Forum on Business for Gender Equality
The 4th Global Forum on Business for Gender Equality brings together more than 400 business leaders, governments, academia, trade unions and civil society, from 25 countries, to share best practices for reducing gender gaps in the workplace and to highlight the role of the business sector as a key player in advancing gender equality and building inclusive work environments for the achievement of the 2030 Agenda.
SOURCE DoubleXEconomy LLC
Related Links
https://www.doublexeconomy.com
NEW YORK, Feb. 26, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Global marketing and communications firm Finn Partners announced today that Belong, the world's largest social network for cancer patients and caregivers, has selected Finn Partners as its marketing and communications agency of record (AOR). Finn Partners will support Belong with a multinational team based in New York and Israel.
Belong's free app gives voice to cancer patients and their support network to explore and manage their treatment journey by sharing clinical information with health professionals and others facing similar cancer-related issues.
"We are dedicated to supporting patients, their families and care network, in navigating the complex cancer journey and easing their concerns as they cope with a challenging disease," said Eliran Malki, Co-founder and CEO of Belong. "Finn Partners is a key partner in helping us to support more and more 'Belongers,' by extending the growth and reach of our fast-growing, life-changing community."
Founded in 2015, Belong is a free patient navigation app that gives voice to cancer patients and their support network so they can better manage their treatment journey and improve quality of life. The Belong global community is a proprietary big-data platform and machine learning technology enabling people to connect, receive and share clinical information anonymously and privately discuss life issues of urgency with health professionals and peers.
Belong provides improved access to life-saving information, including real-time forums with doctors, professionals and other patients. Belongers participating in the global virtual community also receive updates on new clinical trials and suggestions on how to address social and professional issues. Belong has partnerships with the American Cancer Societ y and Colorectal Cancer Canada , and is currently seeking additional cancer advocacy group collaborations across the world.
"The bond among people with cancer can transcend geography, demographics and economics the disease becomes a rallying cry for access to innovation, compassion and information and Belong is a 24/7 community where these needs become available," said Gil Bashe, managing partner, Global Health Practice lead at Finn Partners, who serves as senior counselor for the Belong account team.
Goel Jasper, managing partner, Finn Partners Israel, and account team lead, adds: "Belong is a global cancer community hub, providing clinical, emotional and financial advice on a central, user-friendly platform. We are honored to be working with the Belong team, as part of their effort to pioneer a personal and virtual cancer-patient community that is vital and sustainable."
Belong will be exhibiting at HIMSS 2018 in Las Vegas on March 5-8 (Booth 10343).
About Belong
Founded in 2015 by noted entrepreneurs Eliran Malki, Irad Deutsch and Ohad Rubin each having lost relatives to cancer, Belong is a free patient navigation app that gives voice to cancer patients and their support network to explore and better manage their treatment journey and improve quality of life. The Belong global community is a proprietary big data platform and Machine Learning technology that enables people to connect, receive and share clinical information anonymously and discuss privately life issues of urgency. Today, Belong is the world's largest digital cancer patient platform and is in partnership with the American Cancer Society, Colorectal Cancer Canada and others. For more information, please visit: http://belong.life .
Download link http://belong.life/download
Follow Belong on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.
About Finn Partners, Inc.
Founded in 2011 on the core principles of innovation and collaborative partnership, Finn Partners has more than tripled in size in six years, becoming one of the fastest growing independent public relations agencies in the world. The full-service marketing and communications company's record setting pace is a result of organic growth and integrating new companies and new people into the Finn Partners world through a common philosophy. With more than 600 professionals, Finn Partners provides its clients with global access and capabilities in the U.S., Europe and Asia, in addition to PROI Worldwide. Headquartered in New York, Finn Partners' other offices are located in: Chicago, Detroit, Fort Lauderdale, Frankfurt, Jerusalem, London, Los Angeles, Munich, Nashville, Paris, Portland, San Francisco, Shanghai, Singapore and Washington, D.C. Find us at finnpartners.com and please follow us on Twitter and Instagram at @finnpartners.
Media Contacts:
Renee Martin, Finn Partners, New York
[email protected]
212-715-1600
Ellie Hanson, Finn Partners, Jerusalem
[email protected]
+972-54-4676980
SOURCE Finn Partners
Related Links
http://www.finnpartners.com
OAKLAND, Calif., Feb. 26, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Xantrion Inc., announced today that CRN , a brand of The Channel Company, has named Xantrion to its 2018 Managed Service Provider (MSP) 500 list in the Managed Security 100 category. This annual list recognizes North American solution providers with cutting-edge approaches to delivering managed IT services. Their top-notch offerings help companies navigate the complex and ever-changing landscape of IT, improve operational efficiencies, and maximize their return on IT investments.
In today's fast-paced business environments, Managed Service Providers (MSP's) play an important role in helping companies leverage new technologies without straining their budgets or losing focus on their core business. CRN's Managed Service Provider (MSP) 500 list shines a light on the most forward-thinking and innovative of these key organizations.
The list is divided into three categories: the MSP Pioneer 250, recognizing companies with business models weighted toward managed services and largely focused on the SMB market; the MSP Elite 150, recognizing large, data center-focused MSPs with a strong mix of on-premise and off-premise services; and the MSP Managed Security 100, recognizing MSPs focused primarily on off-premise, cloud-based security services.
"MSPs meet a critical need in the IT market, providing customized, turnkey services that allow for effective control of expenditures, precise allocation of limited resources and convenient access to on-demand and pay-as-you-go technology. We congratulate the service providers of the MSP 500, who continually reinvent themselves to successfully meet their customers' changing needs, helping businesses get the most out of their IT investments and sharpen their competitive edge."
"We are honored to be a member of the Managed Security 100. In particular, we are excited about being recognized for our cloud-based cybersecurity and compliance services. We pride ourselves on our track record and expertise in these areas," said Anne Bisagno, President, Xantrion Inc.
The MSP 500 list will be featured in the February 2018 issue of CRN and online at www.CRN.com/msp500.
About Xantrion Inc.
Experts in tailored cloud strategies, cybersecurity, and technical support, Xantrion provides outsourced IT services for midsized companies in the San Francisco Bay Area. Its team of IT experts brings impeccable technical and business skills to every assignment. Featuring an award-winning strategic approach, SOC2 Type II credentialed data centers, 24/7 help desk, fixed fees, and a 99.99% uptime record, Xantrion is a proven partner for managed IT services.
About the Channel Company
The Channel Company enables breakthrough IT channel performance with our dominant media, engaging events, expert consulting and education, and innovative marketing services and platforms. As the channel catalyst, we connect and empower technology suppliers, solution providers and end users. Backed by more than 30 years of unequaled channel experience, we draw from our deep knowledge to envision innovative new solutions for ever-evolving challenges in the technology marketplace. www.thechannelco.com
Contact:
Anne Bisagno
Xantrion
510-588-8201
[email protected]
SOURCE Xantrion Inc.
Related Links
http://www.xantrion.com
SACRAMENTO, Calif., Feb. 26, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- The Yale Law School Association has announced Carmela Castellano-Garcia as its 2018 Award of Merit recipient. Since 1957, Yale Law School has recognized distinguished alumni or faculty that are exceptional in his or her field and have made a substantial contribution to public service or to the legal profession with the Award of Merit. Other notable recipients include U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor ('79), Hillary Rodham Clinton ('73), and California Governor Edmund G. Brown ('64).
"Ms. Castellano-Garcia, President and Chief Executive Officer of the California Primary Care Association, has dedicated herself for more than 25 years to advancing multi-cultural health care delivery to millions of patients each year," said Toni Hahn Davis, Associate Dean for Alumni and Public Affairs, Yale Law School. "The Yale Law School Community is enormously proud to be giving her this Award -- she truly embodies the leadership qualities we strive to instill in our law students."
Ms. Castellano-Garcia served for six years as a staff attorney and managing attorney with Public Advocates, Inc., a public interest law firm in San Francisco where she litigated in the areas of employment discrimination, insurance redlining, and ensuring access to the information technology for minority and low-income populations. In 1992 she founded the Latino Coalition for a Healthy California (LCHC), a healthcare policy and advocacy organization seeking to improve access to health and human services for California's Latino population. She was the Executive Director of LCHC from 1992-1997.
In 1997, Ms. Castellano-Garcia became the President and CEO of the California Primary Care Association (CPCA) the statewide leader and recognized voice representing the interests of California health centers and the 6.5 million patients they serve. She has been committed to advancing multi-cultural health policy issues for more than 25 years, and has become a leading expert in a wide array of health policy issues including access to care for vulnerable populations, health care reform, payment reform, and primary care workforce. She continues to be a staunch advocate of social justice issues including immigrant and women's rights, educational equity and access.
"It is truly an honor to receive the Award of Merit and be recognized for my contributions to expanding health care access for all Californians. As a leader in the non-profit advocacy sector, I am thrilled to be acknowledged for all of the work I have done to impact the lives of so many individuals throughout our state," said Castellano-Garcia. "The true value of me receiving this award is it highlights what can be accomplished when a community comes together and unites around an important issues such as the human right of healthcare access. My goal is to use this opportunity to demonstrate to other young women, and particularly young women of color, what can ultimately be achieved through advocacy, leadership and dedication."
Ms. Castellano-Garcia also serves as President of the Board of Trustees of the Castellano Family Foundation. Founded by her parents, Alcario and Carmen Castellano, in 2001 after winning the California State Lottery, the Castellano Family Foundation has donated more than $5 million in grants to Santa Clara County nonprofits supporting Latino education, arts, and culture, leadership and diversity.
Ms. Castellano-Garcia will officially receive the Award of Merit from the Yale Law School Dean Toni Davis at the school's Alumni Weekend on Saturday, October 20. For more information on the Yale Law School Award of Merit and to see past recipients, please visit https://law.yale.edu/info/alumni/alumni-glance/award-merit
Ms. Castellano-Garcia is a graduate of Leigh High School in San Jose, California. She attended San Jose State University before transferring to University of California Berkeley, where she graduated with highest honors and received a bachelor's degree in political science. She also spent a year at La Universidad Central de Venezuela as a Rotary Foundation International Scholar. Castellano-Garcia went on to receive her juris doctorate from Yale Law School in 1991. To learn more about Carmela Castellano-Garcia, please visit http://carmelacastellano.com/
Contact: Andrea Chavez, [email protected]
SOURCE California Primary Care Association
Related Links
http://carmelacastellano.com
ZTE will demonstrate the future of connected car solutions at Mobile World Congress 2018 with an interactive demonstration at the ZTE booth.
"As a global industry leader, ZTE is committed to the development of technologies that will lead the way to the 5G, connected car, and IoT future. We are excited to deepen our relationship with Qualcomm Technologies as we develop and implement C-V2X wireless communication technology to drive the commercialization of C-V2X in the near future," said Jeff Yee, Vice President of Product Marketing and Strategy at ZTE Mobile Devices. "Our deep understanding of end-to-end solutions enables us to be the first Chinese module manufacturer to announce a C-V2X module and test terminals based on the Qualcomm 9150 C-V2X chipset , providing strong support for testing and commercialization of C-V2X. ZTE looks forward to working together with Qualcomm Technologies and the broad ecosystem in promoting the integration and development of C-V2X for improvements in driving safety, traffic efficiency, environmental protection, and autonomous driving."
ZTE is a global leader in 5G innovation, providing connectivity in more than 160 countries around the world. As a global leading provider of end-to-end network solutions, ZTE is able to provide a comprehensive approach and innovative solutions to pave the way for autonomous driving in the future 5G era.
ZTE is committed to the development and application of C-V2X wireless communication technologies such as C-V2X and 5G in the field of connected cars, focusing the connection service and providing an end-to-end solution. ZTE connected car solutions have been currently commercial in China with leading automotive companies, as well as in Europe and other segments.
"We are pleased ZTE has expressed their interest in accelerating C-V2X direct communications using the Qualcomm 9150 C-V2X chipset," said Nakul Duggal, vice president of product management, Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. "Qualcomm Technologies and ZTE have a long history of collaboration to provide innovative communication technology solutions. The Qualcomm 9150 C-V2X chipset solution is designed to allow low latency communications for Vehicle-to-Vehicle (V2V), Vehicle-to-Roadside Infrastructure (V2I), and Vehicle-to-Pedestrian (V2P) operations without the involvement of a cellular network by operating on a designed and harmonized 5.9 GHz ITS spectrum."
About ZTE Mobile Devices
ZTE Mobile Devices is a division of ZTE Corporation, a global telecommunications equipment, networks and mobile devices company headquartered in Shenzhen, China. ZTE is a publicly traded company listed on the Hong Kong and Shenzhen stock exchanges.
ZTE has partnered with 231 major carriers, including the world's top 50 carriers around the globe. ZTE is the only Chinese company that has been ranked top 3 for seven consecutive years, and has been ranked No.1 three times in terms of the number of PCT international patents applied from 2010 to 2016.
As one of the world's leading smart devices makers, ZTE has been engaged in the research, development and manufacturing of mobile phones since 1998, with 20 years of history. ZTE is doing business in more than 160 countries and regions globally. For more information, please visit: www.ztedevice.com
SOURCE ZTE
It is hard to see any reasons for the current buoyant Mildura rural property market not to continue throughout 2018, according to HTW valuer Graeme Whyte.
"The current property cycle is remarkable for the fact that virtually all local commodities are enjoying above average returns, with the outlook for most commodity prices currently being very favourable," the recent update advised.
"At the same time, there is a large pool of corporate buyers targeting Australian agriculture," added.
Buyers are actively chasing most types of horticultural property as well as cropping and grazing enterprises and appear prepared to pay historically high prices for properties that provide good economies of scale and have a good standard of improvements.
There also continues to be large scale green field development of almonds, olives, table grapes, citrus and to a lesser extent dried fruit, however the pool of available land for such development is getting smaller.
The valuation firm noted the foundations for the current good export returns for commodities such as citrus, table grapes and almonds date back to many years of patient market development combined with the signing of free trade agreements with key Asian countries. The ability of growers and marketers to ensure all market protocols are met will be the key to maintaining these lucrative markets. "Maintaining a competitive exchange rate will also be important." The other main factor affecting the horticultural sector will be the irrigation water outlook, Whyte advised. "There was above average winter rainfall (and snow fall) during 2016 and 2017, which contributed to high allocations in the Murray Valley and readily available temporary water on the leasing market. "The cost of leasing water has been mostly below $130 per megalitre for the past 18 months. "Forecasting future rainfall is beyond my brief, however history suggests that there will be a drier winter during one of the next few years and that at some stage, irrigators will have to face the prospect of paying more for temporary water." One of the more noteworthy recent sales is of Petro Station, which is a large scale cropping and grazing property located in south-western New South Wales, approximately 60 kilometres north of Mildura. This property, held under NSW Western Lands lease, included approximately 8,400 hectares of good standard cropping country. The $11.8 million sale was advised with the land transfer at $9 million. It was bought by GoFarm Australia which snared one of Victoria's biggest parcels of water with its purchase of Del Rios for around $22 million in 2016. The 900ha vineyard, north of Swan Hill and near the junction of the Murray and Murrumbidgee rivers at Kenley, was sold along with its 5476 megalitres of high-security water. HTW advised the Petro sale shows over $900 per hectare for well regarded arable land, but located in an area with an average rainfall of around 300 millimetres. It was offered for the first time in 73 years by the Doyle family. The property is 26,685 hectares of which 9000 hectares is of cropping country with sandy loam soil type and solid cropping history and average rainfall 302.5 mm and 17,500 hectares approximately of grazing land with some 800 dorpers and 90 per cent fully fenced. The property has a further 200 hectares cropping license undeveloped, and the balance of land consists of pristine Mallee scrub and locked up conservation in conjunction with Dept of Infrastructure and Natural Resources . Petro has a permanent 21 megalitre water entitlement with private diversion from the Darling river via a 32 km, 2 inch line.
Julian Cress, executive producer of The Block, and wife Sarah have listed their redundant Annandale warehouse.
It previously belonged to Julian's late father, the artist Fred Cress.
The couple, who have set up base in Melbourne's Albert Park with their two young boys, commissioned architect Julian Brenchley and designer Darren Palmer to undertake the recent conversion.
The Johnston Lane warehouse now with four bedrooms, three bathrooms and a ground floor gallery has $4 million hopes at its March 24 McGrath auction.
Cress has been the executive producer of the now-Melbourne based series since its 2003 Bondi launch.
He became critical of Sydney council approvals in his pursuit of development sites for the Channel 9 show.
This article first appeared in The Daily Telegraph.
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This years ALA midwinter conference, which took place February 913 in Denver, brought together librarians, publishing professionals, and other gatekeepers in the childrens literature community for a series of educational sessions and discussions. The meeting also featured the much-anticipated announcement of the ALA Youth Media Awards, including the 2018 Newbery, Caldecott, and Printz Awards. Weve gathered a selection of photo highlights from the conference.
The 2018 Newbery Committee celebrates Erin Entrada Kellys win for Hello, Universe (Greenwillow).
Authors Patrisse Cullors (When They Call You a Terrorist: A Black Lives Matter Memoir) (l.) and Marley Dias (Marley Dias Gets It Done: And So Can You!) onstage during the opening session.
Barbara Marcus, president and publisher of Random House Childrens Books (center), joins authors Tae Keller (l.) and Sara Saedi at the companys preview luncheon.
Dave Eggers, author of Her Right Foot (Chronicle), and Sandra Farag, youth materials selector for New York Public Library and Brooklyn Public Library, in conversation.
Patrick Downes and Jessica Kensky, co-authors of Rescue and Jessica: A Life-Changing Friendship (Candlewick Press), with Jessicas service dog, Rescue.
Elizabeth Acevedo discusses her debut novel, The Poet X (HarperTeen).
Little, Brown authors Paolo Bacigalupi (Ship Breaker series) and Jewell Parker Rhodes (Ghost Boys).
Librarians take part in a hands-on activity inspired by Maker Lab Outdoors and Maker Lab: 28 Super Cool Projects by Jack Challoner (DK).
Author Dashka Slater holds her YALSA Nonfiction Finalist and Stonewall Award-winning book, The 57 Bus: A True Story of Two Teenagers and the Crime That Changed Their Lives (FSG).
Nic Stone signs her debut novel, Dear Martin (Random House/Crown), for a fan.
Story Pirates actors mimic the characters on the cover of Stuck in the Stone Age by The Story Pirates and Geoff Rodkey (Rodale), after their stage presentation inspired by the book.
Claire Legrand, author of the YA fantasy Furyborn (Sourcebooks Fire), speaks with librarians while she signs galleys.
Sterlings Chris Vaccari and Sari Lampert Murray celebrate the opening night of ALA Midwinter and author Natasha Wings Bagel in Love.
Laurel Croza, author of The Whirlpool, and Matt James, author-illustrator of The Funeral, sign books for Groundwood.
Author-illustrator Jillian Tamaki (They Say Blue, Abrams) leads a drawing demonstration at the Denver Public Library.
(From l.): Author Varian Johnson (The Parker Inheritance) with Scholastic editor Arthur A. Levine and author Eric Gansworth (Give Me Some Truth).
A father reads Quantum Physics for Babies by Chris Ferrie (Sourcebooks Jabberwocky) to his sleepy daughter.
Bill Nye (l.) and Greg Mone discuss their Jack and the Geniuses series (Abrams/Amulet) during the ALA Closing Session.
The name Vanderbilt carries a huge weight, conjuring images of mansions, robber barons, and even, in the 20th century, denim jeans. Most of us might be able to pull up Cornelius and more of us Gloria, but what do we really know about this huge and influential American family?
Therese Anne Fowler came up against this as she was looking for a follow-up to her massive 2013 bestseller, Z: A Novel of Zelda Fitzgerald. She faced the inevitable author dilemma: what next?
Next became A Well-Behaved Woman, the story of Alva Vanderbilt, the woman who brought the very rich but socially shunned Vanderbilts into New York society, which is set to be published in October by St. Martins. Its easier to follow up a failure than a success, Fowler says. After Z, the pressure I felt for the next book was all my own. I wanted it to be excellent, and I spent three years casting about for a subject.
By accident, Fowler stumbled upon the story of the 1934 custody battle over Gloria Vanderbilt, who was then a 10-year-old heiress. I didnt know about itmaybe Im a bit too youngbut I was fascinated, she says. Fowler began reading everything she could find about the Vanderbilts (I have a shelf full of books, she notes) and was soon down the rabbit hole. She started thinking about how everyone knows the Vanderbilt name, but the question for her was, who are these people, really?
Hope Dellon, Fowlers editor at St. Martins (who also edited Z), notes that the trick with historical fiction is to get the right mix. You need a subject where theres interest, someone not too obscure, but also a subject about whom not too much is known, Dellon says. Therese was at a disadvantage and an advantage writing about Alva. With Zelda there was a lot of info, but with Alva, Therese had room to use more imagination.
Early on, Fowler saw the project as big in scope, and the initial proposal was for a trilogy, with each book focusing on a different Vanderbilt woman, starting with Alva. Gertrude and then Gloria Morgan Vanderbilt (the designers mother) would follow, bringing the family from the Gilded Age up to the Jazz Age.
Wendy Sherman, Fowlers longtime agent, says she always tells a writer to go with her passion, and it certainly worked when Fowler came to her with the idea for a book about Fitzgeralda book Sherman calls one of the highlights of her career. She went out with Fowlers planned Vanderbilt trilogy as an unfinished manuscript.
There was a synopsis, an outline, and sample chapters, not standard for fiction, but Therese had the history behind her, and it was an easy sell, she says. I sent it out selectively but widely and got a great response.
Fowler came to New York, and she and Sherman met with publishers. It was like double-dating, Sherman says. I felt so good for my clientfor her to have the opportunity to talk with so many people. For me, a book is the magic between an editor and a writer. There were some great conversations.
When it came time for the inevitable auction in July 2015, all the publishers they had visited showed up. Fowler is no stranger to auctions. Her first book, Souvenir, was sold at auction in a six-figure, two-book deal to Ballantine in 2008, and Z was also sold at auction for major money.
But the auction for the then-unnamed trilogy (Fowler says for most of its life she referred to it as that damn book) wasnt typical. Hair-raising is Dellons description.
Sherman agrees. Everyone came to the auction,and everyone saw the book in a different way, she says. Trilogy? One book? To tell you the truth, it was nerve-racking. No one was bidding on the same thing.
Sherman says, though, that she was completely transparent. The bidders knew what was going onthat there were different visions at play.
Fowler knew she had to make a decision, and ultimately a single book seemed the wisest choice. For a substantial sum, that damn book went to Dellon at St. Martins in July 2015. I bought it with almost nothing, Dellon says. Not usual, but I had worked with Fowler before so I was confident.
So Fowler had her editor, her publisher, and her work cut out for her. In fall 2016, she handed a draft in to Dellon, who Fowler says wasnt crazy about the big, sweeping epic idea. (Remember that the original thinking was for three volumes, about three womenwhich was now being compressed into one big book.)
Fowler says she was succinct in her reaction to Dellons assessment: Oh, no! she thought, and went back to rewriting with the goal of a more closely observed story with more intimacy.
My initial vision had been to break the stories down, Fowler says. So I circled back and settled on Alva, despite the fact that at first I did not really like her and never really intended to write about her. But I realized that she was badly characterized, portrayed as a pushy, obnoxious social climber. Even though I didnt like her, I wanted to reconcile this image with her actual life, where people had good things to say about her.
Dellon observes that Alva learned all the rules of polite society: she was the one who created the dynasty, orchestrating the Vanderbilts acceptance into high society beyond their wildest dreams. Then she broke all the rules when she divorced her unfaithful husband and became a major force in the suffragette movement.
How could one woman do all this? Dellon wondered, while also seeing the challenge of getting the story into a single book. There was another draft in spring 2017.
Fowler, meanwhile, was ruminating on Alvas being demonized in the media when she dared to divorce: It made me think of Hillary Clinton, a woman who accomplished so much and was called caring by her personal people, but who was pilloried in the media. Hillary was a victim of the media just like Alva.
Suddenly, Fowler says, it all made sense, and she spent the next nine days doing nothing but rewriting Alvas character. Z was quickera kind of desperation career-move save. This one was a lot of rewriting.
Dellon says the tremendous difference between the last two drafts (Fowler turned in the final draft in October 2017) was surprisingly wonderful. Fowler had handed in that last draft thinking the book still was not finished. What do you mean, its done? was my reaction, she says.
But Dellons take was that Alva sprawled to life. She adds, The book was fresher, more original. With historical fiction, you have to bring a new perspective, and Therese, who really wants to get things right, nailed it!
The market plans will likely be as substantial as the advance. When Dellon and I spoke, Fowler was about to come to New York to meet with St. Martins marketing team.
U.K. rights went to Lisa Highton at Two Roads, and Dutch rights are with Luitingh-Sijthoff. More foreign rights are just now being sold, and Sherman anticipates that there will be many: Z was sold in 14 territories, and I expect we will soon see a lot more for A Well-Behaved Woman.
At the end of my conversation with Fowler, we muse about how A Well-Behaved Woman relates to the present. Alvas time was the first Gilded Age; today is being called the second. We had the robber barons, and now we have the 1%. Workers won protection then because of abuses, and yet today those protections are being stripped away, Fowler says. We learn nothing. We agree that this conversation could go on forever and move back to business.
I should thank Hillary, Fowler says.
You should send the book to Hillary, I tell her.
Fowler doesnt miss a beat: My agent is on it.
With the release of The Post, the story of the Pentagon Papers has rekindled public conversation about a free press in a democratic society. The films dramatization of the Nixon administrations efforts to prevent the Washington Post from publishing the Pentagon Papers resonates today, when the executive branch routinely attacks the media, most recently by attempting to suppress Henry Holts publication of Michael Wolffs Fire and Fury.
Left untold in the film is the role of book publishers in bringing the papers to the public and ensuring that they would be accessible to future generations. A month after the June 1971 publication of excerpts in the Times and the Post, Bantam published a mass market synopsis edited by Neil Sheehan. In October, Beacon Press released a more extensive four-volume set of the papers acquired from Sen. Mike Gravel, who read them into the Congressional Record.
Gravel had approached dozens of publishing houses that rejected the project due to financial and political concerns. He finally found a home for the papers with Beacon Press, the publishing arm of the Unitarian Universalist Association. (Gavel was a Unitarian Universalist himself.)
According to an article in the associations magazine, Beacon took the risk because freedom from bureaucratic censorship is one of the objectives of the press. In his memoir, A Political Odyssey, Gravel quotes Gobin Stair, then the director of Beacon Press, as saying that the public was entitled to full disclosure, not just sketchy journalistic synopses. In pre-internet days, print publication was the only way to ensure that.
At 7,000 pages, the papers were the most ambitious venture in Beacons long history and an editorial nightmare. Stair later recalled in an interview, The pile of stuff that was the Pentagon Papers was so confused and so mixed up that everybody who got near it knew this couldnt possibly be a book. The cost of producing 20,000 copies and the associated legal fees presented a huge financial burden for the press.
Once published, the papers sparked a larger problem: political persecution. President Nixon, who had personally called Stair to dissuade him from publishing the papers, renewed his attacks. Stair was subpoenaed to appear at Daniel Ellsbergs trial, J. Edgar Hoover approved an FBI subpoena of the UUAs bank records, and FBI agents appeared at the offices of the press.
Beacons publication of the papers figured in a case heard before the Supreme Court, which ruled against it. In his dissent, Justice William O. Douglas wrote, It is the government, and not the press, that is lawless.
Beacon received an outpouring of support from religious organizationsincluding from the Unitarian Universalist Veatch Program at Shelter Rock and publishing industry associations. Robert Bernstein, then the Random House CEO and AAP chair, called on publishers to create a $100,000 Beacon Press defense fund and led by offering a $2,500 donation. The American Library Association adopted a resolution of support. UUA president Robert West later commented to a Beacon staff member that the librarians were the most intensely concerned people I encountered who werent Unitarian Universalists.
In June 1972, the Watergate break-in drew the FBIs attention, effectively ending the governments campaign of intimidation against Beacon and ultimately leading to Nixons resignation.
In 2011, the Pentagon Papers were declassified. Book publishers, however, had ensured that they were available 40 years earlier. During that time, these papers had done their job of informing the public, thus hastening the end of the war and indirectly leading to the resignation of a president.
As Post editor and Beacon author Ben Bagdikian wrote, the story of the Pentagon Papers remains a warning that every generation must protect its own constitutional liberties. At a time when these liberties are once again under threat, we should remember the power of our industry and the crucial responsibility we have to maintain an open and democratic society.
Tom Hallock is the associate publisher and Christian Coleman is the editor of Beacon Broadside at Beacon Press.
Former First Lady Michelle Obamas much anticipated memoir, Becoming, will be published November 13 by the Crown Publishing Group. The Penguin Random House unit announced on Sunday that the book will be released simultaneously in 24 languages.
Becoming is part of the landmark deal PRH struck with the Obamas in February 2017. The two-book agreement, for one title by Barack Obama and one by Michelle Obama, wound up earning the couple a reported $65 million advance.
An audiobook edition of Becoming, read by Michelle Obama, will be released in digital and physical formats by Penguin Random House Audio. She will also kick off a U.S. and international book tour November 13. Details on the tour will be announced at a later date.
Considered one of the most popular First Ladies of recent times, Michelle Obama uses the book to offer the public an in-depth look at the experiences that have shaped her life. The book offers an intimate look at the first African American woman to serve as First Lady; from her childhood in Chicago to her career as a working executive and mother, as well as the journey that took her and Barack Obama to the White House. The book examines her policy advocacy for women and girls, as well as the demands of raising two daughters (and occasionally showing off a few nifty dance moves) in the glaring spotlight of the media and the polarized political arena of Washington DC.
Penguin Random House will also work in conjunction with The Obama Foundation to donate one million books in the Obamas' name to First Books, a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing new books and other materials to children in North America.
In a prepared statement, Michelle Obama described writing Becoming as a deeply personal experience. It has allowed me, for the very first time, the space to honestly reflect on the unexpected trajectory of my life. I hope my journey inspires readers to find the courage to become whoever they aspire to be. I cant wait to share my story.
Correction: An earlier version of this story said PRH would be donating one million copies of Becoming to First Books. The publisher is working with the Obamas to donate one million books, not one million copies of Becoming, to the nonprofit organization.
Richard Johnson is stepping down from his position as group CEO of U.K.-based Bonnier Publishing (which is a subsidiary of Swedens Bonnier Books) after nearly nine years in the role. He is leaving the company immediately. Jim Zetterlund, who is currently COO and CFO of Bonnier Books, has been named acting CEO.
No explanation was offered for Johnson's departure.
[Bonnier Publishing] has reached a pivotal point in its history, Zetterlund said in a press release announcing the change. It has secured a strong foothold in the market and now its time to increase our focus on fiction and narrative non-fiction and we will establish Bonnier Publishing as a fully-fledged publisher. Commercial non-fiction and value driven publishing will continue to be an important part of our portfolio.
Johnson was an accountant who joined the publishing industry after assisting Bonnier in the 1999 acquisition of the children's publisher Autumn House. In recent years, Johnson became known for his bold statements and moves. He backed, for example, the company's ten book mega-deal with author Wilbur Smith, one rumored to have been valued in excess of 10 million.
Bonnier Publishing expanded to the U.S. in 2014 with Little Bee Books. The U.S. operations were relaunched as Bonnier Publishing USA under the director of CEO Shimul Tolia. At the time of the company's formation, Johnson said the goal was to reach $100 million in sales by 2019.
This article was corrected to attribute the final statement about the financial goal of Bonnier Publishing USA to Richard Johnson and not Shimul Tolia.
He also said the global subscription video-on-demand (SVOD) service has the potential to become a significant exporter of Indian stories.The streaming giant has now commissioned three more Indian original series to join existing productions Sacred Games, Selection Day and Bard of Blood.Based on the Vikram Chandra novel, Sacred Games is due to stream on Netflix in December.We are proud to continue to invest in original content in India . These three series, from the scary to the supernatural, represent the tremendous diversity that Indian storytelling holds for a global audience. We are thrilled to work with some of the world's most talented writers and producers to bring these stories to life for India and the world, said Erik Barmack, vice president of international original series, Netflix.Leila, based on a book by Prayaag Akbar is written and executive produced by Urmi Juvekar. It centres on Shalini, a woman in search of the daughter she lost when arrested 16 years earlier. The SVOD company describes it as an inventive, boundary-breaking story concerned with longing, faith and loss.Horror series Ghoul, based on Arabic folklore, is set in a covert detention centre. Interrogator Nida has turned in her own father as an anti-government activist but now faces terrorists held at the centre who are not of this world. The supernatural drama is written and directed by Patrick Graham, and starring Radhika Apte and Manav Kaul.Binky Mendez-penned young adult murder mystery thriller, Crocodile, is set in Goa. After Miras best friend goes missing, she sets out to investigate, uncovering secrets among her friends, romances and community.Last year Netflix said it aimed to produce at least five or six Indian originals a year The surge in Internet connections and confidence in its growth across the country has aided Netflix, Hastings said at the Global Business Summit. Even we couldnt predict the last two years of Indian Internet growth , he added.Its the most phenomenal example anywhere in the world in terms of lower data cost, more people online, penetration of 4G. We didnt that coming, we just got lucky on that one! said Hastings.
For decades, Republicans have been stuck with the epithet the stupid party, and they've often deserved it. But there's been a switch in the Trump era. Democrats now are the stupid party.They've adopted several of the foolhardy habits of Republicansafor instance, the government shutdown. It's an act of political masochism. History is consistent on this. Those who shut Washington down fail to achieve their goals.Despite this losing streak, Democrats decided on a shutdown to force President Trump and congressional Republicans to let immigrant dreamers stay in this country. The shutdown featured hours of Democratic handwringing.It flopped, as every Republican shutdown had. Chuck Schumer, the Senate Democratic leader, called it off after a single day, upon realizing its chances of succeeding were zilch. Pro-shutdown Democrats wanted to hang on and picketed Schumer's residence.
The failure of Scot Peterson, the sheriffs deputy assigned to Stoneman Douglas High School as a resource officer, to engage a teenage shooter apparently required Broward County Sheriff Scott Israel to call a nationwide press conference. After sending sheriffs department cars on more than two dozen calls looking into Nikolas Cruzs activities over the past decade, and doing nothing to either address concerns or prevent a clearly disturbed Cruz from being able to buy an AR-15 by properly entering a police record, Israel now was faced with this last-minute shocker.
Or was he?
According to the sheriff, he had now seen the surveillance camera videos establishing that the deputy had been outside for the entire time Cruz went on his rampage. I am devastated. Sick to my stomach. He never went in, Israel said. Israel added that his deputy should have acted. Addressed the killer, he said. Killed the killer.
But Stoneman Douglas student Brandon Huff, 18, a senior, said he had seen Peterson standing outside the building and talking on his radio during the shooting, according to reports in the Florida Sun-Sentinel and The New York Times.
The deputy appears to have been in constant radio contact with Israels Broward County Sheriffs Office. Jim Bell, president of the Broward Sheriffs Office Deputies Association, told reporters that Peterson thinks he followed protocol. He believed he did a good job calling in the location, setting up the perimeter and calling in the description [of Cruz], Bell told reporters.
So with all that radio communication between the Sheriffs Office and Peterson at the school, are we really supposed to believe the first time Israel realized his deputy had never gone into the school was when he finally saw the surveillance tapes? Particularly now that Coral Springs Police have told CNN that they saw three more Broward County deputies taking cover outside the school when they arrived, and passed them going into the building?
Israel didnt include these deputies in his remarks about Peterson. Wasnt he just as devastated that they never went in? Or is it possible all four were responding to orders from his office?
According to USA Today, Israel was asked by a reporter whether his deputies were told to wait for SWAT officers before going into the building. Israel said he didnt know anything about that and moved on to another question. He did not respond to a direct follow-up by USA Today.
Strangely, when Sheriff Israel suspended Deputy Peterson, no one from the Broward Sheriffs Office made the call to him. They arranged for Jim Bell to do it, even though Peterson was not a member of Bells union. Israel also allowed the deputy he had been heaping condemnation upon to take immediate full retirement with no disciplinary action.
When a local television reporter tried to look into Petersons side of all this, he hit a wall. Reporters who attempted to approach the West Palm Beach home of ex-Broward County Sheriff's Office Deputy Scot Peterson were reportedly met with resistance from at least six police officers who were standing guard outside, according to Fox News. So the disgraced deputy was now getting six times more protection from the Broward County Sheriffs office than Stoneman High School ever got. Why?
What if the Broward County Sheriffs Office wasnt protecting their brother in uniform, but itself? The accounts we have of the deputys conduct by both the student Douglas Huff and as relayed by Bell sound suspiciously like that of a police officer under instructions to keep his headquarters apprised and wait for backup. Was that the reason Peterson was spared disciplinary action and given full retirement? Was he following instructions and Israel is merely continuing his shady attempt to cast blame for the Parkland shootings anywhere but on the behavior of his own department? Were the guards outside Petersons house posted by Israel to make sure the press couldnt reach him?
Its easy enough to answer those questions. The Broward County Sheriffs Office records the field broadcasts of its members. Scot Petersons communications with HQ during the shooting are on the record. So are the surveillance tapes. Lets play them. Was Peterson told to wait for backup? Was he urged to go in and engage the shooter and refused? Its all there.
Maybe Robert Lasky, the special agent in charge of the Miami FBI office, can finally do something useful in this case and evaluate the facts as a disinterested third party -- before the tapes get lost or misplaced.
We might be surprised to learn that we have done Deputy Scot Peterson an injustice, and that the president of the United States, Sheriff Israel, and most of the rest of us owe him an apology.
The name Shonda Rhimes is one that is familiar to many. Rhimes is the creator and mastermind behind three of ABCs most popular shows: Scanda
Students speak with employers at September 2014 career fair. The Majors Fair hosted by SGA and the OVPI help students choose the path to get to career fairs like this one. (Photo/Tyler Cain).
As conspiracy theorists accuse survivors of the Florida school shooting of being "crisis actors," President Donald Trump on Saturday retweeted a fringe radio host who once used identical language to peddle hoaxes about the Sandy Hook Elementary massacre in 2012.
The host, Wayne Dupree, has also repeatedly attacked survivors of the high school massacre in Parkland, Florida, who are pushing for new gun laws after 17 of their schoolmates and teachers were killed with an AR-15 rifle last week.
Trump's retweet of Dupree had nothing to do with guns. It was also four years old and didn't seem particularly relevant to anything in the news.
"It's ok 2 b black, conservative and love America and not vote Democrat!" Dupree posted in 2014.
"So true Wayne," Trump wrote as he shared the message on Saturday morning.
The president went on to mention record low black unemployment rates under his presidency, something he has repeatedly claimed since the December employment figures came out.
But critics, noting Trump's history of retweeting far-right figures, accused him of deliberately promoting a school shooting conspiracy theorist just as gun control opponents are trying to discredit the Florida teens with similar hoaxes.
"The President of the United States is lifting up a voice that is smearing the survivors of the Parkland massacre," the liberal news outlet ThinkProgress wrote as it dug up Dupree's history of fringe theories.
In 2013 - about a month after a gunman killed 20 children at Sandy Hook Elementary in Newtown, Conn., and spurred calls for gun control - Dupree posted several articles on his website about the "Sandy Hook hoax" or "Sandy Hook victim hoax."
The articles, published under Dupree's name, accused parents of children at the school, and in one case the medical examiner who identifies the bodies, of being "crisis actors" - impersonating parents to promote "the New World Order agenda of total control, including the control of children's minds."
"On and before December 14, 2012, Sandy Hook was infested with espionage operatives," reads one article. "These operatives posed as the incredible, primarily parents."
Another: "Now I dont know if this means that everything is fake but it certainly shows that this is a planned event."
Dupree didn't immediately respond to questions from The Washington Post.
A Snopes article debunking the Sandy Hook theories noted that they continue to spread today, with hoax articles claiming the same actors are playing parents of victims from last week's shooting in Florida.
Dupree was one of many people to peddle theories about the Sandy Hook massacre. He has not gone quite so far in the aftermath of the Parkland shooting, but other conspiracy theorists accuse student survivors like David Hogg and Emma Gonzalez, who have used their stories from the shooting to push for gun control, of being "crisis actors."
But Dupree has repeatedly criticized the teens on social media and his internet radio show, which has a modest 12,000 subscribers on YouTube.
"Listen, I am really trying to give these students spokespeople a chance," Dupree wrote on Facebook last Sunday, four days after the shooting. "I know they are still grieving & emotions are still high but this misinformation on gun control and blaming Trump is making my mercury rise."
As the teens kept showing up on national news, Dupree's patience soon ran out. He juxtaposed photos of the shooting survivors smiling for a photo and sitting somberly as they discussed the shooting in an interview. "3 ... 2 ... 1 ... Action!"
Dupree wrote on Twitter. "I ain't saying nuthin."
The next day, Dupree suggested two of the survivors were gay activists.
"Unfortunately, you can already tell these kids are going to be card-carrying leftists," he wrote beneath a picture of Hogg and Gonzalez on CNN. "I hate to be blunt despite what tragedy they went through, but both those kids look like they are going to be future members of the LGBTQXYZ movement."
On Friday, Dupree brought his radio show to the Conservative Political Action Conference. He wasn't long into the show before, again, the Parkland survivors got under his skin.
"Now you disrespecting a U.S. senator," Dupree said, referring to a recent CNN town hall in which teens confronted Sen. Marco Rubio for taking donations from the National Rifle Association. "I felt bad about them last week. Now they're grown-up."
The host noted that Trump - whom he has long supported and who occasionally gave him a shout-out on Twitter before his election - was speaking at the conference that day.
In his speech, Trump called for teachers to be armed with guns, a popular suggestion with Dupree and other conservatives.
The next morning, for reasons still not entirely clear, the president dug up a 4-year-old tweet from the radio host and shared his name with the world.
China has announced plans to meet targets for downsizing its steel industry two years ahead of schedule in an apparent signal that there will be no more cuts in production capacity after 2018.
On Feb. 7, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) said in a statement that China will reach targets for trimming surplus steel capacity this year instead of in 2020, Reuters reported.
In January 2016, Premier Li Keqiang first pledged to reduce overcapacity in the bloated steel sector by 100 million to 150 million metric tons without specifying a date.
In official statements and state media since then, the government's goal has been reported as 150 million tons by 2020.
According to MIIT statements, China has already closed at least 115 million tons of outmoded and excess capacity.
In 2016, the industry reportedly exceeded its goal of 45 million tons for the year, shutting down 65 million tons of capacity. Last year, it reached the annual target of 50 million tons by the end of August, the ministry said.
The size and pace of the cuts has been closely watched because China produces nearly half the world's crude steel with the capacity to make far more.
China's overcapacity has been a source of international tension for well over a decade, sparking complaints from foreign steelmakers over low prices, hidden subsidies and unfair export competition.
Last April, U.S. President Donald Trump ordered an investigation into whether steel imports from China and other countries pose a national security risk.
Trump is scheduled to decide on possible trade measures for steel imports by April 11, 90 days after a Commerce Department report was submitted under the rarely-used Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962. A similar decision is pending for aluminum on April 19.
Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross has recommended a choice from among three options on steel. These include a 24-percent tariff on imports from all countries, a 53-percent tariff on steel from China and 11 other countries, combined with quota restrictions on other exporters, or quotas on imports from all countries.
On Feb. 17, China's Ministry of Commerce (MOC) called the U.S. finding of a national security threat "groundless" and warned of retaliation.
"If the United States' final decision affects China's interests, we will take necessary measures to defend our rights," said Wang Hejun, head of the MOC trade remedy and investigation bureau, as quoted by the official Xinhua news agency.
Restricting steel production
But China also has reasons of its own for tightening up on steel, which has been a major source of coal consumption and smog.
Last March, central government and municipal authorities unveiled plans to restrict steel production in northern areas surrounding Beijing during the winter heating season starting Nov. 15, reducing output by half at most mills.
The limits appear to have helped Beijing to avoid a repeat of last winter's smog crisis, but the controls will be lifted on March 15, opening the door to a surge in production again.
On Monday, Reuters reported that Tangshan city in Hebei province is considering a draft plan to extend the restrictions for some capacity until November to help reduce smog.
It is unclear whether the extension will take place or whether other steelmakers would boost production in response.
But even with the winter cutbacks, China's crude steel production rose 5.7 percent last year to a record 831.7 million tons, according to the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS).
China's capacity cutting has only a tangential effect on production, primarily because its overcapacity has been so huge.
For years, state media reports have highlighted China's capacity cuts without quantifying the total size of the industry's production capacity.
But in April 2016, a senior MIIT official said China's capacity stood at 1.13 billion tons, Reuters reported at the time. The total leaves 326 million tons as surplus, based on NBS production figures for 2015.
As a result, China's targeted cuts of 150 million tons would eliminate only 46 percent of its excess, allowing steelmakers to set records for output despite the capacity reductions.
The extent of the downsizing makes it critical to know whether China's announcement on achieving the target means it has no plans to do more.
So far, China is celebrating the results of its policies, since the cuts have had a psychological effect on the market, returning the industry to profitability.
"Steel prices soared on expectations that supply would tighten due to capacity cuts," the official English-language China Daily reported, citing a jump of more than 50 percent for benchmark rebar last year.
But the policies have done little to address foreign complaints about China's production volumes and market dominance.
Last year, China's global market share for crude steel rose to 49.2 percent from 49 percent in 2016, the World Steel Association said.
Since 2016, the capacity cuts have actually encouraged more production as some steelmakers reopened closed lines to take advantage of higher prices.
In recent weeks, MIIT has issued tough statements on keeping capacity in check without ruling out possible production increases.
On Jan. 8, the ministry said it would require steelmakers to eliminate 1.25 tons of old capacity for every new ton of modern capacity they add this year.
"We will strictly forbid any new steel capacity to be launched and make sure all outdated steel capacity is eliminated and prevented from reopening," the ministry pledged in an earlier statement.
But the country's biggest producer, state-owned China Baowu Steel Group, has already announced plans to expand in the longer term as smaller private competitors are pressured to shut down, the South China Morning Post reported in September.
Baowu Steel has targeted an increase in capacity from 60 million tons to 100 million tons, the company's general manager said.
Steel factories emit pollution in Hancheng, northern China's Shaanxi province, Feb. 17, 2018. Credit: AFP Impact of the cuts
Derek Scissors, an Asia economist and resident scholar at the American Enterprise Institute in Washington, said the impact of China's cuts depends on what it plans to do next.
"The Chinese steel sector was 35 percent to 40 percent oversized," Scissors said. "Now it may be only half that. The bloat was so bad that capacity cuts have had no visible effect on production, but they still needed to be made."
"If Beijing now declares victory and the industry goes back to business as usual, the whole program was a farce," he said.
"If they make no further capacity cuts but prevent re-expansion, the true target was only consolidation of larger state-owned enterprises, as the central government has long wanted," said Scissors.
"But there's at least more of a chance to actually shrink steel now than there was in 2014," he concluded.
While much may depend on the psychological effects of the numbers, there are several reasons to doubt the numbers themselves.
Last year, a study sponsored by Greenpeace East Asia found that 54 million tons of operations that were claimed as capacity cuts in 2016 had restarted due to price increases.
It is unclear whether the government has continued to count such temporary closures in its totals of shutdowns.
Another analysis by the Peterson Institute for International Economics argued that 200 million tons of spare capacity was reasonable for China's steel industry to respond to market fluctuations. But it also said that officials had mixed iron and steel together in their reports, making it unclear whether the goals for crude steel have been met.
China has also claimed gains in ending 140 million tons of illicit production of substandard steel made with induction furnaces using scrap metal. The products are not included in the steel capacity cut totals, although they affect prices and smog-producing emissions.
Whether the production has been permanently eliminated may be open to question.
A posting by S&P Global Platts news service last year raised doubts about whether the illicit production could be removed from the market.
"Induction furnaces have been a thorn in the eye of Chinese steel industrial policy since 2002, but have largely been successful in evading measures," the report said.
"The more underground, home-brew operations play a cat-and-mouse game with the authorities. They simply dismantle facilities quickly before inspections, and assemble them again after," it said, quoting "market participants."
Cambodias ruling party won all seats in elections for the countrys Senate at the weekend, just over three months after Cambodias Supreme Court dissolved the opposition Cambodia National Rescue Party, disenfranchising thousands of Prime Minister Hun Sens political opponents and forcing others into exile.
All 58 seats in the uncompetitive election went to the CPP on Sunday in voting open only to lawmakers and commune officials, with a total of 11,670 out of a possible 11,695 votes cast, Cambodias National Election Commission (NEC) said.
The Supreme Courts ruling in November, dissolving the CNRP for allegedly plotting a coup, banned 118 opposition lawmakers and senior officials from politics for five years, eliminating Hun Sens main competition ahead of general elections scheduled for July.
More than 5,000 remaining elected CNRP commune chiefs and district counselors were also removed from their positions.
Cambodias lower house, the National Assembly, meanwhile reallocated the CNRP's parliamentary seats to the ruling party and three smaller government-aligned political parties, while the CNRP's elected local officials were pressured to defect to the CPP or lose their positions.
Speaking to RFAs Khmer Service on Monday, independent Cambodian election monitoring groups slammed Sundays vote, calling the outcome illegitimate and unfair.
In a victory won without a real contest, the ruling party has now taken control of the upper house, Sam Kuntheamy, executive director of the Neutral and Impartial Committee for Free and Fair Elections in Cambodia (NICFEC) said in an interview.
This means that the CPP will now pass whatever law it wants without any challenge from the opposition. The senate is a very important body, with the power to cross-check any law proposed by the lower house.
Now the CPP controls the senate 100 percent, he said.
Results no surprise
Speaking to RFA from Canada, Kul Panha, head of the Committee for Free and Fair Elections in Cambodia (COMFREL) said he was not surprised by the outcome of the vote.
During this election, over 5,000 voters were deprived of their rights. This has huge implications in any free and fair election and calls into question [this votes] legitimacy, he said.
On top of that, the only real opposition party has been dissolved and banned from competing in the elections, while lawmakers from the CNRP elected last year have all been barred from politics and were not allowed to run as candidates.
This defies the principles of free and fair elections, he said.
Cambodians both inside Cambodia and living abroad also criticized the election on social media on Monday, with one saying it would have been unusual for the ruling party not to have won all seats.
The whole game was orchestrated entirely by the CPP, one man wrote. Everyone involved in this election belongs to the ruling party, including the election judges.
Since the ruling party has already dissolved the opposition party, why did they even need to hold this election? another writer asked, adding, The CPP could just have claimed all seats without bothering to arrange a vote. Its a waste of the national budget to arrange such an election.
Sentence upheld
Also on Monday, Cambodias CPP-dominated Supreme Court upheld an 18-month prison sentence handed down in absentia to former Sam Rainsy Party senator Thak Lany, who later fled Cambodia and now lives in exile in Sweden.
The Nov. 16, 2017 sentence followed her conviction for defamation and incitement to cause chaos after she accused Hun Sen in a private speech in 2016 of involvement in the murder that year of popular social commentator Kem Ley.
Kem Ley was gunned down in broad daylight in Phnom Penh on July 10, 2016, 36 hours after discussing on an RFA Khmer call-in show a report by the London-based group Global Witness detailing the wealth of the family of Hun Sen, who has ruled Cambodia for 32 years.
Reported by RFAs Khmer Service. Translated by Nareth Muong. Written in English by Richard Finney.
The ruling Chinese Communist Party looks set to remove a two-term limit from the posts of president and vice-president, paving the way for incumbent Xi Jinping to rule indefinitely, as an "emperor in all but name."
"The Communist Party of China Central Committee proposed to remove the expression that the President and Vice-President of the People's Republic of China "shall serve no more than two consecutive terms" from the country's Constitution," state news agency Xinhua reported on Sunday.
The proposal will likely be ratified by China's rubber-stamp parliament, the National People's Congress (NPC), when it meets in early March, analysts told RFA.
Bao Tong, a former top aide to late ousted premier Zhao Ziyang, said the changes will mean that there is nothing preventing Xi, who became president in 2013 after becoming party general secretary in 2012, from staying on in office indefinitely instead of retiring in 2023.
He said the proposal is unlikely to meet with any public opposition.
"It has at least made public a reality that wasn't previously made public: that the Chinese Communist Party does whatever it wants in China," Bao told RFA. "Not only that, but everyone is expected to go along with it, come what may."
"The country has to go along with what the party wants, dreams its dreams of dictatorship in the manner of Qin Shihuang, and of our Tang and Song dynasty forebears," he said, in a reference to China's first emperor who unified the country in 256 B.C.
Sure to be passed
Beijing political analyst Deng Jianwen said Xi could rule for decades, drawing a parallel with Zimbabwe's Robert Mugabe. He said opposition to the amendment is likely to be non-existent.
"This [proposal] is intended to unify the thinking of the party leadership ahead of the parliamentary sessions," he said. "There is no doubt that it will be passed by the NPC."
Hong Kong-based political analyst Ching Cheong said power is now becoming more and more concentrated in Xi's hands.
"We are seeing a greater and greater concentration of power, and at the same time, a decrease in any checks and balances," Ching said. "This is definitely a retrograde step. Not only are there to be no political reforms; we are actually headed backwards into history."
"Once this happens, I don't think anything will be able to deny that we are in danger of another Cultural Revolution," he said, referring to the decade of political turmoil and mob violence that racked the country from 1966-1976, as then supreme leader Mao Zedong turned opposing factions against each other in a political "struggle" that left an entire generation with no access to education.
He said there are concerns in Hong Kong that the promises of "a high degree of autonomy" made by China ahead of the 1997 handover will come to mean little under the new regime.
"The principle of 'one country, two systems' was based on the Communist Party's reform and opening up policy [instigated by Deng Xiaoping in 1979]," Ching said. "If China goes back to an ultra-leftist line, political tolerance will disappear and Hong Kong will have nowhere to turn."
Ching said there now seems little likelihood that Hong Kong will ever become genuinely more democratic, given developments in Beijing.
"I think it would be pretty easy if we were to say we'd be happy with elections, Chinese-style," he said, referring to Beijing's preference for vetting candidates and barring those it doesn't approve of.
A step back
Beijing-based political activist Zha Jianguo said late supreme leader Mao Zedong had remained in power for the rest of his life, after proclaiming the People's Republic on Oct. 1, 1949.
"Back in the Mao era, there was nothing in the constitution about terms of office at all," Zha said. "So Mao and [Premier] Zhou [Enlai] just kept going in office until the end."
"Deng Xiaoping did away with that system of lifelong leadership when he took power, because he had learned a lesson from this," he said. "That was progress."
Hong Kong adviser to the Chinese government Lau Siu-kai told the city's Ming Pao newspaper that he doesn't see the move as regressive, but rather a "rationalization" of the current system.
A group of overseas human rights and pro-democracy activists led by 1989 student protest leader Wang Dan warned that Xi will simply become a new "emperor," however.
"This is a complete denial of mainland China's 40-year-old policy of reform and opening up," Wang wrote in an "emergency statement."
"The lifelong system of supreme power is inseparable from tyranny, and is sure to bring great disaster to the country and its people," Wang wrote. "It means that China in future will have an emperor, a monarchy, in all but name."
The statement called on Chinese people who oppose such tyranny to "bravely stand up and offer the strongest opposition."
Consolidating power
Xia Ming, a political science professor at the The City University of New York, said Xi has been consolidating power in his own hands, at the expense of his premier and others in the seven-member Politburo standing committee, who were previously billed by the party as a form of "collective presidency," since he took office.
"Since he took office, Xi Jinping has managed to destroy anyone in the party who is hostile to him using the anti-corruption campaign," Xia said. "At the same time, he has been pursuing human rights lawyers and dissidents and boosting the secret police surveillance state, and controls on public opinion and the media."
"The only people left now are those who are carrying his palanquin and singing his praises, so it'll be pretty easy for him to get the presidential term-limits taken out of the constitution," he said.
Social media comments on the topic were heavily censored in China's tightly controlled internet, but some users managed to post comments before they were deleted.
"My first reaction was to think of [Russian president] Vladimir Putin," one comment read, while other comments drew parallels with the North Korean regime, saying "we are following the example of our neighbor."
"Surely he can't stay in office forever? We really will be shouting 'Long Live the Emperor!'" wrote another commenter.
Searches for the keyword "two-term limit" were blocked on the Twitter-like platform Sina Weibo late on Sunday.
'Stable leadership'
The Global Times newspaper, sister paper of party mouthpiece the People's Daily, quoted party school professor Su Wei as saying that China needs "a stable, strong and consistent" leadership.
"Removal of the section of the clause about the presidency in the Constitution is serving the most important and fundamental national interest and the Party's historic mission," Su told the paper.
For his part, Xi has warned that what is written in the constitution can't be overridden by anyone.
"No organization or individual has the power to overstep the constitution or the law," Xinhua quoted him as saying, reporting that Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era would also likely be inscribed into the constitution.
Xi also plans to formalize his anti-corruption campaigns with a nationwide network of "supervisory commissions" to "supervise, investigate and punish" officials, the agency said.
The supervisory commissions will "independently exercise their power of supervision and not be subject to interference by any administrative organ, public organization or individual," Xinhua cited the proposals as saying.
The NPC's annual session convenes in Beijing on March 5.
Reported by Ng Yik-tung and Dai Weisen for RFA's Cantonese Service, and by Qiao Long, Gao Shan and Gao Feng for the Mandarin Service. Translated and edited by Luisetta Mudie.
A Rohingya child sits with drying wood for cooking on the roof of his family's shelter at the Thankhali refugee camp in southeastern Bangladesh's Ukhia district, Jan. 22, 2018.
UPDATED at 11:42 A.M. on 2018-02-27
International pressure on Myanmar over the Rohingya crisis continued to mount on Monday with the European Union demanding restrictive sanctions against military generals responsible for brutality against the Muslim minority group, as de facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi and other top officials tried to shift attention to development.
EU foreign affairs ministers in Brussels condemned ongoing, widespread, systematic grave human rights violations by the Myanmar army and security forces in violence-ridden northern Rakhine state during a crackdown targeting Rohingya Muslims, which began in late August.
The brutal campaign which included killings, torture, rape, and arson has forced nearly 700,000 Rohingya to flee to neighboring Bangladesh in what the United Nations and United States have called ethnic cleansing.
Saying that the situation remains extremely serious, the EU tasked its foreign affairs chief Federica Mogherini with making proposals to impose targeted sanctions against senior military officers responsible for the atrocities and to extend the blocs existing embargo on arms and equipment that can be used for internal repression.
The EU also demanded that Myanmar create conditions for the voluntary, safe, and dignified return of the Rohingya and permit independent bodies to investigate reports of atrocities.
The U.S. and Canada have already imposed sanctions on Myanmar military officers, including Major General Maung Maung Soe, head of the Myanmar Armys Western Command, who led the militarys brutal crackdown on the Rohingya.
Myanmar and Bangladesh are set to begin repatriating refugees who want to return to northern Rakhine, though the U.N. and rights groups have warned that the Rohingya will continue to face systematic discrimination in the predominantly Buddhist country.
Meanwhile, an eight-member Myanmar delegation was banned from attending an international genocide conference in Berlin on Monday to discuss the plight of the Rohingya and to push European leaders to do more to help them, the online journal The Irrawaddy reported.
The representatives received notice on Friday that their registrations for the conference had been cancelled, with organizers claiming they could not offer them seats because the event was overbooked, the report said.
Scolding by Nobel laureates
The moves came as Aung San Suu Kyi and other top Myanmar officials addressed representatives from more than 80 countries at a round-table discussion in Naypyidaw on the country's sustainable development.
Aung San Suu Kyi urged her government ministers to work harder on the issue and asked Myanmar's development partners to work with policymakers and other stakeholders.
Our country is facing a plethora of daunting challenges," she was quoted as saying by the Global New Light of Myanmar in her capacity as chairperson of Myanmar's Development Assistance Coordination Unit. "The more daunting these challenges are, the greater the need for us to explore diverse ways of surmounting them, and we look to our friends across the world to join us in our ventures and adventures.
The support of the international community can play an important and encouraging role, inspiring reformers to press on when obstacles loom large, and invigorating our institutions, some of which had ossified over a number of decades, she told conference attendees.
Though Aung San Suu Kyi is spearheading a key peace initiative to end decades of civil wars in Myanmar so the country can move ahead with political dialogue and economic development, the country has been thrown off course by continued hostilities between the Myanmar army and various ethnic militias and by the crisis in Rakhine state.
On Sunday, three fellow Nobel Peace laureates Shirin Ebadi from Iran, Tawakkol Karman from Yemen, and Mairead Maguire from the UK expressed anger at Aung San Suu Kyi for failing to stop the militarys violence against the Rohingya.
We, the Nobel laureates, call for these criminals to be prosecuted in the international criminal court, Karman was quoted as saying by the Dhaka Tribune, when the three were in Bangladesh visiting Rohingya refugee camps in Coxs Bazar district. We dont [want] our sister laureate Aung San Suu Kyi to be one of them. But in the future, if she continues her silence, she will be one of them.
Aung San Suu Kyi, who won the Noel Peace Prize in 1991 when she was under house arrest in Myanmar, has drawn scorn from critics who want the award revoked over her handling of the Rohingya crisis which continues to fester with refugees still heading across the border.
On Friday, Human Rights Watch (HRW) released a report with new satellite images showing the Myanmar government's demolition of dozens of deserted Rohingya Muslim villages in northern Rakhine state in recent months, though officials contend the demolition is part of reconstruction work in the region.
Aung Tun Thet, chairman of Myanmars Union Enterprise for Humanitarian Assistance, Resettlement and Development (UEHRD), which is overseeing the provision of humanitarian aid and coordinating resettlement and rehabilitation efforts in Rakhine state, told Reuters on Monday that villages were being bulldozed to make way for the resettlement of refugees near their former homes.
Theres no desire to get rid of the so-called evidence, he was quoted as saying, responding to HRWs allegations of the destruction of evidence of crimes committed against the Rohingya. "What we have intended [is] to ensure that the buildings for the people that return can be easily built."
Members of the Myanmar military stand guard next to a damaged car after an early morning explosion in the compound of the state government secretary's home in Sittwe, capital of western Myanmar's Rakhine state, Feb. 24, 2018. Credit: AFP Bomb explosion suspects
Ethnic tensions continued to play out in other parts of the state over the weekend, with three bombs exploding at separate locations in Rakhines capital Sittwe, injuring a police officer.
One bomb was detonated at a state government officials home, while the two others exploded in front of an office in the city and on a road leading to a beach, AFP reported.
Sittwe police on Sunday and Monday nabbed four suspects in connection with the blast and searched their homes, their family members told RFAs Myanmar Service.
Among those apprehended are Naing Soe, a member of the central executive committee of the Arakan National Council, a political platform for ethnic Rakhine Buddhists who live in the state.
Naing Soe, who lives in Apaukwa village in Kyauttaw township and suffers from a liver ailment, was arrested while he was going to see a doctor in Sittwe.
His sister, Chit Ei Hlaing, said an officer from a police station told them that the four will be held in custody until March 12 while they are being investigated.
Muslim militants and the Arakan Army (AA), an ethnic Rakhine armed group that is engaged in hostilities with the Myanmar military, have both conducted armed attacks on security forces and military personnel in the region.
Animosity between ethnic Rakhines and officials exploded in January when police opened fire on a crowd of protesters demonstrating against a government ban on a Buddhist anniversary in the ancient town of Mrauk U, killing seven people and injuring 13 others.
About two weeks later, a former Mrauk U town administrator who had been transferred to another post in Sittwe amid public condemnation of local government officials after the crackdown, was found dead in a car with multiple stab wounds to his chest.
Police detained four suspects, including the former administrator of Mrauk Us Tein Nyo village, his wife, son, and daughter-in-law.
The AA denied involvement with the killing.
Wirathus sermon ban
Communal violence between ethnic Rakhines and Muslims in 2012 in Sittwe left more than 200 people dead, and displaced more than 120,000 Rohingya who were sent to displacement camps outside the city.
Protests and hate speech directed against Muslims compelled Buddhist authorities in Myanmar to ban the hard-line monk network the Association for the Protection of Race and Religion, better known as Ma Ba Tha, last May.
Ma Ba Tha had thrown its full support behind four controversial race and religion laws, passed in 2015, which restricted religious conversions, polygamy, interfaith marriages, and childbirth.
But amid a backlash, religious authorities in the central Myanmar town of Mandalay a year ago prohibited firebrand monk Wirathu, who was associated with Ma Ba Tha, from giving sermons because of his repeated hate speech and anti-Muslim rhetoric.
As the one-year ban on Wirathu delivering sermons across the country approaches its end on March 10, the Myanmar Journalist Network (MJN) in Yangon had planned to hold a press conference to pressure the government to take action against the monk.
Though the press conference was canceled, the landlord forced the MJN to move out of the premises in Kyauktada township though its year-long lease does not expire until the end of the year, said MJN spokesman Kaung Htet San.
The landlord made the decision after 20 Buddhist nationalists, including some monks, stormed the premises on Sunday, he said.
The owner contacted us yesterday, he said. He seemed to dislike having unrest at the office. He asked us to move out although the contract is valid until the end of the year.
Kaung Htet San said the MJN is still negotiating with the landlord to remain in the building, though the landlord has offered to pay back rental fees for the remaining months.
Reported by Min Thein Aung, Khin Khin Ei, and Zarni Htun for RFAs Myanmar Service. Translated by Khet Mar. Written in English by Roseanne Gerin.
European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker has said Serbia must resolve its dispute with Kosovo and implement a series of reforms before it can join the European Union.
Juncker, speaking after talks with Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic in Belgrade, said the Balkan country was on the right path, but that the EU could not accept any new members with unresolved territorial issues.
"Serbia has already covered an impressive part of the [EU-accession] path," Juncker said on February 26, before adding that a number of problems "still have to be solved."
He said Serbia needed to carry out judicial reforms and make improvements in the rule of law before it could join the EU.
Juncker is visiting Serbia as part of a tour of the Western Balkan countries aspiring to join the bloc at a time when Russia is looking to expand its influence in the region, particularly in Serbia.
Juncker's visit along with European Enlargement Commissioner Johannes Hahn came after the EU drafted a new strategy for the region that envisages Serbia and Montenegro joining the bloc in 2025.
"We need a compromise or we will continue to live in the past," Vucic said, referring to Kosovo, the former province of Serbia.
Kosovo declared independence in 2008 and is recognized by 116 other countries, including most EU members. But Belgrade does not recognize its independence.
Juncker said the EU was seeking a "legally-binding" agreement between Serbia and Kosovo, but that the scope of the deal was up to the two countries.
Juncker's tour of the Western Balkans comes after Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov traveled to Belgrade last week for a two-day visit aimed at bolstering long-standing ties with Serbia.
During the visit, Lavrov welcomed Serbia's drive to join the EU, but also vowed that Moscow would remain engaged with the Balkan country no matter what happens.
Although Serbia is seeking to join the EU, it continues to nurture close ties with Moscow and has said it will not join the EU's economic sanctions against Russia over its aggression in Ukraine.
Juncker has already visited Macedonia and Albania. He will travel to Montenegro before visiting Kosovo and Bosnia-Herzegovina.
His trip ends with an EU summit with regional leaders in Bulgaria's capital, Sofia, on March 1.
With reporting by AP
The European Union says the death of a Georgian man in the breakaway region of South Ossetia and the detention of two others is a "source of grave concern."
Maja Kocijancic, the spokesperson for EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini, said in a statement on February 25 that the EU is ready to support the investigation into the death of Archil Tatunashvili.
Authorities in the Russia-backed separatist region say 35-year-old Tatunashvili died of heart failure on February 22 while in custody. They say the incident followed an attempt by the man to attack police officers during his transfer to a detention cell after interrogations.
Georgian officials and Tatunashvili's relatives are demanding that the man's body be transferred to Tbilisi for an autopsy.
Separatist authorities say Tatunashvili was suspected of plotting terrorists acts in South Ossetia.
Two other Georgian men, Levan Kutashvili and Ioseb Pavliashvili, were detained together with Tatunashvili but later released from custody.
Kocijancics statement urged authorities in South Ossetia to allow them to travel to Tbilisi-administered territory.
These latest developments underline the need for additional measures to ensure transparency and improve confidence between the separatists and Tbilisi, it also said.
South Ossetia and another Georgian breakaway region, Abkhazia, have declared independence from Georgia.
Russia recognized the regions as independent states following a short war with Georgia in August 2008. Only a few countries followed Russia's lead in recognizing the entities' independence.
The EU statement reiterated that the bloc supports "the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Georgia within its internationally recognized borders.
With reporting by civil.ge
The ruling Fidesz party of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban suffered an unexpected setback in one of its strongholds when its candidate for mayor in the southern city of Hodmezovasarhely was defeated in a closely watched contest.
With more than 92 percent of votes counted on February 25, opposition-backed independent candidate Peter Marki-Zay had 57.5 percent of the vote to lead Fidesz candidate Zoltan Hegedus with 41.6 percent.
Turnout was higher than expected at 62.4 percent, topping the 58.8 percent of the last parliamentary election in 2014.
Orbans right-wing nationalist party had expressed confidence of winning the mayoral race in the Fidesz stronghold to give it momentum leading up to the April 8 parliamentary elections.
Fidesz has governed the city of about 45,000 people for the past two decades.
"We stood up, and Hodmezovasarhely has shown that we want to get rid of the big boys bullying the whole class," Marki-Zay told a news conference.
"A new era has begun today," he said, adding that his victory indicates "there is an enormous demand for corruption, lies, and intimidation to cease in the country."
The independent Marki-Zay was supported by the Socialists; radical nationalist Jobbik; the main opposition party; and LMP, a small liberal party.
Polls indicate that Fidesz is still favored in the April elections, but a political analyst said the latest result could be an indication of a mood shift and serve as a boost of confidence for the opposition.
"This has a sweeping psychological significance," political analyst Robert Laszlo at the Political Capital think tank told the Reuters news agency.
Analyst Gabor Torok wrote that "from now on, the opposition can believe -- whether it's true or not -- that it's not playing in the old game where it has no chance to win. Instead, a new match is beginning, where if it takes to the field with smart tactics, its situation isn't hopeless."
Orban, who critics say is too close to Russian President Vladimir Putin, has called for closer ties between the EU and Moscow and has criticized what he calls the "anti-Russian" policies of the West.
Orban in February 2017 said hostility toward Russia had become very fashionable, making economic cooperation more difficult.
In his February 18 annual national speech, Orban said that "dark clouds are gathering on the continent and that Hungary remained a last bastion in the fight against the Islamization of Europe.
We are those who think that Europes last hope is ChristianityIf hundreds of millions of young people are allowed to move north, there will be enormous pressure on Europe. If all this continues, in the big cities of Europe, there will be a Muslim majority, he said in his speech.
Democracy monitor Freedom House in 2017 cited Orban in its warning that recent populist successes at the polls had increased dangers of instability in postcommunist Europe and Eurasia.
It said the populist "revival" had begun in Europe with Orbans 2010 return to power, leading to "eviscerated" checks and balances in the EU member state, and encouraging attacks on civil society and the press in the Balkans and "nativist fear-mongering over migration across Europe."
Orban's government has also been at odds with the Central European University (CEU) in Budapest, which was founded by the Hungarian-born U.S. financier Soros and which the government sees as bastion of Hungary's liberal opposition.
With reporting by Reuters, AP, The Guardian, and Bloomberg
Amnesty International says dozens of women are at risk of "long jail terms" for protesting against the compulsory hijab in Iran.
Iranian authorities have arrested dozens of women who have protested against the hijab by removing their head scarves in public.
In an official statement on February 23, Iranian police warned that women who protested the law would now be charged with "inciting corruption and prostitution," which carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison.
London-based Amnesty International said in a statement on February 26 that the move "has put dozens at immediate risk of unjust imprisonment and represents an alarming escalation of the authorities' violent crackdown on women's rights."
Amnesty said more than 35 women had been "violently attacked and arrested" in the capital, Tehran, alone since December 2017 for taking part in "ongoing peaceful protests."
"This is a deeply retrograde move by the Iranian authorities in their ongoing persecution of women who dare to speak out against compulsory veiling. It places many women at serious and immediate risk of unjust imprisonment while sending a chilling message to others to keep quiet while their rights are being violated," said Magdalena Mughrabi, Amnesty's deputy director for the Middle East and North Africa.
Last week, the authorities arrested two more women who protested against the hijab in Tehran.
Shaparak Shadizadeh, one of the two women arrested, was taken into custody on February 21. Her family says she was beaten up during the arrest.
Another woman was reportedly arrested on February 22.
A video shows a police officer kicking her down from a utility box where she had staged her peaceful protest.
Women's dress has been heavily scrutinized in the Islamic republic since the 1979 revolution, when adherence to an Islamic dress code became compulsory.
The dress code dictates that women's hair and body must be covered in public.
Morality police launch regular crackdowns on those who do not fully respect rules relating to the hijab.
Three members of the Russian Pussy Riot punk protest band have been detained in the Russia-annexed Crimea region.
Olga Borisova said that she and another member of the band, Aleksandr Sofeyev, were detained on February 25 when they arrived in the Ukrainian peninsula.
Borisova later said that a third member of the group, Maria Alyokhina, was detained upon her arrival in Crimea on February 26. She said that Alyokhina texted her that she was with the police, after which communication stopped.
Crimean lawyer Emil Kurbedinov said on February 26 that the trio was brought to a medical institution for testing. He could not provide further details.
An RFE/RL correspondent reported later that Borisova was brought to a police station after the test, while Alyokhina was released. Sofeyev's whereabouts remain unknown.
Russia-imposed Crimean authorities have not officially commented on the detentions.
In August, Alyokhina and Borisova were detained and fined after staging a protest near the remote prison in Siberia where Ukrainian filmmaker Oleh Sentsov is incarcerated.
Sentsov is from Crimea, the Ukrainian region that Russia forcibly seized in March 2014. He is serving a 20-year prison sentence on terror charges that he and supporters say are groundless.
Pussy Riot achieved prominence in 2012 after Alyokhina and fellow Pussy Riot performer Nadezhda Tolokonnikova were convicted of "hooliganism motivated by religious hatred" for a stunt in which band members burst into Moscow's Christ the Savior Cathedral and sang a "punk prayer" against then-Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, who was campaigning for his return to the presidency at the time.
Alyokhina and Tolokonnikova were close to the end of their two-year prison sentences when they were freed in December 2013, under an amnesty they dismissed as a propaganda stunt to improve Putin's image ahead of the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics. They have focused largely on fighting for the rights of prisoners since their release.
With reporting by Mediazona
A Russian court has sentenced the head of a construction company to 12 years in prison after convicting him of wrongdoing during the construction of the countrys new Vostochny Cosmodrome.
The Far East District Military Court on February 26 also ordered Yury Khrizman to pay a fine of 1.5 million rubles ($26,400) after convicting him on embezzlement and financial mishandling charges.
Three co-defendants Khrizmans son Mikhail, his ex-chief bookkeeper Vladimir Akhikhmin, and former local lawmaker Viktor Chudov -- were sentenced to prison terms ranging between 5 1/2 and seven years.
Vostochny, in the Far Eastern Amur region near the Chinese border, is intended to reduce Russia's dependence on the Soviet-era Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan for manned launches. But the project has been dogged by reports of corruption, as several people involved in the planning and construction of the facility were arrested on embezzlement and fraud charges in recent years.
In the spring of 2015, workers went on strike at the facility over unpaid wages.
The first launch from the Vostochny facility took place in April 2016, after a one-day delay caused by a technical glitch that angered President Vladimir Putin, who was present for the launch. The launch was successful, but one of the satellites put into orbit by the rocket soon stopped functioning.
Based on reporting by TASS and Interfax
A Russian activist has been sentenced in St. Petersburg to 25 days in jail after being detained on his way to attend a February 25 rally in memory of slain opposition leader Boris Nemtsov.
Artyom Goncharenko, a member of the Vesna human rights group, was kept by police overnight and handed the jail term by a district court on February 26.
The St. Petersburg court ruled that Goncharenko had violated Article 20.2 of the Administrative Code, which is the "repeated violation of the established procedure" for holding meetings or rallies.
Anastasia Burakova, a lawyer for the Open Russia Foundation, said the judge rejected all of the motions put forward by Goncharenko's defense and gave it 15 minutes to review the materials in the case.
Goncharenko was ruled to be a repeat offender because he was detained on January 28 after putting an oversized inflatable duck in an apartment window at a demonstration calling for a boycott of the March 18 presidential election.
Those nationwide rallies had been called by anticorruption crusader Aleksei Navalny after he was barred by Russia's Central Election Commission from running in the presidential election.
The rubber duck became a symbol of government corruption in Russia after Navalny published a report that alleged Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev had built a duck house on one of his estates.
Fellow activist Yaroslav Putrov was also detained with Goncharenko while walking to the Nemtsov rally. Putrov was, however, released the same day without charges.
Goncharenko's detention came as the United States in a statement commemorating the anniversary of Nemtsov's death on February 26 called on Russia to "uphold its obligations to promote and protect universal human rights, including freedom of expression, peaceful assembly, and freedom of association."
U.S. State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert also said Russia should "ensure that all involved in [Nemtsov's killing], including those who organized or ordered it, are brought to justice."
In July, a Moscow court found five men from Russia's North Caucasus region of Chechnya guilty of the murder and sentenced them to lengthy prison terms.
But relatives and associates charge that his assassination was ordered at a higher level. They say justice will not be served until the person or people who ordered the killing are identified and prosecuted.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov is hosting talks with his Portuguese counterpart on February 26 and will discuss EU and NATO relations with Moscow and the situation in Ukraine, the countries' foreign ministries have said.
Portugals Augusto Santos Silva has timed his visit to coincide with the closing of an exhibition at the Kremlin -- Lords Of The Oceans: Treasures Of The Portuguese Empire In The XVI-XVIII Centuries.
The Russian Foreign Ministry said the diplomats will exchange views on a variety of pressing international issues, along with bilateral ties between Lisbon and Moscow.
"It is planned to discuss in detail the bilateral agenda and outline the ways of further development of Russian-Portuguese relations," the ministry said.
"The assessment of the current state of relations between Russia, the European Union, and NATO will be an important part of the talks."
The ministry said the two will also exchange views on the situation in Ukraine, in Syria, Libya, and various issues related to Africa."
Western nations have slapped sanctions on Moscow for its seizure and annexation of Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula in 2014 and its support for separatists in eastern Ukraine.
Based on reporting by Noticas ao Minuto and TASS
Police in Slovakia say an investigative journalist has been shot dead in his home together with his girlfriend.
Slovakia's police chief, Tibor Gaspar, said that 27-year-old Jan Kuciak and his partner were found dead on the evening of February 25 in their house in the town of Velka Maca, 65 kilometers east of Bratislava.
Gaspar said that the killings "likely have something to do with his investigative activities."
Slovakia had "never faced such an unprecedented attack on a journalist," he said.
Kuciak was working for Aktuality.sk.
His last story for the news website, on February 9, looked at suspected tax fraud connected to a luxury apartment complex in Bratislava.
The case around the complex prompted protests last year to demand Interior Minister Robert Kalinak's resignation over his business dealings with a property developer.
Both men have denied any wrongdoing.
Based on reporting by AP and Reuters
The United Nations has called for an extension of Russia's daily five-hour pause in military activity in the besieged eastern Ghouta area while the European Union has urged Russia, Iran, and Turkey to fully implement a UN order for a cease-fire.
"Five hours is better than no hours but we would like to see any cessation of hostilities be extended," UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said on February 26.
Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said on February 26 that President Vladimir Putin ordered a "humanitarian pause" from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. local time, Russian news agencies reported.
A humanitarian corridor will be opened in Ghouta to allow civilians to leave, Shoigu also said.
Yury Yevtushenko, a Russian official based in Syria, said on February 26 that Syrian government troops would not carry out any air strikes during the daily five-hour-long pause.
The announcement comes after the UN Security Council on February 24 passed a resolution demanding a 30-day cease-fire "without delay" to allow aid deliveries and medical evacuations in Syria's conflict areas.
The move followed a week of intense bombardment by Syrian government forces in the besieged area near Damascus that killed more than 540 people, according to activists.
EU foreign-policy chief Federica Mogherini said that Russia, Turkey, and Iran held a special responsibility for implementing the UN cease-fire because they are the guarantors of the so-called Astana process, aimed at de-escalating violence in Syria.
"First and foremost, we need to see the cease-fire put in place," Mogherini said. "Every single minute we wait, there are people dying," she added.
But Britain dismissed the Russian move to implement a five-hour pause on attacks.
A UN spokeswoman said on February 26 that at least 30 civilians had been killed in eastern Ghouta -- where some 400,000 people live -- in the past two days since the UN's 30-day cease-fire resolution was passed.
The situation there led to a growing outcry from the United Nations, Western capitals, and humanitarian groups, with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres calling it "hell on Earth."
Speaking at the opening of the UN Human Rights Council's annual session, Guterres said earlier on February 26 that aid agencies were ready to deliver life-saving aid and evacuate critically wounded from the enclave.
He added that Security Council resolutions were "only meaningful if they are effectively implemented and that is why I expect the resolution to be immediately implemented and sustained."
The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said air strikes and shelling killed nine civilians there on February 26, a day after a suspected chlorine gas attack in the rebel-held territory.
Russia, along with Iran, has given Assad's government crucial support throughout the seven-year war in Syria, which began with a government crackdown on peaceful protests. Moscow helped turn the tide of the conflict in Assad's favor by launching a campaign of air strikes in 2015 and stepping up its military presence on the ground.
Meanwhile, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said the proposed cease-fire in Syria would take effect once all sides had agreed on how it should be implemented and insisted that the truce does not apply to "terrorist groups."
"We will never support any actions aimed at exempting terrorists from a legitimate strike," he said.
The UN resolution affirmed that the proposed cessation of hostilities would not apply to military operations against the jihadist groups Islamic State (IS), Al-Qaeda, and Al-Nusra Front.
Syria and its allies Russia and Iran often refer to Sunni rebels as "terrorists," including groups allied with Western countries and Arab states as well as extremist groups like IS.
Lavrov also said that reports of an alleged chemical attack in eastern Ghouta were "fake stories," despite videos and various photos of alleged victims of the attack being shown in the media.
The Syrian government denies using chemical weapons, although a UN investigation documented the use of such weapons on multiple occasions.
On February 25, Iran said attacks on "terrorists" outside the Syrian capital would continue but that Tehran and Damascus would respect the cease-fire elsewhere in the country.
Meanwhile, Turkey said on February 26 that it had sent special forces into the northern Syrian region of Afrin ahead of a "new fight" in urban areas as it battles the U.S.-backed Kurdish militia known as the YPG.
During a telephone on February 26, French President Emmanuel Macron told his Turkish counterpart, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, that the proposed truce must be applied across Syria, including in Afrin, the French presidency said.
But Turkey has said the cease-fire will not affect its fight against the YPG, which it views as a terrorist organization.
Macron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel also spoke by telephone with Russian leader Vladimir Putin on February 25 about the implementation of the cease-fire, the Kremlin said.
U.S. President Donald Trump on February 23 accused Russia, Iran, and the Syrian government of being responsible for a "humanitarian disgrace" in Syria.
With reporting by Reuters, AFP, TASS, dpa, AP, and Interfax
They left Tajikistan as a family of six, but only one would live to tell the tale of how they lived -- and most of them died -- in Iraq after joining the Islamic State (IS) extremist group.
"Ten-year-old Maryam is the only surviving member of my son's family," Muhammadrahim Shoev, a farmer from a village located on the outskirts of the Tajik capital, tells RFE/RL's Tajik Service.
The last time Shoev saw his son Jamoliddin was in 2015, when he returned briefly from abroad and stayed at the family home in Ghairatobod for six months before leaving again along with his wife and children.
Shoev says that his son said he was going to Egypt, where he had studied more than a decade before .
He has no idea how the 37-year-old and his family ended up in Iraq.
Orphaned In Iraq
Now, three months after being told that his granddaughter was the only member of his son's family to survive a 2017 attack on Mosul, Shoev says that "I want to bring her back home from Iraq."
Maryam Shoeva was discovered almost by chance after she appeared on a Russian TV program about Russian-speaking children who had been taken to an Iraqi shelter after the recapture of Mosul from IS militants last year.
While the RT program identified four Tajik siblings who were staying at the shelter, it wasn't until later that Maryam -- who can be seen saying in broken Russian that her parents had been killed in an air strike -- was spotted by a former neighbor.
The Tajik migrant worker living in Russia contacted RFE/RL and provided the child's relatives' address in Dushanbe.
Maryam later appeared in another video in which she pleads with her relatives in Tajikistan to contact her. It is unclear who recorded and posted the video.
After becoming aware that his granddaughter had survived, Shoev says he asked Tajik authorities to help bring the child home, a task the Foreign Ministry says might take some time. "We are working with the Iraqi Embassy in Astana, Kazakhstan, to repatriate the Tajik women and children left there," the press office of the ministry said on February 22.
The government estimates that there are some 200 children among more than 1,000 Tajik nationals who left for Iraq and Syria to join the IS group since 2014. Some were killed in the conflict there.
Tajikistan offered amnesty to all its citizens who were not involved in IS violence and return home voluntarily. Dozens have since come back and reintegrated into normal life, resuming their work and studies.
Long Road Home
Tajik authorities say the return of unaccompanied and undocumented minors is a complex and relatively long procedure that involves identifying the children and issuing provisional travel documents to submit to the Iraqi Embassy before arranging their flights from Baghdad.
Next of kin like Shoev are required to provide documents and photos to prove the children's identities and family ties before claiming custody.
Shoev has sent the necessary documents and photos to the authorities and is now awaiting a response.
His son Jamoliddin initially left Tajikistan in 2004 to study in Egypt's Al-Azhar University.
"He went there legally, with official permission. I have kept all the documents," Shoev says, pointing to several IDs and sealed pages and letters clipped together.
Among them is a letter confirming Jamoliddin Shoev's enrolment in Al-Azhar preparatory courses in 2004. Another document shows his registration with the Tajik Embassy in Cairo, extended through 2012.
He would frequently return to Tajikistan, where he got married and where his four children were born, his father says. Shoev shows photos of Maryam and her two younger sisters and a brother. "The last time he called me was in August 2017. I never heard from him again," Shoev says.
The Interior Ministry has told RFE/RL that Jamoliddin Shoev's name wasn't among the Tajik nationals suspected of joining IS in Iraq and Syria. Shoev says the Tajik authorities have confirmed that most of his son's family is dead.
"Our security services told me that the whole family apart from [Maryam] was killed there," he says.
The ministry didn't provide any time frame for Maryam Shoeva's return to reunite with her grandfather.
Shoev says he is hopeful. So are several other grandparents, aunts, and uncles across Tajikistan who have asked the authorities to help return their young relatives -- the orphans of Tajiks who joined IS and were killed or disappeared in Iraq and Syria.
Written by Farangis Najibullah with reporting by RFE/RL's Tajik Service correspondent Mumin Ahmadi
Police in Thailand have detained a Russian woman who was at the center of opposition politician Aleksei Navalny's recent report about an alleged meeting between a billionaire metals tycoon and a longtime former senior adviser to President Vladimir Putin.
Media reports in Thailand said on February 26 that a total of 10 Russian nationals who claimed to be sex experts running a course on lovemaking were detained on February 25 in a hotel in the resort of Pattaya.
Police were quoted as saying that one of the detained Russians was charged with overstaying in Thailand, three with unlawful entry into the kingdom, and the rest with working without permits.
In a video report placed on YouTube, a Belarusian-born woman who goes by the name Nastya Rybka was seen among the detained Russians.
Navalny's Anticorruption Foundation has published several reports alleging corruption among associates of Putin, including one this month that documented what it said was a meeting on a yacht between tycoon Oleg Deripaska and Deputy Prime Minister Sergei Prikhodko, a former senior Kremlin adviser.
Rybka's videos and photos taken from her Facebook account were used in the report, which was released ahead of a March 18 presidential election.
The chief of the consulate department at the Russian Embassy in Thailand, Vladimir Sosnov, confirmed to the RIA Novosti news agency that Rybka was among the detained Russians. He said they will face trials in Thailand and be deported to Russia.
Putin, who has been president or prime minister since 1999, appears certain to win a new six-year term in March.
Navalny, a vocal foe of Putin who has organized large street protests on several occasions, has been barred from the presidential race due to a conviction on financial-crimes charges he contends were fabricated by the Kremlin to sideline him.
Based on reporting by The Nation, RIA Novosti, Meduza, and Dozhd
Around 200 people have staged protests in the Czech capital to demand the release of a Syrian Kurdish leader who was detained in Prague at the request of Turkey.
Salih Muslim, the former co-head of the Democratic Union Party (PYD), the main Syrian Kurdish political party, was detained in Prague on February 24 based on an Interpol notice from Turkey.
At least two demonstrations were held in Prague on February 26, including outside the Interior and Justice ministry buildings and on Wenceslas Square in the city center.
Ankara said on February 26 that it had submitted documents to the Czech authorities formally requesting the extradition of Muslim.
Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Bekir Bozdag said Muslim would appear before a Prague court.
A hearing to decide on Muslim's further detention or release was scheduled at the Municipal Court in Prague for February 27.
Justice Ministry spokeswoman Tereza Schejbalova said the Czech authorities had yet to receive the formal extradition request and it could take several more days.
Kurdish supporters of Muslim are planning to demonstrate outside the court, according to Ahmed Ismail, a former head of the Kurdish Association in the Czech Republic who said he is assisting in Muslim's legal defense.
Muslim's PYD party accused Ankara of "demanding the arrest of individuals who are not its citizens...without any legal justifications."
Turkey has been seeking Muslim after a Turkish court charged him with "breaking the state and country's unity" and other offenses.
The PYD, which Turkey considers a "terrorist group," is the main Kurdish political force in the north of Syria. Muslim stepped down as its co-chair last year but remains influential.
Based on reporting by dpa, AFP, Czech Radio Plus, and RFE/RL's Petr Kubalek
KYIV -- Authorities in Ukraine have rearrested the alleged mastermind of an international cybercrime gang that was busted in international raids more than a year ago.
Russian-born Hennadiy Kapkanov, who is believed to have headed the complex and sophisticated criminal network of computer servers known as Avalanche, was arrested in Kyiv by Ukrainian cyberpolice on February 25, a spokesperson for the Interior Ministry confirmed to RFE/RL.
Artem Shevchenko, the spokesperson, said Kapkanov was found carrying a Ukrainian passport under a pseudonym, a copy of which was provided to RFE/RL.
A laptop, a flash drive, and cash were also seized from the apartment he had rented in the Ukrainian capital, according to an Interior Ministry statement.
A video published by Ukrainian police showed Kapkanov in custody and officers collecting evidence inside the apartment where he was found.
Unlike during his first arrest, Kapkanov did not put up a fight with police, Shevchenko said.
The cybercrime network Avalanche was active for seven years, and it took the efforts of law enforcement agencies from 40 countries to shut it down. That operation, which unfolded on the territories of four countries, took place on November 30, 2016. The FBI and its international partners described the operation as an unprecedented global law enforcement response to cybercrime.
Kapkanov, then 33, was detained in the Ukrainian city of Poltava on the same day following a brief shootout with police.
The following week, however, Kapkanov was released when a local judge said prosecutors had failed to properly file charges. The decision caused a firestorm among law enforcement agencies, and Prosecutor-General Yuriy Lutsenko threatened to have the judge removed.
Kapkanov then disappeared. His whereabouts and movements between then and his rearrest remain unknown, but Shevchenko said he is believed to have been in Ukraine the entire time.
Shevchenko said Kapkanov would appear in a Poltava court later on February 26.
The UN Human Rights Council is set to open its 37th annual session, which will include a speech by Irans justice minister, who has been sanctioned by the European Union and host Switzerland.
The event, which will feature a three-day summit of top leaders from some 100 countries and international organizations, will begin on February 26 and run through March 23 at the Palais des Nations in Geneva.
Critics have expressed outrage that Alireza Avayi, the Iranian justice minister, will speak at the human rights event.
The European Union and Switzerland have separately imposed financial sanctions on Avayi, alleging that as Tehran's former top prosecutor he was "responsible for human rights violations, arbitrary arrests, denials of prisoners' rights, and an increase in executions."
"Allowing Avayi to address the Human Rights Council is disgraceful and would make a mockery of the United Nations and its human rights mechanisms," said Shahin Gobadi, a member of the Paris-based National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI).
"This must not happen," he told the AFP news agency in an e-mail, saying Avayi "bears responsibility for the brutal suppression of recent protests" in the country.
Gobadi said a protest was planned at the UN headquarters in Geneva for February 27, when Avayi was scheduled to speak.
Iranian opposition groups claim that Avayi played a key role in a 1988 massacre of political prisoners.
Rolando Gomez, a spokesman for the Human Rights Council, on February 23 said that member nations are allowed to decide who speaks for them at the rights body.
The EU sanctions against Avayi prevent him from travel to bloc countries and freeze assets he might hold in the EU. Sanctions imposed by Switzerland, which is not a member of the EU, are only financially related.
Meanwhile, a statement by the council said it will consider and adopt the final outcome of its latest Universal Periodic Review of 14 countries, this time including Ukraine and Pakistan.
Other countries included are Argentina, Benin, the Czech Republic, Gabon, Guatemala, Japan, Peru, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Switzerland, and Zambia.
The process is a periodic review of all UN member nations, allowing them to declare what actions they have taken to improve the human rights situations in their countries and to fulfill their human rights obligations.
The statement said delegates will discuss the human rights situation in Syria, Burundi, South Sudan, and Burma, also known as Myanmar.
Childrens rights, especially in the context of violence and armed conflict, will feature strongly on the councils agenda, it said.
With reporting by AFP, AP, Bloomberg, and CNS
Barcos Cairbe ferry service to Cozumel suspended for lack of permits, insurance
Playa del Carmen, Q.R. By mandate of the Ministry of Communications and Transportation, the shipping company Impulsora Maritima de Quintana Roo or Barcos Caribe, suspended the Playa del Carmen to Cozumel ferry service.
The announcement of the suspension of operations was made after an inspection found the company to be without current insurance or permits on two of its three ferries.
In accordance with a letter dated February 23, the General Directorate of Merchant Marine informed Cesar Celso Gonzalez Hermosillo and Melgarejo and Franco Gonzalez Padron, the legal representatives of Barcos Caribe, that upon review of the vessels, two of the three had expired permits and no insurance.
Vessel Caribbean III was operating with three of the necessary permits expired as well as an expired insurance policy since January 25 of 2018. Caribbean II vessel was found to be operating without two of the needed permits (expired November 20, 2017) and also without insurance since January 25.
The vessel, Caribbean I, was the boat involved in the recent ferry explosion at the main dock terminal in Playa del Carmen.
As of Sunday, the Barcos Caribe ticket booth in the Playa del Carmen ferry terminal remained open only to inform passengers that they were not operating.
Feds confiscate another four ranches owned by ex-governor Cesar Duarte
Chihuahua Another four properties belonging to ex-governor Cesar Duarte have been confiscated by federal officials.
The most recent seizures were the work of the state prosecutors office who appropriated four ranches in the state, taking the total amount of confiscated properties to 20.
Land from the latest seizures brought the total to more than 40,000 hectares and were found to house numerous animals including horses, wild bores, New Zealand cattle and exotic animals such as buffalo and llamas.
The state government says that federal officials confiscated the land because they are under the presumption that it was acquired with illicit resources.
During the ministerial inquiries, it was established that the ranches were acquired directly by Cesar Horacio Duarte Jaquez during the time he served as governor of the state.
Inside the property El Rebaje known as The Reserve were found exotic and / or collectible animals, of which include 30 bison, five llamas and various herds of wild boar specimens, read the government statement.
The most recent properties seized were El Rebaje with an area of 466 hectares, Mesa de Chavez of over 755 hectares, Agostadero de Moreno number Two of 572 hectares and Rancho de En Medio of 551 hectares. The four ranches are all located in the municipality of Balleza.
The Office of the Prosecutor said that the properties were insured as a result of an investigation for illicit enrichment that follows Duarte and several members of his team of collaborators.
With this there are now 20 properties insured from the former governor which were allegedly acquired with resources from the people of Chihuahua, the Chihuahua government said.
US reports nearly 4 million American visitors to Cancun with Atlanta, Los Angeles, Dallas leading
Cancun, Q.R. New U.S. statistics show nearly 4 million Americans landed at the Cancun International Airport in 2017, with the highest rate of US travelers arriving from Atlanta, Los Angeles and Dallas.
The head of the Ministry of Tourism of Quintana Roo, Marisol Vanegas Perez, says that a recent report by the Department of Commerce of the United States reported 3,942,135 Americans landed at the Cancun International Airport during 2017, a figure that reflects an increase of 7.1 percent over the previous year.
According to the US report, the most-traveled from American airports include Atlanta, with 8.4 percent of passengers heading to Cancun followed by Los Angeles with 7.7 percent. The third most traveled-from airport was Dallas, with 7.6 percent of passengers departing Dallas International for a trip to Cancun.
Other American airports with high Cancun destinations include Chicago (7.31 percent), New York (7.19 percent) and Houston (7 percent) followed by Denver, Newark, Charlotte, Minneapolis, Philadelphia, Lauderdale, Miami, Detroit and Baltimore.
American airports with the highest growth rate of departures bound for Cancun were Los Angeles, Chicago OHare, New York JFK, Fort Lauderdale and Orlando, all of whom grew by double digits.
The report shows that although the travel months of August, September and October were affected by tropical storms and hurricanes, the market recovered in December, ending the year with increased figures over 2016.
All-in-all, 2017 remained a steady travel season for Cancun with the Cancun International Airport serving just over 23.6 million passengers. The Ministry of Tourism reports that during 2017, Mexico received 39 million visitors, an increase of nearly one million from the previous year.
Disclaimer As the manufacturer (TVS Motor Company) has blacklisted Rushlane from its events/rides as a consequence of decisions based on restrictive practices, this post is written on a third party video of independent copyright sourced from social media.
YouTube channel Indian Stuff is back with another drag race video of new TVS Apache 310. Last week, we had published their drag race video between TVS Apache 310 and Bajaj Dominar 400. In that Dominar 400 came out as the winner. You can watch the full video here.
Now, Indian Stuff has published video of a drag race between KTM Duke 390 and TVS Apache 310. Priced about Rs 25,000 lesser than the KTM Duke 390, the TVS Apache 310 is no match for the KTM Duke 390. Right from the start, Apache 310 find it difficult to keep up with the Duke 390. Watch the full video below.
In the video, Duke 390 manages to touch a top speed of 164 kmph, and so does the TVS Apache 310. The KTM achieves that speed at 9400 engine rpm while the TVS does that at 11,000 engine rpm.
TVS Apache 310 is priced from INR 2.7 lakhs as against the KTM Duke 390 which carries a price tag of INR 2.95 lakhs (on-road Bangalore). The TVS Apache 310 gets full fairing and is heavier than the Duke 390.
The TVS Apache 310 is powered by a 312cc fuel injected engine offering 34 PS power at 9,700 rpm and 27.3 Nm torque at 7,500 rpm. The KTM Duke 390 gets its power via a 373 cc engine offering 43.5 PS power at 9,600 rpm and 37 Nm torque at 7,000 rpm. Both engines get mated to a 6 speed transmission.
Launched back in December, TVS Apache 310 is in high demand. Some wires are saying delivery could take up 3 6 months. In total, about 350 units of TVS Apache 310 have been sold till now.
Survival from cardiac arrest doubled when a bystander stepped in to apply an automated external defibrillator (AED) before emergency responders arrived, according to new research in the American Heart Association's journal Circulation.
According to the American Heart Association, of the more than 350,000 out-of-hospital cardiac arrests that occur in the United States each year, more than 100,000 happen outside the home. Less than half (45.7 percent) of cardiac arrest victims get the immediate help they need before emergency responders arrive, in part because emergency medical services take, on average, between four and ten minutes to reach someone in cardiac arrest.
An international team of researchers looked at 49,555 out-of-hospital cardiac arrests that occurred in major U.S. and Canada cities. They analyzed a key subgroup of these arrests, those that occurred in public, were witnessed and were shockable. The researchers found that nearly 66 percent of these victims survived to hospital discharge after a shock delivered by a bystander. Their findings emphasized that bystanders make a critical difference is assisting cardiac arrest victims before emergency responders can get to the scene.
Among the study's results:
Bystanders used an AED in 18.8 percent of these cases.
Cardiac arrest victims who received a shock from a publicly-available AED had far greater chances of survival and being discharged from the hospital than those who did not; 66.5 percent versus 43 percent.
Cardiac arrest victims who received a shock from a publicly-available AED that was administered by a bystander had 2.62 times higher odds of survival to hospital discharge and 2.73 times more favorable outcomes for functioning compared to victims who first received an AED shock after emergency responders arrived.
Victims who received an AED shock from a bystander (57.1 percent) using a publicly-available device instead of having to wait for emergency responders (32.7 percent) had near normal function and better outcomes.
Without a bystander using AED shock therapy, 70 percent of cardiac arrest patients either died or survived with impaired brain function.
"We estimate that about 1,700 lives are saved in the United States per year by bystanders using an AED," said senior study author Myron Weisfeldt, M.D. "Unfortunately, not enough Americans know to look for AEDs in public locations, nor are they are trained on how to use them despite great and effective efforts of the American Heart Association.
According to the American Heart Association (AHA), use of an AED is the third step in the cardiac arrest chain of survival. The first two steps in a witnessed, out-of-hospital cardiac arrest are to 1) call 9-1-1 and 2) begin immediate cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR).
One of the study's limitations is that it only examined bystander AED use without considering the combined impact of calling 9-1-1 and starting immediate CPR.
During a cardiac arrest, the electrical activity in the heart is disrupted. According to the American Heart Association, every second counts because without immediate CPR, the heart, brain and other vital organs aren't receiving enough oxygenated blood. For every minute without CPR, the chance of death increases by 10 percent.
Based on the study findings, Weisfeldt and his team, including lead author John Hopkins medical student Ross Pollack, would like to see greater distribution of AEDs, including equipping police with defibrillators, especially in regions where it takes emergency responders long to get to the patient.
"Bystanders have the potential to save a life," Weisfeldt continued. "This should be a great incentive for public health officials and bystanders to strive to have AEDs used on all victims of cardiac arrest."
The American Heart Association launched its Workplace Safety Training Initiative in 2017 with survey results that complement the Weisfeldt study's insights. The Association's survey found that most U.S. employees are not prepared to handle cardiac emergencies in the workplace because they lack training in CPR and First Aid. In fact, half of all U.S. workers (50 percent) cannot locate the AED at work. In the hospitality industry, that number rises to two-thirds (66 percent). More than 10,000 cardiac arrests occur annually in the workplace.
"First Aid, CPR and AED training need to become part of a larger culture of safety within workplaces," said Michael Kurz, MD, chair of the American Heart Association's Systems of Care Subcommittee and associate professor at the University of Alabama School of Medicine in the Department of Emergency Medicine. "We are certainly seeing higher public interest in this training, and our campaign calls upon decision makers in workplaces and popular public spaces such as arenas, fitness centers, hotels, and churches to place AEDs in the same locations as a fire extinguisher."
The tropical rainforests of Central and South America are home to the largest diversity of plants on this planet. Nowhere else are there quite so many different plant species in one place. However, the entire region is increasingly threatened by human activity, which is why researchers are stepping up their efforts to record this astonishing biodiversity and find out how it developed. In a project undertaken by Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (JGU) in collaboration with Dutch research institutions, the causes of this plant diversity were investigated by studying two closely related groups of trees of the Annonaceae family.
The researchers identified three relevant factors: the formation of the Andes mountain range, the disappearance due to natural causes of the extensive Pebas wetlands system that once existed in the Amazon region, and the formation of a land bridge between Central and South America in the form of the Panama Isthmus.
Cremastosperma and Mosannona are two genera of the Annonaceae or custard apple family the habitat of which is neotropical rainforests, where they extend from the lowlands up to elevations of 2,000 meters. They are primarily found in the Andes region of South America, but also as far north as Central America. The team of botanists led by Dr. Michael Pirie, who joined JGU as a researcher in 2013, looked at the distributions of the various species of both genera and their phylogenetic history in order to determine the influence of the geological upheavals on the continent. For this purpose they compiled a time-calibrated phylogenetic tree based on DNA data, using the so-called molecular clock technique which is calibrated using the ages of the available fossils. In total, they analyzed 11 species of the genus Mosannona and 24 species of the genus Cremastosperma.
Formation of the Andes, the Isthmus of Panama, and the drying-out of the Pebas wetland system all promoted diversification
The research has produced a biogeographical scenario that confirms in this context the significance of the geological history of north-western South America during the late Miocene and early Pliocene periods about 5 to 10 million years ago. "We have actually discovered that the diversification of these two plant genera took place in parallel with major geological events, namely the formation of the Andes, the drying-out of the Pebas system, and the development of a land bridge to Central America," explained Pirie. Cremastosperma species, for example, were able to spread into what is today the Amazon basin and diversify, once the wetlands had silted up due to the deposition of material from the rising Andes.
One way in which diversification can be stimulated is by migration into a new ecosystem while another is adaptation to new conditions. "Natural changes over longer periods provide plants with a chance to adapt," added Pirie. On the other hand, rapid changes, such as those that have occurred in the recent past, do not give plants sufficient time to evolve.
While the development of the two genera in line with geological conditions could be said to be more or less as might be expected, the biologists did find one clear difference between them. Although their distribution patterns mostly overlap, Cremastosperma species and Mosannona species to some extent dispersed along differing routes. In the case of Cremastosperma, colonization of an area in what is now Guyana began from north-western South America at a time before the last parts of the Andes developed and could form a barrier. Mosannona, on the other hand, began to spread here at a far later date from its base in the Amazon basin.
Taxonomic update to include five new species
Dr. Michael Pirie will be continuing his research work in 2018 with the aid of a grant from the Heisenberg Program of the German Research Foundation (DFG). This will also involve publication of an extensive monograph in which a total of 34 Cremastosperma species will be described, including five new species that Pirie and his colleagues have recently discovered.
The Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, together with European and African collaborators (including the Institut Pasteur in Paris), carried out a mass dog vaccination in Chad and determined its effect on human rabies exposure. The study employed a bio-mathematical method for estimating the transmission dynamics of rabies. The researchers conclude that with political will and the necessary funding, elimination of rabies is possible in Africa.
Rabies is a viral disease that kills tens of thousands of people every year, predominantly in Africa and Asia. The disease is transmitted through the bites of infected dogs and foxes (read the disease fact sheet concerning rabies). In West- and Central Europe, rabies was eliminated some 20 years ago. Switzerland was declared free of rabies in 1999 after implementing a strategy targeting foxes.
"If you want to prevent humans from dying from rabies in Africa and Asia, you need to eliminate dog rabies," said Jakob Zinsstag from the Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute (Swiss TPH), first author and principal investigator of a study in Science Translational Medicine. Swiss TPH, together with collaborators in Europe and in Africa (including support from the Institut Pasteur in Paris, France, and ETH Zurich in Basel, Switzerland, for genetic analyzes of collected rabies viruses), demonstrated the proof-of-concept that elimination of rabies is feasible. "We have shown that African teams in one of the poorest countries can eliminate human rabies through mass vaccination of dogs.
What is needed next is additional funding and a concerted political will," said Zinsstag, an epidemiologist and veterinary public health expert. The investigation was carried out in N'Djamena, the capital of Chad where 1.1 million people live alongside some 30,000 dogs. In 2012 and 2013, 20,000 dogs were vaccinated each year against rabies. Hence, more than 65% of the city's estimated dog population participated in the intervention, "an excellent coverage rate," said Zinsstag. "We mobilised the neighbourhood chiefs and they in turn mobilised the people and their dogs."
Further insights through phylodynamics
The study is one of the first research projects to apply a rigorous phylodynamic method to dog rabies, and hence, it expands upon the normative phylogenetics (i.e. assessing the genetic relatedness of virus strains) with the dynamics of transmission over time. This made it possible to calculate the reproductive number of rabies among the dogs after the first mass dog vaccination in 2012.
"Dog rabies was likely re-introduced through the import of dogs by humans from outside N'Djamena after the rabies elimination had been achieved," Zinsstag explains. The phylogenetic analysis supports this finding, since the sequence of nucleoprotein of the new viruses showed a different genetic structure. "The molecular method ascertained the results put forth by the mathematical model through an independent approach," said Zinsstag. "Therefore eliminating rabies is not a technical problem, but a matter of political will and sufficient financial resources."
Most election polls take the political pulse of a state or nation by reaching out to citizens about their voting plans. Santa Fe Institute Professor Mirta Galesic says pollsters might also ask: how do your friends plan to vote?
In a new paper published in Nature Human Behavior, Galesic and co-authors -- including Wandi Bruine de Bruin (Leeds Business School), former Santa Fe Institute Omidyar Fellow Marion Dumas (London School of Economics), and researchers from University of Southern California Dornsife -- compared the results of these two polling methods from data gathered during the most recent presidential elections in the United States and France. They tapped into existing polling efforts to ask questions about an individual's friends alongside the traditional questions about themselves. In both countries, responses people gave about their friends led to more accurate predictions for the election outcomes than the information people gave about themselves.
"It is often assumed that people are biased in their evaluations of others, for instance thinking that your friends have the same opinions as you do," says Galesic. "We think that's not necessarily true, at least when it comes to people's close social contacts. Our other ongoing research shows that people know their family and friends quite well. After all, they depend on them for cooperation, learning, and all kinds of support."
Polls that ask people to comment on their social circles can improve prediction results for several reasons, says Galesic. They provide information about people who aren't explicitly included in the sample, like people who may not choose to participate. These questions also help anticipate the processes of social influence. If a person is surrounded by people who are planning to vote differently from them, that person might well be swayed by their friends by the time the election rolls around.
Social-circle questions also allow people to be more honest. "People can be embarrassed to admit if they plan to vote for a less-popular candidate, but they are less embarrassed to say it about their friends," says Galesic. And their answers enable scientists to learn more about the existence and size of echo chambers -- groups of people who share the same opinions -- among voters for different candidates.
The movements of marine mammals and other large animals that spend their lives in the ocean were largely unknown prior to the development of sophisticated tracking devices researchers could deploy on animals in the wild. Insights gained from this technology have revealed unexpected behaviors and migratory patterns in marine animals ranging from sharks and seals to turtles and albatrosses.
Researchers from around the world have now pooled their data on the movements of a wide array of marine animals, enabling them to look for common features in how animals move throughout the world's oceans. The results, published February 26 in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, show remarkable convergence in the movement patterns of different species, even those widely separated by geography, phylogeny (evolutionary history), or mode of travel.
The biggest differences were between different habitats rather than between different species. In coastal areas, tracking tags revealed complex movement patterns dominated by search behavior, while in the open ocean they showed simpler, more predictable movements over longer distances.
"It makes sense, because the coast is a much more complicated environment, whereas the open ocean is more homogeneous and the features are more spread out in space and time," said coauthor Daniel Costa, a distinguished professor of ecology and evolutionary biology at UC Santa Cruz. "Regardless of what species it is, the movement patterns match the oceanographic features of their environment."
These insights can be useful, he said, for understanding how marine life will respond to climate change and for predicting the movements of species for which tracking data are lacking. "Many of these species are endangered and we have no tracking data, but we can extrapolate from other species to understand how they are likely to interact with fisheries, shipping, or other human activities," Costa said.
Costa has been at the forefront of developing high-tech tracking devices and using them to study marine animals. UCSC's Long Marine Laboratory is known as a leading center for research on marine vertebrates, including seals, sea lions, sea otters, dolphins, and whales. The coauthors of the PNAS paper include six other UC Santa Cruz researchers in addition to Costa.
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"This paper is the result of a big international effort. We realized that if we all share our data and work together in a concerted manner, we can learn a lot more about these animals," he said.
Costa and other UCSC researchers deployed the first satellite tracking tags on elephant seals at the Ano Nuevo rookery north of Santa Cruz in the 1990s. The initial results were astonishing.
"Before we put tags on elephant seals, all the books said they were limited to the California Current. We had no idea they were traveling these incredible distances and using the entire North Pacific Ocean," Costa said. "We went from studying them where we could watch them to having the animals tell us where they were going."
In 2000, Costa joined forces with Barbara Block at Stanford University and others to launch the Tagging of Pacific Predators (TOPP) program, a decade-long effort to track the movements of top marine predators in the Pacific Ocean. Costa oversaw the tracking of marine mammals, birds, and turtles for TOPP, which also included tracking of sharks and tunas.
Costa's lab has carried out groundbreaking tracking studies of a wide range of species around the world, including albatrosses, sooty shearwaters, California sea lions, Galapagos sea lions, crabeater seals, Weddell seals, and southern elephant seals. Meanwhile, his team has continued to learn new things about elephant seal biology from ongoing studies of the northern elephant seals at UC's Ano Nuevo Natural Reserve.
One recent study, published February 14 in Biology Letters, revealed the effects of pregnancy on the diving behavior of female elephant seals. Led by postdoctoral researcher Luis Huckstadt, the researchers found that the dives of pregnant seals became shorter, probably due to an increasing demand for oxygen for the fetus.
"The only way we could do that is because we now have over 500 tracks of female elephant seals, and a small number of them didn't have a pup or lost it at sea, so we could compare and see the effects of pregnancy. It's not surprising, but nobody had been able to document it," Costa said.
Federal officials said Monday that sanctuary cities and states are not immune from immigration enforcement, two days after Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf issued an extraordinary warning that the agency was planning to arrest people in a large-scale Northern California operation.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, known as ICE, did not directly address Schaafs comments or reports that several immigrants were arrested Sunday in a handful of cities in the region, which appeared to corroborate Schaafs warning. The agency said only that its officers conduct targeted enforcement operations on a daily basis.
Schaaf said in a statement Saturday night that she had received confidential tips from credible sources who told her ICE was gearing up for a Bay Area operation starting as soon as the next day. The Chronicle reported in January that federal officials were planning a big Northern California operation designed to send a message that immigration policy will be enforced in the sanctuary state.
While the vast majority of cities in America do cooperate with ICE, others force ICE to assign additional resources 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, James Schwab, a spokesman for ICEs San Francisco office, said in a statement Monday. Sanctuary cities and states are not immune from federal law.
Supporters say sanctuary laws, which restrict cooperation between local government employees and immigration officers, seek to reassure undocumented immigrants that they can engage with local police as well as services such as education and health care without fear of deportation.
Schwab said ICE focuses its efforts on those who pose a threat to national security, public safety, and border security and does not conduct sweeps or raids that target aliens indiscriminately.
However, ICE no longer exempts classes or categories of removable aliens from potential enforcement, he said. All of those in violation of the immigration laws may be subject to immigration arrest, detention and, if found removable by final order, removal from the United States.
Eleni Wolfe, immigration program director of Centro Legal de la Raza, an Oakland nonprofit that provides legal support for immigrants and others, said the arrests reported Sunday were not necessarily unusual.
Eleven people arrested over the weekend isnt news, unfortunately; thats just ICE, she said. But its good that people are paying attention.
She said a hotline that people can call to report ICE activity in Alameda County had been overwhelmed since Schaafs announcement. Many callers were asking whether it was safe to take their children to school or go to work, Wolfe said.
Oakland Councilman Noel Gallo, who represents the heavily Latino Fruitvale neighborhood, said the mayors announcement created undue community anxiety and vitriol from around the country directed at Oakland. Gallo said his City Hall phone line was filled Monday with hateful, racist messages.
Her statement at this time may have done more harm than help, he said.
Schaaf, who has received threats since she spoke of the imminent arrests, said she intended her warning to educate, not alarm, immigrants.
I made a choice to share it broadly in a manner that I hope did not cause panic or fear, she said. Its my hope that everyone goes about their normal lives, but armed with information and resources.
Drought Map Track water shortages and restrictions across Bay Area Check the water shortage status of your area, plus see reservoir levels and a list of restrictions for the Bay Areas largest water districts.
Jim Ross, an Oakland political consultant, said Schaafs warning could help rebuild trust with immigrant-advocacy organizations that may have disagreed with her defense of a West Oakland operation by ICEs Homeland Security Investigations division last August, during which city cops provided traffic control.
The thing thats extraordinary is not that the mayor learned about this and did something, Ross said of Schaafs announcement over the weekend. Its that she learned about this and did something publicly.
While Schaaf could have warned immigration lawyers and organizations directly, Ross said, her strategy got the word out much faster.
I cant see any political downside to it, he said. ICE has become the chief law enforcement arm of the Trump administration. If youre seen to be aiding or abetting ICE, even passively, youre seen as aiding Donald Trump.
Schaaf said she consulted with lawyers on her Saturday night statement and sent it to City Attorney Barbara Parker ahead of its release, though it wasnt clear whether Parker, who was sick over the weekend, responded in time.
The mayor said she was confident that my sharing of this information, because I did not receive it through official channels, is legal.
Just weeks after scrubbing Columbus Day from the calendar, the San Francisco Board of Supervisors will consider designating a new Italian American Heritage Day.
The proposal, which will be introduced Tuesday, is being sponsored by newly sworn-in District 2 Supervisor Catherine Stefani and Supervisor Malia Cohen who authored the measure replacing Christopher Columbus day with Indigenous Peoples Day, angering many Italian Americans in the process.
The latest measure would have the city celebrate both Indigenous Peoples Day and Italian American Heritage Day on the second Monday in October. It makes sense that the date should be shared, Cohen said.
Not to some Italian Americans. Theyre gathering signatures for a November initiative that would get rid of Indigenous Peoples Day and bring back Columbus Day.
The boards vote was just railroaded through for political purposes, Michael Antonini, a dentist and former member of the San Francisco Planning Commission who is leading the initiative petition drive.
I think Italian Americans are looking for a fight when there really isnt one, Cohen said.
Yeah, there is a fight, Antonini countered. We are the ones they picked on when they got rid of Columbus Day, which we have been celebrating in San Francisco for 150 years.
Antonini suspects the timing of the name change had something to do with Cohens attempt to curry favor with Native American groups and more specifically, the big-money gaming industry they control for her run for the State Board of Equalization.
Thats just a shallow argument, said Cohen, who called Indigenous Peoples Day long overdue.
Drought Map Track water shortages and restrictions across Bay Area Check the water shortage status of your area, plus see reservoir levels and a list of restrictions for the Bay Areas largest water districts.
We may be hearing the same arguments during election season perhaps. Antonis Coalition of Italian American Organizations CIAO has less than two weeks until the March 9 deadline to submit 20,000 valid signatures of registered voters to qualify the measure. By late last week, it had collected 6,500.
Still, Antoni is optimistic. He ventured west of Twin Peaks last Sunday, he said, and got 80 signatures in front of St. Brendans Church.
S an Francisco Chronicle columnists Phillip Matier and Andrew Ross appear Sundays, Mondays and Wednesdays. Matier can be seen on the KPIX TV morning and evening news. He can also be heard on KCBS radio Monday through Friday at 7:50 a.m. and 5:50 p.m. Got a tip? Call (415) 777-8815, or email matierandross@ sfchronicle.com. Twitter: @matierandross
What had been an annual tradition in San Francisco for the past 68 years a big lawyers luncheon honoring members of the California Supreme Court was abruptly canceled this year after the states six sitting justices sent notice that they were too busy to show up.
Its a bit of a head-scratcher, given that the Lawyers Club of San Franciscos invitation to the March 29 event trumpeted the fact that with few exceptions, all of the justices have been in attendance each year. But then this years cancellation may have spared everyone a bit of indigestion.
It turns out that San Francisco Public Defender Jeff Adachi was scheduled to be the keynote speaker. And he is not exactly the legal establishments golden boy right now not with four lawyers in his office having launched campaigns to unseat San Francisco Superior Court judges in this years elections because they were appointed by Republican governors.
Conservative judges are out of touch, Deputy Public Defender Maria Evangelista said in announcing her challenge to one of the judges.
Anyone in San Francisco politics with Republican connections is going to be about as popular as cholera. All four of the targeted judges, however, happen to be registered Democrats.
And the campaigns by Adachis public defenders have been denounced by several San Francisco Democrats, including state Sen. Scott Wiener, Assemblymen David Chiu and Phil Ting, and state Board of Equalization member Fiona Ma.
Adachi tells us that even before the event at the InterContinental Mark Hopkins Hotel atop Nob Hill was canceled, an organizer told him not to mention anything about the judicial races during his remarks.
He doesnt have to worry about that now. Stacie Eiras, a spokeswoman for the lawyers group sponsoring the event, said the Supreme Courts clerk sent notice Thursday that none of the six sitting justices would be able to attend because of late-arriving obligations.
When we asked if his bosses were boycotting Adachi, court executive officer Jorge Navarrete told us, I have no information about that.
There are no plans to reschedule the lunch.
Name game: Just weeks after scrubbing Columbus Day from the calendar, the San Francisco Board of Supervisors will consider designating a new Italian American Heritage Day.
The proposal, which will be introduced Tuesday, is being sponsored by newly sworn-in District Two Supervisor Catherine Stefani, who counts herself as a proud Italian American. I hope this will ease the tension for a lot of people, she said.
Among the co-sponsors is Supervisor Malia Cohen, who wrote the earlier measure replacing Christopher Columbus day with Indigenous Peoples Day, angering many Italian Americans in the process.
The latest measure would have the city celebrate both Indigenous Peoples Day and Italian American Heritage Day on the second Monday in October. It makes sense that the date should be shared, Cohen said.
Not to some Italian Americans. Theyre gathering signatures for a November initiative that would get rid of Indigenous Peoples Day and bring back Columbus Day.
The boards vote was just railroaded through for political purposes, said Michael Antonini, a dentist and former member of the San Francisco Planning Commission who is leading the initiative petition drive.
I think Italian Americans are looking for a fight when there really isnt one, Cohen said.
Yeah, there is a fight, Antonini countered. We are the ones they picked on when they got rid of Columbus Day, which we have been celebrating in San Francisco for 150 years.
Antonini suspects the timing of the name change had something to do with Cohens attempt to curry favor with Native American groups and more specifically, the big-money gaming industry they control for her run for the State Board of Equalization.
Drought Map Track water shortages and restrictions across Bay Area Check the water shortage status of your area, plus see reservoir levels and a list of restrictions for the Bay Areas largest water districts.
Thats just a shallow argument, said Cohen, who called Indigenous Peoples Day long overdue.
We may be hearing the same arguments during election season perhaps. Antoninis Coalition of Italian American Organizations CIAO has less than two weeks until the March 9 deadline to submit 20,000 valid signatures of registered voters to qualify the measure. By late last week, it had collected 6,500.
Still, Antonini is optimistic. He ventured west of Twin Peaks on a recent Sunday, he said, and got 80 signatures in front of St. Brendans Church.
On the money: For all the clawing over endorsements at the state Democratic Party convention in San Diego over the weekend, what really counts is what goes with those endorsements party money for slate cards and window signs and get-out-the-vote drives.
Which is why some Democratic insiders were alarmed to see that the state party raised just $13.7 million in 2017 barely half the total from the year before.
Why the sudden cash slump?
Democratic insiders point to last years retirement of state party Chairman John Burton a fixture in California politics for five decades who was known for being a prodigious fundraiser. Burtons exit led to an ugly fight between establishment candidate Eric Bauman and Kimberly Ellis, a progressive organizer backed by the Bernie Sanders-friendly California Nurses Association.
Bauman won, in a tight contest that Ellis bitterly disputed for months. Hes been playing financial catch-up ever since.
Editor s note: Here are three Bay Area startups worth watching this week.
As the software industry booms and demand for talent soars, HackerRank helps match developers with job opportunities. The Palo Alto company got a fresh round of funding this month $30 million, to be exact which more than doubled the venture capital money its garnered so far.
What it does: Creates programming challenges that allow developers to show off their skills to potential employers.
The idea behind HackerRank is that a traditional resume doesnt give an employer a full scope of a developers skills. With this program, a company can create a challenge unique to its business to see how a potential employee would solve the problem.
Why it matters: According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, software engineering is one of the fastest-growing job markets in the U.S. creating demand across industries, ranging from automotive to retail.
Every industry is being disrupted one after the other, so the demand for developers is just going to grow, said HackerRank Chief Marketing Officer Nicolas Draca.
Whats it gonna do with all that cash? Jobs, jobs, jobs. The company is going expand its global workforce, according to Draca, and use that extra manpower to sell its product to more clients. It also plans to invest more in data science and machine learning, so it can help predict job fit for both candidate and employer.
We currently have data sets that show skills, jobs and company data of they type of talent they are looking for, Draca said. The future is about being able to predict job fit based on this data.
Fit for each other
Fitbits recent acquisition of Cambridge, Mass., startup Twine Health signals a greater push by the maker of popular activity trackers into the health care universe.
And with this acquisition, Twines CEO John Moore will become Fitbits first medical director.
Why this happened: While Fitbit focuses on helping users track their activity, it didnt have a way to help people manage chronic health problems. Enter Twine Health: a cloud-based health management program that assists patients with chronic diseases such as diabetes and hypertension.
The terms of the deal were not disclosed. Before the acquisition, Twine had $8.3 million in funding and 10 employees most of whom will join Fitbit.
Why this matters: While Fitbit was once considered a leader in wearable fitness trackers, enthusiasm for its products has waned as larger companies like Apple and Chinas Huami have begun making wearable fitness trackers.
Adam Pellegrini, general manager of Fitbit Solutions, says integrating Twines software and bringing Moore on as the medical director will bring clinical acumen to the company: Twine really signals that Fitbit is going deeper into health care, Pellegrini said.
Also trending
BetterWorks, a human resources startup, is trending on Crunchbase this week because of the #MeToo movement.
What happened: As the company struggles to put a summer sexual harassment scandal involving its CEO behind it, the company is facing a new one, according to a Bloomberg report this month. A lawyer for BetterWorks called the new claims legally and factually defective.
Air Quality Tracker Check levels down to the neighborhood Ratings for the Bay Area and California, updated every 10 minutes
Why it matters: Reports on sexual harassment often deal with the scandal, but not the aftermath. Since July, the founder resigned as CEO, fundraising efforts were derailed and several customers have distanced themselves from the company.
Headquarters: Redwood City
Funding: $43 million, according to Crunchbase
Employees: 51 to 100, according to Crunchbase
Trisha Thadani is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: tthadani@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @TrishaThadani
How we pick
the companies
Every week, The Chronicle and Crunchbase, a San Francisco firm that tracks key businesses in technology, analyze private Bay Area companies based on their financial backing, employees and activity on Crunchbase. We feature three that are moving up in the ranks: one that raised new funding, one that was involved in an acquisition, and one that is drawing attention for other reasons.
For more information on the companies: www.crunchbase.com
To listen to a discussion of the startups, subscribe to Startups of the Week on iTunes or www.sfchronicle.com/podcasts
WASHINGTON - The #BoycottNRA wave is crashing through Wall Street as finance giants reckon with the consumer demands for blue-chip companies to cut ties with gun interests in the wake of the Parkland, Fla., school shooting.
The latest:
- Blackstone Group , the investing behemoth, over the weekend asked outside fund managers to list their ownership in companies that manufacture and sell guns. "The request, with a roughly one-day turnaround, was emailed to managers at about a dozen hedge funds in which Blackstone has a stake, one of the people said," the Wall Street Journal's Jenny Strasburg and Miriam Gottfried report. "The email asked for information about 'any ownership or lending' of or to 'gun manufacturers or gun sellers.' "
- Bank of America issued a statement Saturday indicating it plans to "engage the limited number of clients we have that manufacture assault weapons for non-military use to understand what they can contribute to this shared responsibility," although precisely what that means wasn't immediately clear. Ditto investment manager BlackRock, the largest shareholder in gun makers Sturm Ruger and American Outdoor Brands. A spokesman said the firm "will be engaging with weapons manufacturers and distributors to understand their response to recent events."
- MetLife joined the cavalcade of companies ending their discount program for NRA members, per a Friday tweet. And another insurer, Chubb, announced Friday that it will stop underwriting coverage for NRA members who get sued for shooting people, a program it called "NRA Carry Guard."
- First National Bank of Omaha was one of the first corporate movers. The privately held bank holding company announced Thursday that it would stop issuing its NRA-branded Visa card, which had been advertised as "the official credit card of the N.R.A." It gave members of the gun group 5 percent back on gas and sporting-goods purchases.
Expect more to come.No other big banks are yet ready to announce they are reexamining their relationships with the gun industry, per a survey I did over the weekend. But the lightning-fast success of the consumer protest movement so far all but guarantees that more leading brands will feel compelled to sever ties.
Already, in addition to financial services interests, the list of those dropping partnerships with the NRA include Delta Air Lines and United Airlines; car renters Avis Budget Group, Hertz, and Enterprise; cybersecurity company Symantec; and the auto pricing site TrueCar.
The corporate convulsion is following an increasingly familiar script in the Trump era. A shock event forces a hot-button political debate to explode on social media; progressives there wrench it into the commercial realm, demanding real-time responses from top companies; then those companies, keen to keep faith with their most prized customers, jump to respond even as elected leaders drag their feet.
President Donald Trump's arrival on the scene didn't create the dynamic. Back in 2015, for example, when then-Indiana Gov. Mike Pence signed a "religious freedom" law that critics called a license for businesses to discriminate against gay, lesbians, bisexuals and transgender people, marquee names such as Apple, Marriott International, Salesforce, Eli Lilly and Angie's List helped lead a corporate revolt that forced the state GOP to roll it back. But it undoubtedly picked up steam over the past year, starting when Trump's attempted travel ban spawned an outpouring of condemnation from leading CEOs on Wall Street and beyond.
The C-suite opprobrium spilled out again last June, when Trump pulled the United States out of the Paris climate accord, a decision that prompted this first-ever tweet from Lloyd Blankfein of Goldman Sachs.
And as Heather Long and I wrote last month, Blankfein and JPMorgan Chase chief executive Jamie Dimon, among others, spoke out last summer when the president defended white supremacists who led a violent rally in Charlottesville: "I strongly disagree with President Trump's reaction to the events that took place in Charlottesville," Dimon said. The controversy led CEOs serving on a pair of White House advisory panels - including one led by Blackstone CEO Stephen A. Schwarzman - to disband them.
Last week, Merck CEO Ken Frazier, the first advisory panel member to speak up after Charlottesville, elaborated on his decision making in a New York Times interview: "It was my view that to not take a stand on this would be viewed as a tacit endorsement of what had happened and what was said," Frazier told the paper. "I think words have consequences, and I think actions have consequences. I just felt that as a matter of my own personal conscience, I could not remain," adding that his board "supported that 100 percent."
Yet Blankfein, Dimon, and Schwarzman all lavished praise on Trump's economic stewardship at the World Economic Forum in Davos last month - a reminder that financiers and other corporate brass won't be joining any street marches against Republicans who are slashing taxes and regulations.
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In the gun debate, however, the business case arguably aligns with the political winds that have Republicans edging onto the defensive for the first time in recent memory. The industry, too, is facing decline, as Trump's election sapped sales by removing fears of a Democratic gun grab.
Two days before the Parkland shooting, Remington Outdoor Co., which makes AR-15 rifles, filed for bankruptcy. Private-equity giant Cerberus Capital Management acquired the 202-year-old company in 2007 and announced it would sell it in the days following the Sandy Hook school shooting in 2012. It never found a buyer.
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Video: Delta and United joined a growing list of companies cutting ties with the National Rifle Association amid a growing boycott movement inspired by the Feb. 14 massacre at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School.(The Washington Post)
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A man was arrested early Sunday after holding two women at gunpoint and sexually assaulting them at a party supply store in Fremont, authorities said.
The incident was reported about 8:45 a.m. Saturday shortly before the opening of a Party City store, at the Fremont Hub Shopping Center, 39100 Argonaut Way, according to the Fremont Police Department.
Fewer people are getting away with murder in Oakland.
Thats according to data published by federal law enforcement, which show that the citys Police Department in one year went from one of the countrys worst agencies at clearing homicide cases to above the national average.
In 2008, Oakland detectives solved 24 percent of homicides, according to the U.S. Justice Department. From 2011 to 2015, the city averaged a 40 percent clearance rate still well below the U.S. big city average of 60 percent. But in an unprecedented improvement, Oaklands clearance rate surged to 71 percent in 2016, well above the national average.
Its the highest that Ive seen, Oakland police Capt. Roland Holmgren said. Its a great thing. Its more than just numbers. It lets our communities know that we care. That we take these things extremely serious.
As the citys homicide total drops and the departments clearance rate rises, police have credited the numbers to better detective work, input from the community, job programs and assistance from the the FBIs Violent Gang Safe Streets Task Force, which started in 2014.
But not everyone is certain that the Police Department, which has been under federal oversight since 2003 and dealt with consistent turnover at the top, has gotten its act together in solving the citys most violent crimes.
I dont know enough to trust those numbers, City Councilwoman Lynette Gibson McElhaney said of the recent homicide clearance rate. The numbers are suspicious to me. I do not have families bearing witness to this.
McElhaney, who represents a West Oakland district, said at least six families have complained to her office about a lack of police attention to unsolved killings. The councilwoman has met with recently installed Police Chief Anne Kirkpatrick twice about the complaints.
Off the top of her head, McElhaney can list the names of young men who were victims in unsolved homicides: Craig Cooks. Terrence McCrary. Sultan Bey. Deante Antonio Miller. Roderick Travon Godfrey.
The deaths of these young men continue to really haunt us, she said. The families are struggling without closure.
Michael Macor/The Chronicle
For Annette Miller and Teresa Jackson, the mothers of Miller and Godfrey, respectively, the lack of answers and arrests has only added to their grief.
The 19-year-old men were slain on Nov. 28, 2016, on the 700 block of 39th Street, as they sat in a car outside their home.
On the first anniversary of the deaths, Annette Miller had a mix of emotions, but one of the most prominent was anger. She said she hadnt heard from detectives in months.
Still aint nothing happened and we havent got any answers, she said.
Community members have openly talked about a known suspect in the double homicide, McElhaney said, but without corroborating information from witnesses, police have been unable to make an arrest.
Michael Macor/The Chronicle
Of the 51 homicide cases the Police Department closed last year, 33 occurred in 2017. The other 18 dated from as far back as 2011, Capt. Holmgren said.
Oakland counts homicides as cleared when someone is arrested and charged in connection with the crime, regardless of the year the crime was committed. Generally, police might have a good idea of potential culprits in cold cases, but they need stronger evidence to hold up in court, Holmgren said.
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You dont want to miss an opportunity by prematurely putting a case to court, he said. Thats the hard part. Thats the part that is challenging for investigators and extremely challenging for family members who suffer from these acts of violence.
Although the number of homicides in Oakland continues to shrink the city recorded 72 in 2017, its second-lowest number since the national record-keeping system began in 1985 it still has one of the states highest homicide rates per capita.
Civil rights attorney Jim Chanin, a longtime Oakland resident, said the falling number of homicides and rising clearance rates show OPD is going in the right direction.
Still, he said, the families on the other side of the 71 percent clearance rate find little consolation.
If you have a loved one murdered, then youre one of the 29 percent. These figures mean nothing to you, Chanin said. The pain that someone feels is not going to be improved if theyre not one of the 71 percent.
But its not simply unsolved cases, McElhaney said. Family members of those slain told her theyve received little communication or updates on their cases status. She pointed to the recently created Department of Violence Prevention as a way to refocus homicide response and prevention.
We can love our community so much we can take away hate, McElhaney said. We can have advocates that will not allow cases to go cold.
Anyone with more information on unsolved cases is asked to call the police homicide division at (510) 238-3821.
The SAT may be an important hurdle in the college admissions process, but until recently it was one that many students in the Long Beach Unified School District werent clearing.
Less than half of 11th-graders in the district were even attempting the test. Registration fees, at $60 for the full test including essay, posed a challenge for some families in a district where more than two-thirds of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. Other students just didnt see themselves as college material.
Then three years ago, the district began offering the SAT for free during the school day. The move boosted the SAT-taking rate to almost 100 percent and, district officials say, created a more college-oriented culture among students.
Now a Long Beach legislator is trying to make it easier for other California districts to follow the citys lead. AB1951, sponsored by Assemblyman Patrick ODonnell, D-Long Beach, would allow local school boards to replace the standardized tests typically given in students junior year with a nationally recognized college entrance exam like the SAT or ACT.
This bill is about equity and opportunity for high school students, said ODonnell, a former classroom teacher who chairs the Assemblys Education Committee. Its also about local control. It lets districts decide the best assessment for students.
Students from low-income families can now take the SAT or ACT free of charge, but must obtain fee waivers from their schools. Attending a school that doesnt offer the test could mean traveling to an unfamiliar neighborhood on a Saturday to take it. While those barriers might seem small, backers of the proposal say they can add up for some students.
The bill would let school districts use the funds they already spend on standardized testing to subsidize college entrance exams, as long as they offer them free to all students and make accommodations for English language learners and students with disabilities.
Long Beach Unified covers the cost for students to take the practice PSAT in grades eight through 10 and connects students who register for the SAT to online tutorials. The district also provides free SAT prep sessions on Saturdays an extra edge that historically has been available only to students from wealthier families.
The whole idea that you can diagnose strengths and areas where improvement is needed, and make better use of time and resources, is a game changer, said district spokesman Chris Eftychiou. And its especially a game changer when parents who might be working two or three jobs to put food on the table dont have to pay for these services.
Long Beach Unified has tried once before to exempt itself from giving the Smarter Balanced tests the state currently requires for all 11th-graders. Those customized, computer-based tests were adopted in 2015 to align with the states Common Core educational standards in math and English.
In a letter to the state Board of Education last year, Long Beach Superintendent Christopher Steinhauser asked for relief from unnecessary, duplicative testing. The SAT, he argued, was far more relevant to college admissions.
State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson and board President Michael Kirst disagreed. The SAT had not been reviewed to ensure it reflected Common Core standards, they wrote in a response. It is not designed to measure the lower end of the spectrum well and could disadvantage English language learners and students with disabilities. Request denied.
Torlakson hasnt yet taken a formal position on AB1951, but said in a statement to CALmatters that further research is needed, as these tests were not designed for this purpose.
More than 30 districts in California will give the SAT for free during the school day this year. Thats up from four in 2015. Those districts could opt out of Smarter Balanced testing in 11th grade if the bill is signed into law. Some districts have come out in support of the bill, including San Jose Unified.
One question the state would need to answer: At a time when school accountability has become an obsession, how would it compare student performance among districts that choose the SAT or ACT, and those that stick with Smarter Balanced?
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From a parent perspective, having my daughters take multiple tests creates a disconnect and is inefficient, said Samantha Dobbins Tran, senior managing director for education at Children Now, an advocacy group that has supported the Common Core standards. Do you create a context where we dont have the data for accountability purposes? Thats going to lead to huge concerns from an equity perspective.
A growing number of states require the SAT or ACT for high school graduation. Under the federal Every Student Succeeds Act, some of those states have received permission to forgo other standardized tests in favor of the college entrance exams.
Those changes came amid a push to expand college entrance testing on the part of the College Board, the powerful nonprofit organization that administers both the SAT and Advanced Placement exams. The College Board earned $916 million in revenue in 2015 and spent nearly $130,000 lobbying California legislators last year.
Its been criticized for taking advantage of its market position to charge students fees for everything from late registrations to sending score reports to colleges. But its also taken steps to make the tests more affordable, allowing low-income students to send unlimited score reports to schools for free starting this year.
Joshua Hyman, a researcher at the University of Connecticut, studied the effects of mandatory ACT tests in Michigans public high schools and found that the policy led to many more low-income students not only taking the test, but performing well.
Theres a hidden group of high-achieving students that dont even get to the point of taking these exams, Hyman said.
Before the change, for every 10 low-income Michigan students who scored high enough to get into a selective four-year college, there were another five who would have done well but didnt take the exam. Afterward, Hyman found, the state saw a small bump in the number of disadvantaged students attending college.
Sonoma Countys emergency managers were not properly prepared to warn people about the massive wildfires that swept across the North Bay in October and claimed 25 lives in the county, according to a long-anticipated state report released Monday.
The 34-page review, produced by the California Office of Emergency Services at the request of county officials, found, among other things, that Sonoma Countys procedures for issuing emergency alerts to residents in the fires path were uncoordinated and included gaps, overlaps, and redundancies.
During the early hours of the disaster, the report says, the county lacked reliable, timely, and coordinated situational awareness as to the scale, size, and scope of the fires growth, character, and movement.
The Sonoma County Board of Supervisors is scheduled to discuss the states findings at a meeting Tuesday night.
When you have a crisis moving this fast, thats this complicated and that required immediate action, youre going to have to lean on well-placed, well-exercised protocols, said Mark Ghilarducci, director of the California Office of Emergency Services. As you read through the report, youll find there was some confusion and inconsistencies in people understanding their roles and responsibilities.
While there were shortcomings in how Sonoma County notified people about the fires, Ghilarducci said the county has generally been well prepared for disasters, and noted that there are many differences in how agencies across the state issue emergency alerts.
A major topic covered in the report was Sonoma County emergency managers decision not to send an Amber Alert-style message called a Wireless Emergency Alert, or WEA, after the fires broke out. Such an alert could have reached virtually all cell phones in the region.
Local emergency managers, including those in other areas recently hit by disaster, such as hurricane-ravaged Houston, have complained about WEAs inability to target precise geographic areas.
Sonoma County officials told The Chronicle days after the fires erupted that they chose not to send a WEA because they believed it would have hit cell phones far from the area of the fires, potentially causing panic and creating traffic jams that would have blocked people from getting in and out of evacuation zones.
The report, however, found that local emergency managers had a limited awareness and understanding of the WEA system and outdated information regarding WEAs technical capabilities.
While Sonoma County officials had made a decision not to rely on the wireless alert system roughly a year ago, due to its broad reach and other limitations, by the time of the October fires changes had been made that would have allowed more targeted WEA messages to be sent, Ghilarducci said.
The alert systems that local officials did deploy two separate programs that residents largely have to sign up for were poorly coordinated, the state review found. It also identified shortcomings in the training emergency responders received in how and when to push out different types of messages.
Checklists or detailed procedures for deciding what warnings to issue, when, and in what form appeared to be almost entirely absent, the report states.
The alerts that did go out, many of which contained potentially life-saving evacuation orders, largely went unheard, a review by The Chronicle showed. Fewer than 2 percent of Sonoma County residents were enrolled in the primary warning system, called SoCo Alert, before the fires broke out, and just 15 percent of the warning calls during the early and most devastating hours of the disaster were answered.
The alert system failed, period no ifs, ands or buts, said Gary Kozel, who lives in the small town of Kenwood, which was devastated by the Nuns Fire. Im really hopeful the county will take the report seriously and will take the measures necessary to remedy what was an abysmal situation.
The report included a number of recommendations for Sonoma County, including updating and expanding public alert and warning plans, training people how to compose effective emergency messages, and utilizing a system such as WEA to ensure that alerts reach as many affected people as possible.
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The county has already made some changes following the fires.
Former emergency manager Christopher Helgren, who was one of the small group of people who made the decision not to send wireless alerts, was recently reassigned. And the local dispatch center is working to develop instructions for emergency dispatchers to give to people trapped by fire when they call 911, said Aaron Abbott, executive director of the countys emergency dispatch center.
An after action report also is being prepared that will cover other issues related to the countys response to the wildfire, and state lawmakers introduced a bill in January to create uniform emergency notification protocols statewide.
When I look at this assessment, I dont see any smoking gun what I see is a lack of being prepared the way we should be, said Sonoma County Supervisor James Gore. Others arent prepared, but this is our moment to be the point of a spear to make our communities confident in our ability to respond.
San Francisco Chronicle staff writer Lizzie Johnson contributed to this report.
Joaquin Palomino is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: jpalomino@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @JoaquinPalomino
More online
Read the states full report on Sonoma Countys fire response at bit.ly/fires-report
Read all of The Chronicles coverage of the fires at www.sfchronicle.com/north-bay-fires
In 1968, two black San Francisco psychiatrists wrote a groundbreaking book, Black Rage, which examined the psychic stresses behind black anger in America.
William H. Grier and Price M. Cobbs concluded that racial hatred and racism were fueling black anger.
Im sharing this because the foreword for Black Rage was written by Fred Harris, a white U.S. senator from Oklahoma who was part of the team of politicians that investigated the race riots that swept the United States in 1967 as part of the Kerner Commission.
Harris did what would be impossible for many of the white politicians who are currently steering our country toward greatness: He told the truth about race.
The root cause of the black wrath that now threatens to destroy this nation is the unwillingness of white Americans to accept Negroes as fellow human beings, Harris wrote.
Harris acknowledged that despite civil rights bills, and the desegregation of institutions, housing and schools, it remained hard to be black in America because of the countrys history of white ownership of blacks as slaves and continuing discrimination and racism to oppress black people.
Fifty years later, Harris, 87, is still talking and writing about race, and hell attend Race & Inequality in America: The Kerner Commission at 50, a conference at UC Berkeley this week that will examine race, segregation and inequality in the United States.
Black Rage put the black experience in America in the spotlight in 1968. The Kerner Commissions report, released that year, might have changed the course of history if it hadnt been ignored by the federal government.
Heres some helpful history: The Kerner Commission, formally known as the National Advisory Commission on Civil Disorders, was appointed in 1967 by President Lyndon Johnson to investigate the cause of race riots. That summer, there were more than 150 riots in black and Latino neighborhoods, including in Newark, N.J., and Detroit.
What was responsible for the fiery turbulence?
The commission reported the obvious: Blacks were frustrated with their lack of employment opportunities. The commission found fault with state and federal governments for housing, education and social policies that were unfair to blacks. The policies kept black neighborhoods in wretched poverty.
The Kerner Commission was clear: Whites were granted privilege in this country.
Anybody that knew anything about the facts knew that that was the truth, Harris told me during a recent phone interview. We knew that it would shock people. We also knew a lot of people would be shocked by the fact that we were recommending huge new federal programs to counteract that poverty and racism.
The commission held 20 days of hearings, and more than 100 witnesses were called, including Martin Luther King Jr. and J. Edgar Hoover, the FBI director. Harris visited cities where riots had occurred. In Cincinnati and Milwaukee, he visited black barbershops and walked the streets of black neighborhoods so he could talk to young black men about their needs.
Imagine that: a white politician asking a black man what he needed instead of telling him what to do.
It couldnt have been clearer to us that jobs (were) really a tremendous and basic lack in their lives and the lives of people living in the black sections of these cities, Harris said.
If only the president had listened.
But Johnson, who hammered the Civil Rights Act and Voting Rights Act through Congress, was dismissive of the report. According to Harris, Johnson was led to believe that the protests were orchestrated by agitators and had nothing to do with the way black and brown people were being treated.
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Johnson, who was preoccupied with Vietnam War protests and getting re-elected, refused to meet with the commission that had recommended jobs and integration for blacks.
Unfortunately, we didnt have the foresight and wisdom to actually follow through, said John Powell, the director of UC Berkeleys Haas Institute for a Fair and Inclusive Society. Hes the host for The Kerner Commission at 50.
A lot of things that (they were) talking about in terms of needing affordable housing, in terms of universal pay, in terms of universal jobs things that even when we talk about them today, they sound very radical.
Powell said the Kerner Commission was the last serious look at racial stratification the systematic, structural and cultural classification of people in the country. Because of racial stratification, some people are treated better and given more access, which makes them think theyre more deserving than others.
The report from 50 years ago warned of the country moving toward two societies one black and one white.
Look at where we are today, and think about this: The Kerner Commission was appointed by a president. Our current president endorsed a Senate candidate who said America was great during slavery.
Raging against racism must be relentless.
The case of Kenneth Humphrey, the man who stole $5 and a bottle of cologne then couldn't make his $350,000 bail, is by now well known. But for the wrong reasons.
Humphrey's case, which found its way to a state appeals court in January, is being misused as an example of a broken bail system. It instead reveals the failing of mental health services, substance abuse treatment and speedy trial protections. Not bail.
Humphrey is a 63-year-old man with a history of criminal behavior, mental illness and drug addiction with the last two likely responsible for the first. He had four prior "strike" offenses from several years ago, three for robbery and one for attempted robbery. Under California's "three strikes" law, Humphrey was facing about 40 years to life, which is a strong incentive not to appear for court. Humphrey has relapsed after completing two drug treatment programs since release from the San Francisco jail in 2008.
In his most recent offense, Humphrey invaded the home of a vulnerable, 79-year-old neighbor and demanded money, threatening to put a pillowcase over his victim's head. He left with just $5 and a bottle of cologne but not before kicking the victim's walker into another room, leaving him unable to move about. Humphrey was charged with robbery and residential burglary. At the discretion of the judge, bail was set at $350,000, based on the severity of the crime, his prior criminal history and his potential danger to the community not the amount of property stolen, as sensational headlines proclaimed.
Because he couldn't make bail, Humphrey was confined pending trial.
Bail opponents claim the bail system forced Humphrey to sit in jail for more than 250 days. That's not true. Like mental health and substance abuse programs, the courts also suffer from a lack of adequate resources, forcing delays by overloading court calendars. Certainly, it's true that cases such as Humphrey's should not wait eight months, but in this case, he waived his right to a speedy trial within 30 days of his first court appearance.
Regardless, bail opponents say his case underscores the need for reform. But the reforms they're proposing (i.e., SB10) wouldn't have kept him out of jail, because even a much-touted pretrial risk assessment tool advocated by bail opponents recommended his detention.
Clearly, the court system can be improved, but correctly diagnosing the problem is essential to finding the right solution. In this case, it's a lack of resources, not bail, that's slowing justice and needed services.
If we fail to address the real problem, then we run the risk of replacing our bail system with one in which computer algorithms decide the fate of defendants and public safety. No longer would judges be allowed to make decisions based on the specific facts and nuances of each case. By tying judges' hands, and forcing the wrong solution on the system, drug-addicted and mentally ill defendants could find themselves sitting in jail for a very long time, without programs needed for recovery. And the system's real problems would still remain.
Quentin L. Kopp is a retired San Mateo County Superior Court judge and a former state senator and member of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors. He has been a member of the State Bar of California since 1954.
Until, Until, Until ... doesnt just excavate a historical nightmare. Edgar Arceneaux makes you an actor in the piece at Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, a perpetrator of it. If youve ever wondered how you would have reacted were you on the scene for one of our nations most grotesque moments, Until, Until, Until ... offers a likely answer, and it doesnt look good.
The shows subject isnt one of our canonical nightmares, but one weve collectively elided. At Ronald Reagans 1981 inaugural gala, Ben Vereen performed a tribute to the great vaudeville entertainer Bert Williams a song and dance in blackface, and then a rueful wiping off of the blackface. But ABC broadcast only the first half of the performance, making it look to viewers as if Vereen had proffered powerful white Republicans a racist caricature, sans comment. Williams, who was black, was known for performing in blackface.
In refracting the 1981 moment in Until, Until, Until ... whose two-day public run opened on Friday, Feb. 23 Arceneaux superimposes a live re-enactment of Vereens performance, by actor Frank Lawson, over projected footage of Vereen himself. Both versions seem to emerge from that penumbra between repressed memory and bad dream. Lawson repeats particular moments soft-shoe footwork, soaring kicks, a cartoonish sashaying entrance leading up to a cringe-inducing Peoples! Real live peoples! until the moves almost become just images, divorced from context, that play menacingly on a loop, like a trap.
Rafael Hernandez/Yerba Buena Center for the Arts
Video design by Hsuan-Kuang Hsieh and sound design by Daniel Gower wildly distort the footage of Vereen. Those kicking legs melt into wavy magenta lines, then scattered pixels. The Reagans and their audience dissolve into tiny digital points of light. Their roar of dumb approval gives way to a dull, sinister rumble, punctuated by the distant throb of an alarm. Is this a dream we can wake up from? Lawsons Vereen has no such recourse. Garishly lit, by designer Joey Guthman, by green from one side and red from the other, hes a fun house figure, a mechanical clown reiterating his routine.
Arceneaux echoes the fun house feeling in his companion piece, Library of Black Lies, an immersive sculpture set outside the theater (and which, with a video installation version of Until, Until, Until ..., is on display through March 25). From the outside, its a humble cabin you want to crouch walking into. On the inside, sharp corners, narrow passageways and reflective surfaces disorient you constantly fear youll bump into something, yet the reflections facing each other suggest a space that goes on forever, or at least one thats much bigger than it is. Fossilized books, caked with a crystallized icing, stack high seemingly benign texts like a Websters Dictionary, pointed selections like a work on Bill Cosby or a childrens Bible illustrated with all white people, bizarre titles like Fart Poverty, and then what appear to be trash bags folded to look like charred remains of books. Its a chaos of black history, a mess of images tossed together waiting to be organized or reckoned with.
Lawsons Vereen gets the moment of reckoning ABC denied the actual Vereen and his audiences. He gets to wipe off the blackface and gasp at it, like its a bleeding wound he hadnt yet felt. His final moments are a war with his own respiratory system, in Lawsons rendering as suspenseful as any battle ever seen onstage: Will he muster the will to take another breath? If he doesnt, how will we, Lawsons and Vereens audience, fill the vacuum?
Lily Janiak is The San Francisco Chronicles theater critic. Email: ljaniak@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @LilyJaniak
Until, Until, Until ...: Written and directed by Edgar Arceneaux. Video installation version and Library of Black Lies run through March 25. $10. Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, 701 Mission St., S.F. (415) 978-2787. www.ybca.org
To see a trailer: www.youtube.com/watch?v=v2_Z3496jj8&feature=youtu.be
Mark Cunningham / MLB Photos via Getty Images
MESA, Ariz. - Matt Chapman hasnt been overly concerned about the right hand injury that sidelined him for the start of Cactus League play, and indications are hell soon be in games.
Manager Bob Melvin said Monday at Hohokam Stadium that the As third baseman will start hitting in a couple of days, which could mean hes in games this weekend or early next week. Chapman, who has been taking grounders while out with right-hand soreness, resume throwing Monday.
Two winter snowstorms are set to hit the Sierra this week, with a larger storm system possibly disrupting next weekend's travel plans to the Lake Tahoe area.
The first storm was expected to hit the Sierra late Sunday night, impacting travel along Interstate 80 and the 50 corridor, said Hannah Chandler, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service in Sacramento. Some low-elevation snow is expected, with areas around 2,000-3,000 feet predicted to receive 2-5 inches of snow, while elevations at about 1,500 feet could get a light dusting of snow.
"We're expecting hazardous travel conditions while it's snowing and even after the snow," Chandler said of Sunday night's storm. "The roads can be cleared and it will be a little windy up there, so there will be periods of low visibility with the snow falling and the wind moving that snow around."
RELATED VIDEO: Weather that causes dry spells in the Bay Area
The heaviest of the snowfall should happen overnight, but the National Weather Service has a winter weather advisory in place until 10 p.m. Monday, as lingering snow showers are expected throughout the day into evening hours.
The Bay Area will see that storm translate into some scattered showers Sunday night into early Monday morning, but it shouldn't amount to much: less than a quarter inch of rain is expected in affected areas.
The second Sierra storm looks to be more significant, and will move into the area on Wednesday. Two to three feet of snow is expected in some areas above 3,000 feet, with some snow reaching lower elevations by Friday. Wind gusts could hit 40-50 miles per hour in the mountains, while those in the Valley might see winds closer to 20 to 35 miles per hour, Chandler said.
The heaviest period of rain and snow is predicted for Thursday, and will last through Saturday. Chandler suggested that those with plans for the Sierra during the storm move their trip to avoid traveling during that time.
"If it pans out how our forecasting [sees it]," Chandler said, "it could be a very significant snow event."
The second storm is predicted to bring about a half-inch to 1.5 inches of rain overall to the Bay Area beginning Thursday.
San Francisco Chronicle writer Sophie Haigney contributed to this article.
WASHINGTON With the justice holding the decisive vote silent, a divided Supreme Court sparred Monday over a case that could undermine the financial footing of labor unions that represent government workers.
The justices heard arguments in a challenge to an Illinois law that allows unions representing government employees to collect fees from workers who choose not to join.
Amid colorful, sometimes angry comments from his colleagues, Justice Neil Gorsuch asked no questions during the hour-long session.
The court split 4-4 the last time it considered the issue in 2016 following the death of Justice Antonin Scalia. Gorsuch joined the court in April and has yet to weigh in on union fees. Organized labor is a big supporter of Democratic candidates and interests. Unions strongly opposed Gorsuchs nomination by President Trump.
The unions say the outcome could affect more than 5 million government workers in 24 states and the District of Columbia.
In many respects, Mondays arguments were a replay of what happened in 2016, when the court took up so-called fair share fees and appeared to be ready to overrule a 1997 high court decision that serves as their legal foundation. But Justice Scalias death just over two years ago left the court tied, leaving a lower court ruling in favor of the fees in place.
Youre basically arguing, do away with unions, Justice Sonia Sotomayor told William Messenger, a lawyer with the National Right to Work Legal Foundation. The group is representing Illinois worker Mark Janus in his Supreme Court challenge.
On the other side, Justice Anthony Kennedy, who has voted against unions in past related cases, scoffed at labors argument that there is a difference between collective bargaining over government employees pay and benefits, and unions political activities, which nonmembers do not have to support.
If the unions lose, wont they have less political influence, Kennedy asked David Frederick, representing the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Illinois affiliate. Yes, Frederick said.
Isnt that the end of this case? Kennedy replied.
Janus says he has a constitutional right not to contribute anything to a union with which he disagrees. Janus and the conservative interests that back him contend that everything unions representing public employees do is political, including contract negotiations.
The Trump administration is supporting Janus in his effort to persuade the court to overturn its 1977 ruling allowing states to require fair share fees for government employees.
The unions argue that fair share fees pay for collective bargaining and other work the union does on behalf of all employees, not just its members. More than half the states already have right-to-work laws banning mandatory fees, but most members of public-employee unions are concentrated in states that dont, including California, New York and Illinois.
Labor leaders fear that not only would workers who dont belong to a union stop paying fees, but that some union members might decide to stop paying dues if they could in essence get the unions representation for free.
Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg suggested it would be natural for union members to say I would rather keep the money in my own pocket, potentially seriously cutting union revenues.
I submit thats a perfectly acceptable result, Messenger said.
A decision is expected by late June.
Two people were killed and another was injured Sunday night in what appears to be a targeted shooting outside a liquor store near Daly City, authorities said.
The Broadmoor Police Department is investigating the shooting, which occurred about 8:40 p.m. after an argument outside the Hillside Market at 1165 Hillside Blvd., said Police Chief Arthur Stellini.
Two men and a woman were standing outside the market when a man opened fire, Stellini said. One man and the woman died from their injuries. A second man, who was wounded, is expected to survive. He is recovering at San Francisco General Hospital.
Several detectives from (San Mateo) County have been working the case since they were notified (Sunday), and they are still working on it vigorously, Stellini said.
The victims are all in their early 20s, he added.
The San Mateo County Coroners Office identified the deceased as 21-year-old Vanessa Guillory, of San Francisco, and 22-year-old Michael Garcia-Salem, of Half Moon Bay.
The shooting is unusual for the small town of Broadmoor, a community of about 4,000 people tucked within Daly City.
Nothing (like this) that we can think of in 20 to 30 years, Stellini said.
A single shooter reportedly fled the scene and no arrests have been made. Authorities are also searching for two people of interest. No suspect information was immediately available.
We believe that the parties knew each other, Stellini said. We have several detectives from the county and different agencies assisting. We are on it trying to bring the shooter suspect into custody.
On Monday morning, a makeshift memorial was created outside the blue liquor and convenience store. Empty beer bottles, candles and a pot of white flowers stood just outside the stores entryway where the victims were shot.
Two women emptied large bottles of beer at the memorial while wiping away their tears before setting down the empty bottles.
Residents of the neighborhood, who declined to give their names, said the convenience store is a popular hangout for people in the neighborhood due to a Mexican food truck that parks in the lot.
Two bullet holes were visible in the walls of an apartment complex across the street from the convenience store. Investigators were on scene taking photos of the damage.
One man, who declined to share his name, came to the memorial to find out more from the store owners. He said he heard his nephews friend had been shot but didnt know if the young man survived.
A cashier at the Quick Pick Market and Deli a block away said he was at work when the shooting happened.
All I heard were gunshots, said the clerk, who declined to give his full name. I thought they were fireworks because the neighbors like to do that every now and then. Then the cops showed up.
In the last year that hes worked and lived in the area, the clerk said, hes never seen a violent incident like the one that took place Sunday night.
Its not that kind of neighborhood, he said. Its just quiet usually.
A fingerprint helped Fremont police track down and arrest a 33-year-old man suspected of robbing a party-supply store and sexually assaulting two female employees at gunpoint, authorities said.
Terrell Edward Gomer was arrested Sunday on suspicion of multiple robbery charges, two sexual assault charges, exhibiting a firearm and kidnapping, according to the Fremont Police Department.
Gomer was booked at the Santa Rita Jail in Dublin and is being held without bail.
Police received a call about 8:45 a.m. Saturday, shortly before the scheduled opening of a Party City store at the Fremont Hub Shopping Center, at 39210 Argonaut Way. Gomer, reportedly armed with a handgun, had entered the store through an unlocked door and proceeded to rob two female employees of cash from the register. He then sexually assaulted the two women at gunpoint, police said.
The victims, who were not identified, reportedly called police after Gomer fled.
After canvassing the area and speaking to witnesses, investigators said they learned that a man had been loitering at the shopping center since about 4 a.m.
During the investigation, a crime scene investigator found a fingerprint that was traced to Gomer, who was then identified in a photo lineup.
On Sunday morning, dispatchers received a call about 2:45 a.m. that a man was loitering inside the convenience store of a gas station on the 40500 block of Grimmer Blvd., police said.
The caller said the man had been lingering in the store for two hours and refused to leave.
The man fit Gomers description, police said, and responding officers took him into custody.
Gomer is scheduled for arraignment at 9 a.m. Tuesday.
Kate Upton and Justin Verlander were always fashionable before they tied the knot in November, and judging from a recent outing, the pair isn't slowing down any time soon.
The pair were in New York City for the Breitling Global Roadshow. Upton wowed in a gold dress while Verlander looked dapper in a suit with a maroon jacket.
NEW YORK A federal appeals court in New York on Monday became the second in the country to break with precedent and rule that U.S. anti-discrimination law protects employees from being fired because of their sexual orientation.
Ruling in the case of a skydiving instructor who said he was fired after telling a client he was gay, the Second U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Manhattan said that while it and other courts around the U.S. had previously found that Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act didnt cover sexual orientation, legal doctrine evolves.
We now conclude that sexual orientation discrimination is motivated, at least in part, by sex and is thus a subset of sex discrimination, said the majority opinion, written by Chief Judge Robert Katzmann. Three judges dissented.
Title VII bars employment discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex or national origin. The Seventh U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Chicago last year also concluded discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation is a form of sex discrimination.
Most federal appeals courts in the past have ruled that sex means biological gender, not sexual orientation.
The new decision, involving skydiver Donald Zarda, only applies in the Second Circuits territory, which includes New York, Vermont and Connecticut. But it could set the stage for an appeal to the Supreme Court, which declined in December to hear the case of a Georgia woman who had also argued that she was fired for being gay.
Todays ruling is the latest victory affirming that employees should be evaluated only on their work ethic and job performance not on who they are or who they love, Masen Davis, chief executive of Freedom for All Americans said in a release.
Zarda was fired in 2010 from a skydiving job in Central Islip that required him to strap himself tightly to clients so they could jump in tandem from an airplane. To put one female student at ease about the physical contact, he told her not to worry because he was gay. The school fired Zarda after the womans boyfriend called to complain. Zarda died three years ago in a wingsuit accident.
The case led to two government agencies offering opposing views. The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission said Title VII covers sexual orientation. The Department of Justice had argued it did not.
We remain committed to the fundamental principle that the courts cannot expand the law beyond what Congress has provided, Justice Department spokesman Devin OMalley said. But he said the department will continue to enforce numerous other laws Congress enacted to prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation.
The EEOC said in a statement that the ruling was a generous view of the law of employment protections, and a needed one.
One of the three dissenting judges, Gerald Lynch, said Congress never intended Title VII to cover sexual orientation, though he added: I would be delighted to awake one morning and learn Congress had just passed legislation adding sexual orientation to the list of grounds of employment discrimination prohibited under Title VII.
The Supreme Courts rejection of President Trumps unusual request to grant immediate review of the DACA case means the program protecting nearly 700,000 young, undocumented immigrants from deportation will almost certainly remain in place for at least a year.
Trump had ordered the program terminated March 5 unless Congress extended it. However, a San Francisco federal judges ruling that found no legal justification for ending the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program and the high courts refusal Monday to hear an expedited appeal means the government will be unable to start deportation proceedings against any of the undocumented immigrants covered by it.
The justices, without recorded dissent, denied the Justice Departments request to bypass a federal appeals court and hear the administrations appeal. The Supreme Court has not granted direct review of a federal judges ruling for nearly 30 years and has reserved the procedure for crucial tests of executive authority, like President Richard Nixons effort to withhold the Watergate tapes from a special prosecutor.
The DACA case will now return to the standard appellate process, starting in the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco.
Directed by the Supreme Court in Mondays order to proceed expeditiously, the Ninth Circuit may hold a hearing by June. But even a quick ruling by the appeals court would need additional months to reach the high court, which may also have to consider similar cases from New York, Maryland and Washington, D.C.
Most likely, the Supreme Court wont render a decision until June of 2019, said Stephen Yale-Loehr, a Cornell University law professor and author of a reference book on immigration law. That means another year and a half of uncertainty for DACA recipients.
In the meantime, the court action provides us protection from Trumps deportation force, Eliana Fernandez, a DACA recipient and a plaintiff in the New York lawsuit, said in a conference call by supporters of the program. Fernandez, who entered the United States at age 14 and now is a homeowner, legal services worker and a mother of two U.S. citizen children, called the presidents order an attack on me, my family and my community.
White House spokesman Raj Shah said the DACA program was clearly unlawful and predicted eventual victory in the courts.
DACA, established by President Barack Obamas executive order in 2012, allows two-year reprieves from deportation and work permits to immigrants who entered the U.S. without authorization before age 16, have lived in the U.S. for at least five years, attended school or served in the military, and have no serious criminal records.
Trump issued his repeal order in September, but his administration has allowed current recipients to apply for renewals of their status until March 5. The court order eliminates that deadline.
Legislation to prolong DACA has stalled in Congress, with the parties divided over Trumps demands to substantially reduce legal immigration and fund his proposed wall on the U.S.-Mexico border in exchange for continuing the program.
Immigration agents, meanwhile, have escalated arrests of undocumented migrants far from the nations borders, prompting Oakland Mayor Libby Schaafs recent warning of an impending sweep in the Bay Area.
James Schwab, spokesman for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, said in a statement that ICE does not target aliens indiscriminately but no longer exempts classes or categories of removable aliens from potential enforcement, referring to a previous policy that focused on immigrants with criminal records.
DACA recipients, however, are not subject to deportation.
On Jan. 9, in response to lawsuits by DACA recipients and institutions that included the University of California, U.S. District Judge William Alsup of San Francisco ruled that the Trump administration had offered no rational explanation for abolishing the program and disrupting the lives of 689,000 young people.
He rejected the Justice Departments argument that Obama had exceeded his authority, and noted that past administrations had granted deferrals of deportation to other groups of undocumented immigrants. Another federal judge in New York issued a similar ruling this month.
Rulings from federal courts in California and eight other Western states are normally appealed to the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, a court with a majority of Democratic appointees that has been a frequent target of Trumps vitriol. The president renewed his attack Monday, telling a group of visiting governors that nothings as bad as the Ninth Circuit.
In seeking immediate Supreme Court review, the Justice Department said in a Jan. 18 filing that a Ninth Circuit appeal would require many months of delay and force the government to retain in place a discretionary policy that sanctions the ongoing violation of federal law by more than half a million people.
Government lawyers asked the justices to take up the case and issue a ruling by the end of the courts term in June. They did not, however, include a request to suspend Alsups ruling during their appeal so that Trumps March 5 deadline could take effect.
If they thought it was so important to bypass the Ninth Circuit, I dont know why they didnt ask for a stay, said Yale-Loehr, the Cornell law professor. He also noted that the Trump administration could use the normal federal rule-making process to adopt regulations eliminating DACA, after public notice and comment, but has not done so.
Justice Department spokesman Devin OMalley said the agency was not surprised by Mondays order.
While we were hopeful for a different outcome, the Supreme Court very rarely grants review at this stage, he said though in our view it was warranted for the extraordinary injunction requiring the Department of Homeland Security to maintain DACA. We will continue to defend DHS lawful authority to wind down DACA in an orderly manner.
The case is Department of Homeland Security vs. UC Regents, 17-1003.
A small number of middle and high schools across the United States are banning students from carrying standard backpacks, citing safety concerns.
According to the Miami Herald, schools in Florida, Ohio, and Illinois have already instituted bans following the deaths of 17 people during a school shooting in Parkland, Fla., earlier this month.
One school in Niles, Ohio, will only allow students to carry "small purses or lunch boxes," reports WKBN, in an effort to "make every student feel safe." School officials are considering giving students extra time between class to go to their lockers.
The day before the ban went into effect, the school had confronted a student who others had heard talking about school shootings. (He or she was not found to be a threat.)
Another school, in Manatee County, Fla., made a similar decision to ban backpacks after recording threats to "more than a dozen" schools. Six students were later arrested.
"Students who may have thought that it was clever or funny to take this action," said Scott L. Hopes, Manatee County School Board member to WFLA. "The board and administration will take these threats quite seriously. If you're going to bring a weapon to school, you wouldn't hang it around your neck, you'd probably put it in a backpack."
Similar bans around the country are prompting students to get creative with how they are carrying their school supplies and books, utilizing clear, see-through backpacks or resorting to laundry baskets.
While seemingly an extreme method to maintain safety in schools today, banning backpacks is not new. Schools have prevented students from carrying backpacks since as early as 2005, when the Clark County School District in Las Vegas implemented a restriction.
However, back then, bans tended to be set to prevent "increasingly cluttered hallways and reported thefts," rather than to keep students safe from an active shooter.
"If a school is doing this in response to some sort of threat, it's just window dressing to create a visual cue that there is a perception of increased safety," Ken Trump, a an Ohio-based school safety and security expert, told Fox News in 2014. "The fact of the matter is that if someone wanted to get something into the school they could. It's something that makes people feel safe, but it actually doesn't make them safer."
Alyssa Pereira is an SFGATE staff writer. Email her at apereira@sfchronicle.com or find her on Twitter at @alyspereira.
SAN FRANCISCO (BCN)
A 19-year-old man was injured in a shooting in San Francisco's Visitacion Valley neighborhood on Friday afternoon, according to police.
The victim was getting off of a bus when he was shot in the area of Geneva Avenue and Santos Street around 4:25 p.m. He was taken to a hospital and is expected to survive, police said.
The male suspect in the shooting remains at large and no detailed description of him was immediately released by police.
SAN JOSE (BCN)
Two people were injured when flames tore through their home late this afternoon in San Jose, a fire captain said.
A bunch of neighbors called at about 4:30 p.m. to report smoke and flames coming from a home in the 3100 block of Kermath Drive, fire Capt. Brad Cloutier said.
As firefighters were en route they saw smoke and when they arrived they found the home's two occupants outside with minor burn injuries.
The fire was so strong in one part of the home that flames started impinging on a neighbor's home. So as a precaution firefighters called for a second alarm at 4:37 p.m.
Cloutier said the pair that was injured was taken to a hospital.
They will have to live elsewhere for at least a while because damage to their home was so severe. The American Red Cross is assisting them, Cloutier said.
No one else was injured.
The cause is under investigation but it may have been a cooking error, Cloutier said.
398-9228
SAN JOSE (BCN)
Firefighters knocked down a two-alarm fire this morning at a strip mall in San Jose, according to a San Jose Fire Department spokesman.
At 3:18 a.m., fire crews responded to the blaze at a strip mall at 2455 Alvin Ave. At the scene firefighters found smoke coming from the roof, according to fire Capt. Brad Cloutier.
At 3:31 a.m., the blaze was upgraded to two-alarms. Firefighters continued their attack on the fire, which was quickly knocked down.
Coutier said no one was in the building when the fire broke out and there were no injuries to firefighters.
The fire caused some damage to the building's attic and there was also water damage to the building due to the sprinkler system that was activated by the blaze, Cloutier said.
Cloutier said that some businesses in the mall will probably have to be closed today due to the damage, and fire officials are working this morning to contact business owners.
Crews will remain on the scene this morning to ensure hot spots are out, and traffic in the area might be affected, Cloutier said.
The cause of the fire is under investigation.
398-9228
PALO ALTO (BCN)
Palo Alto students and their supporters teamed up with a widely known activist organization to call for national gun law reform at a protest on their campus this morning.
The protest began at 7:30 a.m. in front of the school bus stop at Gunn High School, located at 780 Arastradero Road, and involved about 150 people, according to Raging Grannies spokesperson Ruth Robertson.
The Raging Grannies, an organization that was founded in British Columbia in the late 1980s and established the San Francisco Peninsula chapter just before Sept. 11, 2001, found out about the protest just 36 hours beforehand, Robertson said.
The Raging Grannies knew they wanted to help, so they started to put together a game plan of how to get as many members there as they could and selected which chants and songs to use, Robertson said.
The five present Raging Grannies changed the words to one song, set to the beat of the nursery song Frere Jacques, which was inspired by students, according to the spokeswoman.
"We call BS, we call BS, on DC, on DC," the song rang out. "Congress doing nothing, Congress doing nothing, gun safety, gun safety."
The grannies also led chants of "No more silence, end gun violence" and "Hey, hey, ho, ho, the NRA has got to go."
Robertson said protesters were spread all down the sidewalk, which made chants hard to coordinate, but everyone present was ready and willing to pitch in for the volume.
"We passed out lyrics and the kids loved it," Robertson said.
Robertson said that many of the women in the Raging Grannies organization were teachers at one time, so the group has always stood behind the protection of students and staff, particularly in the wake of the latest deadly school shooting in Florida earlier this month that has President Donald Trump expressing support for arming teachers in schools.
"Trump's ridiculous proposal that teachers be armed is just beyond the pale," Robertson said.
The San Jose gaggle of the Raging Grannies is currently in the works with city leaders to try and get gun safety legislation passed, according to Robertson.
Robertson said the big day for the cause will be March 24, when the March for Our Lives nationwide protest will take place locally in both San Jose and San Francisco.
Robertson said the group learned of the Gunn High School protest from the Facebook event page set up by student Elizabeth Salwitz titled "#NeverAgain Gunn High School."
The description of the event reads, "Come join your fellow students in saying 'never again' to mass shootings and limited gun control. This is an issue that affects everyone, and it is up to us, the next generation of voters, to take action."
According to Robertson, there were no opposing protesters and the efforts continued past the high school's 8:25 a.m. start.
BERKELEY (BCN)
A four-time felon has been charged with attempted murder for allegedly stabbing a woman at a homeless camp in Berkeley earlier this month and leaving her paralyzed and in critical condition, Alameda County prosecutors said.
Christopher Crosby, 29, was arraigned last Thursday for the Feb. 15 attack and is scheduled to return to Alameda County Superior Court on March 6 to enter a plea.
The attempted murder charge against him contains a special allegation that he inflicted great injury on the woman that left her paralyzed and he also is charged with assault with force likely to produce great bodily injury.
The 38-year-old woman was found by police at a homeless encampment at South Aquatic Park in Berkeley at about 12:30 p.m. on Feb. 15, Sgt. Jennifer Wilson wrote in a probable cause statement.
The woman had a wound to her neck and was transported to a hospital, where a knife blade was removed from her neck during surgery. The woman also suffered a spinal cord injury and is in critical condition, according to Wilson.
Crosby was identified as the person who committed the stabbing, Wilson wrote, although she didn't disclose further details in her statement.
At the time of his arrest, Crosby was on probation for a felony robbery conviction in Alameda County on Nov. 13, 2013, Wilson wrote.
Prosecutors say Crosby was convicted of felony receiving stolen property only a month after that, on Dec. 16, 2013, also in Alameda County.
They also said he was convicted of felony second-degree burglary in Alameda County on Nov. 5, 2010, and of another count of felony second-degree burglary in San Mateo County six weeks earlier, on Sept. 22, 2010.
Crosby is being held at Santa Rita Jail in Dublin without bail.
272-6213
A Monterey woman died on Saturday when she lost control of her car and hit a tree on the shoulder of state Highway 152 in unincorporated Santa Clara County, according to the California Highway Patrol.
The unidentified 49-year-old was driving her 2014 Ford vehicle east of Lake Road when, for reasons yet to be determined, she turned to the right and left the roadway, traveled across the shoulder and struck the tree, CHP officials said.
SAN FRANCISCO (BCN)
Officers chased down and arrested a suspected drug dealer in San Francisco's Tenderloin neighborhood Saturday, one of at least two drug-related arrests in the area that day, police said.
Officers nabbed the suspect after a foot chase in the area of Eddy and Hyde streets. The officers seized bags of cocaine and methamphetamine, a cell phone and $670 in cash as evidence, according to police.
The suspect was booked into county jail, police said.
The arrest was part of an ongoing police strategy to shut down drug operations in the Tenderloin/South of Market area.
"We're fully committed to the city and our ... community," police said on social media.
SALINAS (BCN)
Police on Sunday morning arrested a burglary suspect who allegedly broke into a home in Salinas earlier this month and stole jewelry, police said.
On Feb. 7, police began investigating a report of a home burglary on Antigua Circle. The victim had reported that a male suspect entered through a window and stole several pieces of jewelry, police said.
The crime was allegedly captured on a surveillance camera and the victim posted the images on Facebook. The victim was then able to obtain the name of a possible suspect, police said.
At about 11:30 a.m. Sunday, officers contacted the suspect at his home in the 800 block of Mescal Court. He was identified as 35-year-old Alvarez Lopez, police said.
Lopez was arrested and booked into Monterey County Jail on suspicion of one count of burglary, police said.
The U.S. Supreme Court today turned down a Justice Department request for immediate review of a preliminary injunction by a federal judge in San Francisco protecting undocumented immigrants who arrived in the U.S. as children.
The high court's court leaves in place for the time being a preliminary injunction issued by U.S. District Judge William Alsup in San Francisco in January.
That preliminary injunction blocks most of an order by President Donald Trump repealing the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, known as DACA.
Under Trump's repeal, the DACA authorizations would have begun expiring on March 5, opening the way for possible deportations of up to 1,000 young people today.
Alsup's preliminary injunction halts the DACA repeal for approximately 690,000 current DACA recipients, but does not require the Trump administration to allow new applications.
In a two-sentence order this morning, the Supreme Court referred the case to the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco and said it hopes that court will act quickly.
"It is assumed that the Court of Appeals will act expeditiously to decide this case," the court said.
In addition to taking the rare step of appealing directly to the Supreme Court, the Trump administration simultaneously appealed to the 9th Circuit last month.
The appeals court has already issued an expedited briefing schedule with the final briefs due at the start of May. Thus the appeals court's decision might be handed down in late spring or early summer and Alsup's injunction will remain in effect at least until then.
The appeals court's eventual ruling can be appealed to the Supreme Court.
Alsup's ruling was made in five separate lawsuits filed to challenge the DACA repeal.
The lawsuits were filed by the University of California; the states of California, Maine, Maryland and Minnesota; the city of San Jose; six individuals; and Santa Clara County together with the Service Employees International Union.
PLEASANT HILL (BCN)
A mock trial team from San Ramon's California High School took first place in the county's high school mock trials competition, county school officials said.
The award was given Thursday at a ceremony at the county's office of education in Pleasant Hill.
California High School's team overcame a team from Martinez's Alhambra High School in the final round Tuesday of the 37th Annual Contra Costa County High School Mock Trials' competition at the A.F. Bray Courthouse in Martinez.
A team from Acalanes High School in Lafayette took third place while a team from Monte Vista High School in Danville took fourth place.
For seven evenings in the past four weeks, 15 high schools in Contra Costa County battled it out in the county courtrooms.
The teams presented the "People vs. Davidson," a criminal case involving first-degree murder and pretrial argument on the Fourth Amendment.
In a statement, Superior Court Judge Mary Ann O'Malley said to the participants, "You proved that nothing substitutes for hard work! During the past month, many of my fellow judges who participated with your mock trials said over and over again how you guys were so much better that the professional attorneys they saw earlier in the day!
"I've always been impressed with the participants of mock trials ... but this year it was really something extra special," O'Malley added.
Most of the teams started their preparation for the trials at the beginning of the school year, making the trials one of the activities with the longest season.
The team from California High School will represent Contra Costa County at the California State Mock Trial competition March 16 to 18 in Orange County.
The state winner will represent California at the national competition May 10 to 13 in Reno, Nevada.
(925) 942-3429
A suspected British drug dealer has gone more than five weeks in jail without moving his bowels in a determined toilet strike.
Essex police have detained Lamarr Chambers, 24, since Jan. 17, when he was arrested on drug charges in Harlow, Essex. Chambers is believed to have swallowed some of the drugs police say he possessed before his arrest.
Essex Live reported that Chambers' lawyer said his client would rather die than poop.
Andrew Horsall asked Chelmsford Magistrates' Court on Friday to release Chambers as his "life is at risk" and he doesn't want to be resuscitated if he collapses.
But prosecutors say no poo, no release.
"It is quite a clear-cut application," prosecutor Bob Rowlingson told the court. "Mr. Chambers has been refusing treatment, it is clear he is preventing the passing of evidence of the drugs he swallowed prior to his arrest."
While Chambers initially refused food, eventually he began accepting cereal bars, eating up to eight a day, according to Essex Live. He has since switched to fruits and vegetables, but also ate some fish prepared by his mother prior to his court date.
Chambers has been drinking water, but he refused laxatives.
Essex police had been posting updates on Twitter #PooWatch to keep the public apprised of any "sudden movements." Some examples:
More for you San Francisco killer in portable toilet dispute convicted of...
"Day one: #London gang nominal arrested for failing to stop for police and possession with intent to supply class A drugs, male doesn't think we have the power to keep him until he removes said items from his bottom, #thinkagain #opraptor.
"Day 12: We are now just over 288 hours with our man awaiting for him to go to the toilet or consent to a doctor removing said items
"Day 19: Today is day 19 and we still have no movement, male doesn't seem to understand that eventually he will need/have to go"
PooWatch# was halted after Day 24.
Chambers was scheduled to appear in court Monday, which would be his 40th day without evacuating his bowels. According to the BBC, the previous record for such a jail toilet strike was 33 days.
Topping that mark, the Journal of Neurogastroenterol Motil cites the case of a patient who did not defecate for 75 days.
Long-term fecal retention can result in a stool impaction that requires intervention in the form of enemas, endoscopy or even surgery. Extreme constipation can lead to fatal cardiac arrest.
AMMAN, Jordan Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday ordered a daily cease-fire in eastern Ghouta, the rebel-held enclave near the Syrian capital of Damascus and the target of a ferocious government assault that has turned life in the region, according to the U.N., into hell on Earth.
As ordered by the Russian president, a daily humanitarian pause from (9 a.m. to 2 p.m.) is being introduced starting Feb. 27 to avoid civilian casualties in East Ghouta, the Russian defense ministry announced.
Russia is the top international supporter of Syrian President Bashar Assad. Its warplanes and special forces troops, which first deployed in the country in 2015, are credited with turning the tide of the war in Assads favor.
The pause in the fighting, the statement continued, would allow civilians to leave the area through special humanitarian corridors. It would also facilitate the delivery of humanitarian assistance in the enclave, which has suffered severe shortages of food and medications under a years-long siege by government forces.
The U.N. estimates there are some 393,000 residents in eastern Ghouta, a grouping of Damascus suburbs under the control of a mix of opposition factions.
But civilians caught in the violence mocked Russian President Vladimir Putins order of a limited truce.
They will be so kind to grant us a mere five hours when they will not bomb us, said activist Firas Abdullah, a resident of Douma, a town in the region. Then the rest of the day, they will bomb us as usual. It is like a permission to kill.
Putins announcement comes two days after the U.N. Security Council, despite last-minute wrangling by Russia and Iran (another staunch Assad backer), unanimously adopted a 30-day truce in Syria in a bid to end the latest round of violence in eastern Ghouta, where a Russian-backed offensive has killed some 561 people since last week, activists said.
Yet on Sunday, fighting continued unabated as pro-government troops began a ground assault on five fronts to breach rebel lines. And on Monday, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a pro-rebel monitor based in the U.K with a network of activists in Syria, said 22 people were killed.
Security council resolutions are only meaningful if implemented, said Antonio Guterres, the U.N.s secretary-general. It is high time to stop this hell on Earth, he said.
Also Monday, pro-opposition activists also accused government forces of deploying chlorine gas in Shayfoniyeh, a town roughly eight miles northeast of central Damascus, after an air strike in which victims exhibited symptoms including eye irritation and breathing difficulties.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
SEOUL South Koreas president, Moon Jae-in, urged the United States and North Korea on Monday to soften their uncompromising stances so that talks could start on defusing the crisis prompted by the Norths nuclear program and Washingtons threats to stop it with military force.
During a meeting with Chinas vice premier, Liu Yandong, Moon said both North Korea and the U.S. had begun showing a willingness for talks. But Moon said both sides still need to step back from their uncompromising stances to make talks possible, according to a statement from his office.
The United States needs to lower the threshold for dialogue, and North Korea should express a willingness to denuclearize, Moon was quoted as saying, summarizing the obstacles he faced in trying to get the two countries to sit down for talks.
Moons remarks came a day after he met Kim Yong Chol, a senior North Korean official who attended the closing ceremony of the Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang on Sunday. Kim expressed the Norths willingness to talk to U.S. officials, according to Moons office. Given the deep mistrust between both sides, though, that is far from an assurance that negotiations will occur.
Moon, who has long advocated dialogue with North Korea, used the Olympics to court the North and in doing so lowered tensions that escalated last year amid a string of nuclear and missile tests by the North. But the United States and North Korea remain far apart on the terms under which they would be ready to talk to each other.
On Sunday, the White House reiterated that it was interested only in talks that would result in the Norths denuclearization and that it would continue applying maximum pressure until that goal was met. It indicated that it was waiting for signals from the North that it would be interested in such talks as well.
North Korea has said that its nuclear weapons will not be bargained away.
In recent weeks it has warned that the lull created by the Olympics will be short-lived if the United States and South Korea resume their annual joint military exercises. The drills were postponed until after the Paralympics in Pyeongchang from March 9-18.
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Vodafone Hutchison Australia chief executive Inaki Berroeta has snubbed Telstras plans to be a technology company and said the rival is known to copy, after posting solid results on Monday.
Offering all broadband customers a modem that switches from the NBN to a 4G mobile network in the event of outages is Vodafones centrepiece product from its late-2017 move into broadband.
Vodafone chief executive Inaki Berroeta has no plans to turn the company into anything other than a telco. Credit:Brook Mitchell
This was created after regular public concerns about being left without internet during the change over to the NBN, and delays on fixing interrupted connections.
Telstra is now in the process of moving all customers onto its Smart Modem, which includes the possibility of switching to 4G.
His comments came during a wide-ranging, three-hour interview on CNBC, where he was asked whether Berkshire owned shares in gun manufacturers by CNBC Squawk Box co-anchor Becky Quick.
"I don't believe in imposing my views on 370,000 employees and a million shareholders," the 87-year-old chairman of Berkshire said. "I'm not their nanny on that."
Billionaire Warren Buffett said Monday that his personal political views should not enter into the investment choices he makes for Berkshire Hathaway, the $US500 billion ($636 billion) conglomerate he leads.
Several companies have severed ties with the National Rifle Association in the wake of the massacre earlier this month at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, where 17 students and staff were killed by a former student. Surviving students and other activists have called for more rigorous gun laws following the shooting.
Buffett said Berkshire does not own shares of gun manufacturers and he applauded the student activists. But he said personal politics should not enter into the investing equation.
"I don't think that Berkshire should say we're not going to do business with people who own guns," he said. "That would be ridiculous."
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Buffett's statement follows recent comments by money manager Larry Fink, the chief executive of BlackRock, the $US6.3 trillion asset manager. Fink in January sent a letter to chief executives of public companies telling them that society is demanding they be conscious of broader responsibilities beyond short-term returns to shareholders. "Society is demanding that companies, both public and private, serve a social purpose," Fink wrote in his annual letter to CEOs.
Investors have shaved about $190 million from the market value of Minara Resources Ltd after the nickel miner recorded a dip in production for the first quarter of 2007.
Minara produced 7,291 tonnes of nickel in the three months to March 31, compared with 7,302 tonnes in the previous corresponding quarter.
Production was also down on the December quarter when the company produced 8,262 tonnes of nickel.
Despite the drop, Minara reiterated its full-year production forecast of 32,000 to 35,000 tonnes, but the news spooked some investors.
The nickel miner's shares fell 40 cents, or 4.69 per cent, to $8.12, wiping about $190 million from the company's market capitalisation.
"I've had a great life: loved by parents who raised me to become the individual I am," he continued. "I've had a weird, wonderful career in all sorts of media, amazing friends, the best wife in the world and an incredible daughter who made me a Dad. But as I stared into the infinite, I realised I was relatively content.
"Yes, I'd miss life as it moved on without me - and I was bummed we weren't gonna get to make #jayandsilentbobreboot before I shuffled loose the mortal coil," he added.
"But generally speaking, I was okay with the end, if this was gonna be it. I've gotten to do so many cool things and I've had so many adventures - how could I be (expletive) about finally paying the tab."
After mentioning the likelihood of "some lifestyle changes," Smith concluded his post.
"The point of this post is to tell you that I faced my greatest fear tonight ... and it wasn't as bad as I've always imagined it'd be," he said. "I don't want my life to end but if it ends, I can't complain. It was such a gift."
Australia's long-running current affairs show 60 Minutes aired a bizarre profile on New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern on Sunday night.
Veteran reporter Charles Wooley followed Ardern to Parliament and to her home, grilling her less about her policies and more about her pregnancy.
Opening by asking how much she thinks the baby helps in terms of her approval rating, much of the 13-minute segment was either devoted to the impending arrival or fishing questions for "the first bloke" Clarke Gayford.
Wooley also marvelled at Ardern's age - 37 - and appearance rather than her policies, in an interview blasted as sexist and tone-deaf.
It feels a bit odd congratulating a guy on the dissolution of his marriage, but for Married At First Sight's Ryan Gallagher it seems appropriate.
"No it's OK, you can say that," he says, following Sunday night's eventful episode, which finally saw Davina Rankin, his philandering bride, agree to shut-up shop on their ruined romance.
In the aftermath of last week's cheating revelation, Davina who had foiled the entire union after a fling with fellow philanderer Dean Wells had, somewhat insanely, developed feelings for Ryan's distant attitude, threatening to vote "stay" to force their toxic marriage to continue.
It all resulted in a fairly awkward cliffhanger at Sunday's commitment ceremony, with a jittery Ryan telling the experts "I just wanna hear her say 'leave', and then I'm out."
Some of the carbon offsets operating under a controversial $2.5 billion fund set up by the Abbott-Turnbull government are at "significant risk" from bushfires, according to a review by the Climate Change Authority.
The audit of the Emissions Reduction Fund, released by the authority on Monday, released by the authority on Monday, found that evidence of systemic problems had yet to emerge, but that there were questions over whether some of the carbon stored under the scheme would have been stored anyway.
The report noted the fund had so far paid out $2.23 billion for 189 million tonnes of emissions reductions, or about $11.80 per tonne. Some 26 million tonnes had already been delivered.
"Overall, this review has found that the ERF is generally performing well," the report said. "It has successfully incentivised new domestic abatement at low cost that will help contribute to Australia meeting its international target commitments."
Researchers aboard an Australian ship undertaking pioneering work in the Southern Ocean have found the "first hint" of a shift in a decades-long trend towards fresher, less dense water off Antarctica.
Teams of scientists on the RV Investigator have been profiling the salinity and temperature of water between Tasmania and Antarctica at 108 locations.
They also released the first batch of deep Argot floats to measure conditions as deep as 4000 metres.
Dr Steve Rintoul, chief scientist of the RV Investigator voyage, with one of the deep-sea floats. Credit:Peter Mathew
But it is the early analysis of data on salinity in the so-called bottom waters near the seabed that may stir international debate.
Climate scientists are used to seeing the range of weather extremes stretched by global warming but few episodes appear as remarkable as this week's unusual heat over the Arctic.
Zack Labe, a researcher at the University of California at Irvine, said average daily temperatures above the northern latitude of 80 degrees have broken away from any previous recordings in the past 60 years.
"To have zero degrees at the North Pole in February - it's just wrong," said Amelie Meyer, a researcher of ice-ocean interactions with the Norwegian Polar Institute. "It's quite worrying."
The so-called Polar Vortex - a zone of persistient low-pressure that typically keeps high-latitude cold air separate from regions further south - has been weakening for decades.
The media release was wrong. "Acclaimed chef Tomotaka Ishizuka is set to introduce Australian diners to the rarefied world of Japanese haute cuisine known as kaiseki," it said.
But when the 16-seater opened last month, in a difficult-to-find Bourke Street basement (more on this later), it became the third restaurant in Melbourne's CBD offering what is essentially Japan's answer to the degustation: a formal progression of courses, dictated by season, always anchored around a soup and main dish, but expanded with pickled things, rice courses and sashimi showdowns, depending on the context.
Ishizuka delivers an adventure in Japanese tastes for the uninitiated palate.
In the contempo corner: Simon Denton's Kappo on Flinders Lane, where five-to-nine courses are built once you can pick or nix from a daily list of ingredients. The Table, at Kisume, offers three hours and 15 courses of razzle dazzle (soup brewed in a coffee siphon; otoro sliced straight off the fish).
But if you steer to the subtle, meditative and traditional; if you enjoy the fear of faux pas and feeling indelicate faced by moves of graced finesse, here is Ishizuka. Not the first kaiseki restaurant, but definitely occupying a niche of its own.
ACT MP Gai Brodtmann has called for one of the first decisions by new Nationals leader and Deputy Prime Minister Michael McCormack to be to scrap the APVMA move to Armidale.
The decision to move the Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority to the regional NSW city was made by former Nationals leader Barnaby Joyce.
New Nationals leader Michael McCormack has inherited a pet policy of his predecessor Barnaby Joyce. Credit:Dominic Lorrimer
"The Nationals have a new leader and with a new leader should come new direction," the Labor MP said in Parliament on Monday.
"So I'm calling on the member for Riverina, the new deputy prime minister to put an end to the shameful, blatant, pork barrelling of the member for New England."
A Canberra man has been accused of printing more than 20 explicit images of his former partner, laminating some and threatening to distribute them.
He is one of the first to be charged under Canberra's new "revenge porn" laws passed August last year.
Police allege that when they searched the Gordon home of the 47-year-old man, who has not been named to protect the identity of his former partner, he had more than 20 images of the woman printed on posters.
After the man made an application for bail, a police informant called to give evidence told the ACT Magistrates Court some of the images were laminated, and some had vulgar captions written across them.
The court heard the man and the woman had ended their relationship earlier this year. They have a three-year-old girl.
Authorities identified on Monday the three people who were found dead in the remains of a suspicious Bonner house fire as Anne Muhoro, 45, her son Ezvin, 8, and her daughter Furaha, 5.
ACT Policing's Detective Superintendent Scott Moller would not comment on the cause of death on Monday, saying the results of the autopsies had not yet been released.
But he acknowledged the impact the deaths had had those who knew the family.
"This is a tragic situation and everyone gets affected by it," he said. "And everyone that we've spoken to is heartbroken."
The University of Canberra has accidentally sent some staff the personal details of every employee, including their birth date, classification, average hours and salary.
Vice-chancellor Deep Saini said an "administrative error" led to 24 employees receiving the email with searchable data on all their colleagues attached.
University of Canberra staff were accidentally sent employee details. Credit:Krisztian Bocsi
The first batch of emails was sent Thursday but the university was unaware of the data breach until Friday afternoon.
At that point, employees who received the information were instructed to delete the email and its attachments, while the university wiped copies of the email from all inboxes and investigated whether anyone had sent the data to people outside the institution.
A man has been charged after alleging using a shotgun to threaten guests at a party in Perth's north.
Police said the 23-year-old, from suburban Carine, gatecrashed the party at Marri Road in Duncraig before having a disagreement with a group of youths at about 11pm (WST) on Saturday night.
The man went to his car and took the weapon from the boot, then returned to the party, police said.
"He allegedly pointed the firearm at the partygoers, who scattered and jumped fences in fear of their safety, and also trained the gun at the guests over the fence in a threatening manner," police said in a statement.
Detectives executed a search warrant at the man's house on Tuesday and seized a shotgun.
Look up at the Milky Way tonight. Youll see a field of glimmering jewels affixed to a black curtain; only wandering satellites disturb the serenity.
But this picture is accurate only on a human timescale; viewed over billions of years, our galaxy is like a churning body of water, the surface of the disc constantly warped by waves that crash and break.
For the first time, scientists including an Australian believe they have pinpointed one of those stellar ripples. Remarkably, it was caused by another smaller galaxy skimming across the surface of our own billions of years ago, just like a pebble skipped across a lake.
This 3D image of the Milky Way shows, on the left, the stellar ripples generated by the 'skimming' galaxy. The stars in yellow are near the ripple's peak, and the stars in red are near the trough.
The entire idea is a bit of a new field some people call it galactoseismology, the study of waves through the galaxy, says Dr Luca Casagrande.
Amid outrage and controversy, Australia's newest full-fee medical school opened its doors on Monday, welcoming about 50 fresh-faced students who have the ability to cough up $250,000 for the privilege.
While they too welcomed the aspiring doctors, the Australian Medical Students' Association (AMSA) and Australian Medical Association (AMA) lambasted Macquarie University for its "short-sighted cash grab", saying the degree didn't come with a guarantee of an internship and would cause greater bottle necks in the training system.
The pipeline is stretched and bursting; in 2016 we had 200 medical graduates left without an internship which you need to become a qualified doctor, said AMSA president Alex Farrell.
Alex Farrell, president of Australian Medical Students' Association, says the opening of Macquarie University's new medical school is not a good thing.
Macquarie University is irresponsibly profiting from the dreams of young students [because] these students may end up with a six-figure debt and no job.
Two people were killed after the vehicles they were driving collided in Sydney's south-west on Saturday morning, bringing the toll from a horror two days on NSW roads to eight.
Emergency services were called to Burragorang Road in Glenmore, near Camden, about 7.45am following reports two cars were involved in a crash.
Both drivers died at the scene, police said.
Seven people have been killed on NSW roads in the past two days.
The road has been closed and traffic is being diverted as police investigate the circumstances surrounding the crash. A report will be prepared for the Coroner.
In this months Inside the Story, investigations editor Michael Bachelard shares exclusive behind-the-scenes insights on how his recent expose into nursing homes came about.
Sometimes, investigative reporting is a slow burn. But my recent series on nursing homes was slower than most. In fact, for long periods, the fire was in danger of going out entirely.
I was first approached to write about a nursing home in 2010 by a Catholic priest who was being kicked out of his job at an Italian facility in Rosanna, Melbourne.
The home was run by a former Labor aged care minister, Peter Staples. And it had its share of problems - resident complaints, an unfair dismissal case, people on stress leave, odd financial dealings.
An Australian man has been charged over the alleged online exploitation of a young girl in Canada.
Police allege the 42-year-old Sydney man had been talking to a woman in Canada, having sexually explicit conversations about her nine-year-old daughter and requesting photographs of the girl.
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police alerted the Child Abuse and Sex Crimes Squads Child Exploitation Internet Unit in September 2017.
Investigations by detectives led to the arrest of the 42-year-old at Riverwood on Thursday, February 8.
Detectives from Strike Force Trawler also searched a nearby home, seizing laptops, mobile phones, electronic storage devices and an extendable baton.
Former Auburn deputy mayor Salim Mehajer has pleaded guilty to assaulting a taxi driver outside The Star casino in Sydney last year.
Mehajer, 31, was due to face a three-day hearing this week after he was charged with throwing an EFTPOS machine at taxi driver Nazir Syed's face early on April 2, 2017.
Salim Mehajer has pleaded guilty to assaulting a taxi driver in Sydney last year. Credit:AAP
The action left the driver with an injury to his nose. Mehajer was also accused of stealing Mr Syed's phone and destroying a woman's iPhone 7.
When the matter was mentioned at Downing Centre Local Court on Monday, Mehajer entered guilty pleas to assault occasioning actual bodily harm and destroying or damaging property.
Frustrated emergency services were called to rescue 11 drivers as powerful storms caused flash flooding across south-east Queensland and left thousands without power.
Some areas copped more than 70 millimetres of rain in an hour, while 150,000 lightning strikes battered the region on Monday night.
A car still stranded on a Gold Coast road on Tuesday morning. Credit:Bianca Stone/Sunrise
In Ipswich, a woman and her three children under 10 were trapped in a flash flood at Jones Road, Bellbird Park, according to Ipswich councillor Paul Tully.
Her car was a write-off but she managed to escape through waist-deep water, carrying her two youngest children, Cr Tully said.
The VCE is set for its biggest shake-up in decades, as the Andrews government looks into setting minimum literacy and numeracy standards that all students would have to meet in order to graduate.
As debate swirls about the declining academic performance of Australian students, Education Minister James Merlino has asked Victorias curriculum authority to review whether the VCE's conditions for qualification remain fit for purpose.
Students could soon have to meet minimum literacy and numeracy standards in order to graduate with the VCE. Credit:Robert Pearce
A question of particular focus is whether there should be a more explicit requirement for students to meet minimum standards of literacy and numeracy in order to be awarded the VCE or VCAL, Mr Merlino wrote in a letter to Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority chair Chris Wardlaw.
While the VCE gives each student study scores and a ranking, minimum standards would assess whether they had the basic reading, writing and maths skills required for everyday tasks.
The ACT has joined forces with the Northern Territory to prioritise the removal of the Andrew's Bill that prevents the two territories from considering voluntary euthanasia reforms.
ACT Chief Minister Andrew Barr and NT Chief Minister Michael Gunner signed a memorandum of understanding, the ACT-NT Strategic Collaboration Agreement, earlier this week to "draw upon shared attributes and combined strengths" to "promote mutual interests by maintaining a forward and progressive outlook".
The chief ministers of Australia's two territories, ACT's Andrew Barr and the NT's Hon Michael Gunner, have signed a memorandum of understanding on a number of joint policy priorities including the removal of the Andrew's Bill that prevents the NT and the ACT from considering voluntary euthanasia.
Mr Barr said the agreement would prioritise the territories' decision-making power on euthanasia.
"With the Victorian government now moving to implement voluntary euthanasia laws, the situation where the Australian territories aren't able to even consider our own reforms is absurd," Mr Barr said.
The woman accused of killing the son of a former politician by her culpable driving will fight the charges in the ACT's higher court.
Angela Lea Smith, 33, pleaded not guilty in the ACT Magistrates Court on Monday to culpable driving causing the death of Jozef Stefaniak, speeding, drug driving and failing to give assistance after a crash.
Police attend the scene of the crash on Yarra Glen in Hughes. Credit:Sitthixay Ditthavong
Police have alleged in court documents tendered on an earlier occasion that Ms Smith swapped with her boyfriend Kane David Kell and got into the driver's seat of the white BMW only minutes before it crashed on January 2.
It's alleged Ms Smith was speeding along Yarra Glen in Hughes when she lost control of the car and it rolled at least twice, throwing her passenger Mr Stefaniak, 24, from the moving vehicle.
ACT Labor senator Katy Gallagher failed to take reasonable steps to renounce her British citizenship and is not protected by findings that kept Queensland Liberal National Party senator Matt Canavan in Parliament, the federal government has told the High Court.
The Attorney-General has argued Senator Gallagher should vacate her seat and also told the court in a submission received on Monday that whether she took "reasonable steps" to renounce foreign citizenship was irrelevant.
Senator Katy Gallagher's citizenship case will be heard again in the High Court next month. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen
"It is only where foreign law makes it impossible, or not reasonably possible, for a person to renounce foreign citizenship that reasonableness is relevant at all.
"Except in cases where renunciation is impossible or not reasonably possible, renunciation is always achievable.
The ACT will have an independent integrity commission by the end of the year, however it could have limited powers to look at past scandals.
The territory government handed down its response to the findings of select committee into the creation of the independent integrity commission on Monday.
Chair of the select committee into the creation of an independent integrity commission Shane Rattenbury says it's not clear why the government wants to limit the retrospective powers of the commission. Credit:Sitthixay Ditthavong
Chaired by Greens minister Shane Rattenbury, the committee had urged the for the ICAC-type body to cover all public officials and third parties with government contracts, as well as ACT Policing.
The government has agreed the proposed commission should have the power to investigate serious allegations by ACT police officers, pending agreement from the federal government.
Washington. Victorian premier Daniel Andrews is counting on deals with big defence companies to add thousands of jobs to the state, as the federal government prepares a slew of contracts for local work.
The Premier has used a trade mission to Washington to pitch the idea to chief executives at global defence companies including Lockheed Martin.
Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews in Washington. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen
Theres $1 billion being spent on Australian companies and 65 per cent of that supply chain is located in Melbourne, so theyre a key partner, Mr Andrews told The Age.
Thats anchoring a lot of jobs. Its worth about 20,000 jobs across Victoria.
The nation's most senior border protection official earned hundreds of thousands of dollars while on leave pending a labyrinthine, months-long set of inquiries into whether he abused his power, two Senate hearings have revealed.
The head of the Prime Minister's Department, Martin Parkinson, took about four months to finish a report for the government on whether the head of the Australian Border Force, Roman Quaedvlieg, should be fired.
Dr Parkinson was acting on an investigation that had already been carried out by the corruption watchdog, the Australian Commission for Law Enforcement Integrity.
Attorney-General Christian Porter, in whose hands Mr Quaedvlieg's fate now rests, confirmed that Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull had asked him to consider the report rather than Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton to "prevent any apprehension of bias given Mr Quaedvliegs reporting obligations to Minister Dutton".
Mr Quaedvlieg has been accused of abusing his power by helping his girlfriend - an ABF employee - get a job at Sydney Airport. He has himself expressed frustration at the delays, during which he has been on full pay on his $618,000 annual salary since late May.
Phnom Penh: Cambodias Prime Minister Hun Sen has threatened protesters who burn an effigy of him when he visits Sydney in March, saying he will beat them up.
I am determined. If they burn an effigy of me I will pursue them to their homes and beat them-up, Hun Sen, a former commander of the murderous Khmer Rouge, said during a speech to garment workers.
I tell you in advance. I want to make clear. If they have a right to burn me I have the right to go to their homes and seize them, he said.
Hun Sen making the threat in a speech on Wednesday to garment workers which has been broadcast across Cambodia.
Video of the speech shows Hun Sen pointing angrily and looking agitated.
Jakarta: The Indonesian government is bringing together dozens of convicted Islamic militants and survivors of attacks in what it hopes will be an important step in combating radicalism and fostering reconciliation.
The director of de-radicalisation at Indonesia's counter-terrorism agency says about 120 reformed militants will apologise to dozens of victims including survivors of the 2002 Bali bombings and the 2004 bombing of the Australian Embassy in Jakarta.
Indonesian students place flowers at the bomb blast area in Kuta on October 17, 2002. Credit:AP
The three days of meetings at a Jakarta hotel that began on Monday aren't open to the media except for an event on the final day.
Febby Firmansyah Isran, who suffered burns to 45 per cent of his body from the 2003 bombing of the J.W. Marriot hotel in Jakarta, said he'd forgiven the perpetrators and now runs a support group for bombing victims.
Mumbai: Indian surgeons have removed a 1.87-kilogram brain tumour from a 31-year-old man, and are claiming it's the biggest in the world.
Doctors in India who have removed a 1.8kg brain tumour from a 31-year-old man say it could be the largest in the world. Credit:BBC
The surgery, which lasted for seven hours, took place last week at Mumbai's Nair Hospital.
News of the procedure was made public recently after the hospital ensured the surgery was successful and that the patient, Santlal Pal, had recovered, doctors said.
"The tumour was so big, it appeared there was another head mounted on top of the patient's head," Srikanth Balasubramaniam, a senior surgeon who was part of the operating team said by phone from Mumbai.
Britain's outgoing Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott was discharged from hospital on Sunday, his office said, after being admitted last week suffering from pneumonia.
Doctors have confined Prescott, who recently turned 69, to "rest and recovery" at his government home at Admiralty House, near Trafalgar Square, for an unspecified period of time, said a spokesman.
"His condition will continue to be monitored by the hospital," the spokesman added.
Prescott, who is set to step down later this month when Prime Minister Tony Blair resigns, went into hospital on June 2 after becoming unwell on a train journey from Hull to London.
He was moved into a high dependency unit on Tuesday to be more closely monitored.
Tirana: European Commission chief Jean-Claude Juncker told Western Balkan countries on Sunday to see 2025 as the date when any of them could join the European Union provided they worked to meet the criteria for membership.
Stopping in Albania following a visit to Macedonia on a tour of countries aspiring to join the EU, Juncker said 2025 was a possible entry date for all, not just the frontrunners.
"Contrary to what we read everywhere, the Commission and myself did not say that Serbia and Montenegro would necessarily be members of the EU in 2025," Juncker told reporters in Tirana.
"The 2025 date is open to all candidate countries," he said.
Russia will establish a humanitarian corridor and implement a five-hour daily truce in Syria's eastern Ghouta, it said on Monday, after a United Nations Security Council resolution demanding a 30-day ceasefire across the entire country.
Over the past week, Syria's army and its allies have subjected the rebel-held enclave of eastern Ghouta, near Damascus, to one of the heaviest bombardments of the seven-year war, killing hundreds.
On Sunday, health authorities there said several people had suffered symptoms consistent with chlorine gas exposure and on Monday rescue workers and a war monitor said seven children were killed by air and artillery strikes in one town.
Prague: A senior Kurdish official from Syria was detained in the Czech Republic on Sunday under an extradition request from Turkey, according to Czech police and the official Anadolu News Agency in Turkey.
The official, Salih Muslim, is the foreign affairs spokesman for the political coalition that governs the Kurdish regions of northern Syria, the Movement for a Democratic Society. He was detained after an Interpol "red notice" was issued by the Turkish government, which describes him as a terrorist, the agency said.
Czech police issued a statement confirming the arrest of a 67-year-old man on a Turkish extradition request. Muslim's aides confirmed that the statement referred to him.
Syrian Kurdish leader Salih Muslim was arrested in Prague under after Turkey posted an Interpol 'red notice'. Credit:AP
An official with the Kurdistan National Congress in Vienna said Muslim had been arrested at his hotel in Prague, the Czech capital, where he was speaking against Turkey's invasion of the Kurdish enclave of Afrin, in northwestern Syria.
Suprema to showcase AI based in-display fingerprint algorithm and 3D facial recognition solution at MWC 2018
BioSign 3.0, now supports in-display fingerprint sensors LookSign, 3D facial recognition solution for smartphones
SEOUL, KOREA, Feb 22, 2018 (ACN Newswire) Suprema, a global leader in biometrics and ID solutions, announced that the company will showcase BioSign 3.0, an AI based in-display fingerprint authentication algorithm and LookSign, a 3D facial recognition solution at Mobile World Congress 2018 in Barcelona on February 26.
Featured in Samsung Galaxy J5 2017 smartphones, Suprema BioSign is now far enhanced leveraging Suprema\-\-s proprietary AI technology. Coupled with LookSign, the company\-\-s latest 3D facial recognition solution, Suprema plans to penetrate next generation premium smartphone market.
In the case of in-display fingerprint recognition, complexity of algorithm is known to be very high due to its sensor structure and imaging characteristics. Consequently, algorithm now plays more critical role in recognition performance compared to conventional sensors.
The in-display oriented BioSign 3.0 provides higher level of recognition performance and speed by combining Suprema\-\-s two decades of expertise in optical fingerprint imaging and AI technologies. The company teams up with major sensor producers around the world for next-generation premium smartphones.
At the show, Suprema will also reveal LookSign, a 3D facial recognition technology for smartphones. Last year, the company launched FaceStation 2, a facial recognition access control terminal featuring Suprema\-\-s own near-infra-red imaging technology. Award winner of Sweden\-\-s Detektor International Award 2017 in Best Access Control Products, FaceStation 2 far outperforms the most of today\-\-s facial recognition devices featuring the world\-\-s fastest matching speed of 3,000 match/sec, highest operating illuminance up to 25,000 lx, and lowest error rate of FAR at 0.00002%.
LookSign well blends FaceStation 2\-\-s facial recognition technology with 3D image processing techniques to produce optimized algorithm for smartphones. LooksSign uses surface light source and patterned light to gain 2D and 3D information to provide more accurate recognition performance and higher security level. Suprema has a plan to discuss co-operation with sensor producers to develop integrated solutions at MWC 2018.
\Suprema\-\-s core competitiveness is ongoing technological innovation. BioSign 3.0 and LookSign will showcase a new leap in biometric technology in the smartphone market and attract more smartphone manufacturers,\ said Brian Song, CEO at Suprema. \As a fingerprint recognition algorithm technology, BioSign provides superior authentication performance and matching speed even in a small sized fingerprint sensor of 43.2mm, and it is an essential solution for applying fingerprint recognition function to mid-to-low range smartphones as well as high-ends,\ Song added.
About Suprema Inc.
Suprema is a leading global provider of biometrics and security technology. By combining world renowned biometric algorithms with superior engineering, Suprema continually designs and develops industry leading products and solutions. Suprema\-\-s extensive range of portfolio includes biometric access control systems, time & attendance solutions, fingerprint live scanners, mobile authentication solutions and embedded fingerprint modules. Suprema has worldwide sales network in over 130 countries and is one of the world\-\-s Top 50 security company in its turnover (ranked in A&S\-\-s Security 50, 2010-2016). For more information, please visit www.supremainc.com.
Contact:
Andy Ahn
Head of Marketing, Suprema Inc.
Email: andyahn@suprema.co.kr
Source: Suprema Inc.
Topic: Press release summary
Sectors: Security/Biometrics
http://www.acnnewswire.com
From the Asia Corporate News Network
Copyright ? 2018 ACN Newswire. All rights reserved. A division of Asia Corporate News Network.
Qvantel and Wind Tre sign partnership on Digital Transformation
Rome, Italy and Helsinki, Finland February 26th, 2018 Qvantel, a pioneer in the field of cloud-based telecom Business Support System (BSS) solutions and services, today announced that it has been selected by Wind Tre, a top Italian mobile operator, as their digital transformation partner.
Qvantel will provide Wind Tre an important part of the BSS stack, over a 6 year period, including CRM and omni-channel systems. Qvantel will provide managed services (Qvantel BSS as a Service) for the systems they supply, delivering business process automation and giving numerous benefits to Wind, 3 and Wind Tre Business customers. With the Qvantel solution, Wind Tre will be able to provide a state of the art digital offering and ensure the best customer experience in the use of online channels. At the same time, the new IT stack will allow to simplify business processes, making them smarter and more efficient.
Benoit Hanssen, CTO at Wind Tre, comments: \The new digital platform of Wind Tre is designed to support the most innovative online services, in order to best respond to the needs of our customers, who are increasingly digital-oriented. Thanks to this important partnership with Qvantel, Wind Tre will be able to fully digitalize its offering, creating a unique proposition to the market\.
Ove Anebygd, Qvantel CEO, says: \We are extremely happy to be able to support Wind Tre in their path towards digitalization and growth through new offerings and new business, and this multi-year agreement is proof of our commitment and continuous ambition to improve our customers\-\- business.\
Goldmining buys down Cachoeira Royalty and files Crucero Technical Report
Posted by Publisher Internet
GoldMining Inc. (the \Company\ or \GoldMining\) (TSX-V: GOLD; OTCQX: GLDLF https://www.youtube.com/) is pleased to announce BRI Mineracao Ltda. (\BRI\), a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Company, has entered into a royalty purchase agreement (the \Agreement\) with certain royalty holders (the \Vendors\) on the Cachoeira Project. In addition, further to its press release dated January 16, 2018, the Company has filed a National Instrument 43-101 (\NI 43-101\) technical report (the \Technical Report\) for its Crucero Project located in the Department of Puno, southeastern Peru.
Paulo Pereira, President of GoldMining, commented: \We are pleased to have reached an agreement with several of the royalty holders on the Cachoeira Project, which extinguishes a portion of the current advance royalty payment, as well as making it more attractive in the future when the deposit is developed or sold. In 2018, we will continue to look at innovative ways to advance our portfolio of resource-stage gold projects in the Americas to maximize value for our shareholders\.
Royalty Purchase Agreement
Pursuant to the Agreement, BRI will acquire the Vendors\-\- 66.66% interest in the existing 4.0% net production royalty (the \Royalty\) on the Company\-\-s Cachoeira Project, in consideration (the \Consideration\) for US$133,320 payable in cash to the Vendors, and 698,161 common shares of the Company.
The common shares of the Company to be issued under the transaction are subject to a four month and one day hold period and certain resale restrictions pursuant to the terms of the Agreement.
Crucero Technical Report
The Technical Report, dated effective December 20, 2017, is titled \Technical Report on the Crucero Property, Carabaya Province, Peru\. The Technical Report was authored by Mr. Greg Z. Mosher, M.Sc., P.Geo. of Global Mineral Resource Services, who is a qualified person within the meaning of NI 43-101 and is independent of the Company.
The Technical Report includes the following resource estimate for the Crucero Project at a 0.4 g/t gold cut-off (Tables 1 to 3).
Table 1: NI 43-101 indicated resource estimate for the A1 deposit.
Gold Cut-off Tonnage Grade Contained Metal
(g/t) (Mt) Gold (g/t) Gold (Moz)
2.0 876,000 2.3 64,000
1.0 13,504,000 1.4 606,000
0.8 19,617,000 1.2 783,000
0.6 25,378,000 1.1 912,000
0.4 30,653,000 1.0 993,000
0.2 33,019,000 1.0 1,013,000
0.0 33,341,000 0.9 1,013,000
Table 2: NI 43-101 inferred resource estimate for the A1 deposit.
Gold Cut-off Tonnage Grade Contained Metal
(g/t) (Mt) Gold (g/t) Gold (Moz)
2.0 827,000 2.4 63,000
1.0 14,265,000 1.4 656,000
0.8 21,662,000 1.3 874,000
0.6 28,958,000 1.1 1,038,000
0.4 35,779,000 1.0 1,147,000
0.2 38,706,000 0.9 1,173,000
0.0 39,479,000 0.9 1,174,000
Table 3: Assumptions utilized to establish the conceptual pit for the purposes of the above resource estimate.
Parameter Value Unit
Gold Price 1,500 US$/oz
Mine Operating Cost (Mineralization and Waste) 1.60 US$/t mined
Process Operating Cost 16.00 US$/t milled
Overall Pit Slope 47 Degrees
The Crucero Project occurs within the Puno Orogenic Belt, which is host to orogenic gold deposits and associated extensive alluvial deposits in eastern Peru and Bolivia. The Project is road accessible by paved road from Juliaca to the town of Crucero, approximately 150 km to the northeast, with the remaining 50 km to the site by gravel road. High-power electrical lines pass within 8 km of the property.
The A1 deposit, as currently defined by trenching and drilling, strikes northwest and dips vertically to steeply to the northeast. The deposit is approximately 750 m long by 100 m in width and has been traced to a vertical depth of 400 m, but most of the drilling is confined to within 250 m of surface. The deposit is open at depth and along strike to the northwest and southeast. The structurally controlled gold mineralization is associated with sulphide veins hosted within strongly deformed metasedimentary rocks.
Historic exploration programs have focused on the A1 deposit, however geophysical and geochemical surveys have identified additional targets for follow-up exploration.
Qualified Person
The resource estimate disclosed herein on the Crucero Project was prepared for GoldMining by Mr. Greg Z. Mosher, B.Sc., M.Sc., P.Geo., of Global Mineral Resource Services (the \Qualified Person\). Mr. Mosher is recognized as a qualified person as defined in NI 43-101, is independent of the Company and has reviewed and approved the disclosure regarding the resource estimate for the Crucero Project disclosed herein.
Paulo Pereira, President of GoldMining Inc. has reviewed and approved the technical information contained in this news release. Mr. Pereira holds a Bachelors degree in Geology from Universidade do Amazonas in Brazil, is a Qualified Person as defined in National Instrument 43-101 and is a member of the Association of Professional Geoscientists of Ontario.
Cautionary Note
Investors are cautioned not to assume that any part or all of the mineral deposits in the \measured\, \indicated\ and \inferred\ categories will ever be converted into mineral reserves with demonstrated economic viability or that inferred mineral resources will be converted to the measured and/or indicated categories through further drilling. In addition, the estimation of inferred resources involves far greater uncertainty as to their existence and economic viability than the estimation of other categories of resources. Under Canadian rules, estimates of Inferred Mineral Resources may not form the basis of pre-feasibility or feasibility studies.
About GoldMining Inc.
GoldMining Inc. is a public mineral exploration company focused on the acquisition and development of gold assets in the Americas. Through its disciplined acquisition strategy, GoldMining now controls a diversified portfolio of resource-stage gold and gold-copper projects in Canada, U.S.A., Brazil, Colombia and Peru. Additionally, GoldMining owns a 75% interest in the Rea Uranium Project, located in the Western Athabasca Basin of Alberta, Canada.
For additional information, please contact:
GoldMining Inc.
Amir Adnani, Chairman
Garnet Dawson, CEO
Telephone: (855) 630-1001
Email: info@goldmining.com
In Europe:
Swiss Resource Capital AG
Jochen Staiger
info@resource-capital.ch
www.resource-capital.ch
This document contains certain forward-looking statements that reflect the current views and/or expectations of GoldMining with respect to its business and future events, including expectations and future plans respecting its acquisition strategy and the completion of the acquisition of the royalty interest, and future plans respecting the Project and statements with respect to the details of the mineral resource estimate. Forward-looking statements are based on the then-current expectations, beliefs, assumptions, estimates and forecasts about the business and the markets in which GoldMining operates, including: (i) that the acquisition of the royalty interest will complete as contemplated and that the conditions under the Agreement will be satisfied, and (ii) the inherent risks involved in resource estimation and the exploration and development of mineral properties, the uncertainties involved in resource estimation and interpreting drill results and other exploration data, the potential for delays in exploration or development activities, the geology, grade and continuity of mineral deposits, the possibility that future exploration, development or mining results will not be consistent with GoldMining?s expectations, accidents, equipment breakdowns, title and permitting matters, labour disputes or other unanticipated difficulties with or interruptions in operations, fluctuating metal prices, unanticipated costs and expenses, uncertainties relating to the availability and costs of financing needed in the future, including to fund any exploration programs on the Project. Investors are cautioned that all forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties, including: that the parties may not satisfy all of the conditions under the Agreement, the inherent risks involved in the exploration and development of mineral properties and uncertainties relating to the availability and costs of financing needed in the future. These risks, as well as others, including those set forth in GoldMining?s filings with Canadian securities regulators, could cause actual results and events to vary significantly. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements and information. There can be no assurance that forward-looking information, or the material factors or assumptions used to develop such forward looking information, will prove to be accurate. GoldMining does not undertake any obligations to release publicly any revisions for updating any voluntary forward-looking statements, except as required by applicable securities law.
Neither the TSX Venture Exchange, nor its Regulation Services Providers (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this news release.
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CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. Final preparations are underway here at Kennedy Space Center to get NASA's next planet-hunting spacecraft, the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS), ready for its planned April 16 launch.
The satellite, built by Orbital ATK, arrived here on Feb. 12 after a 17-hour drive down from Orbital's facility in Dulles, Virginia, and was ushered inside the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility (PHSF) to be readied for launch.
NASA's Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) is preparing for an April 16 launch date. (Image credit: Amy Lynn Thompson/Space.com)
However, before it hitches a ride to space atop SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket, NASA invited members of the media to get a close-up look at TESS inside a specialized clean room. The PHSF is one of the last stops a spacecraft makes before launch. Inside this unique facility, engineers conduct final tests and load hazardous fuels, such as hydrazine that will help propel the spacecraft. Therefore, anyone who enters must follow a strict protocol, including wearing a special suit known as a bunny suit. [The Most Intriguing Alien Planet Discoveries of 2017]
Proper clean-room attire includes coveralls, a hood, boots and gloves. (Image credit: Amy Lynn Thompson/Space.com)
Before entering the clean room, a group of eager journalists were regaled with mission specifics by the TESS team, which included the mission's principal investigator, George Ricker of MIT's Kavli Institute for Astrophysics and Space Research.
The TESS mission, which is managed by NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, and operated by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), will spend at least two years studying more than 200,000 of the closest and brightest stars in our solar neighborhood.
TESS will scan the sky, looking for tiny dips in starlight. These dips in brightness known as transits could indicate that one or more planets is orbiting the star. Ricker said that the team expects to discover several thousand planets during the spacecraft's mission. [7 Ways to Discover Alien Planets]
"This mission is one for the ages," Ricker said during the mission briefing.
The Kepler Space Telescope, NASA's planet-hunting powerhouse, has identified more than 2,000 confirmed exoplanets using the same "transit" technique as TESS. However, TESS has a much larger field of view nearly 20 times larger than Kepler potentially allowing it to surpass Kepler in the number of exoplanet discoveries.
Thanks to Kepler, we now know that planets around other stars are very common. Kepler spent its primary mission staring at a narrow patch of sky to answer that very question. Unfortunately, all of Kepler's discoveries are too far away for follow-up study.
This is where TESS comes in. Since it will focus on nearby, bright stars, "TESS will identify the very best targets for future missions, like [NASA's upcoming] James Webb Space Telescope, to study in more detail," Ricker said.
Scheduled to launch next year, Webb will scan the targets identified by TESS to look for water vapor, methane and other atmospheric gases. And, with a little luck, Webb might even spot signatures indicative of life beyond Earth.
The Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite will scan the sky, searching for exoplanets orbiting the closest, brightest stars outside our solar system. (Image credit: Amy Lynn Thompson/Space.com)
Following the science and safety briefings, and once the group was suited up, we stepped into the clean room and got our first look at the silvery spacecraft. Spanning roughly 60 inches (1.5 meters) in size, TESS is small, but extremely capable.
TESS will search for exoplanets as it performs an all-sky survey. The sky will be divided into 26 observational sectors per hemisphere of the sky, with TESS staring at each sector for 27 days.
"It goes beyond just exoplanets," Ricker told Space.com. "TESS's images will also enable a broad range of astrophysics discoveries."
In order to carry out the spacecraft's science objective, the team had to plan a unique orbit, which proved to be one of the biggest challenges of the mission.
TESS will launch into a high, elliptical orbit around Earth that is in a 2:1 resonance with the moon it will orbit twice for every one time the moon goes all the way around. This type of orbit has multiple benefits: it is very stable, meaning it wont be affected by space debris, radiation, while allowing the spacecraft to easily communicate with the ground.
However, this type of orbit limits the number of launch opportunities, as it must be synchronized with the moon's orbit around the Earth. After launch, it will take the spacecraft two months to reach its destination.
TESS is undergoing final testing before launch. (Image credit: Amy Lynn Thompson/Space.com)
During our visit, engineers were prepping the spacecraft for final testing before launch. That testing included final checkouts of the solar arrays and is expected to be completed February 21. Next, TESS will be mated to the launch vehicle.
Originally slated to launch on March 20, TESS is currently scheduled to lift off on April 16, following a one-month delay requested by the launch provider, SpaceX. However, TESS must launch by June per congressional mandate.
Follow us @Spacedotcom, Facebook and Google+. Original article on Space.com.
This image shows Titan in ultraviolet and infrared wavelengths. Red and green colors indicate where atmospheric methane is absorbing light, while the blue color shows the upper atmospheric haze.
NASA researchers have confirmed the existence in Titan's atmosphere of vinyl cyanide, which is an organic compound that could potentially provide the cellular membranes for microbial life to form in Titan's vast methane oceans. If true, it could prove to us that life can flourish without the ubiquitous H 2 O.
Earth-based cell membranes are made of phospholipids: molecular chains with phosphorus-oxygen heads and carbon-chain tails that bind to each other to form a flexible membrane in water. Methane-based life, should it exist, would need an alternative to Earth's phospholipid-based existence and would open up a much wider range of planets and moons to the possibility of extraterrestrial life. one possible alternative is vinyl cyanide.
The Cassini spacecraft first inferred the presence of vinyl cyanide on the Saturnian moon through the use of its mass spectrometer, but it took the highly sensitive gaze of the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA), in the desert of Chile, to confirm vinyl cyanide is, indeed, there. [Titan: Amazing Photos of Saturn's Largest Moon]
Maureen Palmer, a researcher at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, and lead author of a paper describing the research in Science Advances, collected archival data from ALMA and saw vinyl cyanide high in Titan's atmosphere, at altitudes greater than 200 kilometers, with its highest concentrations in areas above Titan's southern pole.
In the low temperatures on Titan, which reach 179 degrees Celsius (290 degrees Fahrenheit), organic molecules in the atmosphere form droplets that rain down to fill methane lakes in a weather cycle similar to that of Earth's water cycle. There, they could potentially create simple, microscopic life forms. Palmer's group performed modeling studies that showed there is enough vinyl cyanide in Ligeia Mare, Titan's northern lake, to form about 10 million cells per cubic centimeter, roughly 10 times more than the bacteria in Earth's coastal oceans.
Vinyl cyanide has yet to be proven to produce life, but an earlier study by Cornell University researchers that was also published in Science Advances made it an intriguing prospect. The Cornell researchers, led by Professor of Chemical and Biological Engineering Paulette Clancy, set out to discover whether molecules that exist on Titan could form cell membranes called azotosomes, which is the name given to cell membranes that might form in Titan's liquid methane conditions.
Phosphorus and oxygen, found in Earth cell membranes, don't exist in Titan's frigid methane oceans, so any cell-like membranes would have to be based on nitrogen, hydrogen and carbon, all of which are abundant on Titan. Molecular modeling studies of a variety of molecules containing these elements showed that vinyl cyanide was the molecule most likely to form a stable and flexible membrane that acts like Earth-based membranes under Titan's conditions.
Titan's northernmost giant lake, Ligeia Mare, contains enough vinyl cyanide to form the cell membranes of ten million cells per cubic centimeter. (Image credit: NASA/JPLCaltech/ASI/Cornell.)
Still, vinyl cyanide-based life, like any other, would face challenging circumstances on Titan. However, Palmer says that "if membranes can be made in a lab with a simulation of Titan's ocean conditions, it would make us more optimistic about them really forming on Titan."
She notes further that because of its extensive atmospheric chemistry, and its bodies of surface liquid, Titan is "an interesting chemical laboratory to study the boundaries of possible biochemistry for creating life." [Infographic: How Humans Could Live on Saturn's Moon Titan]
Clancy says that Palmer's lab findings were "an exciting validation of our prediction, since they also find that the concentration of vinyl cyanide is considerable enough to make self-assembly into azotosome-like vesicles a viable process."
She adds, "It also shows the power of molecular simulation to shine a flashlight onto the most promising candidates for prebiotic life in conditions that are difficult to emulate in the lab."
Palmer's research was supported by the NASA Astrobiology Institute through funding awarded to the Goddard Center for Astrobiology and by the National Science Foundation. The Cornell research was funded by a grant from the Templeton Foundation to study non-water-based life.
This story was provided by Astrobiology Magazine, a web-based publication sponsored by the NASA astrobiology program. This version of the story published on Space.com.
Building a useful plane that's faster than Mach 5, or five times the speed of sound, is a difficult engineering challenge, but a team of researchers from the Chinese Academy of Sciences has a plan to pull it off.
The trick to making these faster-than-Mach 5, or hypersonic, vehicles is to build a "waverider"-shaped airframe and top it off with a "high-pressure capture wing," the researchers wrote in a December 2017 letter to the journal Science China. Waveriders are aircraft bodies shaped to skim along the top of the pressure wave created by their own supersonic flight in essence, using the shock wave to increase the plane's lift, or the upward force that keeps a plane in flight. But the roofs of waveriders can also become "compression surfaces" planes that surrounding air flows against, pushing the whole vehicle back toward the ground. High-pressure capture wings (HCWs) attached to the top of the plane turn that pressure instead into additional lift.
The team named this waverider-HCW combination the "hypersonic I-shaped aerodynamic configuration" or "HIAC," after the resulting shape, which in cross section resembles a capital letter "I" with serifs. [Photos: Hypersonic Jet Could Fly 10 Times the Speed of Sound]
Creating lift
This design solves the basic problem of hypersonic planes, the researchers wrote: It's very difficult to build a Mach 5-plus plane with enough room inside for passengers or cargo that it doesn't knock itself out of the air.
For a plane to stay aloft, it generates lift which generally occurs when air flowing over the top of a plane is traveling faster than the air underneath it. Meanwhile, the faster a plane goes, the greater the force of the friction of surrounding air, or drag, is. For a plane to fly at very high speeds, however, that drag has to be much lower than that lift, or else the plane will struggle to move fast enough to stay airborne. Supersonic planes struggle with the additional problem of pressure waves created when they pass the speed of sound, which create additional drag on the airframe. The waverider-HCW combination is all about turning the pressure waves of hypersonic travel from drag and downward force into additional lift.
Past designs that relied on the waverider airframe alone, like the Boeing X-51, had to be very slim far too small for human passengers or meaningful cargo. But if you raise the roof on a hypersonic waverider, the researchers wrote, the airflow over the top of the vehicle will create drag and actually push it downward, reducing lift.
Well-designed aerodynamic planes, they wrote, create lots of lift, have high lift-to-drag ratios and pack lots of cargo space compared to their total size.
Sticking the HCW on top of a waverider lets designers give the vehicles higher roofs and more cargo space, and creates additional lift to keep the vehicle aloft at extreme speeds.
Hypersonic planes aren't entirely new. The Air Force X-15, flown throughout the 1960s, hit peak speeds of 4,520 mph (7,274 km/h), or Mach 6.7, with human pilots. And spacecraft routinely hit extreme speeds during re-entry; the space shuttle used to hit the atmosphere at nearly Mach 25. But the X-15 design, which wasn't a waverider, wasn't practical. And spacecraft only bust into hypersonic speeds during re-entry due to the massive momentum of orbit.
And those machines aren't particularly useful for the reasons governments typically choose to build hypersonic vehicles: skirting air defenses and smashing into things hard enough to cause massive damage. U.S. Air Force Chief Scientist Geoffrey Zacharias told the National Interest in August 2017 that the U.S. "anticipates having hypersonic weapons by the 2020s, hypersonic drones by the 2030s and recoverable hypersonic drone aircraft by the 2040s. There is little doubt that hypersonic technology, whether it be weaponry or propulsion, or both, will figure prominently into future aircraft designs."
This design could move the world a bit closer to that reality.
Originally published on Live Science.
STAMFORD In April 2006, Cheryl Gidarie, an in-home childcare provider in Stamford and Greenwich, said her 21-year-old son was shot and killed in Bridgeport when two armed men attempted to rob him and one of the guns went off.
At the time, 59-year-old Gidarie said she called the family she was working for in Stamford and was told she could have the rest of the month off to grieve, tend to her other children both of whom were in high school and sort out her sons affairs.
The next week, they called me and said they didnt need me anymore because they didnt think I could do my job, she said.
Gidarie was not employed through any agency, nor was she a contracted employee, circumstances which she said puts her and many other domestic workers at a disadvantage.
On Monday, Gidarie stood with dozens of union workers rallying outside the Stamford Government Center as the U.S. Supreme Court heard oral arguments in a case that could undermine unions ability to collect dues.
The case, Janus v. American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, No. 16-1466, concerns Mark Janus, who works for the state government in Illinois and is represented by the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees. According to a report from the New York Times, Janus sued the union, saying he does not agree with its positions and should not be forced to pay fees to support its work.
Janus case argues that compulsory fees violate the First Amendment because the subjects of labor negotiations between unions and the government are matters of public concern.
The court will consider whether public-sector unions may require workers who are not members to help pay for collective bargaining, also known as fair-share fees. If the courts answer is no, unions could lose a substantial source of revenue.
Frank Soults, a spokesperson for Service Employees International Union 32BJ who helped organize the Stamford rally, said the Janus case could lead to a defunding of public unions, thereby undermining unions ability to negotiate for its members.
In order for a union to be effective, it has to be able to collect from everybody who is benefiting from the collective bargaining - everybody whos getting the benefits and the salary and all the other improvements that a union fights hard for those people to get, he said.
Soults said he fears that should the Supreme Court rule in favor of Janus, the case could lay the groundwork to defund all unions, public and private.
The concern is that theyre trying to make right to work a national policy, he said. Defunding unions decreases our power to earn living wages, to keep up with the cost of living and to earn good benefits. Its a matter of disempowering workers so the rich can have more and the workers can have less.
Right to choose?
But Carol Platt Libeau, President of the Yankee Institute for Public Policy, a conservative think tank, said the Janus case focuses on workers rights to choose.
We essentially stand with the government workers who simply ... want to choose for themselves whether or not they want to pay a union, she said. We have no issue with government unions, and we think that people who want to belong to them should have every right to do so, we just think that workers should be the ones who get to make the choice rather than being forced to pay for advancing ideas they dont agree with.
A handful of city officials attended the rally in Stamford, including Reps. Nina Sherwood, District 8, Raven Matherne, District 19, and Robert Roqueta, District 4. Rallies also took place Monday in Hartford, New Haven and at the University of Connecticut main campus in Storrs.
The things we fight for fair wages, benefits, holiday pay have never ... come from the top, Sherwood told a crowd of about 35 union representatives and workers in front of the Government Center. Theyve never been handed to us. ... Theyve always come from people like you standing here, and that is the most important lesson that we can learn from unions - that we cant just wait for someone else to step in and fight for us.
Matherne said she stands in support of unions because they are the first line of defense against discrimination in the workplace.
Without unions in place to protect our workers it becomes, every worker for themselves, on their own against corporations, she told the crowd. They have money on their side but we have people on ours and who should we be putting first? Unions first means people first.
For Roqueta, who is also a member and delegate for SEIU local 1199, standing up for unions means standing up for workers who would otherwise have no voice.
Of all the places where my contributions, were best spent ... my union dues are where it counts, he told the crowd. We work hard, and we do a lot of jobs most people dont want to do. We help the very sick, the less fortunate. We clean roads and clean highways. They want teachers to carry guns but they cant pay their rent.
Roqueta said unions enable workers to survive, put food on their tables and support their families, by negotiating for fair wages and benefits.
I choose to pay my dues because if we dont, we lose, he said.
Gidaries experiences working in private homes, she said, have fueled her drive to to encourage local domestic workers to unionize.
If domestic workers were unionized, they would have the union to fight for them, to receive fair wages, health insurance and other benefits like workers compensation, she said. Unionizing would also provide more job security, meaning employers would not be able to fire domestic workers on a whim.
After football boots, its high heels and party time for must-have fashion label...
When Daniel Najar watched his beloved Arsenal lose to Tottenham this month, he couldnt help but consider what might have been. I hoped I could have had a small chance of taking part in the north London derby. I trained with Spurs at their academy until I was 18, but I fractured my spine in two places while playing and that put an end to my dream, he laments.
Today, 15 years after he hung up his football boots, Najar has swapped sport for stilettos. He and his brother Gio run Chi Chi London, a womenswear business with a burgeoning reputation as Londons must-have party-frocks label.
Sitting behind a large table in their showroom in Ponders End, north London, the brothers are surrounded by rails of glitzy dresses, dusty pink high heels and clutch bags. In the warehouse downstairs, hip-hop is playing while next door staff are busily designing new collections.
This is the third headquarters after stunning growth since their 2013 launch.
The firm, which sells dresses on its website as well as through the likes of Asos and Debenhams, saw annual sales jump 32% to 27.5 million last year.
A 30% rise in sales this year and international expansion have been pencilled in. Even TV presenters Caroline Flack and Stacey Solomon have donned its clobber, and next month the brothers will appear on Channel 4s Job Interview hunting for a designer.
The firm has come a long way since the Najars asked their father Jamal to help them set up the business five years ago. Their old man originally ran a fashion stall in Finsbury Park before founding manufacturer Chi Chi in the 1980s.
It supplied clothes made in China to High Street retailers including New Look and River Island under their brands. Daniel joined his dads group after finishing a law degree and Gio, a trained electrician and now father of three, headed there after he sold his installations firm in his mid-twenties.
The former says: We quickly realised the designs were unique, popular and affordable, and we wanted to invest in creating our own fashion label. Chi Chi London was created then as a standalone company.
They were able to afford to sell high-quality goods at a reasonable 60-85 price range because they spent time sourcing a wealth of fabrics, had access to the familys manufacturing contacts and worked closely with them to reduce costs.
Daniel laughs heartily, reminiscing about the early days. As a family, we agreed to invest 2000 into our first website, which showed some success, he says. But our second website was about 20,000. Our father thought we were both mad. He certainly raised an eyebrow, to put it mildly.
The brothers, who live in Hertfordshire, hold a 49% stake and their dad has the remainder. The investment paid off and the family, including their mother Maureen, who works in the office, have benefited.
Daniel, 33, continues in a strong north London accent: I believe we catered for a new emerging market. It was a time when sweet sixteen parties and school proms were getting bigger, on a par with how extravagantly Americans celebrate them.
Gio, aged 30, believes growth has been aided by millennial customers sharing pictures of their new designs on Instagram, and the firm extending its range to include accessories.
The entrepreneurs next move is to expand aggressively. They have invested in a new UK website, which will go live in March. That will make it quicker and easier for shoppers to order. Websites for Germany, France and the US are planned before the end of the year.
There have been a lot of sleepless nights working on new technology but I think we are just about ready for the big expansion, says Gio with a nervous smile, noting that the weak pound and rivals discounting are causing headaches.
We have a good life, run a successful family business, and genuinely believe we have massive growth potential, adds Daniel bullishly.
He may not have made it into the derby day battle but hes certainly causing a stir in north London.
CHI CHI LONDON FACTS:
Founded: 2013
Staff: 49
Turnover: 27.5m (year to Jan 2018)
Business idols: Gio Lord Sugar: He saw an opportunity and grafted hard. Its admirable
T ransport for Londons high-ups claim not to be concerned that experts reckon their business plan is running out of rail.
The operator of our transport system is set to make an operating deficit (known to the rest of us as a loss) of nearly 1 billion in 2018-19, up from 784 million in 2017-18 and 171 million four years ago, todays FT reports.
TfL bosses are unfazed, claiming it will return to profit by 2021 thanks to cost efficiencies and a 30% rise in passenger income.
To budget on bringing in nearly a third more fares by 2021-22 at a time when passenger numbers are down 1% on a year ago seems brave to say the least.
Mayor Sadiq Khan, who has frozen fares, hopes that revenues from Crossrail will boost the numbers. But why are like-for-like passenger numbers on the Tube, buses and trains falling while Londons population is at an all-time high of 8.8 million?
Quality? Unlikely. It might not seem it if you use the Circle line but the Tube and buses are arguably the best theyve ever been, having undergone 30 billion of investment in the past three decades.
Price? Doubtful: TfL fares are still decent value for money.
The established argument blames the fact that Londoners now work and shop from home. Thats undoubtedly true, but another major factor must be passengers eschewing buses and the Tube for Uber. Figures for last year show the number of private hire vehicles in London largely Ubers surged nearly 40% since 2015 to 87,400.
Ubers complex accounting makes it hard to get reliable numbers, but by some estimates, its 40,000 drivers are making 184 million a year in fares (that seems conservative to me).
Whatever the true figure, black cab drivers say thats money which would otherwise be going to them. But, given how expensive black cabs are, I dont buy that. Uber is priced so cheaply that its revenue is being leached from the Tube.
Being an Uber fan, I dont want to regulate it off the streets; Im glad its licence is unlikely to be revoked. But it cant be right that a company whose cheap fares are bankrolled by Silicon Valley stock valuations can clog up Londons streets, add to our pollution, drain revenues from the Underground and pay barely any price in return.
TfL says it is pushing through a five-year charge of 2.9 million for companies with 10,000 vehicles or more, but for Uber, that barely registers (and makes no dent in TfLs 1 billion shortfall).
A iling doorstep lender Provident Financial cant catch a break despite its best efforts to draw a line under one of the most tumultuous times in its 138-year history.
The Provvy has been thinking of tapping investors for more cash to prop up its balance sheet after an expensive restructuring deal last year that led to two profits warnings, the exit of its chief executive and no interim dividend. Whats more, the finance boss of its consumer credit division, Philip McLelland, left the business this month, it emerged today.
Hardly surprising then that shares dropped 80.4p, or 12.3%, to 575.2p ahead of its annual results tomorrow. Theyre down 35% so far this year.
The FTSE 100-listed telecoms giant Vodafone trumpeted that it will team up with Samsung to sell smart gadgets using the Internet of Things as the Mobile World Congress kicked off in Barcelona today.
The V-Home by Vodafone deal will include security cameras and home alarms among other things. Voda shares rose 0.97p to 204.82p. The FTSE 100 edged up 22.26 points to 7266.97.
Mining giant Anglo American was the second-highest riser of the index, buoyed up the Drayton coal mine deal in Australia. It offloaded its 88.73% in the mothballed thermal mine to rival Malabar Coal for an undisclosed sum after struggling to get the permits it needed to increase production there since 2016. Anglo boss Mark Cutifani said the move marks further progress in the transformation of our portfolio, focused around our largest and most competitive assets. Shares rose 49.2p to 1837.6p.
Dechra Pharmaceuticals was Anglos counterpart on the FTSE 250, the second-highest riser up 54p, or 2.3%, to 2380p. The City cheered the companys 11.2% rise in revenues to 194.1 million for the six months to New Years Eve. Underlying profits also grew 22% to 51 million, boosted by sales in Europe and North America.
Engineering services firm Senior today told investors that sales hit the 1 billion mark for the first time. To celebrate, it announced that it would increase the dividend for the full year by 5.8%.
Good news from business supplies distributor Bunzl, too, as its full-year profit climbed 13% lifted by America and Europe. Bunzl, which is renowned for growing by snapping up smaller businesses, has made more than 150 deals since 2004. Last year, it spent 616 million on acquisitions. Shares were up 7p to 2018p.
I n a move that has resonated quietly around the world, the Chinese Communist Party has announced that it is changing the laws on the length of term that presidents can sit in China. Widely interpreted as an indication that current leader Xi Jinping is setting the table to stay on beyond his current term, the reality is that we still do not have any clear idea about what this will mean.
Are we seeing the rise of Xi the forever leader? A reflection of the state of chaos that China sees in leadership around the world? Or something else altogether? What is clear is that from being driven by Deng Xiaopings modest maxim of hide our capacities and bide our time, China is becoming an increasingly confident power that feels little need to adhere to others views of how it should be governed.
Speculation around the change in Beijing has focused on the more ominous potential the amendment suggests. Comparisons have been made with Russias President Putin or other leaders who have changed legislation in order to stay in power beyond constitutionally determined terms. But this would be at odds with the leader we have seen so far.
By strengthening his position, Xi is, however, sending a strong message to the rest of the world. A China that is led by a confident leadership is a potent force on the world stage. With China having about a sixth of the worlds population, growing economic might, a steadily increasing military presence and a soft power influence that is raising its global profile, the next decade is one that is going to be increasingly defined by whoever is in power in Beijing.
This calls for a clear and coherent response something that is not always evident in London. While the Prime Ministers recent visit to Beijing went smoothly, it was a long-delayed trip, a casualty of the current political difficulties London faces with Brexit. Yet the world is not going to wait for Brexit. Rather it is going to move onwards and upwards, and the consolidation in power in Beijing is a reflection of where it is heading.
Chinas leadership and what that leadership wants is going to be one of driving forces behind the global order of the next few decades. In order adequately to respond, London needs to develop a clear, coherent and consistent strategy towards China. Whether this one of greater confrontation or greater co-operation is up to Downing Street, but a clear path needs to be laid now. Beijing is showing the route it is going to take; now London and the world need to respond.
B en Bradley was expelled from his primary school, apparently for being cheeky. The Tory MP hasnt yet learnt his lesson, it seems, given he found himself donating what is believed to be a five-figure sum to his local food bank after managing to defame Jeremy Corbyn by tweeting about allegations over the Labour leaders links with a Czechoslovakian spy.
An old political contemporary of the Mansfield MP told me the only surprise was that they made him a vice-chair [of the party] when hes barely got his political milk teeth. They didnt know what they were getting themselves into.
The Conservatives dont seem to know what theyre getting themselves into on a number of fronts at the moment. Its not just the Corbyn spy story. Its also Theresa Mays contradictory review of higher education, and her willingness to talk about big social problems while failing to introduce policies that might solve them.
Mr Bradleys mistakes threaten only to bring down his political career, but No 10 is currently mulling a strategy that could accidentally bring down the Government.
Remainers in the Conservative party such as Anna Soubry, Ken Clarke, Nicky Morgan and Stephen Hammond have teamed up with centrist Labour MPs including Chuka Umunna to table amendments to both the Taxation (Cross-Border Trade) Bill and the Trade Bill that would force Britain to be part of a customs union with the European Union after Brexit. This directly contradicts current Tory policy, which is that there wont be a customs union of any kind. Today, Mr Corbyn confirmed that Labour now wants a customs union with the European Union.
Jeremy Corbyn urges MPs of all parties to unite behind 'new UK customs union with EU'
Mrs May has deployed her classic tactic of putting a hard thing off for as long as possible and hoping it will somehow go away in the meantime by delaying these votes for several weeks. But if this amendment passes, then she will not be able to negotiate free trade deals with non-EU countries as she would like. And thats why those around her are urging her to take the highest-stakes route possible to stop the amendment from succeeding by making the vote a matter of confidence.
One Cabinet minister says he is confident that threatening the Remainers with a Corbyn government will frighten them, as they will fear that Britain ends up crashing out of the EU with no deal, rather than a less-than-ideal deal that still avoids trading on World Trade Organisation Terms.
However, this is not how those Remainers see things. They genuinely believe the whips would be bluffing and would not dare push the issue as a matter of confidence because No 10 is well aware the party is currently unelectable.
One says: This is far too premature; we are quite prepared to look for compromises with No 10 on the precise nature of a customs union, but instead were getting all this antagonistic stuff already. Another describes the threats as a sign of insecurity from a Government that isnt doing the groundwork of meeting up with us, explaining their position and hearing ours.
Jeremy Corbyn puts his party behind a soft Brexit / PA
There is considerable frustration that the Tory whips are still running a macho operation on Mrs Mays behalf, and this sentiment extends far beyond Tory rebels. One minister complains that a lot of the Brexit infighting, which is making it much harder for Britain to negotiate with Brussels, has actually been aggravated by the aggressive whips. Thats not normally what whips are supposed to do.
The pro-EU MPs also suggest that if No 10 makes their customs union call a matter of confidence, then it will need to do the same with another amendment, tabled by the Brexiteer European Research Group, which would stop the government using a legislative back door to stay in a long-term customs union arrangement.
Corbyn has managed to put the Government on the ropes, largely by exploiting problems he didnt create
Yet while the Remainers think they have a parliamentary majority for a soft Brexit, the fear in No 10 is that the ERG contains the Tories most likely to finish off Mrs May by sending in letters calling for a leadership contest.
It seems as though the vote will come down to what each group involved can second-guess about the other groups real thinking; a risky game given how little trust and understanding there is in the Conservative party.
For Mr Corbyn, it seems to be less about principle, given the Labour leaders own long-held beliefs on the European Union, and more about the reality that his party membership would be much more in favour of at least some kind of customs union arrangement and that backbenchers including Mr Umunna have done so much groundwork with Ms Soubry and other Tories (a number of these Remainers are in Paris today, discussing Brexit with their French counterparts). Most importantly, what sort of Opposition leader would pass up the chance to make the Government fall?
Mr Corbyn has managed to put the Government on the ropes, largely by exploiting problems he didnt create. He didnt choose for Jan Sarkocy to make a series of allegations about meetings the pair had during the Cold War, but he did choose to make the most of the ensuing Tory clumsiness on the matter. He didnt choose to make debates over membership of a customs union so threatening to the Government, but he is jolly well capitalising on that threat now it has materialised.
W hen David Reed writes that the City, from the outside, looks like a monstrous casino, he is suggesting that he does not understand the financial sector nor, I suspect, does he have any interest in trying to understand it [Letters, February 22].
It is an extraordinary thing that those who question the value of the sector almost to a person have no experience or knowledge of it. Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn is a prime example of someone who stumbles around our financial ecosystem with the subtlety and consideration of a cattle rancher in the Brazilian rainforest.
The truth is that financial services are the lifeblood of the UK, EU and global economy. They are the real economy. Indeed, it is fair to say that you dont need coal mines or farming to run an economy, but if you ran an economy without a working finance sector there would be fatal consequences.
Nicholas Lawson
It is now 10 years since the global financial crisis, and therefore a timely moment to focus on what else can be done to prevent something similar happening again.
The crisis caused tremendous harm at an individual, societal, economic and political level. It was so severe that it caused many to question whether it proved capitalism was fundamentally flawed.
Perhaps the simplest way to convey the terrible impact of the global financial crisis is to reflect on the conclusions from research carried out by Oxford University in 2014, which showed that more than 10,000 suicides occurred due to the crisis. That is a shocking statistic.
Beyond the tragic human cost, and of course to the victims families and friends, there is the harsh reality that we will continue to suffer the consequences of the crisis for years to come, with austerity just one of the measures introduced.
It is good news, then, that a new all- party parliamentary group on financial stability is being formed. This will help explore what can be done to mitigate the risk of another global financial crisis or at least make the next one less severe.
Andy Agathangelou, Founding chair, Transparency Task Force
David Reed and Noam Almazs letters show they lack any understanding of the financial markets and the basic economics of revenue-raising.
The Exchequer raises such a large part of its overall revenue from the sector that, should Jeremy Corbyn chase away financial institutions, which he appears hell-bent on doing, even a return to the dark days of 87 per cent and 99 per cent (unearned) income tax could not make up the shortfall.
This swing to socialism by todays young is born out of an economic illiteracy never seen before. I fear for the future.
Giles Hamilton
School should not become academy
Bob Wharton is wrong on a number of counts [Letters, February 22].
The picket line and supporters gathering he drove past in Kingsbury was an official strike called by the National Education Union (NEU), which is not affiliated to any political party. There were six NEU members on the picket line, and we were pleased that among the supporters there were members of the local Labour party.
Any political party, group or individual who opposes academisation of our schools and supports this stand by staff and parents is welcome to join the supporters group.
This action is to oppose the school becoming an academy, and consultation shows an overwhelming majority against this, including staff and parents. This is because they see privatising The Village School would cause long-term harm to pupils education. It became an outstanding school under the local authority.
Furthermore, the LA provided 29 million to build the new school. Why should such a valuable asset be handed over to a private organisation?
Hank Roberts, National Education Union
Traffic jams are down to TfL errors
Rohan Silva mentions, as an example of technological decline, that average traffic speeds [in London] have fallen steadily over the past decade, to just 8mph today [Comment, February 22]. Yet this has nothing to do with technology.
Slowing Londons traffic has been an unannounced but noticeable action by TfL, as evidenced by the massive increase in the number of traffic signals and the inevitable resulting inefficiencies. To say this was deliberate is to give TfL the benefit of the doubt: the alternative is that it is an inadvertent consequence of policy mistakes.
Certainly one effect, presumably unintended, is to make Londons buses less desirable to ride on. As a regular bus-user, in the process of being driven to the Tube by TfLs traffic-management, I can report that the problem has got noticeably worse even in the past year or two.
With this in mind, it is hardly surprising that bus-use is falling.
Gareth Adamson
Rail nationalisation has simple benefit
According to your revelation that Southern rail boss rejects nationalisation [February 22], the chief executive of Go-Ahead Group admits that he struggles to understand the difference that public ownership would make.
The difference is, in fact, so simple that a single sentence should suffice to relieve him of his struggle. While the present privatisation of our railways involves substantial subsidies for private shareholders, public ownership would enable all of the operations income to be spent on improving services and/or freezing fare rises.
It really is a bit of a no-brainer.
Francis Prideaux
Greek sculptures were ideal models
As a classical scholar myself, I was surprised by the remarks of Professor Mary Beard, suggesting that classical Greek sculpture is somehow discriminatory for preferring to depict slim and muscular young men [Diary, February 22].
Statues such as that of the Doryphoros were created to present an image of bodily perfection. They had to present an image of a young man as a lean and mean killing machine, since the city states were often at war with each other.
For that reason, these statues were displayed prominently in the gymnasium, so that young athletes could strive towards a model of physical excellence.
Magnus Nielsen
Farage should be given some respect
In response to Robert Boston and DN Rivers [Letters, February 22], whatever ones views of Nigel Farage are, lets not forget that he had a major influence on the Brexit result and led Ukip with relative success in the 2015 general election.
Last week Guccis Autumn/ Winter 2018 show saw an army of bleached browed transhumans - carrying fake heads and baby dragons - strolling around a runway set designed to emulate a hospital.
This week the brand has made the headlines once again with a $500,000 donation to the March For Our Lives Movement.
March For Our Lives is a student led movement, taking on Trump and the gun lobby. They have organised a protest set to take place in Washington DC on March 24.
Its been organised by survivors of the massacre in Parkland, Florida, where a gunman killed 17 people on Feb. 14.
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Gucci AW18 collection at Milan Fashion Week 1 /40 Gucci AW18 collection at Milan Fashion Week Gucci AW18 AFP/Getty Images Gucci AW18 AFP/Getty Images Gucci AW18 AFP/Getty Images Gucci AW18 AFP/Getty Images Gucci AW18 AFP/Getty Images Gucci AW18 AFP/Getty Images Gucci AW18 AFP/Getty Images Gucci AW18 AFP/Getty Images Gucci AW18 AFP/Getty Images Gucci AW18 AFP/Getty Images Gucci AW18 AFP/Getty Images Gucci AW18 AFP/Getty Images Gucci AW18 AFP/Getty Images Gucci AW18 AFP/Getty Images Gucci AW18 AFP/Getty Images Gucci AW18 AFP/Getty Images Gucci AW18 AFP/Getty Images Gucci AW18 AFP/Getty Images Gucci AW18 AFP/Getty Images Gucci AW18 AFP/Getty Images Gucci AW18 AFP/Getty Images Gucci AW18 AFP/Getty Images Gucci AW18 AFP/Getty Images Gucci AW18 AFP/Getty Images Gucci AW18 AFP/Getty Images Gucci AW18 AFP/Getty Images Gucci AW18 AFP/Getty Images Gucci AW18 AFP/Getty Images Gucci AW18 A model carries a fake snake down the catwalk AFP/Getty Images Gucci AW18 AFP/Getty Images Gucci AW18 AFP/Getty Images Gucci AW18 AFP/Getty Images Gucci AW18 AFP/Getty Images Gucci AW18 AFP/Getty Images Gucci AW18 AFP/Getty Images Gucci AW18 AFP/Getty Images Gucci AW18 AFP/Getty Images Gucci AW18 AFP/Getty Images Gucci AW18 AFP/Getty Images Gucci AW18
According to The Washington Post, organisers are expecting as many as 500,000 attendees at the event, citing details from an event permit application.
Protestors after a shooting in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, February 17, 2018. / Getty Images
Gucci applauds the courage, resilience and determination of the inspiring students and survivors of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, and those who will join them, as they fight for their generation and those to come, and stands with March For Our Lives and the fearless students across the country who demand that their lives and safety become a priority, they said in a statement.
Gucci's Creative Director, Alessandro Michele / EPA
H ow do you paint life? Is it possible to capture the experience of being human on canvas?
These are the questions that troubled and fascinated the artists at the heart of Tate Britains major new exhibition, All Too Human: Bacon, Freud and a Century of Painting Life.
The show offers the chance to see work by artists who have been trying to catch the sensation of being alive, from its boredoms to its brilliance, for the last 100 years.
Lucian Freud and Francis Bacon may be the headline acts, but visitors can trace a line from Stanley Spencer to Jenny Saville throughout the gallery.
A rarely seen Francis Bacon triptych, an array of Freud portraits and even a Giacometti grapple with existentialism and the traumas of living, but many of the works in the show capture the everyday beauty of life.
Here are 5 works to look out for to bring a little bit of brightness to your day.
Michael Andrews, Melanie and Me Swimming (1978-9)
Michael Andrews, Melanie and Me Swimming (1978-9) (The Estate of Michael Andrews)
Andrews was a member of the School of London group of artists, alongside Bacon, Freud, Frank Auerbach, Leon Kossoff and RB Kitaj - all of whom have work included in this exhibition. This simple painting is of Andrews and his daughter, based on a family holiday photograph (which can be seen in a display case in the exhibitions entrance), and captures more than it lets on at first glance. Its all here: patience, joy, trust, minor terror, and the sense that moments liek this dont last for very long.
Lucian Freud, Sleeping By the Lion Carpet (1995-6)
Freud painted benefits supervisor Sue Tilley many times, with one of the portraits being bought by Roman Abramovich for 17 million in 2008. This painting seems overwhelming and confusing at first - why is she there? Isnt she cold? Does she know shes being watched? But look a while longer and you cant help but feel enveloped by Tilleys peaceful dreaming figure, and mischievously wonder if she just got bored of sitting for a painting.
Leon Kossoff, Childrens Swimming Pool, Autumn Afternoon (1976)
Leon Kossoff, Children's Swimming Pool, Autumn Afternoon 1971 (Leon Kossoff) / Leon Kossoff
Kossoff took his kids to a swimming pool in Willesden Green, and was so inspired by the energy and spontaneity of the space that he painted it five times. This huge work captivates with its ebullient spirit and its cosy familiarity.
Celia Paul, Painter and Model (2012)
Celia Paul, Painter and Model (2012) (Celia Paul, courtesy the artist and Victoria Miro, London / Venice)
Paul, who was painted by Freud in a work entitled Painter and Model, makes herself the subject and the artist in this work. Its a feminist act of self-definition and depiction, in the spirit of Laura Knights Self-Portrait, but its also a powerful tribute to her biggest muse: her mother. Paul painted her many times, and when she became too ill to sit, Paul decided to put herself in the sitters chair.
RB Kitaj, The Wedding (1989-93)
RB Kitaj, The Wedding (1989-93) (The Estate of RB Kitaj)
The viewer is arrested by a blast of colour in Kitajs depiction of his own wedding to American artist Sandra Fisher. But look at the rest of the picture and you might recognise some of his friends: Freud, Auerbach, Kossoff and David Hockney.
Summers coming, and that means wedding season is fast approaching.
According to online wedding planner, Bridebook, the most popular dates for weddings in 2018 are Saturday August 18, Saturday May 26 and Saturday August 25.
Surprisingly, May 19 the date of Prince Harry and Meghan Markles wedding doesnt appear on the list. Presumably because bride and grooms-to-be will be among the millions of people tuning in to the wedding, a la Prince Williams wedding to Kate Middleton in 2011.
Yet, no matter the date of the wedding its time to start thinking about your wedding bouquet. And it seems the Duchess of Cambridge was on to something when she debuted her pale-hued bunch of florals seven years ago.
To see what brides would be donning this year, we spoke to Athena Duncan and Mairead Curtin, founders of Rebel Rebel about the biggest wedding bouquet trends of 2018.
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Washed-out nudes and ice cream pastels
Get ready to see pale pinks and beiges replace the classic red rose.
Duncan and Curtin told the Standard: We think things are getting paler. Washed out nudes and ice cream pastels are the thing.
The best monthly flower subscriptions in London - in pictures 1 /10 The best monthly flower subscriptions in London - in pictures Bloom & Wild Facebook/Bloom & Wild Freddie's Flowers Facebook/Freddie's Flowers Geo-Fleur Facebook/Geo-Fleur Flowerbx Facebook/Flowerbx Appleyard London Facebook/Appleyard London Bloom & Wild Facebook/Bloom & Wild Sprout Facebook/Sprout Geo-Fleur Facebook/Geo-Fleur Flowerbx Facebook/Flowerbx Bunches Facebook/Bunches
Mixing hemispheres
Mixing tropical flowers and foliage with wild British flowers. The cardinal sin of mixing our hemispheres is happily being committed.
Painted leaves
Weddings have long been a haven for DIY lovers, but now bouquets are about to step it up a notch.
The Rebel Rebel founders said theyve seen both metallic and pastel-painted leaves are being introduced to bouquets to add something a little different.
Big, wild and trailing
In general, one of the biggest trends that will hit the bridal scene this year will be big, foliage-heavy bouquets.
Duncan and Curtin said: Big, wild and trailing is the thing with some surprising fun additions.
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Dont let pre-trip prep become a hassle: instead do any suitcase-related shopping at Westfield Stratford City en route to the airport. Westfield is just a 20-minute DLR trip from London City Airport, and somehow theres nothing more satisfying than doing your holiday shopping the same day as you will be wearing your new gear in the sunshine.
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Make for Malagas mile of art
Shutterstock / Shutterstock
Malaga has spent more than 100m on art in recent years, and two big-hitter museums include a branch of the St Petersburg State Russian Museum and the Centre Pompidou Malaga, an outpost of the Parisian museum. The colourful glass cube that houses the Pompidou Centre is the best place to start, and is home some of the most iconic artworks of the 20th century.
Treat yourself to tapas at a Malaga institution
Alamy / Bodega el Pimpi
Bodega El Pimpi is a true Malaga institution, with a terrace opposite the Alcazaba, making it one of the prettiest places to dine on tapas in the city. The interior is no less inviting, though, clad in classic tiles, with wine barrels signed by famous diners that include Paloma Picasso.
Travel back in time at The Castillo de Gibralfaro
Shutterstock / Shutterstock
Malaga is an architectural feast, with Phoenician and Roman ruins, nods to the citys Moorish heritage, opulent Baroque churches and striking contemporary structures. Rising above the Alcazaba, an 11th century fortress, is the Gibralfaro castle, built in the 14th century to protect the fortress. The outdoor cafe offers some of the best panoramic views of the city.
Get a piece of Picasso
Shutterstock / Shutterstock
You really cant leave Malaga without paying tribute to the towns most famous son, and the excellent Picasso Museum showcases Pablo Picassos entire heritage. The museum houses more than 200 sculptures, sketches and ceramics and is located in the heart of the old town, minutes from the house where Picasso was born, which is also open to the public as a museum.
Sip cocktails in the shadow of the cathedral
Alamy
After binging on culture, stroll the labyrinthine lanes surrounding Malagas spectacular cathedral, which was begun in the 16th century. Gothic, Renaissance and Baroque architectural styles reflect the long period of construction, and one of the towers was never completed, resulting in a distinctive lop-sided effect. The lanes surrounding the cathedral are lined with tiny tapas bars and inviting cocktail bars, and this is a city that takes cocktails seriously. Some of the best beer cocktails in town are found in the Manana Bar.
Dine on a tasting menu at Oleo
Oleo / Oleo
Its hard to tempt yourself away from tapas in Malaga, but its worth doing so for the tasting menu at super-stylish Oleo, located at the citys contemporary art museum and with a fitting white minimalist aesthetic. The menu is an innovative mix of pan-Asian dishes including sushi and seared duck breast, alongside perfectly executed Mediterranean fare.
With a central location and check-in just 20 minutes before departure, youll have time for a little last-minute shopping when you fly from London City Airport.
A knife wielding thug threatened a father as he queued with his young son and nephew in a fast food shop in south London.
The 49-year-old father and the two boys were waiting in the Chicken Cottage in Streatham Hill when the suspected entered and tried to cut into the queue.
When the victim challenged him, the suspect became argumentative. The victim tried to calm the situation and said the man could go in front of him but the suspect continued to be aggressive and then took out a knife.
The father managed to push the man out of the shop, but the knifeman lunged at him and cut his hand.
Detectives from Lambeth CID today appealed for information on the incident which occurred at around 4pm on Wednesday February 7.
The suspect is described as a black male, around 5ft 7in tall, of slim build and with a dark-coloured patchy beard.
He was wearing a black jacket with the hood up, black trousers, and dark-coloured trainers and a rucksack. He had a south London accent.
Detective Constable Dominic Landragin said: The suspect, when challenged about his behaviour, pulled out a knife and showed a clear willingness to use violence.
This incident happened at a busy time of day in front of schoolchildren who were terrified by what they saw. I want to trace this man and would ask anyone who thinks they might know who he is to contact police.
There have been no arrests.
T he number of Islamophobic hate crimes in London has soared by almost 40 per cent in the past year, figures have revealed.
There were 1,678 anti-Muslim hate crimes reported in the capital in the year up to January 2018 - up from 1,205 the year before.
And Scotland Yard warned that the figures, from the Mayors Office for Policing and Crime, do not show the full scale of hugely under-reported hate crimes in the capital.
Mayor of London Sadiq Khan warned perpetrators they face arrest and prosecution under a "zero-tolerance" approach.
London is a place where we celebrate, cherish and embrace diversity," he said.
"Im calling on all Londoners to pull together, and send a clear message around the world that our city will never be divided by individuals who seek to harm us and destroy our way of life."
Muslim leaders and police said the rise is linked to the terror attacks London Bridge and Manchester Arena last year.
The rise was blamed on high-profile terror attacks in the past year / Alex Lentati
Iman Atta, director of campaign group Tell Mama which aims to combat Islamophobia, said the increase in attacks had "created a heightened sense of tension in Muslim communities".
Blaming terrorist atrocities in the past year for the rise, he added: These attacks had ripple effects, triggering Islamophobic attacks and the large increment rise you have seen.
In the days after eight people were killed in the London Bridge terror attack last June, Mr Khan highlighted figures showing a 40 per cent increase on the daily average number of reported Islamophobic attacks in the capital.
And in 2016, Britain's vote to leave the EU was blamed for a spike in hate crimes after a debate which focused heavily on immigration.
Hate crimes include physical attacks, damage to property, bullying and abuse, according to police.
Chief Superintendent Dave Stringer, Scotland Yard's head of community engagement said: "The Met has seen a steady increase in the reporting of all hate crime, particularly racist and religious hate crime.
"Despite this rise, hate crime is hugely underreported and no one should suffer in silence."
A church cleaner unfairly lost her job of more than a decade after being wrongly accused by the new vicar of fraud, a tribunal has ruled.
Maria Wright and her family had been devoted members of the congregation at St John the Evangelist Church in Ilford for more than four decades, and she began cleaning the church hall seven days a week from 2004.
However, when vicar the Reverend Calvert Prentis joined the parish in 2015 he decided it was not appropriate for his church to employ a cleaner.
Mrs Wright appealed to the Bishop of Barking, Peter Hill, who oversees the parish, but he refused to consider her complaint, the tribunal was told.
She was eventually told to leave last March, after being accused by the vicar of claiming money for hours she had not worked.
Judge Moor ruled the vicar had been too hasty in accusing Mrs Wright of fraud, and while this was not the reason for her job being terminated, she was treated unfairly on a human level.
The judge said: Fraud is a very serious allegation and should only be made, in my view, after careful consideration, which did not happen here. I have accepted her evidence that she worked on all days.
Despite finding in her favour, the tribunal ruled that Mrs Wright cannot be awarded compensation because she was not formally a church employee. The tribunal heard of ructions within the community over Mrs Wrights status, as the new vicar sought to exert his authority. Bishop Hill refused to intervene, saying he was not the vicars line manager and it was not legally possible to hear her complaint.
The judge found that no reasonable efforts had been made to deal with Mrs Wrights grievance, and there was no potentially fair reason for terminating her job. She had provided work to the church for a long time and deserved to be listened to, whether she was an employee or not, he said.
He concluded: Regardless of her legal status, it seems to me that, on a human level, Mrs Wright deserved to be heard and it does the parochial council and the diocese no credit that it did not do so.
Today Mrs Wright told of her hurt but vowed to return to the congregation. I know Ive never defrauded the church. I felt really upset that a church Ive supported all these years has turned like it has.
At the beginning I just wanted an apology in front of the congregation ... but he wouldnt say sorry. A Chelmsford Diocese spokesman said: The Bishop of Barking was in touch with Mrs Wright in the early months of this difficult situation. He remains willing to continue listening.
L ook away now, if you dont want to know how it ends.
Donald Trump is finished, says Michael Wolff, the man whos blown the lid on the chaos of his first months in the White House.
That Act Act One is over. And soon maybe the Trump presidency will be, too. I dont think it can last. Everybody is after this guy.
The burnished quiet of Londons Claridges Hotel feels an odd place to map out the immolation of a President, but talking to me Wolff doesnt hold back.
Seat of power: Fire and Fury author Michael Wolff stunned the world with his tell-all about the White House under Donald Trump / Daniel Hambury
The magazine writer whose book got the scoop every White House reporter wanted they are all p***** [off] they felt that they owned this story sets out like a chess master the moves he thinks will happen between now and November, when mid-term elections may settle the Presidents fate.
Move one could come around July, when Robert Mueller, the Special Counsel probing Trumps election links with Russia, returns an obstruction of justice case.
The book sold more than a million copies in its first week alone / Getty Images
Not against Trump but probably against his son-in-law Jared Kushner, whose emergence, says Wolff, along with his wife Ivanka as one of the most powerful people in the world is totally absurd.
If that happens, move two will follow: Muller sends this report to Congress, and that is essentially the election the Democrats saying this man must be impeached.
Mr Trump denied the contents of the book / EPA
Would Americans vote to topple him? Wolff thinks they might. Poll numbers, he says, look bad for Trump, extremely, extremely bad though theres always a chance the people would pick Trumps side as an underdog.
And if there is a crashing defeat, when faced with the prospect of impeachment, he says the President could very well resign before going on, as the master of media reinvention, to declare victory and start the next stage of his life as the most famous man in the world. But up until then it is just going to be bloody, bloody, bloody.
If Trump implodes like this, Wolff will surely claim some of the credit. Fire and Furys publication last month ripped into the Presidents confidence like nothing else since his election.
Everybody around him was totally freaking out because he was uncontrollable on the subject of this book, he says.
Boastful but also true. Since then Wolff has become Exhibit Number One for everyone who wants to wish Trump out of office. Strangers come up to him in the streets. I live in New York city and I feel the love.
Hes now on a tour of Europe, 10 cities in 14 days. Political books dont often catch alight like this.
So surely the Special Counsel has come calling in search of evidence? No, Wolff says but he has questioned others about at least one episode described in the book.
Someone else who hasnt yet called is Trump himself. Wolffs near-unchecked access to the White House came down like a shutter last autumn.
Tony Blair has also denied claims made about him by Mr Wolff / Getty Images
But, with a self-assuredness that falls only a touch short of the Presidents, he thinks Trump will blink first. I perfectly expect that he will call me up sometime soon and claim credit for this book.
Wolff is the sort of big-brand writer whose certainties could drive you to fury, if his sources and stories werent so good. Hes a buzz-cut, black-rimmed glasses, business-class kind of guy, the sort that drops the names of people he knows in power as equals.
You cant imagine him on the daily news beat and he freely admits to disregarding the routines of journalism: framing things in rational detail.
With his book, Wolff says, he wanted to jump straight to telling a stunning story as a novelist might. Im doing the thing, Im thinking Tom Wolfe, Im thinking [Norman] Mailer.
Arrogant? Yes. But maybe also the only way to respond to the alternative reality of the new America. This is Donald Trump, it is the story, it is like World War Two for Godssake.
It will be told soon in film, he says and maybe the script writer will be Armando Iannucci, who interviewed him on stage in London on Friday night and whose skill at skewering modern politics, both in Britain and the US in the brilliant show Veep, was Wolffs guide throughout this whole thing.
But watching his event with Iannucci the first time they had met something worried me. Everyone speakers and audience alike wanted to laugh at the President, rather than fear him. Wolff can certainly play Trump for comedy.
The fact that he has no f****** idea, that it is all random, that it is all vastly more unhinged than anyone is prepared for is a kind of joke, he says.
Donald Trump literally believes in nothing. Political obsessives trapped in the hyper-rationality of the media cannot compute this. Maybe the public understand something better, this is comic, he says.
Mr Wolff claims Nigel Farage was talked about regularly in the Trump White House / Getty Images
Perhaps. But Trump is comedy armed with a nuclear weapon. I think we should be more afraid Wolff agrees. So could the President faced, perhaps, with impeachment or just a bad night in bed with a hamburger and Fox News blow up the planet? He barely blinks. I dont think that he can start a war, I just literally dont think he has the abilities to marshal all that you have to do.
Thats sort of reassuring. So is his claim that maybe, even if he tried, the President couldnt make the bomb go off. He cant really push the button we dont even know if there is a button.
Put it Wolffs way, and the administration amounts to a few clueless third-raters in the White House against four million people in government, including a military which has been captured by data-obsessed generals who cannot stop bewildering their semi-literate commander-in-chief with PowerPoint. It literally makes no sense, they do their presentations and he leaves.
The even weirder reality of Trumps time so far, he adds, is that nothing basically has happened.
A media class obsessed with politics has found it hard to understand that maybe it doesnt matter. It is not a story about politics, it is truly not about politics, Trump has fundamentally no interest in politics at all, he says.
The ultimate message here might be that Government is less important than we believe, political reporters think it is everything but maybe it is not.
Someone who was obsessed with it and crashed in slow motion in the White House under Wolffs gaze is former adviser Steve Bannon. The best source for Wolffs book, Bannon failed to turn Trump into the smash-the-system zealot he wanted. In the end, the President just couldnt be bothered.
Wolff has more time for Bannon than for the winners of that power struggle, Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner, who he considers have managed to present themselves as the rational face of the administration while getting every key decision wrong.
These two literally had no background in this, zero, he says. They are socialites, lets face it thats what they areNew York Democrats.
And meanwhile what about Britain? What did he hear Trumps people say about us, I ask. Surely we still count? Not much. He struggles to think of a time Theresa Mays name was even mentioned in the White House. Perhaps once, he concedes and that was not significant.
Would Trump recognise our Prime Minister, if shown a photo of her? Possibly not. Would he be able to pick out the UK on a map? He quite possibly wouldnt.
So much, then, for the special relationship. What about their personal one? He would appear to her as a kind of a Martian and she wouldnt know what to do, he speculates.
But his advice about how she should behave to make progress is clear.
Often he gets along better with women than with men but those women have to be able to get along with him on his terms, so if you could see a situation in which Theresa May would be willing to bat her eyes at Donald Trump and to flirt in some way and to suggest she could become an office wife to Donald Trump then she would get a deal.
To Mays credit, I cant imagine her as anyones office wife. But that deal might be the trade deal we could need after Brexit. It could be done, he says.
If Trump wants something from the UK and it is willing to deliver he will give whatever the UK wants.
But at a price. Im trying to see the comic potential, if your economic future was dependent on what Donald Trump might or might not do that is a scary position to be in.
We are, perhaps, close to that scary position. And there are only three Brits Trump and his team seem to rate.
One is Nigel Farage Wolff heard a lot of discussion about Farage, a man who performed peacock kind of things to make friends with the US Right.
The second is Boris Johnson. Bannon was pretty fond of Boris, he says though with Trump it might be different.
I dont think Trump could understand what Boris says, the accent and the several conversations that Boris is conducting at once. In this, Trump is not alone.
The third is unexpected. Tony Blair. He came calling at the White House not long after the election. The former Prime Minister absolutely denies Wolffs story, that he offered (the book says) a juicy rumour about British surveillance and was keen on a role as Middle East peace envoy.
But Jared and Tony have this kind of something, he gets along with Jared, Wolff asserts. He wanted in, he wanted support, he wanted a piece of Jareds Middle East portfolio.
In his book he says the two met last February. But surely Blair would not have been satisfied with the sidekick? He would have wanted to see the President too, I suggest.
He met Trump and he met Jared, Wolff answers going further in his claims than he does in his book. I saw him with Jared separately and I knew he was meeting with Trump.
When we put this to Tony Blair, a spokeswoman said the former Prime Minister had never met Mr Trump or spoken to him, including by telephone. The denial covered Mr Trumps entire life, not just his period as President, she said.
Now Wolff is on the outside of the White House, what next? A book on Act One must be followed by ones on Acts Two and Three? Obviously I cant get back in, he says. I am trying to get my head around how you might do it and I dont yet know.
A Tory rebellion over Brexit gathered momentum today as Jeremy Corbyn committed Labour to campaign for Britain to remain in a pro-trade customs union with the EU.
Two more Conservative MPs signalled they were ready to defy Theresa May by voting for an amendment put down by former business minister Anna Soubry ordering ministers to negotiate a frictionless trade deal.
Speaking to the Evening Standard, Stafford Tory MP Jeremy Lefroy vowed to stand up against damage to jobs in his manufacturing constituency, while Eddisbury MP Antoinette Sandbach called for a pragmatic approach to Brexit and not an ideological one.
In a keynote policy change this morning, Mr Corbyn urged MPs across the Commons to unite behind a customs union.
Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn prepares to deliver his Brexit speech at the National Transport Design Centre / PA
I appeal to MPs of all parties prepared to put the peoples interests before ideological fantasies to join us in supporting the option of a new UK customs union with the EU that would give us a say in future trade deals, he said in a speech.
Mr Corbyn said he would not countenance any deal that left Britain as a passive recipient of rules set by the EU.
Speaking in Coventry, he said: Labour would seek to negotiate a new comprehensive UK-EU customs union to ensure that there are no tariffs with Europe and to help avoid any need for a hard border in Northern Ireland.
But we are also clear that the option of a new UK customs union with the EU would need to ensure the UK has a say in future trade deals.
Mr Corbyn said he would not countenance any deal that left Britain as a passive recipient of rules set by the EU
He argued that independent trade deals with China and other countries would not compensate for a significant loss of trade with the EU.
Brexit Secretary David Davis attacked Mr Corbyn in a tweet saying: Labours latest Brexit policy breaks their manifesto promises to voters. No new ability to strike trade deals, no control over trade remedies.
Foreign Seceratary Boris Johnson accused Mr Corbyn of flying a white flag to the EU.
He tweeted: Corbyns Brexit plan would leave U.K. a colony of the EU - unable to take back control of our borders or our trade policy.
White flag from labour before talks even begin.
Mrs May said she was open to a customs arrangement or union with the EU in her Lancaster House speech in January last year. However, the option was omitted from a paper last summer that put forward different plans.
Mr Corbyn also repeated his pledge to end freedom of movement after Brexit. But he ruled out bogus immigration targets, such as the Governments 100,000 ceiling.
Other senior Tories backed a customs union. Tory MP Sarah Wollaston said: A customs union or arrangement is in all our interests.
Jonathan Djanogly said without it there could be red tape and lorries queuing in Dover. DUP Brexit spokesman Sammy Wilson MP said his bloc of 10 MPs would vote against one.
B ritish holidaymakers were left stranded at airports in the Canary Islands after flights were disrupted by a severe storm.
Furious holidaymakers vented their anger after being forced to sleep on the floor at airports when they were not provided with alternative accommodation.
More than 70 flights were affected when the popular Spanish islands were hit by strong winds and heavy rain on Sunday, according to Spanish state broadcaster RTVE.
Aircraft were forced to divert to the Canary Island of Fuerteventura as well as Faro, Portugal and Marrakesh, Morocco as they were unable to land on Tenerife and Lanzarote.
Around 1,000 passengers spent the night at Fuerteventura airport, according to local media.
Jason Wilkinson, 30, from London, has been stranded at the airport for 21 hours with his pregnant girlfriend after their Thomas Cook Airlines flight to Lanzarote was diverted.
He said they slept on the floor in the terminal building among several families with babies and children.
Mr Wilkinson said he was able to book a hotel room nearby despite being told by Thomas Cook that none were available.
But he was unable to retrieve his bag and was not permitted to leave the airport.
"I wasted my money," he said. "I don't even know where to begin in terms of getting compensated for this utter mess."
He added that his girlfriend needed folic acid pregnancy tablets from her suitcase, while other families are unable to access their medication and nappies for babies.
Tui customer Teri McGuinness has been stuck at Tenerife South Airport for more than 15 hours.
The hairdresser from Essex described the situation as an "absolute joke", and complained that she was unable to find anyone representing the company.
In a Twitter message to the firm, she wrote: "Having your customers sleep on the floor rather that put them up in accommodation is shocking!"
Thomas Cook Airlines said it was "very sorry" for the inconvenience caused by flights being diverted due to bad weather.
A spokeswoman for the tour operator said hotel accommodation could not be found for all affected passengers due to the large number of people at airports.
Customers who spent the night at the airport were given food and drink vouchers and the firm's ground handling agents were there to provide support and answer questions, she said.
Thomas Cook Airlines expected Monday's flight schedule to operate as planned but warned "small delays" may occur.
A Tui spokesman apologised for the disruption to flights, adding: "Due to the amount of flights disrupted in Tenerife we were unable to find accommodation for our passengers, so welfare was issued instead."
A spokesman for travel trade organisation Abta said: "Where customers have been delayed or had their flights cancelled they will be entitled to welfare under EU regulation 261, which requires airlines to provide refreshments appropriate to the length of the delay and accommodation if required for longer delays.
"Customers whose flights had been diverted will be entitled to the same welfare."
Iran is backing the continued air and artillery attacks on Eastern Ghouta but Syrian president Bashar al-Assads other principal backers, the Russians, are supporting them with reluctance.
Despite Russia signing up to Sundays Security Council Resolution for an immediate 30-day ceasefire to open up a humanitarian corridor into the two main enclaves, neither Moscow nor anyone else appear to have lifted a finger.
The commander of the Tiger Commandos, who are leading the Syria regime ground forces, says they are not covered by the ceasefire and have no intention of complying.
Two of the rebel groups in East Ghouta, Faylaq al-Rahman and Jaish al-Islam, have said they would abide by the UN ceasefire terms.
All five of the main rebel groups there want to bring strict Sharia law to Syria.
Moscow is backing Assad up to a point, and for a limited period. It will not put troops on the ground in numbers, nor does it want to be involved in subsidising a reconstruction programme. With Iran now the key Assad ally, the international aspect of Syrias civil war seems set to widen, and become more dangerous.
I vanka Trump has slammed a journalist for asking inappropriate questions about accusations of sexual misconduct made against her father.
Donald Trump has been accused of sexually assaulting several women before he became US President claims he has strenuously denied.
In an interview with NBC News, his daughter Ivanka was asked to address the accusations made against her father.
She told the reporter that he would not have asked many other daughters such a question and said she believed she reserved the right to believe her father.
The interview was aired on Monday to coincide with the end of the Winter Olympics in South Korea.
Ms Trump had visited the sporting event in her official role as the US Presidents assistant and met with the President of South Korea.
In the discussion, reporter Peter Alexander asked her: Do you believe your fathers accusers?
Interview: She also said her father's suggestion of arming teachers is an option worth discussing / NBC
To which she replied: "I think it is a pretty inappropriate question to ask a daughter if she believes the accusers of her father when he has affirmatively stated that there is no truth to it.
She went on to say: I don't think that's a question you would ask many other daughters.
"I believe my father, I know my father, she added. So I think I have that right as a daughter to believe my father."
Rachel Crooks, who is one of the women who claims Mr Trump forcibly kissed her in 2006, tweeted: "I understand the unfortunate position someone would be in to have to admit their father is a misogynist and a sexual predator, but those who remain complicit in his actions are also part of the problem."
The President repeatedly threatened to sue women accusing him of assault but he has not done so.
J ennifer Lawrence has shut down rumours that she had a relationship with Chris Pratt.
Back in 2016, rumours circulated that the two Passengers co-stars had an affair while he was still married to Anna Faris.
Speaking to KISS FM, Lawrence said: I never had an affair with Chris Pratt on Passengers.
Thats a good one I mean they got a divorce like two years later and everybody was like [shouting] Jennifer Lawrence! And I was like what the what Im in Montreal two years later.
Linked: Rumours circulated about the Passengers co-stars / Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images
The 27-year-old was targeted by online trolls when Pratt and Faris announced their split after eight years of marriage.
In a joint statement the Hollywood couple said: Anna and I are sad to announce we are legally separating. We tried hard for a long time, and were really disappointed.
Jennifer Lawrence: Red Sparrow is the 'perfect movie' for women right now
Our son has two parents who love him very much and for his sake we want to keep this situation as private as possible moving forward.
We still have love for each other, will always cherish our time together and continue to have the deepest respect for one another.
Rumours of a potential dalliance between Pratt and the Red Sparrow star were sparked years ago, with reports saying Pratt was enamoured.
K im Kardashian has opened up about her anxieties over using a surrogate, revealing she feared she would not care as much for new born daughter Chicago.
Kardashian admitted she had some reservations about the process, saying she would have rather done it on my own.
Speaking to sister Khloe on Keeping Up With The Kardashians, shot ahead of Chiacagos birth, she said: Even though I will appreciate not having to gain the weight and then lose the weight, I so would have rather have done it on my own.
The 37-year-old TV personality gained 52 lbs during her first pregnancy with daughter North and 60 lbs while carrying her son Saint.
She continued: I just hope I care as mucheveryone says its like no different. I still would have rather done it myself.
But her worries were soon put to rest following the birth of Chicago who she welcomed in January.
Boasting over the new born on Saturday, she tweeted: The sweetest! Best baby! She looks a tiny bit like North and a tiny bit like Saint but definitely her own person!
The news comes days after Kardashian was slammed for sharing racy snaps on social media, with critics telling her to tend to your baby as they accused her of neglecting her parenting duties.
One user commented: Arent you a mother of a newborn? Baby probably needs some attention (sic).
Kim Kardashian and Kanye West's baby is pictured for the first time
Another wrote: You should be tending to your new baby instead of trickin so hard.
A third posted: Whats with these over the top pics? No baby to be seen, maybe she should look after Chicago and stop taking pics.
Keeping Up With The Kardashians continues Sunday, 9pm on E!
K im Kardashian has debuted her new pink locks in public after jetting into Japan.
The reality TV star, 37, was spotted with bubblegum tresses after landing in Haneda International Airport, Tokyo on Monday.
It came hours after she shared a series of posts on her Twitter account asking if her fans liked her new pink hair, with a matching Snapchat filter.
Kardashian, who is married to Kanye West, then shut down any speculation that it was a fake wig by saying: I dont really do wig. Its real.
Bubblegum: The Kardashian sister debuted her new hair / Aflo/REX
She debuted the new look days after telling fans she has tired of her blonde hair. She tweeted: I cant even tell you how over my blonde hair I am!
Kardashian touched down in Japan with her sisters Kourtney and Khloe, who is pregnant with her first child.
Kim recently welcomed her third child, Chicago, with her rapper husband via a gestational carrier.
The couple chose to use a surrogate after Kims placenta accreta caused serious complications during her previous labours with daughter North, four and son Saint, two.
(Aflo/REX) / Rex Features
In the latest episode of Keeping Up With The Kardashians, she admitted to Khloe that she feared she would not care as much about her new baby.
She said: Even though I will appreciate not having to gain the weight and then lose the weight, I so would have rather have done it on my own.
I just hope I care as mucheveryone says its like no different. I still would have rather done it myself.
Kim is yet to share a snap of the young infant, but fans caught a glimpse of baby Chi in Kylie Jenners pregnancy reveal video.
N icole Scherzinger has posted a picture defying gravity with an amazing pilates pose.
The X Factor judge boasted her trim physique as she reached new heights with her gymnastic abilities.
The Instagram post showed the star doing the splits upside down while in a pilates class in Dubai on Monday.
Scherzinger, 39, posed in khaki green workout gear that highlighted her incredible strength.
She captioned the picture: My first #Pilates reformer and its in #Dubai!
Fans were left in awe by the post, with one saying: YASSSSSS NICOLE OMG.
Another wrote: Wow you are amazing, I wish I had your strength.
A third said: Youre just too gorgeous for words.
Others gushed: Looking so flexible and toned.
B ollywood actress Sridevi Kapoor died of accidental drowning according to a Dubai forensics report.
The 54-year-old was found in a bathtub in her hotel room in Dubai on Saturday.
According to Gulf News, an official said: The investigation is still going on to determine the circumstances surrounding the accident as the forensic report only says that she drowned.
The publication reports this could cause a delay in the repatriation of her body.
Bollywood actress Sridevi dies aged 54
It had previously been reported that Kapoor died of a cardiac arrest while attending a family wedding in Dubai.
Tributes flooded in from Bollywood stars including Priyanka Chopra, who tweeted: I have no words. Condolences to everyone who loved #Sridevi. A dark day. RIP.
Actor Akshay Kumar tweeted: A dream for many, had the good fortune of sharing screen space with her long ago and witnessed her continued grace over the years.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi also paid tribute, posting: She was a veteran of the film industry, whose long career included diverse roles and memorable performances.
Kapoor was one of Bollywoods first female superstars, and had 300 film titles to her name through a career spanning five decades.
Tributes: Bollywood stars paid tribute to Sridevi Kapoor / EPA
She was also awarded the Padma Shri, Indias fourth-highest civilian honour in 2013.
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The US Africa Command (AFRICOM), which was created in 2007 to rival its geo-political military structure counterparts the US Central Command (CENTCOM) and Southern Command (SOUTHCOM) as a modern version of the British East India Company lording over an assigned swath of continental territory, has turned out to be a gigantic failure and a total waste of taxpayers money.
AFRICOM, unlike its equivalents in Tampa, Miami, Honolulu, and Stuttgart, never managed to have its own distinct headquarters but has been forced to share its location in Stuttgart with the US European Command (EUCOM). AFRICOM is located at Kelley Barracks, the former headquarters of Nazi Germanys 5th Air Signal Luftwaffe Regiment. AFRICOM does not have responsibility for Egypt, which falls under the umbrella of CENTCOM.
Although a few African countries offered up headquarters for AFRICOM, the majority of members of the African Union balked at a permanent US military presence on the African continent. One planned location was near the port city of Tan Tan in southern Morocco, near the border with the Moroccan-occupied disputed former Spanish colony of Western Sahara. In fact, Tan Tan strategically sits between two former Spanish colonies, Western Sahara and the former Spanish enclave of Ifni.
The aborted plans for the Tan Tan base were hammered out between Morocco's military intelligence service and the Directorate General for External Security (DGED) and the Office of Defense Operation at the US Embassy in Rabat. The Morocco base option, which would have cost $50 billion in construction and start-up costs, has been replaced by a system that transports US troops and support personnel to various African countries for temporary duty as trainers, facility builders, and intelligence gatherers. Among the responsibilities of AFRICOM is stability operations in Africa, which the Pentagon cites as a core US military mission. This mission is bolstered by the presence of what the Pentagon calls Cooperative Security Locations or lily pads. Lily pads include stored caches of weapons, vehicles, and other hardware and are often supplemented by new airfields that can accommodate military aircraft and remotely-piloted vehicles. Lily pads have been constructed in Algeria, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Chad, Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, Gabon, Ghana, Kenya, Liberia, Mali, Mauritania, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Sao Tome and Principe, Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Somalia, Tunisia, Uganda, and Zambia.
There has been a proposal for AFRICOM to establish a US Gulf of Guinea Command headquartered in Sao Tome. The command would be responsible for protecting US oil and natural gas companies operating in the region. Although the Gulf of Guinea Command was never established, AFRICOM conducts the annual Obangame Express, which includes maritime security training for forces from Angola, Benin, Cameroon, Cote d'Ivoire, Democratic Republic of Congo, Congo, Cabo Verde, Gabon, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Equatorial Guinea, Liberia, Morocco, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Sao Tome and Principe, and Togo.
Although AFRICOM is mandated to conduct stability operations, there is evidence that the command has engaged in fomenting military coups in Africa. In 2009, a group of Guinean army officers who attempted to assassinate Guinea's President, Captain Moussa Dadis Camara, were operating under orders of US Special Forces assigned to the US Africa Command (AFRICOM) and French military intelligence personnel. Camara, himself, seized power in a December 2008 coup in following the death of Guinea's President Lansana Conte.
Camara had apparently signed a deal with China for that nation to take over bauxite mining contracts from US and French companies with the promise that China would refine bauxite into aluminum by building a factory in Guinea. The Americans and French previously exported raw bauxite to smelters abroad. The offer of the Chinese to smelter bauxite in Guinea, with the promise of well-paying jobs for the impoverished nation, was too much for France and the United States and a "hit" was ordered on Camara, using assets in the Guinean military trained by AFRICOM in Guinea, Germany, and the United States.
The National Security Agency, Americas top signals intelligence (SIGINT)-gathering agency, has invested hundreds of millions of dollars in training intercept operators in a number of languages, including those spoken in Africa. AFRICOM has operated a redundant and dual linguist training program, mirroring the NSA program. AFRICOM has spent millions needlessly duplicating the NSA in training speakers and to be fluent in Bemba, Bete, Ebira, Fon, Gogo, Kalenjin, Kamba, Luba-Katanga, Mbundu/Umbundu, Nyanja, Sango, Sukuma, Tsonga/Tonga, Amharic, Dinka, Somali, Tigrinya, and Swahili. This is just one of many examples by which AFRICOM has served as a complete waste of money in duplicative efforts undertaken by other government agencies and elements.
The June 4, 2017 strangling death in Bamako, Mali of US Army Green Beret Staff Sgt. Logan Melgar by two US Navy SEALs, all deployed under AFRICOMs direction, was linked to Melgars discovery that the two Navy personnel were pocketing official funds used by AFRICOM to pay off informants in the West African country. The fraud was yet another example of the culture of malfeasance present among AFRICOMs ranks.
Such malfeasance was highlighted in 2012 when AFRICOMs first chief, General William Kip Ward, was demoted from full general to lieutenant general. It was discovered that Ward used his top position at AFRICOM for unauthorized expenses and lavish travel, including a stay at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in McLean, Virginia, the Fairmont Hamilton Princess Hotel in Bermuda, and Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in New York. Ward traveled with his wife, along with as many as thirteen assistants on several trips, including to Burkina Faso, Senegal, Rwanda, Madagascar, Namibia (where Ward stayed at the Windhoek Country Club), Djibouti, Ethiopia, Democratic Republic of Congo, Uganda, and France with only a few days out of the total itinerary reserved for official business. On some of the trips, Ward accepted meals from businessmen angling for AFRICOM contracts.
Annual AFRICOM training exercises bear titles like African Lion, Flintlock, Cutlass Express, Justified Accord, Phoenix Express, Unified Focus, Unified Accord, and Shared Accord. The exercises involve millions of dollars in travel and lodging costs, all of which provide the opportunity for the type of fraud, waste, and abuse carried out by AFRICOMs first commander.
In October 2017, four US Army personnel were killed by insurgent forces near the village of Tongo-Tongo in Niger. The Pentagon never adequately explained what sort of training mission the Army personnel were carrying out with Nigerien military forces. In February 2016, AFRICOM special forces personnel just happened to be on the scene of an Islamist terrorist attack on the Radisson Blu hotel in Bamako. The previous month, other AFRICOM special forces personnel were on the seen as a reported Islamist terrorist cell attacked the Hotel Splendid and the nearby Ukrainian-owned Restaurant Cappuccino in Ouagadougou, the capital of Burkina Faso. The Bamako and Ouagadougou attacks were similar to the destabilization attacks carried out by right-wing and fascist forces in Western Europe during the Cold War. The false flag attacks were blamed on left-wing groups but orchestrated by the Central Intelligence Agency and NATO as part of Operation Gladio and associated covert programs.
AFRICOM primarily exists as a cover for the Pentagon to protect private US economic interests in Africa and ensure that African governments adhere to a pro-US line. However, AFRICOM is being eclipsed by Chinas growing influence in Africa, which is welcomed by many African nations. Chinas soft power entry into Africa makes AFRICOM a bigger waste of money.
On Feb.23, the US Treasury Department announced the introduction of sanctions on 56 shipping vessels and entities accused of illicit trading with North Korea. The pressure intensification pursues the goal of compelling Pyongyang to give up its nuclear program. Today, almost all ships used for trade with that country are under the restrictive measures, including ship-to-ship transfers.
Its timing that is important. The move is taken at a time the Winter Olympics are being hosted by South Korea. The event is used for easing tensions and launching dialogue between Seoul and Pyongyang.
Gradually, Washington is edging closer to the imposition of an economic blockade enforced by the US Navy. If the sanctions dont work, well have to go Phase 2, President Trump said, obviously meaning the use of force. Phase 2 may be a very rough thing, he warned.
Washington appears to be serious about its intent to go really far. In December, 2017, the US tried to insert a provision into the resolution on Pyongyang that would permit to hail and board North Korean ships in international waters. In January, Defense Secretary James Mattis said the US military had prepared a North Korea war plan. According to leading American experts on nuclear issues, Pyongyang may have as many as 20 nuclear warheads.
US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin says his country will sanction anyone who does not comply with the restrictive measures it imposes. But only the UN-endorsed sanctions are mandatory. If Russia or China imposed sanctions against a country the US maintains trade ties with, would it agree to comply?
There is another aspect of the problem to be paid attention to. US lawmakers are not biding time. The legislation has already passed the House of Representatives. This is a very dangerous legislation that few people remember about. It not only the calls for being as tough as can be but also includes inspection authorities over the sea ports of Russia, China, Iran and Syria (Section 104). The legislation mentions the Russian ports of Vladivostok, Nakhodka and Vanino. It authorizes US Secretary of Homeland Security to search any vessel or aircraft that have used North Korean airports or seaports to make them subject to nothing less than seizure and forfeiture! The bill openly dictates that other countries must comply with US laws.
And the proposed surveillance of sovereign ports in the Russian Far East! If enforced, it would not only grossly violate international law but also constitute an act of war. But how could lawmakers approve it? Will US senators be wise enough to realize that Russia, China or Iran compliance with these provisions is as realistic as a dog observing a barking ban?
One more thing to emphasize. There had been no real bipartisan debate before the Act was voted by the House. It was handled under a suspension of the rules procedure, which is normally applied to noncontroversial bills. It helped to make it pass with only one no vote.
The UN Security Council has never delegated the authority to inspect other countries vessels or seaports to the US. The 1994 Memorandum of Understanding on Port State Control in the Asia-Pacific Region describes in detail the procedures in question. No country has special rights to get onboard of other countries ships.
An attempt to board a foreign ship would be a hostile act with unpredictable consequences. Russia and China will certainly counter such activities. But the US Navy will have to do it, once the legislation becomes law. The representatives who endorsed it were fully aware of what it might lead to but they did what they did. It reflects the mentality of those who are responsible for shaping US foreign policy as members of Congress.
And the new sanctions just announced by the administration, who are they aimed at? Probably, ordinary people instead of those who are responsible for the nuclear tests.
The problem is the reluctance of American politicians to perceive reality. The days when the US could do it alone are gone. Only an international effort can solve the North Korean problem. Unilateral actions are fraught with provoking conflicts not because other countries sympathize with or support North Korea but because they have no choice but stand up to the US challenge to remain sovereign nations. Its time for the US to change mentality and stop behaving like a bull in a china shop.
In the past, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) justified its militarization of large swaths of Eastern Europe by pointing to the omnipresent threat of terrorism, or some 'rogue' foreign state, inherently understood to be Iran. Today the mask has slipped and it is no longer denied that NATO's primary target is Russia.
But first, a trip down nightmare lane. The road to ruin at least as far as US-Russia relations were concerned began immediately following the 9/11 terror attacks. Three months after that fateful day, in December 2001, George W. Bush informed Vladimir Putin that the US was withdrawing from the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty, a strange move considering that the treaty had kept the peace between the nuclear superpowers since 1972. This geopolitical "mistake," as Putin rightly defined it, allowed the US to begin the process of deploying a missile defense system, smack on the border with Russia, allegedly to shield the continent against an attack by Iran. Never mind the fact that Tehran had absolutely no reason, not to mention the wherewithal, to carry out such a suicidal mission. But Washington has never been one to let facts get in the way of a forced move on the global chess board.
Thus, the Bush administration advocated on behalf of a land-based missile defense system with interceptors based in Poland and a radar station in the Czech Republic. However, due to serious objections from Russia, not to mention the apprehensive citizens of the host countries, the plan had reached an impasse in 2008 just as Obama was replacing Bush in the White House. Some would call that impeccable timing. What happened next can only be described as a devious sleight of hand on the part of Washington.
In September 2009, the Nobel Peace Prize winner, Barack Obama, announced to great fanfare that the US would "shelve" the Bush plan. This announcement was received in Moscow and beyond as a sign that America's first black president was truly the real deal when it came to working on behalf of global peace. Suddenly, it appeared that the Bush reign of error had been an ugly anomaly, a bad eight-year dream. That grand illusion lasted for about as long as it took to read that sentence.
Barack Obama, the man who had seduced the global masses with his velvety albeit telepromoted delivery, shifted gears the very next day, announcing that the US would be deploying, in four phases, sea-based SM-3 interceptor missiles in Eastern Europe instead. An opinion piece in the New York Times, penned by then Secretary of Defense Robert M. Gates, provided all the information to understand that the world had been hoodwinked.
"Steady technological advances in our missile defense program from kill vehicles to the abilities to network radars and sensors give us confidence in this plan," Gates wrote. "The SM-3 has had eight successful tests since 2007, and we will continue to develop it to give it the capacity to intercept long-range missiles like ICBMs. It is now more than able to deal with the threat from multiple short- and medium-range missiles a very real threat to our allies and some 80,000 American troops based in Europe that was not addressed by the previous plan."
"We are strengthening not scrapping missile defense in Europe," he concluded.
With the benefit of hindsight and common sense, it seems that Washington's plan from the start was to move forward with the sophisticated SM-3 system; the bulky Bush initiative just provided the necessary distraction to usher in the advanced Obama plan, which presents a major threat to the global strategic balance.
But all that is ancient history compared to what is happening today. Under the guise of 'Russia aggression,' a concept that was peddled to the unsuspecting masses based on the fake news of a Russian 'invasion' of Ukraine and Crimea, compounded by claims that Russia somehow swayed the 2016 US presidential elections, US-led NATO has dropped all pretensions and declared open season on Russia. Combined with Donald Trump's empty threat that the US would exit NATO if member states did not start spending more on defense (2 percent of annula GDP), Eastern Europe has become a veritable hothouse of paranoia-driven militarization.
In what the Kremlin has described as the greatest amassing of military assets on its border since World War II, NATO troops and hardware have set up camp from as far north as Estonia, down through Latvia and Lithuania, into Romania and Poland, where the rotation of US troops is now standard operating procedure.
Meanwhile, massive military games aimed at deterring the Russian bogeyman continue unabated on Russia's border. In April, British journalist Neil Clark described just one of these exercises, dubbed Summer Shield. The NATO military exercises "got underway at the Adazi military base. Soldiers from Latvia, the US, Bulgaria, Estonia, Canada, Lithuania, the UK, Luxembourg, Romania, Slovakia, Germany and also non-NATO member Sweden are taking part in the drills," Clark wrote.
He then went on to make a rather unsettling yet accurate observation: "Todays mantra regarding 'Russian aggression' is the 2003 equivalent of 'Saddams Weapons of Mass Destruction,' to be repeated ad nauseum by anyone supporting NATOs Drang nach Osten. And like the WMD claim, its based on zero evidence."
Such reckless behavior would have been difficult to fathom less than a decade ago.
But these are brave new times, and American madness has settled upon the realm of foreign relations like a noxious cloud, forcing client states to crack open their tattered wallets or be left out in the cold when the big, bad Russian bear comes a knocking.
Consider the case of Romania, one of Europe's poorest countries. Prompted by Donald Trump's warning that North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) members must fork over 2 percent of their GDP on military spending, Bucharest just made a down payment on a $1 billion American-made M142 HIMARS (High Mobility Artillery Rocket System), as well as four new multi-function corvettes.
Romanian Defence Minister Mihai Fifor told Janes that these exorbitant purchases would improve Romanias national and allied defense capability and emphasized that Romanias commitment to the 2% of GDP spending cap for the next 10 years is strong.
Prime Minister Viorica Dancila said, We want those procurement programs to also strengthen our defence industry based on offset arrangements where possible.
This was not the first American military incursion into Romania under the guise of guarding against Iran and other alleged rogue players.
In May 2016, the US activated its $800 million missile shield in Romania, which Russia obviously views as a direct threat.
At the moment the interceptor missiles installed have a range of 500 kilometers, soon this will go up to 1000 kilometers, and worse than that, they can be rearmed with 2400km-range offensive missiles even today, and it can be done by simply switching the software, so that even the Romanians themselves wont know, Vladimir Putin told reporters during a visit to Greece in May 2016.
We have been saying since the early 2000s that we will have to react somehow to your moves to undermine international security. No one is listening to us, Putin warned.
It remains to be seen how long NATO tone deafness will continue before the militarization of Eastern Europe gets completely out of control and the situation becomes untenable. Or perhaps the point of no return has already come to pass and, fait accompli, we are merely enjoying an illusory calm before the storm.
In January 2018 China introduced an army version of their Z-18 naval helicopter called the Z-18A. China has been working on this particular design since the 1980s, when China began producing (under license) the French SA321. The license also included the French Turbomeca Turmo 3C engines which the Chinese produced as the WZ-6. China insists that the Z-18is a Chinese design and not a copy of the SA321. To a certain extent China is correct. While the Z-18 (and earlier Z-8) and civilian version (AC313) share the same shape, weight and three engine configuration as the SA321 the latest Chinese version makes user of many lightweight composite or titanium materials in the airframe and their latest version of the French engines (WZ-6C) are apparently more powerful than the French original and about as reliable. Details of the licensing agreements are not made public but apparently China still honors them to some extent because the AC313 has been offered for export sale. France could block that with litigation and that alone would encourage the Chinese to keep their license deal up to date or at least still acceptable to the owners of the technology.
Meanwhile France retired the last of its SA321 Super Frelon helicopters in 2010. The French Navy had wanted to retire the SA321s since the 1990s, as these choppers date from the 1960s. This finally became possible when, in 2008, it was revealed that a third of the SA321s were unavailable for service because of age related maintenance issues. Then it was revealed that the SA321s also tended to fail at inopportune times in the combat zone.
Only 99 SA321s were built (plus hundreds of Chinese copies), and most were used by nine different nations they were exported to. Designed as a naval helicopter, most ended up serving as troop and cargo transports. The SA321 is a three engine, 13 ton aircraft with a crew of five and a capacity of 27 passengers. Naval versions were often armed (for anti-submarine worl) with four torpedoes or (for surface warfare) two anti-ship missiles, plus a 20mm autocannon. Endurance was four hours. The SA321 keeps flying, especially in China, where the Chinese version has been improved with new materials (the composites) modern electronics and more powerful engines.
China bought some SA-321s in the early 1970s, and by 1976 were working on reverse engineering them and producing their own, illegal, version. The first flight of the SA-321 clone (called the Z-8) took place in 1985. But only about twenty of the Z-8 have been built since then. Too many technical problems, plus the French were none too happy about this bit of theft, and made their displeasure known to the Chinese as well as some willingness to bargain. While negotiating China persisted and in 2010 the Z-8B was in production. At that point only a dozen were built. A more powerful engine, and hundreds of technical improvements, have still not produced a chopper the Chinese army was willing to pay for. The navy was happy with the original SA-321s, and the Z-8 clones, but these operated at sea level.
China persisted and the AC313 soon appeared with improved engines and much improved performance. The AC313 soon showed up as the Z-18. While similar in appearance to the Z-8, the Z-18 was heavier (13.8 tons) and could carry up to 30 personnel or four tons internally and five tons externally. The engines were powerful enough for the Z-18 to operate at high altitudes (as in Tibet). This convinced the Chinese army, which has added electronics that enable all-weather operation. The Z-18A is expected to eventually replace the Russian Mi-17s that have been the backbone of Chinese army aviation until now. The AC313 civilian version has attracted a lot of interest from potential foreign buyers.
For a long time China planned to partner with Russia to build helicopters in China using Russian tech. But it was clear that. While the Russian designs were useful the Western tech was better and the French were willing male deals. The key element in the French Connection was that France was one of the few countries that had developed modern aircraft engine design and manufacturing technology. The Chinese felt they could not trust the Russians to help with this and, besides, the French had better tech than the Russians.
Foreign aid groups are seeking $263 million from donors (the dozen or so nations that provide most of the aid money) for Mali in 2018. Even though most of this money will go for food and medical aid the amount of cash pledged will fall short of what has been requested. The reason is simple; continuing corruption and violence (tribal and Islamic terrorist) makes Mali a less attractive place to use scarce aid money. There is more demand than supply for aid money and donors want to use their money where it will do the most good, and be less likely to be stolen and erupt into another major scandal when the details of the theft get out. Mali is considered one of the least desirable places to send foreign aid because so much of it is stolen before reaching those it was meant for. Details are often not available until long after the crimes occurred. For example an audit of foreign aid sent to Mali in 2015 eventually (over a year later after overcoming considerable local lack of cooperation) detailed how one scam alone (involving fuel supplies) saw fifteen percent of British aid for 2015 disappear (and now in some untraceable foreign bank account). To add to the problem there are many risks to foreign aid staff (foreign or local) because of physical violence frequently used to carry out thefts. Mali security forces make it difficult for foreign investigators to collect evidence of corruption and a lot of the details come from personal experiences of locals who will talk to foreigners. In Mali the government is good at a few things, chief among them stealing foreign aid and concealing the evidence of who did what.
Then there is the violence against aid workers. Most of the attacks on foreign aid workers in Mali occur in the north where the aid is most needed. In 2017 there were more than twice as many such attacks compared to 2016 and that trend caused many aid groups to reduce or shut down aid operations. The end result is that aid groups, who face more demand than they can deal with, avoid the areas where most of their work is wasted. Mali has become one of the worst, although not the worst when it comes to corruption and the impact of that on aid and counter-terrorism efforts.
Not surprisingly corruption has gotten worse in Mali. On a global scale (Transparency International survey) Mali is 122 out of 180 countries for 2017 compared to 116 out of 176 in 2016 when it came dealing with corruption. African nations are the most corrupt, followed by Middle Eastern ones. Fixing an existing culture of corruption has proved a most difficult challenge. Somalia was rated the most corrupt nation in the world and has held that dubious distinction for a decade. But in Africa there are exceptions, like Botswana (a landlocked nation north of South Africa). In the Middle East Israel and the UAE are the exceptions.
Corruption in the Transparency International Corruption Perception Index is measured on a 1 (most corrupt) to 100 (not corrupt) scale. The most corrupt nations (usually Syria/14, South Sudan/12 and Somalia/9) have a rating of under 15 while of the least corrupt (New Zealand and Denmark) are over 85. The current Mali score is 31 (down from 32 in 2016) compared to 33 for Algeria, 71 for the UAE (United Arab Emirates), 62 for Israel, 61 for Botswana, 75 for the United States, 27 for Nigeria, 25 for Cameroon, 20 for Chad, 33 for Niger, 39 for Benin, 40 for Ghana, 43 for South Africa, 21 for Congo, 45 for Senegal, 40 for India, 73 for Japan, 37 for Indonesia, 54 for South Korea, 18 for Iraq, 40 for Turkey, 49 for Saudi Arabia, 28 for Lebanon, 30 for Iran, 15 for Afghanistan, 32 for Pakistan, 29 for Russia and 41 for China. A lower corruption score is common with nations in economic trouble and problems dealing with Islamic terrorism and crime in general.
The Terror
In Mali the Islamic terror groups already play a major role in the culture of corruption that has long been a major obstacle to economic, educational and social progress. That is why the original, largely Tuareg, rebellion of 2012 has, with the help of Islamic terror groups, spread to central Mali. That trend was not unexpected because the Islamic terrorism was already spreading from the north to central Mali because of cash poor Islamic terror groups needing to maintain smuggling routes. There was also a problem with the endemic friction between the Fulani tribes of central Mali and just about every other group they come into contact with. Like the Tuareg up north, the Fulani are a minority (about 14 percent of the population) and seen as outsiders by many other Mali tribes. There are some twenty million Fulani living in the Sahel (the semi-desert area south of the Sahara desert that stretches across northern Africa) and some of those in northern Nigeria got involved in Islamic terrorism via the Nigerian Boko Haram. News of that spread to other Fulani in the region and created a response. There are over two million Fulani in Mali and the name of a relatively new Islamic terror group in central Mali (FLM for Macina Liberation Front) openly identifies with the Fulani (Macina are the local branch of the Fulani). FLM became active in early 2015 and claimed responsibility for a growing number of attacks since. It started out with calls for Fulani people to live according to strict Islamic rules. That in turn led to violence against tribal and village leaders who opposed this. That escalated to attacks on businesses and government facilities.
FLM is composed mostly of young Fulani men and is associated with the older al Qaeda affiliate Ansar Dine. Although most Malians are Moslem, few want anything to do with Islamic terrorism and Boko Haram in Nigeria was seen as a major mistake and not welcome at all in Mali. Not so for the Fulani, whose violence in Nigeria was mostly against farmers, who were largely Christian. In Mali the Fulani clashed with farmers who were largely Moslem. Land and cattle were always important but Islamic terrorism, especially when it dominates a lucrative business (smuggling drugs, weapons and people) and welcomes recruits who know how to move around.
The Fulani have always seen themselves as a people apart, an attitude common with the nomadic peoples of the Sahel. The Fulani believe they originally migrated from North Africa and the Middle East. Fulani have lighter skin, thinner lips and straighter hair than other black Africans in sub-Saharan Africa and are also Moslem. Most sub-Saharan Africans are Christian or follow ancient local religions but in Mali nearly everyone is Moslem. Fulani have also been involved with smuggling for a long time, in large part because many are still nomadic and the Fulani dont really believe in borders. Al Qaeda continues to thrive in central and north Africa because the Islamic terrorists have taken over a lot of the smuggling operations and been attracting many Fulani recruits.
Fulani in general were the biggest supporters of the new JNIM (Jamaah Nusrah al Islam wal Muslimin, or Group for the support of Islam and Moslems) that was formed in early 2017. In part this was a reaction to the growing threat from ISIL (Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant) which is hostile to everyone who is not ISIL and will attack or recruit from the JNIM members AQIM (Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb), Ansar Dine, FLM and al Mourabitoun (an al Qaeda splinter group). Another reason for merger was to make it easier to pool resources (including information and advice) and coordinate with other Islamic terror groups in the area. This reduces friction and destructive feuding. Making a coalition like this work is always difficult, especially considering the importance of ethnic differences. The FLM is Fulani while the other groups are largely Tuareg, Arab and some are largely foreigners. Note that JNIM did not absorb all of AQIM or al Mourabitoun, just local groups that had long been identified with al Qaeda. Al Mourabitoun is believed to have largely rejoined al Qaeda. Internal politics for Islamic terror groups is a lot messier than these religious zealots like to admit. Thats mainly because each group believes they are uniquely qualified to be the supreme leader of all Islam. Coping with this aspect of Islamic radicalism has proved burdensome and ultimately becomes a major reason for Islamic terror movements to fail and fade away (via desertion and other forms of self-destruction). The new JNIM is more heavily influenced by its Fulani component and that is another reason for more attacks in central Mali, which has long been the scene of conflict with Fulanis. Largely because of the Fulani and JNIM there has been more Islamic terrorist activity in the last year and that has impeded reconstruction and foreign aid efforts. Add to that the existing culture of corruption, especially in southern Mali and you have an atmosphere that is hostile to good government, national unity or economic growth.
What Works
The regional G5 Sahel Joint Force is seen as a better peacekeeping solution because it consists of the best troops from Sahel nations (Mali, Mauritania, Burkina Faso, Niger and Chad) able to deal with Islamic terrorism throughout the Sahel. G5 just began operations in 2018 but so far G5 has been a rare success. Donors and supporters have responded. In the last week the EU (European Union) agreed to provide the G5 counterterrorism force with an additional $61 million. This means the G5 force now has over half a billion dollars in aid pledges. The idea for the G5 force has been around since 2015 but it was only by the end of 2016 that the countries involved agreed on the details. This included who would provide what in terms of the 5,000 soldiers and police needed and where they would be based. The G5 force will be stationed in three operational areas along with troops familiar with local conditions. Thus Sahel East would consist of troops from Chad and Niger. Sahel Central would be staffed by troops from Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso while Sahel West would mainly use troops from Mali and Mauritania. Some of the G5 force was operational by the end of 2017 and by early 2018 the G5 force has already taken part in several counter-terror operations, one of them in the area where the borders of Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso meet. A successful G5 Force would enable France to shrink and eventually disband the force of 4,000 French troops it has deployed in the Sahel since 2013 and reduce the 13,000 strong UN peacekeeper force in Mali. The recent appearance of ISIL in the area and the October 2017 attack on American Special Forces troops in Niger was related to building the G5 Force. The peacekeepers in Mali are mainly African and mainly stationed in the north and, increasingly central Mali where there is more Islamic terror group activity, not all of it violent.
Another success has been the peacekeeping force in Mali is the UN peacekeeper force, which is mainly in the north and has managed to prevent widespread violence. There are still feuds between Tuareg groups as well as various Islamic terrorist factions. The peacekeepers are often taken for granted but on a day-to-day basis they are the primary peacekeepers in the otherwise chaotic north.
Not everyone in the region has been so cooperative. Despite all this experience in fighting Islamic terrorism Algeria refuses to send troops to support any military operations outside Algeria, particularly in Libya or Mali. One can understand the reluctance to get involved with the civil war in Libya. Algeria does take sides. For example Algeria continues to side with Qatar in its feud with the other Gulf Arab oil states (and their allies, like Egypt and Israel). That means Algeria backs the UN faction in Libya while the UAE and most other Arab states do not. In any event counterterrorism is a big deal for Algeria because of the long borders they share with Libya and Mali. It is also a big deal for the UN, which considers Algeria the most successful North African nation when it comes to dealing with Islamic terrorism. Algeria has done well at guarding its Libyan and Mali borders but is keeping its troops at home no matter what. Mali is satisfied that their northern border with Algeria is, by local standards, pretty secure.
February 21, 2018: In the northeast (near the Niger border) two French soldiers on patrol were killed when their vehicle encountered a roadside bomb. JNIM claimed responsibility as it now tends to do for just about any Islamic terrorist violence in Mali. The one glaring exception is an ISIL affiliate that has operated in the north (around Gao) since 2011 and carries out attacks often enough to stay in the news. Calling itself ISGS (Islamic State in Greater Sahara) this outfit is led by Adnane Abu Walid al Sahrawi, a veteran (since the 1990s) Moroccan Islamic terrorist who joined MUJAO (Movement for Unity and Jihad in West Africa) in 2011 and was with them when they controlled Gao in 2012. MUJAO (also known as MUJWA) was from neighboring Mauritania, part of AQIM (Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb) and basically a Mauritanian faction of AQIM. The French chased AQIM out of northern Mali in 2013, or at least out of the urban areas. That led al Sahrawi to split from AQIM in 2015 and declare MUJAO part of ISIL. This led to fighting between his faction and AQIM. Then his association with ISIL was confirmed by ISIL in 2016 and he began to carry out attacks in Burkina Faso and recruit more heavily in Mali. To help with this he marries a Fulani woman in 2016 and established a base area in the northern Mali, southwest of Gao near the Burkina Faso border and Niger. IGIS carries on a feud with the pro-government Tuareg militias and took credit for attacking some American troops. Al Sahrawi was always known for his ability to handle foreign media and manipulate them to gain more attention (and thus more recruits and other support).
February 20, 2018: The United States has added Burkina Faso based AI (Ansaroul Islam) to its list of international Islamic terrorist groups. AI is now apparently part of JNIN and that seems to have provide addition resources to enable JNIN to claim credit for a growing number of attacks in Burkina Faso, which borders southeastern Mali. Burkina Faso is, like Mali, landlocked and has 17 million people (about 20 percent more than Mali). Burkina Faso also lacks the troublesome Tuareg/Arab minority in the north. Because Burkina Faso is south of Mali it also lacks the semi-desert north in Mali. That is where the Tuareg/Arab minority live. Burkina Faso also has more religious diversity with a quarter of the population being Christian and 60 percent Moslem. Moreover the Moslem population consists of several different schools of Islam, some of them quite hostile to Sunni Islamic terrorism as practiced by al Qaeda and ISIL. This more hostile atmosphere for Islamic terrorists may have something to do with AI joining JNIN. That also accounts for recent appearance of AI as part of terror attacks in central Mali.
February 17, 2018: In the northeast (near the Niger border) French forces clashed with a group of Islamic terrorists and killed at least ten of them. It was revealed that the dead Islamic terrorists were not from the same group as those killed near the Algerian border a few days ago.
February 14, 2018: In the north (Tinzaouaten, near the Algerian border) French forces clashed with a group of Islamic terrorists several times and killed ten of them (including a former Mali army colonel) and destroyed two trucks.
February 13, 2018: In the northeast French troops raided an Islamic terrorist camp and killed or captured 23 Islamic terrorists. This included senior leaders of Ansar Dine and al Mourabitoun. The night operation involved airstrikes and troops arriving via helicopter and ground vehicles. Operations continued into the 14th.
February 9, 2018: In central Mali (Mopti) a passenger vehicle hit a mine planted by Islamic terrorists and killed five civilians and wounded another 18.
January 28, 2018: In the northeast (near the Niger border) three soldiers died when their checkpoint was attacked.
January 27, 2018: In the north (outside Timbuktu) Islamic terrorists made a pre-dawn attack on an army base which left 14 soldiers dead and 18 wounded. There was a lot of damage to the camp which troops retreated from but then regained later in the day. The attackers had looted the camp of anything portable and useful.
January 25, 2018: In central Mali (near the Burkina Faso border) a passenger vehicle hit a mine planted by Islamic terrorists and left 26 civilians dead and several more wounded.
UPDATED 3.09PM: A student who made up a story sparked a police callout for an alleged gunman at Toi Ohomai Institute of Technology Windermere campus, says head of marketing and communications Meg Jones.
There is no gunman. There is a young student that has learning difficulties and hes a bit renowned apparently for coming out with these sort of things. So we will be monitoring that and figuring out how we deal with that.
Hes not supposed to watch TV because he picks up these sorts of things, but in this case he must have. We will try and contact his parents and see where we go from here.
Police were called to the campus about 10am on Monday after receiving reports about a man on campus with a gun.
They left after failing to find the gunman. SunLive was contacted by people concerned about the police presence.
It was a storm in a teacup, says Meg.
EARLIER:
Police have left Toi Ohomai Polytehcnics Windermere campus after being called to reports of a man with a gun today.
SunLive has been called by members of the public saying there are reports of a person with a gun being seen at the campus, but none of them actually saw the person themselves.
A reporter at the campus soon after 10am, was told police have been and gone.
A police spokesperson says police are making inquiries to establish what if anything is happening.
The next Kiwi jazz sensation could be unearthed in Tauranga this Easter, when a record 320 students vie for glory at the 41st National Youth Jazz Competition.
From March 28-30, 17 combos and 14 big bands from secondary schools across the country will strut their stuff on the Baycourt Community & Arts Centre stage looking to follow in the footsteps of past winners including Nathan Haines, Hollie Smith and Sacha Vee.
Part of the 56th National Jazz Festival, schools from as far south as Canterbury and as far north as Kerikeri will make the trip, with locals from Mount Maunganui College and Otumoetai College competing for the first time alongside fellow newcomers from Christchurchs St Andrews College and Hamiltons St Pauls Collegiate School.
For 41 years the National Youth Jazz Competition has showcased the hottest young jazz talent from across the country, says National Youth Jazz Competition director Liam Ryan.
This year we have been overwhelmed with registrations and a positive result of this is extending the competition across three days to showcase everyone.
A total of 18 individual trophies are up for grabs along with the three supreme awards, New Orleans Trophy for the Most Outstanding Big Band; Norman Family Trophy for the best Jazz Combo; and Best of Festival Trophy.
Pukekohe High School will be back to defend their 2017 New Orleans and Best of Festival trophies alongside 2017 Norman Family Trophy winners Lynfield College.
But they will have to hit the right notes again with plenty of stiff competition, including from local contender Tauranga Boys College, which is entering one big band and two combos.
Tauranga Boys College director of arts John Page says the competition is the perfect starting block for the school year, helping accustom the students to new music and partnerships while building towards an annual end of year tour performing at schools and rest homes.
Its a good catalyst to get the bands up and running. It allows us to delve into a form of music that the boys dont choose on their own and provides a holistic view on jazz styles and pieces, explains John.
Its really around giving the boys a much wider view of music.
John, part of the schools teaching staff for the past 17 years, says the school has a rich history with the competition involved since its inception 41 years ago, and sees it as integral to the future of jazz in New Zealand.
It is probably one of the most subscribed areas of music in New Zealand, jazz big bands and combos. A lot more schools have these groups than other forms of musical groups.
While the students are battling it out on stage, one of the National Jazz Festivals headline acts will hold the final say in who reigns supreme come the end of the week.
Dr Rodger Fox New Zealands foremost jazz trombonist sits as head judge and will be assisted by American bassist Dewayne Pate and saxophonist Dave Wilson.
We are thankful for these three jazz superstars giving up their time to help foster the vibrancy and enthusiasm that is youth jazz, says Liam.
The future of jazz is looking bright and we cant wait to see what talent is on show in 2018.
The 41st National Youth Jazz Competition runs from March 28-30. For details and tickets visit www.jazz.org.nz.
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In todays weather forecast we are expecting an overcast day with a few showers and northeast breezes.
Its a one-clothing layer day today with a high of 22 and an overnight low of 19 degrees.
Low tide is at 11.10am and high tide at 5.20pm. Theres a sea swell of 0.4m, sea temperature is 22 degrees and sunset tonight is at 7.56pm.
If youre going fishing today, the best fish bite time is between 9.30 and 11.30am.
This day in NZ history in 1951 troops were deployed in a waterfront dispute. The dispute was the biggest industrial confrontation in New Zealands history.
Although it was not as violent as the Great Strike of 1913, it lasted longer for five months, from February to July and involved more workers. At its peak, 22,000 waterside workers (wharfies) and other unionists were off the job.
In world history on this day in 425 a university was founded in Constantinople. In 1700 the Pacific Island of New Britain was discovered. In 1827 the first Mardi-Gras celebration was held in New Orleans.
In 1920 the United States rejected a Soviet peace offer as propaganda. In 1973 the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that a Virginia pool club couldnt bar customers because of colour.
In 1991 coalition forces liberated Kuwait after seven months of occupation by the Iraqi army.
Today is the birthday American novelist John Steinbeck who wrote Grapes of Wrath, Of Mice and Men, and my favourite book of his Sweet Thursday. Born in 1902 he once said "Only mediocrity escapes criticism."
To check out the activities on today, please go to our Whats on page.
Have a great day!
Bay of Plenty
You will be driving the Roller and also required to help out the team hands on. You will be working around Tauranga, for...
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The shooting at the school in Florida was devastating, and it appears clear that Russia has been manipulating public opinion in the U.S. to stoke the flames of a divisive argument on guns. What is being missed is a brewing problem that potentially could have an even more devastating impact.
Competing for our eyeballs is the news that the U.S. president kissed a woman without her permission. That story has served as a distraction from far more horrendous attacks against women in the tech industry and in government.
Intel showcased virtual reality at the Olympics, but almost no one cared. I think that deep learning and artificial intelligence either could make things far better or far, far worse and my fear is that we are moving toward the latter and away from the former. Ill explain and then close with my product of the week.
The Fake Gun Debate
At the heart of the gun debate is that it isnt about saving lives. Like most things, it is about power. One side wants to dictate to the other, regardless of whether it would save lives, and both sides are at fault.
The right is led by the NRA, which is basically a gun lobby pretending to support gun owners rights but instead is focused mainly on tactically maximizing gun sales (which eventually will backfire).
The other side is nearly as rabid about eliminating gun owners rights. All of this is going on when it is obvious that the attack could have been stopped if systems in the government that were designed to prevent the next 9/11 had worked. They didnt. The shooter was flagged and reported early, but even though law enforcement had the guys name, he wasnt stopped until after he had killed.
That means the massively funded data capture system put in place after 9/11 didnt work. It means that the U.S. primary defense against another foreign attack a system the government has been pretending will keep us safe is broken. Yet instead of focusing on fixing that, people are yelling back and forth on gun control, even though we know that the pro side is funded by folks who want to sell guns, and the con side is focused on taking away legal gun owners rights.
Neither side seems to get that this wont matter much if North Korea smuggles in a pocket nuke. If we couldnt even stop someone who posted on social media that his professional goal was to be a school shooter, how the hell are we going to stop the next terrorist attack?
What concerns me most is that Russia, who isnt exactly our buddy now, has been driving this wrong-headed argument. The implication is that it has a reason for keeping the U.S. internal detections systems broken, and Im pretty sure we should focus on finding out what that reason is before it executes.
The NRA Makes Arming Teachers Stupid
Im anything but anti-gun, but the idea of arming teachers is colossally stupid, for three reasons:
First, teachers tend to be liberal and liberals tend to be anti-gun. Forcing people to carry guns is no different, in terms of abuse of power, than forcing people to give up guns. It is simply the other side of an abuse of power.
Second, the government doesnt fund schools adequately at the moment, and many classrooms have been going without supplies. Defending a school would require high-quality (accurate) weapons and extensive training, which likely also would not be well funded.
Third, the kind of gun you would want a teacher to carry would be a smart gun that only the teacher could use. However, the NRA has been aggressive in blocking the creation and use of smart technology in guns because it would increase gun prices and slow gun sales and because places like New Jersey would require all guns be smart. This is likely my strongest example of why the NRA isnt pro-gun user but pro-gun seller. Smart guns, done right, would make it almost impossible for your gun to be used against you. They would decrease massively the time it would take in an attack to get to your gun (you wouldnt need to lock them up), and in a school situation, would prevent a teachers gun from being used by a student.
I do think putting unarmed security guards into schools just makes them targets. However, arming them isnt the answer either. I used to manage a bunch of armed security guards. I disarmed them after two guards, while messing with their guns in the bathroom, proceeded to shoot through several walls and kill a transformer.
Folks who are security guards are hardly SWAT level, and in a school with an active shooter, you need a ton of training to minimize collateral damage. The training is more important than the weapon. Without it, you havent solved a problem youve created another opportunity for dead kids. That just seems stupid to me.
As a side note, when I was a sheriff, we watched a film in which a lone gunman shot up something like 30 police officers. The after-action analysis pointed out that because the officers werent trained often enough or properly, the result was that the shooter took them out while they pretty much shot up the neighborhood. I dont think we want to recreate that experience in a school.
The Kiss
The tech industry has a massive sexual harassment and abuse problem, as I wrote last week. With stories of venture capitalists forcing women entrepreneurs to have sex in exchange for funding or in exchange for a promotion or just to keep their jobs, and with clearly unacceptable levels of sexual harassment, a lot of executives should be fired. This problem isnt unique to the tech industry. Reports coming out of government organizations like the USDA suggest that it is rampant in government as well. (Please buy and read Brotopia).
Yet rather than focus on women at risk today, the media has been enamored with the story of a woman who claimed she was kissed by President Trump against her will years ago, and she has been using her story to gain visibility and run for public office.
Im not saying what Trump did was right, and I clearly support women running for office as one approach that eventually could eliminate this problem. Still, the conflict of interest is so obvious that this effectively trivializes the problem.
On a degree-of-seriousness scale, an unwanted kiss from an old guy largely should fall into the noise against the backdrop of employment-connected rape. Of course, the far bigger problem we should be laser-focused on is whether the president is under the control of Russia.
As a side comment, what happened to the opposition research during the election? So much of what is now coming out about the president should have shown up in opposition research during both the primary and the election itself. The scary implication is that Russia might have been effective both at suppressing the information and then making sure it became public, with the obvious intent of making the U.S. government ineffective. That does seem like a waste of time and money, though, as it would seem just a tad redundant.
Wrapping Up: Avoiding Manipulation
U.S. citizens are being manipulated at an unprecedented scale, and the power struggles have been distracting from the real problems. The publics focus is being shifted from where it should be both at a macro level concerning things like the ineffectiveness of U.S. intelligence and law enforcement organizations, or sexual harassment at scale, and at a micro level concerning things like stock prices and technology.
This should be one of the primary areas of focus of our deep learning AI systems, and I think it is but sadly, it appears that most of the effort may be going toward the creation of systems that mislead us.
For instance, before another child was shot, we could model a school shooting with well trained and poorly trained teachers to make the point that the latter scenario would be brain dead stupid. However, neither side seems to care about this they only care about their argument prevailing. This is called argumentative theory, which basically states we would rather prevail than be right, and that sure doesnt bode well for the kids we should be trying to save.
The technology industry could do amazing things, but it also can do incredible damage. Too much of what many have spend their lives working to create has been used to do harm. Fixing that should be a higher priority than being distracted by the scandal of the moment.
So much of the information around us is fake, and so many of our arguments are stupid. AI could fix that problem at scale, but sadly that isnt yet a priority, while using technology to fool and manipulate us is. I expect that if this trend should continue, it will end badly.
One of the big problems with virtual and augmented reality, of VR/AR what we now call mixed reality, is that the headsets look stupid. No one likes to buy something that makes them look stupid.
That was one of the problems with 3D TVs. Folks hated the glasses because most of them made you look bad when you wore them. The Microsoft HoloLens actually looked comparatively good, but it was wicked expensive and it had a business focus.
What we needed was a consumer-grade headset that would look cool.
Well, Magic Leap stepped up and the Magic Leap One looks cool. It looks like something a character in Star Wars would wear, and I don t think that is a bad thing.
Magic Leap One
The Magic Leap One showcases that you can get a decent display, decent technology, and decent performance into a design that is attractive.
People just arent going to buy butt-ugly to put on their heads en masse, and Magic Leap now is the leading example that a mixed reality headset can look good.
We still need compelling content, but attractive hardware moves the ball forward and makes it more likely mixed reality will be a thing this decade. As a result, the Magic Leap One is my product of the week.
Instead of working for the recovery of Venezuelan assets blocked abroad, some opposition politicians seem to want the properties of the Bolivarian people to be controlled by foreign powers,... | Read More
The national construction union has been fined more than $100,000 for stopping two people from working on a Melbourne construction site because their union membership fees had not been paid.
The Federal Court of Australia on Monday fined union official Godwin Farrugia $10,000 and the CFMEU $95,000 after two people who were not financial members of the CFMEU were stopped from working on the Quest Apartments construction site in Melbourne in March 2014.
The Court found that CFMEU shop steward Godwin Farrugia asked two workers about their union membership saying: I can't let you work if you're not paid up.
The CFMEU march through the Brisbane CBD. Credit:Amy Remeikis
The court heard that one worker asked for an extra month to pay his fees because he had other bills to pay after not having worked for three months.
Australian company Spotless is facing legal action for allegedly breaching workplace laws when it failed to pay redundancy entitlements to workers it sacked.
The Fair Work Ombudsman has alleged Spotless Services Australia Limited contravened the Fair Work Act when it failed to pay a total of $29,013 in redundancy entitlements owing to three workers in documents lodged with the Federal Court.
Spotless faces maximum penalties of $25,500 to $51,000 for each contravention of the Fair Work Act.
The workers were among more than 30 that Spotless sacked in 2015 after its contracts to provide catering and hospitality services at Perth International Airport expired and were not renewed.
The Fair Work Ombudsman said it was also making inquiries into the company's failure to pay four women any redundancy payments after telling them they would be sacked this week.
Australias energy crisis is a puzzle that can be solved but it wont be simple and will require more than a few new power stations, EnergyAustralia head Cath Tanna says.
Ms Tanna recently joined Australias energy sector leaders Origin Energy head Frank Calabria, WA-based Quadrant Energy chief Brett Darley, and the federal environment and energy minister Josh Frydenberg at the Citi A50 Australian Economic Forum to discuss how Australia can evolve the energy landscape and overcome the current supply issues.
Ms Tanna said the energy crisis can be solved but it needed to be viewed as a system in transition rather than the basic problems of supply.
EnergyAustralia operates the Yallourn brown coal-fired power station in Victoria.
Im quite optimistic looking forward, and the reason why is because we have all the pieces of the puzzle, as a sector we know what all the things are that need to be put together, to resolve it for reliable and affordable energy in the future, Ms Tanna told Fairfax Media.
Vocus Group chief executive Geoff Horth has resigned, after the company's results for the first half of 2018 were described by analysts as "disappointing".
In a mutual agreement between Mr Horth and the board, chief executive succession plans have been brought forward.
Vocus chief Geoff Horth has resigned. Credit:Jason South
Vocus Group chairman Vaughan Bowen, in a statement to the Australian Stock Exchange, said Mr Horth had the wide-reaching respect and appreciation of the team after its most challenging chapter.
This included wrestling with the simultaneous tasks of integrating several large, complex businesses, combining different corporate cultures and while the Australian telco sector was under substantial structural upheaval, in light of the roll-out of the NBN & the exponential growth in demand for data networks, he said.
If one side decides not to disclose or provide evidence of their holdings, the divorce process becomes more expensive and time-consuming, and could result in the partner failing to get a fair share of assets. This can amount to a lot of money in the UK, which has a reputation of being a more sympathetic place to play out high-stakes divorces, because judges generally order a 50-50 split of assets, giving equal weight to the work of a wealth creator and a partner. Loading "It's creating another layer of distrust that we haven't had to deal with before," Jo Carr-West, a partner at London-based Hunters, said in an interview. "The public perception that there is a lack of a paper trail causes the anxiety." Offline currency Cryptocurrencies traded using an online exchange or bought with funds from a bank account can be easier to trace and value. But if a cryptocurrency is moved offline -- for example, if someone transfers their digital wallet onto a USB -- then it becomes more difficult. In this case, a digital forensics expert can be brought in to search through the spouse's email to determine what transactions have taken place. This is a slow process that can cost thousands - sometimes more than the currency itself is worth.
"Cryptocurrencies make things complex if you have a spouse who's determined to hold on to their money, same as if they were hiding assets overseas," Victoria Clarke, a solicitor at Stowe Family Law in the UK, said in an interview. "We have the tools to trace Bitcoin. The difficulty is that some lawyers don't necessarily understand it yet -- you need knowledge of the asset you're trying to get hold of." Loading But as lawyers learn more about Bitcoin, they're beginning to ask the right questions to find it. "It's now a standard part of our discovery process," Jonathan Fields, a partner at Fields and Dennis in Wellesley, Massachusetts, said in an interview. "I will make sure I've got the right language and questions to ensure a partner discloses their cryptocurrencies." The volatility problem
Cryptocurrencies also bring the problem of valuation. In December, bitcoin hit a high of nearly $US20,000, and less than two months later, had dropped to around $US6,000. This volatility makes it difficult to determine value as the price can fluctuate wildly within the course of a divorce. "It's not as straightforward as valuing your ordinary shares and investments," Vandana Chitroda, a partner at Royds Withy King , said in an interview. "There will have to be valuations made at every step in the proceedings. You would then have to agree a value on the date of the final hearing." Loading This means that although a partner could have built up a substantial crypto fortune when filing for divorce, it may have diminished by the time of settlement. One of Royds Withy King's three cryptocurrency cases involves an original investment of 80,000 pounds ($142,000) made by a spouse in November 2016. By December 2017, it had jumped to 1 million pounds, and is now worth 600,000 pounds. Such price shifts have led lawyers to suggest that clients not worry about fixing a valuation. The best course, they say, may be to ask to split the bitcoin itself and take the chances selling on an exchange.
New challenges The courts now have to address the effect of new technologies. Bitcoin was created in 2009, and so lawyers and judges are only beginning to witness the first instances of crypto-related splits. There's no existing case law to guide procedure, so new ways of handling the issue will be devised as hearings take place. Loading Furthermore, the court's usual methods of securing assets, such as issuing injunctions, can be difficult to administer with cryptocurrencies. "The courts are being faced with a challenge it doesn't have the power to deal with," Chitroda said. "The court can make a worldwide freezing injunction, but it's worthless if there's no centralized power to administer it."
Australia's Aboriginal people were the first known astronomers, the world's first known bread makers and pioneered ground-edge axe technology but you wouldn't know it from most historic accounts of early white settlement.
The colonial rush to document Indigenous practices and collect the weaponry of hunter-warriors served to reinforce deeply ingrained stereotypes, says Laura McBride, creator of the Australian Museum's inaugural festival of Aboriginal and Pacific Island cultures.
"People didn't walkabout," McBride said. "That's a myth. People moved systematically from place to place for a reason, be it for marriage ceremony or for trade. This country here, Gadigal country, had several large ceremonial sites where people would come from all over.
''What they like to do with us in history is make us savage or mystery. Not only is there a lack of information about the Aboriginal people, there is highly enforced false information. The teaching is not the hardest part it's the undoing of what has been learnt from a very young age for a long period of time."
Being a member of The Society of Sound-Mixing Oscar-Winning In-Law-Braggers also gives me a very special privilege: the authority to discuss sound-mixing matters without knowing anything about sound or how it gets mixed (for all I know they use one of those KitchenAid stand-mixers with a special attachment). So with the Academy Awards just a day away, here are my ill-informed but officially-allowed thoughts on this years best sound-mixing nominees.
Were a small but keen group of mildly-pathetic loudmouths who meet up regularly and just sit around, bragging about our Oscar-winning in-laws, or discussing their upcoming film projects, or comparing their work-photos, competing to see whose in-law has the pinkest and most inflamed-looking headphone-ears.
This time last year my brother-in-law Andy won an Academy Award for best sound-mixing for the movie Hacksaw Ridge - which was great for him, but even better for me because I got to join a very esteemed organisation. The Society of Sound-Mixing Oscar-Winning In-Law-Braggers (Australasian Branch).
Star Wars: The Last Jedi. I didnt actually see this film but if it's anything like the other Star Wars movies, Im guessing there are lots of pyeahhhh pyeahhhhh laser-shooting-noises, mixed with lots of zzzzzzzzzzzhippp door-opening noises whenever people are running to escape the pyeahhhh pyeahhhhhs. Also there would be slow, plodding clunkkk clunkkk noises every time characters had to reveal exposition through dialogue. Thats a clever sound-mixing in-joke. Might try it at our next get-together. The gang will love it.
'The Last Jedi' includes lots of laser-shooting noises.
Baby Driver. Didnt see this either, but I hear its about a getaway car driver who uses music to drown out his tinnitus, so the sound-mix would probably be thumping music, tyre screeches, and a high-pitched tinnitus whine, all melded into an immersive dynamic aural soundscape. Wow, I just impressed myself. This is why my society mates call me Sir Sound-Mix-a-Lot. Actually they dont. But I wish they would.
Blade Runner 2049. I saw this movie but unfortunately there was a bit of a mess-up. My beloved had a Gold Class gift card but we accidentally went into the regular cinema, so the sound-mix was mostly me leaning across to my beloved every 30 seconds, whispering, Where are our meals? ... Where are the waiters? ... Are we getting meals?. All mixed with the sound of me trying to push my chair back.
The Shape of Water. I saw this too. It was a romantic whimsical love story about a mute woman falling in love with a growling underwater monster, so it was pretty much all the sounds from the movie Amelie, mixed with the sound of raw pork being sucked through a bong.
Peter Bence "the world's fastest piano player" according to The Guinness Book of Records has enjoyed a stellar concert career in the past three years. Moscow one week, Zurich the next, Australian cities about to come.
Just put it down to a really "Bad" beginning, says the Usain Bolt of the keyboard.
Peter Bence. Credit:Dainius Putinas_
In June 2015, a hastily filmed YouTube video of Bence performing his arrangement of two Michael Jackson hits Bad and Smooth Criminal went viral. Timed to mark Jackson's death six years earlier, it amassed 10 million hits in the first week alone.
Since then, the Hungarian pianist and composer has built a massive following on YouTube and Facebook, with more than 300 million internet visitors.
The BBC has been accused of class bias by one of its own presenters, adding to a list of perceived prejudices that Britains national broadcaster needs to address.
Steph McGovern, the 35-year-old business editor of BBC Breakfast, has told The Sunday Times that pay disparity within the BBC was not as simple as a gender issue; its partly down to class.
There are a lot of women who do a similar job to me who are paid a hell of a lot more ... who are a lot posher than me.
McGovern, who was born and raised in the industrial city of Middlesbrough and speaks with a distinct north-eastern accent, said the BBC needed to do more to encourage working-class people to join its ranks.
We're not sure if there's an official models' union but if there was, they may have a thing or two to say about this.
Drones carry handbags as part of the Dolce & Gabbana women's Fall/Winter 2018 show in Milan. Credit:AP
On Sunday, Milan time, Dolce & Gabbana sent its new-season handbags down the runway on the arms (wings?) of drones.
But even more controversially, organisers of the show asked the crowd to switch off their phones' wi-fi so as not to interfere with the drone signal.
Both substance and behavioural addictions impact the way we process information. Over time, the brain rewires itself to seek out the reward it needs to gain pleasure or relief from stress. The more an addict seeks a specific reward that triggers both dopamine and other physiological effects (such as stress and pain relief), the more the brain decreases sensitivity to the reward circuits. To date, smartphone use has not led to mass accounts of severe mental dysfunction. So were unlikely to all be addicted to our smartphones, as we often tell each other. Rather than addiction, smartphone users more commonly report obsessive behaviour. Users constantly check their phone, seeking opportunities for a short dopamine reward, or a distraction from boredom or mundane tasks such as travelling on public transport. Nonetheless, some researchers have yet to rule out the potential for smartphone addiction in people who are at high risk of behaviour addiction. These people may experience several negative behavioural changes over time, such as anxiety and irritability, as well as extreme distress when theyre unable to access their smartphone. Recent studies in Switzerland have confirmed that people under the age of 18 are at risk of obsessive or addictive-like behaviours around their smartphone use, most likely due to poor impulse control related to their developing frontal lobe. This suggests that adults with poor impulse control and/or personality disorders may be more at risk for smartphone addiction.
The problem with social media The behavioural impact of smartphone social media use spans from obsessive behaviour (engaging in and checking smartphone apps until they no longer provide a rewarding dopamine hit) to behavioural addiction (compulsively seeking a dopamine hit via a reward provided by our phone). Loading The average user in the US spends around five hours a day on functional smartphone activities such as texting, social media use, internet searchers, phone calls; half that time is spent on social media (including texting). The specific functional use of our smartphone is what we need to look more closely at. Social media rewards users via likes, emoji use and social engagement with a large audience. The more people respond to a post, the more we gain a sense of enjoyment that people are validating our thoughts or interests.
Social media engagement, and constantly texting friends and family, may be more of a concern than the device on which it is used, because it does lead to dopamine increases, and thus, pleasure or stress relief. People are hard-wired to seek affirmation and acceptance in social settings. Before the rise of Facebook and Instagram, humans sought out one another via many settings for social engagement and social validation. So its no surprise that when we have the technology to extend our social connections into wider communities we do so without question. As adults, we know we cant socialise all the time because of other demands on our time. Yet, as young people, the social world is our priority, as it influences our identity development and need to feel validated outside our tried-and-true friends and family. Those who have problems with prolonged use of smartphone functions such as social media, media streaming services, games and frequent texting, may fit the criteria of problematic internet use. In these cases, its important to unpack the specific reward you get from the function you engage in the most on your smartphone, to see if you can obtain the same reward through more productive and healthy activities.
If you are always on social media, for instance, ask yourself: what do I gain from posting and replying online? Can I gain the same rewarding benefits from face-to-face social engagements? For some, online engagement diversifies their offline social engagement, while others are unaware that most of their life is now lived online. Time to put the smartphone down? Many smartphone users are obsessed or infatuated with their smartphone functions. But over time, they will become less interesting and far more a tool we engage with when we need to, just as society has adjusted to computer use. In the meantime, we need to educate young people about problematic internet use and help them understand why using functions on their smartphone can be potentially time-wasting and, at worst, negatively impact their mental wellness. This can be communicated in early childhood and reinforced throughout the developmental stages.
As for adult smartphone users, here are some evidence-based tips for reducing your smartphone use: 1. Reduce the number of apps on your phone assess what you actually need and use most often, not just for distraction purposes. The fewer icons on your home screen the better. 2. Turn off notifications through your settings button. Your phone should only notify you for meaningful events to aid in your health and productivity during work hours. 3. When charging your phone at night, dont do it next to your bed. Its tempting to reach for your smartphone first thing upon waking. Instead, try and wake up thinking about the day ahead rather than what did I miss on social or news media while I was asleep? 4. Be aware when reaching for your phone during the day, especially when bored try a mindfulness breathing exercise instead to relax and clear your mind. There are many techniques that are evidence based, but here is one example that takes just three minutes.
The Australian National University is still counting the cost of Sunday's storm, listing damage to rare books, delays to the Union Court redevelopment and the writing off of up to 11 excavators as among major issues caused by the deluge.
About 22,000 students and 4500 staff were asked to stay away from the university on Monday as it closed for the first time in more than a decade.
The weekend's downpour hit ANU's inner north campus hard. The Sullivans Creek weather station recorded 164.4mm of rain in the 48 hours from 10am Saturday, most of which fell within a couple of hours, according to the Bureau of Meterology.
Insurance assessors will visit the university on Tuesday but already ANU officials have warned the clean-up could take up to 12 months in at least one building.
Immigration has been one of the keys to Australias emergence as one of the worlds most culturally, economically and socially successful nations. In recent times, it has accounted for more than half our population growth, which has driven economic growth and helped make Australia so prosperous. Half of us were born overseas or have at least one parent who was. That diversity has helped forge an economy and society envied throughout the world.
The Age has long supported immigration because it is so evidently beneficial, as pretty much every modern study into the issue has concluded. We have also long championed freedom of speech, so we defend the right of former prime minister Tony Abbott to call for a sharp reduction in immigration, as he did last week while Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull was in Washington to meet US President Donald Trump, and of One Nation leader Pauline Hanson to urge a zero net intake of people from offshore. But we believe evidence shows them to be wrong.
Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull presents citizenship certificates in Canberra. Credit:Jamila Toderas
Other things being equal, immigration increases the rate of economic growth by stimulating demand, consumption and employment. It enriches our society and culture by creating a wonderful mix of tastes, practices and traditions. Immigration buttresses human values, because it engenders, on balance, understanding, empathy and tolerance.
The solution to a lack of infrastructure is to, well, invest in infrastructure not smash one of the main engines of our marvellous nation with a sledgehammer. Sure, there is a reasonable discussion to be had about immigration levels and population growth, but obviously that is not what the current debate is about. Whats happening is primarily political posturing, not rational analysis.
The newly-created Home Affairs portfolio will employ 23,000 public servants across its security, immigration and intelligence agencies once ASIO joins its ranks.
Home Affairs bosses revealed the headcount before telling a Senate estimates hearing on Monday that the massive machinery of government change would cost less than $10 million, with a bulk of the spending going to about $3 million in security upgrades at its Barton offices.
Michael Pezzullo leads the new Home Affairs department. Credit:Andrew Meares
Public servants under the portfolio will make up 15 per cent of all APS staff after several agencies, including the Australian Federal Police and Australian Border Force, came into its tent in December and if ASIO comes into the fold if legislation is passed this year. About 14,000 within the portfolio will work outside its statutory agencies, and in the Home Affairs department.
The Tax Office has more than 20,000 public servants, and the Department of Human Services employs 34,000.
Two men armed with knives have tied up a woman and a boy, with three other children left to witness the terrifying home invasion south of Brisbane.
Police say the woman, the 12-year-old boy, and the other children, all aged under 10, were asleep when the intruders broke into their Logan home and threatened them before dawn on Sunday.
The family were asleep when the intruders broke into their Logan home and threatened them.
They tied up the woman and the boy, with the other children left to watch in fear as the intruders ransacked the house and fled with stolen property.
The woman managed to free herself and call police. No-one was physically harmed and police are still hunting for the offenders.
It used to be that you ran away to Sydney. Now people run away from it. They run from insane, impossible real estate prices. They flee the wasted hours of sitting in traffic jams of neutron star densities. They escape the crushing expense of everything from a cup of coffee to their childrens education.
Sydney has always been the point at which global capital enters and leaves Australia. Because of that, the competition for scarce goods and services has always been fiercer and more punishing there and eventually it wears you down.
Its a city for the young and the free. Free of debts. Free of commitments. Free of the weight and encumbrances of adult life. But even they are starting to feel it.
Fairfax Media analysis has revealed a mass exodus from Sydney. Credit:Kate Geraghty
The same way that all of the old, ramshackle Queenslanders that once housed generations of students in and around the inner core of Brisbane eventually disappeared from the rental market as they were renovated by young families, so too have thousands of terrace houses become impossibly expensive for renters in Sydney.
Louis Tate was just hours away from being discharged from Frankston Hospital when the 13-year-old was served breakfast. But what exactly was in that meal? And did it cause his death?
On Monday, Coroner Phillip Byrne concluded that the Mount Martha teenager suffered anaphylaxis from an undetermined allergen in the morning meal provided to him.
Louis Tate was 13 when he died in Frankston Hospital
Louis had an allergy to cow's milk, nuts and eggs. But it had been a point of contention if any of those things had tainted the Weet-Bix breakfast served to him while he was in hospital for an asthma episode in October 2015.
His family say Louis would still be alive now if he had not eaten a spoonful of hospital breakfast that morning.
A former real estate agent who misappropriated more than $6 million from clients to fund his lavish lifestyle has asked a Melbourne judge to spare him from prison.
Tri Duc Ngo, also known as Joseph Ngo, has pleaded guilty to misusing $6.49 million from trust accounts linked to six LJ Hooker branches, spending some of the money on jewellery or drugs such as ice.
Tri Duc Ngo
Defence lawyer Erol Cinar argued in the County Court on Monday that the father-of-four should be spared jail because his four-year-old had not yet made lasting memories of his father.
He also argued Ngo was active in his church community, had no intention to return to real estate, was remorseful and was of otherwise good character.
Ive consider myself to a have a very good sense of humour so when I saw the first giant penis I started to laugh, she said. But then, I was just really disappointed when I continued to look around the apartment and things quickly went from bad to worse. Ms Griffiths-Marsh said the living area, en-suite bathroom and toilet were filthy with mould on the walls, a mysterious slime covering the shower stall, and no toilet paper or fresh towels provided. The toilet seat was unusable without putting toilet paper on it first so that one could sit on it with a degree of cleanliness because it was filthy, she said. The cracks in the seat were ingrained with dirt, and the toilet bowl smelt... it looked like it hadn't been cleaned for a very long time. There was also no hot water tap on the bathroom sink and they found used syringes in the bedside table drawer.
The inside of the microwave was splattered with mouldy, old food, and large hole had been cut into the fly wire screen in a window that was unable to be closed, she said. There was filth in the [shower] stall, in the grout, on the walls and on the floor tiles meaning that we would not be using the facility, she said. But we neednt have worried... we wouldn't have been able to anyway because the shower arm and rose were hanging limply down the wall and would not work. The last straw for Ms Griffiths-Marsh came when her partner received an electric shock as he attempted to use a power point. The impact threw him back onto the bed. He did not receive burns, but he did suffer shock and after tingles... he was most upset about the whole ordeal, she said. The plug had no actual switch on one side just a space and as it is in a dark place on the wall under the microwave it was hard to see, and truthfully, who would expect faulty electricals in a supposedly regulated hospitality provider? Ms Griffiths-Marsh said she then went to reception to complain.
Instead of providing a refund, she said a staff member took a photo of the wall socket with his smartphone. When he was told about other issues with the room shrugged his shoulders and left, she said. Ms Griffiths-Marsh said the couple did not feel safe sleeping in their campervan outside and worried they would be fined by police. Instead, they used their own sheet to cover the "filthy and stained" bed and used a sink to give themselves a sponge in the morning. As they pulled down the blinds to go to bed they found obscene graffiti: "This f... of a place stinks".
Redan Apartments in St Kilda has been dubbed a 'hotel from hell' by many guests. Credit:Google Maps Online reviews written by unsuspecting tourists said they feared theyd be murdered inside the walls of the complex, with 87 per cent of guests rating it as "terrible" on TripAdvisor. It was also described as "a literal drug den", "horror hotel" and "the worst mistake of my life" by travellers. Other online reviewers claim blood was splattered on the blinds, there were cigarette burns in the carpet, "a stench of chlorine and cat piss", broken smoke alarms hanging light fixtures and kicked in doors. Ms Griffiths-Marsh is now pushing for a full refund on their stay and wants her experience to be warning to other travellers.
We want to see the condition of these apartments publicised so that other unwary travellers are not caught out the way we were," she said. Ms Griffiths-Marsh said had also asked the Port Phillip Council to inspect every room in the building and the Metropolitan Fire Brigade to conduct a safety check. Port Phillip Council mayor Bernadene Voss, however, said the council had no authority over the complex because the apartments were privately owned and rented via a private agent to short-term tenants. "[The] council takes seriously any breaches of the Act but unfortunately has no authority in this instance to inspect and take remedial action for issues such as cleanliness, maintenance and over-crowding, if that is required," Cr Voss said. "I urge prospective tenants of these apartments, or any other privately let accommodation, to read online reviews and make all prudent checks before booking."
In the middle of the night, Melbourne man Edward woke to the sound of his partner and their young child screaming from another room as three masked burglars jumped on their bed, threatening them with a knife.
There was no time for him to grab the baseball bat he'd bought only last week, to protect his family from such terrifying violence. He'd feared something like this, after his neighbours were broken into a fortnight ago.
Edward's partner and their son, aged five, were asleep in bed in their Albion home about 1.30am when three men broke into the house, armed with a hammer and a knife.
The men had prised open a window, before jumping on the bed and threatening the mother and child.
The sexual harassment complaint that triggered the downfall of Barnaby Joyce continues to stoke division inside the Nationals, with some senior party figures believing the allegations were weaponised to blast the former deputy prime minister from cabinet.
The suspicions - which are strongly contested - reveal a toxic atmosphere inside the junior Coalition party in the days leading up to Mr Joyce's decision to resign as Nationals leader. His exit handed the coveted $416,000-a-year post to the low-profile Michael McCormack on Monday.
Furious Nationals say Mr Joyce was told three days before he announced his resignation last Friday that a private complaint of sexual harassment had been lodged with the administrative wing of the Nationals, and warned it would soon become public and render his leadership terminal.
Talk of the alleged incident had been swirling in political circles for some time. However Mr Joyce's supporters suspect it was brought to a head last week for the express purpose of forcing him out following a fortnight of damaging coverage of his marriage breakdown and new relationship with staffer Vikki Campion, who is now pregnant.
The harassment complaint relates to an alleged incident which occurred outside a beef industry event held at Canberra's Kurrajong Hotel in August 2017. Catherine Marriott, a respected figure in the agricultural sector and a former West Australian Rural Woman of the Year, made the complaint.
Just minutes after being elected Nationals leader, Michael McCormack was asked about his departure. "Are you just keeping the seat warm for Barnaby [Joyce] until he can mount a comeback?" was the first question a journalist lobbed at the incoming Deputy Prime Minister.
Mr Joyce's reputation as a "once in a generation" leader, who landed an extra seat in the House of Representatives and embodies the bush spirit from hat to toe, makes a Lazarus-like return to the leadership a titilating narrative. In this turbulent era of Australian politics, it has almost come to be expected.
Former Nationals leader Barnaby Joyce in Parliament on Monday. Credit:Domimic Lorrimer
The other, more immediate expectation of a demoted leader is that they will become a nuisance on the backbench. First there was Kevin Rudd's relentless campaign to destroy his successor Julia Gillard, then Tony Abbott's hastily-abandoned promise of "no wrecking, no undermining and no sniping" against Malcolm Turnbull.
The government now has a former PM and a former deputy PM languishing on the backbench, though in Mr Joyce's case he was not toppled by a challenger. His colleagues have their fingers crossed he will sit quietly.
The state government's boost to loosen THC levels in the hemp industry could not have come at a better time for Busselton hemp farmers.
Vasse Valley owner Bronwyn Blake said the amendment to allow hemp to be grown with a THC content of up to one per cent was fantastic.
Vasse Valley hemp farmers Bronwyn and Chris Blake.
Hemp farmers were restricted to the Industrial Hemp Act, which only permitted hemp with a THC content below 0.35 per cent.
Ms Blake said that while most hemp varieties were bred to have low THC levels, WA hemp farmers were at risk of losing their crop if the plants tested slightly over the limit.
This image taken from video shows the exterior of Government Girls Science and Tech College in Dapchi, Yobe State, Nigeria, raided by Boko Haram militants on February 22. Credit:AP Confusion has surrounded the events in Dapchi, said Lai Mohammed, minister of information, because dozens of girls ran into hiding and have been slowly trickling back to the school. "This is why the whole situation has been hazy," he said. Officials have been careful to avoid acknowledging anyone was kidnapped in Dapchi. Instead, they say only that the girls are missing. Witnesses, however, described seeing the girls in militants' vehicles as part of what appeared to be a deliberate plan to steal them. And they said militants arrived at the town looking specifically for the building, which is a boarding place with about 900 students.
One resident who lives 1.6 kilometres outside Dapchi, who asked that his name not be used because he feared for his safety, said his neighbour was outside his home late in the day on Monday when militants pulled up, grabbed him and asked him to point them to the school. He told the fighters he didn't know where it was and begged to be released. They threw him aside and headed toward the town. Other residents were also abducted by the militants and ordered to direct them to the school before being released, townspeople said. Fighters arrived at the school about 5:30 pm, guns blazing. Hafsat Lawan, 15, said she and classmates heard gunshots in the distance. "We joked about it" at first, she said, unable to imagine what was about to happen. "But the sound kept coming and getting serious. We then started running."
Some girls began climbing over a fence that lined the perimeter. Militants dragged away those who didn't make it, witnesses said. The fighters were dressed in army fatigues, but with flip-flops and turbans, another student said. They started telling the terrified girls they were soldiers there to help them, and shepherded them toward their vehicles. In the blur of the moment, some girls believed them, so much so that they desperately scrambled to get into the trucks. Falmata B., 15, was also kidnapped by Boklo Haram and refused to carry out a suicide bombing for the radical Islamist organisation. Credit:NYT Hassan Yakubu, who lives in Dapchi, said residents of neighbouring communities called him to say they had seen the fighters' vehicles break down in the hours after the attack. Girls inside the vehicles had been tied up with pieces of clothing, he was told, and the militants were eventually able to continue. Officials did not respond for comment on that account. On Tuesday, many students who had been hiding started trickling back to the school. But soon it became clear that not everyone had returned. Over the next two days, school officials tried to tally the missing. The effort was complicated by some girls who had fled straight for their parents' farms outside of town in areas that have at best a poor cellphone network.
Federal officials did not immediately release a statement. The Yobe state police commissioner told local reporters that there were no casualties in the attacks and no reports of an abduction at the school. Soon, residents said, military jets began patrolling the skies, terrifying residents who fled local markets and open areas because they feared being mistakenly targeted by the military. Nigerian jets erroneously struck a displaced persons camp in the town of Rann last year, killing dozens of people. Loading Then, late Wednesday, the state's governor, Ibrahim Gaidam, announced that the missing girls had been rescued. The next day, parents streamed into the school, expecting to hear news of their missing daughters. But when Gaidam arrived, he apologised, saying he was mistaken and had relied on security officials whose information had turned out to be false. He told the crowd to view the events as part of God's plan and to pray for the girls' return, said Modu Goniri, a father whose two daughters are still missing.
As he spoke, some parents began wailing uncontrollably. A few fainted. The crowd became furious. Several members tried to attack the governor. Some people threw rocks at his convoy, shattering the windows of vehicles. Police arrested as many as five people two of whom are uncles of missing girls, residents said. Boko Haram has been roaming the area near Dapchi for years, but the vicinity has been relatively calm for the past year. Soldiers had been operating a checkpoint at the entrance to the town, but about a month ago they dismantled it and pulled out, said Dauda Gombe, director of the North East Youth Initiative for Development, a local aid organisation. He and other Yobe state residents thought the military withdrawal was a sign that normal life was returning, finally. Now, he said, they realise Boko Haram must have been waiting to exploit the reduced security. "What people are most angry with," Gombe said, "is how the government has handled the situation."
Istanbul: Turkey's president has exhorted Turks to support their soldiers in Syria. But a televised scene showing a traumatised 6-year-old cadet girl, who wept as he proclaimed she would be honored if killed in combat, is not coming off well.
Clips of the encounter between President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and the first-grader, Amine Tiras, was drawing a backlash online Monday, with some critics calling his treatment of such a young child inappropriate.
"Her Turkish flag is in her pocket. If she becomes a martyr, God willing, she will be wrapped with it," he said after calling her onstage. "She is ready for everything, aren't you?"
She had started crying before the president made his statement.
Washington: President Donald Trump claimed on Monday that he would have rushed into the Florida high school during a mass shooting earlier this month that killed 17 people and called it "disgusting" that an officer assigned to the school didn't enter the building while the attack was underway.
"I really believe I'd run in, even if I didn't have a weapon," Trump said during a White House meeting with governors from across the country, adding that he thinks the governors assembled also would have rushed into Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. "You never know until you're tested," he added.
US President Donald Trump Credit:Evan Vucci
The White House meeting focused in part on the school shooting and the wider issue of gun control. Trump has been highly critical of former Broward County sheriff's deputy Scot Peterson, who remained outside the school during the February 14 massacre in Parkland, Florida. Peterson resigned last week.
As Rest Haven personal care home take steps towards a major new expansion, the provincial government has stepped forward with funding to allow for upgrades at its existing facility, as part of $30 million in investment throughout the province announced Monday.
Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 26/2/2018 (1299 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.
As Rest Haven personal care home take steps towards a major new expansion, the provincial government has stepped forward with funding to allow for upgrades at its existing facility, as part of $30 million in investment throughout the province announced Monday.
HavenGroup CEO David Driedger said the facility funding amounts to about $450,000 and will allow for upgrades to the Rest Havens dining room heating, ventilation and air conditioning and associated building controls system modernization, as well as flooring replacement in the dining hall and main public areas.
He noted the existing flooring has been in place since construction in 1984.
"So, were more than 30 years into it and its time to replace it," Driedger said.
The work should take place within the next year and will keep larger expansion plans in mind.
"It will match what we need today but also for the future," Driedger said.
That planning for Rest Havens 140-bed expansion plan, which will translate into a net gain of 80 PCH beds for the community, is now well underway.
Driedger said a schematic design for the PCH expansion is expected to be completed by the end of March. Another round of government approvals will follow that, he said, before more detailed design work can begin.
Steinbach MLA Kelvin Goertzen, who announced the funding at Rest Haven on Monday morning, signaled the investment as a sign of the provinces continued support for Rest Havens growth.
"I think this work would have had to be done anyway, but certainly I think that this indicates that the long-term future of the project is importantinvestment here is a long-term commitment," he said.
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Safety and security projects are also funded entirely by government, unlike the personal care home project which requires a community contribution.
"This is one less thing that they have to fundraise for specifically," Goertzen noted.
Other projects to receive funding in the Southeast include controls software upgrades at Oakbanks Kinplace Personal Care Home, domestic hot water boiler replacement at the Red River Valley Lodge in Morris, air conditioning replacement, emergency generator room modifications and mold remediation in Vita, and sprinkler installations at Whitemouth District Health Centre and personal care home.
Ste Anne hospital will complete attic ventilation ductwork and insulation upgrades, while Villa Youville has secured funds for air conditioning compressor unit and well water pump replacement.
Bethesda Hospital will receive funding for roof replacement work, electrical transformer replacement, and lab and phlebotomy cooling system upgrades. The Steinbach hospital will also receive funds for a preventive system to protect against infant abductions.
"The new baby abduction monitoring system is just sort of part of the reality of the world that we live in unfortunately," Goertzen said.
Jacinda Ardern and Clarke Gayford. Photo: Courtesy of 60 Minutes
Jacinda Ardern is an extremely impressive woman. She is the prime minister of New Zealand, and at 37, is the youngest female head of state in the world. She is also a connoisseur of sick burns, adorable cats, and for the past few months, she has been running a government while simultaneously growing life in her womb. So what did Australian journalist Charles Wooley want to discuss with this accomplished politician? Her looks, and when she and her husband Did It (sex).
During a 60 Minutes interview that aired on Sunday night, Wooley, a veteran interviewer remarked, Ive met a lot of prime ministers in my time, but none so young, not too many so smart, and never one so attractive. He also said he was as smitten by Ardern as the rest of her country.
And somehow, it was still downhill from there.
One really important political question that I want to ask you, and that is, what exactly is the date that the babys due? Wooley asked Ardern, who was sitting beside her partner, television presenter Clarke Gayford.
When Ardern answered June 17, Wooley went on, Its interesting how many people have been counting back to the conception as it were. Then, perhaps worried his line of questioning was too subtle, he went on:
Having produced six children it doesnt amaze me that people can have children; why shouldnt a child be conceived during an election campaign?
Ardern laughed and rolled her eyes, clarifying, The election was done. Not that we need to get into those details.
Watch the cringey interaction below.
"I've met a lot of prime ministers in my time. But none so young, not too many so smart, and never one so attractive." New Zealanders are extremely unimpressed by an Australian journalist's interview with Jacinda Ardern https://t.co/Jlsc1gCtZW pic.twitter.com/q48trvQQnw Guardian Australia (@GuardianAus) February 26, 2018
17-Year-Old Mother Accused of Stabbing and Killing Newborn Baby Girl
A 17-year-old woman has been arrested for the alleged stabbing and killing of her newborn child on Friday, Feb. 23, according to authorities.
Erica Gomez from El Paso, Texas, is charged with capital murder after a newborn baby girl was found in a storage shed at her home in the East Montana area on Feb. 9, reported El Pasco Times, citing officials.
Officials at the sheriffs office said the baby had a stab wound and cuts to her neck and body.
Police alleged that after Gomez gave birth to the baby girl at her home in the 13000 block of Frankie Lane, and then wrapped the baby in a bathrobe and before hiding her inside the storage shed, reported the news website.
When deputies were called to do a welfare check on the infant on Feb. 9, they found the newborn dead at around 7:30 p.m. about 12 hours after she was born.
Gomez is currently being held at El Paso County Jail on an $800,000 bond.
In a similar case last month, an 18-year-old Californian woman was arrested after police found the body of a newborn baby girl dumped in a trashcan. According to police, Angelena Hamilton from Clovis allegedly dumped her dead newborn after giving birth to her at her home. Hamilton was booked on charges of involuntary manslaughter and endangering physical injury to a child, according to the police.
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5-Year-Old Girl Dies After GP Refused to See Her Because She Was Late
A young British girl suffering from asthma was turned away by her doctor after arriving late for a doctors appointment.
She passed away from an asthma attack just hours later.
At a recent disciplinary hearing behind closed doors, the doctor who refused the girl is still practicing at another facility, according to a Mail on Sunday investigation.
Five-year-old girl suffering severe asthma attack 'was sent away by GP because she was 10 minutes late' before dying hours later https://t.co/SMXQSjBgFo Daily Mail U.K. (@DailyMailUK) February 26, 2018
Five-year-old Ellie-May Clark was taken to the Grange Surgery in Newport, South Wales, for an emergency appointment in January 2015. But Dr. Joanne Rowe, 53, refused to see her, even though she was previously warned that the girl could suffer a life-threatening seizure.
The surgery followed a 10-minute rule for late patients, according to the BBC.
But the girls mother Shanice Clark claimed they were just four minutes late for the appointment.
According to an official report uncovered by the Mail On Sunday, it stated they were eight minutes late. However, Shanice insisted it was incorrect, as she had checked the time on her mobile phone upon arrival.
The pair were sent home and told to return in the morning.
Clark said she was angry and upset when the doctor told them to come back again. According to the BBC, Ellie even asked her, Why wont the doctor see me?
Later at home, Ellie started turning blue and was rushed to the Royal Gwent Hospital by ambulance where she later died.
Girl, five, dies of asthma attack after GP turned her away for being eight minutes late https://t.co/h0uV6xfZnk pic.twitter.com/85WKd3Amgq Margaret Ojochide (@MadeEveryday) February 27, 2017
The details of the incident would have remained secret because the doctors watchdog, the General Medical Council (GMC) held her disciplinary hearing privately.
A Mail on Sunday investigation uncovered a confidential National Health Service (NHS) report that slammed Rowes handling of the incident.
That report found that the root cause of Ellies death stemmed from Rowes refusal to see her, and that she turned them away without asking a single question.
It also found that staff was scared to question Rowe because of her repeated angry outbursts and volatile nature. Just minutes after the Clarks went home, another GP asked Rowe why she turned them away.
Rowe claimed to have been seeing another patient when Ellie arrived, but the surgerys computer showed that was false, according to the report.
Doctor Rowe was suspended for 6 months with full pay, after Ellies death. She also agreed to accept a written warning to not turn patients away again.
Sir Donald Irvine, the former president of GMC warned that the watchdog group needed urgent reform.
He also said that The GMC is there to protect the public, not for the convenience of doctors, according to Mail on Sunday.
On Feb. 24, Ellies grandmother Brandi Clark said, Weve never even had an apology from Dr. Rowe, who got away with just a slap on the wrist after her clock-watching attitude killed our beautiful girl.
She has been allowed to get on with her life, get another job, and forget about it. But we have been left with nothing but pain. Ellie-May has been denied the life she should have had, Brandi added, according to Mail on Sunday.
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Five-year-old Ellie-May Clark died of asthma attack after GP turned her away for being eight minutes late https://t.co/xdgUh1Iqrt pic.twitter.com/SAWAaPFAtI ITV News (@itvnews) February 27, 2017
500 Children May Need Revaccination After Orlando Doctor Arrested for Alleged Fraud
Hundreds of children may need to be revaccinated after authorities in Florida arrested a doctor for alleged fraud.
Dr. Ishrat Sohail was arrested on Friday, Feb. 23, for Medicaid fraud, according to the Florida Department of Health and Office of the Attorney Generals Medicaid Fraud Control Unit.
Officials said the Orlando doctor gave vaccines to patients with private insurance that were meant for Medicaid and uninsured children.
The vaccines were delivered to the doctor through the Vaccines for Children Program.
Besides using vaccines meant for others, Sohail is accused of giving patients only partial doses of the vaccines while billing for the full amount.
Officials said all the children vaccinated by the doctor may need to be revaccinated because of the partial doses, reported WFTV.
The department plans to contact all of the families involved.
Sohails license to practice medicine in Florida was suspended following his arrest.
Any child who was vaccinated by Sohail between 2016 and 2018 should consider revaccination, officials said.
Theres also the possibility that Sohail didnt sterilize the vaccine properly, so anyone who experienced an adverse reaction or infection at the injection site is urged to contact DOH-Orange epidemiology at 407-858-1485.
Sohails Medicaid fraud came two years after the state health department suspended her for two months from the federal vaccination program for administering vaccines to private patients using the vaccines meant for Medicaid and uninsured patients.
The partially used doses were discovered in a follow-up visit in late January.
WESH reported that Sohail left the Seminole County Jail on Friday without saying a word about the charges against her.
The broadcaster said a staff member at Sohails office called members of the Medicaid Fraud Control Unit, alleging that Sohail planned to shred patient files related to the vaccine administration.
However, Sohail was not able to do so before officials seized the paperwork.
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All 680 Public Schools in West Virginia Are Closed Over Teachers Strike
Every single public school in West Virginia closed on Monday, Feb. 26, amid an ongoing teachers strike.
There are 680 public schools in the states 55 counties. West Virginia employs about 20,000 classroom teachers, and more than 277,000 students are enrolled.
The National Education Association said that West Virginias teachers are the 48th lowest-paid in the country and have an average annual salary of around $45,000about $13,000 below the national average, CBS News reported.
Hundreds of people attended a candlelight rally in support of the ongoing statewide teachers walkout outside of the capitol building in Charleston, West Virginia. A teacher strike over pay and health benefits is expected to continue into this week. https://t.co/iuTBSerQKk pic.twitter.com/EC84vKmU8w Fox News (@FoxNews) February 26, 2018
Ohio County teacher Ruth Bankey told the network: Were united. Were all standing strong: teachers, service personnel. We are here and we are going to stay. We now need Charleston to wake up and smell the coffee.
Our teachers and our public employees are getting less in pay per year every year, and people are fed up and fired up about it, added Morgantown High School art teacher Sam Brunett to the media outlet.
The closing of schools by counties for a work stoppage is functionally the same as closing for a snow day, officials said. All of our locals have been in direct communications with their county superintendents, said Christine Campbell of the American Federation of Teachers-West Virginia, NPR reported.
State superintendent of schools Steven Paine said that talks were held over the weekend about the teachers strike.
Many asked whether the state was planning to pursue legal action in this matter. A decision will be made on Monday if an agenda item will be added to the State Board of Education meeting scheduled for Tuesday to discuss legal action, Paine said, according to NPR. He said the public will be notified Monday of any updates.
Senate President Mitch Carmichael and Attorney General Patrick Morrisey both described the move as illegal.
This is, in large measure, a county issue. They must decide whether they are going to declare this an illegal strike as that is clear from law that it is or if theyre going to just close school for another day on other grounds, Carmichael told the broadcaster. So, to the extent that the counties have flexibility in how they manage their school system, the ball is in their court. So, well see how each county [proceeds]. We certainly dont want to tell them what to do. Were not doing that by any means.
Gov. Jim Justice signed legislation on Wednesday that would give teachers a pay raise, Fox2 reported. Teachers insisted that it wasnt enough, and they also cited areas of concern such as health care costs and insurance.
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An Argentine coast guard craft 3,000 km south of Buenos Aires, on Jan. 27, 2011. (Selknam Ush/AFP/Getty Images)An Argentine coast guard craft 3,000 km south of Buenos Aires, on Jan. 27, 2011. (Selknam Ush/AFP/Getty Images)
Argentina Coast Guard Fires on Chinese Fishing Boat, Chases It for 8 Hours
Military personnel on an Argentinian coast guard ship fired at a Chinese boat illegally fishing in its waters and triggered an eight-hour chase as the vessel fled to international waters, Daily Mail reported.
No injuries were reported and no fishermen were detained.
Coastguard engaged the Jing Yuan 626 fishing vessel as it fished in Argentinas exclusive economic zone on Thursday, Feb. 22, according to a statement by the Argentine Naval Prefecture.
Shortly prior to the incident, four boats flying the Chinese flag attempted to ram into Argentinas coast guard boats. The Chinese embassy did not respond to requests for comment.
The coast guard decided to carry out machine-gun and cannon fire and impede the vessels ability to navigate.
In a video released on Saturday, an Argentine officer can be heard warning the Chinese vessel before the shots are fired.
Youre responsible for the safety of your crew and your ship. You are about to receive direct fire on the bow part of your ship, the officer warns.
When no response comes from the Chinese ship, the officer gives an order to fire.
Bow, command bridge. Are we ready? the officer says. Okay, free fire one shot to the boats bow over the water line.
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Royal Melbourne Hospital releases new video showing violence and aggression towards staff in a bid to encourage a safer workplace. (Screenshot via YouTube/Royal Melbourne Hospital)
Australian Hospital Staff Takes a Stand on Violent and Aggressive Patients
Emergency Department (ED) staff at the Royal Melbourne Hospital have released a confronting video that shows incidents of patients lunging and hurling chairs at staff in a bid to stop the violence and aggression that occurs daily against hospital workers.
Last year, there were almost 7,500 reported incidents of unarmed threats against staff. Of these reports, the most common types of violence and aggression faced by staff in the ED were physical violence, threatening behaviour, and harassment, according to a media release dated Feb. 23.
Were committed to providing the best possible care for our patients, but to do this we need to ensure the safety of the people who provide that care. Any acts of violence and aggression are unacceptable. Please, help us help you. https://t.co/CKisK7zWSa pic.twitter.com/VMg29FU4tz Royal Melbourne Hosp (@TheRMH) February 25, 2018
Hospital staff said the purpose of the Help Us, Help You video is to raise awareness about the occupational violence and aggression that occurs in an attempt to make the ED safer for everyone.
We hope the video, which incorporates examples of what emergency staff experience and CCTV footage of actual incidents, has a positive effect on people in the ED waiting room and watching this on social media, Emergency Department Nurse Unit Manager Susan Harding said in the media release.
We want our patients and visitors to understand we are committed to providing the best possible care for them, but to do this we must ensure the absolute safety of the people who provide that care, she added.
The graphic video shows examples of patients hurling verbal abuse, flinging chairs towards hospital staff, smashing glass doors and lunging towards workers.
In healthcare we sometimes tend to think that occupational violence and aggression is just part of the job,' Harding said.
She said occupational violence and aggression can take many different forms.
Sometimes its non-verbal violence, while physical violence has an obvious effect, Harding told Fairfax.
Its the psychological trauma and emotional distress thats harder to deal with. Its not only the verbal aggression, its the threats that are made. To be told someone is going to wait for you outside of work, theyll follow you home, they know you have children, that has a terrible effect.
Watch our fabulous ED NUM, Susan, on Sunrise. You can also watch our video https://t.co/CKisK7iltA https://t.co/zCIyeUsCvw Royal Melbourne Hosp (@TheRMH) February 25, 2018
Harding said many staff at the hospital have been injured due to these incidents.
Weve had lots of staff injured, I had a staff member off work for 11 months following an incident where a patient pulled her finger back and tore her tendons, she told Fairfax.
According to Fairfax, there were 7438 code grey incidents, or unarmed threats, in 2017 which is up 85 percent in just four years and also nine cold black situations involving aggressive patients armed with a weapon.
She said there needs to be a significant mind shift in the workplace and in the community about what is acceptable.
We really wanted to change the thinking and help our staff to understand that violence and aggression in their workplace is unacceptable, and thats not what they come to work for every day, Harding added.
The video was developed by the ED team at the hospital and was presented at a national conference last week. The hospital said it intends to play the video in the ED waiting room and on social media to remind people what is unacceptable behaviour.
The Royal Melbourne Hospital is not the only hospital facing these horrifying challenges. Last year, a surgeon was killed after a man allegedly spat in his face before fatally punching him in a cowardly attack at a hospital in Box Hill, Victoria. The surgeon had asked the man to stop smoking in a clearly marked non-smoking part of the hospital, reported Herald Sun.
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Crater-Like Pothole Closes Road in Michigan
Drivers in the state of Michigan complain a lot about potholes, and this picture on a Michigan police Facebook page clearly illustrates why.
Officer David Clark with the Grand Blanc Township Police Department, climbed into a pothole that had formed in Grand Blanc Township in Genesee County on Friday, Feb. 23.
The Grand Blanc Township Police Department said that Clark is 6-foot-5, and the pothole came up to his knees.
McWain Rd. is closed, south of Baldwin Rd. due to a culvert wash out, the police department said. The Genesee County Road Commission has been notified and we are awaiting their arrival.
When you drive through a puddle that is actually a pothole. pic.twitter.com/mLMNVykpLk Michigan Problems (@michiganprobz) February 21, 2018
It's #ValentinesDay. That means it's time for special Michigan Valentine's Day cards. pic.twitter.com/raBHMxhfw3 Detroit Free Press (@freep) February 14, 2018
The Facebook account posted an update later that day saying that the pothole had been temporarily filled.
All the thawing and freezing from the erratic weather this year has been wreaking havoc on Michigans roads.
Moisture seeps into the pavement, freezes, expands and thaws, creating a gap in the pavement. As vehicles drive over the gap, the pavement weakens leading to a pothole, the Michigan Department of Transportation website says.
According to the Detroit Free Press, Michigan is ranked No. 3 in a survey of 100,000 tweets across the country in the last month of people complaining about potholes. The survey, compiled by auto site gearheads.org, used geotagging to determine which areas had the most complaints.
Meteor just crashed into the metro Detroit area, hopefully it didn't create anymore pot holes.. Michigan Problems (@michiganprobz) January 17, 2018
Texting + driving = guaranteed to hit a pot hole which = flat tire. Michigan Problems (@michiganprobz) January 10, 2018
Michigan repair shops have been overwhelmed with tire fixes, and rental agencies are running out of vehicles due to the number of people with ruptured tires looking for alternative transportation, local media report.
The state, and even some cities, have promised to reimburse people for tire repairs due to poor roads. The state says it may pay for some repairs of less than $1,000 that a persons insurance wont cover, according to its claim application.
The state is asking people to report potholes so they can be fixed. Michigan drivers can fill out a form on the Michigan Department of Transportation website or call 888-296-4546.
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DACA Recipient, 21, Threatened to Shoot All of Ya [Expletive] at NY High School
A recipient of President Barack Obamas DACA Executive Order was arrested for allegedly threatening to shoot up a school.
Abigail Hernandez, 21, of Rochester, came to the United States when she was 3 years old with her parents.
Hernandez thus qualifies as a dreamer under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) rules.
Rochester Deputy Mayor Dr. Cedric Alexander and Deputy Chief LaRon Singletary told reporters on Friday that police were notified about a threat posted on the East High School Facebook page.
The threat said, Im coming tomorrow morning and Im going to shoot all of ya [expletive], reported WHAM.
Court papers state that Hernandez made a fake Facebook account that she used to post the threat.
The fake account, with the name Martin Doll, threw off investigators so much that Singletary said it took them days to make an arrest.
When officers traced the account to Hernandez and rushed to her home, they found a shotgun inside.
She was arrested and charged with making a terrorist threat.
The quick thinking of school staff and the tenacious work of the investigators of the police department following through on this Facebook post lead to the arrest of Abigail Hernandez and the recovery of a shotgun, a statement from the Rochester Police Department said.
Under DACA, Hernandezs illegal immigrant status was deferred for at least two years with the possibility of renewal, but the deadline for renewal is approaching and federal lawmakers havent reached an agreement as to whether the program will continue or not.
Hernandezs parents claim that their daughter is a special needs student and her father said she didnt make the threat.
Its my daughter and somebody lied about it, Eufracio Flores told WHAM. Its not true.
He said the shotgun found inside the home was his and was actually found in an adjacent home where he lives.
My daughter never fight, said Flores. [If] you go to her school and ask the teacher, [does] Abigail fight? No. My daughters nice. Every teacher in the school talks nice about her.
Her mother told the Democrat & Chronicle that her daughter relies heavily upon her.
Shes not right mentallyshe doesnt pick up what people say, her mother, who asked not to be identified by name, said in Spanish. Shes very dependent on me.
Her father added that his daughter doesnt even know how to get to East High School by herself. She attended the school for several years.
You put my daughter [in front of our house] and say to go to East [High], she doesnt know how, he said.
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Defending Europe by Arming Ukraine Defensively
Putin only respects those who operate from positions of strength
The rebirth of an independent Ukraine in 1991 was a major development in the post-Berlin Wall world. Dictators and severe oppression from Moscow had long denied Ukrainians the right to determine their own national future. Their national poet Taras Shevchenko poignantly called Ukraine this land of ours that is not ours.
In William Taubmans book on Nikita Khrushchev, he notes, Stalin later told Winston Churchill that the great bulk of ten million (Ukrainian farmers) were wiped out during the great famine of 19321933, a terrible man-made disaster as the result of collectivization of agriculture. As Stalins viceroy in Ukraine, Khrushchev presided over the purges In 1938 alone, 116,119 [may] have been arrested; between 1938 and 1940 165,565. According to Molotov Khrushchev [had] 54,000 people [killed].
Read More The Pain of Ukraine Is Largely Forgotten
Canada was the first nation to recognize Ukraines independence after 92 percent voted in their 1991 referendum to declare independence from Russia. Approximately 1.36 million Canadians self-identified as Ukrainian in our 2016 census; they have since the 1890s played important roles across Canada.
The 201314 Euromaidan Revolution of Dignity included 90 percent of the Kyivans and much of the population of Ukraine. Its success caused the deeply kleptocratic President Viktor Yanukovych to flee to Russia after seeking to block Ukraines integration with the European Union and to steer it towards a Moscow-dominated Eurasian sphere of influence.
Enraged by the loss of Russian influence in Ukraine, Vladimir Putin launched an undeclared war on it in February 2014. More than 10,000 persons died, 25,000 were wounded, and almost two million internally displaced. His tactics have included cyberattacks on electricity grids, targeted assassinations, defaming the father of Canadas foreign affairs minister Chrystia Freeland, and seizing about seven percent of Ukraines territory. The infrastructure of Ukraines Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts (the Donbas) has been destroyed.
Regular Russian army units comprise 8,500 to 10,000 of the estimated 36,000 Russian and separatist fighters continuing to terrorize Eastern Ukraine, facing about 34,000 Ukrainian troops. Russian armor is estimated at 250 tanks and 800 armored personnel carriers, along with artillery, multiple launch rocket systems (MLRS), and unmanned aerial vehicles. About 70 percent of Ukrainian casualties are thought to be from MLRS and artillery strikes.
In mid-2015, Daniel Baer, U.S. ambassador to the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe summarized Russian peace violations with Ukraine during the previous two weeks: Weve had Russian military captured (in) Ukraine Russian vehicles and fighters with Russian military insignia reported multiple reports of vehicles and weapons moving inside Russia toward Ukraine new large-scale Russian-separatist attack on Ukraine.
Ukraine seized or dismembered could prove to be a domino in central-east Europe, illustrating again that unless rogue despots are confronted forcefully they become much worse. A viable NATO strategy for deterrence and, if necessary, an overwhelming response to aggression is needed now.
Europes borders have been violated by military force since Ukrainians were persuaded that their countrys territorial integrity and political sovereignty were inviolable, secured by the pledges of the United States, U.K. and, ironically, the Russian Federation. Ukraine alone managed to check the forces Putin was prepared to risk for the sake of foreign adventurism. Western governments offered only non-lethal military aid.
The Trump administration, however, will soon supply Ukraines military with anti-tank guided missiles35 FGM-148 Javelin command launch units and 210 anti-tank guided missiles. Former Vice President Joe Biden affirms that this initiative is right and wise.
Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko last summer called for 1,240 Javelins, the exact number of nuclear warheads Ukraine surrendered in exchange for guarantees of its sovereignty, which was violated by Russias annexation of Crimea and invasion of eastern Ukraine.
Defence consultant Ihor Kozak and Lubomyr Luciuk of the Royal Military College in Canada recently wrote:
Even arming Ukraine with this reduced number of Javelins does, however, change the military balance between the contending armies The FGM-148 Javelin has rightly been called the US militarys tank-killer missile that Russia fears most It can also be used against fortifications and to take down low flying helicopters Providing the Ukrainian military with this advanced capability to fight back against Russian armor will be a game changer.
The Javelins should decrease further Putins aggression against Ukraine by sending him a clear message that the West is no longer turning a blind eye to misbehavior. The lethal damage Javelins can inflict on armored vehicles and their personnel might give him pause. The world knows by now that he respects only those who operate from positions of strength. Arming Ukraine defensively might significantly help to secure the peace of Europe.
David Kilgour, a lawyer by profession, served in Canadas House of Commons for almost 27 years. In Jean Chretiens Cabinet, he was secretary of state (Latin America and Africa) and secretary of state (Asia-Pacific). He is the author of several books and co-author with David Matas of Bloody Harvest: The Killing of Falun Gong for Their Organs.
Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
President Donald Trump speaks at a joint press conference with Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull in the East Room of the White House on Feb. 23, 2018. (Samira Bouaou/The Epoch Times)
Florida Officer Who Didnt Enter School During Mass Shooting Is Not A Coward, Lawyer Says
The Florida deputy who failed to confront the gunman during the mass shooting on Feb. 14 claims he is not a coward.
Broward County Sheriff Scott Israel revealed around a week after the shooting that Scot Peterson, the armed school resource officer, stood outside while Nikolas Cruz was shooting teachers and students.
Cruz ultimately killed 17 and wounded 16 in the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland.
Israel suspended Peterson after seeing video footage of Petersons response, hearing witness accounts, and getting a statement from Peterson.
Shortly after being suspended, Peterson resigned.
But Peterson said in a new statement through his lawyer that he was just following procedure.
NEW: Scot Peterson, former Broward County school resource deputy assigned to Stoneman Douglas High School, hires attorneys to respond to "unfounded criticism of his actions" in response to deadly shooting. https://t.co/6Ul14PHg4u pic.twitter.com/oTEFFmTzYY ABC News (@ABC) February 26, 2018
Let there be no mistake, Mr. Peterson wishes that he could have prevented the untimely passing of the seventeen victims on that day, and his heart goes out to the families of the victims in their time of need, the lawyer, Joseph DiRuzzo III, said, reported NBC.
However, the allegations that Mr. Peterson was a coward and that his performance, under the circumstances, failed to meet the standards of police officers are patently untrue. Mr. Peterson is confident that his actions on that day were appropriate under the circumstances and that the video (together with the eye-witness testimony of those on the scene) will exonerate him of any sub-par performance.
Besides Peterson, three other Broward County deputies stood outside during the shooting as opposed to entering the building and hunting down the shooter, sources told CNN. Deputies from nearby Coral Springs were shocked when they arrived and saw the deputies standing outside.
An ARMED police officer with crisis training in an active shooter situation FROZE and did not enter the scene of https://t.co/0uSri45PYL David Spaeth (@renegadesapper) February 23, 2018
Israel has faced criticism for the response of his deputies but claimed that their actions didnt reflect upon his leadership and has refused to resign, reported Fox News.
President Donald Trump addressed the situation on Monday, saying that Peterson likely chose not to enter the school.
When police officers arrived during the shooting, many were surprised to find that not only had Broward County Sheriff's Deputy Scot Peterson not entered the building, three Broward County Sheriff's deputies were also outside the school. https://t.co/nPMtMHKUH8 Kaitlan Collins (@kaitlancollins) February 23, 2018
Standing outside of that school he wanted no part of it. He heard the power and he heard probably the screaming and the bullets and he wanted no part of it, Trump said, reported ABC.
Trump had previously said that Peterson was a coward.
When it came time to get in there and do something, he didnt have the courage or something happened. But he certainly did a poor job. Theres no question about that, Trump said, reported USA Today, during his comments to the Conservative Political Action Committee.
Thats a case where somebody was outside, theyre trained, they didnt act properly or under pressure or they were a coward. It was a real shock to the police department.
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In this handout photo provided by Discovery, Actress Heather Locklear attends TLC "Too Close To Home" Screening at The Paley Center for Media in Beverly Hills, California on Aug. 16, 2016. (Photo by Amanda Edwards/Discovery via Getty Images)
Heather Locklear Arrested for Alleged Domestic Violence, Attacking Police Officers
Heather Locklear, the former Melrose Place actress, was arrested over the weekend for domestic violence and attacking officers, according to reports.
Capt. Dean Cook of the Thousand Oaks Police Department, of Southern California, told Fox News that officials responded to a 911 call at the actresss home on Sunday evening, Feb. 25.
Police said that the alleged victim is Locklears boyfriend, according to the report.
The 56-year-old posted $20,000 bail and is slated to appear in court on March 13.
Heather Locklear arrested on suspicion of domestic violence, assault on an officer https://t.co/JWZQiMhKcZ pic.twitter.com/lIff88KMps Hollywood Reporter (@THR) February 26, 2018
TMZ later reported that when police arrived at her home, she attacked them. She was arrested on three counts of misdemeanor battery on an officer, the report stated. She allegedly flailed and kicked three deputies.
As a result, she was taken to the hospital for an evaluation.
In the 911 call obtained by TMZ, Locklears brother came home, seeing her and her boyfriend fighting before he called 911. The boyfriend had a visible mark, TMZ reported.
In 2008, she was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence but charges were dismissed. That year, police were called to her home after a 911 call from her doctor, who said she overdosed on prescription medication, but it turned out to be a false alarm, Fox reported.
A spokesperson for the Ventura County Sheriffs department gave a statement to ET.
Ventura County Sheriff's Department releases booking photo for Heather Locklear after domestic violence/battery arrest https://t.co/keMT5pzIrj pic.twitter.com/3gf88rN78X ABC7 Eyewitness News (@ABC7) February 26, 2018
Yesterday at about 10 p.m., our deputies responded to a domestic disturbance at a residence. When they arrived, Ms. Locklear was uncooperative with the deputies and actually battered three of our deputies. We initiated an investigation, which revealed that she had actually battered a boyfriend at the residence prior to our arrival. She was arrested for 1 count felony domestic violence and 3 counts misdemeanor battery on a police officer, the statement reads.
The department added: [Locklear] had claimed that she was injured prior to our arrival, although we did not see any evidence of it. Out of an abundance for caution, she was transported to a local hospital where she was evaluated prior to being booked into jail. She posted $20,000 dollar bail and was released.
Shes best known for her role in 1990s drama Melrose Place and later, Spin City.
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British Transport Police attended the scene of the crash in Nottingham on Sunday, Feb. 25, 2018. (British Transport Police)
Lamborghini Worth 260,000 Smashes Into Bus
A luminous green Lamborghini was smashed when it crashed into a bus in Nottingham.
The driver was unscathed, but the 260,000 (US$363,000) supercars rear was left hanging off. The crash happened at about 9:30 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 25.
Images show the left side of the car badly damaged as it was wrapped around a lamppost with debris from the car, including a loose tyre, scattered across the road.
Officials said that no one was injured in the collision. British Transport Police, the fire service, and local police were all at the scene.
Nottingham City Transport said a vehicle had driven into the side of one of our buses and reported severe delays on its services on Sunday.
The Aventador Lamborghini costs up to 440,000 with added extras and can reach speeds of 220 mph.
A Nottinghamshire Police spokesman told Sky News: We were called at around 9.30 p.m. on 25 February to a report of a collision between a car and a bus. Police closed Carrington Street whilst emergency services attended and the car was recovered. No-one sustained any injuries.
The road has reopened and the disruption to buses is no longer in place.
Earlier this month, a separate green Lamborghini was involved in a crash, according to Fox News. The suspected drunk driver drove his supercar under a trailer in California, ripping off the entire roof, but the driver and passenger left without a scratch.
The local fire service reportedly spent 45 minutes cutting into the Gallardo Superleggera to rescue the passenger, but discovered it was empty, the Los Angeles Times reported. Police said the passenger was later found at home two hours later with minor injuries.
In October, Sky News reported that a blue Italian supercar worth 1.5 million (US$2.09 million) crashed into a barrier on the A27 at Tangmere, West Sussex. Police said the driver was not injured.
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Man Blames Spider Scare for Babys Fatal Injuries in Melbourne Murder Trial
A Melbourne man charged with killing his girlfriends baby has blamed a spider scare for the injuries that led to the death of the 6-month-old boy.
According to 9news, Dwayne Lindsey is on trial in the Supreme Court of Victoria, charged with killing baby Chayse Dearing in June 2016, just days after proposing marriage to the childs mother, Michelle Dearing.
The woman reportedly left the child in Lindseys care while she was out shopping.
According to The West Australian, Chayse suffered severe injuries to his brain and spinal cord, and had marks on his neck, bruising and abrasions on his groin, and retinal bleeding. The infant died in hospital two days later, reported The Age.
Lindsey claimed he fell asleep with the child on his chest and then jolted up as he woke suddenly when he thought a spider was crawling on his body. He said that as he jumped up, the baby rolled off his chest and hit his head against a wall heater.
He has pleaded not guilty.
But prosecutor Nicholas Papas challenged Lindseys testimony, saying medical records were inconsistent with Lindseys explanation of what happened. Papas said it was unlikely that an accident caused the head trauma that was found to be the toddlers cause of death.
Instead, prosecutors allege that Lindsey intended to cause harm to Chayse.
His lawyer has told the jury his client might have shaken the baby, but did not intend to hurt him, reports The Age.
According to The Age, the jury heard on Monday, Feb. 26, that Lindsey, Dearing, and two other women smoked methamphetamine in the hours before the incident. At around 4 a.m. that morning, the three women went to a 24-hour Kmart while Chayse remained with Lindsey, who Dearing said had often taken care of the child.
When Dearing left her son, she said he seemed calm and content.
But at 8:20 a.m., she said she received a call from Lindsey saying something was wrong with Chayse, that he wasnt breathing, and that he had blood coming from his nose, 9News reported.
According to Dearing, Lindsey sounded upset and was crying.
He wouldnt tell me what was wrong, he wouldnt say anything. He just kept saying, Hurry up, hurry up,' she said, according to The Age. The prosecutor described the scene upon the womens return. It was an emotional, chaotic scene when Dearing and the others got back, Papas told the court, according to the Daily Mail.
She [Dearing] was overcome with emotion and collapsed. It is also alleged that Lindsey later told a witness he had, in fact, struck and kicked the baby. Defence barrister Scott Johns said Lindsey did not intend to kill the child. Whatever you think of Dwayne Lindsey, hes not a murderer. None of his actions came from an intention to cause any harm at all, Johns hold the court, according to 9News. Lindseys trial continues and is expected to run for a week. Recommended Video: Neighbors React to Parents Arrest After Their 13 Children Found Shackled, Malnourished in Home
Man Shot to Death in North Carolina While Broadcasting on Facebook Live
A man in North Carolina was shot to death Monday morning, Feb. 26, while broadcasting on Facebook Live.
The shooting was captured during the broadcast from Wingate, North Carolina.
The shooting happened around 10 a.m. on Jerome Street in Wingate, reported WSOC-TV.
The video was recorded by Prentis Robinson, who was identified as the victim.
Robinson was recording using a selfie stick, walking in a neighborhood just prior to being shot.
In the video, Robinson discusses walking to the Wingate Police Department to ask about getting his phone back because he said it was recently stolen.
Bring his phone back so he can get on with his way today, a police department official said to the camera during the Facebook Live.
The man then continues walking. About five and a half minutes into the video, he encountered someone off-camera.
Warning: Footage is graphic
A man holding a long back object briefly appears before several shots ring out.
Omg (what) just happened, one person commented on Facebook seconds after the shooting.
Soon, a car pulls up and someone finds the man and calls 911.
Robinson was an Atlanta-based musician.
Its unclear how many people were watching the broadcast when the shooting occurred.
Facebook Live broadcasts typically only attract a handful of people, although some have been known to attract hundreds or even thousands.
The shooting led to nearby Wingate University being placed on lockdown for just over one hour.
Wingate Elementary also entered a lockdown until around 1 p.m.
Police told the university that the suspect was a black male wearing a blue and black windbreaker and brown Timberland boots.
The suspect was armed with a long gun.
Were pursuing leads and trying to figure out what this is all about, Union County Sheriff Public Information Officer Tony Underwood confirmed to the NY Daily News.
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A view shows the school in Dapchi in the northeastern state of Yobe, where dozens of school girls went missing after an attack on the village by Boko Haram, Nigeria Feb. 23, 2018. (Reuters/Afolabi Sotunde)
Nigeria Says 110 Girls Unaccounted for After Boko Haram Attack
ABUJAOne hundred and ten girls are missing after an attack on a school in northeast Nigeria by suspected Boko Haram terrorists, the information ministry said on Sunday, in what may be one of the largest abductions since the Chibok kidnappings of 2014.
The Islamic terrorist group attained international notoriety after abducting more than 270 schoolgirls from the town of Chibok. That case drew global attention to the insurgency by the terrorists and spawned high profile social media campaign Bring Back Our Girls.
Boko Haram, whose name translates as Western education is forbidden in the Hausa language widely spoken in northern Nigeria, has killed more than 20,000 people and forced two million to flee their homes in a violent insurgency that began in 2009.
President Muhammadu Buhari, the 75-year-old former military ruler elected in 2015 after vowing to crush Boko Haram, has described the disappearance of the girls after Mondays attack in the town of Dapchi, Yobe state, as a national disaster.
The insurgents drove into the town of Dapchi on Monday and attacked the girls school, sending hundreds of students fleeing. Some of the attackers were camouflaged, with witnesses stating that a number of students thought they were soldiers.
The federal government has confirmed that 110 students of the Government Science and Technical College in Dapchi, Yobe State, are so far unaccounted for, after insurgents believed to be from a faction of Boko Haram invaded their school on Monday, the information ministry said in a statement.
There had been confusion over the number of those missing, with estimates ranging from about 50 to more than 100. State police, Yobe government and others had given different figures while a parent representing families of girls who disappeared on Friday told Reuters 105 were missing.
Yobe state government added to the confusion when it said on Wednesday that dozens of the girls had been rescued, only to issue a statement the next day saying the schoolgirls were mostly still unaccounted for, sparking anger among locals.
The Nigerian Air Force on Sunday said the chief of air staff had directed the immediate deployment of additional air assets and Nigerian Air Force personnel to the northeast with the sole mission of conducting day and night searches for the missing girls.
The renewed efforts at locating the girls are being conducted in close liaison with other surface security forces.
Information Minister Lai Mohammed, who was part of a delegation of ministers who met parents and teachers in Dapchi and announced the number of missing girls, also said police and security officials had been deployed to schools in the state.
By Felix Onuah
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Ivanka Trump, U.S. President Donald Trump's daughter and senior White House adviser, and Kim Yong Chol of the North Korea delegation attend the closing ceremony of the Pyeongchang 2018 Winter Olympics, South Korea, on Feb. 25, 2018. (Reuters/Lucy Nicholson)
North Korea Expresses Willingness For Talks With US
White House Says Any Talks Must Lead to Ending Nuclear Program
SEOUL/WASHINGTONThe White House said any talks with North Korea must lead to an end to its nuclear program after senior officials from Pyongyang visiting South Korea said on Sunday their government was open to talks with the United States.
The North Korean delegation, in Pyeongchang for the closing ceremony of the Winter Olympics, met at an undisclosed location with South Korean President Moon Jae-in, and expressed a willingness to meet with the United States, Moons office said in a statement.
The Pyongyang delegation said developments in relations between the two Koreas and between North Korea and the United States should go hand in hand, according to the statement.
The Olympics gave a boost to recent engagement between the two Koreas after more than a year of sharply rising tensions over the Norths missile program and its sixth and largest nuclear test in defiance of U.N. sanctions.
The United States announced on Friday it was imposing its largest package of sanctions aimed at getting North Korea to give up its nuclear and missile programs.
On Sunday, North Korean state media accused the United States of provoking confrontation on the Korean peninsula with the sanctions as it shows signs of strain under the concerted efforts of maximum pressure led by the U.S.
The White House said its sanctions would continue.
There is a brighter path available for North Korea if it chooses denuclearization.
We will see if Pyongyangs message today, that it is willing to hold talks, represents the first steps along the path to denuclearization, the White House said in a statement.
In the meantime, the United States and the world must continue to make clear that North Koreas nuclear and missile programs are a dead end, it said.
No Interaction With Ivanka Trump
Moon, the North Korean delegation, and Ivanka Trump, U.S. President Donald Trumps daughter, were among dignitaries who attended the Olympics closing ceremony on Sunday.
Ivanka Trump, a senior White House adviser, did not interact with the North Korean delegation, a senior U.S. administration official said. She met Moon on Friday as part of a weekend trip leading the U.S. delegation to the closing ceremony.
North Korea sent former military intelligence chief Kim Yong Chol, an official accused of being behind a deadly 2010 attack on a South Korean warship, to lead its delegation.
The decision enraged the families of 46 sailors killed in the torpedo attack and threatened the mood of rapprochement that Seoul sought to create at what it called the Peace Games.
North Korea has denied its involvement in the sinking.
Moon met Kim in Pyeongchang, where the Olympics were held, before the closing ceremony, the South Korean government said.
Earlier, about 100 conservative South Korean lawmakers and activists staged a sit-in near the border with North Korea, to protest Kims arrival and facing off against about 2,500 South Korean police.
The Norths delegation took a different route, prompting the opposition Korea Liberty Party to accuse Moons administration of abuse of power and an act of treason by rerouting the motorcade to shield it from the protest.
Trump Warning
The North sent Kim Yo Jong, the younger sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, to the opening ceremony.
She was the center of a frenzy of attention, especially when she appeared at the opening ceremony and was only a few feet from U.S. Vice President Mike Pence. They did not speak.
Kim Yo Jong and the Norths nominal head of state were the most senior North Korean officials to visit the South in more than a decade. The North Korean leader later said he wanted to create a warm climate of reconciliation and dialogue.
The U.S. president, in announcing the new sanctions on Friday, warned of a phase two that could be very, very unfortunate for the world if the sanctions did not work.
North Korea denounced the sanctions in a statement carried on its state media and said a blockade by the United States would be considered an act of war.
China also reacted angrily, saying on Saturday the unilateral targeting of Chinese firms and people risked harming cooperation on North Korea.
Moon won election last year promising to try to improve relations with the North.
By Yuna Park and Roberta Rampton
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Oakland Mayor Irresponsible for Issuing Warning About ICE Operation
Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf sent out an alert on Feb. 24 to warn illegal immigrants that a federal immigration operation was pending in her jurisdiction.
Schaaf said she learned from multiple credible sources that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) was preparing an operation as soon as the next 24 hours.
She said she was sharing the information not to panic our residents but to protect them.
I know that Oakland is a city of law-abiding immigrants and families who deserve to live free from the constant threat of arrest and deportation, Schaaf said. I believe it is my duty and moral obligation as mayor to give those families fair warning when that threat appears imminent.
A warning like this from a public official is very irresponsible, said Jessica Vaughan, director for policy at the Washington-based Center for Immigration Studies.
ICE is targeting primarily criminals who have been released by sanctuary policies in the Bay Area, and so the mayor is really tipping off criminals that ICE is seeking, Vaughan said on Feb. 26.
California officially designated itself a sanctuary state as of Jan. 1 and as such, Oakland police officers are prohibited from participating in ICE activities.
The ironic thing about officials like this mayorwho implement sanctuary policiesis that they say they do it because they want all immigrants in the community to feel safe, she said.
Well, this has the opposite effect. They feel less safe because they feel they are vulnerable to an enforcement action that is probably not even directed at them. Its only directed at the criminals, in most cases, or people with egregious immigration violations.
ICE responded with a statement saying it carries out enforcement operations on a daily basis in Northern California and across the nation.
ICE focuses its enforcement resources on individuals who pose a threat to national security, public safety, and border security. ICE does not conduct sweeps or raids that target aliens indiscriminately, said James Schwab, ICE spokesman for the San Francisco office.
More illegal immigrants are at risk of being swept up in collateral arrests by ICE if the agency is forced to conduct at-large arrests in the community, Schwab said, especially now that no illegal alien is exempt from enforcement. Under President Barack Obama, ICE was given prosecutorial discretion to only arrest criminals, but President Donald Trump has said ICE is not restricted in arresting any illegal alien.
Sanctuary cities and states are not immune from federal law, Schwab said.
California officially designated itself a sanctuary state as of Jan. 1 and as such, Oakland police officers are prohibited from participating in ICE activities.
Several months ago, Oakland Police Chief Anne Kirkpatrick came under fire for providing traffic control assistance while ICE conducted an operation.
Business owners are also prohibited from assisting ICE agents in immigration enforcement and federal immigration agents are barred by state law from accessing employee-only areas.
My priority is for the well-being and safety of all residentsparticularly our most vulnerableand I know Oakland is safer when we share information, encourage community awareness, and care for our neighbors, Schaff wrote.
Vaughan, said that although this sounds good, the way to keep Oakland safe is to allow the police to share information with ICE.
Her policies prevent thatthe kind of information sharing that actually would help keep everyone in Oakland safe. So its a one-way street for her on information-sharing, Vaughan said.
Whats sad though, is that Oakland has a lot of peopleAmericans and legal immigrants alikewho are negatively affected by illegal immigration. And her open invitation for people to come and reside in Oakland illegally is a slap in the face to them.
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Pope Francis speaks with Vatican Secretary of State, Cardinal Pietro Parolin during the Popes visit to Lima's Cathedral on Jan. 21, 2018. Parolin is spearheading the Vaticans negotiation with China to resume diplomatic relations, which is expected to be finalized within a few months, following Vaticans recent capitulation to the Chinese regime on the issue of the appointment of bishops. (Vincenzo Pinto/AFP/Getty Images)
Pope Franciss Vatican Is Making a Deal With the Devil, Says Chinese Dissident
Human rights lawyer says Chinese Communist Party insists on controlling everything, including God
As the Vatican is preparing to cave in to the demands of the Chinese regime in exchange for the resumption of diplomatic relations with China, a world-renowned Chinese dissident has come out to condemn the Vaticans move as a moral betrayal of faithful Catholics worldwide, in an article titled, The Vatican Is Making a Deal With the Devil.
It was reported recently that the Vatican under Pope Francis and the Peoples Republic of China are close to reaching an historic deal regarding the resumption of diplomatic relations, as the Vatican has acquiesced to the Chinese regimes demands regarding the appointment of bishops in China. An agreement could be signed within a matter of a few months, according to a Vatican source.
The move is seen as a stunning reversal of the Vaticans decades-long stance on the issue and has generated widespread criticism of Pope Franciss leadership. Critics point out that giving up the right to appoint bishops would formally deprive the Vatican of any remaining moral and de facto leadership over Chinese Catholics. It would also, critics say, be a blatant betrayal of Chinas underground house church Catholics, who are still heavily persecuted by the Chinese regime.
Among the critics of the deal is Chen Guangcheng, a famous Chinese human rights lawyer who gained international attention in 2012 for escaping house arrest and making his way to the U.S. Embassy in Beijing. Chen has since resided in the United States and has continued his civil rights advocacy and vocal criticism of the Chinese regime.
The Vaticans deal is the equivalent of selling out Gods home to the devil, said Chen in an op-ed published on Radio Free Asia on Feb. 20.
Chen, who is now a senior fellow at the conservative Witherspoon Institute and a distinguished visiting fellow at the Institute for Policy Research and Catholic Studies at the Catholic University of America, said that the Vatican under Pope Francis is naive to sell-out to the Chinese regime, a deal from which only the Chinese Communist Party would benefit.
Did the Vatican not understand that in China, everything is subjugated to the will of the Chinese Communist Party? asked Chen. Why did the Vatican break relations with China in 1951? It was precisely because the Communist Party insisted that it must control everything, including God.
The Vatican and the Peoples Republic of China have had no diplomatic relations since 1951, as the Chinese Communist Party has insisted from the very beginning of its rule that it should by itself appoint all bishops of the Roman Catholic Church in mainland China so that the regime can maintain control of the church. A regime-controlled Chinese Patriotic Catholic Association (CPCA) was created to supposedly represent Catholics in China.
The Vatican under all previous popes has rejected such an arrangement and refused to recognize bishops unilaterally appointed by the CPCA. The power to appoint bishops, known as investiture, has been considered to be at the core of the Catholic Churchs teachings.
Chen also weighed in on the controversy that recently broke out over the remarks a senior Vatican official made praising the Chinese regime. In an interview, Archbishop Marcelo Sanchez Sorondo, who heads the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences at the Vatican, said that the Chinese regime today is perhaps best at implementing the Churchs teachings on social issues.
Are they pretending to be naive, or are they really that naive? Chen asked, Are they really trying to lead the Catholic Church, which has one billion followers, to make a deal with the anti-Christian and antichrist Chinese Communist Party?
Chen also pointed out that Sorondo, a close supporter of Pope Francis deal with Chinese regime, had attended a controversial organ trafficking conference in Beijing in August 2017 and made controversial remarks praising the Chinese regime and Chinas organ donation policy.
Sorondos willful ignorance is beyond disgusting, Chen said, pointing out that the Chinese regime has yet to be held accountable for the widely reported organ harvesting of Falun Gong practitioners and other victims.
By making a deal with the devil that is the Chinese Communist Party, the Vatican will only humiliate itself and tarnish the church of God that it supposedly represents, said Chen.
Nikolas Cruz appears in court with attorney Melissa McNeil (L) for a status hearing before Broward Circuit Judge Elizabeth Scherer on Feb. 19, 2018, in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. (Mike Stocker-Pool/Getty Images)
Records Show Sheriffs Deputies Visited Florida School Shooters Home at Least 45 Times
Newly obtained records show that the Broward County Sheriffs Office visited the home of the Florida school shooter at least 45 times.
Responding to criticism, the sheriffs office recently claimed it had only responded to 23 calls over the years.
But records obtained by BuzzFeed show at least 45 responses in the last decade.
That means the number of calls involving Nikolas Cruz or his family is near twice the number claimed by the department.
Since 2008, BSO responded to 23 incidents where previous contact was made with the killer or his family, the sheriffs office said in its statement. STOP REPORTING 39; ITS SIMPLY NOT TRUE.
Scott Israel, the county sheriff, also said in a letter to Florida Gov. Rick Scott that Bill Hager, a Florida legislator, was making the false claim.
Mr. Hagers claim of 39 visits by BSO deputies is simply fiction, Israel wrote in his letter to Scott.
The new number comes after it was revealed that three sheriffs deputies and a uniformed resource officer stood outside Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland on Feb. 14 as Cruz rampaged inside, ultimately killing 17 people.
Officers from nearby Coral Springs were outraged when they arrived on the scene amid the crisis and found that the four officers hadnt entered the school, sources told CNN. The specifics are expected to be published in a report this week.
The calls to the Broward County Sheriffs Office included a tipster calling the officer saying Cruz could be a school shooter in the making, reported The Miami Herald.
Another call came from a relative who urged officers to seize Cruzs weapon.
Another call prompted a deputy to investigate a report that Cruz planned to shoot up the school.
BuzzFeed noted that most of the calls involved domestic disturbance issues featuring Cruz or his younger brother Zachary.
Scot Peterson, 54, was suspended without pay before resigning and retiring. He was the resource officer who did not enter the school during the shooting.
Two other deputies have been placed on restricted duty while Internal Affairs investigates how they handled the two warnings specifically regarding Cruz potentially launching a school shooting.
Israel slammed Peterson but refused to take responsibility for the failures of Peterson and other officers involved.
Im completely disgusted, Broward County Commissioner Michael Udine, a former mayor of Parkland whose daughter attends Stoneman Douglas, told the Herald. There is nobody in authority talking to each other and every organization that had a chance to stop this completely failed our children from top to bottom.
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The approximate location of a standoff between police and a gunman in Glasgow Village, Mo. on Feb. 26, 2018. (Screenshot via Google Maps)
Standoff in Missouri After Gunman Shoots Officer
A police officer was shot in the chest in St. Louis County on the morning of Monday, Feb. 26, resulting in a standoff between the gunman and police.
The officer was with a U.S. Marshals Service task force serving a warrant on the gunman, who was identified by his sister as 40-year-old William Watson Jr., the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported.
Just arriving to the scene@stlcountypd Tactical Operations Unit. Its believed the person who shot the US Marshall in barricaded inside a home. @FOX2now pic.twitter.com/V1oOxAAkjz Mike Colombo (@Mike_Colombo) February 26, 2018
The officer was taken to a hospital and was doing well. His body armor stopped the bullet.
Hes alert, hes talking and hell be fine, Marshal spokesman Patrick James said.
Were very, very lucky today, he said.
The Marshals Service stated the gunman opened fire on the officers as soon they exited their vehicles by the Glasgow Village property.
The officers returned fire and believed the suspect was hit.
Theres junk everywhere on the property, James said. They think he barricaded himself on the carport. They think they hit him a couple times.
Scene in Glasgow Village remains active. Suspect is not in custody, St. Louis County Police Department tweeted at 11:37 a.m. Our dept. will be handling the investigation.
A U.S. Marshals detective was shot and is being treated at a local hospital. Scene in Glasgow Village remains active. Suspect is not in custody. Our dept. will be handling the investigation. pic.twitter.com/ymKgLRq2DP St. Louis County PD (@stlcountypd) February 26, 2018
A SWAT team arrived on the scene, but began packing up to leave at about 12:30 p.m. Its not clear if the gunman has since been taken into custody.
Watsons sister, Jennifer, said theres a possibility her 2-year-old niece may be in the gunmans home.
I dont know if the baby is in there! she shouted at officers. She said the police wouldnt let her go try to talk to her brother.
Father of suspect William Watson Jr arrived at scene trying to find out if his son is dead or alive after standoff ended. Started when @USMarshalsGov task force member shot in chest when going to make arrest in Glasgow Village. #kmov #police pic.twitter.com/miAfGcLmqZ Russell Kinsaul (@russellkinsaul) February 26, 2018
Watson was convicted of domestic assault in September and released on bond. But he failed to show up for his Nov. 6 sentencing, hence the arrest warrant.
His defense argued a woman came at Watson with a knife and that he disarmed her. The woman testified Watson choked and body-slammed her.
Watson was also to be arrested for a first-degree assault.
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Stranger Buys New Tires for Woman, All He Asks in Return Is She Pay It Forward
An Australian woman never expected to get some new car tyres out of a trip to McDonalds.
In a now viral Facebook post, Tegan Langley, from the Gold Coast, Queensland, shared about how she was bowled over by a strangers generosity after the man noticed that her car was in need of a new set of tyres.
Langley wrote that she was waiting in a McDonalds car park on Feb. 21, when a man walked up to her window, and asked if she knew about the poor state of her tyres. Langley replied that she did, but that she could not afford to replace them at that time.
So the man took Langley to the Bridgestone Tyres center across the road, and paid for the replacement of three of her tyres, as well as a wheel alignment.
It cost $535 in total. She included a picture of the receipt in the post.
This complete stranger explained he couldnt live with himself if he walked away from the situation knowing they were about to blow at anytime, the post reads.
She said the man left without providing any contact details, and only after [paying] $535 dollars, a lot of tears on my behalf, a few hugs, three brand new tyres, a wheel alignment later and the offer to fuel up my car.
Langley said the man, who she later found out was named Tony, did not ask for anything in return, only that one day when Im in the position where Im able to help someone I pay it forward.
According to the post, Tony was accompanied by his two sons.
Langley used the post to express her gratitude to the kind stranger: Tony if this ever reaches you, thankyou! Thankyou for your utterly selfless act, your kind words, for restoring my faith in humanity. From the bottom of my heart thankyou!
The post, which has gotten more than 52,000 reactions, was flooded with positive comments applauding and thanking the good Samaritan.
One commenter on the Facebook post wrote: In tears reading thisbless himthis is life, paying it forward when we can. Thank you Tony for teaching your boys.
Another wrote: What a wonderful act of kindness so nice to read such a beautiful story in todays selfish & uncaring world what goes around comes around Iam sure Tony will get a beautiful surprise himself one day he is a real champ!!!
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Suspect Arrested After College Student Fatally Stabbed in Library Reading Room
A suspect was arrested on Monday, Feb. 26, after a Maine college student was stabbed to death in the reading room of a local library.
Deane Kenny Stryker was a first-year student at the College of Osteopathic Medicine in Biddeford.
She was attacked on Saturday at the public library in Winchester.
Officials said Jeffrey Yao, 23, approached Stryker, 22, from behind and stabbed her in the head and upper torso with a 10-inch long hunting knife.
Yao also stabbed a 77-year-old man in the arm before being restrained by other library patrons, reported the Portland Press-Herald.
Other patrons, including the man, tried to help Stryker after she was stabbed, but she ultimately died from the wounds.
Yao pleaded not guilty to charges of murder and armed assault with intent to murder at his arraignment in Woburn District Court, reported CBS.
The judge ordered Yao held without bail.
His attorney J.W. Carney said that Yao did not know Stryker despite them both being graduates of Winchester High School. Carney said Yao has a history of mental illness.
Its every parents nightmare for both sets of parents, Carney said, adding that Yao should be in a psychiatric hospital for the rest of his life.
Yao is due back in court on April 11.
Neighbors told the Boston Herald that Yaos behavior had become increasingly erratic and one warned authorities Yao was going to kill somebody.
We warned them. We warned them. I cant believe this, a neighbor said. This whole thing could have been avoided. All of it. The neighbor asked not to be identified out of fear of retribution.
Strykers family and friends mourned the loss, recalling her as a young woman committed to helping people as she trained to become a physician.
A first-year student in the UNE College of Osteopathic Medicine, Deane was just beginning her journey toward becoming a physician, and showed great promise as a student doctor who was passionate about medicine and helping others, said James Herbert, president of the University of New England, in a statement.
She was an advocate for domestic violence and mental health awareness, and an active member of the . . . college community, he continued. She served as an orientation leader, and was part of a student organization that provides confidential peer support to other students who need a place to turn when they are struggling.
Gerry Skinder, a retired Winchester High English teacher, told the Globe that he remained friends with Stryker after she took his course, reported the Boston Globe.
Stryker showed the wisdom, depth of character that allows people to see others as whole human beings, beyond what their role might be, said Skinder.
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Ukrainian marines prepare to train in urban warfare techniques on the second day of the 'Rapid Trident' bilateral military exercises between the United States and Ukraine that include troops from a variety of NATO and non-NATO countries, near Yavorov, Ukraine, on Sept. 16, 2014. (Sean Gallup/Getty Images)
The Pain of Ukraine Is Largely Forgotten
The nation needs to move to a modern, Western-style democracy
Approximately a year ago, David Kilgour and I examined the circumstances then extant in Ukraine.
I noted that the West seemed unable to do the diplo-political equivalent of walk and chew gum at the same time. That is, we batten on the crisis de jour with the frenzy of preteens obsessing of the latest musical performer (immediately forgetting the obsession of the previous year).
Such has it been over the past few months: in the United States, media continue to seek evidence of something (anything) nefarious regarding presidential activity and/or the 2016 presidential campaign regarding Russia. The Super Bowl provided a one-day distraction. Internationally, North Korea nukes and missiles were airbrushed to provide a happy, happy vision of the winter Olympics (a blessed 16-day respite from contemplating nuclear annihilation). In Europe we are watching Turkey flex muscle to pound recalcitrant Kurds into submission. And Germany in a fit of exhaustion is striving to finalize an agreement for an operational government.
Read More Defending Europe by Arming Ukraine Defensively
But Ukraine is just the odd-man-out. And this is a puzzlement. Ukraine is not a tertiary concern. It lies within Europes central corethe largest country totally within Europe with a 44.5 million population (including Crimea), extensive natural resources, and open-ended economic potential. What remains at stake is Ukraines continued independence and democratic government.
To Review the Bidding
Ukraine became independent following the USSRs collapse in 1990. Subsequently, it struggled with an imploding economy and political corruption. Steadily; however, it sought stronger ties with the EU and NATO.
Such apparently disconcerted the Kremlin. In November 2013, then-president Viktor Yanukovych began distancing from an association agreement being negotiated with the EU, instead moving closer to Moscow. Infuriated Ukrainians, in a series of demonstrations or riots (the Euromaidan protests) in February 2014 drove out Yanukovych (who promptly decamped to Moscow). Subsequent elections made Petro Poroshenko presidenta position he retains but subject to re-election in March 2019.
Prompted by the defenestration of its lackey, Moscowin an act of blatant aggressionseized Crimea. It then legitimized its criminality with a risible referendum in March 2014. The United Nations bleated but predictably to no avail.
Moscow doubled down with semi-covert, plausibly deniable little green men supporting break-away rebel forces in eastern zones of Ukraine. These pro-Russian forces have seized territory and created governments independent of Kiev.
A European-led Minsk agreement in February 2015 engaging Russia, France, Germany, Ukraine, and pro-Russia separatists hypothesized a ceasefire arrangement in which rebelling areas would re-integrate with Kiev. Nothing, however, was accomplished under these agreements, which served more as reloading breaks in the grinding fight than pathways to peace.
Escaping Forward
Frustrated by three years with neither peace nor victory, Poroshenko has been moving steadily to strengthen himself politically and militarily.
In 2016 Ukraine joined the Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area with the EU to modernize and develop Ukraines economy, governance, and rule of law to EU standards;
In May 2016, Poroshenko signed a Strategic Defense Bulletin to revamp Ukraines military doctrine, training, and operations to NATO standards by 2020. Such is reflected by an agreement to have multilateral military exercises in Ukraine in 2018.
Politically, Poroshenko is poised to sign a just-passed parliamentary law that would de facto characterize him as a war president with subordination of all security forces to him. It ends the charade that the fighting is led by anti-Kiev separatists and that labels the region as temporarily occupied territories for which Russia is responsible.
The move effectively scuttles the Minsk agreements, recognition that a road to nowhereleads nowhere.
What Next?
During the protracted fighting, Ukraine has revamped its combat forces into what has been described as one of Europes strongest fighting forces.
This development is augmented by U.S. decision to send advanced antitank missiles (Javelin) to Kiev, strengthening not only defensive, but prospectively offensive action against Russian-supplied armor.
The next step may well be antiaircraft missiles that would even or reverse the force balance against Russian airstrikes.
The Russian military is not the pre-1989 Soviet Red Army; it has some excellent special forces units, but Moscow is adverse to body-bag-intense combat (the war in Afghanistan weighs heavily in its politicomilitary calculus).
But more is necessary:
Orchestrating continued EU support and persisting with sanctions against Moscow;
Vigorous pressure on Kiev for economic reform and action against corruption.
Winning a military victory in Ukraine would require bold, decisive action by Ukrainian leadership. Transforming Ukraines politics into modern, Western-style democracy would be significantly harder, but even more important.
We need to move beyond stalemate in both arenas.
David T. Jones is a retired U.S. State Department senior foreign service career officer who has published several hundred books, articles, columns, and reviews on U.S.Canadian bilateral issues and general foreign policy. During a career that spanned over 30 years, he concentrated on politico-military issues, serving as adviser for two Army chiefs of staff. Among his books is Alternative North Americas: What Canada and the United States Can Learn from Each Other.
Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
President Donald Trump hosts a business session with state governors in the State Dining Room at the White House in Washington, DC on Feb. 26, 2018. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
Trump: I Would Rush Into Florida High School Without a Weapon
President Donald Trump doubled down on his criticism of the armed school guard and the sheriffs deputies who remained outside the Parkland high school during the Valentines Day massacre, saying that he would have rushed into the school unarmed.
I really believe Id run in there even if I didnt have a weapon, Trump said, according to NBC.
I really believe I would have, the president said. You never know until youre tested.
Trump made the comments during a meeting with state governors, which encompassed a variety of topics, including the governments response to the deadly shooting at Stoneman Douglas Highschool in Florida where 17 people were killed.
The president described the guard who failed to stop the shooter as disgusting and slammed the deputies who took cover outside the school as the shooting progressed, saying they werent exactly Medal of Honor winners.
Trump was also critical of the law enforcements work prior to the shooting, pointing out that 39 red flags were missed. Buzzfeed reported on Sunday, Feb. 25, that there were even more police responses to the alleged shooters home than previously reported, citing public records which show the police responded to Nikolas Cruzs home 45 times.
The Broward County Sheriffs Office and the local school officials have a standing policy to ignore criminal engagement with high-school students. As a result, many of the alarming reports about the alleged shooter in the years preceding the massacre appear to have been passed over as a matter of policy, rather than erroneously missed.
In the wake of the shooting, Trump proposed expanding background checks for gun purchases with a focus on mental illness, banning bump stocks, raising the minimum age to buy a gun to 21 and offering a bonus for properly trained teachers to carry guns in schools.
Our nation is heartbroken, the president said. Well turn our grief into action.
Trump said he would supersede Congress if it doesnt act on banning bump stocks.
I dont care if Congress doesnt act, Trump said. Were getting rid of it.
A bump stock is a rifle accessory that uses the guns recoil force to produce rapid fire. The Florida school shooter did not use a bump stock, according to police. Bump stocks received a national spotlight after they were discovered in the hotel room of the man suspected of carrying out the Las Vegas shooting massacre.
Trump placed part of the blame regarding the lack of adequate mental health care on some of the governors present, adding that were going to have to start talking about mental institutions.
In the old days it was easier to commit people who acted like a boiler ready to explode to mental institutions, Trump said.
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President Donald Trump speaks at a joint press conference with Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull in the East Room of the White House on Feb. 23, 2018. (Samira Bouaou/The Epoch Times)
Trump Ups Pressure on North Korea, Warns of Phase 2
President Donald Trumps administration imposed its largest set of sanctions yet on the North Korean regime on Friday, Feb. 23, targeting shipping and trade companies tied to the communist regime.
The goal of the sanctions, imposed by the Treasury Department, is to prevent illegal coal and fuel shipments going to North Korea, and to stop the regime from shipping its goods around the worldgoods it uses to fund its nuclear weapons program.
The sanctions are the latest in the Trump administrations campaign of maximum pressure on Pyongyang to abandon its nuclear weapons program.
As President Trump has said, there is a brighter path available for North Korea if it chooses denuclearization, White House spokesperson Sarah Sanders said in a statement on Feb. 25.
However, if the sanctions dont have their desired effect in pushing North Korea to abandon its nuclear weapons program, President Donald Trump has said the United States is ready to move to phase two.
North Korean soldiers on the border with South Korea on Nov. 27, 2017. (Korea Pool/Getty Images)
If the sanctions dont work well have to go phase two, and phase two may be a very rough thing, Trump said on Feb. 23.
Hopefully the sanctions will work. We have tremendous support all around the world for what were doing. It really is a rogue nation. If we can make a deal it will be a great thing, and if we cant, something will have to happen, Trump said.
North Korea reiterated its threat to use nuclear weapons against the United States in response to Trumps comments.
South Korean President Moon Jae-in said on Feb. 25, following a meeting with a North Korean delegation at the closing ceremony of the Winter Olympics, that the North Korean regime is willing to meet with the United States.
North Korean state media, however, reported on Feb. 25 We will never have face-to-face talks with them even after 100 years or 200 years. This is neither an empty talk nor any threat.
The White House, meanwhile, said that it is open to a dialogue with North Korea if the result is for the North to abandon its nuclear weapons.
North Korea has threatened to strike the United States, as well as allies South Korea and Japan, multiple times with nuclear weapons in recent months.
In late November, the regime conducted a controversial Intercontinental Ballistic Missile test, which, according to Defense Secretary Gen. Jim Mattis, puts anywhere in the world within its range.
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Brock Prime (2nd to the left) and his family. (GoFundMe/Prime Family Support)
Two Charged Over Horrific Road Rage Attack Which Left Man In Coma
Police have arrested two men in relation to a brutal road rage attack which left 29-year-old Brock Prime fighting for his life after five centimetres of his skull was crushed into his brain.
Prime, a Gold Coast tradie, remains in a coma at the hospital following a vicious attack by a group of people on the M1 Pacific Motorway in Queensland, Australia, on Feb. 24, reported 9News.
Prime sustained life-threatening injuries including skull fractures, brain damage, and a broken leg.
His left side will be like a stroke victim, Primes mother Donna told the Gold Coast Bulletin yesterday.
Because hes already had to take a quarter of his brain, five centimetres of his skull was crushed into his brain with dirt and concrete and stuff so they had to remove all that and clean it out so they know its already damaged.
Thats why they know his left side will be done.
Police said 26-year-old Jonathan Lawrence from Surfers Paradise and an unnamed 27-year-old from Ormeau have been arrested and charged, each with one count of grievous bodily harm, police said in a statement late Sunday night.
Lawrence was not present in Beenleigh Magistrates Court today during the brief mention and his defence did not make an application for bail. He will be remanded in custody and appear again for another mention tomorrow, reported the Gold Coast Bulletin.
Two men charged over the alleged serious assault of a 29yo man on the M1 at Yatala last night. https://t.co/jZnbGYi6O5 Queensland Police (@QldPolice) February 25, 2018
Detective Inspector Mark Thompson told reporters the incident began when Primes Subaru Forester station wagon came close to colliding with a white van on the M1 near Coomera, reported news.com.au.
A cat and mouse game then occurred where both vehicles started weaving through traffic in wet conditions on the motorway. The drivers of the two cars then pulled over on the side of the road and a physical altercation occurred, according to police.
The actions of both of these vehicles were extremely dangerous, Thompson told reporters, reported the news website.
Police allege that the group of men continued to attack Prime even though he was already knocked to the ground. The men then got back in the van and fled, leaving Prime unconscious on the side of the road, reported Gold Coast Bulletin. A 22-year-old man who was a passenger with Prime was uninjured during the incident, police said in a statement.
Police have released vision in relation to the serious assault of a man at Yatala on Saturday night. https://t.co/WWf3rMKvRX Queensland Police (@QldPolice) February 26, 2018
Queensland Police have released footage of the incident and continue to appeal to the public for more information.
According to Sundays statement, police were looking for up to 13 people, who fled the scene before police arrived, after a Subaru Forester station wagon and a white van stopped on the side of the motorway between Pimpama and Yatala around 9:30 p.m. and a physical assault ensued.
An unknown weapon was used in the attack by the people in the van. Police will allege Prime was bashed with a metal bar believed to be a tyre iron or crowbar, reported Gold Coast Bulletin.
Donna said her son was the primary breadwinner for the family after her husbands sudden passing last month. Prime had been working six days a week as a concreter.
Brocks been our rock, Donna said.
Hes been working six days a week so we wouldnt lose our house because weve got younger kids who are still at school and uni.
A family friend has set up a GoFundMe page to raise money to support the Prime family. As of Feb. 26, approximately $15,100 of its $50,000 goal has been raised.
If you have information for police, contact Policelink on 131 444 or provide information using the online form 24hrs per day.
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A sailor was struck by a spinning blade from a helicopter similar to the one in this photo on Wednesday, Feb. 21, 2018. He died of his injuries three days later. (U.S. Navy)
U.S. Navy Identifies Sailor Killed by Helicopter Blade
Navy officials identified on Sunday the sailor killed by a spinning helicopter blade as 32-year-old Lt. James Mazzuchelli.
The sailor was a flight surgeon assigned to a helicopter squadron as part of Marine Aircraft Group 39. Mazzuchelli was stationed at Camp Pendleton in southern California. He was previously deployed in Japan.
Mazzuchelli is from Orange Park, Florida. He enlisted in the Navy in 2010, Los Angeles Times reported.
Lt. James Mazzuchelli was an incredibly talented physician and Sailor, Col. Matthew Mowery, the sailors commanding officer, told KGTV. His contagious enthusiasm, motivation, and love for the Marines and Sailors of HMLA-267 and MAG-39 has been evident in the outpouring of grief at his loss and the support being shown to his family and close friends.
His willingness to join the Navy and elect to serve faithfully with the Marines should give a sense of pride to all of us who serve our country that we are surrounded by heroes every day, Mowery added. James and his contribution to our Corps will be sorely missed.
Mazzuchelli was struck by the spinning blade from a UH-01Y Venom Marine helicopter at Camp Pendleton at 6:10 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 21, the Orange County Register reported. He died of his injuries at a hospital on Saturday morning.
No details about the incident have been released. The incident is under investigation.
My heart goes out to our Sailors family as we support them through this difficult time, said Maj. Gen. Mark Wise, commanding general of 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing.
The tragic death is the latest in a series of non-combat training accidents which killed or severely injured several Marines.
Though the rate of on-duty training-related accident fluctuates, the rate this year up 60 percent compared to 2014, according to the Naval Safety Center.
In the most recent fatal accident, three Marines died in a crash in the Philippine Sea on Nov. 22 last year.
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Loblaws and Metrolinx are about to change the definition of food on-the-go.
Beginning this spring, Canadas largest retailer will allow commuters to order groceries online and pick them up at five GO Transit stations: Bronte, Oakville, Rouge Hill, Whitby and Clarkson.
Orders placed by midnight will be filled for next-day, homebound pick-up.
Commuting is a big part of everybodys lives, said Jeremy Pee, senior vice-president, e-commerce, Loblaw Cos. Ltd.
It seems to fit what people are thinking of on their way home from work: getting groceries and preparing a meal.
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Pee said the new service is a natural extension of the grocers click-and-collect service, which allows people to shop online and pick-up in store, for a fee of between $3 and $5.
The program is the first of its kind in Canada, said Metrolinx spokesperson Anne Marie Aikens, adding that the transit agency has been looking for ways to make stations more attractive to commuters in an effort to encourage ridership.
The more convenient we make transit the more likely people are to use it, she said.
Aikens said the Loblaws program expands on the success of Metrolinx partnerships with food retailers including Balzacs and Mill St. Brewery at the UP Express hub at Union Station.
Loblaws was selected through a tendering process.
We have a whole division working on setting up partnerships with the business community, said Aikens, adding that Metrolinx is looking at ways to increase revenue without raising fares.
Construction at the stations is set to start Monday.
Customers will be able to place their orders online the minimum is $30 at loblaws.ca or fortinos.ca. The groceries will be picked from Loblaws and Fortinos stores near the stations, said Pee.
Shoppers will be able to pick up their orders the next day from staffed kiosks, lockers or refrigerated trucks located near the entrance to the stations so they can easily load their cars, said Pee.
The click-and-collect program at Loblaws has been rolled out to about 230 stores nationwide since it was launched in 2014, said Pee.
Loblaw Cos. Ltd. chairman and chief executive officer Galen Weston said this week that the company will continue rolling out the service at the rate of about one store a day this year.
Loblaws is focusing on investing in technology in 2018 as it rushes to compete with Amazon after the worlds largest e-commerce retailer signaled a deep interest in the sector with the purchase of Whole Foods last year.
Canadian grocers have been laggards in moving into online grocery sales. While common in Europe, online grocery shopping in this country is in relative infancy, with the exception of family-owned Longos, which bought the Grocery Gateway delivery service in 2004.
Grocery pick-up at transit stations is available in the U.K., said Aikens.
Loblaws and other grocers began offering limited grocery home delivery last year.
Loblaw Companies Limited has nearly 2,500 stores nationwide, under banners including Shoppers Drug Mart.
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What would you do if offered a voluntary severance package: celebrate, cry or crunch the numbers?
Leaving a job can be an emotional experience, but it pays to remain calm and check out the options in a systematic way before making a decision.
Whats right is going to be different for each person, depending on where they are in their career, and what they expect will happen next, said KBA Partners LLP partner Kimberly Boara Alexander, who practises career law in Toronto.
Really, its about making the right decision for that person at that particular time in their lives, Alexander said.
Depending on how its structured, that buyout package could be a real windfall.
Ideally, you would assemble a team of advisers with different skills, including an accountant to help with tax questions, a financial adviser, a recruitment or career professional familiar with your location and industry, as well as a lawyer familiar with employment law.
However, the costs of meeting with such a team can add up, so there are also some basics that can help chart a path to the best outcome on your own.
Those faced with such a choice should review the following:
details of the severance offer, preferably in writing
documents showing pension and other benefits
individual employment contract or union contract, if there is one
the letter of employment received at time of hiring and similar letters received with promotions or other changes.
Using this information, compare what youd get under a voluntary package versus an involuntary termination.
Depending on what the employment contract looks like, a person may ultimately receive more through involuntary termination, Alexander said.
If you leave at the employers behest because theyve terminated you without cause, youre entitled to at very minimum statutory notice and severance.
The terms of statutory notice are spelled out by federal or provincial law, depending on the circumstance.
Companies in federally regulated industries such as telecommunications and banking, for instance, would be covered by the Canada Labour Code.
Among other things, the code usually requires employers to notify the federal labour minister in writing at least 16 weeks in advance of group terminations involving 50 people or more.
Federally regulated employers must also give individual employees at least two weeks of written notice ahead of the termination, or regular wages instead of the notice.
Other employers may be covered by provincial laws, which vary from place to place, and differ from federal rules. Ontarios statutory notice requires roughly one week of notice for every year of continuous employment.
In general, however, Alexander said that the statutory provisions should be seen as minimums not maximums and lawyers are adept at looking for ways to get a better deal.
That may include terms of an employment contract or the provisions of common law.
Alexander said theres a mistaken belief among some that common law provides for one month of severance per year of service, but she said theres actually no easy guideline.
Two people who do exactly the same job, but one is 39 and the other is 65, would be entitled to different things.
Furthermore, Alexander said, many people dont realize that the company, unionized or not, likely outlined its notification and severance policy at the beginning of the employment.
The vast majority are focused on the compensation provisions and the role theyll play and they gloss over the termination provisions because theyre not thinking about the divorce as theyre entering into the marriage.
The result is, theres a large component of my practice which focuses on finding reasons why clauses like that should not be applied against an employee.
Employers sometimes will provide employees with a budget to spend on legal advice, she said, because they want the employee to sign a rock solid release from any further obligations.
Similarly, several employees who get the voluntary departure offers at the same time may want to consult the same lawyer or law firm so that the research process can be streamlined.
Ultimately, what you need to know is what youre giving up, what youre getting and what that means in terms of your freedom to pursue whatevers the next chapter for you if you decide to take the package.
Rosie Schwartz and her husband subscribe to Sirius satellite radio. Their subscriptions were set to expire this month.
Schwartz assumed Sirius would contact them before renewal since their credit card information was out of date. She received a new card last July and her husband had a new expiry date.
Instead, they were charged for new subscriptions at a cost of $228 for her and $230 for him or $60 more than last year.
How did that happen? She embarked on a quest to find out.
Sirius said it had her new card number and her husbands new expiry date. The information came from her credit card issuer (Capital One Platinum MasterCard for Costco members).
Capital One told her that MasterCard gives updated credit card numbers to certain merchants who pay for the service.
I am very surprised that my credit card information can be given out to a merchant. How can this be legal? Schwartz asked
Information about automatic credit card updating is not readily available. Instead of being highlighted in bold print, it may be buried in the fine print of a long and dense agreement.
Card-issuing banks have updater programs in place that send your recurring transactions to a new account number when a credit card is reissued.
The updating services, provided by Visa and MasterCard, help merchants avoid having to take collection action when a card is declined. They ensure that monthly bills will be paid, even when customers forget to update the information.
With credit card updating, customers have the convenience of not paying late fees or enduring service disruptions when a transaction is rejected, said Suma Boby, a spokesperson for Capital One Canada.
MasterCards program is called Automatic Billing Updater (ABU). Visa Canadas program is called Visa Account Updater.
The updates are provided by the merchants card acquiring bank only to participating merchants and only when a consumer has already provided their account information to the merchant or enrolled in recurring payments, said Sandra Benjamin, a spokesperson for MasterCard Canada.
Qualified merchants enrolled in the program may submit a request to receive updated account information where a merchant has an ongoing relationship with a cardholder, Visa Canada said.
All data is transmitted and stored securely behind Visas firewall, and Visa and its issuers comply with privacy and all other applicable laws to protect cardholder information.
Do you have a choice? Yes, you do but only if you know such a practice exists.
To stop suppliers from getting updated credit card information, you can tell your bank you want to opt out and the bank will remove you. Otherwise, you will be opted in without consent.
Both Visa and MasterCard advise reading your credit card agreement and a banks privacy policy to see what they say. But I found nothing online when I checked to see how my own Visa and MasterCard products handled the updating issue.
All I found was promotional information aimed at merchants about the benefits of enrolling in MasterCard Automatic Billing Updater and Visa Account Updater.
To save time and eyestrain, I suggest calling credit card issuers to find out how to block updates to participating merchants.
Back to Rosie Schwartz, whose Sirius subscription was renewed using updated information supplied by MasterCard and Capital One.
I was quite irate when I spoke to Sirius, she said. Since the subscriptions had been renewed just a few days before, they were willing to refund all my money.
Sirius offered a lower price to stay. When she threatened to leave, she was transferred to the retention department and given a much better deal ($49 each for six months, including taxes).
She also received a goodwill gesture of $250 from Capital Ones privacy officer, who fielded her inquiries about the updating service.
Capital One planned to beef up disclosure, she was told. But it would not name the merchants who participated in the MasterCard Automatic Billing Updater.
It would be a time-saving benefit if there was a list of vendors that consumers could refer to, Schwartz said. But as it is now, we have no idea who may have the updated information.
I agree it may be more convenient for customers not to have interruptions in their services. But since this is a pay to play system, it is not transparent and does not appear to protect a cardholders privacy. No one should be giving out my actual number but me.
My advice: Your suppliers may be getting your updated credit card information. But you wont find out which suppliers are paying for access and which ones are not.
To stop updated information from going to participating merchants, tell your credit card issuer you want to opt out. Get the agreement in writing.
Remember that automatic updating allows persistent marketers to keep billing you for services you dont want any more.
If you dont block updating, always cancel unwanted subscriptions well before the expiry date. Never assume they will stop because you have a new credit card number or expiry date.
Ellen Roseman appears in Smart Money. You can reach her at eroseman@thestar.ca.
At Ebrahim Toures first detention review hearing, three days after he was arrested by Canadas border police, immigration authorities said his detention was not likely to be unduly lengthy.
They just had to get him a travel document and put him on a plane.
That was five years ago. Toure is still behind bars.
The federal government, meanwhile, appears to be no closer to deporting the 46-year-old failed refugee claimant to Gambia, where he is believed to have been born. He has no identity documents and Gambian officials have given no indication they will issue him any.
So Toure continues to wait, with no idea when he will be free.
Whats going on with me is not right, he told the Star from inside the Immigration Holding Centre on Rexdale Blvd. in Etobicoke. You cant put somebody in jail for five years with no crime.
Toure, who was profiled last year as part of a Star investigation into Canadas immigration detention system, has not been charged or convicted of any criminal offence, and he is not considered a danger to the public. Hes detained by Canada Border Services Agency solely because officials believe he will not show up for his deportation, if they can ever arrange it.
Toure spent the first four-and-a-half years of his detention in a maximum security jail in Lindsay, Ont., where he was mixed with and treated the same as sentenced criminals and those awaiting trial. In October, he was transferred to the less restrictive Immigration Holding Centre after a Superior Court judge ruled the conditions of his detention were grossly disproportionate to the purpose of ensuring his deportation and amounted to cruel and unusual treatment.
But Justice Alfred OMarra also said the government still had the right to hold Toure because there was a reasonable prospect he could be deported within a reasonable time frame. He made this finding primarily on the basis of what government lawyers described as a pending interview between Toure and Gambian officials that they hoped would lead to those officials issuing Toure identity documents.
Five months later, the interview still hasnt happened, Toures lawyer said.
As far as I know, they havent made any progress whatsoever, said Jared Will, who is appealing OMarras decision.
The problem with (OMarras) finding is that there was literally no evidence that the interview was going to happen, Will said, adding that the government also gave no evidence that, even if the interview did occur, Gambian officials would co-operate. It was speculation on speculation, and somehow that was taken to add up to a reasonable prospect of removal.
Gambias embassy in Washington, which handles diplomatic and consular affairs for Canada, did not respond to multiple phone calls and emails requesting comment on Toures situation.
John Ossowski, the president of Canada Border Services Agency, declined to be interviewed for this story.
The Star emailed a list of questions to the CBSA on Feb. 14, asking, among other things, if the agency still believed it could deport Toure and if it was any closer to arranging an interview with Gambian officials.
The agency provided a general response on Friday that did not directly answer any of the questions.
It is not the practice of the CBSA to publicly comment on its operations or negotiations with a foreign government, reads part of the unattributed response.
At Toures monthly quasi-judicial detention reviews at the Immigration and Refugee Board, immigration authorities blame him for his prolonged detention, saying his lack of co-operation is thwarting their efforts to remove him.
They point to the fact that for the first two-and-a-half years of his detention, Toure said he was from Guinea, not Gambia. He was, in fact, nearly deported to Guinea just one month into his detention on the basis of what appeared to be a Guinean birth certificate. Canadian officials escorted him to the West African country, but when they arrived, Guinean border officials said Toures birth certificate was fake.
Toure, who is illiterate and has no formal education, isnt certain where he was born. He says he believes he was born in The Gambia where his late father owned a house but he spent much of his youth in Guinea and often traveled back and forth between the two countries. Guinea and Gambia are the same to me, he said.
Toure says his father was born in Guinea and his mother was born in either Guinea or Senegal.
Toure arrived in Canada in 2011 with a fraudulent French passport he says he paid a cousin to use it and within a few days had applied for refugee status in his own name.
After his refugee claim was denied, he was given a deportation order and subsequently arrested when he missed an appointment with immigration officials. He said he initially insisted he was from Guinea because he thought it was his best chance of getting out of detention. He said he has never held any legitimate identity documents and he has co-operated as much as possible with Canadian officials.
The CBSA believes Toures name is actually Bakaba Touray, based on a 2015 interview they say Gambian police conducted on their behalf with Toures mother, who is believed to have died two years ago.
Toure says Bakaba is a familial nickname, while his lawyer argued in court that for someone who is illiterate, there is no difference between the two spellings of his last name.
Toure is the longest-serving immigration detainee currently in detention, although previous detainees have been held longer.
Kashif Ali, who similarly could not be deported because of a lack of identity documents, was detained in a maximum security jail for seven years before a Superior Court judge ordered his release last April, saying Canada could not purport to hold someone in detention forever.
Critics of Canadas immigration detention system, including the United Nations Human Rights Committee, have called on Ottawa to establish a maximum time that someone can be held in detention.
The limit is 18 months throughout the European Union, while some member countries have set shorter limits, such as three months or a year. Canada, like the U.S., U.K. and Australia, has no limit.
Its shameful, said Will, speaking of Toures five years behind bars. Were not talking about anything thats even within the neighbourhood of international standards for the duration of immigration detention.
Toure, whose only criminal offence is a 13-year-old conviction for selling counterfeit CDs and DVDs in Atlanta, for which he served no jail time, says his mental health has deteriorated. He hears voices and has trouble sleeping. A psychiatric assessment arranged by his lawyers for last years court challenge found that he suffers from major problems in his psychiatric health, including auditory and visual hallucinations. Psychiatrist Donald Payne testified that although he couldnt speak to Toures mental health before detention, any more time behind bars would make it worse.
Toure said the conditions of his detention are better now that hes not in a maximum security jail. He isnt subject to regular strip searches and doesnt have to wear an orange jumpsuit. There are no lockdowns, as there were so often in Lindsay, when he would be confined to his cell for days at a time. The guards are nicer, too, he said. But its still jail.
Toure said he is not trying to stay in Canada. He wants the government to hurry up and deport him.
I never thought I would be here this long, he said. If I get out Ill be happy, but I cant get these five years back.
His next detention review hearing is Tuesday.
Clarification February 28, 2018: This article was edited from a previous version to make clear that Ebrahim Toures late father was Guinean, not Gambian, but that he owned property in The Gambia. As well, according to Toure, his late mother was born in either Guinea or Senegal.
Brendan Kennedy can be reached at bkennedy@thestar.ca or 416-869-4192.
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SURREY, B.C.A man convicted of attempted murder who was invited to a dinner reception with Justin Trudeau in India says he has a friendly relationship with the prime minister, and stayed away to save him from further embarrassment.
But the Prime Ministers Office says there is no merit to the assertions by Jaspal Atwal, who was convicted of attempted murder in the 1980s, and especially the claim that he and Trudeau were friends.
The dispute emerges after Atwal was interviewed by The Canadian Press at his home in Surrey after Trudeaus at times turbulent trip to India, which ended with his return to Ottawa on Sunday.
Atwal said he received an invitation directly from the Canadian high commissioners office for the event in New Delhi last week.
B.C. Liberal MP Randeep Sarai has said in a statement that it was his choice alone to include Atwal on the guest list, and he realized afterward that he had exercised poor judgment in doing so.
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On Sunday, a senior government official said, on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the situation, that the High Commission invited some guests after receiving recommendations from others, including MPs such as Sarai.
Atwal said he has known Trudeau for years. During one of Trudeaus visits to B.C. in 2008 or 2009, he said the pair sat together in Atwals Hummer and chatted.
We know each other. He knows my name. Hell come and say, Hey Jas, how you doing? We have a good relationship. I never see any problem, Atwal said on Saturday. But now he says, Oh, Jaspals not supposed to be here, this and that. It surprised me.
Trudeaus spokesperson, Cameron Ahmad, said the prime minister and Atwal are not friends.
That is not true, Ahmad said. Asked about the reported conversation in Atwals vehicle, Ahmad said: I dont know what hes referring to there, but no, they are not (friends).
Atwal said he is not a member of the Liberal party and has helped politicians from different parties both federally and provincially.
He said he was travelling in India last week on a personal trip and questioned why Sarai alone is taking the blame for his invitation to the reception.
I dont know why hes taking all the responsibility. He had nothing to do with that, Atwal said. The high commissioner, theyre the one giving the invitation. Everyones name goes through CSIS and the RCMP.
But Ahmad disputed Atwals version of events, reiterating the statement that Sarai released last week.
I would refer to what the prime minister said when he addressed these matters in India on two occasions, Ahmad said.
It is not true, these claims that come from Mr. Atwal.
Atwal was convicted of attempting to kill Indian cabinet minister Malkiat Singh Sidhu during a visit to Vancouver Island in 1986.
In spite of media reports, he said he was not a member of the International Sikh Youth Federation, a banned terrorist group in Canada and India, at the time.
He was also charged, but not convicted, in connection with a 1985 attack on Ujjal Dosanjh, a staunch opponent of the Sikh separatist movement, who later became B.C. premier and a federal Liberal cabinet minister.
Atwal said he does not support Khalistani organizations (which promote an independent Sikh state) and warns Sikh youth in B.C. against believing propaganda from separatists, many of whom he believes have a financial interest in the cause.
He confirmed he had been blacklisted from visiting India because of his crime. But he said any suggestion the government of India intervened before his recent trip either by getting him an invitation or by removing him from the blacklist so that he could attend the event with Trudeau is a total lie.
Indias government has nothing to do with anything, Atwal said.
Ahmad said the Prime Ministers Office has no comment on Indian policies regarding visas or blacklists.
Atwals passport shows stamps from two other recent visits to the country in January and August 2017. He said he also visited in 1999 to spread his fathers ashes and in 2002 to go shopping for his sons wedding.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says B.C. MP Randeep Sarai is taking full responsibility for inviting Jaspal Atwal to receptions in Delhi, India. Atwal was convicted of trying to assassinate an Indian cabinet minister in 1986. (The Canadian Press)
He showed his passport and the invitations from the High Commission to the events in India to The Canadian Press.
After his visa expired in 2007, Atwal said, he applied to have it renewed but was unsuccessful until his 2017 visits.
A government official, discussing the matter on condition of anonymity, has said guest lists for receptions such as those in India are not vetted individually for security. Those who issue the invitations are expected to do their own due diligence to ensure their own guests are safe, the official said.
The official also suggested Atwals presence was engineered by elements within the Indian government to distance the country from Ottawa, driven by concerns that Canada is not fully committed to a united India.
The suggestion has been made that Atwals presence was arranged by factions within the Indian government who refuse to believe there is no risk posed to a united India by Sikh separatists living abroad, said the official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity. The factions wanted to undermine the Canadian tour to prevent the government of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi from getting too cosy with foreign governments they believe want to undermine Indian unity, the official said.
The official spoke by phone to reporters travelling with Trudeau during a briefing arranged by the PMO. He said Canadian security officials received a tip from intelligence sources within Canada on Wednesday morning that Atwal had been at a reception in Mumbai with the prime minister on Tuesday evening.
The official also said Atwal has, since his conviction, been on a list of people banned by India from obtaining visas to visit the country because of their ties to Sikh separatist and extremist groups, but that he was suddenly removed from that blacklist last summer long before Trudeaus trip was planned.
Atwal said his invitation to the Canadian high commissioners dinner in New Delhi was not rescinded. He said he volunteered not to attend because he thought it might embarrass Trudeau after photos of Atwal with the prime ministers wife, Sophie Gregoire Trudeau, at the event in Mumbai attracted negative media attention.
Atwal said he told a Liberal party official: I dont want to see our prime minister embarrassed. I will not come to Delhi, so please take me off the list. This is what I told them.
But Ahmad made it clear that Atwal was removed from the guest list as soon as the PMO became aware of the controversy.
It is a fact that the invitation was rescinded by the High Commission, said Ahmad.
Im not sure hes able to send you proof it wasnt rescinded.
Conservative public safety critic Pierre Paul-Hus said Friday the House of Commons committee on national security should review the Privy Council Offices screening practices following Atwals attendance at the reception in Mumbai.
Atwal said the international media attention is frustrating after he served his time.
Yes, I made a big mistake in my life and Ive taken full responsibility. But after that, I change, and people here blaming and all that, looking at your personal life and all that Im telling them, grow up. Everybody makes mistakes.
Last week, a former senior Conservative government official dismissed the theory that Atwals presence was orchestrated by elements within the Indian government.
That is complete nonsense, said Garry Keller, who served as chief of staff to interim Conservative leader Rona Ambrose.
Ahmad said the PMO never tried to advance such a theory.
It is false what people have alleged, that this was somehow politically driven, he said.
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OTTAWAA third-party investigation concluded last year that the head of Canadas Arctic research agency harassed the organizations award-winning chief scientist at work, the Star and National Observer have learned.
A source with knowledge of the harassment claim who spoke on condition of anonymity said David Scott, president and chief executive officer of Polar Knowledge Canada (known as POLAR), was found to have harassed Martin Raillard.
The Star and National Observer were unable to confirm the exact nature of the workplace harassment, but the federal governments Treasury Board defines such conduct as normally a series of incidents that can include comments and acts that demean, belittle or cause personal humiliation or embarrassment. It can also be any act of intimidation or threat, the Treasury Board says.
The source said the harassment allegations against Scott were investigated at the request of officials at Indigenous and Northern Affairs Canada (INAC), the department that oversaw POLAR at the time.
Raillard said in an email that he is subject to a confidentiality agreement and not able to speak to the media.
Two other public servants who have worked with Scott said they experienced his mistreatment in the past.
Jean-Marie Beaulieu, a high-ranking federal scientist who worked for him from 2012 to 2014, said he was forced into early retirement by Scotts alleged bullying and harassment.
Peter Outridge, who worked for Scott at the Geological Survey of Canada, won a grievance against him at the public service labour relations board in 2015 after Scott refused his request to attend an Arctic science conference. In an email, Outridge described Scotts management style as vindictive and dismissive.
Spokespersons from Indigenous Services and Crown-Indigenous Relations the two federal departments that replaced INAC last year referred all questions to POLAR.
The agencys communications manager, Lynn Berrouard, would not answer questions about Scott or any harassment complaints, citing privacy concerns. The Star and National Observer were not able to reach Scott directly, and Berrouard declined interview requests for the agency president.
POLAR is committed to establishing and maintaining a respectful workplace as well as the prompt resolution of any complaints, Berrouard said in an emailed statement.
Any comments would risk disclosure of information which is protected under the Privacy Act.
Officials responding to an access to information request confirmed government records exist that relate to allegations of harassment at POLAR, but blocked their release under a section of law that prevents disclosure of documents created under whistleblower legislation that details how the Public Sector Integrity Commissioner deals with alleged wrongdoing in the federal bureaucracy.
Edith Lachapelle, the commissioners spokesperson, said she could not confirm or deny whether any workplace grievances against Scott are currently being investigated.
We dont ever talk about ongoing investigations, she said.
The claims against Scott come as the Liberal government in Ottawa is looking to revamp anti-harassment policies for political staffers and public service workers. Employment and Social Development Minister Patty Hajdu has said a new bill that is currently before Parliament will cover the full range of unacceptable behaviours, from teasing and bullying all the way to sexual harassment and physical and sexual violence.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has also repeatedly stated his governments zero tolerance for sexual assault, harassment and other workplace misconduct.
According to POLARs website, Scott has years of experience working for federal research agencies. He served as the director of the Geological Survey of Canadas northern division from 2009 to 2012. He was then appointed director of the Canadian Polar Commission, which became POLAR in 2015.
The new agency was mandated to oversee the completion of the Canadian High Arctic Research Station (CHARS) in Cambridge Bay, Nunavut. Construction of the $204-million facility was initiated under the previous Conservative government and it has seen its projected completion date pushed back from last summer to some time this year. When finished, it is slated to become POLARs official headquarters, offering a key research platform for Canadian scientists in the Arctic.
Raillard, the agencys chief scientist, was hired by CHARS in February 2014, according to a government announcement at the time. The award-winning Arctic ecologist had more than 25 years experience at that point, with a long career in polar science, guiding expeditions and leading teams in remote locations, the announcement said.
The source who disclosed the Raillard investigation at POLAR said the chief scientist finished some field research in September 2015 and returned to Ottawa to work at the agencys head office. Three months later, Raillard went on stress leave for a year, the source said.
His absence was felt by the Inuit community in Cambridge Bay, who found Raillards amiable dealings with local people to be refreshing, said Scot Nickels, senior science adviser with Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami, a national Inuit organization.
Theres a lot of silence, he said. Im sure it was very uncomfortable for (Scott) because there were a lot of questions.
An article published in September 2016 by Iqaluits Nunatsiaq News said Raillard had been on leave since 2015 and that Scott couldnt comment on whether Raillard plans to return.
Raillard returned from stress leave in 2017 and now works remotely from the POLAR offices in Ottawa, where he still reports to Scott, the source said.
Beaulieu, the retired scientist who worked with Scott at the Canadian Polar Commission, said the final years of his career under the agencys director were humiliating. He told National Observer that he was excluded from meetings and important conferences, taken off important files and demoted.
He recalled showing up one day to find a new desk in his office, with someone else working at it.
I endured about two years of bullying, harassment, embarrassment and humiliation, Beaulieu said. It was awful.
Outridge, the scientist who won his labour grievance against Scott in 2015, said he had been attending an ArcticNet science conference every year, with approval from his managers. But in 2010, on the afternoon before the conference started, he was notified that Scott had denied his request for leave to attend.
Outridge said by email that he was surprised because the conference organizer had covered his entrance fee and there were no travel costs because the event was in Ottawa that year.
I came to believe his refusal was based on personal bias against me, Outridge said.
He decided to take four vacation days so he could attend the conference and filed his grievance with the labour relations board to get the time back. The case was decided in his favour in 2015.
At the time, adjudicator Michael McNamara called Scotts refusal of Outridges conference request difficult to understand.
Becky Rynor, the National Observer reporter for this story, worked as a communications specialist at POLAR for a short term in 2015 and 2016. None of the information in this article is gleaned from her time at POLAR.
HOPE, B.C.Graham Zillwood has witnessed numerous crashes outside his front window on a notorious stretch of British Columbias Coquihalla Highway, but nothing like the chain-reaction crash Sunday night involving 165 people.
The Provincial Health Services Authority said Monday that 29 people were hospitalized with conditions ranging from stable to critical following the crash that involved at least six vehicles.
Zillwood said it started at about 8 p.m. Sunday when he heard the familiar sound of a vehicle going off the highway.
I looked to my left and I could see a whole bunch of other vehicles stopped and I saw the first semi and I thought, Oh no, here we go again. So that semi hit a car on the road, knocked it down the embankment and then the semi rolled down the embankment on that car.
A few seconds later, he said another semi-trailer truck speared the first and then a third truck nudged a Greyhound bus before it hit the second truck involved in the crash.
The Coquihalla River separates his home from the highway, but Zillwood said he had a clear view of what happened from his front window.
I was on the phone to 911 as all this was happening. I was (doing) play-by-play telling them what was happening kind of thing. Ive done that before here, unfortunately. This happens more often than it should.
RCMP Const. Mike Halskov said the collision involved large buses, tractor-trailer trucks and smaller vehicles.
Winter driving conditions are considered to be a major contributing factor in this collision and driver impairment does not appear to be a factor, he said in a statement.
Police said numerous emergency agencies responded to the crash.
Thankfully, there were no fatalities as a result of this collision, says a statement from RCMP Fraser Valley Traffic Services.
Two Greyhound buses were caught up in the crash, including one that landed in the ditch.
Company spokesperson Lanesha Gipson said both buses were travelling from Kelowna to Vancouver and were carrying a total of 97 passengers.
We are aware of five reported injuries, most of which were treated and released, Gipson said.
Greyhound sent a relief bus to Hope where 136 uninjured people were sheltered overnight at a local high school. Gipson said the Greyhound passengers were later transported to their destinations.
Hope Search and Rescue, numerous area fire departments and dozens of ambulances rushed to the scene to help.
The search group posted photos showing two transport trucks twisted together across the highway, with one cab partially down an embankment while the trucks rear wheels rested on another mangled vehicle.
Zillwood said he checked the temperature just before the accident while letting out his dog and it was just below zero. Hail had fallen shortly before the crash, he said, but the conditions were nothing like the week before when there was a major snowfall.
He said accidents seem to occur when vehicles cant get up the hill going south because of the slippery conditions.
Thats when it happens, traffic backs up to the point where vehicles coming from the north cant stop in time and the domino effect starts. They start knocking like ping pong balls off the highway.
He said he has called the Transportation Ministry several times to suggest that a sign board or some other warning system be installed in the area.
Ive been here 14 years and Ive seen it way too many times, he said. Its horrible.
The ministry could not be reached for comment.
The accident forced the closure of the highway in both directions between Hope and Merritt for about seven hours. Traffic was moving in both directions by Monday morning.
Halifax police are investigating the death of a Lebanese student at Saint Marys University, one they say is not suspicious.
However, various international media outlets and a crowdfunding campaign state the death was related to a stabbing incident, and it is being referred to as a murder.
In a release Monday, Halifax Regional Police said they are investigating the Feb. 23 death of a 23-year-old man in relation to an incident that occurred on Feb. 13 at a student residence on the Saint Marys University campus.
Police say the investigation is ongoing by members of the Integrated Criminal Investigation Division, but at this time there is no evidence to suggest the death is suspicious.
An autopsy has been conducted, and police are in communication with the Medical Examiners Service.
The release also said due to the sensitive nature of this matter, we are unable to further comments at this time.
An article in Mondays edition of the Lebanon Daily Star said investigations were ongoing in Halifax related to the murder of Lebanese student Hasan Ali Kheireddine, citing a Lebanon Foreign Ministry statement.
The Daily Star article can only be fully read by subscribers, so a similar story from Lebanese Broadcasting Corporation International can be found here.
The Foreign Ministry expressed its deep sorrow over the killing of Kheireddine, and instructions have been given to the Lebanese Embassy in Canada to follow up on the case, the article states.
The article also says Kheireddine was stabbed to death earlier this month and the Honorary Consulate of Lebanon in Halifax is in contact with authorities and the victims family.
A Naharnet article on Sunday also cited the Foreign Ministry statement, which said more investigation is needed to unveil the details of this horrible crime and the motives behind it.
A GoFundMe campaign titled Hasan Kheireddine Funeral Fund set up Feb. 21 said Kheireddine, a bright, smart and loving son and brother has been in a tragic stabbing incident on his university campus just a day before his 23rd birthday.
The page says Kheireddine was an A student, has signed up as a reserve emergency responder with St. Johns Ambulance, and was very supportive and caring soul to his family, friends and community.
His plans were to study economics and return back to Lebanon, the page said.
Metro has reached out to the Honorary Consulate of Lebanon in Halifax and the Lebanese Embassy for comment, and this story will be updated with any response.
With files from Zane Woodford
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Its a call for help that most physicians worry about when taking a flight: Is there a doctor on board?
What it heralds is an urgent medical issue, usually involving a passenger, which can range from someone experiencing severe pain or passing out to having a heart attack.
Every health-care professional is likely to hear this call at some point while flying, but for most of us, treating patients on a plane is a completely unfamiliar scenario, said Dr. Alun Ackery, an emergency physician at Torontos St. Michaels Hospital, who co-authored recommendations aimed at helping medical professionals manage in-flight emergencies.
Trying to treat an ill passenger in the dimly lit and cramped confines of a commercial aircraft at 11,000 metres in the air can be a daunting proposition, said Ackery, especially if a doctor is unaware of what in-flight medical equipment is available.
When youre in a moment of crisis, you dont really want to be learning about what you have to help you, he said.
The recommendations, published Monday in the Canadian Medical Association Journal (CMAJ), were developed in collaboration with Air Canada and WestJet, which both carry comprehensive first aid kits on their aircraft.
Each airlines kit is going to look different, and the contents arent always going to be familiar, which adds another layer of complexity to an already stressful situation, said Dr. David Kodama, an emergency medicine resident at the University of Toronto and a co-author of the recommendations.
The kits contain a number of medications, saline, a blood pressure cuff, stethoscope and other basic pieces of equipment to address on-board medical emergencies.
But the authors say the cabin environment also changes how some of that equipment is used and how certain diagnostic results are interpreted. For instance, a patients normal oxygen saturation is lower at altitude than on the ground and aircraft noise may make getting an accurate blood pressure reading using the cuff and stethoscope difficult.
We want more physicians and health-care professionals to read this (CMAJ) article and gain some comfort in their ability to approach a medical problem on an aircraft, said Ackery.
He and Kodama have also prepared a video discussing Air Canadas on-board medical kit, and its URL is listed in the CMAJ article and will be posted on St. Michaels Hospitals website.
An estimated 2.75 billion passengers worldwide fly each year on commercial airlines, with about 133 million flyers in Canada in 2015, a 27 per cent increase over 2009, the article states.
The increasing number of passengers is one reason for a rising incidence of in-flight medical emergencies. Estimates range from one per every 604 flights to one per 7,700 passengers.
The top five causes of medical emergencies are lightheadedness/loss of consciousness, respiratory symptoms, nausea or vomiting, cardiac distress and seizures. Seven per cent of these emergencies result in the flight being diverted.
In Canada, Quebec is the only province that imposes a legal duty on physicians to come to the assistance of a person in a life-threatening emergency, the authors say.
So what is a doctors ethical and legal obligation to step forward when a call goes out for medical aid on a flight?
Dr. Jeff Blackmer, vice-president of professionalism at the Canadian Medical Association, said physicians are encouraged under the organizations code of ethics to provide whatever assistance they can to any person with an urgent need for medical care.
But theres no law or regulation except in Quebec that requires a physician to do this, he said from Ottawa.
There have a been some cases of Canadian doctors facing lawsuits after trying to help a sick passenger on their flight, but Blackmer said the Canadian Medical Protective Association that provides legal defence and liability protection to physicians does not provide blanket coverage in such cases.
Such protection is decided on a case-by-case basis and one of the issues doctors face is what countrys airspace is involved at the time.
And its very different if youre in Canada versus, say, over Russian airspace or Sub-Saharan African airspace or American airspace what your liability may or may not be, he said.
You have to make a judgment whether to participate and then sometimes make life and death decisions in a very less than optimal environment, with or without the necessary equipment.
And you cant sort of stop to say, Which airspace are we in?
Blackmer, who flies a great deal in relation to his position with the CMA and has frequently responded to calls to help a fellow passenger in medical distress, said many doctors struggle with the issue of offering assistance.
For instance, if a physician is on board a flight and has had a couple of alcoholic drinks and perhaps been awakened in the middle of the night, he or she may feel their judgment might be impaired and they could do more harm than good, he said.
So you cant have a black-and-white statement that says doctors have an absolute ethical obligation to provide assistance during an in-flight emergency. Its much more nuanced and complicated than that.
The Canadian Medical Association Journal is editorially independent from the CMA, the professional body representing more than 80,000 physicians across the country.
OTTAWAConservative Leader Andrew Scheer says if his party forms government in 2019, it will follow U.S. President Donald Trumps lead and recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.
Scheers declaration comes in the form of a pledge posted to the Conservative party website designed to gather signatures from members of the public.
Canadas Conservatives led by Andrew Scheer will recognize Jerusalem as Israels capital when we form government in 2019, the pledge says, describing the party as a strong voice for Israel and the Canadian Jewish community.
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It marks Scheers first definitive statement on the issue since it became a renewed matter of public debate late last year.
That debate was prompted by the U.S. presidents decision in December to not just recognize Jerusalem as the capital, but to promise to move the American embassy there as well.
Its a contentious move. While Israel claims Jerusalem as its capital, so do the Palestinians; the status of the city is part of ongoing peace negotiations. The U.S. decision was seen as taking sides in the debate and upending years of American diplomacy.
In the aftermath of Trumps announcement, the federal Liberal government said the issue must be resolved through negotiation.
The pledge from Scheer sides squarely with Israel. Canadas Conservatives recognize the obvious fact that Israel, like every other sovereign nation, has a right to determine where its capital is located, it says.
It makes no mention, however, of whether or not a government led by the Conservatives would move the Canadian embassy from Tel Aviv. Jake Enwright, a spokesman for Scheer, said that would be discussed when the party forms government.
Were focused on this policy and this recognition and well consider that at a later date, Enwright said.
In the aftermath of Trumps announcement, the Tories had found themselves scrambling to define their policy on Jerusalem, as neither Scheer nor the party had taken a public position on the issue. At the time, the party said it would discuss the issue as a caucus and make a decision.
That debate was settled weeks ago earlier this month, foreign affairs critic Erin OToole referred to the partys support for Jerusalem as the capital during a conservative conference in Ottawa.
On Monday, OToole said recognizing Jerusalem as Israels capital doesnt mean the Palestinians must be entirely shut out.
East Jerusalem could also one day be the centre or capital of some eventual Palestinian state within a two-state solution, but to suggest at present that Jerusalem is not the capital of Israel kind of conflicts with common sense, he said.
Canada should have some kind of consular presence in Jerusalem, but a decision on an embassy is a separate discussion, he added.
The partys efforts to use the issue to recruit new supporters signals the latest Conservative effort to position the party as distinct from the governing Liberals by rolling out specific policy planks.
If Canadians want a government who will recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, we want their support to recognize that, Enwright said.
The New Democrats oppose recognizing Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and passed a motion condemning Trumps decision at their recent convention.
On Monday, they accused the Tories of being close to Trump.
Its a dangerous thing to say, foreign affairs critic Helene Laverdiere said of Scheers pledge. It does look like wedge politics again and also a complete disregard for the international community.
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A Brampton judge blasted the federal agency that prosecutes drug crimes for taking far too long to disclose its evidence to the defence, in a heroin-importing case that was then tossed due to delay.
In a decision released last month, Ontario Court Justice Paul OMarra criticized the Public Prosecution Service of Canada, also known as the federal Crown, for its dilatory efforts in providing timely, crucial disclosure and the lack of urgency in moving the matter forward despite repeated warnings.
He then stayed heroin-related drug offences against Lumabar Vitalis, who had been arrested in September 2016. He was set to stand trial in June of this year.
Two months before Vitaliss arrest, in July 2016, the Supreme Court of Canada had released a landmark decision, R v. Jordan, which set strict timelines for bringing criminal matters to trial: 18 months in provincial court and 30 months in Superior Court.
If the presumptive ceiling is breached, it falls on the Crown to prove that there were exceptional circumstances for the delay.
After deducting the delays attributed to the defence, OMarra found the delay in Vitaliss case to be 18 months and 13 days, barely over the limit for provincial court. The Crown acknowledged there were no exceptional circumstances, but argued the delay was closer to 16 months.
OMarra pointed out that the PPSC office at the Brampton courthouse has been criticized by other judges about the period of time it has taken federal Crown attorneys to disclose evidence to the defence in non-complex importing cases, resulting in a stay of proceedings.
I join that chorus of condemnation, OMarra wrote. The period of time that it took to provide disclosure to counsel in this case was unacceptable.
Vitaliss lawyer, Adele Monaco, said it was a fantastic ruling in an interview with the Star.
It was really on the line, it could have gone either way, she said, but it will have a resounding effect with other defence lawyers as well.
A spokesperson for the PPSC said the agency is dedicated to ensuring that disclosure is collected and presented in a timely fashion and consistent with the timelines set by the recent jurisprudence.
According to OMarras ruling, while the Crown did make some disclosure in the months following Vitaliss arrest, there were frequent requests from the defence to the Crown for outstanding material, which the Crown is constitutionally obligated to turn over. The material included video surveillance, cellphone analysis and police officers notes.
It is important to note that as of November 2016, all of the disclosure was in the hands of the police and without any explanation was not disclosed until May 10, 2017, OMarra wrote.
The lags in the disclosure process made it difficult to schedule a judicial pretrial and then set trial dates, as the defence still needed to have a full picture of the Crowns case against Vitalis.
Would counsel be in a position to make strategic decisions about the case? I cannot see how counsel could have made those decisions without crucial disclosure and conducted a meaningful (judicial pretrial). It would be irresponsible for counsel to set a date for a (judicial pretrial) without critical disclosure, OMarra said.
Had OMarra found that the delay was 16 months, as the Crown had argued and which would be below the presumptive ceiling set by the Supreme Court, the judge said he would have still tossed the case due to delay, which the top court said in R v. Jordan is possible in some circumstances.
Based on the foregoing circumstances, including the Crowns dilatory efforts in providing timely, crucial disclosure, the lack of urgency in moving the matter forward despite repeated warnings, (defence) counsels sustained effort to expedite an uncomplicated case, I would still issue a stay of proceedings despite the fact that the delay falls below the presumptive ceiling, OMarra wrote.
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Bell Canada has severed ties with one of its contract door-to-door sales representatives, who allegedly told a Toronto man his monthly bill for a home service package would stay at $100 for two years, a company spokesperson said Monday.
The customer said he learned months after agreeing to the two-year contract later that Bells only guarantee was that there would be a monthly discount of $25 per month not a price freeze.
Customer Gianmarco Minichillo also said he didnt receive an email copy of the contract immediately after hearing a Bell subcontractors sales pitch at his home and agreeing to it by phone in a conversation with a Bell sales support centre.
Bell spokesperson Marc Choma said in an email Monday after a CBC report on Minichillos experience that there was a serious breach of its policies by a subcontractor working for one of the phone, internet and media companys suppliers.
We apologize to anyone who may have been adversely affected by this conduct, Choma said.
Choma also said the unidentified supplier has severed its relationship with the subcontractor, who also wasnt identified, and that Bell has implemented immediate corrective training.
Like other communications companies, Bell employs neighbourhood marketing agencies to tell potential customers about our new products, network enhancements and special offers they may be interested in, Choma said.
While the agents are not directly employed by Bell, all door-to-door sales agents must always provide consumers with complete information about Bell products and pricing, receive direct training from Bell experts to ensure all Bell sales procedures are followed, and abide by Bells code of conduct.
However, Bell Canada the countrys largest telecommunications company, with its core territory in Ontario and Quebec has been the target of complaints by employees and consumers following reports by CBCs Go Public team.
Additionally, the 2016-17 report by the Commission for Complaints for Telecom-Television Services a federal agency says Bell was the subject of 770 of the 2,000 complaints it received about the lack of disclosure by service providers.
Lack of disclosure is the second-biggest category of complaints received by the CCTS.
If a customer is not receiving service under the terms and conditions they agreed to, then CCTS can help try to resolve the complaint. Customers first need to contact their service provider and try to resolve it directly, a CCTS representative said in an email Monday.
Minichillo told The Canadian Press in a phone call that he was unaware of the CCTS but had obtained a $36 credit from Bell after spending hours on the phone after learning about the $3 per month price increase.
The Competition Bureau, another federal agency, has more power to deal with false or misleading representations and deceptive marketing practices under either criminal or civil law.
Bell, Rogers, Telus and the Canadian Wireless Telecommunications Association agreed to a total of more than $24 million in rebates to customers in 2015 and 2016 after an investigation into billing for unwanted premium text services.
As part of those agreements, Bell committed to issue up to $11.82 million in rebates to its current and former customers, publish a notice to affected customers, and pay $800,000 towards digital media research and awareness
Yorkdale Malls popular new attraction, the Cheesecake Factory, landed in hot water last week after failing a city health inspection.
The beloved American chains first Canadian location, which opened in late November, got slapped with a yellow conditional grade after it racked up seven infractions, two of them crucial, five of them significant, on Thursday.
The next day, health inspectors returned and the restaurant received a passing grade, a City of Toronto report said.
According to the city website, significant infractions present a potential health risk and must be corrected in 24 to 48 hours or legal action may be taken.
Crucial infractions present an immediate health risk.
The crucial infractions were for failing to ensure that food was not contaminated, and for failing to keep hazardous foods at 4 C or colder.
These items must be corrected immediately or an Order to Close the premises can be issued and/or immediate action must be taken to remove or eliminate the health hazard, the website says.
We take food safety and sanitation very seriously and are committed to providing a safe dining experience to all of our guests, said Alethea Rowe, spokesperson for the Cheesecake Factory, in an email statement.
The restaurant took immediate corrective action to fix the deficiencies identified during the inspection, and passed their re-inspection the following day. Our guests can be assured that our food is safe and of the highest quality.
The citys report on the Cheesecake Factory said the operator failed to provide separate handwashing sinks, which must be used only for handwashing and not food preparation or dishwashing, according to the DineSafe guidelines. The restaurant also got in trouble for failing to use proper utensils to ensure food safety, the report said.
The guidelines say restaurants should use proper utensils to reduce direct hand contact with prepared food. All utensils must be kept clean and in good condition, and all cracked or deeply grooved food contact surfaces must be discarded.
The report said the Cheesecake Factory had failed to wash multi-use utensils, provide accurate thermometers and follow proper procedure to ensure food safety.
The restaurant has been hugely popular in the months since it opened; patrons often have to wait up to three hours in line for a seat.
Only about a three-hour wait to get dinner at The Cheesecake Factory in Yorkdale. Not bad . . . I think? one tweeter said in the middle of February, nearly three months after the grand opening.
Months later and its still so hard to get into the Cheesecake Factory at Yorkdale, said another person.
Prosecutors are seeking a six-month jail term for former Dalton McGuinty chief of staff David Livingston, convicted of having computer drives wiped following decisions to scrap gas-fired power plants before the 2011 election.
Only real jail will adequately denounce his conduct and deter others, Crown attorneys Tom Lemon, Sarah Egan and Ian Bell said in a submission Monday.
Livingstons attempt to stymie requests for details on the politically sensitive closures by a legislative committee of MPPs and the public through freedom-of-information requests was planned and deliberate, they added.
It was not for Livingston or others in the premiers office to unilaterally decide what the public should or should not know about the gas plant controversy.
Defence lawyer Brian Gover called on Justice Timothy Lipson for a conditional discharge as one of the two convictions against Livingston attempted mischief to a computer was stayed Monday at the opening of the sentencing hearing.
Hell be sentenced solely for unauthorized use of a computer, defence lawyer Brian Gover told reporters.
The count was stayed because legal precedents prohibit more than one conviction on the same essential point, more commonly known as double jeopardy, Gover said.
He introduced 28 character references for Livingston, a career TD Bank executive who led Infrastructure Ontario before serving as chief of staff to McGuinty during his last 10 months as premier, ending in February 2013.
Livingston was repeatedly described as an honourable man, widely respected in senior positions at the bank and for his work at the governments infrastructure agency pioneering public-private partnerships, as well as for charity work and donations.
Livingstons wife, Anne Grittani, said they have suffered great financial loss from legal fees in the case along with worry that he could end up behind bars.
The anxiety hangs over us, she wrote in a letter read into the court record.
Gover said Livingstons exemplary character should be given very serious consideration by this court.
But Lemon cautioned Justice Timothy Lipson that only goes so far because only a person of good character can rise to become a premiers chief of staff. Such a person must be held to a high standard.
Lipson said the sentencing will be very difficult and complex given the lack of similar cases but suggested Livingston can expect to do some community service.
The gentleman has a lot to offer, added Lipson, who in his Jan. 19 conviction blamed Livingston for a dishonest scheme to protect McGuintys Liberals from fallout over the cancellations of plants in Oakville and Mississauga.
The sentencing hearing continues Tuesday, with Lipson expected to reserve his decision.
Auditor general Bonnie Lysyk has found the cancellations and decisions to move the plants to the Napanee and Sarnia areas will cost up to $1.1 billion over 20 years.
Opposition parties said the cancellations and moving costs prove the Liberals were willing to sacrifice public dollars to protect their own interests.
McGuinty was not a subject of the investigation and co-operated with the OPP investigation.
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The federal government is eyeing a new, national pharmacare program and will name departing Ontario Health Minister Eric Hoskins to lead the effort.
Hoskins, a doctor who was the key architect of the provinces OHIP+ providing free prescriptions for youth, announced Monday afternoon that he was stepping down as minister and MPP for St. Pauls, effective immediately.
His appointment as pharmacare czar is expected to be announced as part of Tuesdays federal budget.
Premier Kathleen Wynne named Helena Jaczek also a physician as his replacement at health, and Michael Coteau will take on her portfolio of community and social services along with his current duties as children and youth services minister and minister responsible for anti-racism.
I am so grateful for the work Eric has done to continue improving Ontarios world-class healthcare system to better support patients and their families, Wynne said in a statement.
She called him instrumental in making sure Ontario is leading the effort to expand our system with historic initiatives like OHIP+, which has made prescription drugs free for everyone under the age of 25. There is much more work to do and I know Eric will look forward to telling you about how he will be involved.
Hoskins, a Rhodes scholar and former provincial leadership Liberal candidate, said it has been a profound privilege to represent the residents of St. Pauls, a diverse and vibrant community in the heart of Toronto. I have tried my best to serve them well these past eight years.
He said in leaving Queens Park, I am determined to continue building better healthcare for all Canadians.
Canadian health economist Steve Morgan, one of the nations most outspoken pharmacare advocates, was thrilled to hear Hoskins is taking on the federal role.
In politics in Canada, Eric Hoskins in particular has been the most ardent and most articulate champion of a universal pharmacare system, said Morgan, a professor of health policy at the University of British Columbia who has for 25 years studied the concept of such a system and how it could actually reduce costs.
Morgan hopes Hoskins role is backed up with dollars and is looking forward to seeing what the budget allocates.
In recent weeks, federal NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh has tried to seize the initiative for pharmacare, too, calling on Ottawa to use revenues from an increased crackdown on tax havens to extend health care to cover prescription medication.
Delegates attending the partys national convention in Ottawa this month then endorsed the plan, which Singh took as a rallying cry during his keynote address.
People need a champion for better public health care. Its not enough to defend it. We need to expand it. We must commit to pharmacare now, Singh said at the time.
Pharmaceuticals cost Canadians an estimated $28.5 billion in 2015, according to a recent federal report. Most of that was covered under public insurance plans $13.1 billion and $10.7 billion under private insurance, but individual Canadians still shouldered a $4.7 billion burden.
Last year, the federal Parliamentary Budget Office estimated a national pharmacare program would cost the federal government $19.3 billion if implemented in 2015-16, rising to $22.6 billion in 2020-21.
But Canadians out-of-pocket spending on pharmaceuticals would decrease by an average of 90 per cent, the budget watchdog found, and the overall spending on drugs would decrease by $4 billion a year.
The federal Liberal government committed to analyzing budget offices report last year, but has yet to announce further action.
Hoskins is among a number of high-profile Ontario cabinet ministers to announce they are bowing out of the provincial June election, including former deputy premier Deb Matthews and treasury board president Liz Sandals.
With files from Theresa Boyle, Alex Ballingall and Alex Boutilier
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Patrick Brown directed his top party officials to get me the result I want in a Tory nomination that has been the subject of a police investigation into alleged fraud and forgery, the Star has learned.
The former Progressive Conservative leader emailed specific instructions to Bob Stanley, then the partys executive director, and Rick Dykstra, then PC president, five days before the nomination meeting in Hamilton West-Ancaster-Dundas.
Let them all fight it out. And get me the result I want. But no disqualifications here. Kitchen is too hot, Brown said in a May 2 email exchange that is now in the hands of Hamilton police.
Got it, replied Stanley two minutes later, in a message that was also sent to Dykstra and another unidentified senior Conservative.
In an email to the Star on Monday afternoon, Brown emphasized nothing untoward happened and that he wanted the process to unfold through the nomination meeting.
But he expressed concern that his private correspondence on the matter had been shared with the newspaper, accusing former staff of leaking highly sensitive internal documents subject to confidentiality undertakings.
The hatchet job on me started with the false sexual misconduct allegations and sadly continues, said Brown, referring to the Jan. 24 CTV News report that two women accused him of sexual impropriety.
However, the Toronto Star story raises an important issue. The Star was given emails which I was quite happy to voluntarily provide to the police to advance their investigation, he said.
Brown who resigned as Tory leader on Jan. 25 hours after the CTV News report is running again to be PC chief, though he was reconsidering that bid on Monday afternoon.
Stanley was removed from his post in a Jan. 28 purge by interim Tory leader Vic Fedeli.
Dykstra quit later that same day two hours after Macleans magazine contacted him about sexual assault allegations.
But last May, they were three of the most powerful men in the PC party and appeared deeply concerned about the candidate election meeting in Hamilton West-Ancaster-Dundas (HWAD).
For HWAD. Please ensure everyone is approved as a candidate and lets release (the) membership list, Brown told Stanley and Dykstra.
Vikram. Peller. I am not in favour of disqualifying either of them despite their warts, he wrote, referring to candidates Vikram Singh, a Hamilton lawyer, and Jeff Peller, an owner of wine giant Andrew Peller Ltd.
I dont want cultural communities or donors feeling they were unfairly treated. We will deal with it on nomination day. Ideally neither of them are successful but not through disqualification.
Dykstra responded to Brown four minutes later.
Thanks Patrick. Was going to call u on this. We are giving him a chance to defend himself at 630pm, the president said, in a reference to Peller.
Both Vikram and Jeffs (sic) justifications are weak but nonetheless approve, stressed Brown on May 2.
In his email to the Star on Monday, he explained when he said get me the result I want, he meant namely both candidates remaining in the race.
Hence my comment Let them all fight it out, said Brown.
After issues were raised about the nomination meeting, I directed that a new process be instituted, led by PwC, to ensure that these controversial nomination meetings would not reoccur, he added Monday.
After Ben Levitt won the disputed May 7 nomination, Singh alleged there was wrongful insertion of false ballots. He and Peller launched separate civil lawsuits against the PC party.
Those suits were settled before going to trial with terms not released, but Hamilton police are still pursuing a criminal probe into the Tory contest.
At an Ontario PC leadership rally Sunday, Patrick Brown touted how the party grew when he was leader, saying exact numbers arent important. Interim leader Vic Fedeli has said the party has 67,000 fewer members than what Brown claimed. (The Canadian Press)
The email exchange obtained by the Star was part of two bankers boxes of evidence handed over to police detectives by the Tories on Oct. 27.
Federal prosecutors have been assigned to the case.
Dykstra and Stanley were not available for comment Monday.
Two weeks ago, Levitt urged the party to hold a new election to clear the air before the June 7 provincial vote.
He made his plea after the Tories overturned two other controversial nomination results in Scarborough Centre and Ottawa West-Nepean.
While I am fully confident that my conduct and the conduct of my team was exemplary throughout the nomination process last year, the media continues to report on lingering questions, Levitt said earlier this month.
But the Tories have no plans to re-open the contest especially when Hamilton police are investigating.
Const. Lorraine Edwards confirmed Monday the probe continues.
Hamilton Police Service launched an investigation into the allegations of forgery and fraud in relation to the Conservative candidate nomination in Hamilton West-Ancaster-Dundas in June 2017, said Edwards.
Hamilton police continue to investigate and there are no further comments at this time.
At Queens Park, Tory MPP Todd Smith expressed concern about the revelations in the Star.
It looks like there was meddling in that race, theres no question about it," Smith (Prince Edward-Hastings) told reporters.
Obviously its serious what has been printed and I think the police will treat it that way. Im certain that the provincial nominations committee and our executive will treat it as seriously as well, he said.
Ousted former Progressive Conservative leader Patrick Brown has abandoned his comeback attempt to lead the party.
Six hours after the Star posted a story about his apparent involvement in a Tory candidate nomination that is being investigated by Hamilton police, Brown announced Monday afternoon he was giving up his campaign for the PC helm.
I simply cannot run a provincial party leadership campaign while at the same time continuing my fight to prove that the allegations are lies. You simply cannot shoot on two nets at the same time, he said.
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That was a reference to the Jan. 24 CTV News report about two women who alleged sexual misconduct by Brown when they were 19 years old and he was a Conservative MP.
In a four-page letter to party brass Monday, Brown acknowledged his latest leadership bid was a source of distraction as the Tories gear up to fight Premier Kathleen Wynnes Liberals in the June 7 provincial election.
His departure came before the final PC all-candidates debate in Ottawa on Wednesday night.
It leaves former MPP Christine Elliott, former Toronto councillor Doug Ford, rookie PC candidate Caroline Mulroney and social conservative activist Tanya Granic Allen as the remaining leadership hopefuls.
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Pressure had been building on Brown to exit the race he joined 10 days ago after emerging from seclusion, with intense scrutiny spreading to his personal finances.
Last week, the Star revealed the provincial integrity commissioner, J. David Wake, was querying Brown about unreported rental income on his $2.3-million Lake Simcoe home, on which he has a $1.72-million mortgage despite earning $180,000 a year while leader.
In a statement Monday, Wake said his independent office is now conducting an inquiry under a section of the Members Integrity Act in response to a request from Tory MPP Randy Hillier, alleging deeply troubling questions regarding Browns finances and international travels.
Once Wakes probe is concluded, a report will be filed to Speaker Dave Levac. Brown has dismissed Hilliers complaint as garbage.
Rival candidates were relieved at Browns departure from the March 10 leadership race, with six days of online voting about to begin Friday.
Now more than ever, we need to move forward without these distractions, Mulroney tweeted Monday. Patrick has done the right thing.
Brown, 39, was originally forced to quit as Tory leader on Jan. 25 after the CTV News report about alleged sexual misconduct.
He has since filed a libel notice against CTV, calling the story false and saying it subjected him to ridicule, hatred and contempt. The network stands by its story.
Brown now sits as an Independent after being ejected from the Tory caucus on Feb. 16 by interim PC leader Vic Fedeli, just hours before joining the leadership race.
Fedeli said Monday that Brown made the right decision for himself and the Ontario PC Party in dropping out.
While Brown and other leadership candidates paid $100,000 to register and get access to the party membership list, plus a $25,000 compliance deposit to make sure they follow the rules, a senior party source said Brown will get a refund of only the compliance fee.
The events of the past two weeks have whipsawed both Brown and the PCs as the party insists its fit to govern the province despite internal problems.
Stunning party members when he entered the leadership race to claim the job he had just resigned from, Brown boldly proclaimed, I think my name has been cleared, as he was chased by reporters from PC headquarters on Adelaide St. to a taxi.
At the time, he said the party had been hijacked and his moderate Peoples Guarantee election platform unveiled to great fanfare last November abandoned.
His confidence that day was in stark contrast to his tearful 81-second news conference at Queens Park on Jan. 24, hours before resigning as leader in a caucus call with other Tory MPPs.
On Monday, Brown credited his 23-year-old girlfriend, Genevieve Gualtieri, who accompanied him on some of the foreign travel, for standing by him.
In his statement, he called her my partner and said he wanted to protect her and his parents and sisters from further attacks.
She never signed up to be in the public eye yet she ended up on the front page of the Toronto Star, he said of Gualtieri, a former Tory intern.
We never dated during the brief time that she worked at Queens Park for another MPP. Nor did we travel together while she worked there. We had an on-and-off relationship because of the nature of my job throughout it all her family always recognized the special bond we have and encouraged us to work through the hard days.
Brown said his ordeal has brought us closer together.
Some 20 nominated Tory candidates and three sitting MPPs Toby Barrett, Rick Nicholls, and Ross Romano backed Browns latest leadership bid.
But most of the PC caucus was supportive of Fedelis move to banish him and did not want him in the race.
MPP Todd Smith who co-chairs Elliotts leadership campaign said the tumult around Brown has stolen the spotlight from the PC race.
Lets be honest, the air has been sucked out of this campaign because of all of the stories that have been swirling around Patrick Brown, Smith said. Its difficult for anyone to get any kind of traction because of the circus type of atmosphere.
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A growing bipartisan number of state governors have joined calls for a reconsideration of gun laws and school safety measures after the mass shooting in Parkland, Fla., a sign that resulting legislative changes could extend far beyond Florida in the coming months.
The impact of the shootings rippled through the winter meeting of the National Governors Association in Washington this weekend, as state leaders expressed willingness to consider new limits on gun ownership and stepped up efforts to address mental-health factors. But most said they were opposed to President Donald Trumps proposal to allow more teachers to be armed.
The comments came as students and grieving families continued to push lawmakers to pass new measures to address the murder of 17 students and faculty members at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School.
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I just want to get the word out to the governors of every state that they have to do something today, said Andrew Pollack, whose daughter, Meadow Pollack, was killed at the school, in an interview on Fox News Sunday. My daughters death cant be in vain.
Individual governors said they would be open to raising the age limit for the purchase of long guns to 21, a measure opposed by the National Rifle Association, or said they believed there should be better ways for family members or others to take concerns about unstable individuals to a judge and have weapons confiscated.
Both measures were endorsed Friday by Floridas Republican governor, Rick Scott, a longtime supporter of the NRA, who opposed new gun laws after the 2016 mass shooting at the Pulse nightclub in Florida and the 2017 mass shooting at the Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport.
What I ask people to do is, youve got to search your heart on this, Ohio Gov. John Kasich, a Republican, said Sunday in an interview on ABCs This Week. Nobody wants to take everybodys guns away. Nobody wants to repeal the Second Amendment oh, a few people. But this is about reasonable approaches to keep our community safe.
Like other Republicans, Kasich has shifted his position in recent weeks, even removing pro-Second Amendment language from his website and replacing it with a call for common sense on the issue of guns. He won re-election with the endorsement of the NRA, but he now says he is open to reconsidering a ban on the sale of assault weapons such as the AR-15 police say was used in the Florida shooting.
Other Republicans have said they are taking a fresh look at the gun issue. Obviously its being a catalyst to bring that discussion to the forefront, said Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder. Weve had too many of these shootings. We should be trying to find common ground and move them ahead.
Snyder also said he hoped for a very open discussion on a so-called red flag law to make it easier to take weapons out of the hands of unstable individuals after petitioning a court. Michigan does not currently have such a law.
Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam, a Republican, said he was open to moves to deny assault rifles to those under 21. I havent heard a good answer to: Why should a 20-year-old be able to buy an assault rifle and not a beer? he said. The issue around bump stocks, I dont hear a lot of people defending why we should have that.
Democratic governors were pointed in calls for their fellow Republicans to buck the NRA and praised Scott for the measures he is taking in Florida.
Youre seeing some of the Republicans show some tiny glimmer of throwing off the masters of the NRA, said Washington Gov. Jay Inslee, a Democrat. The youthful voices (calling for steps to restrict guns) have been very powerful and very inspirational.
The NRA opposes a ban on the sale of assault weapons and is waiting to review legislative language before it takes a position on a new proposal to allow the removal of guns from people deemed a threat in Florida.
There are laws on the books in Florida that would have prevented this tragedy, and it is mind-boggling that focus isnt on the systematic breakdown and the many failures to implement those current laws instead of punishing law-abiding gun-owners for the acts of a deranged person by taking away their constitutional right to self-protection, said Jennifer Baker, an NRA spokeswoman.
The proposals come as Trump and some congressional leaders have called for possible actions on the federal level. These could include a bipartisan measure to improve the information that states provide to the federal background check system, a renewed effort to require background checks for private gun sales and an effort to raise the federal minimum age for long gun purchases to 21.
Federal law requires purchasers of handguns from a licensed gun dealer to be 21, but the minimum age for buying rifles and shotguns is set at 18. The alleged shooter in Parkland, Nikolas Cruz, 19, legally purchased the weapon police say he used.
The role of the federal government obviously can spur the issues in terms of the grant funding, and hopefully that will be available to us, Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson, a Republican, said during an appearance Sunday on CBSs Face the Nation. But largely the security side and the safety side will be the governors.
Governors interviewed during the NGA meeting said for the most part that they did not have proposals ready to take to their legislatures and said that, with limited time in legislative sessions, action might not be speedy.
A number of governors said they opposed arming teachers, saying that educators should teach and not become law enforcement officers. Putting more guns into the mix is not something I believe is an answer, Snyder said.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, a Republican, said his state already has moved to do exactly as Trump has proposed and that at this point nearly 20 per cent of Texas schools have trained and armed educators. There are signs outside schools in the Argyle Independent School District that read, Please be aware that the staff at Argyle ISD are armed and may use whatever force is necessary to protect our students.
The Texas governor said the culture of his state is different from some others and that opposition to restrictions on guns is strong. But he also said the Florida shooting could become a pivotal moment in moving forward on other factors that could contribute a reduction in mass shootings like the one that occurred at the First Baptist Church in November in Sutherland Spring, Texas.
When a shooting takes place, people want to rush to simple solutions, Abbott said. Its time to tackle the tough solutions, and thats mental health.
Meanwhile, the Democratic governors of Connecticut, New York, New Jersey and Rhode Island announced the creation of a four-state compact to establish a task force to trace and intercept guns and a consortium for research on gun violence.
Were at the point where were allowing ourselves to be terrorized by ourselves, Democratic Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper said on ABCs This Week. If you want to weaken this country, what better way to do it than to make children afraid to go to school?
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REYKJAVIK, IcelandIcelandic lawmakers are considering a law that would ban the circumcision of boys for non-medical reasons, making it the first European country to do so.
Some religious leaders in Iceland and across Europe have called the bill an attack on religious freedom. It is seen as a particular threat by Jews and Muslims who traditionally embrace the practice.
Under the proposed law, the circumcision of boys removing the foreskin of the penis, usually when the child is a newborn would be viewed as equal to female genital mutilation and punishable by up to six years in prison.
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This is fundamentally about not causing unnecessary harm to a child, said Silja Dogg Gunnarsdottir, lawmaker for the centrist Progressive Party, who introduced the bill this month.
The proposed law calls circumcision a violation of human rights since boys are not able to give an informed consent of an irreversible physical intervention.
Circumcision is not common in Iceland, a small Atlantic Ocean island nation of 340,000 people that is overwhelmingly Lutheran or atheist, with an estimated 100 to 200 Jews and about 1,100 practicing Muslims.
The bill has eight co-sponsors but is considered unlikely to get a majority in the 63-seat Iceland parliament. It does not have the formal backing of any government ministers but has drawn the support of 422 Icelandic doctors who favour outlawing the 4,000-year-old religious practice.
They issued a joint statement Wednesday saying circumcision violates the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child and also the physicians Hippocratic Oath that says: First, do no harm.
In Western societies, circumcision of healthy boys has no significant health benefits, the doctors statement read, citing a 2013 paper in the American Academy of Pediatrics journal.
The American academy itself says the health benefits of the practice outweigh the risks but not by enough to recommend universal male circumcision. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says doctors should educate infant boys parents about the health benefits of circumcision, which it says reduces the transmission of sexually transmitted diseases including HIV.
Physician Eyjolfur Thorkelsson said the 422 signatures (a quarter of the countrys practicing physicians, based on numbers from the Icelandic Medical Association) were collected in just 48 hours.
Since 2006, only 21 boys under the age of 18 have been circumcised at Icelandic hospitals or private clinics, according to Icelands Directorate of Health. The agency could not say how many were for religious reasons.
Thorkelsson said the surgical procedure is painful, and its possible complications are well known to Icelandic doctors since most go abroad for training at hospitals in northern Europe or the United States where circumcision is more common.
For many doctors, its an uncomfortable request from parents, he said.
This view is not accepted in Jewish and Muslim communities. During Friday services at a prayer space above a home goods store, Imam Salmann Tamimi warned his multinational congregation about the proposed law.
Circumcision is harmless if its done at a hospital, he said. This bill is appealing to peoples emotion, not evidence.
He said circumcision was important to Muslims but even more so to Jews.
This is an attack on all religion and especially Judaism, he said.
Rabbi Avi Feldman of the Chabad Jewish Center, who last month became Icelands first permanent rabbi since the Second World War, says he hopes the bill does not become law. In a statement to the AP, he said circumcision is a core Jewish practice that serves as a bedrock of Jewish life.
He was hopeful that the rights for people of all faiths will be preserved and respected.
Parliament is to continue the first reading of the bill in the next week.
Legislator Gunnarsdottir said many male victims of circumcision had reached out to share their stories and seek support since she introduced the bill.
Its important for us as a society to discuss this, she said. The experience of many men who have had this done to their body without consent confirms that.
BEIRUTSyrian government forces defied a new UN Security Council Resolution calling for a ceasefire on Sunday by launching a ground offensive, sustaining their airstrikes and allegedly dropping at least one bomb laden with chlorine against a rebel-held enclave outside Damascus.
Residents of the Eastern Ghouta suburb of Damascus spent a seventh consecutive day huddled in shelters as warplanes and artillery pounded the area, killing at least 22 and dashing hopes that this latest in a long string of failed efforts to tamp down the relentless bloodshed in Syria would work.
Among the dead was a child who suffocated when a chlorine bomb was dropped on a neighbourhood of the suburb, the first chemical attack since the negotiations for a ceasefire began this month, according to doctors in the area.
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It was one more terrible day in Syria, said Panos Moumtzis, the UNs regional co-ordinator for Syria, who initiated the ceasefire call three weeks ago. He said he was very, very disappointed by Sundays violence but hoped a way to secure at least a temporary truce could still be found.
The United States and its allies had hailed as a diplomatic victory the unanimous vote in New York on Saturday approving a 30-day ceasefire, which was expected to go into effect without delay.
But to secure the support of Russia, the language of the resolution was diluted to exclude unspecified terrorists, a loophole that seems to be providing justification for continued fighting on many fronts. The Syrian government routinely describes all of its opponents as terrorists, even though only a small number of the armed groups fighting in Syria are designated as terrorists by the international community.
Apart from stating that the ceasefire should go into effect as soon as possible, the resolution provided no deadline, no mechanism for establishing one and no process for enforcing the truce should it take hold.
A top Iranian military official said that Iran and Syria would abide by the ceasefire resolution, but that the suburbs of Damascus would not be included because they are under terrorists control. Iran is one of President Bashar al-Assads closest allies, and has provided much of the military support that has helped him prevail over the rebellion.
The cleansing operation will continue in those areas, said Major General Mohammed Hossein Baqeri, chief of staff of the Iranian armed forces, according to Irans Tasnim news agency.
Turkey also said it would continue its offensive in the northern Syrian enclave of Afrin, where a separate battle is taking place. Afrin is controlled by a Kurdish group affiliated with the Kurdistan Workers Party, designated a terrorist organization by the United States and the United Nations, as well as by Turkey.
The Turkish armed forces will remain resolute in fighting against the terrorist organizations that threaten the territorial integrity and political unity of Syria, said Turkish Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hami Aksoy.
But it was the plight of the estimated 350,000 civilians living in the besieged Damascus suburb of Ghouta that drove this latest effort in the United Nations to secure a pause in the fighting. The area has been completely surrounded by government forces for the past five years, leaving many residents not only under assault but also short of food and medical supplies.
One of the main goals of the ceasefire, Moumtzis said, is to facilitate the delivery of much-needed food and medicine, available in warehouses nearby and poised for delivery the moment the government gives permission.
Instead, as the negotiations for a ceasefire got underway, the violence only intensified. More than 500 people have been killed in the past week alone as the government launched a renewed attempt to subdue the area, according to medical workers and monitors.
According to the U.S.-based Syrian American Medical Society, 180 people were killed in Ghouta, including 42 children, in just the 48 hours the Security Council spent debating the final language of the resolution arguing over commas, according to Nikki Haley, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations.
The United Nations issued an appeal to all parties to ignore the language on terrorism and heed their obligation under international law to protect civilians. Efforts to combat terrorism do not supersede these obligations, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres said in a statement.
Sundays attacks instead highlighted the continued helplessness of the international community to act to protect civilians from a war that has polarized the world and killed as many as 500,000 people over the past five years.
Starting at dawn, tanks and armoured vehicles belonging to the governments elite Tiger force militia rolled into three neighbourhoods in the area, in an early indication that the ceasefire would go unheeded. The warplanes didnt stop their bombardments even in the immediate hours following the ceasefire, residents said.
The use of a chlorine bomb, which killed the child and hospitalized nine others with breathing difficulties, according to the Syrian American Medical Society, seemed only to underline the governments defiance, because halting the use of chlorine has been a focus of the United States most recent efforts to influence the course of the war.
Nothing has changed on the ground. This is only a truce in the Security Council, said Firas Abdullah, an activist with the Ghouta Media Center. The warplanes are still hitting and people are still hiding. Nobody can go outside.
Within just six miles of the capital, Ghouta is one of the largest rebel-held enclaves in the country and is the only one that poses a direct threat to Damascus. The rebels who control the area retaliated against the stepped-up airstrikes over the past week by firing volleys of mortars onto the city, killing at least six people and emptying streets in one of the only parts of the country that has remained relatively unaffected by the war.
In the absence of an international consensus on ways to secure a wider settlement to the conflict, there are few reasons to believe that Assad will halt an offensive against an area considered vital to consolidating his hold on power, said Charles Lister of the Middle East Institute in Washington.
The Assad regime can literally taste strategic victory in its capital Damascus, and given that reality, its sadly very difficult to imagine any ceasefire in Eastern Ghouta holding for very long, he said. As far as the pro-regime alliance is concerned, taking back Eastern Ghouta would seal up a de facto strategic victory and end any possible serious threat to regime sustainability.
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BEIRUTAs a UN ceasefire failed to take hold in Syria, Russia on Monday ordered a daily humanitarian pause to allow civilians to evacuate an embattled rebel-held enclave near Damascus, while airstrikes continued and Syrian ground forces fought to push into the besieged area from the west.
But civilians caught in the violence mocked Russian President Vladimir Putins order of a limited, five-hour daily truce.
It is like legitimizing the strikes on civilians, said activist Firas Abdullah, a resident of Douma, a town in the region where at least 13 members of a family were killed Monday when their home collapsed after an airstrike.
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They will be so kind to grant us a mere five hours when they will not bomb us. Then the rest of the day, they will bomb us as usual. It is like a permission to kill, Abdullah said.
The White House is renewing its call for an immediate end to offensive operations in Syria.
White House spokesperson Sarah Huckabee Sanders says Syria is terrorizing hundreds of thousands of civilians with airstrikes, artillery, rockets and a looming ground attack.
She adds that, The regimes use of chlorine gas as a weapon only intensifies this.
A weekend resolution approved by the UN Security Council for a 30-day ceasefire across Syria failed to stop the carnage in the eastern Ghouta region that has killed more than 500 people since last week.
At least 34 people were killed Monday by airstrikes and shelling, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. The UN estimates that nearly 400,000 people live in dire conditions from the siege in eastern Ghouta, which has been under intensive bombing by government forces for weeks.
Other Ghouta residents also scoffed at the Russian move, saying it reminded them of a similar one for a besieged eastern district of Aleppo in 2016.
Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu said Putin has ordered daily humanitarian pauses between 9 a.m. and 2 p.m., starting Tuesday.
Maj. Gen. Yuri Yevtushenko, head of the Russian militarys Center for Reconciliation in Syria, said Syrian authorities set up a humanitarian corridor for evacuating civilians and would distribute leaflets with specific information. He said the al-Qaida-linked militants and some rebel groups in eastern Ghouta are preventing civilians from leaving and using them as human shields while continuing to shell Damascus.
The political leader of the Army of Islam, the strongest rebel group in eastern Ghouta, called the Russian order regrettable, saying Moscow sought to circumvent the Security Councils unanimously approved resolution.
This (Russian) decision nullifies the legitimacy of the United Nations, Mohammed Alloush of the Army of Islam told The Associated Press. We want a total and lasting ceasefire in accordance with the UN resolution and one that opens corridors for humanitarian aid.
On Sunday, activists reported a suspected poison gas attack in eastern Ghoutas town of Sheifouniyeh, where at least one person an infant was killed.
The attack also left several people and paramedics with breathing difficulties, according to the oppositions Syrian Civil Defence, a group known as the White Helmets. The Ghouta Media Center, an activist collective, also reported the incident, saying chlorine gas was used. The Observatory said it could not confirm the reports.
The Syrian American Medical Society, a medical relief organization working with doctors in Syria, said it was the fourth time this year that a chemical weapon was used in Ghouta. SAMS also said 24 health facilities in Ghouta came under attack over the last week.
Meanwhile, Syrian TV reported a three-pronged ground attack on Harasta, a major town in the region. The state TV broadcast live video from the town as it was pounded by airstrikes and artillery.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres appealed to the warring sides to abide by the ceasefire.
Eastern Ghouta cannot wait, Guterres said at the start of a session of the UN-backed Human Rights Council in Geneva, his first remarks to the UN body since the Security Council resolution was adopted Saturday. It is high time to stop this hell on Earth.
Guterres said he welcomed such resolutions but added that they are only meaningful if they are effectively implemented.
He said he expects the resolution to be immediately implemented and sustained and also called for safe, unimpeded and sustained delivery of humanitarian aid and services, as well as evacuations of the sick and wounded.
Jonathan Allen, the British ambassador to the UN, said Russia and all other Security Council members are obliged to do everything possible to implement the UN resolution.
The Russian announcement of five-hour daily pauses in eastern Ghouta is not compliance, that is not implementation of the resolution passed on Saturday, but it does show that it can be implemented, Allen said.
At the Geneva gathering, UN human rights chief Zeid Raad al-Hussein echoed calls for a full implementation of the UN truce.
However, we have every reason to remain cautious about the ceasefire because airstrikes were continuing on the Damascus suburbs, he said.
Abdullah, the Douma activist, also derided the UN ceasefire, saying it was confined to the UN Security Council corridors. He noted his town was hit Monday by at least 50 mortar rounds, as well as artillery shells and airstrikes.
Russia supports the forces of Syrian President Bashar Assad in their assault on eastern Ghouta, as it did in the 2016 campaign that drove the rebels from the enclaves they controlled in Syrias largest city, Aleppo.
At that time, a humanitarian pause also was implemented by Russia while the Syrian government called on residents to evacuate and for gunmen to lay down their arms. A full ground assault followed, finally bringing Aleppo under government control.
Then, as now, Assads government and Russia cited the presence of Al Qaeda-linked groups as grounds for the sweeping operation.
In the ground offensive in Ghouta, Syrian TV said the fighting, mostly concentrated in an area known as Harasta Farms, also was aimed at Al Qaeda-linked militants.
Eyad Srewel, a 27-year-old resident of Douma, said the situation in Ghouta looks more and more like Aleppo.
I dont know what will happen in the next two minutes. But I know I am not leaving, I am not going anywhere, he said.
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LAGOS, NIGERIAFrightened students are staying away from the school in northern Nigeria where Boko Haram extremists seized 110 girls in a raid a week ago.
The Government Girls Science and Technical College in Dapchi in Yobe state had been closed following the attack that reminded many of Boko Harams kidnapping of 276 girls from a boarding school in Chibok in 2014.
Teachers resumed classes Monday, a day after Nigerias government for the first time acknowledged the number of girls missing, but students were absent.
My children did not go back to the school because they are too frightened to go there. We parents are equally frightened to see our daughters go there, said Mohammed Mele, who has two children in the school.
Another parent, Mohammed Ibrahim, told The Associated Press the family will look for a safer school.
Many other parents are not likely to send their children back, he said.
Students and parents are still going through trauma and the school will reopen when frayed nerves cool down, Yobe state education commissioner Mohammed Lamin said.
The fate of the 110 girls is not known, but witnesses have said the Islamic extremists specifically asked where the girls school was located. Some eyewitnesses reported seeing young women taken away at gunpoint.
Information Minister Lai Mohammed said 906 students were in the school at the time of the attack.
Anger has been growing in Nigeria as the government struggled to respond to the attack, with authorities giving conflicting reports early on.
The mass abduction is a major challenge for President Muhammadu Buhari, who has called the Dapchi kidnappings a national disaster and vowed that no effort will be spared to locate the girls.
Buhari won elections in 2015 while making the fight against Boko Haram a priority. His government has repeatedly claimed that the Islamic extremist group has been defeated, but it continues to carry out deadly suicide bombings in the northern part of the country, often using women and children who have been kidnapped and indoctrinated.
Many fear the girls seized last week were abducted to become brides for Boko Haram extremists. Some of the schoolgirls taken in the Chibok mass abduction were forced to marry their captors. About 100 of the Chibok girls have never returned to their families.
Nigeria faces another presidential election next year.
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CHARLOTTE, N.C.Thousands of people from all walks of life including a former president filed slowly past the casket of the Rev. Billy Graham on Monday to pay their final respects to a man who reached millions with his message of salvation through Jesus Christ.
The heavy rain overnight tapered to a light, occasional drizzle around 8 a.m. Monday when the doors opened to the boyhood home of the famed evangelist, who died Wednesday at age 99. The rain had stopped by late afternoon when former president George W. Bush arrived with his wife, Laura.
Mourners of all races, young and old, some in suits and some in T-shirts and flip-flops, walked through the parlour where Grahams closed casket lay on a black pedestal. They walked past family photos and a cross made of white lilies to see the simple plywood container made by prison inmates. And at the door for the first few hours was Grahams grandson, Roy, shaking the hand of every person who came to see his grandfather.
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I just wanted to tell them how much I appreciated the love for my family, Roy Graham said.
And they responded with stories. Roy Graham said what moved him the most Monday were the dozens who paused and told him the exact moment and place Billy Graham came into their lives through his hundreds of crusades around the world.
The Rev. Billy Graham, counselor to presidents and the most widely heard Christian evangelist in history, has died at age 99. (The Associated Press)
Cecily Turner is one of them. Her mother was at Billy Grahams 1957 New York crusade and she said he led her mother to salvation that day.
I know she is in heaven thanking him right now, she said.
Mother passed her faith on to daughter, and Turner said she passed it down to five children and four great-grandchildren.
Thats an amazing thing, she said.
Grahams funeral is Friday, and U.S. President Donald Trump said he will attend. Invitations were sent to all ex-presidents of the U.S.
Bush has said he chose Monday because he had a scheduling conflict with the funeral. He was greeted by Grahams son Franklin when he arrived for a private viewing.
Former president Barack Obama is not planning to attend memorial services for Graham this week, his office said. Obama tweeted last week after that Graham was was a humble servant who prayed for so many and who, with wisdom and grace, gave hope and guidance to generations of Americans.
Public viewing will continue Monday and Tuesday at Grahams Charlotte library on the campus of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association. His body will then be taken to the U.S. Capitol, where Wednesday and Thursday he will be the first private citizen to lie in honour there since civil rights hero Rosa Parks in 2005.
The funeral will be held in a giant tent as a nod to Grahams 1949 Los Angeles crusade. That revival, which Graham said propelled him to worldwide fame, was held in a circus tent dubbed the Canvas Cathedral. The man called Americas Pastor would eventually preach to an estimated 210 million people in person and many more through his pioneering use of prime-time telecasts, network radio, daily newspaper columns, evangelistic films and satellite TV hookups.
Billy Wayne Arrington was a boy when he first encountered Graham on a TV screen in Kingsport, Tennessee. He now does Christian theatre. Arrington wiped tears from his eyes as he exited after saying a prayer for Graham and for the world he leaves behind.
Im just overwhelmed, not by sadness just overwhelmed to see so many lives touched, Arrington said.
Graham will be buried beside his wife, Ruth, who died in 2007, at the foot of a cross-shaped walkway at Grahams library in Charlotte.
WASHINGTONIvanka Trump says she believes her fathers denials of sexual misconduct, arguing that questions to her on the topic are pretty inappropriate.
Trump serves as a senior adviser in President Donald Trumps administration and just led the U.S. delegation at the closing ceremony for the 2018 Pyeongchang Games. She made the comments in an interview with NBC that aired Monday.
Asked about the allegations of inappropriate behaviour against the president, Ivanka Trump said: I think its a pretty inappropriate question to ask a daughter if she believes the accusers of her father when hes affirmatively stated theres no truth to it.
I believe my father, I know my father, she said. I think I have that right as a daughter, to believe my father.
The president has denied accusations of misconduct.
His daughter has promoted herself as an advocate of women and families within the administration a role that has come with unique challenges and calculations, given the allegations against her father and some of his public comments about women.
She played a diplomatic role on her visit to the Olympics, visiting the Blue House in Seoul before heading to Pyeongchang. In her remarks, Ivanka Trump said she was in South Korea to celebrate the Olympics and to reaffirm the U.S. commitment to a maximum pressure campaign to ensure that the Korean Peninsula is denuclearized.
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WASHINGTONHearkening back to the dishonesty glory days of the 2016 election campaign, U.S. President Donald Trump made a startling 20 false claims in one speech last week.
As a general rule, the longer a Trump speech is, the more false claims he is likely to make. This speech, to the Conservative Political Action Conference on Friday, was a 75-minute ramble in which Trump jumped without warning from subject to subject, lying all the while about immigration, about trade, about the economy, about the Obama administration.
Read more: Minute by minute at Donald Trumps wild, rambling CPAC speech
Trump did not stop there. He also made five false claims in a Saturday night phone call to fawning Fox News host Jeanine Pirro, 12 false claims on Twitter, and six false claims at a White House meeting on school safety. All together, he made 44 false claims in the seven-day period.
Trump is now up to 1,218 false claims for the first 402 days of his presidency, an average of 3.0 per day.
If Trump is a serial liar, why call this a list of false claims, not lies? The answer is that we cant be sure that each and every one was intentional. In some cases, he may have been confused or ignorant. What we know, objectively, is that he was not telling the truth.
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Once again, we Canadians are left looking on aghast as our neighbours in America respond to yet another mass school shooting. As the survivors plead for urgent change, Americas leaders contort facts and logic to propose ever more bizarre solutions including the suggestion that the problem isnt too many guns, its that there arent enough.
President Donald Trump calling on teachers to arm themselves in response to Americas mass shooting epidemic doesnt just put more students lives at risk. It also weaponizes what should be safe, non-threatening environments for children and turns them into war zones.
Students in high schools and colleges across the United States the front line in mass shootings are taking note. I hope they will continue to mobilize, knowing that legislators feel no remorse in selling them out to gun manufacturers.
Thats how little their lives are worth to them: a few days of hand-wringing and ritualized fatuities about thoughts and prayers, but not enough to reject NRA propaganda, or ban AR-15s, or make weapons sales even slightly more restrictive. The kids are not all right, because they are being hunted down in places that should offer them comfort and acceptance, and the very people tasked with protecting them are condemning them to more violence and atrocity.
To be clear on this point: mass shootings are not a people problem. They are a gun problem. Americans, according to a study by University of Alabama professor Alan Lankford and profiled in the New York Times, own 42 per cent of the worlds guns. The same article points out that the only country with a higher rate of mass shootings was Yemen, which has been entangled in a brutal civil war for the past three years.
Mass shootings happen in the United States with more frequency and lethality than in any other developed nation in the world. And the biggest, most consistent, variable in that equation? The ease and availability of guns, especially powerful weapons that can be efficiently automated to murder dozens of civilians in a matter of seconds.
Why would anyone need that kind of firepower? For one reason: to kill. Not for sport shooting, not for fun, but to have a weapon at the ready that can shred entire classrooms with the twitch of a finger. So easy. Too easy.
U.S. legislators owe it to those in the crosshairs to make it harder to commit mass murder. Rigorous background checks. A ban on online and gun-show sales. An end to AR-15s and other military-grade weaponry. These are not difficult measures to implement, if human lives are valued more than campaign contributions by those elected to serve.
Yet here is Florida Senator Marco Rubio who has reportedly received more than $3 million from the NRA telling Floridas Parkland shooting survivors demanding a curb on gun sales that they dont understand the gun lobby. It seems they understand all too well.
The evidence is clear and incontrovertible: every developed nation that has imposed stricter gun control in the wake of mass shootings saw a precipitous decline in mass shootings and other gun-related deaths.
In Australia. mass shootings dropped by 93 per cent after a successful government gun buy-back program following the 1996 Port Arthur massacre, which saw 35 people slaughtered.
In the United Kingdom, after strict gun-control measures were introduced in the wake of the Dunblane massacre of 15 kindergartners, there has only been one mass shooting in the 22 years since.
Here in Canada, where we have looser gun laws than the U.K. but tighter controls relative to the United States, gun-related homicides are eight times fewer per capita.
There is only one thing that Newtown (26 dead), Orlando (49 dead), Las Vegas (58 dead), and Parkland (17 dead) have in common: semi-automatic weapons. The shooters all spanned different ages and backgrounds. Not all had a history of mental health issues. Their motivations were, on the whole, considerably different. What correlates in this violent equation is the guns, not the people.
Trump and others contemptuously claiming that guns are the answer to Americas gun problem may as well be saying that cigarettes can cure lung cancer: their statements fly in the face of all rational evidence to the contrary. Worse still, they are betraying generations of young Americans who are being forced to learn and grow up in increasingly militarized environments. Are they made safer by encouraging teachers to take up arms and shoot students perceived to be a threat? Is that how educators nurture trusting, caring, emotionally stable adults?
As young people from across the United States descend on Washington, D.C., and state legislatures, their voices deserve to be amplified, and there are a number of ways to achieve this.
Many teachers pension funds across North America have holdings in the worlds arms manufacturers, including the Florida and New York Teachers Pension Funds, both of which have investments in Sturm, Ruger Co., manufacturer of the AR-15. Divesting from weapons is one way for teachers to demonstrate that they stand in solidarity with their students.
Political candidates who openly advocate for gun control need financial and volunteer support. And those who resist gun control measures should be actively and consistently opposed, until NRA endorsements and contributions are seen as politically toxic.
Its not enough to say nothing can be done, when other countries have already done it and proven that it works. The Second Amendment of the U.S. Constitution asserts the right to bear arms. It does not assert that those rights are unlimited.
Parklands students understand this. Hopefully the adults elected to protect them will too.
Dr. Samantha Nutt is the Founder of War Child Canada and best-selling author of Damned Nations: Greed, Guns, Armies and Aid.
Correction - March 8, 2018: This article was edited from a previous version that mistakenly said there have been no mass shootings in the United Kingdom since strict gun-control measures were introduced in the wake of the Dunblane massacre of 15 kindergartners.
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Prof. Jon D. Levenson of Harvard University tells us not to view Christian-Jewish dialogue in terms of conflict resolution. The two religious traditions have genuine disagreements that each must understand and respect. They can learn from each other and work together for the good of the countries in which their adherents live without seeking to compromise with their own commitments or expect concessions from the other.
Levenson, a committed Jew and the author of important books about the Hebrew Bible, reminds us that the relationship isnt symmetrical. Judaism is an integral part of Christianity: Jesus was a Jew and lived as a Jew. But, though Jews have lived in Christian societies, Jewish theology has no room for Christianity.
Until our time Christians were taught that God had abrogated the covenant with the People of Israel, as described in the Hebrew Bible (that Christians call the Old Testament, i.e., the old covenant), and made a new covenant exclusively with Christians.
They argued that Judaism had thus been rendered obsolete. The Church would now convert Jews to save them from eternal damnation. If that proved impossible, Jews were to lead restricted lives, usually as pariahs on the margins of Christian society, to illustrate what happens to a people that has known Christ and rejected him.
Mercifully, things have changed. More than half-a-century ago, the Vatican issued its celebrated document Nostra Aetate that stressed the affinity between Christianity and Judaism and demanded respect for Jews. By abandoning the doctrine that Christianity had superseded Judaism, the Catholic Church had radically amended the religion about Jesus (Christianity) in relation to the religion of Jesus (Judaism). Instead of seeking to resolve the conflict with power, Christians would now live with Jews in peace and mutual respect.
In December 2015, the Vatican Commission for Religious Relations with the Jews formally announced that the Roman Catholic Church would now also stop all missionary activities that targeted Jews. Pope Francis has thus continued on the path of reconciliation embarked upon by his predecessors.
But current Catholic theology hasnt penetrated Vatican politics. It seems that many Catholics still find it difficult to accept that Gods covenant with the People of Israel, as articulated in Scripture, includes the Land of Israel. Instead, they often accept the Muslim version that claims that the Jews have no rights to a state of their own in the region. The many anti-Israel resolutions in the United Nations General Assembly and its offshoots reflect the distortion.
Not having one central authority like the Vatican, the situation in the Protestant Churches is more varied. Cooperation between local synagogues, especially those that belong to the Conservative and Reform movements in Judaism, and liberal Protestant churches exists in many countries, including Canada. And evangelical Protestants often describe themselves as Christian Zionists and declare their enthusiastic support for the land that, according to the Hebrew Bible, God promised to the Jewish people. Thus the State of Israel.
Yet, whereas their politics appear to support the Jewish state, their theology may have remained inimical to Judaism. Many evangelical Protestants are said to harbour hopes that once all Jews have found their home in Israel, theyll see the light and embrace the faith in Jesus as their Saviour.
It seems that, despite changes in Christian-Jewish relations, Jews have reason to be troubled by the fact that Catholic theology isnt necessarily reflected in its politics while the politics of evangelicals may have ominous theological implications for Judaism and the Jewish People.
Hence this question: do many Christians who respect Judaism continue to disapprove of the Jewish people, and Christians who may accept Jews have no time for Judaism?
Dow Marmur is rabbi emeritus of Torontos Holy Blossom Temple. His column appears every four weeks.
An anti-racism town hall in east Toronto last Thursday that was hijacked by a bunch of bigots is a prime example of why the listen to both sides argument and the urging to be reasonable dont work.
Activists say they warned the provincial Liberals who organized the town hall at Grant African Methodist Episcopal Church on Gerrard St. E. at Woodbine Ave. that it was going to be derailed; their social media chatter showed white supremacists were planning to gate crash the event.
On the panel were Minister Responsible for Anti-Racism Michael Coteau, BeachesEast York MPP Arthur Potts and BeachesEast York MP Nathaniel Erskine-Smith. But it was the presence on the panel of MississaugaErin Mills MP Iqra Khalid who introduced the anti-Islamophobia M-103 motion that was the lightning rod for the likes of Paul Fromm, Lynn Redden, Eric Brazau and Meir Weinstein.
These are representative of a group of people blessed with extraordinary penetrating vision that allows them to see someone you and I might take for a bright woman with achievers confidence as the ultimate evil infiltrator of political Canada, bent on blanketing the country under Sharia law.
An anti-racism activist who was at the event, who tracks far-right hate groups on social media, says these people have appeared on his radar in at least seven demonstrations in Toronto in the past 12 months (not counting their protests outside Masjid Toronto near City Hall.)
He asked for anonymity for fear of being targeted by these groups that include the Canadian Association for Free Expression, Council of Conservative Citizens, the Jewish Defense League, the Europe-based PEGIDA, the Proud Boys and the Suffragettes against Silence.
Group memberships are fluid, he says. Fromm, for instance, leads the Canadian Association for Free Expression and also serves as a director on the Council of Conservative Citizens.
Its important to inform readers that these people are just as fanatical as the so-called radical Muslims they claim to hate, the activist who is with Solidarity Against Fascism Everywhere (SAFE) told me.
Based on video footage and accounts of attendees, it was clear their presence not only coarsened the discussion, it gutted it.
The organizers announced the rules. Anyone with questions was to raise their hand and write their question down on a card given by a volunteer.
But the gate crashers began shouting out their questions.
Khalid made her opening remarks explaining the basis of M-103, and said, It is OK to be white, its OK to be black, its OK to be yellow or to be any colour because that is the Canada that I call my home, that is the Canada that we collectively built.
But soon enough someone hollered, Its a back door to Sharia law. Thats what youre trying to bring into the country.
Redden, representing Suffragettes Against Silence, shouted: Women have been voting for 100 years in this country, neatly omitting the fact it was only white women who won that right. Not Indigenous women. Not Asian women.
At another point she yelled, One thing you didnt cover sister, is about women. What about the culture where you come from?
Then, quite idiotically, Do you think those women protesting in Iran are Islamophobic? Youre damn right they are. As if those women are protesting their religion and not government coercion.
Despite entreaties to act like adults, a disturber known only as Lawrence, who activists say is a regular at racist demonstrations in Toronto shouted, You are a fraud. You are a fraud.
A little later, someone at the back is heard on video saying, Is the purpose of M-103 to promote racism against Jews? It didnt matter that Khalid earlier had said hate crimes against Jewish people were unacceptable.
And when she said, The Muslim community. It is so pluralistic, its so diverse, the rest of what she was saying was drowned out by loud jeers.
The town hall that was held to discuss how the community could take a stand against hate, intolerance and discrimination in all its forms, accommodated all of it. The trolls were a minority, but they had an outsized seat at the table where their views should have been marginalized. Police cruisers were outside, but they were not asked to lead anyone out.
Although the loudmouths who came with nothing constructive were allowed to break the established rules to present their questions, although they were given special treatment, it was not enough.
It did not matter that Khalid was speaking in the calmest of tones, and Coteau was striking a placatory tone.
The hate-mongers continued to shout and interrupt and disrupt, leaving people who come to these events to feel whole further broken.
To see such hate so close was jarring, upsetting and certainly made my blood boil. I cant imagine experiencing such hate as a minority, wrote organizer Erskine-Smith in a Facebook post after.
Yet, these minorities are always expected to faultlessly greet hate with grace, whether the racism is overt, passive-aggressive or delivered in dog-whistle words.
That calmness does nothing to disrupt racism.
Tone matters to those who seek to preserve their own comfort, to perhaps feel sorry for those they think are oppressed, to mentally pat themselves on the back for that charitable thought and move on.
Racism as feel-good balm. Thats what people seek when they ask for restraint.
Shree Paradkar writes about discrimination and identity. You can follow her @shreeparadkar
Correction February 27, 2018: This article was edited from a previous version that misstated the day on which the town hall took place.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeaus state visit to India has been labelled a total disaster. It wasnt.
At worst, it was only a partial disaster. And it did accomplish what the prime minister had set out to do, which was provide good visuals for his Liberals in next years federal election campaign.
Prime ministerial trips abroad are rarely designed to produce specific results. Sometimes they happen to coincide with investment or other decisions, giving the prime minister a chance to announce them and take political credit.
But in the vast majority of cases, such decisions would have been made regardless of any visit.
Trudeau underlined this when, in the one investment announcement he made on the seven-day India trip, he got the numbers wrong. He said Indian companies plan to invest $1 billion in Canada. In fact, they plan to invest only $250 million.
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On this trip, criticism of Trudeau ran the gamut from the clothes he wore, to the inordinate amount of time he took visiting tourist spots with his family, to the fact that a convicted terrorist was invited to dine with him.
Local and international media mocked him for wearing fancy, traditional Indian garb deemed more suitable for a Bollywood film. They pointed out that this was not what ordinary Indians wear in daily life.
But the mockers forget that Trudeau wasnt trying to impress the locals. Rather he was trying to impress those Canadian voters back home who are thrilled to see their prime minister dressed as a Bollywood hero.
You can bet that photos of Trudeau in traditional dress will feature large next year in ridings where there are significant numbers of Indo-Canadian voters.
So will photos that show the exceptionally photogenic Trudeau family visiting national Indian monuments, such as the Taj Mahal.
And so will photos pairing off Trudeau with each of the 14 Liberal MPs many of them Indo-Canadian who just had to accompany the prime minister on this journey.
But the real public relations disaster on this trip was the decision later reversed to invite convicted Sikh-Canadian terrorist Jaspal Atwal to dinner.
Atwal was sentenced by a Canadian judge to 20 years in prison for attempting to assassinate an Indian dignitary visiting Vancouver Island in 1986.
The attempted murder occurred just one year after the terror bombing of an Air India flight out of Toronto that killed 329.
Both outrages took place within the context of rising Sikh extremism, sparked in part by an Indian government military attack on the religions holiest shrine.
People in India think the Trudeaus have gone overboard with wearing traditional outfits Some of them say the Prime Minister should tone down the wedding-level formal clothing. (The Canadian Press)
When Trudeau found out, through the media, that Atwal had been invited to a banquet hosted by Canadas High Commission, he was embarrassed.
But not fatally so. In particular, the Indian government didnt appear to care.
Canadians need visas to visit India and the government there is usually stingy about granting them to those that it believes tolerate any kind of Sikh separatism.
Even New Democratic Party Leader Jagmeet Singh says that he has been denied a visa by India.
But Atwal was readily accredited by Indian authorities who almost certainly knew his history.
Perhaps they felt he had changed his views. Terrorists do sometimes. Perhaps they were impressed by his ties to the federal and provincial Liberal parties (his local Liberal MP arranged the abortive dinner invitation).
Or perhaps they knew how fickle authority can be. It wasnt that long ago that Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi was persona non grata in the U.S. because of his alleged role in a 2002 massacre of Muslims. That pariah status ended when Modi became prime minister and now he is treated as a valued world leader.
Trudeau and Modi eventually met Friday. According to the official communique they talked about things that Canada already sells India, like uranium. They also talked about things Canada wants to sell India, like lentils.
So it wasnt a complete disaster. And the Liberals now have all those great photos.
Thomas Walkom appears Monday, Wednesday and Friday.
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If you cant take any more reality, virtual reality is your friend and just in time too. Watching lousy American leftovers on Netflix isnt good enough.
After a day at the online looming tower, I need something stronger to distract me from harbingers like President Trump reciting The Snake, winter trees in heat shock, nuclear strike threats, plasticized oceans, the Syrian slaughter, the shooting of Indigenous teens, American teens vs. American adults, fearing a flattening on an overcrowded Toronto subway platform and so on.
If youre like me are you like me? I do hope not you need a brain vacation, a respite from trauma. I remember a line from a classic movie, Fort Apache the Bronx, from an exhausted stressed heroin-using nurse. Smacks like a vacation for me. A few hours floating on a raft in the Caribbean.
Where can people go, undrugged and sober, to briefly escape their own minds wheeling with stress? VR, invented by an American teenager in 2010, is one technological cave that absorbs and distracts the pained brain.
Im not buying a $600 Oculus Rift so I bought a $20 Google Cardboard headset to hold me until the new Oculus Go comes out later this year at $250, which is the trajectory of technology: better, then cheaper, then no one uses that now.
All you need for a primitive start is a cellphone in a cardboard box on your head. Virtual reality, offering computer-generated three-dimensional reality, takes you inside flat images. It is allegedly useful in medicine, architecture and the arts but at the moment I am using it to watch the Olympics.
Its jarring and entrancing. What if a skater hooks your hair? The Guardians VR app shows how it works in journalism, telling news stories in new ways. Its most helpful for the literal-minded so will be huge in the U.S.
In 2016, the remarkable Charlie Brooker hes a gamer, TV critic and maker of Black Mirror series about technology destroying humans tried the PlayStation VR headset and said, Bloody hell, this is the future.
With VR, the story about the plague of solitary confinement in prison (look, its the Guardian) can be made real, putting the reader/viewer inside a VR prison cell. Its like a Black Mirror episode for compassionate people.
You can see every inch of the walls, bunk and table, sink-and-toilet unit, ceiling, door and food slot. Imagine spending years in it. Prisoners who hallucinate after prolonged solitary say they float to the ceiling, and so do you.
I was found whimpering, attempting to climb over the back of the couch and into the corner of my office, convinced I was about to fall from a great height and break an ankle. This is hard to explain to others.
This difficulty is a considerable one for VR. Music via earbuds makes you a vulnerable pedestrian but a VR headset makes you look like an idiot with a box on your head. You could play with another VR person but you might crash into them and they cant see you anyway. VR is for you alone. It will make you lonely.
VR offers separate realities for everyone everywhere. Watch the 5-minute Guardian film of how babies see the world. Babies are short. Babies look up at us from the floor. Babies cant see well. To babies, we are nothing more than fuzzy shapes rattling things. Good stuff.
Yes, this is Big Brother. He wont be in your head but he will be on it and hell be watching you in close-up. I think uneasily about Winston Smith with a rat cage attached to his face. Inevitably there will be VR horror games with precisely that.
The problem is that its so wonderfully safe and enjoyable. Therell be a VR crossing of the glass-bottomed Zhangjiajie glass bridge across a gorge in China and I will watch it, horrified and crawling the walls, but happy because it distracts me from real problems in my waking hours, which are almost as bad as my sleeping hours when I have protracted nightmares.
VR is as good as a drug hit. Its like a vacation. Its a few hours floating on a raft in the Caribbean. We were not put on this Earth for pleasure, I can hear my mother saying. Shes wrong, isnt she. Isnt she?
hmallick@thestar.ca
Oh, Warren.
Upon Further Reflection
By the time Warren Buffett's annual letter to Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.A) - Get BRK.A Report shareholders hit at 8 a.m. on Saturday, I had three coffees lined up as I was ready to go to battle with other news organizations. My goal: Dominate coverage. Unfortunately, after making several posts before anyone else in a live blog I realized I was dominating coverage of a horrifically boring event. Talk about feeling deflated. At first blush, I thought this was Buffett's worst annual letter ever. He stopped writing a huge chunk of the letter, instead sending people to Berkshire's 10-K. There was a lack of trademark Buffett flair, save for the comparison of deal-hungry CEOs to the sex lives of teenagers. Buffett complained that he couldn't spend $116 billion, but offered no path forward on when a deal may happen and what interested him the most. No mention on what excites him about his growing Apple (AAPL) - Get Apple Inc. (AAPL) Report position (Apple is an Action Alerts Plus holding). No insight into the thin press release detailing a new partnership with Action Alerts Plus holdings JPMorgan Chase (JPM) - Get JPMorgan Chase & Co. (JPM) Report and Amazon (AMZN) - Get Amazon.com, Inc. Report on healthcare. Again, I felt totally deflated. But come Monday's ride into the office and some more reflection, I came to realize that Buffett's letter wasn't that bad. Not his best by any means, but not that bad. It was what he didn't say that is this letter's true brilliance. The fact Buffett can't find attractive companies (his bar is higher than a typical S&P 500 CEO) is a major signal that the broader market may be overvalued. That Buffett didn't acknowledge the recent correction suggests while he doesn't care about short-term stock price movements he is respectful that we may not be out of the woods just yet. Or perhaps her is just tired and wants to save the newsmaking for his annual shareholder's meeting later this year. Anyhow, food for thought: Coca-Cola's (KO) - Get Coca-Cola Company Report market cap is $187 billion. Given Berkshire's cash pile, access to low-cost financing, and Buffett's affinity for Coke, why not make a play? Then drop the mic and hand off the ship to Greg Abel.
Qualcomm vs. Broadcom, Act 75
The new week kicked off right where last week's left off: a continuation of the dance between Qualcomm (QCOM) - Get QUALCOMM Incorporated Report and Action Alerts Plus holding Broadcom (AVGO) - Get Broadcom Inc. Report . Here are a couple new wrinkles via a press release Monday from Qualcomm: (1) The two companies met again on Feb. 23; (2) Qualcomm's board said the "meeting led to further progress toward a possible negotiated transaction on key issues other than price"; (3) The two sides remain far away on price. As TheStreet discussed on its latest edition of its "Technically Speaking" podcast, Qualcomm has gained the upper hand in its battle with Broadcom (which is why you probably want to trade Qualcomm long). It's clear Broadcom is being lured into a much higher price for a target that looks like it has obsessed the daily life of Broadcom CEO Hock Tan. We await Broadcom's response.
Around the Horn
(1) Reminder to all investors to carefully read annual reports starting to hit the Securities and Exchange Commission's website. Language is changing due to tax reform and various accounting shifts. If you don't read them, it could be your loss down the line. Case in point is the latest gem from General Electric (GE) - Get General Electric Company (GE) Report filed on Friday. The company revealed profit hits to 2016 and 2017 earnings as part of a previously disclosed earnings restatement. There were also details shared on a host of lawsuits filed against the company and its former CEO Jeff Immelt. (2) China on the verge of going back to one-man rule has opened up the door for an indefinite reign for Xi Jinping. For multinational businesses such as Starbucks (SBUX) - Get Starbucks Corporation Report , Apple and McDonald's (MCD) - Get McDonald's Corporation (MCD) Report doing business in China, the maneuver has to be viewed favorably as Jinping has largely been positive for business. That is until Trump's trade war with the country begins ...
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You must tune into TheStreet's "Technically Speaking" podcast. Listen below for a bunch of awesomeness.
In an appearance on CNBC, Warren Buffett adds color to some of the biggest insights gained from Berkshire Hathaway's annual shareholder letter.
Berkshire Hathaway Inc. (BRK.A) - Get BRK.A Report CEO and billionaire investor Warren Buffett released his annual letter to investors on Saturday, Feb. 24. After more than five decades of releasing the letter, Buffett and his team switched formats this year, offering a letter about 65% the size of the typical shareholder note.
In an appearance on CNBC on Monday, Feb. 26, Buffett added color to some of the biggest insights gained from the letter. Here are the top takeaways from Buffett's appearance Monday morning.
Tax Reform
Warren Buffett was outspoken in his stance that American businesses weren't overtaxed last year. Now, the billionaire investor is lauding the tax legislation passed through Congress in December.
Among the most noteworthy aspects of the letter to investors this weekend was that Berkshire experienced a $63.5 billion increase in net worth in 2017.
"We had about $100 billion in unrealized gain in equities," Buffett said. "When they're sold, you pay tax on that." Berkshire had previously maintained about $35 billion in reserve to pay taxes for when those equities were sold. But now that reserve only needs to be about $21 billion, Buffett said.
"We'll be paying 21% instead of 35%," Buffett added. "That's a lot of money."
Buffett noted that the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act represents a "huge tailwind" for American business. "It certainly means corporations will pay quite a bit less in tax."
Net Buyer
Buffett said Berkshire is a net buyer of stocks so far this year, despite a roughly $3.3 billion sale of Phillips 66 (PSX) - Get Phillips 66 Report shares Berkshire engaged in to keep its holding under 10%.
When asked if he preferred stocks to a 30-year Treasury note, Buffett said he would certainly choose stocks. "Equities will considerably outperform 30-year bonds in those 30 years," he said.
Buffett noted that Berkshire has no way of predicting where the stock market will move day to day, but remains confident that the market is strong in the long-term.
"If I like it, we buy it," Buffett said. "There's plenty of stocks we like."
Buffett said at the last Berkshire shareholder meeting that he missed out on buying Amazon.com Inc. (AMZN) - Get Amazon.com, Inc. Report stock. At that point, the shares sold for about $995. Monday morning, Amazon stock traded higher 1.27% to $1,519.11.
"I'm not surprised [by Amazon's valuation.] I'm amazed at the managerial talent of Jeff Bezos, but I've been a constant fan really almost since he started."
While he said he has "blown it" in terms of making money on Amazon, "I would never bet against it," Buffett said.
Buffett also said he wouldn't rule out owning an entire airline. Berkshire currently has a stake in four airlines -- Southwest Airlines Co. (LUV) - Get Southwest Airlines Co. Report , American Airlines Group Inc. (AAL) - Get American Airlines Group, Inc. Report , United Continental Holdings Inc. (UAL) - Get United Airlines Holdings, Inc. Report and Delta Air Lines Inc. (DAL) - Get Delta Air Lines, Inc. Report .
"But you can't build a new railroad from Omaha to Chicago tomorrow, but you can add a flight if you're one of the airlines already there or you can perhaps come in and get a gate and add flights," Buffett said. "So it's a way different set of economics between the two industries. I wouldn't rule out owning an entire airline, but it's a different business, a very different business."
It's been "idiotic" to own long bonds, Buffett added. Stocks remain his investment of choice.
"Some people are not emotionally or psychologically fit to own stocks, but I think more of them would be if we get educated on what you're really buying, which is part of a business," he said.
"The longer you hold stocks, the less risky they become, whereas the longer the maturity of a bond, the more risky it becomes."
Healthcare M&A
Berkshire announced last month a partnership with JPMorgan Chase & Co. (JPM) - Get JPMorgan Chase & Co. (JPM) Report and Amazon to cut healthcare costs and improve services for employees. Buffett told CNBC that he's not actively looking to cut a deal for a healthcare business as far as the JPMorgan/Amazon setup is concerned.
"We wouldn't buy a healthcare business to tie it in with the healthcare initiative ... if we liked the business and the price was right we could write a check for cash," Buffett said.
Buffett addressed the M&A outlook while taking questions about General Electric Co. (GE) - Get General Electric Company (GE) Report . Many investors have asked if Berkshire would consider buying a cash-generating industrial or healthcare firm to help get the new partnership off the ground. Buffett explained that the short answer was no, and that GE would be unlikely to sell off a bug chunk of its business.
Buffett noted that Berkshire sold its small holding of General Electric when shares were trading around $29 each. At the market close Friday, GE stock fell 0.07% to $14.49.
Wells Fargo Woes
Buffett offered his take on Wells Fargo & Co. (WFM) as it remains embroiled in a scandal that first broke in 2015 about questionable business practices.
"I have confidence in [Wells CEO] Tim Sloan," Buffett said. Sloan became CEO in October 2016 after former chief John Stumpf stepped down under pressure from lawmakers and shareholders alike.
"They came up with some terrible incentives ... which incentivized bad behavior. That bad behavior became somewhat contagious," Buffett added. Wells Fargo sales associates had been creating fake accounts on behalf of customers without the customers' knowledge.
"Management didn't react when they found out something had gone very much awry and then it just compounds like crazy," Buffett said.
The bank has drawn ire since the scandal broke from regulators and lawmakers. "You obey your government and if you don't you can have plenty of consequences and Wells Fargo is suffering from those," Buffett said.
Buffett said at his shareholder meeting in 2009 that if there was one stock he had to choose to put all his money in, it would be Wells Fargo. He's likely changed tune on that now, though.
Buffett said he feels most confident in Berkshire stock today, where he stores 99% of his money. Outside of the company he leads, Buffett was unwilling to admit to a favorite stock. He did add, however, that Berkshire is still optimistic on Apple Inc. (AAPL) - Get Apple Inc. (AAPL) Report .
"Over the last year we've bought more Apple than anything else," he said.
"I think I understand consumer behavior perhaps better than I do the tech business," Buffett later said of Apple compared to other tech holdings such as International Business Machines Corp. (IBM) - Get International Business Machines (IBM) Report .
Buffett has recently bought more Apple shares and sold more IBM shares. According to Buffett, the two are both tech firms but remain fundamentally different companies.
Buffett said he likes Apple CEO Tim Cook "very much," and applauded Apple's policies and strong ecosystem. People have become "locked in" psychologically and mentally to specific products, and Apple has benefited heartily from it.
CEO Impacts
Buffett offered his view on the recent move from Wall Street leaders and C-suite executives to wade into the political arena. BlackRock Inc. (BLK) - Get BlackRock, Inc. Report , one of the largest asset managers in the world, said it will speak with gunmakers following the school shooting in Florida earlier this month that has sparked public outcry.
As far as Buffett is concerned, personal politics should remain separated from company politics. Buffett has been vocal in years past about his own political views, but Berkshire's position has been clearly separated from his own.
"I think you should be pretty careful before the company takes a big political opinion," Buffett said. "I also think people individually should very much express their views. I think what the kids are doing is very admirable. I don't think that Berkshire should say we're not going to do business with people that own guns. I think it would be ridiculous."
That's not to say Buffett hasn't made impacts on his holdings as an individual. He's long been a religious Coca-Cola Co. (KO) - Get Coca-Cola Company Report drinker, for example. But one of Berkshire's highest-profile holdings has still not made its way into Buffett's life. The CEO still owns a flip phone despite his large holdings of Apple stock and calls from Apple CEO Tim Cook to get an iPhone.
"As long as I haven't gotten one, the market's not saturated," Buffett said. He added that if he ever does buy a smartphone, he would "definitely buy an Apple."
Leverage Risks
"It is crazy in my opinion to borrow on security. You don't know whether the stock exchange will open tomorrow morning," Buffett said. Investors have borrowed record amounts to invest in the stock market amid the selloff earlier this month, according to a front page story in The Wall Street Journal on Monday.
"There's no reason to borrow money except you're in a hurry to get rich and you're risking going broke. And ultimately, the effects it can have on your family? I do not believe in borrowing money on securities," Buffett said.
"It's insane to risk what you have and need for something you don't really need. You know, borrowing money is a way of trying to get rich a little faster, but there are plenty of ways to get rich slowly."
"Anything can happen in markets," Buffett said later in the interview, returning to his earlier stated thesis regarding borrowing money to buy securities.
"When you're just looking at the price of something, you're not investing," Buffett added, calling that gambling. Investors have to assess the business as a whole, not just the price of shares.
"Bitcoin, for example, or some cryptocurrency, you're not looking to the asset itself to produce anything," Buffett said. The CEO had previously said he won't invest in bitcoin because he doesn't know enough about it.
Healthcare Partnership
Buffett offered more insight on the healthcare partnership with Berkshire, Amazon and JPMorgan.
"I love the idea of tackling what I regard as the major problem of our economy," Buffett said. He cited rising healthcare costs that have shot higher to as much as 18% of GDP from as low as 5% of GDP in 1960.
"We are at a huge competitive disadvantage in American businesses, far more important than any tax change in terms of our health costs," Buffett said. He contended that it's usually the case that the private sector can handle healthcare better than the government can.
"It's not going to be easy, but we're determined, we've got the money, we'll stick with it," he added.
Buffett noted that right now it is just a partnership. The three firms could eventually form a business entity separate of their own to house the healthcare operations.
"We've been inundated from people that would like to run this or like to help," he noted. Buffett added that the group will work to place a CEO for the healthcare tie-in within the year.
The partnership is designed to be free from profit-making incentives and constraints, aimed instead at improving healthcare and reducing costs for everyone.
"We are free from that as a demand, but that doesn't mean it can't happen," Buffett said.
Trade Deficits
"I don't like the idea of running huge trade deficits as a percentage of GDP at all," Buffett said. His comments come amid reports that Peter Navarro could soon get a promotion within the Trump administration to special counselor to the president. Navarro has been vocal in his criticism of trade deficits.
"A world that has more trade in it relative to the whole world economy 10 or 20 years from now will be a better world than one with lesser trade," Buffett said.
"I don't think closing borders is a good idea," he added. "I think over time we want more trade, and the closer it is to balanced trade the better."
But Berkshire itself hasn't been largely affected by trade agreements, the CEO said. Among his chief concerns in weighing in on trade deals is aiding the worker most affected by them.
"The benefits of free trade get spread throughout the population and the roadkill are real," Buffett said. "We should take care of those people because we are sacrificing their lives or economic lives for the greater good and there ought to be policies that take care of them."
Buffett noted that he would look to help the 55-year-old worker who might lose his or her job as a result of free trade but can't really be retrained for a new career.
Following the CEO's comments, Berkshire class B stock (BRK.B) - Get Berkshire Hathaway Inc. Class B Report traded higher 1.7% to $206.20 Monday morning.
JPMorgan, Amazon, General Electric and Apple are holdings in Jim Cramer's Action Alerts PLUS Charitable Trust Portfolio. Want to be alerted before Cramer buys or sells the stocks? Learn more now.
This article has been updated with further comments from Warren Buffett's appearance on CNBC.
The chipmaker Qualcomm appears to offer up a way forward for Broadcom to potentially consummate its $79-a-share hostile bid, though the two sides still remain apart on key deal terms.
Qualcomm Inc. (QCOM) - Get QUALCOMM Incorporated Report on Monday, Feb. 26, appeared to offer up a way forward for Broadcom Ltd. (AVGO) - Get Broadcom Inc. Report to consummate its hostile $79-a-share bid for the chipmaker, noting that the two sides had made progress on regulatory and deal certainty issues.
Specifically, Qualcomm Chairman Paul Jacobs sent a letter to Broadcom CEO Hock Tan suggesting that a second meeting the two sides held on Friday, Feb. 23, led to further progress toward a possible negotiated transaction and that its board encourages Broadcom to enter into mutual due diligence and price negotiations.
"We appreciate the movement you have made from the draft merger agreement you publicly released on February 9," Qualcomm said.
In the letter, Qualcomm asked Broadcom to pay a more significant termination fee to it if the deal isn't consummated for a variety of reasons, including regulatory issues or a failure to obtain approval from shareholders. Specifically, Qualcomm asked for a termination fee that represented 9% of its enterprise value, which is higher than an initial $8 billion breakup fee that Broadcom had previously offered up. Broadcom previously also had offered up a "ticking fee" that would increase the price by 6% annually if the deal takes more than a year to complete. A regulatory review of more than a year would be a real possibility considering the complex global regulatory review it would require.
In addition, Qualcomm appeared to offer up some concessions on getting regulatory approval, noting that the deal's way forward didn't require a "hell or high water" commitment.
The letter comes as Broadcom's hostile bid is approaching a deadline of sorts, set for Qualcomm's annual meeting set on March 6. Broadcom has launched a director-election proxy contest for the meeting, seeking to install a change-of-control six dissident directors to the company's board at the meeting. If it loses it would send a message that Qualcomm's shareholders don't want to see a deal consummated. However, there is a real possibility that Broadcom could elect only a minority slate of directors, which would add further complications as it would require incumbent and dissident directors to work together to decide on whether Broadcom's hostile bid should be accepted.
Broadcom last week lowered its bid to buy Qualcomm to $79 a share from $82 a share after Qualcomm hiked its bid to acquire another semiconductor company, NXP Semiconductors N.V. (NXPI) - Get NXP Semiconductors NV Report , to $127.50 a share. On Monday, Qualcomm reiterated that the price and the $82 a share it had previously been offered both materially undervalue the company.
In addition, adding an additional twist to the debate, on Friday Rep. Duncan Hunter, a Republican representative from San Diego, released a letter he sent to the White House urging the government to conduct a thorough national security review of a Broadcom-Qualcomm deal, if a merger between the two chipmakers emerges.
Hunter said he took issue with Broadcom's "expanding strategic collaborations" in China involving memorandums of understanding with Chinese companies HBC, Inspur and StarTimes. "This growing Chinese connection by Broadcom creates the opportunity for China's security agencies to access and utilize Qualcomm's technology in defense-critical situations," he said.
President Trump made limitations on trade and dealmaking with China a cornerstone of his campaign. As a result, Chinese buyers or companies with ties to China have faced harsher national security reviews in the U.S. in recent months.
Editor's note: This article was originally published by The Deal, a sister publication of TheStreet that offers sophisticated insight and analysis on all types of deals, from inception to integration. Click here for a free trial.
Jim Cramer and the AAP team hold a position in Broadcom for their Action Alerts PLUS Charitable Trust Portfolio. Want to be alerted before Cramer buys or sells AVGO? Learn more now.
The film studio's board of representatives says it has concluded a $500 million offer 'was illusory,' leaving it with no viable options outside of bankruptcy court.
Film studio Weinstein Co. is headed for Chapter 11 protection after a sale effort out of court collapsed in the wake of a lawsuit from New York's attorney general.
According to a Sunday, Feb. 25, letter from the company's board of representatives to Maria Contreras-Sweet and Ron Burkle, the leaders of a group that had been in talks to acquire the New York film and TV production company, Weinstein Co. now will pursue "the board's only viable option to maximize the company's remaining value: an orderly bankruptcy process."
A petition had not been filed in the most likely destinations of the Southern District of New York or Delaware as of Monday morning.
A representative for Moelis & Co. LLC, which is running the sale process for Weinstein Co., declined comment. A representative for O'Melveny & Myers LLP, its reported legal counsel, did not respond to a request for comment.
Addressing the group's actions since a Feb. 21 meeting with New York Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman, the board said it concluded the consortium's offer "was illusory and would only leave this company hobbling toward its demise to the detriment of all constituents. ... Despite your previous statements, it is simply impossible to avoid the conclusion that you have no intention to sign an agreement -- much less to close one -- and no desire to save valuable assets and jobs."
Contreras-Sweet and Burkle did not return requests for comment. Loeb & Loeb LLP, reportedly counsel to the Contreras-Sweet group, and Roy Salter of FTI Consulting Inc., its reported financial adviser, could not be reached for comment.
Variety previously reported that a group led by Contreras-Sweet, former administrator of the U.S. Small Business Administration, was to pay $500 million for Weinstein Co. The industry publication said Burkle, head of private equity firm Yucaipa Cos. LLC, was poised to own 20% of the new company.
The offer, according to Variety, was to include the assumption of $225 million in debt. Unsecured creditors were to receive $125 million of the $275 million in equity, and $20 million to $30 million was to go to a settlement fund for victims. Some $100 million was to fund the new company, and current equity holders were to be wiped out.
The sale originally was set to close on Feb. 11, but Schneiderman's suit that day shook up the negotiations. The action in the Supreme Court of the State of New York charged the company; ousted co-CEO and co-chairman Harvey Weinstein; and his brother, Robert, also co-CEO and co-chairman with maintaining "a years-long gender-based hostile work environment, a pattern of quid pro quo sexual harassment and routine misuse of corporate resources for unlawful ends."
Notably, the lawsuit charged Bob Weinstein and his company's management and directors with "failing to investigate or stop" "repeated and persistent unlawful conduct" despite the repeated presentation of credible evidence of sexual harassment by Harvey Weinstein. By using nondisclosure agreements to resolve allegations of misconduct, Schneiderman alleged, Weinstein Co. and Bob Weinstein enabled his brother's conduct to continue "far beyond" when it should have been stopped.
"Any sale of the Weinstein Company must ensure that victims will be compensated, employees will be protected going forward and that neither perpetrators nor enablers will be unjustly enriched," Schneiderman said in a statement. The attorney general said the investigation remained ongoing but that he filed the suit on belief the sale would leave victims without a sufficient compensation fund and "would allow the perpetrators or enablers of the misconduct to see a windfall."
Schneiderman subsequently called the involvement of any current management in the new company unacceptable in a press conference on Feb. 12. Then Weinstein president David Glasser reportedly had been set to be CEO under the Contreras-Sweet deal, but the company's board voted to fire him on Feb. 16. Glasser subsequently has been reported to be preparing a wrongful termination suit seeking $85 million in damages.
Weinstein Co. was established in 2005 by Harvey and Bob Weinstein after the pair left Miramax Films, which they also co-founded. The film studio has produced high-grossing and critically acclaimed movies including "Django Unchained," "The King's Speech," "Silver Linings Playbook" and "Inglourious Basterds."
On Oct. 5, The New York Times published a report asserting that Weinstein had for decades sexually harassed and assaulted women that worked for him and then paid off the ones that came forward afterward. The article detailed the accounts of eight women, including actress Ashley Judd.
Following the publication of the article and another piece by Ronan Farrow in The New Yorker, and as the stories of more women surfaced, Weinstein Co. fired its namesake founder. But the action doesn't protect the company from liability, as many -- like Schneiderman -- have alleged it was complicit in covering up his behavior.
Weinstein has said that most of the allegations against him are false and that "there certainly was no criminality."
The following companies are subsidiares of Illinois Tool Works: A V Co 1 Limited, A V Co 2 Limited, A V Co 3 Limited, ACCU-LUBE Manufacturing GmbH - Schmiermittel und -gerate -, AIP/BI Holdings Inc., Accessories Marketing Holding Corp., Advanced Molding Company Inc., Allen Coding GmbH, Allen France SAS, Alpine Automation Limited, Alpine Engineered Products, Alpine Holdings Inc., Alpine Systems Corporation, Anaerobicos S.r.l., AppliChem GmbH, AppliChem Inc., Arylux Hungary Elektromechanikus Alkatreszgyarto Kft, Avery Berkel France, Avery India Limited, Avery Malaysia Sdn Bhd, Avery Weigh Tronix, Avery Weigh-Tronix (Suzhou) Weighing Technology Co. Ltd., Avery Weigh-Tronix Finance Limited, Avery Weigh-Tronix Holdings Limited, Avery Weigh-Tronix International Limited, Avery Weigh-Tronix LLC, Avery Weigh-Tronix Limited, Avery Weigh-Tronix Properties Limited, Azon Limited, B.C. Immo, Beijing Miller Electric Manufacturing Co. Ltd., Berkel (Ireland) Limited, Berrington UK, Brapenta Eletronica Ltda., Brooks Instrument, Brooks Instrument (Shanghai) Co. Ltd, Brooks Instrument B.V., Brooks Instrument GmbH, Brooks Instrument KFT, Brooks Instrument Korea Ltd., Buell Industries Inc., CAPMAX Logistica S.A. de C.V., CCI Realty Company, CFC Europe GmbH, CS (Australia) Pty Limited, CS (Finance) Europe S.a.r.l., CS Mexico Holding Company S DE RL DE CV, CSMTS LLC, Calvia Spolka z Ograniczona Odpowiedzialnosci, Capital Ventures (Australasia) S.a r.l, Capmax Logistica S.A. de C.V., Celeste Industries Corporation, Cetram Pty Limited, Coeur, Coeur (Shanghai) Medical Appliance Trading Co. Ltd, Coeur Asia Limited, Coeur Holding Company, Coeur Inc., Compagnie Hobart, Compagnie de Materiel et d'Equipements Techniques-Comet, Constructions Isothermiques Bontami C.I.B., Crane Carrier Company, Densit Asia Pacific Sdn Bhd, Despatch Industries, Diagraph Corporation Sdn. Bhd, Diagraph ITW Mexico S. de R.L. De C.V., Diagraph Mexico S.A. DE C.V., Dongguan Ark-Les Electric Components Co. Ltd., Dongguan CK Branding Co. Ltd., Dorbyl U.K. (Holdings) Limited, Duo Fast de Espana S.A.U., Duo-Fast Korea Co. Ltd., Duo-Fast LLC, E.C.S. d.o.o., ECS Cable Protection Sp. Zoo, ELRO (Holding) AG, ELRO Grosskuchen GmbH, ELRO-WERKE AG, Elga Skandinavian AS, Elro Group, Eltex-Elektrostatik-Gesellschaft mit beschrankter Haftung, Envases Multipac S.A. de C.V., Eurotec Srl, FEG Investments L.L.C., Fasver, Filtertek, Filtertek De Mexico Holding Inc., Filtertek De Mexico S.A. de C.V., GC Financement SA, Gamko B.V., Gun Hwa Platech (Taicang) Co. Ltd., HOBART Gesellschaft mit beschrankter Haftung, Hartness International, Hobart (Japan) K.K., Hobart Andina S.A.S., Hobart Brothers International Chile Limitada, Hobart Brothers LLC, Hobart Dayton Mexicana S. de R.L. de C.V., Hobart Food Equipment Co. Ltd., Hobart Foster Belgium, Hobart International (Singapore) Pte. Ltd., Hobart Korea LLC, Hobart LLC, Hobart Nederland B.V., Hobart Sales & Service Inc., Hobart Scandinavia ApS, Hobart Techniek B.V., Horis, ILC Investments Holdings Inc., ITW (China) Investment Company Limited, ITW (Deutschland) GmbH, ITW (EU) Holdings Ltd., ITW (European) Finance Co. Ltd., ITW (European) Finance II Co. Ltd., ITW (Ningbo) Components & Fastenings Systems Co. Ltd., ITW AEP LLC, ITW AOC LLC, ITW Aircraft Investments Inc., ITW Airport Ground Equipment (Beijing) Co. Ltd., ITW Alpha Sarl, ITW Ampang Industries Philippines Inc., ITW Appliance Components EOOD, ITW Appliance Components LLC, ITW Appliance Components S.A. de C.V., ITW Appliance Components S.r.l.a, ITW Appliance Components d.o.o., ITW Australia Holdings Pty Ltd, ITW Australia Property Holdings Pty Ltd., ITW Australia Pty Ltd, ITW Automotive Components (Chongqing) Co. Ltd., ITW Automotive Components (Langfang) Co. Ltd., ITW Automotive Japan K.K., ITW Automotive Korea LLC, ITW Automotive Parts (Shanghai) Co. Ltd, ITW Automotive Products GmbH, ITW Automotive Products Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., ITW Bailly Comte, ITW Befestigungssysteme GmbH, ITW Belgium, ITW Brazilian Nominee L.L.C., ITW Building Components Group Inc., ITW CER, ITW CP Distribution Center Holland BV, ITW CS (UK) Ltd., ITW Canada Inc., ITW Celeste Inc., ITW Chemical Products Ltda, ITW Chemical Products Scandinavia ApS, ITW Colombia S.A.S., ITW Construction Products (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., ITW Construction Products (Singapore) Pte. Ltd., ITW Construction Products AB, ITW Construction Products AS, ITW Construction Products ApS, ITW Construction Products CZ s.r.o., ITW Construction Products Italy Srl, ITW Construction Products OU, ITW Construction Products OY, ITW Contamination Control (Wujiang) Co. Ltd., ITW Contamination Control B.V., ITW Covid Security Group Inc., ITW DS Investments Inc., ITW DelFast do Brasil Ltda., ITW Delta Sarl, ITW Denmark ApS, ITW Dynatec, ITW Dynatec Adhesive Equipment (Suzhou) Co. Ltd., ITW Dynatec GmbH, ITW Dynatec Kabushiki Kaisha, ITW EF&C France SAS, ITW EF&C Selb GmbH, ITW Electronic Business Asia Co. Limited, ITW Electronic Components/Products (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., ITW Electronics (Suzhou) Co. Ltd., ITW Epsilon Sarl, ITW Espana S.A., ITW FEG Hong Kong Limited, ITW FEG do Brasil Industria e Comercio Ltda., ITW Fastener Products GmbH, ITW Finance Designated Activity Company, ITW Finance Europe S.A., ITW Fluids and Hygiene Solutions Ltda., ITW Food Equipment Group LLC, ITW GH LLC, ITW GSE ApS, ITW GSE Inc., ITW Gamma Sarl, ITW German Management LLC, ITW Global Investments Holdings LLC, ITW Global Investments Holdings Y Compania Sociedad en Comandita por Acciones, ITW Global Investments II Inc., ITW Global Investments LLC, ITW Global Tire Repair Europe GmbH, ITW Global Tire Repair Inc., ITW Global Tire Repair Japan K.K., ITW Graphics (Thailand) Ltd., ITW Graphics Asia Limited, ITW Graphics Italy S.R.L. in liquidazione, ITW Great Britain Investment & Licensing Holding Company, ITW Group France (Luxembourg) S.ar.l., ITW HLP Thailand Co. Ltd., ITW Holding Quimica B.C. S.L. Sole Shareholder Company, ITW Holdings Australia L.P., ITW Holdings I Limited, ITW Holdings II Limited, ITW Holdings III Limited, ITW Holdings IV Limited, ITW Holdings IX Limited, ITW Holdings Inc., ITW Holdings LP, ITW Holdings UK, ITW Holdings V Limited, ITW Holdings VI Limited, ITW Holdings VII Limited, ITW Holdings VIII Limited, ITW Hungary Finance Beta Kft, ITW ILC Holdings I Inc., ITW IPG Investments LLC, ITW Imaden Industria e Comercio Ltda., ITW India Private Limited, ITW International Holdings LLC, ITW International Intellectual Property LLC, ITW Invest Holding GmbH, ITW Ireland Holdings Unlimited Company, ITW Ireland Unlimited Company, ITW Italy Finance Srl, ITW Italy Holding Srl, ITW Japan Ltd., ITW Korea LLC, ITW LLC & Co. KG, ITW Limited, ITW Lombard Holdings Inc., ITW Lys Fusion S.r.l., ITW M FILMS II LLC, ITW MH LLC, ITW Marking & Coding (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., ITW Medical Group de Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., ITW Meritex Sdn. Bhd., ITW Metal Fasteners S.L., ITW Mexico Holding Company S. De R.L. de C.V., ITW Mexico Holdings LLC, ITW Morlock GmbH, ITW Mortgage Investments II Inc., ITW Mortgage Investments III Inc., ITW Mortgage Investments IV Inc., ITW Netherlands Beta B.V., ITW Netherlands Finance Alpha BV, ITW New Universal LLC, ITW New Zealand, ITW Novadan Sp. Z.o.o., ITW PPF Brasil Adesivos Ltda., ITW Participations S.a r.l., ITW Pension Funds Trustee Company, ITW Performance Plastic (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., ITW Performance Polymers & Fluids Japan Co. Ltd., ITW Performance Polymers & Fluids Korea Limited, ITW Performance Polymers & Fluids OOO, ITW Performance Polymers (Wujiang) Co. Ltd., ITW Performance Polymers ApS, ITW Performance Polymers and Fluids Group FZE, ITW Peru S.A.C., ITW Philippines Holdings LLC, ITW Poly Mex S. de R.L. de C.V., ITW Polymers Sealants North America Inc., ITW Pronovia s.r.o., ITW Pte. Ltd., ITW Qufu Automotive Cooling Systems Co. Ltd., ITW Real Estate Germany GmbH, ITW Residuals III L.L.C., ITW Residuals IV L.L.C., ITW Rivex, ITW SMPI, ITW SPG Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., ITW Simco-Ion (Shenzhen) Co. Ltd., ITW Slovakia s.r.o., ITW Spain Holdings S.L., ITW Specialty Film LLC, ITW Specialty Films France, ITW Specialty Materials (Suzhou) Co. Ltd., ITW Spraytec, ITW Sverige AB, ITW Sweden Holding AB, ITW Test & Measurement Equipment (Shanghai) Co. Ltd, ITW Test & Measurement GmbH, ITW Test and Measurement Italia Srl, ITW Test and Measurement Services Industry and Trade Ltd., ITW Texwipe Philippines Inc., ITW Thermal Films (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., ITW UK, ITW UK Finance Beta Limited, ITW UK Finance Delta Limited, ITW UK Finance Gamma Limited, ITW UK Finance Limited, ITW UK II Limited, ITW Universal II LLC, ITW Welding, ITW Welding AB, ITW Welding GmbH, ITW Welding Products B.V., ITW Welding Products Group FZE, ITW Welding Products Group S. DE R.L. De C.V., ITW Welding Products Italy Srl, ITW Welding Products Limited Liability Company, ITW Welding Produtos Para Solgdagem Ltda., ITW Welding Servicios Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., ITW Welding Singapore Pte. Ltd., ITW de France, ITW do Brasil Industrial e Comercial Ltda., ITW haubold Paslode GmbH, Ideal Molding Technologies LLC, Illinois Tool Works (Chile) Limitada, Illinois Tool Works (ITW) Nederland B.V., Illinois Tool Works Norway AS, Impar Comercio E Representacoes Ltda., Industrie Plastic Elsasser GmbH, Inmobiliaria Cit. S.A. de C.F., Innova Temperlite Servicios S.A. de C.V., Innovacion y Transformacion Automotriz S.A. de C.V., Instron (Shanghai) Ltd., Instron (Thailand) Limited, Instron Brasil Equipamentos Cientificos Ltda., Instron Foreign Sales Corp. Limited, Instron France S.A.S., Instron GmbH, Instron Holdings Limited, Instron International Limited, Instron Japan Company Ltd., Instron Korea LLC, International Leasing Company LLC, International Truss Systems Proprietary Limited, Isolenge - ITW Sistemas de Isolamento Termico Ltda., KCPL Mauritius Holdings, Kester, Kester Components (M) Sdn. Bhd., Kleinmann GmbH, Krafft Argentina S.A., Krafft S.L., Lock Inspection Systemes France Sarl, Loma Systems (Canada) Inc., Loma Systems BV, Loma Systems sro, Lombard Pressings Limited, Lumex Inc., Luvex - Industria De Equipamentos De Protecao Ltda., Lys Fusion Poland Sp. z.o.o., M&C Specialties (Shenzhen) Co. Ltd., M&C Specialties Co., MAGNAFLUX GmbH, MEHB Holdings Limited, MGHG Property LLC, Magna Industrial Co. Limited, Manufacturing Avancee S.A., Meritex Technology (Suzhou) Co. Ltd., Meurer Verpackungssysteme GmbH, Miller Electric Mfg. LLC, Miller Insurance Ltd., NDT Holding LLC, NOVADAN APS, Norden Olje AB, North Star Imaging Europe, North Star Imaging Inc., Nova Chimica S.r.l., Odesign Inc., Orbitalum Tools GmbH, PENTA-91 OOO, PR. A. I. Srl, PT ITW Construction Products Indonesia, Pacific Concept Industries Limited (Enping), Panreac Quimica S.L., Paslode Fasteners (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Peerless Machinery Corp., Penta Dnepr LLC, Penta Sever OOO, Penta Volga OOO, Polyrey, Premark FEG L.L.C., Premark HII Holdings LLC, Premark International, Premark International LLC, Prolex Sociedad Anonima, QSA Global Inc., Quimica Industrial Mediterranea S.L., Ramset Fasteners (Hong Kong) Ltd., Rapid Cook LLC, Refrigeration France, S.E.E. Sistemas Industria E Comercio Ltda., ST Mexico Holdings LLC, Salter India Limited, Sealant Systems International Inc., Sentinel Asia Yuhan Hoesa, Shanghai ITW Plastic & Metal Co. Ltd, Simco (Nederland) B.V., Simco Japan Inc., Societe de Prospection et dInventions Techniques SPIT, Speedline Holdings I Inc., Speedline Holdings I LLC, Speedline Technologies GmbH, Speedline Technologies Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., Speedline Technologies Mexico Services S. de R.L. de C.V., Stokvis Celix Portugal Unipessoal LDA, Stokvis Danmark ApS, Stokvis Holdings S.A.R.L., Stokvis Promi s.r.o, Stokvis Prostick Tapes Private Limited, Stokvis Tape Group B.V., Stokvis Tapes (Hong Kong) Co. Limited, Stokvis Tapes (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Stokvis Tapes (Shenzhen) Co. Ltd., Stokvis Tapes (Taiwan) Co. Ltd., Stokvis Tapes (Tianjin) Co. Ltd., Stokvis Tapes BVBA, Stokvis Tapes Benelux B.V., Stokvis Tapes Deutschland GmbH, Stokvis Tapes France, Stokvis Tapes Italia s.r.l., Stokvis Tapes Limited, Stokvis Tapes Limited Liability Company, Stokvis Tapes Norge AS, Stokvis Tapes Oy, Stokvis Tapes Polska Sp Z.O.O., Stokvis Tapes Sverige AB, Stolvis Holdings II S.A.R.L., Tarutin Kester Co. Ltd., Technopack Industria Comercio Consultoria e Representacoes Ltda., Teknek (China) Limited, Teknek (Japan) Limited, Teksaleco Ltd., The Miller Group Ltd, Thirode Grandes Cuisines Poligny, Tien Tai Electrode (Kunshan) Co. Ltd., Tien Tai Electrode (Qingdao) Co. Ltd., Tien Tai Electrode Co. Ltd., Tregaskiss Welding Products, US Finance Gamma LLC, Unichemicals Industria e Comercio Ltda., VR-Leasing Sarita GmbH & Co. Immobilien KG, VS European Holdco BV, Valeron Strength Films B.V.B.A., Veneta Decalcogomme S.r.l., Versachem Chile S.A., Vesta, Vesta (Guangzhou) Catering Equipment Co. Ltd, Vesta Global Limited, Viltronics Soltec, Vitronics Soltec B.V., W Packaging Technology (China) Co. Ltd., Wachs Canada Ltd., Wachs Subsea LLC, Weigh-Tronix Canada ULC, Weigh-Tronix UK Limited, Wilsonart International Holdings LLC, Wujiang Advanced Cleaning Co. Ltd., Wynn Oil (South Africa) (Pty) Ltd., Wynn's Automotive France, Wynn's Belgium BVBA, Wynn's Italia Srl, Wynn's Mekuba India Pvt Ltd, ZF TRW (Engineered Fasteners and Components), and Zip-Pak International B.V..
NCIS: "KEEP YOUR ENEMIES CLOSER"
CBS, 8 p.m.
The agents play let's-make-a-deal. In exchange for information that can convict a murderer (Graham Hamilton), the NCIS team lets prisoner Paul Triff (French Stewart) out of prison for a two-day furlough at his old home, which happens to be McGee's (Sean Murray) house now. Well, that's awkward.
LETHAL WEAPON: "RUTHLESS"
FOX, 8 p.m.
Riggs (Clayne Crawford) usually doesn't let people get too close, but annoying crime witness Ruthie (guest star Swoosie Kurtz) becomes an unlikely friend. Maybe they bonded over "Sisters" reruns?
WE'LL MEET AGAIN: "COMING OUT"
PBS, 8 p.m.
Season Finale! Join Ann Curry as those whose lives were changed by the early days of the gay rights movement reunite. Tom wants to find the childhood friend who urged him to come out, while Paul seeks a fellow student who inspired him to stand up for his beliefs.
BLACK-ISH: "PLEASE, BABY, PLEASE"
ABC, 9 p.m.
Dre (Anthony Anderson) is on nighttime baby duty during a storm, and the whole household is wide awake. When a bedtime story doesn't stop Devante's crying, Dre ditches the storybook to tell a tale of his own about the current state of the country in a way Devante will understand.
BULL: "WITNESS FOR THE PROSECUTION"
CBS, 9 p.m.
She's an insanely good actress. For years, ruthless drug dealer Hazel Diaz (guest star Roma Maffia) has avoided imprisonment for killing a police officer by pretending to be schizophrenic. The DA enlists Bull (Michael Weatherly) to expose her and finally put her away.
AMERICAN CREED
PBS, 9 p.m.
Former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and historian David M. Kennedy present stories of unlikely activists working to bridge deep divides and bring communities together.
KEVIN (PROBABLY) SAVES THE WORLD: "WORLD'S WORST DOMINO"
ABC, 10 p.m.
Feeling guilty about his role in getting the former high school security guard fired, Kevin (Jason Ritter) decides to help Becky (Abbey McBride) follow her passion for inventing. With Amy (JoAnna Garcia Swisher) and Tyler's (Dustin Ybarra) assistance, he enters Becky's newest creation into a local Entrepreneur Expo with hilarious results. Meanwhile, Yvette (Kimberly Hebert Gregory) is forced to come to terms with Dave's (Will Sasso) disappearance.
NCIS: NEW ORLEANS: "THE LAST MILE"
CBS, 10 p.m.
Isler (guest star Derek Webster) asks fellow special agent Pride (Scott Bakula) for help with an off-the-books investigation into an opioid theft. Also drawn into the scheme: Percy (Shalita Grant), who goes undercover with Isler.
CHICAGO MED: "DOWN BY LAW"
NBC, 10 p.m.
After witnessing a drive-by shooting and hitting her head, Dr. Manning (Torrey DeVitto) struggles with the aftermath of a head injury. Complicating matters, she and Dr. Halstead (Nick Gehlfuss) deal with a teenage patient and her overbearing older husband, who might not be looking out for his young wife's best interests.
UNSOLVED: THE MURDERS OF TUPAC AND THE NOTORIOUS B.I.G.
USA Network, 10 p.m.
New Series! This 10-episode, true-crime anthology series begins with a chronicle of the dual police investigations of Detective Greg Kading (Josh Duhamel) and Detective Russell Poole (Jimmi Simpson) into the controversial 1996 and 1997 murders of two of the rap industry's most legendary players: Tupac Shakur (Marcc Rose) and Christopher Wallace, aka Biggie Smalls, aka The Notorious B.I.G. (Wavyy Jonez). The real-life Greg Kading serves as a co-executive producer for the series, which is directed by Anthony Hemingway (The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story).
WINTER BREAK: HUNTER MOUNTAIN
MTV, 10:30 p.m.
New Series! From the producer of "Party Down South" and "Jersey Shore" comes a new party-centric docuseries where eight young people travel to the idyllic ski resort Hunter Mountain to ski, snowboard, party and mingle with other singles.
Brought to you by the publishers of TV Guide. TV Guide 2018
A 14-year-old Corinth student is facing multiple charges after a Saratoga County sheriff deputy was told the student had allegedly threatened to shoot people at school.
Saratoga County Sheriff Michael Zurlo said at about 7:30 a.m. a school administrator approached a deputy and told him that a 13-year-old girl had received a threatening text message from her ex-boyfriend.
GUILDERLAND New York's chief administrative judge has suspended a Guilderland town justice who was arrested last week on felony charges accusing him of scheming with another attorney to steal more than $4 million from the estates of people they had advised.
The order signed by chief administrative Judge Lawrence K. Marks will result in the reassignment of all of town Justice Richard J. Sherwood's pending cases. In addition, Sherwood was ordered not to access non-public court records or court spaces.
The judicial order was signed Friday after Sherwood and his longtime business associate, Thomas K. Lagan, were arraigned in Albany City Court on a six-count felony complaint charging them with grand larceny, scheme to defraud and criminal possession of stolen property.
A prosecutor with the state Attorney General's office said during Friday's arraignments that their evidence includes wiretapped telephone conversations between Lagan and Sherwood that were recorded by the State Police.
Sherwood, 57, and Lagan, 59, are accused of diverting the money from trust funds connected to the estates of three sisters, including one who was married to Walter Bruggeman, the deceased former head of Global Nuclear Energy at General Electric Co.
Bruggeman lived in Niskayuna and graduated from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy. He died in 2009 with about $20 million in his estate. He and his wife, Pauline, who died in 2011, were noted Capital Region philanthropists who gave millions of dollars to local charities, hospitals and churches, as well as RPI.
Sherwood and Lagan had provided estate planning and financial advice to the couple since at least 2006.
Sherwood is a Democrat who had been a town attorney in Guilderland for 14 years before he was elected town justice in 2013. Lagan formerly lived in the Capital Region but now resides in Cooperstown, where his attorney said Lagan owns numerous properties.
It's unclear whether the state Committee on Professional Standards will take any action related to the ability of Sherwood and Lagan to practice law while their criminal cases are pending.
Guilderland Supervisor Peter G. Barber issued a press release Sunday stating that he had instructed town officials that Sherwood had been been suspended without pay and "barred from acting in any capacity as a town judge." It's unclear whether the town has the authority to suspend an elected town justice. The state Constitution authorizes the Court of Appeals to suspend a judge who has been charged with a felony or any crime of "moral terpitude."
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Barber on Monday said the town took action "out of an abundance of caution," and that the Town Board has scheduled a special meeting for Friday to discuss the matter.
"My first concern is making sure the judge himself is OK because this is a life-changing event ... but my town concern is making sure the town court continues to function," Barber said, adding that two other town justices have agreed to help shoulder the increased caseload in Sherwood's absence.
The complaint alleges Sherwood and Lagan diverted more than $4 million from at least two estates to accounts they controlled. In one instance, more than $1 million in stolen funds were used to fund the Empire Capital Trust, an account that Lagan and Sherwood set up for their benefit, according to the complaint.
The $4 million that was allegedly stolen was supposed to be given to at least six Capital Region charities, which were not identified in the court filings.
Authorities raided Sherwood's law office off Washington Avenue Extension and interviewed him there last Wednesday. Prosecutors have not said whether any phone calls that Sherwood made after he was confronted by investigators were recorded. He was arrested two days later.
Sherwood had been a partner at the firm of Mazzotta Sherwood and Vagianelis on Washington Square in Albany. His name was removed from the firm's website last week.
Sherwood is a former vice chairman of the Albany County Airport Authority and a former chairman of the Albany County Ethics Commission. Earlier in his career, he was a law clerk to the state Supreme Court Justice Daniel H. Prior, Jr., and also had been a clerk with the U.S. Attorney's office in Albany.
NISKAYUNA Newly-elected Town Supervisor Yasmine Syed, a Republican, recently asked the town board to approve the salary for a new bookkeeper who would be appointed out of her office.
The appointee, town resident Jay Nish, was a past elected official who described himself as a business consultant with vast financial experience.
The all-Democratic town board pushed back on the $40,000-a-year appointment with benefits and tabled the matter because they said the town already has three bookkeepers.
But it turns out there was more for the board to be concerned about.
Nish has had decades of civil lawsuits and state tax warrants levied against him for non-payments including a case from 2016 in which a former employer sued Nish for $21,000 in advances after it alleged he was stealing trade secrets in an attempt to start a competing company.
Nish, who served as the Democratic supervisor of Poestenkill in Rensselaer County in the early 1990s, told the Times Union that some of the civil suits happened long ago for example, a car garage that was seeking around $7,000 from him in 1991.
He also said the former employer from the trade secrets case had sued Nish and five other former workers. A judge initially ruled in Nish and the co-workers' favors in 2015, but when the company appealed, Nish agreed to a settlement. A court order was filed in 2016 to take money out of Nish's bank account after he refused to pay the settlement. Nish told the Times Union he had the money, but was holding it back in a dispute over settlement details.
"I think anybody who has been in business at any point in time faces these things," Nish said.
A biography of Nish posted on a website of a local consultant says he has a master's degree in public administration from Sage Graduate School. However, he does not have such a degree, the Times Union has found. Nish explained the error by saying a a person who typed up the biography misunderstood when Nish said he had studied at Sage.
At the Jan. 9 town board meeting, Syed said Nish would provide detailed fiscal analysis. "I don't want to say he'll pay for himself, but I think he will," she said at the meeting.
Then in early February, elected officials received copies of the civil suits and tax warrants filed against Nish from an anonymous source. Around the same time, Syed sent town board members a memo saying his name had been withdrawn from consideration for employment.
Syed wrote in an email to the Times Union that she did not know Nish until he emailed her after the November election and "expressed a desire to facilitate (bipartisanship) in the new administration."
Syed's election was historic: She is a political novice who managed to oust longtime Democratic Supervisor Joe Landry, himself a fixture in the county's Democratic party.
The supervisor said she wanted someone at Town Hall to fill a position that was previously made up of clerk and part-time receptionist salaries because she was still working in her job as a budget analyst at Albany Medical Center Hospital and wanted help.
The town board recently approved the appointment of Andrew Bigness as assistant to the supervisor.
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Syed said that after she decided to quit her regular job and be at Town Hall full time, she and Nish "came to a mutual decision that he would withdraw" from the job.
She said that happened before the anonymous mailing landed in officials' mailboxes.
"Subsequent to his withdrawal, I became aware of questionable information about his past record, which was unfortunate to learn given the fact that he was asked directly whether there was anything in his past that would be an issue and he assured me that there was not," Syed wrote.
Democratic Town Board member John Della Ratta, however, questioned Syed's insistence on hiring Nish. Della Ratta said after the town board began to balk about the new job, Syed offered to reduce Nish's proposed pay if the town board would approve the money for his hire.
"Our question was, 'What will he be doing for 30 hours a week?'," Della Ratta said. "She was never really able to tell us that."
Democratic Town Board member Denise Murphy McGraw said she met Nish some years ago when she was on the Schenectady County Community College board, and he made a presentation to start a business incubator.
At the time, Murphy McGraw said she had questions about the content of Nish's talk, considering that he claimed to have connections to Jordan in the Middle East. He told the Times Union he worked for a consulting company that was working to bring a business from Jordan to the U.S. He said ultimately the deal didn't work out.
Murphy McGraw said town government is new to Syed, and she perhaps took Nish on his surface as a good job candidate, considering he was a former town supervisor.
Union, Skidmore, the College of Saint Rose and the Sage Colleges have joined a growing number of colleges and universities nationwide who say they will not penalize high school applicants who may be disciplined for participating in peaceful protests against gun violence.
Students and advocacy groups across the nation are organizing classroom walkouts in response to the Feb. 14 shooting that left 17 people dead at a high school in Parkland, Florida. A National School Walkout has been organized for March 14 and a "March for Our Lives" event at the nation's capital will be held on March 24.
Some school districts have threatened disciplinary action against any student who chooses to walk out of class, while others have expressed support.
https://twitter.com/SkidmoreCollege/status/968135569485238272
Skidmore, a private college in Saratoga Springs, issued a statement Monday saying it will not penalize any student applicant who participates in a peaceful protest, even if they do face discipline from their high school.
"Skidmore College values freedom of expression and encourages civic engagement," said Mary Lou Bates, vice president and dean of admissions and financial aid at Skidmore. "Thus, following reports that students in certain high schools might face disciplinary action for participating in protests against gun violence, Skidmore College will not penalize any applicants for any action taken because of their participation in peaceful protest and standing up for what they believe."
https://twitter.com/UnionCollegeNY/status/968492233266810881
Union, a private college in Schenectady, announced in a tweet Tuesday that it evaluates all disciplinary reports of potential applicants on a case-by-case basis.
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"We will not penalize any applicant who raises their voice peacefully and constructively in an effort to contribute to the public good," the college tweeted. "We applaud students who work to better our world as evidenced in the past several days and in countless other ways, causes, and service important to the individuals who will make up our great community."
The Sage Colleges in Albany and Troy and the College of Saint Rose in Albany offered similar messages to their communities this week, promising to uphold student rights to political expression.
"Admitted students and applicants can be assured that no disciplinary actions related to lawful and peaceful protests will affect their admissions decision," Sage tweeted Monday.
https://twitter.com/CollegeofStRose/status/967852776096256000
According to Reuters, more than 40 universities, including Yale, Brown, Dartmouth and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, have issued statements supporting prospective scholars who may heed the calls of the Parkland survivors and risk school disciplinary action by joining protests.
SUNY Empire State Plaza
SARATOGA SPRINGS The State University of New York on Monday named Mitchell Nesler the new officer-in-charge at SUNY Empire State College, a position he will hold until a permanent replacement for outgoing president Merodie Hancock is identified.
Nesler is currently vice president of decision support at the Saratoga Springs-based college, which serves nontraditional students including older adults, veterans, military members and working parents with a mix of online and distance learning courses.
A Delaware County man and a Schoharie County woman used a 1-year-old child to make child pornography, federal officials said.
Joshua Carey, 37, of Stamford and Ariel Machia, 27, of Middleburgh, allegedly sexually exploited a 1-year-old child, using the child to make child pornography, according to the U.S. Attorneys office.
The two were arraigned by U.S. Magistrate Judge Christian F. Hummel in Albany and detained pending future court dates.
If convicted, Carey faces at least 25 years in prison along with at least five years of post-release supervision and a maximum $250,000 fine. Machia faces at least 15 years in prison and at least five years of post-release supervision and a maximum $250,000 fine.
The U.S. Attorneys office did not give details on the case or explain why the two men faced different sentencing possibilities.
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This case is being investigated by the FBI and its Child Exploitation Task Force, with the assistance of the Schoharie County Sheriffs Office, the Delaware County Sheriffs Office and the New York State Police, and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph A. Giovannetti.
ALBANY The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday heard arguments in a case that could disrupt the finances of public-sector unions, but labor leaders vowed to fight back even if the courts decision doesnt go their way.
At issue in the case, Janus v AFSCME, is the ability of public-sector unions to collect mandatory agency fees from people they represent but who dont belong to the union.
They are going to try to take us out but they are not going to succeed, said Mary Sullivan, executive vice president for the Civil Service Employees Association, the state workforces largest union.
She spoke at a press conference in the state Capitol Monday as the arguments in Janus were taking place before the Supreme Court in Washington D.C.
Also at the press conference was Andy Pallotta, president of New York State United Teachers and AFL-CIO President Mario Cilento.
If the conservative court rules against the unions, as many believe it may, fewer members might feel compelled to pay their dues, which for most public-sector workers in New York can run between several hundred to $1,000 annually.
New Yorks public-sector unions have long held sway with lawmakers both because of their political contributions and their ability to lobby and get out the vote. And that ability stems from the dues which pay for staff and organizing efforts.
New York has more than 1 million unionized public-sector workers including police and firefighters as well as teachers, state workers and municipal employees.
Most of the aforementioned union members pay dues.
But a minority, for philosophical or other reasons, dont technically belong to their union. Under current law, though, they must pay fees that are equal to most of their dues since the union also bargains on behalf of non-members.
That could change if the Supreme Court voids that requirement.
The concern by unions is that more members could simply stop paying their dues once it becomes known that payments are not required.
Without dues, unions may have to sharply scale back their operations and their ability to bargain with employers and lobby lawmakers.
More for you With potential Supreme Court ruling pending, unions look to shore up membership
During Mondays arguments justices alternately noted that eliminating mandatory agency fees would be a sweeping change, and that public union negotiations are part of public policy.
Justice Elena Kagan noted that ruling for Janus would alter the statutes of many states and the livelihoods of millions of individuals affected all at once.
When have we ever done something like that? she asked.
You're basically arguing do away with unions, because you are really saying every single employee decision is really a public policy decision, said Justice Sonia Sotomayor, who like Kagan was was appointed by President Barack Obama.
But Chief Justice John Roberts, who is part of the courts conservative majority, pointed out that union negotiations are tantamount to public policy. How do negotiation over wages not affect the state budget? he asked.
What we're talking about here is compelled subsidization of a private party (a union), a private party that expresses political views constantly, added Justice Anthony Kennedy, another conservative justice.
The court is expected to have a decision this spring.
The extent to which an anti-union decision would hit union coffers could vary by individual unions and play out over time.
But the fiscally conservative Empire Center notes that almost 200,000 people in New York dont belong to the public-sector unions that represent them.
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If the Janus decision is against unions, those workers could immediately stop paying fees worth about an estimated $100 million annually.
Janus isnt the first time agency fees have come under fire.
A similar case, Friederichs vs California Teachers Association, was before the Supreme Court in 2016. But the court was deadlocked after the sudden death of conservative Justice Antonin Scalia. Since then, Neil Gorsuch has joined the court and he is widely viewed as the tie-breaking conservative vote. Gorsuch asked no questions and made no comments during Mondays arguments.
The current case centers on Mark Janus, who is a child protective specialist for the state of Illinois. His lawyers, funded by conservative activists, argue that Janus shouldnt be forced to pay his approximately $45 monthly agency fees since any decision that unions try to influence, even contract agreements, amount to public policy arguments since they use public funds.
Because of that public policy feature, lawyers argue that the mandatory payments amount to a violation of the First Amendment, since non-union members may have different opinions about how to spend public money. That issue has limited the Janus case to the public-sector unions.
New Yorks public-sector union leaders have already started preparing for a decision against them.
They are backing legislation that could make it easier to join but more complicated for people to opt out of unions. And they have launched awareness campaigns dating to the Friederichs case making the argument to members that their dues are well spent.
Weve gone door-to-door and house-to-house. We are continuing to do that, Sullivan said. NYSUTs Pallotta said his union has launched a similar effort.
Union leaders noted that Januss lawsuit is backed by a series of conservative groups that oppose both public and private-sector unions.
This about a right wing conservative ideological attack, Cilento said.
He later spoke to union members at a rally in the Empire State Plaza Concourse. That followed a rally on Saturday by union members in New York City.
rkarlin@timesunion.com 518 454 5758 @RickKarlinTU
THE ISSUE:
Pharmaceuticals are working their way into the Hudson and other rivers.
THE STAKES:
As we learn more about the potential dangers they pose, we must also seek ways to prevent the contamination.
---
As if a decades-old limit on consuming fish from the Hudson River due to high concentrations of PCBs wasn't bad enough, here's another: New research shows the water is teeming with dissolved pharmaceuticals.
The study by Columbia University's Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, working with the federal Environmental Protection Agency, found 16 types of pharmaceuticals in the Hudson, including antibiotics and drugs for high blood pressure, high cholesterol, epilepsy, ulcers and heartburn. Samples from 72 sites between Troy and New York City were tested. The water also contains pain relievers and caffeine. Particularly "worrisome quantities" of the substances were found in water near Kingston.
For years, scientists have known that pharmaceuticals make their way to waterways from sewage treatment plants, arriving both from human waste and from improper disposal of unused medicines by flushing them down the drain. This is exacerbated by a dramatic increase in the use of certain drugs in the past 30 years, especially antidepressants, which seem particularly resilient as they make their way through treatment facilities and into waterways.
Only recently have researchers begun to understand the serious effects of this sort of pollution. A study released in September found similarly high levels of drugs, including antidepressants, in the Niagara River, but it went one step further: Researchers examined the brain tissue of 10 different species of fish, and found high concentrations of drugs and their metabolized remnants.
The lead scientist of the Niagara study, Diana Aga of the University at Buffalo, said it represents a threat to biodiversity. For example, the drugs could affect fish behavior, making certain species less reactive to predators, or affect their feeding and reproductive habits, potentially changing the balance of a river's delicate ecosystem.
More study is needed to determine whether and how the problem affects other wildlife in or near the waters contaminated with these drugs.
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Pharmaceuticals in wastewater further underscore the crisis many communities already face outdated, undersized, and broken-down sewage treatment plants. While some of the newer facilities filter out some drugs, they are designed primarily to remove nitrogen, phosphorus, and dissolved organic carbon. More thorough drug filtering would require new technology, which will only add to the expense communities face to upgrade their sewage facilities.
As researchers continue to study how pharmaceuticals might affect other organisms in the food web, including humans, one helpful step would be to stop flushing medications away. Drug take-back efforts help, but state law should require pharmacies to always accept unused drugs, much as food stores take back empty beverage containers.
We have long looked forward to a day when the Hudson's fish are healthy enough to eat regularly again. They should be drug-free, too.
A man who stuck his head and arm under a changing cubicle at Nenagh Leisure Centre while a woman was inside changing has been given a suspended jail sentence by Nenagh Court.
Gerald Hewitt, 47, of Cooleen, Birdhill, had pleaded not guilty to threatening behaviour with the intention to provoke a breach of the peace or to being reckless with the intent to provoke the peace under the Public Order Act at the local swimming pool on November 1, 2015.
He was sentenced to three months in prison, suspended for two years, on condition he keep the peace in his own bond of 500.
Mr Hewitt has one previous conviction for sexual assault for which he received a tw0-year suspended sentence.
The case had originally been heard last year by Judge Elizabeth MacGrath when the judge adjourned it to consider submissions on whether or not Mr Hewitt had been charged under the correct offence and whether or not the swimming constituted a public place.
The court had heard Mr Hewitt was charged under the Public Order Act because Ireland had no peeping Tom legislation.
At the original court case in May 2017, the injured party claimed that Mr Hewitt spied on her while she was changing at Nenagh Leisure Centre.
She told the court that she met the accused, whom she did not know, in the sauna. They chatted briefly before she left to use the Jacuzzi.
Later, the female, who was in her early 20s, went to the unisex locker and changing area. She had a shower in the women's showering facility before going into a cubicle to change.
While drying herself, the woman said she looked down and noticed someone looking up at her from the gap between her cubicle and the one adjacent to it.
She locked eyes with the man she had met in the sauna earlier.
She identified this man in court as Mr Hewitt.
Witness told the court that she screamed and pulled her towel around her.
She then ran out and called the lifeguards' attention. She said Mr Hewitt ran out of the changing rooms.
The young female said the incident made her feel totally invaded.
Since then, she did not feel comfortable going into any toilet or cubicle with a space beneath the partition.
Cross-examined by Kenny Kerins, BL, she said she did not feel threatened when talking to the defendant in the sauna.
It was put to her that Mr Hewitt dropped his mobile phone and reached to retrieve it, though she said she did not see any phone.
Lifeguard and gym instructor Breda Barry said she heard the scream and immediately responded. She ran into the changing area and saw the injured party with her towel around her.
Ms Barry was informed that the defendant had put his head under the changing cubicle before then running away.
Ms Barry ran outside and saw Mr Hewitt hurrying towards a car. She said that she and the defendant made eye contact.
She noted the registration number of the car and went back to the injured party, who was hysterical.
The Gardai were contacted straight away.
Garda Maureen Finnerty gave evidence of arriving at the scene and meeting the woman, who told her that a man had put his head into her cubicle while she was changing.
Garda Finnerty carried out a check on the vehicle and called to the registered address of Chapel Lane, Birdhill.
Mr Hewitt denied all knowledge of the incident, though he said he may have dropped his phone and he did hear a girl scream. He said he did not look under the cubicle.
In a cautioned statement, the defendant said he did not know why the woman had been surprised and paid no heed to it.
He said he reached out to get his phone but denied looking at anyone. He said he did not see anyone following him out of the leisure centre.
Garda Finnerty said CCTV footage of the centre was examined. Mr Hewitt could be seen leaving in a hurried state and Ms Barry following him out.
Mr Kerins pointed out that the defendant was charged under the Public Order Act. He contended that a changing cubicle was a private place, locked from the inside, and therefore not within the remit of Public Order legislation.
Mr Kerins also questioned whether the incident could be viewed as a breach of the peace.
Referring to case law in that regard, he said the alleged behaviour of his client was not conducive to an offence under the Public Order Act.
Insp Seamus Maher contended that the incident did occur in the public place, the same as if it had happened in the toilet of a pub.
Insp Maher said the behaviour of the defendant was reckless; his actions made the injured party feel threatened.
Judge MacGrath noted that the incident could be termed a peeping Tom offence, for which there was no legislation. She agreed with Insp Maher that the alleged offence occurred in a public place but agreed that Mr Kerins had a point in relation to the behaviour.
Judge MacGrath said she would give the defence and prosecution more time to make further submissions on the matter while she would also review the evidence. The case was adjourned until May 12, 2017 and further adjourned to last December when, in his direct evidence, Mr Hewitt said that he worked for a transport company.
"I am sorry if I caused upset but there was no intention to," he said.
Mr Hewitt said he was in the sauna and then went to the changing room.
"My phone fell and I reached in to pick it up. I went to put my pants on and it fell out of my pocket. I reached in and realised there was somebody in there. I just got dressed and left as quick as possible. I had no intention to threaten or abuse anybody," he said.
Asked by Insp Maher under cross-examination, if he could have taken any other action, Mr Hewitt said it had all "happened so fast".
Asked if he knew the woman was changing he said he thought all the cubicles were empty as they had been all empty when he went into his cubicle.
When he heard her scream he picked up his phone and left.
Mr Hewitt did not contact any staff member because he was "just embarrassed".
He told Judge MacGrath he had bent down and put his head into the other cubicle.
"Were you looking at the girl?" asked the judge.
"Yes. I briefly looked up and saw a girl. The penny dropped when she screamed," he said.
Mr Kerins submitted that there was evidence that the cubicle had been unoccupied when Mr Hewitt entered his. There was no intention to threaten or abuse anybody and Mr Hewitt had not been reckless.
Judge MacGrath adjourned her decision until January 12, 2018, when she found Mr Hewitt guilty.
The case was then adjourned to February when Judge MacGrath ruled that Mr Hewitt had been in a public place when the offence was committed, his action had been threatening under the Public Order Act and his actions had been reckless.
Judge MacGrath convicted Mr Hewitt, saying his actions had not been the actions of a gentleman who had made an error and was embarrassed.
The court was told Mr Hewitt had one previous conviction for sexual assault for which he received a two-year suspended sentence.
She adjourned the case for sentencing on February 22.
The names of two new female Irish Wolfhounds at Bunratty Castle and Folk Park, who gained fame with a television appearance on the Ray DArcy television show, have been revealed as Meabh and Saoirse.
Last month, Shannon Heritage ran a competition on its Facebook page where it invited members of the public to suggest names for the two wolfhounds. Charlotte Bond Cantillon, from Newport Co. Tipperary, was chosen as the lucky winner. Her suggestion of Meabh and Saoirse was chosen from over 1000 names. Charlotte recently visited Bunratty Castle and Folk Park to meet Meabh and Saoirse and to collect her prize of an annual family pass (two adults and two children) to Shannon Heritage attractions.
The competition to name the Irish wolfhounds received huge engagement online with a total of 243,761 reactions on the Shannon Heritage and Bunratty Castle Facebook pages alone and 417,000 positive international reactions from around the globe including the US, New Zealand, Australia and India. Some of the other names suggested included Thelma and Louise, Biddy and Miley and Yeats and Gregory.
Speaking about the competition, Niall OCallaghan, Managing Director, Shannon Heritage said: We are delighted with the huge response that we got for our competition to name our Irish wolfhounds. Wed like to thank everyone that took part in the competition. There was several great suggestions and it was difficult to pick a winner.
Meabh and Saoirse have really made themselves at home at Bunratty Castle and Folk Park and are proving to be really popular with our visitors. No 15th century Castle is complete without these iconic and noble dogs and we are delighted to have them in what would have been their natural surroundings.
Irish wolfhounds are known for being gentle, friendly and very intelligent, and they inhabited Ireland long before the arrival of Christianity and the written word. Known in Irish as Cu Faoil denoting bravery, the Irish wolfhound is the stuff of legends.
Throughout history this tallest of dogs has been a warrior, a hunter, and a companion to nobility. Historically these dogs were used to hunt big game, such as wolf and elk, and they gained a reputation for unequalled valour. The Irish wolfhound even participated in battle, pulling men off horseback to be slain.
They have great size, power and speed, and an adult weighs about 100 pounds. Irish wolfhound adult males can attain the stature of a small pony. Despite their size, these shaggy-coated animals have a peaceful and quiet personality. They are affectionate and love to be with people.
Wolfhounds were regular guests at the Bunratty Castle from the early days of the medieval banquets in the 1960s. The animals would roam the great hall and dining areas as would have been the custom in medieval times.
UL Hospitals Group is appealing to members of the public to consider all their care options before presenting to the Emergency Department at UHL.
The hospital is currently managing high volumes of patients, including a surge in flu cases and significant volumes of frail elderly patients with chronic conditions and complex care needs.
Last Friday, there were 47 admitted patients in the Emergency Department at UHL. This included patients who were being accommodated in some of the 49 single rooms/designated bays within the new department.
It included, for example, 13 patients who were appropriately isolated in single rooms in the ED for proper infection prevention and control.
A shortage of appropriate isolation facilities elsewhere in the hospital makes this the best solution in the interests of all patients.
In addition there were 10 patients accommodated on extra beds and on trolleys on wards overnight.
Additional surge capacity was being used to accommodate admitted patients in beds in the Acute Medical assessment Unit (13), the Surgical Assessment Unit (four) and the Surgical Day Ward (six). T
These three units have appropriate inpatient accommodation and their use in this manner forms part of the hospitals escalation plan, which is put into effect at times of high demand.
Transfers continue to Ennis, Nenagh and St Johns hospitals with these hospitals also operating to capacity.
Members of the public are urged to consider all their care options at this time and not to attend the Emergency Department unless necessary.
Injury Units in St Johns, Ennis and Nenagh hospitals are open for appropriate injuries. Injury Units are open in Ennis and Nenagh Hospitals from 8am to 8pm, Monday to Sunday and 8am to 6pm Monday to Friday at St. John's Hospital.
Others with a less serious illness can be treated by their GP or out of hours GP service where their GP can refer them to an Assessment Unit the following day if required.
However, if you are seriously injured or ill or are worried your life is at risk the ED will assess and treat you as a priority.
Editors' Note: This hands-on was first published on Feb. 26, 2018, when Sony unveiled the Xperia XZ2 and XZ2 Compact. We've updated the story now that Sony has announced pricing and availability in the U.S.
Sonys smartphones are entertainment powerhouses held back by outdated design. Thats about to change with the Xperia XZ2, an overhauled Android flagship with slimmer bezels, rounded edges and a fingerprint sensor that finally works in the U.S. It still feels like Sonys playing catch-up with the Galaxy S8 (never mind the new Galaxy S9), but the company is finally giving your content the real estate it deserves.
The XZ2 is joining Samsung's S9 as one of the first phones with Qualcomms powerful Snapdragon 845 processor, which should make it a powerhouse if our benchmark results of the new CPU are any indication.
But the Xperia XZ2 Compact that was the more pleasant surprise in my hands-on time with Sonys new devices. The 5-inch phone lacks a lot of the bells and whistles in the larger XZ2, such as wireless charging and a dynamic vibration system, but it packs the same fast CPU and a giant full HD display in a pint-sized frame that is a dream to hold. The iPhone SE should take notes.
Pricing and Availability
After previewing the phones at Mobile World Congress in February, the latest Xperias are about to hit U.S. retail shelves. Sony says pre-orders on the Xperia XZ2 and Xperia XZ2 Compact begin this Friday, April 13, at Best Buy. You'll be able to buy both phones online at Best Buy starting April 20, with the phones arriving in brick-and-mortar Best Buy outlets on May 6. Other retailers will start offering the phone on May 20.
Expect to play flagship prices for either model. The larger Xperia XZ2 will cost $799.99 the same price as Apple's iPhone 8 Plus. The XZ2 Compact will sell for $649.99, which is $50 less than the iPhone 8.
Xperia XZ2 and XZ2 Compact Specs
Model
Xperia XZ2
Xperia XZ2 Compact
Price
$799
$649
Display
5.7 inches
5 inches
Rear Camera
19-MP (f/2.0)
19-MP (f/2.0)
Front Camera
5-MP (f/2.2)
5-MP (f/2.2)
CPU
Snapdragon 845
Snapdragon 845 RAM
4GB
4GB
Storage
64GB
64GB
microSD
Up to 400GB
Up to 400GB
Battery
3,180 mAh
2,870 mAh
Colors
Liquid Black, Liquid Silver, Deep Green, Ash Pink White Silver, Black, Moss Green, Coral Pink
Size
6 x 2.8 x 0.43 inches
5.3 x 2.6 x 0.48 inches
Weight
6.98 ounces
5.93 ounces
Design: Bigger screen gets its due
Sony has been doing its displays no favors by putting them in slab-like rectangles with sharp edges and ultra-thick bezels. The XZ2 sports a 5.7-inch display with an 18:9 aspect ratio, putting a 13 percent larger screen in a more narrow body than the Xperia XZ1.
The XZ2 is clad in Corning Gorilla Glass 5 from front to back, which gives it Qi wireless charging capability. That also means the XZ2 is a fingerprint magnet, like the Xperia XZ Premium before it.
MORE: Phones With the Best Quality Cameras
In all, Sonys new supersized flagship feels more like a Galaxy S9 than a design update of its predecessors, the XZ1 or XZ Premium. Thats a very good thing. The XZ2 has thicker bezels on the top and bottom than the S8 does, and it also lacks the curved glass that makes the S8s infinity display seem almost completely bezel-free. But Sony is getting there.
The 5-inch XZ2 Compact trades in the blocky look of Sonys older small phones for a curved polycarbonate plastic body that feels more high-end than it sounds. Thin bezels on the top and bottom mimic the look of the larger XZ2 and keep the display from being truly edge-to-edge, but its a noticeable improvement over similarly sized phones with tiny screens.
XZ2 Compact: This 5-inch phone shines
I was able to spend about an hour using the Xperia XZ2 and the XZ2 Compact, and I kept coming back to the Compact despite the higher-end phones premium feel.
I cupped the curved X2 Compact in one hand, playing with some new camera features (more on that later) and switching between apps with ease. Compared to a 4-inch iPhone SE, which is one of our favorite small phones, the X2 Compacts 5-inch display feels like a huge upgrade. And with a fingerprint sensor on the back of the device, under the camera lens, the XZ2 Compact feels like its all screen and no bezels. I expect this phone to be a breakout hit.
Camera: Small tweaks, but still no dual lens
Sony didnt dramatically overhaul its camera system, which features a 19-megapixel rear shooter and a 5-MP front-facing lens. An Android flagship without a dual-lens camera seems like a missed opportunity, although the XZ2 applies effects using back-end image processing. In my hands-on time shooting a portrait of my colleague Adam, the XZ2s bokeh effect had uneven results, even in a sunlit room with plenty of contrast.
The XZ2 shoots super slow-motion video in 960 frames per second, just like last years XZ Premium model, but Sony is upgrading the resolution. Now you can shoot 0.09 seconds, slowed down to three seconds, at 960fps in 1080p, an upgrade from the 720p-only option in the XZ Premium. This change also means the camera wont automatically zoom in on the video subject when shooting. If you want a longer slow-mo clip, you can shoot six seconds in 720p.
The new Galaxy S9 also shoots 960 fps as well but only at 720p resolution. Still, Samsungs phone can automatically detect motion in the frame while Sonys can't.
Super slow-motion video seems gimmicky, at least in the case of the XZ2, because you have to anticipate when the action youll want to slow down will occur. I still dont love it, but higher-quality video clips could make this version more enticing than Samsungs device.
Sony also improved its 3D Creator, which captures an augmented reality model of your face, by giving you the ability to use it with the XZ2s front-facing lens. With the XZ1, you had to get someone else to shoot you.
Outlook
With Apple, Google and Samsung competing for your dollars with a slew of premium features, including impressive cameras and edge-to-edge displays, Sonys Xperia XZ2 still lags behind. Its new design is better, yes, but still not free of bezels. It lacks a dual-lens camera, and its image processing software failed to impress.
But the XZ2 Compact should not be overlooked for fans of small phones who also want a big display. Stay tuned for our full review of both devices as we get closer to their U.S. launch this month.
Image Credits: Tom's Guide
Who wouldnt want a copy of their favorite racing circuit right in their very own backyard? Well, Toyota is doing exactly that as it builds a series of test tracks as part of a multi-billion dollar facility in Japan, and apparently, itll include recreated corners from the infamous German race track.
The Japanese behemoth is in the midst of creating a massive R&D facility
The Full Story
The big-ticket items will include the new site's 11 individual test tracks, one of which will resemble the Nurburgring.
Toyota says it hopes to sell as many as 5.5 million EVs per year by no later than 2030. Thats a massive undertaking, even for a company as powerful and well-versed in electric vehicles like Toyota, and as such, it needs to expand its operations. To that end, Toyota is looking to establish a new research and development hub in its local prefecture of Aichi, Japan.
The news comes from a recent report by Nikkei Asian Review.
The site will span some 1,600 acres site, housing more than 3,000 employees. Eventually, the facility will expand up to a maximum of 3,850 employees total.
The big-ticket items will the new sites 11 individual test tracks, which are intended to simulate varied driving conditions as Toyota tests and tunes its new vehicles, including EVs.
The most important news is that one of the tracks will resemble the Nurburgring, with 3.3 miles of winding elevation changes and technical handling challenges to test out the braking, steering, and general vehicle stability when driving at the limit. The mini-Nurburgring will have corners meant to mimic those of the infamous German race track, and will even include elevation changes up to 246 feet.
As a reference, the real Nordschleife is 12.9 miles in length.
The new facility will reportedly cost upwards of $2.8 billion, which isn't exactly chump change, but hey Toyota is enormous and could afford to recreate the entire Nurburgring if desired.
The new facility will reportedly cost upwards of $2.8 billion, which isnt exactly chump change, but hey Toyota is enormous and could afford to recreate the entire Nurburgring if desired.
The enormous R&D facility will open incrementally, starting as early as next year, but it wont be completed until 2023.
Enthusiasts should rejoice upon hearing this news. It proves that even as Toyota looks to double down on its green EV efficiency machines, its still very much concerned with handling prowess and sporting intentions. Toyota doesnt have many performance cars in its lineup at the moment, but with the looming arrival of the next-generation Supra and this new mini-Ring in the automakers backyard, that could very well change.
References
Read our full speculative review on the 2019 Toyota Supra.
Read our full review on the 2018 Toyota Prius.
Read more Toyota news.
Source: Nikkei Asian Review
H.E. Uhuru Kenyatta, President of the Republic of Kenya, and H.E. Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, President of the Republic of Uganda, joined by Amb. Liberat Mfumukeko, East African Community (EAC) Secretary General, officially launched the Busia One Stop Border Post (OSBP) located on the Kenya/Uganda border on 24 February 2018.
Construction of the Busia OSBP was carried out with funding of US$11.7million from the United Kingdom through the Department for International Development (DFID) while the systems and other related soft infrastructure equivalent to US$1.2 million was funded by Global Affairs, Canada. The OSBP investment includes office buildings, roads and parking yards, cargo verification bays, scanner shed, passenger sheds, targeting booths, warehouse and canopies, ICT networks and hardware, furniture, and institutional support to the border agencies.
The OSBP ensures effective border control mechanisms are in place. It will boost trade by cutting the time taken to clear goods between the two nations, thus contributing to a reduction in transport cost, whilst increasing volumes of transhipment cargo through the Central Corridor. It is expected that time to cross the border will reduce by at least a third.
An OSBP is a one stop form of border crossing point jointly managed by adjoining Partner States, where multiple border agencies cooperate and collaborate with each other, and effectively coordinate their activities to maximise their operational efficiency. OSBP arrangement brings together under one roof, all the Government agencies performing border crossing controls procedures, doing away with need for motorised traffic and persons to undergo clearance twice at both sides of the border. This arrangement expedites movement, release and clearance of goods and persons across borders, by streamlining border procedures, automation of the border processes and simplification of trade documents.
Speaking at the event, Uganda president H.E Yoweri Museveni said, I want to thank the British government who have supported us through TMEA, in the construction of the one stop border post making it easy to cross the borders and to do business with Kenya. Trade is a means that will help us create prosperity for the people. My government is committed to creating wealth and jobs for the people through creation of enabling environment for services, Information Communication Technology, commercial agriculture and industries.
Addressing the crowd, Kenyan President H.E Uhuru Kenyatta commended TMEA for its support to the government and underscored the importance of the OSBP saying, This facility is an important link for ease of trade between our two countries. Uganda continues to be an important trading partner for Kenya. Opportunities for increased trade and investment have been created. I am happy to hear that because of this OSBP here in Busia, our revenue authority has been able to collect more revenues, a clear indication of increased trade flows
EAC SG Amb. Liberat Mfumukeko said, Much as the One Stop Border concept may look new to some people, the framers of our integration instruments envisioned the need for these facilities and embedded them in the EAC Customs Union Protocol at the time of its negotiation. The first OSBP operations was at Malaba railway station between Uganda and Kenya over ten years ago.
At the same time Customs Departments having realized that multiple examination of goods at our internal borders was wasteful and caused unnecessary costs to business, started joint examination of cargo of which Busia Border was a pioneer. These pilot programs provided a practical justification for upscaling the One Stop Border program in the entire region.
UKAID has provided over USD 52million to the East African Transit Improvement Programme (EATIP) through TMEA, as a contribution to the World Banks East Africa Trade and Transport Facilitation Project (EATTFP).
The Head of DFID Kenya, Pete Vowles, said, The UK government is proud to have made such an important contribution to improving regional trade in East Africa through our establishment and leadership of Trade Mark East Africa. By cutting red tape, reforming customs processes and improving roads, ports, and border posts, the UK is supporting the creation of an environment essential for businesses to grow and trade with each other. The completion of the Busia border post marks an important milestone towards our goal of reducing by a third the time to import from the EAC and the rest of the world.
Over the years, delays in cross border clearance were attributed to duplication of handling procedures on either side of the border, poor institutional arrangement and cargo management systems inadequate physical infrastructures and services and immigration management. The new established OSBP has already addressed some of these challenges. Surveys indicate that since operationalisation of the OSBP early this year, the average time to cross the Busia border has reduced by 84%.
TMEA CEO Frank Matsaert said, The completion and operationalisation of the Busia OSBP is a crucial milestone in increasing access to markets and the facilitation of the movement of cargo along the Northern Corridor. When initially investing $12 million with our donors, the United Kingdom and Canada, greater access to markets, increased efficiency that would reduce costs by reducing time and improved infrastructure were just a few of our end goals.
Ultimately, our projects in physical infrastructure and automation of key government trade processes like customs, have complemented each other to reduce the cost of doing business and boost trade volumes, increasing both Kenyas and Ugandas overall trade competitiveness. Most importantly, they have contributed to governments being businesses being able to expand thus creating jobs.
TMEA through its donors and in partnership with the East Africa Community has since 2010 to date supported 15 OSBPs in East Africa including South Sudan and has invested about US$117 million in OSBPs and access roads. They are: Kenya and Ugandas Busia/Busia, Kenya and Ugandas Malaba/Malaba, Rwanda and Ugandas Kagitumba/Mirama Hills, Tanzania and Ugandas Busia border happens to be one of the busiest in East Africa handling transit to and from Great Lakes region of Rwanda, Burundi, DRC and South Sudan.
Based on a recent TMEA independent Time and Traffic Survey, total weekly traffic count Busia Kenya is 3324 vehicles and 1784 for Busia Uganda. Most importantly, this border handles the largest number of informal cross border traders in the EAC.
Mutukula/Mutukula, Kenya and Tanzanias Holili/Taveta, South Sudan and Uganda Nimule/Elegu, Burundi and Tanzanias Kobero/Kabanga and lastly Tunduma on the Tanzanian side.
The South African Department of Labour is hosting the Southern African Development Community (SADC) Employment and Labour Sector Tripartite Technical Meeting at the Cape Town International Conference Centre in Cape Town from 26 to 28 February 2018.
The meeting will review the implementation of the decisions taken by the Ministerial and Social Partners in 2017; adopt a declaration affirming their decisions towards effective implementation of the Employment and Labour Sector (ELS) Programme of Action in accordance with the SADC Regional Indicative Strategic Development Plan (RISDP) 2015-2020; discuss current labour market developments and adopt a new programme under the next chair.
The meeting, held under the theme Horizon Decent Work: advancing connectivity, coherence and inclusivity is aimed at paving the way for the SADC assembly of Ministers of Employment and Labour, and Social Partners which will be hosted by Minister Mildred Oliphant at the same venue from 1 to 2 March 2018.
Expected at the meeting are delegates from Angola, Botswana, Democratic Republic of Congo, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Seychelles, Swaziland, United Republic of Tanzania, Zambia, Zimbabwe as well as representatives from the International Labour Organisation.
Official opening speech by the Deputy Minister of Labour of the Republic of South Africa, Honourable Nkosi Phathekile Holomisa, on the occasion of the Second SADC Joint Tripartite Technical Meeting
Our region faces numerous challenges ranging from crippling poverty and unemployment to desperate young people. All these socio-economic problems result in lack of faith and pessimism on the part of our citizens about their future, and everything that we, as governments and employers, say to them.
The hope for a better future where people can live in peace and raise their children to become better persons is quickly getting eroded, if not eroded already. Sometimes we wait for researchers and other groups to write reports about the situations that our citizens are confronted with before we react.
Nevertheless, I wish to provide two graphical stories involving two fictional characters, taking place in South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Malawi. This is to illustrate the plight our citizens face so that we are all able to appreciate the depth of the problem. This is also with a hope that all of us in this room can use the next five days in scenic Cape Town to mull over them. And, upon returning to our air-conditioned offices in Dar es Salaam, Lusaka, Victoria Falls, Maputo and Port Louis, we can appreciate why we are discharged with the duties we have.
Imagine a young recently married 33-year old man with two little kids, let us call him Rutendo, leaving his village outside Mutare to search for work in Bulawayo; but suddenly finds himself in the streets, destitute and without a job. His family waits back home they expect money from him to buy food, clothing and other necessities. But he is unable to provide because jobs are scarce, and those that are available are temporary or pay slave wages.
Rutendo resides in the township of Mbare which is 7 km outside the city, where there is crime and no running water. He occasionally finds himself in fights with gangs who want to rob him. He has been searching for the job for a while without success.
Every day he contemplates going abroad but he cannot leave his family behind. He once worked in neighbouring Mozambique as a bilingual translator since he is fluent in his native Ndau, Shona, English and Portuguese.
After he returned back to his homeland, he started a small business in Sakubva, one of poorer suburbs in Mutare. His business at the Musika weHuku (or the chicken market) did not do well and Rutendo trekked to Harare, with a hope that he would either land in London or Gaborone where some of the family members now reside.
The second story concerns a young woman, Philisiwe who is 23 years old. She works 18 hours a day in a shoe factory in Bloemfontein. The company she works for is unregistered and has shoddy working standards. Almost three years ago, Philisiwe had a painful miscarriage, a result of rape by her employer.
The owner prides himself to be the smartest and richest without paying a cent towards the tax office. Indeed he makes more than 17 million dollars a year and drives around in flashy cars. He and his friends regularly drug and physically abuse Philisiwe and fellow employees (mainly from Butha-Buthe, Mafeteng and Leribe areas in Lesotho) by demanding sex in exchange for a few rands.
This gentleman gets away with murder because Philisiwes annual wages amount to a mere R8,500 (or a mere 700 United States dollars). She is one amongst many people across the globe that work but live in extreme poverty the working poor. It is important to note that our Government now introduces a minimum wage of R20 per hour in order to tackle poverty and inequality. The minimum wage will seek to complement other wage-setting mechanisms, especially collective bargaining, in the South African labour market.
Programme Director, plans are afoot to hold a National Dialogue on Informal Economy in Pietermaritzburg next month. Most people take up informal employment to earn income when formal work is unavailable. With the 27 percent unemployment rate in South Africa, it means that there are people in a similar situation as Philisiwe. Although we try to formalise the informal sector, it continues to persist, and is responsible for decent work deficits where there is low income, less job security and no rights.
In our continent, according to the ILO, 74 percent of womens non-agricultural employment is informal, compared to 61 percent for men.
Nevertheless, Philisiwe takes whatever pay she is offered in order to assist her unemployed, single mother in rural Eastern Cape to raise her two brothers and one sister. The nature of poverty is that it has a knock-on effect.
Philisiwes mother does not work since she suffers from silicosis after many years spent in gold mining town of Carletonville in the west of Johannesburg. This is where she met her boyfriend who died eight years ago from what is believed to be an unknown illness, which was aggravated by lack of requisite health care in the village of Mzuzu in Malawi.
It is said that both Philisiwes mother and boyfriend are part of global statistics of people who work or worked under dangerous and harmful conditions to their health. International Labour Organisation (ILO) figures indicate that more than 2.78 million workers die every year because of occupational accidents or work-related diseases one every 11 seconds. The problems of occupational health and safety affect employees and their families.
The poor girl Philisiwe had to temporarily suspend her dream of becoming a mechanical engineer in order to enable her mother and siblings to survive. Always joyful and optimistic, Philisiwe looks forward to seeing her brothers and sister complete their schooling. Unfortunately, Philisiwe, like all young people, is employed in a job where she not only has lower wages and fewer rights but also less access to social protection.
I am not storyteller nor a bearer of bad news but just an elected public representative. The narration of the stories of Rutendo and Philisiwe is aimed at making this esteemed gathering to appreciate the extent of vulnerability of youth and women as well as the desperate economic conditions in the region.
In its report titled: Reward Work, Not Wealth released last month, Oxfam is emphatic that as society we need to end the inequality crisis, we must build an economy for ordinary working people, not the rich and powerful. This means, we cannot afford to have few extremely wealthy individuals, while the majority of our citizens, particularly women and young people, live in abject poverty.
It is through platforms such as this one, the SADC Regional Engagements where we jointly attempt to create a more equal society by prioritizing ordinary workers and end poverty and inequality.
With poverty threatening livelihoods, it appears that we do not quite fully understand that young people and women constitute majorities in our countries. Women continue to earn significantly lower pay than men. Irrespective of whether women are educated or not, they face way too many barriers that hold them back at work.
In all parts of the world, evidence suggests that women consistently earn less than men and are concentrated in the lowest-paid and least secure forms of work. The story of Philisiwe gave us a glimpse of what women go through at work.
We seem to be running away from the obvious fact that women and youth will take over the workplace of the future in a few years from now.
We also forget that no one will remain forever young. As developed countries struggle with inverted or upside population pyramids, African countries are said to enjoy huge advantages brought about by their younger populations. This may be the case today but since we are not doing as much as we possibly can to educate, train and appropriately skill young men and women in our countries, we are heading for a disaster.
Failure to harness the young population will result in us losing the potential gains from the population dividend, and also lead to weak economic performance and even more social problems.
Our efforts as a region, continent and the world to contribute to the well-being of our citizens, such as the SADC-Decent Work Programme, the SADC Youth Employment Policy Framework, Agenda 2030 of the United Nations and the African Unions Agenda 2063, would be meaningless if our collective efforts do not contribute to reducing social strife, and increasing quality jobs for our citizens.
It is against this concern that the South African Chairship decided to become innovative and creative in terms of how we report. As you may be aware, in the past weeks leading to this Meeting, the Secretariat sent a Declaration Document to all Member States to prepare for the Meeting of SADC Ministers for Labour and Employment and Social Partners taking place from Thursday 1st to Friday, 2nd May 2018. The Member States and Social Partners were asked to comment and or give inputs. We thank everybody who responded to improve the document.
The Declaration Approach is a departure from the past practices where Member States were required to give updates and report on Protocols, Frameworks and Codes. Documents such as the Regional Indicative Strategic Development Plan, SADC Decent Work Programme and SADC Charter are mere frameworks that are supposed to guide our work as Member States.
However, there was a serious de-link between frameworks and activities performed by Member States, as individuals and/or as a group, in the sphere of labour market governance. There was no mechanism to ensure that what happens within states and between states (bilaterally and multilaterally) gets reported or captured.
To facilitate accurate reporting, South Africa deliberately avoided the clutter of reporting on frameworks and codes starting with the formulating of an overarching theme which was supported by a set of priorities to guide delivery during its Chairship. This is in line with broad goals of regional integration through a creation of a conducive and harmonious labour regime in SADC.
The Sector wishes to play an important role in facilitating full employment, fundamental principles and rights at work, social protection, as well as social dialogue in our countries. Thus, the four priorities, including Employment Creation, Youth Employment, Promotion of Decent Work, and Enterprise Development, were formulated to be in sync with the programmes on Decent Work and Future of Work, as well as international conventions.
Thus far, we hosted up to seven workshops, namely labour inspections, dispute resolution, public employment services, informal economy (Recommendation 204), labour standards, social security and protection, as well as collective bargaining in the public service. In addition, the Ministerial Meeting will take place over two-days because we have arranged a Symposium on Global Value Chains in order to capacitate Ministers on matters pertaining to our sector.
We are proud that this feat will take some doing to emulate. With the workshops and the symposium we have managed to deliver, based on the resolutions of the Ezulwini Meeting of Ministers, particularly the establishment of three forums on labour inspections, dispute resolution and public employment services. All this work is reflected in the Declaration that is due to be adopted by the Ministers at the end of this week.
For the first time, specific activities with regards to the mandate of the SADC Employment and Labour Sector (ELS) have been executed and reported on. This is important for the Sector in that its work will hopefully move from the peripheral position to gain credence like issues of trade and commerce, as well as politics and security. This multilateral work should not be seen in isolation and be treated as a stand-alone, but must enhance and deepen bilateral collaboration between the Member States.
In this regard, I personally urge Member States to undertake bilateral activities as a base for the work of the SADC-ELS. Without active programmes in and amongst countries the Sector will always be treated as a poor cousin of some of the prominent sectors within the SADC Secretariat.
Unfortunately, the Secretariat has also not taken labour and employment issues as part of its core functions. This contributed to the generally low support and leadership during our tenure as Chair. Notwithstanding the fact that the Secretariat has recently appointed a person to handle labour and employment, I have decided to bring this matter to the attention of Ministers. As a result of lack of capacity and support on the side of Gaborone our Chairship was fraught with challenges, where we had to commit officials from the Department of Labour to perform duties that should otherwise have been provided by the Secretariat.
Mr. Thobile Lamati, the Director General of the Department of Labour, will deliver the outgoing Chairpersons report to this meeting, as well as to the Ministers, so that we can boast of our achievements and also outline some of the key issues and challenges that frustrate the optimal functioning of the SADC-ELS platform.
At this point I wish to thank fellow troika members, Swaziland and Namibia, without whose support our Chairship would not have been a success. Furthermore, I wish to congratulate the Republic of Namibia on the assumption of the chairmanship role for the SADC-ELS. We will continue to be part of the troika to ensure continuity.
To conclude, I wish you fruitful and progressive discussions and hope that by the time the Ministerial Meeting starts we will be ready to provide good reports. Please enjoy Cape Town!
The concept note and draft programme for tralacs 2018 Annual Conference are available to download: The African Continental Free Trade Area opportunity for Africa
tralacs Weekly e-Newsletter is posted: Willemien Viljoen discusses how the AfCFTA can contribute towards the realisation of the SDGs
19th Ordinary Summit of Heads of State of the EAC: communique
The summit took note of the progress on the development of the automotive industry in the EAC region to reduce importation of used motor vehicles from outside the region and to make the region more competitive and directed the Council to expedite the process and report to the 20th summit. The summit, with regard to promoting the cotton, textile, apparel and leather industries in the region, to make the region more competitive and create jobs, decided to prioritize the development of a competitive domestic textile and leather sector to provide affordable, new and quality options of clothing and leather products to EAC citizens.
The summit directed the Council to implement this decision and put in place a mechanism that supports textile and leather manufacturing in EAC and report to the 20th summit. The summit launched the 5th EAC Development Strategy 2016/17-2020/21 and directed the Council of Ministers to mobilize resources for its implementation.
The summit received a report on European Economic Partnership (EU-EAC EPA) from President Museveni and decided that the EAC continues to engage with the EU for satisfactory clarification of concerns of some partner states on the EPAs. The chair of summit was mandated to follow up on this matter and in the event that an acceptable way forward is not reached, the Community shall explore the use of variable geometry in the implementation of EPAs.
Profiled summit, EAC trade updates:
US threats force EAC to back down on second-hand clothes ban
Museveni: Integration is good for economics
Kenyas EAC trade under threat from India and China
Kenyatta urges regional cooperation to compete with China
East Africa smells the coffee and moves to expand market
Kenya-Uganda Busia OSBP launched
Infographic, @sautiorg: Cereals and Beans make up the majority of cross-border traders consignments at Busia and Malaba border crossings
LAPSSET update, @NEPADKenya: A team drawn from Kenya, Ethiopia, South Sudan, @lapsset and @ECA_OFFICIAL is this morning meeting at the @NEPADKenya offices to discuss the progresss made by the 3 countries in the Lapsset corridor project so far and the way forward.
SADC Employment and Labour Sector: update (GCIS)
It is against this concern that the South African Chairship decided to become innovative and creative in terms of how we report. As you may be aware, in the past weeks leading to this meeting, the Secretariat sent a Declaration Document to all member states to prepare for the meeting of SADC Ministers for Labour and Employment and Social Partners, to take place 1-2 May 2018. The member states and social partners were asked to comment and/or give inputs. We thank everybody who responded to improve the document. The Declaration Approach is a departure from the past practices where Member States were required to give updates and report on Protocols, Frameworks and Codes. Documents such as the Regional Indicative Strategic Development Plan, SADC Decent Work Programme and SADC Charter are mere frameworks that are supposed to guide our work as Member States.
However, there was a serious de-link between frameworks and activities performed by Member States, as individuals and/or as a group, in the sphere of labour market governance. There was no mechanism to ensure that what happens within states and between states (bilaterally and multilaterally) gets reported or captured. To facilitate accurate reporting, South Africa deliberately avoided the clutter of reporting on frameworks and codes - starting with the formulating of an overarching theme which was supported by a set of priorities to guide delivery during its Chairship. This is in line with broad goals of regional integration through a creation of a conducive and harmonious labour regime in SADC. [Speech by SA Deputy Minister of Labour, Phathekile Holomisa, at SADC Joint Tripartite Technical Meeting today in Cape Town]
COMESA Technical Committee on Gender and Social Affairs: update
Over 40 gender experts from 15 COMESA Member States began their annual meeting in Sudan yesterday to review the gender policy implementation plan and other policy documents and reports. The reports will be presented to the gender ministers later this week for adoption. On the agenda of the meeting are: The Draft Gender Policy Implementation Plan and Monitoring Tracking Matrix, the Framework for Comprehensive Support for Women and Youth, Cross Border Traders and the Draft COMESA Youth Internship and Volunteer Programme. A progress report on the implementation of the 50 Million Africa Women Speak Platform Project was also presented.
Gautengs intra-Africa trade, FDI performance: full text of Premier Makhuras SOPA 2018 (Mail & Guardian)
We in Gauteng have intensified our work regarding trade and investment activities on the African continent. There is no doubt that our work is bearing fruit. In 2016 alone, we attracted 75 FDI projects into our provincial economy, worth R36bn. These projects have created 9 354 jobs in our economy. Over three years (2014-2016), our province attracted more than 200 FDI projects worth R69bn, which created 19 000 jobs. Gauteng is the leader with regard to intra-Africa trade. As of 2017, Gauteng companies had 169 projects worth R356bn across our continent. Intra-Africa trade generated a total of 46 732 jobs in the Gauteng economy. [Clayson Monyela: Renewed interest in SAs foreign policy under President Ramaphosa welcomed]
Nigers President commends ECAs quality contribution in ECOWAS march towards single currency (UNECA)
According to Mr Issoufou, the study helped ECOWAS in drawing a new roadmap that is certainly leading us towards the creation of a single currency in 2020. Our single currency will thereby give us the opportunity to build a strong economic space, capable of competing with other economic spaces under construction around the world, he said, adding this was certain following a review of the conclusions of the meeting of the Ministerial Committee and approval of its proposals. We must take advantage of this historic opportunity, we must not fail for our people have been hoping for this for just too long, President Issoufou said.
Ghanas President Akufo Addo said: Our quest for a single currency is not intended to boost trading of goods produced in third-party countries. It is meant to encourage the production of goods and services within the region. For his part, Mr Sanga, Director of the ECA Sub-Regional Office for West Africa, noted: In this march towards the single currency within the ECOWAS zone, there is more and more of a political convergence as seen, in particular, in the constant renewal, by all countries, of their commitment towards strengthening their economic convergence, based purely on the convergence criteria.
Lesotho: IMF concludes 2017 Article IV Consultation (IMF)
An expansionary fiscal stance has shielded the economy from external shocks recently, but at the cost of shrinking buffers. A steep decline in SACU transfers, a major source of government revenue, will result in a fiscal deficit that is likely to exceed 6% of GDP for the second year. The government is financing the deficit by using its deposits at the Central Bank of Lesotho, causing a sharp drop in the CBLs international reserves. The drop in reserves is compounded by weaker remittances and demand for exports, particularly from South Africa. With SACU revenues only expected to recover in FY 2020/21 in line with the cyclical upswing in South Africa, the outlook is fragile. Addressing the fiscal and external challenges remains difficult in an environment of high inequality and weak institutions. While tax revenues are already relatively high, there is scope for expenditure measures, including by reducing the very high public wage bill. However, efforts by the authorities to stabilize the political environment, including by implementing the recommendations of SADC, should contribute to macroeconomic stability.
Mauritius: Japanese business mission explores avenues of cooperation (GoM)
Speaking about the advantages offered by Mauritius, the Minister explained that the situation of the country is quite exceptional as it is a member of all major African organisations, that is, African Union, COMESA, and SADC. The country is now completing trilateral negotiations whereby the EAC-SADC-COMESA will become one organisation and the countries signing this agreement will have access to 600 million consumers, he pointed out. In addition, a free trade zone, Jin Fei, will be launched in Mauritius and the country is part of Africa, offers facilities of ease of doing business, and will be setting up a regional Renminbi clearing centre with China for Southern Africa, he stated. During the meeting, the Minister invited Japanese investors to consider using Mauritius as a regional headquarter for their companies. The Bank of Tokyo and Insurance companies have also been invited to open a branch in Mauritius.
Can agricultural growth poles solve rural poverty in Africa? (IISD)
African governments are deploying a new development tool: growth poles aimed at kickstarting the shift from subsistence to commercial agriculture. Over a dozen agricultural growth poles, or agropoles, were established in the past four years, bringing the total to 36 growth poles and 9 corridors since 2002. They cover at least 3.5 million hectares of land in 23 countries, our research has found. [The author: Francine Picard Mukazi]
Fostering agro-industrialization agenda in Uganda: follow @EPRC_official for tweeted highlights from todays discussion
UNCTAD Manual on Consumer Protection
The UNCTAD Manual on Consumer Protection 2017 edition (pdf) is the first comprehensive international reference in this field, aiming to support developing countries and economies in transition in their choice of policies and providing practical tools to assist policy makers in enhancing capacities while implementing the recently revised United Nations Guidelines for Consumer Protection. UNCTAD, as the focal point for consumer protection issues within the United Nations system, is fully committed to promoting the guidelines and encouraging interested Member States to create awareness of the various ways in which they can promote consumer protection in the provision of public and private goods and services in collaboration with businesses and civil society. This is all the more important since consumer protection is not homogenous around the world. [Related analysis: Achieving the SDGs through consumer protection]
World Trade Monitor: December 2017 (CPB)
2017 turned out to be a remarkably good year for world trade with 4.5% year-on-year growth. The CPB World Trade Monitor shows that the volume of world trade increased 0.3% in December, having increased 2.7% in November (initial estimate: 2.4%) and increased 1.1% in 2017Q4 (1.4% in 2017Q3).
It's an environmental effort that's about as insipid as their milky lattes.
Starbucks UK has announced a 5-pence surcharge on all disposable coffee cups sold in 35 locations across London, starting today. It's a trial set to last three months. The decision was made as part of the chain's efforts to reduce waste and incentivize customers to use ceramic mugs or bring their own reusable cups.
Back in January, a group of British MPs made a recommendation that coffee chains institute a 25p "latte levy." With an estimated 5,000 cups being discarded every minute in the UK, and less than 1 percent of those being recycled, something needs to be done about the quantity of waste. The MPs said that charging extra for disposables is a more effective strategy than discounting reusables, just as charging for single-use plastic bags at the grocery store cut down their use by 83 percent within the first year in the UK.
Starbucks Europe's VP of communications, Simon Redfern, said he hopes the surcharge will encourage customers to rethink their decision to use disposable cups. Baristas will ask customers if they want their drinks in ceramic before automatically adding the extra 5p to disposables. Redfern stated in a press release,
"Weve offered a reusable cup discount for 20 years, with only 1.8% of customers currently taking up this offer, so were really interested... to see how this charge could help to change behaviour and help to reduce waste."
It all sounds very nice and well-intentioned, but I lack enthusiasm for this initiative. Five pence is an awfully small amount, especially when you consider how much Starbucks charges for its fancy drinks. Heck, the new fee is a measly 1 percent of the cost of a 5 latte! Levies need to hurt a bit in order to work, and I suspect this one will not.
I'd love to see some real action for a change. Imagine if a massive surcharge were introduced, like an extra 1 for a disposable cup, enough to make customers stop in their tracks. Pair that with a significant rebate on reusables, like 50 percent off if you bring your own cup. Now that would really catch people's attention.
Picture banning disposables outright and remodelling the entire facility so that people stand at a funky Italian-style bar to drink their espresso on the go. (They'd lose weight and save money.) Or introducing a reusable cup system like the one in Freiburg, Germany, where empty cups could be dropped off at any Starbucks location. There are so many other, better, more dramatic ways of effecting environmental change.
This feels to me like a bit of a PR stunt, an attempt by Starbucks to look like they're doing something about the enormous cup waste problem, but not really. There's no mention of a cup redesign, which is what's needed more than anything -- a switch to an all-paper cup that can be fully recycled or composted. No doubt some will disagree with me, saying, "It's better than nothing!" But is it? I don't know. The effort seems about as insipid as a Starbucks latte, and I'd rather hold out for the real thing.
At least Starbucks has partnered with Hubbub, an environmental charity and expert on behavioral change. Hubbub will receive all proceeds from the surcharge and will use them to help track the impact of this trial. I guess we'll have to wait and see how it goes. Hopefully I'm proven wrong.
It's the start of school season for many of us, and those big, yellow school buses are coming out in droves. But these trusty old vehicles aren't just for getting kids to school -- they can be converted into beautiful spaces to live in for college students and even families.
Filmmaker Felix Starck and musician Selima Taibi (and their dog Rudi) recently transformed this 1996 Thomas International school bus into a small, loft-style home on wheels, with the plan to travel from Alaska to South America. Watch their video tour:
Expedition Happiness
They are calling their project Expedition Happiness, and explain:
We are originally from Germany and got tired of the big city life in Berlin. So we decided to buy a 20 year old school bus through the internet. Few weeks later we took a plane to the US and started converting the school bus into a motorhome, tiny house or loft on wheels - call it what you want. After 12 weeks of daily failure we are quite done with the conversion and now we are ready to take our beauty all the way down to South America. If we make it that far - I have no idea, probably not! Are we going to have a great time? For sure!
Their project is a real leap of faith right from the start -- the couple bought the 39-foot bus for USD $9,500 -- online, without seeing the bus beforehand. But both are no stranger to adventurous leaps into the unknown; Starck has cycled around the world in 365 days, creating a documentary on his journey that was the most popular doc in Germany last year. Taibi wrote the soundtrack to the film, and goes under the name Mogli.
Both didn't really have much construction experience, so they turned to online forums to find help. They got assistance from a North Carolina couple who'd also altered a school bus into a full-time residence. So far, they've done a great job of reusing salvaged materials like pallet wood, and remaking the interior into a livable space. To make it feel as open as possible, they put the sitting area and dining/work table right at the front -- lots of room for Rudi too.
Designing the Inside of the Bus
The kitchen is well-organized, with an angled counter that breaks up the monotony a bit. There's plenty of storage and a decently sized refrigerator.
The bathroom is split into two at the middle of the bus -- a toilet room only large enough for one person to squeeze in, and a beautifully tiled shower room, covered with handmade tiles.
The bedroom features a DIY bed with storage drawers underneath, that's located conveniently under the emergency rooftop hatch that can be great for nighttime stargazing.
For power, the bus can be solar-powered or plugged into the grid. All the power equipment and Taibi's keyboard is at the back, which can be accessed via the rear door.
It's an impressive remodel of an old bus into a comfortable and creative home on wheels. The couple is now heading down past Canada, and are already making regular vlogs and blog posts of their journey. You can catch up with them via their website, Facebook and support them via Patreon.
>>> This is the first time I have properly used TripAdvisor forum to talk and reply to peoples helpful feedback. I wanted to do each individually but just included it all on one message as it didnt seem to let me reply to individual messages. What do people think is best? <<<
I agree with Loki, the way you formatted your reply was clear & concise
>>> Gregs3071 we will look to add Wilsons prom for a few days. Any suggestions what youd take out for that? <<<
Please do, for some unknown reason Wilson's Prom seems to be Victoria's hidden gem (maybe the locals just don't like to share).
I can't say what to take out, as you have only given drive time estimates, not stay time estimates. Looking at your list I would probably think about cutting down on any time you have allocated to the Gold Coast & Brisbane as they are quite "built up" places, not the quirky or natural beauty types of places that you seem to be aiming for
In April, it can be cooling down a bit in the south west of WA and might be getting a bit wet too. If this does not bother you, then it is a really good, compact region to visit, but you do realise you will lose a full day travelling across the country each time?
I would not recommend a road trip all the way to Cairns from Brisbane in only 10 days, you need at least two weeks to do this justice, and then some time in the Cairns region yourself.
I recommend flying to Brisbane and hiring your camper van there (read up on issues/complaints re certain brands, and go with the most expensive/best reviewed you can afford) and then do a loop from Brisbane to the Sunshine Coast, the Hinterland, and up to Hervey Bay for a day trip to Fraser Island. You will easily spend the 10 days in Brisbane (two days, no camper van) and eight days on the coastal route.
Either that, or skip Brisbane altogether and fly to Cairns and do your camper van thing up there exploring Daintree, Mossman Gorge, Atherton Tablelands, Chillagoe, the waterfalls etc etc.
You have to pick and choose - it is a big place.
Also, what dates in April? First two weeks are school holidays so the coasts will be very busy and caravan parks likely fully booked.
Cheers.
Hi all,
Just after some suggestions for a possible itinerary for one week in WA (late March) and what you would recommend to make the most of this time.
I don't want to be doing long drives every day as this is planned to be more of a relaxing holiday so would prefer to base myself in 1 or 2 places and explore around there.
Generally prefer great natural sights (mountains, forests etc) and also enjoy good food. Would love to do Karijini NP but this will go against the 'not too much driving' preference since we will be flying in to Perth, so if there are suggestions of anything similar that is closer to Perth then that would be great :)
Thanks in advance.
Hi All! - Australian citizen, so usually all ok for an ESTA.
perhaps an obvious question...but any experience in USA Immigration on arrival at NYC by air NOT picking up past travel to IRAN?
- & hence not being eligible to use the ESTA exemption in advance.
I simply dont have time to get a traditional full Visa pre flying via USA
- in TRANSIT only to Costa Rica.
Note I do have a NEW passport - so no past visa stamps etc.
But worried does the microchip inside still detail all past travel? if so - wow!
thanks :)
My wife, 7-year old daughter, and I have never visited Costa Rica, but we are considering a trip in August. Originally we had planned to take a 8-10 day vacation touring the country including major tourist attractions like Tortuguero, Arenal, and Manuel Antonio. And that still seems really appealing.
But we have another choice. My wife is a teacher so she has the summer off. I can effectively work remotely as long as I have reliable Internet access. So we are considering an alternative where we would rent a home for a month. I would work with a schedule TBD so it wouldn't be a month-long vacation for me. But it seems like it would give us the opportunity to really get to know the country.
What do folks think about this choice in general? Are we crazy to consider spending a month in a country we have never even visited?
If we chose the month/remote-work option, what areas should we consider for home-base? Some considerations:
My wife is a fluent Spanish speaker (high school Spanish teacher actually) and my daughter and I are learning. Part of the reason for going would be to interact with Spanish speakers. So while it would be great to meet expats and hear about their experiences, we wouldn't want to be someplace that was almost exclusively expats.
My daughter needs play time with other children around her age. Nearby day-camp options we could consider for her? Other ideas?
We might consider a longer-term relocation to Costa Rica or another Spanish speaking country in the future. So we are looking at this as a potential soft-introduction to doing that.
Thanks in advance for any thoughts you might have!
Oolala cruises offers a good day out, snorkeling off a small private island , kayaks etc. Cloud 9 is popular, floating bar anchored on an outer reef, again snorkeling, they serve pizza just remember they are cashless so you will need to pay for foid and drinks with credit/ debit card. A trip on the old sailing ship Seaspray to Modriki Island where the Tom Hanks movie Castaway was filmed, includes village and local school visit, swimming and snorkeling. A day trip to Castaway Island resort takes a limited number of day trippers to this popular resort for a taste of an island stay. Alternatively catch the Yasawa Flyer for a day trip to Octopus Island resort in the beautiful Yasawa island group, lunch included, snorkeling, kayaking etc.
There are many land based trips you can do depending how adventurous you want to be. The (Naihehe )Caves tour to old cannibal caves with Off Road Fiji or alternatively with Fiji Cannibal Caves tour, which includes village visit, cross a river on a bili bili raft, lunch swim. Sigatoka Sand dunes eco park well worth a visit.
Edited: 3 years ago
Hi all, I've spontaneously decided to goto Fiji mid march, for 5 days from Australia.
Never been but have heard lots about the amazing diving (especially the bull sharks!).
I am single so travelling alone, a few questions:
1) any recommendations on where to go/stay for a solo guy? Not looking for dorms, happy to pay more for something nicer. But don't want to get stuck
In a couples or family retreat.
2) I've read about a few dive shops for shark diving and they appear similar. Anything I should look out for? I am relatively experienced (100+ dives, rescue cert)
3) how many islands do you think I should realistically visit?
4) any other adventure activities I should do?
5) Its rainy season, what do visitors do when it's raining / thundering? Do they stay inside to drink, eat party?
Thanks for any advice!!!
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If you use the Search box near your OP, you will see that this is a pretty frequent topic here, and you'll find a variety of opinions that might be of interest to you. No one staying in NYC should go to Philadelphia unless they have a special (e.g. museum) reason, or if they have spent several days seeing sights in NYC.
That said, I have frequently taken the commuter line (as opposed to Amtrak (national rail corporation) ) trip that requires a change (often head-to-tail on the same track) in Trenton. The ticket booth in NYC sells you four tickets, two on NJ Transit, and two on SEPTA, the Pennsylvania commuter agency, at the same time. In view of the long distance and convenience, I don't find it an unreasonable cost, probably around $26 Return. But I haven't done it in a few years.
Really cheap travelers take the internet Bus companies, but they are subject to heavy surface traffic delays, and have unpredictable last-minute fares. They also have inconvenient, third-world curbside departures and arrivals, not a physical bus terminal. Also, tickets are for a specific departure, while the NJ Transit/SEPTA train tickets are completely flexible. It's entirely up to you.
What is the reason for a half-day trip with over four hours of travel? I'm not slamming you, I have frequently left on the 8AM NJ Transit and returned around 7 or 8 PM to Penn Station NYC.
How do I get from the airport (JFK, LGA, or EWR) to Manhattan?
What To Do During Layovers?
Vacation Apartment Rentals Violate NYC Laws
Hotels: Kitchenettes and kitchens in 100+ Manhattan Hotels
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What are the Must-See's and Must-Do's?
How Do I Ride the Subway (UPDATED)?
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Where to Eat in NYC
Where to eat in NYC - Part 2
Celiac in the City? (gluten free)
Which Area Should I Stay In?
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Christmastime in NYC 2020: Dates for the Trees-Windows-Markets-Ice Skating+MORE!
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Where is the Old FAQ?
Trip Reports: Families with Young Kids - Add yours!
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Black Panther movie instantly became the top-grossing film in history by a black director (Ryan Coogler) and featuring a largely black cast. With the Black Panther release date on 29th January; North American audiences appeared to love Black Panther the movie as much as critics, signaling a strong run ahead. The Black Panther premiere film received a rare A-plus on its review from ticket buyers at cinema exit polls.
The domestic turnout of black viewers made about 37 percent fueled by the pent-up demand for a superhero film led by an array of black actors. Black Panther 2018 has the best reviews so far, and the Black Panther cast has interesting facts;
1. Lupita Nyongo caused Kisumu shut down
Following the Blank Panther release date in Kenya on the 13th February, Kisumu which is Lupitas home turf was all hyped over the Black Panther marvel movie. The Black Panther trailer had all of Kenya talking, and she was the reason.
READ ALSO: Net Worth of the Most Searched People in Kenya 2017/2018
2. Chadwick Boseman was supposed to direct Black Panther the movie
Boseman didnt plan to be an actor. The 41-year-old who graduated from Howard University with a degree in directing only learned to be an actor to be able to relate to them. We can all agree he was meant to be in front of the camera.
3. Daniel Kaluuya had to go for rhino riding classes
Daniel Kaluuya had to learn how to ride on a horse to practice to ride the simulated WKabis armored rhino in the film, but we have to admit it came out quite well.
4. There are two Ugandan actors
Florence Kasumba, the German-based Ugandan actress, and Daniel Kaluuya, the London based actor are the duo that represents Uganda in this thrilling film. East Africa feels well represented.
5. Michael B. Jordan got scars instead of the common tattoos
Michael B. Jordan, who plays Erik Killmonger, spent about two and a half hours in the special effects makeup chair every day, while makeup designer Joel Harlow and three other makeup artists applied close to 90 individually sculpted silicone molds to his upper body. Each of Killmongers scars represents a notch of his kills over the years.
6. Winston and Lupita both studied at Yale
Winston Duke and Lupita Nyongo happen to have crossed paths before meeting again in Wakanda, the two were friends at Yale where they were studying drama. Both are members of Folks which was a club on campus for Black students; go figure.
7. The Dora Milaje is not all actresses
Unlike your typical royal army, the kingdom of Wakanda employs a cadre of female warriors to protect the throne. They are called the "Dora Milaje". The formidable Dora Milaje was cast from a pool of actresses, stuntmen, and even Broadway dancers.
8. There is a Father and Son in the Cast
South African actor Atandwa Kani plays the character of Young TChaka to his father and celebrated South African actor John Kanis King TChaka. They are an actual father and son duo.
9. Chadwick didnt audition for Black Panther
We all know what a good job he did on Captain America: Civil War and so had the Marvel Studio President Kevin Feige as hed seen his acting on Get On up where he played James Brown. Unlike most of the Avengers cast, Chadwick did not have to audition he was just called up and offered the role via phone. He is truly the chosen one.
10. Leticia Wright and Daniel were both actors in Black Mirror before Black Panther
These two actors are British actors from London who appeared in different episodes of the film Black Mirror from 2011. Black Mirror fans will know Daniel who plays W'Kabi in Black Panther as Bing from Season 1s fifteen million merits. Leticia Wright, who plays the Black Panthers sister, stars as Nish in the sixth episode of the fourth series.
Source: Kenya Breaking News Today
The highly anticipated Marvels Black Panther movie, 2018 soon after release, flew aloft to the 15th largest of all time (judging by its weekend release earnings). The movie is, in itself, an exemplary film. As if a means to reclaim modern blackness, the film itself is a complete antithesis of the stereotypes presented and portrayed about Africans, their history, and their great kingdoms.
It is, indeed, a prosthetic attachment direct to the heart of Afro-futurism. Even if made to inspire the motherland, the Black Panther movie is itself, inspired by Africa, right from the comic storyline, to the director, the black-radiant cast, the warm African motherly bosom as the filming grounds, then resting on the African-elevating message, the debut is a creation of Africa.
African inspired Black Panther movie cast
A cast is merely a representative of a character who is obviously rooted from a story about some place or thing, which, for the Black Panther movie, 2018, is based on a fictitious African nation of Wakanda. The name Wakanda is undisputedly African with the kingdom itself made up of several different tribes, each with their distinctive style. Being an African nation demanded African characters hence the cast whose majority has their roots spring directly from Africa.
READ ALSO: A Highlight of the Most Corrupt Countries in Africa: Is Kenya There?
The main cast included, an African-American, Chadwick Boseman as T'Challa / Black Panther, who according to the character himself is a no hero but a leader. He played the role as the king of the fictional African nation of Wakanda in a recommendable fashion. As the Black Panther's nemesis is N'Jadaka/Erik "Killmonger" Stevens: The son of N'Jobu. Played by Michael B. Jordan, he is a picturesque epithet of the modern day African opposition leaders, save for his destiny.
You couldnt help but notice the made in Kenya and the African best, Lupita Nyongo. As if her natural beauty sunk right into the character herself to empower her to grab a bite of the Black Panther's heart. She acted as T'Challa's former lover. Also, a War Dog and an undercover spy for Wakanda placed in other countries to complete missions. She played Nakia.
At a point, you can see a reflection of yourself, on Okoye's bald head, reminding me of my primary school life. Played by the Zimbabwean actress Danai Gurira, Okoye is portrayed as an "extremely proud" Wakandan and traditionalist from the Border Tribe, who is the head of the Dora Milaje, the all-female special forces of Wakanda, who serve as T'Challa's bodyguards. The rest of the main cast is here.
African inspired costume designs
The Black Panther movie being one based on a nation of diverse cultures and styles, costume designs is obviously a major portrayal of this diversity. The movie costume designer researched traditional culture and clothing which they drew from across different parts of the African continent. A few of them are shown below.
The Maasai of Kenya
Led by Okoye, the Dora Milaje, with their thick red armor and tall spears resemble the Maasai warriors. Which was exactly what the costume designers were going for. Being an iconic Kenyan cloth, which today has been tailored into jackets, trousers, and handbags, the Maasai Shuka is vividly recognizable as the red and blue chequered (sometimes with black, yellow or green) shawl draped over the semi-nomadic Maasai. The costume designers also drew inspiration from Maasai beading techniques, especially the disc necklaces and packed beaded necklaces worn by the Maasai women.
Ndebele and Zulu of South Africa
The gold rings around the necks of the Dora Milaje got their inspiration from Indzilla from the Ndebele tribe of South Africa. Only the married Ndebele women may wear it, even though they're now a fashion trend in South Africa of late. Traditionally, husbands are the ones to provide the rings, after building a home for their wives. The wealthier a husband is, the more rings a woman has.
Also, Ramonda, the Queen Mother to TChalla makes an entrance with a large disc headdress borrowed right from the Zulu. Known as Isicolo, and similar in functionality to Indzilla, it was traditionally woven with cotton and grass fonds, although Ramondas are 3D printed. She is seen wearing a smaller version of the hat in most of her scenes.
Basotho, Lesotho
Disguised as simple farmers, a tribe of warriors protects Wakandas borders. One can't help but notice their most distinctive costume, the blanket cloaks they wear. These happen to be the traditional gear of the Basotho people. Lesotho is itself a mountainous country surrounded by South Africa which gets snow in the winter; that's the only time when you will realize the absolute significance of this Basotho blanket.
Mursi, Ethiopia
One thing you wont miss, for sure, is the lip plate worn by a Wakandan elder in the throne room. On the first glance, you might be awed by the looks, but lip plates are a part of the Mursi culture in Ethiopia. They are also seen among the Tirma and Chai and Tirma, for whom it is a source of pride and identity. While a man wears the lip plate in the movie, the lip plates are typically worn by women. Outrageously, but for a reason, in the Mursi culture, teenage girls have their lower lips cut to allow for the lip-plate. Until the wound heals, the cut is held open by a wooden plug after which the opening is stretched further by inserting larger plates over time.
Igbo and Ejagham of Nigeria
In the early scenes in the movie, the Killmonger character visits a London museum for a heist during which he steals a long-horned mask complete with a mane. Depicting aggression with features such as horns and bared teeth, it appears to have drawn inspiration from Mgbedike, (time of the braves) a relic of Igbo origins in southeast Nigeria. Also displayed on the screen and inscribed on the wall of TChallas throne room is some of the textual writings drawn from Nsibidi, Ejagham, Nigeria.
African inspired filming sites
A considerable amount of locations in Africa were considered ample for the filming of the movie, a few of these places included where shooting so took place included Ruwenzori Mountains and Bwindi Impenetrable National Park in Uganda. Also, aerial footages of South Africa, Zambia, Uganda were used in the movie to create some very cool. The fearsome Dora Milaje are also believed to have gotten its inspiration from a real-life version from Africa. This was from the female soldiers who existed in the 1600s in Dahomey, present-day West Africa's Republic of Benin. They were a core in the film.
The African inspired music
Ludwig Goransson who was hired to compose the film's score by April 2017 did travel to African countries of Senegal and South Africa to record local musicians to form the base of his soundtrack. The African-American, Kendrick Lamar who produced the film's curated soundtrack, titled Black Panther: The Album, was chosen because his artistic themes align with those the producers explored in the movie. In addition to these, the African-American hip-hop music choreography, "robot" dance, for example, is a representation of the remixing of the human body.
Black Panther movie release date
Black Panther had its world premiere, an ostensible event, at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles on January 29, 2018. It was released in the United Kingdom, Hong Kong, and Taiwan on February 13, 2018, in South Korea on February 14, 2018, and the United States on February 16, 2018.
For Africa, the movie was released on Tuesday in Kisumu city, Kenya. All done in favor of the Dora Milaje assassin, Nakia, played by Lupita Nyong'o, whose roots can be traced to the city whose current governor happens to be her father. In summary, the Black Panther movie is, African made: inspired by Africa, acted by Africans and inspiring Africans.
Source: Tuko
Kenyans love to create stories even when they do not exist. For true stories, Kenyans have exceptionally excellent talent at spinning these truths out of proportion. Unfortunately, most of the people on the receiving end are often celebrities and prominent people. After all, they say that all publicity is good publicity. Here are some of the stories that have gone too far yet no one can ascertain the truth in them.
READ ALSO: Who is Billy Graham? 5 things you should know about him!
Hot Kenyan gossip 2017
Wawa is cheating
Rumors emerged when Dagoretti south parliamentary aspirant in the 2017 elections was found fondling an unidentified womans thighs. The staunch supporter of Jubilee and its candidates was in trouble when photos of his extra activities leaked. The aspirant was quick to respond by saying that the leaked photos were a plan of political rivals and probably ex-girlfriends who were out to tarnish his name, but no truth existed in such claims. For him, the woman was nothing more than a good friend of his.
MC Jessy to Divorce wife of six years for Shix Kapyenga
Jessy and Shix have always been fond of each other. It is unfortunate that their closeness became a hot Kenyan celeb gossip especially when the two were seen in Dubai together celebrating Shix birthday. Kenyans were quick to start spreading hot Kenyan gossip news of how Jessy was leaving his wife of 6 years, Elizabeth Wangare, due to cases of infidelity. No one has come forth to verify any such info which means that it could be a fabrication of some very imaginative Kenyans, at least until proven otherwise.
READ ALSO: Hawa ndio watu 9 nchini Kenya wanaomiliki magari ya bei ghali zaidi?
Hot Kenyan gossip 2016
Eunice Njeri Cheats
A lot came up when Eunice Njeri left her husband on their wedding night after a colorful wedding ceremony that took place in the US. Upon confirmation of the divorce Kenyans had a lot to say with some claiming that Njeri was a cheat. The accusations came from every quarter with few taking the time to understand what could have happened. Njeri seemed to be on the receiving end when her ex-husband Busaka appeared loving all the way even after she opted out of the marriage. He still considered her the best thing to ever happen to him.
Hot Kenyan celebrity gossip
Avril is a lesbian
For a while this was the news that took the internet by storm. While it is understood where the rumors came from as photos of her in bed with another woman leaked, no one can say for sure that the two were lesbians. This is even more unbelievable since Avril is soon going down the aisle with her South African love. That for sure does not seem like a lesbian for you. Or does it?
Octopizzo joins illuminati
It is almost ordinary for Kenyans to sources for hot Kenyan gossip at the expense of other peoples reputation. They especially love to downplay the hard work of artists and individuals whose hard work appears to be paying off. Octopizzo happened to feel the brunt of this one time when propaganda was spread about his membership in the cult illuminati just because the hard working and legit rapper was excelling and some people could not explain it. While it is true that some artists use videoo to try forge ahead, it makes no sense to categorize everyone especially if their hard work is clearly evident. Results will definitely come, no forces needed to push for it.
Lilian Muli and Mike Sonko are dating
This is one of those rumors that shows how Kenyans are either idle or have the bad habit of putting their noses where they are not needed. Claims of Sonko and Muli dating came up because some twisted Kenyan decided that their taking a photo together has to be something more. Unfortunately, fans help spread such untrue rumors sometimes unknowingly when they turn to bash their icon without verifying the sources of the info.
Huddah Monroe Pregnant and awaiting marriage
Huddah is one of the celebrities that know too well what rumors in Kenya are. A few years back she was forced onto a Ghanaian tycoon and prophesied to be married due to her alleged pregnancy. Five years have gone, and we are yet to see a married Huddah or better yet a mother in the socialite. If you are any wise, you would be careful about accepting any info that comes your way n matter how juicy it seems. You do not want to be a culprit of latest hot Kenyan gossip and fall into the trap of expert story weavers. This is not the first time news of her pregnant have circulated the web.
Nyota Ndogo dead
One area Kenya hot gossip news has crossed the line is where celebrities have been killed even when they are very alive. It beats one to understand what gets into the heads of such people to bring pain and fear to family and friends of the said deceased individual. Nyota Ndogo fell culprit to such rumors, yet at the time of the rumor she was healthy and performing at the sawasawa festival in Nairobi. She was shocked when Ali Manzu called her to express concern of what he had read on Facebook about her death. Kenyans should rethink such acts; it is no longer funny.
Moses Kuria Orders Mungiki man to Kill Raila
Like all rumors, Kenyans love to create those that will likely catch the attention of others. It is as if the starters of such stories thrive through controversies. No one can ascertain any of these claims which leaves them as rumors. After all, Raila still lives.
READ ALSO: William Ruto sounds tough warning to school heads demanding fees from day- scholars
Mama Idah Divorces Baba
This one was also one targeting a politician with a huge following. Just because she did not show up someone decided to come up with theories to explain her absence without any truthful verifications to mama Idah and Raila's state of affairs. There could be a thousand and one reasons why things happened as they did.
Kenyans would be better advised to desist from the habit of overthinking and idly coming up with rumors. Sometimes this false information can be fatal as certain people would act on them without better advice. Read a book, visit a friend or go for a swim if you have to. Rumors do more harm than good even though no one sees it out rightly. It is even worse with social media.
Source: Tuko
- Miguna Miguna has scored another one after the High Court declared he is not prohibited from setting foot in Kenya
-Judge Chacha Mwita ordered the Immigration Department to organise how Miguna will come back to Kenya
- The court also ordered that Miguna be issued with a new passport with immediate effect for him to come back to his country of birth pending hearing and determination of his case
- Miguna is also free to use his Canadian passport to fly back to Kenya should the government fail to give him new travel documents
-The self declared NRM general was deported to Canada and his passport destroyed with the government declaring he is not a Kenyan citizen
- He was ejected out of Kenya following his arrest and five days detainment for allegedly administering illegal oath to NASA leader Raila Odinga
The Kenyan government has been orderd to fly back to the country fiery opposition leader Miguna Miguna after it deported him to Canada on the basis that he was not a Kenyan citizen.
High Court Judge Chacha Mwita on Monday, February 26 suspended a declaration by Interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang'i that the self-declared National Resistance Movement (NRM) general was a prohibited immigrant.
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READ ALSO: Hawa ndio watu 9 nchini Kenya wanaomiliki magari ya bei ghali zaidi?
TUKO.co.ke can authoritativelt report that Justice Mwita ordered that State Department of Immigration should facilitate Miguna Miguna's return and that it should issue him with travel documents immediately.
Lawyer Miguna Miguna signs the People's President certificate after administering a controversial oath of office to Raila Odinga. Photo: NASA
READ ALSO: Tension in NASA as ODM MPs insist Kalonzo Musyoka must take controversial oath
The general of the outlawed NRM is free to jet back to the country of his birth using his Canadian documents should the government fail to issue him with a new passport, the court declared.
Following the ruling, Miguna took to his Twitter page to celebrate as he hailed his lawyers for a good work done.
The one-time darling of the Jubilee regime was dramatically arrested from his Runda home on Friday, February 1 by heavily armed officers who used detonators to gain access to his house leaving a trail of destruction.
READ ALSO: NASA is affecting service delivery to Kenyans - Ruto
Miguna had told reporters that he thought he had been arrested by members of the outlawed Mungiki militia explaining that they were hooded.
READ ALSO: Hawa ndio watu 9 nchini Kenya wanaomiliki magari ya bei ghali zaidi?
For five days since his arrest, police had engaed the courts in a cat and mouse game as they refused to produce him in couhrt and ignored court orders.
Miguna was finally kicke-out of the country with the government explaining that he was in Kenya ilelgally and that he was not a citizen as he hd not renewed it as required by law.
He denied having denounced his Kenyan citizenship and vowed to fight it and promised to br back in the country.
Homa Bay shook as governor Cyprian Awiti is out | TUKO TV
Source: Tuko Breaking News
- Photos of Kirinyaga governor Anne Waiguru enjoying herself at a party held in the 'wild' have excited Kenyans on social media
- The governor was among thousands of Kenyans who converged at the Mo Litto Farm located off Limuru Road on Saturday, February 24, for the Cowboy Themed 'Jeans And Boots Family event
- Jeans And Boots is an exclusive fun filled event organized and hosted by Citizen TV journalist Jeff Koinange.
Kirinyaga County Governor Anne Waiguru is one of the most hard working government officials in Kenya.
The well-connected governor has impressed many with her ability to perform in whatever capacity bestowed upon her.
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READ ALSO: Je, wamkumbuka afisa mrembo wa polisi - Linda Okello? Achapisha picha za kupendeza akifuzu
Well, Waiguru works hard but plays even harder, TUKO.co.ke has learnt.
Unlike most of her counterparts who would rather pass their free time hidden with their families in their homes, Waiguru is an out-goer and fun loving soul.
The Kirinyaga Governor was among thousands of Kenyans who converged at the Mo Litto Farm located off Limuru Road on Saturday, February 24, for the Cowboy Themed 'Jeans And Boots Family event'.
Waiguru was not alone; the vocal governor tagged along her family and linked up with other revelers and celebrities who attended the much-anticipated, on of its kind event.
READ ALSO: Meet the disabled DJ who entertains Uhuru and his guests at State House
Governor Waiguru parties in the wild.Photo: Jeff Koinange/Twitter
Photos of Anne Waiguru having fun and enjoying herself in the company of her hosts made to the interwebs and excited quite a throng of people.
Most Kenyans lauded her for showing up at such events to promote fellow countrymen, while others trolled her and told her to focus on working for Kirinyaga residents instead of partying.
Governor Waiguru parties in the wild.Photo: Jeff Koinange/Twitter
Jeans And Boots is an exclusive fun filled event organized and hosted by Citizen TV journalist Jeff Koinange.
According to Jeff Koinange himself, the event is normally held to bring together lovers of Country Music in Kenya and celebrate it while at it.
READ ALSO: 16 photos of now born again and conservative Tero Mdee still slaying AF in long dresses and baggy outfits
READ ALSO: After Amani, another secular artist Marya jumps ship gets born again
Waiguru's attendance at the event was first made public by Jeff Koinange as he took to social media to share a post of himself with the governor.
''Guess who was the 'Surprise' Guest at #JeansAndBoots?? KIRINYAGA Gov, @Anne_Waiguru!! Drove all the way with her FAMILY!!...She says the next Edition of @JeansAndBootsKenya will be in County Number 020...Asante sana Minji Minji...Its gonna be SMMMMMOKIN!! Somebody say Oh MY!!!!''Koinange wrote.
I started my business with 1000 shillings only | Faces of Kenya
Source: Tuko.co.ke
- The 90-day ban on tree harvesting should be extended, former Kakamega senator Boni Khalwale said on Monday, February 26
- Khalwale called on county governments to ban charcoal business in a bid to protect the country's forest cover
- County government, he said, must invest in agroforestry
Former Kakamega senator and a fiery critic of the Jubilee administration Boni Khalwale threw his weight behind William Ruto after the Deputy President ordered a ban on tree harvesting in the country.
In a twitter post seen by TUKO.co.ke on Monday, February 26, Khalwale urged the DP to extend the 90-day ban he declared explaining that County governments should impose a ban on charcoal business.
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READ ALSO: Gavana Waiguru apiga picha akijivinjari na Jeff Koinange na wengine
During his tour of Western Kenya, Ruto talked tough against logging saying it was time to protect the country's forest cover in the wake of prolonged spells of drought.
Former Kakamega senator Boni Khalwale who wants a ban on tree harvesting extended beyond 90 days. Photo: NASA
READ ALSO: William Ruto in bitter exchange with Bungoma deputy governor over funding of key road
Newly appointed Environment Cabinet Secretary Keriako Tobiko has since said he will not allow illegal logging and destruction of forests.
"Agrofotestry is a strong culture in my community affording us at least 9 months of rain yearly & keeps Kakamega evergreen. County governments must invest in agroforestry & impose a ban on charcoal business. @WilliamsRuto's 90 day moratorium on logging must officialy be extended," posted Khalwale.
READ ALSO: I will be better than Matiang'i - Keriako Tobiko declares
Khalwale's comments come when some locals barricaded the busy Nairobi-Nakuru Highway protesting the razing of a Lorry found transporting charcoal in drought hit Kitui County by locals.
Kitui Governor Charity Ngilu came out as a strong campaigner against tree cutting and charcoal trade in her county in a bid to protect the region's forest cover.
As was previously reported by TUKO.co.ke, Governor Ngilu had called on Kitui residents to impound and burn any lorries spotted transporting charcoal from the county.
READ ALSO: Traders block Nakuru-Naivasha road demanding compensation after truck was torched in Kitui over charcoal
I started my business with 1000 shillings only | Faces of Kenya - on TUKO TV
Source: Tuko
More than 24 hours later, and no help has come for residents of Belle View, Diamond Road, Cl
One Ukrainian soldier was killed and another one was injured as a result of the enemy shelling in the anti-terrorist operation (ATO) area in Donbas over the past day.
Ukrainian Defense Ministry's Spokesman for ATO Dmytro Hutsuliak said this at a briefing on Monday, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.
Unfortunately, a Ukrainian serviceman, born in 1998, was killed as a result of shelling from the Russian occupants, Hutsuliak said.
The Ukrainian Defense Ministry's Spokesman added that another one Ukrainian soldier had been injured. He was immediately delivered to a mobile hospital and provided with the necessary medical assistance. His health status is satisfactory.
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Four years ago, on 26 February 2014, the several thousand strong rally of pro-Ukrainian activists and Crimean Tatars in support of the territorial integrity of Ukraine took place in Simferopol.
To oppose them, the rally of the Russian Union party, led by henchman of Russian occupants, Sergei Aksyonov, was organized.
On that day, two people were killed and several dozen people were injured in clashes. Subsequently, after the Crimea had been illegally annexed, the Russian investigation committee instituted a criminal case over the clashes (the so-called "case of February 26") and arranged a political trial of Akhtem Chiygoz, Mustafa Degermendzhi, Ali Asanov and other Crimean Tatar activists.
Already the next day, February 27, the special forces of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Russian Federation occupied the premises of the Verkhovna Rada and the Council of Ministers of Crimea. At the same time, the Verkhovna Rada of Crimea, upon the demand of the invaders, announced holding a referendum on Crimeas joining Russia. It was planned to be held on May 25, but then it was decided to hold a referendum on March 16.
Over the next few days, the streets of the towns and main roads of the peninsula were filled with Russian troops. The so-called green men (professional soldiers in Russia-style combat uniforms with Russian weapons but without identifying insignia) seized the administrative buildings, besieged the garrisons of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, seaports and airports. The leadership of Russia repeatedly argued that those armed people were not Russian servicemen. However, having occupied the peninsula and held a fake "referendum on the status of Crimea", Russians admitted that the "green men" were soldiers of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation.
March 1, 2014, the Federation Council of Russia supported President Putin's request to allow using Russian Armed Forces on the territory of Ukraine. In turn, the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine ordered to get the Armed Forces of Ukraine fully operational in response to the Russian aggression.
The international organizations recognized the occupation and annexation of the Crimean peninsula illegal and condemned Russia's actions. In particular, during this period, three UN resolutions on Crimea have been adopted. At the same time, a number of Western countries have introduced economic sanctions against Russia.
Four years have passed, and the situation on the annexed Ukrainian peninsula remains tense. The occupying power has chosen the tactics of intimidation and terror of the local population. Currently, the activities of the Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar People are banned in Crimea. The repressions, raids of homes and illegal detentions take place on a regular basis. The aggressor country cynically disregards the fundamental human rights and freedoms and the international law.
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The Council of Europe acknowledges that Ukraine has made significant progress in reforms over the past four years.
Permanent Representative of Ukraine to the Council of Europe, Ambassador Dmytro Kuleba said this on the air of 112 Ukraine TV channel, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.
"A new action plan of the Council of Europe for Ukraine was adopted last week. The document proposes the support for reforms for next four years. It clearly states that the action plan is based on the fact that Ukraine has achieved "significant progress in reforms" over the past four years. That is, they acknowledge there is significant progress, specify the areas where it is observed and continue to support these reforms," Kuleba said.
In particular, according to him, the Council of Europe positively assesses the judicial reform, the decentralization reform and the establishment of the public broadcasting in Ukraine.
"The Council of Europe commends the judicial reform and will continue to support this project. The reform of decentralization is assessed very positively and is considered one of the model reforms, not only in Ukraine, but in Europe on the whole. [The Council of Europe] also praises the establishment of public broadcasting in Ukraine," the Permanent Representative of Ukraine to the Council of Europe said.
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The United States will never accept Russia's occupation of Crimea and will keep sanctions against Russia in place until the occupied peninsula is returned to Ukraine's control.
U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Marie Yovanovitch said this at the fourth international forum "Occupied Peninsula: Four Years of Resistance" in Kyiv on Monday, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.
"The United States has not and will not forget Crimea. U.S. Secretary of State [Rex] Tillerson said in December: 'We will never accept Russia's occupation and attempted annexation of Crimea.' Crimea-related sanctions will remain in place until Russia returns full control of the peninsula to Ukraine," she said.
She noted that the issue of Crimea remains on the agenda of the United States and international organizations.
Yovanovitch stated that Russia continued to violate international law and human rights in the occupied peninsula and that Russia's FSB was intensifying pressure on those disagreeing with the Kremlin's policy in Crimea.
"Russian security services have engaged an intense and massive campaign of intimidation to suppress dissent and stifle opposition to the occupation. Their tactics have included extrajudicial killings, kidnappings, raids, disappearances, arbitrary detentions, physical abuse, torture, deportation, and harassment. They've limited freedoms of expression, association and peaceful assembly," she said.
She promised that the United States would work with Ukraine and international partners to restore the state's territorial integrity.
In late January 2018, the United States expanded the list of sanctions against Russia because of the situation in Ukraine by adding 21 individuals and 12 organizations.
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Russia's illegal annexation of Crimea will never be legitimized or legalized by the international community.
Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Turkey to Ukraine Yonet Can Tezel said this, speaking at the fourth international forum "Occupied Peninsula: Four Years of Resistance", an Ukrinform correspondent reports.
"The events of 2014 [the annexation of Crimea] will never be legitimized," the ambassador said.
He stressed that the international community, at least a large part of it, including Turkey, has not recognized the annexation of the Crimean peninsular by Russia from the very beginning.
The diplomat also noted that Ukraine's aspirations to settle this issue with the observance of the international law through a peaceful dialogue is the right way and expressed the hope that Russia would soon join this dialogue.
Turkey closely monitors the events in Crimea and will help the Crimean Tatars to preserve their identity, the ambassador said.
"There are events that point to political, economic, social and psychological pressure. Crimean Tatars are people who have the right to live in Crimea. Despite all these circumstances, the Crimean Tatars will keep their identity, they will be able to survive, and Turkey will help them by observing the peaceful methodology," Yonet Can Tezel assured.
The ambassador stressed that Crimea should not be forgotten, it should be "an element of the arrangements".
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The peaceful reintegration of Crimea should be a long-term priority for Ukraine.
Deputy Director of NATO Representation to Ukraine Ann-Kristin Bjergene said this, speaking at the fourth international forum "Occupied Peninsula: Four Years of Resistance", an Ukrinform correspondent reports.
"The human rights situation in Crimea is deteriorating: arrests, torture, suppression of freedom of expression. We need to take measures to tackle this... The reintegration of Crimea in Ukraine by peaceful mechanisms should remain a long-term priority for Ukrainian politics," Bjergene said.
As the Deputy Director of NATO Representation in Ukraine stressed, Crimea should continue to be the focus of attention. The NATO's stand has remained unchanged for four years of occupation of the peninsula by Russia: the Alliance considers the annexation of Crimea to be illegal and unlawful, Bjergene emphasized.
"The military buildup escalates in Crimea. We condemn this and express serious concern about further strengthening of military presence in the Black Sea region. The Alliance will obviously monitor the developments," the Deputy Director of NATO Representation to Ukraine said.
Furthermore, NATO provides practical support for reforms in Ukraine through the so-called comprehensive assistance package, she highlighted.
"For us, a democratic and prosperous Ukraine is a long-term partner and a key element of stability in the region," Bjergene noted.
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Deputy Foreign Minister of Poland Bartosz Cichocki notes that there is no crisis in Polish-Ukrainian relations.
The deputy chief of Polish diplomacy said this during the conference "Russian Aggression in Ukraine: Balance and Prospects", which takes place in Warsaw on Monday, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.
"We often hear in the media about the crisis in Ukrainian-Polish relations, which does not exist," Cichocki said.
He noted that no one wanted to notice the positive aspects in the relations, for example, the Warsaws support for the restoration of normal life in Donbas. He drew attention to the fact that Poland has the largest, next to the United Kingdom, representation in the OSCE SMM to Donbas (more than 40 persons).
According to him, Warsaw also invests in the development of small business in eastern Ukraine, the restoration of the destroyed schools in Donbas, in particular in the town of Avdiivka.
Cichocki also reminded of the close military technical cooperation between Poland and Ukraine which can be called the "brotherhood in arms."
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The anniversary of the Maidan deadly shootings became another occasion to recall the impunity of murderers. Presidential testimony in the Yanukovych treason case was accompanied by excessive zeal by law enforcers. Law "On special aspects of state policy to ensure state sovereignty over the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine in Donetsk and Luhansk regions" came into force. Polls of presidential candidates by "Rating" pleased Yulia Tymoshenko. Rada Speaker Andriy Parubiy promised to enhance parliament's performance. Gennady Moskal did not choose words too carefully.
On the day when Ukraine marked the anniversary of the killings of Maidan's Heavenly Hundred heroes occasion the public once again focused the fact that the trials are ongoing only in the cases of some of the possible performers of criminal orders (most of the suspected police operatives "took refuge" in Russia), while those who gave these orders remain unpunished 4 years after the bloody crackdown on protesters. Prosecutor General Yuriy Lutsenko announced the beginning of trials in the cases of Yanukovych, Yakymenko and some others who allegedly gave orders to open fire at protesters, while the date of their start remains unclear.
Petro Poroshenko decided to testify in the Yanukovych treason case but failed to take into account the ridiculous zeal by law enforcers which marked the event. The latter recalled the latest performances by Femen activists at public events with the participation of the head of state and set up a TSA-level examination of several female journalists who covered the event in the Obolonsky courtroom. Amid the scandal, Poroshenko eventually gave testimony via a video link, becoming the first president in the post-Soviet space to testify in court.
The Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs was outraged over the signing of the law on Donbas reintegration while Poroshenko assured the public that the new legislation will not hinder the implementation of Minsk agreements, which has progressed very little over the past three years. Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Viktor Muzhenko noted the completion of the ATO, at the same time promising that the Joint Forces in Donbas will be headed by a commander with combat experience. Muzhenko also made it clear that anti-tank capacities of Ukrainian Army will be strengthened in 2018.
Stanislav Shevchuk was elected a new head of the Constitutional Court. It is interesting to note that the election was positively assessed by the different political forces who paid tribute to his professionalism and independence. Now the Constitutional Court should intensify its work because in 2017, it has mostly been idle.
The results of the sociological survey conducted by the "Rating" group certainly pleased Yulia Tymoshenko who saw her chances growing to seal a victory in the upcoming major political race. However, not all potential candidates for presidency are represented in the polls, while there's still much time to go before Ukrainians take to the polling stations in 2019. The share of those who remain undecided in their political preferences still seems high and it's for their voices that the main battle is yet to unfold. Quite showing are also the rumors about the talks between Yulia Tymoshenko and Petro Poroshenko about the holding of early parliamentary elections, which seem more like wishful thinking by some participants in the political process.
Rada Speaker Andriy Parubiy has once again vowed to improve the performance of the legislative branch, at the same time choosing not to reveal technologies for raising MPs' efficiency. Obviously, a number of personnel issues related to the change of the head of the board of the National Bank and the overwhelming majority of the members of the Central Election Commission should somewhat mobilize deputies. I want to believe that the law on national security and defense will not be back-shelved either.
Zakarpattia Governor Gennady Moskal allowed himself an ugly public remark toward an acting Minister of Health Ulyana Suprun. Neither public nor informal appeals from the executive branch to the brazen and foul-mouthed official seem to have had no effect so far, unfortunately. It's a shame that the dialogue between top officials is seeing not a slightest sign of respect.
Yevgeny Magda
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Duda says the Poles seek a good relationship with the Ukrainians, but the future must be "built on the basis of truth, not lies or negations."
Polish President Andrzej Duda has accused Ukrainians of genocide of Poles in the village of Huta Pieniacka in 1944.
A relevant appeal by the Polish leader was read out by Adam Kwiatkowski, the Secretary of State, Chief of the Cabinet of the President of Poland, during the commemoration of the 74th anniversary of crimes in the village of Huta Pieniacka in 1944, the Polish news portal Niezalezna.pl reported.
"The crime of genocide committed by Ukrainian soldiers and police officers at the service of Hitler's Third Reich, as well as Ukrainian nationalists, led to the killing of about a thousand people the Polish residents of Huta Pieniacka, Jews and refugees from other cities of Volyn and Podillya, whom they hid," the letter says.
Read alsoPoland's controversial bill drafted by pro-Russian historians, Kremlin media host RzeczpospolitaDuda called on the Poles "not to forget about the crimes in Huta Pieniacka." At the same time, he stressed that the Poles seek a good relationship with the Ukrainians, but the future must be "built on the basis of truth, not lies or negations."
"Our countries need each other to be strong and secure. Therefore we also seek remembrance and the truth about what happened here on February 28, 1944, so that nothing like that could happen again, so that our relations are based on the strong grounds and mutual trust," he added.
Former Polish President Aleksander Kwasniewski, in turn, says he believes that no one needs the feud between Poland and Ukraine. He acknowledged that the Polish government was very seriously engaged in the politicization of history. He called for everything to be done so that the history was known and no one would commit tragic mistakes in the future.
Crimea is turning into a salt-affected area, unsuitable for life.
Civil volunteer, Donbas war veteran, head of the Mir & Co charity fund Miroslav Gai has said Russia has been creating a giant military base on the Crimean peninsula.
He noted that the Russian Federation had deployed nuclear weapons and an S-400 air defense battery in Crimea, increased the number of personnel and redeployed aircraft.
Read alsoNineteen people missing in Russian-occupied Crimea Smedlyaev"If Russia is forced to withdraw troops from Crimea, there won't be too much difficult technically they have brought them and they will pull them back. The only question is that Russia is making a huge military base out of Crimea," the volunteer said during an online chat on the website of the Ukrainian news outlet Glavred.
"Once fertile soil in Crimea is now being destroyed by salinity, which makes the peninsula unsuitable for life. So, I'm afraid that all these processes are not for years, but for decades," Gai added.
American diplomats recalled that 4 years ago, Russia had seized Ukrainian parliament by force.
The United States will never recognize Russian annexation of Crimea and always support Ukraine's territorial integrity.
"Four years ago today, Russia seized the Crimean parliament in Ukraine illegally and by force. We will never recognize Russia's attempted annexation of Crimea, and remain steadfast in our support of Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity," the embassy tweeted Monday, Feb 26.
Read alsoRussia making giant military base out of Crimea volunteerUNIAN memo. On February 26, Ukraine marks Day of Crimea Resistance. On this day four years ago, thousands of Crimean residents rallied outside the local parliament in support of Ukraine's territorial integrity. They were confronted by supporters of Crimea's accession to Russia.
Following the illegal seizure of the peninsula, Russian security forces unleashed raids against Crimea Tatars who had taken part in the rally.
The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine has declared February 20, 2014, the date when the Russian occupation of Crimea and the port city of Sevastopol began.
International organizations condemned Russia's act while western powers introduced a number of economic sanctions.
Last week, EU ambassadors gave their consent to the extension of sanctions.
Foreign ministers of EU member states will consider the issue of prolonging diplomatic measures against Russia on March 12 instead of the earlier scheduled February 26.
According to Radio Poland, initially, the issue was to be decided at a Monday meeting of EU foreign ministers in Brussels.
It is noted that last week, EU ambassadors gave their consent to the extension of diplomatic measures against Russia for the annexation of Crimea and aggression in the east of Ukraine.
Diplomats state that at present, not all documents have been translated into the official languages of the EU countries, while a few countries are yet to complete internal procedures related to the extension of sanctions.
Read alsoUkraine's Foreign Ministry lists tools to counter Russian occupation of CrimeaIt is established that the sanctions, which will expire in mid-March, will automatically be prolonged for another six months at a Brussels meeting of the Ministers for Competitiveness March 12. No changes are expected to be put forward to the document as the issue has sparked no disagreements.
It was reported that nearly 150 people have been put on the "black list" providing for an EU entry ban and assets blocking across Europe. These are terrorists, Russian politicians, officials and military close to Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Sanctions also cover 38 companies whose European assets are to be frozen until mid-September.
As UNIAN reported earlier, in December 2017, the European Union formally approved the decision to extend economic sanctions against Russia for another six months over its aggression against Ukraine.
There is neither freedom of expression nor freedom of religion in Crimea.
Nineteen people are listed as missing in Russian-occupied Crimea, most of them are pro-Ukrainian activists.
"Nineteen people (including Crimean Tatars) have disappeared. I do not rule out the number could be higher. These are mostly activists," Chairman of the Central Electoral Committee of the Kurultai of the Crimean Tatar people Zair Smedlyaev told TV Channel 112 Ukraine.
Read alsoRussia not interested in annexation of DonbasHuman rights and freedoms are not observed in the occupied Crimea, he said. "The situation with human rights in Crimea is absolutely disastrous: that is, no rights are observed. Interrogations, raids, arrests, kidnappings, murders have become standard practice. There is neither freedom of expression nor freedom of religion or ideology, nor are there freedoms written down in the Constitution. Even the right to a single picket is also violated, and the worst violators of all these rights and freedoms are those agencies that should care of this. They have been performing the authorities' task to create an atmosphere of fear and lawlessness in Crimea," he said.
Deputy Chairman of the Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar People Ilmi Umerov, in turn, insists that sanctions against Russia should be toughened. "We believe that the sanctions should be further expanded, strengthened along with exerting political and diplomatic pressure so that Russia itself could leave Crimea as a heavy burden," he told TV Channel 112 Ukraine.
The enemy used 82mm mortars, grenade launchers of various types and small arms.
Russia's hybrid military forces mounted five attacks on Ukrainian army positions in Donbas in the past 24 hours, as a result of which one Ukrainian soldier was killed in action (KIA) and another one was wounded in action (WIA).
Read alsoUkraine reports five enemy attacks in Donbas, 1 KIA, 1WIA on Feb 25"In the Luhansk sector, the enemy fired seven 82mm shells toward our positions near the village of Zaitseve. The militants also used grenade launchers of various types and small arms to attack the Ukrainian fortified positions near the villages of Krymske and Novoluhanske," the press center of the headquarters of Ukraine's military operations reported on Facebook on Monday morning.
In the Donetsk sector, the invaders used 82mm mortars and small arms near the village of Vodiane. They also used small arms to fire at the defenders of Butivka coal mine.
The diplomats will exchange views on a variety of pressing international issues.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov is hosting talks with his Portuguese counterpart on February 26 and will discuss EU and NATO relations with Moscow and the situation in Ukraine, the countries' foreign ministries have said.
Portugal's Augusto Santos Silva has timed his visit to coincide with the closing of an exhibition at the Kremlin Lords Of The Oceans: Treasures Of The Portuguese Empire In The XVI-XVIII Centuries, RFE/RL wrote.
Read alsoLavrov blames NATO for Russian aggression in UkraineThe Russian Foreign Ministry said the diplomats will exchange views on a variety of pressing international issues, along with bilateral ties between Lisbon and Moscow.
"It is planned to discuss in detail the bilateral agenda and outline the ways of further development of Russian-Portuguese relations," the ministry said.
"The assessment of the current state of relations between Russia, the European Union, and NATO will be an important part of the talks."
The ministry said the two will also "exchange views on the situation in Ukraine, in Syria, Libya, and various issues related to Africa."
Western nations have slapped sanctions on Moscow for its seizure and annexation of Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula in 2014 and its support for separatists in eastern Ukraine.
Rogozin sees the sanctions against Russia as a chance to show "the best features" of its "national character."
Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin forecasts the international community will never lift the sanctions imposed on Russia and they will remain in force for good.
Read alsoU.S. looking at potential new sanctions against Russia media"For good. The revival of Russia's national identity usually leads to a rapid growth of its physical strength. No one has ever liked that at the level of instinct in the West. The sanctions are the reaction of the old enemy to our reinforcement. And they will be lifted only if we again become weak," he said in an interview with the Russian business daily Kommersant, answering a question for how long the restrictive measures imposed against the Russian Federation will remain in force.
Rogozin says he sees the sanctions against Russia as a chance to show "the best features" of its "national character."
As reported earlier, the U.S. Department of State said U.S. sanctions had inflicted over $3 billion in costs on the Russian budget.
The EU's Federica Mogherini has demanded the UN's Syria ceasefire resolution be observed without delay. Meanwhile, the French president reminded his Turkish counterpart that the truce applies to Syria's Afrin region too.
Arriving for a meeting with EU foreign ministers, Federica Mogherini, the EU's high representative for foreign affairs, said Saturday's UN resolution calling for a 30-day truce was a "necessary and encouraging step, but a first step," DW reported.
"Now that resolution needs to be immediately implemented," she added.
Meanwhile, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres appealed to the warring sides to abide by the resolution, calling on them to allow humanitarian aid and services to get through to those in need.
Speaking at the opening of a UN conference on human rights, he added that "it is high time to stop this hell on earth."
Guterres stressed that combating terrorism was no legitimate excuse for failing to protect civilians. He was referring to a clause in the UN resolution that exempts those attacks from the truce that target Islamic State or al Qaeda terrorists by regime forces.
The exemption was added to the resolution in an apparent concession to Syria ally and UN Security Council member Russia, which may have otherwise vetoed the resolution.
Read alsoMacron: 'France will strike' if proven chemical bombs used in Syria mediaOn Sunday, France's Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel urged Russian President Vladimir Putin to exert "maximum pressure" on Syria.
In eastern Ghouta on the outskirts of Damascus, meanwhile, airstrikes continued on the rebel-held areas east of Damascus.
Fresh bombardment killed 10 civilians, according to the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights and the opposition's Syrian Civil Defense, also known as the White Helmets.
On Sunday, 14 people were killed in eastern Ghouta, one of the last remaining rebel strongholds.
The Syrian regime has been pounding the suburbs east of Damascus in a major bombing campaign that started on February 19.
The offensive has killed more than 500 people and has seen many of the area's 400,000 residents forced to hide in shelters for days on end without adequate supplies.
There were also reports of a chemical weapons attack, with patients showing symptoms consistent with a chlorine gas attack, according to rights groups and local doctors. Damascus has always denied the use of chemical weapons.
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Minister of State and Chairman Board of Investment Naeem Y. Zamindar, who is on a visit to Japan, stressed Japanese investors to exploit rising investment opportunities in Pakistan.
ISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 26th Feb, 2018 ) :Minister of State and Chairman board of Investment Naeem Y. Zamindar, who is on a visit to Japan, stressed Japanese investors to exploit rising investment opportunities in Pakistan.
Addressing a special meeting of the Keidanren on emerging business and investment opportunities in Pakistan, Naeem Zamindar said that Pakistan's location on the cusp of important economic regions, young population and skilled labour force supported by very rapidly growing technology infrastructure made Pakistan a very attractive destination for investment not only for domestic market but also as a production and export hub for rest of the world.
.Keidanren is the premier institution representing business and industry in Japan, a statement received here Monday said. Chair, Policy Sub-Committee, Committee on South Asia, Keidanren Kiyoshi Miyake, in his welcoming remarks thanked Zamindar for visiting the Keidanren and giving a special briefing on Pakistan's economy and investment framework.
Speaking to the members of the committee on South Asia, Zamindar said that with improved security and a sustained economic turn around Pakistan is open for business. Japan with its historical business, economic linkages and the high regard that it enjoyed in Pakistan was best placed to avail of the emerging potential and opportunities.
Pakistan, he said, would welcome Japan's investment and BOI would offer every facilitation. The Chairman BOI noted that government was committed to make Pakistan a business friendly country. Foreign investment in Pakistan is protected by rigorous laws and FDI regulations allow full repatriation of capital and profits in almost all cases.
Pakistan is rich in agricultural and mineral raw material. This is now supported by fast penetration of access to technology.
Number of mobile phone holders increased 100 times between 2003 to 2008 and number of bank account holders is expected to increase 8 times to 80% of eligible population in 3 years.
The business environment is also helped by vast improvement in security situation in last three years. He identified energy, solar panels, electronics, auto, textile, chemicals and plastics and potential areas for Japanese investors and said through facilitation and incentive measures including one window operation and Special Economic Zones Japanese companies will find Pakistan a hospitable investment destination.
Ambassador of Pakistan Asad M. Khan also spoke on the occasion and highlighted the renewed interest in both capitals to further deepen bilateral engagement duly captured by the convening of a number of dialogue processes and the visit of Foreign Minister of Japan Taro Konoto Islamabad last month.
He reiterated that Pakistan firmly believed that common adherence to the ideals of peace, democracy, freedom and rule of law and shared commitment to promoting peace and security and expanding and deepening bilateral trade, investment and development cooperation provided a strong basis for a comprehensive, sustainable and mutually beneficial partnership between Pakistan and Japan.
Miyake concluded the session with the hope for stronger economic relations between the two countries. Earlier, Kinji Saito head of Suzuki Corporation operations, Hiroto Murai Chief Operating Officer Sojitz Corporation and Itabashi, Managing Director Innovation Network Corporation of Japan also called upon Zamindar and discussed their future investment plans in Pakistan.
Zamindar also met Yumikura Global Head of Infrastructure and Environment Finance JBIC and discussed investment opportunities for Japanese companies in Pakistan
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A high level delegation of Pakistan Furniture Council (PFC) Monday left for Sri Lanka on a 3-days to explore new markets and strengthening existing bilateral trade relations with their counterparts in furniture industry during business-to-business contacts
ISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 26th Feb, 2018 ) :A high level delegation of Pakistan Furniture Council (PFC) Monday left for Sri Lanka on a 3-days to explore new markets and strengthening existing bilateral trade relations with their counterparts in furniture industry during business-to-business contacts.
Prior to departure at airport, PFC Chief Executive Mian Kashif Ashfaq, heading the delegation, said members of the delegation would study about the latest trends of designing of products and modern technologies in their fields to better their trade to compete for global markets," says a press statement issued here.
He said PFC is focusing on marketing activities in key foreign markets mainly United States, Japan, European Union, the Gulf region and South Asia. He said Sri Lanka can provide huge opportunities to Pakistani exporters to market their products including handmade furniture in European markets in collaboration with Lankan companies.
Replying to a question about the future scope of trade with Sri Lanka, he said Pakistan can easily double exports to Sri Lanka in a year's time by effectively using the duty concessions under the Free Trade Agreement (FTA) and if the steps would be taken timely in right direction, he expected Pakistan's exports to Sri Lanka to be $500 million from the current $267 million within a year.
He said the trade balance is heavily in favour of Pakistan. "Its exports to Sri Lanka amounted to $267 million while Sri Lankan exports to Pakistan were worth just $58 million," he added. "Sri Lanka mainly exports textile products like men's T-shirts while it imports bed wear, trousers, silk and synthetic textile and other ready-made garments.
"Pakistan's exports are slowly growing and it can further increase its share." Mian Kashif said Pakistan needed to move from traditional cotton cloth to value-added furniture products to increase its exports.
He said furniture trade with Sri Lanka is at its lowest level and there is a dire need to explore furniture markets in this part of the region. He said "we should focus on intra-regional trade so that this South Asia can foster to meet the modern challenges." Replying to another question, he admitted that lack of connectivity is a major reason behind low inter-regional trade in South Asia.
However, he said South Asia has a trade opportunity of $80 billion as against the actual trade of $28 billion. "Remedial measures may push the regional trade to as high as $170 billion by 2020," he added.
He said Sri Lankan furniture producers are targeting middle East and European markets but Pakistani furniture industry is also equally enjoying a superb potential to compete. He quoted the example of Japan that has a great scope for Pakistani furniture because they like Pakistani traditional hand-carved furniture designs with classic finishing and similar designs can be replicated in South Asian especially in Sri Lankan markets.
Therefore, efforts must be made to promote furniture exports by more regular participation in international shows. All this can happen if there is government's strong will for it and a vision among furniture traders.
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Ambassador of Romania in Islamabad, Nicolae Goia has said that his country was aiming to take annual bilateral trade with Pakistan up to $500 million in near future as both countries have great potential to promote trade in many areas.
Islamabad, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 26th Feb, 2018) : Ambassador of Romania in Islamabad, Nicolae Goia has said that his country was aiming to take annual bilateral trade with Pakistan up to $500 million in near future as both countries have great potential to promote trade in many areas.
The Romanian Ambassador stated this while addressing business community during his visit to Islamabad Chamber of Commerce & Industry (ICCI) here on Monday. Mihai Stefan Dinu, Minister Counselor and Deputy Head of Mission of Economic Affairs also accompanied him at the occasion.
Nicolae Goia said that Pakistan and Romania enjoyed excellent political relations but economic relations were not up to real potential. He said Romania was keen to develop strong economic ties with Pakistan as it was an important country with great potential for business relations.
He said that China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) was an important project for Pakistan as it would promote regional connectivity and bring great economic dividends to Pakistan. He said Romania was also interested in becoming a part of CPEC.
The Romanian Envoy said that the security situation was quite better in Pakistan that would help in promoting business and investment activities. He said that Pakistan has the potential to achieve economic development like Japan in next 10-15 years as it has huge natural resources and potential to grow.
He assured that his Embassy would work with ICCI to promote contacts between private sectors of Pakistan and Romania. Speaking at the occasion, President ICCI Sheikh Amir Waheed said that the current volume of bilateral trade of around $100 million was not reflective of actual potential of both countries and strong efforts from both sides were needed to improve it.
He said Pakistan and Romania could cooperate in many fields including mining, agriculture, pharmaceuticals, cement production, alternate energy sources, information technology (IT), sports, exploration of oil & gas & minerals, manufacturing of helicopters and defence industry.
He stressed that both countries should encourage frequent exchange of trade delegations and facilitate B2B contacts to realize actual potential of mutual cooperation. He said organizing exhibitions on reciprocal basis could be another effective tool to improve trade and exports.
Sheikh Amir Waheed further said that CPEC has the potential to change economic dynamics of Pakistan and Romanian investors should explore JVs and investment in this mega project. He assured that ICCI would work with Romanian Embassy to promote connectivity between private sectors of both countries.
Senior Vice President ICCI, Muhammad Naveed thanked Romanian Ambassador for visiting ICCI and hoped for thriving trade relations between the two countries. Nisar Mirza Vice President ICCI, Mian Akram Farid, Mian Shaukat Masud, Shakeel Munir, Malik Sohail Hussain, Shekh Pervaiz Ahmed, Dildar Abbasi, Asif Chaudhry, Naeem Siddiqui, Fahad, Ms.
Nasir Ali and others also spoke at the occasion and stressed for further improving bilateral trade and economic relations between Pakistan and Romania.
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The Consul General of Switzerland in Karachi Philippe Crevoisier while terming the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) an economic turning point in the region said that it was inviting the foreign investors to make their investment in Pakistan.
HYDERABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 26th Feb, 2018 ) :The Consul General of Switzerland in Karachi Philippe Crevoisier while terming the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) an economic turning point in the region said that it was inviting the foreign investors to make their investment in Pakistan.
He expressed these remarks while addressing a reception hosted by the President Hyderabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry (HCCI) Goharullah in his honour here at HCCI Secretariat on Monday. According to HCCI spokesman, the Consul General said both Switzerland and Pakistan enjoy good economic relations with numbers of the Swiss companies operating in Pakistan.
As a result of healthy economic cooperation, he said that the Swiss exports have been increase by 15.1 percent in 2016 with 16.8 percent imports. Besides economic cooperation, he said that both the countries also enjoying healthy bilateral relations with cooperation in education, research and innovations.
The Switzerland is also sharing contribution of development cooperation and humanitarian aid in Pakistan and focused the areas of rural development, he said. He said that Pakistani products have great potential in the European market and the investment from many European countries including Italy could bring fruitful results in this direction.
The President HCCI Goharullah in his welcome address has briefed the Consul General about the industrial activities of Hyderabad adding that there is a great opportunity for foreign investors to make their investment in textile and automobile industries of Hyderabad.
Besides, the Swiss investors can also make their investment in the power sector, he said and underlined the need of exchange of trade delegations between the two countries. Among others, Senior Vice President HCCI Turab Ali Khoja and Vice President Ziauddin were also present on the occasion.
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Allama Iqbal Open University (AIOU) on Monday declared final result of its Bachelor (B.A) programs semester spring 2017 and placed at its website.
ISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 26th Feb, 2018 ) :Allama Iqbal Open University (AIOU) on Monday declared final result of its Bachelor (B.A) programs semester spring 2017 and placed at its website.
The programs include: BS (Microbiology), BS (Chemistry), BA (General), B.Com, BA Mass Communication and BA Dars-e-Nizama, a press release said on Monday. Results of Matric, F.A., PTC, CT, ATTC, PhD (business Administration) were already declared.
The results' declaration is well before closing of admissions' date for the spring semester 2018. This facilitates the continuing and fresh students to take admission in the next program. The last date for the ongoing admissions is March 5.
Meanwhile, the Vice Chancellor Prof Dr Shahid Siddiqui has advised the 44 regional offices all over the country to take all possible measures assisting the aspiring candidates in the admission process.
The students' enrollment had been showing upward trend in the recent years due to the revised admission policy that encourages the students to carry on their future study. The annual enrollment has already crossed 1.3 million.
A number of steps were taken during the last three years, that brought about qualitative improvement in the university's overall education system, the press release added.
The University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences (UVAS) Lahore Vice-Chancellor Meritorious Prof Dr Talat Naseer Pasha along with faculty members including deans, professors, chairman/chairperson, registrar, directors from different departments of UVAS spent Day Out at UVAS Ravi Campus Pattoki
LAHORE(UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 26th Feb, 2018 ) The University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences (UVAS) Lahore Vice-Chancellor Meritorious Prof Dr Talat Naseer Pasha along with faculty members including deans, professors, chairman/chairperson, registrar, directors from different departments of UVAS spent Day Out at UVAS Ravi Campus Pattoki.They visited various departments of Ravi Campus Pattoki including Central Laboratory Complex (CLC), Zoological Museum and Avian Conservation & Research Center, Residences and Clinics.
They also planted saplings associated with their Names in A Block Ravi Campus Pattoki.
Meanwhile, VC Dr Talat Naseer Pasha inaugurated Foreign Faculty Hostel in A block which is comprised of 5 spacious rooms with attach baths and all necessary latest facilities. Speaking on the occasion, VC Dr Pasha acknowledged the role of faculty and administrative staff in day by day progress and infrastructure development for the promotion of education & research in its Ravi Campus Pattoki.
He said such progress is the result of their collective efforts. The staff members appreciated the leadership for speedy infrastructure development with latest state of the art facilities at Ravi Campus Pattoki.
Senior leader of Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N), Ishaq Dar on Monday said that China and Saudi Arabia had always supported Pakistan in every difficult hour.
ISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 26th Feb, 2018 ) :Senior leader of Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N), Ishaq Dar on Monday said that China and Saudi Arabia had always supported Pakistan in every difficult hour.
Talking to a private news channel, he said that Saudi Arabia and China would also support Pakistan, in Financial Action Task Force (FATF). Expressing his reservation over the FATF meeting outcome, he said including the name of Pakistan in the watch list would have negative impact on economic rating.
Pakistan had given a lot of sacrifices in fighting war against terrorism but that the efforts were not acknowledged properly at international level, he said.
He said, "We should have to focus on the issues to streamline the system." Meanwhile, Senator Javed Abbassi of PML-N, while talking to news channel said that America with the help of Allied Forces had failed in Afghanistan due to which, the United States was putting pressure on our country through FATF.
He said that India and the US both the countries were trying to malign Pakistan in one pretext or the other. To a question regarding corruption, he said action should be taken against any person found involved in the corruption activities and that should be done without discrimination, he added.
ISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 25th Feb, 2018 ) :Chairman Parliamentary Committee on China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) Mushahid Hussain Syed has said CPEC was a future project of Pakistan and it would provide equal benefits to all provinces.
Talking to ptv, he said CPEC would bring economic revolution in the country. He said international airport, hospitals, university and vocational training colleges had constructed in Gwadar. After completion of many power projects launched by the incumbent government under CPEC would help in overcoming energy crisis, he said and added that mining of Thar Coal was underway which would further strengthen the national economy.
He said industrial zones would be established across the country as this project was focusing on construction of Gwadar Port, industrial zones, western route and overcoming energy crisis.
Syed Mushahid said, "We are achieving immediate results from CPEC as immense unemployed youth were doing job due to the project.
Women are driving bulldozers to contribute their services for the development of the country." He said China is all weather friend of Pakistan and CPEC would create understanding and people to people contact between nations of two countries.
Commenting on parliamentary committee for CPEC, he said members of the committee had visited many places to resolve reservations of the masses. The chief ministers of four provinces had attended the meetings on CPEC and national consensus was already evolved in that regard, he added.
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Jhang bazaar and Ghulam Muhammadabad police seized heavy quantity of fireworks and arrested seven accused from their jurisdiction during last 24 hours
FAISALABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 26th Feb, 2018 ) -:Jhang bazaar and Ghulam Muhammadabad police seized heavy quantity of fireworks and arrested seven accused from their jurisdiction during last 24 hours.
Police spokesman said here Monday that the accused including Fayyaz,Riaz, Ejaz,Yaseen,Akbar and others were locked up behind the bars after registration of cases. Further investigation was under progress.
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An anti-terrorism court (ATC) on Monday granted an exemption to PTI Chairman Imran Khan from appearing in the next hearing of violence cases related to 2014 sit-ins.
Islamabad, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 26th Feb, 2018) : An anti-terrorism court (ATC) on Monday granted an exemption to PTI Chairman Imran Khan from appearing in the next hearing of violence cases related to 2014 sit-ins.
Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) chief Imran Khan appeared before an anti-terrorism court in Islamabad for the hearing of four cases pertaining to the 2014 sit-in. Judges, Kausar Abbas and Shahrukh Arjumand were hearing four cases ' attack on the state television building, Parliament and then SSP Islamabad (Operations) Asmatullah Junejo against PTI and Pakistan Awami Tehreek leaders.
Imran Khan's lawyer Advocate Shahid Naseem Gondal filed two pleas in the court on his behalf seeking acquittal and exemption from personal appearance in the cases. A notice for a permanent exemption from appearing before the court in the cases was issued to the prosecution.
The hearing was then adjourned until March 13. Talking to media persons after the hearing, Imran Khan urged anti-terrorism court (ATC) to also summon Shehbaz Sharif as Chinese company officer had revealed that corruption was carried out during Multan metro bus project.
He said that the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Capital Engineering Company Faisal Subhan who took contract of Multan metro bus project is missing from past few days. Subhan said he is front man of Shehbaz Sharif, he added.
PTI chief also alleged Punjab CM of spending mammoth amount of 9,000 billion in nine years, adding profit of metro bus projects in Multan and Lahore is being given to the Sharif family. He further demanded to make these projects public.
Commander of the Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force, Brigadier General Hassan Shahsafi called on Chief of Army Staff, General Qamar Javed Bajwa on Monday here at the General Headquarters.
RAWALPINDI, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 26th Feb, 2018 ) :Commander of the Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force, Brigadier General Hassan Shahsafi called on Chief of Army Staff, General Qamar Javed Bajwa on Monday here at the General Headquarters. During the meeting matters of professional interest were discussed, a statement issued here by Inter-Services Public Relations said.
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Renowned mountaineer Samina Baig was appointed the National Goodwill Ambassador for Pakistan by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) on Monday
Islamabad, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 26th Feb, 2018) : Renowned mountaineer Samina Baig was appointed the National Goodwill Ambassador for Pakistan by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) on Monday.
The first Pakistani woman to have climbed Mount Everest, Ms Baig will lead efforts to build national awareness and partnerships around the Sustainable Development Goals, particularly those related to climate change, environmental protection and women's empowerment.
The United Nations Resident Coordinator in Pakistan, Neil Buhne said "Pakistan is amongst the most vulnerable countries in the world to climate change. Preparing for its effects, and instituting environmental protections, will safeguard economic development for future generations.
Moreover, half of Pakistan's population, its women, are under-represented in education, the workforce and in decision-making. Empowering women to play their full role in society is not only an ethical imperative, it is essential for sustainable development." "UNDP's National Goodwill Ambassadors are leaders in their societies, and role models for us all.
As the National Goodwill Ambassador for Pakistan, Ms Baig will use her profile to shine a light on the issues that shape Pakistan's future, and build the partnerships required to address them," said UNDP Pakistan Country Director Ignacio Artaza.
Born in Gilgit-Baltistan, at the age of 22 Samina Baig became the first Pakistani woman to climb Mount Everest. By the time she turned 23, she had climbed the highest mountain on each of the world's seven continents.
Awarded the Pride of Performance by the Government of Pakistan, today she presides over the Pakistan Youth Outreach Foundation to encourage youth, especially women, to participate in outdoor activities.
As a mountaineer she bears witness to the critical importance of preserving Pakistan's fragile ecosystems and preparing for the effects of climate change. Samina Baig said, "I am greatly honoured to be part of UNDP.
From the remotest village of Pakistan and reaching the summit of the world's tallest mountain, Mt. Everest and beyond the borders, Scaling Peak in Antarctica and the seven highest peaks of the seven continents, in some of the most harsh conditions, my entire climbing purpose was to empower women through these adventures and encourage gender equality.
With my brother, I have experienced significant impact of global warming and climate change on our mother earth. I am honoured to be the national goodwill Ambassador of UNDP to spread the voice to take serious step to counter global warming and raise voice to empower young girls to climb the highest level within their field of profession." UNDP's National Goodwill Ambassadors are inspirational women and men who serve as spokespersons to uphold the United Nations Charter and the Sustainable Development Goals.
The signing ceremony was attended by the Ambassador of Austria, Her Excellency Dr Brigitta Blaha, United Nations Resident Coordinator Neil Buhne and UNDP Pakistan Country Director Ignacio Artaza.
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National Accountability Bureau (NAB), Rawalpindi has started inquiry against former Chairman of Pakistan Science Foundation (PSF), Dr Manzoor Hussain Soomro and officers/officials of Ministry of Science and Technology.
ISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 26th Feb, 2018 ) :National Accountability Bureau (NAB), Rawalpindi has started inquiry against former Chairman of Pakistan Science Foundation (PSF), Dr Manzoor Hussain Soomro and officers/officials of Ministry of Science and Technology.
As per details, Dr Soomro was appointed illegally as Chairman of PSF (BPS-22), Director General (BPS-21) Pakistan Scientific & Technological Information and as president Economic Coordination Organization (ECO) Science Foundation.
He made illegal appointments and promotions while misusing his authority, a press release said. In another case, NAB Rawalpindi has also initiated inquiry against officers and officials of Capital Development Authority (CDA) and others on allegation of illegal lease and sale of costly CDA commercial plot in Melody Islamabad (Plot No.
11, G-6, Civic Center Melody Islamabad). NAB DG Rawalpindi, Irfan Naeem Mangi said in light of directions of NAB chairman, Justice (Retd) Javed Iqbal all out efforts were being made to recover looted money from swindlers and corrupt persons.
He said NAB chairman had categorically directed all ranks of officers/officials of NAB to pursue proactively corruption cases as per NAB's Standard Operating Procedures transparently and on merit and take necessary measures to arrest corrupt and proclaimed offenders in order to eradicate corruption from the country.
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The National Assembly (NA) Standing Committee on Defence Production has appreciated the role of Karachi Shipyard and Engineering Works (KS&EW) under the supervision of its management and Minister for Defence Production
Islamabad, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 26th Feb, 2018) : The National Assembly (NA) Standing Committee on Defence Production has appreciated the role of Karachi Shipyard and Engineering Works (KS&EW) under the supervision of its management and Minister for Defence Production.
Meeting of the NA Body on Defence Production was held in the Committee Room No.7, of the Parliament House, Islamabad on Monday with MNA Khawaja Sohail Mansoor in chair. Managing Director (MD) of KS&EW briefed the committee about the ongoing and new Public Sector Development Program (PSDP).
He said that ECNEC and CDWP have already approved two projects i.e Up-gradation of ship lifting system and infrastructure development of Karachi Shipyard. The Committee strongly recommended to Ministry of Finance and Revenue for providing the requisite funds on priority basis, due to the importance of said projects.
The meeting was attended by MNAs Mr. Muhammad Khan Daha, Ms. Amra Khan, Mr. Shah Jahan Baloch, Ms. Asiya Nasir, Mr. Bilal Rehman and senior officers of the MoDP & Karachi Shipyard.
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National Assembly's Standing Committee on Interior Moonday Monday approved budgetary proposals of Rs20286.411million for the Interior Division Monday under Public Sector Development Programme (PSDP) 2018-19.
ISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 26th Feb, 2018 ) :National Assembly's Standing Committee on Interior Moonday Monday approved budgetary proposals of Rs20286.411million for the Interior Division Monday under Public Sector Development Programme (PSDP) 2018-19.
The Interior Division had demanded Rs 13123.482 million for ongoing projects where as proposed Rs7162.929 million have been demanded for new projects of the Division. The meeting of the Standing Committee on Interior was held on Monday under the Chairmanship of Rana Shamim Ahmed Khan, MNA.
The Committee unanimously confirmed the minutes of its previous meeting held on 14-02-2018. The concerned department informed the Committee that the recommendations made in its previous meetings were implemented.
The Committee examined "The Pakistan Penal Code (Amendment) Bill, 2017" (Insertion of new sections 167-A & 344-A, Act XLV of 1860) (moved by Mr. Sajid Ahmed, MNA); and decided that the Bill may not be recommended.
The Committee examined "Islamabad Birthing Center and Hospital Maternity Services Bill, 2017",(moved by Ms.
Naeema Kishwer Khan, MNA); and "The West Pakistan Maternity Benefit (Amendment) Bill, 2017", (moved by Ms.
Aisha Syed, MNA);and deferred it till the next meeting. The Committee examined "The Prevention and Control of Human Trafficking (Amendment) Bill, 2017 (sections 2 and 3)",(moved by Ms. Nafeesa Inyatullah Khan Khattak, MNA) and "The Trafficking in Persons Bill, 2017" (moved by Mr.
Babar Nawaz Khan, MNA); and decided constitute a Sub-Committee under the Convenership of Nawab Muhammad Yousuf Talpur. Members, MNAs, Mover Syed Iftikhar-ul-Hassan, Nawab Muhammad Yousuf Talpur, Kanwar Naveed Jameel, Shaikh Salahuddin, Sher Akbar Khan, Dr.
Arif Alvi, Ms. Naeema Kishwer Khan, Babar Nawaz Khan, Ms. Aisha Syed, Ms. Nafeesa Inyatullah Khan Khattak attended the meeting besides the senior officers from the Ministry of Interior and its departments, Ministry of Law and Justice, Passport Office with their staff.
Foreign Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif Monday said that the cooperative partnership between Pakistan and China had its roots in mutual trust, equality, non-interference, harmonious co-existence and win-win principles.
ISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 26th Feb, 2018 ) :Foreign Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif Monday said that the cooperative partnership between Pakistan and China had its roots in mutual trust, equality, non-interference, harmonious co-existence and win-win principles.
Jointly Inaugurating a photo exhibition with Ambassador of People's Republic of China Yao Jing, the minister said the exhibition was a glimpse of strong Pakistan-China partnership, who celebrate the rich cultural linkages and bonds, said a press release issued here.
The photo exhibition was organized to commemorating Chinese New Year, the press release added.
The minister while speaking on the occasion, appreciated President Xi Jinping's transformative Belt and Road Initiative, saying the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) was its flagship project.
He stated that (CPEC) was making excellent progress and was rapidly transforming the infrastructure and energy landscape of the country. It is through (CPEC) that both countries would change the spatial topography of the region.
Chinese Ambassador Yao Jing, in his address elaborated on the symbolism of Chinese Spring Festival and hailed the significance of strong Pakistan-China bilateral relations.
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Pakistan Red Crescent Society, Sindh chapter managed to raise funds worth over Rs.15 million, for its series of projects, in an event organized with the support of the British High Commission
KARACHI, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 26th Feb, 2018 ) :Pakistan Red Crescent Society, Sindh chapter managed to raise funds worth over Rs.15 million, for its series of projects, in an event organized with the support of the British High Commission.
The fundraising evening that featured about 250 guests including prominent Names from government, business community, media and civil society provided an opportunity to the participants to look into the PRC-Sindh's efforts focussed on humanitarian work during peacetime as well as emergencies.
The British Deputy High Commissioner, Steve Crossman on the occasion appreciated PRC for going into dangerous situations and helping vulnerable communities. The objective of the event, he said was to raise funds for PRC Sindh and help it to continue the mission of providing humanitarian assistance to vulnerable communities of the province.
PRC-Sindh's Chairperson Shahnaz Hamid on the occasion shared in detail the current position of the PRC and also reflected upon the challenges the organization might face in the future.
She on the occasion also acknowledged the support of the German and Norwegian Red Cross societies for supporting PRC Sindh.
"World is faced with dangerous situation where international disasters have put resource constraints on international funding," she said. Shahnaz Hamid urged the government and private sector to join hands with PRC Sindh for the cause of service to humanity.
She particularly thanked the national Chairman and managing committee of Pakistan Red Crescent for their support. PRC - National Chairman Saeed Elahi appreciated the efforts of Sindh chapter and briefed the audience about the national network.
PRC, he said was actively engaged in series of country wide programs encompassing health, disaster management, water and sanitation, first aid and also restoration of family links. The event concluded with a qawwali session presented by Fareed Ayaz and Abu Muhammad.
LAHORE, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 25th Feb, 2018 ) :Pakistan Chemical Manufacturers Association (PCMA) on Sunday called for ensuring uniform price of re-gasified liquid natural gas (RLNG) in all four provinces.
PCMA Chairman Zubair F Tufail, Senior Vice Chairman Zafar Mahmood, Vice Chairman Abdul Qayoom and executive committee members, including Mian Muhammad Adrees, in a joint press statement here, claimed that high price of RLNG in Punjab as compared to other provinces was creating problems for chemical industries in the province.
They urged Prime Minister Khaqan Abbasi and and Punjab Chief Minister Shehbaz Sharif to take notice of the situation.
Zubair Tufail said in comparison to international and regional economies, the high cost of gas and additional surcharge on electricity had perturbed local chemical manufacturers.
He said the RLNG was being supplied at Rs 600 per MMBTU in Sindh, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan but in Punjab its rate was Rs1300 per MMBTU, thus adding more than 100 per cent cost on this count, which had made the operation of chemical units unviable in this province. Mian Muhammad Adree called for setting the RLNG tariff at Rs 600 across the country. APP/maa/rsd
Renowned mountaineer Samina Baig, the first Pakistani woman to climb Mount Everest, was on Monday appointed the National Goodwill Ambassador for Pakistan by the United Nations Development Programme, the UN agency said.
ISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 26th Feb, 2018 ) :Renowned mountaineer Samina Baig, the first Pakistani woman to climb Mount Everest, was on Monday appointed the National Goodwill Ambassador for Pakistan by the United Nations Development Programme, the UN agency said.
"Ms Baig will lead efforts to build national awareness and partnerships around the Sustainable Development Goals, particularly those related to climate change, environmental protection, youth and womens empowerment," the UNDP said in a press release.
The United Nations Resident Coordinator in Pakistan, Neil Buhne, said, Pakistan is amongst the most vulnerable countries in the world to climate change. Preparing for its effects, and instituting environmental protections, will safeguard economic development for future generations.
"Moreover, half of Pakistans population, its women, are under-represented in education, the workforce and in decision-making. Empowering women to play their full role in society is not only an ethical imperative, it is essential for sustainable development.
UNDPs National Goodwill Ambassadors are leaders in their societies, and role models for us all. As the National Goodwill Ambassador for Pakistan, Ms Baig will use her profile to shine a light on the issues that shape Pakistans future, and build the partnerships required to address them, said UNDP Pakistan Country Director Ignacio Artaza.
Born in Gilgit-Baltistan, at the age of 22 Samina Baig became the first Pakistani woman to climb Mount Everest. By the time she turned 23, she had climbed the highest mountain on each of the worlds seven continents.
Awarded the Pride of Performance by the Government of Pakistan, today she presides over the Pakistan Youth Outreach Foundation to encourage youth, especially women, to participate in outdoor activities.
As a mountaineer, she bears witness to the critical importance of preserving Pakistans fragile ecosystems and preparing for the effects of climate change, UNDP said. Samina Baig said, I am greatly honoured to be part of UNDP.
From the remotest village of Pakistan and reaching the summit of the worlds tallest mountain, Mt. Everest and beyond the borders, Scaling Peak in Antarctica and the seven highest peaks of the seven continents, in some of the most harsh conditions, my entire climbing purpose was to empower women through these adventures and encourage gender equality.
"With my brother, I have experienced significant impact of global warming and climate change on our mother earth . I find this honour as the national goodwill Ambassador of UNDP to spread the voice for climate change and environmental protection and advocate to empower young girls to climb the highest level within their field of profession.
UNDP said it's National Goodwill Ambassadors are inspirational women and men who serve as spokespersons to uphold the United Nations Charter and the Sustainable Development Goals. The signing ceremony was attended by the Ambassador of Austria, Dr Brigitta Blaha, United Nations Resident Coordinator, Neil Buhne, and UNDP Pakistan Country Director, Ignacio Artaza.
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The city police arrested a shopkeeper and seized 600 kites from his possession here in the area of Mansoorabad police station
FAISALABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 26th Feb, 2018 ) :The city police arrested a shopkeeper and seized 600 kites from his possession here in the area of Mansoorabad police station. A police spokesman said here on Monday, on special directives of City Police Officer (CPO) Athar Ismaeel a crackdown was launched against kite-flying across the district.
During operation, Jawans of Dolphin police force arrested a shopkeeper Hamza, resident of Malik Pur, seized 600 kites and other kite-flying material.The police locked the accused behind the bars. Further investigation was in progress.
The achievement of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) adopted unanimously by the UN member states is critical to transform the country from a security state to a welfare state as in Article 38 of the Constitution.
Islamabad, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 26th Feb, 2018) : The achievement of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) adopted unanimously by the UN member states is critical to transform the country from a security state to a welfare state as in Article 38 of the Constitution.
This was stated by Senator Farhatullah Babar while addressing Task Forces on SDGs in the Provincial parliaments at the Pakistan Institute of Parliamentary Services (PIPS) in Islamabad today. He also presented a 17-point Action Plan for achieving the 17 SDGs.
Sustainable development is all about placing the human being at the centre of national discourse. All issues therefore whether population, environment, water scarcity, child and maternity deaths, stunted children, broken criminal justice system , right to information and freedom of expression are issues of sustainable development, he said..
The Parliamentary Task Forces have a historic opportunity to help transform Pakistan into a welfare state instead of driven by security paranoid, he said. The 17-point Action Plan envisages that provinces should set up SDG centres, launch mass awareness campaigns, adopt legislation to rationalize use of scarce water and incentivize local governments to implement the SDGs by increased allocations from provincial financial awards.
He said that achievement of SDG targets may be made a criteria in the NFC Award and ministries of population and climate change be established in provinces besides adopting Climate Change Legislation to provide for strong Environmental Protection Councils.
About prioritization he said that child health, stunted growth of almost half of children, reproductive health and millions of out of school children deserved the highest attention.
The subject of population welfare and climate change be included in the curriculum of schools and colleges, he said adding also the overwhelming weight given to population in the NFC.
Distribution of resources on the basis of population is a political statement to reward population explosion that runs counter to the spirit of sustainable development, he said. FATA, GB and AJK should also be included in the Award.
Pakistan he said was the 7 most affected countries due to climate change although it was at 135th in terms of contributing to global warming. A 100 billion Dollars fund had been earmarked by the Paris Conference for climate impacted countries he said and called upon the provincial governments to develop appropriate projects to benefit from this fund.
Issues in climate change, water scarcity and recurring floods are a shared challenge for India and Pakistan and called for including it in the composite dialogue. This might also help in breaking the stalemate and pave way for progress in other contentious areas between the two countries, he said.
A poor score card on 17 SDGs is a serious non-traditional threat to the security of the country he said. Nuclear and strategic weapons will not protect Pakistan from the threat posed by rampant poverty, widening disparity between rich and the poor, stunted children, exploding population, unemployed frustrated youth and a broken justice system, he said.
Representatives of different schools of thought met here on Monday to pay tributes to Asma Jahangir.
LAHORE, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 26th Feb, 2018 ) :Representatives of different schools of thought met here on Monday to pay tributes to Asma Jahangir. Minister HR&MA Khalil Tahir Sandhu lauded her contributions towards upholding the rule of law, democracy and safeguarding human rights.
He said that Asma Jahangir was a well-respected lawyer who created a significant space for women in Pakistan's patriarchal society through a struggle that lasted four decades. Speaking on the occasion, Abdul Ghafar Ropari said that Asma Jahangir was an outspoken and courageous lady, and had risen to prominence by sheer dint of hard work, diligence and commitment to the legal profession.
All the participants paid rich tributes to Asma Jahangir's services for humanity and termed her demise a great loss for the legal fraternity and prayed for eternal peace of the departed soul and for the courage of the bereaved family to bear this irreparable loss with fortitude. The participants also observed a one-minute silence for the late rights campaigner.
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A delegation of United States National Security Council called on Minister for Interior Ahsan Iqbal here on Monday and discussed various matters of mutual relationships.
ISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 26th Feb, 2018 ) :A delegation of United States National Security Council called on Minister for Interior Ahsan Iqbal here on Monday and discussed various matters of mutual relationships.
The delegation was headed by Senior Director National Security Council and Special Assistant to President of United States, Lisa Curtis.
Ambassador of US to Pakistan, David Hail was also present in the meeting, says a statement issued here Monday.
During the meeting, Ahsan Iqbal said harmony in Pak-US relationship was vital for defeating terrorism in the region. He said backbone of terrorism had been broken in Pakistan while the country wanted to develop sustainable peace in Afghanistan.
He said Pak-US knowledge corridor would help increasing educational capacity of students of Pakistan. The minister also informed the delegation about measures taken by the government to stop human trafficking.
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UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres paid tributes to Asma Jahangir, a leading Pakistani lawyer and a UN human rights special rapporteur, as a "true champion of human rights", in his address to the Human Rights Council in Geneva on Monday.
UNITED NATIONS, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 27th Feb, 2018 ) :UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres paid tributes to Asma Jahangir, a leading Pakistani lawyer and a UN human rights special rapporteur, as a "true champion of human rights", in his address to the Human Rights Council in Geneva on Monday.
"As a Special Rapporteur of this Council, as a great citizen of Pakistan, and as a towering representative of the force of civil society, she devoted her life to the pursuit of the vision of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights," Guterres said.
"She also stood for the rights of women, reminding us again that womens rights are human rights," the secretary-general added. "She was a great example to us all.
" Guterres also paid high tributes to the courage shown by the UN Human Rights Commissioner, Jordan's Zeid Ra'ad al Hussein, who is stepping down after one term in office.
"I would like to take this opportunity to commend the work of the High Commissioner and to thank him for his service to the United Nations and the cause of human rights," he said. "High Commissioner Zeid has shown tremendous courage in highlighting human rights concerns in all regions.And he has shown equal dedication in working with governments to resolve those concerns," the UN chief said.
"The world counts on the High Commissioner, his office, and this Council to expose human rights violations wherever they occur and to press for change."
MINSK, 26 February (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 26th Feb, 2018 ) ::Belarus is a consistent supporter of nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation, Deputy Chairman of the House of Representatives of the National Assembly of Belarus Boleslav Pirshtuk said at a special discussion of the OSCE PA General Committee Political Affairs and Security, BelTA learned from the press service of the House of Representatives.
The discussion highlighted the issues related to arms control, disarmament and non-proliferation in the OSCE area. The vice speaker noted that Belarus is a consistent supporter and participant in the processes of nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation and recalled that in February 2018 Belarus marked 25 years since it adopted the historic decision to join the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, the press service said.
Boleslav Pirshtuk expressed regret that the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty has not yet entered into force, which is detrimental to the global non-proliferation regime.
The Belarusian delegation took part in the winter session of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly, which also featured a discussion about arms control.
The MPs took part in the key events of the session, including the meeting of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly General Committee on Political Affairs and Security. In his speech, Boleslav Pirshtuk emphasized the need for a coordinated approach and joint action by all OSCE countries and partners in counteracting transnational challenges and threats to security.
He called on the members of the assembly to effectively implement the existing confidence-building measures, to act in line with OSCE commitments to complement the efforts of the UN in this direction, the press service said.
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An administrative official was snatched over the weekend from one of Cameroon's restive English-speaking regions in the second such kidnapping in a fortnight, state media reported on Monday.
Yaound, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 26th Feb, 2018 ) :An administrative official was snatched over the weekend from one of Cameroon's restive English-speaking regions in the second such kidnapping in a fortnight, state media reported on Monday.
The man was taken by armed men near Batibo, which lies 40 kilometres (25 miles) west of the city of Bamenda, and the same area from which another local official was taken on February 11. "The regional representative for social affairs for the northwest region has been missing since Saturday.
He was taken while in his car in the Batibo area by armed attackers," Cameroon Radio Television (CrTV) said. Regional police officials confirmed the kidnapping to CrTV, saying they had recovered his burnt-out vehicle.
The abduction was claimed on social media by the so-called Ambazonia Defence Forces (ADF), an armed group of English-speaking separatists from a self-proclaimed republic independent from the majority French-speaking country.
The ADF, headed by firebrand former student trade unionist Lucas Cho Ayaba, also snatched Namata Diteng, deputy head of the Batibo district earlier this month.
Dozens of people have been killed since October in Cameroon's two restive anglophone regions following a violent government crackdown on protests against the mainly French-speaking government.
The situation worsened at the end of January when 47 separatists, including Sisiku Ayuk Tabe, one of their leaders, were arrested in Nigeria, which sent them back to Cameroon, prompting a fresh wave of violence.
Aside from targeting police and soldiers, some separatist groups appear to be turning to kidnapping, as well as threatening French firms located in English-speaking areas. Anglophones account for about a fifth of the west African country's 23 million population.
On Thursday, a presidential decree paved the way for the creation of a fifth military subdivision which will oversee western Cameroon and be based in Bamenda.
Colombia's ELN rebels, whose peace talks with the government have been suspended since the end of January, announced on Monday a temporary ceasefire during next month's legislative elections.
Bogota, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 26th Feb, 2018 ) :Colombia's ELN rebels, whose peace talks with the government have been suspended since the end of January, announced on Monday a temporary ceasefire during next month's legislative elections.
"The National Liberation Army (ELN) will carry out a cessation of offensive military operations, between March 9 and 13," the rebel group said in a statement dated February 25, but released on Monday.
The vote takes place on March 11. The group also urged the government of President Juan Manuel Santos to return to negotiations, which he suspended last month after attacks blamed on the guerillas left eight police dead and dozens wounded.
"The goal must continue to be developed with rigor and speed ... to seek an agreement that overcomes the armed confrontation and to agree on transformations in search of a peaceful and equitable Colombia," it added.
The ELN began peace talks with President Juan Manuel Santos's government a year ago in the Ecuadoran capital Quito. Santos, who will leave power in August after two four-year terms, is looking to reach a deal with the ELN similar to that agreed with FARC rebels, who have since disarmed and transformed into a political party.
Both parties have expressed willingness to hold a new ceasefire and resume talks, but the government delegation remains in Colombia. "We propose to President Santos to set a date for the start of the fifth cycle of talks and send his delegation to Quito," the ELN said in the text.
The FARC, meanwhile, is set to participate in the March election as well as presidential elections in May, in which Colombians will chose Santos' successor. The peace deal that ended the five decades-long conflict guaranteed 10 seats for the FARC in Colombia's congress.
Iraq has extended by three months a ban on international flights to the autonomous Kurdish region, a senior official at Arbil airport in the capital of Iraqi Kurdistan said on Monday.
Arbil, Iraq, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 26th Feb, 2018 ) :Iraq has extended by three months a ban on international flights to the autonomous Kurdish region, a senior official at Arbil airport in the capital of Iraqi Kurdistan said on Monday.
The Federal government in Baghdad first imposed the air blockade in September after Iraqi Kurdistan voted overwhelmingly for independence in a non-binding referendum rejected as illegal by the central government.
It was extended in December for two months and was to run until February 28 but the authorities decided to renew it for three months, the official said. "We have been informed by the civil aviation authority in Baghdad that the ban on international flights to and from Arbil and Sulaimaniyah airports has been extended until the end of May," he said.
"Only internal flights are authorised."
Nairobi, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 27th Feb, 2018 ) :A Tanzanian court on Monday handed five-month jail terms to two regime opponents, including a lawmaker, for defaming President John Magufuli, their defence counsel said.
Joseph Mbilinyi, a lawmaker with main opposition party Chadema in the southern town of Mbeya, was sentenced with party regional secretary Emmanuel Masonga. They were charged with linking Magufuli in December to the attempted September assassination of senior opposition lawmaker Tundu Lissu and the abduction of other opposition supporters.
Lissu, shot several times at his home, is currently recovering in hospital in Brussels. "The Myeba court gave the accused five months for insulting president Magufuli.
As we speak they are already in jail," defence lawyer Peter Kibatala told AFP by phone.
He added an appeal would be lodged and that he was calling for their release in the meantime. Mbilinyi says he was not even present when the reputed comments were made linking Magufuli, nicknamed "Tingatinga" (bulldozer in Swahili), with the assassination attempt.
The 58-year-old took office in 2015 as a corruption-fighting "man of the people" but has earned criticism for his authoritarian leadership style with detractors saying he has clamped down on opposition and freedom of expression.
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Qatar has strongly condemned the two terrorist attacks that took place in the Afghani's capital, Kabul and the province of Farah which left more than 25 people dead, Qatar's state news agency (QNA) reported Monday
DOHA,(APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 26th Feb, 2018 ) :Qatar has strongly condemned the two terrorist attacks that took place in the Afghani's capital, Kabul and the province of Farah which left more than 25 people dead, Qatar's state news agency (QNA) reported Monday.
In a statement, Qatar's Ministry of Foreign Affairs renewed the country's firm stance on the rejection of violence and terrorism, regardless of its motives and reasons.
Qatar also sent its condolences to the families of the victims, the government and the people of Afghanistan, the statement said.
On Saturday, 22 soldiers were killed in the western province of Farah by Taliban militants. Furthermore, In Kabul, a suicide bomber detonated his explosives in an area dotted with critical diplomatic buildings, which left at least three security officers dead. Militant group Islamic State said it carried out the attack, reports said.
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Experts gathered in Nigeria's capital on Monday to discuss ways to stop Africa's Lake Chad from drying up, after years of environmental decline that has hit livelihoods and security
Abuja, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 26th Feb, 2018 ) :Experts gathered in Nigeria's capital on Monday to discuss ways to stop Africa's Lake Chad from drying up, after years of environmental decline that has hit livelihoods and security.
The two-day conference, organised by the government in Abuja and the Lake Chad Basin Commission, aims to "save the lake from extinction", according to UNESCO, which is backing the talks. A $6.5-million (5.3-million-euro) research and conservation programme will involve Cameroon, Chad, Niger and Nigeria, whose borders meet on the lake, as well as the Central African Republic.
Troops from Cameroon, Chad, Niger and Nigeria are fighting a battle against Boko Haram militants in the remote region. Lake Chad is the principal source of freshwater for 40 million people. But climate change and water mismanagement have contributed to a staggering 90 per cent decline of the lake's surface over the past 40 years.
As it dries up and hunger rises, the region has become fragile . The UN estimates that more than two million people have been uprooted from their homes and 10.7 million are in need of food handouts to survive.
Accusations of treason levelled by a Turkish newspaper at five Dutch MPs of Turkish descent for voting to recognise the massacre of Armenians under the Ottoman Empire as "genocide" provoked a strong backlash in The Netherlands on Monday.
The Hague, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 26th Feb, 2018 ) :Accusations of treason levelled by a Turkish newspaper at five Dutch MPs of Turkish descent for voting to recognise the massacre of Armenians under the Ottoman Empire as "genocide" provoked a strong backlash in The Netherlands on Monday.
Dutch lawmakers overwhelmingly voted on Thursday in favour of a proposal that the country's parliament refer to the massacre as "the Armenian genocide" -- a move strongly condemned by Ankara. Turkish pro-government newspaper Sabah on Saturday said "the five MPs showed again that they are against Turkey" by supporting the "scandalous decision".
Dutch parliamentary speaker Khadija Arib responded on Sunday, saying that "threatening or inciting threats in reaction to people expressing their opinion in unacceptable". "It has no place in a democracy or an open and free society such as ours," Arib was quoted Monday by De Volkskrant newspaper as saying, adding that "it is called freedom of speech".
Armenians have long sought international recognition for the 1915-1917 killings in the Ottoman era as genocide, which they say left some 1.
5 million of their people dead. But Turkey -- the Ottoman Empire's successor state -- argues that it was a collective tragedy in which equal numbers of Turks and Armenians died.
Another pro-government newspaper, Yeni Akit, labelled the five lawmakers "degenerates" on Sunday. Since then, the lawmakers -- two from the Socialist Party, two from the environmental GreenLeft party and one from the Liberal VVD party -- have reported receiving threats and hate mail.
"The era of intimidation and demonisation is over," Zihni Ozdil, one of the GreenLeft MPs, told the Algemeen Dagblad tabloid. "I do not feel totally targeted by these kind of people. I am Dutch," said Dilan Yesilgoz of the VVD, who arrived in the Netherlands as a refugee in 1984.
So far, parliaments in more than 20 countries, including Germany, have voted for laws or resolutions explicitly recognising the Armenian "genocide". The vote comes at a low point in diplomatic ties between the Netherlands and Turkey after a Dutch decision earlier this month to withdraw its ambassador.
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The deaths of two people during banned weekend marches in the Democratic Republic of Congo deepened public outrage Monday after authorities put down the latest in a series of demonstrations against the rule of President Joseph Kabila.
Kinshasa, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 26th Feb, 2018 ) :The deaths of two people during banned weekend marches in the Democratic Republic of Congo deepened public outrage Monday after authorities put down the latest in a series of demonstrations against the rule of President Joseph Kabila.
Rally participants were horrified to learn that activist Rossy Mukendi, a father of two in his 30s, had died after being shot by security forces -- a shooting the Congolese Association for Access to Justice pressure group condemned as a premeditated "assassination".
AFP reporters in Kinshasa witnessed him being taken still alive to the capital's Saint Joseph de Limete hospital by a Red Cross team, but he later succumbed to his wounds.
Bishop Donatien Nshole, as the Catholic Church supported the rallies, told AFP another man was shot dead by a guard in the northwestern city of Mbandaka.
The Church-backed protests came after months of tension sparked by Kabila's prolonged rule and a long-delayed election in the vast and chronically unstable central African country. Supporters on Monday shared over social media an image of Mukendi with the legend "the people will always win." Bienvenu Matumo of the Struggle for Change (Lucha) protest movement told AFP by email he was aghast at the news.
Ukrainian has detained one of the organisers of the massive Avalanche cybercrime network, police said on Monday, over a year after the global ring was busted in an international raid
Kiev, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 26th Feb, 2018 ) :Ukrainian has detained one of the organisers of the massive Avalanche cybercrime network, police said on Monday, over a year after the global ring was busted in an international raid.
"An organiser of the international crime platform known as 'Avalanche' which infected up to half a million computers in the world daily was detained in Kiev Sunday," Ukraine's cyber police said in a statement.
Avalanche was a criminal network providing infrastructure for malware and DDoS (distributed denial of service) spam attacks across the world before it was busted in an unprecedented global sting operation.
Speaking to AFP, a cyber police spokeswoman confirmed the arrested man was Gennadiy Kapkanov, a Ukrainian citizen who was using a passport with a different identity. Police also searched his rented flat, seizing a laptop and memory storage devices, it said.
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UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has called on Myanmar authorities to ensure unfettered humanitarian access in Rakhine state, where violence against Rohingya Muslims had forced hundreds of thousands of them to flee to neighboring Bangladesh.
UNITED NATIONS, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 26th Feb, 2018 ) :UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has called on Myanmar authorities to ensure unfettered humanitarian access in Rakhine state, where violence against Rohingya Muslims had forced hundreds of thousands of them to flee to neighboring Bangladesh.
UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres made the plea during a speech to the Human Rights Council in Geneva on Monday. The Rohingya community desperately needs immediate, life-saving assistance, long-term solutions and justice, he told the Human Rights Council in Geneva on Monday.
"They (Rohingyas) are under siege as a group " simply for who they are," he said. "I have travelled several times to Northern Rakhine," Guterres said, adding, "In my experience, the Rohingya are one of the most discriminated against populations in the world " and that was even before the crisis of the past year.
"Deprived of nationality, they have been subjected to extreme brutality by military forces and others, and cast out of their homes and country in a clear example of ethnic cleansing." The UN chief noted that he had written an official letter to the Security Council about the plight of the persecuted Muslim minority group and the ethnic cleansing taking place in Rakhine.
Human Rights Watch said last week that it had analyzed satellite imagery showing Myanmar had razed to the ground at least 55 Rohingya villages in Rakhine over the past months.
The New York-based rights group said the demolitions could have erased evidence of atrocities perpetrated by Myanmars security forces against the persecuted minority.
Myanmars military forces stand accused not just of torching and destroying Muslim villages, but of carrying out massacres, rapes and widespread looting. Backed by the government, Maymanrs military and Buddhist extremists launched a heavy-handed crackdown against the Muslim minority in Rakhine in late 2016.
That campaign intensified in August 2017. The crackdown has forced nearly 700,000 Rohingya Muslims to flee to Bangladesh, where they face repatriation. Bangladesh and Myanmar signed an agreement in November last year to repatriate all Rohingya Muslims who have crossed the border to escape the brutal military crackdown.
The repatriation was set to start last month, but was delayed by a lack of preparation, as well as protests staged by Rohingya refugees against the plan to send them back to Myanmar while conditions were not safe for their return.
The Rohingya have lived in Myanmar for generations but are denied citizenship and are branded illegal immigrants from Bangladesh, which likewise denies them citizenship. The UN has described the 1.1-million-strong Muslim community as the most persecuted minority in the world.
Chinese President Xi Jinping's special envoy Liu Yandong here on Monday met with South Korean President Moon Jae-in, urging efforts to boost ties consistent with the original aspiration to establish bilateral diplomatic relations, Xinhua report said
SEOUL, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 26th Feb, 2018 ) ::Chinese President Xi Jinping's special envoy Liu Yandong here on Monday met with South Korean President Moon Jae-in, urging efforts to boost ties consistent with the original aspiration to establish bilateral diplomatic relations, Xinhua report said.
China and South Korea should take the opportunity of the 10th anniversary of the establishment of their strategic cooperative partnership to earnestly implement the consensus reached by the two heads of state.
Chinese President Xi Jinping's special envoy Liu Yandong met here on Monday with South Korean President Moon Jae-in, urging efforts to boost ties consistent with the original intention of both sides in establishing diplomatic relations.
SEOUL, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 26th Feb, 2018 ) :Chinese President Xi Jinping's special envoy Liu Yandong met here on Monday with South Korean President Moon Jae-in, urging efforts to boost ties consistent with the original intention of both sides in establishing diplomatic relations.
China and South Korea should take the 10th anniversary of the establishment of their strategic cooperative partnership as an opportunity to earnestly implement the consensus reached by and between the heads of state of the two countries, Liu said.
Liu met with Moon after attending the Feb. 25 closing ceremony of the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics. She noted that the attendance to the Feb. 9 opening ceremony by Xi's special envoy Han Zheng, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, and her presence at the closing ceremony well reflect China's support for the PyeongChang games and the importance China attaches to its relations with South Korea.
During the meeting with Moon, Liu said China and South Korea should keep boosting mutual trust, launch mutually beneficial cooperation, strengthen exchange in education, science and technology, culture, sports, public health and other fields of humanities, and properly handle sensitive issues, in order to consolidate the political basis and the basis of public opinions for long-term stable development of relations between the two countries.
On the Korean Peninsula issue, Liu recalled that South Korea and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) took the PyeongChang Olympics as an opportunity to restart dialogue and interaction, revealing the common aspiration for peace of the people on the Korean Peninsula.
China is dedicated to peaceful solution of the Korean Peninsula issue through dialogue and consultation, Liu said. Liu expressed the hope that the South Korean side will enhance confidence, eliminate interferences, keep promoting continued improvement of relations between the south and the north, and keep the current momentum of detente, in striving to make progress in peace talks.
China will continue to play a positive and constructive role on the issue, she added.
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Work by an internationally acclaimed guest composer will be featured in a concert by the Symphonic Wind Ensemble and Wind Symphony at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point Friday, March 2.
The concert will be held at 7 p.m. in Michelsen Hall at the Noel Fine Arts Center, featuring work by John Mackey, an award-winning composer who works have been performed across the world.
The Wind Symphony will perform Mackey's "Sheltering Sky" as well as "Florentine March" by Julius Fucik and "First Suite for Band" by Alfred Reed. The Symphonic Wind Ensemble will perform "Aurora Awakes" by Mackey, "Fanfare for the Common Man" by Aaron Copland and "First Suite in E-flat" by Gustav Holst. The wind ensembles are led by Assistant Professor Michael Butler, director of bands at the university.
Mackey will also work with more than 90 high school students as part of UW-Stevens Point's Honor Band Festival, March 2-3. The event concludes Saturday, March 3, with a free concert at 4:30 p.m. in Michelsen Hall.
Mackey specializes in writing music for symphonic winds and dance and has been commissioned by the Dallas Wind Symphony, Alvin Ailey Dance Company and American Bandmasters Association. He has won numerous awards and grants for compositions and served as a composer in residence at many universities, symphonies and music festivals. He holds degrees from The Julliard School and Cleveland Institute of Music.
Tickets for Friday's concert are $10 for adults, $7 for senior citizens, $5 for UW-Stevens Point students, faculty and youth and free the day of the concert for students with a UW-Stevens Point I.D. if not sold out. Tickets are available at the University Information and Tickets Office in the Dreyfus University Center, by calling 715-346-4100 or 800-838-3378 or at http://tickets.uwsp.edu. Tickets may be purchased at the door if available. Proceeds benefit student scholarships.
About 1-in-3 people in the world eats food that fills them up but doesnt have enough protein, vitamins and minerals.
Known as hidden hunger, the situation can lead to a weakened immune system, stunted growth and impaired intelligence.
But San Francisco food tech company Just thinks it has the answer bring Silicon Valley know-how, drive and resources to figure out how to make a countrys traditional, popular dish more nutritious while maintaining taste and low cost.
Turning a local dish into a nutritious meal
Known for making plant-based mayonnaise, cookie dough and salad dressings that can be found in U.S. supermarkets, Just launched an initiative in Liberia working with local manufacturers and suppliers to make a product called Power Gari. It is based on cassava, a popular ingredient in Liberian cooking.
In January, Power Gari began appearing on store shelves in Monrovia, Liberias capital. It has six ingredients, more than 80 percent of which are from local sources, according to the firm. The company licenses the formula to a Liberian manufacturer and works with local suppliers to meet food safety standards. [[https://justforall.com/en-us/stories/power-gari]]
Our goal here is to build a better food system in Liberia and that means we are hands-on, says Taylor Quinn, director of emerging markets for Just, who lives in Monrovia.
Struggling to get the right taste
Over the past two years, Quinn has carried ingredients from Liberia to San Francisco for the chefs and scientists at Just to look for ways to make an affordable, traditional meal more nutritious. But they balance those concerns with making sure that Liberians will like the taste.
It's sometimes hard to get the exact flavor profile, Quinn said. The cassava or the sugar or whatever it may be that we're using in northern Liberia is different than what we can get access to here in the office.
The formula for Power Gari turns the starchy cassava into a fortified porridge of vitamins and minerals. Its 12 grams of protein are derived from a soy protein concentrate. It is flavored with locally-sourced red palm oil and salt.
The company is constantly tweaking the formula, part of its startup mentality approach, Quinn said.
Power Gari costs roughly 5 cents per 50-gram serving for the bulk product that is in schools. The sealed packages sold in retail stores costs about 15 cents per serving.
A machine that works when the power goes out
For Quinn, one of the most challenging aspects of Justs efforts in Liberia is to figure out what works best on the ground. When it came to the machinery used in its manufacturing partners plant, Quinn wanted a mixing machine made in Liberia that can work without electricity. He found a local manufacturer who made the machines for about $800 and can come by to do repairs if needed.
When the power first went out during production, the workers switched to hand cranking the mixture. After a few minutes of hand cranking, it was perfect, Quinn said.
Expanding to bigger markets
The true proof of Power Garis success will be if Liberians buy it. The company says it looked to Liberia as a test case before thinking about expanding to bigger markets such as Nigeria or Kenya.
The goal, according to company founder Josh Tetrick, is nothing less than solving the worlds unjust food system.
Why are we not approaching this with the kind of ferocity that high growth companies bring to their own operations?" he asked.
We want to end micronutrient deficiency in the world. We're starting with Liberia, he added. And the potential to do it is quicker than a lot of people realize. It is right in front of us.
Just has raised more than $200 million from investors and is valued at over $1 billion. It has revamped its board recently to add directors with international business, agriculture and sustainability experience.
U.S., Mexican and Canadian negotiators met on Monday seeking to narrow disagreements on how to overhaul the NAFTA trade deal despite renewed signs of tension between Mexico and U.S. President Donald Trump over his planned border wall.
The trade teams began a seventh round of talks on Sunday aiming to finish reworking less contentious chapters of the North American Free Trade Agreement in order to create space to broker agreement on the trickiest subjects.
Still, with a presidential election looming in Mexico in July and U.S. mid-term congressional elections in November, the talks increasingly run the risk of getting entangled in domestic political considerations.
Negotiators are confident that the lesser hurdles will gradually be cleared. But the discussions have again been clouded by the proposed wall along the U.S. southern border that Trump has long touted as a necessity to curb illegal immigration and that he says Mexico must pay for.
Mexico has consistently rejected paying for the wall, and its government had hoped to arrange a meeting between President Enrique Pena Nieto and Trump in the next few weeks. However, a senior U.S. official said at the weekend that plan had been postponed after a phone call between the two soured over the wall earlier this month.
Used to distractions
The trade negotiators have become used to such distractions, but the talks are increasingly centering on U.S. demands that officials say can be resolved only at the top political level.
Mexicos government has not commented officially on the derailment of the planned meeting, but Juan Pablo Castanon, head of the powerful CCE business lobby, was less reticent as he took stock of the unfolding NAFTA negotiations in Mexico City.
Obviously, the cancellation of the Mexican presidents trip to the United States is an important element in the negotiations: its politics that can help us resolve the technical issues were moving forward on. Castanon said.
The NAFTA talks were launched last year after Trump said the 1994 agreement should be overhauled to better favor American interests or Washington would quit the accord.
Phone call fallout
One former Mexican official still familiar with the process said the government was concerned that the fallout from the Trump-Pena Nieto phone call could weigh on the atmosphere at the talks, in spite of hopes that several chapters may be finished.
Castanon of the CCE said measures on e-commerce, telecommunications and sanitary standards for agricultural products were almost completed, and others close to the talks believe the energy chapter could also conclude.
Officials do not anticipate major breakthroughs on the most intractable proposals during the latest round of talks in Mexico City, which are due to run until March 5.
U.S. demands range from changes to automotive content origin rules and dispute resolution mechanisms, to imposing a clause that could automatically kill NAFTA after five years.
Agriculture, rules of origin, labor and regulatory practices were among the issues due to be discussed on Monday, one day before chief negotiators return to the fray.
Auto components
The Trump administration wants NAFTA rules of origin changed to make automakers source more parts from the region and specifically the United States, a major sticking point that the industry itself opposes.
The government is concerned that a lack of progress on the issue could hurt the renegotiation, the former official said.
In a sign of movement, the U.S. official leading the auto content negotiations was called back to Washington from Mexico for consultations on Monday, U.S. and Mexican officials said.
One official said the negotiator went back to talk to U.S. automakers and U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer Seeking to break the deadlock, the Mexican government has said it would put forward a proposal on rules of origin at this round, but a Mexican official said on Monday no new ideas had been presented so far.
Supply management
There was little sign of compromise on other thorny issues early on, with a senior Canadian agriculture official pushing back against U.S. demands to dismantle Canadian protections for the dairy and poultry sectors known as supply management.
When it comes to supply management, we believe there can be no concession, said Jeff Leal, the minister of agriculture, food and rural affairs for the province of Ontario.
Reports of massacres and the displacement of close to 700,000 Rohingya have chilled relations between Myanmar and its Western partners but the crisis has not reversed the countrys long-term economic outlook.
Myanmars brand as a frontier destination for Western investment took a knock earlier this month with the exit of a disgruntled U.S. law firm, while doubts grow over the governments ability to implement business-friendly reforms.
Some analysts say the crisis in Rakhine State is taking an economic toll and hurting the governments efforts to attract more balanced foreign investment after years of over-reliance on China.
The governments belligerent approach to Western criticism over the Rohingya crisis has allowed China to win back ground lost since Myanmar began to liberalize, economically and politically, after 2011. It remains the countrys largest trading partner, with Singapore now the largest investor. The U.S. and European countries trail far behind.
However, large Western firms that have entered in recent yearsin energy, consumer goods, telecommunications, and beer, among other sectorsare digging in rather than packing up.
Tiago Coelho, editorial manager at the Oxford Business Group, a consultancy firm, told VOA that few Western companies that have committed funds and energy would seriously consider pulling out or downsizing on account of the Rohingya crisis.
Low-hanging fruit
The likes of Telenor and Heineken entered their respective marketstelecoms and beeron the cusp of giant expansions, in a country where the cost of entry is high. Moreover, they can still count on the support of their embassies.
New sanctions, narrowly targeted at Myanmar military officers, are being enacted and discussed, but most embassies retain a pro-investment platform, in support of the civilian government of Aung San Suu Kyi and their own countries trade interests.
Eric Rose, lead director of New York-based Herzfeld Rubin Meyer & Rose, announced this month that the firm was leaving after five years in Myanmar, and cited stalled economic reforms. He had lobbied for the lifting of sanctions and for an American investment rush that never came.
Since 2016, only U.S. sanctions against arms deals, money laundering, and transactions with drug kingpins remaineduntil a regional army commander was sanctioned late last year.
In 2017, Myanmars investment directorate approved $5.6 billion of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI), down from $7.8 billion in 2016, prompting talk of a downturn.
But Tony Picon, Myanmar founder and director of real estate services firm Colliers International, warned against putting too much emphasis on FDI, since this index dips and surges as major infrastructure and energy projects are put to tender.
Manufacturing FDI, which has been robust, is a better indicator of economic growth as this represents sustainable revenue, he said.
The National League for Democracy government, which assumed power in early 2016, has launched few big-ticket projects compared to the previous, military-backed government, which scooped low-hanging fruit by liberalizing the oil and gas and telecoms sectors, among others.
Rebound
Although appalling in scale and intensity, the death and displacement in Rakhine is contained within an isolated border enclave of little economic consequence to the rest of the country.
Three months into the crisis, in November, visiting officials of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) hailed a rebound in Myanmars economy. Projected growth of 6.7 percent for the 2017/18 financial year, up from a post election-year dip of 5.9 percent in 2016/17, is being fueled by advances in agriculture and rising exports, they said.
Western investors seem largely convinced. In November, another international law firm, London-based Stephenson Harwood, opened an office in Yangon, Myanmars commercial capital. Lead partner Tom Platts declared it an exciting time to be working in Myanmar.
In January, the in-country managing director of Nestle, the Swiss food and drinks giant, told Yangon-based media outlet Mizzima of plans for four-fold growth in Myanmar by 2020. A Nestle factory near Yangon will soon go online, servicing the local market.
The similarly vast consumer goods company Unilever, headquartered in the UK and Holland, is also expanding in Myanmar. It announced a joint venture with a local company last year to build on combined annual sales of more than $120 million.
Reputational risk
As the Rohingya crisis has deepened, activists had trained their sights on Unilever as well as Telenor, the Norwegian telecoms company that has invested $2 billion in Myanmar since 2013 in a cutthroat race for mobile phone subscribers. In September, Telenor issued a statement of grave concern, but avoided using the word Rohingya which is politically toxic in Myanmar.
Telenor, now second in the market and not far behind a state-owned enterprise, is bracing itself for the entry this year of a new telecoms company, branded Mytelwith stakes held by the militaries of Vietnam and Myanmarwhich is tipped to start a price war.
However, the worst effects of the crisis on investment may be the hardest to trace: that of foreign companies eyeing the Myanmar market and choosing, on assessment, to opt for countries with more favorable headlines and less risk to reputations.
Before any economic impact, you see a political impact, said Coelho of the Oxford Business Group, noting the widening political gulf between Myanmar and the West.
China's plan for President Xi Jinping to remain in office indefinitely has sparked social media opposition, drawing comparisons to North Korea's ruling dynasty and charges of creating a dictator by a Hong Kong pro-democracy activist.
The social media reaction late on Sunday quickly saw China swing into a concerted propaganda push by Monday, blocking some articles and publishing pieces praising the party.
The ruling Communist Party on Sunday proposed to remove a constitutional clause limiting presidential service to just two terms in office, meaning Xi, who also heads the party and the military, might never have to retire.
The proposal, which will be passed by delegates loyal to the party at next month's annual meeting of China's largely rubber stamp parliament, is part of a package of amendments to the country's constitution.
It will also add Xi's political thought to the constitution, already added to the party constitution last year, and set a legal framework for a super anti-corruption superbody, as well as more broadly strengthen the party's tight grip on power.
But it seems the party will have its work cut out trying to convince some in China, where Xi is actually very popular thanks in part to his war on graft, that the move will not end up giving Xi too much power.
"Argh, we're going to become North Korea," wrote one Weibo user, where the Kim dynasty has ruled since the late 1940s. Kim Il Sung founded North Korea in 1948 and his family has ruled it ever since.
"We're following the example of our neighbor,' wrote another user.
The comments were removed late on Sunday after Weibo, China's answer to Twitter, began blocking the search term "two term limit".
In an unusual step amid intense international media attention, China's foreign ministry, which normally only comments on diplomatic matters, said amending the constitution was a matter for the Chinese people.
Since 1954, when the constitution was first adopted, everybody can see that it has been "continuously improved", spokesman Lu Kang told a daily news briefing.
"I hope everyone can acknowledge the voice of all the Chinese people."
Jokes and memes
State media has added its voice too.
Widely read state-run newspaper the Global Times said in an editorial the change did not mean the president will stay in office for ever, though it did not offer much explanation.
"Since reform and opening up, China, led by the Communist Party, has successfully resolved and will continue to effectively resolve the issue of party and national leadership replacement in a law-abiding and orderly manner," it said, referring to landmark economic reforms that began four decades ago.
The party's official People's Daily reprinted a long article by Xinhua news agency saying most people supported the constitutional amendments, quoting a variety of people proffering support.
"The broad part of officials and the masses say that they hoped this constitutional reform is passed," it wrote.
The WeChat account of the People's Daily, after initially posting a flurry of positive comments under its article, then disabled the comments section completely late on Sunday. It was back again by Monday, complete with remarks lauding the party.
The overseas edition of the same paper's WeChat account removed entirely an article focusing on the term limits, replacing it with the lengthy Xinhua report summing up all the amendment proposals.
In one confusing moment for many Chinese, Xinhua initially only reported the news in English.
Jokes have also circulated on social media. One shows a picture of a condom in its wrapper under the words "doing it twice is not enough".
Others shared pictures of Winnie the Pooh, an internet meme that plays on Xi's supposed likeness to the rotund cartoon bear, an image censors have repeatedly tried to remove.
Parts of the stock market took heart from the news. Chinese speculators pounced on stocks with "emperor" in their name on Monday.
The decision has also unsettled some in the Chinese territory of Hong Kong, where authorities have been trying to rein in a pro-democracy movement.
"This move, which would allow for a single individual to amass and accumulate political power, means that China would again have a dictator as her head of state - Xi Jinping," said Joshua Wong, one of the movement's leaders.
"The law may exist in China in form, but this just proves that the Chinese law exists to serve the individual and the party's purposes."
China is likely though to see any such criticism as a plot against the party.
"Every time China deliberates on reforms and key decisions, effect on public opinion is worth pondering," the Global Times wrote. "Misinformation and external forces' meddling will affect public opinion in China."
Still, on China's streets, there was some support for Xi staying on.
"I think in our country, nowadays, many policies, such as deepening reforms, need more continuity," said Beijing resident Zhao Yisu, 42. "Particularly in politics, I believe stable leadership is good."
Authorities in Pakistan are investigating reports that a Christian blasphemy suspect jumped from a four-story building and suffered serious injures. The man claims he jumped to escape torture in custody.
Officials and doctors say Sajid Masih is recovering from his "fractured legs and jaw" in a hospital in Lahore where the incident took place on Friday.
Masih and one of his cousins were taken into custody for allegedly posting anti-Islam content on Facebook. They were being probed by cyber crime experts of the Federal Investigation Agency, or FIA, at its main office in the eastern Pakistani city when Masih jumped from the fourth floor of the building.
FIA officials denied charges the man was being tortured or abused, saying "no one had even touched" him. They insisted Masih panicked after "he was asked to unlock his cell phone" for screening.
In a video message circulated and shared via social media, Masih has accused several FIA officers of "severely" torturing him and snatching his cell phone in the process. He alleged the officers were coercing him and his cousin into sexually assaulting one another before he decided to jump from the window.
Dozens of Pakistani human rights groups and activists strongly condemned the incident in a joint statement Monday. They raised serious concerns over persistent misuse of Pakistan's harsh blasphemy laws, specifically against Christian and other religious minorities.
"The law enforcement authorities have not only failed in their duty to protect minorities, but have actively participated in violence against them," the statement said.
The groups called for an independent inquiry into the incident, rejecting the FIA's ongoing internal probe as unacceptable.
They also demanded that area police withdraw the case of attempted suicide against Masih. Activists say they suspect the police case was meant to cover up and protect FIA officers who made the Christian community member jump off the building.
Insulting Islam and its Prophet Mohammad are extremely sensitive issues in Pakistan and can carry the death penalty, although no one has been executed under the blasphemy laws. Right groups say the laws are often misused or exploited to settle personal disputes.
In Monday's joint statement, activists have also demanded authorities take immediate steps for safety and protection of Masih and his relatives. Mere allegations of blasphemy have provoked mob lynchings of suspects or their targeted killings in Pakistan.
Last year,23-year-olduniversity student Mashal Khan was beaten to death byfellow students and others at the campus, accusing him of sharing blasphemous content on social media, charges investigations later determined were false. The incident happened in the northwestern city of Mardan, provoking a nationwide outcry against Khan's brutal killing.
Earlier in February, an anti-terrorism court sentenced one person to death and 30 others to jail terms, including life imprisonment, for their role in the lynching case.
European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker said Monday that Serbia must solve its dispute with Kosovo and implement a series of reforms before it can join the European Union.
Juncker said following talks with Serbia's President Aleksandar Vucic that the Balkan country is on the right path, but that the EU cannot accept any new members with unresolved territorial issues.
"Serbia has already covered an impressive part of the (EU) path," Juncker said, before adding that a number of problems "still have to be solved."
He singled out the need for judicial reforms and improvements in the rule of law before Serbia and others can join the EU.
Juncker is visiting Serbia as part of a tour of the Western Balkans nations aspiring to join the bloc at a time Russia is looking to bolster its influence in the region, particularly in Serbia.
The visit comes after the EU drafted a new expansion strategy that envisages Serbia and Montenegro could be the next to join the bloc in 2025.
Vucic said he's urging compromise with predominantly-ethnic Albanian Kosovo, whose 2008 declaration of independence following a 1998-99 war Belgrade does not recognize.
"We need a compromise or we will continue to live in the past," Vucic said.
Juncker said the EU is seeking a "legally-binding" agreement between Serbia and Kosovo, but that the scope of the deal is up to the two nations. The EU is helping out in the talks on normalizing ties between the two.
Juncker has already visited Macedonia and Albania. He will travel to Montenegro before proceeding to Kosovo and Bosnia. His trip ends with an EU summit with regional leaders in Sofia, Bulgaria, on March 1.
A South Korean firm's uncontested discovery of oil in a sea where six other governments vie for sovereignty shows how outsiders harvest maritime resources without adding to decades of political friction.
South Korean petroleum refining company SK Innovation Co. found crude oil at a Chinese tract in the South China Sea, the company said Thursday.
Its case shows that firms from countries with no political stake in the resource-rich South China Sea can find oil and natural gas by contracting with one of the claimant governments. Those governments normally rent out blocks in their 370-kilometer-wide exclusive economic zones rather than further at sea where conflict is more likely, analysts say.
"This is not uncommon, but of course whenever there is a discovery, the people would raise their eyebrows, especially nowadays these various claims to South China Sea territories and sea beds have been intensifying," said Oh Ei Sun, international studies instructor at Singapore Nanyang University.
Discoveries by outside parties
Six governments claim the 3.5 million-square-kilometer sea that stretches from Taiwan to Singapore. They are Brunei, China, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam. Their disputes rest partly on control of undersea oil and gas. The U.S. Energy Information Agency estimates 11 billion barrels' worth of oil under the sea along with 190 trillion cubic feet of natural gas.
China, the most militarily powerful, claims about 90 percent of the waters. Its island-building and passage of ships since 2010 have upset the other governments, leading to world court action against Beijing in 2016.
But India and Spain have worked with Vietnam since 2016 to find fuel under the seabed. The Philippines was working with U.S.-based Forum Energy in 2012 to explore for the same. In 2014, Shell and a Malaysian partner found natural gas.
SK Innovation found a 34.8-meter-thick oil pool at a depth of more than 2,000 meters last year, the company said on its website. Oil production has been tested at up to 3,750 barrels per day, it added.
The company had explored since 2015 as the 80 percent owner of a block also held by Beijing's state-owned China National Offshore Oil Corp. SK Innovation began its oil and gas business in 1983 by acquiring interests in Indonesia, which has a small stake in the South China Sea.
Countries with South China Sea claims are quietly setting aside politics to make the most of a globalized oil economy, sometimes through joint ventures, said Alan Chong, associate professor at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies in Singapore.
"The complexity is just tangled. And so indirectly someone benefits along the way even though officially the governments will be at loggerheads," he said. "As much as the governments are officially drawing the lines around recognizing Chinese claims, privately I think they've just closed an eye to all these subterranean corporate linkages."
Block sales
Most fuel exploration contracts involving outside companies take place when a claimant country offers a block of the ocean to outside bids. Blocks usually lie within an awarding country's exclusive economic zone to minimize risk of dispute, analysts say, although the zones themselves are often contested because of overlapping claims.
"So far I would say it hasn't strayed that far out into a region where there may be potential risk," said Song Seng Wun, economist with the CIMB private banking unit in Singapore. "No one would want to come in anyway at the same time.
"I think it's pretty straight forward on that side," he said. "It's quite well regulated."
In mid-2017, the Spanish firm Repsol suddenly stopped looking for oil in a block controlled by Vietnam but disputed by China. China had pressured Vietnam to drop the project, political scholars said at the time.
Oil companies may not mind the political risk, Oh said, as they're used to projects in the politically volatile Middle East. They fear more the prospect of finding no fuel under the sea after spending billions of U.S. dollars, he said.
At a recent all-night prayer vigil, nearly 100 Roman Catholics gathered in a church ground floor chapel to pray the rosary in Cantonese for their fellow worshippers in mainland China.
On their minds as they recited the prayer: a possible deal between the Holy See and China's communist leaders that is worrying many Catholics.
Lucia Kwok, a care worker stepped out of the chapel and spoke of her dismay over the recent news. Pope Francis, she said, was making deals with the government in China. We dont trust the PRC because they are dishonest. They lie, they do bad things and never keep their promises, Kwok said. China is not worth our trust.
Many Catholics in Hong Kong are confused and upset with the Vaticans recent steps to resume relations with the Chinese government even as Beijing has continued to silence critics.
In the nearly seven decades since its establishment, the People's Republic of China has not had formal diplomatic relations with the Holy See, a condition rooted in the Vatican's tradition of appointing its bishops worldwide a practice the mainland Chinese leadership has historically viewed as interference in its internal affairs.
Patriotic Catholic Association
China's Catholics have been allowed to practice their religion under a government-supervised entity known as the Patriotic Catholic Association in which the government officially names bishops. Some but not all of those bishops have been quietly approved by the Vatican as well.
The Holy See has considered sacraments administered in the patriotic church valid, but the existence of the entity and the government's tight control of it has for decades has prompted many observant Catholics to practice their faith in a parallel, "underground" Catholic church, whose members see themselves as true followers of the church in Rome. The underground church is declared illegal and its members have been routinely subjected to arrest and ruthless persecution.
Critics say an agreement between the Holy See and the Chinese government would allow the Vatican to operate more openly in China, but grant greater control to Beijing over the church's decisions.
Zen expresses frustration
At the prayer gathering in Hong Kong, Kwoks frustration was echoed by Cardinal Joseph Zen, the retired bishop of Hong Kong and a longtime critic of Beijing, who prayed quietly with the group. In recent weeks he has termed any agreement between the Vatican and Beijing that would allow China control over the church as evil.
News reports have said the agreement would legitimize the government-appointed bishops and force those in the underground church to retire. The reports say the pope in Rome would have a final say over the approval of bishops, but Zen has voiced concern that Beijing would only name bishops loyal to the communist leadership.
Its something important for the whole church, this attitude of fidelity and disrespect for our faith. The faith and the discipline. Its a very serious matter to disregard centuries of doctrine, Zen said. They want everybody to come into the open and obey the government. They never say how they would deal with bishops in the underground. Its obvious what they are going to do They will not only eliminate bishops, but in some dioceses have no bishop, but some kind of [government] delegate.
The Vatican has asked Catholics for time to work out details. Pope Francis, speaking to reporters in early December, said: Its mostly political dialogue for the Chinese Church which must go step by step delicately, he said. Patience is needed.
Changing political landscape
Several Catholics in Hong Kong have said the move can be seen as an appeasement, coming at a fraught moment when China has grown more authoritarian under President Xi Jinping.
On Sunday, Chinas ruling party announced it would end presidential term limits, an extraordinary move by a government that sought to avoid the dangerous one-man control exerted by former leader Mao Zedong. The move will, in effect, allow Xi to serve for life. During his five years in office, Xis policies have attacked economic corruption as well as curtailed the work of human rights attorneys, labor organizers, investigative journalists and bloggers.
In December, the Vatican asked two bishops in the underground church in China to relinquish their roles to men approved by the government. Vatican envoys asked Bishop Zhuang Jianjian of Shantou to step down and cede control to Huang Bingzhang, an excommunicated bishop and a member of Chinas acquiescent legislature, the National Peoples Congress, according to asianews.it.
Guo Xijin, another underground bishop in Fujian province, was asked to serve as an assistant to Zhan Silu, another government appointed bishop. Previously, the Vatican had said that both men had been elevated illegally by the government.
Opponents see it as an unusual intrusion, even violation, of the churchs authority. They are also concerned about signs that the government has restricted religious practice, such as orders that followers not bring children to worship.
News of the Vaticans negotiations prompted several professors to start a petition against any agreement that would cede control to Beijing. More than 2,000 people have signed.
We think the Catholic Church has appeal [for] the Chinese people exactly because it has refused to compromise with the Chinese authority, said Joseph Cheng Yu-shek, a retired political science professor in Hong Kong, and one of the petitions organizers. The first Christians of China were the very, very poor peasants in the cultural revolution days. My argument is if the Vatican makes a compromise with Beijing, the Catholic church loses that moral and spiritual appeal. And it doesnt benefit the church.
Hungarian opposition parties said Monday they will double down on their efforts to beat Prime Minister Viktor Orban at elections in April because of a shock defeat for his right-wing Fidesz party in a by-election Sunday.
The main leftist opposition party, the Socialists, said they would seek to work more closely with other parties but did not want a structured alliance with Jobbik, a former far-right party that is projecting a more moderate image.
Instead, Jobbik should withdraw its candidates from constituencies where independent candidates stood a stronger chance, the Socialists' candidate for prime minister, Gergely Karacsony, told a news conference.
"Our task is to widen the alliance," Karacsony said. Jobbik's leader, Gabor Vona, said Sunday was a turning point.
"This sends the message that Fidesz can be defeated in every part of the country," he said in a video on Jobbik's website.
The green liberal LMP party last week started talks with the Socialists and Jobbik on putting forward single candidates in constituencies where each party was strongest, said party co-chairman Akos Hadhazy.
"LMP is ready for compromise as long as our principles are upheld. The result [on Sunday] ... shows what we have held for a long time: Only a credible candidate is worth our support," he said.
Orban, 54, is Hungary's longest-serving premier since the collapse of Communism. He presents himself as a savior for Europe's Christian nations and his party has an anti-immigration platform at odds with many of its European Union peers.
Fidesz is on 32 percent ahead of the April 8 vote, with Jobbik on 11 and the Socialists on nine, according to a poll in February by the Zavech Research institute, which showed 34 percent of voters are undecided.
Rural bastion
But the race has been jolted by the by-election, in which an opposition-backed political novice easily beat the Fidesz candidate for mayor in Hodmezovasarhely, a rural Fidesz bastion.
The city by the Serbian border is near a steel fence built to keep out migrants, a hallmark of Orban's policy.
"Our opposition has been dead and now has awakened," Fidesz founding member Zsolt Bayer wrote in the pro-government Magyar Idok. He said it was Fidesz's first serious defeat in a decade.
"We have never won an election by accident, for luck or the weakness of others," Orban said in a video on the website of the weekly HVG. "If we want to win, our community has to make twice or three times the effort than our opponents."
Orban has clashed with the European Commission over migration policy and over reforms to the judiciary and media, which his critics say put Hungary on an authoritarian path.
Strong message
Peter Kreko, director of think tank Political Capital, said Sunday sent a strong message to both the opposition and Fidesz.
"This came in time for the opposition to cooperate if they want to ... and also came in time for Fidesz to tweak its campaign," he said. "It showed that there is not only a mathematical, but also a political chance to beat Fidesz."
A broad opposition alliance could redraw the pre-election map in Hungary's 106 constituencies, though it will be hard for the opposition to take advantage because it is fragmented, with leftist parties and Jobbik vying for supremacy.
"The opposition ... is no longer playing an old game where it stands no chance of winning, but a new game starts where its situation is not hopeless, provided it pursues smart tactics," political analyst Gabor Torok wrote on his blog.
One of the hallmarks of India's financial capital, Mumbai, is a food delivery system that involves 5,000 lunchbox carriers, who distribute over 100,000 home cooked meals to office workers with an efficiency that has been the subject of top business school studies. These men are now using their food distribution skills to deliver leftover food to the hungry.
Called the "Roti" or "Food" Bank, this mini-van stands at a mid-point in Mumbai ready to move whenever a call comes from people hosting marriage parties, to rich households or restaurants. The mission of the "Roti Bank," founded by the city's well-known lunch box carriers or "dabbawallahs" is to pick up leftover food and distribute it to the poor in slums and on the streets.
Subhash Talekar launched the "Roti Bank" after witnessing two dramatically different scenarios as he and his colleagues lugged lunch boxes from homes to offices across the city.
"We saw that rich people throw away their left over food. And we saw the contrasting picture where people slept hungry on footpaths, bridges, outside rail stations," he said.
The appeal by Mumbai's "dabbawallahs" to give them food that would have been thrown away has quickly won traction, partly due to their impeccable reputation for distributing food efficiently.
Jayawanti Thakkar, a resident of a luxury high rise, called them on her birthday after reading about their project in a newspaper.
"It is not easy to trust all organizations. When I came to know that they give the food themselves, then I became confident. This work must be carried forward," she said.
She and her friends have vowed not to allow any food to go waste.
The work has gathered momentum since December after a former police commissioner donated this mini-van because picking up large quantities of food on a cycle was a challenge. Talekar said in a city where a party is always on, they get over 20 calls daily.
"On a day we give food to 400-500 people and on weekends it goes up to a 1000. Having this van has made the numbers grow substantially," he said.
The Food Bank has 200 volunteers.
Although Mumbai's Food Bank distributes only a fraction of the millions of tons of food that is thrown away in the world, the initiative is a step toward bridging the gap between waste and hunger.
The Nigerian government has confirmed that 110 female students from the remote town of Dapchi are missing after suspected Boko Haram militants attacked their school one week ago. While Nigerian authorities have launched an intensive search operation, the action has done little to assuage the anger at how this could happen again.
A remote town in northeastern Nigeria. A government girls' secondary school stormed by gunmen believed to be Boko Haram. Dozens of girls missing. Parents devastated. A town in mourning.
These are flashes of the past week in Dapchi, an old farming community in Nigeria's Yobe State. It feels eerily similar to Chibok in 2014.
Confusion reigned in the initial days following the Dapchi attack, as it did with Chibok, but there have been differences.
In 2014, the federal government response was slow. Within 48 hours of the Dapchi attack, Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari tweeted that he was sending a delegation to the town and ordering military and police deployments to find the missing girls.
Information minister Lai Mohammed visited the community Sunday.
"The total register of the students that came to school on that Monday was 906, but as of today about 110 of them cannot be accounted for. Henceforth the police and the civil defense corps will ensure that their presence is strong in every school to serve as deterrents to insurgents," said Mohammed.
But activists are not placated. The Bring Back Our Girls movement is back on the streets in Lagos and Abuja demanding answers from the government.
Aisha Yesufu, one of the faces of the Bring Back Our Girlsmovement, said the similarities between Chibok in 2014 and Dapchi in 2018 are too striking.
"We've had this before. Didn't we learn anything? We have refused to even assimilate what is going on because it's heartbreaking.Four years invested, seeing parents crying, seeing how much their lives have been shattered and then we're coming again and another set of parents are going to go through the same thing," said Yesufu.
The names of 105 missing girls from Daichi were released over the weekend. The residents of Dapchi are angry. When the Yobe state governor came to visit, they threw rocks at his motorcade. Residents are gathering every day to protest.
The Nigerian Air Force says it has deployed additional aerial assets to search for the girls day and night. A security analyst told VOA it is still "early days" and some of the girls could surface after hiding in the bush.
Bring Back Our Girls activist Emman Shehu said the government failed in letting this happen again but there is some cause for hope.
"The difference now is there is a response, even though it's a late response. The government has been to the place several times, which didn't happen in Chibok. Now the federal government has put out a proper list, which didn't happen in 2014. Now there is talk of a rescue operation, which didn't happen in 2014. The Dapchi girls may be lucky this time around," said Shehu.
It was April 14, 2014, the day Boko Haram kidnapped 276 female students from Chibok. The mass abduction became emblematic of the Islamist radical group's insurgency.
Some of the Chibok girls have escaped, others have been freed via negotiation. But 112 Chibok girls are still missing.
A regional military offensive that began in 2015 has reclaimed much of the territory Boko Haram once held. Speaking Monday to VOA's Daybreak Africa, information minister Mohammed said the Sambisa forest, Boko Haram's largest stronghold, has been leveled.
But the brazen attack in Dapchi is casting fresh doubt on President Buhari's repeated claims that Boko Haram has been defeated.
The provincial government of Pakistan's northwest Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province came under sharp criticism for giving an Islamic seminary $2.5 million (Rs.277 million) in aid.
The government, led by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, used government funds to support Darul Uloom Haqqania, a religious seminary. Pakistani religious schools have long been blamed for producing extremists.
"Government is supporting extremist elements this will not help any move to curb militancy in the country. And if Pakistan is blamed for supporting militants, this proves it," Syed Alam Mehsud, president of nationalist party Wolesi Tehreek, told VOA.
The same provincial government provided Rs.300million ($2,700,000) to the same religious school last year.
The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government responded to the criticism, asserting that financial aid is necessary to improve the religious schools and equip them to teach modern science.
The move has been criticized on multiple platforms, including the social and political arena. Some critics suspect the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf-led government is using public funds for personal political gain.
It is believed that Taliban leaders, including former Afghan Taliban leader Mullah Omar, attended Darul Uloom Haqqnia, run by Maulana Samiul Haq.
During an interview with Reuters, Haq called Omar "one of his best students."Haq is also known as the "Father of the Taliban." In a 2013 interview with Reuters, he supported the Afghan Taliban.
"Give them just one year, and they will make the whole of Afghanistan happy," he said.
Pakistan-based madrasas
The Afghan government has long blamed Pakistani madrasas (religious schools) for producing extremists, and charge that the increase in violence in Afghanistan has roots in the schools.
"The reason that terrorism still exists in Afghanistan, although Afghan forces have killed thousands of them, are the madrasas on the other side of the Durand Line (the border line separating the two countries) that produce terrorists," General Mohammad Radmanish, a spokesperson for Afghan Defense Ministry, told VOA.
Radmanesh added there are an estimated 10,000 religious schools operating in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa alone, some of which, he claimed, train militants for jihad in Afghanistan.
Afghan officials have long accused Pakistan of turning a blind eye to terrorist groups that train on its soil to carry out terror attacks across the border in Afghanistan. The claim that Pakistan is selective in its crackdown on terror groups.
Pakistan denies these allegations and maintains that its military operations have targeted militants of all kinds.
"Military-led counterterrorism operations have targeted terrorists indiscriminately, including Haqqanis, at a heavy cost of blood and treasure," Pakistan army spokesperson Major-General Asif Ghafoor told VOA following an announcement last year of the Trump administration's proposal to suspend hundreds of millions of dollars in military assistance to Pakistan.
Pakistan under scrutiny
Pakistan has three months to convince the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) that the country is complying with international anti-terrorist financing regulation to avoid being placed on a global terrorist-financing watch list.
In an attempt to demonstrate compliance with FATF regulation, Pakistan amended its anti-terrorism law early February. The change authorized the government to blacklist charities linked to Islamist leader Hafiz Saeed.
Saeed has been wanted by the United States since 2012 for planning the 2008 Mumbai terrorist attacks.
The list also includes Saeed's Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD) and its subsidiary, the Falah-e-Insaniat Foundation (FIF), which according to experts, serves as the front organizations for Lashkar-e-Taiba.
Pakistani authorities announced a new program aimed at preventing billions of dollars in public donations to charities from ending up with banned militant groups.
The "Safer Charity" initiative announced two weeks ago urges people to use caution and donate to responsible humanitarian organizations. The move comes amid concerns that some militant organizations are using front organizations to collect money allegedly for humanitarian work.
According to government officials, people in Pakistan donate up to $4.5 billion annually to help the poor and needy as part of fulfilling the religious obligation of almsgiving, or Zakat.
The new program urges citizens to ensure the groups to whom they are donating have not been banned by the government.
Experts gathered in Nigeria's capital on Monday to discuss ways to stop Africa's Lake Chad from drying up, after years of environmental decline that has hit livelihoods and security.
The two-day conference, organized by the government in Abuja and the Lake Chad Basin Commission, aims to "save the lake from extinction", according to UNESCO, which is backing the talks.
A $6.5-million (5.3-million-euro) research and conservation program will involve Cameroon, Chad, Niger and Nigeria, whose borders meet on the lake, as well as the Central African Republic.
Troops from Cameroon, Chad, Niger and Nigeria are fighting a battle against Boko Haram jihadists in the remote region.
Lake Chad is the principal source of freshwater for 40 million people.
But climate change and water mismanagement have contributed to a staggering 90 per cent decline of the lake's surface over the past 40 years.
As it dries up and hunger rises, the region has become fragile and Boko Haram jihadists have targeted subsistence farmers and fishermen to fill their ranks.
The ongoing Islamist insurgency has forced tens of thousands of people to cross borders in search of food and safety.
The UN estimates that more than two million people have been uprooted from their homes and 10.7 million are in need of food handouts to survive.
Somalia's Prime Minister Hassan Ali Khaire has ordered police and intelligence agents to immediately intensify security "a hundred percent" in the capital of Mogadishu after attacks by al-Shabab killed nearly 40 people on Friday.
Friday's attacks were the first by al-Shabab in the capital since October when a truck bomb killed more than 500, and an attack on a hotel two weeks later claimed the lives of at another 30 people.
"Security is the utmost priority," Khaire said. "We will not tolerate the killing of our people. We will not be demoralized by one or two explosions. It's important you end insecurity in Mogadishu."
Internal fighting
Last year, the government formed the Mogadishu Security and Stabilization Forces, who were instructed to raid homes suspected of being hiding places for militants and to erect checkpoints without warning.
But the effort had several setbacks, including the deadly truck bombing and the firing of two security chiefs in the aftermath of the bombing. There were also incidents where security forces working with the stabilization force clashed after mistaking each other for al-Shabab.
Khaire warned the security forces to avoid such mistakes. "You must avoid every step that could lead to internal fights between yourselves," he said. "We do not have any more time for an enemy among us who is dressed to take the lives of Somali people. You must be watchful every night."
Incident under investigation
In another setback, African Union Mission in Somalia peacekeepers from Uganda were involved in a shooting that led to the death of at least two Somali soldiers Friday evening. Six other people were wounded, including two soldiers and a senior legal adviser to the Somali justice ministry. The commander of Ugandan troops, Brig. Paul Lokech, was in the convoy when the shooting took place, security sources confirm.
The shooting happened after an AU military convoy approached a checkpoint near the airport that was manned by Somali troops. But Somali forces on orders to check all vehicles entering the airport stopped the convoy, according to an incident report. An argument ensued, and shooting erupted.
Dahir Amin Jesow, a member of the Somali parliamentary committee on security and internal affairs, discussed the issue Sunday. He told VOA Somali that AMISOM troops fired on Somali forces. He said the Somali forces were expected to stop vehicles approaching the airport, including AMISOM, because of the security lockdown.
"We suspect that al-Shabab is capable of obtaining vehicles similar to AMISOM's, which they may have seized during attacks on peacekeepers, like the attack in El-Adde," Jesow said. "Therefore, it was a matter of caution by the Somali troops to stop them since the convoy was headed for the airport."
AMISOM officials could not be reached for comment. In a press release, Ambassador Francisco Caetano Madeira, head of AMISOM, confirmed that the peacekeepers were involved in an incident at the checkpoint. He said the troops involved in the incident were transporting civilians injured in the al-Shabab attack to an AMISOM hospital.
Madeira said the incident was now under investigation by the Somali government and AMISOM.
Hearts and minds
Officials say Somali troops and AU forces will have to improve security in Mogadishu if they are to earn the support of the public who doubt the two groups can stop al-Shabab attacks.
Khaire echoed the need to win public support and has urged the soldiers to show compassion.
"When you enter their homes, be courteous," he said. "When you speak to them in the streets, show good conduct and discipline. Don't be kind to the enemy, but be compassionate to the people."
The new commander of the police, Gen. Bashir Abdi Mohamed, told Khaire that new operations started effective Sunday night. He said operations will be carried out every night.
South African state prosecutors will announce in two weeks whether they will reinstate corruption charges against former president Jacob Zuma, eNCA television reported on Monday.
The 783 counts of corruption against Zuma relate to a 30 billion rand ($2.6 billion) government arms deal arranged in the late 1990s. They were filed but then dropped by the National Prosecuting Authority shortly before Zuma ran for the presidency.
South Africa's High Court reinstated the charges in 2016 and the Supreme Court upheld that decision last year, rejecting an appeal by Zuma and describing the NPA's decision to set aside the charges as "irrational."
It then fell to NPA head Shaun Abrahams to decide whether or not the NPA would pursue a case against Zuma, who resigned as head of state earlier this month on orders of the ruling African National Congress.
NPA spokesman Luvuyo Mfaku could not be reached for comment.
U.S. President Donald Trump is expressing a willingness to talk with North Korea, but only under the right conditions," while warning that if Pyongyang doesnt abandon its nuclear weapons and ballistic missile programs there could be a potentially tremendous loss of lives, numbers that nobodys ever contemplated, never thought of.
Trump, speaking Monday to U.S. state governors at the White House, noted North Koreas offer in recent days, relayed through South Koreas President Moon Jae-in that they want to talk" to the United States.
Well see what happens, said the president, declaring that something has to be done to eliminate the threat to the United States and its allies from North Koreas weapons of mass destruction.
At Mondays White House briefing Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said denuclearization must be the result of any dialogue with North Korea.
Talk about talks
Both Trump and (North Korean General and intelligence chief) Kim Yong-Chul have now indicated a willingness to talk. But there is not yet agreement on what the two sides are willing to talk about, notes Scott Snyder, senior fellow for Korea studies at the Council on Foreign Relations.
An initial U.S.-North Korea meeting would essentially be talks about talks and the only 'condition that should be required is that there be a moratorium on missile and nuclear testing, says Atlantic Council Senior Fellow Robert Manning, noting Pyongyang has not conducted any such tests for nearly four months.
The Trump administration does not appear to have any diplomatic strategy other than demanding they give up their nukes, Manning tells VOA. I fear, in regard to diplomacy, the administration is a bit like the dog chasing a car. When they catch it, then what?
As a precondition for bilateral talks, Research Professor James Przystup at the National Defense University suggests Pyongyang has to declare a moratorium on missile and nuclear tests, commit to denuclearization and implementation of the 1991 South-North Agreement on Reconciliation, Non-Aggression and Exchange.
Anything less and we'll be getting played, Przystup tells VOA, stressing that the only permanent end-state of negotiations has to be denuclearization.
North Korea has repeatedly insisted its nuclear weapons are not a subject for negotiation.
A "problem" to solve
According to Trump, other U.S. presidents, over the past quarter of a century should have solved this problem long before I got here.
In his remarks to the governors, Trump specifically criticized the Obama, Clinton and both Bush administrations. All of them didnt do anything, Trump declared, saying it would have been much easier in those days then it is now.
The president had kinder words for China, considered North Korea's closest ally. Trump said Beijing has done more on North Korea than at any time previously, and the president credited that to his personal relationship with President Xi Jinping.
However, Russia is behaving badly regarding North Korea, because Russia is sending in what China is taking out, according to Trump.
Asked whether there would be any consequences for Russias action, Sanders replied: Im not going to weigh in ahead of time and we certainly have never broadcast what we might do, but its something the president does take very seriously.
In a meeting Sunday with South Korean President Moon Jae-in, North Korea's intelligence chief, who headed his countrys delegation to the Winter Olympics closing ceremony, indicated Pyongyangs willingness to hold talks with Washington.
"We hope constructive talks will begin between North Korea and the United States at an appropriate opportunity," said Baik Tae-hyun, spokesman of South Korea's Ministry of Unification on Monday.
General Kim was in the same VIP box for the sporting events closing ceremony in Pyeongchang with the U.S. official government delegation, led by President Trumps daughter, Ivanka, and which included the uniformed commander of the American and U.N. forces on the Korean peninsula, U.S. Army General Vincent Brooks.
There was no interaction with the North Korean delegation. The U.S. presidential delegation's attendance at the closing ceremonies was the culmination of a successful trip where we celebrated the Olympic Games, U.S. athletes and our strong alliance with South Korea, according to a senior U.S. administration official.
Earlier, North Koreas foreign ministry issued a warning about the imposition of the latest announced U.S. sanctions against Pyongyang.
As already proclaimed many times, we will regard all blockades as an act of war against us, and we will never try to stop the United States, if it really has pluck to confront us roughly, said a foreign ministry spokesman, who was quoted by the Korean Central News Agency.
In countering precisely this intimidation from the United States, we have possessed nuclear weapons, the treasured sword of justice, to defend ourselves, the statement added.
Trump announced on Friday what he called the largest ever set of sanctions against North Korea and threatened a phase two if the measures aren't effective.
The sanctions target one person, 27 companies and 28 ships registered in China and seven other countries with the intent of eliminating North Koreas illicit shipping and trade. They block assets held by the companies in the United States and prohibit U.S. citizens from interacting with them.
China responded angrily Saturday to the new sanctions, maintaining they are counterproductive to efforts to halt Pyongyang's nuclear and long-range missile development programs. China's foreign ministry also demanded the U.S. immediately lift the sanctions "to avoid harming bilateral cooperation in the relevant area."
Speaking to reporters on Monday, Sanders said we are watching closely who joins us in fully enforcing United States and United Nations sanctions.
U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday said he wants to bring the steel industry back to America even if it means applying tariffs to imports from other countries.
"I want to bring the steel industry back into our country.
If that takes tariffs, let it take tariffs, OK? Maybe it will cost a little bit more, but we'll have jobs," Trump told a meeting at the White House with state governors.
The U.S. Commerce Department has recommended Trump impose curbs on steel and aluminum imports from China and other countries. On Friday, the White House had said Trump has not yet made a final decision on the matter.
Thousands of people from all walks of life filed slowly past the casket of the Rev. Billy Graham on Monday to pay their final respects to a man who reached millions with his message of salvation through Jesus Christ.
The heavy rain overnight tapered to a light, occasional drizzle around 8 a.m. Monday when the doors opened to the boyhood home of the famed evangelist, who died Wednesday at age 99.
Mourners of all races, young and old, some in suits and some in T-shirts and flip-flops, walked through the parlor where his closed casket lay on a black pedestal. They walked past family photos and a cross made of white lilies to see the simple plywood container made by prison inmates. And at the door for the first few hours was Graham's grandson, Roy, shaking the hand of every person who came to see his grandfather.
"I just wanted to tell them how much I appreciated the love for my family," Roy Graham said.
And they responded with stories. Roy Graham said what moved him the most Monday were the dozens who paused and told him the exact moment and place Billy Graham came into their lives through his hundreds of crusades around the world.
Cecily Turner is one of them. Her mother was at Billy Graham's 1957 New York crusade and she said he led her mother to salvation that day.
"I know she is in heaven thanking him right now," she said.
Mother passed her faith on to daughter, and Turner said she passed it down to five children and four great-grandchildren.
"That's an amazing thing," she said.
Public viewing will continue Monday and Tuesday at Graham's Charlotte library on the campus of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association. His body will then be taken to the U.S. Capitol, where Wednesday and Thursday he will be the first private citizen to lie in honor there since civil rights hero Rosa Parks in 2005.
Graham's funeral is Friday, and President Donald Trump said he will attend. Invitations were sent to all ex-presidents of the U.S. George W. Bush was coming to pay his respects Monday because he had a scheduling conflict with the funeral.
The funeral will be held in a giant tent as a nod to Graham's 1949 Los Angeles crusade. That revival, which Graham said propelled him to worldwide fame, was held in a circus tent dubbed the "Canvas Cathedral." The man called "America's Pastor" would eventually preach to an estimated 210 million people in person and many more through his pioneering use of prime-time telecasts, network radio, daily newspaper columns, evangelistic films and satellite TV hookups.
Billy Wayne Arrington was a boy when he first encountered Graham on a TV screen in Kingsport, Tennessee. He now does Christian theater. Arrington wiped tears from his eyes as he exited after saying a prayer for Graham and for the world he leaves behind.
"I'm just overwhelmed, not by sadness just overwhelmed to see so many lives touched," Arrington said.
Graham will be buried beside his wife, Ruth, who died in 2007, at the foot of a cross-shaped walkway at Graham's library in Charlotte.
President Donald Trump told the nation's governors he will sign an order banning the sale of bump stocks no matter what Congress does or doesn't do.
"The bullets come out fast, but you don't know where they're going. So, we're going to get rid of them," Trump said. "I don't care if Congress acts. I'm writing it out myself."
The gunman who killed more than 50 people in Las Vegas in October 2017 used a device called a bump stock, which allows a semi-automatic gun to fire more bullets in a shorter amount of time.
Trump held a White House meeting with governors Monday to talk about ways to prevent another school massacre, two weeks after a troubled former student allegedly killed 17 people in Parkland, Florida.
Trump said it is time "to turn our grief into action." His proposals include the possibility of arming select teachers and school personnel, who would be "highly trained people that have a natural talent, like hitting a baseball or hitting a golf ball."
The president said a school that is a gun-free zone is an invitation for "very sick people" to go there.
Washington state's Democratic Governor Jay Inslee strongly disagrees with Trump's proposal to arm some teachers. He said he spoke to a number of educators who say they do not want to carry a weapon, and to police who say they do not want to have to train them.
"We need to listen that educators should educate and they should not be foisted upon this responsibility of packing heat in first-grade classes," Inslee told Trump.
Later Monday, White House spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders said Trump is listening to voices from all sides of the gun debate.
Bucking the National Rifle Association, Sanders said there is support for "the concept" of raising the minimum age for buying assault-type weapons.
Watch: US Lawmakers Face Pressure to Stem Gun Violence
The accused Florida shooter, 19-year-old Nikolas Cruz, was armed with an AR-15 rifle.
Sanders also said the president supports the idea of strengthening background checks.
Trump said he had lunch over the weekend with three top NRA officials. The powerful organization supported Trump for president and contributes heavily to politicians who tout gun rights, the overwhelming number of whom are Republicans.
But Trump said, "There's nothing to be afraid of. Don't worry about the NRA. They're on our side," even if "we have to fight them" on some gun control ideas.
Trump said there was "no bigger fan of the NRA" than him, but that "we don't want to have sick people having the right to a gun. We're going to have stronger background checks" of gun buyers.
Trump said it was "pretty sad" that an armed Florida deputy sheriff, Scot Peterson, stood outside and did not run into Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School during the shooting.
The president declared, "I really believe I'd run in there even if I didn't have a weapon."
Sanders tried to clarify the president's remarks by saying "as a leader, he would have stepped in and been able to help ... would want to take a courageous action." Sanders said others who helped during the shooting were unarmed.
Peterson was suspended, and then resigned. He spoke out for the first time Monday, saying in a statement that he believed the gunfire was coming from outside the school. He said he did what he was trained to do by seeking cover and assessing the situation and taking up a "tactical position."
Peterson denied being a coward and said it is "patently untrue" that he failed to meet the county's standards.
Peterson's lawyer calls Sheriff Scott Israel's accounts of his client's actions that day a "gross oversimplification."
Israel has said "It makes me sick to my stomach that he didn't go in," calling Peterson's actions "dereliction of duty."
A new CNN poll shows growing support for more expansive gun controls, with 70 percent favoring new restrictions, compared to 52 percent in an October poll not long after the Las Vegas mass shooting.
Spain and Tunisia are reviving ties after a decade-long freeze, pledging notably to work together on security and women's rights.
Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy and Tunisian counterpart Youssef Chahed signed eight accords Monday in Tunis.
Rajoy announced a 25-million-euro ($30.8 million) credit line for small and medium businesses in Tunisia, and urged Spanish businesses to invest in Tunisia. Rajoy pledged cooperation in fighting organized crime and support for Tunisia's democracy.
Chahed stressed their joint determination to "fight the plagues of terrorism and extremism, in reinforcing coordination in the security and military domains" and in training programs.
Relations were on hold for nearly 10 years as Spain faced an economic crisis and Tunisia grappled with a revolution and rocky transition to democracy.
On Monday,Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan starts a five-day visit to northern and West Africa. The tour is the latest effort by Turkey to project its influence across the continent and enhance its global presence. Observers are voicing concerns that the Turkish leader, with his emphasis on Islamist themes, could be stoking regional rivalries and even tensions.
Erdogan is scheduled to visit Algeria, Mauritania, Senegal and Mali in his tour of the region. Since 2005, as then-prime minister, Erdogan has made developing deepening ties with Africa a priority, according to Emre Caliskan a Turkey, Africa analyst at Oxford University.
"There are several ambitions: economy, being a global leader, and the use of Islam," said Caliskan.
Earlier this month, Istanbul hosted African ministers for a week of meetings. Such gatherings are a regular occurrence and are part of Ankara's efforts to court African leaders. Turkey has tripled the number of embassies across the continent in less than a decade. Despite such investments, the economic returns have been disappointing and that has led to Ankara to shift its priorities, says Africa expert professor Mehmet Arda of the Istanbul think tank Edam.
"When you look at the Turkish trade with Africa its basically the same as ten years ago. So, it's more a way of projecting itself as a power in the world," said Arda. "Moreover, Turkey puts itself as the friend of the countries that are left behind, the destitute and all that. I think from the point of view it fits with that the model (of) projecting on the world stage."
President Erdogan has in recent visits to Africa increasingly inserted Islamic themes in his speeches, which have sometimes been colored with anti-Western rhetoric and focused on the West's colonial past, even though the Turkish Ottoman empire once also extended to Africa. Analyst Caliskan says courting Africa Muslims offers Ankara potential important diplomatic gains, as well as risks.
"50 percent of African countries come from the Muslim background and this gives leverage to Turkey in the eyes of Europe in the eyes of the West and in the eyes of Africa. But there is a rivalry between different Islamic groups," said Caliskan. "These countries are Iran ,Saudi Arabia and Egypt - historically these countries are very influential in the region among the Islamic communities. Now Turkey is a latecomer, but a newcomer and strong comer and Turkey wants to be more influential."
Last September, Turkey opened its largest overseas military base in Somalia. The opening of the base has been interpreted as a signal that Ankara is sending to the region of its growing aspirations. The Turkish navy is rapidly expanding with even plans for the construction of an aircraft carrier. Ankaras agreement with Khartoum to redevelop the Sudanese Suakin Island that was once the Ottoman empires main naval base, has sent alarm bells ringing in Cairo, which is concerned about increasing Turkish military encroachment. Ankara insists its development plans on the island are non-military.
But analyst Caliskan says such denials will do little to defuse tensions given the level of mistrust between Erdogan and Egypt's President, Abdel Fattah el Sissi.
"Turkey has a difficult relationship with Sisi regime and they are both trying to influence on the areas that actually historically Egypt had been powerful," said Caliskan. "So actually it is a direct challenge to Egyptian hegemony in the region. If Turkey would be moving to the region more then [there] will be more rivalry with the Egyptian government as well."
Analysts warn the rivalry in the Middle East is already spilling into Africa, a process that is likely to continue with Turkeys growing commitment to the continent in its bid to become a global player.
Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday ordered a "daily humanitarian pause" in Moscow's airstrikes on Syrian rebels, a five-hour window to let civilians escape from clashes near Damascus.
Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said starting Tuesday the Russian stand-down would run from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. local time, "with the goal of avoiding civilian casualties." He said a humanitarian corridor is being created so civilians can leave the city and said Syrian authorities are distributing leaflets with specific information about the passageway.
Putin's order comes two days after the shaky start of a 30-day cease-fire across Syria unanimously demanded by the U.N. Security Council. Fighting has continued in eastern Ghouta outside Damascus, the capital, with more than 30 people killed Monday, according to activists, as airstrikes and bombing resumed.
French concerns
In a phone call, French President Emmanuel Macron told Turkey President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of his "strong concerns" about the ongoing airstrikes aimed at civilians and hospitals in rebel-held eastern Ghouta.
But the French leader also called on Erdogan to end Ankara's airstrikes in Afrin in northern Syria, which it launched last month against U.S.-backed Syrian Kurdish militia it considers to be a "terrorist" group allied with Kurdish insurgents that have been fighting the government inside Turkey for three decades. On Sunday, Turkey said the U.N. truce would not affect its operations in northern Syria.
Syria's state news agency and the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said Turkish attacks early Monday killed five people. The Observatory said the dead included two children, in the village of Yalan Quz.
Damascus and the Observatory said a Sunday airstrike by the U.S.-led coalition on an area held by Islamic State in the eastern part of Syria had killed at least 25 people, including seven children and six women.
WATCH: New Fighting Sunday in Syria, Despite UN Cease-fire
Guterres calls for end to fighting in Syria
U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said resolutions issued by the Security Council "are only meaningful if they are effectively implemented," while reiterating that Syrians in the besieged area of eastern Ghouta "cannot wait" for humanitarian aid.
The council on Saturday demanded a nationwide cease-fire in Syria for 30 days, while calling for a lifting of sieges and allowing access for medical and rescue workers.
"I expect the resolution to be immediately implemented and sustained, particularly to ensure the immediate, safe, unimpeded and sustained delivery of humanitarian aid and services, the evacuation of the critically sick and the wounded, and the alleviation of the suffering of the Syrian people," Guterres said.
But violence has not halted, with the U.N. and a Syrian war monitor reporting fresh airstrikes Monday in eastern Ghouta, a rebel-held suburb of Damascus where more than 500 people have been killed during the past week.
"We insist on its full implementation without delay, however we have every reason to remain cautious as airstrikes on eastern Ghouta continue this morning," U.N. human rights chief Zeid Ra-ad al-Hussein said.
Zeid also cast a level of doubt on the prospects for the resolution, saying it "must also be viewed against a backdrop of seven years of failure to stop the violence, seven years of unremitting and frightful mass killing."
Throughout the conflict that began in 2011, there have been several proposals at the Security Council to hold human rights violators accountable, but those resolutions have been blocked by Russia and China utilizing their veto power.
The five permanent members of the council, which also includes Britain, France and the United States, can veto any resolution.
Whom to blame?
During his opening statement Monday at the start of the U.N. Human Rights Council's annual session, Zeid spoke generally about a failure of the council to address suffering in the world, saying the permanent members are responsible "for the continuation of so much pain." He specifically faulted China, Russia and the United States for their use of vetoes on a variety of issues.
"So long as the veto is used by them to block any unity of action when it is needed the most, when it could reduce the extreme suffering of innocent people, then it is they the permanent members who must answer before the victims," Zeid said.
European Union foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini also expressed her concern and that of European foreign ministers about an increase in violence across Syria, "from different actors, obviously first and foremost by the regime and its supporters."
U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is criticizing the failure of governments to implement a Security Council resolution for a 30-day cease-fire in war-torn Syria. Addressing the opening of the U.N. Human Rights Councils four-week session, Guterres called for an immediate end to the fighting.
Syrian government forces began bombing the rebel-held enclave of Eastern Ghouta, a suburb of Damascus, only hours after the Security Council adopted a cease-fire agreement.
Security Council resolutions
Clearly stung by this event, U.N Secretary-General Antonio Guterres told delegates at the Human Rights Council that Security Council resolutions are only meaningful if they are effectively implemented and sustained.
And, that is why I expect the resolution to be immediately implemented and sustained, particularly to ensure the immediate safe, unimpeded and sustained delivery of humanitarian aid and services, evacuation of the critically sick and wounded and the alleviation of the suffering of the Syrian people... In particular, Eastern Ghouta cannot wait. It is high time to stop this hell on Earth, he said.
Whom to blame?
The U.N. high commissioner for human rights, Zeid Raad al- Hussein, was frank about who he said was to blame for the ongoing carnage in conflict-ridden parts of the world. Zeid cited Eastern Ghouta and other besieged areas in Syria, the Kasais in DR Congo, Taiz in Yemen, Burundi, and northern Rakhine in Myanmar as some of what he termed today's most prolific slaughterhouses of humans.
The responsibility for the continuation of so much pain lies with the five permanent members of the U.N. Security Council," he said. "So long as the veto is used by them to block any unity of action, when it is needed the most, when it could reduce the extreme suffering of innocent people, then it is they, the permanent members, who must answer before the victims.
Zeid praised France and Britain for championing a code of conduct on the use of the veto; but, he denounced the three other permanent members of the Council China, Russia and the United States - saying they had derogated their duty. He called on them to end the "pernicious use" of the veto.
The ongoing conflict in South Sudan is pushing millions more people in the country closer to famine, says a new report by the United Nations.
This year, food insecurity in South Sudan could affect more than seven million people some 60 percent of the country's population if they do not receive sustained assistance, says the United Nations.
A joint report by three U.N. agencies says that currently, almost half of the population has been at a "crisis" level of food insecurity since January.
Serge Tissot, the Food and Agriculture Organization representative for South Sudan, said the worsening situation is mostly due to the expanding conflict.
"Even with the humanitarian support, we have still 1.9 million people who are very close from famine," said Tissot.
Parts of South Sudan were declared famine areas in early 2017. The U.N. warns that famine-like conditions could return during the lean season, May to July, unless assistance and access are maintained.
To prepare, the U.N. World Food Program is pre-positioning food in areas likely to be cut off during the rainy season beginning in April. It plans to pre-position twenty percent more food supplies than last year some 140,000 metric tons in more than 50 locations.
South Sudan's civil war broke out in December 2013 and has since forced two million people to flee the country. Another two million are internally displaced, and most are unable to grow their own food.
Crystal Wells is the regional spokeswoman for the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) based in Nairobi. She said aid agencies are constantly responding to emergencies, providing food aid to the displaced and medical care to war wounded.
"It's one of our largest responses in the world and that's because the needs are just so great.So, it's very important that the international community continues to provide support to humanitarian organizations such as the ICRC because it's literally a difference often between life and death," said Wells.
The U.N.'s Tissot says he's confident international aid will prevent famine from re-emerging in South Sudan. But he notes food aid to the country - some $1.7 billion a year - is unsustainable.
"The solution is not only through the distribution of food.The first solution should be through a peace agreement and the rehabilitation of the agricultural sector in South Sudan," said Tissot.
With the conflict now entering a fifth year, that kind of solution is nowhere in sight.
City closes all Rome schools on Tuesday 27 February due to snow warning.
Rome schools will be closed on Tuesday 27 February due to an ongoing snow alert, according to Italian news agency ANSA.
The measure, which takes effect for the second day in a row, will affect all Rome schools including kindergartens.
The city said the decision was taken based on a forecast of continuing frost and a significant drop in temperature.
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There was a warm, enthusiastic response at the conclusion of Saturdays performance of the Vienna Piano Trio at the Library of Congress, but no one had their camera phones out to capture the moment. By contrast, the night before, from just halfway back in the hall, I saw at least 100 little screens upraised at the Kennedy Center when Emanuel Ax, Leonidas Kavakos and Yo-Yo Ma finished their trio program. The glamour of three such famous names appearing together (a presentation of Washington Performing Arts) was reflected in the finery seen in the audience, the eager faces on those in the onstage seats and the almost delirious ovation that first greeted the threesome. And the preliminary bows didnt quench the thirst; the audience applauded after each movement of Schuberts B-flat Trio (and even once at a pause within a movement), and wouldve done so for Brahmss Op. 8 Trio, but after the first movement the musicians thwarted the effort by segueing into the last two.
A crowded field of candidates for Montgomery County executive took on the issues of racial equity and immigrant rights at a forum Sunday, mostly agreeing on the need to do more for underserved residents but splitting on the potential impacts of the Purple Line and on what the countys top priorities should be.
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By the mid-1970s, the uniforms like Nixon were gone from the White House. Two ended up at the National Museum of American History. In 1980, the General Services Administration sold 32 to Iowas Meriden-Cleghorn High School for use by its marching band. (The principal there, Jason Toenges, told me that the school, now known as MMCRU High, no longer has them. Meanwhile, back in the District, police and transit workers still shop at Jimmie Muscatellos Washington Uniform Center, now across from the Rhode Island Avenue Metro station.)
But they dont feel the same to everybody. Friends have described them to me as hamsters running on wheels inside their chests, birds trying to fly out of their necks or a feeling that their heart is beating backward. Some people become extremely bothered by palpitations that are harmless, while others have serious arrhythmias that they never notice. Marcus has seen patients who report symptoms that dont show up on an electrocardiogram, or EKG, which records electrical activity in the heart.
The Supreme Court is there to interpret the law and be professional about it, Lozman said. They dont have anything to prove. The district court judges and the circuit judges are not there to be professional; theyre there to bust your balls and hold grudges.
No appellate court has reviewed those decisions, and it would have been exceedingly rare for the Supreme Court to take up a case without that interim step. In the past, the court has granted such cases only in matters of grave national importance, such as the controversy over President Richard Nixons White House tapes or solving the Iranian hostage crisis.
With this announcement, President Trumps businesses seem to confirm that they accepted payments from foreign governments in violation of the Foreign Emoluments Clause, Marus said in a statement. Whether the Trump Organization donated the proceeds from those foreign emoluments is irrelevant to our case, but we would certainly be interested in learning more about which foreign governments have paid the President.
Over the course of the war, several cease-fires have been brokered at the local level between specific rebel groups and army units and by world powers, including between Russia and the United States and among Russia, Turkey and Iran. These agreements have been aimed at a variety of goals, including establishing a simple freeze in the fighting and allowing the unfettered delivery of aid. Many of the agreements have failed, however, and sometimes even worse violence has followed.
STAMFORD On each monthly meeting agenda, the Board of Education lists Time for the Public to Be Heard.
The Board of Finance sets aside a Public Participation period each month.
But the Board of Representatives, the citys largest ruling body, has no such allotment.
Now a longtime representative, John Zelinsky, wants to cut out time for citizens to speak on whatever is on his boards agenda each month.
I thought its only proper and fair to residents to allow them the opportunity to be heard on any issue we may be discussing that evening that they may have strong feelings about, said Zelinsky, a Democrat from District 11. A lot of times people criticize the Board of Representatives for not being transparent, not being open enough. This would increase that, and might influence how some representatives vote that evening on that particular item.
Citizens now are allowed to speak before the Board of Representatives during public hearings devoted to a specific topic. Zelinskys proposal, which will be debated during a meeting of the boards Legislative & Rules Committee at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, will allow citizens to comment on any of the dozens of topics that appear on the boards agenda each month.
Its something the board has not done in the 40 years hes been a representative, Zelinsky said.
It has never come up during my service, he said. I think my constituents would take advantage of it. Many times they ask me, Can I be heard? I have to tell them its not allowed in our bylaws.
After looking at school board and finance board meeting rules, Zelinsky proposed that the Board of Representatives allow three minutes per speaker, for a total of 15 minutes at the start of each meeting.
Even that small allotment will encourage participation in city government, Zelinsky said.
If you think you can speak, youre more likely to go to a meeting, he said.
Unneeded?
Not all members of the boards Legislative & Rules Committee agreed when Zelinsky proposed it last month. City Rep. Bob Lion, a Democrat from District 19, said he doesnt think a public-comment period is needed when citizens can just speak to their representatives.
Im not stifling (citizens) right to be heard, but I think we already have a process its called representatives to make their opinions known, Lion said during the Jan. 24 committee meeting. The agendas of all the committees are public, and thats why we have them made public, so members of the public can make their feelings known to their representative, and the representative can certainly take those and read them into the record if they choose.
Therein lies the problem, Zelinsky said. Its rare that citizens comments are read into the record, whether its because citizens dont know they can request it, or their representative chooses not to do it, he said.
If a constituent tells their representative they are not in favor of something, but the representative is in favor of it, the representative does not have to submit the constituents comments, Zelinsky said. By allowing constituents to speak for themselves, they can let the whole board know they oppose something.
City Rep. Benjamin Lee, a District 15 Democrat and chairman of the Legislative & Rules Committee, said during the meeting that the Board of Representatives is different from the school or finance boards.
They are citywide boards, Lee said. By design, we are much closer to our constituents, since the Board of Representatives is comprised of two members from each of the citys 20 districts. Our constituents know where to find all of us.
Tough to time
He wonders about the effectiveness of the three-minute limit per comment, Lee said.
The Board of Education and Board of Finance do make that work, but speaking on strictly limited time in front of a crowd is exceedingly difficult - its something that takes time and training, Lee said. We all know from hearing public comments that most people are not actually capable of hitting exactly 180 seconds with their ideas so you have the of risk of time bleeding out.
City Rep. Susan Nabel, a Democrat from District 20, said during the meeting that the time limit would curtail the number of speakers, but we are the only board that does not include a time for the public to be heard session on its monthly main meeting agenda I think this is something we should discuss and consider further.
North Stamford resident Jackie Kaiko, who frequently attends meetings of the Planning Board and Zoning Board, said she likes the idea of Board of Representatives comment sessions because residents could speak on issues that are percolating.
It would be an opportunity to not just go and unload, but to judiciously use our time. I would appreciate that, Kaiko said. Its always good to have people engage with the people making the regulations. So many things are going on, I feel like we have to be on guard.
It would be good for representatives to hear from constituents outside their districts, Kaiko said, and it sounds like an idea they should support.
If it works for the other two boards, why wouldnt it work for the Board of Representatives? she asked.
Zelinsky agreed.
Its giving all their constituents an opportunity to speak, he said of his fellow representatives. If they dont vote for it, I would be surprised.
Citizens who want to weigh in on his proposal may contact him at 203-348-3870, Zelinsky said, or call the Board of Representatives office at 203-977-4025.
Even as we flirt with Jetsons-style bathrooms hooked up to digital assistants, breakneck races involving flying cars and ever-improving technology, one thing remains clear: our nostalgic minds remain glued to the rear-view mirror.
Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 26/2/2018 (1299 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.
Even as we flirt with Jetsons-style bathrooms hooked up to digital assistants, breakneck races involving flying "cars" and ever-improving technology, one thing remains clear: our nostalgic minds remain glued to the rear-view mirror.
Kodak made that abundantly clear when it revealed footage recently from its hotly anticipated reboot of the Super 8 camera, which revolutionized amateur filmmaking when first released in 1965.
Its part of a movement that Kodak describes as an "analog renaissance." The film-format camera Kodaks first since 1982 will cost as much as US$3,000, have a 3.5-inch LCD screen, variable-speed control and C-mount lens support. An online platform will let you purchase film, processing and shipping. Youll mail the goods to Kodak, which will process the film and scan it digitally before sending the files to your Darkroom account.
Luke MacGregor / Bloomberg Consumers are rediscovering the Nokia 3310 mobile phones from days gone by.
"Just as vinyl is making a comeback in music, film is being embraced by more and more amateur and professional filmmakers," said Brian Cruz, Eastman Kodak Co.s vice president and general manager of consumer products. "There are many digital solutions out there. We aspire to balance the best of both worlds: the ease of capture and editing afforded by digital, with the luxurious colour and texture offered by real film."
Kodak isnt alone, as now more than ever, consumers seem to be looking toward retro tech. One national movie theatre chain is even renting VHS videos. Who knows maybe smartphone-assisted 18th-century chandeliers are just around the corner.
Here are seven other retro gadgets that are coming back stronger than ever:
We hope you saved all your old Game Boy cartridges. Gaming outfit Hyperkin.com plans to unveil its revamped version of the classic hand-held system late this summer for less than US$100. Housed in aluminum, the scratch-resistant Ultra Game Boy will have a backlit LCD display with full RGB spectrum capability, a pair of stereo speakers, left and right audio-out connections, and a USB-C charging port. No need to bother with AA batteries that always seem to die when youre finally about to crush a crucial game level: this baby has a built-in six-hour battery.
Supplied First introduced in the 1960s the Kodak Super8 camera is gaining popularity again in the new millennium.
On its 80th birthday in September, Polaroid unveiled the OneStep 2, a US$99 "instant analog camera" that shoots re-engineered, classic Type-600 and i-Type film. Its part of a rolling effort started by the Impossible Project, now called Polaroid Originals, to bring back instant photos in all their offline glory.
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This past year, Finnish company HMD Global brought us back to the early days of the new millennium with the re-release of the Nokia 3310, a lower-cost phone that first hit shelves in September 2000. The US$60 throwback comes in four colours and, yes, you can play the Snake.
Not to be left behind (again), BlackBerry finally decided to grant Kim Kardashian her dream of the phones comeback with the launch of its KeyOne phone in April 2017. BlackBerry has since been tinkering with the wrapping. In August, the company announced a "Black Edition," and this past month unveiled a bronze-coloured model to be made available in overseas markets. The phones, which cost more than US$550, all have four gigabytes of memory and 64 GB of internal storage, as well as that signature keyboard Kardashian is so fond of.
First, there was the NES classic console, a re-imagining of the hit gaming platform that launched in 2016 to great fanfare. Loaded with 30 classic games (among them Super Mario Bros., The Legend of Zelda, and Donkey Kong Jr.), the console has the look and feel as the original with one key difference: its been shrunk to miniature size for your gaming convenience. Then, this past September, another hit a mini, revamped version of the SNES, preloaded with 21 games. The US$80 consoles are so popular, they sell out everywhere almost immediately, so keep your eyes peeled.
There may be few living people nostalgic for the phonograph, but that didnt stop the innovators at New Black from inventing a ceramic bluetooth speaker inspired by one. Constructed in the Italian town of Nove, famous for a ceramic industry dating to the 1700s, the Luciano speaker includes components normally found in hi-fi stereo systems. Theyre not cheap, with most models going for about US$720. If money is no object, you can splurge on the 24-carat gold-plated version for US$1,700.
Love the clack-clack-clack of a classic typewriter? Keyboard maker Lofree wants you to enjoy that sound with its Four Seasons Retro Mechanical Keyboard without sacrificing Mac compatibility. At $74, these are cheaper (and more reality-based) than a time machine. Still in the final stage of development, the product is estimated to commence shipping in April.
Bloomberg News
Exasperated by spotty internet service that threatens to stifle development, partners in the capital region are looking to own their internet service and run it like a public utility.
Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 26/2/2018 (1299 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.
Exasperated by spotty internet service that threatens to stifle development, partners in the capital region are looking to own their internet service and run it like a public utility.
The municipalities will launch a feasibility study into the cost of installing fibre optic cables that would increase internet speeds exponentially.
Current internet service in some parts of the capital region municipalities around Winnipeg is comparable to dial-up. Some areas are said to receive as little as two megabits. (Megabits measure speed whereas megabytes measure memory, which wouldnt increase with fibre optics.) The RM of Rosser has especially poor service.
In Winnipeg, an average internet package might be $90 per month before tax for up to 50 megabits of download speed. If the capital region opted for its own internet utility using fibre optics, it would offer up to 1,000 megabits of download speed for those customers in urban settings, who would be physically hooked up to fibre optic cables.
For more rural customers, towers would be used to provide wireless service with markedly fewer megabits, but still have speeds comparable to those available in Winnipeg.
However, a Winnipeg household with 50 megabits of download speed only has about 10 per cent of that speed for uploading. With fibre optics, download and upload speeds are the same.
Fibre optics are glass strands about the diameter of a human hair that carry data at nearly the speed of light. They are protected inside cables and buried in trenches about two metres deep.
"For business and industry, it makes you competitive," said Colleen Sklar, executive director of the Partnership of the Manitoba Capital Region, the umbrella association for 17 municipalities.
"We have to think how can we can make ourselves competitive and desirable for people to come here."
Sklar said the municipalities electing to participate in the venture are still trickling in. Municipalities known to be on board so far, as compiled by the Free Press, include East and West St. Paul, Rosser, Headingley, Macdonald, St. Andrews, Ritchot and Tache. Both the Town and RM of Morris are keen to be partners.
Even though Winnipeg internet service is still run through copper telephone lines installed in the 1940s, the market is not underserved like the rest of the capital region. So there is little impetus in Winnipeg to be involved in the utility.
The capital region is modelling itself after an innovative co-op established last year in Hamiota and neighbouring communities in western Manitoba. The Park West Fibre Optics Co-op Inc. was formed at a cost of $4.6 million by three rural municipalities Hamiota, Yellowhead and Prairie View piggybacking on fibre optic cables installed for schools in the Park West School Division.
"The consultant (Don Reece of EKB Consulting in Winnipeg) tells us were the only municipality-owned fibre (in Western Canada) where fibre goes straight to every home," said Tom Mollard, chief administrator for the RM of Hamiota, northwest of Brandon.
Hamiota has the largest expense at about $2.5 to $2.7 million. But now its residents have 600 to 900 megabits of speed, versus the five to seven before, and 60 to 90 megabits for people in rural areas served by telecommunication towers, versus just three megabits previously.
"Two years ago, it seemed like a pipe dream. Today, it seems council has achieved everything it wanted to do," Mollard said.
The internet service goes for $60 per month, and $75 for businesses, with no charge for the hookup. Hamiota expects to pay off its $2.5-million cost in 20 years through those fees.
"A business operates for profit. Hamiota only has to break even and the community owns it, similar to a sewer and water system," Mollard said.
Consultant Reece, who is working with the capital region group, called it "extraordinary" the level of service the sparsely populated WestMan region is now getting. "I would argue they need it more than urban centres. They need better connectivity" because of the distance from retail outlets and services.
"Even if not its not lucrative and just breaks even, but you get 10 times and 50 times as fast service, and the money goes back into the municipality, its probably a good thing," Reece said.
The first to look into the Hamiota model were the RMs of Macdonald and Morris, and the Town of Morris, south of Winnipeg.
"We have had requests from residents to explore options for improved internet service," Macdonald Reeve Brad Erb said. "I thought, through discussions with various municipal leaders, that this is something that may well benefit the capital region and beyond."
However, capital region partners are not just looking to own internet services as a co-op, or merely as a utility, but are considering running it as an arms-length development corporation. That way, profits could be reinvested for group-buying and possibly go into business, like gravel, to benefit the municipalities. The corporation would be run by a board of directors.
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That has generated grumbling from some capital-region council members who view that as going too far into the private sector. Some council members have said they dont want a municipal body interfering with and bidding against the private sector.
Sklar said its too early to get hung up on those kinds of issues. "Were contemplating that, as well, but were still far away from having any details. We have no idea what this looks like."
West St. Paul Mayor Bruce Henley said internet service is a major concern for residents, even in his small constituency right next to Winnipeg.
"There are big concerns about the limits of our internet," Henley said. "Weve got growing communities and internet is dial-up speed in a lot of cases. Its becoming such a necessity and what were asking is, what else is out there?"
A viable, municipality-run internet service using fibre optics "would be better than anything you can get in the city," he maintained.
bill.redekop@freepress.mb.ca
Had they lived to see adulthood, its unlikely Candace Derksen and Tina Fontaine would ever have known each other, or known about each other.
Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 26/2/2018 (1299 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.
Opinion
Had they lived to see adulthood, its unlikely Candace Derksen and Tina Fontaine would ever have known each other, or known about each other.
Candace was 13 in November 1984 when she was abducted while on her way home from school. In January 1985, she was found hog-tied and frozen to death in an industrial shed.
Ruth Bonneville / Winnipeg Free Press Candace Derksen was abducted in November 1984 and found dead in January 1985.
Tina was 15 in August 2014 when she disappeared. Her body was found wrapped in a duvet cover in the Red River. The cause of her death is unknown.
At first glance, you might not see much of a connection between two cases involving victims of different backgrounds and generations. But there are a remarkable number of points of intersection, not least of which are the final dispositions.
In both cases, the accused loathsome men with lengthy and disturbing criminal records were acquitted despite the best efforts of police and prosecutors, in verdicts that left the public angry and disillusioned.
First, a deeper look into each case.
Derksen went missing in November 1984; her body was found in January 1985. Mark Grant was arrested in 2007 and convicted in 2011 of second-degree murder. A new trial was ordered on appeal in 2013.
If you didnt look too closely at the evidence, Grant was a perfect fit for the role of Candaces killer. He was a bad man with a long criminal past that included several sexual assaults. He seemed in every way not only a man capable of extreme violence in general, but the most likely suspect in this case in particular.
However, last October, a Winnipeg judge acquitted Grant at the retrial. The judges verdict was based largely on the fact that DNA evidence used to convict Grant at his first trial in 2011 was deeply compromised. Once that evidence was undermined, the remainder of the case was threadbare.
Nearly 30 years from the day Candace was found, another tragedy involving a vulnerable girl captured this citys attention.
Tina disappeared from the custody of Child and Family Services on Aug. 9. She had been living on and off the streets of Winnipeg for weeks, in and out of government care. A little more than a week later, her body was found in the Red River.
After an extensive investigation, police and prosecutors charged Raymond Cormier, a man who, like Grant, appeared in every way possible to be the kind of man whod harm a teenage girl. Cormier has an extensive criminal record that involves more than 90 convictions and a history of violent offences.
Throughout its investigation, the Winnipeg Police Service sought to establish that Cormier offered Tina a place to stay when she was on the run, plied her with drugs and that he had sex with her. Wiretap recordings from an extensive undercover operation painted a picture of an abusive man who certainly postured as a killer.
However, the sometimes profane and disturbing wiretap recordings were also ambiguous. The rest of the case was circumstantial. In the end, it was not enough to convict Cormier.
Studied closely, the two cases reveal some of the greatest frailties and strengths of the criminal justice system, and the extent to which the rules of engagement on the most alarming and violent cases have changed significantly in recent years.
Years ago, flimsy cases such as this would have been fortified with an array of questionable evidence and manipulative prosecutorial strategies. As we have seen in confirmed cases of wrongful conviction involving men like Thomas Sophonow, James Driskell and Kyle Unger, police and prosecutors had a special bag of tricks when dealing with the most violent and disturbing cases.
Junk science blood serology, hair and fibre comparison would be oversold to juries by immoral prosecutors as unimpeachable evidence of guilt. Jailhouse informants were summoned to recount spontaneous confessions. Exculpatory evidence was regularly kept from defence counsel.
The result was that police and prosecutors were able to secure convictions without any direct evidence.
None of the telltale signs of a corrupt investigation and prosecution were evident in the Grant and Cormier trials, for the most part. The people most affected by these crimes will not be comforted by this, but the absence of dirty tricks, deliberate misdirection and junk evidence is a sign of progress in the way the justice system handles the most serious criminal cases.
These verdicts also, however, remind us of the inherent frailties of the justice system.
Dan Lett | Not for Attribution A weekly look at politics close to home and around the world that is sent every Tuesday. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement.
No reasonable person believes that we should, as a society, abandon the principles of "innocent until proven guilty" and "guilty beyond a reasonable doubt." But when we accept those principles, we are also accepting that the road to a secure and unimpeachable conviction is very steep indeed.
So steep, in fact, that if past practice is followed, there will be no additional internal or external work done on either case.
Following acquittals or a decision to vacate a previous conviction based on a miscarriage of justice, police and prosecutors rarely resume the investigation, or review the original investigations, condemning these crimes to a life sentence in the cold-case archive.
We need to know more about why these prosecutions did not result in convictions. It could be that the accused were just too lucky or too smart to provide the evidence necessary for a guilty verdict. Or, it could be that in each case, we had the wrong person.
Police and prosecutors the ministers of the justice system should remember that those affected by the deaths of Candace and Tina do not want these crimes to languish in a file room. They still want justice, even if the setbacks we have witnessed in recent months make the path to achieving it a longer and harder climb.
dan.lett@freepress.mb.ca
U.S. President Donald Trump has been turning up the volume against Canada and its actions behind the closed doors of the NAFTA renegotiations.
Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 26/2/2018 (1299 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.
Opinion
U.S. President Donald Trump has been turning up the volume against Canada and its actions behind the closed doors of the NAFTA renegotiations.
"We have a lot of money with Canada. Canada does not treat us right in terms of the farming and the crossing the borders," Trump remarked at a recent White House event.
CHUCK MITCHELL / THE CANADIAN PRESS FILES In 1972, U.S. president Richard Nixon and prime minister Pierre Trudeau meet in Ottawa. Trade relations between the two countries soured in the 1970s, and seem poised to do so again.
He went on to warn: "So, theyll either treat us right, or well just have to do business a little bit diff really differently. We cannot continue to be taken advantage of by other countries."
Even his designated U.S. trade representative, Robert Lighthizer, got into the act by implying the truculent Canadians might push Washington into entering a bilateral trade deal with only Mexico.
It is worth recalling the challenging days of the Richard Nixon administration, the economic "shocks" of the early 1970s and the pledge of former president Nixon to return to a tougher posture of "Uncle Sam" rather than "Uncle Sugar." They were a real game-changer for Canada.
What actually surprised the Canadian government the most at that time was the fact that Washington had specifically targeted Canada for trade action. Until that point, Ottawa had been successful in mostly clarifying matters with the Americans and promptly securing exemptions from any proposed U.S. trade or tax changes. Not this time, though.
While then-prime minister Pierre Trudeau responded with his "Options Paper," one of the few things that caught the attention of the Nixon-Ford administration was Ottawas intention to limit the scope of the U.S. investment stake in Canada.
Of particular concern was the creation in 1973 of the toothless Foreign Investment Review Agency (FIRA), which was tasked with screening foreign investment coming into Canada to make sure that it provided "significant benefit" to Canadians.
Of course, such restrictions or impediments on U.S. investment were seen as anathema to the free-market principles of Americas business community and most of its political class. The U.S. government wasnt long in demanding substantial changes to the agencys rules and regulations or, over time, its elimination altogether.
The major problem for the U.S. was the significant amount of U.S. investment in Canada and the agencys perceived trade-distorting impact and its onerous administrative conditions. Equally troubling for officialdom in Washington was the possibility that U.S. capital could be threatened if other countries in the world sought to mimic what Ottawa was doing. There was just no way that the U.S. could let this stand.
But what was so disconcerting to U.S. officials was that the imposition of punitive measures against Canada such as restricting Canadian investment from entering the U.S. would only end up shooting themselves in the foot. And the last thing that the U.S. government wanted was for Canada to subsequently take harsher measures against existing U.S. investment in the country.
This is all instructive because the next round of NAFTA renegotiations are now being held in Mexico and Canadian officials may wish to broach the topic with their U.S. counterparts of what awaits if Trump moves to terminate the trade pact. One of those thorny issues could centre around foreign (read: U.S.) investment in Canada.
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Presumably, whatever protections under NAFTA that is, the references to so-called "national treatment" accorded foreign investors would be null and void if the talks fail. That means that Canada would be free (though potentially offside with the regulatory framework of the World Trade Organization) to put into place a new regime with respect to foreign direct investment in Canada.
Now, it is true that U.S. investment in Canada has fallen off lately, and most industrialized countries are eager to court foreign capital. Im simply saying that we should have a good heart-to-heart with the Americans about the investment dimension in a post-NAFTA world.
In fact, this could be one of the few key NAFTA bargaining chips that Ottawa has at its disposal. And it would most assuredly get the attention of U.S. trade negotiators, just like the agency did in the 1970s.
What we learned from the agency example was that the U.S. is particularly vulnerable and sensitive about the issue of investment and capital flows. And we also found out that the Americans would have difficulty retaliating against us if Canada did opt for another post-NAFTA "son of FIRA."
Perhaps, as things stand now, we should give some serious thought to using the foreign investment card to our full advantage. It certainly wouldnt hurt to remind the Americans that they too have much to lose if the NAFTA negotiations eventually fall apart.
Peter McKenna is professor and chair of political science at the University of Prince Edward Island in Charlottetown.
This struggle reminds me of the conditions of the labor movement in the 1800s, Debbie, a West Virginia teacher, told the World Socialist Web Site. This movement today allows us to see where we have come from. While there are differences, there was enormous poverty among the workers back then, and they began a struggle.
Debbie was speaking about the strike of West Virginia teachers, which is continuing into a third day today. Teachers are demanding a significant pay increase and an end to soaring health care costs.
Have you heard of the Battle of Blair Mountain? Workers were living in tents. The Corporations sent a train of strikebreakers and used Gatling guns. 15,000 workers began a march against the corporations. This is the only state where the Air Force was sent to bomb the workers who were fighting for their rights.
Im afraid this could become like Wisconsin, she said, referring to the defeat of teachers and public sector workers in 2011 after the unions corralled mass struggles behind the recall of Republican Scott Walker. Debbie said that she was of the opinion that neither the Democrats nor Republicans speak for the working class.
Im also afraid they can outlast us. Tomorrow I believe they will file a court injunction to try to force the teachers back to work, then there will be a series of votes. My county will vote no, but I dont know how it will go statewide. I agree, there needs to be a struggle of all the working people.
Zelda, on the right, at the protests in Charleston
Zelda, a cook in the Mingo County schools, told the WSWS, I heard [Governor] Jim Justice say several times that there is no money for teachers and the PEIA [Public Employee Insurance Agency]. If there is no money for a pay raise for teachers or the PEIA, then how could the state afford to give these tax cuts to these businesses?
I think he just represents the businesses. I think if he truly wanted to help the people, he could. I think he is for the businesses, and what will help him in his personal life, not the people and his state.
Zelda pointed out that Jim Justice hadnt paid his taxes, observing, If that was us, we would be in trouble. She continued, My fear is that these gas companies will, just like the coal companies, take our resources and not give the state what it deserves.
Our strike is getting nationwide and worldwide attention. I think the majority of people support the teachers and the fight to get some better conditions.
If we dont stand up, they will just keep taking away and taking away. The PEIA is the main thing, but they want to also take away our seniority. They could come in and say, We dont like the way you have been cooking and just bump me down.
I think we should stand in solidarity until we get something done. I think we have come this far, we have drawn attention, we should stay 55 [counties] united and continue until we get something resolved.
Another West Virginia teacher emphasized the significance of the stand they were taking. This is beyond a state worker strike. To me, this is a national movement. We are dealing with the bigger picture with the government. Where does the money go? People need to be accountable.
Voices need to continue to be heard. I know a lot of people around the country are watching West Virginia to see what we are doing, and I heard Kentucky is ready to take action. We have a lot of support.
The WSWS spoke with educators eager to express their support for the ongoing struggle in West Virginia.
A Detroit Public Schools Community District teacher directed her remarks to striking West Virginia teachers. You should have courage because you have so many people supporting you. However, she cautioned on the need to examine the treacherous role of the American Federation of Teachers, the National Education Association and their local affiliates.
You have to think in terms of the union is not on your side and how you can organize outside of the union. The union doesnt own us.
We need to think outside the union and Democratic Party. Thats what we need to do because were in the class struggle togetherteachers and the entire working class and the poor. Were all struggling against capitalism and the impact it has on us and the poor and working-class students were trying to teach.
She referred to the betrayal of Detroit teachers. We had a two sickouts in 2016 which were independent of the union. The school administration knew we werent afraid to stay out. We got the support of parents and other workers and students, she said describing the rolling sickouts in 2015-16 that were organized in defiance of the union as well as the Democratic Party mayor and city council politicians.
AFT President Randi Weingarten came into my classroom to tell me she understood how bad things were. But she is not in solidarity with teachers. In our situation, the union strung us along. Then they called off the sickouts with lots of promises and threats. In the end, the Detroit Public Schools got what it wanted, such as a terrible new health plan that was a lot worse than what we had.
The union has sold out so many struggles. Since Michigan has a right-to-work law, a lot of teachers dont pay union dues. In fact, if you dont pay dues for a couple of years and then decide to come back into the union, you cant unless you pay all of the dues you didnt pay. At a meeting in September with all of the teachers, the school superintendent said he was working with the union leaders. Its just like UAW-Ford in the auto plants. She concluded, So how could the union be working for us?
Teachers protesting in Charleston, West Virginia, last week
Linda, an elementary school teacher in Arizona, said, I support the West Virginia teachers and all those fighting cuts in educationall those places where they say theres no money and there is. In West Virginia, for example, they are sitting on coalmines.
Arizona is one of the lowest-paying states in the country. I think we are 47th, right after West Virginia. The federal government under Obama cut education, including Title I funding. And the state cut money.
We had a mini-strike in my district. First, they told us we were $3 million in debt; now its $5 million. The state has threatened receivership. The school board president proposed the teachers take a five percent base salary cut for the rest of the year, including what weve already been paidin other words, retroactive for the whole school year. I personally would have lost over $2,000 over the next six paychecks. Im already struggling because of medical debt.
Teachers held a sickout, then they protested with picket signs in front of the school board, and parents and students backed us up. The school board ended up voting down the proposal because of public support. But now the state is proposing to close two schools and cut staff down to the bare minimum. This means getting rid of reading specialists, no art, no music, no library and no prep time. Also we are running out of money in March, they are meeting on Monday to discuss what they take this year. They might propose another pay cut.
I think its great what West Virginia teachers are doing. All teachers should support whats happening there. You dont want to hurt the children, but whats going on is hurting them. If we lose funding, then we lose teachers, and the children lose a decent education system. Were talking about the future and the livelihoods of the children.
The politicians dont want to fund education; theyd rather fund war. If you privatize education, you are moving to having an uneducated population which has nothing, while the wealthy can have money, power and education. In Arizona, we are low-paid, and now you dont even need to be certified any more. No training? What does that do to children? They are getting rid of the middle class, they want a wealthy and the poor and theres no mobility. We already have well-educated people living in their cars.
People may think theres a difference between the Democrats and Republicans, but how many millionaires are there in Congress? Whose interests are they looking out for?
Quinton, a teaching aide from New York, said, Teachers are doing a good thing in West Virginia. But the unions, as they are, will try to make a deal with the Democrats and get the teachers to stop any actual strike. The call for a rank-and-file committee makes sense.
Everythings so disparate, and were all so spread out. Flint, West Virginia, we all have to stand together. We just have to a unified idea what we want to accomplish. Were going up against entrenched systems of power. We need an antiwar movement. Were fighting against an establishment that worships war and money, and those are two very bad things.
More than 20,000 West Virginia teachers and other school employees are continuing their statewide strike today to demand improved wages and an end to crushing health care costs imposed by the states Public Employee Insurance Agency (PEIA).
Governor Jim Justice, a billionaire coal magnate, and the Republican-controlled state legislature have remained intransigent. Last week, with support of a significant number of state Democrats, Justice signed a bill giving educators an insulting two percent wage increase in July, followed by one percent annual raises over the next two years.
Teachers, who are currently 48th in the nation in pay, have rejected the states ultimatum and are pressing to expand the first teachers strike since 1990. The West Virginia Education Association (WVEA) and the smaller American Federation of Teachers-West Virginia (AFT-WV), which initially announced a two-day strike for last Thursday and Friday, were forced to extend it to a third day Monday.
Behind the scenes, officials from the state and national teacher unions, along with the United Mine Workers (UMW) and the West Virginia AFL-CIO, are frantically working with state Democrats to find some way to dissipate the anger of teachers and impose some miserable agreement. The union chiefs and their Democratic Party allies fear the militant struggle of teachers could trigger a far broader movement of workers against stagnant and declining wages, rising living costs and the decimation of essential social services.
Justicewho ran as a Democrat with the full backing of the WVEA, AFT-WV and UMW, before switching back to the Republican Partyhas thus far avoided any legal confrontation with the teachers. Under the states antidemocratic laws, public employees are barred from striking and could be subject to fines or even jail if they defy back-to-work orders.
On Sunday night, the West Virginia Department of Education announced that school districts in all the states 55 counties had canceled classes Monday, including in Berkeley and Jefferson counties, which had initially threatened to reopen schools. In Kanawha County, however, district officials ordered school employees in nonteaching positions who have supported the strike, including school bus drivers, custodians, aides, maintenance workers and secretaries, to report to work. This could be the first test by the authorities to use disciplinary action or legal measures to break the unity of the strike.
The governors attorney general, Patrick Morrisey, has already declared the strike illegal and offered his backing to county school boards and school superintendent seeking back-to-work injunctions. In 1990, the WVEA and AFT-WV capitulated to the injunction obtained by Democratic Governor Gaston Caperton and ended the 11-day strike based on worthless pledges by the Democratic-controlled state legislature to call a special session to address school funding.
The unions are once again parading state Democrats before teachers and claiming they are their friends. On Sunday night, the unions held impotent candlelight vigils to pray that the governor and legislature would listen. At a vigil in Braxton County, AFT-WV officials brought out Democratic state legislators, including Senator Doug Facemire, Delegate Brent Boggs and Delegate Mike Caputo.
This is a sure sign that the unions are preparing to torpedo the struggle. Whatever their rhetoric, the Democrats are no less the tools of the coal, natural gas and energy conglomerates than the Republicans. They steadfastly oppose any measures that would impinge on the profits and prerogatives of the corporate and financial elite.
Democrats have controlled the governors office for 32 of the last 40 years.
Between 1992 and 1996, and again from 2001 to 2014, the Democrats controlled the governors mansion and both houses of the state legislature. Their promises to improve teachers wages and conditions have amounted to nothing.
On the national level, the Obama administration spearheaded the attack on public education. His pro-corporate school reform agenda used tests to scapegoat teachers for the consequences of decades of bipartisan budget cutting and the growth of inequality, closed hundreds of public schools and sharply expanded charter schools and other for-profit schemes.
The unions back the Democrats, because the Democrats tend to favor utilizing the services of the unions to impose austerity and other attacks on the working class. This seat at the table enables officials from the AFT, NEA and other unions to gain federal, state and local government posts and lucrative business opportunities, from pension fund investments to running charter school operations and collecting dues from miserably paid charter school workers.
The unions have called a rally for Monday afternoon on the state capitol steps, which will include WVEA President Dale Lee, AFT-WV President Christine Campbell and UMW President Cecil Roberts. The inclusion of the UMW official is designed to give the impression that the unions are mobilizing broader support behind the teachers, but the reality is the exact opposite.
Far from speaking for rank-and-file miners, the UMW is nothing but a bureaucratic shell, which long ago disassociated itself from anything to do with the militant traditions of West Virginia miners. Roberts, who with 23 years at the top post seems destined to be president-for-life, embodies the transformation of the UMW into a tool of the corporations. He was the right-hand man of Richard Trumka (now AFL-CIO president) when the latter imposed his selective strike policy on the miners, overturning the long-standing tradition of shutting down all the mines if any operator refused to sign a contract.
This led to the bitter defeat of one strike after another, from AT Massey to Pittston, and gave the coal bosses the green light to victimize militant miners, overturn the gains won by generations of miners and use the bankruptcy courts to loot the pensions of retirees.
It is significant that the last teachers strike in 1990 followed just months after rank-and-file miners rebelled against Trumka and Roberts and launched a wildcat strike to defend the Pittston strikers. When Caperton threatened striking teachers with mass fines, the UMW explicitly rejected any action to defend them, with its spokesman saying, We are not advocating a work stoppage. The state doesnt have any money now. If we struck, it would lose millions of dollars. We dont want to compound the problem. We supported Caperton in the 1988 elections because he was the best man at the time. We havent changed our position.
Campaigning for Justice in 2016, Roberts said, Jim is one of the good coal operators.
Last week, Democratic Delegate Mike Caputo, the minority whip in the House of Delegates and a former UMW international representative, told the West Virginia Metro News that "staying disciplined" was the most important thing for teachers and school employees. The key to winning the strike, he said, was following the dictates of the unions even if they ordered them back to work and resumed so-called rolling walkouts limited to individual counties. Far from winning the strike such a course of action, which would undermine the unity of workers and leave smaller numbers of striking teachers vulnerable to retaliation, would guarantee its defeat.
Throughout the US and internationally, opposition to austerity and inequality is growing, particularly among teachers. In recent weeks, thousands of teachers in Oklahoma, Arizona, Minnesota, Pittsburgh and other states and cities have expressed their determination to strike for improved wages and to defend public education.
Instead of fruitless appeals to big-business politicians, West Virginia teachers must appeal to their fellow educators and fight for the broadest mobilization of the working class to back their struggle. To take this forward, teachers and school employees should elect rank-and-file strike committees at every school and community to organize mass meetings and demonstrations, and to rally the widest support for the strike and against any threats to use strikebreaking injunctions.
This must be combined with a new political strategy to build a mass socialist movement of the working class to break the corporate dictatorship over economic and political life and reorganize society to meet human needs, not private profit.
Now & Then: Sea of Thieves - How Has The Game Evolved in The Last 15 Months?
Gigi Hadid is a fashion powerhouse!
Milan Fashion Week kicked off on Feb. 21 and the 22-year-old model dominated the runways, leading various shows in fierce and glamorous ensembles. As a handful of Italian designers showcased their latest fall/winter 2018 collections, Hadid was front and center strutting her stuff and slaying the catwalk.
The blonde bombshell arrived ready to slay at the Alberta Ferretti show on Feb. 21, wearing a black sweater and purple Harlem pants with knee-high baroque-inspired boots. That same day, she dolled up at the Moschino show in a bright aqua gown with a 60's-inspired bob.
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Hadid's versatility is what designers admire about the California girl. On Feb. 22 Hadid channeled her inner gothic queen in an edgy all-black ensemble with dark smoky eye makeup at the Max Mara showcase. The Los Angeles native then showed her sweet and sophisticated side in a beige long-sleeve midi dress with full skirt and white boots at Fendi.
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On Feb. 23, Hadid walked the Tod's fashion week in black leather pants, burnt orange shirt and boots, brown jacket under a multi-colored coat and carried the cutest accessory, an adorable pup!
Victor VIRGILE/Gamma-Rapho via Getty Images
She also led the Versace show in burgundy leather pants, a yellow plaid sweater with a tan trench coat. But it was her sexy black sequin frock with colorful fringes that stood out.
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Hadid's Milan Fashion Week didn't stop there. On Feb. 24 she sashayed in a cozy wool sweater dress at the Missoni show.
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Yolanda Hadid's daughter will continue to have a busy week, as MFW ends on Feb. 27 and makes way for Paris Fashion Week. This Sunday, Hadid will also be showcasing her final collection with Tommy Hilfiger, TommyXGigi in Milan. Earlier this week, the model expressed her gratitude for being able to collaborate with the brand.
"Its definitely bittersweet, but I feel so grateful and humbled to have been given this opportunity to grow and learn through designing four seasons," she wrote on Instagram. "To Tommy @thomasjhilfiger, Ill never be able to thank you enough for believing in me and the possibilities of this collaboration."
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By Giulia Segreti
MILAN (Reuters) - U.S designer Tommy Hilfiger embraced the so-called "see now, buy now" strategy on Sunday with his "TommyNow Drive" collection, bringing the curtains down on Milan Fashion Week with a show featuring fast cars and even faster fashion.
"TommyNow is about the democratisation of fashion and pioneering the see-now-buy-now movement," said a company note.
All items of the collection were available on the brand's online shop the moment they went down the runway, with some already on the racks of a temporary shop set up at the venue, an exhibition centre dressed up as an Formula 1 circuit.
"It's awesome to be able to shop like this. People have become impatient - I am not going to wait six months to buy clothes that I see on catwalks now," said Nadia Meier, a customer from Salzburg attending the event.
With fashion brands under pressure to deliver collections faster to their younger customers, companies are finding themselves juggling constant demand for new clothes and accessories and the long manufacturing process required for their products.
Britain's Mulberry is the latest label to usher in a "see now, buy now" model - cutting out the usual six-month delay in delivering a runway collection to stores - two years after Burberry started. But the business model is still far from becoming an industry standard
"I find (see now, buy now) a cool initiative, it allows customers to participate more ... you watch the models, you touch the items and then buy them," said Italian Giulia Battaglia, who had just bought a 130-euro jumper.
The collection was the fourth and last to be co-designed by celebrity model Gigi Hadid and Hilfiger. Milan was the latest lap of the itinerant fashion show, which has gone through London's Roadhouse concert venue, New York and Los Angeles.
The designs were worn by celebrity models like Hadid, her sister Bella and brother Anwar, Lucky Blue and Canadian Winnie Harlow.
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They many biker-inspired looks with leather trousers and jackets, cropped tops as well as striped bathing suits and more "preppy" looks - a style frequently associated with Hilfiger - including boyfriend jeans, blouses and jumpers with crests.
As models walked down the ring-shaped catwalks, mechanics worked on Mercedes Formula 1 cars parked at the centre, with men dressed with white pilot suits and helmets standing on the sides of the catwalk.
Hilfiger is one of the best-known names in U.S. fashion and is now owned by clothing giant PVH.
The 1,000-guest show, one of the most sought-after tickets of the week, was one of the last headliners in Milan fashion week. The fashion extravaganza included shows from Italy's Giorgio Armani, Versace, Dolce& Gabbana as well as LVMH- owned Fendi and Kering's Gucci.
(Reporting by Giulia Segreti)
The 18-year-old rapper is scheduled to appear in court on Monday.
Rapper YoungBoy Never Broke Again was arrested in Tallahassee, Florida on Saturday night, according to TMZ. The Baton Rouge, Louisiana native was apprehended for an outstanding felony warrant that includes a kidnapping charge.
He was scheduled to make an appearance at The Moon nightclub in Tallahassee, but reportedly never made it to the venue. Instead, law enforcement stopped the rappers tour bus and got into the vehicle. When police ran his record, they discovered that he was wanted in Georgia for an alleged assault, weapons violations, and kidnapping.
YoungBoy Never Broke Again, 18, has faced a number of legal troubles. In 2016 the Outside Today rapper was arrested in connection to a series of shootings in his hometown of Baton Rouge. He pled guilty in May 2017 to the charge of aggravated assault with a firearm, and in August was handed a suspended 10-year prison sentence and three years probation.
In October 2016, he signed a deal with Atlantic Records. The rapper is a father of four and dropped his first mixtape Life Before Fame in 2015. His latest mixtape Fed Baby's with Moneybagg Yo dropped in November and appeared at No. 21 on the Billboard 200. Last year, the New York Times called him one of the most promising young Southern rappers of the past couple of years.
Following news of the arrest, video surfaced that appeared to show YoungBoy throwing his girlfriend, Jania, to the ground in a hotel hallway. TMZ reports the incident took place in Waycross, Georgia, and that cops found blood in the room they were staying in. YoungBoy and Jania both left before police arrived, but the evidence found at the hotel was enough to issue a warrant for the rapper's arrest.
Jania responded to the video by saying they were "just playing" and that she wasn't kidnapped.
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YoungBoy is scheduled to appear in court on Monday. Complex has reached out to his team for comment.
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At the 2018 American Black Film Festival Honors Awards on Sunday night, Angela Bassett looked like a million bucks in a dress that costs just over a hundred.
Bassett was presenting an award at the event, and channeled the African Queen she plays in Black Panther to do so.
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The Oscar nominee wowed in a colorful printed midi dress. And she seemingly didnt just pick it simply because it looks amazing on her and only retails for $169 although those are two great reasons. As her stylist Jennifer Austin implied, Bassett also chose it because of where it comes from. @im.angelabassett for @americanblackfilmfestival awardscelebrating our history and culture, Austin wrote on Instagram.
The dress was designed by an African brand called Mangishi Doll Co. It was founded by African designer, Kapasa Musonda, who was born and raised in Zambia. Bassetts dress, the MD Marsha Pencil II, is made of a traditional cloth called Chitenge. Whether it is used as a means of carrying a baby, as a bag to carry groceries on ones head or simply as an extra layer if the weather changes, most Zambians wont leave the house without a spare chitenge or two, BBC wrote of the material.
(Photo: Getty Images)
The vibrant dress with faux leather piping and a fringed hem is ethically crafted and designed in Zambia.
You could have channeled your own inner Queen Ramonda for under $200, but unfortunately the dress is now sold out.
Bassett enhanced the look with bulky gold earrings, matching bangles and an oversized round statement ring; and her hair styled naturally.
Its not the first time Bassett has repped this affordable and authentic African brand. She wore a blue printed duster by the designer last week. While she only wore the jacket, it comes in a 3-piece set with pants and a bra top for only $189.
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This is a complete 180 from last months Black Panther premiere, at which there was a lack of African designers represented on the carpet, and people were perplexed. Bassett made a point of naming the black designers she wore in an Instagram photo. Rings and Earrings by Darrell Roache (Black Designer) Ring by Dorriean (Black Designer), she captioned a photo of her in the yellow-gold fringed jumpsuit she wore at the premiere. However, the centerpiece the jumpsuit was designed by Naeem Khan.
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Clearly, shes now making a major effort to represent this film and her character as genuinely as possible.
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Chrissy Teigen's barely there polish is proof that even when a full bare leg reveal isn't an option, a spring-inspired pedicure is the easiest way to summon warm thoughts.
With warmer days still a good month or more away, fashion's favorite It-girls are putting their sunniest foot forward. Coming in first today is beauty risk taker, Chrissy Teigen, who showed off her impressively highlighted skin and mile-long legs with a trick borrowed from friend and fellow California-based social media star, Kim Kardashian West.
Yesterday in Los Angeles, the soon-to-be mother of two stepped out in a colorful tangerine silk blouse offset with a pair of tuxedo evening pants and sky high stilettos. But even on a particularly chilly night in the West Coast city, Teigen still managed to up the ante on February dressing, putting a summery spin on the style with a fiery red pout and white-nude pedicure. The shade was paired with the increasingly popular, leg-lengthening Cinderella sandal of the momenta transparent shoe that doubles as a harbinger of balmier weather. Teigen's barely there polish is proof that even when a full bare leg reveal isn't an option, a spring-inspired pedicure is the easiest way to summon warm thoughts.
NBC News didnt pull any punches in its exclusive interview with Ivanka Trump.
Journalist Peter Alexander sat down with her during her visit to South Korea for the Olympics closing ceremony, but it was sexual misconduct, not sports, that dominated the conversation.
Ivanka Trump dismisses sexual misconduct allegations against the president. (Photo: Carl Court/Getty Images)
Alexander asked the White House adviser and daughter of President Trump if she believed the allegations against her father, which include more than a dozen claims of unwanted physical contact. Her mother, Ivana Trump, also once accused Donald of rape but has since retracted those claims.
I think its a pretty inappropriate question to ask a daughter if she believes the accusers of her father when hes affirmatively stated theres no truth to it, she responded with a smile. I dont think thats a question that you would ask many other daughters.
I believe my father, she added. I know my father. I think I have that right as a daughter to believe my father.
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Not surprisingly, the comments and Ivankas so-called daughter defense have sparked fierce debate on social media. Critics argued that the question shouldnt be considered off-limits given her White House role.
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Others defended the first daughter, saying Chelsea Clinton would not be confronted about the allegations against her father, former president Bill Clinton. Many responded that Chelsea was still a child when her father in office.
Interestingly, Ivanka Trump herself has promoted the interview by retweeting it.
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Jennifer Lawrence is thinking about the next step in her career. She wants to try her hand at working behind the camera, and she plans to do that with a docu-series alongside former E! News anchor Catt Sadler. The series, directed by documentary filmmaker Stephanie Soechtig, will address the gender wage gap in Hollywood.
In her typical charming and exuberant fashion, Lawrence announced the project by accident while promoting her new film Red Sparrow. "I would like to direct one day. I think it's important to start getting behind the camera, producing, so I can have more control over who gets hired and make sure I can be a part of it, and make sure there's diversity on all our films," she continued. "I'm going to be EPing a show with Catt Sadler, actually, which I wasn't supposed to announce, but I am." The actress quickly caught herself as she spoke to Audrey Gelman, co-founder of women's co-working space The Wing in New York City, during their interview. Not much is known about the project, other than it is taking a detailed look at issues facing women today. According to The Hollywood Reporter, they are looking to fast-track the series once they partner with a distributor or production company.
When Sadler left E! News after finding out that her male co-worker was paid roughly twice her salary, Lawrence was a vocal supporter. She praised Sadler as she shared her essay explaining why she left. One of the most prevalent themes in Sadler's statement was encouraging women to know their worth, a message echoed by Lawrence in an essay she wrote for Lenny Letter on equal pay in 2015. "When the Sony hack happened and I found out how much less I was being paid than the lucky people with dicks, I didn't get mad at Sony. I got mad at myself," Lawrence wrote saying that she wished she had negotiated more rather than settling early.
In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter in January, Sadler spoke about the growing friendship between her and Lawrence. "Jennifer Lawrence has become a friend of mine really, a hero of mine," Sadler shared. "Long before my own experiences, her voice has been an empowering one and one Ive always admired. To have her in my corner is hard to put into words, to be honest."
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By using their platforms to speak to the gender pay gap, Lawrence and Sadler have made great strides for not only themselves but for other women who were worried about coming across as "demanding" or "difficult" by doing the same.
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Here's one way to push for more gun control laws in Florida: vacation somewhere else. On Saturday, Parkland school shooting survivor David Hogg, Marjory Stoneman Douglas High's student news director, proposed an alternative method of gun control protest. The 17-year-old suggested on Twitter that spring breakers withhold their tourism dollars until Florida politicians passed gun legislation in the state.
"Let's make a deal DO NOT come to Florida for spring break unless gun legislation is passed," he tweeted. "These [politicians] won't listen to us so maybe [they'll] listen to the billion dollar tourism industry in FL. #neveragain."
Instead, David encouraged tourists to spend their money in a part of the United States that needs it a lot more. As Fast Company reported, Puerto Rico needs a lot of money to rebuild after Hurricane Maria, and the territory's secretary of the Department of Economic Development and Commerce, Manuel Laboy, has suggested vacationing as a great way to help. "Better Idea: Spend your spring break in Puerto Rico, it's a beautiful place with amazing people," David continued in a follow-up tweet. "They could really use the economic support that the government has failed to provide."
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Spring break in Florida isn't the only thing David wants Americans to boycott. Over the past week, he and his classmates have been tweeting about companies that support the National Rifle Association. "So which companies use @FedEx the most? We could pressure them to stop business until @FedEx ends their support for the NRA," David tweeted on Saturday. "At this point we should [probably] just use @eBay instead of @Amazon eBay uses a government corporation @USPS and doesn't support @NRATV #changeiscoming," he continued, in reference to Amazon offering streaming of the NRA's television channel.
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On Monday, David resumed his discussion of boycotting Amazon and other delivery companies that support the NRA. "So how else should we pressure @FedEx to end their relationship with the NRA? Same question for Amazon also I've been trying to cancel my prime membership along with everyone else that doesn't want to support @NRATV how should we go about that? @amazon," he wrote. "No matter who you are or what organization are [it'd] be a huge help if you changed your shipping service over to @USPS or @DHLUS or @UPS in support of us. In fact tweet out at companies that use only use @FedEx and demand action! Let's get this done! #boycottfedex I say we keep pressuring @amazon until they fully end their relationship with the NRA."
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As of Saturday, several businesses from Delta and United Airlines to Symantec and MetLife have announced an end to their partnerships with the NRA, according to NPR. The NRA has since responded with a statement, calling the boycotts "a shameful display of political and civic cowardice" and saying the defecting companies would be "replaced by others who recognize that patriotism and determined commitment to Constitutional freedoms are characteristics of a marketplace they very much want to serve."
"Let it be absolutely clear," the statement continued, according to NPR. "The loss of a discount will neither scare nor distract one single NRA member from our mission to stand and defend the individual freedoms that have always made America the greatest nation in the world."
Meanwhile, according to HuffPost, companies including Amazon, Apple, and YouTube (all three of whom stream NRA TV), as well as FedEx, Roku, SiriusXM, and more, have not announced any plans to sever ties with the gun rights organization.
Related: An Open Letter from a Douglas Alum to the Parkland Survivors
By Angus McDowall and Jack Stubbs BEIRUT/MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia said on Monday it would establish an evacuation corridor and implement a five-hour daily truce to allow people to leave Syria's eastern Ghouta, after a U.N. Security Council resolution demanding a 30-day ceasefire across the entire country. It appeared to make no mention, however, of allowing relief supplies to enter the territory, where 400,000 people are living under siege and bombardment. Over the past week, Syria's army and its allies have subjected the rebel-held enclave near Damascus to one of the heaviest bombardments of the seven-year war, killing hundreds. On Sunday, health authorities there said several people had symptoms consistent with chlorine gas exposure. On Monday, rescue workers and a monitoring group said seven small children had been killed by air and artillery strikes in one town. "Eastern Ghouta cannot wait, it is high time to stop this hell on earth," U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres told the U.N. Human Rights Council in Geneva, calling for implementation of the ceasefire. Fighting has raged across Syria since Saturday's resolution, as Turkey presses its offensive against a Kurdish militia in Afrin, rival rebel groups fight each other in Idlib and a U.S.-led coalition targets Islamic State in the east.. Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu was cited by the RIA news agency as saying President Vladimir Putin had ordered a ceasefire in eastern Ghouta from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. each day, and the creation of a "humanitarian corridor". RED CROSS CALLS FOR MORE Major-General Yuri Yevtushenko, head of the Russian peace and reconciliation center in Syria, said the measures, decided in agreement with Syrian forces, were intended to help civilians leave and to evacuate the sick and wounded. RIA's report of his remarks made no direct mention of letting relief supplies in, but quoted Yevtushenko accusing militants of "holding hundreds hostage, including women and children, and victimizing residents, refusing to allow them to leave". The International Committee of the Red Cross in Geneva said it welcomed any measure that allowed "those who wish to leave to do so, of their free will", as well as medical evacuations. But spokeswoman Iolanda Jaquemet said much more was required: "The need remains for humanitarian convoys to move in with vital supplies: medicines, medical supplies, food, material to purify the water. This is a place with up to 400,000 people and humanitarian needs are huge." Linda Tom, a U.N. humanitarian spokeswoman in Damascus, called for the Council resolution to be fully implemented "so that the U.N. and its partners can deliver humanitarian assistance to those in need, particularly to those in eastern Ghouta". She said at least 30 people had been killed in Ghouta in the previous 48 hours. Russia, along with Iran and Shi'ite militias, is a major backer of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and it joined the war on his side in 2015, helping him claw back important areas. Mohamad Alloush, political chief of one of eastern Ghouta's biggest rebel factions, said the Syrian army and its allies had launched "a sweeping ground assault" after the U.N. resolution. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said allegations that the Syrian government was responsible for any chemical attack were aimed at sabotaging the truce. The Syrian government has consistently denied using chemical weapons in the war, which will soon enter its eighth year having killed hundreds of thousands of people and forced half of Syria's pre-war population of about 23 million from their homes. DEAD CHILDREN A picture issued by Civil Defence rescue workers, which Reuters could not independently verify, showed seven small bodies lying beside each other, wrapped in white and blue sheets, after air and artillery strikes on the town of Douma in eastern Ghouta. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a UK-based monitoring group, said four of them were among a single family of nine killed by an air strike. The other three were among seven killed by shelling in the same town, it said. The bombardment of eastern Ghouta over the past week has been one of the heaviest of the war, killing at least 556 people in eight days, according to the Syrian Observatory. It said the intensity of the bombardment had diminished since the U.N. resolution, but that 21 people had been killed in eastern Ghouta on Monday. Rebel shelling has caused 36 deaths and a number of injuries in Damascus and nearby rural areas in the last four days, Zaher Hajjo, a government health official, told Reuters. The deputy director general of the World Health Organisation, Peter Salama, said the WHO urgently needed to evacuate 750 medical cases from eastern Ghouta, as well as "sustained access for medical equipment and for medical drugs and commodities". RELATIVE LULL In eastern Ghouta, people were using the relative lull to find provisions, said Moayad Hafi, a rescue worker based there. "Civilians rushed from their shelters to get food and return quickly since the warplanes are still in the sky and can hit at any moment," he told Reuters in a voice message. Lavrov said the ceasefire would not cover either the Ahrar al-Sham or the Jaish al-Islam factions, describing them as partners of the former al Qaeda affiliate the Nusra Front. The two major rebel factions in eastern Ghouta are Jaish al-Islam and Failaq al-Rahman. Tahrir al-Sham, an alliance of jihadists including Nusra, also has a small presence there. In Idlib, Ahrar al-Sham and Tahrir al-Sham have been fighting each other in recent days, rather than cooperating. Syrian state television reported that army units had advanced against militants near Harasta in eastern Ghouta. The state news agency SANA also reported that the army had stopped a car bomb being driven into Damascus. The Nusra Front has consistently been excluded from ceasefires in Syria, and the opposition says the government has used this as an excuse to keep up its bombardments. (Additional reporting by Ellen Francis and Dahlia Nehme in Beirut, Stephanie Nebehay in Geneva, Sarah Dadouch in Riyadh and Polina Ivanova in Moscow Editing by Gareth Jones and Kevin Liffey)
Ali Wyne
Security, Middle East
It is difficult to see how the present troop force in Afghanistan would be able to accomplish what one nearly seven times as large could not.
It is difficult to see how the present troop force in Afghanistan would be able to accomplish what one nearly seven times as large could not.
America Will Never Win the War in Afghanistan
According to an in-depth investigation conducted by BBC News reporters in late 2017, the Taliban fully control four percent of Afghanistans districts and have an active and open physical presence in 66 percent of the remaining ones. They found that roughly half of the Afghan people are living in areas that are either controlled by the Taliban or where the Taliban are openly present and regularly mount attacks.
These findings should give pause to observers who believe that the United States is, or will presently be, poised to turn the tide in Afghanistan enduringly. There are currently fourteen thousand U.S. troops stationed there, up from 8,500 when President Trump took office, and the Army is recommending that the president authorize the deployment of an additional one thousand troops. For much of 2011, by comparison, there were nearly one hundred thousand U.S. troops in Afghanistan. While that earlier surge did reduce the Talibans control and extend that of the Afghan government, neither trend lasted. It is difficult to see how the present force would be able to accomplish what one nearly seven times as large could not; it would be unlikely to have more than marginal impact, and even then for only as long as the deployment was sustained.
The United States has now been at war in Afghanistan for over sixteen years, at a cost of over $1 trillion; Atlantic Senior Editor Krishnadev Calamur noted last month that the Taliban now controls . . . more territory than at any point since the U.S.-led invasion; and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime reported this past November that both the level of opium production and the area under opium poppy cultivation in Afghanistan reached record highs in 2017.
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Such realities invite a rigorous interrogation of the rationales for Americas continued involvement there. Steve Coll, dean of Columbia Universitys Graduate School of Journalism and author of a new book on U.S. efforts to counter terrorism in South Asia, observes that policymakers have yet to answer essential questions, such as Why is the United States in Afghanistan? What interests justify its sacrifices? How will the war end? Instead, it would appear that the United States has accepted, or perhaps resigned itself to, a kind of circular logic, one whose power will only grow with time: the longer that U.S. forces remain in Afghanistan, the more self-evident it should be that the United States has vital national interests there.
If, as the top U.S. commander in Afghanistan concluded this past November, the conflict in Afghanistan is still in a stalemate, and the United States is unable and/or unwilling to specify the conditions under which its forces would begin to draw down, then it is effectively committing itself to staying there in perpetuity. Some observers contend that the United States would embolden the Taliban by announcing a timeline for withdrawal. Having fought U.S. troops for over sixteen years, though, the organization has proven itself to be frustratingly resilient and adaptable; so long as the United States has forces deployed there, the Taliban will likely be able to recruit a steady flow of fighters.
Following a recent attack by the group that killed at least ninety-five people and injured 158 others, President Trump ruled out negotiations with its leadership. His sentiment is understandable. Unfortunately, though, concludes Laurel Miller, who served from June 2013 to June 2017 as the State Departments deputy and then acting special representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan, Americas only realistic exit strategy is a negotiated settlement.
Pakistani support, in turn, remains essential to the achievement of such an outcome. The administrations threat to cut off up to $2 billion in military assistance to Islamabad is unlikely to achieve its intended results for at least two reasons. First, despite the turbulence that has marked U.S.-Pakistan ties since 9/11, U.S. troops remain dependent on transit through and overflight of Pakistani territory as a lower-cost alternative to supply line arrangements that would traverse Iran or Central Asian countries. Richard Olson, U.S. ambassador to Pakistan from 2012 to 2015, explains that [w]ithout Pakistani cooperation, [the U.S.] army in Afghanistan risks becoming a beached whale. Second, in large measure due to Chinas resurgence, the United States has significantly less leverage over Pakistan than it did in the 2000s. Under the auspices of its One Belt, One Road initiative, China has promised to invest some $62 billion into the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor. While Islamabad cannot expect a blank check from Beijingthe latter is concerned that its growing influence over the former could increasingly make it a target for organizations such as the Haqqani network and Lashkar-e-Taibait can count on less diplomatic pressure and greater economic support.
This past August, President Trump stated that victory in Afghanistan would entail attacking our enemies, obliterating ISIS, crushing al-Qaeda, preventing the Taliban from taking over the country, and stopping mass terror attacks against Americans before they emerge. While that conception is part of what he contends to be a new, more aggressive strategy, it actually suggests a more discomfiting conclusion: the best the United States may be able to do in Afghanistan is maintain a protracted stalemate.
Ali Wyne is a policy analyst at the nonprofit, nonpartisan RAND Corporation and a nonresident fellow with the Atlantic Councils Brent Scowcroft Center on International Security.
Image: A U.S. Marine with a Marine special operations team assists with security during a construction project for an Afghan Local Police (ALP) checkpoint in Helmand province, Afghanistan, March 30, 2013. Flickr / U.S. Department of Defense
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Team USA bobsledder Nate Weber has been soaking in his last few days in PyeongChang, South Korea, with his family.
Thats not unusual, and generally doesnt garner public attention. Most athletes from all over the world have been simply trying to enjoy the final few moments of the 2018 Olympics after finishing their respective events.
Yet photos of Weber who is an active-duty U.S. Army Green Beret with his family spending time with Ivanka Trump has drawn some negative attention on social media, and Weber wasnt having it.
Trump, who is leading the U.S. delegation at the Closing Ceremony, and press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders went to watch Weber compete in the mens bobsled finals, and watched the event with his family.
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Weber responded to Sanders post on Twitter almost instantly, thanking her and Trump for inviting his family to join them, which he said was an amazing experience for them.
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Many on Twitter, though, werent happy that Weber let his family spend time with the Presidents daughter.
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Weber responded to the haters on Sunday, restating how great of a time his family had with Trump and saying that Trump and his daughters were like best friends when they were together.
He even responded to some people specifically, too.
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Weber made it clear on Twitter that this move wasnt at all a political stance. All he wanted, he said, was to simply make his Olympic experience even better for him and his family.
It looks like he did just that.
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(@NateWeberActual/Twitter)
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The Argentine coast guard repeatedly opened fire against a Chinese boat caught illegally fishing within Argentinas exclusive economic zone last week.
The coast guard said the boat Jing Yuan 626 was caught sailing within Argentinas exclusive economic zone along with four other vessels, all bearing Chinese flags, according to a statement published Friday. The authorities said the four vessels attempted to ram into the coast guard's boat and carried out maneuvers, putting the Argentine crew at risk.
The coast guard nonetheless persisted in their attempt to capture the fishing vessel. Authorities say they fired intimidatory shots but, as the Chinese boat refused to take heed of the warnings, they then resorted to [carrying] out machine-gun and cannon fire aimed at disrupting the vessels navigability without posing a threat to its crews lives.
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Footage of the incident that occurred Thursday was shared by the Argentine authorities to the public on Friday. You are responsible for the safety of your crew and your ship. You are about to receive direct fire, coast guard captain Eduardo Scarzello can be heard informing the fishing vessel via radio.
Bow, command bridge. Are we ready? Okay, free fire one shot to the boat's bow over waterline," he then ordered his crew.
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The fishing vessels pursuit lasted almost eight hours in adverse weather conditions before Argentinas ministry of foreign affairs and worship ordered the coast guard to end the chase. In 2016, a similar discovery of a Chinese boat illegally fishing in Argentines exclusive economic zone ended with the sinking of the Chinese trawler Lu Yan Yuan Yu 010, forcing the crew to abandon ship.
02_26_argentina_Chinese_boat
Argentine Coast Guard/Handout
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At the time, the Chinese government lodged a protest with the Argentinian side, Reuters reported. According to ABC News, the Chinese Embassy in Argentina had yet to comment on Thursdays incident.
Argentinas coast guard noted in its statement that Chinese vessels are not the only ones violating the confines of the countrys exclusive economic zone, which stretches 200 nautical miles from a countrys coast as prescribed by the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. Earlier this month, Argentinas authorities caught a Spanish flag-bearing vessel within its waters carrying more than 320 tons of processed fish on board.
This article was first written by Newsweek
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By Mica Rosenberg
NEW YORK (Reuters) - A Congolese woman seeking asylum in the United States for herself and her daughter sued the Trump administration on Monday, alleging that she and other immigrants in detention have been unfairly separated from their children.
The 39-year-old woman, referred to in the lawsuit only as Ms. L, alleges she was detained in California after turning herself in to U.S. border guards at a port of entry near San Diego on Nov. 1, while her seven-year-old daughter was sent to government custody in Chicago.
"When the officers separated them, Ms. L. could hear her daughter in the next room frantically screaming that she wanted to remain with her mother," the lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court in southern California said.
People seeking asylum in the United States are interviewed by an asylum officer, and if they are found to have credible fear of returning home, they can remain in the country to pursue their claims in immigration court.
Court challenges have led to limits on the amount of time children can be kept in immigration detention, and the government has often decided to release parents along with their children to await resolution of asylum cases.
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security said it does not comment on pending litigation.
Attorney General Jeff Sessions has criticized the asylum process as rife with fraud. In a speech in October he said applicants are often helped by "dirty immigration lawyers" who urge them to file unwarranted asylum claims and provide "them with the magic words needed to trigger the credible fear process."
The administration has floated the idea of separating families at the border in an attempt to deter their migration.
This month, a group of Democratic lawmakers wrote a letter to the head of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, saying the rationale for such a proposal "suggests a lack of understanding about the violence many families are fleeing."
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"This is not a one-off case," said Lee Gelernt, an attorney from the American Civil Liberties Union representing the woman who filed Monday's action. "We are hearing there are dozens if not hundreds of cases around the country. And the Administration is threatening to do even more family separation."
Gelernt said that some recent border crossers, potentially including asylum seekers, have been separated from their children after being criminally charged with illegally entering, or re-entering, the United States.
Without giving details about their specific asylum claim, the lawsuit said Ms. L. and her daughter hid in a Catholic Church in the Democratic Republic of Congo before deciding to risk a journey to the United States.
She explained to border officials in broken Spanish that she was seeking asylum and since then has been held at the Otay Mesa Detention Center. Her daughter was transferred to the Office of Refugee Resettlement, which houses and places children that arrive on the border alone.
The two have only spoken a handful of times on the phone in four months, the lawsuit says.
It follows a separate suit filed last week by a New York civil rights group that challenged what it said was unfair and prolonged detention of immigrant children by the Trump administration.
(Reporting by Mica Rosenberg; Editing by Sue Horton and Susan Thomas)
(Reuters) - A 32-year-old man was killed and five other people were injured Sunday after being buried in an avalanche in western Washington state, local authorities said. Joseph Simenstad of Issaquah, Wa., was hiking and sledding with his wife and four friends Sunday afternoon in the Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest, about 82 miles east of Seattle, when a snow slope above them broke free, the Kittitas County Sheriff's Office said in a press release on its Facebook page. Simenstad and his wife and another friend were fully buried in the snow and two other men were partially buried, authorities said. Rescuers were able to dig them out and revive one unconscious man, but Simenstad died of his injuries, authorities said. The others in his party, including Simenstad's wife received only minor injuries. Undersheriff Clay Myers said in the release that the area where the hikers were struck was considered "extremely hazardous" and he cautioned people to check the county's avalanche center before venturing out in the park. (Reporting by Rich McKay; Editing by Peter Graff)
As the Autumn/Winter 2018 ready-to-wear shows move into Paris, we take stock of the biggest beauty trends seen on the catwalks in Milan.
Eyeliner, eyeliner
Fun, colorful eyeliner was a big trend on the Italian catwalks, adding a dash of joie de vivre to otherwise sleek, classic beauty looks. Fendi and Tommy Hilfiger opted for a flash of metallic silver shadow at the inner corner of the eye and along the lower lids, while a streak of electric blue liner added a jazzy flash of color to the utilitarian tailored looks on show at Salvatore Ferragamo.
Read my lips
Lipstick was also bold and colorful, in keeping with multiple AW18 shows in New York and London. It was all about the bubblegum colors at Max Mara, where the models sported bright lipstick in poppy tones such as hot pink and lilac, and slightly more unusual shades -- such as a lurid green -- at Annakiki.
Feline flicks
Despite all the offbeat color, there was still room for some classic Italian glamour. Alberta Ferretti kept things traditional with winged black eyeliner that ended in a perfect flourish and served as a reminder of the power of simplistic beauty looks, while Ermanno Scervino followed suit, focusing on the lower lash line for an edgier look.
By Darren Staples LEICESTER, England (Reuters) - British police searched for survivors on Monday in the rubble of a shop and apartment destroyed by an explosion that killed at least five people and injured five others in the city of Leicester on Sunday evening. CCTV footage posted on the local newspaper's website showed the entire front of the building shooting into the road as a car passed. The scene was then engulfed in fire. The Leicester Mercury said the shop was a Polish convenience store called Zabka Leicester and above it was a two-storey apartment. Police and the fire service said it would take time to establish what caused the explosion but that there was no immediate indication it was linked to terrorism. "There are still pockets of fire in the basement area of the building," said Matt Crane of Leicestershire Fire Service. "We have a significant number of specialist search and rescue teams who are supported by two search dogs." Five people were taken to hospital, one of whom remains in a critical condition, police said. Local resident Harrish Patni told Sky News: "We heard this massive explosion, the shop window six doors away vibrated and we thought it can't be a car accident, it didn't sound like a crash. "We came outside and there was a big cloud of smoke, bricks all across the road." Leicester, in the center of England, has long been one of Britain's most culturally diverse cities, with a large population of people from the Asian subcontinent and many other ethnicities. (Additional reporting by Andrew MacAskill and Kanishka Singh; Editing by Guy Faulconbridge and Catherine Evans)
Broward County Sheriff Scott Israel is defending his departments handling of events leading up to and including the Feb. 14 high school shooting in Parkland, Florida that left 17 people dead.
In an interview with NBC News Kerry Sanders about a call his department received on Nov. 30 last year warning that the suspected shooter, former Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School student Nikolas Cruz, could be a school shooter in the making, Israel said: What were looking into is did [the deputy] follow up, did he send it over indications at this point is that he did not.
Israel said the Broward County Sheriffs Office will also conduct a thorough investigation into why Deputy Sheriff Scot Peterson did not enter the building when he heard shots being fired. We know Peterson knew there were shots fired and choose not to go in, Israel said. Peterson resigned several days after the shooting.
Responding to claims that witnesses from other police departments saw three additional deputies from Broward County arrive and take defensive positions rather than going inside, Israel said: Im not going to tell you that other Broward Sheriffs deputies didnt go in when they should have, but Im not going to say the opposite either.
NBC News reported that Republicans from the Florida House of Representatives have sent a letter to Governor Rick Scott demanding that Israel, who is an elected Democrat, either step down or be removed.
But so far Israel has no plans to resign. I dont think there is a man or woman in this county who can keep Broward County safer than I can, Israel told NBC. Im proud to be the sheriff and I plan to continue on being the sheriff.
Marjory Stoneman High School students headed back to school Monday for the first time since the deadly shooting. The school has counselors and emotional support dogs available to help students cope with returning after the massacre, NBC reports.
Cambodias ruling party swept the countrys Senate elections on Sunday, winning every seat in the legislatures upper chamber in an all-but-predetermined contest that observers and analysts say is the latest symptom of the faltering political health of the southeast Asian country.
Preliminary results from Sundays poll showed the ruling Cambodian Peoples Party (CPP) claimed all 58 elected seats in the Senate, according to the National Election Committee (NEC), further entrenching the dominance of the CPP and Prime Minister Hun Sen, who has ruled Cambodia since 1985.
The polls result demonstrates that the death knell for democracy in Cambodia is ringing very loud and clear, Mu Sochua, who was deputy president of the former opposition Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP), told TIME in an email. Sochua, who has lived in exile since fleeing Cambodia in October under threat of arrest, called on the international community to speak and act with one voice to prevent Cambodias reversion to a one-party state.
The outcome was of little surprise, however, since the CNRP, the countrys leading opposition party, was formally dissolved in November last year. The party was seen as the only viable contender to the CPP and is just one victim of a crackdown that has seen political figures and critics threatened and driven into exile, and human rights advocates and journalists arrested and imprisoned ahead of nationwide elections expected next July. The ruling party also rescinded the licenses of over a dozen independent radio stations, cutting off broadcasters Radio Free Asia (RFA), Voice of America, and Voice of Democracy, and shuttering the English-language newspaper The Cambodia Daily. Most of the CNRPs senior officials are now in exile; Kem Sokha, the CNRPs last president, faces up to 30 years in prison on treason charges widely understood to be politically motivated.
Read more: Cambodias Crackdown Raises Fears Ahead of 2018 Election
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In a statement, the CNRP called Sundays election undemocratic and unlawful. Regional watchdog group ASEAN Parliamentarians for Human Rights said the suppression of political opposition meant the Senate election cannot be considered a legitimate democratic exercise, with chair Charles Santiago calling the poll a sham.
With a full CPP takeover of the Senate on Sunday almost certain, any hope of the chamber evolving into anything more than a dormant body tasked with rubber-stamping the prime ministers every legislative whim, is dead in the water, Santiago said. Unfortunately, the Cambodian Senate will continue to stand as yet another sad reminder of Cambodias unmitigated descent into outright dictatorship.
Cambodias Senate is not directly elected by the general population, but by the countrys local-level commune councilors. Following the CNRPs dissolution, the ruling party confiscated the seats won by the opposition in the countrys landmark 2013 nationwide election, in which the CNRP won a best-ever 44% of the vote, as well as commune seats won in June 2017 local polls. The reallocation granted the CPP 95.5% of commune-level positions, the Phnom Penh Post reported last year, making Sundays poll more of an intra-party appointment than a competitive electoral race. The King of Cambodia and the CPP-controlled National Assembly parliaments lower chamber also appoint two Senate seats each.
The Senate poll was only contested by three other parties, two of them marginal factions widely understood as subservient to the ruling party. The fourth party, the royalist Funcinpec, was once the CPPs primary rival but has since warmed to cooperating with its former adversary, accepting 41 former CNRP seats in the reconstituted National Assembly.
Taken in isolation, Sundays poll was primarily symbolic, says Jonathan Sutton, a Southeast Asia-focused researcher at New Zealands Otago University. The Senate has historically functioned essentially as a rubber-stamp chamber with very little power, Sutton tells TIME. Nevertheless, the chambers single party makeup underscores the CPPs position as the sole real party and the sole source of power in Cambodia, Sutton says.
The political crackdown in Cambodia has not gone without notice in the West. In December, the U.S. passed targeted sanctions restricting travel against leading Cambodian politicians involved in undermining democracy. Potentially more damaging, E.U. sanctions currently under consideration could include the rollback of trade preferences, the Financial Times reported last week; Cambodias garment trade with the E.U. accounted for 43% of all of its exports in 2016, according to the International Labour Organization.
But a broad international consensus that could force Hun Sens hand has largely failed to materialize. Cambodia is also assured of diplomatic support from China, the countrys biggest foreign donor, which has pledged equipment and support for Julys elections after the U.S. and E.U. withdrew promised funding. In a November statement, Chinas Foreign Ministry expressed confidence that the nationwide polls would proceed smoothly. With no credible rivals at the ballot box, Cambodias rulers will be sure of it.
Cambodia's ruling party swept controversial Senate elections on Sunday, early results suggest, in a vote derided as a "farce" by critics as it proceeded without a viable opposition.
Strongman Premier Hun Sen has overseen a crackdown on the press, civil society and the opposition Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP), which was disbanded following a court ruling last November not long after its leader was arrested on treason charges.
The Senate vote arouses little interest in Cambodia because the upper house is seen as a rubber-stamp body and candidates are elected by other officials rather than the public, but the result is a sign of things to come in the general election set for July.
Preliminary results released by the National Election Committee late Sunday showed that Hun Sen's ruling Cambodian People's Party (CPP) received around 11,200 votes, which should give it enough to win the seats up for grabs.
In the Senate election 58 seats are voted on by local commune councillors and lawmakers, while the country's king and the National Assembly each put forward two candidates to reach a total of 62.
The former opposition CNRP had no say in the poll as its parliamentary and commune seats were redistributed to other parties following its dissolution, with the CPP holding some 95 percent of the local positions.
Despite the lopsided line-up, ruling party spokesman Sok Eysan described the win as a "big victory", saying the CPP "may have won all 58 seats."
In an earlier interview he brushed off allegations that the election was undemocratic.
"CPP is regretful that we lost a main challenger but we cannot help them because they violated the law," he said, referring to the opposition party.
Final results are expected in early March.
Turnout was more than 99 percent, the NEC said at a press conference after voting closed. A total of four groups, including the royalist Funcinpec Party, took part.
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It was the first time that the Senate election had been held without a main opposition party. The six-year-term Senate was formed in 1999 and its first election was held in 2006.
Opposition figure Sam Rainsy, who helped co-found the Cambodia National Rescue Party, said in a statement from abroad that the Senate election was a "farce" and urged the international community to condemn it.
Western democracies and rights groups have slammed Hun Sen's effort to push out rivals.
The EU and the US have withdrawn support for the July election, while Germany has suspended preferential visa treatment for private travel for Hun Sen and his family.
Sebastian Strangio, author of "Hun Sen's Cambodia", said the main effect of the CPP's recent clampdown "has been simply to remove the pretence (of a functional democracy) and entrench a new era of less apologetic one-party domination".
By Prak Chan Thul PHNOM PENH (Reuters) - Cambodia's ruling party said on Sunday it had won every seat up for election on the Senate in a ballot held after thousands of opposition lawmakers and local council leaders were stripped of their right to vote. Preliminary results published by Cambodian People's Party (CPP) showed it had won 58 seats on the 62-seat Senate, leaving the other three political parties with nothing. Official results were not yet available, but two officials on the National Election Committee (NEC) confirmed the result published by the CPP, headed by Prime Minister Hun Sen. Senate seats are elected by members of parliament and commune councillors across Cambodia. The king of Cambodia and the National Assembly appoint another two members each. Rights groups and members of the opposing Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP) said the vote was a "sham" and "undemocratic". The CNRP was dissolved by a court last November at the government's request, and the CNRP says the authorities subsequently stripped 5,062 of its commune councillors and lawmakers of their voting rights. "The Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP) calls on all friendly countries of Cambodia and the United Nations to not accept the results of the Senate election," the CNRP said in a statement. The dissolution of the CNRP was followed by the arrest of its leader, Kem Sokha, last year for allegedly plotting to overthrow the government with U.S. help, an accusation both the United States and Kem Sokha have rejected. "Today's exercise is a pointless farce that will deceive no one," said CNRP's former leader Sam Rainsy on Twitter on Sunday. Advocacy group ASEAN Parliamentarians for Human Rights APHR said the vote cannot be considered "a legitimate democratic exercise", after the dissolution of CNRP and the overall climate of repression over the past year. (Reporting by Prak Chan Thul; Editing by Kenneth Maxwell and Raissa Kasolowsky)
Yaounde (AFP) - An administrative official was snatched over the weekend from one of Cameroon's restive English-speaking regions in the second such kidnapping in a fortnight, state media reported on Monday.
The man was taken by armed men near Batibo, which lies 40 kilometres (25 miles) west of the city of Bamenda, and the same area from which another local official was taken on February 11.
"The regional representative for social affairs for the northwest region has been missing since Saturday. He was taken while in his car in the Batibo area by armed attackers," Cameroon Radio Television (CrTV) said.
Regional police officials confirmed the kidnapping to CrTV, saying they had recovered his burnt-out vehicle.
The abduction was claimed on social media by the so-called Ambazonia Defence Forces (ADF), an armed group of English-speaking separatists from a self-proclaimed republic independent from the majority French-speaking country.
The ADF, headed by firebrand former student trade unionist Lucas Cho Ayaba, also snatched Namata Diteng, deputy head of the Batibo district earlier this month.
Dozens of people have been killed since October in Cameroon's two restive anglophone regions following a violent government crackdown on protests against the mainly French-speaking government.
The situation worsened at the end of January when 47 separatists, including Sisiku Ayuk Tabe, one of their leaders, were arrested in Nigeria, which sent them back to Cameroon, prompting a fresh wave of violence.
Aside from targeting police and soldiers, some separatist groups appear to be turning to kidnapping, as well as threatening French firms located in English-speaking areas.
Anglophones account for about a fifth of the west African country's 23 million population.
On Thursday, a presidential decree paved the way for the creation of a fifth military subdivision which will oversee western Cameroon and be based in Bamenda.
Bamenda (Cameroon) (AFP) - Cameroon's main opposition party on Saturday selected deputy leader Joshua Osih as its presidential candidate to challenge the long-ruling President Paul Biya in elections later this year.
Osih was elected at a Social Democratic Front (SDF) party congress in the western city of Bamenda after veteran leader and perennial presidential hopeful John Fru Ndi ruled out running on Thursday.
Osih, a former businessman who hails from the troubled anglophone southwest of the country, told excited activists that he would mobilise the party in all 366 local authorities for the election, expected to be held in October.
"Etoudi is within our reach," he said, referring to the presidential residence.
He is fluent in both English and French, and the SDF draws much of its backing from two predominantly English-speaking enclaves in the west of Cameroon, formerly ruled by both Britain and France.
Tensions are high in the anglophone regions, where protesters who claim discrimination by the French-speaking majority have led to violence and a crackdown.
Anglophones account for about a fifth of the west African country's 23 million population.
- 'Atrocities' in anglophone regions -
After easily beating two other candidates, one of whom pulled out late, in Saturday's vote, Osih told the press that "our doors are open" and he would not rule out a coalition with other parties.
He will likely have a rival in prominent lawyer Akere Muna, an anglophone who last month won the endorsement of several small opposition parties and grassroots groups.
The SDF's founder Fru Ndi, 74, said he would "pass the torch to the person you choose" on Thursday after losing to Biya three times -- in 1992, 2004 and 2011 -- as well as boycotting the vote in 1997.
In a letter to Biya published Saturday, Fru Ndi accused government troops and police of committing "atrocities" in the anglophone regions, as he warned that the deepening rift was "bringing us closer and closer to civil war".
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"With every passing day an innocent Cameroonian dies, a wife loses her husband," Fru Ndi told Biya.
"Houses are being razed with no regard for life or human dignity, women are being raped ... and the granaries with the fruit of agricultural workers' hard labour are reduced to ashes," he added, as he blamed the "forces of law and order."
The 85-year-old Biya, in power since 1982, has not yet said whether he will stand for re-election, though his party regards him as "the natural candidate".
Critics say his rule has been characterised by ruthless exploitation, corruption and repression.
Anglophone demonstrators have demanded a federal state, while some secessionists have even called for an independent state they have dubbed "Ambazonia".
Chinas ruling Communist Party on Sunday set the stage for President Xi Jinping to stay in office indefinitely, with a proposal to remove a constitutional clause limiting presidential service to just two terms in office.
Since taking office more than five years ago, Xi has overseen a radical shake-up of the party, including taking down top leaders once thought untouchable as part of his popular war on deep-rooted corruption.
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Kyodo News via Getty Images
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Sundays announcement, carried by state news agency Xinhua, gave few details. It said the proposal had been made by the partys Central Committee, the largest of its elite ruling bodies. The proposal also covers the vice president position.
Xi, 64, is currently required by Chinas constitution to step down as president after two five-year terms. Nearing the end of his first term, he will be formally elected to a second at the annual meeting of Chinas largely rubber-stamp parliament opening on March 5.
There is no limit on his tenure as the party and military chief, though a maximum 10-year term is the norm. He began his second term as head of the party and military in October at the end of a party congress held once every five years.
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Zhang Lifan, a historian and political commentator, said the news was not unexpected, and it was hard to predict exactly how long Xi could stay on in power.
In theory he could serve longer than Mugabe but in reality, no one is sure exactly what will happen, Zhang said, referring to Zimbabwes former president whose four decades in office ended in November, after the army and his former political allies moved to force him out.
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Though positive remarks filled the comments section under the pages of main state media outlets like the Peoples Daily, the move was not welcomed by everyone on Chinas Twitter-like Weibo service.
If two terms are not enough, then they can write in a third term, but there needs to be a limit. Getting rid of it is not good!, wrote one Weibo user.
This article was first written by Newsweek
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Xi Jinping could remain as head of state after 2023 under new rules - AFP
China's ruling Communist Party is seeking to remove a restriction on the president serving 10 years, paving the way for Xi Jinping to remain in office beyond 2023 and perhaps for life.
The official Xinhua news agency said on Sunday that the Party had proposed to "remove the expression" that the president and vice-president shall serve no more than two consecutive terms from the countrys constitution.
The move would set in motion a more authoritarian future for China under Mr Xi, and is being described by experts as confirmation that Beijing has no interest in further opening up or delivering real democracy.
Steven Tsang, the director of the China Institute at SOAS, University of London told The Telegraph: "Democratization was never on the agenda under the Communist Party, which is a consultative Leninist system, one that fundamentally rejects liberal democracy, despite its claim that China is democratic with Chinese characteristics.
"It should now be so obvious that anyone who still cannot see it must be politically blind."
Mr Xi had already cemented his position as the country's strongest leader since Mao Tse-tung at last October's 19th Party Congress, when he began his second term as Chinese leader.
Chinese President Xi Jinping, third from left, waves near Chinese Premier Li Keqiang, third from right, as they walk in with other members of the Chinese Politburo Beijing's at the Great Hall of the People Credit: AP
The 64-year-old leader has been steadily eroding the collective model of leadership set up in China since the Cultural Revolution and the emergence of the reform era under Deng Xiaoping.
Mr Xi's presidency has also seen the return of a personality cult, and the targeting of political rivals and critics through a corruption crackdown and a wider war on human rights.
While some observers had previously predicted that Mr Xi might seek to break with precedent and rule beyond two terms - which would usually have ended in 2023 - many were expressing shock at the nature of Sunday's announcement.
Prof Tsang said many experts had expected Mr Xi to remain as China's 'behind the scenes' leader, but give up the role of president.
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He could have continued as General Secretary of the Communist Party and chief of Chinas military, leaving a ceremonial president in place.
Presidents Li Xiannian (1983 to 1988) and Yang Shangkun (1988 to 1993) were largely symbolic figures before Jiang Zemin assumed power.
"The implication is that the vanity dimension seems to stand out," said Prof Tsang.
"He wants to be formally received and treated as state president wherever he will travel post 2022."
Mr Xi is nine months younger than Russian leader Vladimir Putin and will be 69 in 2023. Chairman Mao ruled China until 1976, when he died aged 82.
Jiang Zemin and Hu Jintao - Mr Xi's two predecessors - both served two five-year terms, but there had been signs that China's current ruler might break with tradition.
No clear successor emerged at the party congress with the unveiling of a new seven-member Standing Committee, China's top ruling body and cabinet.
Kerry Brown, a former British diplomat in China and author of CEO China: The Rise of Xi Jinping, said Beijing's decision to signal Mr Xi's continued rule suggested China was determined to be "the winner" on the global stage.
"I wouldn't interpret this as too much a sign of strength, more one further indication that the Xi leadership will do anything - repeat anything - to ensure that China's moment up to 2021 of finally being restored to its status as a great power is completely assured," he told The Telegraph.
"So leadership changes and things like that will be treated with absolute micro management, and the elite positions are unlikely to shift much.
"This is just a sign of how high the stakes are. With an ailing and declining US, and Europe just muddling on, China is determined finally to be a winner. And you don't change the jockey on a winning horse half way through a race."
Additional reporting by Christine Wei
China has defended its recent removal of presidential term limits from a social media backlash, which has called into question the growing influence of President Xi Jinping on the country's government and political system as a whole.
The ruling Chinese Communist Party's Central Committee lobbied on Sunday to remove text stipulating that the Chinese president "shall serve no more than two consecutive terms" from the Chinese constitution, effectively allowing Xi to rule indefinitely. Xi has already consolidated his control over the military and endorsed sweeping anti-corruption measures that have won him support across Chinese society.
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Though quite popular at home, Xi's expanding dominion over the world's most populous countryand one of its leading economic powershas drawn some criticism from activists and social media users who have drawn comparisons to neighboring North Korea, according to Reuters. The Kim family has been strictly leading Pyongyang since leader Kim Il Sung founded the state in 1948 and is currently headed by his grandson, Kim Jong Un.
Other users compared Xi to a dictator, a term that was often used to describe China's own communist founder Mao Zedong. Like Mao, Xi has had his take on the country's official "socialism with Chinese characteristics" ideology immortalized by the state, a testament to his influence.
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Damir Sagolj/Reuters
Countering such criticism, the Chinese Foreign Ministry offered a rare intervention during a regular press conference Monday. Ministry spokesman Lu Kang told reporters that China's constitution had been "continuously improved" since being adopted under Mao in 1954, The Hindustan Times reported.
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"I hope everyone can acknowledge the voice of all the Chinese people," he added.
The Global Times, an official Chinese Communist Party newspaper, also offered its own commentary. After the party presented the proposal Sunday, its nationalist organ published an op-ed arguing that the "Constitutional amendment will improve CPC [Communist Party of China] leadership."
Like the foreign ministry, the publication referenced updates made to the original constitution, which has been revised five times, with the first and biggest overhaul being in 1982, during a time when Chinese President Deng Xiaoping sought to stabilize the country and modernize its economy. The latest amendment, made in 2004, recognized the possession of private property.
"With Xi Jinping at the core of the Central Committee, the CPC has become stronger. From anti-corruption campaign to comprehensively advancing the rule of law to profound economic restructuring, the CPC Central Committee with Xi at the core has sturdily opened a new era for a hopeful China," The Global Times wrote.
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"The constitution amendment is the punch line of legislative framework of socialism with Chinese characteristics in the new era, and an essential constitutional insurance for China to advance. Out of rationality and faith, all Chinese people support the amendment and hope it can contribute to our well-being," it added.
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Reuters
The Global Times also argued that "the change doesn't mean that the Chinese president will have a lifelong tenure" and warned against the effects of "misinformation and external forces' meddling" on public opinion in China.
In addition to his anti-graft campaign, Xi's legacy has already been cemented by two major initiatives with the potential to transform China's role in world affairs. He has enacted massive reforms to modernize the country's military and mapped out an ambitious project called "One Belt, One Road," which sought to revamp and expand China's traditional trade routes across the globe. He's also intended to improve his country's relationship with Russia.
President Donald Trump targeted both China and Russia in his "America First" National Security Strategy document released late last year, a move they have both criticized. The Republican leader said the two countries "challenge American power, influence and interests, attempting to erode American security and prosperity. They are determined to make economies less free and less fair, to grow their militaries, and to control information and data to repress their societies and expand their influence."
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Today in hilarious things Chrissy Teigen tweets: The model tweeted American Airlines asking for permission to bring a casserole dish of scalloped potatoes on a flight as her carryon. This should be surprising to exactly no one who is familiar with Chrissy Teigen at all, but it's still wonderfully hilarious.
"If I don't have a carry-on, can I bring a large ceramic casserole dish of scalloped potatoes on the plane? I am not kidding, is this okay? Is it too blunt/heavy an object? I'll cry if they throw it away," she tweeted.
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In an absolutely delight exchange with the airline on Twitter, Chrissy referred to the dish as her "emotional support casserole."
Photo credit: Twitter
Once TSA and American Airlines gave her the green light, Chrissy went to work making her emotional support casserole a reality. And she documented the entire process, as you do.
By Patient Ligodi KINSHASA (Reuters) - Security forces in the Democratic Republic of Congo's capital Kinshasa shot dead an anti-government protester and wounded two others during church-led demonstrations against President Joseph Kabila on Sunday. Catholic and evangelical churchgoers across Congo had been meant to take to the streets following Sunday services. However, armed security forces surrounded Kinshasa's main churches and blocked roads, preventing most demonstrations from starting and in some cases using teargas and gunfire to disperse them. Witnesses who brought the body of the slain demonstrator to Kinshasa's St. Joseph Hospital said he was shot by police outside the St. Benoit Catholic church in the Lemba neighbourhood. Police shot the two others as they marched in the Masina neighbourhood, witnesses said. In power since 2001, Kabila struck a deal in December 2016 with the main opposition bloc to stay on after his elected mandate expired on the condition elections were held by the end of 2017. Government authorities missed that deadline and the vote is now scheduled for this December, though election officials have hinted that polls may not be possible even then due to financial and logistical constraints. "Our people no longer believe in the political will of our current leaders to ensure a peaceful transition of power," one of the main organising groups wrote in a statement ahead of the march. Church groups have become the main opposing force to Kabila as political opposition parties have been hobbled by infighting or seen their leaders forced into exile. As with previous protest marches, internet, mobile data and phone messaging were cut across Congo early on Sunday. Security forces killed about a dozen civilians during two previous marches organised by Catholic activists since December. The crackdowns have drawn international condemnation and stoked fears Congo could be sliding back towards the kind of war in which millions died at the turn of the century. Kinshasa police commissioner General Sylvano Kasongo had announced a goal of "zero deaths" during a review of police on Saturday. Reached on Sunday, Kasongo said he could not comment on reports that security forces had fired on protesters. In the northern city of Kisangani, several witnesses reported that police used teargas and gunfire to disperse marchers. It was not clear whether the security forces were firing at demonstrators or into the air. "Even now the shooting is continuing," said one Kisangani resident, who asked not to be identified. "I don't know if anyone's been hurt, but I arrived back home without my family ... Everyone fled in a different direction." A heavy security presence was also visible on the streets of Goma, the largest city in eastern Congo. (Additional reporting by Eric Kapita and Amedee Mwarabu in Kinshas and Fiston Mahamba in Goma; Writing by Joe Bavier; Editing by Raissa Kasolowsky and Dale Hudson)
The House Intelligence Committee released a rebuttal by House Democrats to a Republican memo alleging bias and misconduct by the FBI and Justice Department early in their investigation of Russian election interference.
The White House quickly weighed in, terming the document politically driven.
President Donald Trumps approval for the public posting of the counter-memo came after an agreement was reached on redacting parts of an earlier version for national security reasons. With the response memos release, Democrats on the committee got to lay out their case: that the panels Republican majority had cherry-picked and distorted information in an effort to undercut the probe thats now being led by Special Counsel Robert Mueller.
FBI and DOJ officials did not abuse the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act process, omit material information, or subvert this vital tool to spy on the Trump campaign, Democrats said in the 10-page document was written by Representative Adam Schiff.
Americans now have two clashing, partisan accounts that claim to be true interpretations of a detailed court document that they cant read for themselves because it remains classified.
Swift Response
This politically driven document fails to answer serious concerns raised by the Majoritys memorandum about the use of partisan opposition research from one candidate, loaded with uncorroborated allegations, as a basis to ask a court to approve surveillance of a former associate of another candidate, at the height of a presidential campaign, White House Secretary Sarah Sanders said in an emailed response.
The four-page Republican memo was written under Intelligence Chairman Devin Nunes and was released with Trumps approval on Feb. 2. It contends that a judge issued a surveillance warrant on Carter Page, a former low-level Trump campaign adviser, primarily based on an FBI warrant application that relied on a dossier of unverified allegations against Trump written by former British spy Christopher Steele.
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The Republican memo also asserts that the judge wasnt told in the application that the dossier was funded by Trumps campaign opponent Hillary Clinton and the Democrats. The FBI had opposed the release of the GOP memo, citing inaccuracies.
Other Grounds
Democrats counter that the Steele dossier wasnt the only grounds cited for the warrant sought under the Foreign Surveillance Intelligence Act, and they say a footnote in the application did disclose that its origins were politically motivated. They also included details of subsequent warrant applications that were obtained to continue surveillance of Page.
Trump delayed release of the Democratic memo, saying that he was responding to concerns about sensitive classified information in the document.
The Democrats also sought to combat the impression that the surveillance warrant on Page was an original sin that tainted the Russia investigation: The Republican memo itself notes that the Federal Bureau of Investigation started investigating George Papadopoulos, another low-level Trump adviser with Russian contacts, in July 2016, three months before it first sought a warrant on Page.
Muellers Probe
Some Republicans have used the GOP memo to question Muellers continuing investigation into whether anyone close to Trump colluded in Russias campaign interference and whether the president sought to obstruct justice.
Trump tweeted after the Republican memo was released that this memo totally vindicates Trump in probe even as the Russian Witch Hunt goes on and on. Sanders reiterated in her statement that as the President has long stated, neither he nor his campaign ever colluded with a foreign power during the 2016 election, and nothing in todays memo counters that fact.
Schiff has described the Republican memo as an effort to circle the wagons around the White House and distract from the Russia probe.
But Representative Trey Gowdy the only Republican on the Intelligence Committee who actually saw the classified intelligence used to write the memo has said it has nothing to do with other aspects of the Russian investigation, which Mueller took over last year.
Theres going to be a Russia probe, even without a dossier, Gowdy said this month on CBSs Face the Nation.
Donald Trump reportedly wants to bring in the death penalty for drug traffickers (Rex)
Donald Trump reportedly wants to deal with drug trafficking in the United States by executing all dealers.
The President is said by several sources to have looked at countries in the Far East, where the death penalty is the punishment for dealing quantities of drugs, for his inspiration.
According to Axios, Trump said: When I ask the prime minister of Singapore do they have a drug problem [the prime minister replies,] No. Death penalty.
The President is said to have looked favourably on Singapores policy on drug dealers (Rex)
The Singapore model sees the death penalty applied to anyone caught with more than 15 grams of heroin, 30 grams of cocaine, 500 grams of cannabis, and 1,200 grams of opium.
Several sources told Axios that Trump often compares high-volume drug traffickers to serial killers in terms of the severity of their crimes, and argues that the punishment should be the same.
One senior administration official told the site: He often jokes about killing drug dealers Hell say, You know the Chinese and Filipinos dont have a drug problem. They just kill them.
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Kellyanne Conway, who leads the White Houses anti-drug efforts, said that the President is talking about high-volume dealers who are killing thousands of people.
She said that several US states execute criminals for killing one person while dealers can cause mass casualties without an equally harsh punishment.
Trump described Rodrigo Duterte, who has vowed to kill every drug dealer in the Philippines, as a good guy (Rex)
Despite Trumps reported desire to bring in the death penalty for drug traffickers, it is unlikely the law would ever get passed.
Trump last year described Rodrigo Duterte, the President of the Philippines, who pledged to kill every drug dealer in the country, as a good guy.
By Nelson Da Cruz DILI (Reuters) - East Timor and Australia have reached an agreement for a treaty on their disputed maritime border and on a "pathway" to develop the giant Greater Sunrise offshore gas fields, the Permanent Court of Arbitration said on Monday. Under the agreement, the share of revenue from the offshore gas field will differ depending on downstream benefits that arise from "different development concepts", the statement said following talks in Kuala Lumpur. The agreement would establish a maritime boundary in the Timor Sea for the first time. Australia had sought a boundary aligned with its continental shelf, but East Timor argued the border should lie half way between it and Australia - placing much of the Greater Sunrise fields under its control. The long-running dispute had led the owners of Greater Sunrise - Woodside Petroleum, ConocoPhillips, Royal Dutch Shell and Japan's Osaka Gas - to shelve the project. The fields are estimated to hold 5.1 trillion cubic feet of gas and 226 million barrels of condensates, which analysts have previously estimated could be worth $40 billion. However, development could be at least a decade away, with Woodside looking at the latter half of the next decade. Ending years of opposition, Australia agreed in 2017 to accept Dili's formal notice to terminate an agreement to split petroleum revenue equally from Greater Sunrise and set a 50-year timetable for negotiating a permanent sea boundary. Dili had taken the long-running maritime border dispute to the Permanent Court of Arbitration, an intergovernmental organization based at The Hague, which ordered compulsory arbitration between the two parties. The court announced last year that the countries had reached an agreement "on the central elements of a maritime boundary delimitation between them in the Timor Sea" but that details would remain confidential until the deal was finalised. The two governments will meet in New York at the United Nations headquarters on March 6 to sign the new maritime boundary treaty, the statement said. East Timor had been pushing for the building of an onshore processing plant to boost its economy rather than a floating plant. According to media reports, East Timor could receive up to 80 percent of revenue, but could agree to less if gas is piped to a terminal in the tiny country. The Sunrise joint venture, led by Woodside, said it was aware that the two governments have agreed a new maritime boundaries treaty. "We hope that the Commission's conclusions and the signing of the treaty will help to provide the fiscal and regulatory certainty required to develop Greater Sunrise for the benefit of all parties," a Sunrise joint venture spokeswoman said in emailed comments. Australia's foreign ministry said the countries had "agreed a draft treaty establishing our maritime boundaries and the sharing of revenue from the development of the Greater Sunrise resource". In the emailed statement, the ministry said the countries would "continue to work towards a decision on the development concept for Greater Sunrise". East Timor's oil minister, Hernani Filomena Coelho da Silva, said that his country's preference was for the gas to come to his country to help development. "Timor's preference is that the pipeline will be brought to Timor," he told Reuters by telephone. (Additional reporting by Sonali Paul in Melbourne; writing by Ed Davies; editing by Richard Pullin and Jason Neely)
Algiers (AFP) - President Recep Tayyip Erdogan arrived in Algeria on Monday as he embarked a new tour of Africa in a bid to ramp up Turkey's growing influence throughout the continent.
The Turkish strongman touched down in Algiers, the first leg of the trip that he described as "historic" and that will see him also visit Mauritania, Senegal and Mali.
"Algeria is one of our most important trading partners in the region... We want to strengthen our military, security and cultural relations," Erdogan told a news conference in Istanbul before departing.
Accompanied by several ministers and businessmen, he said he would hold talks with Algerian leaders on relations between the two countries, with a focus on energy as well as regional issues.
On his third visit to Algeria since taking office in 2003, all eyes will be on Erdogan's expected meeting with ailing President Abdelaziz Bouteflika, 80, who rarely appears in public.
Bouteflika, who has held office since 1999, suffered a mini-stroke in 2013 that affected his speech and mobility.
According to Algerian state media, 796 Turkish companies employ more than 28,000 people in the North African country.
Turkey has injected more than $3 billion mostly in textiles, pharmaceuticals and steel in Algeria, making it one of the largest foreign investors in the country excluding hydrocarbons.
Trade between the two countries reached almost $4 billion in 2017.
The government daily El Moudjahid said Erdogan would inaugurate the "largest textile factory in Africa", in Relizane, west of Algiers.
In an interview with the Echorouk newspaper, Erdogan said economic relations would be strengthened through agreements that are being negotiated.
He criticised importation barriers put in place by Algeria "which slow down the development of trade between our two countries".
Erdogan's trips to Mali and Mauritania will be the first-ever by a Turkish president, with security likely to feature high on the agenda in Mali which is battling with a string of attacks and kidnappings by jihadist groups.
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- Seeking influence -
An infrequent visitor to Europe as ties with the West strained, Erdogan has made repeated visits to Africa since becoming president in 2014.
Just two months ago, Erdogan made his first trip to Sudan, where he met President Omar al-Bashir who is wanted by the International Criminal Court (ICC), before continuing on to Tunisia and Chad.
Last year, he visited Madagascar, Mozambique and Tanzania and has also made trips to Ethiopia, Uganda, and conflict-torn Somalia where Turkey has taken a lead in rebuilding efforts.
Turkey has scented an opportunity to build influence in Africa through delivering aid, setting up transport links and offering its expertise in construction.
Turkey currently has 41 embassies in Africa, up from 12 in 2009, and wants to eventually have top-level representation in all 54 nations on the continent, state media said.
Flag-carrier Turkish Airlines, 49 percent of which is held by a sovereign wealth fund, has also expanded its network to reach 52 destinations in Africa, from Accra to Johannesburg.
Aside from bolstering trade and political ties, a major priority for Erdogan has been to stamp out the influence of a network run by Fethullah Gulen, the preacher exiled in the US whom Ankara blames for a failed coup in 2016.
Gulen, who denies ordering the putsch, has built up an educational network in Africa.
But Erdogan says the continent has served as a centre for "exploitation" by Gulen.
Tallinn (AFP) - Estonia on Saturday celebrated 100 years since declaring independence with a military parade and other festivities in the Baltic state, which is now firmly ensconced in the West, though tensions remain with neighbour Russia.
Flag-waving Estonians watched the parade in capital Tallin, with about 11,000 soldiers and hundreds of vehicles from both the domestic army and other NATO countries taking part in a show of strength.
Along with fellow Baltic states Latvia and Lithuania, Estonia declared independence in 1918 as the Tsarist Russian empire collapsed during World War I.
But it was annexed by the Soviet Union under a 1939 deal with Nazi Germany in World War II.
The nation of 1.3 million people then broke free from the crumbling Soviet Union in 1991.
"The independence and freedom of our people has never been and should not be taken for granted," General Riho Teras, Estonia's chief of staff, said at the parade.
"The war of independence sent a clear message: anything is possible if a nation really wants it," he said, referring to the 1918-1920 war with the Russian empire.
Tensions with Russia remain, and the largely secular country joined NATO and the European Union in 2004.
Relations have been particularly strained by Moscow's 2014 annexation of Crimea from Ukraine and the ongoing conflict in eastern Ukraine between pro-Russia rebels and the government.
Festivities to mark the centenary will run until 2020 and include concerts and exhibitions.
Estonia announced Thursday that US President Donald Trump will welcome his Estonian, Lithuanian and Latvian counterparts in Washington on April 3 to discuss security and economic ties.
Doug Bandow
Security, Europe
Berlin plans to leave the defending to Washingtonas do most of NATOs other members.
Europe Still Doesn't Take Its Own Defense Seriously
If candidate Donald Trump had one signature position, it was criticizing Americas populous, prosperous allies for leeching off the U.S. military. He even talked about charging them for the Pentagons services.
But like many other issues, he proved to be more bark than bite. Whether reflecting a lack of belief or attention, he left European policy to his Europhile officials, who told European leaders to ignore the president. There is a lot more support for continuing our past policies than it might appear from some of the statements of the president, observed Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH): The unanimity comes from those folks who are actually operationalizing policy.
Although the president still caused a scene when he visited Europeshoving the Montenegrin prime minister aside and failing to proclaim his support for NATOs Article 5he did nothing practical to reduce the defense dependence of Americas allies. He later deluded himself in claiming that money is pouring in, but his officials have been pleading for the Europeans to do more, just like members of most every administration dating back to the formation of the transatlantic alliance have done.
Last week Defense Secretary Jim Mattis was in Europe to lobby the nations America is subsidizing, always a thankless task. Having pushed a National Security Strategy which pointed to Russia as a supposed serious security threat, he was desperate for the Europeanswho are a good deal closer to Moscowto act like they shared the administrations fears.
They obviously dont. The Europeans are spending a bit more recently, but the increase looks impressive only compared to how much and long military outlays fell in recent years. New figures from the International Institute for Strategic Studies noted that European military outlays last yearthree years after Russia detached Crimea from Ukrainewere still lower than in 2010. Just three of NATOs members, patsy America, geopolitical midget Estonia, and economically decrepit Greece, which is worried far more about Turkey than Moscow, made the official 2 percent of GDP standard for military outlays.
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Depending on how the year goes, the United Kingdom, traditionally possessing the continents most robust military, minor leaguers Latvia and Lithuania, marginal Romania, and nationalistic Poland may hit that level next year. Missing from the list are the other major European powers: Germany, France, Italy and Spain.
Embarrassed NATO officials argue that members are doing better and, anyway, fifteen countries have plans to hit 2 percent by 2024. However, most countries are as likely to fulfill their pledges as European members in the past, when they routinely promised Washington to do more to deter the Soviet Army, and then spent the money on their welfare states, again.
Particularly outrageous is the case of Germany. Last year the federal republic hit a dismal 1.22 percent of GDP. Alas, admitted Hans-Peter Bartels, parliamentary commissioner for the armed forces: The hard currency, in which the success of the minister is measured, is the readiness of the Bundeswehr. And that has not really improved in the last four years, but rather has become worse. Stories abound of helicopters grounded for repair, submarines unavailable for action and tanks needing repair or overhaul. Small detachments could be sent for missions, but, said Bartels, the Bundeswehr as a whole cannot currently be used in the collective defense, such as defending Europe from Russia.
Chancellor Angela Merkel promised to reach 2 percent of GDP by 2024, but no one believed Berlin was going to almost double defense outlays. In fact, the number is falling this year to 1.13 percent. Although her party reiterated its support for the 2 percent objective in last years election, her Social Democratic partners in the so-called Grand Coalition attacked the pledge as crazy and impossible to fulfill. The parties coalition agreement provides a draft budget of 1.15 percent of GDP in 2021. Berlin plans to leave the defending to Washington. As do most of NATOs other members.
Not that reality influences alliance Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg, who said the rest of NATOs members are supposed to submit plans for reaching 2 percent of GDP by 2024. No doubt, they will. And equally certain, they will flout those plans. My message is to do more, said Stoltenberg: We all have to do more.
Actually, the Europeans dont have to do more, which is precisely the problem.
They obviously could do so. Germanys GDP is more than twice as large as Russias. France, Italy and Canada also have larger economies. Collectively Europe has about eleven times Russias GDP. Using purchasing power parity as the measure rather than exchange rates closes the economic gap some, but Germany still outranges Russia and Europe remains far ahead.
Several European nations have economic problems, of course. However, European leaders have been complaining that recent increased growth makes it harder for them to meet the 2 percent standard. Apparently it doesnt occur to them that greater wealth enables them to, well, spend more.
Anyway, Russias economic difficulties are greater still, with the economy disproportionately based on natural resources, distorted by state manipulation, and burdened by sanctions. In the long-term America may be worst of all. Although the Europeans have racked up higher official debt, Washington has far more unfunded liabilities, an astounding $210 trillion, 10.5 times America national debt and GDP, according to the calculation of economist Laurence Kotlikoff. Washington can continue to underwrite a growing elderly population, fund an inefficient health care system, and subsidize the defense of wealthy allies for only so long before financial collapse impends.
The reason the Europeans dont spend more on their militaries is because they dont have to. First, they really dont fear for their security. A Russian attempt to conquer Europe is about as likely as a Martian invasion or zombie apocalypse. Vladimir Putin is a nasty character, but demonstrates neither ideological animus toward America and Europe nor megalomaniacal fantasies about continental or global domination. Russia would lose any full-scale war, and grabbing a small country along its border, one of the Baltic States, perhaps, would yield no meaningful benefit. Start a war, suffer needless casualties, risk nuclear annihilation, and guarantee economic and political isolation in order to rule over what remains after military battles, physical destruction, capital flight, and fleeing refugees. Great plan.
Of course, the Baltic as well as Polish governments berate their fellow Europeans for lax military efforts. Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki complained that if we want to be more self-reliant and self-sufficient, we really have to cater for our security in a much better way. He criticized NATO members that fell short of the 2 percent standard of being free riders who live under Pax Americana but pretend to be self-sufficient in the context of security. He is right but why should they behave any differently, since they dont share his fear of Russian aggression?
Second, the Europeans do live under Pax Americana. Thus, they believe Washington will save them if theres a problem. And that now is President Trumps fault.
There was a brief moment after his election when European leaders were worried. In fact, there was a strong European presence at the Democratic Party convention, where those concerned about the survival of Americas defense dole received assurances that all would be well under President Hillary Clinton. Thus, Donald Trumps election came as an especially horrid shock to them. Had the president followed up his election victory with a commitment to reduce Americas subsidies for nations well able to defend themselvesand acted on that promisethe Europeans would have been forced to decide how concerned they were about their security and what they were prepared to do to safeguard it.
But they quickly realized that he was, in Mao-speak, a paper tiger. Secretaries Mattis and Rex Tillerson indicated that Washington remained as committed as ever to NATO. The president occasionally fulminated but did nothing to turn those sentiments into policy. The Europeans talked big about doing more, as they often had done in the past, and then backed away as the lights faded. And that isnt going to change, no matter how much Secretary Mattis urges, insists, demands, and maybe even whines. As long as the United States continues to spend more, even upping its outlays specifically targeted for Europes defense, the Europeans can safely spend less.
Ultimately, the Europeans should decide what they need to spend to protect their nations and continent. It isnt up to Washington to dictate. But the United States should stop underwriting their defense. American support was necessary at the conclusion of World War II. However, Europes dependence long ago outlasted the continents economic and political weakness. If European states today are vulnerable to outside attack or coercion, it is their own fault. Washington should let its NATO allies know that starting today, they will be responsible for their own futures, and the consequences of failing to act will become theirs, and theirs alone.
Doug Bandow is a Senior Fellow at the Cato Institute. A former Special Assistant to President Ronald Reagan, he is author of Foreign Follies: Americas New Global Empire.
Image: Two German Bundeswehr soldiers, assigned to the 701st Pioneer Battalion defend their position during a German-led platoon attack mission with a U.S. Army Sapper squad in support, August 23, 2010, Grafenwoehr Training Area, Germany.
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By Tom Arnold and Reem Shamseddine DUBAI/KHOBAR, Saudi Arabia (Reuters) - Saudi authorities are preparing to auction billions of dollars of real estate and cars belonging to billionaire Maan al-Sanea and his company as they look to hasten an end to one of the kingdom's longest-running debt disputes. The planned sale is the latest signal that Saudi Arabia is serious about holding its elites to account. In an anti-corruption crackdown last November, authorities detained scores of senior officials on charges of alleged graft. Most have been released after being exonerated or agreeing to give the state money, assets or real estate. The al-Sanea case is separate from the main anti-graft campaign. The businessman - in 2007 he was ranked by Forbes as one of the world's 100 richest people - was detained by authorities late last year for unpaid debt dating back to 2009 when his company, Saad Group, defaulted on debts. Creditors have spent the past nine years pursuing Saad, which is based in the city of Khobar in Saudi Arabia's Eastern Province, for debt that some estimate to be between 40 billion riyals ($10.67 billion) and 60 billion riyals. Investors see the case as a litmus test of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's commitment to reforms. Etqaan Alliance, the consortium appointed by Saudi authorities to liquidate assets owned by al-Sanea and the company in an effort to repay creditors, plans to begin selling the companys assets in Saudi Arabia, according to several sources familiar with the matter. The sales will happen in the coming weeks, the sources said. The liquidator has produced a slick video that it has posted on YouTube with the tagline "the sale everyone has been waiting for in Khobar" featuring some of the properties and land to be sold. A brochure accompanying the sale includes a list of 20 plots of land owned by Saad Trading, part of Saad Group, and al-Sanea. The properties are mostly located in Khobar. The largest unit is a 484,407 square meter plot of land that includes buildings and a sewage water treatment plant. The brochure does not include valuations, but the sources said the real estate was valued at around 4.4 billion riyals, based on an official list of real estate provided to authorities. A source at the Ministry of Justice confirmed to Reuters an auction would be launched this month to sell vehicles, equipment, a large quantity of building materials and some property before the Islamic fasting month of Ramadan, which starts in May. According to the sources who have seen the official list provided to authorities, Saad owns an estimated 3.5 bln riyals of real estate, while al-Sanea personally owns an estimated 6.8 bln riyals. Much of that is in Riyadh, Dammam and Khobar. Reuters was unable to verify whether all of that real estate will be auctioned by Etqaan or the number of vehicles that will be sold. Saad owns 923 vehicles, including trucks, buses and cars, according to the sources who had seen the list provided to authorities, while al-Sanea has 26 vehicles, including a Rolls Royce, a Hummer, and Cadillac Concord. The sale does not include the 750-bed Saad Specialist Hospital in Khobar, which the government is in talks with private companies to run, or foreign assets owned by al-Sanea or Saad. LEGAL BATTLES AROUND THE WORLD The auction is set to take place a few weeks after the government wound down the anti-corruption crackdown that involved the detention of scores of senior Saudi officials, including princes, in Riyadh's luxurious Ritz-Carlton Hotel. The government has said the process raised more than $100 billion, mostly in the form of land, stakes in businesses and other illiquid assets rather than cash. The proceeds from Etqaan's auction will be distributed to creditors via a legal process overseen by a three-judge tribunal set up in 2016 to handle claims against Saad and Ahmad Hamad al-Gosaibi & Bros Co, another big local conglomerate that defaulted on debt in 2009. Creditors have pursued legal battles over the debt around the world for almost a decade, while the two groups have squabbled over which of them is to blame for the meltdown. In an effort to stave off the liquidation process, Saad late last year launched its own process to engage with creditors. It hired a financial consultancy, Reemas Group, to offer a proposed settlement covering $4 bln in debt. Reemas did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment. Saad Group has been told by the court that it needs to obtain the agreement of creditors to its plan as soon as possible and then the court will consider the proposal, according to the sources. In an email sent by Reemas last year, it told creditors its intention was to secure preliminary consent from the majority of lenders to its proposal to put the auction process at a halt. (GRAPHIC - Saudi royal family arrests: http://reut.rs/2DHWWBd) (Additional reporting by Davide Barbuscia)
MELBOURNE, Feb 26 (Reuters) - ExxonMobil Corp said it shut its Hides gas conditioning plant in Papua New Guinea after a powerful 7.5 magnitude earthquake hit the country's Southern Highlands province.
"As a precaution, ExxonMobil PNG Limited has shut in its Hides Gas Conditioning Plant to assess any damages to its facilities," ExxonMobil's PNG spokeswoman said in an email to Reuters.
Gas from Hides feeds ExxonMobil's PNG LNG (liquefied natural gas) plant, which has been exporting at a rate of more than 8 million tonnes a year.
(Reporting by Sonali Paul; Editing by Peter Cooney)
Brussels (AFP) - Fearing paralysis after Italy's nailbiting March 4 election, EU officials are quietly working to encourage a "grand coalition" of pro-European parties -- including that of colourful billionaire ex-PM Silvio Berlusconi.
The scale of the concerns was underscored last week when European Commission chief Jean-Claude Juncker said Brussels was preparing for a "worst case scenario" in the eurozone's third largest economy.
With fears of deadlock after Sunday's vote and big gains for the populist Five Star Movement, a number of EU officials told AFP privately they favour an alliance between Berlusconi's right-wing Forza Italia party and Matteo Renzi of the ruling centre-left Democratic Party.
French President Emmanuel Macron has met a number of times with Renzi, another former Italian premier who supported Macron's election campaign and borrowed his "On the Move!" slogan.
Such a move by Renzi would be similar to the one by German Social Democrat Martin Schulz, who was went into talks with Angela Merkel to form a coalition government -- although in Schulz's case it ended with his resignation after his party's poor performance.
Berlusconi is being "handled" by influential members of the European People's Party, the centre-right bloc at the European Parliament that Forza Italia is a member of, a source told AFP.
- Five Star worries -
Barred from public office because of a fraud conviction, the 81-year-old Berlusconi is still a key figure at the head of his party and sees himself as a kingmaker.
He was received warmly in Brussels last month by Juncker, and Merkel once again considers him a political partner -- having exerted pressure to get him to quit in November 2011.
The head of the European Parliament, Antonio Tajani, is also a close Berlusconi ally -- so close that Berlusconi has put forward Tajani's name as a possible prime minister.
A European official said that Brussels is concerned by the rise of anti-EU sentiment in Italy, embodied by the rise of the anti-establishment Five Star movement (M5S) founded by former comedian Beppe Grillo, which is polling almost 28 percent.
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"Italian public opinion is starting to topple towards anti-European parties with an anti-migrant line," another EU official said.
"M5S has a very hard position on immigration. It's not a left-wing movement but an anti-system, anti-institutions party."
Italy is a critical country for the EU, with a big but sluggish economy and a fragile banking sector which many fear could trigger a new financial crisis in the eurozone if not handled carefully.
The outcome of the vote remains uncertain. Forza Italia is on 18 percent, the Democratic Party on 22 percent.
The country's electoral system is a complex version of proportional representation that allows a party to win a majority of seats with 40 or 45 percent of votes.
Brussels wants to make sure Italy does not end up in the kind of paralysis that Spain suffered in 2015-16, when two elections failed to produce a clear winner as upstart newcomer groupings upset the traditional two-party system.
- 'Real risk' -
Some European officials think a deal is already in the bag between Forza Italia and the Democratic Party to support the current Prime Minister Paolo Gentiloni, seen in Brussels as a centrist.
But others have doubts. "I get the feeling no-one will have a majority, not even a grand coalition," one sceptic said. "There is a real risk of blockage in the system."
Juncker has echoed this concern.
"We have to prepare ourselves for the worst scenario," he told a Brussels think-tank on Thursday, warning of the dangers if there was "no operational government in Italy" after the election.
He said there could even be a "strong reaction on the financial markets".
The warning was followed by a negative reaction on the Milan stock market and caused anger in Italy, forcing Juncker to backtrack the following day and say that he had been "totally misunderstood".
Not all Italians were shocked by what Juncker said, however.
"Isn't this what everyone is saying by focusing more on the after-vote scenarios than on the positions of the different parties?" said European Greens co-president Monica Frassoni.
Robert Farley
Security, Europe
And how many millions of people would have died?
Here's How the Soviet Navy Would Have Fought World War III
Over the course of the Cold War, the balance of forces between the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and the Soviet Union changed dramatically. At different points, a war would have played out in far different ways in the major theaters, including Central Europe, the Arctic, the North Atlantic, the Far East, and even in space. For the most part, changes to each side's forces came slowly, with only a few significant shifts due to technological advances.
Thus, it is worthwhile to investigate how the war would have been fought in different theaters and how the strategies by the United States and the Soviet Union would have affected the evolution of advantage.
With this in mind, lets take a look at the balance at sea during the Carter administration. If war had broken out in the late 1970s, what role would the Soviet Navy have played?
Refighting the Battle of the Atlantic
The United States Navy (USN) long believed that the Soviet Navy would undertake a role during World War III essentially similar to that of the Germans in World War I and World War II. First, Soviet submarines would attempt to penetrate the North Atlantic through the GIUK gap the open-sea choke point between the land masses of Greenland, Iceland, and the United Kingdom. Secondly, the Soviet submarines would then wreak havoc on the trans-Atlantic highway that linked the United States to the rest of NATO. The Soviet Navy possessed a sufficient number of both nuclear and diesel-electric submarines to harass NATO shipping, nuclear missile submarines (SSBNs), and carrier battle groups, but NATO held most of the cards. NATO had full air coverage over the GIUK gap, as well as a large number of submarines and dedicated surface anti-submarine vessels. In a third Battle of the Atlantic, NATO was more than prepared to win. Until the late 1960s, Soviet ballistic missile submarines lacked the range of their NATO counterparts and would have been extremely vulnerable to destruction by anti-submarine warfare (ASW) assets in transit to the Atlantic.
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The Soviet surface fleet, although it had grown considerably in strength since World War II, would have a relatively quiet role. It would mainly try to avoid destruction at the hands of the NATO submarines and U.S. carrier-battle groups. The Soviet Navy continually suffered from geographic problems and was divided into four separate, mutually unsupportable fleets, two of which could not plausibly enter the main theaters of operation.
Bastions
Instead, the Soviet Navy was more focused on the bastion strategy, designed to defend the patrol areas of nuclear ballistic missile submarines from attack by NATO assets. Developed in response to concerns about the inability to the Soviet SSBN force to deliver its weapons to targets in the United States, the bastion strategy focused on deterring and defeating NATO submarine incursions into SSBN patrol areas. New Russian Project 667B (NATO code-named Delta) submarines began to enter service in 1972, giving the Soviet Navy the ability to conduct strategic strikes at range from the United States, and thus making the perilous transit of the GIUK Gap unnecessary. The entry into service of these boats also helped usher in a new era in Soviet naval strategy that focused on the defense of arctic regions from NATO incursion.
NATO was slow to recognize the relevance of the shift in Soviet interest towards anti-submarine platforms, although some voices began to warn about this even in the late 1960s. But Soviet naval platforms, while not uniquely useful for a defensive role, indeed made sense in the context of anti-submarine operations. The Moskva class helicopter cruisers (Moskva and Leningrad) lacked much in the way of surface or air defense but carried enough ASW helicopters to cause problems for NATO subs as part of a larger task force. Throughout the 1970s the Soviet Union commissioned a large number of anti-submarine cruisers and destroyers, designed to support the bastion strategy. The Kynda and Kresta I class cruisers, optimized for surface warfare, were quickly succeeded by the Kresta II and Kara class cruisers, which concentrated on anti-submarine warfare. Furthermore, the Kashin class air defense destroyers supplemented a wide array of gun and missile-armed destroyers built early in the Cold War, while the first few Krivak class frigates were becoming available to the fleet.
Kiev, the first of her class of heavy aircraft carrying cruisers, reached the Northern Fleet in 1976. Equipped with Yak-38 Forger VSTOL fighters and with a contingent of anti-submarine helicopters, Kiev would have provided the core of a bastion-defense task force, designed to deter NATO surface ships and ASW patrol aircraft, as well as to hunt NATO submarines.
Other Missions
The Soviets also worried about U.S. carrier battle group attacks against ports and other military installations. For interior defense, the Soviets had large numbers of Komar and Osa class missile-armed patrol boats, as well as diesel-electric submarines. The Soviet Navy would be aided in this by substantial support from navalized heavy bombers, which could attack U.S. aircraft carriers using long-range air-launched cruise missiles (ALCMs). By the late 1970s the Soviet Naval Air Fleet possessed not only Tu-16 "Badger" and Tu-95 "Bear" long-range aircraft (the latter employed mainly in reconnaissance and anti-submarine roles) but also a significant number of Tu-22M "Backfire" bombers. These bombers were tasked with finding and engaging U.S. carrier battle groups in large formations with cruise missiles, hopefully avoiding USN F-14 Tomcats along the way.
In the Black Sea, the Soviet Navy could have harassed Turkey along its long, exposed coastline, perhaps hoping at the maximum to drive Turkey from the war. Close bases and substantial air support would have given the Soviets a major advantage, although they would have needed to take care not to divert too much material from the main line of attack on NATO's central front. The Baltic Fleet would play a similar role in facilitating attacks on Denmark and southern Norway. Moreover, the Fifth Operational Squadron, operating in the Mediterranean, could undoubtedly annoy NATO's southern flank, but Italy and France, supported by the United States, held significant advantages. In the Pacific, the Soviets had sufficient naval and air assets to maintain SSBN bastions, as well as threaten to attack Japan or South Korea. And to be sure, some percentage of the Soviet submarine fleet would have hazarded the GIUK gap, if only to harass NATO and keep the USN honest. Still, the U.S. had an overall global advantage at sea.
Conclusion
Despite possessing a massive number of ships and aircraft, the Soviet Navy during the 1970s was still decisively inferior to the combined forces of NATO. The fate of the Navy would have depended, to a great extent, on how long the land war ran. That was because the longer it took the Red Army to defeat NATO in Central Europe, the more Soviet naval forces would suffer severe attrition, even as they remained close to their bases. As the 1970s became the 1980s, Soviet maritime strength continued to grow. However, the United States Navy began to think through more aggressive strategies for attacking the patrol areas of Soviet SSBNs, as well the Soviet Union itself.
Robert Farley is an assistant professor at the Patterson School of Diplomacy and International Commerce. His work includes military doctrine, national security, and maritime affairs. He blogs at Lawyers, Guns and Money and Information Dissemination and The Diplomat. Follow him on Twitter: @drfarls.
Image: Wikimedia Commons
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Scott Israel, sheriff of Broward County, is refusing to resign amid questions over his handling of the Parkland shooting - REUTERS
The sheriff of Broward County is facing mounting calls for his resignation following a series of failures before and during the Parkland school shooting, with the governor of Florida announcing on Sunday he was launching an inquiry.
Rick Scott, the Republican governor of the state, said serious questions had been raised about the sheriffs offices actions.
"I have asked for the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) to immediately investigate the law enforcement response and will continue to review this matter as more facts come out, he said.
There must be an independent investigation and that is why I asked the FDLE Commissioner to immediately start this process.
Last week it emerged that an armed sheriffs deputy, Scot Peterson, was on the campus of Marjory Stoneman Douglas high school when Nikolas Cruz opened fire but he did not enter the building.
Hes the only one with a gun, and a bulletproof vest, and he did nothing, said Brandon Huff, a student at the school.
Mr Peterson has resigned.
Students evacuated from the school on Valentine's Day
Some reports suggested there were three other deputies outside the school when Coral Springs police arrived but Scott Israel, sheriff of Broward County, denied that.
We will investigate every action of the deputies, and their superiors, said Mr Israel.
Its a voluminous investigation. Were taking hundreds and hundreds of statements.
While the killer was on campus, there was one armed person within the proximity of that school -and that was Peterson.
Deputies received at least 18 calls regarding Cruz prior to the Valentines Day shooting, which killed 17 people.
Mr Israel said 16 of those calls were handled as they should have been, but the remaining two are being investigated.
I can only take responsibility for what I knew of, said Mr Israel. Ive shown amazing leadership. These deputies received the training they needed.
In the five years Ive been sheriff weve taken the Broward sheriffs office to a new level. At this point one person didnt do as he should, and it makes me sick to my stomach.
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Rick Scott, governor of Florida, with, on his right, Scott Israel, sheriff of Broward County
Seventy four members of the Florida House have called on Mr Scott to suspend Mr Israel, including the speaker of the House, Richard Corcoran.
Bill Hager, a Republican state politician for Boca Raton, went further, calling for Mr Israel to be fired. He wrote a letter to Mr Scott on Saturday, urging him to relieve Mr Israel from his duties for neglect of duty and incompetence".
Mr Hager also cited reports that there were "23 calls to the Broward Sheriffs Office relating to Nikolas Cruz and his home, as well as 39 visits by Broward Sheriff Deputies.
He continued: The sheriff was fully aware of the threat this individual presented to his community and chose to ignore it.
But Mr Israel hit back, describing Mr Hagers letter as riddled with false accusations.
It was a shameful, politically-motivated letter and I will not resign, he said.
Nearly every Republican member of the Florida House of Representatives is calling on Gov. Rick Scott (R) to suspend a county sheriff over his offices response to a deadly mass shooting at a local high school earlier this month.
Florida House Speaker Richard Corcoran (R) tweeted a letter he sent to Scott on Sunday, urging him to suspend Broward County Sheriff Scott Israel for incompetence and dereliction of duty.
In the four-page letter, 74 out of Floridas 76 Republican state House representatives accused Israel of failing to take significant action to prevent the Feb. 14 massacre at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, in which a 19-year-old suspected gunman confessed to killing 17 people using an assault-style rifle.
In the years leading up to this unspeakable tragedy, Sheriff Israel, his deputies, and staff ignored repeated warning signs about the violent, erratic, threatening and antisocial behavior of Nikolas Jacob Cruz, the legislators wrote, referencing the suspected gunman.
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Florida House Rep. Bill Hager (R), who signed the lawmakers shared plea, also sent his own letter to Scott on Saturday to demand Israels ouster. Hager pointed to reports that Israels office received at least 18 phone calls between 2008 and 2017 from community members concerned about Cruzs behavior.
In 2016, multiple people told the sheriffs office they worried about Cruzs cache of weapons, according to The Naples Daily News. One caller told a deputy he believed Cruz could be a school shooter in the making, the news outlet reported.
The sheriffs office has also been slammed following reports that at least four deputies, including the high schools armed resource officer, opted not to enter the building after responding to the shooting. The sheriffs office announced Thursday that the agency was conducting an internal investigation into the deputies actions.
Israel defended himself during a heated interview Sunday with CNNs Jake Tapper, adding that he had no plans to resign.
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I can only take responsibility for what I knew about, Israel told Tapper. I exercised my due diligence. Ive given amazing leadership to this agency.
Israel has been outspoken in his criticism of Florida lawmakers many of whom are Republican who refuse to push for stricter gun laws.
If youre an elected official, and you want to keep things the way they are if you want to keep gun laws as they are now you will not get re-elected in Broward County, Israel said earlier this month at a vigil to honor the Parkland victims.
A representative for the Broward County Sheriffs Office did not immediately respond to HuffPosts request for comment.
The Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) announced Sunday that Scott had directed the agency to investigate the law enforcement response to the Parkland shooting.
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The sheriffs office will fully cooperate with FDLE, as we believe in full transparency and accountability, Israel said in a statement Sunday. This independent, outside review will ensure public confidence in the findings.
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Donna Ali holds a candle at a vigil for those who lost their lives in Wednesday's school shooting in Parkland, Florida.
Jay Eaton, 19, prays at a vigil Thursday night, one day after a school shooting left 17 people dead.
A couple mourns the loss of their high school friends after Wednesday's school shooting.
A group of Muslim students gather in remembrance of those who died in Wednesday's school shooting.
A cross adorned with lit candles was one of many seen at Thursday night's vigil.
Rabbi Mendy Engel and his daughter, 18-year-old Chaya Itta Engel, came to the vigil to show their support for the families of those who died.
This article originally appeared on HuffPost.
Two 30 round clips, filled with .223 cartridges and other high capacity clips for an AR-15 are shown here at Good Guys Guns & Range: George Frey/Getty Images
Rhode Island is set to become the first state since the Florida school shooting to establish a red flag policy allowing judges to take firearms from people who show warning signs of violence.
Governor Gina Raimondo will sign an executive order to establish the policy, making Rhode Island the sixth state in the country to do so. President Donald Trump is also considering a similar order, sources told Bloomberg News.
Ms Raimondo said she was spurred to action by the tragedy in Parkland, Florida, where 17 people were killed when a gunman opened fire on Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School.
[Rhode Island] isnt going to wait a minute longer for Congress to take action on gun violence, Ms Raimundo tweeted. If they wont act, we will.
The new policy gives requires people to turn over their firearms and prevents them from buying new ones if a judge determines they pose an imminent danger. A court hearing must be held within 21 days, and the order can be extended after that.
The FBI and a local sheriffs office both received repeated tips about troubling behaviour the alleged Parkland shooter, 19-year-old Nikolas Cruz, and failed to follow up. The Rhode Island version of the policies allows for family members not just law enforcement officials to file a petition to have the guns removed.
The Rhode Island Police Chiefs Association voted unanimously last week to ask the states general assembly to pass a similar law. Ms Raimondo also urged the legislature to pass the law, which could be repealed less easily than an executive order.
Advocates say the law will help get guns out of the hands of dangerous individuals, possibly preventing shootings like the one in Parkland. Gun-rights advocates like the National Rifle Association, however, argue that allowing a judge to take away someones firearms could be a violation of the second amendment.
California, Washington, Oregon, Indiana and Connecticut already have red flag statutes in place. It is unclear how effective these laws are at preventing mass shootings, but a 2016 study from Duke University found that the Connecticut law appeared to have prevented some suicides.
Public polling in the wake of the Florida shooting shows that the majority of Americans support stricter gun control laws, with a CNN-SSRS poll showing that 70 percent of Americans now back tougher gun legislation. The same poll found only 52 per cent favoured such changes after the mass shooting in Las Vegas in October.
Students who survived the massacre at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, earlier this month dont blame Broward County Sheriff Scott Israel for missing various red flags in the shooters behavior.
Even though almost every Republican member of the Florida House of Representatives has asked Gov. Rick Scott (R) to suspend Israel, high school student Brandon Abzug thinks Israel should absolutely keep his job, he told CNNs New Day on Monday.
The sheriffs office reportedly received almost 20 phone calls between 2008 and 2017 reporting concerns with shooter Nikolas Cruz, according to The Naples Daily News, including specific worries that he wished to carry out a school shooting.
We know about this one time where they dropped the ball but we dont know about the 999 other times where they did do things to save us, Abzug said.
Israel isnt the only one who should be held accountable, he continued. Its a whole bunch of people and we need to move forward and make sure that this doesnt happen again, he added.
Scott is the one who should bear the responsibility since he ultimately oversees Israel, argued another shooting survivor, David Hogg. The governor ordered an investigation into law enforcements response to the shooting on Sunday.
Just like the president is the boss of the FBI, Gov. Rick Scott is essentially the boss of Scott Israel, the sheriff, Hogg said Monday on MSNBCs Morning Joe. And as such, he should be held accountable. He cant just blame the bureaucracy and expect to get re-elected.
He doesnt blame law enforcement in general, he added, but laments the fact that a handful of individuals did not conduct their job correctly.
Israel attempted to defend himself on Sunday, fielding questions from angry news anchors.
I exercised my due diligence, he told CNNs Jake Tapper. Ive given amazing leadership to this agency. ... Theres a lot of things weve done throughout.
Also on HuffPost
Story continues
Students mourn during a community prayer vigil for victims of Wednesday's shooting.
Mourners gather during a prayer vigil.
A woman breaks down with emotion during the vigil.
Vigil participants hold hands.
A mother tries to comfort her weeping daughter at the end of the vigil.
Mourners hug.
Alyssa Kramer, 16, gets a hug from her mother, Tonja Kramer.
Daniel Journey, center, an 18-year-old senior at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, at the vigil.
A student rests his head against his mother.
City, county and state officials release balloons in honor of the victims.
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This article originally appeared on HuffPost.
Cookiecutter sharks that glow in the dark, phallic peanut worms and uncannily displeased-looking blobfish were never meant to see the light of day.
And yet, they are among more than 100 deep-sea species recently scooped up off Australia's coast in a mission to identify animals that live in these barely explored, extreme underwater habitats.
For a month in 2017, the research vessel Investigator sailed across the eastern Australian abyss from Tasmania to Queensland, mapping and sampling the seafloor at depths of up to nearly 3 miles (4,800 meters) more than 100 times deeper than most scuba divers will ever reach. [See Photos of the Freakiest-Looking Fish]
Using special nets, sleds and other tech, the research team on board collected more than 42,700 fish and invertebrate specimens representing more than 100 types of animals, possibly including new species. This week, scientists gathered at the CSIRO Australian National Fish Collection in Hobart, Tasmania, to thoroughly examine and identify those specimens collected during the "Sampling the Abyss" voyage.
This faceless fish has no visible eyes and a mouth on the underside of its head. copyright Asher Flatt and Marine National Facility
"For those of us aboard, it was a real buzz to see the amazing fishes as they emerged from the nets, and we're looking forward to the opportunity to take a closer look at them in Hobart this week," Museums Victoria ichthyologist Martin Gomon said in a statement from CSIRO.
The extreme conditions of the deep sea just-above-freezing temperatures, crushing pressure, and scarce light and food produce some strange-looking creatures. Among the star discoveries of the voyage was a "faceless fish" collected from 2.5 miles (4,000 m) below the surface. This creature hadn't been seen since the 1870s, when the first and only other specimen was dredged up off the coast of Papua New Guinea.
The researchers also picked up a shortarse feelerfish, the second such specimen ever to be found in Australia, which has short, spindly fins and small vestigial eyes. They found hermaphroditic, predatory lizard fish, and they think they might have some cousins of the gelatinous blobfish (Psychrolutes marcidus), which has been dubbed the world's ugliest animal.
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The deep-sea lizard fish has a mouth full of hinged teeth that keep prey from escaping. copyright Museums Victoria and Marine National Facility
"The abyss is the largest and deepest habitat on the planet, covering half the world's oceans and one-third of Australia's territory, but it remains the most unexplored environment on Earth," Alastair Graham, manager of the Australian National Fish Collection, said in the statement. "The survey collected some very rare and unusual species, and represents one of the deepest collections of fishes from Australian waters."
Researchers involved in the project have also said that another goal of the survey is to understand how humans might be affecting these remote environments.
"There wasn't a day at sea when we didn't bring up some rubbish from the seafloor cans, bottles, plastic, rope, fishing line," expedition leader Tim O'Hara, senior curator of marine invertebrates at Museums Victoria, wrote in The Conversation shortly after the voyage. "There is also old debris from steamships, such as unburned coal and bits of clinker, which looks like melted rock, formed in the boilers."
Original article on Live Science.
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Gaps new ad featuring a woman breastfeeding a child has people excited.
The ad for a new luxe line called Love By GapBody was shared on the companys Instagram page on Saturday and depicts a mother modeling the lines sleep shirt while breastfeeding a child. Notably, the child appears older than the age of 1, in a practice called extended breastfeeding.
The image was a total hit on Instagram, where people called it awesome and praised Gap for supporting mothers. Many used the hashtag #NormalizeBreastfeeding, a movement started in 2014 by Ghanaian-American mother of three Vanessa Simmons, which encourages women not only to nurse in public (as is their legal right in most states) but to do it shame-free, if it means not using a cover.
Gap just released a new ad for its Love By GapBody collection featuring a breastfeeding mom. (Photo: Gap via Instagram)
A representative from Gap tells Yahoo Lifestyle, We aim for the marketing around Love By GapBody to encourage and empower all women to be the woman they want to be as a friend, partner, wife, mother, and voice in todays society.
According to Leigh Anne OConnor, a New York-based international board-certified lactation consultant, the ad is a win.
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Its wonderful to support breastfeeding as a daily part of life for women who do it, and there are lots of mixed messages about whats appropriate, OConnor tells Yahoo Lifestyle. For example, you can nurse, but not in public, or up until the baby reaches a certain age.
OConnor says the term extended breastfeeding isnt quite fair, since babies dont naturally wean before the first year of life. Guidelines on nursing from the American Academy of Pediatrics advise breastfeeding either exclusively or in combination with other food until at least 12 months of age.
Breastfeeding ads can be a tricky territory. In 2016, Equinox launched its Commit to Something campaign, shot by photographer Steven Klein, featuring model Lydia Hearst wearing an evening gown while nursing two babies. A representative from Equinox told Fortune, We didnt want to take a stand on a specific issue or pick a cause, but for many, the images misrepresented the challenges of breastfeeding by making it look glamorous and added to the pressure to nurse that many women already feel.
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Last year, U.K. Baby Dove pulled a breastfeeding ad that read, 75% say breastfeeding in public is fine, 25% say put them away. Whats your way? and issued an apology, which read, Our ad, as well as our campaign, aims to celebrate the diversity of parents and parenting choices in the UK. However, we realize that our message in this instance has not come across as we intended, and we did not mean to cause offense.
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By Andrea Shalal and Michelle Martin BERLIN (Reuters) - German Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Monday a new governing coalition she is seeking with the center-left Social Democrats would not allow new taxes or new public debt. Merkel, seeking to stem growing criticism about her longtime leadership, underscored the core focus of her Christian Democratic party on economic conservatism, individual liberties and Christian humanism, while calling for efforts to recapture voters after heavy losses in the September national elections. "We need orientation for our country, orientation for our party," Merkel said, citing public concerns about globalization, digitalization and unease about establishment political parties. "It is our continuing responsibility as a party to give answers to these questions." The chancellor, who needs approval from both political blocs to secure a fourth term in office, said her party would stick to its hardline stance against new tax increases and government debt, both at home and within the European Union. "Reliability means being sensible with how you treat the money of the citizens," she said. "So we will stick to the clear line of the (conservatives): No new debts, no tax increases and at the same time, record investments in the big future areas." CDU members are expected to later on Monday to endorse a renewal of the "grand coalition" that has ruled Germany since 2013. Around 464,000 SPD members will complete a far more uncertain, but binding, mail ballot on Friday, with results due out on Sunday. Merkel also called for a renewal of Europe, saying the EU was vital to ensure that German interests were addressed globally, but was "too weak and too slow" at present, and urgent work was needed to address the current patchwork of different regulations on border security, defense and capital markets. "We need more commonality," the chancellor said. She said Europe's largest economy would continue to show solidarity with those EU members who "did their homework" on financial matters, but not with those who relied on others to carry their burdens. "It will not be possible ... that others take a rest at our cost," she said to loud applause. Merkel also underscored Germany's commitment to a strong EU defense union and the NATO alliance. "We need to pick up the pace, we need a new dynamic. If Europe wants to be a global player, then it has to act like a global player." (Reporting by Andrea Shalal and Michelle Martin; editing by Mark Heinrich)
Glassdoor didnt start as a jobs site, but after a decade of serving up tens of millions of anonymous employee reviews, salaries and employer approval ratings, thats precisely what its become and all that momentum could be paving the way for an IPO.
With 50 million unique users and growing, Glassdoor is now the second-most popular jobs listing site in the U.S, after Indeed.com. And although the Mill Valley, Calif.-based company doesnt disclose exact numbers, it saw a 53% increase year-over-year of people applying to jobs on Glassdoor over the past 12 months alone. Glassdoor said more than 50% of all job seekers in North America visit its site to apply for a specific job at a particular company.
Thats a far cry from 2007, when Zillow Executive Chairman Rich Barton and Glassdoor CEO Robert Hohman concocted Glassdoor. The jobs site category then largely belonged to heavyweights like Monster, as well as several upstarts, that collected digital job listings on sites that resembled dense information databases instead of the user-friendly experiences on-hand today.
Glassdoor CEO and co-founder Robert Hohman.
Hohman and Barton, however, sought out a different approach. They encouraged visitors of Glassdoors site to anonymously post detailed reviews about their employers listing the pros and cons as well as information about their salaries and CEO. To virtually anyone out of college, knowing how much the average engineer banks at a top tech company and what makes that tech company tick makes for pretty compelling chatter around the watercooler. For job seekers looking for a leg up, Glassdoor became an important go-to online resource.
Rather than directly attack the recruitment and employment space, we felt like we should use transparency to back into the employment category, Hohman told Yahoo Finance. It will be what differentiates us, and we can combine it with jobs and become a force in recruiting and thats more or less whats happened over the years.
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Glassdoors reviews have also proven crucial for holding companies more accountable for their behavior. After all, no business wants prospective hires to spy negative reviews that could scare them away. To that end, Hohman tells Yahoo Finance that thousands of employers including Facebook (FB) and Uber get alerted to content on their pages, that include employee reviews. When Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) pored through feedback from job applicants, for instance, they realized many applicants were upset because they never heard back from the company after sending in their applications. Because of that, the pharmaceutical company rolled out new technologies to make the application process much more transparent.
They [Johnson & Johnson] realized that recruiting is really in the business of saying no, as in they say no to most people that apply there, which makes sense, Hohman explained, adding that the people that get rejected for a job are also most likely customers who buy J&J products.
From reviews to revenues
As Glassdoor grew, so did the sites ambitions. In addition to posting millions of jobs from a wide range of employers now, it releases lists like its annual Best Places to Work a list that ranks the best employers in the U.S based off of employee reviews. (Despite a slew of headlines over the past 12 months, Facebook ranked No. 1. for employee satisfaction, followed by management consultant group Bain & Company and Boston Consulting Group, respectively.)
In June 2010, Glassdoor also started generating revenue by charging employers to advertise their jobs on the site, as well as what Glassdoor calls employer branding: marketing services that let an employer engage with visitors through original video and text.
Up next for Glassdoor? Possibly an IPO. The company has reportedly begun interviewing banks for an IPO this year. Although Glassdoor does not disclose its financials, the site is reportedly worth an estimated $1 billion following a $40 million round of funding raised in 2016. It also announced last week a slew of promotions and a significant new hire in Jim Cox, the companys first chief financial officer. With previous experience managing the financials of Advent Software, a publicly-traded company eventually acquired in 2015, Coxs hiring could be key in getting Glassdoor in good shape for a public offering.
Hohman, for his part, declined to comment on whether a Glassdoor IPO is imminent, however he expressed excitement over Coxs addition to Glassdoor management.
He was the CFO of Advent for six years, and they were public the entire time that he was their CFO, added Hohman, who also described Cox as incredibly analytical.
Could those analytical chops come in handy for Glassdoors public offering? Time, perhaps, will tell.
JP Mangalindan is the Chief Tech Correspondent for Yahoo Finance covering the intersection of tech and business. Email story tips and musings to jpm@oath.com. Follow him on Twitter or Facebook.
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By Pete Schroeder and Roberta Rampton
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The National Rifle Association pushed back on Sunday against modest proposals by President Donald Trump and other Republicans to change U.S. gun laws after a school shooting in Florida that killed 17 students and staff.
The powerful gun lobby group does not support Trump's proposals to raise the age limit for buying certain types of guns and to ban bump stocks that enable semi-automatic rifles to shoot hundreds of rounds a minute, a spokeswoman said on ABC's "This Week."
"The NRA doesn't back any ban," Dana Loesch said.
Trump was endorsed by the NRA in his 2016 presidential election campaign and often trumpets his support for Americans' constitutional right to own guns.
But the Feb. 14 massacre at a Florida high school has mobilized high school students to push for restrictions on gun sales, spurred several companies to sever ties with the NRA and energized gun-control activists.
As November congressional elections draw closer, Trump and Republicans are under pressure to show they are responding to concerns about school safety without angering supporters who oppose gun control.
Since the Florida shooting, Trump has declared support for raising the age limit to 21 from 18 for buying rifles. The 19-year-old shooter at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, had bought his AR-15 semi-automatic rifle legally.
"That's what the NRA came out and said, that's correct," Loesch said when pressed on whether the group opposes raising the minimum age.
Trump also has asked the Justice Department to develop a regulation that would effectively ban the sale of bump stocks, an accessory used last year by a shooter who killed 58 people at a Las Vegas outdoor concert, the deadliest attack by a single gunman in U.S. history.
Trump has also said he supports legislation to tighten background checks for gun buyers, although he has not provided specific details.
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Republican Senator Pat Toomey, a sponsor of a bill that would require background checks for weapons sold at gun shows and on the internet, said Trump's support could help advance proposals that floundered in years passed.
"Our president can play a huge and in fact probably decisive role in this. So I intend to give this another shot," Toomey said on NBC's "Meet the Press."
Legislation to close background checks loopholes failed to clear the 60-vote threshold in the U.S. Senate after a shooter killed 26 children and teachers in 2012 at an elementary school in Newtown, Connecticut.
'FIRST ON OUR LIST'
Speaking at a White House dinner for the nation's governors on Sunday, Trump said his meetings with them during the coming week would focus on school safety after the "horrible" Parkland shooting, describing the issue as "first on our list."
Tweaks to gun laws face an uphill battle among conservative Republicans in Congress. On Sunday, Representative Thomas Massie from Kentucky said he opposed changes to background check laws and other restrictions on gun ownership.
"I wish that background checks stopped criminals or stopped school shootings, but they don't," Massie told NBC.
Trump has strongly endorsed the idea - backed by the NRA in the wake of the Newtown shooting - of arming trained teachers with guns, a suggestion that has been dismissed as untenable by many Democratic and Republican politicians.
Loesch said the NRA believes individual schools should decide whether to arm teachers. On Saturday, Trump said on Twitter the proposal would be left "up to states."
Loesch sought to play down the emerging differences between the NRA and the White House.
"I know that people are trying to find daylight between President Trump and five million law-abiding gun owners," she said. "He's really looking for solutions ... so far nothing's been proposed yet."
The president's daughter, Ivanka Trump, said in an interview with NBC News during a visit to South Korea for the Winter Olympics' closing ceremony that her father's suggestion for arming teachers is "an idea that needs to be discussed."
But asked whether she, a mother of three children, would consider providing teachers with firearms, she said: "To be honest, I don't know. Obviously, there would have to be an incredibly high standard for who would be able to bear arms in our school."
(Reporting by Roberta Rampton, Pete Schroeder and Yasmeen Abutaleb, additional reporting by Patrick Rucker and Matt Spetalnick; Editing by Kieran Murray, Andrea Ricci and Daniel Wallis)
The headphone jack still wont go away.
BARCELONA If you want your next smartphone to work with all of the wired headphones you may have accumulated over the last decade, the smartphone selection on display at Mobile World Congress suggest two simple strategies: Buy a Samsung, or dont spend too much money on a different Android phone.
Samsung deciding to zig when Apple (AAPL) zags and retain the familiar 3.5mm headphone jack was no surprise, and neither was the persistence of that 1960s-vintage audio output in cheaper smartphones. But the choices of some mid-tier mobile manufacturers to move to USB-C and wireless connectionsin some cases, only on their most expensive modelsis a little harder to grasp..
Team headphone jack
Samsungs Sunday-evening launch of its new Galaxy S9, $719, and S9 Plus, $839, featured multiple jabs at Apple, but none of it was fairer than its needling of its rival for removing the headphone jack from the iPhone 7 and subsequent models.
Apples action inconvenienced customers without providing them any increase in audio quality. Yes, Apples wireless AirPods are marvels of designbut they also cost $170 and become yet another item you need to recharge.
(The subsequent move by Google (GOOG, GOOGL) to jettison the headphone jack from its Pixel 2 phones was even more foolish, given that Googles wireless Pixel Buds arent that great. But almost nobody has bought a Pixel 2, so it would have arguably been mean for Samsung to swat at that.)
Samsung has done customers a favor in resisting Apple does it, so it must be right logic. So have such smaller vendors as Alcatel and ZTE, whose own MWC debuts have included that same analog connector.
But those firms also face an economic incentive to stick with tradition: Their phones generally sell for much less than those of a Samsung, an Apple or a Google. It would be marketing malpractice to ship a model optimized for USB-C or wireless headphones that cost considerably more than the wired sort.
If youre buying a more expensive smartphone, you might also have to shell out for wireless headphones.
Sony and HTC: Hit the road, jack
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At last years MWC, HTC was the sole major Android vendor to drop the headphone jack. Despite HTCs failure to advance in the market since then with the equally jack-deprived U11 series of smartphones, it now has company in that decision: Sony.
The Japanese electronics firm introduced two new Android phones, the XZ2 and XZ2 Compact, that each feature only a USB-C connector on the bottom. Sony would prefer that you buy either one of its USB-C headphones or its new, AirPod-esque Xperia Ear Duo wireless headphones.
(Sony hasnt announced prices on any of this hardware.)
Its about wanting to sell something else said Creative Strategies analyst Carolina Milanesi. Sony is in the headset business and has been in it for a long time.
She allowed that a move to voice-driven assistants like Google Assistant and Apples Siriwhich can be less socially awkward to use in public with wireless headphonescould prove this strategy right.
If a headset now becomes a device more than an accessory, and consumers are willing to pay for it, maybe there is a point there the jack is not necessary, Milanesi said.
Then again, Samsung sells quite a few headphones itself, especially since acquiring the high-end audio vendor Harman two years ago. And it has its own voice-driven-assistant strategy built around its proprietary Bixby.
Meanwhile, the headphones that will come with these two Sony smartphones will be old-school 3.5mm wired models, North American marketing vice president Don Mesa said in an interview. Youll have to plug them into an adapter that will also come in the boxalthough this adapter, unlike Apples, will include a pass-through plug allowing users to charge the phone and listen to music.
Huawei and Nokia: yes and no
Two vendors with a larger profile outside the U.S. than in it have instead placed different bets. Flagship phones on display here from Huawei and Nokia leave out the headphone jackbut their cheaper models retain it.
Huaweis Mate 10 Prothe $800 phone that AT&T (T) decided not to launch at CESdoesnt include a headphone jack but does come with a high-end set of USB-C headphones. The Chinese firms cheaper models, however, continue to offer that analog output.
The latest Nokia-branded Android phones from HMD Global show a similar split. The New Nokia 6 (an actual brand name to distinguish this model from last years) and Nokia 7 Plus retain a headphone jack, but the sleeker and far more expensive Nokia 8 Sirocco, at 749, does without it.
Charging the customer more for a phone missing what was once universally regarded as a core capability sets up an interesting marketing experiment. If people then choose to buy high-priced over cheaper but more compatible phones from the same firms, it will be hard to blame manufacturers for following Apple and Googles examples.
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By John Walcott and Patricia Zengerle WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Democratic minority on the U.S. House of Representatives Intelligence Committee on Saturday released a response to Republican charges that the FBI and Justice Department have abused the law in their investigation of possible ties between Russia and Donald Trump's 2016 presidential campaign. The Democrats' 10-page memo, released on Saturday in partially-redacted form, calls an earlier Republican version "a transparent effort to undermine" the FBI, the Justice Department, Special Counsel Robert Mueller, and congressional probes into possible collusion between Russia and the Trump campaign. The Republican memo, the Democrats allege, "also risks public exposure of sensitive sources and methods for no legitimate purpose." The Democratic memo and a Republican counterattack that included a point-by-point refutation of the minority Democrats' conclusions, are an escalation of the partisan feuding that Rep. Adam Schiff, the ranking Democrat on the Intelligence Committee, and other members of his party have said is sabotaging the House committee's investigation. The latest duel on Capitol Hill comes as Mueller's investigation gathers steam, including a guilty plea on Friday from Richard Gates, Trump's deputy campaign manager. In a message posted on Twitter, Trump responded, "The Democrat memo response on government surveillance abuses is a total political and legal BUST. Just confirms all of the terrible things that were done. SO ILLEGAL!" In a statement, the committee's Republican Chairman, Rep. Devin Nunes, renewed his allegations, saying: "The American people now clearly understand that the FBI used political dirt paid for by the Democratic Party to spy on an American citizen from the Republican Party." "We wanted it out because we think it is clear evidence that the Democrats are not only trying to cover this up, but they're also colluding with parts of the government to help cover this up," Nunes said during an appearance at the Conservative Political Action Conference in Oxon Hills, Maryland. WHITE HOUSE RESPONSE In a statement released on Saturday, White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders said: "While the Democrats' memorandum attempts to undercut the president politically, the president supported its release in the interest of transparency." The Democratic memo charges that Republicans deliberately omitted facts from their document that undermine their allegation that the FBI conducted improper surveillance of one-time Trump campaign aide Carter Page, "whom the FBI assessed to be an agent of the Russian government." The Justice Department's request for a surveillance warrant "was based on compelling evidence and probable cause to believe Page was knowingly assisting clandestine Russian intelligence activities in the U.S.," the memo says. "The FBI had ample reason to believe that Carter Page was acting as an agent of a foreign power based on his history, including the fact that he had previously been a target of Russian recruitment, his travel to Russia and other information," Schiff said in a statement. The Democratic memo, which was released by the White House at mid-afternoon on Saturday as Republican committee chairman Nunes was addressing the Conservative Political Action Committee, had been reviewed by the FBI and the Justice Department before its release, Schiff said. "But it is unfortunate that the weekend release of the Democratic memo by the White House was delayed beyond what was necessary and to the advantage of those seeking to mislead the American public," he added. The Democratic memo also disputes a Republican charge that the FBI initiated a counterintelligence investigation in late July 2016 based on an unverified dossier compiled by former British intelligence officer Christopher Steele and paid for by the Democratic National Committee through a law firm. By then, the memo reveals, "the FBI had already opened sub-inquiries into a (redacted number of) individuals linked to the Trump campaign." All the names except Page's were blacked out, but a footnote names Gates, former Trump National Security Adviser Michael Flynn, campaign aide George Papadopoulos, and one-time Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort. All but Page and Manafort now have pleaded guilty to federal charges and are believed to be cooperating with Mueller. The FBI received Steele's reporting in mid-September, more than seven weeks after launching its investigation of Page's ties to Russia. The requests "made only narrow use of Steele's reporting, "chiefly his suspected July 2016 meetings in Moscow with Russian officials." The Democrats also said the Justice Department's Oct. 21, 2016, application to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court for warrants to monitor Page and three subsequent renewals offered "a multipronged rationale for surveiling Page," who by then had left Trump's campaign. The memo raises but does not answer questions about whether Page or other Trump affiliates might have helped Russia craft a politically sophisticated cyber campaign to help Trump win the presidency by targeting specific groups, prejudices, and areas. Mueller last week described those efforts in a detailed indictment of 13 Russians and three Russian companies for meddling in the 2016 election. Russia denies charges that it interfered in the election. (Reporting by John Walcott and Patricia Zengerle, additional reporting by David Morgan and Jim Oliphant; editing by G Crosse and Daniel Wallis)
As the 2018 Winter Olympics concluded in PyeongChang, South Korea, first daughter and senior adviser to the president of the United States Ivanka Trump gave an interview with NBCs Today show about her experience attending the global event as a national representative, and the discussion veered into a handful of other, more politically charged topics as well.
At one point, NBCs Peter Alexander asked Trump whether she believed the women who have publicly accused her father, Donald Trump, of sexual harassment and misconduct. To that, Trump replied, I think its a pretty inappropriate question to ask a daughter if she believes the accusers of her father when hes affirmatively stated theres no truth to it.
Soon after the interview aired, social media users reacted to Ivanka Trumps comments, noting the difficulty of being both an administration official and the presidents daughter, and also calling her out for her nonresponse.
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While Trump has been vocal when expressing her positions on paid family leave, tax cuts, and job creation in addition to visiting South Korea in an official diplomatic capacity she shies away from discussing her bosss alleged personal misconduct.
Jenna Bednar, a political science professor at the University of Michigan, highlights the problematically entangled conflict created when a White House adviser also happens to be part of the presidents immediate family.
I think that shes right for the same reasons that her father was right to recuse himself from deciding the fate of her husbands security clearance, Bednar says in an email to Yahoo Lifestyle about whether it really is inappropriate to ask Trump about her fathers sexual history. Both are perfect evidence for why a democratic system cant tolerate nepotism, and officially outlawed it, she says, referring to the change that resulted from President John F. Kennedys appointment of his brother Robert F. Kennedy to the position of attorney general. Shes right it is inappropriate to ask her to judge her father. And President Trump cannot judge whether Jared Kushner can be trusted with our nations greatest secrets. But if members of our government, whether paid or not, cannot be asked to evaluate whether the conduct of other members of the government meets the standards of our democratic institutions, then the democracy is less robust.
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The Today show interview was not the first time someone asked a politicians daughter or wife about that mans misdeeds in the political realm, and its rare that any of the answers that come are more than deflections.
In 2008, while campaigning for her mothers first presidential run, Chelsea Clinton responded to a question about her fathers affair with Monica Lewinsky, saying, I do not think that is any of your business. Laura Bush defended her father-in-law, former President George H.W. Bush, after groping allegations surfaced in 2017 (which his granddaughters Jenna Bush Hager and Barbara Bush have yet to comment publicly about). After news broke that former U.S. Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-N.Y.) had sexted an underage girl a discovery made during the Hillary Clinton email investigation his wife, Huma Abedin, a Clinton aide, asked for privacy during the ordeal.
Still, political ramifications of nepotism momentarily aside, why is it so cringeworthy (or, as Ivanka Trump would say, inappropriate) to pose those questions in the first place? What are the psychological implications of asking a woman about a loved ones bad behavior especially, in this case, an adult child?
When parents do any behavior, no matter the extremes of it, that shakes that image of a parent as a role model, and can cause stress and discomfort, explains Allison Thorson, a communications studies professor at the University of San Francisco who has published research on the impact of parental infidelity on adult children. In our parental infidelity research, we found adult children respond to [those questions] by not talking about it, and not talking about this is a function to maintain the family. Its what we call the protection rule. Its really to keep family close and prevent stress.
Thorson goes on to explain that in Ivankas case specifically, the public might view the questions over President Trumps sexual history as belonging to the greater sociopolitical conversation, whereas Ivanka herself might view them as a private matter adding a layer of complexity to an already difficult conversation.
If she views this as private information, keeping information from others who dont have the right to know, thats where its trickier, Thorson says. Maybe she has opinions, and maybe she feels others dont have the right to know them.
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Zachary Keck
Security, Asia
A prelude to a crisis?
India and China Are Building up Their Air Power on the Border. What Happens Next?
China and India are engaging in an air force buildup along their shared border.
This week, Chinese state media outlet Global Times reported that Beijing has been deploying more advanced jets along its border with India. China is upgrading its Western Theater Command in order to confront any threat from India, the Global Times reported, citing images posted by the Peoples Liberation Army (PLA). The pictures posted on the English version of the PLA website show a J-10 fighter jet and J-11 fighter jets conducting aerial combat training exercises in Western China on February 13.
According to the article, the J-10 and J-11 fighter jets were part of an air brigade assigned to Chinas Western Theater Command. It went on to quote a military expert, Song Zhongping, as saying that the PLA views stationing more advanced fighters along the Indian border as an urgent task. That is because, as Song pointed out, India itself has been deploying more advanced jets alongside its own border with India. With India importing new jets, China will continue strengthening its fighter jets in the Western Theatre Command, Song said.
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It is unclear what planes Song is referring to exactly. After the Indo-Chinese military standoff at Doklam last year, satellite imagery from the geostrategic consulting firm Stratfor showed that India had augmented its air force along the border with Russian jets. According to Stratfor, two air bases on the Indian side of the border, the Siliguri Bagdogra air base and the Hasimara Air Force Station, had previously been home to transport helicopters and the MiG-27ML ground attack aircraft. They are now hosting Su-30MKI warplanes. As Stratfor pointed out: The Su-30MKI is Indias premier fighter jet, and it will soon be capable of striking land targets with the advanced BrahMos cruise missile.
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Song might have also been referring to the Rafale fighter jet that India is purchasing from France. In September 2016, Delhi and Paris inked an $8.7 billion deal for India to purchase thirty-six Rafale planes from France. All of the planes are expected to be delivered by 2022, but some of them will be available much sooner. Indian media reports have said that half of those planes will be stationed at Hasimara Air Force Station near China, while the other half will be closer to Pakistan. According to these media stories, Indian military officials believe the Rafales are especially needed on the Chinese border because of their long-range strike capabilities.
Indias moves notwithstanding, Stratfor noted that the buildup was even greater on the Chinese side of the border, including a new air strip at a base near Shigatse. A new runaway was constructed by mid-December, nine aircraft aprons measuring 41 meters by 70 meters were built along the main taxiway and eight helipads were set up in the northeast corner of the airfield. This construction, along with the deployment of new equipment in greater numbers, highlights how China has undertaken a serious effort to improve its capabilities close to the border with India.
The Chinese-Indian border is difficult terrain for aircraft to operate in because of its high altitude and extreme weather patterns. More advanced aircraft will help overcome these factors, although better training is also necessary. China also needs to constantly train pilots and prepare them for high altitudes, and improve cooperation between the support team on the ground and pilots to make sure performance isnt affected in the difficult conditions, said Song, the Chinese military expert, to the Hong Kongbased South China Morning Post.
The 3,500-kilometer (2,174-mile) border between India and China has long been a source of tension between the two neighbors, and Delhi and Beijing fought a brief war over the border in October 1962. There have been periodic flare ups ever since. Still, last years Doklam crisis was especially intense. As Jeff Smith put it at the time, While stare-downs at the disputed China-India border are a common affair, the episode now underway is an altogether different, potentially far more dangerous, beast. The row began when it was discovered that China was attempting to build a new road through a disputed plateau that India refers to as Doklam and China calls Donglang. Sovereignty over the area is in fact disputed by China and Bhutan (an Indian ally), rather than Delhi itself.
India sent troops to the area ostensibly to support Bhutan. Likely more pressing for Delhi, however, was its concerns that the new road would allow China to cut off most of India from its remote northeastern states. A similar fear (albeit in a different area) was behind the Kargil Crisis between India and Pakistan in 1999. For two months during the Doklam crisis, neither Beijing nor Delhi would agree to stand down, and both sides issued escalatory threats. Eventually, the crisis flamed out in August of last year, when India agreed to withdraw its troops from the area. In return, Beijing agreed to halt the road construction for the time being.
The buildup of forces indicates that both sides believe the calm is only temporary. Its fairly clear they (the Chinese) are trying to send a message in the post-Doklam period about their resolve to be strong, Kanti Prasad Bajpai, the director of the Centre on Asia and Globalization at Singapores Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, told CNN about the latest Chinese deployments. The same can certainly be said about India.
Zachary Keck (@ZacharyKeck) is a former managing editor of the National Interest.
Image: Wikimedia Commons
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Mumbai (AFP) - India Monday mourned Bollywood superstar Sridevi Kapoor after her death in Dubai aged just 54, as police in the emirate said she drowned in her hotel bathtub.
The body of Sridevi, one of the biggest names in Hindi cinema, had been due to be brought back to Mumbai on Monday by charter flight. It was not immediately clear however when Dubai authorities would release it.
Hundreds of heartbroken fans gathered outside her Mumbai home hoping to catch a final glimpse of the star before her cremation, now likely to take place on Tuesday at the earliest.
Initial reports had cited a heart attack as the cause of her death late Saturday at a hotel in the emirate, where she had been attending a nephew's wedding.
"The death of Indian actress Sridevi occurred due to drowning in her hotel apartment's bathtub following loss of consciousness," Dubai police tweeted, citing an autopsy report.
Police have now referred the case to the public prosecutor.
Tributes kept pouring in for the actress and fans gathered outside her home for a second day.
"We want to see her one last time," 48-year-old Laxmi Subbaramaiah told AFP outside the house in the Andheri area of Mumbai -- the heartland of the Bollywood film industry.
"All of my family members are big fans and we cried when we heard the news. We will wait here until her body comes back," he said.
Vishal More, 23, said he had travelled seven hours from Jalgaon district, around 400 kilometres away from Mumbai, to bid farewell to his favourite actress.
"I've been waiting all morning to catch a last glimpse of Sridevi. I have watched all of her movies. She is such an inspiration," he said.
Sridevi's death has prompted an outpouring of grief in India from fans and fellow actors as well as condolences from Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
- Bollywood shock -
"I have always been a huge fan of her work. Equally I have been an admirer of the grace and dignity with which she conducted herself," actor Aamir Khan wrote on Twitter.
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"I join all the millions of her fans in mourning her demise. Ma'am we will always remember you with love and respect," he added.
Fellow actor Ranveer Singh tweeted that he was "shocked and saddened to hear about the untimely demise of one of Hindi cinema's greatest superstars".
Actress Alia Bhatt posted on Twitter: "Nothing makes sense. I have no words... just completely shocked. RIP Sri Devi. My icon forever. Love you."
Sridevi, born Shree Amma Yanger Ayappan in the southern state of Tamil Nadu, appeared in around 300 films and was awarded the Padma Shri, India's fourth highest civilian award, for services to the movie industry.
She made her acting debut at the age of four and her career spanned more than four decades.
Sridevi worked in India's regional Tamil, Telugu and Malayalam-language films before making her Bollywood debut in 1979.
She became a national icon with a string of blockbuster films including "Chandni", "Mr India", "Mawali" ("Scoundrel") and "Tohfa" ("Gift").
Sridevi famously took a 15-year-break from the silver screen after marrying film producer Boney Kapoor but returned in the 2012 hit comedy-drama "English Vinglish". Her most recent film was last year's "Mom".
She was set to see Jhanvi, the eldest of her two daughters, make her Bollywood debut.
burs-pdh/sm
Melania Trump pictured in November 2017. (Photo: Katsumi Kasahara/AFP/Pool/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images)
Melania Trump may have an unlikely celebrity look-alike.
Its come to the internets attention that, with her rumored round of cosmetic procedures, rapper Lil Kim bears what some consider to be a striking resemblance to the first lady. Consider these reactions to a recent photo the Lady Marmalade performer posted of herself leaving the Marc Jacobs show during New York Fashion Week.
Lil Kim during New York Fashion Week. (Photo: Robert Kamau/GC Images)
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Though others have disputed that theres any similarity, Hollywood Life reports that Lil Kim herself thinks there may be something to the doppelganger theory. The rapper who has denied reports that shes undergone skin bleaching told a fan that she too noticed a resemblance to Trump, replying on Twitter: Thats funny because I said that 2 when I first saw it.
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On the other hand, its probably not quite enough to fool the Secret Service. What do you think?
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(PRAGUE) A Slovak investigative reporter and his girlfriend were shot dead in their home in an attack likely linked to his reporting on tax evasion, Slovakias top police official said Monday.
The bodies of 27-year-old Jan Kuciak and his partner were found on Sunday evening in their house in the town of Velka Maca, east of the capital, Bratislava, national police force president Tibor Gaspar said.
Police went to the house at the request of a worried family member.
Gaspar said the slayings likely have something to do with his investigative activities. He declined to elaborate.
Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico said if that if that were the case, it would be an unprecedented attack on freedom of the press and democracy in Slovakia.
Fico announced his government was offering 1 million euros ($1.23 million) to anyone who helped the authorities find the people responsible.
Reporters Without Borders, a watchdog group based in Paris, noted that Kuciak was the second journalist killed in the European Union in five months.
Daphne Caruana Galizia, a reporter in Malta who investigated corruption, was killed in October by a bomb that destroyed her car. The crime drew attention to financial corruption on the island nation.
Three Maltese men believed to have triggered the powerful bomb that killed Caruana Galizia were ordered in December to stand trial for murder. Investigators think the men were working for someone, but no mastermind has been identified.
In Slovakia, Gaspar said the reporter was shot in the chest and his girlfriend was shot in the head. He said the killings were estimated to have taken place between Thursday and Sunday.
He added that Slovakia has never faced such an unprecedented attack on a journalist.
Kuciak was working for Aktuality.sk news website. He focused mainly on tax evasion.
We are shocked and stunned by the news that Jan Kuciak and his partner were apparently victims of a cruel attack, publisher Ringier Axel Springer Slovakia, to which Aktuality.sk belongs, said in a statement.
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We mourn with the family, the friends and the colleagues; we will do everything to support the investigating authorities to bring the perpetrator to justice.
Kuciak latest story reported on a businessman suspected of selling flats in an apartment complex to his own companies. The reporter questioned the business reason for doing that, and speculated that it could be a method of avoiding taxes.
Last year, Kuciak alleged that the businessman, Marian Kocner, threatened him following publication of a previous story. The reporter said he filed a complaint with police and alleged they failed to act.
Gaspar said everyone who had been in touch with Kuciak will be questioned. Police plan to provide protection for an unspecified number of other reporters from Aktuality.sk, he said without elaborating.
Slovak President Andrej Kiska called Monday for a quick investigation of the crime.
We have to find those who did it as soon as possible and ensure the safety of all journalists, Kiska said in a statement.
Editors-in-chief of major Slovak media urged the government to take necessary steps to find the people responsible for the slayings and to create conditions for the safe work of journalists.
Reporters Without Borders also pressed for quick action.
We call for an investigation in order to establish the exact circumstances of Jan Kuciaks death and we demand that the authorities shed all possible light on this case, especially as he and those close to him had been threatened in recent months, Pauline Ades-Mevel, head of the groups Europe and Balkans desk, said in a statement.
Raymond Tanter, Ivan Sascha Sheehan
Security, Middle East
Current converging events are opening scenes of a wider war.
Iran and Israel Could Go to War Next Year
If Iran uses its Iraqi Shia Militias, Afghans, and Pakistanis, as well as its own forces in attacks on Israel, there is likely to be war between Israel and Iran by 2019. See How Iran Fuels Syria War, Iraqis: twenty thousand Shia from ten groups;
Non-Iranian Militia Mercenaries: Afghan, fifteen thousand to twenty thousand; Pakistan, five thousand to ten thousand; Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), eight thousand to ten thousand; Iranian Regular Army, five thousand to six thousand, all estimates as of 2016.
If Tehran uses its militias, and other forces drafted to do Irans deeds, as well as its IRGC to launch attacks on Israel, there may be war between Israel and Iran by 2019.
We asked in January if 2018 would bring revolution to Iran. Now we ask: Will Israel and Iran go to war by 2019?
By acknowledging the legitimacy of the National Council of Resistance of Iran, it would result in fewer actions by Tehran to crack down on protestors, e.g., by going to war with Israel to divert the Iranian population from domestic unrest.
The lead of the January 17 article was CIA Director Mike Pompeo. He said, It is my full expectation that you will see the Iranian people continue to revolt against this [crackdown by Tehran on protests.]
Likewise, we lead this article, with Director Pompeo. About Israel and Iran, and North Korea, Pompeo said, Whether its Lebanese Hezbollah, the threat that it [Iran] presents to both Lebanon and to Israel; whether its the Shia militiasyou can see the impact that they're having today, even in northern Iraq; the threat that they pose to U.S. forces. And even more to the point of our post, Pompeo also said, There is a long history of proliferation ties, as between North Korea and Iran. Proliferation partners share technology, making it easier for both to develop ballistic missiles and nuclear weapons.
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Breaking News
Regarding 2018, direct conflict between Israel and Iran is not only on the horizon, but happening now: interception of an Iranian drone over Israel, downing of an Israeli F-16, and retaliatory strikes against Syrian and Iranian targets. These converging events are opening scenes of a wider warif Tehran continues trying to fortify its presence in Syria after the defeat of Islamic State.
See the threat by Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu to Iranian foreign minister Mohammad Javad Zarif: Bibi said, Do not test Israels resolve, at the Munich Security Conference on February 18. Zarif has also made threats. He warned Iran would respond seriously, if its interests are not secured.
Growing tensions between Israel and Iran, show few signs of warmth and may heat up further between 2018 and 2019. But will the countries go to war? And what would this mean for regional peace and security?
The Israeli armys February 10 announcement that it launched a large-scale attack inside Syria on Saturday to target aerial-defense batteries and sites it said were linked to Iran, after one of its aircraft crashed under Syria antiaircraft fire, is a further reminder of the Islamic Republics malign regional activities.
There is the latest sign of rapidly warming relations between estranged neighbors, North Koreas Kim Jong-un extended a February 10 invitation to his counterpart in the SouthPresident Moon Jae-into commence talks in Pyongyang, just as the 2018 Winter Olympics got underway.
The Backstory
President Donald Trump first placed Tehran on notice for engaging in regional destabilization shortly after taking office in February 2017 and then pursued comprehensive sanctions targeting Iranian ballistic-missile programs in July 2017.
The administrations October 2017 decision to designate formally the IRGC, as a Foreign Terrorist Organizationeffectively blacklisting it and more than forty related entities from the global economyis necessary to contain the regimes belligerence.
So too are sanctions placed by Treasury on Iran in November 2017 for involvement in terrorist activity and large-scale counterfeiting. But more must be done to accelerate growing unrest in the country and support the Iranian people, by an Iran plunging toward war with Israel.
There are reports from Israeli and Arab sources about resumption of Israels war with Syria. The added wrinkle is in the post-nuclear deal era with the major powers, a resurgent Iran is a new player in the Israeli-Syrian lurch toward war. Indeed, a Shadow War, between Israel and Iran has been going on for years, bringing us closer to today's events and what is to come in 2019.
Think about the interception of an Iranian drone over Israel, downing of an Israeli F-16, and retaliatory strikes against Syrian and Iranian targets. These converging events are opening scenes of a wider war that is starting, if Tehran continues trying to fortify its presence in Syria, after defeating the Islamic State.
First, Iran launched an attack drone into Israel, which Israelis tracked and shot down.
Second, the Israelis sent jets into Syria to hit the Iranian command center that had sent the drone, at the Tiyas Airbase in Syria.
Third, forces backing Bashar al-Assad fired dozens of antiaircraft missiles, including into Israeli territory, which forced Israeli communities to go into lockdown and the pilots of one F-16 to abandon the jet.
Fourth, the Israelis sent eight jets into Syria to target a dozen Syrian and Iranian military facilities Syria to target a dozen Syrian and Iranian military facilities.
Fifth, Assads forces fired off another fifteen to twenty anti-aircraft missiles, again forcing Israeli communities to go into lockdown.
Finally, accepting an expansion of Tehrans military presence in Syria will sooner or later bring about a much wider conflict among Israelis, Iranians, and the so-called Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) Shia militias. It is an umbrella organization under which other militias fall. Indeed, retired Ambassador Dennis Ross of the Washington Institute, holds that, several of [their] . . . leaders have provocatively visited the Israeli border recently.
Moreover, there is the fight along the Israel-Syrian border, with direct participation of Iranian units, not just the PMF.
The Way Forward
First, the State Department: As Damascus and Tehran threaten Jerusalem, State indicates to Israel it stands alone. Why? Secretary Tillersons Middle East tour included Amman, Ankara, Cairo, Kuwait City and Beirut, but not Jerusalem. After Tehrans incursion via drones, Tillerson should go to Jerusalem.
The State Department issued a February 10 press statement that said The United States is deeply concerned about todays escalation of violence over Israels border and strongly supports Israels sovereign right to defend itself. Irans calculated escalation of threat and its ambition to project its power and dominance, places all the people of the regionfrom Yemen to Lebanonat risk. The U.S. continues to push back on the totality of Irans malign activities in the region and calls for an end to Iranian behavior that threatens peace and stability.
Second, the Pentagon asserted that it did not participate in this military operation...Israel is our closest security partner in the region and we fully support Israels inherent right to defend itself against threats to its territory and its people.
We share the concerns of many throughout the region that Irans destabilizing activities that threaten international peace and security, and we seek greater international resolve in countering Irans malign activities, said Pentagon spokesman Adrian Rankine-Galloway.
More than such expressions of support are necessary from State and Defense! Our studies indicate there should be an increase in arms to Israel, including replacement of the F-16 Syria air defense batteries shot down, during Israeli retaliation for the drone attack.
As Danielle Pletka of the American Enterprise Institute (AEI) states, The United States has not availed itself of sufficient soft or hard power options vis a vis Iran in Syria, Yemen, or anywhere else in the region. Iran is rising inexorably, and inevitably, at least for Israel, there will be no choice but conflict.
Not only is Israel at risk from Iran. Its ballistic-missile programs give it the potential to hold targets at risk across the region, and Tehran already has the largest inventory of ballistic missiles in the Middle East. Tehrans desire to deter the United States might drive it to field an ICBM, which like that of Pyongyangs might target the U.S. homeland per the February 2018 Worldwide Threat Assessment of the U.S. Intelligence Community.
Prof. Raymond Tanter served as a senior member on the Middle East Desk of the National Security Council staff in the Reagan-Bush administration, personal representative of the secretary of Defense to international security and arms control talks in Europe and is now professor emeritus at the University of Michigan. Follow him on Twitter @ProfRTanter .
Prof. Ivan Sascha Sheehan is director of the graduate programs in Global Affairs and Human Security and Negotiations and Conflict Management in the School of Public and International Affairs at the University of Baltimore. Follow him on Twitter @ProfSheehan.
Image: A U.S. Air Force F-16 takes off during a joint international aerial training exercise hosted by Israel and dubbed "Blue Flag 2017" at Ovda military air base in southern Israel November 8, 2017. Picture taken November 8, 2017. REUTERS/Amir Cohen
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Ramallah (Palestinian Territories) (AFP) - Israel's army has arrested nine Palestinians from the West Bank home village of jailed teenager Ahed Tamimi, including a relative shot in the head in December, the military and witnesses said Monday.
The overnight arrests were in Nabi Saleh in the occupied West Bank and included four minors, witnesses said.
Among them was 15-year-old Mohammed Tamimi, a cousin of Ahed Tamimi, who was arrested in December after a viral video showed her hit and kick two Israeli soldiers, an uncle, Atta Tamimi, said.
Mohammed was shot in the head with a rubber bullet the day of Ahed's arrest, leaving him with permanent damage to his skull, relatives say.
An army spokeswoman said the arrests were due to the "increase in violent riots and acts of terrorism" in the village.
Nabi Saleh, in the northern West Bank, has long been a major site of opposition to Israel's occupation of the territory.
In the viral video, Ahed and her cousin Nour Tamimi push and slap the heavily army soldiers, who do not respond to what appears to be an attempt to provoke rather than seriously harm them.
The scuffle took place amid clashes and protests against US President Donald Trump's controversial recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital.
Ahed Tamimi has been charged with 12 counts including assault and could face a lengthy jail term if convicted.
She has been ordered held in custody until the completion of her trial at an Israeli military court. Her mother, also arrested after the video went viral, is being held until her trial is completed as well.
JERUSALEM (Reuters) - A Palestinian from the Gaza Strip died on Sunday after the Israeli navy fired on the boat he and two others were sailing in, a military spokeswoman said. The navy opened fire after the boat ignored warnings and strayed from a permitted fishing area in the northern Gaza Strip towards Israel, the spokeswoman said. One of the men in the boat was seriously wounded and later died. But the Gaza fishermen's union said the boat was targeted as it was making its way back to Gaza, and Nizar Ayyash, the secretary of the Gaza fishermen's syndicate, said in a statement that the men did not violate the maritime limit. The union and his family named the dead man as 18-year-old Ismail Saleh Abu Reyala. Fishermen called an immediate two-day strike. Israel maintains a naval blockade on the Gaza Strip, which is dominated by Hamas Islamists. It patrols the waters to stop arms from being smuggled into the enclave and to stop militants trying to attack or infiltrate its territory from the sea. "Israeli forces targeted a Palestinian fishing boat which was on the way back to Gaza shore, which led to the death of one fisherman and wounding two others," the fishermen's union said. The military spokeswoman said a Palestinian vessel with three suspects aboard was shot at after it had deviated from the designated fishing zone in the northern Gaza Strip. "Naval forces called on the suspects to stop and when they did not comply, warning shots were fired into the air. Upon their continued advancement, shots were fired towards the vessel. Subsequently, one of the suspects was severely injured and he later succumbed to his wounds. The other two suspects were handed to security forces for interrogation," she said. Fishing is one of the biggest industries in the Gaza Strip, a coastal enclave of almost 2 million inhabitants. Over the past two years, Israel has detained dozens of Gaza fishermen who have strayed beyond the border, a senior naval commander said. Boats are not allowed to stray beyond a fixed limit to the north towards Israeli waters, and Egypt keeps similar limitations to the south-west. Israel restricts fishing to a seasonally adjusted zone of between six and nine nautical miles. (Additional reporting by Nidal al-Mughrabi in Gaza, writing by Ori Lewis, editing by Larry King)
Three Italian men who went missing in Mexico at the end of January were sold to a criminal gang for 43 ($53), their relatives have told Italian media.
The three Italian citizens disappeared from the state of Jaliscohome of the powerful and violent drug cartel Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG)on January 31. One of them, 60-year-old Raffaele Russo, went missing earlier in the day from the small city of Tecalitlan.
His 25-year-old son Antonio Russo and his 29-year-old nephew Vincenzo Cimmino went looking for him, but were stopped by the police at a gas station and told to follow the officers, messages sent by the men to their relatives in Italy before they went missing showed.
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"Our relatives were sold for 43 to a criminal gang, a little more than 14 ($17) a person... We are so angry. The Italian authorities should try and find out what happened. We are hoping they are still alive," the Russo family's spokesperson told Italian news agency Ansa on Sunday.
02_26_Mexico_Italians
Fernando Carranza/Reuters
Mexican authorities have arrested four police officersthree men and one womanin relation to the mysterious disappearance of the three Italian citizens, charging them with "forced disappearance" on Saturday.
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The detained police officers told investigators they were ordered to hand over the Italians to a local criminal gang. Authorities could not say whether the gang was linked to the drug cartel and the reason behind the abduction is unknown, Reuters reported.
The reason for the Italians' trip to Mexico from their hometown of Naples is also unclear. Their family have said they were tourists, but Mexican prosecutors suspect the trio was part of a ring selling fake-brand power generators.
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Mexican authorities also found that Raffaele had a criminal record in the country stemming from a 2015 arrest for selling false goods in the southern state of Cameche and asked Italian authorities for a criminal background check on the three missing men and the other three Italians that were with them. An Italian man linked to the trio was arrested last week in the neighboring Guanajuato state for selling similar products, Reuters reported.
The whereabouts of the three Italians remain unknown. Investigations are ongoing, with police undergoing additional training and deploying sniffer dogs to find the men.
This article was first written by Newsweek
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Journalist Jan Kuciak and his partner, Martina Kusnirova, were killed in Slovakia over the weekend, according to multiple reports. The killing was "most likely related to the journalist's investigative work," police said, according to BBC News.
Kuciak, 27, reported on fraud and tax evasion in Slovakia and had received death threats in the past, according to The Washington Post. The journalist's colleagues were shaken by the killing and showed resolve in the wake of the tragedy.
"We are shocked and terrified by news that Jan Kuciak and his fiancee were probably victims of a vicious execution," Ringier Axel Springer, the publisher for whom Kuciak worked, told The Washington Post in a statement. "If this crime was an attempt to discourage an independent publisher such as Ringier Axel Springer not to pursue revelations about breaking the law, we will use this occasion for further strengthening of our journalistic responsibility."
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Prime Minister Robert Fico said that should the killing be deemed to have been in retaliation to Kuciak's work, it would be an "unprecedented attack on freedom of speech and democracy in Slovakia," according to the BBC.
Kuciak had worked for the publication Aktuality.sk for three years, according to German publisher Deutsche Welle. The outlet reported the couple was found in their home having suffered gunshot wounds after Kusnirova's mother reported that she hadn't heard from her daughter.
"We have to find those who did it as soon as possible and ensure the safety of all journalists," President Andrej Kiska said, via DW.
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Slovakia is generally considered a country that promotes press freedom. It ranked 17th in the 2017 Reporters Without Border World Press Freedom Index. For context, the United States ranked 43rd.
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"This killing is a grim reminder that when journalists are threatened because of their work, the threats must be taken seriously," Robert Mahoney, deputy executive director of the Committee to Protect Journalists, said in a statement.
Jan Kuciak
Vladimir Simicek/AFP/Getty Images
This article was first written by Newsweek
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By Ori Lewis JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Church leaders in Jerusalem shut the Church of the Holy Sepulchre on Sunday in protest at a new Israeli tax policy and a proposed land expropriation law which they called an unprecedented attack on Christians in the Holy Land. Roman Catholic, Greek Orthodox and Armenian church leaders said the holy site, a popular stop for pilgrims and where many Christians believe Jesus was crucified and buried, would remain closed until further notice. After the protest move, an Israeli cabinet committee delayed by a week its scheduled consideration on Sunday of a bill that would allow the state to expropriate land in Jerusalem sold by churches to private real estate firms in recent years. The stated aim of the bill is to protect homeowners against the possibility that private companies will not extend their leases of land on which their houses or apartments stand. The churches are major property owners in the city. They say such a law would make it harder for them to find buyers for church-owned land - sales that help to cover operating costs of their religious institutions. "This abhorrent bill ... if approved, would make the expropriation of the lands of churches possible," said the statement by Theophilos III, the Patriarch of Jerusalem, Francesco Patton, the Custos of the Holy Land, and Nourhan Manougian, the Armenian Patriarch of Jerusalem. Rachel Azaria, the lawmaker who sponsored the legislation, said in a statement she agreed to delay the committee's discussion by a week so that "we could work with the churches" to try to resolve the dispute. The churches' protest was also aimed at the recent cancellation by Israel's Jerusalem municipality of a tax exemption it has granted to church-owned commercial properties in the city. "This reminds us all of laws of a similar nature which were enacted against the Jews during dark periods in Europe," the church leaders said. Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat said on Twitter it was illogical to expect that church-owned commercial property, including hotels and retail businesses, would continue to enjoy tax-exempt status. "Let me make it clear: we are not talking about houses of worship, who will still be exempt from property tax, according to law," he wrote. Outside the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, pilgrims voiced their disappointment at finding its doors shut. "I am very upset. It's my first time here and I made a big effort to get here and now I find it closed," said Marine Domenech from Lille, France. (Reporting by Jeffrey Heller and Ori Lewis; Writing by Jeffrey Heller; Editing by Raissa Kasolowsky, William Maclean)
Updated | President Donald Trump is pushing for the pilot of his private jet, Captain John Dunkin, to head the Federal Aviation Administration and its budget of more than $16 billion, according to a report.
Hes on the list because he's the presidents pilot, but if he gets the job it won't be because he's the president's pilot, a senior administration official told Axios Sunday. Dunkin, they noted, has sat for an interview and is qualified for the job. Some industry insiders suggest Dunkin is unqualified to head America's civil aviation regulator.
During the 2016 election campaign Dunkin flew Trumps Boeing 757 to events across the country and coordinated the candidates travel schedule. He has worked as Trumps pilot since 1989 when Trump started his own airline that then folded in 1992.
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02_26_Trump
David Moir/Reuters
Trump has frequently talked up Dunkins expertise. During a meeting with top airline executives at the White House in February 2017 Trump said my pilot, he's a smart guy, and he knows what's going on. The president criticised the FAAs efforts to modernize its aging air traffic control system.
I have a pilot who's a real expert, Trump said, without naming Dunkin. He said, Sir, the equipment they're putting on is just the wrong stuff. If we're going to modernize our system we should be using the right equipment.
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Its a system thats totally out of whack. Its way over budget. Its way behind schedule. And when its complete, its not going to be a good system, Trump said.
I think it maybe would be good to have a pilotlike a really good pilot that knows whats going on. ... I would think you need a very sophisticated person in that job, he said taking aim at then FAA Administrator, Michael Huerta. Huertas term as administrator ended in January.
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Acting FAA Administrator Dan Elwell, who is filling in after Huertas departure, is also a candidate to take on the job full-time. Elwell is a former pilot and has served in various roles at the FAA for years. He also worked as an executive representing the airline industrys trade association from 2013-2015. Republican Rep. Sam Graves, who sits on the aviation subcommittee of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure is also reportedly a candidate.
The Trump administrations latest budget blueprint continues to push for Americas air-traffic control system to be taken out of the FAA and turned into a non-profit corporation. Airlines have been pushing for privatization in the belief that it will will speed the modernization of the FAAs technology from ground-based radar to a NextGen satellite-based tracking system.
Trump believes Dunkin is the one to oversee that. John Dunkin isnt just a pilot, another Trump administration source told Axios.
Hes managed airline and corporate flight departments, certified airlines from start-up under FAA regulations, they said, pointing out Dunkin oversaw the Trump presidential campaigns air fleet, which included managing all aviation transportation for travel to 203 cities in 43 states over the course of 21 months.
This story has been updated to include potential candidates for the role of FAA Administrator.
This article was first written by Newsweek
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John Oliver opened Last Week Tonight with an update on the defamation lawsuit filed by coal magnate Robert Murray. In June 2017, Oliver called out Murray for his stance on health and safety regulations in mining, and taunted Murray with a giant squirrel named Mr. Nutter Butter.
You may remember that last year, we did an episode on coal, Oliver said. We talked about this man, Bob Murray. We said a lot of things about him, culminating in a seven-foot squirrel telling him to eat sh*t.
At the time, Oliver knew legal actions was likely since Murray had filed several lawsuits against newspapers and journalist in recent years. Oliver even warned Murray that there was no money in a frivolous lawsuit.
It looks like the judge presiding over the case sided with the comedian. This week, we learned the judge has said hes going to dismiss it, Oliver said.
He warned that the dismissal isnt official yet, however. Now is not the time for victory laps, he said. Its not a time for gloating. Its not a time for saying, Hey, we won, and just rubbing it in the face of the person who lost over and over again. That time will come. It will come.
But while Olivers words were those of caution, the giant squirrel known as Mr. Nutter Butter returned with a sign that said Eat sh*t Bob!
Last Week Tonight With John Oliver airs Sundays at 11 p.m. on HBO.
Stephen Colbert praises the political efforts of the Parkland survivors:
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Nairobi (AFP) - Kenya's High Court on Monday ordered immigration authorities to allow an outspoken member of the opposition alliance to return to the country, after his deportation earlier this month.
Miguna Miguna, a firebrand member of the National Super Alliance (NASA) coalition, was forced onto an international flight to Canada nearly three weeks ago.
His deportation came after he was arrested for treason for taking part in the mock swearing-in of opposition leader Raila Odinga, who insists he is the rightful victor of last year's elections.
The interior ministry said Miguna had "denounced" his Kenyan citizenship after obtaining Canadian citizenship several years ago.
High Court judge Chacha Mwita ordered the immigration department to issue Miguna "with a travel document to enable him to re-enter and remain in Kenya pending the determination and hearing of his petition" to defend his citizenship.
"In default the petitioner shall be at liberty to use his Canadian passport to re-enter and remain in Kenya," he said.
Holding dual citizenship is legal in Kenya, and in August, Miguna ran for political office, with proof of Kenyan citizenship a key criteria for all candidates.
Miguna holds no elected office, but has styled himself "general" of the opposition's "National Resistance Movement" (NRM) wing, in charge of implementing a threatened programme of civil disobedience and boycotts.
Following Odinga's pretend inauguration, Kenya's government designated the NRM as an "organised criminal group".
However Mwita on Monday also suspended this decision.
Miguna's enforced exile was yet another twist in the long saga of Kenya's disputed elections which saw the Supreme Court annul the result of the initial August poll and Odinga boycott the October rerun, handing victory to President Uhuru Kenyatta.
A Human Rights Watch statement released Monday said 104 people had died at the hands of police and armed gangs during the protracted election.
London (AFP) - Opposition Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn will on Monday call for Britain to keep tariff-free access to the EU after Brexit, arguing that withdrawal from the bloc is "what we make of it", according to excerpts of his speech.
Corbyn will call for "a bespoke relationship" with the European Union that appears to mirror the bloc's current customs union but with agreed opt-outs.
"Labour would negotiate a new and strong relationship with the single market that includes full tariff-free access and a floor under existing rights, standards and protections," he is to say in the speech.
"We would also seek to negotiate protections, clarifications or exemptions, where necessary, in relation to privatisation and public service competition directives, state aid and procurement rules and the posted workers directive."
In the much-anticipated address, the opposition leader will try to bridge Labour's divide between its working-class base, which voted largely to leave the EU, and more metropolitan supporters of the bloc, including many lawmakers.
More than 80 senior figures from across the Labour party signed a statement published over the weekend urging Corbyn to keep Britain in the single market.
"There will be some who will tell you that Brexit is a disaster for this country and some who will tell you that Brexit will create a land of milk and honey," Corbyn will say.
"The truth is more down to earth and it's in our hands: Brexit is what we make of it together."
On Sunday, Labour's Brexit spokesman Keir Starmer said the party could back an amendment by Conservative rebels to force the country to become part of a customs union, a move that could threaten Prime Minister Theresa May's government.
He warned May that "crunch time is coming" over her plans, which she will outline in a speech Friday after her Brexit cabinet agreed key details last week.
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She has repeatedly said Britain would not remain in an EU customs union.
May only holds on to power through the additional support of Northern Ireland's 10 Democratic Unionist Party lawmakers in parliament.
Her government could be brought down if enough of her Conservative MPs team up with opposition parties to demand that she pursues a post-Brexit customs union.
EU supporters back a form of union, which would retain tariff-free access to the continental market, alongside aligning tariffs charged on goods imported from the rest of the world.
"Obviously it's the only way realistically to get tariff-free access, it's really important for our manufacturing base," Starmer told the BBC.
But trade minister Liam Fox, an arch eurosceptic, later told the same BBC programme that Britain had to be able to set its own trade policy with the rest of the world on leaving the EU in March 2019.
"The key thing about a customs union is that it puts a big frontier around Europe," he said.
"I want the United Kingdom to make its own decisions. We want to be rule-makers in our own country and not rule-takers."
May this week brought together her key ministers to thrash out Britain's negotiating stance.
Reports following the meeting indicate it will seek to align itself with EU rules in certain sectors of the economy, but will retain the right to diverge.
EU President Donald Tusk has dismissed the reported plans as "based on pure illusion".
Beirut (AFP) - Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri said he has accepted an invitation Monday to visit Saudi Arabia, returning for the first time to the kingdom where he announced a shock resignation that he later rescinded.
The November 4 resignation and his prolonged stay in Saudi Arabia stirred tensions between Riyadh and Beirut, amid suspicions he had been placed under house arrest, until France intervened and he returned to Lebanon where the announcement was reversed.
Hariri on Monday said he received the invitation at a meeting in Beirut with a Saudi envoy, Nizar al-Alula, and that he would make the trip "as soon as possible", in a statement issued by his office.
"The main aim of Saudi Arabia is that Lebanon becomes its own master" and "totally independent", he said.
Relations between the two countries have been strained by the competing influences in Lebanon of regional rivals Saudi Arabia and Iran.
The Saudi envoy's visit comes ahead of May 6 legislative elections, Lebanon's first since 2009 following three extensions of parliament's mandate.
Rio de Janeiro (AFP) - The ghosts of Brazil's dictatorship are stirring in the wake of President Michel Temer's order for the army to take over policing in Rio de Janeiro.
There's no direct comparison between the Rio operation and the 1964 coup that brought two decades of military rule to Latin America's biggest country. In this case, the military isn't overturning a president -- it's just taking charge of Rio state's security situation after months of escalating crime.
But the echoes have been loud enough to force the government into extraordinary denials.
"I'm going to tell you how many marks I give the idea of a military coup: zero," Temer told Radio Bandeirantes on Friday. The center-right president went on to say that there was "no mood" in the military or population for a coup.
Earlier, the defense minister, Raul Jungmann, stated "there is no risk to democracy.... On the contrary, we are strengthening democracy."
- First since democracy's return -
Over the last decade, Rio residents have grown used to seeing camouflaged soldiers support the police in their battle against powerfully armed drug gangs.
Some 8,500 troops arrived last July in an ongoing deployment to help with operations in favelas, the latest of which took place Friday in western Rio. During the 2016 Olympics, troops focused on securing tourist areas, patrolling with rifles among the bathing-suit clad crowds of Copacabana and Ipanema.
But the "intervencao," as it's called in Portuguese, is different this time.
Now the army isn't only helping out -- it's taking full charge, with generals replacing the entire civilian leadership of the police.
This hasn't happened anywhere in Brazil since democracy returned in 1985.
- Mass arrests -
Facing an understandably nervous public, the government made what looked like an immediate PR blunder by suggesting that mass arrests and mass searches might become the norm.
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That would mean, for example, that an entire street, rather than a single house, could be subjected to an intense raid.
There was strong backlash, including from Brazil's highest-profile anti-corruption prosecutor, Deltan Dallagnol.
The government has softened its message on the collective searches.
But there are still widespread fears that military intervention will become a blunt instrument endangering poor and defenseless people in the favelas, while doing little to eradicate narco gangs.
A short video made by three young black men about surviving encounters with police -- including advising against carrying a long umbrella that could be mistaken for a gun -- went immediately viral on social media.
"The intervention in Rio is an inadequate and extreme measure that causes concern because it puts the population's human rights at risk," said Amnesty International's director in Brazil, Jurema Werneck.
- Who watches the watchmen? -
Temer made it clear Friday that the army will use deadly force when justified. But rights activists, weary after years of botched police operations and stray bullets, ask who will hold the soldiers to account.
The army wants troops to be subject only to military courts, while the police it is working alongside have to face regular courts.
Adding a politically explosive twist to that already complex issue, the army's top commander, General Eduardo Villas Boas, said this week he wants "a guarantee of being able to act without risking a new truth commission."
He was referring to the National Truth Commission, a body set up by then leftist president Dilma Rousseff to examine appalling human rights abuses committed during the military dictatorship.
Many saw the commission as a way to air painful memories and promote reconciliation, even if an amnesty meant that confessed torturers revealed in the commission's final 2014 report could not be tried.
Villas Boas, however, revealed the army's nervousness and perhaps lingering resentment.
Another key figure in the Rio intervention -- Temer's security minister Sergio Etchegoyen -- has previously lambasted the truth commission's report as "pathetic."
Etchegoyen's father, Leo, served in high positions during the dictatorship, while an uncle allegedly headed the so-called "House of Death" -- a property near Rio where mainly far left political prisoners were fatally tortured.
- Trial balloon? -
One story fueling conspiracy theories has been that Rio is only a trial balloon for more widespread military takeovers. Last year, Etchegoyen himself described Rio de Janeiro as a "laboratory."
This week, though, he backtracked partly on this, stressing there was "currently" no need for a takeover in other states.
But on Friday, Temer stirred the pot when he revealed that he'd considered extending the federal government's takeover from the Rio security services to the entire state government.
"It was a conversation we had but it was soon discarded," he told Radio Bandeirantes.
"It was a very radical thing and I quickly refuted it," he said.
Monday, February 26, 2018
What to watch today
On Monday, the latest letter to Berkshire Hathaway (BRK-A, BRK-B) shareholders from Warren Buffett will likely be a big topic of market discussion, with Buffett revealing that the Trump tax cuts led to a $29 billion gain for Berkshire in 2017.
Investors will also continue to keep an eye on Walmart (WMT) and Amazon (AMZN) shares, which last week diverged notably as Walmart fell 11% after disappointing earnings on Tuesday and Amazon shares closed at a new all-time high on Friday of $1,500 on the nose.
Another story surely to make headlines in the week ahead is the increasing number of major companies distancing themselves from previous relationships with the NRA in the wake of this months mass shooting at a high school in Parkland, Florida that killed 17. On Saturday, both Delta (DAL) and United Air Lines (UAL) would no longer offer discounts to NRA members.
Read More
Top news
The Weinstein Company to file for bankruptcy: The board of directors of The Weinstein Company said the New York film and TV studio planned to file for bankruptcy after talks to sell it collapsed, several media outlets reported. The firm had been seeking a deal to spare it from bankruptcy after more than 70 women accused film producer Harvey Weinstein, its ex-chairman and once one of Hollywoods most influential men, of sexual misconduct including rape. Weinstein denies having non-consensual sex with anyone. [Reuters]
Justices take up critical challenge to public sector unions: The Supreme Court is hearing arguments in a case that could deal a painful financial blow to organized labor. All eyes will be on Justice Neil Gorsuch Monday when the court takes up a challenge to an Illinois law that allows unions representing government employees to collect fees from workers who choose not to join. The unions say the outcome could affect more than 5 million government workers in 24 states and the District of Columbia. [AP]
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JPMorgan CFO emerges as contender to succeed Dimon: JPMorgan Chases (JPM) 48-year-old chief financial officer Marianne Lake is one of the most senior women on Wall Street and has been on the banks short list of possible successors for years, people familiar with its board say. Januarys announcement by the bank of executive moves makes her an even more likely contender. In one respect, Lake would be a historic choice, the first female chief executive of one of the largest U.S. banks. [The Wall Street Journal]
General Electric to restate two years of earnings: General Electric (GE), the United States largest industrial conglomerate, will restate its earnings for 2016 and 2017 as it adopts a new accounting standard, according to a regulatory filing on Friday. The updated accounting standard, which will take into account revenue from long-term contracts, will result in a 13 cent cut in reported earnings per share for 2016 and a cut of 16 cents per share for 2017, according to the companys 10-K filing. [Reuters]
Yahoo Finance coverage of Warren Buffetts annual letter to shareholders:
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Fireworks explode behind the Olympic flame during the Closing Ceremony of the PyeongChang 2018 Winter Olympic Games at PyeongChang Olympic Stadium on Feb. 25, 2018 in Pyeongchang-gun, South Korea. (Photo by Florien Choblet Pool/Getty Images)
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Casablanca (Morocco) (AFP) - Moroccan police on Saturday detained a journalist and summoned for questioning two employees from an independent media group, a day after its outspoken publisher was detained, his newspaper said.
Prominent publisher and journalist Taoufiq Bouachrine, known for editorials critical of authorities in the North African country, was arrested Friday during a raid by 20 plainclothed policemen on the Akhbar al-Yaoum daily in Casablanca.
The authorities have not given the reason for his detention. Bouachrine, 49, has faced repeated legal cases in the past for allegedly defaming officials.
The newspaper said journalist Ibtissam Machkour, the head of women's news site Soltana, was detained by police Saturday and two employees from Akhbar al-Yaoum were also summoned for questioning.
Bouachrine's arrest has provoked a wave of criticism, with rights activists, lawyers and legislators offering him their support.
This is not Bouachrine's first run in with the authorities.
In 2009, Bouachrine and Akhbar al-Yaoum cartoonist Khalid Gueddar were each given a four-year suspended jail sentence following two separate trials over a cartoon about a wedding which was deemed offensive to Morocco's royal family.
The pair were also ordered to pay heavy fines and damages, while the paper was shut down.
Bouachrine has also faced lawsuits from government ministers who have accused him of defamation.
And in June 2010, Bouachrine was sentenced to six months for fraud relating to a property deal.
Media watchdog Reporters Without Borders (RSF) ranked Morocco 133rd out of 180 countries in its World Press Freedom Index last year.
Rabat (AFP) - A prominent Moroccan newspaper publisher and journalist arrested last week has been referred to the prosecution for alleged "sexual assault", his lawyer said on Monday.
Taoufiq Bouachrine, known for his editorials criticising officials in the North African country and who had previous run-ins with the authorities, was arrested on Friday at his newspaper, Akhbar al-Yaoum.
A colleague said around 20 plain-clothed policemen raided the newspaper and detained him.
But defence attorney Mohamed Ziane dismissed the accusations against his client, suggesting his arrest was politically motivated.
"His arrest was spectacular, and this proves it is not a sex case, otherwise he would have been summoned to confront his accusers," Ziane said.
Initially the authorities declined to explain why Bouachrine had been arrested, but on Saturday the prosecutor issued a statement saying he was detained following "complaints of sexual assault".
The journalist, seen as close to the ruling Islamist Justice and Development Party, has had a tense relationship with the authorities.
A month ago a court ordered him to pay the equivalent of $50,000 (40,000 euros) to two government ministers who had accused him of defamation.
In 2009, Bouachrine and Akhbar al-Yaoum cartoonist Khalid Gueddar were each handed four-year suspended jail sentences following two separate trials over a cartoon deemed offensive to Morocco's royal family.
The pair were also ordered to pay heavy fines and damages, and the paper was temporarily shut down.
In June 2010, Bouachrine was sentenced to six months for fraud around a property deal.
Akhbar al-Yaoum is one of the most influential Arabic-language newspapers in Morocco.
Media watchdog Reporters Without Borders (RSF) ranked Morocco 133rd out of 180 countries in its World Press Freedom Index last year.
By Nate Raymond
BOSTON (Reuters) - Four MS-13 members in Massachusetts who were arrested in a 2016 crackdown that U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions has called an example of how authorities should tackle the violent gang were convicted of federal charges on Monday.
A federal jury in Boston found Herzzon Sandoval, Edwin Guzman and Erick Argueta Larios guilty of conspiring to engage in a racketeering enterprise in the second trial to result from a gang takedown that led to 61 people being indicted.
Jurors acquitted Cesar Martinez, 37, of that charge, but convicted him of conspiring to distribute cocaine, a charge that carries a mandatory minimum prison term of five years. Jurors acquitted Larios, 33, of a similar drug charge.
Martin Murphy, Sandoval's lawyer, said he plans to appeal. Other defense lawyers did not respond to requests for comment.
MS-13 started in Los Angeles in the 1980s. It has grown into an organization with leadership in El Salvador that the U.S. Justice Department says has 30,000 members worldwide and 10,000 in the United States.
U.S. President Donald Trump has called MS-13 "savage" and has tied efforts to fight the gang, whose members include Salvadoran immigrants, to his initiatives targeting illegal immigration.
Sessions during a speech in Boston in September cited the 2016 takedown and the various charges prosecutors brought as "precisely how we will dismantle and defeat MS-13."
Prosecutors said Sandoval, 36, and Guzman, 32, were the leaders of an MS-13 clique called Eastside Loco Salvatrucha that for years committed acts of routine violence while operating in Chelsea, Everett, and elsewhere in greater Boston.
By 2015, the clique was on shaky ground with MS-13's leadership in El Salvador and sought to breathe new life into their organization by recruiting a new member who had recently killed a 15-year-old boy, prosecutors said.
At trial, prosecutors played video of a meeting where the four men "jumped in," or initiated, that new member by beating him until one of them had finished counting aloud to 13.
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Prosecutors said they offered to hide him from the police and encouraged him to tell other MS-13 members about the murder so their clique got credit for it.
Defense lawyers argued prosecutors lacked evidence their clients conspired to commit murders or drug trafficking as required to prove the racketeering charge.
(Reporting by Nate Raymond in Boston; Editing by Lisa Shumaker)
ABUJA, Nigeria (Reuters) - Nigeria's army and police on Monday publicly disagreed over the security arrangements that were in place in the northeastern town where 110 girls were abducted by suspected Boko Haram militants. The army issued a statement in which it said soldiers were withdrawn from Dapchi, in Yobe state, before the girls were seized from their school in the town by armed insurgents on Feb. 19. The attack was one of the largest abductions since the Chibok kidnappings of 2014 in which more than 250 girls were taken by the Islamist militant group. It has prompted questions about the ability of security forces to fight insurgents which the government has repeatedly said have been defeated. "Troops earlier deployed in Dapchi were redeployed to reinforce troops at Kanama, following attacks on troops," army spokesman Onyema Nwachukwu said in an emailed statement. Kanama is a town near the border with Niger some 120 km (75 miles) from Dapchi. "This was on the premise that Dapchi has been relatively calm and peaceful and the security of Dapchi town was formally handed over to the Nigeria police division located in the town," he said. No details were given of when the redeployment took place. Sumonu Abdulmaliki, Yobe state police commissioner, later issued a statement saying the claim of a handover was "untrue, unfounded and misleading". "There was no time that the military informed the police of their withdrawal, consulted or handed over their locations in Dapchi town to the police," he said in the emailed statement. President Muhammadu Buhari acknowledged on Monday that the girls had been abducted and said the government was determined to rescue them. The authorities had previously referred to the girls, not seen since the attack on their school, as missing. "Let me clearly reiterate the resolve of this administration to ensure all persons abducted by the insurgents are rescued or released safely," Buhari said in comments broadcast by state television. He said security agencies had been ordered to make every effort to return "the abducted girls to their families". (Reporting by Felix Onuah; Additional reporting and writing by Alexis Akwagyiram; Editing by Nick Tattersall and Alison Williams)
Charles I-hsin Chen
Security, Asia
China Eastern Airlines planes are seen on the tarmac at Hongqiao International Airport in Shanghai, July 29, 2014. REUTERS/Aly Song/File Photo
The cross-Strait fight over commercial sky routes may foretell a coming year of disaster for Taiwans external relations under Chinas fresh squeeze.
No More Status Quo After the Sky Row in the Taiwan Strait
The horn of a diplomatic war between Taiwan and China has been blown in the latest row over four new commercial flight routes initiated upon the west half of the Taiwan Strait in January. This sky row may foretell a coming year of disaster for Taiwans external relations under Chinas fresh squeeze.
Status Quo No More
It should not be a surprise to see China enable these new routes, which were approved by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) but postponed since the negotiation with Taiwan in March 2015. President Xi Jinping might offer the previous concession to his then counterpart President Ma Ying-jeou as a reward to Mas friendly mainland policy. Xi has since completely withdrawn his goodwill from the current President Tsai Ing-wenperhaps as a punishment for her separatist approach.
Yet Taiwans strong reaction this time is a surprise. Tsai condemned Xis unilateral action as the violation of the status quo in cross-Strait relations, and let her diplomats propagandize harshly this accusation in all countries. Within a month, over 130 international reports and letters appeared on pages of global and local newspapersan effort by Taiwan to convey a clear message that the status quo in the Taiwan Strait had been changed and all the blame should fall on China.
Meanwhile, Taiwans lobby for official support from other major countries, especially from the United States, was not successful. None of them tried to intervene the decision of the ICAO. Taiwans sanction on two Chinese airlines ceasing their additional flights during Lunar New Year holidays also backfired, whilst the punishment fell mainly on Taiwanese travelers who returned to the island for a family reunion. Taiwan apparently trapped itself in a corner and could not escape from Chinas grasp.
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Xi Dominates
Ever since President Tsai was inaugurated in May 2016, President Xi has made clear that he intends to streamline bilateral affairs across the Taiwan Strait. The official channel of communication established between Ma and Xis administration was frozen from Tsais first day in office. Millions of Chinese tourists and thousands of Chinese students were discouraged to visit or study in Taiwan. Due to Chinas objection, Taiwan lost the opportunity to attend the annual World Health Assembly and the ICAOs triennial assembly. Sao Tome and Principe was lured by Chinas dollar diplomacy. Panama covered its diplomatic negotiation with China from its centennial friend, Taiwan, until the last moment. Chinas military aircrafts and the aircraft carrier, the Liaoning, started to skirt the island on a hostile but regular basis. China detained a Taiwanese democratic activist for a year and ignored all protests from Taiwan. Without cross-Strait negotiation, fourteen countries have been requested to deport 674 Taiwanese scam suspects to China for trails, while 288 are already in Chinas jails.
What went wrong with this pair of leaders across the Taiwan Strait?
Xi does not trust Tsai, nor does he feel obligated to negotiate or just communicate with her about his decisions on Taiwan affairs. Xi was willing to cooperate with Ma for a singular but simple reason: Mas mainland policy was based on the 1992 Consensuswhich recognizes one China but allows different interpretationsand was at least against the eventual separatism of Taiwan. In Xis unprecedented summit meeting with Ma in November 2015 in Singapore, Xi defined this agreement of disagreement as the anchor of cross-Strait relations and made it the highest doctrine in his Taiwan policy. Yet Tsai has so far rejected this Consensus. Xi has therefore chosen to dominate Tsai, instead of cooperating with her.
Tsai Limitation
However, Tsai does not trust Xi, either. Tsai continued to call Xi to return to the negotiation table yet received no positive replies, and she was therefore reluctant to make further concession in the mainland policy set from the first day of her presidency.
In her inaugural address, Tsai promised to manage mainland affairs according to the Republic of China Constitution, which defines the cross-Strait relations as a relationship between two areasthe liberal (Taiwan) area and the mainland areawithin one China. By highlighting her respect for the joint acknowledgements and understandings reached between two sides in the 1992 meeting in Hong Kong, she tried to accommodate the concept of the 1992 Consensus in an implicit way while avoiding direct usage of the term. This political stance is indeed a great leap forward comparing to the traditional policy doctrine in pursuit of a de jure independence of Taiwan for the ruling Democratic Progressive Party.
It would thus be unfair to overlook Tsais significant adjustment on her mainland policy, but the current problem is nothing more to be expected for the future. Tsais policy limitation is crystal clear. She is unlikely to accept the 1992 Consensuswhich Xi would welcomealthough her current stance is just a step away. It too seems impossible for her to remove or just to freeze the independence clause in her party platformwhich Xi should also appreciatedespite the fact that the clause is seldom mentioned nowadays. She is even unwilling to launch another inner-party debate over Chinas strategy following the first successful debate held in 1998. Because of these limitations, her mainland policy has lost its dynamics, which is where the true danger lies.
No Trust, No Future
Tsais presidency is approaching its midterm. To date, she has failed to deliver a constructive cross-Strait relation that was based on a virtuous circle of repeated interaction. No mutual trusts have been accumulated in the past two years, and her time is up. The coming local election held this November and the general and presidential elections scheduled in March 2020 would only make things worse. The current sky row could be the straw that breaks the camels back, while the Vatican could be the next bomb.
The Chinese-speaking people just sent off the Year of the Chicken and have received the Year of Dog. A Chinese idiom may mock this special moment of transitionChicken Fly, Dog Jumpwhich has a meaning similar to an English idiom: to put the cat among the pigeons. The Taiwan Strait without a status quo in the coming year may reflect this chaos.
Dr. Charles I-hsin Chen is a research fellow at the Centre for Rising Powers, University of Cambridge. He received an economic PhD from University of London and became the Spokesman to Taiwans Presidential Office and the ruling Kuomintang Party during 2014 to 2016. His recent articles appeared in Foreign Affairs, Foreign Affairs (Japan), Foreign Policy, The Diplomat, Financial Times, Japan Times, Straits Times, etc.
Image: China Eastern Airlines planes are seen on the tarmac at Hongqiao International Airport in Shanghai, July 29, 2014. REUTERS/Aly Song/File Photo
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South Korean President Moon Jae-in reiterated his call for dialogue between the U.S. and North Korea on Monday, after Pyongyangs envoy, General Kim Yong Chol, said his country was open to talks.
During a meeting with Chinas deputy prime minister Liu Yandong, Moon called on the U.S. and North Korea to sit down face-to-face and lower the bar for dialogue. There is a need for the United States to lower the threshold for talks with North Korea and North Korea should show it is willing to denuclearize. Its important the United States and North Korea sit down together quickly, Moon said Monday, according to an official statement quoted in Reuters.
Moons remarks came after the White House responded to Kim's comments by issuing a statement Sunday reiterating its demand on Pyongyang to abandon its nuclear development program.
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We will see if Pyongyangs message today, that it is willing to hold talks, represents the first steps along the path to denuclearization. In the meantime, the United States and the world must continue to make clear that North Koreas nuclear and missile programs are a dead end, the press statement said.
After months of bombastic exchange between North Korea and the U.S., Seouls efforts to engage with Pyongyang over the Winter Olympics calmed tensions around the Korean peninsula, even though North Korean media continued to publicly shun the U.S. and the White House announced new sanctions against the regime Friday.
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Lucy Nicholson/Reuters
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In protest at the sanctions, and the American delegations focus on North Korea's human rights abuses, North Korea pulled out of a secret meeting at the last minute with Vice President Mike Pence, which had been scheduled for February 10 in Seoul. Pence represented the U.S. at the Winter Olympics opening ceremony.
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The U.S. delegation, led by President Donald Trumps daughter and special adviser Ivanka Trump, and the North Korean delegation, headed by General Kim, had no contact during their stay in South Korea for the Olympics closing ceremony, according to a U.S. Embassy Seoul official quoted in NK News.
General Kim is a controversial figure in South Korea due to his alleged involvement in deadly attacks on a South Korean navy ship and on a South Korean island. He met with President Moon on Sunday and with South Koreas National Security Council chief Chung Eui-yong the next day. "Kim said the door remains open for dialogue with the United States. He said the North has also repeatedly expressed such a stance," a presidential official told reporters on condition of anonymity following Mondays meeting, quoted in Yonhap news agency.
President Moon has also called on China to support the efforts toward denuclearization, a goal that is common to both Beijing and Washington, despite Chinas military alliance with North Korea. "I ask for the Chinese side to actively support and cooperate on the denuclearization of the Korean peninsula and the dialogue between North and South for peace building and the dialogue between North Korea and the United States," Moon said Monday, as quoted in an official statement.
This article was first written by Newsweek
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To its many critics, the National Rifle Association is a bottomless source of funds able to buy off politicians everywhere in order to protect gun rights.
In reality, the NRA is a medium-sized interest group that is undoubtedly influential, but is nowhere near the biggest spender in politics. Its ability to stave off gun-control laws in the aftermath of school massacres may have more to do with its effectiveness as an advocacy group, honed over decades, than with the amount of money it spends.
The NRA has one other advantage: The opposition is poorly funded. While polls show Americans generally favor stricter gun lawsand outrage seems to be mounting following the February 14 mass murder at a Florida high schoolthat hasnt generated a spending surge on gun-control candidates. In the 2016 election cycle, the NRA outspent the leading gun-control group, Americans for Responsible Solutions, by at least 4-to-1and possibly by much more. Among advocacy groups that tend to support Democrats and liberal causes, the big money goes toward environmental issues and womens rights, not gun control.
The National Rifle Association, founded in 1871, in a nonprofit group with annual revenue of around $400 million. That might sound like a lot, but if it were a public company, the NRA would be much smaller than any firm listed on the S&P 500 stock index.
Its CEO, Wayne LaPierre, gets paid like a big-league boss, however. In 2015, the last year for which the groups tax return is available, LaPierre earned $5.1 million in total compensation. Thats more than the CEOs of Alaska Air, CME Group, Church & Dwight, Dish Network or Garmin earned that year.
Feb. 22, 2018 file photo. National Rifle Association Executive Vice President and CEO Wayne LaPierre, speaks at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC), at National Harbor, Md. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin, File)
The NRAs political spending takes two forms: money spent on lobbying, and money spent on elections, whether direct donations to candidates or spending on their behalf through a political-action committee. The NRA spent $5.1 million on lobbying in 2017, according to the Center for Responsive Politics. That wasnt nearly enough to crack the top 20.
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The biggest lobbying group, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, spent $82 million last year, or 16 times what the NRA spent. Granted, the U.S. Chamber is corporate Americas biggest backer in Washington, funded by many of the nations largest companies. Unlike the NRA, it lobbies on a broad range of issues. But several individual companies, including Oracle, Amazon and Comcast, all spent at least twice as much as the NRA on lobbying. Blue Cross/Blue Shield spent nearly five times as much.
The NRA spends a lot more on electionsat least $54 million during the 2016 cycle, including $30 million on ads and other activities that either supported Donald Trump or trashed his opponent, Hillary Clinton. That made the NRA the ninth biggest outside-spending organization. Still, dwarfing that tally were two Democratic groups at the top of the list, Priorities USA (which spent $133 million on Democratic candidates) and the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee ($104 million). NextGen Climate Action, funded largely by California billionaire Tom Steyer, spent $96 million on Democratic candidates who support efforts to combat climate change. There is no gun-control PAC or super PAC funded anywhere nearly that generously.
The NRA may spend considerably more on political efforts than campaign finance reports suggest. According to an internal audit of its 2016 finances, the group spent $84 million in 2016 on legislative programs, and $55 million on public affairs, or $139 million in total. Thats how the NRA defines its spending, which could be broader than what federal disclosure rules require. Required disclosure forms show spending of $5.1 million on lobbying and $54 million on elections, or $59.1 million total. So if the groups annual political spending is really around $139 million, thats more than twice what it reported publicly for the entire 2015-2016 cycle. (Other groups may underreport in a similar way.)
The NRA also has the dubious distinction of being the biggest dark money spender in American politics, which means part of its apparatus is organized in a form that doesnt require the group to disclose where the money comes from. About $35 million of its $54 million in election spending in 2016 came from the NRA Institute for Legislative Action, which is allowed to keep donations secret. Those could come from gun companies, ammunitions manufacturers, hunters groups or anybody else. Through an unrelated tax filing, the Center for Responsive Politics did uncover a $4.9 million donation to the group in 2014 from the Freedom Partners Chamber of Commerce, a conservative group funded by the billionaire Koch Brothers.
The other $19 million in election spending in 2016 came from the NRA Political Victory Fund, which is a different kind of political organization that does list donors publicly.
The NRAs biggest source of income$164 million in 2016was dues paid by its roughly 5 million members, which start at $30 per year. Contributions, which presumably include money donated to the groups political-action committees, brought in another $104 million in 2016. Much smaller revenue sources include advertising in magazines the NRA owns, such as American Rifleman, and fees earned from shows and programs the group runs.
Political activities appear to be one of the biggest single expenditure categories for the NRA. But it also spends $88 million on member services, $38 million on publications, $19 million running shows and exhibits, and $11 million on gun training and education. Fundraising cost the group $47 million in 2016.
Revenue from dues and fees fell slightly from 2015 to 2016, perhaps reflecting modest declines in membership. But the amount of political contributions soared, most likely because it was an election year. Theres good reason to think theyll keep going up.
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Dana Loesch, spokesperson for the National Rifle Association, has tried to play down talks of a rift with President Donald Trump: Jacquelyn Martin/AP
The National Rifle Association (NRA) has pushed back against proposals by President Donald Trump to raise the age limit to buy certain guns, as the fierce debate over Americas gun control laws in the wake of the school shooting in Florida shows no sign of slowing.
Mr Trump has called for raising the age limit to buy certain types of guns including the AR-15 assault rifle believed to have been used in the shooting from 18 to 21 and banning bump stocks, which enable semi-automatic weapons to fire hundreds of rounds a minute. However, the countrys most powerful gun rights lobby group has said it does not back such a move.
The NRA doesnt back any ban, spokeswoman Dana Loesch said on ABCs This Week.
The interview comes amid a growing debate across America about gun control in the wake of the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, with former student Nikolas Cruz, 19, having been charged with 17 counts of premeditated murder. Survivors of the shooting have filled the airwaves over the last 10 days calling for action over guns and threatening to vote out any legislator that does not back it.
Marjory Stoneman Douglas student David Hogg, 17, told the same programme that he believed the NRA is an organisation that is a completely broken and that Ms Loesch is not serving the people of the NRA.
Such high-profile and sustained calls for action appears to have shifted the public mood. According to a new CNN poll, 70 per cent of people now say they back stricter gun laws, up from 52 per cent who said so in an October poll not long after a mass shooting in Las Vegas killed 58 people. Support for stronger gun laws has not been so high in CNN polling since December 1993, with just 27 per cent of the more than 1,000 adults surveyed opposing stricter laws.
Facing calls for change, Mr Trump is seeking to take action without angering supporters who oppose gun control. As well as declaring his support for the age increase, and talking about stronger background checks although without going into detail he has conducted listening sessions at the White House about the issue.
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Mr Trump was endorsed by the NRA during the presidential election and has often touted his support of the constitutional right to own guns. He is likely to tread carefully over the issue, particularly considering a number of companies have cut ties with the NRA after the Florida shooting.
Ms Loesch tried to play down the emerging differences between the NRA and the White House on Sunday. I know that people are trying to find daylight between President Trump and five million law-abiding gun owners, she said. Hes really looking for solutions ... so far nothings been proposed yet.
These are just things that hes discussing right now, Ms Loesch added
Democrats and Republicans who back more stringent background checks are hopeful that intervention from the President will help get changes through Congress. Republican Senator Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania, a sponsor of a bill that would require background checks for weapons sold at gun shows and on the internet, said the President could have a big impact.
Our President can play a huge and in fact probably decisive role in this. So I intend to give this another shot, Mr Toomey said on NBCs Meet the Press.
Legislation to close background check loopholes failed to clear the 60-vote threshold in the US Senate after a shooter killed 26 children and teachers in 2012 at an elementary school in Newtown, Connecticut.
Despite opposition to gun law changes within the Republican party, it is clear that the conservation over gun control has become harder to dismiss for some in the GOP.
Floridas governor, Rick Scott, a long-time gun rights advocate, has also said he would endorse raising the age to purchase a rifle, along with a handful of other gun control compromises.
Mr Scott told Fox News Sunday: You know, Im an NRA member. I believe in the second amendment... I think most members in the NRA agree with me, this is logical. Im sure theres going to be some that disagree. But Im a dad. Im a granddad and Im a governor. I want my state to be safe.
Condoleezza Rice, former US Secretary of State under George W Bush, has also stepped into the debate.
I think it is time for us to have a conversation about what the right to bear arms means in the modern world, she said.
I dont understand why civilians need to have access to military weapons. We wouldnt say you can go out and buy a tank, Ms Rice told American radio talk show host Hugh Hewitt. So I do think we need to have that conversation.
The most controversial idea that Mr Trump has thrown his support behind, is possibly arming teachers in order to deter would be shooters. NRA spokeswoman Ms Loesch said the group who had floated such an idea in 2012 believes individual schools should decide whether to arm teachers.
The idea has sparked as much opposition as support if not more with Ms Rice a dissenting voice. I dont really like the idea, frankly, of a gun in my classroom, she said.
She added: I think that we need to have law enforcement protect us. Look, if people need to train people to protect our schools, and perhaps even communities want to consider whether or not they need guards to protect the schools... then thats something that we should look at. But I dont think that just arming people in the classroom is going to be the answer.
Ms Loesch said more emphasis should be placed on how the FBI and local police the Broward County Sheriffs Office missed warning signs and tips about the alleged shooter, calling it an abdication of duty.
Responding to such criticism, Broward County Sheriff Scott Israel said on Sunday he would not resign and that an investigation was being conducted into how tips and reports that had been received before the shooting were handled.
One sheriffs deputy who was at the scene, Scot Peterson, resigned after being placed on leave for not entering the school building to confront the shooter as gunfire was happening. The actions of the armed deputy seems to at least partially undermine Mr Trumps argument for putting more guns in schools and Mr Israel said he would investigate any other reports of inaction.
I was disgusted. I was just demoralised with the performance of former deputy [Scot] Peterson, Sheriff Israel told CNN.
Reuters contributed to this report
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Jack Black hinted in an interview before the pandemic that he may be ready to give up acting for good. Back in December 2019, he was telling people that after Jumanji: The Next Level, the hyperactive funnyman may give one more movie a go and then call it quits. And if and when that does The post Jack Blacks best movie ever has returned to dominate Netflix appeared first on BGR.
ISLAMABAD (AP) A climber who abandoned a Polish team following a dispute with fellow mountaineers to attempt a solo ascent of K2, the world's second-highest peak, returned to base camp because of bad weather, a tour operator said Monday.
The news dispelled concerns expressed by the other climbers after Denis Urubko walked away from the team on Sunday to attempt a summit on his own something that Karrar Haidri of the Alpine Club of Pakistan said was a highly risky feat in winter weather.
Urubko, a Russian-Polish national, had reportedly argued with team members. He left base camp on Sunday without informing the expedition management and expedition spokesman Michal Leksinski later tweeted they had no radio communication with him.
Asghar Ali Porik, chief of Jasmine tours which organized logistics for the Polish K2 expedition, said Urubko returned to base camp 2, located at an altitude of 6,700 meters (21,982 feet).
High wind and extremely rough weather, combined with an icy track forced Urubko to descend to base camp and rejoin the other expedition members, said Porik.
Urubko was part of last month's mission, along with Adam Bielecki, that rescued French mountain climber Elisabeth Revol from Nanga Parbat, another Himalayan peak in Pakistan. Her Polish climbing partner, Tomasz "Tomek" Mackiewicz, was injured and is presumed to have died during that summit.
According to Porik, the tour operator, Urubko will now wait at the base camp for the weather to improve and will ascend the summit with the other team members.
Ashraf Aman, the first Pakistani who climbed K2 in 1977, spoke highly of Urubko's skills and rescue of Revol.
"He is the star of this era of mountaineering ... he has done the 'broad peak' (another Himalayan summit) as a solo climber in 36 hours and just recently rescued (Revol) by climbing without a rope in the night," Aman said.
When Joaquin Olivers funeral was held earlier this month, it was noted that the 17-year-old was a big Miami Heat fan and that he was looking forward to Dwyane Wades return to the team.
Oliver was one of the 17 victims gunned down at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School on Feb. 14 and so hell sadly never see how the end of Wades career in Miami will play out.
His parents, however, revealed that Oliver took a piece of Wade and the Heat with him, revealing to Univision talk show host Al Punto that their son had been buried in a Dwyane Wade jersey.
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The decision, which reflects the powerful bonds that the NBAs stars can build with fans without ever meeting them, led Wade to tweet this
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The Heat returned to American Airlines Arena for the first time since the shooting and Wade addressed the crowd before the Heats win over Memphis.
Tonight we honor the 17 lives that were tragically lost in Parkland, Wade said. We applaud the fearless students that are fighting for their lives. We also make sure that their voices are heard around gun safety. You are our nations inspiration. We salute you and we support you.
Joaquin Oliver was one of the 17 victims killed at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School on Feb. 14.
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A United Airlines flight waiting to depart Newark, New Jersey, for Tampa, Florida, was delayed for about five hours on Sunday evening after a passenger allegedly opened the emergency escape hatch and exited using the inflatable slide.
United Airlines Flight 1640 was parked on the tarmac at Newark Liberty International Airport when, moments before departure, a visibly panicked passenger allegedly escaped the plane using the emergency exit. The passenger later told police that "he didn't belong on the plane because it was the wrong flight," NBC New York reported.
United Airlines confirmed the incident in a statement to Newsweek.
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"While Flight 1640 was parked at the gate at Newark Liberty International Airport, a passenger opened the emergency exit door and departed the aircraft using the slide," a representative for the airline said in a statement. "Following an aircraft swap, the flight departed for Tampa at 12:09 a.m. local time."
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GETTY/Justin Sullivan
The airline did not immediately say whether or not the passenger would be allowed to fly United in the future.
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Video footage obtained by NBC New York showed the passenger, whom the station identified as Troy Fattun, 25, being led off the tarmac by two police officers. According to the Port Authority, officers arrested the man, with charges pending.
This is hardly the first time a passenger has attempted to flee a plane via the emergency exit. Earlier this year, a man "fed up with waiting" on a delayed Ryanair flight from London to the Spanish city of Malaga used the emergency exit to jump onto one of the plane's wings, CBS reported at the time.
In 2010, on a JetBlue flight, a flight attendant infamously announced over the intercom that he was quitting his job. According to multiple reports, the attendant then chugged two beers and escaped the plane using the evacuation slide.
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Police in Osaka have discovered a suitcase containing a Japanese womans severed head inside an apartment rented by an American citizen.
New York resident Yevgeniy Vasilievich Bayraktar, 26, was already in police custody on suspicion of confining a missing 27-year-old woman when police found the head, Japans Asahi Shimbun reports.
He initially denied responsibility for the womans death but later told police that he had disposed of her body. Based on information supplied by Bayraktar, police recovered severed arms, legs, and a torso in a mountainous area near Osaka, Japans Kyodo news agency reports.
Two days before she was reported missing, the woman, who has not been named by Japanese media, had reportedly told friends she was going to visit an American she had met online.
A surveillance video reportedly shows her walking with a man believed to be Bayraktar near Osakas Morinomiya subway station. Another CCTV recording shows her entering the building where Bayraktar had rented a unit on Feb 16; there is no footage of her leaving.
Bayraktar, by contrast, was filmed leaving and returning to the building several times on at least one occasion, he carried a travel bag. Sources cited by Kyodo said a large amount of air freshener had been used inside the apartment but no blood had been found.
Bayraktar arrived in Japan in January, apparently for sightseeing, Asahi reports. According to Kyodo, he had taken several other women to the same rental apartment police say they are all accounted for.
By Charlotte Greenfield and Sonali Paul
WELLINGTON/MELBOURNE (Reuters) - At least one company began evacuating non-essential personnel after a powerful 7.5 magnitude earthquake hit Papua New Guinea's energy-rich interior on Monday, causing landslides, damaging buildings and closing oil and gas operations.
The tremor hit in the rugged, heavily forested Southern Highlands about 560 km (350 miles) northwest of the capital, Port Moresby, at around 3.45 a.m. local time (1545 GMT Sunday), according to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS).
A spokesman at Papua New Guinea's National Disaster Centre said by telephone the affected area was very remote and the agency could not properly assess damage until communication was re-established.
He said there were no confirmed casualties, although the International Red Cross (IRC) in Papua New Guinea said some reports indicated there were "fears of human casualties".
"Its very serious all across the Southern Highlands and also all over the western highlands. People are definitely very frightened," Udaya Regmi, the head of the IRC in Papua New Guinea, said by telephone from Port Moresby.
The PNG government also said it had sent disaster assessment teams. At least 13 aftershocks with a magnitude of 5.0 or more rattled the area throughout the day, according to USGS data, but no tsunami warnings were issued.
Early on Tuesday, USGS reported that another quake with a magnitude of 6.4 had hit 142 km (88 miles) from the city of Mount Hagen at a depth of about 10 km.
"The Papua New Guinea Defence Force has also been mobilised to assist with the assessment and the delivery of assistance to affected people as well as the restoration of services and infrastructure," Isaac Lupari, the chief secretary to the government, said in a statement after Monday's tremor.
ExxonMobil said it had shut its Hides gas conditioning plant and that it believed administration buildings, living quarters and a mess hall had been damaged. It also said it had suspended flights into the nearby Komo airfield until the runway could be surveyed.
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"Due to the damage to the Hides camp quarters and continuing aftershocks, ExxonMobil PNG is putting plans in place to evacuate non-essential staff," the company said in an emailed statement.
Gas is processed at Hides and transported along a 700 km (435 miles) line that feeds a liquefied natural gas plant near Port Moresby for shipping.
PAPUA PANIC
PNG oil and gas explorer Oil Search said in a statement it had also shut production in the quake-affected area.
The giant Grasberg copper mine operated by the Indonesian unit of Freeport McMoRan in neighbouring Papua province was not affected, a Jakarta-based spokesman said.
However, the quake and several aftershocks caused panic in Jayapura, the capital of Indonesian Papua, Indonesia's disaster mitigation agency said in a statement, but there were no reports of casualties or damage there.
The IRC's Regmi said communications were "completely down" in Tari, one of the larger settlements near the quake's epicentre, and that landslides had cut roads.
Several other aid and missionary agencies said poor communications in the area made damage and injury assessment difficult.
"The bush structures that they build tend to handle earthquakes extremely well," Christian missionary Brandon Buser told Reuters after contacting several remote villages by shortwave radio.
Earthquakes are common in Papua New Guinea, which sits on the Pacific's "Ring of Fire", a hotspot for seismic activity due to friction between tectonic plates.
"This is the Papuan fold-and-thrust belt, so it's a typical movement of faults in that region, but it's big," said Chris McKee, acting director of the Geohazards Management Division in Port Moresby.
Part of PNG's northern coast was devastated in 1998 by a tsunami, generated by a 7.0 quake, which killed about 2,200 people.
(Reporting by Charlotte Greenfield in WELLINGTON and Sonali Paul in MELBOURNE; Additional reporting by Fergus Jensen in JAKARTA and Tom Westbrook in SYDNEY; Writing by Jonathan Barrett; Editing by Paul Tait and Catherine Evans)
A leading Russian diplomat has condemned those advocating military intervention against the forces of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, whose war against rebels and jihadis has recently escalated in the last insurgent-held suburbs of Damascus.
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov said Monday that such military action would violate United Nations Security Council Resolution 2401, which was passed Sunday. It calls for a 30-day cessation of hostilities among warring parties in the eastern Ghouta region outside the Syrian capital. Before it was passed, Russia successfully lobbied to include language in the document that exempted operations against the Islamic State militant group (ISIS), Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (successor to former Al-Qaeda branch the Nusra Front) and other groups considered terrorist organizations by the council.
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"We are seriously alarmed by the reports that amid the overall increase in the rhetoric against Damascus and anti-Russian rhetoric in Washington threats are heard again of using force, which is unlawful," Ryabkov said, according to the state-run Tass Russian News Agency.
"They are searching for pretexts and this fully runs counter to the meaning and content of the U.N. Security Council Resolution 2401," he added.
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BULENT KILIC/AFP/Getty Images
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Russia's 2015 military intervention in Syria has not only allowed Assad's forces and their allieswhich included a number Iran- backed militiasto overcome rebels and jihadis trying to oust him since 2011, but has also largely shielded the Syrian military from Western powers trying to unseat the Syrian leader. The Syrian military and partnered forces have defeated jihadis across the country and taken back major cities from rebels, some of which were once sponsored by the U.S. and still received backing from Turkey and Gulf Arab states.
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Most of the rebel-held outskirts of Damascus have since entered into reconciliation deals with the Syrian government, but parts of eastern Ghouta remained under the control of Islamist rebels groups Ahrar al-Sham, Failaq al-Rahman and Jaysh al-Islam, as well as jihadi alliance Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, which formed the dominant faction also fighting the Syrian military and its allies in the northwestern province of Idlib.
As a Syrian military offensive and a separate campaign by a U.S.-led coalition and its mostly Kurdish Syrian Democratic Forces allies largely defeated jihadis in the eastern province of Deir Ezzor, the Syrian military has again focused on reclaiming the restive region of eastern Ghouta. Growing violence there has attracted international attention. The West has blamed the Russian and Syrian militaries for mounting civilian casualties, while the two allies have laid the responsibility on local militants who have frequently shelled the nearby, heavily populated city of Damascus.
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ABDULMONAM EASSA/AFP/Getty Images
After U.N. Security Council Resolution 2401 was passed Sunday, Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu announced Monday the implementation of a daily ceasefire between the hours of 9 a.m. and 2 p.m., beginning Tuesday. The measure was aimed at addressing the growing humanitarian crisis in the besieged suburb.
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The U.S. has focused on defeating jihadis since its 2014 intervention in Syria, but it has attacked the Syrian military and its allies before. The U.S.-led coalition killed dozens of Syrian soldiers trying to break an ISIS siege in Deir Ezzor during what the Pentagon said was an accidental attack intended for the jihadis in September 2016. Months after Trump took office , he ordered a cruise missile assault against the Syrian Al-Shayrat air base alleged to have been involved in a deadly chemical weapons attack days earlier in Idlib.
The U.S.-led coalition declared a deconfliction zone in the southern Syrian region of Al-Tanf over and occasionally bombed pro-Syrian government militias it claimed had approached the self-proclaimed boundary. In what was likely the most deadly incident yet, the U.S.-led coalition earlier this month killed up to 100 pro-Syrian government forces, including Russian nationals, that it claimed had attacked the Syrian Democratic Forces also fighting ISIS in Deir Ezzor. Russia and Syria have claimed the U.S. was the aggressor.
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Institute for the Study of War/Reuters
To make things more complicated, forces supportive of the Russia-backed Syrian government have recently joined those fighting under the banner of the U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces against Turkey, a country to which both the U.S. and Russia have close ties. Turkey has labeled the Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG), which is the dominant faction of the Syrian Democratic Forces, a terrorist organization due to alleged links to a separatist Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) insurgency against the Turkish state.
Last month, Turkey summoned its rebel Free Syrian Army allies for an invasion of the northwestern Kurd-held district of Afrin in the Syrian province of Aleppo. The U.S. has said it would neither support YPG fighters on this front, nor remove U.S. troops stationed in nearby Manbij to allow Turkey to attack there too. The Syrian government, which considered both U.S. and Turkish military presence illegal, has deployed pro-Assad forces to join Kurds in repelling the attack.
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MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia is counting on foreign supporters of anti-government forces in Syria to ensure that a ceasefire called by the United Nations was observed, the foreign ministry said on Sunday. Clashes were reported on Sunday between insurgents and government forces in rebel-held areas near Damascus, despite the U.N. resolution demanding a 30-day nationwide truce. "We count upon foreign patrons of anti-government militant groups ... to ensure that their charges stop combat activities in the interests of the quickest and safe transit of humanitarian convoys," the ministry said on its website. "We will watch this closely." Saturday's Security Council resolution followed seven days of bombing by pro-government forces on besieged rebel-held suburbs of the city. Iran said earlier that attacks would continue on areas near Damascus "held by the terrorists", the Tasnim news agency quoted its chief of staff as saying. Several previous ceasefires have unraveled quickly in the seven-year war in Syria, where government forces have gained the upper hand with the help of key allies Iran and Russia. (Reporting by Andrey Ostroukh; editing by John Stonestreet)
Fighters from the separatist Southern Transitional Council gather on February 25, 2018, at the site of two suicide car bombings - AFP
Negotiations continued on Sunday over a United Nations Security Council vote slated for Monday morning on a British-drafted resolution that would commit to future action against Tehran and condemn Iran for providing missiles and drones to the Houthi rebels in Yemen.
However, over the weekend Russia submitted a rival text, aimed at blocking action against Iran.
Yemen has been engulfed by civil war since 2015, when the Houthis clashed with forces loyal to government of Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi.
A multinational coalition led by Saudi Arabia intervened in March 2015, and Saudi-led airstrikes have been met by sporadic missile attacks from Houthi forces at Saudi Arabia.
This month, independent experts from the UN found that ballistic missiles fired from Yemen into Saudi Arabia in 2017 were made in Iran and introduced into Yemen after the 2015 arms embargo. Tehran has denied sending weapons.
A fighter from the separatist Southern Transitional Council on February 25, 2018, at the site of two suicide car bombings Credit: AFP
The UN embargo was accompanied by a demand that the Houthis, who control the capital, Sana'a, "immediately and unconditionally end violence, withdraw forces from areas they have seized, [and] relinquish all arms" and respect the legitimate government.
Diplomats said Russia could veto the British text, allowing for a vote on its own draft resolution.
The Russian version proposes to extend the sanctions against Yemen, but makes no mention of the UN report's findings on Iran and possible action targeting Tehran.
It maintains the UN's findings on the origins of the Houthi missiles are inconclusive.
The US has been vocal in its condemnation of what it has long claimed is Iranian intervention in Yemen.
Nikki Haley briefs the media in front of remains of a ballistic missile Credit: REUTERS/Yuri Gripas
In November, US Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley showcased recovered missile debris fired from Yemen at a military base in Washington, describing it as "terrifying" and saying the weaponry "might as well have had 'made in Iran' stickers" on it.
Since the war began more than 10,000 people have been killed, the World Health Organization has recorded over a million cases of cholera, and 130 children are estimated to die of starvation every day.
On Sunday, medical sources said a mother and three of her children have died of their wounds from a double suicide bombing outside the headquarters of an anti-terror unit in Yemen's port city of Aden, bringing the death toll to 12.
Saturday's attack was claimed by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (Isil).
With its newly announced Galaxy S9, Samsung is making a simple statement: The future of the smartphone lies in the camera.
Samsung on Sunday unveiled the Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9+, a new pair of flagship smartphones launching on March 16. As in the past, the biggest differences between the standard and plus Galaxy S9 models come down to screen size: the Galaxy S9 will have a nearly borderless 5.8-inch display, while the Galaxy S9+s display will measure 6.2 inches. Both phones will be available for preorder starting on March 2; with the S9 priced at $719.99 and the S9+ costing $839.99.
Samsung is pushing the Galaxy S9s revamped camera as its defining characteristic. The S9 has a slew of new camera features meant to help users take better photographs, more easily create GIFs and emojis, and discover more information about their real-world surroundings. At the heart of all this is an updated camera that includes a super speed dual pixel sensor and a mechanical dual aperture. The former is an improved version of the dual pixel technology Samsung introduced with the Galaxy S7 for faster and more accurate autofocusing. The speedier version in the Galaxy S9 will allow the camera to fixate on subjects even more quickly, Samsung says. The phones mechanical dual aperture shoots at f/1.5 and f/2.4, adjusting itself to let in more light when necessary. The company claims the new camera system should result in 30 percent noise reduction compared to the Galaxy S8.
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Samsungs new Galaxy phones will also have a slow motion feature called Super Slow-mo that can shoot at 960 frames per second, compared to the iPhones 240 frames/second maximum. The Galaxy S9 can then take that slow motion footage and condenses them into easily shareable GIFs in different styles. Theres also an automatic mode that captures a slow motion video whenever movement is detected within the frame.
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Yet one Galaxy S9 camera feature in particular appears to be undeniably influenced by the iPhone: AR Emoji, which scans your face to create a three-dimensional avatar resembling you that matches your facial expressions as you talk (Apple offers a similar feature on the iPhone X called Animoji). Samsungs feature worked decently in my experience, but the resulting emoji didnt look a whole lot like me. It also thought a chunk of my hair was part of my face during the initial scan, which left a smudge on my AR emojis forehead. A Samsung representative said the phone I was using wasnt running a final version of the software.
Samsungs Bixby virtual assistant, touted as one of the Galaxy S8s headlining features last year, is getting some big improvements in the Galaxy S9. Bixby Vision, a feature that lets you wave the phones camera in front of real-world objects to learn more about them, will be able to provide new types of insight on the Galaxy S9. For example, the camera can be used to translate foreign language text in real time, similar to Google Translate. But Bixby can actually overlay the translated text on top of the image being viewed to make the new text seamlessly blend in with whatever youre looking at. During my brief demo of the Galaxy S9, this worked instantly when translating a sign from English to Armenian.
Bixby Vision is getting a few other new tricks too. You can use it to apply virtual makeup to a selfie with the front-facing camera, then decide to purchase the corresponding cosmetics. It can display nutritional data for food, too pointing the camera at a block of cheese revealed the caloric content of a slice of gouda, while it quickly identified grape tomatoes on a plate of veggies. But it struggled with foods that closely resemble other edibles it mistook slices of yellow squash for french fries and sliced mangoes.
The Galaxy S9s camera may be the star of the show, but its also worth noting that Samsung is holding onto legacy features at a time when rivals like Apple are eliminating them. Unlike many of todays newest smartphones, such as the iPhone X and Google Pixel 2, both new Galaxy smartphones still have a 3.5mm headphone jack. For those who want a new phone but detest the idea of having to keep track of a tiny dongle or buy wireless headphones, this could make the Galaxy S9 a compelling option.
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Although the Galaxy S9 includes both facial and iris recognition (which Samsung has combined into one authentication feature called Intelligent Scan, although users can choose to use both separately), the company has also decided to keep the fingerprint sensor on the back of the phone. Apple, comparatively, nixed the fingerprint reader from the iPhone X and replaced it with Face ID. But Samsung did make one small but important alteration, placing the fingerprint sensor underneath the rear camera instead of alongside it. This makes it much easier to reach the biometric scanner without accidentally swiping the camera, which was one my my biggest complaints when reviewing the Galaxy S8. Otherwise, the Galaxy S9 design largely remains unchanged compared to the Galaxy S8, which isnt a bad thing considering the Galaxy S8s aesthetic still feels relevant and fresh. Its starting to feel like Samsung is adopting the tick-tock cycle Apple was once known for, in which the company would introduce major redesigns one year and then more refined incremental changes the next. For Samsung, that pattern is more or less true dating back to the Galaxy S6, which introduced a design that remained generally consistent until the Galaxy S8s debut last year.
Both the Samsung Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9+ are similar to one another with very few key changes. Other than its larger screen, the Galaxy S9+ offers a larger 3,500 mAh battery compared to the S9s 3,000 mAh capacity. The bigger Galaxy S9+ also includes a dual camera similar to that of the Note 8, and houses 6GB of RAM versus the S9s 4GB of RAM. The Galaxy S9 and S9+ will both run on Qualcomms Snapdragon 845 processor.
On the surface, the Galaxy S9 is a smart and safe move for the South Korean electronics giant. Its evidence that Samsung is sticking with what works rather than loading its phones with gimmicky new features and redesigns for the sake of change. But in a broader sense, the Galaxy S9 proves that some of the most compelling new features on smartphones are found in the camera. Nearly all of the S9s biggest changes center on the camera, even those that arent specifically tied to photography or videography, such as Bixbys new smarts and its attempt at making emojis more realistic. Given the tech worlds excitement over camera-based features like augmented reality, its a safe bet this trend will only continue.
Samsung Galaxy S9 and Samsung Galaxy S9+ - Matthew Field/Telegraph
Samsung has revealed its latest flagship smartphone: the Samsung Galaxy S9. The new phone follows its highly successful Galaxy S8 and could set the bar for Android smartphones for the year to come.
The new phone features Samsung's now ubiquitous edge-to-edge display, AR emoji, a powerful camera and stylish super-slow motion video. Samsung has said the smartphone will "reinvent the camera", putting high-spec camera technology front and centre of the new handset.
The Samsung Galaxy S9 will lay down a challenge to Apple's premium iPhone X. It is slightly cheaper at 739, but comes with plenty of premium specs to make it a major rival to the current Apple line up.
For a full review of the Samsung Galaxy S9 click here, for everything else you need to know, read on:
Samsung Galaxy S9 release date and price
The Samsung Galaxy S9 will be released on Friday, 16 March, with pre-orders starting on 1 March. It was announced on 25 February at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona.
The Galaxy S9 will be priced at 739, while the larger S9+ will be priced at 869. This is close to 50 more for each model than the last generation.
It is expected to be available from most major retailers and network providers, but several have set up pages where you can register your interest for a pre-order. You can find all the latest pre-order offers with our deals comparison review.
The Galaxy S9 in lilac purple
What does the Samsung Galaxy S9 look like?
The Samsung Galaxy S9 comes in two models, the Samsung Galaxy S9 with a 5.8-inch display and the larger Samsung Galaxy S9+ which features a 6.2-inch screen.
It looks quite similar to the older S8, but the screen is slightly longer with slightly thinner sides. Both feature a rear fingerprint sensor, while the S9 has a single lens camera and the S+ features a dual lens camera for the first time, following on from the dual camera Galaxy Note 8.
It will come in four colours, although only three are available in the UK on launch. The UK colours are Midnight Black, Lilac Purple and Coral Blue.
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The four main colours of the Samsung Galaxy S9, although Titanium Grey is not available in the UK
Samsung Galaxy S9 best features
The camera, reinvented
The Samsung Galaxy S9 features a much improved camera with several interesting tweaks and innovations that the company hopes will make it the top player on the market. These include a dual aperture, which means the camera lens can be made larger or smaller, essentially controlling how much light is let in.
The lens is either an F1.5 or F2.4. The larger can allow more light to pass through, creating a brighter picture and improving the image in low light conditions.
The Galaxy S9+ also features a dual lens camera, which should allow for greater depth effects. Both cameras are 12MP, while the front selfie cameras are 8MP.
Users will have to wait for a full review to see just how good the Samsung Galaxy S9 camera is, but the Galaxy Note 8 had one of the best smartphone cameras available, according to The Telegraph's review.
AR Emoji
First there were the iPhone Animoji, and now other smartphone makers are following the trend. Samsung has launched AR Emoji, essentially a cross between Animoji and Bitmoji, which uses augmented reality technology and the phone's front camera to create an avatar of the user.
via GIPHY
This can then copy the users movements or facial expressions to create unique characters. Samsung says this can then be sent in Gif form, meaning you should be able to send Animoji over messages, WhatsApp or Facebook Messenger with ease.
If you think this is all a bit familiar, well you'd be right. It's been compared to Apple's Animoji, the animal characters on the iPhone X which use facial recognition to send animations.
Super slow-motion camera
One of the most exciting new aspects of the Samsung Galaxy S9 is its super slow motion camera. This improves on its old model and can now be set to record and at 960 frames per second. This is slow enough to capture a bird's wing's flapping or a balloon full of water bursting.
The new super slow-motion mode can be found in the camera app. It uses motion detection to find when the slow-motion moment should happen, meaning you simply have to set the app ready and wait for the highlight.
The captured video can then be set to music and sent out on social media, or it can be set as a screensaver.
via GIPHY
Live translation
Using its camera, the S9 can automatically translate phrases, words, menus or street signs. It requires an internet connection to do this, but the technology means you will need never feel out of place trying to navigating abroad.
Infinity display
The Samsung Galaxy S9 keeps that high-end screen that challenges the best on the market. It will have a 1440 x 2960 screen and use Samsung's Super Amoled technology to keep that punchy screen tech that fills the whole front of the phone. It will have 529 pixels per inch on the regular S9 and 570 pixels per inch on the S9+, more than on the iPhone X.
The Samsung Galaxy S9 keeps its infinity display Credit: Matthew Field/Telegraph
Bixby AI
The phone keeps Samsung's Bixby button and Bixby AI. Samsung says the virtual assistant should be integrating with more products in the UK, meaning you could soon be able to control your smart TV with your voice using Bixby - although this is not going to be live yet.
For more general tasks, Bixby acts like other smart assistants and can be used to find things on your phone, answer questions or search the web.
Samsung Galaxy S9 specs
Those are the headline features, now for the breakdown of the specs.
Samsung Galaxy S9 | Full specs
Should I buy the Samsung Galaxy S9?
There are lots of great phones out there right now, not least the iPhone X and mid-tier models like the OnePlus 5T which offer a cheaper alternative. Check out the comparison grid below to see what you get with the models out there:
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Where can I buy the Samsung Galaxy S9 and what are the best deals?
The Samsung Galaxy S9 will be on sale from 739 on most of the major networks, including Carphone Warehouse, Mobiles.co.uk, EE, Vodafone and more.
Samsung Galaxy S9 deals compared
Samsung Galaxy S9+
Samsung | Read more
Abuja (AFP) - Experts gathered in Nigeria's capital on Monday to discuss ways to stop Africa's Lake Chad from drying up, after years of environmental decline that has hit livelihoods and security.
The two-day conference, organised by the government in Abuja and the Lake Chad Basin Commission, aims to "save the lake from extinction", according to UNESCO, which is backing the talks.
A $6.5-million (5.3-million-euro) research and conservation programme will involve Cameroon, Chad, Niger and Nigeria, whose borders meet on the lake, as well as the Central African Republic.
Troops from Cameroon, Chad, Niger and Nigeria are fighting a battle against Boko Haram jihadists in the remote region.
Lake Chad is the principal source of freshwater for 40 million people.
But climate change and water mismanagement have contributed to a staggering 90 per cent decline of the lake's surface over the past 40 years.
As it dries up and hunger rises, the region has become fragile and Boko Haram jihadists have targeted subsistence farmers and fishermen to fill their ranks.
The ongoing Islamist insurgency has forced tens of thousands of people to cross borders in search of food and safety.
The UN estimates that more than two million people have been uprooted from their homes and 10.7 million are in need of food handouts to survive.
By Jason Hovet PRAGUE (Reuters) - A Slovak journalist shot dead with his girlfriend was probably targeted for his investigative work, police said on Monday, a case that has shocked the small central European country and highlighted public concerns about corruption. Jan Kuciak, 27, had reported for the news site Aktuality.sk on fraud cases, often involving businessmen with connections to Slovakia's ruling party and other politicians. He and his girlfriend were found dead on Sunday at his home in Velka Maca, 65 km (40 miles) east of the capital Bratislava. Aktuality's publisher Axel Springer condemned the "cruel assassination" of its journalist while the international group Reporters Without Borders (RSF) said it was appalled. Slovakia's leaders promised to bring the perpetrators to justice, with the government offering a 1 million euro reward for information leading to an arrest. "It seems that the most likely version is a motive connected to the investigative work of the journalist," Slovak police chief Tibor Gaspar told a televised news conference. Kuciak's last story for Aktuality, on Feb. 9, looked at transactions by firms linked to businessman Marian Kocner and connected to a Bratislava luxury apartment complex that became the center of a political scandal last year. Kocner could not be reached for comment on Monday but told the Slovak public broadcaster he had no connection to the case. A long-time Bratislava-based investigative journalist, Tom Nicholson, told the news sits Dennik N that he had spoken to Kuciak a week ago about a case they both were looking at involving suspected Italian mafia abuse of EU funds in Slovakia. "If it is proven that the death of the investigative reporter was connected with his journalistic work, it would be an unprecedented attack on freedom of speech and democracy in Slovakia," Prime Minister Robert Fico said. Slovakia's economy has boomed and living standards have risen sharply since it joined the European Union in 2004, but many Slovaks say their country still fails to defend the rule of law, especially in punishing corruption and cronyism. PROTESTS OVER ALLEGED CRONYISM The case connected to the apartment complex helped touch off protests in 2017 seeking the resignation of Interior Minister Robert Kalinak over business dealings with property developer Ladislav Basternak, who has been investigated over possible tax fraud. Both have denied wrongdoing in their dealings. "We are shocked and stunned about the news that Jan Kuciak and his companion obviously have been the victims of a cruel assassination," publisher Ringier Axel Springer Slovakia said in a statement. It said there were "justified suspicions" that the murder was connected to Kuciak's "current research", but declined to say what that research involved. A group of 14 editors-in-chief of Slovak publications released a statement calling on the state to solve the case and help to safeguard journalists' work. Fico convened an emergency meeting with Kalinak, the attorney general, the national chief of police and the head of the state intelligence service. Kuciak's killing dismayed EU officials, coming a few months after Malta's best-known investigative journalist, Daphne Caruana Galizia, was killed by a car bomb. "Shocked by the murder of a journalist in the EU. No democracy can survive without the free press, which is why journalists deserve respect and protection," deputy European Commission chief Frans Timmermans tweeted. "Justice must be served." (Additional reporting by Jan Lopatka and Robert Muller in Prague, Alastair Macdonald in Brussels and Maria Sheahan in Frankfurt; Editing by Michael Kahn and Mark Heinrich)
Bratislava (AFP) - Slovakian police launched a murder probe on Monday after a leading investigative journalist known for writing about high-profile tax fraud was found dead along with his girlfriend, officials said.
The body of Jan Kuciak, a 27-year-old reporter for the aktuality.sk news portal, was discovered alongside that of Martina Kusnirova at their home in Velka Maca, some 65 kilometres (40 miles) from the Slovak capital Bratislava.
Police commander Tibor Gaspar told reporters Kuciak died of a gunshot wound to the chest while his partner was shot in the head.
He said the motive was "most likely related to the investigative work of the journalist."
"If the death of investigative reporter Jan Kuciak proves to be linked to his journalism, it would be an unprecedented attack on freedom of the press and democracy in Slovakia," leftist Prime Minister Robert Fico said in a statement.
Police believe the double homicide occurred between Thursday and Sunday. Family members contacted the police after being unable to reach the pair.
The murder was also condemned by European Parliament chief Antonio Tajani.
"The EU cannot accept that a journalist is killed for doing his job. I call on the Slovak authorities to launch a thorough investigation with international support if needed for Jan Kuciak," he wrote on Twitter.
- Threats -
Reporters Without Borders (RSF) also condemned the attack, saying Kuciak and his family had recently been threatened, and noting that he was the fifth journalist to be killed in the EU over the past decade.
"We demand an investigation to shed light on the exact circumstances of this case, especially since Jan Kuciak and his relatives received threats in recent months," said a statement from Pauline Ades-Mevel who heads RSF's EU-Balkans office.
Slovakia is ranked 17th in the 2017 RSF World Ranking for press freedom, dropping five places compared to the previous year.
Kuciak's reporting focused mainly on allegations of tax evasion and fraud concerning high-ranking officials and tycoons.
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The last story he wrote was about businessman Marian Kocner, known for real estate deals.
Last year, the National Criminal Agency (NAKA) dropped an investigation into alleged tax fraud by Kocner, who had supposedly applied for tax refunds totalling 8.19 million euros ($10 million).
Known for insulting and threatening journalists, Kocner said last year that he would set up a website publishing information on the private lives of journalists, according to the leading SME daily.
And he allegedly threatened to expose "any dirt" he could find on Kuciak or his family, according to Kuciak's editor-in-chief Peter Bardy, writing in September 2017.
SEOUL (Reuters) - South Korean President Moon Jae-in said on Monday the United States should lower the threshold for talks with North Korea, while Pyongyang should in return show willingness towards denuclearization. "Recently, North Korea has shown it is open to actively engaging the United States in talks and the United States is talking about the importance of dialogue," Moon said during a meeting in Seoul with Chinese Vice Premier Liu Yandong. "There is a need for the United States to lower the threshold for talks with North Korea and North Korea should show it is willing to denuclearize. It's important the United States and North Korea sit down together quickly," he said, according to a statement from his office. (Reporting by Christine Kim; Editing by Paul Tait)
Support for stricter gun control laws in the U.S. is the highest it has been in a quarter of a century, with a new poll showing seven in 10 Americans back such measures.
The CNN poll, which showed 70 percent support stricter legislation on guns, comes in the wake of the Florida school shooting on February 14, which left 17 people dead and others injured.
Student survivors from Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland have been vocal about the need for a change in the gun laws following the massacre at their schooland their views appear to be shared by the majority of Americans.
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Florida school shooting
Thom Bau/Reuters
It is a leap in support for a more stringent approach to gun ownership from the 52 percent who backed stricter gun laws in the wake of the October mass shooting in Las Vegas that left 58 people dead.
Politicians who have taken money from the NRA have also come under fire in the wake of the shooting, with President Donald Trump and Florida Senator Marco Rubio being urged by survivors to take action.
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The last time support for stricter gun control was found by the CNN poll to be so high was in 1993, when 70 percent backed stronger gun laws. Indeed, 1993 marked the year the Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act was signed, 12 years after James Brady was shot during an attempted assassination of then-president Ronal Reagan.
The poll also found the support for stricter gun control laws did not dip below 50 percent from those who lived in a household that owned guns, with 57 percent of those people backing stricter legislation on guns.
Along party lines, Democrats were by far the largest supporters of stricter gun control laws, with 93 percent backing such a move, while 64 percent of Independents and 49 percent of Republicans supported the move.
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WASHINGTON In a major setback for the Trump administration, the Supreme Court on Monday declined to take up a lawsuit over the future of an Obama-era program that protects so-called Dreamers from deportation.
The decision all but ensures that the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program will remain in effect for recipients after the March 5 deadline originally set by the White House. It also takes some of the pressure off Congress to act to pass its own legislation to protect young undocumented immigrants who came to the U.S. as children, something lawmakers have repeatedly failed to do.
President Donald Trump rescinded DACA in September, putting its nearly 700,000 recipients at risk of losing two-year deportation relief and work permits. He said he wanted to put in place permanent protections for Dreamers, but demanded major policy changes on legal immigration, asylum seekers and border security that senators rejected earlier this month.
The Trump administration has the power to end DACA, which President Barack Obama had implemented through executive action. But a spate of lawsuits in California and New York have argued that the White House flouted procedures required by federal law and violated the equal protection rights of DACA recipients.
Several lawsuits filed in the Northern District of California were consolidated into one and resulted in the first nationwide, preliminary injunction barring the Trump administration from ending the DACA program while the lawsuit proceeds. The order, issued in January, requires U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services to keep processing DACA renewals for people who have been approved for the program in the past, but doesnt require them to process first-time applications.
The Trump administration appealed the injunction to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit, but also took the unusual step of asking the Supreme Court to immediately consider the lawsuit rather than waiting for the appeals court to rule first.
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White House spokesman Raj Shah responded to the Supreme Courts decision Monday by criticizing the California judge who issued the injunction reopening the DACA program. He said the administration fully expect[s] to prevail in the end, and said the program is clearly unlawful.
The district judges decision to unilaterally re-impose a program that Congress had explicitly and repeatedly rejected is a usurpation of legislative authority, Shah said in a statement. The fact that this occurs at a time when elected representatives in Congress are actively debating this policy only underscores that the district judge has unwisely intervened in the legislative process.
The Supreme Courts decision Monday concerned the California lawsuit. A separate judge issued a nationwide injunction earlier this month based on another lawsuit, this one heard in a federal court in Brooklyn, New York.
Congress has thus far been unable or unwilling to pass legislation to help Dreamers, though lawmakers in both parties claim they want to fix the issue. The Senate voted down multiple proposals this month, with Trumps plan garnering the least support of all.
The House hasnt taken up any legislation. Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) has repeatedly said he will bring up a bill the president would sign signaling that he might not allow votes on measures that lack Trumps explicit endorsement.
Ryan told reporters earlier this month that the March 5 deadline was not as important as it was before, given the court rulings. However, he said, I think this place works better with deadlines, and we want to operate on deadlines.
While DACA remains in effect for people already approved for the program, it isnt open for new applicants, including Dreamers who would otherwise be aging into the program. Some current recipients are also likely to temporarily lose their work authorization and deportation relief as they await approval of their renewal applications, which typically takes months.
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April 2015
At an event hosted by Texas Patriots PAC: Everythings coming across the border: the illegals, the cars, the whole thing. Its like a big mess. Blah. Its like vomit.
June 2015
At a speech announcing his campaign: "When Mexico sends its people, theyre not sending their best. Theyre not sending you. Theyre not sending you. Theyre sending people that have lots of problems, and theyre bringing those problems with us. Theyre bringing drugs. Theyre bringing crime. Theyre rapists. And some, I assume, are good people."
August 2015
On NBC's "Meet the Press": Were going to keep the families together, we have to keep the families together, but they have to go."
September 2015
On CBS's "60 Minutes": Were rounding em up in a very humane way, in a very nice way. And theyre going to be happy because they want to be legalized. And, by the way, I know it doesnt sound nice. But not everything is nice.
November 2015
On MSNBC's "Morning Joe": You are going to have a deportation force, and you are going to do it humanely."
February 2016
At a GOP primary debate: We have at least 11 million people in this country that came in illegally. They will go out. They will come back some will come back, the best, through a process.
March 2016
At a press conference when asked if he would consider allowing undocumented immigrants to stay: "We either have a country or we dont. We either have a country or we dont. We have borders or we dont have borders. And at this moment, the answer is absolutely not.
April 2016
At an event hosted by NBC's "Today Show": Theyre going to go, and were going to create a path where we can get them into this country legally, OK? But it has to be done legally. ... Theyre going to go, and then come back and come back legally.
July 2016
At the Republican National Convention: "Tonight, I want every American whose demands for immigration security have been denied and every politician who has denied them to listen very closely to the words I am about to say. On January 21st of 2017, the day after I take the oath of office, Americans will finally wake up in a country where the laws of the United States are enforced."
September 2016
At a rally: Anyone who has entered the United States illegally is subject to deportation. That is what it means to have laws and to have a country. Otherwise we dont have a country.
September 2016
On "The Dr. Oz Show": Well, under my plan the undocumented or, as you would say, illegal immigrant wouldnt be in the country. They only come in the country legally.
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By Lawrence Hurley and Robert Iafolla WASHINGTON (Reuters) - In a case that could weaken the finances and political clout of organized labor, conservative U.S. Supreme Court justices on Monday indicated strong support for stopping millions of dollars in fees that non-members are forced to pay annually to unions representing public employees. But the justice whose vote is likely to decide the case, President Donald Trump's appointee Justice Neil Gorsuch, remained silent throughout the one-hour argument. His reputation as a staunch conservative suggests he will join his fellow conservatives in an eventual 5-4 ruling against the unions. The court's liberals expressed sympathy toward retaining the so-called agency fees. Workers who decide not to join unions representing police, teachers, firefighters and certain other state and local employees must pay the fees in two dozen states in lieu of union dues to help cover the cost of non-political activities such as collective bargaining. Roughly 5 million public-sector workers pay such fees. A Supreme Court ruling disallowing these fees would deal a setback to an already-diminished American organized labor movement, taking away a vital revenue stream from unions and undercutting their ability to attract new members. Dumping the fees would require the Supreme Court to overturn a 41-year-old precedent that allowed the payments. Lawyers for Mark Janus, the Illinois state child-support specialist who is the plaintiff in the case, argued that forcing non-members to pay these fees to unions whose views they may not share violates their rights to free speech and free association under the U.S. Constitution's First Amendment. A lower court ruled against Janus, setting up the Supreme Court showdown. Conservative justices Anthony Kennedy and Samuel Alito were particularly forceful in questioning the lawfulness of the fees, based on the notion that collective bargaining is in essence a political activity. Unions argue that their political activities are separate from negotiating contracts. "If you do not prevail in this case, the unions will have less political influence. Yes or no?" Kennedy asked union lawyer David Frederick. "Yes, they will have less political influence," Frederick said. "Isn't that the end of this case?" Kennedy said. Kennedy suggested that negotiations between states and unions at the bargaining table have a direct impact on public policy, which can include bigger government budgets, increased public debt and higher taxes. "Doesn't it blink reality to deny that that is what's happening here?" Kennedy asked. Alito focused on the right of non-members not to be forced to subsidize speech they disagree with, calling this a more serious problem than restricting speech. "When you compel somebody to speak, don't you infringe that person's dignity and conscience in a way that you do not when you restrict what the person says?" Alito said. Liberal Justice Elana Kagan stressed how disruptive a ruling against the unions would be, leading to thousands of labor contracts being renegotiated, striking down laws in various states and affecting "the livelihoods of millions of individuals." "When have we ever done something like that? What would be the justification for doing something like that?" Kagan asked. SIMILAR CASE IN 2016 The justices heard a similar case in 2016, and had appeared ready to throw out the fees and overturn the high court's 1977 precedent that allowed them. But the death of conservative Justice Antonin Scalia then left the court with an even split of conservatives and liberals, and its 4-4 decision in March 2016 failed to settle the legal question. Republican President Donald Trump's appointment of Gorsuch last year restored the Supreme Court's 5-4 conservative majority. A ruling is due by the end of June. Unions contend that mandatory agency fees are needed to eliminate the problem of what they call "free riders" -- non-members who benefit from union representation, for example through salary and working conditions obtained in collective bargaining -- without paying for it. Janus, the plaintiff, opted not to join the union that represents employees like him, the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), and sued the union over the fees. Federal employee unions cannot collect agency fees. A ruling against the unions would not directly affect private sector unions. Liberal Justice Sonia Sotomayor appeared to favor the argument made by unions and states defending the fees that the government has a compelling interest in allowing unions to represent workers, in part because it provides a mechanism for labor disputes to be resolved. "Why isn't that a compelling interest?" she asked. Depriving unions of agency fees could undermine their ability to spend in political races. They typically back Democratic candidates over Republicans. Dueling groups of protesters gathered outside the white marble courthouse ahead of the argument. Union-backed protesters held signs saying "America needs union jobs," while those supporting the challengers had signs saying "stand with Mark," a reference to the plaintiff in the case, Illinois state worker Mark Janus. (Reporting by Lawrence Hurley; Additional reporting by Robert Iafolla and Andrew Chung; Editing by Will Dunham)
Russian President Vladimir Putin has ordered daily five-hour ceasefires to allow for humanitarian relief and evacuation of civilians in the Damascus suburb of Eastern Ghouta, according to the Associated Press.
Eastern Ghouta is occupied by anti-government rebels, including Islamist militant groups. The area has been under renewed bombardment by the Syrian regime since February 18. More than 500 people were killed in this new offensive, according to the U.K.-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) group.
On Saturday, the U.N. Security Council unanimously approved of a resolution demanding an immediate 30-day ceasefire across Syria. At that time, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said the cessation of hostilities would only "start when all sides of the conflict agree on how to introduce it."
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AMER ALMOHIBANY/AFP/Getty Images
Now, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu has announced that there will be daily humanitarian pauses in the besieged suburb.
Shoigu said the ceasefire would be in place from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. daily, starting Tuesday, February 27. He also said that Russia would help set an evacuation route for civilians in Eastern Ghouta.
Shoigu said additional details of the ceasefire would be released soon.
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During the Syrian regimes fight to retake Aleppo in 2016, humanitarian corridors were set up allowing civilians to evacuate the city.
However, some aid groups warned that their use could be counterproductive. It was feared that by allowing some civilians to flee the area, Syrian forces could claim that anyone left behind supported anti-government forces and was therefore a legitimate target.
Aid groups also noted that humanitarian corridors would be pointless without a total halt to fighting in the surrounding areas.
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AMER ALMOHIBANY/AFP/Getty Images
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Hell on Earth
Civilians in Eastern Ghouta have been facing airstrikes, artillery attacks and ground assaults as the government attempts to crush the rebels in control of the area.
On Monday, a suspected chlorine gas attack killed one child and left more than a dozen civilians with symptoms consistent with exposure to chlorine gas.
Russia, which supports Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, denied that the regime was behind the attack.
The Syrian Network for Human Rights group tracks casualties in Syria, and says 12,763 civilians have been killed by Syrian government forces and their allies in Eastern Ghouta since the war began in March 2011.
"Eastern Ghouta cannot wait. It is high time to stop this hell on earth," said U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Monday, as the Security Council voted on the ceasefire resolution.
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AMMAR SULEIMAN/AFP/Getty Images
This article was first written by Newsweek
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The Syrian government has continued its bombardment of Damascus last rebel-held enclave in defiance of a U.N. ceasefire resolution, allegedly launching at least one chlorine attack.
A relentless campaign of bombing and shelling has killed hundreds of people in the suburb of eastern Ghouta last week, prompting the passage of a unanimous U.N. Security Council resolution Saturday that had urged a 30-day truce without delay, the BBC reports.
The resolution allows for aid deliveries and medical evacuations but does not prohibit operations against unspecified terrorists operating in the area the latter a concession important in securing Russian support.
Hours after it passed, troops loyal to Syrian President Bashar al Assad launched a fresh ground offensive. Airstrikes also continued Sunday, albeit at a lower intensity than on previous days.
Read more: A Syrian Medics Account of His Citys Siege: People Dont Celebrate Birthdays Now
Sundays airstrikes killed at least three people, according to the BBC. Meanwhile, the Washington Post reports that warplanes and artillery fire killed at least 22 people in the area.
Relief organization the Syrian American Medical Society told the BBC that a local hospital admitted patients showing symptoms that would suggest a gas attack. Citing doctors in the area, the Post reports that a child who suffocated when a suspected chlorine bomb was dropped on the suburb was among the dead.
In a joint phone call, Sunday, French President Emmanuel Macron and Germanys Angela Merkel appealed to Russian President Vladimir Putin to compel Syria to respect the terms of the truce.
Iran, which like Russia is a crucial backer of Assad, said that its forces would adhere to the ceasefire but continue their operations in parts of the suburbs of Damascus, which are specifically controlled by the terrorists of the Nusra Front and other terrorist groups, Reuters reports.
Yangon (AFP) - Three bombs exploded in different locations around Rakhine's state capital Sittwe early Saturday morning, including at the home of a high ranking official, Myanmar police told AFP, adding that no deaths were reported.
It is the latest violence to hit Rakhine, which is festering with ethnic tensions and has been roiled by communal violence in the north against the Rohingya and insurgencies in other parts of the state.
Bombings in the state capital are rare however.
"Three bombs exploded and three other unexploded bombs were found. A police officer was injured but not seriously," a senior officer told AFP on condition of anonymity.
The blasts took place around 4:00am (2130 GMT Friday), the officer said.
One exploded in the compound of the state government secretary's home, while the two others hit in front of an office in the city and on a road leading to a beach.
A local official from the state government also confirmed the explosions.
The extent of the damage was not immediately clear.
"Some streets are being blocked by police already because of the bomb blasts," Zaw Zaw, a local resident of Sittwe, told AFP by phone.
In recent months unrest in Rakhine has been concentrated in the state's northern wedge, where a sweeping military crackdown on the Rohingya Muslim community last August pushed nearly 700,000 refugees across the border to Bangladesh.
The state capital Sittwe lies around 100 km south of the epicentre of that conflict.
The explosions come almost exactly six months to the day since northern Rakhine was plunged into crisis on August 25 when Rohingya rebels raided police posts, killing at least a dozen officials.
Myanmar's military responded with a ruthless campaign that the UN says amounts to ethnic cleansing of the Rohingya population, who are now overwhelmingly based in refugee camps in Bangladesh.
Myanmar authorities deny committing any atrocities but have blocked UN investigators from investigating the conflict zone, where thousands of Rohingya are believed to have been killed.
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Sittwe was once home to a sizeable Rohingya population but most were forced to abandon their homes by deadly communal violence in 2012.
Today a small community of Rohingya are confined to a Muslim enclave in the city while more than 100,000 others are still living in squalid displacement camps outside the capital.
In a separate conflict in Rakhine state last month, seven people were killed and a dozen injured when police opened fire on a crowd of ethnic Rakhine Buddhists who were trying to seize a government office in the town of Mrauk U.
The violence prompted an ethnic Rakhine rebel group in the state to promise "serious" retaliation for the deaths of the protesters.
Around two weeks later the town's administrator was found murdered on the side of the road.
Douma (Syria) (AFP) - Russia called a daily "humanitarian pause" in Syria's Eastern Ghouta, bowing to pressure to halt the carnage in the rebel-held enclave where bombardments eased late Monday after hours of deadly raids.
A UN Security Council resolution for a 30-day truce was a dead letter since it was passed on Saturday, and Moscow, the Damascus regime's main backer, ended up setting its own terms to stem one of the worst episodes of bloodletting in Syria's seven-year-old conflict.
The United Nations, France and Germany had made pressing appeals for Russian President Vladimir Putin to demand its Damascus ally enforce a ceasefire, including in Eastern Ghouta where more than 500 civilians were killed last week.
Putin agreed to a five-hour daily window that would allow residents of the battered enclave east of the capital to emerge from their underground shelters.
"On the instructions of the Russian president, with the goal of avoiding civilian casualties in Eastern Ghouta, from February 27 -- tomorrow -- from 9:00 to 14:00, there will be a humanitarian pause," said Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu.
According to a statement sent to AFP, he said there should be similar pauses in the southern Al-Tanf border region and Rukban, near the Jordanian border.
Shoigu said "humanitarian corridors" would be opened to allow civilians to leave.
The public would be informed with leaflets and text messages, and buses and ambulances would be waiting at a crossing to evacuate the sick and wounded, Moscow said.
The rebel group Faylaq al-Rahman criticised the initiative.
"Forcing civilians to leave or face death under bombardment and siege constitutes a Russian crime," its spokesman Wael Alwan said on Twitter.
UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said "five hours is better than no hours, but we would like to see an end to all hostilities extended by 30 days, as stipulated by the Security Council."
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"We will do our best... to deploy our trucks and humanitarian workers in this area," he added.
Washington pointed the finger sternly at Moscow, demanding it use its "influence" to completely halt the offensive.
"#Russia has the influence to stop these operations if it chooses to live up to its obligations under the #UNSC ceasefire," US State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert tweeted.
"The United States calls for an immediate end to offensive operations and urgent access for humanitarian workers to treat the wounded and deliver badly needed humanitarian aid."
- 'Continuing to escalate' -
Russia's defence ministry warned the situation in Eastern Ghouta was "continuing to escalate."
The intensity of the bombardment on Eastern Ghouta had eased somewhat in the past 48 hours but deadly strikes and shelling never stopped.
At least 22 civilians, including seven children, were killed in new raids and artillery fire by the regime, said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights war monitor.
"The shelling of Ghouta stopped at 4:00 pm, before resuming in the early evening in a limited way," said Observatory director Rami Abdel Rahman.
"But artillery fire continued against the Al-Marj area," where clashes were ongoing between pro-regime forces and Jaish al-Islam rebels, he added.
- Trapped in rubble -
The bombardment was very heavy overnight in Douma and impeded rescuers in their work.
The regime intensified its air campaign against Eastern Ghouta, which has been outside government control since 2012, early this month.
On February 18, the Syrian government further turned up the heat on the territory controlled by Islamists and jihadists.
More than 550 civilians, almost a quarter of them children, have since been killed and extensive destruction wrought on the enclave's towns.
Remaining hospitals and clinics have struggled to treat over 2,000 people wounded during the same period.
The United Nations said 76 percent of private housing in Eastern Ghouta has been damaged.
Residents trapped in the wreckage of their own homes have bled to death as even rescuers were targeted.
Much of the nearly 400,000-strong population of Eastern Ghouta has moved underground, with families pitching tents in basements and venturing out only to assess damage to their property and buy food.
On Sunday, a child died and 13 others suffered breathing difficulties and showed symptoms consistent with a chlorine attack after a regime air raid struck the town of Al-Shifuniyah, the Observatory and a medic said.
Russia dismissed reports of a chemical attack as "bogus stories."
The regime has reinforced its deployment around the enclave in the past month, raising fears of a ground offensive that aid groups have warned could cause even greater suffering.
- Other flashpoints -
With the Islamic State group's once sprawling "caliphate" now wiped off the map, the regime has looked bent on completing its reconquest and Eastern Ghouta is a key target.
The jihadists only control an estimated three percent of Syria territory, small pockets that various anti-IS forces continue to flush out.
Another flashpoint in Syria has been the northern region of Afrin, where Kurdish forces have come under attack from neighbouring Turkey since January 20.
Turkey has warned it did not consider that the UN ceasefire resolution, whose wording excludes operations against terror groups and goes beyond Eastern Ghouta, should affect its offensive on Afrin.
Macron called Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who considers the Syrian Kurdish militia to be "terrorist," to stress the truce should apply there too.
burs-oh/ska
A lawsuit accusing the Department of Education of discrimination in its revision of college sexual assault guidelines is now using as ammunition President Donald Trumps defense of his former staff secretary, Rob Porter.
Porter resigned from his White House job earlier this month after his security clearance was held up by accusations of domestic violence from both of his former wives. Trump, however, praised Porter and implied he may have been falsely accused. Porter denied the womens accusations.
Trumps comments are now being cited in the lawsuit as evidence of the administrations disbelief of women and girls and its disregard for gender-based violence. The lawsuit challenges new guidelines on sexual assault claims at universities.
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Three civil rights organizations filed the suit last month in the Northern District of California against the Education Department and Education Secretary Betsy DeVos for rolling back protections for students who report sexual assault.
The suit was amended Wednesday to include the details of Porters resignation and Trumps comments. Another member of the administration, speechwriter David Sorenson, also stepped down this month amid allegations of domestic abuse, which he has denied.
As the reports of Porters alleged abuse were made public, President Trump defended Mr. Porter, and White House Chief of Staff John Kelly stated that Mr. Porter is a man of integrity, the amended suit now states.
After Porter and Sorensens resignations, Trump tweeted: Peoples [sic] lives are being shattered and destroyed by a mere allegation. There is no recovery for someone falsely accused life and career are gone. Is there no such thing any longer as Due Process? the suit adds.
The lawsuit argues that this animus towards women gives license to and encourages executive branch decision-makers who share the same discriminatory views to perpetuate those views in their work.
This anti-woman bias is apparent in DeVos new policy in September rolling back protections for those in public kindergarten through college claiming sexual assault and increasing protections for those accused, the lawsuit says. DeVos said that the Obama administration hadnt ensured the rights of the accused.
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Before revising the federal guidelines, DeVos criticized the Obama administration for toughing the campus sexual assault policy in 2011, calling it shameful and wholly un-American.
DeVos raised the standard of proof for accusers from a preponderance of evidence to clear and convincing evidence. The new guidelines also allow even cases of sexual assault to be settled by mediation.
The suit argues that DeVos and Candace Jackson, the acting assistant secretary for civil rights, hold discriminatory stereotypes about women and are convinced that many who report sexual abuse or assault misunderstood a harmless romantic advance, are lying or just came to regret a consensual sexual encounter.
Shortly before the Education Department changes were made, Jackson flippantly dismissed 90 percent of school sex assault reports in an interview with The New York Times.
She has also branded the women who have accused Trump of sexual misconduct as fake victims. Trump has been accused of assault or harassment by 21 women.
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Mr Manafort allegedly ran the group in 2012 and 2013 while working as a consultant to Victor Yanukovych, the pro-Russian Ukrainian president - AP
Donald Trumps ex-campaign chief paid a secret group of former senior European politicians to lobby on behalf of the pro-Russian government of Ukraine, according to US special counsel Robert Mueller.
Mr Mueller, who is leading the probe into possible collusion between Russia and the Trump campaign, made the allegation in a court filing which brought new charges against Paul Manafort, Mr Trumps 2016 campaign chairman.
Mr Manafort retained a group of former senior European politicians to take positions favourable to Ukraine, including by lobbying in the United States, according to the indictment.
The group was nicknamed the Hapsburg Group after the former Austrian royal family which dominated Europe for hundreds of years.
Mr Manafort allegedly ran the group in 2012 and 2013 while working as a consultant to Victor Yanukovych, the pro-Russian Ukrainian president who was ousted from power during the 2014 Ukrainian Revolution.
The court filing alleges that the group was managed by a former European Chancellor, Foreign Politician A. It does not name the politician.
The indictment does not name other members of the group or say how many former politicians were involved. But it alleges that Mr Manafort paid them more than 2 million euros for their services.
In a June 2012 EYES ONLY memo, Mr Manafort allegedly described his SUPER VIP effort to assemble a small group of high-level European highly influencial [sic] champions and politically credibly friends who can act informally and without any visible relationship with the Government of Ukraine.
The indictment states: The plan was for the former politicians, informally called the Hapsburg Group, to appear to be providing their independent assessments of Government of Ukraine actions when in fact they were paid lobbyists for Ukraine.
The allegations were included in a new indictment against Mr Manafort which charged him with conspiracy against the US, conspiracy to launder money, and making false statements. He was charged with money laundering in an initial indictment in October.
Mr Manafort denies wrongdoing. His business partner, Rick Gates, pleaded guilty to charges of financial fraud this week and is expected to cooperate with Mr Muellers investigation.
The allegations against Mr Manafort so far predate his involvement with the Trump campaign. He was chairman of the campaign from June until August 2016 but resigned amid controversy over his work in Ukraine.
As the ongoing debate over gun control continues following the deadly Feb. 14 shooting at a Florida high school, President Trump again upped the ante for shocking comments by criticizing deputies who didn't enter the school and claiming he would have done so himself had he been present.
SEE ALSO: Donald Trump contradicts himself on gun violence and mental illness
Responding to reports that there were deputies outside Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School during the shooting that didn't enter the school to confront the shooter, Trump, speaking to an assembly of the nation's governors at the White House, called their behavior "disgusting."
He then added, "You don't know until your tested... but I really believe Id run in there even if I didnt have a weapon," a statement met by jokes, criticism, and derision by the internet.
The reactions to the president's boast were incredulous to say the least with many mentioning his infamous bone spur that kept him out of the Vietnam War while others referenced an infamous CNN report that suggested Trump was afraid of stairs.
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Several others called out Trump's bravado, by sharing the infamous GIF of Trump being rattled by a bald eagle on his desk with others shared a moment from the 2016 campaign trail during which an attendee who tried to climb on stage scared Trump.
Others were just plain skeptical, to put it mildly.
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It's doubtful this is the last outlandish thing Trump will say on the shooting but, for now, it's by far the most eye-opening claim in a long while for the president.
Washington (AFP) - President Donald Trump said Monday he would have rushed inside the Florida high school where 17 people were shot dead earlier this month, whether or not he was armed at the time.
"I really believe I'd run in there even if I didn't have a weapon," Trump told a group of state governors gathered at the White House.
"And I think most of the people in this room would have done that, too," said the US president, while adding: "You never know until you're tested."
Trump has vocally criticized an armed deputy who failed to intervene in the February 14 Parkland mass shooting, suggesting he was a "coward."
He took up that theme again in his comments to the governors, calling the performance of some Broward County sheriff's deputies "frankly disgusting."
"They weren't exactly Medal of Honor winners," he said.
Trump reiterated his calls for stronger background checks, more effective responses to early warning signs, greater mental health resources and a ban on so-called "bump stocks," devices designed to make semi-automatic weapons fire at even faster rates.
"Bump stocks, we're writing that out," he said. "I don't care if Congress does it or not, I'm writing it out myself," he said.
The US president also said he met with leaders of the National Rifle Association and told them, "fellows, we have to do something. We have to do background checks."
"If we see a sicko, I don't want him having a gun," he said.
The NRA, which has a strong presence among Trump supporters, has been a zealous defender of the constitutional right to bear arms, fighting even modest gun control proposals.
"There is no bigger fan of the Second Amendment than me and no bigger fan of the NRA," Trump said. "These guys are great people. They're going to do something. And they're going to do it, I think, quickly. I think they want to see it. But we don't want to have sick people having the right to have a gun."
Trump has vowed to press ahead with gun law reform in the wake of the Parkland tragedy, but the White House has yet to announce support for specific legislation in Congress, where enacting federal gun restrictions faces major obstacles.
Lawmakers returned to Washington Monday under intensifying pressure to address the nation's gun violence epidemic, with a new CNN poll showing that 70 percent of Americans now support stricter gun laws, up 18 points since October.
Donald Trump a man not famed for his modesty or lack of bravado has claimed he would have run in to the Florida school assaulted by a gunman, even if he was not armed.
As students at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School prepare to return to lessons this week after an attack that left 17 pupils and teachers dead, the President told a meeting of the nations governors: You dont know until you test it, but I really believe Id have run in there even if I didnt have a weapon.
He added: And I think most of the people in this room would have done that too, because I know most of you. But the way [the first armed police] performed was a disgrace.
In the aftermath of the shooting two weeks at the school in Parkland, there has been a fierce debate on how to reduce or end the number of incidents, which so frequently bring tragedy to US communities.
Inspired by the students from the school that was attacked, campaigners have been calling on Mr Trump and Republicans to act swiftly to regulate and control access to guns. The students from the high school have led a powerful and impassioned campaign to demand that they be the last pupils in America to suffer a mass shooting.
The National Rifle Assocation (NRA), the powerful gun rights lobbying group which spent $30m helping get Mr Trump elected in 2016, has said there should be no new legislation that bans weapons, not even assault rifles or the bump stock devices that can turn allow someone to fire a semi-automatic weapon as if it is fully automatic.
Mr Trump has said he is willing to push for more effective background checks and to raise the age requirement to buy a rifle to 21. He has said he believes that arming some teachers with concealed weapons would help reduce shootings.
If you had a teacher who was adept with the firearm, they could end the attack very quickly, the President said, after meeting with students, teachers and elected officials at the White House last week.
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This would be obviously only for people who were very adept at handling a gun, and it would be, its called concealed carry, where a teacher would have a concealed gun on them. Theyd go for special training and they would be there and you would no longer have a gun-free zone.
He added: [A] gun-free zone to a maniac because theyre all cowards a gun-free zone is lets go in and lets attack because bullets arent coming back at us.
While Mr Trumps suggestion has received some support, many teachers, teaching union and senior police officials have said the idea was impractical and could backfire.
Yet, the President has not backed away from his suggestion, or from his criticism of a school protection officer, Scot Peterson, who has resigned after it was revealed he waited outside the school buildings with his handgun as Nikolas Cruz set about killing his former classmates and injuring many others. Broward County Sheriffs office has launched an investigation after it was claimed three of its officers who arrived at the school also waited outside until back-up arrived.
Mr Trump told the governors he was determined to turn the nations grief into action following the atrocity. Mr Trump said that while our nation is heartbroken, the US needs to have action on measures related to school safety and gun violence.
He also said he had lunch with senior officials of the NRA and said that the organisation want to do something to address the issue.
There is no bigger fan of the Second Amendment than me but theres a need to boost background checks and ensure that a sicko is unable to get a gun, he said.
President Trump said the officers who responded to the mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in in Parkland, Fla., on Feb. 14 but failed to confront the gunman werent exactly medal of honor winners, implying that most people would have done better including himself.
I really believe Id run in there even if I didnt have a weapon, Trump said on Monday during a meeting with dozens of U.S. governors at the White House. I think most of the people in this room wouldve done that too. Because I know most of you. But the way they performed was really a disgrace.
During a press briefing later in the day, White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders said Trump did not necessarily mean he wouldve stormed the building and engaged with the shooter.
I think he was just stating that as a leader he wouldve stepped in and hopefully been able to help, Sanders said. He was saying he would be a leader and would want to take a courageous action.
On Friday, Trump castigated Scot Peterson, the uniformed deputy assigned to the school who resigned from the Broward County Sheriffs Office the day after surveillance footage showed he waited outside the building rather than attempting to confront the killer.
When it came time to get in there and do something, he didnt have the courage, or something happened, Trump told reporters. But he certainly did a poor job. Theres no question about that.
He was there for five minutes for five minutes, the president continued. That was during the entire shooting. He heard it right from the beginning. So he certainly did a poor job. But thats a case where somebody was outside, theyre trained, they didnt act properly or [were] under pressure, or they were a coward. It was a real shock to the police department.
Broward County Sheriff Scott Israel said he was devastated when he discovered that the deputy did nothing.
What I saw was a deputy arrive at the west side of Building 12, take up a position, and he never went in, Israel told reporters at a press conference on Thursday. According to Israel, Peterson clearly knew the shooter was inside the building, but stayed outside for four minutes while the killing continued.
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President Trump hosts a discussion about school shootings with state governors at the White House on Monday. (Jonathan Ernst/Reuters)
On Friday, Israel said that his office received reports that two other responding officers also failed to enter the school, and that the department is investigating. Florida Gov. Rick Scott announced on Sunday that he has asked the states Department of Law Enforcement to investigate the Broward County Sheriffs Office response to the Feb. 14 massacre.
Trump, whose favorite adjective is strong, spoke about physically confronting hecklers during his campaign speeches. He has told reporters he was ineligible for military service owing to bone spurs in both feet. He memorably staged a mock attack on wrestling impresario Vince McMahon in 2007. But he has admitted to finding the sight of blood disgusting. In a 2008 interview with Howard Stern, Trump told the shock jock that he turned away from an injured elderly man who had fallen off the stage at a Mar-a-Lago benefit because he couldnt stomach the sight of blood.
This guy falls off right on his face, hits his head, and I thought he died, Trump told Stern. And you know what I did? I said, Oh, my God, thats disgusting, and I turned away. I couldnt, you know, he was right in front of me and I turned away. I didnt want to touch him.
During his meeting with governors on Monday, Trump said that he will ban so-called bump stocks, such as the one used by the gunman in last years massacre in Las Vegas, through executive action if Congress fails to do so. The president also said that he met with two top executives from the National Rifle Association over the weekend and told them that something must be done to curb gun violence.
Trump then called for a national debate on mental health.
Were going to have to start talking about mental institutions, he said.
In the old days, he added, it was easier to commit to such facilities people who acted like a boiler ready to explode.
Last week, Trump suggested arming adept teachers with guns and offered to pay a little bit of a bonus to those who carry them.
President Trump meets with U.S. governors at the White House on Monday. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
During a speech at the Conservative Political Action Conference on Friday afternoon, the president said he believed that an armed teacher or administrator would have stopped the shooter in Parkland.
A teacher would have shot the hell out of him before he knew what happened, Trump said. These teachers love their students. And these teachers are talented with weaponry and with guns. And Id rather have somebody that loves their students and wants to protect their students than somebody standing outside that doesnt know anybody and doesnt know the students and frankly, for whatever reason, decided not to go in even though he heard lots of shots being fired.
During a joint press conference with Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turbull on Friday afternoon, Trump again suggested that armed security guards do not care about students.
We need people who can take of our children, he said. A security guard doesnt know the children, doesnt love the children. This man standing outside of the school the other day doesnt love the children.
On Monday, Trump again suggested arming some teachers. Washington Gov. Jay Inslee objected to the idea.
We need to listen to educators and they should not be foisted upon this responsibility of packing heat, Inslee told Trump. We need a little less tweeting here, a little more listening.
Read more from Yahoo News:
The United States Supreme Court with a line of people waiting outside its front steps: AP
Little over a week before the programme is scheduled to expire, the United States Supreme Court has declined to review a federal judge's order that the Trump administration must continue the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) programme.
The refusal to hear the case represents a temporary win for immigration advocates who have been fighting to keep the programme in place after President Donald Trump announced last year he would let it expire. Nearly 700,000 undocumented immigrants who came to the United States as children -- a group known colloquially as Dreamers -- have been able to receive work permits under the programme, which was started in 2012 by former President Barack Obama.
Instead of choosing to hear the case this spring, the Supreme Court has decided to let the case run its normal course through the appeals court process. The highest court in the US could have decided to leapfrog that appeals process, which will now continue in a court in California that is generally seen as sympathetic to the cause of immigrants.
The court has asked that the appeals process to "proceed expeditiously", and left open the possibility that they might hear arguments in the case in the future, depending on how things play out in the lower courts.
A White House spokesman, responding to the Supreme Court's decision, accused the federal district court judge in San Francisco of usurping legislative authority to protect DACA.
"The DACA programme - which provides work permits and myriad government benefits to illegal immigrants en masse - is clearly unlawful," Deputy White House Press Secretary Raj Shah said. "The district judge's decision unilaterally to re-impose a programme that Congress had explicitly and repeatedly rejected is a usurpation of legislative authority."
The Supreme Court's decision, and the movement in the lower courts, comes as Congress attempts to grapple with the issue. Democrats have been advocating for a deal to help those young undocumented immigrants retain their semblance of legal status in the US, but have failed so far to reach a deal with Republican leadership. The GOP controls both the House and the Senate.
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Most recently, the Senate has been weighing a short-term fix for the Dreamers before the March 5 deadline for the programme, according to The Hill. It is unclear what, if anything, might be able to make it through Congress and then be supported by Mr Trump.
"I can promise that I'll be back on the floor, again and again, motioning for a vote until we pass a bill providing relief for those struggling due to our inaction," Sen Jeff Flake, a Republican from Arizona who has been negotiating with North Dakota's Democratic Senator, Heidi Heitkamp, on the deal. The deal would tie a three-year extension of protections to DACA recipients to $7.6 billion border security funding that has been sought by the Trump administration.
Congressional leadership has said that a short-term fix for the issue is not ideal, though some senators have begun to indicate that it may be the only way forward. Sen Lindsey Graham, a Republican from South Carolina, has said that he could see a shorter-term deal coming up, if that is how leadership decides to move forward on that approach.
"I think we wind up punting. I think we'll do a one-year extension of DACA and punt," Mr Gaham said.
It is not clear at this time that a short-term deal that ties the DACA protections to a border security bill would be able to get the 60 votes needed to clear the Senate. It is perhaps even more uncertain that such a deal would be able to make it through the House of Representatives, where prospects appear even slimmer.
Ms Pitts Moore's family believed their loved one had been cremated following her death in 2015 (file image): Chris Hondros/Getty Images
The unrecognisable body of a woman has been discovered at a South Carolina funeral home, three years after she was meant to have been cremated.
A complaint about the excessive amount of time the body had been stored for was filed by a former employee, sparking an investigation by the coroners office.
Spartanburg County Coroner, Rusty Clevenger, said they had since identified the woman as 63-year-old Mary Alice Pitts Moore, who died of natural causes in March 2015.
Mr Clevenger said the family had been informed on Friday and the identities of those responsible have been passed to police, though there was no information on possible charges.
They are understandably upset at the revelation since her final disposition was to be cremated in 2015, Mr Clevenger said in a news release.
I will be exploring legal means to have her families wishes carried out for final rest. I have been contacted by SLED officials and the State Attorney General about this case and I will be providing any info my office may have.
Ms Pitts Moores family have met with representatives of the funeral home in Greenwood.
The complaint filed to the Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation led to investigators from the Department and coroners office discovering the body being stored at the funeral home.
It is unclear whether the family were given what they believed to be Ms Pitts Moore's remains following her death or whether a ceremony of any kind was held.
LAS VEGAS Five years ago this weekend, Ronda Rousey changed the mixed martial arts world as we know it when she defeated Liz Carmouche in her UFC debut at UFC 157 at the Honda Center in Anaheim, California.
With Rouseys MMA career all but likely done, the former UFC womens bantamweight champion is ready to change the professional wrestling world as she signed her contract to WWEs Monday Night Raw Sunday night at the T-Mobile Arena the site of her crushing UFC loss to Amanda Nunes in 2016.
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But like any WWE contract signing, there were shenanigans.
Rousey resumed her rivalry with Stephanie McMahon and Triple H from WrestleMania 31 by tossing the 14-time champion through a table, resulting in Stephanie slapping the holy hell out of Rousey as retaliation. The main instigator was in fact WWE Monday Night Raw general manager Kurt Angle, who spilled the tea and let Rousey know that behind closed doors, Triple H and Stephanie referred to the newest WWE signee as a has-been. Prior to Rousey confronting the WWE power couple, Triple H informed her that she would have a match at WrestleMania 34 on April 8 in New Orleans.
Ronda Rousey tossed Triple H through a table at WWEs Elimination Chamber on Sunday night in Las Vegas. (Photo courtesy WWE)
That match (as of now) appears to be Rousey teaming up with the Olympic gold medalist Angle to battle McMahon and Triple H.
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Rousey started the evening with some boos from the Las Vegas crowd when she was featured in a video leading up to her segment, but by the end of the night, she had managed to win the fans over.
Rousey made her WWE debut last month at the conclusion of the Royal Rumble. It was reported she had signed a full-time contract with the company.
This is my life now. First priority on my timeline for the next several years. This is not a smash-and-grab; this is not a publicity stunt, Rousey told ESPN. When I first met with Triple H, I told him, There are other things I can do with my time thatll make way more money, but I wont enjoy nearly as much.'
Asia Times, Gordon Watts
Politics, Asia
Communist Party's proposal would end the fixed two-term rule and allow him to stay on in power beyond 2023.
Xi Jinping Could End up Being 'President for Life' in China
President Xi Jinping looks certain to stay on in power beyond 2023. The final roadblock to him retaining his position as the leader of the worlds second-largest economy appears to have been removed by the ruling Communist Party of China.
In a terse 35-word statement on Sunday issued by Xinhua, the mouthpiece of Chinas government, the CPC, announced:
The Communist Party of China Central Committee proposed to remove the expression that the President and Vice-President of the Peoples Republic of China shall serve no more than two consecutive terms from the countrys Constitution.
Further details have yet to emerge. But the decision came just 24 hours before the Partys powerful Central Committee was due to convene in Beijing for a three-day plenum on Monday to approve the leadership line-up for President Xis second term.
The proposal is expected to go before legislators at the annual full session of the National Peoples Congress, which starts on March 5.
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In theory, he could serve longer than Robert Mugabe but in reality, no one is sure exactly what will happen, Zhang Lifan, a historian and political commentator, told Reuters in a reference to Zimbabwes former President, who spent four decades in office before being ousted last year.
At 64, President Xi would have been required by the countrys constitution to step down after his second term expires.
The legislation was brought in during the 1990s when Paramount Leader Deng Xiaoping moved to avoid a repeat of the chaos which had marked Chairman Mao Zedongs death in 1976.
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Still, there have been persistent rumors within Beijings inner circle that President Xi would seek to extend his position beyond the traditional two terms before Sundays announcement.
During the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China in Beijings Great Hall of the People last October, his ideology, or the Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, was at the forefront of his speech.
It is now highly likely it will be enshrined in the CPCs constitution.
Xi Jinping has designs on a very long tenure in office or he is doing a good impression of someone who does, Jude Blanchette, a China politics expert with the Conference Board in Beijing, told the Financial Times. Were witnessing the direct dismantling of the Deng-era project to normalize Chinese politics and to guard against the return of a Mao Zedong.
Already President Xi holds all the levers of State as General Secretary of the CPC and Chairman of the Central Military Commission.
There is also no one waiting in the wings to take over from him after spending the past five years consolidating his power over Chinas government bureaucracy and armed forces with the help of a high-profile anti-corruption campaign.
At least thousands of senior officials have been arrested or forced to retire with analysts pointing out that many were direct political adversaries.
President Xi now controls all the economic, political and military power in China and is even more powerful than Mao, Johnny Lau Yui-siu, a political commentator, told RTHK, the public broadcasting service of Hong Kong.
Indeed, how this will unfold in the months ahead will not only determine President Xis fate, but the direction China will take in the next decade.
This article originally appeared on Asia Times.
Image: Reuters
Read full article
A text conversation between the Tel Aviv Magistrate's Court judge overseeing the Bezeq Affair (also known as Case 4000), Ronit Poznanski-Katz, and the attorney representing the Israel Securities Authority (ISA), Eran Shacham-Shavit, show the two coordinated extending the remand of two suspects arrested in the affair, channel 10 news reported Sunday.
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In the correspondence, held on the WhatsApp Messenger app, Shacham-Shavit is seen telling Poznanski-Katz that the prosecution will seek an extension of remand for Bezeq shareholder Shaul Elovitch wife and son, Iris and Or, the latter of which was a member in Bezeq's board of directors, Bezeq Strategy and Business Development Manager Amikam Shorer and Bezeq CEO Stella Handler, ahead of Monday's hearing on the issue.
Judge Poznanski-Katz (L) and Attorney Shacham-Shavit (Photo: Motti Kimchi, Yariv Katz)
"Look surprised," he told the judge after informing her of the upcoming release of Or Elovitch and Shorer.
"I am starting to work on an appropriate expression of total surprise," she joked in response.
Shacham-Shavit then went on to reveal to her what the prosecution will ask of her in the coming hearing regarding the remand of Handler and Iris Elovitch.
"Stella and Iriswe will ask (to extend their remand) for a few days tomorrow. They'll ask for 3 days, but you can certainly give two," Shacham-Shavit wrote, to which she said, "you continue to reveal everything to me and I will have to look really surprised."
She later added that "perhaps the plan we thought about is not so far from reality," though it is not yet clear what she was referring to.
"It cost me blood, they almost beat me or arrested me in Lahav," Shacham-Shavit replied, though this statement too is unclear.
Following the publication, Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked (Bayit Yehudi) and Chief Justice Esther Hayut filed a complaint with the Ombudsman against the judge.
Meanwhile, Poznanski-Katz asked to step aside from the case, as the president of the Tel Aviv Magistrate's Court ordered her to be replaced as the judge overseeing it, appointing Judge Alaa Masarwa in her place.
The head of the ISA, Anat Guetta, called the incident "unusual and improper," and stated that the Authority will investigate it thoroughly and "with full transparency."
Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit and State Attorney Nitzan Shai ordered this evening, after consultation, and in coordination with Guetta, to open a disciplinary investigation into the Shacham-Shavit's behavior. They also agreed to remove the attorney from the case.
Shacham-Shavit informed Guetta that he is taking a leave of absence effective immediately until the end of the investigation against him.
Justice Minister Shaked (R) and Chief Justice Hayut (Photo: Yonatan Zindel/Flash 90 and Alex Kolomoisky)
Following the publication of the texts, the attorneys representing Shaul and Or Elovitch filed a request for their clients, as well as all other suspects detained in the affair, to be immediately released.
"It is hard to describe the magnitude of the shock, to which of course every decent person must be partner to, experienced when exposed to the secret conduct between the investigations department of the Israel Securities Authority and the judge," said the lawyer representing Shaul Elovitch, claiming it is now obvious their continued detainment is illegal.
The lawyer representing Or Elovitch called the incident "unprecedented" and one that "requires a thorough and in-depth investigation and harsh conclusions."
"The correspondence between the judge and the representative of the ISA polluted the legal process and demands the immediate release of my client," he said.
On Monday 8:30 am, Judge Masarwa will discuss their request for the immediate release of the six suspects detained, Shaul Iris and Or Elovitch, Stella Handler, Amikam Shorer and Nir Hefetz, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's former media adviser.
The police opined the case would not be harmed by the text messages, asserting that "the evidence will prevail."
Prior to the publication of the texts, Judge Poznanski-Katz extended the remand of former Bezeq strategic advisor Eli Kamir, who is also a suspect in the case, explaining her decision stemmed from his "significant" involvement in the affair.
Tova Tzimuki, Gilad Morag, Eli Senyor
and Roi Rubinstein contributed to this report.
The former chief of staff at the Prime Minister's Office, Ari Harow, who signed a state's witness agreement in Case 1000 and Case 2000 , is expected to testify against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Case 4000 as well, Globes reported on Sunday.
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In Case 4000, police are investigating suspicions Bezeq majority shareholder Shaul Elovitch and Netanyahu had a quid pro quo relationship in which Bezeq enjoyed regulatory benefits in return for favorable coverage of the Netanyahu family on Walla! News, which is owned by the telecommunications giant.
Harow and Netanyahu (file photo) (Photo: Alex Kolomoisky)
It is believed Harow has already provided the police with relevant information about Netanyahu's relationship with Elovitch, to which he was exposed while working as Netanyahu's bureau chief.
Netanyahu himself is expected to be questioned in the case on Friday, likely under caution, as well as provide testimony in the submarine affair, Case 3000, in which he is not a suspect.
The police asserted Sunday night that despite the apparent coordination between Israel Securities Authority representative Eran Shacham-Shavit and the Tel Aviv Magistrate's Court judge overseeing the Bezeq Affair, Ronit Poznanski-Katz, the case would not be affected, insisting that "the evidence will prevail."
Judge Alaa Masarwa, who replaced Poznanski-Katz on the case, will hear a request Monday morning by the six suspects arrested in the caseElovitch, his wife Iris and son Or, media adviser Nir Hefetz, Bezeq CEO Stella Handler and Bezeq executive Amikam Shorerfor an immediate release from custody in the wake of the developments concerning Poznanski-Katz and Shacham-Shavit.
Nine Palestinians suspected of involvement in terrorist activities and violent disturbances against civilians and security forces were arrested overnight Sunday by security forces in the village of Nabi Salih in the West Bank.
In addition, two stashed firearms were found by security forces in the village of Ein Yabrud in the Ramallah and al-Bireh Governorate.
Staff Sgt. A., who shot to death a Palestinian suspect during a raid in Jericho last week, was questioned under caution by the IDF's Criminal Investigation Division (CID) on Sunday, and insisted that despite the fact he felt in danger, he acted proportionally.
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Staff Sgt. A., a squad commander from the Lion of the Valley Battalion, was tasked with handling the clashes that erupted in the heart of the relatively quiet Palestinian city around 2am Thursday, while another force was arresting wanted suspects.
"I was securing the alley, and then all of a sudden I noticed a relatively large Palestinian man running toward me with an object that appeared like an iron rod in his hand," Staff Sgt. A recounted the incident to investigators.
"At this point I approached to take the object from him, but he resisted and tried to snatch the weapon from me," Staff Sgt. A. went on to say. "We didn't shoot at him at this point, but we overpowered and handcuffed him. At this point, a massive riot developed nearby, and I went back to handling that while the rest of the force handled the Palestinian. I was also hit by the gas. The incident itself was at close quarters, perhaps three meters."
Several minutes later, a combat medic from the force conducted an initial and superficial examination of the Palestinian, Yassin Omar al-Saradih, but she didn't identify a gunshot wound or external bleeding. A similar diagnosis was made later by a medic from the battalion aid station.
This led the IDF to initially believe Saradih died of a combination of suffocation from the gas that was fired during the clashes and the physical force used against him when he was overpowered.
An autopsy of Saradih carried out by the Institute of Forensic Medicine on Friday determined that he was indeed killed by a single gunshot fired by Staff Sgt. A.
The combat medic who initially examined Saradih and Staff Sgt. A.'s platoon commander are also expected to provide their testimony to the CID.
CCTV footage of the incident
X
So far, Staff Sgt. A.'s has received the full backing of his commanders.
"If the squad commander had acted according to the rules of engagement, he would have shot the Palestinian suspect in the head or in the center of his body," a source close to Sgt. A. claimed. "He deserves a commendation for his conduct."
However, questions arose about the fact two different medics failed to identify the bullet entry wound in Saradih's groin area, even though the suspect was undressed by the troops, who found a knife in his possessions.
Another question concerns the lack of transparency by the army. The IDF entirely concealed the unusual incident from the public, even though it happened in the middle of the night and the suspect was held by the Israeli troops for hours. It was only the next day, around midday, that the Palestinians reported Saradih's death, releasing security camera footage showing the incident.
In an effort not to repeat the mistakes that plagued Elor Azaria's case , the IDF took no risks. On the one hand, the soldiers received full backing, while on the other hand it was announced the CID had launched an investigation into the case, as is customary in such incidents. The military defense counsel also spared no expenses, assigning the soldiers with senior military lawyers to advise them.
According to the initial investigation of the incident, while troops were operating in Jericho, some 50 Palestinians began rioting by throwing rocks, rolling burning tires and hurling Molotov cocktails at the soldiers.
During the violence, Saradih ran toward the soldiers brandishing an iron rod, leading them to open fire on him.
The IDF said that "in response to the threat, soldiers fired toward him but he was most likely not hit." Soldiers then "used force in order to subdue the suspect," the statement added.
It said the man had a knife on him and had tried to grab a soldier's weapon. The statement added that a medic examined the detainee at the time and assessed his condition to be "normal."
The army statement added that the Palestinian's condition deteriorated when he was later exposed to tear gas fired by soldiers trying to disperse Palestinian protesters. The man was later identified as a 33-year-old Jericho man who, according to relatives, did not suffer from health problems.
Tel Aviv Magistrate's Court Judge Ronit Poznanski-Katz and Israel Securities Authority (ISA) representative Attorney Eran Shacham-Shavit were lambasted Monday by both sides of the political map for seemingly coordinating remand extensions in advance for suspects in the Bezeq Affair (also known as Case 4000).
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Legislators from the coalition and the opposition flooded social media with condemnation of the "shocking" and "shameful" incident.
Judge Poznanski-Katz (Photo: Motti Kimchi)
"A judge who coordinates detainments with the prosecutorher place is not in court. The Chief Justice did well when she handled it with severity," wrote Zionist Union leader Avi Gabbay, though noting that the investigation against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the evidence gathered and the police's recommendations to indict him, "even the conduct of a judgehowever illegitimatecannot be erased."
In an interview with Ynet, Gabbay repeated his position on the issue, rebuking Netanyahu and his "lackeys" for "gloating" following the publication. He chided that, while they warn of harming public trust in the judicial system, they themselves were the ones doing so with their "systematic" attacks on the courts and the police.
Opposition leader MK Isaac Herzog (Zionist Union) echoed some of Gabbay's assertion, saying that while "it is good that this moral corruption was exposed," it shouldn't be allowed to sabotage the investigation.
Former Prime Minister Ehud Barak also stressed that the incident shouldn't be allowed to impair the investigation, though he noted that "in a civilized country, the judge would be required to resign" the following morning.
Yesh Atid leader Yair Lapid chimed in, calling the two's conduct a "contempt of court and scorn of the public and the rule of law."
Attorney Shacham-Shavit (Photo: Motti Kimchi)
Right-wing legislators were less easy to assuage.
They called the detainment of the suspects in the Bezeq affair "illegal" and criticized the hasty decision to conduct a disciplinary investigation of the issue instead of a criminal one, with some even going so far as to call it a "cover-up."
"It is shocking to see the cover-up attempts by the heads of the justice system," wrote Tourism Minister Yariv Levin (Likud) in a Facebook post, noting that "if it turns out that civilians were sent to detention in a tainted procedure, in which the decision was made even before a hearing, it is a criminal offense of the harshest degree."
"Such a subject must be investigated immediately by the police, and I expect it to be done with the same enthusiasm as other matters on the agenda," he added, stressing it's important to do so in order to avoid harming public trust in law enforcement agencies and the judicial system.
He again repeated these notions in an interview with Ynet, unequivocally asserting his claim of a cover-up by Shaked and Hayut was anything but an allegation.
"This is the situation. It's not an accusation, it's reality," he said.
Public Security Minister Gilad Erdan (Likud) opined on Army Radio that the two "ended their careers in the judicial system," and expressed hope that a criminal investigation be opened into the affair alongside the disciplinary one.
Culture and Sport Minister Miri Regev (Likud) said the two should be immediately arrested and have their phones taken as evidence for a criminal investigation.
"'Disciplinary investigation.' I wonder if the prime minister's investigation will also be turned from a criminal investigation into a disciplinary investigation," wrote MK Bezalel Smotrich (Bayit Yehudi). "This should be handled with an immediate criminal investigation. Enough with the cover-up and the double standard."
Smotrich then commented that the justice system must immediately suspend both the judge and the attorney and release all suspects detained in the affair.
"We cannot take the risk, even the slightest, that people were denied their freedom without proper procedure."
The MK then alleged this is not the only such case of coordination between judge and prosecutor, claiming in a Ynet interview that contrary to the ISA's statement, this scandal is not unusual in his eyes.
"This is something systemic, and by burying our heads in the sand and saying, 'It's one rotten apple, it is not representative (of the whole of the judicial system)we will not solve the problem and we will not strengthen the judicial system," he stressed.
Channel 10 News revealed Sunday an exchange of text conversation messages between Poznanski-Katz and Shacham-Shavit. In the correspondence, held on the WhatsApp Messenger app, Shacham-Shavit is seen telling Poznanski-Katz that the prosecution will seek an extension of remand for Bezeq shareholder Shaul Elovitch, his wife Iris and son Or, the latter of which was a member in Bezeq's board of directors, Bezeq Strategy and Business Development Manager Amikam Shorer and Bezeq CEO Stella Handler, ahead of Monday's hearing on the issue.
Disciplinary investigations have been launched against Tel Aviv Magistrates' Court Judge Ronit Poznanski-Katz and the attorney representing the Israel Securities Authority (ISA), Eran Shacham-Shavit, after an exchange of text messages between the two raised suspicions they were coordinating the remand extensions of suspects in the Bezeq affair, also known as Case 4000.
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An ISA representative said in court Monday morning that Poznanski-Katz's conduct will be investigated by the Ombudsman for Complaints against Judges, while Shacham-Shavit's actions will be investigated by the Civil Service Commission.
Attorney Oded Svorai, who represents Shacham-Shavit, said his client has decided to take a leave of absence until the end of the probe in the Civil Service Commission.
Judge Ronit Poznanski-Katz (Photo: Yariv Katz)
"Attorney Shacham-Shavit is a professional, respectable and principled lawyer, who does his work faithfully and with complete devotion. His entire conduct vis-a-vis Judge Poznanski-Katz has been professional and within the acceptable and legitimate framework of an investigative authority's conduct in relation to remand extension judges, which is unlike the conduct in relation to judges in the trial itself," Svorai said.
"Contrary to the erroneous impression created due to the report last night, attorney Shacham-Shavit had updated the judge, whose moderate position on the suspects' detainment periodwhich she expressed in court hearingsgained favor with the special investigations team. He also said to the judge he was happy to tell her that in a few minutes she would receive a message from his colleagues at the special investigations teaminvestigators from Lahav 433that they have decided to release two of the suspects," Svorai went on to explain.
"As for the request to extend the remand of two additional suspects, attorney Shacham-Shavit updated the judge that his colleagues are expected to request a remand extension of three days, however he, as a representative of the Israel Securities Authority, believes two days are enough."
Attorney Eran Shacham-Shavit (Photo: Motti Kimchi)
Channel 10 News revealed on Sunday night the texts Poznanski-Katz and Shacham-Shavit exchanged, in which the lawyer is seen telling the judge that the prosecution will seek an extension of remand for Bezeq shareholder Shaul Elovitch, his wife Iris and son Or, the latter of which was a member in Bezeq's board of directors, Bezeq Strategy and Business Development Manager Amikam Shorer and Bezeq CEO Stella Handler, ahead of Monday's hearing on the issue, and seemingly instructing her how many days to keep them in custody.
ISA Chair Anat Guetta convened the ISA investigators for a meeting following the incident.
Guetta claimed that it isn't representative of the values of the ISA, but stressed that, while unusual, it is a serious incident that must not repeat.
ISA Chair Guetta (Photo: ISA)
"It must not happen, but it happened. The matter is currently under review. And we, of course, will also draw the necessary conclusions," she said.
She concluded by noting that the incident "in no way undermines the excellent investigation carried out by our Investigators in the Bezeq affair and the findings obtained within it."
Judge, investigator claim no prior acquaintance
According to Shacham-Shavit's testimony, provided to the Civil Service Commission in Jerusalem, he has been accompanying the Bezeq investigation from its earliest stages at the ISAbefore police became involvedand acted as point-man for search warrant and remand requests.
He further said he had submitted most of the aforementioned requests to arrests judge Poznanski-Katz, and that the two had no prior acquaintance.
The first WhatsApp correspondence, Shacham-Shavit claimed, took place June 21, 2017, since the judge had no assistants with which to communicate on court dates and placements.
All of their correspondence, he addedsave for the last one made public by Channel 10 Newswas of a strictly logistical nature. When the first incarnation of the Bezeq investigation concluded, the case was handed over to the State Attorney's Office and the matter was concluded.
Several months ago, however, new information came to light that justified continuing the investigation in new directions. The Securities Authority and Lahav 433 argued about the further conducting of the investigation, and Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit decided to create a joint investigative team comprised of personnel from both unitsthereby getting Case 4000 started.
Since Judge Poznanski-Katz was already familiar with the investigation's minutiae from the previous round, the court appointed her as the arrests judge presiding over the case even though she had already went on a sabbatical and was technically on vacation.
This necessitated she arrive at court only for the Case 4000 hearings, without any assistants to avail herself of. Since Shacham-Shavit had experience in the previous Bezeq case, meanwhile, he was tasked with acting as liaison between the court and the special investigative team.
Shacham-Shavit and Judge Poznanski-Katz once again conducted logistical correspondences on Case 4000. During the remand hearings, some of which took place with only representatives from the investigation and the judge in her chambers, the judge severely criticized the remand requests, claiming the team asked for too many days and did not differentiate enough between suspects.
ISA attorney Shacham-Shavit said he was of the same mind as the judge, and voiced the same positions in internal investigation team discussions.
A hearing for the investigation team before the judge was set for this past Sunday, and a time was set for it. The correspondence published by Channel 10 began then, and lasted the entire day.
According to the Securities Authority, Shacham-Shavit's request for her to "act surprised" had more to do with the Poznanski-Katz's conduct vis-a-vis police investigators and not the suspects themselves.
'Be careful with your words and actions'
In the wake of the revelations, Supreme Court Chief Justice Esther Hayut and Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked sent an urgent request to the Ombudsman for Complaints against Judges, asking him to examine and clarify the matter.
"The Ombudsman has been asked to handle the request without delay, and I have no doubt he will," Hayut wrote Monday in a letter to judges and registrars across the country, noting that upon the completion of the Ombudsman's probe, she could determine what steps should be taken against Poznanski-Katz.
"The courts system is in the eye of the storm, not to its benefit, due to an incident reported yesterday in the media, which concerns the conduct of a Magistrates' Court judge from Tel Aviv who heard the remand extension requests in the affair dubbed Case 4000," Hayut wrote.
Supreme Court Chief Justice Esther Hayut (Photo: TPS)
"On this morning, which is not easy to any of us, I seek to give you my support and express to you my great appreciation for your hard, devoted work," she went on to say.
"We judges and registrars are responsible for one another in all of our actions. Therefore, please be careful in your words and conduct. And above all, do not despair. We will continue to do our job with professionalism and with faith, and we will continue doing everything possible to maintain the public's trust in our court system, which numbers over 700 honest senior judges and registers who invest all of their energy and resources in doing their jobs on all days of the year."
Meanwhile, Poznanski-Katz asked to step aside from the case, as the president of the Tel Aviv Magistrate's Court ordered her to be replaced as the judge overseeing it, appointing Judge Alaa Masarwa in her place.
The judge and the attorney are finished. They cant keep their jobs, not for a single minute.
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In light of the tempestuous and sensitive public atmosphere, the disappointment caused by the childish behavior of Judge Ronit Poznanski-Katz and the Israel Securities Authority investigator cannot be downplayed. In addition to polluting the investigation, they seriously damaged the integrity of the law enforcement system and the justice system.
Judge Ronit Poznanski-Katz (L) and attorney Eran Shacham-Shavit. Can't keep their jobs (Photo: Motti Kimchi, Yariv Katz)
But the spin is as big as the flop. The politicians and their sycophants are eagerly grasping this story, hoping it will lead to the eradication of all investigations in the different cases plaguing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Because of an exchange of text messagesas foolish and as faulty as it may bethey are trying to erase mountains of testimonies, documents and evidence about millions of shekels that were moved from here to there.
Well, we should put things back in proportion and pull the handbrake, before the train of investigations disintegrates into a dark abyss of populism and lies. All the comments we heard from politicians Sunday night, which sprung up like mushrooms after the rain to undermine the legitimacy of all investigators and all judges, are one big spin. A concise message box saying: Destroy Case 4000.
Indeed, this affair fell into their hands like ripe fruit, and they are mercilessly sinking their teeth into it. And if, while doing so, they are intentionally increasing the lack of faith in all of the kingdoms institutionsso be it. No matter how much it costs.
So lets pour cold water on this instigation and simply say that there is one truth under the veil of folly exposed Sunday evening: Police investigators and ISA investigators have collected mountains of evidence, documents, recordings, testimonies and one states witness, which are standing firm on their own and have nothing to do with the investigator and judges display of stupidity.
No matter how many lies they try to tell the public, Case 4000 is by all standards one of the biggest corruption affairs in the history of the State of Israel. The Walla! CEOs recordings have nothing to do with the judge, and neither does state witness Shlomo Filbers purifying testimony.
The judges conduct is troubling and outrageous, but its sadder and much worse to see the eagerness of deceptive politicians to destroy the entire legal system to rescue a few corrupt people from the hands of justice. Allegedly, of course. Allegedly.
Public Security Minister Gilad Erdan prevented an official visit by PA Education Minister Sabri Saidam to the Old City, Jerusalem.
According to police intelligence, Saidam planned to visit a Christian school in the Old City to speak and be interviewed by the media.
In addition, Samir Jibril, head of education in Jerusalem at the Palestinian Ministry of Endowments, which funds a number of schools in Arab East Jerusalem, and other senior PA officials were also expected to accompany him.
Iris Elovitch, the wife of Bezeq majority shareholder Shaul Elovitch, was released from police custody on Monday and put on a 10-day house arrest.
The Tel Aviv Magistrates' Court also ordered her to stay away the Bezeq company offices for 45 days and barred her from leaving the country in the next six months.
She was also barred from contacting any of the other suspects in Case 4000 for 45 days.
WASHINGTON
US President Donald Trumps decision to move the American embassy to Jerusalem and give Israel a gift for its 70th birthday put an end to the United States ability to serve as a decent mediator in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
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The crisis between Washington and Ramallah is deeper than ever, and while the Arab world may not be sacrificing itself for the Palestinians, it sees the US protecting the Israeli interest, as a world power which has lost its ability to lead the world.
The deal of the centurypeace between Israel and the Palestinians and a general reconciliation between Israel and Arab stateswont happen.
As far as Trump and Netanyahu are concerned, the investigations they are embroiled in are the result of envy, political scores and a failure to understand that they are Gods gift to the nation (Photo: Reuters)
The embassy wont really move to Jerusalem in May. An office facility will be prepared for the ambassador and his small team. But this symbolism is seen as giving Israel a big cuddle while giving the entire world the finger. And thats a bad thing for Israel.
Jerusalem is Israels capital even without a designated office for the US ambassador. United Jerusalem is also the most explosive issue between the sides. There is a reason they decided over the decades to make it the final issue of the negotiations.
Jerusalem isnt just a technical capital. Its a historic city which evokes emotions, a heavenly and earthly city, a city of spirit and sacredness and of a serious political dispute.
In his decision to strike Jerusalem first, Trump dealt a final blow to any future agreement. He likely understands that, yet his actions arent directed at the world but at his political basethe evangelicals and the right-wing voters who see the embassy move as coming full circle and as proof that he is indeed the man who will fix things after Barack Obama.
Trump doesnt have Jerusalem in mind, however, but rather the upcoming Congressional elections. As far as hes concerned, it means more votes for the Republican candidates.
The American Consulate in Jerusalem. Both Trump and Netanyahu are appealing to their political base with the embassy move (Photo: Atta Awisat)
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is expected to meet Trump in Washington next week. It will be a show of mutual affection and sugar-coated praise.
Trump is not the only one appealing to his political base on the Jerusalem issue. Its mainly Netanyahu, who has now received a very precious gift. Now, he can convey an even stronger message to his voters: I am the only leader who has scored such a diplomatic achievement for Israel. All the investigations are a diversion from the important stuff. At this time, you have no better statesman than me.
Never before have we had a situation in which an Israeli prime minister and an American president looked like conjoined twins at the same point in time: Trump is up to his neck in the Russiagate investigations, as the number of states witnesses against him is growing and the suspicions are closing in on him, just like in Netanyahu's case.
Just last weekend, Trumps former campaign adviser signed an agreement with the FBI, and to save his skin he will testify about what took place in Trumps election campaign. Another indictment has been filed against the former campaign chairman Paul Manafort, with multiple charges. If he is convicted, he is expected to spend many years in jail. The investigators are trying to turn him into a states witness too.
Both Trump and Netanyahu are downplaying the offenses and the corruption, using the exact same words: A witch hunt, hostile media. Neither of them is a lame duck by definition, as their time in power isnt limited: Netanyahu isnt even considering resigning or taking a leave of absence, and neither is Trump. But they both definitely look like ducks on a string, swinging in the winds of the investigation, each with his own investigations. And if they arent subdued by the multiple suspicions, they are both planning another term in office.
Trump isnt as smart as Netanyahu. He is much more vulgar than him, and mainly ignorant. But right now, they look like twin leaders: As far as theyre concerned, the investigations they are embroiled in are the result of envy, jealousy, political scores and the investigators failure to understand that they are outstanding leaders, Gods gift to the nation.
They are both being persecuted to the same extent, and they will both try to make the most of their joint performance in Washington for their own political and personal purposes. You scratch my back and Ill scratch yours, with a wink.
Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked said Monday she would impeach any judge who commits a criminal offense, noting "If we learn of a judge who transgressed, he won't remain a judge."
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"If the need arises, I will convene the Judicial Selection Committee and we will enact the impeachment authority," she said.
Shaked delivered a statement at the outset of a Bayit Yehudi party meeting after the release of an exchange of text messages between a judge and a prosecution attorney in which the two appear to be coordinating on the remand extension of suspects.
(Photo: Alex Koifman)
string of messages brought to light by Channel 10 News on Sunday, Eran Shacham-Shavit, an attorney representing the Israel Securities Authority (ISA) in the Bezeq corruption affair (Case 4000), appears to be instructing Tel Aviv Magistrates' Court Judge Ronit Poznanski-Katz, who was presided over the remand hearings in the case, on how many days to keep the suspects in police custody.
"I was outraged along with all Israeli citizens," Shaked said. "The correspondence that was revealed constitutes a serious blow to the public's trust in the judicial system."
The justice minister said she and Supreme Court Chief Justice Esther Hayut turned to the Ombudsman for Complaints against Judges on Sunday night and asked him to hold an urgent examination of the matter.
"If the examination raises suspicions of criminal activity, the Ombudsman will pass on the case to the attorney general," Shaked said.
(Photo: Motti Kimchi, Yariv Katz)
She said Judge Poznanski-Katz, who has been replaced on the case, was already questioned by the Ombudsman for Complaints, former justice Eliezer Rivlin, on Monday morning, while attorney Shacham-Shavit was questioned under caution as well.
"The Ombudsman will submit an opinion on the matter to me and to the chief justice this very evening," Shaked noted.
The justice minister went on to say that "a regular person who is put under arrest loses his world in an instant. Every person has the right to the presumption of innocence, and this must not be taken lightly."
"I want to stress that the State of Israel is not a corrupt state. The judicial system in Israel is not corrupt. In a corrupt country, yesterday's report would have been covered up. Not in the State of Israel and not on my watch," she vowed.
Yesh Atid leader MK Yair Lapid also weighed in on the issue, stating that what happened yesterday was the worst thing and we need to think what steps need to be taken."
The matter, he said, could not remain limited to a disciplinary hearing and must be dealt with seriously.
I dont think that this says a thing about the Israeli judicial system and I dont think that we need, at the moment, to throw the baby out with the bathwater because of one bad incident, however serious it may be, he said.
Yair Lapid (Photo: Ohad Zwigenberg)
Lapid remained adamant that the multiple investigations had to continue will full force. The cases are serious. They need to continue to be investigated and I suggest that if everyone is so shocked, they should save some of that shock for the last few cases that have been exposed, he stated.
Lapid also called on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to resign or to appoint a replacement leader from the Likud while he is enveloped in the the corruption cases.
Netanyahu should appoint a permanent replacement for himself. He should take one of the senior Likudniks and nominate him as the deputy prime minister, Lapid argued.
He should make sure that he is apprised of the sensitive security matters and on the sensitive diplomatic matters.
In the coming weeks, the prime minister is going to be extremely busy with the investigations, Lapid continued, and in order to ensure that the state continues to fully function, he should have someone next to him who knows the system. Even in normal times, it is not reasonable for a prime minister not to have a permanent deputy, Lapid said.
Ombudsman for Complaints against Judges, former justice Eliezer Rivlin (Photo: Noam Moskovich)
Is there not even one minister, not one Cabinet member, who can be the deputy prime minister? he asked.
On Monday afternoon the Ombudsman Rivlin, notified Hayut and Shaked of his intention to complete collecting materials related to the inquiry into the conduct of Judge Poznanski-Katz within the day.
Rivlin will then put together his conclusions, replying to the request made by the chief justice and justice minister, and submit them by Tuesday afternoon.
The Justice Ministry said Hayut and Shaked intended to allow Rivlin's decision to be made public after they receive it, and upon its review will jointly decide which stepsif anyshould be taken against Judge Poznanski-Katz.
BEIRUT The European Union has hit Syria's industry and information ministers with sanctions, freezing their assets and preventing them from traveling in the 28-nation bloc.
EU foreign ministers made the move Monday. The Syrian ministers were only appointed last month.
It means 257 people are now under EU sanctions "for being responsible for the violent repression against the civilian population in Syria, benefiting from or supporting the regime, and/or being associated with such persons."
A further 67 entitiesmostly companies and organizationshave had their assets frozen.
MOSCOW Russian President Vladimir Putin has ordered the implementation of a daily ceasefire in Syria's eastern Ghouta, starting on Tuesday, and the creation of a "humanitarian corridor" via which civilians can leave, his defence minister was quoted as saying.
The minister, Sergei Shoigu, said the ceasefire would run from 09:00 until 14:00 local time daily, RIA news agency reported. He said details on the location of the corridor would be released soon.
BEIRUT/MOSCOW Russia will establish a humanitarian corridor and implement a five-hour daily truce in Syria's eastern Ghouta, it said on Monday, after a UN Security Council resolution demanding a 30-day ceasefire across the entire country.
Over the past week Syria's army and its allies have subjected the rebel-held enclave of eastern Ghouta near Damascus to one of the heaviest bombardments of the seven-year war, killing hundreds.
On Sunday health authorities there said several people had suffered symptoms consistent with chlorine gas exposure and on Monday rescue workers and a war monitor said seven small children were killed by air and artillery strikes in one town.
"Eastern Ghouta cannot wait, it is high time to stop this hell on earth," UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres told the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva, calling for implementation of the ceasefire.
The Tel Aviv Magistrates' Court extended the remand Monday evening of Bezeq majority shareholder Shaul Elovitch, former advisor to the Netanyahu family Nir Hefetz and strategy advisor Eli Kamir in the Bezeq Affair (also known as Case 4000).
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Elovitch and Hefetz were remanded until Sunday, whereas Kamir was remanded until Wednesday in the affair despite their attorneys efforts to secure their immediate discharge after disciplinary investigations were launched against Tel Aviv Magistrates' Court Judge Ronit Poznanski-Katz and the attorney representing the Israel Securities Authority (ISA), Eran Shacham-Shavit, after an exchange of text messages between the two raised suspicions they were coordinating the remand extensions of suspects
L-R: Kamir, Hefetz and Elovitch (Photo: Motti Kimchi, Yariv Katz)
The three immediately announced their decision to appeal the court ruling.
Judge Alaa Masarwa, who replaced Poznanski-Katz, dashed their hopes by refusing to acquiesce to their demands, despite the legal misconduct. At the end of the day, even if there were flaws in the legal process, it is for the court to determine whether or not to release them under differing arrest conditions. At the moment, it isnt possible, he said.
The judge explained that after the publication of the text correspondence between Poznanski-Katz and Shacham-Shavit, the suspects defense attorneys filed for their release citing prior coordination. Kamir submitted a request that the matter be re-examined for similar reasons.
In light of the extenuating circumstances, I examined for myself the evidence, I studied all of it, including the material that was submitted to the courts and other materials, Judge Masarwa said.
Moreover, I addressed questions in writing to representatives of the investigative unit. There are many investigative materials involving many suspicions of things that were done by the senior officials.
Shaul Elovitch (L) and Nir Hefetz (Photo: Motti Kimchi)
It is difficult, he added to diminish the severity of the case. Reasonable suspicion arose before the current wave of arrests.
Masarwa also emphasized that it could be confidently said that the suspicion against those involved was strengthened over time.
As is known, in cases of these types there is suspicion of disruptions (to the legal processed.) The suspects who remained under arrest are central figures and are at the heart of the case.
Eli Kamir (Photo: Yariv Katz)
The judge also addressed the claims made by Hefetz about the conditions of his arrest.
Im not ignoring the suspicious claims about the conditions of the difficult remand. However, it is public interest vs the truth, the judge reasoned, adding that the release of the suspects may harm the investigation.
As for the just claim by the defense after the correspondence with the judge was exposed in which she was given prior requests, I will says that even if I address its gravity, I would still stand behind the interests of the public in light of the severity of the case and the abundance of evidence, he insisted.
Judge Alaa Masarwa (Photo: Motti Kimchi)
The job of the court is to strike a balance between different interests and the exhaustive investigation and the curtailing of suspects rights. I have decided that the public interest has the upper hand.
On Sunday, Kamir was released under limiting terms from his arrest in Case 1270 (concerning the alleged offer to appoint Judge Gerstel to attorney general in return for closing investigations against Sara Netanyahued).
Shortly after, he was arrested in Case 4000 in which he is suspected of slanting the coverage on the Walla News! site in return for Ministry of Communications benefits for Bezeq, which is owned by Elovitch, and other companies he owns.
Four other suspects who were affected by the prior coordination between Poznanski-Katz and Shacham-Shavit, were released. Bezeq CEO Stella Handler was released to house arrest for a week while the companys Strategy and Business Development Manager Amikam Shorer was also released to house arrest for five days.
Iris Elovitch, the wife of Shaul Elovitch, was also released from police custody and placed under a 10-day house arrest. Her son, Or, was also released from arrest after a week.
KABUL The Taliban urged the United States on Monday to begin talks to end almost 17 years of war in Afghanistan, adding to a series of signals that suggest a greater willingness to explore options for dialogue.
In its statement, two days before the start of a meeting of regional leaders in Kabul to discuss ways of ending the war, the movement said it wanted a peaceful resolution.
"The Political Office of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan calls on American officials to talk directly to the Political Office of Islamic Emirate regarding a peaceful solution to the Afghan quandary," it said.
"It would help in finding a solution if America accepts the legitimate demands of the Afghan people and forward its own concerns and requests for discussion to the Islamic Emirate through a peaceful channel," it said.
ANKARA, Turkey Turkey has submitted documents to the Czech authorities formally requesting the extradition of the former leader of a Syrian Kurdish party, Deputy Prime Minister Bekir Bozdag said Monday.
Salih Muslim, former co-chair of the Democratic Union Party, or PYD, was detained in the Czech capital of Prague on Saturday based on a Turkish request for his arrest.
Turkey considers the PYD a "terrorist group" linked to outlawed Kurdish insurgents fighting within Turkey's own borders.
Czech authorities said Muslim was arrested based on a request from Turkey's Interpol office. However an official at Interpol's headquarters in Lyon, France, said Monday that the police agency has not issued a worldwide red notice for his arrest.
MOSCOW Russia's Ministry of Defense said on Monday that the Syrian army will suspend strikes on the rebel-held enclave of eastern Ghouta during a daily five-hour truce, introduced from Tuesday, Interfax news agency said.
Militants in the enclave are holding hundreds hostage, including women and children, RIA news agency quoted the head of Russia's monitoring centre in Syria, Major-General Yuri Yevtushenko, as saying.
The centre, together with the Syrian government, will be evacuating the sick and injured from the area, RIA cited him as saying.
Three Israeli Arabs were indicted Tuesday for planning to carry out a shooting attack on the Temple Mount after an investigation revealed that two of them supported the Islamic State, and that the attack was intended to be carried out as part of their support of the terror group.
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The defendantsMohammad Masoud Jabarin, 20, Ammad Lutfi Jabarin, 20, and an additional 17-year-old minor were arrested in January and February and are Umm al-Fahm residents.
The suspects in court (: )
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According to the Shin Bet investigation, the three planned to carry out a shooting attack at the compound similar to that which had been perpetrated on July 14 last year which claimed the lives of two Israeli Border Police officers.
2 of the Umm al-Fahem residents were indicted for terrorism (Photo: Ido Erez)
The attack was prevented thanks to precise intelligence that allowed the three to be arrested before they could obtain weapons and carry out their plan.
The investigation also showed the three had entertained the idea of carrying out attacks in synagogues and churches or against security forces. They also considered carrying out a vehicular attack and marked Christmas as the potential date for their bloodletting.
The Shin Bet said in a statement that it considered "Israelis supporting the Islamic State terror group a serious threat, and even more so those in contact with the group's activists and those who act under the group's banner in Israel.
"The Shin Bet will continue monitoring the suspects and take whichever law enforcement measures are required to prevent the dissemination of the Islamic State's teachings in Israel, as well as to foil any action against the country's security."
The Nazareth District Court sentenced 40-year-old oleh (immigrant) Valentin Mazlevski, who converted to Islam, to 38 months in prison for attempting to join the Islamic State in Syria.
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Mazlevski, who made aliyah to Israel from Belarus in 1996 and converted to Islam in 2000, was arrested about a year ago by Shin Bet, which unveiled correspondence he had held with IS officials in Arab countries in preparation.
Valentin Mazlevski was sentenced to 3 years and 2 months in prison for attempting to join IS
The Belarusian immigrant was convicted of contact with a foreign agent, an attempt to leave for an enemy state and obstruction of justice.
Mazlevski used the "Khalifat" (Arabic for "caliphate"ed) group of instant-messaging platform Telegram in 2016, the indictment said. He expressed his desire to join IS in the group, whose members are IS members and supporters of Russian origin, and was instructed by one activist to arrive to Turkey and speak with him from there so he can assist the Israeli in crossing the border into Syria.
The activist purchased a one-way plane ticket to Turkey on behalf of Mazlevski, but he was prevented from leaving Israel after being questioned by security officials at Ben-Gurion Airport.
Mazlevski in court (: )
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Despite being questioned, however, Mazlevski was not detained and contacted a Muslim of Chechen origin on Telegram ten days later, who then instructed him to delete any content or correspondence having to do with IS from his phone in order to mask his intentions of joining the radical organization.
His interest in the Islamic State only grew stronger, however, and according to the indictment he often watched videos, songs and sermons relating to the organization and joined different social media groups through which he kept in touch with IS supporters and activists in both Israel and the world.
Mazlevski's online activities were not hidden from view of the security establishment, who called him in for questioning in July 2016, during which it was made clear to him the Islamic State was an illegal organization in Israel. Nevertheless, in October 2016 he had decided to try and leave for Syria again.
He contacted a man who called himself "Abu Abdullah" using the Zello messaging app, who then publicized his intention of joining the organization and fighting in its ranks. A month later he contacted another man, "Abu Rakan", who presented himself as an IS activist in Sinai . A short time later Mazlevski was arrested.
Police have arrested the mother of Khaled Abu Jaudah, who murdered IDF soldier Ron Kokia in Arad, for the second time.
The mother, 53-year-old Ma'zuza Abu Jaudah, was arrested on suspicion of staying in Israel illegally. She was found in the Bedouin town of Kuseife with entry permits, despite the fact she had been residing in Israel for the past 35 years.
Police offered to deport her to the territories, her attorney said, and to drive her to the Sham'a Checkpoint in the Negev.
UNITED NATIONS Security Council members were trying Monday to compromise on a British-drafted resolution that promises action against violators of a UN arms embargo on Yemen.
A revised resolution drops earlier condemnation of Iran, which Russia opposed.
UN experts said in a January report that Iran failed to prevent the direct or indirect supply of missiles and drones to Shiite Houthi rebels in Yemen.
The draft resolution would extend UN sanctions in Yemen and the mandate of the panel of experts monitoring their implementation, which expire Monday.
If the British draft is vetoed, the council will vote on a rival version circulated by Russia which makes no mention of the experts' report, but would also extend sanctions and the panel's mandate.
A vote is expected later Monday.
A father from Ra'anana murdered his infant son Monday before committing suicide by jumping in front of a train at the Beit Yehoshua railway station in central Israel.
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Ilan Gadasi, 49, ran off with his son, Evyatar, whose body was found by the police in a vehicle parked outside the train station, bearing severe signs of violence. The child was apparently hit over the head with a blunt object.
The scene of the suicide (: , )
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Israel Railways personnel spotted the car near the scene of the man's suicide and called in the police. Law enforcement officers were rushed to the scenealong with Magen David Adom paramedicsand launched an investigation.
Ilan Gadasi (Photo: Yair Sagi)
Police confirmed the vehicle belonged to the father who took his son from their home on Sunday. A manhunt against Gadasi was underway immediately after he stabbed and lightly wounded his wife Tali, 41.
One of the neighbors said the family had moved to the building 18 months ago and that Tali appeared to be a "sad woman."
The man's vehicle, in which his infant son's body was found (Photo: Tal Shimoni)
Another neighbor said Ilan's relationship with his son Evyatar was very clear, while a third added that he was a "warm, pleasant person who always said hello."
"The mother was extremely patient with the children and their shenanigans. We didn't hear noise from them. Overall it seemed like a very normal family without fights," one of the neighbors said.
Gadasi's wife, Tali, who was lightly wounded after he stabbed her
The couple were apparently embroiled in conflict, but it remained unclear what transpired between them before Gadasi's wife was stabbed and his son taken from their Ra'anana home.
The family was not known to law or welfare authorities in Ra'anana and according to a police statement, "There was no sign that could have indicated that the incident would end the way it did."
Evyatar, murdered by his father (Photo: Courtesy of the family)
Testimony from people familiar with Gadasi also attests to the fact that the murder came as a complete surprise.
They moved here a year-and-a-half ago. The child was his whole world and I heard him many times telling him stories, recalled one neighbor. It seemed as though everything was fine.
The vehicle (circled) was abandoned near the train station in which the man committed suicide (Photo: Yair Sagi)
Following the incident, train traffic in both directions was halted Monday night. A message by Israel Railways said northbound trains would be terminated in Netanya, whereas southbound trains would be stopped at Tel Aviv's Savidor Central station. Other trains may also be delayed.
Two days ago, the police received a complaint via their Facebook page claiming that Tali had informed a friend that she had been assaulted during a dispute.
The friend decided to report the incident to the police and noted that Tali had been attacked by Gadasi.
A police cruiser outside the couple's Ra'anana home
The two were in their second marriage, and Tali has another 7-year-old daughter from her previous marriage.
Arriving at the family home, police kicked in the front door and found Tali with scratches on her body with her daughter.
After the investigation, the police discovered that at 5am, Ilan left the home after a serious argument with his wife during which he stabbed her, taking Evyatar with him.
Police say that Gadasi left no suicide note and did not tell his friends about his plans to kill his so and then himself.
WASHINGTON/PARIS US President Donald Trump will host French President Emmanuel Macron for a state visit on April 24, the White House said on Monday.
"The president and first lady will welcome President and Mrs. Macron of France to the White House on April 24," White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders told reporters.
"This visit will advance American and French cooperation on economic and global issues and deepen the friendship between the two countries." Sanders said it would be the first official state visit since Trump took office.
The French presidency said in a brief statement Macron's visit would take place on April 23-25 and include a joint news conference, several official ceremonies as well as a state dinner.
This blog is an overview of Sitara Icon Tower in Faisalabad and how the project is an ideal opportunity for local as well as overseas investors.
- A former convict has recounted about the terrible things that happen in Ghana's prisons
- He said inmates turn to homosexuality because they are hungry
- He stated that some inmates are convinced to become gays by prison officers
A Ghanaian ex-convict by the name of Issah Alhassan, has revealed that acts of homosexuality within Ghana's prison system is no longer a secret, since many prisoners practice it in order to survive.
According to Mr. Alhassan, prison convicts don't get fed enough for them to live, and are forced to resort to selling themselves to survive.
"Homosexuality is fast growing among inmates in our prisons. It's not because of anything precious one would like to have, but just for the reason of hunger, he said.
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The former prisoner related that it is very difficult to find proper food in prison.
According to Mr. Alhassan, some inmates are so a ease with it that they actually consider each other as partners.
I have dumped my partner for a new one, he said some prisoners are known to say.
He went on to say that most people serving sentences for defilement don't change, that they still live the same lives they did before they were convicted of a crime. He revealed that homosexuality - known in prison as "Kpeeh" - was the worst part of his prison experience.
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Mr. Alhassan said sometimes prison officers convince new inmates to engage in the act with older inmates, adding that some people give in softly simply due to prison conditions.
Mr. Alhassan revealed that he was given a six year prison sentence due to rape, although he says the 17 year old girl involved was his girlfriend.
READ ALSO: Former president Rawlings renews his NDC membership
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